One City Marathon - Newport News, VA - March 1, 2020

Even as far as mile 6 of the One City Marathon in Newport News, Virginia, I had my doubts.  Could I actually complete two sub-four-hour in two states in two days?  I had never run a race with such sore legs before, so at that point, I wondered if the answer was no.  But I was already in the thick of it and there was no turning back. We had literally come too far.

With Gloria behind the wheel on Saturday, we stopped at an Italian restaurant in Suffolk, VA, for a pasta dinner and arrived at our hotel in Newport News, VA, around 7 p.m.  That gave me just enough time to get my clothes ready and get to sleep by 9 p.m.

I woke up at 4 a.m., did some stretches and slathered Biofreeze on my tired legs.  Sure, I had held back as much as I could at the Ellerbe Marathon the day before, but 26.2 miles of running followed by six hours in a car still takes its toll.  Sitting on the bus to take us to the start line of this point-to-point race for an hour after that did not exactly help much, either.

Needless to say, when the race finally started at 7 a.m. Sunday, on the unseasonably cold morning (28 degrees), I was on stiff legs.  If the prior day was about holding back, this race would be about pushing through.

I started the 12/31/99 midnight-to-sunrise Phish set in my headphones at the beginning of "Slave to the Traffic Light".  Even though I had finished that song the previous day, my confidence was shaky and I suspected I would need almost the entire four hours to finish this race.  Sure enough, my first mile, through the park was 8:57.  Good enough.  Twenty-five more of those and my goal is reached.

A quick out-and-back in mile two (8:14) on a state highway led to some local roads for the next few miles (8:32, 8:22, 8:30) before moving on to U.S. Highway 60 for a few miles.  I chalked up those relatively swift miles to the excitement of the beginning of the race and the fact there were a few hundred more people at this race than the day before.

Beautiful tree-lined street in mile 5

Thankfully, the entirety of this marathon was flat, with only a few exceptions that amounted to nothing more than some small inclines and declines (definitely nothing I would call "hills", especially after Ellerbe) so my pace stayed rather consistent with 8:29 and 8:38 for miles six and seven.

With more than a quarter of the race finished, my confidence increased greatly.  Off of the highway and onto some local roads, I managed to keep things status quo (8:38, 8:51, 8:54, 8:35) without worrying as much.  So when I got to one of those inclines in mile 12, I took it gingerly with a 9:00 pace.  Knowing that I could do every mile at that pace for the rest of the race and still finish well under four hours boosted my confidence even more, especially as I hit mile 13 at 8:33 and the halfway point at 1:53:38.  I could spend two hours and six minutes on the second half and still reach my sub-four-hour goal.  Mile after mile of flat course meant that there was a real possibility of not needing nearly that much time, since my splits would likely be more consistent than on Ellerbe's hilly course (where my second half was a full two hours after a 1:51:xx first half).

The sign at the swim club in mile nine said, "Marathoners - just keep swim running"

Sideline support from the local residents in mile nine

I was finally comfortable enough to tell myself that it was not a matter of whether I would do it, but rather how long it would take. I was sore, no doubt about it - it was my 40th mile of the weekend.  But somehow, the building excitement of not just reaching, but smashing that goal got me through the next mile (8:30). After the 15th mile (8:44) it dawned on me that if I kept up the sub-nine miles, I would actually tie the marathon from a day ago.  And then after mile 16 (8:36), the prospect of actually beating it became all too real, especially as I was propelled by some seriously awesome Phish jams like "Drowned -> After Midnight" and a particularly killer "Piper".

If restraint was the order of the day in Ellerbe, consistency was the name of the game in Newport News, and somehow, I kept nailing it through miles 17 (8:44), 18 (8:44), and 19 (8:46) - through Christopher Newport University and into the Mariners' Museum and Park.  "Roses Are Free" started in my ears while I was in the park, as a beautiful view of the James River appeared before me.  Knowing this legendary half-hour jam would take me well into mile 22 and that nine-minute miles from that point on would still net me a better result than the day before, I hung back a bit, with 9:02, 9:01, and 9:04 as I ran through some suburban neighborhoods with people on their driveways cheering for the runners.

Four miles left, with 38 minutes to run them to beat the marathon I had finished less than 24 hours prior.  I had it in the bag, with an 8:47, 8:57 and 8:58 as I made my way into downtown Newport News, joined now by the half-marathon runners and 8K runners.  The excitement of finishing strong, with runners around me and spectators on the sidelines (for a change), the closing sequence of "2001 > Wading in the Velvet Sea > Meatstick" to end the Phish show that had been playing my ears for two days and...holy moly...beating yesterday's time by two minutes...led me to make my last mile an 8:18.  Mile 26 was not only my fastest of the race, but the fastest since mile four of Ellerbe!

Fun signs from locals in mile 23 - "Go random stranger, go!",  "May the course be with you", "Smile, remember you paid to do this" and "Run like zombies are chasing you."

Passing by Newport News Shipbuilding in mile 25

My final time was 3:48:36.  I was elated.  Overjoyed.  Beside myself.  And sore.  All worth it.  Two marathons in two states in two days, and they were not even my two slowest marathons ever, either.

Post-race party in the park in downtown Newport News

At 45 years old, with no more desire to attempt a personal record, I managed to set and reach a new, different goal.  That is what keeps this sport exciting - there are always new ways to approach it.  The only question...what next?

Me, triumphant, with beer