New Hampshire Marathon

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New Hampshire is done. This was a wet, cold day, but the course is still really pretty. We ran around Newfound Lake, just north of Bristol. Hilly, but very pretty. It was just to bad that we didn't get to see much besides clouds and rain. A cold front moved in last night and we woke up to a steady mist and heavy clouds. No spectacular views of Newfound Lake during this edition. Before the race started, I met up with a guy from Boston who had done a number of Ironmans. We ended up running the same pace, along with two other guys from Birmingham, AL. They were father and son, and were natives of the area. Between them telling stories about the lake and tri guy discribing all his races, we were a chatty crew until about mile 11. Then things started getting quiet. It's an interesting and predictible phenomenom. As soon as people start feeling the distance and see the distance still to go, the chatter stops. We were still running smoothly as a group through 13, just not talking as much.

Then it happened. Just before 14, all of a sudden it felt like some one had taken a knife and stabbed in the right heel. I couldn't take another step. Pulling up on the side of the road, I pulled my sock down to reveal a blister that was a big as a half dollar and raw and bleeded. Tried tightening my shoe so that it wouldn't rub. That didn't help, in fact it hurt even more. So I stopped again and completly undid the shoe. That helped enough that I could start running again. It was not comefortable, and I had to change my stride a little. But I was moving and starting to catch the guys who had passed me while I was fussing with my shoe. I was reminded of the blister with each step.

At mile 24 the skies opened and the downpour began. Now everything was soaked. The water stung my heel, but there was no escaping the puddles and rivers in the road. I was so happy to see the finish line. It meant I would be able to take my shoes off! Despite everything, I still managed at 3:09:53~. My sock was covered in blood and the shower hurt like hell, but I survived. A few of the guys I'd been running with were astounded that I had been able tofinish after they saw my heel.

Next up - Maine Marathon. I will need to figure out how to cover my heel so I can run.

http://www.marathonguide.com/Redirect.cfm?MID=1171&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Enhmarathon%2Ecom&Source=1 Website for the New Hampshire Marathon - check it out.

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