Well, I was all set on the morning of May 17th to head to Delaware to run my 3rd marathon in 3 months. It was our second week of training for the Patrick Henry Half Marathon Team, so I decided to run a couple of miles with the novice team, and then wait for team to return from their training runs before heading home to pack-up the family and head to Delaware. I figured as long as we left by noon, we would plenty of time to get to packet pick-up before it closed. Everything was going according to plans. Even the traffic on the drive up was lighter than expected. We arrived at the Frawley Stadium with a couple hours to spare. There wasn't much of a race expo, but that was fine by me because I just wanted to check in to the hotel and chill for a couple of hours before heading out to the pasta dinner.

We made the drive from the stadium following the directions I had printed out from Google maps. The only problem was there was a bike race going on that ran right in front of our hotel. After a few alternative trip around the city of Wilmington, we finally found a back way to get to the parking garage of our hotel. The hotel lobby was a busy place. Not only was there a bike race, but also the hotel was hosting a barber shop quartet contest. It was pretty amusing to see groups of 4 men all decked out in matching colorful suits. As I waited in line at the check-in, I saw an elderly gentleman wearing a Carolina Mudcats hat. We used to live not far from Four County Stadium where the Mudcats played (near Raleigh, NC). As he passed by, I said “Go Mudcats”, and that struck up a conversation about what a great stadium it was, and how few people actually attended the Mudcat's games. I got to use one of my favorite jokes about how I would call the Mudcats office and ask “what time does the games start?” and they would say “what time can you get here?”. Another couple checking in overheard our conversation and said that her parents were moving to Cary, NC that very weekend. We talked about Cary a little and I found out that her husband was running the marathon and she was doing the 10 mile race. Small world.

We got checked-in, and still had plenty of time for Jill to go for a run on the treadmill, and take the kids to the pool before the pasta dinner started. The pasta dinner was great. It was “all you can eat” which is my favorite kind. I had about two and half servings of pasta, which I thought would give me plenty of fuel for the race. I wish I had stopped there, but there was desert. They had brownies and lots of cookies. I cannot eat chocolate or I'll get a headache almost every time. I decided to eat several cookies instead, this would (I think) prove to be a mistake.

We got back to the hotel and watched “Evan Almighty”. Even though, we'd all seen it before, it was still funny and kids loved watching the animals. It didn't take long to fall asleep after that. I was feeling really good and excited about the run. All my running gear was ready. I had planned to take the shuttle from the hotel that was leaving at 5:40 in the morning. All systems go. I set the alarm for 4:30 and went to sleep.

I woke-up to the alarm at 4:30 and made my way to bathroom, closed the door, and turned on the light. Then it hit me, a throbbing pain in my head. It hurt to open my eyes. I grabbed a bottle of water and sat in the bathroom, slowly drinking the water and hoping the pain would go away. My head hurt so bad I couldn't think. What did I do wrong? Then I thought of the cookies. Sometimes, I get the same reaction from highly processed sugar as I get from chocolate. The clock was ticking, what was I going to do?? I thought about just climbing back in bed. Then I decided, well I've still got an hour and half before the race starts, maybe by then I'll feel better. I quickly got dressed and headed down to the shuttle. I was the last person on the bus. I sat in the back, everyone was talking very loudly, excited about the race. I sat with my head down. I apologized to the lady next to me, saying “sorry, I don't feel very well.”
We arrived at the stadium and I quickly tried to find a quiet place to sit down and close my eyes again. Seemed everywhere I went people were talking loudly. Runner's must have thought, “man, look at that guy, he's really meditating over this race”. I borrowed a cell phone from another runner, and called Jill and said “I'm feeling terrible, not sure I can make it”. Then, I just sat on the ground with my eyes closed until I heard the announcer “okay runners, let's head to the start line”. I stood-up but kept looking at the ground as I made my way to the starting line with the other runners. I figured if I can't do it, I'll just stop at the 3.5 mile mark when I see Jill and the kids for the first time. The cannon went off to start the race, and I started running (slowly). I kept my eyes on the ground in front of me. I plodded along the first mile, and to my surprise I was starting to feel better, not great but better. As I hit mile two, then pain in my head was letting up from the constant throbbing, to intermittent pain. By mile three, I was feeling “not too bad”, which is what I told Jill as I passed at the 3.5 mile mark.

The first part of the marathon was a 10 mile loop that would bring us back to start. I couldn't tell you what the first 7 miles looked like. I kept my head down, and ran at about 30 seconds per mile slower than I had planned. Somewhere near mile 7, I started feeling normal. I lifted my head and noticed we were coming out of a park along the river. As I passed Jill and the kids for the second time, I said “I'm doing good”.

The Delaware Marathon is perfect for spectators. The race is a 10 mile loop, followed by three 5.4 mile loops. Jill and the kids were able to see me pass 7 times, all while sitting in the Riverfront Park. There was a water stop every mile or mile and half on the 5.4 mile loops, so you never go very long without hitting a water station. The volunteers that manned the water stations and traffic control were great. I remember one gentleman, that stood on a corner near the stadium. Each time I passed I noticed he was smiling and cheering for each runner that made the turn back toward the starting/finishing line.

As I started my last loop (only 5,4 miles to go) I was feeling really strong. Probably the result of going out slow, I had maintained an even conservative pace throughout the entire race. I pushed it a little on the last lap, and actually just beat the girls back to the finish line. As I approached the finish line, I unrolled a sign Jill handed me on my way out on the last lap. I held up the sign as I crossed the finish line, “Maniac”.

The race, even with my rocky start, turned out well. I finished just under 4 hours and about 30 seconds faster than my death march in Athens. It was great to feel better at the end of the race than I did at the start. The weather had held out, and although a little warm for me, definitely not as hot as the previous one. I was now qualified as a “Marathon Maniac”. I filled out my application to the Maniacs Club when I returned home that night. I got my official acceptance a day later, I'm now Marathon Maniac #947.

I look forward to helping others reach their running goals over the several months as I coach the PH HMT. I think it is just as satisfying seeing others reach their goals as achieving your own. Running is like an addiction, and it's much more fun to have other addicts along for the trip.

See ya one the streets,
Tom

The morning of May 10th was a busy and exciting morning for me. It was the first group run for the Patrick Henry Half Marathon Team, and a few of us decided to run 5 miles before the 5 mile training run (10+ miles total). This year, we added a group that runs out of the Patrick Henry YMCA in Ashland. This is my second year of coaching the team. We had pretty good weather, although there was a threat of rain. We have a very enthusiastic group of coaches and runners, and the first run went well.

After the training run was over, I hurried to downtown Richmond where the Race for a Cure events were going on. I had to run about a half mile to get where my family was because of road closures. My wife and sister had gotten the whole family together to participate in the event. It was a big surprise to my Mom when they all showed-up (including Jill's parents and aunt) wearing pink t-shirts with her picture on them and the words “I'm walking for my mother (or other relationship) Jean Grant – 10 year cancer survivor”. They had told her they were going to watch the grandkids run in a race. I missed the races, but got down there (with my pink shirt) in time to take a few pictures.

After the race, we headed to Carytown for an early lunch. I persuaded the family into visiting The Road Runner running store. I had heard that Bill Rodgers (4 time winner of the Boston Marathon) was going to be there to help celebrate The Road Runner's 25th anniversary. He was also going to be taking short runs with local runners that wanted to join him. We milled around the store for a while as others were talking to Bill (we're on a first name basis now). I never have really sought after autographs from anyone, but decided to buy a running shirt & have him autograph the back for me. He asked about my running and was really a nice guy. Jill told him I was shooting for my 3rd marathon in 3 months to qualify for the Marathon Maniacs (more on that in the next blog entry). He said he had done 58 marathons, but didn't run marathons anymore.

We left the shop, and I told Jill I'd like to go for a run with Bill, she said sure. While most people have probably never heard of Bill Rodgers, he was a legend to me. Probably the greatest American Marathoner of “my time”. I quickly took my stuff back to the truck, hurried back to the running shop. When I got there, Bill was gone. I asked Thom, the owner, where he went, and he said “oh, they just left for a run, go down that street you can catch them”. Me catching Bill Rodgers??? I ran out of the store and down a cross street from Cary Street. After a short time, I could see a group of runners about a quarter mile ahead of me. I ran faster, but every time I would get kinda close, I would have to stop for traffic. I finally made it to Bryd Park and caught the group. Bill said “hey”, and I told him I would have a story to tell the grandchildren “The Day I ran down Bill Rodgers, 4-time winner of the Boston Marathon”. He laughed.

I think Bill said he was 60 years old, but he looked younger than me (and I'm 27 ;>). He still ran with a bounce of greatness in his stride. He told some great stories in the 3 miles we ran. It's maybe hard to explain to non-runners, but the experience was something like throwing the ball around with Nolan Ryan for baseball fans, or cooking with Martha Stewart for a cooking enthusiast. I wore my autographed running shirt at my last marathon (next blog post coming soon) and got a lot of comments from other runners, some even got to hear the abbreviated version of the story I will be telling my grandchildren, although by then, Bill will have been 2 miles ahead of me and still just as fast as he ever was (you know how the stories get better with years).

See ya on the streets,
Tom

A couple of weekends ago, we packed-up and headed to the beach for a long weekend. I was looking forward to kicking back & relaxing on the beach for a few days, but with the Delaware marathon coming up in 3 weeks, I knew I needed to get in a couple of runs, one being a long run. I didn't do any really long runs between B&A and Athens, & I think that was part of the problem at the second marathon. We didn't arrive at the beach until late Thursday night, & by the time we got unpacked it was after midnight before we got to bed. I decided to sleep in on Friday, and do a short run on Friday evening. I ran four miles on the beach Friday before dinner, but the beach was really slanted and not as hard packed as it usually is at low tide.

I started thinking about where I would go for my long run on Saturday. I had planned to just run on the beach, but the short run on Friday had changed my mind. The Island where we go is exactly 26 miles long, and our condo is at mile post 9. I decided I would head south (towards mile post 1) and if I made it to the end of the Island and back, that would give 18 miles. There's a bike path or sidewalk that runs the entire length of the Island, so I wasn't worried about traffic. Luckily, I had remembered to pack my fuel belt, so I would have water for the run. There's an old gas station at mile post 1, so I packed $5 to refuel after the turn-around.

I got out the door at 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning. It was already pretty warm (upper 60's) and kinda humid. There wasn't much wind, but it was coming out of the South which would mean I'd have a tailwind for the return trip. I started out pretty easy because I knew I'd be out there between 2 and half to 3 hours. The miles rolled by. There wasn't much traffic, but I did see a few bikers out. I didn't see any runners. As I passed mile post 1, I decided to turn back before I reached the official end of the Island. At the end, there is a small development of townhomes called Serenity Point. Jill and I have often talked about how nice it would be to own one of those. It's very quiet, & the beach is beautiful at that end of the Island. We sometimes take the kids down there to swim and bogey board. The waves are usually smaller and seem to break foreverr making for longer rides.

As I made the turn to head back, I noticed it was getting really hot. With the wind at my back now, & the sun up higher, it felt like it was in the mid 70's. I dumped the last little bit of water on my head as I made my way to the gas station. This particular gas station has been around for a long time. On the outside it looks like something out of Mayberry, with two old style gas pumps. I had never actually gone inside the store, but it was just like the outside. The uneven wooden floor and old wooden shelves had probably survived a few storms over the years.

The elderly lady behind the counter probably thought I was a wacko, dripping with sweat and wearing some kind of Batman belt. I got a Gatoraide and nutri-grain bar. She started to ask me if I wanted a bag, but then said “I guess you're gonna consume that here”. I ate the bar and filled my bottles and continued back. The rest of the run back was pretty uneventful. It continued to get hotter and I was glad I had cut it a little short because after two and half hours I was ready for it to be over.

My wife asked me what I think about for 2.5 hours. I wished I could give her a better answer, like “I solved a problem at work that has had everyone puzzled for weeks”, or “I figured out how we're gonna pay for the kids' college tuition”, but to tell you the truth, I think I have ADD when I run by myself. My thought pattern is usually something like “Is that a pain in my left leg?, how many water bottles do I have left, I wonder if that guy is going fishing?, we need coffee creamer, I hope I can make it back, I wonder what Jill and the kids are doing?, I betcha they're eating waffles, did I eat anything this morning?,...,”. All of this in the span of couple of minutes. The reason I don't have a good answer, is I think of thousands of things, but rarely do I come back with anything useful. I guess for me, it's quantity not quality.

How about you? What's the longest you've run solo? What do you think about?

Email me at tom.grant@comcast.net with your answers, I'd love to hear them.

Well, off to Delaware in a couple of weeks. I'll let you know what I think about ;>)

See ya on the streets,
Tom