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| 3rd time's a charm in charming South Dakota |
2020, what a year! With all the uncertainty pertaining to racing in a pandemic, the 51st Brookings Marathon, postponed from its original date in May, successfully pulled it off. The field size of 120 marathoners and 118 half marathoners, its remote South Dakota location, and measures taken to mitigate the COVID-19 risk, were reassuring for someone like me who still hasn't been to a grocery store since March... I'm not complaining about that!
This year of isolation has confirmed what I already knew... I like running but I would be just fine never racing again. So while I shut my run club down and didn't run with people for months, I ran more than ever, never felt obligated to adhere to a plan, and enjoyed it: the solitude and endorphins, runs spent discovering new music and new routes, a zero-mile week to a challenging 126-mile week. I haven't had a year with just one marathon since 2008, before this 50-state challenge began.
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| Yeah, that ain't happening anytime soon |
Shortly after the Maine Marathon last year, I became a vegan - people I now affectionately refer to as v-bags. It has been a year of experimentation and uncertainties; figuring out an entirely new regimen was fun but difficult considering how much meat and diary I previously consumed. Why did I do it? The Game Changers documentary - a collection of vegan propaganda bullshit. Regardless, I was intrigued to see if it would have an effect on my performance.
Michael and I drove 6 hours Thursday evening to Albert Lea, MN then 4 hours to Brookings, SD Friday morning and spent Friday in our hotel room watching HGTV home makeover shows because Michael knows that if I had grabbed the remote before he did, it would have been murder mystery shows on ID Network; he doesn't like those. He sees the good in people whereas I've become skeptical.
Friday rain ceased overnight and race morning gifted us with a dense fog, no wind, and 50 degrees - fairly ideal race weather. The best gift however, was no line at the port-a-potties 15 minutes before the race... I "shit" you not!
We had temperature checks at packet pickup. We started in waves. All of us were wearing masks and spaced but once the race began, we could remove the mask. It made me wonder if there could ever be another Chicago Marathon as we know it.
After 10 miles, my GPS went haywire. I tried to continue a consistent effort and hope for the best but watch issues combined with no one in sight until Michael passed me at mile 20, gave me doubts. But, I hit my goal of 2:12:00 at mile 20, at which point I felt confident in a sub-3-hour finish.
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| My GPS vs. Michael's - mine was drunk |
I finished in 2:55:00, finally crossing South Dakota off the sub-3 list after misses at the 2016 Mickelson Trail Marathon and the 2017 Sioux Falls Marathon. While this was a group Libertyville Running Club trip, it didn't involve the usual before and after shenanigans. The nine of us met briefly, distanced and masked, for a post-race beer at Wooden Leg Brew Pub, then began our 10-hour drive home with a dinner stop on the patio of Forager Brewery in Rochester, MN - great food, good beer. We were in Brookings for less than 24 hours.
Now, the results after a year of being vegan?
I did lose about 10% of my weight and that's not for not trying - I eat A LOT. However, I disagree with the claim that you'll have more energy; often times I felt more lethargic - especially during and after running. I went to the doctor about it; I'm taking pills like an octogenarian. That helped but I still don't have the stamina I once had, maybe 85%.
Do I feel in better health? Eh, that's debatable. I do like the change it has brought about: incorporating more whole foods and a variety of vegetables into meals at home (Purple Carrot is a house staple now), the challenge of eating out (when in meat-favored towns like Brookings, there's always Taco Bell), further understanding the relationship between nutrition and running.
Am I now one of those vegan prosthelytizers? Hell no, that's what turned me off to these v-bags 20 years ago. And now, I don't want to talk about it anymore. See you in New Mexico!
