Portland Marathon- OMG!!!

Well I did it and finished my first marathon(bib # 1559) on Oct. 5th and it was an experience I will never forget. I had a good time overall, pun intended. Portland is a great city and put on a world class event, with very friendly staff, and was extremely well organized. I am starting to get a feel for the logistics of these racing events as I have run 11 races thus far this year. The Portland Marathon is a smaller marathon with 7,856 finishers in 2008 and a few other smaller runs and walks tied in, and that makes for intimacy in a major event and thus added to its over all charm. Some of the major marathons sell 25,000-45,000 bib numbers!

I had trained properly by my own newbie estimations for the 26.2 mile challenge and was prepared for race day. Running on the North Shore of St. John has given me an added edge as the hills are unforgiving and they teach me humility within myself and respect for my sport and the millions of other runners facing the same daily challenges as me. I had several runs of 4 hours in my training and ran 24 miles on 2 separate occasions. The 4 hour runs however where not on the North Shore as I am not ready to attempt such a mammoth feat just yet. One was in Southwest Michigan and the other on a Treadmill in the local gym. I despise treadmill running for a host of reasons and will post about that on another occasion, but had no choice as September in St. john has very high humidity and temperatures of 80-88 for highs and lows. I wanted to know what it felt like to be on my feet for 4 hours as I planned to finish between 4-4:30 hour range. By setting that goal I broke a golden rule of first time marathoning by setting a time for myself, but at least it was not the totally absurd assertion that I could Qualify for Boston(3:35:59 or less for my age group) in my first marathon, that I seriously entertained for a few months after running a 1:13 ten miler in April and running our local race the 8 tuff miles in 1:10 in Feb. The adrenaline of those two races and all the prediction charts led me to a false sense that I could pull off a 8:14 pace in my very first marathon. WTF was I thinking! As my marathon training progressed and I started to get into the longer runs of 16 plus miles I realized I would be making a huge mistake by putting myself under such massive pressure and would undoubtedly ruin the pleasure of my first marathon. On the long runs a lot of things fall into place for me and the respect for the distance and sheer logic began to permeate my thoughts and I backed off the BQ(Boston Qualifier) thing and really started to enjoy those runs through the corn and soybean fields of Michigan.
I was saving the official marathon distance for race day to enjoy and relish in my soon to be accomplishment. The expo was great and it had a lot to offer runners both in the way of necessities and frivolous fodder. I purchased the Ultima sports drink 2 days prior to the marathon at the expo to get my body use to that drink as it would be offered on the course along with a host of other consumable products designed to keep our stamina going. The Breakfast Cookies from Erin Bakers are the perfect food for health conscious runners, not to mention supporting a cottage industry small business. They also happen to taste fantastic! Save for some deals on running shoes I find the prices at these expos on running gear and clothes to be average, no major deals, although Portland does not have sales tax! The Expo was well organized and had lots of volunteers to help the masses as we made our way into the Portland Hilton for the event.

The morning of race day was typical for me with lots of nervous energy and anticipation. The temperature was in the low 50's and although I was a little cold before the start it is ideal running weather. Someone however forgot to advise mother nature about the marathon as it rained on the event for the first time in its history. Not just a little mist or occasional drizzle that I am told occurred in a few previous Portland marathons, but outright rain, although not at the start. I lined up with the 4 hour pace group to see how I would feel running at that pace. After all the pre race hoopla and announcements we where on our way. The warmth of the crowd soon gave way to the real air temperature as the race started and the field of runners opened up, but after the first half mile I warmed up and enjoyed the early segment of the race. As we approached the first water station I realized running with this group was not going to work for me as their is a lot of bottle necking and chaos sometimes at these stations so I went out ahead of the group just a little and that made a world of difference in space and perspective. Around the 3 or 4 mile marker I veered way off to the right to spit and avoid gracing another runner with an unwelcome surprise, when another runner said "hey, you are suppose to save that for the St. Johns Bridge" a tradition he told me, as he had run a few previous Portland marathons. He had also broken out of the pace group so we chatted and ran together for the next 13-14 miles and the time went by fast and I felt great. At the 10K(6.2 miles) I was at 53:57 or 8:41(minutes per mile pace) and the Half way point(13.1 miles) I was at 1:54 or 8:43. I was feeling very strong still and was really enjoying the run despite the constant rain that started somewhere about the 5 or 6 mile mark and pretty much continued the entire race. Not torrential downpours, but a steady rain that began to leave puddles on the ground. Wet feet and blisters are a runners nightmare, but they would pale in contrast to what was to occur later in the race for me. I never did get the blisters, a little toe soreness was all around the 14 to 15 mile mark and I was use to this during my training so no big deal. About a mile before the upward accent to the Bridge I lost tract of my running mate and kept up my pace and felt great as I started to climb the steep hill that so many people at this race complain about and dread. I run hills like that every day so for me it was just another hill. Granted after running 16 miles it was a challenge, but I just kept going and although not going very fast, passed a lot of runners. They would have that same pleasure further up the road. My running partner kept saying that once you make it over the bridge the race is pretty much over and very easy, with only 9-10 miles to go and that they are easier miles as a lot of it is downhill or flat. At mile 20 I am at 2:59(8:59 pace) and although tired and starting to slow up a little still felt relatively good considering I have been running for 3 hours at sub 9 minute miles in the rain! Mile 20 in any type of Marathon lore is simply know as 'The Wall'. It is at this point the body may or may not defy your every will to continue and for some outright break you. With my type A personality I consumed any and all information about marathoning and read a lot about the wall, what to expect and how to avoid it. Nothing compares to hands on experience of course and there I was at mile 20 feeling like I could run an easy 10K, the remaining 6.2 miles and feel good about the experience and join the ranks of my fellow runners who have run this distance. Until this point I ran the whole race, no walk breaks or rest periods. I came to Portland to RUN a marathon. Although I have the utmost respect for any one who even starts to train for an event like this let alone finish it, I am of the opinion that there is a huge difference between running a marathon and finishing one that had planned walk breaks and rest periods. Bragging rights need to be clarified, for if you finished the race but did not run the entire race you did not RUN the marathon. Let us be very clear here, I did not RUN the Portland Marathon. Oh I tried but she broke me, chewed me up and spit me out, and reminded me of the utter challenge and preparation and strategy that must be Incorporated into RUNNING a marathon. The last timing mat was at 21.2 and I am at 3:11, averaging 9:04 per mile for the race. All these times I am quoting where furnished after the race, there where people calling out times at every mile marker and I had my watch on, but since I can not read without glasses my watch is difficult to see. Being ahead of the pace group also let me know that I was still on par to finish in 4 hours.

I am not exactly sure at what mile marker I was at but I started to feel a little Queasy. Maybe 12 or 13, but I just wrote it off. I was eating some shot blocks for energy along the way but started to have a lot of trouble swallowing them. My stomach bothered me but I was running a good pace and really did not feel fatigue in my legs the first 21-22 miles. I had been drinking along the course and making sure I had water and the Ultima sports drink they offered, even trying the glucose drink and the gel 'Liquid Gold' that I sampled at the expo. By mile 22 I was not well at all and began to walk and drink at the aid stations and was on survival mode at this point to just finish the race. It felt like the life force was draining out of me. Running became difficult. I thought of Steve Prefontaine running with 12 stitches in his foot and winning that race and all the guts he put out in his races, I thought of all my training and preparation and knew that I would finish this race and run the rest of the way. I am not sure either where the 4 hour pace group passed me, around 23 I think, but in a way it was a relief, because I felt so good the first 21-22 miles I actually started to think I would have a sub 4 hour marathon. I will NEVER forget me bent over hanging onto a pole and dry heaving at the 24 mile marker. It is so clear in my mind it is scary. The last 2.2 miles where absolutely the worst 2.2 miles I have ever attempted to run. Run a half mile then walk, run a 1/4 mile then walk. At the 25 mile marker the volunteer looked at me and knew I was hurting. 'Do Not Give Up Now' And although I knew I was crossing the finish line one way or another that started me running again, but not for very long, walk run walk run, and then it was into downtown and I sucked it up and started running. I will always remember the sound of my shoes dragging across the road, me being barely able to lift my feet at times. The roar of the crowd downtown as I turned into the last 1/4 mile was amazing and I ran to the finish line and crossed at 4:07:19, a 9:26 pace. That I will also never forget! Crossing the finish line in my first marathon is one of those moments that stays with you.

I went to the medical tent just for a little ice for my sore toes and sat out side the main tent in a chair, it being reserved for more serious cases and the injured. I would be getting a much closer look inside that tent, little did I know. After icing down I headed to most amazing after race runners Buffet! A true feast. Fruit, drinks, yogurt, ice cream, pretzels, potato chips, candy, juice and lots more in a very large area. I got a space blanket to keep warm as I was feeling a little chilly, got my well deserved Finishers medal and t-shirt and as I was chowing down I heard my name called and it was my running buddie, He said I looked strong going up the hill to the bridge and that was the last he saw me. He finished a few minutes behind me. We chatted a while then I started to walk towards the end of the enclosed runners area to go back to my hotel when I started shaking, first just a little and then literally uncontrollable. There was a very small medical station I was passing as I was walking so I went over and they sat me down and tried to warm me up and within a few minute it seemed like my whole body was starting to cramp and twist and ache. My Quads where sore almost immediately after I stopped running and I expected that and a host of other aches and pains, I am 52 years old, and just tried to run 26.2 miles! But these cramps and chills where different. They could not get me warm, remember it in the low 50's and I am soaked with rain and sweat, and not use to this type of weather ever! The medics decided I should go to the main medical tent where I iced my toes down 10-15 minutes earlier. I could hardly stand up as my body spasms continued and with one medic on each side they practically carried me to the main tent. All business in there! They where utterly fantastic. I can not say enough about all the volunteers. Doctors, Nurses, Interns, Masseuses, Medics and all volunteers! They laid me on a cot, I had made a gurney joke in a group e-mail a few days before the race, oops!, got me out of all my wet clothes and took my pulse and blood pressure and got me a little warm but the cramps and spasms continued. I was diagnosed with dehydration and hypothermia. I was in that tent for an hour and a half and 7 people initially worked on me and 2 stayed with me the whole time. The masseuse did accupressure and worked on me me the whole time and they got me strong enough to journey back to the hotel. I was taking baby steps but at least able to walk again. I found out later people can die from what happened to me and this experience will propel me to re-think my supplemental approach on my long runs.

I realize I did not drink enough on the course and did not realize how much sodium I probably lost. I lose 4 pounds just on an hour run on St. John, so I must be very careful the next time around. I met a fellow runner that night in the hotel and he had similar troubles and is also a heavy sweater. He swears by Karl King's S-Caps and all his products, so I will try them. When I called Karl's # listed on the web site to see if they ship to the US VI a women answered and we started talking and I told her what happened, she was Karl"s wife, and she was genuinely concerned about what happened to me and did not try to sell me anything! That speaks volumes about their business. They are Ultra Runners, and as I began researching them and their product a lot of testimony comes up. These S-Caps seem to be a staple in many ultra runners training and racing programs.

I could try to dissect and examine exactly what happened to me after the race, but for the most part I simply need to hydrate better, with better products. I never want to cramp up like that again. It was simply horrible!

I have a lot more respect for the 26.2 than before I finished the Portland Marathon. I have been running but not all out and not the 5-6 days I usually do. It's 3-4 and not to hard. In the last 3 1/2 weeks I only had 2 brisk runs. After election day I will resume full time training and get back into top Half Marathon shape, a fitness level I try to keep year round. My experience in Portland makes me want to run another marathon to get the kinks out of my training and to allow for a smoother post race recovery. I am looking to run the next 26.2 in the spring. The BQ will eventually come, I know I am a good enough runner to do that, but it may have to wait a year or two while I define a program that will work for me and get a lot more experience under my running shoes.

I want to thank all of you who have supported me in my running and especially to those who have rearranged parts of their lives so I can run. You all know who you are.

Be Well.

Halfway There

Tuesday morning and a magnificent day. I was so excited about my run I locked the car key in the car. It phased me for only a few seconds. So what! I will be running the North Shore of St. John this glorious morning! I planned to go a little further today, as I have been keeping my runs to about 1 hour or so and only going as far as Peace Hill and then returning to the starting point which just happens to be the starting line of the 8 Tuff Miles, which is our local race on St. John and one of the reasons I became a runner to start with, no pun intended. Since finishing the Portland Marathon 16 days ago I am caught up in a practical rule of running pertaining to marathoning. For every mile, this being 26.2, give yourself a day to recover properly and do not push your self too hard, even if you feel great. I will play it safe and give myself 30 days. Holding back is part of proper training as is rest. Your days off are as important as your hard runs. So I am midway through the 30 days and I planned a little longer run at an easy pace. I am striving to be back in top half marathon shape by mid-December and will start running the 8 tuff miles course once a week starting the 2nd week of November, until race day on the last Saturday of February.

As I start my way up the first hill on the north shore at mongoose junction I am always reminded of the challenge and the awe of what I am doing. The first 5 minutes up that hill set the stage for the remainder of the run, and the obstacles I must overcome, both on the road and the ones I am sorting out in my head. As I flow along after the first hill something seems different. More open and spacious and safe. Initially I write it off as the mind plays a lot of tricks on you when your heart rate is that elevated and you enter that zone of mind games. But it stays with me and I soon realize the forest has opened up once again to allow room on the side of the road after all the rains of an active storm season. As I look to the side of the road I can once again run on the dirt and gravel and minimize the pounding somewhat that the feet and legs take with every foot strike. The sun is bright and the run is simply perfect. I pass by the national park employees that are clearing the brush and overgrowth from the road, that constant battle with nature that man will never win. They use the the old and new, Machetes and weed whackers and do an excellent job clearing the mountainside and the ravine side to make it safe, as safe as roads like these can be, for the cars and trucks and us runners, walkers, hikers and bicyclist. They are about halfway there, there being the turnaround point of my run and I imagine in the next few weeks they will have most likely cleared most or all of the North shore brush and once again I will have plenty of room to run on the side of the road as my runs get longer and longer. The 14 mile out and back from the race start to the taxi turnaround at Annaberg Ruins is the run I must once again conquer. It is both brutal and glorious, dreaded and anticipated, and a milestone of my training.

Halfway there is a good place to be, in the moment looking both at what you have accomplished and what remains to be conquered. Just me and the road workers on a perfect day on the North Shore.

Mom's Run

Sunday was my Mothers birthday. She would of been 77. She was simply the glue that held the family together. Moms always run. So as I ran that night at sunset along the north shore we ran together. I chose a brisk pace in her honor and it was my first fast run since finishing the Portland Marathon 2 weeks prior. Portland took a lot out of me and I have been taking it easy and resting more than I normally do in between runs. Mom never rested. She always ran the household, ran to the store, ran to do the laundry, ran to make sure we were safe and loved. Moms always run. She was afraid of no one, not even the cancer that took her. She taught me to stand up for myself no matter what, and definitely walked the talk. South Philadelphia in the late 50's and 60's was a tough place for us kids and Mom ran a household and lifestyle that any one would be proud of. Trying to think what life would of been like without her as a child is unfathomable. So I run for her and now for my Son and Daughter. Will our children remember us the way we remember our parents? Go out for a run and the answer will soon come. Please know Moms always run!

Hard Rain's Gonna Fall

This week gave us an example of slim probabilities. A hurricane moving north east through the Caribbean. One that missed us and fled as quickly as it arrived. Nerves abound prior to it's passage, nerves all ready being tested by economic strife and the uncertainty of things out of our reach and control.

As I crest the unforgiving hills on the north shore I am reminded of our utter insignificance in the greater scheme of nature. The road my feet traverses seem infantile and unsustainable when coupled with the reclaiming power of nature and I often think when our time as a species is finished here, what will this stretch of earth I propel my body across look like. The foliage is creeping onto the road from all the rain, the mountainsides effort to reclaim what has been carved out and taken away previously. The water as it cascades through the forest roars its claim to this land and settles into a place of merger with the sea. I move along to these thoughts and sounds and feel privileged to be able to run year round in such a magnificent setting, one many people only dream of, and in that singular thought, for that moment, I have communed with a force that goes by so many names that we will kill one another in its name. " A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall"

A proud agnostic running for those moments of clarity that often arrive when you push the body's limits to places that you thought were unattainable, and in the quest so lays the answer but never the end.

We all run for different reasons and I have found that they sometimes change daily and that they are vastly different than when I first started. So as each one becomes a journey in itself I push the body to open the mind and hope for an answer or 3 along the way.

Be well