My first thought
when starting this post was “where was a blog 28 years ago”. I have been trying to compare my
experience at the 36th Grandma’s Marathon (my 28th
consecutive) with past experiences.
However, I did not have a blog back then I did not keep a journal? Bummer as after 28 finishes; they all
run together, even two days afterward.
I did have blog entries for 2008, 2009, and 2010. Last year was a hard year and I only had 5 blog entries (2 in January and 3 in December).
My Friday was
not a good precursor to a successful weekend! Work was issue after issue and I
found it hard to get away. When I
did, I went to my girlfriend’s house as we were driving up together in her second
car, as it is easier to sleep in a Nissan Altima than my Smart four two. I took her car to fill up with gas and
about 5 blocks from the station, it ran out!!! CRAP… I had to push it to the station. Now I thought with Minnesota nice, I would
get a hand or two but nothing. Fortunately,
the route was flat and the only issue was the entrance and I picked up speed
and made it…
After that
fiasco, we left Minneapolis about 3:30 PM Friday. I was concerned as I knew I am not as prepared as I could be,
actually logging no running miles since the 2011 Grandma’s Marathon means there
was NO preparation. I did log over
1,500 miles on bike the two months leading up to this attempt, but biking is
not the same as running.
Battling traffic
made the trip about 45 minutes longer than normal. Although, the arrival at the DECC was perfect timing as the
5K had finished and much of the parking lot was clear. I picked up my packet, did a little
walk around Canal Park before heading to the car to sleep.
I set my alarm
for 4:45 A.M. as the bus/train was scheduled to leave between 5:20 A.M. and
6:30 A.M. and I was expecting rain.
I had a great nights sleep, which was strange, as I have had so much
trouble sleeping the past few months.
When I woke, I was surprised to see a mostly clear sky. The weatherman was stating thunderstorms
for the day. I was happy for them
missing the forecast once again!
The train ride to the start was
uneventful. Got to the start, went to the biffs’ and did the final race preparations. I truly believed this was only going to
be an attempt at best. I have been
a little down thinking this would be the end of my consecutive Grandma’s
Marathon attempts. One side of me was
hoping injury took me out and the other is a fighter. I hate to quit. More than anyone I have ever met, I
hate to quit or fail!
I was worried as the sun was hot.
The forecast was maybe 65 degrees for the day with scattered thunderstorms. It was all of 65 degrees at 7:00 A.M.
and the sun was very hot. Standing
at the start grid many of the runners already had sweat from the warmth.
The race started 15 minutes early
this year with a 7:45 AM start as opposed to the traditional 8 A.M. start. I knew that I needed to run smart to
have a chance at finishing.
The race start was
uneventful. Took over 7 minutes to get across the start line. I was doing a 12-minute
mile without much worry. Had a heart rate at about 130. Not much to worry
about. As typical for longer
activities, I went with the heart rate monitor
as my pace guide. I kept the heart rate in the 130-140 ranges.
Everything was going
along fine when at six miles I had a loud and painful clicking in my right
knee. It was like a ratchet. Step after step... Click, click, click... I started to get real concerned and
changed my gate and rotation hoping to ease the issue. I walked for a while and tried to
minimize the pain and odd feeling. Then started to run at a variety of ways to
ease the pain. Found a real short
shuffle was pain free. After the
half marathon mark I realized my brisk walk was about a minute slower than the
shuffle run and walking did not hurt.
I was beginning to think I can I finish, I have to finish!
So I proceeded to walk,
briskly. I was clicking off the
miles at a 15 to 16 minute per mile pace.
It was easy and I had built a cushion that I knew I only needed an 19 minute mile average for the rest of the race to make the cut-off. I
decided this was all about the finish, not the time.
Everything was great
until mile 22 when I felt both calves, the right thigh and lower back start to
tighten up. I focused all the mental energy I had on
each step, changing each step to assure I did not get a cramp to stop me in my
tracks. I had been taking S-Caps
and felt I had completed a very solid regimen to keep hydrated. So I just focused. I have always said the brain can overcome so much if you know how to use it!
Shelley met me at mile
24.5 and walked the rest of the way in to the finish. It was a finish like so many others, only the slowest ever.
I was not disappointed nor was I happy.
It was strange that for the first time that I can ever remember, it felt
like I finished a day at work and it was time to clock out and go home. I was not happy with my job but had no
intention of quitting.
Lets see what the next
week holds, although, I am really looking forward to getting back on the bike! I am surprised my knee hurts much less
than the week before the race. I
noticed that last year as well, it felt better after 26.2 miles than it does
with zero miles… I really enjoy the bike rides this past year and hope someday,
I will once again really look forward to my running and finishing Grandma’s Marathon. When that day comes, I will then make
it my last as I do not want to quit without my last one being a race I enjoyed
so that positive memory will stay with me for as long as I live.
Right now I am looking to
focus my energy on fighting this infection once again. I do not feel much improvement after 6 days of Amox-Clav. Looks like the stronger option is needed and that will limit my activities... But I need to take action as I wake up unable to see clear for the
first 10 minutes each morning and when I lay down to watch TV or read, within
minutes everything is blurry. As I
wrote previously, this is my 9th antibiotic rotation in 26
months. I will fight and win that
battle so I can win others.
Thanks for reading and
may you all live a happy life and enjoy everything you do. This is a blessing humans often take
for granted. Including me, who
needs to feel so blessed with the health, perserverance and success for more
than half my life finishing Grandma’s marathon. I
still have a hard comprehending, 28 years… Wow!
