The Marathon Post

On Monday, April 19th, I ran the Boston Marathon… I considered concealing the truth from you all, but I have decided against it. So here it is: I am really proud. I think my friend Ryan’s comment on Facebook expressed it best: “4:07:56 PR HELL YEAH”.

It was a personal triumph in many ways.

• I completed my 2nd Boston Marathon and my 3rd marathon over all. I ran 26.2 miles only 3 months and 1 week after spraining my ankle. And my time was a personal record.
• I estimate that I have raised over $9500 for Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC) program where all the money goes towards cancer research. This was record fundraising for me. More importantly, it shows how incredibly generous people are, even during these difficult economic times.
• And I had a great time!

The Many Details

To the Starting Line

Everyone agrees that running 26.2 miles can be challenging. Yet fewer people might understand that getting to the starting line on the day of the race is a challenge in itself.

Boston Athletic Association (BAA) says that the only “guaranteed” way to get to the Boston Marathon starting line in Hopkinton is to take the official BAA school buses from Boston Common. So that is where I was headed at 6:23am on Monday morning. Twenty minutes later I was squeezing through crowds of hungry looking people with neon yellow plastic bags strung across their shoulders. (Of course I looked just like them.). I was looking for my friend and fellow DFMC runner, Bess.

Three quarters of an hour later, we finally got on one of the buses. Despite a few frozen fingers, we knew that now we would definitely make it to the start of the race. After a bumpy ride interrupted only by multiple incidents of public urination, Bess and I walked away from the Hopkinton High School to find THE church--a refuge for the DFMC team runners. (While everyone else hangs out in the fields by the school and waits for 30+ minutes in line to a porta-potty, DFMC runners are sheltered inside a church, where food, drink, medical supplies and toilets are plentiful.)

The church was warm, which was a relief, but we had to go back outside as soon as we got there to line up for DFMC team photos. The next hour was a bit of a blur. When we went back inside after the photos, announcements were already being made to “surrender” our bags. (Remember those neon yellow plastics bags everyone had. These are the only bags BAA will transport for runners from the starting line to the finish line, via school buses of course). I feverishly tossed things in and out of the bag trying to remember what I have forgotten to do: sunblock--check, sunglasses--check, gloves, GU...

I breathed a little easier once I put my bag on the school bus. Then I went out for a short warm up run. It was more of a “cool down” run, but it gave me an excuse to re-tie my shoes about a thousand times. I also got to see the Blue Angels, who must have been doing a fly by over the starting line.

It is unfortunate, that nobody documented my appearance in the starting corral. (Bess did offer, but I was too flustered to agree.) To keep warm I wore an old XL sweatshirt, while wrapping my legs in an even older black fleece cape. I was not the only one wearing expendable clothing, and BAA was well prepared for this situation. Volunteers had separate bags for garbage and for the clothing people shed as they moved closer to the starting line. The disposed clothing would be donated to charity.

We had already spent hours waiting, and months preparing. Finally, we slowly walked, then jogged, then crossed the starting line of the Boston Marathon. Bess and I wished each other good luck before setting off to run the 26.2 miles to that coveted finish line in Copley Square.

Running The Race

From Hopkinton the marathon course takes the runners through Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline, and finally to Boston. The Boston Marathon is known for its crowds. It was sunny and warm, and spectators were indeed out in full force, partying and cheering loudly.

A few live bands played along the course, and people were blasting music from their boomboxes. I remember entering the town of Natick to the sounds of the Who’s “My Generation”. At some point, the Rocky theme-song made my heart skip as memories of my high school jazz band flooded my sugar starved brain.

It is hard to remember what I saw where, especially during the first 9 miles where the course is less familiar to me. Here are a few things I do remember:

• A runner pulling a cart with a couple of oxygen tanks—really, if he can run the marathon, then so can anyone.
• Seeing some of my coworkers in downtown Natick. Thanks for your support!
• Seeing Karen B and getting a hug!
• Watching my dad run alongside the course near Coolidge Corner, because he wanted to get a photo of me running.
• Running with Bill Y for a few minutes somewhere near the Wellesley-Newton border. (That was enough time for Bill to tell me that we will all eventually die…) It was all very inspiring, but being much slower than Bill, I stayed back and he pulled ahead as we climbed the Route 95 overpass.
• Enormous “Run Boston Better” posters at every town border—I wish I could find photos of them on the web. Some of them were rather clever.
• Super cheerful Wellesley College girls—you hear them before you see them. Unfortunately, this year I did not see any middle aged male runners act on signs like “Kiss me, I am a senior”, “Kiss me, it’s your last chance”, etc. I did see a few men sprinkled amongst the girls holding up similar signs… No, I was not tempted.
• Painfully loud Boston College students—they seriously scared me. (Of course it was the 22nd mile, and I was not thinking straight.) They were stepping right into the course, forcing all the runners really close together. The screaming so close by was disorienting. When I tried to slow down to avoid crashing into a runner in front of me, I realized that I could not maneuver all that well anymore. I cannot tell you how glad I was to get to the area where the BC students were behind barricades.
• DFMC "cheering squad" at mile 25 on the Mass Pike overpass. I was really looking forward to that extra encouragement. It was a great feeling to reach the top of the overpass and to see so many friendly faces cheering the team on.
  
• Runners in costumers or otherwise wearing interesting clothes—a lady in violet princess cape, two ladies running together in pink Superwoman capes, an older gentleman dressed as a Cat in the Hat, a guy with all of his exposed skin painted orange, a woman in a leopard outfit, etc. (The leopard outfits were apparently quite popular...)

• Realizing that I can no longer run downhill when following Commonwealth Avenue under Massachusetts Avenue in the last mile of the course.

Apparently I misread the BAA information about water stops. I expected them to be every 2 miles, but instead they were positioned at every mile. Of course, there is nothing wrong with that, but for the first several miles I was confused, uncertain when to expect the next water stop. For awhile I seriously considered asking a fellow runner about it, but felt too embarrassed. Just as well—it worked out fine.

Because of my sprained ankle, I only did two long-distance runs (by “long” I mean over 10 miles) before the marathon. I ran 20 miles 3 weeks before the race and 14 miles 2 weeks before the race. As a result I had little sense for the pace at which I should try to run the marathon. When my hips started “talking to me” around mile 14, I worried that maybe I went out too fast. Of course, there is no point in worrying, but… Luckily, getting preoccupied with something else made me temporarily forget my various aches and pains. Meeting Bill, seeing Karen, eating a GU (Chocolate Outrage was my flavor of choice this year), turning onto Commonwealth Avenue, and finally working through the “Newton flats” were all excellent distractions.

Favorite parts of the course:

• cruising through Natick and Wellesley
• turning “right on Hereford, left on Boylston” to glimpse the finish line and hoping to see mom.

Least favorite moment: dodging the drunken BC crowds.

Official results and statistics:

• Official Time: 4:07:56
• Overall: 16848
• Race entrants: 26,776
• Race starters: 23,071
• Race finishers: 22,588

Boston 2010 vs Boston 2008

• Nick convinced me to eat more during the race, so I went from eating 3 GUs in 2008 to 4 GUs this year. Now I think that having more food at regular intervals helped me avoid feeling sick to my stomach as I did last time towards the end of the marathon.
• I have many more memories from the race than I did from 2008, when I could not remember running through Washington Square or Coolidge Corner. I would credit more GU with this improvement as well. Though perhaps I also paid more attention this time.
• Sadly I saw fewer people I knew along the course. Just as in 2008, I did not see Nick, but this time he did not see me either.
• Having run Boston once before, I did not worry as much about the pre-race logistics such as what would happen once I was in Hopkinton.
• Despite having run 2 marathons including Boston before, I still stressed out about such seemingly unimportant things as oversleeping and missing the BAA bus, deciding what to wear, and eating just the right amount of food the morning of the race. People say some pre-race jitters never go away.

Overall it was a great race for me, and the nice weather and super supportive crowds made it even better.

I would like to thank

• all the people who supported my run and made it possible for me to raise so much money for Dana Farber! Your generosity is humbling.
• my coworkers who were extremely supportive, enduring my long monologues about training and physical therapy, buying my homemade treats every Monday, driving me to and from work when I was on crutches

Special thanks goes to Trace at the BU Physical Therapy Center, who helped me start running again, and to Jack Fultz, the DFMC team coach (and the winner of the 1976 Boston Marathon), who helped me structure my training around the injury replying to every single one of my emails despite having 549 other team runners to worry about.

And last but not least, I would like to thank Nick who endured it all—the training, the therapy, the whining, the sprained ankle, the fundraising, etc, etc, etc…, and even borrowed a friend’s dog, Calvin, for a day to lift my spirits.

Let's Get Ready

While I am getting ready to run the Boston Marathon in less then two weeks, I hope you are getting excited about following the race and maybe even going out to the course to watch it.

If you will not be in Boston on April 19th, you can still follow my progress along the race course. AT&T provides a way for you to receive text message or email alerts when I cross the starting line, the 10K point, the half point, 30K point and the finish line. The following link, AT&T Athelete Alert Program, provides the instructions for setting up the alerts. My bib number is 22583.

If you are in Boston, I hope you get a chance to come out and cheer the runners along the course. It is always super exciting to see the elite runners zoom by. Of course then you might have to wait awhile to see your friends, i.e. me, to come crawling along a few hours later.

Here is an excellent interactive guide to the course map and good locations for the spectators: Boston Marathon Interactive Map. Personally, I would suggest that you avoid the finish line, and if you do go out to the Woodland T station to watch the race along Rte. 16, please be prepared to wait in crowded line to go back into town.

If you make a decision on where you will be before Marathon Monday, please let me know. I love seeing my friends along the course, and if I know where you'll stand I will be able to keep a lookout for you too. I will post what I will wear a day or two before the race to make it easier for you to spot me. At this point one thing is certain--I will definitely be wearing my Dana Farber Marathon Challenge singlet (a photo of it to follow).

The Ultimate Test

It has been a lont time since I have last updated the blog. I have been busy, though I am having difficulties explaining exactly what I have been so busy with. It seems like I spend all of my time doing exactly 5 things:

1. Working out, be it strength training, running, in and out of physical therapy, etc.
2. Eating—muscles need fuel
3. Grocery shopping and cooking (in order to satisfy activity #2)
4. Working—apparently food costs money; so does physical therapy and going to the pool
5. Sleeping—wish I could skip this one but have not yet been able to figure out how

Food is definitely the focus here. It is not just about breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eating for me has been continuous. My desk at work is overflowing with nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate. Occasional family events tend to revolve around a meal. TV watching is almost always combined with eating. Even long workouts imply carefully planned consumption of special “GU” to keep me going. And during those rare moments when I am not eating, I am ultimately planning the next meal.

Of course I run to eat, and I eat to run.

The ultimate test for all of this training is not the marathon itself. The race is more of a celebration after the craziness that the training season brings into runners’ lives. The test for me is coming up tomorrow morning. With three weeks left before the marathon, I plan to do a 20 mile training run.

I am excited and nervous. I am acting on the assumption that my ankle will hold me up. A lot of runners will be doing their last big long run this weekend, and I expect the marathon course will be quite crowded. I heard that some out of town runners come out to Boston to do this run on the marathon course, and that locals come out to cheers the runners on. When I trained for the Boston Marathon two years ago, this is the run I did not get to do because I was nursing an IT band injury then, and it makes me look forward to this run even more.

My "Olympic" Training

While it is true that I have been glued to the TV every evening watching the Olympics, I have also been doing some of my own "Olympic level" training. Here is the last week’s summary of my efforts:

• Two one-hour sessions of deep water running
• Two physical therapy sessions involving running and intense strength training
• Two morning aerobic workouts, each of which involved an elliptical machine and some run/walking on the treadmill
• And the week’s finale—my “long run” (total of 4 hours and 15 minutes):
• 3 x 45 minutes + 1 x 30 minutes on the arc trainer
• 3 x 15 minutes of run/walking on the treadmill
• 1 x 45 minutes on the elliptical machine

As you can see from the above summary, I am slowly but surely starting to run. So now is a great time for you to enter my training mileage and race time contest for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift certificates. Please look at this earlier post for more information on how to enter the contest.

Announcing Training Mileage and Race Time Contest

I invite you to participate in a contest for a chance to win $25 Amazon gift certificate. All you have to do is make a guess at:

1. How many miles I will run training for the marathon between January 1st and April 19, 2010, not counting the marathon itself.
2. How long it will take me to complete the Boston Marathon.

I will select two winners after the race--one for the closest estimate of my total training mileage and one for the closest estimate of my race time. Please feel free to refer to my running log to help you make the estimates. And here is a hint--my total training mileage for January will not change, but my ankle will be strong enough to start gradually ramping up my miles in February.

Here is how to enter the contest:

1. Please make a donation to the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge. The suggested donation for a single contest entry is $5.
2. Submit your best guess by filling out this contest form.

You can enter the contest multiple times! The more you contribute to the fight against cancer, the more estimates you can make increasing your chances of winning! Good luck and thank you for your support!

It's Getting Better All The Time...

It has been two weeks since I have sprained my ankle. While I am not quite running yet, but I am happy to report (as I sit here with an ice pack strapped to my foot) that there is definite progress in the right direction.

I have been walking without crutches for over a week! I started physical therapy sessions last week, which have been extremely helpful.

Over all I have only missed about a week of training. I have started working out ever since the physical therapist has cleared me to go wild on a stationery bike or an elliptical machine last Tuesday. My scheduled 13 mile run last weekend became a 2 hour and 15 minute workout on a bike and an arc trainer. Boring--yes, but so worth it.

While my foot continues to display a wide range of blues and purples, I feel very optimistic!

Everyone around me--my family, my friends and my colleagues--has been extremely supportive, and I am infinitely thankful to you all! My blues is over. I am excited and optimistic. I hope to begin the transition back to running very soon.

Walk Running in Walla Walla

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Spending Christmas in Walla Walla is as wonderful as ever. In anticipation of large dinner and a busy morning tomorrow, I went for a run this morning.

Ever since I woke up with a stiff hip over a week ago, I have pulled back a bit on my running. However, under Jack's guidance I have been slowly building the miles back up by doing some "walk running." This morning I did 52 minutes of 1 minute walking and 3 minute running in the fields.

I love running in the wheat fields in Walla Walla. Even though the Blue Hills were hiding in the fog this morning, the rolling hills and the bare fields surrounding me were as beautiful as ever.

Thanksgiving Day Run

There is no better way to prepare for a holiday dinner than to go for a hard and fast run. This is exactly what my friend and fellow DFMC runner Bess and I set out to do.

We chose to run the Boston Volvo 5K Road Race mainly based on its location and starting time, and it turned out to be a very nice race to run even with the rather noticeable hill at the beginning in the first mile. Unfortunately, this was not a PR for me, but I enjoyed the race immensely.
Clearly Bess and I were far from the only ones with an urge to run on Thanksgiving Day morning. Over a thousand people ran the race along with us, and at the same time there were numerous other races taking place in the Greater Boston area. Even the New York Times published a blurb about the urge to run on Thanksgiving.

Training Or Not Training

Many people ask me if I have already started training for the Boston Marathon. Have I? Most marathon training programs are about 18 weeks long. With the race being over 5 months away, I have not officially started on any programs. However I am running.

My goal is to have no injuries, to get stronger, stay strong, and then get even stronger. To do that, I am running 4 times a week for a total of about 25 miles. Each week includes a tempo run, an interval workout, and a 10 mile run. This regimen leaves 3 more days per week for other exciting activities--1 day for rest, and 2 days for stength training.

I will start a yet-to-be-determined training program around mid December, because it is not sufficiently cold yet for all those long runs.

Why Run So Many Miles So Many Times

I am running the Boston Marathon in memory of my aunt Ada, who died of cancer almost a year ago at the age of 60. Her father had to bury his only child. Her grandson, who was not yet two years old at the time, would not remember his grandmother who spent so much of her time taking care of him.

My aunt Ada was technically my second cousin--she was my dad’s cousin, but I always called her my aunt. Growing up I did not see her very often, as we lived in Moscow and her family lived in Sevastopol, a large port town in Ukraine on the Black Sea. Thus the rare occasions when I did get to see her were extra special. Later on, when her family and I were living in the Seattle area, we spent more time together.

Always upbeat and energetic, she always knew which movies to watch and which ones to skip, and what new book to read, and which noteworthy musician was giving a concert in town. Whenever presented with a chance, she tried to feed me into a food coma. More importantly, she was a great listener, and always knew how to make people relax, talk and feel better.

Aunt Ada’s death came as a shock to my family, as we knew nothing of her illness. Aunt Ada was diagnosed only a few months before she died, and she did not want people to know that she was sick. She was always a strong woman.

I run in memory of my aunt Ada, but I also run for the living—for the cancer patients both old and very young, for the families, for the children, for everyone affected by this terrible disease. If we put our efforts together, we can conquer this monster. I hope you will join me in the fight by supporting cancer research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Running To Work

I am currently on the train going to work, and people are giving me funny looks. Why? Besides looking like I just got out of bed (which I did), I am also carrying bags. Multiple bags! Not counting my backpack! And all of them are full of stuff.

What is all this "stuff" that I am carrying? Let's see--two days worth of lunch, a book for the lunch time book club, the laptop of course, sneakers to wear at the gym today, and two days worth of clothing, including a pair of shoes for tomorrow. (I did also stop at the drug store on my way to the train station to buy some lotion, but that was a very minor addition to all the "stuff".)

You see, tomorrow my morning run will be "special". I plan to run to work from the Woodland T station. I have already done this 3 times, and enjoyed it immensely. The downside is that it cannot be done on the spur of the moment. It requires careful planning, because I refuse to run and carry clean clothes at the same time. So today I am carrying a change of clothes for today, and a change of clothes for tomorrow (including shoes and a coat). That way when I set out for my run tomorrow morning, all I have to bring is my cell phone, keys, and my train pass. I cannot wait.

Boston Half Marathon

The Boston Half Marathon starts and ends right here in the Back Bay Fens. It used to end in the Roberto Clemente Field, but this year it started and ended on Park Drive--in other words, just a couple blocks away. Ever since I learned about the race in 2005, I have always wanted to run it, and finally this Sunday I did.

The race course is beautiful especially during this time of the year, when all the maple trees are turning red. The weather was perfect, with the sun shining brightly in my eyes, as I ran along the Emerald Necklace, past the Jamaica Pond and the Arnold Arboretum. After a short dash through the Franklin Park Zoo, the course turned around, and I ran back following almost the same way back.
My parents were waiting for me near mile 11 by Longwood Avenue, and I got to see Nick near the MFA, as I ran the last mile. I finished in 1:55:38, which was a PR for me.

26.2 in 4:32:17

In Hopkington my corral was lining up on the uphill. Where is the crazy downhill everyone was talking about? Then we started walking, then running. Ah, here comes the steep downhill.

A sea of people in front of me. A few miles of making sure I am not running faster then 10 minute miles, and I reached Ashland. With so many people passing me by, I turn around, but there was still a human sea behind me. After Ashland, the area was becoming more familiar with every minute. By the time I hit the Framingham train station, I was so excited—I knew I was close to Natick, where people were going to cheer for me.

The miles between Framingham and Natick flew by as I chatted to a fellow runner. Lev was from Latvia, and has been running road races, including many marathons, for many years. We ran together till mile 16 where he stopped to say hello to his children, while I decided to run ahead.

Many of my coworkers cheering in Natick gave me an extra kick. Also, the idea that I just ran 10 miles without any significant IT band pain was exciting. My doubts about finishing were fading away, replaced by utter elation. Knowledge that I have run from Natick to Boston several times was also boosting my confidence.

The smell of fresh pine cones filled the air as we approached Wellesley College. Here I finally got to run through the “screech tunnel”, where the Wellesley College girls show off the incredible powers of their vocal chords. Yet, more amazing was the number of “kiss me” signs the girls were holding up. “Kiss me, I am Mormon.” “Kiss me, I am a virgin.” “Kiss me this Passover.” “Kiss me, I love you.” I did not get to read them all. Incredibly, numerous sweaty middle-aged men flocked to the barricades and followed the signs’ directions. Last chance? At the end of the “screech row” stood several tall young men, also holding up “kiss me” signs…

I reached Wellesley Square and cleared the half way point of the marathon. Now I was on a roll. Of course, according to the amazing DFMC coach and 1976 Boston Marathon winner, Jack Fultz, the real half point only comes at mile 17.

More people, cute dogs, the first real hill at the Route 95 overpass, and I found myself in the Dana-Farber cheering area by the Newton Wellesley Hospital. Mile 17 marker is in the relatively flat area right before the course makes its first turn ever onto Commonwealth Avenue. I felt so excited as I passed Jack’s half point in the race. Finally, I was facing major hills, as opposed to downhills for a change!

I was so excited, that the hills did not seem that bad. As I cleared the Heartbreak Hill the scenery changed. Mildly to heavily intoxicated Boston College students replaced the happily cheering families with cute labs. If you think the Wellesley girls are loud, you have not heard the BC crowd.

In training I have always found reaching the beginning of the B line depressing. Only 5 miles to the finish line, but I know these 5 miles with my eyes closed, so you cannot fool me into thinking I have only a short way to go. I thought the race day will be different, but it was not. The feeling of dread was compounded by a strong suspicion that my quads have solidified into brick, and lifting a leg was becoming an increasingly arduous task with every step. Who said that the last 5 miles are the most enjoyable? I was still hoping for running without feeling my legs as Jack promised.

People practically sit on the B line tracks along the “graveyard” mile of the course, and they do not move an inch when the trains blow the whistles and slow down to a crawl just to get by them. The familiar Washington Square and Coolidge Corner both looked unrecognizable, filled with the screaming crowds. I spent the next block debating about why Trader Joe’s is not passing out or selling anything to the crowds outside their store. Would it not boost the business? I then tried to remind myself that Nick and I have walked to Coolidge Corner, and that the John Hancock tower looming in the distance is really not that far.

I perked up after St. Paul Street. My personal cheering squad was supposed to be near Park Drive. I could see the Japanese bakery, and the True Value Hardware by St. Mary’s T stop. A little further a long there were my parents, pressed tight into the barricade. I was so excited to see them, that I did not notice Nick and my friends standing behind them. I was still looking for Nick, as I scaled up the Mass Pike overpass, the last noticeable hill on the course.

Suddenly it hit me—the screaming Dana Farber cheering squad at mile 25 on top of the overpass. It was as if the entire overpass was screaming. A sea of brown and yellow Dana-Farber shirts. This was it, the final mile. What fatigue? What pain? I could not feel any of it. I remembered Jack’s words—no one drops out in the last mile. Here was my darling dirty Kenmore square with at least 20 rows of Red Sox fans leaning against the barricades. I am sure I was not, but I felt like I was sprinting onto Hereford Street, and finally I was on Boylston running as hard as I could.
I know it sounds cheesy, but I was trying hard not to cry. I made it. I could see the enormous blue gate over the finish line, the cheering crowds behind the barricades, the sun and the beautiful blue sky. I reached the bleachers, and crossed the finish line with my arms raised high in triumph.

And the Winners Are...

Yes, I have earned my "bragging rights" by completing the 112th Boston Marathon on Monday. I ran a slow but even race, passing the half point at 2:15:13, and finishing in 4:32:17.

Between December 1, 2007, and Monday, not counting the race, I ran 364 miles. (Please refer to my complete running log if you would like to check my math.) I understand that my injury 6 weeks ago not only potentially sabotaged my marathon run, but also affected your training guesses. I am sorry, but it is really a game. Smile!

Here are all the bets--only 8 bets overall, so your chances of winning were quite high!

And the winners are:

• the closest guess to the number of training miles: May Jiang at 410
• the closest guess to my marathon time: Julie N. at 4:37:11

Congratulations! Your Amazon gift certificates will be emailed to you shortly!

Thank you, everyone, for your tremendous support!!!

Return soon to read about every detail of my race day.

Less Than Five Days To Go

Is this a sign of excitement, stress or sheer panic? You tell me. All the recent dreams I can recall involved me running, sometimes on ice. Nowhere specific—just running. I suspect that I have also been running in those dreams which I cannot remember.

I have resolved to:

• Stop saying that I am not sure if I will be able to finish the marathon due to my IT Band injury. I have decided to drop that line of thinking. I WILL FINISH THIS MARATHON!!!
• Stop stressing over what the weather will be on race day. Nothing I can do about it. (Maybe I am only able to do it because the current forecast looks rather nice.)

Despite the resolutions above, I am still stressing about:

• Missing the BAA buses from the Boston Common to Hopkington.
• Not being able to pee right before the start.
• Having to pee in the field with 24999 other people.
• Having to pee during the race.
• Eating too little or too much on the morning of the race.
• Starting to feel IT Band pain before I reach the 10 mile mark.
• Losing my hearing while running by the screaming girls in Wellesley.
• Ok, I'll stop now.

I may have to append these lists as Monday draws near.

The Coming Weeks of Torture

Time has come to pay for my wonderful 20 mile run in DC. I was finally able to see a physical therapist about my aching IT band today. (With the marathon coming up in just 4 weeks, everyone in Boston seems to have lined up physical therapy appointments). And the verdict is (drumroll please):

• Yes, I will probably be able to complete the marathon--my chances are higher then 50%. (Am I supposed to be happy about that number? I suppose even a healthy person's chances to complete a marathon have to be somewhat less then 100%.)
• No, I should not run at all. While running 2 or 3 miles at a time will probably not hurt me, the risk of re-injury is higher then the potential benefit.

So from now on, potentially all the way to the marathon, I will be getting super intimate with the elliptical machines at the gym. I stand 0% chance to run my 3rd and last 20 mile run this weekend. While hordes of people will be scaling the grand hills of Newton, I will be sulking in the gym.

I thought 65 minutes on the elliptical was torture (after 7.5 miles on the treadmill) a week ago! Just you wait till I do it for 4 hours this coming weekend. I sympathize with the surrounding public. Any volunteers to spin your legs next to me and keep me company for at least part of the time?

Let me just say that advice is welcome, morale requires an uplift, and pity is intolerable. Good night.

Running to DC

Last weekend I took the Amtrak to DC to see several close friends and celebrate their birthdays. Great company, a lot of fun, some excellent food, and a life-size David Hasselhoff. Do I have to say more? That was Saturday.

The plans for Sunday included the joy of a 20-mile run, my second one in preparation for the Boston Marathon, the loss of one hour to the Daylight Savings Time, and the speedy train ride back to Boston. The up-side was that Eric was running a couple of miles along with me, and we were taking the train together part way. Losing an hour was definitely a downside—I came all the way to DC only to spend an hour less there then I would have any other weekend!!!

Expecting a warm and sunny day and completely unprepared for 20-30 mph winds, Eric and I lost all feeling of our toes and fingers by the time we found the tunnel leading to the Capital Crescent trail near the Bethesda metro station. The trail was paved over an old train track, and ran through wooded areas leading down to the Potomac and Georgetown University. The winds were high, and the morning was chilly, but we soon warmed up and the blue skies made up for the few initial discomforts. Bidding goodbye to Eric after a couple of miles, I continued slowly down the trail downhill towards Georgetown.

The trail ended in Georgetown, and the true adventure began. My first goal was to run by the White House. I followed K Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, until I reached the barricades. As I ran past the White House I was definitely attracting the attention of a group of Japanese tourists.
I turned right at the next corner heading south towards the Mall, and the second target of my run—the Lincoln Memorial. A few minutes later I was gliding along the reflective pool through mile 11, the Washington Monument and the Capitol behind me, and Lincoln Memorial looming in front of me. Goal accomplished, I headed north. Passing some colorful rowhouses on the 25th Street, I turned back on K Street, and soon found myself back on the Capital Crescent trail.

You would think the adventure was over, but I still had about 7 more miles to go. Enjoying the smooth trail, I did a 2 mile dash which also helped my aching IT band. (Why, why, why did I stay on the side of the trail on my way from Bethesda!!!) At one point, I turned the corner, and a herd of deer dashed by me. Luckily we were separated from each other by a fence. Otherwise, it was unclear who was more scared. Up and up, I climbed back into Bethesda.

By now, the sun has come out in full, and so did the people. I hit the 20 mile mark before entering the tunnel, so I walked along a busy shopping street back to the Bethesda Metro station. Compared to my last 20-mile run attempt 3 weeks prior, Sunday’s run was definitely triumphant. However, if you are wondering why my running log has not included any runs this week, it is because I have been spinning my legs on the elliptical machine while I nurse my aching IT band back to health.

Not Quite 20 Miles

Today I planned to complete my first in preparation for Boston 20 mile run. Triumphantly, of course. Unfortunately, things do not always work out as planned. I felt sluggish at the start, and hit a wall at 14. (Or is it THE wall?) After 17 miles, I was running purely on self pride. After 18 miles, I only ran because I did not want to walk home. The final result—19.72 miles.

I kept coming back to the subject of car thieves shopping in CVS, which made me mad, which in turn made me run faster. Maybe I can blame the thieves for my inability to complete the mileage. On the other hand, I am convinced, that as bad I as felt on my run today, chemotherapy feels at least 100 times worse.

The Boston Marathon Course Beckons

Yesterday, I did my 14 mile run along the Boston Marathon course--from Wellesley College to Boston. It was a great experience--working on building up my confidence before the race. I managed to "misplace" the Heartbreak Hill and found it during my 8th mile when I was doing a mile long sprint. Oops... Hopefully I will be wiser next time.

In other news, more celebrities want to run alongside me in the race this year. While Lance Armstrong qualified for the race, and is raising money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the Republican presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee, will join the Team Hoyt, a local charity which strives to integrate the physically challenged into everyday life.

Double Black Diamond

I stood at the top of a vertical drop off on the Tolt pipeline in Woodinville, Washington, feeling a little bit like a beginner skier who accidently took a lift up to the top of a double black diamond slope. The difference, however, was that I knew I could get down, but I was not so sure how I would make it back up.

I was trying to do a 10 mile out and back run, and I still had almost 2 miles to go till my “turn around” point. As I stood at the top of this hill, I could see the Burke-Gilman Trail snaking through the valley below, shielded by tall poplar trees. I wanted to be down there, running along the creek between the poplar trees.

So I took the plunge and ran down this hill. And it was steep, and it was fast, and the next thing I knew I really was running in the poplars, pretending to be a Burke-Gilman “regular”. Of course, less then an hour later I was walking up the “steep” and “fast” double black diamond “cliff”, but it was worth every tilted second of it.