Advice from Papa Bear

Papa Bear (aka Richard G.) wrote these tidbits of wisdom (and occasional humor) for the New York Flyers monthly Newsletter during the year 2000. Over the years they have maintained their relevance to today's running scene. As the saying goes, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."  Pay special attention to the last 3 months' advice below; this is where we are in the calendar today.  You may find these particular bits of advice relevant to the marathon very helpful.

They were originally published month by month.  Yes, the Newsletter was published every month and mailed (snail-mailed, not emailed) to the membership back then.  Now that, give today's myriad of communications channels, has certainly changed.

January: Cold Weather Running

Papa Bear says: use the 20 degree rule in cold weather - dress as if the temperature is 20 degrees warmer than the thermometer shows.  So if it's 30 out, dress for 50 degree temperatures. If there's wind, use the wind-chill factor instead of the temperature and then add 20 (and remember to wear a windbreaker).

February: A Four Mile Race

This month's points race is the Snowflake 4 Miler on Feb. 26th. Note: this was in 2000.  Next February the corresponding race is the February 27th 2017 Al Gordon 4 Miler. Here's the link: NYRR Al Gordon 4 Miler

Papa Bear says: to run this race you must know the miles. To know the miles you must know their names.
And the name of the first mile is EXHILARATION.
And the name of the second mile is DISTRACTION.
And the name of the third mile is DOUBT.
And the name of the fourth mile is PAIN.
When you know these names you will know the miles. When you know the miles you can run the race.

March: Wet running shoes

Papa Bear says: When you get home from a wet workout, stuff crumpled up newspaper into your running shoes. If they are really really wet, change the newspaper before going to bed. Works like a charm and doesn't destroy your shoes like a hot radiator.

Special hint: take the shoes off before stuffing the newspaper in.

April: Rounding

Papa Bear says: When training, we round our training mileage UP. So naturally 5.7 miles becomes 6 miles in your running log. When racing, we round our finishing times DOWN. So when asked our time after a 3:10:57 marathon we say 3:10, or to be really brazen to non-runner friends we might say "three hours and change". Note how useful the expression "and change" is, use it often.

May: Rest

Papa Bear says: as you get on in years, consider taking an extra day (or 2) off each week. The extra rest may actually improve your performance. Rearrange your mileage into longer runs with more days off in between. Papa Bear has trained just 4 days a week since 1995, during which time he has run 6 marathons and qualified for Boston twice. Rest works! Try it.  

Note: now in 2016, Papa Bear still follows this schedule and you can add 3 more Bostons to that total.

June: Bathrooms

Papa Bear says: if the race starts in 15 minutes and the port-o-san line is 20 minutes long, what to do? GO SOUTH about a half-mile, past Cleopatra's Needle to the traffic light at the top of Cat Hill; turn right on the maintenance road at the light. Bathrooms are in the maintenance building about 100 feet in from the road.
Or GO NORTH about a half mile along the reservoir track, past the stone pump house; go over the arched foot bridge and follow the walkway down to the tennis house. I have always found these facilities clean and safe. Besides you get a nice extra pre-race warm-up.

July: Hot Weather Hydration

Papa Bear says: now that the weather is hot and humid and we must increase those long runs, here's a trick to stay cool and well hydrated. Take a half-full quart container of Gatorade (or your favorite sports drink) and put it on its side in your freezer the night before your long run. In the morning it will be frozen. Fill the empty space with cold water and put it in a plastic bag. Hide it in the park where you will pass by every loop. Each time around take a drink - more and more of the liquid will be melted. It should stay cold for at least 3 loops.

August: Long Run Pacing - your U.T.

Papa Bear says: It's long run season and long runs cause soreness or injury for two reasons: 1) you run too fast, and 2) you get dehydrated. In both cases you break down your muscles and delay recovery. Papa bear says to avoid these problems, run your long runs under your U.T. (Urination Threshold). If you aren't making a pit stop every 5 miles or so, you're running too fast or you're drinking too little, or both. Slow down and drink up!

September: The Bridle Path

Papa Bear says: as you increase your mileage training for the marathon, your legs take a beating, especially you ankles, knees and hips. Give them a break - get off the pavement and run on the Central Park Bridle Path whenever you can. You can run about 2/3 of the way around the Park on this path and your legs will thank you. As an added benefit you will likely see Giorgio in his multi-colored running clothes!

October: Marathon Hydration

Papa Bear says: One of the most important ingredients for a successful marathon, and one that is easy to get right is hydration. 1) The last 3 days before the race, keep absolutely full of water: every time you "go", follow it up with another drink. 2) Race day: drink until about 30 minutes before the race, then STOP. Empty your bladder one last time as close as possible to the gun. 3) After the gun, take a small bottle of water with you and sip from it frequently for the first couple of miles, then throw it away. Skip the crowds at the first water stop, but drink at all the other water stops. If you are running at your proper pace, you shouldn't need any pit stops during the race.

 November: A Great Marathon

Papa Bear says: Those of you who have just had the experience of doing a great marathon, and hopefully you all eventually will, where all your training and other factors have paid off, will know this advice already:
A perfect day and a well executed training plan do not allow you to run easier - they allow you to run harder!

 December: Recovery

Papa Bear says: Now that you have finished your big race it's time to recover. Spend your time in the pool, hiking, skiing, partying and socializing. No hard running workouts or races for several months. Your body needs a break. You'll do better in the spring if you take one.

  

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Looking Back At the Long Hot Summer

by 

Papa Bear 

If you take a look at the title picture of this post (above) you'll see two happy runners at a race in Van Cortlandt Park. It's me and my daughter Susan after both of us won raffle prizes (those hoodies) after the race. I had never before won a raffle prize although I have run every one of these races for the last 4 or 5 years. And my daughter Susan on the other hand, has only run in one VCTC summer 5K before — after all she lives in Portland Oregon. So it was a pleasant and unexpected happening that we would both win one of these prizes and the picture shows our delight. It was also my fastest race in the Van Cortlandt Park series this summer.

So why a title like "Long Hot Summer"? Well I didn't mean to imply it was not a fun summer or a summer when I didn't enjoy the races. It was and I did. But the problem, if you want to call it that, is that although I revamped my training in the hopes of improving my race times, I had very little success in doing that. And I think a major reason was the hot and humid weather that persisted across June and July and into August.

But it wasn't just the heat and humidity — it was an overloaded schedule of races that pushed my speed work efforts into the background. But first a word about that training schedule: in late May, when the summer series of cross country 5Ks was getting underway, I asked coach Joe, my massage guy, if I could fit two training workouts into the two week period between successive 5Ks (which are held on alternate Thursday evenings), perhaps at 1/3 and 2/3 of the way through the two week period.

Double Workouts

He said try something different: the recovery from a tough workout starts primarily on the 2nd day after the workout, not the next day. So do two workouts on two successive days focusing on different types of workout (say hill repeats, and intervals) and then take the next 4 days for recovery. So the double workout should be at least 4 days before the next Thursday 5K, e.g. Thursday/Friday or Friday/Saturday of the week before the race. The table below illustrates how this schedule would look.

	Date	Note
VCTC 5K #1	May 26st
Speed workout	June 2nd	Day 1: hills, Day 2: intervals
VCTC 5K #2	June 9th
Speed workout	June 16th	Day 1: hills, Day 2: intervals
VCTC 5K #3	June 23rd
Speed workout	June 30th	Day 1: hills, Day 2: intervals
VCTC 2x2 Relay	July 7th
Speed workout	July 14th	Day 1: hills, Day 2: intervals
VCTC 5K #5	July 21st
Speed workout	July 28th	Day 1: hills, Day 2: intervals
VCTC 5K #6	Aug. 4th
Speed workout	Aug. 11th	Day 1: hills, Day 2: intervals
VCTC 5K #7	Aug. 18th

So I started out doing just that: I would do hill repeats on Cat Hill (at first just 6 but building up by adding 1 or 2 repeats each time) and the next day intervals at the East 6th Street track (at first 200s with the same number of intervals as I did hills).

I was very tired after the 2nd day but I felt it was the "good" tired you get after you do a tough workout.

Oops! more races

But by the 2nd cycle of this routine, I realized that I had registered for a number of NYCRuns 5Ks, which happen usually on one of the weekends between the Van Cortland park 5Ks. See the next table. So some weeks I had to squeeze my double workouts in between the races, losing the valuable recovery time, and sometimes I had to do just a single workout, or none at all.

	Date	Note
VCTC 5K #1	May 26st
NYCRuns 5K	May 30th	Race: Roosevelt Island
VCTC 5K #2	June 9th
Speed workout	June 16th	Day 1: hills, Day 2: intervals
VCTC 5K #3	June 23rd
Speed workout	June 26st	Day 1: hills, Day 2: intervals
VCTC 2x2 Relay	July 7th
NYCRuns 5K	July 17th	Race: Roosevelt Island
VCTC 5K #5	July 21st
Club Team Race	July 30th	Race Central Park
VCTC 5K #6	Aug. 4th
Brooklyn Mile	Aug. 14th	Race: Brooklyn
VCTC 5K #7	Aug. 18th
NYCRuns 5K	Aug. 20th	Race: Governors Island

It's clear from the table that I was mostly going from race to hot and humid race without much in the way of training workouts between.

Just go with the flow

By the end of June I realized that I was trying to do too many things at once. And since I had no control over the heat or humidity, I just settled on doing whatever training workouts I could fit in without compromising the needed recovery period, and just wait for Fall to arrive with cooler weather and a much more reasonable race schedule. And that's where we are now, September 22, the first day of Fall.

Summer summary

The table below shows the results of the summer giving finishing times and age group awards. Although the times did not improve over the summer there was lots of fun races and good times.

	Date	Finish
VCTC 5K #1 Van Cortland Park	May 26st	32:22 2nd 70+
NYCRuns 5K Roosevelt Island	May 30th	28:42 2nd 70+
VCTC 5K #2 Van Cortland Park	June 9th	30:59 2nd 70+
VCTC 5K #3 Van Cortland Park	June 23rd	32:02 3rd 70+
VCTC 2x2 Relay Van Cortland Park	July 7th	Best costume award
NYCRuns 5K Shore Road, Brooklyn	July 17th	28:49 1st 70+
VCTC 5K #5 Van Cortland Park	July 21st	missed start 35:36 2nd 70+
Club Team Race Central Park	July 30th	51:19
VCTC 5K #6 Van Cortland Park	Aug. 4th	31:57 3rd 70+
Summer Streets Run Central Park to Brooklyn	Aug. 6th	Ice Cream
Brooklyn Mile Williamsburg, Brooklyn	Aug. 14th	8:37 2nd 70+
VCTC 5K #7 Van Cortland Park	Aug. 18th	32:36 3rd 70+
NYCRuns 5K Governors Island	Aug. 20th	29:56 1st 70+
NYCRuns 5K Roosevelt Island	Sept. 5th	28:40 2nd 70+

Susan and Susan with Me

The first photo shows me with my daughter Susan and my friend Susan at the VCTC 5K #2. This was actually my best finishing time at Van Cortland for the whole summer season and it was certainly a delight to have my daughter run one of these races during her visit to New York. Click for Slideshow.

Dorothy and the Scarecrow

The next photo shows Heidi and me at the 2x2 mile cross country relay. We won the best costume award, and as far as our race time is concerned, you don't want to know. It was lots of fun throwing those costumes together from odds and ends and thanks to Heidi, we looked pretty darn good. We won the costume contest (based on audience applause) in a landslide.

1st 70+ at the Shore Road 5K

On July 17th I took the subway out to Bay Ridge Brooklyn for the Shore Road 5K. Unfortunately I got off at the wrong stop and had to walk about ¾ mile to get to the start. Luckily I was in time to get my bib and warm up a little. But cooling off would have been better than warming up – It was bright sunshine, temperatures in the high 80°s and no shade. The 5K and 10K started together but the 10Kers had to do two out-and-backs vs. one for us. I managed a reasonably good race and went home with a 1st in the 70+ age group award. Click for Slideshow.

Crossing Brooklyn Bridge

Late July was miserable – I missed the start due to slow subways in VCTC 5K #5 and lost about 2 or 3 minutes as I spent the race trying to catch up with the back of the pack and the July 30th Club Team 5 miler in Central Park was a death march in extreme heat and humidity. VCTC 5K #6 was not much better but then came the August 14th Summer Streets Run. This is when they shut down Park Avenue and walkers, runners and bikers go down to the Brooklyn Bridge (or up the other way). I met the Flyers at 23rd Street and when we got to the bridge, we crossed over and ran through the recently built Brooklyn Bridge Park to the Ample Hills ice cream shop. Ice cream is the 2nd best thing (after beer) to enjoy after a long hot run. Click for Slideshow.

The Brooklyn Mile

Then came the August 14th Inaugural Brooklyn Mile sponsored by the Brooklyn Running Shop in Williamsburg. I had never run a 1 mile race in all my many, many miles of running so this would be a first. Coach Joe gave me some hints on this kind of race and it amounted to turnover and pacing. We calculated a target pace based on recent race (it was 8:36), and he laid out how to train with some intervals, how to warm up, etc. Well, the horn went off and I went out too fast by about 10 seconds for the 1st quarter. I slowed down down a bit but it was difficult since I had already "shot my wad" so-to-speak. Luckily the last quarter was slightly down hill so I came in at 8:37 and I was 2nd in the 70+ age group. Click for Slideshow.

But it was almost an embarrassment to recall that in my 1992 Grandma's Marathon (see this and this) where I first qualified for Boston, I RAN THE WHOLE DAMN 26.2 MILES OF THE MARATHON AT UNDER AN 8 MINUTE PACE! I know, I know, that was 24 years ago and age takes it's toll, but, but still ...

With Luiza and Pei at the VCTC 5K #7

Moving right along, the last VCTC 5K of the summer was rather more fun than usual, if not faster. Pei and Luiza from the Thursday night Flyers Group Run came up and ran the 5K. It's always nicer when there are friends and teammates there at a race. They give you encouragement and can join you at a post race get-together and of course join you on the long subway ride back to the city. Click for Slideshow.

Governors Island 5K

On the other hand, the last two races of the summer, the August 20th "Governors Island 5K" and the September 5th "Labor Day 5K" did get faster, if only slightly. I took the 7:30 ferry to Governor's Island with an absolute horde of runners. Due to some strategic planning, I was the first to get to the port-o-sans and had a chance to scout out the area. I had been to the island about 6 or 7 years ago when the Coast Guard gave it to the City but a lot had been done since. The race was well organized, as usual, by NYCRuns and went off as planned, if a few minutes late starting. It turns out they had only an hour to set up before the runners arrived.

The route was basically a clockwise circuit of the Island. Views were great in all directions although there was not much shade. But the weather was better than it had been for weeks and I had a credible race, just breaking 30 minutes, and 1st in the 70+ age group. I should note that this race was only 2 days after the last VCTC 5K and just under week after the Brooklyn Mile. Click for Slideshow.

Finishing the Labor Day 5K

The September 5th Labor Day 5K on Roosevelt Island had even better weather and I achieved, if ever so slightly, my best time this year on the Roosevelt Island course, a 28:40. As usual I took a cab at 7:00 to the Roosevelt Island Tramway stop at 59th and Second Avenue and I was at the race site on Roosevelt Island by around 7:40. I felt good in the race but in retrospect I should have pushed the 2nd mile harder. My 28:40 was satisfying, but remembering the 28:42 in late May before the summer weather kicked in, I knew I was back to just about where I started. Of course placing 2nd in the 70+ age group (out of 6) felt good. Click for Slideshow.

After the race, I took the tram back to Manhattan and the bus uptown to meet up with my friend Susan who had just gotten back from a 6 week visit to Switzerland and France where she did some alpine races in one of the most beautiful spots in the world.

We had a nice walk around Randall's Island and ended at Earl's Beer and Cheese for a couple of cold ones. And what better way to end a long hot summer than that!

Fall Arrives

Fall arrived yesterday and on Sunday I'll be back to Roosevelt Island with hopefully some new faster results. I did a solid interval workout this week and a tempo run last week so it's time to move into a productive Fall season.

This post is adapted from Papa Bear's recent post on his blog:
Running and Stuff for 2016

 

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The Ultimate Human Race

Jo R.

South Africa’s Comrades Marathon described as “The Ultimate Human Race” is the world’s oldest ultra-marathon and is famous for its relentless, punishing terrain. Named by founder Vic Clapham in 1921, the course honors soldiers who fought in the First World War and celebrates the comradery runners share when completing the distance. The course alternates each year between the cities of Durban to Pietermaritzburg. On even years the “down” course is 89km beginning in Pietermaritzburg and on odd years the “up” course is 85km starting in Durban. Last fall I signed up for the Comrades down run seeking adventure. Feeling intimidated by the distance, I did not study the course or train much beyond the New York Flyer’s Marathon Training Program (MTP), coached by Brain Rossetti.

Comrades down run elevation profile. Many smaller hills the size of Central Park’s Harlem Hill or more are not represented. The last 10K is brutal and hard to run as the legs are in pain from hours of down-hill running.

            The morning of the race we boarded a bus at 3:30am in Durban and drove to the start in Pietermaritzburg. During the hour long drive I was amazed at the distance and steep rolling elevation that covers 1,800 feet during the event. The race began in front of City Hall in Pietermaritzburg at 5:30am and we were off. The course was slow and congested during the first few miles. Comrades is the largest running event in South Africa and over 20,000 runners participated. As the sun rose over Umlaas, the first of “The Big Five” Comrades hills I caught up with the sub-10-hour bus pace group and decided to run with them for as long as I could. The day before I spoke with Comrades Head Coach Lindsey Parry at the race expo who predicts your Comrades time to be two and a half times your marathon finishing time. Parry said I was capable of running a 9:30 Comrades off my 3:44 Chicago Marathon finishing time. However, as this was my first Comrades expectations weren’t high. The only goal was to finish.

Descending Umlass Road the first of “The Big Five” Comrades hills as the sun rises early in the race.      

Running with the sub-10-hour bus paced by Coach Linda, the group ran briskly maintaining an even 10:28 pace and stopping to walk for one minute every 10K. During the first part of the race the pace was easy and I felt strong. However, after running 50K my energy began to slow and I became scared of losing pace with the group and not being able to make the 12-hour timing cut-off. We ran through aid stations which was stressful as I struggled to grab water, salted oranges, or backed potatoes to eat and maintain pace with the group. I was so afraid of losing the group that I did not make a rest stop for 35 miles. There was an unspoken comradery with our group as we passed satchels of water to each other. I handed Linda cookies and asked if he needed food. One woman who wore a Comrades green number for having run over 10 races provided never-ending encouragement. She explained we were all Comrades helping each other through this race, Coach Linda was our leader, and that he needed us to run behind him and we needed his guidance. We ran together over the hills and helped each other through adversity as the miles went on. As the race progressed I felt more comfortable running a few paces in front of Linda, which mentally provided a bit of a cushion, being a few steps ahead. With 19 km to go Linda said we would “go at our own pace” after the 14k mark and the group began to slow down. At that point running was all mental and we were very fatigued from the constant hills and strong sun. At one point we ran for kilometers down a curved section of the highway at a 45-degree angle.

Running with the Sub 10:00 bus pace group and Coach Linda. Linda is wearing a Comrades green number race bib that indicates he’s successfully completed ten races and the number 50 to signal his age. My race bib is blue, the color for international runners.

            During this part of the race I dug deep and remembered the two NYRR NYC 60K ultra-marathons I’d completed. The first 60K, which I’d run without proper fueling and struggled to finish, you can read about on the Flyers Blog by clicking HERE.  From this experience I knew that once I started walking the race was over, as my body would feel pain and I would move very slowly. Finishing miles 42-50 was a struggle and I kept trying to calculate how long I would have until I was “safe” and could complete Comrades by walking if needed. Finally, during the last 10k we encountered Cowie’s Hill, the last of “The Big Five” set of Comrades hills. The group continued running but I had to stop and walk losing pace with Linda. My quads were on fire from the downhills and it hurt to run. I was in such pain that when I finally stopped to heed nature’s call after running 35 miles without a rest stop I could not squat down. At that point finishing was the only option. I walked/ran the remaining steep hills- that felt never-ending as there were 4 or 5 during the final 10k. As I ran towards the 4km maker I asked a passer-by what time it was. He replied 3:06 and at last I felt relief knowing I would finish. As it was too painful to run I did my best to power-walk, running once inside Sahara Stadium and finished in 10:06:20.

At the finish in Sahara Stadium with my Bronze Medal after finishing Comrades in 10:06:20

            Comrades was one of the toughest experiences of my life. It was terrifying. The course is brutal. But the race is an amazing transformative experience. I’m so impressed by the brave, kind sprit of the people of South Africa. The scope and power of Comrades dwarfs any other running event. There really is nothing else like it. After the race I ran into Comrades legend and 9-time winner Bruce Fordyce at The Big Easy restaurant in the Hilton Hotel. He grinned and said “10:06 for your first Comrades! We’ll you have to come back next year and get your double medal.”

Comrades Bronze Medal awarded to 9:00-10:59 hour finishers.

Some tips on training for Comrades:

Train for a marathon but then add two long runs together to mimic the distance of Comrades. For example, run 13 miles on one day and then 26 the next. For my training I completed MTP and then added an additional brunched run of 10 one day and 20 the next, three weeks before the race. In January I completed the Walt Disney World Marathon Dopey Challenge: a 5K, 10K, half marathon, and full marathon over four days- great Comrades training. To read about my adventures as posted in the Flyers Blog, please click HERE.

Run an ultra-marathon the season before running Comrades as the longer distance will help with endurance. Last November I ran the NYRR NYC 60k in 5:50:58, a great experience to practice fueling, test stamina, and develop mental toughness.

Be fresh for Comrades. Comrades Head Coach Lindsey Parry has stated you can’t run a marathon hard before Comrades and that’s true. The body has to be completely fresh to complete the 56-mile distance. At the end of April, I switched from running the Illinois Marathon in heavy rain and decided to complete the half instead. Good decision. You can’t have a cold or any muscle strains or injuries going into Comrades. If you do run a marathon before Comrades, it should be done at an easy pace. Researching Comrades I read a blog post by someone who said they ran a 50 miler leading up to the race and that ended up hurting them as their body was not rested.

Consider the training differences for the “up” or “down” runs. While this was not something I’d considered before the race, “down” training should have addition strength training to help combat leg muscle fatigue from down-hill running and “up” runs need extensive hill training. Parry has a great post about training for Comrades.  To view it, please click HERE. 

Be aware that finishing Comrades is 90% mental toughness. With 89K, the punishing terrain, timing cut-off, and hot South African conditions you are going to push your body beyond its limits. When you converse with someone after the race and ask “How was your Comrades?” they will usually respond with when they felt physically and mentally tested. Be prepared for this. This is why running a 60k helps. Not just with training but with mental confidence. After running Comrades, I had a conversation with a runner who ran with a marine who told him that Comrades was the hardest experience of his life. American Olympian and Ironman masters champion Collen De Reuck stated 2016 Comrades “was the most challenging event I have ever done.” You can read more about her experience running Comrades by clicking HERE.   Again, be prepared for this. This is a race that brings grown men to tears. But it is also an amazing human experience that I can’t wait to run again. 

-Jo R.

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My Redemption Marathon

Lindi B

This spring, I surprised myself with a personal best in a redemption marathon.  After DNF'ing in the heat at mile 17.5 of the Boston Marathon, my soul needed another chance to finish a marathon with a positive experience.  Initially, I thought I would wait until August or September (just prior to the 2017 Boston Marathon application deadline); I knew from my own experience at Rehoboth five weeks after the NYC Marathon last year that it was something of a long shot for a revenge marathon to turn out as well as I hoped.  But by the weekend after Boston, I was not sore, appeared to have most of the fitness from my training build up and was itching to give it another try.

A few hours of online searches yielded the May 1, New Jersey Marathon as a good choice. The race had scenic stretches along the ocean, was a few hours from home and still had available entries and places to stay. I was moved by my husband Michael’s willingness to go with me and cheer me on, and his encouragement that I try again. We discussed doing it in low key way, not broadly announcing my plans in advance so that my disappointment would not have to be too public if it didn’t work out.

We settled on race goals together. My primary goal was to finish the marathon feeling strong, with a smile on my face. My second goal was to run a few minutes faster than the 3:45, Boston Marathon qualifying time. I would only try to run a personal best, faster than 3:38, if I was confident that I was accomplishing the first two and not risking melting down or an unhappy ending.

In the time between marathons, I tried to correct the fueling problems that plagued me in Boston. During Boston, my water canteen had blown up from the Nuun tablets I needed for electrolytes on a hot day. I learned that I could solve that problem by filling my water carrier less full. During Boston, I was nauseous for 10 miles. I decided to try to solve it by modestly increasing my gel intake, from four to five gels, after listening to a Runners Connect podcast by a fueling expert who said that nausea was caused by the stomach emptying and blood flow then needing to be rediverted from the muscles to the stomach. I planned and memorized the mile markers where I would refill water, take gels and see my husband. I visualized staying calm through anything that could go wrong, and the last miles being very windy and hard, yet pushing through.

Our trip to the Jersey shore was easy and uneventful. It took only a few minutes to pick up my number at the expo, take a cheesy photo with my remarkably tolerant teenaged daughter Kira, and head for a pre-race dinner. We were pleasantly surprised to be able to get a same day reservation at Piccola Italia, a restaurant with good, homemade pasta and swift service. I was unfortunately too nervous to be able to eat very much. We stayed at Cedars & Beeches, a lovely, Victorian bed and breakfast located a few miles from the finish line and near where the marathon route would pass twice.

Cheesy Expo Photo with My Daughter

The night before the race, I was worried. Not only was I going into the race with a poor track record, but I was worried that I had not been able to adequately rebuild my carb stores after getting food poisoning on the Tuesday night before the marathon. It didn’t help that I had felt too nervous to eat much at dinner time. I did my best to fuel on juice, bananas and whatever my body would accept. When pre-race nerves woke me at 3 am, I downed a sesame bagel with almond butter and a banana. At 4:30 am, I managed another banana and the overnight oatmeal I had brought. I started to relax.

My pre-race experience was almost perfect.  After imprinting the image of my sleeping daughter curled up like a cat in her bed in my mind, I arrived an hour before the 7:30 am start. I managed a wobbly smile to Michael when he dropped me off and wished me luck.  got a little thrill that my predicted finishing time got me a number near the front and elite baggage check. Mercifully, we were allowed to stay warm and use the restrooms inside the Monmouth Track/expo building. I ventured into the cold rain 9 minutes before the start and jogged five minutes to my corral. I stepped across the starting line three and a half minutes after the leaders. I’ve got this, I thought. Cold rain, can do.

The first five miles were hard. My Garmin shut down and refused to give any reading for almost the first mile. I wanted to run conservatively, but the large, 3:40 pace group ahead of me was slower than I wanted to start, so I weaved around them. My body was in flex between feeling too hot in the rain coat I was wearing and feeling grateful for when the wind gusted. I felt some relief after unbuttoning it. I struggled with a sinking feeling of defeat in the fourth mile when I started to feel nauseous. Here it is again. How would I be able to manage it for 21 miles? I took a gel, thinking that trying the frequent fueling strategy advocated by the podcast couldn’t hurt. 7:45, 7:55, 7:58, 8:06.

Almost immediately after taking the gel, I felt better. I settled in with the 3:30 pace group and my music. I decided that I would not look at my watch. I would run however felt comfortable, take a gel every four miles, stop for water as I had planned and enjoy my music. So long as I did not let the 3:40 group pass me and get out of sight, I would accomplish my pre-race goals.  I appreciated the spectators who had come out in the cold rain and smiled at their signs:  “Gu now, brews later.”  “You’re running better than the government” and “Touch here for power.” As planned, I stopped for water at mile 9.8 and got a huge lift from seeing Michael and Kira in the 13th mile.  7:56, 7:51, 7:54, 7:56, 8:10, 7:56, 7:57, 7:48

At around that time, we split from the half marathon runners, who turned in to finish. It was a bit hard to see them go, knowing we were really only getting started. When the pace started to feel hard in the 15th mile, I remembered my goal of finishing with a smile on my face, and let the 3:30 pace group go. I coasted along comfortably and happily until my next planned water stop at mile 17, where I tried to make a brief bathroom stop to relieve my full bladder. Ugggh!  Both portapotties were full and did not vacate.  I soldiered on. 7:55, 8:11, 8:14, 8:15, 8:37

Despite some physical discomfort, I started to feel much better when I got to mile 18, past the point where I had dropped out of the Boston Marathon and Rehoboth the prior December. I felt strong. “Nine more miles,” I told myself. “Let’s do it.” Miles 19-21 were mostly along the boardwalk. The winds were gusty, and the surface harder to run on than the road, but I kept thinking that running through it was an amazing, spiritual experience.  This is why I run! I decided that small, scenic marathons were the best for me. My body greedily and gratefully accepted my fifth gel. 8:35, 8:28, 8:25

When the course turned inland, I felt my form starting to degrade, but decisively put one foot in front of the other. I thought of the water stop planned at mile 23 and seeing my husband and daughter again just before mile 25. The 3:35 pace group caught up with me at the mile 23 water stop. A peek at my watch showed my heart rate plodding along at 166. My muscles were getting tired, but I had no excuse not to stay with them and dog it too much. I took a final, sixth gel and felt better. My heart soared when I saw my husband and daughter, telling me that I looked strong and cheering me on. I turned onto the final leg of the race along the ocean. 8:27, 8:14, 8:13

On the homestretch, I realized that I would meet my goals: finish with a smile on my face, BQ, plus get a healthy PR to boot. I choked back tears of joy and gratitude. My music play list cycled to a spiritual song, “Here I am to Worship,” and a flock of geese flew overhead in a perfect “V.”  8:11, 8:13

A few moments later, I saw the finish line ahead. I picked up the pace and couldn’t stop smiling.

I crossed the finish line in 3:34:33. A healthy PR, and 11th in my age group.

I was redeemed.

A few minutes later, I was thrilled to see fellow NY Flyers Nick B, Denise I, and Dana M at the finish line. These connections with wonderful people are also why I run. 

-Lindi B

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