Motivated to Succeed

7AM Race Start:

PRE-RACE: Woke up at about 5:40. Got dressed quickly and checked out of the hotel about 6:15. Fueled up the car at a Marathon gas station and bought an apple danish to scarf down to get some carbs in me. The hotel didn't have breakfast out until 7ish. Lame. Drank a little Gatorade. Wasn't as sore as I thought I would be given yesterday's PR. Maybe this bodes well for my fitness?

RACE: (204 laps of a newly renovated 208m track) - Laps 209-408. Started off in the back of the pack and ran most of the first 13 miles with Stan, whose son runs xc and who has also run some marathons/ultras. We chatted about various articles and books we liked and just clicked off 10 minute miles. I really enjoyed this! I got to chat a little more than yesterday with my friend Jen who was back running what I think was her 78th or 79th marathon. She's a tank! So happy to see her. She gets the most consistent award, running nearly identical times to the second! Also got to chat with Greg Bealieu, whom I remember from last year and is from Ohio. He's an actuary and we chatted a bit. He was telling me about how he scouted out a .5 mile loop from his house and sought out to do 100miles during the summer. It took him 42 hours with rest breaks, sleeping, etc. But a really fun idea I think! Maybe I could do something like this and raise money for Sea Shepherd!

At mile 16, I had to switch shoes. My feet killed. The blue Vibrams wreaked havoc and I ended up with about a dozen blisters. I switched into Altras and had a blast, running like I was on a cloud. Finished strong and saved stuff for the last lap, where I ended up running the 208 meters in :57 seconds! Too bad joke was on me because since Doug wasn't there to count down the laps, I had actually done 205 laps, instead of 204. Doh! Still ran my 4th fastest time EVER! I am getting in shape and loving it!

POST-RACE: Said goodbye to Stan, Greg, and Jenn, and then hopped in the car and drove to Buffalo (7 hour drive). Got there around 8:30 after a near death experience running out of gas. Somehow made it to a station on fumes after getting lost on Exit 60 of the NYS thruway. In addition, the automatic replenishment on EZPass wasn't working because of the douche that stole our credit card. I never thought to update the information after that fiasco last week. Got to Buffalo and checked in. Best 38 bucks I ever spent! Hot water, two beds, a/c, wifi, coffee pot, free breakfast in the a.m. TV clicked on but I was too sore and tired to get up and change it so I fell asleep listening to the Oscar/AAs. Kristin Stewart is such an apathetic toolbag!

Yesterday: 12th place, 8th in men's division
Today: 17th place, 13th in men's division 

Total Time: 4:51:54 Total Distance: 26.316 Average Pace:  11:06/mile

Round 2, Day #60: 2.10 miles in 20:12. Legs can bend today, but still sore. Hoping tomorrow for ~4 easy slow miles at this pace. We'll see. Started reading Robin Harvie's "The Lure of Long Distances". Love it already.

Just a stiff legged
runner trying to loosen 
things up. Come on dudes!

"Running to my mind, was little more than a way of getting away from it all, a feeling that is familiar to all of us. The runners I knew understood this emotional illiteracy and we did not have to explain ourselves to each other. When trying to articulate this feeling more fully to those who didn't get the point of running at all, i could only offer a dumb sign of indescribable happiness. I loved it. None of this came close, though, to describing the draw of the intoxicating freedom and self-empowerment that I would later discover to be at the heart of the richness of the running experience." - Robin Harvie

Round 2, Day #61: 4 miles relaxed in 36:29, good for 9:07/mile. Soreness is retreating, the blisters are starting to heal, though the stubborn ones under my toenails keep reappearing (the gifts that keep on giving!). Starting to recover and set my sights on the next race. Highlight of the run was sneezing mid-stride.. truly a weird experience.

Mid-stride surprise! SNEEZE!!
Brief moment of euphoric
happiness. Slog on!

"They understood that running was a primeval action so uncomplicated that it should be celebrated for its purity. It provided a chance to be in concert with nature, offering an experience that was open to all." - Robin Harvie

Round 2, Day #62: 4 miles easy in 35:23, good for 8:51/mile. Legs are rehabbing nicely thanks to the Vitalsox. Only pain is under each of my second toe's nail... subnail blisters that I keep lancing. Painful and I think I am going to end up losing them in the long run. As long as I can keep running though. Big decisions to make about Circular Logic Marathon next month. Emma and I were talking about it and I think it is going to be a go , but I don't think I am driving the 12 hours each way this time due to no more time off. Looking to get a flight into Indiana on Friday night, hopefully a rental car, and drive the hour to the starting line and sleep in the car! Then race, celebrate, and back to get on the plane to fly home. I can do this, right?

Locomotive shines,
Warning lights, go lights time to
make the decision.

"For runners the task is simple: we need to rid ourselves of all the symbolism and metaphor in order to become pure kinetic energy. We must unharness ourselves form the baggage that we drag around with us, free ourselves from imagination, and learn, as we did as children, what it is to run with our feet alone." - Robin Harvie

Round 2, Day #64: 6 miles in 48:37; good for 8:06/mile. Virtually pain free. Toenails have stopped hurting, compression socks off, calf muscles were loose. Felt great! Going to see some good old fashioned "Whisker Wars" tonight in Worcester with Emily. Enjoyed just stretching out and running comfortably today. Flight is booked and paid for to Circular Logic. Now comes three hard weeks of training to get it right and PR and hopefully take a stab at going sub-4. I can do this!

The BART man runneth,
Thine power is a product
of thine own inner strength!

"Heh, my bedtime is earlier than most 10 year-olds." - Rachel Spatz