Run Life's Course: That's What Friends Are For

Saturday, October 9, 2010

That's What Friends Are For

Landed at 7:30am at O'hare. Take cab to the Convention Center and wait until Expo opens at 9 to pick up my bib. Get bib after waiting in the long lines. Get back in cab to be at the gate at airport by 10:30AM for an 11AM flight. Arrive at the gate at 10:25AM thanks to a pretty fast cab driver. Land at Newark at 2:20PM and arrive at funeral at 3:15PM to show my respects. My friend sees me and he smiles.
Jump back in car service and head for Long Island. My normal driver sends this IDIOT to pick me up because he is out of town. TIMEOUT - Going through the Lincoln Tunnel from Montclair, New Jersey to take me to Long Island is ludicrous and he tells me that a Saturday afternoon in Manhattan has no traffic. Note to self: Say nothing and pray that I make it with at least 30 minutes to sit with my friend and her fabulous mother. Lord have mercy, could he drive any slower and go down any more of the MOST trafficked streets trying to get from the West side to the East side for the Midtown Tunnel? IDIOT! Okay pulling up at 4:35 and walk in. The look on her face was rewarding. I surprised her, but most importantly, I showed up for her important celebration.
Back in the car. I might make the 6:30PM flight. Arrive at Laguardia at 5:55PM and breeze right through security. Flight is on time. Board and thank God for a beautifully timed day where it was not about me. Job done!
Land in Chicago. It's hot as hell. Why is it 78 degrees? It better be cooler tomorrow. Head to Michigan Avenue and grab liters of water and something to eat from Sweetwater. Geezzzz I am exhausted!

Marathon Results and Snippets

Too Many More To Add
05.15.11 - Pasadena (5:30:27) - The ultimate challenge is to run another marathon the day after a PR. But in the rain? It rained the first 11 miles. (I thought it did not rain in Southern California.) I should have returned to the car and driven back to the hotel. Here we go again with the half marathoners and the marathoners running together until mile 10. I was running but my legs couldn't sustain it after mile 10. I walked for 2.5 miles and ran every 3 minutes for the race during the hills. No electrolyte drinks for almost 5 mile stretches. No pretzels, salt, or other "push you through" food. Shout out to the neighborhood family that gave us Vanilla Wafers and Jolly Ranchers in a Ziploc bag. Nothing like running with a Vanilla Wafers bag but this was my "electrolyte". I had to stop at a local store to get a Mountain Dew to finish the race. The nerve of one of the race coordinators to ask where I got my Mountain Dew when they had no Gatorade on the course. Paramedics were plentiful and not Kaiser Permanente. Thank goodness. Overall not well organized.
05.14.11 - Palos Verdes (4:33:31 PR) - Community marathon it is but for a great charitable cause. You can register the morning of the race. The views of the Pacific Ocean are the only high point outside of the HILLS HILLS HILLS and more HILLS. A little drizzle during the marathon was bearable. Mental toughness is required as you past the finish line three times before it is actually your finish. Running back through the original starting line is no fun. It felt more like a long run around some neighborhoods rather than a marathon. Water stops has minimal water and even less electrolyte drinks. They use the old school chips. Less than 1 foot after crossing the finish line, you are expected to stop suddenly so they can collect the chips. A practice long run at best.
03.26.11 - National (4:46:05) - The marathon that couldn't end soon enough! Cheap bootleg expo across from RFK Stadium. 29 degrees at the start and 33 at the finish. The host hotel offered one shuttle to the start every hour. Half marathoners started the same time as the marathoners and there was NO split. The first mile marker we saw was at mile 10. The streets could not hold the number of runners with the parked cars. Get this! Half marathoners were being encouraged that they only had 100 feet to go to the finish as we had to a) run past their finish line, b) run around RFK stadium as they are going to their parked cars, and c) run back through the original starting line. THE WORST!!! I am not into crowd support but if you are, don't run this marathon. They did have water and electrolyte stops at every mile after mile 15. Lo and behold, there were mile markers too after mile 15. I can't forget the loop around the bucket at mile 22. There was a long stretch to the finish that had no "glory" that you were anywhere near the finish line - no signage, no cheers, no "you're almost there", no NOTHING! After experiencing the longest marathon ever, I had no way of getting back to the hotel. The police said "take a subway". REALLY? NOT! S I waited 20 minutes to hail the only taxi to go to the hotel. I had the taxi stop to pick up three other marathoners to take them to their cars. Disgusted!
03.20.11 - Georgia (4:54:49) - A great challenge for a flat course runner with 18 miles of hills and 6 miles of near flat terrain. Half marathoners started at the same time but split at mile 6. Plenty of room in the streets to handle the crowds. If you're into crowd support, don't be! I must have been delusional to think Atlanta was flat in all my business travel. The last hill ended around mile 25. The finish was the best. Within 20 feet of the medal was the photo area and the post-race food and two blocks to the hotel. Perfectly organized non-major marathon with volunteers exemplifying the best Southern Hospitality.

Run Life's Course

Saturday, October 9, 2010

That's What Friends Are For

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