Running a marathon with my son

 

Running a marathon with my son, great success!

What a gift!

2020 presented us all with some real disruptions and challenges. Who knew the full extent they would take. When we were still in the early stages of the pandemic, we all still thought there was a chance things would return to normal quickly. In June, my fathers’ day gift from my son was an offer to run a full marathon with me and to do it at the Marine Corps Marathon in October. Wow! I was already registered for the event and this was to be my 9^th full marathon; 7^th MCM. This was to be Jim’s first full marathon – and he was not even registered yet!

Some quick maneuvering and a whole lot of uncertainty

First things first, whether or not live events were going to happen in 2020, we needed to investigate ways to get Jim registered into the already sold-out event. The entry lottery for the Marine Corps Marathon had already happened in March and all of those slots were filled. The only remaining option would be to get into a sponsored/fund-raising slot or, to wait until later in the summer when the event allows for slots to be transferred from folks who decide they will not run. And considering the growing complications of the pandemic, indications were that transfers would not happen this year.

There are many groups and organizations that hold blocks of registration slots to be used by folks who commit to fund-raising to support these organizations’ causes. I began to investigate some of the groups that I knew about and I quickly focused on The Travis Manion Foundation. 
I was already a member of their group having run in their 9/11 Heroes Run a few times with a local NJ chapter. Their process for MCM fund-raising application was very straightforward and Jim and I discussed it, and he agreed with the spirit of their fund-raising cause. Through many of his great friends and colleagues and some support from his employer he was able to raise the funding and we were off and running.

What exactly is a virtual marathon?

As the pandemic continued to unfold we all experienced changes and modifications to the order of things. Public events were beginning to be threatened or cancelled as the summertime took on a completely different form. Summer events soon became cancelled. With so many running events scheduled for the autumn season, we saw daily updates and guesses and projections for whether events would be held or not. To their credit, the Marine Corps Marathon organization was very straightforward and transparent in their communication and we soon began to give serious consideration to running the race virtually. Simply put, you maintain your registration for the event, you wear your race bib and run the full 26.2 miles anywhere, log your time and get your finisher swag.

Of course this removes the real excitement and experience of running the event – and that was enough to drive many runners to defer their registration to 2021. For those of us who chose the virtual option for 2020, we also had the option to reserve our registration for the live event in 2021. This is the option that Jim and I chose so bottom line, I would actually get to run two marathons with Jim; the virtual 2020 race and then the live 2021 event in Washington DC. Great success!

Training together, now this is getting good!

Cross country
league champs

This was going to be Jim’s first full marathon. He had run a few half marathons very successfully and he maintains pretty active mileage throughout the year in his own running and as coach to his middle school cross country and track teams. But stepping up to a full marathon is serious business and he was open to the number one rule; pick a plan and commit to it.

Aligning our training became the next challenge. Ultimately we agreed to run our weekly long runs together at a common pace. I already knew my marathon pace time and it was a bit slower than Jim’s half marathon pace but that worked out OK. He needed to slow his pace down to adjust for the double distance of a full marathon - increasing from 13.1 miles to 26.2 miles is a substantial jump -- and matching my training pace on our long runs worked.

Spending time together

Part of Jim’s original plan to run a marathon with me was to share the experience together. And of course, that ultimately means the race day event itself. But that is just the tip of the marathon iceberg. The time spent training and especially the weekend long runs amount to a lot more time than the race event itself. For example, for this race, we each ran approximately 575 miles from June through October and over 300 of those miles were on our weekly long runs.

Having done most of my previous marathon training alone, I have developed a comfortable cadence of audio options like podcasts, audio books and music but this year would be different. They say that most of the miles on the weekly long run should be run at “conversational pace” meaning you are not huffing and puffing along. We would each play our audio but I soon noticed that I kept my earbud out of 1 ear and playing very low in the other. We had long conversations that ranged from history to family to comedy to cooking to politics -- it is an election year after all -- and everything in between. Made the time go by. I won’t say “quickly” because these runs still get longer and longer. Certainly more enjoyable though.

I would use a few hats
on our long runs

Hot fun in the summertime

As I have written about before, training for an autumn race in the US east coast means the majority of the 20-week training program is during July, August and September. We began to set our start time for our Saturday long runs earlier and earlier in order to get a jump on the heat and humidity. Nutrition, fueling and hydration play a significant role in the training program and to start an early morning run requires an even earlier start on breakfast fueling and other assorted bodily functions. 

Where shall we run this virtual race?

We had lots of talks about this and we considered things like family support, folks cheering us on, stretches of road in somewhat safe places, etc. On one of our Saturday training runs we bumped into some folks who run with Team RWB; Red White and Blue (teamrwb.org). This is a great organization whose mission is to enrich the lives of America’s veterans by connecting them to their community through physical and social activity. I was very familiar with Team RWB as I always run events in affiliation with the Wear Blue, Run to Remember organization (wearblueruntoremember.org). These organizations are philosophically aligned to similar purposes We mentioned to these folks that we were training to run MCM virtual and they said they were doing same and that they already had a course plan – would we like to join them! From there, it all fell into place. We coordinated with the great Central Jersey chapter of Team RWB and their race course along the NJ shore line.

Logistics and family support, how about a motorcade!

This virtual event did not have the usual crowd support and fanfare in Washington DC but hey, much easier for family and friends to attend and support us since we are local in NJ. Call it serendipity, Jess and Joe were already planning their relocation back to NJ and they had located an AirBnB house to rent while they went house-hunting. The AirBnB in Highlands NJ was a stone’s throw away from the start point of the Team RWB course on Sandy Hook. So, Jim and Alyse (and Wednesday) and I stayed there overnight on Saturday October 24 to make an early start on Sandy Hook at 06:00 Sunday morning the 25^th. 

06:00 on race day

The Team RWB folks have some members who affiliate with the NJ chapter of the Rolling Thunder organization. Rolling Thunder’s mission supports the POW-MIA issue. They are not a motorcycle club – although they do have an active group of their members who ride. A few of their members graciously agreed to provide us with some road support for the event and what a treat and benefit that was. Of the 8 runners that morning, we broke into 3 separate pace groups and one rider stayed with each of the groups for the entire 26.2 miles. 

Since Alyse stayed with us in Highlands, she took the first water support at mile 8 while Jess and Joe and Bonnie (and Nala) would be driving down from our house so they took the mile 16 water stop. 

The run itself

I won’t go through a full recap but I will point out a few highlights. The weather we really great for the run. We started out in the dark at 06:25 with temperatures a chilly 45 degrees and breezy. We had trained a bit on this course and we expected the onshore breezes to be at our back most of the way. It was a beautiful morning vista running south on Sandy Hook as the sun rose in the East over New York City. 

Jim and I had trained with and carried hand-held water and our Tailwind nutrition powder and we had coordinated with family to provide water support every 8 miles. Right on schedule, we promptly found Alyse at the mile 8 marker at 08:00. We were warmed up but Alyse was freezing and kept Wednesday in the car – it was a bit chilly for her. We thanked Alyse and continued along expecting to see Jess and Joe and Bonnie for the next water support stop at mile 16.

The course came off the Sandy Hook peninsula and along the towns of Sea Bright, Monmouth Beach and Long Branch along Route 36. We were able to bounce out to the boardwalk from Long Branch to Deal and Asbury Park and then our motorcade support would meet us back along Route 36. At mile 16, right on schedule, Jess and Joe and Bonnie and Nala were there with water, a hug and a cheer. Alyse had also caught up to them so we had the whole group to pump us up for a couple of minutes as we refilled our bottles and then we went back on our way. We headed back to the boardwalk and stayed there along the coast toward Spring Lake.

More evidence of the great running community

We saw other runners doing a virtual New York City Marathon that day – lots of high-fives along the way. At one point as we were beginning mile 19 along the boardwalk near Belmar a woman was running toward us and asked about our bibs. We said we were at mile 19 for MCM and she promptly turned around and offered to do a mile with us. What a nice gesture and a motivation boost. She told us that she had been registered to run the Berlin Marathon and it was cancelled. Lots of good runner geek talk between us and that mile went by quickly and she left us at mile 20 and she said; “… just 10k left.”

We got a bit turned around with the race course mapping at mile 23 but we did sync with family, told them we were OK for water (thanks to the Rolling Thunder guys who had some bottles) and we would meet them at the finish line.

He is a bit younger after all

As we straightened out our course confusion and got back on track I told Jim – “if you have it in you, go ahead at your own pace to finish”. We had discussed this throughout our training and although we agreed it made sense to run together – we always considered that one of us may lag behind or go out ahead. For those final 2 miles Jim gained a few hundred yards on me and crossed the finish line where family and friends were all lined up and cheering and placing the MCM medal around his neck. 

I came along promptly after and they repeated the celebration for me too. 

We took lots of pictures and the Team RWB folks also had a friend take some too.

I was in my 50's when I saw my first marathon.
Sisi got to see her first and she was not even 4 yet!

Bon's been at every one -- sometimes it's warm, sometimes it's raining, sometimes it's cold. But she is always there!

The whole group. You guys made the finish line
very meaningful, thanks for supporting us!

MCM #7 in blue
(www.wearblueruntoremember.org)

We all retreated back to the nearby AirBnB for a big pizza lunch. There was some more running -- some spectators were still motivated to get their own miles in for the day.

Nice swag

This year commemorated the 75th anniversary of the US Marines landing on Iwo Jima and the 45th running of the MCM.

2020 was the 45th annual Marine Corps Marathon

As a special gesture, this year's finisher medal has actual sand granules from Iwo Jima beach enclosed:

A great time was had by all

Summary thoughts

It was surely different to do this virtual event. Had it not been for Jim joining along through the training and the event, I’m not sure how I would have done it alone this year. Similarly, it was an amazing accomplishment for him – to stick with and do this event without the normal fanfare on race day to provide that inspiration and motivation. We will stay active and then begin our training for the 2021 live event sometime next summer. I just can’t wait to do the full DC trip and for Jim to get the full marathon experience; to watch the MV-22 Osprey flyover, to cross under the start line archway after the howitzers signal the start, to feel the solemn honor through The Blue Mile, to get that extra boost of adrenaline running through the national mall through the 20 mile marker -- only 10k left -- and then to have a US Marine place that medal around his neck at the finish line.

Thanks for reading and as always, visit some of these links for more information:

Marine Corps Marathon

Wear Blue Run To Remember

Team RWB

Travis Manion Foundation

Rolling Thunder

New Jersey State Triathlon, July 21, 2018

Let's "tri" something new!

How do I get myself into these things?

Well, it makes sense. As I've continued my training for marathons I have been adding more cross training into my regimen and swimming was the first. Great cardio without the pounding that drives our knees and ankles and hips crazy. We belong to a fitness club with great swim facilities (both indoor and outdoor) and they are really great about keeping swim lanes available at all times. All I had to do was just get in there and get started .... easy!

But who took swim lessons as a kid?  Not me!!

Good thing our kids did and good thing that I assimilate new sports well because I had some learning to do.  Until you master proper breathing within your swim strokes, you can't swim any kind of distance. And if you are going to leverage swimming for aerobic training, you need to add some real distance. Unlike running and other aerobic activities though, there are natural fight/flight reflexes when it comes to sticking your face in the water, not being able to  touch the bottom, and sinking that spike your adrenaline which in turn saps your oxygen and the nasty spiral begins. I could remember the feeling, "why can I run for 3+ hours without feeling winded but I cannot swim more than 2 pool lengths".

With a lot of reading and watching swimming videos I slowly got the hang of things enough that I could do 5+ laps at a time, rest a bit and repeat. Within a half hour I could get some marginal aerobic conditioning.

I had decided to do 2 full marathons in 2017, first the San Francisco Marathon in July and then the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC in October.  I had mostly been doing only 1 full marathon per year combined with numerous half marathons and random smaller events but I had done 2 full marathons back in 2014 so I knew the wear and tear of that amount of training.  Once I got some confidence with the swimming during the winter I was able to add in some laps each week to supplement my marathon training.

Well, you're 2/3s there now and everyone can ride a bike!

As I've written many times previously, I find the running community to be some really great people. And also, the kind of people who can challenge us to be our best. I began to talk with one of the guys that I saw in the pool frequently -- this guy could really swim and I wanted to pick his brain. He's one of these people who appears to have zero resistance against the water, he seems to just cut through like a warm knife through butter. Great technique and that's how you can rack up the laps and get real good aerobic benefit.  He is also a runner and -- wouldn't you guess -- a triathlete. Same welcoming manner, same openness to help me and make me feel comfortable.

When we discussed what each of our planned events were for 2017, I mentioned that I wanted to use swimming to supplement my marathon training. Which he fully understood and reinforced as a good plan. When he shared his planned events he included a few triathlons across the 2017 calendar and he just winked and said, "hey, you're 2/3s there now and everyone can ride a bike..."! "Arggg" I said, "no way"!

Who knew; triathlons come in different distances!

I kind of knew this but not the details. I think back to when I first began running 5Ks and I thought how daunting and unattainable a full marathon would ever be.  Well, when it comes to triathlons, I simply put that one out of my head. Ain't no way!  Images of IronMan events on TV and 9-hour durations.  Nope, not gonna do it!

Until my new swimming buddy took time to read me in (duh on my part). Just like running events that come in common distances like 5K (3.1 miles), 10K (6.2 miles), half marathon (13.1 miles), full marathon (26.2 miles) and then ultra marathons of 35, 50 and 100 miles ... triathlons also come in a few well-defined distances like:

Hmmm, so now that I can swim for aerobic cross training for marathons and since I swim 10+ laps at a time (250 yards), can I extend myself twice that length and be capable to do 500 yards?

A few small details to consider...

Two small words: "open water".  Hehe, just when you're feeling all proud and confident about swimming 10-15 laps in a nice indoor pool and thinking "hey, I can stretch this to 20 laps (500 yards)". That's when you read up on the concept of doing a triathlon in open water.  As in, cannot touch the bottom, as in cannot really see through your goggles in the water -- no clear black stripe to follow down the center of that crystal clear pool water below. And the best one ... someone may kick you, elbow you or even grab you. Yep, open water swimming becomes a new challenge. So the best advice is to make sure you get the chance to train in some open water in order to get comfortable with these dynamics. More on that later...

And one more 4-letter word: bike!  Who has one? Who has ridden one in the last 25 years (aside from a stationary bike in the gym from time to time). So yeah, we have a few small details to deal with!

And then you learn about the 4th facet of triathlon (like swim and bike and run weren't enough)

When you switch from swimming to your bike and then again from your bike to running, they call this "transition" in triathlon-ese.  Specifically T1 and T2.  And the time it takes you to do your best Superman changing in a phone-booth routine counts toward your total event time. So getting in and out of T1 and T2 is a thing.  And this can really range in time and takes its own bit of practice -- especially for a novice.

Just purchase entry to an event, then figure it all out

Having entered and completed enough running races I knew that buying an entry was the best way to lock myself in.  For some added incentive, I have various work colleagues internationally who are triathletes and their supportive guidance was influential. I had some meetings in Lisbon first week in March and their stories about their experiences really pushed me over the top. With the advice of my pool swimming buddy and also checking with Ryan, my friend who got me into my first 5K a few years back, I selected the New Jersey State Triathlon. The event wasn't until July so I could now set a training plan.

Get back on the horse ... or bike

The best advice is to go easy on purchasing a bike. This can become an extremely expensive purchase if you get caught up in all the bells and whistles. The best suggestion I got was to buy an intermediate level road bike and consider some small customizations to be more appropriate for triathlon. I got this bike in March and began to slowly incorporate some riding into my weekly training regimen as the weather got warmer.

To clip or not to clip

As I quickly learned, feet slipping off the pedals as I began to push harder and pedal faster became annoying very quickly. Not to mention the wasted energy. So I quickly read up on those goofy bike shoes that "clip in" to special pedals because that keeps your feet locked-in. No more slipping off the pedals, full efficiency of energy, etc. And oh yeah, you fall down and go boom!  Getting in -- and most importantly out -- of the pedals is a skill you'd better learn. Quickly!  Because the first time you slow down and come to stop, you're going down!  You cannot put your foot down to lean on until you "un-clip" from the pedal. Not a natural reflex at all. Just look on YouTube, there's lots of funny videos of cyclists learning and falling.  Suffice to say, this was a priority.

The event

As I do in my running race reviews I will provide a brief review of the event here. Not too detailed but hopefully helpful for anyone else planning for their first triathlon.

The New Jersey State Triathlon is run by the folks at CGI racing. They also do the annual Rutgers Unite Half Marathon that I have done many times. They do a great job at Rutgers and as I expected, a phenomenal job with this triathlon.  The event hosts both the Sprint and Olympic length races held on Saturday and Sunday respectively at the Mercer County Park in West Windsor NJ.

What a gorgeous venue, such a huge park and a beautifully cared for lake to host the swimming. The bike and run courses are flat and lend to really great times.



The transition areas are well laid-out and roomy so you don't feel crowded among all the participants. On the left you can see the transition area on Friday, well laid out and all slots identified clearly. Very important to find your slot so that you can set your transition area on Saturday morning.

Next you can see how busy things get on Saturday morning with everyone setting up their transition areas.  Notice these bike racks are ground-based and you slot your bike tire into the numbered groove. Many other events use standing bike racks -- just another technique.  The bikes are racked in alternating directions to create space for us to set up. This event aligns the transition areas by the 5-year age groupings that will be used for the start waves.  This way I got to meet some of the other old geezers like me in the morning to establish some camaraderie. I seem to be the first "triathlon virgin" in this area today so they all wish me luck. We will see each other as we line up to enter the lake and again during the transitions if our paces align.


Next, a picture of my transition setup area with the numbered slot matching my race bib number 354. Everyone uses a small space on the ground near their bike for their setup.  Things are all laid out in the order that you will use them; bike shoes, helmet, shades, etc. first and then running shoes, hat, etc. in the back.  Best idea is to use an easily identifiable towel because in the heat of the event it's important not to waste time searching the small numbers for your slot. I kinda like my red, white and blue towel!!

So how did it go?  I loved it!

We were blessed with beautiful weather -- approximately 65 degrees for our 07:40 wave start and only heating up to about 80 degrees by the time we finished the run 90 minutes later. Swim waves went off every 5 minutes in groupings of some youngsters plus some oldsters. For example, my group was males 30-34 and 60-64.

Spoiler alert: no I did not have the opportunity to practice any open water swims during my training. So I was a bit anxious about that but otherwise I felt very comfortable in the swim. My strategy was to stay off to the side and let the crazies rush ahead in a big pack. Well, mine wasn't exactly a novel idea -- many others used the same technique. So "off to the side" became "in a pack" of its own real quickly.  I was very disciplined to get into my regular freestyle stroke and began to forge ahead. I'm glad I have done so many large-scale running events that I was able to control the natural adrenaline rush so I didn't trash my wind. I kept it slow and steady and the yards slowly went by. By the time I did my first distance check we had already passed the 200 yard buoy.

Every wave-group is given a color-coded swim cap so the guards and judges can identify us. Ironic the color choice for my group -- a nice skin-toned orange that blends in so nicely with my un-hair!

Jogging barefoot across that pebbled path to get to our bikes is a bit uncomfortable but we are quickly onto grass which is much softer.

Just getting started on our bikes is a bit chilly as we are still wet. But we quickly dry off -- only to be replaced by sweat in about 10 minutes. During the 11-mile bike ride it was easy to get caught up in the adrenaline to really push. More elite riders come buzzing by throughout the course and it's human nature to try to mimic their pace. I was glad that I had followed advice to do some "brick runs" in my training where you ride for a while and then quickly get into your running shoes and run.  A very odd feeling in your legs until your blood flow can smooth out after the effects of the the bike saddle and leg positions.









After the ride and my final transition I am finally back into my element running a 5K race.  After my brick legs loosen up I quickly reach my 8:15/mile pace. The run course is out-and-back on a fairly flat path throughout the park so there is lots of banter among the runners as we pass each other coming and going. I even saw my friend Ryan on his way back in so I got to call out to him and he yelled back. He cruises with the elites and somehow appears that his feet don't even touch the ground. So smooth!

As I turned the corner into the long gauntlet to the finish line I could hear lots of great fan support. Since our start-wave went out fairly early, most of the participants were still behind us and we had the finish line to ourselves.The announcers call out your name and hometown as you approach the line. That's a really nice touch. The Finish Lines of full marathons still have a special place in my heart but this Finish Line was a real kick. One of my friends had said that a Sprint Triathlon like this would probably feel like the exertion level of a Half Marathon and I suppose he was right -- assuming you master a good swim stroke so you don't completely exhaust yourself with poor form and you don't completely destroy yourself trying to speed-cycle your way through the entire bike course.

Not bad for my first effort and I plan to improve these times in the next few months:
Total time: 01:28:03
Swim time (500 yards): 12:57
Transition 1:                    4:19
Bike time (11.5 miles):  39:44
Transition 2:                    4:02
Run time (5K):              26:58

(Note to self, some folks do their transitions in under 1 minute 30 seconds each. I can get my total time below 01:25:00 just doing my transitions better).

Once again, proud to wear blue:

#wearblueruntoremember

 www.wearblueruntoremember.org

Running the 2017 San Francisco Marathon

This was to be my 5^th full marathon and first on the west coast. My first was the 2014 NJ Marathon and I have run the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC the last 3 years (2014 – 2016). I am registered to run Marine Corps again this coming October so if all goes well, for 2017 I will have run two full marathons, same as 2014.

Great scheduling:

The real reason to travel to San Francisco this July was a much more important reason as we were celebrating our daughter’s wedding. It was simple serendipity that when Jess asked us if we could take some time off after the wedding to dog sit for Nala while she and Joe went to Hawaii for their honeymoon.  Well, a free week’s lodging in San Francisco and the chance to help them out and spend time with our grand dog was an easy sale – we were in.  Of course, that’s when I got the brainy idea to check the upcoming race schedule in the Bay Area and lo and behold, Sunday July 23rd was 8 days after the wedding and it was the the 40^th annual San Francisco Marathon.  Here's a great idea, let's do that in addition to the wedding ... all in the same trip!

Planning:

It’s a good thing this wasn’t my first full marathon for numerous reasons. First, because it’s an extremely difficult course and second because I was already comfortable with finding ways to incorporate my training plan into my schedule because the last few months before the wedding were going to have lots of activities and challenges to work around. Once my registration was confirmed, I mapped out my training plan and wove it into life’s schedule.

Review:

Event organization

Having run Marine Corps and having attempted to get entry to New York, I am familiar with race entry lottery systems. I was surprised to find this wasn’t the case with San Francisco and I was able to get online, register, pay my fees and confirm my slot very easily.  The registration process was very simple and easy to deal with.

The San Francisco Marathon is one of the events that offers both half and full marathon distances as a part of the event. Uniquely, they also offer options for the half marathon distance; you can choose the first 13.1 or the second. The first 13.1 has the exciting experience of going over and back across the Golden Gate bridge but it is an extremely hilly 13.1 as a serious trade-off.  The second 13.1 also has hilly sections – especially in the beginning through Golden Gate Park – but then the hills subside a bit – at least in comparison to the first half.

Packet pick-up was offered all day Friday and Saturday at the Fort Mason facility. We chose to go on Friday so I could spend Saturday off my feet as much as possible. We used Uber – as we had throughout our time in San Francisco – and the trip to Fort Mason was simple and quick and left us just a short walk from one of our favorite tourist stops for Irish Coffee at The Buena Vista.

Race review:

Starting corrals were very well organized. The race begins very early at 05:30 and each assigned corral has a defined starting time every 15 minutes or so after the elite runners start. My corral began at 06:15 and we indeed began promptly. The start and finish are on the Embarcadero at Justin Herman plaza with lots of room spread out for corrals, restrooms, vendors, etc.

My day started out very early, up at 03:45 to fuel and use the bathroom before taking Uber to the start area. I arrived comfortably by 05:20 or so as the first corral was just about to start. This gave me time to drop off my bag at the UPS bag drop, use the bathroom and eat my Stinger waffle and then do some light stretching before entering the corral.  Considering how dark it is at that hour, we were blessed with good San Francisco weather. It was cool but not cold – perhaps upper 40 degrees. There was a bit of fan support but not a whole lot considering the early hour and the darkness but still an exciting start with music, loudspeakers and a good motivational send-off by the race announcers.

The more races I run, the more I am able to stay in the moment and take in the experience. I was intent on doing that so I specifically recall our first mile where we passed the docks for Alcatraz tour boats and folks were already on line for the first boat of the morning at 06:30. Imagine their surprise, they get up early to go on a boat only to find 15,000 crazy people out there before them going for a morning run!

Fort Mason hill (photo from a previous event)

The first 5 miles up the Embarcadero take in the most famous tourist areas of San Francisco past Pier 39, past the restaurants, past Ghirardelli square and the aforementioned Buena Vista and on up to the Maritime museum. We get our first taste of hills on the Fort Mason hill alongside the bay. Up and over that first hill and we quickly pass the site of the packet pickup and then on to the Marina district. Another simple, flat 2 or 3 miles up to Chrissy field and then it’s time to make our way up to the bridge.

Miles 6 – 10; the bridge. By this time dawn is rising and with daylight we are now able to see ... that we cannot see! Classic San Francisco summer fog was upon us and as we approach the bridge we can hear the fog horns that operate on an automatic cadence based on fog conditions.  Well this day, they weren’t going to be stopping for a while!  As we exit Crissy field we begin the uphill climb through the Presidio streets that will merge us onto the Route 101 bridge access roads shortly before the toll plaza area.  This is a very steep uphill climb and we begin to notice a fair amount of crowd support waiting at the base of the bridge entrance. I look ahead at the bridge and I notice that I cannot even see ¼ up the orange tower and I cannot see the guide cables – fully engulfed in fog.  One of my biggest apprehensions was my fear of heights across the bridge and I was relieved of that worry -- couldn't see 10 feet to either side of the bridge -- great success!

The surface of the road is wet and I can hear some runners commenting that it is raining but as any San Francisco resident knows, there ain’t no rain this time of year. There is such thick fog that droplets are forming in the air plus drops are falling down from the bridge structure to simulate a rain shower. The bridge surface is a fairly steep incline so lots of focus on footing, avoiding some small puddles and generally not slipping on the surface. Once we reach the Marin side we veer right to the vista point for our turnaround and the fog is broken up unveiling a beautiful blue sky above. As we make the turn and look back onto the bridge it is almost surreal how clear and blue the sky is above us because within a few minutes we will re-enter the bridge southbound and be fully engulfed back into the fog.

Miles 11-13; a triple treat: This is a very pretty part of the course through the Presidio along the outer coastline on the San Francisco side. Treat 1 is that we have completed some of the most hilly parts of the course. Treats 2 & 3 are that I will get to see my wife and our grand dog Nala at mile 12 because the race passes 3 blocks from our daughter’s apartment. How’s that for race planning! Bonnie has been at every one of my full marathons and I always look forward to the part of the course where I will see her. It works out well that we are just about at the halfway point and I see her clearly up ahead, I stop for a quick hello kiss and hug and one for Nala too and now I am ready to tackle another 14.2 miles. I even got to share half of Bonnie's cereal bar, I was hungry already!

Miles 13 – 16 are all within Golden Gate park. This is a big place – actually larger in area than New York’s Central Park and this race course lets us see EVERY bit of the park. Since we are still out in San Francisco’s Richmond and Sunset districts we are still very much engulfed in fog for the entire period in the park. We see the finish area for the runners who did the first half marathon and we see the start area for the folks beginning the second half. We pass the bison paddock, the lakes, the beautiful botanical gardens and gradually make our way east – up considerable hill inclines again until we exit the park near the old Kezar stadium.

course map

Miles 17 – 21 take us through the upper and lower Haight districts on our way toward downtown and finally we have crested the midland heights of San Francisco and most of the race will gradually descend now. A byproduct is the weather change as this is one of the dominant fog lines in the city where the fog parts. We see some last wispy low clouds and then bright blue sky and oh wait, what’s that, the sun is out! I distinctly remember that I began to re-sweat if there is such a word. Having been in fog and cold for 2 ½ hours by now my body was pretty much fully drenched in a combination of sweat and dampness but I had mostly regulated to a type of constant body temperature. As soon as we ascended one small neighborhood hill in bright sunshine somewhere near mile 18 I notice profuse sweat coming down into my eyes. By this time in the race my Nike running hat is fully drenched and has no more absorption capability and this new rush of sweat flowed a salty sting into my eyes. I squinted my way to the next water stop so I could flush my eyes and use my wristband to dry them out.

McCovey Cove

Miles 22 – 26.2; let’s play ball. Yep, as luck would have it, the SF Giants were having a 1PM home game at AT&T Park and the early arriving fans became our final home stretch support crowd. There is some desolate area between miles 23 – 25 as we approach the stadium from the south. It was so great that we were in clear sunshine and we could see the city skyline ahead, the Bay Bridge and the ball park. The course takes us along the docks to the front of the stadium and out around through McCovey Cove with fans cheering us on all the way. Like the folks a few hours ago who bumped into 15,000 crazy runners on their way to the Alcatraz tour boat, here these folks thought they would be cheering a baseball game and find themselves spontaneously cheering for us – really great support!

Another 26.2 in blue #wearblueruntoremember.org

The finish line is back on the Embarcadero just about where the start had been. Great fan support now as we run this final hundred yards under the Bay Bridge in bright blue sunshine. My finish time was within the range I had hoped for considering the challenging course.

http://www.wearblueruntoremember.org/














As my family has come to learn, I get a really good appetite and like a really hearty meal after marathons so my reward was a beautiful gift that Jess and Joe had left for us, dinner reservations at Ruth's Criss steakhouse. All I needed to do was to get myself into an Uber for the ride back to the apartment where I could rest for a while before our early dinner.

Thanks for dinner Jess and Joe and thanks Bon for your support!

The people that we pass

Have you ever noticed ...

This is a short post about observations I make of the people that I pass as I run.  For those of you other runners out there, you know what I mean. The more miles we run and therefore the more time we spend running, the more people we pass. Some are other runners, some folks walking in parks and paths, sidewalks and streets.

Location and setting play an important part of how the social interaction happens between people as well as regional or geographic differences.  In general, when I am training, I like to make a polite acknowledgement of folks.  I think that the Brooks company has a good slogan; "Run Happy" and I like to do just that.  Sure I realize there are situations where it may not be appropriate for folks to acknowledge me but in general, it's a simple social interaction and I generally reach out to people, make eye contact and make a simple "hi" gesture.

Here's my observations of the categories of folks I meet. Something tells me this will be like George Carlin's original list of the 7 bad words you can't say on TV. Once he shared that list, he got feedback to quickly extend the list to over 200!  I welcome your thoughts and comments!

This seem appropriate:

The other runner or person walking toward me who acknowledges my "hi" and responds in kind. Takes little effort, very economical and seems clear these folks are "ok" with the situation. Fortunately, these people are in the majority.

The polite watcher:

This person doesn't attempt to conceal their interest in me as I run by.  They don't ogle or look on in any awkward way, just a polite glance.

The awkward avoider:

This one always confuses me.  Here's the scene -- I am running through a nice suburban park in broad daylight.  There are other people out and about.  I approach another person coming toward me and I make polite eye contact to say "hi". And somehow this person "doesn't see me". They just continue looking straight ahead as if I am not there.  I'm not sure how or why that is possible except that I conclude that it actually takes more effort for that person to "not see me".

The deliberate avoider:

Slightly different than that last one, this person actually "sees" me from a slight distance and then as I approach to pass them, they deliberately turn away. Perhaps shy or uncomfortable but for sure they don't want to engage in any kind of "hi" or "hello".

Do you come here often:

A further variation of the two above, this is another runner who I can recognize from numerous previous outings. Often times, they are a "better runner" than I am (meaning they are at a much faster pace so they perceive themselves to be better). Yet I have seen them enough times that it's clear that we are each "regulars" at this venue. And yet still, they cruise right on past me -- and I am not even there.

Pleasantly surprised:

Whenever I pass someone running with a baby jogging stroller, I make a clapping gesture with my hands to show them that I "get it" and I really respect them for putting in the extra effort. Hey, it's not just the added weight of pushing the stroller but it's all about the effort to get the child out the door, into the car, out of the car, into the stroller, give them a snack, a juice box, a toy, etc. And these seem to be the folks who are most alert, most engaging, always with a pleasant "hi" and when I clap to show my appreciation, they react with a "who me?"

You talkin' to me?:

Yep, this really happens. This is the person that I make a polite "hi" gesture to and they respond by looking behind them, beside them etc. as if to say "were you saying "hi" to me? "there's nobody else here...". "I don't know who else you may be saying "hi" to..."!

The newbie:

This is another person who is new to the activity -- whether another runner or walker, etc.  They haven't quite gotten comfortable with all the nuances and so they are constantly fussing with their gear, their outfit, their course or route, etc.  They are so preoccupied that when passing them, there really isn't a chance for them to acknowledge my polite "hi" because they have so much else going on.

It's like riding a bike:

Ah yes, a parent running along behind, holding the seat to keep the bike upright, all the time muttering words of encouragement (mixed with raging expletives), this is a common sight.  Did you ever notice that when it's not your child and you are personally removed, all the kid needs to do is just pedal and be done with it? Easier said than done. Whenever I see a parent or older sibling helping a young child to learn to ride a bike, I just say a few small words of encouragement to the kid like "nice job, you got this!" or something like that.

They ARE riding a bike:

What a thrill, who knows how long they have been working at it but you happen to run by as a youngster has just taken their first solo bike ride. The look on their face is matched only by the look on their teacher's face.  I applaud, say great job to the kid and congrats to the teacher.

Kicking and throwing:

Mostly in parks but sometimes in local neighborhoods, a soccer ball comes flying at you as you approach or a softball is fouled over the backstop and lands near you.  Unless I am specifically working on timed intervals in my training, I usually take the deviation from my running to return the ball or frisbee.  My favorite is yelling "I'm open" to someone throwing a football just to see if they respond to throw me a pass.  Better yet, catching the pass and continuing to run a few strides to see their reaction!

Dog lovers:

We own a rescue mutt and he's a bit bonkers in the brain so we get it.  I'm always concerned when I come up from behind someone walking their dog not to startle them so I will cough or make some sound to get their attention. I can't get myself to say "left", the running protocol to alert someone that you are coming up behind them ... perhaps I should?

The gadget folks:

Music to your ears:

They make these things called ear buds now, have you seen them?  Some are wired, some are wireless, some go over the ear, some in the ear.  Lots of choices to choose from.  Yet still, there are folks who listen to their music in public places aloud ... no ear buds, nada.  Perhaps they forgot their ear buds or they broke. That could be understandable and quite a nuisance for them. Otherwise, must we all have to hear what you are listening to?

Talking points:

We all have our cell phones with us at all times. Many of us use running apps, music apps, etc. And generally speaking, most of us liberate ourselves from talking on the phone while we are working out, running, etc.  But then there are the folks who just cannot separate themselves from their phone calls and their conversations go on and on and on .....

How these gadgets have simplified our lives ... or not:

The running app and the music app and the podcast app and the audible book app and the GPS watch and the heart rate monitor and the head lamp ... we runners have really gotten ourselves loaded with technology.  Once we have everything figured out, it all works quite seamlessly. But when something is new, phew it can take a bit before we get all the kinks out.  What's worse, stopping every 50 feet to re-adjust something or waddling in a duck-like form while fussing for 1/4 mile, until we get it all sorted out.

So there is my initial list.  I seem to add another one every time I take a run but I will stop and post this for now.  I look forward to your comments and suggestions for more...