The Waiting is the hardest part

I really was hoping I didn't have to write this blog entry. In fact, I am sure I will get little sympathy from my plight. But, I am this close in getting into the Boston marathon this year.

First of all, yes, I didn't qualify for the race. I admire the people who can and do qualify. I think of the runner in the movie 'Spirit of the Marathon' who missed qualifying by a few minutes. He spent a lot of time and energy in training in order to put himself in that position. I wish I had the heart, dedication and talent to be able to do that.

But, the Boston Athletic Assocation reserves the right to invite others to run the race. Mostly this is done through charities but it is also done through sponsors of the event. And, this is how I was hoping to get my invitation.

You see, I am a friend of a friend of a friend who knows someone at the BAA. And, I asked my friend if he could get me an invite. Through e-mails, he has been trying for me. In the meantime, I have been training as if I would be participating.

Last week, I found out that the entries for the Boston marathon were closed. I sent my friend an e-mail saying, 'thanks for trying. I understand its closed. Maybe next year.' He sent an e-mail back, 'wait a minute. They should have your name.' He instructed me to give the BAA a call and ask them if they have my name.

So, last Thursday, I called. I told them I understand they might have a bib number for me. The answer back to me, 'so you want a bib number?' To which I replied, 'yes, I would like to run the race.' The voice on the phone replied, 'but I thought you wanted a bib number?' Puzzled, I replied, 'yes, a bib number so I can enter the race.' The voice said, 'so you want to run the race?' In truth, I still don't know what the difference is, but I said, 'yes, I would like to run the race with an official bib number.'

I mentioned the friend of the friend of the friend who got the e-mail stating my interest in the race. The voice took my phone number down and said, 'Let me get back to you.' Well, that was last Thursday. And, still no call back.

I am not an aggressive person by nature. It took a lot on my part to make the call in the first place. And, part of me is saying, 'just leave it and wait until next year.' But, my fear is there is a number waiting for me but it is lost in the shuffle some place. And, if I don't take it, and I ask next year then what if they went to a lot of trouble to get me the number this year and I didn't pick it up, how willing would they be to get me another number?

There is less than a month to go before the Boston marathon. I have already put in my 18 mile run this past weekend (3:19 with 2 stops at the car for a quick drink). SteveRunner asked me what's my Plan B? I don't have one. I don't know of any local marathons in the area except the New Jersey marathon but that's scheduled the same day as the Broad Street Run. I have toyed with the idea of the Cleveland marathon but I'm not sure if I want to put out the money to get there.

I feel like the geeky kid wanting to be invited to the cool party. I keep waiting by the phone.

(SteveRunner touches on the same subject on his Intervals 135B podcast. http://www.steverunner.com/ He talks about his invitation to the Boston marathon and makes some great points about this process. As stated above, I ran/walk 18 miles this past weekend and, surprisingly, felt great. I'm not sore at all. I forgot my gels so only ran with Gatorade as my fuel. And, had a consistent 11:01/mile pace throughout the run. I think running with new shoes definitely helped (I usually keep the same shoes throughout the summer and use them for the fall marathon), but low temps and humidity were a major 'good-feel' factor. Also, new question on the side that you are free to answer.)

Spring Training 2008

(Spring training pictures. First row: Brighthouse Field in Clearwater, FL, spring training home of the Philadelphia Phillies. The second picture is Chase Utley taking a pitch inside. Second row: Pictures of Progressive Energy Park at Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg, FL, spring training home of the Tampa Rays. First picture is Dontrelle Willis of the Tigers on the mound. Second picture is of the park. And, third picture is the Detroit Tigers taking batting practice)

This entry to my blog is little about running. It is fufilling a boyhood dream. I've always wanted to go to at least one Phillies' spring training game. And, on Saturday, March 15 I did. Against the Twins. They lost 11-2 but it didn't matter. But, you have to know the whole story of what happened last year that makes this game so special.

You see, I was scheduled to see the Phillies-Yankees game last year. Had the hotel, the tickets to the game, the rental car and the flight down. We were scheduled to fly out of Newark, NJ on Friday at 11a. I woke up early that day, checked the flight on line and it was cancelled. A major ice/snow storm was predicted for the day. But, it wasn't snowing yet? How could they cancel?

I drove up to Newark (about 1 1/2 hour drive) to change my flight. When I got there, there was at least a 2 hour wait to get the ticket changed. As I was waiting at the back of the line, someone told us to go with him to a different counter. In truth, we had no idea who this guy was but he was speaking my language (and lots of other people's) and we had blind faith in him and followed.

He took us to another Continental Airline counter where we waited in a shorter line. The woman behind the counter changed my ticket and told me I had an 8 o'clock the next day. When I got out of the airport, it did begin to ice/snow and driving was an adventure on the way home.

As this ice/snow storm hit, we had scheduled family to take care of our pets. But, as the day wore on, the storm was getting worse. Yes, we had tickets to go out the next day, but, how is my family going to get to us? We didn't want to leave the pets without knowing that someone was going to be in the house.

Most airlines will let you check in on-line 24 hours in advance. So, when I got home, I decided to check in. But, it wouldn't let me. So, I waited assuming they just changed my ticket and it may not have gone through the system. An hour later, it still wouldn't let me. Then I read my new ticket. It was for 8 o'clock PM! We were suppose to come back on Monday. We were going to be there for less than 48 hours.

As Friday turned into Saturday and the storm was heading out, it was apparent there was too much ice/snow to get to Newark safely that day. So, I called Continental and they gave me a credit for my tickets. I followed the status of that 8pm flight. Before I went to bed, it was scheduled to take off on Sunday at 12:15am, arriving in Tampa at 3:00am. When I woke up to check it again, the flight was ultimately cancelled. So, I would have been sitting on the tarmac for 3 hours, have the flight cancelled, and drove home past midnight on icy roads. Sometimes the things that don't happen are the best things.

As for this past weekend, we had a good time. Friday was raining but the rest of the weekend was beautiful. Temps in the 80s. It beats the 40 degrees in Philadelphia at the time. A tip though. Make sure you have an idea of restaurants in the area before you go. We thought about it when we were hungry and wasted hours trying to figure it all out. Actually, Friday night we wound up at Disney World for dinner (about 2 hour drive) just because I was more familar with that area than Tampa/Clearwater.

And, yes, there was a little running involved as my wife and I went out Monday morning in the Harbor Oaks section of Clearwater next to the water. We didn't know where we were going when we started but ended up in a beautiful section of town. All in all, a great weekend. I couldn't have dreamed it better.

(Note: Still no word on Boston and my hopes are beginning to dim for this year. I'll give it one more shot and if not, then, try again next year. Might be better anyway as I will turn 50 (I still can't fathom that) and what a great way to celebrate. )

March comes in like a worm-eating fernbird

Short blog this week as work has cut into my free time (again) and I have a short week anyway as I am going down to Phillies spring training for a long weekend.

With the heavy rains we had on Saturday and the heavy winds on Sunday, it reminded me of the old John Belushi bit on 'Saturday Night Live' when he talked about 'how in the United States, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. But, in other countries, like Norway, March comes in like a polar bear and goes out like a walrus.' Click on the link below for the whole bit. In my generation, this was funny stuff. Those younger than me, I'm sure will question what was so funny about it.

http://whatsit2you.blogspot.com/2008/02/march-comes-in-like-lion-but-goes-out.html

Anyway, the pictures from my house will show that, this year, March definitely came in like a lion.

I was suppose to run 18 miles this weekend but, because of the weather, it was reduced to 10 miles on the Delaware River on Monday. It was not an especially good run for me as it felt like I was running in sand because the ground was so soft from all the rain. I still haven't heard about getting into Boston this year. I'm afraid I'm running out of time on this one but I will continue training as if I was entered. Next week, I should have pictures of me at Phillies spring training.

Breaking Up is Hard to Do!

Meet the new boss,

same as the old boss

--The Who

(my old running shoes on the left, new ones on the right)

I genuinely feel bad when I have to throw food away. Not because of the money that I spent on it (ok, that's one reason). But, because this food item grew up, got old, and never properly served its purpose in its life! Think about it. The slightly black bananas that you have on your kitchen counter that no one wants to eat anymore. So, you toss it. In reality, there was no reason for that banana to exist in the first place. How sad is that!

You read that and you say to yourself: 'Wow! That guy is weird!' So, imagine what I must be like with a pair of shoes that have been around my house for the past year.

Look, I admit, I have attachments for inanimate objects. And, I have an attachment for my running shoes. I have seen good times with these shoes. I don't want to think of the bad times I've had with them. These shoes set a PR with me at Broad Street, Philadelphia Distance Run (half-marathon) and the Philadelphia marathon. These shoes did not have the chance to experience as many 5ks as I want it to.

These shoes have gone out with me in the blazing hot sun of last summer. They've been my training partner, going out with me on these chilly morning winters. They've been through the mud and the blood and the beer.

But, they are starting to feel their age. I'm starting to feel some discomfort in my knees and feet on some of my distance runs. Oh sure, I said it must be me, it can't be the shoes. But, I was in denial. Deep down, I knew this relationship was falling apart and it was only a matter of time.

It is also an end of an era and the replacements are the last of its kind. It is the last Brooks Adrenaline GTS5s available. Brooks is up to GTS8. Two years ago, I bought a few pairs of GTS5s because they were the most comfortable pair of running shoes I've ever found. But, now, I'm on my last pair.

I won't be going cold turkey with my shoes. That would be too cruel. It will be a gradual breakup (or really a gradual break-in). And, it might see an occasional 5k in its life. But, its glory days are done. It won't see Broad Street anymore. At least, not in race conditions. It has run its last long competitive race in its life.

So, good-bye old friend, you have served me well. You are off to the retirement part of your life where you will be helping me in the garden, cutting the lawn, slipping you on when I have to take the dogs out before bed, etc. You've had a good run!

Spirit of the Marathon (a review)

I went to see the movie 'Spirit of the Marathon' last Thursday with Melissa and Mark from the Blue Dawg running group. To me, it's interesting how they are marketing this film as it was shown once in January on the same date and time around the country and once again, in February on the same date and time. The filmmakers are trying to promote a communal experience with other runners? Not sure.

Rather than going into too much detail about the movie, here is a link to their website:

http://www.marathonmovie.com/home.html

But, here is a brief synopsis. The movie follows six people as they prepare for the Chicago marathon. But, it's not just middle of the packers but also two of the best runners in the world, Deena Kastor and Daniel Njenga. Interwoven in this story is the complicated history of marathoning. From the very beginning when Phedippides ran from the city of Marathon to Athens to announce victory, to the first Olympic marathon, to the start of the Boston marathon, mentioning how 25 miles came to be 26.2 (Queen Victoria wanted to see the start from Windsor Castle so they added 1.2 miles to the race) and discussing Katherine Switzer, the 'first' female in the Boston marathon to Joan Benoit and her triumph of being the first female Olympic marathon champion.

If you are runner, even if you are not a marathoner, you can relate to this story. Everyone has a different reason to run. Leah Caille is a first time marathoner who is trying to get her life back together after divorce. Jerry Meyers is 70 years old and runs with his daughter in his fourth marathon. Ryan Bradley missed qualifying for Boston in his last marathon by ~30 seconds. Lori O'Connor is a high-achiever who takes on yet another major challenge in life and, that is, to run a marathon.

And, me watching this movie, I was feeling everything they were feeling. My own emotions of what I went through to reach my first marathon, all came back to me. The decision to do it, the training involved, the disappointment of being injured two weeks before but the ultimate triumph of finishing the race I had no business starting. Subsequently, I related to all the other emotions of the training for other marathons beyond my first one.

The camera work was terrific. There were beautiful scenes of training in Chicago on Lake Michigan, the mountains where Deena Kastor trains, the African plains where Daniel Njenga started. (My favorite line in the movie is when Deena Kastor talks about running 145 miles a week but is too lazy to do her own stretches so her husband helps! I wish I was that lazy!)Perhaps the most awe-inspiring shot is at the start of the Chicago marathon where the camera pans back to reveal what 40,000 people at a race looks like. And, like all of us that run, these 40,000 all have different reasons for this race.

This was a terrific movie. Runners will certainly appreciate it more than non-runners. And, you don't have to be a marathoner to relate. Any runner can identify with the cast. Because we all have our reasons to run.

(Note: Finally, winter arrived on Friday as the Bucks County area had 4-5 inches of snow. Not only that, but the temps were hovering around freezing on Friday and Saturday. Got up on Sunday not feeling like I want to do 16 miles as it was around 25 degrees F at 8a. Plus, I knew the paths around Lake Galena were not going to be cleared. Well, I did go and did do the 16 miles. And, I was right--the paths were not cleared so portions of the run (about 3 miles) were over icy, frozen snow with lots of ruts. Tough on the legs and feet. I did 2:55 for 16 miles, not bad for the conditions.

Below are some pictures I took of the run. First picture is looking at the dam on Lake Galena. You can see the path in the foreground and how messy it is. The second picture is of a farm along the Outer Loop of the lake. You might not be able to make it out but it's a picture of an emu in the foreground and a llama in the background. I love running past this farm as the emus and the llamas usually come over to watch you run by. It's the closest you get to a cheering section on this run.

I also started to wear my Road ID around my ankle. Since I don't carry a cell phone during the run, I thought it important to have contact info on me in case something happens. I hesitated to wear this as I thought it would have been uncomfortable. But, for the most part, didn't really notice it.)

Frostbite 5 miler Race Report (February 16, 2008)

A little late in getting this out this week due to work obligations but....

The extent I go to get content for this blog. PRESENTING......

The Frostbite 5 miler Race Report! (picture on the left is the start line and the two pictures after is at the finish)

This race couldn't have had a better name because it was COLD! 28 degrees at the start of the race with a slight wind blowing throughout.

All last week, I was wondering if I should enter this race. I'm still training as if I'm running a marathon in April so did it make sense to run a 5 miler instead? Kelly, from the Blue Dawg group, convinced me I should not run LONG runs every week while training for a marathon for a physical and mental break. But Saturday morning, I woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head and went out to do this run.

The first 400 entrants got a T-shirt. When I got there to sign up, they said they hit that number by Friday morning. Wow! I guess I wasn't the only one itching for a race! But, despite the cold, it was a beautiful, sunny day.

I went to the start line about 8:50, about 10 minutes before the gun was to go off. I get there and the start line wasn't even set up yet!!!! What gives???? So, it gave me some time to play with my mini-camera to possibly take some pictures along the way. It was so cold... (this is not an old Johnny Carson routine) but it was so cold, the camera would not turn on. As a matter of fact, I thought it was dead. But, after warming it up in my hand a bit, it did start to function. But, after I used it and put it back in my pocket, it would be 'dead' when I tried to use it again. So, this was not a race to take shots during the event (hence, the pictures of the start and finish line only).

I try not to be annoyed with races because mostly are run by volunteers. But, with the freezing cold temps, the 20 minute delay was not appreciated and I believe it was due to the setting up of the timekeeper. I really had no game plan for this race. I have been running well and had a lot of energy so I wanted to see what I would feel like in race conditions.

The course goes through the town of Ambler, starting on Butler Pike, which is the main street of town. The start of the race is at 217 feet elevation, the finish at 226 feet, with the highest elevation at 318 feet and the lowest at 195 feet. I never ran this course before so didn't know what to expect.

I usually start towards the back of any race but notice that I shouldn't do this anymore. Not that I should be upfront but I find myself getting caught in too much traffic lately. (ok, that's it for the complaints) I crossed the start about 20 seconds different than the gun time. The first half mile was flat and I was feeling good.

I will admit, I get intimidated by hills. So, when the first hill approached, I was apprehensive. But, much like my Wednesdsay runs, I was running up the hill at a good pace. I was even passing people! And, as I am finding, I had a quick recovery from the hill.

Most of the course is through residential area. There is a half mile in the middle on a trail through a park. Truthfully, it was a pretty scene and I thought about pulling out the camera. No time. I was feeling good.

By the time I hit the mile 4 sign, I was in a nice rhythm. Somebody before the race, mentioned about the 'evil' hill that you need to go up before finishing on a downhill. When I got there, I felt I was spent. One of the volunteers yelled out 'it's only a small hill then downhill towards the finish'. OK, it didn't feel like a small hill but that's my mantra going up.

I got to the top, turned right, caught my breath and started heading to the finish. I had targets on people's backs as I started to catch and pass them. I crossed the finish line in 42:23 (my watch time) or a 8:28/mile pace. I finished 350 with 783 finishers so I was in the top 50% overall.

It was a PR but I don't run that many 5 milers. I am usually so exhausted at the end of the race that I feel slightly nauseous. But, I didn't feel that in this race. And, I am pushing myself harder and harder this year.

To wrap it up, this was a good February race. It was different than my usual routine of starting in March with a 5k. I continue to push myself hard and I'm seeing dividends for my hard work. I'll keep this race in my mind for next year as well.

(Note: I am seeing the movie 'Spirit of the Marathon' tonight. I intend to write a review of it on my next blog. Weather-permitting, I plan on running 16 miles this weekend though not sure Saturday or Sunday. Weather in this area looks nasty tomorrow and Sunday looks to be a bit warmer but Saturday would be the better day if I can get out. )

Chilly Scenes of Winter

Last week, I went to an Agility class. No, I didn't learn how to walk on a teeter-totter or jump over small hurdles. It was a class about having the agility to face changes.

There is one constant in life and, that is, life is always changing. Right now, my work is going through a lot of changes as well as our society in general (talk of recession, our presidental elections, etc). How do we handle this without being overwhelmed by it all?

The idea behind the class was to focus on the things I do have a handle on. I can't control decisions made by others but there ARE things, in my life, I can control. For instance, I can control my work ethic and attitude towards what I do. So, if I focus on those things, then I can possibly influence the decisions that are not in my control.

When you have classes like this, they typically don't teach you anything you don't know. It becomes a coaching tool to remind you that you already know the answers to these questions you just forgot the questions. So, Joe, you might ask, what does any of this have to do with running? Good question.

Last weekend, I decided to do my long run on Saturday instead of Sunday. The forecast for Sunday was windy and bitter cold for this area (and they were right). I was intent on doing 13 miles around Lake Galena. I could have run with Melissa for company but she had to start early and my old, aching bones couldn't hack it so started an hour later than her.

While going to the lake, it started to snow. Not flurries. But, snow. I ran into Melissa in the parking lot and she asked how far was I going that day? Thinking about it, I said, 'if this weather keeps up than I'm only doing 8 because I am wet and cold and not wanting to do 13.'

We said our good-byes and I ventured off. But, then I started thinking about my agility class. In this situation, what do I have control of? I don't have control of the weather. There wasn't a forecast for snow that day but, here I am, and I'm outside running in the snow. But, I do have control of my attitude towards this run.

After about 3 miles, my attitude changed. Instead of dreading the snow, I started looking at the beauty of it as it covered the cornfields and areas around the lake. My reluctance of having to run 8 miles suddenly became a obsession to make sure I ran 13 miles.

With only a stop at my car to re-hydrate along the way, I wound up doing the 13 miles in 2:07. Believe me when I say, most of my half-marathon races have been slower than this. Sometimes you can learn about yourself in a classroom afterall.

(Note: I'm beginning to slightly fall off the bandwagon on my exercise regime. Last week, I didn't do strength training and kicking myself for not do so (must have been an attitude thing). I'm still trying to eat healthier but, I seem to be starving all the time. Working at home is both a curse and a blessing as it always seems easier to go downstairs and munch then it is in the office.
Still haven't made up my mind about the Frostbite Five miler. A game time decision.
I have been having slight heel problems but nothing that has stopped me so far. I can't say there was any one thing that caused it but keeping an eye on it to see if it worsens under certain conditions.
Phillies' pitchers and catchers arrive in Florida tomorrow! Spring is not far behind!
Congratulations to Uno, the beagle for winning Westminster.)