And now, the rest of the story...

First of all, I am very grateful for the overwhelming response I received from everyone on last week's blog. The comments I received on the blog and the people who I know who asked me about it, truthfully, surprised me. Thank you for asking about it and encouraging me. No truer comment was from Kelly (yes, the Blue Dawg Kelly) telling me that 'hey, I'm a marathoner. Don't let negative thoughts enter your head as you are about to finish. Think positive.' (Sorry, Kel, I'm paraphrasing here). But, she was right. So, I called the BAA.

I asked for my friend from last time but he was not available. I explained my situation, again, to 'Linda' this time (not her real name) and she said, all the numbers have been assigned to people. I'm afraid it won't be possible. But, I will look into it.' So, I thought, well, that's it. Time for Plan B. Except I had no Plan B.

A few days go by, I'm on a conference call when the area code (508) appears on my phone. Thinking it was Steve or someone I know from New England, I let it go into voice mail. Except it was the BAA and they wanted me to call back. Really? Could it be? So, I called and they were very nice about it. And, again, they are looking into it.

It has been another week since that call. And, it looks like this time, I will not be receiving my invitation for this year. Even if I did, I will be hard-pressed to make the necessary travel arrangements in my budgeted amount.

But, that's ok. I have no regrets. I did what I did knowing there were no guarantees of entry. I would do it again. I found out, in some ways, training for a spring marathon was easier than a fall one. Now, I was VERY lucky as the Philadelphia area avoided the snow with only 6.3 inches of accumulation the entire winter. And, it was harder to get started for my long runs because of the cold. But, once out, I found I had more energy in the cold than I did training in the hotter weather for the fall marathons.

And, in reality, there is sort of a Plan B. If the weather is nice and personal reasons work out, I might go down to Ocean City, Maryland to participate in their half-marathon on April 12. But, I won't know until April 10 if I can go down. Since its a point-to-point race, would it count as a marathon if i ran back to my car? :-)

(Notes: Thank you for participating in my poll of 'what is your favorite thing to listen to while running?' Not surprisingly, Kelly whining about the hills was the overwhelming choice with 50% of the votes. Least you think there was a hometown advantage to this voting, it wouldn't surprise me that Eric, author of the Running For My Life blog (http://ruralrunnere.blogspot.com/) from Missouri, Jodi, Confessions of a Runner podcaster (http://www.confessionsofarunner.com/) from Mississippi, Mom on the Run blog author and member of the Blue Dawgs Midwest (not sure if she wants me to reveal her name so I won't) (http://momrun.blogspot.com/) from Indiana, or even Nigel, Running from the Reaper podcaster (http://runningfromthereaper.blogspot.com/) from Staffordshire, UK, on a quiet Wednesday night and the wind blowing the right way, heard a faint 'I hate these hills!' from the distance. Chances are SteveRunner (http://www.steverunner.com/) didn't hear anything because he's just old and hard of hearing to begin with. :-) Thanks Kelly for being a good sport about this. Music came in second with 25% of the vote, followed by Podcasts with 16% and Nature at 8%.

Last Sunday, on a chilly morning, I ran the Central Bucks YMCA 5k race with a time of 25:02 (by my calculations). (And, I forgot my mini-camera. Darn!) It started off the Bucks County 5k series (http://www.bucks5kseries.com/) that goes from March to June. I did 7:30/8:01/8:12 splits. Considering it was my first 5k in awhile and the start of the last mile is going up a hill, I was pleased with my efforts. In fact, I think this was my best time for this course.)

Again, I can't thank you enough for your kind comments and your support. But, as a Phillies fan there is one phrase I know all to well---Wait until next year!

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.)

Winter Plans

The soreness is gone and now the Philadelphia marathon is nothing but a pleasant memory for me (though, looking at the proofs doesn't evoke a pleasant memory). Having a week to think about it, I am happy with what I did and the time I did it in. I had a great time training with friends during the summer and fall and having Steve come down here for the race. Those good times are the things I'll remember most.

So what are my winter plans? I am starting to think of bringing my gym membership home with me. I currently belong to a gym but mainly use it for racquetball and swimming. Occasionally, I will use the treadmill, especially in February when I have set a goal for a half-marathon and the snow is just too deep to get a good, long run in. I hardly use the weights though I know I need to do some weight training.

Why don't I go to the gym more often? My commute is my biggest time-eater and, in truth, it's hard to go out again when you get home (and, no, I can't stop on the way home, either). So, I have a plan to try to get more toned (stop laughing, no, stop laughing, now!). Of course, every year I have the same type of plan but I think it will be different this time around. My wife and I are seriously thinking of investing in a treadmill. And, that's the way we think about it. It is an investment in ourselves. Granted, that may be a way to justify it but our biggest fear is that we buy something that becomes an expensive clothes hanger. But, we both like to run so it's a small leap of faith that we will use it in the coming years.

I'm also looking into barbells. Not full bench press kind of stuff. Just enough to build my arms a bit. I've read on many occasions the need to build your arms and mid-section in order to sustain form on long runs. I'm not going after the Governor Arnold look and, really, I'm not going for any kind of look. I just think it's going to be more important to maintain my strength through the upcoming years.

Now comes the part I'm kind of embarrassed to talk about it. I am seriously looking at the (and, I think it's called this) the Ab-Lounge. I have lower back problems and this device looks like it could help in stretching me out. It also looks it would help me do crunches more comfortably. I'm not big on things advertised on TV or on the shopping channels. But, I have seen and tried it out in sporting good stores. If anyone has ever tried it before and has stories, good or bad, let me know.

There is an underlying reason to all of this. Steve and I have mutual friends that possibly can get me into the Boston marathon. How? Sponsors have a certain amount of exemptions handed to them to get people they know in the marathon without having to qualify (that's how Michelle Wie gets into men's golf tournaments). I have enough confidence now in my marathon training that I feel I run Boston without embarassing myself too much. There is no guarantee that it will happen. And, I would only ask this favor once. I know there will be some people who will say I don't deserve to get in. That's true. But, if you were in the same position as me, wouldn't you?

If anything, it will keep me motivated for the winter. I probably won't know until early next year. But, I find having a carrot dangling in front of me is the best way to keep my competitive juices flowing.

Note: To listen to Steve's take on the Philadelphia marathon, go to his website http://www.steverunner.com/.