Very happy to be finished!

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En route to Paris with Pacou and Marie and Phil and Joe following the marathon

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I Finished!

Wow! What an adventure. Got started right on time. It was a little chilly. Incredibly enough I actually ran into three of the other 4 Americans besides me. One is the Chaplain to the New York City Marathon and has run something like 45 marathons. He is from Massachusetts. I met his friend from Pennsylvania. They were visiting a Dutch friend who was also running. Names (not sure who was who) were Ron, Jon and Don.

First half of the marathon was fairly uneventful. A nice bicycle policeman peddled next to me for awhile - told me he ran the 10 miler last year but didn't do too well because he had partied the night before and was hung over.

At one point I was the last "official" runner on the course. But eventually the guy wearing orange in the sweep van asked me if I could run faster and I told him "no." That was sometime after the halfway point where my time was 2:30:58. And from there the adventure began!

Once I was behind the official projected 5 hour time limit I became pretty much on my own. No more people telling you where to run, to turn, etc. No more water and drinks unless I was lucky and they were slow cleaning up. No more kilometer markers.

There were still a few people behind me but eventually I think most of them quit. I made a very urgent and necessary pit stop behind a tree in a park - definitely need to stop affected my ability to run for the 15 to 20 minutes as the need was quite urgent. During that time I ended up walking with a Flemish woman who had cramps. It was her third marathon - she had run Rotterdam and NYC previously. Lost her when I made my pit stop. Then the worst of it - I got completely lost twice. There were no road markings or any other decent way to determine the direction of the course. Asking directions was a bit problematic - if I was lucky enough to find someone who spoke a little English chances were that they had no clue which direction I needed to run. Even cops at the end weren't sure or would say "the marathon" is finished. The best I could do was a "Hansel and Gretel" manoever of following the trail of empty water bottles. But like Hansel and Gretel there were times when the water bottle trail disappeared because the clean-up trucks had already collected them! Cops telling me the marathon was over certainly didn't help me because (1) I was determined to finish no matter what, and (2) even if I wanted to quit I still needed to get to the finish to meet Joe, Phil, Pacou and Marie. Evidently there was a truck that picked up those who did not finish but I never saw it.

Ran nearly 5K beyond the 26.2 miles or 42K!!! No wonder my legs are feeling a little the worse for the wear. Saw Joe right at the finish at 5:59:42. They had closed official timing at about 5:15:00. Joe said there were still people finishing as they dismantled the finish in prep for the 10 mile start/finish.

Managed to get my chip turned in and collect a medal. Figure I might have finished just at or before the dismantling of the finish had it not been for my numerous mishaps - pit stop, getting lost, numerous stops to ask directions. Painted road markings would have been a great help. I intermixed some walking after, I'm guessing, 18 miles or so and was walking a good bit towards the end. Partly it was because my left knee was giving me a little trouble (I was mad at myself for forgetting to take Advil this morning before the race) but even more so I think it was because of frustration at continually getting lost.

So, all in all, I think my next marathon will be one without a time limit of 5 hours. If I had run faster than that there would have been continued support and I would not have gotten lost. People were all very nice although not always able to provide the help I needed - mostly accurate directions.

So, don't ask me today if I'll do another one. It's like childbirth that way. One needs time for the memory of the pain and discomfort of the experience to wear off so the joy and sense of accomplisment can be truly appreciated!


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Marathon Morning

It's finally here! We're on the way from Brugges to Antwerp - Philippe driving. I slept great except not long enough last night. Ate a roll and had a few cups of coffee (hey - they were small!) at the B&B before leaving.

I feel ready to run although I wish I had gotten more sleep. The temperature is still cool at only 9 degrees Centigrade - perfect as long as it stays there. It is quite foggy. Have all my gels ready to go and my Cytomax mixed up - may or may not wear the FuelBalt. Will drink some PerFormance here shortly. About 1:45 to start time.

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Arrived in Europe

Had a uneventful flight over the pond and arrived in Amsterdam Friday morning around 7:30 AM. Would have liked more sleep but even with an Ambien wasn't able to get a decent stretch of sleep.



Caught the train from Amsterdam to Antwerp, visited the Ruben's House, had a bite to eat, a few sips of Joe's beers at the Kulminator (great atmosphere with trestle tables, comfy chairs, classical music and wonderful selection of Belgian beers). Then caught the subway across the river to pick up my race packet. Most confusing subway I've ever been on in my life - very poor signage so requires lots of questioning of fellow passengers to ensure the correct direction of travel. Packet pickup was easy as was T-shirt pickup. Nice bright red T-shirt for the marathon runners and it's a technical shirt so it will get worn. Everyone very friendly.



So, the challenge remaining is to get enough sleep between now and Sunday and get my digestive system on track. Drink lots of water and keep the legs rested. Pass on the Belgian beer after a few more sips tonight at dinner and likewise on the Belgian chocolates!


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Week 17: 3 miles/3 miles/Walk 3 miles

Last week before Antwerp! Continue to get excited -- sometimes a little anxious. But all in all I'm confident that I'll finish and hopefully I'll finish strong. Weather reports out of Antwerp are calling for temperatures in the low 50s (perfect for me) but also forecasting some rain. As long as it's a drizzle and not a downpour I'll be fine -- would prefer not to run in soggy shoes!

MONDAY: 3.45 miles at 9:31 pace. 332 kcals. 156 Avg HR. A good run. Temps in the low 50s with a slight breeze. Even a little chilly starting out but felt good. Continue to make mental checklists of everything I need to pack but I think I'm in pretty good shape. One more short run tomorrow and then it's all downhill to Sunday.

TUESDAY: Woke up early ... decided to get my run out of the way so I could finish up office paperwork later this afternoon. It was chilly -- only in the low- to mid- 40s -- but that's the temperatures I prefer so not bad. Ran 3.5 miles at a 10:08 pace -- easy run -- didn't feel like I was pushing myself at all. 294 kcals and 140 Avg HR. Didn't notice it at all while running but afterward noticed some tenderness to the touch just below my knee on the outer left leg -- but I think it's where I bumped into a chair yesterday at the dentist's office. Go figure -- the running doesn't affect me but clumsiness does. Anyway, I'll ice it later.

So ... I'm done running until Sunday in Antwerp. Feeling strong and healthy and looking forward to the marathon. I'm thinking all the sights of running in a European city, unfamiliar languages, smells, etc. will keep my thoughts occupied and a lot of the time will go by quickly. And the course is flat which is different than what I'm used to running. For the most part I think it will make the run a little easier than my usual hills. Forecasts for the weather continue to change almost on a daily basis. Latest this morning was that the high for Antwerp on Sunday is projected to be 65 degrees F. On the hot side for me so I'm hoping that forecast is incorrect.

I'm just about done with the packing. Carrying all my running stuff onboard with me just in case luggage finds a way to get lost -- it shouldn't since there are no connections between here and there. Carrying three different options for running tops so I'll be ready no matter what the weather actually turns out to be. I have all my gels in carryon -- in my quart size Ziploc bag to clear security. Also have my powders for Cytomax and Pre-Formance to mix up on Sunday. The only thing I'm not carrying on with me is my Fuel Belt -- hoping I won't need it but if the temps end up on the high end then I'm hoping it makes it to Amsterdam on the same plane I'm on! Oh, and also my gymbag for my stuff to shower with after the marathon and change of clothes, etc. -- I can always buy a new gymbag easily enough. I typically take an extended release Ambien on the Europe bound flights and have decided I will do that again -- it should be out of my system by Sunday and will help me adjust more quickly to the new time zone. I'm actually more organized than I've ever been this much before an extended trip. Much more relaxing being fully prepared!

Thursday is scheduled to be a 3-mile walk. Not sure if I'll do that here before leaving for airport or figure I'll get that much walking in at the airport, etc. Will see how I'm feeling on Thursday and how much last-minute stuff I need to do or decide to do!

Week 16: Saturday's "Long" Run - 8 miles

Well, this was my last "long" run before Antwerp. Weather a bit hot for my liking but tolerable -- in the low 70s again. 8.34 miles at 10:49 pace. 870 kcals. 152 Avg HR. Did the Beaverdam Bridge Loop fairly early -- out of the house by 9:15 -- after coffee and a bite to eat. Carried Cytomax with me in the Fuel Belt and glad I did given the heat. Drank about 20 oz during the run. Everything felt fine -- no problems.

Week 16: 3 miles/5 miles/3 miles/8 miles

Less than two weeks to Antwerp! I'm trying to focus on eating well and drinking a lot of water. My appetite is definitely smaller than it was when I was running the 16 and 18 mile weekend long runs. It's nice not to be ravenous all the time. With the lower weekly miles my legs feel good without any of the little twinges here and there that I was feeling during those high mileage weeks. All in all feeling good and looking forward to the upcoming trip.

MONDAY: 3.4 miles at 10:31 pace. 316 kcals. 146 Avg HR. Haven't done a run this short in a long time!

TUESDAY: 6.0 miles at 10:18 pace. 589 kcals. 151 Avg HR. Good run. There is only one run longer than this (Saturday -- 8 miles) before the marathon. Felt great. Legs strong. A few aches and pains that resolved easily. It will be interesting to run a totally flat course. All my runs have included hills and while the long ones can be a pain I actually like some hills.

THURSDAY: 3.3 miles at 10:55 pace. 333 kcals. 148 Avg HR. Slow run. Hot day -- in the low 70s. Nothing particularly difficult about the run -- it was short! But I definitely prefer the cooler temperatures.

Week 15: Saturday's Run in Philadelphia -- 9 miles

Well, I have a new equation:

Too much food + too much booze + not enough sleep = Poor pace + difficult run!

Drove up to Philadelphia last night to catch the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and visited Monk's (think great selection of Belgian beers) and then Amado's Tapas Restaurant (think great food and good Sangria). Only had one wit beer at Monk's and one glass of white Sangria (good stuff and they make it the authentic way with brandy which the Commonwealth of Virginia in their infinite wisdom forbids) as far as the booze went. And shared mussels with Joe at Monk's and had a reasonable dinner, albeit with dessert, at Amado's. Had a decaf cup of coffee and I think that must have interfered with my sleep. Plus I felt stuffed! Let all of that be a reminder to me to do EVERYTHING IN MODERATION from now until Marathon Day! Well, probably everthing in less than moderation because I would consider Friday "moderation!"

Got up this morning around 7:45 AM and had my usual bran cereal for breakfast -- the hotel restaurant actually had a mini-box of All-Bran -- I've never seen that before. And a bunch of fruit and a cup and a half of coffee. Headed out on my run around 9:30 AM from City Hall up past the Museum of Art into Fairmont Park. Wound around the park and up along the river. Nice watching the crew teams on the river. Weather was supposed to be rainy but turned out a little overcast and no rain. Delightful in that respect. But what a difficult run. No real aches or pains but never really settled into "my groove" so to speak. Ran 9.4 miles at an 11:33 pace (slow for me on a run like this, especially since a lot of it was basically flat), 958 kcals, 143 Avg HR. I think my monitor went haywire under some electric transmission lines because it says my max heart rate was a crazy 223! I'll see if it's the same (don't know why it wouldn't be) once I actually upload the info to my PC.

Only one more "long" run (8 miles next week) until Marathon Day! Physically I'm doing well and remain injury free. Need to focus on hydration, good nutrition and lots of rest/sleep for the next 15 days. Beginning to get both excited and a bit anxious. 26.2 miles seems like a really long way at times and other times it seems like it's perfectly manageable -- as in "I did 9 miles today and it's only doing that 2 more times!"

Week 15: Thursday's Run -- 5 Miles

Well, ordinarily I'd be writing this post as part of the previous post but for some odd reason I couldn't get my blog to display the "edit entry" link. I signed in and out a bunch of times but that didn't work so I'm not sure what the problem is today. Before when the same thing has occurred I have signed out and back in and the problem is solved -- but not today.

Anyway ... ran 6.0 miles this afternoon. Although it was supposedly 50 degrees out it felt more like mid 40s (fine by me) and it was breezy. But no rain for which I was thankful. Pace was a decent 10:37, 577 kcals and 147 Avg HR. Not a bad run. No significant aches or pains. Warmed up and everything fine by Mile 2.5 or so.

Heading up to Philadelphia tomorrow. Will have to figure out where and when to run my 9.o miles this weekend. Would prefer to fit it in on Saturday but that might not work out. Also, weather is not supposed to be that great. Don't mind the cold but prefer it to be dry!