TRIP REPORT
BHUTAN
8/31 –9/11/08
Part 2
Now where were we? Oh yes – we had arrived in Thimphu and were eager to meet the other groups of ’guest’ runners. After checking into the hotel and enjoying a morning tea break Khandu informed us that the rest of the day was free until we joined up with the other guests at 3 pm for a bus tour of the marathon course. He asked if he could drive us anywhere. We all agreed that we would like a short drive/tour around Thimphu to get the layout of the city.
As we started our drive around the city Khandu suggested that we drive out to the Motithang Takin Preserve to see Bhutan’s national animal – the Takin that is a cross between a goat and a cow. This became a contentious/sore point for me. One of my chief complaints with the tour and tour agency was the lack of a formal itinerary and lack of information. Because I was expecting a short tour of the city I did not bring my camera. Thankfully Corinna brought her camera and promised to send me some photos of the Takins! After seeing the Takins we drove back into the city and went to the only Italian restaurant in Bhutan for lunch. I ordered a pizza with lots of pepperoni and meat – my 2nd best meal in Bhutan! Thimphu is very small and compact so the tour was short and I decided to go shopping for souvenirs. I had seen a unique Bhutanese musical instrument in the shops in Paro but decided to wait till Thimphu where I expected there would be better selections and prices. Much to my surprise and chagrin I could not find the instruments in Thimphu? I returned to the hotel to meet the other guest runners including an old running friend and fellow Country Club member, Andy, who was also adding another country to his list. Andy and I had just met recently when we ran the Estes Park Marathon - ’the Highest Paved Marathon in the World’. We were curious how this marathon course would compare to Estes Park?
There were 15 guest runners –13 running the marathon and 2 running the Half and 3 spouses who were not running. We loaded onto a bus and began our tour of the course.
Again I didn’t bring a camera because I believed it to be strictly a drive/tour of the course? The course started in downtown Thimphu near the National Stadium (elev. 2320m/7650ft) and climbed gently along the right bank of the Wang Chhu (river). At 7 Km it crossed the Dechencholing Bridge to the left bank (2384m/7867ft) and at 7.9Km the two courses (marathon & Half) diverged. The marathon course began to climb the 1st BAH (Bad Ass Hill) to 2508m/8276ft past some water towers where it turned north and entered a pine forest where there were a series of short BAHs until it reached the Begana Bridge (2510m/8283ft) at 15Km. The course then climbed another BAH through oak forests to a turnaround point near the Cheri Goemba (monastery) at 17.9Km and 2583m/8524ft. We stopped at the monastery for a photo op – except for Maddog who had no camera! The course then looped back over the Begana Bridge and past a large gold-painted petroglyph of Chenrisig on a rock beside the road (again no camera for a photo!).
The course continued to retrace the route back to the BAH at the water tower and down to the bridge at Dechencholing where it rejoined the Half marathon course. It then turned into an army base and passed the Queen Mother’s Palace as it climbed up into the mountains overlooking Thimphu from the west. At 32Km the course climbed the final BAH – 5Km long and reached an elevation of 2480m/8200ft before descending back into the city and the finish line. As the bus chugged/strained up that final BAH I commented to the group that “this hill will be an ‘absolute bitch’ tomorrow”! Andy and I and agreed that the course looked much tougher than Estes Park because of the number of BAHs. I finished Estes Park in 4:13 but felt I was in much better shape for this race so my target remained 4 hrs but I expected to finish between 4:00 and 4:15?
The itinerary called for a pasta dinner and party that evening but again there was a serious lack of information. I had learned my lesson and carried a camera but they neglected to advise us that the party would be held outside? It was cold at 7pm and most runners had not dressed properly so it was difficult to enjoy the wonderful dancers and singers who entertained us with traditional songs and dances. Luckily we moved inside for the pre-race dinner and another nasty surprise! The pasta and rice were served COLD! Now I do admit that I am set/rigid in my pre-race diet requirements. I always-always- eat HOT spaghetti bolognaise and will not deviate from this proven routine! I hate COLD food so I refused to eat any of the pasta dinner. I wanted to leave and go back to the Italian restaurant for ‘real’ food but didn’t want to be rude. So instead I returned to the hotel hungry and ate a power bar for my pre-race dinner and hoped that the huge pizza I ate for lunch would carry me through the race?
Since I was not in a good mood at that point I informed my roommate that if he woke me up (again) in the middle of the night (3am) chomping or nibbling on a power bar I would change his nickname from ‘MadMonk’ to ‘Chipmunk’! Either he got the message or ran out of power bars and I got a full night’s sleep before the race!
The races started at 6:30am but Khandu drove us to the start line at 5:30 so we could enjoy the opening ceremony – a traditional Marchhang ceremony to invoke the deities for the protection and good luck of all runners. Khandu became our ‘de facto’ Sports Manager and promised to follow us around the course so I gave him my back-up camera to take photos along the course. In addition to the 15 ‘guest’ runners there were more than 100 local runners. The races were treated as two separate events. There was no doubt that the locals would kick our butts. The locals did not pay an entry fee (most would not enter if they had to pay) and were eligible for cash awards equivalent to two months salary (paid from the $300 entry fee charged to the guest runners). There were no awards for guests! All we got for our $300 was a race T-shirt and a finisher’s medal and certificate! And the results were kept separate.
The weather was nice at the start- cloudy and temps in the low 50sF. The race started on time and the locals took off like rockets. Also one guest runner took off very fast – a young male runner from Norway? I let him go figuring that the hills and elevation would soon slow him down? I ran with some local and guest runners for the first 7Km. After I crossed the Dechencholing Bridge a young German runner passed me and I decided to let him go also but to keep him in sight. As we started climbing the 1st BAH I was determined to run the entire hill. However as we approached the top of the BAH near the water towers my legs were churning madly but they felt like they were moving in ’slow motion’? I figured I could power walk faster and easier than I was supposedly running!
I was correct but I was also concerned that I was setting a bad precedent very early in the race? We turned on to the side road and entered the pine forest. As I crossed the Benang Bridge over the Wang Chhu at 15Km I met the three local leaders of the race. That meant they had a 6Km lead on me at that point and I knew I would not see them again! I started the climb up the BAH to the turnaround point at Cheri Goemba and was disappointed that I had to start power walking again? As I approached the turn point I met the young Norwegian and then the German runner and timed my split to the turn point. I calculated that the Norwegian had a 6 min lead and the German about 4 minutes. I remembered the distance at that point (17.9Km/11m) and was not concerned because I figured/hoped the hills and elevation would slow them down? The return leg down the BAH and back to the bridge was easy and I was able to haul ass! However once I crossed the bridge I was faced again with the series of short BAHs. The gold – painted petroglyph took my mind off the BAHs and pain for a few minutes and soon I reached a water station – the only station that knew what the distance was – 23.3Km. I looked at my watch – 2:05! A sub 4-hr finish was not looking good because the 2nd Half had a lot of BAHs and elevation change? But I kept on pushing the pace. A few minutes later I heard a loud noise/commotion and a tribe of 20/30 monkeys clamored out of the forest and crossed the road in front of me. I didn’t want to threaten their territory so I stopped immediately and retreated while they crossed the road. A few minutes later I met the MadMonk coming in the opposite direction and hoped that he would have an opportunity to see the monkeys. (He did).
Soon I reached the main road and the top of the BAH at the water towers. I was looking forward to that BAH this time – a 2Km steep descent! I hauled ass hoping that I might close within sight of the youngsters ahead of me. However when I reached the water station where the course rejoined the Half (26.9Km) there was no sign of the youngsters. I realized I would not catch them unless they crashed on the final BAH? I began the climb in to the mountains west of the city and enjoyed some nice views of Thimphu (when I wasn’t grimacing with pain). And finally I reached the section of the course I was dreading – the final BAH that climbed steeply/relentlessly for 5km! It did not take long for my prediction to come true! After 1 Km of climbing/running my legs again felt like they were moving in super slow motion? That BAH was an ‘Absolute Bitch”! I developed a strategy to walk 30 secs/run 2 min and managed to maintain that cycle except for a few very steep sections where it became walk 30 secs/run 30 secs! I was becoming concerned that I might not finish under 4:30 with all the walking that I had to do?
I reached a water station near the top of the BAH. No water! That didn’t upset me as much as the fact that the volunteer had no idea what the distance was or how far it was to the finish line! I needed to know how far it was to the finish line so I could determine how hard I needed to push the pace? I decided to push the pace to the top of that BAH/Absolute Bitch! When I finally crested that BAH a support car came by and gave me a bottle of water. I asked “How far to the finish line”? The answer was useless – “30 minutes”! 30 minutes for whom? I looked at my watch – it was just under 4 hours! If he was correct I would be lucky to finish under 4:30? Maddog screamed at me “That is not acceptable”! I agreed and we decided that I had to push the pace – all out- to the finish line. If I crashed at least I would go down in flames trying! I figured it was 4 or 5Km to the finish line – and all downhill. I hauled ass and soon was pleasantly surprised/rewarded when I made a sharp turn at a large Stupa. I remembered that Stupa was approximately 1 mile from the finish line. I looked at my watch – about 4:05! I was then confident that I could finish under 4:15 and qualify for Boston. That final mile was a very steep downhill so I stretched out my stride and used gravity to fly down that hill. I reached the bottom of that BAH and downtown Thimphu at 4:10 and could see the finish line on the other side of the Wang Chhu! I looked at the bridge. The sidewalk was crowded with pedestrians that would impede my path/speed and there was no traffic control on the bridge. I decided to take a chance and charged down the middle of the traffic lane forcing and trusting cars to avoid me? I made it across the bridge safely and begged the old bod to give me one final jolt of adrenalin so I could sprint up the final, short/steep hill to cross the finish line in 4:13:23!
The youngsters were waiting at the finish line. The Norwegian had finished in 4:01 and the German in 4:08. I was not disappointed – they were half my age and I had finished in 3rd place (among the guest runners). And it turned out that I was the only runner (including the locals) who finished that tough course with a BQ time! I was pleased! I waited at the finish line for the first guest female to finish (from Hong Kong) in 4:33. Then I decided I might as well walk back to the hotel for a long hot shower since the MM would not finish for another two hours. After a much-needed shower I met several of my fellow runners in the hotel lobby. Everyone agreed with my course assessment – it was tough and that last BAH was an ’Absolute Bitch’. Andy and I agreed that it was much tougher than Estes Park but the strange coincidence was that I finished in the exact same time as Estes Park and Andy finished exactly one hour behind me – the same as Estes Park?
Most runners were going to lunch at the hotel but I can’t eat after a race so I walked back to the finish line to wait for the MadMonk. The race director had assigned two teenagers to accompany the MM through the 2nd half and he was in constant contact with the volunteers. When the MM reached the Stupa near the finish I walked backwards on the course to escort him to the finish line. He finished in 6:53:26. He was a very tired puppy – but he had survived! He was the last guest to finish but NOT the last runner. A local couple, Japanese expats living in Bhutan, finished 5 minutes later. The race director, Penjo, called all guests to reassemble at the finish area for the awards ceremony. The cash awards were presented to the local winners and all the guests received a finisher’s medal and certificate.
Everyone returned to the hotel. While MM enjoyed a hot shower Penjo asked Andy and I to meet with him to provide feedback and comments to improve the race. We were glad to do so over a few well-deserved beers. Penjo indicated that he planned to hold two marathons next year. One in the Spring in the Punakha Valley where the elevation is lower and the course would be flatter and then probably repeat the same marathon and course that we ran in the Fall? By that time I was starving since I hadn’t eaten in over 24 hrs. I asked Penjo to perform a miracle and find me a Yak steak. He tried valiantly and called more than a dozen restaurants in Thimphu – but alas no Yak steaks to be had? So he drove me to the Italian restaurant where the owner/chef cooked us a BIG pork chop with potatoes. The BEST meal I ate in Bhutan!
After that great meal I visited several more handicraft shops in the hopes of finding my musical instruments but no luck. I wasn’t concerned since we would return to Paro and I could buy them there. I did find all the other souvenirs I needed so most of my shopping was done. Later that evening Andy’s group invited us to go to the Italian restaurant for dinner. I thought that was a great idea but the rest of my group wanted to go to a small local restaurant for ‘typical’ Bhutanese food- read “veggie’. I don’t know why I agreed because I refused to eat any veggie crap and ordered a dish of chicken with chili peppers. It was spicy but tasty but I really wished I had gone back to the Italian restaurant for ‘real’ food!
The following day most of the groups parted ways and continued on their different tours. We were scheduled to drive to the Punakha Valley. Although it was only 76 Km it was a 3 –hr drive because it was necessary to drive over a pass at Docha Lu (3140m/10,362ft) and then descend to Punakha (1250m/4125ft). We made a short stop at Simtokha to take photos of the Simtokha Dzong built in 1629. Then we began the long drive that was tough on Khandu and scary for his guests! The road is paved but is a narrow, single lane and it can be a scary challenge when you meet another vehicle! Both cars must swerve on to the shoulder and there are no guardrails to prevent a car from plummeting 3000+feet off the sides of the mountains! However in a few hours we safely reached Docha Lu where there was a large array of prayer flags and a collection of 108 chortens built in 2005 to commemorate the loss of life caused by the flushing out of Assamese militants in Southern Bhutan. As usual the chortens were shrouded in rain clouds. A few hours later we had descended safely to Punakha valley and checked into a hotel in Wangdue. Due to the low elevation of Punakha Valley and the warm climate the valley is very fertile and provides two crops of rice and tropical fruit such as oranges and bananas. The scenery was spectacular with terraced rice fields climbing up the sides of the mountains.
After a short rest and lunch we drove up the valley to visit the Punakha Dzong, one of Bhutan’s most impressive dzongs. It sits at the confluence of the Mo Chhu (Mother River) and Pho Chhu (Father River). Punakha was the capital of Bhutan for more than 300 years so the dzong was the seat of government power. After visiting the dzong we were scheduled to visit a monastery that required a short hike. However Corinna was suffering from a sprained ankle and could barely walk and the MM was still exhausted from the marathon so we rebelled and told Khandu that we would take photos from the road! We decided to head back to the hotel to rest, use the Internet and drink beer!
The following morning MD and MM wanted to do a short run so we left the hotel at 6am and headed south on the highway. About 2 Km from the hotel we reached a police checkpoint. MD stopped and explained that he was jogging and wanted to run another 5 km past the checkpoint? The guard looked at him like he was crazy and said, ”OK, have a good day sir”! After turning around I met many kids walking to school. They were very friendly and curious wanting to know where I was from, etc. I really enjoyed talking to the kids! After breakfast we were scheduled to visit our last dzong – the Wangdue Phrodrang Dzong on the edge of Wangdue at the confluence of the Punak Tsang Chhu and the Dang Chhu. But first we asked Khandu to drive us to the Wangdue Elementary School where we would donate our final school supplies. We arrived as the morning assembly was being dismissed and got to talk to a lot of the students. Then we found the principal who gladly accepted our gifts. Needless to say we felt quite pleased/happy with ourselves when we left the school. Then it was on to the dzong. The Wangdue Dzong was built in 1638 and was the most authentic dzong we visited. Most of the architecture and buildings were original. Also we arrived at an opportune time. There were many local Buddhist laymen practicing dances for an upcoming festival in the courtyard and we were invited into a building to watch Bhutanese women rehearsing songs and dances for the festival. And then we were invited into the temple to watch some student Monks performing a ceremony and lastly invited into a classroom where students were being taught.
That was the best visit of a dzong – either because of the above activities or maybe because it was the LAST? By then we were completely dzong’d and temple’d out!
So we headed back to Thimpu and the long scary ride over Docha Lu pass. We arrived in Thimphu in time for lunch – you guessed it – another veggie lunch! However by then I had resolved that I did not want to see or eat any more rice or green veggies for at least 3 months! I refused to eat any more veggies! Instead I ordered a big plate of French Fries – hot, greasy chips made from scratch with fresh potatoes. They were wonderful! The 3rd best meal I ate in Bhutan!
We then continued our drive/journey back to Paro. When we reached Paro I insisted that Khandu drive us to a few handicraft shops so I could buy my musical instruments. I can’t tell you what they were because they are Xmas gifts for our kids and they (hopefully) read these reports. But they will make a great addition to their collection of unique musical instruments from around the world. I also insisted on one more stop – to buy a birthday cake! After we checked into the same hotel Corinna enjoyed a hot stone bath while MD and MM enjoyed a Thai massage before dinner. Then I went to the bar to gorge myself on peanuts and Bhutanese beer knowing that it would be unlikely that I could/would eat any (veggie) dinner! But I did enjoy the birthday cake after we sung Happy Birthday to celebrate Khandu’s 28th birthday!
The next morning I believe Khandu was happy to be finished with his babysitting duties as he dropped us off at the Paro airport for our flights to Bangkok. Since MD and MM had an early flight home the next day we booked a hotel near the airport. Unfortunately it was located in a local/industrial area and the only decent restaurant was at the hotel- a Seafood restaurant. I was really looking forward to a BIG beefsteak but had to enjoy a nice seafood dinner instead. The following morning we started our 32-hr journey home. I arrived in a snowstorm late Thu night! Didn’t sleep much because of jetlag but when I did get up I realized that winter is on its way to the High Country! The Aspens are turning golden and the mountaintops have a fresh dusting of snow – both are signs that it is time to leave Colorado!
We will stay for one more week to close up the house and pack for the long drive to Florida. We must be back in FL by the end of Sept because I plan to leave from FL for my next marathon/adventure in Nicaragua in early Oct!
Stay tuned!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
TR - Bhutan - Part 1
TRIP REPORT
BHUTAN
8/31 – 9/11/08
Part 1
Race Results
Bhutan International Marathon
Thimphu, Bhutan
Sun, Sept 7/08
Marathon #308 – Country #93
4:13:23 – 3 OA – 1 AG
Country #93 – THREE down – SEVEN to go!
The next question is “Where is Bhutan”? It is a landlocked country in the Himalayan Mountains bordered on the north by China/Tibet and on all other sides by India.
Bhutan’s early history is steeped in Buddhist folklore and Buddhism is still the main religion and cultural influence. The Kingdom is ruled by a King who decided to move the country from an absolute monarchy to a democratic constitutional monarchy in 2008 that is committed to improving the GNH (Gross National Happiness) of the country and its citizens. The small population (about 700,000) is friendly and sincere.
I had first considered running a marathon in Bhutan in 2001 when the first and only other marathon was held. But the country is very difficult and expensive to visit. The number of tourists is restricted (less than 20,000 per year) and all ‘guests’ (except those from India) must be invited and escorted by a Bhutanese travel agency at all times. There is a tourist tax of $250/day included in the tour package that can only be purchased from a Bhutanese agency! Bottom line – it is not cheap to visit Bhutan! However in my quest to run 100 countries I felt that now was the time - I had better visit Bhutan when I had the chance because there may not be another marathon? And I am not getting any younger!
When I mentioned my trip to some other runners/friends only one – my good friend Frank (aka – the MadMonk) from Sarasota expressed interest and actually booked the trip - and agreed to share a room with me. There is only one airport in the country – in Paro – and only the National airline – Druk Airways – is allowed to fly into the country. We decided to connect to Druk in Bangkok and arrived in Bangkok a few days early to allow time to recover from the expected jet lag before traveling on to Bhutan. As expected when Maddog and MadMonk arrived in Bangkok in mid-afternoon after 32 hours of travel time we were totally wiped out from jet lag. We forced ourselves to stay awake as long as possible. MM succumbed before dinner and crashed at 5 pm. MD managed to eat a light dinner and crashed at 7 pm. We both slept 12 hours and felt much better the next day.
Our families sent us frantic emails warning us that the PM of Thailand had declared a state of emergency the day we arrived! We had heard the same news on the BBC news channel but our hotel was located on the outskirts of the city and we had not noticed any turmoil or problems in the streets? We booked a city and temple tour for the afternoon and decided to visit the Grand Palace on our own during the morning. We didn’t see any turmoil/problems when we arrived in the old section of Bangkok but there were lots of police and military armed with machine guns? We had foolishly dressed in shorts because of the hot/humid weather. I knew that it was forbidden to visit temples without trousers but I didn’t think the same rule applied to the Palace? As we approached the entrance to the Palace a smart local entrepreneur reminded us that we could not enter the Palace and ‘rented’ us a pair of trousers. Actually they looked more like Thai pajamas? We agreed that we would never tell anybody or let anybody see the photos of the biggest/silliest-looking dorks in the world visiting the Grand Palace in PJs – but then I figured “how can we laugh at others if we can’t laugh at ourselves”? So enjoy your laughs! (see photos).
In spite of many laughs and snickers from other tourists we enjoyed our visit of the Grand Palace and the Wat Phra Kaew with its revered Emerald Buddha. MM wanted to take a tuk-tuk back to the hotel which turned out to be a bad choice as we sucked up (too many) exhaust fumes in the 5-mile drive! Later that day - and after a wise change into trousers – we toured the old city of Bangkok and visited (too) many Buddhist temples. Again we did not see any political protests or problems? But most of the protests seemed to occur at night and we were in bed by 8pm! Since we had a (ugly) 4:30 am departure for Bhutan the next day we enjoyed a great seafood dinner and were in bed by 8 pm. Five hours later we had to get up and head to the airport! Out Druk Air flight connected via Calcutta, India and arrived in Paro about 8 am on Sept 4. We were finally in Bhutan!
A tour guide from the travel agency that had organized the marathon and trip met us at the airport. We soon learned that Khandu would be our dedicated guide (and babysitter) for our entire stay in Bhutan. There was one other runner in our group – a lovely young lady from Germany. Corinna had only decided in the past few weeks to run the marathon. We were amazed to learn that a tour guide was dedicated to each group or individual guest that arrived at different dates or had a different length of stay? Khandu checked us into a hotel in Paro and I watched in amusement as MM let some young Bhutanese ladies carry his luggage to our room? After breakfast and checking out the grounds of the Hotel Gangtey Palace – an old palace that had been converted to a hotel – the MD and MM decided to do a run. Paro is the 2nd largest city in Bhutan with a population of 9,000 (no error in the zeroes). The town and surrounding area was very rural which was perfect. We couldn’t run in Bangkok because of the traffic and pollution and we needed to run! We ran down the mountain and through the town. The roads were very narrow with no shoulder but there was very little traffic. The biggest problem was dogs – hundreds of stray dogs – lying around the streets/roads in town and outside the town? Fortunately they were not mean or aggressive – they just lie in the middle of the roads and force cars and people to go around them? I couldn’t believe that they wouldn’t move for cars? They would be dead in minutes in the US? After our much-needed run and endorphin kick we enjoyed a nice (vegetarian) lunch at the hotel.
After my trip to Nepal to run the Everest Marathon I expected to eat a lot of vegetarian meals but it did become a problem before the end of the trip. Our little group was very compatible except for one thing – Corinna was a ‘Vegan’ and Maddog was a ‘Carnivore’.
Corinna asked/demanded that all the veggies be prepared w/o butter or dairy products, etc and MD demanded meat – BIG pieces of meat – NOT the tiny bits of meat that were served in a typical Asian stir-fry. I had expected that I could always buy a Yak steak but there was none to be found?
After lunch Khandu took us on a guided tour of the National Museum in Paro. The Museum used to be a watchtower for the Paro Dzong (fortress) but was renovated in 1968 to house the National Museum. At the end of an interesting tour MD and MM asked Khandu to drop us off in town to explore the town and do some shopping. Khandu was hesitant/concerned about leaving us alone because he was supposed to baby-sit us 24 x 7 but he soon realized that wasn’t going to happen. We walked back to the hotel in time for dinner (veggie of course)! Since the hotel had no TV, telephone or Internet we went to bed early to prepare for a tough hike the next day!
The next morning MD and MM walked down the hill from the hotel to the Taju Elementary School after breakfast before starting the day’s activities. We had brought school supplies that we wanted to give to local Bhutanese kids and we figured what better way than to donate them to a school? We arrived at a very opportune time – the kids were assembled in the schoolyard for morning assembly. We watched as the kids stood quietly at attention in their school uniforms while a few classmates read short essays and then everyone sang the national anthem. After the assembly was dismissed many of the kids approached us politely to ask who we were and where we were from? I thought “I sure wish we could send our kids from the USA (and insert the name of your country here) to Bhutan for a few years to learn a lesson in humility and discipline”? We found the principal and explained that we wanted to donate some school supplies to the kids. He gladly accepted our gifts and explained that he would use them as prizes/rewards for good grades. Our good deed done we returned to the hotel to prepare for the day’s activities.
The itinerary called for a long/tough hike up to Taktshang Goemba – the most famous of Bhutan’s monasteries, miraculously perched on the side of a sheer cliff 900m/3000ft above the floor of the Paro valley. The name means ‘Tiger’s Nest’ – it is said that Guru Rinpoche flew to the site of the monastery on the back of a tigress, a manifestation of his consort Yeshe Tsogyal, to subdue the local demon, Singey Samdrup. He then meditated in a cave for three months. The only way up to the Tiger’s Nest is to walk, ride a horse or fly on the back of the magic tiger! I was concerned about the MM and his poor back but Khandu assured us that although the trail was steep it was soft dirt up to the top of a chasm where it became necessary to climb many steps built into the side of the cliffs to get to the monastery. MM decided he could make it to that point. Because of my excellent training on 14ers I forged ahead on the steep trail and left the group. Khandu was no fool – he stayed with the lovely young lady and MM trailed behind. I waited at several points for Khandu and Corinna to catch up and take photos. MM caught up to us at a cafeteria located at 2940m/9700ft while we were enjoying a tea break. We continued to the top of the chasm at 3140m/10,362ft where there was a small temple and you are eyeball to eyeball with the monastery – except it is on the opposite side of a chasm. The only way to get to the monastery is to descend about 200m on stone steps built into the sides of the sheer cliffs to a waterfall that drops 900m/3000ft to the valley floor and then ascend about 100m on more stone steps on the opposite cliffs to the monastery. I went into the temple and lit a butter lamp and said a prayer (you can easily guess what my prayer was). MM refused to go any further because of his delicate back and severe acrophobia so I forged ahead. My recent terrifying experience on the stone steps of the Inca Trail prepared me well for this pilgrimage. I didn’t find the steps or the sheer 3,000ft drop that terrifying and I quickly made it to the monastery. Maybe I should run the Inca Trail again next year – Nah! – NOT a Chance in Hell!
There were four temples carved/built into the side of the cliff. We were permitted to visit three of them including the cave where Guru Rinopche meditated. I made a donation and wish at the sacred cave that was never fulfilled so I am not converting to Buddhism! No photos were allowed inside the monastery so you will have to make the visit and wish on your own. We had agreed with the MM that we would all meet back at the cafeteria for lunch so I hustled back there (while Khandu and Corinna meditated) to join him. When I arrived – no MM. When Khandu finally arrived he informed me that one of his fellow tour guides had found the MM (alone) at the car and called Khandu. The MM had broken two important rules: 1) when you are on a mountain you always-always stay at the agreed-upon meeting place until your group joins you - and 2) in Bhutan you do not go off on your own without your tour guide – especially in unknown/risky situations! Thankfully Khandu had arranged for his friend to drive the MM to a restaurant while we enjoyed a (veggie) lunch at the cafeteria. When we finally picked the MM up at the restaurant I was really pissed off and told him bluntly/emphatically how foolish he had been. By the time I finished my tirade he understood that he had screwed up!
It had been a long/tough hike so we returned to the hotel in Paro for a short rest before Khandu took us to the Paro Dzong for a guided tour. The Rinchen Pung Dzong was built in 1644 to defend the Paro valley from invasions from Tibet. Like all dzongs it was built to house government offices at one end and a Buddhist temple at the other. Inside the entrance to the dzong was a very colorful painting of a ‘Wheel of Life’ depicting the six stages of life that humans go through as they progress to either Heaven or Hell! Khandu tried to explain the various stages and meanings but unless you have a basic knowledge of Buddhism it is difficult to grasp? We soon realized as we visited many more dzongs and temples that a basic knowledge of Buddhism would be very helpful when visiting Bhutan since so much of their life and culture is derived from that religion.
At the end of the dzong tour MD and MM once again asked Khandu to drop us off in town so that I could take photos of the town and locals to share with my readers.
The next day we departed early for the capital, Thimpu, to join up with the other runners/guests who would be running the marathon. On the outskirts of Paro we stopped at the Tamchhog Lhakhang, a 600-year old temple owned by the descendants of the Tibetan bridge-builder Thangtong Gyalpo. The traditional iron bridge at the temple was built using some of the original iron chains forged by Thangtong. We continued on to Chhuzom known as the ‘confluence’ at the juncture of the Paro Chhu (river) and the Wang Chhu where there were three chortens built in a different style –Bhutanese, Tibetan and Nepali. There was also a police checkpoint at Chhuzom. I asked Khandu why? He explained that the road to Thimphu was treacherous and often cars did not make it the far end and the police could look for them. I was sorry I asked!
However we did make it to Thimphu – the capital of Bhutan and the biggest city in the country with a population of 90,000. They are proud of the fact that it is the only capital city in the world without a traffic light – but there is one traffic cop at the main roundabout in the center of the city. We checked into a modern hotel in the city center where we were supposed to meet up with the rest of the runners.
And this is a convenient point to end Part 1 of this report so that you can take a break before continuing the story.
Stay tuned!
BHUTAN
8/31 – 9/11/08
Part 1
Race Results
Bhutan International Marathon
Thimphu, Bhutan
Sun, Sept 7/08
Marathon #308 – Country #93
4:13:23 – 3 OA – 1 AG
Country #93 – THREE down – SEVEN to go!
The next question is “Where is Bhutan”? It is a landlocked country in the Himalayan Mountains bordered on the north by China/Tibet and on all other sides by India.
Bhutan’s early history is steeped in Buddhist folklore and Buddhism is still the main religion and cultural influence. The Kingdom is ruled by a King who decided to move the country from an absolute monarchy to a democratic constitutional monarchy in 2008 that is committed to improving the GNH (Gross National Happiness) of the country and its citizens. The small population (about 700,000) is friendly and sincere.
I had first considered running a marathon in Bhutan in 2001 when the first and only other marathon was held. But the country is very difficult and expensive to visit. The number of tourists is restricted (less than 20,000 per year) and all ‘guests’ (except those from India) must be invited and escorted by a Bhutanese travel agency at all times. There is a tourist tax of $250/day included in the tour package that can only be purchased from a Bhutanese agency! Bottom line – it is not cheap to visit Bhutan! However in my quest to run 100 countries I felt that now was the time - I had better visit Bhutan when I had the chance because there may not be another marathon? And I am not getting any younger!
When I mentioned my trip to some other runners/friends only one – my good friend Frank (aka – the MadMonk) from Sarasota expressed interest and actually booked the trip - and agreed to share a room with me. There is only one airport in the country – in Paro – and only the National airline – Druk Airways – is allowed to fly into the country. We decided to connect to Druk in Bangkok and arrived in Bangkok a few days early to allow time to recover from the expected jet lag before traveling on to Bhutan. As expected when Maddog and MadMonk arrived in Bangkok in mid-afternoon after 32 hours of travel time we were totally wiped out from jet lag. We forced ourselves to stay awake as long as possible. MM succumbed before dinner and crashed at 5 pm. MD managed to eat a light dinner and crashed at 7 pm. We both slept 12 hours and felt much better the next day.
Our families sent us frantic emails warning us that the PM of Thailand had declared a state of emergency the day we arrived! We had heard the same news on the BBC news channel but our hotel was located on the outskirts of the city and we had not noticed any turmoil or problems in the streets? We booked a city and temple tour for the afternoon and decided to visit the Grand Palace on our own during the morning. We didn’t see any turmoil/problems when we arrived in the old section of Bangkok but there were lots of police and military armed with machine guns? We had foolishly dressed in shorts because of the hot/humid weather. I knew that it was forbidden to visit temples without trousers but I didn’t think the same rule applied to the Palace? As we approached the entrance to the Palace a smart local entrepreneur reminded us that we could not enter the Palace and ‘rented’ us a pair of trousers. Actually they looked more like Thai pajamas? We agreed that we would never tell anybody or let anybody see the photos of the biggest/silliest-looking dorks in the world visiting the Grand Palace in PJs – but then I figured “how can we laugh at others if we can’t laugh at ourselves”? So enjoy your laughs! (see photos).
In spite of many laughs and snickers from other tourists we enjoyed our visit of the Grand Palace and the Wat Phra Kaew with its revered Emerald Buddha. MM wanted to take a tuk-tuk back to the hotel which turned out to be a bad choice as we sucked up (too many) exhaust fumes in the 5-mile drive! Later that day - and after a wise change into trousers – we toured the old city of Bangkok and visited (too) many Buddhist temples. Again we did not see any political protests or problems? But most of the protests seemed to occur at night and we were in bed by 8pm! Since we had a (ugly) 4:30 am departure for Bhutan the next day we enjoyed a great seafood dinner and were in bed by 8 pm. Five hours later we had to get up and head to the airport! Out Druk Air flight connected via Calcutta, India and arrived in Paro about 8 am on Sept 4. We were finally in Bhutan!
A tour guide from the travel agency that had organized the marathon and trip met us at the airport. We soon learned that Khandu would be our dedicated guide (and babysitter) for our entire stay in Bhutan. There was one other runner in our group – a lovely young lady from Germany. Corinna had only decided in the past few weeks to run the marathon. We were amazed to learn that a tour guide was dedicated to each group or individual guest that arrived at different dates or had a different length of stay? Khandu checked us into a hotel in Paro and I watched in amusement as MM let some young Bhutanese ladies carry his luggage to our room? After breakfast and checking out the grounds of the Hotel Gangtey Palace – an old palace that had been converted to a hotel – the MD and MM decided to do a run. Paro is the 2nd largest city in Bhutan with a population of 9,000 (no error in the zeroes). The town and surrounding area was very rural which was perfect. We couldn’t run in Bangkok because of the traffic and pollution and we needed to run! We ran down the mountain and through the town. The roads were very narrow with no shoulder but there was very little traffic. The biggest problem was dogs – hundreds of stray dogs – lying around the streets/roads in town and outside the town? Fortunately they were not mean or aggressive – they just lie in the middle of the roads and force cars and people to go around them? I couldn’t believe that they wouldn’t move for cars? They would be dead in minutes in the US? After our much-needed run and endorphin kick we enjoyed a nice (vegetarian) lunch at the hotel.
After my trip to Nepal to run the Everest Marathon I expected to eat a lot of vegetarian meals but it did become a problem before the end of the trip. Our little group was very compatible except for one thing – Corinna was a ‘Vegan’ and Maddog was a ‘Carnivore’.
Corinna asked/demanded that all the veggies be prepared w/o butter or dairy products, etc and MD demanded meat – BIG pieces of meat – NOT the tiny bits of meat that were served in a typical Asian stir-fry. I had expected that I could always buy a Yak steak but there was none to be found?
After lunch Khandu took us on a guided tour of the National Museum in Paro. The Museum used to be a watchtower for the Paro Dzong (fortress) but was renovated in 1968 to house the National Museum. At the end of an interesting tour MD and MM asked Khandu to drop us off in town to explore the town and do some shopping. Khandu was hesitant/concerned about leaving us alone because he was supposed to baby-sit us 24 x 7 but he soon realized that wasn’t going to happen. We walked back to the hotel in time for dinner (veggie of course)! Since the hotel had no TV, telephone or Internet we went to bed early to prepare for a tough hike the next day!
The next morning MD and MM walked down the hill from the hotel to the Taju Elementary School after breakfast before starting the day’s activities. We had brought school supplies that we wanted to give to local Bhutanese kids and we figured what better way than to donate them to a school? We arrived at a very opportune time – the kids were assembled in the schoolyard for morning assembly. We watched as the kids stood quietly at attention in their school uniforms while a few classmates read short essays and then everyone sang the national anthem. After the assembly was dismissed many of the kids approached us politely to ask who we were and where we were from? I thought “I sure wish we could send our kids from the USA (and insert the name of your country here) to Bhutan for a few years to learn a lesson in humility and discipline”? We found the principal and explained that we wanted to donate some school supplies to the kids. He gladly accepted our gifts and explained that he would use them as prizes/rewards for good grades. Our good deed done we returned to the hotel to prepare for the day’s activities.
The itinerary called for a long/tough hike up to Taktshang Goemba – the most famous of Bhutan’s monasteries, miraculously perched on the side of a sheer cliff 900m/3000ft above the floor of the Paro valley. The name means ‘Tiger’s Nest’ – it is said that Guru Rinpoche flew to the site of the monastery on the back of a tigress, a manifestation of his consort Yeshe Tsogyal, to subdue the local demon, Singey Samdrup. He then meditated in a cave for three months. The only way up to the Tiger’s Nest is to walk, ride a horse or fly on the back of the magic tiger! I was concerned about the MM and his poor back but Khandu assured us that although the trail was steep it was soft dirt up to the top of a chasm where it became necessary to climb many steps built into the side of the cliffs to get to the monastery. MM decided he could make it to that point. Because of my excellent training on 14ers I forged ahead on the steep trail and left the group. Khandu was no fool – he stayed with the lovely young lady and MM trailed behind. I waited at several points for Khandu and Corinna to catch up and take photos. MM caught up to us at a cafeteria located at 2940m/9700ft while we were enjoying a tea break. We continued to the top of the chasm at 3140m/10,362ft where there was a small temple and you are eyeball to eyeball with the monastery – except it is on the opposite side of a chasm. The only way to get to the monastery is to descend about 200m on stone steps built into the sides of the sheer cliffs to a waterfall that drops 900m/3000ft to the valley floor and then ascend about 100m on more stone steps on the opposite cliffs to the monastery. I went into the temple and lit a butter lamp and said a prayer (you can easily guess what my prayer was). MM refused to go any further because of his delicate back and severe acrophobia so I forged ahead. My recent terrifying experience on the stone steps of the Inca Trail prepared me well for this pilgrimage. I didn’t find the steps or the sheer 3,000ft drop that terrifying and I quickly made it to the monastery. Maybe I should run the Inca Trail again next year – Nah! – NOT a Chance in Hell!
There were four temples carved/built into the side of the cliff. We were permitted to visit three of them including the cave where Guru Rinopche meditated. I made a donation and wish at the sacred cave that was never fulfilled so I am not converting to Buddhism! No photos were allowed inside the monastery so you will have to make the visit and wish on your own. We had agreed with the MM that we would all meet back at the cafeteria for lunch so I hustled back there (while Khandu and Corinna meditated) to join him. When I arrived – no MM. When Khandu finally arrived he informed me that one of his fellow tour guides had found the MM (alone) at the car and called Khandu. The MM had broken two important rules: 1) when you are on a mountain you always-always stay at the agreed-upon meeting place until your group joins you - and 2) in Bhutan you do not go off on your own without your tour guide – especially in unknown/risky situations! Thankfully Khandu had arranged for his friend to drive the MM to a restaurant while we enjoyed a (veggie) lunch at the cafeteria. When we finally picked the MM up at the restaurant I was really pissed off and told him bluntly/emphatically how foolish he had been. By the time I finished my tirade he understood that he had screwed up!
It had been a long/tough hike so we returned to the hotel in Paro for a short rest before Khandu took us to the Paro Dzong for a guided tour. The Rinchen Pung Dzong was built in 1644 to defend the Paro valley from invasions from Tibet. Like all dzongs it was built to house government offices at one end and a Buddhist temple at the other. Inside the entrance to the dzong was a very colorful painting of a ‘Wheel of Life’ depicting the six stages of life that humans go through as they progress to either Heaven or Hell! Khandu tried to explain the various stages and meanings but unless you have a basic knowledge of Buddhism it is difficult to grasp? We soon realized as we visited many more dzongs and temples that a basic knowledge of Buddhism would be very helpful when visiting Bhutan since so much of their life and culture is derived from that religion.
At the end of the dzong tour MD and MM once again asked Khandu to drop us off in town so that I could take photos of the town and locals to share with my readers.
The next day we departed early for the capital, Thimpu, to join up with the other runners/guests who would be running the marathon. On the outskirts of Paro we stopped at the Tamchhog Lhakhang, a 600-year old temple owned by the descendants of the Tibetan bridge-builder Thangtong Gyalpo. The traditional iron bridge at the temple was built using some of the original iron chains forged by Thangtong. We continued on to Chhuzom known as the ‘confluence’ at the juncture of the Paro Chhu (river) and the Wang Chhu where there were three chortens built in a different style –Bhutanese, Tibetan and Nepali. There was also a police checkpoint at Chhuzom. I asked Khandu why? He explained that the road to Thimphu was treacherous and often cars did not make it the far end and the police could look for them. I was sorry I asked!
However we did make it to Thimphu – the capital of Bhutan and the biggest city in the country with a population of 90,000. They are proud of the fact that it is the only capital city in the world without a traffic light – but there is one traffic cop at the main roundabout in the center of the city. We checked into a modern hotel in the city center where we were supposed to meet up with the rest of the runners.
And this is a convenient point to end Part 1 of this report so that you can take a break before continuing the story.
Stay tuned!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
RR - US Half - Copper
Race Report
US Half Marathon
Copper Mountain, CO
Sat, Aug 23/08
2:02:25 – 1 AG
I wanted to run this Half Marathon as a final tune-up for Bhutan since the race started at 9600 ft and climbed to 10,800 ft – i.e. it would be a good altitude training run at a fast pace. I use ‘fast’ figuratively since I set the course record (for my AG) last year with a blazing 1:59:06! The course is tough!
I didn’t believe I was in good enough shape to challenge my course record or a sub-2 hr finish but I figured/hoped I could finish close to 2 hrs? I was joined in the race by two friends from FL - Frank (the only other sane person in the world) and Cynthia – aka Attila the Huness and Frank’s daughter Alexis from PA. I warned them to add at least 15/20 minutes to their normal Half marathon time because of the hills and altitude!
The race started at 9 am on Sat – a bit late even for the mountains. It was sunny and warm – high 50s at the start. There were less than 100 runners in the Half. The race started in the center of Copper Village (9600 ft) and the first mile was uphill for about ¼ mile, and then dropped down towards the East Village. I remembered the course from last year and warned my teammates (and myself) to start SLOW! Somehow I didn’t follow my own advice and passed mile 1 in 7:56 sucking for air! Mile 2 in 15:27 – lungs burning and really sucking for air! The next mile was on a dirt/rocky service road traversing an Alpine ski hill and I struggled to reach Mile 3 in 25:29 (a split of 10:02) but that was still faster than last year?
However we were about to start the toughest section of the course! When we returned to the East parking lot at the bottom of the trail (mile 4) the next 5 miles climbed from 9500 ft to 10,800 ft. near the top of Vail Pass! Mile 5 climbed back through Copper Village to a paved bike path at 9600 ft. I passed mile 5 in 44:06 – only 6 secs behind my record pace? The path climbed relentlessly for the next 4 miles. I knew I had to save some energy for the final 4 miles back down the path and I tried to average a 10:30 pace like last year but struggled to hold a 10:45 pace. I could feel the difference from one more year of age! OLD AGE SUCKS!
I reached mile 9 and the turn-around at the top of Vail Pass in 1:27:33. I had 32 minutes to run the final 4.1 miles! I needed to run a sub 8-min pace on the 1200-ft descent back to Copper Village to finish under 2 hrs! Last year I had 34 minutes at that point and a competitor biting at my ass! This year the closest competitor was more than ½- mile behind me and I just couldn’t force myself to accept the high level of pain necessary to push the old bod at a sub-8 min pace at 10,800 ft so I cruised the final 4 downhill miles at an 8:30 pace to cross the finish line in 2:02:25!
Yeah, Yeah – I know! I should have handed the race over to Maddog. He would have accepted the pain to finish under 2 hrs! But I won my AG and finished w/o any injuries/problems so I am happy. And I feel I am ready (as I am going to be) for those Himalayan hills in Bhutan.
My team did very well also! Cynthia sprinted across the finish line in 2:53 and Frank and Alexis crossed the finish line hand-in-hand in 3:11! That was definitely a moment-to-remember for Frank!
Frank and I have one more week of altitude training in the High Country before we travel together to Bhutan for our next marathon/adventure!
Stay tuned!
US Half Marathon
Copper Mountain, CO
Sat, Aug 23/08
2:02:25 – 1 AG
I wanted to run this Half Marathon as a final tune-up for Bhutan since the race started at 9600 ft and climbed to 10,800 ft – i.e. it would be a good altitude training run at a fast pace. I use ‘fast’ figuratively since I set the course record (for my AG) last year with a blazing 1:59:06! The course is tough!
I didn’t believe I was in good enough shape to challenge my course record or a sub-2 hr finish but I figured/hoped I could finish close to 2 hrs? I was joined in the race by two friends from FL - Frank (the only other sane person in the world) and Cynthia – aka Attila the Huness and Frank’s daughter Alexis from PA. I warned them to add at least 15/20 minutes to their normal Half marathon time because of the hills and altitude!
The race started at 9 am on Sat – a bit late even for the mountains. It was sunny and warm – high 50s at the start. There were less than 100 runners in the Half. The race started in the center of Copper Village (9600 ft) and the first mile was uphill for about ¼ mile, and then dropped down towards the East Village. I remembered the course from last year and warned my teammates (and myself) to start SLOW! Somehow I didn’t follow my own advice and passed mile 1 in 7:56 sucking for air! Mile 2 in 15:27 – lungs burning and really sucking for air! The next mile was on a dirt/rocky service road traversing an Alpine ski hill and I struggled to reach Mile 3 in 25:29 (a split of 10:02) but that was still faster than last year?
However we were about to start the toughest section of the course! When we returned to the East parking lot at the bottom of the trail (mile 4) the next 5 miles climbed from 9500 ft to 10,800 ft. near the top of Vail Pass! Mile 5 climbed back through Copper Village to a paved bike path at 9600 ft. I passed mile 5 in 44:06 – only 6 secs behind my record pace? The path climbed relentlessly for the next 4 miles. I knew I had to save some energy for the final 4 miles back down the path and I tried to average a 10:30 pace like last year but struggled to hold a 10:45 pace. I could feel the difference from one more year of age! OLD AGE SUCKS!
I reached mile 9 and the turn-around at the top of Vail Pass in 1:27:33. I had 32 minutes to run the final 4.1 miles! I needed to run a sub 8-min pace on the 1200-ft descent back to Copper Village to finish under 2 hrs! Last year I had 34 minutes at that point and a competitor biting at my ass! This year the closest competitor was more than ½- mile behind me and I just couldn’t force myself to accept the high level of pain necessary to push the old bod at a sub-8 min pace at 10,800 ft so I cruised the final 4 downhill miles at an 8:30 pace to cross the finish line in 2:02:25!
Yeah, Yeah – I know! I should have handed the race over to Maddog. He would have accepted the pain to finish under 2 hrs! But I won my AG and finished w/o any injuries/problems so I am happy. And I feel I am ready (as I am going to be) for those Himalayan hills in Bhutan.
My team did very well also! Cynthia sprinted across the finish line in 2:53 and Frank and Alexis crossed the finish line hand-in-hand in 3:11! That was definitely a moment-to-remember for Frank!
Frank and I have one more week of altitude training in the High Country before we travel together to Bhutan for our next marathon/adventure!
Stay tuned!
Friday, August 15, 2008
TR - Peru - Part 2
Trip Report – Part 2
Peru
7/29- 8/12/08
OK. Where were we? Oh Yeah- starting our hike at Km 82 of the Inca Trail to base camp. We hiked beside the train tracks on the opposite side of the Urubamba River to the Inca Trail. Most of us had decided that we would hike – not run – the 6 miles to camp because of the fast training run the day before and the race started early on Wed.
We reached the official government checkpoint at Qoriwayrachina at Km 88 where we crossed the Urubamba River and entered the Machu Picchu Sanctuary National Park. But not without problems! A few runners had renewed their passports and the permits had been issued with their old passport numbers so they didn’t match. And the Peruvian officials were not going to let them enter the Inca Trail! After much scrambling and promises to correct the problems they were finally allowed to enter the Trail and we hiked another mile to a base camp at the foot of the Inca ruins at Llactapa (Town on the Hillside at 8592 ft). We arrived just as it started to rain? Fortunately our luxury accommodations (read –tents) were already set up and we settled in.
After afternoon tea in the mess tent I hiked up to the top of a hill on the Inca Trail where the race was to start. I wanted to check out the trail and get a bird’s eye view of the camp and the Inca ruins. I was happy that the trail was dirt and the rain had not made it slippery! If only I could have guessed? Read on.
We enjoyed a great buffet dinner including pasta in the mess tent. Some of the marathoners decided they wanted to get an early start. Since we had to pass through another checkpoint around 4 miles that didn’t open until 6 am there was not much point in starting before 5 am. The official start was 6 am! Since it was already dark we all went to bed early. As I climbed into my sleeping bag I suffered flashbacks to the Everest Marathon. I swore I would never spend another night in a tent on a cold mountain! But this was much better – the tent was roomier and the weather was warmer. I crawled into my bag with two thermal layers on and had to remove one in the middle of the night because I was too warm? As we settled in for the night it started to rain again – and it rained hard – and it rained all night! All I could think was “the trail is going to be muddy/slippery and there will probably be snow above 13,000ft? Oh Goody!
My tent mate, John – a Brit in my age group- decided to start early so he (and I) were awakened at 3:30am. The early group started in a light rain and the dark at 5:10am. By then I was up and packing my bag to be carried to Machu Picchu and making final preparations for the 6am start. Breakfast was served but I can’t eat before a race. Luckily the rain stopped as we hiked in the dark to the start line. It was cool so I started with two layers. After some photos the official marathon started a few minutes early! I carried a backpack/Camelback with enough water to get me to the first aid station at 4 miles. The trail crossed the Cusichaca River and climbed gradually out of the Urubamba Valley to Wayllabamba (9100 ft). The first three miles were nice, soft dirt and I was able to run at a good pace. Then the trail entered the Llullchayoc Gorge and started to climb steeply over the next 5 miles to the top of Warmiwanusscca Pass (Dead Woman’s Pass) at 13,779 ft! At three miles the nice, soft dirt disappeared and was replaced with stone paths and stone steps built by the Incas 500 years ago. The stones were uneven and slippery from the rain – and the steps were even worse! They were steep, narrow and slippery! I reached the first aid station at 4 miles in 51:13. I stopped to remove my 2nd layer, fill my Camelback with enough water to get me to the next aid station at 10 miles, take a photo, and continue the grueling, relentless climb up Dead Woman’s Pass. We climbed thousands of steps that climbed straight up the mountain – obviously the Incas didn’t believe in switchbacks or dirt trails? We passed through mossy woods (with mossy steps) and a thick forest before emerging into a large meadow (pampa) at Llulluchapampa at 12,400 ft. It started to get cold so I wasn’t surprised when I soon reached stone steps that were covered with snow and ice! Oh Great. Steep/narrow stone steps that are now covered with snow/ice! And did I mention that in many places there was a sheer drop of 1000+ feet off the sides of the steep/narrow/slippery stone steps? I reached the top of Dead Woman’s Pass in 2:09:25 where I caught up to my tent mate and another early starter. It was very cold so we all stopped to add another layer of clothing and take photos. Then they bounded off down the stone steps on the other side of the pass. I took one look down and FROZE – from FEAR! The stone steps were steep/narrow and covered with ice and going DOWNHILL! Climbing uphill on steep/narrow steps was scary but gravity and altitude kept the pace slow and safe. Going downhill was terrifying! One bad step or slip and I would fall a long way down the steps. Did I mention the sheer, 1000 ft drop off the side of the steps! I didn’t want to think about that option! I was so terrified of falling that the only way I could make it down the steps was to side step – one step at a time and always leading with my left foot so that my right/dominant side would fall into the steps if I made a mistake! I had to focus strongly on each step and foot plant to prevent a fall and to control my acrophobia. I was afraid that if I looked at that sheer, 1000+ft drop I would become dizzy and fall off the mountain! I had to use this method/routine until I descended back below 13,000 ft where the temps warmed up and the ice had melted. At that point I decided if I wanted to finish the race that day I would have to teach myself how to hike down the steps in a normal mode i.e. like going down the steps in my house! That’s a lot easier to say than do but I did manage to get into a somewhat normal pace until I reached more steps that were very steep and narrow and then it was back to the side step routine! It took me 50 minutes to descend 1 mile and reach the 2nd aid station at 10 miles. I had reached 10 miles in 2:59:30. I knew my pre-race goal of finishing under 8 hrs was not going to happen! And I didn’t care – I was too terrified of the downhill steps to take any risks for the sake of time.
I stopped at the aid station to fill my Camelback with enough water to get to the final aid station at 17.5 miles. The race director had told us that there would be bottled water at every aid station. He lied! The porters were boiling local stream water to purify it. That was OK but the water was still hot when I filled my Camelback so I had to drink hot water for the next 3 hrs. Another first for a marathon!
The trail then began to climb again (lots more steep/narrow stone steps) as it ascended to the top of Runkurakay Pass (13,100 ft). I swear that climb was worst than the 1st Pass? The steps seemed to be much steeper and went on –and on – and on - without any relief. I caught and passed a few more runners from the early group as I struggled to the top of the pass while sucking for air. Near the top the steps became so steep and narrow that we had to crawl/scramble on our hands and knees to get to the top! I stood on the top of Runkurakay Pass at 3:49:33. Then the fear began again – I had to go down the steps on the other side! Back to my terrifying and slow side-step routine for the steep/narrow steps at the top and finally eased into a normal pace by the time I reached the Inca fortress at Sayacmarca (12,234 ft). I missed a turn at the ruins and climbed a series of steep steps up into the ruins before I realized there was no trail out of the ruins? I had to back track to the steps and at that point one of the runners I passed was approaching the ruins and he asked a Quechua porter for directions. I had to descend the steps and follow a narrow stone path along the perimeter of the ruins. I kept catching up to my fellow runner as we passed through natural and Inca-made tunnels. We joined up again at the final water station near the ruins at Phuyupatamarca (Town in the Clouds – 11,674 ft) at 17.5 miles. This was the overnight camp for the runners completing the trail in two days. It had taken me 6:08:39 to go 17.5 miles. Maybe I should stay overnight at the camp? The final checkpoint closed at 3 pm?
I stopped to fill my Camelback with enough water to get me to the finish line. Surprise – more hot water! The next surprise was the very nasty/steep/narrow steps leading down from Phuyupatamarca Pass. They were steep/narrow and in bad shape – back to the side-step routine. When I finally managed to get down that terrifying stretch of steps I commented to myself that it couldn’t get any worse than that. WRONG! I reached a rock outcrop of granite that bulged out of the side of the mountain like a big belly. The Incas had carved very narrow steps or toeholds into the granite but time, water and use had rounded the steps. I looked at those steps and said” I ain’t going down there”! I looked for an alternate route – there was none! I considered quitting but it was 8 miles to Machu Picchu down those terrifying steps or 19 miles back to the start line! There were no other alternatives! I tried my side-step routine but that required looking down (to where I would most likely fall and die) and the steps were too rounded and narrow for the side of my foot. So I laid on my belly and clung to the rock outcrop - dug my fingers into the granite and clawed my way down that 30-ft section of terror. I bet my claw marks are in that granite for a long time!
The trail seemed to get better with less steps after that and I was able to make good progress until I reached the ruins at WinayWaya (8692 ft). The trail passed through the ruins and down another terrifying series of steps inside the ruins. My knees were throbbing and sore by then and the only way I could make it down those steps was to use my side-step routine and cling to the walls of the ruins. At the bottom of the steps the trail had dirt and small stones and I was able to hike faster (almost jog) until I reached the final checkpoint near 22.5 miles (7:43:09). Abelardo was waiting at that checkpoint to pass us through and I was pleased to discover that after the checkpoint the trail descended gradually and actually had a section of dirt trail? I could catch glimpses of other runners ahead of me and hear voices. I started to run ‘easy’ in hopes of catching them but never could because they had also started to run. Unfortunately after 1 mile the trail became stone paths again and stone steps as it started to climb? I heard footsteps behind me? Abelardo had decided to follow the group ahead and me to the finish line. That worked out well for me because I didn’t have to worry about taking a wrong turn (again). Like a kid in a car I started asking “Are we there yet? How far to the finish line? “ Since the trail was climbing again and I expected it to be descending to Machu Picchu I asked what was going on? Abelardo informed me that the trail was climbing around and UP the backside of Machu Picchu Mtn to Intipunku – the Sun Gate (8860 ft) - that overlooks Machu Picchu (7900 ft). I asked “How far”? Instead of distance he answered “about 40 minutes”! The trail kept climbing and climbing – more steep/narrow steps. My knees were killing me but Maddog refused to stop for a rest in case Abelardo think he was a wimp. Finally I reached a short set of very narrow/steep steps (supposedly built that way for defensive purposes) that climbed up the Sun Gate. Those steps were so steep that I had to crawl/scramble on my hands and feet and the last few steps I had to crawl on hands/feet/knees to drag myself over the top and through the Sun Gate (8860 ft). My first look at Machu Picchu! It was awesome! I stopped for photos and then asked Abelardo “how far to the finish line”. He again answered in time – “about 40 minutes”! I had reached the Sun Gate in 8:30:06. I didn’t have 40 minutes if I wanted to finish under 9 hrs and recoup some self-respect!
I became determined/obsessed about breaking 9 hrs even if it meant taking some risks. Luckily that final section of trail to Machu Picchu - known as the Royal Trail - was all downhill and built with larger, flat stones that provided better/safer footing and I was able to jog that final two miles and reach the finish line at the ‘flat rock’ overlooking Machu Picchu (7900 ft) in 8:51:23! It was a good thing that Abelardo was behind me because I would have missed the finish line like many other runners did. He took a photo of a jubilant and glad-to-be-alive Maddog jumping up and down on the flat rock.
I had noticed on the final jog down the Royal Trail that I had lots of physical energy left because I had had run/walked so slowly. But as soon as I reached the finish line I became mentally exhausted. The stress of focusing on every foot plant and each and every of the thousands of stone steps and controlling my acrophobia had totally exhausted me mentally. I asked Abelardo “how far is it down to the bus that takes us to the hotel”? “10 minutes” I told him that I didn’t care how long it took but I was going to relax and walk down in a normal/easy/slow fashion!
When we reached the bus stop the runners from the early group that had been ahead of me were waiting for the bus. They had finished only a few minutes ahead of me. Everyone complained about sore knees and calves and a few had bruises and cuts from falls but everyone was happy and healthy! During the thrilling 30-minute bus ride down the mountain to Aguas Calientes I started to question my performance in the race? At first I was disappointed with my time but then I reminded myself how difficult it had been to control/overcome my acrophobia and fear of the downhill steps and how lucky I was to have finished ALIVE and injury free! I could never have attempted or finished that race 5 years ago before I started climbing 14ers in CO and learned how to control my acrophobia! No, I should be pleased and proud that I overcame those difficulties to finish the race!
When we reached Aguas Calientes our leg muscles had tightened up and everyone had difficulty getting off the bus and walking to the hotel. The Sports Manager was waiting at the bus stop to see if I had survived? Unfortunately our room did not have a tub so I had to make do with a hot shower before joining my fellow runners for a pizza and beer and to discuss our memorable race.
Thu was a rest day as we waited for the runners completing the trail in two days to finish. My legs – and especially my knees - were very sore. I haven’t been that sore in years? So I scheduled a massage with a Thai masseuse who helped a lot and then I went for a soak in the hot springs of Aguas Calientes. Unfortunately the hot springs (100 F) were not as hot as my hot tub (108 F).
The runners who took two days had the advantage that they finished less beat up than us and got to see/enjoy a lot more of the Inca trail.
Fri was an organized tour of Machu Picchu. We started early to beat the crowds – and believe me there are crowds because they don’t limit entry to the ruins! Our guide, Abelardo, led us on a very interesting and informative tour of the ruins. There are lots of steps (surprise) in the ancient city. The Sports Manager had a very difficult time since she is more afraid of heights and steps than me. We had to coax/coerce her down some steps from the top of the ruins but she did it. We visited all the sections of the city –agricultural, industrial and industrial - and the religious temples. See photo website for some great pics of Machu Picchu. After an excellent lunch at the exclusive Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge located at the entrance to the city I coaxed the Sports Manager into climbing more steps to the flat rock. She was afraid at first but very glad that she made it to the flat rock for the postcard views of Machu Picchu.
On Sat we took a train back to Ollantaytambo to visit the Inca ruins overlooking the city. The city was abandoned before completion because of the Inca civil war between the two sons of Huayna Capac. We continued by bus through Pisac to Cusco and returned to our old hotel and one final night in Cusco. That evening the tour agency held an award ceremony at the hotel in Cusco. I had come to believe that we weren’t going to get a finisher’s medal or race T-shirt but they did come though. No special awards but every runner received a finisher’s medal, T-shirt and certificate. To nobody’s surprise Roxanne won the race - in 6:12 – an amazing time under the conditions. I was pleased to learn that I finished in 4th place overall.
On Sun we flew back to Lima and were guided on a city tour of Lima. We visited the Plaza Mayor in old colonial Lima as well as the San Francisco Monastery before returning to our hotel in Miraflores one last night. The Sports Manager and I skipped the ‘final’ tour dinner to enjoy a private seafood dinner and a bottle of Peruvian wine in a small restaurant (we couldn’t face more chicken).
Mon was a very early wake-up call and a long flight back to Colorado!
This 2nd part- especially the race report- was long but I needed to record the facts and memories so that when I get old and think about running the Inca Trail Marathon (again) I can read the report and remember why I would never – ever- run this race again! It was the worst/toughest/slowest/most terrifying marathon I have ever run. But that is a personal opinion due to my fear of heights and running downhill steps. If you are a good downhill runner this marathon would not be as difficult as Everest!
The marathon tour/organization was good but had some problems that I will not review in the report to keep it from getting longer.
It is over. I am happy that finished Country #92 ALIVE and injury-free and now I must focus on more altitude training to prepare for my next marathon/adventure in a few weeks in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan.
Stay tuned!
Peru
7/29- 8/12/08
OK. Where were we? Oh Yeah- starting our hike at Km 82 of the Inca Trail to base camp. We hiked beside the train tracks on the opposite side of the Urubamba River to the Inca Trail. Most of us had decided that we would hike – not run – the 6 miles to camp because of the fast training run the day before and the race started early on Wed.
We reached the official government checkpoint at Qoriwayrachina at Km 88 where we crossed the Urubamba River and entered the Machu Picchu Sanctuary National Park. But not without problems! A few runners had renewed their passports and the permits had been issued with their old passport numbers so they didn’t match. And the Peruvian officials were not going to let them enter the Inca Trail! After much scrambling and promises to correct the problems they were finally allowed to enter the Trail and we hiked another mile to a base camp at the foot of the Inca ruins at Llactapa (Town on the Hillside at 8592 ft). We arrived just as it started to rain? Fortunately our luxury accommodations (read –tents) were already set up and we settled in.
After afternoon tea in the mess tent I hiked up to the top of a hill on the Inca Trail where the race was to start. I wanted to check out the trail and get a bird’s eye view of the camp and the Inca ruins. I was happy that the trail was dirt and the rain had not made it slippery! If only I could have guessed? Read on.
We enjoyed a great buffet dinner including pasta in the mess tent. Some of the marathoners decided they wanted to get an early start. Since we had to pass through another checkpoint around 4 miles that didn’t open until 6 am there was not much point in starting before 5 am. The official start was 6 am! Since it was already dark we all went to bed early. As I climbed into my sleeping bag I suffered flashbacks to the Everest Marathon. I swore I would never spend another night in a tent on a cold mountain! But this was much better – the tent was roomier and the weather was warmer. I crawled into my bag with two thermal layers on and had to remove one in the middle of the night because I was too warm? As we settled in for the night it started to rain again – and it rained hard – and it rained all night! All I could think was “the trail is going to be muddy/slippery and there will probably be snow above 13,000ft? Oh Goody!
My tent mate, John – a Brit in my age group- decided to start early so he (and I) were awakened at 3:30am. The early group started in a light rain and the dark at 5:10am. By then I was up and packing my bag to be carried to Machu Picchu and making final preparations for the 6am start. Breakfast was served but I can’t eat before a race. Luckily the rain stopped as we hiked in the dark to the start line. It was cool so I started with two layers. After some photos the official marathon started a few minutes early! I carried a backpack/Camelback with enough water to get me to the first aid station at 4 miles. The trail crossed the Cusichaca River and climbed gradually out of the Urubamba Valley to Wayllabamba (9100 ft). The first three miles were nice, soft dirt and I was able to run at a good pace. Then the trail entered the Llullchayoc Gorge and started to climb steeply over the next 5 miles to the top of Warmiwanusscca Pass (Dead Woman’s Pass) at 13,779 ft! At three miles the nice, soft dirt disappeared and was replaced with stone paths and stone steps built by the Incas 500 years ago. The stones were uneven and slippery from the rain – and the steps were even worse! They were steep, narrow and slippery! I reached the first aid station at 4 miles in 51:13. I stopped to remove my 2nd layer, fill my Camelback with enough water to get me to the next aid station at 10 miles, take a photo, and continue the grueling, relentless climb up Dead Woman’s Pass. We climbed thousands of steps that climbed straight up the mountain – obviously the Incas didn’t believe in switchbacks or dirt trails? We passed through mossy woods (with mossy steps) and a thick forest before emerging into a large meadow (pampa) at Llulluchapampa at 12,400 ft. It started to get cold so I wasn’t surprised when I soon reached stone steps that were covered with snow and ice! Oh Great. Steep/narrow stone steps that are now covered with snow/ice! And did I mention that in many places there was a sheer drop of 1000+ feet off the sides of the steep/narrow/slippery stone steps? I reached the top of Dead Woman’s Pass in 2:09:25 where I caught up to my tent mate and another early starter. It was very cold so we all stopped to add another layer of clothing and take photos. Then they bounded off down the stone steps on the other side of the pass. I took one look down and FROZE – from FEAR! The stone steps were steep/narrow and covered with ice and going DOWNHILL! Climbing uphill on steep/narrow steps was scary but gravity and altitude kept the pace slow and safe. Going downhill was terrifying! One bad step or slip and I would fall a long way down the steps. Did I mention the sheer, 1000 ft drop off the side of the steps! I didn’t want to think about that option! I was so terrified of falling that the only way I could make it down the steps was to side step – one step at a time and always leading with my left foot so that my right/dominant side would fall into the steps if I made a mistake! I had to focus strongly on each step and foot plant to prevent a fall and to control my acrophobia. I was afraid that if I looked at that sheer, 1000+ft drop I would become dizzy and fall off the mountain! I had to use this method/routine until I descended back below 13,000 ft where the temps warmed up and the ice had melted. At that point I decided if I wanted to finish the race that day I would have to teach myself how to hike down the steps in a normal mode i.e. like going down the steps in my house! That’s a lot easier to say than do but I did manage to get into a somewhat normal pace until I reached more steps that were very steep and narrow and then it was back to the side step routine! It took me 50 minutes to descend 1 mile and reach the 2nd aid station at 10 miles. I had reached 10 miles in 2:59:30. I knew my pre-race goal of finishing under 8 hrs was not going to happen! And I didn’t care – I was too terrified of the downhill steps to take any risks for the sake of time.
I stopped at the aid station to fill my Camelback with enough water to get to the final aid station at 17.5 miles. The race director had told us that there would be bottled water at every aid station. He lied! The porters were boiling local stream water to purify it. That was OK but the water was still hot when I filled my Camelback so I had to drink hot water for the next 3 hrs. Another first for a marathon!
The trail then began to climb again (lots more steep/narrow stone steps) as it ascended to the top of Runkurakay Pass (13,100 ft). I swear that climb was worst than the 1st Pass? The steps seemed to be much steeper and went on –and on – and on - without any relief. I caught and passed a few more runners from the early group as I struggled to the top of the pass while sucking for air. Near the top the steps became so steep and narrow that we had to crawl/scramble on our hands and knees to get to the top! I stood on the top of Runkurakay Pass at 3:49:33. Then the fear began again – I had to go down the steps on the other side! Back to my terrifying and slow side-step routine for the steep/narrow steps at the top and finally eased into a normal pace by the time I reached the Inca fortress at Sayacmarca (12,234 ft). I missed a turn at the ruins and climbed a series of steep steps up into the ruins before I realized there was no trail out of the ruins? I had to back track to the steps and at that point one of the runners I passed was approaching the ruins and he asked a Quechua porter for directions. I had to descend the steps and follow a narrow stone path along the perimeter of the ruins. I kept catching up to my fellow runner as we passed through natural and Inca-made tunnels. We joined up again at the final water station near the ruins at Phuyupatamarca (Town in the Clouds – 11,674 ft) at 17.5 miles. This was the overnight camp for the runners completing the trail in two days. It had taken me 6:08:39 to go 17.5 miles. Maybe I should stay overnight at the camp? The final checkpoint closed at 3 pm?
I stopped to fill my Camelback with enough water to get me to the finish line. Surprise – more hot water! The next surprise was the very nasty/steep/narrow steps leading down from Phuyupatamarca Pass. They were steep/narrow and in bad shape – back to the side-step routine. When I finally managed to get down that terrifying stretch of steps I commented to myself that it couldn’t get any worse than that. WRONG! I reached a rock outcrop of granite that bulged out of the side of the mountain like a big belly. The Incas had carved very narrow steps or toeholds into the granite but time, water and use had rounded the steps. I looked at those steps and said” I ain’t going down there”! I looked for an alternate route – there was none! I considered quitting but it was 8 miles to Machu Picchu down those terrifying steps or 19 miles back to the start line! There were no other alternatives! I tried my side-step routine but that required looking down (to where I would most likely fall and die) and the steps were too rounded and narrow for the side of my foot. So I laid on my belly and clung to the rock outcrop - dug my fingers into the granite and clawed my way down that 30-ft section of terror. I bet my claw marks are in that granite for a long time!
The trail seemed to get better with less steps after that and I was able to make good progress until I reached the ruins at WinayWaya (8692 ft). The trail passed through the ruins and down another terrifying series of steps inside the ruins. My knees were throbbing and sore by then and the only way I could make it down those steps was to use my side-step routine and cling to the walls of the ruins. At the bottom of the steps the trail had dirt and small stones and I was able to hike faster (almost jog) until I reached the final checkpoint near 22.5 miles (7:43:09). Abelardo was waiting at that checkpoint to pass us through and I was pleased to discover that after the checkpoint the trail descended gradually and actually had a section of dirt trail? I could catch glimpses of other runners ahead of me and hear voices. I started to run ‘easy’ in hopes of catching them but never could because they had also started to run. Unfortunately after 1 mile the trail became stone paths again and stone steps as it started to climb? I heard footsteps behind me? Abelardo had decided to follow the group ahead and me to the finish line. That worked out well for me because I didn’t have to worry about taking a wrong turn (again). Like a kid in a car I started asking “Are we there yet? How far to the finish line? “ Since the trail was climbing again and I expected it to be descending to Machu Picchu I asked what was going on? Abelardo informed me that the trail was climbing around and UP the backside of Machu Picchu Mtn to Intipunku – the Sun Gate (8860 ft) - that overlooks Machu Picchu (7900 ft). I asked “How far”? Instead of distance he answered “about 40 minutes”! The trail kept climbing and climbing – more steep/narrow steps. My knees were killing me but Maddog refused to stop for a rest in case Abelardo think he was a wimp. Finally I reached a short set of very narrow/steep steps (supposedly built that way for defensive purposes) that climbed up the Sun Gate. Those steps were so steep that I had to crawl/scramble on my hands and feet and the last few steps I had to crawl on hands/feet/knees to drag myself over the top and through the Sun Gate (8860 ft). My first look at Machu Picchu! It was awesome! I stopped for photos and then asked Abelardo “how far to the finish line”. He again answered in time – “about 40 minutes”! I had reached the Sun Gate in 8:30:06. I didn’t have 40 minutes if I wanted to finish under 9 hrs and recoup some self-respect!
I became determined/obsessed about breaking 9 hrs even if it meant taking some risks. Luckily that final section of trail to Machu Picchu - known as the Royal Trail - was all downhill and built with larger, flat stones that provided better/safer footing and I was able to jog that final two miles and reach the finish line at the ‘flat rock’ overlooking Machu Picchu (7900 ft) in 8:51:23! It was a good thing that Abelardo was behind me because I would have missed the finish line like many other runners did. He took a photo of a jubilant and glad-to-be-alive Maddog jumping up and down on the flat rock.
I had noticed on the final jog down the Royal Trail that I had lots of physical energy left because I had had run/walked so slowly. But as soon as I reached the finish line I became mentally exhausted. The stress of focusing on every foot plant and each and every of the thousands of stone steps and controlling my acrophobia had totally exhausted me mentally. I asked Abelardo “how far is it down to the bus that takes us to the hotel”? “10 minutes” I told him that I didn’t care how long it took but I was going to relax and walk down in a normal/easy/slow fashion!
When we reached the bus stop the runners from the early group that had been ahead of me were waiting for the bus. They had finished only a few minutes ahead of me. Everyone complained about sore knees and calves and a few had bruises and cuts from falls but everyone was happy and healthy! During the thrilling 30-minute bus ride down the mountain to Aguas Calientes I started to question my performance in the race? At first I was disappointed with my time but then I reminded myself how difficult it had been to control/overcome my acrophobia and fear of the downhill steps and how lucky I was to have finished ALIVE and injury free! I could never have attempted or finished that race 5 years ago before I started climbing 14ers in CO and learned how to control my acrophobia! No, I should be pleased and proud that I overcame those difficulties to finish the race!
When we reached Aguas Calientes our leg muscles had tightened up and everyone had difficulty getting off the bus and walking to the hotel. The Sports Manager was waiting at the bus stop to see if I had survived? Unfortunately our room did not have a tub so I had to make do with a hot shower before joining my fellow runners for a pizza and beer and to discuss our memorable race.
Thu was a rest day as we waited for the runners completing the trail in two days to finish. My legs – and especially my knees - were very sore. I haven’t been that sore in years? So I scheduled a massage with a Thai masseuse who helped a lot and then I went for a soak in the hot springs of Aguas Calientes. Unfortunately the hot springs (100 F) were not as hot as my hot tub (108 F).
The runners who took two days had the advantage that they finished less beat up than us and got to see/enjoy a lot more of the Inca trail.
Fri was an organized tour of Machu Picchu. We started early to beat the crowds – and believe me there are crowds because they don’t limit entry to the ruins! Our guide, Abelardo, led us on a very interesting and informative tour of the ruins. There are lots of steps (surprise) in the ancient city. The Sports Manager had a very difficult time since she is more afraid of heights and steps than me. We had to coax/coerce her down some steps from the top of the ruins but she did it. We visited all the sections of the city –agricultural, industrial and industrial - and the religious temples. See photo website for some great pics of Machu Picchu. After an excellent lunch at the exclusive Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge located at the entrance to the city I coaxed the Sports Manager into climbing more steps to the flat rock. She was afraid at first but very glad that she made it to the flat rock for the postcard views of Machu Picchu.
On Sat we took a train back to Ollantaytambo to visit the Inca ruins overlooking the city. The city was abandoned before completion because of the Inca civil war between the two sons of Huayna Capac. We continued by bus through Pisac to Cusco and returned to our old hotel and one final night in Cusco. That evening the tour agency held an award ceremony at the hotel in Cusco. I had come to believe that we weren’t going to get a finisher’s medal or race T-shirt but they did come though. No special awards but every runner received a finisher’s medal, T-shirt and certificate. To nobody’s surprise Roxanne won the race - in 6:12 – an amazing time under the conditions. I was pleased to learn that I finished in 4th place overall.
On Sun we flew back to Lima and were guided on a city tour of Lima. We visited the Plaza Mayor in old colonial Lima as well as the San Francisco Monastery before returning to our hotel in Miraflores one last night. The Sports Manager and I skipped the ‘final’ tour dinner to enjoy a private seafood dinner and a bottle of Peruvian wine in a small restaurant (we couldn’t face more chicken).
Mon was a very early wake-up call and a long flight back to Colorado!
This 2nd part- especially the race report- was long but I needed to record the facts and memories so that when I get old and think about running the Inca Trail Marathon (again) I can read the report and remember why I would never – ever- run this race again! It was the worst/toughest/slowest/most terrifying marathon I have ever run. But that is a personal opinion due to my fear of heights and running downhill steps. If you are a good downhill runner this marathon would not be as difficult as Everest!
The marathon tour/organization was good but had some problems that I will not review in the report to keep it from getting longer.
It is over. I am happy that finished Country #92 ALIVE and injury-free and now I must focus on more altitude training to prepare for my next marathon/adventure in a few weeks in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan.
Stay tuned!
TR - Peru - Part 1
Trip Report – Part 1
Peru
7/29 –8/12/08
Race Results
Inca Trail Marathon (27.5 miles)
Machu Picchu, Peru
Wed, Aug 5/08
Marathon # 307 - Country # 92
8:51:23 – 4 OA – 1 AG
TWO down – EIGHT to go! Country #92!
Planning for this trip/adventure began more than one year ago. I wanted to run a marathon in Peru and the Sports Manager and I always wanted to visit Machu Picchu so why not do both at the same time? When I researched the race I learned that the Peruvian government only permits 500 hikers per day on the Inca Trail so the sports/tour agency had to book slots many months in advance. Our son Chris also wanted to see Machu Picchu and he agreed to join us and run the marathon (his first) with his Dad. We booked the trip one year in advance.
I selected the race in Aug because I would have time to do altitude training at our summer home in the Rocky Mtns of Colorado before the race. The marathon had two passes above 13,000 ft! Chris planned to meet us in CO before the trip to also get some altitude training in before the race. We were very disappointed when he was T-boned by a truck while riding his bike in early June and suffered a broken patella. His leg was to be in a cast for 8 weeks and he had to cancel the trip.
We left CO early to enjoy a few extra days in Lima and Cusco before the main group arrived in Cusco on Aug 2/08. As we made the long flight to Lima I read about the history of Peru, the Incas and the Inca Trail. At its height the Inca Empire controlled nearly 1/3 of South America and more than 10M people. It all started in 1438 in Cusco (or Qosqo in the Inca tongue of Quechua). Contrary to popular belief the word “Inca” does not refer to the citizens of the Inca Empire who are more correctly called “Quechua People”. The only true “Inca” was the ruler of the empire who lived in Cusco.
In 1530 the Spanish explorer Francisco Pizarro arrived and defeated the Quechua people. Today the majority of Peru’s population descends from the native Quechua line. 80% speak Spanish and 16% still speak Quechua – the 2nd language of the country.
OK – history lesson over – time to begin the adventure.
We arrived in Lima late Tue night and were picked up and driven to our hotel in Miraflores – a modern suburb located on the Pacific Coast with lots of great hotels, restaurants and bars. We took a late night stroll along the main avenue to get our bearings and enjoy a local beer. Since the package included a city tour on our return to Lima on the last day we spent the day exploring Miraflores and shopping at the many local markets for the obligatory souvenirs and jewellery we buy in every country. And we quickly learned that homemade craft such as baby clothes were very cheap in Peru. Needless to say our new granddaughter Priya is going to be the ‘fashion queen’ in Portland, OR!
On Wed we took an early flight to Cusco and checked into our hotel near the main square – the Plaza de Armas. Cusco reminded me of Reno, NV. It is located in a valley and surrounded by the Andes Mtns. The topography is barren in that region. Cusco is located at 11,200 ft and has a population of 400,000. The center of the city is very compact and it is easy to walk everywhere. We had two days before the main group arrived so we explored Cusco and did more shopping (for Priya). We visited the Plaza de Armas and several other plazas near the city center and then ventured up into the San Blas neighborhood where the artists live and work. I wanted to try ‘cuy’ (guinea pig) – a local delicacy. I had eaten cuy in Equador and wanted to taste the Peruvian version. Equador grills cuy with lots of spices – Peru bakes cuy. Equador won the cuy taste test! The Sports Manager refused to eat cuy? (See photos). I also tried apaca several times. It is very common on menus and tastes good. Beer is cheap in Peru ($4 for a liter) but wine is not ($5/6 per glass). Food is cheap if you eat the ‘tourist’ menu of the day ($3 w/o booze) but cuy costs $20?
After all that food and cheap beer I needed to run and adjust to the 11,000 ft altitude. But where to run? The streets are narrow and crowded and the drivers are crazy! The hotel suggested I run to the Inca ruins at Sacsayhuaman – but they neglected to say that the ruins were located ‘uphill’ in the Andes Mtns at 12,200 ft! The first day I ran on the side of the road to the ruins before I discovered there was a shortcut via Inca stone steps. I came down the steps to practice/train on the stone steps. The 2nd day I ran up via the steps and continued on to the Inca ruins at Qenco (about 12,500 ft). I was sucking air by the time I reached the ruins but the run back down to Cusco was OK. The steps were steep but wide and I naively thought I was doing fine on Inca steps! Little did I know!
The main group arrived on Sat. The group totaled 22 people - most from the USA but a few from the UK and Australia. About 13 were running the marathon in 1 day, 5 were hiking the marathon/trail in two days, 3 were planning to take the train to Km 104 and hike the final 4 miles of the trail and the Sports Manager (the wisest of all?) planned to take the train all the way to Machu Picchu. We began our first organized tour of the trip with a city tour. We visited the Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral. When the Spanish conquered the Quechua they destroyed all the Inca buildings in Cusco and rebuilt their churches and homes on top of the Inca foundations using the stones from the Inca buildings. On many streets you can see the remains of Inca foundations (the stones are carved to fit perfectly w/o mortar) next to the sloppy Spanish foundations (stones don’t fit and mortar was used). We visited Qorikancha, the most important temple of the Inca Empire where the Sun Temple (covered in gold plate) and the Moon Temple (covered in silver plate) were located.
On Sun we toured the Inca ruins at Sacsayhuaman. Since that word is difficult for tourists to pronounce everyone calls it ‘Sexywoman’. The remains of a fortress and temple are located on the site. After making a too-long stop at a textile factory we continued on to ruins at Qenco, Puca Pucara and Tambomachay. We finished the day with a 4.5 mile training run from the village of Yuncaypata to the Plaza de Armas in Cusco. The run started at 12,800 ft and descended on a section of the Inca trails to 12,000 ft and back up to the Temple of Moon at 12,600ft. The run was led by our main Quechua guide Abelardo (a good runner who had no problem with the altitude). I managed to stay close to him and a (hard-core) female ultra runner, Roxanne, from Atlanta until we reached the Temple of the Moon. After a quick visit to the temple we continued on a more technical downhill section to Cusco where a few fast/good downhill runners passed me. We were starting to establish the pecking order for the marathon?
On Mon we traveled by bus to the Sacred Valley of the Incas with a stop in Chinchero to visit a Quechua home and family that made their own textiles and weavings from scratch. They showed us how they washed apaca and sheep wool in natural soap and dyed the yarn with natural colors, etc. I kept telling the Sports Manager that we should move there so she could learn all those neat and ancient skills? I won’t tell you her response! We bought more things for Priya! After shopping we visited some more Inca ruins located in Chinchero. After the tour we stopped in the middle of a high plain (12,600 ft) and Abelardo led a 2nd training run on a trail that descended gradually for a short time and then dropped steeply past the salt mines at Maras and joined a steep, technical dirt trail that descended to the Urubamba River (9500 ft). We all chased Abelardo and Roxanne again. The run was supposed to be 7 miles but when I passed 70 minutes and was hurting because I was running a sub-10 min pace (at altitude) I knew that it weren’t no 7 miles. Turned out to be 8 miles and I was the 4th runner to reach the bus. The pecking order for the marathon had been established!
After the run we checked into a beautiful hotel in Yucay and got together for a pre-race meeting. The race director went over the course and logistics for the race. There were no race bibs since the government would not allow a race/marathon to be held on the Inca Trail. Officially we were all ‘fast’ hikers! All those running the Inca Trail in one or two days would camp on the trail and had to pack one bag accordingly. The rest of our clothes and belongings were to be sent on to Machu Picchu or returned to Cusco. At that point and with two training runs under our belt a few runners decided to opt out of the marathon and hike the final 4 miles of the Inca Trail?
On Tue we departed for Urubamba where half the group chose to go on a whitewater-rafting trip on the Urubamba River. I was in the half that chose not to raft – I didn’t want to get wet before the hike to base camp and I didn’t want to risk an injury on a raft that could spoil my run? Instead our half drove to Ollantaytambo where we visited a Quechua home to see how they live in the same manner as their ancestors. The homes are made of adobe and have one large room only that accommodates all family members (and the cuy). See the photos. Even the skulls of their ancestors are kept in the home! After the interesting visit we drove back to the river to cheer our rafting comrades across the finish line on the Urubamba River. Everyone enjoyed the raft but many were soaked! We then enjoyed a quick lunch in Ollantaytambo before we drove to Piscachucho at Km 82 on the Inca Trail where we would start our hike to base camp on the Inca Trail to begin the marathon. Those not running the marathon went back to the ‘luxury’ hotel In Yucay for another night.
I will end this part of the report at this point to give everyone a rest and continue the marathon in Part 2.
Stay tuned!
Peru
7/29 –8/12/08
Race Results
Inca Trail Marathon (27.5 miles)
Machu Picchu, Peru
Wed, Aug 5/08
Marathon # 307 - Country # 92
8:51:23 – 4 OA – 1 AG
TWO down – EIGHT to go! Country #92!
Planning for this trip/adventure began more than one year ago. I wanted to run a marathon in Peru and the Sports Manager and I always wanted to visit Machu Picchu so why not do both at the same time? When I researched the race I learned that the Peruvian government only permits 500 hikers per day on the Inca Trail so the sports/tour agency had to book slots many months in advance. Our son Chris also wanted to see Machu Picchu and he agreed to join us and run the marathon (his first) with his Dad. We booked the trip one year in advance.
I selected the race in Aug because I would have time to do altitude training at our summer home in the Rocky Mtns of Colorado before the race. The marathon had two passes above 13,000 ft! Chris planned to meet us in CO before the trip to also get some altitude training in before the race. We were very disappointed when he was T-boned by a truck while riding his bike in early June and suffered a broken patella. His leg was to be in a cast for 8 weeks and he had to cancel the trip.
We left CO early to enjoy a few extra days in Lima and Cusco before the main group arrived in Cusco on Aug 2/08. As we made the long flight to Lima I read about the history of Peru, the Incas and the Inca Trail. At its height the Inca Empire controlled nearly 1/3 of South America and more than 10M people. It all started in 1438 in Cusco (or Qosqo in the Inca tongue of Quechua). Contrary to popular belief the word “Inca” does not refer to the citizens of the Inca Empire who are more correctly called “Quechua People”. The only true “Inca” was the ruler of the empire who lived in Cusco.
In 1530 the Spanish explorer Francisco Pizarro arrived and defeated the Quechua people. Today the majority of Peru’s population descends from the native Quechua line. 80% speak Spanish and 16% still speak Quechua – the 2nd language of the country.
OK – history lesson over – time to begin the adventure.
We arrived in Lima late Tue night and were picked up and driven to our hotel in Miraflores – a modern suburb located on the Pacific Coast with lots of great hotels, restaurants and bars. We took a late night stroll along the main avenue to get our bearings and enjoy a local beer. Since the package included a city tour on our return to Lima on the last day we spent the day exploring Miraflores and shopping at the many local markets for the obligatory souvenirs and jewellery we buy in every country. And we quickly learned that homemade craft such as baby clothes were very cheap in Peru. Needless to say our new granddaughter Priya is going to be the ‘fashion queen’ in Portland, OR!
On Wed we took an early flight to Cusco and checked into our hotel near the main square – the Plaza de Armas. Cusco reminded me of Reno, NV. It is located in a valley and surrounded by the Andes Mtns. The topography is barren in that region. Cusco is located at 11,200 ft and has a population of 400,000. The center of the city is very compact and it is easy to walk everywhere. We had two days before the main group arrived so we explored Cusco and did more shopping (for Priya). We visited the Plaza de Armas and several other plazas near the city center and then ventured up into the San Blas neighborhood where the artists live and work. I wanted to try ‘cuy’ (guinea pig) – a local delicacy. I had eaten cuy in Equador and wanted to taste the Peruvian version. Equador grills cuy with lots of spices – Peru bakes cuy. Equador won the cuy taste test! The Sports Manager refused to eat cuy? (See photos). I also tried apaca several times. It is very common on menus and tastes good. Beer is cheap in Peru ($4 for a liter) but wine is not ($5/6 per glass). Food is cheap if you eat the ‘tourist’ menu of the day ($3 w/o booze) but cuy costs $20?
After all that food and cheap beer I needed to run and adjust to the 11,000 ft altitude. But where to run? The streets are narrow and crowded and the drivers are crazy! The hotel suggested I run to the Inca ruins at Sacsayhuaman – but they neglected to say that the ruins were located ‘uphill’ in the Andes Mtns at 12,200 ft! The first day I ran on the side of the road to the ruins before I discovered there was a shortcut via Inca stone steps. I came down the steps to practice/train on the stone steps. The 2nd day I ran up via the steps and continued on to the Inca ruins at Qenco (about 12,500 ft). I was sucking air by the time I reached the ruins but the run back down to Cusco was OK. The steps were steep but wide and I naively thought I was doing fine on Inca steps! Little did I know!
The main group arrived on Sat. The group totaled 22 people - most from the USA but a few from the UK and Australia. About 13 were running the marathon in 1 day, 5 were hiking the marathon/trail in two days, 3 were planning to take the train to Km 104 and hike the final 4 miles of the trail and the Sports Manager (the wisest of all?) planned to take the train all the way to Machu Picchu. We began our first organized tour of the trip with a city tour. We visited the Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral. When the Spanish conquered the Quechua they destroyed all the Inca buildings in Cusco and rebuilt their churches and homes on top of the Inca foundations using the stones from the Inca buildings. On many streets you can see the remains of Inca foundations (the stones are carved to fit perfectly w/o mortar) next to the sloppy Spanish foundations (stones don’t fit and mortar was used). We visited Qorikancha, the most important temple of the Inca Empire where the Sun Temple (covered in gold plate) and the Moon Temple (covered in silver plate) were located.
On Sun we toured the Inca ruins at Sacsayhuaman. Since that word is difficult for tourists to pronounce everyone calls it ‘Sexywoman’. The remains of a fortress and temple are located on the site. After making a too-long stop at a textile factory we continued on to ruins at Qenco, Puca Pucara and Tambomachay. We finished the day with a 4.5 mile training run from the village of Yuncaypata to the Plaza de Armas in Cusco. The run started at 12,800 ft and descended on a section of the Inca trails to 12,000 ft and back up to the Temple of Moon at 12,600ft. The run was led by our main Quechua guide Abelardo (a good runner who had no problem with the altitude). I managed to stay close to him and a (hard-core) female ultra runner, Roxanne, from Atlanta until we reached the Temple of the Moon. After a quick visit to the temple we continued on a more technical downhill section to Cusco where a few fast/good downhill runners passed me. We were starting to establish the pecking order for the marathon?
On Mon we traveled by bus to the Sacred Valley of the Incas with a stop in Chinchero to visit a Quechua home and family that made their own textiles and weavings from scratch. They showed us how they washed apaca and sheep wool in natural soap and dyed the yarn with natural colors, etc. I kept telling the Sports Manager that we should move there so she could learn all those neat and ancient skills? I won’t tell you her response! We bought more things for Priya! After shopping we visited some more Inca ruins located in Chinchero. After the tour we stopped in the middle of a high plain (12,600 ft) and Abelardo led a 2nd training run on a trail that descended gradually for a short time and then dropped steeply past the salt mines at Maras and joined a steep, technical dirt trail that descended to the Urubamba River (9500 ft). We all chased Abelardo and Roxanne again. The run was supposed to be 7 miles but when I passed 70 minutes and was hurting because I was running a sub-10 min pace (at altitude) I knew that it weren’t no 7 miles. Turned out to be 8 miles and I was the 4th runner to reach the bus. The pecking order for the marathon had been established!
After the run we checked into a beautiful hotel in Yucay and got together for a pre-race meeting. The race director went over the course and logistics for the race. There were no race bibs since the government would not allow a race/marathon to be held on the Inca Trail. Officially we were all ‘fast’ hikers! All those running the Inca Trail in one or two days would camp on the trail and had to pack one bag accordingly. The rest of our clothes and belongings were to be sent on to Machu Picchu or returned to Cusco. At that point and with two training runs under our belt a few runners decided to opt out of the marathon and hike the final 4 miles of the Inca Trail?
On Tue we departed for Urubamba where half the group chose to go on a whitewater-rafting trip on the Urubamba River. I was in the half that chose not to raft – I didn’t want to get wet before the hike to base camp and I didn’t want to risk an injury on a raft that could spoil my run? Instead our half drove to Ollantaytambo where we visited a Quechua home to see how they live in the same manner as their ancestors. The homes are made of adobe and have one large room only that accommodates all family members (and the cuy). See the photos. Even the skulls of their ancestors are kept in the home! After the interesting visit we drove back to the river to cheer our rafting comrades across the finish line on the Urubamba River. Everyone enjoyed the raft but many were soaked! We then enjoyed a quick lunch in Ollantaytambo before we drove to Piscachucho at Km 82 on the Inca Trail where we would start our hike to base camp on the Inca Trail to begin the marathon. Those not running the marathon went back to the ‘luxury’ hotel In Yucay for another night.
I will end this part of the report at this point to give everyone a rest and continue the marathon in Part 2.
Stay tuned!
Friday, July 11, 2008
RR - Portland Marathon
Race Report
Foot Traffic Flat Marathon
Portland, OR
Fri, Jul 4/08
3:45:44 – 1 AG
I wanted to run a marathon in July as a final training run in preparation for the Inca Trail Marathon in Aug. There were two choices – the best/logical choice would have been the Leadville Trail Marathon in Colorado but I chose a marathon in Portland, OR so we could visit our son Jason, Ami and our new granddaughter Priya. Little did I know that I would be suffering from injuries? However the back seemed to be responding to PT and the foot was slowly recovering from Morton’s Neuroma so I decided I would run the race. Even if I cancelled at the last moment we still wanted to visit our granddaughter.
We arrived in Portland on Wed and I rested Thu to let the injuries rest and to spend more time with our family. Our son Chris managed to take a train down from Seattle (with his leg still in a cast from the bike accident) so we were excited about enjoying the July 4th weekend together as a family. On Fri morning I let everyone sleep in while I left early to drive to Sauve Island. The race was held on Sauve Island located in the Columbia River about 10 miles NW of Portland. The race was advertised as a fast, flat half marathon course. The marathon started at 6:45 am at a berry farm called the ‘Pumpkin Patch’. The weather was cloudy with temps in the low 60s. There were only 130 runners in the marathon but 1300 in the Half – an unusually large ratio and an indication of the fast course and that most runners wanted to run a fast Half!
I was having difficulty with my heart monitor and other pre-race duties and almost missed the start of the race. I joined the back of the pack and fiddled with the chest strap for the first mile. I wasn’t concerned about my pace because my foot and back needed a slow start to warm/loosen up. I had checked results from previous years and figured if I could finish in 3:50 I would probably place but not win my AG. By the time I reached mile 2 in 17:24 I had sorted out the heart monitor and the endorphins had kicked in to kill the minor pain in my foot. I lowered the pace into the 8:30s and started to pass the pack. When I passed mile 6 in 51:38 (a split of 8:31) the lead pack of the Half blew by me. It was kind of discouraging since the Half started 15 minutes after the marathon but I figured the leaders were running a sub 6-min pace! After more Half marathoners blew by me I realized that although I couldn’t keep up with them they were pulling me along at a faster pace. I decided to let them pull me along the fast, flat course back to the Half at the Pumpkin Patch. I passed the Half in 1:53:00!
I felt OK but figured I would slow down in the 2nd Half so a goal of 3:50 was probably realistic? The course/race became lonelier after the half as we repeated the Half loop a 2nd time. I had been following a lovely young lass through the first 13 miles and decided to pull her in. She was about ¼ mile ahead and I finally caught her at 17 miles (2:26:43 – 8:35 split). As I pulled alongside her I joked that I had been trying to catch her for 17 miles and now that I had finally caught her – I didn’t know what to do with her! She laughed and asked if she could hold on to my shirttail as I quickly left her behind. I actually felt frisky at that point and considered lowering the hammer but wisely decided to wait till mile 20 and do a final gut check. I reached mile 20 in 2:52:39 (8:38 split) and did my gut check. I felt amazingly good – still strong and fresh – so I decided to push the pace for the final 10K. I figured it would be good training/practice for the body to learn to push through pain at the end of the race! If I could lower the pace to 8:30 I even had a chance of finishing under 3:46 – and a negative split? I cruised at an 8:30 pace till mile 24 (3:27:26) where my legs started to tire and I started to struggle. But I wasn’t ready to give up on a negative split - they don’t happen often! I knew the only way to get to the finish line under 3:46 was to use will power and mind games to overcome the pain and lack of energy! I pushed the pace while shouting (out loud) two of Maddog’s favorite phrases (and to the shock of other runners – a few asked if I was OK?) – ‘”Pain is only temporary” – “Any old fool can hurt for a measly 15 minutes”! When I passed mile 25 in 3:36:12 I pushed the pace even harder and changed my shouts to “Any old fool can hurt for a measly 10 minutes”!
As I approached mile 26 at the Pumpkin Patch I started looking for my family – no family? Only after I turned the last corner and started the final 200 yards did I see them. They had luckily arrived at the finish line at the same moment as I had. Their cheers were enough to excite the old bod to provide one last jolt of adrenaline to allow me to sprint the final 200 yards and cross the finish line in 3:45:44!
I don’t even remember passing through the finish chute. I headed straight for my precious granddaughter who had watched her ‘Pappy’ finish a marathon for her 1st time! She rewarded me with a big, beautiful smile that immediately vanquished all pain and exhaustion! We posed for a finish line photo – A happy Pappy and a proud Princess Priya! We waited for results to be posted. Surprisingly I won my AG. I figure most of the fast/big dogs ran the fast Half? Needless to say I was pleased with both my time and performance. I had run a smart race and finished with negative splits – only 16 secs but I don’t do that often! My only disappointment was that there were no awards for Age Groups so I couldn’t give it to Priya!
Now that I am back home in the High Country I need to re-acclimate to the High Altitude and start hiking/running on mtn trails above 12,000 ft because my next marathon is above 12,000 ft in the Andes Mtns.
Stay tuned!
Foot Traffic Flat Marathon
Portland, OR
Fri, Jul 4/08
3:45:44 – 1 AG
I wanted to run a marathon in July as a final training run in preparation for the Inca Trail Marathon in Aug. There were two choices – the best/logical choice would have been the Leadville Trail Marathon in Colorado but I chose a marathon in Portland, OR so we could visit our son Jason, Ami and our new granddaughter Priya. Little did I know that I would be suffering from injuries? However the back seemed to be responding to PT and the foot was slowly recovering from Morton’s Neuroma so I decided I would run the race. Even if I cancelled at the last moment we still wanted to visit our granddaughter.
We arrived in Portland on Wed and I rested Thu to let the injuries rest and to spend more time with our family. Our son Chris managed to take a train down from Seattle (with his leg still in a cast from the bike accident) so we were excited about enjoying the July 4th weekend together as a family. On Fri morning I let everyone sleep in while I left early to drive to Sauve Island. The race was held on Sauve Island located in the Columbia River about 10 miles NW of Portland. The race was advertised as a fast, flat half marathon course. The marathon started at 6:45 am at a berry farm called the ‘Pumpkin Patch’. The weather was cloudy with temps in the low 60s. There were only 130 runners in the marathon but 1300 in the Half – an unusually large ratio and an indication of the fast course and that most runners wanted to run a fast Half!
I was having difficulty with my heart monitor and other pre-race duties and almost missed the start of the race. I joined the back of the pack and fiddled with the chest strap for the first mile. I wasn’t concerned about my pace because my foot and back needed a slow start to warm/loosen up. I had checked results from previous years and figured if I could finish in 3:50 I would probably place but not win my AG. By the time I reached mile 2 in 17:24 I had sorted out the heart monitor and the endorphins had kicked in to kill the minor pain in my foot. I lowered the pace into the 8:30s and started to pass the pack. When I passed mile 6 in 51:38 (a split of 8:31) the lead pack of the Half blew by me. It was kind of discouraging since the Half started 15 minutes after the marathon but I figured the leaders were running a sub 6-min pace! After more Half marathoners blew by me I realized that although I couldn’t keep up with them they were pulling me along at a faster pace. I decided to let them pull me along the fast, flat course back to the Half at the Pumpkin Patch. I passed the Half in 1:53:00!
I felt OK but figured I would slow down in the 2nd Half so a goal of 3:50 was probably realistic? The course/race became lonelier after the half as we repeated the Half loop a 2nd time. I had been following a lovely young lass through the first 13 miles and decided to pull her in. She was about ¼ mile ahead and I finally caught her at 17 miles (2:26:43 – 8:35 split). As I pulled alongside her I joked that I had been trying to catch her for 17 miles and now that I had finally caught her – I didn’t know what to do with her! She laughed and asked if she could hold on to my shirttail as I quickly left her behind. I actually felt frisky at that point and considered lowering the hammer but wisely decided to wait till mile 20 and do a final gut check. I reached mile 20 in 2:52:39 (8:38 split) and did my gut check. I felt amazingly good – still strong and fresh – so I decided to push the pace for the final 10K. I figured it would be good training/practice for the body to learn to push through pain at the end of the race! If I could lower the pace to 8:30 I even had a chance of finishing under 3:46 – and a negative split? I cruised at an 8:30 pace till mile 24 (3:27:26) where my legs started to tire and I started to struggle. But I wasn’t ready to give up on a negative split - they don’t happen often! I knew the only way to get to the finish line under 3:46 was to use will power and mind games to overcome the pain and lack of energy! I pushed the pace while shouting (out loud) two of Maddog’s favorite phrases (and to the shock of other runners – a few asked if I was OK?) – ‘”Pain is only temporary” – “Any old fool can hurt for a measly 15 minutes”! When I passed mile 25 in 3:36:12 I pushed the pace even harder and changed my shouts to “Any old fool can hurt for a measly 10 minutes”!
As I approached mile 26 at the Pumpkin Patch I started looking for my family – no family? Only after I turned the last corner and started the final 200 yards did I see them. They had luckily arrived at the finish line at the same moment as I had. Their cheers were enough to excite the old bod to provide one last jolt of adrenaline to allow me to sprint the final 200 yards and cross the finish line in 3:45:44!
I don’t even remember passing through the finish chute. I headed straight for my precious granddaughter who had watched her ‘Pappy’ finish a marathon for her 1st time! She rewarded me with a big, beautiful smile that immediately vanquished all pain and exhaustion! We posed for a finish line photo – A happy Pappy and a proud Princess Priya! We waited for results to be posted. Surprisingly I won my AG. I figure most of the fast/big dogs ran the fast Half? Needless to say I was pleased with both my time and performance. I had run a smart race and finished with negative splits – only 16 secs but I don’t do that often! My only disappointment was that there were no awards for Age Groups so I couldn’t give it to Priya!
Now that I am back home in the High Country I need to re-acclimate to the High Altitude and start hiking/running on mtn trails above 12,000 ft because my next marathon is above 12,000 ft in the Andes Mtns.
Stay tuned!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
RR - Slacker Half Marathon
Race Report
Sat, June 28/08
Slacker Half Marathon
Loveland Ski Resort, CO
2 miles above Sea Level
1:47:29 - 5AG
It has been a long, tough and painful two weeks since my last race in Estes Park, CO. As you may remember I started and finished that race with foot and back injuries/problems?
By the time we returned home I was in severe pain and glad that I had already set up appointments with docs. The first appointment was with a Podiatrist the following Tue. I thought I was suffering from plantar fascitis since the pain/symptoms seemed to be similar to those I had suffered many times? However with the help of X-rays and ultrasound he quickly diagnosed the problem as Morton’s Neuroma? Never heard of it? What is it? In summary – a nerve that runs between the 3rd and 4th toes becomes inflamed because of pressure /friction by the toes. As the nerve becomes inflamed it enlarges and the friction increases and it becomes a never-ending vicious/painful cycle until the pain becomes so severe that you can’t even walk! The doc explained several treatment options. Maddog chose the most aggressive and fastest one – a shot of cortisone into the inflamed area to reduce the inflammation and pain and the doc also adjusted my orthotics to spread the toes and reduce the pressure on the nerve. The cortisone worked quickly as expected to reduce the pain and I was able to continue running/training 10/12 miles each day. Now the back pain became a showstopper. It didn’t hurt when I ran but after I finished I was in agony for the rest of the day? (But of course it didn’t stop Maddog from running each day!)
I begged my Orthoped to squeeze me into an earlier appointment which he was able to do on Thu. X-rays revealed no obvious problem so he decided (guessed?) that the problem was a strained back muscle that kept going into spasms? He prescribed a muscle relaxant and PT (physical therapy). The meds eased the pain but kicked my ass – literally! I would take one after dinner – sleep for 12 hours – get up – take another pill – run 10/12 miles and sleep another 4 hours! After 4 days of fuzzy/lethargic/pathetic living Maddog became disgusted and threw the meds in the garbage! That crap is dangerous! It steals your life away! Fortunately by then I had started PT and massage and especially electrical stimulation eased the pain enough that I could continue to run and get some of my life back. By the 3rd PT session I felt good enough to think about running one of my favorite Half Marathons in the High Country. The Slacker Half Marathon was being run on Sat.
It is a fast downhill race that starts at the Loveland Ski Resort – more than 2 miles above sea level (10,630 ft) and finishes in Georgetown (8500 ft). The race requires raw speed and a good set of lungs! I ran this race 3 times before and finished all 3 times in 1:41 – resulting in 2 wins and a 2nd AG! Because of my poor conditioning and injuries/problems I was under no false illusion/fantasy of finishing in my usual time. I figured a realistic goal was a finish time between 1:45 and 1:50 - probably not good enough to win but maybe to place?
I lined up at the start line at 8 am with 900 runners. The weather was great – sunny and 45 F. My foot was hurting but the back felt OK. I was a wee bit concerned how the steep down hills would affect both injuries? The first ½ mile is uphill and by the time I crested that hill I was sucking desperately for air and my lungs were burning. That is normal – but for the first time I said to myself: “I’m getting too old for this crap”! By the time I passed mile 1 in 8:51 my lungs and legs had adjusted to the thin air and my splits dropped to sub 8s! The first 5 miles are on a dirt/rocky service road so it is necessary to be careful not to fall or twist an ankle. I passed an old fart around 3 miles and never saw another old fart during the race which meant one of two things:
1) I was in 1st place (unlikely at my slow pace)
2) The other old farts were so far ahead of me that I would never catch or even see them (more likely – and turned out to be the case)
I passed mile 5 in 41:11 and the endorphins had kicked in and killed all pain. The course enters a paved road after mile 5 and starts a long slow climb to mile 6. My split slowed to 9:03! But the next four miles are downhill on a paved service road to a bike path at 10 miles. I reached mile 10 in 1:22:38 and began a steep 500 ft drop over the next two miles of bike path. My splits dropped to 7:30s and I reached the bottom of the bike path in Georgetown at mile 12 in 1:37:41. My legs were totally wasted from the fast, steep down hills. I knew it was going to be a difficult struggle (as it always is) to gut out the final mile through Georgetown. That final mile is flat with several rolling hills(at 8500 ft)! I figured if I could just keep my legs moving and run the final 1.1 miles in 10 minutes I would finish in 1:47 and achieve my goal? It took a lot of willpower NOT to walk on a few of the hills but I finally reached mile 13 in 1:46:40 (an 8:59 split) and struggled across the finish line in 1:47:29!
I was pleased with both my time and performance considering the circumstances and difficulties I faced just getting to the start line. I checked the results posted at the finish line. My time period was not yet posted but I learned that the top 3 runners in my AG all finished under 1:45. I was not surprised! My guess is that I finished 4th AG? (Later learned I finished in a dismal 5AG)! I guess I shouldn’t be disappointed – but I am! I need to train much harder (and stay healthier) if I expect to compete against the Big Dogs from the Front Range – Denver/Boulder/Fort Collins! 1st place in my AG finished in 1:32 – a new course record! Damn – it is getting harder and harder to compete against those youngsters with each passing year! Maybe I am getting too old for this crap?
The good news is that nothing hurt (real bad) at the end of the race. The foot actually felt better and after back stretches/exercises and a long hot soak in the hot tub the back felt pretty good? I believe I will be OK to run the marathon I have scheduled next weekend in Portland, OR.
Stay tuned!
Sat, June 28/08
Slacker Half Marathon
Loveland Ski Resort, CO
2 miles above Sea Level
1:47:29 - 5AG
It has been a long, tough and painful two weeks since my last race in Estes Park, CO. As you may remember I started and finished that race with foot and back injuries/problems?
By the time we returned home I was in severe pain and glad that I had already set up appointments with docs. The first appointment was with a Podiatrist the following Tue. I thought I was suffering from plantar fascitis since the pain/symptoms seemed to be similar to those I had suffered many times? However with the help of X-rays and ultrasound he quickly diagnosed the problem as Morton’s Neuroma? Never heard of it? What is it? In summary – a nerve that runs between the 3rd and 4th toes becomes inflamed because of pressure /friction by the toes. As the nerve becomes inflamed it enlarges and the friction increases and it becomes a never-ending vicious/painful cycle until the pain becomes so severe that you can’t even walk! The doc explained several treatment options. Maddog chose the most aggressive and fastest one – a shot of cortisone into the inflamed area to reduce the inflammation and pain and the doc also adjusted my orthotics to spread the toes and reduce the pressure on the nerve. The cortisone worked quickly as expected to reduce the pain and I was able to continue running/training 10/12 miles each day. Now the back pain became a showstopper. It didn’t hurt when I ran but after I finished I was in agony for the rest of the day? (But of course it didn’t stop Maddog from running each day!)
I begged my Orthoped to squeeze me into an earlier appointment which he was able to do on Thu. X-rays revealed no obvious problem so he decided (guessed?) that the problem was a strained back muscle that kept going into spasms? He prescribed a muscle relaxant and PT (physical therapy). The meds eased the pain but kicked my ass – literally! I would take one after dinner – sleep for 12 hours – get up – take another pill – run 10/12 miles and sleep another 4 hours! After 4 days of fuzzy/lethargic/pathetic living Maddog became disgusted and threw the meds in the garbage! That crap is dangerous! It steals your life away! Fortunately by then I had started PT and massage and especially electrical stimulation eased the pain enough that I could continue to run and get some of my life back. By the 3rd PT session I felt good enough to think about running one of my favorite Half Marathons in the High Country. The Slacker Half Marathon was being run on Sat.
It is a fast downhill race that starts at the Loveland Ski Resort – more than 2 miles above sea level (10,630 ft) and finishes in Georgetown (8500 ft). The race requires raw speed and a good set of lungs! I ran this race 3 times before and finished all 3 times in 1:41 – resulting in 2 wins and a 2nd AG! Because of my poor conditioning and injuries/problems I was under no false illusion/fantasy of finishing in my usual time. I figured a realistic goal was a finish time between 1:45 and 1:50 - probably not good enough to win but maybe to place?
I lined up at the start line at 8 am with 900 runners. The weather was great – sunny and 45 F. My foot was hurting but the back felt OK. I was a wee bit concerned how the steep down hills would affect both injuries? The first ½ mile is uphill and by the time I crested that hill I was sucking desperately for air and my lungs were burning. That is normal – but for the first time I said to myself: “I’m getting too old for this crap”! By the time I passed mile 1 in 8:51 my lungs and legs had adjusted to the thin air and my splits dropped to sub 8s! The first 5 miles are on a dirt/rocky service road so it is necessary to be careful not to fall or twist an ankle. I passed an old fart around 3 miles and never saw another old fart during the race which meant one of two things:
1) I was in 1st place (unlikely at my slow pace)
2) The other old farts were so far ahead of me that I would never catch or even see them (more likely – and turned out to be the case)
I passed mile 5 in 41:11 and the endorphins had kicked in and killed all pain. The course enters a paved road after mile 5 and starts a long slow climb to mile 6. My split slowed to 9:03! But the next four miles are downhill on a paved service road to a bike path at 10 miles. I reached mile 10 in 1:22:38 and began a steep 500 ft drop over the next two miles of bike path. My splits dropped to 7:30s and I reached the bottom of the bike path in Georgetown at mile 12 in 1:37:41. My legs were totally wasted from the fast, steep down hills. I knew it was going to be a difficult struggle (as it always is) to gut out the final mile through Georgetown. That final mile is flat with several rolling hills(at 8500 ft)! I figured if I could just keep my legs moving and run the final 1.1 miles in 10 minutes I would finish in 1:47 and achieve my goal? It took a lot of willpower NOT to walk on a few of the hills but I finally reached mile 13 in 1:46:40 (an 8:59 split) and struggled across the finish line in 1:47:29!
I was pleased with both my time and performance considering the circumstances and difficulties I faced just getting to the start line. I checked the results posted at the finish line. My time period was not yet posted but I learned that the top 3 runners in my AG all finished under 1:45. I was not surprised! My guess is that I finished 4th AG? (Later learned I finished in a dismal 5AG)! I guess I shouldn’t be disappointed – but I am! I need to train much harder (and stay healthier) if I expect to compete against the Big Dogs from the Front Range – Denver/Boulder/Fort Collins! 1st place in my AG finished in 1:32 – a new course record! Damn – it is getting harder and harder to compete against those youngsters with each passing year! Maybe I am getting too old for this crap?
The good news is that nothing hurt (real bad) at the end of the race. The foot actually felt better and after back stretches/exercises and a long hot soak in the hot tub the back felt pretty good? I believe I will be OK to run the marathon I have scheduled next weekend in Portland, OR.
Stay tuned!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
RR- Estes Park
Race Report
Sun, June 16/08
Estes Park Marathon
Estes Park, CO
Marathon #305
4:13:39 – 1 AG
The “highest paved marathon in the world” so the race brochure claims? Even though it is a tough, hilly course with elevations between 7420 to 8150 ft I like visiting the town of Estes Park and nearby Rocky Mountain National Park. I planned to use the race as part of my high altitude training program but little did I foresee the obstacles and difficulties in getting to the start line?
First I had been struggling with severe pain in both my lower back and left foot since my last marathon two weeks ago. Then I had to interrupt my altitude training for one week while the Sports Manager and I traveled to Seattle to look after our son who got T-boned by a truck while riding his bike. Luckily the only serious injury he suffered was a broken kneecap! But the week in Seattle negated what little altitude acclimation I had attained and I was only able to run twice because of the injuries and the miserable weather in Seattle. We returned to the High Country on Thu before the race and I ran my ‘favorite’ hill loop on Fri to test my injuries in the hills. That short run went OK so we left for Estes Park on Sat.
Estes Park is a pretty little town nestled in Estes Valley at an elevation of 7600 ft. The Big Thompson River flows through the middle of the town into Lake Estes on the east side of the town. It has been a ‘tourist’ town/destination for many years since it is the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. To the south the Front Range, including Longs Peak (14, 255 ft) towers above the valley and town. To the west Rocky Mountain National Park unveils a stunning array of mountain peaks, 74 of which reach elevations of 12,000 ft or more. The town has a lot of neat shops, bars and cafes overlooking the Big Thompson River. After registering and picking up my race packet we strolled along the shops on Main Street and enjoyed a pasta dinner at Mama Roses (the main race sponsor) overlooking the Big Thompson River.
On Sun I had to get up two hours before the race to apply heating pads to both my back and foot to ease the pain enough so that I could make it to the start line. I ran this marathon three years ago and set the course record (4:02) for the 60+ AG. (See archives – June 2005). I knew there was no way I could even consider challenging my own record due to the above factors but I hoped that if I ran a smart race I could at least run a BQ (Boston Qualifying) time of 4:15? The weather was perfect for running – sunny and a temp of 50F at the 7am start and temps in the mid 60s at the finish. There were about 150 runners in the Marathon and 300 in the Half. There were several runners from the 50 States Club and one runner from the Country List – Andy Kotulski.
The marathon started at 7600 ft and the first mile was uphill so I started real slow and still I was sucking desperately for air until I reached Mile 1 and started the second mile downhill. I passed Mile 3 in 28:01 and then the fun began! Miles 3 through 6 climbed 550 ft to the highest point of the course (8150 ft)! I struggled to hold a 10:30 min pace up that BAH (Bad Ass Hill) and reached Mile 6 with a 10:59 split – my slowest split of the race! But even more disturbing was the time of 1:00 – 6 min slower than when I ran the course record. At that pace any hope of a BQ time was gone? The only good news at that point was that the endorphins had killed all the pain in my back and foot. The back felt fine and the foot felt uncomfortable/not normal but OK – no pain? Fortunately the next 3 miles were downhill and I stretched out my stride and let gravity pull me down the hill at an 8:30 pace. When I reached Mile 10 in the center of Estes Park in 1:34:55 I figured I was back on a BQ pace as I continued through a series of rolling hills to Mile 12. The next two miles along Estes Lake were the only section of the course that was flat – and also the lowest elevation of the course at 7,420 ft.
I passed the Half in 2:03:44. I knew the 2nd Half would be much slower because there were more BAHs in that Half and altitude really starts to have a negative effect as mileage increases. However I felt good and I figured if I could run the 2nd Half in 2:10 – a 10 min pace – I could achieve my goal of a BQ finish time? The challenge began on a BAH at Mile 15 (9:59 split) and continued through a series of short rolling hills to Mile 17 (2:41:18). I was still on a BQ pace but I remembered the next three miles – the toughest part of the course! It climbed relentlessly for three miles back to 8000+ ft!
Once again I struggled to hold a 10:30 min pace up that BAH. I passed a lot of runners who were walking and almost succumbed myself before I crested the BAH at Mile 20 in 3:13:07 and a split of 10:47. I had 1 hour to run the final 10 Km! Mile 21 was downhill so once again I was able to stretch out my stride and let gravity assist and give my legs a chance to recover.
As I screamed down the hill in a blazing 8:53 split I was not happy to see another BAH facing me at Mile 22 that climbed back up to 8000 ft? Damn – I didn’t remember that final BAH! I struggled up that BAH in 10:51 – my slowest split of the Half – and reached Mile 22 in 3:32:52. I had 42 minutes to run the final 4.2miles! The good news was that the course dropped almost 500 ft over the next two miles and I was able to reach Mile 24 on the bike path along Estes Lake in 3:52:00. I had 23 minutes to run the final 2.2 miles! However the bad news was that my legs were trashed from the hills and altitude – I had no energy left and the final two miles climbed gently about 100 ft to the track at the high school!
I was too close to give up and I realized the only solution was to call in the Big Dog – er – Maddog and hand the race over to him! He has an uncanny/unbelievable ability to focus so strongly that he can shut down every non-essential part of my body not needed to run to conserve energy and he can block out all pain and the outside world. It’s like I am inside some kind of protective cocoon where there is no pain or distractions as I float toward the finish line? Only when I passed Mile 25 in 4:01:09 and a split of 9:08 did I finally have confidence that a BQ time was in the bag! I could walk/crawl the last mile in 14 minutes! I asked Maddog to ease off the pace and let me cruise to the finish line. The only remaining obstacle that I remembered (too well) was a short steep hill from the bike path up to the school at Mile 26. That damn hill felt like Mt Everest (again) but I struggled up it and entered the track at the high school. I managed to shuffle the wasted old legs the final 200 yards to cross the finish line in 4:13:39! Once I crossed the finish line I barely had enough energy to walk through the finish chute. But I felt good because I knew that I had left absolutely nothing on the course!
The Sports Manager had arrived at the finish line only a few minutes before me and after the obligatory finish line photo and a short walk in the infield to hydrate and recover I tried to check the results. They had not been posted yet so I decided to try a short massage in the hope that it would prevent the back and foot from flaring up again? Strangely they both felt OK at that time. However the second I layed down on the table both cramped and locked up! Fortunately the masseuse was able to work the cramps out and the foot felt much better but the back continued to hurt like Hell! I have appointments with docs in the next two weeks to check out the problems/injuries. I am hoping for a miracle/quick fix since my next marathon is in three weeks?
Just as I was crawling off the massage table they announced the awards for my Age Group. I finished 1st AG and at that time nobody else in my AG had even crossed the finish line. I later learned that 2nd and 3rd place finished exactly one hour behind me!
I was happy with my time and performance. Although I finished 10 minutes behind my own course record I ran ‘smart’and accomplished two things I had not been able to do the first time - I ran the entire course and finished with a BQ time! Even Maddog was pleased with my performance (all due to his assist at the end of course!).
We stayed in Estes Park one more day to enjoy a nice victory dinner and the next day we drove home through Rocky Mountain National Park to enjoy the magnificent scenery and wildlife. I took some photos that I already shared with my readers.
Now it time to visit doc/quacks and hope that I can heal in time for my next race.
Stay tuned!
Sun, June 16/08
Estes Park Marathon
Estes Park, CO
Marathon #305
4:13:39 – 1 AG
The “highest paved marathon in the world” so the race brochure claims? Even though it is a tough, hilly course with elevations between 7420 to 8150 ft I like visiting the town of Estes Park and nearby Rocky Mountain National Park. I planned to use the race as part of my high altitude training program but little did I foresee the obstacles and difficulties in getting to the start line?
First I had been struggling with severe pain in both my lower back and left foot since my last marathon two weeks ago. Then I had to interrupt my altitude training for one week while the Sports Manager and I traveled to Seattle to look after our son who got T-boned by a truck while riding his bike. Luckily the only serious injury he suffered was a broken kneecap! But the week in Seattle negated what little altitude acclimation I had attained and I was only able to run twice because of the injuries and the miserable weather in Seattle. We returned to the High Country on Thu before the race and I ran my ‘favorite’ hill loop on Fri to test my injuries in the hills. That short run went OK so we left for Estes Park on Sat.
Estes Park is a pretty little town nestled in Estes Valley at an elevation of 7600 ft. The Big Thompson River flows through the middle of the town into Lake Estes on the east side of the town. It has been a ‘tourist’ town/destination for many years since it is the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. To the south the Front Range, including Longs Peak (14, 255 ft) towers above the valley and town. To the west Rocky Mountain National Park unveils a stunning array of mountain peaks, 74 of which reach elevations of 12,000 ft or more. The town has a lot of neat shops, bars and cafes overlooking the Big Thompson River. After registering and picking up my race packet we strolled along the shops on Main Street and enjoyed a pasta dinner at Mama Roses (the main race sponsor) overlooking the Big Thompson River.
On Sun I had to get up two hours before the race to apply heating pads to both my back and foot to ease the pain enough so that I could make it to the start line. I ran this marathon three years ago and set the course record (4:02) for the 60+ AG. (See archives – June 2005). I knew there was no way I could even consider challenging my own record due to the above factors but I hoped that if I ran a smart race I could at least run a BQ (Boston Qualifying) time of 4:15? The weather was perfect for running – sunny and a temp of 50F at the 7am start and temps in the mid 60s at the finish. There were about 150 runners in the Marathon and 300 in the Half. There were several runners from the 50 States Club and one runner from the Country List – Andy Kotulski.
The marathon started at 7600 ft and the first mile was uphill so I started real slow and still I was sucking desperately for air until I reached Mile 1 and started the second mile downhill. I passed Mile 3 in 28:01 and then the fun began! Miles 3 through 6 climbed 550 ft to the highest point of the course (8150 ft)! I struggled to hold a 10:30 min pace up that BAH (Bad Ass Hill) and reached Mile 6 with a 10:59 split – my slowest split of the race! But even more disturbing was the time of 1:00 – 6 min slower than when I ran the course record. At that pace any hope of a BQ time was gone? The only good news at that point was that the endorphins had killed all the pain in my back and foot. The back felt fine and the foot felt uncomfortable/not normal but OK – no pain? Fortunately the next 3 miles were downhill and I stretched out my stride and let gravity pull me down the hill at an 8:30 pace. When I reached Mile 10 in the center of Estes Park in 1:34:55 I figured I was back on a BQ pace as I continued through a series of rolling hills to Mile 12. The next two miles along Estes Lake were the only section of the course that was flat – and also the lowest elevation of the course at 7,420 ft.
I passed the Half in 2:03:44. I knew the 2nd Half would be much slower because there were more BAHs in that Half and altitude really starts to have a negative effect as mileage increases. However I felt good and I figured if I could run the 2nd Half in 2:10 – a 10 min pace – I could achieve my goal of a BQ finish time? The challenge began on a BAH at Mile 15 (9:59 split) and continued through a series of short rolling hills to Mile 17 (2:41:18). I was still on a BQ pace but I remembered the next three miles – the toughest part of the course! It climbed relentlessly for three miles back to 8000+ ft!
Once again I struggled to hold a 10:30 min pace up that BAH. I passed a lot of runners who were walking and almost succumbed myself before I crested the BAH at Mile 20 in 3:13:07 and a split of 10:47. I had 1 hour to run the final 10 Km! Mile 21 was downhill so once again I was able to stretch out my stride and let gravity assist and give my legs a chance to recover.
As I screamed down the hill in a blazing 8:53 split I was not happy to see another BAH facing me at Mile 22 that climbed back up to 8000 ft? Damn – I didn’t remember that final BAH! I struggled up that BAH in 10:51 – my slowest split of the Half – and reached Mile 22 in 3:32:52. I had 42 minutes to run the final 4.2miles! The good news was that the course dropped almost 500 ft over the next two miles and I was able to reach Mile 24 on the bike path along Estes Lake in 3:52:00. I had 23 minutes to run the final 2.2 miles! However the bad news was that my legs were trashed from the hills and altitude – I had no energy left and the final two miles climbed gently about 100 ft to the track at the high school!
I was too close to give up and I realized the only solution was to call in the Big Dog – er – Maddog and hand the race over to him! He has an uncanny/unbelievable ability to focus so strongly that he can shut down every non-essential part of my body not needed to run to conserve energy and he can block out all pain and the outside world. It’s like I am inside some kind of protective cocoon where there is no pain or distractions as I float toward the finish line? Only when I passed Mile 25 in 4:01:09 and a split of 9:08 did I finally have confidence that a BQ time was in the bag! I could walk/crawl the last mile in 14 minutes! I asked Maddog to ease off the pace and let me cruise to the finish line. The only remaining obstacle that I remembered (too well) was a short steep hill from the bike path up to the school at Mile 26. That damn hill felt like Mt Everest (again) but I struggled up it and entered the track at the high school. I managed to shuffle the wasted old legs the final 200 yards to cross the finish line in 4:13:39! Once I crossed the finish line I barely had enough energy to walk through the finish chute. But I felt good because I knew that I had left absolutely nothing on the course!
The Sports Manager had arrived at the finish line only a few minutes before me and after the obligatory finish line photo and a short walk in the infield to hydrate and recover I tried to check the results. They had not been posted yet so I decided to try a short massage in the hope that it would prevent the back and foot from flaring up again? Strangely they both felt OK at that time. However the second I layed down on the table both cramped and locked up! Fortunately the masseuse was able to work the cramps out and the foot felt much better but the back continued to hurt like Hell! I have appointments with docs in the next two weeks to check out the problems/injuries. I am hoping for a miracle/quick fix since my next marathon is in three weeks?
Just as I was crawling off the massage table they announced the awards for my Age Group. I finished 1st AG and at that time nobody else in my AG had even crossed the finish line. I later learned that 2nd and 3rd place finished exactly one hour behind me!
I was happy with my time and performance. Although I finished 10 minutes behind my own course record I ran ‘smart’and accomplished two things I had not been able to do the first time - I ran the entire course and finished with a BQ time! Even Maddog was pleased with my performance (all due to his assist at the end of course!).
We stayed in Estes Park one more day to enjoy a nice victory dinner and the next day we drove home through Rocky Mountain National Park to enjoy the magnificent scenery and wildlife. I took some photos that I already shared with my readers.
Now it time to visit doc/quacks and hope that I can heal in time for my next race.
Stay tuned!
Monday, June 02, 2008
RR - Steamboat Springs, CO
Race Report
Steamboat Springs Marathon
Steamboat Springs, CO
Sun, Jun 1/08
Marathon # 304
4:01:26 – 3AG
This race was intended to be only a long, high altitude training run for a number of reasons.
1) I arrived at our summer home in CO just one week before the race so didn’t have much time to train or adjust to high altitude
2) As happens very/too often the many hours spent sitting in the car during the long drive from FL kills my back and or neck – this time it was my back that had been sore/stiff for the past week. It became so sore on Fri before the race that I had to call my masseuse - Pegi de Sade - and beg her to work on my back before the race. Thankfully she agreed to let me on her torture table on Sat morning before we left for Steamboat Springs.
The back felt sore after the torture session but was feeling much better when we arrived in Steamboat. I was able to enjoy a pleasant walk around the old western town w/o pain after picking up my race packet. On the drive to Steamboat we had received a phone call from our oldest son, Chris with shocking news. He was calling from a hospital! He had been biking with a group of friends in Seattle and was hit by a truck. The driver had run a red light while talking on a cell phone and hit Chris broadside! He was lucky to be alive! An ambulance took him to a hospital where the most serious injury found was a broken left knee. Needless to say that news put a damper on our weekend and made the race very insignificant and we spent most of the weekend on the phone with Chris. (More news on Chris later).
I had run the Steamboat Marathon three times before – winning my Age Group twice and placing 2nd in the last race. However this year I had no such expectation or aspirations. My only goal was to finish w/o aggravating my back and to finish with a BQ (Boston Qualifying) time – under 4:15!
The Steamboat course is advertised as “one of the 10 most scenic marathons in the world”. The course is point-to-point and starts 26 miles northwest of Steamboat at historic Hahn’s Peak Village at the base of an extinct volcano. The race starts at 8128 ft – drops about 100 vertical ft over the first mile and then climbs to the highest point of the course –8178 ft. at mile 2. The course then drops 1400 vertical ft over the next 18 miles although there are several rolling hills. At mile 20 the course climbs about 300 vertical feet over three miles and three BAHs (Bad Ass Hills) before dropping back down to 6728 ft at the finish line in Steamboat. The marathon is limited to 500 runners and the Half to 1000 runners.
After the long (almost 1 hr) bus ride to the start line my back was once again sore and stiff and I had to spend a lot of time stretching and massaging in an attempt to loosen it up. I hoped that once I started running the adrenaline and endorphins would control the pain? Both races started at 7:30am but the Half started at the Half-marathon point of the course. The weather was perfect for running – sunny with temps in the low 40s F and low humidity. The temps warmed up to the low 70s by the finish so I was never hot!
My biggest concern was going out too fast on the first downhill mile. The altitude and some chest congestion took care of that problem. I had been trapped in the car during our drive to CO with the Sports Manager who was sick with a severe cold and chest congestion. She was still suffering from the cold and I thought I had escaped the worst of it – until I reached the ½ mile point of the race. Even though I wasn’t running hard my lungs were on fire and I couldn’t breathe! Part of the problem was altitude but I figured I also had some congestion that hadn’t bothered me during my ‘easy’ training runs? I was forced to slow down drastically just to breathe and I reached mile 1 in 8:46. I struggled to breathe and hold that pace as I climbed to the highest point of the race (8178 ft) at mile 2. As I started the long descent to mile 20 my body and lungs finally started to adjust to the altitude and pace and I was able to run an 8:30 pace w/o difficulty. I passed mile 5 in 43:40 and was able to lower the pace over the next 2 downhill miles to 7:30s. I passed two old farts during that burst of speed but reminded myself not to get caught up in a competitive frenzy! I passed mile 10 in 1:26:21 and reached the Half in 1:54:33.
I knew the 2nd Half would not be as fast because of the numerous hills and especially the BAHs at mile 21. Although my legs were already tired I felt confident that I would beat 4:15 and thought there might even be a chance to beat 4 hrs if I didn’t crash? However as I climbed a BAH at mile 14 my pace slowed to 9 min and then slipped to 9:15s over the next 5 miles! I reached mile 20 in 2:58:13. My back had tightened up and was killing me! I would have to average a 10 min pace over the last 10Km and I knew that I wouldn’t/couldn’t run that pace through the BAHs from mile 20 to 23! My legs were wasted as I struggled to climb the 1st BAH at mile 21. I tried desperately to keep the legs moving/churning but finally had to give in and walk the final few hundred feet to the crest of the hill. I allowed myself to walk for 1 minute. That brief walk seemed to help both my legs and back and I was able to struggle through the final two BAHs before walking again briefly on the final hill. I crested that BAH at mile 23 in 3:29:43 and a split of 10:50!
I had 30 minutes to run the final 5Km! I didn’t think it was possible but mile 24 was downhill so I charged down the hill in a desperate attempt to see if I could break 4 hrs? I passed mile 24 in a 9:16 split and tried valiantly to hold that pace over the next mile. I reached mile 25 in 3:48:59 and a split of 9:59 – and I was finished! There was nothing left! My legs were totally out of energy- my back was killing me – and I was having trouble breathing again! At that point one of the Old Farts that I had passed early in the race charged by and challenged me to finish under 4 hrs! I couldn’t respond – and I didn’t care! I didn’t know if he was 1st or 2nd in our Age Group – and I didn’t care! I realized that I was finished but I could crawl to the finish line under 4:15 so my only goal was to get to the finish line w/o screwing up my back any more. I slowed down and ‘jogged’ the final mile to cross the finish line in 4:01:26.
I finished in 3rd place in my AG behind the Old Fart who passed me and finished in 3:59:11 (good for him!). At that time I really didn’t care but as I slowly recovered and met up with the Sports Manager to take the obligatory finish line photo I realized how close I had come to winning my AG and I became upset with myself for the lack of competitive desire and unwillingness to accept pain and agony to win. Maddog was extremely pissed off with me as he had been during the entire last 10Km of the race when he continuously chastised me and urged me to accept more pain and push the pace! Who was right? All I know is that I achieved my goal of a BQ time and it doesn’t appear that I aggravated by back problem?
When we arrived back home I headed straight for the hot tub with a 6-pack of Colorado microbrew to see if a combination of heat and booze would relieve the pain in my back. I am happy to report that it worked. My back feels much better today?
What’s next? Don’t know? We were scheduled to leave on Thu for a 1-week trip to TundraLand (aka Canada) to visit family and attend a wedding. But now we are waiting for Chris to visit his orthoped and get a final prognosis of his injuries. If he needs surgery for the broken knee or has other injuries then we will cancel the planned trip to Canada and fly to Seattle to take care of our baby (37 years old). He lives in a 3-level town home and will have difficulty getting around if his leg is immobilized? He is not a happy camper! He just resigned from his job last Thu and is scheduled to start a new job in two weeks. His health insurance terminated on Sat? And he planned to join the Sports Manager and I to run the Inca Trail Marathon in Aug and had prepaid the trip! Lots of unknowns to address in the next few days? He is going to need lots of moral support!
Either way it looks like I am going to screw up my high altitude conditioning because it goes away quickly when you leave the High Country! And I have another high altitude marathon in two weeks - the ‘highest paved marathon in the world’ – in Estes Park, CO.
Stay tuned!
Steamboat Springs Marathon
Steamboat Springs, CO
Sun, Jun 1/08
Marathon # 304
4:01:26 – 3AG
This race was intended to be only a long, high altitude training run for a number of reasons.
1) I arrived at our summer home in CO just one week before the race so didn’t have much time to train or adjust to high altitude
2) As happens very/too often the many hours spent sitting in the car during the long drive from FL kills my back and or neck – this time it was my back that had been sore/stiff for the past week. It became so sore on Fri before the race that I had to call my masseuse - Pegi de Sade - and beg her to work on my back before the race. Thankfully she agreed to let me on her torture table on Sat morning before we left for Steamboat Springs.
The back felt sore after the torture session but was feeling much better when we arrived in Steamboat. I was able to enjoy a pleasant walk around the old western town w/o pain after picking up my race packet. On the drive to Steamboat we had received a phone call from our oldest son, Chris with shocking news. He was calling from a hospital! He had been biking with a group of friends in Seattle and was hit by a truck. The driver had run a red light while talking on a cell phone and hit Chris broadside! He was lucky to be alive! An ambulance took him to a hospital where the most serious injury found was a broken left knee. Needless to say that news put a damper on our weekend and made the race very insignificant and we spent most of the weekend on the phone with Chris. (More news on Chris later).
I had run the Steamboat Marathon three times before – winning my Age Group twice and placing 2nd in the last race. However this year I had no such expectation or aspirations. My only goal was to finish w/o aggravating my back and to finish with a BQ (Boston Qualifying) time – under 4:15!
The Steamboat course is advertised as “one of the 10 most scenic marathons in the world”. The course is point-to-point and starts 26 miles northwest of Steamboat at historic Hahn’s Peak Village at the base of an extinct volcano. The race starts at 8128 ft – drops about 100 vertical ft over the first mile and then climbs to the highest point of the course –8178 ft. at mile 2. The course then drops 1400 vertical ft over the next 18 miles although there are several rolling hills. At mile 20 the course climbs about 300 vertical feet over three miles and three BAHs (Bad Ass Hills) before dropping back down to 6728 ft at the finish line in Steamboat. The marathon is limited to 500 runners and the Half to 1000 runners.
After the long (almost 1 hr) bus ride to the start line my back was once again sore and stiff and I had to spend a lot of time stretching and massaging in an attempt to loosen it up. I hoped that once I started running the adrenaline and endorphins would control the pain? Both races started at 7:30am but the Half started at the Half-marathon point of the course. The weather was perfect for running – sunny with temps in the low 40s F and low humidity. The temps warmed up to the low 70s by the finish so I was never hot!
My biggest concern was going out too fast on the first downhill mile. The altitude and some chest congestion took care of that problem. I had been trapped in the car during our drive to CO with the Sports Manager who was sick with a severe cold and chest congestion. She was still suffering from the cold and I thought I had escaped the worst of it – until I reached the ½ mile point of the race. Even though I wasn’t running hard my lungs were on fire and I couldn’t breathe! Part of the problem was altitude but I figured I also had some congestion that hadn’t bothered me during my ‘easy’ training runs? I was forced to slow down drastically just to breathe and I reached mile 1 in 8:46. I struggled to breathe and hold that pace as I climbed to the highest point of the race (8178 ft) at mile 2. As I started the long descent to mile 20 my body and lungs finally started to adjust to the altitude and pace and I was able to run an 8:30 pace w/o difficulty. I passed mile 5 in 43:40 and was able to lower the pace over the next 2 downhill miles to 7:30s. I passed two old farts during that burst of speed but reminded myself not to get caught up in a competitive frenzy! I passed mile 10 in 1:26:21 and reached the Half in 1:54:33.
I knew the 2nd Half would not be as fast because of the numerous hills and especially the BAHs at mile 21. Although my legs were already tired I felt confident that I would beat 4:15 and thought there might even be a chance to beat 4 hrs if I didn’t crash? However as I climbed a BAH at mile 14 my pace slowed to 9 min and then slipped to 9:15s over the next 5 miles! I reached mile 20 in 2:58:13. My back had tightened up and was killing me! I would have to average a 10 min pace over the last 10Km and I knew that I wouldn’t/couldn’t run that pace through the BAHs from mile 20 to 23! My legs were wasted as I struggled to climb the 1st BAH at mile 21. I tried desperately to keep the legs moving/churning but finally had to give in and walk the final few hundred feet to the crest of the hill. I allowed myself to walk for 1 minute. That brief walk seemed to help both my legs and back and I was able to struggle through the final two BAHs before walking again briefly on the final hill. I crested that BAH at mile 23 in 3:29:43 and a split of 10:50!
I had 30 minutes to run the final 5Km! I didn’t think it was possible but mile 24 was downhill so I charged down the hill in a desperate attempt to see if I could break 4 hrs? I passed mile 24 in a 9:16 split and tried valiantly to hold that pace over the next mile. I reached mile 25 in 3:48:59 and a split of 9:59 – and I was finished! There was nothing left! My legs were totally out of energy- my back was killing me – and I was having trouble breathing again! At that point one of the Old Farts that I had passed early in the race charged by and challenged me to finish under 4 hrs! I couldn’t respond – and I didn’t care! I didn’t know if he was 1st or 2nd in our Age Group – and I didn’t care! I realized that I was finished but I could crawl to the finish line under 4:15 so my only goal was to get to the finish line w/o screwing up my back any more. I slowed down and ‘jogged’ the final mile to cross the finish line in 4:01:26.
I finished in 3rd place in my AG behind the Old Fart who passed me and finished in 3:59:11 (good for him!). At that time I really didn’t care but as I slowly recovered and met up with the Sports Manager to take the obligatory finish line photo I realized how close I had come to winning my AG and I became upset with myself for the lack of competitive desire and unwillingness to accept pain and agony to win. Maddog was extremely pissed off with me as he had been during the entire last 10Km of the race when he continuously chastised me and urged me to accept more pain and push the pace! Who was right? All I know is that I achieved my goal of a BQ time and it doesn’t appear that I aggravated by back problem?
When we arrived back home I headed straight for the hot tub with a 6-pack of Colorado microbrew to see if a combination of heat and booze would relieve the pain in my back. I am happy to report that it worked. My back feels much better today?
What’s next? Don’t know? We were scheduled to leave on Thu for a 1-week trip to TundraLand (aka Canada) to visit family and attend a wedding. But now we are waiting for Chris to visit his orthoped and get a final prognosis of his injuries. If he needs surgery for the broken knee or has other injuries then we will cancel the planned trip to Canada and fly to Seattle to take care of our baby (37 years old). He lives in a 3-level town home and will have difficulty getting around if his leg is immobilized? He is not a happy camper! He just resigned from his job last Thu and is scheduled to start a new job in two weeks. His health insurance terminated on Sat? And he planned to join the Sports Manager and I to run the Inca Trail Marathon in Aug and had prepaid the trip! Lots of unknowns to address in the next few days? He is going to need lots of moral support!
Either way it looks like I am going to screw up my high altitude conditioning because it goes away quickly when you leave the High Country! And I have another high altitude marathon in two weeks - the ‘highest paved marathon in the world’ – in Estes Park, CO.
Stay tuned!
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