State # 16: First Light Marathon (AL) January 14, 2018

There were a few different Alabama races I was considering, but I had pretty much decided on doing Rocket City at some point due to it being a race I had heard good things about and it being both relatively close and inexpensive. However, an opportunity came along that made me go with another option: I got the chance to pace and got a friend to go with me that could drive if needed and share some of the travel expenses. It was a VERY last minute addition to my schedule with just over a week until race day. First Light marathon is in Mobile, AL, all the way down on the gulf coast. I had mostly heard about this race in connection with the Mississippi Blues marathon in Jackson, MS that had been a very popular double weekend with Maniacs and 50 Staters. Mississippi Blues had to cancel in 2017 because of an ice storm and lost their primary sponsor. When they got new sponsorship in place, they were not able to come back on the same weekend. With MS Blues being the more popular of the two races, First Light really took a hit. In 2016 and 2017 FLM had over 300 finishers for the full marathon, but only 178 in 2018. Half marathoners still had a good double option in nearby Pensacola, FL.

When race weekend arrived, the first challenge was travel. We had snow in KY and northern TN, making driving treacherous until we got south of Nashville. Also, this was one of the longest distances I had travelled to a race. We travelled the entire length of AL on I-65, 365 miles! On either side of the TN/AL state line there were interesting roadside attractions like a giant chicken at a gas station and a huge rocket at a rest area.

 There wasn't much daylight left upon our arrival in Mobile, so we decided to go get a look at the beach before it got dark. The expo was open later and was quite close to the hotel. Even though it was pretty, and nice to see the gulf (my first time) it was much colder than I had hoped for in southern AL.

After a quick trip to the expo (that at this point felt a lot more like just a packet pickup than a proper expo) we found a local pizza place for the pre-race carb loading that was very close to where the finish line would be the next day. Even though it wasn't that far away, it was a super cold walk.

Race morning was still cold and quite windy. We took cover in a hotel lobby close to the starting line for as long as we could get away with before lining up for the race. With a 4:25 finish time, I was the only full marathon pacer. I met another 50 stater from AZ, and then I had a guy ask about bathroom availability on the second half of the course. I didn't know so I went to ask the pacing coordinator who didn't know either, since she had only run the half. On my way to find her, I had seen Larry Macon and Henry Rueden in the crowd (between the two of them they've run literally a few thousand marathons) so I went back and asked them! 😂

When we got lined up and ready to start, I met Kelly, who would end up running with me until about mile 20. Early on there was a loop around a large cemetery. During this time we somehow ended up in a very long conversation about what I had studied in graduate school. Around mile 10 we added Craig to our group. He had a lot of experience and told us stories of his younger days when he was chasing a sub 3 hour marathon. After the half marathon course split off the amount of lane space they gave us was pretty small. Since we were mostly in the gutter, the surface we were running on was slanted to the side. This would give me issues later on! This was also were we began to get some hills. I led us through the hills with some nice walk breaks to help conserve energy. We were still ahead on every mile as I checked my pace band. The biggest hill of the course was at mile 17. By this point the slanted surfaces were getting to me and my whole left side was getting sore and tight. The top of the last hill was at mile 20 as we wound through the Springhill College campus. Kelly saw someone she knew and took a break, while Craig and I took off on the big downhill section.

At mile 23 there was suddenly a correction in the mile markers and any time cushion I had up to that point was gone. I pushed on as best I could as Craig began to drop back. From that point on I was dealing with leg and back pain from the uneven surfaces and I had to take frequent walk breaks due to the pain even though my energy level was actually ok. There were several aid stations in the final miles, (I think there were even two in the last mile) and I took every opportunity for a walk break. As I struggled along, I was joined by Cruz who encouraged me. He was using the race as a training run for a 100 mile ultra! I saw my time was getting away from me, but I just couldn't push through the pain. I even ended up needing a walk break right before the finish, but I just couldn't help it! My official time was 4:25:52. Missed my target, but by less than a minute.

The post race food, red beans and rice, was good but I didn't have a lot of time to enjoy it before I had to get back to the room. I kind of limped back, knowing I didn't have much time before checkout. Getting a nice warm shower helped me feel better before getting in the car for the LONG drive home.

Overall this was a good race, but I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed by it. I expected warmer weather and a bigger race with more crowd support. I have to admit though, that my perception was probably affected by being in pain and missing my target time. However, there were tons of aid stations, the people were friendly, and I guess they couldn't really control the weather.

One last thing:

The race charity is L'Arche Mobile. L'Arche is an "international federation of communities in which people with an intellectual disability and those who help them can live, work, and share their lives together". The finisher medal is made by members of the community. People tend to either love it or hate it. It certainly has an "arts & crafts" feel to it, but I like it! It is a unique addition to my collection.

State # 15: Cotton Land Marathon (LA) November 12, 2017

The Cotton Land marathon was not a race that was on my "must-do" list. I first learned about it when a friend posted that there was a 24 hour sale on registration for only $17! I did some quick research on the race and discovered that it was in West Monroe, LA the hometown of the Robertson family of Duck Dynasty fame. It was also the only marathon in Northeastern LA, the closest part of the state to where I live. I attempted to register, but had some issues with the registration site and didn't make the 24-hour cutoff. A couple of weeks later they had a black Friday sale for $27 and I made it in for that one. I think the big sales increased their visibility and their registrations. The best information I've been able to find is that they only had 37 finishers for the full in 2016, but 80 for 2017.

As I continued to learn more about the race (reasonably flat and an average temperature range that looked decent) I decided that it would be a good chance to go for a new PR. I got a friend that I had met through my local running group to coach me. It ended up being a tough summer of training. It was hot, although not quite as bad as the previous summer. I trained hard with a goal time of 3:45. It looked a bit out of reach when I first started, but as race day drew near I was knocking out some 8:30 race pace miles over some decent distances. I wasn't completely sure I could hold the pace for 26.2, but it at least seemed possible. I had 3 fall marathons leading up to the race, all of which turned out to be pretty hot days.

When race weekend arrived I was at least as excited about the road trip as I was about the race. I would be passing through the delta area of Mississippi (known for early blues music) and ending up in Duck Dynasty country. Friday was a beautiful day to drive and when I made it into MS I sat on a bench at the welcome center to eat my lunch.

As I made my way South through Mississippi, I saw cotton still in the field. I also saw lots of delta blues sites and a few Oh Brother, Where Art Thou filming locations. Once I made it to Vicksburg, I stopped for the night and got some sleep before heading into Louisiana the next morning.

Upon my arrival in West Monroe, I began to scope out the course and got a shake out run on a portion of it. About that time, I started having a problem with my car. It seemed like one of the rear drum brakes was dragging, but it turned out to be a bad wheel bearing. I drove around town a bit getting a blueberry muffin at Miss Kay's and going to the packet pickup, and then managed to get my car fixed.

After that, I got lunch at the Duck Diner, saw the Duck Commander headquarters, and checked into my hotel for the evening.

At the hotel I laid out my clothes for the race. I had been planning a kind of Jase Robertson costume with camo shorts, a black shirt, and my beard that I had been growing out since the end of August. That night I decided to go with the race shirt that I got from my very first marathon. I had been wearing it the year before when I ran a PR at Marshall, so I thought maybe it would be good luck.

Race morning I arrived early at Kiroli park (start and finish location) and met some of the other runners (maniacs and 50 staters). The race ended up starting a bit late as we waited on our celebrity race starter. It was Willie Robertson, who by tradition, started the race by blowing a duck call. I had lined up with the 3:45 pace group. It was a good thing that I wasn't leading the group, because it didn't take all that long for things to start going south for me. The weather was about 10 degrees warmer than I had been anticipating and it made a huge difference. The course was a double out and and back, but with a few changes that made things a bit complicated if you hadn't studied the map or watched the video on their Facebook page.

The first 10k was a pretty direct route from Kiroli park down to Lazarre Park. We hit the first turn around where there was an aid stop with a gel. I got a little bogged down getting my gel and fell back from my pace group. Not wanting to burn too much energy trying to catch back up to the group, I took my time and gradually made my way back catching up to them around mile 8. However, by about mile 10 I was starting to fall behind again. I already knew at the turn around that it wasn't going to be my day, but since I pace so many races I don't get that many opportunities to just go for it and take a chance. Not the best thinking for a race strategy, but sometimes you just need to risk it. 

A little beyond mile 11 we made the second turn around to head back out again. By mile 13 the 3:45 pace group was pretty much out of sight and any thoughts of a new PR were gone. Making my way back onto the main section of the course, I started my second out and back. I would run this part of the course 4 times, which meant it would get a bit boring by the time I finished. A bright spot of this part of the course was the "One Mile of Love" public art project. Elementary students submitted designs that were brought to life as a mural on the Trenton street levee.

We ran a straight shot back out to Lazarre park. About mile 17 I needed to start taking some walk breaks as the fatigue continued to accumulate. This is also where the course modifications on the second time out got a little complicated. The second time going through Lazarre we had to go all the way to the back of the park before turning around and when we left the park we had to make a left instead of a right and add mileage going around a school. Before I made it back past the park I was passed by the 4 hour pacer.

When I came back through this dip underpass the 4th time I was feeling pretty much done and that was only about mile 20. I was tired, had a side stitch that wouldn't go away and had various other aches and pains. I stopped by an aid station that had some "adult" beverages, and had nearly resolved to walking the rest of the race. I kept trudging on, occasionally brining my pace up to a trot. 

Finally in the last quarter of a mile or so I pulled myself together enough to run it in to the end. My only motivation at this point was to try to finish less than an hour longer than my original goal time. And, that's excactly what I did--4:44:28! There wasn't much of a finish line party, so I didn't hang out for very long. I had a long way to go to get beck home!

This race would be towards the bottom of my list to recommend. It was definitely a low budget, no-frills race. I got LA checked off of my list as inexpensively as I could, and that's about all I can say about it. The road trip was fun, but because of family issues my wife didn't even get to go along. I surprised her with his and hers Uncle Si sweet tea cups when I got home!

Overall, 2017 was a good marathoning year for me. I ran 11 races, 7 of which were new states, which put me at 15 states completed. Still a long way to go, but I added nearly as many new states as I had run since I started doing marathons in 2014!

State # 14: Detroit Free Press Marathon (MI) October 15, 2017

I first heard the rumor that Beast would be pacing Detroit while on my way to the expo for the KY Derby Festival marathon in April of 2017. This was an exciting prospect for a couple of reasons: 1. I needed a MI race 2. I'd never even been to MI 3. The Detroit marathon also involved crossing into Canada, two countries in one race! This would also mean that I would need to renew my passport since it was long expired after I had gone to Europe in college. The rumor was true, and I quickly found myself with the 4:40 pacer slot.

Upon arriving in Detroit the first thing was to get to the expo where I had to work a shift in the pacer booth. Bib pickup is where you had to show your passport. You were supposed to carry your passport during the race, but they would really only stop you if your bib wasn't clearly visible. Getting to the booth was fun to meet more of the team. The really challenging questions in the booth came from the Canadian runners who only knew their pace in minutes/km instead of miles. Stupid metric system! After finishing my shift I walked through the vendor area of the expo and then needed to get checked in to the hotel. We were staying at the 70-floor Marriot at the Renaissance Center. Our hotel rooms were provided by the race, but Vanessa (owner of Beast pacing) somehow managed to get us a 3:00 late checkout. The hotel staff couldn't believe it! They told us that nobody gets 3:00 checkout!

Next up was the pacer dinner. This was a huge team and Vanessa was actually on-site for the race. This has only happened to me one other time in 3 years of pacing for Beast. Getting time to actually hang out with the team was one of the highlights of the trip. I had gone to college with one of the other pacers, so it was fun to catch up.

On race morning we were greeted with a warm and windy day. I was also concerned about the possibility of rain, but stayed dry for the entire race. The wind helped to make the temperature more bearable for the early part of the race. The pacers gathered to walk to the start, get a picture, and have a team meeting.  After dispersing, I stopped by the bag drop, took a final bathroom stop, and headed to the corrals. I was joined by Falko who would be my co-pacer. I was very happy about this, because he had run the race 8 times before.

After 2 national anthems, the race began. The corral system was very regulated in 2 minute intervals so that the border crossings wouldn't get overwhelmed. Heading out from the start towards the Ambassador bridge I saw my friend Halbert about 1 mile in. We met the first time I paced a full marathon, and I've seen him at a number of races since then.

The course was pretty crowded until we made it to Canada, which was the first 4 miles. We had intended to take some walk breaks on the Ambassador Bridge, but it didn't go that way since we had been a little slower than our intended pace up until then. We did actually speed up a little on the "down" side of the bridge but were still a little behind as we crossed the border. On the Canada side we ran a couple of miles along the river towards the tunnel. Falko took the pacer sign for a bit and it felt quite freeing to just settle back into the group. I was back at the lead when we entered the tunnel. I pushed the pace again as we went down under the river. When we emerged from the tunnel we hit the 8 mile marker and seemed to be on time, but at 10 we were mysteriously behind. We needed to make some tough decisions since we were pacing the half and the full. In order for the half marathoners to make it in on time we would need to pick things up, but it could be at the expense of tiring out the full marathoners by making up the time too quickly. I pushed us along trying to strike a good balance. As we neared the split we cheered the half marathoners on hoping that they would make 2:20.

As the marathoners struck out for the second half we were right on time. There was a long straight stretch as we headed due east from downtown. In this area I met another of my former pace group members from a previous race, Sarah. She had been in my group in North Carolina in 2016, and we had also bumped into each other at the post-race party at Buffalo. The group had thinned out a bit from the push to get us back on track. I kept tending to drift a little fast, but Falko kept me in check. At around 17.5 we entered an interesting section of the course--Indian Village! Lots of community support! There was a big cut out on the side of the course where you could "break through the wall", there was a guy holding up his golden retreiver's paw so you get a dog high five, there was more alcohol than I had ever seen on a marathon course!

Despite having just broken through the wall, we were now entering what would be the toughest part of the race. As we headed toward Belle Isle the wind became much more noticeable and once we were on the island it seemed we were headed into the wind no matter which direction we were facing. We only had one person left in our group, a young man named Emerson. He had run a good half marathon over the summer and decided it was time to run his first full. Out on the island we made a couple of realizations: Emerson had started in an earlier corral than us, and Falko and I both needed a bathroom stop. Falko gave Emerson a quick run down of the rest of the course and we sent him ahead, then both of us stopped at a permanent bathroom in the park. Falko was in and out and back out on the course, but I needed a longer stop because of my colitis. When I caught back up to Falko I started to chew him out for running faster than needed to be on pace, but at the next mile marker (23) I found out that we were right on time, because the course kept measuring long compared to my Garmin. As we pushed toward the finish the wind kept getting stronger and the course kept getting longer! Falko faded back, but I kept pushing on to finish on time. I was able to encourage some others along the way, but it really was a fight all the way to the finish.

Emerson made it in right around 4:40! He had run so strong with us and pushed it through to the end. My timing chip "blew up" somewhere between mile 25 and the end of the race and I had to contact the timing company to actually get my official time of 4:39:03. My Garmin measured 26.74 miles, the longest I've ever had for a marathon course. Of course, there was the complication of the mile long tunnel where we couldn't actually get a satellite signal.  There wasn't really much of a post race party or food spread, but I loved all of unique elements of this course and would love to do it again with better weather.

State # 13: MO' Cowbell Marathon (MO) October 1, 2017

In 2013, when I decided I wanted to run my first full marathon, I spent a lot of time looking for just the right one. After finding this race which was named after a joke from an SNL skit I had to share it with someone. During dinner that night I told my wife, "I found another marathon!" She thought I had walked a new route home from work and found a previously undiscovered gas station! 😂 I never got to run a marathon that fall because I got injured on a 17 mile training run.

Fast forward to January of 2017. Now on my journey to run a marathon in all 50 states I find MO' Cowbell on a list of races that Beast Pacing is providing pacers for and since I still need Missouri and I can stay with family in the area when race day comes I jump at the chance. I was originally assigned my very familiar 5 hour slot, but later moved up to 4:30 to help with scheduling. 

The expo (or ExMO' as they called it) was held at a local community college where there was plenty of free parking and included the unique feature of having fitness and Zumba type classes, along with yoga for runners and an intro to the Galloway run/walk/run method. Packet pickup was pretty smooth with a nice selection of vendors also on hand. 

After this I was off to check out some of the course. I wanted to familiarize myself with getting to the start at at Frontier Park and figure out the parking situation. I also wanted to get a feel for what I had been warned would be the toughest section of the course, a bridge over the Missouri river around mile 18. It turned out the bridge itself was fairly flat, but the initial approach to the bridge was the biggest hill on the entire course. There was also a smaller hill on the other side of the bridge that we would have to climb when we returned a bit after mile 20.

Early Sunday morning I was back at the park for the pacer picture. It's always fun to meet up with the rest of the team, usually with a few familiar faces and some that I'm meeting for the first time. After getting the picture, I realized that I had forgotten my pace band. One of the other pacers had supplies at her car so that I could quickly improvise one. 

This race started like no other! We all got to jam on our cowbells to "Don't Fear the Reaper" before we headed out. We started out out running along the river headed upstream. It quickly got a bit rural out along some fields. I had a decent sized group to start with, but was primarily chatting with a guy who had run 2 previous marathons. As we moved along we eventually got to the highlight of the first half: it was a mixture of residences and businesses with big crowds out watching the runners come by and cheering them on. It wasn't too long after getting through this area that I decided i needed a quick bathroom break. I sent my group on ahead, telling them I would catch up. After finishing I found myself sprinting up the biggest hill of the first half to catch up to my group. They sped up after I left them, and it was at about mile 10.25 or so that I caught up again. I was able to slow them back down as we were getting ready to head into the second half.

Cue the music for one of the biggest mental hurdles of the race! As we were getting close to where we had started (and the half would be finishing quite soon) the full course kept going straight to put us on the Katy trail when the half turned to put them on the homestretch, back down 2nd Street. As we headed out on the trail for 13.1 MORE miles, we could see the half marathoners finishing just off to our right. Also, to top it off, we were now on a dusty gravel trail which would be our running surface for most of the second half. Just as we were leaving the Frontier Park area, we hit my favorite aid station of the entire race. I'm pretty sure it wasn't even an official station! It was a guy who seemed to be out there on a bike, with his very young daughter. We had to wait a little since they didn't have enough cups ready for us, but it was the coldest water ever!

At mile 17 we were detoured off of the trail to begin the climb up to the Page bridge. This was an act of mercy, because it spread out the climb over a longer distance than the steep switchbacks on the trail. I gave the group some walk breaks as we tackled the biggest hill of the entire course. It was also nice to be temporarily off of the gravel. As we crossed the bridge, my group began to thin out. The hill had taken its toll. As we continued on a bit past the bridge I really only had 2 people left with me, the guy I had been chatting with in the first half and Jessica who was back after she'd felt a bit beaten by the course last year. When we made the turnaround to head back to the bridge, only Jessica was left. The point of the course where she had fallen apart last year was the climb back onto the bridge. We took more walk breaks. We got back across the bridge still doing ok on time, but we didn't stop to admire the "love locks" in the center of the bridge.

There was an aid station right as we got back off of the bridge, and then it was down the steep switchbacks of the trail to get us back down to river level and the 4 miles back to the park.

From here on out we were going along the flat, dusty trail. I could tell Jessica's energy was ebbing, so I decided I needed to distract her for the final few miles. I had somehow made it to this point of the race without really sharing my story, so I was ready to give the 30-40 minute version. We kept going and I kept talking, but it wasn't really working. Jessica was slowing down and when we hit the mile 24 marker and I was a couple of seconds slow I knew I had to leave her behind. I sped up just in case the course was a little long. I picked up a couple a runners who needed a little encouagement and told them they had to finish in front of me. We passed the finish line ANOTHER time before we made a U-turn from the trail to the street to head towards the chute. I was now coming in a little faster than I wanted to, so I slowed down and sent the other runners on ahead.

I finshed in exactly 4:29:00 and then waited for Jessica to come across the line. She came in with her kids in 4:30:25. It wasn't quite where she wanted to be, but it was better than last year.

The after party was decent with various snacks, chocolate milk, and beer. The race had been hot, but not as bad as Grand Lake the previous weekend where I had gotten dehydrated. (opted to not do a blog post since it was a repeat state) I went to one of the "massage" tables, but it turned out to be more of a "stretch out" than a massage. I think they may have been doing actual massages at another location that was closer to the finish line. Overall it was a good experience: nice expo, fun theme, decent party. I wasn't a huge fan of the course, but the first half wasn't bad. I mostly didn't like the long gravel out and back for the second half. I would probably recommend the race for someone who needed MO for their goal, but I'm not feeling any need to go back to do their 4 year medal series that started with 2017.

State # 6: Carmel Marathon (IN) April 16, 2016

I first became interested in the Carmel Marathon in the spring of 2015 when I was looking for a fast course to run a PR. However, as the date grew closer and I wasn't getting over my IT band issues I had to pass on it. I ended up taking my first pacing job at the Murray half marathon on that day instead, which worked out amazingly for where I am now! So, in the spring of 2016 when I saw that a fellow pacer was looking to fill her spot at Carmel due to work conflicts I couldn't pass it up. I was going to be the 4:55 pacer for my third time pacing a full. It was a last minute addition to my schedule and I was excited! (I've actually paced this race twice now, 2016 & 17, and planning to go back for 2018.)

Carmel is just off of 465 on the north side of Indianapolis. It is quite a nice community with an excessive number of traffic circles (roundabouts). The course is mostly on the streets, with a few sections of paved bike trail, but I guess I really don't need to go into a lot of detail as the course will be all new in 2018. One of the quirks of this race, which I believe will be changed, is that 4 races all started from the same start line at the same time. (5k, 8k, half and full) This made for a crowded start and I couldn't really get up to pace until the second mile.

In 2016 the weather got a little bit warm although it was only 48 at the start. I had a contingent from Ft Wayne in my group that complained about the heat. That year I lost the last person in my group around mile 20. He was a man of Indian descent who was running his first marathon. In 2017 we passed each other on the course and he was running the half. The 2017 race was cold and windy throughout and was only 41 at the start. One of my favorite things about that year was two friends from Lexington (who are sisters) came to do the race--one running her first half and the other her first full marathon.

The success rate of runners in my pace group was very different for 2017 with the cooler temperatures. I still lost a few that had been with me at the beginning, but that is typical as it is quite common for people to overestimate their preparedness. This time everyone who was still with me at mile 21 went on to finish ahead of me, and a few that had fallen behind still managed to come in under 5 hours.

 in both 2016 and 2017 they gave the pacers VIP passes, which gave us access to the beer tent and more food options. In 2016 I felt the regular food was pretty good, including pizza, but in 2017 they gave a prepackaged box that didn't include any hot food. It seems that more races are moving in this direction to both save money and to improve the traffic flow in the finish chute.

Overall, this is a well organized race with a good expo and packet pickup. The course is very flat, without excessive turns, and the new course for 2018 is supposed to be even better. The medals are big and bling-y. For 2018 they will be white to finish out a loose 3 year series of red, white, and blue Indiana-shaped medals.

State #12: Oh Boy Marathon (CT) May 29, 2017

Running a marathon in every state is an expensive undertaking, so anything that can be done to save money is worth giving a try. My main money saving strategy so far is to be a pacer. Pacers get free race registrations, usually a special pacer identifying shirt, occasionally a room, and sometimes other little extras. Although race registrations can be pricey, when you are running in a state several hundred miles away travel expenses quickly become a bigger issue. Rooms, gas, airfare, rental cars, and food all add to the total race expense. In general, driving to races  is usually cheaper than flying, and then there's no need to rent a car. When traveling by myself I have also been known to sleep in my car to save money. Running clubs like Marathon Maniacs and the 50 State Marathon Club have Facebook groups that can also be a great resource for cost saving tips/tricks as well as getting together to share rides and rooms. An additional strategy to save on travel expenses is to find another race you can do on the same weekend in a nearby state. This is called doing a "double". NY/CT was my first double! Doubles don't have to be in different states, but for 50 staters that makes the most sense.

I think this race came on my radar in December 2016. It had a lot of things going for it that made me choose it for my first double.

1. It was in decent proximity to Buffalo (which I had already committed to pace)
2. It was inexpensive (they didn't use pacers, so I needed to pay my own way)
3. It had a long (9 hour) cut off time, in case I really just felt destroyed after running 26.2 the day before
4. It had race day packet pickup (so I didn't have to get there by a specific time the day before)

However, it did also have some potential negative aspects that make it a race that isn't for everybody

1. The course was a 1 mile out and back (every time you crossed the timing mat at one end you had finished two more miles)
2. Very little crowd support
3. A little bit hilly (none were very big, but because of the course you had to keep doing them over and over again)
4. Overall a low frills race (cotton t-shirt, "unique" medal)

January 11 I pulled the trigger on my registration and committed to the training that it would take to run a double well. The biggest difference from normal marathon training was doing two long runs each weekend. Obviously this is to give at least a feel for what it means to run on tired legs the second day and building a HUGE endurance base. Training plans to prepare for a double exist, but they don't take into account running five other marathons in the buildup like I was planning to do. I found a plan that I used as a rough guide for my double long runs, but mostly I was winging it based on my past experience and how my body felt on any given day/week. Of course I also had to match it up with my race schedule. April ended up being not only my peak training month, but my biggest single month mileage total ever, 241. My biggest weekend included the Carmel marathon on Saturday and a 14 mile run on Sunday.

Race weekend involved a roughly 500 mile drive to Buffalo on Saturday, pacing 4:50 for Buffalo on Sunday and then driving another 400 miles to Waterbury. I slept in the car in Buffalo, but I would need some good rest (and a shower) to be ready for day two so I "splurged" for a hotel room. I was VERY tired! I figured i needed to get up around 5 Monday morning, but as I laid in bed and started to look up what time the packet pickup started I fell asleep before setting an alarm! I woke up about 4:50 and everything worked out great. I arrived at Hamilton Park (the race venue), figured out parking, and picked up my packet at the pavilion.

I had a little bit of time to chat with the other runners before the race started. As we were preparing to line up, we found out that the race was named after the race director's daughter's favorite catch phrase when the race was first put on a few years earlier, "Oh Boy!" A drawing of the daughter's face was also used for the shirt and medal designs. It was also announced that another of the race's founders would be running with us and that it would be his 700th marathon! After the anthem and a prayer the race began. Full marathoners started out running south and half marathoners went north. The full started .2 from the timing mat, and then we needed 13 complete laps of the course to finish. The half had a special first lap turn around that put them across the mat at 1.1 and then they needed 6 more complete laps.

There was a short, steep hill down to the parking lot where the timing mat was. Every time you crossed the mat there was a monitor that would register which lap you were on. As you turned to go out for another lap there was an aid station and then you went back up the hill. After passing the stone pavilion, you turned left on the street that went past the park. There was one small hill on this part of the course. About a half mile in we turn off the street onto a sidewalk. This is the hilly part of the course. It rolls up and down a few times to the far turn around where there is another aid station. 

The weather was a refreshing change (50s with occasional light rain) to the hot and humid races I had run in the preceding month. The hills were also a nice change from the relatively flat race in Buffalo the day before. Well, the hills became less enjoyable as the race progressed, but it was nice at the beginning.  As things went along, I learned that even though day two of a double is physically challenging, it can be even more mentally challenging. At mile 8 I was feeling pretty good, thinking "8 miles already, not bad!" But my next time across the timing mat it was more like, "Only 10 miles?!?" Around this time I began suffering from nausea that would last for a major portion of the rest of the race. This was affecting me mentally as well as physically because it prevented me from fueling properly.  Another mental battle was that I had not managed to connect with anyone running my pace, so I was going it "alone". This was disappointing since you were constantly meeting other runners, and passing or being passed by them.

I had set a goal of 5 hours for this race based on the premise that 5 hours is the time that I pace most frequently, so I wanted to test myself to see if I could run a double and still pace 5 hours on the second day. However, I wasn't running this race with my pacer hat on. I was running by feel, which meant that I'd started out too fast. As I slowed down, I was not only worried about not meeting my goal, but there was all of the mental chatter and negotiations of should I just walk since my chances of meeting my goal were diminishing. I needed to do something about my stomach. I discovered that one of the drink options was Sprite, so I began taking that in the hope that it would help my stomach feel better. Eventually I started taking Gatorade at one end and Sprite at the other and over the course of several laps my stomach began to feel a bit better.

Right around mile 22 my stomach started to feel better, and I caught a second wind energy-wise. (miles 20 and 21 were my slowest of the day) I checked my watch and concluded that if I ran smart and really focused on my pace I could still meet my 5 hour goal. This is where the repetitiveness of the course began to work in my favor. I knew exactly what to expect every bit of the way as I focused mentally on a strong finish. The mental boost of being "almost there" was also a huge help in pushing through the fatigue and the pain of my sore quads. After I made the final turn off of the main street with only .2 miles left to finish the race I pushed the pace to the end and finished in 4:57:45. Not sure that I'm ready to pace on day 2 of a double yet, but I did prove that I can break 5 hours.

After finishing I headed back to the pavilion for some post race food, but there wasn't much to be found when I arrived. They had a couple of ladies there giving massages, so I decided to do that before jumping in the car for another 6 hour drive. I don't usually get the massage at races, because it can hurt more than the pain I'm already experiencing. This was an exception, and I really think it helped how my legs felt as I was cooped up in the car for the next leg of my trip. While I was on the table the pizza arrived, so I did get some food before heading out. I started to get cold and shiver a bit, so I took the opportunity to change into my quarter zip race shirt from Buffalo.

As a testament to my cost saving skills, the entire trip (including gas, meals, hotel room, and race registration for CT) cost about the same as only the registration for the NYC marathon.