Marine Corps Marathon Finish Video

 I will come into view around the 5:10 mark of the video. White hat, red shirt (Team Semper Fi), legs in distress on right hand side of screen. Not pretty, but finished. Will publish others when I find them.

Marathon Taper Week

This is it, the last week before the Marine Corps Marathon that Lou, Mike W., Jennifer, Charlie Mullen and I will be running. Jan, Eileen and Joanne will be racing the MCM 10k. There are no special training runs we can do this week that will help us finish our respective races. If our training isn’t satisfactory already, the miles haven’t been put in, Sunday will be a long day in which we can physically suffer while enjoying the sites of D.C.

 

Ten Thoughts on Taper Week

 

1. I like planning out the food to eat, looking over nutrition guidelines, making a menu for each day and meal from Wednesday to Saturday night.

 

2. Today (Tuesday) I noticed walking up the stairs at work doesn’t hurt as it did in many of the last 12 weeks. This is a good sign, no doubt due to running less than usual on Sunday and a complete rest day on Monday.

 

3. Am I getting fat? Really, I feel the need to constantly cram carbs into my mouth. There is a box of Cheerios (20g carbs) in my file cabinet. I eat them dry, no milk, for a mid-morning snack in front of the computer like I’m a two year old getting potty trained and this is my reward. Carbohydrate loading = good, gaining two pounds = bad.

 

4. Last night I woke up in a sweat after dreaming about having to use a bathroom at the start line and thousands of people are around. Once the race begins at 7:55am I will be fine, but leaving the security of the hotel and waiting an hour + beforehand could be a high anxiety time.

 

5. With known gastrointestinal issues on many race mornings the final meal on Saturday night is key. I haven’t found a magic bullet yet that is the proper nutritional balance along with no side effects. The plan now is to have rice flavored with chicken broth, a few vegetables and ???

 

6. Since my daily running miles have decreased but the water intake hasn’t, there is a path worn in the floor from my cubicle desk to the bathroom.

 

7. I have finished the Marine Corps Marathon four times, the 10k once, this entire experience should be a piece of cake. So, why do I fluctuate between excitement and dread?

 

8. The Marines and crowds make this race awesome, especially the Marines.

 

9. Will anyone really care if my finishing time is 3:39:59 (Boston Qualifier) or 4:30 except me?

 

10. It’s good to have a mantra for when the times get tough during the race, this can be a bad patch that pops up at mile 17 but you push through and feel better at 20, or it can be at mile 22 when you don’t know how you can run the last four miles. Borrow mine if you like;

 

• Must beat Mike W, Must beat Mike W.
• Must beat Lou, Must beat Lou.
• Pick a loved one and run a mile for them saying the name over and over.
• A Marine wouldn’t quit (or Navy guy I guess, Lou).
• Jan’s favorite, count your steps. Around 130-140x my right foot hits the ground is ¼ mile.
• Count the number of people you pass in the last few miles, in a large race like MCM maybe just count the men, or women. Make it tougher by subtracting the ones who pass you.

Semper Fi Fund - Marine Corps Marathon

On Sunday, October 28, Jan will be running the 10k and I will be running the marathon in Washington, DC. For the first time ever we are running for a charity, the Semper Fi Fund. This is the basic information regarding the charity, "The Semper Fi Fund is a nonprofit set up to provide immediate financial support for injured members of U.S. Armed Forces and their families. We direct urgently needed resources to Marines and Sailors, as well as members of the Army, Air Force or Coast Guard who serve in support of Marine forces. The basic ideal that drives our efforts is simple: as much as these American heroes have sacrificed, they deserve the best care and support available in their hour of need. Injuries are often severe, and the road to recovery or rehabilitation can be long and costly.

If anyone would like to make a contribution, here is the link. Thank you.

A-Rod at Bat

The Outlook wasn't brilliant for the Yankee nine that day:


The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.
And then when Jeter’s ankle broke, and Texiera still is lame,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
A depressed Lou got up to go in deep despair. Mike and Eileen
clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, if only A-Rod could get but a whack at that -
We'd put up even money, now, with A-Rod at the bat.

But Nix preceded A-Rod, as did also Granderson,
And the former was a lulu and the latter was a cake;
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of A-Rod getting to the bat.
But Nix let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,
And Grandy, the much loved, tore the cover off the ball;
And when the dust had lifted, and the men saw what had occurred,
There was Grandy safe at second and Nix a-hugging third.

Then from 35,000 throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the city, it rattled in the dell;
It knocked upon the subway and recoiled upon the flat,
For A-Rod, mighty A-Rod, was advancing to the bat.
There was ease in A-Rod’s manner as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in A-Rod’s bearing and a smile on A-Rod’s face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly spit a seed,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas A-Rod at the bat.

Seventy thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.
Then while the Detroit pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance gleamed in A-Rod's eye, a sneer curled A-Rod's lip.
And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
And A-Rod stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped-
"That ain't my style," said A-Rod. "Strike one," the umpire said.

From the bleachers, filled with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.
"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted Jan from the couch;
And its likely they'd a-killed him had not A-Rod raised his hand.
With a smile of Christian charity great A-Rod's visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;

He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew;
But A-Rod still ignored it, and the umpire said, "Strike two."
"Fraud!" cried the Weinpresses, squeezing Molly tight,
But one scornful look from A-Rod and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that A-Rod wouldn't let that ball go by again.
The sneer is gone from A-Rod's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.

And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of A-Rod's blow.
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in New York - mighty A-Rod has struck out.

Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer © Modified somewhat by M. McCullough 2012.

Ode to the Barefoot Runner

OR, Why Pete Likes to Run Barefoot

Pete’s story begins in days of lore, when Pheidippides ran from the battlefields of Marathon to Athens (25 mi) to announce the Greek victory over Persia in the Battle of Marathon (490 BC).

This professional runner/courier had previously gone 240 km (150 mi) in two days prior to his last run.

With his last bit of strength, Dippy, as he was more commonly known, squeaked out the words “Joy to you, we've won”, and promptly died. These words, centuries later, became a hit for the band, Three Dog Night (Joy to the World).

Pete was there (see photo of Pete on left - he still wears that outfit some Saturday mornings). It’s a little known fact, not even Wikipedia has it correct (and I used to believe everything I read on the internet). Pete ran alongside Dippy, both of them wearing the preferred running sandal of the times, Nike Air Sparta. Dippy, who had purchased his sandals at the local discount bazaar, soon saw them begin to disintegrate over the rough terrain. Pete, a loyal compatriot, gave Dippy his sandals. Running barefoot didn’t bother Pete due to his previous intensive training on the Erie Canal mule path. He actually preferred barefoot running and was known to ride his chariot in similar fashion.

You may wonder why Pete didn’t perish at the end of the grueling run? Pete drank olive oil along the way to stay hydrated and Dippy apparently thought that was crazy. In current times Pete has switched from olive oil to pickle juice.

Pete also paced Abebe Bikila during his first Olympic marathon victory in 1960. Abebe is a legend for finishing the race barefoot. He learned it all from Pete.

Obviously Pete has lived a long and interesting life. He has many more long runs ahead of him, including this weekend’s Toronto Marathon. We wish him well and hope all the water stops have pickle juice.

Fit To Be Tied

"How tall are you Mike?" 6'1"? "You don't look that tall. Are you sure?"

Thus began my bike fitting, with a metal measuring stick riding up against my private parts and Dennis using his slide rule from 1968 to figure out the geometric numbers or some scientific mumbo-jumbo on how my bike and body will best co-exist.

Of course I will listen to Dennis's advice. He is a national class triathlete, can ride his Stingray, banana seat bike faster than me on a road bike, swim 400 meters using a kick board and no arms faster than my all out 300 and run backwards and beat me in a 5k. So, if Dennis wants me to hold a measuring stick against my private parts, while he adds, subtracts and subdivides,  I will do that.

Here's what I learned;

1. My bike and I actually fit quite nicely together.
2. Which means - I no longer have a freakin' excuse for being slow. Thanks Dennis!
3. Of course I can get faster - "how about training more, Mike"?
4. I always used the excuse my bike weighs more than Jan's which is why she can beat me up hills. Dennis had a scale which all five of us used that afternoon to weigh our bikes. Mine was the lightest. This day really got irritating.
5. My big complaint for soreness on the bike has always been my shoulders. Dennis's suggestion...pushups, pullups, etc. to build up those muscles. Why? Because my bike is fit properly. Damn, another excuse gone.
6. New wheels may really help my speed. Cost, $300 or so. Cost of bike originally, $800. This will require some higher level financial math for the cost/benefit ratio. Is it like adding a $1,000 stereo system to a $3,000 car? A famous friend (Lou) once said, "bikes are money pits".
7. Jan had a few adjustments done to her bike. Now she is more comfortable. Now she is even faster than me. Did I thank Dennis yet?
8. Jan likes her bike. It has taken Jan to a few 1/2 Ironman finish lines and one full Ironman. Jan wants a new bike, lighter, faster, more expensive. I'm guessing this will happen.
9. Dennis's wife has a wonderful sense of humor because...
10. ...She told Mike Weinpress he looked like the wicked witch from the Wizard of Oz riding his bike, all he needed was a little basket on the front. Needless to say Mike needed the most work of any of the five of us to get his bike fit properly.

Really, though, thanks to Dennis for taking the time to help the five of us feel more comfortable on our bikes!

Facebook and MCM

     Possibly I made a mistake by "Friending" the Marine Corps Marathon on my Facebook page. The Marines send reminders about how little time is left to train, now down to 24 days and 20 hours. I already feel woefully unprepared for my 19th and last marathon.
     If the weather is too warm I won't have a good race. If the dew point is over 60 I will become a sweat puddle and runoff into the Potomac in a little stream of my own water. But the Marines just keep sending their updates and my blood pressure and anxiety levels go up.
     Intelligent readers will say, "relax Mike, it's all for fun, you've done this before". Hogwash! It's 26.2 ridiculous miles with 25,000 other people. It's about maintaining a reasonable pace and not cramping so much in the last two miles a spectator wife turns to her spectator husband and says, "well, he's not going to make it to the finish". (happened in my last MCM, but I did finish, darn her, even if I did scream a bit in pain). It's about being able to run any kind of pace up the last hill toward the Iwo Jima Monument and feeling some pride of what you just accomplished.
     That's why I worry.

Top Ten Wednesday Thoughts;

1. Friending didn't become a verb until 7 years ago.
2. Poking has several meanings, the best is the 3 Stooges with Moe trying to poke Larry and Curly in the eyes. Now it's been hijacked by Facebook.
3. College students who attempt to exit a door with 3 signs stating, "NO EXIT", "EMERGENCY ONLY", should have their ID taken and be expelled from school. They are too ignorant to be here.
4. Really, I need to "Friend" you?
5. I want to go back to the time when a great phone was one on the wall with a 20' cord and politicians couldn't robocall me. (another new word, robocall).
6. Who will win the presidential debate tonight? If you like Romney now, he is the winner. If you like Obama now, he will be the best. The debate will do nothing to change minds.
7. Running at 5:15am is still hard, but I'm happy I can go home and relax after work.
8. I do like texting.
9. Gas at $4.03/gallon again? Give me a president who will get the price down to a reasonable level and not let the gas companies screw us, that man/woman will get my vote. I may even donate to their campaign.
10. Am I a bad American if I watch the Yankees play tonight instead of the debate? Promise I'll switch over during commercials.