TRIP REPORT
Jordan
April 7 - 16/08
Race Results:
Dead Sea Marathon
Amman, Jordan
Fri, Apr 11/08
Marathon #302 – Country # 90
3:37:48 - 1AG
Planning began for this race/adventure last fall when I started to put together an itinerary for 2008. I figured that it would be nice to run a marathon in Jordan for 2 reasons:
1) Jordan looked like an interesting country to visit
2) Since I had already run the highest marathon in the world (Everest) I should also run the lowest (Dead Sea)!
My first step was to register for the race and then I tried to find a package tour to explore the country. That proved much more difficult because few Americans run the marathon and there were no ‘canned’ English tours. A private tour was very expensive so I emailed a running friend in Germany who arranges tours for German runners. He wasn’t doing a tour in Jordan in 08 but put me in touch with a friend who was. Christian was very receptive to my joining his group of 40 German runners for the race and an 8-day tour of Jordan. I was not concerned that the tour would be in German because I figured it would get me to all the important tourist sites and I could use a guide book to read about what I was seeing? I also figured (correctly) that many of the German runners would speak English and could provide some translation when needed? I agreed to join the group and meet them at the airport in Amman.
The long, direct flight (12 hrs) from Chicago to Amman gave me lots of time to read my tour guide and learn the history of Jordan. Archaeological finds date the first cities back to 9,000 BC.
During the Iron Age (1200 – 330 BC) three kingdoms emerged: the Edomites, the Moabites and the Ammonites. According to the Old Testament this was the age of Exodus when Moses led the Israelites from Egypt to Jordan to the Promised Land. In 333 BC Alexander the Great stormed through Jordan and after his death control of the country was split among a nomadic tribe called the Nabataeans in the south and the Jews in the north. Around 64 BC the Romans took control and created the Roman province of Arabia Petraea with the capital in Petra. When Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in AD 324 it changed the country and many churches were built on the ruins of old temples. After the death of the Prophet Mohammed in AD 632 the armies of Islam moved north and the Umayyad dynasty established control (661 – 750 BC) until a huge earthquake destroyed much of the empire in AD 747. For several centuries the armies of Islam and Christianity fought for control. The Ottoman Turks took control in the 15th Century and stayed in power until 1918 when they were defeated by TE Lawrence aka ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ leading an army of 100,000 Arabs! After WW II the UN partitioned Palestine and created the State of Israel and we all know what happened after that!
While I was waiting at the Amman airport for the German group I bought my visa to enter the country and was ready to join them and head for the hotel as soon as they arrived. Christian introduced me on the bus and immediately one of the runners asked where we had met? Only after he stated that he was running ‘capital cities’ in countries did I remember that we had met in Trinidad in Feb 05 (3 weeks after my knee surgery)! Within a few days I had met the entire group including a few runners who were running countries so we had a lot in common and I established some good contacts.
We had two days of tours before the race and started early on Wed morning with a visit to the ruins of ancient Amman at the Citadel – located on the highest jebel or hill in the city (850m above sea level). Like Rome, Amman was born on seven major jebels (hills) but now spreads over 20. For some reason I expected Jordan and Amman to be high desert plains? Was I ever wrong! The country is mainly rugged, barren mountains or jebels and valleys.
If I tried to describe every interesting site I saw in Jordan I would have to transcribe about 40 pages of the tour guide to this report. So for brevity I will only mention the highlights. I have uploaded more than 100 photos of the trip to my website with captions to share with my readers. If you want more details on this very interesting country or a specific site – especially Petra – please search the Net and look at my photos!
At the citadel we toured the National Archaeological Museum to view the Dead Sea Scrolls and 6,000 year-old skulls. Sites visited were the Umayyad Palace and Audience Hall (AD 720), the Colonnaded Street and Temple Of Hercules – Roman (AD 100). From the Citadel there were great views of modern Amman and the world’s tallest, free-standing flagpole (127m) and the Roman Theatre built in the 2nd century to seat 6,000. It is connected to the Citadel via a tunnel. During the Roman period Amman was known as Philadelphia?
We then headed north to the ancient Roman city of Gerasa (Jerash) that is well preserved. First we stopped for a wonderful Jordanian lunch – warm bread that was like a pita or naan bread with all kinds of humus and dips. Washed down with a local limonade drink made from limes.
Jerash had a population of 20,000 more than 2,000 years ago. The city is entered through Hadrian’s Arch built in AD 129. Behind the arch is a restored Hippodrome where Chariot races are held each day for tourists. After passing through the South Gate we reached the Oval Plaza and the Temple of Zeus (AD 162). Behind the temple is the South Theatre (AD 81) that could seat 5,000. Then we strolled down a long Colonnaded Street past the Nymphaeum- the public fountain (AD 191) and the Temple of Artemis (the Goddess of Hunting and Fertility) to the North Theatre and North Gate. On the way back we stopped at the South Theatre to watch some Jordanian teenage girls dancing and parading to Jordanian bagpipers? That surprised me but our local tour guide, Osama (NOT – Bin Ladin) informed me that they were ex-military and the military still uses bagpipers in their bands (from the days of British rule). Jerash was very impressive and interesting!
On our return to Amman we stopped at a 19th Century Inn called Kan Zeman for a traditional Jordanian dinner and entertainment. A great atmosphere and a good dinner.
On Thu we packed our baggage and left Amman to travel north to the Syrian border and the ancient city of Gadara or Umm Qais where Jesus was said to have cast the demons out of two people and into a herd of swine? Gadara was captured by the Romans in 63 BC. The ruins are not as impressive as Jerash and in many places the ruins were built over by the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century. What I found impressive about Umm Qais were the spectacular views of Syria, Golan Heights, Sea of Galilee, Israel and Lebanon – all in the same view. You can’t do anything like that in the US!
After leaving Umm Qais we traveled south along the Jordan Valley and Israel border and made a brief stop at the Aljun Nature Reserve where we enjoyed a short hike and Osama explained some of the local plants to us. Most of the trees I would describe as ‘scrub brush’?
When we returned to Amman the bus stopped for a liquor run because Osama informed us that it would be the only chance to buy beer/liquor for the desert camp where we would stay after the race. I decided to buy two cans of local beer called ‘Petra’ - 1/2 liter cans of beer with 10% alcohol – equivalent to drinking a liter of wine?
After the booze stop we followed the route of the Ultra marathon/marathon from the city to the Dead Sea. One of the German runners had a topological profile of the courses. It was hard to believe? The course started at an elevation of 800m/2600 ft and dropped 1200m/4,000 ft to finish at the ‘Lowest Point on Earth’ – the Dead Sea at 411m/1349 ft (below Sea level)! The Ultra was 48.7 km and the marathon started at the 6.5km mark of the Ultra. As we drove the course I noted that it was a continuous steep descent (800m) for the 1st Half where the course reached Sea Level. It was going to be a bitch on the legs! At 22 km the course seemed to flatten out although the profile indicated a 400m descent over the 2nd Half? I didn’t believe those figures because the course seemed to be fairly flat after 22km? Around 25 km the course passed by the road to the top of Mt Nebo where Moses is said to have seen the Promised Land and is buried. I don’t understand how anyone in his right mind could look out over the rugged, barren, inhospitable landscape on both sides of the Dead Sea and believe that it was ‘The Promised Land’? The story is not believable!
At 30km the course reached the end of the highway and an elevation 200 ft below Sea Level. If we turned right we would pass Al-Maghtas or Bethany-Beyond-Jordan where John baptized Jesus. The Israel border was very close and Jericho was only 12km. Instead the course turned left and ran along the Dead Sea over a series of rolling hills with three BAHs (Bad Ass Hills) starting at 35km as the course continued to drop to the finish line at Amman Beach at 400m below Sea Level! I realized that the final 12km would be very painful if I did not run smart in the 1st Half!
The Dead Sea Resorts were located along a stretch of the Dead Sea near the 40 km mark. The tour included two nights at a 5-star Movenpick Resort which was much nicer/luxurious than the hotels I normally stay at. I could get used to staying at places like that – but not the prices! It meant we had a long drive to the start line in the morning but a short walk to the hotel after the race. Christian had already given us our race packets and only after I checked it in more detail at the hotel did I realize that I had a bib # for the Ultra! I had asked him to reserve bib # 90 (country #90) but that bib # was colored for the Ultra race. We had to switch the bibs before the race – and they let me keep bib #90 as a souvenir!
The races started at 7am on Fri but we had to check in at the start of the Ultra by 5:30 to have our bib # scanned which meant leaving the hotel by 4:30am. In my haste to get ready I forgot my heart monitor strap! I became flustered and annoyed because I haven’t run a marathon in 10 years without my monitor! I decided I would just have to run the race the old fashioned way – based on pace and how I felt? We left our warm up clothes on our tour bus and the race organization bussed the marathoners to the marathon start by 6am. That meant a 1-hr wait without any toilets or water at the start line. Fortunately I took water with me and the weather was warm enough (high 60s F) that warm ups weren’t needed. There were 3,000 runners in all races – but only 100 in the Ultra and 100 in the marathon. The rest were in the Half and 10Km. There were two groups from Germany, one from Italy and one from France but only two other Americans in the races. The Ultra and Marathon started at 7am. I was concerned about going out too fast because of the steep descent? There were distance markers every 1Km which really helped. There were water stations every 2Km which would be needed because of the heat and dry air.
I passed 5Km in 24:15. Thinking that was too fast I tried to slow down. I really needed to know what effort (i.e. heart rate) I was putting into the sub 5min/Km (8 min/mile) pace but I screwed up that option/possibility! When I passed 10Km in 50:15 I decided that gravity was doing most of the work and I felt OK so I decided to stay with the 5min/Km pace for the 1st Half and see what happened? By the time I reached 18Km the temps had climbed significantly and I started dumping water over my head/body at every water station to cool down! I passed the Half in 1:45:37 – the fastest half I ran in the past few years! Now the real test began as the course became flatter. I figured if I could slow down and hold a 5:20/Km (or 8:30/mile) pace for the 2nd Half I could finish under 3:45? I was pleasantly surprised to find I only slowed to a 5:10/Km pace for the next 10 Km and I started to pass a lot of runners who had passed me in the 1st 10Km. They had gone out too fast and their legs were trashed from the steep down hills and they were struggling!
When I made the turn at 30Km (200m below Sea level) it was HOT! The road/course was straight as an arrow for the final 12Km and I could see the series of BAHs waiting for me! I managed to hold the 5:10 pace until I reached the 1st BAH around 35Km. My pace slowed to 5:30/km (8:50/mile) pace. When I reached the crest of the 2nd BAH at 40Km and my hotel was right there I briefly considered the idea of turning into the hotel and going straight to the pool!
My legs were trashed, I was out of energy and I was HOT! But I had reached 40Km in 3:26:07and a split of 6:04/Km (my slowest split of the race). Even if I continued at a 6min/Km (10min/mile) pace I would still finish under 3:40! I focused on shutting out the pain, the lack of energy and the heat and forced my wasted old legs to keep moving toward the final BAH – and the finish line! When I crested that final BAH at 42Km I could see the finish line and the finish clock read 3:37 + change. I begged the old bod to give me one final jolt of adrenaline to sprint across the finish line in 3:37:48!
When I crossed the finish line I was hurting and felt BAD. But that was GOOD – because it meant that I had left absolutely nothing on the course! It only took a few minutes and a few bottles of cold water to cool me down and help me recover quickly. I walked to our tour bus, retrieved my camera and took a finish line photo. Then I struggled to walk/limp down to the beach on the Dead Sea. My legs had started to stiffen and cramp because of the hills but I managed to make it to the beach and into the Sea. What an experience! The salt content (30%) is six times greater than the ocean and provides unbelievable buoyancy! It is impossible to swim (or drown) because your body floats so far out of the water that it is difficult to stroke and keep your balance. The easiest way is to float on your back! It is difficult to describe but remember floating on an inner tube in your youth. Same feeling but no tube! And don’t get any water in your eyes or mouth – stings like Hell and tastes awful!
Many of the bathers including runners were giving themselves a Dead Sea Mud bath (see photos). The spas at the resorts charged a fortune but all you had to do was scoop the black mud from the bottom of the Sea. It feels slippery –much like a body lotion and is supposed to be great for your skin because of all the minerals it contains? I declined!
After my dip or float in the Dead Sea I walked back to the hotel for a cool shower and then explored the resort and enjoyed a pizza under a 2,000 year-old olive tree! That evening the race organization hosted a dinner and party at our resort for the runners. I was surprised to see the local (Muslim) runners drinking and dancing and really enjoying the party? Osama explained that (most) Muslims in Jordan did not abide by the strict/fanatical interpretations of the Koran. Very few women wear a head scarf, etc!
On Sat morning we left the Dead Sea Resorts to travel south to Petra along the Dead Sea Highway. It was a comical group ‘trying’ to get on the bus. The steep downhill course had taken its toll on all the runner’s legs – quads and calves were stiff and sore and steps were not a good idea! I haven’t been that sore after a marathon in a long time? We made a brief stop in the Wadi Mujib Reserve to take photos of the lower Wadi Mujib Gorge. We did not find the ancient cities of Sodom & Gomorrah that supposedly lie somewhere around the southern edge of the Dead Sea? And we did not stop at Lot’s Cave where Lot and his daughters lived after fleeing Sodom and his wife turned into a pillar of salt. A more believable story is that she took a Dead Sea Mud bath and forgot to wash it off? We did stop at the Dana Nature reserve for another ‘typical’ Jordanian lunch and BBQ. The BBQ was delicious! After lunch we ‘enjoyed’ a short nature walk in the reserve – actually it was good (but painful) to force the sore old legs to move!
We arrived in Petra in the late afternoon – in time to enjoy a few beers and make an appointment for a massage at the spa at the Marriott Resort! I tried a Petra beer (10%). Thanks to that beer and/or the massage my legs felt much better and I was able to run an easy 5 miles on Sun morning through the hills of Petra before breakfast. I was looking forward to the tour of the ancient (2000 year-old) city of Petra because my research indicated it was one of the ‘wonders of the world’. I was not disappointed!
The Nabataeans settled in the area around the 5th Century BC but Petra’s glory days came under King Aretas (8 BC – AD 40) when the city was home to 30,000 people. The Romans captured Petra in AD 106. Muslims invaded in the 7th Century and finally the Ottoman Turks captured the city in 1189 and it fell into obscurity until 1812 when a Swiss explorer, JL Burckhardt, discovered the city. There are so many archaeological sites to see/enjoy in Petra that it would take too much space in this report so again I will only mention a few highlights. I have posted several photos with captions to my website.
When you enter the Visitor’s Center you begin a long walk to the entrance of the Siq. This walk passes the Djinn Blocks and the Obelisk Tomb – both carved out of the multi-colored sandstone. The 1.2Km Siq starts at a dam built by the Nabataeans in AD 50 to prevent water from the Wadi Musa River flowing into the Siq. The Siq is a narrow gorge that varies from 10 to 2m in width that was created when tectonic forces split the sandstone mountains apart! The sheer walls of the gorge rise about 200m straight up in most places. We arrived at the best time – early morning when the sun rising from the east highlights the many colors in the sandstone.
The natural beauty of the Siq is spectacular and along the way are several tombs carved into the walls. As you near the end of the Siq you suddenly get a peak at the Al-Khazneh or Treasury
which is the icon of Petra. It was carved out of solid iron-laden sandstone to serve as a tomb for the Nabataean King Aretas in 100 BC but gets its name ‘Treasury’ from the story that the Egyptian Pharaoh his treasure here while pursuing the Israelites. I had stayed with the tour group through the Siq but decided to take off on my own so that I could see more of Petra during our short one-day tour of the city.
As you head towards the centre of the city you pass along the Street of Facades containing more than 30 tombs until you reach the Theatre built by the Nabataeans over 2,000 years ago!
As you continue towards the city you pass the Royal Tombs, a collection of impressive tombs carved into the sandstone mountains. Two of the most distinguished tombs are the Urn and Palace tombs. Further west are the columns of the Colonnaded Street built by the Romans in AD 106. Walking along that street you pass the Nympaeum, the public fountain dedicated to the nymphs in the 2nd Century AD and is now protected by a 750 year-old Juniper tree. Then you pass the old Roman marketplace and the ruins of the Great Temple built by the Nabataeans in the 2nd Century BC and arrive at the Temenos Gateway and the Qasr Al-Bint – one of the few free-standing structures in Petra (30 BC).
On the way back to the Siq I took a higher route past the Temple of Winged Lions and the Petra Church. The church has some beautiful mosaics on the floors. As I rushed back through the Siq to meet the group I was rewarded with new views and colors that were different from the walk in. My biggest disappointment of the day and tour was that we did not have more time to explore and enjoy Petra. It definitely needs 2 to 3 days to explore fully! I would definitely qualify Petra as an ancient ‘Wonder of the World’ – on par with the Pyramids of Egypt and the Temples of Angkor Wat! A ‘must see’ for wanderlusts!
After leaving Petra we headed south to Wadi Rum where the desert sparkles and opens up an enchanting landscape of red sands and towering sandstone peaks. This is the region that ’Lawrence of Arabia’ fell in love with and where he built a house while leading the Arabs against the Ottoman Turks. We posed for a group photo in front of the jebels named ‘The Seven Pillars of Wisdom’ by Lawrence of Arabia. We loaded into 4X4 trucks for a tour into the desert to see red sand dunes, 1600 year-old drawings on the sandstone walls and enjoy a tea break with a Bedouin tribe. Our drivers then dropped us off at a desert camp where we spent the night with Bedouins. After settling into my luxurious single tent I sat around a camp fire with the group and drank my two Petra beers and listened to Bedouin music. Dinner was late so I opened a bottle of Crown Royal that I promised to share with the group. They obviously loved Canuck whiskey because I only got 3 shots before it was gone. After dinner we continued to share booze and tell stories. I don’t know how I made it back to my tent but I do remember how ‘shitty’ I felt when Christian opened the flap at 7am and told me I had 30 minutes to be on the bus! However my legs didn’t feel bad that morning – all the pain seemed to have moved up to my stomach and head? I think I had a ‘wee’ hangover?
We left the camp at 7:30 am for Aqaba which is located at the northern tip of the Red Sea – only a few Km from Israel and 13 Km from Saudi Arabia. It is a large port city that is also being developed for tourist activities – diving/snorkeling/sailing etc. on the Red Sea. I was supposed to do a sail/snorkel trip that afternoon but didn’t think my head and stomach could handle rolling seas and the heat. The heat was stifling in Aqaba – temps in the mid 90s at 10am!
Instead I joined another runner to explore the city for a few hours and enjoy a pleasant lunch.
There is not much to see in Aqaba other than the ruins of the old city – Ayla – built in the 3rd century BC. To escape the heat I retreated to the pool at the resort. The pool temp was 72 F? They must use water coolers instead of water heaters – otherwise I don’t understand how they can keep the pool water so COLD! The day in Aqaba was rest/down time that I would have preferred to use in Petra.
On Tue half the group headed back to Amman to catch flights home on Wed and the other half stayed in Aqaba to enjoy more water sports and beach time. We arrived in Amman in time for a farewell dinner and to say our goodbyes since we all had different departures on Wed. I left Amman at 11am to begin my 24-hr journey home but AA delayed my flight from Chicago and extended my journey to 26 hrs and I arrived home at 3am on Thu. Gosh – I love international travel!
But it was a great trip and I met a lot of new friends and contacts. And I had a great race and completed Country # 90! Now what do I do? Glad you asked. Remember a few adventures/marathons back I mentioned that I had a new goal in mind but was not ready to announce it then? I am ready now!
During the past few months I have contacted many friends/runners around the world to compile a Country Club list – a list of runners who have completed a marathon (or ultra) in a minimum of 30 countries. I have posted this list to my website to make it easier to keep it updated and provide access to the members and readers. One reason for the list was to confirm my position on the list. As suspected only one other runner in the world has completed a marathon in 90 or more countries – my good friend and mentor – Wally Herman who holds the World Record with 99 countries! Wally is a fine gentleman – 83 years YOUNG – who still runs 15 to 20 marathons per year. But he no longer runs international races? I have asked him many times to join me on one of my international adventures/marathons to complete #100 but he always declines. He keeps telling me “I hand the mantle over to you. You need to be the first to reach 100”! I believe Wally is afraid to run #100 because of the publicity it might generate and he is a shy man. Also I don’t think he wants to argue with ‘purists’ who may dispute his count because he has also run a few ‘solo’ marathons in small countries that don’t offer an ‘official’ marathon! Unlike Wally I don’t give a damn what the purists think. I have no respect for their opinions and rules that are biased, self-centered and don’t take into consideration circumstances and facts! But I was waiting until I reached Country #90 to have confidence to accept Wally’s offer and challenge and I now announce that “My goal is to complete a marathon in 100 countries”!
Of course as most of you know my establishing a ‘goal’ is a problem because it immediately becomes an ’obsession’ to Maddog! He is demanding that I complete the goal in 2009 and has already booked six more international marathons/countries in 2008! “LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN”!
My next international adventure/marathon is in two weeks in South America.
Stay tuned!
Footnote: It took almost 3 weeks for the race organizaion to post the results but I finally learned that I finished 20th Overall and 1st AG in the Marathon so the effort was worth the pain!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Thursday, April 03, 2008
TR - Malaysia
TRIP REPORT
Malaysia
March 21 – 31/08
Race Results
Kuala Lumpur International Marathon
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Sun, Mar 30/08
Marathon #301 - Country # 89
4:14:02
Planning began for this trip/marathon more than one year ago. There were two choices for that weekend – both in Asia. The 2nd choice was Guam. The cost of airfare was the deciding factor. It was cheaper to get to Malaysia. I can do Guam another year.
The race had a good website but didn’t provide for online registration and that became a problem. The race organization seemed to be adamant and rigid in their rules. If you didn’t mail your entry form and fee in you didn’t get registered! I got a little testy with the race director and criticized him for not being more accommodating to foreign runners but mailed in an entry form and $13 cash. He did email me later to confirm receipt and entry. The next problem was a hotel in Kuala Lumpur. Again the race director was not too helpful until pushed but finally suggested a hotel that was supposedly convenient to the start/finish line of the race.
As the date got closer to race time I contacted a travel agency in Kuala Lumpur and asked for suggestions and prices for a tour of Malaysia. Their price was too high but I did ask them to book a hotel and arrange to have a driver and car meet me at the airport since I arrived at midnight and didn’t want to mess with a taxi driver at that time of night! I monitored the weather in KL and did training runs in the heat of the FL afternoon the week before leaving to get used to the hot weather I would face in KL.
Finally it was time for the long trip – left FL at 7am on Fri, March 21 and arrived in KL at 12:05am on Sun, March 23 (you lose a day crossing the International Date Line). As expected I emerged from Immigration and Customs about 1am. No driver/car waiting for me! Time to scramble. Luckily there was an official/licensed taxi desk where I was able to book a taxi for the 1-hr drive into KL. I had the taxi take me into Chinatown where there are several budget hotels and luckily (again) the 1st hotel we checked had a room available. I finally got to bed around 3 am and slept for 8 hrs.
I had decided beforehand that I wanted to get out of KL and explore the country. A quick walk around Chinatown in KL on Sun morning confirmed my decision! The city center of KL is compact but the traffic is horrendous, roads are haphazard and there are no sidewalks – no place to walk or run (safely)! I went to the train station to check on trains to Penang and booked a 1st Class seat for Sun afternoon. At 2:30 pm the train departed for a 7-hr journey to Penang. The long, leisurely ride gave me lots of time to relax, nap and read up on the country. Malaysia was controlled from the 7th to 13th centuries by the powerful Buddhist Srivijaya Empire. In the 14th century the Melaka Empire took control until the Portuguese conquered the port city of Melaka in 1511. The country was later ruled by the Dutch until Britain established a base and port in Penang in 1786. The British controlled the west coast of Malaysia from Singapore to Thailand called the ‘Straights Settlements’ until Malaysia gained independence in 1957. Now I understood why everyone spoke fairly good English? It is a required 2nd language in the schools. The population of 25 Million is 60 % Malays (mostly Muslims), 24 % Chinese and 8 % Indian. Islam is the major religion but there are many Buddhist and Hindu temples. From what I could see the many cultures and religions get along quite well.
I arrived in Butterworth at 9:30pm and took a 10pm ferry across a 3km channel to Georgetown, the capital of Penang. I wanted to stay in a beach resort area called Batu Ferringhi on the north coast of Penang so I negotiated with a taxi to drive me there and help me find a hotel (he charged me $30RM/$10US!). Talk about flying by the seat of your pants! Even though it was low season the resort hotels were fully booked and I was lucky to find a room at the 3rd resort and negotiate the rate down from $160 to $100/night! That was still very expensive and the most I paid for a hotel in Malaysia. I finally got to bed at midnight and slept till 11 am. By then it was too hot to consider running – I started to sweat the second I stepped outside! So I spent the afternoon exploring the resort area and sipping cold Tiger beer on Ferringhi Beach! Tired of flying by the seat of my pants I found a local travel agent to book a hotel in Georgetown for my final night in Penang and also a hotel in Melaka which would be my next stop. He also arranged a car and driver ($25RM/hr) for Tue afternoon to drive me on a tour of the island and drop me off at the hotel in Georgetown. I decided to stay in Georgetown to be closer to the ferry terminal since I had to catch the 1st ferry at 6am to catch the 7am train to Melaka. I also wanted to celebrate my 64th birthday in the city!
On Tue morning I finally managed to get an easy 10-mile run in along the main road through the resorts. I started at 7:30am because I figured that would be the time I reached 32 Km in the race and I wanted to acclimate to the heat at that time – still very HOT! After the run the driver picked me up to start the tour. We visited the main tourist sites around the island and in Georgetown: the old Colonial section of the city including Fort Cornwallis (1786); the Victoria Clock Tower (1897); the Town Hall and City Hall; Kek Lok Si Temple –the oldest Buddhist temple in Malaysia (1890) and the 36m bronze statue of Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. Then I took a funicular to the top of Penang Hill (821m) for some panoramic vistas of Penang. The driver completed the tour by showing me the various sections of the city such as Chinatown, Little India and the restaurant/bar area to celebrate my birthday before dropping me off at my hotel.
I decided to sample some of the local cuisine called Nonya – a combination of Malay and Chinese. I reserved a table at one of the best Nonya restaurants in Georgetown. I had no clue what to order so the owner of the restaurant ordered dinner for me. It was delicious. I had to ask the owner what I was eating and if it was OK to use my hands for some of the delicacies? A great birthday dinner for $50RM!
After dinner I thought I should visit a few bars and suck back a few Tiger beers to celebrate my birthday but quickly learned that the bars didn’t even start to see customers until 1 am. With a 5am wake-up call pending I wisely decided to enjoy 1 beer and go to bed! Happy Birthday!
I made the ferry and train on Wed morning and after a long 9-hr ride back through KL, I arrived in Melaka at 5pm. I had booked a new, 4-star hotel built on land reclaimed from the Strait of Melaka and it turned out to be a good choice. The hotel was modern, located close to the old city and on a new road that ran along the coast for about 2 miles with a sidewalk where I could run. I was able to run an easy 10Km each morning as final preparation for the race. That evening I explored the old city and enjoyed a nice dinner in Chinatown. The next day I took a 2-hr bus tour of the city to get the layout of the city and observe where the main tourist attractions were. Then I spent the afternoon walking and visiting the sites : the old colonial city with the Stadthuys – the town hall built by the Dutch in 1641; the Governor’s House; St Paul’s Church (1521); the Sultanate Palace; and the Porta de Santiago – the only remaining gate to the Portuguese fortress of A’Famosa (1511). I considered taking one of the very colorful and extravagantly decorated trishaws but couldn’t subject the poor drivers to the stifling heat! I strolled Jonker Walk through Chinatown to visit the Masjid Kampung Hulu – the oldest mosque in Malaysia (1728) and Cheng HoonTeng Temple – the oldest Chinese temple in Malaysia (1646). I enjoyed the history and sights in Melaka and luckily one day was enough time to visit everything.
After my final morning run on Fri I took an express bus to KL ($10RM) and checked into the hotel suggested by the race committee. It was convenient to race HQ and packet pick up but was kind of a dump (what should I expect for $100RM/$30US). I picked up my race packet and read the final race instructions for a few wee surprises! In the race packet was a singlet that had to be worn for the race. The instructions stated that a runner would be disqualified for failure to wear the race sponsor’s (AmBank) singlet! There were only three age groups in the marathon and the senior group was 45+ years. I knew there was no way I could be competitive in that age group. The race started and finished in Merdeka (Independence) Square. It was supposed to finish at Merdeka Stadium where the hotel was located? I walked over to Merdeka Square later to see if there were any hotels located close to the finish line. There was only one located a few minutes from the Square – also a dump at $100RM but I booked a room because it was closer (and it also had satellite TV with 2 English channels).
On Sat I took a ½ day city tour to see the main tourist sites and get a layout of the city center. We visited Chinatown and the Sri Mahamariamman Temple an Indian Hindu temple; Central Market and the open market on Petaling St. Next were the King’s Palace, the National Museum; National War Memorial, Lake Gardens and National Mosque before we traveled into the new city center to visit the Petronas Towers – the tallest twin towers in the world. We finished with a tour to the top of the 421m KL Tower for a panoramic view of the city. This certainly helped me learn the layout of the city. The city is compact but difficult to explore on foot because of the poor design of the roads and very few sidewalks!
After I checked into my ‘new’ hotel and enjoyed a traditional pasta dinner I walked over to the start/finish line at Merdeka Square to take some photos of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building (1894) and the finish line that were lit up brilliantly. The race started at 4:30am to escape as much sun/heat as possible so that meant an early bed time and a wakeup call at 3am. I walked over the start line at 4am to report in and hand in a card necessary to verify that runners started (even though we had chips?). There were 3,000 runners in the marathon – and about 5% of them didn’t obey the rules and wear their race singlet? There were only two Europeans and one other American in the race but I never saw a single Caucasian before or during the race? Needless to say warm ups were not needed –it was very HOT (78F) and humid already. Because of the heat and the ridiculous age groups I had already decided my race strategy: I would start out SLOW in the 1st Half and then slow down in the 2nd Half! Time was not going to be a priority! Turned out to be a very wise decision!
There were water stops every 2.5Km starting at 5Km and sponges every 5Km. There were supposed to be distance markers every 5Km? When I reached the first water stop in 28:11 (average 5:34/Km or 8:56/mile) I was already hot. I walked or slowed down at every water station to make sure I got lots of water in and on me to prevent dehydration and overheating. The course in the 1st Half sucked! About 90% of the course was expressways with lots of on/off ramps and long rolling hills. Traffic was already backed up at 5am due to the race and we were forced to suck in lots of exhaust/diesel fumes! Boy – was this ever fun – reminded me unfortunately of Shanghai! I missed the 10Km marker but passed over a timing mat that was supposedly located at 10Km? My official chip time was 1:01:35 which meant I slowed to a split of 33:24 or an 11 min/mile pace? Whatever – I reached the timing mat at the Half in 2:03:48. Obviously a sub 4-hr marathon wasn’t going to happen – and I didn’t really care even at that point! However the course did improve for the next 10Km as we looped through the new city center. We could enjoy the sights even in the dark and there was less traffic and exhaust fumes to suck up!
I reached 30Km in 3:00:15 and a 5Km split of 29:13 (9:35/mile pace). As expected the sun was coming up which meant the temperature would soar and the final 12Km would be brutal. I realized that a sub 4:10 was not going to happen – and I didn’t care! I just wanted to finish without any heat problems! The course became crappy again as it dumped back on to expressways – more on/off ramps and lots more exhaust fumes! I just wanted to get this race/ordeal over with! The last 10Km had distance markers every 1Km although they were too inaccurate to be useful. When I reached 40Km in 4:01:43 I figured I was running a 7min/km (11 min/mile) pace and I finally decided I needed to push the pace to finish under 4:15. I crossed the finish line in 4:14:02 – good enough to beat my ‘new’ qualifying time for Boston (being OLD has advantages). And surprisingly that time was good enough to place in the top 20% of the age group?
After returning my chip I collected my ‘goodies’ bag that included a finisher’s medal and a Polo collar shirt! US race directors take note - the $40RM/$13US entry fee included a race bib, high quality race singlet, finisher’s certificate and medal and a Polo shirt! I took my bag back to the hotel, got my camera and returned to the finish line for photos. I used the $20RM refund for the chip to buy a 30-minute massage. One good thing about running so slow is that my legs were not sore or tired but they were cramping from the heat and the massage flushed the lactic acid and eased the cramps. After a long, hot shower I strolled around Merdeka Square and Chinatown to take some more photos to share with my readers.
For some strange reason I had booked a red eye flight back home and I tried to get some sleep before the taxi arrived at 10pm for the 1-hr drive to the airport but sleep would not come? By the time I arrived home I had been up for 49 straight hours with only a few hours of naps on the flights. And everyone thinks international travel is so exciting?
Fortunately I have recovered from the trip and jet lag much faster and easier than expected which is good since I leave in a few days for the next marathon/adventure in the Middle East!
Stay tuned!
Malaysia
March 21 – 31/08
Race Results
Kuala Lumpur International Marathon
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Sun, Mar 30/08
Marathon #301 - Country # 89
4:14:02
Planning began for this trip/marathon more than one year ago. There were two choices for that weekend – both in Asia. The 2nd choice was Guam. The cost of airfare was the deciding factor. It was cheaper to get to Malaysia. I can do Guam another year.
The race had a good website but didn’t provide for online registration and that became a problem. The race organization seemed to be adamant and rigid in their rules. If you didn’t mail your entry form and fee in you didn’t get registered! I got a little testy with the race director and criticized him for not being more accommodating to foreign runners but mailed in an entry form and $13 cash. He did email me later to confirm receipt and entry. The next problem was a hotel in Kuala Lumpur. Again the race director was not too helpful until pushed but finally suggested a hotel that was supposedly convenient to the start/finish line of the race.
As the date got closer to race time I contacted a travel agency in Kuala Lumpur and asked for suggestions and prices for a tour of Malaysia. Their price was too high but I did ask them to book a hotel and arrange to have a driver and car meet me at the airport since I arrived at midnight and didn’t want to mess with a taxi driver at that time of night! I monitored the weather in KL and did training runs in the heat of the FL afternoon the week before leaving to get used to the hot weather I would face in KL.
Finally it was time for the long trip – left FL at 7am on Fri, March 21 and arrived in KL at 12:05am on Sun, March 23 (you lose a day crossing the International Date Line). As expected I emerged from Immigration and Customs about 1am. No driver/car waiting for me! Time to scramble. Luckily there was an official/licensed taxi desk where I was able to book a taxi for the 1-hr drive into KL. I had the taxi take me into Chinatown where there are several budget hotels and luckily (again) the 1st hotel we checked had a room available. I finally got to bed around 3 am and slept for 8 hrs.
I had decided beforehand that I wanted to get out of KL and explore the country. A quick walk around Chinatown in KL on Sun morning confirmed my decision! The city center of KL is compact but the traffic is horrendous, roads are haphazard and there are no sidewalks – no place to walk or run (safely)! I went to the train station to check on trains to Penang and booked a 1st Class seat for Sun afternoon. At 2:30 pm the train departed for a 7-hr journey to Penang. The long, leisurely ride gave me lots of time to relax, nap and read up on the country. Malaysia was controlled from the 7th to 13th centuries by the powerful Buddhist Srivijaya Empire. In the 14th century the Melaka Empire took control until the Portuguese conquered the port city of Melaka in 1511. The country was later ruled by the Dutch until Britain established a base and port in Penang in 1786. The British controlled the west coast of Malaysia from Singapore to Thailand called the ‘Straights Settlements’ until Malaysia gained independence in 1957. Now I understood why everyone spoke fairly good English? It is a required 2nd language in the schools. The population of 25 Million is 60 % Malays (mostly Muslims), 24 % Chinese and 8 % Indian. Islam is the major religion but there are many Buddhist and Hindu temples. From what I could see the many cultures and religions get along quite well.
I arrived in Butterworth at 9:30pm and took a 10pm ferry across a 3km channel to Georgetown, the capital of Penang. I wanted to stay in a beach resort area called Batu Ferringhi on the north coast of Penang so I negotiated with a taxi to drive me there and help me find a hotel (he charged me $30RM/$10US!). Talk about flying by the seat of your pants! Even though it was low season the resort hotels were fully booked and I was lucky to find a room at the 3rd resort and negotiate the rate down from $160 to $100/night! That was still very expensive and the most I paid for a hotel in Malaysia. I finally got to bed at midnight and slept till 11 am. By then it was too hot to consider running – I started to sweat the second I stepped outside! So I spent the afternoon exploring the resort area and sipping cold Tiger beer on Ferringhi Beach! Tired of flying by the seat of my pants I found a local travel agent to book a hotel in Georgetown for my final night in Penang and also a hotel in Melaka which would be my next stop. He also arranged a car and driver ($25RM/hr) for Tue afternoon to drive me on a tour of the island and drop me off at the hotel in Georgetown. I decided to stay in Georgetown to be closer to the ferry terminal since I had to catch the 1st ferry at 6am to catch the 7am train to Melaka. I also wanted to celebrate my 64th birthday in the city!
On Tue morning I finally managed to get an easy 10-mile run in along the main road through the resorts. I started at 7:30am because I figured that would be the time I reached 32 Km in the race and I wanted to acclimate to the heat at that time – still very HOT! After the run the driver picked me up to start the tour. We visited the main tourist sites around the island and in Georgetown: the old Colonial section of the city including Fort Cornwallis (1786); the Victoria Clock Tower (1897); the Town Hall and City Hall; Kek Lok Si Temple –the oldest Buddhist temple in Malaysia (1890) and the 36m bronze statue of Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. Then I took a funicular to the top of Penang Hill (821m) for some panoramic vistas of Penang. The driver completed the tour by showing me the various sections of the city such as Chinatown, Little India and the restaurant/bar area to celebrate my birthday before dropping me off at my hotel.
I decided to sample some of the local cuisine called Nonya – a combination of Malay and Chinese. I reserved a table at one of the best Nonya restaurants in Georgetown. I had no clue what to order so the owner of the restaurant ordered dinner for me. It was delicious. I had to ask the owner what I was eating and if it was OK to use my hands for some of the delicacies? A great birthday dinner for $50RM!
After dinner I thought I should visit a few bars and suck back a few Tiger beers to celebrate my birthday but quickly learned that the bars didn’t even start to see customers until 1 am. With a 5am wake-up call pending I wisely decided to enjoy 1 beer and go to bed! Happy Birthday!
I made the ferry and train on Wed morning and after a long 9-hr ride back through KL, I arrived in Melaka at 5pm. I had booked a new, 4-star hotel built on land reclaimed from the Strait of Melaka and it turned out to be a good choice. The hotel was modern, located close to the old city and on a new road that ran along the coast for about 2 miles with a sidewalk where I could run. I was able to run an easy 10Km each morning as final preparation for the race. That evening I explored the old city and enjoyed a nice dinner in Chinatown. The next day I took a 2-hr bus tour of the city to get the layout of the city and observe where the main tourist attractions were. Then I spent the afternoon walking and visiting the sites : the old colonial city with the Stadthuys – the town hall built by the Dutch in 1641; the Governor’s House; St Paul’s Church (1521); the Sultanate Palace; and the Porta de Santiago – the only remaining gate to the Portuguese fortress of A’Famosa (1511). I considered taking one of the very colorful and extravagantly decorated trishaws but couldn’t subject the poor drivers to the stifling heat! I strolled Jonker Walk through Chinatown to visit the Masjid Kampung Hulu – the oldest mosque in Malaysia (1728) and Cheng HoonTeng Temple – the oldest Chinese temple in Malaysia (1646). I enjoyed the history and sights in Melaka and luckily one day was enough time to visit everything.
After my final morning run on Fri I took an express bus to KL ($10RM) and checked into the hotel suggested by the race committee. It was convenient to race HQ and packet pick up but was kind of a dump (what should I expect for $100RM/$30US). I picked up my race packet and read the final race instructions for a few wee surprises! In the race packet was a singlet that had to be worn for the race. The instructions stated that a runner would be disqualified for failure to wear the race sponsor’s (AmBank) singlet! There were only three age groups in the marathon and the senior group was 45+ years. I knew there was no way I could be competitive in that age group. The race started and finished in Merdeka (Independence) Square. It was supposed to finish at Merdeka Stadium where the hotel was located? I walked over to Merdeka Square later to see if there were any hotels located close to the finish line. There was only one located a few minutes from the Square – also a dump at $100RM but I booked a room because it was closer (and it also had satellite TV with 2 English channels).
On Sat I took a ½ day city tour to see the main tourist sites and get a layout of the city center. We visited Chinatown and the Sri Mahamariamman Temple an Indian Hindu temple; Central Market and the open market on Petaling St. Next were the King’s Palace, the National Museum; National War Memorial, Lake Gardens and National Mosque before we traveled into the new city center to visit the Petronas Towers – the tallest twin towers in the world. We finished with a tour to the top of the 421m KL Tower for a panoramic view of the city. This certainly helped me learn the layout of the city. The city is compact but difficult to explore on foot because of the poor design of the roads and very few sidewalks!
After I checked into my ‘new’ hotel and enjoyed a traditional pasta dinner I walked over to the start/finish line at Merdeka Square to take some photos of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building (1894) and the finish line that were lit up brilliantly. The race started at 4:30am to escape as much sun/heat as possible so that meant an early bed time and a wakeup call at 3am. I walked over the start line at 4am to report in and hand in a card necessary to verify that runners started (even though we had chips?). There were 3,000 runners in the marathon – and about 5% of them didn’t obey the rules and wear their race singlet? There were only two Europeans and one other American in the race but I never saw a single Caucasian before or during the race? Needless to say warm ups were not needed –it was very HOT (78F) and humid already. Because of the heat and the ridiculous age groups I had already decided my race strategy: I would start out SLOW in the 1st Half and then slow down in the 2nd Half! Time was not going to be a priority! Turned out to be a very wise decision!
There were water stops every 2.5Km starting at 5Km and sponges every 5Km. There were supposed to be distance markers every 5Km? When I reached the first water stop in 28:11 (average 5:34/Km or 8:56/mile) I was already hot. I walked or slowed down at every water station to make sure I got lots of water in and on me to prevent dehydration and overheating. The course in the 1st Half sucked! About 90% of the course was expressways with lots of on/off ramps and long rolling hills. Traffic was already backed up at 5am due to the race and we were forced to suck in lots of exhaust/diesel fumes! Boy – was this ever fun – reminded me unfortunately of Shanghai! I missed the 10Km marker but passed over a timing mat that was supposedly located at 10Km? My official chip time was 1:01:35 which meant I slowed to a split of 33:24 or an 11 min/mile pace? Whatever – I reached the timing mat at the Half in 2:03:48. Obviously a sub 4-hr marathon wasn’t going to happen – and I didn’t really care even at that point! However the course did improve for the next 10Km as we looped through the new city center. We could enjoy the sights even in the dark and there was less traffic and exhaust fumes to suck up!
I reached 30Km in 3:00:15 and a 5Km split of 29:13 (9:35/mile pace). As expected the sun was coming up which meant the temperature would soar and the final 12Km would be brutal. I realized that a sub 4:10 was not going to happen – and I didn’t care! I just wanted to finish without any heat problems! The course became crappy again as it dumped back on to expressways – more on/off ramps and lots more exhaust fumes! I just wanted to get this race/ordeal over with! The last 10Km had distance markers every 1Km although they were too inaccurate to be useful. When I reached 40Km in 4:01:43 I figured I was running a 7min/km (11 min/mile) pace and I finally decided I needed to push the pace to finish under 4:15. I crossed the finish line in 4:14:02 – good enough to beat my ‘new’ qualifying time for Boston (being OLD has advantages). And surprisingly that time was good enough to place in the top 20% of the age group?
After returning my chip I collected my ‘goodies’ bag that included a finisher’s medal and a Polo collar shirt! US race directors take note - the $40RM/$13US entry fee included a race bib, high quality race singlet, finisher’s certificate and medal and a Polo shirt! I took my bag back to the hotel, got my camera and returned to the finish line for photos. I used the $20RM refund for the chip to buy a 30-minute massage. One good thing about running so slow is that my legs were not sore or tired but they were cramping from the heat and the massage flushed the lactic acid and eased the cramps. After a long, hot shower I strolled around Merdeka Square and Chinatown to take some more photos to share with my readers.
For some strange reason I had booked a red eye flight back home and I tried to get some sleep before the taxi arrived at 10pm for the 1-hr drive to the airport but sleep would not come? By the time I arrived home I had been up for 49 straight hours with only a few hours of naps on the flights. And everyone thinks international travel is so exciting?
Fortunately I have recovered from the trip and jet lag much faster and easier than expected which is good since I leave in a few days for the next marathon/adventure in the Middle East!
Stay tuned!
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
RR - Marathon #300
Race Report
Sarasota Marathon
Sarasota, FL
Sun, Mar 2/08
Marathon #300
3:49:18 – 4 AG
Marathon #300!
Seems like a long time ago and another lifetime since I asked Lisette, the Race Director of the Sarasota Marathon, at the end of the race in 2007 to reserve Bib #300 for me in 2008. I had just finished marathon #282 and only had 18 more to run to complete #300 at Sarasota one year later! Everything went fairly smooth until I suffered a serious foot injury at the end of marathon #289 in Colorado on Labor Day. I still had 10 more marathons to run to make Bib #300 meaningful so I ignored the advice of doctors to take six months rest from running and continued to pursue my goal.
I managed to run through the injury, pain, frustration and embarrassment to line up at the start line with marathon #299 under my belt. I believe the challenge of getting to the start line was much more difficult and memorable than marathon #300 itself! Although marathon #300 was memorable it was not a significant/ incredible feat since many of my friends have run two and three times that amount of marathons! Since some of those friends came to Sarasota to run #300 with me the Sports Manager and I hosted a pasta dinner the night before the race for them and some local runners. If you view the photos at http://www.maddog.smugmug.com/ you will see a photo of four runners that have completed a total of 2445 marathons and 258 countries:
Norm Frank - N. American record of 953 marathons and 6 countries
Wally Herman - 702 marathons and World record of 99 countries
Edson Sanches - 490 marathons and 65 countries
John ‘Maddog’ Wallace – 300 marathons and 88 countries
So you see Maddog is just a baby/novice compared to his illustrious friends! I was so pleased that my good friends were able to join us for dinner and share their time with local runners who were in awe of their experiences and accomplishments.
However I was very concerned on race morning! A friend Rick (who had stayed with us) and I had both suffered a lot of stomach cramps and intestinal problems all night before the race? I was so sick at 3 am that I thought that I might not make it to the start line? Nah! I might have considered that option for a normal race but no way was I going to miss lining up for #300 at my home town race! I was relieved when we arrived at the start line and talked to the rest of the dinner guests. Nobody else had experienced any problems from the Sports Manager’s excellent pasta. Rick and I concluded that the problem probably resulted from a slice of pizza we ate at a deli at the Sports Expo?
I would like to blame the intestinal problems for my poor race performance but fortunately/thankfully after a few last-minute emergency pit stops at the porto-johns I felt OK when I lined up at the start line with my friends and 3,000 other runners. The weather was nice at the 6 am start – a temp of 56 F but humid. The forecast called for the temps to warm up rapidly into the 80s and the humidity to drop. Being an OLD Floridian I actually felt cool at the start and wore a throw-away T-shirt under a singlet that I had custom printed for my 300th! The front read “Marathon #300” and the back read “John’s 300th marathon”. I knew the printing would solicit lots of cheers and shouts along the course and I was counting on them to motivate me. I figured I would need it! The foot injury had not healed until early Jan so I had only two months of good training to try to get back into competitive marathon shape. I knew I was not in ‘peak’ shape but hoped I was in good enough shape to at least place in my Age Group in my home town race!
I took off like a jack rabbit and passed mile 1 in 7:57. Too fast! By mile 3 (24:42) I had settled into an easy 8:20 pace. I had warmed up and had to slow down to remove the T-shirt. During that awkward process the 3:40 pace group passed me. A few friends including Charlie (see the Gasparilla report) were in that pace group so I decided to drop in behind them and stay with them. I would be happy to finish in 3:40 so why not let them drag me through the race? It seemed to work at first as we passed mile 10 in 1:24:45 and a split of 8:27. However when we crossed the bridge over Sarasota Bay (the highest hill in town) at mile 12 in 1:40:38 I was beginning to realize that I had made a big mistake! The pace setter was running exact and even splits for a 3:40 pace. But that is not the way I normally run and I found it difficult and frustrating. I normally experience ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ in energy level throughout a race and let my body adjust to those changes. At times I felt good and wanted to leave the pace group behind and other times I felt bad/tired and had to struggle to stay with them. When we passed the Half in 1:50:00 (exactly) I already knew that a (sub) 3:40 wasn’t going to happen! In 300 marathons I can count on one hand the number of times I have run a negative or even split in the 2nd Half! And I was experiencing another low or ‘lull’ and having difficulty staying with the group as we started the 2nd Half.
At mile 17 I noticed that Charlie and I were starting to fall behind? I told Charlie (who needed a sub 3:45 to qualify for Boston) that the smartest thing we could do was to try to keep the group in sight until we crossed back over the bridge at mile 21 and then we could slow the pace and hopefully still finish under 3:45. When I passed mile 18 in 2:31:59 and a split 0f 8:51 I was struggling and in trouble! By the time I caught up to Wally, Norm and Frank at mile 19 I couldn’t see the pace group anymore? Norm and Wally had graciously agreed to take my running pal Frank Ouseley under their wings as he attempted to complete his first marathon since his back surgery. They had started together and early at 4 am. I reached mile 20 in 2:50:18 and a split of 9:16. I calculated that I had to maintain a sub 9-min pace for the final 10Km to finish under 3:45 – and I still had to go across the bridge! It felt like Mt Everest instead of a 65-ft high bridge and I reached mile 21 in 3:00:14 and a split of 9:55! I knew at that point that 3:45 wasn’t going to happen either. I figured the best I could do was to try to hold a sub 10-min pace and finish under 3:50? When I reached mile 23 in 3:18:29 I felt like I was close to ‘hitting the wall’. If I let that happen the final 5 Km would be very UGLY and entail a lot of walking so I slowed down even more. I became totally focused on blocking out the pain and lack of energy and keeping my legs/feet shuffling to the finish line. As I approached mile 26 I tried to push the pace but my right calf started to cramp. That hadn’t happened in the past year and I did not want to go through those problems again so I backed off immediately and ‘shuffled/limped’ across the finish line in 3:49:18.
I had finished #300 but I was not pleased with my on-the-spot strategy and performance and I was very disappointed with my time! I wasn’t surprised but was again disappointed when I checked the results to learn that I finished 4th in my AG. The only consolation was that 3rd place finished in 3:37! Even if I had run a great race I couldn’t have beat that time in the shape I was in!
I waited at the finish line for a few friends to finish and some finish line photos. I wanted to stay and watch Wally, Norm and Frank finish(which they did later hand-in hand together) but my legs started to cramp and I needed to get home and into the hot tub. And that’s exactly what I did! After a few beers and a long hot soak I was ready to attend the annual post-race party at Linda’s where I could drown my sorrows in lots of good beer and BBQ. I had a sneaky suspicion that Linda had something planned to celebrate my 300th marathon so I wasn’t too surprised when they sat me down and out came a beautiful, blonde Hula dancer. I had immediate flashbacks to my 60th birthday – same place, same dancer except an Egyptian belly dancer then. Soon Ms Cynthia (aka Attila the Huness) was joined by the two ugliest Hula dancers you would NOT want to see. I think one of the dancers was from Afghanistan? (see photos). One of the dancers was Charlie and the other was a world-renowned Cardiologist but no names will be mentioned! Everyone including Maddog had a great time! We consider ourselves very fortunate/lucky to have such a wonderful group of friends!
Now that #300 is done what’s next?
Maddog wants to continue with intensive training to get into better competitive marathon shape but I have overruled that idea/plan! I do not want to push the old bod to its limits and risk another injury without a good purpose or goal. I am going to ease back on the training miles and intensity and try to improve my aerobic base and leg strength in the Rocky Mtns this summer. In the fall/winter I will start back with speed work, etc. to reach peak condition next spring when I turn 65. I plan to kick ASS next year in my new Age Group! For now I will try to maintain a decent marathon shape so that I can finish races under 4 hours which is a respectable time for an OLD fart!
I have no plans or goal to lots of marathons because I could never challenge friends like Norm and Wally on number/quantity of marathons because:
a) I don’t think my body would hold up and I could never live long enough
b) Cost! We discussed how much even domestic marathons cost today and the fact that nobody will ever catch Norm just because of the cost!
Thus I have decided to focus on countries! I have a new goal but am not ready to announce it officially yet. SOON! In fact my next three marathons are international races in Asia, Middle East and S. America.
Stay tuned!
Sarasota Marathon
Sarasota, FL
Sun, Mar 2/08
Marathon #300
3:49:18 – 4 AG
Marathon #300!
Seems like a long time ago and another lifetime since I asked Lisette, the Race Director of the Sarasota Marathon, at the end of the race in 2007 to reserve Bib #300 for me in 2008. I had just finished marathon #282 and only had 18 more to run to complete #300 at Sarasota one year later! Everything went fairly smooth until I suffered a serious foot injury at the end of marathon #289 in Colorado on Labor Day. I still had 10 more marathons to run to make Bib #300 meaningful so I ignored the advice of doctors to take six months rest from running and continued to pursue my goal.
I managed to run through the injury, pain, frustration and embarrassment to line up at the start line with marathon #299 under my belt. I believe the challenge of getting to the start line was much more difficult and memorable than marathon #300 itself! Although marathon #300 was memorable it was not a significant/ incredible feat since many of my friends have run two and three times that amount of marathons! Since some of those friends came to Sarasota to run #300 with me the Sports Manager and I hosted a pasta dinner the night before the race for them and some local runners. If you view the photos at http://www.maddog.smugmug.com/ you will see a photo of four runners that have completed a total of 2445 marathons and 258 countries:
Norm Frank - N. American record of 953 marathons and 6 countries
Wally Herman - 702 marathons and World record of 99 countries
Edson Sanches - 490 marathons and 65 countries
John ‘Maddog’ Wallace – 300 marathons and 88 countries
So you see Maddog is just a baby/novice compared to his illustrious friends! I was so pleased that my good friends were able to join us for dinner and share their time with local runners who were in awe of their experiences and accomplishments.
However I was very concerned on race morning! A friend Rick (who had stayed with us) and I had both suffered a lot of stomach cramps and intestinal problems all night before the race? I was so sick at 3 am that I thought that I might not make it to the start line? Nah! I might have considered that option for a normal race but no way was I going to miss lining up for #300 at my home town race! I was relieved when we arrived at the start line and talked to the rest of the dinner guests. Nobody else had experienced any problems from the Sports Manager’s excellent pasta. Rick and I concluded that the problem probably resulted from a slice of pizza we ate at a deli at the Sports Expo?
I would like to blame the intestinal problems for my poor race performance but fortunately/thankfully after a few last-minute emergency pit stops at the porto-johns I felt OK when I lined up at the start line with my friends and 3,000 other runners. The weather was nice at the 6 am start – a temp of 56 F but humid. The forecast called for the temps to warm up rapidly into the 80s and the humidity to drop. Being an OLD Floridian I actually felt cool at the start and wore a throw-away T-shirt under a singlet that I had custom printed for my 300th! The front read “Marathon #300” and the back read “John’s 300th marathon”. I knew the printing would solicit lots of cheers and shouts along the course and I was counting on them to motivate me. I figured I would need it! The foot injury had not healed until early Jan so I had only two months of good training to try to get back into competitive marathon shape. I knew I was not in ‘peak’ shape but hoped I was in good enough shape to at least place in my Age Group in my home town race!
I took off like a jack rabbit and passed mile 1 in 7:57. Too fast! By mile 3 (24:42) I had settled into an easy 8:20 pace. I had warmed up and had to slow down to remove the T-shirt. During that awkward process the 3:40 pace group passed me. A few friends including Charlie (see the Gasparilla report) were in that pace group so I decided to drop in behind them and stay with them. I would be happy to finish in 3:40 so why not let them drag me through the race? It seemed to work at first as we passed mile 10 in 1:24:45 and a split of 8:27. However when we crossed the bridge over Sarasota Bay (the highest hill in town) at mile 12 in 1:40:38 I was beginning to realize that I had made a big mistake! The pace setter was running exact and even splits for a 3:40 pace. But that is not the way I normally run and I found it difficult and frustrating. I normally experience ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ in energy level throughout a race and let my body adjust to those changes. At times I felt good and wanted to leave the pace group behind and other times I felt bad/tired and had to struggle to stay with them. When we passed the Half in 1:50:00 (exactly) I already knew that a (sub) 3:40 wasn’t going to happen! In 300 marathons I can count on one hand the number of times I have run a negative or even split in the 2nd Half! And I was experiencing another low or ‘lull’ and having difficulty staying with the group as we started the 2nd Half.
At mile 17 I noticed that Charlie and I were starting to fall behind? I told Charlie (who needed a sub 3:45 to qualify for Boston) that the smartest thing we could do was to try to keep the group in sight until we crossed back over the bridge at mile 21 and then we could slow the pace and hopefully still finish under 3:45. When I passed mile 18 in 2:31:59 and a split 0f 8:51 I was struggling and in trouble! By the time I caught up to Wally, Norm and Frank at mile 19 I couldn’t see the pace group anymore? Norm and Wally had graciously agreed to take my running pal Frank Ouseley under their wings as he attempted to complete his first marathon since his back surgery. They had started together and early at 4 am. I reached mile 20 in 2:50:18 and a split of 9:16. I calculated that I had to maintain a sub 9-min pace for the final 10Km to finish under 3:45 – and I still had to go across the bridge! It felt like Mt Everest instead of a 65-ft high bridge and I reached mile 21 in 3:00:14 and a split of 9:55! I knew at that point that 3:45 wasn’t going to happen either. I figured the best I could do was to try to hold a sub 10-min pace and finish under 3:50? When I reached mile 23 in 3:18:29 I felt like I was close to ‘hitting the wall’. If I let that happen the final 5 Km would be very UGLY and entail a lot of walking so I slowed down even more. I became totally focused on blocking out the pain and lack of energy and keeping my legs/feet shuffling to the finish line. As I approached mile 26 I tried to push the pace but my right calf started to cramp. That hadn’t happened in the past year and I did not want to go through those problems again so I backed off immediately and ‘shuffled/limped’ across the finish line in 3:49:18.
I had finished #300 but I was not pleased with my on-the-spot strategy and performance and I was very disappointed with my time! I wasn’t surprised but was again disappointed when I checked the results to learn that I finished 4th in my AG. The only consolation was that 3rd place finished in 3:37! Even if I had run a great race I couldn’t have beat that time in the shape I was in!
I waited at the finish line for a few friends to finish and some finish line photos. I wanted to stay and watch Wally, Norm and Frank finish(which they did later hand-in hand together) but my legs started to cramp and I needed to get home and into the hot tub. And that’s exactly what I did! After a few beers and a long hot soak I was ready to attend the annual post-race party at Linda’s where I could drown my sorrows in lots of good beer and BBQ. I had a sneaky suspicion that Linda had something planned to celebrate my 300th marathon so I wasn’t too surprised when they sat me down and out came a beautiful, blonde Hula dancer. I had immediate flashbacks to my 60th birthday – same place, same dancer except an Egyptian belly dancer then. Soon Ms Cynthia (aka Attila the Huness) was joined by the two ugliest Hula dancers you would NOT want to see. I think one of the dancers was from Afghanistan? (see photos). One of the dancers was Charlie and the other was a world-renowned Cardiologist but no names will be mentioned! Everyone including Maddog had a great time! We consider ourselves very fortunate/lucky to have such a wonderful group of friends!
Now that #300 is done what’s next?
Maddog wants to continue with intensive training to get into better competitive marathon shape but I have overruled that idea/plan! I do not want to push the old bod to its limits and risk another injury without a good purpose or goal. I am going to ease back on the training miles and intensity and try to improve my aerobic base and leg strength in the Rocky Mtns this summer. In the fall/winter I will start back with speed work, etc. to reach peak condition next spring when I turn 65. I plan to kick ASS next year in my new Age Group! For now I will try to maintain a decent marathon shape so that I can finish races under 4 hours which is a respectable time for an OLD fart!
I have no plans or goal to lots of marathons because I could never challenge friends like Norm and Wally on number/quantity of marathons because:
a) I don’t think my body would hold up and I could never live long enough
b) Cost! We discussed how much even domestic marathons cost today and the fact that nobody will ever catch Norm just because of the cost!
Thus I have decided to focus on countries! I have a new goal but am not ready to announce it officially yet. SOON! In fact my next three marathons are international races in Asia, Middle East and S. America.
Stay tuned!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
RR -Jacksonville
Race Report
26.2 with Donna Marathon
Jacksonville, FL
Sun, Feb 17/08
Marathon #299
3:58:25 – 2 AG
Marathon #299!
There were a few times in the past six months (including the 10 mile mark of the race) when I didn’t think I would get to this point!
I had picked this race for #299 for a number of reasons:
a) It was two weeks before my hometown race where I wanted to run #300
b) It was an easy drive within FL
c) It was a new marathon for FL – ‘26.2 with Donna’ - and this was the inaugural race
I discovered a few negative aspects during the early registration process. The entry fee was a ridiculously high $115 but since it all went to the charity/fight for breast cancer I was willing to accept that price! The race had a start time of 8:30 am which seemed late for a FL race? The race start/finish was at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and since there was no parking all runners had to be shuttled to the start. This increased the logistics and the amount of time to get to/from the race. I must confess that I was not enthused or impressed with the race as I headed to Jacksonville but am happy to report that my negative opinion was changed. The races (Marathon and Half) were well organized and successful -more than 7,000 runners participated in the inaugural event!
I drove up to Jacksonville early Sat morning and headed straight to the Expo and packet pick up at the Morocco Shrine Auditorium. The expo was crowded because the space was too small to handle 7,000 runners (they only expected 5,000). However I found a booth that screen printed t-shirts and had a singlet custom-printed to commemorate my 300th marathon so I was happy. I was supposed to meet up with a friend from the 50 States Club but he had to cancel at the last minute so I was on my own for pasta dinner. I drove over to Neptune Beach to explore the beaches and enjoy a traditional pasta dinner.
Although the races didn’t start until 8:30 am I had to rise early to catch a shuttle bus to the start. Fortunately the weather was warm while we had to wait over an hour for the race to start. In fact the weather was too warm. It was already sunny, HOT and humid with temps in the low 60s and forecast to climb into the 80s by the time we finished! While waiting for the races to start I revised my race strategy for three reasons:
1) The weather forecast.
2) The late start. I thought the late start was due to the logistics of shuttling the runners to the start. However I talked to a few local runners and learned that the late start was necessary because part of the marathon course was on the beach and they had to be sure it was low tide!
3) The beach! The sand would slow the pace down.
I decided to go out fast as originally planned for the first 5 miles and then accept a slower pace on the sand/beach and by then the sun would be hot and the pace would have to be slower! Jeff Galloway who emceed the race urged/warned all runners to run at least 30-60 secs/mile slower than planned because of the heat!
The races started on time and we headed east on Butler Blvd towards the beaches. The first mile climbed a long steep bridge over St John’s River and offered a sweeping view of the Intracoastal Waterway where the river flows into the Atlantic Ocean. I passed mile 1 in 8:08. The next two miles included two overpasses so I was pleased when I passed mile 3 in 24:17 and turned on to Ocean Dr along the Atlantic Ocean. There had been no spectators on Butler Blvd but there were thousands of spectators and residents along the rest of the course! I passed mile 5 in 41:12 before we turned on to Jacksonville Beach. The sand was hard-packed in most places but I wasn’t sure what effect the sand would have on my pace (except to slow it down)? I decided to run by my heart monitor rather than trying to maintain the same pace. During the next/first mile on the beach I seemed to be struggling a lot for the pace I was running and I was shocked when I reached mile 6 in a split of 9:01? Surely the sand couldn’t have that huge of a negative effect? But miles 7 and 8 were splits of 9:15. Fortunately the course turned off the beach and back on to good old asphalt at mile 8! I decided to lower the hammer and get my pace back down below 8:30s. However I quickly discovered there was no hammer – there was no push – there was no energy! Suddenly I felt very poorly – I was either very overheated or had a fever and I was totally exhausted and out of energy? I realized that something was very wrong! I didn’t believe I could be tired/out of energy due to the great race I ran last weekend. One of Maddog’s strengths is his ability to recover quickly? And I noticed a strange phenomenon. Although I was trying to push the pace my heart monitor dropped about 10 bpm below my normal range and no matter how hard I tried I could not increase my heart level back to its normal marathon range? I wisely decided to slow down and jog the next two miles to give my legs/body a chance to rest and recover. However when I passed mile 10 in 1:28:08 and a split of 9:52 I still felt like shit and I knew I was in trouble!
I felt worse with every step and realized that I had to go into ‘survival mode’ and just try to keep shuffling the old legs and make it to the Half and hope that somehow I would recover? I promised myself that if I could keep ‘running’ to the Half I would re-evaluate my condition and walk the 2nd Half if necessary. I knew I was just delaying the inevitable (walking) but quitting was not an option since I had to finish #299 or run another race next weekend! As I approached the Half it took every ounce of energy I had to just keep my feet moving and I knew the race was over for me. I was prepared to walk the entire 2nd Half if necessary! As soon as I crossed the timing mat at the Half in 1:57:19 I stopped and walked. The 2nd Half was going to be very UGLY!
I walked for a few minutes and strangely – almost miraculously – I started to feel better and energy seemed to be returning? I no longer felt like I was burning up? I started to jog and I noticed that my heart monitor began to slowly increase back to its normal marathon range (80% Max)? By the time I reached mile 14 my heart monitor was reading normal and my energy was returning although not fully. I decided to run again while holding my heart rate in the normal range and see what pace that translated to? I passed mile 15 in 2:14:57 and a split of 9:04. I still didn’t feel great but I was running again and I decided the smartest thing I could do was to maintain my heart monitor in its normal range and accept whatever pace the body was able and willing to give me in that range. I reached mile 18 in 2:42 and a split of 8:55. I started to feel stronger and decided to push the pace – and noted yet another strange phenomenon? As I increased my effort the heart monitor soared 10bpm above normal range to 90% Max but my pace or split increased to 9:25 on mile 19? None of that made sense? I kept my heart rate at 90% Max over the next mile and al I got for it was a split of 9:15? I had passed mile 20 in 3:00:48. I calculated that I only needed a 10 min pace for the last 10Km to break 4 hrs so I wisely decided to lower my heart rate back to its normal range and accept whatever pace that gave me! During the next three miles I felt the best I had since mile 5 and started passing hundreds of runners and walkers who had succumbed to the heat. The course was noisy with sirens and clustered with ambulances picking up distressed runners!
When I reached mile 23 in 3:28:24 back on Butler Blvd I was confident that I would break 4 hrs! Yes I still had the overpasses and bridge between me and the finish line and the sun was now hotter than Hell but I had 31 minutes to run 5 Km! I did have to dig deep and my heart monitor again soared to 90% Max over those final 3 miles as I had to weave among hundreds of Half marathoners waking a 4+ Hr Half but I crossed the finish line in 3:58:25! I am not sure how to assess my performance and results in this race! Based on my pre-race strategy and goals they sucked! But based on the conditions and what happened during the race I was glad that I finished – ALIVE – let alone under 4 hrs! I later learned that my finish time was good enough to place 2nd AG so I guess I didn’t do too badly?
I am curious if any of my doctor friends/readers have any idea/opinion of what caused the strange problems/symptoms that I experienced during the race. My guess is that I suffered a case of the ‘5-Mile Flu’?
The most important thing is that I finished marathon # 299 and I now have two weeks to get ready for #300 at my hometown race.
Some comments/appraisal of the race:
I think the entry fee is exorbitant and I didn’t like the shuttle buses and late start. But I will give credit when due. The race was very well organized. The race volunteers and residents were very cheerful and supportive. The course is unusual/different with the 3 miles on the beach. I won’t go back but I believe you will enjoy the experience if you run this race next year. I think this race will become popular and get much bigger!
And a final personal story that has a message for all my readers:
As most of my readers know I struggled through many injuries and trials the past 18 months. In early 2007 I set a goal to run my 300th marathon in my hometown race in Sarasota in March 2008. When I suffered a severe tear to the plantar fascia in my right foot last fall I thought that goal/dream was finished! I still had 10 marathons to run in the next 6 months just to get to #299! Indeed if I had listened to the doctors who advised me to take 6 to 9 months off to rest the injury and friends who told me it was foolish to run through such a serious injury – the dream would have been over! Instead I ignored all of them and listened to my body as I pursued my dream. But it was not easy! It was one of the most painful and frustrating experiences of my running career. The boredom of cross training – the pain and humbling experience of running/walking marathons in record slow times – the frustration of watching runners beat me that I could normally beat on any day. I experienced highs in achieving small improvements in my times and lows due to setbacks in the healing of the injury and slower times. But it has been a life-altering experience! I have learned to deal with pain, adversity and disappointments along with the happiness of achievement! And I believe I have finally learned to control my super-competitive nature and accept that I cannot win every race (not sure Maddog has reached that level?).
I take pride that I am ready to walk up to the start line of my hometown race in two weeks and - NONE – NADA - NOT ONE - of those ‘naysayers’ will have the pleasure to join me at the start line to run THEIR 300th marathon!
The message is: “Never give up! Don’t always believe or accept what other people tell you what YOU can do! Listen to your own mind and body – they are the best advisors you will ever have!”
I have two more weeks to run speed work and a few tune ups to improve my marathon shape and win the Senior Title in the Sarasota Marathon.
Stay tuned!
26.2 with Donna Marathon
Jacksonville, FL
Sun, Feb 17/08
Marathon #299
3:58:25 – 2 AG
Marathon #299!
There were a few times in the past six months (including the 10 mile mark of the race) when I didn’t think I would get to this point!
I had picked this race for #299 for a number of reasons:
a) It was two weeks before my hometown race where I wanted to run #300
b) It was an easy drive within FL
c) It was a new marathon for FL – ‘26.2 with Donna’ - and this was the inaugural race
I discovered a few negative aspects during the early registration process. The entry fee was a ridiculously high $115 but since it all went to the charity/fight for breast cancer I was willing to accept that price! The race had a start time of 8:30 am which seemed late for a FL race? The race start/finish was at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and since there was no parking all runners had to be shuttled to the start. This increased the logistics and the amount of time to get to/from the race. I must confess that I was not enthused or impressed with the race as I headed to Jacksonville but am happy to report that my negative opinion was changed. The races (Marathon and Half) were well organized and successful -more than 7,000 runners participated in the inaugural event!
I drove up to Jacksonville early Sat morning and headed straight to the Expo and packet pick up at the Morocco Shrine Auditorium. The expo was crowded because the space was too small to handle 7,000 runners (they only expected 5,000). However I found a booth that screen printed t-shirts and had a singlet custom-printed to commemorate my 300th marathon so I was happy. I was supposed to meet up with a friend from the 50 States Club but he had to cancel at the last minute so I was on my own for pasta dinner. I drove over to Neptune Beach to explore the beaches and enjoy a traditional pasta dinner.
Although the races didn’t start until 8:30 am I had to rise early to catch a shuttle bus to the start. Fortunately the weather was warm while we had to wait over an hour for the race to start. In fact the weather was too warm. It was already sunny, HOT and humid with temps in the low 60s and forecast to climb into the 80s by the time we finished! While waiting for the races to start I revised my race strategy for three reasons:
1) The weather forecast.
2) The late start. I thought the late start was due to the logistics of shuttling the runners to the start. However I talked to a few local runners and learned that the late start was necessary because part of the marathon course was on the beach and they had to be sure it was low tide!
3) The beach! The sand would slow the pace down.
I decided to go out fast as originally planned for the first 5 miles and then accept a slower pace on the sand/beach and by then the sun would be hot and the pace would have to be slower! Jeff Galloway who emceed the race urged/warned all runners to run at least 30-60 secs/mile slower than planned because of the heat!
The races started on time and we headed east on Butler Blvd towards the beaches. The first mile climbed a long steep bridge over St John’s River and offered a sweeping view of the Intracoastal Waterway where the river flows into the Atlantic Ocean. I passed mile 1 in 8:08. The next two miles included two overpasses so I was pleased when I passed mile 3 in 24:17 and turned on to Ocean Dr along the Atlantic Ocean. There had been no spectators on Butler Blvd but there were thousands of spectators and residents along the rest of the course! I passed mile 5 in 41:12 before we turned on to Jacksonville Beach. The sand was hard-packed in most places but I wasn’t sure what effect the sand would have on my pace (except to slow it down)? I decided to run by my heart monitor rather than trying to maintain the same pace. During the next/first mile on the beach I seemed to be struggling a lot for the pace I was running and I was shocked when I reached mile 6 in a split of 9:01? Surely the sand couldn’t have that huge of a negative effect? But miles 7 and 8 were splits of 9:15. Fortunately the course turned off the beach and back on to good old asphalt at mile 8! I decided to lower the hammer and get my pace back down below 8:30s. However I quickly discovered there was no hammer – there was no push – there was no energy! Suddenly I felt very poorly – I was either very overheated or had a fever and I was totally exhausted and out of energy? I realized that something was very wrong! I didn’t believe I could be tired/out of energy due to the great race I ran last weekend. One of Maddog’s strengths is his ability to recover quickly? And I noticed a strange phenomenon. Although I was trying to push the pace my heart monitor dropped about 10 bpm below my normal range and no matter how hard I tried I could not increase my heart level back to its normal marathon range? I wisely decided to slow down and jog the next two miles to give my legs/body a chance to rest and recover. However when I passed mile 10 in 1:28:08 and a split of 9:52 I still felt like shit and I knew I was in trouble!
I felt worse with every step and realized that I had to go into ‘survival mode’ and just try to keep shuffling the old legs and make it to the Half and hope that somehow I would recover? I promised myself that if I could keep ‘running’ to the Half I would re-evaluate my condition and walk the 2nd Half if necessary. I knew I was just delaying the inevitable (walking) but quitting was not an option since I had to finish #299 or run another race next weekend! As I approached the Half it took every ounce of energy I had to just keep my feet moving and I knew the race was over for me. I was prepared to walk the entire 2nd Half if necessary! As soon as I crossed the timing mat at the Half in 1:57:19 I stopped and walked. The 2nd Half was going to be very UGLY!
I walked for a few minutes and strangely – almost miraculously – I started to feel better and energy seemed to be returning? I no longer felt like I was burning up? I started to jog and I noticed that my heart monitor began to slowly increase back to its normal marathon range (80% Max)? By the time I reached mile 14 my heart monitor was reading normal and my energy was returning although not fully. I decided to run again while holding my heart rate in the normal range and see what pace that translated to? I passed mile 15 in 2:14:57 and a split of 9:04. I still didn’t feel great but I was running again and I decided the smartest thing I could do was to maintain my heart monitor in its normal range and accept whatever pace the body was able and willing to give me in that range. I reached mile 18 in 2:42 and a split of 8:55. I started to feel stronger and decided to push the pace – and noted yet another strange phenomenon? As I increased my effort the heart monitor soared 10bpm above normal range to 90% Max but my pace or split increased to 9:25 on mile 19? None of that made sense? I kept my heart rate at 90% Max over the next mile and al I got for it was a split of 9:15? I had passed mile 20 in 3:00:48. I calculated that I only needed a 10 min pace for the last 10Km to break 4 hrs so I wisely decided to lower my heart rate back to its normal range and accept whatever pace that gave me! During the next three miles I felt the best I had since mile 5 and started passing hundreds of runners and walkers who had succumbed to the heat. The course was noisy with sirens and clustered with ambulances picking up distressed runners!
When I reached mile 23 in 3:28:24 back on Butler Blvd I was confident that I would break 4 hrs! Yes I still had the overpasses and bridge between me and the finish line and the sun was now hotter than Hell but I had 31 minutes to run 5 Km! I did have to dig deep and my heart monitor again soared to 90% Max over those final 3 miles as I had to weave among hundreds of Half marathoners waking a 4+ Hr Half but I crossed the finish line in 3:58:25! I am not sure how to assess my performance and results in this race! Based on my pre-race strategy and goals they sucked! But based on the conditions and what happened during the race I was glad that I finished – ALIVE – let alone under 4 hrs! I later learned that my finish time was good enough to place 2nd AG so I guess I didn’t do too badly?
I am curious if any of my doctor friends/readers have any idea/opinion of what caused the strange problems/symptoms that I experienced during the race. My guess is that I suffered a case of the ‘5-Mile Flu’?
The most important thing is that I finished marathon # 299 and I now have two weeks to get ready for #300 at my hometown race.
Some comments/appraisal of the race:
I think the entry fee is exorbitant and I didn’t like the shuttle buses and late start. But I will give credit when due. The race was very well organized. The race volunteers and residents were very cheerful and supportive. The course is unusual/different with the 3 miles on the beach. I won’t go back but I believe you will enjoy the experience if you run this race next year. I think this race will become popular and get much bigger!
And a final personal story that has a message for all my readers:
As most of my readers know I struggled through many injuries and trials the past 18 months. In early 2007 I set a goal to run my 300th marathon in my hometown race in Sarasota in March 2008. When I suffered a severe tear to the plantar fascia in my right foot last fall I thought that goal/dream was finished! I still had 10 marathons to run in the next 6 months just to get to #299! Indeed if I had listened to the doctors who advised me to take 6 to 9 months off to rest the injury and friends who told me it was foolish to run through such a serious injury – the dream would have been over! Instead I ignored all of them and listened to my body as I pursued my dream. But it was not easy! It was one of the most painful and frustrating experiences of my running career. The boredom of cross training – the pain and humbling experience of running/walking marathons in record slow times – the frustration of watching runners beat me that I could normally beat on any day. I experienced highs in achieving small improvements in my times and lows due to setbacks in the healing of the injury and slower times. But it has been a life-altering experience! I have learned to deal with pain, adversity and disappointments along with the happiness of achievement! And I believe I have finally learned to control my super-competitive nature and accept that I cannot win every race (not sure Maddog has reached that level?).
I take pride that I am ready to walk up to the start line of my hometown race in two weeks and - NONE – NADA - NOT ONE - of those ‘naysayers’ will have the pleasure to join me at the start line to run THEIR 300th marathon!
The message is: “Never give up! Don’t always believe or accept what other people tell you what YOU can do! Listen to your own mind and body – they are the best advisors you will ever have!”
I have two more weeks to run speed work and a few tune ups to improve my marathon shape and win the Senior Title in the Sarasota Marathon.
Stay tuned!
Monday, February 11, 2008
RR Tampa
Race Report
Gasparilla Marathon
Tampa, FL
Sun, Feb 10/08
Marathon #298
3:42:06 – 1 AG
Marathon #298.
That was about the only significant fact on this marathon going into the race. In fact it was actually a make-up or substitute marathon to replace the Taiwan marathon that I had postponed in Dec 07. Fortunately there are lots of marathons in FL during Jan & Feb and I selected the Gasparilla marathon in Tampa because it is the closest to home and I had run it a few times before. The marathon is a part of the Gasparilla Festival and the Gasparilla Distance Classic – a series of road races. On Sat there were 5/10/15km races with several thousands of runners including elite runners in the flat and fast 15 Km. On Sun the Half/Marathon attracts about 3,000 runners.
I planned to use the marathon as a 20-mile tempo run (i.e. run the 1st 20 miles as hard/fast as possible and then just hold on to finish the final 10Km and race) as a tune up for my home town race in March where I plan to run marathon #300! Thus I convinced a few friends from the local running club to run the race too. Charlie and Linda wanted/needed to run a 3:45 marathon to qualify for Boston and I promised them that I would pace them through 20 miles at a 3:45 pace but after that they were on their own? However Mother Nature had other ideas as both Charlie and Linda came down with a very bad flu.
Luckily Charlie recovered the week before the race and decided to try running it but Linda was too sick and offered her race bib to Frank –‘the only other sane person in the world’. So Frank ran the Half as a young, beautiful blonde female! He offered to wear a blonde wig but when you look at the picture you will also agree that no disguise could help him?
Frank and I drove up to Tampa at 4 am on Sun and met Charlie at the start line. Since there were only 3,000 runners and no start corrals we were able to position ourselves on the start line to make sure that we didn’t get boxed in and had a fast start. The race started at 6am in the dark in downtown Tampa. The weather cooperated – it was 56 F and low humidity and the temps never rose above the low 60s during the race. I did not make the same mistake as Miami two weeks ago and wore a race singlet to reduce the risk of overheating! Charlie and I took off like scared rabbits and passed mile 1 in 7:50. Obviously way too fast! So I immediately threw out an anchor and slowed our split over mile 2 to 8:30. By the time we reached mile 6 on Davis Island in 50:14 we had settled into an easy/smooth 8:30 pace. At that point an old fart from TX passed us and asked if we were pacing each other? We explained that Charlie was trying to run a 3:45 to qualify for Boston. He then asked our age groups and we quickly realized he was in my AG. He then made a kind of sarcastic remark about not having to worry about me since I was running so slowly and took off. I wished him luck and let him go for two reasons: 1) I wanted to stay and pace Charlie and 2) I wasn’t foolish enough to get into a pissing match only 6 miles into a race!
At mile 7 the Half and Marathon courses split off and we had more room to run and my pace dropped to an 8:18 split on the next mile. At mile 9 the 3:40 pace group passed us and I dropped in behind them. I noticed that Charlie was starting to fall behind but I stayed behind the pace group hoping that Charlie would be motivated to keep them in sight. I followed the pace group through Mile 10 in 1:24:28. I was right on target but Charlie was already starting to fade? At Mile 11 the marathon course rejoined the Half marathon course back at the 7mile marker of the Half. This was a change in the marathon course and it was very confusing and annoying! There were runners merging and turning in all kinds of directions. Luckily I could still see the 3:40 pace group and just followed them. However we were now passing Half marathon runners who were running/walking a 12/14 min pace. For the next three miles we had to pay close attention to many slower runners on the course and weave around them which used up energy!
I passed the Half in 1:49:43 and a split of 8:35. I was on target and felt much better/stronger than I did in Miami two weeks ago. I was confident I could hold the pace through 20 miles. Finally at mile 14 the Half runners turned back on Bayshore Blvd towards the finish line and I was running by myself. I had lots of room, felt good/strong and decided to lower the pace to 8:20s. I passed mile 16 in 2:14:21 and a split of 8:21 and mile 18 in 2:31:17 and a split of 8:17! At that point the course started to loop through residential areas next to MacDill Air Force Base before returning to Bayshore Blvd at mile 20.
I passed mile 20 in 2:48:21 – 01:40 ahead of pace! It was time to do a gut check. I still felt good/strong and was confident that I could hold the pace through the final 10 Km. There was only one slight/potential problem? The course was now heading north on Bayshore back to the finish line in downtown Tampa and a strong wind had seemed to come up during the loop through the residential area? It was gusting about 20/30 mph – into our faces! I managed to hold an 8:35 pace for the next two miles into the wind. Around mile 22 I noticed a runner coming from the other direction and acting very weird. He had veered into our lane and was heading straight for me? As I veered to avoid him he veered to collide with me? Only at the last second when he started laughing did I recognize my good friend Edson from NYC! Friggin idiot! He cost me valuable seconds and energy!
When I reached mile 22 in 3:05:25 I was in for an even bigger surprise! The course had left the protection of the expensive homes along Bayshore Blvd and the final 4 miles along Tampa Bay had nothing to protect/buffer us from the wind. It was now howling about 30mph off Tampa Bay down Bayshore Blvd and directly into our faces! It was brutal. I searched desperately for another runner to hide behind and draft but the wind was standing everyone straight up and slowing them down! I figured I would be lucky to manage a 9/10-min pace into that wind? But there was nothing to do but hunker down, make my body as small a target as possible and push on. At mile 23 a young buck blew by me and I dropped in behind him to draft but he was running an 8:15 pace and I couldn’t stay with him. When I passed mile 24 in 3:22:57 I became determined to average at least a 9-min pace for the final 2 miles to finish under 3:45! I dug deep, ignored the wind and pain and pushed on. In the final 1 ½ miles I passed two old farts but never even gave any thought/concern to my position in the race? I hadn’t seen the old fart from TX and assumed he was ahead of me and a 3:45 finish would probably not be good enough to place in the top three? I pushed across the finish line in 3:42:06!
Needless to say, both Maddog and I were very happy. I had run a smart race, stuck to my strategy and was pleased that I had been able to push the pace through the final 10 km. I was ecstatic about my finish time – I would never have believed before the race that I was ready to run a sub 3:45! I walked back to the car to find Frank napping. He had finished the Half in 3:15 (15 min faster than Miami) and was once again happy and proud that he had beat me back to the car! We walked back to the finish line to take some photos and look for Charlie. No Charlie so we took the photos and headed home. I didn’t even check the results at the finish line because I didn’t believe I had placed in my AG. I headed straight to the hot tub with a six pack of Labatt’s Blue for a much needed, much deserved hot soak to rejuvenate my tired old legs.
After the soak I was curious about how I finished in my Age group so I checked the results on the NET. Holy Crap! I won my AG by 50 secs – the two old farts I passed in the last mile finished 2nd and 3rd. The old fart/jerk from TX must have crashed big time because he finished 17 minutes behind me! Retribution can be nice/enjoyable! I also learned (via email) that Charlie had realized at mile 14 that a 3:45 marathon wasn’t going to happen so he wisely slowed down and jogged to the finish line to save his legs and energy for our hometown race.
I have one more ‘training’ marathon to run in Jacksonville, FL next weekend to complete marathon #299 and a final tune up to prepare me for #300! I plan to stick to the same strategy but go out at a faster (8:15 pace) for 20 miles and then try to hang on for the final 10Km.
Stay tuned!
Gasparilla Marathon
Tampa, FL
Sun, Feb 10/08
Marathon #298
3:42:06 – 1 AG
Marathon #298.
That was about the only significant fact on this marathon going into the race. In fact it was actually a make-up or substitute marathon to replace the Taiwan marathon that I had postponed in Dec 07. Fortunately there are lots of marathons in FL during Jan & Feb and I selected the Gasparilla marathon in Tampa because it is the closest to home and I had run it a few times before. The marathon is a part of the Gasparilla Festival and the Gasparilla Distance Classic – a series of road races. On Sat there were 5/10/15km races with several thousands of runners including elite runners in the flat and fast 15 Km. On Sun the Half/Marathon attracts about 3,000 runners.
I planned to use the marathon as a 20-mile tempo run (i.e. run the 1st 20 miles as hard/fast as possible and then just hold on to finish the final 10Km and race) as a tune up for my home town race in March where I plan to run marathon #300! Thus I convinced a few friends from the local running club to run the race too. Charlie and Linda wanted/needed to run a 3:45 marathon to qualify for Boston and I promised them that I would pace them through 20 miles at a 3:45 pace but after that they were on their own? However Mother Nature had other ideas as both Charlie and Linda came down with a very bad flu.
Luckily Charlie recovered the week before the race and decided to try running it but Linda was too sick and offered her race bib to Frank –‘the only other sane person in the world’. So Frank ran the Half as a young, beautiful blonde female! He offered to wear a blonde wig but when you look at the picture you will also agree that no disguise could help him?
Frank and I drove up to Tampa at 4 am on Sun and met Charlie at the start line. Since there were only 3,000 runners and no start corrals we were able to position ourselves on the start line to make sure that we didn’t get boxed in and had a fast start. The race started at 6am in the dark in downtown Tampa. The weather cooperated – it was 56 F and low humidity and the temps never rose above the low 60s during the race. I did not make the same mistake as Miami two weeks ago and wore a race singlet to reduce the risk of overheating! Charlie and I took off like scared rabbits and passed mile 1 in 7:50. Obviously way too fast! So I immediately threw out an anchor and slowed our split over mile 2 to 8:30. By the time we reached mile 6 on Davis Island in 50:14 we had settled into an easy/smooth 8:30 pace. At that point an old fart from TX passed us and asked if we were pacing each other? We explained that Charlie was trying to run a 3:45 to qualify for Boston. He then asked our age groups and we quickly realized he was in my AG. He then made a kind of sarcastic remark about not having to worry about me since I was running so slowly and took off. I wished him luck and let him go for two reasons: 1) I wanted to stay and pace Charlie and 2) I wasn’t foolish enough to get into a pissing match only 6 miles into a race!
At mile 7 the Half and Marathon courses split off and we had more room to run and my pace dropped to an 8:18 split on the next mile. At mile 9 the 3:40 pace group passed us and I dropped in behind them. I noticed that Charlie was starting to fall behind but I stayed behind the pace group hoping that Charlie would be motivated to keep them in sight. I followed the pace group through Mile 10 in 1:24:28. I was right on target but Charlie was already starting to fade? At Mile 11 the marathon course rejoined the Half marathon course back at the 7mile marker of the Half. This was a change in the marathon course and it was very confusing and annoying! There were runners merging and turning in all kinds of directions. Luckily I could still see the 3:40 pace group and just followed them. However we were now passing Half marathon runners who were running/walking a 12/14 min pace. For the next three miles we had to pay close attention to many slower runners on the course and weave around them which used up energy!
I passed the Half in 1:49:43 and a split of 8:35. I was on target and felt much better/stronger than I did in Miami two weeks ago. I was confident I could hold the pace through 20 miles. Finally at mile 14 the Half runners turned back on Bayshore Blvd towards the finish line and I was running by myself. I had lots of room, felt good/strong and decided to lower the pace to 8:20s. I passed mile 16 in 2:14:21 and a split of 8:21 and mile 18 in 2:31:17 and a split of 8:17! At that point the course started to loop through residential areas next to MacDill Air Force Base before returning to Bayshore Blvd at mile 20.
I passed mile 20 in 2:48:21 – 01:40 ahead of pace! It was time to do a gut check. I still felt good/strong and was confident that I could hold the pace through the final 10 Km. There was only one slight/potential problem? The course was now heading north on Bayshore back to the finish line in downtown Tampa and a strong wind had seemed to come up during the loop through the residential area? It was gusting about 20/30 mph – into our faces! I managed to hold an 8:35 pace for the next two miles into the wind. Around mile 22 I noticed a runner coming from the other direction and acting very weird. He had veered into our lane and was heading straight for me? As I veered to avoid him he veered to collide with me? Only at the last second when he started laughing did I recognize my good friend Edson from NYC! Friggin idiot! He cost me valuable seconds and energy!
When I reached mile 22 in 3:05:25 I was in for an even bigger surprise! The course had left the protection of the expensive homes along Bayshore Blvd and the final 4 miles along Tampa Bay had nothing to protect/buffer us from the wind. It was now howling about 30mph off Tampa Bay down Bayshore Blvd and directly into our faces! It was brutal. I searched desperately for another runner to hide behind and draft but the wind was standing everyone straight up and slowing them down! I figured I would be lucky to manage a 9/10-min pace into that wind? But there was nothing to do but hunker down, make my body as small a target as possible and push on. At mile 23 a young buck blew by me and I dropped in behind him to draft but he was running an 8:15 pace and I couldn’t stay with him. When I passed mile 24 in 3:22:57 I became determined to average at least a 9-min pace for the final 2 miles to finish under 3:45! I dug deep, ignored the wind and pain and pushed on. In the final 1 ½ miles I passed two old farts but never even gave any thought/concern to my position in the race? I hadn’t seen the old fart from TX and assumed he was ahead of me and a 3:45 finish would probably not be good enough to place in the top three? I pushed across the finish line in 3:42:06!
Needless to say, both Maddog and I were very happy. I had run a smart race, stuck to my strategy and was pleased that I had been able to push the pace through the final 10 km. I was ecstatic about my finish time – I would never have believed before the race that I was ready to run a sub 3:45! I walked back to the car to find Frank napping. He had finished the Half in 3:15 (15 min faster than Miami) and was once again happy and proud that he had beat me back to the car! We walked back to the finish line to take some photos and look for Charlie. No Charlie so we took the photos and headed home. I didn’t even check the results at the finish line because I didn’t believe I had placed in my AG. I headed straight to the hot tub with a six pack of Labatt’s Blue for a much needed, much deserved hot soak to rejuvenate my tired old legs.
After the soak I was curious about how I finished in my Age group so I checked the results on the NET. Holy Crap! I won my AG by 50 secs – the two old farts I passed in the last mile finished 2nd and 3rd. The old fart/jerk from TX must have crashed big time because he finished 17 minutes behind me! Retribution can be nice/enjoyable! I also learned (via email) that Charlie had realized at mile 14 that a 3:45 marathon wasn’t going to happen so he wisely slowed down and jogged to the finish line to save his legs and energy for our hometown race.
I have one more ‘training’ marathon to run in Jacksonville, FL next weekend to complete marathon #299 and a final tune up to prepare me for #300! I plan to stick to the same strategy but go out at a faster (8:15 pace) for 20 miles and then try to hang on for the final 10Km.
Stay tuned!
Monday, January 28, 2008
RR Miami Marathon
Race Report
Miami Marathon
Jan 27, 2008
Marathon # 297
3:53:06
I went back and looked at my race report for this marathon in 2007.
I quote the opening paragraph:
“I signed up for this marathon one year ago for two reasons:
1) the race offered a 50% discount for the first 200 entrants to register
2) I finished in the same time of 3:33 in the two previous times I ran this race and wanted to go back in 2007 to break 3:30!”
Well not much changed in my reasons for 2008! As you are aware I unfortunately suffered from those strange leg cramps in 2007 and had a terrible race. So I signed up again immediately with the expectations/hope of getting back into shape in 07 and finally breaking 3:30 in this race in 08! My plan was to rest during the summer (accomplished) and then train hard all winter so I could break 3:30 at Miami and get into peak shape for my hometown race in March 08. That plan went down the tube when I tore the plantar fascia in my right foot in the very first race in the fall. As most of you know I have been struggling just to run through the injury and complete the ten marathons I had scheduled to allow me to run marathon #300 at my home race! Thus I did not have much expectations going into this race.
However my injured foot seemed to recover/heal by the end of the year and I was finally able to start adding some intensity and speed work to my training runs in Jan. I knew that I was not in good enough shape to be competitive at Miami but I figured I would use the race as a long hard/fast training run to beat my body back into competitive shape. Thus my goal was to run the first 20 miles at an 8:30 pace (or as hard as I could) and then struggle – run/jog/walk/crawl - the last 10K to finish. If I succeeded in the first goal hopefully I could still finish the race under 4 hours?
A few weeks before the race my friend Frank – ‘the only other sane person in the world’ – (see Boston, April 05) decided that he wanted to walk the Half marathon and asked if he could join me. Frank is recovering from major back surgery (triple fusion) in Sept 07 in addition to his quadruple heart bypass and is not willing to give up racing – be it running or walking! So we left early Sat morning in the ‘red rocket’ for the 100 mph drive across Alligator Alley to Miami. After picking up our race packets and checking into a hotel on SoBe (South Beach) we walked over to the beach to check for those ‘floss’ bikinis that a friend claimed the beach bunnies were now wearing on Miami Beach. We didn’t find any?
Disappointed, we headed off for an early pasta dinner since the race started early the next day. Sun was M-Day! We arrived at 5 am to get parking near the start line. It felt cool even though the temps were a mild 64 F and close to 100% humidity. Being Floridians and OLD we were both COLD and I made a bad decision to wear a T-shirt for the race. The race started at 6:15 am. I was in the 2nd corral. I took me about 1 minute to cross the start line. Frank was in the 10th corral and it took him 17 minutes to cross the start line because he had about 18,000 runners in front of him. By the time I reached mile 2 in 16:56 on the MacArthur Causeway I was roasting and starting to overheat! I really regretted my decision not to wear a race singlet as I started to dump water over my head and body! By the time I reached mile 5 on SoBe in 42:35 I had settled into a comfortable 8:30 pace but was very hot! I passed mile 10 in 1:26:16 and a split of 8:47 so I had started to slow a wee bit but was not concerned. When I passed the Half in 1:53:10 I was starting to tire but was still determined to hold a fast pace till mile 20. During the 1st Half I talked to several runners from a number of Central and South American countries – Guatemala, Colombia, Bolivia and Peru – to enquire about marathons in their countries. In the 2nd Half two young runners from Argentina (now living in Miami) decided to adopt me and take care of me. They promised to drag me to the finish line. I was very thankful because they did indeed drag me through the next 7 miles. We passed mile 15 in 2:09:20 and a split of 8:34. I started to fade at mile 17 (2:26:41 and a split of 8:45) but my new friends encouraged and dragged me to the 20-mile marker in 2:52:45. I was a few minutes slower than planned but still quite happy with my time. I thanked my friends and waved them on because I knew I couldn’t hold that pace for the final 10 K! I figured I could slow down to a 10-minute pace for the last 10K and still finish under 4 hours. The next 3 miles were tough but when I passed mile 23 in 3:21:51 I knew that experience and determination would carry me to the finish line under 4 hrs. Luckily it started to drizzle around mile 24 and that helped to cool me down and I cruised across the finish line in 3:53:06.
I was very happy with my strategy and performance. I had run a hard/fast tempo run for 20 miles and had hung on to finish under 4 hrs! Even Maddog was pleased that I had finally managed to get my finish time below 4 hrs again! The only negative was that my foot started to hurt around 23 miles and was very sore at the end of the race? When I arrived back at the car Frank was waiting – he had finished the Half in 3:29 and was proud that he had beat me back to the car!
I have two more marathons to run locally (FL) in the next three weeks to get me to #299. I plan to use the same strategy in both races - run hard/fast tempo runs for the first 20 miles and then try to hang on and finish under 4 hrs and faster each race. This should help me beat my OLD, fat ass, out-of-shape bod back into competitive shape. Miami confirmed that I do not have enough time to get back into ‘peak’ competitive shape before my home race but I am going to try my best to get as close as possible. My only concern is that I cannot afford to aggravate or reinjure the foot and have to start the healing process all over again. It is a tight line to walk!
Stay tuned!
Miami Marathon
Jan 27, 2008
Marathon # 297
3:53:06
I went back and looked at my race report for this marathon in 2007.
I quote the opening paragraph:
“I signed up for this marathon one year ago for two reasons:
1) the race offered a 50% discount for the first 200 entrants to register
2) I finished in the same time of 3:33 in the two previous times I ran this race and wanted to go back in 2007 to break 3:30!”
Well not much changed in my reasons for 2008! As you are aware I unfortunately suffered from those strange leg cramps in 2007 and had a terrible race. So I signed up again immediately with the expectations/hope of getting back into shape in 07 and finally breaking 3:30 in this race in 08! My plan was to rest during the summer (accomplished) and then train hard all winter so I could break 3:30 at Miami and get into peak shape for my hometown race in March 08. That plan went down the tube when I tore the plantar fascia in my right foot in the very first race in the fall. As most of you know I have been struggling just to run through the injury and complete the ten marathons I had scheduled to allow me to run marathon #300 at my home race! Thus I did not have much expectations going into this race.
However my injured foot seemed to recover/heal by the end of the year and I was finally able to start adding some intensity and speed work to my training runs in Jan. I knew that I was not in good enough shape to be competitive at Miami but I figured I would use the race as a long hard/fast training run to beat my body back into competitive shape. Thus my goal was to run the first 20 miles at an 8:30 pace (or as hard as I could) and then struggle – run/jog/walk/crawl - the last 10K to finish. If I succeeded in the first goal hopefully I could still finish the race under 4 hours?
A few weeks before the race my friend Frank – ‘the only other sane person in the world’ – (see Boston, April 05) decided that he wanted to walk the Half marathon and asked if he could join me. Frank is recovering from major back surgery (triple fusion) in Sept 07 in addition to his quadruple heart bypass and is not willing to give up racing – be it running or walking! So we left early Sat morning in the ‘red rocket’ for the 100 mph drive across Alligator Alley to Miami. After picking up our race packets and checking into a hotel on SoBe (South Beach) we walked over to the beach to check for those ‘floss’ bikinis that a friend claimed the beach bunnies were now wearing on Miami Beach. We didn’t find any?
Disappointed, we headed off for an early pasta dinner since the race started early the next day. Sun was M-Day! We arrived at 5 am to get parking near the start line. It felt cool even though the temps were a mild 64 F and close to 100% humidity. Being Floridians and OLD we were both COLD and I made a bad decision to wear a T-shirt for the race. The race started at 6:15 am. I was in the 2nd corral. I took me about 1 minute to cross the start line. Frank was in the 10th corral and it took him 17 minutes to cross the start line because he had about 18,000 runners in front of him. By the time I reached mile 2 in 16:56 on the MacArthur Causeway I was roasting and starting to overheat! I really regretted my decision not to wear a race singlet as I started to dump water over my head and body! By the time I reached mile 5 on SoBe in 42:35 I had settled into a comfortable 8:30 pace but was very hot! I passed mile 10 in 1:26:16 and a split of 8:47 so I had started to slow a wee bit but was not concerned. When I passed the Half in 1:53:10 I was starting to tire but was still determined to hold a fast pace till mile 20. During the 1st Half I talked to several runners from a number of Central and South American countries – Guatemala, Colombia, Bolivia and Peru – to enquire about marathons in their countries. In the 2nd Half two young runners from Argentina (now living in Miami) decided to adopt me and take care of me. They promised to drag me to the finish line. I was very thankful because they did indeed drag me through the next 7 miles. We passed mile 15 in 2:09:20 and a split of 8:34. I started to fade at mile 17 (2:26:41 and a split of 8:45) but my new friends encouraged and dragged me to the 20-mile marker in 2:52:45. I was a few minutes slower than planned but still quite happy with my time. I thanked my friends and waved them on because I knew I couldn’t hold that pace for the final 10 K! I figured I could slow down to a 10-minute pace for the last 10K and still finish under 4 hours. The next 3 miles were tough but when I passed mile 23 in 3:21:51 I knew that experience and determination would carry me to the finish line under 4 hrs. Luckily it started to drizzle around mile 24 and that helped to cool me down and I cruised across the finish line in 3:53:06.
I was very happy with my strategy and performance. I had run a hard/fast tempo run for 20 miles and had hung on to finish under 4 hrs! Even Maddog was pleased that I had finally managed to get my finish time below 4 hrs again! The only negative was that my foot started to hurt around 23 miles and was very sore at the end of the race? When I arrived back at the car Frank was waiting – he had finished the Half in 3:29 and was proud that he had beat me back to the car!
I have two more marathons to run locally (FL) in the next three weeks to get me to #299. I plan to use the same strategy in both races - run hard/fast tempo runs for the first 20 miles and then try to hang on and finish under 4 hrs and faster each race. This should help me beat my OLD, fat ass, out-of-shape bod back into competitive shape. Miami confirmed that I do not have enough time to get back into ‘peak’ competitive shape before my home race but I am going to try my best to get as close as possible. My only concern is that I cannot afford to aggravate or reinjure the foot and have to start the healing process all over again. It is a tight line to walk!
Stay tuned!
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
TR -US Virgin Islands
TRIP REPORT
St Croix, US Virgin Islands
12/29/07 – 01/07/08
St Croix International Marathon
St Croix, USVI
Tue, Jan 1/08
Marathon #296 – Country #88
4:11:46 - 1 AG – 3rd Masters
Before I get into this report on our latest adventure I had better clear up the confusion that some readers may have based on the closing sentence of my last report. In that Macau report I stated that I was getting ready to return to Asia in mid–Dec. However the Sports Manager needed some unexpected surgery in early Dec for a hip replacement and that factor along with the difficulty I was having recovering from jet lag enticed me to postpone the scheduled Taipei Marathon to Dec 2008. That postponement allowed me to provide support and nursing care to the Sports Manager and extra rest for my injured foot. The Sports Manager appreciated the care and the foot responded well to the rest and I was able to finally start adding some intensity/speed to my training miles.
Now to the story!
This race/trip had been planned and booked for over a year. I had to book that far in advance to use air miles because the USVI are a popular destination. In fact we had to stay longer than desired - 10 days - in order to get free tickets but I figured that the extra days of lodgings were cheaper than the expensive air fares during the Holiday season. Thus we arrived in St Croix (via Puerto Rico) on Sat and had three days to explore the island before the race.
St Croix is the largest of the USVI and has gentler terrain which permitted sugar cane crops to flourish under seven different countries and flags. We immediately noted that the island seemed less lush/tropical and less luxurious than the other islands but the upside was that it is more laid back and less expensive! Christopher Columbus landed at Salt River on St Croix in 1493 and claimed the islands for Spain. Denmark purchased the islands in 1733 and built forts to protect the islands from pirates (and rebellions by the slaves). The USA purchased the islands from Denmark in 1917 for $25 Million!
After a few days of exploring the island and getting used to driving on the left (wrong) side of the road in an American (left drive) car I had determined that there weren’t many roads and I wasn’t too keen on running on the narrow two lane roads with no shoulders and lots of hills and curves! On Mon I picked up my race packet at the library in Christiansted. The marathon website had been easy to use and the race director and I had communicated several times so I was eager to meet and thank him. There were only 22 runners registered for the marathon (16 showed up for the race) and I met them all. There were 3 runners from the US, 1 from the UK and 1 from Italy (William Govi running his 676th marathon and 64th country) and the rest were locals. The race director drove some of us around the course to show us the turns and loops since half the race would be run in the dark! I found the race director, volunteers and local runners to be very friendly, hospitable and supportive. I asked the local runners where they trained and they pointed out a few sections of roads that did not have much traffic. The next challenge was pasta dinner. Like most Caribbean islands the USVI close down for Holidays and weekends. There were only four Italian restaurants on the island – two closed for New Years’ eve and the other two had private parties! We had to scramble to find a restaurant that would serve me any pasta – there was no hope of getting my normal spaghetti Bolognese.
Tue (New Years Day) was M-day. The race started at 5 am to take advantage of the cool(er) morning temps. Our condo was in the East end and the race was on the West end of the island. When I left our condo at 4 am the New Years parties were still going full blast (and loud) in the neighboring resorts and in the town of Christiansted. Needless to say the Sports Manager did not get up to cheer me on at the start! I was a wee bit concerned about drunks on the roads but fortunately they were still partying! The race started on the Queen Mary Hwy about 4 miles east of Frederiksted. It was very dark, HOT (77 F) and humid at 5am. Unlike most events that start on Crucian time the race started promptly at 5 am. The Hwy had few lights and it was pitch black – the only light we had was the headlamps from the support and police vehicles. Many times it was so dark that I could not see the road or my feet and I slowed down because I was concerned about tripping and falling! As I mentioned earlier I had managed to get in a few weeks of decent training and was optimistic that I could finish close to 4 hours? When I reached the first water station at 5 Km I was already hot and started drinking half the water bottle and pouring the other half over my body to cool down! I passed 4 miles in 35:08 – on pace for 4 hours! We reached Frederiksted around 4 miles where there were some street lights to help light the way but at 5 miles we turned south along Dorsch Beach and back into total darkness. By the time I returned to Frederiksted and reached 8 miles the sun was up and we could see. However my time at 8 miles was 1:13:05 with a split of 9:35 – I was slowing down! We passed through the town and headed North along many of the popular beaches and into a rain forest around 10 miles (1:31:47 and a split of 9:29). I knew right then that a 4-hr marathon wasn’t going to happen!
The 4-mile loop through the rain forest had lots of (gentle) rolling hills but more importantly the road was covered with a canopy from mahogany trees that shaded us from the direct sun! I passed the Half in 2:01:52. I knew the 2nd Half would be (much) slower because the sun was up and it was getting hotter! At that point I was running alone and I had seen all the lead runners on the loops and figured all the positions in the race had already been established. It killed any motivation/incentive to push the pace and accept pain because it wasn’t going to change my position in the race? But I decided to hold the pace as long as I could in the hope of finishing close to 4 hours? At mile 15 (2:20:08 and a split of 9:39) we turned east to climb a gentle 1-mile loop up a mountain and deeper into the rain forest. When I finished that loop and emerged from the canopy of the rain forest at 18 miles (2:48:50 and a split of 9:23) the heat of the direct sun hit me like a hammer. I struggled into town, made the turn and headed back for another/final loop through the rain forest. I reached mile 20 in 3:08:40 and a split of 10:00 and mercifully the protection of the rain forest canopy! I immediately felt cooler and decided to try to hold that 10-min pace for the final 10K which would get me across the finish line under 4:10. I was able to hold that pace until I emerged from the rain forest again at 24 miles in 3:48:23. Suddenly the direct sun wilted me like a prize flower and time was no longer a priority – survival became the priority! I decided to let the old bod dictate the pace in order to keep from overheating and I concentrated on keeping the old legs moving as I re-entered Frederiksted and cruised along the bay front to cross the finish line in 4:11:46.
I was happy with my race strategy and performance but was disappointed with my finish time. I really thought that I should have been able to finish closer to 4 hours! I waited around for the award ceremony and a ride back to my car at the start line. I knew I had won my Age Group because my only competitor was still on the course. However I was surprised to learn that I had won 3rd place in the Masters Division which gave me another award and $50 cash. That paid back my entry fee.
Now that the race was over it was time to celebrate and start the R&R! But since it was New Years Day almost everything on the island was closed. However we did find some bars and a nice restaurant to enjoy some Crucian rum and food. As feared the R& R was very boring. The Sports Manager could not do much walking so our exploring was limited to driving to sites or beaches. She also couldn’t enjoy the beaches or pool because she couldn’t spend much time in the sun due to the blood thinners required after the surgery. So her (our) activities were very limited. We did visit the site where Columbus landed in 1493. I considered snorkeling and diving but just never could get excited about either. There were several nice golf courses but I hadn’t taken any clubs or balls, etc so I didn’t even check the price. So we did get a lot of ‘rest’ and sampled a lot of Crucian rum – and I don’t even like rum? I also found a great training loop to run each morning – a 2-mile loop over some very tough hills from Cramer Park to Point Udall - the easternmost point in the USA. It was very tough but the scenery was so spectacular that you didn’t notice the pain from the hills?
Overall we enjoyed the trip but it was too long. St Croix is laid back and friendly but there is not a lot to do other than beaches. I liked the race. It is a nice low-key race with a good course and the local runners and volunteers were so friendly and supportive. They are hoping to grow the race in size next year and maybe add a half marathon.
Unfortunately the effects of the R&R and Crucian rum negated the benefits of the marathon and my challenging hill route because I gained 5 pounds and have been struggling to run the same pace in my speed workouts since our return? Fortunately I have three weeks to beat myself into shape before my next marathon.
Stay tuned!
Footnote:
As indicated in the race results this was marathon #296 and country # 88. More significantly it was my final country in N. America – at least the final country where I can find an official/organized marathon.
There are still 5 countries in Central America – Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua – that I need/want to run but do not have official marathons? I have leads on possible races in Guatemala and Nicaragua but no confirmation. Thus if any readers or their relatives/friends have any info on marathons in these countries it would be greatly appreciated.
St Croix, US Virgin Islands
12/29/07 – 01/07/08
St Croix International Marathon
St Croix, USVI
Tue, Jan 1/08
Marathon #296 – Country #88
4:11:46 - 1 AG – 3rd Masters
Before I get into this report on our latest adventure I had better clear up the confusion that some readers may have based on the closing sentence of my last report. In that Macau report I stated that I was getting ready to return to Asia in mid–Dec. However the Sports Manager needed some unexpected surgery in early Dec for a hip replacement and that factor along with the difficulty I was having recovering from jet lag enticed me to postpone the scheduled Taipei Marathon to Dec 2008. That postponement allowed me to provide support and nursing care to the Sports Manager and extra rest for my injured foot. The Sports Manager appreciated the care and the foot responded well to the rest and I was able to finally start adding some intensity/speed to my training miles.
Now to the story!
This race/trip had been planned and booked for over a year. I had to book that far in advance to use air miles because the USVI are a popular destination. In fact we had to stay longer than desired - 10 days - in order to get free tickets but I figured that the extra days of lodgings were cheaper than the expensive air fares during the Holiday season. Thus we arrived in St Croix (via Puerto Rico) on Sat and had three days to explore the island before the race.
St Croix is the largest of the USVI and has gentler terrain which permitted sugar cane crops to flourish under seven different countries and flags. We immediately noted that the island seemed less lush/tropical and less luxurious than the other islands but the upside was that it is more laid back and less expensive! Christopher Columbus landed at Salt River on St Croix in 1493 and claimed the islands for Spain. Denmark purchased the islands in 1733 and built forts to protect the islands from pirates (and rebellions by the slaves). The USA purchased the islands from Denmark in 1917 for $25 Million!
After a few days of exploring the island and getting used to driving on the left (wrong) side of the road in an American (left drive) car I had determined that there weren’t many roads and I wasn’t too keen on running on the narrow two lane roads with no shoulders and lots of hills and curves! On Mon I picked up my race packet at the library in Christiansted. The marathon website had been easy to use and the race director and I had communicated several times so I was eager to meet and thank him. There were only 22 runners registered for the marathon (16 showed up for the race) and I met them all. There were 3 runners from the US, 1 from the UK and 1 from Italy (William Govi running his 676th marathon and 64th country) and the rest were locals. The race director drove some of us around the course to show us the turns and loops since half the race would be run in the dark! I found the race director, volunteers and local runners to be very friendly, hospitable and supportive. I asked the local runners where they trained and they pointed out a few sections of roads that did not have much traffic. The next challenge was pasta dinner. Like most Caribbean islands the USVI close down for Holidays and weekends. There were only four Italian restaurants on the island – two closed for New Years’ eve and the other two had private parties! We had to scramble to find a restaurant that would serve me any pasta – there was no hope of getting my normal spaghetti Bolognese.
Tue (New Years Day) was M-day. The race started at 5 am to take advantage of the cool(er) morning temps. Our condo was in the East end and the race was on the West end of the island. When I left our condo at 4 am the New Years parties were still going full blast (and loud) in the neighboring resorts and in the town of Christiansted. Needless to say the Sports Manager did not get up to cheer me on at the start! I was a wee bit concerned about drunks on the roads but fortunately they were still partying! The race started on the Queen Mary Hwy about 4 miles east of Frederiksted. It was very dark, HOT (77 F) and humid at 5am. Unlike most events that start on Crucian time the race started promptly at 5 am. The Hwy had few lights and it was pitch black – the only light we had was the headlamps from the support and police vehicles. Many times it was so dark that I could not see the road or my feet and I slowed down because I was concerned about tripping and falling! As I mentioned earlier I had managed to get in a few weeks of decent training and was optimistic that I could finish close to 4 hours? When I reached the first water station at 5 Km I was already hot and started drinking half the water bottle and pouring the other half over my body to cool down! I passed 4 miles in 35:08 – on pace for 4 hours! We reached Frederiksted around 4 miles where there were some street lights to help light the way but at 5 miles we turned south along Dorsch Beach and back into total darkness. By the time I returned to Frederiksted and reached 8 miles the sun was up and we could see. However my time at 8 miles was 1:13:05 with a split of 9:35 – I was slowing down! We passed through the town and headed North along many of the popular beaches and into a rain forest around 10 miles (1:31:47 and a split of 9:29). I knew right then that a 4-hr marathon wasn’t going to happen!
The 4-mile loop through the rain forest had lots of (gentle) rolling hills but more importantly the road was covered with a canopy from mahogany trees that shaded us from the direct sun! I passed the Half in 2:01:52. I knew the 2nd Half would be (much) slower because the sun was up and it was getting hotter! At that point I was running alone and I had seen all the lead runners on the loops and figured all the positions in the race had already been established. It killed any motivation/incentive to push the pace and accept pain because it wasn’t going to change my position in the race? But I decided to hold the pace as long as I could in the hope of finishing close to 4 hours? At mile 15 (2:20:08 and a split of 9:39) we turned east to climb a gentle 1-mile loop up a mountain and deeper into the rain forest. When I finished that loop and emerged from the canopy of the rain forest at 18 miles (2:48:50 and a split of 9:23) the heat of the direct sun hit me like a hammer. I struggled into town, made the turn and headed back for another/final loop through the rain forest. I reached mile 20 in 3:08:40 and a split of 10:00 and mercifully the protection of the rain forest canopy! I immediately felt cooler and decided to try to hold that 10-min pace for the final 10K which would get me across the finish line under 4:10. I was able to hold that pace until I emerged from the rain forest again at 24 miles in 3:48:23. Suddenly the direct sun wilted me like a prize flower and time was no longer a priority – survival became the priority! I decided to let the old bod dictate the pace in order to keep from overheating and I concentrated on keeping the old legs moving as I re-entered Frederiksted and cruised along the bay front to cross the finish line in 4:11:46.
I was happy with my race strategy and performance but was disappointed with my finish time. I really thought that I should have been able to finish closer to 4 hours! I waited around for the award ceremony and a ride back to my car at the start line. I knew I had won my Age Group because my only competitor was still on the course. However I was surprised to learn that I had won 3rd place in the Masters Division which gave me another award and $50 cash. That paid back my entry fee.
Now that the race was over it was time to celebrate and start the R&R! But since it was New Years Day almost everything on the island was closed. However we did find some bars and a nice restaurant to enjoy some Crucian rum and food. As feared the R& R was very boring. The Sports Manager could not do much walking so our exploring was limited to driving to sites or beaches. She also couldn’t enjoy the beaches or pool because she couldn’t spend much time in the sun due to the blood thinners required after the surgery. So her (our) activities were very limited. We did visit the site where Columbus landed in 1493. I considered snorkeling and diving but just never could get excited about either. There were several nice golf courses but I hadn’t taken any clubs or balls, etc so I didn’t even check the price. So we did get a lot of ‘rest’ and sampled a lot of Crucian rum – and I don’t even like rum? I also found a great training loop to run each morning – a 2-mile loop over some very tough hills from Cramer Park to Point Udall - the easternmost point in the USA. It was very tough but the scenery was so spectacular that you didn’t notice the pain from the hills?
Overall we enjoyed the trip but it was too long. St Croix is laid back and friendly but there is not a lot to do other than beaches. I liked the race. It is a nice low-key race with a good course and the local runners and volunteers were so friendly and supportive. They are hoping to grow the race in size next year and maybe add a half marathon.
Unfortunately the effects of the R&R and Crucian rum negated the benefits of the marathon and my challenging hill route because I gained 5 pounds and have been struggling to run the same pace in my speed workouts since our return? Fortunately I have three weeks to beat myself into shape before my next marathon.
Stay tuned!
Footnote:
As indicated in the race results this was marathon #296 and country # 88. More significantly it was my final country in N. America – at least the final country where I can find an official/organized marathon.
There are still 5 countries in Central America – Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua – that I need/want to run but do not have official marathons? I have leads on possible races in Guatemala and Nicaragua but no confirmation. Thus if any readers or their relatives/friends have any info on marathons in these countries it would be greatly appreciated.
Friday, December 07, 2007
TR - Macau
Trip Report
MACAU
11/30 – 12/03/07
Macau International Marathon
Macau
Sun, Dec 2/07
Marathon #295 – Country # 87
4:11:19
Now where did I leave off in the last report? Oh yeah! I was heading from Shanghai to Macau via Hong Kong. The Macau Marathon was the initial reason for this trip. When I arrived in HK I checked for a direct ferry to Macau that allows passengers to transit through HK airport without having to pass through immigration in HK. Saves a lot of time and hassle.
I was able to book the next turbo jet hydrofoil to Macau and arrived at 6 pm. The Sports Manager and I had visited Macau about 12 years ago on a 1-day side tour from HK. I didn’t remember much about Macau except that it was a very small country and was laid back? It is still small but everything else has changed. The part of the city/country on the mainland is now full of gaudy casinos/hotels and every square foot is occupied! Fortunately I was staying on Taipa Island where the race started/finished. Although it has a few large casinos and several under construction there is still some open space and the streets are not congested (yet). My new 4-star casino hotel was located right on the North China Sea and a room with ocean view cost $55/night with full breakfast. I walked over to the center of Taipa Village. It was small but had several shops, restaurants and even a Portuguese Taverna and English Pub.
I was very concerned about not repeating the mistake made in Shanghai by missing any meals before the race so I enjoyed a nice Chinese dinner with lots of rice (carbs).
On Sat morning I ran four easy miles. I don’t normally do that before a race but since I couldn’t/wouldn’t run in China because of the pollution I figured I needed to loosen up the legs and remind them what was expected the next day. After breakfast I wandered over to the Macau Stadium to pick up my race packet. The marathon web site was good and allowed me to pre-register so I was able to get my packet quickly and easily. Since I had the whole afternoon available I decided to take a city/country tour since I didn’t recognize anything. There was one wee problem – the tour was only available in Chinese! No matter – after my final night in Shanghai I was confident in my Chinese language skills! Well that confidence didn’t last long – I couldn’t understand one word the guide said. Thankfully I had a guide book and a young Chinese family who translated some of the important facts for me. We toured most of the major tourist sites in the city and on Taipa Island. We started on the mainland/peninsula that is only
3 ½ square miles. Our first stop was Guia Fort (or Mount Fortess) on top of Guia Hill –the highest natural point of Macau- for panoramic views of the city. Right below the fort are the ruins of 400-year old St Paul’s Church. The ruins are the most famous structure in Macau and were the only thing I remembered from our previous visit. Then we strolled through the old city to Senado Square – the city center.
Next stop was the Macau Tower (330 m high) for panoramic views of the city and country (if you could see through the smog over the peninsula). It also houses the world’s highest bungy jump – and NO – I did not jump! Our final stop on the mainland was at the Temple of A-Ma – the oldest temple in Macau dating back 600 years. It was dedicated to A-Ma, the goddess of seafarers. At the entrance is a large rock, with a picture of a traditional sailing junk engraved more than 400 years ago to commemorate the Chinese fishing boat that carried A-Ma to Macau. The tour finished on Taipa Island with a visit to Macau Stadium and Taipa Village. The tour had covered about 75% of the marathon course which wasn’t surprising since the marathon had to use almost every road in the small country!
On Sat evening I found an Italian restaurant in Taipa for pasta dinner. I wasn’t going to skip dinner before this race! I was so concerned about repeating the disaster of Shanghai that I even ate a light breakfast on Sun morning before the race – I never do that before a marathon but I was going to make sure my glycogen reserves were full! The forecast for the race was warm/hot – 18 C at the start and
25 C at the finish. I walked the few blocks to the start line at Macau Stadium at 6 am. The race started at 6:30 am on the track inside the stadium. There were 2,000 runners in three events – Marathon, Half and 10K. Although we started together the runners spread out quickly after we left the stadium. At 2 Km the 10K runners split off and the others had to make their first crossing over the Sai Van Bridge to the mainland. The bridge is 2Km long and 150 ft above the North China Sea. It was the most scenic and toughest section of the course and we had to cross it four times during the race! Once we crossed the bridge there was a short 5Km maze through tunnels and overpasses as we passed through the city center. I reached 5 Km in 27:41 and a split of 5:20. At 10Km we passed by the Macau Tower and headed back over the Sai Van Bridge to Taipa. I commented to myself that the final loop over the bridge at
38 Km was going to be a bitch! I passed 12 Km back on Taipa at 1:06:46 and a split of 5:19. So far I felt good? Traffic control was good and there was very little traffic (and exhaust fumes) except for the 5 Km maze though the city. At 17.5 Km the half- marathon runners split off and I essentially ran the rest of the race alone. I passed the Half in 1:59:15 and felt good. I was now confident that I wouldn’t crash and burn like Shanghai but I also knew that the 2nd Half would be slower because the sun was up and the temps were rising! I figured that even if I slowed the pace 1min/mile on the 2nd Half I would finish in 4:10 and that would be satisfactory. Sure enough when I reached the Sai Van Bridge again at 30 Km in 2:51:49 the split was 6:00 and I was starting to fade in the hot sun. But I also started passing a lot of runners in worst shape! The 5 Km maze through the city was hotter and I started to struggle as I approached the bridge at 37Km in 3:37:18 and a split of 6:19. I was determined not to walk over that final crossing of the bridge because I knew if I started to walk the race would get ugly! The 1 Km climb to the top of the bridge was a bitch as expected. I had to dig deep and summon up a lot of willpower to keep the tired old legs moving. Km 39 was downhill and easier and I reached 40Km on Taipa in 3:56:41. I figured I had to push the pace to break 4:10 but there was no ‘push’ left in my wasted old legs. I had become over-heated and now survival was the priority. Only experience and sheer willpower kept the wasted old legs shuffling the final 2 Km until I turned the final corner and saw the stadium. Then the old bod provided one last jolt of adrenaline to allow me to cruise across the finish line in the stadium in 4:11:19!
It took a few minutes and a couple bottles of ice-cold water to cool the old bod down and relieve the dizzy/light-headed feeling I had but I quickly recovered. I retrieved my warm-up clothes and proceeded to return my chip. Oh! Oh! Another Chinese snafu! To get my $100 (HK) deposit back I had to return the chip (made sense) and also a race bib (didn’t make sense). I tried to argue/negotiate to no avail. I will never understand the Chinese ‘thing’ about wanting a bib back – and I am sure they will never understand the American ’thing’ about wanting to keep both bibs? I wasn’t willing to sacrifice $100 so I gave them their damn bib!
After a long hot soak and shower I still had an afternoon to explore Macau so I went back to old town to explore the sights at a more leisurely pace. I also needed to find an Internet café to send my readers a field report. After a few hours of strolling around old town I became frustrated with the noise and wall-to-wall people so I retreated to the Village Square in Taipa which was more laid back and less crowded. I enjoyed a few Macau beers and some loud conversation with some (drunken) runners from the UK at the Portuguese taverna. I needed quiet so I found a nice quiet café to enjoy a celebration dinner by myself! But I did have an interesting chat with the owner who had just moved back to Macau after living in Montreal for 20 years.
On Mon I took a direct/transit ferry back to the HK airport for the long journey home. After a long delay on the last leg out of Miami the trip took a total of 33 hours and I arrived home at 4:30am on Tue. And people think that international travel is fun and glamorous? My old bod is still suffering severe jet lag and I am beginning to question the sanity of my plan to return to Asia next week to run another marathon/country in Taiwan?
Stay tuned!
MACAU
11/30 – 12/03/07
Macau International Marathon
Macau
Sun, Dec 2/07
Marathon #295 – Country # 87
4:11:19
Now where did I leave off in the last report? Oh yeah! I was heading from Shanghai to Macau via Hong Kong. The Macau Marathon was the initial reason for this trip. When I arrived in HK I checked for a direct ferry to Macau that allows passengers to transit through HK airport without having to pass through immigration in HK. Saves a lot of time and hassle.
I was able to book the next turbo jet hydrofoil to Macau and arrived at 6 pm. The Sports Manager and I had visited Macau about 12 years ago on a 1-day side tour from HK. I didn’t remember much about Macau except that it was a very small country and was laid back? It is still small but everything else has changed. The part of the city/country on the mainland is now full of gaudy casinos/hotels and every square foot is occupied! Fortunately I was staying on Taipa Island where the race started/finished. Although it has a few large casinos and several under construction there is still some open space and the streets are not congested (yet). My new 4-star casino hotel was located right on the North China Sea and a room with ocean view cost $55/night with full breakfast. I walked over to the center of Taipa Village. It was small but had several shops, restaurants and even a Portuguese Taverna and English Pub.
I was very concerned about not repeating the mistake made in Shanghai by missing any meals before the race so I enjoyed a nice Chinese dinner with lots of rice (carbs).
On Sat morning I ran four easy miles. I don’t normally do that before a race but since I couldn’t/wouldn’t run in China because of the pollution I figured I needed to loosen up the legs and remind them what was expected the next day. After breakfast I wandered over to the Macau Stadium to pick up my race packet. The marathon web site was good and allowed me to pre-register so I was able to get my packet quickly and easily. Since I had the whole afternoon available I decided to take a city/country tour since I didn’t recognize anything. There was one wee problem – the tour was only available in Chinese! No matter – after my final night in Shanghai I was confident in my Chinese language skills! Well that confidence didn’t last long – I couldn’t understand one word the guide said. Thankfully I had a guide book and a young Chinese family who translated some of the important facts for me. We toured most of the major tourist sites in the city and on Taipa Island. We started on the mainland/peninsula that is only
3 ½ square miles. Our first stop was Guia Fort (or Mount Fortess) on top of Guia Hill –the highest natural point of Macau- for panoramic views of the city. Right below the fort are the ruins of 400-year old St Paul’s Church. The ruins are the most famous structure in Macau and were the only thing I remembered from our previous visit. Then we strolled through the old city to Senado Square – the city center.
Next stop was the Macau Tower (330 m high) for panoramic views of the city and country (if you could see through the smog over the peninsula). It also houses the world’s highest bungy jump – and NO – I did not jump! Our final stop on the mainland was at the Temple of A-Ma – the oldest temple in Macau dating back 600 years. It was dedicated to A-Ma, the goddess of seafarers. At the entrance is a large rock, with a picture of a traditional sailing junk engraved more than 400 years ago to commemorate the Chinese fishing boat that carried A-Ma to Macau. The tour finished on Taipa Island with a visit to Macau Stadium and Taipa Village. The tour had covered about 75% of the marathon course which wasn’t surprising since the marathon had to use almost every road in the small country!
On Sat evening I found an Italian restaurant in Taipa for pasta dinner. I wasn’t going to skip dinner before this race! I was so concerned about repeating the disaster of Shanghai that I even ate a light breakfast on Sun morning before the race – I never do that before a marathon but I was going to make sure my glycogen reserves were full! The forecast for the race was warm/hot – 18 C at the start and
25 C at the finish. I walked the few blocks to the start line at Macau Stadium at 6 am. The race started at 6:30 am on the track inside the stadium. There were 2,000 runners in three events – Marathon, Half and 10K. Although we started together the runners spread out quickly after we left the stadium. At 2 Km the 10K runners split off and the others had to make their first crossing over the Sai Van Bridge to the mainland. The bridge is 2Km long and 150 ft above the North China Sea. It was the most scenic and toughest section of the course and we had to cross it four times during the race! Once we crossed the bridge there was a short 5Km maze through tunnels and overpasses as we passed through the city center. I reached 5 Km in 27:41 and a split of 5:20. At 10Km we passed by the Macau Tower and headed back over the Sai Van Bridge to Taipa. I commented to myself that the final loop over the bridge at
38 Km was going to be a bitch! I passed 12 Km back on Taipa at 1:06:46 and a split of 5:19. So far I felt good? Traffic control was good and there was very little traffic (and exhaust fumes) except for the 5 Km maze though the city. At 17.5 Km the half- marathon runners split off and I essentially ran the rest of the race alone. I passed the Half in 1:59:15 and felt good. I was now confident that I wouldn’t crash and burn like Shanghai but I also knew that the 2nd Half would be slower because the sun was up and the temps were rising! I figured that even if I slowed the pace 1min/mile on the 2nd Half I would finish in 4:10 and that would be satisfactory. Sure enough when I reached the Sai Van Bridge again at 30 Km in 2:51:49 the split was 6:00 and I was starting to fade in the hot sun. But I also started passing a lot of runners in worst shape! The 5 Km maze through the city was hotter and I started to struggle as I approached the bridge at 37Km in 3:37:18 and a split of 6:19. I was determined not to walk over that final crossing of the bridge because I knew if I started to walk the race would get ugly! The 1 Km climb to the top of the bridge was a bitch as expected. I had to dig deep and summon up a lot of willpower to keep the tired old legs moving. Km 39 was downhill and easier and I reached 40Km on Taipa in 3:56:41. I figured I had to push the pace to break 4:10 but there was no ‘push’ left in my wasted old legs. I had become over-heated and now survival was the priority. Only experience and sheer willpower kept the wasted old legs shuffling the final 2 Km until I turned the final corner and saw the stadium. Then the old bod provided one last jolt of adrenaline to allow me to cruise across the finish line in the stadium in 4:11:19!
It took a few minutes and a couple bottles of ice-cold water to cool the old bod down and relieve the dizzy/light-headed feeling I had but I quickly recovered. I retrieved my warm-up clothes and proceeded to return my chip. Oh! Oh! Another Chinese snafu! To get my $100 (HK) deposit back I had to return the chip (made sense) and also a race bib (didn’t make sense). I tried to argue/negotiate to no avail. I will never understand the Chinese ‘thing’ about wanting a bib back – and I am sure they will never understand the American ’thing’ about wanting to keep both bibs? I wasn’t willing to sacrifice $100 so I gave them their damn bib!
After a long hot soak and shower I still had an afternoon to explore Macau so I went back to old town to explore the sights at a more leisurely pace. I also needed to find an Internet café to send my readers a field report. After a few hours of strolling around old town I became frustrated with the noise and wall-to-wall people so I retreated to the Village Square in Taipa which was more laid back and less crowded. I enjoyed a few Macau beers and some loud conversation with some (drunken) runners from the UK at the Portuguese taverna. I needed quiet so I found a nice quiet café to enjoy a celebration dinner by myself! But I did have an interesting chat with the owner who had just moved back to Macau after living in Montreal for 20 years.
On Mon I took a direct/transit ferry back to the HK airport for the long journey home. After a long delay on the last leg out of Miami the trip took a total of 33 hours and I arrived home at 4:30am on Tue. And people think that international travel is fun and glamorous? My old bod is still suffering severe jet lag and I am beginning to question the sanity of my plan to return to Asia next week to run another marathon/country in Taiwan?
Stay tuned!
Thursday, December 06, 2007
TR - China
Trip Report
CHINA
11/22 – 11/30/07
Toray Cup Shanghai International Marathon
Shanghai, China
Sun, Nov 25/07
Marathon #294 – Country # 86
4:34:18
Actually this was a ‘surprise’ marathon that got added to my race schedule very late in the planning cycle. I planned to run the Macau Marathon in early Dec when a friend informed me that he thought there was a marathon in Shanghai in late Nov? I searched the Internet and discovered that indeed the Shanghai Marathon was only one week before the Macau Marathon. Although I planned/hoped to run the Beijing Marathon for China the opportunity to run two countries on the same trip was too appealing. And there was no extra cost to add a stop-over in Shanghai enroute to Hong Kong. However it meant having to spend a week in China so I tried to find a tour to Beijing but that turned out to be too expensive and I decided to play it by ear and look for something when I got to China.
The website for the marathon was informative but did not permit online registration. However when I contacted the race organization they were very responsive and helpful. The only problem I experienced was their response to my request for hotel information was sent to me in Chinese? I emailed a friend in Shanghai and asked for help. Linlai used to work with the Sports Manager at Nortel and was happy to help. He checked out hotels and booked one a few blocks from the start line on the pedestrian mall on Nanjing Rd. and provided much needed directions how to get to the hotel from the airport.
As I made the long flight from FL to Shanghai on Thu I contemplated how to run the marathon? I had run the Philly Marathon the weekend before so Shanghai would be the second of three marathons I would race in two weeks! Should I be smart and run easy to ensure I didn’t aggravate the tear/injury to the plantar fascia in my right foot?
I arrived in Shanghai late Fri afternoon (lost 1 day enroute) and it took more than two hours to travel 34 Km from the airport to the hotel because of horrendous rush-hour traffic . I was surprised (but pleased) to find Linlai waiting for me in the hotel lobby? I had slept on the long flight and wanted to stay up as late as possible to prevent jet lag so I agreed to let Linlai treat me to a special Chinese dinner. It was a delicious dinner with many local Shanghai delicacies. I had no idea what I was eating – but it was good and many times I had to ask Linlai how I was supposed to eat a certain delicacy? At dinner I asked Linlai for suggestions about a side tour after the race? I mentioned that I had tried to book a tour to Beijing but that was too expensive. I always wanted to see the Terra Cotta Warriors but didn’t think that would be possible on such short notice? Maybe I would travel to Hangzhou – west of Shanghai and located on West Lake? At least I could get out of the city and do some training runs while waiting for the next race?
Linlai promised to check with a friend who was a travel agent.
I was hoping that after a great meal and staying up late I would sleep well. Didn’t work! As soon as my head hit the pillow the old bod came alive figuring it was time to get up. The time difference is 13 hours so my body clock was 180 degrees out of phase. I tried to force myself to sleep but all I managed was to toss and turn for 6 hours before giving up and going for an early breakfast. Linlai had insisted on joining me on Sat morning to help me pick up my race packet at the Shanghai Stadium. I told him that was not necessary but it turned out to be a good thing because the location had changed from the details provided on the website. Having a local Chinese guide/translator was very useful although many people in Shanghai speak English. I noticed about two dozen foreign (non-Asian) runners on the list and met a few runners from the UK at registration.
After successfully getting my packet I said bye to Linlai and set off to explore the city on my own. I walked around the Bund & East Nanjing Rd neighborhood. There is a pedestrian mall on East Nanjing Rd with lots of shops, etc and seems to be a major gathering place for locals. Unfortunately my blonde hair and blue eyes were like a giant friggin neon sign for hawkers/scam artists/hookers and I became so annoyed at being harassed that I soon had to avoid that mall for the rest of my stay! I walked down to the Huangpu River to enjoy the views of the Pudong neighborhood across the river with many modern buildings and the Shanghai Tower. By 4 pm my body clock was demanding that I rest and I returned to the hotel for a short nap before dinner. I woke at 8pm feeling like crap and made an executive decision: if I went to dinner I would not sleep again that night so I crawled between the sheets and slept another 10 hours! I figured that sleep was more important that food and besides the flab I have around my expensive beer belly should carry me through a marathon?
I woke at 6am to walk over to the start line at Century Square on the pedestrian mall on Nanjing Rd. The race start was well organized except that the 12,000 runners were not seeded by bib numbers and there were no corrals for expected finish times. In other words it was a free-for-all and I ended up in the middle of the pack. The weather was warmer than normal (mid 50s) so I wore shorts and a T-shirt as the race started at 7am. The start chute was too narrow for that many runners and it took about 5 minutes just to reach the start line. And the course didn’t get any better! The first 4 km through the city center were scenic but on narrow streets so we were forced to stay in our pace group and fight for elbow space. At 5 Km I thought the course was going to open up but instead it dumped on to a single-lane service road for an expressway! The expressway was already clogged with traffic and we sucked up diesel fumes for the next 5 km! I passed 8Km in 45:40 – a little faster than I wanted to start? At 10Km I thought we were finally going to get relief from the diesel fumes when we turned off on to a major blvd. but we were forced into a single coned lane with traffic passing or clogged beside us. Traffic control was bad – bikes/motor bikes and people were darting across the course in front of us. I bowled over some poor Chinese lady who stepped in front of me unexpectantly!
I passed 18Km in 1:43:54 and a split of 6:20/Km (10:08/mile)! I had slowed significantly and was already starting to struggle in spite of a lot of spectators along the course cheering and shouting “Jiayou”, “jiayou”! I asked a local what that meant. The polite translation is “keep going” – the guttural translation is “move your ass faster”! At that point the course climbed up on to an elevated expressway that we had to share with congested traffic. Could it get any worse? YES! By the time I passed the Half in 2:03:01 it was hot – I was struggling to hold a 10 min pace - and my legs were DEAD! I knew the 2nd Half was going to get ugly! When I reached a water station at 25 Km in 2:29:17 there was nothing left in my legs and I started to walk! At 29 Km we were routed on to another elevated expressway that was straight and long with high walls. It was so boring and depressing that I really wanted to run the entire section just to get off that raised torture oven! I reached the water station at 30Km in 3:04:20 and a split of 6:59/Km. I walked! Then at a water sponge station at 32.5 Km I was forced to walk again. I struggled and played mind games just to make it to the next water and/or sponge station where I would walk for 1 minute and continue. Finally at 39Km we exited the elevated expressway and I managed to keep the wasted old legs moving to reach 40 Km in 4:17:36. I decided to take a long walk at that point so I could run to the finish line although survival was the most important thing on my mind.
I was so thankful to finally see the Minhang Stadium and stumble across the finish line in 4:34:18. I have no idea what caused such a pathetic performance and why I crashed so early in the race? I guess it was a combination of missing the dinner, the terrible pollution during the race and severe jet lag?
Linlai was supposed to be at the finish line but I didn’t see him? I picked up my warm-up clothes and proceeded to the area to return my chip and pick up a finisher’s certificate and award. Slight problem!
To receive the certificate and award (a sports bag instead of the normal finisher’s medal) it was necessary to turn in one of the two race bibs we had been provided? The Chinese seem to need physical evidence that an action has been completed? I tried to explain that I wanted to keep both bibs – one for a souvenir of the race and the other for a friend who owns a running store. (He posts them on a wall to motivate other runners). No way! No bib – no award! I told them what to do with their certificate and award! They were shocked when I refused to return my race bib?
I finally found Linlai at the finish line who volunteered to take a finish line photo and guide me back into the city. I insisted that he join me later for a celebration dinner! After a long hot soak and shower I ventured out to explore some more of the city. Shanghai is a very modern and vibrant city but just too big – too noisy and too crowded for a poor old country boy. I was glad that I had made a decision to get out of the city! Linlai and I met and enjoyed a very good dinner in a restaurant overlooking the Huangpu River and the lights of Pudong. I learned that if you stay/eat in Chinese hotels/restaurants it is reasonably cheap but if you stay/eat in western-style places the prices are equivalent to big city prices in the US! Linlai had great news for me over dinner – his friend had arranged a 3-day tour to Xian to see the Terra Cotta Warriors and other tourist attractions in the old ancient capital!
Since I would leave on Tue I had one final day to explore Shanghai. I did a self-guided walking tour through Old Town or Nan Shi that dates back to the 16th century. I started at the Old Stone Gate and walked through back alleys with laundry hanging overhead, past Baiyun Temple and the ‘wet market’ to Dajing Pavilion which contains the only preserved section of the ancient 5-Km city walls. Parts of Old Town have been restored and turned into tourist traps!
I also planned to cross the Huangpu River to visit Pudong but a cold front had brought in fog and I couldn’t even see the tops of the buildings so I skipped that. I met Linlai for a farewell dinner to thank him for his gracious hospitality and went over the itinerary for the tour to Xian. On Tue morning I took the first Mag Lev train to the airport to catch an early flight. The maglev train is more expensive than a bus but it makes the 30 Km trip in 8 min at 300 Km/hr!
I arrived in Xian at 11:30 am and was met at the airport by a private English-speaking tour guide - a lovely young lady, Yao Ming or ‘Meggie’ as she asked English tourists to call her. We reviewed the itinerary for the day and since it included only tourist sites within the city we decided to use taxis for that day. Taxis are very cheap in China and that seemed like the best option – until I lost a brand new pair of prescription glasses in one of them! I hope that cabbie enjoys his new pair of hi-tech glasses that cost $700! Unfortunately I didn’t realize I had lost them until the end of the day.
Xian is the capital of Shaanxi province in northwest China. Called Chang’an in ancient times it was the capital city of 13 dynasties from the Western Zhou (11th century – 771 BC) and Qin (221 BC – 206 BC) through the Tang (618 – 907) and is considered a living history book in China. We started with a visit to the Shaanxi History Museum that contains artifacts from all the dynasties. Then we toured various sites such as the Big Wild Goose Pagoda built by Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty to collect Buddhist artifacts taken from India and Da Ci’en Temple (648). To conclude the day Linlai had suggested to Meggie that she book me a seat at the Dumpling Dinner and Tang Dynasty Music and Dance show. I wasn’t in much of a mood for a traditional dinner show after finding my $700 glasses missing but since the ticket had been booked I went. I was concerned about a dinner of only dumplings – a local specialty/delicacy in Xian but they were quite good. The show was a performance of ancient music and dance from the Tang Dynasty and was very interesting and included many of the musical instruments I had seen at the Museum earlier that day! The next day included sites outside the city so we decided to hire a private car for the day.
Meggie and the driver picked me up early so we could make a quick stop at the Xian City Wall before leaving the city. The wall was built by Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1366 – 1644) on the original city wall built during the Tang Dynasty. It stands 40 ft high and 40 ft wide at the top. The rectangular wall is 13.7 Km in length and encircles downtown Xian and is the most complete city wall in China. A Bell Tower used to signal the opening of the city gates each morning sits in the geographical center of the city. I was wishing I had time to run the entire wall because it was impossible to run in the streets of Xian – the roads were too crowded – too dangerous and the pollution was so thick that I could see/smell/taste it! After walking a short section of the wall we left the city to visit the Museum of the Terra Cotta Warriors – the main reason for the tour to Xian!
The Museum is a small part of the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang that began construction in 246 BC. He used 700,000 workers to construct the Mausoleum site and killed them all when finished to keep the location a secret! It was discovered in 1974 by a farmer (met him at the Museum). I didn’t realize that it is still an ongoing archaeological site! The Museum covers a very large area and is divided into three Pits. Pit #1 is the largest and contains more than 6,000 terracotta warriors and horses marshaled into battle line formations to protect the Emperor in his ‘after-life’. It is an awesome sight but I was also disappointed that only a small fraction (about 25%) of the pit is excavated? Pit #2 contains four mobile combat units consisting of 1,000 warriors and 89 wooden chariots and two bronze chariots that were meant to carry the Emperor and his concubines around in the after-life.
Pit #3 is surmised by archeologists to be a command center for the military who commanded the construction of the Mausoleum. It contains 68 warriors, four horses and one chariot but no battle formations.
The Museum is quite spectacular and amazes a viewer with the obvious wealth of the Emperors! It is worth the visit and the pollution/smog you will have to endure for a few days! After leaving the Museum we visited Huaqing Hot Springs which is famed for the scenery and the romantic love story of Emperor Xuanzong (685- 762) and his concubine Yang Guifei in the Tang Dynasty. A palace built by King You during the Western Zhou Dynasty and expanded by Emperor Qin sits on the grounds with several pools fed by the hot springs. On the way back to the hotel I asked Meggie to help me buy a pair of replacement reading glasses ($4) so that I could read during the rest of the trip. I am still bummed about losing a brand new pair of glasses and even more bummed about having to pay another $700 to replace them! That evening I explored the area of the city close to the hotel. I considered eating outside the hotel but couldn’t find a restaurant with an English menu so I retreated to the safety of the hotel. Very few staff at the hotel spoke English but at least there was an English menu!
On Thu I had hoped to try to find a place to run but when I got up in the morning and looked out the window I couldn’t see the buildings across the street because the smog was so thick! I refused to run in that pollution. And Xian was much different than Shanghai. It is not modern, the buildings are the old square concrete blocks built by the central/communist government and the streets are congested with cars, bikes and people and there are no rules – it is dangerous and unsafe to run! I decided I didn’t need to train/run that badly. Meggie met me late morning and we hired a taxi to take us to the last tourist site – Hanyanling, the Mausoleum of Western Han Emperor Liu Qi and then drop me off at the airport. The Mausoleum is a joint tomb of Liu Qin, the Emperor of the Western Han Dynasty and his Empress Wang. There are several burial pits containing thousands of artifacts. Compared to the Qin Terra Cotta Warriors the pottery figures are one tenth the actual size and not nearly as impressive.
Finally I was finished with the tour and the pollution. I asked Meggie bluntly why she lived there. I think the locals are oblivious to it because they don’t know anything else and couldn’t do anything about if they wanted to? I arrived back in Shanghai around 7 pm and was met at the airport by a hotel rep. Linlai had booked a hotel near the airport since I had to leave early Fri for Hong Kong. When I arrived at the hotel I was a bit disconcerted to discover that not one hotel staff spoke English! Any English! Fortunately my Shanghai tour book had an extensive vocabulary section that I was forced to refer to. With a lot of laughs with/at each other the staff and I selected the necessary words and phrases to check in and arrange a wake-up call and shuttle back to the airport in the morning. Then the next challenge – dinner.
No English menu as expected – it all looked Chinese to me (ha, ha!). Rather than try to recognize the Chinese symbols I made it simple. I looked up three words: yu (fish), baifan (steamed white rice) and baiwei (beer). I had no idea what I was going to get but it turned out to be delicious. And I got to improve my skills with chop sticks eating a whole steamed fish covered in a delicious sauce. The hotel with dinner and breakfast cost a total of $33! As I said you can travel cheaply in China if you are adventurous and stay/eat with the locals!
Now it was time to catch a flight to Hong Kong and move on to the next chapter in the adventure.
Stay tuned!
CHINA
11/22 – 11/30/07
Toray Cup Shanghai International Marathon
Shanghai, China
Sun, Nov 25/07
Marathon #294 – Country # 86
4:34:18
Actually this was a ‘surprise’ marathon that got added to my race schedule very late in the planning cycle. I planned to run the Macau Marathon in early Dec when a friend informed me that he thought there was a marathon in Shanghai in late Nov? I searched the Internet and discovered that indeed the Shanghai Marathon was only one week before the Macau Marathon. Although I planned/hoped to run the Beijing Marathon for China the opportunity to run two countries on the same trip was too appealing. And there was no extra cost to add a stop-over in Shanghai enroute to Hong Kong. However it meant having to spend a week in China so I tried to find a tour to Beijing but that turned out to be too expensive and I decided to play it by ear and look for something when I got to China.
The website for the marathon was informative but did not permit online registration. However when I contacted the race organization they were very responsive and helpful. The only problem I experienced was their response to my request for hotel information was sent to me in Chinese? I emailed a friend in Shanghai and asked for help. Linlai used to work with the Sports Manager at Nortel and was happy to help. He checked out hotels and booked one a few blocks from the start line on the pedestrian mall on Nanjing Rd. and provided much needed directions how to get to the hotel from the airport.
As I made the long flight from FL to Shanghai on Thu I contemplated how to run the marathon? I had run the Philly Marathon the weekend before so Shanghai would be the second of three marathons I would race in two weeks! Should I be smart and run easy to ensure I didn’t aggravate the tear/injury to the plantar fascia in my right foot?
I arrived in Shanghai late Fri afternoon (lost 1 day enroute) and it took more than two hours to travel 34 Km from the airport to the hotel because of horrendous rush-hour traffic . I was surprised (but pleased) to find Linlai waiting for me in the hotel lobby? I had slept on the long flight and wanted to stay up as late as possible to prevent jet lag so I agreed to let Linlai treat me to a special Chinese dinner. It was a delicious dinner with many local Shanghai delicacies. I had no idea what I was eating – but it was good and many times I had to ask Linlai how I was supposed to eat a certain delicacy? At dinner I asked Linlai for suggestions about a side tour after the race? I mentioned that I had tried to book a tour to Beijing but that was too expensive. I always wanted to see the Terra Cotta Warriors but didn’t think that would be possible on such short notice? Maybe I would travel to Hangzhou – west of Shanghai and located on West Lake? At least I could get out of the city and do some training runs while waiting for the next race?
Linlai promised to check with a friend who was a travel agent.
I was hoping that after a great meal and staying up late I would sleep well. Didn’t work! As soon as my head hit the pillow the old bod came alive figuring it was time to get up. The time difference is 13 hours so my body clock was 180 degrees out of phase. I tried to force myself to sleep but all I managed was to toss and turn for 6 hours before giving up and going for an early breakfast. Linlai had insisted on joining me on Sat morning to help me pick up my race packet at the Shanghai Stadium. I told him that was not necessary but it turned out to be a good thing because the location had changed from the details provided on the website. Having a local Chinese guide/translator was very useful although many people in Shanghai speak English. I noticed about two dozen foreign (non-Asian) runners on the list and met a few runners from the UK at registration.
After successfully getting my packet I said bye to Linlai and set off to explore the city on my own. I walked around the Bund & East Nanjing Rd neighborhood. There is a pedestrian mall on East Nanjing Rd with lots of shops, etc and seems to be a major gathering place for locals. Unfortunately my blonde hair and blue eyes were like a giant friggin neon sign for hawkers/scam artists/hookers and I became so annoyed at being harassed that I soon had to avoid that mall for the rest of my stay! I walked down to the Huangpu River to enjoy the views of the Pudong neighborhood across the river with many modern buildings and the Shanghai Tower. By 4 pm my body clock was demanding that I rest and I returned to the hotel for a short nap before dinner. I woke at 8pm feeling like crap and made an executive decision: if I went to dinner I would not sleep again that night so I crawled between the sheets and slept another 10 hours! I figured that sleep was more important that food and besides the flab I have around my expensive beer belly should carry me through a marathon?
I woke at 6am to walk over to the start line at Century Square on the pedestrian mall on Nanjing Rd. The race start was well organized except that the 12,000 runners were not seeded by bib numbers and there were no corrals for expected finish times. In other words it was a free-for-all and I ended up in the middle of the pack. The weather was warmer than normal (mid 50s) so I wore shorts and a T-shirt as the race started at 7am. The start chute was too narrow for that many runners and it took about 5 minutes just to reach the start line. And the course didn’t get any better! The first 4 km through the city center were scenic but on narrow streets so we were forced to stay in our pace group and fight for elbow space. At 5 Km I thought the course was going to open up but instead it dumped on to a single-lane service road for an expressway! The expressway was already clogged with traffic and we sucked up diesel fumes for the next 5 km! I passed 8Km in 45:40 – a little faster than I wanted to start? At 10Km I thought we were finally going to get relief from the diesel fumes when we turned off on to a major blvd. but we were forced into a single coned lane with traffic passing or clogged beside us. Traffic control was bad – bikes/motor bikes and people were darting across the course in front of us. I bowled over some poor Chinese lady who stepped in front of me unexpectantly!
I passed 18Km in 1:43:54 and a split of 6:20/Km (10:08/mile)! I had slowed significantly and was already starting to struggle in spite of a lot of spectators along the course cheering and shouting “Jiayou”, “jiayou”! I asked a local what that meant. The polite translation is “keep going” – the guttural translation is “move your ass faster”! At that point the course climbed up on to an elevated expressway that we had to share with congested traffic. Could it get any worse? YES! By the time I passed the Half in 2:03:01 it was hot – I was struggling to hold a 10 min pace - and my legs were DEAD! I knew the 2nd Half was going to get ugly! When I reached a water station at 25 Km in 2:29:17 there was nothing left in my legs and I started to walk! At 29 Km we were routed on to another elevated expressway that was straight and long with high walls. It was so boring and depressing that I really wanted to run the entire section just to get off that raised torture oven! I reached the water station at 30Km in 3:04:20 and a split of 6:59/Km. I walked! Then at a water sponge station at 32.5 Km I was forced to walk again. I struggled and played mind games just to make it to the next water and/or sponge station where I would walk for 1 minute and continue. Finally at 39Km we exited the elevated expressway and I managed to keep the wasted old legs moving to reach 40 Km in 4:17:36. I decided to take a long walk at that point so I could run to the finish line although survival was the most important thing on my mind.
I was so thankful to finally see the Minhang Stadium and stumble across the finish line in 4:34:18. I have no idea what caused such a pathetic performance and why I crashed so early in the race? I guess it was a combination of missing the dinner, the terrible pollution during the race and severe jet lag?
Linlai was supposed to be at the finish line but I didn’t see him? I picked up my warm-up clothes and proceeded to the area to return my chip and pick up a finisher’s certificate and award. Slight problem!
To receive the certificate and award (a sports bag instead of the normal finisher’s medal) it was necessary to turn in one of the two race bibs we had been provided? The Chinese seem to need physical evidence that an action has been completed? I tried to explain that I wanted to keep both bibs – one for a souvenir of the race and the other for a friend who owns a running store. (He posts them on a wall to motivate other runners). No way! No bib – no award! I told them what to do with their certificate and award! They were shocked when I refused to return my race bib?
I finally found Linlai at the finish line who volunteered to take a finish line photo and guide me back into the city. I insisted that he join me later for a celebration dinner! After a long hot soak and shower I ventured out to explore some more of the city. Shanghai is a very modern and vibrant city but just too big – too noisy and too crowded for a poor old country boy. I was glad that I had made a decision to get out of the city! Linlai and I met and enjoyed a very good dinner in a restaurant overlooking the Huangpu River and the lights of Pudong. I learned that if you stay/eat in Chinese hotels/restaurants it is reasonably cheap but if you stay/eat in western-style places the prices are equivalent to big city prices in the US! Linlai had great news for me over dinner – his friend had arranged a 3-day tour to Xian to see the Terra Cotta Warriors and other tourist attractions in the old ancient capital!
Since I would leave on Tue I had one final day to explore Shanghai. I did a self-guided walking tour through Old Town or Nan Shi that dates back to the 16th century. I started at the Old Stone Gate and walked through back alleys with laundry hanging overhead, past Baiyun Temple and the ‘wet market’ to Dajing Pavilion which contains the only preserved section of the ancient 5-Km city walls. Parts of Old Town have been restored and turned into tourist traps!
I also planned to cross the Huangpu River to visit Pudong but a cold front had brought in fog and I couldn’t even see the tops of the buildings so I skipped that. I met Linlai for a farewell dinner to thank him for his gracious hospitality and went over the itinerary for the tour to Xian. On Tue morning I took the first Mag Lev train to the airport to catch an early flight. The maglev train is more expensive than a bus but it makes the 30 Km trip in 8 min at 300 Km/hr!
I arrived in Xian at 11:30 am and was met at the airport by a private English-speaking tour guide - a lovely young lady, Yao Ming or ‘Meggie’ as she asked English tourists to call her. We reviewed the itinerary for the day and since it included only tourist sites within the city we decided to use taxis for that day. Taxis are very cheap in China and that seemed like the best option – until I lost a brand new pair of prescription glasses in one of them! I hope that cabbie enjoys his new pair of hi-tech glasses that cost $700! Unfortunately I didn’t realize I had lost them until the end of the day.
Xian is the capital of Shaanxi province in northwest China. Called Chang’an in ancient times it was the capital city of 13 dynasties from the Western Zhou (11th century – 771 BC) and Qin (221 BC – 206 BC) through the Tang (618 – 907) and is considered a living history book in China. We started with a visit to the Shaanxi History Museum that contains artifacts from all the dynasties. Then we toured various sites such as the Big Wild Goose Pagoda built by Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty to collect Buddhist artifacts taken from India and Da Ci’en Temple (648). To conclude the day Linlai had suggested to Meggie that she book me a seat at the Dumpling Dinner and Tang Dynasty Music and Dance show. I wasn’t in much of a mood for a traditional dinner show after finding my $700 glasses missing but since the ticket had been booked I went. I was concerned about a dinner of only dumplings – a local specialty/delicacy in Xian but they were quite good. The show was a performance of ancient music and dance from the Tang Dynasty and was very interesting and included many of the musical instruments I had seen at the Museum earlier that day! The next day included sites outside the city so we decided to hire a private car for the day.
Meggie and the driver picked me up early so we could make a quick stop at the Xian City Wall before leaving the city. The wall was built by Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1366 – 1644) on the original city wall built during the Tang Dynasty. It stands 40 ft high and 40 ft wide at the top. The rectangular wall is 13.7 Km in length and encircles downtown Xian and is the most complete city wall in China. A Bell Tower used to signal the opening of the city gates each morning sits in the geographical center of the city. I was wishing I had time to run the entire wall because it was impossible to run in the streets of Xian – the roads were too crowded – too dangerous and the pollution was so thick that I could see/smell/taste it! After walking a short section of the wall we left the city to visit the Museum of the Terra Cotta Warriors – the main reason for the tour to Xian!
The Museum is a small part of the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang that began construction in 246 BC. He used 700,000 workers to construct the Mausoleum site and killed them all when finished to keep the location a secret! It was discovered in 1974 by a farmer (met him at the Museum). I didn’t realize that it is still an ongoing archaeological site! The Museum covers a very large area and is divided into three Pits. Pit #1 is the largest and contains more than 6,000 terracotta warriors and horses marshaled into battle line formations to protect the Emperor in his ‘after-life’. It is an awesome sight but I was also disappointed that only a small fraction (about 25%) of the pit is excavated? Pit #2 contains four mobile combat units consisting of 1,000 warriors and 89 wooden chariots and two bronze chariots that were meant to carry the Emperor and his concubines around in the after-life.
Pit #3 is surmised by archeologists to be a command center for the military who commanded the construction of the Mausoleum. It contains 68 warriors, four horses and one chariot but no battle formations.
The Museum is quite spectacular and amazes a viewer with the obvious wealth of the Emperors! It is worth the visit and the pollution/smog you will have to endure for a few days! After leaving the Museum we visited Huaqing Hot Springs which is famed for the scenery and the romantic love story of Emperor Xuanzong (685- 762) and his concubine Yang Guifei in the Tang Dynasty. A palace built by King You during the Western Zhou Dynasty and expanded by Emperor Qin sits on the grounds with several pools fed by the hot springs. On the way back to the hotel I asked Meggie to help me buy a pair of replacement reading glasses ($4) so that I could read during the rest of the trip. I am still bummed about losing a brand new pair of glasses and even more bummed about having to pay another $700 to replace them! That evening I explored the area of the city close to the hotel. I considered eating outside the hotel but couldn’t find a restaurant with an English menu so I retreated to the safety of the hotel. Very few staff at the hotel spoke English but at least there was an English menu!
On Thu I had hoped to try to find a place to run but when I got up in the morning and looked out the window I couldn’t see the buildings across the street because the smog was so thick! I refused to run in that pollution. And Xian was much different than Shanghai. It is not modern, the buildings are the old square concrete blocks built by the central/communist government and the streets are congested with cars, bikes and people and there are no rules – it is dangerous and unsafe to run! I decided I didn’t need to train/run that badly. Meggie met me late morning and we hired a taxi to take us to the last tourist site – Hanyanling, the Mausoleum of Western Han Emperor Liu Qi and then drop me off at the airport. The Mausoleum is a joint tomb of Liu Qin, the Emperor of the Western Han Dynasty and his Empress Wang. There are several burial pits containing thousands of artifacts. Compared to the Qin Terra Cotta Warriors the pottery figures are one tenth the actual size and not nearly as impressive.
Finally I was finished with the tour and the pollution. I asked Meggie bluntly why she lived there. I think the locals are oblivious to it because they don’t know anything else and couldn’t do anything about if they wanted to? I arrived back in Shanghai around 7 pm and was met at the airport by a hotel rep. Linlai had booked a hotel near the airport since I had to leave early Fri for Hong Kong. When I arrived at the hotel I was a bit disconcerted to discover that not one hotel staff spoke English! Any English! Fortunately my Shanghai tour book had an extensive vocabulary section that I was forced to refer to. With a lot of laughs with/at each other the staff and I selected the necessary words and phrases to check in and arrange a wake-up call and shuttle back to the airport in the morning. Then the next challenge – dinner.
No English menu as expected – it all looked Chinese to me (ha, ha!). Rather than try to recognize the Chinese symbols I made it simple. I looked up three words: yu (fish), baifan (steamed white rice) and baiwei (beer). I had no idea what I was going to get but it turned out to be delicious. And I got to improve my skills with chop sticks eating a whole steamed fish covered in a delicious sauce. The hotel with dinner and breakfast cost a total of $33! As I said you can travel cheaply in China if you are adventurous and stay/eat with the locals!
Now it was time to catch a flight to Hong Kong and move on to the next chapter in the adventure.
Stay tuned!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)