Spot Me Amongst 24,999 Other Runners

Insert me here (see photo). Of course, there'll be over 500 other Dana Farber Marathon Challenge runners wearing the same singlet! Yes, we are strong!!!

You can follow my progress using my bib number, 22115, at the BAA website.

However, I hope you are out there enjoying a nice day and watching the marathon along the course, not at your computer. Wish me luck!

You, the Spectator, at the Boston Marathon

Please come and watch the race. Besides witnessing my groundbreaking marathon run, you might also find yourself inspired. Of course, I would just be beside myself with joy, if you cheered me on.

Where to watch the race from? A highly debatable question. Let’s assume you are coming from Boston, and that you have the entire day off. Even so, you might have to decide whether you want to anchor yourself in one perfect spot with a cooler and some cucumber sandwiches at your feet, or if you want to skip around and see yours truly at multiple locations.

Please refer to the course map here.

Just about any location on Beacon Street along the C line should be easy to get to and a good place to see runners in action. If you take the B line all the way to the end, you may be able to witness runners right after they have scaled the infamous Heartbreak Hill. You would be stationed near the "graveyard" mile, with the Evergreen Cemetery stretching along the course.

You could also hop onto the D line, and take it to Woodland, which will put you along Washington Street, very close to mile 17. You would be able to see runners before they hit the Newton "Flats". You should be able to make it back to the Fenway or Kenmore stop on the T faster then most people can run 8-9 miles.

You can also hop on the Framingham/Worcester Commuter Rail, and take it to any of the Wellesley stops. The most interesting is probably the furthest--Wellesley Square, which is closest to Wellesley College. You would be near the half point mark, and you will learn the power of the Wellesley girls vocal chords, where the course is sometimes refered to as the "screech tunnel". Please refer to the train schedule carefully, since the trains do not run nearly as often as the T, if you want to make it back in time to see the same people near the end of the race.

Enjoy!

P.S. Kenmore Square spectators beware: there is a Red Sox home game that starts at 11:15am. The crowds will be especially overwhelming once it gets out.

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 Gym Marathon

To make up for not running, I simulated my 3rd 20 mile run by doing 4 hours and 15 minutes worth of other aerobic exercises at the gym today--about an hour and a half on an arc trainer, followed by about an hour and 15 minutes on an elliptical machine, and then another hour and a half on the arc trainer. At first, I was beating my head against the wall, internally of course. People happily running on treadmills in the row in front of me were not too helpful. But by the 2 hour mark I have settled down. Perhaps it had something to do with being half way done. I have accepted my plight of working out without moving a yard. Gradually I have become somewhat amused by people like Jeremy "Twitcher" Something or Other jumping and twisting in the air together with his motorcycle on the mute TV on the wall. 4 hours 15 minutes is a good time--after all I only planned on going for 4 hours, but decided to push myself for 15 minutes extra. Very satisfying. Only 22 days to the marathon. I am psyched!

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.

Exactly One Month Away

Hard to fathom, but the marathon is only a month away—exactly a month from today. The city of Boston has revealed 2008 Boston Marathon banners today, and I could not help but smile watching them flap in the wind on every other lamp post lining Boylston Street into Copley Square.

Earlier in the week, BAA posted bib numbers. So it is now official. I am definitely in—I have an official bib number! (Did I say that too many times? Well, I need to repeat it to myself because it is so incredible that it is hard to believe.) Here it is:

22115

I noticed many people try to glean some prophetic information from this number. I did not attempt this. However, if you wish I invite you to explore the number on your own. Do let me know if you find any interesting information about my past or future!

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.