Manitoba Marathon Race #5

Winnipeg, Manitoba
June 21, 2015
Time:     4:20:57:55
Overall Place 309/653

The Manitoba Marathon was the 5^th race on the schedule and marks one year till I end the journey of running 20 marathons, only fifteen to go.  I was looking forward to running this marathon for a long time.  Yes I know, I say that I look forward to running every marathon, but this one is special.  It is my home marathon and I have Heidi and all three daughters waiting for me at the finish line.  There won’t be a lot of finishes where I have someone waiting for me, so to have the family there is special, and it’s Father’s day.  I learned when I began running that “Running is Fun”.  It was very apparent this year with two of my daughters dressing the part.  What a great way to enjoy a run and have fun in costume. 

It had been four weeks since the Ottawa Marathon, my last race, so I was feeling pretty good.  The three weeks following Ottawa I introduced cycling to my training, so I did a combination of running and cycling.  The cycling gives a good cardio and strength workout with very little impact thus saving the body from all that pounding.  Those three weeks I also worked on my speed a little more because I wanted to run the Manitoba at just a little faster pace.  The week before the marathon I had a little bit of trouble, but nothing too serious.  The last week is always a taper week where we do very little running and just rest the body before the race, so that was good.

We began the race weekend the same way we do every year.  Running Room on Pembina Hwy hosts a Friendship Run with John Stanton the founder of the Running Room. It also includes a picture with John.  John gives his pre-race talk which is great for the first timers, but I love listening to the same stories.  This time he even added a few new ones I hadn’t heard before.  This is followed by a short 3K run just to loosen up the muscles a little followed by some refreshments.  While we were having our refreshments our three daughters arrived.  Stephanie had just picked Wendy up from the airport and they also brought along Jennifer.  After a bit of visiting we headed over to the U of M where the race kit pick was held.  This is also where the start and finish are.

 

The Manitoba Marathon start is at 7:00 in the morning so I get up at 4:00 to get in all of my pre-race preparations.  Eating, stretching, getting on all the clothing, and putting on the bib are all part of the routine.  Two of our girls were saying with us and they love Manitoba because they can sleep in till 5:00.  When we are on the road they don’t like being in the same room as me because they just don’t like getting up as early as I do.  With the Manitoba Marathon you have to get to the race site early to take a shuttle to the start line.  We arrived at the shuttle area and got on our bus and away we went.  This year they had a new start area which was nice, but what I really liked is that they had separate porto-potties just for the marathoners.   A nice short lineup and business is taken care of. 

 

The horn went off and away we went.  This year I decided to run with the 4:15 pace bunny which was a little faster then I normally run the marathons.  What is a pace bunny you ask?  A pace bunny is usually an experienced runner who has the task of setting a pace required to finish a race at in certain time.  A 4:15 pace bunny would set a consistent pace for the runners to follow to get themselves to the finish at about the 4:14:45 mark, so just before the 4:15.  Usually there are number of different pace bunnies in the race for different time goals.  Someone might pick a pace bunny if they were trying to qualify for Boston.  The bunnies are also a great source of encouragement getting the most out of runners to help them reach a time goal.  Our 4:15 pace bunny also did 10 and 1’s which means we ran for ten minutes and then walk for one minute.  Anyway, I really enjoy pace bunnies and they can be a real source of fun.  Thank you Oliver.

The full marathoners run alongside the half marathoners for the first six miles until the split at which time we part ways.  This is always enjoyable because there are a lot of runners on the road which creates a lot of excitement.  After the split we head towards the shadier part of the course down Harrow and eventually hit Wellington Crescent at mile 9.  It was during this stretch that I had the thrill of my life.  I got to hold the 4:15 marker that the pace bunnies carry.  Yes, I’ve always wanted to do this and I finally fulfilled a lifelong running dream.  Mile 9 and 10 are along Wellington Crescent which is one of the nicer stretches of the race with big old mansions lining the road.  I felt good during this part of the race but always felt that the pace was a little faster than I wanted to go.  The temperature was beginning to climb a little and it was a little humid out.  I knew that it was critical to drink, so every fluid station I would take in at least two cups of either water or Gatorade.  Keeping hydrated is one of the most important things you can do on a warm race, and I paid attention to this very carefully.  I knew that the combination of the pace and the heat would eventually take its toll.  It was just a matter of when.

By mile 12 we hit the open roads of Portage Avenue and there was no shade, so if you weren’t sweating by now, you could really feel the warmth starting to hit.  A little further down Portage Avenue just before we make a right turn we come up to a church known as Portage Avenue Church.  This is significant to me because my brother used to be the pastor of this church and before the Sunday morning service he would have as many people come out to cheer on the runners as possible.  This was two years ago when I ran the Manitoba in 2013.  It was a thrill to see them there and a real highlight of the race.  Last year I was looking forward to the same thing, but in May, my brother passed away and so in June when we ran it was very emotional coming past the church and he was not there.  So as I rounded the corner again this year I thought about my brother and missed him very much not being there to cheer us on.

The next five miles were again along some beautiful roads and under the shade of the big old trees.  From mile 17 to the finish we are pretty much running in the open sunlight at the warmest part of the day and this is where most of the runners begin to struggle.  I managed to hang on to the 4:15 pace bunny till about 21.5 miles which is where I dropped off and started to take just a few more walk breaks.  Did I suffer here?  Not really.  However, my legs were tired and I just needed to walk just a bit more.  I actually enjoyed this part of the course because I found it really challenging in a good way.  I knew that I would finish, but I just needed to push myself to the finish line.  It was also at about this point that I began to negotiate for rides, but I was unsuccessful.  My oldest daughter Jennifer was alongside me over the last two miles taking pictures and also riding her bike, but she wouldn’t give me a ride either. 

 

The marathon finishes in the old U of M stadium so there are a lot of people to cheer the runners in.  This is one of my favorite finishes that I’ve run and it was thrilling to see my family in the stands.  It makes it all worthwhile.  What I also liked about this year is that they had the recovery zone for the marathoners in the center field of the stadium.  They had our bag pickup, food and massage tent a short walk from the finish line.  This was a treat.  I picked up my stuff and grabbed a couple of drinks and headed out to see my family.  I can’t eat right after a marathon so I didn’t take any food.  After meeting the family we headed off to the shuttle bus area and took a ride back to our car. 

 

It was a great experience running this year.  I met a lot of people at the race while I was running and this is one of the things that I really enjoy about running.  Meeting new people and being encouraged by other people when they could read what was on my shirt and what I was trying to do.  These people can really understand what it means to run a marathon and can appreciate the goal of running 20 marathons in 15 months in an effort to raise money for such a worthy organization as Siloam Mission.  I must say I was more tired than usual running this marathon and the recovery might be a little longer.  Next race is only three weeks away so I will be doing just a bit more resting.  I always say, listen to the body. 

 

 

Ottawa Marathon Race #4

                                                                                                           
Ottawa, Ontario
May 24, 2015
Time:     4:34:55
Overall Place 3433/4665

 

 

You are going to hear me say this a lot, but I was really looking forward to this race on a number of levels.  I know I really look forward to every race and even though I just finished this race I can’t wait for the next one.  This race however was special to me because I was able to re-connect with my very special cousin Irene and we were able to spend the entire weekend together.  We grew up together and even though the years and miles have left a lot of distance there is always a bond.  The Ottawa Marathon gave me a great reason to come and spend the weekend with her and her husband David.  It is a weekend I will never forget.

 

This marathon is one of the largest in Canada and is also sanctioned by the IAAF which is the international governing body which sanctions races.  One of the criteria is that there must be a number of world class runners so I got to see, or at least be in the same race as the winner who posted a 2:08:13 for the men and a 2:25:29 for the women both of whom were from Ethiopia.  The men’s winner could have finished the race twice and had time to wait at Starbucks for me to finish.  I keep telling everyone I can get a better time if I just run a little faster.  I just need to find a way how.  Another reason why this race is so nice is because they have about 48,000 runners registered for all the events over the two days.  Nothing but a sea of runners is very exciting and this organization is doing something right for everyone wanting to come to this race.  In fact I checked the registration list and saw that there were 33 runners from Winnipeg alone in all the events.  There may have even been more outside of Winnipeg, but I couldn’t see those numbers. 

I arrived in Ottawa on Friday morning after leaving Winnipeg at 5:25.  We passed through Toronto on the way and touched down at about 11:20.  From there we went straight to the Expo in the downtown area.  The Expo and the race start and finish were all close to each other around the City Hall, which is also close to Parliament Hill.  A highlight of the Expo was meeting John Stanton again and getting a picture with him.  In case you don’t know who that is, he is the owner of the Running Room, which is where I buy most of my running stuff.  John is a very nice down to earth man, quite willing to take the time and meet people and talk about running, so it was nice to spend a few minutes with him.  I also picked up a sporty new jacket from the race.

The next morning we got up and headed downtown again, this time for the Running Room Friendship run.  This is something that I enjoy attending whenever Running Room is a sponsor at the race.  John spends a few minutes giving some knowledge of what to expect at the marathon and yes I have heard it about six times already, but this has become a tradition for me.  One of these races he will actually remember my name.  Won’t that be something?  At this time they also introduce the pace bunnies and we all go out for a 3K run just to loosen up the legs a bit.  At the end there are some refreshments and we all head our different ways.In the afternoon they host the mini marathon for the kids, a very short race with a big time feel because they finish at the same finish line.  This is followed by the 5K and then the 10K which was also the Canadian 10K championship.  Here again the organizers bring in some very fast talent and the times are around the 28:00 minute mark for the men and 30:00 minute mark for the women, very, very fast.  My cousin and her daughter also participated along with just over 13,000 other runners. 

The next day was Sunday, RACE DAY, again.  I woke up about 5:00 and did my usual routine which is eating and stretching and getting dressed.  We left for the race and arrived rather quickly as there are not a lot of people traveling on a Sunday morning.  The temperature in the morning was about 12 C which is nice.  I am beginning to realize that I like my running temperature somewhere between 8 C and 13 C.  This is what I have been running in all spring and because of this I don’t cramp at all.  This marathon however, would see that temperature get much higher.  More on that later.  I found the Porto Potty for one last visit and headed for the start line.  At the start line I found my Coral and met some really nice people which included a lady from St. Louis who like me just came down for the weekend marathon.  They call us weekend warriors.  She was also a Marathon Maniac and a Fifty States club member, which means she has run or is running in every state.  Yes I am going for that someday as well.

The National Anthem was sung by a member of the RCMP and after a few opening words, the gun went off.  It took about 4 minutes for me to cross the start line because my coral was further back.  My plan for this race was to follow the 4:30 pace bunny because I wanted to take it a little slower at the beginning and then finish strong with a negative split.  What is a negative split you ask?  This is the goal for a lot of runners.  The idea is to finish with a faster second half of the race then a first half.  Most runners will go out too fast at the beginning and then fade throughout the race, and when I say fade I mean die.  Better to save some energy for the end and finish strong.

I reached the 16K mark of the race feeling strong and comfortable and met my cousin’s daughter Fran.
 

 

Got some pictures and a hug and carried on.  At the 20K mark we cross the Ottawa River and headed in Gatineau Quebec for about 5K.  I was feeling very French at this part of the race.  At 25K we entered Ottawa again and headed for the last 17.2 K.  At about the 30K mark we headed up a little bit of an incline and I had taken a Gel, so I was feeling very good, but this lasted for only about 5K and I really started to weaken.  It was a combination of the warmer temperatures and the climb that took a lot of my energy.  At about 5K to go I lost the pace bunny and struggled to keep any kind of pace going.  At about 1.5K to go I got a cramp in my right hamstring.  It went away after a little bit of fluid from a water station and I managed to run in smiling. To me it didn’t seem too warm but when I came through the last 2K I saw a number of runners lying on the side of the road, some with an IV in their arm because they were dehydrated.  I realized between the humidity and the warmer temperatures this had a greater impact on me then I thought.  I will need to train more in the warmer temperatures so that it doesn’t impact me quite so much.  All in all it was a great race.  The course was beautiful and very scenic running along the Ottawa River and the Rideau Canal as well as passing the Parliament Building.  The water stations were well stocked and taken care of by very friendly and encouraging people.

 A couple of things that stood out in my mind, one was a runner who was carrying a boom box singing as he ran.  Not only that but he had everyone around him singing as well.  It was very entertaining and very funny.  Another thing was running through New Edinburgh, a little community near the end of the race.  There was a water station that was being serviced by men and women wearing red dresses.  Sometimes this deep into a race one might start hallucinating, but no, they were real.  The last interesting thought I have is near the end of the race.  A man came running up beside me which was another Marathon Maniac.  We exchanged pleasantries, he gave me his Maniac number and he kept going.  I was able to look up this fellow maniac as we have a pretty comprehensive website.  Turns out he was running his 498^th marathon in Ottawa and it was amazing what he has accomplished.  Yes there are lots of us crazy running types out there, and I use that term very affectionately.

Well, I collected my fourth medal of this journey and headed home. 

 Another race is done and I can start looking forward to the next one on June 21, the Manitoba Marathon. 

I was reminded today of why I am doing this.  I had heard from someone who had made a sizable contribution to Siloam Mission and realized that I was inspiring someone who believed in my cause and the effort I was putting into running all of these marathons.  It was a good reminder that with my running I can make a difference in an organization that looks to help those in need in our city.  Thank you to all those that have contributed to Siloam Mission.

 Now to rest like my good buddy in the rocking chair until the next race.

A new cultural experience, something I've never had before

 

 

Fargo Marathon Race #3

Fargo, North Dakota
May 9, 2015
Time:     4:25:55
Overall Place 882/1535

 

Fargo has always been one of my favorite races to run.  It is close to home and it is such a well-organized and supported race.  This is the fifth time we’ve been to Fargo.  I have run the 10K once, the half marathon twice, and the full marathon now twice.  The other reason I enjoy it so much is that we usually have one or two of our girls joining us for the weekend.  We also spend time with some good friends, the Harts.  Not to mention that about 1,000 runners trek down to Fargo for the event as well, so it is a weekend of running and spending time with our running community.

This year we found out that the race organizer had a very special speaker coming in for the speaker series, so we were on a tight schedule to get to Fargo.  She was speaking at four o’clock and we made it down by 3:20.  We were not disappointed. 

 

The speakers name was Deena Kastor who at 42 holds the world masters marathon and half marathon records.  Deena also won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games which was held in Athens Greece that year.  Another reason it was so special to see her was that Heidi and our daughter Wendy were actually in a race that Deena also ran back in 2013 in Central Park, New Your City.  Deena won that race and I was able to take some really nice pictures of her.  I didn’t actually make the connection in who this was until a couple of years later when we watched a video that she had a roll in called “Spirit of the Marathon”.  I have been following her career for quite some time now.  What was really meaningful for me was what she talked about as one of her main key points.  Her coach, when she went to college on a running scholarship, asked her what her purpose in running was.  She gave answers such as wanting to make the Olympic team and winning nationals and so forth.  This is not what he was getting at.  He wanted to know how running would define her.  The real answer to this question is where running would take her.  What she was getting at is that everyone has a different reason for running.  It became even clearer to me that my running defines me by what I can do with it.  Running is giving me the opportunity to travel to marathons and challenge myself in a way that I can encourage people to join in my cause of supporting Siloam Mission.  That is what running means to me.  I get to talk to a lot of people along the way and if I can touch them in some way about what Siloam Mission is, then I have accomplished what I have set out to do.  There was a lot more that Deena talked about and I could fill several pages with it, but she was very inspiring.

 

As I previously mentioned, I have run Fargo five times now and have never run the same course twice, so you never get bored of seeing the same course.  This year they added a new twist to the race.  This year they started the race in the Fargo Dome which was very unusual.  I have never started a race in a dome before.  I have finished on a track and even in a baseball stadium, but never started in a dome.  It was nice because the temperature was around 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 C), and we got to warmup inside the warm dome.  When we left the dome at 7:30 in the morning we soon found out how cool it was, but after about a mile or so you warm up and then it stays comfortable for the rest of the race. 
My goal this race was to stay with the 4:30 pace bunny and run at that pace for the whole race.  Well, that lasted about three mile and I went on my own.  The pace bunny’s in the states typically don’t take walk breaks and I like to take a walk break about every two miles. 

It was nice to be back in North America again because I could meet people and talk to them more comfortably.  I met a lady from Seattle and another from Nebraska.  We talked for a few miles and then we parted ways to follow a different pace.
There is much more socialization at the start of the race as opposed to the latter part of the race.  The latter part of the race is all about survival and you just try and hang on till the end.  It was around mile 25 of this race that a Bible verse came to me which doesn’t often happen during running, but this time it did.  I just want to add here that you may be wondering what often goes through our minds when fatigue starts to set in.  So I had this Bible verse which says, I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me.  No longer did that verse leave my mind when the next thought came into my mind.  The thought was that if I see a kid with a bike I’m stealing the bike and riding a bit.  Well I guess those ideas are a little different and then I kind of had to chuckle until the next thought came in.  We just need to get our minds off the suffering and focus on the finish.  Yes, this suffering is fun.  It just makes the finish all the more rewarding.

 A funny thing happened to me on the day after the race.  I was in the lobby of the hotel and I saw a local newspaper which had some pictures of the race on the cover.  I opened up the newspaper and glanced at a picture that particularly caught my eye.  It was a picture of some runners crossing the Red River on a footbridge.  I thought to myself that this must have been in the half marathon race and I was going to ask the girls if they had crossed this bridge.  I did not remember the bridge.  So I looked a little closer at the picture before I asked them and realized that it was a full shot of me on that bridge.  I laughed.  It just goes to show you sometimes how out of tune you can be with your surroundings when you are so focused on the running.

That is me on the right hand side in yellow

I mentioned before that we really enjoy coming to the Fargo Marathon and this year did not disappoint.  The fan support is great, the organization is top notch and the overall experience is great.  From beginning to end, this race is very good.  It is also very special when the girls can come out to the races and we even have managed to have all five running at one race two years ago, but Fargo we had four.   We are the running family and hopefully will do this for years to come.

 

The finish of the race was also in the Fargo Dome and I came in to the stadium with my victory pose and trotted off to the finish line.  In all honesty I did suffer a lot more this race and I think it’s because I had a hard rest period since the last race.  After we finished running in Vienna, we flew back home and in about 13 hours over 7 time zones and within a couple of days we both were sick.  The recovery was really poor.  The knees also became a little sore as I am still adjusting to the race distance.  Not the overall mileage but the race distance. In training we might run 40 miles a week but the longest we would run is 22 miles.  There is a big difference between 22 and 26.  I am feeling much better now and am really starting to adjust.

I’m really looking forward to the next race in two weeks in Ottawa where I get to spend the weekend with a very special cousin.  It will also be the first race that Heidi will not be with me so I will have to get used to that as well.

 
 

 

 

 

 

Vienna City Marathon Race #2

Vienna, Austria
Sunday April 12, 2015
Time:     4:23:12
Overall Place 4312/5966

 It is hard to believe that two weeks have passed since we did our first race in Bratislava and here we are again driving down the same hi-way heading to race number two in Vienna, Austria. 

 

 

We spent a very relaxing two weeks at our friends the Demants, doing some sightseeing in the surrounding area of Bavaria, the southern part of Germany.  Some might say driving on the autobahn at 160kms per hour being passed by cars doing 240 Kms is not relaxing, but I quite enjoyed it.  There was a lot to see and do where we were staying, but the greatest enjoyment was just spending quiet time playing games or watching TV in German of which I understood very little.  Thankfully there was no shortage of translators.  I managed to get in a few runs just to keep loose.
So off we were on Friday, April 10 to Vienna, Austria relying on our GPS named Sophie to get us to our destination.  Sophie has guided us for the last nine years or so, on our European trips so she has almost become like family.  Sometimes she gets a little confused. After all she is quite old in GPS years. 

One more mention about the German autobahn that can be a little frustrating is the way the trucks control the road.  German laws prohibit trucks from going over 90 Kms per hour and traveling in the left lanes.  Well you guessed it, if one truck passes another, it is usually about two Kms faster than the truck they are passing and it takes about five minutes for them to do it.  They usually also pull out just before you get there so you have no choice but to wait.  We asked our friends the first time we came to Germany how long it takes to get from one place to another.  The answer given was, I don’t know.  It depends on the traffic and other variables so there is no answer.  We learned never to ask that question again and just allow enough time to get to our destination.  It took us a lot longer to get to Vienna then it should have.

We arrived in Vienna with the hustle and bustle of a big city and followed Sophie to our hotel which we eventually found.  We also located a parking garage close by and just parked the car for the weekend.  In Vienna it is easier to take the subway then to drive everywhere.   

 

 

The race expo was some distance away so we needed the subway to get there.  We went to the expo on both Friday and Saturday.  It was a nice size expo with lots of interesting exhibitors.  This expo was much better then Bratislava which was almost nonexistent.

Saturday we also took in what they called the Friendship Party which was the prerace meal of typical Austrian Kaiserschmarn (pancakes) or classical Pasta Napolitana. 

 

 

 

It was held at the Town Hall (Rathaus) which was an amazing building.  They had the introductions of the nations and a little dancing to the classical music which filled the banquet hall. 

 

This is David Holmen a fellow Marathon Maniac who was running his 269th marathon.

 

I had the opportunity to spend a little time getting to know a fellow runner from the US and learned a lot about running multiple marathons.  After spending a few hours at the party we headed back to the hotel but not before witnessing an event which preceded the next day’s races. 

 

 

They run two races for ages 6-10, a 2.0 KM distance and 10-18 a 4.2 KM distance.  There must have been about 10,000 children taking part in these two events. 

The evening before a race is traditionally prep time when we lay out everything for the race.  I have done races in the past where I have forgotten up to three things so it’s better to err on the side of caution and prepare everything the night before.

Just outside our hotel room before we left for the race.

The Vienna City Marathon had a 9:00 a.m. start so we set two of our devices to wake us up.  I like to get up about three hours before the race so that I can eat, stretch, get dressed and allow the bodily functions to take their course.  We got up at 6:00 and by 7:15 we headed out the door to grab the subway to the start line.  It wasn’t hard to figure out where to go as we just followed the masses.  We got to the marshalling area and waited for a while before going to the starting block.  On the subway we met some people from Germany.  We met another runner and it turned out he had been the skip for the German curling team.  He had been to Winnipeg and Regina twice for the world championships.  It’s amazing the people you meet along the way.

This race was neat because Heidi and I got to line up at the starting line since they ran the half and the full marathon together.  The start began to a beautiful Vienna Waltz and we were off running across the beautiful Blue Danube, literally.  I ran with Heidi for the first mile and a half.  Heidi was a little above her pace and I was a little bit below so after a nice warmup we parted ways.  The next time we met was at the finish line.  The course wound its way through the streets of Vienna alongside the stately white clean buildings.  There were a lot of people along the sidelines cheering us on but unfortunately we didn’t know anyone.  If you to ask me to retrace the course a second time, I could never do it.  Everything becomes just a blur.  Running amongst so many people makes it very hard to really take in the details of the course. 

The program states that refreshment will be passed out every five kilometers and by North American standards, this is a long distance.  In North America the stations are usually about two miles apart so in Europe you have to be careful to take on enough fluids so as not to dehydrate.  Our stations in Vienna were well maintained and supported, so no problem there.  I learned something important in this race though.  When you come to a station, don’t go for the first table.  It seems that’s what everyone does and that is where the least amount of drinks are.  Better to go for the middle to the end.  I usually take my walk breaks at the same time so I’m ready to go by the time the water station is past.  The other thing about taking on fluids is that you need to learn how much fluid your body requires.  It is very easy to over hydrate so it takes a bit of discovery to find that balance between dehydrating and over hydrating.  Nothing like running down the road with an over full stomach, it’s not comfortable.

I felt good through most of the race and maintained a fairly consistent pace until about mile 24 when I started to suffer and had to walk just a bit more.  Around 700 meters from the end of the race I had a great experience.  At this point of the race they have a race announcer just before you round the corner to go down the finishing straight to the finish line.  The announcer could see me coming and announced “here comes a runner from Canada” and he proceeded to run beside me with a mic.  He asked my name and what province I came from.  I told him my name and said Manitoba, all the while we were both running.  It was quite exhilarating.  They were again playing Strauss music over the loud speakers.  It sent chills down my spine. 

 

 

Just at the bend before the finishing straight I spotted Heidi ready with camera in hand, and I posed for my finishing smile (if you want to call it that). 

 



Proud to wear my Canada shirt

 

I really have to work on that smile.  It just doesn’t look that good after 26 miles.

Coming across the finishing line is always emotional and I don’t think that will ever change no matter how many marathons I run.  I know that someday I won’t be able to do this, this is not the day.  I know that some of you may wonder, wow that doesn’t seem so hard the way I have described the race.  Running a marathon is always hard and you suffer.  The question is not will you suffer, but when.

 

 

I don't usually eat after a race but I was unusually hungry.

After the race we headed back to the hotel, showered, packed up, and drove back to Germany.  It was a beautiful relaxing drive as we didn’t have to contend with any trucks. Trucks are not allowed to drive in on Sundays until 10:00 pm.  This allowed me to cruise home at about 160Kms and I even managed to get it up to 182Kms.  This is usually when Heidi prays the most.

It was a great vacation and two very enjoyable marathons.  I can’t wait till the next one in four weeks.