Grandma's Marathon

In the crisp dawn air, looking down a corridor of pine trees, I can see Boston in the distance. Granted, it's a 1500 mile drive from where I stand now, and a good 9 hour flight from my next home, but today, all that lies between me and that race is a 26.2 mile time trial along the lakeshore. 

But let's not forget the title of this blog. After humidity, gastritis, 53 hours awake traveling home, 1000mi of driving in 3 days and housework, I had a tough transition to say the least. But the hits kept coming as we found our flight leg from Chicago was delayed (17 hours in the end). This would lead to a missed connection to Duluth. We tried to get there another way, another airline, no go. What if we flew to Minneapolis, Madison, or Milwaukee? No, full. What if we flew from Lansing, Flint, or Detroit? Sorry, no seats on connecting flights till Sunday or Monday. We had no choice; we drove. I put in a good 5+ hours to Beloit, WI before we took a rest in a Super 8. After 6 hours rest and a quick bite, we drove on trading the time behind the wheel in order to save the legs, arriving after about another 6-hour haul. Expo, dinner and rest was all we could manage before a 4am wake up. 

Not the quick flight we planned on

Jumping into the last open seat on the bus, I sat and joined 59 other hopefuls singing "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield which was blasting over the radio. I would hear those lyrics in my head throughout the day. 

Staring at the blank page before you, Open up the dirty window Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find 

All feelings of guilt about my cheat shoes left me when I look around me in the corral and see nothing but Nike Vaporfly shoes on every competitor. The weather, which has been in the high 70s the last week and is aiming for 80s and 90s on Sunday and Monday now has cooled to the mid-50s. The sun is out and the wind, with strong gusts, is from the Northeast, so we have a tailwind the entire way. There could not be better circumstances for the race. 

I break tradition, Sometimes my tries are outside the lines We've been conditioned to not make mistakes, But I can't live that way 

Early miles peel away. Though I have targeted a 7:01 (3:04 marathon), I can't seem to avoid running between 6:51-6:57. It's all time in the bank, and I have to ease way back in order to not drop even more time. By 10k I have nearly a minute in hand, and by halfway, I cross in 1:30:20, which is just too fast. I can't go slower it seems, but at the same time I have no delusions about going sub-3. My only goal from this point forward was to not hemorrhage back time.  

Full stride near the finish

I see Sarah and my friends with whom we worked in South Africa, Jay and Sara, at mile 19. All systems are go, and I feel as if I have not yet began to race. But a letdown sets in, and Lemon Drop Hill looms in the distance. In 2017, I don't remember this hill but as I see it coming over the next mile, I know I am going to remember it this time. Slowing significantly up the overpass, I managed to grab back most of the time lost on the up, though it is my first "slow" mile at about 7:03. My stomach sours significantly and I now have 4 miles left to hang on. At 24, there was not much left in me. As Gary Bjorkland said, "Grandma's Marathon starts in the middle of the woods, runs along the beautiful shores of Lake Superior, and finishes at a pub." I say, it was "19 miles of bliss, 5 miles of work, and 2 miles of absolute pain."

Trying to hold on to sub-7 pace around 23 miles

Reaching for something in the distance, So close you can almost taste it

Thank god the bricks have been removed from Superior Street, but even though I wanted to push at this point, I had nothing. The bridge over the highway was a zap, and as I came off the back side, a stiff headwind blasted me in the face. I had been yo-yo'ing between 6:55s and 7:03 per mile for the last few.  I turned off the water along the freighter and a guy that I had been near all race said, "Go with me. Come on!" I told him I was broke, and he said just go, but when I stuck the pace, he was not with me. Oh well. I rounded another corner, saw Sarah at 26, and just held on. I could go no faster, and I crossed the finish line in 3:01:39 with absolutely nothing left. I put it all out on the course and came home with nothing to spare. Collapsing into the arms of a support crew, I was put in a wheelchair, my vision blurred and dizzy. It took a few minutes but I got up and walked out of there, 8 min and 21 seconds to the good of Boston. In all my training I did not think I would get here, especially not after the injury and the heat and stress of leaving China and driving all the way to the race. I probably have not run a better race, or at least not in a long time. 

Pretty jacked at the finish but looked at watch for first time

Drench yourself in words unspoken

I have not run faster in over 20 marathons, spanning back more than 8 years to my last Boston. 

My time put me 11 min faster than 2017 but yet I finished 129 people back this time. This race has obviously become much more competitive. The number of women around me for multiple miles outnumbered the men at that time, something I have never seen in any race. But I didn't come here for anything other than a time to get me into the Boston Marathon, and it is pretty safe to say I have done that. While there are no guarantees, I must be in. In no time in the 10 years since the BAA has held a graduated qualifier has the accepted time been over 8 minutes. I expect to be admitted, but I will have to wait until September to be sure. But for now, I am a BQ'er and that makes 3 straight decades of my life that I have qualified for Boston. 

Today is where your book begins, The rest is still unwritten

For my Fourways boys - see you April 2023!

Pre-Race Jitters

When 2022 began, I set a goal to requalify for the Boston Marathon and join my friends from South Africa back in Beantown for the 10th anniversary of the bombings. My first real training in several years was sailing along and I was building mileage and nailing a pace that had me scoping the 3-hour marathon again. Then one day, for no rhyme or reason, I finished a run and went to the ground. Searing pain in my lower back had me doing MRIs and physical therapy. It ultimately proved to be a strained muscle, perhaps a stressed ligament in the hip area, which pulled on the back/pelvic joints. 

The injury cost me 15 days off and another 2 weeks to get back to reasonable running shape. In that time, the weather turned disgusting, and regular runs were leaving me stumbling to the finish, with legs twitching all day, a constant headache, nausea, and even occasional diarrhea. I'd had enough. There was no way I was going to be able to do the kind of training needed to run a Boston Qualifier in these conditions. Running was supposed to be my outlet, my break from the stress, and instead, I was going on runs and suffering, only to be more and more fed up with the Chinese on the path, cutting me off, covering their mouths and noses as I ran by, and blasting annoying music. I called off the marathon attempt - well, I would still run in June but easier, no pressure for the time. I cut back my mileage to 40mpw, took away the 20 milers, and readjusted the goal pace to around 7:19/mile (about a 3:12). I started to feel better and running became manageable again. 

When it became clear that my fall marathons would be too late to use for Boston, I had a choice to make - miss Boston or pony up and do the work and hope it was enough to give it a go. So I got back to it, adding mileage and resuming the long run. My weeks got back to 50 or so miles with a few workouts. I went from 0 runs over 16 miles to doing three 20 milers in three weeks. Karma for my injury came full circle when weekdays of gross heat and humidity turned to slightly cooler, rainy Sundays, making those long runs possible again. I wasn't running necessarily all that much faster than pre-injury but I was running longer, more consistent workouts in significant humidity, and I was feeling great, recovering well, and my hope is that all these months put together will pay dividends when the gun goes off June 18th. 

Then the humidity became bad. I got gastritis in the final weeks and no run felt good. I even took an extra day off at the end. Stress was at it's highest in the final days, trying to leave a country with no certainty of being able to get out. It was not an ideal finish. 

Some key workouts are listed below:

• 10x1K - most of them under 4 minutes.
• Continuous cutdown run. 1 mile easy. 3 miles @MP (7:10, 7:00, 7:02) 3 min jog, 2 mi @ HMP (6:47, 6:39) 2 min jog and 1 mile @ 10K (6:15). 
• After a 10 miler, I planned on 2 mi warm up and 4 mi MP. Instead ran 7:13, 7:12, 7:02, 6:53, 6:34, 5:58 in a cold rain, absolutely unloading. 
• 2 mi warm up. 3x2mi @HMP (6:40, 6:37) 3 min jog. (6:31, 6:31) 3 min jog. (6:38, 6:36) 1.5 mi down.
• 10mi "warm up" with Sarah in 1:18:47 and then changed into the new Vaporfly. 8mi solo sub MP (6:52, 6:49, 6:53, 6:52, 6:49, 6:46, 6:48, 6:44).
• 4 mi warm up. 2x4mi @MP (7:10, 7:08, 7:04, 7:04) and (7:09, 7:05, 7:08, 7:04) with 3min walk. 4 mi cool down.
• 2mi warm up. 4x1200m (4:46, 4:44, 4:48, 4:48) w/ 2min walk on each. Then 4x400m (88, 88, 85, 87). 2mi down.
• Yasso 8s (800m) in 2:59-3:01 w/ 2 min recovery. 

China was oppressive, both in weather and behavior. There was a lot of racism and anti-Westerner sentiment that made things challenging. Two years of no travel outside of China (and restricted, stressful jaunts here). It's one thing to be challenged by the weather and another to be challenged all of the time in every aspect - from professional to athletic, to personal. My only two marathons in China were 6 days after not running for 3 weeks in hotel quarantine and the other after a summer of no running due to heat and after 8 days off in Tibet. Hell, even before that I only jogged a marathon in my final year of India. So it's been a hell of a long time since I challenged myself to rise up. Just getting to the US was a breath of fresh air. I can only hope that just 6 days of not working, eating well, cooler weather, and stability/security will leave me primed for the hardest race I will have run in many years. Will it be enough? Time will tell.

Literally. Not only has the Boston Qualifying time for my age group dropped from 3:15 to 3:10 in recent years, but Boston has also become so popular that on any given year, it takes a time 2-7 minutes faster than the cut-off to be accepted. Not only does this mean I have to run faster, but I won't know how fast it takes to enter until September. Sitting on my run for more than three months until I find out my fate is not the easiest way to do this (assuming I go sub-3:10 in the first place). But I have no choice. Come decision day, my time will be accepted or it won't. 

The Pain of Potential Dreams

 Well, I didn't start a blog with this title to publish stories about things going smoothly. 

I have been running better than I have in years. I felt good. But we know this does not last when 2020/2021 continues into 2022... After two months of consistency, base, and improved pace, I have hit a roadblock. 

Thursday - March 3. A 10-mile workout. After a 2 mile warm-up, it's 3x2 mi at half marathon pace. I cruise them in 6:40-6:30s, but I feel a clicking in my butt. It is uncomfortable, but it doesn't hurt and doesn't stop me from running well, so I persist, that is until the workout ends. The second I stop, BOOM! I cannot walk. There is a pain up my leg that cannot be good. I limp home on the cool down but when I change to shower, I cannot stand. I am on crutches that night and know this is a big problem.

Was it too much volume? (Doubtful). Was it the new shoes and a footstrike issue? (Probably not since it didn't happen with the new shoes and didn't hurt Mon-Wed on different runs in different shoes.) Am I getting old? (Yes, but that's irrelevant). It is possible that with this increase in training, my weak right ankle has led to an imbalance and it has created this problem. Maybe not (due to accute onset), but I'll work on it just the same. 

A visit to the doctor Friday and then an MRI Saturday. The pain which was radiating all over my back and ass Friday has subsided and is now localized directly behind my right kidney but on the bone. I fear stress fracture, just as I had back in about 2006. Alas, the MRI is negative, but I cannot run. The pain is oscillating between my pelvic bone/sacrum area and deep in my ass cheek, like where the leg plugs into the pelvis. One time it hurts there, then later it hurts on the pelvis (back). It seems to change daily and over the day itself. 

I go to the physio for a 2nd opinion, and he stretches and cracks me in 50 different directions before sending me to do a series of strengthening exercises. I am free to cycle so I put in an hour a day on Zwift, wanting to kill myself out of boredom. Monday (10 days after the injury) I am back in for more stretching and strength. The pain is no better. We decide to back off the cross-training and exercises to alternating every other day. I was supposed to be back running by this day so I am devastated. 

There is no fracture. There doesn't appear to be a tear (I can do explosive movements). He thinks I have a problem with the pubocapsular/pubofemular ligament. This puts pressure on the sacroiliac joint, which explains the floating pain. I'll buy that. So with no break, tear or inflamation, what do I do? He says recovery should quickly.... I took Celebrex for 6 days to no effect. Icing shouldn't help (but I do it anyway). I then sat on a hard massage ball for hours a day, trying to release this stress. Improvements came. So I started running. After 15 days off, I tried and failed. The next day was better. I struggled the following. So I booked an appointment with the city's best sports medicine doctor. He thinks it is a muscle strain, gives me topical rubs, and says we do a shot in the sacrum gap if it doesn't clear. 

Now I am a week of jogging in and looking like I might be past it. I have lost endurance and speed. 

At the new year, I had more than a training plan's worth of time to prepare. I was solidly moving toward a fast time. All that work gone. Cardiovascular fitness lost. Consistency. I will have to build back now in less than 3 months, and do the most significant distances and workouts in the highest temps and humidity. We have hit 90 degrees in March with humidity never to abate. I don't have high confidence in my ability to do what needs to be done. There's no excuses, only this time to get it done. But it will be a challenge now, moreso than ever before. 

They lured the men away
They promised wealth and riches
A thousand miles from home

Fifty-seven men on the hardest mile
Murdered for their troubles, left to die
Immigrant sons from Donegal, Tyrone & Derry
Their numbers were few but they did the job of many

The Hardest Mile -Dropkick Murphys

The Call of the Road

COVID has been awful - full stop. From a running standpoint, I have little to show for it. After my full run of the White Pine Trail in spring 2020, things have taken a turn. I managed the GZ marathon in December 2020 after almost 3 weeks of no running due to quarantine in moving to China. After taking most of the sweltering summer off running, I ran and won the Homeless Love marathon after a week off touring Tibet in Oct 2021. Now, all other races in China are canceled for the foreseeable future, meaning no return to the Great Wall Marathon for me. 

With the move to Europe nearing, I will have new opportunities. No more pitiful void of routes and events. No longer will humidity stifle my drive. An abundance of races will be in my neighborhood, and a plethora of beautiful cities will host more races than needed. It's time to rediscover my purpose.

2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing. My best training buddies from South Africa were there that day and they plan to return a decade later. I went a year after the bombing in an attempt to ensure my freedoms cannot be taken away. But in order to join my comrades for this anniversary, I would have to re-qualify - something that poses a significant challenge when the last two years have been pure junk running. In fact, I have not posted a BMQ (Boston qualifying time) in 8 years, at that very aforementioned Boston. At 41, this becomes one of my more difficult endeavors. In order to do this, I am going to have to do something I haven't done much of in the past decade - train.

Normally, I just run. Whatever miles I bank training with an XC team or getting out there most days is ok with me. I typically average around 30 miles a week. But that will not be significant enough to work this time. Other times, I race into shape, running races and finding fitness in the moment. But there are no races this year - I'll go from October to June without the chance to run one. I need a sub-3 hours, 10 mins just to register. That time alone will likely not be enough to get me in. Due to field size, faster times get priority. It could take a time 3-6 min faster to get in, which will not be known until long in the future. Due to a lack of races, I have determined my best chance of doing so is at Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN, on June 18th, just 6 days after landing back in the USA after nearly two years away. 

I am largely following this plan, but improvising the month of May with other workouts I love. I had an extra 4 weeks from when I started the plan to the taper, and I am unsure how I will handle the heat and humidity of May. It is amazing what a little consistency can do for a guy. After just 4-weeks of 40 miles per week, I am strong and fresh. Due to the pace required, I have had to add two days a week of workouts in order to ensure that I have a threshold that will allow me to push the pace come race day. Holding on and surviving won't get me qualified. Additionally, I am using the long runs as a third workout, splicing in segments of marathon pace and faster to prepare for the race ahead. My workouts have been spectacular so far as I am punching out all of my goal times with relatively little effort. My recovery is solid. I am cautiously proceeding as to not push the pace or miles beyond the plan and risk overtraining and/or injury. If I do that, I only have myself to blame. At least this way, I have a plan to follow and then can offload some of that blame on the plan ;) The plan peaks at around 60 miles per week, and I feel that is sufficient for the work. I will emphasize pace over high mileage. 

My biggest fears are twofold: heat and safety. The humidity will be a problem. I have never run well in it, but the silver lining here is that I will be 1) in better shape going into the harshest months and 2) I will gradually ease into the hotter and wetter conditions rather than just starting right into the storm. I can only hope it is enough. Speaking of hope, I have another issue. Flights are banned to/from the USA and China. We aren't 100% sure if we can get back in time. Once there, I don't have a vaccination (the China one is insufficient for US standards). So, I have to get vaccinated immediately and hope that I do not experience side effects in the days prior to the race. We all will have to isolate somewhat as Omicron rages on because getting sick in the days prior to my one shot at this time will be the worst-case scenario. 

A new addition to the plan will be the experimentation with some of these high-tech shoes. I have the Nike Vaporfly Next %2 - a significant investment in my goal as they run about $225. I'll try them out for portions of the workouts/long runs closer to the race to get the legs used to the formation. I can't say I love the idea of the "cheat shoes" but they give a significant advantage and I could use the help. If they are legal, I am open to the idea. 

Space-age monstrosities

2020 sucked. 2021 sucked. Will 2022-2023 be better? Only TIME will tell. 

A Win For Homeless Love

I am not usually much of a charity runner. Races like Comrades and Boston, well, I have just qualified for rather than raise money to buy a spot. Maybe it was COVID and the thought of people suffering made me want to give back. Maybe it was COVID, and a lack of racing opportunities had me yearning for an event. Either way, COVID was to blame and when my local watering hole, The Happy Monk, sent out a notice to run to raise money for Homeless Love, a charity organization that makes and delivers meals to the homeless, I was in. There was just one problem.

I wasn't running. Hmmm. In my younger and more vulnerable years, a 2-month notice for a marathon would have been extreme. Hell, I could run a marathon in the past on two days' notice. But this year, the heat and humidity of China limited my training in the spring (not to mention a total lack of anything to train for). When we were not able to go home for summer, we traveled China, and weeks went by between lacing up the shoes. I coached cross-country, but the few days a week of 3 miles at 10 min/mile were hardly going to count as training. I needed to do more.

People do not understand, but it's hot here in Guangzhou. That's an understatement. It's hot here like ghost peppers are spicy. But the humidity is the killer. All summer and fall, it has been ungodly. After the summer break, a 3-mile run left me near death. Literally. I felt as if I ran another mile, I would end up on the ground. Slowly I got used to running in the heat of the day and even extended my distance a bit, toying with double-digit runs (something I hadn't seen since December's marathon straight out of quarantine). Sarah supported me strongly, growing her long run to join mine and then jumping on a bike to support and grab drinks from stores while I added mileage. I supplemented my running with biking on Zwift to avoid the heat (but was sweating no less). I dabbled with morning runs to add mileage to my relatively short and slower runs during XC practice. I became acclimated to the humidity (somewhat) and started feeling like maybe, just maybe, I would run this thing. Then the other shoe dropped.

Tibet has always been on my to-visit list. When I lived in China 13 years ago, we wanted to go, but political unrest shut it down to foreigners. It stayed that way for a while. COVID did nothing to help, keeping it closed since the onset of the pandemic, and my attempt to secure a permit in the summer failed. With haste, I applied again in the fall but with no real indication, it would happen. With less than two weeks before travel, my permit was approved and we were off to the roof of the world. 

The problem is, we couldn't run. You are not free to roam about in Tibet, not to mention the fact that you spend your week between 12,000-15,000 ft. elevation. Regarding my training, when Sarah asked me what I would do if we got to go to Tibet right before the marathon, I said, "Acclimate." I brought my running shoes just in case. After 5 days off, I went for a two-mile jog, so slow and breathing so hard it hurt. I snuck in a 2 miler and 3 miler on the last two days of the break to make for a whomping 7 miles in 8 days! So after a week in Tibet we returned to the flatlands with 8 days before the marathon (this is sounding familiar...)

I pitched up to the race with little expectations other than it was going to hurt. Thankfully, the heat was down and the humidity was replaced by a stiff breeze, the best day of weather from March till early November! The race started at 8am in the Happy Monk - yep, IN the bar - that was a first. We jogged out and down the trail. I knew I was looking good since most people would be in the half marathon and no one was making a bid for it. The first loop was relatively uneventful despite the fact that there were supposed to be three water stops and there were none. Also, we were so "fast," there was no one to guide/marshal the course so, at a crucial turn, I was pleased I watched the video tour in advance. Others weren't so lucky...

I ran much of the first 10k with a small group of Brits, then on ahead with a Chinese guy, but by 10 miles, I was alone. I crossed the half marathon point ahead of all of the half marathon runners, but I still had a lap to go. The good news was I felt fantastic. My longest run in a year was 13.1 miles. My attempt to go 15 ended in a dehydrated, crumpled heap on the ground weeks ago. I have run a lot of races but this was a long way on my own. It wasn't until 15 miles that I found Sarah waiting on a bike and this provided the first water I had all race. It would prove to be a limiting factor. Just then I was stopped by the traffic police for about 3 minutes. The pain rushed to my legs and the momentum died. Once released, I started up the stairs to the steep bridge and things started to go backward. I sacrificed a slow mile to get over the bridge and then got it back on track, but that was the last I "kept pace." The final 8 miles were a bit of a slog, and the pain really set in by the end. Also, this was a Sunday morning in China, so people were all over the bike trail, constantly stepping in front of me. I was not at my best and may have shouted at children and old people. 

But like all things, it soon ends, and I crossed the line a good 20 minutes ahead of the next guy for my 6th marathon win (2nd in China). This marks my 81st marathon and my first since December 2020. This wasn't a race about time or place though. It was about getting back out there, hurting a little, and remembering that not everyone has had it as easy as I have. 

Finishing strong despite a rough last 10k

Pretty glad to be done. It was getting hot.

81st marathon; 6th win

The Happy Monk Marathon raised 57,500 yuan, not bad for 50 or so runners! That will provide about 11,500 meals to the homeless, which is a win in any book!

2020 Guangzhou Marathon

I was hoping for my 80th open marathon to be special. But as 2020 reared its ugly head, opportunities fell off the table. As December neared, I was about to find out if I could, in all actuality, run a marathon off the couch. 

GZ marathon is done by lottery (for a look at the registration form, check this out). It was always my intention to run it, but as COVID wore on, I was stuck in the US, barely running, as we worked from 6pm-midnight or 1am, then got up to work 7am-noon or 1pm all fall. My runs, when it wasn't raining, windy, and freezing (my winter clothes are in India still), were short and lackluster. When the lottery opened, I passed, saying maybe next time. But that sense of adventure was grumbling and if 2020 has taught us anything, it is to take an experience when we can get it. I entered, was accepted, and realized I had 1 month to get ready.

However, smack in the middle of this 1 month period was a move to China. We spent the first week running all over the state for COVID tests, documents, permissions, packing, and closing the house. I barely jogged. Then we flew 2 days to get to China and were placed in a hotel for quarantine for 15 days, unable to leave the room. I made the most of it, jogging in place. FOr 15 straight days I "ran" nowhere, bouncing around the few feet allotted to me, barely getting the heart rate up. I worked up from 30 min to 1 hour, most days at 60 min, using none of the muscles I needed for distance running. To make it more challenging, we ate only delivery food for every meal, and cigarette smoke from other rooms blew into ours most of the day. The 20 min core-floor routine I set out to do left me staring, my nose inches from piles of many long, black hairs (and quite a few short ones). It was a disgusting trial and after more than 2 weeks, we had fresh air and sunshine again. The race was 6 days away.

The first three days of freedom were hectic with all kinds of clearances and registrations mixed up with shopping to set up the house. Going from 23 hours a day of laying down to 12 hours of walking and standing shocked my body. I got out for two runs along the river in my new hood, but the 4-mile jaunts left me destroyed! Shin splints ripped my legs up like a newbie 6th grader, and my quads ached. I took the next day off and slugged Ibuprofin like candy and iced with frozen hot dogs. On Friday morning, I got back out there for a 2-mile jog. I averaged about 9 min/mile. Yep. This was going to suck. That night was the school's Christmas party and to add insult to injury, I was in a 1-month no booze commitment. Mind you, this had nothing to do with the race I was about to foul up; rather, just a reset after many, many months of life in the US on a lake during COVID. With the stress of trying to get out of the country, packing, traveling, quarantine, and all the celebrations of the holiday season (and newly arrived in China), it was a real testament to mind control to put in this month.  I would need that mental fortitude on Sunday. 

 

Daily registrations online declaring my temp and exposure to the disease were required daily for the two weeks prior. A negative COVID test was also needed a few days out. We had to register for a time slot to pick up the packet and bib. There were temp checks, the COVID test results, and an app that had to be completed prior. 

With three days of running (10 miles total) in the last 25 days, pain was in my future. I took the metro to the start, along with 20,000 of my newest friends. The race was highly organized and easy to navigate once on the ground (not so with the online presence). Small, red dots lined the corrals keeping people 1m apart. While this was not adhered to, there was far less scrunching and shoving than I would have expected, though I was in the B corral. We had 70 degrees and 86% humidity at the start, and it promised to be a warm one. My regimen of anti-inflammatory drugs would probably raise concerns with WADA, but it got me to the start line without the injury I had earlier in the week. The gun went off and I felt like I was in a 5K. There were too many people so it wasn't fast, but I went out in 8:21, and people blew by me like I was standing still. I had no choice; after almost 3 weeks of doing no running, I had to start smart. I ran an 8:06 and a 7:58 the next two miles, then put the breaks on. At 5k, people were still passing me by the hundreds. I have run enough races to know they wouldn't last. The only pandemic facing this group of runners was a sickness of wearing VaporFly shoes to run a 4+ hour marathon!

I was locked in pretty good to 8 min/mile pace for a long time. By 10 miles, I was right on, and my watch had me spot on 1:45:00 at halfway (the course took a jump around 11 miles and my watch and the "official" markers were no longer in sync - They had me at about 1:46 and change). The crowds were plentiful as the race ran mostly along the river. From 14-18 miles it got a little drab as we got away from the water on an out section. I kept it chill, never pushing, though the pace started to come into the high 7:40s on its own. I was ecstatic with how the run was going. I thought 4 hours might be a real possibility earlier in the week but now, with 10 miles to go, I was on track for 3:30. I couldn't have asked for more as a light drizzle washed over us. 

Everything was good until 21. I slipped to an 8:12 with a water stop, and the reality that I was completely unprepared started to sink in. Somehow I brought it back under 8 for the 22nd mile, though that was the longest one of the day it felt like.  The last 5K were.....a negotiation. I had no ego, no pride. There was no time I needed to hit and no one around me I felt compelled to beat. I was just glad to be out here, to be able to race during a pandemic, and to be able to run a marathon, let alone my 80th, on essential no training. I slipped off the pace but by seconds, not minutes. I refused to give in and walk. I would run till the end, no slower, and yet I didn't need to bury myself to get there. I stayed in control and maybe gave up a spot here and there to a charging young man, but for the most part, I continued to pass many people who had gone out so hard. 

The final Ks were quiet as no fans were permitted in the stadium for the finish. I passed 26.2 miles on my watch in 3:29:58, and that was good enough for me. Nearly 500m later, the finish line arrived, and my time was 3:32:15. I am not going to be a Garmin bitch but I had the course 0.3 mi long and on this day, that mattered! Either way you slice it. - watch or course - I ran a deadpan even split 1st half to 2nd. It was, perhaps, one of my finest executions of the 80 jaunts so far. But before I could relish in the accomplishment, I went through some pretty rough post-race moments. The legs were done, the bowles in cramping, and I got dizzy if I stopped. It was a long and painful limp from the line to the exit, then a 1km walk to the restaurant where I toweled off in the bathroom before destroying some enchiladas.  I waddled on down to Bravo Brewing and enjoyed my 1st (and 2nd and 3rd) beer in a month!  

To say I did this "off the couch" would be hyperbole. I did do some running in the weeks before travel. I did bounce around during quarantine, and I didn't fit in 3 jogs the week of the race. But to do a marathon off of it, at 40 years old, let alone in 3:30? I am stoked.  By 8K I had run more than I had run in nearly 4 weeks, by the half I better my longest in the fall, and at 20 miles had eclipsed what I would have to go all the way back to May to exceed. It had been more than 9 months since my last marathon, a gap I have not had in marathoning since I began.  I missed so many races this year but I got this one done. I always say a marathon is a marathon, no matter how fast you go, and this was the epitome of that phrase. 

 

White Pine Trail

When COVID-19 hit, I needed to do something when the world was falling apart. When the lockdown happened in India, I took to the campus, running laps around the Tiger Turf. Run, turn left, repeat, about a billion times. I was running 5-8 miles on that small, rectangular field, begging for an overuse injury.  But on that first run I got the idea in my head to do a marathon on campus - that's about 943 left turns on the turf.  Unfortunately (or a big blessing), we took an evacuation flight out of the country that week and repatriated to the USA for the duration.  My Two Hearted Marathon (that I missed last year due to the ankle injury) was canceled.  Disappointed, I needed a new goal.

Dinking around on Google Maps, I found a trail that I have crossed over and back in the car or a bike every time I went to Big Rapids. Four years of owning this house and I had no idea there was a great trail 15 minutes from me. The White Pine Trail is a 92.2 mile, former railroad track-turned trail, that runs from Walker, MI (Grand Rapids) to Cadillac, MI.  It is the longest such trail in Michigan and a state park the entire way (perhaps one of the most narrow state parks in the country!). The trail is relatively wooded, oscillates between paved and dirt sections, and passes through about 10 quaint towns. People run, bike, snowmobile, and ride horses on it. With it right there, I had to run it. Due to my recent disastrous history with ultra events (see pretty much every endurance story I have written in the past 7 years), I quickly pushed out the idea of running it straight through. But why not run the whole thing in segments?  My journey had begun.

Since coming back to the US, I had been getting back in running shape. I bumped the miles up, did a 20 miler (which I didn't even do in prep for my fall or winter marathons), and worked up to 60-70 miles per week. I ended a 20 miler with a 6:30 mile. But my best day was the day after I did a 13 miler.  Three days before I had slipped a disc in my back helping a friend move junk and was in major pain. I then headed out for my run which was going to be a double run; instead, I did the 13 miles straight in about 7:20/mi.  I felt great, so when I had 12 miles more the next day, I was pumped. The route was partially on dirt roads and was very hilly, but I was flying. My last 6 miles were under 7:00/mi and my last 5K in about 20:20 or so, and I was still holding back. The next week I did 5 straight days (14, 12, 13, 10, 10.5) of double digits, all in single runs.  I then ended the week poorly with many days on the boat, in the sun, staying up late, and celebrating too much with end-of-year goodbyes. I spent Memorial Day eating brats and tater tots. It was not ideal. Tuesday-Sunday I had 100 miles to run, and for 5 days I would be on the White Pine Trail.

Day 1: Comstock Park to Sand Lake
21.5 miles
3:00:59 (8:25/mi)

Start 6:25am
I arrived at the non-descript trailhead as dawn was breaking. Today was the hottest day of the year so far, and it was a steamy start. I wandered off, feeling very clunky wearing a vest after not using one since the Grand Canyon. I started very slow, cautious not to run too fast too early. Sweat was dripping in the first few moments, and I was soaked by mile 3. Soon after the start, I merged with the true WP trail, having run about a half a mile farther to get there. The trail is mostly flat so there was not much variation, and on I went passing runners and cyclists. I felt better by 8 miles or so and drank about 40oz of water during the run. It wasn't enough. I was goosed in sweat on my first day of a big week, and I knew that would factor in. My feet hurt (all the pavement?) from mile 16 on, and although my time dropped a lot by the end, I was very determined not to run faster with 4 more days left of big runs on this trail.

Start of the trail

finishing up with the girls 21.5 miles later

Leg 1 is done

Day 2: Sand Lake to Stanwood
20.4 miles
2:52:07 (8:27/mi)

Start 6:32am
I was really worried about today, fearing not being able to recover from the first day. But right out the door, I felt better than I thought and even had to put the breaks on early to keep in smart. I saw so many people on the trail yesterday but today I saw just 3 the entire time. It was super humid again and everything seemed to roll on well for a while. But I started to feel cruddy around 12 and bad by 16. The last 4 miles were a huge struggle as I felt really empty and had a sour stomach. Upon finishing, I was pretty spent and struggled most of the afternoon trying to re-hydrate. Temps crept toward 90 again. It was 17 degrees hotter than the historical average for the day and 26 degrees hotter than the same day a week earlier. I picked the wrong window for this run.

Start of leg 2

A rough finish 

Hurting bad after 20 more miles in the humidity

Day 3: Stanwood to Paris
16 miles
2:21:04 (8:47/mi)
Humidity: 94%
No. of people I saw on the trail: 3 (1 cyclist, 1 runner, 1 dog walker)

Start: 6:24am
Recovery yesterday was a problem. I couldn't hydrate well, had no appetite, and was very sore. Today started poorly and continued throughout. It was stinking wet out there (with blue skies) and I stumbled from the start. My slowest mile yet was my first one and although I got it back together, I needed multiple walk breaks to get keep from shutting down. I pushed an extra mile on the trail today (to limit tomorrow's distance) and I paid for it dearly. At the finish, I hunched over and threw up. I was dripping with sweat just standing there.  The rest of the day was uncomfortable, stomach off, with a splitting headache. My face was ashen and sunk in. My body was not handling the humidity and I was hurting. I feared not being able to finish this journey.

Not excited for leg 3

Post vomit at the end, very done and dusted

 Day 4: Paris to LeRoy
19.34 miles
2:51:47 (8:53/mi)
# of people I saw on the trail: 1 cyclist (in the final quarter-mile)

Start: 7:37am
Amazing what a good night's rest can do. I awoke with less of headache and pain in my legs than I had in the previous 36 hours. I got a later start owing to the cooler temps and further away starting point. Rain greeted me early and held for more than an hour, ranging from drizzle to pouring. The humidity stayed high but the temps were much lower than previous days which helped. I never felt good but even though today was rough, I never felt worse than I did yesterday or in the final miles of day 2. I managed 10 miles of consistent running before taking a walk break and then did 2-3 miles after that with a brief (~1 min) walk. Every half mile felt like 2 full ones, and my pace slipped low even though I felt like I was running faster. I arrived in LeRoy short of distance but the trail broke away from the road and I ended up getting picked up 1.1 miles further down than anticipated. Feeling much better than yesterday, going the extra mile did hurt a bit. But I came home and had a better day than any other, going for a boat ride, doing some dishes after grilling, and a short bike ride. It was my first functional afternoon of the week. I am looking forward to finishing this trail.

Start of leg 4, ready to rock

Finishing up well with Kaze

4 down, 1 to go

Day 5: LeRoy to Cadillac 
15 miles
2:02:54 (8:11/mi)
# of people on the trail: 20+

Start: 8:39am
The dawn was crisp, 40 degrees cooler than this week's high, and humidity much lower. It was the perfect recipe for the final day. I had 15 miles of trail left, my shortest day, due to going a bit longer on each of the two previous days. I huffed off, making good time on the trail, but not feeling great in the legs; my IT bands were tight and I felt like I was limping a bit. But my pace was good, and I kept on down the trail, determined to finish this challenge off. I felt better as time went on and soon I was cruising. With a few miles to go, I let go of the worry and cruised, dropping the miles below the 8 min mark. I arrived in Cadillac to an anticlimatic trail finish - the wide path ended at a road and a sidewalk continued around the lake. Neither had a trail marker and the 91st wooded mile marker I had seen was nearly two miles ago (and I knew the trail was 92.2 miles by reports).  That about sums it up: an anticlimactic finish for an anticlimatic trail. Paved nearly all the way with almost no turns, there are many better trails, but this one was a good challenge to take on. I felt brilliant afterward, buoyed by the finishing speed and the culmination of 5 days and nearly 100 miles of running. We ordered food for take-away and ate by the lake, chilly in the wind.

Leg 5 - the end is that way

The finish in Cadillac, 92.5 miles later

Rounding out the run for an even 15 mi on the day

And because we like round numbers, I did a nice 7.8 mile run on Sunday to make it 100 miles for the week. I finished the last mile with my girls running with me.  In 6 days, I had run more than I have ever run in a week (excluding the week of a 100-mile race).  It was very difficult, but not because I couldn't handle the distance. My body was used to bouncing back from 15 mile runs in 7:30/mi pace like a snap and I was feeling the best I have felt, maybe ever. The humidity to start (3 straight days of 90% or more humidity) left me empty, dehydrated and trashed. My body doesn't respond - water doesn't go in or stay in. I deteriorated. The last two days of the trail (when I already had about 60 miles beneath me) were much better because the weather improved. If I had this good weather all week I may have been able to do it much faster, or if I did this trail over 6 or 7 days I would have flown. Then again, if the humidity stayed, I may not have finished, or worse. So, silver linings...

Views From the Trail

My motivation stemmed from several sources: I kicked it off with David Goggins' Can't Hurt Me, an inspiring story about from the hardest man alive. I re-read Running with the Buffaloes, Once a Runner, and Lance Armstrong's It's Not About the Bike.  I watched movies like Remember the Titans, Lone Survivor, as well as some of Armstrong's races. If I choose to suffer, it really helps to remember what others have gone through. I wanted to see if I could do it. Why I don't think the body wants the long ultras anymore, I know it has the potential to do more.

Once a runner...