Marathon Me

The Snickers Marathon would turn out to be a great day for most of us. Shelley, Scott, Vance, Marilyn and I had flown into Atlanta and were going to be meeting Allegra in Albany for the marathon. We had opted to save a little money by flying into Atlanta and then renting a car, several hours later it would be proven once again that Allegra is better than us at math. While we got stuck in traffic for several hours, almost doubling the length of the drive, Allegra was able to relax in the hotel. Thus in the battle of opportunity cost of relaxing versus being in traffic Allegra won hands down.

Many moons later we finally get into Albany and hit the expo and get our packets. We meet Allegra for a nice dinner of Chinese food and all head back to our separate hotels. We wake up and head over to the race start. Since Paul Williams and Nancy Dasso aren’t with us, we did *not* arrive 3 hours before the start. We got there about 30 minutes before, (Scott and I were pushing for an even later arrival, but since it was going to be Vance’s first marathon and he had his sights set on Boston, we acquiesced and got there “early”).

Before the race started I saw Kelly Williamson from Austin and predicted to myself that she would run away with the women’s title (which she did by over 24 minutes). I was hoping to run with her for the first 5-6 miles and then see how I felt. I would to try and hit a 1:27-1:28 first half and then hang on. The course is fairly easy with only a few minor rolling hills and the weather was almost perfect.

There were a few Africans lining up in the front who were all going after the prize money. A couple of them say they plan on running 2:24-2:27. Then someone else says he plans on running sub 2:20 and all of their faces just fall. It is good to know that even if you can run a 2:24 you may still lose by a mile depending on who shows up, and that it isn’t just us.

The gun goes off and the Africans bolt out of the gate as do I (but more like a warthog than a gazelle). I like to run the first mile pretty quick to avoid the crowds and get into rhythm. The first couple miles go as planned and I am able to stay with Kelly.

0-1 6:19
1-2 6:43
2-3 6:29
3-4 6:34

Now normally at mile 4 I would take a Power Gel. But the most recent Marathon and Beyond had an article by Richard Benyo saying that you shouldn’t eat any carbs an hour before the race and don’t take any gels or Gatorade for the first 10 miles, as this (supposedly) is better for your blood sugar and you will run better. So I decided to abandon the strategy that had seen me through over 85 marathons and give this a shot.

4-5 6:30
5-6 6:47

So far so good, my times are about where I want them, but I feel like I could use a Gel, but not sure if I am just being a baby missing his woobie, or not.

6-7 6:42
7-8 6:41

I normally would have taken a second gel by now, and I feel my calves tightening up. Up until this point I had been running with someone who was planning on a 2:55. I decide my legs are breaking down and I need to let him go. I keep him in sight for another mile or two but then I don’t see him ever again.

8-9 6:37
9-10 6:43

About half a mile into mile 10 my calf locks up. It looks like a slab of beef, and while this is extremely interesting (or it would be if it wasn’t my leg), it hurts like a son-of-a-bitch. It feels like someone shot me in the leg with a paint ball gun. I have never cramped in my legs and so this is a new event for me. I decide that I will blame Richard Benyo for this and that I will now consume mass quantities of gel. I take 3 gels in about 2 minutes (which would turn out to not be the best idea, but I figured I needed the electrolytes bad).

I stop and try to stretch and it loosens up enough to move. I do a weird shuffle/walk/shuffle/wince/shuffle thing for the next half mile. I cross mile 11 much slower than I was hoping for but much faster than I thought I would be once my calf locked.

10-11 8:04

I am not sure I should be running on my leg as it feels fairly injured. But I have two things driving me forward:

1) I’ve already booked airfare, hotels, etc, for states #48, #49, #50 and I have family coming to #50. So if I don’t finish Georgia that all goes out the window. I resolve that I will run/shuffle for as long as I can and worst case I will crawl to the finish.
2) My father-in-law is running his first marathon and trying to break four hours so he can punch his ticket to Boston. I know without a doubt he is going to break 4 hours, but that the last 6 miles will be harder than he is expecting, but that he will man-up and get ‘er done. So I quickly calculate that if I can run under 9:00/M miles I should be able to get in by 4 hours and see his finish.

11-12 7:20
12-13 7:30
13-14 7:23

I am able to run faster than I thought, but I just can’t push off any harder. My leg has gone numb so it doesn’t hurt as much anymore, so I decide to push it a little.

14-15 7:17

Okay that did hurt a little. I take another gel and slow down a little.

15-16 7:46

I’m starting to feel the effects of the big Gel bomb I took after mile 11. I see my good friend the porta-potty and duck inside.

16-17 10:40

Back on the course nicely rested I am able to run with minimal pain. I am glad Nancy isn’t around to tell me not to be doing this. I figure my body has made me a deal, that it will stop bitching until after the race, and then it will take it’s revenge. As long as I can finish I am okay with this deal.

17-18 7:15
18-19 7:15
19-20 7:23

The miles start to click off, this course is really great. I have a feeling that Vance will be going to Boston and I think Allegra has a great shot at a PR. The marathon Gods were smiling on everyone except me, so I’m happy to take the bullet and distract them.

20-21 7:23
21-22 7:33
22-23 7:38

I start wondering if I can qualify for Boston today, but don’t think I’ve got the juice to break 3:10. Then it dawns on me, that for Boston 2010, I will be older, and I only will need a 3:15:59. So I decide not to push it too much as I know I can sneak under 3:16.

23-24 7:59
24-25 7:30

The gels attack one last time, and then we are on our way.

25-26 8:25
.2 1:26
=========
3:11:58

I finish and head straight to the medical tent and get a huge bag of ice and tape it to my leg. I wait in the massage line and able to get my massage and get back to the finish in time to see Vance clock a 3:59:32. I am very proud of him for qualifying for Boston and breaking 4 hours in his first marathon. But he has definitely earned it. He put in many 50-60 mile weeks and did the hill and speed workout needed. It goes to show you that if you work hard and train for hard goals you can reach them.

To my chagrin, I missed Allegra’s finish. It turns out that while I was rehabbing so was busy crushing his PR by 5 minutes and comes in a 3:46:04, putting Boston firmly in her sights as well. I feel that Allegra will be joining Vance next year in Bean town.

I try to stretch, ice, and walk out my leg. I go to check the results and when I come back to the table Scott has also shocked the world and broken a 6 year old PR with a 4:13:32. He doesn’t even look like he ran.

Afterwards we all go shower and then head out for dinner. I am not allowed to sit on the PR side of the table as it is already full with Vance, Scott and Allegra. I join my non-running wife and mother-in-law on the banished side.

This was a great race, but I don’t recommend not eating or geling those first 10 miles. If you need Georgia this is a great race to do. Oh yeah, last but not least, FREE beer at the finish!

We went back to Atlanta and met some friends for dinner and good time was had by all.

My leg has turned an ugly red and I clearly have done something to it. I don’t run for 4-5 days then try a mile and can’t do it, so take another 4-5 days off and try again. I’m able to make 2 miles, but decide I need some massage and more rest. It finally started feeling a little better in the week leading up to the Knoxville marathon, but that’s another story.

Two bonus pictures:

and, just for good measure:

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We are six weeks out from my sister’s first marathon, and my 50th state.  Two weeks ago we ran a 15 mile hilly run and she did fine.  This weekend she ran 14.5 on a less hilly course but paid for it a little more.  Here she is after the run:

I am pretty proud of her progress so far and know she is going to make it and become the 4th marathoner in our family.   But the last few miles of the run, and the drive home, she wasn’t super pleasant.

Luckily for her, the friend she ran with, is very nice and didn’t mind all the grumpiness.  We are taking bets on if she will be a grumpasaurus after the Vermont Marathon or if the thrill of finishing will outweigh and she will be super happy.  I’m leaning towards happy.

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This morning I woke up and my back was killing me.  I ran with my little sister yesterday for 15.25 miles.  She is training for her first marathon towards the end of May and I wanted her to get a longish run in.

We ran about 3 minutes per mile slower than I would have if running solo, and I think it messed with my gait and just in general threw my body all out of whack.

My hamstrings (which are normally very tight) are now like piano wires.  I can barely bend over to try and stretch out.  I think a super hot bath followed by some forced stretching is on the agenda for tonight.

But on the plus side my sister was able to finish the 15 miles.  So, she just needs to be able to add on the next 11 and we’re all good.

My brother in law had a great run this weekend at the Big D in Dallas and ran his 3rd fastest time ever.  He has really been on a tear this year and it is great to see him kicking ass again.

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Tomorrow morning will be the first time I’ve run more than 4.5 miles since the Snickers Marathon 3 weeks ago.  In that race I pulled my calf and have been struggling to rehab it ever since.

I was able to run four days this week around 4ish miles each time.  My calf was feeling better, but after arriving in Knoxville it seems to have tightened up again.  I bought some compression socks that I am going to wear in tomorrow’s race hoping that it will keep my calf functional enough to finish the 26.2 miles.

This will be state #48, numbers 49 and 50 are already planned, so there is no question in my mind that I will be finishing tomorrow, it’s more a matter of what time my calf will allow me to run.

I’m going to take some Tylenol PM soon to get some anti-imflamatory action going on and hopefully get to sleepe easier.

Wish me luck.

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The following is a guest post from my friend John Ferguson. He just finished his 60th marathon, and his 7th continent. Awesome.

Vivian and I had a great trip to Antarctica. It was late summer in the Southern hemisphere which made for mild temperatures. We took a lot of pictures which I hope to post soon. We met many nice people, mostly crazy runners from all over the globe and reunited with several people who we had met in Peru, Africa, Greece, and China. I believe 14 people completed their 7 continents in this Marathon.

Our trip began on Monday March 2 and we returned to Austin on Tuesday March 17. We flew from Austin to Miami to Buenos Aires where we stayed 3 days. Immediately we walked Florida Street, a mile long pedestrian mall. We began to scope out the Argentina stone jewelry, Inca rose (rhodochrosite). After competitive comparisons and negotiating we eventually bought a cool “pink” penguin.

The second day we took a city tour in the rain and went to all the “must see” spots we could. We visited La Recoleta (and the cemetery where Evita’s Peron is buried, the Palermo Italian section, La Boca (the origin of the Tango) and drove past Casa Rosada (the pink residence made famous by Evita), the 9th of July Street; a broad parkway celebrating their independence and the Obelisk.

The next day we attempted to make a side trip to Colonia de Sacramento, Uruguay, but the travel agent failed to get the tickets so instead we went back to La Boca and watched some Tango demonstrations. We also walked through the plaza around Casa Rosada and saw protestors shouting, police on standby and many TV news crews set up ready for something. Later we found a demonstrator had started shooting a gun and made big news in Buenos Aires. We missed that, fortunately. I was also able to have three nice training runs with others and enjoyed meeting and reuniting with fellow runners.

On Friday March 6 we flew on to Ushuaia, Argentina (Tierra del Fuego). After some time for shopping and exploring Ushuaia, including the End of the World museum, we boarded our small cruise ship the Akademik Ioffe. 106 passengers. Another group would join us a day later with a very similar ship the Akademik Vavilov. We set sail across the Drake Passage to Antarctica for the marathon. It was a 2.5 day trip across to King George Island for the marathon. While the staff landed to make arrangements for the race with all the research bases (China, Russia, Chile and Uruguay) we cruised Maxwell Bay in the Zodiacs (12 person rubber rafts with aluminum floors and powerful motors).

The next day we ran the marathon in 32 degrees F weather. Not too bad, it had been colder training in Ouray during December and January. Basically it was downright balmy in Antarctica. It did get quite a bit colder shortly after we started as my fingers got cold so I had to put on gloves later. The biggest challenges were the steep hills, mud, water hazards and the slick glacier. Every step had to be well placed.

We ran 2 loops on the course starting at the Russia base, past the Uruguay base and up Collins Glacier. Then we turned around and ran past the Uruguay base again, back past the start and through the Russia and Chile bases and out to the China base where they served REEB beer!. Many stopped, took photos and chugged beers. Our new friend Lucy, a nonrunner married to Kevin, was constantly blowing a whistle she brought along to encourage the runners. I heard lots of runners talking about the crazy Chinese lady with the whistle! I reached the China base before she got there and turned around to head back to the start again. I reached the half at 2:00 and headed toward the Collins Glacier again. It was not extremely slick and I didn’t use the Yaktrax I brought along.

I had intended to take lots of photos as I went along but my disposable camera bounced out of my fanny pack. This messed with me mentally as we had been warned under threat of DQ to have zero environmental impact. I still don’t know where it is but am confident someone picked it up.

The mud on the course was a big obstacle especially on the approach to the glacier. The ground was tundra so very soft/squishy. In a few spots it was “pull the shoe off your foot” kind of mud. The best way across was to step on as many stones as you could reach with each stride. It made for a zig zag route and sometimes the rocks sank and other times there was no rock to step on. How deep will my foot sink this time? How the winner ran 3:04..I am amazed.

Runners encouraged each other at every pass with high 5’s and “way to go”. With 162 marathoners we got spread out, but the double loop meant there was usually someone in sight. On my last pass by the Russia base I found some inner energy and picked it up the last 4 miles. Miles 13-22 were tough both physically and especially mentally.
I finished in 4:18 in 18th place.

By the time I changed clothes and got on my wet weather gear for the Zodiac I was pretty cold. Running is good, stopping is bad. Vivian helped at the finish line keeping track of runners and with timing. She had to help me with the ardious task of putting on all the clothing necessary for the Zodiac ride back to the boat. I shivered on the Zodiac boat ride back to the Ioffe and rushed to the room for a hot shower.

A successful 60th marathon but more importantly the conclusion of the long sought after goal of running a marathon on all 7 continents.

On the next day we had a huge BBQ on the aft deck of the Ioffe (the Vavalonians came over to join us) as it snowed on us in Wilhelmina Bay. I ate a swordfish burger with my gloves on. Pictures were taken of the award winners of which I was 3rd in the 50-59 division.

The remaining days we traveled to the Antarctic peninsula (yes we stood on the Antarctic continent) and visited penguin colonies and walked amongst them. You can’t help but say “They are so cute”. Over and over again. We saw Gentoo, Adelie and Chin Strap Penguins. Their biggest predator is the Leopard seal and I had the incredible experience of watching a leopard seal grab a penguin and thrash it in the water literally turning it inside out. You can’t help, but feel sorry for the poor penguin. Brutal but strangely fascinating.

We also rode Zodiac boats and saw Leopard seals in the water, chewing on our Zodiac, hunting/waiting offshore for penguins and lounging on ice flows. We tracked Humpback and Minke whales and have many great photos. click, click, click……… Also the birds are plentiful in Antarctica. Gulls, Albatrosses, Terns and the famous attacking Skua. I did not get attacked, but they were flying close by many times.

On the Zodiac trips to shore or just cruising the bays, we pushed through brash ice that looked impassable, circled icebergs, saw glaciers calving new ice into the water and hauled glacier ice back to the boat for drinks. We constantly heard ice cracking and crashing. It always got our attention.

The ride back across the Drake Passage turned rough and Vivian and I despite the patch felt less than stellar. The waves were splashing high up the boat as the waves were 30-40 feet and the winds just under cyclone level. It was common to show up for dinner and see someone take a look at the food and then leave hurriedly. It was a rough 2 days for some.

As a last thing we passed by Cape Horn and made a symbolic “rounding the Horn”. We then pulled into the Beagle Channel and up to Ushuaia the next morning. We had quite a bit of time again in Ushuaia so Vivian and I walked the streets and ate lunch.

We caught the red eye to Miami and Tuesday March 17th we arrived and rushed across the Miami airport to catch the next flight home to Austin. What a trip!

Impressive! Way to Run John. Maybe someday I’ll follow in your footsteps.

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