Annoying Things Runners Hear

I saw a Runner's World article about annoying things runners hear. Some I never heard, but here's my take on the ones that ARE truly annoying:

1. "Run, Forrest, Run!" I don't hear this much lately, but 20 years ago I did, usually from a passing school bus of kids.

2. HOONNNKKKK! This is related to the previous and I've heard it a lot over the years. You don't have to be on a road either, just near enough for a bunch of punk kids to see you.

3. "Won't all that running ruin your knees?" NOPE, not if you didn't have an earlier knee injury (usually from playing a sport as a youth) OR you don't have an innate musclo-skeletal imbalance.

4. "It's all downhill from here." In a marathon with a lot of uphill and downhill, your legs accumulate soreness as the race progresses. Unless you are on the rare course with very moderate downhill, by the time you get to the "all downhill" section, your legs are too sore to enjoy it. You just want flat terrain.

5. "You're almost there!" People say this to encourage, but they really do not realize that unless you are close - in a marathon say a mile - that it is actually discouraging. Hearing it at mile 20, with sore legs and every mile getting slower, you know you've got six painful miles to go. BTW, most runners are pretty obsessive and they know exactly where they are on the course and don't need to be told.

6. I have never actually heard "Hurry up! They're running out of beer!" But I have been in races which promise beer, but don't have it when I get there. I've also been in races which ran out of food. I ran the Philadelphia Marathon nine times, but the last time was the first time there was also a half-marathon. The half finishers ate all the food. I got an apple and a bottle of water. I haven't been back.

7. I also have not heard "The guy in the banana suit is catching you." But I have been passed in races by people in costumes, people with masks on their faces. It is annoying to have characters pass you. One time at Boston, there was a guy in some sort of super-hero costume, near me for miles. People along the course kept calling out the name of the character. I wanted to get away badly and eventually I did. But I caught his website that he advertised as he was ahead of me and looked him up. He once ran in a race as a telephone booth. Now getting passed by that would have been REALLY annoying!

HOW MANY CALORIES IN A MARATHON?

How many calories should a runner consume during a marathon? Years ago I read a scientific study which said most runners do not consume nearly enough. As we know, the body holds enough glycogen for two and a half to three hours of running. As it starts to deplete, the body has to rely more and more on burning fat for fuel, which is much more inefficient. Thus as a race progresses, one's breathing becomes increasingly greater to supply enough oxygen to break down the fat. The best thing to do to counter the depletion is to consume calories - gels and electrolyte drinks, which also contain some calories. This article emphasizes that we should be trying to replace about one third of our glycogen stores with sugars during the marathon. That would amount to about 1,000 calories for a four hour marathoner:

11 Marathon Fueling Tips for a Faster (And More Enjoyable) Race
Learning how to fuel properly will help you improve your marathon time by up to 20%. Here are 11 fueling tips to help you run a marathon personal best.
FUELMYRUNAPP.COM

Fuel My Run - App to help runners fuel for half and full marathons.

FUELMYRUNAPP.COM

Following up on the previous post: I first started doing this by carrying a lot of gel packs. But I found the carrying cumbersome and also did not want to do the pinning of them to a belt. I eventually decided to put gels (eight to ten) into a 24 oz water bottle and then add water and shake the mixture until the gels dissolved in the water. I then had enough to take two ounces every two miles. By buying boxes of gels online, I kept the expense down, but I wondered if there was an even cheaper method of fueling. I eventually found that I could buy maltodextrin powder I have gotten it in twelve pound bags from Now Foods, making it much cheaper than using gels. I'll put about eight ounces in a 24 oz water bottle (filling it about 3/4 of the way and add one gel for flavor. If I am traveling on a plane, I carry it that way without adding water. Sometimes it gets examined by TSA. When I get to my destination, I'll add the water. It needs to be hot to dissolve the maltodextrin. It requires some shaking and leaving it sit until it all dissolves. I put it into a simple belt, which I wear during the race with the bottle behind me, shifting to the front when I want to take some. Here is an article on the usefulness of maltodextrin. It is a bit technical and, of course, the company uses it in its own product, but now I have told you how to make your own: http://www.hammernutrition.com/hnt/1275/

Caloric Intake - Proper Amounts During Endurance Exercise | Hammer Nutrition
HAMMERNUTRITION.COM|BY THE HAMMER NUTRITION TEAM. DEVELOPMENT: THE ZANERAY GROUP (WWW.ZANERAY.COM)

Caloric Intake - Proper Amounts During Endurance Exercise |…

HAMMERNUTRITION.COM|BY THE HAMMER NUTRITION TEAM. DEVELOPMENT: THE ZANERAY GROUP (WWW.ZANERAY.COM)

HAMMERNUTRITION.COM|BY THE HAMMER NUTRITION TEAM. DEVELOPMENT: THE ZANERAY GROUP (WWW.ZANERAY.COM)

Following up on the previous post: I first started doing this by carrying a lot of gel packs. But I found the carrying cumbersome and also did not want to do the pinning of them to a belt. I eventually decided to put gels (eight to ten) into a 24 oz water bottle and then add water and shake the mixture until the gels dissolved in the water. I then had enough to take two ounces every two miles. By buying boxes of gels online, I kept the expense down, but I wondered if there was an even cheaper method of fueling. I eventually found that I could buy maltodextrin powder I have gotten it in twelve pound bags from Now Foods, making it much cheaper than using gels. I'll put about eight ounces in a 24 oz water bottle (filling it about 3/4 of the way and add one gel for flavor. If I am traveling on a plane, I carry it that way without adding water. Sometimes it gets examined by TSA. When I get to my destination, I'll add the water. It needs to be hot to dissolve the maltodextrin. It requires some shaking and leaving it sit until it all dissolves. I put it into a simple belt, which I wear during the race with the bottle behind me, shifting to the front when I want to take some. Here is an article on the usefulness of maltodextrin. It is a bit technical and, of course, the company uses it in its own product, but now I have told you how to make your own: http://www.hammernutrition.com/hnt/1275/

Following up on the previous post: I first started doing this by carrying a lot of gel packs. But I found the carrying cumbersome and also did not want to do the pinning of them to a belt. I eventually decided to put gels (eight to ten) into a 24 oz water bottle and then add water and shake the mixture until the gels dissolved in the water. I then had enough to take two ounces every two miles. By buying boxes of gels online, I kept the expense down, but I wondered if there was an even cheaper method of fueling. I eventually found that I could buy maltodextrin powder I have gotten it in twelve pound bags from Now Foods, making it much cheaper than using gels. I'll put about eight ounces in a 24 oz water bottle (filling it about 3/4 of the way and add one gel for flavor. If I am traveling on a plane, I carry it that way without adding water. Sometimes it gets examined by TSA. When I get to my destination, I'll add the water. It needs to be hot to dissolve the maltodextrin. It requires some shaking and leaving it sit until it all dissolves. I put it into a simple belt, which I wear during the race with the bottle behind me, shifting to the front when I want to take some. Here is an article on the usefulness of maltodextrin. It is a bit technical and, of course, the company uses it in its own product, but now I have told you how to make your own: http://www.hammernutrition.com/hnt/1275/

Caloric Intake - Proper Amounts During Endurance Exercise | Hammer Nutrition

HAMMERNUTRITION.COM|BY THE HAMMER NUTRITION TEAM. DEVELOPMENT: THE ZANERAY GROUP (WWW.ZANERAY.COM)

Following up on the previous post: I first started doing this by carrying a lot of gel packs. But I found the carrying cumbersome and also did not want to do the pinning of them to a belt. I eventually decided to put gels (eight to ten) into a 24 oz water bottle and then add water and shake the mixture until the gels dissolved in the water. I then had enough to take two ounces every two miles. By buying boxes of gels online, I kept the expense down, but I wondered if there was an even cheaper method of fueling. I eventually found that I could buy maltodextrin powder I have gotten it in twelve pound bags from Now Foods, making it much cheaper than using gels. I'll put about eight ounces in a 24 oz water bottle (filling it about 3/4 of the way and add one gel for flavor. If I am traveling on a plane, I carry it that way without adding water. Sometimes it gets examined by TSA. When I get to my destination, I'll add the water. It needs to be hot to dissolve the maltodextrin. It requires some shaking and leaving it sit until it all dissolves. I put it into a simple belt, which I wear during the race with the bottle behind me, shifting to the front when I want to take some. Here is an article on the usefulness of maltodextrin. It is a bit technical and, of course, the company uses it in its own product, but now I have told you how to make your own: http://www.hammernutrition.com/hnt/1275/

Caloric Intake - Proper Amounts During Endurance Exercise | Hammer N

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.

Marathon Bests and Worsts

I have gotten the question several times – “What is your favorite marathon?”  I have never had an immediate answer because I want to know “favorite” for what reason?  Speed? Scenery? Fun?  There is no one answer.  So I have decided to look at my marathons – 123 as of the beginning of September 2015 – and make lists of various categories.

First Marathon:  Philadelphia, 1995, 3:46:05

First Boston Qualifying Time: Philadelphia, 1996, 3:26:55 (needed under 3:30), 3^rd marathon.

Fastest Time: Boston, 1997, 3:21:51, 4^th marathon, stops for cramps and portajohn break cost five minutes.

Most painful post-race recovery: Boston, 1997, had to walk down steps backwards for a couple days

Most marathons for one venue:  Boston, 13. 1996-8, 2000-5, 2007-9, 2012, 2014

   Delaware, 12, 2004-2015

  Philadelphia, 8, 1995-7, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005-6  

Most consecutive marathon at one venue: Delaware (Wilmington), 12, 2004-2015

Marathons where I felt most “in the zone”, excluding Philadelphia, 1996 and Boston, 1997:  Philadelphia, 1999, 3:33:12 (incl. 2:30 for “pit stop”); B & A Trail, 2001, 3:34:46 (inc. 2:09 “pit stop”); Mohawk Hudson Valley, 2003, 3:43:20; Ocean City (Md.), 2006, 3:49:30; Delaware, 2013, 4:07:59; Erie, 2013, 4:04:04.

Number of marathons requiring “pit stops”:  21, 13 of which were before 2003

Marathons involving injuries:  Washington’s Birthday, 2011, tore gluteal/hip muscle and had to walk almost 12 miles; Martian Marathon, 2015, fell and jammed elbow into rib, possibly breaking it; Gobbler Grind, 2015, fell again, scraped right knee, bruised hip, cracked rib.

Slowest Marathons + reasons:

50 to 54:  Delaware (old Middletown into Maryland course): 4:09:20, wind and “pit stop”

55 to 59:  Boston, 2001, 4:14:35. Knew I was not going to have a good day, took a camera and shot a roll of picture, had a full beer at the Hash House Harriers stop on Heartbreak Hill.

  Boston, 2004, 4:19:59, temps in upper 80s.

60 to 64:  Seashore Marathon (Rehoboth), 2008, 4:23:29, windy conditions caused hamstrings to cramp the entire second half, forcing me to alternate jogging with walking.

  Boston, 2009, 4:29:02, felt awful all day

  God’s Country, 4:24:08, long climb over Eastern continental divide left me so fatigued that I could not run much going downhill to the end

  Drake Well, 4:28:19, although the temperature stayed close to 70 most of the race, the humidity was 100%.

65 to 69:  G.W. Birthday, 2011, 5:40:17, tore hip muscle and walked

  Deseret News, 5:09:02, altitude and steep downhill early beat me up

  Boston, 2012, 5:24:57, 88 degrees and more humid than in 2014

Over 70:  Revel Rockies, 5:22:53, altitude and cambered road made running impossible in the second half

  Green River, 5:28:15, started at 6100 feet, went up to 7500.  Actual running was impossible and my speeds were, depending on the difficulty of the terrain at the moment, jogging, race walking, or walking.

Courses with most loops:  I don’t mind courses with multiple loops and, in fact, I preferred the older Delaware four-loop out-and-back course to the current two-loop course.  I may be doing a course in early 2016 with 13 out and back loops, essentially a one-mile course with one aid station. (I later abandoned going to this one.)

  Last Plain To Boston, 1999, 8+ loops – Put on by the DC Roadrunners in a year when the Last Train to Boston wasn’t being run, it took place in conjunction with the club’s 20K championship at Haines Point in DC.  The loop is 3.2 miles and the marathoners started an hour before the 20K runners.  It got awfully old having speedsters go past while one’s body was tiring.

  Around the Lake Marathon, 2010, 8 loops – This event is in late July in Massachusetts and starts in the evening.  Some people do 12 and 24 hours runs.

  Asbury Park, 2009, 5 loops

  4 loop courses – Delaware (Middletown), 1997; Delaware (Wilmington), 2004 -9; Last Chance for Beantown; Lucky Trail

  3 loop courses – George Washington Birthday; Fortitude for First Descents, 2011 and 2012

Marathons with finishes on tracks or football fields:  Freedom’s Run, 2011

  Canton, 2012 – Hall of Fame stadium

Marathons with notable places in the race:  Philadelphia, Independence Hall

  Boston – for runners the entire course is historic, including screaming Wellesley coeds at 20K, the Newton Hills, the Johnny Kelly statue, running past the Citco sign and Fenway Park with a mile to go, and the final 3/8 of a mile down Boyleston St.

  Monster Mash, 2013, first mile on Dover International Speedway, also run past historic government buildings in Dover

  Ocean Drive, 2001 and 2009, starts in historic Cape May

  C & D Canal Marathon, 2007, ran over and back on the St. Georges bridge

  God’s Country, 2009, crosses the Eastern continental divide

  Drake Well,  2009, starts near the site of the first oil well in the country

  Asbury Park, 2009, does go past the Stone Pony, where Springsteen got his start.  Truth be told, it’s just a concrete block dive.

    Freedom’s Run starts in Harpers Ferry, W. Va.  Later the course goes through Antietam Battlefield, site of the bloodiest battle in the civil war.

  Deseret News, 2011, starts outside Salt Lake City in the pass where Mormons first came through and found the Salt Lake Valley.  The marathon finishes at the park where Pioneer Day is being celebrated.  The runners go alongside the parade of covered wagons that is the main attraction.

  The Hartford Marathon, 2012, starts and finishes near the golden domed state capitol.

  Hoover Dam,  2013, starts in a park on Lake Meade and then climbs up to the trail originally used to bring supplies up to the people building the Hoover Dam.  There are several tunnels to run through and eventually the runners turn around after running onto the roof of the parking garage for the Dam.

  The Louisiana Marathon, 2014, starts right in front of the state capitol and also goes past LSU’s Tiger Stadium.

  The Savannah Marathon, 2014, goes through a historic area of the city and also through Savannah State University, where a choir sings.

  The Huntsville Marathon, 2014, goes under several rockets outside the aerospace museum.

Trail marathons completed:  Seven - The above slow times do not include any of the trail marathons I did:  five Stumpy’s, one Triple Crown, and HAT Run, which was actually a 50K, but I include as a marathon because it’s the only ultra I have done.  All those times were over five hours, except my first Stumpy’s in 4:48 in 2002 and second Stumpy’s in 4:50 in 2003.

Windiest marathons:  Delaware, 1995, 4:09; B&A Trail, 1999, 3:59 (I ran one here three years later 24 minutes faster); Asbury Park, 2009, 4:28:11; Gansett Marathon, 2011, 4:31:20; G.W. Birthday, 2013, 4:36:21; Vermont City, 2013; 4:24:54.  BTW, almost every marathon I have run near a beach had strong wind.

Marathon requiring qualifying time (other than Boston):  Gansett, 2011, 4:31:20.  The qualifying time was five minutes faster than Boston and the race is held two days before Boston.  I was the oldest person in the race and since everyone was capable of running a Boston qualifying time, I was the second to last finisher.

Marathons where the sounds of explosions were heard:  G. W. Birthday, 1998, 2011, 2013, near a military installation which tests munitions; Last Train to Boston, 2001, at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, which was never held again after 9/11; Hatfield-McCoy, 2013, put on by descendants of the famous feuding families in Kentucky near the West Virginia border.  After running pasts a house with about a dozen people watching from a porch, someone shot off a gun, which was unnerving to me.

Most poorly planned events:  Asbury Park, 2009, this course had multiple loops which ended up running north up the boardwalk into the teeth of gale force winds.  The rest of the course through town was more sheltered from the wind, so reversing the direction of running the loops would have been much easier on the runners.

  Last Chance for Beantown, 2013, this event was held in a gated community in North Carolina and the singular propose seemed to be to promote the community.  Held in the evening, sections were poorly lit, and there were no awards at all for running the marathon.  The event never was held again.

  Two Rivers, 2014, I can’t list all of the issues with this one.  The races are held on both Saturday and Sunday.  Promised a Boston certified course, but the finish was changed because of snow on the finish area parking lot (hadn’t snowed in weeks). The course was short and the water tables ran out of fluid early.  The director is stealing money.

  Revel Rockies, 2015, the website misleads about the ease of running a downhill marathon (starting at 11,200 feet).  But the biggest issue was the bus snafu.  Several dozen people could not get to the start, including the woman who may have won (she won the half and was ranting afterward).  1,200 half-marathoners could not get to the starting line.              

Most worrisome traffic issues:  Johnstown, 2006, the second half of the event was on small back roads and the runners had to go with the traffic with virtually no shoulder

Lower Potomac, 2007 and 2013, the first half is on islands with little traffic, but the second half was on the main two-lane road in the area.  Because of the camber of the road, people tried to run in the lanes when there was no traffic and then get to the shoulder when traffic came.  But a number of times in both the races I did, drivers seemed to resent the runners and would come quite close to us on the side at speeds over 50 mph.

Angriest drivers:  Baltimore, 2001 (closed a four lane highway and cars sat for hours; changed the course after that first year; Canton, 2012, another first year event.

Most over-hyped Boston qualifiers:  Mo’ Cowbell, 2014 and Revel Rockies, 2015:  Both websites promised fast times, but neglected important details.  Mo Cowbell had a first half with a lot of concrete and a second half that was on a gravelly, cambered trail.  Revel Rockies misstated the difficulty of running at altitude and had a second half severely cambered to the right towards a creek.  I basically walked the second half.

Coldest marathons:  Delaware, 1995, a blustery day where temperatures did not get out of the 30s.

  Mohawk Hudson Valley, 2003 – It was a very unusual day where the temperature in the Mohawk Valley in early October was in the 30s with drizzle.  I ran a BQ, but my hands were stinging from the cold wetness the entire race.  Later I checked and found that area was the coldest place in the contiguous 48 states that morning.

  Route 66, 2013 – Who would imagine that in November in Oklahoma the temperature would be at 23 degrees at the start and not rise higher than 28 degrees by the finish?  I was forewarned and had multiple layers of clothes as well as charcoal warmers in my mittens and shoes.

Hottest Marathons:  Boston, 2004, the race still went off at noon then.  The temperature was in the mid 80s with a dry tail wind.

  Half-Sauer, Half Kraut Marathon, held in June, 2010.  The race didn’t start until 8:00 AM.  I was sweating just standing at the start.  I took it easy and took lots of fluids and ended up passing a runner who ordinarily was much faster than me, but who was overheated.  The dew point was near 70 with temps up to 88.

  Boston, 2012, 5:24:57.  With the now earlier start the temperature was even warmer than in 2004 with no dry breeze.  The run became a slog to just get from one water stop to the next.  Hundreds of people deferred their entry as the BAA offered the chance to not run.

  The Eastern most marathon to start in the United States (and also the only U.S. marathon to include 20 miles in another country) – The Bay of Fundy International Marathon, 2013 – starting in a state park outside of Lubuc, Maine, the runners goes almost six miles and crosses a bridge onto Campobello Island, which is part of Canada.  The next 20 miles are about and back on the island with only a quarter mile run to the main street of Lubuc after crossing back.

Easiest courses (for me):  I preface this by saying some people are good at running downhill, but I am not one of them.  Also, many beach marathons are relatively flat, but one frequently has to deal with winds at those races. 

B&A Trail, Severna Park, MD:  I have run this one three times.  Put on by the Annapolis Roadrunners, it goes out and back, first south and then north.  The first time I encountered winds going north, but the second time I ran BQ and had a negative split (second half faster than first).  The first half has some slight hills in the early neighborhood running and then only serious hill at the seven-mile turnaround.  So I ran conservatively until I got back up on level ground and then picked my pace.

Mohawk Hudson River - I had run this course three times, using each time as my qualifying time for the next two Boston Marathons.  The course drops gradually for a total decline of just a couple hundred feet – enough to speed you up without beating you up.

Erie – located on Presque Isle, this two loop course is totally flat and about 75% shaded. In early September on Lake Erie the air was cool and dry.  Perfect weather!

Scenic Marathons:  This category is different from the category with notable landmarks, concentrating on the views around.  First, six of the seven trail marathons that I did were in White Clay Creek State Park and Middle Run County Park.  The other was at Susquehanna State Park.  Running in woodland is obviously peaceful and tends to make you feel at one with nature.

  Other courses I have run that incorporate a lot of woods and sometimes dirt trails are:  North Central Trail, Mohawk Hudson Valley, B&A Trail, G.W. Birthday, Drake Well, Lehigh River Valley, Freedom’s Run, Delaware & Lehigh Heritage, Bucks County, Fortitude for First Descents (in Cape Henlopen State Park), Bob Potts, Veteran’s Day, and Two Rivers (not recommended).

  The truly scenic courses would be some of the latest ones I have done:  Deseret News, Bay of Fundy International, Hoover Dam, Revel Rockies, and Run with the Horses.  As I finish the Western states, I’ll probably do more scenic ones.

Marathons by state (as of 9/10/2015):

Delaware - 28
Pennsylvania - 25
Maryland - 15
Massachusetts - 14
New York - 5
New Jersey - 3
Virginia, Florida, South Carolina - 2
Each one - District of Columbia, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Ohio, Utah, Illinois, Indiana, Vermont, Kentucky, Maine, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nevada, Louisiana, Missouri, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Kansas, Arizona.

In my first sixteen years of running marathons, having done a total of 73, I had only done them in eight states plus the District of Columbia.  In the next five years after having decided to attempt to complete a marathon in every state, I will have added 31 more states by the end of 2015.

Marathons by year:

1995 - 2   2008 - 7
1996 - 1   2009 - 8
1997 - 4   2010 - 8
1998 - 2   2011 - 9
1999 - 3   2012 - 10
2000 - 3   2013 - 15
2001 - 5   2014 - 8
2002 - 6   2015 - 13
2003 - 4
2004 - 4
2005 - 4
2006 - 5
2007 - 7