marathons

Lately I've had several people ask me how many marathons I've run. I'm always a little unsure of my answer. I can quickly say that I've run 42 marathons. However, if you count ultra-marathons as a kiind of marathon, then I have actually run 44. If you count a 50K fun run as a marathon, the number is 45.

The Marine Corps Marathon is a few hours away. This will be my fourth consecutive running of this marathon and quite possibly my last for a while. But more on that later.

This year, construction on the Rock Creek Parkway has forced the organizers to reroute parts of the course. Construction, especially in a city and even more so in a city that is such a high security risk (being our Nation’s Capitol and all) has got to be a race director’s nightmare. Granted the first 4.5 and the last 5.7 are not even run in DC but that still leaves a great deal of headache.

A Runner's Ramblings: Volume 2; 29th Edition
489.53 miles raced in 2007
Race: Steamtown Marathon
Place: Scranton, PA
Miles from home: 246
Course Difficulty: 6.5 out of 10
Course Enjoyability: 5 out of 10
Weather: Mid 70s, humid
Finisher's Medal: 6 out of 10

The Quad Cities marathon last weekend was absolutely a rewarding experience for me as I helped my friend Judie PR and break 4 hours. It was also a blast going with 7 others from my Hard Core running group. The 5 guys ran the relay and ended up winning the open division with a time of 2:43. They thought they were in 2nd place, but the first place finishing team was in the masters division. Judie and I finished in 3:59:32 as the entire group met us at mile 20 and ran in with us.

Keystone Ranch -- random trail. 4.05. 59:35. Lots of elevation -- 575 gain. I felt great but went slow. A little twistiness in my left calf -- I need to find sturdier trail shoes and/or strengthen my ankles more so I don't roll them so much. It snowed yesterday and is still cold today (40 degrees) but it was dry. I'm running a marathon on 10/21/07 so time to get serious and quit putzing around.

Bobby Bostic isn't the only one, it seems, to have quite a Hot and Cold Running tale to tell. (Bobby, who just completed the 2007 North Pole Marathon and bike race, last year finished the Death Valley Ultramarathon.)

As reported on Global Cool, Sean Cornwell and Ed Stumpf have a similar tale. They competed alongside Bobby at the North Pole, and earlier this year completed the Sahara Marathon (as in Sahara Desert in Africa). ... I wonder what's tougher: the Sahara or Death Valley?

Sean, according to the article, also took a brief skinny dip in the Arctic Ocean.

Part II of ?? - The marathon!

The marathon route consisted of a 4.2 kilometer loop that we ran 10 times. It started about 100 meters behind the camp in an area that sunk you down to your upper shin if you didn’t have snowshoes on. Some people were warming up, while others were still making their way over from camp. For me it was interesting to see everyone together and suited up in their gear. While we had all been in the same room for the pre-race meeting at the Radisson, this gathering was something else.. Everyone was ready to get the party started!

To ensure a great starting line shot, the photographers asked us to do a “mock start” so they could be sure to capture it. After that, we all lined up and were sent off with a quick blow of an air horn by Richard.