The Brain Bad Chronicles: Look a Dreadmill!

It is amazing how bad my brain is.  I swear, think horrible things, and totally over estimate my on abilities.  Either way, my brain is the biggest obstacle to my running properly and running smartly.  At the same time it keeps me going and yet can drag me down at the worst times.  There was a time…  Hell, it still happens, when my body says enough, please stop.  Yet my brain says, “No, you must keep going.”  Or “It is a day that ends in Y and you have a scheduled run of x miles, go out an do it.  Don’t worry that your leg is only hanging on at the knee by a tab of skin and what ever is left of your knee cap.  Go!”

Of course this is the exact right attitude during a race because there is nothing worse than a DNF, except a DNS.  One day I know it will happen and I have been close to it a couple of times like at the 2008 Cleveland Marathon which was two weeks after I PR’d the Flying Pig Marathon.  I almost turned at the Half turn off and called it a half.  I should have but I didn’t.  I wonder to this day if that would have been called a DNF or an adjustment of race parameters.  We will never know.  Remember, if you find me unconscious on a race course please move me closer to the finish line.  At least kick me in that direction.

Back to present day.  Just wait till we flash forward and sideways and in to alternate realities just like Lost.  I am nursing some injuries aches that have made some of my most recent runs kind of miserable.  My left shin is giving me trouble and my right Achilles is still crappy.  On top of it my right foot is giving me that breaky feeling.  Like it feels like it might be broke but I know that it isn’t, yet.  Either way, I need to take a little rest.

This being said I am in a mini-taper for the Delaware Trail Marathon on 24 April.  That is good because, though stopping running is always bad, stopping running in a training cycle is worse.  I needed some rest because I was not really taking any after running the Shamrock Marathon Whale Challenge on 20-21 March.  So here I am.  I need to take a week off and asses the damage and the recovery before I totally commit.

This is the part where I am listening to my body and not my brain.  You know why?  Because!  Brain Bad!!!!!  I will show you how the brain works on me like a nagging mother.

Instead of running a good long run of 12-15 miles on Sunday I decided to break out the bike and bike over to Kennet Square.  It is not much of a ride.  Maybe 15 miles, but with some big yet rolling hills and my bikes poor gear ratio it would be a challenge.  So when I woke up and started to gear up the Brain said,  “Pack some running shorts and your shoes just in case you want to get out there and make it a Duathlon. ” No!!!!! This is a recovery week.  Not a time to push the boundaries.  Although, the Duathon thing might be a great idea for a later date.  Way to go Brain.  So I thwarted Brain by only packing biking stuff, old shoes, no running socks or shorts and the most cottonny heavy shirt I could find.  Thanks NCN for that one.  Brain still had fits as we passed runners on Rt. 58.  There was one point (mountain) where I had passed a runner at the bottom and as I started heading up I was afraid I was going to be passed by them.  If they were elite I would have been okay with it but come on.  I know I have not been on the bike in over a year but I am not that bad.  Well, it turns out that I wasn’t.  In the end I had a good bike ride and the legs a body felt better for the lower impact work out.

Fast forward to today, because Monday was boring.  So I am getting ready for the day and I usually run on Tuesdays but this week is recovery week.  Just keep repeating it Duff and maybe it will sink in.  Well, I am getting stuff out.  A pair of running shorts, regular shorts, a cotton race shirt, swim suit, towel, my running shoes.  I know what you are thinking.  I am about to go running.  No, that was not the plan.  The plan was Rowing or Elliptical and maybe some swimming.    I posed the question on FaceBook if Elliptical counted as cross training but did not get a definite answer.  Well, I was still thinking rowing because it would be an upper body workout as well.  So there I was, heading into the Y.  It is raining and as I pulled into the parking lot I thought well that settles it I did not really prepare for the rain so running is out.  This is total lie because if I have a pair of running shoes and some shorts then I am totally ready to run in the rain.  But this time Brain was buying it.

Then it happened.  I was walking past the Fitness Center at the Y and saw the treadmill and Brain said, “That’s okay we can just go for a run on the Treadmill.”

Holy shit and Cow Farts!  Did Brain just do that.  It has sacrificed Body and Brain’s mutual hatred for the devil spawn machine, the Dreadmill.  All of that malice discarded just to get a run in.  The shudder that went through my body almost tore my ACL and herniated a disc just to teach Brain a lesson.

Come on!!!  Honestly!!  The Dreadmill.  Is this what we have come to.  Have my cravings for runs become so big that I can no longer avoid the most heinous  device every created.  The next thing you know Brain will suggest heading out with a bunch of Power Walkers to get a recovery run in.  WTF!!!

So here comes the good part.  In my haste to get everything packed this morning and get out the door, I forgot to pack socks.  Not even Brain would run without socks.  That would be a mistake of epic proportions.  So I got dressed and hit the Rowing machine for 30 minutes and 6200m.  A good work out but I still missed running.  I can’t wait till this Saturday when I test the legs out.

In the end, everything I have said in the past is correct.  BRAIN BAD!!!!!!!

—-note—

I know I owe a lot of race reports.  Trust me I have been composing them in my head but it will take some time to get to them.

I’d like to make a deposit of Whoop-Ass at the Snow Bank

As of 7:30pm on 5 Feb 2010 the state of Delaware was closed for business.  The Snowpocalypse arrived several hours earlier and proceeded turn this otherwise level-headed chemical producing home to our great yet pshchotic VP Joe “stick foot in mouth” Biden into a panic-stricken petrified disaster zone.  On a level of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest level of disaster, Deleware went straight to Defcon 1 and declared it a disaster level of 4 billion and 3.  This meant that felony charges were to brought about for anyone even thinking of going outside. 

“Ha! I thought it!  Come and get me.  Oh you can’t because you are snowed in.  Take that, over reaching government.”

Well, even I who was raised in the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina, in addition, spent 10 years in Cleveland, OH and two winters in Minnesota realize that the two, yes count them, 2 feet of snow that dropped between 5pm on Friday and 8am on Saturday was worthy of respect and some humility.  I mean that is, to put it scientifically, a boat load of snow.  When I finally took the Booger for a walk it was over his head.  He is a Basset Hound but still when your dog jumps and you still cannot see his head above the snow level then you know it is pretty deep.  I must get a tall dog one day. 

So just yesterday, I was thinking what a great winter it has been.  Last year the longer term residents of the First State were going nuts over a 1 inch covering.  By the end of that day there was more salt on the ground than there had been snow.  And last year was such a disappointment all-round.  I got one run in the snow and that was in Reading, PA.  Yes I had to leave the state to get a snow run in.  So, this winter we found ourselves in our second blizzard of the season, just today.  No it is not Cleveland where this second blizzard would have been called December but it is a good happy medium.  Actually, last week there was a couple of inches of snow where I made an already technical trail a whole new challenge.  BTW, thanks Lums Pond State Park that was fun.  Well, back to yesterday.  I was thinking about the snow that was coming and how it would be fun to get a good run through the snow. 

Let us be clear, this was not going to be a run on a couple of inches of snow where it is just a little slippery and your socks never get wet from just the sweat.  I knew that there was going to be enough to get at least over my ankles and it is like strapping an extra pair of useless legs to each leg.  This is strength work out and not speed.

Lets stop here and talk about speed for a minute.  I have to mention this because it was… well, it was….  just listen.  (or read)   I went out on Tuesday and had a great run where I had pushed and felt real good.  That being said I decide that my Thursday run was to be a Fartlek.  It means speed play. Now I haven’t trained a real Fartlek in a couple of years but I needed to get some speed work in so there is no time like the present, well now it is the past.  For those of you that are unfamiliar with the idea of a Fartlek work out, you warm up a little and when you are ready you pick a point like a light post and speed up.  If you plan this out right you will already have a point to “ease up” picked out.  That way you can measure your effort better.  At the “ease up” point you don’t stop and walk or shuffle but you ease up.  Then you pick another point and repeat.  Well, it can get exhausting but if done right is an amazing work out and is awesome.  Well, I was hitting this on Thursday and at one point my ease up was not much slower than my speed ups and the ease up interval was getting smaller and the speed up section was getting faster and more intense.  Honestly if I did not kick a little more and further out at the end i could have gone for another 10k.  Instead, I set a course PR and it was amaaaaaazzzzzinggggg!

Back to the snow.  This was not about speed.  As a matter of fact, I warmed up by shoveling snow for almost two hours to free up the cars prior to going out for a Jaunt.  I almost thought that was going to be good enough of a work out.   I was wrong and I am glad I decided to go out anyway.  So I got dressed and hopped in the car and set off for the Friends of Glasgow Park.  My first worry was that the parking lots would not be clear but lucky for me the park is the highest point in the Bear/Glasgow area so they needed to get ready for sledders.

So gear up:  Cap, face mask (neck warmer), gardening gloves, tunes and I was set.  I started the clock and started the run and I hit the trail.  Well, I think I hit the trail.  For with two feet of snow and drifts I had to mostly rely on memory and the mile markers at every 1/10 of a mile to guide me.  This was not ankle deep but shin deep, at first.  Oh yeah.  What a great day.  On top of it all like so many other times I was the first one out there. Not a single foot print or even a paw print.  At least last week, I was following a squirrel most of the day but here I was the trail setter. 

Did I forget the mention the drifts because I kind of forgot them.  I forgot them and in white out conditions and glare I could not see them either so the first one I hit at 1/10 of a mile almost put me face down into the snow.  I recovered and on  I went.  At one point early I think I made out a trail.  Honestly, I thought there would be a depression or something that would make the trail visible but no.  Drifts and virgin powder made that a figment of my best wishes.  Still, I made my way and as a few points I felt as if I had stepped off the path or maybe I was stepping onto it.  I really had no idea. 

Lets talk about two snow running techniques.  The High step, is just like it sounds but for you that need reminding.  In order for you to make it through the snow you step and then attempt to bring you foot up over the snow surface to obtain the least resistance.  This is a big energy user and makes for an odd stride and foot strike but it is very effective.  The other, the plow, is also much like it sounds.  Instead of stepping over the snow you just tend to run through it.  Your foot strike is usually a little more sure but the stress on the ankles and shins adds to the energy consumption.  Either way, it is like running up steps with a mud slide water fall coming toward and through you.  I tended to use both as needed or as my body was telling me. 

Any who, there I was and I was coming up on this point where the path goes into a patch of woods and there is a little wooden bridge that was put in to circumvent the portion of the path that is always under water, except it was snow this time.  I hit the bridge and about 5 little birds come jumping out from under the bridge like they had just found the hidden immunity idol.  They looked at me and I could tell they were pissed.  They were saying, “Hey mother-effer, don’t know it is snowing out here.”  Well, of course I knew. 

Another half mile along and I actually took a break and jumped over to the plowed road for about a quarter mile for a little relief.  Then I went back to the path and I hit the first real big one.  A Snow Bank.  It was like that snow bank in “The Day After Tomorrow” were they crash the truck.  Right before they fell through the King of Prussia Mall.  Except this time I kept going.  And yes it went right through my head, “Snow Bank! I’d like to make a deposit…Of Whoop-Ass!”  Thats right baby we were kicking each others asses.  I was making a path on untouched snow and it was making its mark on me.  Actually at this point I was only able to sustain a run for about 50-75 meters before I had to walk for about 25 meters.  Shortly, after the snow bank mentioned above, I had to remind myself to not stop.  I knew there was a chance of stopping resulting in a face plant and I could not let that happen.  The part of the path I was on was very isolated.  Either way I pushed and saw that half mile to go point and I knew it was almost over.  The wind kicked up like it was trying to stop me but in the end I finished up with total victory.  Take that Snowmagedon 2010.  2.6 miles in 46 minutes.  Thats right a 17:35 mile and I think I was fast.  I was expecting an hour or more.

In-review:2009 and the End of Year 2

Okay so I know this may be late but much like last year I have been a little behind.  Actually, this is doubly late because I missed my Second Anniversary.  Yes, it was Thanksgiving of 2007 when I started this chronicle of all that is my running and running thoughts.  There have been some great ones.  Like gear, TheRapist, Races, Things I have seen, training, and an attempt to get others to help me with my own fueling strategy.  Well, most of that happened in the first year of this blog.  As far as my writing for the 2009 has gone.  Well, it has gone.  I have mostly been composing ideas and never writing them down.  I hope to change that in 2010 or year 3. 

“Real good start, Slacker.” 

Not my best effort in writing.  Let me tell you how.

• I have missed at least 4 race reports, of which, two were of Marathon distance or better and another I placed in. 
• I have been over a month behind in other race reports for just about every race I ran if I wrote about it all.
• Lets not forget the random thoughts I have been thunking about that still pulsate through my troubled mind. 
• Many a shoe have passed my feet and I have yet to introduce you them or say goodby.

Forget all of that.  My blogging may not have been up to snuff but it will be better and besides as far as my running has gone I am the man.  Lets start off with a clear metric.

I ran 1390 miles in 2009.  Thats right, I blew past 2008 by 365 miles.  In other words I added an extra mile a day.  I will be hard pressed to do that in 2010 but it could happen. 

A few notes that make the top of the list.. 

• The Goofy Race and a Half Challenge.
• I ran my first trail race, the Ugly Mudder.  This is the most deliberately fun race ever created.
• I am an ultra-marathoner and nobody can take that away from me.
• I am a Slug.  Some may consider this a curse.  I consider it an honor.
• New York baby!
• PRs, PRs, PRs and championships.

Let me elaborate. 

Shoes:

• 6 pairs of shoes.
• 1 pair won.  Thats right I won a pair of Pearls and I picked a pair of trail shoes.  Thanks Vanilla and Candice.  I do run like an animal. 
• A fitting change.  I will speak of this more in a future post but don’t hold your breath.

The races:

• Goofy was a blast where I tried to break 2 hours in the Half and I paid for it the next day around mile 17.  Also my man Timmy’s first marathon.  It was an honored to be part of that.
• Back to back races where I ran an okay 5 miler in Ambler, PA and proceeded to run my very first trail race at the Ugly Mudder.
• Three time, thats right, three time division champion of the Catch a Leprechaun 30k and another PR at 2:38.
• I broke 2.  Thats right I PR’d the Caesar Rodney Half Marathon at 1:53.24.
• I hurt myself and still ran a 4:19 at the Delaware Marathon.  {Sorry no race report}  Lets say it was a grueling race and I am not sure I will ever get back to it.
• I ran my very first Ultra-marathon one month later at the Booty Rumble 50k in 5:35.  It was the most awesome time.  The rain started 10 minutes into the race and did not let up till about 10 minutes before I finished. {Again no race report.}
• Two fall 5k’s.  The first one I can hardly remember but the Doggy Doo 5k was the most cruel thing ever.  The hill that it starts on and finishes on make St. Malachi’s look like a gradual slope that goes into the distance.  {Same story, I am a slacker and did not make a race report.}
• Instead of a 20 mile long run I decided to run another 50k at the RBC 50k in 5:30.  I think I am hooked.
• One month later I PR’d the New York Marathon.  While Meb was resting and waiting for Letterman I ran it in 4:00:47.  What an amazing race and course.  The surprise technical trail as you go into the Bronx made an all-round race.
• Three weeks later I understood what negative Splits were when I PR’d the Fairmount Park Turkey Trot in 37:37.

Health:

It is a good thing I had no aspirations for weight loss.  I kept it steady and that is okay.  A few pounds off would be nice but not necessary for 2010.  I did find myself back at the TheRapist again for Achilles issues again.  I guess when you put almost 600 miles on a pair of shoes you are almost asking for an injury.  Fortunately, I was not sidelined.  For the most part I can run great but when I walked it looks like I am not the past, current, or future owner of the legs that are attached.  I kind of wish I could run everywhere but that may get difficult in safety shoes and on a facility that only allows running in an emergency. 

Oh yeah, I got my first full body massage in January.  It was amazing.  One day I will do it again.  Maybe after taxes are done. 

Another thing is trail running as become a regular component of my running as a way to mix things up and keep myself healthy.

In summary, 2009 was a great year with multiple PRs, 5 marathons+, A goofy, almost 1400 miles run and some of the most fun I have had out on my feet since I started running again in 2006.  The only regret I have is that with moving to DE I missed all of my spring races that I did back in Cleveland.  I will have to do better at finding some in the area.

As for 2010.  Rae has shown some interest in running a race with me.  Maybe we can do a 5k together at some point.  I know there is another 50k since I have already run it.  {I promise there will be a race report.}  On the Marathon front, Shamrock and Pittsburgh are calling to me but there is no pressure.  I think it will be a lot of the same.  Challenge myself till it hurts then run some more.  There is a 24 hour race in Philly around Fairmount park in June or July for BOMF.  If anyone wants to join me or would like to crew for me as I attempt it on my own let me know. It will be a blast. 

Some certainties for 2010:

1. Defense of my CAL 30k title.
2. Ugly Mudder
3. 50k [Already done]
4. More bloggin.  I promise.  No really I promise.

Remember this:  My sport is your sports punishment.

Fairmount Turkey Trot: Race Report

Here we are again.  It is Thanksgiving day and it is time to earn that Turkey.  Actually, I was roasting a chicken but still one of my favorite races of the fall.  Okay it is the only regular race of the fall but I love me some 5 mile Turkey Trot, the Fairmount Park Turkey Trot..  I woke up nice and early and got myself ready and made the trek all the way to Philly from Newark.  I got there and ambled my way to the registration table and I got a great surprise.  Rae who was spending the week with her grandparents ran up and tackled me with a big hug. 

Eitherway, I got registered and my kick ass tee shirt of which I was wearing last years.  Yes, that is how we show our status.  It is like wearing the shirt of th band that you are going to see.  We wear last years shirt or if your are at a marathon expo you wear some other marathon shirt.  That way people know you are no rookie.  Any who, I had decided to wear last years shirt even though I could have chosen from the previous three years last years seemed best.  Though last years shirt would have been okay to run in i decided to up the ante and put on a long sleeve technical shirt.  Not just any long sleeve technical shirt but my Goofy challenge shirt.  Yes I was feeling smug.  I may as well have been driving a hybrid. 

Well, it turns out that there was some construction on the usual route so there was a little re-route but nothing significant and it was not going to really affect the course that much.  So all of that was explained and I was getting ready.  There we were “Reluctantly Crouched at the Starting Line” and the horn is sounded and we were off and if felt good.  Okay, if felt a little tight but that is how all my races and runs go. 

I loosened up and I was moving.  Actually the weird part was I was not doing a lot of passing.  This may have been the first time in my return to running that I may have lined up just right.  I was moving and it was good.  Well, I figured I would get a pace adjustment as I passed the mile marker but for some reason I missed the clock.  I still don’t remember if there was one.  In the past there has bee but this time I just seemed to miss it.  I was just smoking past the back of the Please Touch Museum and then through the gate and turned right by the Japanese gardens and past the naked wrestlers.  Back out the gate and to the trail which had been re-paved since last year. 

I hit the home stretch turn and saw the finish line and Rae who took and awesome picture.  As I crossed the finish line I saw the clock and it said 19:20 something.  I was going to break 40 minutes again.  It would not be the first time but the first time since I got injured in ’08.  So I started to push a little harder.  I thought I would slow a little in the middle of the second lap.  It was actually starting to burn a little.  I had gotten some water that I needed and it was on.  As I passed what would have been the 3.5 mile mark I think I saw the clock that was supposed to be the 1 mile clock but it was not functioning.  I think.  Eitherway, it was really starting to burn and it felt even better.  As I rounded the Naked wrestlers again I knew this was special.  I hit the newly paved trail and though I was not really able to reel anybody in I was still kicking.

One turn to the left and home stretch it was.  I was moving and moving fast.  I saw the clock and it was just hitting 37 minutes.  Thats right.  I tried to push harder but I was already sprinting so more push was not more speed.  Then it happen I crossed the finish line and I crossed it at 37:37.  That’s right a 7:31 mile, a shattered PR and a big time negative split.

What a race and I was back.  I could not believe.  I have been going for the negative split thing but by a whole minute.  I cannot wait for next year.

Hokie Love in the Big Apple: NYC Marathon Race Report

I cannot believe it has been two  months since I ran the NYC marathon.  I would say that I have been remiss in my duties to report about a race a significant ast the NYC marathon but life is life and it has been busy.  I am sure my memory is a little fuzzy but at the same time I am sure details will come randomly as I composed this award worthy prose. 

Well, it all started on the Friday morning before the race and I decided that a good 7.5 mile technical trail run was in order.  It was awesome and amazing.  Now just earlier in the year I would have never even thought of running in the week before a marathon but lately I find that the itch is too much and there is no reason to fear a good jaunt.  Of course I went running on a ponds side trail after several weeks of rain.  So it was more an under water trail.  Eitherway, afterwards I cleaned up as much as I could, packed up, wrote a post or two, and got to trekking toward northern New Jersey.  I got to my Sisters’ place in Ramsey around 7 and waited for everybody to get home from work.  finally, my youngest sister came home and I found out that she was huge.

  Later I found that Ramsey, NJ is so far north that I could have sneezed and missed it all the way to Sufern, NY.  Either way, my sister Marie a NYC veteran and I discussed the plan for the getting me to the Expo.  She has already been so I was on my own.  It was okay, I am a big boy and can get around. 

Well, after being attacked by Marie’s one-eyed cat overnight.  Actually, he just cuddled next to me and demanded that I scratch his head for about 2 hours.  I got up around 6am put on the most awesome running shirt every (wait for it) and got a bus pass to the Port Authority.   From the Port authority walked to the expo.  I was almost derailed when I stumbled into the “America’s Got Talent” cattle call.  As much as I wanted to prove that I truly do sound like Lauren Hill and meet David Hasselhoff I figured that the country would have wait for my talents.

I found the Expo and it was fantastic.  It was the standard herd me to your designated number, color, sex, speed, hair color, and ,of course, shirt size sub group just to make sure you have the actual ability to run the race and receive a time when the day ends.  Eitherway, the expo was okay.  It was dominated by the Asics area but since they sponsored the joint they get a big display.  I test drove the Mizuno Wave Nirvanas and the new Saucony’s.  I was really disappointed when I found no Pearl Izumi set up.  What was even worse was not Laura Bars.  Despite these draw backs it was a lot of fun.  I got swag, tastes some nasty coconut water stuff, and the powerbar balls were awful.  As is mostly the case with these kind of things.  They may work at the energy thing but it is hit or miss about them being edible.  I did get a bunch of water and Gatorade and info on every marathon around the world.  I even found out about the Reykjavik Ultramarathon.  I am not sure if I can run 30+ on streets but I will find out.  The the best thing ever happened.  I went by the Runners World booth and bought the “Runners Rule Book” and performed a Slug sighting with Bart Yasso.

My day was made but I had to get something for Rae and then I picked up some arm warmers at a killer price.  That about did it.  I grabbed some more stuff and headed back to the Port Authority Bus station for the trip back to Ramsey.  While I waited I ran into the weirdest one footed pigeon.  It was freaking me out. 

Well, we fast forward to the night and preparations for the big day.  It is funny that several people had made great preparations to ensure that they got to bed very early like Laura at Absolut(ly) Fit and the Sun Runner.  I on the other hand sat down with my Sisters and their mother and an ate dinner and proceed to converse for several hours till the clock said 12:30.  At that point I actually attached my tag to the shoe, pinned my number to the Jersey and counted out my e-gels four times to make sure I had enough.  I set my alarm on my phone to play Cake’s “The Distance” at 0400.   I had an extra hour thanks to what I believe to be Congress’s only good act in the past 10 years when they changed daylight savings time to November 1.  I got up at O dark 30 and got ready.  Marie and I took the bus to the Port Authority to some random Subway to the Staten Island Ferry. 

I saw the statue of Liberty and once on Staten Island we bussed it to the next drop off and walked a couple of miles to the staging area.  I got pictures of me and the bridge and dropped off my bag and made my way to the start line.  It was all good and boy was the crowd big.

I heard the first wave start and saw people running across the bridge.  I was herded to the start line where each start was separated by lines of busses.  It was like the wall from Escape from New York.  This is where I made first mistake.  I put my foot up on the bus tire and retied my shoes.  On my second shoe the start gun went off.  Well, I set me clock on my phone and crossed the start line.  Honestly, for being the biggest race in the world the start seemed kind of small.  This was because I was I was on the bottom of the bridge where only one-third of the second wave starters were going.  It was kind of like a party as we weaved between each other.  The first mile went by without any trouble except I was still on the bridge.  The other part is that the clock had started with the first wave so I had to do math while running.  So Time minus 20 was oh this was easy.  If I finished at 4:20 on the clock I would have put on a 4 hour marathon.  Remember that.  Well, still things were going very well.  Just before I got off the bridge I remembered to remove my ear bud and heard the rumble from the top of the bridge.  I am glad I did not do this earlier because I would have run the record fastest two miles of my life.  It was almost scared me.  It was shortly after this point I got off the bridge and headed into Brooklyn where we met our first crowd.  It was a little sparse but a good crown none the less.  Actually before that I saw several “gentlemen” stopping at the base of the ramp from the bridge and emptied their bladders.

At that point I wondered if there was some study about how the bridges ramps tend to sink just a little every year and most around mid november than any other part of the year.  Either way, just after that the line of UPS trucks go by, that contained our bags of stuff to be transported to the finish line.  They honked and we waved.  Now I go back to the night before where my sister Marie warn me about 1st avenue in Manhattan and about how it seems to go on forever.  That is further along and she neglected to mention 4th avenue which happened to be about 80 miles long.  I mean we entered and that is where all the other starts joined together and then I understood the biggest race ever.  I thought I was crowded at Disney and at the Marine Corps Marathon.  It was a river of people that extended forever.  Here the crowd was amazing and here is where I started to get some hokie love.  I was of course wearing my Virginia Tech Bike Jersey and it is like bringing  my own personal support team.  People would see the VT and I would hear “Virginia Tech” and “Go Hokies.”  It is awesome.  But of course it was okay to a point when I realized that 4th avenue was never going to end.

In previous races I have tried to learn from each experience.  Sometimes I learn things but do not apply them.  Well, the one thing I have learned from my recent ultra running experience is that water and/or fuel is not something I need every mile.  I don’t train like that and I should not race like that.  So like at the slug events I have been to where there are 5k loops where I can rehydrate and fuel I decided would keep to that schedule and bypass the aid stations except for those on the 5k marks.  At least for the first half or 30k how ever I needed.  After that I knew that all bets were off and I would need to listen to my body more.  And I did.

Well, as the miles  went by and the crowd support was amazing and loud then the most deafening silence occurred when I entered the Williamsburg area Brooklyn, around mile 10, where there were spectators that had taken some sort of vow of silence.  I still to this day find it very hard to describe.

It was not long before I hit the halfway point and everything was going great.  I was feeling amazing and I hit the 13.1 mat on the Pulaski Bridge at 1:52.  Sure I was fast but it felt good and I was set up for a spectacular finish.  The next few miles went by pretty fast when I got to a spot just short of the 15 mile point and decided I would call to let people know where I was and the pace I was.  There were many including Rae and my sister Christina were out on course cheering Marie and I on.  This took several minutes because getting a call through was tough.  Well, with that taken care of I made the turn and there was the Queensboro bridge and I wished Queens behind.  The bridge was cool and though I had heard it was a hard incline to go up that was not the issued.  It was a bear of a down slope to come off of.  As I got toward that nasty downhill I heard this roar.  I must remind you that I am wearing an MP3 player but at this point I heard almost none of the music.  It was the 1st Ave crowd.  I had heard that the happy hour starts at 8am on Marathon Sunday and I believe it.  It was a wall of people lasting 3 miles.  I was amazing.  I could not believe the amount that this city has invested in the race.  I know now why they are proud of the event.  Unfortunately this is about the point where I was starting to fatigue real bad.  I was getting slow and the next few aid stations were walking points.  I was okay but I knew this was not going to get any easier.

I forgot to mention that I had passed the 4 hour and 3:45 pace groups earlier and it was on 1st Ave that the 3:45 passed me up.  That is no matter.  I was still moving strong. 

Well, right after that I found out that the NYC marathon was part trail run.  I hit the Willis Ave bridge and realized that it was a was technical trail that would better be known as the streets of the Bronx.  I mean honestly, it is a called civil engineering people.  All of my trail running experience kicked in and I started looking down to be sure of my footing and trudged on through till we got back to Manhattan. 

I came back down into Manhattan and the down hill off the Madison Ave bridge just about cramped my thighs up.  I was starting to get imbalanced but I was okay.  I just needed to adjust my pace and keep it going.  A few miles later and past Marcus Garvey Park is when the first of three 4 hour pace groups passed me up.  I figured I could keep up and i did for about a mile but I was spent.  The crowd again was getting big and I could see Central park on the Right. 

Hurt.

Pain.

Exhaustion.

Awesome. 

I turned into the park and again another down hill but I was feeling better.  The temperature was perfect and now I was feeling good.  I was still taking aid stations at walking pace but I knew it would not be long.  I was coming up on mile 25 and I knew I could kick mile 26s ass.  There it was 1.2 miles to go and I moved.  I got my water and started to push a little harder.  Then it happened I was halfway down Central Park South and I Zonked.  It was unbelievable, less than half a mile to go and I was just about done.   I finally got back to running and as I turned the corner I saw the finish line and I tried to pick up the pace but there was not much left.  Still I kicked.  I could see the clock it was counting at 4:19.  I pushed some more but the finish line was still not getting close enough.  I finally hit it and the last I saw was 4:20 and some change.   It was going to be close.  I was hoping for my first sub-4 marathon but I knew no matter what I had just PRd at the NY marathon.  It was amazing.  I found out later that I finished at 4:00:47.  So close and still awesome.

The next part was not as awesome.  I got my medal which rocked then I had the shuffle down the shoot to the UPS trucks to get our checked bags.  Also they handed us the bags with water and a macintosh apple (the worst textured, nastiest tasting apple ever made).  As we shuffled along I was starting to cramp up and cool down real fast.  I was not alone and there were plenty of medical personal to help us if needed.  I got to my UPS truck and it seems that they lost my bag.  After a long wait and some panic on my part I figured out that the bag that was turn backwards right in front of me was mine.  I grabbed it and moved on to my meet area where I caught up with Rae and Space.  I changed into a dry shirt and sweat shirt we started over to meet up with my sister Marie who had at that point just called me to tell me she finished.  We met up and got some barbecue before returning to NJ and then back down the Delaware later that night.

In the end, I love New York and the marathon is something I will do again.  I met got my Slug sighting with Bart Yasso, a PR, and a great tour of New York city.  Maybe next year.