It keeps gettting better.

My second marathon was the Presque Isle Marathon in 2003. I am going to be 100% honest. I think that Finisher's Medal that year is one of the ugliest in my collection. I know others have told me I have worse ones but to me, that puppy is right up there on the list.

Decide for yourself (For some reason I could not get my scanner to scan this in color, which added to its ugliness):



However, when I ran the race in 2006 as part of Fiddy2, I was pleasantly surprised to see the medal had undergone a significant upgrade. Keeping with the Lighthouse theme (which is located on Presque Isle) you can see how nice this looks.



Even more so were the personalized Age Group awards (presented at the race, even) that were pictures of said Lighthouse. (No Picture of this one. Given the sentimental value , this award sits on a shelf in my parents' living room).

So, 2007 rolls around. And The Erie Runners Club outdoes themselves again with the hand-carved Finisher's Medal below:



Then in the mail I received this:




Wow. I am just so impressed with the ERC. No, medals do not make a race great. But when you have a race which has grow from 185 finishers in 2000 to 456 this year, with finishers breaking 2:30 you already have a good race adding hardware worthy of a great race can do nothing but bring more runners to the race.

Looking for a good race next fall? Try Erie.

It only took 5 months...

...and a random email from one of the other Hangang Marathoners to put me in touch with pictures from the Hangang Marathon but I finally have some pictures.

On a side note, I am going to come out and personally state how disappointed I am with the communication I have had with some of my Asian running contacts. Ever since I returned form Korea (April 30th) I have not received one single response to my emails requesting information about my official time, the number of participants or anything else with regards to the race.

Similarly, after being invited to run in China I have experienced just about the same thing. And I am not alone. I know we in America are used to, and demand, instant gratification when it comes to just about anything but the point of email is that it is instantaneous. No licking of stamps, no searching for envelopes, no charges to make a long distance call. It is bad enough when friends don't reply quickly who you can actually drive over to their house but when you are ignored on a grand scale across an ocean it is extremely infuriating.


So here are a few pictures from the Hangang Marathon that had me on a 2:47 pace until heat,hills and hallucination took over (feel free to read that recap HERE).

Was looking and feeling strong for the first 15k (Wearing completely brand new everything but watch, sunglasses and Road ID. Damn right I had my Road ID on!)




Fighting the wind on the way back.



Not the only one dying.



"It's cool if I go die now, right?"

Presque Isle Marathon at Erie Recap

A Runner's Ramblings: Volume 2; 26th Edition
426.73 miles raced in 2007
Race: Presque Isle Marathon at Erie
Place: Erie, PA
Miles from home: 357.9 (or 44 from my parents’ house)
Course Difficulty: 2 out of 10
Course Enjoyability: 7 out of 10
Weather: Mid 70s, slightly humid, constant rain.
Finisher's Medal: 8.5 out of 10 (It just keeps getting better each year).

There are so many stories from this weekend I am unsure where to start (and I am apologizing beforehand as this is going to get long!). Chronological order suits my memory best so that is where I will begin. 

As I mentioned in a previous posting (HERE), I was asked to speak a local elementary school when I was home this past weekend by my former high school principal and 11^th grade swim coach, Mr. Terry Funk. Mr. Funk, and his family are some of the nicest mot loving and caring people I have ever had the luxury to come across in my 31 years on this planet. Why they like me is beyond my comprehension. I think it is the Penn State ties (I might have to write an entire other blog about that Notre Dame game).

Nevertheless, I was not quite sure what Mr. Funk wanted me to say to the kids at the school on Friday so I simply followed his lead. After a glowing praise of me and what I had done last year (Mr. Funk could make a wad of bubble gum get a chorus of Ooohs” and “Ahhhs” from anyone) I simply kept my speech short. I wanted these kids from 1^st to 5^th grade to know that just because they were from a small town does not mean they should not dream big. That was it. That was the gist. After a few Q&As which Mr. Funk had to direct away from humorous but non sequitur topics, I wrapped up the speech, presented Mr. Funk with a copy of the Ripley’s Believe it or Not book I was most recently featured in as a gift to their library and sat down. 

After the children were dismissed a few teachers came up to me to say they were impressed or proud a Titusville native was making an impact on the world or something akin to that (most of which I brushed off with a wave of the hand but thanked them nonetheless) one young teacher told me that her husband, Adam Peterson had heard about what I had done last year and was motivated to attempt his first half-marathon as a result. As fate would have it, it was the Erie half marathon the same day as I was running the full. Unfortunately, I did not get to meet Adam but a check of the results show that in his first half marathon ever he ran a 1:41:55. That is a GREAT time for a first half marathon. Way to go Adam!

The rest of the weekend was spent milling around my hometown and marveling how different it is then the greater DC area. I came to the realization that Titusville is exactly like important parts of town in Hollywood movies which help to enhance the plot. How is that? Have you ever noticed that no matter where the main actor has to go in downtown LA or NYC that he is always able to pull up in front of the building and park? No parallel parking, no searching for a spot. No, he simply pulls up and parks as there are no car in front or in back of where he needs to go. THAT is Titusville. All the time. Where do you need to go? At what time? On what day? Yep. There is a parking space. I love it (Not as much as the sign I saw in the window of a local town that looked like something akin to a Bed & breakfast or perhaps a historical Museum which signified that it would be allowing people to enter its doorways on this day not by saying that it was “Closed” But rather, in a beautiful wooden hand-carved sign it simply said “SHUT”. And don’t get me started on the vegetable stand, sitting on the side of the road, unattended with a sign that said “Leave Money for Corn” above a red metal box, which may or may not have been even locked. Big Jim the Corn Man [actual title on the Veggie Stand] is a trusting fella).

The marathon on Sunday is a little over an hour from my hometown. I had a few hours to kill on Saturday so, as much as I hate wasting gas, decided I would make the trip up to get both my timing chip and my bib number to save myself the hassle of doing so the next morning. This, as you will read, was quite fortuitous on my part.

At the expo, I ran into one of the Drake Well Marathon participants and second place overall finisher Eric Semeret and his newly engaged fiancée Sonia (congrats to both of you!). Eric had proposed after finishing his 5^th Leadville 100 mile race just a few weeks previously. (I would love to hear that story). Continuing with the many ties that would bind this weekend, Sonia first heard about the Drake Well Marathon, as she is a Titusville native. Her father had been my 7^th grade shop teacher (I am sure it is called Woodworking and Fine Hand Arts by now. We called it “shop” and liked it.) upon investigation, Eric and I found that we had actually run the Estes Park Marathon against each other during Fiddy2 (this is a rather important point as you will see later). Eric had won that day. I beat him at Drake Well. So now we are tied. Eric mentioned he was not expecting to go too fast given his recent finish at Leadville and I playfully told him I didn’t expect to go fast in my 51^st marathon of the year but I still beat him. 

Back home, I watched the Penn State dismantling of the Rolling Over and Playin’ Dead Irish and went to bed. My alarm went of, I gathered my mom up into my little car and away we went to Erie. Almost to the peninsula known as Presque Isle (the namesake of the marathon and upon which the marathon is run), my mom and I popped into McDonald’s since we had made such good time on our drive, her for a coffee; me to use a real bathroom. One the quirks of this particular McDonald’s and I swear to all things holy that I am not making this up is, across the street there is a cemetery and one of the headstones facing the McDonald’s has the surname “Hamburger”. You cannot make this stuff up!

Upon entering the Peninsula I expected a little traffic, as half of the road would be blocked for the marathon to begin but I did not expect the back-up we faced. It took us nearly 20 minutes to go 3 miles. When we parked, I realized it was already 6:50 and we were not near as close to the start as we had been the previous year. It appears those lots had already long since been filled. Given the massive line of cars behind us I figured we were safe and the race might start 15 minutes late or something so my mother and I began walking to the starting line. At 6:55 I told her I was going to jog on up ahead just to be safe.

As I rounded one corner, I almost got mowed down by a wheelchair racer and thought, “Man, he is warming up FAST!” Then in the distance I heard the middle strains of the Star-Spangled Banner. Uh-oh. He wasn’t warming up. He had started! I sprinted around another bend and saw hordes of people standing at the staring line hands on watches and looking tense. I made it around the timing mat with just about enough time to spare to catch my breath before the started the race. In that quick second I wads able to find my good friend and last year’s winner Mike Aldrink. This is not exceptionally hard as mike is 6’2’’ and was wearing the number “1” signifying his position last year. A quick hug and well wishes were exchanged which is all we had time for. Mike is trying to qualify for the Olympics and was using this race as a warm-up for Chicago one month from now.

A poke on my shoulder revealed another chap I had met at last year’s race, Nathan Echols. Nathan and I share another distinction as well. While I dropped out of the Old dominion 100 race in June to preserve my health and legs for an upcoming race (even more foreshadowing), when I did so I was in second place to a fellow named Keith Knipling. (Feel free to read my recap of that race HERE.) Unlike me, however, Nathan, who has run 3 100 milers this year (!), did not drop out and instead took second place behind Keith at the race the week before. Nathan said he was feeling quite spent and was going to try and leg this out (no slouch in the “shorter” distances Nathan took 5^th last year in a 2:57).

In this quick bustle I did not get to meet up with my former boss, the Honorable John J. Trucilla. Racing the half, he expected to finish around the same time as I would for the first half of my full (his pace for the half being what I was hoping to do pace-wise for the full). However, I would see him not too long after the start and almost always had him in sight. (His 10k was a 41:26; mine was a 42:06. His finish of the half was 1:28:04 and I was there in the back at 1:29:01). But I could not catch him. Nor did I want to after too long.

So the race was under way. Quickly I was running side by side with another friend of mine Rich Lavene. Last year Rich ran his first Boston Qualifying time ever at the Erie Marathon and I am taking partial claim for it. You see, Rich was in front of me until mile 23 or so. Catching him and letting him know we were not going to make a 3:10 unless we turned it on, he held on tightly to my pace-setting and then left me in the dust from 26 on in. Rich is one of the rare people who actually have run their best time at Boston. We both wanted to go out at around a 2:57 or so. Rich was using his GPS on his arm to set his pace; I was using my inner metronome.

With that as an intro, let me get to the actual race, brought to you again, mile-by-mile.

Mile 1&2: 13:36

I missed hitting my watch on the very first mile marker; mostly because I was shocked it took us so long to get to it. Looking at my watch it said 6:55, which I knew was not right. I was not running that slow even though I was trying to be conservative. I picked it up on the second mile just to be sure and got an average of 6:48 for the first two. Not too shabby. During this first section I was joined by a runner who I often competed against in Erie when I ran - Kevin Slagle. I have mentioned Kevin previously and how we would trade victories against each other in random distances with no rhyme or reason as to why one would win and the other would not (he was my Pennsylvania version of Karsten Brown!) Kevin was hoping to qualify for Boston in his 2^nd attempt having run a 3:22 (or so) in Columbus earlier. All around runners told him he needed to slow down a bit, as he was WAY ahead of that pace. I think after a bit he may have listened as he fell back and seemed to find his own groove.

Mile 3: 6:43
Leaving both Nathan and Kevin behind I caught up to Rich who had pulled away. I was surprised that it was taken as much effort to hit the pace I wanted to but chalked it all up to nerves.

You see, this marathon and this day hold special meaning to me. Four years ago in only my second marathon attempt, I dropped 43 minutes from my first marathon ever. However, I was not where I wanted to be with regards to time as I was hoping to qualify for Boston to honor my grandmother who passed away on the day of my very first marathon ever. Moreover, in a very emotional Erie Marathon last year I ran my first Boston Qualifying time of the year in front of all my relatives (who rarely get to see me run) and did so on Grandparents’ Day (I go into this in greater detail in See Dane Run. I was therefore hoping that the motional lift I would receive from both grandparents (my grandfather has since passed away as well) would be enough to battle the string of bad luck and bad health I have had in 2007.

Mile 4: 6:44

Here I let Rich pull away from me a bit. He seemed to be cruising along quite well and I wanted him to run his own race without thinking about pacing me.

Mile 5: 6:48

I felt my first twinge of slight uncomfortableness in my left leg during this mile. As I alluded to earlier, I sustained an injury in the Estes Park Marathon last year that I ran with Eric Semeret and exacerbated it in July at the Leadville Marathon. Both my adductor muscle and some other muscle I know only my physical therapist can name in my calf have bothered me since. For the most part they stay dormant and only ache but sometimes they flare up and make things not so comfy. I was hoping it would be the former.

Mile 6: 6:45

Another mile down and I am about on pace where I wanted to be. I see my mom for the first time, bright orange pants and all hiding like others behind a gigantic umbrella as the rain poured down. Did I forget to mention the rain? Well, it was both a blessing and a curse. Surprisingly warm for NW PA in September, especially with constant rain, we were running in low to mi 70-degree weather. The rain was keeping things cool but was also making conditions sloppy and raising the humidity some. I could not decide if I was happy or disgruntled that I was saturated through and through by the watery sky.

Mile 7: 6:49

Disgruntled. I have had enough.

Mile 8: 6:54

Yep, still not happy. I caught up to Rich and we ran together for a bit before I passed him going around a turn. Before doing so we passed one of the wheelchair racers. As Rich and I passed her (man I cannot imagine doing that. She constantly was cranking away on the wheels and then needing to grab her front wheel to wretch it back into place to keep her straight), I had a hunch: “Holly?” I said. He head popped up: “Hi Dane!” I have met Holly Koester at many races and a happier person you will never find. Even though she had never run a marathon until an accident in the army made her lose use of her legs she has since done (and I know I am going to get this wrong) over 80 some marathons. More inspiration in a tiny little package you will not find on this planet my dear readers.

We bid Holly adieu and passed on. I smiled for probably a good half-mile.

Mile 9: 6:41
Trying not to kick too early I saw Mark Courtney ahead. Mark, whose timing company not only was doing this race but had also done the Drake Well Marathon is all of 51 but can routinely churns out sub 3 marathons. Heck of a runner. I think I passed him solely on the adrenaline left over from seeing Holly!

Mile 10: 6:50
Somehow on a slower mile I passed Mark. I told him I was shooting for 2:57ish and he told me I had to run even splits to do so. I told him that was the plan. I also mentioned I hoped that I would not but I had a feeling I would see him again.

Mile 11: 6:47
Happy to get back down below 6:50 again but angry that my left leg’s pain had not gone away I was just doing my best to keep moving forward. I could see my Judge in front of me and I just wanted to keep him the same distance ahead.

Mile 12: 6:46
Another good mile as we turned onto the beach and headed for the half-marathon finish.

Mile 13: 6:49
A little slower than expected but nothing to worry about. I was beginning to revise my battle plan for the run with the growing leg pain but hadn’t quite yet thrown in the towel.

Mile 14: 7:01

After passing through the halfway point I heard a few people cheer my name. My Judge, having just finished his race let out a throaty “Go Dane!” My Aunt Monica took a quick picture of me (I am pretty sure I had the goofiest face in the world plastered on my grill) and away I went. I knew this first mile was a little long so I was not too worried about my time.

Mile 15: 6:55
Earlier in the race a local runner named Matt Roth had ran up behind Rich and I and asked if we were running for a sub-3. I told him that was the plan. He asked if he could pace off of us and we said sure thing. Odd that someone with such speed would need to pace off of others we asked him how many marathons he had run “This is my first” was his reply. Dang. I told him best of luck. Well, he passed me here. He must have been hanging right off of my shoulder and he looked strong. Good for him.

Mile 16: 7:01

Crap. I definitely did not want any more of these 7-minute miles. My leg was really starting to bother me and I figured if I could just run 6:59s the rest of the way I would set a Personal best, even if it was not the time I was hoping for.

Mile 17: 7:10

Double crap. The back up plan I had in mind was to realize that like those who were put forth before Caesar to remember “thou art mortal”. I was really feeling my adductor stiffen and with a full fall of races the last thing I needed to do was get injured. Let’s see what the next mile held for me. Sonia’s father Max, my old shop teacher, popped out from beneath a hooded jacket and gave me a big thumbs up. I smiled for the first time in miles and felt perhaps I still had this thing.

Mile 18: 7:01

Excellent! Positive thinking helps all the time! 

Mile 19: 7:26
No, not always. My Aunt was waiting for me in the 18^th mile with a Propel. I love Propel. How I have not been able to get a sponsorship with this stuff yet is beyond me! Nevertheless, in spite of the rain (which had never stopped once mind you, waterlogging me to my bones) I was dying of thirst. It is the ultimate curse to be soaking wet and thirsty at the same time. I came to a stop just for a few seconds so I could down a big mouthful. I took a few more steps, downed another mouthful and took off again, dropping the bottle behind for my aunt.

Mile 20: 7:25

Even with the stop I had equaled the last mile’s time. But I knew my day was over. My leg was shot and my energy, as a result, was ebbing. It was time to mail it in

Mile 21: 7:47
As predicted, Mark Courtney passed me. I told him good luck as I once again stopped at the aid station to fill my belly and acquiesce to the fact that I was not going to be able to meet the goal that I had set to honor my grandparents. Then again, I figured Heaven probably has some really sunny golf course so they are probably beating the pants off of Bob Hope right now.

Mile 22: 7:43

That thought game me four more seconds of energy.

Mile 23: 7:38

Smiling still inside I knocked off 5 more.

Mile 24: 7:43
My Aunt game me my Propel one last time. I stopped to down the bottle and still didn’t have that bad of a mile.

Up ahead I saw Matt Roth. He was slowing for sure. He hit the ROTC aid station and walked. God bless the kid. It was his first marathon. But damn it if I was going to let him beat me.

Mile 25: 7:43
My mile time was equal to the previous one but no one else around me was running the same. I passed a few runners and kept Matt in my sights.

Mile 26: 7:19
Just then a rather fit fella sprinted past me like he had just started the race. Good for him! I passed Matt and told him to keep it up. He was going to crush a Boston Qualifying time!

Last .2: 1:30

Making sure no one else passed me (I had heard I was in the top 20 and wanted to keep it that way) I finished the marathon. Very disappointed to have not been able to fulfill my side of the bargain I was happy I had run wisely. Like the Old Dominion 100, I knew my decision would gnaw at me but was well aware it was the right one at the time.

Crossing the line in 3:05:41, I had run my 5^th fastest marathon ever, placed 18^th overall and won my age group. Ironically, Matt Roth had been in my age group. That little push at the end had snared me 1^st.

In the pouring down rain Mike Aldrink had been unable to repeat as champion but had run an amazing 2:31:23 to finish 2^nd overall, well ahead of anyone else. Proud to say I have shared a Korean hotel room with that sort of speed.

*Rich was able to pull through on a tough day by hitting a very respectable 3:16. Excellent work Rich!

*Matt Roth ran his first marathon in an extremely enviable 3:06:05. I hope he is very proud of his efforts.

* Eric Semeret had a very impressive 3:26:48 just weeks after a 100-mile race. Way to go Eric!

*Nathan and Kevin had both dropped out for reasons I am guessing were either weather-related or a combination of weather and tiring racing schedules.

*Mark held off my furious charge well and finished about a minute ahead of me in 3:04:20

All things said, it was a good day. I was surprised that so many people were having difficulty getting onto the peninsula and can only hope that did not affect anyone’s time. I have yet to race a Erie Marathon when the sun was shining but as most marathoners will tell you, that is a good thing. Although, to tell you the truth, I could have done without the constant showers. Besides toes that looked like prunes when I was finished, the extra water and chafing were not fan favorites.

I am pleased I ran wisely. If this was the last race of the season I could have pushed it harder. When I decided it was all over at mile 20 I lost well over 5 minutes off the pace I could have kept. But at what expense? With both a 65-mile relay in 2 weeks and two more marathons in the next six (followed by that 24 hour attempt) I sucked up the fact that my best efforts would not be my best choice on this particular day.

I guess running 70 marathons teaches you something after all, huh?

Full results can be found here.

Track workout/ Recovery Drink

With my marathon rapidly approaching I was pleased to see that my club's suggested track workout last night was 6x600m with 200 rest. I figured this would be a nice way to stretch out the legs (which were a little achy in new places after the half-marathon; I think because of the newer shoes I just purchased) and see a few running friends I only get to see at the track.

My intention was to run them all on 2:00 (or :40 200 meter splits). My other runner friends (Dan, Naoko, Will, and Lance) thought they might start around there and get faster. I steadfastly held to my desire not to push them too hard.

The first was 1:56. I and Naoko led this one. Naoko is a very fast and very slight little runner who can totally motor. We both realized we went out too fast on this one. Having never run a 600m before I blamed her. :)

The next three were 1:59, then 2:01, then 1:59 again. I kept waiting for my friends to stat running faster but they stayed right with me except for one where Naoko and Dan finished a few seconds ahead.

Then Dan, on the 5th one started to pull away. Dan is an excellent runner who is shooting for his first sub-3 at Chicago this year. recently turned 40 but looking about 29 he is quite fit and more importantly is just a really nice guy. That said, we have a little friendly rivalry going on. You see, Dan and I have only run one marathon together: Boston in 2005 where we both ran times we were not happy with (3:24:56 for me and a 3:22:30 for him). However, I had a 3:07 marathon PR which trumped his. so playful teasing went back and forth. then he ran a 3:06 at Chicago later that year and now had beaten me head-to-head and also had a better PR. double win for Dan.

When, during Fiddy2, I set a new PR of 3:05:10 at the Johnstown Marathon on the first week of October, I took over the better PR from him. Not to be outdone, Dan ran a 3:01:33 at Chicago. unfortunately for him, on the same day and an hour beforehand, I finished the Niagara Falls Marathon in 2:59:48. (Of course, age grading gives him the edge because he is very very very old. Looks grading gives me the edge because I am very handsome).

So on the fifth 600, when Dan edged past me after the first 200 meters I wasn't about to let him beat me. Not that we were racing. :) So Dan and I ran the 5th in 1:55 and the 6th in 1:56, pretty much neck and neck at the finish. Doesn't matter who beat the other one. ;)

But good job to Will and Lance too. Will just PRd this weekend in a 5k by close to 20 seconds (maybe more).

Afterward I was really dying of thirst and took in some Accelerade. I had been given some of this product last year in the powder form and had not particularly cared for the taste. Perhaps it was my mixing ability. So when Accelerade came out with a new premixed bottled drink I thought I would give it another try. Pretty darn good stuff I must say. Whatever change they made definitely was for the better.

Fully refueled and rehydrated I went home and calculated my marathon pace on a McMillan calculator given my 600 meter pace (I had to use the 500 meter setting). Uh-oh. Looks like I am running a 3:30 on Sunday.

International Peace Half Marathon Recap

A Runner's Ramblings: Volume 2; 25th Edition
400.53 miles raced in 2007
Race: International Peace Half Marathon
Place: Alexandria, VA
Miles from home: 8
Course Difficulty: 4.5
Course Enjoyability: 5.5 out of 10
Weather: 80 degrees; humid

On Sunday, the day before this race, I ran a sluggish 10 miles with my running club. Surprised anyone was even here with the Virginia Beach Half marathon going on down south and it being Labor Day and all, I still kept myself to 10 miles. I knew I would be cycling 16 miles later on in the afternoon as I am trying to make use of the bike I got on my birthday back in May. It is ironic to me that I am a little wary of riding it, only because I am trying to protect myself from getting injured by riding it, to protect the "investment" I have made in becoming a runner in the past year or so.

Nevertheless, I have well-documented how my races have, for the most part this year, left me a little flat. Too high expectations or bad luck or bad weather, the reasons do not matter. Only the results. So my goal for the Erie Marathon this upcoming Sunday was to run a 2:54 which would be a 5 minute PR at the distance. As many runners can attest about a certain time, I feel a 2:54 is what I should HAVE right now, not a time I am shooting for. But I feel I have not tested myself lately using a longer speed workout. Therefore, in the middle of my ride, which coincidentally was on the exact course of the International Peace Half Marathon, I decided I would use the half-marathon the next day as a training run. I would go out at projected marathon pace and see if I could hold it.

Getting a decent night’s sleep I awoke at 7 AM glad it was a later start so I could sleep in but wary of what the temperature might be. When I walked outside at 8 AM to 71 degrees and a slight breeze I was very pleasantly surprised. But remembering how that is still not a “good” temperature for me I kept my smile in check.

I drove down to Alexandria on the George Washington Parkway and took in the morning. This was made easier by the fact that all the traffic lights in Old Town were still seemingly on rush hour timing so I sat needlessly at about 4 lights waiting for them to change. I quickly paid my fee and strapped on my number. A quick jog to the bathroom and it was soon time to start the race.

Beginning in the Belle Vernon area south of Alexandria, the course is shady and paved as it winds its way through forest alongside Potomac River and George Washington Memorial Parkway. The course lends itself to being crowded because it is not closed to the normal runners and cyclists who use the path for exercise but for the most part this is not a problem. There are however a few hills to contend with and being that is it a straight out-and-back course, you find on your way home that hills you were not even aware you were running down, poke their evil little heads out on the return trip.

I started the race off by pushing past a few people in the first hundred meters who were very fit but were obviously not going to do well on this race. I knew it was going to be tough to keep myself in check, but my goal was to see where I was fitness wise in order to ascertain my shots at a 2:54 in Erie. In order to do so, I wanted to keep myself at a pace of 6:40 per mile. Give or take. If I saw I was going to be in the top 5 (which afforded generous prize money for a race of this not so abundant size) I told myself I would allow my legs to kick in at the end.

Mile 1: 6:34

Immediately I could see that two African runners were going to take one and two. Local runner Mike Wardian (3rd place)was right behind them and also another speedy Washington guy, Max Lockwood (4th place; although only out for training run) made me know I was finishing in 5th place at the bare minimum. I quickly realized that with a few others between them and me, I was not in ANY money today.

Mile 2: 6:26

While the first mile felt pressing a little bit and made me wonder if I could even do just 6:40s today, the second mile felt much better. A few other runners passed me and left me in the 10-15th place range

Mile 3: 6:32

Now I am nearly 30 seconds under my goal pace, in no way feel like I am pushing too hard and feeling good. I am running almost step for step with two other runners and we are feeding off of each other.

Mile 4: 6:27

Another 13 seconds below my pace tells me I need to slow a bit. This is made easier by laughter as one trying-to-be-helpful spectator tells us we are only 3 plus minutes behind the leaders. At 4 miles! My two running companions share in my laughter and we trade names. Greg Ashe (10th place) is trying to go sub-3 for the first time at an upcoming marathon and John Hannan is putting in some road miles in preparation for an Ironman in Florida. Greg had heard of what I had done last year and mentioned how fun the Drake Well Marathon sounded and how all the participants had written such wonderful things on marathonguide.com I beamed a little bit but had to tell Greg I was not running it again this year.

Mile 5 and Mile 6: 13:09 (6:35 avg)

Greg wanted to run 6:30s so I told him to go ahead. I must have missed the 5th mile marker so I clicked my watch at 6 miles and see I am 55 seconds ahead of pace. Still feeling good. A young female runner passes me and does so with ease. I can tell I will not see much of her the rest of the race. As I turned around to run home I saw my friendly rival Karsten Brown (15th place)


Mile 7: 8:03

I could tell by the placement of this marker that it was off before I even got to it. Heading out I would see a mile marker and then 30 seconds later I would see a marker for another mile going home on the other side of the path. Mile 7 was located almost directly across from mile 6. Nothing too bothersome but enough to throw me off just a bit.

Mile 8: 6:43

That’s better. I knew I might go over my goal pace but I had plenty of seconds to give thanks to running well in the first half.

Mile 9: 6:33

With a nice big downhill I passed John and felt good about my chances of possibly running a low 1:26.

Mile 10: 6:51

Giving back 11 seconds made me realize that I would be in the 1:26s but it might be closer to 1:27. No problem. A 6:40 pace leaves me with a 1:27:30 so I would be pleased to be in the 1:26s.

Mile 11: 6:46

Still not where I wanted to be but again I only lost 6 second out of my bank. Is that John coming up behind me? I hear slapping of feet I think.

Mile 12: 6:47

Still can’t tell if it is John per se but I know that I am listening to the sound of my shirt slap on my back. The weather has quickly gotten much warm and much more humid. I had been feeling it get this way for about 3 miles. Only one mile to go.

Mile 13: 6:35

Well, I am happy with that mail but where is the finish line? Kicking it in well would only take me 36 seconds but I cannot see where I will end.

Last .1: 0:54

Certified or not, and I have no reason to believe it isn’t, this marking was not properly placed. There is no way it took me nearly a minute to run the last .1 of a mile. Oh well.

Harder than I was hoping it would be I finished in 1:28:26 which was good enough for first place in my age group and 11th overall. A few seconds behind me John came in. He may not have been the feet I hard behind me but he was close enough to make it interesting.

Moreover, I realized I may just have to restructure my goals for the Erie Marathon next weekend. Instead of shooting for a 2:54, I am instead going for a 2:57 or so. I will give everything I have to set a personal best and if it feels good in the second half will go for a 2:54 but it appears with how I feel, I may need those extra few minutes.

Some will undoubtedly think that my decision to moderately race a half just 6 days before a full was foolish but I honestly believe it was a very wise decision. This race afforded me the opportunity to reassess my goals so I do not crash hard in Erie. While they are not adequately spaced apart and I have other races in between, I do have 2 other marathons planned for this fall. Both afford me a cushion to set new and better PRs if I do not do so in Erie. Ergo, I am pleased I ran today.

Full results, when posted, can be found here.

Video of my finish can be found HERE

Arlington Co-Op Downhill Mile Recap

A Runner's Ramblings: Volume 2; 24th Edition
387.43 miles raced in 2007
Race: Arlington Co-Op Downhill Mile
Place: Arlington, VA
Miles from home: 2
Course Difficulty: 1.5
Course Enjoyability: 10 out of 10
Weather: 85 degrees
Finishers' Medal: 10 out of 10 for hilarity (Recycled from a Turkey Trot in Southern MD)

First and foremost, some of the "miles raced" and "editions" have been off in my previous recaps. I have no idea why. But it is fixed here.

What a day. Finally feeling slightly better after 2 weeks of sickness I darn near forgot that I was not only running but running (as in Race directing) the 2nd edition of the Downhill Mile in Arlington. I had been swamped at work lately and Tuesday was a cluster as I was trying to get in touch with a client traveling from Korea so we could rendezvous in Los Angeles. Meanwhile I am trying to book my flight so it coincides with what I thought was his itinerary which meant I would either be flying out Thursday night or Friday morning and then more or less returning a few hours later after the meeting. Hell, the turn-around was so quick, I wondered if the pilot would simply keep the engine idling. But I digress.

When I advertised that I would be running this mile again I hoped I would have an overcrowding problem. Many “If only were in DC…” responses flooded my inbox. Unfortunately, all the people actually living here in DC didn’t seem to give a hoot. So I had no idea if anyone would show up.

Waiting at the bottom of the hill (which doubled as the finishline) after finally remembering I did indeed have a race that night and high-tailing it from work to the course a few miles from home, Anne (who volunteered to assist with the timing) and I cooled our heels (Not a run-on sentence but definitely full of lots of preopsitional phrases. As a side note, Hemingway wrote very SHORT sentences. Just an FYI). Jay soon showed up with the clock and we quickly set it up at the place where we had marked the finish last week. After a brief description on how we were going to get an accurate time (via cellphone, when we started I was going to alert Anne who would simply start the clock with a flip of a switch), Jay and I began the trek up the hill to the start.

As we started our ascent, two women in running clothes asked what we were doing. Going into salesperson pitch mode I had two more racers in about 10 seconds. Sure I paid for their entry fees (they weren’t running with any money) but I didn’t care. I wanted runners!

Halfway up the hill, Jay and I noticed a tree limb partially blocking the course. When we noticed it was about a 60 foot long tree, trying to move it became an exercise in futility so we assessed if there was enough room to get around it. With half the trail still open for runners we realized this was fine and would just let the runners know of the obstacle.

About here we saw the current “meet” record holder, Charlie Mercer making his way down the trail. He was getting a little warm up in before the race and also checking to make sure that Jay and I were on our way (I think).

At the top I was happy to see that the women who said they would join us were waiting as were tow other runners. With Jay, Charlie and I that brings the total to 7 or a full 40% INCREASE! (I am being very facetious here).

After apprising everyone of how Jay and I had re-measured the course and found it to be a little short, we moved everyone to the new and improved starting line. A quick call to Anne to tell her we were about to begin and Jay readied us for the start. Away we went.

1st quarter mile:

As suspected, the extra distance added about 10-12 seconds to the previous strating line. Feeling better than I have in a few weeks I really thought i might give my previosu 4:10 a run for tis money. I could hear Charlie right behind me and figured we were on for a good race.

Down we went through the most windy (I think "windiest" means havingthe most blowing air or "wind" not being "windy" like how you wind a watch) and steepest part of the course and I hit the quarter mile marker Jay and I had noted on a tree at 61 seconds. Ridiculous.

2nd quarter:

Charlie passed me somewhere in the middle of this stretch as we sprinted through through the area where you hit a cup of quick bends and cross two neighborhood streets. At the halfway point I had slowed some and crossed in about a 2:13 right behind Chralie.

3rd quarter:

Did I put a parachute on? Charlie gained a little ground but it felt I was running in sludge. I didn’t even bother looking at my watch. I just wanted to be done.

Finish:

Charlie put a sizeable lead on me and was maintaining it. I had nothing in me to challenge him. I crossed in 4:46. Immediately, Charlie slapped me five and we both said something akin to “What the hell was that?”. For some reason we both had experienced the same fatigue somewhere on the course that made the race so much harder at the very end. This was quite inexplcableto both of us given it was 15 degrees cooler than the previous time we had done this race. We were both a little befuddled as to why our times had not simply reflected the addition course distance and maybe a few more seconds added on for naturally being more tired.

As the rest of the runners came in we cheered them all on. Almost every single runner crossed the line and mentioned the same sort of malaise that hit them somewhere on the course. It was as if everyone had been affected by the same thing. Most of us attributed this to recent races or running after a hard day of work but it is these sort of odditie in life which make you just shake your head. For all intents and purposes it should have been easier than our previous installment given the weather. Nevertheless, while the times were slower than we were hoping, we can all be sure we have now run a real mile. I think everyone was pretty pleased. and the Arlington Co-op has two more members.

Full results below. With the previous result on the shorter course from three weeks before listed as well.

MEN
1 Charlie Mercer, Arlington VA, 4:31 (Prev 3:53; Diff = 38 secs)
2 Dane Rauschenberg, Arlington VA, 4:46 (Prev 4:10; Diff= 36 secs)
3 Bob Weiner, Accokeek MD, 6:11 (2005 time 5:43; Dif = 26 secs)
4 Jay Jacob Wind, Arlington VA, 7:01 (Prev 6:11; Diff= 50 secs
5 Tim Ramsey, Alexandria VA, 7:17 (Prev 6:49; Diff = 26 secs)

WOMEN
1 Gail Klein, Arlington VA, 7:21 (No Prev)
2 Darcy McDonald, Arlington VA, 8:03 (No Prev)

I want to point out two specific things. First, while Jay had the biggest differential between his times from one race to the other he had run the very warm Annapolis 10 miler on Sunday. However, his time was STILL 2 seconds faster than it had been on the shorter course last year. AND he was wearing a nylon sack on his pack carrying the race clipboards and registration material!

Also of specific note is that, Tim matched the lowest differential between his previous time 3 weeks ago and this time. Even more impressive is that his mile time on the “real” course this time was 3 full seconds faster than his time on the short course last year. Both impressive stats and I hope he is proud.

I hope that we can make this mile a monthly event (or even run it UP the hill). I really think taking on this hill is a chance to have fun and really run a fast mile time, even if it is “aided”. That said, today, I ache. The course might be downhill but that downhill sure does a pounding on the old quads.

Then again, I think I would have beaten Charlie if I had not taken the one-minute walk break in the middle of the race as per his earlier suggestion.

*Smirk*

Let's hear it for my friends.

I had some friends who ran some wonderful races this past weekend and I feel they deserve some spotlight.

1. Todd Futa competed in his first full Ironman in British Columbia. Todd has gotten ink here before for not only being an excellent host to me during Fiddy2 but for being part of the glue which held together my Northwest Passage Relay team last month in the Seattle Area.

Todd's times:

SWIM 1:45:46
BIKE 6:55:58
RUN 6:02:43
OVERALL 15:02:24
POSITION 2101

2. Devon Crosby-Helms, who is making a ridiculous splash on the ultra-running scene continues to impress me and make me jealous more and more with her 3rd place female finish at the 2007 USATF Championships on what is described as a "long, grueling" course. Devon took on some stalwart competition in this 50k trail race and showed her stellar year has been nothing but indicative of what she has in store for the sport in the future.

1. Beverley Anderson-Abbs (43), Red Bluff, 4:42:32
2. Caren Spore (39), Davis, 4:48:25
3. Devon Crosby-Helms (24), San Francisco, 4:58:29


Kudos to both.. I am happy they are my friends, far more for their character than their athletic prowess but the latter deserves to be recognized here.

The Cayman Islands Marathon Experience

When I was in the Caymans in December of 2006 to run the Cayman Islands Marathon, I was put in touch with a runner/author who was, amongst other titles, writing a book about the 2006 Cayman Islands Marathon.

I have since received a copy of that book and I have to say it is quite enjoyable. Malcolm Anderson (pictured below)has pieced together hundreds of responses form the runners of the race, as well as his own experience and research to mold the two into a perfect little reader. Never heady or dry, the book provides a glimpse not only into the history of this race but also the Cayman Islands themselves.

If you are looking for a quick read (it is only about 150 pages or so) with tons of photographs of people enjoying a race in paradise, check this book out. Its chapters flow very easily and quickly and before you know it you will be booking your next marathon destination to run in the sun, swim with stingrays and warm your soul in the winter.

Click on the the link HERE to take a look at the book and read an excerpt from within. You can also purchase the book from this link as well.

For proof of the beauty of this place, take a peek below at some of the fun I had.

Good work and Appropriate Kudos

Least important things first. Even though I still feel a little under the weather I had a pretty good track workout tonight as the weather gods in DC have gone stark raving made. 68 degrees, cloudy skies and a slight chill in the air? In AUGUST?!

One of the workouts one of my clubs suggested doing for the day was 8-10 800s with 400 meters rest. I am a fan of 800s. They hurt but they don't hurt for all that long, especially in dreamy running weather like tonight. So I was looking forward to them this evening and they did not disappoint me. I was not going to pushing them too hard but just hard enough to feel it. The time I settled on was 2:45 per 800 meter. My 8 splits went as follows: 2:43, 2:44, 2:45,2:45, 2:45, 2:44, 2:46, and 2:45. Like a metronome baby!

2. Great news from a local running friend Rob Toonkel. The 3rd youngest person to ever complete a marathon in all 50 states, Rob routinely churns out 3:20s-3:30s with little or no rest. Rather unassuming but with more info on marathons than most of us could hope to have (he passed 100 lifetime marathons earlier this year) Rob always entertains me with his insight when we meet.

So when I received a recap about his run in the Overlander Sports Yellowknife Marathon I knew something was as up. Rob rarely talks about his races. While he downplayed his stats by saying there were only 7 competitors in the marathon the simple fact remains Rob WON THE RACE! Yep, as I have always said, never apologize for who shows up, as you have no control over that aspect of the race. Rather, race those who show up and do your best. And Rob did. Few people deserve a win more than Rob. So here is my public kudos to him and his efforts.

3. One of the race competitors in the Drake Well Marathon, Dan Geier, had a simple request when I asked him what he wanted to be listed as: "Elora's Dad". I assumed he was simply a proud father. I was wrong.

In April 2006, Elora, Dan's daughter, lost her life after battling with Leukemia. To honor her life, Dan has set up, Elorapalooza, is a 5K Run/Walk on September 23, 2007. Raising funds in memory of Elora, the race distance was a favorite of Elora's who, in spite of always finishing long
after the other runners crossed the finish line enjoyed the 5k.

To learn more on how you can race or make a contribution, please click HERE.

Random running thoughts / Downhill Mile Update

1. I am still feeling the lingering effects of last week's sickness. As such, while I was going to do two long runs this weekend, Saturday broke and I just decided to do 5 miles before I began a day of laziness on the river with some friends.

On Sunday, I decided I would eke out 12 miles and just call it a day. One of the newer members of our running club, Kate was going in the direction I wanted to run and had mentioned she was doing 12. I asked if she minded if I joined her to which she sure.


Up the Capitol Crescent Trail we trotted and shared stories as runners often do. She said she ran in high school but it has been a while since she raced. I asked her when was the last time and she mentioned the 10k in Leesburg was the first time in 3 years she had actually been in race. Wow! That is about the time I started my 3rd marathon. I have run 66 since then. I completely admire those who enjoy running just for that sake and don't feel the urge to race.

Then she mentioned this run we were going on was the longest she had done. Ever. Double wow! I love this sort of thing. I felt really cool to be going on the longest run someone has ever done. You rarely get that opportunity. So, we chugged on at a nice clip and before we knew it we were done.

2. In spite of my sluggishness, while waiting for someone to call later in the evening on Saturday I decided to kill the time with another run. Limited in time I cranked out a 5 miler in 35:02 and was able to meet the person in time.

3. The meeting was to re-measure and then set up the Arlington Downhill Mile. Well, first things first:

a. This race will be taking place on Tuesday August 28th at 7 pm at the start of the Donaldson Run Trail of of 26th Street North in Arlington (across from Marymount University). See the picture below for map details.


The race will cost $1 for members of the Arlington Cooperation Foundation, $5 for non-members (join for $10 and get an automatic $10 off future long distance running events sponsored by the ACF).

Second, after re-measuring the course, it ends up that the mile was short a few yards which probably assisted runners in the 15 second range. However, now we know that the course is exact and runners can be assured that the course is a true mile.

The trail still drops well over 230 feet in a mile and has a few twists and turns. But you are more or less guaranteed to run the fastest mile you have ever run.

The race is limited to 25-30 runners (tentative and could be changed). I hope everyone will be interested in running this race and contributing to the ACF! Should be a blast.

More details to come!