50th Sub-3-hour Marathon State: Redemption in New Mexico

Predicting sub-3-hour state number 5-0! 

Here I am at El Patio in Albuquerque, again, and entirely by coincidence... Michael and I ate here after a failed, and quite miserable, attempt to run the 2018 Sandia Crest Marathon in under 3 hours... Melissa directed us here after landing in town. 

That inaugural 2018 event was hot, sunny, and awfully uphill for an aggressive downhill marathon. This year's event was two weeks later in hope of avoiding some of that desert heat; while about 10 degrees cooler, it was still sunny and dry, with a forecast of 82 degrees. 

My Strava notes: '16 Revel Rockies vs. '18 Sandia Crest

From El Patio, we drove to Santa Fe, the oldest US capital city. We settled into our room at the adorably southwestern Pueblo Bonito Bed & Breakfast Inn, then enjoyed a drink from the Bell Tower Bar as the clouds broke, revealing an inspiring sunset behind the Jemez Mountains. We took advantage of the cool, desert evening with a stroll around Santa Fe Plaza, discovering the historical sites that make this city unique. 

Cute Bed & Breakfast, right?

Buying jewelry from the Pueblo craftspeople that sell on the Santa Fe Plaza

The sunset view from Bell Tower Bar on the rooftop of La Fonda Hotel

Friday morning, with 24 hours to go, Bill and I hit the Acequia Trail for a shakeout run. We're feeling a bit of the 7,200ft of elevation here in Santa Fe. I've found the sweet spot is to run your race at elevation within 48 hours of landing. The beauty of these downhill marathons is that you don't really feel the difficulty of running at elevation... until the uphills. 

Miracle stairs of Loretto Chapel - learn about them HERE

On the drive back to Albuquerque, we avoided highways, routing us along the Turquoise Trail, a Scenic Byway. The quirky town of Madrid - a coal town, turned ghost town, later revived by hippies - and desert scenery into the mountains make this the preferred road to traverse. From there, we drove the Sandia Crest Scenic Byway to the start line of tomorrow's marathon.

Madrid photo park

Bill likes baseball, really

We used to be cool

We drove the course home, reliving every painful memory of where things went wrong 3 years ago: the 1-mile climbs at mile 5 (elevation 8,600ft) and mile 12 (elevation 6,900ft), the goal time slip away at mile 16, walks at miles 18, 20... and 21 through 26 where Michael met me, in an equal amount of pain, to unceremoniously cross the finish line together in 3:14:55, my worst marathon in 10 years.

Vegos for dinner, though delicious, would prove troublesome later. I overindulged in burritos, eating Melissa's other half in bed while watching murder mystery shows, in addition to my burrito. It felt so right at the time. 

Bill and Melissa were staying at a separate hotel for the evening, either to avoid my burritos or my 3:30am alarm. I was given a VIP pass that included a separate coach bus, with a toilet, that would shuttle me from my hotel to the start line. I'm going out on top!

As seen from my bus to the start - IT'S A SIGN!

I know this course well now. Aside from that mile of climb after mile 4, it's stupidly fast and quad-busting through mile 11. At that point, Melissa and Bill were waiting to leapfrog me in the car for the remainder of the race, tossing me BodyArmor sports drink - a last minute event switch from Powerade due to supply shortages (everything new on race day!) - in between the 2-mile gaps of the race aid stations. I knew from 2018 that I would feel dehydrated without it. Bill ran up the hills sprinkled throughout the course and the last 3 miles with me. 

Bill assisting me up the mile 12 climb on another lonely course

The 6:22 pace per mile through mile 16 was anticipated. From there, I could slow to a 7:30 pace per mile to bring this in at 2:58:30. That was a comfortable plan that accounted for the long climbs and hot sun of the second half. It did NOT, however, account for that extra half a burrito that sent me to the port-a-potty at mile 22, my only bathroom stop during a marathon in 75 marathons! 2 minutes lost on a number 2 at mile 22... Shit. 

This was going to be a close fight. I didn't know my overall average pace or distance since I mistakenly stopped my watch around mile 18. Then my headphones stopped working. Making matters worse, the mile markers were way off. 

I fought hard but was making plans to return. Bill was doing everything to keep me in it and as a result, I stopped taking walk breaks. Approaching the finisher chute, I could hear Melissa screaming her head off. I pushed as hard as I could, not knowing if I would make it; the clock was obscured by the glare of the sun. 

"That was Mike Brunette from Libertyville, IL who just completed a marathon in under 3 hours in all 50 states, let's hear it for Mike!" Did the announcer just say that? Was he sure? Melissa asked him if the clock was accurate when I heard Bill shout, "48(seconds)!!!" I jumped with elation on battered legs and scurried to find them for some big-ass hugs. 

3rd place overall

This goal began in Boston in 2009 with a 2:59:06 and finished here with a 2:59:12, 3rd place. Consistent, right? However, I can assure you it has been a wild ride with some amazing ups and downs in these 11 years: a 2:44:30 PR and that 3:14:55 low point, injuries, missed race starts, the COVID-19 year, tears of joy, and fears of this being unattainable. 

A Bear On The Run is now a bear done! 

I'm delightfully pleased to be finished with this 50 sub-3-hour marathons goal, which is fitting because I'm in the Land of Enchantment. But, what to do next?

Enjoy the moment. Celebrate. Return to Boston to bookend this goal with a victory lap at the fall 2021 race. Then, throw this stupid GPS watch into a lake!

My awesome friends staged a surprise party the night I returned home

49th Sub-3-hour Marathon State: A Successful 3rd Attempt at Vermont

One of us has 2 thumbs, had fun, AND beat the other by 2/10th of a second

The COVID year messed us all up. Sure, it was fun for a bit. Then winter came. Then it got lonely. Then I realized how much I was drinking. Coming back from that to prepare for this race began March 1st with a 26-week plan, broken into 8 weeks of base building, body weight workouts, and attempting to quit drinking. Then, 18 weeks of Pete Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning 70-85 miles per week training plan, body weight workouts, 75+ miles per week of cycling, and actually quitting drinking. I'm putting that out there now in case you're here for the breweries... 

We landed in Boston on Friday and no sooner found ourselves at Jack's Abbey, a brewery. Then, on to Treehouse, another brewery. The latter was a good place for the club to rendezvous (a few dozen of the Libertyville Running Club were here) and to test my commitment to sobriety - it's one of my favorites. They have cold brew coffee and seltzer now and have community guitars to play. Now THAT'S a great idea, especially since I learned to play guitar while simultaneously drinking coffee and seltzer during the pandemic. 

Coffee at Treehouse's brewery / adult outdoor play land in Charlton, MA 

They trust us with not shitty guitars, they also limit patrons to 2 beers

Five of us rented an idyllic farmhouse, built in 1810 but newly remodeled, in Shelburne Falls, MA. We awoke Saturday morning to the sound of a brook that ran through the backyard and Laurie burping. We're accustomed to one of these things by now. After a shakeout run in the High Ledges Wildlife Sanctuary, we explored the three things Shelburne Falls has for us: a dam, potholes (geological, not the Chicago variety), and the Bridge of Flowers, ending with dinner at West End, a cute restaurant overlooking the river. 

Our house

Getting high on a shakeout overlooking Shelburne Falls

Damn, look at that dam

Flowers on a bridge

The Bridge of Flowers

Like back home, this area was having a hot, humid weather streak. Fortunately, that broke on Saturday and promised to stay overcast and just below 80 degrees for the race on Sunday before getting hot again. We woke at 3:30am for blueberry pancakes we made the night before. We were on a bus at 5:15am to the port-a-potty lines (runners, amirite?) and then the start line in Marlboro, Vermont.

LRC is handsome in every state we travel to run

I've said it here before, New England runners are fast; 18 are in front of me from the start in a race field of less than 300. The course is downhill for much of the first 10 miles, in fact, the course profile is similar to the Boston Marathon with more downhill and gravel roads but without the fanfare. The only high-five I (almost) got was from a stray cat that didn't budge when I put my hand out. I think her name was Wellesley. 

Somewhere around mile 9

I had planned to run the half in 1:25:00 (made it in 1:24:30), be at mile 20 at 2:10:00 (made it in 2:09:46), then relax. After mile 18, I was alone. I finished my 9th fastest marathon (out of 74) in 9th place in 2:52:36. Yay, I won a coffee mug! Aside from my quads feeling defeated, I was thrilled to have finally conquered Vermont after the 2011 Shires of Vermont Marathon and the 2019 Vermont City Marathon thoroughly enjoyable misses.

We hung out to see all of LRC finish then off to one last brewery, Whetstone Brewery, in Brattleboro, VT, which overlooks the Connecticut River. On the drive there, we found Apex Orchards. Laurie may have hinted that she wanted to go pick peaches. We had to stop.

This stop inspired a Songs About Peaches playlist for the drive to Whetstone

The views of Howie from Whetstone's patio were as dreamy as the river

Continually reinventing myself throughout this challenge has kept me motivated to run. To learn how one's body adapts to different scenarios, age, and experience is exciting. Also, I'm happier when I'm not doing the same thing over and over again... like running a marathon OVER AND OVER AGAIN. Ok, but the surroundings are different and Vermont is pretty. So is New Mexico, which I'll see again at the end of September and hopefully for the last time, for a while anyway.

I'm getting pumped for my last state

Vermont Again! Marathon #69

Vermont, you elusive land of nectar, you! 

"I'm ready enough," I thought. Then came the storm delay, the humidity, the sun, the heat, the hills, the self-doubt... the excuses. This was my second swing-and-a-miss in The Green Mountain State; you're lucky you're pretty Vermont because this 3:04:41 won't be the last you see of me!

After The New Jersey Marathon, I was physically and emotionally wrecked. Sprinting down the homestretch to 40 years old, stressed from operating an all-consuming run club, and all of the sudden my hips hurt, then a strained calf muscle kept me from redoing South Dakota on 5/11. So, in the 4 weeks between NJ and this race, I rested. The mileage wasn't there but the pains were subsiding.

But enough about running, let's talk about why we're really here...

I flew into Burlington Friday morning and drove the 1.5 hours to Hill Farmstead Brewery intent to fill their noon to 5pm hours with beer, a book, good conversations, and the views from the remote farm on which this brewery is located. I met some great people from Los Angeles and this book on Chernobyl is fascinating, all-in-all, a rejuvenating visit.

Hill Farmstead's location is its true charm

Dinner and drinks at The Reservoir, next to the bed & breakfast we had in Waterbury, turned into hours of conversation with the locals. At the end of day 1, I had more adult interactions than I get as a stay-at-home dad in a week!

The following morning, I woke up to pillow talk with Laurie - yes, the same Laurie from NJ... she was saying something about all the pillows each of our beds had. What did you think I meant?! She arrived late, after I had passed out.

I forgot my toothbrush, I improvised

No trip to Vermont is complete without a stop at Ben & Jerry's and the highlight is the graveyard of retired flavors.

R.I.P. luscious flavors of the past! 

The Alchemist Brewery has a cult following in the beer world with Heady Topper double IPA. They recently built a facility with a beautiful outdoor space to meet the demand of New England but after we had a few beers contemplating a round of disc golf from their patio, I felt it just isn't the same as having to follow their delivery truck schedule to head off a delivery at Warren Store like Melissa and I did in 2014 on this NH & ME double marathon trip - that's how crazy it was back when they were small and didn't have a taproom.

Calling it what it is

At the Trapp Family Lodge doing our Sound of Music pose

You know what's happening down the road this afternoon? Bernie Sanders's 1st Vermont rally of this election cycle! We thought about it...

The only thing missing from this trip was Michael, who was with us in NJ, so...

Now, back to running.

Our Hotel Vermont room is rustic chic and perfectly located close to the start line where we watched as a storm rolled in off Lake Champlain, delaying the start by 45 minutes. We were in for a warm, humid morning.

This race is a big deal for Burlington and the townsfolk do a great job of volunteering and supporting the runners. There were several homes with their own aid stations handing out Freeze Pops (I had a few), Vermont maple syrup (it's quite good as a gel substitute), and high fives from children. After conquering the rolling hills, peaking on a not-insignificant climb up Battery Hill to mile 16, the remainder of this course is fairly flat. However, I was drained and when my average pace per mile crept over 6:53 at mile 20, it was time to change the narrative.

Mile 24 - being happy with "failure"

This is my 1st race as a Master and new Boston-qualifying standard which I thought was 3:05 (turns out it's 3:10) - new goal for the day! I finished with enough time to shower, drink a beer, grab one of the hotel bikes to see Laurie at mile 25.5. She succeeded in breaking a habit of dropping to the half in her last couple of marathons and finished in 3:51. I was happy for her; we both made it a great race!

It was a fun weekend. Plenty of great conversation followed at one of my favorite VT breweries, Lawson's Finest Liquids. It was perfect weather to be outside: I took Laurie to Warren Store to grab dinner and wade in the nearby stream before heading back to Burlington's Foam Brewery and Burlington Bay Market for their Maple Creemee and a Lake Champlain sunset.

Getting artsy

Lake Champlain

See you soon, Vermont!