STILL ... ALIVE!!!

Google keeps deleting my blog photos ... I knew when they forced everyone on their servers, they'd screw up the migration. It's really taken the wind out of my blogging sails!

I'm still alive ... still at it. I've been taking it rather easy lately. I'm hoping for a prosperous September/October/November and I want to avoid injuries between now and then.

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Catching Up ... 67 Weeks

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Sixty-six weeks!

Well, I've been angry at Google/Blogger/Blogspot and haven't been keeping up with my blog! If you look through my archives, they lost ALL my photos from April 5th, 2009 and older. I paid extra every month to prevent things like this from happening, but Google's insatiable desire to control everything in the universe forced me to quit using FTP to publish my blog and use their unreliable system!

The actual date is May 1st, 2010 ... the first day Google is not allowing blog postings via FTP. I'll getting my blog up-to-date over the next few weeks.

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APRIL FOOLS!

Yep!






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THE STREAK COMES TO AN END.

Oh well. It had to happen sooner or later. I never figured it would take a hospitalization to do it!


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SIXTY-FOUR WEEKS!

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NORTH CAROLINA MARATHON: STATE #11

Well, I completed the North Carolina Marathon yesterday and it nearly killed me. I wasn't well-prepared for the marathon and its heat and its hills. I reached the halfway point in less than 2:30, but then I crashed and burned, taking me around 5:52 to finish.

The temperature at the start was 41 degrees, but rose to 74 before the end. I felt mildly nauseated much of the last several miles. I was very happy to see the finish line, but upon completing, the nausea struck back with a vengeance. I often feel nauseated at the end of a marathon, but this was a little worse. Laying down usually helps, so I sprawled out on the shaded, tiled ground near the medical tent. Nurses there decided to check my blood pressure and my systolic bp was in the 50s and the diastolic wasn't readable. They propped up my feet on a folding chair and kept giving me sports drinks. I chugged them whenever they brought them. As soon as I would try to sit up or stand, I'd grow increasingly nauseated and they said I turned pale. They were going to haul me off to the ER, but some of the local EMS personnel offered the use of their truck and the nurses started an IV on me in the back of their rig. I normally have great veins, but they were having a tough time finding them. After the better part of a liter of fluid, my bp was around 110/70. I was feeling much better and was able to easily walk to my car and drive home. That was scary!

What went wrong? I'm not entirely sure, but I have some ideas. I probably didn't consume enough fluids. Toward the end , the available fluids at the aid stations were getting rather warm and unpalatable, the electrolyte solutions even more so. Ice was only available the few stations with medical personnel. I was able to score a large Zip-loc bag of ice around mile 22 and kept eating ice until it was gone. I was afraid of hyponatremia, so I may have inadvertently restricted my water intake. I had purchased Hammer Endurolytes electrolyte replenishment capsules from Amazon. UPS was supposed to deliver them on Thursday, but they screwed me over and didn't deliver them until Friday after I had left for High Point, a problem that nearly killed me! I had planned on popping several of these during the marathon and drinking lots and lots of water. I searched for electrolyte capsules in Roanoke, VA and High Point/Greensboro, NC, but couldn't find them.

So, I owe a great debt of gratitude to the race's medical personnel, but I'm critical of the race administration for not having cool fluids in the waning hours of the marathon and for not having a better expo, where I could have purchased electrolyte capsules.

SIXTY THREE WEEKS OF WII FIT!

I made it through another week. I've been a little paranoid about my right foot, so I've been taking it fairly easy.

Marathon #11, the North Carolina Marathon in High Point, NC, is Saturday. I plan to meet up with my "marathon mentor", Bill Whipp, for the first time since the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati, OH on May 3rd, 2009. I have low expectations for myself, just hoping to finish in the allotted seven hours. I'm going to stay with Bill as long as possible ... hopefully the whole way. He's doing a double, heading to the marathon in Carey, NC on Sunday. I'm heading home Saturday.


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I HATE BLOGGER! I JUST REALIZED MY POSTS WERE NOT DISPLAYING AND IT LOOKED LIKE I HAD ABANDONED MY BLOG! GRRRR!!!! CURSE YOU, GOOGLE!

62 WEEKS OF WII FIT!

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Sixty Weeks Of Wii Fit!

I haven't been very active with my blog since Google announced that they're killing off FTP support for Blogger. This is the way I maintain my blog and I'm not pleased by their decision. Apparently, Google just can't afford to support it anymore. Yeah! Right!

They're working on a "migration assistant" to help move you from servers under YOUR control to servers under THEIR control. Google stops FTP support in late March, so I still don't know what's going to happen here. I hope the migration assistant will include an option to migrate away from Google/Blogger/Blogspot, but I estimate the chances of that happening at ZERO percent. Google has gotten too large and too controlling ... I'm trying to avoid Google products now, but it's difficult!

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FIFTY-SIX WEEKS!

I've been doing extensive workouts, preparing for the Mercedes Marathon in Birmingham, Alabama on February 14th, 2010.

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NEXT UP: MERCEDES MARATHON

54 WEEKS

Well, I'm aiming for the Mercedes Marathon in Birmingham, AL on February 14th to kick off my 2010 season.

I'm not in good enough shape right now, but I still have one month to prepare.

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53 WEEKS

I was aiming for my 2010 marathon debut on January 9th (Mississippi Blues Marathon), but this was also the date of my son's first indoor track meet. The weather is predicted to be quite cold that day ... 20 degrees at the start, only 30 by the finish.


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ONE CONTINUOUS YEAR!

Well, I'm excited that I made it an entire year, but I'm really disappointed by Wii Fit's lack of special recognition of my acheivement!

Oh well, it's been a great, exciting year anyway! I've lost around fifty pounds. I completed ten marathons, two half marathons, and several 5 and 10K races. I logged over 500 hours on Wii Fit, 234 of which were on my elliptical machine, representing 540 miles (according to it's display, which I think underestimates mileage by at least 50%). I've met lots of great people. Because of my marathon treks, I've visited five states I'd never been to before ... Wisconsin, Utah, Montana, Idaho, and Washington (only ran a marathon in three of them, though). My borderline high cholesterol became solidly normal with a much more favorable LDL/HDL profile.

All told, an outstanding year!


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500 HOURS OF WII FIT!

I logged my 500th hour on Wii Fit today ... hurray! I was hoping I'd get to 500 before my 52nd week of continuous daily use arrived!

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Fifty-One Weeks!

One more week to go!


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Me & My Favorite Marathoner

I met my favorite marathoner last month in Roanoke, VA. Sarah Palin ran Humpy's Marathon in Anchorage, AK in 3 hours, 59 minutes. That's awesome! A forty-something year old woman with five kids kicking butt and taking names!

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FIFTY WEEKS!

Only two more weeks until it's been one continuous year of Wii Fit! I'm wondering if Nintendo has programmed in a special sequence to mark such a happening or whether it will simply note "52 weeks".

I'm also approaching another landmark ... five hundred hours! I'm currently around twenty-plus hours to go. In Wii Fit, there is a "piggy bank" that stores all the hours you've used it. After twenty hours, your bank turns bronze. Complete twenty hours and it's silver. Reach forty hours and you're rewarded with a gold piggy bank. There are rumors of a platinum piggy bank, but he's yet to show before 475 hours. I think it's just urban legend.


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Location:Pottersville Rd,Little Compton,United States

48 WEEKS ...

Forty-eight weeks of Wii Fit today. Four more weeks until one year!


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MY FIRST SUB-1 HOUR 10K!

Thanksgiving Day, I visited Cincinnati to participate in the historic 100th Annual Thanksgiving Day 10K Race. The weather was nearly perfect, with temperatures in the upper 30s and lower 40s and only an occasional gust of wind. The course was fairly flat, hills were mainly on the two bridges crossing the Ohio River. With over 17,000 registered runners, this was the second-largest 10K race I've run, eclipsed only by the the 30,000-plus runners at the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K in Richmond, VA early this year.

I was mired in slower traffic at the start of the race, but the Garmin 405 Forerunner GPS watch that I purchased at REI in Missoula, MT kept me apprised of my pace status. I wore the fracture shoe on my right foot just in case, but I think I can discard it now.

It was great to revisit this race thirty years after I'd last competed in it. My son ran the first few miles with me, but my pace was faster than he cared to run, so I had to move on. Normally, I would have just stayed with him, but I really wanted a sub-60 minute finish.

State #10: Richmond Marathon

I'm back on track! Yesterday, I completed a marathon in the tenth different state ... in my home state of Virginia. The organizers call this one "The Friendliest Marathon In America". I don't. I'll try to write more about why it's definitely NOT the friendliest of marathons. It was a good marathon that was well-run, but it wasn't the friendliest. In fact, if I rank the ten marathons I've completed, I'd rank it dead last. That's not to say it was unfriendly, it wasn't. But when you call yourself "The Friendliest", you better back it up. Talk is cheap, but at $95, this marathon wasn't.

First, you don't force people to spend the night before the race in town. "Absolutely no packet pick-up on race day"? That's friendly? Not in my book! The only two hotels near the start were between $200 and $300+ per night. That's not friendly. That's extortion. For $95, they should have let me pick it up on race day. The organizer, Sportsbackers, pull this same crap with the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K, so that's "the way they roll".

Second, if the marathon starts at 8:00AM, don't block off all the roads that lead to the parking lots before 5AM. I'm sure the locals know their way around, but us out-of-towners can have great difficulties. Following the detour signs doesn't get you around the roadblocks, they just seem to dump you out-of-town. That's not friendly. Once I found my way near the starting line, all parking lots either said they were for monthly renters only or warned that unauthorized parkers were subject to booting or towing. No signs said "Marathon parking here". THAT would have been friendly. After nearly one hour, I finally found an on-street parking spot. THAT'S not friendly, either.

Third, you need to do SOMETHING to get more neighborhood participation. The Flying Pig Marathon had much better involvement, with many neighborhoods having a party-like environment. Most of the areas in Richmond were ghost towns. I appreciate the few who DID show, but where was everybody else???

Finally, after I've just completed 26.2 miles, I'll be sore, tired, and, more than likely, unstable on my feet. Don't fuss with me. If I exit the food tent, don't tell me I can't pass back through it to get to my car. Don't make me walk the extra distance by forcing me to go all the way around the outside of the tent. The tent was practically deserted by this time. What would it have hurt? To the unsympathetic lady who denied my passage, I say "This kind of treatment was NOT friendly!".

In summary, a good, well-run marathon, but "The Friendliest"?DREAM ON!


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GODADDY IS MESSIN' WITH ME!

... But I still got 45 straight weeks in!


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FINALLY! AN HONEST WEEK'S WORKOUT!

This week, I worked out daily, typically for an hour. Hurray! I'm plotting my comeback ... Indiana may be the state I'll knock off ... Number 10!

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41 WII FIT WEEKS!

Didn't do anything strenuous this week. I'm seeing my orthopedic surgeon later today. Maybe I'll get out of this fracture boot soon!

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40 WEEKS OF WII FIT!

I'm getting tried of wearing this fracture boot! Another minimal workout week ... just going through the motions.


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39 WEEKS!

Another minimalist week, but the streak survives! Thirty-nine weeks of Wii Fit!

Wii Fit Plus comes out on Sunday ... of course, I have it pre-ordered.

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THE SECOND HALF OF MY FIRST DOUBLE: WHITEFISH, MT

PHOTO: Steve, Erika, and I. Notice the black finisher's medals! Hurray!

After the Salmon Marathon was over and I'd packed my things, I headed off for the Two Bear Marathon in Whitefish, MT. Once again, it was rough traveling on US-93.

Since I hadn't had much to eat so far, I consulted the Yelp! app on my iPhone and it suggested I eat at Nap's Grill at 220 N. Second St. in Hamilton, MT. I ordered the 12 oz. burger with cheese. On their condiment bar, there was a nice assortment of "fixins", so I loaded up. A sign on the wall proclaimed that all the beef was from Montana and it did taste fresh and un-fastfood-like. I also ordered a huckleberry milkshake, since the huckleberry is a local delicacy. It was excellent!

After this late lunch, I hit the road again, looking to buy a GPS watch in Missoula, MT like Louise's. First, I checked at Trail's End, but they don't normally stock them. Next, I tried the REI. They had Garmin GPS watches, but not the one I was looking for. I ended up paying $350 for the Garmin 450 with heart rate monitor. I also picked up some of the Honey Stingers that Louise turned me on to. They're just like Gummi Bears, but they don't stick to your teeth. Awesome!

Once you get past Missoula heading north on US-93, you're in for a real treat! For many miles, large sections of the roadway were demolished, forcing you to drive on a gravel road. To make it even more fun, I was "escorted" by a water truck that started shooting water profusely whenever we reached a gravel section. The speed limit was 35 mph. The truck driver kept his truck hammered at a blistering 20 mph pace. Crud! Mile after mile ... did he pull over to let anyone pass? N-o-o-o!

Once I got past this turkey, I set my sights on Whitefish, still a few hours' drive away. Upon arriving in town, I headed up Big Mountain Road to Kandahar Lodge. It's a really nice, wide road with a double yellow line down the middle, but don't be fooled ... the speed limit is only 25mph and I heard later on that it is a bit of a speedtrap. Ah, wonderful Montana!

The Kandahar Lodge is actually a fairly large complex of multiple buildings and I was staying in the main lodge. Since I was starving, I ate dinner in the onsite restaurant. I had a buffalo tenderloin and a salad with candied pecans in it. For dessert, I had a dish of ice cream with a berry medley. All for the reasonable price of $70. Ouch!

After dinner, it was off to bed. The room I stayed in was nicely appointed, had two queen-size beds and was probably 50% larger than your typically hotel room.

It was nearly midnight before I finally got to bed. I called the front desk for a 5:00am wake-up call and headed off to sleep. I woke up around 4am and decided to get ready for the race. Since I was off to the airport in Kalispell immediately after the race, I had to be all packed up.

As I was heading for the door, I got my wake-up call ... right on time! I got in my rental car, a Nissan Quest mini-van, and drove to The Wave aquatic center where I'd catch a bus to the starting line.

After riding on the bus for several minutes, we reached the starting line. Since I didn't make it to packet pick-up on Saturday, I needed to get my race packet. I was behind a few guys in the same boat. When it was my turn, the race director couldn't find my packet ... uh-oh! Thankfully, eventually she found it.

Once the race started, I was faced with a mile-long uphill forest service road. It wasn't particularly steep, just long. The next eleven miles were mostly service roads with a few relatively short single-track sections thrown in.

I met two great people early on, Steve and Erika. Steve's a seasoned marathoner and a 50 States finisher, but Erika had just recovered from knee surgery and this was her first marathon! What kinda nut-job chooses this place for their first marathon! She's tough as nails, though.

Miles 13 through 15 featured some steep uphills and downhills. The footing was also unstable ... lots of roots and rocks to trip you up, break your toes, and roll your ankles.

By mile 16, you've reached pavement. Initially it was fairly flat to slightly uphill. The next three miles were scenic, with nice views of Whitefish Lake, but the uphills were relentless. The final five miles were flat to uphill, with the finishing chute in the parking lot of The Wave.

I had hoped to finish in under six hours, but the marking of the course prevented this. I used my GPS watch to keep track of my mileage. We were warned at the start that the forest canopy would prevent accurate readings. As I left the trail portion of the marathon and hit the pavement, my GPS watch was about a mile off. Erika, who had been strong up to this point, began to fade and fell behind Steve and I. My broken foot began to hurt around mile 20. I plotted my pace to bring me in at my time goal. A few miles later and I was still on target, but I could no longer keep up with Steve, so I fell behind. When my GPS approached 24 miles, I was thinking "OK, that's really 25 miles", since my GPS appeared to be one mile off. Unfortunately, the approaching mile marker read "24 Miles". What?!?! No way! That's wrong! It should say "25 Miles"! Some time later, the 25 mile marker showed up. I'm screwed. I realized the mile markers were messed up and I had about 3 minutes to complete the last 1.2 miles. I ended up finishing a disappointing 6:11. At the finish line, my GPS watch read "26.2 mi". At least something worked right!





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38 WEEKS OF WII FIT!

I hit 38 weeks today ... of course, these were minimal workouts while I'm trying to get my broken foot healed.

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THE FIRST HALF OF MY FIRST DOUBLE: SALMON, ID

On Friday, September 11th, I flew to Kalispell, MT, rented a car, and drove to Salmon, ID. On paper, the drive looked simple. In actuality, it is a difficult trek with construction projects that had me drive on a gravel road in several places. I've never seen a road with so many speed limit changes, some with no warning at all, requiring thirty-five mile per hour reductions in speed. Some towns, you were permitted to drive 70 mph, while still others brought you all the way down to 25 mph. I managed to avoid all the speed traps but one, in Darby, MT. If you're driving in Montana, remember focus on the speed limit signs and the speedometer, not the road ahead of you.

After arriving in Salmon, ID around 11:00pm, I found my motel, Motel Deluxe, and checked it out. The room was very old and in need of renovation, but it was clean and comfortable. It had a full-size refrigerator and a small stove/oven. The front room had two queen-size beds, like a traditional motel room, and the back bedroom held the third queen-size bed. For $58, I thought it was quite a bargain. I'd stay there again and would recommend it.

Saturday morning, the participants converged on the Stagecoach Inn in Salmon. They provided a nice continental breakfast. There were bagels, cereals, DIY waffles, and juices. We were bused to a one-room schoolhouse in Tendoy, ID for the start. Since I had the fractured metatarsal in my right foot and another marathon the next day, I planned for a very slow run, wanting to finish in the 6-to-7 hour range. I "networked", looking for suitable running companions. After a few miles, I settled in with Lynn and Louise (from this point on, they would be known as "Thelma & Louise"). After about nine miles, Thelma was holding a pace faster than Louise and I cared to maintain and she went on head. Louise was a great companion, keeping me sensible. She had a Garmin 205 GPS watch that did an excellent job keeping us apprised of our mileage, time, and speed. I remember saying at the twenty mile marker "If we push the last 10K, we can make it in under six hour . With 5K remaining, I said "If we really hoof it, we can still make it in under six hours.", but she resisted the temptation to shoot for a meaningless goal. My final time was 6:18:03, right in my target range.

At the end of the race, we met up with Louise's husband, who finished more than two hours ahead of us. Louise suggested that we go down to the Salmon River and soak to help us recover. I was very surprised that I did. The water was very cold, but my body didn't resist like it normally would. That cold water felt so good on my legs and thighs! I don't know whether the water deserves the credit or not, but I didn't feel stiff and achy the next morning.

Overall, I'd say this was one of the easier courses I've run. The hills weren't numerous nor terribly steep, the road was mostly gravel (not as smooth as asphalt, but not as treacherous as a trail), and the temperature was quite good until nearly the end. The back of my neck, back of my arms, and back of my legs were sunburned to nice shade of red.

Pluses: beautiful scenery, very doable course, great volunteer support, near-perfect weather, a nicely-equipped medical tent that you passed twice (courtesy of a three-mile loop)

Minuses: NO FINISHER'S MEDAL!, instead you got a "finisher's poster". I didn't even unwrap mine because there was no way I would try to bring it on the plane. I threw mine in the garbage. Someone told me it was just a photo of running shoes and it had the race name and date on it. This was a major disappointment, since most reviewers of the 2008 race really liked the medal.

Neutral: Fan supporter - I wouldn't hold this against the race, as it's impossible to get thousands of screaming fans at ANY rural marathon, but the volunteers were great! There was quite a bit of "washboarding" on the gravel road, making footing a little tricky.