KeyBank Vermont Marathon

Another bullet format since those seem to be easier:

- Flexible travel plans kick ass. Even though I got in 2 hours later than expected, I walked away with a free breakfast and a $300 certificate for travel on Continental (all for giving up my seat for the next flight)
- Didn't rent a car for this trip, public transportation (bus) worked just fine even though it got a little dicey getting to the airport on Sunday
- After checking in, got some lunch, headed to the expo, got a foot massage and then hopped the bus to downtown Burlington and Church St
- Went shopping, got some much needed new clothing
- Walked around Burlington, start area, checked out the scary hill at mile 14 & change
- As I made my way back to downtown for dinner, I stopped at this little mom & pop place that looked quite popular so I stuck my head in and noticed that the chef was featured on the Food Network (Iron Chef America) for its famous lasagna
-- Debated on whether I should eat there or go for the ramen I've been craving for hours
-- I circled back and grabbed a snack - I wasn't that impressed with the famous vodka sauce -- then again maybe I should have gotten what its famous for (lasagna) and not ravioli
- Learned that Ri Ra is a national chain and that even though there are five open tables outside they don't like to give tables to people who are just gonna drink and not eat. But I still had a Guinness (and no food)
- Even though I wasn't hungry I stopped and got a to-go order of ramen (figure it could be a late night snack or breakfast)
- Barely made the bus back to my hotel
- After returning to my hotel, I took a nap
- After my nap I took a walk through the largest covered mall (on my way to the grocery store) in Vermont and bought some yogurt (near the mall) -- and then go ready for bed after eating my ramen
- Lesson learned, never get a hotel room next to cackling women
-- (Race starts at 8am) At 5:30am, I'm woken up to women yelling, come to find out the four of them had rooms across the hallway from each other and what better way to talk to each other than open their hotel doors and yell across the hallway
- Race day is supposed to be 70F and sunny - open the curtains to see 60F and rain
-- Great I'm not prepared for the rain even though I love running in the rain
- Stuff my race and make my way to the race start via the race/hotel shuttle
- Bus dropped us off at the base of the "scary" hill and I decide to warm-up a little and run up it - I'm out of breath and have to take a break halfway up
- 8:05, we are off in a light rain, fans cheering and church bells blazing
- The fans were enthusiastic, despite the weather they were out in full force
- By mile 4, the skies opened up, "I love running in the rain, but I'm not sure I love running a marathon in the rain"
- Early part of the race found me running close to 7 if not under 7 minute miles (way too fast)
- At mile 9, I see a guy face down on a stretcher screaming, "It hurts, it hurts, God it hurts"
-- those screams stay with me for a few miles, no clue what happened
- At mile 11 I run next to hasher from Ithaca for about a mile
- At mile 12, I stop for an apple, orange and bathroom break (give up on the bathroom after about a minute) - not sure what the person was doing in there but I cold see the port-a-potty moving
- Cross 13.1 at 1:36:44
- Next up, the scary hill just past 14
- As I turned the corner to tackle the hill I hear the Taiko group and immediately flash back to Japan
- Must have been a little motivated as I got chills, lost my peripheral vision and charged up the hill at a 7:20 pace - about a 7% grade hill
- From there I got some water and got ready for the second half of the course (still raining)
- The second was relatively flat, maybe more downhill than up
- Fan support was outstanding and of all the races run, the neighborhoods were out in full-force and I took advantage of these extra water stops and fruit
- Since mile 13, this guy Steve who was trying to qualify for Boston was near me, he needed a 3:20 and kept telling him he had it in the bag
- By mile 20, I thought a 3:10 was a possibility but hadn't really done the math to see if it was
-- It wasn't but a 3:13-3:15 was
- Somewhere around this point it stops raining
- At mile 22.5, took my last Gu and got ready for the final push - was on pace for a 3:14ish
- Every second/third stride I could feel my left hamstring getting ready to cramp
-- Adjusted my stride from "sitting down" to "standing up" in my stride to keep it stretched out (kinda weird to explain but considering how I run, you'd have to see this)
- Then for the first time in a marathon that I can remember, I actually got aggressive and turned it - previous BQs I have placed it safe, tried not to cramp and coasted in - not this time
- Mile 23 page: 7:36 (water stop included in there)
- Mile 24: 7:19
- Mile 25: 7:07
- Mile 26: 6:59
- Mile 26.2: 6:36
- I look up at the clock and I see 3:12:56 - a sub 3:13 for both gun and chip time
- 3:12:49 -- 00:39 second negative split

Result in Entire Field - 152nd place

2182 finishers behind. About 6% of finishers ahead.

Result in Gender (Male) - 140th place

1222 finishers behind. About 10% of finishers ahead.

Result in Division (M3539) - 23rd place

199 finishers behind. About 10% of finishers ahead.

From Halfway to Finish

You passed 59 runners

And 8 passed you

?

El Paso Marathon

This was a race I'm not sure why I picked to run. I had seen El Paso from I-10 and from what I saw there was nothing to bring me back. Maybe it was the military discount, the small field, or the cheap airfare? Probably the cheap airfare.

I arrive in ELP after barely making my connection in IAH. What a messed up airport but I made my flight with just seconds to spare. It was probably foreshadowing at its best.

After landing I make my way to the rental car counter and notice a weekend events magazine and on the cover is mention of a sporting event Sat night. I think to myself, maybe it is hockey, sure enough it was. I get the name of the team (El Paso Rhinos) and where it is taking place. I get my rental car, get on the road, stop by Chamizal National Monument and after a few pictures, I'm off to the expo.

I finally find parking and within a few feet of the expo entrance I'm approached by this lady who started asking me for money. Now I can't describe what I just drove trough or where the expo was located but I felt like I was walking down the street of some foreign country. I brush her off, get to the expo, get my stuff and head out the door. As I get to my car I realize I don't have my car keys. Oh crap, where are they? Think - where might they be? Ah-ah, they are in the expo on the table where I tried on my race shirt. Word of caution - if you see a race shirt made by Leslie Jordan go up a size. This was the second race this year with a shirt from Leslie Jordan that was one size too small. Maybe they should go with Under Armour - hint, hint for race t-shirts.

Anyway, I get my keys and eventually make my way back to the hotel. after unpacking, I try and find an Olive Garden for my pasta dinner. Yeah, Olive Garden may not be the best Italian food but I'm in El Paso. after calling all three Olive Gardens I finally find one located near the hockey arena. After a quick bite, I made my way to see the Rhinos. I sat next to a fellow runner at dinner (ate at the bar) and he told me no one ever goes to the hockey games and military gets in free. Wow, not many go and free tickets. Awesome! I finally make my way to the rink and it is PACKED. Parking lot full, no street parking. I eventually find a parking spot about 3/4 mile away and head out on foot. I thinking with this many cars they must be good - it is the playoffs after all. I get to the ticket counter, buy a $20 front row seat behind the glass and go inside. When I get inside, there about 100 people and the 20 rows of seat. Then why are there about 500 cars parked outside?? I turn around go back outside, ask for a refund and get my free military ticket. There was no sense paying $20 for a behind the glass seat when in essence all the seats were that way.

As the game is about to start, I get the feeling I'm in a modern real-life setting of the movie Slapshot. As the into video montage is played, from a PC onto a pull down screen, my suspicion is confirmed, it shows mostly fighting and very little hockey. For the next 2.5 periods, I spend more time watching the drunk crowd than the poor hockey being played. I leave early and head back to my hotel to get ready for tomorrow.

Race day was a nice sunny day (as on would expect in El Paso) with temps right around freezing. The high was expected to be around 50F with a light SE wind - nearly ideal conditions. The race was a three race event 5K, 1/2 marathon and marathon. Too bad the race organizer didn't tell people how to line up at the start because there were people who looked like they just came off America's Biggest Loser starting next to me at the start of the starting corral. After a few announcements, the biggie sand non-marathoners made their way to back - it was a staggered start.

I think my recap of the race is gonna be shorter than everything leading up to the race. After the national anthem was sung by the mayor (top that Mayor Fenty), we were off. 50 yards into the race I was tripped by a biggie was was wearing headphone and had no business being up front. Once I cleared her, it was time for the hills. Good thing they were in the first 5 miles. Once we crested the hills, it was time to enter a stretch of flat, desolate land with nothing around except closed factories. I kept looking at my GPS and couldn't understand why my pace was between 6:55 and 7:05. I didn't feel like I was running that fast but it became obvious very quickly. The light SE wind had turned into a 15 mph tailwind. Might as well take advantage of it!!

The first half went okay and I even had a little competition from a fellow runner who thought this was the 1982 Boston Marathon. Every time I tried to pass him, he sped up. Every time I tried to get around him, he got in front of me. Now this was a guy that I came up on and was ready to pass. This went on for a few miles before I finally sped up and passed him. Once that weird event was over we turned straight into that SE head wind which was now up to 20mph.

My pace quickly dropped to 8:00/miles and then 8:30. The wind was brutal. By the time I got to mile 24 I was beginning to cramp (didn't drink enough water) and when I got the hashing beer tent at mile 25, I basically gave up. I had 12 miles to run 1.2 miles and based on fast I was running there was no way I was going to make it so I decided to have a beer and take it easy.

So for the first time in a long time I gave up in a race but still managed at 3:25 and 4th in my age. After getting a blister in the Redding Marathon, the Illusion (US shoes) work great and I think Iv'e found a comparable shoe to what I've been running in the last few years.

The foreshadowing I mentioned early was all about the plane ride home. Delta only has two flights a day out of ELP to ATL. I get to the ticket counter and the flight is cancelled because of the snow in ATL and the east coast. It is amazing how Delta flights were cancelled but US Airways was still flying in and out of ATL and DCA.

Poo, I have to get to work tomorrow. After spending almost 1 hour with the agent she gets me on a flight to DFW via American but no further that day. On Monday, I have an early morning flight from DFW to DCA and because of the snow in DC, there is a two hour delay in reporting plus a few people can't make it to work so my arrival 2.5 late for work basically goes unnoticed except for my boss who knew I was gonna be late/delayed.

National Marathon

This post will be a bit different - bullets

- Don't play hockey the night before a marathon
-- It was the playoffs, I had to (done it before with similar results)
- I found it more difficult to run a marathon from my home than from a hotel room
- It was nice not to fly to a marathon
- Strawberry Starbucks kickass
- Beer during a marathon, no matter the mile tastes great
- M&Ms and Jelly Beans (eaten together) aren't a good mix
- Hitting the "wall" at mile 11 is not cool
- Running the first 13.1 in the time you wanted - awesome
- Running the last 13.1 20 minutes slower than you wanted - not awesome
- The food at the end of the marathon should be the same food you get at the end of a 5K
- At Mile 13.1 I was half way to completing the 50 states and DC marathon quest
- 26 down, 25 to go!

Kentucky Derby Marathon

On a day when temps were supposed to reach the 80s by the end of the race, in a split-second decision at the starting line, I changed my goal for the Kentucky Derby Marathon from a 3:15 to a 3:26 and decided to take it easy and see what happens.

For every race I run, I usually take pride in counting the number of runners I pick-off during the last 13.1 miles of a race. My goal is to have a positive passed gain (Pass but don’t be passed). This race was no different, in fact it was the first race in a very long time that no one passed me. As we hit the hills at mile 16, (I love up-hills) I started my move and began to pick-off runners left and right (literally because no one was running the tangents). In the end, I must have easily passed 50 people without the threat of anyone passing me.

As we hit the bridge I was hamming it up with the crowd and was all smiles (as I had been for the last 10 miles or so). As we crossed over into Indiana and back over the bridge, I was feeling strong (even into a strong southerly win) with no signs of cramps. And wouldn’t you know it, some cramping as I came off the bridge but not enough to make me walk more than few feet at a time. While this did slow my pace a bit, I was still all smiles, passed my last runner at mile 25 and coasted in for a 3:27:02.

Run smarter, not faster.

Redding Marathon

Inauguration Weekend in DC and I decide on election day morning to run a marathon in CA. Ever since I moved to the DC area in Dec 05, the one think I wanted to see was the 09 Presidential Inauguration. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I booked the ticket but all I know is I got a damn good deal on a country flight to CA (even though I had three connections plus a 2 hour drive to get to my destination).

After a flight from DCA to MSP then onto PDX, I finally arrive in MFR (two hours ahead of schedule because the 10:30am flight from PDX to MFR was delayed because of wx and there open seats so I was able to get on that flight). From MFR I still had that 2 hour drive to Redding to deal with but with Mt Shasta to look at, Sirius radio to listen to and clear skies the whole way there made it that much easier.


I arrive in Redding, go to packet pick-up and then head to my hotel. After a little relaxing, I decide to try on my race shirt and boy am I ever glad I did. The sleeves on the long sleeve shirt were more like a Capri shirt for my arms. It came half-way down my arm. I immediately grabbed the shirt and raced to the packet pick-up to try and exchange the shirt before they closed. Now for me, I truly believe you should get the shirt size you request when you register unless there is something wrong with the shirt. So in this case, the race director agreed with me and she stated that at the end of the race, if there were any Larges left over I could have one - fair enough. So from there I head on over to get some dinner and this little mom-pop Italian restaurant.

I know better than to gorge myself the night before but it is kinda hard not to when they bring out this big ass salad followed by this big ass meal along with all the bread you can eat for $12. So after gorging myself, I head off to check out the Sundial Bridge, where the marathon will end.


The bridge was pretty cool to see at night. Here is a article about the bridge from some native hippies: http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2006-07-21/article/24689?headline=Calatrava-s-Sundial-Bridge-Puts-Redding-on-the-Map



After playing tourist for about 45 minutes, I headed back to my room to get some sleep. I get to bed at a decent hour and then about 4am, I'm woken up to what sounds like a suitcase being bounced down the stairs outside my room. I figure it is some dumbass going to the airport who broke the first cardinal rule of travel: don't pack what you can't carry. A few minutes later I hear some banging and then some yelling. At this point I get up open the door and see some teenagers banging on the door a few doors down from my room. I ask, "can you be any louder", and one of them replies "yes, but we will keep it down." Well they don't keep it down and after a phone call to the front desk, the night manager eventually gets them to settle down. Come to find out their friend passed out from too much drinking and locked them out. So what better way to get a passed out drunk to wake up than to bang on the door at 4am and wake other people up in the hotel rather than go to the front desk to ask for help. Maybe it is true - the best nuts come from California.

6am comes a little earlier than expected since I couldn't really get back to sleep - maybe it was the 3 hour time difference and the internal clock was saying it is 9am - time to get up.

I eventually make my way to the Sundial Bridge where we are to take a bus to the start of the marathon at Shasta Lake Dam. After finally arriving there around 7am, I stay on the bus because we are on an exposed ridge where the wind is just howling. About 7:50 I make my way outside to face the elements and get ready for the start of the marathon. About this time I realized that something didn't quite feel right about my shirt - after trying to figure it out I realized it was on backwards. After a quick adjustment I made my way to the startling where I see this guy who looks familiar. Come to find out he had run the Little Grand Canyon with me in Sep 07. He seemed to be a little miffed how I remembered him and he didn't remember me.

At 8am (plus a few extra minutes to figure out a Timex timing watch), we were off. The first four miles were all down hill except for that short stint across the Shasta Dam. For some reason I was quite talkative and start running with Scott (his first marathon) and also wound up running next to another first timer - this kid, fresh out of rehab and sober for xx many days (I forget now) who seemed to think he was gonna sprint the 26 miles.

I tried to hold back but with that steep of a decline it was kinda tough (its blurry but you can make it out). From 1250+ feet to less than 650 ft in less than 4 miles.
From there it followed the Shasta River and was basically flat except for that little bump around 15/16 which seemed a lot steeper than the map indicated.


Everything was going great, I felt great, then around 20 Scott fell off and then about 21 I started to slow. I kinda had a blister in my left foot that was starting to develop. I've never had a blister in a race before. I was running in a pair of the new UA Revenant shoes but I was also running in a pair of never used/washed socks before. I had run over 150 miles in the shoes to include a marathon and hadn't had a problem so I pinned this developing blister on the sock(s). So around 22 I started hitting the wall but I managed to keep plugging away.

The next 3.5 miles was all about survival and not letting anyone pass me. As the miles ticked down I could see the Sundial Bridge just above the trees. I started doing math in my head (which is never good) and was wondering - if I could see the bridge then my GPS must be off.

Well at 25.5, I was hurting and instead of turning right to run across the bridge and finish we turn left and run into a botanical garden for about 1/4 mile before turning around and running back towards the bridge. As I approached the turn-around, my mind just quit on me even though my legs were on the verge of quitting. As I saw some runners approaching the turn-around I sucked it up and started running again and then kept a steady pace to cross the line in 3:21:54. My goal was 3:20 but even up to mile 19 I was on pace for a 3:15.

Scott, whose goal was 3:30, finished in 3:28. Not too shabby for a first timer, he also got a kiss from his wife and newborn at mile 18. As far as the sober kid, we passed him as he hit the wall on that little bump around mile 16. He was never seen again but I think I saw him cross close to 4 hours.

While it wasn't exactly an ideal outcome, I was able to knock off another state but it was also my second consecutive 4th place finish in my age. I was hoping that what happened in BTR (great race/BQ) would continue in RDD but it didn't.

Some "proof" glamor shots from the race:





































Next up: El Paso, TX.

First Light Marathon (Alabama)

I didn't sign up for the First Light Marathon until 31 Dec and the only reason I signed up for it was I needed to use a NWA coupon and it gave me a chance to check out my condo in Tallahassee.

I'll spare everyone the boring details and skip right to the starting gun. At 7:30 the starting gun went off followed by the PA system spitting out one of the classic hip-hop songs of all time: 69 Boyz - Tootsee Roll.

My goal for this race as with most races is 3:15 but I had a more realistic goal of less than 3:30 but closer to 3:20. I hit the 11 mile mark at 1:17 and change. Why is mile 11 significant? I ran 11 miles last week in 1:18 and change and that training run gave me a little hope that I could get a PR in this race.

At the half way point I was 1:33 and change. For some reason I thought this race was flat but from mile 10 through mile 22 it was (up) hill after (up) hill.

I crossed mile 17 at exactly 2 hours. If you are doing the pace math in your head I'm starting to slow down a bit but the hills were starting to take a toll on my pace.

At mile 21, I can begin to feel my legs turning into lead pipes. The next four miles would be all about gutting it out. As I approached mile 24 I noticed someone in front of me that I would not expect to see on the course at this point - normally I'd see him chilling at the finish line - Chuck Engle. Chuck was walking off some cramps or so it looked like cramps.

I was starting to do some math in my head and I figured I would finish in 3:11 to 3:13. Well at mile 25 the thought of even running a 3:15 was in jeopardy as my left hamstring knotted into a ball. I tried to keep running but at a much slower pace but eventually I came to a stop. I must have stopped for close to a minute but then I decided you can either stand here and let 25 miles go down the drain or you can suck it up and start running again.

That last 1.2 miles seemed like 3 miles. It wasn't until I saw the finish line clock (3:13:02, 3:13:03, 04, 05) that I was able to relax knowing that I was gonna break my marathon PR and was heading back to Boston*.

3:13:21 (unofficial), 15th overall, and 3rd in my age group.

Previous PR 3:15:02

* - I doubt I will run Boston again but just qualifying again and this time w/in my age bracket was a huge accomplishment.

B&A Marathon (Maryland)

Given what happened this week at work and what I put in my body since Wednesday (10 pints of beer, 2 glasses of wine, Long John Silvers, Taco Bell, Red, Hot & Blue, and Nachos) I was not prepared mentally and to a lesser degree physically for this marathon.

Last time I was not mentally prepared for a race was after my Grandmother's death back in Aug and I had my worst performance in a marathon.

It was a cold (upper 20s/low 30s) but sunny morning with temps expected to climb into the low 50 so I decided to run in shorts (which is very unusual for me because I like to be warm when I run).

I'll skip to mile 13.1 - 1:36:16 - three minutes off my First Light Marathon pace. At mile 17 I was 7 minutes off the previous pace - I lost a few minutes getting a rock out of my shoe and fighting the Clif Shot (couldn't get it open and had to stop and take off my gloves - but it was the first time that I didn't get my face covered in chocolate Clif Shot).

At mile 19 I was done. I just couldn't continue running so in essence I quit - that was the first time that has happened in a race. My legs felt fine - everything felt fine but my mind was so overwhelmed I think it just shut everything else down.

For the next 7 miles I did a combination of walk and painfully slow jogging. I'd say it was 70% shuffle, 30% walk. I was somewhere around 20th place when I "quit" and after that I lost count of the number of people who passed.

At mile 25.2 (approx) I said to myself lets try and run the last mile w/o stopping. I did and in the end I crossed the line (chip time) in less than 3:37. It is frustrating to know that 2nd place in my age was 3:17 and 3rd was 3:25. If I could have held on past 19 - I might have had another age award but today was just not my day.

Next few races: Cherry Blossom, Boston Marathon followed by Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon six days later.