Maddog Marathon Blog

RR - Ocala

2012-01-23T10:40:00.003-05:00

Race Report

Sun, Jan 22/12
Ocala Marathon
Ocala, FL
4:34:37
Marathon # 352

Rather than repeat a medical/health update please read the footnote added to my previous race report from Curacao.

Now that I am feeling ‘better’ I decided to stick with the proven and best way to get back into marathon shape – by running marathons! Luckily winter is race season in FL and there are lots of races to choose from that I can drive to. The 1st race after the cruise was Ocala. I have run this race many times and won my AG almost every time. It is a ‘hilly’ course in the horse country around Ocala.

Typically the weather is not great – either cold or rain or both – but this year the forecast was sunny skies and temps in the low 50s at the start. There were some minor changes to the course again this year as the race started and ended at the Paddock Mall in Ocala. There were
200 runners lined up for the 7 am start. It was the nicest weather I have experienced in the many years I have run Ocala – sunny and a pleasant 51 F at the start and warmed up to the mid 70s by the time I finished.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the old bod? During the few long training runs (13 & 16miles) I completed after the cruise I could only run an 11-min pace and my legs were beat at the end of the runs? I knew that I couldn’t run the entire race so my initial race strategy was to run a cycle of Run 5 miles & Walk 1 min. However when I passed Mile 5 in 50:06 I was pleasantly surprised with the 10-min pace and I felt GOOD so I decided to revert back to the race strategy I used in the past to beat my old bod into race shape – run for the 1st 20 miles or until my legs tired and forced me to walk! As I approached a turn-around near Mile 10 I noticed an old friend Rick Karamptsos coming in the other direction. He was about ½ mile ahead of me. I decided to catch him!

I passed Mile 10 in 1:38:10 – I was running over my head for the shape (or lack of) I was in!
I passed the Half in 2:08:33 – a way ahead of my expectations. But I had no false illusions or fantasies. I knew the 2nd half would be much slower and involve a lot of walking! When I made a turn at Mile 16 for the 2nd and shorter 10-mile loop I could see Rick ahead of me and I finally caught him at Mile 18. We ran together for 1 mile but then I could feel my legs starting to tire and I had to watch Rick pull ahead as I struggled to continue running to Mile 20. I reached Mile 20 in 3:18:10 (still on a sub 10-min pace) but my legs were wasted! I started to walk! I set a strategy of Run 1 mile & Walk 1 min and was able to hold that cycle for the next 4 miles and average an 11:30 -min pace. However the final 2 miles have some really nasty hills and I had to struggle to keep the old legs shuffling and was forced to add a few extra minutes of walking on the hills. At that point I really didn’t care about time. I had exceeded my expectations and a few more minutes weren’t going to hurt my finish time!

I struggled across the finish line in 4:34:37. I didn’t win an AG award but I was very happy with my time and performance. It was a great ‘training’ marathon! I discovered that I am in better shape than I thought. All I need is a few more months of training and a few more marathons and I will be back in marathon shape. And I confirmed that the ‘fatigue and shortness of breath’ issues are behind me. It is amazing how much easier it is to run when you have a heart that is working properly!

My only disappointment was my lack of motivation and willingness to accept pain. I could have finished under 4:30 but was unwilling to push the old bod and accept the level of pain necessary to accomplish that time! Hopefully as I get into better shape and become competitive again the ‘fire in the belly’ and desire to win will return? If not then I will seriously consider hanging up the racing shoes and retire from racing by the end of this year!

What will happen? Who knows?

Stay tuned!

Country Club List

2012-01-07T12:29:00.004-05:00

Country Club List. (Jan 17/12)

A list of members who have completed a marathon or ultra in a minimum of 30 different countries.
Note: A country may only be counted ONCE and a marathon that passes through more than one country (such as Monaco) may only count for ONE country. All members in the top five ranking must verify their stats.

Runner Country # Countries

John Wallace USA 112
Wally Herman Canada 99
Edson Sanches USA 76
Horst Preisler Germany 65
Stefan Schlett Germany 64
William Govi Italy 64
Tad Lancucki(d) UK 57
Jaap Van de Berg Netherlands 57
Yen Nguyen USA 51
Peter Bennet USA 51
Peter Maier Germany 51
Roger Biggs UK 46
Dieter Elster Germany 45
Klaus Westphal Germany 42
Peter Dennett UK 41
Don Lang(d) USA 41
Curt Sandberg Sweden 40
Helmut Linzbichler Austria 39
Brent Weigner USA 38
Oswald Waye UK 37
Sudyong Toprasert Thailand 36
KG Nystrom Sweden 32
Antonius Steinberg Germany 30
Karsten Koehler Germany 30
(d) - deceased

TR - Curacao

2011-12-07T14:08:00.004-05:00

Trip Report
Curacao
12/2 – 12/5/11

Race results:
Sun, Dec 4/11
HBN Law Marathon
Willemstad, Curacao
5:43:23 – 1 AG
Marathon #351 – Country # 112

I scheduled and booked this race in the spring when I was feeling OK and in good shape. It is only held every two years and this was the 1st marathon in Curacao since it became an independent country in Oct 2010. Thus I figured I should run it this year because there was no telling what might happen two years from now? Am I fortune teller?

As mentioned in my previous report I ran the Space Coast Marathon last weekend just to confirm that I could “go the distance’ before wasting money on a trip to Curacao. These days I have wisely learned to buy trip insurance because I can no longer be certain that I will be healthy or capable of running a marathon in 6 months let alone 6 days!

Since we have visited Curacao a few times I decided to go just for the weekend – run the race – and return home. I arrived late Fri night and Sat morning set out to explore Willemstad and find the start/finish area. The race website did not provide much detail – no course maps, etc. However the race director Erwin was very friendly and supportive as we communicated by email and he suggested a great hotel and provided directions to the start line.

After I felt comfortable how to find my way at 3 am in the dark so I could pick up my race packet and be ready for a 4am start on Sun, I spent the rest of Sat exploring Punda – the main downtown area of Willemstad. I quickly discovered that Curacao – like most Caribbean Islands is expensive! Don’t know how the locals can afford to eat and drink where the tourists go?

I enjoyed a nice pasta dinner overlooking the ocean and retired early for a 2:30 am wake-up call. I wanted to arrive by 3 am thinking that there would be a line-up for race packets? They were just setting up the start line and packet pick up so I talked to Erwin and a few local runners. It was definitely a small, local and low-key race with only 14 runners – all males! The entry fee was 25 Fl ($14 US). There was no race T-shirt, no finisher’s medal or certificate and even the race bib was ‘on loan’ (it had to be returned at the end of the race). Erwin had been kind enough to make up a bib #112 to commemorate Country #112.

It was 79F and 100% humidity (a light drizzle) as we waited in the dark. We were provided with two red strobe lights to attach to our arms so that cars could see us. Erwin explained that there were no course or distance markers, no traffic control and no water stations! Instead of water stations there were 6 bikers/cyclists roaming the course with plastic bags of water and Gatorade for runners. Since I was the only non-resident in the race and had no idea of the course I was provided a dedicated biker (Arthur) who would accompany me throughout the entire race. I offered my apologies to Arthur since he would be out on the course for a very long time!

A local runner told me that the course was tough with a lot of hills and the worst hill was at the start as the course climbed through the back streets of Otrabanda and climbed a fixed-span bridge that soared 200 ft above St Anna Bay. The race started on time and I followed the group of runners as we climbed the 1st mile to the top of the bridge. I tried to keep the runners in sight but could not run the entire mile up the bridge. I became fatigued after ½ mile (thanks to UC) and had to walk. I was in last place when I crested the bridge but was able to run the next mile down the bridge and pass one runner. Maddog was determined NOT to finish last!

Even at 4 am there was lots of traffic on the bridge so there was police support to control the traffic on the bridge. Once we descended and left the bridge there was no more traffic control. Each runner had to watch for cars and make their own way across intersections.
Thank goodness for Arthur! I would have been lost by mile 3 because there were lots of turns and no course markers! Thankfully I had worn my Garmin GPS and could read distance (whenever I could find a street light) to give me an idea how far I had run. The 1st 10K was on major city streets and there were sufficient lights to see the road and course but after the course entered the outskirts lights were scarce and often I could not even see my feet! I passed 6 Miles in 1:11:27 (close to my now standard 12-min race pace). I had hoped to run a cycle of Run-10 min & Walk -1min but there were too many hills. The ‘run’ cycle varied between 7 to 10 min and on some really tough hills I had to walk up the hill and run down the other side.

Arthur missed at turn near 10 miles and luckily a motorcycle cop came by and redirected us back on course (added an extra ¼ mile to my race). While we were stopped and discussing directions the last place runner caught up to us (he missed the turn too or was following us?). I became a wee bit discouraged and allowed that runner to take off and leave me in last place! But Maddog chewed my ass out and I picked up the pace and lengthened the run cycle to R-10 min and passed him again before I reached the Half in 2:40. The sun had risen and I became concerned about how brutal the sun and heat would get during the 2nd half?

I had been drinking 1 sack (about 4 oz) of water every 20 min and taking a GU carbo gel every 40 min with another sack. But now I felt that I was starting to dehydrate so I increased my water intake to 2 sacks every 20 min. I passed mile 16 in 3:18:34. I figured the best I could do over the final 10 miles was a 13-min pace so I would be lucky to finish in 5:30? We lucked in with the weather – the skies stayed overcast and we enjoyed a light drizzle that kept the heat down in the low 80s! Still – when I passed Mile 20 in 4:13:27 my body temp was on fire. Although I was sweating like crazy I could not vent the heat fast enough to keep my body temp near normal. As we turned on to a major road that headed back into town and the finish line I stopped and dug $10 out of my emergency funds and asked Arthur to find a mini mart and buy four 1-liter bottles of ice cold water.

He soon caught back up to me and I poured 1 liter of cold water over my head, neck and body. It felt shockingly and wonderfully COLD and provided the desired effect of lowering my body temp back to normal. As I started to drink the ice cold water I realized that I had become slightly dehydrated and drank the entire bottle. I felt much better. However during my lengthy water stop the last place runner had closed within sight. Fortunately I was able to get my pace back below 13 min/mile and extend the Run cycle to 10 min and quickly leave him behind. When I reached Mile 23 in 4:57:49 my pace had slowed to 15 min/mile. I would be lucky to finish under 5:45? I stopped for a 2nd and final water break – 1 liter on the body and 1 liter in the body. I felt much better again. I couldn’t pick the pace up much but I was able to keep the Run cycle at R-10 min & W -1 min.

As I approached mile 25 I spotted another runner walking ahead and decided to catch him. However when he saw me closing he dug deep and started running. I chased him through the final mile w/o walking but much to his credit he refused to let me catch him. I crossed the finish line in 5:43:23.

There were many runners at the finish line – about 200 runners in a Half and 10K that started at 6am – waiting for the award ceremony. Erwin announced my finish and my running accomplishments so many of the local runners introduced themselves and asked questions. I was awarded a trophy for 1st AG (oldest runner in the race) and for my 112th country.

Again I discovered that a positive upside/benefit to running/walking so slow is that nothing hurts at the end of the marathon – except my pride!

After walking back to the hotel and enjoying a long, hot shower I decided to walk over to Punda for some greasy food and a beer. As I was crossing the Queen Emma bridge (a floating bridge declared a World Heritage Site) and taking photos to share with my readers I struck my head on a Christmas decoration that had been hung too low – but just the right height to peel about one inch of scalp of the top of my head! I was bleeding like a stuck pig! Luckily some kind tourists went to a restaurant for some paper napkins to use as a compress to stop the bleeding. A doctor/tourist proclaimed that I could probably get by w/o stitches. A cop called an ambulance who wanted to charge me $500 to take me to Emergency. I told them what to do with their ambulance. I walked back to the hotel to wash out the wound and my ‘red’ hair. I managed to stop the bleeding and soon returned to Punda for my beers! Brought home an unwanted/undesired souvenir the next day.

Now that I am back home – “What’s next”?

I had a lot of time – almost 6 hrs to contemplate that question during the marathon on Curacao. It is so maddening and frustrating for Maddog to be forced to run and walk a race so slowly! What’s the point in racing if you can’t be competitive and run at a level you are capable of? I am willing to accept the frustration for a bigger goal and for a short term but not for a long time or permanent basis.

I have scheduled and booked 4 international marathons/countries in 2012 that represent the completion of significant goals (world records). I am willing to do whatever it takes to complete those marathons and goals but if the health issues with the UC still continue after the final race – I will hang up my racing shoes! I will quit running marathons and all races!
I would probably still run a few miles each day to stay in shape and enjoy my daily endorphin fix – but No More Races!

I have known that this decision would come eventually. But I expected it to be the result of an injury and hoped that I could switch to biking or swimming as alternative exercises. But this nasty disease has robbed me of that option. I can’t do any exercise which requires anaerobic or fast aerobic effort!

But the fat lady ain’t singing yet! There is still about 9 months for the GI docs to figure out a combination of drugs that might force this disease into remission and let me get my (running) life back?

Stay tuned!

Footnote:
Health update: 1/5/12

I need to apologize to the UC. Even though it is a nasty disease and has greatly impacted my health and running for the past year I falsely blamed it for all my woes during the past few months. The symptoms of fatigue and shortness of breath that I suffered for the past few months are typical of UC and ones I had suffered each time the UC flared up. So I falsely believed all my problems were due to UC and the GI doc was aggressively treating the UC with new drugs and combinations of drugs. When no improvement was seen and in fact the symptoms and my running seem to get worse over the past few races I decided that I should make an appointment with my GP to see if there might be other reasons for the problems?
A few days after I returned from Curacao feeling tired and depressed I met with my GP. Five minutes after checking my heart and doing an EKG in his office I was ordered “to go directly – do not go home or collect $200” to the Cardiac Unit of the Sarasota Hospital! My heart rate was hovering in the low 30s and my heart was experiencing A-Fib (Atrial Fibrillation).
Both the GP and cardiologist were convinced that I needed a pacemaker – immediately!
Needless to say I was in shock. However I did insist that we slow the rush/process down and explore other options. I was not excited about getting a pacemaker!

Fortunately it was decided that a cardio version should be tried to shock the heart back into rhythm and it was successful. I was released from the hospital after a few days and a stress test later that week confirmed that my heart was still in rhythm and the muscle and arteries were in good shape. I started running again and for the first time in months I was able to run w/o suffering fatigue and shortness of breath. I was even able to run at a sub-10 min pace again!
I stopped taking all additional drugs for the UC other than the main one that I must stay on and all the other ‘crappy’ symptoms of that nasty disease quickly disappeared! It is the best I have felt in months – both physically and mentally.

I just completed a 2-week cruise through the Panama Canal over the Christmas Holidays where I truly rested and relaxed for the first time in many years – no running. However I am now ready to resume my normal training program (and lose the 10 lbs gained on the cruise) and get back into ‘marathon’ shape for the 2012 racing season!

Stay tuned!

RR - Space Coast Marathon

2011-12-06T16:47:00.000-05:00

Race Report
Sun, Nov 27/11
Space Coast Marathon
Cocoa, FL
4:24:22
Marathon #350

This will be another brief report since I was still suffering bad effects of that nasty disease UC and my performance and time is not worth wasting a lot of time writing about! I would have cancelled the race except I was scheduled to run an international marathon one week later and I needed to see if I could “go the distance’ before wasting money on a trip to South America? Also I planned to stay with old friends – the Grubers- in their new home in Cocoa that was conveniently located one block from the start/finish of the race. In retrospect I am now very glad that I did get to spend time with my friends as they received some bad news a few days later (discussed later in the report).

Nicole and I had been spending the Thanksgiving holidays in Kyle, TX with our son Jason, Ami & our precious grandkids. Chris & Ari flew in from Seattle so the whole family was together for Thanksgiving. I ran a few days in Kyle and found I had to struggle just to run a cycle of Run -5 min & Walk – 1 min. That was not a good sign for the upcoming race?

Nevertheless I left TX on Sat morning and arrived in Cocoa later that day. Grube had been kind enough to pick up my race packet which saved a lot of time and allowed me a short rest before we walked to a fine Italian restaurant for pasta dinner. Grubette (Connie) explained that she had been sick with pleurisy for a few weeks and was scheduled for a scan and biopsy on some tumors that had been discovered on her lungs?

Sun was ‘M’ day. I ran the race in 2010 and enjoyed the course along the Indian River. The race started at 6:15 am. I almost missed the start because the alarm clock did not wake me until 5:50 am and I had to rush to the start line that was fortunately only a few blocks away. I did not have enough time to ‘empty’ my system either at the Grubes or at the start so I expected that I would have to make a pit stop early in the race. The weather was hotter than forecast with temps in the low 70s at the start and increased into the low 80s by the finish! Most of the finish times were much slower than normal.

My strategy was to start out with a cycle of R-5 min & W-1 min. After a few cycles I realized that I was having a ‘bad’ UC day and decided to stick to that cycle through the entire race if necessary to finish. By mile Three I was looking for a bush along the Indian River for a pit stop. I reached Mile 5 in 1:00:34 and Mile 10 in 1:59:34 – averaging a 12-min pace in spite of all the walking I was forced to do. When I reached the Half back in downtown Cocoa I took advantage of the many portable toilets at the start line to make another (2nd) major pit stop! I hoped that would ‘empty’ my system and be the final pit stop?

The 2nd half headed south along the Indian River and we met many Half Marathoners on the return loop to the finish line. When I passed 20 M in 4:02:29 I was surprised/frustrated that I needed a 3rd major pit stop - a new record for me! My pace slowed to an average 13-min over the next 5 Km and then slowed more again to a 14-min pace over the final 5 Km as I struggled to keep the tired old legs shuffling to the finish line in 5:24:22. I was determined not to give up and quit even though I was totally fatigued and frustrated with how slow I was ‘running’!

The Grubes had decided to do a 40-mile bike ride while I was running so I wasn’t sure if they would be at the finish line or not. When I couldn’t see them I decided to take the mandatory finish line photo and return to their place. The only positive thing I can see about ‘running’ so slow is that nothing hurts when the race is finished – except your pride!

The Grubes returned shortly after I had a hot shower. Connie was not feeling well after the bike ride so we decided to stay home and watch football and rest. Grube was gracious enough to grill us an excellent steak even after Tebow won the Denver game in overtime (he hates Tebow!).

I left at noon on Mon to pick up Nicole at the Tampa airport as she returned from TX. Connie still was not feeling well and we all hoped that the medical appointments she had that week would provide some answers. Unfortunately the answers were not good! The tumors were cancerous! The doctors still haven’t determined where the cancer originates or how they are going to treat it. We were shocked and sad with the bad news! Our prayers and good wishes are with her through this battle.

The Grubes and I had discussed the frailty and uncertainty of old age and illness during my visit. Little did we realize the significance of our thoughts and opinions? After returning home I had another treatment of the new meds for my UC and then met with the GI doc. I explained that I was disappointed that I had not enjoyed a ‘super’ boost or improvement on the new drugs. He tried to convince me that a 68-year old man with UC should not be running marathons. You can imagine what Maddog’s response was to that advice!

Since I had finished Space Coast w/o dying I figured I could survive my next international marathon in Curacao although I understood it would be harder because of the tropical heat and humidity. And I had a few more days for the new meds to perform a miracle. Did they?

Stay tuned!

TR - Netherlands

2011-10-24T16:39:00.002-04:00

TRIP REPORT
Isle of Jersey & Netherlands
9/30 – 10/11/11

Race Results:
Sun, Oct 9/11
Soest, Netherlands
Pijnenburg Bosmarathon
Marathon #349
5:23:52

As I stated at the end of the last report I was on my way to Amsterdam from Jersey to keep a promise made to a friend – “to join him for his 100th marathon”!

I met Jaap Van de Berg in the Faroe Islands. He is a fellow member of the Country Club and a good friend. When he initially invited me to join him in his hometown of Soest I was excited to do so since I was going to be in the neighborhood (Europe) at the time and I expected to be healthy!

I planned to stay one day in Amsterdam to re-visit that city. After taking a train into the Central Station and finding my hotel near Dam Square I explored the city. I quickly discovered that Amsterdam is very expensive! In the evening I walked around the ‘Red Light’ district to window shop. The prostitutes stand in front of glass doors/windows displaying their ass(ets) in bra & panties (or less). Anyone interested in ‘buying’ knocks on the door and negotiates a price! It is quite entertaining – even if you don’t buy anything!

On Wed, Jaap was a kind host and picked me up at the hotel to drive me to Soest. Soest is about 30Km south of Amsterdam. The surrounding area is agricultural – flat and green – so much nicer than the noise and hustle of Amsterdam! The weather had turned miserable – cloudy, cool and rain – not great for touring so I stayed close to my hotel that was located close to the Running Club where the race started/finished. On Thu Jaap had arranged for a friend, a retired military officer – to give us a tour of an air base that had been abandoned by the USA. We were shown a memorial to 33 Dutch citizens who had been shot at that site by Nazis for refusing to work. What shocked me was that Jaap has lived in Soest all his life and had never seen the memorial because the area is prohibited to the public? His friend also gave us a personal, guided tour of the Soest Museum that was closed that day. Then Jaap showed me around his hometown that he is very proud of. Later that evening Jaap and his new bride Mea invited me to their home for a lovely traditional Dutch dinner washed down (of course) with Heineken!

On Sat it rained again for most of the day. I was beginning to worry that the course which was dirt trails through the forest would be wet and muddy and even more worried that it would rain during the race?
On sat evening I was invited to a pasta party at the Running Club who were hosting runners from their sister city of Soest, Germany. A friend, Wolfgang and his wife Giselle, had driven up from Dusseldorf to make a presentation the Club on the Sahara Marathon.

Sun was ‘M’ Day. The race started at 10:30am. It was dry for the start but the trails were a mess. Jaap and I had lots of posing and interviews to make for the local press before the start. The course was a 10.5Km loop though the forests – no roads or streets to cross. Again I started out with a Run/walk strategy. The race had a time limit of 5 ½ hours which could be difficult with the condition of the trails?
I started with a cycle of R-5min & W-1 min. After 5 Km I was in LAST place and increased the cycle to R-1Km & W-1 min. When I completed the 1st loop in 1:15 I was still in LAST place so I decided to increase the cycle to R-2 Km & W-1 min. I finished the 2nd loop in 2:31 and I was still in LAST place!

Around 23Km I finally passed a runner. A race volunteer, (Peter) who had accompanied me throughout the race on a bike informed me that he would have to drop back and follow that runner. Alas – 2 Km later he caught back up to me with the bad news. That runner had dropped out of the race and I was once again in LAST place! To make matters worse (?) it started to rain! At that point I was wondering if Jaap might lap me since I was on schedule to complete the 3rd loop in 3:45? No sooner did I think that when Jaap flew by me. I figured he would finish close to 3:30 – he did finish in 3:29:44 – a great race for him!

When I completed the 3rd loop in 3:50 it was raining hard and my legs were starting to tire. I informed Peter that I was going to reduce the cycle back to R-1Km & W-1 min. for the final loop. Surprisingly I passed another runner around 35 Km. He was suffering severe leg cramps and I tried to encourage and convince him to tough it out and finish (so I wouldn’t be LAST)! Alas- Peter caught up to me about 2 Km later with more bad news. That runner had dropped out and I was in LAST place again! He asked me if I was going to make it (I think he hinted that he was hoping I might quit) but I informed him that ‘quit’ was not in Maddog’s vocabulary! As we passed volunteers along the course for the final time I thanked each and every one for staying there in the cold and rain and suggested they go home for a hot bath and cold beer. All of them knew my name (from pre-race publicity with Jaap) and had cheered me through all 4 laps! Although I was getting close to the cut-off time I kept moving the tired old legs and crossed the finish line in 5:23:55. Jaap was waiting at the finish line to hang a finisher’s medal around my neck and Wolfgang was there to take the photo.

We retreated to the Club house for a beer but suddenly the cold and wet clothes started to bother me so I requested a ride back to the hotel for a hot shower. I think I stayed under that shower for at least 30 min? Jaap had arranged for a friend to drive me back to Amsterdam and to a hotel near the airport since I had an early morning flight home. Jaap and Mea came to the hotel to say bye and thank me for coming. I was glad that I had kept my promise!

I am back home and slowly recovering from the UC flare-up. The leg injuries seem to be behind me so hopefully I will be able to resume my normal training soon and begin the long, slow process of getting back into ‘marathon’ shape.

Stay tuned!

TR - Isle of Jersey

2011-10-24T16:37:00.002-04:00

TRIP REPORT
Isle of Jersey & Netherlands
9/30 – 10/11/11

Race Results:
Sun, Oct 2/11
St Helier, Isle of Jersey
Jersey Marathon
Marathon #348 – Country #111
5:19:55

I almost didn’t write this trip report! I was so frustrated and bummed out with the poor performances and health issues that I didn’t want to bore anyone with the ongoing saga. However one of my friends suggested I should still write a brief report and I do need to thank friends for their support and hospitality at both races so here goes.

If the races and trip had not been international (i.e. one new country to add to my list) and paid for I would have cancelled the trip at the last minute because of a major flare-up with the UC. I literally met with my GI doc a few hours before flight time to get some additional meds to take with me in the hopes it would help control the UC?

When I arrived in Jersey I was pleasantly surprised to find my friend Tony Hancock waiting for me in ‘Arrivals’. I met Tony during the Inca Trail Marathon (Peru) and we keep in touch. Tony lives near London and has a girl friend (Sue) in Jersey. Tony was kind enough to accompany me on the bus into the Central Bus station in St Helier. Race registration and packet pick-up were located one block from the station so I was able to pick up my race packet on the way to the hotel. The Jersey Evening Post had published a supplement for the race that included a nice article on Maddog so I was asked to sign a few autographs during packet pick-up. Later that evening I joined Tony, Sue and her daughter Jen for a lovely pasta dinner.

Sun was ‘M’ Day. The race started and finished in Liberation Square in St Helier. Europe was experiencing record temps for Oct and the forecast was for HOT temps – in the 80s! It was sunny and warm at the 9 am start. Because of injury and health issues I was forced (yet again) to adopt a run/walk race strategy with a primary goal of finishing. I started with a cycle of Run-5 min & Walk-1 min. However by mile 5 I realized I was in LAST place and that was not acceptable to Maddog so I increased the cycle to R-1 Mile & W-1 min. I passed a few runners before reaching the Half in 2:31 and that made me feel better. But I knew the 2nd Half would be even slower because it was getting hotter! There were several relay teams and the relay race started 30 min later so runners kept passing me throughout the race and that was frustrating – except when pretty young ladies ran by me and shouted “well done John/Maddog”. They recognized me from the article in the race supplement. The sad news was that I was in such bad shape that I couldn’t stay with them to chat! As I approached Mile 20 in 3:56 I was staring to wilt from the heat. Fortunately much of the course was on dirt bike trails that were shaded and the next two miles of shade provided some relief and I was able to struggle across the finish line in 5:19:55.

After a brief interview with the local paper I joined Tony, Sue & Jen for a cold beer at the finish line. Then I crawled back to the hotel for a long hot shower before returning to the finish area to join a friend, Jack Brooks, and other fellow members of the 100 Marathon Club (UK) for more beer and a celebration dinner. One member had completed his 100th marathon at the race!

The weather continued to be sunny and warm on Mon so I joined a group to tour the entire island and enjoy the typical tourist sites – the German bunkers at Noirmont Point, Corbiere Point, St Brelade’s Bay, Gorey and Mont Orgueil Castle, etc (see photos). Jersey is a pretty island and there seems to be a lot of money since the houses were huge and I didn’t see any slums?

On Tue the weather returned to normal – cloudy & cool – and I walked around St Helier to buy the required souvenirs, take more photos and enjoy a pleasant seafood dinner at the Fisherman’s Market.

On Wed I had to catch a cab to the airport for a very early morning flight back to Gatwick and on to Amsterdam. I still wasn’t feeling well and would have cancelled that portion of the trip if I had not promised a friend, Jaap, that I would join him to run his 100th marathon in his hometown of Soest, Netherlands! Maybe the UC would calm down and I would feel better by the weekend?

Stay tuned!

TR -Isle of Man

2011-08-18T20:37:00.000-04:00

TRIP REPORT
ISLE of MAN
8/10 – 8/16/11

Race Results
Sun, Aug 14/11
Ramsey, Isle of Man
Isle of Man Marathon
Marathon #347 – Country # 110

Where and how to start this report? There were a number of events that occurred leading up to this race that are important to better understand the story. So I am including a prologue or background section to fill in this information.

Background:

Planning for this race began about one year ago after the Country Club reversed a decision that the Isle of Man and other Channel Islands were not considered ‘countries’. Some Brits and European members protested that decision and submitted data to support their claim. The most significant criteria was data provided by Wikipedia that stated that these British colonies were not part of the UK or EU and competed against the UK in the Commonwealth games. One of the fundamental rules of the Country Club is that if a ‘nation’ is recognized as a country by an International Sports Organization such as the IOC, FIFA or the Commonwealth Games then it is accepted as a ‘country’ by the Country Club.
This decision reversal was good & bad news for Maddog. He now had to run 3 additional countries in Europe to maintain his claim that he had completed every country in Europe – but at least the countries were easy to get to! IOM was the first marathon in the Channel Islands scheduled for 2011.

Since I had not been back to Europe for 5 years I decided to arrange my trip through London and stay over for a few days to visit friends I had not seen for a few years. When I used to travel through London I always stayed with a good friend, Tad Lancucki, and he graciously offered to host me again. Another friend, Roger Biggs, offered to join me to run the marathon and help set up the travel/hotels etc in IOM. Everything was going smoothly until March when I received the shocking and tragic news that Tad had died suddenly and unexpectently of a heart attack! We were all saddened by this terrible news! Our one consolation was that Tad knew he had bad genes and had retired at the age of 44 (same age his father died of a heart attack) and enjoyed 17 years of adventure and fun before his bad genes got the best of him. There is a moral or lesson in this sad news that needs to be heeded by many readers of this blog!

After we let the shock of the tragic news pass Roger jumped to the rescue and scrambled to rearrange the logistics of the trip for the time we were to spend at Tad’s. Then I thought “everything is fine”?
Until early April when an orthoped informed me that I had a stress fracture in my left fibula and needed to take 6 to 8 weeks off from running. As most of you know that ‘rest’ seriously hampered my training and marathons I had planned before IOM. After running/walking the next 3 marathons and moving to our summer home at 9,000 ft in the Rockies I was finally starting to get back in shape. Three weeks before the IOM marathon I was able to run 13 miles at 9,000 ft w/o walking! I felt encouraged that with 3 more weeks of training I would be able to run close to 4 hrs in IOM. Until late July when some friends who were staying with us asked me to join them to run the Vail Half Marathon. It is a tough trail course and I thought it would be a good training run. I was worried about an injury and decided to run easy and not take any risks? However 8 miles and 3,500 vertical feet into the race I heard and felt a ‘pop’ in my right calf. As I was carried off the mountain on an ATV I kept asking “what have I done to myself and the IOM marathon”? I had torn the calf muscle and to complicate matters we were scheduled to leave 2 days later for a family wedding in Canada and thus I was not able to schedule any PT (physical therapy).
I could barely walk during our visit and when I returned to Colorado I immediately scheduled PT in the hope that it might expedite the healing process. I also forced myself to walk every day and started to include short runs. At first I couldn’t run longer than 30 to 60 secs but one week later (and 4 PT sessions) I had built up to 10 miles with a cycle of Run 5 min & Walk 1 min. That equated to a 13-min pace which would be good enough to finish the IOM marathon under the 6-hr limit! My biggest concern was “would the injured calf hang together for 26 miles”? But I had no option other than hope as I departed Colorado for London.

And now the race story begins.

Race Story:

I arrived at LHR in the early morning and was greeted by a smiley and cheerful Roger. It was 2 am –my body time – so I was not smiling. We drove around London on the M 25 to the village of Copthorne that is close to Gatwick airport where we were to depart early the next morning for IOM. We stayed with John Gilbert and Pam Story – 2 ultra marathoners and members of the 100 Marathon Club (UK). Gil & Pam are also included in the ‘Messengers’ book but I had not met them before. Nobody seemed to mind when I slipped away to sleep for 4 hrs. Later we enjoyed a pleasant stroll through Copthorne and a nice feed of fish & chips at a local pub. I slept 11 hrs before we headed to Gatwick and departed for IOM.

Roger had booked a rental car for 2 pm. We arrived at 1 pm and the rental agency would not let us have the car until 2 pm? I bit my tongue so I wouldn’t appear to be ‘an ugly American’ – Roger said it wouldn’t do any good? Finally we got a car and drove into Douglas to find our B & B. I was glad that Roger was driving. The country and roads reminded me of Ireland. Everything is green and the roads are very narrow with hedges and rock walls along both sides! The island is not that big – 572 sq Km and a population of 80,000. The cities and towns are quite small.

After checking in we decided to leave the car parked and explore the capital city on foot. High Street was only a few blocks from the hotel and within 2 blocks and 30 min I had collected all ‘required’ souvenirs – postcards, teaspoon and silver charm. That is a record – it often takes me 2 to 3 days to collect all the required souvenirs. We enjoyed another good feed of fish & chips at a chippy shop.
Another friend and Country Club member, Edson Sanches, was supposed to arrive that evening so I left a message that we planned to tour the island on Sat morning.

The weather looked like it might cooperate on Sat with cloudy skies and no rain as Roger and I ( couldn’t find Edson) drove north to Laxey to check out the Great Laxey Wheel – a giant wheel with a diameter of 72.5 ft built in 1854 to pump water out of the lead and zinc mines in Laxey. We planned to take an electric train from Laxey to the summit of Snaefell Mtn but we figured it was too overcast and we wouldn’t see much so we continued on to Ramsey where the race would start/finish. We saw part of the race course as we drove over to the Atlantic Coast and south to the town of Peel. There we visited the Peel Castle and the House of Manannan. (Lots of photos posted to my photo website). Then we continued on to Castletown, the ancient capital of IOM. We strolled by Rushen Castle, the Old House of Keys and along the town center before heading back to Douglas. As we approached Douglas the sun had burned off the clouds and we decided to drive back to Laxey to take the electric train to the summit of Snaefell Mtn (2036 ft). It was an interesting ride and I couldn’t help but notice the similarity to the terrain and environment of the Rocky Mtns even though the mtn is only 2036 ft. The tree line ended around 1200 ft and alpine meadows climbed to the summit. And it was much colder – about 20 degrees – at the summit. We could see Scotland and England from the summit but Wales was obscured by clouds. We had toured the whole island in one day. Back in Douglas we finally found Edson at his hotel and enjoyed a nice pasta dinner on High St.

Sun was M-day. The race started at 9 am so we ate a light breakfast and then picked up Edson for the drive to Ramsey. Packet pick up was at the start line in Ballacloan Stadium in Ramsey. My only complaint about the pre-race logistics was the lack of toilets – only 4 toilets in the club house - for more than 300 runners. I had to find a bush near the stadium! The weather was nice – sunny and temps in the low 50s at the start. The marathon started at 9 am and the Half at 9:30 am. I had decided to wear a compression sock on my right leg in the hopes that it would help to hold the injured calf together? Since the leg felt OK my race strategy was to go out at a cycle of Run 5 min & Walk 1 min. The course was a half-marathon loop with the first 5 miles being hilly and the highest point at 5 miles (259 ft). Edson was suffering from a hip injury and figured he would run a 5-hr race. We started together but he would leave me behind each time I walked and then I would catch up again during my run cycle. When we passed mile 3 in 32:24 I was quite pleased – averaging an 11-min pace. The next two miles included the BAH. When I reached mile 6 in 1:05:08 and a split of 10:36 the leg still felt OK and I decided to increase the cycle by 1 min each cycle until I reached a cycle of Run 10 min & Walk 1 min. I was a wee bit discouraged when the Half Marathon leaders blew by me around 7 miles – they were running twice as fast as my pace! I caught Edson at 10 miles (1:47:25) and we ran together to the Half. The compression sock seemed to be helping the injured calf but by 10 miles I could feel a blister starting to form on my big toe. By the time we passed the Half in 2:19:05 I was concerned that the blister would get worse so I stopped and took off the compression sock to check for a blister. Thankfully there was no blister but the toe was red and raw so I rubbed Vaseline on my toes and only put the double-layer sock back on. The foot felt much better!

Edson had continued on and by the time I reached the top of the BAH for the 2nd time at Mile 17 in 3:06:45 I couldn’t see him? Those hills seemed to be much harder the 2nd time around? I guessed that he might have made a pit stop and was behind me? Since the leg still felt OK I increased the cycle to Run 2 Miles & Walk 1 min. Edson caught me at Mile 19 in 3:30:01. We had 90 min to run the final 7 miles – a 13-min pace – to break 5 hrs! Edson declared that he was going to stay with me and drag my sorry ass across the finish line under 5 hrs! We (read I) did OK until Mile 23 (4:16:00) and then I ran out of gas. It is difficult to maintain the required level of aerobic conditioning to run 26 miles w/o being able to train. We had 44 min to cross the finish line and I knew we could do that even if we slowed down. I told Edson to go on ahead but he refused! He nagged/pulled/pushed me to hold the pace. I didn’t care if I finished in 4:59:59 but Edson said that was not acceptable. I finally told him to f%*k off and leave me alone – but he refused! When we reached Mile 25 in 4:40:37 and a split of 12:41 I told him that I was going to walk 2 min so I could run to the finish line. Thank goodness the final mile was a gentle decline so all I had to do was lift my feet and let gravity drag me to the finish line. At Mile 26 Edson stopped and told me to go across the finish line first. Maddog wasn’t willing to accept that! I grabbed his hand and we crossed the finish line together in 4:55:13!

I was in bad shape. I was totally exhausted and felt nauseous! From previous experience I knew that I was suffering from low blood sugar - that happens when I push the old bod beyond its limits. I stumbled into the clubhouse looking for sugar – preferably a coke. However pop and beer had to be purchased at a bar. I wasn’t sure if I could find my warm-up bag and money before puking or passing out? Luckily Roger was in the club house. He had finished in 4:09 – and already had a shower and lunch. I asked him to buy me a coke while I wolfed down two large pieces of chocolate cake covered in icing and then washed them down with the coke. Within a few minutes I could feel the sugar coursing through my system and I felt much better and recovered quickly.

We stayed in the stadium for the awards. Maddog received an award for completing Country #110.
Then we drove back to the hotel over the IOM TT course – where the annual TT motorcycle race is held.
After a hot shower and another coke I felt much better and walked down to the Promenade to take more photos of Douglas. Later we met a bunch of friends/members of the 100 Marathon Club for a few beers and dinner.

Roger and I had an early afternoon flight back to Gatwick so we explored more of the city on foot to take more photos. We arrived at Gatwick in the late afternoon and drove around London on the M25 to St Albans – north of the city. We joined another good friend, Jack Brooks, who was hosting us for the night for a great pub dinner and lots of English ale – maybe too much ale (although a few were hoisted to our fallen comrade Tad) because I was not too eager to wake up at 5am for the drive to LHR. It was a lonnngggg flight home!

I am back home in Colorado. After a 12-hr sleep to adjust the body clock from GMT to MT I went for an easy 10-mile run. The leg felt OK so imagine my disappointment when the PT dug her fingers into the scar tissue in the calf – and I jumped two feet off the table in pain? We quickly surmised that many more PT sessions are needed before the calf is ready for hard/fast training.

Fortunately I have 6 weeks before my next adventure and two international marathons – back in the Channel Islands and Europe!

Stay tuned!

TR - Philippines

2011-06-30T20:28:00.001-04:00

TRIP REPORT
East Timor & Philippines
6/14 – 6/28/11
Part #2

Sun, Jun 26/11
Manila, Philippines
Manila International Marathon
Marathon # 346 – Country # 109
4:51:16

Now where was I? Oh yes – on a plane from Singapore to Manila for the next marathon/adventure of this trip. I arrived early afternoon on Wed and my first experience in the Philippines was a wild/exciting taxi ride to my hotel. It quickly became clear as my fingers dug into the dash and my foot was trying to push an imaginary brake through the floor that the only rule for driving in Manila was “there were no rules”! The driver laughed and explained “the marked lanes on the roads and traffic lights are only suggestions – nobody pays any attention to them”! But we did make it to the hotel safely.

After checking in I explored the area close to the hotel on foot to get my bearings. The hotel was in downtown Manila – an area called Malate where the marathon started/finished. This is the business, tourist and ‘red light’ district of Manila. I quickly discovered the 3 ‘H’s – hawkers/homeless/hookers!
The street hawkers were hawking many products and typically in this order:
1) Money exchange. This is typically a scam where they short change the tourist.
2) Viagra and Cialis at bargain rates. I was advised by a hooker that these products were fake.
3) Fake Rolex watches – but at least you knew they were fake.
4) A ‘pretty lady’. Many had an 8x10 sheet of photos of the available stable.
5) If all the above products failed then the really good hawkers would offer a ‘pretty boy’?
I am sure that the offerings/products didn’t end there. I believe you can buy anything you want in Manila?

Next were the homeless –hundreds of them sleeping and begging in the streets. I ignored them and refused to give them any money. A few times they tried to pick my pocket and grab my watch and I would have to shout a stern “NO” and slap their hands! However whenever I ate a meal I would leave some and have it packed in a doggy bag (or homeless bag) and give it to a kid on the way back to the hotel.

Lastly but not least were the hookers – thousands of them! Many were selling on the street and many from shops or bars that advertised a basic rate of 930 pesos ($22 US). At first it was amusing – but quickly became annoying! I avoided going into any hooker bars because hookers would swarm all over the customers and a scam warned in the guide book was that they would drop drugs into a customer’s drink and they would wake up later in alley w/o money/watch/passport, etc. I tried to find a regular bar to enjoy a cool beer but even there I was harassed by hookers. But at least the bar served my beer with a napkin stuffed into and wrapped around the neck of the bottle so that no drugs could be placed in to the beer. I held that beer closely and never let it out of my sight! And I never returned to another bar – I either bought beer at a convenience store and drank it in my room or used the bar in the hotel.

The good hotels had security at the entrance that kept the 3 Hs out of the hotel. Luxury hotels had security and metal detectors but that was like going through an airport every time you entered the hotel. Another option I soon discovered was a huge modern shopping mall (Robinsons) a few blocks from the hotel. It also had security at every entrance to prohibit the 3 Hs. There were many fast food restaurants and a few good restaurants inside the mall and I am almost embarrassed to admit that I ate most of my meals there because of the safe and hassle-free environment.

I managed to shop and buy many of my ‘required’ country souvenirs at that mall which was convenient. The one item I couldn’t find was a silver charm for Nicole’s charm bracelet. After checking several souvenirs shops in Malate I still came up blank and I realized this item was going to be difficult to find? After dinner (at the mall) it was raining hard when I returned to the hotel. On Thu I planned to run a few easy miles but it was still raining hard and blowing like crazy? I asked the desk clerk for the weather forecast. I was informed that a typhoon was approaching the Philippines and would be slamming the country for the next 3 or 4 days! Oh! Oh! How would that affect the marathon? I called Dino, the race director, who advised me that the race would go on – ‘rain or shine’. He wanted to meet me at the hotel to personally deliver the race packet but I asked him to wait till my friend, Edson arrived from NYC to join me.

I thought about running in the rain but realized that a huge blister I had developed on my left heel during the Dili Marathon was bothering me? I visited a few pharmacies trying to find a special band aid called a blister patch or ‘2nd skin’ to cushion the heel but those products were not available in Manila. Out of desperation I visited a Chinese Pharmacy – they have been healing blisters for thousands of years with herbs, etc? I described my problem to a young clerk who translated to a little old Chinese lady who mixed me up a special salve. I asked what was in the salve but she wouldn’t tell me? So I told the clerk that I would use it but if my left foot fell off I was coming back to complain! She translated that to the little old Chinese lady who must have thought that was funny because she was laughing hysterically as I left the shop? The salve did work and my foot never fell off!

Later that afternoon Typhoon Falcon slammed into Manila and the winds and rain were torrential! At dinner time the typhoon was raging and the streets were flooded and I wisely refused to leave the hotel. I ate dinner in the hotel – it was convenient and dry – but the food was mediocre. I was again worried about the marathon and also about Edson making it to Manila? On Fri morning the winds and rain let up for a few hours – long enough so that Edson’s flight from Hong Kong arrived safely. I joined him at the Hyatt Hotel – one of those luxury hotels I was talking about. I thought it was overpriced and on top of that they wanted to nickel and dime us for every added item. I refused to pay $20/day for internet access (it was free at my previous hotel where the hotel rate was half the Hyatt).

By dinner time Typhoon Falcon was raging again and the streets were flooded again. Now we were really worried about the race. I tried to phone Dino but couldn’t get an answer? On Sat morning the winds and rain let up again and it actually looked like the weather was clearing up? Friends of Edson’s had left a phone message that their flight from the US to Manila had been diverted to Malaysia on Fri. and they were returning to the US? I finally managed to reach Dino and was not ready for the BAD news! The race committee had met Fri night during the height of the typhoon and decided to cancel the race – actually postpone it until Sept 18/11. We were stunned initially and then I explained very emphatically to Dino that we had paid a lot of money to come to Manila to run a marathon – and we were going to run a marathon – ‘no matter what’!

Dino apologized, said that he understood our position and offered to provide any help he could. We agreed to meet at 4 pm to discuss the situation. In the meantime the weather did improve. The wind and rain stopped so Edson and I decided to walk over to the start/finish line and check out part of the marathon course. Our thoughts were that we should try to use as much of the official course as possible to create our own route/course. The official course ran along Manila Bay – a 10.5 Km loop out and back that had to be completed twice. We walked a section of the course along Bayfront Walk – a pedestrian walk that was about 2 miles long. We figured the worse case was run that 2-mile loop 13 times? By circumstance Dino’s running shop was located near the Bayfront Walk so we visited the store to check the list of runners. There were 5 runners from the USA (two had notified us that they were returning to the US) but maybe we could get the other American and foreign runners to join us? The shop was full of runners picking up their race packets and being informed that the race was cancelled! I made an announcement in the store that we had travelled all the way from the USA at great expense and we were not going home w/o running the marathon! I invited the local runners to join us at the start line at the official start time of 4am. A few indicated that they would join us. We were optimistic that we might get 8 to 10 runners to join us to run the marathon?

Later we met Dino. He delivered our race packets with Bib #s and race T-shirt. He had kindly reserved Bib #109 for me to commemorate Country # 109! We discussed the race. I believe that Dino was already regretting the decision of the Committee to cancel because the weather had cleared up and it looked like it would be nice on Sun? We told him about our plan and asked how much of the official course we could run ‘safely’. He offered to drive us over the course and we confirmed that if we stayed on the bay side of the road we could safely run the entire course. There was one section from 9 to 10.5 Km that was along a major road but there was a narrow sidewalk we could use. While we were driving the course many runners called to ask and then complain about the race being cancelled and Dino informed them of our plan and invited them to join us. The next problem was water? Because the route would have lots of people using it we couldn’t leave or hide water because it would probably be stolen. We couldn’t carry enough water to last 5 hrs? Dino offered to provide a support van to follow us and provide water and any other support needed. He also offered to provide a local runner to guide/pace us through the course. We were satisfied – the race was on!

Edson and I enjoyed a nice pasta dinner, retired early and arrived at the start line about 10 minutes before start time. We had purchased several bottles of water to place in the support van. Thankfully Dino was there as promised. We were joined by another foreign runner from Korea, a pacer and 14 local runners! We explained to Dino and our pacer that our goal was to finish under the official course time limit of 5 hrs! We started promptly at 4 am. The temp was 77 F and it was humid after all the rain!
I felt sorry for the pacer because I asked him what his normal time was for a marathon – sub 2:50. I know how difficult – and painful – it can be to slow your pace down that much! But he was a trooper and stayed with us and shouted out major distance markers as we passed them. We were lucky and appreciative that Dino was supporting us because the Baywalk was full of homeless people sleeping. We could not have left any water along that section of the course! And it was more difficult than expected at our informal water stops. The van had to find a place to stop and we had to open doors, get our water, drink, return the water, etc. A typical water stop wasted 2 to 3 minutes! We passed 5Km in 34:29 and 10Km in 1:08:35. The section we assumed would be difficult was OK on the 1st loop since there was not much traffic but we still sucked in a lot of exhaust fumes from cars and buses. The rest of the course was fairly safe since it was used by local runners and bikers as their usual training routes. We couldn’t believe how many people we had to share the course with at 5 am? But it made us feel safer. We finished the 1st loop and Half in 2:20:20. I knew the 2nd half would not be that fast because of the heat and humidity but I figured if we ran/slowed to 2:30 we would still beat the time limit. I told Edson that I wanted to stick to a more regimented run/walk cycle in the 2nd Half: run – 20 min and walk-1min. We were surprised and a little upset when the Korean dropped out at that point. We had stopped and walked a few times to let him catch up since we figured that he was going to stay with us for the entire marathon? Our pacer also dropped out but he was replaced by another pacer on a bike. He carried our water on the bike and this made for smoother and quicker water stops. By the time we reached the ‘difficult’ section at 31Km I was overheating and my old bod was having difficulty venting heat to cool down. I started to struggle during that brief loop along the major road and we reached 34Km in 4:00:48. We had 1 hour to finish the final 8 Km. Edson started to worry about beating the 5-hr time limit but I knew that we would be OK as long as we stuck to a regimented run/walk cycle. My legs were fading because of the heat and humidity and I told Edson that I was going to reduce the cycle to run-15 min and walk-1min. He was worried about the time limit and started to push the pace. I had no push left in my tired old legs and sadly let him go ahead. But I managed to keep him in sight. I asked the pacer to let me know when we had 5 Km and 3 Km left so that I could be sure to beat the time limit. When I reached 39Km with 30 min left I finally was confident that sub-5 hrs was in the bag and I let myself relax and cruise to the finish line in 4:51:16. Edson finished in 4:48:13.

Dino was waiting for us at the finish line. After some finish line photos and a brief rest to cool down Dino awarded Edson and I with finisher certificates and medals from the official marathon. Everyone was happy with the outcome. The locals had run the race as a training run and planned to run the race again in Sept. We walked back to our hotel for a long hot soak and shower. The typhoon had prevented me from exploring the city and countryside but now I was determined to do both before I left Manila. Thus I joined a group of tourists for a city tour on Sun afternoon while Edson rested and slept.

The city tour started with a visit to Makati, the financial district of Manila. It is modern, clean – no 3 Hs to contend with! We passed several luxurious, gated communities where expats and rich locals live. We visited the American Memorial Cemetery where 17,000 Americans from WW II are buried. The tour then passed through Pasay City and Malate to stop at Rizal Park – a National Park in the center of the city that is dedicated to the Philippine national hero Dr Jose Rizal. Rizal Park contains a monument to Rizal and a huge relief map of the Philippines. The final stop was Intramuros – the old city- settled by the Spanish in 1572. We visited the Manila Cathedral and Fort Santiago – built by the Spanish in 1572 to protect the city. The tour provided us with a brief overview of Manila and its history. Unfortunately – stops at a few souvenir shops still didn’t produce the much-needed charm for Nicole’s bracelet.

That evening Edson and I enjoyed a celebration and farewell dinner before departing on Mon. Edson had an early flight back to the US and since I had an evening flight I booked a tour to Tagaytay to get out of the city and explore the countryside. Tagaytay is located 60Kms south of Manila in the Cavite province. It is located on a ridge overlooking Lake Taal and the Taal Volcano. On the way to Tagaytay we stopped in Las Pinas to visit the San Jose Church that houses a bamboo organ built in 1816. The organ and sound is so unique and special that a Bamboo Organ Festival is held every year and top organists around the world are invited to visit and play the organ.

After leaving the church we visited a Jeepney factory. The guide introduced me to the owner who claimed he used to run marathons until his knees gave out. When he heard that I came to Manila just to run a marathon he gave me a personal tour of his factory. It was interesting. The original Jeepneys were built from surplus Jeeps left by the Americans after WW II. The chassis was cut and extended much like stretch limos in the US. Today each Jeepney is built by hand from scratch. The engines and transmission are Isuzu from Japan. The chassis and length is custom built to specs requested by each buyer. There are no electronics. The entire vehicle is strictly mechanical so that it can be easily repaired and maintained by anyone with basic mechanical skills.

We arrived in Tagaytay in time to enjoy lunch in a nice restaurant overlooking Lake Taal and the Taal Volcano. The lake and volcano lie within a massive prehistoric volcano crater. Taal Volcano is an island in the middle of the lake formed by an eruption in 1911. It is no longer active but recently has started spewing sulphur fumes so trekking tours to the island and volcano have been cancelled. I enjoyed the best meal I ate in the Philippines – a whole grouper grilled over charcoal and washed down with a few San Miguel beers while enjoying the fantastic views of Lake Taal and the Taal Volcano! On the way back to Manila we passed through an agricultural valley (pineapples on sale for 5 pesos or 12 cents) and an industrial section of Manila with many auto plants. It was a nice trip and day out of Manila. I told the guide about my search for a charm and he made a slight detour to the largest souvenir shop in the city. They didn’t have a charm that represented Manila (I would have liked a Jeepney) but they did have a charm that would work. Success finally!

When I returned to the hotel I still had a few hours to kill before going to the airport. I decided a massage would be nice and useful to prevent problems with DVT on the long journey home. But the problem was where to find a legitimate massage? There are hundreds of massage shops in Manila but most of them offered ‘Happy’ massages as I call them. I remembered passing a Spa near the Italian restaurant so returned there and spoke to the manager and masseuse. Yes – they only offered legit massages and the masseuse was qualified to provide a deep-tissue massage. I booked 2 hrs for $20!
The masseuse was tiny – maybe 4 ft 10 in and 90 pounds max – but she had fingers of steel! It didn’t take her long to find and fix a lot of aches and pains I didn’t even know I had. I left feeling good – not ‘Happy’ – and asking the question: “Why can’t I get rates like this back home”? I would get a massage every day!

After another exciting taxi ride to the airport I was on my way back to Singapore. I had a 10-hr layover in Singapore and had wisely booked a room for 9 hrs in the transit hotel inside the airport. After a good sleep, shower and breakfast I was ready for the 30 hrs of flights and airports home. And with a good massage – no DVT!

I am back home and suffering severe jet lag. I stay up as late as possible – go to bed – sleep two hrs and then at midnight I am wide awake and can’t sleep. My old bod still thinks it is 8 am in East Timor and wants to get up?

On top of that I need to resume training for my next international marathon in 6 weeks. I had just acclimated to the high altitude before I left for this trip and have now lost all that advantage and have to start all over again! Based on my performances in the past two races I am still not in shape to run an entire marathon so I have lots of work to do!

Stay tuned!

TR - East Timor

2011-06-29T14:14:00.001-04:00

TRIP REPORT
East Timor & Philippines
6/14 – 6/28/11
Part #1

Sat, Jun 18/11
Dili Peace Marathon
Dili, East Timor, Oceania
Marathon #345 – Country # 108
4:47:15

Before I even start this report I am sure I need to answer the question “Where is East Timor”? East Timor or ‘Timor-Leste’ is located in the South Pacific – about 400Km north of Darwin, Australia. As I soon discovered it is difficult to get to – daily flights from Darwin or a few flights each week from Singapore.
Since this trip started out with the purpose of running a marathon in Manila and the Dili Marathon only got added when I realized it was one week before Manila – I was locked into flying to/from East Timor via Singapore. Adding the marathon and the destination really increased the complications and cost of the trip – but I figured I could average the costs over two races.

I had such a difficult time trying to book flights that I finally contacted a travel agent in Canada who was an authorized agent of Air Timor. He booked the entire journey for me which required multiple layovers in Singapore since we booked Singapore Air for the rest of the trip. On the outgoing leg I reached Singapore 35 hrs after leaving home in CO. I was faced with a 6-hr layover in Singapore. I had initially been informed that I would have to leave the airport (through immigration and customs) and then return to get a boarding pass and check bags with Air Timor. Thus I did not bother trying to book a ‘nap’ room at the transit hotel in the airport. Fortunately I managed to get Singapore Air to check my bags straight through to East Timor and did not have to leave the airport. Unfortunately I now had 6 hrs to kill in the airport – and all ‘nap’ rooms were full! I was so tired and in need of lying down horizontally that I slept 4 hrs on the airport floor. Finally 41 hrs after leaving home I arrived in Dili.

On the flight to Dili I sat next to a lovely young lady (Crissy) from NYC who worked for the NY Runner’s Club. She had been working with the East Timor Sports Federation to help put together programs to teach the ET youth to run. She planned to provide on-site assistance and training during the marathon and would remain for a few days after to visit schools in ET. Thankfully her driver showed up at the airport and she offered to drop me off at my hotel. She was also met by a race volunteer who provided us with a lot of details about the race. The USS Cleveland – an amphibious transport ship - was anchored in the Dili harbor and the ship had volunteered to provide medical staff for the race.

The hotel I booked was on the east side of Dili – the undeveloped area of Dili. It looked like a UN compound. 80% of the guests were UN staff and police. Everyone was carrying a gun? I felt very safe!
Independence and peace (obtained in 2002 after several years of war) are still fragile and the UN force is needed to stabilize the peace and help the country get back on its feet. There is very little infrastructure and NO tourist infrastructure! ET has not been discovered by tourists yet. It is the poorest country in Asia. The locals are very poor and live in slums w/o plumbing, AC, electricity, etc. Only the UN and embassy staffs and foreign workers (mostly from Australia) have money. Hotels are cheap ($50/night) but most are dumps. There are no American fast food restaurants and much to my surprise no Italian restaurant in the country! There are no hospitals in ET – there are some medical clinics operated by charities that offer basic medical treatment to the poor. The guide book strongly recommended that a visitor purchase trip/medical insurance because any serious illness/injury might require a med-vac to Australia or home! I also followed recommendations to update all vacinations and take medicione for malaria prevention.

I desperately tried to stay awake long enough to enjoy a nice seafood dinner on the beach across from the hotel before crashing early. I had been up for 48 hrs! On Fri morning I decided to run an ‘easy’ 5 miles along the beach road even though it was the day before the marathon. I had not run all week and needed to loosen the legs up! After breakfast it was time to explore the city and find the marathon expo at the President’s Palace. I quickly had to learn to become proficient at negotiating with the taxi drivers.
Dili is not big but it is spread out along the Timor Sea and it is too hot to walk far so taxis are the only mode of transportation. The standard fare is $1 (US) for a short ride but of course the taxi drivers try to screw all foreigners by charging double or triple. I found it to be a hassle and walked most places until the sun got too hot and then I was glad to pay almost any price to ride!

After a $3 taxi ride to the President’s Palace (located far out in the west end) I found the race expo and Melanie – the race volunteer whom I had interfaced with on the Net. She had kindly reserved Bib #1108 for me to commemorate Country #108. (marathon #s started at 1000 so #108 was not possible). There were three races – marathon, Half and 7Km. Each race had distinctive bib colors and numbers so runners could recognize competitors. There were about 100 runners in the marathon, 400 in the Half and 7,000 (mostly local kids) in the 7 Km. I didn’t recognize any runners in the marathon and I was the only American who had travelled from the USA specifically for the race. There were a few Americans who were UN staff. Melanie requested that I do an interview for a documentary being filmed on the race by an Australian crew. Most of the professionals in the country are from Australia (not a big surprise because of the ties and proximity).

I asked Melanie and the Aussies about an Italian restaurant for pasta – there is no Italian restaurant in the country but fortunately many restaurants do serve pizza and pasta. On the way back to the hotel I stopped at a tour agency to enquire about tours. I already knew that I wanted to get ‘out of town’ after the race. As I said there is no tourist infrastructure and no ‘canned’ tours. The agency could customize any tour for a fee of $180/day. Too expensive! Luckily a young Swiss couple walked in at the very same time with the same request and same comment. We huddled and decided to share the cost of a 2-day tour to the eastern regions of ET.

My next challenge was to find the ‘typical’ souvenirs that I purchase in each country –postcards, a souvenir teaspoon and a silver charm for Nicole’s charm bracelet. I knew it was going to be a BIG challenge. There are no tourist shops. There is a Tais market that sells local handicraft and tais (a special woven fabric) and local carvings but no cards and no spoons? I found postcards in a gift shop at the best hotel in town and lucked in at the same gift shop with a silver charm. The cards were $2.50 – each! There is no mail delivery in ET. I had to go to the only Post Office in the city to buy stamps ($1/card) and return later to personally hand the cards to a postal clerk! No mail drop! Any bets on whether they ever make it to the US?

A souvenir teaspoon was the biggest challenge. After 3 days of searching I accepted the conclusion that they don’t exist in ET. I remembered what my solution was in Moldova – the poorest country in Europe – where they also didn’t exist. The few jewelry stores didn’t have a real silver teaspoon so I went to the largest supermarket in Dili – a local version of a Super Wal-Mart – and bought a stainless teaspoon and had it engraved with “East Timor”! Maddog can be resourceful when needed.

After a basic pasta dinner at my hotel restaurant I retired early. The race started at 6:30 am – a little late I thought for such warm climes. The official reason was that they had to wait for daylight because there were few street lights (and they didn’t work) and the roads were full of potholes. Fortunately my hotel was only 1 mile from the start line because taxis don’t operate during night/dark hours because of safety concerns. I needed to walk/jog to the start line anyways to get my muscles warmed and loosened up. On the short jog along the beach road at 5:45 am (in the dark) I was joined by two local runners who were running the Half. I didn’t know what the temp was – there are no local TV stations because locals can’t afford a TV but I guess the temps were in the high 70s for the 6:30 am start. Surprisingly the race started very close to the official time!

I didn’t believe that I was in good enough shape (yet) to run the entire marathon. Since there were water stations located every 3 Km my race strategy was to run between stations and then walk for 1 min through each station. The course was a Half marathon loop that started and ended in front of the Governor’s Palace. The marathon and Half started together so I had lots of company for the 1st loop. I reached the 2nd water stop at 6km in 36:13 and a split of 5:49/Km. I was averaging just under a 10 min/mile pace. Surprisingly there were a lot of spectators along the course. Around 10Km I was running behind a lovely young Aussie lass who was running the Half. I had curiously noted as we passed through groups of spectators that many of them were laughing? At first I thought it was because the Aussie lass was wearing spandex shorts? But as we separated some distance I realized that they were laughing at Maddog? And then I started listening to the comments such as “get a shovel and dig a hole”? Life expectancy in ET for males is 64 years – they were shocked to see an ‘old man’ – a man who should be dead – running a marathon! The laughs and jeers continued for the entire 1st loop but I soon learned to ignore then.

I passed 15 Km in 1:31:49 and a split of 6:12/km. It was 8am and getting HOT. As I finished the 1st loop in 2:11:37 and a split of 6:15 I was pleased with my time but knew the 2nd loop would not be as fast. It reminded me of the recent marathon in Guam when the temps became brutal in the 2nd Half! And suddenly I was alone. I didn’t start passing runners until about 27Km when the temps had reached the high 80s! And the laughs and jeers from the spectators started to change to applause and cheers as the old fart/dead man started to pass local runners half his age! By 30KM -3:13:03 and a split of 7:19 I was overheated and my pace was slowing drastically. I threw water over my head and neck in an effort to cool down. My legs were fading because of the heat and I decided to shorten the cycle to run 2Km –walk 1 min and then run to a water station and walk 1 min again. I was able to hold that cycle and average about 11:30/mile. A sag wagon/ambulance followed me for the final 7 Km. It unnerved me because I was afraid they might try to pull me off the course even though I was staying behind two young local runners who were half my age. By the time I reached 40Km in 4:30:22 and a split of 8:05/Km I had an ambulance and 4 motorcycle cops following me? I couldn’t understand why? I couldn’t be in last place?
I had passed several runners in the final 10Km who had succumbed to the heat – surely they had to be behind me and in more trouble than I?

I was determined to keep the wasted old legs shuffling and not walk again until I crossed the finish line in 4:47:15. A pretty nurse from the USS Cleveland latched on to me and insisted on staying with me until I recovered and felt better. She applied ice packs to my head and neck to lower my body temp and mixed me a recovery drink to replace electrolytes. It took about 10 min for my body temp to lower and to feel normal again – but very tired! When I finally dragged my sore legs and tired ass over to the finish line for the mandatory finish line photo the course and finish line had been closed down? Was I the last runner to finish? I didn’t find out till the results were posted two days later. Thankfully I didn’t win that dubious honor! One male runner finished in last place – 6 min behind me! I wondered what happened to all the runners I passed in the final 15Km until I learned that 115 runners started the marathon and only 41 finished! I did finish in 4th and last place in my AG – 50+. That didn’t bother me since I was the oldest runner in the race!

Before grabbing a taxi back to the hotel I stopped at the tour agency to confirm that –‘Yes”- the 2-day tour to the eastern regions of ET was confirmed and they would pick me up at 8 am on Sun.

Back to the hotel for a hot shower and a few beer. For dinner I walked across the road to a small restaurant on the beach and enjoyed a delicious whole red snapper grilled over an open fire (washed down with beer of course) for $17! The fish cost $7 and 2 (large) beer cost $10. That’s less than it cost to send 5 postcards?

I was eager to ‘get out of town’ and explore the countryside so went to bed early. I waited in the hotel lobby at 8am for a tour guide – and waited- and waited! The tour agency was closed on Sun so I had no way to contact them but I understood at 10am that there wasn’t going to be any tour! I wasn’t surprised but I was disappointed. I had already checked out of the hotel so I decided to move to a different hotel on the west side of Dili – more hotels, bars and restaurants in that area. The tour agency did track me down there to inform me that the guide was sick and could they reschedule the tour to start on Mon. Unfortunately NO since I was leaving ET on Tue. Bummer – I would have to spend another 2 days in Dili and not get to explore the countryside!

Those final 2 days were long and boring. I walked around to take some more photos of the city and tried to find a teaspoon until I eventually accepted the solution described earlier. Since I had lots of spare time I was able to start my trip report while details were still fresh in my mind. I treated myself to a 2-hr deep tissue Thai massage for $30! Wish I could get those prices back home. Finally Tue arrived and my flight left in the afternoon for Singapore.

I had a 15-hr overnight layover in Singapore and had booked a hotel near Clarke Quay. What a difference! Singapore is so modern and pristine clean! And much more expensive. A delightful seafood dinner and beer cost three times the price I had been paying in ET. The next leg of my journey was a 3-hr flight to Manila on Wed morning. And a good place to end this part of the story.

To be continued – stay tuned!

RR - Estes Park Marathon

2011-06-29T14:13:00.003-04:00

Race Report
Sun, Jun 12/11
Estes Park Marathon
Estes Park, CO
Marathon # 344
5:14:41

This will be a hard report to write since a month and two races have elapsed since I finished this race.
And I already posted the more recent reports because they were international races and I felt my readers were more interested in reading them. But I need to write this report for record purposes and there were some interesting and challenging circumstances leading up to this race.

If you recall the last race/report was Guam at the end of Mar. When I returned home my left leg was hurting? The first test confirmed no DVT but a 2nd test unfortunately confirmed a stress fracture in the left fibula. Actually it was a ‘stress reaction’ but the orthoped strongly emphasized that it needed to be treated like a fracture – no running or exercise that would stress or impact the leg for six weeks! That was a big problem since I was registered for Boston in 3 weeks and two international races in mid –Jun.
I reluctantly cancelled Boston for the 2nd year in a row began a 6-week program of cross training at the YMCA. I tried weight machines for the upper body, an exercise bike and swimming. The bike seemed to cause stress/pain on the leg so it was quickly dropped. I cross trained with weights and pool faithfully for 6 weeks. At times I felt like I was growing gills after swimming for 1 hr every day? Finally in mid-May I decided to test the leg. I began with very short distances- 3 miles of run & walk and quickly built up to 8 miles. By the time we left for our summer home in the mountains on May 24 I was running/walking 10 miles in FL!

Our summer home is located at 9,000 ft in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The 1st week of training in the mtns is always tough but this year was the worst I experienced in all the years we have lived here! The high altitude combined with my poor conditioning just plain kicked my ass! I couldn’t run more than 3 min w/o sucking desperately for air and if I tried to stretch the time out to 5 min I would become totally fatigued? Once again I confirmed and warn all my (running) friends that cross training may help maintain a basic level of aerobic conditioning – but it doesn’t do shit to help train for running. Only running can train you for running! It was like I had to start all over again!

I was concerned about the two international races I had scheduled – and paid for- in mid –Jun. I only had 3 weeks to train for them! I figured in the worst case scenario I could run/walk the races so I started training with that strategy in mind. I started with a cycle of run 5 min and walk 1 min. By the end of my 1st week in the mtns (when I normally run 10 miles) I was struggling to complete 8 miles with a cycle of run 10 min & walk 1 min. I was very disappointed and discouraged. The 2nd week I decided to go back to a shorter cycle of run 5 min & walk 1 min. I was hoping to build up to 13 miles and gain enough confidence to register for the Steamboat Marathon. I wanted to run/walk one marathon before travelling to the South Pacific to verify that I could do it? By the end of the week I did succeed in finishing a 13-mile run – however Steamboat was full and I couldn’t get into the race! Plan B was to attempt the Estes Park Marathon one week later and only a few days before leaving for the S. Pacific.

The final week in the mtns I managed to complete another 13-mile run with cycle of run 15 min & walk 1 min. I was ready for Estes Park! Sure I was! Estes Park is the highest paved marathon in the USA and is a tough race with much of the course above 8,000 ft and many, many BAHs (Bad Ass Hills). I wouldn’t even have considered that race if it weren’t so close and I could drive to it. Also Nicole and I like to visit the town of Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.

So I registered and we drove over to Estes Park on Sat morning to pick up my race packet. This year the weather was great – sunny and mid 70s as we strolled around town and enjoyed pasta dinner at Mama Roses. The race started at 7am on Sun at the high school. It was sunny and a cool 40F as I lined up with about 300 runners. My initial race strategy was to run 5 min & walk 1 min. That strategy lasted less than 5 min! The race started at 7500 ft and the 1st half mile was uphill. I was sucking desperately for air about 3 min into the race! I changed the strategy to “do whatever is necessary to finish the race”! I soon learned that the best I could accomplish on the uphills was run 3 min & walk 1 min. On downhills I was able to run as long as 10 min before walking. I reached Mile 3 in 34:00 – not too bad? Then a long 3-mile climb began to the highest point of the course (8150 ft) at mile 6. What a bitch that was! I reached mile 6 in 1:14:09 and a split of 14:12 before stopping for a scenic photo of Lake Mary to share with my readers. I was still on a 12-min/mile pace and I figured if I could hold that pace for the entire race I would be happy. My goal was actually to run a sub 5:30. The next 4 miles dropped back down to Estes Park and I reached Mile 10 in 1:56:01 and a split of 9:50 – my only split under 10 min! And I was averaging less than a 12-min pace!

I reached the Half along Lake Estes in 2:32:11 and a split of 11:21. I already knew that the 2nd half wouldn’t be that fast. I was struggling to maintain a cycle of run 5 min & walk 1 min on the flat sections along the lake. And the 2nd half of the course has a lot more BAHs! As I slowly climbed a BAH at mile 15 I met Nicole who was walking from the hotel to the finish line. She asked for the car keys. I was happy to stop for a rest on that BAH and give her the keys. I reached mile 15 in 2:56:07 and a split of 12:41. I stopped again near mile 16 for more photos to share with my readers and to give myself a rest before starting the toughest BAH in the course. The course climbs relentlessly from mile 17 to mile 20 back above 8,000 ft. I sucked it up and forced myself to hold a minimum cycle of run 4min & walk 1 min up that BAH as I passed a lot of runners. I reached Mile 20 in 4:00:31 and a split of 14:28!

The next two miles were rolling hills and I walked the uphills and jogged the downhills to reach mile 23 in 4:36:12 and a split of 11:52. The final 3 miles were downhill back to Lake Estes and then flat to the finish line at the high school track. But my legs were trashed and very tired! I managed to keep them running/shuffling until I reached the final 2 miles of flat section along the lake. Then all I could manage was a cycle of run 3 min & walk 1 min! I just wanted the agony and pain to end!

Finally I approached the high school and entered the track at 26 mile (5:12:23). I would like to lie and say I sprinted the final 200m – but all I could do was just jog the final 200 m to cross the finish line in 5:14:41! It was a PW (Personal Worst) for a road marathon but I didn’t care! I had finished (ALIVE) and proved to myself that I could run/walk a marathon even in my pitiful shape. Hopefully it would be a bit easier at sea level for my next two races?

After a long, hot soak and shower Nicole and I visited the Estes Park Brewery for some greasy food and a few great microbrews. We have enjoyed good meals at some of the better restaurants in EP and tried to decide where to go for dinner. This year we opted for a ’view’ and selected the Shores Restaurant overlooking Lake Estes. Great views but unfortunately the food was mediocre at best.

On Mon morning we enjoyed a pleasant drive back home through RMNP. Colorado and RMNP enjoyed record snow this past winter. There were still 18ft snow banks in many areas of the park. Unfortunately there was not as much wild life as usual up in the alpine meadows since they were still covered in snow but there were lots of elk in the low lands near the park entrances.

I posted photos of the marathon and RMNP to my website weeks ago.

Thankfully I had already scheduled a massage on Mon afternoon with Pegi de Sade to flush my legs and prepare them for the 41 –hrs of flights and airports that I would have to begin on Tue morning.

I can’t say my usual “stay tuned” at this point since those trip reports have already been posted.

Enjoy.

TR - Guam

2011-04-02T11:52:00.004-04:00

Trip Report
Guam
3/22 -3/29/11

Sun, Mar 27/11
40th Guam Marathon
Agat, Guam, Oceania
4:36:11 – 1 AG
Marathon # 343 – Country # 107

There was supposed to be two race reports preceding this one but one race didn’t happen and I didn’t finish the other. Thus I had difficulty figuring out how to organize and tell this story and I decided to present it in three sections:

Prologue – Bad News:

Many of my friends and readers are familiar with the problems/issues I have experienced during the past few months but let me recap for those who are not. I was recovering quite well from the UC (ulcerative colitis) in the early part of the year but in Feb I started to suffer some setbacks. In late Feb I missed the A1A Marathon in Fort Lauderdale because of severe symptoms related to this nasty disease. While I was working with a team of doctors to explore those problems I continued to train and started to experience problems with my left leg.
The UC problems eased – no thanks to doctors who had no idea what was causing them. I stopped taking Lialda, a drug used to control UC – and two weeks later the nasty symptoms ceased. A caution to others using this drug – it has some nasty side effects!
Meanwhile the problem with my leg also seemed to ease and I decided to run the Snickers Marathon in early Mar. I ran a fast 1st Half (sub 3:50 pace) but the left leg started to tighten at mile 14 and at mile 17 the hamstring cramped and seized up and I had to drop out at mile 18!
The leg would not heal and I was forced to stop running and cross train with weights and swimming while trying to fix the leg with massages, physical therapy and lots of hot tub time. I only had three weeks to heal before the Guam Marathon. I had already paid for the trip and I was going no matter what!

After a few massages and one PT session we determined that the root cause of the problems was probably the piriformis and sciatica nerve and not the hamstring.
When the leg would start to feel better I would attempt to run/walk a 5 or 10-mile trial run to test it. The runs were not successful and each time I would limp back to the pool for cross training and the masseuse for more damage control. One week before the Guam Marathon I managed to run/walk a 13-mile trial run with only minor discomfort/pain and I was encouraged that if the leg could stay that ‘healthy’ I could finish a marathon. However the next day I tried an easy 10-mile run and the leg fell apart again. I did not have much confidence as I boarded the plane for the long trip to Guam.

Now the story begins.

The Story – Good News:

I arrived in Guam on Tue evening. After checking in to the hotel and eating a light dinner I went to bed and slept 10 hrs to adjust my body to local time. I woke early and decided to try an easy 5-mile run to test the leg. DISASTER! I couldn’t even run a mile w/o walking and by mile 4 the hamstring was so tight and sore that I had to walk back to the hotel. I was very frustrated and discouraged! I knew that I couldn’t run the marathon with that leg and wasn’t sure if I could walk a marathon in the 6-hr time limit.

Before I left for Guam my good friend and mentor, Wally Herman, had called to give me the name and number of a runner whom he had met while running an Ultra in Guam. Lou had run the marathon for Guam in the 1988 Olympics – at the young age of 48! I called Lou and she offered to pick me up at the hotel and give me a tour of the island. I asked her to find the name of a good masseuse or PT in Guam because I was in desperate need of help!
Lou picked me up and we began our tour with a drive along a one-mile stretch on Tumon Bay. This ‘plastic’ mile is the tourist area crowded with luxury hotels and shops.

During our tour Lou educated me on the geography, economy, politics and culture of Guam. Guam is an unincorporated territory of the USA. The island is 30 miles long and 4 to 8 miles wide. The population is 173,000 – 37% Chamorro (indigenous), 26% Filipino and only 6% Caucasian. The languages are Chamorro and English. I was under the misconception that Guam was mainly military bases? There are two bases – Anderson Air Force Base in the North and Apra Harbor Naval base in the South. During my week on Guam I saw very few military uniforms? Lou said that the military people stick to the bases and do not enjoy the benefits of her beautiful island. I also thought that the military was the main economy. Wrong! It is tourism and mostly Japanese who stay and spend on ‘plastic’ row!

Leaving Tumon we drove up to Two Lovers Point where legend says two ill-fated lovers who had been forbidden to marry tied their hair together and jumped off the 378-ft cliff. Lou then offered to drive the marathon course as we toured the south part of the island.
We drove across the island to Mangilao on the East (Pacific) coast to the start at the University of Guam. After two loops around the university the course headed south for a few miles before turning east across the island through the capital of Hagatna. There were hills during the first 7 miles but the course was mostly flat after it reached the West coast (Philippine Sea) and headed south along the coast. At mile 14 the course turned right on to a causeway for a 2-mile loop out and back to the industrial sea port. At mile 18 it returns to the main hwy and heads south along the coast to finish in Agat.

At first I felt excited because the course was mostly flat and scenic and would be fast. But wait – my left leg is totally screwed up and I will be lucky to finish. Bummer!
Lou and I enjoyed at nice seafood lunch at JanZee’s at the finish line before proceeding on our tour around the south part of the island. Lou stopped and pointed out many of the tourist sites along the coast (see my photo website) as we drove through many villages. The villages are quaint but small since few people live in the south. It contains high volcanic mountains in the center covered with tropical rain forests and lots of waterfalls if you know where to look. It is more scenic than the north part of the island. We completed the tour in about 4 hrs.

Lou had informed me that her masseuse was on vacation so I called a runner/race volunteer and thankfully she gave me the name of a good PT. I called Elen and made an appointment for the next morning. Elen turned out to be as good as advertised. She quickly found the problem and triggers points and had me screaming in (good) pain. I was sore when I left her office but the leg felt much better!

After the torture session I visited Tumon to buy my required souvenirs and revisited Two Lovers Point for more photos. I had rented a car since it is difficult to get around Guam w/o a car.
On Sat I decided to do another drive tour of the South because I wanted to visit more sites and take photos. The first stop was Talofofo Falls high up in the central mountains. Located near the falls is a cave where a Japanese soldier lived and hid from civilization for 28 years after the end of WW II. As I was hiking into the cave my left hamstring started to protest/hurt. That was not a good sign? Next stop was a Chamorro Village in Inarajan to learn how the Chamorro lived. As I continued the loop around the south part of the island I made stops at quaint villages and at the site where Magellan landed in 1521. It was a pleasant drive.

I enjoyed an early pasta dinner in Tumon and retired early. The race started at 4am and a race volunteer was picking me up at 3 am! I woke at 2 am so that I could do a double stretch routine to loosen up my legs and back. When I stepped outside at 3 am the heat hit me like a blast furnace! It was 80 F and 100% humidity (a light mist)! No need for warm-up clothes or a garbage bag. Elaine dropped me off at the field house at the University of Guam at 3:30 am. There were only 90 runners in the marathon so packet pickup was scheduled at the start.

My race strategy had been decided by default weeks before. With the injury problems I had no choice but to run and walk. Water stations were located every 1.5 to 2 miles so my strategy/hope was that I could run between stations and then walk through each station to let the leg rest. I planned to stop every 4 miles to stretch in the hopes of preventing or delaying the onset of tight muscles and cramps? After I picked up my bib and made final preparations I walked/jogged 1 mile and did another stretch routine before the start of the race. My leg actually felt pretty good?

It was dark – and I mean DARK – at the 4 am start. There were very little street lights around the university as we ran two loops around the campus. I just followed the blinking red lights that runners were given so that cars could see us. I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to run the two loops and passed 2 miles in 20:32. I walked through the 1st water station and enjoyed a light mist that seemed to cool down the 80 F temp! We exited the university and headed south along Rt 10. I noticed that I was following a husband/wife team that were running a smooth/easy 10-min pace and stopping at each water station. I decided to stay with them and let them provide the discipline needed to run a ‘smart’ race and stick to my race strategy! I was again surprised when we finished the hills and reached Mile 7 in 1:11:29 and a split of 10:04. The leg still felt good? When we reached the West coast at Mile 10 in 1:43:09 and a split of 10:22 I was amazed! The leg still felt good- no problems yet? Maddog started to become impatient – he wanted to lower the hammer and take off. I urged him to be patient and smart and stay with the pacing team at least till the Half. The sun was not yet up but there was enough light to see the Philippine Sea. We passed the Half in 2:15:40 and a split of 10:03.

I was elated! I was way ahead of what I expected my pace/time would be – I had lots of energy because of the slow pace – and my leg had not protested once during the 1st Half! Maddog and I had a very heated argument. He insisted on lowering the hammer and running negative splits. I figured my strategy - slow pace, walks and stretches - had worked to get me through the 1st Half w/o any problems – why mess with success? We reached a compromise. We would continue with the current pace and strategy to 18 miles and if we still felt good we would hammer the final 8 miles! Now most runners know that no matter how slow/easy you start a marathon you still slow down during the final 10K. But Maddog is basically raw power and determination and he bought my story.

My pace team started to fade and slow down so I had to leave them and continue on alone. When I reached mile 14 and made the turn on to the causeway out to the sea port the sun was just starting to come up. I could already feel the heat rising. When I made the turn-around at mile 16 and headed back east into the sun it was starting to burn through the clouds and I could actually feel the heat index soaring! And my heart rate soared! I had been closely monitoring my heart monitor. Because of the slow pace my heart rate had been averaging about 5 bpm lower than my normal marathon rate. It immediately soared 15 bpm! I attributed the increase to the extra work load on the old ticker trying to keep the body cool? This conclusion was confirmed when I reached a water station at mile 17 and poured a bottle of ice-cold water over my head and neck. My heart rate dropped 15 bpm? I realized at that moment that the final 9 miles was going to be tough. My split had slowed to 10:58 and I remember thinking that the injured leg had probably saved me a lot of pain and agony in the 2nd Half? Had I been healthy I would have started out fast to take advantage of the dark and cool (80 F) temps and I would have been paying the price at 17 miles – like many other runners! I still had lots of energy and felt good because of the slow pace and yet my pace was slowing down because of the heat!

When I reached mile 18 in 3:07:18 and a split of 10:27 there were no more thoughts about lowering the hammer – even Maddog realized that would be suicidal in that heat! I stopped and did a double stretch routine. With only 8 miles to go I wanted to make sure that my leg did not tighten up on the final 10K. I started to pass a lot of runners who had gone out too fast and succumbed to the heat. I was able to hold my pace and reach Mile 22 in 3:50:55 and a split of 10:42. For the first time in the race I was confident that I might actually finish the race w/o any problems? I stopped for a final stretch routine and hoped that it would get me to the finish line. Everything was going fine – I felt good, the leg felt good and we were blessed with a brief rain shower over the next mile to help cool us down. Then disaster almost struck – the leg started talking to me and began to tighten. I stopped immediately and performed another double stretch routine and walk to loosen it up. I was in the middle of a stretch where I bend down on the bad knee/leg and extend the other leg out behind me, then raise my arms and try to reach back and touch the extended foot behind me to open up the hip flexor and piriformis. A runner ran by and commented that “he needed to join me to pray to the Gods to finish the race”! I laughed and replied “I am praying to my hamstring to finish the race”! But it worked and I was able to run the final 5K w/o any more walks or stretches and crossed the finish line in 4:36:11!

I was happy! No - I was ecstatic! I can’t ever remember being happy about a 4:36 finish but I was that day! My best expectations were that the leg would last 16 miles and the final 10 miles would be ugly/painful and mostly walking. I was in disbelief that it had held together for the entire race! And I finally finished marathon #343 (on the 3rd attempt) and country #107! Lou was at the finish line to cheer me in and she informed me that I was 1st AG. That was totally unexpected and icing on the cake!

Lou kindly offered to drive me back to the hotel and asked me to join her and hubby Bob for breakfast. After a quick shower I joined them for breakfast but politely declined the spam & eggs – an island favorite. Bob had been a well-respected official in the Guam government before he retired and several politicians stopped at our table to discuss local politics. I had a brief and interesting lesson in local politics during breakfast.

After breakfast I drove to Tumon for an awards ceremony and banquet that was held at a luxury resort. It was an eloquent banquet for a race and it soon became evident that Guam has a strong and close-knit running community. My only disappointment was that there were no AG awards. I would have liked to bring home an artistic award that represented Guam. After a long ceremony and a few beers I couldn’t get up from the table? My leg had finally fallen apart! It was stiff and sore from the hamstring down below the knee and I couldn’t bend my knee. I limped to the car and called Elen to request an emergency torture session on Mon. I couldn’t face the 30-hr trip home with a leg hurting that much!

Thankfully Elen was able to fix both legs and after the torture session I joined Lou at a favorite restaurant for a typical Chamorro lunch – spicy BBQ and red rice. It was delicious! After lunch we said our goodbyes. I thanked Lou for their wonderful hospitality and support. I hope to see them again when they visit FL. I then toured the north end of the island. The loop is shorter and there is not much to see.

The long trip home was uneventful thanks to Elen’s good work on the leg. I arrived home in the early evening, unpacked and went to bed for 10 hrs of sleep to adjust back to FL time. On Wed morning I decided to run an easy 5 miles to loosen the legs. It wasn’t easy! I couldn’t run 10 ft before my left calf collapsed in severe pain? No matter what I tried – walk, stretch, etc – the moment I tried to run resulted in immediate and severe pain in the calf. I gave up and walked home.

Epilogue – more Bad News:

I decided to rest the leg for a day and try again on Thu. Same result. Instant and severe pain in the left calf! The pain and symptoms seemed similar to those I experienced about 5 years ago when I developed a blood clot/DVT in the right leg. And the same circumstances – screwed up my leg in a race and then got on a plane for a long flight home. I started to worry – even become paranoid about another blood clot? When I suffered the same results on Fri I decided action was needed. I can stand running through pain if I know what the risk is. But the risk with a blood clot is too high. I called my GP and requested an ultrasound that day. Thankfully the results were negative – NO blood clot! Still don’t know what the problem is and I still can’t run w/o severe pain. I have scheduled an appointment with my orthoped next week to see if he can find the problem? Until then it looks like I go back to the rec center for more cross training?

It seems that I have been suffering a continuous series of illness and injury the past few years (can’t be Old Age) and it is beginning to chip away at Maddog’s fortitude and determination! I am beginning to wear down – or is it wear out? Maybe it is time to hang up the running shoes and play twiddly winks? But not until I complete my current commitments! I have booked and paid for 4 more international races this year – but my immediate concern is the Boston Marathon in 2 weeks! That may require another miracle and gutty performance to complete?

Who knows?

Stay tuned!

RR - Melbourne Music Marathon

2011-02-07T11:19:00.002-05:00

Race Report

Sun, Feb 6/11
Melbourne & Beaches Music Marathon
Melbourne, FL
3:57:56 – 2 AG
Marathon #342

I would like to forget this race and not write a report. But in a few years when I am suffering from Alzheimer’s this may be the only memory I have of this race?

As race day approached I was again faced with the dilemma of “what to expect”? The past few weeks – and especially last week – I had been experiencing a lot of symptoms characteristic of that nasty disease UC (Ulcerative Colitis) – stomach cramps and diarrhea being the main ones! I was developing a theory - I am at the tail end of the cycle/period for my treatment. My next infusion of Remicade (every 8 weeks) is this week and I believe that the UC is flaring up more frequently and intermittently during the final few weeks of the cycle? I am anxious to see what happens after I receive the next infusion and if the symptoms regress quickly. If so I may have to discuss a shorter treatment cycle with my doctor. Unfortunately Medicare and the Insurance Company may not agree since treatments cost more than $10K each!

As I was getting ready to leave for Melbourne on Sat morning I received an email from a friend and fellow Country Club member, KG Nystrom, from Sweden. He was leaving his winter home in St. Augustine, FL to run the race also. We agreed to meet at the expo. We met at the expo- registered at the last moment ($120) and picked up our race packets. We agreed to meet for pasta dinner. My hotel was located close to the start/finish line so I decided to drive the course while exploring Melbourne. The course is a half-marathon loop that starts at the corner of Hwys 1 and 192. It runs north on Hwy 1 on the west side of the Indian River to the Eau Gallie Causeway (Hwy 518). It crosses a BAB (Bad Ass Bridge) over the Indian River and turns south on Riverside Dr along the east side of the Indian River back to Hwy 192. It then crosses back over the Indian River via the Melbourne Causeway and another BAB. The 2nd loop follows the same route (Oh Goody - we get to climb those BABs twice!) and then finishes in Historic Downtown Melbourne.

I joined KG for a nice pasta dinner where we updated our stats and ‘war’ stories. After retiring early I was up throughout the night suffering from diarrhea. It continued right up the start of the race when I was forced to find an alley a few minutes before the start. It was not looking good health-wise?

It was a balmy 66 F at the 7am start. Fortunately it was overcast with a light drizzle that made it feel cooler and the temps actually dropped during the race (61 F at the finish). I joined 1200 runners – 400 in the Marathon and 800 in the Half. I decided to run smart and slow and was a bit surprised when I passed Mile 1 in 8:31. My energy level felt OK but I was having difficulty breathing so I slowed the pace by 10 secs/mile and quickly settled into an 8:40 pace. I climbed the 1st BAB at Mile 6 in 52:15 and a split of 8:48. My breathing finally settled down and I continued to hold that pace until I reached the Half in 1:55:15 and a split of 9:02. I counted a total of 11 live bands (e.g. ‘Music’ Marathon) along the course. There were distance markers every mile and water about every 1 ½ miles. One lane was coned off for runners and police and volunteers controlled every major intersection so the race was well organized and managed.

I felt OK energy-wise but my legs felt sluggish and I was finding it difficult to run a 9 min pace? I knew right then that the 2nd Half/Loop would not be as fast and my target was to finish under 3:55! I continued to hold the 9-min pace through the 2nd climb over the BAB on the Eau Gallie Causeway at Mile 18 in 2:33:15 and a split of 8:59.

However when I reached Mile 20 in 2:58:05 and a split of 9:37 I had to adjust my goals. My energy level still felt OK but my legs could no longer hold a 9-min pace? I calculated that a 10-min pace would still get me across the finish line under 4 hrs. I didn’t think the ‘wheels were falling off’ but I just couldn’t see the point in trying to push the pace back down to 9 min/mile and accepting the level of pain necessary to hold that pace so I let my body dictate the pace – as long as I stayed under 10-min/mile. I made the final climb over the BAB on the Melbourne Causeway at Mile 24 in 3:37:04 and a split of 9:53 (my slowest split of the race). I knew that sub-4 hrs was in the bag but nevertheless it was still difficult carrying that bag through the final 2 miles to cross the finish line in 3:57:56!

I walked back to the car for the camera to take the mandatory finish line photo and checked the results. I finished 2nd AG and the winner had trounced me by 20 minutes! I was glad that I had eased off in the final 10K and not forced myself to accept a lot of pain and hurt to gain a few more minutes.

My legs felt pretty tired and sore at the end of the race in spite of the slow pace? I am looking forward to my infusion/treatment this week for the UC in hopes that I will see and feel a significant improvement in my health and capability to run a faster pace? I am also glad that I have stretched the intervals between my future races to 2 to 3 weeks so I will have more time to rest and add some intensive speed workouts to my training program. I want to key on a few upcoming races – the 1st one being in two weeks. If I don’t see improvement and continue to suffer the same problems and slow times I may have to cancel a few scheduled races?

I feel like a guinea pig? Each week – each day - seems to be a test of what I can do – or can’t do while suffering and receiving treatment for this nasty disease. I have asked doctors and many friends who suffer from this disease but nobody else seems to push their body through the extremes (and number of races) that I am demanding from my body? I guess I am just going to have to learn and adapt as I go along?

Stay tuned!

RR - Miami

2011-01-31T11:41:00.002-05:00

Race Report
Sun, Jan 30/11
Miami Marathon
Miami, FL
Marathon #341
3:56:14 – 2 AG

Each day this past week seemed to bring improvement in my health after that disastrous race in Ocala the previous weekend. By Thu I was able to run a hard speed workout that included sprints and mile repeats w/o any problems so I figured I should be able to run Miami. I felt confident I could run the distance – but at what pace?

On Sat morning I drove across Alligator Alley to Miami and picked up my race packet at the Miami Beach Convention Center. I like this race but hate the logistics involved. There are more than 20,000 runners; Miami Beach and the Convention Center is a zoo and getting to/from the race and parking is a nightmare! Because I had left the decision to run Miami till the last minute I had no hotel and had to drive to the north end of Miami Beach to find a room.

After a nice pasta dinner I retired early because I had to leave by 4:30 am for the race. I wanted to park near the finish line in downtown Miami so that I could walk back to the car for my camera and get a mandatory finish line photo. I parked the car 3 blocks from the finish line and walked 6 blocks to the start line in front of the AA Center. I joined 21,000 runners – 7,000 in the Marathon and 14,000 in the Half. It was a pleasant 56 F at the 6:15 am start – sunny and 63 F at the finish. I was seeded in the ‘D’ corral which meant I had 2,000 runners in front of me. It took 2 min just to reach the start line after the race started. I was completely boxed in for the first half-mile but then the course opened up. I stayed with the crowd as we passed mile 1 in 9:26. I was not concerned about the slow start. I used the time to check how I felt? Energy level – OK. No ‘sucking for air’. I figured the ‘good’ body had shown up for the race? Ever since I have had to deal with this nasty disease (UC) I have had to learn how to accept and adapt to daily changes in my health/life. On some mornings when I go out for a training run I am totally fatigued and sucking for air within the 1st mile and have to turn around a walk home. Two days later I can run a speed workout w/o problems? I have learned to say that on the ‘bad’ days my ‘bad’ body shows up and on the ‘good’ days my ‘good’ body shows up! Ocala was the first race where the ‘bad’ body showed up. However today – thankfully – the ‘good’ body showed up!

I stayed with the crowd as they pulled me through mile 2 in a 7:58 split! Whoa! Way too fast! I tried to slow down as we passed through SoBe but my pace was up and down until I reached mile 5 in 43:15 and a split of 8:22. Still too fast! When I reached mile 10 in 1:26:40 and a split of 8:37 I had settled into a pace that seemed smooth and comfortable. I continued at that pace until I passed the Half in 1:53:43 and a split of 8:44. I did a gut check. I felt OK but already knew that my legs could not run the 2nd Half that fast. I decided to hold the pace at 8:45s and see how long that would last? Unfortunately not too long! When I reached mile 16 in 2:20:04 and a split of 8:59 I knew I was in trouble. I was beginning to struggle. I decided to hold a 9-min pace until mile 20 and do another gut check. When I reached mile 20 in 2:55:59 and a split of 9:03 I did another gut check. It was not good! I was in BIG trouble! We were leaving the residential streets of Coconut Grove and heading back to downtown Miami. I was running on energy fumes and my legs were hurting. I knew the final 10K was going to be UGLY. The race was now 90% mental and 10% physical. I calculated that if I could hold a sub-10 min pace I would still break 4 hrs. I managed to keep the old legs moving/shuffling to reach mile 22 in 3:15:22 and a split 0f 9:58 – my slowest split of the race! At that point I knew the race was essentially over for me. The gas tank was empty and the legs were finished! And I was facing the worst section of the course. The course makes a 1-mile detour on to Rickenbacker Causeway that is flat and straight and you can see the whole mile in front of you! When you are dying that mile looks really LONNNNGGGGGGGGGG!

My only option (other than walking which was not acceptable) was to hand the race over to Maddog! He immediately started to play mind games with me – “one foot at a time” he shouted! Then he challenged me to pull in a runner a few hundred feet ahead of me. Next he spotted a ‘gray hair’ and challenged me to pass him. I reached mile 23 in 3:24:49 and a split of 9:26 and finally caught ‘gray hair’ just before mile 24 in 3:34:36 and a split of 9:46. Maddog screamed at me that if I could hold that pace I would finish under 4 hrs! I blocked out everything around me and ignored the pain and somehow managed to keep the old legs shuffling to cross the finish line in 3:56:14! There was absolutely nothing left in my legs as I stumbled through the finish chute.

The next challenge was to find a way around the maze of barricades to get back to the car and return to the finish line for a photo. I didn’t even try to find where the results were posted. I had a noon deadline for checkout at the hotel and was getting close. I soon discovered I had made a strategic error in parking near the finish line as I became trapped in downtown traffic as we sat parked on a street for 20 minutes and watched the kids 5K race wind through downtown. Do not park near the finish line when you run Miami! Thankfully the hotel let me take a quick shower and I was soon back on Alligator Alley driving 100 mph to get home! (Toll road – very few cops!) It was a tough drive because my legs were sore and starting to cramp!

I later checked the results on the web and learned my official finish time was 3:56:14 and 2nd AG. The winner had only beat me by 2 minutes! Even if I had known I was that close I don’t believe I could have done anything about it – I had given everything I had on that day!

Now I have to count on Maddog’s strength – his ability to recover quickly – so that I can start training and preparing for the Melbourne Music Marathon next weekend.

Stay tuned!

RR - Ocala

2011-01-24T11:20:00.002-05:00

Race Report
Sun, Jan 23/111
Ocala Marathon
Ocala, FL
Marathon #340
4:11:26 – 1 AG

I can sum this race up in one word – Disastrous! Or maybe –Disappointment!

I wasn’t expecting to run a great time like Jacksonville in Dec after two weeks of minimal training while visiting the kids on the West Coast over the Holidays (too cold) followed by no running/training during a 10-day Caribbean cruise (and an extra 8 lbs thanks to gluttony) but I hoped to at least finish under 4 hrs!

After the cruise I ran a couple of long easy runs to re-introduce my legs to running and lose half of those 8 lbs. I knew I couldn’t run a sub-3:45 because of the lack of training and the difficulty of the course. The course is 26 miles of gentle rolling hills in the horse country of FL. But I figured I should be able to run an ‘easy’ 9-min pace to finish under 4 hrs and use the race as a long training run to get my body and legs used to going the marathon distance again.

I checked the weather closely as race day approached. FL is experiencing another shitty winter (weather-wise) with lots of cold fronts coming down from Tundraland (aka Canada). It was going to be COLD with temps forecast in the 20s at the start.

I drove up to Ocala on Sat afternoon, picked up my race packet and enjoyed a pleasant pasta dinner. I retired early but woke up several times during the night suffering from stomach cramps and diarrhea? I was hoping it was just a case of bad food and NOT a flare up of the UC (Ulcerative Colitis)? The symptoms persisted right up to the start of the race – thankfully there were lots of portable toilets at the start!

It was COLD – a temp of 28 F as I lined up with 200 runners for the 7am start. Thankfully there was no wind. I had dressed like a wimp – tights, polypro shirt and T-shirt and gloves! And the usual garbage bag to trap body heat. And I was still freezing and shivering as the race started. I didn’t know what to expect health-wise so I started slow and 5 min into the race I was suffering from nausea, stomach cramps, and a lack of energy and sucking desperately for air. I had experienced these same symptoms during training runs and knew it was a sign of UC! In the training runs I was forced to stop and walk/jog back home. While I considered dropping out of the race some friends from the Bradenton Running Club (a neighboring city) caught up to me and we started talking. They pulled me though the next few miles and distracted me enough that the nausea and stomach cramps passed. But I was still feeling totally fatigued and sucking for air so I told them to go ahead and I slowed the pace down to 9:45. I decided I would try to continue to 5 miles and if I didn’t feel better at that point I would drop out. At that point I discarded the garbage bag and another friend from Tampa caught up to me and slowed down to run the next few miles with me. When we passed mile 6 in 56:01 and a split of 9:10 the sun was shining - it was warming up- and I felt a wee bit better and could breathe easier so I decided to continue. By that point I had noticed that my heart rate was averaging 10 bpm slower than my normal marathon rate? I tried pushing the pace to increase my heart rate into the normal range but that quickly resulted in “sucking for air” so I wisely decided to back off and let my body dictate the pace! That pace was 9:15 to 9:30/mile. Thus I was pleasantly surprised when I passed the Half in 2:02:54 and a split of 9:07.

The course has changed at Ocala. Previously it was a 26 mile loop through horse country. Now it starts with a 16 mile loop on many of the same roads followed by a 2nd loop shortened to 10 miles. The half marathon starts 15 min after the marathon so initially we were passed by the fast half marathoners but by the time I reached the Half I was passing the slower runners.

I actually felt better at the Half and for a few brief moments suffered from an illusion of running a negative split. But I soon realized that fantasy wasn’t going to happen. There were 13 more miles of hills and although they are ‘gentle’ hills some are quite long and take a huge toll on the legs and body.
However I did manage to push the pace down to 9:10s and increase my heart rate into the normal range for the next few miles but that only lasted until a long ‘gentle’ uphill at mile 19 -3:00:22 and a split of 10:54- my slowest split of the race! I reached mile 20 in 3:09:50 and a split of 9:28. I was struggling and decided my top three priorities were:
1) Go into survival mode to finish the race (ALIVE) and complete marathon #340
2) NOT to walk. I was running so slowly that I should be able to keep the old legs shuffling.
3) To finish under 4:15 (BQ – Boston Qualifying time). I calculated (worse case) that if I slowed to a 10:30 min pace I could accomplish that goal.

The marathon and half marathon courses split at mile 16 and after that point I ran the final 10 miles alone. I only passed 3 runners in the final 10 miles. I had expected to see a lot more walking because of the hills but I guess I was running so slowly I couldn’t even catch the walkers?

I passed mile 23 in 3:38:53 and a split of 9:25 but the next two miles were tough hills and my pace slowed to 10:15s min/mile. However I managed to keep the old legs moving to cross the finish line in 4:11:26. One nice thing about small races was the 100-ft walk to my car for the camera to take the mandatory finish line photo. Although the temp had warmed up to 46F it was still too cold to stand around so I returned to the hotel for a quick shower and then went back to the finish area to check results. My official finish time was 4:11:26 and surprisingly that was good enough for 1st place in my AG. The awards had also changed- they are now a nice statue of a horse (for horse country). Although I would have liked to receive mine I didn’t want to wait around and I wanted to get home to watch the NFL payoffs so I skipped the award ceremony.

Although I could use all kind of excuses I was not pleased or satisfied with my finish time! I guess I should be happy that I accomplished goal #1 – I finished ALIVE and completed marathon #340 in spite of the health issues. One benefit of running so slow is that my legs were not sore or tired after the race. However I am in a bit of a quandary with regards to my next race. In my exuberance of running such a good race in Jacksonville I signed up (yet again) for Miami thinking that I might have a chance to finally win my AG in that race? Now I don’t know what to do or expect. If the UC is truly flaring up there is no hope and I don’t want to suffer through another race/26 miles like that. I will try to run a fast 5 to 8 mile tempo run mid-week. If I crash or suffer the same symptoms I will skip Miami.

So who knows? Stay tuned!

RR - Jacksonville

2010-12-20T11:18:00.003-05:00

Race Report
Sun, Dec 19/10
Jacksonville Bank Marathon
Jacksonville, FL
Marathon # 339
3:42:36 – 1 AG

After running a pretty good race the previous week in Cape Coral I had mixed emotions about racing another marathon one week later. I felt that the races were forcing me into better shape but I was not sure how my body and ongoing recovery from UC would react to back-to-back races? I have run the Jacksonville Marathon three times and always enjoy a good time/performance because the course is flat and fast and attracts world-class competition. What I hate about the race is the long/grueling/boring
5-hr drive across FL - especially the 120-mile section on I 4 from Tampa to Daytona Beach. And to make matters worse a storm front moved into FL on Sat morning and I had to drive through rain the entire way! The Sports Manager was smart and declined the trip! However when I arrived in Jacksonville in mid-afternoon it was sunny and warm.

I drove to the race expo to register and pick up a race packet. Because of the uncertainty of my health I no longer pre-register for races because of the risk of cancelling and losing the entry fee – instead I wait and register at the race expo. After checking in at the host hotel I enjoyed a nice pasta dinner and retired early to rest from the long drive.

Sun was ‘M’ day! The course starts and finishes at the Bolles School in South Jacksonville and runs through nice residential neighborhoods along the St Johns River. The roads are narrow, shaded and protected from winds. It was overcast with a temp of 45 F and a light mist as I lined up with 2300 runners (900 in the Marathon and 1400 in the Half) in the dark for a 7 am start. I hate being cold at the start so I wore a long-sleeve throw-away, gloves and a garbage bag over my race clothes of T-shirt and shorts. Based on the results of my past two races where I started out fast for the first 20 miles and tried to hang on for the final 10Km I decided to try a new strategy - to run smarter and start out slower. I would go out at an 8:30 pace and see how long I could hold that pace?

I passed Mile 1 in 8:13 and discarded the garbage bag. When I reached Mile 3 in 25:03 and a split of 8:23 I was overheated! I discarded the throw-away T-shirt. I considered discarding the cotton gloves but decided to keep them for awhile – thankfully a good decision because the temps actually dropped during the race and it was colder at the finish! I passed Mile 5 in 41:46 and a split of 8:18. I slowed the pace 10 secs/mile and passed Mile 10 in 1:23:42 and a split of 8:29. My legs felt really good and I figured I could hold that pace for many more miles? I passed the Half in 1:49:56 and a split of 8:28. That was close to the same time as the previous week except now my legs still felt fresh and good so I continued to hold that pace. There were distance markers and clocks every mile that really help to manage your pace. There were water stations every two miles and lots of support and traffic control along the course. The race is well organized!

I passed Mile 16 in 2:14:23 and a split of 8:24 and reached Mile 20 in 2:48:47 and a split of 8:30. The strategy and slower pace were working – I was 2 minutes ahead of my 20 mile split in the two previous races – and my legs felt amazingly fresh and springy! I considered pushing the pace for the final 10Km? Nah! That would be dumb! I continued to hold an 8:30 pace and passed Mile 23 in 3:06:04 and a split of 8:27. However the legs were no longer feeling amazingly fresh and springy? Now I had to work to hold an 8:30 pace! But I knew right then that a sub-3:45 marathon was in the bag and the excitement of a great finish time provided a final jolt of adrenaline and energy. I tried to lower the hammer and push the pace for the final 5 Km to ‘guarantee’ a sub-3:45 but there wasn’t much ‘push’ left. When I reached Mile 26 in 3:40:50 and a split of 8:36 and entered the track at the Bolles School I could see the finish clock – 3:41 plus change (gun/clock time). I was determined to beat my course PR from last year (3:43:32 and my fastest time in 2009) so I sprinted the final 200 m on the track to cross the finish line in 3:42:55 (gun time)!

As I walked through the finish chute I suddenly felt COLD and began to shiver – the temp was only 44 F! I wrapped myself in a thermal blanket and immediately walked back to the car for my warm-ups and camera. When I returned to the finish area I checked the results and confirmed that my official (chip) finish time was 3:42:36. I was surprised to learn that was good enough to win 1st AG. Typically it takes a sub-3:30 to win my AG in this race but I guess no World Class competitors showed up this year? I didn’t care and gladly accepted the 1st Place award – it is difficult to win one in this race!

Needless to say I was very pleased with both my time and performance. I ran a smart race and was able to hold a smooth and even pace for the entire race w/o any problems. My finish time equated to an average 8:30 pace for the race! (How’s that for setting and accomplishing a target)? I beat my old PR in this race by one minute and ran my fastest time since the Dead Sea Marathon in April 2008! And it is all the more satisfying after a very difficult year of health issues when there were times that I didn’t know if I would ever be able to run or compete again! And note that it was marathon #339 and my 17th and final marathon for 2010!

I would like to run another marathon in a few weeks to see if I can keep improving and lowering my finish times? But alas the Sports Manager and I leave this week for the West Coast to spend the Holidays with our kids and grandkids. It will be difficult to train in the COLD and rainy weather in WA and OR. When we return to FL in early Jan we only have a few days to repack before we leave for a 10-day Caribbean cruise. I do not intend to run during the cruise and expect to gain at least 5 pounds so it will be interesting to see how I do at the Ocala Marathon in late Jan?

Stay tuned!

RR - Cape Coral

2010-12-13T12:14:00.003-05:00

Race Report
Sun, Dec 12/10
Mangrove Marathon
Cape Coral, FL
Marathon # 338
3:47:38 - 1 AG – 12 OA

After a good race in Cocoa Beach a few weeks ago I immediately added speed work and intensity to my training program in order to improve my time and performance at the next race. Things progressed smoothly for the first week but then started to fall apart. On Sun night we had a guest from CO and (perhaps) imbibed a wee too much? I decided to do an easy 10-mile run on Mon to flush the poison out of my system. However by the end of the first mile I was sucking for air and totally fatigued? Surely a hangover can’t affect me that badly? I had to run/walk and struggle to finish the 10 miles! I was concerned that I might be experiencing a relapse or flare up of the UC? On Tue I Had planned to do speed work but instead just ran an easy 10 miles which I was able to complete w/o walking so that made me feel better. So On Wed I decided to do the speed work – however by the end of the first mile I was again sucking for air, feeling totally fatigued and both feet were so painful that I had to turn around and walk home? I felt like I was running around Lake Dillon (9,000 ft) three months ago? Now I was really concerned. Should I call the GI doc and ask what the Hell is happening or give it one more day? On Thu I tried a speed workout and was able to run a fast 6 miles and felt good? I decided to rest for the next few days and run the Mangrove Marathon on the weekend as scheduled.

On Sat the Sports Manager and I drove 100 miles south to Cape Coral, FL. The race was a new/inaugural marathon/half marathon. I was not expecting much – the website was not well designed or informative. I didn’t realize until the day before the race that there were no formal age groups (the age groups were 0 to 99?) or awards except for the two winners in each race? The expo and pasta dinner was held on Fri night – two days before the race? Thus I picked up my bib and race packet at a local running store called the Run Shoppe. There were no last-minute race info/details in the packet and the volunteer couldn’t answer any of my questions about the race start, water stations, etc? So the SM and I drove to the start/finish area and part of the course to get some idea of the logistics for the race and explore Cape Coral. Cape Coral was a big disappointment! There is nothing to see or do!

After a terrible pasta dinner (at one of the supposedly best Italian restaurants in town) we retired early. Sun was ‘M’ day. The weather was forecast to be cool at the start (52 F) with wind and storms later in the day. The race was supposed to start at 6:30 am. I lined up with about 300 runners (100 in the marathon and the rest in the Half) by 6:15am. The race start was delayed 30 minutes! That provided extra time to find a toilet in nearby Cape Harbour Marina since there were only two portable toilets for 300 runners? I expected bugs/problems with an inaugural race but this was not looking good?

The sun was up by the time the race started – that was a concern because that meant it would be warm by the end of the race! The course consisted of two half-marathon loops. The first loop followed a route through residential streets in the SE section of the city. After the strange past week I wasn’t sure which body would show up at the start line – the ‘bad’ body that suffered fatigue after one mile and felt like shit or the ‘good’ body that felt good and could run fast? Thus I went out at an easy 8:30 pace. After the first mile and no problems I figured the ‘good’ body must have shown up so I lowered the pace down to 8:20/mile. I passed mile 5 in 42:13 and a split of 8:14. The course was fast and flat and the weather was ideal during the first loop/half – sunny, temps in the high 50s and only a light breeze. There were distance markers every mile – and they were accurate (one of my few compliments for the race) – and water every few miles. I passed mile 10 in 1:23:50 and a split of 8:18. I was cruising at a steady 8:18 pace by then and decided I would hold that pace until the Half and re-evaluate. I passed the Half in 1:49:53 and a split of 8:23. I was pleased with that time but knew right then that I could not hold that pace through the 2nd loop – probably not even till 20 miles. The 2nd half-marathon loop followed a route through residential streets north and west of the city. I decided to run the 2nd Half smarter and slow my pace down by 15 to 20 secs/mile and hope that I could hold that pace to the finish line? The temps had warmed up into the high 60s and there were no water stations from mile 12 through mile 17? Five miles w/o water and it was getting hot – and I and several runners were getting pissed off! When I finally reached a water station at mile 17 in 2:33:52 and a split of 8:53 I screamed at the volunteer to call the race director and get some water stations deployed along that 5-mile stretch! I was concerned about slower runners behind us because it was getting warmer and I did not want to return over those (final) 5 miles w/o water – a dangerous possibility of dehydration!

I reached the final turn-around at mile 19 in 2:41:25 and a split of 8:42. I calculated that if I could hold a sub 9-min pace for the final 7 miles I could easily break 3:50 and might come close to 3:45? What I didn’t calculate was the storm front moving in sooner than forecast. When I made the turn the wind picked up and started gusting about 20/25 mph – directly into our faces! What a bitch that final 7 miles was! I tried to keep my pace below 9 min/mile but 9:10s were the best I could manage into that fierce head wind! At least the race director had responded to our complaints and had deployed 3 more water stations over the final 5 miles. When I passed mile 23 in 3:18:12 and a split of 9:04 I knew that I couldn’t break 3:45 so I eased back on the pace and cruised to the finish line in 3:47:38.

After taking a mandatory finish line photo I checked for results and wasn’t surprised to find none – even though the race was timed by chip? I was later able to confirm official results (along with age groups?) at the website for the running store? I finished 1st AG and 12th Overall.In spite of the problems with the race I was pleased with both my time and performance. I enjoyed a great tempo run for the first Half and was able to run the 2nd Half smart and smoothly w/o suffering any problems. I need to improve my capability to hold a fast pace for the entire 26 miles but that will come with more speed work and races. My finish time is now back down to the same level it was in the spring of this year – and pre-UC/illness. I believe I can break 3:45 by next spring!

Since I didn’t suffer any problems during the race and felt fine at the finish I think I will drive over to Jacksonville, FL next weekend to run my final marathon for the year.

Stay tuned!

RR - Space Coast Marathon

2010-11-29T20:00:00.003-05:00

Race Report
Sun, Nov 28/10
Space Coast Marathon
Cocoa Beach, FL
Marathon # 337
3:51:23 – 2 AG

You may recall in my last report I reported that my health was improving and I hoped that I might resume racing again in Dec? After researching race calendars I selected an inaugural marathon in Cape Coral, FL in mid-Dec to make my comeback. However to prepare for a marathon it is necessary to do some long training runs (20 miles or longer) – and I HATE long training runs. I would rather run a marathon than run a 20-mile training run!

I was scheduled for a 2nd infusion of Remicade and a follow-up appointment with the GI doc in mid-Nov so I decided to select a marathon in late NOV to use as a long training run (if I got a green light to race). The meeting with the doc went well. Although the UC is not yet in full remission it is under control and he removed all the lifestyle restrictions (diet, travel and racing). I specifically addressed running/racing in detail and he confirmed that running/racing and exercise was good for my health and should/would not affect the UC! It only proves that if you select the right doc and pay him enough he will tell you anything you want to hear?

Now that I had a ‘green light’ to race again the Sports Manager and I drove across FL to Cocoa Beach to register for the Space Coast Marathon. I ran this race in 2003 (1st AG in 3:58) and knew it was a flat, fast course. The course has changed. It now starts and finishes in downtown Cocoa Village.
After registering and picking up a race packet at the Expo at the Kennedy Space Center we drove to Cocoa Village to check out the logistics of the start/finish. Then we enjoyed a standard pasta dinner and retired early.

Sun was ‘M’ day. I was a wee bit concerned on Sat and Sun morning as I drove to Cocoa Village. I had been experiencing some minor symptoms of the UC – stomach cramps and diarrhea – that I thought were finished? There were not many portable toilets at the start and I had to find some alleys and bushes for a few emergency pit stops before the start. I hoped it didn’t continue through the race?

The races – marathon and half marathon – both started in downtown Cocoa Village. There were approximately 3,000 runners – 1,000 in the marathon and 2,000 in the Half. There were two separate start corrals because the marathon made a quick right turn after the start and looped through the village before heading north on Riverside Dr along the west bank of the Indian River. The Half turned left and ran south on Riverside Dr along the Indian River. Both races started at 6:15 am. The weather was ideal as forecast – 57 F and overcast at the start and sunny and 66 F at the finish.

During the past few months I only ran ‘junk’ miles just to maintain and build up my aerobic conditioning. I had not included any speed work or intensity in my training. Thus my strategy for this race or long training run was to consider it a 20-mile tempo run. I planned to go out at a 4-hr pace and hold that pace as long as possible. I figured I could hold that pace for 20 miles and then I would probably have to ‘hang on’ and struggle through the final 10 Km to finish?

When I lined up at the start I noticed another ‘old fart’ who looked to be in my Age Group. I tried to convince myself to ignore other runners and not to attempt to compete – I wasn’t in shape to compete!
The race started on time and I instinctively tried to keep the other old fart in sight. I passed Mile 5 in 42:36 and an 8:34 split! I was way ahead of my planned pace! But I felt OK so I decided to hold that pace to the Half and then re-evaluate. As I made the turn for the 1st half-marathon loop I noticed that the old fart was only about 1 minute ahead of me. I passed mile 10 in 1:25:53 and reached the Half back in downtown Cocoa Village in 1:52:35 and a split of 8:36! I was definitely running way over my head!
The 2nd Half followed the half-marathon course south along the Indian River so we met/passed a lot of half-marathoners racing to the finish line.

I still felt OK but knew that if I continued to hold an 8:30 pace the final 10Km could be really ugly! There was no false illusion that I could hold that pace for 26 miles! I decided to go for it! I passed Mile 15 in 2:08:47 and a split of 8:35 and then the wheels started to fall off! My legs suddenly felt tired and heavy and my splits slowed to 8:45s. I knew that the smart thing would be to slow the pace to 9:00 or 9:15s but I was determined to run a 20-mile tempo run so I continued to push the pace. As I approached the turn-around at Mile 20 I noticed that the old fart was now about 5 minutes ahead of me. The only way I could catch him was if he crashed in the final 10Km (and I didn’t).
I passed Mile 20 in 2:53:16 and a split of 9:28. I knew that any chance of catching the old fart in 1st place was gone and that relieved a lot of stress and any motivation to accept any more pain than I was already suffering! I calculated that the worst case was to slow down to a 10-min pace and still finish well under 4 hrs or if I could push the pace down to 9:00/mile I could break 3:50!

I had to make an emergency pit stop at 20 miles that cost me a few minutes but also gave the old, wasted legs a much-needed rest. I was able to lower the split on Mile 21 to 9:03 but then the legs were finished. I struggled to hold a 9:30 pace for the final 5 miles and cross the finish line in 3:51:23.
My legs were tired and sore but I was very pleased and happy with both my time and performance. I never expected to break 4 hrs – in fact that was my goal for the next race in Cape Coral.

I walked back to the car for the camera to take a required finish line photo and check the results. I confirmed that I did indeed finish 2nd AG and the old fart beat me by 10 minutes! I wasn’t upset – I had run way over my head! And that 20-mile tempo run jump-started my speed work. I will now add mile repeats to my weekly program. The biggest question now is “what target should I set for the next race”?

Stay tuned!

Mileage & Medical Report

2010-11-07T13:18:00.002-05:00

Mileage & Medical Report
Nov 7/10

Mileage report:

I just logged 76 (running) miles this past week.
So even though I missed quite a few weeks and miles this past year due to some ‘wee’ health issues I still managed to pass 2,000 miles (2036) for the year. I submit this report mainly to inform my good friend Dr D. that I do not intend to lie down and simply concede the annual mileage title to him for a second year in a row! Nope! He will have to work hard to retain his title!

Clearly I cannot maintain this weekly level of mileage w/o injury so it appears that I will not reach my normal annual average mileage of 2500 miles for a second year in a row! Is this a sign of OLD AGE? If so I do not want any part of it!

It looks like (once again) all I can hope is that next year brings back my normal mileage – and a normal life!

Medical Report:

The long and frustrating struggle for recovery continues.

After a multitude of additional medical test and results, including a re-scope of both ends of the GI tract, the docs have concluded that there are no additional or hidden issues/bacteria/diseases. It has been
re-confirmed for the third time that my illness is simply a case of ‘severe’ Ulcerative Colitis (UC). Wish it were that ‘simple’.

We have tried many of the regular drugs and combinations of drugs normally used to control this nasty disease. We have tried many significant lifestyle changes including - NO travel – NO marathons/races – NO running/exercise and a very restricted diet. And I mean ‘restricted’! The ‘Low Residue Diet’ eliminated most of my favorite food groups. NO fried food – NO snack food – very limited fruits and veggies and – NO alcohol or caffeine! In other words “Anything that tastes good”!

Alas! None of these treatments and/or lifestyle changes provided any significant effect or improvement in the symptoms and failed to force the UC into remission!
The first ray of hope occurred two weeks ago when we began flushing cortisone liquid directly into the colon. This treatment provided some immediate relief and improvement in my symptoms. The stomach cramps and diarrhea diminished and the leg/foot pains diminished and then disappeared one week later. I am now able to run 10 to 15 miles w/o walking and can even make it (thankfully) between public toilets along my routes for major pit stops. However I still have to carry a packet of toilet paper for emergency situations! The Sports Manager and I are able to play golf again and (with the consent of my doc) I am ignoring the “NO booze” and a few other items on that restricted diet! Thus my “Quality of Life” is improving.

But alas again! Even the cortisone treatment combined with the regular drugs and lifestyle changes have not been successful in forcing the UC into remission. We are not satisfied with the progress and current level of symptoms so we have moved up to the highest level of drugs and treatment.

I received my first infusion of Remicade this past week. Remicade is a biologic drug/therapy that recognizes, attaches to, and blocks the action of a protein called tumor necrosis alpha (TNF –alpha) that is made by certain blood cells in the body. TNF can cause the immune system to attack healthy tissues in the body and cause inflammation and damage (e.g. UC)!

Remicade is reputed to be a ‘miracle ‘drug. But it is very expensive – and it can cause some nasty side effects!
The docs tell me that it normally takes a second infusion (in 2 weeks) to notice any significant changes or improvements in the symptoms and disease. That is followed by a third infusion at week #6 and then maintenance treatments every 8 weeks for a period of 2 years to control the disease.

Since Remicade is the final ’silver bullet’ in the arsenal I must remain hopeful and optimistic that it will work for me?

Maybe I can start racing again in Dec?

Stay tuned!

TR - Guatemala

2010-10-10T12:47:00.003-04:00

TRIP REPORT
GUATEMALA
9/30 – 10/04/10

Sun, Oct 3/10
Amatitlan, Guatemala
Maya Marathon
Marathon # 336 – Country # 106
4:25:36

While I am on a roll I figure I should finish part 2 of the past two weeks of travel/adventure.

I left Ghana on Mon for the long flight home – and thankfully had the same great seat close to a bathroom. I arrived home in FL and had 2 days to repack, pick up the Sports Manager who had stayed on the West Coast for 1 month with the kids and our precious new granddaughter Mira, get in a few 10-mile training runs and head off to the next race in Guatemala.

I had been looking for a marathon in Guatemala for the past 3 years and finally established contact with some local runners in 2008 who confirmed that there is only one marathon in Guatemala – the Maya Maraton that is held on the 1st weekend of Oct. each year in Amatitlan. Since I had a conflict in 2009 I committed to run the race in 2010 and didn’t want to break that commitment because of some minor health issues! There is a website for the race but it is difficult to find and has limited information (in Spanish). Without the support and assistance of local runners it would be difficult to participate in this race.

One of the nice things about travel to Central America is that the flights are short and there is only a few hours time difference. I arrived in Guatemala City at 8 pm and still had time to arrange for a city tour the next morning. Since it was not high season there was no demand for tours and I was provided with a private driver/guide. He misunderstood the request and instead of a tour of GC he took me to Antigua – about 40 miles west of GC. I wasn’t disappointed! The Antigua tour was more expensive than the city tour I paid for and it was much more interesting! On the drive through GC and along the highway to Antigua I noticed with much surprise how clean the streets and roads were? No litter – no garbage – no filth like most cities and countries in C. America? I expressed my surprise to the guide who explained that the mayors of both cities strictly enforced rules against litter/garbage. My kudos to them – the cities and roads are neat and clean!

I really liked Antigua. Antigua was founded in 1543 as the capital and once was the largest city in Central America. The city was destroyed by an earthquake in 1773 and the capital was moved to GC. However some residents stayed behind to rebuild the city and many of the old buildings have been restored. The original cobblestone streets are quaint (but Hell to drive on) and many of the original buildings have been restored and upgraded to boutique hotels, upscale restaurants, shops and bars. There are several ‘live-in’ schools teaching Spanish. We visited a few of the major tourist sites such as the Iglesia Y Convento De La Merced with its’ beautifully restored architecture and Central Park with the famous fountain restored in 1936 to the original version built in 1738. Central Park is bonded on the East side by the Catedral de Santiago (1542), on the South by the Captain-Generals’ Palace (1558) and the North by the City Hall (1743). My guide took me to a silver factory where I was able to buy both of my typical souvenirs – a teaspoon and silver charm- in the same place! I was disappointed that I had to leave Antigua so soon – I could easily spend/enjoy 2 to 3 days in that beautiful city!

The next day I did take the city tour of GC. It was a disappointment – not much to see or do in GC for a tourist. We visited some museums in Zona 13 and then drove around Zona 10 (Zona Viva) that is the affluent section of GC. Western hotels, upscale shops, restaurants, bars and modern shopping malls are located in this zone – and also the Embassies and many affluent residential areas. We drove through one gated community that looked like any subdivision back home except for the bars on the doors and windows and electrified barb wire on the walls and roofs of the homes? I noticed many runners/walkers and bikers in this community and a local runner later confirmed that this is the area where most runners train because it is safe and there is little traffic! We continued to Zona 1 which is the old section of the city to visit a few old churches and Central Park that is bounded on the East by the Catedral Metropolitana and the North by the Palacio Nacional de la Cultura. Few of the buildings have been restored or maintained and are not in good shape? We finished the city tour with a drive through the slums in the North end of the city. GC is built in a huge bowl surrounded by volcanoes. Most of the slums are built on steep hills on the sides of the volcanoes. They have great views – but no water/plumbing and are destroyed frequently by earthquakes and landslides!

My tour of the city was over except for brief walks near my hotel in Zona 10. Since the city was so neat and clean emergency pit stops were not possible but thankfully there were many modern fast-food restaurants in the area. As convenient as they were there unfortunately were still a few wee accidents and I concluded it is difficult to travel with health issues like I was suffering!

On Sat evening Fernando and his lovely wife Thatiana met me to deliver my race packet- including
Bib # 106 – and invited me to join them for a great pasta dinner at their favorite Italian restaurant to discuss final logistics for the race. Fernando had arranged for another runner, Raul, to pick me up and drive me to the race. He warned me about some tough hills in the 1st and last 10 Km of the race.

Sun was ‘M’ day. Raul picked me up promptly at 5:15 am for the 30 minute drive south to Amatitlan. The race was scheduled to start at 7am. The race started and finished at La Parque las Ninfas on the shores of Lake Amatitlan. I noticed on the drive to Amatitlan that this region of Guatemala did not have the same ‘litter’ rules – there was litter/garbage everywhere like I expected to see?
Amatitlan is located at an elevation of 4,000 ft and is warmer than GC. There were about 800 runners – 300 in the marathon and 500 in the Half. Both races started in La Parque Las Ninfas at the same time. The race was delayed by 45 minutes to allow runners to pick up race packets (1st time they allowed pick- up the day of the race?) During the delay I met two other ‘gringos’ – a young man from Toronto who was working in Honduras and a runner from St Pete, FL. Maddog was also busy fulfilling requests for poses for photos since his participation and running accomplishments had been pre-announced in a press release and website. I enjoyed these requests because I got to meet a lot of local runners who were very friendly and nice!

I was a wee bit worried about the weather because of the delay but we were lucky. The skies were cloudy and overcast and the temps were only in the low 70s (10 degrees cooler than normal) – and stayed that way throughout the race. Thus the only things I had to worry about were the 4,000 ft elevation and the hills? I was not in good shape or trained for either!
The race started at 7:45 am and the first 5 Km looped through the cobblestone streets of Amatitlan. The houses were blocks of buildings that concerned me if I had to make an emergency pit stop? Luckily I made it though the city and out to the western side of Lake Amatitlan where there was lots of vegetation to hide behind before I was forced to make my 1st pit stop. We reached the series of three nasty BAHs (Bad Ass Hills) around 8Km. Fernando had not lied about those hills but I soon learned that he had forgotten to mention the rest of the course that followed the west shore of Lake Amatitlan was a continuous series of rolling hills! There were more hills than there were flat sections along that lake! I was definitely not in shape or prepared for a hilly course at 4,000 ft! And the course was a narrow two-lane road that had not been closed to traffic so we had to share the road with cars and buses. Many times I found myself stuck between two buses sucking up diesel fumes. I decided to stay with a group of local runners at all times believing that there was more safety in numbers. I was a wee bit surprised when I calculated that I was running a sub-10 min pace. My plan was to run 5 Km and then walk for a few minutes. I quickly realized that fatigue was no longer a factor – in fact the limiting factor became the ache/pain in my feet? After a few miles both feet would start to ache/pain so badly that I would have to stop or walk for a few minutes to give the pain a chance to subside? I (nor the docs) have any idea what is causing this problem – for now I just have to live with it and adapt!

Fortunately it worked out that water stops were located every 5Km or less and I used them as an excuse to walk so I avoided reaching a point where my feet hurt so much that I would have to stop. There were distance markers located every 5Km and most were accurate for the 1st half. I passed the Half in 2:10:10 but I figured the 2nd half would not be that fast because of the hills! Then I noticed that the 25Km and 30Km markers were both located within 5Km of the Half so I knew any markers in the 2nd Half would be useless. That was confirmed when I passed 35Km in 3:00:18. If that marker was accurate I would finish under 4 hrs – or - the last 7 km was going to be very lonnnnnnnggggggg? I believe we reached the series of BAHs near the true 35Km and there wasn’t any consideration of running them. I convinced Maddog that it would be better for my feet to walk up the hills and run down them! When I reached a distance marker at 40Km in 4:09:54 I knew it wasn’t accurate but I started to wonder if I could break 4:30. I had no idea what the real distance was to the finish line but I decided to ignore the foot pain and go for it. I was happy when I finally saw La Parque las Ninfas and crossed the finish line in 4:25:36!

Needless to say I was very pleased with both my time and performance considering the course and my health. If I can get healthy again I am confident that I can get my finish time back below 4 hrs quickly!
Raul and I waited around the finish area for another 30 minutes and more photo requests and then drove back to GC. After a hot shower I felt much better than I did one week earlier in Ghana and was able to enjoy some beer and greasy food while watching football in the sports bar at the hotel. After a great steak dinner and early bed I was ready to head back home to FL.

I am back and since I had such a bad time with diarrhea in Guatemala I decided to advance my appointment with the GI doc to discuss the current status of my health. He agrees that the UC could/should not be causing that level of problem (after 6 weeks on meds) and believes that there must be one (or more) causes lurking in the old bod. Bottom line is he doesn’t know but he wants to be aggressive in looking. Thus I am scheduled for another scope on Mon - both ends this time to see if they can determine where and what the problem is? In the meantime he is guessing that the GI infection (C-diff) may have come back in spite of two recent tests that were negative and has started me back on that super drug ($50/pill) specially designed to kill C-diff. I am already noticing some improvement in the diarrhea so maybe that is the problem? However I am really tired of being treated like a druggie. I have got to get off all these damn drugs! In the short term I am prepared to do/try anything to find and resolve the problems. But if I don’t get some concrete answers in the next few weeks I am going to start exploring 2nd and 3rd opinions!

And finally – are you sitting down because I don’t want y’all to hurt yourself when you faint? I am sticking to my vow that my primary focus is to find the problems and restore my health as close as possible to 100%. I have no plans for travel or marathons in the foreseeable future! None! Nada!
I even took the past week off from running and training! None.! Nada! However I did break down and run an easy 10 miles on Sun. it felt good! I have decided to resume running/training until a doc tells me that running is not good for my health. But no races!

Stay tuned!

TR - Ghana

2010-10-09T17:08:00.000-04:00

TRIP REPORT
GHANA
9/21 -9/28/10

Sun, Sept 26/10
Accra, Ghana
Accra International Marathon
Marathon #335 – Country # 105
4:56:05 – 1 AG

Where to begin? It seems so long since I ran this race that my memory is foggy – or is that Old Age?
It is a good thing I make a photo record of these trips so I can refer to the photos to write a report!

I had to go back and check my last race report – Paraguay- to remember where to begin.
Things did not go well after the last race/trip. After a long, frustrating month of waiting for appointments, tests and results (medical care is not as easily available in the mountains as it is in FL)
I was finally diagnosed with UC (Ulcerative Colitis). That was not good news and not readily accepted by Maddog! By then the symptoms – fatigue, stomach cramps and diarrhea had worsened and I was having difficulty training. The GI doc started me on an aggressive treatment program with steroids and a 5-ASA anti-inflammatory. The drugs and/or the disease introduced a new symptom/problem – aches and pains in all the muscles and joints in my legs. I tried to keep running/training for Pike’s Peak Marathon
(carrying a roll of toilet paper for the frequent pit stops required for the diarrhea) but I couldn’t run farther than ½ mile before I would become totally fatigued. I tried to overcome that limitation and then my knees and feet would hurt so badly after running a mile that I would have to stop and rest or walk to reduce the pain. Reluctantly I had to withdraw from Pike’s Peak and another marathon in CO. By early Oct I had built my daily run/walk up to 10 miles but it was difficult at the high elevation (9,000 ft) because my iron levels and red blood cell count was so low.

I had a final meeting with the GI doc before leaving CO and he advised that it was OK to travel to Ghana and run the marathon if I felt I could do it? I visited our son in WA and our precious new granddaughter, Mira in Portland, OR for one week before returning to CO and immediately noticed a big difference on my daily 10-mile runs – I could breathe at sea level and run up to two miles before fatigue set in. My confidence in running (and finishing) the Ghana Marathon improved significantly! I returned home to FL a few days before leaving for Ghana and visited a GI doc here for follow up. He was disappointed and concerned that the meds were not working and had not forced the UC into remission. I was still suffering from chronic diarrhea and leg pains? His opinion conflicted with the CO doc. He thought the leg pains might be a side effect of the drugs so he switched the 5-ASA med and also added an antibiotic in case there was a nasty bug/bacteria in my GI tract?

And off I went to Ghana. I was concerned about the antibiotic making the diarrhea worse and that turned out to be the case. It was a good thing my seat on the 10-hr flight to Ghana was next to a bathroom! After a long overnight flight I arrived in Ghana early afternoon and was met at the airport by a race volunteer. Seth drove me to race HQ to meet the Race Director, Anna and a few race officials. They were all very kind and hospitable – but special kudos to Anna who is such a sweet and dynamic person. Without her this race would never happen or be successful! They had reserved Bib #105 for me.

Later Seth drove me to the Central Bus Station to catch a bus to Cape Coast. It was supposed to be a 2-hr bus ride but turned out to be 4 hrs because of the horrendous traffic in Accra. I don’t know how I made it on that bus for 4 hrs w/o messing my pants but I still had clean pants when I arrived in Cape Coast at 10 pm? Maybe because I hadn’t eaten for about 8 hrs?
I met a young man from Austria on the bus who was staying at the same cheap hotel ($25/night – clean, TV and AC) and we were starving so Andy and I shared a taxi to the only restaurant still open and enjoyed a great dinner and a pleasant conversation.

The following day I explored Cape Coast on foot. Touring presented a BIG problem – I couldn’t be more than 30 feet or 30 secs from a toilet! And there are no public toilets in Ghana! I quickly realized that 80% of the population live in slums that have no electricity and no water/plumbing. Thus the locals did their daily duties wherever and whenever needed. That made things much easier for me. In one instance I was squatting beside a wall when a local woman joined me. We tried to start a conversation but she didn’t speak English so the conversation was short! Cape Coast (founded in the 15th Century) is a small city and can be explored easily on foot. I toured the downtown and market and then toured the Cape Coast Castle – the main reason for visiting Cape Coast. Cape Coast Castle, a World Heritage Site, was first built in 1653. After it was captured by Britain in 1665 it was expanded, fortified and used to ship slaves to Europe and NA. A guided tour takes visitors through the castle and into the various slave dungeons and of course through the infamous ‘Door of No Return’. It is very depressing and one leaves upset that human beings could/can be so cruel and mean!

The next day I visited the nearby village of Elmina and St George’s Castle. Built in 1482 by the Portuguese it is the oldest extant colonial building in sub-Sahara Africa. It was captured by the Dutch in 1637 and used to ship slaves to SA and the Caribbean. The layout and story are similar to Cape Coast Castle – and also depressing!
Elmina has reverted to a fishing port and there are lots of colorful pirogues in the port. The two days spent on the Cape Coast were interesting and enjoyable but it was time to return to Accra. I had made good friends with a local taxi driver who offered to drive me to my hotel on the south (far) side of the city for a ridiculous fee of $40 (about 140 Km). I think he regretted that offer when it took us 4 hrs to reach the hotel (2 hrs to Accra and another 2 hrs through the horrendous city traffic to the hotel!).

Anna had suggested staying at the Royal Palm Beach Resort – a 5-star resort- on the beach south of the city and close to the finish line. I arranged for a private driver/guide to tour me around Accra the next day. It is a big city with almost no infrastructure and traffic is ALWAYS horrendous! Although Ghana is supposed to have oil and oil money it is not evident that any is being spent on infrastructure or the people? There are very few modern buildings, the only affluent section of the city is called the Cantonments where the Embassies are located and most of the expats and government ministers live in that area. Most of the people live in slums with no water/plumbing, etc. My guide, Justice, drove me around the few interesting sites to see in Accra – James Town, the old part of Ghana with the Lighthouse and Fort James (now a prison). I tried to visit the slums along the beach in James Town but the smell/stench was so bad that I had to leave after a few minutes! We visited Independence Square (also known as Black Star Square) and the Nkrumah Mausoleum before enjoying lunch in Osu – a small upscale section of the city with restaurants and bars.

I had asked Anna about a pasta dinner and she arranged an invitation to dinner at the private residence of an Embassy employee in the Cantonments. Several of the US Embassy employees and some teachers from the American School in Accra were running the Marathon and Half. I met a lot of very nice people and got a great insight into how our Embassy employees live (and cope) in foreign countries. It was a very enjoyable evening!

Sun was ‘M’ Day. The race was scheduled to start at 5:30am because of the heat and traffic. It was a point-to-point course that started in Prampram (south of the city) and finished on Labadi Beach close to the hotel. Anna had arranged for a driver to pick me up at 4:30 am. At 4:50 am – no driver and I was getting anxious. I called Anna. She assured me that a driver would arrive and the race would not start w/o me! A driver finally arrived at 5:15 am! I and about eight other runners arrived at the start line at 6:30 am. The race started at 6:35am! It was sunny and hot!

I was concerned about directions and markers on the course. I wasn’t really concerned about the many pit stops I would probably have to make since I could stop and go wherever needed (I only had to make two?). There were only 50 runners in the marathon and another 250 in the Half that started at the Half marathon point and a later time. I didn’t know what to expect from the old bod? I planned on running about two miles and then walking for a few minutes. That turned out to be my typical pattern for the race. Fatigue, thankfully, never seemed to be a limiting factor. Either there was a water stop and I decided to walk through most of them or my feet would become so sore after a few miles that I was forced to stop and walk to reduce the pain? There was lots of water along the course but the distance markers were not accurate. They seemed to be short in the first half and I reached the Half in 2:15:22. I hoped that the course was not short? The first Half of the course was mostly on the shoulder of a Motorway but there was not much traffic at that time. Traffic control was good and there were volunteers or police at all points where turns were required. Much of the 2nd half was along the Ocean until we reached a small village around 35Km. I had passed a 32Km marker in 3:36:25 but had no faith in the accuracy. That final 10Km was the longest 10Km I ever ran – and one of the worst! Much of it was along a narrow two-lane road through the village with horrendous traffic. On some sections we were forced to run on a sidewalk crowded with shoppers and pedestrians. I had to walk much of it to avoid running someone over! On the sections with a dirt shoulder we had to be careful of buses/taxis/tro-tros pulling into the shoulder and we were constantly sucking up diesel fumes! I never thought I would make it to the turn-off down to the beach? I was almost 5 hrs into the race – it was hot- I was burning up even though I had lathered sun block all over my body. Finally I saw Anna jump out of a support car and she handed me a bottle of water. I pleaded “how much farther to the finish line”? Happily she replied “Only another 600m to the turn-off”! I glanced at my watch – I could still break 5 hrs! I pushed as hard as possible to reach that turn-off and scramble down to the finish line on Labadi Beach in 4:56:05!

I was very happy with my finish time considering the course, the heat, my health conditions and training! I think the Ghana people like to party because nobody was in much of a hurry to hold the award ceremony, etc. They hadn’t given out the finisher’s medal at the finish line and I wanted that! I stuck around for more than one hour but I was tired and burning up in the sun so I finally gave up and walked back to my hotel.

After a cool shower and a relaxing massage at the hotel spa I was so exhausted that I laid down for a nap before dinner. I woke up at 11 pm – too late for dinner- so crawled back into bed and slept a total of 13 hrs! I was a bit disappointed that I had not received a finisher’s medal but as I was eating breakfast before heading to the airport Anna showed up to give me my medal and some other gifts. Like I said the race could not be successful w/o her untiring efforts and positive attitude!

As I made the long flight home I was buoyed by the knowledge and confidence that I could indeed run the next race scheduled for Guatemala one week later. I was hoping that my diarrhea problem would lessen since I would finish the steroids and antibiotic before that race? Only time would tell?

Stay tuned!

TR - Paraguay

2010-08-11T14:07:00.003-04:00

TRIP REPORT
PARAGUAY
8/4 – 8/9/10

Sun, Aug 8/10
Asuncion, Paraguay
Maraton Paraguay Bicentario
Marathon #334 – Country # 104
4:28:01 – 2 AG

This was an unplanned/unscheduled marathon (& country) in my 2010 race calendar. In May just before I was leaving for Colombia my friend Edson happened upon a race calendar with information about a marathon in Paraguay. We had been looking for years for a race in Paraguay but there was none. This new marathon was being held to celebrate Paraguay’s Bicentennial. We figured it would probably be a one –of race and we both decided to take advantage of the one-time opportunity. When I returned from Colombia I started looking at flights – it is not easy or cheap to get to Paraguay! There are no direct flights from the USA and it is necessary to fly via Argentina or Brazil.

Edson became point-man and communicator with the Race Director, Myrta, who spoke Portuguese. She was very helpful and supportive. She reserved Bib #104 for me and arranged for a driver to pick us up at the airport and take us to the hotel. I ended up leaving one day early because it reduced the airfare by $300? I figured an extra day to visit the city would be OK.

I didn’t do any special training because I was focused on training at high altitude and trails in preparation for Pike’s Peak. As you read in previous reports I ran a very tough and challenging Mountain Marathon two weeks before leaving for Paraguay – and never seemed to recover from that race! I seemed to be fatigued all the time and a few days before leaving I started bleeding internally? I didn’t have time to go to a doctor and there usually isn’t an easy/quick fix to that kind of problem so I ignored it and hoped it would go away. It didn’t! It got worse during the trip.

After 22 hours of flights and airports I arrived in Paraguay late morning on Thu. Myrta sent her daughter and a driver to meet me at the airport because her daughter spoke English. Edson and I agreed to share a room at the best luxury hotel in Asuncion ($130/night). It was located downtown close to the tourist sites and only a few blocks from the start/finish line. Although I had flown all night I had managed to get a good sleep so I spent the rest of the day walking and touring the downtown and historic sites of the city. Asuncion is the capital and largest city in Paraguay (1.5 million residents – only 6 M in the country).
The downtown is compact – about 10 square blocks and can easily be explored on foot. I managed to visit and take photos of most of the major tourist sites – the Presidential Palace, the Parliament buildings, Independence Park – to share with my readers (see my photo website). I quickly learned that Paraguay is not a tourist destination when I had difficulty finding the typical souvenirs (a silver charm for the Sport’s Managers bracelet and a silver teaspoon for my collection) that I collect in every country.

I managed to stay awake for dinner and was surprised to find the downtown area closed down after 6 pm. The stores were shuttered with iron bars/gates and there were very few bars and restaurants open after 6 pm? On Fri I decided to walk/tour, take more photos and find the expo and packet pick-up. Before leaving the hotel I met Francisco and Mercedes (friends from Buenos Aires) in the hotel lobby and agreed to meet them later. A few hours later I bumped into Dieter – a friend/member of the Country Club from Germany in the Plaza de los Heroes.
He had only recently learned of the race and had booked the trip at the last minute figuring also that it was a one-time opportunity. We agreed to meet for dinner. I walked over to the expo located at the Estacion Ferrocarril Central- the first railway station built in South America (1856). It now serves as a museum and conference center. I picked up my race packet and met Myrta to thank her for all her help. I had brought some old running shoes and some health supplements for elite runners in Paraguay who could not afford those items. She introduced me to a young runner who was the top 10K runner in Paraguay. I gave him a 4-month supply of Glucosamine to help him with his training.

Later I returned to an area of the old historic town near Independence Park that intrigued me. The Presidential Palace and Parliament buildings were located in that area that overlooked the Bahia de Asuncion and the Rio Paraguay. The Palace and old Parliament buildings were immaculately maintained and other government buildings were modern and luxurious – and they all overlooked the poorest/worst slum in Asuncion! The slum called Ricardo Brugata was located in a floodplain along the Rio Paraguay. The politicians and President had to look out at the slums from their back windows! I walked along a wall on the edge of the Park overlooking the slums taking photos of the slums and the residents. A National Police Officer who was guarding the Senate Building approached me shouting in Spanish? At first I thought he was trying to scam me but I eventually understood that he was warning me that my expensive camera (and wallet) presented a rich reward/target for the gangs from the slums. I tried to explain that the camera was strapped around my neck but he explained that the gangs would not hesitate to cut the strap – or my throat- to take the camera and wallet! I thanked him for waiting beside me (with his machine gun) while I quickly put my camera away and moved to a safer part of the city! When I later recounted the story to my friends Dieter said that he had received the same warning! Now my readers have advance knowledge/warning not to venture too close to Ricardo Brugata!

Later that day Edson arrived and I guided him back to the expo to pick up his race packet and we spent more time with Myrta. She invited us to attend a show that evening at the expo. There would be dancers performing traditional dances. We met up with Dieter for dinner and asked him to go along to the show. There was entertainment – but to our surprise - WE were it! Myrta invited us up on the stage, introduced us, described our running accomplishments and then invited us to participate in a dance contest. The upside to this amusing/embarrassing situation was that she provided some very lovely young Paraguay women to be our dance partners. We joined in the fun much to the applause of the locals. And then they finally brought out the real dancers who performed some very nice and colorful traditional dances.

On Sat Myrta arranged for a bus and tour guide to escort 50 runners on a tour of the city and marathon course. The first few hours were just a repeat of my self-guided walking tour (with local narrative) and then the bus drove us over the marathon course with a detour into an exclusive residential neighborhood where the President and other affluent residents lived. Very nice area – but each home had a high wall topped with barb wire and/or broken glass and an armed guard at the entrance. You can live very well and cheaply in Paraguay – but Florida was looking good!

Edson and I thought about doing a short run on Sat afternoon but there was no safe place to run in Asuncion. The streets downtown are narrow- there are no traffic lights/stop signs – and the rule seems to be “the fastest and bravest rules”. We quickly learned not to step off a sidewalk w/o looking in all directions and making sure there was time to cross a street because cars would not stop or even slow down for pedestrians! And there was another problem – I was still bleeding internally and had become concerned about the amount of blood I was losing. For one of the few times I was not concerned about all the rest I was getting!

There was a pasta dinner and party on Sat night. We attended but hid in the back to avoid another surprise. However this time there was a formal program with lots of dancers performing traditional dances from various cultures in Paraguayan history. After the entertainment the party got noisy and the line for the buffet was too long so Dieter, Edson and I escaped to an Italian restaurant for a nice quiet pasta dinner.

Sun was ‘M’ Day. The race started and finished a few blocks from the hotel at Independence Park. There was no problem with gangs from the Ricardo slum because the park was filled with hundreds of National Police and military to protect the runners – and the President who started the race! It was warm – 58F – but low humidity with a light breeze so it felt quite pleasant. There were 3 races – a Marathon, Half and 10K. Each race participant had been given a colored T-shirt that identified the race and it was mandatory to wear it. The Marathon was red! The President started the race at 7am and as we took off hundreds of firecrackers went off and scared the shit out of me. I had taken the warning about the slums seriously and thought it was gunshots?

I had no idea how my old bod was going to perform. I had 4 days of rest so if the health issues didn’t affect me I should be able to finish in 4 hrs? I planned to run a 9-min pace for the first 5 Km and see what happened. The first 5Km of the course looped around streets in downtown Asuncion and was quite hilly. When I passed 5 Km in 30:40 I knew 4 hrs wasn’t going to happen and I decided to let the old bod dictate the pace. At that point I started suffering stomach cramps that indicated a need for a major pit stop (GI problems continue). But the course was leaving the downtown area and proceeding along a major blvd that was occupied by businesses and homes with no alley or bushes to hide behind (and no porto-pottys on the course). By the time I reached 10Km in 59:58 the cramps were severe and I knew that if I didn’t find a bush soon it was going to get messy! Fortunately I passed a lot where a house was being demolished and provided a wall to hide behind for a much-needed pit stop. I hoped that would be it but by the time I reached 15Km in 1:29:50 I was suffering severe cramps again. By then the course was on the road going to the airport with lots of empty land so a pit stop was not a problem.

When I passed the Half in 2:06:04 I knew I was in BIG trouble. I was struggling to keep my feet moving and not to walk – and it was getting hotter! As I reached the turn-around at the airport at 24Km in 2:24:43 and began the loop back to the finish line time was no longer a priority. The priority was now SURVIVAL and reaching the finish line! I was out of energy and desperately needed to walk. I knew if I started walking that early it would get very ugly so I started playing mind games. I promised myself that if I could keep running/jogging until I returned to the main blvd (near 33 Km) than I would allow myself to walk/jog the final 10Km! It was very tough but I kept the wasted old legs shuffling and churning until I reached 33 Km in 3:28:36.

When I turned on to that bvld I knew it was a straight 9Km stretch over rolling hills to the finish line and somehow that gave me a mental lift. I could see another old fart about 1 KM in front of me and although I figured our times and positions were irrelevant I decided to catch and pass him before the finish line! I finally passed him at 39Km and continued to ‘push’ the pace until I crossed the finish line in 4:28:01. I was totally exhausted and felt really bad – even worse than I did after the previous Mountain race. Edson finished only 3 minutes behind me and he doesn’t care about time/performance, etc. I would have been very upset and embarrassed if he had passed me!

After a few finish line photos we decided to walk back to the hotel for a much needed hot soak and shower. However I was feeling so poorly that I had to sit down several times to rest. I was totally fatigued and suffering from nausea and dizziness? Edson suggested that we go to a hospital but there was no way in Hell I was going to a hospital in Paraguay. He helped me back to the hotel and after a long hot soak and shower I felt a wee bit better. I hoped that some greasy food and a beer might help (as it normally does after a race) but nothing tasted good and only made me feel worse so we decided to head to the airport for the trip home. The first leg to Sao Paulo, Brazil was not pleasant and when I arrived in Brazil I went to the executive lounge at AA hoping a beer or coke might help. One again beer tasted horrible (and you know you are sick when beer tastes bad) but the sugar in the coke seemed to help. I had not eaten all day! When I boarded the flight at midnight I was so grateful that I had the foresight to upgrade to First/Business on the AA legs. As soon as the plane left the tarmac I reclined that wonderful seat into a bed and passed out – for 9 hours!

When I finally arrived back home on Mon afternoon I asked the Sports Manager to call out local GP to see how soon he could see me? Thankfully he squeezed me in that afternoon and began a series of blood and other tests to figure out what is going on. Why am I still bleeding internally and what is the cause? The blood tests have already confirmed no anemia which is good news. I am still waiting for the results on other tests. And for one of the few times in my life I am in no hurry to start training again.

However I am starting to get concerned about Pike’s Peak. I only have 10 days to figure out what is wrong – and fix it – or cancel the race! The way I feel right now there is absolutely no way I can race 8,000 vertical feet to the top of Pike’s Peak (14,110 ft) and back down – the toughest marathon course in the world!

Stay tuned!

14er Report - Redcloud Peak

2010-07-20T19:03:00.002-04:00

14er Report
Mon, July 19/10
Redcloud Peak (14,034 ft)
Sunshine Peak (14,001 ft)
Redcloud Peak (14,034 ft)

When I decided to go to Southern Colorado (Silverton) for the weekend to run the Kendall Mtn Marathon I figured that I might as well stay on after the race to run a few 14ers in the San Juan Mtns.
I have climbed most of the 14ers within a 90-min drive of home and now must travel and stay over 1 or 2 nights to climb ‘new’ 14ers. This represented such an opportunity!

Once I confirmed that the race would indeed take place on Sat I hoped to run one 14er –Handies Peak – on Sun after the race. However in spite of my trusty and normally reliable 14er guide and directions from locals at the hotel I was unable to find the Grouse Gulch Trailhead that was supposedly only 12 miles from Silverton. I actually think I found it but it is not commonly used and had no signs or markings and I was not willing to risk venturing off into the wilderness of the San Juan Mtns w/o confirming I was on the proper trail and heading for the proper destination. So I bagged the hike and instead drove around the San Juan Mtns to Lake City on the East side of the mtns. I could have driven over a 4X4 pass but they scare the crap out of me – I would rather run over those roads/passes than drive!

The access and trailheads are much better from Lake City but to make sure I didn’t experience the same problem and disappointment I checked into the tourist center where they provided me with detailed maps and directions to the trailhead. I woke early on Mon with a plan to drive to the Silver Creek-Grizzly Gulch Trailhead located about 20 miles southwest of Lake City and to climb two 14ers. It required a bone-jarring ride over 10 miles of rough 4X4 roads but I arrived at the trailhead at 7:30am. The trailhead is located at 10,400 ft and provides access to two 14ers – Redcloud Peak and Sunshine Peak.
I set out on a nice soft dirt trail through a pine forest. After hiking for more than 1 hr and still not seeing my destinations I started to wonder if I was on the right trail. I took out the trail directions and noted that it was a 3-mile hike into a basin before you actually could see Redcloud Peak. Finally I reached the basin and could see Redcloud –or what turned out to be a false peak. After another hour of climbing I reached the summit of the false peak and could see the ‘real’ summit of Redcloud Peak. And I could see a group of 10 hikers approaching the summit. At 10:30 am I reached the summit (14,034 ft) and was rewarded with spectacular 360 degree views of the San Juan Mtns.

I could see Sunshine Peak about 2 ½ miles to the south and decided to strike out for my 2nd 14er. I hiked with a local woman down into the 13,500 ft saddle between Redcloud and Sunshine but the weather started to look ‘iffy’ and she turned back. Maddog was too close to give up so I continued on a reached the summit of Sunshine peak (14,001 ft) at 11:40. I took a few photos and headed back. I had to retrace my route to get back to the trailhead and car and that meant climbing Redcloud a 2nd time. I was trying to push the pace to beat the bad weather on the horizon and I was quite pleased that I was able to charge back up Redcloud w/o any rest stops. I caught up with a few hikers that had been descending Sunshine when I was climbing it so I really was pushing a good steady pace. I planned to enjoy a short lunch on the summit of Redcloud Peak but when we reached the summit we were greeted with dark clouds and pea-size hail. Fortunately there was no thunder or lightning but new all decided to take a few quick photos and get the Hell off the mountain before the weather got worse! We rushed down the steep section of Redcloud and when we reached the basin I was able to run (term used loosely) the final 3 miles back to the trailhead.
Although I actually climbed three 14ers I can only count or add two to my list. I have now completed 26 of Colorado’s 54 - 14ers! I figured the hike was about 17 miles and the total time was 6:51 so I was pleased with the day. I was exhausted – again- and the long 4-hr drive back home was difficult. I slept 10 hrs last night and am still tired so am taking a rest day. I plan to climb a few more 14ers in the local area during the next few weeks to maintain my high-altitude acclimation in preparation for Pike’s Peak.

Stay tuned!

RR - Kendall Mountain

2010-07-20T15:23:00.002-04:00

Race Report
Sat, Jul 17/10
Kendall Mountain Marathon
Silverton, CO
Marathon #333
7:36:55 – 1 AG – 6 OA

This was an unplanned/unscheduled race. I was looking for a race in mid-July to maintain my marathon conditioning but I didn’t want to spend money on air travel etc. I searched the local Colorado race calendar and found a new (inaugural) marathon to be run in Silverton, CO. That is a real pretty area of CO and also close to many 14ers that I had not yet climbed. After many attempts to contact the race director who chose to ignore my emails/phone messages for more info I decided to drive to Silverton the day before the race. If the race didn’t happen I could always climb some of those 14ers?

I drove west and then south through the scenic town of Ouray that sits in a canyon surrounded by the San Juan Mtns. It is also the beginning of the Million Dollar Hwy between Ouray and Silverton – so named because of the Million Dollar views (and no guard rails to obstruct those views)! I took many photos of these and other beautiful scenery of CO to share with my readers. When I arrived in Silverton I found registration/packet pick-up – not where it was supposed to be and none of the race volunteers could provide information on the race or course. I signed up and then found the man in charge of the race timing. He was most helpful and provided me with most of the information I needed. Warning – there is very little info on the website for this race and the race director will not respond to emails/etc. It was difficult to get info on logistics and the course even after I registered. For this and other reasons to be discussed I do not recommend this race!

The most important Information I learned was that the Kendall Mtn Run – a half marathon – had been run for 32 years and this year a marathon had been added. The marathon would be two loops of the half course. I had mistakenly interpreted the info on the website to mean that the half marathon course started in Silverton and finished at the summit of Kendall Mtn! WRONG! The course started in Silverton (elevation 9318 ft) and climbed 3748 vertical ft over 6.5 miles to the summit of Kendall Mtn (13,066 ft) – and returned to Silverton. Like I said the lucky marathoners got to run two loops! I asked about aid stations – there were supposedly five but the locations were not known? That was an important detail because I needed to know what waist/water belt to wear? I decided that I would wear a larger, more cumbersome belt to start the race because I wanted to carry a camera to take photos for my readers -because there was another strange twist (noted on the website). The course followed a very steep 4X4 road for the first 5.85 miles and then ended at 12,800 ft – no road and no trail. For the final 266 vertical ft and .65 miles runners were forced to scramble (on hands and feet) and bushwhack to the summit of Kendall Mtn! I knew that would present some great photos of the race!

As I walked around Silverton and looked up at Kendall Mtn that towered above the town on the East it looked intimidating and scary. I drove the first few miles of the (very steep) 4X4 road and confirmed that there would be a lot of walking involved and early in the race!

Sat was ‘M’ Day! The race started at 8am – sunny and a warm temp of 50F with temps forecast in the low 80s. I decided not to carry warm clothes but still wore the larger waist belt to carry my water, carbo gels and camera. I parked my car at the finish line so I could switch to a smaller belt (or discard the belt) at the Half. There were over 100 runners in the Half but only 12 in the marathon. Marathoners had a blue bib so we could identify our competitors. I managed to run the 1st mile but was then reduced to walking with most of the runners. The 1st water station was located at 1.6 miles. I will compliment the race organization on the water stations. They were located approx. every 2 miles and had lots of water, energy drink, food and carbo gels. I reached the 2nd water stop at 3.4 miles in 54:10. The next 1.7 miles of the course climbed very steeply (45 % grade) and relentlessly to the 3rd water stop at 5.1 miles (1:33:09 and a split of 38.58). The course then made a 180 degree switchback and climbed steeply to the next water stop and the end of the road at 5.85 miles. I could see runners ahead scrambling up the steep summit and I was scared! I am afraid of heights! I reached the end of the road and started to follow the route that other runners were using to scramble up the mtn. I kept my eyes focused on the mtn and refused to look down until I reached the summit (13,066 ft) in 2:06:32. I stopped to take a few photos and wash down a carbo gel. Yes they had a water stop on the top of the mtn? I don’t know how they carried those gallon jugs of water up there? Now for the scariest part of the course – I had to scramble back down to the road – and I was terrified! I side stepped down most of the scramble/descent to maintain total control and prevent a fall and injury. It took 16:02 to descend .65 miles! But the next 6 miles was all downhill and steep. So steep in fact that it was difficult to control my pace and speed - any small mistake and losing control would result in a serious fall and injury! About half way down the descent I passed the lead runner – a local elite female who was running up the ascent for the 2nd loop. She was so far ahead of everybody else! Nobody was even close! As I passed other marathoners starting their 2nd loop we looked at each other and exclaimed that we had to be totally crazy to run a 2nd loop of this nasty/challenging/insane course! I reached the Half in 3:30:44.

I switched my waist belt to a smaller belt. It was necessary to carry water since it was taking 40 to 50 minutes to walk/climb the 2 miles between water stops on the ascent and that is too long to go w/o water in the mtns! I didn’t need the camera any more so a smaller belt would be lighter and less cumbersome. I think I was delaying the agony of starting the 2nd loop. I really didn’t want to run a 2nd loop. A person had to be crazy to run a 2nd loop! Maddog (appropriately named for this situation) screamed that I paid for a marathon and I needed to get my money’s worth! As far as I was concerned I had already got my money’s worth! Reluctantly I started climbing/walking back up Kendall Mtn. I knew the 2nd Half would be much slower. I figured 4 hrs would be a good target? I reached the 2nd water stop at 3.4 miles (16.6 miles) in 4:35:13 and a split of 1:04:28. On the 1st ascent I had been able to run the very few flat and downhill sections – but not on the 2nd ascent! I was trying to conserve energy for the scramble and final descent. I caught 3 runners – one female and two young males who were cramping badly and had to drop out. I reached the end of the road at 18.95 miles in 5:24:20. I was all alone on the scramble – nobody to follow up the ascent. I reached the summit in 6:01:47 and a split of 37:26 for .65 miles!

I might have stayed there on the summit because I was too scared to scramble back down. However a few drops of rain, a boom and a flash of lightning quickly changed my mind. I needed to get off the mountain! Even the race volunteer was concerned about staying up there! It still took me 17:56 to scramble that short .65 miles descent but then I was back on the road. I decided to take a risk and push the pace on the steep descent. My legs were trashed – they were sore and stiff and my quads screamed at me as they tried to keep the old bod in control on that terribly steep descent. Then my heart monitor alarm started beeping? I was pushing the old ticker at 100% Max! I figured it was an incorrect reading and adjusted the strap. The alarm still beeped a warning sound? I figured it had to be a combination of the exhaustion and pace plus the anxiety I felt at risking a serious fall and injury by pushing the pace? So I ignored the monitor and continued to push the pace until I crossed the finish line in 7:36:55!

I was totally fatigued and beat up. One spectator asked if I had fallen or rolled down the scramble since my clothes were covered in dirt. I replied that safety on the scramble was my priority – not cleanliness!
I collected my finish medal- got in the car and drove to the hotel. After a long hot soak to soothe tired/sore muscles and wash away tons of dirt I returned to the finish line to check results. The timer was kind enough to print me a copy of the final results. I had finished 1st AG and 6th Overall. The 1st AG was a given since I was the oldest runner in the race – by many years. The 6th OA felt good in such a tough/challenging race. I may need to revise my ratings for the world’s toughest marathons after that race. One thing I am absolutely certain of – once was enough – I will never run the Kendall Mountain Marathon again!

It was 5 pm – I had not eaten all day (except carbo gels). I went for an early dinner but I was so exhausted and felt so poorly that I could hardly eat so I went to bed and slept 11 hrs!

On Sun I planned to climb a 14er near Silverton but in spite of my normally-reliable 14er guide and directions from the hotel I could not find the trailhead. I think I did eventually find it but it had no signs or markings and I was not willing to venture off into the wilderness of the San Juan Mtns w/o confirming the trail and destination. Instead I took a ‘forced’ rest day and drove around the San Juan Mtns to Lake City on the East side of the mtns where the access and trailheads were much better for the 14ers I wanted to climb.

On Mon I woke early and arrived at the trailhead by 7am so I could score a triple-dipper - by climbing three 14ers in the same day. A 17-mile hike/run with three 14ers in 7 hrs. More details to be provided in a separate 14er report!

Maddog enjoyed a great weekend of high altitude endurance training to prepare for the Pike’s Peak Marathon. I am ready! I wish the race was in two weeks instead of 5 weeks because I am tired of training for it!

Stay tuned!

RR - Leadville Trail Marathon

2010-07-04T15:27:00.005-04:00

Race Report
Sat, July 3/10
Leadville Trail Marathon
Leadville, CO
Marathon #332
6:31:14 – 3AG

UGLY! UGLY! UGLY!

What better way to describe this race. I didn’t have a lot of confidence going into this race in spite of two high-altitude training runs on trails in the past few weeks that seemed to go OK.
I ran this race two times before – the last time being five years ago when I set my PR of 5:41 in what I rate as the 4th toughest marathon in the world! Because of the degradation/deterioration I have noted in my finish times in mtn races this summer I figured that a target of 6:30 would probably be reasonable/realistic although I hoped to finish under 6:15?
The race starts/finishes in downtown Leadville at 10,200 ft and climbs to the highest elevation at the top of Mosquito Pass (13,185 ft) at the Half. This year there was also a Half Marathon that turned out to be an annoyance as far as I am concerned.

The weather forecast called for great weather and it was sunny and a pleasant 51 F when I lined up with about 800 runners for the 8 am start. Because the forecast called for temps in the mid 60s by the time I finished with no thunderstorms or snow I decided not to wear a cumbersome waist pack that could carry survival gear as well as water. It tends to bounce or flop around and is annoying – especially when I expected to be out on the course for 6+ hrs! Instead I wore a smaller waist pack that could carry one bottle of water and some carbo gel. It is absolutely essential to carry water in this race. The water stops are about 3 miles apart but in the mtns that can take more than 1 hr and it is dangerous to go that long in the thin, dry mtn air w/o water! There would be a risk of severe dehydration!

As soon as the race started I knew it was not going to be a good day! The course climbs east out of Leadville for the first 1 ½ miles to a rough 4X4 road that climbs steeply (1500 vertical ft over 2 miles) up Ball Mtn in the Mosquito Range. I normally run that entire first section but was forced to walk a few steep sections of the paved and dirt roads at 10,500 ft. That was not a good sign! The Half runners split off before we reached the 4X4 road and I followed a pack of marathon runners as we walked/hiked up the steep, rough road. It was impossible to run – the trail was too steep! I reached the 1st water stop at the top of Ball Mtn (12,000 ft) at 3.8 miles in 1:00:13 - six minutes behind my PR time! I filled my water bottle and washed down my 1st carbo gel before starting what I consider to be one of the toughest loops in any race. It descends and then than ascends more than 1000 vertical ft on Ball Mtn – twice in 3.3 miles - before returning to the same water stop at 7.1 miles! I made it back to the water stop in 1:50:11 and a split of 49:58. I was looking forward to the next section of the course – a descent of 1,000 ft over 2.7 miles on an old mining road to the entrance of Mosquito Pass. I pushed the pace to sub 10-min pace and reached the water stop at 9.8 miles in 2:14:52 and a split of 24:41. The bad news was that I normally reached that water stop under 2 hrs – I was 16 minutes behind my PR time!

Now I faced the toughest section of the course – a 2085 vertical ft ascent over 3.3 miles to the top of Mosquito Pass at 13,185 ft! And my poor old legs had already run more than 6000 ft of elevation change! I was able to run the bottom section of the 4X4 road that climbs Mosquito Pass but was soon relegated to following the other runners who were walking/hiking. And then the Half runners became a nuisance. We were climbing Mosquito Pass while the mid-pack and slower Half runners were descending and the road/trail was crowded with runners. It was difficult to select or claim the best/safest part of the road/trail and required watching each foot plant while trying to watch for downhill runners! It was very annoying and unnerving because I was concerned about suffering a bad fall. When I passed the 12,500 ft elevation and began the steepest section of the trail I started to suffer minor stomach cramps – one of my early symptoms of altitude sickness. Luckily they did not get worse and I was able to ignore them and reached the top of Mosquito Pass and the Half in 3:26:55 and a split of 1:12:02. That was only a few minutes slower than my trial run last week so I was happy with that time – but the bad news was that I normally reached the top of the Pass close to 3 hrs! The good news was that this race is one of the few where you can expect to run a negative split because the 2nd Half starts with the descent down Mosquito Pass. Unfortunately I was not able to push the pace as fast as I wanted on the descent because of the number of runners sharing the trail. I was not willing to risk a fall and a severe injury! I returned to the water stop at the entrance of Mosquito Pass in 4:11:20 and a split of 44:25 – much too slow for that descent!

Now I was really concerned! I am normally back at the top of Ball Mtn in 4:15 – and I still had 2.7 miles of ascent back up the mining road to the top of Ball Mtn. Certainly my ‘dream’ of a sub - 6:15 was gone and even my target of 6:30 was looking bleak? I tried valiantly to push the pace back up that ascent of 1000 vertical ft but sadly was forced to walk (too) many sections. My legs seemed willing but the old lungs could not suck in enough of the thin air to keep them churning? I reached the water stop on the top of Ball Mtn (12,000 ft) in 4:50:35 and a split of 39:15. Maybe there was still hope. If I could run the reverse loop around Ball Mtn under 1 hr there was still a chance? I continued to push the pace on every downhill and (few) flat sections and hike the ascents as fast as possible. That loop is an absolute bitch – especially on the 2nd Half. As I pushed up the final ascent of that loop just before returning to the water stop I was sucking desperately for air and suffering stomach cramps (altitude sickness) again. But I reached the water stop at 22.4 miles in 5:44:34 and a split of 53:58. There was still hope because the last 4 miles were downhill and I had run them in 45 minutes before!

I decided to accept the risk and push the pace on the descent down the steep and treacherous trail and all went well for the 1st mile - but then disaster(s) struck. The trail was very steep and dangerous. It required a lot of zigzagging across the trail to pick out the best/safest spots for a foot plant and that created a lot of stress on muscles not normally used by road runners. I wasn’t surprised when my right adductor cramped and started to lock up. Luckily I was able to step off the trail quickly to massage and stretch the muscle and after a few minutes it relaxed enough to continue running. However about 5 minutes later the left adductor cramped and locked up. The pain was immediate and so excruciating that I collapsed in the middle of the steep trail and rolled around looking for a position – any position – to decrease the pain so I could massage the muscle and get it to relax and release! It took a few minutes of screaming and pain before the muscle released but I still couldn’t walk. The trail was so steep that any effort to walk stressed the adductor muscle and it started to cramp again. I was forced to side-step down the trail for a few minutes so that all the stress was on my right (downhill) leg! By then I realized that any hope of finishing under my target of 6:30 had been blown to Hell. That observation was confirmed when I reached the road on the outskirts of Leadville in 6:18. I had 12 min left for the final 1 ½ miles. A sub-8min pace at 10,500 ft is difficult enough – but attempting to push the pace that fast while preventing any further stress on two screwed-up adductors was impossible!

I wisely decided not to risk an injury for the sake of a few minutes and cruised the final 1 ½ miles to cross the finish line in 6:31:14. Since I finished close to my target time I had to be happy with my time.
After taking my usual finish line photo I checked the results posted at the finish line. I was the 1st old fart over 65 to cross the finish line. Unfortunately the Age Groups were 10 years (i.e. 60 to 69) and it is very difficult to compete against the youngsters in that AG so I was not surprised or disappointed to learn that I placed 4th in the AG. However I was totally shocked and still do not believe the time of the winner in the 60+ AG – 4:07! That time is not believable for a 60 year old! Typically a runner should add 2 to 2 ½ hrs to his normal road race time for this race (i.e. 6:30 should be a reasonable target for me since I run 4 hrs in a road race). Elite young runners might finish 1 to 1 ½ hrs slower than their road race time. That means that the 60-year old runner can run a road marathon in 2:30? I think NOT!!! I am waiting anxiously for the official results to see if there was a mistake and correction?

So I was happy with my time. But I was definitely NOT happy with my performance! Right from the start I didn’t seem to have the energy or capability to push the old bod on the ascents and more importantly I didn’t seem to have the mental toughness needed to ignore or accept the pain to make the effort! And right from the start my body clearly and unequivocally was giving me some important advice: “I am too damn OLD for this Mountain Trail Marathon SHIT”!!!!!

Many road runners switch to trail marathons at the end of their running careers because they claim it is easier on their bodies since the pace is slower. BULLSHIT! I monitored my heart rate monitor closely and carefully throughout the entire race (I had lots of free time since I was running so slowly). When I was hiking/climbing the ascents as fast/hard as I could my heart rate was between 140 to 145bpm (85% Max) – the typical range for when I run an 8 to 9 min pace in a road race. It was in the same range when I was pushing the pace on the descents so that means that I pushed my OLD ticker and OLD bod at 85% Max for 6 ½ hrs vs 4 hrs in a road race! I reluctantly agree with my OLD bod – “I am too damn OLD for this Mountain Trail Marathon SHIT”!!! This was my 3rd and final Leadville Trail Marathon!I will NEVER run the Leadville Trail Marathon again. I told the Sports Manager that if I even mention the idea (again) she has standing orders to have me committed or shoot me to save me all the agony and pain!

I would like to vow that I will never run another Mountain Trail Marathon again but I have a wee dilemma. Early in the year in my naïve and exuberant zest to prove my ever-lasting youth and invincibility I regretfully signed up for yet another Mountain Trail Marathon – the toughest marathon course in the world – Pike’s Peak! Thus I am forced to train hard(er) for the next month – but if I do not see or feel any improvement in my conditioning – especially in my capability to run ascents above 10,000 ft – I will withdraw from Pike’s Peak!! I just do not have the desire/motivation or willingness to accept the pain for the 7 hrs I predict it would take to finish Pike’s Peak!

Stay tuned!

Footnote: After contacting the race director I finally received news that the 60-year old runner who finished in a remarkable 4:07 had indeed run only the Half. Thus Maddog got elevated to 3rd AG!

RR - Estes Park Marathon

2010-06-16T16:06:00.000-04:00

Race Report
Sun, Jun 13/10
Estes Park Marathon
Estes Park, CO
Marathon #331
4:36:29 – 2AG

After my race in Steamboat Springs last week I was not looking forward to the marathon in Estes Park.
The Estes Park Marathon is billed as the ‘highest paved marathon in the world’ although I have informed them that billing is false. I have run two marathons that are higher: Bhutan and Colombia and am searching for a marathon in Bolivia that will surely be higher than both of them!
But the course is higher and harder than Steamboat Springs and I wasn’t confident that my legs had recovered? However we were looking forward to our visit to Estes Park. Estes Park is a pretty little town nestled in Estes Valley at an elevation of 7600 ft. The Big Thompson River flows through the middle of the town into Lake Estes on the east side of the town. It has been a ‘tourist’ town/destination for many years since it is the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. To the south the Front Range, including Longs Peak (14, 255 ft) towers above the valley and town. To the west Rocky Mountain National Park unveils a stunning array of mountain peaks, 74 of which reach elevations of 12,000 ft or more. The town has a lot of neat shops, bars and cafes overlooking the Big Thompson River.

We drove via Denver to pick up our 4-Runner at a Toyota dealer where we had left it for a major tune up/maintenance for 100K miles. Since I drive the SUV on some difficult 4X4 roads into remote 14ers I am adamant that it always be in excellent mechanical condition. We continued our drive on through Boulder and approached Estes Park on Hwy 36 from the south east. It is a narrow winding road with some pretty scenery. It was raining when we arrived in Estes Park so we went to the school complex to pick up my race packet before we checked into our hotel. I had booked a nice hotel with great views of Estes Park and the mtns but it was a waste of money because it rained all weekend.

It was cold and rainy Sat afternoon so we didn’t even try to enjoy our usual stroll along Main St. We went for an early pasta dinner at Mama Roses hoping to enjoy the musicians along the Big Thompson River; however the River was only a few inches below flood stage and many sections of the bike path were sandbagged and closed down. So far the weather was wrecking a good weekend?

Sun was ‘M’day! The weather forecast called for cold temps and continued rain! Unfortunately it was accurate! It rained all night and was still raining when I left for the race at 6:15 am. The temp was 39F!
Now 39F can be pleasant for running – if it is sunny and dry! I often start my morning run in temps near 39F but it is sunny and warms up to the mid 50s by the time I finish. But believe me when it is 39F and rains hard constantly for 5 hrs - it is friggin COLD and MISERABLE! I would normally dress in a T-shirt and shorts for that temp but I wisely –and thankfully- had worn running tights, long-sleeve T-shirt and gloves. Even so I refused to get out of the car until 10 minutes before the start of the race. I wore a customary garbage bag to keep warm and dry with the expectation to discard it a few miles into the race.

As I lined up at the start line with about 200 other crazies/fanatics I seriously questioned my sanity and asked “what the Hell am I doing here”? We were soaked and cold when the race started at 7am! The race started at the public school complex (7550ft) and climbed 100 ft over the 1st mile. I ran this race two times previously and knew that 1st mile was difficult and resulted in lots of “sucking for air”. And based on my still-painful memory of going out too fast at Steamboat I decided to start slow – a 10-min pace. By the time we reached the top of that 1st hill and started a 200 ft descent on mile 2 we were totally soaked. The roads were covered in deep puddles and streams running off the mtns so my feet were soaked and frozen – and my gloves were also soaked and my hands frozen. I passed mile 2 in 20:16 and began a long, relentless climb to the highest elevation on the course (8150 ft) at Mile 6.
An old fart passed me at mile 3 and I let him go. Either I would see him later on the course or he would beat me? I was struggling just to maintain a 10:30 pace up that BAH (Bad Ass Hill). I reached a water station near 5 miles and tested the ‘green’ concept of the race. The race was advertised as a cup-free
(no paper cups) race. Instead each runner was given a ‘hydrapouch’ – a pliable, plastic pouch that held 6 oz of liquid. There were special dispensers (1 for water and 1 for Gatorade) located at each water station that filled the pouch in a few secs. They did work but this concept would never work for a large race – in the early part of the race there was a line up to fill up the pouches. I was leery of the concept. The pouch had a clip to clip it on to a waistband but running shorts don’t have a strong waistband so I was concerned about losing the pouch or having to carry it for the entire race. Instead I wore a waist belt with a water bottle and filled the bottle when necessary. Unfortunately at that 1st water stop my hands were so frozen that I couldn’t get the top of my water bottle and had to ask a race volunteer to fill my bottle so I could wash my 1st carbo gel down. That ‘concept/process cost me more than 2 min at that 1st stop – another reason it will never succeed! I considered discarding my ‘rain gear’/ garbage bag but it was still raining and I was still COLD! I figured if my T-shirt got soaked I could suffer hypothermia so I wisely decided to keep wearing the garbage bag!

I reached the top of that 1st BAH at Mile 6 in 1:05:51 – an average 11:00 min pace! Not good! The next 4 miles were a steep downhill that dropped 800 ft. In past races I hauled ass down that hill only to find my legs trashed by the time I reached the Half so this year I deliberately held my pace at 9:30 to reach Mile 10 in 1:43:29. Obviously a sub 10-min pace or 4:20 marathon wasn’t going to happen. The course passed through downtown Estes Park and climbed another hill along Hwy 36 before dropping down to Estes Lake (7420 ft) at the Half. I passed the Half in 2:15:20. A sub 4:30 marathon was now dubious – but I didn’t care – survival under those miserable conditions was becoming more important! There was a restroom located on the bike path at that location and I decided to make a major pit stop (still some lingering effects of the GI problem). Also my heart monitor was not working properly and I figured the strap needed to be adjusted. With a waist belt and garbage bag that required a major process to half strip and I wasn’t going to do that in the cold and rain. I lost 5 minutes to ‘necessities’ but when I hit the bike path again I felt much better and my heart monitor was reading accurately. It indicated that my heart rate was 10 bpm lower than my normal race level because of my slower pace.

I wasn’t concerned about the 5-min delay/penalty – it wouldn’t have much effect on my overall time or position in the race because the most difficult part of the race was about to begin! I started to climb another BAH at Mile 15 followed by a series of rolling hills. When I crested a hill at Mile 16 in 2:48:32 and a split of 10:50 I wondered why the rain suddenly started to sting/hurt so much? I looked down at the road and noticed ice crystals (sleet) bouncing of the asphalt! Oh Goody! Can these miserable conditions get any worse? Luckily there were only a few short bursts of sleet over the next few miles as I started the long relentless climb back to 8000 ft at 20 miles. Somehow I managed to hold a slow but steady 11:00 min pace up that long BAH as I passed many runners who had succumbed to walking!
I crested that BAH at Mile 20 in 3:33:37. Holy crap! 3:33:37! I am normally finishing or running the final mile in that time – and I still have 10K to go! My legs felt OK but a 1-hr 10K at 8000 ft wasn’t likely to happen so I would be lucky to finish under 4:40?

Mile 21 was downhill and gravity helped me lower the pace to sub 10 min before climbing another BAH that climbed back to 8000 ft at Mile 22. When I crested that BAH in 3:55:07 I noticed the old fart who had passed me at Mile 3. I used gravity again on the next downhill mile to catch and pass him at Mile 23 (4:04:45 and a split of 9:38). I realized that I needed to bury him quickly so I continued to push that sub 10-min pace up the final BAH at Mile 24 and down a steep hill to Mile 25 (4:23:58 and a split of 9:20). But now my legs were trashed! I sneaked a peak over my shoulder – the old fart was still chasing me and about 800 ft behind. There was only one thing I could do – call Maddog! I handed the final mile over to him and as expected he ignored the exhaustion in my wasted old legs – and he ignored their screams and cries as he continued to push the pace over the final mile. He refused to let that old fart catch him!
As we approached a short/steep hill at Mile 26 I sneaked a final glance behind – the old fart was still 800 ft behind! That was enough incentive for the old bod to provide one final jolt of adrenaline to push us up that hill and across the finish line on the school track in 4:36:29!

I waited for the old fart to finish 3 min later and learn that he was in the 50+ AG! Shit! Double SHIT! I nearly killed myself for nothing! I need to learn how to guess the ages of old farts better if I want to save myself a lot of pain and agony.

As I walked to the car for a camera for a finish line photo it finally stopped raining. I took a photo – still wearing my garbage bag – and waited for results to be posted. I wasn’t surprised. The results followed the typical pattern for this race. A fast, young runner in the 60+ AG usually finishes under 4:15 – the next two places finish close to 5 hrs – and everyone else finishes between 5 to 7 hrs! I finished in 2nd place! I was happy with my strategy and performance. I ran a smart race and managed to run a slow/smooth/steady pace throughout the race w/o any problems except for the needless pain over the final 5K. I wasn’t unhappy with my time but more discouraged/dismayed? I set the course record (4:02:11) for the 60+ AG five years ago and if this rate of time degradation continues due to age I will have a difficult time breaking 5 hrs when I turn 70!

After a long hot soak at the hotel the weather stayed nice (no rain) long enough for us to make a stroll along Main St and stop at the Estes Park Brewery for a few micro brew. But then the rain returned and continued to spoil our weekend and trip! We stayed in Estes Park Sun night with plans to visit RMNP on Mon on the drive home. The sun was actually shining on Mon morning when we stopped at the visitor’s center to learn that the Trail Ridge Road (12,000 ft) through the Park was closed due to heavy snow all weekend! We had to back track on back roads through Blackhawk to I70 and drive though 20 min of snow storms when we crossed the Continental Divide! Oh well – one bad visit/trip out of three ain’t so bad?

Fortunately the weather has improved in the High Country – sunny and mid 70s – as I contemplate concerns about my next race/challenge in 3 weeks. I rate the Leadville Trail Marathon as the 4th toughest marathon in the world! It starts/finishes in Leadville at 10,500 ft and climbs to a highest elevation of 13,200 ft at the top of Mosquito Pass at the Half. I will need to do some serious hill and trail training above 12,000 ft during the next few weeks. My plan is to go out my back door (9000 ft) and run the Ptarmigan trail that climbs 3500 vertical feet over 6.5 miles to Ptarmigan Peak (12,500 ft) – and then turn around and run back down! I will complete that run a few times plus a trial run on Mosquito Pass. That run starts at 10,000 ft and climbs 3200 vertical ft on a 4X$ road over 3 short/steep miles to the top of Mosquito Pass. Believe me – there is a lot of walking and ‘sucking for air’ involved in that run.

Are any of my readers interested in joining Maddog for a few ‘easy’ training runs during the next few weeks?

Stay tuned!

RR -Steamboat Springs

2010-06-07T12:16:00.002-04:00

Race Results
Sun, Jun 6/10
Steamboat Springs Marathon
Steamboat Springs, CO
Marathon # 330
4:20:47 – 2AG

This is (er - used to be) one of my favorite races in CO. The course is very scenic and the race well organized. The course is point-to-point starting at Hahns Peak Village 26 miles NW of Steamboat Springs. The elevation is 8128 ft at the start. The first mile drops 100 ft and then mile 2 climbs to the highest elevation of the race – 8178 ft. The course then drops 1450 ft over rolling hills to mile 20 and climbs through 3 nasty BAHs (Bad Ass Hills) over the next 3 miles and finally drops over the final 3 miles to finish in downtown Steamboat at 6728 ft.

I ran this race four times and won my AG three times in my early 60s with times ranging from 3:38 to 3:57. In 2008 my finish time of 4:01 was only good enough for 3rd place so I didn’t believe I could be competitive this year. With only one week of altitude training and still suffering GI issues I figured my target should be 4:10 to 4:15.

The Sports Manager didn’t return from the West Coast till late Sat afternoon so I traveled to Steamboat by myself. I picked up my race packet and enjoyed a nice pasta dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant.

Sun was ‘M’ day. The weather forecast called for sunny and warm temps. It is necessary to catch a bus to the start line at 6am. It was 50F at 6am! It was at little cooler at Hahns Peak Village but sunny and in the low 50s at the 7:30am start. There were 450 runners in the marathon and 1000 runners in the Half that started at the 13 M mark of the marathon course. The 1st Half is fast in spite of a few nasty hills because overall it drops 1000 ft. I have made the mistake in the past of starting two fast in this race so I decided to run a 9:00 min/mile pace through the 1st Half. I passed Mile 5 in 44:23, Mile 10 in 1:28:40 and reached the Half in 1:57:41. I was right on pace!

I knew the 2nd Half would not be as fast because there are five BAHs so I slowed my pace to 10 min/mile. I figured if I could hold a 10 min pace except for the 3 nasty BAHs at mile 20 then I should be able to finish close to 4:10? My legs were already beginning to tire so the 10-min pace felt good. I even managed to hold that pace through the first two BAHs at miles15 and 18. However when I crested the BAH at mile 18 my legs were very tired and heavy and I knew I was in trouble. I hoped I could hold the 10-min pace till the start of the BAHs at mile 20 because I figured there would be some walking required through those hills. But it wasn’t meant to be – by the time I reached Mile 19 my legs were wasted/finished – there was nothing left and I was forced to start walking! I knew right then that the final 7 miles were going to be very ugly and painful. I tried to use the ‘Galloway’ strategy – walk 1 min and run 5 min.

I reached Mile 20 in 3:08:13 and a split of 11:11 and now faced 3 nasty BAHs over the next 3 miles. The 1min/5min strategy/pattern quickly disintegrated and the run time became shorter and the walk longer but I somehow I managed to hold a 12-min pace through the BAHs. I crested the final BAH at mile 23 in 3:45 and realized that my target of 4:15 wasn’t going to happen. I would have to run a sub 10-min pace over the final 5K and that wasn’t going to happen.

Mile 24 was a steep downhill and gravity helped pull me down that mile in a split of 9:47. However when the course flattened and gravity no longer helped my legs refused to move and I struggled to walk/jog the next mile in 11:47. When I reached Mile 25 in 4:06:34 I tried to fool and motivate myself with a goal of finishing under 4:20. However my legs were wasted – totally finished – and refused to move. The last mile of the course runs along Main St in Steamboat and is lined with spectators cheering the runners to the finish. Maddog was not going to allow himself to be embarrassed by walking/crawling along that section so we walked/crawled for about 3 min to give the legs a chance to recover and then sucked it up and jogged the final section of the course to cross the finish line in 4:20:47!

When I crossed that finish line there was absolutely nothing left in the old legs or old bod. I didn’t even have enough energy to fart! Thank goodness breathing is involuntary because I didn’t have enough energy for that either! I shuffled/crawled to the car to get the camera for a finish line photo. After the photo I checked the race results. I was shocked! That pathetic/poor finish time was good enough to place 2nd AG. If I had achieved my target of 4:15 I would have won my AG? Clearly the fast dogs did not show up for this race! I did not deserve an award for such a poor performance and time – maybe for the perseverance and tenacity to accept a HUGE amount of pain to get to the finish line?

I have no idea why I suffered such a bad crash or collapse. The last time I suffered that much pain and hurt that much in a race was one year ago at the Boulder Marathon – the 1st race back after a 6-month sabbatical due the mystery back injury. But at least I had a reason - I was not in shape and had not trained enough! I think I am in good shape and believed my race strategy was smart but I have to assume the 9-min pace through the 1st Half was too fast? Maybe the past few months of illness and GI problems have taken a bigger toll on the old bod that I thought? Now I am concerned about my next race next weekend. The Estes Park Marathon is much higher and much tougher. And it has been a long time since I ran back-to-back (consecutive) weekends. Thus I am going to run much smarter and slower and hopefully finish with a faster time and MUCH less pain!

Stay tuned!

TR - Colombia - Part 2

2010-06-02T13:26:00.003-04:00

TRIP REPORT
Colombia
5/15 – 5/24/10
Part 2

Now where were we? Oh yes – you were going to the fridge for another beer and I was getting ready to catch a flight back to Bogota.

I arrived back in Bogota in the late morning and went immediately to the Sheraton Hotel (an overpriced luxury hotel located close to the airport) where Edson and I were staying for one night. I called Mario and we agreed to meet for lunch. I found out that hotels in Colombia are just like hotels around the world. It cost 14,000 pesos/$7 US to call Mario for 5 minutes and only 6,000 pesos/$3 US to take a taxi to his home? Moral of this story: ‘do not use phones in hotels”!

After lunch we had to decide how Edson and I would get to Paipa – about 200 Km north of Bogota in the Boyaca department. Mario offered two options: 1) we could drive up with him – but his car would be packed to capacity and he needed to leave at 4 am to get started on the work/logistics of the race and 2) a friend was taking a bus and agreed to escort/accompany us to Paipa. He spoke good English and would leave around 10 am.
That decision was a no brainer! We chose to sleep in and leave at 10 am!

Edson arrived in the afternoon and I filled him in on ‘our’ decision. He was very happy to sleep in! We naively decided to wait and eat a late dinner but when we tried to find a restaurant near the hotel we discovered that all the restaurants closed at 5 pm! The Colombians do indeed eat their big meal at lunch and many restaurants close at 5 pm? Only the restaurants in the hotel were open.
That evening I took the last of my ‘super’ drug and was concerned that the GI problems might come roaring back? The problems had improved but had not completely abated. On the advice of my doctor and some friends I had been eating yogurt every day and taking probiotics in an attempt to restore the good bacteria and the proper balance to my GI system. I HATE yogurt but had eaten more yogurt in the past week than in all my previous 66 years! But I was willing to try anything to get my GI system back to normal!

On Fri morning Mario’s friend, Domingo Tibaduiza, came to the hotel with his son Ron to meet and escort us to Paipa. We could have made the trip on our own but it would have been much harder and more stressful because we were stopped and checked for ID at the bus station and the police/military stopped the bus twice en route to Paipa. They checked all passengers for ID and all baggage for weapons because the country was in the middle of elections and we were traveling into territory occupied by rebels. The government wanted to stop rebels and weapons from moving into the region! Domingo explained the stops/issue to us was and was able to explain to the police why we were on the bus and traveling to Paipa. During the 4-hr bus ride we had a long discussion with Domingo. He was an elite runner who won the Berlin Marathon in 1983 (2:14:47) and placed 8th in the NY Marathon in 1984 (2:11:28) and won many other world-class races. Domingo and his family lived in Reno, NV for more than 30 years. In fact we discovered that we lived in Reno during the same time period (79-82) when I ran my 1st marathon in Reno. Domingo was the coach at UNR for the college running team and when they terminated their program he moved into the Washoe County School District as a coach. We assumed that we probably met during that time because he assisted the Silver State Striders (local running club) that I had joined for help in my marathon training. It is indeed a “small world”! Domingo had recently returned to Colombia to accept an offer to coach the Colombian National Team in preparation for the 2012 Olympics in London. His son Ron also returned to train with his Dad in hopes of making the team as a marathoner.

When we arrived in Paipa we were glad to have Domingo because he knew the way to the hotel and arranged for the taxis, etc. The host hotel was the Hotel Sochagota – a luxury resort located on a hill overlooking a lake and the city of Paipa. It had its own thermal hot springs that are common in that area. After checking in and enjoying a ‘big’ lunch we joined Domingo and Ron for a leisurely (2 Km) stroll into town to check out the Stadium and track where the race started/finished. Then Domingo helped us do some souvenir shopping - very few people in Colombia speak English- and finally we went to a market to buy some necessities for the race – bottled water, Gatorade, beer and fruit (and more yogurt for Maddog)!

On Sat morning Edson and I decided to do an ‘easy’ 5-mile run along the lake to explore some of the course and to acclimate to the 8200 ft elevation. We confirmed that we would have to slow down and run easy if we wanted to finish the marathon at that elevation! After breakfast we picked up our race packets and started to meet many runners including some of the elite Colombian runners. We met Alvaro Mejia Florez who won the Boston Marathon in 1971 (2:18:45) and many other big races. We also met Carlos Grisales, the current national marathon record holder (2:11:17 and 5th place in Boston in 1996). I informed Carlos that I ran the same race (the 100th anniversary of Boston) to celebrate my 100th marathon – but I finished a ‘wee’ bit behind him!
It soon became apparent that the elite runners were considered National Sports Champions and heroes – as they deserved to be. I was honored that they respected my running accomplishments as much as I respected theirs. Both Edson and I were pleased and comforted by the friendship and hospitality offered to us by the elite runners and all the people of Colombia! We left the country with many new friends and fond memories. Later that morning Mario took Edson and I on a tour of the marathon course. He wanted to make sure that we were familiar with the course and would not get lost!
It was a 14 Km loop that started and finished on a track at a Stadium in Paipa. There were three ‘gentle’ hills in the loop that we had to complete three times. There were a number of turns and one out-and back loop but the course was easy to remember. There would be lots of water along the course but the only toilet facility was at the stadium which was a slight concern to me (and my GI problems)?

Mario had asked me to make a 1-hr presentation at the race expo to discuss when and why I started running and how it led to a world record 103 countries? The seminar was well attended and Mario translated my talk and the questions/answers that followed. Later Maddog was invited to join the National Sports Champions and local dignitaries on the podium for the Opening Ceremonies of the race. That was followed by an excellent pasta dinner where we shared a table with Domingo, Ron and Alvaro and enjoyed sharing running stories and experiences.

Sun was ‘M’ Day. Edson and I were concerned about getting to the start line – it was either a 2Km walk or take a local bus and that was the concern – taking a wrong bus! Domingo promised to guide us to the start line. The marathon started at 7 am and at 6am it was much warmer than expected. I had packed a long sleeve T-shirt and gloves thinking it would be cold at 8200 ft? I selected a short sleeve shirt and wished I had packed a singlet. Thankfully the sky was overcast which would help keep the temps down. At 6:45 we were still sitting in the hotel lobby waiting for Domingo and very worried that we would miss the start of the race. Ron was running the 10K race that started at 8am so they weren’t in a hurry. Luckily a pretty young lady who had driven up from Bogota to run the 10K offered us a lift and dropped us off at the start line at 6:55 am. Now I was really stressed! I have a pre-race ritual that must be followed to prepare for a race and that takes 15 minutes! Thankfully the stress was alleviated quickly with an announcement that the race would start in 20 to 30 minutes? That allowed Edson and I plenty of time to perform our rituals and time for several pit stops at the bathroom (and a few in the bushes) as I attempted to flush out my GI system. I knew it was a futile attempt and that many more pit stops would be required during the race – but there wasn’t anything I could do about the problem!

The marathon started at 7:30 am. As we left the stadium for the 1st loop I reminded myself of my race strategy. I could not be competitive in this race - my Age Category was classified as ‘Master B’ – males 50+ and there was no way I was going to beat a ‘good’ 50 year-old Colombian on his local turf at 8200 ft! Add in several pit stops because of GI/health issues and there was no sense in trying to kill myself. I figured if I could run a 6:15 to 6:30 min/Km pace (10:00 to 10:15 min/mile) I would finish under 4:30 and that was the best I could hope for? I passed10Km in 59:59 and finished the 1st loop (14Km) on the track in 1:24:19. I was actually ahead of pace! However I had to take advantage of the toilets at the stadium and make a major pit stop that cost 2 to 3 minutes. I figured there would be at least one pit stop on each loop?
I left the stadium again and climbed the first two hills of the 2nd loop and reached the Half in 2:10:30 – right on a 10 min pace. However my legs were already beginning to feel the effects of the high altitude and I knew the 2nd Half would not be as fast.

I reached the stadium and the finish of the 2nd loop (28Km) in 2:59:14. I had slowed significantly on the 2nd loop! Thankfully and surprisingly I didn’t need a pit stop so I continued around the track and left the stadium for the 3rd loop. As I started up the 1st hill of the final loop my legs felt very tired and heavy and the temps were getting very warm and my pace slowed to 7:05/Km - or more than 11:00 min/mile! I figured there was no sense in trying to push the pace lower – it would be better to let my legs and body set the pace because they were definitely feeling the effects of the high altitude! I managed to hold a ‘slow’ 7:00/Km pace through the final two hills that no longer felt like ‘gentle’ hills! As I approached the final hill near 38 Km we were blessed by a sudden change in the weather. The skies darkened and a thunderstorm rolled across the area quickly. The temps dropped 15 degrees and when I crested the final hill at 38Km in 4:02:48 it started to pour. At first I was upset with the rain but the rain and cooler temps helped me lower my pace back down to sub-6:00 min/Km as I descended the next 2 Km. When I reached the flat section at 40Km the rain stopped and I caught up to a young male runner who decided to stay with me. We fed off each other’s energy and maintained a smooth/easy 6:00/Km pace to reach the stadium and cross the finish line in 4:27:01.

My time was not competitive in the Master B age group as expected but I figured that I had placed OK in my normal (60+) AG. Mario later confirmed that I placed 3rd in the ‘unofficial’ AG of 60+ so I was pleased with both my time and performance considering the altitude and health issues. Shortly after I finished, the awards ceremony was held and Mario presented Maddog with an award for completing Country #103 – a new World record! I was besieged with requests/invitations to pose with runners and their families for photos and was happy to accommodate to return the kindness and hospitality offered to me. But I was thankful when Edson finished in 4:42 and after a few finish line photos we headed back to the hotel. We went straight to the hot springs. Gosh - were they ever wonderful! The temp of the water was about the same as my hot tub – around 108 F and all the natural minerals seemed to rejuvenate our tired old legs and bodies.

We were joined by Ron who didn’t seem to be too tired after winning the 10Km race? He blew by me on the course like I was standing still? After a long soothing soak Domingo and Alvaro invited us to join them and Mario at a local restaurant in Paipa to enjoy a traditional Colombian lunch. During lunch I had to make an executive decision. I was supposed to return to Bogota with Mario and his family and spend the night with them. However Mario looked so exhausted from managing the races and needed some ‘down’ or rest time and some ‘Q” time with his family so I decided to return to Bogota on the bus with Domingo, Alvaro, Ron and Edson. I figured it would be more convenient and easier for everyone for me to stay at a hotel close to the airport and catch a shuttle early in the morning for my flight home.

We took an express bus back to Bogota- with no police/military checkpoints – apparently the government doesn’t care about rebels and weapons ‘leaving’ the region? Our only concern about taking a bus to Bogota was how to get to the airport safely because our guides were getting off the bus before it arrived at the central bus station? Domingo assured us that there was a government controlled taxi office at the bus station that controlled and certified the safety of the taxis. We did find the taxi office and arranged a safe ride that dropped me off at the closest hotel to the airport and took Edson on to the airport.

During our discussions with Domingo and Alvaro we learned that the Boston Marathon Association invited Alvaro to Boston in 2011 to celebrate the 115th anniversary of the race and the 40th anniversary of his win. Domingo, Mario and others plan to accompany Alvaro to Boston so Edson and I are seriously considering going back to Boston in 2011 to meet many of our American friends and to meet our new Colombian friends again.

But back to the present! I am now home and have in fact moved to our summer home in the Rocky Mtns of Colorado. The Sports Manager is still visiting our kids on the West Coast and will join me this weekend – except I won’t be here! I will be running a marathon in Steamboat Springs, CO. I have been training hard at 9,000 to 10,000 ft to acclimate to the high altitude and prepare for the race. And I am still force-feeding myself with terrible-tasting yogurt! The GI problem seems to be improving slowly and I hope it will be back to normal in a few weeks? With that ongoing issue and the altitude it is not possible to get in competitive shape in one short week so I intend to keep my promise to ‘run for fun’ and consider the race a long, high altitude training run to prepare for the next three mountain marathons. Each one gets progressively higher and harder.

Stay tuned!

TR - Colombia - Part 1

2010-06-02T13:25:00.002-04:00

TRIP REPORT
Colombia
5/15 – 5/24/10
Part 1

Sun, May 23/10
Paipa, Colombia
Andina Marathon
Marathon #329 – Country # 103
4:27:01 – 3AG

It was a great trip and marathon thanks to many new friends I met in Colombia. So, go to the fridge, get a sandwich and beer and settle into your favorite chair for a good story.

Where to start? I had been looking for a marathon in Colombia for many years and my luck changed when I met a runner from Colombia while running a marathon in Nicaragua in 2008. I asked for help in finding a race in Colombia and he put me in contact with his friend who was organizing a marathon in Paipa in May 2009. I contacted Mario Mesa and he provided me with all the info about his inaugural marathon and I agreed to run it. Unfortunately fate and health did not work in my favor and I suffered that mystery back injury in early 2009 and had to cancel my plans to run Colombia.

When the injury disappeared as mysteriously as it appeared in the fall of 2009 I called Mario to confirm that I would come to the 2010 edition of his race. He was most helpful in providing info and suggestions about where to go and what to see while I was in Colombia and he invited me to stay with his family in Bogota. I decided to visit for nine days to enjoy as much of Colombia as possible on the trip.
While running the Bahamas Marathon in Feb with my friend Edson from NYC, I mentioned the race in Colombia and he asked to go along. He planned to join me a few days before the race since he works (yuk) and can’t afford a long vacation time.

As the race date drew nearer Mario was again a big help as he booked rooms at the host hotel for us and arranged for a special race bib for me. And I became concerned that I might have to cancel the trip again? I was suffering from a prolonged illness that started when the Sports Manager and I babysat our precious granddaughter in early April. She gave us both a severe cold and bronchial infection that wouldn’t go away so we finally took penicillin to kill the infection. During that period I had to cancel a marathon in KS because I was too weak and tired to run. And the nightmare was just beginning – the penicillin killed all the bacteria – bad & good – and resulted in a GI infection (and you know what happens when you have a GI infection). The first antibiotic failed to cure the GI infection and I was forced to take a super drug (and super expensive) that was developed to cure that specific bacteria. I started the drug only a few days before leaving for Colombia and was not sure how it would affect me and the trip. But I had no option at that point!

I had agreed to spend the first three days with Mario and his family in Bogota. Mario met me at the airport at midnight Sat. because my flight was 3 hrs late out of Miami. The next day I met his lovely wife Maria Elena and their two kids, Sebastian and Pablo. Pablo was a few months younger than our granddaughter and I had a blast playing with him. Mario and his family speak very good English, which made the visit much easier.

Although we got to bed very late Mario had arranged a surprise for Sun morning – a 15K race at 9am in downtown Bogota. We arrived at packet pick up at 7am to beat the huge crowd. The race, including the bib, chip and T-shirt was FREE! (US race directors take note!) Mario introduced me to hundreds (?) of friends/runners – I swear he knows every runner in Bogota? While we were waiting for the race to start Mario took me on a ‘jogging’ tour of La Candelaria – the old town. We jogged over to the Plaza De Bolivar that is surrounded by the Catedral Primada, the Palacio de Justicia (Supreme Court), the Edificio Lievano (Mayor’s Office), the Capitolio Nacional (Congress) and a 16th century home that houses the Museo del 20 de Julio where the rebellion started for independence. It was being renovated for Colombia’s Bicentennial in 2010.

We continued our ‘jogging’ tour down some side streets off the Plaza past the Teatro Colon built in 1792 and the Museo Del Oro (Gold Museum). By then I noted that I was sucking for air – Bogota is 8400ft in elevation! We decided not to run the 15K for safety reasons. It was a point-to-point race so we could not set a specific point to meet if we got separated and I wasn’t sure I could ‘race’ a 15K at 8400 ft on the 1st day? And Mario was concerned that a gringo – especially one with white skin, blonde hair and blue eyes and not fluent in Spanish- would be at risk in Bogota. Instead we continued our jogging tour for a few Km along the racecourse north out of La Candelaria past the Parque de la Indepencia and the bull ring and then we took a taxi home.

After a big breakfast Mario’s sister Gloria and a friend visited and we drove to a nearby Mall for an ATM and to shop for food. Maria Elena prepared a typical Colombian meal for lunch and we ate – and ate! Lunch is the big meal of the day for Colombians. They typically eat a light snack for dinner but I declined dinner because I was still full!

Monday was a holiday in Colombia so Mario and I woke early and did a ‘fast’ 10K in a local park near his house. By 5K I was sucking for air and realized that I would have to slow down the pace in the marathon if I wanted to survive and finish the race. After breakfast I wanted to visit the Cerro de Monserrate – a 10,400ft peak overlooking the city. Mario needed to work on marathon details so I offered to take a taxi to the funicular station. Mario would not allow it! He claimed there was too much risk/danger for me to travel around the city alone so he asked his wife and sister to baby-sit/guide me to the top of Monserrate. Yes – the women and kids went along to protect Maddog! He picked us up later at the station and we enjoyed another (huge) lunch at a Peruvian restaurant before going to a Mall for ice cream. Needless to say I skipped dinner again!

Later that day Mario and I went to a Sports Shop in a nearby Mall to pick up race registrations. The major race sponsor, New Balance, had asked Mario to present me with a pair of New Balance shoes in appreciation of my participation in the race. I was asked to pick out any pair of New Balance shoes which Mario then presented in an ‘official’ ceremony and publicity opportunity. Maybe it was a return for the dozen pair of used and new shoes that I had carried to Colombia to give to Mario to distribute to ‘gifted’ runners who could not afford good racing shoes!

On Tue I was scheduled to fly to Cartagena – located on the Pacific Coast near Panama. Mario was not allowed to drive his car on Tue (pollution control) so again I offered to catch a cab – there were hundreds of cabs on the streets at all times. Now Mario started to scare me. He said it was not safe – it was common for taxi drivers to rob or kidnap their clients – especially tourists! They have developed a system for safety. You call a specific taxi company and provide your name, address and destination. The company provides the number of the taxi and a ‘secret’ code. You do not get in any taxi except the one with the proper number and before you get in you provide the driver with the code, which he radios to his dispatch. They confirm the code and only then is the driver allowed to take you to the predetermined destination. That way if you don’t reach your destination the cops know where to begin the search? It worked and I arrived at the airport safely and 2 hrs later I arrived in Cartagena.

When I departed from the plane the heat and humidity hit me like a blast furnace. Damn – it was hot! The airport was only a few miles from the city so I risked a taxi to the hotel and had no problems. I had booked a small hotel in the old town – it was clean and in a good location – but none of the staff spoke English. So I had to get my Spanish dictionary/phrasebook out and practice my limited Spanish. I managed to check in and get all the info I needed before setting out to tour the old city. Cartagena’s old town, a Unesco World heritage Site, is a maze of cobbled alleys and colonial houses dating back to the 16th century. Cartagena was founded in 1533 by Pedro de Heredia on the site of the Caribe settlement of Calamari. It became the main Spanish port on the Caribbean coast and the major northern gateway to South America. Since pirates often attacked the city the Spanish built 13 Km of Las Murallas or fortified walls to protect the city. The original walls are still intact. The Spanish also built a number of forts to protect the city and they are still in great condition and can be explored.

I planned to explore the city on foot but soon located a travel agent who offered a 4-hr tour by bus and foot so I signed up for that afternoon. It turned out that I was the only English-speaking tourist but the guide kindly explained everything in English. We drove around the city to tour the Convento De La Popa –built on the highest hill overlooking the city in 1607 and the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas – the greatest fortress ever built by the Spaniards. (1657) It has an extensive network of tunnels throughout the fort and connecting to the old city. The tunnels were not built for gringos – I constantly hit my head on the ceilings! We then toured the old city on foot so that by the end of the tour I was quite familiar with the layout of the city. I had also found a better hotel – more modern, better location and cheaper (with staff that spoke English) and I decided to change the next day.

On Wed I woke very early to do a 7-mile run. I was able to wind myself through the maze of cobblestone alleys to the peninsula south of the city that is occupied by Bocagrande. It reminded me of South Florida – every square inch was crammed with modern high-rise condos and luxury hotels. Certainly better hotels but all the tourist sites are in the old city so I preferred to be located there. The run was tough – I had GI problems that required finding a scarce bush – and the weather was brutally hot and humid and my shoes were completely soaked with sweat when I finished – and I hadn’t packed another pair of shoes! All I could do was put on dry socks and carry my luggage a few blocks to the new hotel. Then I spent the day exploring the old city on foot. There were too many sites to describe them all so look at the photos on my website – a picture is worth a 1000 words! During that day two old sailing vessels – the ‘Gloria’ from Colombia and the ‘Cuauhtemo’ from Mexico were escorted into the Cartagena Marina by the Colombian Navy. They are part of a flotilla of sailing ships touring South America to celebrate many Bicentennials in 2010. I had to return to the hotel every few hours to change my shirt because it would become drenched in sweat. By mid-afternoon I was looking for bars with A/C so I could escape the heat and cool down with Club Colombia beer!

My hotel was located one block from the Las Bovedas – 23 dungeons built into the walls in 1792. They now house arts and craft shops and I was able to find all the normal souvenirs I collect from every country. After a very hot day the temps cooled down after sun set and I enjoyed a great seafood dinner at an outdoor café in preparation for an early departure on Thu back to Bogota to meet up with Edson.

And as expected this is going to be a long report so I will split into two parts. Thus go back to fridge, get another beer and get ready for Part 2.

RR Yakima Marathon

2010-03-29T18:19:00.000-04:00

Race Report
Sat, Mar 27/10
Yakima River Canyon Marathon
Yakima, WA
Marathon # 328
3:47:45 – 1 AG

I didn’t expect to write this report for another week or more but have access to a computer so might as well write it up while it is still fresh in my memory. After turning 66 last week I can’t be sure how long the old mind can retain memories any more. Heck I can’t even remember where I leave my keys most of the time?

As I mentioned in my last report I was trying to ‘key’ on this race since the course was reported to be a fast downhill course. I ran into a wee glitch the week before the race when Morton’s Neuroma flared up again in my left foot. Luckily a few days rest and another few days of cross training provided enough ‘rest’ time for the pain to subside and we left Florida on my birthday.
We arrived in Seattle late Thu night and stayed with our son Chris and he drove us across the Cascade Mtns on Fri to Yakima, WA. An ‘old’ (dating back to our early careers in Canada) friend living in Selah, WA- Mike Howell and his partner Beverley- invited us to stay with them.

As we approached Yakima we exited I 90 and drove the actual marathon course on Hwy 821 between Ellensburg and Selah, WA. The course follows the Yakima River through the Yakima Canyon and is very scenic with the river always on the right side and majestic hills and cliffs on both sides of the narrow road. The course is point-to-point and drops 300 ft from start to finish. However there was a slight catch – one small hill in the first Half and four hills in the 2nd Half – and two of them qualified as BAH (Bad Ass Hill)! When we climbed (drove) the 1st BAH at mile 14 I knew it would be tough – but the 2nd and BAH at mile 22 was a bitch! But at least I knew what to expect.

We arrived at Mike’s, unpacked and headed straight to the Civic Center in Selah to pick up my race packet and attend a reunion of the 100 Marathon Club, NA. Bob and Lenore Dolphin organized and manage the North American chapter of the 100 Marathon Club. They are also the race directors of the Yakima Marathon. All the volunteer work (plus Bob still runs marathons) must keep them in good shape because they are both in their young 80s? Bob & Lenore have been inviting me to run their race for years but there always seemed to be an international race to conflict with their date. Last year I committed to run their race and even bought airline tickets – but you know what happened – I suffered that strange/mystery injury and had to cancel. But I had finally made it to Yakima!

I met several old friends and members of the 100 Marathon Club that I hadn’t seen in years and even Mike enjoyed the war stories. The members introduced themselves and gave a short biography of their accomplishments and at the end one member tallied that the 40 members present had run a total of 8800 Marathons and Ultras! Yep – it was a room full of fanatics and nuts! But we all understood each other’s obsession/addiction!
I skipped a pasta dinner organized by the Club for dinner with our hosts so we could reminisce about the good old days and brag about our grand kids. On Sat morning my son and regular Sports Manager slept in while Mike drove me to the start line and cheered me at the start. The weather was great – a chilly 35 F at 8 am, low humidity and a light breeze. It was sunny but the course was blocked from the sun for the first few hours so I wore a throw-away T-shirt until the sun broke over the mountains around 10 am.

I planned to go out at an 8:15 pace and hold that pace as long as possible to see if I could break 3:45 – maybe even 3:40? The first 4 miles were flat or a slight downhill so I passed mile 1 in 7:58 and then slowed the pace down to 8:10s. The only uphill in the first Half at mile 5 slowed my split down to 8:26 but then I was back down to 8:15s. I passed mile 10 in 1:22:50 and reached the Half in 1:49:10. I was on pace to break 3:40 but knew that the 2nd half would not be that fast because of the hills and especially the BAHs! The first BAH climbed about 150 ft from mile 14 to mile 15 and slowed my split down to 9:49. That shocked me and I tried to make up some of that time over the next few miles and in hindsight that probably cost me my sub 3:45 target! After another (up)hill at mile 17 my splits slowed to 8:40s until I started to climb the BAH – or Dam Hill as it is called - at mile 22. That Dam Hill climbs 300 ft over 1 1/3 miles! I figured the best/smartest strategy was to climb it smoothly and methodically rather than charge up it. I wanted to have energy left over at the top since the final 5K dropped 300 ft to the finish line! Unfortunately that methodical climb resulted in an excruciatingly slow 10:57 split and that really cost me my sub 3:45 goal!

I tried to lower the hammer and make up for that loss of time on the final downhill and the final mile was my fastest split (7:56) of the race but not good enough to break 3:45. I sprinted across the finish line in 3:47:45. I was disappointed in my time but not my effort. I left absolutely nothing on that course! I might have run a wee bit smarter but I had given it everything I had on that day! Thankfully my time was at least good enough to win 1st place in my Age Group so I will have to live with that!

After the race our hosts gave us a tour of the Yakima area including a visit to a brew pub and a winery for tasting. The Yakima Valley is an agricultural region with fruit, hops and vineyards. Add a great dinner with lots of wine and my legs weren’t feeling any pain when I went to bed? On Sun morning Chris drove back to Seattle by himself while we waited for our other son Jason and our precious granddaughter Priya to pick us up. Mike and I attended a breakfast with runners and members of the 100 Marathon Club so I could say my farewells and a special thanks to Bob and Lenore. It is a great race and a great event. I recommend the race to all runners!

Later that morning Jason and Priya picked us up to continue our journey to Hermiston, OR. Jason is working a remote (one-week) shift in Hermiston for his Radiology Partners. Since his wife Ami is pregnant again (our 2nd grandchild) and working all week in Portland we agreed to join Jason for the week to babysit our precious granddaughter while he works. What a blast!

The Radiology Partners rent a beautiful house situated on a cliff overlooking the Columbia River with views for miles! There is a great dirt trail below the cliffs and along the river. Priya and I enjoyed a pleasant 8-mile run along the Columbia River on our first day and we will explore that trail in every direction before we leave. She loves to run with her Pappy! Life doesn’t get much better!

At the end of the week we return to Portland with Jason and Priya to visit Ami and then head back to Seattle by train to spend a few more days with Chris before returning home.

These long easy runs with Priya should be good for my new race/running strategy and my next race in 3 weeks. Remember – I am going to run for fun – just like the fun I am having on the morning runs with my precious Priya!

Stay tuned!

RR - Live Oak, FL

2010-03-15T15:48:00.002-04:00

Race Report
Sun, Mar 14/10
Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranch Marathon
Live Oak, FL
Marathon #327
3:47:15 – 2nd OA

I didn’t have a race planned for mid- March since my hometown marathon got cancelled. I was actually planning to key on the Sarasota Marathon to regain my AG title but that plan vanished with the cancellation. I boycotted the Half-marathon because of the exorbitant fee ($75) and looked for another race. I found a small inaugural marathon being run in Live Oak, FL to support the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranch. We had driven by Live Oak many times but had never explored the area so we decided to make a weekend trip and run the new race.

It was a longer-than-expected 4-hr drive north to Live Oak. We explored the small town (6500 residents) and then found the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranch – a ranch for troubled and neglected boys. It is a large ranch located on the Suwannee River in the boonies of North Florida – only 15 miles from the Georgia State Line. I had been informed that there would be a small turnout for the race but I was surprised that only 25 runners had registered for the races – only 8 runners in the marathon! I had a quick look at the course – a 6.55 mile loop on paved roads through and around the Ranch. There were at least 8 short hills – ‘gentle’ rolling hills in the loop –but we had to run 4 loops so you can do the math for total number of hills in the marathon! None qualified as BAH (Bad Ass Hill) but on the fourth and final loop those ’gentle’ hills didn’t feel so gentle anymore?

The race start had been moved to 7:30 am because of Daylight Savings Time and there were no street lights on the Ranch. The race started at an arena/corral in a field so we had to run a wee bit of cross country on each loop – and be careful where we stepped!

Pasta dinner was a disappointment as was the town of Live Oak. The only Italian restaurant in town was a Pizza Hut? And there wasn’t much entertainment either so we got lots of sleep before the race.
It was a chilly 43 F at 7 am as I drove back to the ranch in the dark. However the sun rose just before the start and the temps warmed up to a pleasant 60F by the end of the race. The humidity was low with a light breeze – i.e. perfect weather for running!

As mentioned the course was a 6.55 mile loop that was actually a trio of loops. This configuration made the race more exciting and challenging because you saw the small number of runners/competitors more often and could gauge your position in the race. I started out with a lead group of 5 runners and by the time we completed the 1st loop I figured the pecking order/positions for the race had been established.
A male runner in his 40s took the lead from the start – followed by another male runner in his 50s- followed by a young male runner in his 20s – then Maddog followed by a female runner in her 30s. At the end of the 1st loop (56:21 split for me) those 5 runners were all within 1/2 mile of each other with the rest of the runners spread along the course. By mile 9 or half-way through the 2nd loop I had determined that the very young male runner about 200 ft in front of me was the leader in the Half and I was not concerned about him. I mistakenly assumed that the female runner about 200ft behind me was also in the Half but I kept wondering why she wasn’t pushing harder to catch the male leader and win the Half? I could have easily pushed harder and passed the young male leader to win the Half?
When I completed the 2nd loop and the Half in 1:52:26 our positions had not changed. By then the leader had a 1-mile lead on me and the 2nd place male had increased his lead to ½ mile and I was pretty sure that would be the finish order unless one of those runners crashed – or broke a leg? Nevertheless I decided to continue to push the pace though the 3rd loop to run at least a fast 20-mile tempo run and then hang on as necessary for the 4th loop?

However as I climbed a series of rolling hills near 16 miles I was surprised to see that the 2nd place male had started to fade and I had closed the lead to about ¼ mile. I was even more shocked when I made a turn- around at 16 M in 2:17:27 to find the young female runner still riding my ass and only about 800 ft behind me? Obviously she was running the marathon. I was shocked – Maddog was scared shitless!
Maddog now had a double dose of motivation:
1) He could smell blood and a 2nd place Overall if he could pass the male runner who was fading
2) There was a female chasing his ass and about to pass him.
Now most of my readers know that Maddog is an old relic – a male, chauvinistic pig! In the good old days he would never- ever- let a female runner pass him or beat him. In the good old days he could do something to prevent that. However in the past few years he has had to eat a lot of humble pie and accept the fact that good old days are gone as he watches pretty young ladies pass his ass often and he cannot respond. Oh SHIT! I knew what was coming and I knew I could not stop it!

Maddog took over the race. He was determined – No – OBSESSED – that Hell would freeze over and he would run my tired OLD ass six feet into the ground before he would let that female pass him! There was no point arguing with him – I decided it was best to just relax and go along for the ride. Maddog lowered the hammer and dropped the pace to 8:30s. We caught and passed the 2nd place male near Mile 19. He asked me how old I was – he was 57! I made another turn and noted that I had increased my lead on the female runner. I completed the 3rd loop and reached Mile 20 in 2:52:16. I had hoped to ease back on the pace at Mile 20 and cruise the final loop but that was no longer an option since I was no longer in control of the race! Maddog kept pushing the pace. When I climbed the series of short hills and made the turn near 22 miles I noted that the female runner had also passed the 2nd place male – and had closed the gap down to about 500 ft! Damn that woman! Was she trying to kill me?

For I knew what was going to happen! Maddog was possessed and dug deeper and demanded that my old bod find some energy reserves to push the pace harder. I just kept my mouth shut and tried to shut down my brain so it could block/ignore the pain and agony that was sure to follow! When I made the final turn-around and passed mile 25 in 3:36:32 I was happy to see that my lead over the woman had increased again to about 1000 ft. I figured that lead should be safe because it would be very difficult to make up that distance in the final mile. But not Maddog! He wasn’t willing to risk a dramatic/heroic last-minute challenge and have that woman pass his ass in the last mile so he dug even deeper and screamed at my old bod to give one more jolt of adrenaline and somehow/somewhere found a small reserve of energy to push the pace even harder! Only when I made a final turn near 26 miles and stole a peek over my shoulder to discover that she had not closed the lead did Maddog ease back a little and let me cruise across the finish line in 3:47:15 – and 2nd place Overall. The young lady (38 years old) finished 90 secs behind me. I congratulated her on a great race and thanked her for riding my ass for 26 miles and making me push the pace. I also talked to the winner who strangely/coincidentally happened to be a Canuck from London, Ont?

I was very happy with both my time and performance on that hilly course. It should be great training for my next race in Washington State in 2 weeks. The Yakima Marathon is a fast downhill course with rolling hills and a couple of BAHs so hopefully this was a good training marathon?
And Yakima will be the last marathon I key on this season. Yes – you read that right and I ask all my readers to remind me of that statement/pledge. Thanks to smarter training I have remained injury-free since recovering from those mystery back injuries and I have no intention of going down that path again. Thus I need to ease back on my training and racing after Yakima. I am finally going to follow the wise advice of my good friend and mentor Wally Herman and ‘run for fun’ during the summer race season.
Wally will be very happy to hear this news!

Stay tuned!

RR Tampa

2010-03-01T11:05:00.002-05:00

Race Report
Sun, Feb 28/10
Gasparilla Marathon
Tampa, FL
Marathon # 326
3:48:53 – 1 AG

Several months ago I selected the Gasparilla Marathon as a race to run for two reasons:
1) It was billed as the ‘final voyage’ of the Gasparilla Distance Classic Races because the marathon is being discontinued after this year.
2) I wanted to ‘key’ on this race for a fast time because the course is fast and flat and times can be good if the weather cooperates.
However reason #2 started to fall apart when fate and circumstances didn’t seem to fall in my favor? First there were the disappointing races in Jan followed by the week of ‘Gluttony & Sloth’ on the cruise followed by a week of illness (cold and congestion). After the Bahamas Marathon I was only able to complete a few LSD (Long Slow Distance) runs before I suffered another setback with a minor stomach virus. Thus I did not have much confidence or motivation going into this ‘key’ race!

A number of friends and fellow runners from our local Club planned to run the race also and on Fri I accompanied a few lovely young ladies to Tampa to pick up our race packets and buy a few items of gear at the race expo. We all agreed that we preferred to stay at home and drive into Tampa early on race day so we met at 4am on Sun morning and I drove three lovely ladies into Tampa. When we arrived at the Tampa Convention Centre near the race start at 5 am the weather was perfect for racing - a temp of 45 F, dry and a light breeze. During the race the weather became sunny and the temps never rose above the mid 50s!

My good friend Linda and I had decided to run together. I had researched the winning time for my AG last year (3:50) but did not have any confidence that I could run a sub 3:50 race to be competitive? Thus I volunteered to pace Linda to a sub 4-hr finish so she could qualify for Boston. However she declined stating that she didn’t want to put any stress/pressure on herself because it messed with her mind. Instead we decided to go out at an 8:45 pace, do a gut check at 5 miles to see if we could hold that pace and just let the chips fall? However we made a slight tactical error by waiting too long in the Convention Centre to avoid the ‘brisk’, cool temps outside and when we finally tried to get to the start line we had to fight/elbow our way through 20,000+ runners (in the Marathon & Half). We ended up about 500 ft from the start line and it took three minutes to reach the start line after the race started. Then we were completely boxed in and that cost us a 10:12 split for the 1st mile! Fortunately the course opened up at that point and mile #2 was an 8:38 split. Linda then lowered the hammer and dropped the pace to sub 8:30s and I was just tried to hang on? When she passed mile 5 in 44:35 and a split of 8:16 I shouted that she needed (read- I needed) to slow the pace down! Although my legs felt good/fresh I knew I couldn’t hold an 8:15 pace for another 21 miles so I decided to slow my pace down to 8:30s and just try to keep Linda in sight. I managed to keep her in sight through 10 miles (1:27:29 and a split of 8:23). At that point the course looped back and she had about a 500-ft lead on me. I shouted to her that “she was doing great and to run her own pace and not to worry about me”. I kept her in sight until the marathon course rejoined the half course (11M in the Marathon and 8M in the Half) where the course became a mass of humanity – many Half participants walking and marathoners trying to pass them. I lost sight of Linda and never saw her again?

I passed the Half in 1:53:51 and a split of 8:41. I did another gut check and my legs still felt amazingly fresh so I decided to push the pace down to sub 8:30s to see if I could get sight of Linda again? I expected to suffer my usual energy ‘lull’ or low around 16 miles but it didn’t happen so I continued to push the pace. Still no Linda? Around 18 miles the course has a 2-mile loop around a residential area and a park before it loops back on Bayshore Blvd along Tampa Bay to finish in downtown Tampa. I was hoping I wouldn’t meet her on the return leg because that would mean she had a 2-mile lead on me? Nope - no Linda! I passed mile 20 in 2:54:04 and a split of 8:51. My final gut check- the legs still felt good! I calculated that if I could hold a sub 9-min pace for the final 10K I could finish under 3:50! I decided to push the pace and go for it! I managed to lower the next mile split to 8:42 but then the course emerged from the residential area at mile 21 and dumped onto Bayshore Blvd. I knew what to expect at that point and I was not surprised! The final 5 miles on Bayshore are along Tampa Bay and there is no shelter from a wind that always seems to be there and blowing from the North – which means it is a headwind!

Fortunately I still felt strong and was cruising – unfortunately I was passing many runners and there was nobody to hide behind and draft. I started to whine and moan and feel sorry for myself until Maddog handed me a dose of reality. He reminded me that EVERY runner had to face the same course – the same wind – the same obstacles – and to get over it – suck it up and push on to the finish line. He was right of course (it is nice to have a Maddog riding along to provide support when needed) so I lowered my head, tucked in my shoulders and arms to reduce wind resistance – sucked it up, dug deeper and increased my effort to maintain a sub 9-min pace into that friggin headwind! As I approached mile 24 in 3:29:31 and a split of 8:56 I thought I saw Linda up ahead – about 500ft in front of me? I dug deeper, pushed harder and caught the female runner at mile 25 – but alas it was not Linda! However I decided to hold the faster pace until I crossed the finish line in 3:48:53.

Still no Linda? I figured she had either whupped my ass or had stopped for a potty break and I had missed her? About 30 minutes later the group finally met up again at our designated spot and I learned that Linda had indeed whupped my ass – by 1 minute! She finished in 3:47:39 – a PR and a BQ time – a fantastic performance and time! We decided to wander over to the awards ceremony to check the results and our standings. I thought that Linda must surely have won or placed in her AG? I wasn’t so sure about my time because I figured that some of the ‘top dogs’ in my AG would have shown up since it was the ‘final voyage’? Surprisingly it was the opposite? Linda’s great performance and time was only good enough for 5th place but my time won 1st place (21 runners) in my AG!

Needless to say I was pleased with both my performance and time! Both were much better than I expected and I never experienced any problems during the entire race. I have regained confidence in my conditioning and once again have the motivation needed to continue training hard to key on one final race for the Spring season – in late March in Washington State.

Stay tuned!

RR Bahamas

2010-02-15T12:28:00.001-05:00

Race Report
Sun, Feb 14/10
Bahamas Marathon
Nassau, Bahamas
Marathon #325 – Country # 102
4:14:04 – 1AG

This is the report that all my ’couch potato’ readers - you know who you are – the ones following the ‘Gluttony & Sloth’ program – have been waiting for!
Since I am writing it I obviously survived – but barely! And it wasn’t the ‘Gluttony & Sloth’ program I followed for one week on the cruise that almost did me in – it was the friggin,nasty cold and sinus/chest congestion that some kind bugger gave me during the cruise!

A few days after we returned home from the Caribbean cruise both the Sports Manager and I started sniffling and sneezing. I managed to get a few 10-mile runs in those first few days and my legs felt lazy and sluggish due to the ‘G & S’ program. Then the cold hit me full force and knocked me on my ass! My sinus’ were congested and Thu I spent most of the day in bed suffering from hot & cold sweats, high fever and flashes of vivid hallucinations! I was worried that I would never be able to get out of bed on Fri morning to catch my flight to the Bahamas? Thankfully the fever peaked and broke in the wee hours of Fri morning and I actually felt not too bad when I left for the airport.

I met up with my friend Edson at the hotel in downtown Nassau on Fri afternoon. Edson is from NYC and is a fellow Country Club member and longtime friend going back to the days when we were both completing the 50 States circuit for the 1st time. We agreed to share a room for the race since hotels are ridiculously expensive in the Bahamas. On Fri night we attended the reception for the race at the Atlantis Resort and picked up our race packets. After a shaky start the race organization was spending big bucks to make this inaugural race a success. We had great difficulty getting info on the race and I wrote the race director a strong letter complaining about the lack of info, etc. They made some changes quickly to better the race but were too late to make it the ‘big’ race they hoped for. However I think they will do much better in 2011.

There were lots of exhibitors at the race expo and free food was provided – the only pasta we enjoyed during our visit! The race director had reserved Bib # 102 for me to represent Country #102. Edson was completing Country #69. Since we were both tired we retired early. Up to that time I had felt OK but then the coughing started –and I coughed and hacked all night! I felt sorry for Edson but either he is a sound sleeper or a good friend because he didn’t complain that I kept him awake all night with my hacking. As soon as the stores opened on Sat morning I found a pharmacy and bought enough drugs- cough syrup. sinus spray, etc – to keep me drugged up and to control the coughing and ease the congestion!

For the rest of Sat we did a walking tour of downtown Nassau. Since it was my 3rd visit to the Bahamas I acted as tour guide as we toured around and bought a mandatory Bahamas rum cake to bring home as a souvenir. We scouted around for an Italian restaurant and quickly realized that we might not enjoy a traditional pasta dinner before the race. Downtown Nassau closes up at 6 pm when the cruise passengers return to the ships so there are few restaurants and shops open after 6 pm. There are two fancy Italian restaurants in downtown Nassau but it was Valentine’s Day/eve and both were booked solid and would not accept a reservation. We asked the concierge to find us an Italian restaurant but the only option he could find required a $20 taxi ride to the other end of the island so we decided to try our luck at finding a small local diner with pasta downtown. No luck! We ended up eating noodles at a Chinese restaurant – one of the very few restaurants open. I was concerned about breaking a long. long tradition but there was no alternative and besides it was only one more minor glitch on a screwed-up week of preparation for the race! Then it was time to retire early and I drugged up on cough syrup, etc so we could get a decent night of sleep.

Sun was ‘M’ day. I felt much better in the morning as we drove to the start line with a local runner who had offered us a lift. The weather was a pleasant 60F at 6 am with a light breeze that made it feel cooler. (This was not normal weather – the Bahamas was experiencing the same cold front that moved through the Eastern US). There were about 300 runners – 100 in the marathon and the rest in the Half and relay. The race started at Fort Mantague on East Bay St, ran across the West Bridge to Paradise Island and back across the East bridge before proceeding through downtown Nassau and along West bay St and the ocean to Old Fort Bay where it looped back to finish at Arawak Cay. I had no idea what to expect from my body. After a week of ‘G & S’ followed by a week of illness – I had absolutely no idea what to expect – except that it probably wouldn’t be good?
It didn’t take long to get an answer! By the time I reached the West Bridge at mile 1, I was already sucking desperately for air. I felt like I was running at 10,000 ft in the Rock Mtns! I realized how badly congested my lungs were – they could not suck in enough air to keep the legs moving! As I struggled over the West Bridge I wisely decided that I would just listen to my body and let it dictate the pace.

I passed mile 4 in 38:34 and a split of 9:45 and decided that was probably the best pace I could do on that day? If I could hold that pace I would finish under 4:15 for a BQ (Boston Qualifying) time which would just have to be good enough for Maddog! I wasn’t willing to push my sick old bod any harder! For the next 5 miles I tried a few tests /experiments and noted some strange results. If I tried to run faster than 9:45 I would start sucking desperately for air so I figured that was the lower limit of my pace for that day. Then I tried to push harder to raise my heart rate to its normal race levels. I noted that my heart rate was at 135bpm instead of the normal race level of 145bpm? No matter how hard I tried I could not get my heart rate up to 145bpm – the congestion became the limiting factor and I would start sucking for air and have to back off? I passed mile 10 in 1:35:07 and a split of 9:35 and my legs felt fresh and full of energy and I seemed to be breathing easier so I decided to try to push the pace again. I managed to get the pace down to 9:20s and my heart rate up to a blazing 143 bpm but that was the limit for both and I could only hold that pace and heart rate for about 5 miles.

I passed the half in 2:04:35 and once again naively thought that since I was running so slow and easy I should be able to hold that pace and finish under 4:10? Wrong! After the course looped back at Old Fort Bay the wheels started to fall off as the lungs started to plug up again? I started sucking for air again and the pace started slowing until I passed mile 20 in 3:10:33 and a split of 10:11. If I could hold a 10-min pace I would be close to my target of 4:15. I had passed one local runner around 10 miles that appeared to be in my Age Group and confirmed before the turn-around that there were no other AG competitors in front of me so there was not much motivation or reason to hurt myself or accept a lot of pain.
From the turn-around point to 23 miles I ran all alone which didn’t help but finally I started to overtake runners/walkers and that provided a boost. I managed to keep the old legs churning and crossed the finish line in 4:14:04.

I waited for Edson to finish in 4:52:58 so we could take a finish line photo and walk back to our hotel together. After a quick shower we headed to the airport where we enjoyed a quick lunch and parted ways.
Considering the circumstances and conditions going into this race I can’t say that I am disappointed or frustrated (or happy) about my time or performance! I am disappointed that I wasn’t able to show up healthy and in peak shape because the course is flat and fast and I believe I could have achieved a good time if I had been healthy. One upside to running so slow is that my legs were not the slightest bit sore after the race and hopefully I can begin some intense training soon to get ready for my next race in two weeks.

And remember the BIGGEST and BEST news of all! I survived a marathon after following the Gluttony & Sloth’ program – and even threw in a severe cold for an added handicap! That means that all you ‘couch potatoes’ and ‘G & S’ followers are pre-eminently qualified to run a marathon!
Of course I must add the flowing caveat or disclaimer “Don’t try this stunt at home”!

Stay tuned!

RR - Miami 2010

2010-02-10T14:31:00.002-05:00

Race Report
Sun, Jan 31/10
Miami Marathon
Marathon # 324
3:58:07 – 4AG

This will be a short and quick report. I wasn’t supposed to run this race and I was very disappointed and frustrated with my time and performance.

I had promised myself during the final 5K of the race last year (see RR Miami 01-09) that I wouldn’t run the race again in 2010. However when the Sports Manager and I decided to take a cruise that started in Miami on race day it only made sense to run this race rather than run in another city/state and fly into Miami on Sun for the cruise.

I had trained hard the whole month of Jan and even went on the wagon (no booze) in an effort to lose an extra 5 lbs and get down to competitive race weight. I had high expectations – to run a sub 3:45 or better – if the weather was good!

Unfortunately it didn’t happen as planned/hoped! On sat we drove down to Miami to pick up my race package and join Joe and Brenda Treige for pasta dinner. The Treige’s are old friends going back to our early career days in Ottawa, Canada and were joining us for a one-week cruise of the Western Caribbean after the race.

The weather was hot on Sat and forecast to be warm again on Sun. Not good news! Sadly the weather was warm (72 F) and humid at the 6 am start on Sun. The only good news was that it was overcast and cloudy so the temps never warmed up much above the mid 70s. I was assigned to the 3rd coral with about 1000 runners in front of me (a total of 18,000 runners in the marathon and half). It took 2 min just to reach the start line and I was boxed in for the 1st mile across the Macarthur Causeway. I passed mile 1 in a slow 9:06 (chip time) and mile 3 in 26:33. I was already behind my target pace for a sub 3:45 – and my legs were not moving smooth and easy? When I passed mile 10 in 1:26:46 and a split time of 8:45 I knew that I would not achieve my target! I passed the Half in 1:54:38. I naively thought that I might be able to hold that ‘slow’ pace to finish with a sub 3:50 but that dream/fantasy also disappeared when I passed mile 20 in 2:57:47 and a split of 9:50. I was fading and now it became a struggle and took lots of willpower just to hold a sub 10-min pace so I could cross the finish line in 3:58:07.

I was very disappointed/unhappy/frustrated with my time and performance. I had tried to key on this race and felt that I was in good shape and ready to run sub-3:45 and maybe even close to 3:30? I can’t explain why I fell apart except for the weather? I was even more discouraged when I researched the ‘unofficial’ results online to learn the top three in my Age Group finished under 3:15. Damn – the weather never affected them!!! However the ‘official’ results later indicated that the winner finished in 3:48 – I would have won my AG if I could have achieved my target!

No sense crying over spilt milk – it was time to begin our one-week cruise to celebrate the Sport Manager’s birthday – and also begin a special training program called “Gluttony & Sloth”. Since I trained so hard all month and sacrificed booze for the whole month I felt I deserved a week of “Gluttony and Sloth” – not caring about what I ate or drank or if I exercised!

We met the Treige’s on the ship – the Carnival Valor – and enjoyed a wonderful week exploring Cayman Islands, Honduras, Belize and Cozumel, Mexico. And we ate and drank and partied without concern.

It was a fun week. And as I mentioned in a pre-race report I sacrificed my body for the betterment of all my readers. After one week of “Gluttony and Sloth” I returned home with an additional 7 lbs and a head cold thanks to some butthead on the cruise. And I have to run another (international) marathon next weekend!

This race will definitely be a test of the “Gluttony & Sloth” program. If I finish the race successfully – and alive – it will be Good News for many of my readers who are quite familiar with the program because it will mean that they are pre-eminently qualified to run a marathon?

Stay tuned!

RR - Disney Marathon

2010-01-11T13:35:00.003-05:00

Race Report
Sun, Jan 10/10
Disney Marathon
Orlando, FL
Marathon #323
3:57:53 - 6AG

Not a great race for a number of reasons!

I added this marathon to my race schedule under duress a few months back. What do I mean – under duress? I hate this race for two reasons:
1) It is overpriced – registration is now $125! It is well organized but that entry fee is ridiculous.
2) The logistics of the race suck! The race starts at Epcot and runs around and through Epcot and Disney World. In order to get the race finished by noon so they can open the Park to regular guests Disney starts the race at 5:35am. Thus runners must be parked at Epcot by 4am, check their warm-up clothes by 4:30am and start walking .6M to the start line in the dark! Most years it is Cold while you wait for the race to start.

If I had known just how COLD it would be this year I would never have registered for the race! However when I checked race calendars it was the only race in FL that weekend and thus it was my cheapest option to run a race. Otherwise I would have to fly out of state, etc and that would greatly increase my costs. (And in hindsight it would have been even colder in nearby states!).

An added benefit was that a good friend and fellow Country Club member, Edson Sanches, would be running the marathon. Edson is one of about 30 runners who have run all previous 16 Disney Marathons and I knew he would not miss this one. We agreed to share a room.

As most of my readers know Canada and USA (and many other parts of the world) have been experiencing one of the coldest winters in history. Florida has broken cold temp records going back 140 years! The weather forecast for race day was not good (sub-freezing temps) and that would mean a cold race and a really miserable wait at the start! One good thing about running so many races was that I knew what to expect and how to prepare for the race. I pulled out my cold-weather running gear – polypro tights and top that trap body heat but allow sweat to wick away and for the COLD wait at the start I purchased a cheap sleeping bag at Walmart.

I met Edson at the hotel and we picked up our race packets. It was cold on Sat afternoon and we complained and worried about how cold it would be on Sun. I convinced Edson to buy some additional warm-up/race clothes because he had only brought shorts and a T-shirt!!! That evening we were joined by another old friend who lives in Orlando. Marty used to run with us back in the ‘good old’ days when all three of us were running our 1st circuit of the 50 States. We called ourselves the ‘tres amigos’ and competed fiercely (but friendly) against each other at races. Marty and his family joined us for dinner and we enjoyed a very nice evening and pasta dinner reminiscing about the old days.

Sun was “M’Day and I don’t believe there was one runner out of the 18,000 entered that was looking forward to the race? Even the Canucks and runners from the North were bitching about the cold! I felt sorry for them because they had booked this race to escape the Cold! It was 26F when I parked my car at Epcot at 4am. It was bitterly cold as I removed my warm-up clothes and made my final race preparations before checking my gear at the baggage tent at 4:30am. I used my sleeping bag like a cocoon as I walked to the start line. Most runners had blankets, garbage bags, etc to try to stay warm. I felt sorry for the few that had only race shorts and a singlet??? Everyone envied my sleeping bag – I had many offers to buy the bag. It wasn’t for sale – even for the $100 I was offered! I was as snug as a bug in a rug! I arrived at Coral A in the Red Wave and sat down in my warm cocoon to wait for the start of the race. There were two starts or waves – a Red and Blue- with several corals in each to handle the 18,000 runners. I lined up about 20 feet behind the start line and the elite athletes.

After the great race I enjoyed at Jacksonville three weeks ago I had hoped to set a target of sub 3:40 because I had completed some good speed work in the past few weeks. However I figured the cold temps and conditions were going to make it tough and I didn’t know what to expect? A few minutes before the start I had to reluctantly shed my cocoon - Damn! – it was cold even though I was still wearing 4 layers – a polypro top and T-shirt covered with a throw-away sweat shirt and garbage bag! My hands and feet froze before the gun went off to start the race!

Everyone was cold and stiff and started slowly. I shed the garbage bag at mile 2 and the sweatshirt and toque at mile 3 because I was starting to sweat. My hands and feet however were still frozen! We were boxed in until we completed the first loop of Epcot and the two waves merged at 3.4 miles. At the 2nd water station at 4 miles the volunteers shouted warnings to the runners to watch for ice on the road! Water that was sloshed and spilled from the cups had frozen on the road and it was like an ice rink. Runners had to be very careful while they attempted to break off a light crust of ice on the water in the cup to drink it. The water was definitely COLD! When I reached Mile 5 in 45:06 and an 8:47 split my legs were still tight and stiff. They couldn’t seem to warm or loosen up. It was taking much greater effort and energy than normal to make them move and I realized right then that it was not going to be a fast or easy race and I decided I would just try to hold a sub-9 min pace and finish under 4 hrs!

I passed mile 10 in 1:29:42 and through Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom. My hands were still cold! I had to remove my fingers from the gloves and bundle them into a fist to warm them up. My feet must have been warm - I couldn’t feel them? I passed the Half in the Animal kingdom in 1:57:43 and a split of 8:35. The sun was coming up. I had big hopes that maybe I would start to warm up and could run a negative split in the 2nd half? Didn’t happen! The only time I felt warm was when the course ran east into the sun and when the course was sheltered from the wind in one of the Theme Parks. When the course was on the service roads and overpasses around the parks and open to the wind my hands would freeze (again) and it was miserable! I don’t know what the wind chill temp was – except friggin COLD!Each water station continued to be an ice rink until the end of the race and I still had to break ice off the water in my cup to drink it!

I reached Mile 20 in 3:00:26 and a split of 9:21. I realized that I needed to lower the pace back to a 9:00 min pace if I wanted to finish under 4 hrs. I didn’t care how miserable it was or how cold it was – I was determined to finish under 4 hrs to salvage some respectability! I managed to get the pace down to 9:05s and as I reached Mile 23 in 3:28:35 I passed a young male runner who was struggling. I shouted at him to stay with me and we would finish under 4 hrs! He responded by staying with me and we crossed the finish line together in 3:57:53! He thanked me profusely and stated that he had given up and was about to walk when I shouted. He gutted it out to the finish line by convincing himself that he should be able to keep up with an ‘old man’! I considered his thanks a compliment!

After a quick finish line photo I retreated hastily back to the car. The temp was 33F as I drove back to the hotel. I filled the tub with the hottest water I could stand and submerged my frozen body until it thawed out. Edson arrived 1 hour later. He had suffered a bad day and race and finished exactly 1 hr behind me.

I checked the race results online later that day and was not surprised to learn that I had not placed well in my AG – 6th out of 25 runners. Even if I had finished in sub 3:40 that would not have placed me in the top 3! The top 2 finished under 3:30 so not all Old Farts had suffered the same problems as me!

I am a bit disappointed/ discouraged with my performance and time. I feel that I am in much better shape than a 3:57? If I don’t see any improvement in my next race (Miami in 3 weeks) I am going to become really discouraged and lose motivation to accept more pain and speed work to continue to improve! Maybe it is time to follow the advice of my good friend and mentor Wally Herman and just run for fun?

Stay tuned!

Country Club List

2010-01-02T13:43:00.011-05:00

Country Club List. (Dec 10/10)
A list of members who have completed a marathon or ultra in a minimum of 30 different countries.
Note: A country may only be counted ONCE and a marathon that passes through more than one country (such as Monaco) may only count for ONE country. All members in the top five rating must verify their stats.

Runner Country # Countries

John Wallace USA 106
Wally Herman Canada 99
Edson Sanches USA 71
William Govi Italy 64
Tad Lancucki UK 57
Jaap Van de Berg Netherlands 56
Stefan Schlett Germany 55
Horst Preisler Germany 54
Roger Biggs UK 46
Peter Maier Germany 46
Don Lang USA 41
Dieter Elster Germany 37
Sudyong Toprasert Thailand 36
KG Nystrom Sweden 32
Helmut Lizbichler Austria 31
Antonius Steinberg Germany 30
Karsten Koehler Germany 30
Andy Kotulski USA 75*
Hajime Nishi Japan 72*
(* - stats not verified)

RR Jacksonville

2009-12-21T11:52:00.000-05:00

Race Report
Sun, Dec 20/09
Jacksonville Marathon
Jacksonville, FL
Marathon #322
3:43:32 – 2AG

Oh – what a difference two weeks and forty degrees in temperature can make – exactly One Hour!

I had added this race to my calendar as a ‘required’ fast training run because I figured Singapore would be a long, slow run. However when Singapore turned out to be such a disaster it really shook my confidence. I wondered/worried if Singapore was just an exceptionally bad day or was my training program and conditioning also bad? Thus I was lacking a lot of confidence and motivation as I made the 5-hr drive up to Jacksonville on Sat.

I picked up my race packet and as I was checking into the host hotel I met a group of runners whom I knew from the Bradenton Running Club (neighboring city to Sarasota). They invited me to join them for pasta dinner which turned out to be a blessing since it was an enjoyable meal with great company and provided a distraction from my concerns.

Sun was M- day! The weather forecast called for COLD temps and high winds. It was fairly accurate. The skies were cloudy with a temp of 40 F and gusty winds at the 7 am start. It was very chilly with the wind so I wore a throw-away shirt and garbage bag over my race T-shirt and shorts to stay warm at the start of the race. It never warmed above 50 F during the race. On the bus ride over to the Bolles School where the race started I kept thinking “What am I doing here – I don’t feel like running a marathon”? I had little confidence and no motivation! But then I reminded myself that I had faced similar situations and feelings many times before and in most cases ended up running great races.

I decided to stick to my original plan/strategy to run a fast training run. I would go out at an 8:30 pace and hold it as long as possible. If I crashed – I crashed – but at least I would have an answer to my concerns/questions! I lined up at the start line with 2500 other runners (1000 in the Full and 1500 in the Half). As I lined up a few rows from the start line I found myself (coincidentally) lined up with the 3:45 pace group. I asked myself “Why don’t I just stay with that pace group”? They would prevent me from going out too fast and were running the pace I wanted. I don’t normally like to run with a pace group because my old bod experiences several ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ in energy during a race and typically I like to let my body go with the flow and my pace may vary by 10 to 15 secs/mile as my body goes through these cycles whereas a pace group will run a consistent split/pace.

The pace group pulled me through Mile 3 in 25:21 and a split of 8:21 and I removed my garbage bag. When we passed Mile 5 in 42:13 and a split of 8:21 I removed the throw-away shirt since I had finally warmed up. There were a few times when I experienced ‘highs’ and wanted to surge ahead and a few times when I experienced ‘lows’ and struggled to stay with the pace group. But I forced myself to be patient and stay with the group. Another benefit was that I was able to tuck in and draft behind the group when the winds got nasty! I followed the pace group through the Half in 1:51:30 – slightly ahead of pace! The good news was that I felt good and found the pace very comfortable so I decided to stay with the pace group till at least 20 miles and then re-evaluate!

When we passed Mile 16 in 2:16:01 and a split of 8:27 I was concerned that over the next four miles I would face some difficulty with a severe ‘low’ that I usually experience during that section of every marathon? Sure enough, when we reached Mile 18 in 2:32:51 the group had lowered the pace to 8:20s and I started to suffer a ‘low’. I started to fall back but then resolved that I would stay with the group till 20 miles and I forced the old bod to catch up! We passed Mile 20 in 2:49:46 and the pace group started to slow down and break up. As most marathoners know/understand it was crunch time and the race was just starting! And luckily the old bod gave me a shot of adrenaline and a burst of energy and another ‘high’. Maddog wanted to surge ahead but I wisely told him to be patient and stay with the group. When we reached Mile 22 in 3:07:09 the split had slowed to 8:42 and the pace group (including the pacer) started to slow down and fall apart? At that point three of us surged ahead together and fed off each other until we reached Mile 24 in 3:24:29. I knew right then that a sub-3:45 was in the bag and that gave me a boost of confidence and energy and I finally let Maddog surge ahead and left the other two members of the group to cross the finish line on the school track in 3:43:32!

Needless to say I was very happy with both my time and performance. I had run consistently even splits throughout the entire race and other than a few normal ‘lows’ never experienced any serious problems/troubles! I had exceeded my expectations and regained confidence in my training program and conditioning! I stuck around the finish area long enough for a finish line photo and to check the preliminary results. The initial results only showed finish times to 3:35. I naively figured that the best anyone in my AG could finish would be just under 3:30 so I checked the results down to 3:25. Nada? Maybe I did win my AG?

Since I was in a hurry to get back home to attend a Christmas party with our running friends I rushed back to the hotel for a quick shower and then made the trip home in 4 hrs. When I arrived home I quickly searched the race website to see if results had been posted? I was surprised to discover that my time was only good enough for 2nd place in my AG. I was shocked to learn that the winner finished in 3:16! Damn - I could never catch that guy. No matter how much I trained there ain’t no 3:16 left in this old bod! I didn’t recognize the name but I tip my hat off to him because he is a World-class runner – definitely way out of my league!

Although disappointed in a 2nd place finish I am still happy with my time and performance. I will continue my training program with confidence and motivation and lower my target to sub 3:40 for my next race in three weeks.

Stay tuned!

TR - Singapore

2009-12-09T13:38:00.001-05:00

Sun, Dec 6/09
Singapore Marathon
Singapore
Marathon # 321 - Country #101 (new World Record)
4:43:41- 3 AG

I can’t say that I was looking forward to this marathon except that I would finally move off the century mark and complete Country #101. I visited Singapore five years ago and knew that the weather would be brutally hot and humid! The Sports Manager did not want to go since she had visited Singapore many times and was still recovering from her hip surgery.

Thus I made the long, 30-hr journey by myself. The journey was extended a few hours and I arrived at my hotel at 3am on Fri morning. When I exited the taxi it was hot and humid at 3am – I was already NOT looking forward to the race! I let the poor old bod sleep as late as possible and then proceeded to the race expo to pick up my race packet. There were 50,000 runners registered in four events – about 18,000 in the marathon.

I was not pleased with the race organization even before I left home. They had been very inflexible, uninterested and non-caring to assist me in obtaining bib #101 for the race. If you are not an elite athlete who can win the race they are not interested in helping you! When I tried to check the age group results for past years I learned that not only were there no age group awards for the race but they didn’t even post results for age groups! Thus my evaluation or rating for the race is LOW! Do not run this race if you are hoping for a PR (weather) or if it is a special milestone like race #100, etc! They could care less!

Packet pick up was well organized but the expo was pathetic! For a race that size there were only two booths selling running gear – the rest were hawking medical services and nutritional items? Fortunately the race booklet was good because there was very little info available at the expo!

Since I had toured the city/country on a previous trip I decided to buy a ticket on the hop on/hop off tour bus on Sat to visit a few interesting sites such as the Merlion (the city symbol) at Esplanade Park, the Singapore Flyer (new) and to check out the logistics at the start/finish area. The race started on the Esplanade Bridge and finished in front of City Hall. Once I was familiar with the area I was free to enjoy the rest of the city, enjoy an early dinner and go to bed early.

Sun was M-day! The marathon was the first race to start at 5:30am. It was HOT (high 70s) and humid (80%) at 5:30am as I lined up with 18,000 runners. There were only 3 race pens – sub 4 hrs, sub 5 hrs and 5 hrs+ with no controls. Thus I lined up a few rows behind the Kenyans and elite athletes to avoid getting boxed in. Because of the expected heat/humidity and no age groups or incentive to race I had decided to run ‘slow & easy’. I figured that I could run an easy 9-min pace for the 1st Half to take advantage of the ‘cooler’ weather and then slow to a 10-min pace in the 2nd Half. I ran the first 3 Km faster than wanted (15:55) because I was boxed in with fast runners. However at that point the course opened up and I was able to slow down. I passed 10Km in 55:30 but was already overheating? I slowed the pace to 9:30s in an effort to cool my body down.

However when I reached 15Km in 1:26:08 and a split of 6:08/km (9:45/mile) I knew that I was in trouble already. My body was burning up and I couldn’t cool off? I decided to let my old bod dictate the pace till the Half and started to stop at each water station located every 2 Km. I would drink one cup of water and dump two on me in an attempt to hydrate and stay cool. I passed the Half in 2:07:15. But the sun was up by then and the temps were in the 80s and I knew the 2nd Half would get ugly! When I passed 25km in 2:33:59 and a split of 6:36/km (10:33/mile) I knew I was in big trouble. My legs felt OK but I just couldn’t increase the pace – my body would not cool down and I had not yet made or had a need for a pit stop. I increased my water intake to two cups at each stop and dumped 3 or 4 cups on my body to try to cool off. I could barely run (jog) to the next water station w/o walking? It became a matter of survival. Run – or shuffle – for 2 Km, then stop for water in and on and repeat the cycle!

Around 37Km the marathon and Half merged to share the final 5Km and the course was clogged with walkers from the Half. Now I had to weave around thousands of walkers and that only exasperated the situation and the agony! I dearly wanted to join them in walking but needed to end the agony as quickly as possible. I continued to shuffle between each water station – then stop/walk - pour two in and 4 on- in a desperate attempt to stay cool and hydrated and finally crossed the finish line in 4:43:41.

I was so frustrated and disappointed with my performance and inability to recover and ‘run’ the race that I didn’t bother to stick around for any after-race festivities. I took a finish-line photo and returned to the hotel for a COLD shower just to cool off. I had planned to spend the afternoon exploring the city and taking a river cruise but the streets were so crowded with Sun/Xmas shoppers that I retreated to my hotel room to watch college football games from the USA and rest for the 30-hr return trip home on Mon.

The nice thing about ‘running’ so slow I have discovered is that my legs were not sore or tired after the run. I should be able to resume speed work in my training program sooner than expected to prepare for one more race in 2009. I decided to run a marathon in FL in two weeks. Hopefully I can run a faster race?

Stay tuned!

RR - Fort Worth

2009-11-10T14:48:00.001-05:00

Sun, Nov 8/09
Fort Worth Marathon
Fort Worth, TX
Marathon #320
3:55:22 – 1 AG

As mentioned at the end of my previous race report (Ottawa Marathon) I figured that since no body parts had fallen off or hurt during that race I needed to schedule another marathon in Nov as part of my training program to regain my ‘marathon shape’. But where to go? Since the Boulder Marathon had been too hot and the Ottawa Marathon too cold and both courses too hilly I needed a location where the course would be flat and the weather pleasant? And the whole USA was open to me since I had a ‘free’ airline ticket! When I was forced to cancel Boston (Marathon) in April because of the mystery injuries US Airways kindly offered me (after heated negotiations) a full credit for future travel – with the caveat that I use it before Dec 09 - or lose it! I selected the Fort Worth Marathon for three reasons:
1) the race was in early Nov when the weather is normally nice in TX
2) the course was mainly on bike trails along the Trinity River and flat
3) my brother lives about 10 miles from the start/finish of the race. I could stay with him and he volunteered to be my temporary Sports Manager so my only expense for the race was the entry fee!
Thus I left Sarasota early on Fri so I could have some ‘Q’ time with my brother Doug and his wife Darlene. Race registration was only a few miles from his house so we picked up the race packet on the way home from the airport so I didn’t have to worry about anything until ‘M’ day on Sun.

The race started and finished at LaGrave Field – a sports stadium near downtown Fort Worth. There were 4 race events and the marathon started first at 7:30 am. I lined up with about 200 runners. The weather was pleasant as expected but a wee bit warmer than forecast with a temp of 58F. Fortunately the skies were cloudy and stayed overcast through the entire race so the temps never rose above the mid 60s! The course was a 13-mile out -and -back loop that left the stadium and dumped on to a series of paved and dirt bike trails along the Trinity River.

I had researched the race results from last year to learn that the winning time in my AG was 3:54. I decided before the race that I had three goals:
1) to finish under 4 hours. Since I had been able to complete two weeks of speed workouts since my last race I was confident that I could beat 4 hrs.
2) to run the first 20 miles as a time trial i.e. run those 20 miles as fast as I could remembering that I would still have to struggle through the final 10K.
3) to win my AG! I figured if I accomplished 1) & 2) then 3) should follow?

I started fairly fast and dropped in behind a small group of runners that included a lovely young lass (half my age or less?) with a firm bod and cute butt. Heh – what better view and motivation can one have for 26 miles? But alas – when she dragged me through 3 miles in 24:43 I had to accept the cold,hard truth. There was no way in Hell I could follow that cute butt at that pace (8:15/mile) for 26 miles! So reluctantly I had to let that cute YOUNG butt leave my sorry OLD ass behind in the dust! (That would never have happened in the good old days!) I slowed my pace and settled into a smooth/comfortable 8:45min/mile pace by the time I passed mile 5 in 42:58. I had run many sections of the trail/course on previous visits to my brothers’ so the course felt familiar which helps. There was only one hill on the course – around 7 and 18 miles. After climbing the hill I passed mile 10 in 1:25:42 and reached the turn-around at the Half in 1:53:17. Oh-oh – a wee bit too fast and I considered slowing the pace but I had noted an old fart on the return leg and he had about a 3-minute lead on me. I decided that I needed to hold my pace as long as I could and hope that the old fart faded or crashed before I did? I did OK until I climbed the one hill again at 18 miles where my legs started to feel very heavy and tired and I knew trouble was not too far ahead! I passed mile 18 in 2:36:42 but my split had slowed to 9:01! I was determined to achieve goal #2 so I continued to push the pace as hard as I could and reached mile 20 in 2:55:25 – but a split of 9:27! And I was in trouble! My legs were tired and sore! I was forced to start playing mind games.

All runners know what I mean. The final 10K of a marathon is 90% mind games and willpower! At first I tried denial – denial that I was in trouble! I was just a ‘wee bit tired’ and if I slowed down just a wee bit for the next few miles the legs would have a chance to rest and recover and I could hammer the final 5K. Right!!! I plodded/struggled along at a 9:25 pace and passed mile 23 in 3:24:08 and a 9:52 split. At that point I played the anger game – pissed off at myself for being such a wimp! That worked for a few minutes and then I struggled to reach mile 24 in 3:33:37 and there was nothing left in my legs and the game changed to ‘survival’! Now I had to convince myself to keep the old, wasted legs moving – “one step at a time” to the next mile marker. When I passed mile 25 in 3:43:44 and a split of 10:06 – my worst split of the race - I had had enough of the whining and feeling sorry for myself. Maddog screamed at me “any old fool can hurt for one measly mile”! He was right! I sucked it up – ignored the pain and screams from my legs – and pushed as hard as I could for the final mile to cross the finish line in 3:55:22!

The screams stopped as soon as I crossed the finish line – but not the pain! My legs immediately tightened and were very sore - I can’t remember how long it has been since my legs were that stiff and sore at a finish line? We stayed around long enough to confirm my finish time and place (while watching the medical staff try to revive a man who suffered a heart attack after finishing the 20-mile run - sadly he died on the way to the hospital). The ‘unofficial’ time posted was 3:54:06. That did not match my watch time and I later confirmed my ‘official’ time was 3:55:22 and 1st place in my AG. The old fart who beat me by 5 minutes was a youngster (only 60 years old!).

I was very satisfied with both my time and performance. I had accomplished all three goals and it had been a very good/valuable training run. I ran a fast/successful 20-mile time trial and then (re)taught the old bod how to cope with pain and exhaustion through the final 10K – both necessary ingredients for that fast and complete race that lies ahead in my future. Once again no body parts fell off or hurt (injury-wise) during the race. And I got a good reading of the gauge or level of my marathon fitness – OK – but not great – and certainly not competitive with the top runners in my AG! Any improvements in time from this point on will come in small amounts with large amounts of pain! But I am willing to expend the effort and hard work and accept the pain to get to the next level. My biggest concern is that I now have to be cautious and manage a very fine line between speed and injury to get my finish time below 3:45. After that I will re-evaluate my goals!

I have already decided the race strategy for my next marathon. It will be a long, SLOW training run because the weather will be brutally hot and humid in S. Asia in Dec!

Stay tuned!

TR - Ottawa

2009-10-17T12:30:00.005-04:00

Sun, Oct 11/09
Ottawa Fall Colours Marathon
Ottawa, Canada
Marathon #319
4:00:40 – 1AG

As mentioned in my last report this marathon was just the result of lucky timing. When I was booking flights for a family wedding and reunion in the fall I happened to notice that there was a marathon in Ottawa the weekend after our family events. I extended our trip to Tundra Land (aka Canada) for a few days in the hopes that I would be healthy enough to run the race?

I really didn’t commit to running the marathon until I finished the Boulder Marathon in late Sept w/o any body parts falling off or hurting. Only then did I call my good friend and mentor Wally Herman to inform him that I would run the marathon with him. Unfortunately by that time the Sport’s Manager’s hip was really hurting and she had to shorten her visit to return to FL to prepare for surgery.

We attended the wedding of our niece (my baby sister’s daughter) on Sat and then Nicole had to return to Ottawa for a family reunion on her side while I stayed in Carleton Place to begin the Wallace reunion. The Wallace family has seven siblings and we meet every two years at a different place hosted by one of the four brothers. Our reunion was fun as usual and since it was held in our hometown/birthplace many relatives and cousins were able to join us for a party/dinner.

The weather was not great – cool and rain most days – but it did co-operate with sun for both the wedding and the family golf match. Each morning I would run out into the country past the old family homestead/farm that had been in the Wallace family for more than 150 years! I fondly remember running the three miles into town often when I was a young kid (is that where it all started?). By race day I had logged more than 60 miles on those country roads!

When the reunion was over and we said our goodbyes I drove to Ottawa to stay with Nicole's sister and brother-in law to be closer to the race. I also wanted to visit Wally before the race. Wally is 83 years young and still runs 10 to 12 marathons every year (OK – what’s your excuse). Ottawa was marathon #714 for Wally and # 322 for Maddog so we represent a total of 1036 marathons and 199 countries! The local paper wrote a nice article about Wally and Maddog before the race - http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/Marathon+veterans+keep+reaching+milestones/2064518/story.html

I visited Wally and Marie on Sat before we drove out to Cumberland (a small village 20 miles east of Ottawa) to pick up our race packets. Wally planned to start at 6am (3 hrs early) so he would finish under the 5-hr time limit. The weather was cool – much cooler than had been forecast two weeks earlier when I packed for the race! Now maybe you can understand why I jokingly (but lovingly) refer to my native homeland as Tundra Land! The race started and finished at the Heritage Village Museum in Cumberland. The course consisted of two loops on country roads around Cumberland. It was hillier than anticipated but scenic with the fall colors in the leaves. On Sun morning the weather was COLD – temps in the low 30s and a wind blowing at 20mph/30Kmh! Since I had not packed cold weather gear I was dressed in shorts and T-shirt with a throw-away long sleeve T-shirt and gloves and stayed in the car until the last minute before the 9am start. When I jumped out of the car and headed toward the start line I was surprised to find my baby sister Mary Lou and Tim looking for me. That was a nice surprise! But short since I had to jump into the crowd of 200 runners (a small race) to start the race.

I had researched the results for the past two years to learn that the winning time in my AG was around 4:05 so I figured 4 hrs should win the race? I wasn’t sure if I could run that fast but if I don’t set a target I can’t push the old bod. It was so cold –especially with the wind - that I didn’t even remove my garbage bag/wind jacket until I passed 5K in 26:47. The first 10K had a LOT of hills – more than I had anticipated – so I was surprised when I reached 10K in 55:04! I had settled into a 5:30/km (8:50/mile) pace and decided to hold that pace as long as I could. The hills continued till 16K and finally we dropped for the next 5K back to the start line. I reached the Half in 1:57:28 – a wee bit faster than expected. I hoped that I hadn’t gone out too fast?? The legs felt OK – much better than they had 3 weeks ago in Boulder so I decided to push the pace as long as possible. I really did not have much confidence that I would run the entire course – I was hoping that I could make it to 37K before the old legs crashed?

The 2nd loop followed the same loop for 10.5K – which meant 10.5K of climbing hills – and then looped back down the hills to the finish line. It had warmed up a wee bit and I contemplated finally removing my warm-up shirt - but when we started up the hills for the 2nd time the 20mph wind was directly in our faces and COLD so I never did remove my warm-ups! I also decided that the wisest strategy would be to slow down and try to conserve energy going up those hills and into the headwind in the hopes of having some energy left to push the pace on the return loop down the hills with a tailwind. I reached 25K in 2:19:31 and caught up to a fellow Country Club runner, Hajime Nishi, from Japan (he started 1 hr early). I slowed and ran with Hajime for a few minutes to catch up on his stats. He confirmed that he has now completed 72 countries which moves him up into 4th place on the CC list. I then pushed on and passed 27K in 2:31:56. A quick calculation – 15K to go in 88 minutes if I wanted to break 4 hrs! It would be very close since I still had 4K of uphill to run. I had to run a sub -6min/Km pace? That was very difficult on the uphill into a headwind but hopefully I could lower the pace to 5:30/Km on the return loop downhill with a tailwind?

I met Wally for the 1st time near 30Km as he was on the return loop and finally I reached the turn-around at 31.5K. I sucked it up and pushed the pace down to 5:30/5:40. I passed Wally again at 37K – the old legs were still churning and I knew right then that I would be able to keep them churning to the finish line. However when I reached 39K in 3:41:52 the course became flat and turned back into the wind which was then gusting at 40Kmh. I had 18 minutes for 3.2Km. It was going to be real close! But that wind was too tough! I just couldn’t keep the old legs churning fast enough to make up the minute I would need for the final 200 meters! However Maddog was not willing to give up and he dragged my tired/sorry ass the final 3.2k to cross the finish line in 4:00:40! I was not disappointed! In fact I was very pleased that I had been able to run the entire race and I soon learned that my time had indeed won 1st place in my Age Group. And no body parts fell off or hurt during the race!

The weather seemed to get COLDER as soon as I finished so I retreated immediately to the car to add more warm-up clothes and get my camera before returning to the finish line to cheer Wally across the finish. He finished in 7:13. After a few finish line photos we both beat a hasty retreat to the warmth of our cars! I hope to see Wally again in the winter and run a few more marathons together in FL?

I am back in FL now. The Sports Manager has successfully completed surgery to replace her hip and begins the recovery process under the careful care of Nurse Maddog!
Cooler weather finally arrived in FL this weekend (Oct 17) so I can start adding some intensity and speed work to my training program in the hopes of getting my marathon times below 4hrs again!

As part of my program I plan to run another ‘training’ marathon in Nov in Fort Worth, TX.

Stay tuned!

RR - Boulder Marathon

2009-09-21T15:32:00.002-04:00

Race Report
Sun, Sept 20/09
Boulder Marathon
Boulder, CO
Marathon #318
4:30:04 - 1AG

I’m Baaaaaaaaaaaaaccccccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After a 7-month sabbatical from marathoning – 5 months of rest/recovery and physical therapy to heal those mystery back and leg injuries and only 10 weeks of training I decided to run the Boulder Marathon as a long training run.

With two 20-mile training runs under my belt I felt confident that I could finish the race but was not so confident that the final 10K would not involve a lot of walking??
A bonus for choosing this race was that two of my good mates from the UK – Roger Biggs and Jack Brookes were also running the race. They planned to arrive late Sat night, run the race and continue on to CA to run the triple marathon in Lake Tahoe next weekend. Roger is on a quest to run at least one marathon every weekend in 2009.
We always have a ‘friendly’ competition when we race together but I figured my goose might be cooked in this race. It was going to be a contest to see if my advantage of altitude and jet lag could overcome their superior marathon conditioning?

I drove over to Boulder on Sat and picked up our race packets since Roger and Jack would not arrive from London until 6 pm. Since I had the afternoon to kill I decided to check out the racecourse. The race started and finished at the Boulder Reservoir northeast of the city. The entire course was located in the foothills of the Flat Irons (a mountain range west of Boulder). The lowest elevation was 5100 ft – the highest 5600 ft! About 20 miles of the course were dirt roads and the rest paved roads – all in a rural setting. There were lots of rolling hills but no shade on the course. I didn’t consider the course to be as difficult as Steamboat Springs where we had all raced together a few years ago and felt comfortable with the target I had proclaimed a few days before the race – to finish with a BQ time of 4:15!

My mates arrived on time and we enjoyed a nice pasta dinner while I described the course and we caught up on ‘war’ stories. The marathon started at 8am on Sun. The weather forecast had called for temps of 52F at the start and a high in the low 70s. They lied – or were wrong because a warm front blew into the region in advance of a severe cold front that was supposed to bring snow on Mon? The front included strong gusts of wind from the west – a tailwind for the 1st Half and a headwind for the 2nd Half!

It was sunny and 54F at the 8am start as we lined up with 3000 runners. I have to commend the race committee for great organization. They had lots of portable toilets – it is the first race I have never had to line up – even 10 minutes before the race – to use a toilet. And the race started on time! I figured Roger was determined to beat me and get revenge for my victory in Israel in Jan – and I was right. He took off and Jack and I tried to keep him in sight.

Jack and I passed Mile 1 in 9:30 and stayed together until Mile 5 (45:55) where Jack started to pull ahead. I started to get my answer about which was more important – conditioning or altitude acclimation? With the long straight stretches of country roads I was able to keep both Roger and Jack in sight. Miles 6 to 8 were uphill and I managed to close the gap a little and then we turned on to a paved road that dropped for 2 miles and I closed the gap some more. When I passed Mile 10 in 1:30:57 I was concerned that I was pushing the pace too hard to keep my mates in sight and hoped that I wouldn’t suffer for it later? I passed Jack at the Half in 2:00.45. I felt OK but was now very concerned that I was running over my head. And by then the sun was beating down on us and the temps had soared! It didn’t take long to confirm my fear. When I passed Mile 16 in 2:28:46 my legs were starting to tire rapidly. I hoped that I could hold the pace to 20 miles and then worry about walking? As I approached a turn at Mile 17 I was surprised to find that Roger was only about 1000 ft ahead of me? I figured if I could hold my pace I might catch him in the hills around 22 miles? Wishful thinking! Roger later told me that he faded and started walking at 18 miles – but he didn’t fade as much as I did.

By mile 18 I knew I was in trouble and tried to hold on until mile 20 before the inevitable walking started – but I couldn’t do it. As I reached mile 19 in 3:00:39 my legs were completely out of energy and I had no option but to start walking. The next mile was my worst/slowest of the race – a split of 13:22 as I tried desperately to keep my wasted legs moving. Finally I decided it would be better just to walk slowly and take a short rest at the water stop before mile 20 to give my legs a much-needed rest in hopes that they would start to recover? I knew that the final 10K was going to be ugly and painful and thus I figured the smartest strategy would be to use the ‘Galloway method’ – walk for 1 minute and run for 4 minutes. That worked OK until I got into a series of rolling hills near 22 miles and then it became ‘walk up the hills and jog down’. By the time I got through the hills my legs had recovered a wee bit and I was able to walk/jog a 12-min pace. During the final 5K I was both frustrated and happy that I was able to run a sub 12-min pace. Each time I tried to push the pace down to 10 min my legs would protest and quit moving. I calculated that a 12-min pace would get me to the finish line in 4:30 – and that would just have to be good enough!

I crossed the finish line in 4:30:04. Roger finished in 4:21 and Jack in 4:34. We checked the results. Roger and Jack had placed 3rd in their Age Groups and I had finished 1st place in my AG. I wasn’t surprised because I had checked results from 2008 and learned that 1st place in my AG was more than 5 hours. We collected our awards and said our farewells. Roger may come to Sarasota next spring to give me an opportunity to beat him and reclaim my title? I can’t say I was happy with my time or performance but I am not disappointed either because I finished as expected. The Good news was that no body parts fell off or hurt during the race. And one benefit of running so slow is that my legs were not sore after the race. The Bad news however is that I confirmed that I am in poor/pathetic marathon shape and I have a lot of hard/painful training to do to get back into peak/competitive shape. But it can be done if I can just stay healthy and injury-free!

I now have one day to pack and close up the house since we leave for FL tomorrow. We will only be home for one week and then we leave for Tundra Land – aka – Canada for a family wedding and reunion. By chance I will be there during the Ottawa Fall Colors Marathon and have decided to join my good friend and mentor Wally Herman to run his hometown race!

Stay tuned!

RR - US Half Marathon

2009-08-23T16:12:00.001-04:00

Race Report
US Half Marathon
Copper Mountain, CO
Sat, Aug 22/09
2:10:55 – 3 AG

Well, this was to be a BIG test – my first race since the Sarasota Marathon in Feb! After 5 months of rest/recovery and PT for the mystery injuries to my back and leg and 5 weeks of training I wanted to test my conditioning.

I had won this tough grueling race the past two years and set the course record (for OLD farts) but had no delusions that either were a possibility this year. I decided I would be happy if I could finish in 2:10 (a 10 min pace).
The race starts in the Copper Mountain Resort at 9500 ft. The weather was great – sunny and low 50s at the 9am start. The 1st mile climbs and then drops about 100 ft to the East Village. I thought I started slow as planned and couldn’t understand why I was hacking and sucking for air until I passed Mile 1 in 7:59! Too fast for the shape I am in! I immediately threw out an anchor and slowed down and passed Mile 2 in 16:51 – more reasonable! The next 2 miles we traversed and climbed a trail across a ski hill and I struggled to reach Mile 4 in 37:01. And we were just starting the tough part of the course since it climbs from 9400 ft to 10,600 ft over the next 5 miles!

I normally average a 10:15 min pace over those 5 miles but really struggled just to keep running up the mountain to reach Mile 9 in 1:32:12. I figured I could easily lower the pace to sub 9 min on the descent but what I didn’t figure on was missing the turn around shortly after 9 miles (for the past 2 years it was located at the top of Vail Pass)? There was no race volunteer, sign, etc at the turn so I continued to climb another 1/3 mile and 200 vertical ft to the top of Vail Pass before a kind person informed me that I had missed the turn! I was pissed off and immediately lost any incentive or motivation to push or hurt myself on the descent. I reached mile 10 in a 16:12 split and decided at that point just to jog the final 3 miles to the finish line!

I crossed the finish line in an official time of 2:17:55 but if I subtract the estimated 7 min for the extra 2/3 mile I figure I finished the HALF in 2:10:55? I was OK/happy with that time but immediately hunted down the race director and gave him royal shit for a poorly organized race and course!

Officially I finished in 3rd place in my AG and am not sure if the extra 7 min made any difference?

Since I didn’t expect to win I wasn’t disappointed and I still achieved my goal of running a long/hard training run w/o any (injury) problems so I was happy.

I followed that hard training run with another challenging training run (very) early Sun morning. I woke at 2am to drive to Leadville and arrive at the final check-in point at the 86.5- mile mark of the Leadville 100 Ultra Race at 3:30am. I had promised to pace a fellow runner/friend from FL (Adam Bright) through the final (13.5 mile leg) of the race. Adam arrived at the checkpoint at 5 am. We had 5 hours to finish the race under the 30-hour limit to earn the coveted Silver Belt Buckle. It was dark but unusually warm for this time of the year. We needed headlamps for the 1st hour through the forest along Turquoise Lake with a few sections of rocky and treacherous trails. However by 6am there was enough light to see the trails and by 7 am it was sunny and warming up. Adam was able to run and walk till the final 4 miles and then it was mostly walk and I had to play mind games with him to keep him moving. I know how bad I feel sometimes in a marathon – I could only imagine the pain and complete exhaustion he felt! But he used willpower, guts and determination to keep his wasted legs moving and crossed the finish line in 29:06!

As I watched him and others struggle and overcome their complete exhaustion to finish I confirmed my long-standing decision and wisdom to NEVER- EVER run an ULTRA!

Since both training runs went well I now have confidence to sign up for the Boulder Marathon in mid-Sept even though my longest run since Feb has been 15 miles?

Stay tuned!

Lance Armstrong - Spenco 500

2009-07-05T16:13:00.003-04:00

Spenco 500 Home Movie

In case y’all thought the story about my video project keeping Maddog from going stir crazy during his injury/recovery was a lie or fairy tale I thought I should provide some proof. I have uploaded one home video to ‘You Tube’ for your enjoyment. It was a strange coincidence that when I decided to start the video project the first home movie or videotape I grabbed from my collection was the “Spenco 500”. I had even forgotten that I had filmed this event. I used this home movie to learn and practice how to use the video software I purchased to convert and edit tapes/film to DVD.

This home movie is very relevant now that the Tour de France has started and has an interesting story behind it that I will try to relate/share as briefly as possible.

Our son Chris attended high school in Dallas, TX at the same time as Lance Armstrong. Chris and Lance competed throughout high school in track and cross-country and in 5 and 10K road races in the Dallas area. They were both gifted athletes and became good friends and usually biked 50 to 75 miles every weekend with a group of friends. One day in 1986 Lance and Chris approached us with a group of 5 friends (all 15 years old) and asked if they could compete in the Spenco 500 – a grueling 24-hour/500 mile bike race through the Texas Hill country. The race started and ended in Waco, TX.

Since most of the parents were super jocks (in their own minds) who raced 10Ks and marathons and considered their kids to be even ‘better’ athletes we consented and agreed to support the team. My wife/sports manager and I drove the kids in our custom Ford van (shown in the video) so that they could relax and rest when not racing and other parents drove a van with the bikes.

When we showed up at the pre-race meeting in Waco there was a big surprise! The race officials took one look at the ‘kids’ and declared that they could not compete because they were too young! We reminded them that they had cashed the check/entry fee and had accepted and confirmed the kids’ registration that truly stated their age as 15 years old! After much heated negotiations where we informed race officials that one parent was a lawyer and would sue the race organization and request an immediate injunction to halt or delay the race they reluctantly conceded that the ‘children’ could participate. However they stated that they would accept no responsibility for their health or safety since the race was too challenging and grueling for such young ‘children’!

There were several ‘elite’ teams entered in the race including the US National Cycling Teams (men & women). A few members of the Women’s National team made the mistake of teasing the kids saying “you should not be in this race – you are not even old enough to shave”! This pissed the kids off and provided motivation to not only compete and finish – but they made it their goal to beat the Women’s US National Team!

The race started out well in the warm light of early evening. The kids were full of energy and motivated by all the negative comments and reaction to their participation. They averaged better than 30 miles/50 Km per hour during the initial daylight hours of the race. However as the race entered the hill country and light turned to dark and it became cold, rainy and miserable the enthusiasm started to fade. By midnight the riding shifts had shortened to 20 to 30 minutes and two team members wanted to quit and could/would not take their shifts. At that point Lance became the foundation and cheerleader for the remaining teammates and urged them on through the cold, miserable night. Often he would take every second shift to give his mates a longer rest. I watched in amazement each time he would bolt from the van in the miserable weather and bike furiously to catch up to the Women’s National team. All through the race – even through the miserable, cold night – the kids and the Women’s National team had played tic-tac-toe. Usually the women were in the lead but always within sight!

I was amazed with Lance’s athletic ability and stamina for a 15-year old kid. But what impressed me most was his drive and competitive spirit. He refused to give up or lose! I remember commenting to the Sports Manager “ this kid is truly unique – he has the ability to become an elite athlete”! (He didn’t let me down). Fortunately as the sun began to rise and the temps warmed up all five team members revived and became rejuvenated and motivated again. They were determined to finish – and beat the women!

As we approached the final 100 miles of the race Lance gathered the team together in our van and told them that if they could keep the women in sight until we were 25 miles from the finish he would take the final leg and guaranteed that they would beat the women!!!
Upon hearing their strategy I ordered Lance to skip his next few turns/legs and to rest for a few hours.

The team rallied and did their part. When we were 25 miles from the finish line the Women’s National Team was about 2 miles ahead. We let Lance loose. It was like letting a pit bull loose on a postman! He attacked like a possessed demon and averaged better than 30 miles/50Km per hour and passed the women 10 miles before the finish line- and never looked back as we beat the US Women’s National Team and placed 11th overall!!!

We were very proud of our kids and more importantly they were very proud of themselves and their accomplishment – as evident at the finish line in the video!

So now I share this ‘home movie’ with y’all. And you are lucky that y’all also get to share the story and memory that regular viewers on You Tube will never know about.

Enjoy,

Maddog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSXQ9otgxC8

P.S. Pls feel free to pass this story and link on to friends.

Injury Update

2009-07-03T12:07:00.000-04:00

Injury update: No improvement!

I ran a total of 3 times in June – and each time was a calamity! Let me explain.

At the end of my 2nd week in the High Country my leg was hurting badly. I decided to rest, cross train (2 hrs on an exercise bike, weight machines and pool at the Rec Center) and let it heal. A few weeks later the leg felt OK so I tried an easy 5-mile test run. After the run the leg hurt badly again and throbbed 24 X 7. I decided to go for some/more PT (physical therapy) with an old friend/masseuse Peggi de Sade who specializes in massage and PT for injuries. She started a treatment of stretching and applying pressure to trigger points. For those not familiar with this ‘torture’ technique she probes ‘trigger’ points along the legs and back to find the ones causing the pain and then applies pressure to each point to a level where I cry/scream in agony and beg for mercy (what a wuss – I am surprised you didn’t hear my screams in Africa?). After what seems like an eternity the pain eases and she begins again. Eventually the trigger points release and the pain goes away! It works and after each session the leg would feel much better and I would wait a few days and try another test run. Same result – the leg would hurt after the run and I was back to Square Zero and more ‘trigger’ torture. After the third test and a short rest the leg started to hurt even after 30 minutes on the exercise bike? Peggi thinks that one of the major muscles – probably the hip flexor- is so screwed up that it is not able to function properly and believes it is causing the other muscles and tendons such as the ITL Band and the piriformis tendon to compensate and overwork until they are also messed up. It is a never-ending vicious/painful circle that starts again every time I try to run? And now my back has started to hurt again? So Peggi and I have agreed on a new strategy/direction: NO running – NO biking – NO anything that causes stress/pain in the leg. Cross training will now be restricted to weight machines for the upper body and the pool/swimming. Have you ever tried to swim 1 mile in a lap pool? Boring!!!!! It is impossible to keep track/count of your laps after 10 minutes!

Maddog would probably have gone off the deep end by now – except for two things:
1) After I cancelled the marathons in Guatemala and Boston I wisely refused to make any more ‘goals’ or commitments for running. This has alleviated any stress or motivation to run through the injury. I will wait until I am 100% healthy and injury-free before I make any more commitments!
2) I started a project that I had been delaying for years. I have always wanted to convert and edit more than 30 years of family home movies to DVD. It is a tedious and time-consuming task – even more so when you are handicapped with an ancient computer (in Colorado) that is agonizingly slow and inefficient and only has a 75GByte hard drive! (I didn’t remember that computers actually had such small memories?) A typical video file runs 10 to 20 GB so I would have to finish one file, copy it to a portable hard drive and then delete the file from the main hard drive to free up space for the next file/project. On one particularly frustrating/bad computer day after 8 hrs of editing several hrs of home movies down to a 90-min video file my computer locked up and I lost the whole file and had to start over! I am surprised y’all didn’t hear the screams and foul language all the way to NZ that day? Fortunately that project kept me busy for almost 6 weeks but alas I finished this past week.

So now I am bored! Really bored! Hopefully in a few weeks Peggi can straighten out the tangled mess in my leg to make both it and my back pain free and I can continue training? I am trying valiantly to accept this couch-potato life but a day seems very long when you can’t exercise for 2 to 3 hrs!! Perhaps I can get some clues/suggestions from all you couch potatoes out there?

If this strategy/treatment doesn’t work I am not sure what the next step is? Probably I will look for a Sports Clinic/doctor that specializes in runners and biomechanics to see if he can figure out what the Hell the problem is and how to fix it?

Footnote: While waiting for the Sports Manager to have surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff on Jun 29 I visited the Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail, CO. After meeting with a team of medical experts for about one hour I scheduled an appointment the 2nd week of July to begin diagnosis and treatment of whatever ails me. I am optimistic that this team can fix my problems?

Stay tuned ( and keep your fingers crossed).

RR - Sarasota

2009-02-17T11:58:00.000-05:00

Race Report
Sarasota Marathon
Sarasota, FL
Sun, Feb 15/09
Marathon #317
4:03:36 - 5 AG

My hometown race! When I registered for the race right after last year’s race I had no idea I would be running a tough marathon (weather-wise) in Tahiti the week before. But there was no way I was NOT going to run my hometown marathon! Many of my running buddies from the local running club participate in this race and we always enjoy a great post-race party!
My legs were totally wasted/trashed at the end of the Tahiti marathon and then I had to do three training runs in the brutal heat on Bora Bora just to keep the old legs in shape for Sarasota. When I struggled during a 10-mile training run on Wed I decided to take an extra day’s rest to let my legs recover for Sarasota. Then we had the long flights and a midnight arrival home on Fri. On Sat when I picked up my race packet I had no idea how well my legs would be for the race on Sun. And even though the race had moved up three weeks from 2008 the weather forecast was calling for warmer weather than normal. Oh great! Just what I needed – another warm/hot weather race!

About the only good thing to happen before this race was the great pasta dinner the Sports Manager cooked- she makes the best spaghetti bolognaise in the world!

Sun was ‘M’ Day. There were about 2500 runners lined up at the Ringling Museum for the 6 am start About 400 in the marathon and 2100 in the Half). The temp felt much cooler than Tahiti – 64 F and 90% humidity. I decided to go out at a 3:45 pace and see how long I could hold it? Not long apparently as I passed 5 miles in 43:00 but a split of 9:14/mile.
When I reached 10 miles in 1:27:19 and a split of 8:58 I knew at that point the race was essentially over for me. I struggled to lower the pace but my legs were already tired/wasted so I decided the smartest thing to do was to back off and treat the race as a long training run. I tried to hold an ‘easy’ 9:00-min pace but by the time I crossed the Half in 1:56:15 my pace had slowed to 9:30s. I knew that a sub-4 hr finish was not going to happen but I hoped that I might finish close to 4 hrs? I let the pace slip to 9:40s which really helped and around 17 miles I started to feel the old legs recovering some? When the 4-hr pace group passed me at 19 miles it was discouraging but I tried to keep them in sight as long as possible. I passed mile 20 in 3:03:52. A quick calculation confirmed that I needed a 9:00min/mile pace over the last 10 Km to beat 4 hours. That wasn’t going to happen so I just tried to follow the 4-hr pace group for as long as possible. When I passed mile 23 in 3:32:31 and a split of 9:39 I figured the best I could do was to finish close to 4:05? Somehow I managed to keep the old legs shuffling and crossed the finish line in 4:03:36.

It wasn’t pretty and it hurt even though I backed off but I fared much better than the many runners who were in the medical tent at the finish line. A lot of runners suffered from cramps and dehydration due to the high humidity! I was disappointed that my body/legs had not been able to recover as fast as they normally do after a run but am smart/experienced enough to know that can happen and it is best just to forget a ‘bad’ run and move on to the next one.
Some of my friends enjoyed a good race and finish time but many were disappointed because they were not able to qualify for Boston as planned. However we all met after the race at Linda’s for a great post-race party with lots of food and beer. Next year I am going to focus on this race and try to regain the championship in my AG. I am tired of getting beat in my own race!

But right now I realize that I need some rest and ‘down’ time from running. My legs are totally wasted. My body is sending me ‘HUGE’ signs that it need rest. I have come down with another head/chest cold and the constant coughing/hacking is killing my back. I developed a severe pain in my lower back in Tahiti. It is the same old symptoms/problems I usually suffer every spring. I always figured it was caused by the long drive to CO but this time I believe it was the bad/soft beds in Tahiti. I am going to take most of the week off from running and then try some easy runs.

I am scheduled to run the Gasparilla Marathon in Tampa in two weeks. However I may decide to skip it or just do it as a long training run?

Stay tuned!

TR - French Polynesia

2009-02-16T19:21:00.001-05:00

TRIP REPORT
FRENCH POLYNESIA
Feb 1-12/09

Race results:
Tahiti-Moorea Marathon
Moorea, French Polynesia
Sat, Feb 7/09
Marathon # 316 – Country #100
4:14:27

TEN down – ZERO to go! Country #100 ** New World Record**

I DID IT! I accomplished my goal of breaking the World Record!

It seems like a long time ago (April 08) when I announced that I was going after the World Record of completing a marathon in 99 Countries. There were times when I thought Maddog was being too aggressive/obsessive in demanding that I accomplish this goal before I turned 65 (in March)!

I had initially wanted to run countries #99 and 100 in English-speaking countries but Maddog’s time table did not permit that option so I chose Tahiti as # 100 because it is a place I have always wanted to visit and I would have my Sports Manager and personal translator along for the trip. A good friend in Sarasota, Frank Ouseley, who I often referred to as ‘the only other sane person in the world’ (now nick-named the ‘Mad Monk’) decided to join us at the last moment. On Feb 1 we all left for the long trip to Papeete, Tahiti. Due to flight cancellations and schedule changes by Air Tahiti (before the start of the trip) we were scheduled to spend a few more days in the French Polynesia Islands than originally planned.

We arrived in Papeete on Sun night and had 2 days to explore the capital city and Tahiti. This was enough time to do our shopping for gifts/souvenirs, do some training runs to acclimate to the heat/humidity, explore the city and take a circular drive/tour of the island. On the first day we toured Papeete on foot while shopping and enjoying some Polynesian food and beer. The food was OK but not spectacular and the beer is not very good but everything is expensive! One can easily do a walking tour of the city in a ½ day to visit the Harbour, Place Vaiete, the Market, City Hall and the old military section of the city. On our final day we took a ½ day circular tour of Tahiti to visit the Maraa Grotto Caves, Faaurumai Waterfall, Paul Gaugin Museum and One Tree Hill (see photos). That evening we celebrated the Sports Manager’s birthday at a fancy French restaurant and she received a lovely black Tahitian pearl for a present!

The following day we took a short 10-minute flight to Moorea where the marathon was being run. We had booked beach bungalows near Hauru Point. The road around Moorea is 60 Km long – we were located at Km 28 – mid way around the island from the airport and Temae Beach where the marathon started/finished. There is no public transport on Moorea except-only busses that take tourists to/from the ferry terminal. The race had arranged for these busses to transport runners to/from the race activities. It took exactly 1 hour for the 30 Km ride no matter which direction the bus went and we ended up having a few circular island tours free of charge!

On Thu we enjoyed such a circular tour to travel to the finish area on Tamae Beach to register and pick up our race packets. I had requested Bib # 100 and was pleased that the race organization had granted my request. On Fri we had to return to Tamae Beach for the pasta party and Polynesian show. I had an opportunity to meet and talk to Horst Preisler from Germany. Horst had emailed me to let me know that he and another member of the ‘Country Club’, Stefan Schlett, would be running the race. Horst holds the World Record for marathons with 1604 marathons completed. We took advantage of the opportunity to pose for a photo – together we represented a total of 1920 marathons and 152 countries!

Sat was ‘M’ day! I was concerned about the weather. Before we left for Tahiti we had checked the forecast. It looked like a broken record- highs around 88 and lows around 78 F with showers – every day! It had rained hard both nights and early mornings before the race. I was actually hoping for rain since it might cool down the temps. No luck – the weather was nice on race morning with temps around 80 F at the 4:30 am start in the dark. We didn’t expect the race to start on time and were surprised as we walked up from the beach to a paved/lighted road to start the race. I was double-knotting my shoe laces a few hundred meters from the start line when the gun went off? I ran to catch up but wasn’t concerned because 26 miles provides lots of time to catch up. I had a special singlet printed for the race that read “Pays # 100” on the front and “John’s 100th Country” on the back so received a lot of comments as I caught up and passed most of the pack. My race strategy was to go out at a 3:45 pace for the 1st half during the dark (and cool) hours because I knew I would slow drastically when the sun came up. I reached 10 Km in 54:36 – right on pace – but my split for that Km had slowed to 5:45/km (9:12/mile). That was not good! I managed to lower the pace back down to 5:30s (8:40s/mile) until I passed 15 km in 1:23:18 and a split of 5:45 again. I had to struggle to hold that pace until I reached the Half in 1:58:04. I knew right then that a sub-4 hr finish was not going to happen! I was already struggling to keep the pace below 6:00/km (9:30/mile) and my heart rate was running about 10 to 15bpm faster than normal. I figured it was high because of the extra work needed to cool my body?

As the sun started to come up the heat/humidity soared and I wilted like a prize flower! By 30 Km (2:44:50) my pace had slowed above 6:00/Km and I was desperately trying NOT to walk! It became a very painful struggle and mind game. I tried to drink as much water as possible and poured water over my head and body at every water station. I was hoping to finish under 4:05 but when I passed 35 Km in 3:23:12 and a split of 6:39 (10:40) I knew that wasn’t possible but I became determined that I would finish under 4:15 and BQ (Boston Qualifying) time – or die trying! The latter might have been less painful. The last 2 Km were sheer Hell as my pace slipped above 7:00s/Km (11/mile). Those were the longest 2 Km I have ever ran (in slow motion) in my life. But finally I reached the entrance to the beach and crossed the finish line in 4:14:27 to lots of cheers. A photographer from Runner’s World (German issue) took a photo at the finish line for the running magazine. Hopefully one of my German friends will forward a copy if the photo does make the magazine?

After a few finish line photos I walked straight into the ocean in an effort to cool down. Boy – did that water feel good! A quick check of the results confirmed that I did not place in a tough Age Group (Veterans 55+) so we decided to take the first bus back to the hotels to shower and rest up. The MadMonk had registered for the marathon but wisely changed his mind during the race and completed the Half marathon instead. Otherwise he would have been out on the course – and in that heat/humidity for almost 6 hours!

We enjoyed a great dinner that night (washed down with lots of beer and wine) to celebrate a new World Record. 100 Countries!
The following day we took another plane on to Bora Bora for four days of R & R. Bora Bora is smaller and much prettier/scenic that the other islands visited but after one day we decided to change the name to Boring Boring! There was not much to do. None of us were beach people who could enjoy just laying on the beach in the sun. It was too damn HOT and the sun would burn you to a crisp in 30 minutes. So we sat on the patio of our beach bungalow (drank beer) and enjoyed the scenery. Both Maddog and MadMonk had to run very early (4 am to escape the heat) every day to prepare for our hometown marathon the next weekend when we returned home. But the rest of the day was boring- boring so we got desperate and rented a car to tour the island. The drive/tour took one hour. We used the remaining 23 hours of rental to visit the main village of Vaitape to shop for groceries, visit an internet café and later go to Bloody Mary’s for dinner. MadMonk scheduled a visit to the studio of Alain Despert – a world-renowned artist – to buy a painting.

On our final day on Bora Bora we took a boat tour around the island and snorkeled in the lagoons with stingrays and sharks. That was a pleasant and exciting tour/adventure. Although the FPI are beautiful and scenic and the people are friendly we were glad to be heading back home. It was so Damn HOT!

Now that we are back home what’s next on the agenda. First is my hometown marathon in Sarasota, FL. Hopefully the weather will be much cooler than Tahiti?

After that there are NO goals! Yes – you read that right! NO MORE GOALS! Whenever I set a goal it immediately becomes an OBSESSION for Maddog and he almost kills me getting it done!
I still want/plan to run a few more international marathons and countries but at a much slower rate – maybe 1 or 2 per year. I still plan to run domestic races but mostly home-state races in whichever state I am living in during the year. I am tired of airplanes and need a rest from travel.

So that is also Good news for y’all because you hopefully will get a rest form reading trip/race reports?

Stay tuned!

RR - Miami

2009-01-27T12:25:00.000-05:00

Race Report
Miami Marathon
Sun, Jan 25/09
Marathon # 315
3:47:23

I will try to make this report brief since nothing exciting or interesting happened during the race. The interesting events took place before the race!

I only signed up for this race for the 4th consecutive year because of the 50 % discount on the entry fee if I registered within a few days after last year’s race. I was glad I had because the marathon offered a once-in- a-lifetime opportunity to visit with my good friend and mentor Wally Herman and enjoy a short time together while we share the World Record of 99 Countries!

After a boring drive across Alligator Alley the Sports Manager and I picked up my race packet in Miami Beach and drove up to Wally’s winter home near West Palm Beach about 60 miles north of Miami. We joined Wally and his wife Marie for a pleasant pasta dinner at a nearby restaurant. Wally is a very fine and reserved/shy gentleman - 83 years YOUNG – who still runs 12 to 15 marathons every year! We caught up on running news/gossip and discussed our latest stats. Wally was running marathon # 709 at Miami and Maddog was running a comparatively low # 315. And for a very brief time we would both share the World Record of 99 Countries! I almost feel sad and guilty about breaking his record – a record he has held for as long as I can remember – certainly before I started running 27 years ago! However Wally has approved and is content that a good friend will be the one to break his record! To celebrate the occasion I broke a cardinal rule about imbibing the night before a race and joined our friends for a glass of wine with dinner.

Sun was ‘M’ Day. It was a little warmer than expected – 63 F at the 6:15 am start in the dark. Luckily I arrived early and managed to line up at the front the 2nd corral where I was seeded. I was only a few feet behind the Kenyans and pack of elite athletes. There were 15,500 runners behind us – 3500 in the Marathon and 12,000 in the Half. My race strategy was to go out at a 3:45 pace and hold that pace as long as I could. From past experience I knew that time would not be competitive in this race but I mainly wanted to do a long/hard training run.

As we charged across the MacArthur Causeway and enjoyed the spectacular sight of many cruise ships lit up in the dark I passed Mile 1 in 8:30 and Mile 3 in 24:59 – right on pace! However when I reached mile 6 on South Beach in 50:51 I became concerned because my legs had not settled into a smooth/easy flow like they normally do by that distance? Instead I was forcing the pace which was not good because it takes more effort/energy. I passed Wally around Mile 9 (he started 45 minutes early to beat the 6-hr time limit on the course) and reached Mile 10 in 1:24:56. I passed the Half in 1:51:42 – 5 secs faster than Tiberias a few weeks ago – but there was a big difference! My pace was still not smooth/easy and my legs did not feel as good/fresh as Tiberias. I knew right then that the 2nd Half would not be as fast and that the race was probably going to get ugly around 20 miles! My prediction proved to be true sooner than expected as I reached Mile 18 in 2:33:37 and a split of 8:40. I struggled to hold an 8:40 pace over the next two miles and reach Mile 20 in 2:51:06. I knew at that point that a sub-3:45 wasn’t going to happen! I figured that if I could hold 8:40s till Mile 23 I could hopefully ‘gut out’ the final 5 Km and finish under 3:50?

However the next 3 miles were a painful struggle and when I reached Mile 23 in 3:17:32 and a split of 9:00 I knew the race was essentially over for me. I had ‘hit the wall’. There was nothing left in my legs! I knew that if I stopped or started walking the final 5 Km would be very slow/ugly/painful so I had no choice but to summon Maddog and hand the final 5 km and race over to him. Somehow he managed to block out the pain and keep my wasted old legs moving/shuffling on energy fumes and willpower. As we shuffled towards the finish line all I could think about was how painful and tortuous the final 5 km of this race had been for the past 3 years? As a desperate attempt to provide a distraction from the pain and create an incentive to keep my legs moving I promised myself a nice reward if I didn’t walk – I would give myself a break and skip these 5 km from Hell and the entire race next year! That was reason/incentive enough to keep my tired/wasted old legs shuffling at a 9:15 pace – even over the final bridge into downtown Miami – and across the finish line in 3:47:23 -- without walking!

As expected that finish time was not competitive (9th place out of 25 runners in my AG) but I was satisfied with my time and effort. It had indeed been a long and hard training run and good preparation for my next adventure – the BIG event – Country # 100 in Tahiti on Feb 7/09!

Maddog, the Sports Manager and Mad Monk leave for Tahiti next weekend.

Stay tuned!

TR - Israel - Part 2

2009-01-20T18:23:00.003-05:00

TRIP REPORT
ISRAEL
1/05 – 1/15/09
Part 2

Now where did we leave off? Oh yeah! I had finished the Tiberias Marathon and we were ready to begin a one-week tour of Israel. I had always wanted to visit Israel with its many historical and biblical sites. When registering for the marathon I researched extensively on the Net for tours. The first thing I discovered was that most tours offered the same itinerary and all the tours were expensive! Another problem was that most tours started in Tel Aviv on Sun and ended there one week later. That meant going back to Tel Aviv for a few days and extending the trip? However I found a tour agency that agreed to let us join the end of one tour as it passed through Tiberias on Fri after the race and join a new tour on Sun in Tel Aviv. We waited for our tour guide to pick us up at our hotel in Tiberias on Fri morning.

But first before I begin the stories (or ‘fairy tales’) of our tour I must state this disclaimer: my stories/tales are my recollection of the stories/tales related to us by our tour guides which were supposedly based on historical facts and the bible! I accept no responsibility for the accuracy or truth of these tales! Let us begin. Also I suggest that to make it easier to understand and follow our tour that you print this report and follow the photos posted on my photo website.

Our guide, Ezra, picked us up at 8 am and we joined three English-speaking couples (Wales, NZ and Australia) for a short drive along the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum. According to Christian belief the village of Capernaum was the home base of Jesus during the most influential period of his Galilean ministry. He preached at the synagogue and healed the sick including Peter’s stepmother. He stayed in St Peter’s house. Then we continued along the Sea of Galilee to the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus preached to his disciples in his Sermon on the Mount. We continued into Northern Israel to the ancient city of Safed founded in the 2nd Century BC. The labyrinth of cobbled streets is lined with medieval synagogues and an artist’s colony.

From Safed we drove through the Hula Valley and across the Jordan River into the Golan Heights. As we climbed the Golan Heights Ezra pointed out the mine fields on both sides of the road. Instead of spending time and money to clear the mines the Israeli government allows the farmers to graze their cattle in the mine fields. If a cow steps on a mine there is instant, cheap hamburger available! We stopped in Katzrin, a new Jewish settlement in the Golan Heights, for lunch. It looks much like a new American town with wide streets, bungalows, etc. The town and the locals go out of their way to provide tourists with publicity and information about how much they have accomplished in the Golan Heights and fervently state that they will not move if Israel gives the Golan Heights back to Syria in a peace accord! After lunch we continued farther north into the Golan Heights to visit a former Syrian fortification near Nimrod on the Syrian border. It was cold standing on top of that mountain looking down into Syria! We then drove west back through the Hula Valley to the Banias Nature Reserve that is one of the sources of the Jordan River. Ezra pointed out that the six-day war with Syria was all about controlling the water from the Jordan River and Israel will never give up that control! We had hoped to visit a waterfall but the guards were locking up the gate at 3 pm to make an early escape for Shabbat (sunset Fri to sunset Sat). So we drove on to Kfar Giladi near the Lebanon border where we stayed one night at a kibbutz. Ezra advised us not to leave the compound of the Kibbutz since we were so close to Lebanon. He warned us NOT to climb the mountain behind the kibbutz because Lebanon was on the other side! We obeyed and went to the bar in the kibbutz. I wanted to do a training run on Sat morning but decided my legs needed an extra day’s rest ( read – chicken or smart – but I wasn’t running that close to the border with the risk of rockets flying).

After breakfast we drove south and west along the Lebanon border to the Mediterranean Sea. This region contains a lot of orchards and vegetable farms. We stopped in the ancient city of Akko – more than 5,000 years old. It has a natural port that was captured and used by the Crusaders in the 11th Century and it has changed hands many times. There are ruins dating back before the Crusaders but fortifications built by the Crusaders are still intact and original. We visited Crusader City and Knight’s Hall and then strolled through the Arab market to the Port passing the El Jazzar Mosque and the Khan El Omdan. I really liked Akko and suggest that you allocate at least 2 days to visit the city. Our visit lasted three hours before we left and continued south to Haifa. Since it was Shabbat not much was open and we enjoyed a falafel –pita bread stuffed with spicy meat and vegetables – at a local fast food stand. It was strange but no matter where we ate lunch – at a fast food stand, restaurant or cafeteria – it always seemed to cost 100 NIS (shekels) ($25 US) and dinner cost 200 to 300 NIS? Nothing was cheap in Israel! And most of the food/meals sucked! Very little variety or taste!
After lunch we visited the Baha’i Gardens on Mt Carmel dedicated to Baha’ullah, the founder of the faith. We continued south to Caesarea that dates back to the 4th century BC. Herod built a city and his Palace there in 22 BC. And the crusaders rebuilt the city in the 11th Century. We visited the Hippodrome, Herod’s Palace and a restored Amphitheatre that is now used for concerts. We again continued south along the Sea to Tel Aviv and stopped in Old Jaffa – a port city that offers fantastic views of Tel Aviv. We visited the market and strolled along the cobbled streets of the old city and over the Wishing Bridge. It is rumored that if you touch your zodiac sign to the rail while looking towards the Sea and make a wish it will come true? Ezra then dropped us off at our hotel in Tel Aviv and we bid farewell to our fellow tourists who had finished their tour.

Sun was a free day in Tel Aviv for Nicole and me as we waited for the next tour group to arrive and the tour to start on Mon. On sun I enjoyed a pleasant 12-mile run along the Sea in Tel Aviv and discovered a network of trails/paths that allowed runners/bikers to go more than 100 Kms without having to worry about traffic. As I was running I shouted my normal “good morning” to all runners/walkers/bikers that I met. They looked at me like I was crazy? Israelis are not very friendly! There are not a lot of tourist sites in Tel Aviv so we did a self-guided walking tour through the Yemenite Quarter that took us through Carmel Market and along Rothschild Blvd past Independence Hall and the Haganah Museum. It finished along Sheinken St, one of the principal shopping areas of Tel Aviv.

On Mon morning we joined 12 new tourists and tour guide Avi for the start of the next tour. We experienced the first minor change in the itinerary caused by the war/problems in Gaza. The tour was supposed to drive south along the Sea to Ashkelon and then head west to the Dead Sea. However Ashkelon is ‘very’ close to Gaza and the tour agency considered the city and highway unsafe. Good thing because Hamas fired 15 rockets into Ashkelon that day! There were no objections or disappointment expressed by the passengers as we headed directly west from Tel Aviv via Jerusalem and Jericho to the Dead Sea. At Beit Ha’arava we turned south along the Dead Sea. We made a brief stop for an obligatory factory tour – only this was one of the few times it was welcomed. It was the Ahava factory that manufactures (expensive) cosmetics from minerals in the Dead Sea that are therapeutic for the skin. Nicole uses the product and surprisingly the factory prices were 50% less than US prices. I told her to load up because it was probably the only bargain we would find in Israel! We continued on to Masada.

Masada is a historic site that I have wanted to visit since seeing the movie twenty years ago (Peter O’Toole). Masada is a desert mesa that rises high and alone above the Dead Sea. It was fortified in 103 BC and Herod built a palace and more fortifications as a potential refuge against a Jewish revolt.
In AD 66 a small band of Jews revolted and captured Masada. The Romans sent 8000 soldiers and set up eight camps at the base of Masada. Over a period of three years the Romans built an earthen ramp up to the fortress walls and prepared to breach the fortress. Rather than allow their families to be captured and put into slavery the men burned their homes and chose 10 men by lots who killed everyone and then nine of the ten were killed by the final zealot who killed himself! It has become Israel’s symbol for a “they’ll never take us alive” attitude and the term ‘Masada complex’ is a part of modern-day Israeli parlance! We rode the cable car to the top instead of walking up the ‘snake path’. Avi toured us around the fortress including Herod’s Palace, the Synagogue , cisterns and a 2000-year old bathroom! It was very interesting and the views of the Dead Sea from Masada were awesome.

After leaving Masada we stopped for another bland cafeteria lunch (another 100 shekels) before continuing to Ein Gedi Beach for a ‘float’ on the Dead Sea (the lowest point on earth at 420 m below Sea Level). We declined since I had already enjoyed that experience after running the Dead Sea Marathon in Jordan last year. Nicole and I sat and enjoyed a beer while some of our companions floated and rolled in the Dead Sea Mud. Then we drove back across the Judean desert and mountains to Jerusalem. As the bus climbed up into Jerusalem traffic was slowed by a security checkpoint and the driver rode the clutch and almost burned it out. It was smoking and smelling badly and the bus limped through the checkpoint and pulled over to the side of the road – next to the border/wall of the West Bank! The ‘ugly’ 20-ft wall was not completed at that point. The wall/border was a chain link fence with barbed wire and on the other side a group of Palestinian youths were throwing rocks at the cars. They never bothered with our bus but it was the one time during the trip that I felt nervous and was glad when the clutch cooled down and we were able to continue to our hotel.

Our hotel was located in West Jerusalem near the Central Bus Terminal. Although there was a shopping mall next door and the bus terminal (with lots of fast food kiosks)it was not a good location. There was only one restaurant in the area other than the hotel that only had the usual bland (expensive) buffet dinner. We were quickly introduced to security measures in Jerusalem. It was necessary to pass through a security check to get into any major building – hotel, shopping mall, super market, restaurant, bus terminal, museums, public buildings and most tourist sites! The check can be as simple as a security guard with a wand and check your bags to the same security used at airports! What a pain in the ass! I don’t know how the locals can stand it - but as inconvenient and annoying as it was it helped to make us feel safer!

I had planned to run the next morning but at 6 am it was too friggin COLD (mid 30s), too dark and too hilly! But the real reason I didn’t run was because I was concerned about running into a wrong neighborhood and finding myself in trouble? I easily convinced myself that my legs would appreciate a sabbatical or rest until I returned home! In two days I only saw two people jogging in Jerusalem?
The first day of touring in Jerusalem was the least hectic. We started with a visit to the Israel Museum that included the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are kept. There is a huge scale model of Jerusalem as it was in AD 66 which Avi used to describe the layout of the city and what we would see the next day. Close to the Museum is the Knesset – the home of the Israeli Parliament. Next we visited the Hadassa Medical Centre to view the twelve stained glass windows created by Marc Chagall for the Synagogue. Each window depicts one of the tribes of Israel. Then it was on to Yad Vashem or Holocaust Museum.
It contained many photos, videos and artifacts from the Holocaust but we had visited the Death camps in Auschwitz, Poland that were much more graphic and shocking. However I noticed that there were many teary eyes and people crying as I walked through the museum.

After lunch we drove to the West Bank and Bethlehem. The first thing we saw was the massive, ugly 20-ft walls separating Jerusalem and Israel from the West Bank. (You have probably seen them on TV?)
We had to leave the bus , walk through an entrance in the Wall, pass security and join another bus and guide in Bethlehem since the city is in Palestinian territory and control. We drove through Bethlehem to the Church of Nativity. We entered through the Door of Humility (must have been short people?) into a Greek Orthodox Church. We were quickly educated in the hierarchy of religious sites. Three or four religions or faiths share every religious site in the Holy Land. The Greek Orthodox Church enjoys the dominant position and location (usually right over a religious site) because the Turks gave them that position/control several centuries ago when they controlled the Holy Land. The Catholic Church usually holds the second best location followed by the Armenian Orthodox and Lutheran churches. There is a lot of dispute about control and Avi explained that only a few weeks ago riots and fights broke out in Manger Square between the various factions. Anyone want to bet that it is all about the huge amounts of money spent by Pilgrims??? Anyways back to the tour. We descended steps below the Greek Orthodox Church into caves to visit the Grotto of Nativity – the spot where Jesus was born. A few feet away is the Grotto of the Manger where his crib was kept. Well blow my mind – my Sunday school teacher and Christian teachings always depict the manger as a stable with animals?
St Catherine’s Church, built next to and attached to the Church of Nativity is where the Christmas Eve broadcasts originate.

We returned to the Wall and left Bethlehem. That evening Avi offered to take us on an optional (read more money) night tour of Jerusalem to see the Old City and tourist sites lit up. It was interesting but friggin cold! We had not packed for weather that cold and had to layer several T-shirts under a light spring jacket. Each time we stopped we would get out, look, and run back to the bus to warm up. Other than seeing the main tourist/religious sites lit up the best part of the tour was a walking tour on the pedestrian mall on Ben Yehuda St in the city centre. That mall/area contained many shops, bars and restaurants- what we had been missing and looking for in the area where our hotel was located! We were definitely going back there for our last night in town!

Wed was the final day in Jerusalem and the final and most hectic day of our tour. We started by entering through security at the Dung Gate and visiting the Western or ‘Wailing’ Wall. Then we had to pass though another set of security to gain access to Haram Ash-Sharif or Temple Mount. This is one of the most religious –and disputed- sites in the world. The Jews consider the large slab of rock protruding from Mt Moriah as the foundation stone of the world. It was here that God gathered earth to form Adam , Abraham nearly sacrificed his own son Isaac and where Solomon built the First temple and placed the Ark of the Covenant. For Muslims this is the place where Mohammed ascended to heaven to join Allah and is Islam’s 3rd holiest site! Temple Mount is located in the Muslim section of Jerusalem and is controlled by the Muslims. The Dome of the Rock that is the symbol of the city covers the slab of stone sacred to both the Muslim and Jewish faiths. We exited Temple Mount through the Gate of the Cotton Merchants into the souqs of the Arab Quarter. Avi guided us through the souqs to Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrows) – the route that Jesus is believed to have taken from where he was pronounced guilty to carry his cross to Calvary. There are 14 stations along the route dedicated to ‘holy’ events/places such as where was received the cross –where he fell for the first time, etc. The last five stations are inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre built over the sites where he was nailed to the cross, crucified and the final station is the Tomb of Jesus.
Many of the sites had churches of one or more faiths built over or on them. It became confusing by the end of Via Dolorosa what we had actually visited and seen?

We left the Old City and drove to Mt Zion to visit the Tomb of King David, the Room of the Last Supper and Dormition Abbey on the site where Virgin Mary died. By that time we were totally confused by the many, many religious sites or churches for almost any event. About the only site/church we did not see was one dedicated to where Jesus took a Holy crap??? Sorry – give me a break - but that is the way I felt! But we still weren’t finished. On to the Mount of Olives to visit the Church of All Nations and the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus was arrested. The garden still contains olive trees over 2000 years old. The final stop was the Tomb of Virgin Mary. Once again I was confused because I swear we had already visited two other places where Virgin Mary was buried! I needed a drink and time to sort out this confusion! The Mount of Olives also provided fantastic views of the Old city – especially the East Wall and the Golden gate. The Muslims sealed the Golden Gate in the 7th Century to prevent the Jewish Messiah from entering Haram! Kind of makes you wonder what they were smoking back in those days?

Thankfully Avi returned us to our hotel to pack and get ready for the trip home. Since we had a very late flight we took a taxi to Ben Yehuda St to stroll along the pedestrian mall, purchase some last minute souvenirs/gifts and enjoy a farewell dinner. We ate at El Gaucho, an Argentinean restaurant that serves Argentinean beef. It was the best meal we ate in Israel!

After touring both Jordan and Israel and traveling up and down both sides of the Dead Sea and observing the barren , desolate land of that region I now understand why it is called “The Promise(d) Land”! -------- “I promise never to go back”!!!

Now that we are back home I am trying to ramp up my training miles to make up for the miles lost during my sabbatical in Jerusalem and also lose the three pounds I gained. I will use the Miami Marathon this weekend as a long training run and final tune-up for my 100th country in Tahiti in Feb.

Stay tuned!

TR - Israel

2009-01-17T16:15:00.003-05:00

TRIP REPORT
ISRAEL
1/05 – 1/15/09
Part 1

Race Results:
Tiberias Marathon
Tiberias, Israel
Thu, Jan 8/09
Marathon # 314 – Country # 99
3:44:39 – 4 AG

NINE down – ONE to go! Country # 99 (tied the World Record)!

This marathon and country were included in a list I prepared at the beginning of 2008 because I wanted to find English-speaking countries for #99 and #100! At the time all was peaceful in Israel!
Imagine my surprise when war broke out a few weeks before the race? I contacted the tour company to ask if the war in Gaza would affect the marathon and tour plans. They said “NO” and would make any changes necessary for safety! The Sports Manager and I decided to go because the marathon and tour were not near Gaza and there was no way to substitute another race/country before #100 planned in Feb! Many of our family and friends expressed concern and advice not to go but I responded that “Maddog was faster than a speeding bullet”! Thus we departed for the long flight to Tel Aviv.

We arrived in TLV late afternoon on Tue. And quickly received surprise # 2! Very few people in Israel speak English and all signs/information are in Hebrew? I had made a false assumption that their close ties with the US would mean most would speak English. Wrong!!! We had to find our own way to Tiberias. The guide book stated that it was necessary to take a bus from the airport to the Central Bus Terminal in TLV to catch an express bus to Tiberias. What it did not inform us however was that the buses were local – even the ‘express’ bus! It was an interesting trip since it was the end of the work day and soldiers were getting on/off the buses at various locations – and carrying their rifles and sub-machine guns! By law they must carry their guns at all times. It seemed strange but we felt very safe on the bus. Other than that we did not see any signs of the war/problems in Gaza – except for a dumb bus driver who listened to the news on the radio complete with the sounds of shooting/war from Gaza?

Shortly after we arrived at the hotel in Tiberias we met up with two friends/fellow members of the 100 Marathon Club UK. Roger and Peter had also planned this trip/marathon a long time ago to join me for #99 and were not about to change their plans for a ‘little’ problem in Gaza! We agreed to meet for breakfast and tour the city in the morning. Tiberias is located on the western shores of the Sea of Galilee. It is one of the four holy cities of Judaism and also a tacky holiday resort. There were not a lot of tourist sites to visit but we did stroll past the Greek Monastery and Leaning Tower, El Bachri Mosque and the southern Wall. Then we strolled along the Allon Promenade to the Sea Level Measurement – a visual display of the current sea level of the Sea of Galilee (213 m below sea level). We then headed to race registration to pick up my race packet.

I was concerned because the web site for the race was poorly organized/managed and the race staff refused to respond to emails. All of us were forced to ask the tour agency to register us for the race because of problems with the website. I had emailed several times to request Bib # 99 with the obvious explanation but received no response. I even had the tour agency call the race committee with my request. Thus I was not surprised when I learned that my race number was NOT # 99! I asked to speak to the race director and his excuse was that I had asked for two race numbers (99 & 100) and they could only give me # 100? I was pissed but it was too late to fix the problem! And later that day when we went to the pasta dinner they wouldn’t let us in? Roger had specifically asked what coupon or ticket in our packet was required for the pasta dinner but when we presented that coupon they informed us that we needed a different coupon? By that time I was so frustrated and annoyed with the incompetence and uncaring attitude of the race organization that I didn’t even care if I ran the race! I just wanted to run/finish the race to count # 99 and get out of there! Fortunately our hotel package for the race included meals so we returned to the hotel for a much better meal that we probably would have gotten at the race dinner.

Thursday was “M’ Day! The race started at 9 am. There were 700 runners in the marathon. The weather was sunny with temps in the high 40s F. I had a special T-shirt printed for the race that read “Country # 99” on the front and “John’s 99th Country” on the back. That t-shirt solicited some comments and conversations with a few runners before and during the race but very few runners spoke English? Roger and I have always been closely matched and competitive and although neither of us would admit it we intended to beat each other as usual. I decided to go out at a 5:20/km (8:30/mile) pace since we both felt that a 3:45 finish would be the best either could do (in our current shape)and that time would hopefully be competitive in the race?

The race started in the center of town and comprised a 21 Km loop south and then north to Ein Gev on the east side of the Sea of Galilee before returning to Tiberias. Fortunately the race and course were better organized/managed than the pre-race events! There were distance markers every Km that helped to monitor/manage my pace and water stations every 3 Km. The two lane highway was closed to traffic and there was excellent police control at intersections. I passed 5 km in 26:15, slowed a wee bit up a long, steep hill at 8 Km and reached 10 Km in 52:50. I had left Roger behind but knew he was following me. I reached 16 Km in 1:24:45 as the lead pack of Kenyans blew by me on the return loop (26 Km). The winner finished in 2:08 so it was a fast race! I passed the turn-around at the Half in 1:51:47 – almost right on pace! I didn’t think I would be able to run the 2nd half that fast but I still felt good and figured I would try to hold that pace as long as possible. I met Roger 2 minutes later which meant I had a 4-minute lead but I knew that he would come after me in the 2nd Half! I couldn’t slow down! I passed 25 Km in 2:12:28 and later learned it was around that time when Muslim extremists in Lebanon fired five rockets into Northern Israel about 10 Km north of the marathon course. I was so focused that I never heard a thing but Roger later said that he and the pack he was running with heard explosions and a few of the local runners commented “ That is not good”!

I reached 32 Km in 2:49:32 – I had 55 minutes to run the last 10 Km. I thought about trying to push the pace harder but wisely decided to wait till 35 Km before making any change to my pace. Good thing because when I passed 34 Km in 3:00:41 my split had slowed to 5:36 and I was starting to tire! It was time to summon Maddog because I knew he could accept the level of pain necessary to push the pace back below 5:20! We started playing the old mind game – “just run the next Km in 5:20 and we will re-evaluate”. It is much easier to lie and fool yourself to accept pain for one more Km than knowing that you have to do it for 8 Km! At the end of each Km you just continue the lie for the next Km! I passed 40 Km in 3:32:58 and a split of 5:26. But I was hurting and the pain level was high! Only when I passed 41 Km in 3:38:18 was I confident that a sub-3:45 finish was in the bag because I was confident that Maddog could push the pace for the final Km on willpower alone! I crossed the finish line in 3:44:39!

As I walked around the finish area trying to recover Roger finished in 3:48. He had tried to catch me as expected but just couldn’t make up the 4-minute lead I had at the Half. We figured Peter would finish close to 6 hours so we decided to go back to the hotel for a shower and return to cheer him across the line. Ninety minutes later Maddog, Roger and the Sports Manager waited at the finish line as Peter finished in 5:44. We found race results posted at the host hotel to confirm that I had finished in 4th place and Roger in 6th place in our Age group. We were both pleased with our times and performances and acknowledged that both of us had run faster than expected because of our friendly competition. However we were a little disappointed/surprised that 3:45 wasn’t competitive? Third place finished one minute ahead of me – Damn! – I could have pushed the old bod for one more minute had I known?

Later the four of us enjoyed some celebration beers at a local restaurant before a farewell dinner. We planned to start a 7-day tour the next day while Roger and Peter returned to Tel Aviv to tour and visit relatives.

I will leave the story about the tour for Part 2 and conclude this section with a review/evaluation of the race. The pre-race organization and information is very poor. The race staff will not respond to emails and do not seem to care about the runners or any requests. The race and the marathon course were well organized and managed. I would recommend that you avoid this marathon unless your list requires the addition of a race in Israel!

Although I was not happy about the race committee’s failure to provide Bib # 99 for this special race I was happy to finish marathon # 314 and country # 99! That ties the World Record held for a long, long time by my good friend and mentor Wally Herman (83 years Young and still running). I still consider Wally to be the World Champion until somebody passes him. The Sports Manager and I will meet Wally and his lovely wife Marie for pasta dinner next weekend in Miami before Wally and I run the Miami Marathon. That will be my final tune-up before I run Country # 100 in Tahiti in Feb.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this trip and the next adventure.

TR - Taiwan

2008-12-23T18:45:00.002-05:00

TRIP REPORT
TAIWAN
12/17 – 12/22/08

Race Results:
Taipei Marathon
Taipei, Taiwan
Sun, Dec 21/08
Marathon # 313 – Country # 98
3:56:57

Country # 98 – EIGHT down – TWO to go!

This marathon turned out to be a difficult one to get to and run! The difficulty/frustration started three years ago when I first scheduled it into my race calendar. That year I couldn’t get the necessary information and details from the web site or race director to finalize my travel plans? Last year the web site improved and I had actually booked my flights, etc. but had to postpone them at the last minute when the Sports Manager needed unexpected surgery to replace her hip. I just rescheduled my travel plans to 2008. However in early summer a friend informed me that the race organization had changed the date? Sure enough – he was correct. I was concerned and upset because the race is usually just before Christmas and travel is expensive and difficult to book for that time of year to Taiwan. Surprisingly I was able to reschedule my flights – but I was forced to book 1st Class seats using award miles. This turned out to be a blessing in the end!

The change in date also helped my goal in a big way because later in the year I confirmed that the Puerto Rico Marathon was scheduled for Dec 14 which allowed me to schedule both races into my calendar. It made for a tough travel schedule but I could run both races in 2008!

Unfortunately on the return flight from Puerto Rico I caught a cold bug. At first I thought it was only a minor sore throat but as I made my way across the Pacific on the 30-hr flights to Taiwan it blossomed into a severe head cold and congestion. I was glad that I had the 1st Class seats so I could sleep on that long journey. When I arrived in Taiwan at midnight Thu I was not feeling well - a raging headache and stuffed-up sinus. I woke early the next day, found the location for race registration and picked up my race packet. I was pleased that the race director had accommodated my request for Bib # 98! My next stop was a pharmacy where the pharmacist spoke some English and gave me some strange Chinese medicines and herbs to combat the cold. I desperately wanted to keep the congestion from moving into my chest! I then visited Taipei 101- the world’s (current) tallest building – to get a panoramic view of the city and learn the layout and directions of the major landmarks. By the time I came down I was feeling so sick that I returned to the hotel, took the medicine and immediately crashed! I woke groggily about 5 hours later and managed to eat a light dinner before crashing for another 12 hours!

I had booked a morning tour of the city so forced myself out of bed to tour the few major tourist sites:
The Palace National Museum (has more Chinese artifacts that the Chinese Museum in Beijing); the Martyr’s Shrine, Chiang Kai -Shek Memorial Hall; the Presidential Building; and the Chung Fu Temple. After the tour it was more medicine and crash immediately? Best damn sleeping tonic I ever had?
Six hours later I woke and contemplated my next move? I was very sick and groggy and considered just crawling under the covers and skipping dinner. But I remembered when I did that in Shanghai last year and suffered one of my worst races. So I forced myself to crawl out of bed to eat a pasta dinner. And then back into bed with more medicine and crashed for another 10 hours. When I woke at 5 am I did not want to get out of bed – I felt like SHIT! Thankfully the congestion had not moved deep into my chest and I could breathe. Besides I really didn’t have an option – I had to run and finish the marathon no matter how painful or how long it took!

I walked over to the start/finish line at City Hall. The weather was nice – temps in the low 60s. I was disappointed that I was not healthy so that I could make a strong attempt to run a fast time. The start area was a zoo – 3,000 runners in the marathon; 8,000 in the Half and another 16,000 in a 9 Km fun run – and we all started together! I had to climb over a fence to squeeze in with a pack of runners about 20 ft from the start line. The race started at 7 am. The course was so packed that we couldn’t veer or pass for the first 5 Km. There were supposed to be distance markers every Km but I missed the first five because of the crowds. Finally I saw the 6 Km marker – 32:16. The pack was moving me along faster than expected so I decided to stay with them. The first 15 Km of the course was through the city and past many of the tourist sites so it was enjoyable. At 16 Km the course entered an elevated freeway and stayed there for the next 23 KM – not very scenic or interesting! However the city had closed all the roads along the course so we didn’t have to worry about traffic or suck up exhaust fumes – much better than most Asian races!

At 17 Km (1:31:22) the lead pack of runners from Kenya (big prize money in the race) blew past us in the opposite direction – 28 Km for them! That meant we had an 11Km out-and-back loop on the elevated hwy. Fortunately the Half marathoners turned at 18 km and we finally had room to run and it was easier to get water at the stations. I passed the Half in 1:55:15 – faster than expected but the temps were increasing rapidly and I knew the 2nd Half would be slower. Around 25 Km my pack started to fade and surprisingly I still felt OK so I decided to push ahead and started to pass many runners succumbing to the heat. As we approached the exit off the freeway near 29 Km we had to dodge slower Half marathoners leaving the freeway and continue for another 10 Km loop on the elevated freeway. I don’t remember much after that because the wheels started to fall off? I passed 32Km in 2:57:16 but I was struggling and my splits had slowed to 6:00/Km (9:30/mile). I calculated that if I could hold a 6 min/Km pace I could finish under 4 hours! That became my sole goal/purpose in life (other than finishing ALIVE)! But my splits continued to slow so I summoned up Maddog! As expected he was able to focus so strongly that we blocked out the entire world – the lack of energy - the pain - and lowered the pace back to sub-6s! All I remember is reaching the exit off the freeway at 39 Km (3:38:59). Only then was I confident that a sub 4-hr finish was in the bag!

We left the elevated freeway and entered a long tunnel. We exited the tunnel at 41 Km (3:50:25). I had no idea where I was and just focused on following the runners ahead and pushing the pace for the final Km to get the ordeal over with! I crossed the finish line in 3:56:59. They must have made an announcement as I crossed the finish line because several local runners approached and asked if I would join them for photos. Of course I was obliged/pleased to do so and I got to meet and talk to a lot of nice people!

After collecting my warm-up bag I tried to confirm my official time and place but was disappointed that the results were still not available (the race used chips and electronic timing?).While waiting I met a Canuck in my AG (one of 10 Caucasians in the race) who finished in 3:45. We both gave up and left without any results! So I didn’t place 1st – and I didn’t expect to with my slow time. I am still disappointed that the results have not yet been posted on the NET!

As I walked back to the hotel along a route and streets that I had become familiar with I was surprised to see runners finishing the race? Then I passed Km marker 41! Unbelievable! It was on a street corner close to my hotel where I had eaten meals at a British Pub. I couldn’t believe that I had been so focused and so out-of-it at that point of the race that I didn’t even recognize where I was? And people wonder why I don’t respond when they wave and cheer for me along a course?

After a long hot shower I actually felt alive – the best I felt since arriving in Taiwan. I went for a stroll to find some hot/greasy food that my body craves after a race. By the time I ate my health was going downhill – FAST! I realized that the ‘false’ good feeling had been the result of residual endorphins and adrenaline from the race! It was back to the hotel – take more strange Chinese medicine and crash.
I can’t remember the last time I slept so many hours in so few days?

Fortunately I did feel better the next morning when it was time to leave for the airport. However that ‘better’ feeling faded away as I made the long 30-hr journey back home. Once again I was glad that I had booked 1st class seats. The trip would have been pure HELL back in coach! By the time I arrived home at midnight on Mon the cold had reached its peak. It was an ugly night with hot/cold sweats and vivid hallucinations that would be the envy of any LSD junkie!

We were supposed to leave for the West Coast on Wed to visit our kids but there are bad snow storms in WA/OR so we delayed our departure till Fri. Hopefully by then I will be healthy and ready to get back on a plane?

As I said in my field report the summary of this race was ‘Disappointment’! Disappointment that I had not been healthy because I believe I could have run a fast time (low 3:40s) on that course and weather. And disappointment that I did not get to see much of Taipei or Taiwan. But I am glad that it is over. And I am glad that this long/difficult/challenging quest is almost over! I can finally see the end of the tunnel.

I have three weeks to rest and get healthy for the next marathon/adventure where I will tie the World record in Israel.

Stay tuned!

Footnote: another disappointment - official time 3:56:57 and 13th place in AG!

TR Puerto Rico

2008-12-16T11:06:00.001-05:00

TRIP REPORT
PUERTO RICO
12/13 - 12/15/08

Race Results
La Guadalupe Marathon
Ponce. Puerto Rico
Sun, Dec 14/08
Marathon # 312 – Country # 97
3:53:38 – 1 AG

Country # 97 – SEVEN down – THREE to go!

I had been trying (unsuccessfully) for the past few years to find a marathon in PR? My luck/search finally changed when I ran the St Croix Marathon on New Year’s Day. The race director was certain that there was a marathon in PR and agreed to use his contacts in the IAAF to find out where and when. It took him five months and a lot of work but eventually he did provide me with a contact in PR who I called immediately! Success! I was quickly routed to the race director who was also the Secretary of Sports and Recreation for the Municipality of Ponce. There is no advertising for the race – it is not listed in any race calendars – and there is no website! But there is a marathon (usually in Dec) and Nelson promised to call me in Sept when the date was confirmed.

I was nervous about the race because I plugged it into my race/marathon schedule to get me to 100 countries so it was important that it take place! Thankfully Nelson called me in Sept to confirm a date of Dec 14/08 and gave me some general info on hotels in the area. I booked my flights and continued my quest. As the date drew near I emailed Nelson to confirm the race was still on? Yes it was!

I flew into San Juan on Sat morning, rented a car and drove to the other side of the island. Ponce is located on the south side of PR on the Caribbean Sea. It quickly became apparent that this area is not a tourist destination and I was thankful that I had only booked a weekend trip! The only information I had on the race was the location and time of registration. As I said there is no information available on the Net? I found my hotel which fortunately was only a few miles from registration and the start/finish of the race in La Guancha Recreational Area. That was pure luck!!!

I found La Gauncha and registration and finally many of my questions were answered. The Marathon La Guadalupe is the only marathon in PR. It is organized and sponsored by the Municipality of Ponce. I was shocked to learn there was no entry fee and each runner received a race bib, T-shirt, finisher’s medal and certificate. After the race a breakfast was served and there were cash awards for the top 10 runners in both male/female! Now I understood why this marathon is a closely guarded secret! The city prefers to keep the marathon a ‘local’ event and does not advertise or encourage foreign participation since the taxpayers are paying the bill! However they were very courteous and hospitable to me – but then I was no threat to win prize money! There are no Age Group awards and it is not a fancy event but it is well organized and managed.

There was no formal information provided at registration – no course map, no race sheet, etc. I was required to pass a mandatory physical/medical check before they gave me my race bib - #97! Fortunately the race volunteers spoke some English and I was able to get the specific info I needed to show up at 4am for the start. I couldn’t find an Italian restaurant in Ponce so was forced to eat my pasta dinner at a Pizza hut – it was OK and cheap!

I made sure I was at the registration/finish area by 4 am because I still didn’t know much about the race? Luckily I met another runner from a Running Club in San Juan who spoke good English and he decided to adopt and help me? He was very kind and translated what was going on. Of course everything was in Spanish since I was the only English-speaking runner in the race! My new friend informed me that I was supposed to pick up my race T-shirt before the race and then busses would transport the runners to the start line about 1 Km from the finish line? He explained that the course was a 7-Km section of the highway from downtown Ponce to La Guancha. The city closed both sides of the hwy for 7 Km and we ran back and forth three times and finished near La Guancha Boardwalk.

I met several more runners from the San Juan Running Club as we waited for the start. There were about 200 runners in the race including the national male/female champions! The weather was hot as expected with temps in the mid 70s (F) at the 5 am start in the dark. My new friend was a waiter in San Juan and had not run a marathon for about five years but was confident that he could break 4 hrs? I told him that would probably be a challenge for me because of the heat and I had been suffering from leg cramps the past few weeks and did not want to risk an injury! I decided to go out at a 9-min/mile pace and see what happened?

As we started the race I recognized the course because I had driven that highway a few times. My friend pointed out that there were four overpasses or ‘hills’ on the 7-Km section which meant we would get to run each overpass/hill a total of six times! Oh Goody! The first and highest hill was around 2 Km.
We passed 5Km in 27:51. By then I was wishing I could lose my new friend. As kind as he was – he wouldn’t shut up – he was driving me nuts! At that point we caught up to a female runner from his Club and he introduced us. Carmen was in my Age Group – 63 years old – and running a smooth/easy sub 9-min pace –very impressive! In fact she decided to stay with us and at many times took the lead and we struggled to keep up with her! We passed 10 Km in 54:47 – ahead of pace. My legs felt OK so I figured I could stay with these two new friends? We passed 15 Km in 1:21:52 and Carmen pulled us through the Half in 1:55:23. Damn – that was fast for that heat. But the sun had just come up and I figured we would not be able to hold that pace through the 2nd Half?

As we headed back toward La Guancha on the 2nd leg of the 2nd loop my new friend started to struggle around 24 Km and told me that he needed to stop talking (oh Joy!) and focus on his pace. The winner lapped us at 25 Km and Carmen and I found ourselves alone? When I made the turn at 28 Km (2:33:32) Carmen started to fade and fall behind. I continued to push the pace by myself and passed 32Km in 2:56:09 and when I made the final turn around 34 Km (3:07:33) I noticed that Carmen had fallen about 1 Km behind. I was confident that a sub 4-hr marathon was in the bag and continued to hold the pace. I started to pass many runners who had succumbed to the heat and were walking/jogging. The reward of a sub 4-hr finish was enough incentive to keep the old legs churning although they began to tighten. I was pleased when I reached La Gauncha at 41Km (3:47:12) and turned into the park for the final 1 Km. I crossed the finish line in 3:53:38. My friend was waiting at the finish line to cheer me across – he had dropped out at 28 Km with leg cramps.

It felt good to finish a race under 4 hrs again! I waited around for the award ceremony but skipped the breakfast – I can’t eat for hours after racing! I believe I won my AG but must wait for the race director to confirm my place since they don’t track Age Groups in this race. They only give cash awards to the top 10 in each gender! I took some photos of the La Gauncha area – it is one of the nicer areas of Ponce. Then I returned to the hotel for a long hot shower to soothe/relax the legs and set out to visit the old historic section of the city. It wasn’t a long walking tour – a Cathedral, Park and a few museums. Most of the shops and restaurants were closed for Sunday? So I retreated back to the El Tuque area where my hotel was located to enjoy a great seafood dinner and sunset in a nice restaurant overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

I decided to leave early Mon morning to alleviate any concern about traffic delays back to San Juan – and if I arrived early I would have time to explore Old San Juan. That plan worked out well and I enjoyed a nice 2-hr stroll through Old San Juan and took some photos to share with my readers.

It was a quick trip – a good race and now I have one day to repack and leave for Taiwan. I am surprised that I found time to write a quick trip report. It will reduce my burden when I return from Taiwan.

Stay tuned!