29 down, 1 to go...

It was 29 years ago. I had a goal of running Grandma's Marathon and Twin Cities Marathon for 25 consecutive years. The postal service goofed up my Twin Cities streak at 12 when the machine chewed up my entry, and it was returned after the race. So I had Grandma's...

When I reached the 25th year, I was prepared to call it quits. Then, my son encouraged me to run with him for the 26th race. For the 26th, I decided I would run 5.24 miles and quit. That would mean I ran 26.2 consecutive Grandma's Marathons. My son decided to run the whole race with me, so I could not stop at 5.24 miles, as this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. That means only one thing! The goal was now 30 consecutive finishes.  

The 29^th Consecutive finish at Granma’s marathon is complete.  I went into the week of the race thinking the 5-mile training run on June 15^th was inadequate to finish.  That was the first run since Grandma’s 2012.  Since that was such a poor run, I decided to run again on Wednesday the 19^th.  I completed a 4-mile run and felt expended.  This year I was really concerned and knew my only chance was to be mentally strong and I believed I know my body and capabilities well.  So I told Shelley I would run 12:30 minute miles for the first hour with the average pace slowing every hour to the point where I averaged a 15-minute mile at the end. 

I left for Duluth on Friday at about 12:30 PM.  I was going up alone as Shelley had plans with her parents in Lincoln, Nebraska, and my sister could not make the race in a year.  I arrived at 4:30 PM (traffic was horrible) and quickly picked up my packet.  I walked around Canal Park to calm my nerves.  After evaluating the clothing option I brought with me, I decided to purchase gloves and sleeves.  They turned out to be so valuable in the race!

2013 Finisher

So it was nighttime, and it was just the Smart Car and me. This would be the first time I would try to sleep in the little thing. I brought five pillows and a blanket. I stuffed the area between the seats with pillows, put my legs in the passenger area, and starched my body across the less than 5-foot space. While challenging, I slept about as well as I could. Of course, two Advil PMs helped.

The forecast for the race was dismal.  Cold, rain, and heavy winds.  The only thing that could have made the weather look worse was snow.  Thank GOD that did not happen!  However, we may have had sleet if the winds had come off the lake.  But the winds were from the northeast.  No lake breeze today!   

I made it to the start of the train and prepared for the race.  To shorten this post, it went exactly as planned.  In the first hour, I averaged 12:24 miles (planned 12:30).   After hour two, I was at 12:49 (13:00 Planned).  I felt good but decided not to risk cramps or fatigue and follow the plan.  I held back and did some walking to stay with the plan.  Well, I finished with a 15:02 average, four minutes better than last year.  I felt good.  I even jogged to the drop bags and to the car. 

The drive home took a lot of work to start.  The fog was in Duluth all day and cleared when I was past Cloquet. (See video).

On a side note, on April 13, 2013, I went to see a nutritionist.  I really am into what she says and have followed her advice.  I have not stepped on the scale since April 13, 2013, until today.  While I have lost weight, I am a little disappointed.  I have lost an average of 2.4 pounds a week (24 pounds). Is that a healthy loss rate?  In 2006, when I also went to a nutritionist, I had an average of 4.3 pounds a week for the first 10 weeks.  I need to be patient.

Now, it is time for recovery. I hope to be back on the bike and taking that 18-mile commute to work in the next few days!

Carry on…