Ray with Duncan after Ceasar Rodney Half-Marathon |
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It was a cold winter, but if I was going to do another Marathon this year, I wanted to start early to get a good weekly base mileage to start from. Now that I considered myself a legitimate runner, I'd focus on improving every aspect of my training, from stretching to hydration, to nutrition. Motivation came from entering races.
The Icicle Run in January was a frigid "pre-season" event that got me going early in the year. Ceasar Rodney was the first big race (largest in Delaware) and made a good benchmark for my progress. The Broad Street Run was fun and a real confidence booster that got me thinking seriously about qualifying for Boston someday. It was in early May, about one month after I finally agreed to re-sign as a member of Joints in Motion to run in Alaska. |
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Confusion, New Shoes and some PR's
For a while in May, it looked like I might not do Alaska after all... Arthritis Foundation decided to combine the Delaware Chapter with Philadelphia, and the DE team was tiny. I'd have to train and travel with people I hadn't met and might not see often. But after some thought, I decided to join them and make the best of it as the sole Delaware representative.
Some of my email notes:
3/16/03 - An update on my running endeavor--- today I took 317th place overall (out of over 1000) in the Caesar Rodney Half Marathon here in Wilmington. My official time was 1:42:38 in the warm sunshine. I beat Senator Carper by a few minutes. Serious runners use half-marathons as "warm-ups" for marathons. I threw my name in the lottery for November's NY Marathon and am now considering an August run in Alaska with the Arthritis Foundation folks. And I'm looking for people to join me...
Would you like a free trip to Anchorage, Alaska (in August) or Walt Disneyworld (next Jan)?
Challenge yourself to run or walk a marathon or a mere half-marathon. I had a super experience in Dublin last fall and even enjoyed the long road to get there.
Spring and Summer
Running this spring meant running in the rain. I'd switch between wearing my old hall of fame 1121 shoes (of Dublin glory) on wet runs and the lighter 715's on dry days. Trail running was out of the question for quite some time. Again, most of my running is alone since I can decide when to go on a moment's notice.
In May, I finally joined Pike Creek Valley Running Club and started attending their Thursday evening runs at Delcastle. It's great to meet so many veteran marathoners! And my training has been given a boost by trying to keep up with the speedier runners.
Arthritis Foundation decided to combine their Delaware Chapter with the Eastern PA Chapter this spring, so I'd be joining the large "EPA" group of 80 athletes! Coach Amy Blithe would remain a resource for Delaware participants. She trained hard all winter to run the 2003 Boston Marathon and did so in warm conditions. Congratulations to Amy for finishing in the top 2% of female runners!!!
5/4/03 - This morning I did the "Broad Street Run" in Philly and was thrilled to finish in the top 16% overall and the top 25% of my division (male 40-44). There were a total of almost 10,000 runners.
5/18/03 - I ran again at Delcastle Thursday evening and finally met up with some people from Pike Creek Valley Running Club. I'll find some people to run with on a regular basis by joining their group. It turns out that Terry Rodgers is the new webmaster of their site (www.pcvrc.com) . The person I met was Dave McCorquodale, who I later found out has done the Boston Marathon 6 times!
So now I'll be taking advantage of living right near where all these runners come anyway.
6/2/03 - Yesterday I did my longest distance since Dublin: 15 miles.
I felt good, so training is back on track. I'm wearing out the 1.75 mile loop at "Delcastle Park". There's always plenty of people there to push out of my way. (No, not really) I joined the local running club and found some fast guys to run with at least once a week. They're veteran runners who've got many marathons under their belts. One guy has done Boston 8 times! I'll be travelling to Alaska with about 15 other runners/hikers from the Philly area.
Now I'm getting ready to stuff myself with pizza.
6/9/03 - I'm thinking of getting up to Tower Hill either this afternoon or next Monday.
If not today, then tomorrow I'll hit Carousel Park. I've gone there 2 weeks in a row. Training is going well. My Saturday run was just 12 miles, but quite wet. Last week was 15 miles, with 14 the week before. I've been getting in Tempo runs with the Pike Creek Valley group on Thursdays, since there's always at least one or two fast runners there.
6/12/03 - Am I out of my mind?
It's now official. Instead of running one marathon this year, I intend to run two.
Last week I learned that I was accepted to run in this year's New York Marathon!!!!!!
I'm pumped!! Mark your calendars for November 2. That morning I'll be challenging 30,000 runners from every state and all over the globe as we kick off a little road race by crossing the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
But first things first. I have just 9 weeks until Humpy's Marathon up in Anchorage. The update:
Training is in gear. Today I did 15 miles on some hilly trails a couple miles from my house. It wasn't easy in moderately humid 82 degree conditions. Tomorrow I'll do some speed work with my coach.
Fundraising is picking up a bit. I've raised 1/3 of the $3000 minimum amount. If you haven't given yet, please try to soon or let all of my friends off the hook by finding me a rich benefactor.
So for the next several months, when not at QVC pumping out jewelry to the nation, I'll usually either be sleeping or running. I joined the local running club and last week did 5 miles with a veteran of 18 Boston Marathons!
Be fit and stay healthy!
7/5/03 - My training continues to go well, with Anchorage just 6 weeks away! Today (Sat.), I ran a grueling 18 miles in the humid 92 degree weather. I drank water like it was water! Even bought a new pair of running shoes afterwards. Last weekend I got in a couple days of "hill running" up at my parents' place in the Catskills.
7/11/03 - After 6 days of running in a row, I'm giving my legs a day of rest. One was starting to get sore. Training has been going very well and I'm running with others at least a couple days a week. This Sunday is 5 weeks until "Humpy's Marathon". It turns out that it gets this name from the main sponsor, none other than Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse. Now that's my kind of sponsor!
Ray gets in some hill running at his parents' house in the Catskill Mountains of NY.
7/28/03 - 3 weeks to go...
Way to go, Lance!
Here's a little Marathon Man update, now that I've got under 3 weeks until Humpy's Marathon in Anchorage. In general, training has been going according to plan, but believe it or not, it isn't always fun running under a hot sun on a humid day!
Lackawack Hill
During several summer visits to my parents' place, I've gotten in some beneficial "hill training". It's helpful that they have an unlimited supply of delicious, cold spring water, which I bottle and take home with me. (Delaware tap water is deadly.)
The Long and Winding Road
I've been a little concerned about my weekly long runs (10+ miles). They are the cornerstone of a marathon training program and have seemed more arduous than they were last year. I've completed four 18+ mile runs. The good news is that I haven't had any injuries, other than recent soreness in my left leg. Bad news is that I've struggled through some of them, with a fair amount of walking included. Walking is not against the law in a race, but should be kept to a minimum if you're seeking a PR (personal record).
Begging
I'm still $1000 short of my goal. If you haven't given, please visit my site.
I was happy and honored to have received some donations from teammates of last year.
Why is it called Humpy's?
At first, I was afraid that it referred to difficult hilly terrain. Then I figured it was named by someone with a dirty mind. Finally, someone noted that it may refer to Humpback whales. That was the closest. The wonderful news is that the main sponsor is Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse.
Of course, I'll be snapping photos to place on the website. These should include a glacier tour and a trip to the mountains. In the meantime, I'll be putting on a slideshow of photos of the marathon route so you can get a feeling of where I'll be running.
8/10/03 - Just one week to go...
Here's my final update before Sunday's marathon. We fly out on Thursday. I look forward to getting out of this hot, sticky summer weather to enjoy cool race day conditions of temps in the 50s under clouds, but hopefully little rain.
Limping Along
My left leg has been pretty sore for the past 2 weeks as I eased up on training. But I was still able to set a PR of 50 minutes to run 7 miles at my park a few days ago. Today (Sunday), I did 10 miles in the thick air. I'm afraid I'll have to depend on Advil to maintain my form, because limping along for 26.2 miles isn't healthy. On Tuesday evening, I'll meet the rest of the "Joints in Motion" PA team I'm part of. We're having a send-off party at an Irish Pub. I'll pump myself up by recalling the fun I had in Dublin last year (while hoisting a Guinness, of course!).
"Run with me"
Get a feeling for where I'll be running by visiting a slideshow of the marathon route (sorry about all the pop-up ads). You'll be able to check my results by using the links at my site. I'll get back to Delaware next Wednesday in time to go to work that night. The trip photos will start appearing that day.
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