The Sixth Sense

It's time again, my nemesis. The beatings will continue until morale improves, or something like that. This battle is so one sided, it's to the point the thought of "winning" doesn't even enter my mind anymore, it simply is how to minimize the beating.

Spent extra time attempting to find "it" prior to the start. Stretches, favorite tunes, pretending this is really a different race. The temps are on the cool side, but I know the weather report, it will be warm by finish. Knowing that, it makes sense to run this conservative making sure something is left for the end. My Sixth Sense tingles and reminds me that it's been tried before and ended in disaster too. If the beatings are going to continue, what happens if I run without fear? Lets make this a fight!

"I see dead people" goes the start of the gun. Normally, I start behind the pace I want. Today, at the pace I want, which I know is crazy, but I also know I can bank a few miles, then slow down a bit. The early miles are uneventful. Favorite turn is heading through the center of Kalamazoo where there are a few familiar faces and the crowd support helps. After the split between the half and full course, things really thin out, much less fun and much more work.

Wanting to stay minimal, didn't bring music. This is the point where it would be nice because for the next twenty miles, it's going to be kind of lonely. Sun is now up and I do have a shadow though. Coming out of campus my shadow and I are gaining on two women, one in a tutu. These two annoyed me prior to start. Can't say specifically what they did, but anybody in a tutu should be beaten, regardless. I mention to my shadow, tuck in behind me, I'll block the wind in this next stretch, figuring I'd be dying out at some point anyway, but wanted to give my shadow every chance I could to save some energy to beat the tutu girls.

Out of the wind, in the next section, my shadow started talking back. At this point we were about eight miles in, dropping 7:30 miles. Turns out my shadow lives basically in the neighborhood we are currently running through at the moment. She helped hire the one friendly face I saw downtown. Has about the same PR's. All of this is odd because I don't remember ever seeing her running before. Then she asks my name and immediately asks if CT is my wife. Of course Shadow knows her, everybody does! Small world. By this time we pass mile twelve and both get major support from Ms. Positive (see previous blog entry).

Crossed the halfway point at an insane time of 1:39 something. In my best marathon, I don't think put in a time like this. On this course, with it warming up, I know this is a horrible idea. At this point, I let my Shadow go. Continuing to clock under 8 minute miles, would result in a quick and painful death.

From sixteen to twenty is the death march. Going out hard was probably foolish, but these miles were brutal sun miles and I'm convinced they were the real problem. At twenty I was feeling pretty miserable and knew the end was looming. Technically, I was still putting it decent times for miles, but I knew the good times were about to be done.

Mile twenty-two brought a Superstar face asking if I could use anything, "a Coke!". Unfortunately, poor planning didn't make that a reality. Around the next corner waits a smiling CT. While very glad to see her, it's a bitter sweet because I'm feeling very miserable and I also KNOW what it means with her here. "Hun, I'm done" leaves my mouth, her response "You're not quitting on me". Did that sound like a crack of a whip? It should have.

How to make the Kalamazoo Marathon harder? Well, I don't think it's possible to add more hills. They always could move the start time back even more to ensure we get the hottest possible temps. Or simply add CT as coach for the final miles.

The beatings did continue, every time I wanted to stop. The course that beats me every year, now has an accomplice, except now it's a tug of war, with my body. On side, Kzoo wants to win again. The other side, CT wants me to win. I'll admit it, I wanted to strangle CT, problem is I wouldn't be able to catch her and if I did I wouldn't have the strength to do much damage. She willed me across the line, or maybe threatened.

CT is born to coach, or maybe punish. Either one, she's good at it. Without her, never would have gotten the time I did. Crushed my previous best on this course by fourteen minutes.

Kalamazoo, #6 sense is in the books.