Number 19 - Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C.
My neighbor, Chuck and I have been planning this race for about a year, and it lived up to our expectations. It had great fan support, awesome sights to see and we each hit our goal, plus Chuck qualified for Boston!!
Jan and I arrived Friday night and stayed with my daughter-in-law’s parents. We had a nice visit and a great breakfast before leaving to survey the course, checkout the expo and check into our downtown hotel. It took a little while to get acquainted with the city and the trains. Jan had a new challenge, navigating our rendezvous points via the train, not an easy task to meet me four times on the course. Saturday night we had a pasta dinner with our neighbor and his son and family at their home in Alexandria, along with their daughter and all their grandchildren.
Sunday morning my alarm went off an hour later than planned. It seems the alarm time was correct but the time of day was an hour earlier. It was a fast dash around the hotel Sunday morning and fortunately we no incidents finding or catching the train. I was suppose to meet my neighbor at the start line but never found him; of course, there were only 26,000 other runners there.
The course was hilly for the first 8 miles then relatively flat until the last 1.2 miles. The last .2 was up a severe hill in front of the Iwo Jima Memorial. The hill was a challenge but inspirational. There were many marines working the course from the start to the end. They were great and we runners were very appreciative for this and obviously the more important commitment they make on our behalf.
I took my time during the first 8 miles, as I don’t do hills very well. It paid off later as I was able to sustain a pretty good pace in the second half. Overall, the second half was just 36 seconds slower than the first half. I am sure the practice marathon I did about a month ago also helped.
I finished in 3:57:04 which was 83rd of 638 in my age group. This was better than usual for me, as I usually finish in the top third and this was in the top 15%. My left hamstring and right quad reminded me for days after what I demanded of myself in the race. Other than that, I am in pretty good shape.
It has been a good year, completing four marathons. I am off for a while, next year my main target will be Alaska, plus a couple others, tbd.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Number 18 - New Hampshire Marathon in Bristol, New Hampshire
It was a beautiful ride through Vermont and New Hampshire to get to Bristol. This is a small town with a very big lake on its border. The course started North on the East side of the lake and turned around on the Northwest edge in a town called Hebron, where we retraced about five miles of the race course then headed South on the West side of the lake. It was a great sunny Fall day with temperatures in the fifties and sixties, with winds from the Northwest at about 10-15 mph.
Running this race was a last minute decision as some personal and work situations happen to afford the opportunity for a vacation in the Northeast at this time. I have been training for the Marine Corps marathon at the end of October and decided that I could run this race and still recovery for the next one in four weeks. The last minute decision provided some challenges in registering and finding a hotel. We raced through the mountains to get there in time to be the next to last entrant that evening. We then searched for hotels and found none nearby. My cell phone was out of range and we reverted to a pay phone in a convenience store to find a hotel. Quarter after quarter until we had none left, when we found a hotel about 15 miles from the race site.
I intended to run the race at a relatively easy pace so as to not hurt my chances for a good race in Washington. It was an extremely hilly course, which is particularly hard going down hills with these old knees. Jan met me three times on the course and provided Gatorade, Powerbars and Tylenol. As usual I got a great deal of satisfaction during the second half of the race when I was able to maintain my pace and pass many younger runners. It does not get much better than beating youth when you are an old man. My heart did go out to a young woman who was lying on the street during the 26th mile. I stopped to help her deal with her leg cramps and encouraged her to keep going. She had a friend with her who was also helping. They seemed to get it back under control and I proceeded on. She collapsed again with about a tenth of a mile to go. EMT and lots of other volunteers were there to help. She finally was able to finish.
The finish area had a Art Fair where spectators could shop while waiting for the runners. This was great for Jan as she did find an unusual piece for us. They also had massages at the finish and Jan signed me up as soon as I finished.
I really enjoyed the small town culture and race, as well as the scenery driving to and from Bristol. The entire week was a pleasure with visiting my sisters, my father-in-law and enjoying my favorite pass time. I finished 11th of 30 in the 50-59 year old age group and 63rd of 169 overall with a time of 4:18:04.
It was a beautiful ride through Vermont and New Hampshire to get to Bristol. This is a small town with a very big lake on its border. The course started North on the East side of the lake and turned around on the Northwest edge in a town called Hebron, where we retraced about five miles of the race course then headed South on the West side of the lake. It was a great sunny Fall day with temperatures in the fifties and sixties, with winds from the Northwest at about 10-15 mph.
Running this race was a last minute decision as some personal and work situations happen to afford the opportunity for a vacation in the Northeast at this time. I have been training for the Marine Corps marathon at the end of October and decided that I could run this race and still recovery for the next one in four weeks. The last minute decision provided some challenges in registering and finding a hotel. We raced through the mountains to get there in time to be the next to last entrant that evening. We then searched for hotels and found none nearby. My cell phone was out of range and we reverted to a pay phone in a convenience store to find a hotel. Quarter after quarter until we had none left, when we found a hotel about 15 miles from the race site.
I intended to run the race at a relatively easy pace so as to not hurt my chances for a good race in Washington. It was an extremely hilly course, which is particularly hard going down hills with these old knees. Jan met me three times on the course and provided Gatorade, Powerbars and Tylenol. As usual I got a great deal of satisfaction during the second half of the race when I was able to maintain my pace and pass many younger runners. It does not get much better than beating youth when you are an old man. My heart did go out to a young woman who was lying on the street during the 26th mile. I stopped to help her deal with her leg cramps and encouraged her to keep going. She had a friend with her who was also helping. They seemed to get it back under control and I proceeded on. She collapsed again with about a tenth of a mile to go. EMT and lots of other volunteers were there to help. She finally was able to finish.
The finish area had a Art Fair where spectators could shop while waiting for the runners. This was great for Jan as she did find an unusual piece for us. They also had massages at the finish and Jan signed me up as soon as I finished.
I really enjoyed the small town culture and race, as well as the scenery driving to and from Bristol. The entire week was a pleasure with visiting my sisters, my father-in-law and enjoying my favorite pass time. I finished 11th of 30 in the 50-59 year old age group and 63rd of 169 overall with a time of 4:18:04.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Number 17 - Kentucky Derby Marathon in Louisville, KY
One third of the way to completing the tour of 5o states + D.C. The weather was good, mid-50's to mid-60's partly cloudy to sunny. This was my second trip to Louisville for this event; the last time (99) I ran the half marathon with my friends from St. Louis, Steve and Vicki.
Jan and I stopped by my cousin Harry's house to visit he and his wife Helga, their daughter Heidi, husband Lenny and grandchildren Maggie and Alyssa. Helga prepared a great pasta dinner for us with home made cheesecake and snickerdoodles. Harry, Helga and Heidi also came down to the race where I met them at about the 12 mile mark.
This course had a few more hills than my usual selection for a marathon, but I seemed to handle them well. I finished 10th of 44 runners in my age group with a time of 3:59:07. I guess that 26.2 mile long run four weeks earlier helped my endurance. One of my favorite parts of the course was running into Churchill Downs. The route runs under the track and around the infield. We were treated while running in the infield with recordings of prior Kentucky Derby races.
While it was not like the mega-events of Chicago, Boston or New York, it was one of my favorites of the mid-size cities. Jan was a great support again; she met me at all the check points and encouraged those around her to root for me when I came by. The race had a few other highlights including a running Elvis club that played Elvis songs while running and a jokester who was leading a 4:00 pace group. Here is one of his jokes: A guy and his wife were playing golf. He hits his ball behind a tool shed. He says to his wife, if I open the shed door I can hit the ball through the door and through the window up onto the green. He hits the ball, it ricochets off the workbench in the tool shed and hits his wife in the head and she dies. Two years later the same guy is playing golf with a friend. His friend hits the ball behind the tool shed and says if I open the shed door I can hit the ball through the door and through the window up onto the green. The other guy says, that is a bad idea. I did that two years ago and took an 8. Being a golfer that was pretty funny.
After the race we visited Jan's sister Phyllis and her husband Harvey, and their son Marty and wife Nancy in nearby Winchester, KY.
It was a great weekend; Jan and I had time alone, we visited family and I had a very successful race. Next stop is the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington, D.C. in October.
One third of the way to completing the tour of 5o states + D.C. The weather was good, mid-50's to mid-60's partly cloudy to sunny. This was my second trip to Louisville for this event; the last time (99) I ran the half marathon with my friends from St. Louis, Steve and Vicki.
Jan and I stopped by my cousin Harry's house to visit he and his wife Helga, their daughter Heidi, husband Lenny and grandchildren Maggie and Alyssa. Helga prepared a great pasta dinner for us with home made cheesecake and snickerdoodles. Harry, Helga and Heidi also came down to the race where I met them at about the 12 mile mark.
This course had a few more hills than my usual selection for a marathon, but I seemed to handle them well. I finished 10th of 44 runners in my age group with a time of 3:59:07. I guess that 26.2 mile long run four weeks earlier helped my endurance. One of my favorite parts of the course was running into Churchill Downs. The route runs under the track and around the infield. We were treated while running in the infield with recordings of prior Kentucky Derby races.
While it was not like the mega-events of Chicago, Boston or New York, it was one of my favorites of the mid-size cities. Jan was a great support again; she met me at all the check points and encouraged those around her to root for me when I came by. The race had a few other highlights including a running Elvis club that played Elvis songs while running and a jokester who was leading a 4:00 pace group. Here is one of his jokes: A guy and his wife were playing golf. He hits his ball behind a tool shed. He says to his wife, if I open the shed door I can hit the ball through the door and through the window up onto the green. He hits the ball, it ricochets off the workbench in the tool shed and hits his wife in the head and she dies. Two years later the same guy is playing golf with a friend. His friend hits the ball behind the tool shed and says if I open the shed door I can hit the ball through the door and through the window up onto the green. The other guy says, that is a bad idea. I did that two years ago and took an 8. Being a golfer that was pretty funny.
After the race we visited Jan's sister Phyllis and her husband Harvey, and their son Marty and wife Nancy in nearby Winchester, KY.
It was a great weekend; Jan and I had time alone, we visited family and I had a very successful race. Next stop is the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington, D.C. in October.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Number 16 - Olathe Marathon in Olathe, KS
Preparation for number 16 was unlike any other race. I had no plan. I have been so busy traveling, working and building the outdoor grill, I did not have time to develop or work a plan. Essentially, there was no preparation. I did run with my Phoenix East Valley Runners club each Saturday, but a race diet did not exist nor did not I get in my full quota of runs.
Well, the day came and went and I am not in Kansas anymore. We left the same day as the marathon. While the day threatened with major thunderstorms, it remained overcast until late morning when the sun finally shined. It was a warm 60 degrees and quite humid with 25-35 mph winds.
We drove to this suburb of Kansas City on Friday after leaving Phoenix on Thursday. Marathon day started at 4:00 am with breakfast at Waffle House. On the way back to the hotel, I was approached by a woman in the parking lot. Her name was not Dorothy, but it was Doris. I had to push her car out of a parking spot to give her car a jump. Fortunately, no injuries.
The race started with the firing of a cannon. I guess tieing into the theme of old stagecoach days since the site is the convergence of the Oregon, Sante Fe and California Trails. It was by far not my best time, but it was acceptable considering the circumstances. I ran in 4:03:05 and finished 9 of 29 in my age group. The course was rolling hills but they all seemed uphill to me, and in the wind. Ughh!!! Of course, I was not that slow. Jan got stopped by a cop for speeding as she was trying to catch up with me on the course. Fortunately, the cop had sympathy for her and let her off the hook.
We returned to the hotel where I showered and packed to leave for St. Louis. Upon putting the Yukon in reverse, we got nothing but a high pitched whine. First gear was not much better. Stuck in a pull-in parking spot, Jan put it in 4 wheel drive and spun out around the yard of the hotel. We were going to stop in St. Louis on the way home to visit Heidi and attend church in Florissant, but we decided to keep going as long as the truck was running. Fortunately, we made it. When we stopped we made sure there was someone we knew in the towns we got gas. We stopped in Columbia in case we had to call on Charlie Martin, we stopped in St. Louis in case we had to call on Tim and Heidi or Steve and Nancy. We stopped in Bloomington, Il in case we had to call on my friends from State Farm, Larry and Dianne. We finally made it around midnight. The truck is in the shop today with an estimate of $1,800 in repairs. Do not buy one of those GM trucks, maybe a Toyota next time.
Next stop is Louisville, KY on April 28, 2007.
Preparation for number 16 was unlike any other race. I had no plan. I have been so busy traveling, working and building the outdoor grill, I did not have time to develop or work a plan. Essentially, there was no preparation. I did run with my Phoenix East Valley Runners club each Saturday, but a race diet did not exist nor did not I get in my full quota of runs.
Well, the day came and went and I am not in Kansas anymore. We left the same day as the marathon. While the day threatened with major thunderstorms, it remained overcast until late morning when the sun finally shined. It was a warm 60 degrees and quite humid with 25-35 mph winds.
We drove to this suburb of Kansas City on Friday after leaving Phoenix on Thursday. Marathon day started at 4:00 am with breakfast at Waffle House. On the way back to the hotel, I was approached by a woman in the parking lot. Her name was not Dorothy, but it was Doris. I had to push her car out of a parking spot to give her car a jump. Fortunately, no injuries.
The race started with the firing of a cannon. I guess tieing into the theme of old stagecoach days since the site is the convergence of the Oregon, Sante Fe and California Trails. It was by far not my best time, but it was acceptable considering the circumstances. I ran in 4:03:05 and finished 9 of 29 in my age group. The course was rolling hills but they all seemed uphill to me, and in the wind. Ughh!!! Of course, I was not that slow. Jan got stopped by a cop for speeding as she was trying to catch up with me on the course. Fortunately, the cop had sympathy for her and let her off the hook.
We returned to the hotel where I showered and packed to leave for St. Louis. Upon putting the Yukon in reverse, we got nothing but a high pitched whine. First gear was not much better. Stuck in a pull-in parking spot, Jan put it in 4 wheel drive and spun out around the yard of the hotel. We were going to stop in St. Louis on the way home to visit Heidi and attend church in Florissant, but we decided to keep going as long as the truck was running. Fortunately, we made it. When we stopped we made sure there was someone we knew in the towns we got gas. We stopped in Columbia in case we had to call on Charlie Martin, we stopped in St. Louis in case we had to call on Tim and Heidi or Steve and Nancy. We stopped in Bloomington, Il in case we had to call on my friends from State Farm, Larry and Dianne. We finally made it around midnight. The truck is in the shop today with an estimate of $1,800 in repairs. Do not buy one of those GM trucks, maybe a Toyota next time.
Next stop is Louisville, KY on April 28, 2007.
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