The Rest of 2015: Six More Marathons in Five Months
It has been a while since I have written in this blog. In the meantime I have been diligently working on doing a marathon in all 50 states. I added six more marathon in the last five months of 2015. Here is a brief rundown of each event, none seeming memorable enough to me to expound about:
August 15, Run With the Horses Marathon:
Wyoming is one of the more difficult states to which to travel. I went with Ricky Singh, flew to Salt Lake City and drove four hours plus to Green River, Utah. The driving was memorable for two things - a large wind turbine area along the Interstate (turns out Wyoming produces more wind power per capita than any other state) and the signs above the highways as we would exit a town that said "If sign is flashing, turn around and go back to town". These signs were for the snow season when highways can quickly become impassable.
The motel where we stayed in Green River was at mile two of the course, just as it begins to ascend the dirt road up White Mountain, making for scenic surroundings. The race started and ended on a small island on the Green River. The area is the town's community center and there were other activities going on the day we were running.
The start is at 6,100 feet elevation and the ascent up to the White Mountain Plateau was too much for me to run. By the time I got a quarter of the way in at the half marathon turnaround, it had taken me an hour and thirty minutes and we had climbed to 7,500 feet. The run on the plateau was memorable for the wild horses we saw - they looked at us, appearing as if they were wondering why we were running when the food (brush) was right on the ground. The other sight on the road was of a run over snake. We were warned that if we had to relieve ourselves that we should do it right in the road since wandering off into the brush could bring on a rattlesnake strike. At one point we could see over the side of the mountain to the ribbon of interstate highway, then over a thousand feet below.
The run on the plateau seemed endless. It rolled and any uphill brought me to a walk. The last quarter was downhill and since I had been going so slowly, I was not beat up as I would normally be towards the end of a marathon. So the last quarter was my fastest. I finished in 5:28:14. Despite the fact that I usually win my 70-74 age-group with so few men that age running in most marathons, I was actually second in my age-group, despite only 40 overall finishers. The guy who beat me is another 50 stater whom I have met although I was not aware of his presence in the event. Ricky finished eight minutes behind me.
September 13, Sioux Fall, S.D. Marathon:
With all the traveling I am now having to do, saving money on flying has become important. For South Dakota, I choose Sioux Falls, which is in the southeastern part of the state. That way I could fly to Minneapolis on Frontier for a cheap price, rent a car and drive four hours to Sioux Falls and then drive back and fly from Minneapolis back to Philly. Although it involved three nights, it was still cheaper than flying directly to Sioux Falls, which would have required two nights at the least. When I flew into Minneapolis on Friday and when I returned on Sunday after the marathon, I had dinner each evening with an old friend who lives in the area.
Sioux Falls is known mainly for its falls, which go through a park right in the middle of town. After driving there, I went and looked at the area on Saturday. The next morning we went right over a little bridge that gives a great view of the falls. That was the highlight of my marathon. The course had a number of hills until about 17 miles and the place is at about 1,500 feet, putting this flatlander into a bit of extra lung work - not like Colorado or Wyoming, but harder than one wants if you are trying to run a good marathon. Later the course flattened out along the river, but it was windy in one direction and after going over a bridge and heading the other direction, the sun and no clouds made it feel pretty warm. I finished Sioux Falls in 4:37:50 and won my age-group.
October 4, Milwaukee Marathon:
I flew to Midway Airport in Chicago and drove to Milwaukee, which is 106 miles, but again much cheaper than flying to Milwaukee. My hotel was not far from the finish and I walked over to see it. Later I went to eat at the area along the Milwaukee river, which has probably 60 or 70 restaurants and bars in an eight block area. I got in a conversation with the bartender, who has run a marathon.
The next morning I drove to the community center where we had picked up our numbers, parked and caught a bus to the start, which was more than 20 miles north. The race curls around near to the Lake Michigan shoreline. We started running east, before heading south. When I once had to turn north, I felt how strong the wind was and was glad my exposure to it was only momentary. The course overall is slightly downhill, but in the beginning it rolls and we had to deal with some uphill until mile 21.
I ran fairly conservatively from the beginning and my caution paid off. With a 2:09:04 first half and a 2:13 second half, I ended up with 4:22:04, my only Boston Qualifying run in 2015, almost three minutes under the standard for my age. I was pleased with the small difference from the first to second half. After the race, I went back to the same bar to show off my medal and talk to the bartender.
Milwaukee is one race I would recommend for a possible fast time. Remember the course is along the Lake, so weather could be a factor.
October 18, Duke City (Albuquerque, New Mexico):
This was another marathon I did with Ricky Singh. It was sort of a whirlwind as we flew out on Saturday, ran on Sunday morning and then hurried to the airport to fly back home. Once we landed, we immediately headed to the casino, which is on a reservation, to pick up our numbers. Once we did that, we decided to eat at the restaurant there. When we had gotten on the shuttle at the airport to go to the rental car area, we had gotten into a conversation with two guys from Chicago, who were also running the marathon. When we were seating in the restaurant, there were the same two guys. So we all sat together and shared our stories about how we got into running marathons. One of the Chicago guys was doing his first after having been drawn into running with the other guy.
Later we checked into our motel, scouted out the start/finish area and later went out to eat. There was a strip of restaurants, similar to Newark's Main Street area, near the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. We picked one that was originally a Texaco gas station (with the old pump island featured in the outdoor seating area).
The next morning the race began at 7:00 A.M. when it was just barely light. Marathoners and half-marathoners went off together as well as marathon relay teams. We made our way after a couple miles to a trail that went along the Rio Grande River. In Albuquerque, the Rio Grande isn't much more than a small creek, but it had levees built up on the sides. With flash flooding and little vegetation to hold water, I could imagine the water would occasionally rise to raging levels.
Albuquerque is at almost 5,000 feet. So I knew I was going to be running with less oxygen than usual. I felt the lack right away and knew this was going to be a slow one. I tried to maintain a slow running pace and did manage about eleven minutes a mile in the first half. But I really felt the oxygen deficit once my glycogen stores ran low and I had to rely on the more inefficient burning of fat for fuel. By 3/4 of the way through, as slow as I was jogging, I was breathing like I was in an all-out finish of a 5K race. So I tried something different. I would walk as fast as I could while my breathing recovered to a more normal rate. Then I would run as if I were in a shorter race at a faster pace. I think was basically running about an eighth of a mile and then walking to recover for a quarter. I finished in 5:05:15, about 15 minutes slower than I had predicted.
Ricky had already finished and he was anxious about getting to the airport for the flight out. Although I was first in my age-group, I could not wait around for the results to turn up on the computer and so I could not claim my award (nor has it been sent to me). We fast walked back to our rental car and I drove to the motel in just a few minutes. In less than a half hour we had both showered and dressed and were on the way to turn in the car. We got there quickly and once through security at the airport, we actually had time to buy a meal.
I should mention that Albuquerque and the surrounding area is a place I would definitely visit for a vacation. The races took place the week after the hot air balloon festival there. At about 8 A.M. during the marathon, we saw about two dozen balloons rising.
Nov. 8, Gobbler Grind Marathon, Overland Park, KS:
This marathon I had to do on my own as Ricky Singh had already done one in Kansas. I had planned out where I was going to drive every leg of the journey. After the flight into Kansas City (in Missouri), I drove into Kansas. The area is all part of the Kansas City suburban sprawl. I drove directly to the start/finish area and, after scouting it out a bit, then drove from there to the Gary Gribbles shoe store a couple miles away where we were to pick up our numbers. I had seen that age group winners would get a gift certificate to the store. Since the odds were good that I would get one, I wanted to know the way there from the finish so that I could use the certificate right after the event before I went on my way. When I got to the store, after picking up my registration pack, I saw some thin Saucony gloves, costing a bit over $30 and figured that would be the right purchase with a $25 gift certificate,
The next morning I was awake early, after having gone to bed early and with the later time zone. I drove out to the business center where the race would start. The car thermometer said it was 32 degrees, but with no wind, it did not feel that bad to me. The sun started hitting us before the start. I killed time talking to another older runner who parked next to me and pounded down a quart of Gatorade before getting in the portajohn lines.
As the race started, the first five miles were pretty flat and I was averaging under a 9:30 pace. Then the course got tougher with some uphills. Mile 10 had a long uphill and then long downhill. When I got to the mile marker, my watch was giving an 8:31 split. I knew that was short. Then we came off the road and got on a paved trail. The trail was not smooth, but rippled constantly. It was hard work, later confirmed to me by a couple people who ran much faster than I. I hit the 11 mile marker in 8:43. Again, I knew that was wrong. Soon after one of the pacers went by me. I commented that the last two miles were off and he agreed. He said he didn't not know if the distance would be made up. After these two fast time miles, my splits went back to what I would have expected in the middle miles of a marathon - upper nines and low tens.
We ran out and back in one direction and then hit another out and back section. In this second section, mile 20 had a long uphill. The pavement had a number of cracks. A foot snagged a crack and I went down hard. My body twisted some, so I landed somewhat on my right side, hitting the outside of my knee, my hip, my shoulder, but also driving my elbow into my ribs. It hurt, but not as badly as when I fell in Martian Marathon in April. I later realized it was cracked, which I felt when lying down, but I did not feel it when running. I was also angry - partly at myself and partly as the lousy condition of the trail. I got up and continued on. I still ran fairly even with miles in the mid tens and then a couple in the low elevens. Mile 25 got tougher with an 11:41. Then there was the endless "Mile 26". It took me 14 minutes and 7 seconds. I knew I had not slowed down that much and realized that this was where they were making up the distances for the shortened miles 10 and 11. I finished in 4:27:41.
I claimed my award and certificate. I went to an EMT about my skinned up knee and was handed bandages. Oh well, it wasn't bleeding at that point. I drove to the shoe store and bought the gloves. Then I drove to a local gym which I had called before I went out to Kansas. Since I was getting away from the store at 1:30, I knew my motel would not have allowed that late of a checkout. The gym allowed me to take a shower at no charge. I also used my iPad at the gym to email my results to the News-Journal since it was already mid-afternoon in the East. I drove to the airport, turned in my car and had a couple of beers while awaiting to boarding of the plane. On the flight home I watched football on my iPad. Another one night stay and back to Delaware.
Dec. 12, Buckeye Marathon, Buckeye, AZ:
This was the last marathon of the year, my 13th. Again, Ricky had not done one in Arizona, so we went together. Flying to Phoenix is a pretty long flight. We got there about 1 p.m, but it was really 3 p.m. back East. From the airport, I drove directly to the place where we picked up our numbers. Then we settled on a Mexican restaurant for late lunch. Ricky stuffed himself.
We went to the motel in Surprise, AZ. It was quarter to five and the room was not ready although it was two hours after the usual check-in time. Since we were next to a mall, we walked to Target and bought water and Gatorade. Then we checked in. Ricky was tired and did not want to eat anything else. There was a Chili's close by. So I went for a beer and some dessert.
We both got a good night's sleep. I woke early (Arizona being two hours behind Delaware time) and went to an IHOP for breakfast. Ricky slept in. We hit the road about 6:20 and were in Buckeye by 7:10. The start was at a school. The group was under 140 people. There were three races of shorter distances going on also, but they started at the Buckeye Airport where we were to finish.
The course profile indicated a gradual drop of 650 feet. I was imagining a time better than I ran in Milwaukee. The first mile was slightly uphill, but the next two were downhill as I imagined and my splits were in the mid-nines, so I was feeling good. But then the miles started going up, not steeply, but still uphill, not downhill. Up went on and on through 15 miles. My visions of a good time disappeared.
Then we turned to do an out and back in a development. This involved about five miles of running. The wind had picked up and I felt it going in both directions, but especially coming back out. My ten minute miles went to a couple of elevens and then a couple of twelves. At mile 21 we were back out on the main road. This part was mildly downhill and the wind was behind me. Despite my tiredness from dealing with hills and wind, in these last miles I maintained pretty close to a ten minute pace. The last mile was on hard packed dirt on the side of the road because the road had become two lanes and both ways were open to traffic. At mile 26 I turned and ran up the entrance to the Buckeye Airport, which isn't much to see. I headed into the wind again. The last two tenths of a mile took me 2:30, even though I was trying to give it my all. Done in 4:29:06. I was happy that I had at least been able to push the last five miles to stay under 4:30. As the only person over 70, I won my age group and become the oldest person to do the marathon in its two years.
Ricky had finished a little over a minute before I did. The wind was blowing and it was not conducive to hanging around to hear the music or drink the available light beer. We got on the bus after I picked up my first place "award", a little strip of metal that I could attach to the finisher medal. We went back to the start, got the car and drove back to Surprise. After showers, we walked to Chili's and I had a post-race burger and a couple of brews.
The next morning we drove to the thirty miles to the airport. Since if was Sunday the traffic was light, but some were driving ninety mph +. Being unfamiliar with the roads, I found it unnerving for these speedsters to be pressing me and not willing to allow me to change lanes. But we did get to the airport with plenty of time. We even found that I could change seats on the plane to a window seat from a middle seat. I was a bit disappointed that the plane did not have wifi as I was hoping to watch some football on the flight home.
That does it was 2015 races. I have now done a marathon in 39 states.
Milwaukee is one race I would recommend for a possible fast time. Remember the course is along the Lake, so weather could be a factor.
October 18, Duke City (Albuquerque, New Mexico):
This was another marathon I did with Ricky Singh. It was sort of a whirlwind as we flew out on Saturday, ran on Sunday morning and then hurried to the airport to fly back home. Once we landed, we immediately headed to the casino, which is on a reservation, to pick up our numbers. Once we did that, we decided to eat at the restaurant there. When we had gotten on the shuttle at the airport to go to the rental car area, we had gotten into a conversation with two guys from Chicago, who were also running the marathon. When we were seating in the restaurant, there were the same two guys. So we all sat together and shared our stories about how we got into running marathons. One of the Chicago guys was doing his first after having been drawn into running with the other guy.
Later we checked into our motel, scouted out the start/finish area and later went out to eat. There was a strip of restaurants, similar to Newark's Main Street area, near the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. We picked one that was originally a Texaco gas station (with the old pump island featured in the outdoor seating area).
The next morning the race began at 7:00 A.M. when it was just barely light. Marathoners and half-marathoners went off together as well as marathon relay teams. We made our way after a couple miles to a trail that went along the Rio Grande River. In Albuquerque, the Rio Grande isn't much more than a small creek, but it had levees built up on the sides. With flash flooding and little vegetation to hold water, I could imagine the water would occasionally rise to raging levels.
Albuquerque is at almost 5,000 feet. So I knew I was going to be running with less oxygen than usual. I felt the lack right away and knew this was going to be a slow one. I tried to maintain a slow running pace and did manage about eleven minutes a mile in the first half. But I really felt the oxygen deficit once my glycogen stores ran low and I had to rely on the more inefficient burning of fat for fuel. By 3/4 of the way through, as slow as I was jogging, I was breathing like I was in an all-out finish of a 5K race. So I tried something different. I would walk as fast as I could while my breathing recovered to a more normal rate. Then I would run as if I were in a shorter race at a faster pace. I think was basically running about an eighth of a mile and then walking to recover for a quarter. I finished in 5:05:15, about 15 minutes slower than I had predicted.
Ricky had already finished and he was anxious about getting to the airport for the flight out. Although I was first in my age-group, I could not wait around for the results to turn up on the computer and so I could not claim my award (nor has it been sent to me). We fast walked back to our rental car and I drove to the motel in just a few minutes. In less than a half hour we had both showered and dressed and were on the way to turn in the car. We got there quickly and once through security at the airport, we actually had time to buy a meal.
I should mention that Albuquerque and the surrounding area is a place I would definitely visit for a vacation. The races took place the week after the hot air balloon festival there. At about 8 A.M. during the marathon, we saw about two dozen balloons rising.
Nov. 8, Gobbler Grind Marathon, Overland Park, KS:
This marathon I had to do on my own as Ricky Singh had already done one in Kansas. I had planned out where I was going to drive every leg of the journey. After the flight into Kansas City (in Missouri), I drove into Kansas. The area is all part of the Kansas City suburban sprawl. I drove directly to the start/finish area and, after scouting it out a bit, then drove from there to the Gary Gribbles shoe store a couple miles away where we were to pick up our numbers. I had seen that age group winners would get a gift certificate to the store. Since the odds were good that I would get one, I wanted to know the way there from the finish so that I could use the certificate right after the event before I went on my way. When I got to the store, after picking up my registration pack, I saw some thin Saucony gloves, costing a bit over $30 and figured that would be the right purchase with a $25 gift certificate,
The next morning I was awake early, after having gone to bed early and with the later time zone. I drove out to the business center where the race would start. The car thermometer said it was 32 degrees, but with no wind, it did not feel that bad to me. The sun started hitting us before the start. I killed time talking to another older runner who parked next to me and pounded down a quart of Gatorade before getting in the portajohn lines.
As the race started, the first five miles were pretty flat and I was averaging under a 9:30 pace. Then the course got tougher with some uphills. Mile 10 had a long uphill and then long downhill. When I got to the mile marker, my watch was giving an 8:31 split. I knew that was short. Then we came off the road and got on a paved trail. The trail was not smooth, but rippled constantly. It was hard work, later confirmed to me by a couple people who ran much faster than I. I hit the 11 mile marker in 8:43. Again, I knew that was wrong. Soon after one of the pacers went by me. I commented that the last two miles were off and he agreed. He said he didn't not know if the distance would be made up. After these two fast time miles, my splits went back to what I would have expected in the middle miles of a marathon - upper nines and low tens.
We ran out and back in one direction and then hit another out and back section. In this second section, mile 20 had a long uphill. The pavement had a number of cracks. A foot snagged a crack and I went down hard. My body twisted some, so I landed somewhat on my right side, hitting the outside of my knee, my hip, my shoulder, but also driving my elbow into my ribs. It hurt, but not as badly as when I fell in Martian Marathon in April. I later realized it was cracked, which I felt when lying down, but I did not feel it when running. I was also angry - partly at myself and partly as the lousy condition of the trail. I got up and continued on. I still ran fairly even with miles in the mid tens and then a couple in the low elevens. Mile 25 got tougher with an 11:41. Then there was the endless "Mile 26". It took me 14 minutes and 7 seconds. I knew I had not slowed down that much and realized that this was where they were making up the distances for the shortened miles 10 and 11. I finished in 4:27:41.
I claimed my award and certificate. I went to an EMT about my skinned up knee and was handed bandages. Oh well, it wasn't bleeding at that point. I drove to the shoe store and bought the gloves. Then I drove to a local gym which I had called before I went out to Kansas. Since I was getting away from the store at 1:30, I knew my motel would not have allowed that late of a checkout. The gym allowed me to take a shower at no charge. I also used my iPad at the gym to email my results to the News-Journal since it was already mid-afternoon in the East. I drove to the airport, turned in my car and had a couple of beers while awaiting to boarding of the plane. On the flight home I watched football on my iPad. Another one night stay and back to Delaware.
Dec. 12, Buckeye Marathon, Buckeye, AZ:
This was the last marathon of the year, my 13th. Again, Ricky had not done one in Arizona, so we went together. Flying to Phoenix is a pretty long flight. We got there about 1 p.m, but it was really 3 p.m. back East. From the airport, I drove directly to the place where we picked up our numbers. Then we settled on a Mexican restaurant for late lunch. Ricky stuffed himself.
We went to the motel in Surprise, AZ. It was quarter to five and the room was not ready although it was two hours after the usual check-in time. Since we were next to a mall, we walked to Target and bought water and Gatorade. Then we checked in. Ricky was tired and did not want to eat anything else. There was a Chili's close by. So I went for a beer and some dessert.
We both got a good night's sleep. I woke early (Arizona being two hours behind Delaware time) and went to an IHOP for breakfast. Ricky slept in. We hit the road about 6:20 and were in Buckeye by 7:10. The start was at a school. The group was under 140 people. There were three races of shorter distances going on also, but they started at the Buckeye Airport where we were to finish.
The course profile indicated a gradual drop of 650 feet. I was imagining a time better than I ran in Milwaukee. The first mile was slightly uphill, but the next two were downhill as I imagined and my splits were in the mid-nines, so I was feeling good. But then the miles started going up, not steeply, but still uphill, not downhill. Up went on and on through 15 miles. My visions of a good time disappeared.
Then we turned to do an out and back in a development. This involved about five miles of running. The wind had picked up and I felt it going in both directions, but especially coming back out. My ten minute miles went to a couple of elevens and then a couple of twelves. At mile 21 we were back out on the main road. This part was mildly downhill and the wind was behind me. Despite my tiredness from dealing with hills and wind, in these last miles I maintained pretty close to a ten minute pace. The last mile was on hard packed dirt on the side of the road because the road had become two lanes and both ways were open to traffic. At mile 26 I turned and ran up the entrance to the Buckeye Airport, which isn't much to see. I headed into the wind again. The last two tenths of a mile took me 2:30, even though I was trying to give it my all. Done in 4:29:06. I was happy that I had at least been able to push the last five miles to stay under 4:30. As the only person over 70, I won my age group and become the oldest person to do the marathon in its two years.
Ricky had finished a little over a minute before I did. The wind was blowing and it was not conducive to hanging around to hear the music or drink the available light beer. We got on the bus after I picked up my first place "award", a little strip of metal that I could attach to the finisher medal. We went back to the start, got the car and drove back to Surprise. After showers, we walked to Chili's and I had a post-race burger and a couple of brews.
The next morning we drove to the thirty miles to the airport. Since if was Sunday the traffic was light, but some were driving ninety mph +. Being unfamiliar with the roads, I found it unnerving for these speedsters to be pressing me and not willing to allow me to change lanes. But we did get to the airport with plenty of time. We even found that I could change seats on the plane to a window seat from a middle seat. I was a bit disappointed that the plane did not have wifi as I was hoping to watch some football on the flight home.
That does it was 2015 races. I have now done a marathon in 39 states.
