CJ Hull

Austin Motorola Marathon

February 16, 2003

I slept pretty well the night before the marathon, to my surprise. I also had no trouble getting up like I had for previous races. So I woke up and relied on the Rocky theme to help get me excited. Luke and I left the apartment and it was really cold and windy outside. The forecast said it would be sunny and 55, but I think it was more like 30 and cloudy so that really sucked.

We got to Gateway Plaza and it took me a minute or two to work up the courage to get out of the car because it was so cold out. But I had to relinquish my jacket and keep it in the car because I had taken off my clothing drop-off tag because I thought I wouldn’t need it(stupid). So we all go and stand in the line to start and of course that bottle of Powerade I just drank caught up with me. The lines for the porta-a-potties were ridiculously long, so I took it upon myself to find a nice bush outside one of the hotels there. Nobody seemed to mind.

So anyway, the race started and we were off. I ran with Ben, Nichole, Kelvin, and Tara for the first 7 miles or so. These miles were somewhat uneventful. So at about mile 8 it was just Kelvin and I running together. We had eaten a few Gu packs and we both felt pretty good. Then right around mile 10, which is really close to campus my right foot started cramping up, which had never happened before. I figured it would just work itself out. It hurt in such a way that I had to avoid running on my heel, so I just ran on the balls of my feet. I had an awful feeling that this race was going to suck for the next 16.2 miles. So, we run on into campus and I stop to get pretzels and water at the Marathon Team table and tried to stretch my foot. At 21st and San Jacinto my friend Brian was there to take a picture of me and give me a high five, which was really cool. At this point Kelvin and I separated.

Up next was the halfway point. We ran in front of the capital and that’s where I saw my family waiting for me to pass. The way they were all bundled up gave me an idea of how cold it was…damn cold. Of course by this time I had warmed up pretty well and I was doing OK, except for my hands. So after running 13 miles with relative ease I was off like a prom dress for the second half of the race which I knew would suck, but I had a really good pace going. When I turned onto 6th street some lady yelled out my name and I really had no idea who she was. So I continued on down 6th which turns into Lake Austin Blvd. At mile 15 I stopped to stretch my foot, which was still hurting like crazy. I thought that if I loosened my shoe it would help. My fingers were so cold and numb that it took me much longer than it should’ve to untie and retie my shoe. So, by this point in the race I was getting pissed off and I had over ten miles to run…so pissed. Running down Lake Austin sucked because all these other people were passing on the other side which was frustrating to see. I saw Luke on the other side and said hello. Then I got on the other side and saw Vanessa running west and we said hi. Nothing really happened for the next few miles except that my foot hurt and I was cursing a lot. At mile 20 or so, there was a high school jazz band playing Grandioso and I bet I looked like a moron chanting T-E-X-A-S along with the song, but I was so tired I didn’t care. I guess it was mile 22 when I hit the proverbial wall. The thought of having to run for another hour had me really upset. I was really hating life at this point. Mile 23 is when I got delirious and remembered what my dad told me when I told him I was running a marathon. “The first guy that ran a marathon died, you know.” But then I took solace in the wise words of an old football coach, “Don’t worry, you’ll pass out before you die.” Super.

There I was running on Lake Shore when I saw the ghetto used car place on Riverside up ahead. Joy filled my heart and I had never been so happy to be on Riverside Drive. I think I almost cried. I continued on and at mile 25 or so, that lady that I didn’t know yelled out my name again. I was tempted to stop and ask who she was but it wasn’t that big of a deal, I guess. More importantly the beer stop was coming up. I took a swig of beer from the beer stop people who I think were really drunk. Under the circumstances it was quite possibly the best beer I’d ever tasted. I got to a point in the race where everyone was yelling that I had less than a mile, so I was a little happier. I just had to figure out when to start my kick. I passed a suburban that was playing The Eyes of Texas out of the speakers and I gave the people the hook’em sign and that really pumped me up so I started my kick. Not too much farther down the road my kick stopped and I still hadn’t passed the finish line. It seems I overestimated my energy and how close I was to being done. Okay, so now the finish line was in sight and I figured I’d give the kick another shot. I started to sprint, but at this point in the race the pace at which I was “sprinting” can only really be considered a “light jog.” But I crossed the finish line and made my goal of under four hours(3:50). I got my medal and went to talk to my family. They all hugged me and I high-fived my nephew. That was about it. Oh, and it turns out that lady I didn’t know was Vanessa’s sister in law. So I did know her.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d run any distance over three miles, let alone a marathon, but here I sit having completed one. I wish I had a really cool story for why I started running, but I guess I just wanted a new hobby and to accomplish something I could be really proud of. I have no idea how I kept running for 26.2 miles but I guess if you reach down deep you can find something in yourself to help you along. There were so many times during the race when I wanted to quit, but I kept on truckin’ and everything worked out. My friends asked me if I’m going to run another one, but the day of a marathon isn’t the best day to confront that question.

-CJ Hull