Amazing Running Friends

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).

Denver Marathon - Freakin', Freezin' Rain

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

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.

Finally, A Decent Long Run

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.

14 Miles Today

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

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?

St. Louis Marathon - A Lifetime Experience

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

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.