I'm here to announce my retirement from marathons...The day started off with 38 degree weather and a head full of dreams...Although it warmed up, my dream turned into a nightmare... Without boring you with pace times and mile markers, let me just say, all was going well until mile 20...
I guess you could call it a wall, but a head-on collision with a freight train seems more suitable in explaining what happened.
I may be late coming to the dance on this one, but did you know Tennessee has hills? I mean mountains.... By the way, Florida is flat. In fact, Tennessee laughs at Florida when it comes to giant boulders that rise into the clouds. And most of the mountains in Tennessee happened to be on this race course... At least that's the way this Florida boy saw it... mile 21, 22, and 23 were uphill... That's right, 3 miles of continuous uphill running... Back-up, 3 miles of continuous shuffling along trying to imitate some form of my former self.
Allow me to go back to mile 20 and the freight train. I first felt a little tingle shoot up my thigh.... No big deal, little tingles are part of running, it comes with the gig...But what happened next, came out of a Steven King novel. My thigh contorted into several shapes until finally cramping up and shutting down. Which left me with the for amentioned 6.2 mile hobble.... I have never ran more painful 6 miles in my life,(or hobble, limp, shuffle, crawl.) At one point, I doubled over in pain. A guy on a bike, who was a marathon volunteer, ask me if I was OK? Now the guy was supposed to help runners who needed water. (i.e. have water with him.) I said I'm cramping up & I need water. He said the water stop is about a half a mile up the road... One more time, he said the water stop is about a half a mile up the road.I think he was also the guy who told me this marathon is flat...
So making a long story somewhat shorter, I missed my 4 hour goal by 6 min. and 2 sec.
My last marathon is a memory. I'm no marathoner, but I'll still run (in Florida, where the land is flat and the heat is not painful)however, it will be 5, 10, and 15k's.
I did get a chance to say hello to Brian before the race, I'm sure he did much better than yours truly.
See ya on the flat road, runron.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Monday, November 5, 2007
Feet's don't fail me now
What kind of idiot would drive 586 miles to run 26.2 miles?... All in front of this computer typing these words, say I....That would be me.. Or Mr. Idiot, to you.
The days are getting short and the big clock on the right seems to be speeding up and I guess all systems are a go. So, what's my gripe of the day?
Raw sewage, that's right, raw sewage. I'll let you use your imagination on the details... But let's just say the aforementioned words came tumbling out of the ceiling at a job site runron was at today. Fortunately, I was out of crap-shot.... but my toolbox wasn't.... The toolbox stands about a 18 inches high and is about 24 inches wide... I guess you could say it's about the same size as a toilet... A big toilet... Except, toilets don't have jigsaws, cordless drills, routers, and everything else a carpenter uses... At least mine doesn't... Or didn't....So I had a crappy day, need I say more?
Back to this marathon thing... You know how I've been complaining all summer about the heat?... There's one thing you should know.... I hate to run when it's cold... I'm from Florida, if it's in the 60's I'm freezing....Now I see where Tennessee is in the 30's at night?.... How cruel are the marathon gods?.. I mean come on, you want me to go from running in the beautiful 90 plus temperatures with sunshine so inviting it bakes your skin to a crispy tan. Where humidity caresses your forehead and leaves little droplets of sweat to reward you for a good workout. The oven-like warmness at 6:00 a.m. that gently greets me for a 20 miler...From all of that, to bone-chilling cold... I'll have to deal with numb toes and fingers... When I eventually break a sweat my shirt will freeze.... My teeth will chatter, not to mention what cold weather does to my bladder...
It's true what they say... Hot weather is uncomfortable, but cold weather is painful.
I bet there will be snow flurries and I'll get lost in some haunted battleground for days on end. (I'm running in a historic Civil War battleground) I'll have to survive on sports beans and extra packs of gel, until spring.... Of course spring in Tennessee probably comes around July 4th...
My Father-in-law lives up there, maybe I'll place a call and see what he can do about the temperature.... 30 degrees at night....Summer where did you go my friend?
See ya on the frozen tundra, runron.
The days are getting short and the big clock on the right seems to be speeding up and I guess all systems are a go. So, what's my gripe of the day?
Raw sewage, that's right, raw sewage. I'll let you use your imagination on the details... But let's just say the aforementioned words came tumbling out of the ceiling at a job site runron was at today. Fortunately, I was out of crap-shot.... but my toolbox wasn't.... The toolbox stands about a 18 inches high and is about 24 inches wide... I guess you could say it's about the same size as a toilet... A big toilet... Except, toilets don't have jigsaws, cordless drills, routers, and everything else a carpenter uses... At least mine doesn't... Or didn't....So I had a crappy day, need I say more?
Back to this marathon thing... You know how I've been complaining all summer about the heat?... There's one thing you should know.... I hate to run when it's cold... I'm from Florida, if it's in the 60's I'm freezing....Now I see where Tennessee is in the 30's at night?.... How cruel are the marathon gods?.. I mean come on, you want me to go from running in the beautiful 90 plus temperatures with sunshine so inviting it bakes your skin to a crispy tan. Where humidity caresses your forehead and leaves little droplets of sweat to reward you for a good workout. The oven-like warmness at 6:00 a.m. that gently greets me for a 20 miler...From all of that, to bone-chilling cold... I'll have to deal with numb toes and fingers... When I eventually break a sweat my shirt will freeze.... My teeth will chatter, not to mention what cold weather does to my bladder...
It's true what they say... Hot weather is uncomfortable, but cold weather is painful.
I bet there will be snow flurries and I'll get lost in some haunted battleground for days on end. (I'm running in a historic Civil War battleground) I'll have to survive on sports beans and extra packs of gel, until spring.... Of course spring in Tennessee probably comes around July 4th...
My Father-in-law lives up there, maybe I'll place a call and see what he can do about the temperature.... 30 degrees at night....Summer where did you go my friend?
See ya on the frozen tundra, runron.
Monday, October 29, 2007
The Long and Winding Road.
With taper in full bore, I write these words... Due to unrelated running issues, my time in front of this computer has been limited. Hopefully it will change soon.
Taper time is alway greeted with relief and fear. Most of the hard miles are in the stable and the horse has been hosed down.(relief). However, it brings on a different set of circumstances. (fear).
Am I ready for 26.2? I'm sure this goes through the minds of all middle-of-the-packers. Did I train hard enough? What about that Tuesday 8 weeks ago, when training called for a 6 mile tempo at a 7:29 pace, and I ran a blistering 8:02? Or the 20 miler when I could only muster up a weak 18 miles? How about the cross-training days, when I either skipped a workout altogether, or made a flimsy half-hearted attempt, just to say "I did it"?
Point is--I feel I'm not ready for this marathon... Oh I'll run it, but my goal of under 4 hours looks bleak. 4 hours is a long time to do anything... A football game last under 4 hours... A double feature at the movies, is under 4 hours... The time between breakfast and lunch is about 4 hours.... A nap on the couch is 4 hours (I take long naps).... Woman having conversations on cell phones while driving last... wait, that's more than 4 hours... But you get my point, 4 hours is a long time to run.
So while most sane people will be watching football games, movies, waiting for lunch to arrive, taking naps, and talking on cell phones. Old runron will be out putting one foot in front of the other, convincing myself I'm having a good time.
Well friends, time is short, and my ego is getting shorter as the seconds click off the big clock to the right.
Maybe a miracle will happen, and I can join my friend, Rob Henderson in Boston for some race he's all worked up about. But that's another day in another story.
See ya on the road, runron.
Taper time is alway greeted with relief and fear. Most of the hard miles are in the stable and the horse has been hosed down.(relief). However, it brings on a different set of circumstances. (fear).
Am I ready for 26.2? I'm sure this goes through the minds of all middle-of-the-packers. Did I train hard enough? What about that Tuesday 8 weeks ago, when training called for a 6 mile tempo at a 7:29 pace, and I ran a blistering 8:02? Or the 20 miler when I could only muster up a weak 18 miles? How about the cross-training days, when I either skipped a workout altogether, or made a flimsy half-hearted attempt, just to say "I did it"?
Point is--I feel I'm not ready for this marathon... Oh I'll run it, but my goal of under 4 hours looks bleak. 4 hours is a long time to do anything... A football game last under 4 hours... A double feature at the movies, is under 4 hours... The time between breakfast and lunch is about 4 hours.... A nap on the couch is 4 hours (I take long naps).... Woman having conversations on cell phones while driving last... wait, that's more than 4 hours... But you get my point, 4 hours is a long time to run.
So while most sane people will be watching football games, movies, waiting for lunch to arrive, taking naps, and talking on cell phones. Old runron will be out putting one foot in front of the other, convincing myself I'm having a good time.
Well friends, time is short, and my ego is getting shorter as the seconds click off the big clock to the right.
Maybe a miracle will happen, and I can join my friend, Rob Henderson in Boston for some race he's all worked up about. But that's another day in another story.
See ya on the road, runron.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Taper Time... Or is summer over?
You probably haven't heard me say this before, but man is it hot... The big clock on the right tells me I have a little more than 19 days before I feel the cool crisp air of Tennessee... Finally, thank you.
I'm either getting old, or tired, maybe both, but this is the hardest training program I've done... Now, it's almost over and I can see the end... Which got me to thinking.
I think this is it.... runron will retire from running marathons.
To run 26.2 miles takes a lot out of a person, and I'm not built for the brutal mileage required to prepare for such a task.
However, I do like to run, which I'll continue to do...I'll do the 5K's, 10K's, 15K's and maybe a half-marathon in the future.... But a full 26.2? I'm done after this one... It's just not in me... Running is supposed to be fun, and it is when taken in small dosage... but these bites of 20 milers cause me to overdose and I'm afraid of burnout.
Some may think I'm a quitter, and that's fine... But I've thought long and hard about this... I'm doing what I need to do.
I think guys who run two or three marathons a year are a special breed.... my hats off to you guys... guys like Steve Runner and the Cranky Runner. you two are my age and run like you're 20. I know how hard that is, because I've tried.
So don't feel sorry for old runron, I'll be fine, and I'll still be out on the road, just not in 3 hour bites like I did this morning. I still post about the heat and what bothers me. Maybe even post more due to extra energy.
That's my thoughts now as I sit here, just after a 20 miler. Of course all this could change if I run a 3:20 marathon and qualify for Boston.... Naw, I'm done.
See you on a shorter road, runron.
I'm either getting old, or tired, maybe both, but this is the hardest training program I've done... Now, it's almost over and I can see the end... Which got me to thinking.
I think this is it.... runron will retire from running marathons.
To run 26.2 miles takes a lot out of a person, and I'm not built for the brutal mileage required to prepare for such a task.
However, I do like to run, which I'll continue to do...I'll do the 5K's, 10K's, 15K's and maybe a half-marathon in the future.... But a full 26.2? I'm done after this one... It's just not in me... Running is supposed to be fun, and it is when taken in small dosage... but these bites of 20 milers cause me to overdose and I'm afraid of burnout.
Some may think I'm a quitter, and that's fine... But I've thought long and hard about this... I'm doing what I need to do.
I think guys who run two or three marathons a year are a special breed.... my hats off to you guys... guys like Steve Runner and the Cranky Runner. you two are my age and run like you're 20. I know how hard that is, because I've tried.
So don't feel sorry for old runron, I'll be fine, and I'll still be out on the road, just not in 3 hour bites like I did this morning. I still post about the heat and what bothers me. Maybe even post more due to extra energy.
That's my thoughts now as I sit here, just after a 20 miler. Of course all this could change if I run a 3:20 marathon and qualify for Boston.... Naw, I'm done.
See you on a shorter road, runron.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
All is well
Sorry for the delay guys... unfortunately I have another life, which brings me stress and a whole list of other things I can't stand.... If were up to me, I'd run all day and blog all night.... But real life gets in the way.
Now on to the complaint of the day.... Is summer ever going to end? I know I'm in Florida but this is ridicules. As I type a ten mile tempo run waits me... It's in the nineties for the love of Pete!
What are the marathon Gods thinking? It's not just here, I read about Chicago this weekend and saw pictures on T.V. of runners looking more like a death march, than a marathon.
Heat kills and I was sad to hear it took a fellow runner in Chicago.... It kinda puts things into perspective... We walk a thin line of training well, to complete collapse... No 20 miler is worth dying over, but to run a marathon you must put a few of them in... I don't know anything about the man that died, except he was 35 (9 years younger than me)... I'm sure he trained well and put the mileage in, maybe it was his first, or his 100th marathon, I don't know? My hope is that he died doing what he enjoyed.... Which in the end, isn't that all we can ask for?
I'm not a writer or a runner, I fail miserably at both. But I do know I'll keep putting one foot in front of the other... And place one finger at a time on the keyboard... And try to make sense of it all.... If you were in this brain, you'd realize what a daunting task it would be..
Just a 15 miler this weekend.... With that and the news of a cold front coming to Florida.... All should go pleasantly this week...Of course a cold front means temperatures will dip down into the eighties...Brrr..I need to pull out my winter gear..
To Brian, Thanks for your concern. I am alive and look forward to the Marathon... Maybe I'll see ya on the road.
To the rest, likewise, runron.
Now on to the complaint of the day.... Is summer ever going to end? I know I'm in Florida but this is ridicules. As I type a ten mile tempo run waits me... It's in the nineties for the love of Pete!
What are the marathon Gods thinking? It's not just here, I read about Chicago this weekend and saw pictures on T.V. of runners looking more like a death march, than a marathon.
Heat kills and I was sad to hear it took a fellow runner in Chicago.... It kinda puts things into perspective... We walk a thin line of training well, to complete collapse... No 20 miler is worth dying over, but to run a marathon you must put a few of them in... I don't know anything about the man that died, except he was 35 (9 years younger than me)... I'm sure he trained well and put the mileage in, maybe it was his first, or his 100th marathon, I don't know? My hope is that he died doing what he enjoyed.... Which in the end, isn't that all we can ask for?
I'm not a writer or a runner, I fail miserably at both. But I do know I'll keep putting one foot in front of the other... And place one finger at a time on the keyboard... And try to make sense of it all.... If you were in this brain, you'd realize what a daunting task it would be..
Just a 15 miler this weekend.... With that and the news of a cold front coming to Florida.... All should go pleasantly this week...Of course a cold front means temperatures will dip down into the eighties...Brrr..I need to pull out my winter gear..
To Brian, Thanks for your concern. I am alive and look forward to the Marathon... Maybe I'll see ya on the road.
To the rest, likewise, runron.
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