Cataract Surgery- Streak #2 Ends

 The joys of getting older. My vision started getting blurry and rather than keep getting new glasses, I decided to check out Lazik which corrects vision by reshaping the cornea with Lasers. My Lazik appointment resulted in the conclusion that I had cataracts. There is now technology where a corrective multi focal lens can be implanted after the cloudy cataract lens is removed. This would eliminate the need for glasses (theoretically). Night vision may suffer with enhanced glare and poorer vision in dim lighting. But normal lighting should have good vision closeup for reading through long distance. So, why not spend the $ and be glasses free for the first time in 60 years! Since these high tech lenses are placed in the eye after precise laser incisions are made and then just left to heal, any jarring of the eye was to be avoided. Therefore, no running. I chose a date to end my second running streak, July 5th 2021or Run Streak Day 1234. A number I could remember later. Surgery on my worst, left eye took place July 7th. Vision went from 20/400 (5 Diopters correction) to 20/50 (less than 1 Diopter). After a few days it improved a bit and 20/30 after a week. Distance vision was blurry, especially since the right eye was about 20/100. After 11 days I was cleared to run but that only left 4 days before my right eye surgery. I ran gently 6 miles, then 7 , 9 and 8 miles. But that felt nice to be back out and running without glasses, seeing the trail surface clearly and identifying people I know!

On June 21st, the right eye was done. Vision with two eyes was much improved. Closeup and medium distance (10 feet or so) was quite clear and much more brilliant since the cataracts had put a yellow tinge on everything. So now, whites look whiter than I can remember. Distance is still blurry but I can drive and shop etc. Looks like it is 20/25 (barely) with two eyes. The surgeons said it takes up to 90 days for full stabilization with vision improving during that time. If it still needs correction in 90 days, Lazik “touchup” is included in the package. So we’ll see how it turns out. Now it is July 1 and next checkup is July 6th. Running every day will resume on July 4th. The fireworks might not be impressive, but the running will be!

Longest Run YET!

 I've run the 50K distance twice, once in 2019 and once in 2020. In February 2021 I turned 68 so I thought .... "New Challenge! Run 68 kilometers to celebrate 68 years of life". On my Birthday it was below zero so that wasn't a good choice to attempt the run. I waited for a better day and Thursday, February 25 it was a balmy 22° going up to 39° for a high. The plan was to run the 6 mile asphalt path around Stony Creek seven times (42.25 miles = 68 kilometers). 

I loaded the car with food and drinks and change of clothes and Garmin watch charger. It was very convenient to park right next to the path with public restrooms on the other side of the path! Perfect Aid Station for every 6 miles.  

I started running with my pack containing 16 oz of water with 3 scoops of Tailwind fuel (calories and electrolytes). Tailwind works better on the stomach than Gu gels.  At the car I had additional fuel: 8 Honey Stinger waffles, 4 x 16 oz water/Tailwnd, 2 x 16 oz Iskiate (this is a mixture of chia seeds, water, honey and lime juice. a recipe from the Copper Canyon Raramuri "Running People"), small boiled salted potatoes cut in quarters and finally a flask of dill pickle juice which is used in later stages of the effort to stave off leg cramps.

My goal was to maintain an 11:30ish min/mile running pace.

 Long distance running is more mental than physical. That is what attracts me to projects like this. I've listened to many ultrarunners describing their mind "telling" their legs to keep moving even though their legs acted like they died!  Another important bit of advice I've heard over and over, is that in ultra running there WILL BE low points and those low points WILL pass. They are almost always temporary. The purpose of long distance efforts like this is to train or convince your mind to believe that this is true, that low points will pass!

This plan of running in the 11's worked well for lap 1 then lap 2 then lap 3 (18 miles now) Stayed in the 11's. 

The 4th of 7 laps started the mental battle. It just so happened that my pace started slowing after mile 21. I think the main reason for that was because I was thinking "I'm ONLY halfway!" In retrospect, I should have thought "wow! I've passed the halfway point!". my pace slowed to 12:50 with some walking the up hills like most ultra runners do. Lap 5 was hard with paces slowing to 13's including uphill walking. Now my mind was debating giving up and chalking it up to completing my 3rd 50K. But I've put this much effort in, how can I waste it? That would be disappointing!. 

I got back to the car after the 5th lap and was fueling on potatoes, honey stingers, Isikiate and pickle juice (yum, yum), when two running friends showed up just finishing their run around the lake. They were commenting how boring it is to always run here because its the only pace plowed and runnable. The trials won't be runnable til maybe April and the ashpalt is hard on the feet. That's when I told them I was just about to head out for my 6th lap! They said "you sure don't look like you ran 30 miles!". That one comment gave me the courage to set out for the pentultimate lap! I figured I could run/walk 2 laps at 15 min/mile and finish in 3 hours.  Well I was averaging 13's 14's for that 6th lap but my left foot toes had sharp pains depending on how my feet landed. They even hurt walking. Actually I found a slow stride at about mile 34 that minimized the pain. The plan was to remove the shoes and socks when I got to the car at mile 36 and check it out. It was either going to be a blood soaked sock from toe nails cutting into the toes or broken toe(s). 

Another ultra runner mantra is "just keep moving forward, as long as you're moving forward you are getting towards your goal". So ouch, ouch, ouch I went.

When I finished lap 6, at the car I took of my left shoe and socks and.... there was no blood. No sore toes to the touch. I put on two pairs of new socks, getting rid of the toe sock which might have been the issue(??), Foot felt fine besides both feet being sore from 36 miles and over 7 hours of asphalt pounding. So off I went for the last lap!

Run down hills, walking up hills we go! 13's and 14 min/mile paces ahead of the 15 goal. I was visualizing the Garmin watch showing 68 kilometers. Such satisfaction for meeting my goal.

At mile 38, the Garmin 235 running watch showed a "low battery" warning! OH NO! This cant be. At least 45-50 minutes to go to my goal. IT.CAN.NOT go dead before I'm done, So now, how could I waste the time walking uphills? My pace improved from 13-14"s to 12's for miles 39-42! It took that Garmin warning to convince my mind to convince my legs that they had more in them. I was running much better and feeling fresher for the last 4 miles of a 42 mile run! Unbelievable!

By the time I reached the car I still had that 0.25 miles to make 42.25 miles or 68 km but I stopped at the car and connected the Garmin charger to get enough charge to finish. When I connected the charger, it said there was still 10% remaining! Really? Oh well, I needed that motivation and it sure worked. Thanks Garmin!

Ran the last bit so the Garmin showed 42.25 miles for 68 km run at 68 years old! 

Project completed, Mission Accomplished!

Getting younger!

Making the Best out of 2020

 I just ran across my old blog site and it's 7 years, 8 months later!

Since then I ended my first running streak on December 20, 2017 after running everyday for 2682 days (7 years 4 months 3 days) averaging 8.1 miles per day. It ended because my Atrial Fibrillation (a-fib) became continuous. The solution to fix it was an ablation procedure where a catheter in my heart (both chambers) was used to ablade or scar the heart tissue to redirect the electrical signals. 6 hours on the operating table. I really couldn’t run the next day but that week we did fly to Colorado to visit Haley and Trevor. So I ended up not doing daily running again.... until January 19th 2018. I’ve been running a minimum of 5K every day since and my new streak is at 1066 days (December 19th 2020) averaging 7.7 miles per day. No recurrence of afib. I am doing  more low heart rate running which you will see is very beneficial. December 16th I hit 4040 miles for 2020! 

Today. We have finally reached the LAST month of this year. Pandemic is in full raging fury.

There was plenty of time to focus on running this year, especially since that is one of few activities that you can do alone and outside. Looking back it was actually a fantastic year for running.

Chill at the Mill 5K

Every January there is a 5K race in Rochester, MI called Chill at the Mill (at Rochester Mill Brewery). Late January (19th) in Michigan is a wonderful time for a race (not). So, not surprisingly it was windy and snow/slush on roads with 5° real feel. The biggest challenge was the extreme slipperiness of the slush on the roads. That snow salt sand mix. I managed to finish in 27:03. Good enough for 2nd Age Group M65-69.

Colorado 

In February we visited Haley, Trevor and Micah in Colorado for the month. That was a blast!

Altitude running was tough! After weeks it got better. Even ran a 10K race in Littleton Colorado and placed first Michigander 😁

Then Trevor and I climbed the Manitou Incline which rises 2000 ft in 0.8 miles with 2768 steps! At 10,000 feet elevation. Made it!

It was very steep and icy so we wore microspikes. 

Back in Michigan Hoodie Hoo

Returning back to Michigan I ran a 5K race along the shore of lake St Clair called the Hoodie Hoo. To fend off Winter and welcome Spring, you yell “Hoodie Hoooo”. Finished in 25:06, good enough for second place Age Group M65-69! Must have been that altitude training.

THEN THE PANDEMIC HIT!

The Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee - GVRAT

No more in person racing. On May 1st there was social media excitement about a Lazarus Lake (aka Gary Cantrell) brainchild virtual race across Tennessee. The concept was to virtually run (and/or walk) 635 miles across Tennessee in 4 months ending August 31st. Laz and crew were expecting maybe 200 participants to sign up. I signed up that day. Eventually 19,000+ also signed up including many elite ultra runners. I had already run 4 miles on that 1st day of May. The Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee (GVRAT) has a web page to log miles run or walked. I also tracked them on Strava. I set a goal of finishing in one month instead of 4 months! My running miles increased from an average of 200 miles per month through April to 500 miles for May. I had 27 consecutive runs of 13.1 miles  or greater. Walks of 2-8 miles a day on top of the runs added up quickly. I finished crossing Tennessee in 27 days! That gave me 57th place out of 19,000+ participants. Hooah! Crossing Tennessee earns you a Buckle! It is an ultra marathon distance.

That 635 miles of running/walking in less than a month ended with a series of 8 consecutive 20+ mile runs and long walks on top in the heat of the day. I got quite dehydrated day after day and the effect was loss of appetite and general nausea.  

But there was more to GVRAT. Much more. Since there was so much time left and the top runners finished the task in just 12 days, new goals were established for GVRAT. The next was 1000 miles. So I kept on building miles but at a slower pace and switched to Gatorade fueling much more than than before. That really did the trick. Never had those feelings again. After 56 total days, I crossed the 1000 mile mark in 85th place overall. The awards were a 1000 mile pin and an awesome 1000 sticker!

But there was MORE. Going BACK across Tennessee qualified you as a BAT (Back Across Tennessee) and an award to finish. Had to pay $30 for the back and farther racing. Actually the 1000 miles was on the way back across. On the way back across Tennessee someone mentioned that ultrarunner Kaci Lickteig was participating. I looked her up and she was very close to me on the course in terms of miles covered. I finished in 71 days. Kaci finished the BAT second crossing in 72 days. The award for a double crossing was a mankie.

Why stop now? Laz and team added a CAT. Continue Across Tennessee. So, 71 days into a 122 day event. Keep on truck’n. But instead of getting bored, I had a new challenge besides crossing Tennessee for a third time. Keeping up with Kaci Lickteig ( who won Western States 100 among many other accomplishments!)

With the help of tips from Laz, a strategy was developed. I’m retired (and 67) and can put in long miles on week days. Kaci, only 33, works and puts in mega miles on the weekends. I cant keep up with her weekend miles which might total 60+ miles. But during the week I can run more miles. Like she’ll do a 15 mile run after work and I’ll do a 20 miler for example. During that crossing, I was a averaging  125 mile weeks maxing at 140 miles. Keeping up with Kaci’s normal training miles. July had 535 mile and August, the last month of the GVRAT I logged 576 miles! Whew. So on day 107 Kaci and I crossed together in 52nd place overall. I contacted her beforehand so she was on board and she encouraged me to post a virtual finish photo I made complete with my dog Jake and her dog Mia. That was fun! The significance of the yellow gate: Laz Lake is race director for the infamous Barkley Marathons (130ish miler) held at Frozen Head State part in Tennessee. The start and finish is at the yellow gate. Very famous in the ultra running community.

That was August 15th. There were still 16 days left of the GVRAT. Now the goal switched to maximizing miles and keeping up with Kaci. We switched positions many times and on August 22nd I realized if I ran a 20 miler every day for the next 10 days I would finish with exactly 2200 miles. That I did! 20 mile runs became a routine every morning which is something I never would have expected. I learned that high mileage at low pace and low heart rate trains the body to burn fat and utilize this unlimited source as a source of fuel. 20 mile distance became easy. On August 31st, I entered my final run distance. I placed 44th out of 19,000+ participants! Kaci Lickteig placed 46th.

Results: https://vacationwithoutacar.com/

LIFE AFTER GVRAT

Brooksie Way virtual Half Marathon

2020 marches on. After 4 months running 2200 miles at low heart rate, an incredible fitness base was created. Time to test it out. The annual. Brooksie Way Half Marathon was virtual this year. On September 15, 2020 I went to Stony Creek Metropark where there is a 6 mile asphalt trail circling the lake with mile markers every half mile. I ran it hard. First mile 8:38. Then 8:50, 8:47, 8:41, 8:31, 8:43, 8:41 for the first loop. Still felt strong starting the second loop.  8:51, 8:46, 8:45, 8:34, 8:43, 8:30 and a kick of 7:58 for the final 0.1 mile for a 1:53:51 finish at 8:41 pace. This was an 8 year PR! That base kept me from fatiguing throughout the run!

Hot Chocolate virtual challenge

A 5K race in Massachusetts annually raises money for Safe Passage, a non profit to help abuse victims. This year the race was COVID cancelled. The organizers set up an “Activity” challenge when minutes of activity are logged and points are awarded 2 points per minute. Points are also awarded for fundraising at 2 points per dollar. I joined with my friends on Team Washburn & McGoldrick with my friend Karin George as team captain. I just recorded my normal run times until I noticed it was really helping the team. This evolved into a bit of a competition with Karin who logged miles and raised alot of money. If she got a $500 donation I’d have to run/walk 500 minutes! Get the picture? Ended up barely passing her on total points (activity + fund raising) and was overall top points and top activity points. This helped the Team win total points by a long shot! The great news is about $14K was raised by our team!

Stony Creek Marathon

On Tuesday, October 27th I was reading a post from our Stony Creek Running Club that mentioned a  marathon race, live and in person, was happening Sunday November 1st at Stony Creek Metropark where I had ran that  virtual half marathon 8 year PR. OMG! Is it a Boston Qualifier? I checked the website and it is! OMG gotta try this. Monday I had ran on all four major trails here. Macomb Orchard Trail, Clinton River Trail, Paint Creek Trail and Poly Anne Trail for a total distance of 28 miles. So a 28 mile run 6 days before a marathon BQ attempt? Why not. So I signed up and started tapering for 4 days (6, 6, 5, 4). This was a strictly Covid precautions framed staged race. I learned that there was an early start option for marathoners and 50K participants that started at 7:30 am. This was about when I normally run so I just got ready. Weather was dreadful with 40 dropping to 20’s in the morning with winds 20-25 gusting to 45 mph.

The early start was great. Only 5 runners starting at 30 sec intervals wearing masks. After departing the start area, masks could be dropped. The first mile and a half to turnaround was west into the wind which was quite noticeable. I was targeting close too 9:00 - 9:09. for a sub 4 marathon. Mile 1 was 9:08. With the wind, mile 2 was 9:02 then 9:03. Mile 4 was a good hill and 9:15. Mile 5 had another hill and 9:17. Mile 6 was west into the wind but more downhill at 9:03. Mikes 7-9 was an out and back rolling hills to the nature center. 9:07: 9:20: 9:05. Mile 10 was downhill and turning into the wind at 9:00. Mile 11 was into the wind and hills at 9:26, miles 12 and 13 were 9:06 and 9:26. This race allowed drop bag near the start which is just past mile 13 and just before mile 20. I stashed 16 oz flasks of water with 3 scoops of Tailwind fuel/hydration. For the first 13 miles I carried a 10 oz flask with 2 scoops tailwind. During mile 14 I swapped out flasks. That mile was 10:09 due to the brief stop. During the first 13 miles the wind was really picking up making it difficult to move forward into the wind. Two laps around the lake were left. Pace slowed to 9:30’s to 9:50. Mile 20 was 10:59 due to a stop to swap and drink the third flask of fuel. That was worth it because a second wind hit and the last 6 miles were: 9:52, 9:39, 9:42, 9:42, 9:06, 9:11 and the last 0.2 at 9:15 pace. Finished in 4:07:19 with 9:27 pace. Missed BQ (4:05:00) by a bit more than 2 minutes. But it was the highest Age Graded marathon (65.0%) in 12 years and fastest in 8 years! That base really kept me strong and a sub 4 could have happened without the gale! Next time....

See all the stuff blown over?

Placed 2nd Age M 65-69.

Afterwards the Race Director sent this email to finishers:

Congratulations

To say that we picked the worst date (of a 30ish day stretch) to run the race would be an understatement for 2020.   "Weather in the Midwest!"  You never know what you are going to get.  Yes Saturday was much better than Sunday - and this week has been beautiful - BUT........

You now have a great story you have to tell.  You conquered both Stony Creek and the Elements!

The best weather may have been for about 20minutes at the start of the 5k - but it didn't last long.  The sun came out for a few minutes then hid and the strong winds came out - and didn't let up all day (I've got broken tents, flagpoles, signs, and COVID barriers to prove it).  Then came the BLIZZARD....from about 11:30-12:10 I could barely see the lake from the finish line (If anyone has video of this crazy stuff I'd love a copy).  Luckily the snow stopped for a while - the sun came out again (for a few minutes) - but the winds did not let up.  That finish might as well have been uphill - the wind was absolutely crazy.  I've completed a few marathons (and attended many more) and I've not seen weather quite as challenging as this.  

A few of you were running your first marathon - wow do you have a story - what a tremendous accomplishment! 

To all of you:  Congratulations, Well Done, & WooooooooHoooooooo!

Clinton River Trail FKT

During this year of COVID with so many live races cancelled, many ultra runners turned their focus on running known trails faster than anyone that has been known to run it. These are called Fastest Known Times. Known because only a run that is documented to prove it was run in that rime are counted. A website fastestknowntime.com compiles many FKT’s. There are guidelines for what type of route caan be used for an FKT attempt. They must be popular and challenging. I looked up our area in SE Michigan and there was one on the Poly Anne Trail north of here and that was it. The Clinton River Trail is very popular and spans 15.7 miles. My goal was to do an out and back for 50 km (a bit more than a 50K at 31.3 miles actually). First I had to document the route, submit it and have it accepted and recorded on the website. Then run the route. Being first would give me an FKT for ever! I ran the out and back from Rochester to Sylvan Lake in Pontiac in 6:32:31 unsupported meaning I brought my own fuel and didn’t get any help or aid stations. After the run I submitted the route and it was accepted,

https://fastestknowntime.com/route/clinton-river-trail-mi

Then I submitted the successful  FKT attempt and it was accepted!

https://fastestknowntime.com/fkt/stephen-davis-clinton-river-trail-mi-2020-11-27

How cool is that?

The 600

This morning was very nice 50 degrees and cloudy. The lake was choppy. Wild turkeys flanked the road into the park. A perfect day for a run. I met up with the few runners willing to show up at 8:00 am on Easter Sunday. Five of us hit the path and a nice slow pace as the creaky legs gradually came back to life.  Two of the runners soon headed off to run the trails.  Three of us continued. One runner soon took a break leaving two of us. My usual running partner, Michelle. We run similar paces. The pace gradually quicked as we went 9:38, 9:00, 8:33, 8:19, 8:29 (slowed as we looked for an owl reported to be in the trees over the trail), 8:06.  The last mile had the wind picking up into our faces about 15+ mph.
That was a very refreshing way to log my 600th consecutive day of running!

600 days. The experiment continues with no stretching, weight/cross training and letting shoes last a long time (>1000 miles). For me, mid foot (not heel, not forefoot) landing is the key to running longevity.  Also running high mileage at a moderate pace mixing up easy and harder days.  Only really push when you feel your body can handle the push.  That is, don't push hard when your body says "no" but a training plan says "yes".  Your body knows better than the training plan..  Mix it up: I run hills, flat, sidewalks, bike trails, dirt roads, trails (big wide ones, not single track...yet). Run short, run long, run fast segments.. or not.  Intervals every couple weeks aimed at getting faster really help as long as not pushed too hard.  My best shoes now are Brooks PureFlow. I have 725 miles on a pair and they still feel great and not much wear.  In this training cycle (training for a Marathon on May 20th) the single thing that solidified endurance was running 10 miles per day for 5 days straight.  Not too long to affact recovery but long enough to train endurance. Negative split long runs are critical.  In past training, I remember bonking at mile 17 of a 20 mile training run.  In subsequent marathons, I'd bonk at mile 17.  You get what you train for!

Whatever the contributing factors, 600 days of running really builds endurance!

What a Year!!!!

I see my last post was one year ago!  Wow has alot happened since. We are now living in Rochester, Michigan which is the most awesome place we've ever lived.  I came up last June for a new job and we finally found a house and moved on New Years. Michigan greeted us with their mildest winter on record so running outside every day was no problem (except for one day with a 6 inch snow making a 9 mile run up and down a 0.4 mile plowed section of sidewalk pretty boring).

There is great running verywhere.  The most difficult part of running here is deciding which route!

Yesterday I ran 22 miles on the Clinton River and Macomb Orchard Trails with only a few road crossings. Today was 9.5 miles with the Stoney Creek Running Club up at the Metro Park lake. There we saw deer and wild tukeys with tails fanned out (mating season?).  The lake was calm and beautiful with blue skies and fresh green leaves on the trees complimented with vibrant green grass and blue water. Spectacular!


Oh... and running streak?  Tomorrow makes 600 days of running everday with no injuries and 4,670 miles without a rest day.... still no stretching or cross training or weights... except pulling that cement anchored clothesline pole out of the ground yesterday was a real workout ;-)

Today's favorite run

There are so many great running routes here in the North Carolina Triangle. Let's run on one... mentally!

Out the door, it's a perfect 50°, ideal for running in shorts and a tee shirt. The plan today is to run a hilly route with extra effort on the uphills.  Up the street of the subdivision and onto a secondary road with light traffic.  This first 0.7 miles is all uphill so the heart gets to work immediately and the blood starts pumping.  Running on the edge of the road facing traffic, periodic oncoming cars means hopping over to the grass shoulder with uneven footing.  That part is good because it strengthens the ankles! At a tee in the road, a right turn leads to a nice long downhill.  The feel of the pace getting faster and the duration of time airborne with no feet touching feels great.  Towards the bottom of the hill there is a radar "Your Speed" sign.  Will it "see" me? Cars go by and it reads 35, 40...  Then it happens as I get closer, no cars, a clear shot.  I run faster and see it read 10 mph then it shows 11 mph!  That's it, I pass the sign.  "wow 11 mph",  I think!  Sweet.  Just past the sign I turn right onto a paved nature trail winding along a creek. A canopy of trees, creek on the right, swamp on the left. A deeper part of the swamp, near the road is loaded with turtles basking in the sun on branches and logs sticking out of the water.  The trail opens up to a pond and a Great Blue Heron takes off in flight with quiet grace.  The path leads to a road with a very steep hill.  Focus!  The heart is pounding, the lungs are searing, the top is nearing!  Why do I always feel the worst at the crest of the hill after the hard part is over?  Always happens that way.  Now this desolate feeder road is rolling, just like a roller coaster.  If you run fast enough down can you coast up the next one?  No. But it feels like it. It's been a workout so far as the 2.5 mile point approaches of the 10 mile route.  Been here too many times to count.  It's going to get easier, not harder! (good thing to know about distance running). Another mile of rolling hills on roads and then the entrance trail to the Duke University "Al Buehler Cross Country Trail".  A wonderful wide dirt trail.  It's downhill from the connector trail to the main loop.  I set my watch time to time the 2.91 mile main loop run. Immediately there is a very steep uphill.  This one is so steep it makes more sense to run up it in a zig-zag pattern, rather than crawling!
At the crest the heart is pounding, the legs are burning. Time to recover on the steep downhill. Slowly with the brakes on until the slope begins to level. Then.. pow..  the legs start running like shot out of cannon.  Down and up the short uphill onto rolling winding terrain on the trail in the woods.  This is simply wonderful.  It's into the 5th mile and feels easier now... see, I promised!  Around a creek and pond and up a hard hill which led to an even harder hill.  This one seems to go on and on.  The top of the hill is at a road crossing for the entrance to the Country Club.  This trail circumnavigates the Duke Golf Course, but in the woods the whole way. This crossing is a "Rocky" moment.  I can hear the music. It's the top and there is a very nice, long downhill to follow.  Time to make up the pace.  The legs open up and fly down, faster and faster. Passing walkers like they are trees.  Feet are airborne alot but still landing with the foot planted right under the body, mid sole, ready to push off the hill to keep airborne.  It's an indescribable feeling.  I used to have dreams of running effortlessly and of being able to fly.  Dreams come true!  For awhile.  Actually more than a mile!  A long while!  Before the rolling hills hit again.  But these hills are short and very runnable so a good pace can be maintained. Powering up the hills and flying down the hills.  There's a guy running up ahead and I'm closing in.  Closer, closer.. I pass.  Really flying now.  I notice he's right behind me?  What?  He must have kicked it into gear too.  Faster, faster..  I'm timing the loop, remember?  The loop finishes just up ahead.  Record time! Thanks stranger!  Back out of the trails to the roads, the nature trail and the hill by the Radar Sign.  A mile and a bit to go.  This long hill takes alot of focus. Pace slows and finally the top is reached.  It's ALL DOWNHILL to home now!  Let's crank it.  Feeling great in the 10th mile running hard and feeling the pace quicken.  Bad news.... we're home!

Boston Fever...... it's contagious!

It's April.  The end  of  March Madness and the beginning of Boston Marathon Madness. Completing a marathon is all about setting goals and accomplishing them. From the first  mile run to the first 20 miler to finishing the 26.2 mile marathon.  Oh what a feeling! Such satisfaction and pride!  But now what?  Run another one? With what purpose? To run it faster (a Personal Record or "PR"?).

The Boston Marathon is considered the "Holy Grail" for running because of it's storied history and also because not everybody can run it.  You have to "Qualify" by running another marathon within a qualifying time.  There are different qualifying times based on age groups. 

Nothing is as easy as it sounds.

 After my first marathon in October 2004, I had a crazy idea that maybe I could qualify for Boston. For my age group (50-54 back then) I would need to run 26.2 miles at an 8:12 pace for 3:35:59 or better finish time.

I had a bottle of champagne in my fridge at home that I wrote “BQ” on it in January 2005 before my second marathon at Myrtle Beach.  Well, at least I broke 4 hrs on that one. So the bottle sat.  I got on board the Pete Pfitzinger advanced marathon training plan for Chicago 2005 only to pull a hamstring 2 weeks before the Marathon.  I hobbled through that one, not pretty! So the bottle sat. I geared up again for Myrtle 2006, only to pull the same hamstring a few weeks prior so had to DNS (did not start). So the bottle sat.  Then I found the secret to hamstring stretching and had a good run at the Frederick, MD Marathon in April 2006 with a PR (not BQ but less than 10 minutes away!)).  So the bottle sat. I got REALLY serious then and worked through a 24 week 70 miles per week (mpw) Pfitzinger plan for Chicago 2006, only to have an accident at the dog park with two dogs colliding into my tibia and damaging it. I didn’t run Chicago and was out of running for 7 weeks. So the bottle sat.  I started up again with a hybrid of the 55mpw and 70 mpw plan and all went well.  I ran a half marathon in 1:40:04 which predicted a BQ, I ran a 10K which predicted the BQ as well.  I hit all my training times and paces.  This was to be it. Get ready bottle.

That race was perfect. Cold weather, which I like, I felt fresh and held a good pace. I started celebrating and savoring the moment for the last mile only to realize I was closer than I thought.  A sprint the last 0.2 miles gave me 3:35:49 (10 seconds to spare!).  Back then I was able to register for Boston and got in (it was not filled yet).

A BQ!!!  Pop the cork! The Champagne was drank!

Like many runners who BQ'd for this year's Boston Marathon, I was not able to run it.  Not because registration filled up as was the case in October 2010, but I suffered another injury.  The worst ever...

April 16th 2007, I sat at home and WATCHED the Boston Marathon for which I qualified!

It was actually a good thing because a Nor'Easter hit them that day!

I was still qualified for 2008 and I ran Boston that Year in perfect weather!

For all those out there who have Boston Fever, I only have this advise:

Never Give Up!