My ex-Boston Marathon 2010

This was June event, so i apologize for being late posting this race review, but i took summer break, and with temperatures in 110s, nobody wants to think about running.

San Diego…Rock’n'roll, how can one say no to that combination. City where weather is always in mid 70s, bands on the course, finish line on Mission Bay right by Sea World, yeps, lets pack, we are going to San Diego.

It was another perfectly organized race by Competitor, Inc, in their Rock’n'roll series. Also, it was flagship event for TIT’s, i mean Team In Training. Foggy early summer morning, 35,000 runners, and thousands of them in purple TIT shirts. For some lucky ones, who purchased Brooks shoes, there were VIP porta-potties, darn it, i need to ditch Adidas.

I never understood at what point in your running life you figure out that running marathon is bit boring, so you decide to spice it up a little and dress up as elvis, but eventually that becomes boring too, then you dress up as SpongeBob Square SplitShorts and finish it in 7 hours, wearing that suit. Amazing.

It is not flat, but it is definitely fast race, little uphills, but in overall it takes you from hill at 350 feet to sea level. Course takes you around Bilboa Park, there are portions on freeway where you experience angled ground, your feet will not like that, but then there is amazing finish at Sea World.

It is definitely fun, good organized rate, and perfect family event. I would highly recommend it for a weekend of fun in San Diego, running when you have such amazing support team is easy.

It will be impossible to even start talking about Havasu Half-marathon without giving some facts about the Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
Lake Havasu is man-made lake, formed after Powell dam was placed on Colorado river. During 60s, something interesting was happening in newly discovered Arizona. Investors, started building not only malls, or sections but entire cities. Sun City, Surprise, Fountains Hills, and Lake Havasu City. City that was made in 1960s, just by vision of one person. So it has no history, no old attractions, no generations, or families. Just 50,000 souls who calls it home. Well, actually, it has one very old attraction. London Bridge. Yes, over 200 year old London bridge, that was disassembled in London, England and moved here, to bring life in the new city.

It is confusing that city who is known for spring break fun, there is no more then few hotels. One of them, official half marathon hotel, featured Expo. It was not truly an expo just bib pick up place. Ok, it worked. I didn’t expect to find Adidas booth, next to GU, like in big races, but i was hoping for some more local flair.

Saturday morning, 7:30 was official start of the race. On the beach, on man-made island, right across the named London Bridge. It was fun start, and soon we left into beautiful Arizonian morning, little hot, little windy. Course took us around the island, mainly undeveloped, passed few RV parks. Then we passed over, can you guess, London Bridge, and continued straight to turning point and back. Even advertised as flat and fast, it is not flat, entire course is bit hilly, up and down.

At turn point i experienced something that for race, 3rd year running is shocking. I was in the middle of the pack when approached water station, ahead of 2:15 pacer. But water station was out of water cups. Volunteers were pouring water from gallon jugs into runners mouths. I i am not sure did it look like communion in church or like bunch of chicks happily awaiting mother-bird to feed them. But it was unique.

After all race was ok. I am confused about the course. Surrounding area is simply beautiful, from approaching Lake Havasu City driving north from Powell, AZ, or continuing on SR-95 toward I-40. Why did course take us around less then impressive motel 6, and few bait stores, i don’t know. Maybe something that can be easily solved next year.
Leaving Lake Havasu City late sunday, i couldn’t help but wonder. Seems like everything in this city is unfinished. It has great potential, amazing ideas, but it all seems stopped in its tracks. But i will come next year, just to see can the utilize local potential better.

Last week I run one of the most beautiful races in the country. Imagine red rocks, bell shaped ones, beautiful sunrises, and you just imagined Sedona, Arizona. Place known by its natural beauty and some more or less believable powers of mystical vortexes, etc.

This year it was fifth running of Sedona Marathon, so they creatively named it Cinco de Marathon. Like our dear holiday Cinco de Mayo, annual event where we celebrate drinking, with some ethnic story behind, one truly dont care much about (also see St.Patrick Day) There is something strange about runners and drinking. I run for beer, stickers, hmmmmm

It was my first time running in Sedona, second half marathon of 2010, running as part of Team World Vision. Arriving night before to 4500 feet elevation, i didnt expect personal best or anything else then finish, and have fun. Expo was one of the smallest ever, but it had its charms, Mayor of Sedona was there, so was another interesting person many of us never heard of before. Person who is inspiration and story behind the movie “My Run”. Then 57 year old Terry Hitchcock who in 1996 ran 75 consecutive marathons in 75 consecutive days to bring awareness to the struggles of single parent in USA.

Race itself was perfectly organized, from start line to support in every single water station. Challenging course takes you via the streets of Sedona to surrounding wilderness. Could it be the near-by vortex or just natural beauty, but it is enjoyable race. For now it is one of my favorite places and i will definitely be there next year.

I didnt write anything here for over the year. The reason was my first full, yes i finished but i burned. I got sick of running, thinking about running, writing about running. But now i am back, and being back means 10 races in 2010 (9halfs, and 1 full). Ready for new updates….. and no, i am not going to Boston.

When i was learning how to walk back in early 70s, thousands of runners around the world were starting subculture that slowly grow into this cult we all worship today. The Running Cult. Phenomenon of the late 20th century. From the boom of jogging around Central Park in NYC to today’s record number of marathon finishers.Back then, running was pioneer effort. Not commercialized, popular sport like it is today. No running subdivisions of major athletic companies, no gadgets, no special nutrition. One of the huge problem of the amateur runners in the era was measuring their distances, and speed. So, brilliantly, they invented pace. A time needed to run from point A to point B. Points were usually recognizable objects. Stop signs, trees, houses, anything that can be easily remembered and used. Then back home to the old maps, topographic prints, to measure the distance. If distance from that stop sign to the first street light is 1 mile, and it took them 7 min, just by watching at the time on their stopwatches, they could easly calculate that their pace was 7 min/mile. Or even easier, if they run one lap around the track in 1:30 min, their pace was 6 min/mile.And it worked. It was simple effective way of tracking their training, progression.Now lets move fast to September 1st, 1983. Korean Air Lines Flight 007, en-route from NYC to Seoul, Korea, with 269 people on board. On the other side Russians had test firing of SS-25, mobile, intercontinental ballistic missiles. After swinginig from its planned course, ill-fated airliner eventually ended in restricted russian air space and was taken down by russian jet intercepters. All 269 people on board died that night. As result US president R. Reagan issued a directive making GPS freely available for civilian use as common good.Now back to running. Over next decade or so, running become more and more popular, and more and more companies begin producing enormous number of gadgets to aide runners to achieve their goals.  Many of them, like Polar, continued perfecting their pedometer devices, and some like Garmin, begin implementing now free GPS system of satellite navigations. Soon runners around the world, were able to know exactly where they are in the world, how far have they run, and at what speed. On other side, internet, which back in 80s was academic playground, become public phenomenon. And so did online maps, satelite maps, even 3D rendered maps of every corner of the world. Today we can plot our runs, have virtual 3D tour of the run, import the run to our “watches” and later, export recorded data into our computers, analyze every second of our runs, from elevation to percentage of maximum heart rate. My iPhone can even send my location every 5 sec, serving as GPS beacon, allowing users at home to see my progress on their computers, even oceans away. But we still use pace, we still pace ourselves, we still improve on our pace.  My Garmin can show me my speed, current and average, at any point of my run.But i like to talk about my pace. Speed? Speed is for cars, and monster trucks, we runners pace, we don’t speed. Go to local 5k and watch 20 year old college kid finishing his sub-20 5k. Comment something like “wow, what a speed” and soon you will be isolated. You are not a runner anymore. Say “that is some killer pace” and you will start interesting conversation. Why do we need pace? Is it one of the dinosaurs of the old school running? Will it become just interesting piece of history of running, like “flat coke”? Or will it survive and keep helping us push harder, faster, further.

No i dont mean it is good or bad as sex. Well it could be: you are sweating like a pig, you cannot breath, you are tired after, and you still call it great time.But that is not the point here. It is how so many people look at training and running their first full marathon. My belief is that you need a year of good, solid running, few local races, before even starting to think about one. Some people jump into right away, some take their time.Some make it one night stand. Nothing bad about it. But it is just one night stand. So later in life you can look at it and say “well i did it”, not much different then saying “i did her/him”. They just want to came and to finish. Without much respect to the race or other runners.Or you can take different approach, you can make in meaningful, lasting relationship, “invest” days and months, becoming more friendly with Mrs. Full M., hoping it would be long term, something you can cherish forever. And then become hooked, keep coming back for more.

After finishing my first half I basically got lazy. Without any serious plan, with few huge blisters i took few weeks off. Then back to “junk miles”. Wondering what could help me get back on track before 100F hits Arizona. And the answer came from REI sale. Garmin Forerunner 305. I have it only a week, but amazed with its features. Here are the few that i had a chance to learn.
1. Accuracy. Most public GPS units are accurate to around 25 feet. When running for miles that is more then great. But running under blood red Arizonian sky, with great reception, accuracy can be as good as 2-3 feet. Here is the recent track imported into Google Earth. As you can see , it actually recorded me going from sidewalk to the bike lane.

2. Real time data.My old Polar RS200, amazing machine, tracked my average HR, which is still pretty high, but i was unable to guess when did it get so high, and how long does it take to get back to breathable levels. Garmin constantly record such info so you can analyse it later.
Unfortunately, temperature in Arizona is rising fast. So soon, Garmin will go to the shelf, and Polar and myself back to the treadmill.

After a months of anticipation and quick trip to Health Expo, that night before the race i was ready. Desperately trying to find the best driving route to the race i didnt go to bed untill midnight. For those not living in Arizona we like to build. Streets, freeways, highways, and houses. Then we change our mind, and build again. So getting anywhere here is a challenge. They close some freeway every weekend. MY 6 months old GPS was too confused to even calculate how to get there.

4 A.M., sunday morning. I have to be nuts to get up this early. Wife soundly asleep, as kids sneaked into our bed during the night. Ok, where is my polar, hmmm, socks, did i charge my iPod. March mornings are still cold in this Sonoran desert, so i had to wear layers upon layers. Thankfully adidas, Adistar, orange was last year color so ebay was full of those. 

Driving in my car, i went throw my checklist, reminding myself that negative splits are not in my agenda, yet. Start slow, finish. Just finish. Never run 10k under one hour, so i dont hope for more then 2:30 to finish half. It is my first after all. Just finish.

Ok according to the signs, and GPS i was there. Few police cars pointing me to the dark parking lot of the shooting area in state park. And they call hunting sport?. Quickly, take off all the layers, connect all the appliances and gadgets, and get in the line for the bus. Big yellow school bus. I didnt see the inside of one of those since Senior year field trip. 

Damn, bathroom, why do i always drink this much water. Huh, look at the line, maybe i should do it behind the bush. Hmm, no, all the bushes are cacti, too pointy for my taste. AS always national anthem got me in the line. “..and the land of the…” good, my turn. 

Quickly to the 9-10 pace starting line. Honestly didnt expect that much people around 800. Damn i will be the last. How humiliating. Gun, there is the guy with the gun. Go. Slowly.

First 5k was straight and flat. 7AM, as the sun was slowly rising over the red sky, so was the excitement. I didnt care about cameras, about pace, just for a moment, enjoyed the race, enjoyed the moment. Second 5k, got me at uphill, around some $1mil plus houses being built. Soon i realized with such price comes the attitude. Yes you can beep as much as you want, and no i will not stop so your benz can take you to your round of golf. That uphill kept going and going. Without any hill training, i kept going slow but steady. Soon first downhill, and out to mayor road. Thanks for real estate tour, i need to work on my hill training and my diverse portfolio.
10k, almost half. That clock must be wrong, only 57min? and another downhill? walk, time for drink. Someone, somehow put too much powder into that getorade mix. But then i dont like grape anyhow. I will get just water at 8mil. Almost 2 mile long straight. Something i never realized before, and i was about to, is that going downhill, your feet slide. They slide enough to get some scary looking blisters. 9mil, brutal uphill. ok, i see water at the top. almost done. Or should i just become pessimist? more then 5k left. 

Then it all just came together. The road, heart rate, mood, sunshine, legs. I was just there. On the road. With 800 other happy people. Some of them in front of me, some behind me. I didnt need advice from the book, didnt need magic powder in my imaginary pouch, i didnt need to visualize the runner in front of me, if he is murdered what weapon would he use, or how does her/his face looks during an orgasm. I just enjoyed the race, the pain, the time.

And soon it was almost over. I see the finish line. I see photographers, should i smile? it doesnt matter, again they dont have polarizer and they are pointing almost straight into the sunlight. It is time of glory. All those months, all those alone moments, all the crazy drivers. It all comes to this. Sprint. Run. Pass one or two more. 2:10, and that is gun time. Shortly, my daydreaming of glory was interrupted by someone in yellow shirt passing me the medal, throwing me to another person in same bright yellow shirt, who took off timing chip.

I realized. This is runners high. Sitting here, on the side of the road, next to the garbage cans, holding that cheap piece of metal. I did it. I am half marathoner.

And at that moment, Boson appeared just a step closer. 

This weekend there will be my first attempt at Half Marathon. I don’t know is it just the name that contains magic word Marathon, or the distance of 13.1, or time needed to complete that is equal or more then most of the elite runners need to finish Olympic marathon, but i am bit nervous. I have completed training program, already getting sick of all the pasta, potato etc, and drove the course to get familiar with. So at sunday i will be there at 6:30 in the morning, too early for me, and hopefully my family will be at finish line when i drag myself there.  For those not familiar, this weekend March 9th, in Mesa Arizona Valley of the sun, Half Marathon. You can still sign up.  Valley of the Sun, Half Marathon

Last night i managed to drag my lovely wife to see the ‘encore’ presentation of the famed movie “Spirit of the Marathon”. Movie theatre was full of people, and looking around i could swear most of them couldnt run 5k. Again i was probably wrong, it just shows that runners come in all sizes and shapes. It is documentary movie, following couple, completely different, runners in their atempt to finish Chicago Marathon 2005.  One is postgraduate student, whose running style reminds me of mine, then Kenyan running 3rd time trying to win, 68 men running this time with his daughter, and couple in their 30s going for BQ.I liked the movie. I didnt kill the spirit with unnecessary calculations of pace, carb loading ideas, describing diferences between tempo and fartleg runs, and everything else that non-runner might find trully annoying and borring. It made me realize something, we runners, are obsessed with running (mildly obsessed, my wife remark), and constantly talk and think about it. Except while we are running. Director gave short history of the marathon, from Ancient Greek time, to interesting modern events, first women at Boston Marathon, and how her hubby pushed race director who tried to pull her out of the race.But most importantly, it shows a human side of the marathon. It is not about time, or pace. It is not about PR or anything alike. Every single runner has a dream, whatever it could be, winning the Chicago marathon, setting new world record, finish first one, BQ, finish it with your daughter. And in those few hours anywhere from 2 to 6 hours, those dreams are made, or painfully broken. How strong our mind and body are, how much we will jump out of the comfort zone, and accomplish something it shouldn’t normally be done by humans. After all, it is same 26.2 miles, same track, same race.  Movie gives a simple message about marathon runners, in one short sequence during the Chicago Marathon 2005. In the back you can see the sign that reads:”Y’all are nuts”