The Fall Marathon line-up Amongst Us

This is my favorite time of the year. We've endured summer marathon training, and as Fall arrives, so too do the marathons we've been training for, and one by one we all make it to our respective starting lines, God willing.

First up is the Wineglass marathon in upstate New York this week-end. As jealous as I am, these folks have endured long runs in the summer heat the most, and deserve the near-perfect weather that awaits. They will be the first to come back with their "war stories" as well, which is always fun for the rest of us. Next week-end is the big marathon week-end, with St. George on Saturday and Twin Cities and Chicago on Sunday. These marathons are due decent weather, and fingers crossed, so far it's looking good!

On October 20th is the Des Moines Iowa marathon, and then the Marine Corps marathon the following week-end. The week-end after that we bid a farewell and good luck to all who are running in the New York City marathon. Last, but not least, those of us running in the Route 66 marathon in Tulsa will be able to to toe the line just a few days before Thanksgiving. 

So for the next couple of months the stories will be told, week by week, as each group returns, hobbling into the pack, wearing their marathon finisher's shirts. I cannot wait to hear the stories! Good luck to everyone!

September Marathon of the Month: The Kaua'i Marathon

Disclaimer: I don't have any plans to run a marathon in Hawaii, but if I did, this would probably be my choice. I'll be quoting Kathy Murgas for first-hand comments, since she and her husband Mike just did this marathon a few weeks ago. (Mike's comments can't be printed. jk!)

When I think of Hawaii I think of all the H words, like Hot, Humid, Hilly...yes, this is the land of the H's, the things that suck the life out of me, so it's hard to imagine running a marathon in Hawaii...but hey they do have a half marathon option to consider, right Mike?

I've touched on the CONS of this race, so let's continue there first. Yes, it will be hot and humid, but on the flip-side, coming from a summer of Texas training you will be acclimated, and according to Kathy the temperature was in the 70's, with a light breeze, cloudy, and occasional showers. Also, the race starts in the dark, with a nice sunrise a few miles into the race.

Terrain-wise, this course is tough, and I mean TOUGH. There is no way to sugar-coat this fact. Looking at the elevation chart, the total elevation change is 4436 feet, with the total elevation climb at 2205 feet! It's an undulating course from beginning to end, with its only flat section along the beach at the finish. Still, the beauty of the course may make up for the pain, as it's lined with native drummers, singers, and hula dancers, you run through the famous tunnel of trees, and are awarded magnificent views of this lush island and the surrounding ocean all along the way.

The only other CON would be the cost, with a registration fee ranging from $180-$225, but combined with the overall cost of traveling to Hawaii for a vacation it's just a drop in the bucket. ;)

Ok, so onwards to the PROS of the race, which are many. Every review write-up on marathonguide.com raves about the great organization: Plenty of water stops on the course, all staffed efficiently, a great marathon start with tiki torches lighting the way...The expo may be a little on the small side, but they had a lot of marathon logo items available to purchase. Runners received a short sleeved tech top, and the finisher's medal is also a bottle opener.

The finish area sounds awesome! From Kathy, "They first gave you a cold wet towel and bottle of water.  They had free massages but the wait was too long.  Then we walked across the street to a grassy area where they had basic food - bagels, chips, fruit but they also had unlimited free local beer.  Finish was at the Sheraton on the beach".

Here is the link to the marathon web-site: http://www.thekauaimarathon.com/

Lovely Murgi Medal Display

Kathy and lush Background

Is Mike actually smiling?

Along the road

Long runs with the gang at White Rock Lake on Saturdays are the way to go. The lake is buzzing with people to run with and there are plenty water coolers to pilfer. Immersed in conversation, the miles click away. Unfortunately for me, I had pulled a muscle in my quad last Saturday, forcing me to walk it in a mile to the car. There was no way to grunt it out. The muscle just wouldn't work. Subsequent runs during the week resulted in long walks home. Cammy,the massage supreme being that she is, worked on it for over an hour, removing most of the offending knot, but I was unsure if it was a go for a long run the following week-end. So on the following Saturday I missed out on the long run with the gang and did a test run in the neighborhood instead. I had success with 5 miles, so using runner's logic deduced that I was good for 17 miles the next day.

I would have to run alone because I needed to set my own pace (ridiculously slow), and I wasn't entirely sure if I would make the whole distance. Additionally, I would have to start at 5:00 AM from the house because I had to work that day. I  loaded up with my water bottle, cell phone, Garmin, electrolyte pills, mp-3 player, a gel, some sports beans, a baggie of Gatorade powder, and "Blinky", my belly light. I clearly looked like someone I would make fun of.

I stepped out into the front driveway, turned on the Garmin and had to tap Blinky a couple of times to come on. He's on his last leg, and his replacement has been sitting on the counter for months, but I can't seem to part with him just yet. Off into the darkness we go. There is a definite creep factor to running in the dark, but what I tell people is that most of my encounters are with the 4 legged kind. With the exception of the crazy newspaper delivery lady I rarely see any other people at this hour, and today is no exception. Out of the neighborhood I go, towards White Rock lake via the gratefully deserted construction area of NW highway, finally arriving at the lake, where I feel somewhat more comfortable in the dark...somewhat. This is a far cry from early Saturday mornings though, in terms of numbers of fellow runners or cyclists. The creep factor continued, as an owl hooted up above me when I rounded the east side of the lake near the old stone tables.

The sun was coming up as I turned off the lake onto the Santa Fe trail. This is where I made the decision to take off Blinky for the last time. Images from the movie "Castaway" were in my mind..."Mr. Wilson, I'm so sorry!". I hung Blinky onto the chain link fence and carried on without him. I was actually a little sad for a moment! Clearly not healthy...

My initial plan was to run an out and back on the trail, but I wasn't paying attention to the fact that I was almost out of water, so I gambled on running all the way to Lindsley park and short-cutting it to the lake another way instead.The gamble was the sometimes unreliable water fountain at the park. If it wasn't working I'd have another couple of dry miles to the next fountain--survivable, but most unpleasant. As I entered the park I was chanting, "please be working, please be working"...approached the fountain, pushed the button, and TA-DAH!! Water! Happy dancing at the fountain! I made up a bottle of Gatorade with my powder and headed off back to the lake.

When I finally arrived at the lake it was a lot more alive with people this time. At my next water stop there was a guy there with his face in the fountain, alternating between gulping down water and gasping for air. Fine, I'll take this moment to pull out my gel of choice, Roctane's "Island Nectar", which I refer to as tropical vomit. Nasty, but it works! This guy finally steps away from the fountain, but hovers about like he's not quite finished, and I feel his eyes on me. I look down and catch the fact that my clothes are completely drenched and stuck to me like wallpaper, and sweat is dripping off my elbows in a steady stream. What is he looking at? I must look pretty scary. It was my first human encounter and I wasn't liking it. I pulled out my mp-3 player and carried on. Later on I felt bad, like I should have asked him how it was going, but I was afraid he was going to whine about the weather.

I only have 5 miles to go until I get back home, so I start listening to my new CD from "A Silent Film" called "Sand and Snow". Great stuff! Not exactly Death Grips "I've Seen Footage" ...not that kind of run today for sure! Kind of mellow. I'm really enjoying the run and enjoying the fact that I am actually able to run. As I approach the Benny's Bench fountain I look up Dalgreen street and see my friend Codi coming to the fountain at the same time. We could not in a million years plan this! She's running from her house to the lake and back, and happens to be running in the same direction as me! She looks at me, laughs, and says, "Teresa you have bugs all over you". Codi takes my mind off running as she carries on about the joys of having both a newborn and a toddler at home. We ran together until she turned off at the trail-head to her neighborhood, leaving me with just 1 1/2 miles to go. I turn on my mp-3 player again, this time catching a Keene song, called "On the Road", which really summed up my morning in a way. This song truly carried me home. Here are the lyrics:

Have you been feeling that pull?
And are you hearing that call?
'Cause you've got everything that you need to make a start

I had a dream of my own
Just walking out of my home
And going I don't know where to sing beneath the stars

Your whole life lies ahead
It's just around the bend

So when the sun is coming up and you go
And there's still so many things you don't know
Don't you look back, I've no doubt that I
Will see you on the road

When the world's laying you low
Why don't you let me carry your load?
When things get bad you know you have a friend
All along the road

And I would love it sometime
If you would walk at my side
Going I don't know where to sleep beneath the stars

If in your life you need a hand
Reaching the promised land

So when the sun is coming up and you go
And there's still so many things you don't know
Don't you look back, I've no doubt that I
Will see you on the road

When the world's laying you low
Why don't you let me carry your load?
When things get bad you know you have a friend
All along the road
All along the road

Golden light lies ahead
It's just around the bend

So when the sun is coming up and you go
And there's still so many things you don't know
Don't you look back, I've no doubt that I
Will meet you on the road

When the world's laying you low
Don't you let it rattle your bones
Sometimes a dream itself can keep you safe
All along the road
All along the road