Race Report
Slacker Half Marathon
Loveland Pass, CO
June 26/04
This race turned out to be pretty close to what I expected. There was only one ‘wee’ surprise. The race started in front of the ski lifts at the Loveland Ski Resort on the eastern slope of the Continental Divide – near the Eisenhower Tunnel – elevation 10,630 ft. The weather was better than forecasted – temps in the low 40s with a cloud cover to keep the temps low during the race. Since I wanted to run under 1:45 I lined up right on the start line with Big Dogs in front of about 600 runners. The race started at 8am.
It didn’t take long for the wee surprise – the 1st ¼ mile was uphill! Not bad enough the start line is at 10,630 ft but the 1st ¼ mile is uphill? My forecast came true – quickly. By the time I reached the top of that first hill I was desperately sucking for air and hurting like Hell! Fortunately the course then began its 2000+ ft vertical descent to the finish line in Georgetown. I gasped and struggled through the 1st mile in 8:00 flat. The 2nd mile was also above 10, 000 ft but at least the downhill slope helped ease the pain. By the time I reached mile 2 in 7:45 I was still sucking for air/oxygen but the pain was minor and manageable. The first 5 miles of the course were on a dirt-logging road so it was necessary to watch my footing very carefully – almost sprained my ankle around mile 3!
Reached mile 3 in 6:49? Hopefully the mile markers are wrong or I have blown the race already. Mile 4 in 8:09 and a total time of 30:46. I am certainly ahead of my target pace but not ridiculously so. The course exits the dirt road on to a paved service road at mile 5 – time 39:04.
At that point a competitor with a head of gray hair blew by me – SHIT! – he looks like he could be in my age group? I can’t stay with him so I decide to keep him in sight. I am still holding a sub 8 min pace but the pain level is increasing. When I passed mile 8 in 1:01:30 and a 7:21 pace I decided that I needed to back off. I knew that miles 9 to 12 were a very steep downhill from Silver Plume to Georgetown and I wanted to save some energy for that section. Mile 9 – 8:50 – I didn’t slow down that much? Mile markers must be screwed up again? At mile 9 the course turned on to a paved bike path and began a very steep descent into Georgetown. I was feeling much better and stronger and we were now at 9,000 ft where I train daily - time to make my move on Mr. Gray Hair! I averaged a 7:05 pace over the next 3 miles with the help of gravity. When I reached mile 12 in 1:31:41 I had pulled to within 20 ft of Gray Hair – but I had used absolutely everything I had doing it!
I was afraid that if I passed him right away we would get into a pissing match. He looked like he was fading fast – but so was I! So I decided to follow him for the next half mile and then I made my move. As I passed him I asked him what age group he was in? I was so pleased when he said ‘50+”. I told him I was in the ‘60+” so we didn’t need to kill each other over the last ½ mile – and than I made a push and left him behind. There was nothing left in my legs – they were running on energy fumes – and unfortunately the course had flattened out. There were even a few little hills in that last ½ mile. I figured with my time I had to be in 1st place in my age group and I was not willing to give that position up without a fight. So I used sheer willpower to suppress the pain and force my legs to keep running. Finally I could see mile13 and the finish line and the old bod gave me one final jolt of adrenaline to push me over the finish line in 1:41:09!
Needless to say I was pleased with both my performance and time. I had run a smart and strategic race to beat my target by almost 4 minutes! And I had indeed won the ROF (Really Old Farts) age group. It may have been painful (as expected) – but it was a great tune up race for my upcoming trip and marathons in Europe.
Stay tuned!
Sunday, June 27, 2004
Monday, June 07, 2004
Steamboat Springs Marathon
Race Report
Steamboat Springs
June 6/04
This marathon was the second and final chapter/race in the visit of my mates from the UK. As you recall we had run the Wyoming Marathon the previous weekend. After that very tough race with high altitude, severe elevation changes and bitterly cold and windy weather we were looking forward to this race. It was advertised as “one of the 10 most scenic marathons of the year” – it was a fast downhill course – and the weather forecast called for nice weather!
Since the race was being run on Sun morning I drove my mates to Steamboat on Sat morning so that they would have time to explore the town and area. I had booked a 3 BR condo near the ski resort that fortunately turned out to be a great location close to the registration, pasta party and race finish. Our first task upon arrival was to find registration and pick up our race packets. Then we checked into our condo and started exploring. After my mates bought their obligatory souvenirs and postcards we decided to drive the last 10K of the course.
The course is a point-to-point one starting 26 miles northwest of town in Hahns Peak Village. Hahns Peak is an extinct volcanic mountain. The elevation at the start is 8128 ft. The course runs downhill over several rolling hills to finish in Steamboat at 6728 ft. The course profile map indicated that there were two big hills between miles 21 and 23 and I wanted to check them out. They did not look not too bad – only 200 to 300 ft elevation change but at mile 23 in the race I figured they would be tough the next day?
We went to the official race pasta party although I don’t normally go to these events. The race organization usually overcharges for a pasta meal that is not even good quality. But my mates like to meet their fellow runners so I went along. Fortunately the pasta meal was pretty good. Later as we prepared for bed we keenly watched the Weather Channel for an update on the forecast. The forecast called for temps in the high 80s on Sun! Since the race started at 7:30am and it would take us 4 to 5 hrs to finish it was going to be HOT by the time we finished! Shorts and singlets would be the dress of the day.
All runners have to be bussed to the start line so we got a good look at the whole course on the way to the start line. When we lined up at the start line at 7:30am with 500 other marathoners the temp was 52F but it seemed cooler than that because of the dry mountain air. I had set a personal goal to finish under 3:45 and also decided that I would go out ‘hard and fast’ in spite of the high elevation to test my hamstring and marathon condition. Thus I took off with the big dogs right at the start. I passed mile 5 in 39:23 and the 5th mile downhill was 7:17. I could feel a slight twinge in my hamstring but no pain so I decided to push on. I reached mile 10 in 1:19:18 but was already starting to tire. I decided to hold my pace through the first Half to finish the Half under 1:45. I passed the Half in 1:44:59 – can’t get much closer than that?
However I knew at that point that I couldn’t hold that 8-min pace and hoped that if I slowed down to an 8:15 to 8:30 min pace I could finish strong? Good idea/strategy but by mile 18 I was struggling to run a 9-min pace. The race only had water stations every 5K which is my only complaint about the race. That is not enough water in the high, dry mountains! And to make matters worse they only had dinky little cups that held about 3 oz of water. During the first Half I had taken two cups of water at every station but now I was taking 3 or 4 cups and still feeling thirsty. The temps had risen to the 70s and it was getting hot!
I reached mile 20 in 2:45:02. I started thinking about those two hills between miles 21 to 23 and slowed down to conserve some energy. I figured if I could just make it to the crest of that last hill at mile 23 then gravity would carry me the last 5k to the finish line? I struggled to run a 10-min pace up those damn hills – they sure seemed bigger than they had looked the day before? I was running so slowly that now I was concerned that someone in my age group was going to catch me. I knew that I was winning my age group but that means nothing if you slow down or start to walk in the last 10K! I had to keep running! Finally I crested the hill at mile 23 and managed to drop my pace to 8:30 over the next mile – but it killed me and now I was really hurting and struggling not to walk! I reached mile 25 in 3:33:21. I only had 11 ½ minutes left to cross the finish line!
It was ugly and it was very, very painful but I forced the old legs to keep moving and crossed the finish line in 3:44:50. This time placed me 54th overall and 1st in my age group. I was pleased with my time but I had run a stupid and painful race because of my decision to go out fast. But it was a very good training run! It is the best way to train your body to run fast and how to deal with pain!
I had achieved my time goal but later learned that I didn’t need to almost kill myself to stay ahead of my age group competition – 2nd place finished 42 minutes behind me! After dumping a few bottles of cold water over my head/body to get my body temp down I walked back on the course to cheer my two mates from the UK to the finish. And I was thinking how glad I was to be finished as the temps were now in the 80s and it was very hot! Roger finished in 4:28:12 and Jack in 4:38:32. I didn’t want to wait in the hot sun for the awards so I told the race director that I was going for a shower and would return later for my award. I was a bit upset when I returned later only to discover that the awards had been packed up and mine would be mailed to me! I actually never expected to see it so I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived in the mail within a few weeks.
In summary it is a good marathon. Well organized – the scenery is beautiful and the course is fast. I would love to run this course if it started at say 2,000 ft and finished at sea level? Traffic control on the narrow mountain roads was excellent. Good post race refreshments, etc. Only negatives were the lack of water and the awards presentation.
I may even run it again next year – but will run it smarter!
Steamboat Springs
June 6/04
This marathon was the second and final chapter/race in the visit of my mates from the UK. As you recall we had run the Wyoming Marathon the previous weekend. After that very tough race with high altitude, severe elevation changes and bitterly cold and windy weather we were looking forward to this race. It was advertised as “one of the 10 most scenic marathons of the year” – it was a fast downhill course – and the weather forecast called for nice weather!
Since the race was being run on Sun morning I drove my mates to Steamboat on Sat morning so that they would have time to explore the town and area. I had booked a 3 BR condo near the ski resort that fortunately turned out to be a great location close to the registration, pasta party and race finish. Our first task upon arrival was to find registration and pick up our race packets. Then we checked into our condo and started exploring. After my mates bought their obligatory souvenirs and postcards we decided to drive the last 10K of the course.
The course is a point-to-point one starting 26 miles northwest of town in Hahns Peak Village. Hahns Peak is an extinct volcanic mountain. The elevation at the start is 8128 ft. The course runs downhill over several rolling hills to finish in Steamboat at 6728 ft. The course profile map indicated that there were two big hills between miles 21 and 23 and I wanted to check them out. They did not look not too bad – only 200 to 300 ft elevation change but at mile 23 in the race I figured they would be tough the next day?
We went to the official race pasta party although I don’t normally go to these events. The race organization usually overcharges for a pasta meal that is not even good quality. But my mates like to meet their fellow runners so I went along. Fortunately the pasta meal was pretty good. Later as we prepared for bed we keenly watched the Weather Channel for an update on the forecast. The forecast called for temps in the high 80s on Sun! Since the race started at 7:30am and it would take us 4 to 5 hrs to finish it was going to be HOT by the time we finished! Shorts and singlets would be the dress of the day.
All runners have to be bussed to the start line so we got a good look at the whole course on the way to the start line. When we lined up at the start line at 7:30am with 500 other marathoners the temp was 52F but it seemed cooler than that because of the dry mountain air. I had set a personal goal to finish under 3:45 and also decided that I would go out ‘hard and fast’ in spite of the high elevation to test my hamstring and marathon condition. Thus I took off with the big dogs right at the start. I passed mile 5 in 39:23 and the 5th mile downhill was 7:17. I could feel a slight twinge in my hamstring but no pain so I decided to push on. I reached mile 10 in 1:19:18 but was already starting to tire. I decided to hold my pace through the first Half to finish the Half under 1:45. I passed the Half in 1:44:59 – can’t get much closer than that?
However I knew at that point that I couldn’t hold that 8-min pace and hoped that if I slowed down to an 8:15 to 8:30 min pace I could finish strong? Good idea/strategy but by mile 18 I was struggling to run a 9-min pace. The race only had water stations every 5K which is my only complaint about the race. That is not enough water in the high, dry mountains! And to make matters worse they only had dinky little cups that held about 3 oz of water. During the first Half I had taken two cups of water at every station but now I was taking 3 or 4 cups and still feeling thirsty. The temps had risen to the 70s and it was getting hot!
I reached mile 20 in 2:45:02. I started thinking about those two hills between miles 21 to 23 and slowed down to conserve some energy. I figured if I could just make it to the crest of that last hill at mile 23 then gravity would carry me the last 5k to the finish line? I struggled to run a 10-min pace up those damn hills – they sure seemed bigger than they had looked the day before? I was running so slowly that now I was concerned that someone in my age group was going to catch me. I knew that I was winning my age group but that means nothing if you slow down or start to walk in the last 10K! I had to keep running! Finally I crested the hill at mile 23 and managed to drop my pace to 8:30 over the next mile – but it killed me and now I was really hurting and struggling not to walk! I reached mile 25 in 3:33:21. I only had 11 ½ minutes left to cross the finish line!
It was ugly and it was very, very painful but I forced the old legs to keep moving and crossed the finish line in 3:44:50. This time placed me 54th overall and 1st in my age group. I was pleased with my time but I had run a stupid and painful race because of my decision to go out fast. But it was a very good training run! It is the best way to train your body to run fast and how to deal with pain!
I had achieved my time goal but later learned that I didn’t need to almost kill myself to stay ahead of my age group competition – 2nd place finished 42 minutes behind me! After dumping a few bottles of cold water over my head/body to get my body temp down I walked back on the course to cheer my two mates from the UK to the finish. And I was thinking how glad I was to be finished as the temps were now in the 80s and it was very hot! Roger finished in 4:28:12 and Jack in 4:38:32. I didn’t want to wait in the hot sun for the awards so I told the race director that I was going for a shower and would return later for my award. I was a bit upset when I returned later only to discover that the awards had been packed up and mine would be mailed to me! I actually never expected to see it so I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived in the mail within a few weeks.
In summary it is a good marathon. Well organized – the scenery is beautiful and the course is fast. I would love to run this course if it started at say 2,000 ft and finished at sea level? Traffic control on the narrow mountain roads was excellent. Good post race refreshments, etc. Only negatives were the lack of water and the awards presentation.
I may even run it again next year – but will run it smarter!
Sunday, May 30, 2004
Wyoming Marathon
Race Report
Wyoming Marathon
May 30/04
Planning for this marathon began last fall when one of my running friends from the UK told me that he was planning a trip to the US to run marathons in Wyoming and Colorado in 2004. Since both races are close to our home in CO I invited him to stay with us and agreed to run both races with him. As the trip plan became firm a second runner/friend from the UK also decided to make the trip.
Since the first marathon was scheduled for May 30/04 in Cheyenne, WY, I decided that I would/should leave Florida earlier than usual to give myself a few weeks in CO to adjust to the altitude and train in the mountains. Thus my sports manager and I left FL on May 6th and arrived in Summit County on June 12th - during a snowstorm! It continued to snow for the next three days as we watched out the window – it was too damn cold to go outside let alone run!
Finally it quit snowing and warmed up enough so that I could start my high-altitude and hill training. I had two weeks to get ready for the Wyoming marathon which went by quickly. My sports manager decided that there would be too much testosterone flowing around the house so she decided to escape to Seattle and visit our son Chris while my running friends were visiting.
On Fri, May 28th I picked my friends up at the Denver airport and drove directly to Cheyenne, WY. The race director, Brent Weigner, had invited the two Brits to stay at his place and since I was the driver/guide I was also invited to stay at Brent’s. I have known Brent for a number of years having run his race twice before as well as meeting him at several other races.
On Sat I gave my mates a quick tour of Cheyenne and then we helped Brent and his wife Sue load all the race equipment and supplies for the race. It was a very windy and cool day and unfortunately the forecast called for even colder and windier weather on Sun. I had advised my mates to bring cold-weather running gear with them. It was a good thing they listened. On Sun morning we drove 35 miles west of Cheyenne to the Lincoln Monument on I 80 – the highest elevation point on the highway at 8700 ft. When we got out of the car at 5:30 am the temp was 31 F and the wind was blowing from the west at 30+ mph! I had two layers of clothing on but immediately decided to add a third layer – a wind-proof vest! The wind chill was in the high teens! I seriously considered getting back in the car and waiting for my mates to run?
However there were several other fools lined up at the start line for the 6am start – about 120 runners for the three races: a Half marathon, a marathon and a double marathon. Yes, a double for those real crazies! So at 6am I started down the first hill with my mates and all the other fools. The course dropped 500+ vertical ft over the first 5 miles. With a steep downhill and a 30mph tailwind it was very easy to run an 8:15 pace for the first 5 miles in spite of the elevation. I could have run faster but I remembered averaging a 7:30 pace the last time I ran this race and it hurt me over the last 5 miles when I had to run back up that damn mountain! By 4 miles I was feeling too warm and considered taking my vest off and leaving it on the side of the road to pick up on the way back. But I figured that I might need it when I left the dirt road in the Medicine Bow National Forest and reached the paved service road around 7miles. It turned out to be a wise decision!
At mile 5 we reached the bottom of the first hill and started climbing back to 8600 ft over the next two miles. As we climbed that first uphill section and reached the paved service road along I 80 we became totally exposed to the ferocious westerly wind and it literally blew us along the 3 miles of paved road. At mile 10 the course turned back on to a dirt road into the National Forest and dropped 600 ft to the lowest elevation of 8000 ft at the Half. I passed the Half in 2:02! But I had absolutely no illusions that the 2nd Half would be that fast! I had to turn around and run back to the start and now the wind would be directly in my face.
As I had approached the Half I had counted the runners coming back i.e in front of me! I counted 12 runners. To demonstrate how numb/fuzzy/frozen my brain was at that point I calculated that I needed to catch two runners to finish in the top 10! DUH! I was in 13th place at the time! But at least I had the motivation needed to run back up that steep hill from 13 to 15 miles into a cold head wind. I kept thinking that I just needed to keep my feet ‘running’ up that hill until I reached the paved service road and then I could haul ass and catch the first two runners in front of me. I figured they had about one mile or a 10 minute lead on me but surely they would have to walk in the 2nd Half and I could make up that time “if I did not walk”! Right!!!
When I finally did reach the service road the head wind was so strong and cold that I could barely move forward. The weather channel later confirmed the winds had been 41 mph with gusts up to 50 mph! I ran/pushed as hard as I physically could along that service road and all I could average was a 12 min. pace! And I was freezing to death! (Thank goodness I had kept that vest!) But I had closed to within ¼ mile of the first runner (in front of me). Finally and mercifully at 19 miles I reached the end of the service road and turned back into the National Forest. I had been hoping that the forest would provide some protection from the wind and maybe even the wind would be coming at me from the side instead of a direct headwind. So I was really surprised when some fluke of nature swirled the wind and it literally blew me down the hill for the next two miles? I didn’t complain!
By the time I reached the bottom of that last downhill at 21 miles I was about 200 yards behind the first runner and could see the 2nd runner about another ¼ mile ahead! And we had 5 more miles of continuous uphill to the finish line. I knew I could catch them – if I could keep running? But it was a bitch! A first the uphill/mtn was gentle but now the wind was blowing directly into our faces at 40+ mph! I struggled just to keep my legs moving in a running motion that resulted in a blazing 12 to 13 min pace! I passed the first runner around mile 22 when he stopped to walk. Target: runner #2 – now about 250 yards ahead! But that frigging guy refused to walk so I had to keep running and slowly drew him in. I finally passed him at mile 24 and put on a brief sprint to kill any incentive he might have to stay with me or try to pass me back! It worked and I eventually left him behind.
But I was now dieing! My legs had nothing left and were close to rebelling! I was running a 14 min pace if you can call that running? At mile 25 the hill became very steep and my legs finally quit – they could no longer maintain any motion that resembled ‘running’. So I gave in and allowed myself to walk for a maximum of 15 secs and then I would run as long as possible. I continued this process up that frigging mountain until mile 25 ½ when I noticed another runner – a woman- about 250 yards ahead and walking. Damn! I can catch her if I run and she continues walking? So I pushed the old tired bod and rubbery legs and probably got within a 150 yards before she saw me. She wasn’t having any of that nonsense and much to her credit forced herself to run. That killed me! I knew that I did not have enough energy left to outrun her to the finish line so I decided I might as well walk into the finish line? After all it wouldn’t change my place/position in the race?
Fortunately at that moment I glanced over my shoulder to make sure that the runners I had passed were not making a gallant effort to catch me before the finish line. Nope! But Holy Shit! – about 200 feet behind me was a young lass hauling ass up that mountain and closing on me fast! I was not having any of that nonsense! I was not going to be passed in the last ¼ mile by another runner – especially a woman! So I had no choice but to suck it up, accept the inevitable pain and force my old bod to sprint the last few hundred yards up that mountain and across the finish line in 4:31:56! That young lass (less than half my age) finished only 7 secs behind me!
I was surprised/disappointed/confused to learn that I finished in 11th place overall? Hadn’t I achieved my goal and passed two runners? (Wasn’t until my brain thawed out in the hot tub later that I was able to do the correct math!). But my time was good enough for first place (and 56 minutes faster than the next competitor) in the ROF (Really Old Farts) age group.
The moment I crossed the finish line I became unbearably cold. I swear it was colder at the finish than it had been at the start of the race? So I went straight to the car and added another layer of clothes – a heavy sweat suit. Brent invited me into his trailer at the finish line to wait for my two mates to finish. Even though the trailer was heated and I had four layers of clothes on I could not get warm. I shivered the whole time I waited for my mates to finish. Roger finished in 5:04 and Jack finished in 5:41. By the time Jack finished it had started snowing (still 40+ mph winds) and I was so glad that I was not out on the course at that time.
I watched the first of the double marathon racers finish after me and many had to quit and drop out of the double because they had not come prepared for such harsh weather. They had run the first marathon/loop in shorts and T-shirts and wisely decided it was suicide to try to run a second loop! A total of 71 runners finished the marathon and only 11 finished the double.
As soon as Jack had rested for a few minutes we decided to go back to Brent’s house and try to warm up in his hot tub. It took me over 30 minutes of soaking in that tub before I finally felt warm again!
Now we are back at our place in CO and training for the next race on Sun, June 6/04 in Steamboat Springs, CO. It should be an easier and faster race since it starts at 8100 ft and runs downhill for 26 miles to finish in Steamboat at 6700 ft. Stay tuned for the next report!
Wyoming Marathon
May 30/04
Planning for this marathon began last fall when one of my running friends from the UK told me that he was planning a trip to the US to run marathons in Wyoming and Colorado in 2004. Since both races are close to our home in CO I invited him to stay with us and agreed to run both races with him. As the trip plan became firm a second runner/friend from the UK also decided to make the trip.
Since the first marathon was scheduled for May 30/04 in Cheyenne, WY, I decided that I would/should leave Florida earlier than usual to give myself a few weeks in CO to adjust to the altitude and train in the mountains. Thus my sports manager and I left FL on May 6th and arrived in Summit County on June 12th - during a snowstorm! It continued to snow for the next three days as we watched out the window – it was too damn cold to go outside let alone run!
Finally it quit snowing and warmed up enough so that I could start my high-altitude and hill training. I had two weeks to get ready for the Wyoming marathon which went by quickly. My sports manager decided that there would be too much testosterone flowing around the house so she decided to escape to Seattle and visit our son Chris while my running friends were visiting.
On Fri, May 28th I picked my friends up at the Denver airport and drove directly to Cheyenne, WY. The race director, Brent Weigner, had invited the two Brits to stay at his place and since I was the driver/guide I was also invited to stay at Brent’s. I have known Brent for a number of years having run his race twice before as well as meeting him at several other races.
On Sat I gave my mates a quick tour of Cheyenne and then we helped Brent and his wife Sue load all the race equipment and supplies for the race. It was a very windy and cool day and unfortunately the forecast called for even colder and windier weather on Sun. I had advised my mates to bring cold-weather running gear with them. It was a good thing they listened. On Sun morning we drove 35 miles west of Cheyenne to the Lincoln Monument on I 80 – the highest elevation point on the highway at 8700 ft. When we got out of the car at 5:30 am the temp was 31 F and the wind was blowing from the west at 30+ mph! I had two layers of clothing on but immediately decided to add a third layer – a wind-proof vest! The wind chill was in the high teens! I seriously considered getting back in the car and waiting for my mates to run?
However there were several other fools lined up at the start line for the 6am start – about 120 runners for the three races: a Half marathon, a marathon and a double marathon. Yes, a double for those real crazies! So at 6am I started down the first hill with my mates and all the other fools. The course dropped 500+ vertical ft over the first 5 miles. With a steep downhill and a 30mph tailwind it was very easy to run an 8:15 pace for the first 5 miles in spite of the elevation. I could have run faster but I remembered averaging a 7:30 pace the last time I ran this race and it hurt me over the last 5 miles when I had to run back up that damn mountain! By 4 miles I was feeling too warm and considered taking my vest off and leaving it on the side of the road to pick up on the way back. But I figured that I might need it when I left the dirt road in the Medicine Bow National Forest and reached the paved service road around 7miles. It turned out to be a wise decision!
At mile 5 we reached the bottom of the first hill and started climbing back to 8600 ft over the next two miles. As we climbed that first uphill section and reached the paved service road along I 80 we became totally exposed to the ferocious westerly wind and it literally blew us along the 3 miles of paved road. At mile 10 the course turned back on to a dirt road into the National Forest and dropped 600 ft to the lowest elevation of 8000 ft at the Half. I passed the Half in 2:02! But I had absolutely no illusions that the 2nd Half would be that fast! I had to turn around and run back to the start and now the wind would be directly in my face.
As I had approached the Half I had counted the runners coming back i.e in front of me! I counted 12 runners. To demonstrate how numb/fuzzy/frozen my brain was at that point I calculated that I needed to catch two runners to finish in the top 10! DUH! I was in 13th place at the time! But at least I had the motivation needed to run back up that steep hill from 13 to 15 miles into a cold head wind. I kept thinking that I just needed to keep my feet ‘running’ up that hill until I reached the paved service road and then I could haul ass and catch the first two runners in front of me. I figured they had about one mile or a 10 minute lead on me but surely they would have to walk in the 2nd Half and I could make up that time “if I did not walk”! Right!!!
When I finally did reach the service road the head wind was so strong and cold that I could barely move forward. The weather channel later confirmed the winds had been 41 mph with gusts up to 50 mph! I ran/pushed as hard as I physically could along that service road and all I could average was a 12 min. pace! And I was freezing to death! (Thank goodness I had kept that vest!) But I had closed to within ¼ mile of the first runner (in front of me). Finally and mercifully at 19 miles I reached the end of the service road and turned back into the National Forest. I had been hoping that the forest would provide some protection from the wind and maybe even the wind would be coming at me from the side instead of a direct headwind. So I was really surprised when some fluke of nature swirled the wind and it literally blew me down the hill for the next two miles? I didn’t complain!
By the time I reached the bottom of that last downhill at 21 miles I was about 200 yards behind the first runner and could see the 2nd runner about another ¼ mile ahead! And we had 5 more miles of continuous uphill to the finish line. I knew I could catch them – if I could keep running? But it was a bitch! A first the uphill/mtn was gentle but now the wind was blowing directly into our faces at 40+ mph! I struggled just to keep my legs moving in a running motion that resulted in a blazing 12 to 13 min pace! I passed the first runner around mile 22 when he stopped to walk. Target: runner #2 – now about 250 yards ahead! But that frigging guy refused to walk so I had to keep running and slowly drew him in. I finally passed him at mile 24 and put on a brief sprint to kill any incentive he might have to stay with me or try to pass me back! It worked and I eventually left him behind.
But I was now dieing! My legs had nothing left and were close to rebelling! I was running a 14 min pace if you can call that running? At mile 25 the hill became very steep and my legs finally quit – they could no longer maintain any motion that resembled ‘running’. So I gave in and allowed myself to walk for a maximum of 15 secs and then I would run as long as possible. I continued this process up that frigging mountain until mile 25 ½ when I noticed another runner – a woman- about 250 yards ahead and walking. Damn! I can catch her if I run and she continues walking? So I pushed the old tired bod and rubbery legs and probably got within a 150 yards before she saw me. She wasn’t having any of that nonsense and much to her credit forced herself to run. That killed me! I knew that I did not have enough energy left to outrun her to the finish line so I decided I might as well walk into the finish line? After all it wouldn’t change my place/position in the race?
Fortunately at that moment I glanced over my shoulder to make sure that the runners I had passed were not making a gallant effort to catch me before the finish line. Nope! But Holy Shit! – about 200 feet behind me was a young lass hauling ass up that mountain and closing on me fast! I was not having any of that nonsense! I was not going to be passed in the last ¼ mile by another runner – especially a woman! So I had no choice but to suck it up, accept the inevitable pain and force my old bod to sprint the last few hundred yards up that mountain and across the finish line in 4:31:56! That young lass (less than half my age) finished only 7 secs behind me!
I was surprised/disappointed/confused to learn that I finished in 11th place overall? Hadn’t I achieved my goal and passed two runners? (Wasn’t until my brain thawed out in the hot tub later that I was able to do the correct math!). But my time was good enough for first place (and 56 minutes faster than the next competitor) in the ROF (Really Old Farts) age group.
The moment I crossed the finish line I became unbearably cold. I swear it was colder at the finish than it had been at the start of the race? So I went straight to the car and added another layer of clothes – a heavy sweat suit. Brent invited me into his trailer at the finish line to wait for my two mates to finish. Even though the trailer was heated and I had four layers of clothes on I could not get warm. I shivered the whole time I waited for my mates to finish. Roger finished in 5:04 and Jack finished in 5:41. By the time Jack finished it had started snowing (still 40+ mph winds) and I was so glad that I was not out on the course at that time.
I watched the first of the double marathon racers finish after me and many had to quit and drop out of the double because they had not come prepared for such harsh weather. They had run the first marathon/loop in shorts and T-shirts and wisely decided it was suicide to try to run a second loop! A total of 71 runners finished the marathon and only 11 finished the double.
As soon as Jack had rested for a few minutes we decided to go back to Brent’s house and try to warm up in his hot tub. It took me over 30 minutes of soaking in that tub before I finally felt warm again!
Now we are back at our place in CO and training for the next race on Sun, June 6/04 in Steamboat Springs, CO. It should be an easier and faster race since it starts at 8100 ft and runs downhill for 26 miles to finish in Steamboat at 6700 ft. Stay tuned for the next report!
Thursday, April 22, 2004
Boston Marathon
TRIP REPORT
Boston Marathon
4/17 – 4/21/04
The planning, or should I say ‘dreaming’ for this trip and race began over a year ago as I celebrated my 59th birthday. Next year (2004) I would reach the Big 60 and a new age group for racing. Since I would turn 60 just a few weeks before the Boston Marathon it would probably present the best opportunity I would ever have to run competitively at Boston and win one of the coveted crystal awards. So my dream began.
And it truly was a dream at that moment because I was just recovering from a severe hamstring injury and a medical mishap – internal bleeding caused by anti-inflammatories.
I used the summer of 2003 in the Colorado Rocky Mountains to train hard to build my red blood count back up to normal levels and beat my then out-of-condition body back into shape and lose more than 15 pounds.
In Oct my sports manager and I spent the whole month in Europe to run three marathons (and countries) culminating with a 3:20 marathon in Podgorica, Montenegro – my fastest time in the past seven years! Yes! Hard work/training was paving the way for the dream to happen?
But then disaster struck again – another injury in Dec- this time plantar fasciatis that required that I stop running and rest the foot for about three weeks. And just when the foot started to heal I had to travel to India for three weeks for our son’s wedding.
Unfortunately it turned out to be almost impossible to run in India for reasons of safety. I managed to run a total of 37 miles in those three weeks that included a solo marathon in Mumbai (another interesting story). The day I returned from India I ran a very disappointing and painful marathon in Tampa in 4:08. The dream was fading quickly? However there were still 75 days to go till Boston and I was not willing to give up my dream so easily. Thus I asked the Maddog to develop a 75-day ‘Kick Ass and Take No Names’ training program that would enable me to achieve my dream. One month later I ran a surprising 3:25 in New Orleans to win my last race in my old age group. The program was working! So I started the final and most intense phase of the program – speed work and hill training - with some renewed confidence. Soon I was running mile repeats (on the road) at a 6:40 pace! And disaster struck again – with a final blow!
All runners know the expression “Speed Kills”! Yes – it is true. I should have known better but I made a foolish decision to join some running mates on a track to run mile repeats. I strained my left hamstring after 5 or 6 repeats. Since I had planned to run a final tune-up marathon the following weekend I was forced to rest for the week in hopes that the hamstring would recover quickly. Didn’t work! In spite of the rest and other precautions the hamstring tore in the first mile of the Ocean Drive Marathon in Cape May, NJ and I was forced to drop out of a race for the first time in my life. Only three weeks left till Boston and I knew that my dream was shattered and torn just like my hamstring! Of course I was very disappointed and sad and my first reaction was to give up Boston completely for 2004. But some of my running friends were going to Boston this year and I didn’t want to deprive myself of the fun and enjoyment of sharing a Boston Marathon experience with them. Would it be possible to go to Boston and just run the race for fun? Could the hamstring heal quickly enough? Won’t know until I try?
With the help of a physical therapist and a regimen of natural herbs/supplements provided by a good friend the hamstring surprisingly/amazingly responded positively in three short weeks of treatment and rest. After a couple of short runs to test the leg I felt confident that I could run the Boston Marathon without causing further injury to the hamstring if I ran smart and slow. So with that strategy in mind my sports manager and I left for Boston on Sat 4/17 and the actual trip report now begins.
After arriving in Boston and checking into our hotel we headed straight for the expo to pick up my race packet. The expo was huge and yet still a zoo when you have more than 20,000 runners trying to pick up their packets and buy souvenirs/mementos of their big race in Boston! Lots of booths and equipment but I did not find any of the prices to be attractive. Having completed that important task it was time to check with the friends we were meeting in Boston. Dick and Sue were driving down from CT on Sun. Fred had already arrived from TX. They are members of the BBR (BrookBachRock) – an informal running club/group of friends that ran together for several years in Dallas, TX. We have stayed in contact and meet at various places around the world although many of us have moved away from Dallas. The other couple we were meeting were Frank and Jill – friends from Sarasota. All of us had our own plans for Sat night but agreed to get together on Sun.
Although this was my 6th Boston Marathon I had not been back since the 100th Anniversary race in 1996 so my sports manager and I decided to take the ‘hop on – hop off’ tour bus on Sun to reacquaint us with the city. Fred joined us as we toured around the city for more than six hours enjoying the interesting history of the city. The tour included most of the historical sites in Boston and a tour of ‘Old Ironsides’ – the USS Constitution – the oldest commissioned warship in the world!
After an interesting day of touring we met the rest of our group for a traditional pasta dinner and then it was time for bed. Monday which is Patriot’s Day and a holiday in MA is ‘M’ day in Boston. Even though the race starts at noon the logistics of the race requires that everyone be bussed to the start line beginning at 7am. This is the part of the Boston Marathon that sucks and I hate it. But I am willing to suffer through it because the rest of the marathon is so great.
All of us had been keenly following the weather forecast in Boston. Normally it is cool at this time of the year and the forecasts called for pleasant 60F temps on Sun and Tue but Mon was supposed to be an anomaly with temps in the high 80s? We were hoping they were wrong but on race morning the forecast called for temps in the low 70s in Hopkinton at the noon start and mid 80s by the time we reached Boston! Not good! We met in Boston Commons at 7:15 am to catch a bus to the start line in Hopkinton. The buses run from 7 to 9am in order to transfer 20,000+ runners to the start line. It takes about one hour to travel the 26 miles to the start line in Hopkinton. I figured we would arrive about 9am which meant hanging/laying around for three hours waiting for the race to start. From previous years I had remembered how cold it could get and how much energy that could cost so I had decided to buy a sleeping bag to keep me warm. Two of my mates also decided to bring bags. We didn’t think we would need them but took them anyways. Good decision! It was still cool at 9am and downright cold in the open-sided tent where we claimed our territory to wait for the start. While three of us were toasty and comfy in our bags poor old Freddie was covering himself with newspapers and garbage bags in an effort to stay warm. Finally I felt so sorry for him that I opened my bag into a blanket and offered to share it with him. We promised not to tell anyone about this warm, comfy ‘arrangement’ but I know the story is going to get out so I might as well make sure it is told correctly! (and in the right context?)
At 11am we emerged from our cocoons/bags to begin our preparations for the start of the race. When we stepped out of the tent into the sun we were shocked to discover how warm/hot it was already? Definitely singlet weather. Time to make our way towards the baggage buses and the start corrals. Many of you know that Boston is the only marathon in the world that requires a runner to qualify for the race. How do you qualify? You must run a marathon in the year preceding the Boston marathon within a specific time based on your age. This is one of the things that separate Boston from all other races. Every runner at Boston is good. There are no couch potatoes here – you have already proven yourself when you step up to the start line! Although they have relaxed their qualifying standards in recent years to allow more runners to qualify still many runners are never able to qualify. Once you have qualified then you are seeded or given a race number based on your qualification time. The fastest runners are seeded at the front of the race close to the start line. To prevent ‘cheating’ corrals are set up to hold groups of 1000 runners. For example my race number was 7708 so I was in the 7th corral with approximately 7,000 runners in front of me. There were 20+ corrals to hold the 20,000+ runners and my three compadres and I were all in different corrals.
At 12pm the race started (except for the elite women who were started at 11:30 am this year for the first time). It took six minutes for me to reach the official start line. I started my stopwatch as I crossed the start line to coincide with the ‘official’ chip time. To make it fair for all runners the race is timed electronically by a chip tied to your shoe. It records your time when you cross the start and finish lines (as well as other points in the race to prevent cheating)! Because of the huge mass of runners we had to run and walk for the first mile. That was fine with me because I figured it was much better for my hamstring to start out easy. Thus I was quite surprised when we reached the mile mark in 8:08! That was too fast so I slowed down immediately and reached mile 2 in 8:42. By that point I was already hot and I noticed that my heart monitor had climbed to 160 bpm. That is about 15 bpm higher than a normal marathon but about the same level I observe when I run marathons in the Caribbean or near the equator. That told me that this race was going to be tough and ugly and I reaffirmed to myself that I would run smart and slow! By mile 4, I was holding an easy 8:50 pace but already feeling overheated. I started grabbing two cups of water at each water station located at every mile: one to go in me and one to go on me to try to get my body temperature and heart rate down!
This seemed to work as I crossed the Half in 1:54:40. I was still cruising at an 8:50 to 9:00 min pace – the hamstring felt fine and I still felt good. I was on target to finish under my new/revised time goal of 4 hours and for a few brief moments even entertained some silly illusion that I might run a negative split in the 2nd Half? By the time I started climbing Boston’s famous (or infamous) hills at mile 16 I was laboring to hold a 9:10 pace and I was up to three cups of water at each station: one in and two on! When I finally crested Heartbreak Hill at mile 21 in Newton my quads were sore as Hell and screaming at me and I was struggling to hold a 9:30 pace. I had not walked or stopped to that point but it started to cross my mind? I realized that the lack of running/training for the whole month before Boston because of the hamstring injury was catching up to me – along with the heat. It was now 86F! Fortunately the last 5 miles are downhill so I pushed on ignoring the screams and pain coming from my quads. And I was now up to 4 cups of water: one in and three on and I also ran though every water hose along the course in an effort to get my body temperature down. I reached mile 23 in 3:27:52. I had 32 minutes to run/walk/crawl the last 5K. I told myself “All you have to do is run a 10 minute pace and your goal will be achieved”! That seemed to take a lot of pressure off and I just concentrated on keeping my legs moving – and not allowing myself to stop or walk. I didn’t give a shit if the clock read 3:59:59 – there was no need to push the pace to finish sooner! I managed to hold the 9:30 pace and crossed the finish line in 3:58:06. That time wasn’t going to win any awards but I had finished without walking or stopping – my hamstring wasn’t hurting, and I had beaten my time goal and I was alive!
However the moment I crossed the finish line and started walking my quads froze and did not want to work any longer. It was a damn good thing there were volunteers to take the chip off my shoe because I could never have bent down there to do it? It took me almost 30 minutes to walk/limp through the finish area, find and retrieve my baggage and then find the sports manager. After a customary photo at the finish we decided to head back to the hotel. Traffic was totally messed up in Boston so we figured it would be quicker and easier to take the subway.
Good idea but difficult to do. First there were steps down into the subway and my quads were in no mood to do steps! After much crying and screaming and about two minutes per step I made it down into the subway (it’s kind of funny now visualizing that action but I assure you it was not funny then)!. I quickly discovered that every other runner and citizen of Boston was also down there. But we finally made it to a train and crammed on like a Japanese commuter train. I ended up on the top or third step of the train and my sports manager was on the second step. As soon as the train left the station I started to feel bad. By the time it had left the 2nd station I was feeling nauseous and dizzy and knew that I was going to throw up. If I did throw up on the train there was going to be a lot of pissed off passengers because the train was packed. So I told my sports manager that I needed to get off at the next stop to throw up. Mercifully the train soon arrived at the next station and I turned to step down off the train – and the lights went out! The next thing I remember was waking up on the station platform while three strangers were dragging my sorry ass across the platform away from the train? Apparently my circuits shut down and I had passed out/fainted and did a spectacular, perfect score ‘10’ swan dive from the top step of the train down to the station platform? I guess I must have landed on my left side because my left shoulder, arm and keg were all cut, skinned and bruised? However as soon as I woke up I was fine except for being disoriented and having no memory of what had happened. I realized that I was dehydrated and my blood sugar and electrolytes were badly out of whack. And I had too many kind/concerned but bothersome Samaritans swarming all over me wanting to call ambulances and provide medical care. So I reached into the goody bag I had been given at the finish line and found an energy bar and a bottle of water. After a few bites of the bar and some water I was feeling OK and decided we needed to get back on a train and out of there before I was even more embarrassed with ambulances, etc. We made it safely back to our hotel where I was able to administer my normal medicines/cure – a Snickers chocolate bar washed down with a full-octane coke while sitting in a hot scalding bath. Within 30 minutes I was feeling normal again – I could even walk up and down stairs without crying (too much)!
Now it was time to contact my buds to see if they were still alive and how they did? I learned that Dick and Fred had a difficult time with the heat but had survived but Frank had not reached the finish line yet (5 hrs). I advised Jill that he might take close to 6 hours because of the heat. But I was a bit concerned/worried. It was Frank’s dream to run a Boston Marathon in spite of his doctor’s advice/warning not to because of heart problems and three stents. (Are you couch potatoes feeling guilty/ashamed yet? Have you at least got up off the couch and put your running shoes on?) I was one of the few that understood and supported his dream and I had lots of confidence in his ability to finish the race! But I was relieved when Jill called later to inform us that Frank had finished in 5:31 and was OK. I later learned that Frank had been the smartest of us all. He had decided to run and walk very early in the race as soon as he started to become hot. Thus he was able to enjoy the race, the cheering crowds and finish strongly and more importantly complete his dream successfully, safely and healthy!
Time to meet the gang to celebrate and tell war stories over dinner. Frank was too tired to join us but the rest of us met at a seafood restaurant close to their hotel. The subway and I got along much better on the trip over to the restaurant. We quickly told our stories of the race. Dick had run the fastest time as expected but slower than planned because of the heat. Fred probably had the most difficult time during the race. He had become dehydrated and overcome with heat exhaustion by mile 20 and had to walk the last 10K. When he finished the race he had walked back to his hotel and the moment he got on a crowded, hot elevator to go to his room he started to experience the same problems I had on the subway. Luckily he was able to get off at the next floor, spread his mylar blanket on the floor and throw up on the blanket! And of course he had several concerned guests and hotel security staff wanting to call an ambulance, etc? (Is this story just building up an insatiable desire in you to train and run the next Boston Marathon?)
Fred still wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t stand the thought of food/eating so went back to his hotel. That left just Dick, Sue, Maddog and Nicole to enjoy a post-race dinner and continue the race stories.
So it was a typical Boston Marathon experience – exciting, unpredictable, lots of fun, some not-so-much fun – but overall a memorable experience with good friends and fellow runners! We had finished and survived the 2nd hottest Boston Marathon in history!
Many runners had to drop out and there were a record number of medical and ambulance emergencies. Yes – we did quite well and there are certainly memories and stories to laugh about at future meetings.
I am already beginning to dream about Boston 2005. If I can stay healthy, uninjured and train hard I may have one last chance for that coveted crystal award????
Stay tuned!
Boston Marathon
4/17 – 4/21/04
The planning, or should I say ‘dreaming’ for this trip and race began over a year ago as I celebrated my 59th birthday. Next year (2004) I would reach the Big 60 and a new age group for racing. Since I would turn 60 just a few weeks before the Boston Marathon it would probably present the best opportunity I would ever have to run competitively at Boston and win one of the coveted crystal awards. So my dream began.
And it truly was a dream at that moment because I was just recovering from a severe hamstring injury and a medical mishap – internal bleeding caused by anti-inflammatories.
I used the summer of 2003 in the Colorado Rocky Mountains to train hard to build my red blood count back up to normal levels and beat my then out-of-condition body back into shape and lose more than 15 pounds.
In Oct my sports manager and I spent the whole month in Europe to run three marathons (and countries) culminating with a 3:20 marathon in Podgorica, Montenegro – my fastest time in the past seven years! Yes! Hard work/training was paving the way for the dream to happen?
But then disaster struck again – another injury in Dec- this time plantar fasciatis that required that I stop running and rest the foot for about three weeks. And just when the foot started to heal I had to travel to India for three weeks for our son’s wedding.
Unfortunately it turned out to be almost impossible to run in India for reasons of safety. I managed to run a total of 37 miles in those three weeks that included a solo marathon in Mumbai (another interesting story). The day I returned from India I ran a very disappointing and painful marathon in Tampa in 4:08. The dream was fading quickly? However there were still 75 days to go till Boston and I was not willing to give up my dream so easily. Thus I asked the Maddog to develop a 75-day ‘Kick Ass and Take No Names’ training program that would enable me to achieve my dream. One month later I ran a surprising 3:25 in New Orleans to win my last race in my old age group. The program was working! So I started the final and most intense phase of the program – speed work and hill training - with some renewed confidence. Soon I was running mile repeats (on the road) at a 6:40 pace! And disaster struck again – with a final blow!
All runners know the expression “Speed Kills”! Yes – it is true. I should have known better but I made a foolish decision to join some running mates on a track to run mile repeats. I strained my left hamstring after 5 or 6 repeats. Since I had planned to run a final tune-up marathon the following weekend I was forced to rest for the week in hopes that the hamstring would recover quickly. Didn’t work! In spite of the rest and other precautions the hamstring tore in the first mile of the Ocean Drive Marathon in Cape May, NJ and I was forced to drop out of a race for the first time in my life. Only three weeks left till Boston and I knew that my dream was shattered and torn just like my hamstring! Of course I was very disappointed and sad and my first reaction was to give up Boston completely for 2004. But some of my running friends were going to Boston this year and I didn’t want to deprive myself of the fun and enjoyment of sharing a Boston Marathon experience with them. Would it be possible to go to Boston and just run the race for fun? Could the hamstring heal quickly enough? Won’t know until I try?
With the help of a physical therapist and a regimen of natural herbs/supplements provided by a good friend the hamstring surprisingly/amazingly responded positively in three short weeks of treatment and rest. After a couple of short runs to test the leg I felt confident that I could run the Boston Marathon without causing further injury to the hamstring if I ran smart and slow. So with that strategy in mind my sports manager and I left for Boston on Sat 4/17 and the actual trip report now begins.
After arriving in Boston and checking into our hotel we headed straight for the expo to pick up my race packet. The expo was huge and yet still a zoo when you have more than 20,000 runners trying to pick up their packets and buy souvenirs/mementos of their big race in Boston! Lots of booths and equipment but I did not find any of the prices to be attractive. Having completed that important task it was time to check with the friends we were meeting in Boston. Dick and Sue were driving down from CT on Sun. Fred had already arrived from TX. They are members of the BBR (BrookBachRock) – an informal running club/group of friends that ran together for several years in Dallas, TX. We have stayed in contact and meet at various places around the world although many of us have moved away from Dallas. The other couple we were meeting were Frank and Jill – friends from Sarasota. All of us had our own plans for Sat night but agreed to get together on Sun.
Although this was my 6th Boston Marathon I had not been back since the 100th Anniversary race in 1996 so my sports manager and I decided to take the ‘hop on – hop off’ tour bus on Sun to reacquaint us with the city. Fred joined us as we toured around the city for more than six hours enjoying the interesting history of the city. The tour included most of the historical sites in Boston and a tour of ‘Old Ironsides’ – the USS Constitution – the oldest commissioned warship in the world!
After an interesting day of touring we met the rest of our group for a traditional pasta dinner and then it was time for bed. Monday which is Patriot’s Day and a holiday in MA is ‘M’ day in Boston. Even though the race starts at noon the logistics of the race requires that everyone be bussed to the start line beginning at 7am. This is the part of the Boston Marathon that sucks and I hate it. But I am willing to suffer through it because the rest of the marathon is so great.
All of us had been keenly following the weather forecast in Boston. Normally it is cool at this time of the year and the forecasts called for pleasant 60F temps on Sun and Tue but Mon was supposed to be an anomaly with temps in the high 80s? We were hoping they were wrong but on race morning the forecast called for temps in the low 70s in Hopkinton at the noon start and mid 80s by the time we reached Boston! Not good! We met in Boston Commons at 7:15 am to catch a bus to the start line in Hopkinton. The buses run from 7 to 9am in order to transfer 20,000+ runners to the start line. It takes about one hour to travel the 26 miles to the start line in Hopkinton. I figured we would arrive about 9am which meant hanging/laying around for three hours waiting for the race to start. From previous years I had remembered how cold it could get and how much energy that could cost so I had decided to buy a sleeping bag to keep me warm. Two of my mates also decided to bring bags. We didn’t think we would need them but took them anyways. Good decision! It was still cool at 9am and downright cold in the open-sided tent where we claimed our territory to wait for the start. While three of us were toasty and comfy in our bags poor old Freddie was covering himself with newspapers and garbage bags in an effort to stay warm. Finally I felt so sorry for him that I opened my bag into a blanket and offered to share it with him. We promised not to tell anyone about this warm, comfy ‘arrangement’ but I know the story is going to get out so I might as well make sure it is told correctly! (and in the right context?)
At 11am we emerged from our cocoons/bags to begin our preparations for the start of the race. When we stepped out of the tent into the sun we were shocked to discover how warm/hot it was already? Definitely singlet weather. Time to make our way towards the baggage buses and the start corrals. Many of you know that Boston is the only marathon in the world that requires a runner to qualify for the race. How do you qualify? You must run a marathon in the year preceding the Boston marathon within a specific time based on your age. This is one of the things that separate Boston from all other races. Every runner at Boston is good. There are no couch potatoes here – you have already proven yourself when you step up to the start line! Although they have relaxed their qualifying standards in recent years to allow more runners to qualify still many runners are never able to qualify. Once you have qualified then you are seeded or given a race number based on your qualification time. The fastest runners are seeded at the front of the race close to the start line. To prevent ‘cheating’ corrals are set up to hold groups of 1000 runners. For example my race number was 7708 so I was in the 7th corral with approximately 7,000 runners in front of me. There were 20+ corrals to hold the 20,000+ runners and my three compadres and I were all in different corrals.
At 12pm the race started (except for the elite women who were started at 11:30 am this year for the first time). It took six minutes for me to reach the official start line. I started my stopwatch as I crossed the start line to coincide with the ‘official’ chip time. To make it fair for all runners the race is timed electronically by a chip tied to your shoe. It records your time when you cross the start and finish lines (as well as other points in the race to prevent cheating)! Because of the huge mass of runners we had to run and walk for the first mile. That was fine with me because I figured it was much better for my hamstring to start out easy. Thus I was quite surprised when we reached the mile mark in 8:08! That was too fast so I slowed down immediately and reached mile 2 in 8:42. By that point I was already hot and I noticed that my heart monitor had climbed to 160 bpm. That is about 15 bpm higher than a normal marathon but about the same level I observe when I run marathons in the Caribbean or near the equator. That told me that this race was going to be tough and ugly and I reaffirmed to myself that I would run smart and slow! By mile 4, I was holding an easy 8:50 pace but already feeling overheated. I started grabbing two cups of water at each water station located at every mile: one to go in me and one to go on me to try to get my body temperature and heart rate down!
This seemed to work as I crossed the Half in 1:54:40. I was still cruising at an 8:50 to 9:00 min pace – the hamstring felt fine and I still felt good. I was on target to finish under my new/revised time goal of 4 hours and for a few brief moments even entertained some silly illusion that I might run a negative split in the 2nd Half? By the time I started climbing Boston’s famous (or infamous) hills at mile 16 I was laboring to hold a 9:10 pace and I was up to three cups of water at each station: one in and two on! When I finally crested Heartbreak Hill at mile 21 in Newton my quads were sore as Hell and screaming at me and I was struggling to hold a 9:30 pace. I had not walked or stopped to that point but it started to cross my mind? I realized that the lack of running/training for the whole month before Boston because of the hamstring injury was catching up to me – along with the heat. It was now 86F! Fortunately the last 5 miles are downhill so I pushed on ignoring the screams and pain coming from my quads. And I was now up to 4 cups of water: one in and three on and I also ran though every water hose along the course in an effort to get my body temperature down. I reached mile 23 in 3:27:52. I had 32 minutes to run/walk/crawl the last 5K. I told myself “All you have to do is run a 10 minute pace and your goal will be achieved”! That seemed to take a lot of pressure off and I just concentrated on keeping my legs moving – and not allowing myself to stop or walk. I didn’t give a shit if the clock read 3:59:59 – there was no need to push the pace to finish sooner! I managed to hold the 9:30 pace and crossed the finish line in 3:58:06. That time wasn’t going to win any awards but I had finished without walking or stopping – my hamstring wasn’t hurting, and I had beaten my time goal and I was alive!
However the moment I crossed the finish line and started walking my quads froze and did not want to work any longer. It was a damn good thing there were volunteers to take the chip off my shoe because I could never have bent down there to do it? It took me almost 30 minutes to walk/limp through the finish area, find and retrieve my baggage and then find the sports manager. After a customary photo at the finish we decided to head back to the hotel. Traffic was totally messed up in Boston so we figured it would be quicker and easier to take the subway.
Good idea but difficult to do. First there were steps down into the subway and my quads were in no mood to do steps! After much crying and screaming and about two minutes per step I made it down into the subway (it’s kind of funny now visualizing that action but I assure you it was not funny then)!. I quickly discovered that every other runner and citizen of Boston was also down there. But we finally made it to a train and crammed on like a Japanese commuter train. I ended up on the top or third step of the train and my sports manager was on the second step. As soon as the train left the station I started to feel bad. By the time it had left the 2nd station I was feeling nauseous and dizzy and knew that I was going to throw up. If I did throw up on the train there was going to be a lot of pissed off passengers because the train was packed. So I told my sports manager that I needed to get off at the next stop to throw up. Mercifully the train soon arrived at the next station and I turned to step down off the train – and the lights went out! The next thing I remember was waking up on the station platform while three strangers were dragging my sorry ass across the platform away from the train? Apparently my circuits shut down and I had passed out/fainted and did a spectacular, perfect score ‘10’ swan dive from the top step of the train down to the station platform? I guess I must have landed on my left side because my left shoulder, arm and keg were all cut, skinned and bruised? However as soon as I woke up I was fine except for being disoriented and having no memory of what had happened. I realized that I was dehydrated and my blood sugar and electrolytes were badly out of whack. And I had too many kind/concerned but bothersome Samaritans swarming all over me wanting to call ambulances and provide medical care. So I reached into the goody bag I had been given at the finish line and found an energy bar and a bottle of water. After a few bites of the bar and some water I was feeling OK and decided we needed to get back on a train and out of there before I was even more embarrassed with ambulances, etc. We made it safely back to our hotel where I was able to administer my normal medicines/cure – a Snickers chocolate bar washed down with a full-octane coke while sitting in a hot scalding bath. Within 30 minutes I was feeling normal again – I could even walk up and down stairs without crying (too much)!
Now it was time to contact my buds to see if they were still alive and how they did? I learned that Dick and Fred had a difficult time with the heat but had survived but Frank had not reached the finish line yet (5 hrs). I advised Jill that he might take close to 6 hours because of the heat. But I was a bit concerned/worried. It was Frank’s dream to run a Boston Marathon in spite of his doctor’s advice/warning not to because of heart problems and three stents. (Are you couch potatoes feeling guilty/ashamed yet? Have you at least got up off the couch and put your running shoes on?) I was one of the few that understood and supported his dream and I had lots of confidence in his ability to finish the race! But I was relieved when Jill called later to inform us that Frank had finished in 5:31 and was OK. I later learned that Frank had been the smartest of us all. He had decided to run and walk very early in the race as soon as he started to become hot. Thus he was able to enjoy the race, the cheering crowds and finish strongly and more importantly complete his dream successfully, safely and healthy!
Time to meet the gang to celebrate and tell war stories over dinner. Frank was too tired to join us but the rest of us met at a seafood restaurant close to their hotel. The subway and I got along much better on the trip over to the restaurant. We quickly told our stories of the race. Dick had run the fastest time as expected but slower than planned because of the heat. Fred probably had the most difficult time during the race. He had become dehydrated and overcome with heat exhaustion by mile 20 and had to walk the last 10K. When he finished the race he had walked back to his hotel and the moment he got on a crowded, hot elevator to go to his room he started to experience the same problems I had on the subway. Luckily he was able to get off at the next floor, spread his mylar blanket on the floor and throw up on the blanket! And of course he had several concerned guests and hotel security staff wanting to call an ambulance, etc? (Is this story just building up an insatiable desire in you to train and run the next Boston Marathon?)
Fred still wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t stand the thought of food/eating so went back to his hotel. That left just Dick, Sue, Maddog and Nicole to enjoy a post-race dinner and continue the race stories.
So it was a typical Boston Marathon experience – exciting, unpredictable, lots of fun, some not-so-much fun – but overall a memorable experience with good friends and fellow runners! We had finished and survived the 2nd hottest Boston Marathon in history!
Many runners had to drop out and there were a record number of medical and ambulance emergencies. Yes – we did quite well and there are certainly memories and stories to laugh about at future meetings.
I am already beginning to dream about Boston 2005. If I can stay healthy, uninjured and train hard I may have one last chance for that coveted crystal award????
Stay tuned!
Sunday, February 29, 2004
Mardi Gras Marathon
RACE REPORT
Mardi Gras Marathon
New Orleans
Feb 29/04
This trip/race was unscheduled as late as a few weeks ago. As I was planning the trip to Mrytle Beach I knew that a close friend in Dallas was planning to run the Mardi Gras marathon in New Orleans the weekend after. So I thought “why not do New Orleans also”? Some other running friends from across the USA and even a few from the UK were going to run Mardi Gras so it would be nice to join them?
It was not until last Tue that ‘my friend’ from Dallas informed me that he was not going – so I could have the room he reserved at the Hilton all to myself! Well, I have a size 10 shoe that I am going to repay him with on his fat, lazy butt when I see him next weekend at our son’s wedding in TX.
Since we have relatives visiting from Tundraland I booked a quick trip – fly in Sat, run the race on Sun morning and leave Sun night. I arrived in the ‘Big Easy’ early Sat morning and headed straight to the Hilton. It was the host hotel and is located right on the Mississippi riverfront. Great location but about one mile from the Superdome where the race started and finished. For future reference the closest hotels to the Superdome are the Hyatt, Holiday Inn and Homewood Suites.
After checking in I made the first of many long walks/treks to the Superdome to pick up my race package. Then I visited the expo that had many vendors with some great sales on running shoes and gear. The 50 State Club had a booth at the expo so I stopped and talked to many club members/friends that I have not seen for a few years. By coincidence I bumped into my friend Roger Biggs from the UK at the booth. The club was holding a ‘reunion’ meeting at 4pm so we agreed to meet there later.
Another long trek back to the hotel to call some old (meaning long-time since none of us are really old) friends that I had not seen in many years. Joe and Brenda Treige are from TundraLand but now live in New Orleans. They picked me up at the hotel and took me out for a great pizza lunch as part of my carbo-loading routine. Then we toured around sections of the city that I had not seen/visited as a tourist. It was a short visit but I hope to see them again next weekend when we drive through New Orleans on our way home from TX. They dropped me off at the Superdome for my 4 pm meeting where I met several more running friends from around the US including Edson Sanches, one of the ‘Tres Amigos’. That meant that I would have to defend my ‘Tres Amigos’ championship but Edson had already informed me that he was not in good shape and would not offer any challenge.
After the meeting several of us formed a group to go for the traditional pasta dinner and then it was time for bed. Unfortunately no partying on Sat night in the Big Easy!
Sun was M –Day! The race started at 7am in front of the Superdome. There were 2100+ runners in the Marathon and 6000+ runners in the Half so the Superdome was a great starting area. Although the weather was in the low 50s it was still nice to stay inside the Superdome until the last minute. With 8000+ runners I made sure I was on the start line to avoid all the idiots that go to the front of the race and then run a 10+-minute pace and block all the runners behind. I quickly dropped in behind a pack of half-marathoners running a fast pace and followed them through the first 3 miles in 22:47. The weather forecast called for warm, cloudy weather with strong winds so I wanted a pack of runners to draft behind. I was concerned that the 7:35 pace was a bit too fast for my current conditioning but decided to stick with the pack through the first Half and see what happened.
The course is flat and fast. The roads were completely closed down and traffic control was good. There were distance markers every mile and water/aid stations very two miles.
The wind didn’t seem to be as bad as forecast but I stayed right behind that pack as they pulled me through the first Half in 1:40:53.
I felt OK but was not very confident that I could hold that pace through 26 miles? As the pack of Half-marathon runners peeled off into their finish in the Superdome a pack of young marathoners came by at a good pace and I decided to drop in behind them because the runners had now thinned out drastically. This new pack was running a smooth and constant 7:40 pace so I hung on and let them block the wind as they pulled me through the 20-mile mark in 2:34:25! Damn – if I could hold this pace I would break 3:25!
But alas – not to be! At 20 miles my pack of wind blockers started to fade badly and slow down so I had to sidestep them and surge forward on my own. I managed to run a 7:45 for mile 21 but then the wheels started to fall off. By mile 23 I was struggling to hold an 8:15 pace and I knew ‘the wall’ was not far away? Somehow I managed to dig deep, find some energy fumes and run 8:20s over miles 24 and 25. But the wall was waiting at mile 25! I completely ran out of energy at that point!
My body started to rebel and wanted to give up. But I knew that if I stopped and walked the race would be over for me. So I tried to dig deeper and find something to fuel the old bod for one more mile. But there was nothing left! Thus I had to play mind/psyche games for each and every step. I convinced myself that ‘there was only one more step for all 5280 feet of that last mile’! With only ½ mile left both arms became tingly and numb and from past experience I realized that I was dehydrated and my blood sugar level was out of wack! I was somewhat surprised because I had been drinking my normal amount of water at every water station but I guess I did not realize how warm and humid it had become? The only solution (other than stopping and getting medical attention which was not an option) was to get to the finish line as quickly as possible! It has been a long time since I remember such a painful and long last mile. But somehow I pushed my tormented/screaming body through that last mile in 9:02 although it seemed much longer than that? As I approached mile 26 and could see the entrance to the Superdome the old bod gave me one final shot of adrenaline to help me surge across the finish line inside the Superdome in 3:25:47.
As soon as I crossed the finish line – and I mean about two feet across- the old bod shut down and refused to move. It needed whatever was left just to breathe and wasn’t moving. A concerned race volunteer rushed forward with a wheelchair and asked if I needed assistance? That was all it took. No way was the Maddog’s proud ass going to be wheeled through the finish chute in a wheelchair!! I managed to stumble forward to the end of the finish chute where a cute young volunteer hung a 50-pound ‘finisher’s medal’ (at least it felt like it weighed 50 pounds at that moment??) around my neck. But more importantly another volunteer handed me a bottle of water that I gulped down in about two seconds. I couldn’t believe how thirsty I was and I quickly gulped down two more bottles of water and started to feel better. Now I needed some sugar to raise my blood sugar levels. I realize that my mind and body were only partially functional at that point but I could not find any sugar/food/snacks at the finish line? But I did find a bottle of sports drink that seemed to help some.
I retrieved my warm-up clothes and tried to find the results but they still had not been posted. I figured that my time had at least placed me in my age group. Since I was still hurting and in need of sugar I decided to return to my hotel where a coke, chocolate bar and scaulding hot bath awaited. As I made the long trek back to the hotel and passed the Hyatt a few blocks from the Superdome I was really wishing that I had stayed there?
After a long, slow 25-minute walk I finally made it back and dispensed the needed medical cures/attention. An hour later I was ready to party!!!
But first I had to make yet another trek back to the Superdome to check on the race results. They were finally posted and there were a few pleasant surprises: 1) my official time was indeed 3:25:47 and placed me 119th overall. That is eerie because it is the exact same position I finished in Mrytle Beach the previous week? 2) I placed 1st in my age group- exactly one minute in front of 2nd place who finished exactly one minute in front of 3rd. Obviously if I had given up instead of sucking it up on that last mile I would most certainly have been relegated to 3rd place or lower. There is a lesson or moral to life to be learned from this experience! And NO – it is NOT – to not run marathons! You can figure it out! Unfortunately there was some kind of screw up with the awards so I was told that they would be mailed out this week. I don’t even know what they look like so I guess I will just have to wait and be surprised?
Now it was time to party! A local running club had invited all members of the 50 State Club to a post-race part with lots of free food and beer. Roger was the only person I could find that was interested in going to the party so off we went. There weren’t many 50 State members there but we had a great time meeting with the local runners and certainly enjoyed their Cajun food and beer and hospitality! I am glad that I had to fly home Sun night because if I had stayed I am sure there would have been a wee hangover to contend with on Mon morning?
So I am back home and have no more marathons planned until the end of March. Maddog’s training program (that seems to be working well thus far) calls for a month of speed work and hill training. Hill training you say with a laugh? How can I do hill training in FL you ask? Good question since there are no hills within 150 miles of Sarasota! Fortunately they just built a bridge from Lido Key to Sarasota that is 65 feet high and one mile long. So the plan is to do several mile repeats back and forth over the bridge two times a week. Hope it works?
Finally I want to provide an evaluation and comments about the race for the race director and any running friends thinking about running the Mardi Gras Marathon.
The website is good – lots of information and easy to register on-line. Packet pick up at the Superdome was easy and efficient. The expo, although not large, was good with many vendors and great deals on running gear. Having the start and finish at the Superdome is great as it can accommodate lots of people.
The course is fast and flat and runs through the French quarter and many sections of the city. The roads on the course are completely closed and traffic control is good. There are distance markers every mile and water/aid stations every two miles.
The finish inside the Superdome is a nice touch.
There were a few glitches that should be fixed/improved. No food/snacks, etc at the finish line. Note (Update): I was informed by the race director after he read my report that there was indeed food, etc in the Superdome. Apparently it was on the south side of the Superdome. I believe I exited from the finish chute to the north side and was too tired/delirious to go over to the other side of the finish chute. Will try not to make that mistake again as I really needed that food!
The race results were not released very quickly considering that the race was timed by chips?
There is not much crowd support for a race of that size and a city that big?
Other suggestions that could make the race more memorable and fun:
Provide awards or incentives for the water station volunteers to dress up in Mardi Gras costumes of different themes.
There was only one jazz band along the course in the city of Jazz? In Nashville there are bands at every mile along the course.
John Wallace aka Maddog
Mardi Gras Marathon
New Orleans
Feb 29/04
This trip/race was unscheduled as late as a few weeks ago. As I was planning the trip to Mrytle Beach I knew that a close friend in Dallas was planning to run the Mardi Gras marathon in New Orleans the weekend after. So I thought “why not do New Orleans also”? Some other running friends from across the USA and even a few from the UK were going to run Mardi Gras so it would be nice to join them?
It was not until last Tue that ‘my friend’ from Dallas informed me that he was not going – so I could have the room he reserved at the Hilton all to myself! Well, I have a size 10 shoe that I am going to repay him with on his fat, lazy butt when I see him next weekend at our son’s wedding in TX.
Since we have relatives visiting from Tundraland I booked a quick trip – fly in Sat, run the race on Sun morning and leave Sun night. I arrived in the ‘Big Easy’ early Sat morning and headed straight to the Hilton. It was the host hotel and is located right on the Mississippi riverfront. Great location but about one mile from the Superdome where the race started and finished. For future reference the closest hotels to the Superdome are the Hyatt, Holiday Inn and Homewood Suites.
After checking in I made the first of many long walks/treks to the Superdome to pick up my race package. Then I visited the expo that had many vendors with some great sales on running shoes and gear. The 50 State Club had a booth at the expo so I stopped and talked to many club members/friends that I have not seen for a few years. By coincidence I bumped into my friend Roger Biggs from the UK at the booth. The club was holding a ‘reunion’ meeting at 4pm so we agreed to meet there later.
Another long trek back to the hotel to call some old (meaning long-time since none of us are really old) friends that I had not seen in many years. Joe and Brenda Treige are from TundraLand but now live in New Orleans. They picked me up at the hotel and took me out for a great pizza lunch as part of my carbo-loading routine. Then we toured around sections of the city that I had not seen/visited as a tourist. It was a short visit but I hope to see them again next weekend when we drive through New Orleans on our way home from TX. They dropped me off at the Superdome for my 4 pm meeting where I met several more running friends from around the US including Edson Sanches, one of the ‘Tres Amigos’. That meant that I would have to defend my ‘Tres Amigos’ championship but Edson had already informed me that he was not in good shape and would not offer any challenge.
After the meeting several of us formed a group to go for the traditional pasta dinner and then it was time for bed. Unfortunately no partying on Sat night in the Big Easy!
Sun was M –Day! The race started at 7am in front of the Superdome. There were 2100+ runners in the Marathon and 6000+ runners in the Half so the Superdome was a great starting area. Although the weather was in the low 50s it was still nice to stay inside the Superdome until the last minute. With 8000+ runners I made sure I was on the start line to avoid all the idiots that go to the front of the race and then run a 10+-minute pace and block all the runners behind. I quickly dropped in behind a pack of half-marathoners running a fast pace and followed them through the first 3 miles in 22:47. The weather forecast called for warm, cloudy weather with strong winds so I wanted a pack of runners to draft behind. I was concerned that the 7:35 pace was a bit too fast for my current conditioning but decided to stick with the pack through the first Half and see what happened.
The course is flat and fast. The roads were completely closed down and traffic control was good. There were distance markers every mile and water/aid stations very two miles.
The wind didn’t seem to be as bad as forecast but I stayed right behind that pack as they pulled me through the first Half in 1:40:53.
I felt OK but was not very confident that I could hold that pace through 26 miles? As the pack of Half-marathon runners peeled off into their finish in the Superdome a pack of young marathoners came by at a good pace and I decided to drop in behind them because the runners had now thinned out drastically. This new pack was running a smooth and constant 7:40 pace so I hung on and let them block the wind as they pulled me through the 20-mile mark in 2:34:25! Damn – if I could hold this pace I would break 3:25!
But alas – not to be! At 20 miles my pack of wind blockers started to fade badly and slow down so I had to sidestep them and surge forward on my own. I managed to run a 7:45 for mile 21 but then the wheels started to fall off. By mile 23 I was struggling to hold an 8:15 pace and I knew ‘the wall’ was not far away? Somehow I managed to dig deep, find some energy fumes and run 8:20s over miles 24 and 25. But the wall was waiting at mile 25! I completely ran out of energy at that point!
My body started to rebel and wanted to give up. But I knew that if I stopped and walked the race would be over for me. So I tried to dig deeper and find something to fuel the old bod for one more mile. But there was nothing left! Thus I had to play mind/psyche games for each and every step. I convinced myself that ‘there was only one more step for all 5280 feet of that last mile’! With only ½ mile left both arms became tingly and numb and from past experience I realized that I was dehydrated and my blood sugar level was out of wack! I was somewhat surprised because I had been drinking my normal amount of water at every water station but I guess I did not realize how warm and humid it had become? The only solution (other than stopping and getting medical attention which was not an option) was to get to the finish line as quickly as possible! It has been a long time since I remember such a painful and long last mile. But somehow I pushed my tormented/screaming body through that last mile in 9:02 although it seemed much longer than that? As I approached mile 26 and could see the entrance to the Superdome the old bod gave me one final shot of adrenaline to help me surge across the finish line inside the Superdome in 3:25:47.
As soon as I crossed the finish line – and I mean about two feet across- the old bod shut down and refused to move. It needed whatever was left just to breathe and wasn’t moving. A concerned race volunteer rushed forward with a wheelchair and asked if I needed assistance? That was all it took. No way was the Maddog’s proud ass going to be wheeled through the finish chute in a wheelchair!! I managed to stumble forward to the end of the finish chute where a cute young volunteer hung a 50-pound ‘finisher’s medal’ (at least it felt like it weighed 50 pounds at that moment??) around my neck. But more importantly another volunteer handed me a bottle of water that I gulped down in about two seconds. I couldn’t believe how thirsty I was and I quickly gulped down two more bottles of water and started to feel better. Now I needed some sugar to raise my blood sugar levels. I realize that my mind and body were only partially functional at that point but I could not find any sugar/food/snacks at the finish line? But I did find a bottle of sports drink that seemed to help some.
I retrieved my warm-up clothes and tried to find the results but they still had not been posted. I figured that my time had at least placed me in my age group. Since I was still hurting and in need of sugar I decided to return to my hotel where a coke, chocolate bar and scaulding hot bath awaited. As I made the long trek back to the hotel and passed the Hyatt a few blocks from the Superdome I was really wishing that I had stayed there?
After a long, slow 25-minute walk I finally made it back and dispensed the needed medical cures/attention. An hour later I was ready to party!!!
But first I had to make yet another trek back to the Superdome to check on the race results. They were finally posted and there were a few pleasant surprises: 1) my official time was indeed 3:25:47 and placed me 119th overall. That is eerie because it is the exact same position I finished in Mrytle Beach the previous week? 2) I placed 1st in my age group- exactly one minute in front of 2nd place who finished exactly one minute in front of 3rd. Obviously if I had given up instead of sucking it up on that last mile I would most certainly have been relegated to 3rd place or lower. There is a lesson or moral to life to be learned from this experience! And NO – it is NOT – to not run marathons! You can figure it out! Unfortunately there was some kind of screw up with the awards so I was told that they would be mailed out this week. I don’t even know what they look like so I guess I will just have to wait and be surprised?
Now it was time to party! A local running club had invited all members of the 50 State Club to a post-race part with lots of free food and beer. Roger was the only person I could find that was interested in going to the party so off we went. There weren’t many 50 State members there but we had a great time meeting with the local runners and certainly enjoyed their Cajun food and beer and hospitality! I am glad that I had to fly home Sun night because if I had stayed I am sure there would have been a wee hangover to contend with on Mon morning?
So I am back home and have no more marathons planned until the end of March. Maddog’s training program (that seems to be working well thus far) calls for a month of speed work and hill training. Hill training you say with a laugh? How can I do hill training in FL you ask? Good question since there are no hills within 150 miles of Sarasota! Fortunately they just built a bridge from Lido Key to Sarasota that is 65 feet high and one mile long. So the plan is to do several mile repeats back and forth over the bridge two times a week. Hope it works?
Finally I want to provide an evaluation and comments about the race for the race director and any running friends thinking about running the Mardi Gras Marathon.
The website is good – lots of information and easy to register on-line. Packet pick up at the Superdome was easy and efficient. The expo, although not large, was good with many vendors and great deals on running gear. Having the start and finish at the Superdome is great as it can accommodate lots of people.
The course is fast and flat and runs through the French quarter and many sections of the city. The roads on the course are completely closed and traffic control is good. There are distance markers every mile and water/aid stations every two miles.
The finish inside the Superdome is a nice touch.
There were a few glitches that should be fixed/improved. No food/snacks, etc at the finish line. Note (Update): I was informed by the race director after he read my report that there was indeed food, etc in the Superdome. Apparently it was on the south side of the Superdome. I believe I exited from the finish chute to the north side and was too tired/delirious to go over to the other side of the finish chute. Will try not to make that mistake again as I really needed that food!
The race results were not released very quickly considering that the race was timed by chips?
There is not much crowd support for a race of that size and a city that big?
Other suggestions that could make the race more memorable and fun:
Provide awards or incentives for the water station volunteers to dress up in Mardi Gras costumes of different themes.
There was only one jazz band along the course in the city of Jazz? In Nashville there are bands at every mile along the course.
John Wallace aka Maddog
Sunday, February 08, 2004
RR Tybee Island
Race Report:
Marathon #220
Tybee Island Marathon
Tybee Island, GA
Feb 7/04
The weather was half - nice: sunny and a pleasant 49F as we lined up for the 8am start on the main street. The only negative factor was a brisk, cool wind blowing from the north-east at 15 to 20mph. And as usual it always seemed to be blowing in our faces no matter which direction we ran? Tybee Is is a very small island so the course had to wind up and down the residential streets to make a loop of 13 miles. We lucky marathoners got to run the loop twice! About 300 in the marathon and 700 in the half.
I ran smooth and easy at an 8:10 to 8:15 min pace and felt good throughout the whole race. Managed to finish strong with sub 8s over the last 2 miles to cross the finish line in 3:34:37. That was a surprising 34 minutes faster than my previous marathon thanks to Maddog's training program. Now I am concerned that Maddog will make the program tougher and more intense - but I am pleased and encouraged with the remarkable improvement in just 2 weeks so I will do whatever he says! I think I will run another marathon in a few weeks as another test/evaluation?
Tybee is a very small island and is a summer beach resort for Savannah and other parts of GA. Not much development and very few multi-million dollar mansions as expected?
Savannah is a neat and interesting city. Lots of history. The historical district and riverfront on the Savannah River have been restored and are very nice. The streets are lined with old colonial mansions and canopied with hundred(s)-year old live oak trees and moss. The riverfront has many pubs, restaurants and shops and makes a neat place to tour over the cobblestone streets.
I would definitely like to spend a long weekend in Savannah to explore and enjoy the city and history in more detail.
Marathon #220
Tybee Island Marathon
Tybee Island, GA
Feb 7/04
The weather was half - nice: sunny and a pleasant 49F as we lined up for the 8am start on the main street. The only negative factor was a brisk, cool wind blowing from the north-east at 15 to 20mph. And as usual it always seemed to be blowing in our faces no matter which direction we ran? Tybee Is is a very small island so the course had to wind up and down the residential streets to make a loop of 13 miles. We lucky marathoners got to run the loop twice! About 300 in the marathon and 700 in the half.
I ran smooth and easy at an 8:10 to 8:15 min pace and felt good throughout the whole race. Managed to finish strong with sub 8s over the last 2 miles to cross the finish line in 3:34:37. That was a surprising 34 minutes faster than my previous marathon thanks to Maddog's training program. Now I am concerned that Maddog will make the program tougher and more intense - but I am pleased and encouraged with the remarkable improvement in just 2 weeks so I will do whatever he says! I think I will run another marathon in a few weeks as another test/evaluation?
Tybee is a very small island and is a summer beach resort for Savannah and other parts of GA. Not much development and very few multi-million dollar mansions as expected?
Savannah is a neat and interesting city. Lots of history. The historical district and riverfront on the Savannah River have been restored and are very nice. The streets are lined with old colonial mansions and canopied with hundred(s)-year old live oak trees and moss. The riverfront has many pubs, restaurants and shops and makes a neat place to tour over the cobblestone streets.
I would definitely like to spend a long weekend in Savannah to explore and enjoy the city and history in more detail.
Sunday, January 25, 2004
RR Tampa Marathon
Race report:
Hops Marathon
Tampa, FL
Jan 25/04
As expected the race was very ugly and painful. After running a total of 49 miles (including the Mumbai marathon) in the past 3 weeks what else could I expect?
I did not have much confidence that I could finish the race without hitting 'the wall'. I started out a bit too fast at an 8:30 pace. After crossing the Half in 1:52 I already knew that it was going to get ugly - my legs were tired and trashed. I slowed the pace down to 9 min but by mile 16 I was struggling to run a 9:15 pace. By mile 18 I was hurting and struggling to hold a 9:45 pace. I crossed mile 20 at 2:58 and momentarily had some silly notion that I could hold a 10 min pace for the last 10K and finish under 4 hrs? But that was all it was - a silly notion/illusion! By mile 23 I was running a 10:30 pace and my legs hurt like Hell and my right foot was sending lightning bolts of pain up my leg with every foot plant. I decided to go into 'survival' mode and try to avoid or at least delay the enevitable crash. It did not help much as I ran smack-dab into 'The WALL' at mile 24. After I picked my sorry and sore ass up I had to walk and jog the next mile. I fully intended to walk the last mile too until a pretty young lass ran by me at mile 25. She must know the Maddog because she shouted at me "C'mon you can hurt and do anything for one mile"! She was right unfortunately so I started running and caught up to her. I ran the last mile with her as she encouraged me and dragged my sorry, tired, hurtin old ass across the finish line in 4:08:35.
Without her I would never have finished under 4:10! It was a painful and humbling experience/race but I was not embarassed as I got what I deserved and expected. It is very clear that all the rest during the past 6 weeks due to the foot injury and the trip to India has seriously and negativley affected my marathon conditioning.There is only one solution and about 75 days to get my old, out-of-shape ass back into shape if I want to be competitive at Boston in April. Thus I have asked Maddog to prepare another 'Kick ass and take no names boot camp' to beat my sorry old ass back into shape.It starts tomorrow! I believe it is possible if my foot will hold up to the stress and speedwork? Only time will tell.
Hops Marathon
Tampa, FL
Jan 25/04
As expected the race was very ugly and painful. After running a total of 49 miles (including the Mumbai marathon) in the past 3 weeks what else could I expect?
I did not have much confidence that I could finish the race without hitting 'the wall'. I started out a bit too fast at an 8:30 pace. After crossing the Half in 1:52 I already knew that it was going to get ugly - my legs were tired and trashed. I slowed the pace down to 9 min but by mile 16 I was struggling to run a 9:15 pace. By mile 18 I was hurting and struggling to hold a 9:45 pace. I crossed mile 20 at 2:58 and momentarily had some silly notion that I could hold a 10 min pace for the last 10K and finish under 4 hrs? But that was all it was - a silly notion/illusion! By mile 23 I was running a 10:30 pace and my legs hurt like Hell and my right foot was sending lightning bolts of pain up my leg with every foot plant. I decided to go into 'survival' mode and try to avoid or at least delay the enevitable crash. It did not help much as I ran smack-dab into 'The WALL' at mile 24. After I picked my sorry and sore ass up I had to walk and jog the next mile. I fully intended to walk the last mile too until a pretty young lass ran by me at mile 25. She must know the Maddog because she shouted at me "C'mon you can hurt and do anything for one mile"! She was right unfortunately so I started running and caught up to her. I ran the last mile with her as she encouraged me and dragged my sorry, tired, hurtin old ass across the finish line in 4:08:35.
Without her I would never have finished under 4:10! It was a painful and humbling experience/race but I was not embarassed as I got what I deserved and expected. It is very clear that all the rest during the past 6 weeks due to the foot injury and the trip to India has seriously and negativley affected my marathon conditioning.There is only one solution and about 75 days to get my old, out-of-shape ass back into shape if I want to be competitive at Boston in April. Thus I have asked Maddog to prepare another 'Kick ass and take no names boot camp' to beat my sorry old ass back into shape.It starts tomorrow! I believe it is possible if my foot will hold up to the stress and speedwork? Only time will tell.
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
TR India
Trip Report
India
01/04 – 01/24/04
Mumbai Marathon
Mumbai, IndiaTue, Jan 13/04
Marathon # 218 – Country # 65
3:50:55
The wedding was planned for early Jan.
We began our ‘Golden
Triangle’ tour with a tour of Delhi - sightseeing of Old and New Delhi, one
city with two distinctive features and culmination of tradition with contemporary.
The Old Delhi tour included a visit to the Red Fort or Lal Quila. The fort is a
massive construction and an architecture marvel with Diwani Aam and Diwani
Khash. Started in 1638 by Shah jahan and completed in the year 1648 it had been
part of the Indian history since then. Next stop was Jama Masjid – a typical
Mughal architecture, built by Muhammad Ali Shah and is on the western side of
the Hussainabad Imambara. The tour of Old Delhi included a visit to Mahatma
Gandhi’s memorial site the Raj Ghat. The tour continued with New Delhi and a visit
to Humayun’s Tomb, one of the earliest Mughal architecture in Delhi. Qutub
Minar is one of the focuses in the Delhi tour as it the world’s tallest brick
minaret with 72.5 meters in height. Then we drove along the Rajpath past India
Gate, Parliament House, President’s Residence and the Diplomatic enclave to
finish with a visit to the Lotus Temple before returning to the hotel for the
night. The third day started with an
early morning breakfast (I skipped any attempt to run around steaming
landmines) and then we departed by car for the renowned city Agra to visit the
Taj Mahal. It is difficult to find words to describe this magnificent and
breath-taking beautiful structure! The white marble tomb that has found its
place in the Seven Wonders of the World was built by Shah Jahan in 1631-1648
for his wife Mamtaz Mahal. The mausoleum is an architecture marvel and the
Turkish and Persian influences are eminent in the building. Next we moved on to
the Agra Fort, which is situated on the north western side of the Taj Mahal and
the white pristine marble building can be seen from one part of the fort, where
Shah Jahan spent his old age. In the evening we attempted to go for a pleasant
walk near the hotel but they had landmines in Agra too? The next morning we
continued on to Jaipur. But before going to the Pink City we stopped at Keoladeo National Park a UNESCO's World Heritage Site, and a former duck-hunting
reserve of the Maharajas that is one of the major wintering areas for large
numbers of aquatic birds. I thought about doing a short run in the Park since
the only landmines there were left by birds. However we continued on to
Jaipur for an overnight stay at a hotel in the Pink City. Up to now the meals
had been good. Our guide took us to high-end restaurants mainly in luxury
hotels so the food was good and safe. But it was mostly Indian food and
vegetarian. I needed a steak! But that was hard to find except in a western
hotel so I had to make do with chicken! The next day we started the tour of the
Pink City with a visit to the Amber Fort. Built in 1592 by Raja Mann Singh and
completed by Swai Jai Singh it is a perfect example of the blending of
Rajathani architecture with Mughal art. Set on the hugged hills, this red sand
stone and white marble fort is something that should be seen. Then we continued
on to the City Palace in the heart of the Pink City with Hawa Mahal, Jantar
Mantar and Sheesh Mahal. We enjoyed one more night in Jaipur. By then we had
learned not to venture outside the hotel without our guide and driver.
The next day
we returned to Delhi and flew to Mumbai to begin the next leg of our adventure.
Did I mention
that one week before we left for India I received an email from the race director
of the Mumbai Marathon informing me that the race had been postponed two weeks?
I responded that I had a wedding to attend – I would be there on the original
scheduled date and I expected to run a marathon! I could not delay my trip –
and the wedding - by two weeks!
We planned to
stay in Mumbai for a few days to run the marathon and then continue on to
Ahmadabad. We also planned to meet up with Jason and Ami and Ami’s family in
Mumbai to shop for a sari and other items needed for the wedding. We had booked
a hotel south of downtown and on the Arabian Sea. I had assumed that I would be
able to run along the beach or coast. Wrong! When I went out for a morning run –
my first since I had not yet found any place safe from landmines – I tried to
run along the beach. The beach was totally occupied by locals doing their
morning duties – and leaving behind landmines! Others would walk into the Sea
to deposit their landmines. It was disgusting! I returned to the hotel! I guess
the actual marathon would be my only run in India? If there was a marathon?
While Nicole
joined Ami and her family to shop for a sari I visited the Race Director. I was
fortunate to meet with him and Hugh Jones who they had hired to certify the
course. I explained that I was there now and could not come back in two weeks.
I was going to run the marathon and hopefully the official course with or
without their support. Thankfully Hugh was on my side and recommended that they
support me. And we compromised on a solution. That evening they were holding an
official press conference for the marathon. They requested that I attend the
conference and after the conference finished they would provide a team of volunteers
and a vehicle to guide and support me to run the official marathon course solo
starting at 3 am!
It actually
turned out to be a strange and fun(ny) affair. I was invited to the podium
along with the governor of the province, the mayor of Mumbai and other
dignitaries. I was asked to give a short speech where I thanked the Race
director and the city, etc for allowing and supporting me to run the official
marathon course later that night. After the conference ended there was pandemonium
as TV and newspaper reports descended on Maddog for a story. I spent over two
hours giving interviews to the press and TV. The RD provided a room for me at
the hotel where the press conference was held. We planned to start the marathon
at 3 am. I got to bed at 11:00 pm and a TV station woke me up at 11:30 pm and
requested that I go downstairs and run sprints up and down the street in front
of the hotel for their camera crew?
I finally got back to bed at midnight and woke up at 2:30 am to get ready for
the marathon.At 3 am I appeared at the front of the hotel. I was besieged again by reporters and a TV film crew. They were going to accompany me on my marathon adventure – the ‘entire’ adventure! A taxi took the RD and me to the start line where I was joined by two young race volunteers on a moped. They would guide me through the course and provide any support needed such as water and carbo gels. It was a circus. I was followed for the entire marathon by a taxi full of newspaper reporters and photographers who would jump ahead and wait to ask questions and take photos. At the same time a pickup truck with a TV film crew followed me and filmed most of the marathon! I was afraid to stop for a potty break because I was sure they would film it!
My two
friends/support team and I developed a friendship and pattern as I ran the
entire marathon – on the official course – without a potty break to finish in
3:50:55! Once again there were interviews and finally I was left alone! I
returned to the hotel room provided by the race for a short nap. I woke to find
my face and the story of Maddog plastered all over the morning TV shows and on
the front page of the Mumbai newspaper. You have to admit – Maddog sure knows
how to make an entrance!
Now that the
marathon # 219 and country #65 was completed I could relax and play tourist and
get ready for the wedding. I convinced Nicole to give up shopping for a day to
join Chris and I on a tour of the city. The tour started at the Gate to India, one
of Mumbai’s most unique landmarks. The colossal structure, constructed in 1924
at the tip of Apollo Bunder, overlooks Mumbai harbor. It was constructed to
commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay (Mumbai).
We took a
ferry from the Gate of India to Elephanta Island to visit the Elephanta Caves where there are mythical stories of Lord
Shiva carved out in the rocks of the caves. The caves are a collection of
different rock cut mythical figures of Shiva, shrines, ancient Indian
architecture, statues of many Hindu Gods and Goddesses carved out of the rocks.
We
returned to the Gate of India to tour downtown Mumbai and then drove past the
movie studios of Bollywood and along Marine Drive to Kamala Nehru Park that is located at the
top of Mumbai's Malabar Hill. It is named after Kamala Nehru, the wife of
India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. From this garden, one can enjoy the
spectacular sight of the Chowpatty Beach and also Marine Drive (Queen's
Necklace). Kamala Nehru Park is a shoe-shaped structure, with widespread lush
greenery and is famous for a unique structure, called the Old Women's Shoe or
Boot House that famously attracts kids.
Our last stop, the Haji Ali Dargah is a mosque and dargah (tomb) located on an islet
off the coast of Worli
in the Southern part of Mumbai. Near the heart of the city proper, the dargah is one
of the most recognizable landmarks of Mumbai. An exquisite example of Indo-Islamic Architecture, associated with
legends about doomed lovers, the dargah contains the tomb of Sayed Peer Haji
Ali Shah Bukhari.It was time to move on to the main event – the wedding! We flew to Ahmadabad where we were met by Ami’s family. We were provided accommodations at a wedding compound along with members of Ami’s family. No other Wallace family attended because of the distance and cost. And remember we were planning a 2nd wedding in TX.
An Indian wedding is quite an experience. It goes on for days and days! There are traditional ceremonies that have to be completed in a specific order. A member of Ami’s family was assigned to babysit us and to explain the ceremonies and culture and to make sure we were in the right place at the right time and what to do and expect. I don’t remember all the ceremonies but I did make notes on some and of course took hundreds of photos of all the activities. I will try to explain some of the more important ceremonies that can been seen on my photo website.
Sangeet Sanhya: Indian wedding dances that are held the night before the wedding
Haldi ceremony: This ceremony takes place two or three days before the wedding. During
Haldi, a paste made of turmeric, gram flour, curd, sandalwood and rose water
are applied on the hands, feet and face of the bride and the groom. The yellow
color of the paste is believed to brighten the skin color before the wedding
ceremony and bring good luck to the bride and the groom.
Mehndi Ceremony: The bride and all of her close family members get the palms of their hands
and feet decorated by a professional henna artist. The henna is believed to
enhance the bride’s beauty. This ceremony usually takes place a day before the
wedding
Grah
Shanti: A brief ceremony where Lord
Ganesh is invited to remove all obstacles from the couple and to bring them
happiness and prosperity.
Ganesha Puja: Before the ceremony begins, a Ganesh Puja is performed for good luck. This
is important as Ganesh is the destroyer of all obstacles. The ceremony
generally involves both the bride’s and the groom's primary family members.
Our hosts and all their family and guests treated us very kindly. The wedding was a fantastic and fun experience. In the USA such an elegant wedding would have cost $250,000 or more. I assume it was much, much less in India. One downside to the wedding was there was no booze and most of the meals were vegetarian! However there is always a way. Our babysitter took us to a ‘special’ store where we could buy beer (that we only drank in our room). The area was ‘dry’ – no booze in hotels or restaurants yet many of the locals seem to have beer in their home? He also snuck us out to a western hotel a few time for a carnivore fix!
I apologize for any important omissions I made in describing this wonderful wedding. One reason I was afraid to write this report was that I didn’t want to hurt any feelings. But now -11 years later- I believe I can write the report and nobody will care if I missed something? Hopefully!
When the wedding was over and the newly married couple left for a honeymoon in the Maldives we thanked our gracious hosts and returned home with a 2-day layover in Singapore. This report is already too long so I won’t bore you with details of Singapore. I will be going back – I need to run a marathon there!
Wednesday, December 10, 2003
TR - Cayman Islands
TRIP REPORT
Cayman Islands
12/05 to 12/08/03
If you recall my last international trip report (Montenegro) indicated that there wasn’t supposed to be another international trip or marathon until India in Jan 2004.
Well, this trip was a surprise to me also! When I returned from Europe I had two more races planned – Maryland and Florida. But I decided that I needed to run one more race in Dec to keep the old bod tuned up for marathons. I wanted to go to Kiawah Island, SC in mid –Dec but that race had reached its limit and wouldn’t accept any more entries. What to do and where to go now? As I scanned the race calendars I was trying to choose between Jacksonville, FL and Dallas, TX. Jacksonville would be easy and cheap to get to but the course is boring. I have run White Rock in Dallas many times but at least I could run the marathon with some old running buddies from Dallas and visit my brother in Fort Worth?
Then a race caught my eye. The Cayman Islands Marathon on Dec7/03! I didn’t even know that there was a marathon in the Cayman Islands? A quick search for airfares sealed the decision. I found a special/cheap airfare for $239! Heck, it was cheaper to fly to the Caymans than Dallas! And I would need to run the Caymans eventually to complete a ‘soft’ goal of running every country in North America! Might as well do it now because many of these races don’t stay around too long? I asked my sports manager if she wanted to go? She thought about it for 30 seconds and replied “NO”! I was a wee bit surprised since the Caymans are at least a step up from the Balkans. I guess she is serious about not going to any more international marathons?
As the day approached to depart I was very happy about the choice I had made. The weather forecast was calling for another cold front blowing through Florida that weekend (thanks to those damn Canucks in Tundraland). I would miss it!
I arrived in Georgetown – the capital of the Cayman Islands – on Friday afternoon. The race director had sent an email out earlier that week stating that they would provide transportation from the airport to the hotels and to the race for international runners. I accepted their offer because it saved me more than $30 in taxis fares. It was a nice touch/service that isn’t normally provided by a race.
There are three islands in the Caymans: Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Grand Cayman is the largest island where the capital and all the businesses and banks are located. There is very little development on the sister islands. My hotel was located on the south end of the famous Seven Mile Beach about 1-½ miles from the center of Georgetown so I was able to walk to most of the shops, restaurants and pubs. I had arrived late afternoon on Friday and quickly determined that the Caymans are like most Caribbean islands – the shops and businesses do not keep long hours. The shops close at 5pm on weekdays, noon on Sat and don’t open on Sunday. Nobody is going to die from work stress in the Caribbean!
I had wanted to do a few dives on Sat because the Caymans are famous for great diving but I was concerned about picking up my race package on Sat and I also wanted to shop for my typical souvenirs. So I had to pass on the dive packages/tours on Sat. At race registration I met the race director and learned that it was a very small race/event. There were three races – a marathon, marathon relay and a half marathon. A total of 200 runners in all three races – only 20 ‘crazies’ running the full marathon! All three races started together in the center of Georgetown at 5am on Sunday. The course ran south from town 6.5 miles then looped back to the start/finish line. The crazies would have to run the loop twice! The weather was forecast to be stormy and windy due to a tropical storm in the Caribbean.
By Sat afternoon I had completed all my chores and toured much of the island on foot. It did not take long to determine that there is not much to do or see in the Caymans other than diving. And the Caymans are very expensive like most of the Caribbean. Restaurants and bars charge big city/US prices. The Cayman dollar is worth $1.25 US so that makes things even more expensive! Instead of eating at the hotels and tourist restaurants I was able to find a few local shacks/diners where the food was great and much more reasonable. I don’t normally eat the pasta dinners provided by the race but decided to join my fellow runners at the host Marriott Hotel for the pre-race pasta dinner on Sat night. As expected it was not very good but I did meet a few runners including a runner from Sweden. He knew a mutual friend of ours from Sweden that I expected to see there but learned that he is injured.
Sunday was M –day! Woke up at 3:30am to catch the 4:15am bus to the start line. I had already established my race strategy – start out at an 8-minute pace to take advantage of the cool temps in the dark, early morning and then just try to hang on and survive when the sun came up! At the 5am start it was dark and the weather was a cool 75F, 100% humidity and windy! We had a few rain sprinkles during the first 5K that seemed to cool us down. There were distance markers and aid/water stations at every mile. The streets in the center of Georgetown had been closed down but after we left town the roads were open to traffic and there was only traffic control at the intersections. However there was very little traffic and the few vehicles using the road were friendly and courteous so there were no problems. Part of the course had streetlights but there were also sections that were so dark that I couldn’t even see the road or my feet! I reached mile 5 in 39:53 – right on schedule. However when we made the turn at 6.5 miles we were running back into a very strong headwind from the north and it got tough especially where there was no protection from the wind!
As expected in such a small race I ran the whole race by myself because I couldn’t find anyone to follow or draft behind. My only consolation was that we were all in the same boat! By mile 8 (1:03:20) my socks and shoes were already soaked and sloshing from sweat and my hear rate was averaging 10bps higher than normal. I ignored the higher rate since I knew it was due to the extra workload on the old ticker trying to keep the old bod cooled down! I reached mile 10 in 1:19:22. By then I had started pouring a bottle of water OVER my body at each water stop to try to cool it down. I passed the finish line for the Half-marathon in 1:44:58. Can’t get much closer than that to an 8-minute pace?
But I already knew that I couldn’t/wouldn’t be able to hold that pace on the second loop. The second loop was even lonelier since there were no longer half-marathoners. As I approached the final turn-around near 20 miles I started counting the marathoners coming back towards the finish line. I counted FOUR! Number 4 was a gent with a head of silver/gray hair and I figured he might be in my age group. But he had at least a ½ mile or 4 to 5 minutes lead on me and he was still running smooth and easy and I didn’t believe I could catch him unless he crashed on the final 10K?
I passed 20 miles in 2:40:38. But as I headed back into town and directly into that fierce headwind from the North I started to slow down. By mile 23 the sun had burned through the clouds. Again I couldn’t really complain as we had been lucky. I had expected the sun much sooner. But the heat of the sun, humidity and wind all combined were making it very tough and I started to struggle. I couldn’t see any runners in front or behind me and there was just no motivation/incentive to hurt like Hell! I t would not change my position/place in the race. I considered slowing down to a jog and cruising the last 5K. But OH NO! The Maddog wasn’t haven’t any of that wimpish/loser attitude or talk! He demanded that I push harder or at least hold the pace to train the old bod how to run through pain and exhaustion. So I tried to hold the pace – 8:40s by now and I couldn’t believe how much it could hurt to run so slow? Finally I turned back into the center of Georgetown and crossed the finish line in 3:33:43.
As I passed through the finish chute I noticed that there was no line at the massage tables so I walked straight over to a table and asked a pretty young masseuse to work on my quads and my right plantar fascia. The plantar had really started to hurt over the last 10K but again I couldn’t complain since I shouldn’t have run the race in the first place. The plantar has been bugging me ever since Europe and it ‘Needs A Rest’ in order to heal! After my wonderful massage I found the race results and discovered that I did know how to count. I had indeed finished in 5th place overall in the marathon. I had only finished one minute behind #4 (Mr. Gray Hair) so he must have faded badly over the last 10K also. He was 50 years old but the age groups were very strange – 55 to 64 – so I had also finished 1st in my age group! Not a bad day?
Since the award ceremony wasn’t being held until 11am I had a volunteer drive me back to the hotel to soak my legs and have a shower. I returned to watch the awards and check the final results. The only disappointment or criticism I have of the race and organization came at this event. The web site initially advertised or stated that there would be age group awards. That is where I noted the strange age groups. But at the award ceremony they only gave out awards/prizes for the first 3 places overall in each race. I overheard many of the runners stating that they were disappointed/upset that no age group awards had been provided as originally advertised on the website? I assume the unannounced change was due to the small number of runners (or lack of sponsors)?
After the race I did consider doing an afternoon dive but decided I was too sore and stiff to dive. Unfortunately the seas were too rough for snorkeling because of the high winds so I was forced to sit around the pool bar and drink strawberry daiquiris all afternoon while watching NFL games. My gosh – those daiquiris were good! Usually after a race I crave red meat and protein but decided that I should eat a nice dinner indigent to the Caymans so I found a lovely restaurant on the beach and enjoyed a great dinner of sea turtle steak and lobster.
I returned home to discover that the weather had been very cool/cold while I was gone. So the only regret that I have about the trip is that I did not schedule enough time to make a few dives.
Now I am going to do something very unusual for me and I don’t care what the Maddog says. I am going to take a week – maybe two - off from running and rest the plantar and a few other minor aches. I need to get healthy again so that I can start serious speed work to get ready for Boston in 2004! Stay tuned!
Cayman Islands
12/05 to 12/08/03
If you recall my last international trip report (Montenegro) indicated that there wasn’t supposed to be another international trip or marathon until India in Jan 2004.
Well, this trip was a surprise to me also! When I returned from Europe I had two more races planned – Maryland and Florida. But I decided that I needed to run one more race in Dec to keep the old bod tuned up for marathons. I wanted to go to Kiawah Island, SC in mid –Dec but that race had reached its limit and wouldn’t accept any more entries. What to do and where to go now? As I scanned the race calendars I was trying to choose between Jacksonville, FL and Dallas, TX. Jacksonville would be easy and cheap to get to but the course is boring. I have run White Rock in Dallas many times but at least I could run the marathon with some old running buddies from Dallas and visit my brother in Fort Worth?
Then a race caught my eye. The Cayman Islands Marathon on Dec7/03! I didn’t even know that there was a marathon in the Cayman Islands? A quick search for airfares sealed the decision. I found a special/cheap airfare for $239! Heck, it was cheaper to fly to the Caymans than Dallas! And I would need to run the Caymans eventually to complete a ‘soft’ goal of running every country in North America! Might as well do it now because many of these races don’t stay around too long? I asked my sports manager if she wanted to go? She thought about it for 30 seconds and replied “NO”! I was a wee bit surprised since the Caymans are at least a step up from the Balkans. I guess she is serious about not going to any more international marathons?
As the day approached to depart I was very happy about the choice I had made. The weather forecast was calling for another cold front blowing through Florida that weekend (thanks to those damn Canucks in Tundraland). I would miss it!
I arrived in Georgetown – the capital of the Cayman Islands – on Friday afternoon. The race director had sent an email out earlier that week stating that they would provide transportation from the airport to the hotels and to the race for international runners. I accepted their offer because it saved me more than $30 in taxis fares. It was a nice touch/service that isn’t normally provided by a race.
There are three islands in the Caymans: Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Grand Cayman is the largest island where the capital and all the businesses and banks are located. There is very little development on the sister islands. My hotel was located on the south end of the famous Seven Mile Beach about 1-½ miles from the center of Georgetown so I was able to walk to most of the shops, restaurants and pubs. I had arrived late afternoon on Friday and quickly determined that the Caymans are like most Caribbean islands – the shops and businesses do not keep long hours. The shops close at 5pm on weekdays, noon on Sat and don’t open on Sunday. Nobody is going to die from work stress in the Caribbean!
I had wanted to do a few dives on Sat because the Caymans are famous for great diving but I was concerned about picking up my race package on Sat and I also wanted to shop for my typical souvenirs. So I had to pass on the dive packages/tours on Sat. At race registration I met the race director and learned that it was a very small race/event. There were three races – a marathon, marathon relay and a half marathon. A total of 200 runners in all three races – only 20 ‘crazies’ running the full marathon! All three races started together in the center of Georgetown at 5am on Sunday. The course ran south from town 6.5 miles then looped back to the start/finish line. The crazies would have to run the loop twice! The weather was forecast to be stormy and windy due to a tropical storm in the Caribbean.
By Sat afternoon I had completed all my chores and toured much of the island on foot. It did not take long to determine that there is not much to do or see in the Caymans other than diving. And the Caymans are very expensive like most of the Caribbean. Restaurants and bars charge big city/US prices. The Cayman dollar is worth $1.25 US so that makes things even more expensive! Instead of eating at the hotels and tourist restaurants I was able to find a few local shacks/diners where the food was great and much more reasonable. I don’t normally eat the pasta dinners provided by the race but decided to join my fellow runners at the host Marriott Hotel for the pre-race pasta dinner on Sat night. As expected it was not very good but I did meet a few runners including a runner from Sweden. He knew a mutual friend of ours from Sweden that I expected to see there but learned that he is injured.
Sunday was M –day! Woke up at 3:30am to catch the 4:15am bus to the start line. I had already established my race strategy – start out at an 8-minute pace to take advantage of the cool temps in the dark, early morning and then just try to hang on and survive when the sun came up! At the 5am start it was dark and the weather was a cool 75F, 100% humidity and windy! We had a few rain sprinkles during the first 5K that seemed to cool us down. There were distance markers and aid/water stations at every mile. The streets in the center of Georgetown had been closed down but after we left town the roads were open to traffic and there was only traffic control at the intersections. However there was very little traffic and the few vehicles using the road were friendly and courteous so there were no problems. Part of the course had streetlights but there were also sections that were so dark that I couldn’t even see the road or my feet! I reached mile 5 in 39:53 – right on schedule. However when we made the turn at 6.5 miles we were running back into a very strong headwind from the north and it got tough especially where there was no protection from the wind!
As expected in such a small race I ran the whole race by myself because I couldn’t find anyone to follow or draft behind. My only consolation was that we were all in the same boat! By mile 8 (1:03:20) my socks and shoes were already soaked and sloshing from sweat and my hear rate was averaging 10bps higher than normal. I ignored the higher rate since I knew it was due to the extra workload on the old ticker trying to keep the old bod cooled down! I reached mile 10 in 1:19:22. By then I had started pouring a bottle of water OVER my body at each water stop to try to cool it down. I passed the finish line for the Half-marathon in 1:44:58. Can’t get much closer than that to an 8-minute pace?
But I already knew that I couldn’t/wouldn’t be able to hold that pace on the second loop. The second loop was even lonelier since there were no longer half-marathoners. As I approached the final turn-around near 20 miles I started counting the marathoners coming back towards the finish line. I counted FOUR! Number 4 was a gent with a head of silver/gray hair and I figured he might be in my age group. But he had at least a ½ mile or 4 to 5 minutes lead on me and he was still running smooth and easy and I didn’t believe I could catch him unless he crashed on the final 10K?
I passed 20 miles in 2:40:38. But as I headed back into town and directly into that fierce headwind from the North I started to slow down. By mile 23 the sun had burned through the clouds. Again I couldn’t really complain as we had been lucky. I had expected the sun much sooner. But the heat of the sun, humidity and wind all combined were making it very tough and I started to struggle. I couldn’t see any runners in front or behind me and there was just no motivation/incentive to hurt like Hell! I t would not change my position/place in the race. I considered slowing down to a jog and cruising the last 5K. But OH NO! The Maddog wasn’t haven’t any of that wimpish/loser attitude or talk! He demanded that I push harder or at least hold the pace to train the old bod how to run through pain and exhaustion. So I tried to hold the pace – 8:40s by now and I couldn’t believe how much it could hurt to run so slow? Finally I turned back into the center of Georgetown and crossed the finish line in 3:33:43.
As I passed through the finish chute I noticed that there was no line at the massage tables so I walked straight over to a table and asked a pretty young masseuse to work on my quads and my right plantar fascia. The plantar had really started to hurt over the last 10K but again I couldn’t complain since I shouldn’t have run the race in the first place. The plantar has been bugging me ever since Europe and it ‘Needs A Rest’ in order to heal! After my wonderful massage I found the race results and discovered that I did know how to count. I had indeed finished in 5th place overall in the marathon. I had only finished one minute behind #4 (Mr. Gray Hair) so he must have faded badly over the last 10K also. He was 50 years old but the age groups were very strange – 55 to 64 – so I had also finished 1st in my age group! Not a bad day?
Since the award ceremony wasn’t being held until 11am I had a volunteer drive me back to the hotel to soak my legs and have a shower. I returned to watch the awards and check the final results. The only disappointment or criticism I have of the race and organization came at this event. The web site initially advertised or stated that there would be age group awards. That is where I noted the strange age groups. But at the award ceremony they only gave out awards/prizes for the first 3 places overall in each race. I overheard many of the runners stating that they were disappointed/upset that no age group awards had been provided as originally advertised on the website? I assume the unannounced change was due to the small number of runners (or lack of sponsors)?
After the race I did consider doing an afternoon dive but decided I was too sore and stiff to dive. Unfortunately the seas were too rough for snorkeling because of the high winds so I was forced to sit around the pool bar and drink strawberry daiquiris all afternoon while watching NFL games. My gosh – those daiquiris were good! Usually after a race I crave red meat and protein but decided that I should eat a nice dinner indigent to the Caymans so I found a lovely restaurant on the beach and enjoyed a great dinner of sea turtle steak and lobster.
I returned home to discover that the weather had been very cool/cold while I was gone. So the only regret that I have about the trip is that I did not schedule enough time to make a few dives.
Now I am going to do something very unusual for me and I don’t care what the Maddog says. I am going to take a week – maybe two - off from running and rest the plantar and a few other minor aches. I need to get healthy again so that I can start serious speed work to get ready for Boston in 2004! Stay tuned!
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