• The opposite of ease is dis-ease •
[3 MIN READ]
The word “autopsy” means what ‘the self’ (Greek: autos) ‘has seen’ (optos). Who can understand it in any other way than in the context of a pathologist conducting a postmortem (Latin: after death)? But it seems perfectly appropriate in the context of an individual looking at their own performance after the fact, particularly when the performance is a death of sorts.
I had started off the training season with mixed expectations for the Philadelphia Marathon (11/23, Sunday) that I went on about 4 months ago (Working Toward Philadelphia Marathon). All the speed work with SRC friends had reaped benefits that left me comfortable I could drop my last marathon time from 3:59:57 (Never Try Anything New During a Race) by at least 5 minutes, even if it likely left me short of the 3:50 Boston Marathon qualifying time I had been seeking.
The weather conditions were excellent for Philadelphia the day of the race. I had a running buddy to help me relax: JulCee. It would be her first marathon and I was optimistic we could pace well together. As we proceeded through the first half just in front of the 4-hour pacer, I was full of advice and encouragement about maintaining our pace for each quarter of the race. My usual rhythmic-breathing race strategy would define our effort and dictate our progress (iCandybyWangC).
It was a good omen that my 27-year-old daughter and her guy caught sight of me rounding the corner in South Philly from South Street to 6th. It was great encouragement to see the SRC friends from AARC managing the hydration station a few minutes later (Alan Bravo, Diane, Half Caff, Lakshmi, Quietman Tom [“A special for you: gin and tonic!”], Sure Sheila, at least). It was ominous to notice fatigue as we ascended the 34th Street incline in West Philly.
Following my rhythmic-breathing race strategy and based on my training, I secured permission from JulCee to leave her with the pacer and increased my pace at the ½-marathon mark. I kept that up through the 3rd quarter of the race.
Then I learned how cardiovascular fitness can be a mismatch for muscular ability when I felt a cramping start in the medial side of my upper right thigh at mile 22. As I started balancing a little walking with my running, I felt a second one starting in the medial side of my lower left thigh. JulCee passed me, still in the peloton with the pacer. After all the encouragement from me early on, she returned the favor. The second (and last) time I caught back up, she also passed me a salt tablet. Despite the slowdown, I only added 2 minutes from my spring marathon to my final result for this one: 4:01:41.
As for the autopsy, the first suspicion is that I had not properly fueled for breakfast given that I had traded my traditional oatmeal for Cheerios. But, a look at the carbohydrate content of each says that the latter is actually more nutritious. Another suspicion was that my carb loading over the previous days had been inadequate. I have no formulas that I follow, so maybe it’s time to start. A third suspicion was that my mid-distance tempo work hadn’t been adequately aggressive. I’m still thinking about that one. As for optimism, my 2-week taper seemed reasonable. And based on the amount of soreness I had after the race (more than usual), I knew that I hadn’t coasted through this effort.
My final determination is my preferred: I had gone without carbon-fiber inserts for my first marathon in years. It was a clear and easy condition to point to for the absolution of personal responsibility. So, the pathologist’s determination of demise is dis-ease due to environmental factors.
On the ease side, JulCee killed her first marathon with a 4:00:33.
–CtCloser (Calvinthe) “Negative Split or Positive Splat” #dothedue
FINE PRINT ¶Text by Calvin Wang (Wäng), CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. ¶Cross-published: Facebook Shawmont Running Club (ZY Weekly Newsletter 11/22/25), Shawmont Running Club website, Ruminations by CtCloser. ¶This website posting: Rumination with added caption and enumeration.
iCandybyWangC 