The roadside vigils

Anyone who runs much... well... or drives for that matter... has seen roadside vigils. Maybe they are not everywhere... but in Oregon it is hard to go a mile without seeing one. I don't want to insensitive... but seriously... sometimes it is like running through a graveyard. Crosses and flowers... crosses and flowers. Some I actually remember the accidents... but wasn't there a time when the rememberences were left in graveyards? It is a new fad... when I was younger no one ever did that... but recently I read about a family who was upset because there roadside vigil was defaced. Now... again... I don't want to be insensitive... (OK I am a guy... it is in my nature) but I wish I could run a few blocks without the constent reminders that my mortality was chasing me... and that regardless of how long or far I run... it will win.

Have I lost my mind?

So after the Newport Marathon last weekend I asked my wife to shoot me or do whatever was necessary to keep my from running another marathon. But then this:


From: A Runner a my company
Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 3:46 PM
To: Runners at my company

Hi Everyone,

We’re currently in the process with HR right now to get a XXX corporate sponsorship for employees who are participating in the 2009 Portland Marathon. You’re on this mailing list because you signed up for the Sportsfest running days. I’ve been given the task to tally up the number of people who would be participating in the marathon. This is also opened to those who would like to walk the marathon instead of running it. Talks of sponsorship include a company logo running singlet and maybe even the $90 entry fee waived for each participants. We are also trying to tie in some sort of charity sponsorship for each runner/walker so employees and anyone else can part take by donating to the charity of their choice with XXX matching each donation.

If a marathon is out of your reach for this year, we are also looking to get at least 12 people together to form the XXX Hood to Coast relay team for 2010. If you’re interested, please let us know.

Of course all of this is pending approval from above, so we need to get the number of participants to come up with an estimated overall cost that we can submit. As soon as we get the details worked out, I will update everyone that replied to me with a confirmation.

---

From: Me
To: My Wife
Sent: Wednesday, June 03
Subject: FW: 2009 Portland Marathon and 2010 Hood to Coast

Can I change my mind yet? ;)

---

From: My wife
To: Me
Sent: Wednesday, June 03
Subject: FW: 2009 Portland Marathon and 2010 Hood to Coast

Have you lost your mind?

Newport Marathon race report

The weather for the Newport Marathon was spectacular. Little foggy at the start… but seeing the bridge jutting from the fog… not to mention the boats with their masts fading into the distance over the bay made for a wonderful start.

Because of the limited number of entrants, it was easy to get near the start. My wife dropped my off about 15 minutes before the start of the race and I managed to get through the porta potty line once before the start. There was hardly a breeze… about 50 degrees… just a perfect morning. Would it be a perfect finish?

I really didn’t have a particular pace in mind. I told my wife best case 4 hours… most probably 4 hours 15 minutes… bad day 4 hours 30 minutes… and if I don’t show up by 4 hours and 45 minutes to start looking for my dead body on the course. I started out with what was conformable… about 8:50 per mile.

I bought 3 GU packs at the package pickup. I usually eat something on a long run… but never GU. I known… never change anything for the race… but I did it anyway.
The first part of the marathon flew by. Actually… the race pretty much did until about mile 17… when I started getting stomach cramps. Now… I have NEVER had stomach cramps in all my running… so this was something very new to me. I tried slowing… but it didn’t help. I think the GU was getting me.

My pace stayed a bit slow through about mile 20… when it dropped another minute per mile. By mile 21 I decided that marathons were ridiculous and tried to come up with a plan how I could keep myself from trying another. I considered gnawing a message into my arm and then rubbing the last of my strawberry GU into the wound… in the hopes of creating some type of tattoo… but alas the last of my GU was turning my insides into knots.

Now… I wasn’t hitting the wall like in Portland… I hydrated well… I was just suffering the repercussions of weak training. Three weeks prior to the marathon I got a nasty cold that caused me to skip a few runs… and I think I just didn’t train hard enough or have enough miles to allow me to keep pace the last 6 miles, and I was getting passed left and right. Bummer. Sigh.

I crossed the finish line at 4:14… marathon 3 under my belt. Will it be my last? Maybe. I have said that before though. =) I still want to run… I like it… I enjoy it… but oh those last six miles…

The Starting Line

"What distinguishes those of us at the starting line from those of us on the couch is that we learn through running to take what the days gives us, what our body will allow us, and what our will can tolerate."
- John Bingham

I have made it to the starting line of another marathon. What an awkward place… caged like a race horse in the starting gate… err… well maybe an old horse that just happens to be running on the same course as the other race horses… waiting… fidgeting… stretching… checking my watch… “I’m cold”… “will I be too hot?”… “wind is nasty”… “did I drink enough?”… “oh God please let my bladder be empty”… “are my shoes too tight?”… “look, there’s the ground”… check my watch… “will this race ever start?”… “wow there is at least one runner fatter than me”… “does my leg hurt?”… “I should have checked Hercules”… check my watch… check my watch… then…

"The gun goes off and everything changes... the world changes... and nothing else really matters." --Patti Sue Plummer

There are things you just can’t explain to a 5 year old… like why I will run 26.2 miles to reach a finish line that is 1 mile from the starting line.

My goal for Newport is to run between 9:00 and 9:30 miles. Wide range I know… but I am not sure I put in enough miles to keep the same pace throughout. My stretch goal would be to break 4 hours, but again… I am not sure I have the miles or put enough work into speed to do that. I did train hard enough to finish… that I know… and that in itself is an accomplishment.

Not too many toe the starting line of a marathon… and for those there with my Saturday… the race is but the tip of the iceberg… a trip paid for by hundreds and hundreds of miles of training. Marathoners may be mentally ill… there could certainly be an argument for that… like people who cut themselves or don’t eat or whatever, but as far as illnesses go… there are not too many that make you healthier.

See you in 26.2.

It’s the Climb

Next week... the Newport Marathon. Now… I hate to quote teenage Disney pop songs… but don’t the lyrics to The Climb by Miley Cirus look like it was written about a marathon? I have pondered time and again just why I am running another marathon. I know I will not qualify for Boston. No PR. Why the training? Why the 3 ½ hour runs. Why do I try my wife’s patience as I hobble home like a wounded soldier… from my self-inflicted war against a sedentary life?

The climb. That is why. Nothing is waiting for me at the finish line. I already collected my victory in that I made it to the starting line.

The Climb by Miley Cirus

I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there’s a voice inside my head saying
“You’ll never read it”
Every step I’m taking
Every move I makes feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking

But I got keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high
There’s always gonna be another mountain
I’m always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose

Ain’t about how fast I get there
Ain’t about what’s waiting o the other side
It’s the Climb
The struggles I’m facing
The chances I’m taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I’m not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I’m gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going

Keep on moving, keep climbing
Kepp the faith
It’s all about, it’s all about the climb

22 Miles and ready for Newport

Finished my last 20+ mile run before Newport (22 miles). Not full taper time… but long run taper. I ran the same route I did a few weeks ago, so it was pretty uneventful. Just added an extra half mile to an out and back part to get from 21 to 22.

Last Sunday was the Eugene marathon… and though I didn’t run it… I did consider a last minute entry. Lisa gave me the stinkeye at that suggestion though… so I decided to forget it. Running does take a lot of time from the family… and I do appreciate all the support I get, but it is best not to push it.

After Newport Marathon I will focus on speed and shorter distances for a bit. Maybe I can PR a 10K and Half marathon this year. I won’t come anywhere close to a PR at Newport… but if I can avoid hitting the wall I should be able to beat my Portland marathon time.

Another destination run

A week ago was my second to last really long run before the Newport marathon. Runs over 2 ½ hours take a lot out of me. They take planning… and preparation… and if you do it wrong… they can be a disaster. I have learned that from experience. Really… anything over 1 hour and you need to be careful… and I have bonked completely on a 7 miler before.

For me the ritual involves getting mentally focused on the task at hand. I start this a few days prior when I figure out my course and decide what time I am going to run. I have to stay focused because there will never be a day that I wake up thinking… yeah… I want to spend 3 ½ hours running today. It is a necessary part of the marathon training process though.

My last few long runs I have made ‘destination’ runs… runs where I am running to somewhere to meet my family… preferably where the is food. Besides me being stinky when I get there, it seems to work pretty good. I have done a lot of running around the Hillsboro airport in loops… and the bad thing about that (besides the repetition) is that each loop presents an opportunity to abort the mission, which I have done before. I haven’t aborted a destination run before though.

Last Sat I planned my course to end at McMenamin’s Lighthouse brewpub. http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=23 Something about running to bear seems to motivate me. =) I drove to the halfway point and placed some food and water on the course, then drove back and headed out.

The weather was OK. Bit blustery… some rain… but not a bad day to run. The first 4.5 miles were north on 101… but then I headed off onto the Siletz River Highway… which was much more enjoyable. I ditched my Ipod and just listened to the peace and quiet. Nothing like running along the edge of a wildlife refuge.

The halfway point was a checkin point… but my cell didn’t have any signal so I had to wait until I got closer to 101. When I did… I stopped to make the call and noticed a seal was watching me from about 15 feet away… head just peaking up out of the water trying to figure out why on earth I was there… and me vice versa. I made a sound and he disappeared.

So one more long run and then Newport. Not going for speed… just trying to finish peacefully and in one piece.