PEERtrainer Log for ed_ http://peertrainer.com/ed_.log Tue, 21 May 2013 01:12:33 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ 2013 Fargo Marathon race recap @ 35,000 feet 05/19/2013 Just a quick trip to Fargo, North Dakota to rock the Fargo Marathon on Saturday, May 18, 2013. It was the 2nd of 4 Saturday races I'm going to be doing this year. The two remaining are Run With the Horses marathon on Saturday, August 17 and New Hampshire Marathon on Saturday, October 5. Both races are sure to challenge me and inspire me as I go on towards my goal of 50 states marathons from Hawaii. The Fargo marathon is lifetime #56 and state #35 for me. It was the first time I ever been to North Dakota for anything, so it was interesting to know that Fargo is one of North Dakota's only cities that camps right behind the state lines bordering Minnesota. After coming off my 3 states in 8 days challenge in KY, WI, and MI, the double PR, and a whirlwind of memories and friends in those states, I looked forward to the new challenge ahead and the travel jet lag that came with crossing time zones without rhyme or reason. It was awesome to be able to just jump out of bed, lace up the shoes half asleep, and be ready to knock off 26.2 miles. Still insane to me that I can do this stuff on command now - with proper motivation of course. The Fargo marathon promised me a flat and fast course, but as it turned out, there was some ups and downs to make the course hilly in some spots, but overall it was flat as advertised. The weather forecast called for thunderstorms that morning with temps reaching to 80 degrees. We got that later in the day, but the morning was cool and wet, which was very much enjoyable. All I could say is that the 2013 Fargo marathon is a top 10 favorite of mine and hope it will be yours too. The short race weekend started on a Thursday evening, when I boarded my flight out of Honolulu to Phoenix, AZ on my first ever US Airways flight. I have always been with Delta or United, but this is a first, since US Airways was the cheapest for the itinerary I wanted. So, I decided on trying them out. After the on time arrival into Minneapolis-St Paul, the jury still is out on this one. After meeting another Marathon Maniac & 50 Stater from Atlanta, GA, I picked up my rental car and drove to Chanhassen, MN to pick up another Marathon Maniac, whom has a Fargo marathon streak going. During our 4 hour drive on I-94W towards Fargo, my MM friend realized that he had not registered for the race and there was no online registration. With extremely good luck, another MM friend who happened to be at the expo helped him register with cash and an assorted race bibs that were "not used" and were reassigned. Just needed to type the info into their timing system. My MM friend was relieved and everything was happy again during the drive over to Fargo. I had thought of flying into Fargo, but it was cheaper to rent a car and drive. I was sure that the scenery out there on the interstate would be nice, but it was basically all farm land with really nothing for miles. Whoops. After arriving in Fargo at 8pm, we immediately headed towards the Fargodome and got our packets. I was to do the early start, so I informed the timing guy of my intentions. Even though the course limit was 7.5 hours, I wanted to start early and finish early, so I had more time to do other things and relax. Once that was done and looked over the expo quickly, we headed over to the Olive Garden, where our MM brothers and sisters were having dinner. It was great. Even though most of them were already finishing up when we got there, it was nice to see everyone before they headed off. After a nice meal of lasagna, breadsticks, and salad, it was an early night for us, as we made our way back to the North Dakota State University dormitories, where we were staying the night. These dormitories were really basic, but I guess that's what college dorms are usually before you move in. Two beds, two chairs, and a small cabinet. The walls were chipping away and it just felt like you were in prison almost. It was far away from the Hilton, but it was cheap and a 5 minute walk to the Fargodome. Can't complain too much, I guess. Race morning came hard and fast. I must've gotten about 5 good hours before getting 2 extra hours of broken sleep. The alarm went off at 5:30am. I quickly scrambled to get everything in order, since I was doing the early start at 6:30am. It was a low key start, since it wasn't publicized. We all met in the Fargodome and had a few photos too before proceeding to the start line. I was thankful for going to my rental car and putting the parking pass inside, since I found another MM friend and he directed me to the Fargo dome, since I kind of don't have a sense of direction sometimes. The race director was there to see us off. I saw Larry Macon there, owner of 1,000+ marathons lifetime and at least 9 times around the US states. It was always a blast to see him and shake his hand. I also saw a few other MM friends and mentors who have inspired me to run many marathons, often and in different states. They are amazing and are 10 star titanium maniacs. It was great to hug them in the cool wet drizzle at 6:15am. We didn't care, it was awesome to get a group photo before we headed off before the regular start at 8:15am. The first few miles were quiet, just me breathing and running. The faster pack sped off, leaving the stragglers to do their own thing, which was fine. I wasn't the one to be harassed by the police escort, as the last one out there on the course, so I felt real good about starting early. I got shin splints in the first half mile, which was always a bummer. I'm not sure what it is, but it happens more often than not. And so, I just had to power walk it off and hoped for the best. At times, I would stretch my calf out on the nearby curb or stretch my hamstrings / quads to get loose. The discomfort lingered, but I kept powering away and saw the first 4 miles disappear into history. The first 4 were always the hardest. Then came 5 and 6. Once mile 6 came around, I knew I had less than 20 to go. The shin splints came and gone by mile 4.5, so I started running intervals and seeing whether or not the elites were starting to come through yet. The beauty part of the early start was that the porta potties were basically clean and not smelly. So, I decided to step into one at mile 7 and do my business. I guess I can trust porta potties once again, but only if I am doing the early start at my races. The first few miles were wet and cool, running through the residential areas of Fargo before transitioning into downtown Fargo. The landscape was transformative with large buildings instead of residential homes and that suburban feel. We crossed busy intersections at times, but it was very much a small city. For most of the course, the residential areas were paramount here, only twice we saw downtown Fargo and the famous Fargo Theater. There was plenty of cheer zones along the course, especially when the route went through residential zones and the homeowners were outside cheering everyone on - the rabbits and the tortoises. Everyone was celebrated that morning for what they're doing and that's just incredibly cool. There were timing points at mile 5, 12, and 20. Some parts of the course were unmonitored out and back short loops, so it was possible to cut the course. There were other check points on the course, but I didn't think they were timing points, just a course check point, to make sure everyone crossed it. After hitting the 10 mile mark, I felt I was hitting my stride and the cool temperatures started to fall apart, but at least the occasional cool breezes was always welcomed. The first elite breezed by when I was at mile 11, followed by his pursuing competition. By mile 12, the course crossed into this little oasis park thing, which happened to be a relay exchange point, with a lot of spectators. It felt awkward running by there, but it was nice to be cheered for, so it made me run faster for a while. It was a semi large loop before venturing back onto the paved road and onward to half way at 13.1. There was no timing point here, which was weird, but then again, the race knows what's best (or not). They know what they're doing - supposedly. With that in mind, half way done, half way to go. And as always half way is not done, if you are running any distance. With that in mind, the course tended to be an out and back of sorts, since I saw some of the things in the first half now in the second half, so most likely it was an out and back. The most important thing was that I saw each mile marker and followed the stream of marathoners towards the finish line. Along the way, I saw many MM friends along the way, along with another MM/50 states finisher, whom ran her 200th lifetime marathon the week before and is celebrating her 2nd completion of the 50 states in Fargo. It was amazing to see her and wave at her while she was at mile 8 and I was passing mile 14. This passing kept me going, kept me moving and I had to anyway. It was a new state on the line and I could not afford to come back to redo if I can't help it. Pushing forward was a must and I did just that. I counted down the miles: 14, 15, and 16. It was amazing what you can do when you just focus. Along the way, my strategy was to pick off people ahead of me who started to walk. I made my move then to catch up to then. My strategy failed when the sun nefariously came out and spoiled my PR attempt. The temperatures rose quickly and the sun in my face did not help at all. Ugh. Best I could do now was to just move inspiredly and just move period. At mile 18, I met up with a MM and 50 stater whom was getting married in Hawaii, while finishing her 50th state in Hawaii and her 100th lifetime marathon. We talked about Hawaii stuff and asked for advice about what to eat, since she wants to put on a luau and she's a vegan. Hard to do, I told her, we parted ways after mile 20, only to be found by my MM/50 stater mentor, who also happened to be a 10 star titanium maniac as well. To be one, you would need to run 30 states in 365 days or 52 marathons in 365 days (once a week). We traded stories and polite conversation on a nice walking pace before she trotted off since she wanted to get under 5 hours. I forgot to congratulate her on a job well done with her 2nd circuit, but I can do that later. Only 51 years old and she has over 150 marathons to her name. Amazing! With that in mind, I just had 5 miles left to go. With the heat climbing, I just had to keep on going. This day turned out harder than I thought, but its what challenges us that makes us tougher to kill. I guess that's true in a certain sense. I had to dig deep and cross that finish line and can cross off North Dakota off the list and not have to come back - unless I felt the need to do so. The end was near and I could just taste it, but it was far enough to be disappointed. So close yet so far to go. The last miles were just a walk-a-thon, basically. I hit the wall back at mile 20 and I was having a rough day. The weather can be a real mean bitch at times, and today was no exception. Heat does slow a runner down and in the course of 26.2 miles, it can damage you like nobody's business. But, I kept on going. Moving like I had to go somewhere and be someone, I marched towards the Fargodome and to the finish line. Miles 23 and 24 fell by the wayside and soon that last large loop was done and over. Coming to mile 25 was a blessing and I can see the Fargodome at mile 25.5. I was overjoyed to see the Fargodome in the distance, but surely I had more to go. I thought we could just stream into the Fargodome to finish, but as it turned out, we had to go about 0.5 mile around the stadium before running down the ramp to the finish line. I power walked to the ramp and sprinted down that ramp regardless of how sore my body and legs were. Just wanted to be done and over with already. As I approached the finish line, I heard my name on the public address system in the Fargodome and the applause from the people in the stands. I saw the finish line clocks ahead of me ticking a bit past 5 hours, but I knew that wasn't my real time. That would've been a big PR, but I took the early start so I needed to add 1:45 to my time for an accurate finish time. Regardless of the time, the finish was the most important thing. After gathering my thoughts and my finisher's medal from a volunteer, I waited for a few of my MM friends to get done that I knew were behind me. I chatted with a few 1st time marathoners who happened to be running behind me on the course and they seemed to be happy to have followed me. "Don't loose the dude in pink." they recalled. I guess I was pacing for them and I didn't know it. After talking to my MM friends, they all agree that it was a tough day due to the heat, but we all crossed that finish line and that's all what matters. Finishing a hot race does give you an extra level of bad ass that comes with the territory, it seems. After getting our post race food, which consisted of pizza, cookie, banana, and chocolate milk, we all sat down and ate while waiting for my MM ride share friends to get done. After all that, we parted ways and headed back to the NDSU dormitories to pack up and head on out of Fargo. We left Fargo that afternoon cheerful and happy that we all indeed finish the Fargo marathon that day. That's an accomplishment to be proud of for sure. We stopped off for lunch before heading out on I-94E back towards Minneapolis-St Paul. We made a stop at a gas station for gas and bought some Powerball tickets. Unfortunately, the winning tickets were sold somewhere in Florida. Oh nuts. Maybe next time, I guess. We eventually got into Minneapolis-St Paul and dropped off one of my MM friends at her hotel, the Crowned Plaza next to the Mall of America. Since we were there, my MM friend and I decided to just hang out at the mall for a few hours before going home. I crashed at his home that night before heading to MSP airport the next morning. That was awesome. It was a nice quick weekend that turned out to be something epic for sure. The flight out of MSP that Sunday morning home was not without a piece of drama, since I could not locate a single gas station near the MSP airport. Luckily for me, I had sometime on my side and a small risk that I would get lost in Minneapolis-St Paul. After 30 minutes of speeding down MN Hwy 55 & 5, I found a gas station to fill the tank. After returning the rental car, I later learned that most of the gas stations were in the city and not around the airport. Lesson learned for a future trip for sure. Most likely, that trip when I run Grandmas marathon in June 2014, when I fly into MSP and drive to Duluth, MN. Both of my flights and connections were on time that morning, so I am relived that I'll be arriving home on time and ready for dinner and be ready to start the work week with a positive attitude, despite all the work drama and everything. The Fargo marathon was a nice scenic course and totally glad to have been a participant and finisher in 2013. Great way to snag North Dakota, if you were chasing states for your own or just a nice flat course if it's your first 13.1 or 26.2. Friendly and very supportive to know that this marathon is supports their local economy, as well as the 2 universities in N. Dakota do as well. The other being University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. During my short weekend stay in Fargo, I learned that life is built upon memories and friendships. The more spontaneous you are and the crazy marathon life that intertwined my life, good incredible things do happen. Goals are there for a reason and when you reach them, the results are as rewarding as the journey itself to get there. The training may be arduous at times, but stick to your goals and you'll get there! I didn't think I would have PR'ed in Wisconsin this year, but introducing my body to Insanity did the body good! Trust the system. Till next time: Hibiscus half marathon 5/26/2013 13.1 PR attempt; #16 half marathon --- 2013 Fargo Marathon Bib# 1120 Chip time: 6:48:45 http://peertrainer.com/Pages/ed_.log?date=5/21/2013 PEERtrainer ed_ Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT Wrote my Fargo Marathon race recap on the flight home from PHX to HNL. 6 1/2 hours on the plane. Needed to do something. Posting eventually... http://peertrainer.com/Pages/ed_.log?date=5/20/2013 PEERtrainer ed_ Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT Fargo marathon completed! Lifetime #56 & state #35 in the books! Time to fly home. MSP -> PHX -> HNL on US Airways http://peertrainer.com/Pages/ed_.log?date=5/19/2013 PEERtrainer ed_ Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT Expecting arrival into MSP at 1:48p CST. Meet MM friends at baggage claim, grab rental car, and head off to Fargo, ND. Busy busy... http://peertrainer.com/Pages/ed_.log?date=5/17/2013 PEERtrainer ed_ Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT Fargo time!!!!!!!!! :0) http://peertrainer.com/Pages/ed_.log?date=5/16/2013 PEERtrainer ed_ Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT Ate a 7 course meal @ nearby Chinese restaurant to celebrate a family member's 30th birthday last night. Needless to say that I felt bloated and sick afterwards, so I walked home and jumped on the stationery bike for 60 minutes just to work off the sick feeling away. Guess that was something, along with ice water. http://peertrainer.com/Pages/ed_.log?date=5/15/2013 PEERtrainer ed_ Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT Went to a Yelp Elite event last night and was treated to a free dinner with booze. Let's just say I didn't work out after I got home. Hell, it was free afterall. So I was like, whatever. http://peertrainer.com/Pages/ed_.log?date=5/14/2013 PEERtrainer ed_ Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://peertrainer.com/Pages/ed_.log?date=5/13/2013 PEERtrainer ed_ Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT Signed up for 2014 Maui Ocean Front 1/2 marathon. Didn't want to do 26.2 in the Maui heat, although I have done the full 3x prior. Just wanted to see everyone I knew planning on coming to Maui and to help celebrate a Marathon Maniac who's running her 100th lifetime marathon, 50th state, and her wedding nuptuals. More time to socialize and relax and not have to be out there for 7 hours or more baking and roasting in the sun. It'll be more expensive (in my mind) since I'll be running half, instead of the full, but I feel that i'll be well worth it and not burn myself out. Gonna try for a 13.1 PR attempt to kick 2014 off on the right foot. Happy Mother's Day! http://peertrainer.com/Pages/ed_.log?date=5/12/2013 PEERtrainer ed_ Sun, 12 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT Finally ran a recovery run last night, although my body wanted to say tempo run. I guess there's plenty of time to do that in Fargo next weekend. Maintainance / recovery run planned for tomorrow morning, bright and early. Probably 7-8 miles. Exciting to be going to North Dakota for anything! http://peertrainer.com/Pages/ed_.log?date=5/11/2013 PEERtrainer ed_ Sat, 11 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT friday! yay! http://peertrainer.com/Pages/ed_.log?date=5/10/2013 PEERtrainer ed_ Fri, 10 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT 2013 Wisconsin / Kalamazoo marathon double race recap 05/06/13 @ 35,000 feet Part 2 Race morning day 1 came hard and fast. It was a restful night, logging a comfortable 7 hours before waking up at 4:30am to get ready. Time really flies when you're getting prepared for a race, so it helps to be organized the night before. Before long, I was dressed, had breakfast, and used the restroom before telling myself that its another race with high stakes on the line. A new state with plenty of opportunities to achieve greatness or notch a DNF for a variety of reasons. 26.2 miles, driving in a car or running it, is a long way - no matter how you slice it. I remembered to gather my friend's packets up and load my luggage up in a friend's rental car. The plan was to meet another friend and dump my luggage in his car, so right after I finish, we were to head off to Michigan right off the bat. No rest for the weary, I suppose. Only problem was that I left my wallet in my WI host's home, but luckily she spotted it and brought it to me at the start line, with plenty of time to spare. What a relief! As the time grew closer to race start, I gathered with fellow MMs to reflect and talk about things before getting ready to get revenge on WI, just 3 years earlier, I scored a DNF for weather conditions outside my control @ Mad City Marathon 2010. Here I was redoing WI with the Wisconsin Marathon in 2013. 2nd time's the charm, I guess. The gun goes off and I'm already jogging to the start and that kicked off my marathon in WI. The day ended up really really well, I just didn't know it yet. In the early going, I got into my venerable shin splints and it hurt really bad. Not sure if its the travel and my running form that the culprit, since I never get them during training runs at home. Just peculiar really. I just don't know. The shin splints went away after mile 4, so that was good. I shuffled, jog, and plenty of walking to get loose. Some stretching along the cement curb works too. The course went mostly through residential neighborhoods in Kenosha, with views of Lake Michigan in the background. The only exception would be running through downtown Kenosha, which many of the townsfolk were out and about on a Saturday morning cheering us runners on. I've been told in a small town like Kenosha, the marathon is a big deal to them. I guess so, especially when you can attract people from out of town to run it (like me). And so, I was running again in Wisconsin for the 2nd time and not by choice. I want to finish here officially and not have to come back to race, unless I wanted to. I learned early on that this course was a multiple out and back course for 3/4 of it before going out on the final stretch from mile 12, only to double back from miles 18 to the finish line. Basically, you'd see the same stuff for majority of the course, if you were paying attention. The homes here along the Lake Michigan waterfront were nice and I could see myself living here during the winter. At the 10K mark, there wasn't a timing point, which I thought was odd, but I kept plodding along. After the shin splints went away, I decided to go intervals and see how fast I can do. The strategy going forward was to focus on the people in front of me, pick them off one by one and just catch up to them. It was working and my mind and body was adjusting to the run and the stress that it was asked to do on this particular day. I was running faster and quicker on demand, something that my body had some experience in training, but clearly not enough. I saw plenty of marathon maniacs on the first out and back, which was awesome. At this time, I caught up to a pack of 3 doing their first half marathons together. We chatted a bit and told my story. People seem to be impressed by it. Just a goal, I told them. I found another MM, whom hosted me at her home while running in Rhode Island last year @ the Newport marathon. We chatted a bit and kept me on pace with a power walk, so that was cool and I did a shuffle jog to keep up. We kept pace for 4 miles just chatting till I made a bee line to a municipal park bathroom along the course at mile 10. It was a godsend. I managed to burn rubber after that and caught up to them at mile 10.5, but we had to split at mile 12. I was alone thereafter and found the courage and willpower to carry on. Weaving through the streets of Kenosha was surreal, but it felt like any Midwest town suburb not in Wisconsin. Once reaching 13.1, there was no timing mat to mark the split, which I thought was odd, but a lot of races do just start and finish times, so that didn't bother me too much. Just half way to go to finish WI once and for all. Redoing a state isn't my cup of tea, especially when it's at my expense. Gotta do what you gotta do, I guess. I was tired of the constant out and backs, but this part of the course seemed to take us out further out of reach of downtown Kenosha, before snaking back to the finish line. Just seems longer than it is at this point. The course Marshall's were adequate and the aid stations were good too. I took along 4 GUs and took them 3 of them on the course. Miles 14-18 were run along a gravel road in residential surroundings. The weather got warm, rising past 70 degrees and it felt like it, but I plugged away. At this time, I was following a first time marathoner whom was doing a slow jog, so he kept me on pace and we leap frogged each other. There was this other group of women whom were trying to do qualify for Marathon Maniacs and do 50 states eventually. Still, there was this other dude, whom was wearing a cheese hat, which I was trying to pass for the longest time and I did at mile 20. The only timing point along the course was that at mile 19, strange place for one, but I guess that's how they do things around here. The course finally turned around at miles 18-19, and we headed back to downtown Kenosha and the finish line. I was still doing intervals, thinking that if I did try, bit by bit, I could make for a fantastic finish. Everything started to hurt at mile 20, but I guess it does after a while. At mile 21, the last miles were earned and I thought of Michigan the next morning, even though my legs were still plodding along in Wisconsin. Just needed to finish and everything will be alright - for the time being anyway. At mile 22, I was following a couple people and managed to pick them off before making my way into the Kenosha waterfront area again, where I met up with a MM who's done a few IronMans in her career. We chatted a bit and seems very cordial, even if her online personal can be very anal and bitchy. I asked her the time at mile 25 and she told me 1:05pm, which was about 6:05 race clock time. At that moment, I thought I could capture a improbable PR, if I just sped up and kept on going. So, with that carrot in mind, I sped up and just kept on going. That last mile stretch seemed like a dream, but I kept on fighting and saw my MM RI friend sitting on the side of the road cheering me on, which I thought was great. Just half a mile left as I ventured on and saw the finish line area in the distance. I made the final push and entered the finisher chute and checked out the finish line clock. At that instance, my eyes lite up and saw a small, but comfortable PR time as I crossed the line and into the record books. A couple of friends were standing at the finish line waiting up for me and that was great. After catching my breath and getting my finisher's medal, I told them it was a PR. I was clearly happy about that, but looking forward to the race results to see the chip times. It was a big monkey that was lifted off my back - to be able to see hard work pay off in the form of a PR in a race was an awesome feeling. That achievement was short lived however. I bid my friends at the finish line good bye as I headed out to Michigan. I was road tripping with another MM friend of mine, whom ran the full as well and did a 5:58, so he didn't wait long for me. We headed eastbound - off to Kalamazoo, MI almost immediately. Since it was a 4 hour drive, we wanted to get there as soon as possible, just so we can unwind from Wisconsin and prepare for Kalamazoo the next morning. I got my work cut out for myself, but this is what I live for, so I just needed to find the resolve to carry on. We stopped by a Burger King before leaving Kenosha and that double whopper hit the spot, let me tell you. It was awesome! After a couple bathroom pitstops along the way, we made it to Kalamazoo at about 7:15pm eastern. He dropped me off at another MM's home, where I would be staying for the rest of my trip and he was at an Econolodge somewhere in town. I didn't do ice bath and tried an experiment to see what will happen on day 2. There was an epic pre race pasta party that my MM host in MI was throwing, so that was cool. I carb reloaded with spaghetti, shrimps, cookies, and of course, liquor. 3 bottles worth before getting full. The party ended at 8:30pm, which was nearly sunset up there. My MM host in MI was already hosting other MM/50 Stater friends who were doubling up like me, so it was great to see them too. Pulling out the running gear again for the second day seemed like deja vu, but in the back of my mind, Wisconsin was in the bag and the PR was not sinking in just yet. Just needed to focus on the prize that was the new state when I crossed that finish line in Kalamazoo, 7 hours or less - preferably. Everything was in a daze, but happy to be in this position. The transition was as expected, but the time zone change didn't really help at all. Sleep and rest was all that I needed and I got plenty of that. It was interesting that I could bounce out of bed almost instantly when I need to use the restroom or race morning, but when it's a training run at home, I just can't. Weird how the mind and body works that way. :) Race morning day 2 in Kalamazoo MI arrived too soon and the aches and pains of day one already felt, not to mention Kentucky firmly in the mix from last weekend as well. Time to get up and prepare for the race. It wasn't as bad as I thought really, just tired. Maybe just in denial that I am a machine of some sort. A sadistic machine wanting pain, physical, mental, or otherwise through long distance running. My body is already used to it, I suppose, but each experience is different. Always new and fresh, like a cool summer breeze that opens up endless possibilities when you believe and seize the moment and own it for yourself. With that said, we arrived at the race start at 6:45am. The crowds were already forming and the action was felt in the air. The aches and pains were gone surprisingly and I just didn't think about it as I was socializing and taking in race morning. We were off at 8am, running out of the gates with people cheering outside of the starting corrals. It was pretty cool, but I had 26.2 more to go. Fancy that. The most surprising thing was that I did not get shin splints in the early going. I was shocked at how my body was handling the weight of this double in stride and the amazingness of how I can just wing doubles on command. Yes, I have done them before, but as mentioned earlier, every experience is different. The first mile, I met up with another MM and 50 Stater. We chatted a while before continuing on. Next, I met up with the 50 States challenge winner from WY, who was a sprawling 78 year old lady. She can run! She told me she ran 14 marathons to date, so that's awesome to me. We weaved into downtown Kalamazoo, which was crazy. There was plenty of people lining up the streets cheering us on and that was crazy to me - like yesterday in Kenosha WI. It was a sight to see and all the merrier to just keep running. It was interesting to not have my shin splints flare up, so it was a matter of time for another body part to act up and give me grief. The first few miles were nice, like we were in a Midwest town and not in Michigan. I guess there was plenty of cities like that out there. After reaching 10K, I felt like I can do this and my legs were not too tired. The course took us marathoners out to the Western Michgan University campus, chocked with volunteers and college students who wanted to cheer us on. Thought that was cool. I caught up with a fellow MM who crashed with us in WI a day earlier and she was on a good sub 6 pace in this phase of the race. It was nice to keep pace with her even with the mile 7 hill that shot up in front of us, like a bat out of hell. We just walked the inclines and ran the declines. Along the way, I met up with a few marathoners and chit chatted with them and it made the early miles go quicker than anticipated. The weather got warm at 9:30am, but cool breezes helped me along. I didn't think Kalamazoo was hilly, until I was on it. Tried as I might, I succumbed to the hills and weather of race day. I thought I was doing remarkably well, until the weather, the course, and the fact that I did run a marathon in Wisconsin the day before just took a toll on my body. I stopped running strong at mile 12 and started to do shorter intervals. Mile 13.1 had a timing check point so that was pretty cool. We weaved in and out of residential areas here and sometimes into depressed areas of the city. At mile 17, we ran into municipal parks aka trails and that had some lake front areas as well. At mile 20, the last timing check point before the finish. My mind was literally wanting this to end, but I had to keep going, since I had a new state on the line and I didn't want to waste what significant financial resources already invested on this trip and not have to come back and redo. Repeating a state is fine after you finish officially the first time, but certainly not a redo. At mile 22, we weaved into the last city park of Kalamazoo, where I saw this lady hurting real bad. She was with her boyfriend, I guess or husband. I didn't ask. She was doing her 2nd marathon in Kalamazoo, but she was clearly having a bad day. I have her some words of wisdom before moving on. Since mile 14, I basically was power walking it and very little jogging. I just wanted to finish and hope to be under 7 hours. Is that so much to ask? Easier said than done. I thought I was going the wrong direction since there was so much park, it was probably my mind playing tricks on me. I exited the park at mile 25 and it was a cool 1.2 miles to the finish. Emerging from the park and into residential neighborhood, before waltzing down a busy street, I moved with a passion and a purpose with people in their cars honking and waving at me to keep me somewhat in the moment and sane. I didn't want to DNF when I was so close. Just had to keep on going. The warm Michigan sun bore down on me, but it wasn't as hot or humid as it could be, so I was grateful for that aspect. I followed a couple of marathoners ahead of me in the distance, looking at the traffic cones ahead of me that veered into the community park where the end was in sight. The final push came and I saw a friend of mine right on the corner waving at me. She had come from Rochester MI to hang out along with her boyfriend. We've known each other for many years and it was the time to hang out. I had a pleasant surprise look before waving at her. With a gusto for life, I sped up and dashed into the finisher's chute. A few of my MM friends were there, so they used the loud speaker to motivate me to cross that line. Not sure if that's motivational or not, but it was cute nonetheless. And so, I crossed that finish line, but not before looking up briefly at the finish line clock to note my approximate finish time. It was great that I survived another double and finally captured MI for my 50 States marathon quest. What a rush! That was awesome! After catching my breath and getting my finishers medal for the 2nd time in a weekend, I recovered my sanity - or what was left of it and met up with my Rochester friend and her bf and exchanged photos and a hug. That was cool. After cooling down a bit and collecting my senses, I grabbed some food and water before exiting the finish line area. Only problem with this finish was that they ripped up the timing mats at the finish line at the 6:30 cut off. I was bummed, but my finish time was manually recorded by race officials, so I am hoping they will add me in the upcoming days. With that said, we methodically drove over to my MI host's home to change out of my race gear. We went to go get lunch and chit chat about life and things in downtown Kalamazoo. It was nice having a steak and liquor after finishing Michigan and realize that I scored a doubles PR for day 2. 2 PRs in the same weekend was wild, but I wouldn't have it any other way. The rest of the evening was spent at a local bar restaurant, celebrating the finish and the weekend in general. Good thing that I spent a few lasting moments packing up my stuff in between lunch and dinner, so I can grab and go the next morning. The next morning, I flew out of Kalamazoo airport with fond memories of an epic race weekend that was sure to stick in my mind for years to come. 12 1/2 half hours of travel later with stops in MSP and LAX, I was home and really tired, but happy to have made the trip. Only issue is now that the RD for the Kalamazoo marathon seems adamant about not posting those manual times after conversations between friends on Facebook. I still can count MI because I have a finishers medal and my bib, but it would be ideal to have me listed. All I can do is just send more email and wait. Still stinks though. Fargo Marathon in North Dakota is next on 05/17/13 and it'll be a quick weekend for sure. Glad I found a reasonably cheap flight itinerary and can grab ND this year. Fargo is the only one worth doing, so I am looking forward to doing so. Recover and reload. Till next time! --- 2013 Wisconsin Marathon Bib # 682 Chip time: 6:17:50 PR 2013 Kalamazoo Marathon Bib # 8441 Finish time: 6:55:21 (doubles PR) http://peertrainer.com/Pages/ed_.log?date=5/9/2013 PEERtrainer ed_ Thu, 09 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT 2013 Wisconsin & Kalamazoo marathon double consolidated race report @ 35,000 feet 05/06/2013 Part 1 It was one of the most epic race weekends I have had endured & enjoyed in a long while. The script had not bee written any better. Feeling like a surreal dream that I somehow made up, but know now its true through online race results and fond memories that will last a lifetime - or at least till the next one anyway. Not sure what was more epic: the double PR that I earned that weekend or the fact that I ran through 2 states in 2 days via the marathon. Or maybe even both. Not sure what it is, but it was a long time coming. And I am glad it's a reality and not just a pipe dream fantasy that I made up. Grateful and happy as ever that the weekend went off without a hitch, just thinking that life is beautiful and truly inspirational. This was marathons lifetime #54 & #55 and states #33 & #34. Wisconsin was a redo, since I had previously notched a DNF at the 2010 Mad City Marathon due to black flag conditions on race day (race day temps climbed to the mid 80's, which was hot for the region). It was my first time in Michigan, as well, so road tripping between the states while crossing through Illinois & Indiana was particularly thrilling. A 4 hour drive while changing time zones and feeling dead tired due to the marathon is one of those experiences you just need to experience just once. Or 4 times. This double was my 4th lifetime and the first of the year. I have scheduled 2 more before the ending my 50 States marathon journey next fall in Kansas. It will be truly an end to an epic journey. Following the yellow brick road, as Dorothy went in the movie, Wizard of Oz, I followed my passion across the United States and realizing my goal of being one of the rarities in the world: 50 states marathon finisher. Just about 3,000 members spanning all 50 states. A select elite group, no doubt. The bonus goal would be securing the title of "youngest 50 State marathon finisher - from Hawaii". Race weekend started at the aftermath of the Kentucky Derby Marathon on Saturday, 04/27/13. I was happy that I wasn't planning on flying back the next day back to Hawaii and just make a long deserved vacation since resolving to give up coffee and loosing 20 lbs over the winter. Staying with former PEERTrainer member abbinb and also fellow Marathon Maniac & Half Fanatic (yeah, I did it) at her place in Louisville, KY, I didn't do much of any real sightseeing at all, but I'm very glad that I got to see one of my heroes whom inspires me each day to reach further than ever to finish the 50 states. She happened to be running a small trail race in Louisville, KY called the Backside Trail marathon. The finishers medals were horse shoes attached to a brown string that served as a lanyard of some sort. It was ugly, but I guess that works for some people. Seeing her run through the finish line and getting a hug from her afterwards was super awesome. I didn't ice after the race, which in hindsight, I needed to do to recover from the war on the body that was the 6:48:16 marathon finish in Louisville, KY. After my short stay here in Kentucky, I flew to Milwaukee, WI with a stop in Chicago on United Airlines. Couldn't believe that the flight from Chicago to Milwaukee was 15 minutes in the air, but 45 minutes gate to gate. Unbelievable. As luck will have it, I noticed that there was an earlier flight into Milwaukee that day and I asked the gate agent if there was any room to move me. She didn't say much after asking for my boarding pass, and I was good to go, so I didn't have to wait 3 hours in Chicago. And so, I arrived in cloudy Milwaukee and picked up my rental car for the week: a red Kia Rio from Hertz. It was cheaper to fly into Milwaukee and rent a car there instead of Madison. The 1 1/2 hour drive on the I-94 was nice and not really scenic, but what can do you do anyway, but just enjoy the ride. I arrived in Madison that afternoon and had a craving for Pho, the Vietnamese noodle soup, so I found a popular place with the locals on Yelp. I was crashing with another PEERTrainer during the week. It's always awesome to meet up with new friends and explore and discover the city you're going to eventually run in. But this case was different, since the WI race was in Kenosha and I was spending the week in recovery in Madison. I also had couple of friends in Madison and Eau Claire, but they were unavailable that week. :-/ oh well. Maybe next time. Spent the rest of the afternoon stealing Wifi at the Sheraton Madison hotel and charging up my iPhone (and to kill time). After that, I mapped out where I needed to go in Fitchburg arrived - not before getting lost in Verona 2x. The week in Fitchburg was nice, low key, and relatively cheap. I really did not want to blow up my wallet with unnecessary spending, but I probably did with too much food expenses. That's life, I suppose. Big thank you to PEERTrainer member brandva & her husband for letting me crash at their home for 4 days. It was great and I think better than a hotel. Half of the time spent was hanging with brandva and her husband. The other times I spent road tripping to Devil's Lake, Wisconsin Dells, and the Ho Chink casino (bathroom break). I even went to see a movie at the local AMC theater with her husband to do something on one night. Thankfully admission prices were not bad. We saw the new Ryan Gosling movie "The Place Beyond the Pines." It was weird in the beginning, but it ended up being a pretty good movie. I finally iced my legs on Thursday afternoon when I went to a Super Target and bought a 7 pound bag of ice. Little did I know that the water was already cold already. I did the ice anyway, since it was $1.49 a bag and I didn't want to waste my purchase. Well worth the shopping trip and wished I did it in Kentucky. Oh well, no need to cry over it now. Wednesday was recovery run day. It was all planned out and it was a joy to go running with brandva and her husband on a brisk afternoon at 5pm. They showed me where they normally run and that was cool. Some parts of their trails are nice and scenic. It was great company and it was nice to have some company during training runs instead of doing it alone. I ended up doing approximately 6 miles, whereas they ended their fun at 3 miles. It was a challenge to get myself to pace along side with them, knowing that I already did Kentucky just a few days earlier. I needed to let my body know it needs to keep on going and not letting it lax. We ended up going to a Vietnamese restaurant that night and it was great accompaniment to a nice run. The big carb loading came on Thursday night when we went to pick up pizza. I had the audacity to pick up a 14" monster meaty cheesy pizza called the Rosati Monster. It was definitely filling, more so that I did not let myself finish the entire thing, just because I had save room with the ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery chocolate as well. It was an epic night, since we all watched Skyfall, the new 007 movie. I remember seeing it on a flight somewhere, but don't remember the details. Needless to say that it was an epic meal and glad I did not tank it all. The rest of it was eventually left at a friend's home. I finished the ice cream the next morning. Breakfast of champions, I suppose. It was a rainy, cloudy, cold morning when I left Madison / Fitchburg to prepare for race weekend. The drive back on I-94 east towards Milwaukee was nice and cool, but I couldn't find the defroster switch in the rental car, so I had to wipe off the foggy mist every few miles. It was annoying to say nonetheless. We eventually went southbound to Racine & Kenosha, but it was still eastbound on the I-94. The total trip to Kenosha was 2 1/2 hours and my first stop was to the Wisconsin Marathon expo. There, I picked up packets for 2 of my MM friends. One was doing the half and the other was doing the full. The expo itself was held at the Best Western in Kenosha, 3rd floor conference room. It wasn't big at all. Pretty much packet pick up with 2 vendors selling stuff. That's it. In and out in 5 minutes, pretty much. So happens that another MM was at the expo and had a rental car as well, so he helped me out by driving / following back to Milwaukee airport and I dropped off my rental car, just so my host for Friday night (another MM) would not be bothered and she is a MD, which is amazing. Once we sped up the I-94 & dropped off the car at the airport, we thought of driving back down to Kenosha for the pre race dinner that I had set up in advanced at the Olive Garden. It was a Friday after all and rush hour traffic and decided not to go. I alerted my MMs who were planning on attending and they happened to have a good time on my reservation. My MM friend and I decided to go to our WI host's home and wait for her to come home. It was great to not have to sit in traffic and just lounge around in West Allis (west Milwaukee). After getting acquainted with our host, conversations, and getting the grand tour, we settled in for the evening before heading out to dinner and another carb loading session. She had 2 schnauzers which were playful and harmless, so that was cool. As long as they don't bite, I'm good. The double was looming in the shadows and knowing that I had my Ky race in the bag gave me some sort of assurance that this weekend may prove to be a positive one. I didn't know what beast I potentially released, when I just applied myself on race day. Probably you need training for that. I had no idea of what may had come. I just needed to survive both days alive and an official finish in both states at a bare minimum, while having fun doing so. What didn't scare me had the potential to make me faster. As the saying goes. ->> part 2 http://peertrainer.com/Pages/ed_.log?date=5/8/2013 PEERtrainer ed_ Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT Wrote majority of the WI / MI race recap on the flight back to Honolulu from Los Angeles, but not before starting the thing from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Los Angeles. Too bad it wasn't enough time, since I was playing Angry Birds on my iPhone inbetween writing breaks and being utterly tired from the epic weekend I had. This race recap is huge. Breaking it down in 2 major chunks. Like a Harry Potter movie, Lord of the Rings trilogy, or in recent years, The Twilight Saga. Posting Part one shortly. http://peertrainer.com/Pages/ed_.log?date=5/7/2013 PEERtrainer ed_ Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT AZO -> MSP -> LAX -> HNL :-) With 3 states completed in 8 days, it's time to go home. Been a great epic ride, especially with the PR's. :0) Race recap to follow. Will definitely write it on the plane. http://peertrainer.com/Pages/ed_.log?date=5/6/2013 PEERtrainer ed_ Mon, 06 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT