The Ashland contingent faired well in Baltimore. The relay team was especially impressive since they had been battling knee problems & respiratory infections, but with help of modern medicine, they posted an excellent time. I'm a little bias, but I thought they should have won an award for best dressed also ;>)

Special thanks goes to our support team, Nancy Hartigan & Mike Spence. They attended to all us runners & kept us organized. The relay team was comprised of Jill Grant, Monica Klisz, Tracy Brown, & Susan Spence. We had two half marathon runners, Bob Brown & Jim (Bubba) Hartigan. Bob is coming off a knee injury that prevented him from running the PH Half Marathon.

Dave & I ran the marathon.

For me, the marathon was great. I enjoyed every stride, running with my wife (Jill had the first leg of the relay)for the first 6 miles and then with Dave for the next 20 made the 4.5 hours fly by. The city of Baltimore put on a great event, weather was perfect, and even the hills (there were lots of hills) didn't seem too bad.

Below is a race report from Dave Klisz, hope you enjoy reading it:

Baltimore Marathon Race Report – October 13, 2007

We left the hotel pretty early because we wanted to check a gear bag at the finish. It took a while to walk from the hotel to the Ravens football stadium. Between the bathroom breaks and attempts to locate everyone in our party, the National Anthem was already playing when we got back to the starting area. There wasn't too much time to stand around. I wore a long sleeve throw-away shirt but didn't keep it on too long. It looked really funny pulled over my fuel belt. Temps were around 55 degrees at the beginning. Everyone was wearing their complimentary white gloves they got in their expo bags. I didn't get any. I also didn't get a a zip-tie for my chip (everyone else did). This was starting to feel like Shamrock again! (Inside joke, my chip didn't record my time at the Shamrock ˝.)

For miles 1-7, I had a lot of fun! A few days before the marathon, I saw a posting on the Baltimore marathon message board about video blogging for WBAL-TV (Baltimore's local NBC affiliate). I emailed the guy and he gave me the details. It seemed like it could be a fun way to spend the time running. I didn't know anyone else in the race other than my running partner, Tom Grant (aside from some folks doing the ˝ marathon and some folks doing the marathon relay.)

My mother-in-law, who lives in Reisterstown, Maryland, had hoped to make it to the race to spectate but her health prevented her from doing so. I thought the video blog would give her a good way to feel like she was a part of things. She's very supportive of my running and likes to hear all of the details.

I met the guy from WBAL at the start and he gave me a very small Flip camera. It was about the size of a cell phone. He showed me how to use it (it seemed to be 'cop' proof, another inside joke but maybe you can figure it out) and told me he would meet me at the mile 7 water station. He said he would find me. This gave me about an hour or so to record my thoughts and take video of other people.

So, for miles 1-7, I talked to myself, Tom, Tom's wife (Jill) and some others I met along the way. It's all on different video segments which will [hopefully] be posted on the WBAL website at some point in the future. The guy from the TV station never made himself known to me at mile 7 and I never found him later. I was stuck carrying this damn camera! At one of the marathon relay exchange points, I saw my wife and I gave it to her. In hindsight, I should have kept it for the last few miles! (Wouldn't you love to see that.)

Miles 1-7 were uneventful. I saw a dead rat in the middle of the road and got a tour of the nicer Baltimore lower income housing projects. A lot of housing in a small area. Everyone seemed to still be asleep.

Miles 7-11 included a very nice run around Fort McHenry. Fort McHenry is where the stars and stripes were flying while Francis Scott Key was held captive in a British ship near the fort (War of 1812). It was neat to run around the fort. This is the exact area where the inspiration for the Star Spangled Banner came from. The cannon mounts were huge! One runner was combining Seinfeld trivia with the War of 1812 trivia. It was very interesting. The fort's flag was also very big. This area of the course was totally flat. The narrow asphalt path through the fort caused small groups to form and people started talking. It was cool.

I felt excellent through the first 10 miles. Really good. We were staying with the 4:30 pace group and having a good time. I was feeling good for not going out too fast and for sticking to my race strategy (my strategy is described below).

Around mile 11, my hips starting hurting and the pain got worse as time went on. It was the front of my hips and then the sides. I guess the fronts were still hurting when the sides started hurting. Or maybe the little pain gremlin wanted to move around some. The pain was similar to what I felt during the 20 milers. I'm not sure if I ever shared that with anyone. The pain was worst when I was running uphill. I got a little worried about being able to manage my situation. Mentally, I felt great and I didn't want my hip pain to spoil my big day. I didn't feel like it was a injury but it was hurting earlier than when I felt the pain during the training runs and this is why I got a little worried.

This course had so many damn hills. Frankly, it amazed me that someone approved the course. The hip pain didn't go away (it just kept hurting) until I developed a new problem but I'll describe that later. In the hotel room I had written the words “Pain is temporary” on my arm because I expected stuff to hurt. Somehow I dealt with it for the duration of the race.

Coming out of Fort McHenry, I had to make a bathroom stop. As we approached a line of maybe 5-6 port-o-johns, I saw two people exit. One guy in front of me made a run for one of the open ones. When I got up to the port-o-johns, all had the red indicators showing “in use.” I waited a minute or so. After not seeing anyone exit, I checked on one that looked cracked open. It had a red indicator but no one was in it! I was so dumb! I lost maybe 2 minutes waiting on nothing! But it felt so good to let my hips take a rest.

Around the halfway mark, I saw my wife. She had finished running the 2nd leg of the marathon relay. It was nice to see a familiar face! She was with a few other folks that drove up from Ashland.

We dropped off the Flip camera at that point. Some of the details are blurred together but I don't specifically recall thinking “I've got another ˝ to go.” I learned last year not to think of the race as two half marathons. I was thinking more of “only about 2 ˝ hours to go.” The halfway mark didn't really have any significance except that we realized we were still on pace to get very close to a 4:30 finishing time.

About the hills: one runner I talked to said he had run 25 marathons and Baltimore had the worst hills. I thought the course was hilly but none of the hills were so bad where I had to walk up. The hill coming off Riverside Drive on the Richmond course is worse than anything in Baltimore. I also think the hill coming up Boulevard by the Diamond is worse. The hills in Baltimore were much longer but I think my hill repeats on a steep section of the Patrick Henry half course helped prepare me.

Around mile 16-17, I looked at Tom and commented on how surreal everything seemed. We were running a consistent 10:18 pace (well, Tom usually runs faster but he was helping me today). I couldn't believe almost 3 hours had passed. Seriously, talking to Tom and other runners made the time pass so fast. I couldn't believe I was running a marathon. It was exactly the same as a group run but without the 10 minute SAG stops!

As we were approaching miles 18 and 19, I wondered why I wasn't having any major race-stopping/slowing down trouble yet. Sure, I was having a lot pain in my hips, buttocks, cramps in my sides, etc. but nothing that was debilitating or that I had not already felt in training. I recall last year I had race halting trouble at mile 16 (stomach cramps and an overall bad attitude). I found it surprising this year that at mile 19 I truly felt I was going to make my time goal. It was a great thought. Tom had left me briefly around this time to hit the bathroom (he told me I didn't have to wait, he would catch up). As I was thinking about finishing the race, I got a little emotional and started having shallow breathing. Note to self for next year: no crying on the course! Okay, let's move on!

We (more like I) were trying hard to keep the same 10:18 pace with little variations here and there. I was starting to find it hard to keep the pace. After running around a small lake within a large park, we hit an uphill part of the course. I think this was around mile 22. The words, “I need 10 seconds” came out of my mouth and I took a 10 step walk break. I was hurting bad. I knew I could still go on but I just wanted a few seconds of relief. I knew it wasn't going to help but I wanted it anyway. I started running again but the break didn't help me. It hurt more to walk than run at that point. I was sorry I did this because I knew I would have to do it again. We saw the mile 24 sign. Our pacing was still on track to make 4:30 but it would mean making up just over two minutes. Tom said, “Let's get 4:35.” I think that goal worked better for me because there was no way I could make up two minutes with the condition I was in. The new goal was realistic. I felt better after Tom said it out loud. I think I said something like, “I'll take four thirty something.”

There was yet another uphill climb before the final mile home stretch. 4:30 was still within reach but I just couldn't get my legs going fast enough to to make up the time. I was so spent and drained. It was also hard to believe the experience would soon be over. We passed the mile 25 sign. Someone walked out on the course offering up apple sauce or banana pudding to runners. Not quite sure what was going on there. I didn't take any. (Cracklesauce?? - tom added)

We could see Camden Yards where the finish line was because it was all downhill. The only problem with a big downhill at that point is that my quads could barely handle it. I knew I had 4:45 easily beat but I wanted to get 4:30! 4:30 is all I've thought about for months!

To give you an idea of where I was at this point, I ran the 24th mile in 11:02. I ran the 25th mile in 10:58 (Garmin splits). It was still possible to get under 4:35 with those splits but then something strange happened....

When we got a hundred yards or so past the mile 25 sign, all pain was put aside and I picked up the pace. Tom and I stayed together. For the first time in several miles, we were running side by side. Previously, I had remained just a step or two behind him. I was just minutes from the finish line with a marathon finish time I would probably never repeat again. It was quite a feeling. I couldn't feel any of the prior hip pain or buttocks pain. My knees were never even an issue during the whole race.

We rounded the corner near the Babe Ruth statue (at Camden Yards) and both sides of my groin cramped. It brought me to a complete stop. I mean a full sudden stop. It felt like my groin muscle “cinched” up into both sides of my crotch. I took a few steps but it really hurt. I was afraid I would pull my groin if I hadn't already. I took a few short running steps. We were in the final push where all the cheering people were lining the metal fences. I saw Ashland Bob and others from Virginia. Monica had jumped the fence and she started running with me. I was flying at this point! The finish line at last!!!! Who knows where the groin pain went because I no longer had it. As I write this, I don't know what that was. I don't have any soreness there.

My last mile split was 8:37! That was with the stop and groin situation. I couldn't believe it when I saw the split time on my Garmin. I almost made a 4:30 marathon. My chip time was 4:31:40. My Garmin time was one second off the chip time. Here's the funny part: the Garmin had my distance at 26:52 miles with an overall pace average of 10:15. I didn't venture off the course for .3 miles. So, not only have I done my first “ultra,” but if I had dropped the 2 minutes at the port-o-john, maybe I would have come inside 4:30. Who knows? For some reason, I tend to over analyze things like that after the fact. I never thought it would play a factor at the time.

I was very emotional at the end. I was happy and sad at the exact same time. Very intense conflicting emotions. I was happy for completing the distance within my secondary time goal (primary time goal was to beat last year's time of 4:44:59). I was sad because I had come so close to matching 4:30:21. Some of you may know that my late father-in-law ran the Baltimore Marathon in 1979 in 4:30:21. It was his only marathon during his lifetime. He loved distance running. Back then it was called the Maryland Marathon. He was 37 years old in 1979. He died unexpectedly in 1990 from a heart condition after completing a training run. Fortunately, I got to know him quite well before he died.

I had secretly wanted to run the same finishing time as his as a way to honor him. I only told a few people because I knew how hard it would be to do it and I wasn't sure I could. I really wasn't. I worked hard during the training runs and I kicked my own ass over and over doing hill repeats every week by myself. I stuck to my weekly mileage goals and didn't skip any training runs. I came so close to 4:30:21, you can imagine it was very emotional for me at the end. The emotions of finishing a supreme mental and physical challenge coupled with the aspect of attempting but not achieving a sentimental goal are conflicting to say the least. It was a good thing the beer trucks weren't too far away!

Here are a few logistical matters.

Sleep: I slept 7 hours Thursday night before the race. Friday night, we got back late from the expo and didn't eat dinner until about 8pm. I drank three beers just to get calm. Ashland Bob talked me into it. I went to bed at 10:30pm and woke up at 3:30am. I tossed and turned after that due to anxiety until the alarm went off at 5:30. I didn't feel exhausted or anything like that but normally I sleep more than 5 hours!

Breakfast on race day: plain bagel with cream cheese, two bananas, coffee. All brought from home. Same stuff before the group long runs. I don't trust restaurants.

Weather: 55 or so on race morning. It warmed to the mid 60's but there was no humidity. Constant breezes and sunny skies resulted in a sunburn. It seemed we kept running into the sun. I was afraid I would throw my visor away during the race so I didn't wear it. I should have worn it.

Race Strategy/Gear: I made up a 4:30 wristband with split times from an Internet site. The wristband made it through the race and that's how I knew when we were 1 minute off the pace, two minutes, etc. I recommend it. I actually wore two wristbands: one for 4:45 and one for 4:30. I got the 4:45 one at the expo and it fell apart before the halfway mark. I wore my fuel belt but with only two bottles. I left them empty until I started wanting liquid between the water stops. I didn't see any point in running with full bottles at the beginning if I wasn't going to drink them. The water stops were plentiful after what happened in Chicago. I think a new standard has arisen after Chicago.

We walked through the water stations and I consumed at least two cups of liquid each time. I alternated between water and Gatorade. I got sick of the green Gatorade by the end and will probably never have it again (as well as blue Powerade from last year). I had a Powerbar at the 6 mile mark. I consumed one gu every 45 minutes. I tried a fifth one but I thought I was going to vomit.

Message to guys-Nipguards won't last a marathon. One did but the other was a casualty at the halfway mark.

Recovery after the race: two beers, one banana.

Special Thanks: to Tom Grant for guiding me to achieving something I hadn't thought possible until 4:31:40 minutes after the start. Also, thanks to current and extended/honorary members of Team Incognito for their constant support. Extra special thanks to my wife, Monica, for her support and concern through my knee issues and confidence issues, amongst other things. She took care of everything while I spent so much time on the road doing my training runs. Also thanks to Bryan Cline and Bob Brown for the great 'ad hoc' weekend runs through the Center of the Universe.

I wish everyone the best in their fall marathon!

Fall is the perfect time of the year to start running (again). Pick a Spring 10K (30th Ashland Railroad Run, for example) and go to www.runnersworld.com. There, they have a great application for generating training plans, Smart Coach. Fill in your info and hit the streets.

If you have a minute, comment or make a suggestion about what info you'd like to see on this site (or just say "hey" so I know there's somebody out there).

See ya on the streets,
Tom

Sorry for that lapse, I've been waiting for Fall to arrive & bring cooler temperatures, but it looks like Summer will not let go this year. Poor marathoners in Chicago had a rough time with the heat this past weekend.

We had a pretty good turn-out for the first annual Tiger Trot (& luckily, pretty good weather). Thanks to all the volunteers & runners who came out & supported this event. Hopefully, it will be even bigger next year.

The Ashland Harvest Run is coming up in a couple of weeks. I ran last year for the first time, & the course is great. You can register at:

http://www.ashlandharvestrun.com/

Planning for the 30th anniversary of the Ashland Railroad Run 10K has begun. We're hoping this year to draw a huge crowd. If you have any old Ashland RRR artifacts, please let us know. We're also looking for ideas to celebrate one of the oldest races around Richmond (what was the fad in 1978???). If you have an idea or story about the race, please send it to:
joannhunter2001@yahoo.com

(know anyone that has run all 30 years???)

The race this year is being moved to 2 weeks prior to the Monument Ave 10K so that runners can use the Ashland RRR 10K as a tune-up. This will also be St. Patrick's Day weekend (Irish Pub afterwards???)

Lately, a group of us having been running from Starbucks on Friday morning at 6:00 a.m. This is a short easy run, all are welcome (coffee afterwards).

This weekend is the Underarmor Baltimore Marathon. Ashland Track Club has 4 mothers running the marathon relay, 2 dads running the half marathon, and 2 dads running the marathon. Hopefully, we'll finally get a break with the weather.

I'll try to be better at updating the site.

See you on the streets,
Tom

Opinion Poll:
What do you think about the decision to ban mp3 players (ipods/headphones) from running events????