Marathon Notes

I am afraid that once again life has interfered with my blogging. I am working on a new post that will hopefully be ready in a day or two. Sneak preview, I am doing well with my fundraising and feel comfortable where I am at in my training, although part of that is subscribing to the Beatles philosophy that "Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be. It's easy. All you need is love."

In the meantime, I am reposting from Facebook an entry I did called Marathon Notes, which asks questions that different marathoners can answer and post. Hope you enjoy, and I am sorry for my Facebook friends who now realize they have been duped into a rerun. (That happens to me on those Monday nights at 11:00 p.m. when I find out Jon Stewart is on vacation for the week. )

1. Number of marathons you have run: Ten. Eleventh will be Boston 2009 ! :)

2. Where was your first marathon? Hartford (2002)

3. Favorite Marathon course: Chicago, it is flat, there are 1 to 2 million people cheering you on, the neighborhoods are wonderful and usually have performers to entertain, and I love Chicago, there is so much to do and the people are so friendly.

4. Most memorable race: Chicago 2006 -- Not only is it my PR, but I actually fell on my hip at mile 2. For a few moments, I had no idea if I could continue, and worried that all my training was wasted, but I picked myself up, started to walk, then jog, then run, and I found my pace and was fine. This was the Chicago where the men's winner slipped on the finish line and ended up in the hospital. So I couldn't even compete with the elite for having the worst fall. It was an ideal temperature for running, but with a little rain, it got slippery.

5. PR? 3:54:03 (Chicago 2006) There is something not right about my PR being faster than Kristina's, because she could beat me in a marathon 364 days of the year.

6. Ever run in a costume? No, but I do enjoy watching others who do.

7. The only running shoes for me: New Balance.

I like the stability and that they are made in the USA. I also won a contest for their 100th anniversary and they paid for my trip to Chicago for the 2006 marathon.

8. Ever injured? Yes! Usually its a strained calf muscle. I was also injured 3 weeks before Boston 2007, and I did great running for 5 miles during the race, then reinjured it, visited a medical tent, did better till mile 12, strained my quad, visited another medical tent, this one didn't help, had to change the way I run to finish, but I did. After 4 weeks of physical therapy, I could walk normally, and couldn't run normally until September.

9. Hot or cold weather runner? I like hot weather better, in general I love summer and hate winter, but I do better running a marathon in the cold.

10. Morning or evening runs? Morning, but not too early.

11. What is your motivation? I started running out of a fear of my family's bad heart history, and while health is a primary factor, I just love the friends I have made, and the feelings of accomplishment, and the knowledge I have gained. Any the fact that I can use my running to raise money for cancer reseach at Dana-Farber and run Boston is just one of the best feelings I will ever have.

12. Ever DNF? I have heard Bill Rogers talk about his DNF's, and know other elites who think nothing of it. For me, if I have trained, and I can run, no matter how slow, it is difficult for me to imagine myself starting a race and not finishing. So my answer is a big No.

13. Marathon I'd like to forget: I don't really want to forget any, but if I had to forget one, it would be the worst one, Hartford, 2005. I had already run Hartford once in the rain, and I wouldn't have really run the full, except my FB friend Hannah and my friends Darcy and Martha were all running their first, and we had a blast running together all summer. It was so humid it was hard to breathe, but after a few bad miles I started to get it together, and was fine until I ran through a huge puddle at mile 14 and got a blister, and the next 12 miles were the worst. I was hoping to find someone at mile 20 to at least give my non-functioning mp3 player to, since it was causing abrasions on my hip, but it was raining so hard no one was out. Afterwards I was so upset in the locker room it took me a while to come out. But I want to remember, because Hannah who ran well for the whole, and Helen, who ran the half, spent the whole car ride back home cheering me up, except when we were celebrating Hannah's first. I finished in 5:04:14, blister and all.

14. Favorite post race nosh: Bagels, rice and cheese, yogurt, banana's, cookies, pretzels, there is nothing like running 26.2 miles to justify eating whatever you want. After one marathon, all I wanted was pizza.

15. Galloway or Higdon? My cousin Rachel has used Galloway, and while Hannah and I tried it in a 12 miler for fun, I don't think I ever would use walk/run in a marathon. I have used Higdon, and love his commentary that accompanies his plans. But to copy part of Judith's Marathon Notes, I will never have a better coach than Jack Fultz, who won Boston in 1976, and is the coach of the Dana-Farber team.

16. Flat course or hills: Flat, and my PR in Chicago backs that up. I am getting better at Hills, but I am still not a strong hill runner! At least I am not a strong uphill runner. I book running downhill, so a downhill marathon might work well for me.

17. Back, Middle, or Front of the pack? I would get trampled to death at the Front, so for the most part, Middle

18. Run alone or with a partner: Both. I love the music on my MP3, being a former DJ in college I think I have a great selection, or at least one that is meaningful for me. But there is nothing like a good conversation with a running buddy to make those miles go by in no time.

19. Ever win your age group? No, but my secret plan is to keep running forever and enter a race with no one else in their 70's.

20. Favorite post marathon indulgence: Judith mentioned the ice bath, and while I do it because it makes recovery so much better, I can't call it an indulgence. I would have to go with a good meal, my most memorable was at this great Greek restaurant in Chicago that Adam told us about, the grilled octopus is to die for and at least half the room were wearing marathon medals. That is an indulgence too, wearing the marathon medal in public for the rest of the day. I wish it weren't weird to wear it after the day of the marathon, how pathetic is that.

21. Funniest T-shirt spotted on another runner during a marathon: I have forgotton the best ones, but remember the running club shirts that say, "A drinking club with a running problem" Also, "My sport is your sport's punishment" And I never saw it, but I loved what Kristina had designed when she was going to run Philly's full while her dad ran the half. His said, "Twice the age and half the distance", and hers said "Half the age and Twice the distance."

22. One part of your body that has never seen body glide: My face is only for suncreen, all the rest is for body glide.

23. Best part of running: There are just some great moments all the time, I particularly remember a run with friends on a cold winter morning with the sun reflecting off the water, we just had to stop and admire the beauty and the fact that we were sharing it together. Someone said, if you didn't believe in God, if you were with us you might have to rethink that.

24. If I didn't run I_______________. might already have had my first heart attack. Ok that sounds too rough, so my alternative would be:would be a lot less pleasant to be around.

25. I can't run without______________________. my Garmin. And when in shorts, body glide.

26. Ever lose a toenail?Very close, I have had bleeding that turns to black and hurts like a son of a gun, but it hasn't actualy fallen off. Unfortunately, I have a black big toenail now, after smashing it on a sidewalk at mile 19 of last weeks run.

27. Gatorade or Cytomax? Gatorade.

28. Favorite gel flavor? Strawberry flavored Cliff shot blocks.

29. How many days after a marathon do you usually start running again? Usually at least seven. After my first marathon in Hartford, I ran on the 7th day with my training team from our hospital's now defunct marathon training team. Most of them were doing their first, and I ran 5 with them well, and 4 more that hurt. But I had run with them all summer, and that helped get me through the 9. I told them my plans to run with them the following weekend to support them, and one of them said, "you know, we will be there to support you too." And so I finished my 2nd marathon just 15 days after the first one. But I am not crazy enough to do that again.

30. I run, therefore I ________________________. am a better person.

31. Pre-race routines? (night before or morning of) Oatmeal, coffee, 24 ounces of water, but no more after 3 hours pre race, bathroom breaks, then figuring out the fastest port potty line, or where one can go outside without being arrested.

32. How often do you cry during a marathon? Just once, in Boston 2007, see my injury description above. In a big city marathon, I usually run by the side of the rode. I wear my name on my shirt and this is the only time in my life where thousands of people scream "Go Neal" . But in Boston I was so embarassed by my crying I ran in the center of the road. It wasn't just the physical pain, but I was wearing the names of over 400 victims of cancer on my shirt and I started to focus on them, particularly the ones I knew, and thinking that no matter how much I hurt, that they had suffered much more, and I was just a big bawling mess. And in addition to my pain, it was also the Boston with the Great Nor'easter. One of my friends who had run for Dana-Farber with me in 2005 was volunteering at the top of Heartbreak Hill, and when she saw me crying she ran out into the center of the road and gave me the biggest hug. I can't even begin to describe how much I needed it. I did stop crying by mile 25, because that is where all the Dana-Farber patients were waiting to cheer me on, and Jane was just beyond them.

33. What was your worst/least favorite marathon? Hartford, 2005, see above. And I am glad that ran New York once, but I am not eager to go back, the logistics are horrible and its a tough hilly course for me.

34. What is your typical night before the marathon meal? Maybe whole wheat pasta, but more likely brown rice with cheese.

35. Would you run a marathon again? Yes, until my body won't do them anymore.

Neal 20, Illness 17.

One of the things I love as a sports fan is seeing what I call the comeback look. I associate this look with some of my all time favorite athletes, Larry Bird and Tom Brady being just two of them. It only happens at the end of a game after the other team has scored to go ahead with little time left for a comeback, leaving a bad feeling in the pit of the stomach of many fans. No such emotions seem to exist for the athlete with the comeback look. Rather, I see them take a quick glance at the scoreboard, and at the time remaining, and can see them absolutely focusing on a quick analysis and formulation of a plan on how they are going to go right down the court or field and take back the lead. No self pity, no self doubt, no panic, just total devotion to the task at hand. That is how we should all handle adversity, which too many of us, me included, forget.

Believe me when I promise you I am not comparing myself to a great athlete. However, I am very happy with my comeback from my two and a half weeks of illness that I was complaining about in my last blog post. On Thursday I changed my Facebook status to say that I was just going to pretend that the last two and a half weeks never happened and run 20 miles on the marathon course. I drove to Waltham Friday night and Saturday morning, the last day of February, I headed back to the The Mount Auburn Club with two goals, to finish 20 miles and not to get lost on my way back this time. I also made sure I had a satellite lock on my Garmin watch before I went into the club before the sign in and the announcements.

The run went much better than I thought it would. Here are my splits, which I had hoped to be able to import from my Garmin through Map My Run, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet.

1. 9:26 2. 10:01 3. 10:06 4. 9:15 5. 9:35 6. 9:19 7. 9:15 8. 9:23 9. 10:22 10. 9:32 11. 9:43 12. 9:01 13. 10:05 14. 10:46 15. 10:28 16. 11:14 17. 11:39 18. 9:57 19. 10:15 20. 11:39

By running all the way to mile 14 of the marathon course in Wellesley before we turned around, we hit Heartbreak Hill, which is mile 20 of the course, at mile 17 of our run, so it was a fairly close approximation of the level of exhaustion we will be feeling in the actual marathon. And there was no snow to be found, so I felt a lot safer running. Most of the time I was by myself, but I kept running into the same group of Dana-Farber runners at the water stops, and occasionally ran with them. You can see some of them ahead of me as I stopped to take a picture of them running up Heartbreak Hill. I hope you can tell from the picture how steep and long it is. As I have said before, it is not that horrible a hill, what makes it so tough is that it is at mile 20 and its the third of the three Newton hills.

I used my new Blackberry Curve to take these pictures. I also stopped since there was no snow to take a much better picture of the Johnny Kelley statute than I posted previously, and finally, a picture of our post race spread, to once again, where I celebrated and had a great time talking with my fellow Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge runners.

The Neal 20, Illness 17 title refers to two things, my 20 miles, which I obviously feel was a last minute triumph over my illness, and 20-17 happens to be the final score of the first Patriots Super Bowl win, when Tom Brady brought them down the field for a winning field goal when the commentators thought they should run out the clock and try to win in overtime. Because this post is all about celebrating comebacks. And the fact that I didn't even get lost on the way back to the Mt. Auburn Club.