Marathon #50: Freedom's Run, Sheperdstown West Virginia, October 2018

I'm drawn to unique marathon courses-courses that offer a bit of tourism of the area-a showcase of the character of the people and the land. For that reason I don't shy away from them if they are challenging. This course, summed up in one word, is a BEAST.  The course starts in Harper's Ferry West Virginia, does a small loop through Murphy Farm, then crosses the Potomac River into Maryland, descending onto the C&O Canal via a spiral staircase around mile 5. Miles 5-15 are flat miles along a gravel trail until the runners depart up and onto the undulating terrain of the Antietam Battlefield. Miles 15-21 contain the steepest of hills, but offer stunning views of the battle fields, littered with old artifacts and memorials of the Civil War's bloodiest battle. The final miles, heading back into West Virginia via Sharpsburg, contain rolling hills with a finish on the 50 yard line of the University's stadium.

We had an unusually humid summer that left me with little confidence in pulling off a decent marathon time, and combined with my Iowa meltdown in June, I was flat out scared of this one. The forecast was proving to be typical; unseasonably warm and humid, and there were so few water stops that I'd have to factor in multiple stops to refill my water bottle, so my only goal was to try to break 4:30 (four and a half hours).  In fact, we're all running marathons in 4-6 weeks, so we used the term "training run" to explain what our goals were, but in reality I was and always will give it all I got come race day. I just knew I didn't have a lot to give!

We had yet another HUGE group for this event, including Karen and Candy coming in from PA, but only 5 of us in for the full:

Toby, Mark, LSP, and Jamie (on the ground)

The temperature was right around 60 degrees and foggy-cooler than what we trained in, so that was good. And no sun! Without any of the big race fan fare or stress (except for Jamie's watch freezing up) we were off! Finally, starting this race felt like a great relief after freaking out over it.

Right away things got interesting. We went from asphalt (my precious favorite) to rocky gravel and then grass terrain. At one point we were traipsing across a grass field around cones as if we were in a cross country event. We looped back to the starting area then (whew) back onto asphalt as we made our way towards the canal. This was a beautiful stretch of road that allowed me to finally settle in for the ride. I was still seeing glimpses of LSP and Jamie in front of me, and sometimes I could see Mark ahead of them, so all was good. (Toby was nowhere to be seen of course).

The bridge across the Potomac River was pretty, although tiny with fencing on one side only, and I'm pretty sure the spiral staircase is the most unique thing I've ever "ran" on, but it all seemed a bit precarious, so I didn't exactly run any of this with ease.

We were led onto the C&O canal, and at first it reminded me of Iowa's course with finely crushed limestone, but as we continued it narrowed and became more shaded with stretches covered in leaves, sometimes hiding roots and rocks. I could feel the muscles in my back tightening up as I nervously watched the ground in front of me with every step. I've never been much of a trail runner, and after I broke my foot by rolling it on a rock I have been paranoid of trails ever since. Before too long I found myself in a very bad place mentally. 10 miles of this agony! My head hurt! Yes it was pretty, but because we were so spread out I also found it a bit creepy. And it was so stifling and humid in there I felt like I was running in a terrarium. I had a drained water bottle and hadn't come across water for several miles as well. I had anticipating building a buffer for my 4:30 quest, but couldn't run as fast as I wanted--just had to accept that and everything else and remember my mantra of the day: Gratitude and Attitude. It really helped to center me and allow me to make it through this stretch.

Mark popped out of a porta potta at one of our rare water stops, and we ran together briefly, which helped, but you couldn't really run side by side because of the trail tracks. At one point they were so narrow I tried running on the grass mound between them (fail), until FINALLY we were led off the trail back onto asphalt!  (People did trip and fall, including my friend Richard).

Yes, we were led straight up one of the steepest hills of the course, but it felt so refreshing to be out in the open air with cool breezes for a change. I saw Mark refilling at a water stop as I started up, and I put my music on and said time to get to work. The hardest part of the course was before us.

I can't adequately describe the profound "epic-ness" of what we ran through. Every hill summit afforded a more majestic view, cannons in the distance, monuments lining the roads, the wooden fences, the historical markers. It almost felt wrong to be running through such a somber place.

 I tried to run as much of the hills as I could, but some were just so ridiculously steep I had to walk. Still, I was within my sub 4:30 goal and was feeling surprisingly ok for most of the battlefield portion. Somewhere around miles 21 or 22, after leaving the battlefield I started struggling with the urge to walk. My legs were feeling it, that all too familiar wobbly feeling. Every walk break chipped away at my way too tiny time buffer. I would desperately get myself moving again because of it. Luckily there was an older guy in the same boat, and as silent partners we carried on down the road together. He walked faster and I ran faster. so back and forth it went. That helped.  The back of his shirt said 50 sub 4. This wasn't his first rodeo. On the last mile he smelled the barn and off he went. I looked at my watch and saw that it was getting close to noon, 4:30!! I was close, but not quite close enough. I entered the campus as the church bells were ringing over head. I was circling through the buildings as they clanged!  I swear I felt like Cinderella! So close!

Before I rounded into the stadium I took one last walk break and as I turned the corner to my surprise all my peeps were there screaming and cheering for me! They shamed me into running again. Haley decided to run along beside me, telling me to move my arms like this (because for 26 miles I've been doing it wrong), and I couldn't help but laugh. It was a great finish for sure!

Right away people were asking me about Mark, so I reassured them that he was ok. To be honest I never saw him again after mile 15 but the thing is this: when I had my Iowa meltdown and realized I was going to be coming in a lot later than normal the thought that Toby and Jamie were worrying about me really ate at me. Odds are Mark was not dying somewhere on the course and was simply having a bad day. Please don't worry about us! And sure enough he came in not too long after I did.
I had to lie down for what seemed like an eternity until my head stopped spinning, but it passed and I was able to rejoin the masses and share war stories with everyone.

My official time was 4:34. I'll take it.
Toby ran a 3:27, 2nd in his age group.
Jamie and LSP actually ran together until around mile 23, finishing in 4:19 and 4:23, respectively.
LSP got 3rd and I got 5th in our age group.
Mark's time was 4:40.
All the half marathoners had their own crazy stories to tell. Even Haley's 10K was a beast.

The Bavarian Inn had a great post race party across the street from the campus. I have to say that was one of my favorite post race parties, especially since the weather was at least pleasant enough for hanging around outside. Our entire gang was reunited at last!

Would I recommend this marathon? Hmmm...It's tough! There's lots of trickery; the slick grass, bridges, a spiral staircase, a narrow rocky little ledge, 10 miles of trail, hills with grades of 4-5 %, and only 7 water stops, but the Antietam Battlefield is worth seeing. Also, there's a lot to see and do in the area. We had a blast!

50 State Quest: Ideas for Remaining States

Not that I'm quite ready to be taken seriously yet, if ever, about finishing a marathon in every state (or about anything), but the current count of remaining states is at 18. That number actually sounds possible. Forget that I'm 57 and that I'm only knocking them down about 3-4 a year if I'm lucky. It is possible!!!

So what states are left, and what races are penciled in because hey, you know I got this whole thing mapped out, no matter what I tell you to the contrary...

1. West Virginia: I'm registered for the Freedom's Run this October. It's kind of a cheat, because although it starts in West Virginia, most of the course is in Maryland, runs through 4 National Parks including the Antietam Battlefields, and offers a very scenic and unique experience. It even includes a spiral staircase, which is a first! I'm very excited about this one! And yes, it does count as West Virginia officially!

2. Georgia: I'd only consider a Georgia marathon in Savannah, since I've always wanted to travel there. Rock and Roll has a mega race there, but I am planning on running a much smaller marathon on Skidaway Island, which is about 25 miles outside of town, run entirely in a gated community on the island, but promises to be scenic and serene, with only about 300 marathoners. This sounds more appealing to me. I can save downtown Savannah sightseeing for post race.

3. Montana: At breakfast one morning George pulled up my 50 state quest map, pointed to the big blank space in the center of the United States and asked if there was a marathon in this space that could coincide with a camping trip. Well yes, in fact, Missoula Montana, right outside of Glacier National Park. I swear he got all misty eyed. I think the camping will be more of a challenge than the marathon, but hey, one needs to take opportunities to grow as they present themselves.

4. New Hampshire: There's only one clear choice for me here and that's the Clarence DeMar marathon, a point to point race ending in Keene, New Hampshire. It's a beautiful course and I've wanted to run it for a long time.

5. Indiana: When I visited Indianapolis last year I was quite impressed with the urban vibe of the town, so I'm very excited about running the Indianapolis Monumental marathon. There are few urban marathons that appeal to me, so I'll take it.

6. Vermont: The Vermont marathon in Burlington is the obvious choice. There are other scenic marathon choices, but the state of Vermont is quite hilly! This race is held on Memorial week-end and is a lot of fun. 

7. Michigan: They are SO MANY choices in Michigan! My first choice is a marathon in Charlevoix, in the upper peninsula. There are two marathons in Chalevoix; one is an out and back, and the other one starts in Charlevoix, but runs along Lake Michigan and finishes in Harbor Springs. I prefer to run the latter, which is called the Top of Michigan marathon. This race is very close to Mackinaw Island, which I would love to visit post-race, which means this will be a pretty big trip for us.

8. Kansas: I've always wanted to do a fairly small low key marathon called the Prairie Fire marathon in Wichita. I once asked Dane Rauschenburg, author of "See Dane Run" which marathon was his favorite and oddly enough he said this one. I have a certain Kansas friend who may stray me to run another one instead, but for now I have this race penciled in.

9. Mississippi: After Jackson's Mississippi Blues marathon got cancelled due to an ice storm I vowed to return, but have been considering other options, such as the Magnolia marathon in Meridian or the Mississippi Gulf Coast marathon. All of them are decent marathons and a short trip away.

10. Idaho: After the Priest Lake fail (I had a broken foot and Jamie dropped out due to making a wrong turn and running 7 extra miles) we vowed to return, but now I'm not so sure. It's a trail race, which makes me wince when I think about how my foot snapped like a twig off that rock on the dirt path at the lake. I think I'll stick to friendly asphalt. Believe it or not Idaho doesn't have many good choices! Even Boise's marathon gets bad reviews. There's a marathon in Mesa Falls, which is pretty close to Yellowstone, which would make for yet another fun, but big trip. 

11. Maine: There are a lot of beautiful marathons in Maine, most of which are again really hard to get to and would end up being yet another big trip, which is great, but we can really only do one big trip a year, so I'm thinking I may run the Portland Maine marathon. It's easy to get to, it's pretty, and close to Kennebunkport as well. Of course my top choice is the Mount Desert Island marathon much further north in Bar Harbor, and another top choice is the Bay of Fundy marathon, which is even further north! Time will tell which one, if any, I'll end up running.

12. Kentucky: Most people choose the Kentucky Derby marathon, since it's pretty interesting, as the runners get to run past the horse track, but another Kentucky marathon that appeals to me more is the Horse Capital marathon in Lexington, which goes by 40 horse farms along Kentucky country side.

13. Wyoming: This is a hard one. Wyoming means elevation, which I don't handle well. There is a very small race called Sundance to Spearfish, which is a downhill course, most of which is in South Dakota. They only allow 50 people a year to run it, so getting in may prove difficult. If I can't get in I'll have to come up with a back up plan.

14. South Dakota: I'm still kicking myself for dropping out of the Mt. Rushmore marathon several years ago (not really but hey here I am talking about South Dakota). I'm thinking about the Brookings marathon. Previously I wanted to run the Ladies Spearfish marathon, but if I do the Sundance marathon (for Wyoming) I will be covering a lot of that terrain already. Brookings is on South Dakota's eastern border, offering a completely different area of the United States to explore. The race gets good reviews, and has been around since 1970!

Then there are three states that don't have any marathons that appeal to me in any way. That's why they will be saved for last (before Hawaii, the grand finale):

15. Alaska: ALASKA! I'm scared of all things bear. And other wildlife. And wilderness. The obvious choice is Anchorage, but just this past year some marathoners had an encounter with a bear cub on the course! It's a heck of a long way to travel for someone who is not all that excited about being there, so this will be one of the last marathons I do for sure.

16. New Mexico: Altitude, desert, heat, sand...still looking for a race that appeals to me on some level and not finding it. There was some hope with a race in Carlsbad, the lowest point in New Mexico, but it was cancelled for 2018, so not sure of its survival. 

17. Nebraska: HAVE YOU SEEN THE MOVIE? I have zero point zero desire to travel to Nebraska, because everybody who's from there says that movie was spot on. There is a possibility with the Monument marathon in Platte Valley. Although the terrain looks pretty brutal their slogan is "Nebraska like you've never seen it".

If I manage to make it this far...not that I'm saving the best for last. Running a marathon in Hawaii's tropical weather will be pure torture, but what better place to celebrate? If Jamie and I can finish this out together then it will be extra special...

18: Hawaii: The chosen 50th state marathon will be the Big Island marathon. Earliest estimate is 2025! Well let's just see...

Marathon #49: Run4Troops Dubuque Iowa, June 2018

"Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up in your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it"... "Field of Dreams"

Somehow I found this little gem of a marathon and decided this would be my top Iowa marathon choice, as I had never been to Iowa and got the impression that this one would truly showcase Iowa's character and beauty, as opposed to the more urban choices. To be honest I had no idea where in Iowa it was until later on, when I tried finding a nearby airport. (ha). Dubuque sits on the eastern borders of Wisconsin and Illinois, and separated by the Mississippi River. It's an absolutely gorgeous area, with lots of lush greenery alongside picturesque farmlands of soy and that famous corn. It's also extremely hilly! But no worries there, as the marathon itself doesn't actually run in Dubuque.

The marathon starts about 25 miles away in a town called Deyersville, as in the town where the movie "Field of Dreams" was made. There's a Rails-To-Trails limestone path called the Heritage Trail connecting the two towns. About 10 years ago some crazy runner decided running along this trail would make for a great marathon and they've been running it every year since. Technically, the trail head is on the Dubuque side, but Deyersville to Dubuque makes for a more favorable net downhill course.

First time I've had a course map on a trail marker!

The only recruits I could find for this one was Toby and the sister wife Jamie. Summer marathons are a hard sell, and this one is almost guaranteed to be hot. Sandwiched between two 90+ degree week-ends we "lucked out" with normal temperatures this year. Still, I was concerned because I haven't been handling the heat well, and at best I was looking at a long day anyhow, thanks to my lackluster training cycle. Still, the three of us travel well together and always have a blast so it was hard to get too worked up about that. Plus, when we got there it was overcast with light rain off and on; really pleasant compared to Dallas!

The "expo" wasn't much, as expected, since there were only about 250 marathoners and about 150 relay teams for this race. We drove out to check out the finish area at the trail head and it was gorgeous. A lot prettier than expected for sure!

The last mile of the race

We boarded the bus to Deyersville at 5:15 AM, but the sun was already rising. By 7:15, race start, the sun would be well into the sky. No rain and no clouds. Sigh...I finally ran into my x co-worker Richard in the porta potty line! It was great seeing him!

Big tank at the start

Richard in the line green shirt--Toby took this literally as I was heading in for my final meditation

Before we knew it, BOOM, a cannon blasted and we were off! To add in the 26th mile we ran out and back, circling a man playing the bagpipes and then got onto the Heritage trail and made our way east. There would be no twists or turns, so for the first time in marathon history our Garmins actually read 26.2 miles exactly! Anyhow, the three of us split immediately, as expected, and I told Jamie that I better not even see her ass at all out there! Toby and Jamie had really strong training  runs for this, so at least I wasn't worried about them.

 I ignored the race director's dismissive comments about the lack of water stops and carried my bottle, and I am SO GLAD I did! There would only be 5 official water stops, which were placed at the relay exchange zones. At street crossings there would be water as well, so no worries. Except that they varied in the craziest ways imaginable. Some would just be people handing out tiny water bottles, sometimes with the lids off sometimes not (an issue for me and my hands), sometimes paper cups, sometimes plastic cups (Noooooo!!!), and one time just a cooler sitting on the trail by itself! All of the people were so kind, but every bottle fill was a quirky challenge that was a bit unnerving.

Other things that I had concerns about prior to the race were unfounded. Running on the trail was awesome! Not rocky or muddy or too loose. It felt pretty forgiving on the body. The relay runners were nice and the lively exchange zones were fun to go through. Oh and the scenery of this trail was absolutely stunning. The trees made a canopy over the trail for much of the race, which felt about 10 degrees cooler than when out in the sun. We'd pass over streams on wooden bridges, sometimes along giant cold wet limestone walls, and sometimes out along open farms and fields or at one point a river.

I felt like I was struggling some on the first few miles until I remembered it was an incline until mile 5, and from there it would descend gradually for the rest of the way. Sure enough around mile 6 running felt a lot easier and I settled into what I thought was a manageable pace for the weather. At that point it was still in the 60's and I wasn't sweating that much, but about halfway through I started to feel the heat and slowed down some. I thought I was being smart, drinking a lot and taking my electrolytes, but before too long I was in trouble with the heat and started having to give in to walking way earlier than I thought I would. And so it went...Walk/run/walk/run/walk/walk/walk...

I can't say I was in hell exactly. It was too damn pretty. And in a sick way I was still "enjoying" being there. Nothing fascinates me more than watching myself and those around me go through the struggle. It's a mostly silent struggle in unity. A bizarre bonding or understanding. Some relay runners told the Gator guys that a guy behind me in red shorts was throwing up so they circled back to check on him. Moments later red shorts guy passed me. Badass marathoner too tough to kill.

So I finally finished with my absolute worst time ever of 4:42, which stings, I'll admit it, but I also feel like I've been handed another puzzle piece to figure out, hence I am undeterred from this crazy marathon madness! If I ever think I got it all completely figured out then perhaps I'll become bored with it and move on to a more sane hobby...like watching baseball...

My rock star companions ran  really impressive races!

Toby ran a 3:18, first in his age group and 11th overall.
Jamie ran a 3:54, third in her age group and 9th woman overall!
I didn't die and I came in 7th in my age group, so there's that.

I'd recommend this marathon with the caveat that the weather could be an issue, but if you don't have heat issues then go for it, because it can be a fast course!

Here's a link to some pictures of the day on the course:
https://run4troops.smugmug.com/2018-Run4Troops/2018-Run4Troops/

Oh and we had a blast visiting East Iowa!

LOVE these two!!

50 States quest update

My current count for states completed stands at 31. Not that I have fully committed just yet. I haven't joined the 50 States club, but I do follow them on Facebook. There are still 5 states that don't have any marathons that appeal to me, so I guess I'll just save them for last. At my rate I may never have to worry about those...FYI Hawaii will be the very last one if I can pull this off, and let's hope Jamie can line up her 50 state finish with mine! Time will tell.
PS: I accidentally colored in SDakota instead of NDakota.

Marathon #48: The Lost Dutchman, Apache Junction Arizona, Feb 2018

This is another marathon that's been on my "list" for years. Five years ago a group of us came to run it, but I got injured during training so only ran the first 14 miles. We had the car placed in a parking lot the night prior, so even though it was a DNF it was a planned DNF, which as I realized this week-end is a lot easier to handle then the ones you don't plan for...

I'd be traveling with Laura (LSP) and Ginna for this one, which would be great! We had a blast running Little Rock and Kansas City together.

The training went south for Ginna and I with about 3 weeks to go. Her calf was giving her trouble, and my hamstring started screaming louder and louder. Also, I got a kidney stone that wouldn't pass. When I told the urologist I was about to run a marathon in the desert he didn't even blink, so I figured it wouldn't be an issue. The stone was "only" 3mm in size and situated in my ureter. I named him Rocky. He liked my coffee, wine and wheat beer staples. He didn't hurt, but made me feel like I had to pee constantly. (I know, TMI)...

Ginna and I had a lot of conversations about being at peace with the possibility of having to drop out after we barely made it through a painful 6 mile run the week prior. I knew that I could finish if the hamstring didn't snap, and I think Ginna had the same thoughts on her calf. Still, we both reasoned that we had to at least start the race and run the first 7 miles through the Peralta trail, since this was the best part of the marathon.

There's not a whole lot to see and do in the area, so we flew in the day before the race and had just enough time to hit the expo, lunch, grocery store, check in, lay out our race gear, and go eat dinner. At dinner I started feeling sharp pain! Rocky was on the move! I thought it would subside after an hour like it had in the past, but that night I kept waking up every hour with the pain. Curled in a ball at 2:00 AM I thought this is it. I'm out. I'm not even going to be able to make it to the start! No way! I fell asleep and when the alarm went off I woke up to no more pain, just the same minor irritation as before. Whew!

We drove to the Rodeo grounds where they bused us up to the Peralta trailhead. There they had set up campfires and mats for us to wait for sunrise and the start.

Together again for yet another marathon adventure!

Luckily it wasn't raining and wasn't too cold. Last year they had pouring rain, which would have ruined the best part of this race! They had plenty of water, coffee, and porta potties for us. Quite enjoyable! I made one last pit stop with 20 minutes to go and in midstream there was a "blip", an object, and just like that Rocky was gone! After 3 weeks it came down to 20 minutes before the race!! I guess he didn't want to run a marathon! I could not believe it!! One less thing to worry about...

Beautiful backdrop as the sun came up!

There were about 300 of us assembled at the start, which was really nice. Really friendly and low key! They fired a shotgun and off we went. The first 6-7 miles were in the Peralta park on a dirt road with nothing but desert foliage around us and the backdrop of the canyon walls. Stunning scenery, but hard to enjoy as you had to watch your footing quite a bit. We were pretty close to each other in the beginning, and as I passed Ginna I asked about her calf and she was about as negative as I was about my hamstring, but we were still "in it".  For awhile we could see LSP ahead, which was comforting.

Around mile 8 I stepped off the asphalt funny and my hamstring twinged. I hobbled to the edge and thought "this is it" and that's when the whole DNF reality hit me. I was NOT at peace with it! Noooo! I could not accept it. I came all this way and passed a kidney stone for crying out loud! I'm doing this! So I soldiered on, ignoring the pain as much as I could, knowing that Ginna was behind me doing the exact same thing. It loosened up some, and as we wound through suburbs we had lots of distractions along the way. They had great water stops and friendly volunteers--just a really happy place to be.

Passing the parking lot I had dropped out at 5 years ago was surreal and unsettling at the same time. I wasn't injured back then, just under trained. Off I went into uncharted territory.

Around mile 17 I started feeling the burn in the quads to the point where I started giving in to walking. I hadn't even thought about the net downhill part of the first half of the race and the effect it would have on me, but strangely enough the quad pain took over to where the hamstring wasn't even an issue anymore. I welcomed it, even though I didn't like the idea of having to walk some. Still, I was far enough along to know that I would finish no matter what, so I was beyond happy.

Our only out and back was around 18.5 through 20.5, and it's there that I saw LSP! She was so happy to see me (and then Ginna) and know that we would finish! When I saw Ginna I told her a PW is better than a DNF, as I could tell I was getting really close to breaking my long standing PW of 4:29 (Boston 2003). Note: PW = personal worst. Ginna gave me a less than enthusiastic response, but then again responses at this point were an enormous effort.

Running continued to be more and more of a challenge. I would try all the tricks; run through this entire song, run to the stop sign, pass that person, only walk for 20 seconds...It's hard to describe how you can be in a really sucky place and yet there's nowhere else you'd rather be...the backdrop of the Superstition mountains was breathtaking. I eventually turned off my music and enjoyed the silence of the desert.

Don't get me wrong, I wanted it to end! It took all I had to run the entire stretch to the finish, but it was a glorious finish! LSP was there with hugs and then we waited for Ginna to finish! When she ran through all I could think of was BAD ASS.

Our finishing times:
LSP: 4:12
Me: 4:32 (a new PW!)
Ginna: 4:50 (PW for her too)

Strangely enough we came in 5th, 6th and 7th in our age group!
They had a great post race set up in a nice little park, but alas no beer, so before too long we made our way back to the hotel and then out for celebratory beers.

I highly recommend this marathon! Can't think of a thing to change except possibly have race apparel or souvenirs for sale at the expo. There were no glitches in any aspect of the race. Weather could be a factor. The temperature rose pretty quickly and there's zero shade on the course, but the lack of humidity helped! That whole dry heat thing...apparently it appealed to Rocky so in Arizona he remains!

Going it alone! Goodbye Rocky!

Marathon #47: St. Jude Memphis Marathon, December 2017

Fun at the start! Zelda ran part of the course!

When my corral (#4) moved to the starting line with one minute to go and they started playing AC/DC's Thunderstruck I knew it was going to be a great race. The level of energy in this race was unexpected. Memphis truly supports this race and for a good reason: St. Judes Children's Research Hospital. This marathon is their largest single-day fundraiser, since a lot of the runners committed to fund raising in addition to their entry fees. Even though there were only about 2300 full marathoners, we started with the half marathoners at over 10,000 in number! The wave starts of the corrals really helped with the initial congestion, but it was still CRAZY those first few miles through downtown with all the turns and streets lined with spectators and NOISE! You name it it was out there; bands, boom boxes (Eye of the Tiger heard twice), cow bells, including one giant Swiss bell, bagpipes, and even belly dancers moving to blaring Indian music!

Initially I had a hard time settling into a pace with all the chaos and distractions, including running down (actually up) Beale street, which was really cool, then down along the Mississippi river past the gigantic Bass Pro pyramid, and again, up and onto the St Jude Hospital grounds. Nothing could have prepared me for that experience. We ran through a gauntlet of cheering spectators, which included staff and patients of St Judes hospital. When I saw the children I started crying. They let us know that this is what this race is all about. So no matter my aggravations with the madness, this was worth it. The water stops were still crazy at mile 10 and I was growing tired of having so many people around me. When the half marathoners split off to the other side of the road I was suddenly all my myself! Running a steady pace got a whole lot easier after that. I put on the music and ran those "middle miles" on auto-pilot for awhile.

Some claim this course is hilly, but I didn't think the hills were that bad. We had a few short steep hills, but mostly long inclines here and there, which were usually followed by some nice down hills. We ran through some nice neighborhoods and the Memphis Zoo. I really enjoyed this part of the marathon. Even though we were in full sun we ran on some really nice tree lined roads for shade.

When I got to mile 20 I walked the water stop and boy did my legs feel tired. Mostly my quads. I'm not sure if this is because of the Cape Cod marathon 5 weeks ago (DUH), but it was not good. I knew things were going to go south, just wasn't sure when! So I told myself to get to mile 22 and walk the stop, which I did, then the plan was to get to mile 24 and walk that stop....at this point the course had returned to downtown and I have to say the last 5K is about as ugly and desolate as it gets. As we were approaching mile 24 runners were coming back at us on the other side of the road, but I couldn't see where they were coming from. I kept looking for a short out and back, but there wasn't one! This is where the mind went bonkers for me: "Where the hell are they coming from? Why am I turning right, away from them? Where the hell are we going? "It was the lowest point of the race for sure. That's when I found myself walking. I was getting warm (full sun no shade), but mostly my legs were pretty much done. It was a walk-run effort from there until the finish. I hate those kind of finishes, but in some way the misery shared as we all shuffled along in silence with one another was comforting.

Finally, after turns turns and more turns we entered AutoZone park to the finish line! Once inside the park they processed me really efficiently, and I managed to get a finish line photo with Elvis! I saw Toby up in the stands, so I made my way up the stairs somehow to find out he ran a freaking 3:10 marathon! AMAZING! He said we had to look for Mark to finish, which was a shock to me. I had seen him as he passed me near mile 8, so I had no idea he was behind me. He had a chest cold though, which made for a rough day for him, but he finished not too far behind me. Toby snuck Zelda into the marathon food and beer garden where we hung out for a bit before heading out to more adventures of Memphis.

Happy Finishers

In summary, a really well organized race! Even though the water stops were crazy they had enough for everyone and had more than enough total stops on the course. The wave start was great! The finish area set up, etc was great. Really, the only negative is the medal. Unfortunately they mistakenly placed the lanyard too far down the back of the medal, making it top heavy, so instead of lying flat it leans out, almost horizontal. To make matters worse the top is a round child's head, which when leaning out looks like a phallic symbol. OOPS.

Exposing my medal

Toby ended up being the 3rd Grandmasters finisher with his 3:10!
Mark ran a 4:17. I ran a 4:14, 7th in my age group. Ok enough.

We had a lot of fun in Memphis! We ventured down to Beale Street and watched a Christmas parade while enjoying a few beers, then over to the famous Peabody Hotel, then later had BBQ at Corky's, and on Sunday took a tour of Graceland before heading home. Highly recommend Graceland!

Marathon #46: Cape Cod Marathon, October, 2017

40th Anniversary!

The Cape Cod marathon has been on my list for years. Although its been rumored to be an extremely hilly course, its also stunning, with occasional shoreline stretches, one of which goes past the scenic Nobska lighthouse, inland scenery of farmlands and cranberry bogs along roads tree lined with colorful fall foliage. I've always wanted to travel to Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard, and conveniently this marathon runs in the southernmost area of the Cape, Falmouth, the closest area to the ferries to Martha's Vineyard.

Our rather large group has traveled to various northeastern locations each fall, and this year we decided the Cape Cod marathon was to be our destination race. We had 16 people signed up for this trip! I managed to find a 3 story 9 bedroom, 6 bathroom house within walking distance to the race's start/finish and all the shops and restaurants along Main street of Falmouth. It was PERFECT for our group.

Originally built in late 1700's!

Up until now I was a big advocate for driving the marathon course prior to race day. Six of us out of the nine marathoners headed out to check out the course and returned to the house shell shocked. We knew the course was hilly, but we didn't know how big the hills really were. Mark had been sending us various elevation charts, one of which was the Tuesday morning hill run of 6 miles repeated 4 times. It was this chart that most closely resembled Cape Cod's elevation chart, which, as we found out, was pretty much spot on. I thought it best not to carry on to the other three marathoners about how hard it was going to be, but I couldn't hide my look of fear and sometimes dread on my face. To make matters worse, the lovely Nobska lighthouse was under renovation, hence completely covered up in plastic wrapping. Combined with the unseasonably warm and humid day it was going to be ugly, and I know ugly. I've done ugly.

The course would require some sort of survival strategy. #1, and emphasized to all, was the need to run the first 10 miles relatively flat miles EASY, saving as much as you could for the remaining 16 miles. #2 was to carry a water bottle, since the water stops were too few and too far apart, especially for the weather conditions. The hills would kick in around mile 10, and then grow steeper and longer when we entered the Sippewissett area, which we lovingly referred to as the "Shippishits". Our mantra was to survive the Shippishits. We would leave the wooden inland of hills to run along the coast a few times, grateful for the break from the hills, only to be pelted by 20-30 mph cross winds. The only saving grace was the final mile, which turned off the beach and headed back into downtown Falmouth with the wind at your back.

Of our group, 3 had ran the half marathon the day before, and again on a relay team with 4 others. (3 of them walked together for the first leg of the relay), so on marathon day we all had skin the game, which was great! Everyone was up and about that morning running around the house getting ready.

Half marathon finishers: Susan, Art, and Jedonna

The entire group ready to run on Sunday

We quickly lost each other at the start and with a loud cannon we were off! It didn't take long for the core of us who train together find each other and settle in. (Toby was gone right away of course). I was really really happy to see us all adhering to our survival strategy and staying pretty conservative during the first 10 miles. We sort of paired up and went back and forth, switching out pairs here and there. I started off with Kathy, then later Jean, who picked it up around mile 14 to join Kelly, ahead. I last spotted the two of them on a hill around mile 18, and that was the last I saw of anyone in the core group. My "strategy" was to get to mile 20 without resorting to walking (minus the stops to fill my bottle), and then take it from there. Once I got to 20 I walked a hill, and tried not to walk any more hills, but found myself doing it from time to time. I saw George at the last relay exchange, cheering and screaming so loudly people were laughing, which was welcome, and then again as he ran past. I didn't mind the relay runners as they ran past, mostly because it was a pretty rural and remote course.  Still, I enjoyed the quietness of it and never turned my music on.

I tried to take moments to look around and enjoy the scenery, but I have to say it's really hard when you're hurting! I laughed when I got to the golf course because I remembered our conversation in the car when we drove by the day prior. At that point we had seen so many hills we started making jokes about it all. We commented how here we would wish for someone to run us over with a golf cart or hit us in the head with a golf ball.  Well, no such "luck". Since I was drinking so much I got "burpy" and felt like I was going to get sick a few times, which lead to even more walk breaks. When we came out to the beach and the wind blast I noticed there were painted rocks placed along the sea wall! I was SO EXCITED to see these rocks, because they told us they'd be on the course and I had failed to see any until now. I took way too much time trying to pick out a small yet pretty rock, and then again on the second beach portion I swapped out that rock for a prettier one. Some people in our group never saw the rocks, which I found funny because at that point they were all over the place! Just another example of how hard those last miles really were...

Although physically my legs were getting less and less cooperative with running, mentally I was holding up ok and trying to just go with it and "enjoy" it as much as I could. I really wanted one of the others to come up from behind me to run with, but that didn't happen, even though it turns out we were all pretty close to each other in the end. Even when I turned on the last mile I had to walk a little. My legs were just DONE. Nearing the finish and hearing our group cheering for me was one of my favorite memories ever, even though I felt very wobbly and unsure of my footing.

An unsteady finish

Afterwards I was so dizzy I had to lie down for awhile, unable to make it to the beer tent, but my lovely husband brought the beer to me! That's true love! A few of us were in the same predicament at the finish, lying on the ground, but we all survived!!

Oh the carnage!

All together again at the finish!

My treasure

Later at the house, we celebrated and celebrated, first at the fire pit outside, and then later indoors with singing and dancing into the night until one by one we cried "uncle". As we slept hurricane force winds descended upon Falmouth, taking down trees, power lines, fences, etc. Had that happened just 24 hours earlier the race would NOT have happened!

Here is how our group fared:
(Note: PW = personal worst, or your slowest time recorded)

Toby : 3:17, 2nd place in age group, won $100! Freak!
Mark: 4:03
Kelly: 4:09
The Island of Misfit Runners: 4:09 (quite impressive)
Jean: 4:10
Laura Harvey: 4:13
Me: 4:24 (not quite a PW, but close)
Kathy 4:29
Laura SP: 4:30 (a PW! Congrats!)
Mike 4:31

In summary, this was, terrain-wise, the hardest marathon I've ever ran. We did train for hills, which helped! I'm just not sure what else one could do to prepare for this one, other than lower your expectations! Our group had a BLAST, even though we failed to make it to Martha's Vineyard, due to the high winds. Memories that I will cherish forever...

Always fun to do the day after a marathon...