Thursday, June 26, 2014

For Ty and the Ty Taylor Memorial Campship!

This run was for Ty Taylor (obviously). I'm proud to have had the chance to dedicate the last four months to the memory of a great friend and important role model. Over the course of my training, it was immense fun to remember Ty and talk about him to friends and family. I was able to raise $1750 toward establishing an enduring campship in his name. With the money that was raised when Ty passed away, there's almost $2500 in the account. We still have quite a way to go before there will be enough money in the trust to earn enough interest to send a kid to YMCA Camp Miller every year in Ty's name, but I hope to continue to help build the fund. Of course, you can still donate here! ;)

That brings me to the second dedication of today's run. It is with extreme gratitude that I dedicate my first full marathon to all of my friends and family who endured endless pleas for donations. Thank especially to Seth, Rachel, iBeck, Andrea, Bernie, Michael, Brian, Faze, Adam, Keir, Matt, Ben, Lucie, Marianna, Mrs and Mrs Doc, Liz, Julie, Ted, Michele, Lynner, Anonymous, Anja, Kathryn, DJ Boring, Skweebs, Heather, Lynner, Dr. A, Sara, Lacey, Chico, Rachel, Becky, Sandy and Lynnea for helping to raise money. It truly humbles me to know that you can be so generous. Thank you. For those that weren't able to help financially, thanks for the encouragement, the likes, the support and for reading this blog. You put up with me for four months and I appreciate it.

Finally, this run is ultimately dedicated to my wife, Kate. Without her support and encouragement I would have never been able to achieve this lifelong goal. I know my running took me out of the house a lot and that the long weekend runs made life with an infant and a dog challenging, but you wanted to help me and I appreciate it. To say thank you underplays how important your support has been, but thank you nonetheless. (Readers: if you  think you were bombarded with pleas, running stories, extended run statistics - you should spend one day in Kate's shoes). Thanks Mug.

THE PRE-RACE
No run Thursday, no run Friday. I picked up my bib Friday night at the expo and bought a new water-proof running belt in preparation for forecasted thunderstorms. I carbo-loaded with a pasta dinner, drank several glasses of water and headed back to the lake to get my gear together for the race. (I only had to stop once on the way home to pee!)

When I got back to the house, I was faced with the decision of what to wear. The forecast was for rain, and I was sad. I did not want to run a marathon in the rain. I would if I had to, but it was not my preference. As a result, I ended up packing a choice of a short-sleeve shirt, a long-sleeve and a running hat. I figured I'd choose my outfit at the starting line. I also brought an extra set of regular headphones in the case of rain because my flashy new Bluetooth headphones are NOT waterproof. I checked my bag over and over and kept adding things; running belt, shoes, socks, shorts, my energy blocks, a towel, a banana, Vaseline, pants, a long-sleeve to wear after the race, a winter hat, socks, car keys, driver's license, money, credit card...in the end I forgot a pair of undies to wear after the race. Shhhh, it's our secret. Whoever says, "You only need shoes to run" is nuts. Don't believe them. I made a playlist, set my alarm for 4:45am and made in bed by a reasonable 10:30.

RACE DAY
I slept much better than I ever have before a big race and was pleasantly awoken at 4:33 by my son. I guess he wanted to wish me luck before I left. He went back to sleep and I decided to get an early (12 minutes early) jump on my day. I drank a small cup of cold coffee from the day before to proactively discourage the caffeine-withdrawl headache that I've suffered on longer runs.

I was in the car and on my way to Duluth before 5 o'clock. It was cold, below 50 degrees when I arrived to the shuttlebus. It was foggy, but not raining. I boarded the bus and started what my waiter later in the day would call the "long drive" to Two Harbors. Long drive, you should try the run! The energy on the bus was great, and I was looking forward to running. We arrived to Two Harbors about an hour before the race started, so there was plenty of waiting time in the morning mist. I was finally overcome by the urge to use the littlest bit of my phone's battery, so I posted a quick update, took a few snaps and started my playlist.

The over-achievers (starting in front of me)
What am I about to do? Also-check out that other guy!
I decided to shuffle the list to keep it interesting and the first song immediately made me smile. It was "I Need a Miracle" by the Grateful Dead. Fitting, as I was putting on a show about knowing I could finish strong. A miracle might help. Fitting also, because Ty Taylor was the first Deadhead I have ever met. I was as intrigued by the dancing bears on the back of his truck topper as I was by the possibility that someone could live out of the back of his truck on cross-country trips from California to Minnesota. Man, I thought that was so cool!

THE RACE
I had two publicly-stated goals for the race.

  1. Finish in less than four hours. 
  2. Don't start too hot! At least three people had sent me the link to this comic from the Oatmeal giving advice for first-time marathoners. The first section is all about starting too hot. Trying to avoid this, I set myself up in the 3:35 starting area.  This would put me on about an 8 minute 12 second pace. I figured that would be a good start, not too hot. 
Waiting for the gun was excruciating. It was cold, I was nervous, I just wanted to get going. At the same time, waiting for the gun was great. Runners are fun people. Everyone's very social, cracking jokes and ready to start. Finally, the gun went off about 3 minutes late and we were on our way. We did the typical "brisk walk turns into a run-turns into a screeching halt-turns back into a run" start in the crowded chute. At this time, my playlist was on a mellow Oreja de VanGogh track, so an easy start was assured. (Good thing Lenny Kravitz was on as I waited!)


I tried not to focus on what was ahead of me and just enjoy the start. The number of people running a race like Grandma's is amazing. There were 6211 people running that day. The sounds of footfalls at the beginning of a race is out of this world. Thud-thud. Thud-thud. Thud-thud. You can almost hear the miles and miles of training and effort in those thuds. It's one of the greatest sounds in the world.

Mile 1 came and went with a MapMyRun announcement of 8 minutes and some-odd seconds. I was on target and feeling good. There were plenty of race fans along the highway despite the weather and soon short-term goal (STG) #1 was accomplished. Water. The first water stop was at the three mile mark of the race. I had decided that it would be best to focus on small goals to help me get through the whole race. From here on out, water would be every two miles until Mile 19, when it would come every mile.

At Mile 4, I announced to the runners near me that we were just a 20-mile training run away from the end of the race. We all had a laugh and kept running. Then I did some quick mental math and realized that I'm a terrible subtractor.  I was called out as not being a math guy, announced that I was indeed a language teacher and was told by Pink-shirt Girl that she was too. "¿Español?" she inquired. "Yes," I responded. "Yo también." And race camaraderie #1 was born. Pig-tail Braids Girl and I had a laugh about how I was already delirious at Mile 4 of the race and I subconsciously picked up my pace. Because we were gabbing? Because I wanted to get away from my fact-checkers?

I'm not sure when race camaraderie #2 was born, but I soon found myself in conversation with another runner. 40 Before 40 Girl told me that she was working on her 38th marathon when I told her that I was working on my first. Her goal was to finish this one, then do two more before she turned 40 years old. We ran together for quite a while, chatting and absorbing the rare glimpses of Lake Superior in the fog of a cold and misty (perfect for running?) day. It wasn't long before Ms. MapMyRun announced a 7:30ish pace in my ear before I told 40 Before 40 Girl that I was going to hang back a bit. I felt good at that pace, but I knew that I had much more race to run.

It was somewhere around Mile 6(?) or 8(?) that my MapMyRun failed me. The miles suddenly weren't matching up to the actual mile markers of the race and my pace had jumped to sub-six minute miles. I knew that wasn't right, so I resolved to focus only on the split timings to try to keep to reasonable miles.

"Hey Beard Guy!" I heard from behind me. As I turned to see who was admiring the Samson-like source of my running acumen, I saw that I was Pig-tail Braids Girl. She had caught up to me. Presuming that she wanted to rub it in that we were now in fact, a 20 mile training run from the finish line, I put aside my pride grateful for some company. We chatted for quite a while, but I lost her in a water stop. I'm guessing she passed me. 40 Before 40 Girl was long gone.

Before I knew it, Mile 13 had come and gone as well. Half way done. My chip time was a little behind the gun time, so when I saw 1:45:08, I was over the moon. My PR for the half marathon is 1:35:47, so less than 10 minutes slower meant that I was holding a good, just over 8 minute per mile pace. I knew that I was going to finish a marathon.

STG #2 was soon met when I reached Mile 14 and kept running. My last big training run was a disappointment for me. I had to stop and walk at 14, so STG#2 was to keep running at 14 and add a few more. I can't remember exactly where it was that I walked through a water station, but I want to say that it wasn't until I entered the city of Duluth, so that would mean that it wasn't until at least Mile 19, but I think it was even later than that. 20 or 21 maybe? Anyway, I had made up my mind that I would walk through the water stations to give myself a little break, but also to give myself enough time to make sure that I could get enough water in my gullet to keep me going.

Entering Duluth is a lot of fun for me. Mile 6 of the Half Marathon and Mile 19 of the Full is Lester River. I grew up here, jumping from the railroad bridge and cliffs into the various swimming holes. My memories of my childhood flood back buoyed by the rousing support of massive numbers of people lined up along the street. This is where the race turns from scenic, wooded solitude to a route lined with screaming, supportive fans. "Go Jason!" people were yelling. "Wow! What support," I thought. "People love me!" Then I realized that my name was on my bib and I wasn't famous. But that's just another thing that makes marathons great. People make you feel so good, that it's easy to power forward, one step at a time. Memories of my Grandma, unrestricted summer bike rides, homes lived in and slumber parties on London Road made the three miles to Lemon Drop Hill a blur. At least that's what I'm saying now. The truth is, I was hurting, so I may have blacked out at some point.

It was time for STG #3. The 26.2 mile marathon had become a race of 2 mile increments. Crossing Mile 20 was a big milestone. That was previously my longest run. I was now breaking distance records with each step. At some point I realized this and started playing the "This is My Longest Run Game."

How to play:

  1. Say, "This is my longest run." 
  2. Run one step forward.
  3. Say, "Now this is."
  4. Repeat.
It got old quickly. Lemon Drop Hill was on the horizon.

My pace was dropping and I was starting to feel the burn of running a marathon. Lemon Drop Hill is an icon of Grandma's Marathon. Up until 1990, the hill was actually there. It was the "make or break" point of many races. Elite runners made their move on the hill, leaving competitors in the dust. Exhausted overachievers dropped out after spending all of their energy on the incline. Today, the Lemon Drop Restaurant is gone. The hill is a shortish slope of refurbished highway, but the moniker remains. It was just before Lemon Drop Hill that the 3:35 group passed me. Quietly, I packed away Secret Goal #1. I was hoping for sub-3:30 finish. When the 3:35 pace group passed me and I didn't have the legs to catch them, I knew I would have to "settle" for a sub-4 hour time. In reality, I was okay with that. I was playing the mental game and I wanted to finish. Period.

After Lemon Drop Hill at Mile 22, I knew Kate would be waiting with the boy child and her parents around Mile 24. I couldn't wait to see them. Two grueling miles later, there they were. I was so happy, that I ran over to them, grabbed the boy child and tossed him in the air. Hey, my arms were fine. It was my legs that were tired. A quick kiss for luck and it was only 2.6 more miles to the Finish Line.

I crossed Mile 25 and I knew that I would finish. I was going to finish a marathon. With the satisfaction of checking that item of my list of life goals, I kept going. Not fast, but I kept going. In fact, I made the conscious decision to not go fast. "Just keep it up and you'll finish," I told myself. In fact, I slowed down in an effort to not overexert myself at the end. It was my slowest mile.

Coming around the the DECC near the William A. Irvin oreboat a guy on a megaphone was color commentating and said something like, "Everybody's doing great, that guy with the beard is doing great!" I tossed an I Love You hand sign into the air and he mistook it for the Heavy Metal hand sign and said something else that I wasn't capable of transferring into any real understanding. I was hurting, but smiling.

The last little bit of Grandma's and the Bjorklund is so much fun. There are people everywhere and they are going nuts. When I ran under the overpass into Canal Park, I couldn't even hear my music. I have made efforts in the past to sprint the final piece, but this year I was content to trot across the line and hear the announcer call my finish - "Jason Coleman of Eveleth."

My lifelong goal of running a marathon was realized. I cried. I knew I would. It was emotional. I couldn't believe that I had done it. Running for a reason makes it extra special. This year it was for Ty. Last year it was for Ellis. The year before it was for my Mom, my Grandma and too many others that had suffered with cancer.

POST RACE
I didn't have to jump over anybody as I crossed the line. What a relief! I tried to stretch and couldn't. I got my medal and my shirt and headed toward the recovery area. I stretched a bit, drank some water and celebrated with other finishers. "Great race! Congratulations! Oh no, I dropped my shirt all the way to the ground! I tried to catch you and couldn't (said to me, ironically, as I watched 29 people pass me in the finish)." It was amazing. But, I was having trouble walking and feeling my legs.

I left to find Kate (my phone had just died) when suddenly my cousin Ben and his wife appeared out of thin air. It was great to see them. The conversation went something like this:
Congratulations!
Thanks!
How was it?
Pretty terrible. It's very hard to run a marathon. It's quite long.
Ha.
I need to sit down.
Sure. (awkward silence)
I need to stand up.
Okay.

Eventually, I got my stuff, found my family, had a celebratory beer and waited for my legs to come back. They eventually did and everyone spoiled me for the rest of the day.

Thanks for everything everybody. Every single one of you played an important part in this. My day was perfect in every way because of each of you and without a single one of you, it wouldn't have been the same.


RUN STATS:

Distance - 26.2 miles (That's a marathon!)

Time - 3:37:25
Soundtrack - See below

BONUS:
Race statistics (for my numbers loving friends)
Finisher video
Crazy expensive Marathon Photos. Note: These are all from the last few miles. None were taken when I was feeling good and strong.




Thursday, June 19, 2014

For Seth!

Today's run is for Seth! Not only did he donate, but he joined us on Monday for the US defeat of Ghana in Duluth! It was great to see him and catch up. He's not running this year, but for the past two years, he's run the Garry Bjorklund with me. We also ran the auspicious Gordon Good Neighbor Days 5K last year, and finished 1 and 2 in our age division. Just sayin.

Be like Seth. Donate here.  Thanks for the donation Seth, there's aren't too many days of donating left.

Seth's dedicated run was a family affair. Being home for the summer, we have a firm motto at The Crip Side - "We work hard at leisure." The current hard work involved the purchase of a bike and a trailer so we can all hit the road together!

Pictured: Enthused wife and chilled out baby.

The route was yet again the Murphy Cuatro. It seems to be the distance of choice these days. Only two more runs after this one until the marathon. During today's run, I kept telling myself that the race will not be a problem. I tried running my expected race day pace today, I hope I can keep it up for 26.2 miles. I usually start pretty hot, so that will be a big challenge for me on Saturday. I think it has been a major problem for me in the past. I wish I had Jess's (Team Tinto Shout Out!) negative split discipline.

The run was fun. It was so great to be out for a run with Kate. She's been my biggest supporter over the years and to have her along for a run instead of retelling it when I got home was really cool. The boy loves his trailer. I expect we'll go for lots of runs this summer.

We saw a deer and checked the mail on this run too. Getting it done!

This run belongs to Seth!

I'm dedicating runs to raise money for a campship in memory of our friend Ty Taylor at YMCA Camp Miller. Click here or here to donate. Please make sure you choose the Ty Taylor Campship option. And please let me know if you've made a donation so I can thank you!

RUN STATS:
Distance - 4.02 miles
Time - 33:49
Soundtrack - No headphones needed, I had my family!

Sunday, June 15, 2014

For Rachel!

Yesterday's run is dedicated to Rachel! Not the Rachel who donated before, but a completely different, wonderful and generous Rachel altogether. Rachel and I taught together in Seoul and have been in strong Facebook contact since! I would love for us to meet up again do a run together sometime soon...ideas?

In the vein of cleaning house, Friday's run was the same old same old Murphy Cuatro. This is the 2 miles and turn around run from my house that generally yields no interesting sights, so there's plenty of time to focus on running.

Thursday's run featured two new things. I ran without a hydration pack after learning that my first water stop is at the 3 mile mark in the marathon. I need to wean myself from on-demand water. Also, it's nice to get rid of the extra weight! On long runs, I usually run with up to 100 ounces of water in my Camelbak, which weighs up to six pounds. It's nice to be free of the pack too, which can be constricting with all of the straps, clips and ties.

Which leads to new thing number two. I ran today with my new Thump wireless headphones. This is not meant to be an endorsement of the product, but getting rid of that cord is awesome! It remains to be seen just how well they work and how comfortable they are, but that will soon be proven on race day. I'll bring the oldies just in case, but for now I expect these new ones to work out.

The run was a great one. I was really strong on my pace. Nothing too much to write about, just a fast run overall. But, it never felt too fast. It felt in control the whole time.

Splits:

Mile 1 - 6:59
Mile 2 - 6:43
Mile 3 - 6:48
Mile 4 - 6:30

Plus six seconds of finishing time means 27:12 overall. By the way, this is the fastest time on the Murphy Cuatro. I've run it eight times in the last three summers and this time was exactly one minute faster than the previous record!

Like I said, this isn't a lot to write about, just a bit of a brag. If only there was some way to maintain this pace over 26.2 miles, this would be almost exactly the pace needed to run a sub-3 hour marathon. Then I'd be in the same elite club as Paul Ryan!

Ha. I'm kidding. But really, I have been thinking about my pace a lot lately. I'd love to get a sub-4 hour, which means that I need to to run a little faster than 9:10 per mile. I know I can do it for most of the run, but what will happen late in the race? I'm getting nervous.


This run belongs to Rachel!

I'm dedicating runs to raise money for a campship in memory of our friend Ty Taylor at YMCA Camp Miller. Click here or here to donate. Please make sure you choose the Ty Taylor Campship option. And please let me know if you've made a donation so I can thank you!

RUN STATS:
Distance - 4.01 miles
Time - 27:12
Soundtrack - Beastie Boys, Hello Nasty

Saturday, June 14, 2014

For Bamlani!

This run is for Brian! He donated a while ago, but I was holding out for a DC run to dedicate to him, as a former denizen of the Nation's Capital.

I'm going to go ahead and call the trip to DC the final excuse in a late burst of roadblocks to my effective training. Early wake up calls, late nights, travel days, etc. are cramping my style and leaving more holes in my running calendar than a Michael Bay plot line.

Anyway, four days in DC yielded only one run. Due to work business, other AESers were in DC too.  Gene planned a great tour run. (For once I didn't have to plan the run!) How great is it to run in 'Merica with friends from Delhi? You're the greatest, Gene! I'm so glad that we were able to do this run together. It was an absolutely awesome day, humid as hell (that's DC in summer), but breezy and early enough to avoid the crowds. Having lived in Metro DC, it was a lot of fun to get out and see the sights again, and visit the new monuments that have been built since my last trip.

Gene and set out by Metro early Tuesday morning to avoid having to do a loop and to maximize our ability to sightsee along the way! We arrived to Capitol South Metro stop, passed the offices of Congress and headed toward the National Mall via the Capitol.
Tried to grab Gene in this pic, but he's too fast!
As soon as we passed the Capitol, I had to stop and take this picture of the sun rising over the Nation's Capitol like the dawning light of new hope moving forward. "God Bless the U-S-A!" Can you stand it? The patriotism one feels in DC is awe-inspiring! Let's pass some laws! Let's test some constitutionality!

Pictured: Metaphor for new hope
 We ran along the mall, passing other early-morning do-gooders, running tourists, congressional interns,  and various other fitness buffs. The city is full of runners. It's quite a change from Delhi, where often the only other people running are in flip-flops, trousers and button-downs on their way late to work. The highlights here were the US Botanical Garden, the American Indian Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum, Air and Space, the future African American Museum, Smithsonian Castle, Freer Gallery and the USDA(!). And that was just on our left. On the right, were a whole slew of other Smithsonians. All the while we had eyes on the Washington Monument dead ahead.

Stoplight selfie! Everyone in DC waits at red lights. Weird.
We turned left at the former World's Tallest Structure (damn you Eiffel Tower!) and headed toward the Tidal Basin. On our left, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum was opening for the day. A beagle on a leash was patrolling the premises, making sure it was safe for another day of operation. Skirting the Tidal Basin, we came upon the Jefferson Memorial, marking new DC territory for Gene. Excited by the chance to play tour guide, we detoured up the steps and inside.

TJ: Simpsons quote-"Nobody ever comes to see me."
 The next stop after the Jefferson Memorial is the FDR Memorial. This has always been one of my favorites in DC. The layout is so great, very park-like with lots of fitting tributes to a great man. Gene was equally impressed with the stop.


Moving along the Tidal Basin, the next two stops were new to me. I was excited to check out the MLK memorial. It is indeed impressive, and reading about the controversies that surround it doesn't take away from it's imposing presence.


Washington Monument as seen from the MLK Memorial.
 The next new stop was the also controversial World War II Memorial. I thought it was tastefully done and not an imposition on the Mall. Especially considering that we entered from the Mall, then could barely see it from the Lincoln Memorial.


The next stop was the Lincoln Memorial, complete with folktales about the American Sign Language "A" and "L" in Abe's hands and the optimistic/pessimistic profile views. Obviously, we reflected this in our selfie.
Lincoln Memorial Steps Selfie! Who's who?
One more stop in the National Mall area: the Korean War Memorial. This one has always blown my mind and the geometry of the space involved got me to thinking about how much of the meaning and planning of Memorial/Monument architecture must go unnoticed by us. For example, after reading the Wikipedia article, I learned that there are 19 soldiers in this field. When they reflect on the granite wall, there are 38, which represents the 38th parallel.

 

From the Korean War Memorial, we headed across the bridge back into Virginia, dodged highway traffic and found ourselves on the lovely Mount Vernon Trail. Most of this trail was a wooded boardwalk through the forest. It passes Teddy Roosevelt Island, which I should have run the day before, but couldn't motivate myself given the excuses in the beginning of this post.

All in all, it was a great day running in DC. Thanks to Brian for the inspiration and Gene for the company and for planning the route!

This run belongs to Bamlani with special shoutouts to Gene!

I'm dedicating runs to raise money for a campship in memory of our friend Ty Taylor at YMCA Camp Miller. Click here or here to donate. Please make sure you choose the Ty Taylor Campship option. And please let me know if you've made a donation so I can thank you!


RUN STATS:
Distance - 6.80 miles
Time - 59:30
Soundtrack - Not sure, too much great convo with Gene-O!



For Michael!

Saturday's run was a "get my house in order" kind of run. Discouraged by the Racer X Syndrome Run and the I'm a Quitter Run, I decided that it was time to refocus my energy. I needed to prove to myself that I am in fact, fit and that I can in fact, run a marathon because I am mentally strong.

This Rocky (the boxer, not the feeling of uneasiness)-moment run is dedicated to Michael. Thanks for the donation. It serves to keep me going, even when the going gets tough.


Yeah! Billy Ocean!


I set out Saturday morning determined to offset my lousy hangover from the busted 22 miler. I planned a four miler, the same out-and-back that I've run many a time before. Out the door, turn right out of the driveway, turn around at 2 miles and come back. Nothing glorious, but as they say in India, "I have to do the needful."

I knew it was going to be a good run when I turned a corner and saw a deer. I actually yelled out loud, "YES!" and did a little fist pump when I saw it. A fist pump. By myself. In the woods. What can I say? It geeks me out to see the animals here at the lake. We've seen deer, pine martins, weasels, raccoons, loons, herons, woodpeckers...it's awesome. And it adds some variety to well-plied dead end road runs.

Because this wasn't about proving my distance, it was about proving my mental toughness, there would be no stopping and chatting with neighbors, no checking the mail or no stopping to snap photos on this run. I just needed to get out and do it.

The first mile was all about getting the day before's kinks out. Like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, my knees screamed "Oil me!" as I ran the first mile in 7:27. That's a normal pace for me on shorter to mid-distance runs. Feeling good, I stepped it up for the second mile.

7:00. Now I was inspired. "You're going to kick this run in the buns," I said to myself, ignoring my screaming calves and thighs. Mile three was 7:15, slightly slower, so as Ms. MapMyRun mocked my decreased pace (so it seemed to me), I made up my mind to answer her challenge. Mile four found me turning it up and as I crossed the edge of the driveway, she was telling me that I had finished the last mile in 7:01. This isn't my fastest Murphy Lake 4 Miler, but it was the third best. Knowing that now, it's time to break the record for this route.

I don't intend on running the marathon that fast, but reminding myself that I'm strong, capable and mentally tough is helping me overcome the slump of the last few runs.

I've got this.

There aren't too many more runs to dedicate before the race, so get on it if you're donating!


This run belongs to Michael.

I'm dedicating runs to raise money for a campship in memory of our friend Ty Taylor at YMCA Camp Miller. Click here or here to donate. Please make sure you choose the Ty Taylor Campship option. And please let me know if you've made a donation so I can thank you!


RUN STATS:
Distance - 4 miles
Time - 28:53
Soundtrack - Beastie Boys, Hello Nasty

Thursday, June 12, 2014

For Andrea and the Curreys!

Last Friday's run was mentally and physically a big one.

I've been struggling with my program due to the end of the school year, the trip back home, lowered motivation and fatigue.

The run before this didn't end well, but I was determined to make up for it. I had my eyes set on a 20-24 miler, the last really long run before the marathon. I had done an 18 and a 20 in Delhi, and my training program called for another 20 miler before the end. The problem though, was that it was scheduled for the weekend that we were traveling from India back home. I wanted to do it earlier in the week, but I just never got to it. I wanted to up it to 22, so I could have a new longest run and get a bit closer to the magic 26.2 mile mark.

As you can tell by the name of the run, I didn't get there. What happened?

1. Physical exertion set in.
2. Mental blocks took over.

Before I left for the run, it was already in my head. I was dreading the distance and whining about having to go. I appealed to my friends for a motivational donation. Andrea stepped up. It helped and I set out to run the Mesabi Trail near my house. The Mesabi Trail is a great bike trail that will eventually be a 132 mile paved bike trail running through most of northern Minnesota. My idea was to run the 11 mile stretch from Eveleth, through Gilbert, to Virginia and back. (By the way, this seems inconceivable after running in Delhi. A run that would take me through 3 towns? Crazy.)

The trail is great. It's extremely well-maintained and beautiful. For the first four miles, I didn't even see another soul. I ran through the mixed forest, admiring the trees, listening to the birds and meditating on the sounds of the hidden streams that outed their existence with their gurgles that proved they were there.
CC: By- Ken Ratcliff
At mile four, I entered the town of Gilbert. Gilbert will always live in my memory as the "Place Where I Bought my Record Player." Our record player is a big feature of Life at the Lake, so whenever I pass through Gilbert, I smile at the memory of bargaining the woman down to $20, then proceeding to spend more on a record cleaning kit and a needle.

From Gilbert, the trail turns west and passes through more forest. This is mining country and the deep lakes along the way are old open pit mines that have been filled with water. The route also passes through a rock cut from 1893, the original path being a rail line. It's very picturesque.

At this point, I was feeling good. My legs were heavy, but it wasn't unbearable and I didn't feel terrible.

Around mile 8, the route turns north and enters the city of Virginia. The City of the Virginia is the "Queen City" of  the Iron Range. It was once a bustling headquarters of iron ore mining operations. Mining by nature is boom and bust, so Virginia has had its ups and downs. The portion of the Mesabi Trail that goes through Virginia is great, with lots to see along the way. It was here that I started to feel a little worn out. There are real live actual hills on the trail, which is something that I'm not used to dealing with and they took a toll. The hills combined with sleep deprivation, poor hydration and a baditude, to be fair.

As soon as Ms. MapMyRun announced 11 miles, I turned around and headed back. I'm not a big fan of out-and-backs, so this may have been one of the fatal flaws of this run. Knowing that I had to turn around and backtrack really got in my head. At this point, I had been on the trail for over 1.5 hours. Knowing that I still had to do that much was tough on my already weak psyche.

My mind started wandering, making deals and building escape plans. It was tough. Approaching 13 miles, I knew that I could make it at least that far without stopping or resting. I've done three half marathons, so I made up my mind to go at least that far. From Mile 13 to mile 14 was an uphill gain of almost 200 feet. That's probably more than all of my Delhi gains put together. At mile 14 I took a walking break.

It was the beginning of the end.

Once the decision to quit has been made, it's very difficult to overcome.

The next four miles would see my average pace drop from 7:59 for the first five miles, to 8:41 for the next, 10:06 for miles 11-15 and finally 12:27 for the final 2.79 miles. My body and my mind had given up. As I quit, I looked at my phone and saw that the Curreys had donated too. Ugh.

I skipped the last four miles of the run, walked the rest of the way back to my car and headed home broken, nervous and weary of my decision I had undertaken to run a marathon. I felt like a let down to my donors and myself.

How to fix this? Luckily, I come from a school where the growth mindset is highly valued. I'm going to learn from this and make it better. I'm going to refuse to let it hinder me and I'm going to run that marathon. And it's going to be great. I'm going to meet my life goal of running a marathon. I can do this.


This run belongs to Andrea and the Curreys.

I'm dedicating runs to raise money for a campship in memory of our friend Ty Taylor at YMCA Camp Miller. Click here or here to donate. Please make sure you choose the Ty Taylor Campship option. And please let me know if you've made a donation so I can thank you!


RUN STATS:
Distance - 17.97 miles
Time - 2:49:21
Soundtrack - Phish, Plastilina Mosh, Primus, Public Enemy (I was in the P's of my music library)




Sunday, June 8, 2014

For Matt and Skye!

Fellow Minnesotans Matt and Skye get this dedicated run! Thanks for helping out yet again, guys. I'm beyond happy that you're helping kids get the chance to attend summer camp in Minnesota. Even though you have a place in "the Cities" you understand the importance of the Northwoods to children's overall well-being. You're awesome, thanks for your generosity.

If you're reading this, and you're also awesome and you want to help too, click this link to donate to the Ty Taylor Memorial Campship fund.

This dedicated run is the first one back on US soil! I live on a dead-end dirt road, so the runs aren't often interesting. No monkeys, no traffic, no pollution...hey, actually, they aren't that bad!

This one (like all the rest on the Murphy Lake Road) is an out and back. Today the turnaround point was at 2.5 miles, making the run a 5 miler.

The run started out innocently enough. The first two miles were great! 7:11 and 7:10. It was great being home in the fresh air. Taking a look to my  left, I was greeted with a wonderful lake view.


Mile 3 - still feeling good. I hit the turnaround, started feeling a little sluggish, but still finished the mile in 7:31. Totally respectable. In fact, I was on pace for a top three finish time on this route.

When mile four kicked in, I started feeling not so great. Was it the jet lag? The tummy troubles? The lack of consistency lately in my training program? Was I making too many excuses? In any case, I was slowing down. This mile was 7:48.

Then in mile 5, it finally happened. One of the two inevitable things that happen to all runners. During your running career, you will 1) fall and 2) face the Runner X dilemma.

Faced with the Runner X dilemma, I didn't know what to do. I live in the woods. There's not a good place to stop - for example, no hospital if you clicked on the last link. What to do? I was faced with the age old conundrum, stop and deal with it or keep going. I chose to keep going. I chose to believe that I could somehow overcome the inevitable. But I slowed down. My last mile was 8:21. My house was in reach. Was I going to make it?

I still had to turn into the driveway and then make a decision. At that point, the inevitable was happening. I knew only one thing. I did not want the inevitable to happen in my running shorts. So, the decisions - into the house with the sleeping baby, barking dog and into the bathroom? Into the outhouse that hadn't yet been cleaned out for the summer? Into the woods with the man-eating mosquitos?

I panicked. I made a choice that I'm not proud of. I'm owning it by writing these words. I pooped in my yard.

This run belongs to Matt and Skye!
I'm dedicating runs to raise money for a campship in memory of our friend Ty Taylor at YMCA Camp Miller. Click here or here to donate. Please make sure you choose the Ty Taylor Campship option. And please let me know if you've made a donation so I can thank you!

For Keir and Bernie!

The last Delhi Dedicated run of the year! This one has to be dedicated to Keir and Bernie, my faithful running buddies. Ted also belongs in this entry, but he got his dedicated run already.

These guys have been my rock during my training for Grandma's Marathon this year. They could easily be running it with me because they've run as many miles as I have. In fact, I usually end up following them, so it's safe to say that they would be ready for race day.

Sadly, Keir and Ted are leaving Delhi this year, so this run is my last with them for now. I'll miss you guys.

This morning's run was a surprising twist in my multi-year training program. Last year, my final Delhi run was in the Ridge, and so it was this morning. I didn't plan to end the year the same way, but since Bernie and I offered Keir the choice of routes the day before and vetoed him, we knew we owed it to him that morning. He looked at us with such disdain when we announced the wrong shoes. But sweet justice! Ted also has a pair of "Ridge shoes." Once congregated at the Gate, Ted ran back to his apartment to change and we set out.

There's not too much that would stand out in a dramatic, exciting blog post about this run. No dead bodies in the woods, no missing pirate ship, no flux capacitor. So instead of an action-packed summary, I'll opt for a mushy love letter to my friends:

Guys, thanks for:

  1. Time well-spent. We always spend our runs chatting and laughing. It's pretty amazing how often I'm smiling during a grueling workout.
  2. Being a great decompressor. This year has been stressful and having these runs has been a blessing.
  3. Challenging me. Bernie created a course in the Ridge, but when we all run together, we don't compete. That said, the competition has been fierce this year on the courses that we run and like good friends should do, these guys push me to my limits.
  4. The bonding experience. The shared memories that we have from countless runs has created an incredible number of in-jokes, anecdotes, close-calls and stories that will always connect us, regardless of friends that move away. For years hence, I'm sure I tell tales of Ted's fear of monkeys, and Keir's willingness to run straight into a pack of them. And I get to look forward to more runs with Bernie in August and beyond!
  5. Sharing my passion. You guys all think the same way about running that I do. It's a chance to get out and explore, it's a way to stay fit, it's a chance to hang out...You get excited about MapMyRun statistics, crazy routes and talking about it all ad naseum. If it wasn't for you guys, I'm sure my wife would have shut me up long ago. As it is, I know I talk to her about this stuff too much, but she humors me.

Thank for everything.

Love,
jason



Obligatory blog entry pieces below, with one extra.

Did I say we don't compete when we run together? I didn't mean that.



This run belongs to Keir and Bernie!

I'm dedicating runs to raise money for a campship in memory of our friend Ty Taylor at YMCA Camp Miller. Click here or here to donate. Please make sure you choose the Ty Taylor Campship option. And please let me know if you've made a donation so I can thank you!



RUN STATS:
Distance - 4.94 miles
Time - 39:11
Soundtrack - The Band, Greatest Hits. (Nice woods music!)


Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Pour Lucie!

This run is for ma cher ami Lucie! Lucie is my colleague in the World Languages department and she ponied up for a donation to my fund raising cause. Like many of us, Lucie has lost loved ones and she jumped at the chance to honor Ty's memory in the form of a continuous campship in his name. Merci beaucoup, Lucie. If you'd like to help like Lucie did, please donate here.

Time was running out for dedicated runs in Delhi when Lucie's run came up. It was the second to last Delhi run for the school year!

The gang was back together for this run and when Keir arrived, we left it up to him to choose the route as a departing gift for the core of the running group. He wanted the Ridge, but Bernie and I quickly vetoed. I was wearing a pair of never-worn before shoes and Bernie didn't have his "Ridge" shoes on either. Oh well Keir, we still love you. (ps. It was also a ploy to get him out for another run the following day). Glad I was not running with the Hash House Harriers (they would have forced me to drink from my new shoes), we tried to think of an alternative.

Bernie suggested a route that passed the Gandhi Salt March Statue, which seemed like a fitting farewell for Keir and we were off.

Hot. Delhi is hot in May. That was the thought in my mind for the majority of the run. I've clocked hundreds of miles, but it's easy in May in Delhi to feel like you're getting weaker instead of stronger. I take water with me on all of my runs now, I struggle to keep up, and I eagerly anticipate the end of the run. My knee is still not perfect, so I can't even find inspiration in the competitive courses. I'm definitely not breaking myself trying to steal back the record on the Last Gasp course. Save yourselves!

Nothing major happened on this run. No real wildlife to speak of, no monkey attacks. Which is a good thing. My thoughts on the run were drifting to running in the US, where a run at just about any time of the day is doable. I can't wait!


This run belongs to Lucie!

I'm dedicating runs to raise money for a campship in memory of our friend Ty Taylor at YMCA Camp Miller. Click here or here to donate. Please make sure you choose the Ty Taylor Campship option. And please let me know if you've made a donation so I can thank you!


RUN STATS:
Distance - 5.03 miles
Time - 38:42
Soundtrack - Maybe - Metric, Old World Underground Where Are You Now? again? I haven't updated the music on my phone in a while and I can't remember what I played.



Tuesday, June 3, 2014

For Mrs. and Mr. Doc!

After a well-deserved rest on Sunday after the 20 miler, I needed to get back out on the road. The slew of donations received the other day has left me with a lot of runs to dedicate and not a lot of time to do it. That said, I'm still looking for help, so if you can do it, please click here!


It's the time in my training when runs are becoming almost tedious. No new routes, the temperature is soaring, the end of year stress is building...I decided to do a nice and easy 4 miler on Monday, and pressed with the decision of which route to do, it seemed appropriate to do the Monday Special. I arrived at the gate and was happy to see Bernie, which meant a level of accountability on the run, as well as some company.

We headed out on well-tread roads, crossed my favorite pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks and were confronted by the strangest smell. Now, strange smells are nothing new on Delhi runs, but this one took the cake. It was the delicious smell of fresh-cooked food! I mean, it smelled delicious. As we ran forth, pondering the source of the delicious food, we almost knocked it over. A guy carrying a massive pot appeared out of nowhere and as we dodged him, we couldn't help to think of the disastrous consequence of a pot of scalding food dumped on two runners and an unsuspecting chef.

The next stop was the infamous "Lego Temple" from many previous runs. Bernie had never seen it up close and personal, so we took a small detour for a peek. This is the same temple that Rachel and I visited one morning where we saw the drum machine!

The rest of the run back to school was devoid of mechanical drums or sweet smells of breakfast, but it was four more miles in the bank. Three more days of runs in Delhi!



This run belongs to Mr. and Mrs. Doc!

I'm dedicating runs to raise money for a campship in memory of our friend Ty Taylor at YMCA Camp Miller. Click here or here to donate. Please make sure you choose the Ty Taylor Campship option. And please let me know if you've made a donation so I can thank you!


RUN STATS:
Distance - 4.01 miles
Time - 32:03
Soundtrack - Metric, Old World Underground Where Are You Now?