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.

The run to the brewery

The Oregon coast can be a thing of beauty, and there have been many pinch-me moments looking out over the Pacific Ocean… listening to the crashing thunder of waves riding the sunset up the shore. Last Saturday, was not one of those days.

Heading into the 18 mile run up the coast I hoped for two things… little wind and no rain. Strike two. The wind was coming from the south… which just happened to be the direction I was heading for the next three hours… and soon after I started the rain began to fall.

I thought to myself… this is just a character builder. Any sane person would just call it a day… but in this world you have to be crazy to be sane. Running on highway 101 isn’t exactly ideal… there is a lot of traffic and when semi trucks pass feet away at 55 mph it can blow your hat off. Not to mention the rain they would pick up off the road to mix with dirt and toss back in my face.

Another thing about the road along the coast… it isn’t exactly flat. You hardly notice in a car… but the trek up to Cape Foulweather. Ah yes… and like Captain James Cook who made landfall in the Oregon wonderland in 1778 at the same spot… I proclaimed ‘this weather sucks’. The crest was the worst of the 1700 elevation change on the run.

I drove 9 miles into the course and hid some fluids and a snack earlier, and by the time I reached the halfway point I was cold and soaked. I checked in with my wife… and headed back out… after all… there was a beer at the end of the run.

The rest of the run was uneventful… but it did take quite a bit to get through all the lights in Newport. At the end of a long run trying to start after stopping is like trying to get a freight train moving. When I finally started crossing the bride in Newport… I could see my wife and kids waiting in the parking lot of the brewery below. I doubt any marathon finish could match that.

We were supposed to meet friends at the brewery… but apparently there is another Rough Alehouse in Newport that they confused the brewery with… so we relocated there.

All in all the run was fine… but they wind and hills did take a lot out of my legs. I hobbled through this week running… but somehow have to recover enough for 21 miler this weekend. Fun fun fun.

Shooting for 40

Been awhile since I have covered 40 miles in one week, but that is what is on the schedule (with 18 mile long run). Last two weeks of 36 & 38 have left my legs a bit tired… especially after an unexpected hill run on what was supposed to be junk mile day. The weather was fantastic for this past weekend’s long run, so much so that heat is beginning to be a factor. I will take a little heat over rain any day. Just have to move my runs a little earlier in the morning.

This week will involve some coast running to. I am thinking of moving my long run from Sunday to Saturday… then running from the beach house to Newport where I’d meet the family for lunch at… hmmm... let’s see what is exactly 18 miles from the beach house… could it be… YEP… Rogue brewing. ;)

Don’t believe me… check out the map. Exactly… 18 miles.


So a word of warning… stay a few tables away from the stinky guy at rogue on Sat.

Back in a grove

"I always loved running...it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs."

- Jesse Owens

Thirty four miles last week... should be 38 this week... I guess I am officially marathon training again. A friend visiting over the weekend reminded me that I said I wasn't going to do marathons anymore because of the time factor. So I lied. If I want to get up at 5:30 AM so I can finish work early enough in the afternoon to run... that is on me. Thankfully it works with my family schedule too.

The fact is... I will have an itch in me until I can qualify for Boston. If I can't ever qualify... well I am pretty stubborn... so it could be awhile before I give up.

While reading April fools jokes... I stumbled across the interesting story of a marathoner who disappeared during the 1912 Olympics. Japanese runner Kanikuri vanished in the middle of the race... and was never heard from. Fifty years later... he did surface alive and well and told the story of how he stopped for a drink... then felt embarrassed because of his lack of discipline... and decided to bail on the race. I don't know if the story is true... but it sure sounds better than if he bailed on the race because he couldn't hack it. ;)

http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/history/story/2008/05/05/f-olympics-history-1912.html