Communicator completes Boston Marathon Published May 3, 2012 By Tech. Sgt. Douglas Hays 434th ARW Public Affairs GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- It was the kind of hot that makes long-distance runners and event organizers of such long-distance runs sweat days before the run begins. The kind of hot that makes one re-think things hot. But when it's the Boston Marathon, and there's a year's worth of planning and preparation, it's not easy to quit and sprint to the air conditioner. Robert Atkins, the 434th Communications Squadron commander, joined 26,655 other runners starting the 26.2 mile run, and when he crossed the finish line at 3:48:05 he was among the 21,554 people who finished the 116th running of the world's oldest annual marathon. The Oklahoma native said he completed an intensive 18-week program to prepare for the Boston Marathon after qualifying for the event in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon in 2011. The training had him running 6 days a week with a focus on high-intensity runs instead of long runs. "I only did two 16-mile runs leading up to the marathon," Atkins said. As the race neared, the focus on the weather became more important. "Ten days out, the weather looked pretty good," he said, "but as it got closer and closer you could see that it was changing. "The race organizers went from asking people to use caution to urging people not to compete in the point-to-point race," he continued. "We had planned a family vacation around this and we were there, so I wasn't going to back out." What did change was his strategy for the race itself. Organizers warned runners not to expect to set personal records for the event because of the searing temperatures for a marathon - 79 degrees at the start and nearly 85 at the finish line. "At first I thought I'd just take it easy and enjoy the moment," he said, adding that he even planned on carrying a cell phone to take pictures along the way. That plan gave way when he realized he'd be sweating too much to even carry a phone. "The event really became about strategy," he said. "Instead of doing 7-minute pace, my goal was to do anything under 7:30 and to keep the heart rate low and minimize sweat and exertion as much as possible." He had the 6,304th fastest qualifying time, (the bib number he wore), which put him in the first wave of runners, but way back in a big pack. "It took nearly 5 minutes and 20 seconds just to cross the start line," he exclaimed. "By the second mile, I was sweating pretty heavy just from the heat and I knew it would be hard not to run out of fluids." The first mile Atkins ran in 7:38, and then held a 7:22 pace until mile 10. "It was hard holding back and not to run like normal in order to minimize effort and sweat, but I was becoming more concerned because my sweat rate was faster than my body was absorbing what I was drinking." At about mile 14, he began walking through water stations and cooling down while taking in plenty of fluids. For the next three miles he walked 30 seconds to a minute at each station. Then near the 15-16 mile stage, he started feeling the first signs of dehydration, a slight pull to his side. "I made it to Heart Break Hill and made a deal with myself to run 30 seconds and walk 10 seconds all the way to the top in an effort to keep my heart rate down to limit sweating," he added. Not long after the top of the hill Atkins said he got a confidence boost as his wife Jen ran up beside him and cheered him on, running with him for nearly a half mile. "We talked and she told me about the other runners suffering from the heat, and I began to feel better after getting to talk to her," he admitted. After the adrenaline of running with his wife ended, Atkins said he began to cramp so bad his legs started to lock up. "At mile 23 my thighs started contracting and twitching, so I immediately started walking to keep from falling over," he recalled. "It went away after about 20 seconds, so I decided to walk/run it all the way in because I had to finish." After about three intervals of a very slow jog/walk, Atkins said his legs were cramping on the walk and he thought he might be going down. "I was able to find a walking position that seemed to not cause cramping, and I kept loading up on water, ice, popsicles, anything the crowd were handing out just to get to the finish line," he said. Then the calculations started, and he said he figured that even if he walked the rest of the way, he'd still finish in less than 4 hours. As he walked he talked with a Sailor who had just returned from Afghanistan, and began to feel better. With his legs feeling decent again, Atkins ran about a half mile doing little 'shuffle steps.' "It looked like I was waddling," he joked, "but I was moving faster than others attempting to run at that point." He soon spotted a friend and as they turned onto Boylston Street., they decided to run in together and find a good spot to get a finisher' s picture. "We crossed side by side to finish the slowest, most demanding run I've ever completed," he said. The race, as it turns out, was more of a test of on-the-course race and hydration management, he said. "I also learned that in that type of heat, its not a matter of mental toughness, you just can't block the pain, you can't just try harder, all you can do is hope the muscles don't lock up, hope the mind doesn't black out and hope the time and miles just keep passing by - all 26.2 of them," he concluded.
