Woo Hoo - Got the schedule from the Coach

I begin to Train in Dec 1, which according to the coach, is soon enough. I will be running only as I feel inclined. This is about 20 miles a week or thereabouts. This recovery thing is good.

I think I will do 6 tonight as I have not run the 6 mile loop in some time now. That route was a staple before Disney.

I have an Ultimate Tournament in November which will fry me, I am looking forward to that one for sure!

Curtai

Running

Dog is sick again bad sick I fear!

I ran yesterday for 4.2 in about 38 minutes. Not bad not world record. I feel like 9 minute miles are doable even on flat ground. I feel healed from Steamtown.

Lots going on, I have to entertain the CHinese people on the 30th and 31st. So how do you dress up a foriegn official to trick or treat? HMMMMM Hopefully Juliette will show up to translate.

For Now I am ready for my schedule from Coach.

Curtai.

Great Ultimate

I had one of the best games of Ultimate Frisbee last night that I have had in quite some time. Lots of running and positive vibes from everyone.

Today I ran my 4.2 mile loop and walked the last 1/4 mile just because I am supposed to be taking it easy. I have a coach who is going to help me get a little faster and stay healthy, so I am jazzed about that.

My legs were heavy today there is still not much spring in my step. Another easy week is definately in order.

I am going to get Steamtown Marathon Pictures.

I'll post them tomorrow.

Curtai Out

Recovery

Dehydration and the Marathon for me was well let’s just say not pretty. After the race, I needed, so I thought, just to sit for a few minutes. Shortly after sitting down, I had to go to the porta-let and wanted something to drink desperately. I went to the let and had the runs and found that the water was making me nauseous. I was just going to tough it out but was not really thinking all that well. I did not even stop my time as I crossed the finish line! I asked Julie, who I later found out was sick herself for a bottle of water. I was going down hill. Robia then found us and was so thrilled that I finished on goal time. She was with us for a few and all I wanted to do was leave. She went to get the car and I was in and out of the porta-let 5 times. She called me on the cell and told me where she was parked and I walked the ½ block to the car and tried to get in. I was Nauseous and cramping like I have never before! My foot pulled to the side like I have never cramped before…. Totally painful! It was then that I realized that I needed to do something other than just go back to the Hotel. I have never been to the Medical tent before and felt like I just wanted to tough it out, but I could tell even in my diminished state that I was not well. They sat me in a wheelchair and wheeled me to the medics who took the BP and Glucose and temp and assessed dehydration and started an IV. I took one bag and the BP went from 86/60 to 90/65 and they said I’d need another. The second bag did the trick 110/80 I think. Robia, bless her heart was good about taking care of me, while delivering the folks I was riding with back to the hotel at the top of the hill. By the time she got back, I was much better, color was better etc. She said I looked terrible after the finish…. A huge thanks to the guys in the Med tent. (I remember being so cold, I could not stop shaking……I am still not sure if that is the dehydration or great AC in the building… they told me good AC but it seems the fluids I was getting were cold.)

My medal picture shows me with my bloody arm where the needle went in. Told you it would be a little graphic. Anyhow. UNDER FOUR HOURS!

How cool is that!
Curtai Out

The Race 3:57:09

The Race

I should have written this earlier, but I will put all that I can remember down now.
The ride to the race was a little exciting in that we got a flat tire and had to switch cars at a local hotel to get to the start. We boarded buses and headed up the hill. We wound up passing the School and freaked everyone out. The bus got turned around and we found the school. The porta-let line was not too bad, the temperature was nice. I used the $4 sweats outfit purchased from the Salvation Army the night before for the beginning of the run. I lost sight of my traveling companions Dave and Julie, even though we said we’d run together for a while. Turns out they were within a quarter mile or so the entire race, just never saw them.
Bang goes a big cannon and we were off. The first few miles were really down hill, and as usual I was just trying to warm up. The foliage was beautiful and the conversations I was having with people were kind of general there was some hooting and hollering etc. We got to rolling pretty well by about mile 4 and I settled into a pace that a bit of a stretch but I felt good. I should not that it appears in an effort to keep runners from sloshing the water out of the cups that they were only filling them a little bit. This would haunt me later! I was taking a cup at each station and at mile 6 began taking an egel every 4 miles. I started with 7 which was perhaps 2 too many. Oh the biggest problem with the first few miles was my shorts were loaded with cell phone, gels and other items which pulled them down. I was hiking them up again and again until I finally got the little drawstring tied tight enough. (There may be no fixing it now) I had plumber’s butt and was worried for the first 5 miles. Finally fixed, I could safely discard the jacket I had purchased without offending anyone! I left my gloves on for a while longer as the Birmingham experience showed me how tough it is to run with frozen fingers…. The pace was pretty steady through mile 10 and the half marathon, with both showing I could break 4 hours. I knew the end would be a little rough, but that I wanted to make the 4 hours, beat 3:56 if possible! I kept on trucking along until 20 miles where it was only 6.2 to finish. And I was under 3 hours! Woo Hoo.

They say in a marathon there are two races. The first 20 miles and the last 6.2. I agree with that as I was tested the last. Miles 20-23 were not too bad mile 23 and 24 seemed to get sluggish and mile 25 was a bear, the only uphill to speak of, the hydration was gone and the feeling of twitching in the legs at the onset of a cramp, a cramp fantom if you will. Crept on me. I tried talking to other runners, who were around me, struggling to maintain the pace, also wanting the 4 hour Mary. The last hill seemed forever, I was forced to walk for about 2 minutes, the similarity to LA marathon 16 years ago was amazing, I just could not go. I gave out a loud NO!, and started running again, willing it to be so. I ran and crested the final hill slowly seeing the finish and realizing that I was going to crush my modern PR but leave that one from LA in tact I ran soaking in the crowd’s noise, I pulled in to the finish pleased with the time. I was a little worn out, but not aware of my pending problems. Dehydration is a bugger. More on that tomorrow, and I will try to not be too graphic.
Curtai Out

Photos SteamTown

I do not have my personal photos back yet, however here are the ones that were taken on the course.

Of note, the blood coming out of my arm is real, they put 2 units of fluid in me to bring the BP back from 86/60 to 110/80 Can you say D-E-H-Y-D-R-A-T-I-O-N!

I think in talking to some of the folk, that the cups being passed out were not full enough, I was taking one each stop, but the amount in each cup was just an ounce or two. I think given the day, which was full sun and warm, I should have taken maybe 2X the fluid that I actually did.

Good finish time of 3:57:04 (1:34less for chip time), however losing that much fluid is dangerous! I do NOT recommend it. I only cramped the last mile.....

Curtai

Race Report for The 2006 Steamtown Marathon Part 1

1) Travel
I have to say that it has been a while since just Robia and I went anywhere together. Just the two of us. Now this is not intentional, but an artifact of two little ones. If you have ‘em you understand, if you don’t, you won’t. Anyhow, after much planning cajoling and such, Robia agreed that she would go on this vacation/marathon/audit trip with me. Well the day finally came and we were off. Thursday, we headed out to the great wide open. Robia and I packed light, knowing we were to be moving around quite a bit. Anyhow, we arrived into Philadelphia without to much difficulty and aimed for downtown with no dinner reservations or hotel. We were winging it, something I usually don’t mind doing when left on my own, however I was a little bit off as I found it hard to travel with Robia in that fashion. The place were I had kind of thought we would eat did not go over with Robia, she wanted something else, it was just not the right spot! We wound up finding a little sushi place that was OK with respect to Sushi, and we drove around the sites in Philly for a while, we saw the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall ( they look just like they do at Disney!). Once we had dinner we set off to find a place to sleep. Nothing seemed to suit us as all we could find was a budget hotel with no working elevator and a room on the fourth floor. It turns out that former presidents Bush and Clinton were there on a fundraiser. We could have seen Bon Jovi for a mere $10K, whoa, a little outta my league. I was feeling ok so we set sail for Scranton, it seemed the logical thing to do. It was a pretty easy drive as the expressway was not too crowded at night. No one else was silly enough to drive at that time of night. We arrived to a Holiday Inn and got a room. Fine enough a little rough around the edges, but what the heck. We got in and tumbled into bed for the night. We woke to some swimming and nice workout in the Gym and packed to get to the Bischwind. On the way we went to a meeting where there were about 45 people. We left there and went to the Bed and Breakfast.

Now I have not been to a B&B before, so I did not know what to expect. But I can say whole-heartedly, that I thoroughly enjoyed it. www.bischwind.com

Results at SteamTown

1:34 to cross the start line, 1:34
8:38 mile 1 total 10:13
8:34 mile 2 total18:47
16:42 miles 3 and 4 total35:30
16:34 miles 5 and 6 total52:04
8:45 mile 7 total 1:00:50
8:35 mile 8 total 1:09:25
17:41 mile 9 and 10 total 1:27:06
9:02 mile 11 total 1:36:09
9:01 mile 12 total 1:45:11
9:04 mile 13 total1:54:15
1:55:10 for the half mary
16:38 mile 14 and 15 total 2:11:48
8:57 mile 16 total2:20:46
9:00 mile 17 total 2:29:46
9:17 mile 18 total 2:39:04
18:37 mile 19 and 20 total 2:57:41
18:22 mile 21 and 22 total 3:16:03
9:15 mile 23 total3:25:19
19:20 mile 24 and 25 3:44:40
12:29 mile 26.2 finish 3:57:09 <---- had to walk a bit was totally spent.

Modern PR Hurrary
4:21:11
3:57:09

Modern Record by 24:02


1:18:02 (Not sure what this is?) I think this is when I hit the thing after IV fluids!!!