LONG ROAD to BOSTON

Tips for Getting Organized in the New Year

2012-01-19T08:25:00.001-06:00

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Getting Organized in the New Year

Dear Blog,

With the New Year you're probably getting organized in your home or office. If you're considering a paperless solution to meet your needs, CONGRATULATIONS! Now has never been a better time - today's technological advancements offer so many viable choices.

However, going paperless comes with a few challenges. In a recent YahooNews article, one of our executives discusses the common pitfalls to avoid when going paperless or choosing a document management partner.

Learn more and read the full article.

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Paperless is Easy and Affordable - Holiday Special!

2011-12-01T04:55:00.001-06:00

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Holiday
Savings
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Going paperless has never been easier. Have all your files sorted, scanned and stored online without spending your time and resources. Get started today on organizing your home and office. PaperErasers is offering multiple Holiday deals on systems and services. Sign up now and get your first month of storage free! Then take 25% off for the next three months and the set up fee. Please tell your friends about us.

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Go Paperless without Lifting a Finger

2011-11-07T04:30:00.001-06:00

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Holiday
Savings
Save 25% and 1st Month Free

Promised yourself to get rid of the filing cabinet in your office this year? The idea of sorting and organizing the paper in your home or office unsettling? Introducing PaperErasers! PaperErasers is the complete document scanning and storage system. Now you can access your files safely and easily where ever you are. No need to delay because we do all the work for you. Sign up before December 31 and get your first month for free. Then take 25% off for the next three months and the set up fee. Please tell your friends about us.

25% Off

Take 25% off your set up costs and 1st three months of service. Sign up now and get 1st month free!

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So, What Up with BuzzBrews?

2009-07-01T18:57:00.002-05:00

So, I picked up a bacon and egg sandwich from BuzzBrews this morning and took it to the office for a late breakfast. After eating the first half of my sandwich I reached for the second half and found a big, dead fly lodged in the bacon. Fighting back the urge to throw-up, I closed the box and waited for my meeting to end.

I'll just take it back and they'll give me my money back. It's unfortunate, but these things happen. These were the thoughts I had while I drove back up to BuzzBrews. I handed the boxed sandwich to the manager and explained to him about the fly. He opened the boxed, stared inside and said, "hhmmm". "hhmm" he goes again. Then he says, "when did you notice the fly?" "Really?", I thought. What difference does that make? But, I managed to tell him I noticed it, obviously, as I was about to eat the second half of the sandwich. He proceeded to tell me that he personally closed the box and there was no fly in there when he closed the box. Then he says, "it probably got in there when you got into your car or something." "Do you want us to make you another one?" When I said no he actually asked me again. The second time I just shook my head and thought, "no way am I eating food from a joint that gave me a dead fly in my sandwich and then blamed me for it." Then he says, "well, I don't know, I mean there was no fly when I closed the box."

Before I go any further, I must say, I ran 8 miles this morning and was pretty hungry. Since I didn't finish my meal I was still hungry, although admittedly turned off, when I returned to BuzzBrews to deal with this situation. I was also between meetings and needed to get back right away. Maybe my haste, the fatigue and the hunger contributed to what I'd say next, "Seriously, seriously? Are you trying to tell me that somehow, after you closed the box and the server put it in a paper bag and stapled the paper bag, that a fly got in there? Maybe you mean that a fly came into my office on the 5th floor, landed on my bacon and died. You want me to believe that you think it's more likely that a fly would come into my building, take the elevator to the fifth floor, fly into my office and then die on my bacon over the probability that a fly came into your kitchen where there's only one door from the outside. Basically, you're saying this is not your fault and could only be my fault. I would rather you call me an idiot outright than to take this long about way of saying the same thing. If I've gotten you all wrong and you're not calling me an idiot, then the next thing you need to say is, 'I'm sorry Sir, this should have never happened, I will get your money back right away.'"

He studied me for a minute and then mumble something along the lines of, "sorry sir, our fault and I'll get your money".

Lesson here, don't come between a hungry runner and his meal. Never, never stop running.

Oh Boston, Don't Ever Change

2009-05-25T11:45:00.002-05:00

OK, so check this out. I was reading in the April issue of Runner's World about the various changes the Boston Marathon timing requirements have gone thru over its 113 year history. I knew about some of it, but had no idea of all the different decisions the Boston Athletic Association has made over the years. No qualifying times and no women runners? Yeah, these I knew about, but for some reason I just thought the qualifying times have always been the same. I was pretty surprised as I read through the article.

Now, there's been some murmurs about changing the qualifying times again. Moving the girls times down, apparently increasing the challenge for women to qualify. Note: the female qualifiers I know would have no challenge even with the new proposed times. I think there's been talk that the guys' times would go up, making it easier for guys to qualify. Something like this has happened before.

Being a guy from this generation of runners I hope the qualifying times do not change. I have not yet qualified and would not want to make it in the "easy" way. It's just a pride thing, because even the proposed times for guys would be a significant challenge for me. I just don't want all those Boston legends I know razzing me 'cause I got in on an easier standard. I might as well run it for a charity for all the bragging rights I would forfeit.

Oh this whole thing makes for a great debate, I'm certain. Imagine all these fast, faster and fastest runners sitting around one morning at Starbucks discussing the merits of changing the qualifying times. It would make for fun banter and a few hurt feelings. But, I'm simply not going to concern myself about it. Instead I'll work on freaking getting there no matter the standard. It will still remain a great honor.

Never, never stop running

I Miss You

2009-05-20T18:19:00.002-05:00

I have so missed updating my blog. It's been months. In fact, one of my running buddies google chatted me today and complained about my lack of writing. "You have not written in you blog this year", she typed.

Well, over the last several months I have been simply covered in new technology. It has been great. New Macbook, new shuffle, new web pages, new iPhone, dozens of new apps for same. The list goes on. So, since I've been a Windows person for two decades, you can imagine the steep learning curve I had to travel to become proficient with my new gadgets.

I'm almost there. Just recently I started understanding all the neat features in iPhoto (Apples photo management app). Wow, faces recognition, site location tagging and search preferences. It's really kool.

What does all this have to do with running? Nothing and everything. It all just works together for a much better running experience, I guess. I've been using my iPhone to stay in contact with all my running friends. We text, email and Facebook from our iPhones to plan running events and post run coffees and breakfasts. All without the benefit of voice calls, typically. It's all just so much fun. Enhances the whole experience.

Now, I mentioned Facebook. What an addictive tool. Besides, it makes a would-be writer quite lazy. I can give a quick, one-line update on the front page and my writing quota is done for the day. And some days I have not been doing that.

Well, that's an update for now. Here's a topic teaser for my next updates:

OK City Marathon
Luke's Locker Quick Beat Coaching
Swimming 101
iPhone OS 3.0
Runnersworld Blogging?
The Injury List

So, I hope you return and start following me again. Bye for now and never, never stop running.

Loop-the-Lake New Website

2008-12-12T22:19:00.002-06:00

Now that everyone knows about our New Years Eve event, I hope that everyone signs up. I'm so excited about our new website, powered by Centerbase.com. Please check it out at LooptheLake.org Fun photos from 2006 and 2007. Enjoy.

By the way, enjoy the Dallas White Rock Marathon on Sunday. Whether you're running or watching, it's going to be a beautiful day for a marathon.

Never, never stop running.

What is Loop-the-Lake?

2008-12-03T21:00:00.002-06:00

Save the Date - Loop-the-Lake 2008 (Dec. 31)

It is hard to believe this is the 5th year we've planned a fun run around White Rock Lake. I started this in December 2004 after coming off a high of finishing my first marathon. I wanted to enjoy a last run for the year and there were no official races on New Years Eve. So, I gathered a few running buddies and the first Loop the Lake was born.

In 2006, it occurred to me that we runners could have fun at the end of the year and benefit other people at the same time. Since I have always struggled with obesity, especially as a child, I wanted to do something that would help children who were like me. I teamed up with Beth Wise and we gave away t-shirts to anyone who donated $25. All money raised we gave away to Marathon Kids. We raised $1,300 in 2006.

In 2007, we raised about $1,500 and gave it to Marathon Kids. Marathon Kids is a not for profit group working through the local school districts in Dallas and other Texas communities. http://www.marathonkids.org

This year, Beth and I would like to raise $3,000 for this organization.

Fighting childhood obesity is important to me because it affects over 9 million children ages 6-19. Childhood obesity is a leading cause of Type II Diabetes in children and later, adults. Children who are obese have a greater chance of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, asthma and liver disease. Over 70% of overweight teens become overweight or obese adults in this country.

We're calling on all Dallas community runners who would like to have a final run around White Rock Lake for the year. Join us at 7:00 AM, Wednesday, December 31, 2008 at the Bath House. This is not an official race, just a bunch of friends who want to have fun and help out the local youth.

For any donation of $25 or more, you'll receive a souvenir commemorating the event. We'll also have plenty of recovery drinks and snacks after the run. As always, you do not have to donate to run. Please come out and have fun. And, you do not have to run to donate.

We'll be sending out an Evite in the next couple of days. There you will be able to confirm your participation. We hope you can join us and please forward the Evite to anyone who may want to come out.

If you think I don't have your email and you would like to participate, please leave me a comment with your address. I'll be sure to add you to my list.

Thanksgiving and the Turkey Trot

2008-11-28T16:32:00.003-06:00

Wow, this is the first time in 4 years, maybe, that I have not run in the Dallas Turkey Trot. I was simply too weak to finish 8 miles. Some of you may already know that two major factors are going on for me right now. First, I have not run more than 6 miles at any time since the Oct. 3, St. George Marathon. Second, I am now participating in a very intense eating regimen where I do not eat any carbs. Well, strict protein diet or Atkins. Whatever you want to call it. In any case, this makes it fairly difficult for me to run distances at a quick pace.

Last year I finished the race in 64 minutes, which is very good for me. I knew that this year I could barely finish it in 72 minutes, so there was certainly no hope of setting a PR. And for me, why run a race without trying for a PR.

There are people out there who will say my diet is dangerous. I disagree. One thing is certain, you can not perform at top levels when limiting carbohydrates. The kind of effort we runners do requires a healthy dose of carbs, proteins, fat and water to achieve maximum performance. However, limiting carbs will reduce your weight by forcing your body to burn a significant amount of fat as you shed pounds.

Don't worry about me, although I may be sluggish on the road, I am slowly reaching my goal. This is the same diet I used in 2004 to get rid of 75 lbs I didn't need or want. I was fully tested during that program and came out with a low cholesterol count and normal blood pressure. Don't imagine that I'm sitting around eating tons of meat and cheese. I still eat a lot of green, fibrous veggies. That helps to keep my system clean.

So anyway, I did miss the race and just hate that. Early this morning I took out the time to check in on my friends' times at the race. Very impressive I must say. Melisa Christian won again for the 3rd year in a row. This after taking second two weeks ago in the half marathon at San Antonio and not feeling 100%. She's a machine.

I have other friends who did very well, too. Biegel killed the course, and Robin Z. performed very well. Both PRs, I think. Kristina Martin ran a fast race - her blog (Boston Girl Kristina) is just to the right of this post (check it out). Elizabeth R. performed well, she has recently finished New York marathon with a 3:19. I saw Snead's time out there. Way to go Chris. Many more people as the race had over 35k runners.

Now I made up for my lack of performance on yesterday by hitting the dreaded treadmill this morning. I ran for about an hour, even though I wish I had the guts to run in the rain instead.

Maybe I will loop the lake tomorrow. One can only hope.

Never, never stop running.

Great Day to Run a Marathon

2008-11-20T15:11:00.003-06:00

San Antonio Marathon 2008 was blessed with the perfect weather. I had so many friends competing that I simply had to go down there and watch the race. I could watch a race every weekend.

See all the photos, it was a great day.

http://picasaweb.google.com/hardrunner/SanAntonioMarathon2008

How was Saturday?

2008-11-10T21:40:00.001-06:00

Well Saturday was really my first day back running at the lake. The only problem is that normally when you run at the lake, you at least run what they refer to as a loop, which is 9 miles approximately around White rock Lake. Saturday, at 5:45 in the morning I started out and I did about 2 1/2 miles and then I turned around and went back.

Since the big let down at St. George had me feeling a little like I needed to redeem myself, I thought I would run the White rock Marathon. In order to make that happen I would have to start training fairly soon in fact this weekend most likely I was supposed to run I don't know 18, 20 miles?

I didn't though, instead I ran 5 miles. I’m not going to run the White rock Marathon. However, I'm pretty sure I will run the half marathon. The half marathon is very fun. I can run it hard if I like, I can take it easy and not worry about my time, even though the time will find itself on Athlinks.com.

The Elusive Cliff Bar Pace Girl at St. George Marathon '08

2008-11-01T17:51:00.001-05:00

The plan for the St. George marathon was simple. Fly into Vegas on Friday, drive up to St. George, stay one night, run the marathon fast, get back to Vegas and celebrate. I should have known the weekend was going to be trouble when, within two hours of us arriving in Vegas on Friday, I was grifted for 5 dollars at Subway. I told the attendant, “I gave you a $10 bill”. “No sir, you only gave me $5.” This proved to be the beginning of a money losing weekend.

My experience with getting taken for my hard earned money would show up again Friday night in St. George. Of course, pasta dinner was in the works so the whole crew rolled to Scaldoni. Our great friend Whitney made reservations for us back in March for like 10-12 folks. They didn’t have a table for us, however, so we had to split up. John, Lindsay, Colleen and I sat together. We each ordered pasta with marinara sauce. However, little Colleen and her little girl Lindsay planned to split an order. The waiter suggested that they just get two kid orders instead because that would be cheaper. When the meals came Lindsay and Colleen had these bowls of pasta that even I would not be able to complete. John and I received ours and asked, “where’s the rest of the food?” The girls clearly had more food than either John or me. I said we were victims of getting short changed but the waiter said we were victims of an optical illusion. It only looked like Lindsay and Colleen had more pasta. WTH? 17 dollars later for me – I also ordered one $3 meatball and I knew the restaurant was part of a clever ruse to take me for a bunch of money this weekend. Did I mention the girls only paid four freaking dollars each for their meals? Seriously, four dollars.

Saturday, October 4th, 2008, a date which will live in infamy. That's just a joke. I have run much worse marathons. The Denver '07 marathon was much colder and wetter. Atlanta '05 Marathon course may have been more challenging. But St. George '08 was, I'd say, a preponderance of the worse aspects of the aforementioned. It started raining sometime during the bus ride to the start. A school bus, by the way. I noticed quite a few more hills than the St. George advocates claim.

In spite of the rainy morning, I really felt I was well prepared for this race. I had everything in place. Two good, pre-race trips to the water closet, plenty of hydration earlier in the week, a peanut butter & honey sandwich two hours before start. Everything in its place.

As I wished success to all my other running buddies just before the start I jotted back to the 4 hour pace leader. When I introduced myself to Catherine I subtly inquired on her qualifications. She was more than able to get me there. She even assured me that we would slow down at Vale hill (the 1 mile trek up & around some dead volcano).

I was all set. When we started I really felt great. Took me about 4 minutes to get across the start line. We ran along in the pitch dark for some time. The great thing about running in the dark is you can never see the hill. I mean I was able to see about two people in front of me at best. It was so wet out that I thought I would truly slip, fall and end my race there in the dark. Another great thing about running in the dark is that you can jot over to the side of the road and do a number one without anyone being the wiser. Of course, that’s just what I did. “Ahh”, I thought standing there in the dark, “It’s good to be a man”.

After running back up to catch up with my pace girl we were really on our way. The run was so comfortable. I knew I had a great chance of making my target. There were so many times that I had to pull myself back from picking up the pace. I knew I could keep up this pace all day. The plan was starting to become more tangible with each step. I would run along with this group through mile 23 or so then I would handily increase my pace until I had a good five minutes between us. It’s nothing short of amazing what your mind will do in the early stages of a marathon. I guess it had just reason though, I don’t remember the last time my body felt so prepared before and during a 26 miler. No stomach problems, legs felt rested but not heavy. That’s really all there is in distance running…legs and stomach. You can push through hours of running with a headache, busted skin on your shoulder blade, strained back. But, if your legs (any part) are giving you grief, you will contemplate stopping and will probably stop depending on the severity. Do not let your stomach start acting up on you, you’ll drop out for sure…after all, most of us are not going to win so we don’t want to risk being covered in our own disgust just to get to the finish. I digress.

My legs and stomach were moving me to a PR, not only a PR but I was going to hit my goal time. It was there. Already I was excited about the prospect at mile 7. My trusted Oakley Thump II, mp3 shades were jamming out some Rock, Hip Hop and the like. The rain was not a real bother because I had my music and I had loaded a bunch of new songs, some given to me by one of my great running buddies, Beth. There I am, just behind my pacer, feeling strong and knowing I could do this all day. I heard Catherine say that we were going to slow down now because we were hitting Vale Hill. I looked up… That ain’t no hill, that’s a HILL! No matter, the pace was not that bad, ATP had prepared me for this. So had Loving Hill. I was fine. Suddenly, my Thump II stopped thumping. It just died. That was OK, though, because the first three years of marathoning I ran without music, I just press on. But, it will suck wearing shades I don’t even need.
Now, what is that sound? Some strange beeping. Every time I move my left arm, there it goes again. It’s my Garmin, it wants my attention. “What’s wrong Garmin? Why are you making so much racket?” In one second intervals a screen pops up, “Memory full, delete runs”. Keep cool, Don. No need for panic. I reassured myself. I’ll just delete some runs and be on my way. Well easier said than done. Had it not been for the 350 bucks I spent on that thing two years ago…I would have tossed it in the desert. Every time I pushed a button the watch would beep and go back to that stupid screen. “I’m trying to delete runs but you won’t let me you stupid idiot”, I mentally screamed at my Garmin. After several attempts, in the rain, barely able to read the screen, I figured it out. You must press the button between the one second beeping intervals.

Once I was done messing with my watch, I was nearly at the top on Vale hill. When I reached the crest I looked up and Catherine was gone. My pace girl with the Cliff Bar balloons, where was she? I peered between the rain drops searching for those freakin’ balloons. I think I see them, so I take off. I can catch her, I did it earlier. And the downhill was there to aid me. There must have been times going down that hill when I was one minute or more faster than my race pace.

It was all to no avail. I would never see Catherine or those balloons again. What I did for the next 9-10 miles was slowly come to that realization. It was so funny. Every now and again I could see them and thought I was getting closer. I’d see a water stop ahead and know that they must be hitting that stop. My solution always included some version of plowing through the water stop and catching up with them. It never worked. My mistake was thinking I could make up the difference so quickly. It would cost me in the end.

All that tough running, jetting down the hills as quickly as possible. Marching up those long hills that were to come. Ledges Parkway – approaching the top of that hill was worse to me than the effort at Vale Hill. I remember seeing the green Ledges Parkway sign. It was off in the distance (you can see for miles at so many points on this course), and the incline looked fairly serious. I just thought to myself that I would concentrate on something else. So, thoughts of catching back up with the elusive Cliff Bar pace girl kept creeping up in my mind. If anything it served for great distraction. After all, I had no music (my Thump Pros are dead forever), couldn’t tell the distance on my watch (had to reset Mr. Garmin miles earlier), and I was pretty winded from all the hard running.

The end of the trek to Ledges Parkway wouldn’t come for what seemed another hour. Don’t forget, this is a pretty long hill. Once I crossed it we did see many more down hill runs. The rain never stopped, of course, and the head wind was just another excuse I could use. Now it would be unfair to think these are just excuses. Many of my friends from Dallas would have done even better if not for some of the conditions. They did perform well in spite of these issues.

Biegel, Lindsay, Colleen, and Garlon all qualified for Boston. That was really no surprise, they’ve been doing great this season. Amir, John, Jim and JJ were great out there, too. JJ and Jim set PRs and I think Amir did as well. John had a nasty knee and was not able to train for like 8 weeks or something. Still his performance was strong.

All in all the race was tough for me because I over did it trying to catch up with the pace group. The up hill parts of the race were pretty serious. The down hills were so brutal that I tore a hole in the toe of both socks!

The end of the race was awesome. Both good and bad. When I realized that I would not meet my goal upon crossing the finish line, I nearly cried. That’s no joke. I cannot remember the last time an emotional expression that strong took over me. I sucked it up though ‘cause I’m a man! Haha.

Awesome on the good side because, even though it was pretty cold, the marathon supplied ice cream sandwiches and cones. I tore into those. Wow, they were so good. My teeth were chattering away as I was digging into the cold treats. I tried my best to get brain freeze but I don’t think that’s possible when your body temperature is already very low. Then I sat down near the fruit tables and gobbled down as many vines of green and red grapes as possible. After barely coming back to life I started freezing and hyperthermia was near. I headed over to the help tent where they fixed me up with a blanket and heated saline bags to wrap around my neck.

Jump forward to me making it back to the Holiday Inn after hitching a ride with perfect strangers. I was simply too cold to try to find a shuttle or anything. To gain enough sympathy to convince someone to give me a ride, I stood around with my arms wrapped around me, teeth chattering and looking lost. I asked a young couple (the guy was a runner and the girl in jeans and a jacket), “do you know which way to the Holiday Inn?” The reply was, “that way I think” as he pointed clearly in the opposite direction. So, I just stood there for a moment with puppy dog eyes and finally the girl said, “can we give you a ride”? I resisted the urge to reply, “Hell, yeah, why do you think I’m standing here?” Instead I nodded politely and we were on our way.

After hot tubbing it with my crew, enjoying a pizza party by the pool, and picking up some Starbucks and Dairy Queen, we all headed back to Las Vegas. Sorry, no stories to tell about Las Vegas. You know the motto. Let’s just say, a fun time was had by all.

One little note about Holiday Inn in St. George…they continued the grift theme with an up charge of $100/night during the marathon and required two nights stay. The audacity. After a little convincing though they did refund us for one night.

I did PR after all of this. Not my goal, but I’ll take the extra two minutes. Never, never stop running.

Where's Don???

2008-10-28T10:08:00.005-05:00

I am here I promise. In the last month I have run a marathon then traveled out of country and started a new sport. Not to mention my job which has me working 12-15 hours a day. I miss writing in my blog and I have an update for St. George that I'm just itching to get out on the board. I will get it out this week. Please look for it by Saturday. I also have some thoughts on the Chicago, Marine Corps and upcoming New York marathons.

All my updates are coming soon. Meanwhile enjoy these few photos from St. George.

I Think I'm Ready

2008-09-13T17:03:00.003-05:00

Well, I have made it through to the last long run on my schedule. I completed 22 miles this morning under threat of severe rain. Temperature today was 77 degrees with 86% humidity. It was a fairly tough run but I managed to get through OK. I guess you could say the wind up from Hurricane Ike helped keep off the effects of the humidity. It almost felt cool and it even rained occasionally. Ahh!

After I was done, I enjoyed breakfast with some of my running buddies. Actually went to The Original Pancake House. Boy, they serve a whole lot of bacon. Four big, thick salty pieces of bacon. Just the right combination of salt and protein. And pecan pancakes, too. After a short trip to Starbucks I went home, suffered a 20 minute ice bath, took a shower and napped. The perfect way to start a rainy Saturday.

Now, three weeks to St. George. It's taper time.

U.S. Track & Field Team Dismal Showing at the Olympics

2008-08-23T18:15:00.004-05:00

Is anyone else shocked and dismayed at our poor performance in the Track and Field events of the Olympics this year? Jamaica has dominated events where we normally prevail. We've dropped the cursed baton more times than I care to remember, twice. We've pulled up lame in important events. The list goes on.

But, one shining moment stands out to me, David Neville's brute, heroic, nothing short of amazing dive at the finish to take the Bronze Medal (completing a 1, 2, 3 USA sweep) in the Men's 400M Final. That made me proud. We are still America and our fight never dies. We are not afraid to throw our bodies punishingly into the fray when it counts.

Land of the Free and Home of the Brave...indeed.

So, unless you are diving at the finish line...never, never stop running.

Jeremy Wariner, LaShawn Merritt, and David Neville at the U.S. Olympic Trials - July 08

A True Sherpa = A Real Friend

2008-08-22T07:33:00.002-05:00

According to Wiki, "The term sherpa refers to guides for mountaineering expeditions in the Himalayas, particularly Mt Everest. They are highly regarded as elite mountaineers and experts in their local terrain, as well as having good physical endurance and resilience to high altitude conditions." In the sport of running we use the same term to refer to support guides. They have many of the same characteristics of a mountain sherpa. Expert in the sport, possess physical endurance and resilience, and a great guide.

And I had an expert last week. Early on a Tuesday morning, 4am, Wendy Hazelwood met me for my 20 mile training run. Meeting up with someone at 4am to do a long run is really no big deal if both of you have to do the run. Maybe one of you has to go out of town and you will miss your weekend run with your group. So, one of your good friends volunteers to join you early on another day and do the whole run with you. Now this friend has the benefit of getting their weekend back to do something else. It's mutually beneficial.

That is not the case here. I had to leave last Tuesday for Detroit and would be gone through the weekend. I knew the likelihood of me completing a 20 mile run there was very remote. When I told Wendy about my trip and that I would need to run 20 miles early on Tuesday morning, she said, "I'll run some of it with you". Great, I took that to mean that I would see her along my route at about 6am while she's out for her regular run and she would run along side for a while. That would have been nice, but that's not what she meant.

She meant that she would meet me at 4am, 4AM, and run her required 6 miles that day, then she would get on her bike and ride along side me for the remaining 14 miles (not one time did she ride too far ahead of me - how hard was that). It also meant that she would get on gmaps pedometer and vet out our 20 mile course, complete with multiple water stops. Further, it also meant that she would have a supply of Gatorade and hydration drinks for me. Now if that's not Sherpa I don't know what is.

She's done this for many other people, I'm not the special one. She is. It's just her character. And it is this kind of character that I see from many people everyday in this Dallas running community. That is what makes me just love this sport.

So, if you see Wendy Hazelwood over the next several days, do me a favor...walk up to her, pat her on the back and say, "Don says thanks".

Never, never, stop running!

Been A Long Time

2008-06-21T11:04:00.007-05:00

How long has it been since I have updated my blog? A long while. Funny, when I started this site I made great claims that I would write in it everyday. I never even once made that commitment. I don't think I've written in it two days in a row. How sad. It's not for lack of running and having little to say. More it is how crazy busy I am. So many things to do and so little time to do them in.

If I were to go back over the last 50 days or so, I could write on so many things related to my running and relentless pursuit of Boston. Plantar fasciitis - still suffering. Physical therapy and cold laser treatments - verdict still out. Couple of 5k races - not as well as I hoped. Got in to St. George - this should be a blast if I can get completely healthy. ATP (advanced training program) coaching - ha, hardly a coach but the program seems very promising. Running the trails in Grapevine - hot, hot, hot but way too much fun (friends, food, and running; a splendid combination).

I have been running faster lately. For that I am happy. I think it has to do with all the fast people I'm trying to keep up with. Or it could be that my legs are finally starting to feel rested from all the marathons I completed over the last 2 years. Whatever it is, I'm liking it.

In fact, I am coaching the Green group for the first time ever. This, I guess, is some level of accomplishment for me. When I started as a participant with Luke's I trained in the Red group. The next year I coached in the Red group. Then, for the next two years, I coached Yellow. Now Green. If I can manage to stay up with these guys I think I'll really be on my way. Maybe I'll get as fast as these folks above. Never, never stop running.

Finally Went to Boston, But Not What You Think

2008-05-02T21:30:00.008-05:00

Robert Cheruiyot Wins Boston Again, Amazing!

Start of the 2008 U.S. Women's Olympic Trials Marathon

No, I have not qualified yet. However, the excitement of seeing so many of my friends running Boston and one competing in the Olympic Trials feels almost like I did qualify. Well, not really but you understand the sentiment.

Top 3: Magdalena Lewy-Boulet (left), Deena Kastor (center), and Blake Russell (right).

My weekend in Boston was nothing short of spectacular. It is only fitting that someone who is trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon go to see a race for inspiration. I was also there for the Women’s Olympic Trials and cheered on my good friend Melisa Christian who competed in it and set a new PR. Every year she just keeps getting better.

Dallas must really have a strong running community. I personally know at least two dozen people there for the 112th Boston Marathon. Countless others were from Dallas as well.

I was hanging out with some brave souls before the marathon. We were all on our feet most of the day on Sunday, from watching the Olympic Trials to hanging out at Fenway park where our Rangers got stomped.

Just two seconds after I took this shot of Joan Samuelson she shook my hand, too.

Jim Hazard

2008-04-23T15:32:00.002-05:00

Our good friend is suffering from Plantar Fasciitis and is hating life. Since he is the king of practicle jokes and the like. So we thought it fitting to dedicate an entire website in his honor. Hopefully, it will get him excited about returning to running and help to spead his recovery. Please check it out.

www.ibeatjimhazard.com

Amazing Running Friends

2008-04-23T11:17:00.009-05:00

I am convinced that the singular best, most exciting, and fun run I have ever experienced has got to be the April 6, 2008 Big D Half-Marathon. I have loaded a picture as a screen saver on my computer saving forever the glory of that 13.1 mile run.

I ran this race with five of my best and fastest running friends. Let me tell you they are really fast. It all started as a pretty simple idea. They, Lindsay Musielak, Biegel Macaraeg, Jim Hazard, Kellye Lubke and John Forbes decided on Monday before the race that they wanted to do an "easy 12 miles" on Sunday. Somehow Lindsay suggested the Big D Half-Marathon.

“Another mile or so is no big deal”, she claimed. So after a series of emails and text messages we all decided to hurry and register for the half. Just to tell you how fast they are, I specifically remember an email from Jim stating we'd run an easy 8:00-8:15 pace. Now for me, that is hard work and I have never run that distance that fast. And that's when it occurred to me, "if I keep up with them then I will set a PR". I had not made the leap on exactly how I was going to keep up with them. I just remember sending out another email stating the facts and the challenge was on.

My friends decided they wanted to pace me and assure me a PR. All I had to do was keep up. Now that sounds like a lot of work for me and it is. But, it is even more work for them. They're each perfectly capable of running in the upper 7's and still call it easy. With this in mind, I thought that we would all start together and after a few miles they would decide it was in fact too torturous to run so slow and take off and leave.

What I thought was going to happen never really happened at all. Instead they made me feel like Lance Armstrong or P. Diddy, Puff Daddy, Sean Puffy Combs, Sean Combs whatever we call him these days. They were my entourage complete with a bicycle manager, Wendy Hazelwood, riding along side and street support, Whitney Cahoy and JJ Pledger, in the form of beer, beer and more beer.

I remember John saying when Whitney handed him his second beer, “wow, I’m gonna be buzzed by the end of this race”. Of course, he was already buzzed enough that he couldn’t hold on to his beer and we heard a sudden splash followed by, “EXPLETIVE” only replace expletive with any curse word that starts with “F”. I was laughing so hard that I forgot we were going up a hill.

Several times during the race I had to shout, “hey stop making me laugh, I’m loosing too much oxygen”. I mean the whole time was filled with jokes, shouting, laughing and the occasional runner’s flatulence. In one of their often noted entouragie activities Biegel, Jim, John, Kellye and Lindsay would trade off forming human shields whenever the wind picked up. Picture this, three of them jolting up front while the other two flanked my shoulders on either side.

And I never even slowed my pace at the water stops. Instead these guys would ask me, “water or Gatorade”, then they’d grab my request and hand it to me while I’d be in full stride in the middle of the road. One daring handoff came at about mile ten...from her bike Wendy handed Jim her Spark bottle. Then Jim handed it to me. Seconds before that Biegel and John coordinated a water handoff from the left.

You have got to know I was soaking up all this attention. And since I had my dark shades on, I bet people running around us thought I was some celeb. We even adopted a few lone runners along the way. Some just excited to be in our atmosphere, others wishing our loud, obnoxious antics would just end.

Somewhere around mile 9 I was feeling pretty labored and this young kid we ran up on decided to keep pace with us. Honestly, every 2 tenths of a mile he would say, “how far have we gone”. Poor kid, maybe he was dying, but for sure he was killing me. After four of these request, I finally said, “2 tenths of a mile farther than the last time you asked”. With that I gave Biegel a nudge in the back so he would pick up the pace. Too bad, I still don’t know the kid made it in.

All in all a great day. We had breakfast at Ozona’s after and laughed even more when Jim and I presented John with his new coffee mug.
My friends saved my life and pushed, pulled and prodded me to a four minute PR over my last PR in Austin. I ran a 1:47 and they even ensured that I crossed first. Can’t ask for better running friends, that’s for sure. Thanks again, John Forbes, Kellye Lubke, Jim Hazard, Biegel Macaraeg, Lindsay Musielak, Wendy Hazelwood (with bike support), Whitney Cahoy and JJ Pledger (the Beer Team).

Hill Repeats - DANG!

2008-03-11T20:23:00.002-05:00

This morning was a real workout. First of all, we had fog like you can't imagine. Just driving to the run was an adventure. I even thought for a minute that no one would show because of the dense fog. Finally, I get there and all these other runners are out there getting ready for their run. Amazing.

One side note: They all acted like there was no fog at all, everybody was just standing in the middle of the parking lot. Get out of the way, I can barely see you. Then of course, two minutes later, there I am standing in the parking lot like everybody else just daring you to hit me.

So, after a 15 minute warm-up we (about 7 of us) made it over to one of the steeper hills in the area - yes, Dallas has hills, man. 15 repeats up that hill woke up my legs for sure. The rest of the crew, another 20 or so folks, ran the regular hill route.

Did I mention what happened while we were heading to the hill in the dense fog this morning. It was so funny, but I'm afraid my writing skills are too limited to describe it. I can't even type straight because I'm laughing so much. Anyway, while we were doing our warm-up run in the dense fog of the dark morning we had to make a sudden adjustment to avoid a car. After the car passed I noticed a deep water puddle along the side of the road. I shouted, "watch out for the puddle" as I pointed down. My buddy did what was his best effort at jumping over the puddle and found himself jumping right into it. At first it looked like he was going to just sail right over the thing, but gravity won as per usual. Needless to say, his hill repeats were quite sloshy. ahh, good times.

Never, never stop running.

A Blast at the Austin Half

2008-02-18T21:11:00.008-06:00

It is so exciting to set a PR in a half marathon. And imagine doing this in Austin, because most of us know that Austin is pretty darn hilly. Besides that, I did not really train for this race. I love that last statement. We often use it when we need an excuse for why we did so poorly or when, despite our great results, we claim we should have done better. Well, neither is true for me this time around, although I've used it quite often for those very reasons. This time I was running my fastest. I mean, let me tell you something, I was running hard and I enjoyed every bleeding moment of it.

I aged one more year this past weekend and it felt good to know I could still set a PR. I have been losing confidence in my speed lately. I don't know what it is exactly, but my lungs have been suffering during my runs over the last three weeks. That sensation of running a 7 min. mile then looking down at your Garmin to sheer, unrelenting disappointment of an 8:30 pace instead has been haunting me since late January. I'm not sure what it is, but now I'm convinced it's not because I'm getting older.

Anyway, back to the fun of the half marathon. One side note, I met Alan Culpepper twice last weekend in two different cities. He was at the Luke's Locker BGO 5k on Saturday morning and spoke pretty honestly about his running career and balancing the rest of life. He seemed like a pretty nice guy. I even got a photo with him and one of our fast running darlings. Just when I thought I was looking thin I had to go and stand next to this guy. So couple buddies and me headed down to Austin at about mid day on Saturday. It rained the entire trip and we were prayerful that Sunday would be very opposite.

When we got to town we went straight to the Expo (after a quick stop for those famous Jimmy John's sandwiches). I was able to get my goodie bag right away because the lines were pretty short. What I failed to do was bring in my personal chip so I could verify it. When I ran (really I walked) back to the car and then back to the Expo who did I run into but Alan Culpepper, again. With all the confidence of a fast runner I walked right up to him and said, "Hey Alan, remember me?". He goes, "Hey man, what are you doing here? I just saw you in Dallas. Are you stalking me?" The entire time with the biggest smile on his face. We shared a laugh and I told him that we drove down and that we've been here for about 30 minutes or so. He laughed again and said, "man I should have rode down with you guys. We flew down and I'm just getting here. We sat on the tarmac forever in Dallas." I replied, "Oh wow the hardships of being with Nike, huh?". Then we both laughed again.

All that to say he just acted like one of the guys at the morning Park Cities runs. Just a normal, albeit fast, guy. Here's a guy who's won the U.S. Olympic Trials marathon in '04, you see him in running magazines all the time and yet he's very down to earth. It was kool meeting him.

Well, everything had been going well for me this weekend. I met an Olympic runner, I also won a new Ipod Nano at the BGO event. All this on my birthday weekend. It was certain. I was sure to run a great race on Sunday.

Sunday morning was shaping up perfectly. The temperature started in the mid 40s, no wind and absolutely no humidity. I lined up at the start thinking, "this is a great day to run your hardest." After the National Anthem, we took off. I started out a little fast for me, but it still felt good. I knew however, that I would have to run faster than this to set a PR. Of course it took me til the end of mile 2 to really get started. Once that came I never let up. While my trusty Oakley Thump Pro shades were blasting out my favorite mp3 songs, I started thinking to myself about how I might perform. Even though I realized that everyone who came down with me was faster than me, I knew that if I could finish under 1:50 I would be in the 1:40s - genius conclusion, I know. But, if you can say, "Yeah, I had a 1:49", most people here 1:40 and are ultra impressed. So, that was my goal, to be able to impress everyone with a 1:49 finish. Most of the time during the race I really thought I would make it. I ran very strong, kept my pace at the water stations and even managed the hills with patience and determination.

In fact, I was almost suicidal with my effort. You know those days. Those rare times when you don't have to save your body for anything else. I was just free to run harder and faster, just daring injury and exhaustion. Kinda like a 5k race. It was pure bliss. My feet started hurting a bit, reminiscent of my long gone plantar fasciitis. My solution - simply run faster, so my arms were pumping pretty purposefully as I raised up more on my toes. I felt so Kenyan.

My pace was so strong that when I got to mile 7, knowing I had 6 more miles to go I was still feeling very confident. By mile 9 I started feeling the heat of not doing a better job with my math earlier. I was crossing mile 10 when I realized that I would have to run the next 3.1 miles in under 24 minutes. If all I was doing was a 5k that day, it would have been a cinch. But in this case, I was concerned because of those pesky 10 miles I had just finished. The fun part was when I said to myself, "hell, go for it, anything can happen".

All was going well, then came mile 12 at 15th street. "Who put a road in the middle of this freaking mountain." I don't know if my statement was audible and I seriously doubt I used such polite speech. And then those other two little, steep "tease me" hills near the end sent me for a loop. But, that finish. All of you who were there, you know how sweet that finish was. Just about as down hill as you can get - I leaned forward and let gravity take over. A hard left turn into the finisher chute at full steam to a strong 1:51 finish. Oh I loved it - a 4 minute PR. I'll take it. I know I've got somethin' faster in me, but I'll always take a PR no matter how slight.

All my buddies did so well, too. I think they all set a personal best. You couldn't ask for a more perfect setting and my friends took complete advantage of it. Congrats to all of them.

I'm coaching a quick beat group this Saturday. I feel strong and I feel fast - they're in trouble.

Never, never stop running.

A Couple of Bones to Pick

2008-01-21T10:57:00.000-06:00

For the last 4 years Coolrunning.com has been a number 1 hit site for me. Everything running can be found at this free site. What was most precious to me was their running log. This log had a place for everything. I could input my running data including mileage data of all my running shoes. I was able to track my time in various runs. For instance, I had a run labeled White Rock Regular loop. I could run a report of every run from 2004 to present with this label and compare times and check on notes I entered about each run. It was simply fantastic. You know the bad part is coming. Why would I bring this subject up if something bad isn't about to happen. Well, Coolrunning in all their wisdom, sold out their running tracker to Active.com. OMG, I don't know why. No doubt it is expensive to keep up with all this data and make changes to technology. I cannot really blame them for offering something for free all these years and then wanting to sell it off to reduce overhead.

But, the new Active site all but sucks. In fact, it does suck. Not to mention 80% of my data is "GONE"! I was not afforded the opportunity to check out the new site and then retrieve and move my data should I not like the new site. And you need an MIS degree to navigate through the new site. It's fairly convoluted and the labels are bizarrely named. I feel so betrayed. Coolrunning has a great community and network of runners and I bet we would have been willing to pay for the site if needed.

Besides, Active is not geared to the OCD and type A nature of runners. It's just this huge site with all manner of activities going on. It's like going to footlocker for your running shoes. You can, but why in the world would you? You want to go to a running specialty store where they have first hand knowledge of your experiences and know how to address your issues. And even after you get the best advice from the employees at the running specialty store you could go to footlocker and by the shoes cheaper (maybe). But again, why would you? You want to patron the store that is committed to your community and dedicated to your most precious of interests. That's me too. Now I have a site that was dedicated to the special interest of runners, but that now has sold off an important tool to a site that views running as something you do while playing some other sport.

I've been given a lot of other options so, I'll consider one of these when I get some free time. I'm still pretty upset because even when I do choose a new location I will not be able to recoup the data I've lost.

The title of this entry reads "A Couple of Bones to Pick". It's obvious I'm not happy with Coolrunning.com right now. The second bone I've got is with Garmin. Really, it's not a "bone" because they have not done anything wrong. What they have done is nothing more than the advancement of technology. I just hate I've been caught up in it. For the last year and a half I have touted the wonders and greatness of the Garmin 305. For several months before I owned it I coveted this great little device. When I finally got it I was just delighted and it's accuracy was unmatched.

Well, Garmin has done it again. They have stuck it to me with what looks to be another great device. It is the "Garmin 405". It looks just like a regular sports watch and has most of the same features that the 305 has. I really, really don't need another gps device, but if I did I would certainly be looking at this one. None of the runners I know have dared buy it yet, so I have no particular testimony to its performance. One reason why no one has it yet is because they have all recently upgraded to the 305 from the 205 or some bulky Timex or Ipod device.

What this new version does not do that the 305 does is saving routes. You can have up to 50 routes in the 305, but the new 405 does not have this feature. But, it makes up for this short coming with quite a few new features. First, it acts as a regular sports watch. You can keep it powered on for up to 2 weeks in regular watch mode. That is a long time between charges. Second, it has automatic sync where it automatically sends data to your computer. Third, it's small like a normal sports watch so you shouldn't have problems getting sleeves on and off. Finally, it allows you to share information between devices (now I have not thought of a great use for this yet - but one is coming). I mean my 305 is still pretty new to me in that I cannot operate all the various features yet. I will have to just wait until they put out the 505 before I look at spending another 300+ bucks on a fitness watch/monitor. All those 205 owners out there now can have something to look forward to. Go out and get the 405 so we can all know just how good it is.

Never, never stop running.

West Palm Beach, Florida Makes 9 States

2007-12-14T10:46:00.000-06:00

I thought I would never write this entry. Really, what can a person say about a marathon where he finishes 50 minutes after his PR? Should I go on some blame game about the stinking heat and humidity? I mean I could. The temperature was about 78 degrees or warmer, but that should account for about 25-30 minutes of delay. Besides, the good folks in Chicago faced a lot worse in October.

Maybe I'll blame it on the fact that I saw the finish/start line 4 times before finishing the race. Now that is KILLER! Let me explain. In most marathons, we see this "line" twice, once at the begining and then again when we finish. But, that just won't do in West Palm Beach. Nope, in West Palm Beach you see this line at the start, then again at the half, and if that's not enough, again at mile 21, then finally...at the end. You might remember me making note of the effects passing a finish line to continue a race has on the runner's pschy when I wrote about that 20 mile no name race. Well, passing the finish line two times and one of those times is at mile 21 is simply heart wrenching.

There I am at mile 21, after having passed the finish line at 13.1 miles and then heading North through town for a complete butt whipping, looking at that bloody finish line once again. Just think about this for a moment. This time in a race is normally known as the "Wall", the place where all of your glycogen stores are empty and now you're burning fat inefficiently for energy. Your ability to solve simple math problems is seriously compromised, like 22+17=31. The size of the fight in you has been diminished to that of a peanut. If you usually have OCD, you now couldn't care less about stepping on that crack in the sidewalk. And forget smiling for photos. You are just seeking the finish. Then you look up, there it is (surprisingly soon), the finish line. The loud speaker has that ubiquitious voice of the guy calling out the names of the finishers. "Richard Fowler all the way in from Alabama, looking good Richard, gives us a smile as he finishes." The big band playing some cool music, "Celebrate good times, com on". Cow bells ringing relentlessly throughout the corridor and clapping, yelling and cheering. What a great time to be finishing - "I did it, I'm done!" Then, in a rare moment of lucidity, "Wait just a minute, this isn't the finish?" Everyone - and I mean everyone has their back turned to me. "I've been ostracized", I lament. "They're cheering for someone else. Dagnabit, I still have 5.2 miles to go!!" Now THAT will blow your mind.

After my woeful reality at mile 21, I continued on up Flaggler and made my way to the final few miles. Knowing that I would finish soon, I guess there's something redeemable about going by the finish line at 21 miles. This is me trying to stay positive - are you convinced?

When I finally finished I sat just near the bag pick-up right at the end of the finishers' chute. This extremely nice, little lady volunteer helped me so much. She accosted her husband and sent him off to retreive two cans of Coca-Cola, then just minutes later she trotted off to the Ruth's Chris tent and fixed me a little plate of lean steak and salty, shredded potatoes. Ahh, that was great. I got all my protein, carbs and electolytes replaced before I had to go any farther.

There were tents and celebrations happening all around me at the finish. I think the planners did an excellent job with the exhibitors. Even though I was just too pooped to consider visiting any of these vendors, I still much apreciated they're presence. The overall atmosphere was very festive. Florida is just too hard to beat when it comes to partying so, they have a headstart on other marathon locales.

That's just about it. I've covered the most important elements of my experience at West Palm Beach. I do have a few additional comments I can sum up here that may help you choose a marathon for next fall.

The Marthon of the Beaches is the very definition of a flat marathon. I do not remember even the slightest of inclines. I think this would be a fast one if you can get over passing the finish so many times and if you are blessed with cooler temperatures. I understand, however, that you should never expect cool temps in this part of Florida.

Flying into Palm Beach was simply a breeze. It's a fairly small airport and not very busy this time of year. I was a little surprized even when I was leaving because the small number of people does not reflect the reputation Palm Beach has as a resort location. You will have no trouble getting in and out.

No need to rent a car if you choose the right hotel. I stayed at the Hilton Garden Hotel on Worthington Road. This hotel is about a half mile from the Airport and less than a mile from the start line. They even offered a Free shuttle to and from the start. The shuttle bused you to the heart of Palm Beach on the hour or you could call the hotel and have the shuttle pick you up sooner. I guess the only thing I would have liked was to spend some time on the actual beach.

The beach was about a mile past the downtown area, but I was simply too lazy to find my way to the coast. That leads me to one final, albeit small criticism of this "Marathon of the Beaches", we never really ran along the beach since the race is completely on the intracoastal. I hoped we would spend a little time on Ocean Drive right along the beach, but really I knew better. I bet that could have saved us from passing the start/finish line so many times. But I'm certain the trade off would have included some unwanted hills, inclines or bridges, so I'm keeping my mouth shut on this.

Because I did not rent a car and I didn't want to be out too late the night before, I enjoyed a pasta dinner right in the hotel. Not too bad, although I don't think they could accomodate a large contigent of hungry, short tempered marathoners getting their last meal before execution. So if you plan on going with a group of runners, try a resturant in town for that customary pasta dinner.

Well, I've done it. I've journaled my experience at my 9th marathon on pursuit to 50. This event really tested my resolve. I can't recount how many times I wanted to quit. It even jeopordized my interest in going for a Boston qualify or completing 50 marathons.

I know so many folks who ran "that marathon", the one where they decided not to run another one. I understand these people now. Some of them never completed a single marathon due to an injury they suffered during their first one. Some finished that final marathon and their bodies have not been the same since. And some have walked off the course, completely dejected, exhausted, never having finished and not able to see themselves returning to the fray.

Good gracious! Any one of those could have and should have been me. 2006 Marine Corps Marathon, 2006 Tucson Marathon, 2007 Denver Marathon, 2007 Marathon of the Palm Beaches. These were all miserable experiences where my performance hardly qualifies me as a runner at all. They certainly are not indicative of a future Boston marathoner.

In spite of this, how is it that I enter January with a renewed, invigorated spirit to train hard, run fast and set a PR goal for the fall? I don't know - this running thing just still excites me so much. I guess it's OK that I cannot put my finger on it. I'm just delighted to be so blessed with this ability. The simple notion of locomotion - most of us do it, but not all of us can. I reckon that's something to hold on to. Many of my running buddies run faster than I - those I admire or maybe envy. Some of my running buddies run slower than I - those I appreciate and I know they're getting faster. But we're all runners.

There it is, 9 States down and 41 to go. For the next couple years I will focus solely on qualifying though - so only one marathon a year until I reach Boston. Never, never stop running.

My PR at the Dallas Turkey Trot

2007-11-24T08:57:00.000-06:00

A PR is rare these days for me. I think my fastest marathon was only my second marathon back in 2005. Now, two years and 6 marathons later I have not come real close to repeating that. I did have a PR in a 5k this year when I ran the Camper Scamper but, I counted it as disappointment because I probably could have run that faster.

I would not let anything discourage my efforts on Turkey day this year. Previous two 8 mile trots I ran I planned not to run too hard. This year I decided to give it my best effort. That was so much fun. Oh sure, it hurts like heck, those blasted hills work your lungs, but it was well worth it. 64 minutes and some change. I was simply going for the 64 minutes. It is a great feeling when you set out to finish in a time and actually hit it. The funny thing is that there were times during the race when I fooled myself into believing I would come in under 60 minutes. It was mile 3 as I check my Garmin. 7:19 to complete that mile - it must have been all down hill. Reality would soon reemerge as I started making my way up the Houston St. Viaduct. Well, there's always next year, maybe I will finish under 60 minutes then.

20 Miles with Friends

2007-11-10T13:39:00.000-06:00

I don't know what the name of this race is. Last year it was called the Texas Stampede. This year I think it's been named the Ascis Texas Twenty. Either way, today was a great day for a race. We started just below the American Airlines Center. Some of my friends were running the 10 mile race but, I ran the 20 mile race. One thing of note is: Most runners are like horses - when they see the finish line they're ready to quit. This race has the ominous reality of having a 20 mile course that is nothing more than 2 loops. Let me tell you passing right by the finish line to start the second loop is such a mind bender.

I committed to myself that when I passed by that finish for the start of my second loop I would do it with style and never look upon the finish or the festivities going on. That's just what I did. As I made my approach to the pseudo-finish someone in a loud speaker barked, "20 milers right, 10 milers left". So, eyes closed tight I dashed over the mat. I would keep them closed for as long as I could until I risked falling over. The next 10 miles would be a mind game of noting all the places I had passed before - a runner's funky deja vu.

The details of the rest of the run are not real exciting. My entry today is to take special note of a few good friends who waited for me at the real finish. They had run only 10 miles, because they're training for the year is at an end. Two of my buddies, however, did run the 20 miler but they were done more than 30 minutes before me. In any event, there they all were right at the end cheering me on. Run, Don! Go, Don! I could hear every single voice. I did not visibly acknowledge the screams though. I think it was my need to not let them down. They were cheering so I had to look my best and run my fastest. Their cheers could not be in vain, so when I saw them I started taking off faster to the finish. My sprint started a little too early because as I passed them my legs were wearing out. Then when their yelling started I was re-energized to run even harder. I pushed to the line with the voices of my friends encouraging me to finish strong. That was a lot of fun. Even though I'm just training for my last marathon of the year in December, I raced to my finish in this no-name 20 mile event.

So they should have left hours ago but, my friends stayed to watch me finish. And I was not going to let them down. Never, never stop running.

USA Olympic Men's Marathon Trials

2007-11-03T13:57:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a day in running.

We had a Trials record set today for the men by Mr. Ryan Hall at 2:09:02. Congrats to him. So here is our team for the 2008 Olympic Marathon: 1. Ryan Hall, 2:09:02; Dathan Ritzenhein, 2:11:06(PR) and Hanson's Brian Sell, 2:11:40.

The American running community also suffered tragedy today at the same event. 28 year old Ryan Shay died today at the Men's Marathon Olympic Trials. He collapsed right near the 5 mile marker and was rushed to the hospital. Ryan was the 2003 USA Marathon Champion and was the the 2003 and 2004 USA half-marathon champion. He was a great American Runner and EAS "Work Horse". We will miss him. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and his wife, Alicia.

Before we start speculating or nay saying on running and other related health issues let's wait. There has been no official word on Shay's cause of death.

Police Harassment - Highland Park, Texas

2007-10-31T22:26:00.000-05:00

I must ask myself one question. Why would the Highland Park police department systematically harass morning runners by threatening to give them a ticket for running in the street rather than the sidewalk? Not to mention that "sidewalk" is counter intuitive to running, thus the term sideWALK. I'll get on to that later.

Really, maybe it's motivated by they genuine desire to ensure we (runners) are safe. Maybe somehow they must take the path of least resistance or effort to protect us. Perhaps they are unable to control automobile traffic on their roads. Let's just deal with this scenario for a minute. The crime rate in this most expensive and exclusive township in the Dallas metroplex is virtually non-existent. Yet Highland Park has a police force incapable of enforcing traffic ordinances on their streets despite the fact that they have very little else to do?? If this is the case, then I understand their need to push us up on the sidewalk where we can risk quite a bit more injury to ourselves. I suspect however, that this is not true. I submit testimony of the countless people I know who have been ticketed for exceeding speed limits there by just over 5 miles per hour. Sometimes the fines equal a hefty, monthly car note.

What's another scenario? We've been told that our morning runs are disturbing the morning commute of the citizens of this fair town. Plain and simple, this is horse hockey. Our morning running group runs as early as 5:30 am (usually 6am) and is always finished not later than 7:00am. And we run on the side of the road facing on-coming traffic and obey all traffic lights. BTW running in the road facing traffic is the ordinance of every other township in North Texas including the City of Dallas. This town is simply rich. In fact, it is the 41st wealthiest city in the United States. The median family in Highland Park, TX earns $200,000 annually. The households are made up of successful lawyers, doctors, independent business owners and CEOs. So, acknowledging the pink elephant, I don't anyone fitting these demographics who are required to be anyplace in a hurry at 6am each day. Could it be that the residents are pressed because their servants and gardeners are late in the morning because we runners are impeding their ability to get to work?

Sidewalk running is a joke, but no joke when somebody gets injured. These sidewalks in Highland Park are not evenly paved nor are they level. Since we run in the dark to avoid the Texas heat, we can't see a darn thing on these sidewalks. I know of two runners who have injured themselves from tripping over an obstacle on the sidewalk in HP. And several days during the Texas winter we face freezing conditions on the ground. Many of the HP homeowners somehow feel it is necessary to have GREEN grass throughout the winter and defiantly keep on their sprinkler timers. You know what comes next, a wet sidewalk now becomes an icy one that lies in wait for an unsuspecting, law abiding runner. Side note, I have run in Highland Park for 3 years now and cannot remember a Summer when every lawn was not green. This in the midst of some of our driest seasons in North Texas and still every lawn is green despite the entire Metroplex being under water restrictions. Just pay attention next summer as you go thru this town.

So what is our resolve? I really don't know. We faced this about 18 months ago and changed every route that ran us through that town to get us off their busiest streets. We could lodge a former complaint to the police in the town but, I don't think that really works. I really think this will pass after they earn a couple thousand dollars from writing us citations. It certainly will do us no good to argue with the police officer enforcing some imaginary ordinance that I still have not ever seen. He doesn't care and he's simply following orders or maybe he's going to push his weight around (quite considerable weight, too) for a couple of weeks. We will avoid him and any other HP cop though for the next several weeks until they've had a chance to calm down. Let's face it, this is the most exciting thing that happens in this town, and it makes perfect sense for a bored, under utilized police force to choose such an easy target for sport. The Honorable Mayor would have been good to send about half of the force to Southern California to assist with getting people back in their homes. It really would be a pleasant surprise to learn that the Mayor has done just that. I really doubt it though.

My resolve? No matter what town, no matter how absent minded the laws in that town, never, never stop running.

Great Week to Return to Running

2007-10-26T19:25:00.000-05:00

I have had a good week of steady runs. On Monday, just one week after the marathon in Denver, I joined some friends for morning run. It was our regular Monday route. Funny thing is that it rained! I simply laughed at the notion that it would rain on my first day back to running. Considering how much cold rain I ran thru in Denver, coupled with the fact Dallas rarely sees rain. Of course, I went on out with the crew anyway. I started off feeling pretty good. Suddenly, after about 3 miles, my right foot started getting that spooky twinge in the plantar area. "Oh No", I gasped sotto voce, did I start off too fast? Could I possibly be developing Plantar fasciitis in my other foot? That's no good, nope, nope, nope that will never do. I stopped, stretched, walked, and repeated until I felt comfortable enough to get back. I did cut it rather short, only 4.4 miles total (the regular run is about 6 miles).

Walking in the rain again, what a blast.

No worries, Tuesday thru Thursday were fine with no return of the pain in the right foot. I think I just missed a potentially serious injury. I'm still suffering from the itis in my left foot I've had since April. The other foot would have been too much. I probably would have called off my marathon plans for December.

I'm so delighted to be running again.

Denver Marathon - Freakin', Freezin' Rain

2007-10-19T23:11:00.001-05:00

What can I say about the Denver Marathon on Sunday, October 14, 2007? A lot of things can be said. Sure there was Gatorade and water every two miles or so and the usual amenities. Bands conspicuously absent, hmmm. Even a water stop at 26 miles…26 miles. I was so strong that I skipped that one. That would prove to be my only strength that day. The rain, the freakin’ freezin’ rain was pouring early on Sunday. We all hoped it would stop soon. In fact, moments before the start, the rain did let up but, we all kept on our plastic bags and Saturn logo ponchos, just in case. Those dang exhibitors, always wanting you to “register to win” a car or something just to get a thin poncho to protect yourself from the freakin’ freezin’ rain. Of course, we swarmed around to fill out the form like Chicago marathoners vying for water.

Eight thousand of us were on hand this day. The Air Force jet fly over was called off due to the poor weather conditions. Was this some indication of what the day would look like? After the National Anthem we went off to the start line. For some unnatural reason I climbed over the barricade to jump into the 3:30 crowd. Funny, I know. But, I was not wanting to make the same mistake I made in San Diego or at Marine Corps, (lining up too far back and fighting through waves of folks holding hands, etc). We started right in front of the State Capital building, adjacent to Civic Center Park. Great venue for a race start and finish. Anyway, as soon as the race started it began to rain again. WTH? That would be the last time there was no rain. Let’s not forget the temperature made it up to only 36 degrees that day. I don’t remember ever been so cold. I was chilled to the bone. By mile14 I remember not being able to even feel my arms. From the shoulders down people, I was completely numb. This would have been an exciting sensation if it had not been for the additional 12.2 miles I had to finish and the freakin’, freezin’ rain.

Enough on my misery, let’s talk more about the race. The route was actually very scenic. It wound through the entire city and passed by the Governor’s Mansion, Coors Field (Where the Colorado Rockies whisked their way into the World Series – on Monday the news was remarkably absent of any marathon day events because the Rockies took over the imagination of every sports fan), and the bizarre Arts Museum. See photo, this place has been known to cause vertigo in some visitors. We ran through City Park, Cheeseman Park, and Washington Park before we headed to the finish back at the Capital building.

Because of the rain I bet there was positively no bands to speak of. Imagine that, me and 8000 other people can run in the freakin’ freezin’ rain but a few bands coward at the notion of getting wet for the benefit of our entertainment. I do faintly remembering one house where there was music playing through some cheap speakers in an open doorway. I chuckled at the conscientious attitude of the Denver spectators. They were not out in full force, but they were all very friendly and supportive. It is what I’ve grown to enjoy. Chicago and New York are notoriously too crowded with fans and Tucson is simply deficient supporters whatsoever. Denver on the other hand, is just right. I imagine there would have been more, conditions permitting.

Don’t think that I have forgotten to mention that Denver is literally a mile high. For us sea level runners this is a pretty big deal. Somehow though, the freakin’, freezin’ rain overshadowed the altitude. Sure, I noticed the insufficient levels of oxygen circulating in my thighs and my lungs burned a bit after mile 18 but, it was no real big deal. I was surprised actually. I thought for certain I’d throw-up by mile 6 but, I was OK.

On the Thursday before the marathon I was in Denver and wow it was so pretty. Warm but not hot, sunny but not too bright. It was perfect.

Fridays are usually perfect for visiting marathon expos and Denver’s was no exception. The web site boasted of the over 100 vendors to expect at the expo. I’d say they were short by 50 as the ball room was pretty small in comparison to a Dallas, Marine Corps or Chicago expo. Somebody could have made a mint on selling those tyvek jackets and pants. What a missed opportunity.

I was blessed to stay with real good friends I’ve known for nearly two decades so I did not have the worries of hotel accommodations or even menus at some quaint, Italian restaurant. Another friend in Denver took me around every place I needed or wanted to go. Therefore, I did not bother with renting a car or concern myself with any transportation issues. Sorry, I have no advice on that. The official hotel was the Adams Mark though, so I’m sure it wasn’t the lowest cost place in town.

This year the Denver Marathon welcomed the disappointed and disenchanted participants of the Chicago Marathon that unceremoniously ended the previous Sunday. Interestingly enough, I met one of these at the Expo on Friday. She didn’t seem too worse for the wear, though I don’t know if she ever finished Denver. Just think about it, one week earlier these poor slobs ran the hottest marathon ever, then the very next week they face the opposite extreme. They just can’t catch a break.

Overall, a great experience. I would certainly recommend this one if you’re a fan of medium sized, fast marathons. It was not hilly at all, I remember two, mild inclines. The finishing 352 yards was a kool, downhill sweep to the tape. On my way to 50 marathons, one in each state – no, I’m not a member of any 50 in 50 club. This was a slightly ignominious marathon completion for me but, 8 down and 42 to go. Never, never, stop running.

My Dear Friends at the Chicago Marathon

2007-10-11T18:46:00.000-05:00

Well, that Sunday morning I lay down on my bed with my laptop just in front of me and searched the net for Chicago’s local weather. It was going to be a hot one. I was a little surprised and concerned for all my running buddies who flew in for the run.

So, excited to see everything and anything about the Marathon, I found the CBS site online that was covering the race live. In another window, I opened the marathon site to start the tracking. I must have loaded 15 names to keep up with my buddies with a couple of elite runners to boot.

From the very start the elite were not off very fast. By the end of the first 5k it was clear that no record would be broken this day. I was keeping up with my friends too and was not shocked when even some of my fastest folks fell well off their mark after 20k or 25k. It was not until later that I learned of the tragic death, the insidious riot at the water tables and the thousands of runners who were not allowed to or able to finish. What a disaster!

Since then I have heard that folks are looking to sue the marathon because they weren’t able to complete the race, or something. That’s the most ridiculous thing that has come out of this fiasco. It’s a marathon people. Things go bad. Things go terribly bad. But that is the sport. Better they pull you off the course “kicking and screaming” than they carry you off the course “too proud to speak”.

Now, since all my buddies are deep south runners, they have grown used to the heat and humidity. They all have great experience in these circumstances and simply slowed their paces and opted to finish with modest times. I do feel bad for them though, because they are such great runners and they were counting on the flat, fast course of Chicago to do great things. One friend was a first-time marathoner who will certainly qualify for Boston in the near future – just couldn’t happen this time. Another friend will be running in the U.S. Olympic Trials in April and was going to use Chicago to earn a higher standard before the trials. A married couple friends-of-mine trained so diligently this year. They have two little cute babies that they often had to push in a double stroller during their long runs. They are some warriors for sure. This was not their first marathon but, their second and they were certainly on par to best their times. Yet another friend is a former collegiate distance runner who is known in our crew as one fast chick. She was running Chicago for fun but, wanted to get a faster time before going to Boston next year.

I have not done a great job expressing the emotions of these folks journies to Chicago and there are many more stories to tell, all of them just as touching. One thing is for sure though, they all agree that marathoning is genuinely a challenging sport. For the elite and the middle packers, equally. They all face their demons on the 26.2 mile course. But, none of them have given up their hopes and dreams. That hot day in Chicago did a lot of damage to the sport, to the Chicago marathon committee, and to many runners out there but, it did not break the spirits of my Chicago Marathon friends. They have already returned with renewed goals, plans and agendas all of which include running another marathon. They continue to pursue the perfect one that results in a PR, A-standard for the Olympics or simply the best run of their lives. Never, never stop running.

Tribute to My Running Group

2007-09-04T11:01:00.000-05:00

I've been running with a group of runners in the area since 2004. Actually before that the only running I did was the occasional 2-3 miler at the gym on the hamster wheel. Or in my early days in the Military I thought 3 miles in 30 minutes was pretty good. I laugh out loud as I read what I just typed. 10 min./mile for 3 miles. That's hardly worth getting out of bed for these days. Unless it's the second part of a 2-a-day and you're just trying to get the miles under your feet. Even then your short distance fast runner friends would call you a bum.

But, I digress. Like I said, I've been running with a group of runners in the area since 2004. This group has been the best thing to happen to me in a while. Every morning, every morning, they run. Now not the whole group but, there are factions (all friendly) and between either the core group or any faction of the group you can find a run somewhere in the city every single morning. I don't know about you but, the thought that someone is "waiting" on me just helps me to show up. Now they are not really waiting on me and everyone expects that if you want to run with the group you show up on time. Because they won't "wait". So, I guess it's something like, "We will wait for you until it is time to go and then we're going". I like that because I can safely say that at 1 minute past 6am they are gone but, they positively will not leave before 6. I mean 5:59 is unacceptable to the group and is considered rude, we all leave together and we wait just in case that last minute person is still trying to get there on time.

I certainly would not be running still if it had not been for the group and all the new relationships I've developed out of it. Bunch of fun folks all ages and all speeds all backgrounds. Imagine that, a diversity of runners. Well they're income must be pretty up there. After all, the simplest, most natural sport on the planet still requires expensive shoes and technical shirts and shorts. And if you can afford the Garmin 305, you've got to get that, too.

Finally, A Decent Long Run

2007-09-01T21:15:00.000-05:00

So, this Saturday I ran 20 miles with my running group. It was the first long run in a while where I did not feel like I might not finish. The 18 miles two weeks earlier and the 16 miler two weeks before that both left me feeling like I might be done with marathons. OK. we all know that cannot be the answer. I'm really not sure why I've been so energy depleted. But, this run was quite a bit different.

When we start on Saturdays for our long runs we begin at the lake and run along it for about 4 miles before head out into the nearby neighborhood. The neighborhood is where the butt whipping begins. Between the numerous hills (mere inclines for some but, they're all hills to me) and the nasty camber of the streets, it seems like the stress never ends. After the neighborhood whipping we return to the lake for another 5k before reaching the end. The humidity adds its own brand of malaise to the run. No matter, we all prevailed.

Since I'm resting all my efforts on a strong performance at the marathon in December, West Palm Beach, I really should not over do it on the miles for the next few weeks. My plan is to run 20 miles of the Denver marathon and walk the final 6 miles. Of course, I'm not certain that I can walk 6 miles. Imagine that. I must have run 700 miles this year but I have little belief that I can do anything like 6 miles of walking. Maybe I'll do some form of the Galloway thing. How about 10 minutes of running then walking for a minute or run 5 miles then walk a mile. I'm still working out on some ideas.

Sometimes Running Hurts

2007-08-26T09:30:00.000-05:00

"pressure is nothing more than the shadow of great opportunity." - Michael Johnson

Where Have You Been?

2007-08-25T17:41:00.000-05:00

Well I've been through the desert on a horse with no name...It has not rained in this town in about a month. Funny thing is that just last month it rained 22 days. In June it rained 23 days and in May we had 25 days of rain. Dallas is not known for this so all us runners have had to spend the month of August getting reacquainted with the dreaded humidity and pure, hellayshish (yes, made up word) heat.Over the last three weekend I had a tough 16 miler, a nonexistent 12 miler, then a painful 18 miler. Today was a little different. I ran 12 miles again but, I did pretty well. I actually had a couple more miles in me for the first time in a while.

I failed to mention that during the week I've been doing those tempo runs with my fast running buddies. A little advice...It's always good to keep a few fast friends in your line-up so they can push you to better performance. The problem this month has been that they are just too dang fast. They're doing so well these days that when they run they talk the entire time with no real problems. Oh well, I guess they talk the whole time, they run so fast that they lose me after about 15 minutes.

That's OK. I'll muster up something for this week's tempo and be sure to hear their entire conversation.

Treadmills are for Hamsters but Juarez is Neither for Man or Hamster

2007-08-06T21:15:00.000-05:00

So, on Tuesday morning I woke up in the Camino Real Hotel in Juarez, Mexico. Very nice room and the bed was soft and comfy. It was pretty early I thought when I went downstairs to run on the dreaded treadmill. Not early enough, I soon learned as I got downstairs and saw that the only two treadmills in the entire hotel, probably 200-300 rooms, were occupied by some other Americans walking at about 2 miles an hour. The unadulterated nerve. Selfish Americans. Hang-on, that's me.

Well, I decided that I was not going to blow the perfect opportunity to run simply because Plan A was a bust. There's more than one way to skin a cat, ain't no two monkeys going to stop this show. "I'll just run outside", I said cleverly to myself. How bad can it be? I've got my Garmin 305 and my Oakley Thump Pro shades fully loaded with music. So, I hit the street. I was surprised that my Garmin actually located a satellite. I'm not sure how those things work, do they fly all over the world or what? However, there are clearly more floating around over the U.S. than there are over Mexico. My Garmin lost the satellite at about 2 miles into the run. No matter though, I was choking to death by the time I hit the two mile mark anyway so I decided to only do about another two miles.

There are clearly no emissions requirements in that country. Not only was I dodging early morning people going to work staring at me because they've never seen a runner before, but the pollution, OMG the pollution. When I finally circled back to the hotel I concluded it best to stay inside at all cost the next day.

Wednesday I woke up went downstairs by 5:40 am and still there were two lofty Americans walking on the blooming treadmill again. I mean they could mall walk for crying out loud. So, I waited for a short 20 minutes when one of them finally jumped off, leaving his sweat on the HR monitor bars. I ran that dang machine hard for about 50 minutes. Sporting my Oakley shades the entire time to avoid the boredom of running in place like some poor, stupid hamster. BTW - really who's dumber, a hamster running on a wheel thinking he'll eventually get to wherever he's going, or me running in one place all the time knowing I'm going nowhere and never will but, still I run anyway?

Who am I fooling? The sensation of running is just too good, even if you have to run in one place for 50 minutes or so. I still say treadmills are for hamsters. Now I'm back home so back to the street (where I'm just running in a great big circle) I go.

Did I say Tucson, New Mexico?...

2007-07-30T18:36:00.000-05:00

I really meant Tucson, AZ. I just momentarily forgot my geography. My 50 in all States is not that far fetched...I had no real idea where I was when I ran that marathon anyway. It was one of the toughest ones for me. I guess for a couple of reasons. First, I had just completed Marine Corps and then just came back from 10 days in Malaysia literally the day before I left for Arizona. I was easily 10-15 lbs heavier than marathon weight. Second, the down hill does take a toll on your legs if you're not ready. So, if you plan on running Tucson this winter then you better do your down hill training and properly hydrate. It starts at 4400 ft and drops to 2200 ft at the end. For Dallas runners both start and finish are quite a bit higher than we're used to.

Now the hotel on the other hand was very nice. Westward Look Resort245 East Ina Road, Tucson, AZ 85704. I certainly recommend if you can afford it, $140+ per night. Get a roomy. Hot tub after the marathon was great and a nice little porch outside your room facing the pool and back patio/restaurant, if you get the right spot. Very enjoyable place. I'll talk more about the Italian restaurant we went to night before the marathon. I cannot remember the place but some of my buddies will remember for sure.

14 Miles Today

2007-07-21T23:16:00.000-05:00

On my way to the October 14th marathon in Denver I ran 14 miles today with my training group. This is the longest run I've done since the Austin half marathon in February. Felt pretty good. I'm trying to run with my own hydration system these days. I've tried the water belt, twice and hated it each time. Now I'm simply carrying a 16.9 oz Ozarka bottle. They have this new nipple deal that's very easy to pop open and sip on without getting too much in. Not bad, still mastering the technique of switching hands and all that.

My formula in my hydration kit includes one NUUN tablet. It is suppose to have 700 mg of electrolytes. I think this is important because I lose a lot of water weight during my runs. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-10 pounds in a marathon. You know that's all water and in order to maintain the proper weight you must take in water with electrolytes. So, I'm giving this NUUN a try to see if it can give me what I need without upsetting my stomach. I tried the Electrolyte Stamina Replacement powder but it was giving my belly all kinds of trouble. Additionally, my taste buds get very sensitive somewhere around mile 15. Too sensitive to tolerate the flavor in ESR.

One of my running buddies said I'm always trying something new and experimenting. Darn right, I'm going to find the right solution to give me all the advantage I can get. Too many times I found myself too weak to perform well near the end of a 26.2 and I know it's not because of my training. I bet losing 10 lbs during the process has something to do with it. If I can keep half that weight wonder how much better I can do. More to come. We'll see how it goes.

Climbing Back to Marathon Season

2007-07-19T20:57:00.000-05:00

This calendar year I only have 2 marathons scheduled. Denver in October and West Palm Beach in December. I'm one of those guys who wants to run a marathon in every state in the U.S. No, I am not an official member of either 50 States or 50 State plus DC. I don't want to confine my running to someone elses rules. This is my goal and I set my own rules. I imagine when I get to some of those remote states I'll be running one of their marathons though. Seven states down and only 43 more to go. So far I've completed:

Dallas, Texas - December 2004
Chicago, Illinois - October 2005
Atlanta, Georgia - Thanksgiving Day 2005
St. Louis, Missouri - April 2006
San Diego, California - June 2006
Marine Corps, Maryland - October 2006 (yes, I count this one as Maryland, remember - my rules)
Tuscon, New Mexico - December 2006

I'm giving myself until my 50th Birthday to accomplish this mission. Between that time lies, my most consuming quest, Boston. I've got 13 years to get all these marathons done.

Did you know that the first year the Boston Marathon required a qualifying time was 1970?

Hills, Hills, Hills - WTH?

2007-07-17T22:16:00.000-05:00

Alright, there's a weekly run in my group that we do at 5:30 am on Tuesdays. It consist of hills. Our town is suppose to be flat y'all. Tell that to this neighborhood. This will be the beginning of my Tuesday routine thru my final marathon this year on December 2. Besides the hills keeps us flat city runners honest and me more prepared for the October marathon in Denver.

So I've been in my hometown Detroit for a couple weeks and just got back last Friday. I managed to run maybe 5 out of the 10 days I was there. It sucks running alone even when I have my trusty Oakley Thump Pros on. I can't seem to find any good music these days to put on them. I would be willing to take suggestions. I hate slow music in this case. Only fast beat music for me.

Now Detroit, Detroit is flat. No variation to speak of. Boring. I don't know when I will run my marathon there but, I imagine it will be in the next two years.

Getting Older?

2007-06-23T22:44:00.000-05:00

It's never too late to be what you might have been. -George Eliot

Today I ran about 7.5 miles. I was suppose to run 10 miles today but, I was made late by a car accident on the freeway. Yes, even at 5:15 in the morning, someone's life can be irrevocably changed. I pray that the folks in the accident are OK and can recover what they've lost.

Anyway, while I was running this morning I started thinking about my pursuit for the elusive 3:20 I need to qualify for Boston. (If I were to run Boston before 2010 the requirement would be 3:15) Is this something I have in me? Am I getting too old to really push myself for faster times? 3:20 would require me to run some 55 minutes faster than my fastest marathon, Chicago 2005. Believe me I had my doubts.

Then I see this quote from George Eliot - "It's never too late to be what you might have been". She's got a point. I can keep moving forward toward the goal. I'm not too old to demonstrate this level of athleticism. I have so many strong runners around me who have improved despite their age. They believe in themselves and they let nothing get in the way. These folks persuade me I can do the same. I believe it. So I pursue it. Never, never stop running.

We Train in the Rain

2007-06-19T22:07:00.000-05:00

I have been back to running for more than a week now and my foot seems to be better each day. I'm still not 100% but, I can get up every morning and stand on my foot without too much pain. Well, really no pain just discomfort I'd say. On little spot still hurts to the touch so I've been massaging it every so often.

This past Saturday my group and I ran a loop around our lake. It's about 9.5 miles and it rained like crazy. No matter, we train in the rain. It's really kind of refreshing because it's been very humid here lately and the rain offered a little break. My group is filled with people who have run several marathons so, I'm always confident they know how to manage their time on the run. I say this because I believe we were conservative in our efforts even though rain usually causes you to run faster.

My Return to the Road

2007-06-07T23:16:00.000-05:00

The most humid day of the year yet and I choose today to return to my running. I only ran the short 4.6 miler since taking two weeks off due to the relentless plantar fasciitis. How did it feel? I'm not 100% for sure but, I'm close to 80% or so. Let's see how the morning hits me. If you've had this itis before then you know that the morning is the tell tell sign that alerts you to your condition. Will I wake up with renewed pain or will my healing continue on? Check with me in eight hours.

If all goes well on Friday morning getting out of bed then I will prepare for a longer run on Saturday. Saturday is the day that our marathon training group does its long runs. Since we're just starting up, only 3 weeks now, Saturday's run is only 8 miles. That is no big deal for most of my running buddies and me because we run around our lake every weekend, which is about 9.5 miles. We do this when we're not in marathon training season and just want to keep up a base. All that to say, I'm fairly comfortable running 8 miles even if I've been away for a couple of weeks. The challenge is in the condition of my left foot. Running that distance this early in the game my lead to prolonged problems with my foot. I'm not really interested in risking that. Maybe I should just run out 2 miles and return, then grab a bike and meet the gang as they make their return trip to the starting point.

I think deciding to run the shorter distance would be a demonstration of genuine wisdom. However, I am a runner dag nab it, and we runners don't need no stinking wisdom...just run hard! Wait, wait, I'm a coach. Along with four other coaches, I'm leading a group of about 100 people who all wish to run a marathon or two this year. If one of them develops a minor injury and I recommend they rest for a couple of weeks or even three, how can I expect them to listen to me if I'm unwilling to listen to me? I would be truly disappointed if someone was forced to end their marathon pursuit for the year simply because they did not take enough time to heal from an injury. Basically, I must practice what I preach.

A guy at my job said to me today, "I know how much you love running and you plan to run until you're eighty. Right? Then it would be stupid to run too much now and risk a chronic injury". Good advise I imagine. I will listen.

BTW - There's no real chance that I will begin biking regularly. This bike I have now is a loaner from a kool running buddy who let me take it at the last minute last Friday afternoon. I was able to use it to keep pace with my group last Saturday morning. Clearly riding a bike works different muscles because it was quite challenging to get around on that thing. It really has been years since I was last on a bicycle. Sure you never forget how to ride a bike but, you certainly won't be as good at it as you were before.

Plantar Fasciitis Persist

2007-05-29T15:18:00.000-05:00

Back on May 21 I said that I would run another 5.5 miles on the following day to see how my treatment of the plantar fascia is going. Well, not so good. I did run the course on that Tuesday morning and wisely decided to forgo any additional running for a while. In fact, I've decided to exit running for two weeks. "Dag nab it" Two whole weeks?!? What to do, what to do. I've got it. I'll go to the fitness center in my neighborhood and do 45-50 minutes of the dreaded, boring elliptical machine every day. Talk about a boring experience.

It has been a week since that time and I'm getting used to the boredom but still not very happy. I go in each morning with my trusted pair of Oakley Thump Pro mp3 player. They work so great. I guess it would be neat if they also had an FM tuner so I could listen to the TV while at the gym. Oh well, that is not why I bought them. I hate wires. The year is 2007 we should be able to listen to mp3 music without the drag of wires. Well Oakley believes same and has been the only company to do something about it. The shades rock. You can even switch out the lenses whenever you want. This is a little cumbersome and I fear I might break the shades, so I'm extra careful.

A little on the philosophy of running with music. I bring this up because I have not always been a fan of running with music and then I go out and purchase a $300 pair of music players. Well, to be honest, I still do not train with them. In other words, when I'm running with my buddies during the week or even on the weekend I do not wear extra music. I like my running buddies a lot and want to hear everything they have to say. But on those rare occasions when I have to go it alone I may opt for the music. Not all days, mind you. Most of those lone days I enjoy the sound of my breathing and my dang heavy feet hitting the concrete. Still there are those days when the only strength I can muster is to say to myself, "self, just get dressed for the run and I'll take care of everything else". On those days I need ear blasting, mind numbing hip-hop and rock beats pounding into my head to push me through. And believe me, when you're out with an injury and can only stand in one place pumping out stress on that dreaded, boring elliptical machine, the music becomes a much welcomed diversion.

Plantar Fasciitis? Is that a Video Game Character?

2007-05-21T18:53:00.000-05:00

WTH!?! - This pain in my left heel is not good. Nope not at all. I've been nursing this thing since early April. I can't run as fast as before and I seem to be gaining weight? WTH!?! When will this pain depart me. I'm not a big fan but, it seems to love me. I've heard that Plantar Fasciitis is the singular worse thing that can happen to a runner and could potentially end a career.

I guess I could get on the elliptical machine for the next couple of weeks. I hate the idea of sitting in one spot building up a sweat doing some modified version of the moon walk. I'm not Michael Jackson for crying out loud. What other choices do I have?

Of course, I ran 6 miles this morning. I'd hardly call it running. It was more like hop along Cassidy but I pushed through it.

I'm using the tennis ball tonite to message the heel and foot tonite then I'm going out for a 5.5 miler tomorrow morning. Well see how it goes.

Not Running as Much as I'd Like

2007-05-10T19:00:00.000-05:00

I have not been able to have a consistent week of running for about three weeks now. I'm missing my fun clan of running buddies I run with every morning at 6am. I hope to be back to it sometime late next week.

OK. So, I've had my Garmin Forerunner 305 for about 8 months and I like it just fine. Now, I have to start deleting some of my runs because it's running out of memory. I'm sure this will be a long drawn out process. I don't know how to delete faster than a week at a time. I might as well get to it though.

So earlier this week a running buddy and I were on the local college track and saw some of the fit track stars training. One girl was running 200's and made it look so easy. Those track folks look so relaxed when they're doing their thing.

Oh Yes, My Forerunner 305!

2007-04-28T21:19:00.000-05:00

Well, all is good with the world. My technique worked. I plugged it in and just let it sit for about 12 hours. When I got home from my track workout and visit to 24hour Fitness I looked over at it and saw that wonderful statement, "charging in progress". Awesome, thank you Triune God.

OK, so the track was a pretty tough today. I finished 7x400 and they were not that fun. It has been about 10 days since I've run real hard so I was feeling a little sluggish. It'll be alright I just need about another week of solid running in my town and I'll be back to normal.

Oh No, My Forerunner 305!

2007-04-27T21:24:00.000-05:00

OMG! I get to my Friday run this morning (I don't usually run on Fridays, only when I've been slacking during the week) jump out of the car and turn on my trusty Forerunner 305. What? Turn on! Maybe I need to re-push the button. Nope. What the $#@$? OK, so when I get home I'll simply plug it back into the adapter. Nope, that didn't work either. Dag gum it. What is the problem? Will I lose all my saved data? My last ditch hope is the try plugging it back in and hoping that through some electronic miracle it will "fix itself". I'm no idiot, I'm just hopeful. If this does not work then I will capitulate and send it in for repair or replacement. I cringe at the very notion.

5K Racing is Hard but Fun

2007-04-21T07:39:00.000-05:00

OK so on April 14 I race in 5k. It's one that is held every year and is good for charity. I am coaching a group of folks who are trying to get faster 5k times this year. They are doing so well. At this race they all improved by about 3 to 4 minutes. Quite amazing, I'm sure they were holding something back at the beginning of the program. Of course, back then they did not know their abilities so our training has really taught them to push themselves outside their comfort zones.

Anyway back to me. I raced my first 5k in over a year. Mainly because last year I trained and finished 6 marathons in 14 months. Now for some that may not seem like much of a feat, but those 6 marathons have brought my total marathons to 7! I'm running one in every state. No, I'm not a member of any of the official 50 in 50 clubs. I'm doing this for me and I can set the rules as I go.

OK back to the 5k. I ran it pretty fast considering it's been so long since I've trained for that distance. I really didn't know what to expect. Now, it was not a PR but was only about 15 seconds from a PR. Wow, that's the first time I did the math on that. But, it's true, only 15 seconds off. The kool thing about this fact is that I felt strong enough to run a little faster during mile 2. Instead of running faster, though, I settled in behind one of my running buddies. Her marathon times are faster than mine and when we run together during the week her easy pace is always faster than mine. Besides that she has much more racing experience than me so I thought it smart to settle in behind her rather than risking running too fast in mile 2 and not having anything left for mile 3.

I may have worn off my welcome for a little bit because when I turned it on near the end she did not stay right with me. I was expecting to see her breeze past me at the last second but she did not. During our race we had another friend come up and start pacing us. He is much faster than both of us and found it quite easy to jump in front and keep the pace. I know I have to get to his pace before I have a shot at qualifying for Boston. I know I've got it in me but I need to lose about 25-30 pounds before he and I are at the same weight. Still working on that, of course.

The only problem is that now I'm 1200 miles away from home visiting a terminally ill family member and I'm not eating right at all. I know my progress has completely frozen even though I've been keeping my running up. I would hardly call it running, more like jogging. 9:20-9:50 pace for 7 miles yesterday. I have not been running yet today but I expect to only run about 5 miles. I'm feeling pretty lazy.

Longest blog yet for me and still no one has been reading them. It's OK. I have not given the location of this blog to any of my friends or family. I half expect someone to find my site on their own and start reading it because something here interest them. We'll keep watching. If in about two more weeks or so no one finds this site then I'll start sending it out to my running buddies so they can have something boring to read when they need to fall asleep.

First real track work out in a while

2007-04-10T18:55:00.000-05:00

Well this morning I met some friends at the track for 10x400s. And today was the first time I ever wore my Asics Speedstars. I felt like I did as a kid when I used to get new shoes. Thought I could conquer the world and they're suppose to weigh less than typical trainers, thus lending more opportunity to me running faster. I don't really know about that, I think losing several dozen pounds will help more, but I can dream can't I. The shoes are pretty good but because of my overpronation I had some fairly uncomfortable sensations in the plantar area. I also had my custom orthodics inserted in the shoes so, I may try a track date without them to see if that helps. Any things' worth a try.

Another typical early run around the Lake

2007-04-08T18:44:00.000-05:00

Today was another early morning visit to my regular weekend running location. What does today's run have to do with going to Boston? Just another early morning 9.5 mile run. I took it way easy today. In the dark at 6 am preparing, just keeping my legs moving. I'm still looking for the chance to drop more weight so that I can get faster. I have about 40 lbs to go before I feel that I seriously have a shot at being fast enough to qualify for Boston. I need a 3:15 marathon, sounds like an impossible time but, I know plenty of people who have done it. So I press.

Life On the Course of the 31st Annual Marine Corps Marathon

2006-11-08T20:36:00.000-06:00

Hello friends (sorry, very long blog),

You are probably reading this sometime in early November 2006. But guess what, I started this thing on October 16th, 13 days before the marathon. Why? Well, because for the last few days (that would be since October 12, or so) I've been on the Marine Corps web page looking for a way to set up runner tracking on-line. Also, for the last couple of days, I've been trying to get a *#%& readable map of the freakin' course. Needless to say I can find neither. I certainly hope someone comes to my rescue soon and tells me what I'm missing. The map is just too dang advanced for its own good. Really, I could get more useful information from Google maps. Just an element of my personality you should realize (uncooperative, inanimate objects genuinely freak me out). Thus, this Marine Corps Marathon site has me seeing pure red! More to come after marathon day.
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Now it's several days after the marathon and I've had some time to think about my experience in Washington, DC. So, here's my story in graphic detail.

It is quite amazing to weigh life in the span of a marathon race. On Sunday, October 29, 2006 a man finished the Marine Corps Marathon in just 4:09 after having completed 43 others in as many days. On this same course, on the same day a man succumbed to heart problems and died at mile 17. On one hand, you witness a remarkable event and joyous occasion of someone doing something rather incredible. On the other hand, you have the devastation of a lost life while that person was competing in an event he must have loved. This we cannot take for granted. We have all been given a great gift to have such a full life of running. Not just running but a pretty abundant life in general. OK. Enough of me going on about the brilliance of life. I just know I'm grateful to God for it.

The one thing that's so awesome about D.C. is how easy it is to get around on the mass transit system (Metro Rail). I took the metro rail practically everywhere I wanted to go. When I went to the Expo on Friday I took the Metro. It was held at the DC Armory which is right at the DC Armory/Stadium rail station. I mean, when you go to D.C. avoid the expense of a rental car. You won't need it. If you fly into Reagan Int. Airport you can take the Metro to any place in town.

OK. So, the Expo on Friday was very well organized. Of course since this is a military event all the conspicuous security was in place. Once I made it indoors there was absolutely no line to pick up my packet. The nice thing is that they did not make you wade thru a sea of exhibitors to get your packet either. I just walked in, went to the far right and worked my way down the wall. It must have taken not more than 10 minutes. Then I went thru the rest of the Expo buying everything my budget would allow - two pair of throw away gloves and one Tyvek pant – total of $10. One neat thing they offered this year is a DVD of the race with guaranteed shots of you running the event. A must for 50 bucks as long as you finish well. If it turns out to be a bad run for you, then you probably won't want anyone else to ever see it.

One more thing about the Expo...At all cost, even if you have to pay for an extra night in the hotel, don't dare venture to this thing on Saturday. Everyone who went on Saturday waited in line for at least 40 minutes just to get into the building. Some waited as long as an hour and forty minutes. Not the best way to spend Saturday before your marathon.

The Dallas contingent had dinner at Tuscana West on I (eye) Street. Pasta, of course, with some grilled chicken was my meal. Not bad, but not especially great. The service was decent. We did have a blast talking strategy and about the incredible line at the expo earlier that day.
Race day I got up and took the Metro over to runners' village behind the Pentagon. Now don't be deceived by the brevity of that sentence. Really, once we got off the Metro we had to walk about a mile just to get to the village. I was astonished, shocked and a little P.Oed. Also, don't believe for one moment that a car would have gotten you any closer - no chance. As we're walking into the staging area again we're greeted by ubiquitous Marines wanting to inspect our bags for any inappropriate devices. (This was little more than a show - it took 10 seconds for them to look me over). Did I mention that during my mile trek to the village I had to transverse a 15% sudden down grade on wet, slick grass? I was careful to be sure to avoid a slip that would end my day early.

Very well organized UPS trucks waited for our bags as we prepared for what would be an absolutely perfect day for running. Yes, there was sun, but the temperature was so comfortable that the sun gave little worry. It was quite a bit windier than ideal at times during the run which added challenge to an already challenging course. The race started in waves and the first wave got off on time at 8:25. But, me, I was in the second wave where we waited an extra 20 minutes past our scheduled start time of 8:40. Apparently, at the start line was some medical emergency that had to be dealt with.

Holy Cow, Batman! What an event! My legs were still in full recovery mode 5 days after this race. I'm not sure what happened. Maybe it was that this is the 5th marathon in 12 months for me. Perhaps it was the difficulty of the course or the sheer hoards of people surrounding my every move. Maybe the blister on my big toe I sustained at mile 10 interfered with my plans. Whatever the case, I almost threw in the towel on this race. Somewhere around mile 19 - 20 I thought to myself, "self, let's walk off this bloody course and go back to our comfortable hotel."

Your mind tells you all kinds of stories and paints endearing excuses when the pain sets in. I could go back to my room and start an ice bath and just plan to run a faster race in Tucson in December. I could always come back next year; I would really love coming back to DC since I lived here for 6 years - like returning home. What kept me from doing that? Was it my hardened character developed thru tough marathon experiences? Was it the motivation I felt every time I saw that one guy pushing his two kids thru the course in a double stroller (thought they didn't let strollers on the course)? Might it have been my knowledge that Dean Karnazes was running his 43rd marathon out here in as many days? Was it the countless spectators, men and women, shouting at me, "Go Don, We Luv You"? Gina made a neat sign with those words I pinned to the front of my shirt. By mile 19, however, I took the blasted sign off my chest and almost threw it to the wind. Why do you people love me? I asked in my anguish. I hate all of you. I want to go home; I think my mommy's calling me. The truth is friends, I didn't have any money or ID on me and I couldn't bare the notion of being taken off the course in one of those motorized carts. So, I had to press on to the finish.

I pushed on for 6.2 miles to that finish.

Oh, My Dear God! The Finish! The last 385 yards were STRAIGHT up the steepest hill I have ever seen. The push up that hill to the Iwo Jima Memorial was killer, Killer I said. The only thing that could have made it better would have been a line of Marines shouting, "GET UP THAT HILL". I would have just loved that.

Well, not a pretty one for me, 4:43. But, that's 6 down and only 44 more to go. See you in Tucson on December 10 th for number 7.
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My observations and recommendations for when you get ready to do the Marine Corps Marathon:
1. If you want to PR you need to realize you will need to start as close to front as possible or you'll have thousands of people to run through. Yeah, yeah that's standard information but this has got to be the most crowded marathon I've run yet. And some of the paths were so crowded that we were at a 14 minute pace many times during the first 7 miles or so.
2. Stay at the Hilton Garden Inn at 815 14th Street NW in DC. It is directly across the street from the McPherson Metro - which is on the same line as the Reagan Airport, the location of the Expo, and the start & finish of the race. You can't go wrong, they offer free cookies at the front desk, free (in-room) wireless Internet connection and the price was less than $110/night. You would think I stayed there, BUT NOoo, I was at the Wyndham, three blocks from the Metro, no free cookies, they wanted 10 bucks a day for the freakin' Internet, and the price was over $115/night.
3. Don't rent a car, take the Metro. It's more fun and you get to see lots of people. It's much safer than you imagine and no one is going to bother you. The Metro certainly seems to be safer than White Rock Lake has been over the last few months.
4. Be prepared for an especially long walk after you finish the race to pick up your bag. It was so horrendously crowded and quite the hodge podge of weeding through marathoners and spectators. What a real mess. 5. The course was terrifically scenic. You go through Georgetown, Rock Creak Park, and Downtown DC. We ran directly to the Capital building, turned and hit The National Mall, which was neat to see again. Many of the runners I spoke to after the race never even saw the Awakening at Haynes Point (mile 17) - I think they were asleep. It's not an especially flat or hilly course. Rather, the grade seems naturally random. That can be tough for us Dallas runners without dedicated hill training, though. I think what made the course so tough were the frequent turns and a few fairly narrow roadways. If you don't believe the course is tough, ask the Male and Female winners. Ruben Garcia finished in 2:21 while it was 3:00 before Laura Thompson finished her race.

San Diego Marathon - Purple Purple Everywhere

2006-06-09T21:49:00.000-05:00

There is an R&B song titled: "It never rains in Southern California". They must have known what they were singing about. Sunday at Balboa Park at 5:30 a.m. PT was just wonderful. Overcast or foggy or something, but what a mild morning and never a chance for rain. First off, I walked from my hotel to the start, about 1.6 miles. Not a bad warm-up, right? Believe me it was a lot simpler than taking the trolley then a shuttle bus to the race. Shucks, when the guys got off the shuttle they still had a 3-5 min. walk to the park. Most folks just prostrated themselves on the nice comfy grass before the race and did final check and preparation for the start.

OK. Can I digress for a moment? We stayed at the Bristol Hotel on 1st and Broadway. Cannot have picked a better location. The center of anyplace in San Diego. The Expo was at the Convention Center less than a mile from the Bristol. Horton Plaza was a mere block away. That place had absolutely everything you needed. Big outdoor mall with a Macy's, Movie theatre, and even a pharmacy for last minute drugs or ice cream. Two more blocks South and your at a Kroger cousin grocery store open 24/7. Oh and just four blocks up the street on 5th Ave, there are a host of restaurants to choose from. Saturday evening we ate at Asti Restoranti at 5th and C. I had the Pollo ricotta pasta with sun dried tomatoes and red peppers, fresh bread and calamari for an appetizer. Buona sapore!!

Back to the race. Wow, the beginning was very well organized. We're all in corrals according to our supposed finish times we gave at registration. They offered baggage drop off just across from the main drag. About 25 UPS trucks were numbered 1-25 parked neatly with plenty of attendees eager to take your goody bag so that it would be waiting for you at the finish line. About 15 minutes before the start, the Marine Corps marching band marched right down the main strip. Seventy sharp corpsmen marching and playing instruments in tight formation was very inspiring and patriotic. A cool way to get pumped up for the task ahead.

Since I was in Corral 12 it took about 9 minutes to cross the start line. Actually, that's not entirely accurate. I had to wait about 3 minutes for my Timex GPS device to find a signal. The mess started when I turned it on about two minutes before the scheduled start. Of course we started late and by the time I was ready to approach the start line it shut off. Everyone who understands what I must have gone thru please say, "boy, he was pissed". So anyway, the darned thing finally located a signal again so I crossed the start line and pressed start on my watch but, now the GPS device on my bicep won't sync with the freaking watch on my wrist. Oh, I am HOT now! I have to carry this blasted useless %#$& brick on my arm until mile seven. I nearly lost my mind, I've been sitting there watching people start the race waiting on this stupid thing to restart and all the while it doesn't even work.

{{Note to self: Get that Garmin 305 just as soon as I save up 300 bucks. Ouch!}}

So, the first few miles were entirely down hill. You really had to just let yourself fall forward rather than trying to hold back. I know you might be used to the early parts of the White Rock marathon where the start is downhill but you know you have inclines to come. You could not be further from the truth in San Diego. I mean the up hill parts of the race are barely worth mentioning. Anyone who runs the Dolly Partons, Winstead, the Friday run from Legal Grounds or the hill run on Tuesday morning in Dallas would have more than enough to tackle anything in the San Diego race. The course director certainly went out of his/her way to avoid too many inclines in this event. Even the continuous incline from mile 5 to 10 was so tamed that my legs welcomed the change in grade. I imagine, however, near the end of mile 10 we all felt like we had seen enough of the climb and our legs were getting a bit tired.

Really everybody, I think this is a perfect course for a PR or Boston qualifier. The course is either flat or down hill for most of the route. They even dumped us onto a freeway for several miles of down hill racing. As we approached mile 21 heading into Mission Bay I saw this tall pseudo brick wall named, "The Wall". Of course, I hit it. So to my rescue came my wife, Gina. She missed me at our preset rendezvous at mile 13. So, she spent the next hour reading maps, jumping off and on buses, and running around the city to get to me by the time I hit the 21st mile. I don't know how she did it. It was like a bad scene from "Last of the Mohicans"... "You stay alive, no matter what happens, no matter what occurs, I will find you!". Anyhow, she gave me my mp3 player and I jotted off revived and invigorated. At mile 22 we met up with a couple huge bands playing great music. But, honestly, I don't remember more bands than White Rock or even Chicago. I'd say the music rating on the course was just above average.

At the finish (the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, MCRD, near the airport) we were greeted with our medals and then Spenco sandals. What a relief for my feet. The typical bagel, bananas, oranges, water and recover bars were also served. And there, just off in the distance were those same UPS trucks waiting with our goody bags. How'd they get there so fast...oh yeah I saw them over 4 hours earlier.

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As I try to cut this message short I'll do some final brief ratings that I left out during my diatribe:
- EXPO Saturday: extremely well organized, took hardly anytime to get in, obtain your bib, t-shirt and confirm chip.
- Medical tent at course end: well supplied with table salt, ice and doctors (I should know since I spent about 45 minutes there lying on a cot after tossing my cookies- or should I say bagel, oranges and recovery bars). Not cool.
- The route: Scenic near the later miles with Mission Bay beach just to your right and looking out into the bay was marvelous. The early miles though, were very routine and blah. Reminiscent of the first half of Austin - not much for aesthetics and a little industrial. We did run by the San Diego Zoo, but no wild animal attacks, also reminiscent of the Austin marathon.
- My time: OK I guess, 4:31 not a PR. But remember, that's really 3:31. The course was truly designed to promote even faster times. This IS a PR course just keep in mind there's 20,000 runners out there.
- Transport from the finish back to the hotel (downtown): Be prepared for some walking my friends. You're gonna do a lot of walking, I mean a lot of walking. If you have a car don't even think about parking at MCRD.
- Purple Purple Everywhere - TNT must have brought runners in from every state in the Union. I could not get through the ubiquitous TNT coach shouting, "Way to go team". Or the large crowd of purple dressed marathoners counting off to ensure they were all still together. I read one purple shirt that said, "Just Cure It". Indeed.

OK, that's it. I'm sure I left a lot out but I needed to send this before the year's end. Most of you I'll see out on our routine runs and I can't wait to rejoin the fray.
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5 down and 45 to go. Marine Corps and Tuscon on the horizon.

St. Louis Marathon - A Lifetime Experience

2006-04-12T07:39:00.000-05:00

Well, this was just the perfect day for a marathon. I think the temperature was about 50-55 degrees, sunny and no wind or humidity to speak of. The race was larger than I imagined maybe 2000 marathoners and there was a relay and a half. They even had a few elites show up (which was quite the opposite of Atlanta). The start was at 17th and Market Ave and down hill for the first quarter mile or so. Early in the run – ohh about mile 3 or 4 we ran right through the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. They brought out the Clydesdales for our viewing pleasure. BTW – Big horses…I've never seen those in real life before. After the brewery visit we doubled back down Market Ave. where we could see the Gateway Arch the entire time. Really neat - - - it just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I thought they would have sent us under the arch but, no such luck. Anyway, as we moved through town we encountered only mild hills. I wouldn't even call them hills per-se… more like, subtle inclines. Very sweet. Of course I just thought to myself, "well I can do this all day". This love affair with the route went on until, I'd say mile 13. Mile 13, I can still remember seeing the mile marker. I was feeling so strong and confident that, "I might even set a PR", I thought, which means I would be dropping my early plans to run a conservative race. Did I mention mile 13? O.K., this was more than any subtle incline but it wasn't that steep. Rather, it was a one mile long steady incline that looked to never end. This is where the brutality began. The hills just continued mile after mile. The great thing about St. Louis though, was that even though some of the hills looked to punish you relentlessly they were quite frequently followed by rewarding down hill pieces of road looking to reward your diligent efforts. I truly embraced those.

The rolling up and down hills continued for most of the run after mile 13. This started taking a toll on my legs. We ran through a neat little township named Clayton. Clayton's a tree lined township with beautiful single and double family brick homes from the 1950s. I remember an enthusiastic male spectator yelling to me, "This is your last hill, (pregnant pause), in Clayton". Had I just a bit more energy, he'd be spending the night in the St. Louis County Hospital while I'd be making bail at the St. Louis County Jail. But I digress. After Clayton we came to Forest Park, passed Washington University while trotting through University City, then started our return on Forest Park Ave. Near the end I saw yet another uphill stretch, but the last 352 yards of the marathon was a fast downhill experience. Of course I poured it on, imagining I was Meb Keflezighi heading to a first place victory. No record time, not even a PR, my time was 4:27. Now, I never planned to run this fast, but while I was running I thought it would be possible to set a PR. However, when I approached mile 23 I seriously considered never running again, "Just get me to the finish", I said to myself, "and I'll never run again". After, crossing the finish line, standing dazed for several minutes and eating a bag of potato chips I started thinking strategy for the Rock-n-Roll Marathon in San Diego. Yeah, I'm a glutton for punishment, but so are all of you marathoners.

All in all I enjoyed the St. Louis Marathon. Late registration on Saturday was a breeze and there were plenty of exhibitors at the Expo. The marathon was well organized and started on time. Vehicle traffic was kept under control to the point that most roads were completely closed. The finish was done very well, offering plenty of water, fresh bagels, potato chips, fruit, fruit bars and very comfortable green grass to recover on in Soldiers Memorial Park. There were free massages and of course, beer.

There are a few things I would change though. First, many of the bands were just pathetic. In mile 23 we passed the Salvation Army for the second time - first time was mile 11. There was a very small group playing some unrecognizable, dreadfully slow, sad elevator MUSAC. I considered shouting to them, "For Pete's sake, this is a marathon not a funeral procession". Second, crowd support was at times lack luster. The start and finish were well covered and even some spots along the way. But, for much of the run you were pretty much on your own. Finally, not as many water stops on the back miles as I'd like.

St. Louis Marathon is a definite recommend - 3.75 out of 5 stars.

Neat little places to eat. Fitz's Soda Bar and Grill, 6605 Delmar Blvd., St Louis, MO 63130-4504, (314) 726-9555. Nice burgers and Ice Cream Sodas. 400 Olive - An Urban Grill, 400 Olive Blvd., St. Louis, MO - inside the Hilton. Wonderful menu and a great place for a heavy, rich post-marathon meal.
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Thanks to so many of you who supported my long runs and to all of you for your constant encouragement. I'm looking forward to June and I hope I can call on you again for more long runs. With Missouri down now I only have 46 marathons to go.

Never Run Atlanta Marathon on Thanksgiving

2005-11-25T19:27:00.000-06:00

I finished the Atlanta Marathon in 4:52 on Thanksgiving Day. It was the hilliest race ever. Wow, how tough. Of course I was being pretty lazy about my pace. Just relaxing, but a lot of fun. This race is nothing like Chicago, New York or even Dallas. No crowd support, water stops were poorly handled, no music, not even a race announcer at the beginning. I was pretty shocked. Also, they close the race at 5 hours. Therefore, you can see them pulling up cones and closing down water stops. Even the last few (I'll say most important) mile markers were gone.

Have you ever been to a department store near closing time? Ever noticed how less friendly and interested the staff is at 10 minutes before closing? Registers are closed and you hear over the loud speaker, "10 minutes to closing please make your final selections and move the nearest register". That's how if felt near the back of the pack in Atlanta. If I was not in such discomfort it would have been pretty funny. Oh well, I'm so glad to have it behind me.

Oh well, I'm so glad to have it behind me. I would not recommend this race to anyone. You can't count on a fast time on this course. The male winner had a time of 2:37 and the female winner a time of 3:12.

That's three states down and 47 to go.