~Philadelphia Marathon 11/23/08~

[Mouse Skywalker]

A team can have 8-12 people on it so, as long as there were 9 or more, if I had to drop out (for some reason or another) closer to the race, the team would still be fine. Of course, maybe Jodi is just tying to find a nice way to tell me she doesn't want me on her team

Since when is Jodi worried about being nice?

 

[Jodi]

The magic of Photoshop. There's a link on the bottle to http://www.botbeverages.com. I found the bottle on there. bot is good.

Maybe when we run the relay race you can chuck a couple cases of bot beverages in the back seat.

Awesome work! Now I've gotta go try a bottle. We'll get the t-shirts for next time .

 

[Jodi]

Since when is Jodi worried about being nice?

RIGHT?

 

[CynthiaCindy]

The magic of Photoshop. There's a link on the bottle to http://www.botbeverages.com. I found the bottle on there. bot is good.

Maybe when we run the relay race you can chuck a couple cases of bot beverages in the back seat.

The website is fun. All the Bots fall from the sky and then you can pick them up (with your mouse) and throw them around

 

[Cindylou]

Jodi: Here's a posting I did a while back looking for people interested in doing RTB.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1824097


There were a few takers. I'd be interested in joining a team as long as I didn't have to organize it. Unfortunately I just don't have the time for that. If you get a team together let me know.

Thanks.
Cindy

 

[Theta]

Dave - Check this out...today my car battery died so I am heading to Pep Boys myself.

Lou

Ok, who are these Pep Boys you all speak of?

Are they like the "Car Talk" guys, Click n' Clack on NPR?

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

Ok, who are these Pep Boys you all speak of? Are they like Click n' Clack on NPR?

Manny, Moe, and Jack... they are a big auto parts and repair chain in the North East. Kind of a "big box" store for autoparts.

 

[jbucci]

Ok, I'll admit my ignorance.. how did the term bots begin to apply to group? I know I joined late and appreciate being included but now would like to know the "back story" without having to start at page one of this thread.

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

Ok, I'll admit my ignorance.. how did the term bots begin to apply to group? I know I joined late and appreciate being included but now would like to know the "back story" without having to start at page one of this thread.

Too be honest, I just kind of figured it out this weekend where the term bots came from. I just thought it was one of Jodi's quirks. Turns out it was Jodi's husband's, Bruce, quirks. I'll defer to Jodi to explain this one.

 

[lourodrigis]

Ok, who are these Pep Boys you all speak of?

Are they like the "Car Talk" guys, Click n' Clack on NPR?

I thought Manny Moe and Jack were everywhere. Well, they are everywhere around here I guess. Never heard of the "Car Talk" guys but I'm not a big NPR listener.

Jen - As for the "bot" term...not sure. Ask Jodi. I think she branded the group a while back and is now trying to make a buck pawning off some low-sugar water with our name on it.

 

[CynthiaCindy]

So, Matt, who a few days ago was done with marathons and telling me that there was no way he was running the Goofy just sent me a list of spring marathons he wants to consider
I think he is feeling similarly to you, Lou, the 4 hour mark is so close he wants to try again.

I'm still standing by my statement that I'd like to focus on halfs for awhile . . .(maybe).

Jen - why wouldn't you want to read all 228 pages of this thread?

 

[rKyDeX]

All right kiddos, buckle in because this is going to be a long post .

PHILADELPHIA MARATHON RACE REPORT
We flew out of Tampa on AirTran at Noon on Friday and headed to Atlanta to make the connecting flight to Philadelphia. At Atlanta we leave the jetway and head to the left down the terminal to find a screen and check the gate number for the connecting flight. There where no arrival/departure monitors anywhere in that direction. So, we back track and go back past our arrival gate to find the monitors. No luck there either. So back to the arrival gate we go to find a gate attendant to see where the gate for the connection is. I hate asking for directions. Why can't they have arrival/departure monitors in terminal C. Great - we have to depart from the next terminal over. So off to terminal D we go. Lo and behold, terminal D has arrival/departure monitors all over the place.

We board our plane after just a short wait and are on our way to Philly. As we are approaching the Philly airport, Tracy gets excited because she can see some patches of snow in the outlying areas. She had read some earlier weather reports that had predicted some snow on Friday in Philadelphia and was giddy at the thought of being able to wear her new long underwear. Little did she realize that she would be getting plenty of use out of her long johns.

Once on the ground, we gathered our baggage and headed for the taxi stand at about 4:30pm. We told our Pakistani taxi driver where we wanted to go and he looked at his watch and said something about Friday something something something whine complain moan then loaded up our bags as we climbed in. As we got closer to Center City, the whining complaining moaning slowed and finally ceased and was replaced with amazement that the traffic never got bad. Thank Allah.

We checked in at the Embassy Suites at around 5:00pm and were given a handicap accessible suite on the 3rd floor. Insert gratitude to Lou here. Lou's recommendation for accommodations was perfect. It served as a great base of operation for our assault on Philly. Since we didn't feel like wander too far, we decided to eat dinner at the on site TGI Fridays. Decided to start the carbo loading with a fried mac 'n cheese appetizer. It wasn't that great. For a little bit of protein, I ordered Ahi Tuna Ciabatta Sliders. I was hoping for seared rare tuna steaks, but they were actually more like tuna cakes. Actually, they weren't too bad. Tracy had a tough Sirloin Steak. We finished by carbo loading with a Chips Ahoy Sunday. Fat, dumb and happy, we headed up to the room to watch a little tv and then rest up for a little exploring.

Carp, this is going to take forever and be really boring to read if I divulge every little thing that took place. Note to self: change amount of detail. This is a "Race Report" not a "Travel Magazine" article.

Saturday morning. Caught Dave coming out of a stairwell on outr way downstairs and had a brief chat before he went out to catch some fresh air and we took advantage of the Hotel's complimentary breakfast at the TGI Friday's. I had ........Oops, I forgot. After breakfast we bundled up and walked to the historic district of Philly and hired a horse drawn carriage for 1 hour tour, a 1 hour tour. The weather started getting cold. The little horse was tossed...? Oops again.

The carriage was a great way for us out of towners to get in a quick recon of the city. Our guide was very knowledgeable and must have been a direct descendant of Benjamin Franklin because he knew everything he did and everywhere he went.

I started to get really cold walking back to the hotel so we ducked into a shopping mall to warm up a bit. Tracy was picking out some clothes that were on sale at Boutique K-mart, when Cindy called. We arranged to meet in the Hotel lobby in 30 minutes to head over to the Expo. Tracy's shopping expedition was cut off at just the 2 items she already had in hand because we had to walk about a mile back to the Hotel.

We met up with Jodi, Bruce, Cindy and Matt in the lobby to head over to the Expo together. Went through the packet pick-up and shirt lines fairly quickly. The group decided hit the Expo booths then re-gather at the hotel lobby at 3:00pm to gather up before heading to the Keeners. I bought a pair of heavy compression shorts that concentrate on thigh, groin and hip support and I also bought a windbreaker.

At 3:00 our little "Expo" group were met in the lobby by Kathy, Mike and their DD's and Dave. Insert gratitude to Cindy and Matt here for driving Tracy and I to Cam and Howard's pre-race lasagna party. Our gracious driver and navigator outsmarted themselves with Google directions and we ended up taking a scenic route to the party. Cindy saved the day by phoning Howard who redirected our route and put us back on course.

Insert huge GRATITUDE here for CAM and HOWARD and ANDREW . They are very humble about accepting praise, but they deserve every ounce of recognition that has been reaped upon them by us. They opened their beautiful home to us and provided the most memorable "non-relation" FAMILY dinner I've ever had. THANK YOU.

Well, I can see that this is going to take multiple parts to finish, so until tomorrow.....


Chester
W.I.S.H. Half-Fast Marathon Team

 

[Theta]

Well, I can see that this is going to take multiple parts to finish, so until tomorrow.....


Chester
W.I.S.H. Half-Fast Marathon Team

What? You got me hook, line and sinker and now I have to wait until tomorrow?!?!

Great report so far... LOVE IT!

 

[KeenHo]

I figured out my splits for the race and thought I'd share. I mis-hit my Garmin botton at the start and at mile 1, it read 4 seconds. However, due to the official time and what I had for miles 2 through 26.2 I was able to calculate my time for the first mile.

Mile1: 10:09
Mile2: 9:13
Mile3: 9:07
Mile4: 9:09
Mile5: 8:43
Mile6: 8:38
Mile7: 8:23
Mile8: 9:08
Mile9: 8:36
Mile10: 9:22
Mile11: 8:56
Mile12: 8:57
Mile13: 8:47
Mile14: 8:48
Mile15: 9:41
Mile16: 11:39 (includes a pit-stop)
Mile17: 9:20
Mile18: 9:14
Mile19: 10:23
Mile20: 10:33
Mile21: 10:16
Mile22: 11:03
Mile23: 10:54
Mile24: 10:35
Mile25: 11:19
Mile26: 12:14

I really had to fight severe foot pain in the last few miles. I think that is pretty evident in my split times.

Dave~ I am sorry your car troubles slowed your getaway from Philadelphia. Had I known, I would have invited you to stay here or at least invited you over for left-overs. It was so nice to have you here in our home with everyone else. I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of having some relaxed time to chat with you. It was fun. I am excited and greatful that I "ran" with you during the marathon/half. I pulled up along side you and casually asked how you were doing. I think we probably ran close to a mile/mile and a quarter together. I am not really sure since I was deep in conversation. You were running just fine and strong at that point. I am glad you had a great time overall and that you are looking to the future with the rest of us.

Mike~You are a very luck man. Let me rephrase that, you are a very fast lucky man. Kathy and your lovely daughters were such a pleasure to have here and seeing them at the hotel was great. I am glad Cam and Andrew had some time to hang out with them at the hotel while we were out busting our humps on the course. I am super impressed with your racing speed and running skills. You ran the marathon and looked great afterwards (granted, you did have a chance to shower) and you were not hobbling around like I was. By the way, I hope that "issue" you mentioned in the hotel lobby resolved itself rather quickly. I am sorry I didn't see you out on the course. I was looking for you and Lou the whole way out to Manayunk and back. I managed to see Lou in Manayunk and call for him but he wasn't very receptive to my screams. Maybe he pulled a Jodi? I look forward to the next race with you and to seeing and spending time with your family.

Colleen~ Casa Howard and Cam and its inhabitants (including Cali ) miss you terribly. Come back soon. I am amazed that you came to Philly and ran a great race having kept up with the huge demands of your family, husband and work. If I recall, you didn't have much time to train due to the rigors of your children's activities, swimming, etc. You had an awesome race, you looked so great out on the course when I saw you. I am glad that you made it back to the airport in time to catch an earlier flight and that you were able to be with your family that much earlier. Again, it was SO nice having you and Sara stay here with us. We were blessed with very sweet and beautiful houseguests for the Philly Marathon.

Cindy and Matt ~ You guys are the Wonder Couple or something. Two great runs, great times--- are you machines? Both of your training leading up to the race was exhausting (just to read about it, let alone run it). Up early, LR's before work, in the dark, in the rain, in the cold? Great dedication and great effort all around. You are good to and for each other. It was great having you here for the BOT Party! Sorry you got miscued on the directions. You followed my directions very well and arrived here without many problems after that. Again, thank you for coming. Keep up the great effort in your training. I want to run Baltimore someday. I think they give away UnderArmor shirts in that one. Maybe we can get together for that?

Jen~ I am really glad you made the trip to Delaware for the BOT Party! Sorry I missed seeing you and Butch on Sunday. I'm not sure how that happened.

Jodi~ It was such an honor and privilege to meet you and Bruce. I hope you had a great time here at our little carb-loading feeding frenzy. Thank you for the BOT Drinks, I have yet to sample mine. I may keep it as a sweet reminder of our evening together as a family of friends. You obviously kicked some asphault in Philly. What was your time? I think we finished relatively close to each other. I think I finished about 11 minutes after Lou and two hours after Mike. It was a nice treat to meet you at the Expo. I think Cam would like Bruce to teach me a few things about fashion and putting me into some trendy threads. I am glad everything seemed to work out for your train ride into and out of the City of Brotherly Love. I am looking forward to getting to know you better in the future.

Lou~ I am really glad you and I had a chance to get together with Sara and Colleen for Lunch on Saturday at the Reading Terminal Market. It was nice to relax and chat a bit before heading to the Expo. Besides, where else can you get VIP seating right next to the piano like that? Only in Philly! Despite the high expectations you have for yourself, you had a great run on Sunday! You PR'ed it and beat my PR too.... by about 3 minutes I think. I want a rematch! I think if I can get these petty foot issues dealth with effectively, I can seriously train up to break the 4 hour barrier. My closest was 4:10:08 (MCM), but I know I can do better. Thank you for bringing Nicole and Louie to the Pre-race party. I hope they had a good time and weren't too bored with all of the race talk going on around them. I just listened to your phone message (from Sunday afternoon) on my phone earlier today. I didn't know it was there. Somehow you left the tent, passed me, Cam and Andrew up and met us in the hotel lobby. Maybe you passed us when we stopped for a few seconds at a street vendor's cart. I truly hope to run with you in training someday and to run another marathon with you.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Please be safe and have fun. Our WISH friends will be among the many things we are thankful for this holiday season.



Howard

 

[Optimator]

Jen - I did the work so you don't have to. After hours of scanning every post back from October '07 this is the first "bot" reference that I could find, back from early January of this year.

Hmm...I was gonna give Mike a doctorate in Biggus Dee Baggus?? . All kidding aside, I am impressed w/ your ramblings, oh tight-wearing fenbot!

Jodi claims we earned bot status because we were accused of being Disney robots by Bruce when we all produced Disney Visas to pay for our pre-MCM meal in '07. The lag between that dinner and the first botism may indicate otherwise. Will we ever truly know? Only Jodi's mind holds the secrets!


Chester - I'm with Colleen. I can't wait for the next installment of your race report! "Thank Allah". Classic!

Has anyone else noticed the blatant absence of race reports (myself included)? What's up with us?


Howard - How are the blisters? How about the PF?

My "issue" (Holy Episiotomy Batman! Who knew there would be chaffing there?!) is resolving nicely. Just no going down the sliding board nude for a few more days.


Cindy - Have you and Matt figured your combined time drop from the weekend? You must have lopped at least an hour off your combined PR's.

Which spring races are you looking at?


Colleen - Has your local Fleet Feet posted your Philly time yet?


Jodi - I love the idea of the relay but I may get smacked upside the head with a stack of ever plummeting retirement account statements if I commit. I guess I could pick up a part-time job...


Lou - I'm sorry and feel like a complete idiot for not knowing, but are you going to WDW in January?


Dave - I was reading the AllEars.net newsletter and someone was talking up the DVC roadshow in Rochester. How was it? Did you buy a ton of points?


Sara - How's it going? Feeling better?


Steve - How are your ailments? The knee doing alright? Still a definite no-go for January?


So, has anyone thought about running any this week. Well, I know that Cindy has probably already run 14 miles and is signed up for a Turkey Trot 10 miler. I could have run a little Tuesday if someone put a gun to my head but will probably wait and do a couple of miles Thursday morning just so I don't feel so bad about overexpanding my waistband later in the day.

Oh, and BTW, scanning through 3 months of posts from around this time last year gives me the following insights: We will worry and fret about the weather at any race we run. Jodi will get all spazzy in the days leading up to a race. Colleen will have to take a tough-love approach to try to calm Jodi down. (Same pattern occurred for MCM, WDW, and Philly )

 

[KeenHo]

Howard - How are the blisters? How about the PF?

My "issue" (Holy Episiotomy Batman! Who knew there would be chaffing there?!) is resolving nicely. Just no going down the sliding board nude for a few more days.

So, has anyone thought about running any this week?

Mike~ Good morning. My blisters are healing fine, no pain. The pesky pinky toe is really tender. The PF is mildly annoying. I didn't even take my anti-inflammatory yet this morning. I am holding off until I absolutely need it.

Cam, Andrew and I will be running tomorrow morning at the PNC Bank 5K Run/Walk for MS in Wilmington. I use the term "running" very loosely here. I am not sure what I'll be able to accomplish out on the course with the bum toe, etc. I still have mildly sore legs. A very dear friend has MS and we try to support the charity as much as possible. The last 5K I ran was a PR, this one won't be. It's just too close to the Philadelphia Marathon for me to be healed and ready to rock.

BTW, I don't think I've ever heard of a fenbot. However, I do remember the Fembots the female androids in the Austin Powers flick.

Everyone have a great day, I am at work and need to prepare for a few meetings today. Ugh.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! If you are travelling, please use caution.



Howard

 

[lourodrigis]

Cindy - 3 days after the race I am fairly certain I'll be doing this again. 1) I feel great today which I take as I left too much on the table on Sunday and 2) the 3:59:59 bar is enough to get me motivated. Matt and I seem to run about the same pace. He was a minute ahead of me at the PDR and Philly.

Chester - Nice pre-race report. It sounds like you and Tracy had a great time. Must be nice to get to experience the cold for a weekend and to be able to head back to 70's and 80's.

Howard - Sorry I missed you in Manayunk. I was just starting to dehydrate and was doing my best to try to just get the heck off of Main Street so that no one would see me wobbling. We'll do some runs in early 2009 for sure (Caesar Rodney is in March?). I hated that race but would do it again if you ran it.

Mike - No WDW for me in 2009. The DL 1/2 tapped me out for now. I am seriously thinking of running Goofy or the marathon again in 2010. I gotta get Nicole on board for that one.

I'm feeling way better than expected today. Even yesterday felt good. I got SO sick after WDW that I wasn't able to enjoy the next few days at the parks or even any post-race celebrating. Not the case with Philly.

I need a race to put on my calendar in early 2009 to keep me motivated and in shape. Right now the VA Beach Yuengling thing has my interest. 1/2 or full is the question?? What do you guys have beyond WDW?

Lou

 

[Jodi]

Hey Bots

On my way out the door to Martha's Vineyard for a few days. I will try & post while out there. 5K run tomorrow....Uh, maybe not for me!

Quickly - Howard - That's EXACTLY where we got the term. Fembots, from Austin Powers. Somehow it got morphed into fenbots in our household. When the Disney Visa Cards got whipped out to pay for our pre-MCM dinner (as previously posted) Bruce commented to me afterward "OMG, you guys are a bunch of DisBots" (instead of fenbots). I didn't share this comment with all until long after it was originally made. I'm not sure anyone really knew it came from Bruce, though.

So here is the breakdown; Fembots - fenbots - DisBots. Always a term of affection . Well, maybe for Bruce a term of confusion as to what we're all about . He really, really enjoyed himself this weekend, though, & if he knew how to turn a computer on, he'd probably be on the boards as well .

OH Yeah! Please, anyone who took pictures over the weekend, please forward me a copy, I'll PM you my email. I brought my camera with me & it stayed in the pocket of my jacket the entire weekend! Nice.

 

[CynthiaCindy]

Good Morning all!

Happy Thanksgiving if I don't get back here, but I'm going to try to - I have lots to say but should actually get some work done as my sister is sitting alone in my condo.

I did want to report that I have good news for all doing the marathon in Jan. who don't really want to run a 20 before then! I was looking at the multiple marathon schedules in the Advanced Marathoning book (which I used to train for Philly) all of the multiple marathon schedules assume you peaked at 70 miles/week during training for the first marathon. Here's the good news - even at that mileage level, the schedule for 7 weeks in between marathons does not include a 20 miler (longest run 18). Given that schedule, coupled with Jodi's kick-a$$ performance off of an 18 mile long run, there is no way I'm running 20 before Disney. That actually makes me really happy.


I have not run since Sunday, my quads are still really, really tight. I am "running" a 5K tomorrow morning (I assume it will be more of a slow jog than anything).


Howard - I actually almost signed up to run the 5k that you are doing tomorrow. Matt and I and my sister will be spending Turkey Day in Wilmington with my Dad's new family. Should be interesting.
However, because we are staying in a hotel, we decided to save the cost of an extra night and are running the 5k in Arlington and then heading up to DE. Traffic should be interesting but I'm not sure it will be any worse/better than it would be tonight. If I get lost in downtown Wilmington, at least I know who to call

 

[jbucci]

Mike: thanks for doing the research for me-- you clearly need to run again, you know officially have too much time on your hands if you were able to read through all of these posts

Jodi: thanks for the Bot info, it's all clear to me now

Cindy: I'm disappointed, no more 20 milers-- I'm so impressed by the mile and work you put into this race, goofy should be now problem for you

As for me, I did a really slow 5 miles yesterday with my legs protesting a bit, but I feel pretty good today. This half was really just a long run on my schedule, but I'm feeling it more than most long runs.

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone.