Aye, the virtual ShovelFlag was planted in the fertile soil of the American heartland as OBT and Tino hit the Marathon to Marathon in Storm Lake, Iowa, on Saturday, followed by the Swan Lake Marathon in Viborg, S.D., on Sunday.
The Pax:
OBT
Tino (Paul Martino, QIC of the Crazy Legs BRR team and fellow 50-state
marathoner)
The Thang:
Marathon to Marathon, Saturday, June 11, 2011
Tino: 3:48
OBT: 4:08
Swan Lake Marathon, Sunday, June 12, 2011
Tino: 3:38
OBT: 4:35
Tino has now run marathons in 22 states, OBT in 21 states.
Spreadsheets from the Gloom:
_ What I did may have reflected a certain stubborn determination, but the real skill and strength was exhibited by Tino, who put me to shame in the running category. He hung back with me for the first 10 miles of the Saturday marathon, which turned out to be both sandbagging and smart positioning to achieve his goal for the weekend, which was a
Triple Negative. He ran the second half of the Iowa marathon faster than the first (negative split #1), then ran the second half of South Dakota faster than the first (negative split #2) and finally ran the second marathon faster than the first (negative split #3). People, I was running the same races -- and that is just amazing. Nice work, Tino.
_ These two marathons (both under 200 runners total) were each probably 80-90% made up of 50-staters and so-called Marathon Maniacs, which is a club of people who do multiple marathons in compressed time periods. So, we're talking about the real Lunatic Fringe here,
Running-Geek Central. I don't have any desire to be part of either "club" -- I'd rather just do my own aloof thing -- but Tino is very outgoing and chatty, so it was interesting to listen and watch.
_ As predicted, getting up and getting to the start line Sunday was tough, particularly as it looked like it might rain. But that as what I'd come to do, so there as never any doubt. Once the race began, the first 5-6 miles were pretty painful. I ran them around 9:48 pace and
was struggling to find a comfortable groove. But after about Mile 6, when I stopped to take some pebbles out of one shoe and dialed it back to about 10:10, I started feeling better and got into a rhythm that carried me all the way to the end. Other than one other pebble stop
(75% of the race was on packed dirt roads that had been made muddy by rain the night before) and a few walk-throughs of aid stations, I ran the whole way and never doubted my ability to finish the 52.4 mile-weekend, which gives me confidence in my ability to do the
50-miler I've signed up for in Michigan in August.
_ Surprisingly, I've only been as sore yesterday and today as I would be after one normal marathon, so I guess my body's pretty used to this by now.
_ I do have to tell the story of the woman who passed me in Mile 26 of the Iowa marathon on Saturday. Normally, I wouldn't let this happen, as I almost always am able to pick up my pace enough to shake people who are trying to go by me at the end, and this woman was in her late
40s/early 50s, so that was even more embarrassing. As she came up behind me, she was talking to herself -- loudly. And not just any talk, but high-pitched, ecstatic cries of, "oh, yes!," "almost there!," "so close!," "gonna make it!" Part of me wanted to laugh, because she seriously sounded on the verge of orgasm, another part of me wanted to trip or hit her and the third part of me, the part that won, decided to just let her pass and take my foot off the gas so I wouldn't have to listen to her for the mile. So that was why I finished behind her -- sadly unable to hear what she said as she crossed the finish line and (presumably) reached her climax.
Thanks for all the words of encouragement and support -- have to run to the airport now.
OBT
The Pax:
OBT
Tino (Paul Martino, QIC of the Crazy Legs BRR team and fellow 50-state
marathoner)
The Thang:
Marathon to Marathon, Saturday, June 11, 2011
Tino: 3:48
OBT: 4:08
Swan Lake Marathon, Sunday, June 12, 2011
Tino: 3:38
OBT: 4:35
Tino has now run marathons in 22 states, OBT in 21 states.
Spreadsheets from the Gloom:
_ What I did may have reflected a certain stubborn determination, but the real skill and strength was exhibited by Tino, who put me to shame in the running category. He hung back with me for the first 10 miles of the Saturday marathon, which turned out to be both sandbagging and smart positioning to achieve his goal for the weekend, which was a
Triple Negative. He ran the second half of the Iowa marathon faster than the first (negative split #1), then ran the second half of South Dakota faster than the first (negative split #2) and finally ran the second marathon faster than the first (negative split #3). People, I was running the same races -- and that is just amazing. Nice work, Tino.
_ These two marathons (both under 200 runners total) were each probably 80-90% made up of 50-staters and so-called Marathon Maniacs, which is a club of people who do multiple marathons in compressed time periods. So, we're talking about the real Lunatic Fringe here,
Running-Geek Central. I don't have any desire to be part of either "club" -- I'd rather just do my own aloof thing -- but Tino is very outgoing and chatty, so it was interesting to listen and watch.
_ As predicted, getting up and getting to the start line Sunday was tough, particularly as it looked like it might rain. But that as what I'd come to do, so there as never any doubt. Once the race began, the first 5-6 miles were pretty painful. I ran them around 9:48 pace and
was struggling to find a comfortable groove. But after about Mile 6, when I stopped to take some pebbles out of one shoe and dialed it back to about 10:10, I started feeling better and got into a rhythm that carried me all the way to the end. Other than one other pebble stop
(75% of the race was on packed dirt roads that had been made muddy by rain the night before) and a few walk-throughs of aid stations, I ran the whole way and never doubted my ability to finish the 52.4 mile-weekend, which gives me confidence in my ability to do the
50-miler I've signed up for in Michigan in August.
_ Surprisingly, I've only been as sore yesterday and today as I would be after one normal marathon, so I guess my body's pretty used to this by now.
_ I do have to tell the story of the woman who passed me in Mile 26 of the Iowa marathon on Saturday. Normally, I wouldn't let this happen, as I almost always am able to pick up my pace enough to shake people who are trying to go by me at the end, and this woman was in her late
40s/early 50s, so that was even more embarrassing. As she came up behind me, she was talking to herself -- loudly. And not just any talk, but high-pitched, ecstatic cries of, "oh, yes!," "almost there!," "so close!," "gonna make it!" Part of me wanted to laugh, because she seriously sounded on the verge of orgasm, another part of me wanted to trip or hit her and the third part of me, the part that won, decided to just let her pass and take my foot off the gas so I wouldn't have to listen to her for the mile. So that was why I finished behind her -- sadly unable to hear what she said as she crossed the finish line and (presumably) reached her climax.
Thanks for all the words of encouragement and support -- have to run to the airport now.
OBT
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