Teresa here. Below is Toby's story, but I will preface it with mine. I knew I had a job to do that morning, and I took that job seriously. It was more than a job--it was payback for all the times Toby had and continues to do for me. Support crew. If you support a loved one in a race please know that you are a very important person and play a very important role. It may seem trivial that in a 3-4 hour span they see 30 second glimpses of you and you only converse in sound bites. It is not trivial. That's why on race day morning when the hotel valet guy stood paralyzed in the parking lot I shoved him out of my way and grabbed my keys from his counter. Yes, my keys are the ones with a plastic Happy Bunny figure that says, "You Smell like Butt". Easy to find. As we got close to the starting area the cars started backing up and nobody was moving. I kicked George and Toby out and managed to find a place to park in a residential neighborhood, which was quite a ways away. I wasn't sure I'd find them again, but more importantly I worried I'd miss their start, but at least I had gotten them there. When I arrived at the starting area I was relieved to hear they had delayed the start, so into the building I went to find them. And find them I did! They were sitting on a carpeted floor in some room or hallway. Toby ordered me to go find them a bathroom, since the lines outside were too long. George gave me this puzzling and pitiful look, and I said, "Oh this is payback, BIG TIME. I'm on it."
30 minutes later, the race started! They were off! At about that time there was some screaming further back. A deer had jumped into the starting area! Geez, what a heck of a morning this was turning out to be! I ventured back to my car, driving the icy roads like a maniac, trying to get from one spot to another. I remember I had to pee and didn't have time to stop, not even for coffee, as he was running so freaking fast! The first time I found him I was in between mile markers (miles 8-9?), so I had no idea if he was on pace or not. As the 3 hour pacer and his crowd ran by Toby wasn't in it. My heart sank. Less than a minute later he ran by and yelled out that the pacer was going out too fast.
The runners looked awful, with frost on their hats and gloves, their red faces, and sometimes an occasional bloody head or knee from those who had slipped on the ice. (It was particularly dangerous at water stops). Nobody looked like they were having fun, so I didn't feel so good about Toby's chances of running a sub 3. It wasn't until I saw him the 3rd time, at mile 22, when he said to me that he had it that I thought it might actually be happening...but then again it was mile 22. So much happens beyond that mile! At any rate I almost slipped and fell on a patch of ice running back to my car to head to the finish.
I found our peeps at the finish line bleachers. It was a good vantage point; the finish line and clock to the right, and the runners rounding a corner to the left. I remember looking right then left a million times as the clock inched closer and closer to the 3 hour mark. 2:56 to the right, to the left, no Toby, 2:57 to the right, to the left, no Toby. They were maddening minutes that seemed to last forever! Come on Toby, Come on Toby! I started getting that dreaded feeling again. I wanted him to come around that corner so badly! 2:58 to the right, to the left, HERE COMES TOBY!!!!! All of us were screaming, cheering, crying, jumping up and down!!! Kathy and I raced to find him past the finish, in tears, to congratulate him. It's a moment that I will never forget.
Here is Toby's story:
When you last heard from me (Boston 2003) I was freshly released from the medical tent with the cotton ball of courage taped to my arm. I’m back…
After my Boston meltdown, I didn’t even think about attempting another marathon. That one left a scar which would take a few years to heal. After Boston there were some changes, starting with matching feet in January 2004. Going back in November 1993 I had “elective" surgery on my right foot due to pain in my big toe during / after riding, running, walking, etc., In late 2003 the pain in my left foot was exceeding my threshold and it was causing compensation pain in my right hip, thus another surgery was in the cards. For you medical types, the official procedure, “Shortening/Plantarflexory first metatarsal osteotomy with internal screw fixation and remodeling of metatarsal head”, there now you know as much as I do. In people speak, I have limited range of motion in my big toes (inherited from my Dad). It took 6 weeks to return to cycling and 4 months to run.
Another big change was my "retirement” from the perils and dangers of bike racing in 2005. I moved to something safer, motorsports! Initially kart racing, which is slightly safer than racing a bike in spandex (made the switch from karts to cars in 2010). I had also been fully assimilated into the running collective thanks to numerous running relays (i.e. Texas Road Kill). Basically I was becoming “a runner”, the horror. For some unforgotten reason I decided it was time to conquer another marathon. This would be marathon #4, the choice, Austin (Freescale) Marathon in February 2006. I don’t know why I chose Austin. Probably because back then “everybody” went down for the Austin Marathon as Teresa wrote in her Blog Austin 2004. This time around it was all about time, under 3 hours was the goal, 6:52 pace, (previous best 3:15 @ Disney, 2003. TnT Blog Disney 2003)
Due to my wonderful feet, yes that’s sarcasm, my body revolts (i.e. gets injured) if my weekly mileage gets above ~35 miles / week (still does to this day). The solution, Furman! Not to be confused with Furby. First to Furman is an 18 week program based on running 3 days a week with cross-training on another 2 days (cycling and elliptical for me). While averaging ~28 miles/week for a marathon might sound easy (and maybe crazy) it wasn’t. When Furman says run, it means RUN! No sloth runs, no matter how you felt. Average training pace, ~7:05.
I precisely followed the program, which kept me below 35 miles per week, but there were still a few “scares”. Five weeks before the marathon, hamstring problems, no running or cycling for 10 days. I did the elliptical twice to keep my sanity. Three days before the marathon I was traveling for work and tapering didn’t sound wise, thus I smartly hopped on the hotel elliptical contraption like a rabid runner, made my calves so sore I could barely walk the next morning, much less run, genius move. Even with these small set-backs, I was confident in my training and actually felt prepared to run a marathon, two firsts.
My Boston 2003 meltdown taught me to be aware of the weather and the course. It also taught me that it was wise to train if you plan to run a marathon. I made my own pace band that accounted for the ups and downs on the course. Unlike Boston the weather wasn’t going to be too warm. The forecast called for freezing temperatures with some over-night precipitation. The forecast turned out correct; the morning temperature was in the 20’s and would stay below freezing for the marathon. Not to mention the ice...
As Teresa mentioned, the first challenge of the day was getting our car from the ONE hotel valet among dozens of runners, oops. Tense scene, Teresa to the rescue, Happy Bunny key ring and all! The drive from the hotel to the start had some icy spots which added to the tension, but as we neared the start area, gridlock! This was the first time for the event to start at the Freescale campus and their parking / traffic plan (if one existed) was failing. It didn’t take long for panic to engulf the car as we feared we would be stuck in traffic and miss the start, so George and me abandoned Teresa and began our journey to the start area.
We actually got slightly warmed up by our trot, only to discover the event would wisely be delayed by 30 minutes. Now we were on the hunt for warmth, so headed inside the Freescale complex with the masses. Teresa managed to park (ditch) the car and somehow found us, which was good, because I “instructed” her to find us a bathroom as the the porty potties were as poorly planned as the traffic plan. She obliged. A good luck hug from the Wifey and off to the start line we go. Not exactly off to a drama free start.
George had (wisely) not been part of my sub 3 quest. Common sense prevailed around mile 5 as he found his pace (finished with a 3:19). It took my feet about 6 miles to thaw out and I was a little behind pace, 6:56's. Speaking of pace, they did have a 3 hour pace group. I decided from the start to ignore the bunny-man and run my own run pace.
By the half-way mark the temperature was up to a balmy 30°F and I was back on track, 6:50’s. Between mile 15 and 16, Alan Bogard joined me to keep me company. (I had done a similar thing for him at Chicago in 2005 when he qualified for Boston). Teresa and the Murgi were there too. I could tell they were still a little concerned as the 3 hour pace bunny was about a minute in front of me. I told them, "HE'S STILL GOING TOO FAST!”. I gave Alan a brief update, basically everything is going to plan, keep it on 6:50’s and we’re good!
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| Alan Bogard pacing Toby |
Mile 20, still on track. We passed the 3 hour pace bunny whose fast pace in the beginning has scattered his bunnies. Teresa is at mile 22, and I tell her, "It's in the bag", she says, “don't say that!” Keep in mind she's the experienced marathoner and knows things can turn ugly in the last few miles. Not today. The last 5k was the fastest, cruise control mode. Any guesses who came flying by around mile 25? Yep Mr. 3 Hour Pace Bunny. Apparently he feared not making 3 hours and decided to drop it down to a low 6 minute pace for the last mile, which dislodged his last remaining bunnies. To his credit he did wait after mile 26 to get any bunnies under 3 hours (you can see him in the background in my finish photo).
Unlike my previous marathons, there was no amusing drama, just the cheers and screams from the Wifey and our friends as I crossed the line with a 2:58:26 (6:49 pace). It appears proper training pays, and being blessed with a good day! Official results have me at 2:57:16. Besides the ice, the delayed start and the deer, there were timing issues. It took them several weeks to release official results that used an overly complicated and incorrect method to turned my 2:58 into a 2:57. Afterwards John & Lisa Tully (who had recently moved from Dallas to Austin) hosted the post marathon gathering at their home as we all got to share our typical war stories, good times!
I’m writing this in June 2016, thus more than 10 years have passed and I’ve managed to conquer an additional 9 marathons. Ironically Austin was the “easiest” marathon I’ve ran. I was actually able to walk “normal” afterwards. I’ve been known to lay down on a park bench or get hauled off to the medical tent. I haven’t attempted that pace again, those days are in the past. If I was faster (like a 2:30 marathoner) then maybe I would claim to be a HazBeen, thus I’ll be content with being an AlmostWuz.
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| Note 3 hour pacer in background |
For my trip down memory lane I searched the results for Dallas peeps, interesting list (in particular Laura Patterson, we didn’t know each other existed back then, small world)
Melisa Christian 2:48
Dan Ronan 3:15
Mina Pizzini 3:23
George Brewer 3:19
Jack Becker 3:28
Perry Skidmore 3:33
Cheryl Camin 3:37
Linda Stacie 3:36
Laura Harvey 3:39
William Tichenor 3:51
Laura Patterson 3:56
Dena Timm 3:57
Eunsup Kim 4:04
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| Toby's team |
