Serendipity Saturday

Well, the miles are really starting to pile up now. Forty miles have to be put in between now and Halloween. This past Saturday was a real test of commitment to completing the Hal Higdon marathon training. My Friday night consisted of a pasta dinner with two beers, followed by an early exit to bed. I awoke at 3:45am ready to hit the streets by 4:00. After a quick breakfast I headed out to run fourteen miles. Once I stepped outside and felt the rain, I bailed and quickly headed back to bed. For several hours I laid in bed and told myself, “I’m taking the day off, and I’m NOT going to feel guilty about it.” By about 8:30, that feeling passed, and I headed out to do several laps around the Cooper River at Camden County Park. A quick tangent here: One of the nuggets of advice Hal doles out is this: “To avoid getting in a rut, select a different course rather than simply running the same course you have been using for several weeks. Success in running is often as much mental as physical.” Good point Hal. After running in the Haddonleigh section of Haddon Township for the last few months, I decided to switch it up and started running over to the Cooper River to complete the required mileage. Beyond a change of scenery, the new course offered me the opportunity to run past my parent’s house and discard any additional layer of t-shirt that had become too hot or cumbersome to wear. The only cause for concern I had with running around “The Coop” was due to the fact that while in college, I had spent several summers working as a garbage man in the very same park, and the remembrance of stinking, hot summers from long ago would only add to the difficulty of the ever adding mileage. However, I was pleasantly surprised that laps around The Coop have been quite enjoyable. It’s flat, well lit (important for an early morning run), and there is no need to worry about car traffic. I’m planning on running around Cooper River for the bulk of my remaining training. Saturday was a different story. After running to South Park Drive in an annoying rain, I started my laps around Cooper River. Tired, cold and achy, I convinced myself that if I ran nine miles that’d be close enough, and I could call it a day. That’s when inspiration hit in the form of a nine and a half fingered friend. Once on North Park Drive, I spotted my buddy and fellow D.B.R.C. member Rick Haney banging out his required miles for the day. Rick and I ran together for several miles and were able to chat and catch up a bit before Rick’s shin splints made him slow up. Thanks to Rick’s camaraderie, I found some new energy, and was able to complete the fourteen miles.

This coming Saturday will be the longest run in preparation for the Philadelphia Marathon. I have serious doubts that I’d be able to run 20 miles alone. That’s why I’m excited about heading down to kick 20 miles of Shamong asphalt with Rossi, Rob, Ira & hopefully Rick.

Only 25 days to go. Thanks for reading,

Pat

Lion or Gazelle

Every morning in Africa, a Gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a Lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest Gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a Lion or a Gazelle... when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.

Even though I’m up & running well before sunrise, I can relate to this African proverb. Three months of training has had it’s ups & downs, but for the most part, it’s been a fun ride. I’ve got another week & a half of intense training before the miles start to taper off. I think I’m pretty much prepared for the marathon. We’ll see when the final test of 20 miles comes in the early morning of Halloween while I’m running with Rossi, Ira, Rick & Rob through the Pine Barrens. I think I’ll be ready for it, plus: It’s kinda like wrestling a gorilla….you don’t stop when you get tired, you stop when the gorilla gets tired.

One month to go.

Thanks for reading,
Curls

November 22

I believe I’d be remiss if I neglected to mention one of my main motivations for running the Philadelphia Marathon. After seeing my buddy Rob at mile 18 of the 2008 Philadelphia Marathon, I had a passing thought: "Could I join Rob next year & finish a marathon?" While Rob was passing his post-marathon days with Double Stuff Oreo’s & Family Guy re-runs, I was looking to see when the 2009 marathon would be held.
Quick tangent: Why do they continue to make single stuff Oreo’s? I mean who goes into the store, looks at the single stuff Oreo’s that are RIGHT NEXT TO AND THE SAME PRICE as the Double Stuff Oreo’s and says "Oh, those Double Stuff Oreo’s have too much stuff in them….Thank goodness for the single stuff Oreo’s." No idea.
Anyway, upon my discovery that the 2009 Philadelphia Marathon would be held on November 22, I knew that I HAD to try to complete this 26 mile & 385 yard course.
November 22 was the date that President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. Even though, I wasn’t born at the time, his death had a huge impact on my childhood. As children of Irish Catholic parents, my sisters and I felt the enormous sense of pride my parents had towards JFK & RFK long after their premature deaths. It went well beyond "having one of our own in the White House." At a young age, I can remember my Mom reading yellowed copies of the November 23, 1963 Philadelphia Inquirer and a copy of Life magazine to me, and telling me stories about what her, my Dad and my older sisters went through in the days after the assassination.

A little closer to home, November 22 also happens to mark a terribly tragic day in my own family. It’s the day my nephew Ryan Bolte passed away in 1996. Ryan was the type of kid an uncle loves to have: mischievous, silly, funny, but ultimately, not your responsibility. For the first six years of Ryan’s life, he was just a normal goofball of a kid with an infectious laugh and a surfer hair cut that he thought was too cool. My lasting image of Ryan was when his brother Erik was born. While my brother and sister in law Steve and Kathlynn were at the hospital, my wife and I went to Voorhees to watch Ryan & his older brother Richard. When word got to us that Erik was born, we decided to celebrate and allow Richard and Ryan to have a little red wine. While the older Richard cautiously poked at the wine with his finger and lips, the younger Ryan picked up the glass, drank it down, slammed the glass down and let out an emphatic "Ahhhhhhh!!"
At age six, it was discovered that Ryan had an inoperable brain tumor, and at age eight, he was gone. Both of my kids have the middle name Ryan in his honor.
While I’m struggling through the streets of Philadelphia on old and tired stems, I’m sure Ryan will be watching over me and will never be far from my thoughts.
39 days to go…thanks for reading,
Curls

Bad Sneakers and a Pina Colada My Friend

For a few weeks I’ve been having a bit of knee pain after I run. Thankfully, it hasn’t really effected me while running (maybe the last few miles), but afterwards is really when I would start to feel it. After longer runs, I’ve been walking around with a similar stride as my Mom….trust me; this is not a good thing. Also problematic, was the fact that I don’t have hours to sit around and ice my knee down. I’ve read that you should probably change sneakers every three hundred miles or so. I haven’t been keeping track, but I’m sure my present sneakers have well over five hundred miles on them. The cynic in me tends to be a little leery about taking the "replace your sneakers" advice since the people telling me I need to buy new sneakers, are the same people selling me the sneakers. Finally, I got off the wallet & took my boy Hal’s advice: "Practice makes perfect. Practice not only running, but everything else related to race day. That includes equipment. Do you know what shoes you'll wear on race day? Buy a new pair now!" Okay Hal. Message received. I hit The Haddonfield Running Company on Monday for a shiny new pair. Guess what…my knees feel remarkable better and my Mary Alice gait is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

The other item I must address is the Phillies taking the NL East Pennant last night and how I’ll be able to watch playoff baseball for the third year in a row. While I’m beyond thrilled at the prospect of watching the Phillies chase another World Series title, I’m a little concerned about how this will affect my training for the marathon. Late night baseball watching with family and friends while beers are never in short supply just happens to be in direct conflict with marathon training. Due to MLB trying to bleed every cent out of their advertising dollar, many of these games will not start until at least 8:30, while it’s not uncommon for the final out to be recorded well after midnight. In reviewing the first round schedule, it looks as I’m catching a break with relatively short runs or rest days following most Phillies games. We’ll see what happens if the Phils make it to the NLDS, but for now I’m please that I’ll be able to enjoy Phillies fall baseball while not interrupting my training too much.

Fifty one days to go….thanks for reading,
Pat