Dallas White Rock Marathon
December 13, 1998 | Dallas, Texas
by Bob Wilkin
For 18 months I battled pain in my right knee. Finally at the advice of my orthopedist, I quit running and took up racewalking in late March of this year. I figured I could still reach my mileage goal for the year (900 miles) and still stay in shape and compete. I found I could do more and more miles with much less stress and so completing a marathon became a definite possibility. In October I sent in my entry to the Dallas White Rock Marathon and kept increasing my long walks. Two weeks before the race I did 23 miles in 5 hours and 10 minutes and aside from a blister on my left heel, felt great. I was ready to go.
I awoke at 5:30 raceday, put on Body Glide and dressed, and headed out the door by 6:00. I parked outside City Hall at 6:55 and walked over to the Convention Center. It was 36 degrees and felt a lot colder with a ten or fifteen mile per hour wind.
I stretched and tried to relax till 7:40 when I headed over to the Bag Drop and the Start. It was fun watching all of the other participants get ready. I was really excited and wanted to get going.
To blunt the wind I wore a trash bag as a modified windbreaker. I even tried something I hadn’t seen before. I taped a trash bag to each leg, thus providing a temporary windbreaker for my legs too. At six foot six inches, I have a lot of legs to get cold. What to Wear on a Marathon or Ultra
The skies were clear and the sun was out. It was a beautiful day for the race. The previous few days had been much colder and rainy, so this was a big relief.
I was amazed to be able to line up only 20 yards from the starting line. I started at an easy, yet faster than I had planned pace. I went through the first mile in 11:20 and then slowed a little. However, I felt so good, even with all the warnings I’d heard, I kept on at sub 12:00 pace for the entire first half of the race.
I took the trash bags off my legs around Mile 2. The trashbag "jacket" came off a mile later. They had done their job. I was warmed up and had never felt cold, even in 36 degrees with a light wind.
At four miles I felt a possible blister on my left foot, so I stopped and tightened the laces. At eight miles I felt a pain in my chest which gradually went away by Mile 10. (I had been eating PowerBars with no water and decided that may have been the problem.) Fueling for a Marathon or Ultra Also around Mile 8 my left arch started hurting. That pain came and went until Mile 16, when it intensified. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.
I had to stop to empty my bladder about every 3 or 4 miles. Fortunately there were plenty of opportunities to do so without waiting in line.
I met a fellow walker, though not a racewalker in that he never straightened his knees, did use the hip rotation, etc., around Mile 8 and he and I walked together until Mile 16. We went the halfway point in 2:36, a pace of about 11:55. The temperature had risen to around 50 by this point, so it was very pleasant.
Aside from my left arch, I felt great. I wasn’t taxed aerobically. I had plenty in the tank in terms of heart and lungs. It was my foot that was holding me back from going any fast.
The Aid Station at Mile 16 was run by the owner of the running store I frequent, Ed Swiatoca, so I asked him what I should do about my arch. He sent me to a massage table where I received a foot massage. After three minutes I thanked them and put my shoe back on and headed out. Unfortunately, the massage not only didn’t help, it exacerbated the problem. My foot killed me for the next two miles. It was cramping on top of the pain. It hurt so much that I wondered if I would be able to make it all the way home. Then at Mile 18, the pain subsided and I felt much better. The pain was still there. But it was manageable now.
Around Mile 20 I caught up with two women who wore shirts that said, "To finish is to win." I had been keying off of them for the entire race thus far. They would jog then walk and so I would pass them when they walked and then they would pass me when they jogged. Now I passed them and noticed that they had blue bibs like I did, indicating they were first time marathoners.
"Oh, y’all are first time marathoners, too?"
"Yes, first and last time marathoners!"
"No! Y’all have been my inspiration. I hope you do many more."
That was the last I saw of them as they slowed to a walk and I took off.
The pain in my left arch returned with a vengeance around Mile 24. I was so close to the finish that I was confident I could limp in if necessary. However, I forced myself to maintain correct form. I figured I would just hurt myself (more?) if I changed my gait.
With a half mile to go the pain subsided a bit again and I picked up the pace a little. I was still holding some in reserve, though, because I wanted to do my best at the finish.
When I was about 200 yards to the finish, I saw my wife Sharon, waving and shouting. She jogged along the side of the street, rooting me on.
I finished well and felt great. My time was 5:27:00. I had to finish under 6:00 to get a finishers medal and T-shirt. When I realized I was so close to breaking 5:30, I used that as a motivation to keep on keeping on.
After a light snack, we headed home. I iced my foot in the car, without even removing the sock to see what it looked like. When I got home I had a surprise. There was a section the size of a checkbook cover on the top left of my foot that was black and blue and swollen.
The next day the swelling was the same, but the color had switched to purple. By the second day after the race, today, the color is back to normal, and the swelling is coming down.
I had been told to expect to feel terrible the day or two after the marathon. I didn’t. I was sore and weak, but I not hurting. I felt I could have done another marathon the next day if not for the foot. I am planning to do the Cowtown Marathon in Fort Worth at the end of February, two and half months away.
I head a Christian ministry and I work at a desk all the time. I find that the exercise is great for not only my physical, but also my mental well being. I really want to keep on competing in racewalking, and possibly running if my knee permits it, until I am in my 80s if the Lord tarries. Earlier this year I came in third in Men’s 45-49 for the 5,000 meter racewalk at the USATF Master’s Nationals in Orono, Maine (time: 30:00.5). I loved that too.
So, I hope this is but the first of many marathons. I’d love to complete a 100. And I’d love to break 5:00 racewalking and 4:00 with a combination racewalking and running. We’ll see.
I’m off for a 45 minute easy walk.
Epilogue
The week after the marathon I racewalked 24 miles, most of it at my normal workout pace of about 13:20. However when the pain hadn’t left my left foot the next week, I went to see my podiatrist. It appears I may have a stress fracture. If so, I’ll have to switch to swimming for a few months. Even if I have a broken bone in my foot, it was well worth it. I really enjoyed my first marathon and hope to do many more.
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