Space Coast Marathon, 11/27/2011

Whew! I ran very hard yesterday to try to break 5:30. I had two long potty stops the first half, and thought I couldn't possibly make up that much time, but I did my best the second half. I barely managed a 5:29:21. Yeah! It felt so good to reach that goal. The Space Coast course is usually fast for me, and I had run a 5:31 recently, so I had it in my head that I could break 5:30. (It does get harder each year.)

I'm looking forward to the Palm Beaches Marathon this coming Sunday, and will celebrate with two friends who will achieve milestones. Harry Hoffman will run his 200th, and Chuck Savage will run his 300th. Should be fun.

Good run, good friends, good family

I had a great trip to Richmond last week. First, I saw many good friends, which is always a pleasure. I had a good marathon--best time in nearly a year. Saw my brother and sister-in-law on the course, which always helps.

After the run, I spent the evening with my brother and his wife, whom I hadn't seen in way too long. It was wonderful to catch up. And we both vowed to see each other more frequently.

I'd recommend the Richmond SunTrust marathon. Even though it's large--I usually don't like large events--it was very well organized. Packet pickup went smoothly, once I figured out that the actual name of the street is Boulevard. Race start went well, considering the large number of runners. I like that the three distances each started at a different time. The support on the course was great--plenty of volunteers and supplies, including "junk food."

And that brings my total to 112, and it was my 18th state for the second time.

This weekend is a small, cross country in Florida: the X-Country Marathon. This will be my first trail marathon, so I'm curious to see how much slower I'll be.

Keeping going...more goals

My marathon total is now 110 and counting. I've been saying for awhile that I'm "loosely" or "casually" working on the states for a second time, but now I realize that I'm more serious than I thought. I also have hopes of making it to 200 total.

So...I'm doing as many Florida marathons as I can through the winter, and planning new states when I can. My friend Carol and I travel so well together that we are planning our next few months. She just completed the second circuit of the 50 states, and so she can work on her third while I work in my second.

Some days this seems quite selfish, while on others I know that having the goals is what keeps me going, keeps me active.

I'm an ultramarathoner!

On July 16, I ran my first 50K (31 miles)--the Great Cranberry Island Ultramarathon. In case you don't know, any distance longer than a marathon is an "ultra." I had completed a training run/walk of 29 miles two weeks earlier, but still wasn't confident I could hold up to 31 miles. I know how much my feet often hurt after 26, and remember many occasions when I couldn't have considered another 5 miles.

However, I started out very conservatively, with a run/walk interval of 1 x 45, or run a minutes, walk 45 seconds. I also walked up the steep inclines, and then took advantage of the downhills, altering the ratio as needed.

The course consisted of one 3-mile out and back, followed by seven more 4-mile loops. Though it sounded boring, it proved to be an advantage, because it meant that I saw the other runners multiple times. We all encouraged each other, and traded jokes and comments.

I enjoyed running with old and new friends alike, and it was one of the most fun events I've participated in for a long time.

I discovered that taking Advil while I run seems to have no negative effects, and prevents swelling of my feet, thus diminished foot soreness and blisters. I'm not sure I could have completed this event without the Advil. Also, I wore a bandana for the first time, and it not only prevented sunburn on my neck, it also helped to keep me cool when I kept it wet.

Caught a nasty bug

It's hard for me to believe that I'll feel like running another marathon in only 2 weeks. Somewhere in my brain, I know that I'll be back to normal by then, and probably have a good run. But right now, when my sinuses aches, my chest is congested, and my energy is drained, it's hard for me to imagine running to the corner. I had planned to at least walk on the treadmill last night, but I just couldn't work up the energy to get up. I hate feeling this drained.

This started more than a week ago, and I've been on antibiotics for 5 days. It's a slow recovery. When I do feel normal again, I vow to appreciate it.

Next week is the first of 4 weeks in a row of marathoning. Hope I'm ready by then.

Lazy weekend

This was only the third weekend this year that I didn't run a marathon, so I rested. Actually, I had planned to run about 10 Sunday morning, more to try out a new running skirt than training.

Running skirts look so cute on others, and I'm determined to find one that's right for me. The thing is I need pockets. Most skirts don't have them. I bought one, but it's by Race Ready and it has those annoying pockets across the back. They don't work for me. So now I have one by RunningSkirts.com. It has nice side pockets, but it feels as if the waistband isn't firm enough.

I had planned to get in enough miles, with pockets filled, so see if it stayed up all right. Oh well, next week.

I did attend a baby shower for one of my local running friends. It was great fun--saw lots of my local running friends that I don't see often anymore. Thanks, BJ.

Finally made it to 100 marathons

I finally made it to 100 marathons. I did the Ocean Drive Marathon in Cape May, NJ this last Sunday. It was cold and windy, but the sun did come out. Not too bad weather wise. It was a slow day, though. About 40 of us chose to start early, and I'm glad I did. My time was about 6:06. The experience was more enjoyable because I shared it with Carol, Elaine, and Jim--great running friends.

Next up is the Yakima River Canyon Marathon in Yakima, WA. I chose this one especially because it's run by Bob and Lenore Dauphin, who started the 100 Marathon Club of North America. That's where I plan to really celebrate the milestone, along with my dear friend, Jean. Frank will be there to celebrate his 400th!

Now, I need to flesh out the schedule for the remainder of the year.

Countdown continues

I completed my 99th marathon on Sunday at the Florida Sheriff's Boys Ranch, just north of Live Oak, FL. It was a small, very friendly run. At first, I thought that doing 4 6+ mile laps would be so boring, but it actually turned out to be all right. At least I knew what was coming, and had a sense of where I was in the overall distance. No crowds, but friendly support on the course and at the end. Best of all, hot showers available after. If you like small events, you'd probably enjoy this one.

In two weeks, I'll reach 100 at Cape May, New Jersey at the Ocean Drive Marathon. Then the week after that, it's off to Yakima, WA for the Yakima River Canyon run. Mama Jean Evansmore and I will celebrate our 100-marathon milestone, while Frank Bartocci will celebrate his 400th!

Blisters healed, hamstring better

The hamstring tenderness slowed me considerably in Mobile at First Light. I finished in 6:15, and that was a struggle. But it was a fun time because I saw so many wonderful friends there. The after-race good is always so nice there, too. The only negative is the 8-hour drive home.

The next week at Warner Robins' Museum of Flight, the hamstring was better and I fought to make the 6-hour time limit. Made it in about 5:53, 1st in age group. Later, I found that they don't really enforce the time limit; people were coming in long after I finished. If I had known that in the beginning, I might have slowed a bit just to baby the hamstring.

This past week, I was in Ocala again, for the Ocala Marathon. I met great friends at the expo on Saturday, and we had a good time there. The next day, the hamstring was much better and I managed a 5:37. Good for 2nd in age group. The best part was that my pace was fastest during the last 6 miles. Don't know why, but I felt a surge of energy during those last miles. It felt good. For the second year, the age group awards were beautifully decorated horse statues. One of the nicest age group awards I've ever gotten.

This week is Callaway Gardens, GA. This will be #94, still working toward 100 on April 2. Again, I'm meeting good friends, who will surely make the event more fun.

Savage Seven Report, First Light

I've had blisters on my toes for years. Usually they are minor annoyances, but not painful enough to stop me from running. On day 1 of the Savage Seven, I felt a minor pain under my right heel, and thought I had a pebble in my shoe. After two attempts to remove it, I took off my sock and discovered a small blister. After the run, I stopped at a drugstore and bought blister pads and tape for the next day.

Day 2: After a couple of hours, I realized that the small blister was getting worse. By the end of that day, I not only had a large blister, covering nearly the entire heel, but now I had a severe pain in my left knee from compensating. I decided to rest for a day.

Day 4: Determined to finish at least one more run, I used copious amounts of tape, lubricant, pain reliever, and Advil. Didn't help. I limped the last two hours, in pain but unwilling to stop. After I finally finished, I knew I WAS finished. I realized the blisters and the knee needed more than a day to heal.

I stayed around for my comrades who were continuing, and it was a distinct honor to see five friends complete the seventh day in a row on Saturday, Jan. 1. They are, in age order, youngest to oldest, Johnny Spriggs, Cheryl Murdock, Frank Bartocci, Jim Simpson, and Jean Evansmore.

The week-long experience was so rich that we've decided the event should be repeated. Cheryl agreed to plan the event in Pensacola for 2011, and I agreed to do it in Orlando in 2012. Wish us luck!