I want to address what happened at last Sunday's Chicago marathon of the things I have heard from various people. If you haven't heard, one person died and as many as 200+ people were taken to the hospital during the marathon. The temperatures that day were 88 degrees (F) with high humidity. My understanding is that water was an issue for back of the pack runners from the beginning of the race. The faster runners did get fluids but, as the race wore on, the people in the back weren't getting water or Gatorade. Eventually, the race was cancelled after about 3 1/2 hours.
It's important to note that the police officer who died had a pre-existing heart condition. It may have been triggered by the weather but it is not considered a heat-related death. When I did the Marine Corps marathon, I saw a man lying on the ground, around mile 17 with people around calling for an ambulance. I later found out that he also died but, again, had a pre-existing heart condition as well. I guess what I want to make sure is you don't get scared off by these reports and think marathons or running in general is bad for you. There were over 25,000 people at these events. I'm sure people have heart attacks at baseball games, with similar crowd size, but it would never get reported. But...
I can't stress enough that, though I say that you can do a marathon, please, please check with your doctor first. My point is that my belief, participating in a marathon is more of a mental exercise than a physical one, doesn't mean you ignore the physical element. I also want to emphasize that you can't just show up for a marathon. You do need to train for it. Steve and I ran with a guy who did just that at the 2004 Cape Cod marathon. His buddy talked him into it the week before. He did finish but he said he was sorry he tried doing it that way.
To finish my Chicago marathon thoughts, it sounded like a brutal day out there. I read other blogs stating if people were in better shape, the heat shouldn't have been a factor. That is utter nonsense! Some people tolerate heat better than others. There is a huge difference in how I race between a hot day to a cool one. Steve and I talked about entering the race this year but I would have been one of the ones affected by this.
The Chicago marathon race organizers have stated they felt there was enough water on the course. People who ran the race in the back of the pack felt otherwise. I know this was not a typical fall day in the Chicago area. More like a summer day. And, I know that because it was such a big race, it will get more press exposure. I have been in races where they have run out of fluids. I only hope this is a lessons-learned experience and they will take better precautions for this in the future.
Notes: I actually wanted to continue my thoughts from last week on marathon training but will talk about it again next week. As mentioned, I will be using the run/walk method for the Philadelphia marathon. For more information on this, click on this link: http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/marathon.html
Jeff Galloway is a great resource for this.
Congratulations to my friends Melissa and Eric on their marathon performances last weekend on a hot fall day. Melissa participated in the Steamtown marathon (Scranton, PA) and did a sub-4:00! Eric participated in the Hudson Mohawk marathon in Albany, NY and had a bit of a rough day but did finish the race. Races like that will test what you are made of and hats off to you, Eric, for having the guts to leg it out. Also, congrats to the other runners in the Doylestown area who participated in the Hudson Mohawk half and full marathons. I was suppose to go on that trip but had to change plans when I was sick in July and couldn't train properly.
Because of personal committments, I had to do most of my training during the week last week. Same thing this week, as I plan to do my long run tomorrow instead of over the weekend. One thing I learn is that you have to be flexible with your schedule.
So much for October baseball for the Phillies! Geez, you couldn't have won one game, guys! Give us a little hope???!!!
Go get 'em, Kel!
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