I did spend a bit of time – most of Sunday – playing tourist in Myrtle Beach. The marathon had not totally killed my legs. I could walk around and walk I did.
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Monthly Archives: February 2011
My First Marathon – Part II
Atlantic Ocean
As I ran along Ocean Blvd for about 9 miles, there were times when I could spy the ocean. A lot of the view is obstructed by hotels but there are a few piers and off to the left here one of the views. Believe it or not, it was probably close to 70F by the time I was seeing the ocean. The day was heating up and I am not use to running in the heat at this moment. I don’t mind running in the heat in the summer but I was not happy to be running in it now, not when my last training run was in 12F weather. There is the ever present north wind along Ocean Blvd also. I am very thankful for that as I do not know if I could have completed the race if it were not for the wind. It kept me cooled off a bit.
There was a good crowd along Ocean Blvd until about mile 11. That photo above was at about 11.5. At mile 11, the half marathoners turned left while those of us doing the full kept going along Ocean Blvd. I had had lots of running company up until that point. Now there were not so many of us still there. Unfortunately, I was not paying the attention I should have been to my body. I got some Powerade at mile 12 but did not go to the portapotty. (Female runner alert – meaning you guys may want to skip over the next few sentences.) I was having my period during the marathon. I knew that somewhere along Ocean Blvd I was going to have to use a portapotty to change protection. I had meant to stop at mile 12 and do that but didn’t even see the portapotty. About mile 13, I was sure I had waited too long but I managed to hold out until mile 14. About a half mile before 14, there was a house having work done on it. There was a portapotty in the front yard. Two men running in front of me stopped and used that one. Had I not needed to wait in a line, I would have done what needed to be done there. Instead I kept going. Mile 14 came and there was no line and I was in and out of the portapotty. (End discussion of my female issues.)
After going down Ocean Blvd, the road curves a bit to get closer to the ocean. I had been going back and forth with a woman who was a Team in Training member and whose significant other was riding a bike along the course as support. I saw her head up the hill through the intersection at the Cherry Tree Inn. I was pretty sure I needed to go right but there was an officer directing traffic. He let the woman run right in front of him. I started to and he told me that was not the rifht way. I pointed her out as I was not sure how loud I could yell at this point and continued on the route. When I first turned, the sight was beautiful.
Atlantic Ocean
As I was running along this portion of Ocean Blvd, I spoke with a guy who was running pretty strong but stopping ever few minutes to walk for a little bit. He and I talked for a while. He was driving to Gainesville, FL Saturday afternoon to run a race on Sunday. I was in total awe. I could not imagine at that point, as I was struggling a bit to put one foot in front of the other, running a race on Sunday. He hit a run segment and took off about mile 16 as his running partner – a man who was heading to Maryland to run a Sunday race – stopped at the mile 16 portapotty.
A little aside that I noticed back about mile 3 – I was hearing a cacophony of beeps. I am really amazed at the people who not only had a plan but it was to walk and run. They had their iPods, their Forerunners, their sports watches set to remind them of when they needed to walk. I was equally amazed by the number that were advertising their method by wearing shirts with www.JeffGalloway.com on them.
The race turned up Grand Dunes Blvd and the wind did not stop. After crossing US-17, there was the mile 18 medical tent and a water stop. At this point, the medical personnel were trying to get a verbal response out of people as they went past. One even swore the wind would end when we turned around at up the street and headed back towards the ocean. It seems that developments in Myrtle Beach all have ponds with mechanical water spouts in them. The breeze made it so that a gentle mist would occasionally get me and the other runners. This was nice as it was cooling.
Heading back to US-17, I passed a man in a Marathon Maniacs shirt. I had watched him for miles as he ran and then his timing device would beep and he walked. I had noticed, as I was trying to run through two of his run and one of his walk times before walking a bit, that he had been doing nothing but walk lately. I asked if he was okay. He said no. His upper leg was sore before the race started and on the turnaround it had gotten considerably worse. He was going to walk the rest of the race. I wished him luck, told him I hoped it wasn’t too bad and ran on.
It was somewhere in this area – mile 18-20 – that I saw two women who were running together. I had passed these two somewhere on
Inspiration!
Ocean Blvd (around mile 9, I think). At that point the older woman had been overheard saying that she was doing good now but would slow down. Evidently, so did I. The younger of the two women was probably in her late 20′s or early 30′s. The back of their shirts were labeled – daughter and mother. You can’t see the writing on the shirts but this shot was taken about mile 20 or just after that.
At mile 20, I reset my Garmin. I wanted to have good mile times for the last 6.2 miles. I have to tell you those last miles were not good miles. At one point along the bike path close to mile 22, a woman with a temperature app on her iPod touch checked the temperature. It was a shady area – one of the few as most of the course is along streets and highways – and it was 70F in this area.
There was another up the street and back with an aid tent in the middle. This was my last portapotty stop. I ran past the portapotty and up to the turnaround before realizing I really needed to go. I crossed over to the portapotty on the way back. I don’t know that I have ever used so many different portapotties in one day.
The last 6 miles are seriously just a blur in my mind. I recall the trail area but that is it until I saw Broadway at the Beach. I knew I was close by then and was not going to take a break but was going to move. When I hit the end of the race, I wondered how many different people could fit in a chute if there were a lot of people finishing at once. As I came to the turn, I saw Rob’s wife waiting for him. I waved. I handed my water bottle off to Ben as I saw him. He had everything with him I wanted him to bring, except I had forgotten to remind him to bring a camera. I allowed a young man to put the finisher’s medal over my head. Wow! was all I could think. That medal is heavy.
Woo hoo!
The race was over. I was trying hard to not cry as I had felt tears several times along the route, including just before the finish line. I walked and walked some more. I went to get food and drink – water, Powerade, chips, bagels. I waited for a massage. My legs were tight but not overly painful. Then, Ben told me the car was about a half mile away. I was not sure I liked him anymore (LOL!). The walk was fine and my legs are still functioning. Now on to the next race…..
My First Marathon – Part I
The plans for my first marathon were hatched shortly before my first Boilermaker - the 15K road race, not some alcoholic drink. My friend I was traveling to that race with asked me if I had ever contemplated doing a marathon. I had already run two half marathons at that point and several other races. I hadn’t really thought about a marathon, at least not right away. Then, I did.
I started training last July to run a full marathon in October, only to get closed out of registration. Wineglass is very popular and a nice course. It had not filled up the year before but last year, registration closed in August for the October race. My first non-form or actual running-related lesson – register early!
So I toyed with Hartford but decided no. Then, my sister asked me what I wanted for Christmas. This was mid-October. I said register me for the Myrtle Beach marathon in February. Her first question was you are going to run it, right? Of course was the immediate response and I chose a training plan that started the Monday following this phone call. It was on!
I had a few second thoughts as I was training with long runs of 20 miles in single digit temperatures. My mind kept saying I should have thought training for a February race through a bit more. But I kept going and it all brought me to the start line. (Warning: Beware cell phone photos!)
The Start Line and Moon
Start lines always make me nervous. Ben and I left the hotel about 5 am. Yes, I said left the hotel about 5 am. No, I was not staying that far away. I think we were four miles from the start line. I had woken at 3 am but my alarm was set for 4 am. I went to the bathroom and then lay in bed until 3:45. I got up, turned the alarm off and started getting my breakfast food out. I made coffee while the oatmeal was in the microwave. I pulled out a bagel. After eating, I started getting dressed. Thankfully, One Mile More had BodyGlide at the expo. Believe it or not, I could not find any locally before we left for SC. I had chosen to wear a short sleeve tech shirt but was toying with changing my mind. Good thing I stuck with my first instinct as it was cool at the start of the race.
Some of the streets were being shut down as we started over to the start line. Ben got me with a block and dropped me off. He was heading back to the hotel for some sleep. I was heading – first thing – for the portapotty before a line formed. I knew I needed to go. Then, I started thinking about the race. Music was playing and others were starting to show up. The marathon had about 1800 runners and the half marathon, which started at the same time, sold out at 4,000 runners.
I hadn’t printed off or written a pace bracelet on my arm. I was hoping to keep my five mile pace to right around an hour. That would be easy enough to remember. I was hoping – should have had a plan not just hoped – to finish in about 5 and a half hours but I was not going to get in with the pace group. I had trained alone and would run this my way. That is funny! I started talking to a woman who was also lining up behind the 5:30 pacer. She had her times on her arm. We talked. A man joined us. The woman wanted to finish in six and a half hours. The man, who had had his gallbladder removed in January, just wanted to finish. I kept talking but knew in my mind, I would leave them behind when we started. The announcer kept repeating that the half marathon was to line up on the far side of the divided street and the full on the side closest to the stage. I was all set. I stretched and did a quick jog. Lines at the portapotties were long but I didn’t have to go a third time. I just tried to keep warm.
Instead of a start gun, the Myrtle Beach High School had loaned out the cannon that is fired on Friday nights during football season. Every time the kids score a touchdown, the cannon is set off. That would be our start gun. The wheelchair start was five minutes ahead of the rest of us and the cannon went off. The cannon went off a second time and we started walking towards the start line. I hit the start button on my Garmin about three minutes after the cannon and was off.
Shortly after crossing the first intersection, I said good luck and good bye to Chris and Rob. We had already seen the first group of tree pee-ers. Yes, the lines were long enough that some men were stopping within the first half mile to urinate behind some palm trees. Nice show as, well, palm trees don’t hide much.
The first turn came at about 8/10th’s of a mile and the direction was pointed by a line of Chick-Fil-A cows. They all wantedhigh fives and I was more than happy to oblige – after snapping the photo below.
Daylight is coming
I was going at a good pace but it was just a normal run for me so far. I kept going along and remembering what I had thought as we drove this portion of the course yesterday. We turned again and were running in US-17. The first five miles went by without any incident, except I felt like I had to go to the bathroom. While I have never stopped to pee during a race, I was sure I would have to this race but I had not planned on doing so early. I thought about stopping at mile 5 but the line was really long so I kept running. I had finished the first five miles in 58 minutes and 51 seconds. My splits were all right close to each other so I was happy. I thought I was working my unwritten plan.
My other plan was my hydration and nutrition plan. After all, I had eaten about 4 am and new I would not make it to the end without eating so I was stocked with Clif Shots – my energy gel of choice. I had my first one between miles 5 and 6 – espresso. I didn’t think I would need another one until about mile 15 or so. You see, the hotel and my kids were between mile 10 and 11 and I had a pear waiting for me there.
I don’t know if the energy gel had anything to do with it or not but at the water stop at mile 6, I had to stop to use the portapotty. No, I am not modest. If I had not been having my period, I would have quickly walked behind said portapotties and peed but I was not doing that at this time of the month. I waited in line what seemed like an eternity but I was in and out in about two minutes. I figured good and that would hold me. I had no plans of stopping more than twice to use the portapotties.
Band at War Bird Park
We ran past the War Birds Park. This was about mile 5.5 and there was a band playing. It was great to hear the music. Between miles 6 and 7, we went through a shopping area called The Market Common. There were people out and it was only 7:30 or so on a Saturday morning. The sun was now shining bright and there was a timer set up at 6.2 miles. Maybe that is what did me in. For some reason, at 6.25 miles my Garmin stopped. It didn’t shut off. I must have somehow hit the timer stop button. I have never had this happen before but it did and I didn’t notice for quite some time. It was two miles before I noticed I didn’t have a running time.
As we turned onto Ocean Blvd, the race got interesting. I was thinking I was warm. Definitely thinking I would change at the hotel, as this was part of my original plan, into a sleeveless shirt. Good thing my son forgot to bring it down from the room. I am not sure I would have wanted it as the breeze really picked up. My times per mile went from 11:45-12:00 minutes to almost 13 minutes a mile. While the ocean view was nice – in between buildings – it was helping the sun heat us up and there was as good stiff north wind. I recalled those training run where I swore it felt like running with a resistance band around my waist. The wind was not too cool, though, and it seemed like I was wicking pretty well – or at least my running attire was.
The hotel we stayed at was about mile 10.5 or 11. The boys were out with “Rocky” set to play on the computer. They handed me my
Thanks, Ben and Dan!
pear. I was all excited to see them. Dan, my youngest, even had my camera and got a shot or two of me. I was a little unsure how much time I had been running when I hit the hotel due to the whole Garmin debacle. If I figured it out right, I was about 15 minutes behind where I wanted to be. I think the Garmin, when I discovered it, had thrown me off a bit as I tried to run and figure out what had happened. I hit the hotel area between 8:45 and 8:50 am. On top of the Garmin issue, about mile 8.5 I started feeling something funny in my foot. I swore it felt like I had somehow broken a bone. I couldn’t believe the foot pain. I have had toes cramp up on me before but this was definitely in the foot. It hurt and slowed me down as I was running. By mile 12, though, the pain was gone.
I have decided this post is long enough so the remainder of my recap or my thoughts on the race will be in a separate entry. Hope you all want to read it, after this one. 
The Trip and The Expo
Never having run a marathon before, I was a bit unsure what to expect from the Spirit Airline expo where I was heading once I got from NY to Myrtle Beach. We left NYS about 7 pm on Thursday and headed south. I drove for a while and then my 20 year old drove. Thankfully, he could do that as I was really concerned about not getting a great night’s sleep the night before the night before the race. The main goal for the trip down was to get past Washington, DC as I did not want to have to deal with commuter traffic on Friday morning. I was thinking we would start looking for a place to stay after getting past DC.
Well, the best laid plans! We drove until a rest area in North Carolina before stopping and slept in the car. I got quite a bit of sleep but do not think that my son did. I drove from that point into Myrtle Beach and we ended up there well before I had planned. I hit the expo about 11 am but was there for over almost two hours. We went to the Expo. We walked up to the race start. We had a little tailgate in the parking lot of egg salad sandwiches.
Below is a little photo slide show of the expo and it ends with my clothing laid out in the hotel room for Saturday’s start.
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The Family Vacation
We do not take many family vacations. Back when there was still a dad in the family unit and there were only four little ones under the age of five (doesn’t look nearly as daunting when I spell out those numbers), we drove cross country to visit my mom. That was the type of family vacation we took then.
After the end of the marriage and with six kids under the age of 12 or 13 or 14, the trips were much smaller. I would load them all in the car and head to HersheyPark for the day. Yes, I consider a three hour drive to an amusement park a day trip with six kids. But, more recently, family trips have circled around soccer tournaments and college visits. Well, two of the children (really hard to say as all are out of their teens but one nowadays) and I are heading to Myrtle Beach for a small vacation.
Myrtle Beach in February? Yes! That is a vacation but not the normal family vacation. You see I am running a marathon on Saturday of our trip. My youngest, 16 years of age, is doing a 100K bike tour on the Sunday of our trip. Planning is different for this type of a trip. I need certain clothing. Number 6 needs certain types of clothing. Number 6 needs his bike. I need energy gels and electrolyte drinks. We both need water. We both need sleep.
So what type of planning goes into a family trip like this? Not much. I did my research and booked a hotel. Unsure at that point in time who, or maybe more importantly how many, would be accompanying me, I have a suite with two double beds and a pull out sofa. It’s a plus that the hotel is on the ocean, although I am pretty sure my room is not on the ocean side of the hotel. It is an additional plus that the hotel is approximately at mile 10 of the marathon. Woot!
Next on the planning was food. I try to eat certain things before, during and after a run that is long – even though I have never run 26.2 miles before in my life (you read that right, never). I want my pre-race breakfast that I would have if I were at home. I want coffee. I want oatmeal and a bagel. I want my pre-race Gatorade01 which is on my shopping list as I type. I want my energy gels, in the flavors I like, that do not upset my stomach. These are also on my shopping list. I want my post race drink, Gatorade03. Again, on the shopping list. Can you see what I am doing this weekend, other than a couple of short runs?
I have places where we can all eat in Myrtle Beach. I have checked out a brew pub online. I have a friend whose family has an Italian restaurant. These are all in my phone or will be soon. I also have the GPS navigator charged and it will go in the car. I have printed directions to different places (I hate depending on one source when I am somewhere I am not familiar with). I am ready to go. Now it is the last of the taper and some visits with friends and then out the door Thursday night.
NYS Budget
What a difference a year makes! Last year’s State of the State address was around this time. Now, a new governor and I am watching the executive budget presentation on February 1st. Better than that, the entire event – comments by Lieutenant Governor Duffy and Budget Director Megna and the presentation itself from Governor Andrew Cuomo – took less than one hour. I am in awe of both Cuomo’s ability to tell people what they do not want to hear – budget cuts – and his ability to do it succinctly.
The big hits in the 2011-12 executive budget go to education funding, state government operations, and Medicaid. Do I think that all these areas need cuts? I am not sure but I do know that NYS cannot continue to spend as if its tax revenues were still the same as in the heyday of Wall Street. NYS does not have the tax revenue to continue life as usual. On top of not have income tax revenue, NYS is losing population due to property taxes. So cuts must be made.
Will the “new attitude” in the Capitol filter down to the state legislature? I hope so. It would be nice to see cuts in the budget. All current legislators should realize that everyone is taking a cut in this budget. State operating costs are being cut approximately 10% while other cuts, such as the one to public education , are in the range of 2-3%. These elected officials should also realize that those of us who elected them may not put up with much more. I cannot continue to support lawmakers who make laws that encourage deficit spending. If I cannot live that way, the state I live in should not be allowed to do so.
I will withhold judgement as I am still unsure how all these cuts will effect those I work with and those I represent. As a school board member, having the governor’s budget this early is good. Having Governor Cuomo plead with legislators to pass this budget on time is a good thing to know. It is going to be a tough budgeting year for school districts. Those with reserves will fair better than those without such. Many changes will need to be looked at and implemented. I hope that everyone realizes that change is hard – as the governor said many times – but change is necessary in NYS.
Inspiration
First, a quick apology. This entry was started January 6th. Here it is February 1st and I am just now finishing it off. My blog has been ignored for some real life issues. These have been taken care of, I hope, and I can start writing again. Back at Christmas, I had this idea that I would write about 12 people that inspired me over 2010. I was going to start on Christmas day and go through Twelfth night. As you can sede from the inactivity here, I didn’t do this but I do have a few people that I am going to write about in the next couple of days. I am going to start with Sam Felsenfeld.
Last year, I ran 15 races. Of these 15, three were half marathons. I am unsure of races other than marathons but Sam ran 61 marathons in 2010. He ran them all as part of Operation Jack. I cannot imagine running two marathons in one year, though I hope to try to do so this year. I definitely cannot imagine running 61 in a year. Sam did so as a legacy for his son Jack and as a way to raise funds for the organization Train 4 Autism.
Sam is a husband and father of three children. His middle child Jack was diagnosed with autism shortly after his third birthday. Sam decided to run 61 marathons last year, 2010, to raise both funds and awareness of autism. In the process, Sam organized a marathon – his last to be run in 2010. He also qualified for the Boston Marathon.
As a parent, I understand wanting to do everything a parent can do to help one’s children in life. I am in awe of this type of dedication. I am not sure I could do what Sam did last year. To establish a legacy for his son as Jack struggles with therapy and autism is an amazing testament to both father and mother. Sam could not have trained and traveled to all these marathons without the support of his wife Tiffany and all three of his children – Benjamin, Jack and Ava. Sam and Tiffany have both inspired me to be a better parent and to support others as they have by the sacrifices they made over the year that Sam ran 61 marathons.
I have to tell you here at the end that I am sure I have not done justice to the story behind Operation Jack and Sam’s 61 marathons last year. Please visit Operation Jack and find out all the details. Sam’s blog on that site is inspirational, also.
