~Philadelphia Marathon 11/23/08~

[lourodrigis]

We are still continuing to have home computer issues, the techs are still attempting to do data recovery on the hard drive. After a day or two of working, all they got off were unusable program files. Hopefully something will happen in a positive way this coming week. In the mean time, I have my work laptop here to keep in touch.

Howard - I am no IT guru but I will give you a tip that saved data on a hard drive for me... I have an external hard drive that failed a few months ago (lots of clicking metal sounds and then dead). Someone told me that hard drives work better when cold and that if I put the drive in the freezer I may be able to recover data from it while it is frozen. Sounds crazy but it works! You can find plenty of web sites confirming this.

I basically kept this drive in my freezer for weeks. Every day I would take it out and extract as much data as I could before the thing would defrost (usually would run good for 20 minutes). I got almost 100% of the data off doing this. Option #2 was to use a data recovery service that can change over $1000.

Just a tip.

Lou

 

[jbucci]

Howard: Butch is really good at data recovery stuff. If you want him to give it a try, let us know. He has been able to get data off of machines others have deemed dead. We live in NJ, so you could either mail us the drive or come and hang out for a bit (Cam and Andrew would of course be welcome) while he takes a look at it. Let me know.

 

[rKyDeX]

PHILADELPHIA MARATHON PART THREE
Alright, where was I? Oh yeah, steaming port-o-let vents. I stripped of the tear-away warm ups and took care of business, then headed for the corrals. Luckily, the start of the race was delayed a little bit so I started working my way towards my starting group. The corrals were really packed, so I tagged along with a train of people trying to work their way to the front. I made it to the tail end of my wave just prior to the start of my wave.

I crossed the starting line at 7:26am.I took off and went with the flow as the pack started to thin out. I spotted Cam, Andrew and Tracy at the 0.5 mile mark scream teaming. The 5 hour pace group started just behind me and was driving me nuts. The pace leader was just a little too cheerful for me, so I increased my pace to put a little distance from them. Around the 1 mile mark I stashed my beanie in my jacket pocket because my head was warm enough and I wasn't worried about heat loss through my visor.Around the 2 mile mark I removed my jacket and tied it around my waist. I was hoping to find Tracy between the 5 and 6 mile points and hand it off to her. Appearantly she never made it out to the 5-6 mile point and because I had removed my beanie and jacket, Cam and Andrew didn't recognize me until I had passed them.

I had to fiddle around with my race number a couple of times because the jacket around my waist interferred with the clips that held the number to my fanny pack.At around 7 miles we crossed the Schuylkill River. and headed North to the Phailadelphia Zoo at around 10 miles. This area had a good amount of elevation change. Water stops also started slippery as water on the ground was turning to ice. At this point, I was altenating water and Gatoraid at stops. While we're discussing water stops, I do have to say that there were plenty of wate stops along the course. It seemed that there were a lot more than the ones that were advertised.I saw Tracy cheering for me just before the halfway hairpin. I finally was able to hand off my jacket. We chatted for a minute, then I gave her a kiss and headed out on the second half of the course.

The marathon leaders were just finishing as I headed North for the final time. This was the most heartbreaking part of the course because almost the during almost the entire time your'e heading to the 20 mile turn around point, you are watching runners in the southbound lanes on their way to the finish.Speaking of on their way to the finsh, this is where I was able to catch a glimpse of Mike, Howard and Jodi. I finally made it to the 20 mile turn around and was able to run back against the incoming runners on their way to the 20. At mile 21 my left hamstring was wanting to cramp. I've never had this problem before. Everytime the hamstring wanted to cramp, I had to walk about 100 yards until I thought it was safe to go back to running. The rest of the race was spent trying to keep the cramping at bay. To make matters worse, the 5:00 pace group caught me at about mile 24 And I couldn't even keep pace with them.

I limped across the finish line at 05:00:47, having covered 26.49 miles. I was hoping for a better time but was expecting worse. I finished closer to a 12 mpm pace than I had wanted, but I finished without injury. Tracy was waiting in the finish chute area and I asked her to head back to the Hotel since it would be close to the late check-out time by the time I could get there. I had my finish picture snapped and went to the food tent. The hot chicken broth was really great after spending the whole morning cold.

I made it back to the room in time to get a quick shower and met up with the W.I.S.H.ers in the lobby. We had hoped to visit a local restaurant to re-live race stories and recharge, but fate and crowds were against us. We resorted to plan B when Howard offered to take us to the airport since they were taking Colleen there to see if she could catch an early flight. Once again, Howard and Cam's generosity stepped up made life easier for Tracy and me.

Our flight wasn't until 6:57, so we ate and early dinner at an airport restaurant and did some reading until boarding. The flight to Atlanta seemed to take forever. I guess that it was just being confined to a small space and not having any room to stretch out. After catching our connection in Atlanta, we sat on the tarmac for 40 minutes waiting to take off. We finally landed in Tampa about midnight and finally arrived at Casa Scott at 1:30am.

I can't wait to get back with Howard, Mike, Cindy and Matt for the Goofy. I also look forward to seeing everyone again at our next to be determined marathon.


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

 

[CynthiaCindy]

Hi all.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Quick post - We got back from DE last night but my sister is staying with us until tomorrow night and its hard to get time on the computer when I'm trying to entertain her (and the guest room is also the computer room).

Chester - Loved your race report trilogy

Howard - I'm sorry to hear you are having computer problems. If you have any interest in seeing the training plan that I put together for Goofy (based on the Advanced Marathoning book but not as high mileage), PM me your email and I'll send it to you. (Anyone else is also welcome to see it). Please take care of your foot!

Dave - Thanks for posting the photos!

 

[KeenHo]

Some inspiration for the runners, athletes and humans amongst us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq3rOMnLGBk

 

[Optimator]

Mike~ I think that goes...."The better part of valor is discretion, in the which better part I have saved my life." -- William Shakespeare, 'King Henry IV part I'

Wow! Look at you, going all thespian (not that there's anything wrong with that) on us. The next time we're all gathered in our tights we'll have to put on a little show.

Cindy - Welcome home. How did your Turkey Trot go?

Well, I finally got out and ran this morning. 5 miles that were a lot harder than they should have been. I felt pretty much like I'd just finished the full when I was done. No soreness or anything now so I guess everything's fine, just still worn out from last weekend.

 

[KeenHo]

Wow! Look at you, going all thespian (not that there's anything wrong with that) on us. The next time we're all gathered in our tights we'll have to put on a little show.

Mike~ You've got a deal! I think we might be able to charge admission. Friday's will be ladies night with no cover.

Jen and Lou~ Thanks for the advice and compassion about the computer HD. It is out of my hands for now since it is in the hands of Cam's IT folks. She (and I) trust them to do the best they can do to recover what is there to be recovered.

I went to Dick's and Sports Authority today looking for a Plantar Faciitus therapy night brace but found nothing. I am going to order one online somewhere. I think using it at night will force me to do something constructive about the issue.

I went to Delaware Running Company yesterday and the man who finished 8th in Philly (Steve Sinko) is the store manager. I congratulated him and told him he was looking good at mile 24 as I was heading out towards Manayunk. The owner of the store atributed my blisters to the stitching in the side toebox area of my Asics. He ended up recommending the Asics GT-2140 in 4E (I typically wear 2E). He showed me how to lace them to get a firmer grip around my heel, it seemed to work well.

I tried the shoes out at the YMCA last night and they seemed ok. Unfortunately, I had stretched out the PF hard before I ran on the TM and I was hurting a lot and only ran 1/2 mile before moving to the cross-trainer (low impact) for 3 miles.

I hope to get this PF issue in hand this week (or soon after) and join a training program already in progress.

Have a great week!



Howard

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

Good Morning Everyone:

Chester- I loved your detailed marathon report. Thanks for posting it. Great job on the race. I'm really impressed with your 5 hour marathon with all the injuries you were dealing with at the end of your training.

Howard- Hope the PF is getting better. Give my best to Cam.

Mike- Good job on your 5 miler. I've been feeling beat in my runs too, and I only did the half.

Cindy- Was your Turkey Trot in DE? Say hi to Matt for me.

Jodi- Are you and Bruce back from Martha's Vineyard?

Jen- Did you get your TM runs in this weekend? You're running the full at Disney, right? Did you listen to the Live DIS Unplugged Podcast show?

Hi Colleen

Hi Lou

OK, I got a run in on Friday (4.25 m), and I did a little over 6 miles on Saturday. Both runs I felt really heavy and tired. I think it was a combination of the weekend in Philly plus the gluttony of Thanksgiving (mmmmmm pie...).

Here's my public service announcement for the day. I was putting my Christmas lights up outside around the house, and the ladder slid out from under me. I was about 15 feet up, slid down the side of the house, and wacked my chin on our front stoop. My right knee is swollen up like a grapefruit now. Wow, I was scared, and I really bent our extension ladder. Boy, that was stoooooooopid. DW said she would hold the ladder from now on. Be careful out there. I keep thinking how my fall could have been much, much worse.

 

[Jodi]

Dave - HOLY CARP!! RU OK????? Wow, that could've been a lot worse...15 FEET???? Ice that knee, man .

More later guys...Ran 4 miles on Sat. & it felt great!!! Except for the lateral, bottom part of my right foot. Called torture guy & explained symptoms, sudden onset, etc. & he told me go get an x-ray b4 going to him, he thinks it may be a stress fracture . Off to the Dr. today @ 2:30 b/c SHE wants to see me b4 she orders an x-ray . I'll let you all know what happens!

 

[lourodrigis]

Dave - Wow! That's scary! I'm glad you're alright. I'll have to remember this story when Nicole tries to get me up on a ladder to put up the decorations this week.

Jodi - Ouch! Sorry about the foot. Did you injure it during Philly?

Got in my first 2 runs since Philly. 5 miles on Saturday and 4 today. Nothing too memorable. I need to get something on the calendar to motivate me through the winter.

Lou

 

[jbucci]

Dave: I'm sorry to hear about your fall, glad it wasn't worse-- take it easy for a few days and let that swollen knee recover.

Howard: good luck with the computer, my (actually DH's offer) still stands if your IT guys give up

I have managed to run a bit. I got in 5.5 miles on Friday and did an 18 mile LR last night-- I need to get faster, it took me nearly 4 hours and I didn't start until after DD's bedtime at 8:30. Aside from being a bit tired today I feel pretty good.

 

[rKyDeX]

Jen
18 miles on a tread mill. Congratulations. You will do just fine at Disney. There will be plenty of people around you during the race. Just make a new friend or two and run along with them. There will be thousands of people finishing between 5 and 6 hours.

Dave
HOLY CARP X 2.

Howard
Good luck with the wider shoes. If the blister problem persists, Google some of the treatmentsand prevention methods that ultramarathoners use ie: duct tape.

Hey to Cindy, Mike and Lou.

Thursday morning I helped out with our local 5 mile Turkey Trot. I got to call out clock times at the 3 and 4 mile mark. I also received what may have been a compliment or an insult. While picking up cups from the nearby waterstop, one of the ladies said that she recently ran the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. So, I had to chime in and said that I had just ran the Philadelphia Marathon. She asked me what my time was and I replied 05:00:47. She looked at me and asked "what happened, why so slow?" So I had to reply, "Hey, I'm only a Half-Fast runner." Maybe I just look faster than I really am.

I transitioned into Goofy training with 5 miles on Saturday and 8 miles on Sunday. I kept the pace slow and felt like I was running low on energy for both runs. My ankles seem to be a little stiff and took a couple of miles to warm up, but everything else is o.k..

So, Where are we running after Disney, I have Honolulu in December, but I would really like to plan on something with our little group before that. Is VA Beach still the one?


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

 

[KeenHo]

Dave~ So sorry to hear about the fall. I hope the knee and any other body parts that got hurt are getting better by the minute.

Chester~ I will do just that (duct tape? ), however, if I don't get this PF issue under control, there will be no LR or marathons and thus no blisters to worry about. I've decided to get a night brace/stretcher thingy and if it doesn't help within a week, go see the podiatrist. BTW, I suggest looking at your self proclaimed title using the "glass half full" method.

To all of you runners out there (Jodi, Lou, Mike, Jen, Chester, etc.) I am jealous! I want to be out there but I am afraid to make the PF worse. Hopefully soon.



Howard

 

[Jodi]

Hey.

Chester - So, tell the truth, did you wing those empty cups @ the woman's head, or what? How rude! I'd've told her "when it came time to choose between speed or looks, I went for looks... you must qualify for Boston every year."

Howard - No running for me either, dude! Hang in there! I think it'll take a solid 2-3 weeks of no running to heal that thing!

So here's my better-late-than-never race report.

I'll reiterate about the hospitality of Cam & Howard again & the obvious pleasure of seeing all my Bots again .

Got up around 4:30 & milled around the room. Went down to the lobby to get a bagel & stuff. Came back up to find Bruce watching t.v. in the living room area, told him to go back to bed, it's cold. He protested a bit...something about he told everyone he'd be there & I told him to relax, they don't care if you're there & expect no less from the husband of yours truly! Went back down @ 6 to meet everyone. Cindy in her housecoat was something I won't soon forget . Was thrilled when Cam, Howard & Andrew showed up! So glad they came to the lobby! We all headed out in the cold.
Lost Matt, Cindy & Chester when they went to check their bags. Said good luck to the rest & headed off to the porta-potties w/ Lou. Had interesting conversation with my porta-bud about different things, waited in line & we headed to the start where Lou & I parted b/c of different corrals.
It was real cold, but that was fine by me. Once I started moving I was great.
You all know I didn't train much for this marathon, so I tried to mentally prepare myself to make up for the lack of training. I had some really good runs the week b4 the marathon (last run b/4 Philly was on the Mon. ), albeit short, where I really felt good. I decided I was gonna try that visualization carp I keep reading about & just imagined myself running a certain way @ mile 22 or 23.
So I ran & met Bruce a little past mile 13. He handed over my ipod, quick smooch & off I went. I played a game w/ myself & wouldn't turn the ipod on until mile 18, as that is usually when I start to get pretty pissed off in a marathon. Well, I turned it on @ mile 17 & all was right with the world. I turned it off @ the busy areas, like Manayunk, where I saw Chester & said HI! But turned it on after that.
Cindy was running next to me around mile 23 or something & I didn't even know until she said hello . Then I think I told her to go away because she was making me nervous (did I say that, Cindy?). Around mile 24 or 25 my L hamstring threatened to tighten up, as did my R calf. This has never happened b4 , so I just concentrated on directing more oxygen to those areas , & the pain diminished.
Then I finished with my best time ever. Definitely due to the weather .
This was really, the only marathon that I didn't get really angry @ some point. The Goofy part of the marathon was sort of like that for me, but there was a little bit more trepidation b/c of the heat & trying to finish b4 the haze burned off & the sun came out!
I walked back to the hotel (Bruce thought he had another hour b4 I finished ), but not before getting a pretzel & broth!
Soaked, showered & down to the lobby where I saw no one , but apparently ya'll were over in the corner. We went to the nasty little pub that looked nice, next to the hotel, grabbed some grub then headed to the train station.
Arrived home by 7 p.m.
Mon. & Tues. were AGONY, I must tell you. Not sure why, other than the fact that I didn't train, but the quads were screaming!
By Thurs. I was ok to walk/run the 5k Turkey Turd on the Vineyard with my dog in tow.
Sat. my foot felt cramped, ran 4 miles which felt absolutely terrific Go figure! Foot still cramped today - had the x-ray which was negative (but you can seldom see stress fx's on an x-ray I'm told), and after walking the dog the foot actually feels a little better.
That's where I'm at, guys!

Listen, we've really got to consider this RTB relay! Bruce has already come up with a team name THE BOT BRIGADE. I know it's a ways off, but not really. Think about how fast Philly came around! So who's IN?

 

[CynthiaCindy]

Hi all.

Another quick post. Today has been a long day and its not close to being over. I'm heading out of town for work early tomorrow morning and won't be back until late, late Wednesday.

Dave - I'm glad you are ok - that's really scary. Please be careful.

Jodi - I hope your foot is ok and its not a stress fracture!

Jen - 18 miles on a treadmill. Wow - that takes dedication.

Howard - I hope you are able to find a night brace that works for you.

Chester - You are too nice. I think that lady was rude!

Lou - I'm with you, I need to get something on the calendar (see below)

Mike and Dave - my Turkey Trot went fine. My first mile was really slow because we were stuck behind dogs, strollers, etc., but I really picked up the pace for the last 2 miles to close to half marathon pace. Still my slowest 5k ever, but I wasn't trying for anything spectacular.

Ran 7 this morning. Terrible run. Everything hurt. My knees are killing me. Guess my body is still a bit beat up.

Here is the list of marathons (that I put together last week) I am considering doing this spring (although I am still leaning towards doing the half). Anyone interested? Any other suggestions?

National http://www.nationalmarathon.com/
Shamrock http://www.shamrockmarathon.com/site3.aspx
Charlottesville http://www.charlottesvillemarathon.com/
Flying Pig http://www.flyingpigmarathon.com/
New Jersey Marathon http://www.njmarathon.org/
Pittsburgh http://www.pittsburghmarathon.com/
Frederick http://www.frederickmarathon.org/site4.aspx

The last 4 on the list are all May 3, which makes me kind of nervous because it could be too warm. Charlottesville is supposed to be a very nice race and is a few weeks earlier. Shamrock is supposed to be a good one. I'd do the National again because it is so easy for me.

 

[CynthiaCindy]

Jodi - Looks like we posted at the same time. I'm glad that the x-ray looks ok and your foot is feeling better.

As for the marathon, I'm not really sure how long we were running next to each other before I noticed you, but after I hit the lap button for mile 24 is when I saw you. I said hi, but you didn't hear me, so I basically poked you in the arm (nervous that I might get decked or something ) and you were very nice You asked me what my time was, and I told you (4:01) and I asked you what yours was and you said (3:54 or something) and I said something like wow, that's great, you're on track for a great PR (Said with much more enthusiasm than I am conveying here). And then, yes, you said go away, you're making me nervous I think I ran ahead for a bit, you caught up, offered me sport beans (which I said no to because I had just taken a Gu) and quickly blew past me. I couldn't keep up.

As for RTB, I'm in if you'll have me and if you are ok with the small chance that I may have to back out later in the year.

 

[CynthiaCindy]

One more thing I forgot to mention. The Bot water saved Matt! Last Tuesday, it took him over 3 HOURS to get to BWI to pick my sister up because traffic was so bad (it should only take an hour). He was really thirsty and luckily found the Bot water that had rolled under the seat of the car! (Ok, maybe "saved" is a bit too strong, but he was happy that he had the Bot water to quench his thirst.)

 

[Theta]

Hi guys,

Good to see everyone survived Thanksgiving, without too many bruises. Dave, I am so grateful you are alright. 15 is a LONG way down.

I had a sucky Thanksgiving, more on that tomorrow.

5.5 miles in today. Felt pretty good.

I have childcare lined up for Disney marathon. More on that later too.

Off to get the kidlets to bed...

 

[KeenHo]

I have childcare lined up for Disney marathon.

Here are the races I am considering at this time for 2009. Timing will be key since some are near each other, for NYC there is a lottery, etc.

March 15, 2009 Caesar Rodney Half Marathon, Wilmington, DE
March 29, 2009 Shamrock Marathon, VA Beach, VA
May 3, 2009 Flying Pig Marathon, Cincinnatti, OH
May 17, 2009 Delaware Marathon, Wilmington, DE
September 6, 2009 Rock N Roll Half Marathon, VA Beach, VA
October 11, 2009 Chicago Marathon, Chicago, IL
October 25, 2009 Marine Corps Marathon, Arlington, VA
November 1, 2009 New York City Marathon, NYC, NY

The bold ones are my most fovored at this point. Of course, NYC has a lottery and I couldn't run both the Marine Corps and NYC back to back like that. I would most likely sign up for both and run MCM if NYC pushed me to the next year.

I am not counting out the possibility of the RTB, but I would need spousal buy-in for that to be pulled off. I am not so sure a gimp like myself would add much to the team at this point.


ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY BOT WATER!! IT SAVED POOR OLD MATT FROM CERTAIN DEHYDRATION!

 

[msblrobs]

Here are the races I am considering at this time for 2009. Timing will be key since some are near each other, for NYC there is a lottery, etc.

March 15, 2009 Caesar Rodney Half Marathon, Wilmington, DE
March 29, 2009 Shamrock Marathon, VA Beach, VA
May 3, 2009 Flying Pig Marathon, Cincinnatti, OH
May 17, 2009 Delaware Marathon, Wilmington, DE
September 6, 2009 Rock N Roll Half Marathon, VA Beach, VA
October 11, 2009 Chicago Marathon, Chicago, IL
October 25, 2009 Marine Corps Marathon, Arlington, VA
November 1, 2009 New York City Marathon, NYC, NY

Howard, I am DEFINITELY in for Rock N Roll Half Marathon, VA Beach We just booked a vacation week in Williamsburg, VA that happens to coincide with the RNR date so I'll drive up for the race. Please keep that one on your calendar and I'll make a plea to the board at a later date to see if there are any other takers for that race Sorry the PF is still on your radar . Best of luck with the new shoes and love the avatar photo.

Colleen - Sorry your Thanksgiving was subpar . Hopefully finding childcare for the kids for WDW evened the score a bit on the happiness scale. Nice job on the 5.5

Cindy - Poor Matt but at least he had the Bot water to help him make it through the brutal drive. Sorry you're aching all over these days . I'm guessing you could be persuaded for RNR 1/2 VA Beach ?! My vote for your spring Marathon is Flying Pig

Jodi - Love the team name and I've already stated I'm in for RTB. Great race report . Please take care of your foot

Chester - Awesome race report . I'd take the woman's comment as a compliment For 2009 I've managed to work two RNR races into our family vacations (San Diego in May and Virginia Beach in Sept) and also RTB that Jodi's organizing.

Dave - Are you okay?! Holy carp - definitely praying for you . Glad it wasn't worse but still really scary!

Mike - No talk of tights . I'm hoping for WDW temps that promote short wearing next month Since I'm scream teaming as opposed to running, I'd prefer to view hours and hours of men in shorts looking like, um, virile men

Jen - 18 miles on the TM . Glad you're no worse for the wear and speed will come with time so don't stress that aspect of it . Just get the miles in and you'll be golden!!

Lou - Congrats on getting in the miles and hopefully Cindy's list of spring ventures contained something that looked promising for motivation

Still struggling with the lingering cold, which is only an issue when I require the lung capacity necessary for running . I did run 4 miles yesterday but it wasn't memorable and I'm not sure what I'm doing this morning. Yoga may win out Have a great week guys!!