This was Armstrong’s first marathon, and he said the 26.2-mile race, particularly those final eight miles, was the “hardest physical thing” he has ever done.
His dark green shirt was soaked with sweat, his gait, stiff. He said his calves felt like someone was squeezing them, hard. His shin splints were also flaring up again.
“That’s when I started to feel helpless,” Armstrong said after the race, as he was driven back to his hotel across from Central Park. “‘I thought, ‘Uh-oh, maybe I should have trained a little harder for this. I think I’m in trouble.”
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Armstrong said he wasn’t thinking about the time. He just wanted it to end.
“I was so tired, I just didn’t care,” he said.
His exhaustion showed. At the finish, he doubled over. After his news conference at the New York Athletic Club, he limped out of the room.
Earlier, Armstrong had said that he could possibly have run a sub-2:30 if he had trained, but now he was quite sure that another marathon was out of the question. Nothing in cycling ever came close to three hours of activity at this level, he said.
“I wasn’t kidding when I said that I’ve never felt this bad, ever,” he said. “My legs are killing me. My back doesn’t feel that great, either. I’m really suffering.”
When he arrived at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Armstrong crawled out of the van, looking stunned as he walked through the lobby and into an elevator. He got off on the floor where the spa is located.
“Which way to the hot tub?” he said, as the spa’s door closed behind him.
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You have to respect the distance. . .
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