Was anyone else crying...(and some other thoughts)

Anyone else crying in the last 10 minutes of last night's show? Wow--That was awesome. if you didn't get to see last night's NOVA Marathon Challenge, find out when it replays (probably tomorrow) and tune it. It was great for runners, but probably even better for non-runners, so let them know about it also!

As I catch up on my running blogger journalling friends, I'm seeing 2 consistent themes:
1. Quite a few people are a little beat up and battling injuries after a long summer. Here's to Dances with Dirt, Non-runner Nancy, Doug, and Jess getting better! Okay, so Jess's "injury" was self-induced from Tequila provided by an illegal immigrant at a Halloween party. A different kind of battle, but a battle all the same.

2. Quite a few people are beginning to post schedules for next year. I can't believe it's already getting to be that time, but it is! And I can't deny I've been thinking about what next year holds. I ran more events this year than I have in the past...combined. I topped off at 3 marathons, 1 half, 1 31 miler, 1 27 miler still coming, and a bunch of smaller events. What a year! To think I made it through, for the most part, injury free is pretty exciting. However, for the first time I didn't PR in the marathon, and that kinda sucks. I had the energy to do it, but mother nature did not cooperate. As for next year...I see 2 or three marathons in my future (DEFINITELY CHICAGO, I'VE GOT UNFINISHED BUSINESS THERE) and also the Fall 50 again--it was THAT awesome. As for which marathons? Good question...but they all appear "On My Radar" below on the right. It's just a matter of getting Ellie on board for some of them. Fingers crossed.

Chicago Pictures

I finally got some pictures back from the "Thirst Annual Chicago Marathon Fun Run" so I figured I'd share!

The leaders at Mile 2.

About 5 (okay, more like 15) minutes later, I arrived. I never started my watch when I crossed the mats, so I'm handing it off in the picture. Still smiling! (duh, it's been less than 2 miles!)

Ellie and Doug "the thug" flashing some gang signs. Okay, they're not gang signs. They're the letters "N" and "F" in sign language. I think this is my favorite picture from the whole weekend.

At the finish line, cooling off with ice bags.

The cheering section! I can't thank them enough. From left: Brian (bro-in-law), Debie (sister), Mom (Mom), Dad (Dad), Kathy (sister), Doug (Thug/Security), Emily (niece), Sean (nephew), Ellie (not sure who invited her), Alaina (niece), Me (you can fill in this space with a complimentary word of your choosing), Anita (sister), NicK (brother-in-law who spells his name wrong).

Where's the food and alcohol? Gotta rehydrate!

Yes, both of those wine glasses are mine. And so is the beer in the background. Ellie insisted on the napkin overkill to keep my new shirt clean. Kathy is showing off the bling (my napkin bib is covering mine up). Anita is flashing some sort of gang sign I am not familiar with.

I insisted on buying special running socks made by Injinji to prevent blisters. So much for that idea. It looks like my toe is wearing earmuffs!

Those poor saps from Millsapp.

This is unbelievable!

NOVA Marathon Challenge

Be sure to tune in--this should be a great program for not just runners, but also all the people who don't understand your personal obsession with 26.2.
NOVA (which, in Spanish translates to "Doesn't Go;" There's a joke somewhere about non-runners and marathons, but I can't find it...) followed a bunch of complete novice runners as they trained for and ran the Boston Marathon.

My only question: Did they have to qualify?

Here's a preview.

And here's more information, like when it'll air near you.

I'm going to have my whole family watching this one!

The Road America Run

Well, add another event to my "I gotta do this one every year" list. It was a really neat event and a great way to see the track. As I mentioned in the previous post, I think my expectations may have been a bit high. This run is NOT a PR course for the 4 mile distance. I went in hoping to run faster than 25:28, but I was well aware that I was aiming pretty high with that goal. I finished in 26:10 and I'm pretty happy with that. I'm especially happy with my splits: 6:29, 6:30, 6:30, and 6:39 (the last mile is entirely uphill).
I was not passed by a single runner the entire distance (a great feeling), and going up that last big hill I actually passed about 5 other runners. My time was good for 14th out of about 400 runners, and 2nd in my age group. We (Ellie also ran, finishing in 31:49--a great time!) drove home shortly after finishing, although I had planned on running back home (about 5 miles). While walking back to our car, I decided that I have earned a weekend without a "long" run. This afternoon we're heading to church, and then we're going to a halloween party. I'm excited for that--Ellie and I are going as ourselves from high school (I married my high school sweetheart). We went to Senior Homecoming together, and Ellie's wearing the same dress, and I'm going to be sporting the same suit. I'll be sure to post before and after pictures :)
Make it a great Saturday!

Tapering..again.

But this time it only fits the most minimal requirements of a "taper." I ran 3 miles today on the "Church Hill" in town to prepare for my last race of the year. This Saturday I'll be running the Road America Run, around the 4 mile race course that is Road America.

This picture is over 20 years old. It's amazing how much the place has changed.

Tomorrow will be my "taper," and on Saturday I'm going to try and beat my 4 mile PR (from this past August) of 25:28. It's really going to be tough, I think, as that PR was set on a downhill course, and RA is anything but flat/downhill. In fact, the final .25 miles will be up the steepest hill on the course:

Yikes.

Being the son of an avid (read:RABID) racing fan, I have been going to RA as long as I can remember. It'll be neat to see the track at a slightly slower speed. To get an idea of the track, I've added two videos from RA. The first is on a motorcycle, hitting 170 mph, and the second is from a really bad crash two years ago (she was ok, as you'll see.) Am I a hacker, or what?! :)

"Road America: Then and Now"

The Buckle

It's hard to get a good picture of it, but I'm pretty sure it's my most prized running possession yet!

The 2007 Door County Fall Fifty (two)

Horseshoe Island, Ellison Bay

Well, I've gotten a bunch of photos from this weekend back, and I can't wait any longer to share the story. This was an event that reminds me a lot of Chicago, where after you do it once, you feel a need to go back and do it again, to experience all that you may have missed the first time around. It was fantastic.
Ellie and I competed as a pairs relay team, one of only 5 such teams to take on the 50 miles. In all, there were 400-some participants on teams of 3-5, and 43 solo runners. The race started Gill's Rock, the northern most tip of Door County (the "thumb" of Wisconsin) and ran down the western shore to Sturgeon Bay, the southern-most aspect. The event started in different flights, depending on your estimated pace. The solo runners were off and running at 7 AM, followed by teams of progressively faster paces at 8, 9, 10, and 11. I had estimated we'd run a 9:00 minute pace, which put us in the 9 AM flight. This was great--it allowed us to sleep a bit longer in the morning before heading to the start (although I was still up at 5:30, anxious to get going).

A 35 mph wind greeted us at Gill's Rock (see the flag?), but our...well, my...spirits couldn't be dampened. I was excited to get going. My turn would have to wait, however, as Ellie was running the first leg (of 10). At exactly 9:00 the gun sounded and our adventure was under way. The first leg was 4.8 miles, and Ellie was smiling throughout. The wind even died down a bit once we got into some of the back country roads along the route. After about 42 minutes, it was my turn to run. I would be running the next two legs for a total of 10.6 miles. We had set up who would run which legs by their length (obviously) and by the elevation change. Legs 2 and 5 had some serious hills, so they were mine. They didn't disappoint, either. Along my second leg I started getting phone calls from Brock (our NF Hero). He was coming up with his parents to surprise Ellie along the route. I wanted them to arrive when she was running, so I was trying to run, text estimated times to Brock, and converse with the fellow runners. Ever try texting "Peninsula State Park?" Not easy.
Have I mentioned how excited I was to run? Well, it showed, as I ran my 10.6 miles in 1:13 for a 6:58 pace. Probably not the smartest approach to a 50 mile relay, that's for sure. There was a pretty strong headwind, and the hills didn't disappoint, so I was running way too fast way too early.
After my leg was over, it was Ellie's turn to run what was probably the best leg of the course--a 7.5 miler through Peninsula State Park. After I handed off to her, we followed her through some beautiful roads...

Did I mention I was running way too fast, and not being real smart with my pacing? Well, in the State Park there is an observation tower. Yep, I climbed up it with Curt and Gretchen (my brother-in-law and his wife) for some photos. Again, not all that smart. But the view was AMAZING!


In the photo on the left, my arm is around imaginary Ellie...she was busy running.

Brock and his parents arrived at mile 6.5 of Ellie's 7.5 mile run--perfect timing--and completely surprised her by suddenly appearing on the side of the road to cheer. She had no idea. Mission Accomplished!
Once she finished, it was my turn again, for the biggest of the hills--in Leg 5.

This one didn't disappoint, either. About half way up the hill (which is about half way through the race, incidentally), I passed a wheelchair participant doing "switchbacks" to navigate the hill. I felt bad for a little bit, but after talking to him, he was in great spirits, and he asked if this was the last hill. I said I was pretty sure it was, although in truth I had no idea. It felt like the right thing to say at the time. Sure enough, within 5 minutes I was back on level ground, and the same wheelchair guy came flying past me at about 15 miles an hour. Jerk!
I finished up leg 5 (4.8 miles) and got to the "Half Way Buffet" aid station. It was pretty much the same as the other aid stations (self-serve water/gatorade/fruit) but also had M&M's and warm chicken broth. The chicken broth was DYNOMITE! I am definitely incorporating that into long runs from now on, as it completely hit the spot and energized me. It really was amazing. I wish I had taken in more than just one cup.
Leg six was mine, and it was a beautiful 3.8 mile run right along the water. Well, not right along the water--between the road and the water were some MASSIVE houses. Absolutely Beautiful.
At this point we're 31.5 miles in, with 4 legs to go. Ellie had a relatively easy 4 miler, made easier by another surprise. Her parents drove up and were waiting around a corner on the route for her--Mission Accomplished Again!

Then it was back to me. I remember thinking, "I could really use some more Chicken Broth..."
"Okay, how are we going to get this thing over with?" --Between Legs 7 and 8

I was originally going to run the next two legs, a total of 9.1 miles, and then Ellie was going to run the final 5.4. She was getting a little tired, and her right IT Band was tightening up. I, however, knew that it would get pretty ugly trying cover the final 14 miles on my own. We decided that I would take the next leg (6.1), then I'd rest while Ellie did 3 miles, then I'd finish the 5.4. It actually worked pretty well. While Ellie was running, I can remember thinking...man, I just want to nap...
But we made it. With the help of our families, the help of the amazing other teams, always cheering, I found Ellie waiting for me at mile 48!




Onward we went, down a couple gradual hills, into Sturgeon Bay, and to the finish, hand in hand. In all we actually ran 52 miles total, and finished in 7:09, winning ourselves a pretty sweet belt buckle!



I can't say enough about this event--from the other participants, to the volunteers, to the scenery, it really was a blast. I'm already excited about next year. I'm not sure Ellie wants to do a Pairs again, though. She's leaning for a team run.

Thanks again to my family, the event staff, and most of all, Ellie. What more can someone ask for than a spouse who is so supportive she'll run 20 miles of a 50 miler, with the only material gain being a belt buckle?! Well, that's not entirely true--I surprised her with flowers yesterday!

We won a belt buckle! Yee Haaa!

I'll be back later today to post some pictures and have a recap, but in short, this event was AWESOME! I can't recommend it enough. Ellie and I ended up winning the Male/Female Open Pairs Division, finishing in just over 7 hours! In total, I ran right around 30 miles and Ellie ran 20--both all-time high 1 day totals for us! I'm going Doug-style with the exclamation points, but I can't help it! It really was awesome, well run, and included beautiful fall colors as we ran past some massive homes right on the water. Ellie was smiling through the whole thing, and we're both just giddy with the afterglow (well, she's so giddy she's still sleeping...I am enjoying the stories and a cup of coffee with my dad in the hotel lobby.) Talk to you soon!

One Last Tune-Up

I had a great 5.5 mile run last night, taking my time and enjoying a calm night--the kind you get before a big storm (which came through around 11:30). There's really not much to report run-wise. Everything felt good, and I'm excited about this weekend. Ellie and I still aren't sure who will be running which legs. There are ten legs in all, of varying length and difficulty, so several plans have been proposed by the race coordinator (me) and rejected by the race chief of staff (her). I'm not overly worried because I'm pretty confident I can pick up any miles if Ellie's knee starts acting up. I think it's safe to say she'll run between 17 and 22 miles in total, and I'll do the rest. I'm expecting we'll break 7 hours (an average 8:24 pace), and would love to break 6 and a 1/2 hours (7:48 pace), but all in all I'm just really excited to be up there with family and have fun, so that's the main objective.
We leave this afternoon for Door County, and we're off in the 9 AM flight tomorrow, so wish us luck! I'm doubting there's any online updates, but I'll be back, with pictures, on Sunday to let you know how it goes!

BTW...I love the logo for the event. It's simple, but classy and unique! I'm excited to don the bling bling at the end of the run!

Tempting...very tempting.

The Chicago Lakefront 50K/50M has added a marathon for those interested...well, for the first 200 interested. I gave this some serious thought when I first heard about it last night. But I can't do it--I think it would be too much, considering I'll be coming off a 50 mile relay. Plus, after spending the last two weekends in Chicago traffic, I need a break from that also. But if any of you want to get in a decent marathon with much better weather, act quickly!
It looks like this upcoming spring I'll be running the Journeys Marathon instead of Green Bay. My brother-in-law graduates from college in Chicago on the Saturday before the marathon, and I plan on celebrating his graduation from college like a...well...college student. Or at least my best impersonation of one (which in my case means about 5 beers and I'm snoring). All the gatorade in the world the next day may not be enough to re-hydrate me.
I ran a 5 mile loop tonight in 34:32, and it felt great! No aches, no calf tightness to report. Bring on Door County!

Running blind, Rolling ankles

I left the office as soon as I could after my last patient, picked up Bonnie and Cork, and headed for the trails. Before I left I happened to see that the sun was setting at 6:14 pm today. 6:14!? Man, that can't be right! It was.

Out on the Ice Age Trail (which will, by the way, be hosting the Glacial Trail 50 this weekend), I ran a 3.5 mile route, then turned around and headed back. That first 3.5 miles took me 32 minutes and I loved every second of it. When I turned around, it was 6:17, and very dark in the woods. Occasionally the trail leaves the woods and enters a pasture, and at those points I could actually see some of the rocks and roots reaching out for my feet. I'm glad I had the dogs along because when we were in the woods, with all kinds of leaves on the ground, it was actually pretty tough to see where the hell I was going! My fearless leaders helped me out.

As it got dark--and I mean dark as in stars providing light--I kept entering some pine replantation areas, which are dark in the daytime but pitch black at night. It was at this point that I rolled my ankle...twice. A couple loud four letter words, and on I went. My ankle is pretty tender as I type this, but I'm still smiling--it was just so good to run!

I'm adding a head lamp to my Christmas List. It was a lot of fun to be out there, and I might look into doing it a bit more, especially when all the leaves are off the trees and there's a big, bright full moon up above. Just remind me to tape my lame left ankle.

Back on the wagon

A bit of massage yesterday and a fantastic adjustment and I'm ready to roll. I ran everywhere yesterday--to and from the car, down the hallway at work, while mowing the lawn and collecting leaves. I even chased our 3-legged cat Gracie around a bit. Seriously, she can move. Add that to the fact she doesn't like me much (or any male, for that matter), and it's not a bad workout!
My improvement honestly makes me wonder if a 3 week taper is too much for me. I think I may try a couple different strategies with that next year. Tomorrow, I'm going to watch the mighty PHS CC team in their Conference meet (a couple of their runners are patients), and after that it's run time!
Well, not immediately after that. Ellie and I are going hiking in the Kettles to see the fall foliage. Then it's run time! Woo hoo! I'm looking at doing a nice 8 mile trail run with the younger of my training partners (Bonnie). I honestly can't wait!

UPDATE I really couldn't wait, so I'm heading out this afternoon. But I'm going to have to run fast to beat the setting sun!

Well, I can walk down stairs again.

This task had been a little rough the last couple days. Again, I thought of my Ultra aspirations and remembered reading about people having to drop out of the Western States 100 because they couldn't go downhill. This, at the time, seemed preposterous. Not so much anymore.
More than anything, I'm just tired. My snooze button is starting to wear out in the morning. I attribute this to the soreness at night, which prevents really good sleep, so hopefully some relief will come as soon as tonight.
Looking ahead, I'm really excited for the two big events still coming this year and the training involved in them. I'm looking ahead at next year, and I've been asked to be an NF Team Captain in Green Bay this spring. I'm leaning pretty heavily towards the half marathon, but I'm not sure yet. It really is a nice event, at either distance.
In late July I'm going to run the Grand Island Marathon, which has intrigued me for a while. It'll be a change from the normal marathons I've done (roads, for one, aid stations, for another), but I'm excited to put some time in on the trails in training. I think doing long runs on the trails in the early summer will help me to avoid any overuse injury as the miles build, too.
In October, I'm going to run my 5th straight Chicago Marathon, this time like a madman. (Weather permitting.)
When I look at my schedules the last couple years, I come to a couple conclusions.
1. While I've tried to run fast, I haven't trained to run fast. Speed work and Hill work is essential.
2. I'm trying to race too many events. I don't think there's anything wrong with running 4 or 5 marathons a year for me. What I can't do is race 4 or 5 marathons a year. If I ran 4 hour marathons in all but one of them, I'd be ok. I tend to really push it each time, whether I'm trained or not, and this leads to injury that in turn takes time to recover.
Understanding this (remember, I labeled myself "learn-on-the-fly"), I'm finding it easier to put together a schedule next year that results in a Chicago 3:10.
Again, weather permitting, of course. :)

Onward...

Yesterday I ate Pizza, Cheeseburgers, French Fries, and even had a couple bottles of the Champagne of Beers.

Hey, I like it, okay?
So what's the point? On my personal "Mount Rushmore of comfort food," all I seemed to leave out was a Dairy Queen Blizzard. I guess I needed it too, after this weekend, where I probably lost 8-10 pounds during the run. But now, it's time to move on. After reading some other runners' thoughts on the LBCM, I have kinda figured out what's going on in my head. Below is a list of my previous times in Chicago:

2004, 1st ever marathon: 5:15
2005, 3:47
2006, 3:36
2007, 3:44

See a pattern? I always had Chicago to see where I was in fitness (Thanks to Greg of "Running against Time" for pointing this out to me). I never trained all that hard for those previous marathons, so I was pretty pumped to run Chicago this year after all the work I had put in. I mean, I was coming off a 20 mile training run at 7:18 pace and a 1:29 half marathon! I believe my exact words were "Bring it on!"
Oh, Ma Nature brought it. So here I am, proud that I didn't really HURT myself, but still not knowing what I could have done? What was my potential? UGH!!!!
That's over now, though. I spent yesterday and today looking at different marathons I could maybe squeeze in this year. I'm not going to add any. Between the Fall 50 and my Birthday run, I'll have plenty to keep me busy. Ellie doesn't need me getting all worked up over another run, either. She's been too good to me, heck, my whole family has, to start working up to another marathon so soon--it's honestly kind of selfish. So I'm okay with where I am. I can train this winter, I can get ready, I can plan events for next year, and I can look forward to October 5th, 2008, when I'll run at least a 3:10. Maybe a lot less? We'll see.
There are a lot of people looking for heads to roll in the fallout of Sunday. I'm really not sure where I stand on this, but I do know that the popularity of the marathon has exploded recently. I know people (way to many people) who have signed up to run one and joke about how much they haven't done. I think we need to recognize and respect the 26.2 mile distance, and know that it isn't a 5K or a 10K. It isn't a "fun run." I know I respect it even more now. I remember thinking, "my God, I've got so much work to do at this distance, and so many different courses to experience, I really don't need to move to an Ultra--I'm not ready yet! There's so much I can do at this distance!"
So here's to Chicago, to this year's upcoming events, to unbelievably supportive families, and all that the future may bring--Boston, for one!
You can raise your champagne (of beers) now.

WTF was that?! (part 2--race recap)

This has been my laptop's wallpaper for the better part of this summer. I had been preparing for Mile 25.5, the uphill approach to the final 385 of the marathon, with every hill I ran in training. I always have had a great kick up this hill. Not so much this year, though.
The plan was in motion on Sunday morning. I was in the front of Corral C and was sitting down, conserving some energy next to my sis. We both commented on how muggy it was, and that we were both almost sweating. Not a good omen. When the corrals got combined, I politely made my way up to between the 3:20 pace group and the 3:10 pace group, and got ready for the start. I was on the left side, as Ellie would be on my left at mile 2, and I wanted to be sure to see her. I ran at a comfortable pace from the gun, avoiding any needless weaving, but at the same time keeping the 3 guys pacing 3:10 within reach.
I was sweating almost immediately. It was just plain muggy. When we were in between the buildings for the first miles, there was no air movement. I remember reading somewhere that it's been documented that a runner on a treadmill creates his own environment of humidity in the air around his body. Imagine 36,000 on a street with no wind moving up and down it, and buildings blocking any side wind. It was a bit rough. In my head I just took it a mile at a time and relaxed, kept the water and gatorade up and stuck with the plan. I'll see how it goes through 17, then I'll know where I'm at.
I ran the first half with the pacers, finishing 13.1 in 1:34 and change. I saw my family at mile 12.7 and felt great! It's at that point in the course you head West. The crowd thins, and it gets a bit tougher. I knew this going in, but I don't think I expected the sun to be that hot, and the wind to be that non-existant. Miles 14-16 really started to zap me. My rhythmic breathing started to get a little choppy. It was at mile 16 I decided I had to back off. I slowly watched 2 of the 3 3:10 pacers pull away, thinking to myself, I know one is behind me. We'll see how I feel when he catches me. Oddly enough, he never did. I have no idea what happened to him, but that was just one weird part of the day.
I wanted to be sure to tell Ellie and my family that I was okay and had decided to back off my pace before things got ugly. I got my phone out of my shorts, only to see the window say "Goodbye" and shut down. Apparently there was too much water spilled over my head and down my back.
Now I just wanted to see someone from the NF Team (there were several groups and they rocked!) or my family to let them know I was ok but slowing down. That didn't happen until mile 21, when I saw Maria's Marathoners from the NF Team, gave them Ellie's number, and continued on. Things were getting rough, as at mile 23 my stomach wouldn't take anything but ice, and that was in short supply. Two words kept going through my head: Death March. That's what it felt like. I mixed a slow jog with walking and knew that I just wanted to earn that $110 medal.
At mile 23 my brother-in-law, Brian, and niece, Alaina (who has run a 7 minute mile at the age of 12) joined to boost the spirits. It was wonderful to have them there. they told me Kathy had slowed way down but was plugging along. I honestly almost cried thinking of her--we have run the last 3 LBCM's side by side, and to have such a miserable time alone wasn't fun. I just hoped she was smart enough to slow down or pull out if need be.
Finally, Michigan Avenue, and a straight away home. The walk/trot/jog continued and the crowd really helped. Turning the corner to Roosevelt and that hill from my desktop was a nice sight. I saw my brother-in-law, Doug, and imitated a cowboy on a horse as I passed him. The crowd chuckled, cheered, and truly picked me up.
I finished in 3:44. Although the time disappoints me, I'm happy I was smart enough to know it wasn't my day and I didn't hurt myself too much. I didn't even miss my 7:45 appointment this morning!
Kathy came in at 4:19, and we hugged for a while. To have her there, and Ellie, of course, meant a lot. Before we met up with Kathy, Ellie and I had a nice chance to talk, with an ice bag on my head and a beer in my hand (it was the ONLY thing cold in the finish area!). I told her that I have no idea what I was thinking about an ultra for, as I have a LOT to learn at the 26.2 distance. She was proud of me, and that meant a lot. She has had to live with a BQ-obsessed runner for a summer, and I can't tell you how good she's been.
I'll get to Boston, and I'll be taking her with me. We are now looking forward to the 50 mile relay in 2 weeks, and then I'm doing my 1st annual Birthday run (I run my age in miles) this December. I'm looking forward to posting some pictures from this weekend as soon as I get them. I could write another 7 paragraphs about this weekend, but I'm not even sure that would be enough. Congrats to Doug (wow, what a time), Tom (who has a great post about the marathon), and Jess too for experiencing a marathon like no other!
I'm sure I'll be adding posts with other stuff I've left out, but until then, thanks for the support, and damn it, I'm gonna run a 3:10!

90 degrees in October? WTF was that?!

Wow, it was unbearable in Chicago today which led to a much slower time than I ever could have anticipated. I finished in 3:44, after running the first half of the marathon in 1:34. At about mile 15 I was still on pace for a 3:10, but at that point I decided I had to either (A) keep going and crash, burn, and DNF by mile 20, or (B) pull my pace way back and get that medal. I'm still wearing the medal proudly, and although my time wasn't all that desirable (not even a PR), I am more proud of myself after this race than I have been in any others. I'll have a more in-depth report up tomorrow, but at the moment I need to rehydrate a bit more with a cold one.
Congrats to my sister, Kathy, who battled all day and made it in before the cutoff, to Doug, who ran STELLAR, to Tom, who gutted it out and finished, and also to Doug's sister for getting done and earning the hardware.

Hilarious Video!

courtesy of the Laminator.

THANK YOU!

First and foremost, thanks for the support, especially Ellie. While I've tried to make my running habit (err addiction) not something that gets in the way of family activities, it still occasionally does. I'm not sure why I've taken it so serious. I guess I get something in my head, and it stays there and just keeps getting bigger. Boston has always been a goal, but not one I took all that seriously until this year, after my sister ran in it last year. So thanks, Ellie, I owe you a trip to London. And a Mini. And a bulldog named Marge. :)

Also, thanks to my buddy Brock, the guy who got this whole running thing started. In fact, Ellie, you can blame him for this. He's always been more of a friend than I can ever explain, and when we get together, it's like we're sophomores in high school again. It's a lot of dumb jokes, a lot of arguing about whether Michael Jordan is or isn't a "ball hog," (he isn't), but most of all friendship.

I look forward to Chicago for many reasons, but seeing Brock cheering on the sidelines is always one of the best parts. He's also known for his text messages, which I receive during the run. Last year it was: I just saw Oprah. I tripped her. Oprah is down! I repeat, Oprah is down!


As for Chicago, I'm really ready to get down there. It's gonna be warm, possibly even into the 80's, so that will be a change from previous Chicago Marathons I've run, especially last year! I'm starting in Corral C and I plan to be in the front row of that corral. When the corrals get joined together before the start, I'm going to politely as possible make my way forward in Corral B with a destination goal of the 3:10 pace group. I'm not sure I'll make it all the way to them, but I want to get closer, to the point I can follow the little sign the pace leader holds up when he runs. My goal for the first 10K of the race is to smile, NOT WEAVE, keep a slower pace, and continually say, "NEGATIVE SPLIT." That's the motto for Sunday. Negative Split.

I'll see my cheering sections (that's right, I have more than one--damn I love my family!) a couple times in the first 13 miles, so I need to keep my energy expenditure low when I see them. No dancing, hand clapping, and other stuff that is simply wasted energy. We can do all that at about 11:30.

The second half of the marathon is when I hope to be relatively close to the pacing group. I'll have taken shot blocks and gatorade continuously for the first half, and that will help delay the struggles I feel I'm going to run into around mile 22. My last 20 mile training run was done at an average pace of 7:18, with the last two miles at 7:00, so I'm pretty pumped about getting to 20. It's that last 10K that will be interesting.

My bib number is 6933, so feel free to check on me if you'd like. Thanks again to all the people I've met since starting this up, and good luck to Jen, Doug, Tom, and everyone else tackling Chicago!

Just remember: Negative Split!

3

days, and I'm ready. I ran a 5K today, using only perceived exertion as a time table for my pace, and my first mile was 6:35. Oops. I finished in 21:22, for a 6:52 pace. Double Oops. (I'm smiling right now, confidence rising)

The rest of the day and tomorrow I'm going to take it real easy. My job entails being on my feet the majority of the day, walking around and performing a rather physically active job, so I'm going to use that as my workout. It's time to keep putting back the fruits and veggies, chasing it with water. The last two mornings I've woken up with a bit of congestion, so I'm treating that also with some natural supplements and Airborne. My bag is packed (race bag, that is--priorities, you know?) and I'm excited. I think the majority of my family is pretty pumped about the weekend also, but for the most part they just want to get over it so I'll shut up. I can understand that too. So to them, I apologize. Please still cheer for me.

Speed work done.

I did my last track workout of the season last night, with a bit of a twist. Instead of doing my scheduled 6 400's at 1:24 pace, I ran up a gradual hill, about the distance of 400m, in 1:25, then jogged back down, and repeated 4 times. It got the HR going, that's for sure, and I really worked on a nice steady form with good breathing. I feel good right now, and my legs are going to get worked on tomorrow (after a 3 miler at PMP), and then it's all systems go for Chicago! There's a buzz in the air as the anticipation builds, and I'm loving it!

My wife's response...

to my Oct 1st post (below), via email:

From: Ellie
To: Nic
Subject: NO
you are not doing a run where it's 100 miles through stampeeding cows (although I do love cows), forest flaming infernos, BEARS, and blizzards (unless they have choc chip cookie dough for the spectators)!
you've got to be kidding me

It looks like i'm going to have to make sure there's a Dairy Queen somewhere near my first 100 miler!

Pack. Unpack. Pack again.

As this weekend approaches, I'm not sure I've ever been this excited for a marathon. Most of the time I feel completely undertrained. I can think of several past marathons where my last 20 mile training run was more than a month before the marathon and I hadn't run since. It's different this time. My thoughts are focused on the excitement of the run. While I do have a pretty fast time in mind, I am 100% confident in being able to run the 26.2 comfortably if it doesn't go well.

So now it's on to the mental games, like packing. I've gone through my checklist of stuff in my head, then taken it back out of my backpack to look at it all again. Then I'll put it back in. Today I'm running 6 400 repeats with a mile warmup and cooldown, and I'm going to really focus with each 400 on that hill coming up Roosevelt at mile 26. The crowd, the incline, the wind, the emotions...I may be doing this workout 150 miles away, but in my head, it's Sunday, at about 11:00 AM.

I can't wait!

UPDATE: I just read a race report from the Bear 100, which was held this past weekend in Idaho. It was amazing, to say the least. From a forest fire, to a bear, to a cow stampede, to a BLIZZARD! I know my wife is going to hate hearing this, but wow does that sound like an adventure! Here it is, from www.wasatchspeedgoat.com (the "Karl" mentioned is Karl Meltzer, amazing ultrarunner who had won the race in course record time):

"While Karl was the sleeping the rest of us pushed through the night in the snow and rain. I thought the cow stamppead at the start was going to be the highlight of the day, no way. During the first climb Kelly and I could hear massive cows mooing us on knowing I had a Spotted Cow Ale waiting at the finish line (donated by Wynn Davis from the Midwest). ~ no kidding. Soon after we ran through a controlled forest fire that was still burning on each side of the trail, fire and smoke everywhere as the sun was rising. The terrain was spectacular as we cruised all day through the fall colors.

As I was running between mile 60 - 67 I spotted a small black bear on the trail in front of me, I shined all my headlamps and grunted out some sort of noise to keep the bear moving away, nice shot of adrenaline for when you’re tired. We ran all day with the threat of a storm and high winds, the snow showed up in the middle of the night. I did not have any pacers, I never ran the course and I think glow stick guy was MIA? This made the night run slow at times searching for a piece of pink tape or a footprint. (all part of the fun!) I only got lost once in the blizzard !

Once the snows hit and the sun started rising it was quit a scene out there!"