When I complete the Omaha Marathon (notice the confidence) on September 26, 2010 it will be exactly one year to the date from me stumbling across the same finish line of my first official running race (Omaha 10K, described below). In a sense, on that hopefully great day (notice the cautionary confidence), it will be a culmination of the hard work, training, and lessons learned over the past year. I was reminded of an earlier race and some hard work this weekend when I decided to take my training to the actual marathon course. I started and completed the familiar 10K route before adventuring into uncharted territory. What I found waiting for me after the first 6 or 7 miles can only be described as "treacherous."
Around mile 8 I began ascending a hill more worthy of the term “hill” than any other I've run. About midway up the hill I realized this mountain was very familiar. The pain in my legs triggered some muscle memory, which quickly allowed me to realize where I was at. I was ascending the dreaded hill from the Omaha Zoo Run (which to date is the hardest race I've run. At the foot of the hill my Nike+ told me I had 5 miles remaining in my run. Before I reached the peak of this monster it told me I had 4 miles remaining. This should give some indication to the size of the hill and the slope is nothing to scoff at either. On the Omaha Marathon website, the course is described as "17 miles of relatively flat terrain, 8 miles of rolling countryside and approximately 2 miles of "real" hills. I think I found where one of the "real hills" is located.
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