| # | Date | Name/Website | City & State | Results |
|---|
| 1
| 20 Aug 2005
| Stavanger Rock 'n Run This was our last stop on a fantastic 2-week "50-cousin tour" of Norway. Stayed w/ Drs. Asgeir (3rd cousin) & Eva Haugedal in Kleppe near Stavanger. It was a cool day w/ a light rain. My biggest worry was getting lost as there were only a few dozen marathoners & I was almost dead last. The course was twice around a loop so I followed a half-marathoning German couple for about 12.
| Stavanger, Norway
| 4:46:28 (Bib #39)
|
| 2
| 30 Oct 2005
| Marine Corps Marathon A cool day & I ended up wearing my throwaway shirt to the finish. Here's where I learned the importance (for me) of carrying some grub. I was starving after 17 & sick of anything sweet (I unwisely passed up cookies). The Annapolis Striders' oranges in East Potomac Park (20-ish) were a boon.
| Arlington, Virginia
| 4:26:55 (Bib #22496)
|
| 3
| 21 Jan 2006
| Orlando Xtreme Marathon Four [if memory serves] times around a lake/swamp (Orlando Wetlands Park or some such). It got very hot & the sun was full on. The water stop on the far side of the lake ran dry late in the race. Sharon did the 5-K & won her age group! It was nice having a cheering section 4 times around. After the heat set in I dropped my goals & started walking a lot including a, probably 5+ min jaunt w/ S.
| Christmas (near Orlando), Florida
| 4:39:20 (Bib #156)
|
| 4
| 21 May 2006
| Delaware Marathon Four [if memory serves] times around a loop -- almost completely flat. I met a very nice young funeral director who works in a northern suburb of D.C. at the start & ran w/ him thru about 20 after which he dropped back a bit. He was a big factor in this being a PR for me. Interesting t-shirt w/ full listing of the "Class of 2006" on the back.
| Wilmington, Delaware
| 4:20:40 (Bib #177)
|
| 5
| 9 July 2006
| Virgina Mason Team Medicine Marathon & 5k at Seafair
Hilly! Weather was nice at the start but it got hot. The sponges (a first) they gave out late in the race were welcome. At around 20 I remembered about my "Succeed" tablet a few minutes after a water stop & very stupidly popped it in w/out water. I was on the side of the road heaving in short order.
I stayed w/ sister Evie for nearly a week & had a wonderful time while she convalesced w/ a new hip (Steve & Megan were out of town so my being there was a help to her). It was a short night at college pal Anoosh's house on raceday eve & I wasn't fully prepared the next day. I didn't take anything to drink during the few hours before gun time which I paid for dearly late in the race when the temperature started rising. Very nice short-sleeve tech t-shirt w/ "marathon" on the back -- the most important feature.
| Belleview, Washington
(near Seattle)
| 4:26:50 (Bib #633)
|
| 6
| 11 Nov 2006
| Harrisburg Marathon
Cold, wet & VERY windy! Straight into the wind along the Susquehanna River. Some gusts nearly
stopped me in my tracks. We finished on an island in the river & it was a very cold walk back to the hotel (not short) w/ completely inadequate clothing. I utilized the dressing area to change duds which I had a hard time doing w/ my stiff creaky fingers. Amusingly, I couldn't have cared less when a young lady gingerly stepped in while I was struggling w/ my shorts, my shriveled wanger still exposed. Got a fair number of pictures for dcMemorials.com before & after the race.
| Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
| 4:23:11 (Bib #1096?)
|
| 7
| 13 Oct 2007
| Baltimore Marathon - Perfect weather! Mile 15-20 uphill then pretty much down all the way home.
12+ minutes better than my previous best time! And I felt G-R-E-A-T. Training right makes all the difference. Ran with Keith H. -- a HUGE help. If alone, I would've run unnecessarily conservatively. This was Keith's JFK 50-miler training 'thon so he slowed in the early 20's & finished around 4:15. For the 1st time, I started thinking about running another marathon late in the race. Sharon greeted us at about the half-way point w/ a bottle of Gatorade -- she had done the 5-K. Fantastic long-sleeve tech t-shirt w/ a gi-normous "26.2" on the back. Under Armour was the chief sponsor.
| Baltimore, Maryland
| 4:08:14 (Bib #2609)
|
| 8
| 11 Nov 2007
| Outer Banks Marathon Nice & cool. Mostly flat & a good bit of wind at our backs until about 22. Sub 4:00 -- Yea Baby! This is a point to point, starting in Kitty Hawk, thru Kill Devil Hills & Nags Head, finish in Manteo. Our hotel (Dave M. did the half) was at the finish line so they shuttled us to the start. That ride put the distance into perspective -- the bus kept going ... & going ... & going. As with Balto, I felt good the entire race &, again, started thinking about doing another 'thon after the finish. Here I learned that gummy bears are surprisingly refreshing. This race was the most well-provisioned ever & the folks along the way were extremely nice & even thanked us for being there! A beach town in the winter enjoys visitors. Lesson: Leave the stopwatch alone at the finish line -- the finish photo shows me clutching my belly!
(282/963, 28/83 age group, 216/587 gender)
| Outer Banks, North Carolina
| 3:59:07 (Bib #1105)
|
| 9
| 8 Dec 2007
| Rocket City Marathon Near 90% humidity & temp near 70
at the finish. Not too hilly but far from flat. For the 1st time ever I didn't feel really good at any point. No surprise after 3 'thons in 3 months, fever on Tues & almost no running for 2 weeks after an ankle twist running thru the woods on thick leaves. I awoke w/ plantar fascitis on the left which messed w/ my head a bit. Shorter of breath from the start than usual (3 vice 4-count intake). Nonetheless I started out w/ 9 min miles but slowed to a 2:03 half. Serious left knee pain at 14 led to several hamstring-stretch-breaks & a few 2 min walk breaks. I love having kids along the side w/ outstretched hands to swipe -- gave me a needed charge several times.
Finished the last 3 miles pretty hard -- left it all on the course. Marvelous 30-mins of lying on the grass at the finish & a so-so post-thon nap.
No more 'thons 'til the spring -- the body is speaking. My only regret -- 5 secs faster & I'd have been able to say that 2007 was entirely faster than all previous 'thons.
| Huntsville, Alabama
| 4:20:44 (Bib #398)
|
| 10
| 14 June 2008
| Hatfield Mccoy Marathon
Most memorable -- all in a positive way -- are the water stops (twice as many as usual), the race director (chatting us up before the start,
praying before the gun), the "gun" (a shotgun blast) & the shotgun-toting, bearded hillbillies Hatfield & McCoy at start & finish. Oh yes, and the H - I - L - L - S. This is definitely Kentucky / West Virginia.
The MapMyRun elevation isn't very accurate (e.g. the 1st 2 miles are mostly downhill), but you get the idea. Don't fixate on
Blackberry Mountain which peaks a bit beyond 7 miles. It's tough, but it's early & the 1st few miles are a nice pre-hill
warmup. It's the "bumps" from about 16 and on that are the killers. The one just past 23 looked like a mountain in my
near-dilarious state. My mistake was keeping up with Keith for 18 miles. We did 9 minutes for the 1st 2 miles & 10:38 for the
worst part of Blackberry Mtn. I had Baltimore in mind where my having kept up with him such a boon -- I forgot about the part
where that was a JFK50 training run for him. We lucked out with the weather. Mid-70's at the finish & humidity in the 90's thru-out. Steady rain for the last 6-8 miles. I decided to NOT "leave it all on the course" this time. I wanted the thought of my next marathon to be pleasant later in the day. That was a good choice. I walked a good bit after about 20 & finished steady. My only thought was to beat 4:30 because Keith had said repeatedly that we'd finish closer to 5:00 than to 4:00. ;o)
BTW, driving "hurry-up-ish," the Prius got 48 mpg Friday. Keeping to the speed limit on Sunday, it got 54 mpg. Go figger.
| Goody, Kentucky (start)
Williamson, West Virginia (finish)
| 4:28:18 (Bib #220)
|
