| Loop 1 | Loop 2 |
|---|---|
| Loop 1 | Loop 2 |
As usual, there is so much here especially with a 2-part story like this. Unfortunately, I really need to start a little back for all of it to make sense.
I got permission to do this race which is great. I have been under so much stress at job1 and really didn't know where I was. It's 2 new states and a chance to get away. I do NOT mean get away from the family but rather get away from work. From the usual routine. From life. Unfortunately it also became a little expensive which added to the stress.
I've been thinking of quitting for a while but didn't. It got bad. At the Marine Corps Marathon, I think I was at my lowest. I got to the car and told Elizabeth that I am done. She said "no problem - I'm ok with it". She is angel that one. That was October 2025. I held on anyway.
I really did have good days there. I also had not good days. Stressful days. I signed up for this weekend. I kept working. At one point, my boss had a conversation with me. In his defense, he didn't yell at me. He was really not happy with me though and was animated. He really wants me to take over the department completely. He wants me there Tuesday night and Thursday night and Saturday morning and Sunday morning. He wants other things too. I cannot do it.
I called my wife and told her that it's officially time. She didn't understand why I held that long.
Wrote my letter of resignation. All ready to give it in and then we had a crazy Nor'Easter with a ton of snow. Can't quit now. Work was closed then partially open. Did what I could do to help. Then boss got sick and was out and when he was in, he was busy. Bottom line, couldn't really talk to him for a while. Finally, got time with him. Had a laundry list of things for him. We went through it one by one with the last item on my list being "TAF". In math, to end a proof, you write QED which means something in Latin meaning done. One day, my Linear Algebra writes TAF. No one knows what that means. That's All Folks... Anyway, told him that I cannot give him what he wants and so I'm going to resign. He thanked me for my honesty. We then had 2 emergencies one after the other. Had to finish this the next day. Didn't know when last day was going to be. Told him that I am flexible. I got nothing. A week later he told me February 28th. I will have given them 3 weeks...
Anyway, 2 weeks go by and it's time for this weekend. I think the weather has ADD. It cannot decide what it's going to do. Initially, a bad storm. Nope, a small storm. Nope, a HUGE storm.
My flight left Friday morning without an issue from LGA to North Carolina. Wife drove me. I don't think she ever dropped me off. Got there and no issues. Got to NC and switched planes to a tiny thing to Jackson, Mississippi. It had 1 seat on one side and 2 on the other. I had a seat which was aisle and window at the same time. YAY!
Landed in Jackson and got my car and went for packet pickup and food and some shopping and then to the hotel. Cool. No issues so far.
Even though it's 1 hour back (Central time), I went to sleep as if I was in NY time so all in all got 7 hours of sleep which is huge. Woke up at 2am, my 3am, and felt good. Except stomach was not happy whatsoever... All liquid. I know the drill. Do my thing, let as much out and then treat it with the "other little blue pill" as I like to call it. I always take one as a pre-emptive strike anyway so no biggie.
I usually take it right after last sit down at race site but this time before I left the hotel. Drove to the stadium for race start. No signs over there. Hoping I am at the right place. Lots of parking which is nice but only 5 port-a-potties and 2 indoor plumbing until they opened the locker room which gave 3 more stalls. Not smart... They had a 26.2, 13.1, a 10K and 5K and that's all?!? Still, I got mine in and then took an extra pill. Really trying to close the gates of hell down.
Meanwhile, I started talking to a guy named Ken. He was parked right near me. He has a sign that says "Yes, I am that Ken". Nice guy. He's also a MM. Did the states. He learned how to drive 2 months ago and now drives to all the races. He's put on serious driving miles. Fast guy. He's planning on an easy 3:30-4 hour race today because he's pacing the 3:15 the next day in my race. Sheesh. He introduces me to another MM, named Wyatt. Another fast guy...
Anyway, we finally start. I'm undertrained but mentally I'm ok. I'm leapfrogging with some girl which I cannot remember her name. Sucks. I will try to look her up. Anyway, she's doing the half. We talk/run for almost the entire time until she splits. There's a guy doing his first full. I was hoping to work with him but he's doing his thing and leapfrogging us. My girl leaves. I start talking to Katey. She's nice.
Most of the course is niceish. The start has government buildings and they look nice. The course is hilly. For some reason, I was sure that the course was flat. A few days ago, I looked at the elevation map and it looks like an EKG. It did not disappoint. We had hills. We climbed. We had more hills. It sucked. I knew there was a out and back turn around and in the second loop, it will be a little longer. Whatever... We got to the turnaround. To get to it there were ups and downs. To get back it was ups and down. That part was not safe either. Cars driving behind us.
I was still with my girl here and I told her that I wonder how far it is on the second loop. Hm... More on that later.
As I said, we separated at one point. That guy was all over the place. I start talking to Katy at this point. I need to walk at times. She soldiers on. I catch her. I lose her. I catch up. At one point, she tells me that she is in survival mode and cannot talk anymore and I need to leave her. Oh well. I continue. She passes me. I'm alone. I'm back to the out and back section again. I get to the first loop turn around and pass it. I see a guy heading back and I ask him how far to the turn around. He replies with, "Too damn far...". What?!? He says to me it's at least a half mile in each direction. Wonderful. This is just to make the distance. I'm chasing Katy. There is a downhill. I'm watching her. I keep thinking she's going to turn around. She doesn't. She keeps going. To the next cone. To the next cone. How many damn cones are there?!? To the next cone. We went all the way down this nasty downhill turn to finally turn around and now we climb back up...
Sucks... I see people. I ask and ask and finally am rewarded with a Coke. It's a better day. I finish it. I feel better. I chase Katey. I talk to a guy wearing a 300 marathon shirt. I talk to a guy doing his over 1,400 marathons who is also doing Alabama the next day. I chase Katy. Finally, she calls me to come over at the top of a hill. I rejoin her. We talk again. We pass near a huge church. It's on both sides of the street with an internal bridge walkway over the road. It's that big.
I leave her at one point. Mile 20, 21, 22 and perhaps 23. We pass the stadium. It's across the street. I see mile 26 over there. OK - we gotta screw around here for 5K before we come back. This section is nicer yet still hilly. We ran down a big downhill and I'm dreading the up. Thankfully, they have us gently coming back up through a neighborhood. I pass a kid and I ask him if he's the guy who told me that the turnaround is far. He is. We talk and I leave him. We come back up. I'm at 25.5. I can see the stadium. I know it's the second entrance and I'll see 26. I am being chased by those people but no. I turn into the stadium and lowkey chase a guy. I never fully catch him which is smart but I physically finish right behind him.
There's water and beer and Jambalya (spelling?). Oh well. I talk to Ken. He ended up coming in 3rd overall. Sheesh. I did see Wyatt on the course for a hot minute. I never saw Ken.
I go to the car, change clothes and start driving to Alabama. It's a 4 hour drive. I stop to eat and get gas and make it a 5 hour trek.
For the most part, the course was pretty. It was also damn hilly. I think it used to be 1 loop but some construction forced it to be 2 loops. That stupid turnaround extended version sucked. They could have gotten that mile elsewhere instead of more hills. The port-a-pottie situation was silly. The people though were really nice. I did like it overall but it was hilly.
No medal unfortunately. The RD apologized profusely in an email. Medals are being held in customs in California from China. They will mail it out. Sucks for them. Loss of revenue on that.
I was a little cold that day. I won't lie. I wore a long sleeve. I went over to someone else wearing long sleeve and we talked. Nice guy. Really overall, people in MS were really nice.
This is a Back to Back Marathon weekend. It starts in Mississippi on Saturday and ends up in Alabama on Sunday. This is part 1. Part 2 is located here.
