State #19 11/6/11 City of Oaks, Raleigh, NC

19th State! Gorgeous fall day in Raleigh, NC, part of the Research Triangle of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. Ran with Steve Hughes the first 18 miles and alone the rest of the way. He was running his 100th marathon that he had completed between age 60 and 63, his birthday was the next day, the RD gave him the race #100. Well organized race, plenty of aid stations, hilly, nice finisher's medal, non-crowded after race food area, plenty of parking. (Photos credit Steve Hughes)

Next up - Route 66 Marathon Tulsa, OK November 20, 2011, state #20!

New York City Marathon 11/7/10 Part One

Short Race Report

WOW, WOW, WOW.

One of the greatest sporting events ever.

(Granted, I have never been to the Olympics which could possibly be more amazing).

Self photo after the finish

Long Race Report  PART ONE: Friday

With my gracious host Laura allowing me to stay several nights, I jumped at the chance to fly into NYC 2 days early to play tourist having never been to NYC.  With Laura’s great instructions, I made my way from Laguardia on Friday morning via bus then subway to the Expo. 

Subway Lines above ground

Just outside the Expo at the Javits Convention Center

Everything was pretty smooth at the expo, with the most entertaining being that you couldn’t try your shirt on as it was sealed in plastic, but there was a “girl” standing near packet pickup with a small shirt that you could hold up to your body, but not try on, to see if it was your size.

Once completing the rounds I head out, hop a hotel shuttle bringing me closer to Laura’s apartment, I then walked the rest of the way. I head back out to wander around as she lives not too far from Central Park. A bite to eat at Starbucks and wander the rest of the way into the park. Central Park is such a neat green space, good job for the planners of this amazing space. 

Finish Line set-up 2 days prior to the marathon

I was told I had to try these

The Mall, in several movies

Central Park

Mile 25

Watched the set up of the finish line, banner hung for mile 25, ice rink, and then 5^th Avenue. Wait, 5^th Avenue, isn’t that where the famous stores are located? 

Apple Store on 5th AVE

FAO Swartz on 5th AVE

Why yes, so I continue to walk and explore. Seeing that I was close to Rockefeller Center and home of the taping of the Today Show, I wander over to check out that area. The skating rink was small but there was a great Lego store nearby. 

Today Show

Next up, famous NY Cheesecake, and from a Food Network show, I seek out Junior’s. Not realizing it is near time square I stumble upon that area, then eventually into Junior’s for dinner and cheesecake to go. The cheesecake was nothing that you couldn’t buy at the grocery store, but at least it was authentic right?

Times Square, probably more dramatic at night

Walked back to the apartment, I hear that Laura’s mom is stuck in traffic and will be running late for the Barefoot Running talk by Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run. At this point, Laura will fly back into NYC halfway into the presentation. So I walk a few blocks over to the NYC Ethical Cultural Center on Central Park West and settle in to my seat. They start with a lady and a little girl hula dancers, which turn out to be McDougall’s wife and daughter. 

There are several other speakers during this presentation, including barefoot ted who rambled on for a bit (each speaker had 10-15 minutes); Dr Daniel Lieberman a professor in evolutionary Biologist from Harvard (excellent speaker); 

Dr Lieberman in Suit/Tie and barefoot

John Durant and NYC resident working on a book about getting back to living like our ancestors but without moving back to nature to accomplish this task (not too far from the Paleo diet from Crossfit but the term crossfit was never mentioned); Eric Orton, McDougall’s coach before the race in the Copper Canyon;  and Peter Sarsgaard, a well known Hollywood Actor (whom I do not recognize as I do not watch very many movies) spoke as well about running in his life and how he met McDougall and that Eric Horton is now his running coach.

Peter Sarsgaard

Christopher McDougall also spoke at the end and then he had a passage from his book sung by a Ironman athlete and professional opera singer. 

Christopher McDougall, Born to Run Author

This was an amazing performance and show all around, however there was not any new information presented but nice to see the people behind the characters in the book.

Part TWO: Saturday to follow….

Marine Corps Marathon 10/31/10

AND Restoring Sanity 
AND 1,000 Running Miles for the Year

Let me start out by saying that ALL I have ever known about the MCM race was that it was in DC and it was super well organized.  I repeat, everyone that I talked before I had ever done a marathon told me that this was the one marathon you had to do because it was so amazingly organized, no-one ever mentioned any other marathon. NYC Marathon was never mentioned and Chicago never mentioned either. This is all that I have been hearing for at least 10 years.

PART ONE

But let us start at the beginning of the weekend. We had originally planned to drive up Friday after work, but after Obama’s last minute announcement that he was coming to town Friday night to stump for a local politician then plans quickly got pushed back to Saturday morning. I couldn’t get close enough to see the speech but I saw and filmed the motorcade go by standing at the hospital. The security people said that they could not say for sure that it was the route, but it sure looked that way.

Saturday we head out before dawn, I want to go to the expo and then on to the rally on the mall, plus avoid the associated traffic. So we stop to use the restrooms 3 times on the 3 hour drive due to coffee and pre-race hyper hydration.  Gorgeous sunrise en route.

The expo went off without complications and was nice to wander around before the crowds, however, 1 hour into day 2 of the expo and they were already out of several sizes of the jackets, so I therefore did not give them $80 like I wanted to, sorry Brooks, but I still love your shoes.

Entrance to Expo

Brook's "MASH" Mock up Gait Analysis Tent

Marine Band

Wandered down the street to the Mall for the rally next. I wasn’t totally sure which direction to go, but I didn’t need to, I just followed the masses. The energy was amazing, costumes amazing and creative (Chilean miners, Ira Glass, Tea Cups, etc.), and creative signs everywhere ranging from silly to mocking to seriously political (“I like Ice Cream,” “I am pro-Gnome and I vote,” etc.). Young and old people and everything in between were in attendance. Caught the parade heading to the rally and I fell in behind the dragon bus thing leading the way. I staked out a spot in the grass next to a middle aged couple doing the same, and used my mylar wrap from the Mount Desert Island Marathon a few weeks prior. From that location I could hear the pre-rally music so I figured I would be able to hear the rally, unfortunately this turned out not to be the case.  After 20 minutes of hearing nothing but random applause and cheers I gave up and started to head out back to the expo to meet up with some friends, including Laura, with whom I would be staying with the following weekend in NYC for the marathon. Due to high volume of cell phone users on the mall, my cell phone did not work again until I was several blocks away at the expo.

Dragon/Bus Float leading the March

Crowds following the Dragon

Chilean Miner's Costumes

Back to the expo, meet up with Laura and a whole gaggle of other Marathon Maniacs. After a group photo I found a dark, empty hallway to lay down, chill out and recharge my phone. I was "peopled out" and needed a break to recharge my batteries.

Monika, my host for the weekend eventually makes it to the expo after fighting post rally traffic, we make another loop around the expo, but this time they are giving out whole bottles and bars as samples as the night is coming to a close. Earlier in the day they were giving out little cups of tea and cut up pieces of bars, gels, shot blocks etc. Dinner at Bus Boys and Poets in/near Arlington, fro-yo for desert at near by shop, then on to North Arlington to prep for the race and get some sleep. I had met Monika and her friend Liz at the Hatfield/McCoy Marathon in WV/KY mid-June near the half marathon point in the race, I ended up running the entire second half with Monika, with Liz and her speed demon legs running ahead.

PART TWO

5:30am wake up for Keurig brewed Green Mountain Roastarie Coffee (YUM!!!), oatmeal, and clothing decisions all a flurry.  

Getting into an NYC mindset for next week.

Not realizing that we had a mile walk to the start from the nearest place you could get to by car due to road closures, we take our time calling for the cab. En route we realize our logistically challenge, and I realize that I will not make the Marathon Maniac pre-race photo. We make our way to the start, past the runner’s village with a bank of port o potties and gear check, and continue on to the NOT VERY ORGANIZED START. It was a split road with a small median, temp fencing placed in between, pace group signs for every 15-30 min increments. We made our way up to the 4 hour pace group on the left side and awaiting the canons to mark the start. Lots of costumed people surrounded us including several super heroes, Mario Bros, and TONS of Where’s Waldo (was there a movie recently released about him or something?).  

The gun goes off, the right side is moving, we take a few steps forward and stop. The right side continues to move forward, so Monika and I decide to jump the fence to join the other side. Good decision on our part. While it was a chip timed race, it is really annoying to spend the first several miles of a marathon weaving around people who are a much slower pace than you or walking.  In generally I am feeling pretty run down overall so I am quiet and introspective from the start, in other races I can be quite chatty to the runners around me, but not today.

We are running along, pretty nice scenery, I run into Dana dressed as pirate whom I have seen 2 weeks prior in Maine at MDI marathon, she is running 52 marathons in 52 weeks to raise money for charity.  She passes me by and I don’t see her again. We run past Georgetown University and it’s beautiful old brick buildings on the hillside, we also get to see the Washington Monument from every angle.  The aid stations are pretty good except for the one on the dirt path alongside the mall in a really narrow area for runners and the first several tables were out of Gatorade. What was weird is that I saw the captain guy for the aid station and he was just standing there watching instead of shouting instructions at runners that there were plenty of cups of Gatorade and water a few tables in, runners around me, including myself, were getting a little panicky.

We get almost to the finish, it starts to go uphill for the last half mile or so, then the last 0.1m you really earn your medal on the steep uphill finish. Once done, we were given mylar wraps then walked a ways to get into lines for our medals (often this order is the other way around) and then it gets bad. We then get corralled into a tight fenced off space where they have allowed spectators to come into, and this continues to make us go uphill to the family meeting area, now still with no post-race water or Gatorade (very bad). There are times where we are not making any forward progress and a few people fall to the side in need of medical attention (very bad) due to the lack of water and forward progress. Eventually we go by the marines that are handing out bags of water, bananas, etc. a little further up the hill.

So, for the record I am not attacking the Marines and what they have sacrificed for our freedom and our country. However, from a person that has done more than 1 marathon, logistically this one needs some work, specifically the start, finish, and better placement of the aid stations in wide open sections. Also, go back to the classic finisher’s medal with the globe and eagle.  I believe I would have been less disappointed had this race not be explicitly known for organization, when Chicago had several more runners and went much more smoothly.

However, I will be back in the Spring for the National Marathon, I still need DC added to the tally for 50 states (MCM technically does not count as it starts and ends in Virginia) and I hear this one is well organized.

PART THREE

I hit 1,000 running miles for the year about 10 miles into the MCM race. Sweet! Now, I have never kept track of my yearly running miles since I started running 15 years ago, so no idea if this is a record year, my guess is that it is....

Heading to NYC

...to run the Marathon. First time ever there, the previous closest I have gotten to NYC is 30 miles away on the Appalachian Trail. Heading to the Expo this AM when it opens.

MCM Race Report to follow soon.

Let me know if you are in town or would like to meet-up.

Lehigh Valley Marathon - DNS

Lehigh Valley Marathon, PA Sept 12, 2010

The day before the race, I got up at 3 am for a 3 hour drive to Maryland. I was meeting a running gal that I had met at the Holiday Lake 50k++ run in February, along with a few of her running peeps, to run the Appalachian Trail section of the JFK 50 Miler on November 20th. The meetup was smooth, and we were off, had a great but rocky 13 mile run.

Afterwards, we had lunch at IHOP then I hit the road for the 2nd half of my drive to Allentown/Bethlehem, PA for the marathon the next day. Dun, dun, dun.

As I was exiting to go to the expo to pick up my race packet, my car made some funny noises and as I was pulling onto the shoulder it died, no restarting, dead. So I called AAA, got the car towed to the nearest Subaru dealer (only 4 miles) and then got a ride from the tow truck guy to the race expo, 5 min after they closed. Luckily they were still there and I got my stuff. I then ask if anyone knows of a good way to get to the hotel I was staying at (bus, taxi, what have you), and one of the volunteers offered me a ride (sweet!).

However, the next day I did not head to the marathon. You see, I didn't want to be wiped out come Monday to do some hard decision making about the car and opted to sleep in instead and not run. I was also wildly undertrained with my excuse being the overly hot summer and working too much.

So what did I do? I called in to work for Monday, rented a car, told the dealer to replace the engine, and headed back to Virginia.

Now on to Chicago this weekend to redeem myself, and to pick up state #10 so I can then apply to the 50 states club and get one of those neat shirts where you cross off each state that you finish on the back.

Gorgeous weather today, which is slowing down my packing for this weekend. There are worse things I guess....

Charlottesville Marathon Race Report April 17, 2010

Charlottesville, VA Marathon
Saturday April 17, 2010
Marathon #6 (Already ran VA)

Race Report
Time 4:50:and change
Overall Place 411/501
Female Place

So my goal heading into this race/run was to just finish. With completing this marathon I would become eligible to apply for Marathon Maniac status, something I had been eyeing the last 2 years or so. The first half went great, running on Old Garth road through the countryside. Loved that you were in the country so quick after leaving town, even on foot. I was running a steady 9:30 to 10 min miles for this section, and leap frogged with Laura until mile 10 then did not see her again as I slowed. I try to drink gatorade at every aid station until it bothers my stomach then switch to water, however this time it made me need to rush to the restroom (with none around) about 5 minutes later after drinking it, starting around 15 miles. So I tried this one more time to test my hypothesis a few miles later, only to have the same result. So I walked through that and then would run until it upset me again, I tried using the porta potty at Riverside Park with no results. So for the rest of the race I ran when I could and then walked when my stomach got angry. What also probably contributed to this was the lack of GU at the advertised stations, not sure if they ran out or they just weren't in place to hand out. So the electrolytes were likely a factor, I had pondered wearing my Nathan HPL water pack but decided that there would be enough aid stations and Gu, oh well.

Not too many spectators but I loved the pink lady whoever you are, who was cheering for the runners while running herself. Also, the rescue squad ladies who were manning the right hand turn off of Locust by Martha Jefferson Hospital were great cheerleaders, thanks!


Laura's blog
http://absolutlyfit.blogspot.com/