2/50 - 2009 Indianapolis Marathon

Life after Boston...  I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but I was certain that I wasn't going to fall into the romantic, yet repetitive cycle of running the Chicago and Boston marathons each year.  For that cycle had too many beaux and I was never one to settle into a routine. 

I did train with folks from my southside CARA running group and the Boston training group that summer for the 2009 Chicago Marathon.  However, I ran the race as the 3:10 pace leader.  I really wanted to help people get to Boston and at the time, 3:10 was the qualifying time for men aged 18-34.  What an incredible feeling to carry the hopes of so many people during that race.  As anyone who runs can tell you, anything could happen in a race.  Of the three of us group leaders, one tripped and fell around mile 8 and the other was having a bad race and trailed off around the halfway point.  Amazingly, they were both back on pace with me around mile 22!  Keeping your pace steady so that others (with Garmins critiquing your every step!) can rely on you to get them to the finish was quite a task.  Doing it while holding a group sign in your hand the entire way was just one more challenge! 

Halfway through the summer I felt that my training was going well and I was going to want to clock another sub-3 hour marathon.  Being tied to my commitment with the Chicago Marathon meant that I was going to have to look for something close to that race.  I registered for the Indianapolis Marathon that was to be held one month after Chicago. 

I should mention that a month earlier, I had sold my house, bought a new home with my wife and bought a new motorcycle (as a reward for selling my house in such a terrible market).  This last detail is significant only because I decided to ride it 180 miles to Indianapolis the night before the race.  It was a long, cold ride but we made it in time for the expo, dinner and some sleep.  The next morning was the race and I think my fingers thawed out right around the time I woke up at 4am.

The weather was beautiful but this race was a mess.  It was my first experience with both the half marathoners and full marathoners starting together.  When the clock read 12:30 after the first two miles, I knew this was going to be a problematic race.  I just couldn't hold back from chasing the carrot that was those half marathoners!  I held a pretty fast clip until just after the halfway point.  It was 7 minute miles from there on out and I was feeling miserable. 

I finished that race in 2:58:11, a personal record (from this point forward, we'll refer to this as "PR", one of several insider acronyms in the running world, silly as is may sound in normal conversation) but I wasn't pleased.  I knew I ran it foolishly but there was no time to sulk.  I had a new bike and a city to explore!  For all of its franchised stores and restaurants, Indy is actually a pretty nice city when you dig a little deeper.  We spent the afternoon cruising north on Meridian St., historically significant for its beautiful homes erected during the roaring twenties for the wealthy and social elite.  On quaint Broad Ripple St., we found Average Joes Bar for a drink on the open patio with some other bikers.  Afterwards, we made our way back to the hotel for a shower and dinner at Oceanaire, a surprisingly fantastic seafood chain on par with Legal Sea Foods in Boston.