28th Overall Marathon - The Quad Cities Marathon

My annual charity to the sport of marathoning comes in the form of volunteering to be a pace leader for one marathon a year.  Lately, I've been volunteering at the Quad Cities Marathon in Moline, IL or Davenport, IA or Bettendorf, IA or Rock Island, IL. You know what? Let's go with Rock Island. That's by far the cooler city, in my opinion.

I usually pace the 3 hour and 10 minute group for the marathon. It's a comfortable pace for me to run and still cheer like a mascot and keep these runners and spectators entertained! It really is the one marathon I run where my throat is more sore than my legs afterwards. I paced the Quad Cities Marathon last year so I was familiar with the route and what to expect in the way of crowds. This is a great race! It's well organized, small and a fast course. I get a lot of Boston Marathon hopefulls in the 3:10 group and that makes the task that much more rewarding.

The weather forecast was for upper 60s and sunny. I rode the motorcycle into town the day before, celebrated Oktoberfest at the Bier Stubbe and crashed on a friend of a friend's floor for the night. Since my WA marathon in July, I haven't run with much consistency. Yep, I was back to my usual marathon training! This time, I was nursing a torn calf muscle and Morton's neuroma coupled with all the headaches of selling and buying a home, which both closed about two weeks before this race. I was averaging about 25 miles per week and slightly worried that a 3:10 pace might be a challenge. Of course, a few beers always helps to wash that concern away!

The start line was packed with runners in high spirits; this was ideal PR weather. I started with a group of about 10 people. I had runners come and go throughout the race but only one made it to the end with me. There's a point around 17 - 20 miles that gets the best of most runners. Today was no exception. I managed to bring this one runner in just under my 3:10 pacing goal time. Though he was the only one to make it, I would continue to see runners eventually cross the finish line and thank me for the motivation. It's inspiring to know that being positive can do so much for someone out on the course.

The highlight for me, however, was hearing someone at mile 23 yell, "hey, I know you. I know you!!!" as she proceeded to run after me with her 9-month old baby in her arms! I recognized her immediately as a woman I met in college as an orientation leader. This was 13 years ago and I haven't heard from her since (not even Facebook, gasp!).

Shortly after the race, I got on the bike for the 200-mile trek home on a crisp, sunny afternoon. The advantage of running enough of these is that my body recovers really well so sitting on a bike for three hours isn't bothersome. I suppose now I'll taper for the Milwaukee Marathon in two weeks. Can I call it a taper if I've hardly run?!

16/50 - Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon

It's been a long time...

After pacing the Quad Cities Marathon last fall, I cancelled my plans to run the Marine Corp Marathon in DC in October due to Hurricane Sandy. Then, nesting set in. With my first child due in December, I let running take a back seat for a while. I was logging about 10 miles per week until March when I began to train for this marathon.

As you know by my previous posts, I'm not one to stick to a training plan much less come to the table with one! This time was different. Over the course of the 18 weeks leading up to the race, I averaged 45 miles per week. I peaked at about 70 miles per week. I ran a 27-mile solo long run (the first time I ran this distance outside of a marathon) just because I felt good that day (and also because I almost got hit by a car and the adrenaline was flowing!). By starting a running club (www.facebook.com/HFCRC), I found that we all became accountable for each other's training; weekly speed workouts, long runs, strength training, some good 5K races, drinking lots of beer with new running friends - all the pieces were there!

I finally got to a point where I felt like I was back in PR shape. That was, until I strained my calf muscle 8 days prior to the race! The calf was so bad that I could hardly walk and running was out of the question. Massage, compression and ice had little effect. I was hoping that with a week of rest, I could stumble through this one and knock Washington off my state list.

We arrived in Seattle on Wednesday and the race was on Sunday. My wife had a work conference so the kid and I relished the beautiful summer-in-Seattle weather and walked to the Pike Place Market (www.pikeplacemarket.org) for the freshest Rainier cherries, Copper River salmon, on-site roasted coffees and delectable macaroons (www.lepanier.com), visited the Museum of Flight (www.museumofflight.org) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Museum (www.gatesfoundation.org/Who-We-Are/General-Information/Visitor-Center) and scoured the city for the best donut shops (www.toppotdoughnuts.com and www.mightyo.com). The conference offered daycare so the Wife and I made a dinner reservation at Tom Douglas' Lola (www.tomdouglas.com/index.php?page=lola) that we didn't regret! This rustic Mediterranean-style restaurant is a must if you're in the Seattle area.

I should note that we were also out here for a family wedding the night before the marathon.  The reception was in a skybox at the Mariner's Safeco Field. What's baseball without a ton of food, great beer and good people? This stadium is so nice compared to many ballparks; the amenities (food, drink, child perks), the employees and the stadium design is well thought out. Getting our photo with the mascot was just icing on the cake!

It was a 50-mile drive east to the Summit at Snoqualmie Pass, our hotel for the night near the start of the marathon. The race was point-to-point through the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range and finished in the town that the television series Twin Peaks was set in. A gradual downhill course run on an old train path, racing flats were not the best shoe choice for 26.2 miles of gravel road! That oversight aside, this was one of the most beautiful courses I have run. You start by running through a 2-mile tunnel (a flashlight was highly recommended since it is pitch black in the tunnel and of course, I forgot mine) that opens up to a scenic route, replete with old train trestles, wildlife and many outdoor sport enthusiasts (the route is open to the public during the race).

Not knowing what my calf was going to do, I started out slower than usual. For the first 5 miles, I averaged about 7:15 per mile. Building confidence with a slightly altered gait, I decided to go for a sub 3-hour marathon. As if 50 marathons in 50 states by the time I am 50 isn't enough, I would like to do them all in under 3 hours (11 of my 15 state marathons before WA are sub-3 hours). This feat has only been accomplished by a small group of people to date.

Choosing to run a trail marathon that caps entries to 400 is not something I would recommend to the first time marathon runner; there were no spectators cheering us on and I ran 24 of those miles alone. However, this is the marathon I now prefer. You discover how strong you are when you have to run alone. You see the beauty of landscapes like few others do.  You're left alone with your thoughts and plenty of time to solve your life's quandaries. I managed to achieve my goal of a sub-3 hour marathon by completing this race in 7th place overall, 1st place in my age group (30-34) and with an official time of 2:57:58. Not bad for worrying that my calf would give out with each step I took!

16(?)/50 Green Bay Marathon

The Green Bay Marathon was to be my 16^th state marathon and 25^th overall marathon.  Seeing as it was cancelled, I’m not sure I can technically count it but I did finish the race so I am entitled to at least write about it!  It did not come as a surprise as to how hot this race was going to be.  In the days leading up to the race, multiple warnings were issued about the heat and all the necessary precautions that were being taken by the race staff.  In the end, the heat wrecked all kinds of havoc as it reached 90 degrees without a cloud in the sky. 

I was tasked with the job of being the 3:10 pace leader, a job and pace I had previously done at the 2009 Chicago Marathon and loved.  It’s a lot like being an orientation leader in college except you have to carry a flag with the pace time posted on it.  You keep a steady pace, offer advice, give heads up on the course amenities, get the spectators riled up and crack a few jokes…people tend not to want to think about each excruciating mile.  The role makes running 26.2 miles a bit more of a challenge, in case you needed one! 

At 7am we started the race just outside of Lambeau Field.  Due to construction, this would be the first year that the race would not finish inside the stadium, a bummer for some.  In fact, it was enough of a deterrent that only about 2,500 people of the 4,000 capacity registered for the marathon.  Within my group were about two dozen men and women looking to qualify for the Boston Marathon, achieve a personal best or complete their first marathon in a very respectable time.  Myself and Mike (the other leader) were in charge of keeping the pack of runners on a 7:15 minute-per-mile pace.  What’s funny about this is that neither of us wears a GPS watch; we just base it by feel with a stopwatch!

Green Bay has a great small town feel.  The community really stepped up in support of the runners.  I don’t recall a block where a resident didn’t set up a sprinkler for us in the first half of the race.  The half marathoners turned off as the temperature was rapidly approaching the 80’s.  It was after this that things fell apart.

The full marathoners were left to run a course that appeared to have been abandoned.  The crowd support was thin, the sprinklers few and the shade minimal.  At mile 17, Mike (our other pace leader) dropped out due to the heat.  Our group was down to about eight and I was determined to get us to the finish in time with this flag still in my hand!  At this point, we were almost a minute ahead of schedule. 

At mile 20 (about 2:35 into the race), an officer was informing us that the race had been cancelled.  It was then that I lost my last runner.  In the lonely miles to come, I slowed a bit and reunited with two women from the group as we charged forward, determined to finish close to the 3:10 goal.  Medical staff continued to inform us that the course was closed due to heat but no one had instructed us to stop running.  It wasn’t until mile 26 that we were physically made aware of the closure – as we turned into the parking lot of Lambeau Field and caught a glimpse of the finish line, we ran into a closed gate that prevented us from continuing to the finish line!  With no way through, I ran around the backside through the crowds to symbolically cross the finish line in 3:13.  Not too far off what I was supposed to do; it could have been the heat or the Homewood-Flossmoor 5K I raced the day before!  Not advisable. 

Frustrated, I walked straight to the beer line.  After a few beers and 30 minutes, I saw that the organizers realized their mistake and reopened the gate.  Through it I went so that I could officially cross the finish mat.  In all, it was a great weekend and I’m not going to let this race experience sour my opinion of the city.  I did enjoy some great beers and meal the night before at www.hinterlandbeer.com and a post-race lunch at www.titletownbrewing.com  with the largest beer sample I've ever seen!  Oh, and let's not forget the Mars Cheese Castle and the abundance of New Glarus beer. 

Before (Titletown Brewing)

After (Titletown Brewing)

15/50 New Orleans Rock N' Roll Marathon

The New Orleans Rock N’ Roll Marathon marked my third marathon within a span of four weeks.  If you’re looking to me for training tips for such a feat, I might suggest you look elsewhere.  I had previously mentioned in the Austin post that I ran about 50 miles in the two weeks between the Melbourne and Austin races.  This time, I did only 25 miles in the two weeks between Austin and New Orleans.  The striking part is that my finish times only got better and my overall pain decreased with each race!

New Orleans is a great city for reasons I can’t entirely articulate; Bourbon St. is a seedy dump, rife with strip clubs, alcoholic slushy drinks served in ridiculously childlike sippy-cups and horribly behaved adults.  Yet, once you are even slightly inebriated, all of the aforementioned are what help make it enchanting.  There’s something charming about the smells of pastry shops and the previous night’s debauchery on an early morning stroll through the seemingly neglected side streets of the French Quarter, or seeing a live jazz trio play on a park bench while you enjoy a chicory coffee and fresh beignet.  The architecture, an eclectic mix of bungalow, French Creole, antebellum, colonial, Greek-revival, Victorian and more, is mesmerizing.  Much like Paris, New Orleans is alive with wonder and colorfully expressive in its cuisine, arts and culture. 

We made this a four-day excursion.  Arriving on a Saturday, we went right to the expo then walked through the city to our hotel in the French Quarter.  The Place d’ Armes Hotel www.placedarmes.com is noted to be the most haunted hotel in the city.  This charming, boutique hotel is beautiful and perfectly located near Jackson Square and Bourbon St.  After settling in, we took a stroll through the French Quarter and found a small wine bar to start our Saturday night with.  From here, we ventured down Bourbon St. to revel in the show that it is.  This evening’s pre-race, walking dinner consisted of pizza-by-the-slice, beignets and wine…and maybe a beer or two. 

I actually got a fair amount of sleep for this race.  I literally woke up about one hour before the start of the race and walked a half mile to the start line.  It is a Rock N’ Roll Series marathon so I expect efficiency and mediocrity.  With 18,000 half marathoners and 4,000 full marathoners, this was a fairly large race.  The weather was perfect; 55F at the start and ended at about 70F, mostly sunny.  The course is a great introduction to all the architecture and neighborhoods of the city including the famed St. Charles Street http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Charles_Avenue through the Garden District.  We finished in City Park (similar to Central Park in NYC) and were treated to an outdoor concert with a couple of free mini Michelob Ultras.  Joy.  Instead, we opted for the leisurely four-mile stroll back to our hotel with a detour through the above-ground vaults of the St. Louis Cemetery http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Louis_Cemetery.

Nearing our hotel, we stumbled upon Port of Call www.portofcallnola.com for a burger and a monsoon (full of rum and pretty strong for a late-morning drink).  Sure, the burger was good and likely justified the long wait, but the bloody marys were phenomenal!  So good in fact, that we decided to take a little nap in Jackson Square Park as a result.  It’s hard to imagine a New Orleans with laws against alcohol consumption on public property!

Due to my utter lack of training and cross-training, my second half split suffered as it did in the previous two marathons this month.  However, I managed to clock a better overall time with each race - Melbourne (3:04 – 7^th place), Austin (2:59 – 58^th place) and now New Orleans (2:57 – 31^st place).  I swear I will properly train for a marathon someday, but for now, I’d rather enjoy myself!

14/50 - Livestrong Austin Marathon

Ah, Austin, TX...  I first visited this city 10 years ago when I was narrowing down my graduate school choices.  The discovery of 6th Street's plethora of live music bars, Lone Star beer and the Texas way of life made an impression on me.  In fact, shortly after returning from that trip, I named my first dog Texas.  It was a big name for a 10-pound shih-tzu!

It was time to return to Austin and re-kindle my love affair.  The Austin Marathon was two weeks after my Melbourne Florida Marathon and two weeks before my New Orleans Marathon…seemed like the perfect time to go!  With that race schedule, I planned on enjoying these runs more than chasing a PR.  I was still ailing from a nagging knee injury so I hardly ran (about 50 miles total) between the Melbourne race and the Austin race. 

These trips really have become less about the running and more about the cities.  So, let’s start with the beer.  It’s amazing how easily we take for granted the bounty of good beer brewed in the Midwest.  In Texas, the laws aren’t in favor of the little guy so unfortunately, you won’t be seeing the likes of Freetail Brewing http://www.freetailbrewing.com/ outside of the San Antonio area anytime soon.  It’s a shame, because that was a fantastic brewpub!

After a sampling of all they had and a tour, we filled a growler and headed to the largest purveyor of barbeque in all of Texas.  The Salt Lick http://www.saltlickbbq.com/ is a sight to be seen.  The setting is in the Hill Country on a sprawling vineyard property.  The grounds seat about 500 people and I don’t get the impression that the wait is ever less than 45 minutes.  This isn’t really a problem considering it’s a BYOB.  You’ll get the sensation that you’re attending your very, very extended family reunion and your great uncle makes the best damned barbeque in the state.  Enjoy!

This brings us to the night before the race with bellies full of barbeque and the equivalent of eight pints of beer.  She’s driving, so most of that beer was uncomfortably residing in me.  Obviously, I don’t get too regimented with pre-race rituals but even for me, this was a little overboard.  Suffice it to say, I may have fared better had I just gone the pasta route.

The race was a fairly beautiful course, winding through the many eclectic neighborhoods of Austin from the Capitol to South Austin’s art district through tree-lined neighborhood streets and around the University campus.  I had been warned of the hills of this race but they were a welcomed challenge.  Throughout much of the course, I couldn’t help but think, “wow, they sure do have a lot of food trucks!”.  That’s no lie.  I’ve yet to visit a city that prefers their food prepared from a lunch wagon over all other forms quite like Austin does.  In fact, several trucks lined the finish line of the course as we were apprised to run with cash in the event we craved a taco with our finisher’s medal.

Meat pains aside, I ran a fairly consistent pace and finished in 2:59.  The weather was a perfect 60F and partly sunny.  I ran several miles with my tattooed doppelganger which I’m sure gave rise to spectators questioning whether or not the circus was in town.  If anything, that’s one trend I’ve noticed more of in the pack of runners finishing near the top 1% - more tattoos.

Whenever possible, we prefer to book our stays at small bed & breakfasts.  After a one night stay at a B&B in San Antonio, we found The Adams House in Austin.  It’s owned by a young couple entrenched in the local art/music scene.  He’s a drummer so, naturally, we had to stay here!  http://www.theadamshouse.com/.  Eric provided us with some great neighborhoods and bands to see while in town.  The most interesting place we visited was a dive bar called Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon http://www.yelp.com/biz/ginnys-little-longhorn-saloon-austin where we spent an afternoon taking in the un-apologetic old school honky-tonk sounds of regular Dale Watson http://www.theconnextion.com/dalewatson/dalewatson_index.cfm?ArtistID=439 and drinking Lone Stars in a parking lot while others bet on chicken-shit-bingo near the front of the bar; not a bad way to spend a post-marathon afternoon.  Just as my stomach was beginning to feel better, we embarked on one last barbeque adventure at Stubb’s http://stubbsaustin.com/ .

We spent the following afternoon shopping the kitschy storefronts of South Austin for the perfect pair of Wranglers for these ol’ boots o’ mine.  Looks like I brought home a little Texas after all. 

13/50 The Melbourne Music Marathon

I made a bet with my wife after the NYC marathon that I could gain more weight than she could lose in the last two months of 2011.  I wasn’t going to start training for the Florida marathon until the middle of December so this gave me plenty of time to focus on the consumption of donuts.  I’d say I averaged about four a day.  These were good times, however our bet ended in a draw; I managed to gain 2.6 lbs. while she lost 2.6 lbs.  What are the odds?!

The Melbourne Florida marathon coincided with a conference my wife was attending at Disney World.  For the three days she was working, I rented a Harley and rode the coast of Florida.  Starting in Orlando, I headed east to Cape Canaveral and rode the coastal A1A (Vanilla Ice reference, anyone?!) to Miami.  What an interesting city.  The best I can describe it to those who haven’t been there would be “tacky opulence”.  I camped for the evening and toured a couple of homes once owned by members of the family I work for that have since been purchased by the state of Florida and are now showcased as historical landmarks.  If ever in the area, I encourage you to visit the Viscaya Museum (www.vizcayamuseum.org).

Next stop Key West.  The ride from Miami to Key West is a beautifully scenic four hours of split-lane highways, impressively long bridges over blue and green hued waters and unique tourist draws.  The city itself is where 50-somethings go for spring break.  This alone was worth the visit!  When they all turn in at 9pm, I was left with a small town replete with bars highlighting a rich Ernest Hemmingway history, biker bars, quaint seafood restaurants, Cuban pasty and coffee houses and cleverly disguised franchise shops. At the end of the day, I retired to a campground site located on the water and just across from an Air Force training center.  The jets proved to be an effective 8am wake-up call for my 400-mile ride back to Orlando. 

1,000 miles of motorcycle riding in jeans and a t-shirt is my ideal marathon taper.  The tranquility of riding solo on Florida’s warm coastal highways sure beats stressing out about the race and other minutia.  Maybe that’s why I wasn’t too worried about the race after having just injured my knee two weeks prior.  I had an eight-week training plan for this race and managed to run for six of those weeks, averaging about 45 miles a week.  Then, I fell on ice trying to catch my train one evening.  My two-week taper included very little running. 

The race is largely a half marathon race with 400 marathon participants and over 3,000 half marathon participants.  The course was a loop around a body of water with two bridges being the only elevation gain.  The marathon runners ran the loop twice.  Their description of these bridges really downplays the size.  Each bridge is about one mile long at approximately a 6-8% grade; fairly substantial considering I neglected to do any hill training.  The highlight at the top of one of these bridges was a tuxedoed man with a white grand piano belting out Billy Joel tunes!

I was alone for most of the race.  Spectators were hardly existent and competition fell victim to the heavy, warm ocean air.  At mile 8, I was already planning to re-visit Florida after dropping out of this one after the half.  Instead, I soldiered on, though the second half of my race was 10 minutes slower than the first half!  I finished with a not-so-satisfying time of 3:04.  I still finished in 7^th place so I knew the weather was taking its toll on everyone. 

After breakfast with my wife’s family (who came in for the race), we headed north up the coast for one last warm convertible ride to Cape Canaveral for a late lunch at Seafood Atlantic (www.yelp.com/biz/seafood-atlantic-inc-cape-canaveral) .  It was here that we were seated on the pier in front of a fishing boat named “Iron Maiden”.  Sure, I recommend the restaurant, but to witness the “Iron Maiden” is worth the trip alone! 

12/50 - New York City Marathon

Ah, here we are; the end of my calendar year of marathons.  It’s been five months since my last marathon (Grandma's in Duluth, MN) and regrettably, my last entry.  I’ll be sure to run more so that I can write more next year!  As of now, I am not officially registered for a single race in 2012 although planning is well under way.  Having started this 50-in-50-by-50 goal with two marathons in 2009, four in 2010, six in 2011, I think I may need to plan for eight in 2012 (is that compulsive behavior?)!   

Training for NYC was an exercise in time management.  I have this inherent need to stretch myself so thin that I rather enjoy the forced isolation of my hours-per-day of train commuting to and from both jobs.  Fortunately, that time also makes up for the little sleep I manage at home!  This time around, I was balancing my career with a part-time job at a running store, playing shows and recording with my band, the minutia that encompasses home ownership, training for races, and raising a puppy - all at the height of motorcycle season!  I think I created a monster with the puppy; that girl is now up to running 20 miles per week with me!  It’s gotten to the point where she anxiously awaits for me to say the word “run” every.  single.  day.  She actually has our 5k route committed to memory.

The real issue in all of this was finding a training routine that worked.  In the end, there was no routine at all.  Having read my past entries, I’m sure that surprises none of you.  I often found myself out the door by 5 am or running between jobs, or getting off the train at an earlier stop and running home.  I was averaging about 40 miles per week.  Most runs were just fast with little variation so that I could get to the next task of the day.  I had no structured speed work or hill training.  I just didn’t have the time or energy.  I’ve also reached that point where I wake up every day and ache.  Shouldn’t I be getting paid for this?!  Am I really at the age that everyone warned me about the “running ravages of time”?  I remember when running was fun AND pain free.  Now, it’s just fun…and slightly obsessive.

I finished up the Homewood-Flossmoor 5K circuit series (having barely won it this year), did the Chicago Triathlon on a whim (I got a free entry three weeks prior and took the crash course in learning to swim via You Tube videos), and PRd at a half marathon in Calumet City.  I figured I would be fine for NYC.  We arrived two hours before the close of the expo, the night before the race.  We stayed near Wall St. in lower Manhattan due to its proximity to the Staten Island Ferry (if you run this race, take the 6:30 am ferry, the sunrise over Manhattan from the ferry is dazzling!) that takes us to the start of the race.  We spent the night in bed watching the ID Network (having given up cable months ago, this was quite indulgent!) with a bottle of wine and eating takeout pizza from Harry’s Italian Pizza Bar (http://www.harrysitalian.com/).  This was the evening of Daylight Saving Time and the extra hour of sleep was much appreciated! 

The NYC Marathon is massive.  47,000 people started the race this year!  It’s by far the best organized race I’ve run – from the start villages to the course to the finish (though I must say, the line for free Dunkin’ coffee was ten times longer than the bathroom line!).  It’s also surprisingly hilly.  Race day weather was perfect with no wind, full sun and 50 degrees F at the start (9:40am for me).  The course traverses the five boroughs of NYC (Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan) with some incredible bridges and crowd support throughout.  This is NOT a fast course.  However, I went into this with little hill preparation and still planned to PR.  I was really enjoying myself at the halfway point (with a time of 1:26) but fell off my mark after that.  The second half of this course has an impressive collection of unrelenting hills.  I had a rather lackadaisical approach to this race and never felt like pushing myself too hard.  I kept it fun.  I finished feeling great (in 2:56) and off we went to walk the streets of Manhattan.  Between Sunday after the race and Monday, we walked from Central Park to Wall St. and back!  I think I’m sore from that alone. 

Some highlights of post-marathon NYC include;

Book of Mormon (http://www.bookofmormonbroadway.com/home.php) – Funny stuff.  Chicago, you’re lucky, it’s heading there in 2012.  I don’t know how we got these tickets (it’s always sold out) but I’m glad we did (though I still rank Avenue Q as the funniest play I’ve ever seen). 

Num Pang Sandwich Shop (http://www.numpangnyc.com/) – Wow, Cambodian goodness on bread. 

Totto Ramen (http://tottoramen.com/) – A Japanese noodle house the size of a closet.  Very good, very cool.

Chimichurri Grill (http://www.chimichurrigrill.com/) – If you’re like me and would put chimichurri on your cereal, you’ll love this Argentinian spot. 

McSorley’s Old Ale House (http://www.mcsorleysnewyork.com/) – Oldest Irish bar in NYC?  The floor is reminiscent of a hamster cage with wood shavings scattered throughout.  There are two beers on tap – light and dark.  It’s a must. 

Oh, and I can’t forget Matlock (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090481/).  Again, having no cable, it’s a real treat to lie in bed the morning after the race and watch two hours of Matlock; It's become somewhat of a post-marathon tradition.  Damn, I love this show.