(So many times it happens too fast) You change your Passion for Glory
Philadelphia Marathon - State 14
Nov 21, 2009
Time: To Be Finalized- 3hours and 51ish minutes.
Until maybe 2 months ago I was thinking: Babysteps. I have 50 states to run, progression to improvement can be slow; Break 4 hours, that was my goal that I didn't even think about pursuing with the hilly marathons I chose for 2009 (post New Orrleans and pre adding Philly to the line up). THEN I get it in my head to push time in Indy and I blew away my expectations, but what that did, was create new expectations for Philly. Your level of satisfaction is directly coorelated to your expectations and when you aren't satisfied, your attitude gets bad(at least in this case mine does). You can see maybe you shouldn't expect too much from marathons because in marathoning, attitude is more than half of getting through it. Running is a passion of mine. Some people get it, others don't. Before my sophomore year in college I didn't run much. Maybe a mile here or there. Then my roommate, Marisa was running 3 to 5 miles and she inspired me to get out and do some running. I remember my first 'long' 3mile run. It was up Regent St to Madison West Highschool and back. That accomplishment felt so great. Then I would talk about running with Tammy and Sarah Harnden. They soon became my running buddies junior year. It was just so nice to get out and run and we would socialize at the same time. Summer nights, Sarah and I would go out running down state street after work while others were at the bars. We would make babcock hill a fun hill workout. Tammy talked me into my first race...crazy legs. I thought it was crazy to pay to run, but I did it anyway. Then Harnden mentioned a half marathon. I went to California to visit Ashleigh. She knew I was running a lot so she introduced me to her neighbor, Elvia, who bacame my California running buddy; From there on out, if I visited Ashleigh, Elvia and I would run. She told me about her passion for Marathons and I should think about a full. So, Baby steps, I returned to Madison from my visit in California, January 2005, telling Harnden she had to sign up with me. We were doing the half. I looked forward to running 7 to 9 miles on Sundays. I would go every which direction from the Capital (or our house near there), covering new ground all the time. I loved my running for credit class even if it was early in the morning. Then, I met Melissa, we just happened to be in the same group for real estate development. She was training for the full and invited me on a 13 mile run with her friends. I had so much fun! When we finished that 13 miles, Melissa mentioned the Nike Woman's marathon where you get a Tiffany's necklace for finishing. And from there, well that's where my marathon write-ups begin. The thing is, running is not just a way to lose weight and be healthy. Running has connected me to so many friends. Running has made me ...well, me. I love it and I am not about to push for times (the glory) and lose the love (the passion). Who knew the Rocky song was that deep :) That little background was just to bring me back to my passion- I was remeniscing on this run as Harnden is from Pennsylvania. Now time to write about Philly. Philly wasn't even on my 'program' for 2009 until I talked Rachel A into pace leading with me again this year. As we started training she said she was interested in Running Philly and asked if I would consider it. We weren't set in stone with details until Connie said she would do it and got the ball rolling for us. A group of 5: myself, Rachel A, Connie, Kathleen and Dana (Sheila didn't get a race bib). This was Connie, Kathleen and Dana's first non Chicago marathon, and first (maybe last) 2 marathons within 2 months. Rachel A also had a year off of marathoning. So, off to Philly. What a wonderful city. The City layout was great, its clean, lots of historical sites, its walkable (a must for me to really like a city), and well, real pretty all lit up at night. Lots to do (which i think we covered lots on the run and after the run). We got in Saturday afternoon, went to the expo and went to a real nice restaurant for dinner, though, we disappointed the waiter ordering simple pastas. Fast forward to race day. Perfect weather, starting in the 40s ending in the 50s. The start (and finish) was about a mile from the hotel so we walked it. Since I was nervous about my time I was pushing to get into the race corals quickly. They made a big deal about starting in the rigt coral...but then there was no enforcement so I took us right up to the 3:40 pacers. We all had different time goals in mind so thanks girls for being accomodating starting in the 3:40 spot. As we started, I was on my own within seconds. The pace felt comfortable. The first half of the marathon was more of a city run. As I said the city was wonderful, lots of big buildings, neighborhoods comparable to bucktown, shops, restaurants, part of it even kind of reminded me of parts of the New Orleans marathon, but maybe what made me think of new orleans were the narrow streets. As I am trying to have a good run, the frustation sank in with not being able to pass people, expending energy trying to not step on people's feet and then the occasional slowdown bc a car never cleared the streets and we would all have to work our way around it. Around mile 3 I fell as someone lost a shoe and pushed through to get back to it creating a bit of a domino affect. I luckily had made short time friends with a girl and she quickly helped me up before I got trampled over and we kept moving. I didn't get water the first 3 stops which also frustrated me because I am big on 'early and often' to replenish what you lose while running. The reason why I didn't get water was because it was to crowded and people would slowdown too much and they were short stops. Then there was the 3:40 pace group....as it was so crowded right behind them I figured I would work my way in front of them (esp after the fall). It took until mile 7 to accomplish this but it was a good move. It was nice to be able to just run. While we had many gradual hills throughout and some bigger ones, more than noted, mile 9 was the killer. I tried to compare it to mile 11ish of Indiana, saying it was ok...but this was a little rougher I think. With water at the top of the hill, I gu-ed up. Then we had some nice gradual down and out and back. On my way back I saw Connie and Kathleen, they weren't far behind me. Around this time I had met a man who was completing his 50th state with Philly. He said it took him 35 years to finish all 50. I told him I'm on the fast track right now, but that's so I have room to slow down later in life. I had thought I gained a good amount of distance on the 3:40 pace group but around mile 12 they were right behind me. Which again real focused and worried on time this frustrated me as they started to pass me. I was thinking I wasn't slowing down my pace but couldn't tell for sure as mile 13 was not well marked. I felt defeat the moment they passed me which did not help the attitude part. And as I did my calculations, I got more angry to realize the leaders had them at least 2 minutes ahead of pace (I was 2 minutes ahead then and they were in front of me). Where I come from...pace leading is a consistent pace..maybe not how I run my marathons but I wasn't pacing. They were paicng and seeing a time pass you when it's not yet game over, well that's annoying. I don't think I really lost Boston until mile 16ish or so. There was another big up at 14 followed by a big down that really hurt the legs. The second half was more scenic in a green sense. Gradual ups and downs under bridges past a cemetery far up a hill. This was an out and back where the turn around was just before mile 20. This time I thought I would see all the girls, but got tired looking so only saw Kathleen. On the way out I saw beer, and decided, I need to wash down the loss of Boston, with a beer, so on the way back, I had a beer as I said "I lost Boston so I might as well drink." The last 4 miles I walked a little- a few steps here and there, but I could feel the blister on my left foot and decided walking hurt that more. With about a half a mile left, the crowds were AMAZING. Somehow they were the right amount of energy, where they carried you to the finish. Though, the finish felt like forever away, we kept seeing signs saying turn to the finish- and we'd turn, and then there was another turn. I actually picked up my pace at the end, and a cramp hit right near the end, so I limped the last few steps to the finish (which is actually similar to Kathleen but she more or less, dragged one of her legs to the finish). Currently, our official race times are unknown. They keep changing them and they aren't matching what watches said. So we are wondering if (hoping) the course was overshot so they are working on fixing times to accomodate (this has happened in races before). But, most likely it sounds like it's a computer chip timing glitch. With 20,000 runners this is a mess, and the City runs the marathon, so they probably dont have much staff around to help deal with this. After the marathon is where we really had fun. The 5 of us met up, and moving slowly (a good hour or two after I finished), we were at the Philly Museum of Art, AKA, Rocky's steps. After 26.2 miles, we ran those steps! It was fun, it was also a beautiful day so we sat up there for a bit, took pictures and slowly made our way back to the hotel, only to quickly turn around and wait in a long line (30 mnute wait maybe?) for a Philly Cheesesteak. Mmmm good. That's the thing- the running is what has brought us together, allowed us to have the experiences in Philadelphia and whereever else with all of my other friends. It's not about time, it's about the experiences. Boston is so close, I'm sure I'll get it soon enough. I have been stressing out about time so much, as both Rachel A. and my Mom have said in their own ways- don't forget to have fun. So Charlotte: I have 3 weekends, all filled with travel- exhausting travel, and only 9.5 work days. This means I'll be busy and exhausted until then, so I don't plan on wearing a watch, and I don't plan on starting in any sub 4 hour groups. I just plan on enjoying it- run/walking it maybe even. I want the Glory*, but I don't want to sacrifice my Passion for it so I'll just take my time. *Boston Qualifier = Glory BTW these lyrics are from Eye of the Tiger...
Philadelphia Marathon - State 14
Nov 21, 2009
Time: To Be Finalized- 3hours and 51ish minutes.
Until maybe 2 months ago I was thinking: Babysteps. I have 50 states to run, progression to improvement can be slow; Break 4 hours, that was my goal that I didn't even think about pursuing with the hilly marathons I chose for 2009 (post New Orrleans and pre adding Philly to the line up). THEN I get it in my head to push time in Indy and I blew away my expectations, but what that did, was create new expectations for Philly. Your level of satisfaction is directly coorelated to your expectations and when you aren't satisfied, your attitude gets bad(at least in this case mine does). You can see maybe you shouldn't expect too much from marathons because in marathoning, attitude is more than half of getting through it. Running is a passion of mine. Some people get it, others don't. Before my sophomore year in college I didn't run much. Maybe a mile here or there. Then my roommate, Marisa was running 3 to 5 miles and she inspired me to get out and do some running. I remember my first 'long' 3mile run. It was up Regent St to Madison West Highschool and back. That accomplishment felt so great. Then I would talk about running with Tammy and Sarah Harnden. They soon became my running buddies junior year. It was just so nice to get out and run and we would socialize at the same time. Summer nights, Sarah and I would go out running down state street after work while others were at the bars. We would make babcock hill a fun hill workout. Tammy talked me into my first race...crazy legs. I thought it was crazy to pay to run, but I did it anyway. Then Harnden mentioned a half marathon. I went to California to visit Ashleigh. She knew I was running a lot so she introduced me to her neighbor, Elvia, who bacame my California running buddy; From there on out, if I visited Ashleigh, Elvia and I would run. She told me about her passion for Marathons and I should think about a full. So, Baby steps, I returned to Madison from my visit in California, January 2005, telling Harnden she had to sign up with me. We were doing the half. I looked forward to running 7 to 9 miles on Sundays. I would go every which direction from the Capital (or our house near there), covering new ground all the time. I loved my running for credit class even if it was early in the morning. Then, I met Melissa, we just happened to be in the same group for real estate development. She was training for the full and invited me on a 13 mile run with her friends. I had so much fun! When we finished that 13 miles, Melissa mentioned the Nike Woman's marathon where you get a Tiffany's necklace for finishing. And from there, well that's where my marathon write-ups begin. The thing is, running is not just a way to lose weight and be healthy. Running has connected me to so many friends. Running has made me ...well, me. I love it and I am not about to push for times (the glory) and lose the love (the passion). Who knew the Rocky song was that deep :) That little background was just to bring me back to my passion- I was remeniscing on this run as Harnden is from Pennsylvania. Now time to write about Philly. Philly wasn't even on my 'program' for 2009 until I talked Rachel A into pace leading with me again this year. As we started training she said she was interested in Running Philly and asked if I would consider it. We weren't set in stone with details until Connie said she would do it and got the ball rolling for us. A group of 5: myself, Rachel A, Connie, Kathleen and Dana (Sheila didn't get a race bib). This was Connie, Kathleen and Dana's first non Chicago marathon, and first (maybe last) 2 marathons within 2 months. Rachel A also had a year off of marathoning. So, off to Philly. What a wonderful city. The City layout was great, its clean, lots of historical sites, its walkable (a must for me to really like a city), and well, real pretty all lit up at night. Lots to do (which i think we covered lots on the run and after the run). We got in Saturday afternoon, went to the expo and went to a real nice restaurant for dinner, though, we disappointed the waiter ordering simple pastas. Fast forward to race day. Perfect weather, starting in the 40s ending in the 50s. The start (and finish) was about a mile from the hotel so we walked it. Since I was nervous about my time I was pushing to get into the race corals quickly. They made a big deal about starting in the rigt coral...but then there was no enforcement so I took us right up to the 3:40 pacers. We all had different time goals in mind so thanks girls for being accomodating starting in the 3:40 spot. As we started, I was on my own within seconds. The pace felt comfortable. The first half of the marathon was more of a city run. As I said the city was wonderful, lots of big buildings, neighborhoods comparable to bucktown, shops, restaurants, part of it even kind of reminded me of parts of the New Orleans marathon, but maybe what made me think of new orleans were the narrow streets. As I am trying to have a good run, the frustation sank in with not being able to pass people, expending energy trying to not step on people's feet and then the occasional slowdown bc a car never cleared the streets and we would all have to work our way around it. Around mile 3 I fell as someone lost a shoe and pushed through to get back to it creating a bit of a domino affect. I luckily had made short time friends with a girl and she quickly helped me up before I got trampled over and we kept moving. I didn't get water the first 3 stops which also frustrated me because I am big on 'early and often' to replenish what you lose while running. The reason why I didn't get water was because it was to crowded and people would slowdown too much and they were short stops. Then there was the 3:40 pace group....as it was so crowded right behind them I figured I would work my way in front of them (esp after the fall). It took until mile 7 to accomplish this but it was a good move. It was nice to be able to just run. While we had many gradual hills throughout and some bigger ones, more than noted, mile 9 was the killer. I tried to compare it to mile 11ish of Indiana, saying it was ok...but this was a little rougher I think. With water at the top of the hill, I gu-ed up. Then we had some nice gradual down and out and back. On my way back I saw Connie and Kathleen, they weren't far behind me. Around this time I had met a man who was completing his 50th state with Philly. He said it took him 35 years to finish all 50. I told him I'm on the fast track right now, but that's so I have room to slow down later in life. I had thought I gained a good amount of distance on the 3:40 pace group but around mile 12 they were right behind me. Which again real focused and worried on time this frustrated me as they started to pass me. I was thinking I wasn't slowing down my pace but couldn't tell for sure as mile 13 was not well marked. I felt defeat the moment they passed me which did not help the attitude part. And as I did my calculations, I got more angry to realize the leaders had them at least 2 minutes ahead of pace (I was 2 minutes ahead then and they were in front of me). Where I come from...pace leading is a consistent pace..maybe not how I run my marathons but I wasn't pacing. They were paicng and seeing a time pass you when it's not yet game over, well that's annoying. I don't think I really lost Boston until mile 16ish or so. There was another big up at 14 followed by a big down that really hurt the legs. The second half was more scenic in a green sense. Gradual ups and downs under bridges past a cemetery far up a hill. This was an out and back where the turn around was just before mile 20. This time I thought I would see all the girls, but got tired looking so only saw Kathleen. On the way out I saw beer, and decided, I need to wash down the loss of Boston, with a beer, so on the way back, I had a beer as I said "I lost Boston so I might as well drink." The last 4 miles I walked a little- a few steps here and there, but I could feel the blister on my left foot and decided walking hurt that more. With about a half a mile left, the crowds were AMAZING. Somehow they were the right amount of energy, where they carried you to the finish. Though, the finish felt like forever away, we kept seeing signs saying turn to the finish- and we'd turn, and then there was another turn. I actually picked up my pace at the end, and a cramp hit right near the end, so I limped the last few steps to the finish (which is actually similar to Kathleen but she more or less, dragged one of her legs to the finish). Currently, our official race times are unknown. They keep changing them and they aren't matching what watches said. So we are wondering if (hoping) the course was overshot so they are working on fixing times to accomodate (this has happened in races before). But, most likely it sounds like it's a computer chip timing glitch. With 20,000 runners this is a mess, and the City runs the marathon, so they probably dont have much staff around to help deal with this. After the marathon is where we really had fun. The 5 of us met up, and moving slowly (a good hour or two after I finished), we were at the Philly Museum of Art, AKA, Rocky's steps. After 26.2 miles, we ran those steps! It was fun, it was also a beautiful day so we sat up there for a bit, took pictures and slowly made our way back to the hotel, only to quickly turn around and wait in a long line (30 mnute wait maybe?) for a Philly Cheesesteak. Mmmm good. That's the thing- the running is what has brought us together, allowed us to have the experiences in Philadelphia and whereever else with all of my other friends. It's not about time, it's about the experiences. Boston is so close, I'm sure I'll get it soon enough. I have been stressing out about time so much, as both Rachel A. and my Mom have said in their own ways- don't forget to have fun. So Charlotte: I have 3 weekends, all filled with travel- exhausting travel, and only 9.5 work days. This means I'll be busy and exhausted until then, so I don't plan on wearing a watch, and I don't plan on starting in any sub 4 hour groups. I just plan on enjoying it- run/walking it maybe even. I want the Glory*, but I don't want to sacrifice my Passion for it so I'll just take my time. *Boston Qualifier = Glory BTW these lyrics are from Eye of the Tiger...
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