Being “10” again (aka; A wet weather race report)

It’s a downer and it’s messy.  Whether you’re walking, running, or hiding out indoors, wet weather is difficult to tough out.  Years ago, Scott and I drove to the White Mountains for a day of hiking.  The more North we headed, the worse the weather got.  We were not prepared.  Instead of throwing in the towel and returning home, we stopped in Lincoln, bought ourselves some wet weather gear, and headed to the mountain trail head.  Our motto we created that day stays with us still today, “It’s time to be 10 again!”.  You know, when you were 10 years old and your parents had to drag you indoors from the puddles of a rainy day?  Yes, that 10.

The Start of Rockfest Marathon 2011!

Sunday tested that motto when Scott ran his 19^th marathon in the pouring rain.  Lots of other runners ran their marathons and half-marathons in the rain as well.  Let’s face it, we runners crave the perfect weather day when we run a race.  The longer the race, the more important the weather.  All week leading up to Scott’s race, the forecast looked perfect;  cloudy, cooler than it had been, no rain.  At some point during the week, the forecast changed (go figure, here…in New England?) to now include ‘possible showers’.  Sunday morning, the resonating sound of raindrops – heavy, steady ones – served as our alarm clock.

Scott’s a professional adjuster.  He decided he’d drive his truck to the race, while I would follow just a bit later.  This way, he’d have protection from the elements right up until the race start.  Did I mention there were no indoor facilities to hang out in?  He used his special recipe that prevents bleeding nipples:  corn pads with mole skin as ‘glue’.  He also dove into his magic hat of running tricks and retrieved his trusty Hydropel.  Good.Stuff.  He was ready to splash run through 26.2 miles.

And I was ready to splash through 26.2 miles of professional spectatorship!  I was lucky to have my friend Sue accompany me.  She was a great copilot, especially when roads we never thought would be closed off were!  We had fun ringing our cowbells for Scott and for all the runners around him.  There’s something very cool to witness a cow bell pull a smile from the battered body of a runner at mile 20…..

Scott leading a pack!

Scott looked very strong for most of the race.  He was smiling at mile 8 and again at mile 16.  At mile 20, he took on more of the true grit marathoner, digging deep for a pace he wasn’t sure he could maintain.  The thing about Scott is, he knows what it’s like to go out too fast, to not manage the race well, and to get caught up in someone else’s pace.  He learns from these mistakes and uses what he learns in his next marathon.  Because of this, Scott was able to manage his race and help mentor a first time marathoner on the course that day.  At mile 16, Scott threw her one of his extra GU’s and water from my stash and introduced us to Nicole, exclaiming “She’s the female leader and it’s her first marathon!”  Although Scott gave her advice on-the-go, it wasn’t to be for her on that day, during that race.  I saw the female winner break the tape, and it wasn’t Nicole.  But she rocked and I think she might’ve learned a couple things from Scott.

The lesson here is to go in with the right attitude, no matter what the weather conditions.  Because Scott didn’t let the wind-driven rain deflate his sails, he was able to run a strong 3:18:11, qualify for Boston 2013 (including meeting the 5 mins registration wave), talk to other runners, mentor Nicole, and smile at most of the points I was able to see him.  


I’m so proud of my Scott.  He embraced his inner 10 year old and rocked the Rockfest Marathon of 2011!!!