Friday, June 19, 2009
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.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
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?
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?
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
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…
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…
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