Well, we did it!! We ran the Rome marathon after only getting in some 16 mile runs. It was a great race but pretty hot. Our phones said it was 79 while we were finishing the last hour or so of the marathon.
I kept it nice and slow and did a walk/run hoping my legs would not be too dead but somehow they are very dead!!! The cool thing is that I never hit the wall! I was very surprised but I sped up at the end during the last 10k but especially the last 3 miles and must have passed 1000 people. I had a slow time but I felt really good so that was nice.
It was a beautiful day for a race and the course is nice except the cobblestones!! They were brutal! You had only 7km on them but several of those were at the end of the race when your legs are dead and you have to really watch your footing. The cobblestones also do not have any give. It seemed even worse than running on concrete. If it wasn't for the race being so awesome I would have probably been irritated about finishing on them.
I would definitely recommend this race. The whole registration process is a bit of a bummer because it is a little confusing and picking up your packet is as well because it is not close to anything. Luckily our friend's son called their private driver to take us and he waited for us while we went in the expo. If it hadn't been for him, getting there would have been a real bummer.
My legs felt like lead and dead from yesterday for about the first 10 miles then they perked up. I stuck with my run/walk plan and my fueling and hydration plan and felt really good. They only had water every 3 miles so you were really wanting it by the time you got there because it was so hot. Luckily they had sponge stations in between the water stations. They had all kinds of things at the water stations-water, Powerade, salts, and solids like biscotti!!
Anyway, we got a lot of pictures during the race that I will put below. One last thing that was a little different than some of our races in the past, there were a lot more people laid out on the ground getting medical attention and a lot of people vomiting during and after the race. I am sure the heat had something to do with it. I definitely kept myself slow to make sure I finished feeling well. My watch got 10 minutes faster than the race time and I even left it running while I stopped for stretching and bathroom breaks.
One thing that happened was that a lot of people and tourists are out and they are trying to cross the course during the race. I ran right into one at mile 24 and nearly crashed to the ground. I thought she would stop and she didn't and there were so many people there I couldn't see her until almost the last second and I couldn't swerve out of the way. The same thing happened to Chris, but it was a kid that jumped out in front of him because the parents weren't watching him.
I don't have my actual photos from the race yet but we did get one with a Gladiator!! Well, that is it for now, it is almost midnight here and we have got to get some rest. I have not done as well with the jet lag this time as I have in the past! I could barely open my eyes when the alarm went off for the race this morning.
Buena notte!
Kristi