Ginger26.2

ING New York Marathon

2010-12-03T11:41:00.000-08:00

Who says you can’t go home? On Sunday, November 7th, I ran the NYC Marathon-my 9th time, but 1st since 2002. While living in NYC, I was able to run every year from the time I first began running, however, these days, it’s not so easy. With runners applying from all 50 states and hundreds of countries, competition for just a place on the starting line is fierce. To give you an idea, my registration number was in the 400,000s! I did finally get in this time by applying for the lottery 3 years in a row and not being accepted. After 3 rejections, the 4th year, you're automatically “in”.
The marathon was great as usual, exceeding my memories and expectations. Out of the hundred or so marathons, I’ve run NYC is much different than any other race. The experience is something that every runner should have. The energy is incomparable; the scenery, the sites and just the other runners make it unique.
First, it's NYC-the center of the universe and 2nd, everyone in the entire world turns out! From world record holder, Haile Gebrselassie to French tennis star, Amelie Mauresmo to none other than the rescued, Chilean miner, Edison Pena, who trained underground for 69 days... the field is amazing! I ran for miles without hearing English. 10,000 foreign runners make it somewhat of a UN summit meeting.
You wouldn't believe how many Achilles runners are out there-aside from the speedy wheelchair racers, there were many blind and disabled runners-all gutting it out with the rest of the field, looking forward to the joy they are going to feel as they cross the finish line, whatever their finish time.
As for my race, I got off to a bit of a shaky start---note to self, if you want to arrive at the very last minute, you have to know your way around!
We were nearly turned back to the ferry AND I was too late for baggage check. My friend, Paul, ended up running the first 3 miles with my gear bag! Not to pass up a stellar opportunity to "throw away shop", he picked up every name-brand glove and headband discarded by runners who arrived earlier (as instructed) and waited in the cold; he reluctantly handed the bag off to a friend in Brooklyn.
AND for a bit of TMI, I had to make 3 pit stops on the 1st half. The lines at the port-a-potties were at least 10 runners long and about 10 minutes waiting each time-not surprising as they were accommodating nearly 45,000 runners! Needless to say, my time was not quite my up to my goal, I felt “off” until the 59th Street Bridge. Somehow, I was able to rally on the 2nd half and managed to run (albeit slowly) the entire time.
At the finish line, I saw one of my friends from my old team in NYC--just like old times and another guy who I've known for years, Terry, working as a timer keeper at the 26th mile.
I was staying only one block from the finish line in Central Park, however due to the crowds, they reroute the runners miles out of the way just to exit the finish area. On the long, chilly (no clothes to change into) walk back to my hotel, I saw Paul finishing his last mile. I tried to cross Central Park South, however it was closed as runners were still coming through; he once again came to my rescue and opened the barricade to let me cross rather than walking an extra mile to where the marshals instructed me to cross--why didn't I think of that? I've already applied for next year. Hopefully, it won't be another 4 years until I can run again ,

2009-04-15T16:55:00.001-07:00

Big Wild Life Runs - August 17, 2008 Anchorage, Alaska

Most people would be happy to spend their birthdays going out to dinner, maybe catching a show or staying out late partying with friends, however if you’re a 50 States Club marathoner, like me, the opportunity to run a marathon on your birthday is too good to pass up.
This year my birthday fell on a Sunday, so I knew I’d have a variety of choices:, Helsinki, South Dakota, ET or Humpy’s in Anchorage. I chose Humpy’s as it was also a 50 State Club reunion run; I’d have plenty of company to celebrate with. This was the second time I’ve ran a marathon on my birthday, the first was Silver State in Reno a few years ago and my second time to Alaska for Humpy’s.
I’m sure you’re thinking “What kind of name is Humpy’s for a marathon?” Humpy’s, as well as being a type of salmon, is also the name of a popular downtown bar/restaurant-Humpy’s Great Alaskan Ale House. They have been a sponsor of the race for many years, however this year the marathon and accompanying races have become so popular that they’ve changed the name of the event to “Big Wild Life Runs”, which is also the catch phrase for the advertising promotion for the city and added additional sponsors for each of the individual runs-the Skinny Raven Half and the Snow City Café 5K.
I left for Anchorage on the Friday before the marathon via a nonstop UsAirways flight from Las Vegas. If you ever plan a trip to Alaska-book early! Fares are always high, so this is a good time to redeem your frequent flyer points. Booking early also applies to hotels and car rentals. Summer is high season in Alaska, and it’s a short season at that, rates are at a premium. I saved about $100 per night by making reservations 6 months in advance. Car rentals are another story. I didn’t need to rent however I heard from others in our group that they were high. $70 per day was about the average.
If you stay downtown you really won’t need a car the entire time, it may be more economical to only rent it for a day at a time is you plan to drive to sightsee.
My friend Kathy from New York, had arrived the day before, so once I arrived we decided to explore the city before heading out to dinner. As Anchorage is so far north, this time of year, sunset is not until 10pm, which leaves you plenty of daylight for shopping or sightseeing.
For dinner that evening we decided on the Glacier Brewery. This was definitely a popular choice-there was a 2 hour wait for a table! Unfortunately, due to the number of tourist in Anchorage during the summer, this is the norm at all of the downtown restaurants! We did find a “shortcut” to getting a table. If you’re willing to sit in the bar area, you simply sit down when a table leaves—we were able to reduce our waiting time from 2 hours to about 30 seconds!
Saturday was an easy day. We went to the 50 States Club meeting. There were about 50 runners from all over the country. The race director spoke and one of the city officials thanked us for choosing their race for our reunion. Afterward we went to packet pick up at the Convention Center. A nice perk that came with having Humpy’s for a sponsor, was the pasta lunch included with your entry. It turned out to be a beautiful day, so we were able to sit outside on the restaurant’s patio and enjoyed 5 hot pasta dishes and a variety of cold pastas. Everyone was agreed that carbo-loading lunch worked out better for them than the usual pasta dinner the evening before running.
The rest of the afternoon we spent at the Anchorage Market, where you can buy almost anything. The food court offers some very unusual foods-everything from Alaskan-style funnel cake to caribou sausages and salmon quesadillas!
Sunday morning-my birthday and Marathon Day! No need for the usual super early wake- up call, this marathon starting time was a reasonable 9am. In fact, each of the races-half marathon, 5K, Kid’s Fun Run and Marathon Walk, had a separate starting time. The marathon had a 6 hour cut off, for those who needing more time the Walk began at 8am, followed the same course and offered a 7 hour time limit.
One of my big concerns was going into this marathon was the weather. On my Alaska trip 3 years ago, it rained every other day, including the day of the marathon. This time we had perfect marathon weather-overcast with temps in 50s. Ideal for someone coming from Las Vegas and 100 degree plus temps!
The race starts and finishes in the same place, making it an easy walk from any of the downtown hotels and just a few minutes by car if you opt to stay outside of the city.
The course itself is run on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, a bike path paved in asphalt. It takes you from downtown out past the airport, turns around and brings you back on the same trail then connects to the Lainie Fleischer Chester Creek Trail to a second turnaround. Then continues back to downtown and ends in front of Humpy’s. I wouldn’t say the course is completely flat however there are no significant hills; the few hills you encounter are rolling with the greatest climb in elevation being just 75 feet.
This year there were 284 finishers in the marathon; not a huge field by any means, however with the out and back course design you were never running by yourself. You’ll notice another interesting feature of the course at mile 6 as you pass by Anchorage International Airport. At this busy airport, takeoffs and landings are just minutes apart. Chances are a jumbo jet will be “buzzing” over head, close enough for you to make out what airline it is.
Of course, there is also the opportunity to see some wild life up close and personal on the course.
The first time I ran here I saw a mother moose with her calf only about 10 feet off the path. This year the wildest creature I saw was a black Labrador running “off leash”! Kathy’s closest encounter was a warning of a porcupine on the course. She had seen a bear crossing the road on her first day in Alaska. Luckily she was in the safety of her car for that sighting!
The winner of the Women’s Marathon was Debbie Cropper, a local elite runner and a member of the 50 States Club. In spite of a nagging iliotibial band injury she defended her 2007 win with a finish time within 1 second of her previous year’s time-3:14:05.
Not only did Debbie run fast, she organized the marathon volunteers, worked at packet pick up, housed several 50 Staters and threw a party for the club members at her home after the marathon. She even remembered my birthday with a cake!
I would have to say if you like small, low key marathons Humpy’s is an ideal marathon. The race is actually presented as the Anchorage Running Club’s premier fundraising event, which means as fellow runners they pay attention to details. From numerous well stocked water and aid stations, to clearly marking the course and providing quality tech shirts in great colors with cool designs, they have set the standard.
The community support and volunteers are outstanding. You can run a big name race elsewhere but I doubt you’ll come away from it with the awesome experience you’ll have at Humpy’s.

2009-04-15T16:52:00.001-07:00

Tokyo Marathon
March 22, 2009

Konnichiwa! This March I had the opportunity to run the Tokyo Marathon on my fourth continent-Asia.

My adventure to Japan for the Tokyo Marathon began last summer. In its 3 year history the race has become so popular that they must use a lottery system. The application process begins in July, with entries closing at the end of August. If you are accepted you are notified in October and then asked to pay your registration fee in December-much different than US marathons, using the lottery system. Some have you pay upfront then issue you a refund if you are not accepted.
Last year they received over 200,000 applications for 35,000 slots. What would seem like impossible odds, apparently does not apply to foreigners. Out of our group, everyone was accepted.

I’m running a marathon every month so training is not so much of an issue-more import for this race was how to get there and where to stay, followed by what to wear-but I’ll get to that later.
With fares of $1000 to $1200 and a 13 hour flight, I decided that this would be a great time to redeem my frequent flyer miles. Luckily, due to current situation with the economy, it seems easier to confirm award space on the airlines; I had no trouble at all in booking a business class ticket.
As for the hotel, you have many, many choices in Tokyo; however my friend, LVTC member David Yung, recommended the hotel that he and his wife, Jeanne, planned to stay at-the Grand Prince Akasaka. This deluxe hotel, turned out to be a very well situated-across the street from a subway station and moderately priced-our room was approximately $136 per night.

I left Las Vegas on Wednesday morning, made a connection in Los Angeles and arrived in Tokyo on Thursday afternoon. There is a 16 hour time difference between Las Vegas and Tokyo, plus you cross the International dateline-which makes it a day ahead. I cleared customs easily and picked up a cell phone that I had reserved in advance which didn’t turn out to be as inexpensive as I had thought but was handy none the less and took some cash from an ATM.
Interestingly, international credit or debit cards are not widely accepted in Japan. Only certain ATMs, located at post offices and 7-11s, a big chain in Japan, will dispense cash. In fact, many shops and restaurants do not even accept credit cards, unlike the USA, this is a cash based society-credit cards are not used for daily expenses.

Soon after I arrived, I met up with, my friend Jennifer Whitley, who came in another flight. Jen, a former LVTC member, is now living in Tennessee. From the airport we took the Airport Limousine-a luxury bus, to the hotel. The airport is quite far from the city, as it was rush hour, the ride took us nearly 2 hours; our midday return took only an hour and ten minutes. The cost for this ride is about $30, other options such as a train would be less expensive, but not as easy and direct as the bus-especially with luggage, although they do offer a transfer service for the bags from the airport to your hotel. Cabs? Yes, they’re there too, however pricey at $200-$300, each way depending on traffic.
The next day David, Jeanne, Jen and I met our Japanese friend for lunch, Takahashi-san. He’s the Japanese runner that organizes the Canadian/ Japanese relay fun run that we do at the Honolulu Marathon each year. He has run Honolulu 22 times, however This was his first Tokyo Marathon. He hadn’t made the lottery for the earlier races. We got an early start on carbo-loading at a Japanese/Italian fusion style restaurant, Spaghetti-Ya, near Takahashi-san’s office.

After lunch we headed over to the Expo at the Tokyo Big Sight, a huge new convention center located across the river.
Getting around in Tokyo was very easy, once you got the hang of it. The subway goes everywhere, most of the signs are written in English as well as Japanese and the stations are numbered, so there is no chance for confusing the names. It was very similar to NYC, with a few major exceptions. First, there are several different lines, the Metro, the JR line as well as some private lines-the monorail we took to the Big Sight was one. Tickets are not interchangeable between the lines; the monorail ticket was about $4 each way, where the day pass for the Metro was only about $7. The other major difference, was the fact that the shutdown at midnight. If you’re out later you’d have to take a cab.

The Expo was amazing-almost as big as the LA Marathon or NYC! There were hundreds of vendors, representatives from other marathons as well as lectures and entertainment. We spent the entire afternoon here, by the time we got back to our hotel; we were so tired that we didn’t even eat dinner!

Saturday morning we had a “rehearsal run” in getting to the starting line. The start was in Shinjuko at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Buildings, about 5 subway stops from our hotel. It only took about 15 minutes to get there. Once we were there we took photos outside where they were assembling bleachers for spectators to watch the start, then went upstairs to the 40th floor Observation deck and enjoyed a view of the entire city.
From there David, Jeanne and their friend, Luis from LA, went off to a park to see street performers and shop; Jen and I opted to visit the Imperial Palace Garden via the Tokyo Station. Later that night, we dined at an Italian restaurant in Akasaka on a side street near our hotel, home to about 200 restaurants.
Gotta get that pasta!

Sunday, Marathon morning, I was up at 5am; however we didn’t leave for the race until about 730a.
Last minute analysis of the weather and wardrobe, took probably an hour! I finally decided that there was a good chance of rain and the temperature would be in the 50s, so I’d wear pants, a short sleeve shirt and a jacket I could take off and tie around my waist if necessary. This worked out fine, in fact most of the female runners were dressed the same only with the addition of a running skirt over the pants-must be the running fashion in Tokyo!

Finally, we were off on a quick subway ride and walk through the underground tunnels, which got us to the starting area we just enough time to check our bags. The race didn’t begin until 915am however, as this is a point to point race, bags were stored in trucks and left for the finish line at 830am.

From there we walked/ran to our corrals. Each person’s number began with a letter signifying their
Starting corral-mine was F and David’s was J. I could have started back with David however I thought I may do better if I started toward the front of the pack. Unfortunately it didn’t happen. With 35,000 runners squeezed into one street, there was no moving up! AND with my limited training due to a knee injury, it really didn’t matter.

The race started under cloudy skies, no rain except for a few sprinkles until I crossed the finish line-at that point, the skies opened and it rained the rest of the afternoon and evening.

As we inched up to the starting line and crossed the mats, I couldn’t help but think of the NYC Marathon. After living in NYC and having run NYC as my first marathon, I usually compare all my other marathons to it. This marathon, more than any other reminded me of NYC.

The crowd of runners and spectators on the sideline never let up. The course was crowded from start to finish-even as the 5000 10K runners veered off at their finish line, you never had a moment where you weren’t surrounded by other runners. Only major difference was how clean the streets were and how polite the runners were. At each aid station, volunteers were divided into 2 tables –one for water and one for Amino Value, the marathon’s sports drink, each group actually wore a different colored jacket!
“Dust Bins”, large boxes and tarps for garbage caught the discarded. Those that were missed were collected by more volunteers on the side lines. The runners themselves were all very courteous-especially at the crowded water stops-each took their turn.

The course itself could be very fast-the first 10K is downhill, then it’s flat until the last 3 miles where you cross 2 bridges on the way to the finish at the Big Sight. For me it wasn’t, however not to have any major hills to contend with was a blessing for those, like me, who hadn’t trained enough!
Wind toward the last few miles over the water and long lines at the port-a-potties were the only deterrents to a fast time had you trained properly.

I finally got to the finish line at Big Sight way past my goal time, but happy none the less. Tokyo has to be one of the most well organized marathons I’ve run. I completed enjoyed the sights along the course-particularly the Tokyo Tower, a mini version of the Eiffel Tower, only in red! The “people watching” was pretty interesting, too-some very unusual costumes and running gear out there!
Once you crossing the finish line, a gauntlet begins-chip removal, medal, goodie bag, goodies—2 or 3 different fruits, drinks, and finishing towels! Yes, you get a commemorative beach-type towel; another custom, I suppose! A trip through the baggage claim and an enormous dressing room led to a long line of what looked like a communal pedicure chair, runners soaked their feet in what looked like a yellow sludge.

After the race, I wasn’t feeling well-probably from drinking so much of a sports drink that I wasn’t accustomed to. We took the subway back to our hotel, but first made a stop at Subway for a familiar sandwich and a chance to rest after a long day.

The following day Jen and I did a world wind sightseeing tour of Tokyo. Our first stop was Shibuya, to see the busiest intersection in the world, Tokyo’s major department stores and the famous statue of Hachiko, Japan’s most loyal dog. The story goes that Hachiko , an Akita, came to the subway station to meet his master every day, even after his death.
After that we went to the busy electronics street at Akihabara and then on to Ueno Park to see the Cherry Blossoms. Cherry blossom view is something similar to our “Fall Foliage” viewing: people will plan picnics and special trips to see them at various points throughout the country.
We were probably about a week to early to see them in full bloom, however we did get to see a few early blooming trees; they were gorgeous.
The next day we bid Japan “Sayoonara” and returned home. We were fortunate as this was, just a day after the Fedex plane crashed at Narita airport. After a delay of 2 hours we flew safely home.

2009-04-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

Honolulu Marathon 2008

When I first ran the Honolulu Marathon back in 1994, I didn’t really expect to come back in 2008 and find things much the same as they had been 14 years earlier, however at this race consistency rules. Year after year on the second Sunday in December, runners from all over the world converge on Honolulu to follow the same course, eat the same food and meet up with the same people. This year I returned to Honolulu for my 12th Honolulu marathon.
Activities kicked off on Wednesday, when the expo and packet pick up opened. Having outgrown the previous poolside location at the Outrigger Reef several years ago, it’s now held at the new Convention Center. After all of these years, vendors and procedures haven’t changed much.
Before the race, runners still line up for their race numbers, timing chips and goodie bags and unlike most marathons there is no race participant shirt – only a finisher’s shirt which must be earned. It can only be picked up after you cross the finish line and a volunteer verifies that you actually completed the race.
Not to fear, you do have plenty of Official Marathon merchandise available to purchase as this is a Nike sponsored event. There is no lack of souvenir tee shirts and marathon gear, however; try to hold back on buying anything you may not want to wear over the weekend as come Monday and Tuesday, prices are reduced by 30 to 50%. “The Sale”, my favorite part of the race!
As the marathon starting time is 5am on Sunday, the traditional pasta dinner is held on Friday night so everyone can get a good night’s sleep on Saturday-however this is Hawaii and the tradition is a LUAU complete with music and entertainment! Not so traditional carbo-loading however effective just the same.
Saturday is a good day to lay low; relax, maybe do some sightseeing and try to stay out of the sun!
Nothing could be worse than trying to run a marathon with sunburn. Unfortunately, this would not be a concern for our runners this year (or LAST year!). It rained nearly every day during the week before the race. A few hours of sunshine the day before gave the misguided impression that the weather would cooperate for the race, however-not this year… again! For the second year in a row, the marathon started with a bang-not only the beautiful fireworks display over Ala Moana Park, but a burst of rain just as the starting gun was fired.
The usual routine for most Honolulu runners would be a 2:30am wake up call, quickly dressing-not much decision as to what to wear -shorts and a singlet will do fine as it’s already 70 degrees; followed by a brisk walk to the starting line if your hotel is close to Ala Moana, otherwise a short walk to the Zoo parking lot for a 10 minute bus ride if your hotel is closer to the finish line. As you walk out of your hotel you may notice many chartered buses and even some stretch limos. These are reserved for the Japanese tour groups. Same as every year, Japan Airlines is one of the major sponsors; therefore, nearly 60 percent of the field comes from Japan.
With such an early start, for most of the runners run nearly half of the race in the dark-for the winners the sun is just rising as they cross the finish line.
This year’s winners were a Kenyan man, Patrick Ivuti and a Japanese woman, Kiyoko Shimahara. Their finish times were 2:14:35 and 2:32:36 respectively, well ahead of the 20,056 other finishers who’s average time was 5:58:22!
The course has been the same for years—from the park a loop through downtown-you’ll notice the bar goers still out partying from the night before. There is a turn past the Ala Moana Mall and the starting area, before you hit Kalakaua Avenue. You pass the famous Waikiki Beach and hotels; even at this predawn hour, spectators line the course at this point cheering on friends and family members.
As you leave Waikiki, if you know where to look, the finish line at Kapialani Park will be visible (sort of anyway-remember it’s still dark!).
At this point you’ve passed the 10K marker and will begin climbing the one major hill on the course-Diamond Head. It’s about a mile long. For most runners you’re in the dark –no street lights, just flood lamps brought in for illumination. The pack is still thick and it’s only accentuated as you’re running on one side of the road; and don’t forget for the last 2 years, at this point it has been raining for several hours, therefore lake size puddles have formed and some runners are up to their ankles in water!
As you circle behind Diamond Head, there is an aid station where many runners stop to walk. Not for long though as the next mile is a screaming downhill and a chance to regroup for the longest stretch of the race-out and back on Kalanianiole Highway. If you’re fast enough, here you’ll have a chance to see the top runners as they go for a possible victory or after you make the loop at Hawaii Kai, you’ll have a chance to “high five” your slower friends and running partners.
One of the most beautiful and enjoyable parts of the course is mile 22 to 24 as you run through Kahala –Honolulu’s answer to Park Ave, NYC. You’ll see million dollar homes and be cheered on by many spectators as you run (or walk) through one of the most exclusive areas in Hawaii.
You then approach Diamond Head and the last hill. You’ll have a water stop at mile 24, most runners, no matter what their pace, resort to walking at this point of the race, however once you reach the top of the hill, you’ll be thrilled to see that the last mile will be downhill! A fast dash to the bottom of the hill and less than 1 mile as flat as a pancake and you’re done—or as they say in Hawaiian, you are “pau”.
Pass the finish line and the routine will continue. You will receive your finisher’s shell lei; collect your oatmeal cookies and apples-which is always the same finish line food. Then you will head over to the finisher’s shirt tent where you will receive your finisher’s shirt and key chain medal. This year it was the same medal as always-a very plain and simple depiction of a Hawaiian runner only this year the background hibiscus was in color!
At the finish line the festivities will continue as you shop for souvenirs, get a massage or just chill out and listen to the band play-that is until the rain starts again! After the drenching morning rain, a few minutes of rain here and there between the sunshine is not uncommon.
All and all this is a great, predictably good marathon. And best of all, in 2009, Honolulu and the Las Vegas Marathon will once again be offered a week apart, for those adventurous enough, as I was, to attempt two marathons or half marathon and marathon in a week. Hope to see you there!
Congratulations to 50 States Club Honolulu Finishers: Jim D’Haenes, Dedra Trotter, Ron Knecht, Christine Merriam, Mike Herrin and Richard Vogt

2009-04-15T16:39:00.000-07:00

Missoula Marathon - July 2008

Leap year moved my favorite July marathon to August! Yes, the San Francisco Marathon will be run on August 2nd . It seems to be a trend this year, marathons run at the beginning of one month moving over to the end of the previous month and vice versa. As many of you may know, I’m working running a streak of a marathon a month, so August wouldn’t do. I had to find another July marathon.
Prospects were not looking good, that is until I did a search of http://www.marathonguide.com/ and discovered the Missoula Marathon. Now in its second year, this marathon offered much more than just the fact that it’s run in July- not only did it fit perfectly into my schedule, the course was beautiful and it was very easy and reasonable to get to thanks to Allegiant Airlines.
If you are not familiar with this Las Vegas based airline, take a look at their web site, www.allegiantair.com.
They keep fares low by offering service to secondary markets-like Missoula. Granted, the planes are small and they do charge extra for baggage and seats, however once you’re past the additional fees you’ll realize you are getting a better deal than the major airlines are offering and even better-a nonstop flight where otherwise you’d spend the day connecting.
My flight left early on Saturday morning, arriving into Missoula before noon. I chose not to rent a car as everything in town is within walking distant and I didn’t see that we have any time to explore outside of the city. A quick phone call from the airport to the DoubleTree, was all it took to have the hotel shuttle at the airport within minutes and whisking me back to the hotel.
The DoubleTree is rated one of the top hotels in Missoula and I have to say I was impressed. The rooms are quite spacious and very reasonably priced. The best feature is the location; it is situated along the banks of the Clark Fork River across from the University of Montana’s campus. From the restaurant and some of the rooms, you have a great view of the river.
I had a chance to get some rest before my friends arrived, Kathy and Kevin from NYC and Donald from Arizona. All three belong to the 50 States Club and the Marathon Maniacs, as did many of the marathon runners in Missoula that weekend. This would be at least the 6th marathon of the year for each of them and my 8th.
Once they arrived we headed over to the marathon expo, which was held outdoors in a park a couple of blocks away from our hotel. It was under a huge tent, so in case of bad weather there would be no need to bring everything indoors, although this weekend there were no worries the weather was picture perfect and the temperature ideally in the 70s.
After we picked up our race numbers and tee shirts, which were very nice short sleeve tech shirts in blue (the half offered a more attractive, rust brown); we shopped a bit then took a walk around town. Later, we drove out to the suburbs for an early dinner at Carino’s, a popular chain of Italian eateries. Donald had flown into Spokane and drove 3 hours to Missoula, so we use of a car; although if we didn’t have a car, there were a number of good local restaurants that we would have been able to walk to in town.
It was an early night and an even earlier wake-up call at 4am. We were ready to go and on our way before 5am. It was a short walk from our hotel to the shuttle out to the starting line. The buses left from a parking garage offering free parking for the day for those who drove.
The race started in Frenchtown, about a 25 minute ride away. After a hundred degree day last year, the start time had been pushed up from 6:30am to 6:00am and the course was altered to provide more shade for the runners.
While we were waiting at the start, we met a couple from Australia who were running 8 marathons in 8 weeks in 8 different countries. There’s always one marathoner attempting something more extreme than the next! This is a link to their web site for more on their adventures: http://www.partnerunning.com/
At 6am sharp, a cannon blast started the race and we were off. I would say that every one of the 400 runners crossed the starting line within a minute. The morning air was crisp; temps at 6am were still in the 50s-quite a difference from a typical July morning in Las Vegas!
The view of the foothills as the sun came up was amazing. We ran past horse farms, mountains, rivers and streams. With the exception of the lumber mill, there were no sign of commerce on the first half. We were truly in Big Sky country!
Spectators were limited to the few people who were curious enough to venture out of their homes to see what was going on and to several family members and friends of runners, who followed along in their minivans or on bikes. If you like the cheering crowds of a big city; don’t run here! This is the type of race that someone runs who just wants to enjoy nature and the fact that they can run 26.2 miles.
For those goal oriented runners, there were pace groups and for those on their own, although the field was small, it never seemed that you were running alone at any point.
Aid stations were spread out 2 miles apart on the first half of the race, then every mile after that. All were well stocked with water and Power Ade and offered a port-a-pottie-with no waiting lines! Power Gel was offered at two locations on the course, as well.
Plaster leg sculptures, decorated by local artists, served as mile markers along the course. These legs where part of a fund raising project similar to the cows from Chicago or the pigs in Cincinnati. The “legs” added a fun touch to the marathon; something other than water stations to look out for! Plus they were on display at the expo the day before so you were able to recognize your favorite designs.
With the exception of the one mile long hill I was warned about at the halfway point, the rest of the course seemed to be flat, so I was a bit surprised when I found out later on that there was a total gain in elevation and the entire course is slightly uphill.
In spite of the gradual incline and elevation-Missoula is 3200 feet above sea level, I would say this is definitely a fast course. At the finish line, I heard many happy reports from those who made their Boston qualifying time and PRs.
The average finishing time was 4:16; however with a 6 hour cut off, there were not many slower runners. For those needing more time or not ready for a full marathon in the middle of the summer, there is also a half marathon.
Unfortunately, if you choose the half, you’ll miss the most beautiful part of the course. The second half runs through a residential area, as it leads you back downtown, crossing the Higgins Avenue Bridge over the Clark Fork River to the finish line in front of the historic Wilma Theater. The balloon arch was a welcome sight! I spotted it about a half mile away.
Community effort was really at work at in the finish area and it showed. The locals put a great deal of thought and effort in accommodating the runners. From frozen fruit pops to massages; and Moose Drool Beer to home-made lemon pasta salad, complete with the recipe; they thought of everything.
The one thing they didn’t plan on however was my friend, Donald, running as Elvis. The crowds cheered and broke into “Viva Las Vegas!” as he approached the finish line. As in almost any marathon, you never know what to expect!

*For anyone who likes statistics, this was my 119th marathon, 14th marathon/month streak and 16th state toward 50 States Completion, 2nd time.

Eugene Marathon

2008-07-10T01:15:00.000-07:00

The moment I heard about the Eugene Marathon, I knew I had to run it. After all, Eugene is pretty much the Mecca of running and this year, host to the Olympic Trials for Track and Field. In their second year, Eugene has become a welcome addition to Oregon’s marathon options.
Friday night I left Las Vegas with my friend and 2007 LVTC Iron Camel Winner, Phil Weiland, on one of the last flights going out of McCarran-1150pm, arriving Eugene at 2am!-a little late, however at least we'd have all day Saturday.Only small problem with an arrival that late, in a city the size of Eugene is that all of the car rentals are closed. We had to take a cab to the hotel-which actually proved to be one of the most informative cab rides I'd ever taken. In the space of a 20 minute ride, our driver, a long time Eugene resident filled us in on all the history and "goings on" in town. Hot topics for the weekend were Barak Obama's visit a few weeks earlier, the Saturday Market, the oldest open air craft market in the US (a claim they could have made 15 years ago!) and of course, the marathoners--are they crazy or what?We arrived at our hotel--actually a motel, rather on the dreary side-however inexpensive and close to the finish line, checked in and I met my roommate for the weekend, Lois from the 50 States Club. Poor girl, I felt bad waking her up at 3am!Next morning, after the hotel’s complimentary continental breakfast- we were off to the race expo at the host hotel, the Hilton. After picking up our numbers and a bit of shopping and sampling, we walked a few blocks over to the Saturday Market.If you are ever in Eugene, this is a must, after all who doesn't enjoy live music, fresh food from the Farmers Market and the chance to shop for some very unique items?Eugene is a very "green" city-probably due to the fact that it’s a big college town and most people engage in some sort of outdoor sport or activity; in fact the marathon pace car was a hybrid Prius! Recycling bins abound and you could see from the farmer's market and selection of restaurants in town, the residents are very health conscious and completely sold on the organic life style.A visit to the market is something like a trip in time back to the sixties. Except for the ever present cell phones, the atmosphere, music-everything from an impromptu violin solo to a “hippy” with a sitar and a barber shop quartet, also well as the attire of the locals (teens or seniors) would bring to mind the days around Woodstock.
The band on center stage played anti-war songs, young girls wore long peasant skirts with strings of dandelions as necklaces and outside of Jamaica, I have never seen so many guys with dreadlocks.I don't think anyone had ever seen or used a lip gloss or an eye shadow and Miss Clairol would make a killing-no bleach blondes in this crowd!Everyone seemed very happy and friendly, so maybe there is something to this simple life thing??? We spent an hour or so shopping and listening to music until my friend Mark Ornstein, from Las Vegas and the 50 States Club came to meet us and we headed off to a great grocery store something like Whole Foods for provisions.Next we went back to the hotel to watch the Kentucky Derby on television. As I had just run the Kentucky Derby Marathon and had visited Churchill Downs a few days before, I was very excited to see the race.Well, that turned into a disaster and practically ruined the rest of the weekend for me, when Eight Belles, the runner up horse, broke both of her ankles and had to be euthanized at the end of the race, right there on the track.As many of you know, I'm an "animal person", in fact, I've even been a vegetarian since I was 14, so as you can imagine, it was very upsetting to me. I haven't even watched horse racing since Barbaro, because of the danger to the horses.Anyway, I had to try to put my sadness aside and go back to the Hilton, the marathon host hotel, for the 50 States Club Reunion Meeting. This was a special day for me; although I finished my 50 States last January, I had never formally received my trophy. Unless you can make it to one of the quarterly meetings, they just mail it to you.This was my chance to actually have it presented to me by the club's president, Tom Adair. This was the first marathon Tom has been able to travel to and run since he fell and fractured his pelvis on a glacier while running the Antarctica Marathon in March. He's fine now as according to him, the fractured bones were not any "really important" bones!About 50 club members attended the meeting, there were probably about 100, who ran the marathon.
After the meeting, we met more 50 State Club members and talked so long after the meeting that we missed the pasta dinner and ended up eating in the hotel restaurant. Pasta with veggies and a salad: my usual pre-marathon meal. It was fine.I got back to the my "motel" later than I planned and of course, as usual, went to bed too late....that is after downing a bottle of water to "hydrate" for the race and waking up every hour to use the bathroom.We were up at 4:45am, marathon morning. Lois had decided to walk to the start with a couple of the guys; Mark, Phil and I opted to drive to the finish and take the shuttle over to the start-maybe a mile or 2 away at the University of Oregon's, Hayward Field, which beginning June 27th, will be the scene of the Olympic Track and Field trials. Everything went very smoothly, even when we got to the starting line- the baggage check was easy to find and port-a-potty lines were not that bad. Of course, I wasn't at the start to get a good spot to line up; however I did find a break in the corral fence to sneak in-along with about 100 others!
The race begins in front of Hayward Field, travels around Amazon Park and the University of Oregon, then crosses the Willamette River 3 times, makes a loop through Alton Baker Park East and into neighboring Springfield. The return to Eugene follows along bike paths and at least 10 miles of very scenic trails along the river while taking you in and out of 6 parks! The finish line is at East Gate Tower in front of Autzen Stadium.I was very happy with the course, not many hills, beautiful scenery, a sprinkling of spectators and plenty of runners -but not too many!-around me to pace off. My only issue was with the temperature. I had expected it would be chilly in the morning, the race begins at 7am, however by mile 20 I was still wearing my throw away shirt! I should have planned to just wear a long sleeve shirt to begin with. I was not really comfortable with the brisk temps and cloudy skies--actually this is known as perfect marathon weather...I only wished I had an extra shirt or jacket on for it!Mark and Phil were not too happy with the course at all. Mark hates to run on concrete, and sure enough, most of the bike trails are concrete. At mile 16 he decided it wasn't his day and dropped out. This was really bad luck for him as he only needed this race-Oregon and Montana, to complete his 50 States 2nd time finish. Actually, in looking through my photos from the weekend I noticed Mark was wearing the race shirt on Saturday. Could he have fallen victim to "the curse of wearing the shirt before the race"?Unfortunately for Phil, he took a couple of wrong turns, lost the pack of runners he was following and added another hour and a half to his time getting back on course. Finally we met at the finish line. Mark drove us back to our hotel and quickly left to drive back for his flight out of Portland an hour away.
Phil and I spent the rest of the afternoon resting and relaxing with Lois. She had had run a good race and was very pleased with the marathon. At marathon number 280, she’s become an expert.We left for our flight back to LV from Eugene at about 6pm---enough time for a stop for a gelato at a downtown cafe.I definitely recommend this race for next year. See www.eugenemarathon.com for details.
AND check out www.eugenesaturdaymarket.org for more info on the Saturday Market.

January Was Not a Good Month for Marathons!

2008-03-18T08:13:00.000-07:00

Not for me anyway! You would think with two marathons on my schedule at least one would go well.
After struggling with a knee injury for several weeks, I had cut down on my training runs however I didn’t want to give up my marathons! I planned take it easy and keep my expectations low.
First up was P.F. Chang’s Rock and Roll Arizona on January 13th. Saturday morning, day before the race, I was up and out early for my 8am flight to Phoenix. Fortunately I was upgraded to 1st class and was able to catch up on at least an hour of sleep. Las Vegas to Phoenix is too short a flight!
10am - I arrived in Phoenix- yes, the hour flight takes 2! It's easy to forget the hour time difference this time of year.
I had planned to meet Michael Sullivan –another LVTC, LV Roadrunners and LVM21 club member. His flight arrived about the same time so I waited in baggage claim until his plane landed.
Michael arrived and we headed over to Hertz to pick up my rental car. For once I remembered to use my Hertz Gold number, so I was quite pleased with myself when I saw my name on the board and thought how quickly we'd be out and on our way.....that is until we were driving out and noticed the tire going flat. No problem we'll just get another car. The rental agent probably thought he was being nice by giving me an upgrade to an SUV, until I came back contract in hand and asked for yet another car. The SUV was too bus-like! A nice RAV4 bus, however the little steering wheel freaked me out!
Finally in car #3 we left the garage and drove about 5 minutes to the expo.
The expo was held in the convention center. Good thing, it was one of the biggest marathon expos I’ve ever been to and on Saturday afternoon, it was packed! They had a great selection of "Official" marathon shirts, jackets and souvenirs--although most things that I liked were sold out in my size. Just as well, I saved a little money. That is until I decided I needed the race poster with the artist's signature and a new magnet for the collection and a pin-for a future collection
We split up and walked around with the promise to meet in 45 minutes. No chance - it was so crowded you could hardly move!
About 2 hours later we made a much needed stop at Starbucks, then Michael and left Phoenix for Tempe. I left Michael off at his hotel and met my friend Kathy Kass, at our hotel-Hampton Inn Tempe. Kathy belongs to the 50 State Club as well as my team in NYC.
I had only decided to run RNR a few weeks before the race and hadn't really paid much attention to the logistics until about 2 weeks before the race.
At that time I discovered that there was no shuttle back from the finish line to the hotel. I thought it would be better to cancel the hotel we had booked at the start and find something close to finish-which is how I came up with Hampton Inn.
Certainly not the most posh hotel in town-however they offered a late (4pm!) check out and a shuttle directly from the hotel to the starting line. What a find, I thought-- until Kathy informed me that the shuttle to the start was full for their 615am departure, we would have to take the 515am. With a race start at 740am there was no way I wanted to do that-I planned to wake up at 5am! So we agreed to drive the mile to the finish line and take one of the race's shuttles.
After checking in to the hotel, we went over to PF Chang's- the race’s sponsor, for our "Pasta" dinner with a group of running friends. PF Chang’s had provided all of the runners with a $10 gift card for the restaurant and added coupons for free appetizers to our “goodie bags”.
The Chinese themed pasta dinner worked out fine for me. I ordered vegetable chow fun-which is just some noodles with veggies. Perfect replacement for pasta! We had a wonderful dinner and many tiny desserts, after which Kathy and I went for a drive to figure out where the shuttles would leave from and stock up on marathon supplies-bottled water, Power Bars, etc.
Sunday, Marathon Day!
After a not so restful sleep, we were up at 5am and out of the room at 6am to implement "Plan A"-“standing by” in the hotel lobby for the shuttle to the start. Hoping that someone would "no show" or they'd figure out a way to accommodate us on the 615am shuttle, we waited. If they weren't able to squeeze us in, we always had "Plan B" driving ourselves to the finish line and taking the shuttle provided by the race.
After a few anxious minutes, we did get on the shuttle and had a very hassle-free ride to the start. This is a point to point loop course; the starting line is about 10 miles from the finish-through traffic about 1/2 hour drive away.
We got to the start, saw the sun rise and waited in line for the port-a-potties a few times. There were many so there wasn't much wait time. It was chilly, probably 50 degrees (Sorry to those living in sub zero temps-what can I say? Living in Las Vegas has spoiled me!)
We milled around near the line of UPS trucks waiting to bring the checked bags to the finish line, until just a few minutes before the start. At the last minute I threw my jacket and pants into my gear bag, checked it and hurried to the starting line.
It didn't take more than a couple minutes to get from bag check to my corral 6. Very easy and hassle free race so far! I have to say I really didn't have much desire to run RNR AZ. It did RNR San Diego the second year they ran it and was not that impressed or excited about it as I see some runners are.
I really don't care for the this type of big corporate sponsored race and was only doing it as it's a short trip to Phoenix, Kathy and some other friends from the club would be there and if I do decide to go for completing the 50 states for a 2nd time--it would give me a "second Arizona”. Needless to say, I was very surprised to find this RNR race to be nearly "the Perfect race".
I would definitely recommend this race to anyone, no matter what pace they run. It was a fast course if you were looking for time and there was plenty of company for slower runners. The weather was good-no torrential rain, gale force winds or oppressive heat-in fact, it was actually great!
The water stations were plentiful and set up quite well. The volunteers were excellent-everyone ready and doing the jobs. The bands actually played songs you could recognize and the cheerleaders' energy was contagious!
So what happened to my race and my time?
I started out a little too slow but okay-early on I knew it would be a tough day. After weeks of minimal training due to my knee problem, what could I expect?
I was getting a bit bored and wishing I had someone to run with when I saw James, one of the fellows from the LVM21 Club.. We ran together and spoke for a couple of miles. He was doing a walk/run and seemed to really be picking up the pace on the run.
It became clear to me very soon that I was not going to be able to keep up with him. Oh well, I thought, I'll just take it easy, enjoy my run and listen to my tunes.
At mile 16 I encountered my worst nightmare-the battery in my MP3 player died.
Just like that- one moment I was happily singing along to Rihanna, the next sheer silence! Apparently when I had charged the rechargeable battery my computer was off! This was a cause of a similar mistake with my Garmin, a couple marathons back.
I tried to turn it off and on, hoping that it may come back on, but no luck. There I was 10 miles to go and no music-panic was about to set in. I tried to calm myself down and come up with a resourceful idea. I'd find someone to run with!
Well, at the pace I was running, the runners were more of the type that on another day in another race they may have been fast-but not today. Everyone seemed to be struggling....in silence. Not a conversational marathoner in sight!
UNTIL - up ahead I spotted a fellow running in the most uncomfortable and ridiculous looking costume that I'd see all day. Red tights and long sleeve shirt with yellow shorts and he was wearing antennae! I had noticed when I had been running near him earlier he was getting a lot of cheers and recognition from the crowd so I figured he must be purposely dressed like this as some sort of character that I was unfamiliar with.
I ran up next to him and asked him who he was supposed to be. “Chapulin Colorado”, he responded- a Mexican superhero! This explained why only the Spanish speaking spectators knew who he was!
Chapulin is actually a parody of a superhero. Know as the "Red Grasshopper"", he would unwittingly save the day by somehow bumbling up the situation and then take credit for the outcome.
We chatted and ran/walked the rest of the race. It turned out that Jorge was from Las Vegas, too! Of course, he had run the LV Marathon dressed as Elvis, so he had a lot of experience with dealing with the cheers and sayings from the crowds whether they recognized him or just laughed with him as they thought he was a bug!
It was so great to meet him-it really made the last few miles of the marathon go by not faster, but a lot more enjoyable! Maybe there is something to the USATF "no headphones" rule. I doubt that had I been listening to my music I would have met anyone and had an experience that, in spite of a slow time, turned out to be so much fun.
After the race, I met Kathy, walked around the grounds, paid a visit to the medical tent-just to ice my knee this time. We did some shopping at the Official Race Merchandise store and headed back to Las Vegas that night.
Two weeks later I was back on the road again! This time it was the ING Miami Marathon with two fellow LVTC members-Steffen Schneider and Phil Weiland.
If I thought R&R AZ was a tough race, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into in Florida! In addition to my lack of training I caught a cold the week before the race and been taking Sudafed, the most dehydrating over the counter medication available.
Needless to say the first half of the race went okay. In fact, if they hadn’t offered their amazing ‘Spinning Palm Tree” marathon medal-this year with a “diamond” center, I would have dropped down to the half. No way with this medal at stake-I planned to stick it out, no matter how miserable I felt.
Now keep in mind that this was only MY bad day. The weather was great-temps in the 60-70s, humidity was low and the sky was overcast. The course is completely flat, full of beautiful scenery, plentiful water stations and friendly spectators.
In fact, Phil was so energized that “mid-course” he switched from the half to the full marathon!
I had just finished the race, claimed my gear bag and was listening to the voicemail message he had left for me from mile 20, when he came across the finish line!! What a surprise!
Minutes after the race we checked out of our hotel, drove 2 miles to the Port of Miami set sail for a 5 day Caribbean cruise on NCL’s Norwegian Jewel with a group of friends and fellow runners. Not a bad way to end a month of not so successful marathons!

Fall Marathon Rundown

2008-03-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

As many of our club members know I recently completed running a marathon in all 50 States. So what’s next? I’m basically running a marathon a month, however choosing those marathons that offer something special.
This fall I was fortunate enough to run two of the most beautiful marathons, in September, one that I’ve always wanted to run, the Maui Marathon and in October- St. George, Utah. This was my third St. George, as it’s one of my favorites. Both are very different, however at the same time, very similar.
As they say, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder-so take your pick. Both boast beautiful scenery; one mountains and ocean, the other buttes, canyons and high desert.
From Las Vegas we are just two hours away from one of the world’s most spectacular marathons-St. George. The St. George Marathon is held every year on the first Saturday in October; however don’t wait until October to decide to run! Unless you’re a resident, you need to be a lottery winner to run this marathon! On line registration begins April 1, and stays open until May 1. A drawing is made shortly after, the results are announced a few days later and that’s it. The race is closed.
Who would have guessed that this small town race would be so popular? Probably no one, until Runner’s World magazine voted it one of the 10 most scenic marathons in the USA, as well as one of the fastest courses!
If you are looking for a PR or a Boston qualifying time, this is the race to run. With a drop in elevation from 5243 feet down to 2678, this a super fast course! Based on my unscientific study, I would say your St. George finish time will be about 20 minutes faster than your average marathon time.
Amazing as this may sound, do keep in mind that a drop in elevations does not mean all downhill. There are plenty of small, steep hills. Train for a downhill race, but don’t overlook the up hills. And before you even begin your training, make your hotel reservations even if you are just thinking that you may want to run- don’t wait until you’re accepted into the lottery. With 7000 runners coming into town, St. George will be booked solid.
If you are checking now and finding everything already sold out, don’t worry. One of my favorite hotels, The Rococo doesn’t even start taking reservations until August-three months prior to race day. The hotel itself is basically a motel. Rates run about $85 per night and they strictly enforce the two night minimum stay that all of the town’s hotels have agreed to. This hotel, however, has one unique feature that none of the newer, more posh hotels have-it’s perched on the bluff by the airport overlooking the entire city with a spectacular view.
On race day, buses leave from the finish line from 4am to 5:30am taking runners to the starting line up in the canyon. Be sure to wear something warm! Pre- dawn temps at 5000 feet plus can be chilly-30-40 degrees! The good news is the bonfires lighting up the night and keeping the runners warm.
Once the race gets started you’ll see the sunrise over the mountains and view spectacular rock formations as you run one of your fastest marathons. I’m not exaggerating, the average finish time this year was 4:11. With a cut off time of 6 hours this is not really a race for walkers or the undertrained.
If you’re not into a fast time and more into a vacation, the Maui Marathon may be your choice. In fact, if you’d like to do a destination marathon but hate training in the summer heat, Maui also offers a half marathon and even a 5k.
Currently ATA has a nonstop flight from Las Vegas to Maui at very affordable fares. Hotels and condos are plentiful, however this is one the world’s most popular resort areas so expect too many bargains! In fact, this is an ideal opportunity to plan early and use your frequent flyer miles, hotel points or time share exchange.
The Maui Marathon is run on the second Sunday in September. The race headquarters and finish line are located at the Maui Westin next to the Whaler Village in Kaanapali. You don’t necessarily need to stay at the Westin, however it would be easiest to stay in the area. Marathon morning buses depart from the finish line at 3:30am, two hours prior to race time to take runners across the island to the starting line near the airport.
With a 5:30am start you’ll be running through sugarcane fields as the sun rises over Haleakala, the island’s dormant volcano. The only uphill section of the race is the next few miles as you come around the West Maui Mountains and make your way along the cliffs overlooking the Pacific. Once you’ve passed through the tunnel, from mile 12 to 22 you’ll have amazing views of the neighbor islands Molokai and Lanai.
As for entertainment, at mile 17 you’ll hear and then see the Maui Taiko Drummers. At various other points on the course you’ll see “keiki” hula dancers.
From about mile 13 on the course is basically flat-in fact, if you opt to run the half, the entire course is flat!
At mile22, you’ll pass through the historic old whaling town of Lahaina, now a mecca for art galleries, shops and restaurants. And remember the course is only 10 to 100 feet from the ocean, so expect trade winds. The only real challenge I found was dealing with the humidity-especially coming from running in Nevada where there is none! And the sun-it is an island beach resort, so do plan that it may be sunny and warm-expect temps in the 80s!
In this race you won’t have to worry about speed. There is an 8 hour cut off time. The average finish time this year was 5 hours! The marathon usually gets about 3000 runners total-1000 for the marathon and 2000 for the half.
Whether you choose Utah or Hawaii either marathon will be a great tune up for our hometown Zappos Las Vegas Marathon in December. Happy running everyone! See you on the road!

“Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler”…Let the Good Times Roll at the Mardi Gras Marathon!

2008-03-18T08:09:00.000-07:00

My first visit to New Orleans and the Mardi Gras Marathon was two years ago, shortly after Hurricane Katrina. In those weeks after the storm it was unclear as to whether or not they would even be able to hold the marathon so once it was announced that the marathon would go on I decided the best way for me as a runner to show my support for the city was to be there at the starting line.
The city put its best foot forward that day despite the loss and devastation they had seen just a few months before. The field was much smaller than past years, however the friendliness and enthusiasm for the event was great.
In a city that depends on tourism it was clear there was still a long road ahead in order to get back to normal. Many of the hotels were still closed or housing evacuees. Businesses were boarded up waiting inspections that would verify that their buildings were sound. Restaurant menus highlighted “Help Wanted” in bold print; the food took second billing.
This year, I was back again and I do have to say that things have improved a lot. The hotels are bustling, the shops and restaurants are thriving and the tourists are back on Bourbon Street, partying day and night.
I arrived on Saturday morning from an overnight red-eye flight and was able to get an early check-in. Once again I decided to stay at the Intercontinental, the same hotel where I stayed two years ago. It was close to the French Quarter and just a short walk from the Superdome- the start and finish line for the marathon. I thought I had scored a good rate until I heard that my friend, Mark, had booked through Hotwire, a discount travel web site, and paid just $84.00-a steal for a 4 star hotel!
I freshened up and headed over to the expo. This year it was held at the Hilton Riverwalk and it was much bigger than last time! I picked up my number and bumped into a friend from NYC, then met another friend, James from Texas and set out to explore the French Quarter.
James had arrived two days before which was a much better plan for enjoying the city and running the marathon than the day before like I had. Those extra days give you a chance to enjoy the Cajun and Creole cuisine New Orleans is noted for; drink-the bars never seem to close, and stay up late enough to enjoy the live music found in nearly every club in town!
Actually, you don’t need to go very far to enjoy the local entertainment, as we walked near Jackson Square a wedding party complete with a jazz band came dancing out of a restaurant and closed down the street. Guests waved white handkerchiefs as the couple danced their traditional wedding dance.
Earlier in the day, James came across a jazz funeral!
The French Quarter was filled with musicians, artists and mule drawn buggies. The shops and cafes were doing a brisk business, in fact the wait at the famous Café du Monde, was so long that we had to leave for our pasta dinner before we even had a chance to order our café au lait and beignets!
I’m not even sure if the marathon offered a pasta dinner, however we had enough runners in our group to put together our own. The venue for our dinner was Tony Moran’s located in the Old Absinthe House on Bourbon Street. The group consisted of friends from my club in NYC, the 50 State Club and the LVM21 Club-the message board club for the Las Vegas Marathon. These runners get around! Aside from Las Vegas, we had runners from Texas, Washington, New York and Arizona.
After a great dinner, I unfortunately had to skip the Saturday night fun to get a good night’s rest before the marathon---I can’t speak for the rest of the group, as I did see a few late arrivals at the starting line!
Sunday morning came quickly; next thing I knew we were at the Superdome waiting for the gun to go off. It seemed like a big crowd and why wouldn’t it be? With mild temperatures and a nearly flat course (there is one overpass), what more could anyone ask for in a marathon? If you’ve done your training, it’s almost a guaranteed PR.
This year for the first time, runners had the opportunity to run down Bourbon Street—nearly the equivalent of running on the Strip in Vegas! At 7am, you can still smell the beer and actually see some of the late night revelers trying to figure out what is going on.
Another big change: this year the course was reversed! After you passed Bourbon Street, the first big loop was around Audubon Park. It was an out and back past some very old stately homes along St. Charles-famous for the streetcar line.
One interesting note about the Mardi Gras Marathon is that it is not held during Mardi Gras, the celebration is in full swing for the two weeks before “Fat Tuesday”- the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. Check your events calendar carefully when making plans to run here as the marathon can be either before or after depending on how early Easter falls.
Surprisingly, you’ll find this a benefit-the hotels are plentiful and not nearly as pricey as they would be during Mardi Gras, plus there are less temptations to overindulge as you would have during those weeks of constant partying!
Even a few weeks after the craziness, there were still a few Mardi Gras reminders on the course-hundreds of strands of beads hung from the bare tree branches! And as we came out of the park we were greeted by a cheering “king” still in his parade gear!
As you head back toward the Superdome, if you’ve opted to run the Half Marathon, you’ll be entering the final miles. If not, you’re halfway home.
In this half of the race, you’ll see more of the flood damage you’ve heard about. It’s interesting to see how many homes have been renovated, however next to a beautiful, freshly painted house you’ll see a house next door still sadly in a state of severe disrepair.
Over the next miles you’ll hit the one “hill” on the course at mile 18. You’ll be offered beer and Margaritas by a group of Hashers in red dresses. AND finally, after an out and back through City Park; the Superdome will come into view and you’ll be back at the finish line!
No matter how late you finish; no worry! The post-race food is plentiful-rice and beans, Subway sandwiches, Mardi Gras “King” cake as well as fruit abound!
As the city gets back on it’s feet, I believe the marathon will continue to grow and probably exceed it’s past popularity to become one of the top “destination marathons”. After all, this was their 44th year and in spite of major setbacks, they are still running strong!

RUNSFM '07

2007-08-10T02:38:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting a little report together on the San Francisco Marathon!
First of all congratulations to Richard! You're making all of you running accomplishments look so effortless, it's easy to forget that you've only been racing a year! Good job!! Something to remember for next time- this was not an easy marathon for a first time out.

In fact, my friend Laurie, who ran her 130something marathon that day, said she had a tough race. Laurie competes in Ironman and has won 10 marathons, so if she thinks a race is difficult – she knows what she’s talking about.
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Anyway, with no friends to travel with from Las Vegas (the usual suspects are injured and over-raced) I took an hour and half flight out of LV Saturday morning and arrived about shortly before noon.

(Me saying good bye to Sunny at McCarran.)

Laurie was flying up from San Diego. We met at SFO and took the Bart into the city. This was my 4th time running the marathon, plus I'd been to SF several other times; however I had never taken the train before.
After living in NYC for about 10 years, I've taken enough public transportation, however not wanting to seem like a "princess", I went along with the train idea without any objection.
I do have to say it was easy, fairly fast-about 30 minutes to downtown, very cheap and best of all dropped us outside of our hotel, the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero.

Without a doubt, the Hyatt is one of the best places to stay for the marathon.
The expo is outside on the Plaza, the start and finish lines were just a block or so away. Even better, I had booked very early and got a travel agent discount (something that is seldom available in any city during a big marathon weekend).

After we checked in, we went to the expo. Packet pick up was in a building across the street from the hotel and the expo just downstairs.

It was great. Lots of good speakers-Dean Karnazes was one. Unfortunately, I hadn't checked the schedule so we were too late to see him.
There was quite a bit of shopping. After vowing to myself, that I wasn't going to buy anything....$80 later, I was stocked up on Power Gel and Gu, new sunglasses and replacement socks (the puppy seems to have a sock fetish and either chews or runs off with my running socks leaving me a drawer full of unmatched socks!)

After the expo, I went back to the hotel and hung out while Laurie went to church. When she got back, we decided to do the Pasta Dinner held in one of the hotel's restaurants. Granted San Francisco has great restaurants, so there are probably hundreds of better choices, however this worked out fine as it was just the 2 of us and this was very convenient.

After dinner I just watched a movie and went to sleep fairly early.

SUNDAY morning, with 2 wake up calls ordered, a clock radio and a cell phone set to go off at 430am, I found myself up at 415am.

[
San Francisco has a "wave" start-the fastest runners are out at 530am, and then each wave starts every 5 minutes after that up to I believe 615am. Your wave placement is based on your predicted finish time, I had signed up for 4:15 so I didn't start until 6:10am.
Laurie’s start was about a half hour before mine, so she was up and out before 5:30am.

This left me time (too much time actually!) to recharge the batteries in my camera and MP3 player, plus try on a few outfits that I thought might be more comfortable, warmer or cooler than what I planned to wear. I finally decided to wear what I have picked out the week before.
About 5:50am I realized that maybe I should be getting to the start...
this sounds later, however is worked out fine-- from my room on the 2nd floor to the street was about a minute, the baggage check was right in front of me and the start a block away. In fact as I was dropping my bag, I saw the 6:05am runners take off.

When the gun went off, I noticed the 4:15 pace group right in front of me. I looked through the crowd however I didn’t see Richard or anyone else I knew. I remembered that we were in the same wave however I imagined that he had sped ahead when the gun went off.
I have to mention that I was not a fan of this "wave" start, I really didn't see that it was necessary (SF is nowhere near the size of NYC or Chicago), however I did find that it did work well and kept things organized. Back in May when I race the ING Georgia marathon, it had taken me over 14 minutes to get to the start here it was a mere 90 seconds.

My goal was 4 -4:15. Knowing that I always go out too fast and fall off the pace, I decided to keep ahead of the 4:15 group as long as I could. Who knew, it could have been a good day? As I passed the group, a tall, yellow shirted figure came in to view. At about 6'5” in a LVM21 shirt with red shorts it could only be Michael. We chatted for a few minutes. When he told me that Richard was BEHIND us, I was a bit surprised. I guess that I shouldn’t have been as sticking with the group probably would have been the best move for all of us!
As I moved ahead, I could hear the fellow Michael was running with ask him about the Las Vegas marathon!

Next thing I knew, Richard was aside of me. I was so happy to see him! I had a feeling that even though we hadn’t made a plan, we’d meet up.

The first couple miles are along the water and by Fisherman’s wharf. All fairly flat. You really don’t encounter any for the hills until about the fourth or fifth mile.
Somewhere at that point, I lost Richard in a water station-he stopped to walk and I just grabbed my water and kept running.

For the first half of the race, I kept my MP3 player off. The crowd and the scenery were entertaining enough! I listened to conversations around me, heard the spectators cheering and even birds singing! As much as I love my music, it’s nice to take a break once in a while.

We got to the Golden Gate Bridge at mile 5. It seemed like most of the runners really enjoyed this part of the race. I found it hectic! One side of the road was open to traffic and the other was out and back runner. Very crowded and due to the mist and drizzle-slippery! Plus the distance is much longer than I thought – mile 7 and 8 are on the other side.

I was mid-bridge when I heard someone mention my name. Actually, it was more like “Martha, Get out of my way!” Who could this charming person be? Michael again. He said hello and took off! He looked so strong ass he passed everyone.

After the bridge came the Golden Gate Park. Sadly at this point my hamstrings started to cramp. One would think that running in weather fifty degrees cooler than you’re typically running in would be easy. “Refreshing” to remember Angie’s description of running in 40 degree, drizzle---no not at all. I completely blame the dampness and chill for messing up my hamstrings and blowing my chance for a good time.

At mile eleven, the 4:15 group passed me. Trying not to get too depressed, I convinced myself that it was okay—just because the group went on didn’t mean that I couldn’t have a 4:16 or 4:17 on my own.

At the halfway point, Richard reappeared. He looked strong too and quickly passed me. Hills and more hills is all the entire park is made up of! Actually, it is very beautiful—much “woodsier” than Central Park in NYC.

In most marathons where they also have a half, I’m subconsciously waiting for the half marathoners to finish. In my mind, that’s when the marathon really begins.
No such luck with that approach in San Francisco! As the half marathon veered off to their finish line, I happened to glance over to the other side and saw an entire field of runners waiting for their “2nd Half Marathon” to start!

A unique feature of the San Francisco Half Marathon is that you have choice of running the first half or the second half. A bit complicated system, however they pull it off like clockwork! They end route them away for them the marathon runners for the first couple of miles.

Once out of the park, we hit Haight Street. The Haight came to fame with the hippy movement back in the 70’s. Not much has changed since; as you look around you‘d think you’d stepped back in time. This Sunday, I hardly noticed – all I could see was more hills. AND as if the up hills weren’t enough, the down hills are so steep they’re just as difficult to run.

I decided at this point, my up hill running was slower and more uncomfortable than walking. I start to alternate, walking mostly up hill. At roughly mile 20, I noticed another gal running near me, so I struck up an “on and off” conversation with her. On and off meaning we’d talk, one of us would stop, one would go on and we’d keep meeting. This worked out great---I had some motivation and got myself back into the race.

About mile 22, I catch up to Richard. We talk and run a couple miles together. He wasn’t looking too good, so I tried to keep his spirits up and say something encouraging. When I heard his account of what I said, it came off rather bitchy. Oh well, hopefully he’s a follower of “tough love”!

With just two FLAT miles left to go, Lynda-the gal from mile 20, said to me, “We can still break 4:30.”, I look at my watch and am totally confused by the time. I guess along with my hamstrings, I’ve lost my mathematics skills! I then realized that she’s right.
A sub-4:30-finish time would put me into my “acceptable” time range; so I decided to go for it.
Suddenly, I felt better than I had all day. So I took off. I thought Richard and Lynda had followed however when I turned around they were not in sight.
I just kept running, amazingly the time for my last mile was my fastest of the second half.

I waited at the finish line for Lynda and Richard. I congratulated both of them, took some photos and checked out the post race food. It looked as though they had a lot, however when you looked at each item, most were not that appetizing!

It was there again I spotted Michael. Surprisingly, he had finished behind Richard and me—although I guess it wouldn’t be too much of a shocker as he claimed that this was his ONLY long run.

I hung around the finish line a bit longer, then headed back to the hotel, to check out and set off for an adventure in “finding something to do until my flight”.

The medal had a great picture of the sea lions from Pier 39.

I decided to pay tribute to them and visit.

Pier 39 is no longer a working pier! The sea lions have kicked out all of the boats and have taken over. The pier itself is basically a mall and food court.

After about an hour, of walking around, I took the street car back to the hotel, grabbed my luggage and headed back to the airport via BART.

Ond of the Wyland Whale Walls across from Pier 39

I would rate San Francisco as the premier marathon of the summer. Nothing else comes close.
Yes, even with the hills!

San Juan Islands Marathon....June 3, 2007

2007-06-12T00:55:00.000-07:00

Do you like to view beautiful scenery while you’re running?
How do you feel about running solo?
Are the hills your “friends”???
These are some of the questions you should ask yourself before deciding to run the San Juan Island Marathon.
First of all, who doesn’t enjoy scenery! The San Juan Islands are noted for spectacular scenery.
Second, it is a very small race; only 75 finishers in the marathon this year. You may find you’re out there on the course by yourself.
AND- be prepared for a roller coaster ride. There isn’t one mile of the island that’s flat.

How did I choose to run the SJI Marathon? It all started when The Other Jeff and Bendare2, aka Matt, decided to go for Ruthenium level in the Marathon Maniacs. For Jeff it would be an upgrade and for Matt, he didn’t want to even join until he met the 5 Star, qualification criteria by running 3 marathons in 3 different states within 9days. In this case it turned into a Double, Double: 2 marathons in 2 weekends. They decided to add a 4th marathon for fun.
I had been considering running the Rock and Roll Marathon in San Diego that same weekend, so when Jeff suggested that I run at least one of the marathons that they were running, I decided on SJI. After completing my 50 state marathon quest and running over 100 marathons, I’ve decided to repeat my favorites and find new interesting marathons to run.

The San Juan Islands would certainly prove to be an interesting choice! First of all, it seemed to me that no one knows where they are. Nearly everyone I mentioned the Islands to thought I was going to run in Puerto Rico! Wrong San Juan—the San Juan Islands are located in Northwestern Washington State. You get there by flying into Seattle and then taking a 45 minute flight on small puddle jumper from Boeing Airfield; or (as we did) you drive 2 hours from Seattle to Anacortes and take an hour long ferry ride to Friday Harbor, the quaint old fishing village-now a tourist haven of shops, galleries and restaurants.
I knew I’d enjoy seeing a new sights and getting away from the already 100 degree plus temperatures in Las Vegas. Most of all as the San Juans are home base to about 90 Orca Killer Whales. I was looking forward to going out on a whale watching trip.
I enlisted what I call the “A” Team, my traveling companions, Phil and Steffen and we were ready to go.
Phil decided that he would be happy running the half (he must have already researched the course, and knew better). Steffen decided to come along anyway, even though he’s been unable to run for at least a month, due to a knee injury.

Day 1: Our flight wasn’t scheduled until 9pm on Friday night, so why was I stressed out and rushing around at 3pm? I’m always late, that’s why. Classic over planning is usually my downfall. I had packed almost everything the day before so I would be ready early however a “nail emergency” sent me on an emergency stop at the nail salon before we headed out to the airport.
With my smudged nail repaired completed and a pedicure, we stopped to pick up Phil on our way to the airport.
We arrived in plenty of time so we leisurely strolled to the gate, which meant we were some of the last people to board.
I knew we were on a small plane, however when I planned taking a nap on the 2 hour flight, I had no idea how cramped and uncomfortable it would be! As a frequent flyer, I’m usually upgraded on all of my flights. Unless I’m exhausted, it’s doubtful I’m going to be able to sleep on a small plane!
No problem, we arrived in Seattle before midnight and were at our hotel, the Embassy Suites before midnight. This was important as the next morning we needed to be up as early as possible to make the 9:35am ferry from Anacortes, a 2 hour drive away!

Day 2: We were up at dawn; however we weren’t ready to leave until about 7am. Free breakfast delayed our early departure. You see Embassy Suites offers a cooked to serve breakfast which Steffen and Phil couldn’t resist. I, however, don’t like to eat that early so I planned to take some fruit, muffins and coffee from the buffet. Apparently, the cover wasn’t quite secured on the coffee cup-I must have squeezed it and as it wasn’t a sturdy Starbucks cup, the top went flying off and the entire cup of coffee ended up on my pants.
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Needless to say, spilling boiling, hot coffee on your leg will cause a burn. Plus it hurts!! I was so embarrassed that I quickly mopped it up and dashed upstairs to change clothes.
I had another 3 or 4 pants to choose from; I quickly changed and we were finally on our way.

It was about an hour and a half drive from Seattle to the ferry. We somehow made it without getting lost and plenty of time to spare.
Even though they tell you that it’s not necessary to bring a car on the island, we decided we wanted explore, so we drove into line and waited. It was a chilly morning; we needed jackets as we stood outside of the car and waited. I struck up a conversation with a guy in a truck parked next to us. He was working on a construction project on the island and had brought his 2 daughters and 4 dogs along to keep him company.

Finally we got to drive on to the ferry. We parked and went upstairs and sat in the passenger area, for the hour long trip. I chatted with a nurse who was sitting across from us. She told me she commuted back and forth a couple of times a week. We talked about the island and her life therefore the last 20 years. She was very informative and gave me a lot of insight into what island life was like in the San Juans.

]

Once we were close to shore, an announcement was made for the passengers to return to their cars. Minutes later we were driving off ferry and our way to the marathon’s host hotel, the Best Western Friday Harbor.

The hotel was on the edge of town, just a few blocks from the ferry. We checked in and decided to make our first stop the marathon expo.

Packet pick-up and the expo are located about a 3 minute drive away at the fairgrounds. In the summer this is the site of the County Fair, it consists of a horse ring, and a couple of exhibition halls, probably busy and bustling when in use, however not this day.

There were a few vendors selling running gear and food, and a local doctor doing a gait analysis.

Phil and I picked up our numbers and shirts, as well as Jodie’s, our friend from the LVM21 club. She planned to come from her home outside of Seattle on Sunday morning. I had to laugh, hoping that I had her last name right! Not to worry, I found the right Jodie!

Next stop was lunch, which we ate outside on the terrace facing the harbor at the Downrigger. We then took off on a driving tour of the course.

First thing I noticed were the hills. After those hills, there were more hills and yet, even more hills. It seemed that there wasn’t one part of the course that was flat.

We turned at the corner where the half marathon and the full, divided. We followed the road a little further than the marathon turn around point and found ourselves at the Lime Kiln Lighthouse .park. We stopped and took a look around the area.
We followed a path down toward the water and found the lighthouse and the whale watching lookout point.

We were only there for a few minutes when we saw a group of kayaks following a pod of whales! Perfect timing! We got to see maybe 5 or 6 whale as they breached—jumped up in the air and surfaced as they swam past us.
After they went on their way, I noticed the lighthouse was open and went inside to speak to the naturist on duty. He informed me that out of the 3 pods that frequent this area, there was only one in residence at this time-J Pod. And what we had witnessed was one of the most famous of the whales they are tracking, Ruffles- a 50 year old male, with a distinctive wavy fin, thus the name!

We got back in the car and continued with our course tour. Still beautiful scenery, however, more and more hills. It was getting late so we made a quick stop for some groceries, and returned to the hotel to get ready for the pasta dinner.
Matt, Jeff and his wife, Linda had finally arrived. The 2 guys had run the Green River marathon earlier that day and had traveled directly from the finish line of that marathon to the packet pick-up of their next race tomorrow, an unbelievable schedule!
I called and asked if they wanted to join us for pasta, they said no and decided to eat at the hotel restaurant.
It was a short drive back downtown to the Grange Hall for the pasta dinner. Actually, it looked like things were winding down when we arrived, however they were happy to serve us –Caesar salad and spaghetti with either marinara or meat sauce. Beverages- either water, my choice or Alaskan Ale, which Phil was game for.

To my horror, Steffen sat down at a table with a couple and their mom/mom-in-law. It appeared to me that they were not experience runners or pasta dinner goers and probably though we were incredibly rude. I later found out it was the husbands 1st race and the wife had run one half a long time ago. It was his mom, visiting from California and they weren’t so bothered that we had interrupted their evening once we got talking to them.

After dinner, we went back to the hotel and met up with the 2 guys and Linda, who having just finished dinner were still sitting out on the patio. We sat and chatted for hours! Jeff and Matt were so funny as they told us their tales of their Double, Double adventure.

Steffen and Phil had long left for bed when I finally was too cold to sit out any longer and went in.
With an 8:30am start, I was hoping to sleep a bit later in the morning. And also with no rooms, other than a one bedroom suite with only 2 beds for 3 people, I had a not so comfy night’s sleep on an air mattress to look forward to. Needless, to say, it was not my best night of sleep ever and the 5:30am “way too early wake up call” came much too soon!

Day 3: Marathon Day!!!
As I mentioned, I was woken up an hour before I had planned. Going back to sleep was impossible so I decided to just get up, take it slow and start to get ready. Steffen and Phil went out to breakfast; I ate my usual pre-race half of Power Bar.
Jodie called from the ferry. She had taken her car aboard so she planned to drive to our hotel then follow us to the starting line.
The guys came back from breakfast and I informed Steffen that we had to wait for Jodie. He seemed a little annoyed, since he couldn’t run; he had made plans to direct traffic.
It was only a couple of minutes later when Jodie arrived. She seemed much tinier than I had remembered her. I knew that she had gotten very serious about her training lately and it showed.

We took some photos; then left for the race. We had about a half hour until starting time at this point.

Once we got to the fairgrounds, Steffen took off in a truck with the race director and we walked around for a few minutes until it was time to take our places at the start. It wasn’t until then that I saw Matt and Jeff. They were lined up parallel to us on the other side of the pack. We went over to them, said hello (they hadn’t met Jodie before) and discussed our race strategy.
Matt and Jeff told us they planned to run a 4:45. I really had hoped to do better than that so I made the decision not to run with them. I’d go it alone; that is until the marathon and the half split; until then I could run the first 6 or 7 miles with Jodie. Knowing how fast the fellows are and my usual go out fast and try to hang on strategy, they would probably catch up to me soon enough..

The gun went off and we started to run. My impression of the first mile was “Oh, no! They’re starting already!” The hills that is! From the first mile on, it was nothing but hill after hill after hill.
Jodie and I were chatting, for the first couple of miles, even though I was having some trouble catching my breath. Aside from the hills it was actually more humid than I had expected, and it was quite sunny with very little shade. Jodie seemed to be running along quite easily as were most of the half marathon runners around us. I ended up walking on most of the steep hills and I was thrilled when we stopped at a water station and Jodie took a minute to take some photos.

It was actually a good thing that I ran those first miles with Jodie; she pushed me much more than I would have on my own. When the split came at about mile 6, in a way I was sorry, as it was nice to have her company and in another way I was relieved it could take it easier! Actually, I’ve run quite a few marathons where the half and the full start out together—somehow in my mind the race really doesn’t begin until those half marathoners are out of the way!
As we had driven the course the day before so I knew this windy road leading down to the lighthouse park was about the most scenic part of the course.
The road was very curvy and as there is no shoulder or sidewalk, you basically had to run in the street. This really was not a problem as the traffic consisted of one car every 5 minutes or so, however I was a bit worried, as I realized that a drivers probably wouldn’t see a runner until it was too late. Not wanting to be splattered on the highway, I finally asked the one other runner who was near me which side of the road he thought we should be running on. “Into traffic” was my thought and his answer, although we were actually running on the opposite side. Go figure! Although, I was sure I could see the newspaper headline from the next day, luckily, no one was splattered.

At the top of the hill, on the very first curve, the most beautiful vista of the Strait came into view. Unfortunately, there was also a dead raccoon. As a big animal lover, I turned my head away as soon as I got a glimpse of it, and tried to focus on the water and the trees. I looked up and I saw what I believed to be a bald eagle soaring above. At least I think it was an eagle. I know they nest nearby however it could have been a crow for all I knew; I’m not very knowledgeable about birds. Anyway, I’d like to think it was an eagle.
As we ran through the woods, the course became very dark and shady. I ran downhill toward the turn around, I saw many of the fast runners coming up the hill. This was really the only part of the course where you saw other runners.
I finally got to the turnaround and was making my way back up the hill when I saw Matt and Jeff. The must have been about a mile behind me. Jeff stopped and took a photo of me and Matt and they continued on their way and I continued on mind, worried that I was falling behind and they would soon be passing me!

It seemed like this stretch of the course went on much longer than it had on the way out. I was counting the miles and calculating how long it would be until I saw the dead raccoon again and got to the “port-a-pottie” where the half and full split off.
Once I finally got there, I made a pit stop, even though it wasn’t necessary. A tiny anorexic looking gal who had been in front of me for the last few miles had stopped too, so we exchanged a few encouraging words.
I continued on the course and to my surprise came up behind a number of half marathon WALKERS. It was nice, at least to see some other humans! I greeted each of them as I “flew” past them at my speedy 11 minute pace!

The hills kept coming and I soon felt myself adjusting my running and walking so at least I didn’t complain (to myself) on each one! For someone in great shape and used to running hills, this would have been a fun marathon. I had an idea what I was in for, however I had purposely NOT looked at the elevation map.
http://www.sanjuanislandmarathon.com/documents/SJIMarathonprofile.pdf
The course turned past the airport, field with a landing strip and a few planes parked around it. I knew this was where the final 6 mile loop of the marathon course would begin.

This was the only part of the course we hadn’t driven; I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought I heard someone call out that the next 5 miles were flat-apparently I heard wrong. Again, more hills. Beautiful scenery, but all hills. At this point in the race there was only one other runner in view about ½ mile ahead of me. I couldn’t see anyone behind me and tried to imagine where the guys were as I still expected to see them.

What I didn’t expect to see was Steffen on a bike! I was listening to my MP3 player and into my “zone” when a cyclist came up behind me and said something. It took me more than a moment to register it was Steffen.

He had decided to rent a bike and take a tour of the marathon course on his own. He told me he had just seen Matt and Jeff. They were about a mile and half behind me. Matt was limping and thought he had a stress fracture in his foot.
Steffen biking along side of me was a great idea. I really appreciated the company. Those last 3 miles passed quickly as we chatted and I actually passed a few guys who were in very bad shape and walking.
Finally, I made it to the finish line! A pokey 4:40, however, 1st in my age group! (We won’t mention that there were only 2!)

Again, I was surprised to see Jodie and Phil waiting. They had both finished the half about 2 hours before! We waited with Linda for the 2 guys, who followed about 10 minutes later,

They did have quite a bit of food at the finish line for such a small race. I was more thirsty than hungry so I opted for some Gatorade and M&Ms, and decided to wait to eat later. We had lunch plans for the awards ceremony later in the afternoon at Friday’s Crab House.
We went back to the hotel, changed and went off to the Award Ceremony. They made a nice presentation, however no awards! Not a trophy, a ribbon or a plaque. The finisher’s medal was a sort of an “art project looking” round orange ceramic, with a map of the island and 26.2 written next to it. They intended for it to be worn as jewelry!

After lunch, Jodie, Matt , Linda and Jeff all left on the ferry that afternoon. Steffen, Phil and I were booked on a sunset whale watching cruise later that afternoon.

We went back to the hotel and quickly changed rooms. Thankfully, they were able to get us a 2 bedroom suite for Sunday night.
We picked up warmer clothes and headed back to the dock. We were the last to board of the twenty or so people sailing. After a short briefing by the captain and the naturalist, Margot, we set sail.

It was much colder and windier than I thought it would be. Fortunately, we had an inside cabin with plenty of windows so we could take in the view in comfort.
And view we did! We must have seen at least a dozen Orcas from the pod we saw the day before at the lighthouse. These whales are amazing. I couldn’t believe how much information there is on this particular pod. Each whale has a name and is identified by a marking or characteristic. As we watched them breaching and tail slapping, Margot pointed each one by name and bio. I guess if you saw these same whales going past everyday, it would be a sight as familiar as your neighbor out walking their dog!

As the whales gathered together and went into their “sleep mode” our boat turned around and headed for shore.

I have to say this was one the best highlights of our trip. I’ve been whale watching before; however I have never seen such a great show! I strongly recommend this trip to anyone who has a chance to take it. Keep in mind, the San Juan Islands are an easy day trip from Seattle-you can sail from the harbor in the morning and be back that same evening.
Back in Friday Harbor, we went returned to the Downrigger for dinner and back to the hotel for an early evening. It had been a very long day!

Day 4: I tried to sleep in however I was still up about 7am. That was okay as I had some work to do from my office. The hotel does a complimentary breakfast, so stopped in the breakfast room for a leisurely breakfast.
Long gone was yesterday’s beautiful weather! It was cold and rainy. We took our time getting ready and stopped off in town for some last minute shopping before boarding the 1:40pm ferry.

We arrived in Anacortes about 3pm, drove to Seattle and planned to do some sightseeing at Pike’s Market, which is somewhat of cross between San Francisco’s Pier 39 and an actual fish market. Our visit was rather abbreviated as it was just about 6pm, closing time, when we arrived.

We did stop off in an Irish pub for dinner and then returned to the airport for our “very-delayed” flight back to Las Vegas.
The San Juan Islands proved to be a great weekend “escape” from the summer heat of Las Vegas, a fabulous sightseeing adventure and a beautiful course for a 26.2 mile hill workout!

2007-04-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

One Birthday Boy, A Bad Knee and 103 Marathons:
“My” ING Georgia Marathon
By Martha Corazzini

I first heard of the ING Georgia Marathon last fall. I immediately penciled it in on my marathon calendar. A brand new marathon- how exciting!. In fact, back in October, when we ran the Twin Cities marathon we met some runners from Atlanta, and I very excitedly told them how we’d be in their city in a few months.

So…with all of this anticipation and early planning, how did we end up needing special permission from the race director to Fedex our entry forms after registration closed?
Just goes to show you to pay attention when you’re running an inaugural race—don’t procrastinate. Sign up early. It may seem like you have all the time in the world to get your entry in, however when it’s capped at certain number and the race meets their maximum early-they’re serious! This turned out to be a very popular spring marathon! The only other marathon actually in Atlanta is held on Thanksgiving Day—not really a day most people can run a marathon and it’s known to be a very hilly course.

We left Las Vegas on a red-eye flight the Friday night before the race. Our group, consisted of myself and LVTC members Phil Weiland and Steffen Schneider. After running the LA marathon a couple weeks before, Phil, who was celebrating his 72nd birthday on Saturday, had opted to run the half marathon. He was also scheduled to run the Laughlin Half the following week. Steffen, suffering from a knee injury for the last few weeks, decided not to run however he came along for the ride anyway.

My friend, Kathy Kass was flying in from NYC on Saturday morning to meet us. She is a member of my team in NYC, the Flyers and having just completed her 10th state, a new member of the 50 State Club.

Of course, you can’t go to any marathon without running into several 50 State club members, we also met. Edson Sanches, also from NYC, who’s run over 400 marathons and Sharon Kerson from LA, who last year became the 2nd woman to complete a marathon in all of the states for the 3rd time. She’s also a LA Marathon Legacy runner-meaning she’s completed the LA marathon every year it’s been held.

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Our flight landed in Atlanta before dawn. With plenty of time to spare we took the Marta train from the airport to the hotel. Marta. is the name of Atlanta’s metropolitan transportation system which actually turned out to be a very efficient and easy way to get around. (I hoped they would give me a discount for having the same name, but no luck)
.
It wasn’t even 8am when we arrived at our hotel, the Omni at CNN Center. If you have ever arrived early at a hotel, you probably know, universally, check-in is not until 3pm. I hoped that we would be able to check in early however not such luck as the hotel was sold out the night before. There’s a huge food court in the CNN complex, so we lingered over breakfast then went back to the hotel and caught a nap on some couches in the hotel lobby until Kathy arrived and it was finally time to go to the expo.

The expo was only a few minutes from the hotel. As we walked over from our hotel the first thing I noticed was how sunny and warm it was—bad news the day before a marathon!

Second, was the line of runners waiting to get into the expo—it stretched around the building! We joined in and resigned ourselves to a long wait when a race official came through and asked who was running the full marathon. About 3 of us stepped out of line and she escorted us past the rest of the crowd of HALF marathoners. Is it 1 to 50 running the marathon?? I thought. Turned out the Half had about 10,000 runners and the full about 4000.

The expo itself was great. It was all very well organized so we sailed through packet pick up. There was a great variety of vendors-from running clothes and socks with funny sayings on them to all sorts of nutritional breakthroughs and devices to prevent injury. I even found one company that made marathon clothes for dogs! Of course, I bought 2 doggie marathon shirts for my guys.

AND as a reality show junkie, I was excited to see Dawna Stone, the winner of the Martha Stewart Apprentice, who was there promoting the magazine she founded- Her Sports and Fitness. After hours of expo sampling and shopping, we made it back to the hotel just in time to leave for dinner.

After about 100 pre-race pasta dinners, I’ve found that any and all of the Italian restaurants will be packed the night before a marathon. With no organized pasta dinner provided by the race, I decided that we had better make reservations for Saturday night before we got into town, or we would be out of luck. After a bit of research we found that Maggiano’s in Buckhead would be perfect. Although, somehow our group went from a party of 4 to 6 and then to 10, the restaurant just kept moving our reservation to an earlier time.

Two more 50 Staters joined our group, Debbie from Arizona and Chuck, from North Dakota. We also had “Klink”, a member of the LVM21 club from Omaha and her friend Laurie who recently moved to Georgia. The LVM21 club was formed last year through the Las Vegas Marathon message board. “Klink” is actually her board name-she’s really another Kathy. Even though the main focus of the club is the NLVM, we’ve been able to meet many of the club members throughout the country at different events throughout the year. It’s a great, friendly and supportive club. Check out the web site for more info-www.lvm21.com.

As it turned out, Maggiano’s certainly would not disappoint any serious carbo loader--.a small portion is half a pound of pasta!
After a great a dinner we headed back downtown via Marta and made a stop at Underground Atlanta, a popular dining, shopping and entertainment venue, however with a 7am race start, Saturday night ended rather early.

We did get a chance to walk by the race starting line to plot out our route for the morning.
It was only a few blocks from the hotel.
Race Day Morning- First thing Kathy and I did when we woke up was to make a bet as to whether or not Steffen would run. Actually, we couldn’t even bet against each other as we both thought he’d try.. Even though he had the bad knee and planned not to run, he had picked up his race number and chip at the expo “just in case” he felt better.

However, when we went down the hall to the guy’s room to pick up Phil for the race, we found that even though he was in his running clothes, Steffen had decided not to run.
Just the three of us, set out for the marathon. At 6:30am temps were already in the 60s. It looked like it was going to be warm!

As we got closer to the crowd, there was someone handing out sausage and biscuit sandwiches from Waffle House. For those who don’t know, Waffle House is a more regional version of IHOP, only with more fat and calories. To my surprise Phil took one! Phil, probably weighs less than I do and is not known for his appetite! Needless to say he found that a few bites were enough.

We tried to move up closer to the starting line but it was too crowded. It didn’t seem that we were so far back until I noticed the 6:30 and 7 hour pacing groups in front of us!!
Apparently we couldn’t even see the starting line as it was around the corner and several blocks ahead. When the gun finally went off, it took us 14minutes to get across the starting mat.

As a first time marathon, I have to say there were glitches. Fortunately, there were not many. Mostly at the water stations –the first was overwhelmed and unprepared for the number of runners they had to deal with. The second water stop was nonexistent; which left the marathoners with no water until mile six! Bad news on a hot day; by the end of the race the temperature was in the mid-eighties!

Water stations later in the race were okay. Better organized any way, however if you were expecting to see Powerade, most of them were out.

Many of the runners were complaining. It wouldn’t change anything to listen so I turned my focus to the spectators. As the race passed through mostly residential areas they were plentiful! As they cheered, I cheered back at them and thanked everyone for coming out. ING must have run a good campaign as most of the crowd was dressed in ING’s color, orange! I’ve never seen anything like it before.

I knew that there were some other runners I knew out on the course; out of 4000 runners I never expected to see them however-I did!
After the first disastrous water stop I met up with Kathy. I was running and talking to her for a few minutes when ahead of us I noticed a 6’5” man wearing a dreadlock wig that came down to his waist. On the back of his shorts was a pirate skull and crossbones flag. “What a jerk” I thought until I realized it was Daniel aka “Braz” of the LVM21 club! As he lives in Atlanta it was not a big deal for him to jump in and “unofficially” pace his friend, Claudia in her first marathon. Braz usually is about a 3:15 marathoner. He had no idea what went on in the back of the pack and was taking it all in very lightly as he ran a six hour pace with Claudia. In fact he made a point to stop and sample every Mimosa, Bloody Mary and beer that was offered to him on the course! By the time he got to the finish line he claimed that he was drunk!
After, hugs and kisses and a few words into the “Claudia Cam” he carried to record every moment of the race for her we were off.

Next I saw Dana, another 50 State Club member who spent about 3 hours run/walking with me in the Breakers Marathon last October. I was sick that weekend however that’s the only marathon offered in Rhode Island all year. I had to run and I had to finish otherwise I would not have been able to finish the states as I had planned to January 1.
In fact would have had to wait until this October. Thanks to Dana, who met up with me at about mile 13 and stayed with me to the finish line I made it. Without her I probably would have crawled up under a tree and gone to sleep.

AND I finally got to meet my father’s friend from the airport, Arthur. My father is retired however to keep busy he has a job in security at Ft. Lauderdale airport. For more than a year he’s been telling me about this fellow, Arthur, a dentist and 50 State Club member, who he sees on his way to another marathon every week. Yes, he’s traveling to something EVERY week. In fact, he comes home on Sunday and goes back to the “Departures” area to tell my father about his trip.
Right now, Arthur is approaching his 200th marathon and planning a big celebration, which my dad has already been invited to.
Oddly, out of all of the marathons I’ve run, I’ve never met him, when I heard that he was running in Atlanta too, I made a point to keep an eye out for him.
I’ve seen photos of him and he always wears a very distinctive “Yell Go Art” shirt.
About mile 22 I saw a runner that I thought might have been him. I sped up a little and peeked around so I could read his shirt. Sure enough it was him!
Still running next to him, I introduced myself; he seemed equally excited to meet me.
He was actually doing a “double” –which means that he ran another marathon the day before. He told me to go ahead while he walked for a few minutes. Next thing I knew he took off and was passed me!

The most moving part of the race for me came at the finish line. It was a much hillier, more difficult course than I had expected; plus it turned out to be a very warm day. As I was running those very last steps, with chafing under my arm burning and my legs aching; I heard the finish line MC announce that Scott Rigsby had just finished becoming the first DOUBLE amputee to complete a marathon. With that I completely forgot about my minor aches and pains. I could only imagine his will and determination, the hours of training he must have endured, to be able to run the same 26.2 miles that I had to get to that moment. There was no way I could complain about anything- all I could feel was how proud he must have felt and what an inspiration he was to anyone who is up against the odds in any situation.. You can catch a minute of him running on this You Tube link-
http://youtube.com/watch?v=X7QCcpbvunc

All and all it turned out to be a great race and a good time. Kathy picked up her 11th state. Phil placed 3rd in his division in the half and had a great birthday. Steffen’s knee is on the mend. Hopefully he’ll be back for next month’s marathon! AND I completed my 103rd marathon and can’t wait for the next!

50 States and 100 Marathons Finished!

2007-02-19T19:38:00.000-08:00

I made it! After 2,620 miles of running, 100,000 miles of flying and thousands of dollars, I finished! 100 marathons and 50 states completed---on the same day!
If you think about it, this is a very unusual combination as most 50 State Club runners wouldn’t run an extra 50 marathons on the way to their 50.

Unfortunately, for me I was in denial for about 20 of my first states. I always thought how crazy it would be to fly to Bismarck, ND for a marathon with 50 people when it would cost less to go to Cancun for a week! Somehow on my marathon a month schedule, I crossed over to “dark side” of marathoning and was hooked!

As I had been going to so many marathons, I have plenty of running friends, one more extreme than the other, so it’s not difficult to imagine how back in February, the idea came to me to finish the states and my 100th marathon on January 1, 2007. Not only would I accomplish both of those goals but be the first one of the year to do it.

As you may not realize, this not only takes a lot of running but a lot of planning!

I needed to study the marathonguide.com schedule very carefully, shop around for flights, find willing traveling companions, and of course do a training run once in a while.

This is not an easy task. In the spring my schedule had me running 3 marathons-Fargo, Vermont City and South Bend- in consecutive weeks; one “extra” non-state marathon-Rio- in June, another new state, Maine, in July, then not another marathon until September, Tupelo; then one every other week in the fall Rhode Island,-Twin Cities, Detroit, Outer Banks, Maryland and Las Vegas.

Somehow after some minor setbacks such as getting closed out of a race for not registering in time, nearly missing a flight or 2 and walking for 7 or 8 miles to finish when I was too sick to run one more step, I found myself at the starting line in Kingwood, Texas on January 1st!

As you may have guessed the Texas Marathon is by no means going to give the
Chevron Houston Marathon any competition!

First of all, who what want to give up their New Year’s Eve plans to run a marathon the next morning? Runners, of course! The race directors, Steve and Paula Boone are board members of the 50 States Club. Steve has run over 300 marathons and Paula is almost up to 200. They know what runners want and need in a marathon. You won’t see many complaints about their marathon from anyone.

First of all, Steve spent the day working on the mile markers and even though the course winds it’s way through trails in the middle of woods, Paula posted bright pink arrows along the course and marked the path with chalk in Xs and arrows, so there would be no way for anyone to take a wrong.

The course consists of 4 out and back loops on perfectly flat greenbelt trails past Lake Houston. Great scenery, however, out in the woods, with the exception of a few locals walking their dogs-no spectators! Not a problem, everyone had their name printed on to their race number. After passing each other for a few times we were all on a first name basis!

The weather was bit chillier than I had expected-40s at the start, 50s during the race, with very little sun breaking through the trees and NO WIND: Actual ideal marathon weather!
Finishers received a long sleeve shirt-cotton with a cow logo on it. A shiny cow medal and a stuffed cow tagged with your finishing place number. The finish-line food was more of a picnic. Sodas, cookies, crackers, and pizza delivered hourly so that the slower runners wouldn’t have to eat cold pizza.

I arrived at the marathon a bit later than I had planned. As it’s a small race, less than 250 runners, there was no need for packet pick up prior to the race. However, I still needed a few extra minutes to get my number, “50” of course, pinned on to my shirt, tie my hair back and decide on whether or not to wear a throw-away shirt.

During the pre-race instructions, Paula called me and another fellow, Richard up to front and introduced us – When she announced that Richard was running his 100th marathon everyone cheered, then she announced that not only was I running my 100th marathon but it was my 50th state as well and everyone went crazy.

As I went back into the crowd, one of the runners came up to me and introduced himself as Rob. It was Rob who made my 50 State finish possible—he was the one who gave me his entry into Outer Banks, NC when I got closed out. I hugged him and quickly told him how he was my favorite person.

As the starting gun went off I realized I had already started my watch—trying to fix it only made matters worse. I gave up and figured I would just settle for taking my split times. Without a clock on the course-not even at the finish line, I could only surmise that I was doing pretty well. No aches or pains, cramping, blistering and I only had a couple miles over 10 minutes.

The last couple miles were getting tough and as in most small races-the field had spread out so I was by myself. I was about a mile from the finish when I saw Steve-not only running the race but running in it, too! “Hey, Steve” I called out to him. He replied;
“You’re getting your trophy in a few minutes!”

Hearing that was all it took for me to hang on for that last mile. I couldn’t believe I was that close. As I crossed the finish line, I just couldn’t imagine that I was finished. It had to have been one of the easiest marathons I’ve run. I went over to the timing officials and asked for my time-4:05:52! 10 minutes faster than the marathon I ran in November that I thought was a good time. No better training, and even less sleep. It was amazing.

Paula gave me a special “Congratulations” plaque from the Texas Marathon. It takes a month or so to get the official 50 States Finisher trophy, so I still have that to look forward to. Until then –my plans are to just run the marathons I like, maybe go back to my marathon a month schedule and work on my next goal –The Continents, after all I already have 3!

OBX Marathon

2007-02-19T19:30:00.000-08:00

My 97th Marathon
Or…What’s a Day at the Beach Without a Little Rain?

What is the key to a successful marathon? Speed work? Hills? Power Gel? No, it’s signing up on time!

As probably half of the universe has heard, I’m trying to finish running a marathon in all 50 states by the end of the year. For months I’ve been planning to run the OBX (Outer Banks) Marathon in North Carolina as my 48th state; so imagine my panic and dismay when I finally decided to fill out the entry and found that the race was closed.

Not a problem, was my first thought. I’d call the race director and explain my situation and surely they would make an exception for me, after all –it’s worked before in a couple races.
I made the call and spoke to a very unpleasant woman who said she was the registrar. I explained my plight to her and she said no way. She didn't care that I was completing my 50 states and 100 marathons, or that I had nonrefundable airline tickets.
I told her I didn't need a bus to the start, a medal or a shirt. She didn't care, in fact she very bluntly told me that this wasn’t her problem and she had wasted 10 minutes talking to me when she had a race to coordinate for 4000 people who DID register on time.
The only hope she gave me was that if I could find someone who had registered that was not running she would transfer their number to me.

The fact that I’m in Las Vegas and this race is taking place across the country didn’t faze me a bit. I knew I’d be able to find someone. After a few calls to running clubs and stores, I enlisted the help of the 50 States Club and the Marathon Maniacs. They both posted messages on their web sites asking for someone entered but not running to contact me.
Within a day I had 3 responses! Not only was I able to get in, but I also got one of my friends into the half and another fellow I met into the marathon too.

You would think that this “close call” would be enough. Not a chance!

Friday night, before the race I was scheduled to take an America West red-eye flight to Norfolk, VA-the closest airport to Kitty Hawk-about 2 hours away. Because of the merger between America West and USAir ways, the flight was actually ticketed as USAir ways.
I should have suspected a problem when I couldn’t print my boarding passes at home, however I went to the airport (un-boarding passed) and found that I couldn’t even check in there. The agents at the airport told me the wrong information and I ended up wasting so much time before they finally resolved the issue that I missed my flight.

Fortunately -they were able to rebook me on to another USAir ways flight, which even got me in earlier and worked out even better than my original flight with a 3 hour layover. I met my friend Mark, in Norfolk and was able to get an earlier start on the 2 hour drive from the airport to Kitty Hawk.
When we arrived in Kitty Hawk, our first stop was the expo, where I easily transferred my cancelled runner’s number to me and of course, I shopped. Next, we paid a visit to the Wright Brothers Memorial. The day went by quickly and not long after that we met friends from the 50 State Club for dinner.

About The Race-
The day before the race the weather forecast was suddenly predicting rain!
I had been checking all week and not once was there a mention of rain – in fact I purposely left my umbrella home!
We spent the evening before the marathon watching the radar on the weather channel. My friend Mark, a fellow 50 States runner and Las Vegas Track Club member, is like an amateur meteorologist. After a final check of the weather Saturday night, he deducted that we would be fine for the 7am start, however the front would move in about 9am. We could expect a downpour by then.

For anyone as unfamiliar with the area, this is the description of the race from the web site:
“The OBX®Marathon is a point to point course. The Marathon will start in Kitty Hawk, providing breathtaking views of the Albemarle Sound; traverse the famous Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills; meander through the lush Nags Head Woods Maritime Forest; take you through some of our finest neighborhoods with cheering throngs; pass the largest sand dune on the East Coast at Jockey’s Ridge State Park; cross the beautiful Washington-Baum Bridge; and finish on Roanoke Island near where the first English colonists landed in 1587.
The Outer Banks reminded me a lot of the Jersey Shore; therefore, I thought their course would be similar to their marathon-along the road aside of the beach and near the water. NO, we started out inland!
Fortunately, there were shuttles from our hotel to the starting line otherwise we would never have found it!

The race began well. The first few miles went through some neighborhoods complete with actual spectators, a rarity in some of these smaller races! The sun had just come up, it was a comfortable 65 degrees and there was just a hint of rain in the air. A perfect day to drink your coffee outside wrapped in an old quilt and while watching 2000 runners pass by your door.
Next stop was the Nag Head Woods. This was actually a one person trail! If you’re ready for a cross country run you were set. Between the tree roots, leaves and hills; I was thankful that it wasn’t raining!

When I got to the half way point the wind picked up and it started to rain! Although the temperature dropped to about 55, it still wasn’t cold. All I could think about was how Angie described the 40 degree temperature at the start of the Las Vegas marathon as refreshing!
The rain lasted until about mile 20. Between mile 21 and 22 there was a HUGE bridge, I was thrilled that I didn’t have to stop to walk. I ran the entire way when I got to the top, the rain started again.

I finished in 4 hours, 25 minutes, an okay time for me considering the weather and the woods. I was feeling good for the entire race-some how I would have imagined that I would have been faster.

In any case, crossing the finish line is what really counts-unless it’s a really fabulous or disastrous time, I really don’t remember much about my finish times.
The seashell shaped finisher’s medal-- probably my favorite out of all the races I’ve run this year-was a great beach souvenir.

It was a long wait to pick up my bag from the baggage check—actually a UPS truck that they drove from the starting line. I didn’t mind at all. At least the clothes were kept dry inside the truck; not laying out on the rain like in most races!
The race provided shuttles to take the runners back to several hotels and parking lots. Surprisingly enough they seemed to run often and smoothly.

All’s well that ends well right? Wrong again! After all of the screwing around with my outbound reservation—somehow my America West return was cancelled!!

Sunday night after the race, I checked in Norfolk on USAirways without a problem however, when I went to check in for my connecting flight in Reagan airport I was told that my flight to Vegas cancelled and my upgraded seat was gone!!

After being upgraded 3 days before I ended up in coach. To put it mildly - I was really UNHAPPY! I had been up since 5am (2am Pacific Time), ran 26.2 miles, hurried to get ready, drove 2 hours in the pouring rain and was still facing a 5 hour flight home..

Confessions of a 50 State Marathoner

2007-02-19T19:21:00.000-08:00

“Run Country Music, you’ll pick up another state.”
What would you think if one of your friends made a statement like this to you?

About six years ago, I was living in New York City when my friend and teammate, Tim made that comment to me. Knowing Tim, his advice should be viewed with caution. He is an ultra marathoner and he would think nothing of running a marathon each week for 6 or 7 weeks in a row.

What he meant by “County Music” was the Rock and Roll marathon which takes place in Nashville, TN, the-country music capital of the world.
“Picking up another state” is how you get hooked!

By that time, I had already been bitten by the marathon bug and was on a streak of running a marathon a month –which, I must admit, in itself sounds a little obsessive! However, I enjoyed going to major marathons-San Diego, Chicago, LA., or to a vacation destination like Hawaii or Florida.
Somehow I couldn’t see myself flying to the Hogeye Marathon in Huntsville, AL or the Lost Dutchman in Apache Junction, AZ, but there I was, about to cross the line.

I never thought I’d become one of those crazy, obsessed, “50 Staters”!
A “50 Stater” is an otherwise, average runner who has committed to run a marathon in each of the 50 states. In fact, many of them have gone on to complete their tour of the states two, three and even four times. Some have even gone on to run hundreds of marathons all over the world.

One of my friends was already planning to run Country Music, so it was simply a matter of joining her. Sounded simple enough until I discovered that the airfare to Nashville for a day was over $800! At that point, I decided to redeem a pair of free award tickets, which could have been used for travel anywhere serviced by American Airlines. Unfortunately, I had to use both as they only came in pairs and pay a $100 late processing fee to use the “free” tickets!

None of this mattered to me-I could go to Paris or Rio another time---I was on my way to Tennessee!

This was the point at which I finally admitted that running a marathon in each state would be my quest. I soon found myself off to the Flying Pig, in Cincinnati. Then it was on to Green Bay, WI, Lake Okoboji, IA, Casper, WY, Jersey Shore, NJ, Mt. Rushmore, SD, Old Lyme, CT, etc. etc.

The next step was to join the 50 States Club. Yes, there is a club with membership over 1085. To become a member, you need to have run a marathon in at least 10 states. At the point where I finally committed I believe I had about 20 states-until then I had been in denial!

So what is it that would motivate an otherwise “normal” runner to take on such an endeavor? Usually, hours of travel and training are involved. It’s expensive--image what you spend on one marathon a year multiplied to at least a dozen a year. And, of course, there is dedication. Running through an injury, in a snow storm or extreme heat is not unusual.

For most of the runners, there is never any prize money, and only once in a while an age group award, however every weekend there is the opportunity to be a hero…at least for an afternoon! .The feeling of accomplishment when you complete a marathon is incomparable.. Whether you have a PR or the worst race you’ve ever run, it’s a rush to take that final step across the finish line.

And, of course, there is the fact that if you enjoy traveling and you love to run it’s a great way to do both. There are plenty of places you’d never think to go to unless a marathon brought you there. Usually, when there is a marathon in town –any town- it’s during the best weather of the year, plus there is a general celebratory air to the town. And of course, you have the opportunity to see all the rest of your friends and fellow club members who are also “on the circuit”.

Somehow, to me anyway, this doesn’t seem like it would be such an exclusive club. After all, there are hundreds of marathons held throughout the country each year and thousands of runners running them. However, the facts speak for themselves. Of the 1000 plus club members, only about 350 are recognized by the club as certified finishers.

To date, I have run 90 marathons, in 42 states and 2 foreign countries. Providing, all goes as planned, meaning no serious injuries, illnesses, cancelled flights or bankruptcy, I should complete all of the states and run my 100th marathon on January 1st in Texas.

Until, then I’ve got to try to find the most reasonable flights, convenient hotels, willing traveling companions and oh yes, train!
***Check out www.50statesmarathonclub.com for more info on the club and members***

Miami Marathon 101

2007-02-19T18:56:00.000-08:00

When you think of Miami, what comes to mind? Palm trees swaying in the breeze? Beautiful girls in bikinis, rollerblading along Ocean Drive? Or maybe, handsome guys showing off their abs while playing volleyball on the beach? Probably not 11,000 runners standing in front of the American Airlines Arena, in a torrential downpour at 6am! Unbelievable as it would seem, this was the scene at the starting line of the ING Miami Marathon and Half this year!

Out of 100 marathons, I have never started in a DELUGE before! A pre-dawn downpour at 5:30am is not a great invitation to head out for a marathon. After what started as a beautiful weekend, who would have thought of rain?
If I hadn't paid the late registration fee of $120 at the expo the day before, I probably would have gone back upstairs when I saw the weather. Fortunately, I was staying at the Hyatt Regency, just a few blocks from the starting line. My plan was to leave the hotel as late as possible, donned in my garbage bag courtesy of the hotel, sprint to the start and avoid standing around any getting any more soaked than necessary. Good idea, however my first step was into a puddle over my ankle!

After my last rainy marathon experience, my biggest concerns were not with running but with my hair and my MP3 player! When an unexpected shower came through in the Outer Banks Marathon--I had hair mousse drip into my eyes which was EXTREMELY painful-if not blinding, to say the least and my MP3 player had gotten some moisture in it. The next day it stopped working and had to be replaced.
In this case the hair was soaked in a matter of minutes-the rain was coming down so hard you might as well have been standing in a shower. I was able to put the new MP3 player in a plastic bag I just happened to have in my fanny pack. It always helps to be prepared!

This was actually my second attempt at the Miami Marathon. When I ran last year I had been sick the week before. About 6 miles into the race I realized I wasn’t really up to 26.2 miles that day and debated with myself for the next 7 miles as to whether or not to drop out. Right before the split for the half and the full marathon-I saw my friend, Mark, a 50 State Club Finisher and LVTC member. I explained to him how I felt, and he convinced me that dropping out at the halfway point wouldn’t be the worst thing, after all I had another marathon in a “new” state, Louisiana, planned for the following week. “New” meaning a state I needed to run for my 50 state marathon quest- I already had Florida at least 5 times.
This year was not much different than last-about 10 miles into the race I realized it wasn’t going to be my day. Maybe it was the rain, the extremely early start, (keep in mind a 6am starting time in Miami is really more like 3am to me, coming from Pacific Time), lack of sleep or just general fatigue.

I was feeling sorry for myself and starting to fall apart, when I saw another 50 State Club member, Dan. We spoke and I recounted the situation from last year about dropping down to the half—he stopped me, told me that I looked fine and shouldn’t even be thinking about quitting. That’s all I needed to hear. When the turnoff for the half came up I barely glanced at it—the demons from last year would not get me this time.

At this point, once the half marathoners finish-they’re about 3 to 1, the field thins out quite a bit but not so much that you don't have a few people near you throughout the rest of the race.

I did continue, however it was all downhill from there on, except the course that is! With the exception of a couple bridges, it's mostly flat and very scenic. In fact you would probably find the scenery very familiar. Many movies and television shows have been filmed on those very streets and causeways from South Beach to Coconut Grove and Downtown.

As for spectators, there were some downtown not far from the finish line. I’d say they were mostly family and friends, out to support their runner. Later into the race, as we passed through the residential area in Coconut Grove, I saw quite a few locals outside of their homes. Even some with orange slices and water hoses!

With a bad knee, cramping hamstring and a new pain in my right heel; somehow I just willed myself to finish. It was not pretty! After running my last 3 marathons fairly well, it was very disheartening to go back to a struggle.

When I finally crossed the finish line, I saw one of my friends from the LVM21 Club-that’s the running club formed through the Las Vegas Marathon message board. Donna had come from Canada to try to qualify for the Boston Marathon. “Wow, she must have been flying!” I thought to myself when I saw her standing there already showered and dressed. Turned out she had a terrible blister, no doubt from the rain, and had dropped out at the half. I think she is going to try again at the St. George Marathon.

Behind her I saw my father, stepsister and niece waiting for me. They had been standing at the finish line for hours. It was their first time at a marathon and I’m sure they’d seen things they never could have imagined!

All in all, this is a beautiful race. They do a superior job of organization-there are plenty of aid stations, water, gel and port-a-potties along the course. Mile markers and clocks were in their proper places and finish line food was plentiful.

Also, I was surprised at how many international runners came from South America and the Caribbean. A Venezuelan man asked me if I was running the "21k" and a saw a group at the airport waiting for a flight to the Bahamas in their race shirts (very nice tech shirts) and their famous “spinning palm tree” medals.
If I can, I would love to run this race next year AND plan a sail off on a cruise afterward.
Running past the sight of 20 cruise ships with their lights twinkling in the predawn, darkness could only be surpassed by boarding one of them in the afternoon and sailing off for a little R&R!

If all this sounds good, you’re in luck! Join fellow runners on a Post-Miami Marathon cruise planned for next year! We’ll sail Sunday, January 27, 2008 from Miami on NCL’s Norwegian Jewel for 5 days to Cozumel and Grand Cayman.
For more details, send me an e-mail: marthaa@journeycorp.com or check out this link to the LVM21 Club’s website: http://lvm.createmybb.com/showthread.php?tid=294

2007-02-19T18:54:00.000-08:00