24/50 GO! St. Louis Marathon

This was the next race I was really looking forward to after another cold midwestern winter, not because I think the weather and landscape rival that of Hawaii's Big Island Marathon (4 weeks ago), but because this was the first group trip I organized for the Libertyville Running Club (www.libertyvillerunningclub.wordpress.com), a running group I founded last year. The trip would see several of us descend upon St. Louis for a weekend of running and shenanigans.

Some of the LRC at the Arch

I spent the first of the four weeks after the Hawaii marathon in Hawaii, recklessly running steep hills and technical terrain in Kauai and on the Big Island. I don't run much when I'm on vacation, in this case a 30-mile week after the race, but I still managed to do some damage. I came home with a lust for Hawaii and a sore hip from some pretty steep downhill running that's been bothering me since. I think these couple of runs with 2,000 ft drops over 4 miles and then back up here (trail) and here (road) did me in. C'est la vie!

Once back home, I nursed myself back to training with a 40 then 55-mile week before tapering a bit the week before the marathon on Sunday. We drove to St. Louis on Friday, making a stop at Abraham Lincoln's home in Springfield (www.nps.gov/liho/index.htm). As part of the aforementioned shenanigans, I created a version of Flat Stanley (www.flatstanley.com/about) I named Flat Molsens for some friends that couldn't make the trip with us. The stop at Lincoln's home was the beginning of many photo ops with the Flat Molsens throughout the course of the trip. Our other option was to stop at the Grain Elevator Museum (www.haweselevator.org/hawes_home.htm) in Atlanta, IL. I'm sure that's fascinating; maybe next time!

Abe's home

On Friday night in St. Louis, a group of us headed over to Schlafly Tap Room (www.schlafly.com/tap-room/) for dinner and - you guessed it - beer. Now let this be a public service announcement of sorts: if you ever see a meatloaf sandwich on a menu, you best order that thing post haste! Schlafly's Meatloaf Muffin is a slab of bacon-wrapped meatloaf topped with crisp onions and a fried egg on an english muffin that is sure to obliterate your notions about the hierarchy of gourmet burgers. This is the new what's next! Oh, the beer is also good. 

I'll always remember you, Meatloaf Muffin

I went into this marathon knowing that I was in sub 3-hour shape and therefore, wasn't too focused on the race. I also have another marathon 3 weeks after this and then my first ultra, a 50-miler 6 days later. We did a group run Saturday morning to the St. Louis Gateway Arch, visited the expo, then went up in the Arch. I was last up in the Arch some 25 years ago; it turns out it didn't warrant another visit. Afterward, I washed the disappointment away with a tasting flight at Perennial Artisanal Ales (www.perennialbeer.com), a stopover on our way to visit some local friends for dinner and a good hang. Below is the second half of the flight. 

Pictured with our friends, the Flat Molsens

Race morning was a comfortable 50 degrees Fahrenheit and cloudy; considered to be ideal race conditions for most on what I thought to be the perfect PR course - slight rolling hills, interesting landmarks, and well-maintained streets. I was rather impressed but not enough to throw caution to the wind; I knew I had to get through a few more races in the next month and that hip was still bothersome. I started out comfortably and finished 16th/1,433 overall in 2:53:22 with a close-to-even split at the half which you can see here. 

I should not fail to mention that in St. Louis we had one of the most accommodating hotels for a race ever. The Drury Inn Union Station, which is the GO! St. Louis host hotel, is 4 blocks from the race start/finish area, provided a full breakfast (opened at 4:30am on race morning), snacks, bananas, a free happy hour, dinner, and post-race aspirin and treats, all included in the very reasonable price. 

Also, we had a Rosie Ruiz cheat the race! Interesting to me since I ran most of the 2nd half with the real 1st and 2nd place women and my friend on the trip took 3rd place. Here is that story and here is another happy race photo: 

Free glasses at the expo!

This race marks my 20th sub 3-hour marathon. There are 5 states: CO, ME, VT, FL, and OH that I need to revisit for various reasons (mountainous, 2nd races of doubles, wrong turn, lame excuse, etc...) in hopes of doing all 50 in under 3 hours. The local paper ran an article about my goal a few days before this race that you can peruse here. For my CO race I chose the Pikes Peak Marathon (see my review of that race here); there is no way I can capture that one in sub-3 so instead I'll take on another CO race this summer. ME, VT, FL, and OH, I'm coming for you, too.

23/50 Hawaii Big Island International Marathon

Aloha Friends!

Who doesn't love a good come-from-behind victory? The Big Island International Marathon turned out to be that small race thousands of miles away and thousands of dollars spent (you're welcome Hawaii tourism industry) that provided me with my first marathon win.

This was our first trip to Hawaii so we planned to do it right with 10 days between the Big Island and Kauai - B&Bs, Kona coffee IVs, no tops on our rental cars (even in the rain), picturesque hikes and runs, and due to our utter lack of time to do much planning, we went holoholo. "Holoholo" is the Hawaiian word for traveling for fun without destination, leisurely gallivanting, taking in life's pleasures, joy riding, and having a good time.

Quintessential Hawaii rainbow photo - Mahaulepu Heritage Trail in Kauai

The Painted Church in Captain Hook, HI (Master of Puppets album cover?)

While waiting for The Wife's flight to arrive in Kona on the Big Island, I made friends with the locals at Kona Brewing Company (www.konabrewingco.com). We get some of their beers on the mainland but they have a smattering of brewery-only seasonal beers worth checking out. After a night in Kona, we drove north along the coast and down the Kahala Mountain Road, taking in the coastal scenery that soon carved through a mountain range dotted with cattle farms and great views of the snowcapped summits of Mauna Kea (one of the best sites in the world for astronomical observations) and Mauna Loa (the world's largest volcano). We stopped for lunch at Merriman's (www.merrimanshawaii.com/waimea) for the Hawaiian staple of pork saimin (their take on ramen) and fish tacos before making it to Hilo for the race expo and a luau for its participants. Note to anyone who runs this race: skip the luau.

I sampled every malasada (Portuguese donut) I could get my hands on.

Mauna Kea - Who knew Hawaii had snow? Note the observatories.

That brings us to race morning. It's a 6am start for what is historically a rainy and humid race, but not this year; the forecast called for a high of 80F and no rain. Correction, it was 27C - even Hawaii loathes the imperial system and for that reason (along with others, I'm sure) has been involved in a secessionist movement longer than any other state! With a field of about 200 runners starting 15 minutes before the half marathon, I was able to pick out the likely leaders. This is a game The Wife and I often play before a race. Even with a small field size, there is always a ringer looking for a marathon win (see my post on the Vermont marathon about a runner I run into often who holds the world record for most marathon wins). They, however, probably never expected their competition to come from a guy wearing only a pair of hot pink, women's shorts he just bought at the expo the night before.

And for that reason, we went out fast...

The first 16 miles of the course were rather hilly before the remainder flattened out. I knew that and I had a sensible plan going into the race but that all changed when The Ghost's disappearing act was becoming inevitable. Who is The Ghost you ask? I had that same question during and after the race. I was getting updates from the locals along the course about how far ahead Billy, The Ghost, was. When I finished, Billy was the only name on many lips, and I had several people congratulate me for just beating Billy. Billy Barnett happens to be a Big Island resident who is well-known in ultra running circles, not only for his nearly inhuman abilities on the running trails, but also his introduction to the world through his role in the book, Born to Run, known therein as Billy "Bonehead" Barnett. He later received the nickname "The Ghost" by winning the 2010 Big Island International Marathon and then disappearing before anyone could congratulate him.

If the first 6 miles were a challenge to keep up with Billy and one other runner, the miles that followed became downright depressing. I was well-trained (averaging 72 miles / week for 12 weeks and doing Crossfit two nights per week) and I had no psychosomatic injuries at the start line (this was a first). You would think I would have been faster having just shaved my one-and-a-half-year-old, 5+ inch beard. So why did I feel horrible? It's interesting how one's perspective changes when hope disappears and then reappears. I went into this race knowing I had a chance to win it, a chance that dissipated as I fell further behind with each mile until I could no longer see The Ghost. However, something incredible happened just as I was ready to give up at mile 23: I saw him and I was closing in on his 4-5 minute lead. At this point, I told myself it was still possible to win and that I didn't come here not to try. I took the lead just after mile 25 and held it to the finish. The photographs show an exhausted and slightly bewildered me while The Wife looked as if she had just won the race herself! Even she had written me off early and was floored that I pulled it off in the final stretch...she had just told Billy,  "you've got this, no problem"! You can see how my splits began to fade and then pick for the last few miles here: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/720570424

What did I win, you ask? Various products like BioAstin (www.itakebioastin.com) (this stuff appears to be all the rage in Hawaii and with endurance athletes but curiously is not approved by the FDA), Kona coffee, and gift certificates from various local businesses: the botanical gardens (www.worldbotanicalgardens.com), the local running store (owned by a Chicago guy!) (www.bigislandrunningcompany.com), and Hawaii's equivalent of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory (www.bigislandcandies.com/BIC). We were interviewed by the paper and decided to use the article as a means for announcing that we are expecting a son in August/September, our third child (three under the age of three) (http://westhawaiitoday.com/sports/local-sports/hilo-marathon-brunette-grabs-victory-out-thin-air). When the paper came out the next morning, our B&B brought it down for all the guests to see. The proprietor had joked when we checked in that I had better win the race so they could promote the B&B as a place that winners stay. Later at the beach, a woman recognized The Wife...and then me! 

The rather large photo and article that ran in the paper

There are two things you should take away from this post and our Hawaii visit: 1. Running, like everything else, really is an issue of mind over matter. With the right attitude, anything is possible. 2. Kona coffee is just coffee. It's good. But it does not, in any discernible way, justify the premium you'll pay for it. 

Getting lei'd at the awards ceremony

Hawaii - The Wife's Perspective

We weren’t even supposed to go to Hawaii this year. We had talked about, dreamed about, and even invited another couple to go with us to Alaska over the summer for the Mayor’s Midnight Sun Marathon. Polar opposite destinations, right? It’s our five year anniversary this year so we wanted to do something big and Alaska was calling. But then I found out that we could expect to welcome a third little person into our world in August and all of a sudden a trip to nowhere to hike two months before delivery sounded like a very bad idea. Especially since I have a habit of going into labor early. So we did some research and quickly determined that there happened to be a marathon on the Big Island when I’d only be a few months along and much more comfortable. We promised Grandma that our days of asking for overnight babysitting were numbered, since she had already made it clear that if we ever had three watching them all would be out of the question, and she agreed to one last hurrah. Grandmas are The. Best.

We decided to do the marathon first, rather than as the end of our trip, so we flew into to the Big Island. We were on different flights (the consequence of using miles to book one of them) so Mike had a few hours to get to know the lay of the land before he had to pick me up. I was totally jealous. We flew into Kailua-Kona, so on Saturday we had to make the trip to Hilo, on the other side of the island, for packet pick-up. We took the long (and very beautiful) route, getting to the expo just in time for Mike to get his packet and pick up a pair of pink ladies’ running shorts. Because why not? Mike vacillated a bit on them but I encouraged him to go for it and stand out.

We stayed, as we usually try to, at a small B&B (http://www.halekaihawaii.com/). It was just a few miles from the Start/Finish and actually almost on the route itself. We had a little suite with our own lanai overlooking the harbor where you could almost always see one or more humpback whales surfacing and playing. It was wonderful.

When we got to the Start, Mike sized up the field, as usual. He immediately identified a youngish guy with dark hair as his only competition. I wrote him off because he was carrying water (you almost never see serious marathoners carry water). After the runners took off, I jumped into my car to find some much-needed coffee. According to Yelp there was a single coffee shop open (http://www.justcruisincoffee.com/), so it was easy to decide where to go. And then I headed straight up the road to approximately Mile 6. I had planned to go in to the 4 Mile Scenic Route a bit further, but when I started the drive I realized that it’s quite tight and it would be easier and more comfortable to keep the car on the main road. I didn’t want to have to end up parking somewhere where I’d be in the way of any runners. Already by Mile 6, Mike was in second place, almost 40 seconds behind the guy in the lead. Who was, of course, the guy carrying water who Mike had pointed out (turns out he’s an ultramarathoner, and those guys often DO carry water given that, well, they usually go so much farther). My spot also allowed me to see the runners after they turned around at the botanical gardens and started heading south again (about Mile 9.5), which made it quite an easy and comfortable spectating spot. There was also a rooster in the next yard to join in on my cheering for everyone who passed, which I loved.

From there I jumped into the car and drove a few miles down the road, to about Mile 14, then on to Mile 19.5, which was also Mile 22 after another turnaround. For spectating purposes, I love, love, love these small races that don’t shut down all the local roads (though I know it can be frustrating and sometimes scary as a runner). I vastly prefer marathons like this one, where you can more or less drive ahead of your runner the entire time, pull off, and see him as many times as you have the patience (and lungs) for. Of course, the trade-off for the runners is that there are far fewer people out there to cheer you on, but I saw at least another person or two every time I stopped, which was encouraging.

At Mile 19.5 I clocked that the first place runner was over 4 ½ minutes ahead of Mike, which is just a tremendous lead. At Mile 22 I even congratulated him and told him he had it. When Mike ran past a few minutes later I pointed out that he could just see #1 off in the distance, but he was pretty far down the road. 

There was nothing left to do but head to the Finish. At around 2:45 in, I started watching the clock, and at 2:50 I started getting really nervous. Mike had hoped to finish by 2:50, and I still hadn’t seen the first place guy yet! Finally I saw the bike pacer coming down the road… and right behind him I could see bright pink shorts! I never would have recognized Mike so early if he hadn’t been wearing them. At that point, I kind of lost my mind. I couldn’t see #1 but I assumed they had to be sprinting together for the finish, and that Mike could lose his lead at any second as he came down the Finish. I just know I was jumping and screaming and making a general complete idiot of myself. But I didn’t care. At all. In the picture right after Mike finished (which took up ½ of the whole Sports page), I look completely shocked, even more so than Mike. But to be fair, he had had a few miles to get used to the idea that somehow #1 (who we quickly learned was Billy, as better described in Mike’s post) had dropped off and he had caught up; I had had merely moments to process this information. It was, without exaggerating, one of the most exhilarating and emotional moments of my life. It was second only, I think, to the doctor announcing that my second child was a girl, when I had in my heart just known I was having another boy.

We stayed in Hawaii for another week, between the Big Island and Kauai, and we did lots of things and lots of nothing. You really can’t go wrong in Hawaii, no matter what you do. Or don’t do. Looking back now, having been home for two weeks, my sharpest memories are certainly of the marathon. Other things were really great, too, of course – seeing all the stars at night on Mauna Kea, taking a helicopter over the lava flow on the Big Island, the various hikes we took, exploring cliffs, hitting the beach, eating tons and tons of papaya, Mike’s speeding ticket (ok, maybe that one wasn’t so great)… I could go on. But you really only came here for the running story anyway ;)

22/50 - St. Jude Memphis Marathon

This race will go down as a capstone to a successful running year: nearly 2,600 miles (a first for me), no debilitating injuries, and getting to know, taking inspiration in, and running with so many incredible new friends and runners after moving to the north suburbs of Chicago last year where I knew absolutely no one.

Coming off of the NH & ME double marathon weekend in October, I had 8 weeks to train for the St. Jude Memphis Marathon, my 6th and final marathon of 2014. I decided to increase my weekly mileage, averaging 65 miles per week and peaking at 90 miles per week (another first for me), keep running two long runs on the weekend, and incorporate more 6-12 mile runs at goal pace or faster, mostly because there was no speed workout option. In addition to running, I finally did a little cross training in the form of a Crossfit Endurance Class 2 times per week for the last 4 weeks leading up to the race.

I believe the change in form led to a new PR of 2:47:23 (9th/2,656 finishers overall) on a bleak course with rolling hills, overcast sky, and a windy and cool 50 degree temperature. I went out faster than I had planned to but was able to maintain an even pace throughout. This race is 4 minutes better than the PR I set less than 3 months ago at the Presque Isle Marathon in PA. http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/646291340

So there are the running highlights. Now let's talk all things Memphis. 

My sister tagged along for what would become another delightful trip to Memphis. I've never not had a good time in this city. Unlike Nashville, it's got a gritty feel, even on Beale St. - the touristy, publicly-intoxicated, foot-trafficked strip of live music bars, BBQ joints, and glorious people-watching. Whereas Nashville generally plays host to the rank and file band covering Billboard Top 40 country music, Memphis digs into the honky tonk, soul, blues, rockabilly, and of course, all things Elvis Presley. And I love Elvis!

We hit the road at 8am on Friday for the 8-hour drive, a time that would have been about an hour less had I not stopped every two hours to eat. This, after I burned through all the car snacks! After a stop at the expo and picking up the wife at the airport, we ventured over to AM Italian Kitchen (http://andrewmichaelitaliankitchen.com) for an 8:45pm reservation. The accolades for this southern-style Italian restaurant and acclaimed chef are numerous and not off their mark. As fate would have it, we stumbled upon Gibson's Donuts en route to dinner after missing a turn. By now you know that I can't pass up a local donut shop and a maple bacon donut before a race is never a bad idea. NEVER. 

I was rather nonchalant about this race. I usually develop some psychosomatic injury. At worst, I thought I had a fever the night before the race; maybe that was the wine. I woke up on race morning feeling just fine. Of course, I don't often wake up down at the end of lonely street in the Heartbreak Hotel (http://www.graceland.com/visit/heartbreakhotel.aspx) to the sweet sounds of Elvis Presley alleviating what had me All Shook Up in the first place. 

This Saturday morning race is largely a half marathon race. The marathon gets lonely after the split. The finish chute corrals runners into the baseball stadium for what can only be described as cattle-herding through the ballpark to collect post-race food then spitting you out the exit. Afterward, we grabbed lunch at Memphis BBQ Co. (http://memphisbbqco.com) which contrary to its name, does not have a location in Memphis or Tennessee!

The rest of the afternoon was reserved for all things Elvis. Graceland at Christmas incorporates two of my favorite things: Elvis and Christmas decorations! Graceland is a place that you can't help but be captivated by the juggernaut that was Elvis Presley. The amount of gift shops along Elvis Presley Boulevard is a testament to his greatness...and Priscilla Presley's aptitude to exploit every marketable aspect of his legacy, posthumously. This of course resulted in a lot of unnecessary purchases, awesomely Elvis puns, and a weekend soundtrack that's bleeding into my weekly jams as I type this.

Vowing not to lie down for a much desired nap, we ventured to the only place in Memphis to go if you're looking for a beer, The Flying Saucer (http://www.beerknurd.com/stores/memphis/). To our amusement, it happened to be hosting the largest Santa Claus bar crawl we've ever seen! Next, we grabbed some chicken and waffles on Beale St. before settling into my favorite place in Memphis to catch a band, Blues City Cafe (http://www.bluescitycafe.com). Hillbilly Casino, a high-energy, tattooed, honky-tonk band were playing the tunes of Little Richard, Stray Cats, Buddy Holly and the like. 

You want a great southern breakfast while in Memphis? Brother Junipers (http://brotherjunipers.com) is a must! The place is packed but worth the wait. Grab a coffee and a copy of Guns & Gardens (yep, this magazine exists and is awesome!) at their coffee bar. 

Before leaving town, we had to introduce my sister to the famed Peabody Hotel to see the march of the ducks, a tradition for nearly 83 years. Every day at 11am a duck master leads 5 ducks from their penthouse (I know, right?!) on the 11th floor of the hotel down the elevator and into the fountain in the lobby. There they bask until being marched back up at 5pm.

Sometimes they catch me when I'm not all smiles...but look at that slit up the leg, yowza! 

21/50 - Maine Marathon

That lobster roll in New Hampshire was the beginning of what was going to be an epic gustation of lobsters! Maine is one of my favorite states for this and myriad other reasons. Its coastal beauty, idyllic New England charm (and chowder!), its preponderance of Volvos and oysters, and simple lifestyles make it a state that I yearn to retire in. I will jump at any chance that I can to revisit it.

It was a 2.5 hour drive from Bristol, NH. We arrived in Portland, went to the expo, then checked into our hotel; the one The Wife booked in the 11th hour because I happen to be a procrastinator when it comes to booking all the travel associated with these marathons. I prefer to be spontaneous and free but unfortunately in this situation, it would have resulted in sleeping in the car because all the hotels were booked. Lucky for me, this hotel was about a mile from the start line but more importantly, really close to a great bar we stumbled upon called The Great Lost Bear (the website alone is worth a visit for its awesomeness - www.greatlostbear.com). I may be biased given my affinity for bears, but this place was the bee's knees. Chicken wings and beer - that was my pre-marathon dinner for the second of a double marathon.

The race started at 7:45am. The east coast likes to sleep in and I appreciated that today. I woke up feeling great considering yesterday's race. My back was still in pain but this time I just toughed it out; I had an unexpected tinge of pain resurface for the first 4 miles of this race. Back in July of 2013, I tore a calf muscle prior to the Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon in Washington. I was beginning to feel that same uncomfortable sensation until the adrenaline kicked in. I managed a pretty decent run after that until the fatigue set in at mile 23.

I finished the Maine Marathon in 3:03:24 (7:00/mile pace), tied for 24th out of 1,027 finishers. I'm the analytical type so I was curious what my deterioration rate was from race #1 to race #2. The first time I did this with KY & OH, it was 5.5% (a 10-minute difference). This time, it was 4.0% (a 6-minute difference). My average race time for this weekend was 3:00:02. All races were Boston qualifying times for my age group. Details within: http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/606053611

Now for the good part... We found an all-you-can-eat lobster brunch! With 6 whole lobsters between the two of us, we walked away in the black. Down the street was the most clean and sterile brewery I've ever been to - Maine Beer Company (www.mainebeercompany.com). They had a maple syrup stout only served at the brewery called 2014. We went back the next day after visiting Allagash (www.allagash.com) and L.L. Bean for more of it while doing NPR crossword puzzles at their picnic table on a beautiful fall afternoon.

After relocating to www.theregency.com near the wharf in downtown Portland for a few nights, we continued our quest for oysters and lobsters. Being the donut connoisseur that I am, I staked out The Holy Donut (www.theholydonut.com) on Facebook months ago and it just happened to be a block from the hotel (coincidence?). This is the stuff of my donut dreams... After a walk to the west end neighborhood of Portland for the best breakfast corned beef hash (www.hotsuppa.com) the following morning, we began our journey home with a stop at www.smuttynose.com of course!

20/50 - New Hampshire Marathon

There is a common thought had by most people after running their first marathon. That thought of course is, "I will never do this again!". I had that same thought after my first marathon, Chicago in 2001, and then after the first time I ran two marathons in the same weekend with the Kentucky Derby Marathon and the Flying Pig Marathon in 2011. Never. Again. Or so I said...

Here we are, three weeks after running the Presque Isle Marathon. Given all the travel required to run 50 marathons in 50 states, it is occasionally advantageous to run a few back-to-back. There are several marathons that make this ideal and often you'll be among like company with Marathon Maniacs and 50 State Club members - perplexingly, I'm not a member of either. I've always held a philosophy that running with friends should not cost you a membership fee. That being said, these are still wonderful clubs with incredible people.

Being the road trip enthusiast that I am, and knowing all the breweries we were planning to visit, we drove the car. If you've ever driven through New Hampshire, Vermont, or Maine, you know that the shortest route between point A and point B is about 7 different 2-lane highways and an additional 150 miles! If you can accept that, there are some beautiful, quintessential New England towns inhabiting a landscape of rolling hills dotted with balsam fir, white and black spruce, and various species of pine, maple, oak and birch trees, in various metachromatic stages. Each charming town contains a steepled, white church and a general store and not much else.

We spent an entire day driving all over Vermont in pursuit of beer in what was considered prime fall foliage. Vermont has a reputation for some of the best IPAs produced partly for their excellence in craft and partly from scarcity due to small-scale production. The day started out very much like a scavenger hunt - following beer delivery times (www.lawsonsfinest.com and www.alchemistbeer.com only get delivered in small amounts to a few general stores in the area weekly), adhering to limited tasting room hours (www.hillfarmstead.com is an anomaly in of itself. I could write an entire post about the inconceivable hype for this beer and its inability to live up to it), and mapping the best routes. We also managed to stumble upon Ben & Jerry's headquarters for a tour and tasting. I highly recommend this quirky stop if ever you're in the area. In the end, we drove away with a car full of beer and one contradictory conclusion: we are so over this game of acquiring rare beer that is akin to collecting baseball cards when I was a kid. That being said, I was going out with a bang on this trip; a last hurrah if you will.

We had the day to lounge on our wrap-around porch at a historic bed & breakfast (www.thewhipplehouse.com) near the start line of the marathon. The mayberry-esque view was an ideal setting to enjoy some of these beers and a lobster roll on the afternoon before the race. Joining us at the Inn were two other couples also doing the double marathon. In fact, I met a lot of runners in New Hampshire and very few were not running the double marathon!

Small town races have their charm. There are usually 200 - 400 runners. The townspeople and participants are most gracious and friendly, and the passion for the sport is not as lost in translation as compared to that of huge production races. Don't get me wrong, I love them both. However, there is something special about the local freemasons at the New Hampshire Marathon volunteering to serve runners a pasta dinner at their masonic temple complete with a dozen of their different homemade pasta sauces along with other goodies that you won't find at the New York City Marathon. It makes the personal and economic impact you are making on the host city palpable.

Now let's talk marathon. I divulged the training I did for this double marathon in the Presque Isle Marathon post 3 weeks ago: double long run weekends, speed and hill workouts, and 46-mile weeks on average. I really wasn't thinking too much about the races this weekend. I was hoping to get as close to breaking 3 hours at both of them as I could but mostly looking to enjoy myself; these were fairly hilly and scenic courses. When I ran the double marathons at KY & OH, I finished in 2:59 and 3:09, respectively.

I woke up the morning of the race and threw my back out; I was just thinking I hadn't done this in years! There is always something, psychosomatic or otherwise, to fret over before a race. Luckily I found some Aleve and after a few miles, I hardly noticed any pain. This marathon started at 9:00am with a 10K on a cool, grey and dreary day yielding rain at times. I started with a couple of 7-minute miles but noticed I was in 6th place after the 10K runners turned off. Knowing that there was prize money for finishing in the top 3, I started picking up the pace. There is a massive hill at mile 10 that I used to my advantage (all those hill workouts paid off!) and was soon jockeying with someone for 2nd & 3rd place. He and I worked together until mile 19 when I started picking up the pace for the final 10K (my new technique). Details within: http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/605367696

I finished in 2nd out of 281 finishers in 2:56:39 (6:45/mile pace) with $150 in prize money! I always said that I would quit running marathons if I could win one. Truth be told, I really don't want to quit! I had a great masseuse after the race work on my back then we were off to Portland, ME to do it again tomorrow.

This:

Had to fit into this:

Also, I'm going to start adding the race photo, as ridiculous as some may be, to each post from now on. I'll see how far back I can do this for previous posts. 

19/50 - Erie Marathon at Presque Isle, PA

I have to admit, I didn't see this PR coming...

After a dismal showing at the Wisconsin Marathon in May (which I did not blog about), I didn't really think much about attempting to top my previous PR of 2:53:09 set in 2010 at the Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City, MI. My plate was full with structuring workouts and creating events for the Libertyville Running Club, becoming a co-race director for a local 5k (www.twilightshuffle.com) held on Labor Day weekend, and being a stay-at-home dad with my 17-month old son and 2-month old daughter. However, the runs with the Club were slowly making me a better runner without me realizing it. This was the first time that I consistently did speed workouts, hill workouts and tempo runs over the course of a training period. I built a 16-week plan that I mostly adhered to that had me peak with a couple of mid-70-mile weeks. My average weekly miles, year-to-date were at 46 miles per week, one-and-a-half times what I had averaged in years past. 

Of course, I didn't do ANY cross-training. Sure, I preached it. I just lacked the motivation to do it myself. Also, I've never been one to follow a nutrition plan. I've built running clubs around food and drink - pizza, donuts, beer...this is why we run after all, right? I was really having too much fun with the growth of this new club and the opportunity to run with so many new people this summer to bother taking my training too seriously. Then again, I never have and I probably never will. 

Our trip to Erie, PA was a long weekend away from the kids. It was to be a motorcycle trip but a cold front moved in just in time to lessen the appeal of that venture. True to form however, it was still a gastronomical adventure. On the drive out, we hit up our favorite burger/beer bar, www.lassenstap.com (Libertyville - I love you but with your overpriced beer and lack of a stellar burger, you can learn a thing or two from this gem) and then settled in at www.thebrewkettle.com for a night in Cleveland, OH. Saturday, it was on to Erie, PA to check-in to the race and get a to-go order from www.miscuzirestaurant.com before the carb-loading masses' decent upon these unsuspecting purveyors of quality italian cuisine. 

I like to say I never get nervous before a race, but the truth is, 32 marathons later and I still fret over some minutia. With a goal of running as many of these 50 state marathons in under 3 hours that I can, I always get a bit nervous that I will fall short. For this race, I brought 3 pairs of shoes with and tested them in the motel parking lot at 4am to make my final shoe decision. On any other morning, this would seem odd to other motel guests; this morning I had an audience sympathetic of my plight.  After a coffee, banana, and some granola, we were off to the start line with a tinge of apprehension from choosing to stray from my go-to marathon shoe, the Brooks Pure Connect, and selecting the Saucony Kinvara 5. 

The race is two flat loops around the idyllic lakefront setting within the Presque Isle State Park (www.presqueisle.org). The field was 1,250 marathoners and 1,250 half marathoners that started 30 minutes after the marathoners. The weather was a beautiful and sunny 50-degree morning on a course that was mostly shaded. The nerves are really getting to me now because I'm left with no excuse for anything short of a strong performance. I, like so many others, have a habit of going out too fast. This is how I blew up in the aforementioned Wisconsin Marathon. This time, I had a plan to take the first 2-5 miles slow and maybe pick up the pace to finish in 2:55. I managed to not get caught up in the excitement and held 7-minute miles for the first 2 miles here. I'm convinced that made all the difference for me. I clocked the half marathon in 1:27 feeling conservative. From there, I continued to work with one other runner for the next 7 miles. Around mile 20, I realized I was on pace for a PR so I pulled ahead to finish the last 10k solo, albeit dodging half marathoners, finishing with a 3-minute negative split. I took 9th place overall (2nd in my age group) with a new PR of 2:51:22. With this, I'm batting .500 for sub-3 hour marathons, 16 out of 32. Here are the details if you're the analytical type: http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/590323169.

I know I've had a great race when I feel like I can still run 2 more miles. With little fatigue, we ventured over to www.bertrandsbistro.com to destroy an all-you-can-eat brunch buffet in the quaint heart of Erie. The following morning, we meandered up to Ann Arbor, MI after lunch at one of Cleveland's fine breweries, www.fatheadscleveland.com to stay with friends and pay a visit to our favorite brewery, www.jollypumpkin.com - a fine artisan of sour ales. Looking back, we first discovered Jolly Pumpkin after the Traverse City, MI marathon and celebrated my previous PR there. Our visit after this new PR was apropos and resulted in, much like last time, a car full of beer for the cellar. 

Of course there's always room for one more beer stop on your way out of Michigan. A layover at www.bellsbeer.com/eccentric-cafe/ satiated a desire to visit here after a previous failed attempt. I suppose I should begin my taper for the New Hampshire & Maine double marathon weekend in three weeks...oh, and book our hotels!

A post-race dip in Lake Erie: