Grandma's Marathon: You Don't Know Dick Beardsley?

Don't know if you know Dick Beardsley? But I was about to as he was the featured speaker at the marathon expo. Also, Dick remains the current course record holder with a 2:09:37 from 1981. Actually he was the reason for my decision to run this marathon, not to take a crack at his course record, but because once I got wind of his story I was truly inspired by the overwhelming life struggles that he has endured both on and especially off the road.

So on the flight(s) to Duluth, MN I began to read the book "Duel In The Sun," which "vividly captures the delicate balance between hope and desperation that characterized Dick Beardsley, Alberto Salazar, and America's greatest marathon (Boston '82)" - so says the back of the cover. Great read!

It was here that one particular phrase jumped off the page and into my psyche. Alberto Salazar's right hamstring injury that he sustained while running 10x200m repeats only several days before the '82 Boston, the author John Bryant described "the pain was nagging rather than debilitating." Finally I could put into words how I felt about my right knee the past few weeks leading up to the race. It wasn't enough to keep me at home (especially with two young kids under 3, haha) but it certainly was enough to have me teetering on the fence of "should I race it or just finish or run the half marathon?" Well, fact remained I'd traveled too far to do anything less than go down swinging.

Expo...



 
Hal Higdon

                                 Kara Goucher

Adam Goucher          

Pasta Dinner, Motel 6, World Cup Recap, Bed @ 9pm
4:30am Wake-up, drive to buses, Wait.. Met Mario from Italy! Bus, Baño, Bag-drop.

Start Line had a beautiful singing of the National Anthem which was followed by the two fighter jets screaming above!! Choked up. Chills and thrills.

Helicopter above taking photos and we're off..

6:31, 6:29, 6:29, 6:32, 6:31, 6:34, 10K 40:31

I knew that I wanted to see no less than 6:40 per mile in order to be under my goal of sub 2:55. This represented a PR, possible 1st corral in Beantown, and another NYC entry. HOWEVER, I hadn't entirely closed the door on the possibility of a sub 2:50 (6:29/mi) and this would be my ultimate demise late in the race. Turns out the bank isn't open on Saturday in Duluth either. So much for banking time early. Lol.

6:32-Gu, 6:35, 6:37, 6:26? -> Mile 10 was playing Michael Jackson's Thriller and I must have felt inspired to throw down because I looked at my watch and saw a 6:15/mi lap pace until I backed off a bit for 6:26.

I took inventory and my knee pain was nagging but not debilitating and I was prepared for the pain to only worsen in the coming miles.

At this point there was a decision to be made because a group of 5 or 6 of us were running together and working to block the headwind off the coast of Lake Superior. If I drop off this group then I would certainly work harder by myself but I wasn't ecstatic about this pace so early in the race.

6:31, 6:35, 6:34-Gu, Half 1:25:52

Systems check at the half was OK, not great due to the suspicion of a possible nature's calling. I felt it was not an emergency but soon this would have to be dealt with before things got ugly. In fact, things were getting ugly as after the half our once proud wind-blocker group had diminished to just two of us.

6:34, 6:42 - #2 - nearly passed the port-o-let @ the mile mark but hurried back to avoid getting caught in between mile markers and facilities

6:42, 6:45, 6:44, 6:45, 6:57, 20Mi 2:13:01

Now flying solo, race plan was intact and it couldn't have been scripted any better. I had 41 minutes and some change for the last 10K to hit the desired goal. But wait what's this? The wheels are coming off... Those early miles had taken their toll and it was a struggle to barely stay under 7 min/mile.

6:56, 6:52-Gu

Ever since the bathroom break my mile splits are outta sink with the course and I've got some blister and toenail issues. But this is to be expected, right? The race doesn't start until mile 20, right? Adding insult to injury was the gusting headwind standing me straight up as I approached the first significant incline.

7:06 (Lemon Drop Hill), 6:59, 7:07 (speed-bump), 6:56

Final Tme 2:56:36 - missed the PR by 7 seconds but it felt more like 7 minutes because my once proud form was reduced to the death shuffle for the final 4-6 miles. What a difference there is to pace a race out and finish strong as opposed to going out too fast and holding on for dear life.

Lesson learned... I think :)

Race Tracker for Michael Kahn

The Grandma's Marathon will be offering real-time results to fans & friends of its race on June 19.
You may signup to receive one of two types of messages text or email.
Thanks for your support in advance!

Michael Kahn

Click HERE to sign up.

The Heat is On!

Under 2 weeks until Grandma's Marathon - I am in official taper-mode as I have completed my last long run this morning with some members of the Charlotte Running Club over at Sherman Branch Park.
It was a hair over 2.5 hours while the distance is a bit uncertain.. probably between 19-20 miles. I was simply praying that I wouldn't roll an ankle or trip on a root as we blazed through the switchback mountain bike trails.

I was also glad we began our run @ 7am, but even earlier would have been welcomed as we still managed to find temps nearing the uncomfortably hot feeling. Which brings up a point about the weather for my marathon coming up.

Originally, I thought that a marathon near Canada in June would be great compared to the summer weather in the south that approaches 90+ degrees.. However, after doing a little research because one of my running partners Tim Budic mentioned that Grandma's was black flagged the previous couple years.. I soon realized that its gonna be a roll of the dice concerning weather. Another running forum even coined it the 26.2 mile Badwater.

Well some things are obviously out of my control and I can only make sure that I am ready to toe the start line no matter the conditions. If the weather cooperates and the winds off Lake Superior provide an air-conditioning effect then great, if not, we'll see... In the end, at least I can take advantage of the Lake for a natural ice-bath after the race and before getting on the plane. Wonder if I will smell funny?

Time to get my rice on!!!

Mizuno Wave Rider 13

Gentlemen start your engines... Finally I broke down and changed running shoes from the Mizuno Wave Rider 11 to the upgraded version the Wave Rider 13. I will admit I am one stubborn creature of habit. I guess there was some sentimental value in the old 11's because they got me to Boston and they ran with me at Boston. However, after searching the internet extensively and coming up empty-handed, as well as emailing mizunoUSA directly and offering to buy up to a dozen of their unsold leftover models, I finally conceded victory. The 2007 Wave Rider 11 has been laid to rest and is among the running god's in a better place. The sole's soul has gone.

OUT WITH THE OLD

AND IN WITH THE NEW

I was actually entertaining a move to Asics because of their overwhelming popularity but it appears that Mizuno has the highest arches in their neutral shoes, which is a dealmaker everytime because I got family from St.Louis...

It seems I was able to buy enough of the older model to infact jump an entire generation of Wave Riders and bypass the 12's. I intend to make friends quickly with the 13's and hopefully buyout their brothers and sisters at discounted prices in the months to come. The first pair was free thanks to the race this weekend, makes me wonder.. Is this what Ryan Hall must feel like? Hmm... no job, free shoes, oh wait I got kids, and soo happy for the fact we do!

Clean Air 5K - 1st PLACE*

*1st place overall with an asterisk because none of my competition could legally vote or drink.. Is this a form of child abuse?

Today, I opted for the easy way-out.. the race that was on the other side of town. This weekend was host to several races in Charlotte but most notably on the RunForYourLife Grand Prix Series, The Great Harvest Bread Co. 5K. Due to the point system involved in this series it would be sure to attract the most elite/fastest runners in the area.

While I had originally planned on running in this one, as the date grew nearer my wheels started turning at the possibility of running the not-as-popular Clean Air 5K and possibly snagging a Numero Uno. Finally what sealed the deal for me was checking out the prizes and the 1st Overall Male and Female would receive a new pair of running shoes from Omega Sports. Sweet!

So I toed the start line @ the McAlpine Creek Greenway this morning 8AM sharp. I surveyed the competition and saw more than a handful of High School Track guys that donned their school colors and bright running shoes. Then we were off..

Within the first half mile I saw my pace on the Garmin screaming 4:54 so I decided to pull back slightly as I was being passed by three young high school kids. Man, I feel old. Crazy thing is that I actually thought of quitting again! What is that? Second time in as many 5K's that I was going to pull out before the halfway mark. Anyways, I gotta do speedwork and crunches but nevermind..

Once my heart rate lowered and I found a groove we were at the 1st mile mark in 5:30 flat. The course turns a bit uphill and I was able to pick off two of the guys that took off in the first mile. Then suddenly I was passed by a guy out of nowhere that had some serious spring in his step.

2nd Mile ended around the lake in 11:28 said the course monitor, but Garmin says 5:53. At this point the XC course cuts up thru the woods and back out. I felt pretty confident that I would simply maintain my position as the two ahead of me were about 10 seconds faster. Dug deep for an extra gear and didn't really find much there.

3rd Mile 6:03, really just cruising and not killing it. So I figured I 'd take 3rd place and go home, HOWEVER as I approached the finish they held out the tape for me to break it and announced that I was First Place. But, wait.. How was that? Well, it turns out the other two guys were bandit runners that didn't register and it is questionable if they even began at the start line or jumped in from the woods after the first mile.

So it was a victory but I think the reason it tastes different is because I didn't think I had won during the entire race and couldn't "enjoy" the feeling of being in the lead once, not at all. Plus I would have much rather broken 18min AND won. Course measured 3.14 on my watch, wet ground, high mileage week, pick from any of these excuses.. I need to get back to core strenghtening with my Medicine ball V-ups.
Yet I won't complain as they gave me a nice round of applause and $100 gift certificate to buy a pair of running shoes. Not bad for 3rd/1st/whatever place. The Omega Rep was not happy about me wearing my TrySports gear at the awards ceremony. Lol.  :)

Miner's Run - Charlotte Running Club

Finally, several months after becoming a member of the Charlotte Running Club, I had my first official group run. For some reason my initiation to the group was the 5:30am "Miner's Run"..YAWN! thru some of the local Greenways in South Charlotte.

This was a great experience and I intend to do it again very soon. While I didn't have my own headlamp, there were plenty of other runners there to light the way for the rest of us.. Note - The guy on the right wasn't one of them, unfortunately.

It is amazing to me that I have run and trained in the past running alone more often than not. The energy and conversations of a group setting can be both distracting as well as intriguing while the miles seem to just clip off effortlessly, well almost. I finished off this mornings run with my second ever "deuce in the woods." That's right, when "nature's calling" I am getting very accustomed to fertilizing some local plant life.

Good things are sure to come from running with faster folks and plugging the minds of some of the most elite runners in the city while sharing our common passion on a morning run.

6 WKS TO GRANDMA'S & 6 MONTHS TO NYC

So, I looked at the calendar on my phone today and counted the Saturdays left until my next Marathon in Duluth, MN. Exactly six weeks from today... This is great news because if it were any sooner I think I would be in trouble. My training this past week was not the volume or intensity that I had hoped as I was struggling with an upper respiratory congestion that my generous 2 year old son, Milo, brought home from daycare for mommy and daddy.

I am hoping that my dead legs and general lethargy are a result of this minor sickness and nothing more related to an overused and under-rested body. It is important to note another possibility that seems to be common after a big event. As I read here, often times the lead-up to a huge race or life event can leave those involved in sort of a funk after the dust settles and the excitement comes to a close.

My experience with this is the reason that I entitled this blog, "There is NO Finish Line." Sure, I stole it from Nike, however, for me it resonates on the level that life is a journey. While we celebrate great achievements of hitting goals that we set or perhaps life moments that we anticipate with a child-like energy, in the end its the journey defines us. It is those 20 milers, those speed workouts, those great carb-loading dinners with family that makes the sweet symphony of life's experiences so beautiful.

I plan to throw down two separate 20 milers in preparation for the race as well as 3 weeks of close to 70-80mpw then a slight taper. Now thats the "plan," but as I read in Og Mandino's book, The Greatest Success in the World,
"God plays chess with us. I am convinced that occasonally, He intercedes in all of our lives and causes things to happen. Then He waits to see how we deal with His move. Some react in a manner that will enhance their future. Others may fight back with anger and despair. And then there are those who act not at all. They are the living dead, spending their days whining and complaining and never making any attempt to change their lives for the better."

On a side note, I have successfully got my hotel and plane reservations for the NYC Marathon and from the looks of it this will be one to remember!

Get ready for the Big Apple!!!

Sandy Feet 5K

Report from the small 5K in downtown Matthews today...
Somehow my alarm was not set, or didn't go off rather, and I rolled out of bed @ 8am for the 9am start.. Still plenty of time as the race Start Line is a mere 3.5 miles from my front door. My intention going into this race was nothing less than a 1st place finish. Sounds a bit presumptuos presumptious prezumbchewus or overly confident? Well, this expectation wasn't all necessarily based on skill level you see.

It has been a sort of hidden agenda of mine to come in first place at a race.. sure this could be done by training harder and getting more fit than the competition or... simply by picking the right race. By the right race I mean "the one that nobody knows about, or the one that the fast guys aren't attending." It has been my experience that these races are found on some of the outskirts to the bussling metroplis of Charlotte and often are run on some of the very same days as the larger races that attract the so-called elites of our running community.

Today was one such day.. I counted about three separate 5K's within a 20 mile radius as well as Two separate Half-Ironman competitions in nearby locations that were for sure going to "thin-out" the competition and dilute the strength of the field. While I am no slow-poke, I am no Carl Lewis either and my running career has only recently taken flight as I have surrendered the bottle for the throttle, or let me try that again.. I have given up the 12 pack for a 6 pack... no, how about I stopped throwing up and started growing up. Well, you sort of get the idea anyways.

So when I heard that my little town of Matthews was to hold their Inaugural Sandy Feet 5K, I thought for sure this would be my day to slide on in there and grab me a Numero Uno. On that note, as I exited the Port-O-Let for a Numero Dos it was then that I noticed Aaron Linz, President of Charlotte Running Club. Great! I thought. What the heck is he doing here and shouldn't he be running the The Charlotte Run for Peace at Home up the road @ McAlpine Creek?? Oh well no bother, I settled into my warm-up routine and got to the start line. We chatted a bit and he asked me my Boston time and instead of telling him 2:14 like I wanted, I told him the truth.

9am and finally we are off... I assumed postion in second place and went out hard and fast. I wasn't sure what to expect from my legs after an ok week of recovery runs but I quickly felt myself red-line right about the one-mile mark.
I felt an annoying rub from my Brooks T-6 on my achilles and eventually this would chafe its way to a blistering friction annoyance. Excuse? No it wouldn't have altered my finishing position but it did account for a handful of seconds on the clock. First time and probably my last trying to run in a racing flat as no matter the distance I seem to be comfortable in my trainers.

Interesting that the thought to quit passed by me @ mile 2 and I had'nt felt like that during my entire marathon.. something about the speedwork of a 5K.. its a different kind of hurt that I had forgotten; plus my legs are coming off the quadtastic Boston experience.

I knew it wasn't a PR day for me and I wasn't catching Aaron out in first and there was no sight of anyone behind me so I settled into a groove and finished in 18:00 flat. The highlight of this one was the unexpected 20 dollar gift-card bonus to 2nd place.. sweet! Results Crazy point of irony to mention is that the other two 5K's in the area had winning times of 17:54 and 21:30! What? LOL.

Milo had a nice run after the 5K as he participated in the 1K Fun Run and he made a nice showing with a strong finish. He was able to pick off a couple kids late in the race that were nearly double his age. Way to go Milo!!

Recover, Reload, Rethink

This past week has been the slow but inpatient process of recovery. It happens that I have never been this sore after a marathon. That was quad-tastic! It doesn't hurt any less by waiting so I have started the process of running some shorter distances to get the blood flowing. I must recover, recharge, and reload for the next marathon that is about 8 weeks out. I am super happy to have this marathon in the schedule for a number of reasons...
a. it is an opportunity to set a new PR on a fairly flat course -sub 2:56:30
b. there is some unfinished business with my race at Boston because of my injury during training
c. I can mark another state off my quest to complete 50 marathons in 50 states, and most importantly
d. I will have the opportunity to meet some legends of the sport in Hal Higdon, Dick Beardsley, Kara Goucher, and Valeriu Tomesco all whom are speaking at the Expo on Friday.

In the meantime, I intend on running in some other local races during my marathon training. You see, while sidelined for 3 weeks due to an achilles injury, I was given ample time to reflect on my training and I was sort of upset that I didn't race on my current level of fitness before it all went south. I was in pretty darn good shape at the end of February and purposely did not run in several races including a Half Marathon in Columbia for fear of injury on my way to Boston.

However, as Murphy's Law states.. "If anything can go wrong, it will" and in fact it did but I did not benefit from racing on my tuned up fitness level in the process.

Perhaps the 5K races will help with some speed work and confidence going into Grandma's Marathon in June.

Believe the Hype! Boston 2010

Charlotte Douglas Airport Sunday afternoon already contained more than a dozen @ the gate sporting their vintage Boston apparell from years past. This already had my heart racing in anticipation for the weekend to come. I sat on the plane next to Sean Mooney who was racing his 2nd Boston in 2 yrs and when he slowed his voice, looked at me, and said "this is your first? Well, believe the hype! It's incredible." The plane couldn't get to Logan Airport fast enough for I was already grinning from ear to ear. We traded war stories, races, and goal times for this years race. Time literally flew as did we.

Landed. Mom and I Checked in @ hotel. Convention center packet pickup. Duck Tour. Dinner! My sister joined us in the room. Sleep.

5am wake_up and 20 minute walk to the buses at CommonWealth Park. As I exited my hotel room I met Christopher awaiting the elevator as well. Here was a spitfire of a 49 year old, 5 foot nothing, 100 and nothing lbs ready to race. He convinced me not to take a cab and instead we chatted about goal times and such during our 20 min brisk walk to the bus line. I feared I needed more breakfast than the bananas and bagels available at the village so I split from Christopher, not sure if he heard me as he was talking continuously, and invaded Dunkin Donuts for an everything  egg and cheese bagel hold the cheese.

6am sitting in the bus awaiting departure. Guy next to me apologizes ahead of time for "just waking up" otherwise known as "Leave Me Alone." 20 minutes into our journey Steve awoke and we swapped qualifying races and more goal times. He also offered advice on hotels just outside of Boston for half the price then connected using the public T-train.

7am we arrived in the Athletes village. Brrrr. Damn its early. I was given an extra trash bag from a kind runner to protect from the wet ground and stake my plot of land in the open air circus-like tent for the next few hours and just chill, literally.

8am Yawn.. Banana, Bagel, Granola, Bathroom - phew! Decided to drum up a conversation with my fellow runner and camper Paul for the next hour or so. Paul was 37 from Michigan also running his first Boston. He sat upon a childrens size sponge bob lawn chair which kept his butt off the ice block of a ground. We again swapped qualifying races, goal times, and stories of our kids which passed the time effectively.

9:15am dropped off my bag on the bus to be taken to the finish and listened to a guy named Ryan tell a few others how to race Boston. Ryan was in the first corral and was not shy to tell a few folks gathered about how he ran a 2:45 in Boston a few years back. He gave one tip which I feel was very useful. Shorter strides on the downhill with greater turnover so as not to bang the quads down the hill. This I hadn't practiced but he seemed convincing as he claimed he was a high school track coach from the area.

So then it was the 0.7 mile walk from the village to the start line. Can you feel the energy?? It was electric!

Made my way to the second corral because my bib# was in the 2000's and in order to do so you walk past corrals 14-3 in descending order based on your qualifying time. This was cool because it was quite an ego-boost. The only thing better would have been the first corral right behind the elite runners. I was wearing my throw away sweat pants and an older long-sleeved shirt but most importantly in my arsenal were 2 empty Gatorade bottles.

That's right, my baño-2-go! As everyone stared at the two F-16 jets screaming overhead I was going potty in the bottle. I didn't need both so I offered my unused bottle to my neighbor who seemed obliged.

Next we saw Ryan Hall and the elite runners come out 4 minutes before the race.. U>S>A.. Threw the clothes in the donation bag, Star Spangled Banner. Said a prayer and..

10am BAM! (Gunshot) We're off...

Unlike anything I have ever experienced was the feeling of running amongst hundreds of runners all while trying to hold back my pace and not go out too fast. By far these were the easiest feeling 6:3X miles of my life. Felt like I was walking or even running backwards as everyone passed by. Runners were spraying left and right into the woods for emergency pee breaks in the first miles.

5K  20:32  (6:38 pace)

I settled into a pace and began to ask runners around me what their goal time was in order to gauge my pace as well as hitch-hike someone's pace and run with them because I had no watch. Unfortunately, my watch said low battery in the village so I left it in the bag and deemed it my fate to fly blind. Fortunately, there were clocks at every mile AND every 5K mark. Can you say World Major Marathon? Indeed.

10K  21:22  (6:54 pace)  41:54 Total - 1st Gu

Finally, the speedsters had thinned out and I was now with runners from mostly the 3rd corral as I could tell from their bib numbers in the 3000's. I settled in with an older guy from Toronto running his 3rd Boston with an ultimate goal of a sub 3 hour time.. perfect!

15K  21:24  (6:55 pace)  1:03:18 Total

My "pacer" was near but I began to stray and sort of "feel" my pace as we strolled down the hills. I couldn't help but run near the sideline and give high-fives to the many kids lining the streets. It felt worth it as they would light-up and yell to their parents everytime a runner smacked their hands. Note: This would be helpful on training runs to not only place water bottles along my route but also 6 year olds. :) Felt like a pro.
20K  21:20  (6:53 pace)  1:24:38 Total - 2nd Gu

Nearing the halfway mark I remember taking a sort of inventory and the result wasn't great, I felt fatigued as my legs weren't entirely fresh considering I was only halfway done. However, I was on pace as planned and could here the faint screeching of the girls at Wellsley College in the distance.
Half Marathon Split 1:29:17
Race plan of Sub 3 was in tact so I couldn't resist the temptation of doing the Boston tradition of randomly hurling myself towards a suspecting student and smacking a kiss on her cheek. I halted to a stop and kissed the first girl I saw and off we went while the screeches faded away.

I was preparing myself for the coming uphills and trying to remain smooth and relaxed. I met back up with the guy from Toronto and chatted with a few others sort of killing time as we all knew what lay ahead... I remembered reading recently that the race begins at mile 18 and that served as my mental preparation for things to come.

25K  21:16  (6:52 pace)  1:45:54

At Mile 16 we encountered our first significant uphill after a steep downhill past the 25K mark. The change of elevation actually came as a rather welcome feeling because we were forced to use different muscles i.e. ones that didn't hurt yet. I enjoyed the uphills but did not motor-up them for fear of bonking late. It was definitely beneficial to read 26 Miles to Boston and already have a clear idea as to which hills were at what location, no guesswork. Into Newton Hills.

30K  21:44  (7:01 pace)  2:07:38  - 3rd Gu @ 17

Coming out of the 30K checkpoint I was thinking about some of the people that might be tracking my progress in the race and there was a great connection I was feeling, something like I wasn't alone and we were all in this together. Or more like, "don't stop asshole." As I finally crested Heartbreak Hill, it was bitter-sweet. I knew that was the last of the hills but I also knew there was like 5 miles remaining. The wheels were coming off and it was time for damage control. People were dropping off like road kill as they shuffled on the sideline while being harassed by the Boston College kids. Drew a line in the sand, I wasn't going out like that.

35K  21:51  (7:03 pace)  2:29:29  - 4th Gu @ 21

This is the Boston freagin Marathon, if not here, where? I was thinking if I can just get to 24 then the energy of the crowd will carry me home. I knew that it was tight to make the sub 3 goal and I didn't feel like I had any 6:30's left in the tank. The big Citgo sign in the distance was teasing me as it remained in the distance for far too long. There musta been a  local guy named Mike running right behind me and this worked out great as he had a lot of friends yelling "GO MIKE!" which benefited us both.

40K  21:51  (7:03 pace)  2:51:20

Finally the turn off Beacon past the Citgo sign and eventually onto Boylston. I dug deep for that extra gear but it wasn't there so I scanned the crowd for my Mom and Sister but there were far too many people so I put my head down and finished.

42.2K  9:18  (6:49 pace)  3:00:38 FINISH

I am here to report that for this one day, for a brief 3 hour period on a spring day in April, Ideality met Reality and clashed but this time Ideality was the victor and Won! I got to be that rock-star, that professional, that seemingly unstoppable force for a moment in time that can do no wrong! It was the epitamy of my running career to this day. Not especially because of the time I ran, as it wasn't a PR, nor for the place I finished - 1400 something, but rather for the look in the people's eyes both on the sidelines and in the race... there was magic and spirit in the air and I was right in the middle of it. Boston met and exceeded every expectation bestowed upon it. Now I am hungry for seconds... God Bless!

Photos courtesy of Jim Rhoades go fish :)