Mind over matter: Making it to the finish line Published Sept. 28, 2006 By Staff Sgt. Becky J. LaRaia 43rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- In 490 B.C., a soldier became the first marathoner when he ran from the Greek village of Marathon to Athens to deliver the message of Greek victory over the Persians. Legend has it that once the soldier completed the 24-mile run and delivered his message, he dropped dead on the spot. As I rounded the bend of the 26-mile in my first marathon last week, I understood why. My goal was to complete the Air Force Marathon in less than five hours, and I crossed the finish line in 4:50. The ache that pulsated through my entire body and the pressure on my chest from an exhausted diaphragm delayed my elation. A few days later, though, the ache was gone and my husband and I were ready to train for marathon number two. They call it "getting the bug." One you've got it, you run each race learning how to improve for your next. The first lesson we learned was runners need to plan enough time to get to the race. Marathoners should rest the entire day before the race. They should hydrate well and eat a lot of carbohydrates. My husband and I decided to drive to Ohio the day before the marathon. We left before the sun came up, and we didn't arrive at our hotel until it was dark again. Sleep didn't come until 11 p.m. and we had to be up at 5 a.m. to make it to the race. Although I would have felt better with more rest, the adrenaline rush from it being my first race made up for the lack of sleep. The race began and ended just outside of the Air Force Museum near Wright Patterson AFB. Parking opened at 5 a.m. and the opening ceremonies began at 7 a.m. Marathon legends Bill Rodgers and Alberto Salazar attended the race along with more than 5,000 marathoners. I was shocked to see people I knew from Pope pop up at the starting line. There were first time marathoners from the 43rd Civil Engineer Squadron, 43rd Maintenance Squadron and I'm sure many others. Regardless, at 7:35 the gun sounded, and we were all off. This year the Air Force Marathon is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and the theme was Pope's own Flying Tiger A-10s. Chief Master Sgt. David Hamel, 23rd Maintenance Squadron chief enlisted manager, ran this year's marathon, his 69th, to represent the theme group and airplane. The A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support airplane is marking its 25th anniversary of initial deployment. To commemorate the Air Force's rich history of flight, each year one aircraft is chosen to be highlighted during the marathon and on the unique finisher's medal presented to each race finisher. The 2006 logo depicts the tiger shark-faced plane characteristics of the 23rd Fighter Group's Flying Tigers. The race also featured pace groups starting at 3:10 going up to five hours. Both my husband and I signed up with a pace group. We wore bibs on our backs with our projected time. Although I signed up with the five-hour pace group, I began the race at a 4:10 pace. My five-hour posting on my back was actually motivating, because other marathoners would congratulate me as they passed on my "race day magic." I kept that pace and felt great up until 14 miles, and then I started running with the 4:20 group. At about 17-miles in I hit my wall, and I was lucky to be moving at all. The 4:20 group lost me, the 4:30 group passed by. Staying ahead of my five hour goal kept me on my toes. I just kept telling myself I had to keep running. My body kept telling my head to stop and walk. I couldn't stop envisioning my husband's torments if I walked, so I kept running. The last six miles were the hardest six miles of my life. A saving grace during the race was that I carried my own Gatorade and energy supplements. Many runners depended on the aide stations conveniently placed every mile along the race. It was motivating to be cheered on by smiling water and Gatorade bearers every mile, but energy gels were not always available and the stations tended to slow runners down. By carrying my own, I maintained my training schedule of two ounces of liquid every 15 minutes and one energy gel every half hour. This kept me focused and on pace. Running with music is also vital. My MP3 player gave out at 23 miles, and those were the longest three miles I have ever run. The last few minutes of any strenuous effort is usually the most rewarding, because as they say "the end is in sight." This was not the case at the Air Force Marathon. As I approached the last mile, it seemed like the finish line was running away from me. After I had crossed the finish line, I didn't feel like myself for several hours. The realization of what I had just done didn't come until after a visit to the hot tub, a steak dinner and a long nap. I have no aspirations of running marathons at a competitive level. The winner of this year's marathon did it in 2:31 (half of my own completion time). For me, future marathons and half marathons will be about improving my personal best and increasing my recovery rate. Catching the "marathon bug" is not a desire to show others, but to push your own body through its limits. It's putting mind above matter, and in effect running a race against yourself. Chief Master Sgt. David Hamel of the 23rd Maintenance Squadron couldn't agree more. "I still get a feeling of accomplishment after finishing the marathon, even after so many," he said. "I really enjoy running, and it takes the pressure off by getting rid of the competitive part of the run." Chief Hamel completed this year's Air Force marathon in 4:40:52, though in his prime he completed a marathon in 3:25:18. "Returning in 2006 as a Flying Tiger is even sweeter at this stage in my career," the chief said. "This year had ideal conditions of cool overcast skies for most of the course, but miles 19 and 23 were very challenging." Chief Hamel retires in July, and he plans to spend part of his retirement fulfilling his marathon goal of 100 marathons in all 50 states.