austin marathon 2005 invitation
it is no exaggeration to say that i have been waiting 51 weeks to write this letter, for it was 51 weeks ago when i ran motorola 2004.
it was 51 weeks ago when the race blew up at mile 16, 51 weeks ago when the train jumped its tracks. and i have been looking forward to this month, this week, this upcoming sunday all this time.
some people may mark life by birthdays, by jobs, by postcards. i suspect that somehow i mark my life by the run. on sunday 13 feb 2005, i will run in the 26.2 mile austin freescale marathon, my 6th marathon to date.
over the course of the past year, i have improved upon previous training plans, spending more time on the track, on hills, and putting more miles in on the weekends. nutrition and run recovery became an increased focus as well, making balanced power meals and weekend ice baths a regular part of the weekly cycle, keeping injuries over the past year to a bare minimum.
i feel nervous, doubtful, anxious. it doesn't help that, by design, i haven't been running much in the past week-plus, making me feel lazy and undertrained. but the training log simply doesn't lie, especially when compared to last year: i'm strong, and i'm ready to run a marathon.
i would very much love to see you be a part of sun 13 feb's festivities, whether in town or across the country. i run these races most of all because i love them, and the people who help make up the mosaic of the race--whether wearing a bib number or not--are definitely a major part of that experience. for all the races that i do run, their significance is all dwarfed by the culmination of a year's training for and the running of the marathon.
blah blah blah.
the race gets underway at 7am CST on Sun 13 feb. for those in town, you can view where throughout town the course goes with the 2005 map--accept this note as a formal invitation to come and watch. if i were to watch the race, i would head straight for downtown, where you can view mile 13 (congress/6th), mile 20 (chávez/south 1st) and the finish (south 1st/riverside) without having to walk more than 1/2 mile. for those truly interested in seeing the face behind the face of the marathon, a venture out to the sparsely-spectated Longhorn Dam (mile 23) would be well received by every runner you see. FYI, i'll be running at a pace somewhere in the 6:45-7:00/mile window (hopefully!). if you are planning to come out to the race, please let me know.
for those who cannot make it out to the race, know that you can see the results of the race by visiting the Freescale Marathon Website or the "Results" section of runtex.com that morning.
certainly know that i extend this note not just on my behalf, but on the behalf of all 5000+ participants in this event. the freescale marathon is one of many reasons why i love austin. myself, along with all the participants of this year's running, hope that you can be a part of the experience.
at minimum, pray to the weather gods for next Sunday.
happy trails,
rich
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