OK so we’re here, we’re happening but I’m fried.

It took us about 8 ½ hours and while long the ride was great.  Jim, Kim (Jim’s wife), Haney and I had fun talking running, sharing stories and trying to keep our patience with Haney’s state of the art navigation system.  I don’t really think it cared that I was speaking to it tersely but I felt better for it.

Fortunately the streets of Washington D. C. are dry and there’s only a small chance of precipitation on Saturday morning.  Heck we might even break 40 degrees during the marathon.  This is a nice change from what we’ve been training in back in the D or from the snow we saw in the mountains during the drive down.

Tomorrow morning we pick up our numbers, chip and other documents and then spend the rest of the day trying to relax when we’re not inhaling large amounts of carbs. We’re very fortunate that Jim’s sister’s family is putting us up while Jim’s daughter Kate will be treating us to a pasta dinner tomorrow night.

But I’m pretty tired so I think I’ll sign off with the promise of a more coherent update tomorrow.

Ball of Confusion

I might have mentioned (several hundred times) that tapering is a bit difficult for me. 

Running is fun for me but it is also great exercise and a stress release so while I like resting I am a bit unsettled.  I’ve driven the schnauzer crazy by packing and repacking several times (She always assumes she’s going on a trip with me and stakes out my luggage.), spent far too much time on Facebook silliness yesterday soliciting annoying music to run by – you know that song that will not leave your head, plowed through every once of paper work so that I’m not surprised by something at work when I return, found myself talking way to fast to clients in order to burn off energy and can almost not settle down.  Which might explain my choppy writing right now.

Well that all changes tomorrow as we buckle up and make the 10+ hour drive to Washington D. C. for the National.  We’re ready.  We’re psyched and there’s nothing left but to get there and run the darn thing.

I have to say that I’ve had a lot of help from family and friends along the way.  Sometimes it’s just to keep you focused, to be there when it’s time to put the miles in, and other times it’s just to encourage, to talk or to talk you down from whatever weird place the training or the Life that exists outside of it brings you to.  

Thank you very much for this and for your donations (I’m almost at $1,900.00!)

Washington D. C. is only 4 miles away from Dearborn and other numbers of note

Yep that’s all the mileage left on my training schedule before we clamber into Haney’s car on Thursday morning and make the drive down to Washington D.C.  That was the fastest 15 weeks of training I’ve ever gone through.  Granted this will only be my 5^th marathon but hey! 

Here are some other fun stats courtesy of my tracking watch and other sources:

Miles covered:                                     446.11

Time spent running:                              79 hours, 19 minutes and 11 seconds

Estimated calories burned:                    69,584

Estimated calories consumed:                Less than I’ve burned since I’ve gone

down a size in my jeans.

Arnica lotion applied to hamstrings:       14 oz.

Trips to chiropractor:                              7

Pairs of running shoes consumed:           Almost one.  They’ll be retired right after the National.

Gallons of Gatorade consumed:               3 (approximately)

Amount of blueberry Gatorade enjoyed: None!   The stuff is gross.

Lowest temperature run in:                   -2 NOT including wimpy wind chill.

Deepest snow encountered:                  I think 5”.

Words of encouragement:                     Uncountable and always appreciated.

Donations received as of 3/17:              Over $1,200.00 and counting!

More updates throughout the week and hopefully on race day.

Thanks again for everything.

Did I tell you about d’Artagnan yet? And other loose ends. (Now with cartoons!)

The countdown clock on the National’s web site reads 8 days, 11 hours, 24 minutes and 59 seconds as I begin to type today’s update and I am focusing on everything that I haven’t gotten to.

But first and foremost:  THANKS AGAIN!  Words of encouragement and donations continue to come in at an increasing rate.  Maybe we can put a dent into this crappy disease by helping UMCCC in dealing with it.

Secondly our taper continues and we’re all becoming more thoughtful about what we do and wear during the day.  Today’s Frazz cartoon truly doesn’t seem too extreme to us:

And after this we’re signing waivers, checking the route to D.C., beginning to pack, developing an itinerary that involves not moving around much before the race and probably not wanting to move around at all after the race, where to eat and where and when we’re going to meet up with d’Artagnan.  Who?  More on this guy in a paragraph or two.  Jim’s daughter Kate lives in Arlington and has been kind enough to have us to dinner the night before.  She’s very brave to have three to four marathoners over the night before the race.  Hopefully we’ll provide enough interesting conversation between stuffing our faces with pasta and drinking enough fluids.

Did I mention that there’s a fourth to our marathoning crew?  Mike Freestone is a friend that owns a business similar to mine in Holland, MI.  We’ve known of each for years but don’t cross paths all that much because of geography.  I am “blaming” Mike and Haney for this current marathon because they jumped on running the National while I was still muttering about it.  The National will be Mike’s first marathon and we’ve been comparing notes as he trains on Michigan's west side while we pound out the miles here in Dearborn. 

If Haney, Jim and I our the Three Musketeers then Mike is d’Artagnan and I couldn’t ask to be among better company. 

Now the countdown clock reads 8 days, 10 hours, 59 minutes and 21 seconds.

How would I look wrapped in foam rubber?

Probably goofy (er) but well protected.

Today I feel that I am facing a lot of loose ends in the marathon end of my life.  First and foremost I am surrounded by:

1)     Generous people - Donations grew by 33% since last week!  Words can’t express . . .

2)     Supportive people – Doctors Kathleen Akin chiropractor (and cousin) extraordinaire and Pamela Morrison with her top notch podiatry services.

3)     Companies – Well someone from a company.  Patsy Cline from Sanmar helped arrange for some needed running gear.  Sanmar is my top clothing supplier and my favorite.

THANK YOU!

Secondly I find myself thinking about what to pack.  Mentally I think I’ve packed, repacked and packed again.  Street clothes aren't a problem but what combination of running is proving a bit more challenging.

Third I think I’ve managed to learn how to post both photos and text from my phone today.  My computer access as of the 24^th will be limited but I think I’ll be able to keep current while we’re traveling.

And last but not least I think we’re all doing our best to stay healthy.  Nothing would stink more than a last minute injury after all of this training. 

Perhaps you thought I was joking about the foam rubber?  

For now I’ll settle for wrapping my knee in frozen corn (best ice pack ever!) and ibuproferon.  

Tapering with paczkis

Which is nowhere near the same thing as dancing with wolves. 

I’m still dealing with the after effects that the four lard balls of joy I devoured yesterday have visited upon my body and probably won’t process the last of the fat until mile 25 in Washington. 

But I’m dedicated to this run and I’ll do whatever it takes to build up my energy reserves for the 26^th.  J

Now is the time to start planning for what gear we need to take down for the National.  What nutrition will we need during the run, how much hydration, do I have time to break in a new pair of shoes?  But mostly I’m spending a lot of time looking at the course map.

Course Map for the 2011 National Marathon

 I am not an elite runner by any stretch so I am not planning where I am going to pull ahead of the pack or some similar feat of amazing athleticism when my eyes burn holes in the course map.  I just want to feel more familiar with the route, to see where the aid stations are and plan for where my mind may wander and my resolve with it.  Physically I’m ready but marathoning is probably more mental than physical for me.  Running by the Capital, the Washington Monument or the Lincoln Memorial will be cool even for the second time but that stretch between mile markers 23 and 25?  What’s there to help keep me engaged?  Maybe I’ll need to hear another cool story from Haney or Jim?  Maybe I’ll need to come up with some interesting anecdote of my own to help keep us at our best until we can see that last river crossing. 

I’m getting into my head now so I don’t spend too much time there later.  

75:22:2

“No road is long with good company.”  ~  Turkish Proverb

So today my dad would have turned 75 and I kept him in mind throughout our last long training run of 22 miles.  Jim and Haney ( 2 ) are great guys to run with and even better friends so even though we covered a lot of soggy ground during a flood warning the time and miles passed quickly for me. 

I have no pictures from today’s run as it was too wet to pull out my phone while crossing the Middle Rouge River.  I can say that we could watch the river rise as we crossed it - a lot.  There was a difference of several feet (My guess is at least five) from the time of our first crossing and the fourth! 

“You can’t choose the day of your race.”  ~  “Coach” Haney Makled

in his gruffest voice before heading out this morning

Last week I put a bit of a spotlight on Jim so I guess I should give Haney a turn.  Haney’s reminder as we were about to face certain drenching probably comes from his management experience at Ford and elsewhere.  His background and work are a bit different from mine so I am constantly learning.  Each week Jim and I hear at least one if not two great stories from the world of manufacturing, traffic in Lebanon or pit bulls at 2:00 AM.  For example I have a home based business so machines burning to the ground or employees getting caught in said machinery have never interrupted my life let alone my training.

So between Jim’s unique take on running – granny walks this week - or Haney’s insights into the past week I am in great company.

Pre-Taper = Happy Schnauzer

We have only one more long run until the National Marathon and then we begin to taper. 

Tapering involves lowering our mileage and resting up before the marathon.  The good news is that I really appreciate any extra sleep or time I can get but the bad news is that I am now geared to run.  Already our weekly mileage is beginning to drop and I find myself a little confused by having spare time.  So if you see a somewhat fidgety guy with gray in Southeast Michigan then it's probably me.  I guess this week is our “pre-taper”. 

I have to say that the schnauzer is pretty happy with this situation because I’m starting to spend my newly found free time walking her.  The poor pooch has been way under walked and probably a little overfed this winter - until this week.  

The colder months find Roxy sleeping in various configurations throughout the house.

She's not completely unmotivated because even when she's sleeping  she has goals.

However I have to say that Roxy is finding the fresh air and exercise more to her liking.