Berlin Marathon

The Berlin Marathon is an event I've wanted to do for several years. This was in large part due to the fact that the world's record is often broken at the Berlin Marathon. It's not that I hoped to run a good time in Berlin, its that I wanted to have an understanding of why this course is a world record course. It's also a part of what is known as one of the 5 World Marathon Majors. The World Marathon Majors is a championship-style competition amongst the elite marathoners. It is comprised of the five most prestigious marathons in the world: Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. Having run Boston, Chicago and NYC, Berlin was a natural selection. Running buddy John had also done London, so this event would complete his tour of the World Marathon Majors.

Before heading over to Berlin, we tried to figure out an extended stay after the marathon. I love the city of Munich and wanted to go there for Octoberfest. John, having previously experienced Octoberfest, wanted to go to another destination. As we could never work out an agreement, we eventually ended up booking a shortened trip that only encompassed Berlin. Our return flights would be the day after the marathon.

We flew out on Wednesday afternoon, getting us into Berlin on Thursday morning. After checking into our hotel located in the southwestern section of Berlin near the Kaiser-Wilhelm Memorial Church and the Berlin Zoo. I head out into the neighborhood and locate a bank that will exchange money. In walking around the area, I come across a protest by hospital workers. It was a very peaceful demonstration. More like a concert gathering than anything else.

A hospital workers protest/parade

I return to the hotel to pick up John for a walk to the Brandenburg Gate. To get to the gate, we walk through Tiergarten, the Berlin equivalent to Central Park in New York City. Tiergarten is bisected by a wide multi-lane street running east-west called Strasse de 17 June, named after a the day in 1953 when worker in East Berlin protested against GDR reforms that cut worker's pay in which numerous protesters where shot. At the midpoint of the street is a Victory Column called Siegessaule, which contains the goddess of victory atop the 154 foot column.

We come across more protesters as we walk east up Strasse de 17 June. There is a stage set up near the Brandenburg Gate and politicians speak to the crowd of protesters. John & I work our way around the crowd to cross through the Brandenburg Gate and take some pictures. We then try to decipher the subway maps in German to figure out how to get to the Expo to pick up our race numbers. Our inability to properly figure out which stop to get off the subway is rewarded with a couple mile walk to the expo location near the airport. The expo is OK, but the official race merchandise is nothing to write home about. The official shirts that we can purchase have the word "Finisher" promptly displayed on the shirt, which I always dislike. Why would I wear a shirt if I didn't finish the marathon? The Euro/Dollar exchange rate doesn't help either.

Bill at the Brandenburg Gates.

After returning to our hotel, we head out into the neighborhood and find a large traditional German food restaurant, that I jokingly call TGI Berlin. However, the food is authentic and very good. The German beer also helps.

Then next day, we meet up with the group from Marathon Tours for a bus tour of Berlin. Our contact from Marathon Tours, Cliff Jennings, is a friendly and informative guy. Our German tour guide is also pretty good. We meet several runners from other parts of the us. A couple from New York seem to have done all of the Marathon Tours offerings, having just traveled to Iceland for the Reykjavik marathon in August. A bubbly Mexican American runner, Rosa, from LA talks up the LA Marathon. Linda from Chicago brought along her friend Peggy to act as her travel companion and Sherpa. Peggy plans to subway hop the marathon course to hand off special drink bottles to Linda along the course. Now, that's service. There are a couple of young guys from Boston who are running their first marathons and expecting to tear up the course. As we stop outside the Reichstag I meet an Asian American wheel-chair participant who is a very upbeat, positive guy.

Bill & John outside the Reichstag

As we travel around the city having various site pointed out, John is glued to his "crackberry" seeking news on what is happening to his job back home with Wachovia Bank. This is during the wild downward speculation in bank and security stocks. He is justifiably trying to keep abreast of what's going on, but come on, we are in Berlin. Pay attention dude.

John focusing on the meltdown back home instead of the interesting wall art outside the bus window.

We pass by several sites that make me feel a bit strange: Checkpoint Charlie, remaining sections of the Berlin Wall, the plaza were books were burned in the 30s, the street where Gestapo headquarters used to exist, the parking lot above Hitler's Bunker, the Holocaust Memorial Plaza. I get the feeling that we are in an alternative reality in which all the tourist attractions are about dark periods in world history. So much bad stuff happened here and the places they took place become the attractions. Luckily, there are other periods of German history and some very beautiful architecture, both medieval and modern. The tour ends by dropping everyone at the expo, so John & I revisit the expo. I take a picture of our new running friends with a goofy shoe mascot.
Linda, Peggy & Rosa with New Balance "Shoe Guy"

That night our MT contact Cliff invites everyone to a German food restaurant. It turns out to be about 6 of us, all guys, and we end up back at TGI Berlin. No complaint from me as I loved the food. One of the guys is Eric Johnson, an endowment administrator for Tuffs University in Boston. He gives me a couple of good running book recommendations.

The next day, I go on a walking architectural tour with Linda, Peggy and Rosa, while John goes to the Berlin Zoo. We go back to the Reichstag to climb the glass dome constructed atop the nineteenth century building. The interior structure of the dome reminds me of a Star Trek warp drive.
The interior of the glass dome atop the Reichstag. "Beam me up Scotty."

We walk around the Potsdam area and end up at the Sony Center, a building with an open air plaza. The building is designed to look like Mt. Fugimori in Japan.

On my way back to the hotel, I pick up water bottles for hydration during the rest of the day. I get back to the hotel and take a much need nap. I've not caught up with my jet lag and go down hard for a couple of hours. John comes in just before dinner time. He had a great day at the Berlin Zoo and capped it off by watching the Rollerbladers zipping by on the marathon course. Unlike most marathons, Berlin has a separate event the day before for Rollerbladers. His pictures and video of these guys drafting off one another as they speed by made me jealous that I missed out on seeing them.

We meet for a group dinner, at the hotel. At our table is a guy in his 70s name Wes, who has run a bunch of marathons. He tells us he is honored to sit with us; we tell him that the honor is ours. We revere his dedication to running. After setting out our running gear, John & I turn in for the night.

The next morning, we dress and meet our group and Cliff in the lobby. Cliff set the time for the walkover to Tiergarten so that we would be at the start in time. As we arrive at the start area, we all split up to drop our bags with extra clothes for the finish. We agree to meet at a tree in the park. As I wonder further away from the start area, I realize my bag drop is in an out of the way part of the staging area, one with a whole bunch of people trying to get in and out of at the same time. I'm in a human traffic jam with no where to go. I finally make it to my drop of location and have to jog a good ways back to where we agreed to meet. No one is around. I realize I've taken too long getting my bag dropped and will not be able to find my group. We were all looking to run about the same pace, so I was a bit miffed that I would not likely find John, Linda and Rosa to run a controlled pace. Getting separated just before a marathon with the package drop off happened to me in Dublin the year before. I chalk it up to karma and that the big man upstairs wants me to do these events alone.

It's now getting late and the crowds trying to get through the bushes at the side of Strasse de 17 June and into the proper time corrals is inducing a sense of near panic. I finally break through the narrow gate and into my corral. My running friends are nowhere to be found. I figure to simply run my proper pace and hope to come across my friends. With some 30,000 plus people running, I realize I'm once again on a solo run. I figure I'll strike up conversations along the way until I realize most of the runners speak either German, Italian or French. As the gun goes off, I vow to simply enjoy the race.

The race itself is a very pleasant tour of the city of Berlin. Given the large numbers, the crowd of runners never thins out. Fortunately, neither do the crowds cheering along the sides of the road. Peggy, Linda's friend and sherpa, told us she would have a cow bell with her that she would ring. Thus, whenever I hear a cow bell, I turn to look for Peggy. Of course, since this is Germany, many of the small children ring cow bells as a way of cheering. I laugh thinking about the Christopher Walken skit in which he keeps asking for "More Cowbell." Next time Peggy, bring a whistle.

I keep passing and getting past by the same runners. I think I'm running fairly even splits, but I feel like my pace is slipping. Its a nice course, flat and scenic. The crowds are plentiful and enthusiastic. Around mile 20, we pass near our hotel and I see Cliff, who cheers me as I go past. Well, I figure, at least I saw someone from our group on the course.

Near mile 24, I end up feeling some cramping in my hamstrings. I'm forced to stop and stretch. I stop and start as the hams keep threatening to freeze up. I keep watching my time and realize its going to be tight for me to get finished in under 4 hours: my benchmark for a good marathon. As I run the last mile coming toward the Brandenberg Gate, I see a guy dressed up in a frozen lasagna package. He's holding a giant knife and fork. The sponsor of the race is a grocery chain and he is one of the company mascots. I vow not to let lasagna guy beat me. I pick up the pace and beat him through the Brandenberg Gates.

The last half mile to the finish is jam packed with crowds of supporters in bleachers. They are signing German songs. I feel great and pick up the pace. I pass over the finish line in 3:59:52, needing almost every second to get under the 4 hour mark. Not my best performance, but one I'll take.

I get my medal and wonder back to the gear pickup area to get my extra clothes. Again, with the large crowd, I don't meet any of my friends. I get in line at the free beer truck and take two glasses of German beer in the hopes I'll meet up with some of my friends. I finally run into Linda and Peggy and give them one of the beers. Linda ran a good time, somewhere in the low 3:40s. She had started with John and Rosa, but they all broke apart from each other early in the race. John ran a 3:50 or there abouts. Rosa broke down a bit and came in well over 4 hours, but did manage to dance with some cheerleaders around mile 18. When you're not having a good time, you might as well have a good time.

As Linda, Peggy & I walk/hobble back towards our hotel, we come across a beer garden. We sit down and order some beers and food. Other runners are mixed around the crowded beer garden. As we all get deeper into our beers, another marathoner comes in. We clap for our new arrival. We start clapping louder and more excitedly for each new marathoner that arrives. The atmosphere has turned into a party. I may not make it down to Octoberfest, but this afternoon Octoberfest has come to me.

That night, our group meets at an Irish Pub Cliff knows of to celebrate. Being part Irish, I have no objections going to an Irish pub in Germany. In the pub, a German rock band sings American rock with a heavy German accent. Rosa's brother, shows up with a bottle of taquilla. Against John's warnings, a bunch of us do taquilla shots. We get up and dance to a couple of songs. A German girl joins our crowd and makes us dance some more. Afterwards, we go back to the hotel and make a stop in the hotel bar for a couple of rounds of schnaps. John declines the offer and goes out to a McDonald's to pick up a couple of smoothies. For a single guy, John keeps a very level head. I accept the smoothie he offers on his return and we turn in for the night.

The next morning, John & I pack quickly and head out to the airport. The flights back home were a bit of a problem. I stiffened on the flight to NY, which only got worse on the second flight from JFK to Fort Lauderdale. John & I got seated in a section that was a boarderline insane assylum. There was a family of extremely pushy and loud Russians that spoke little to no English. They were only matched by the overaged hippy that wouldn't leave me alone trying to get free legal advice on how to save his mother's condo from Medicaid claims; or the guy who dyed what was supposed to be a soccer ball design in his head that looked like a yahmicka. Meanwhile, my legs are screaming for more leg room to move around. Lesson learned. Next time I take the train to Munich for Octoberfest.

Big Sur Marathon April 2008

In preparation for the Big Sur Marathon, I did many hill workouts on the treadmill and the 17th Street Bridge. Man, was I ever glad I did.

Salome & I flew out to San Francisco on Friday, getting in around 11 AM. We drove down to Monterey and after a quick lunch on Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf, we headed to the expo. Not a bad mid-sized expo. I met Bart Yasso and bought his new book. He gave me some pointers on the course. Salome & I stopped by the Marathon Tours booth and spoke with one of the guys who will be on the Berlin trip in September. Jeff Galloway was to speak the next day, but was not at the expo on Friday as hoped.

Saturday morning we drove the Pacific Coast Highway down to the Hearst Castle in San Simeon. Salome immediately starts thinking of ways she could have improve on her plans for our now completed house. Fellows, I don’t recommend taking the misses on this tour if you are considering any house remodeling. The drive over the marathon course didn’t look so bad on the outbound trip, which was the reverse of what I would run Sunday, but it sure gave me concern on the return drive. While I was aware of and had proper concern about the climb to Hurricane Point with its 2 mile continuous climb, I had no idea of all the hills included in the stretch from miles 18 onward. Knowing I was a flat-lander in hill country, I had expectations of running this course for the views and forgetting about time. Now, seeing the course, I’m adjusting my expectations to at best a 4:30 marathon time and hoping I don’t just blow up on the hills in the later miles. After a nice seafood pasta dinner at the Monterey Fish House, it off to bed early for a 3:15 wake-up. This is another of those early wake-up marathons since everyone has to be bused out to Big Sur from Monterey before the start.

In order to try to not go out too fast, I place myself about 2/3rds back in the pace of 3,200 marathoners, plus who knows how many other runners doing the relay. Big mistake. There are no corrals for this race and as usual for such situations, the less experienced (or perhaps just less considerate) runners line up way too far ahead in the lineup. It take me 3 minutes to get to the start. I also spend the first couple of miles working my way past slower runners. Though these first couple of miles run primarily downhill or flat, I clock a 9:10 and 8:57 miles. By mile 3, I’m where I should be. With some nice down-hills in this part of the course, I’m able to make up some lost time with some 8:15ish miles. The first 5 miles are though the lush forest of Big Sur. Shaded and cool, with the wind blocked by the trees. A very sweet start.

As we come out of the trees to open fields and breathtaking views of the Pacific after mile 5, I realize the winds are in our face and are gusting pretty good. Too bad Garmin hasn’t figured out a way to register wind speeds yet. Trying to avoid the crowd at the start of the 2nd water stop at mile 6, I mistakenly blow by the water thinking they would have more than two tables. I’m forced to down my goo sans water which leaves a nice dry sticky coating in my throat that the wind starts to rub raw. But surprisingly, I’m feeling pretty darn good. I’m starting to reel runners in and keep moving ahead to the next set big guy I can find to try and block some wind. This strategy is not really effective in that the winds tend to swirl at these heights and there is no real draft effect.

From miles 6 to 9 the hills start. Unexpectedly, I’m actually enjoying the terrain variation. The up-hills are off-set by the down-hills. I find I do pretty well on climbs. I also focus on trying to glide on the down-hills and not over-break. My mile in the stretch between miles 5 to 8 are in the mid 8:30. Mile 9 contains a pretty good climb, which slows me to a 8:55 mile, but mile 10 gives a nice decline giving me an off-setting 8:01 mile. However, I know it will get worse with the 2 mile climb starting at mile 11. The imposing start is highlighted by ten Japanese Taiko Drummers pounding away at their drums.

What can you say about a 2 mile climb? It seems to go on forever. Lots of folks start to walk. My strategy is shorten the stride and just keep at it to get to the end of the two miles. Passing people helps to put me in a positive mood, and at last I crest the top. I stop to look back on the climb and take a photo. I’m glad this hill isn’t later on the course. The sign at the top says “Let it Fly” for the downhill to the Bixby Bridge. In relative terms, I do just that for my fastest mile of the marathon in 7:41. The half marathon point is midway across the Bixby Bridge, a visual highlight of the course. At the top of the opposite climb off the bridge is the grand piano player. He plays the Vince Guaraldi Peanut’s tune, Linus and Lucy, which I could hear all the way back from about half way down the descent to the Bixby Bridge. As one of my favorite piano pieces, I cheer on piano player who is dressed in full tuxedo.

From here on out, the music is pretty interesting. There had been a harp player early on, but the music was too ethereal to appreciate. Now, we start getting high school bands, some jazz bands, and even a Greek guy on a keyboard. At one point, there was a guy in Irish garb playing a flute. Ah, reminds me of the Dublin Marathon trip. Nice distraction. Any chance you’ve got a pint of Guinness on you? Around mile 23, one of the jazz groups was playing “Fool on the Hill.” I got it right away. This was probably the best marathon for music on the course.

I am feeling good and keep up the pace. From mile 14 to 17, I go from a couple of 8:30s to a couple of 8:15s. I am somewhat psychologically assisted by a course marshal on a bike that keeps runners on the left side of the two lane highway. He tells me I’m looking strong and we joke back and fourth whenever he comes back to my part of the course.

Starting at mile 18, the hills start getting serious again. These are no longer rolling hills, but about one serious hill climb per mile. My pace slows to an average of 8:42. A woman runner I’m running with comments on the beauty. I say, “It’s drop dead gorgeous; I just hope I don’t drop dead.” Mile 22 has what seems like a killer hill, but that may be due to the shear cumulative effect of hill after hill on each mile. I take a short walk break on the excuse that I need to call Salome to correct her on my expected finish time. One of the nice things about the event is that they have two volunteers at each mile split. The first calls out the cumulative time, the second calls out your expected finish time based on where you are on the course. This helps in that my expected finish time kept getting lower from the start to about mile 22. In the early part of the race, my projected finish time was 4 hours plus. By mile 22, they were calling out a 3:50. As Salome & I had projected a 4:30ish finish, I called to make sure she could be at the finish line when I arrived.

From mile 22 on in, the hills are starting to beat me up. None of my famous cramping, but my leg muscles are just fatigued. Now, not only is the road going up and down, it’s also twisting at pretty good alternating left and right slopes. I begin to feel like a drunken sailor walking around on deck during a storm. It’s hard to find level ground. To add to the confusion, they have a walkers division that starts about 9 mile out from the finish. Now, I have no idea how I’m doing relative to other runners. Are they walkers or wiped out marathoners I’m passing? Kind of confusing, and by this point, I’m not thinking my clearest for the day. I’m slipping into the high 9:00s for miles 22 to 25 and force myself though my slowest mile at 26 with a 10:54. By now, I see the finish line. The road straightens out and flattens for the finish. I cross just after the official clock strikes 3:57. I think I’ve run a 3:56, but later find out my chip time is 3:54:21. I am thrilled with my time and see Salome just before the finish.

A woman runner says to me at the finish that she’ll never do that again. I tend to agree after those last hilly, twisty miles, but reconsider immediately upon entering the refreshment tent. The food line is full of fresh California fruit. I take extra strawberries and grapes, knowing Salome will be pilfering from my take. With ten minutes of recovery and sharing some fresh fruit with Salome, I reflect on the better than expected day I had. Yeah, I’d come back. Given that the men’s and women’s winning times are about 20 and 30 minutes slower than most winning times at marathons, I’m quite pleased with my result.

After showering and chilling at our hotel, we did the 17 mile drive in Pebble Beach to get a final glimpse of the beauty of the Monterey peninsula. This was clearly the most challenging marathon topography I’ve ever run, but the course beauty can’t be beat. We had near perfect conditions, except for the winds in the first half of the course. My philosophy of running is to “run in beautiful places,” and this is probably the most beautiful place I’ll ever run. I highly recommend you consider running the Big Sur Marathon. Just be sure to let me know, so I can consider doing it again myself.

A1a Half Marathon 2008

My experience at the A1a Half Marathon taught me a valuable lesson. You can’t run faster over a half marathon than your fitness level obtained from training. The training must come from two components: overall weekly milage and speed work.

At the West Palm Beach Marathon I was pacing a friend who was trying to make a 3:30 finish time. This required 8 minute miles. So, we clicked off the miles as close to 8 minutes/mile as we could. I slowed off this pace slightly for the last 3 miles. My finish time 1:45:49. At the A1a Half, I decided against running the full marathon due to the expected higher temperatures in the third and fourth hours of the race. I had run a 20 miler two weeks before, so I felt that I should have obtained some fitness benefit and therefor I should run at a 7:30 min/mile pace. I hoped to break 1:40. While I did run the 20 miler, my average weekly mileage was not much higher than usual.

For the first 3 miles of the race, my pace was 7:10, 7:20, and 7:30. From there on out, my pace slowed to around 8:10 min/mile. My running buddy John had decided to go out at over 8 min/miles and pick up the pace as he went along. He was to pace a woman runner with whom he had trained. They went out at around 8:15 min/mile, also faster than the 8:30s he planned. The pace caught up with the woman and she fell back after about 4 miles. I saw her at a triangular turn around area where we were separated by between a half mile to 3/4th of a mile. I know John was between us and had 6 miles or so to close that gap. This caused me to keep focus on my form and try to keep my pace up. I ended up staying about 38 seconds ahead of him at the finish. He had been closing on me the entire time. While my pace in the second half of the run varied from 8:10s to 8:20s, his pace now quickened to sub 8s. A chart would have shown him converging on me as the race progressed. Fortunately for me, he ran out of real estate. If the race had been 14 miles, he surely would have passed me.

My lessons from this race are several. First, as John has told me repeatedly over the last year, it pays to go out slow and do a negative split for the second half. I’ve always fought this thought. I feel that if I’m ever going to hit 7:30 miles, I have to start at 7:30 miles. This is true, but I have to have 7:30 mile fitness to do so. I clearly did not and had no reason to think that I did. I had not trained a higher average base. I had not done any speed work.

My time differential between West Palm and A1a were exactly 2 seconds apart. The difference is that in the second race, I had to really strive to maintain what was easier to maintain as an average pace. I ended up with soreness the next 2 days after A1a similar to if I had run the full marathon. So running beyond my fitness level those first 3 miles and trying to hold onto 8+ pace for the second half took a much bigger physical toll on my body. My energy levels were also drained like I had run a marathon. I most likely exhausted my muscle glycogen like I had run the marathon.

All in all, I think I have to assess my race pace based on my training. On average I train from between 24 to 35 miles per week. At these levels, I can run a half at about 8 miles per mile. I can probably run a full marathon at anywhere from 3:45 to 4:00 (between 8:30 to 9:00 minute miles). To try anything more aggressive simply invites unneeded stress and cramping. If I want to shoot for a faster pace, I would need to up my average weekly mileage to probably 40 to 50 miles per week. I would also need to do speed work.

As my next scheduled marathon is at Big Sur, which is both hilly and curvy, I plan to go out at 9 min/mile pace and slow down on the hills. I plan to do incline work on the treadmill and some bridge work on the Sunrise bridge. Big Sur has a 2 mile climb from miles 10 to 12. So, time is not a goal. I will hope to finish in 4:30 to 5 hours.

West Palm Half Marathon December 2007

Running buddy John and I were set to do the half. I had decided to support a running buddy, Jen Jones by pacing her at 8 minute miles to give her a shot at a 3:30 in the full. Jen had followed the Pfitzinger 70/18 program and was well prepared for her effort having run six 20 milers (more than I've ever done). She had run good races recently from 5K to the half marathon distance. The question was, with temps expected to hit 75 by 10 AM, what pace could Jen reasonably expect to run and what would be her fall-back goals?

Race morning as I got in my car to drive up to West Palm Beach, my car thermometer read 75. This was at 4 AM, prior to the sun raising above the horizon. Oh, well. We'd make the best of it. Jen & I lined up near our pace leader, Eric, who seemed like a level headed runner. John was supposed to pace another buddy, Victor, in the half, but they never hooked up. Jen's husband Matt was to try to pace long the course on a bike in support.

Jen & I paced off Eric the first mile and found he went out a little fast. We decided to adjust our pace to true 8 minute miles regardless of what Eric did. We found some early miles he got a little ahead of us, but from about mile 4 to mile 10 he lagged behind. We just stuck to our pace. Between mile 10 and 11, I started to fall slightly off pace. Fortunately, Eric, our surging pacer, came by and I handed Jen off.

I finished the half in just under 1:46. John came in at 1:51; a stunning time given he was coming off a calf stress and probably shouldn't have been running. Buddy Victor came in at a PR of 2:05 and his friend Julie did a 2:10 for her first half. Jen's finish time for the full was 3:32:42, barely off of her ideal goal pace.

Philly Distance Classic September 2007

Salome & I ran the Philly Distance Classic (a1/2 marathon) on Sunday. A cold front gave us temps in the mid 50s at the start. A nice tour of Philly with a riverside run the second half. Very beautiful. I ran a 1:41 and Salome ran 2:04.

NYC Half Marathon Race Report

Here is my NYC Half Marathon report. It was hot, hot, hot on Friday and Saturday, but it cooled down Saturday Night. Salome, son John & I got into the city about 3 PM on Friday. We stayed near central park on 57th Street & 6th Ave. We hit the Nike store which was nearby for the number pickup and of course gear shopping. Some nice shirts and hats. John & I did the Empire State Building while Salome shopped at Macy's. That night we got tickets to see "Avenue Q"---very funny.

Saturday morning we walked a bit in Central Park and walked within feet of Sting and his wife strolling in the park. Then, we took a tour of Lincoln Center. After that, John made me take him for a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. Very hot. I kept buying Gatorade from vendors to keep hydrated for Sunday's race. The subways were so hot, I joked that we could bake cookies just by holding cookie dough in our hands.

We did the Pasta feed which was at BB King's House of Blues on 42nd Street. Not too fancy, but its always nice to eat with other runners.

It was about 70 on Sunday Morning. The first 7 miles were in Central Park, so it kept it nice and cool. About 10,000 ran, so the first mile or two were congested and kept me from going out too fast. I picked it up in the 2nd 5K to come in at just over 50 minutes for the 10 mark. The run down 7th Avenue into Times Square was surreal. They had the race broadcast playing in Times Square, so you could see runners running in Times Square as you ran. Too cool for words. We turned west on 42nd Street and ran over to the West Side Highway. From there it was South to Battery Park. Fortunately, the course was mostly shaded from buildings in the early morning hours. I crossed the finish in 1:44:32. Salome, who was fighting a bit of a stomach virus, bonked about mile 11, but still finished in a respectable 2:24. It was neat sitting on benches in Battery Park recovering and looking out to the Statue of Liberty. Overall, a great experience that I can recommend if ever you want to do this race.

After we ate a brunch and showered, we took the studio tour of NBC Studios. Later, we did a museum visit at the MoMA. The new building is spectacular and I wanted John to see the collection of Impressionists, the Picasso's, and the Andy Warhol's. We ate at a Greek restaurant near our hotel and flew out at 9:30 PM.

All in all, a great time. Yes, August in NYC is a bit of a gamble, but I was glad we did it. Now, we are off the race circuit until mid September when we run the another half on Sept. 16th: The Philly Distance Classic. After that, we'll step up the distances for our training for Dublin.

Boston Marathon 2007

Prior to this year I've run the Boston Marathon course twice. I considered myself 0-2 with Boston beating me handily both times. I've run several sub 4 marathons, but was way over 4 hours in each prior Boston. I've always had real ham and quad cramping issues in the Newton Hills.

Why did I come back for more? Because its Boston. I love the history, the tradition, the excitement of the expo. This year I had convinced my friend Wayne Crayton from Anchorage, Alaska to run it as a charity fund raiser. He was a solid 4:15 to 4:30 marathoner, so it looked like he might not hit that qualifier until he got much older.

Being a cancer survivor, he chose the Dana Farber Cancer institute as his charity. Having lost my brother, my father-in-law, and most recently a good friend to cancer, I had no choice but to donate my time and money to support this noble cause. I also agreed to run as his photographer to document his run.

Wayne posted a fund raising goal of $8,000.00. I told him I thought he was setting the bar pretty high. He was a little nervous too about such a high commitment. However, with $25 and $100 donations from family and friends, Wayne soon started moving towards the $4,000.00 level. Some buddies of his in Mexico held a golf tournament on his behalf and they raised another $2,000.00. Before he knew it, Wayne had surpassed his goal and has exceeded $10,000.00.

I really enjoy the history of the Boston Marathon. I got Wayne pumped up with Clarence DeMar's book, Marathon. I followed that up with Hal Higdon's excellent coffee table book that was published on the 100 year anniversary of Boston, and finally, Duel in the Sun. A couple of weeks before the race, I sent him Saint Ralph. Needless to say, he was primed for Boston.

The expo did not disappoint. We bought our shirts, jackets, and some weather gear, then headed for the Runner's World Seminars. Man, it was like going to a Hall of Fame, but with your hero's right there in front of you. I'd given Wayne my spare copy of the Boston edition of Marathon and Beyond from last year's race, which he promptly had all the running heros and heroines sign. It made for a great autograph book. The advice all these guys gave was, forget about time goals tomorrow, try to survive the conditions.

In any event, I ran at his pace which allowed me to survive this race without cramping for the first time. I simply enjoyed the sights and sounds of the journey.

My comment to a running buddy at the finish who failed to hit his race goal was: "Its Boston. What can we expect?" The race that humbled the likes of both John Kellys and Bill Rodgers, humbled me each time I've run it.

As I thought about it later, I decided that perhaps its tempting fate to think that we should try for a PR in any marathon. Perhaps the better approach is to follow that good training program and when the PRs come, they will come. Our task is simply to keep on the road of good health and good cheer.

These events are festivals of a sort. I've often described them as a moving party of good people who are living their dreams of good health and social bonding with like minded people. The trick in this game is to stay motivated and involved.

The first time I ran Boston, my parents accompanied my brother, his wife and I to the race. After the race and showers, we were walking past the food court in the Prudential Center. Two older runners who looked to be in their late 60s or older were sitting at a table closest to the hallway. They were still in their running gear with mylar blankets draped over their shoulders. I congratulated them and shook their hands. One of them nodded his head and told me to ask his buddy how many marathons he had run. It was something over 100. When I didn't ask him the same question he elbowed me and said, "Aren't you going to ask me how many I've run?" It was something like 150. Now, I don't think I'll run near as many as either of those two guys, but I hope and dream that I'll still be interested and able when I approach their ages.

Around the Bay 30 K Race Report

Here is my race report of my running of the 113th Around the Bay 30K in Hamilton, Ontario this last Sunday, March 25, 2007. I had seen the film Saint Ralph, a fictional story of a 14 year old boy who runs the Boston Marathon in hopes of performing a miracle to help bring his mother out of a coma. A truly funny and inspiring story that I recommend to anyone looking for inspiration in running Boston or any other marathon. In any event, the film takes place in Hamilton, Ontario and young Ralph runs wins the Around the Bay race in race in preparation for his Boston attempt. I was curious as to whether this was an actual event and Googled the race. Sure enough, this race exists and has a storied past, very much like Boston. I had decided to do the race as a hair-brained scheme to avoid doing my scheduled 20 milers before tapering the next 3 weeks. A running buddy also liked the idea, so we booked flights from sunny Ft. Lauderdale to Buffalo, NY and drove up to Hamilton.

It turns out the event pre-dates Boston by a couple of years. In the early years of the Boston Marathon, the Canadian runners would run this event as a lead up to Boston. Several of the winners of this race went on to win Boston. The course is a considered a miniature version of Boston in that it has a series of hills from 19K to 26K culminating in a steep hill named “Heartbreak Hill” after its Boston namesake. At the pasta dinner on Saturday night, John Stanton, the owner of the Running Room (a Canadian running store), advised to treat the course as a 20K training run, followed by a 10K race. In other words, don’t push it too hard until you get to the hills. Much like you and John advised for Boston in your pod-cast.

The main speaker at the pasta feed was Jacqueline Gareau, the real winner of the women’s 1980 Boston Marathon. You know, the one where Rosie Ruiz claimed victory, but was later exposed as a cheat. Jacqueline was a gracious speaker. It was nice to hear the story from her point of view.


Race morning was in the mid 30s. My running buddy, John and I kept our sweats on until just before the race. I ended up keeping my sweat pants until the hills. We started off with a couple of 7:50 miles, but soon cut back to about 8:05s not wanting to burn out. I have a history of going out too hard in races and paying for it in the later portions of races. Buddy John stayed a few strides in back of me, keeping me from picking up the pace. I started to call him “Governor,” but thanked him for keeping it smart. Of course, we did start to get passed by more eager runners that pushed the pace during the second 10K.

At about the 15K mark, John started to tell me that I was looking strong and to go ahead of him. “No,” I said, “this is a training run for Boston. We’ll do this together.” So we kept it at marathon tempo as opposed to race pace. He repeated his suggestion a couple of more times, so when we got to the hills, I figured I had permission to run how I felt. Having not pushed too hard getting to the hills, I felt good. I started to push my pace, passing many of those that had previously passed us. I kept feeling good and kept pushing up and down the rolling hills. Heartbreak Hill was tough, but I managed to keep a good pace. Having blown up in the Newton Hills in Boston the last two years, this felt great.

The last 4K was a general downward slope back into downtown Hamilton. The finish was in the Copps Center, a hockey arena. They had a track down the middle of the floor of the arena with a camera projecting the outside approach to the arena and the finish line. A nice set up. My finish time was 2:37, which I was very happy with.

I think what please me most was following the strategy of taking it easy before the hills, and giving it a go in the hills. It pretty much is exactly what is advised for Boston. It nice to have this mini-Boston under my belt leading up to April 16th. I’m now looking forward to Boston instead of fearing it. I’m going to be pacing another running buddy, Wayne Crayton, from Anchorage, Alaska, who is running it as a Dana Farber Fund Raiser.

West Palm Half Marathon December 2006

The heat index 1 hour into the race was 87. Luckily, about the first 1/3 of the half marathon was along the intercoastal and we had a slight breeze that at least psychologically made it seem less hot and humid.

A quot from a local elite woman runner doing the half. Sonia Friend-Uhl said: "Miles 9-13 was a death march for me...one foot in front of the other. I think at Mile 11 I got real dizzy. That is probably the worst I have ever felt. I'm just glad I finished today. That was hard...I hit my boundary line today. Anybody got an IV on them?"

Yanni and I started out together shooting for 8 min/miles, which we did for at least the first 2 miles. I had to let Yanni go ahead of me around mile 4 in that I miscalculated the pre-race hydration and had to make a pee stop. From mile 5 to 9 my time slowed to the mid 8:30s range. The last 3 miles I started to flag and dropped into the low 9 min/miles range. I would have continued to slow, but I ended up running near a guy in a pink tutu. There was no way I was going to finish near some dude in a pink dress, so I picked up the pace to beat him by a minute or so. My finish time was 1:50:57. Given the heat and humidity, I'm satisfied with the time. Yanni ran a 1:47:23 or there abouts.

Boston Marathon 2006

Since the 2006 Boston Marathon fell during Spring Break this year, I took the along the family for Spring Break. We stayed at the Park Plaza on Arlington, which worked out great as the gear bag retrieval area put you right outside our hotel at the finish. We arrived on Friday in time for running buddy, John Clidas, son John and I to see the traveling production of “Spamalot” at the Colonial Theatre, a gorgeous theater off Boston Common. The show was everything a Monty Python fan could hope for and more. We liked it so much, I made my wife Salome go see it the next night. I also picked up an “I’m not dead yet” button that I put on when I turned on Hereford Street during the marathon.

On Saturday, John Clidas and I did an easy run on Bolyston Street to the finish line and followed the marathon course as far as a 3/4ths of a mile on Commonwealth Avenue. After breakfast, I took the family to the observation deck at the Prudential Center for an overview of the city. We hooked up with my brother, Dave, his wife Dianna, and daughter Katelin for the trip out to the Expo. As expected, the Expo was a madhouse of shopping and excitement of the coming event. I get slightly claustrophobic at this expo due to the sheer number of people. Talk about your running Mecca. You can feel the excitement. Of course, we loaded up on gear. For dinner that night, we went to an unexpectedly nice Irish pub, M.J. O’Conner’s for ribs and salmon. OK, I had a pre-race Guinness.

Sunday morning, I went out for a Boston Globe and to pick up some Easter candy for my younger son, Alex. After a comped breakfast at the hotel, I sent the family off to the Museum of Science. Brother Dave and I went for a tour of the Museum of Fine Arts. Nice Impressionist and Colonial collections. For dinner we went to the official pasta feed. It was a little windy and cool, but the organizers gave out nice Easter candy and we got to see a mini-show from the “Big Apple Circus.” We returned back to our hotel for an early bed time.

Race Day. Awoke Monday morning, slipped into the bathroom to get ready, and was out the door without waking the family. I made my way over to the Weston hotel to have breakfast with running buddy Chris Howard who was running his first marathon as a fund raiser for the Liver Foundation. It was your basic bagels and fruit breakfast, but I met a few nice people and was able to score an inflatable raft to sit on at the Athlete’s Village in Hopkinton. It was nice to ride out to the start in the tour bus with bathroom, which came in handy. At the village, Chris and I bump into John Clidas who immediately disappears into the crowd after exchanges of good wishes. Just because he was in the last corral of Wave 1 and we were in the first corral of Wave 2, you’d have thought he couldn’t get away from us fast enough. John was going to pace with running buddy, Costas Liatsos. Soon thereafter, we locate Dianna who was hanging out in the Wave 2 part of the village while we were in the Wave 1 section. Who knew we were in the wrong place.

Since Chris is a better runner than both John and I, I walked down to the Hopkinton town square to arrange for him out of the charity corral and into my corral so we could pace each other. In the town square I came across Dick and Rick Hoyt, an inspirational father/son team from the Boston area doing their 25th Boston. They were busy greeting the crowds, so I snapped off a cell phone photo and made my way to the help booth. On my way back to the village, I got a call from brother Dave, who had taken the train out from Boston. We located each other and walked back to the village to play the waiting game before the start.

The one criticism I have of the 2 wave start is that there wasn’t much time for the Wave 2 people to get to their corrals. Grove Street leading from the Athlete’s Village to the corrals was a jammed up mess. Chris and I had to go around houses and jump hedges to get to corral 11 in time for the start. Other than that, being in the 1st corral of Wave 2 was kind of cool. I never thought I’d ever be that close to the start line of the Boston Marathon.

At the gun, we took off with the crowd. Chris, knowing my propensity to let the crowd carry me away, held the pace back. I am so well known for going out too fast that I sometimes joking tell people that my name is “Rabito Andropoff.” For the first couple of miles, I high-five the young kids on the right side of the road. Chris keeps drifting slightly back, forcing me to take the pace down to a smarter speed. The cool mid-50s temperatures and the cooling slight wind in our faces made the first few miles feel great. Little did I know I was probably over extending my energy. We hit the 5K mark in 24:11 and the 10K mark in 49:09, all on course for a 3:30 type marathon pace. However, after mile 7, I start to feel my body flag a bit. I tell Chris I’m going to fall back on the pace a bit and for him to soldier on. With an exchange of good wishes, I back off the pace from 8 minute miles to 9 minute miles.

Just before I get to Wellesley, I see a 6'6" guy in outlandishly flamboyant drag doing a faux Wellesley girl imitation. Too funny. I’m not sure what’s funnier: the outfit, or the deep voice. I remember seeing the guy last year and wonder how many years he’s been doing this act. At Wellesley College, I high-five the girls. Their excitement really recharges the batteries. While I don’t stop for kisses, I high-five as many as I can. I hit the half mark in 1:50:15, now averaging 9:15 miles.

I decide I’d better take some short Galloway walk breaks before I get too tired. This seems to work fine until I get to pass mile 16. I’m really feeling tired and just before mile 17, I get a twinge in my right hamstring. Oh, oh! Not my weak spot showing itself so soon. I normally don’t have hamstring issues until very late in my marathons. Here I am just starting the Newton Hills and I’ve got a serious issue. Just up the first hill and BAM, the right ham locks up. I hobble to the side of the road and message out the cramp. From here on in, I will have either my left or right hamstring lock up every mile or so. With each lock-up, I hobble to the side of the road and stretch it out. Each stop adds a couple of minutes to my time. My pace must also slow in order to avoid bringing on more frequent lock-ups. I decide to stop taking my splits.

I start to wonder: maybe my body is just not designed to go 26.2 miles. Perhaps I should stick to the 10K distance. The next thought is: How the heck am I going to get to the finish line. I am miles away with plenty of distance to go. This is the worst experience I’ve ever had in my 14 marathons. It know hits me why Boston is so hard: It’s not the hills from mile 17 to 21 that get you. It’s the rolling 17 miles before you get to the Newton Hills that soften you up like Mohammad Ali has been constantly punching at your hams and quads getting you ready for the knockout punch in Newton. Last year, it was my quads that were a problem. This year, it’s the hams. Choose your poison.

So, I’m wondering what to do. However, on the realization that if I don’t finish, I do not get the medal, I decide to “Keep on Truckin.” It’s funny the difference that little piece of metal can make in motivation. I also notice that many people are starting to walk these hills. I refuse to do this. I will run the hills. So now its run to the top and lock up. Message the leg and hit the next hill. Surprisingly, this seems to work. At mile 19 I happen to glance around my left shoulder and catch the John Kelly statue. By Heartbreak Hill, it’s like “Night of the Living Dead.” It seems like 90% of the runners are walking up Heartbreak Hill. I choose to run. I somehow make it to Boston College. Yes! At least I’ve got the hills behind me.

My troubles, however, are not behind me. Last year the B.C. crowd seemed mostly guys smashed on beer. This year, there seems to be more girls and they are more enthusiastic than drunk. It has more of the Wellesley College feel to it. I start the high-fives again and pick up the pace. Oops! Ham cramp. Just after, Boston College, I meet a woman runner from Nova Scotia who is having quad cramps. We decide to try to run together. However, with each down hill she cramps and with each up hill I cramp. We keep separating and rejoining like some cosmic yoyo.

I finally hit Beacon Street and can see the Citco sign off in the distance. Last year, it was a mirage that I couldn’t get closer to. This year, I have an idea how far away it is. I keep reeling it in. At least its getting bigger. Since Boston College I keep passing and being passed by a guy running in a gorilla suit. I wonder how much sweat he’s got pooled in his feet. He appears quite hot in the suit.

I cramp one last time on Beacon Street looking like a Keystone Cop hoping over to the left side of the road. This causes an old Boston Woman to laugh hysterically. After she stops laughting, she tells me to “Get back out there.” I figure she came out of Fenway Park and has a little chatter left over from the Red Sox game. I dutifully obey.

At the one mile mark, I again find the Nova Scotia runner and I encourage her to run again. Shortly thereafter, we hit the downhill side of the underpass tunnel, she cramps up, and I lose her again. However, I tell my body I refuse to cramp in this last mile. I actually pick up the pace. On the turn on Hereford Street, I remember the button from Spamalot reading: “I’m not dead yet....” and put it on.

I turn onto Bolyston Street. Ah, sweet Bolyston Street. Its like a victory parade. I’m not moving very fast, but the pain and the cramps are a thing of the past. I spot my older son John and yell out to him. He sees me. I turn back to him for a picture and then move forward. About 100 yards on, I see my wife Salome and younger son Alex. She yells my name and the ten people surrounding her repeat my name at the top of their voices. Now, this is sweet. Total strangers cheering you on by name for the fun of it. Salome shoots a picture and I move on for the last few hundred yards to the finish. I cross at 4:14. Nowhere near the pace I was on, but 20 minutes better than last year.

I turn back at after walking about 50 feet past the finish. I want to find the woman from Nova Scotia. We meet, hug, and thank each other for the mutual assistance. I come across Gorilla Man waiting to get my medal. He had come out by train as far as he could and ran the last 10 miles. I tell him I’m amazed he ran 10 miles in a gorilla suit. He tells me he’s amazed at me for running 26.2 miles.

Brother Dave, coming off a leg injury, was pleased to come in at 4:30. He realized he was cutting it close and had to pour it on the last mile. His wife Dianna came in just behind me in 4:18. Newbe, Chris did the amazing and clock a sub 4 hour 1st marathon in 3:55. The ever stalwart John Clidas came in at 3:42. Ironman, Costas Liatsos bested us all with an even 3:30. It figures our Greek runners would be our best finishers. Nike, brothers.

During the race, I was thinking of burning my running shoes or throwing them in the trash. This was the hardest marathon I’ve ever run. It is clearly the hardest course I’ve ever run. Perhaps it is due to being a Floridian and training in the flat lands of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The only hill work we get is a causeway bridge that I’m sure others would laugh at as being hill work. However, we get no pity from New Englanders. Two days later, visiting my aunt at the House of Seven Gables in Salem, Mass., another guide asks me how I did. I tell her I had trouble. “Was you time in the 3:30s?” she asks. “No,” I reply, “my time was 4:14.” “Oh,” she says, “you came in with Curt Schilling’s wife.” OK, I get it. I’m not an athlete. I’m only as good as the wife of a real athlete. Boy, you New Englanders are a tough crowd.

Like many before me, I have yet to figure out this Boston course. I’m sure Chris will tell me to go out slower. I’m also pretty sure I need higher mileage to do this course justice. But, I’ll probably return next year. I previously passed along to John and Chris a quot from Barron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympics movement: "The important thing is not to win, but to take part; just as the most important thing about life is not to conquer, but to struggle well."

I think we all struggled well this past Monday.

Austin for Boston

John & Bill with running coach and friend, Jeff Gallaway at the pasta feed

Salome & I, joined by John Clidas, Wayne Crayton and brother Dave ran Chicago in last October. Salome & I both bonked and came in around the mid 4 hours range. John ran a 3:33, three minutes short of his BQ. So, John immediately re-upped for the Vegas Marathon in early December. He ran a 3:36 on a hillier, colder and windier course.

John wanted a last bite at the Boston apple, and was planning to run the inaugural A1A Marathon here in Ft. Lauderdale. I advised him to pick a marathon that would give him the better chance for cool mid 50s weather, and offered to join him in the effort. We ended up choosing the Austin Marathon on Feb. 19, the same day as A1A. Salome stayed home to run the A1A Half.

John and I trained right for Austin hitting the track for some interval work and getting in multiple 20s. John was pretty much maintaining his marathon training level from October and December. I was on a short 2 month ramp up having taken off the rest of October and November after a period of doing 8 marathons in 12 months.

Boy, did we get a cool weather in Austin. A cold front dropped the temps into the high 20s before the start and stayed in the 30s most of the day. Overpasses iced, people fell on frozen sidewalks, but we kept on our feet. We chose to follow the 3:30 pace group. Our pace group leader didn't want the ackward balance that holding flag over 26 miles could do to him. So he asked that we all take turns carrying the flag.

The only problem with this is that whoever was carrying the flag wanted to make sure to not let the group down. This had the unintended effect of the flag holder picking up the pace slightly to hold off dropping pace. I too fell into this trap when I took possession of the flag. "Hold on there. You're going too fast," John tells me. From then on, I start referring to John as the governor.

While the even pace helped John, I think it may have hurt me. I felt held back too much on the downhills. It also may have caused me to not take in enough fluids, not wanting to stop at the water tables and fear losing the group.

Bill near the State Capital Building

In any event, I ended up with a hamstring cramp just before mile 24 which took me 5 minutes to message out. I thought about walking off the course for the first time ever. However, I got the cramp out and started running but at a slower pace. I finished in 3:41. John was able to stay with the pace group leader and came in at 3:29.

John crosses the finish line with a Boston qualifying time

Bill crosses after some run stopping cramps at mile 24

It was so cold at the finish that we ducked into a food tent where they were handing out bowls of chilly. I took the chilly not so much to eat it, but to warm my hands. We hurried back to our hotel and showered. Afterward, we could watch people finishing the race from the comfort of our hotel room.

That night, we found our way to an Irish pub and had some brews to celebrate John making his Boston qualifier.

Miami 1/2 Marathon Report

I’d signed up for the Miami Half Marathon as a tune up race for my scheduled Feb. 19 Austin Marathon run with running buddy John. I talked John into signing up for Austin as his last good chance at a BQ for the 2006 Boston Marathon. He was just short of his 3:30 BQ in Chicago with a 3:33. In closing the pitch of Austin as a good place for a final try at the BQ, I included myself in the commitment process.

Signed and committed to Austin in the second week of December, I knew I had to get training. This time we would include the missing pieces in our training: track work, hill work, more overall mileage. A couple of week into training and I’m starting to wonder if I’ve given myself enough time after a month layoff from my Chicago crash and burn finish. I’d skipped my usual Thanksgiving 10K, Santa 5K and December ½ Marathon. If figured I’d better set up a tune-up race to see how the training is going. Thus, the Miami Half on 1/29/06.

Wife, Salome, had signed up for the Miami Half long ago and had decided she wanted to spend the night in Miami to avoid getting up at 4 AM race day for the drive down. Thus, we checked into the Marriott Courtyard in downtown Miami on Saturday morning. The hotel was next to the host hotel and expo location. As we checked into the top 14th floor room, I noticed the sliding glass door was slightly open. When I attempted to close it completely, I noticed it wouldn’t close. I mentioned to Salome that we should get a new room, but she vetoed the suggestion saying the room being so high was secure. So, off we go to the expo.

We heard some interesting speakers at the expo. Burt Yasso spoke about race day hydration, pace and the expected winds coming out of the Southeast. He also discussed his Yasso 800s. GP Pearlberg, a running coach who focuses on running bio-mechanics. A very interesting and inspirational speaker who gave us form issues to focus on during the race. Finally, we heard Frank Shorter speak. His topic was what he calls the “2 Week, 2 Month Rule.” This rule states that it takes your body two weeks to adjust to a change in training, but 2 months to fully adapt to the change.

The other main focus of Frank’s talk was that as runners, we don’t run slow enough on our recovery or easy run days. He stated that resent research has shown that fitness comes not from running fast, but from running slow. In fact, Frank points out that the benefit of track work is not from how fast we run the splits, but on how quickly our bodies recover in the jogging lap. He advises training with a heart rate monitor not to see how high you get your heart rate, but to see when your heart rate is at around 120 bpm on the recovery phase of training. Slow runs should be run at this 120 bpm rate. He also advises checking your waking heart rate to see if you are overtraining. If your bpm is elevated, run slower in your training. Interesting perspective.

For dinner, we met up with Keith and Jana and Kathleen (son Alex’s Pre-K 4 teacher), her fiancé, John, and friend Denise. We ate at an Italian Restaurant on Ocean Drive with a guy dressed as a Roman Legion Centurion out front. Good wine, good pasta and good company. Both Jena and Kathleen are Pre-K 4 teachers, so everyone was on best pre-school behavior. Jana informed us of her desire to run an Italian Marathon, perhaps Florence. Sounded interesting. Everyone had decent goal times announce, but to a person announce that we each felt undertrained. We also expressed concerns about the blustery wind outside on South Beach.

Back at the hotel, we discovered that the crack in the patio door let in the lovely sound of traffic on I-95 into the room. I would gladly have traded the later wake-up time for sound sleep in my own bed back in Ft. Lauderdale. I would swear I didn’t sleep a wink, but I recall having at least one dream. Next year I either sleep at home, upgrade to the Intercontinental on the bay, or bring a good set of earplugs.

After a breakfast of bananas and Red Bull, it was down to the start area. Salome pealed off to do the Port-O-Potty Tango, while I headed to my corral. After the usual pre-race nervous chit-chat with fellow runners and a nice National Anthem on flute, the start flairs are fired. The winds for the three miles over to South Beach were in your face, but didn’t slow the pace too much. I was running 8 minute miles from my hoped for 7:30 pace, but figured that was BQ pace. I took a one minute penalty stop at a Port-O-Potty around mile 4 and hit the 10K mark in 50:08. Again, I hoped to be about a minute faster at this spot, but felt pretty good overall. The tail wind on the return run didn’t give me the push I’d hoped. I always find miles 8 to 10 the roughest patch of a half. This one didn’t disappoint. I found focusing on form at this point to be a good distraction. I made a second P-O-P stop; but once I hit the 10 mile mark I was able to consider it a 5K and picked up the pace. I pushed the last ½ mile and came in at 1:47:16. I threw my goal time of 1:40 out the window at P-o-P stop #1 and was pretty sure I’d blown the BQ ½ pace of 1:45 at P-o-P stop #2. However, my time put me at 65th in my age group which was top 17%. I’ll take it and make sure I do the P-o-P Tango before Austin. I’m sure the around 70 degree temps and wind didn’t help. But, no excuses. I obviously can not get too comfortable about Austin. On the plus side, I felt that I could have kept that pace up for the full.

I find Keith and Jana in the finish area. Keith ran a 1:28, and Jana a 1:41. I know they each wanted to run slightly better times, but I am always impressed with this couple. Great athletes that I’m glad to know.

Salome came in at the 2:10 mark, which totally threw me off. I was waiting about 20 yards from the finish hoping to get her picture, but she had stated an expected finish time of 2:25. When she came by, I was taken off guard and missed the photo op. I’m glad to miss the photo when it means she’s doing better than she’d hoped.

Kathleen took a miss-step around mile 8 and came in at 2:15. From the redness of her ankle and the limp she had post race, I’m surprised she finished. Salome gave up her emergency Alive and we advised her to ice and elevate as soon as she got home. Denise stayed at Kathleen’s pace and made sure she got to the finish line.

After making sure Kathleen hooked back up with John, Salome & I went to the stands to cheer in the marathon finishers. We missed the winners, but watched as full marathoners came in from about 2:50 through 3:20. We cheered loudly for the sub 3 finishers and kept it up for the next 20 minutes. These guys and girls looked like champions coming across the line. You really sense the joy of the runners coming in beating goal times or hitting that BQ. We didn’t know any of these runners, but high-fived their friends and loved ones in the stands. These people were inspirational. It give me renewed resolve to stay the course of proper training and nutrition.

When we got home, Salome showed son Alex (age 6) the nice spinning medal. Alex has run the kids fun run portion of our local St. Paddy’s Day run and has a couple of medals from them. He asked why he doesn’t have more medals. I’ve always questioned the giving of medals for anything short of a full marathon, so I offered mine to him. He had the biggest grin when I put it around his neck. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending of the morning.

Jacksonville Marathon PR

On December 19th I followed up my previous weeks PR in the half marathon with a PR in the Jacksonville Marathon. My winter marathon goal was to wait for a late January marathon. I had read that if you are running marathons within 6 to 8 weeks of each other, that you need to run just one long (20 to 26) mile training run in between the two marathons. So, my brother Dave, his wife Dianna and I all decided to run Jacksonville as a training run. However, this came with the proviso that we would run it at marathon pace for the 1st 1/2 and if we were on pace of a Boston Qualifier, we would give it a go. My brother is in the 40-44 age group needing a 7:30 pace to hit his 3:20 qualifier. I needed a 3:30. His wife needed a 3:50. Our previous PRs were as follows: Dave- 3:53; Dianna- 4:05; Me- 3:45.

The weather was ideal: 42 and no wind. I decided to pace my brother Dave at the 7:30 pace and figured I'd try to hit a 1:40 at the half. We ran together at that pace for 9 or 10 miles. It felt great; more like a training run than a marathon. Brother Dave, however, sees a Port-O-John and feels moved. We split off as I want to see if I can hold the pace. I hit the 1/2 at 1:39:15 and decide I have to give it a shot. The return trip on the out and back course was still cool, but it is a marathon. I start giving back the half minutes I banked on the way out and start averaging about 8:30 miles. Still works as I needed to average 8:00s to BQ. As I hit the 22 mile mark, I realize that I'm on target, but its tight. At mile 26, I try to pick up the pace to make up for a slowing pace the last two miles.

The marathon finishes on a high school track where you run 3/4th of the track to a finish line. I hit the track and cramp in the right hamstring. I stop and stretch. Start to run...cramp again. Stretch...run...cramp a third time. Stretch and run to the finish. Clock time: 3:31:35. A mere 36 seconds from a BQ. But for those cramps, I most likely qualify. On the up side, I knock 14 minutes off my PR. Brother Dave comes in at 3:33, a mere potty stop behind me. After 5 minutes of recovery time, we start to wonder whether Dianna will have a chance at a BQ. Sure enough, we spot her coming into the track around the 3:42 mark. I run across the field and yell to her: "You're going to qualify for Boston!" She gives me a pained look in reply. Once she crossed the finish line we all high fived and hugged her. Salome had run the half in 2:09 and was at the finish to greet each of us.

Three PRs and one BQ. Not bad for what was scheduled to be a training run for a late January marathon. It just goes to show you, you never know what will happen until you start the marathon. For me, it was like Paula Radcliff redeeming her DNF in Athens at the NYC marathon. My cramping starting at mile 20 at NYC threw me off my pace and I ended with a 4:14. I was OK with that, but felt like my body let me down. Jacksonville, and redemption.

I had questioned the wisdom of running the 1/2 the week before, but in hindsight, I think it gave me the confidence to go out at the 7:30 pace. I now feel that the BQ is a real possibility and hope to still run the a January marathon for a last bite at the apple for this year. However, I've been feeling like a bear in hibernation the last few days and am listing to my body. So only one 5 miler since the marathon. I'll try to get back on track in a few days.

Marathons to Run Someday

OK, we did the list: Races to Run Someday. What marathons should one attempt to do to feel like they’ve gotten a rounded out marathon career and an interesting travel experience to boot. Here goes:

I. Winter Marathon Season. You could consider the new Phoenix Rock n’ Roll Marathon (mid January), the Houston Marathon (mid January), the Las Vegas Marathon (late January), the Austin Marathon (mid Febraury), the New Orlean’s Madi Gras Marathon (late February), or even the Los Angeles Marathon (early March) at this time of year. But seriously, why spend the time and money on these away trips, when we have some of the nicest marathons in our own back yards.

Disney World Marathon - Orlando, Florida - mid January. A great way to mix the marathon experience with the theme park experience. Very well organized, if you don’t mind getting to the start area at 4 AM.

Bank of America Marathon - Tampa, Florida- late January/early February. The home town run with all the beauty of the Gasparilla 15K, plus. I’ve heard too many people using this as their B.Q. (Boston Qualifier) not to give this one a go.

Miami Marathon- Miami, Florida - late January/Early February. Another home town favorite. First half along beautiful Miami Beach, second half in Coconut Grove. Don’t feel up to the full marathon, the ½ marathon gives you the prettiest part of the course.

II. Spring Marathons. Don’t know if I’ll ever run a Spring marathon, since I would want to leave the door open for Boston. But, if you haven’t made that Boston Qualifier, and your going to mess with your short race season, you better make it a real travel experience. Go for a European adventure marathon in a year the exchange rate makes sense (not this year). The Big Sur Marathon is included as a State-side alternative to Boston that sounds like a unique visual experience. It appears the applications for these marathons become available in late August or September.

Rome Marathon - Rome, Italy- mid-March. This probably will always conflict with the short season of 5 Ks & 10 Ks. This may be a good thing as I hear you run on cobbled streets a lot and its hard on your legs. But it is Rome. You probably can’t beat Rome or Paris for a travel experience.

Paris Marathon -Paris France- mid April. Not going to Boston? Run the week before in Paris. Although I’ve heard you end up in some narrow city streets with crowding.

Boston Marathon - Boston, Massachusetts-late April (Patriot’s Day). The grand-daddy of them all and the only must qualify to run event. You can retire after this one.

London Marathon - London, England late April. Didn’t qualify for Boston? This is the best back up and advertized as the world’s largest. Tour London and run with the world’s best. A lottery situation for locals. A travel marathon for Americans.

Big Sur Marathon - Big Sur, California - late April. This has a reputation for rough gravel roads, but the most scenic marathon. Run along the Pacific Coast Highway south of Carmel, there is unique entertainment along the route, like a concert pianist along the road. Fills up early, so apply in the fall.

IV. Summer Marathons. If your going to train for a Summer marathon, it should be either to a unique place (Alaska), or to a neat city (San Francisco). Grandma’s just has a big reputation.

Mayor’s Midnight Run Marathon - Anchorage, Alaska - late June (Summer Solstice). Run partly on trails, why not combine a trip to Alaska with a marathon. You could combine this with the Runner’s World Cruise, but this gets pricey. However, if your going to ever do the pricey cruise through Alaska, the marathon would be a memorable addition to the trip. Alternatively, bag the cruise, and get to Anchorage solely for the marathon. You might be able to find a cheaper way to see Glasser Bay without the cruise expense.

Grandma’s Marathon - Duluth, Minnesota - late June. Don’t know much about this point to point course, other than its got a great reputation. Closes out early. Check early for registration in September.

San Francisco Marathon- San Francisco, CA - late-August. It’s San Francisco. The course looks interesting, but you’ve gotta figure its hilly. A great city to visit.

IV. Fall Marathons. The Big 3 State-side (Chicago, Marine Corp, NYC), and the 3 highly touted European marathons (Berlin, Dublin, Athens) make the fall season “Marathon Season”. Too bad we have to train for these in the Summer heat.

Berlin Marathon - Berlin, Germany - late September. Along with Paris and London, this rounds out the big three in Europe as far as world class runners trying to break world records.

Chicago Marathon - Chicago, Illinois - mid-October. Along with Marine Corp and NYC, one of the big three not counting Boston.

Marine Corp Marathon - Washington, D.C. late October. Beautiful way to see the nations capital. Great crowd support. Just don’t hit the museums until the day after the race.

Dublin Marathon - Dublin, Ireland - late October. Everyone I’ve ever spoken to about this one says its one of the best. With my Irish heritage, I feel I need to get there some day. Beside, the Irish are friendly and drink Guinness.

New York City Marathon - New York, New York - early November. The biggest outside of Boston, with a truly world class of runners showing up.

Athens Marathon - Athens, Greece - early November. Usually the same day as NYC, this is a true touring experience. See the battleground at Marathon where it all started. A hilly course though. The tour offered through the American based travel agency is pretty good, taking you to all the main sites. Jeff Gallaway acts as your coach and lecturer. Alternatively, you can do the Athens sites on your own.

IV. December Marathons. Didn’t train well for a fall marathon and needed a little more time to get ready to run, here’s the one.

Honolulu Marathon - Honolulu, Hawaii - mid December. Don’t know if I’ll ever get to Hawaii, but this would be the thing that would tip the balance towards going that distance. Might also conflict with ski season. A huge marathon crowd due to the large number of Japanese runners/tourists.

Races to Run Someday

One day, my brother Dave and I were talking about the Bolder Boulder 10K and the Utica Boilermaker 15K as possible road trips to noted road races. We had run the Peachtree 10K for the first time the summer before and we had a memorable time. I’ve experienced similar feelings of having gotten to see a locale plus adding in other memorable events to my marathon experiences. This got me to thinking about special event races like the Peachtree 10K that would be fun to do someday. So, I did a little research on the internet and came up with a list of events that I believe would be nice to do someday. I figure runners could target one special event every year or so depending on schedules and desire. I’ve listed them in order of the time of year they fall, not by priority. My general view is that if a trip could be arranged with an inexpensive flight and accommodations, it would be a worthwhile endeavor. Here goes:

1. Gasparilla Distance Classic 15K - Tampa, Florida- late January/early February. This one I’ve always considered the hometown race, but being across Tampa Bay from Clearwater, it just qualifies as a road trip to me (more so, since I’ve lived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida the last 20 years). This 15K should be run for the beauty of running along Tampa Bay. Pretty much the entire route on this out and back course is along the waterfront. You get the added thrill of seeing the leaders come back on your way out. May conflict with plans to run a winter marathon, or a good tune up to a mid to late February marathon.

2. World’s Best 10K- San Juan, Puerto Rico - late February. This race attracts world class runners. The lady’s race has pushed the world record lower in the last few years. Looks interesting, but I’m not sure what the cost of doing this trip would be, given air fare and hotel accommodations. Seems designed for the northern traveler looking for some winter fun. Might be an interesting way to check out Pueto Rico if cheep air fare can be arranged.

3. Gate River 15K- Jacksonville, FL - mid-March. This one’s a no brainer. This race is the U.S. 15K Championship and therefore attracts many elite runners. This is a race that I heard about for many years from my law school roommate. A large crowd attends and the course goes over a suspension bridge in downtown Jacksonville. This one would be a “drive to” weekend trip for me, with the only cost being a one night hotel stay. I think we should shoot for this one next year.

4. Cherry Blossom 10 Miler -Washington, D.C.-early April. This race is part of the Professional Road Running Organization (PRRO) race circuit which along with the Lilac Bloomsday 12K and Peachtree 10K are the Triple Crown of road racing. This 10 Miler is mostly run alongside of the Potomac River and is supposed to show off the Cherry Blossom bloom in the spring. Apparently a tough race to get admitted to, you need to get a self addressed envelope or e-mail to the race organizers for an application to be mailed out in December or early January prior to the April race. Given that we recently ran the Marine Corp Marathon in 2003, this can probably wait.

5. 7 Mile Bridge Run- Marathon Key, Florida- late April. I include this race only because you missed it this year and this race belongs in any list of races to try to run someday. (I would also include the Gasparilla 15K and the Peachtree 10K in this list if we hadn’t both done these at one point or other). Limited to 1,500 runners, this one is hard to get into. Applications must be filled out and mailed back on the day they are received, and even this in no guarantee that you will get in. The race is entirely over the 6.8 mile span of the bridge on A-1A linking Marathon Key to Big Pine Key. A point to point race, you take a bus back across the bridge for a beer party with live music back at the start area. This makes a great weekend get away and can be combined with a trip to Key West to see the Southern Most Point of the U.S. and the crazy’s that live so far from the rest of the world.

6. Bloomsday 12K- Spokane, Washington-early May. This race attracts a huge crowd of 50 to 60,000 runners and is part of the PRRO Triple Crown. It’s called the Lilac “Bloomsday Run,” which I assume means its run during a bloom period for the local Lilac flowers. The only problem I see with this race is its remote location in Eastern Washington State, which may impact on the cost of air fares. I don’t know how realistic this one is given the remote locale. I think one would need to plan a week trip to explore Eastern Washington or the Seattle area to make this a worthwhile trip. It is a 4 hour drive from Seattle to Spokane.

7. Bay to Breakers -7.46 Mile Run-San Francisco, CA- mid-May. Another legendary and very popular run. I’d read about this one in Runner’s World back in the late 70's. This race starts on the bay side of the San Francisco peninsula and ends on the Pacific Ocean side. I’ve often wondered whether if you go all the way to San Francisco for a race you shouldn’t make it the San Francisco Marathon held in early August, but this race has some real character. More than 70,000 people run this race annually. It is the longest consecutively run race in the world, which goes back to 1912 (the Boston Marathon missed the World War I year of 1918). There is costume division where people not only dress up as various characters like Elvis or Superman, but a centipede division where a group runs together in a connected costume. There is also an unofficial nude runners division which is technically illegal, but the police apparently look the other way. Either race would be a great opportunity to get to see San Francisco. Fairly reasonable air fares can be found.

8. Bolder Boulder 10K -Boulder, Colorado-late May (Memorial Day). This is one you turned me onto and it looks like another huge event, both for the numbers running and the party atmosphere. As you know, you finish in the University of Colorado football stadium. There is an air-force fly-by and parachute jump into the stadium after the race. Boulder, Colorado is a beautiful college town, and you could also visit downtown Denver in a long weekend. I would recommend getting to Denver a couple of days ahead of the race to acclimate to the elevation (over 5,100 feet above sea level). They don’t call Denver the “Mile High City” for nothing. Even with an acclimation period, my guess is we sea level runners will end up breathing heavy to make up for the thinner oxygen level. It may be best to treat this as a fun run, and enjoy the sights of the weekend.

9. Peachtree 10K - Atlanta, Georgia- July 4th. Run on July 4th each year since Jeff Gallaway won it in its inaugural year of 1970, this race goes from the fashionable Buckhead area north of downtown Atlanta and ends in Piedmont Park in downtown Atlanta. The park area ends up full of the 50,000 plus runners sharing Coca-Cola and getting their finishing pictures taken, before heading back to the Buckhead area by bus. The Buckhead 4th of July fireworks display is said to be a show not to be missed.

10. Boilermaker 15K - Utica, New York- mid-July. This 15K race is run in Utica, New York on the weekend the Runners Hall of Fame inducts its new members into the hall. The inductees typically run the race and events are held the whole weekend. This would be an opportunity to visit the Runners Hall of Fame and possibly the Baseball hall of Fame in nearby Cooperstown, New York (a one hour drive). As I mentioned to you, it appears to be a 6 hour drive from Hanover, Pennsylvania.

11. Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K - Cape Elizabeth, Maine - early August. This is a 10K race founded by 1984 Olympic Marathon Gold Medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson in her home town. The race starts at a beach area and finishes at a famous lighthouse, the Portland Head Light, the nation’s first commissioned lighthouse. This race attracts world class competition. Main in August is a nice place to be. I would recommend trying to combine this race with the next race on this list, the Falmoth Road Race in Falmouth, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. You could fly into Boston, run the Falmoth Road Race the first weekend, visit the Boston area and travel up the coast to Maine for this race for the bookend run for the trip.

12. Falmoth Road Race - 7.3 Miles- Falmouth, Massachusetts - mid-August. This 7.3 mile race goes back to the 1972 Olympics, when a Boston bartender, Tommy Leonard watched Frank Shorter win the marathon. The race was established on Cape Cod the following year and is another race that attracts world class runners. This is another lottery race, so you probably need to get accepted to this race first and plan a trip around this and the Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K the preceding weekend.

13. Annapolis 10 Mile Run - Annapolis, Mariland - late August. Possible tune up to a fall marathon, this event is in its 29th year. Starting and finishing at the Naval Academy stadium, the course is in the sun for the 1st 5 miles, and in shaded, but hill neighborhoods for the second 5 miles.

14. Rock n’ Roll ½ Marathon - Virginia Beach, Virginia - Labor Day. A holiday weekend at the beach and a fall marathon tune up. Unfortunately, a 15 hour drive from Ft. Lauderdale or Tampa. Also, it looks to be a Team-In-Training event, so look out for first timers running side by side blocking the way.

15. Philadelphia ½ Marathon - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - mid-September. Yet another possible fall marathon tune up depending on the date of your fall marathon. This one gets a lot of positive press. Again, the difficult decision: run this half marathon in September or the Philedelphia Marathon in late November. You may want to do both in different years.

16. Chicago ½ Marathon - Chicago, Illinois - mid-September. The final fall marathon tune up race. Probably not done in the same year as the Chicago Marathon held in mid October.