Even though it’s still November, it feels a little more like January. I’ve gone running the past two days in 18-degree weather — after being totally out of commission on Tuesday with a crazy one-day sickness that left me nauseous, dizzy, overheated, and barely able to stand up (there’s a debate in the Anderson household about whether it was food poisoning or a one-day flu; either way, after sleeping for 12+ hours, I was good as new Wednesday) — which is really freakin’ cold. Last winter 9 degrees was about the coldest weather in which I ran.
Yesterday wasn’t so bad — it was a rough start, but by mile 5 or 6, I had warmed up, and it was a whopping 23 degrees by the time I’d finished my 8.1 miles, which included 5×600-meter intervals in miles 5 through 7.37. Today was a different story: My right knee felt sore, I was hobbling along, and my pace barely broke 9 minutes (8:48 average over 4). I threw in some pathetic 6×100-meter intervals at the end.
Regardless, this is Day 15 of ABMGC 2008 and I’m overdue for an update photo. So without further ado, here’s the awesomeness that was me when I came in from my run (note frosted balaclava and my extreme fashion sense with coordinated red and maroon):
My balaclava brings all the girls to the yard. You know you want it, Pete.
I’m reading Dean Karzazes’ second book, 50/50, in which he describes his journey running 50 marathons in 50 days across all 50 states. Though not quite as exciting and jaw-droppingly awesome as the adventures he describes in Ultramarathon Man (the 50/50 feat itself notwithstanding, of course) , 50/50 does have a passage that beautifully conveys the life-changing experience of running a marathon for the first time:
On the morning of your first marathon, the voice of doubt multiplies, becoming a full chorus. By mile twenty this chorus is screaming so loudly it’s all you can hear. Your sore and weary muscles beg you to stop. You must stop. But you don’t stop. This time, you ignore the voice of doubt, you tune out the naysayers who tell you you’re not good enough, and you listen only to the passion in your heart. This burning desire tells you to keep moving forward, to continue putting one foot boldly in front of the other, and somewhere you find the will to do so.
Courage comes in many forms. Today you discover the courage to keep trying, to not give up, no matter how dire things become. And dire they do become. At the twenty-five mile mark, you can barely see the course any longer — your vision falters as your mind teeters on the edge of consciousness.
And then, suddenly, the finish line looms before you like a dream. A lump builds in your throat as you cover those final few steps. Now you are finally able to answer back to that nagging voice with a resounding Oh, yes I can!
You burst across the finish line filled with pride, forever liberated from the prison of self-doubt and self-imposed limitations that have held you captive. You have learned more about yourself in the past 26.2 miles than on any other single day in your life. Even if you can’t walk afterward, you have never been so free. A marathon finish is more than just something you earn; a marathon finisher is someone you become.
As you are being helped away from the finish line, wrapped in a flimsy Mylar blanket, barely able to raise your head, you are at peace. No future struggle, doubts, or failure can wipe away what you accomplished today. You have done what few will ever do — what you thought you could never do — and it is the most glorious, unforgettable awakening. You are a marathoner, and you will wear this distinction not on your lapel, but in your heart, for the rest of your life.
Whether you’ve run one marathon or hundreds, “You Never Forget Your First,” as the chapter is called. I get choked up every time I read the above passage because it rings so true.
Saturday, November 15th, 2008 · Comments Off on Day 9: The Singlet ’Stache
Yesterday Pete attacked with a vengeance. And he brought an army of ‘stache-toting brothers with him — yes, including The Chalm Machine. I was speechless when I saw his post, which crescendoed with this confident entry in ABMGC 2008:
Well done, Pete. Well done. I remain in awe. You have taken this contest to a new level.
While my creative team and I huddle to work on our comeback, I’ll leave you with my Day 9 entry: The Singlet:
Yeah, I know: My ‘stache and those pythons make a singlet look good. Really good.
You and your “faithful mustache posse” beware. I’ll be back.
Comments Off on Day 9: The Singlet ’StacheTags:abmgc 2008
Pete posts! And he’s back with a vengeance, chock-full of smack talk! He’s accused my ‘stache of things like this:
 Your mustache has one arm– it swims in a circle. Your mustache has one leg– they call him Skip.
But wait, Pete: I have a question while my ‘stache swims and skips arounds on its way to tri-stache-a-lon fame… is that 5 days of ‘stache growth I see on your blog, or is that a putting green? That looks more like Day 3 of last year’s Stacheometer to me. Oh snap!
As for me, here’s a glorious Day 6 ‘stache after blowing in the wind of a 32-degree Upstate New York chill for 10.25 miles this morning:
 My neck also underwent a Day 5 neck shave yesterday. Here’s the before:
 And here’s the after:
My mustache wants to stake its claim to my face and can’t have that neck hair getting in the way.
Stay tuned in the coming days and weeks for more in The Mustache Chronicles ’08…
This year’s contest is off to a considerably slower start than last year’s — at least where the blog smack talkin’ is concerned. First, Pete posted his contest intro post with promises of an afternoon shave. But where’s the documentation, bro? Is this a violation already? Where’s the official ABMGC 2008 rule book? Even if I do love your mental imagery of removing the “lip-lettuce from (my) facial pasture,” it’s time to step it up with the photo documentation. Next, it’s already day 4 and neither of us has posted an update… until now:
Look at that majestic new ‘stache just begging to be released into all its glory (not to mention my mad iPhone self-portrait skills).
Lest I neglect to mention his entry, El Peacho himself has joined the contest and is already predicting a 3rd place finish… for himself. Welcome to the action, El Peacho! Bring on your peach fuzz.
To the victor goes the spoils: All the ladies who will follow in the wake that our mighty ‘staches shall craft in ’08! I know my wife, for one, couldn’t be more thrilled for the return of this contest.
Now about my competition… where are you guys?? Let’s see some photos! Our fans eagerly await.
It’s official: I keep getting faster and faster. And I feel pretty awesome about that. This morning I woke up at 7am, psyched to run my 11th race and first 15k. Based on my great half-marathon last month, the McMillan Running Calculator predicted my 15k time would be 1:06:58 (7:11 average pace). My goal: 7:10 average pace.
The weather was perfect for race day: Low 50s, a bit of wind, some sunshine. With a field of about 2,000 runners, this race was bigger than most in the area. Everything was just right: My new shoes (New Balance 903s) freakin’ rock, my new Race Day shorts were a little small but otherwise felt great, and I felt like I could run all day.
I resisted the urge to come out of the gates too fast, and instead took my time battling through the start line crowd (for some reason, people don’t respect the clearly marked and announced pace time start sections). The course wrapped around the start/finish area of Schenectady’s Central Park for the first mile and change before taking us out into Schenectady and around the Stockade.
At some point in the early miles (I forget exactly where), Jen snagged this sweet photo of me where I’m actually flying — notice my feet are off the ground:
 I fell into a really steady pace, knocking out the first 5k in 22 minutes and change (7:03, 7:06, 7:06). It was already a good race and I felt strong, my breathing was calm, and I was relaxed. It’s kinda crazy to hear how much other runners struggle with breathing and gasp for breath early on in the race (this was another no-headphones/iPod race). I also get annoyed by the spitting a lot of people do when running and dodged a few projectiles.
Around mile 5.5 we had our first significant hill. Yet again, all my hill training paid off as I cruised up the hill with relative ease, passing some fellow runners on my way to the top. The 6th mile was my slowest of the race: 7:25. It was around that point when I ate my Chocolate Outrage GU to replenish my fading glucose supply.
Then it was on. I picked up the pace through the cemetery (yeah, that was weird), and started flying past the visibly fading other runners. I felt strong and knew I was going to nail my goal, if not beat it. I flew past the 10k mark.
There was another hill around mile 7, and it didn’t stop me, either (7:10). I was on fire and picked up the pace in the final couple miles, picking off one pack of runners after another as I flew back into Central Park, around the duck pond, and across the finish line (including my signature sprint to the finish):
Passing so many runners was a great feeling and really motivating (for me, anyway; probably not for them). I didn’t want to leave anything left on the course, and I think achieved that goal. In fact, I think in the final half-mile or so charge around the duck pond, only one runner I’d passed came flying from behind and overtook me; that was probably the only time I got passed all race.
The cool thing about my time today is that I performed better than McMillan predicted — and on a tougher course. Whereas the U.S. Marine Corps Half was a net downhill, fast course, the Stockadeathon was full of rolling hills.
Here’s the mileage and elevation chart for today’s race:
(For some annoying reason, my Garmin Training Center app won’t display a chart for the U.S. Marine Corps Half for me to compare elevation charts.)
Thanks, as always, to my wonderful and supportive personal sports photographer and wife for being there to cheer me on and capture all the moments!
After the race, Jen and I enjoyed a delicious brunch at the Route 7 Diner (which has apparently suffered from recent Department of Health blue violations — whoops). There was even a special little something on my French toast plate that I probably could’ve sold on eBay for millions.
Tomorrow I run my 11th race and first 15k, the Stockadeathon. Today I cruised down to the pre-race expo at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady to meet a pair of marathon champs, Bill Rodgers and Amby Burfoot.
Bill won the Boston and New York City Marathons 4 times each in the late 1970s, and ran on the 1976 U.S. Olympic team. Here’s me with Bill and his 1996 Wheaties box:
Amby won the 1968 Boston Marathon. I just met him briefly, but he seemed like a cool guy:
Both Bill and Amby were really nice guys. I talked with Bill for quite a while, and he advised me to run as much as possible on dirt and grass to build strength in my ankles and feet. We talked about the strategy of drafting behind other runners to let them do the work before you make your move. He said that running races is like the icing on the cake of your training runs; I agreed. I bought his book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Running, which he signed for me.
Maybe hanging out with these running greats will now give me some good mojo for tearin’ it up in the race tomorrow. Woohoo!
What an amazing night. We had friends over on election night to celebrate. And what a victory it was. I’m still getting choked up this morning seeing the headlines:
The People have spoken loud and clear: President Obama will restore hope for America and for the world.
Browse some of the newspaper headlines from around the world at Newseum.
Today is an election of historic proportions for so many reasons, and could be the most historic election of our lifetime. Don’t miss out! Go vote. You can find your voting place right on the Obama site. Or, if you want a less partisan resource, just Google polling place, type in your address, and get your polling location right on Google Maps.
I’m sure it comes as no shock to anyone who knows me or who’s read the more politically inclined posts of this blog’s past, but I couldn’t be a stronger support of Barack Obama for our next President of the United States. From bringing our involvement in the war in Iraq to a responsible close, to fixing our broken healthcare system, to repairing the economy, Obama is the right choice for so many reasons. Value a woman’s right to choose? With two Supreme Court justices near retirement, kiss Roe v. Wade goodbye if McCain-Palin wins the ticket.
And don’t even get me started on Palin…
Why has this become a country where people want to elect someone like them? I sure don’t. I want someone smarter than me in the White House. I want someone who understands the intricacies of running a country and a world power in office. I want someone who has the power to inspire change, to motivate We the People, and to begin earning back the respect of the world, which BushCo. has systemically destroyed in the past 8 years.
So get out there and vote.
Our country, our children, and the world are depending on us. Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the last 8 years.
