San Diego, CA. June 1, 2008. 26.2 miles. Chip time: 3 hours, 40 minutes, 5 seconds.
I ran a marathon. I am a marathoner.
Those are words I never thought I’d be able to say (or even thought I’d want to say). Just 6 months ago, the notion seemed insane. On Sunday, June 1, 2008 I ran my first marathon — the Rock ’n Roll Marathon in San Diego — and it was an experience I’ll never forget. After finishing the race after those intense 26.2 miles, I felt on top of the world. I’m still riding the high 4 days later, and probably will be for some time to come.
Here’s a great clip Jen got of me at mile 8 — talk about enthusiasm, eh?
Happy and I did a 2-mile run this evening — my first post-marathon run — and I was still reliving the marathon experience, though my legs are just a tad on the sore side.
Now don’t get me wrong: Running a marathon was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, physically and mentally. But it was an amazing experience that’s hard to describe. Pretty much everything you’ve ever heard about a marathon is true: It’s more mental than physical; it pushes your body beyond what you think is possible.
And I’m also here to say that a marathon is a whole other ball game than a half-marathon. In fact, I bettered my Nashville half time in San Diego by 3 minutes and 38 seconds — then I ran another 13.1 miles.
The first half of the race — and probably through mile 17 or 18 — felt incredible. I felt really strong and as though I could run all day. I was running a low 7-minute pace the first several miles. My 10k (6.2-mile) split was 45:49 (a 7:22 pace).
And then came mile 19 and the hill leading to mile 20. Our Team in Training coach, Dan, had told us that no matter who you are — an elite runner or a first-time marathoner — the first half of the marathon is the first 20 miles and the second half is the final 6.2 miles. He was right (though I was too tired to tell him so when he ran with me a bit in the final miles to see how I was doing). Pushing through that final stretch was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It was a psychological battle not to stop running. I just kept telling my body to keep on going. The San Diego sun was blistering by then — a stark contrast from the cool, overcast morning we had with the race’s 6:30am start time — which didn’t help matters. With every step, I wanted to stop running, but I didn’t. I kept going, slowing only at fueling stations to pour cups of water on my head and pound 2 cups of Accelerade in those final miles. I kept telling myself: “You’ve made it this far. Don’t stop now. Get to that finish line!” The pain I experienced in those final miles is best captured in these two photos:
But the pain was worth the glory (is that too dramatic?). Crossing that finish line was incredible. The race ended inside a U.S. Marines base where the crowds were gathered. Running past hundreds of cheering spectators as I scanned the crowd for Jen and my Mom gave me the chills. A Team in Training coach from Anchorage joined me in the final stretch leading up to the finish line to talk me through it and to make sure I was still coherent (she didn’t say that, but I’m sure that’s why TnT does that, which is really cool of them). I picked up the pace leading into mile 26 and forgot about those extra 0.2 miles (though at the time I said to her: “Damn! Forgot about the last 0.1 mile!”). Earlier in the morning, Jen witnessed someone collapse in exhaustion right before the finish line.
With the finish line in my sight, I told the TnT coach who had joined me that I was going to turn it on. And turn it on I did. I ran my heart out, reaching deep down to pull out my inner sprinter from my high school and college days. I flew past everyone else finishing around the time I did. I was delirious, had my iPod cranking, and may have imagined it, but I swear I heard someone in the audience yell, “Wow! Look at that guy go!” Whether or not someone actually said it, that’s what I heard as I bolted across the finish line, my feet burning from the heat and my legs nearly collapsing under me. I headed right for the ice water, draped an ice cold towel over my head, and sat on a pile of ice bags while calling my wife, my parents, and my brother to tell them, “I did it!”
My official chip time was 3:40:05 (8:24 pace). My overall place was 1,158 out of 16,731. My division (30- to 35-year-old men) place was 158 out of 1,358.
I knew my chip time — which accurately measures when you cross the start line and each of your split times through the finish — was about a minute behind the clock time. In the home stretch of the race, when the finish line and finish clock came into sight, I saw that it was approaching 3:41. I sprinted as fast as I possibly could to try to get there before the clock hit 3:41 (my very aggressive goal going into the race was 3:30 — double my Nashville half-marathon time — so I really wanted to at least try to land in the 3:30 range). Officially, the clock was 3:41:04 when I finished, but in the below video, you’ll see me cross at about 3:41:02. But remember, it’s the chip time that matters. Mine was 3:40:05, so I only missed my goal by 10 minutes.
Look for me sprinting on the far left side when the race clock is at 3:40:59 — that’s when you’ll first see me come into view. I’m in the purple tank top and white hat, and rip off my hat in a botched attempt to hold it up for my photo. I was sprinting so fast, my hat flew right off my head at the finish line and I didn’t bother going back for it. It seems somehow symbolic to have left my hat at the finish line.
Running as part of Team in Training was also a great experience. Unlike in the Nashville half, where mostly strangers lined the course, seeing so many cheering TnT supporters on the course made it feel like I had friends the entire way. There were countless supporters showing the purple pride, giving me five as I ran by and encouraging me on. I waved to nearly every TnT group I passed and really felt like a celebrity that day (and the night before with the amazing welcome we all received at the TnT pasta dinner). It was also moving to see at least one cancer survivor showing his support along the course. It was somewhere between miles 10 and 13.1, after exiting the freeway (yup, we ran a stretch along a closed section of freeway in San Diego), where I ran past a man whose shirt declared him a survivor. It was a cool reminder about the good that all our hard work in fundraising does for people.
Special thanks to my incredibly supportive wife for making the long trip to San Diego to be with me for the momentous weekend and sticking with me every step of the journey — from the 3:30am wake-up on Sunday to securing viewing positions at mile 8 and the finish line. And a big thanks to my Mom, too, for coming to support me in the race.
Thanks to all of you for being so supportive of this effort the past 6 months, and for the emails this week asking when I was going to post a blog entry about it. And thank you once again to all of you who helped me surpass my Team in Training fundraising goal!
Last but not least, congrats to Alex for also running a great first marathon!
Other memories from the marathon weekend:
Walking into the Team in Training pasta dinner Saturday night past the cheering crowds of supporters
Getting watermelon, orange slice, banana from neighbors out to support
Seeing all the purple TnT supporters throughout the race — like having friends throughout the course
Dumping water on my head
Having a TnT coach from Anchorage run with me the last 1/2 mile or so to see how I was doing
Sprinting to the finish line with all my heart
Losing my hat at the finish line in an attempt to rip it off & hold it up for my photo (I was running so fast, it fell right off)
Sitting on a stack of ice with an ice cloth on my head to cool down
Eating oranges had never tasted so good in my life
Seeing Jen and my Mom waiting for me outside the recovery area after the race, and giving them each a big hug
And yes, I’d do it all again! In fact, now that my bro and I each have one marathon under our belts, we’re eying the California International Marathon 2008 in our hometown of Sacramento this December. Note that my little bro ran his marathon about 2.5 minutes faster than I ran mine, so I sense the next challenge in the air… or at least one that involves both of us crossing the finish line together with even more kick-ass times! Any bets on how many minutes we can shave off our times?
Lots more CA trip and photos to come… we had a rockin’ good time in San Diego, then I went on to SF and Sac for 2 nights only.
This is it. It’s go time. It’s hard to believe that in just 3 days, I’ll be running my first marathon. In fact, if all goes according to plan and I hit or beat my goal, I’ll actually be done by this time Sunday morning (it’s 7:30am here in New York, 10:30am San Diego time).
What doesn’t give me confidence at the moment, however, is that I managed to fuck up my lower back somehow. The pain started yesterday, and the only thing I can think that caused it is Tuesday night when I made the smart move of lifting down my bike from a beam in my garage. Doh! I’ve been using my foam roller since last night and refuse to let this interfere with the biggest race of my life.
Another milestone: I surpassed my Team in Training fundraising goal! My grand total raised to fight leukemia and lymphoma is $4,354. A big thank you to all of you who helped me reach this significant goal!
Though I’m deliberately not clocking in as many miles this week as I was at this point before the half, I did run 4 miles yesterday and 5 miles Tuesday. Now it’s time to let my body rest before Sunday — tapering is a key component of marathon training (see #8). Also, #5 about drinking only sports drink during the marathon is a good point since during the half I drank both Accelerade and water.
Saturday’s final TnT 8-mile long run marked another insane milestone: More than 500 training miles since I started running!
As I did at this time before the half, here are some updated stats to date since I started training on December 26, 2007 (stats from 3 days prior to the half in parens):
Total Runs: 86 (67)
Total Miles: 506.867 miles (364.047)
Farthest Distance: 20 miles (16.79)
Most Miles in a Week: 41.11 miles (38.44)
Miles Logged on Asics 2130s (half & full marathon shoes): 413 miles (340)
Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 · Comments Off on Nancy Pearl, Librarian Superstar
Last night following dinner at STG with Anne and Tom, Jen, Anne, and I proceeded to the Saratoga Springs Public Library to see Jen’s librarian hero and author Nancy Pearl give a talk: “The Pleasures & Perils of a Life of Reading.” The talk was entertaining, humorous, and enlightening. Nancy Pearl is personable and incredibly enthusiastic.
Seeing Jen light up when she met Nancy Pearl and posed with her, though, is what made my night:
Nancy Pearl is the librarian after whom the librarian action figure is modeled (which Jen owns, of course).
The great thing about this photo? Two librarian rock stars, of course!
Comments Off on Nancy Pearl, Librarian SuperstarTags:saratoga springs
They felt pretty good at first — lighter and tighter than my Asics. Only problem was they were a little too tight, and I didn’t really break them in properly. I only did two short runs — 8 miles then 6 miles — before I did the 20-miler in the Sauconys. And that’s about when the foot pain on the top of my right foot began. And it hasn’t really subsided since.
So I’ve been soaking my feet in ice water. On Sunday, after Saturday’s 12-miler, I leveraged the ice bucket to keep my beer cold:
Thanks to Jen and Tom for fashioning the awesome straw system for me (unfortunately, it didn’t really work as planned, but it was the thought that counts).
I also switched back to my Asics yesterday and today, and have decided that if I want this pain to go away before I run the marathon, that’s what I’m going to have to do — as well as run the marathon in my old running shoes (which still have less than 400 miles on them, so they should be fine).
Ahh, porch sitting — the classic Saratoga Springs tradition. It has arrived! And damn do I love it! It’s a beautiful 67 degrees this morning, so there might be some more porch sitting in our future tonight.
On one of my Team in Training runs over the winter, I ran briefly with a woman who was preparing to run her 50th marathon — yes, her 50th. She couldn’t have been older than late 40s or early 50s, which means she’s easily been running more than one marathon per year for a number of years (I didn’t get the details). Regardless, she gave me some advice about my upcoming marathon, and two points have stuck with me:
Respect the mileage. This is true for any run, no matter the length, and is about the psychology of the run — don’t get ahead of yourself and try not to think “only 3 more miles” or “only 10 more miles,” whatever the distance. Just take one mile at a time.
A marathon is nothing like a half-marathon. This may sound obvious, but after running 20 miles on Saturday, I can say that there’s a big difference between running 13.1 and running even 20.
I can now proudly say that I’m a half-marathoner. After Saturday’s Team in Training run, I can also say that I’ve run 20 miles — the longest training distance I’ll run leading up to the June 1 marathon. And you know what? My 50-time marathon running companion knew what she was talking: Running 20 miles — not even the full 26.2 of the marathon — is nothing like running a half-marathon.
In other words, running 20 miles is a really, really long way to run. And it felt like it.
But I’m proud to say that I did it. And with a pretty decent pace, too. Alex and I ran together the whole time — thanks, man, for sticking with me and giving me those pep talks! — and averaged about 8:05 per mile over the full 20 miles (2:41:59 by my timing). We went by Alex’s GPS watch and not my iPod since it’s a bit more accurate. Although the good news is that my iPod is actually calibrated now to have me go farther than I actually have — a good thing for training — so even though we did clock in a full 20 by Alex’s GPS watch, my iPod showed 19.51 (note the gradually decreasing line, which represents our slowing down toward the end):
As for the run itself, the first 10 miles felt really strong. We took a short refueling break after 10, then proceeded down an uncharted direction on the Niskayuna bike trail. We ran out of trail after 4 miles and found ourselves running some hills and through neighborhoods with crappy roads and no shoulders. Miles 16 through 20 were probably the toughest for me. I resisted the urge to stop for another breather, and kept going with Alex’s occasional pep talks — “we’re just prolonging the pain!” was the one that motivated me the most to pick up the pace and power through the end of the run.
I find solace in that the San Diego marathon course is mostly flat — the only real incline is leading up to mile 10:
That, combined with the race-day adrenaline, and I plan on kicking the ass of not only the first 20 miles of the marathon, but the final 6.2, too! San Diego here I come!
Oh yeah, the final tid-bit here: Did I have any pain on Sunday? Was I sore the day after running 20 miles? Nope, not at all! The secret: A 20-minute ice bath Saturday afternoon (with a glass of vodka tonic). It worked some magic. Only the top of my right foot was sore, but that’s more from breaking in my new shoes than anything else. I clocked in another 5-mile run yesterday.
In other, non-running news, a big congrats to Jen for finishing her spring semester of library school! You rock! I’m looking forward to celebrating her graduation this weekend.
In case the 275 photos and videos accessible via my last post on the trip to Nashville weren’t enough for you, here are some more photos — action shots of Team SHAG, which just went online yesterday!
Friends + fun + run = Nashville 2008. It was the first group trip Jen and I had been on in a while, and the first with our Saratoga posse. Eight of us headed to Music City for a long weekend, and four of us ran in the Nashville Country Music 1/2 Marathon. It was pretty much an awesome experience all around.
Not only did Team SHAG achieve the goal we all set out to achieve on New Year’s Eve, but we exceeded our personal goals in the race — I beat my goal of 1 hour and 45 minutes by a solid 6 seconds (1:44:54), finishing 1,234th out of 21,398 total finishers (oh yes, that’s right — finisher #1234, baby! 5.3.2008 update: what the hell?? they changed my place to 1,242! I demand a recount!). Alex finished in an impressive 370th place (1:35:36). Sarah beat her goal by nearly 5 minutes while Hugh, in a feat of undeniable hardcoredness and awesomeness, showed the rest of us how it’s done by partying down — yes, the kind of partying that may have involved beer, shots, and Coyote Ugly — the entire afternoon before running 13.1 miles and doing his signature shots of JD before and during the race. You are a machine, Hugh — err, Ricky Bobby!
Speaking of Ricky Bobby, some memorable highlights from race day:
Seeing Hugh emerge from the hotel donning his kick-ass Ricky Bobby suit
Surprising Alex with Hugh’s presence (more on that later)
Arriving in the pouring rain, stretching, and hoping the skies would clear in time for the start (they did just in time)
Posing with everyone for some last-minute photos
Walking with Hugh past another group who cheered out: “Ricky Bobby! Shake ‘n Bake!”
Giving my wife one final pre-race motivational kiss as I waited in the porta-potty line (I know, so romantic)
Being part of an energized crowd of 30,000 people who all trained for a shared goal
Cheering with my fellow members of Corral #4 as we crossed the starting line and began our personal journeys
Getting the chills at the beginning of the race as I looked around to see all the cheering crowds
Feeling really strong as I powered through all 13.1 miles
Seeing our awesome cheering section — Team E-Triple J — as I ran past around the 9.5-mile mark
Giving rows of high-fives to all the little kids who sheepishly yet excitedly lined the course
Crossing the bridge before LP Field & running fast down the final hill toward the finish line outside the stadium
Running across the finish line & feeling incredibly proud to have run my first 1/2 marathon 6 seconds faster than my goal
The awesome weekend to Nashville was inspired by the race, but it was about so much more. Our group of eight included Team SHAG (Sarah, Hugh, Alex, and Gabe) and our racing support crew, Team E-Triple J (Eric, Jen, Jami, Justin). It was a truly awesome whirlwind weekend of non-stop fun that I’ll never forget.
Some highlights…
The weekend was orchestrated by Hugh and Jami, but they almost didn’t make it. Due to work obligations, Hugh thought he wasn’t going to be able to make it. So at first Jami was planning not to go, but then she decided not to leave the rest of us hanging. So Jen, Jami, and I traveled together. When we changed planes at Chicago’s Midway, I called Hugh to see if he’d been able to secure a flight after all. The cover story was that he hadn’t, but secretly he had. The ladies tried to get it out of me, but I kept the cover.
Late that night, after rendezvousing with Sarah and Eric in Nashville, Hugh’s cover was blown by friend and former colleague, Ben the Southern Sherpa. Excitement was in the air for Hugh’s 7am arrival, but discussion quickly turned to how Jami was going to get him back for trying to surprise her. Great (and dirty) minds think alike and we quickly formed a plan: The next morning, Jen, Sarah, Eric, and I would race to Jami’s room and climb into bed with her to wait patiently for what Hugh thought would be his surprise arrival. The plan went off perfectly as a shocked Hugh entered what he thought was the wrong room when he saw a man’s legs protruding from the bed where he thought his wife would be sleeping.
I had to play both sides to execute on the plan, but I think we all agree it was worth it.
Registering for the well-oiled event that was the Country Music Marathon was an exhilarating experience: Getting my race number, the chip that would be fastened to my shoe for an accurate time, and a bag full of other goodies made it all seem more real.
Later that afternoon (Friday), as the ladies headed off for a day of shoe shopping (how the ladies can shop for so long is beyond me), the menfolk stayed behind downtown and partied the afternoon away (some of us were good and fueled up on water and carbs for the race the next day) with stops at River City and Coyote Ugly.
Saturday after the race we enjoyed some celebratory shots and beers, then cruised back to the hotel to get cleaned up for what would be a non-stop afternoon and night of fun: Lunch @ Irish pub Dan McGuinness; Honky-tonk bars full of bands and hopeful stars; $1 PBR specials; ice cream; singing & dancing @ Coyote Ugly; late-night pitas.
Our final day in Nashville was a bit more subdued than the day before, but no less fun: Browsing the Tennessean Sunday paper to see all our names and official race times in print; enjoying breakfast at the Loveless Cafe and going through ordering negotiations so hilarious and complex that the couple at the next table actually clapped when we were done; strolling around Centennial Park and the Parthenon replica; posing for a photo to imitate the Musica statue (waiting for photos from Alex’s camera); and just hanging out with friends.
Thursday, April 24th, 2008 · Comments Off on They Might Be Giants @ The Egg
We had a pretty awesome weekend, including the first Gaffney’s patio happy hour of the season; a (daring) stop at the new Liberty Bell Cheesesteak; a girls’ breakfast in the beautiful sunshine Saturday morning (yes, I was invited as an honorary attendee); a walk around downtown on a sunny Sunday afternoon, including lunch at Lillian’s; and a whacky They Might Be Giants concert at the Egg in Albany (the rock show, not to be confused with their kids’ show earlier in the day).
First, there’s the Egg. What the hell? It looks like a giant concrete spaceship about to launch out of downtown Albany. Before Saturday night I’d never been inside. It’s a lot smaller and stranger inside than one might think. It’s even painted yellow like a yolk. And it’s so weird that TMBG even sings a song about it (“The Egg, no corners for you”).
And then there’s TMBG, whose better-known classics include Istanbul (not Constantinople), Birdhouse in Your Soul (see my 20-second clip of it below), and Boss Of Me (from Malcolm In The Middle). The band is in a special class of rock called geek rock (or nerd rock), whose musical “elements include heavy use of synthesizers and electronic keyboards, vocoders, harmonic vocals and idiosyncratic use of instruments not usually associated with alt-rock, such as accordions.” (Hey, know anyone who owns an accordion? My wife’s accordion, bestowed upon her by my father-in-law, who has a band of his own, was last spotted at our 2nd Annual Sangria Social.)
Meanwhile, at the TMBG concert, we had a great time at the show and afterward at the Albany Pump Station. And it was pretty funny to be in an audience of a couple hundred fellow NPR listeners bobbin’ their heads to the nerd rock. Word.
I still can’t believe it: In 3 days I’ll be running my first-ever 1/2 marathon. I officially committed to it on New Year’s Eve, around the time I started training.
I ran 5.5 miles on Monday morning, and I just clocked in another 6.51 miles. Tomorrow will likely be my last training run before the big race. And I feel great.
I actually cheered after my run this morning since I felt so good. My run began with a reverse partial lap around the East Side Rec, where I gave Jen an enthusiastic high-five as she and Alexis cruised by, along their own training path, en route to the Boilermaker.
I ran about half the distance of a half-marathon (I wonder if the quarter-marathon is a real thing? I guess that’s basically a 10k). And my pace was really strong (8:11 per mile, including part of which I ran with Sarah when I ran into her and Bodie on her final training run before Nashville).
Some stats to date since I started training on December 26, 2007:
