June « 2010 « The Weatherman

Archive for June, 2010

Finished the Seattle Rock N Roll Marathon

Saturday, June 26th, 2010

Details from my Garmin GPS watch (not all data is entirely accurate – elevation gain is probably closer to 1000′)

Here are my results with split times.

Splits:	5 Km	10 Km	9 mi	Half Way	30 Km	24 Mile	Finish	O’All	Sex	Div
13077 Paul Arthur M 35-39
Marathon Start: Gun 7:00:07 Chip 7:17:46
Times:	34:39	1:12:21	1:45:32	2:36:26	3:48:32	4:55:53	5:23:03	3256	1797	322
Pace:	11:10	11:39	11:44	11:56	12:16	12:20	12:20

For me it was amazing I was going to even finish this year. Last Sunday, I aggravated my achilles tendonitis in my left leg on my usual 5 mile run. All week I’ve been caring for it but these things take time. I did a short, flat run on Wednesday and things seemed fine except for a pain in my heel – presumably related to the tendonitis.

So my strategy this morning was to go slow from the start, don’t push up hills or accelerate going down. This worked well as I mostly avoided all pain my left achilles tendon. Ironically, I actually had more soreness in my right – possibly to overcompensate for the late.

As for the details…here it goes.

I got up just before 3am…very apprehensive – I had basically resigned myself to not finishing and having to walk off the course at some juncture. So I wasn’t overly hyped up. I did the usual ritual – eat and drink something, shower, wipe body glide all over, and get dressed. Off I went to the Safeco Garage to catch the 4am shuttle (a school bus). I got on the first shuttle just like last year and we were definitely the first people there. I grabbed a banana and a bagel and found a spot to sit.

Beyond eating and drinking, I played word mole on my blackberry. I spent most of the time going to the toilet or people-watching. Even though I had 2.5 hours until the start of the marathon, it went by very fast. As like last year I was in the bathroom line when the race started. In fact, the very slow line almost caused me to miss the start with my corral – fortunately I caught up with the group at the starting line and off I went.

I decided that my pace would be no quicker than 11 min/mile and I’d slow down on up and down hills so as not to aggravate my leg. As you can tell above, I did a good job with the pace and slowly tapered my speed as the distance went on. The weather was cloudy and mild – perfect run conditions. I figured if I made it to mile 5 or 6 with no pain, I would make it…I forced my way to finish last year with a strained calf starting at mile 6 (the source of my tendonitis). At these points things felt good. Any pain I felt was gone quickly so I was pretty happy.

The music along the run was good – lots of bands and DJs. This definitely helps push you through the race. At the halfway point I definitely felt stronger and better than I did at that point last year. I remember really hurting at that distance last year. Next we wound our way through downtown Seattle and onto the Viaduct. This is where the race gets tough physically and mentally.

Your body is getting sore, there are a lot less people keeping you going and it’s full of long straight stretches, and most importantly – it’s hilly. During mile 16, I refilled my hydration pack and around mile 17 I took a wiz – in a honey bucket of course. But those two things along caused a decent delay. BTW, one strategy I used was to rely on the sport drink – so during each water stop I took a cup of sports drink, slowed to a walk, and drank.

The long trek up Aurora Avenue and back over the viaduct seems like eternity, but I definitely felt less sore and stronger this year. I wasn’t worried about cramps and tendons seemed fine.

Now for the finish…Steph was on the off-ramp jumping up and down, making a ton of noise, and taking pictures – this is the best part of the whole race. She was able to high 5 me from two spots before I crossed the finished line.

After I crossed I picked up some ice for my tendon – I knew I’d need it (and I did). I then picked up some food – oranges, bananas, granola bar, water. Steph and I picked up my gear bag and headed to Fuel to meet up with Jim/Jayme and watch the end of the USA soccer game. We left at the end of regulation so I could get home and soak my feet in ice water.

Anyway, now my legs are elevated and I’m trying to get some rest.

Posted in Friends and Family | No Comments »

Michigan Visit

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

Over Memorial Day weekend we visited Steph’s mom and grandma in Michigan (Traverse City). We stayed at the Sugar Beach Hotel (right on East Grand Traverse Bay) – so we had plenty of sand, water, and pool stuff to do. It was wonderful weather (mainly in the low to mid 80s). The boys were very good on the flights and during the trip. Great Grandma enjoyed seeing her great grandkids – they entertained her for hours.

In Steph’s words…

We went to Traverse City, Michigan over the Memorial Day weekend. We left early on Saturday morning. The boys were very excited to visit Grandma and Great Grandma. My mom was already in Michigan visiting her mother. My Grandma (the boys Great Grandma) had only seen Zach when he was 8 months old, and had never met Nate. Needless to say, she was excited.

Caught a flight out of Seattle to Chicago on United. We boarded the plane between first class and coach. The flight attendants immediately asked if the boys wanted to see the cockpit. Paul immediately yelled, “YES!” Both Nate and Zach got a chance to sit up in the cockpit and I got their pictures. Paul wished we could have spent more time in the cockpit. As we left, we walked through first class and Zach said, “I want to sit here.” Me too, kiddo. Me too. They boys got their “wings” on the flight. Zach insisted on wearing his wings on every outfit for the rest of the trip. I had to convince him that he could not wear them on his jammies.

Zach sat with me on the plane and Nate with Paul. I had got them both backpacks prior to the trip and they enjoyed carrying them through the airport and getting their toys and books in and out of them. Zach was easy on the plane, once we were cleared to watch movies. I guess Nate slept some and mainly played with his headphones. We had an hour layover in Chicago. They were tired, but hung on. During the hour short flight from Chicago to Traverse City, they both mainly just looked out the window. Zach and I also spent a lot of time looking at his “I Spy” book.

The time spent in Michigan was a lot of fun. Fortunately, we had WONDERFUL weather. 80 degrees and great beach weather. My Aunt Betsy and Uncle Bob came out for a visit at Grandma’s. Uncle Bob brought Central Michigan hats for the boys (“Go Chippawas!”). Grandma and Great Grandma had some hula hoops and other toys ready for them. Fortunately, we could play outside a lot in the nice weather instead of destroying the house.

We spent time at the beach. It was beautiful being able to sit in a chair with our toes in the water and bask in the sun. The boys loved playing in the water and the sand – getting wet and dirty. We also spent a lot of time in the indoor hotel pool. Zach wasn’t into the pool at the start, but then loved it. He is so tall, he could walk half the distance of the pool before it got too deep. Other highlights included riding the Carousel at the Grand Traverse Mall. I guess my mom has been trying to find an excuse to ride that thing for years, and finally had a reason with the boys visiting. The boys got great farmer tans on the trip. They both look more blond than when we left.

Overall, it was a really fun trip. Kids were good on the planes on the way back. It was almost a disaster since our first flight was an hour late – such that we would have missed our connection. But that plane was late too! Never been happier to have a delayed flight. Great Grandma got to have fun watching the boys play with bubbles and balls and other toys. She watched them eat a ton of food – especially fruit. And also now knows why it is never quiet in my house when she calls.

Next trip is Summer Camp at Lake Chelan. Cannot wait. I like vacations!

Now for some photos.

Nate playing with bubbles.