Omaha Marathon Race #10

Omaha, Nebraska

Sunday, September 20, 2015
Time: 4:25:59
Overall Place: 218/441

The Omaha Marathon was a late addition to the schedule and was my tenth marathon this year.  It was also the third marathon in three weeks which actually works out to 15 days, but who’s counting.  Last year Jennifer and I went to this race and we enjoyed it very much and I asked her if she wanted to do it again.  Well, it didn’t take much to twist her arm and I mentioned it to Stephanie as well and she welcomed the opportunity to run a race in Nebraska as well.  The trip was set and the two girls and I decided to tackle Omaha, just me and the girls.

As I mentioned this was my third marathon weekend in a row. The week leading up to this weekend  I did a Wednesday night run and a Saturday pre-race run.  I felt surprisingly good.  After two marathons on consecutive weekends I would have thought that I would be more tired, but to my delight I felt better than I had in years.  I think that my body is getting used to the races and I am getting some good rest during the week that aids in the recovery.

Nice, I didn't have too drive much.  We were talking to Wendy who was in Calgary.

The race was on Sunday so we decided to leave on Friday and drive right through to Omaha which is about a 10 hour drive.  Of course that all depends on how fast you drive and how many stops you make along the way.  We had packed sandwiches and drinks and thus we didn’t need to make a lot of stops for food, just gas and a little walk break.  I do like traveling with these girls as they are part camel and we don’t have to make a lot of bathroom stops.  Give them coffee before we leave and it is happiness all the way.

We arrived in Omaha around 10:30 and followed our GPS to the front door of a lawyer’s office.  I’m not sure if that had any significance, but we figured that there were no hotels in sight so Jennifer found the actual correct location on her cell phone and we made it to the hotel in a few minutes.  When we arrived at the hotel we were greeted and promptly told that they had no room for us and that Hotels.com had booked us into a full hotel.   Well, there was a hotel next door and they had booked us into that one.  It was a newly renovated hotel, not yet quite open and not as nice as the one we were supposed to be in, but it would do.  They did let us come back to our original hotel and have a hot breakfast.   The staff at our original hotel that we didn’t get to sleep in were very nice and the general manager offered a complimentary night in his hotel at a later date.  I figured, yeah right, when will I ever be able to use this?  Well, next month we are going to Kansas City and Omaha is a perfect stop for that trip so I booked my complimentary night, thank you very much.  One less night to pay for.

The next morning after a very good sleep Jennifer and I got up and went for a little 2 mile run in the neighborhood just to loosen up the legs.  Stephanie opted for the bed and didn’t come with us.  Probably so she could think about all the time she could spend at Gordmans which is a store that sells clothes and household items.  Stephanie made it quite clear that this trek was very important and so we made it a priority to get there just so we didn’t have to listen to her all day.  Finding Gordmans was another matter because they have a head office, a distribution center and some stores.  Our first attempt at finding Gordmans brought us to the wrong kind.  It was a different kind of Gordmans.  Great, we better find one.  We got another location and this time Jennifer plugged it into her phone and she led us right back to the hotel.  She said she was following the wrong dot on the map.  This was way too funny.  We found the other Gordmans and finally we made it.  I really like Gordmans and I really don’t mind going.  Sounds odd right? Well, they have a TV which plays sports, so I have something to do while the girls shop.

 

I wanted to be like everyone else in Nebraska and wear red.

Gordmans calls this their Grandstand

 

The second night I had booked in a different hotel which was very close to the start finish line.  This hotel was a little more money so I only booked one night and we saved a little on the first night which was less. 

Our Holiday Inn

 It was also close to the Expo and the pasta dinner which we enjoyed later in the afternoon.  We don’t often take in the pasta night, but this one is included in the entry fee. 



Pasta Party

We had the opportunity to sit with three ladies from Texas and one of them was even a Marathon Manic just like me.  We were able to compare notes and realized that we would be doing two more races together this fall.  Yes there are other crazy people out there in this world that love running just as much as me.

The late evening was set aside for laying out the clothes and playing on the IPhone.    I really don’t know what people did before the invention of the cell phone which you could take everywhere and hook into WIFI.  We also took a little dip in the water park they have on site.  I nice way to wind down the evening.

 

 

I decided to go with the Red and Blue for this race.

The morning came and we all got ready.  Okay so I woke up two hours before the race and let the girls sleep till we had to leave.  It takes me a while to prepare and get the body ready and convinced that it is going to run a marathon.  The girls were both running the half and it started at the same time as the full.  We headed down to the race site so that we could have a picture taken with other Maniacs. 

 

I met many Maniacs on the course and everyone encourages each other.

There were supposed to be about 37 in the race but only a small number showed up for the picture.  It’s always fun doing this.

Jennifer’s goal was to go out and run a good time and use this race as preparation for the full she is doing in October, a month from now.  Stephanie’s goal was to have fun which is something she really enjoys.  It’s been a little tougher for her to train so she was going to take it at a comfortable pace.  I decided to run with Stephanie until the half turn-around.  I always find it a thrill to run with my girls and this was my opportunity to run with Stephanie.

Everything went according to plan for the start.  Jennifer took off and ran strong.  Stephanie and I ran a nice pace and we (I) had a great time.  At the 6.5 mile mark we parted ways and she headed back.  This course is really an out and back so once we leave the 6.5 mile mark we run another 13 and then come back to the half turnaround again and then the last stretch back home.  One of the things that amazed me about this race was the support by the police.  We passed one officer who had a big speaker hooked to a radio and was playing music encouraging the runners.  It was really nice to see.  After I left Stephanie I picked up the pace a little.  Stephanie helped me to run a conservative 6.5 mile so that I could pick the pace and have more energy for the finish.  This plan worked great as I was able to have a negative split and finish strong in the latter part of the race.  Quite simply, a negative split gives you a faster time in the second half of the race over the first half.  Typically runners will tire over the end of the race, so it is nice to finish strong and have energy for a good kick.

 

Count the fingers, number 10.



The border guard called this medal a dessert plate. It was large.

Now this is where the topic of the race becomes a little complicated.  When I finished the race the girls were taking pictures and we met in the expo area.  The first thing that I tell the girls after the race is that it was nice to run a flat course again.  Well Jennifer and I don’t see eye to eye on flat.  Yes, we can agree that the Manitoba Marathon is flat as is Fargo.  That is about where our agreement ends.  Our interpretation of flat is quite different and we usually have a disagreement about it.  Well Omaha to me is quite flat, yes there is a little elevation change, but for the most part it is flat. We usually agree to disagree, all in good fun of course.

 

 

As is usually the case,  we went back to the hotel after the race and I stretched and showered and we headed out of Omaha.  The trip would take us about 9 ½ hours to get back home and I was very thankful to have the girls drive back most of the way for me.  It was a great weekend with two of my girls and I will cherish the memories we made together.  They are easy to travel with and I honestly could write a novel with all the things that happened.  It is just such a great opportunity for me to travel with family and in a couple of weeks I will be meeting Wendy in Victoria to share some memories with her.  Of course it goes without saying that it would always be nice to travel with Heidi, but she can’t always come  as she has commitments back home as well.

Sioux Falls Marathon Race #9

Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Sunday September 13, 2015
Time: 4:33:11
Overall Place: 202/306

 

 

Another weekend, another marathon finished in my quest to run 20 full marathons in 15 months in support of Siloam Mission.  I do have a confession to make and I might as well get it off my chest right now.  Yes, I am running 20 full marathons but I’m afraid I have increased that number just in case some of the planned marathons don’t pan out.  It’s always good to have a plan in place just in case something bad happens such as a race is cancelled or I get stuck in an airport or something else that prevents me from making one of them.  With that in mind I have scheduled 26 full marathons in the fifteen months just to make sure I get to my projected 20.  Okay so it’s out there and yes I am looking forward to every one of them.

This weekend Heidi and I planned to attend the Sioux Falls Marathon in South Dakota.  We had run this race last year and because of its proximity to Winnipeg I decided that this would be a great race to do.  Funny thing is that I had a choice of a few others which were even closer, but we enjoy going to Sioux Falls so we were looking forward to running here again.  This year they made a big change to the race and completely revamped the course.  Yes it’s still 26.2 miles (26.5 if you get lost) but the start and finish were going to be in the same area which is a great plus.

We left on Friday at our usual time which is 12:00 which means Heidi can put in her day of work and I work half a day.  We have it down to a science already.  I drive Heidi to work in the morning.  I go to work and work till 11:00.  I come home make the sandwiches and load the car up and pick her up for 12:00.  This is our routine.  We then drove to Sioux Falls and checked into our hotel at about 8:00.  It was a beautiful drive through North Dakota and South Dakota.  Even though the road is straight, it is not flat once you get into South Dakota.  The really nice thing is that they increased the speed limit in South Dakota to 80 MPH so you can really clip along.

Saturday we were able to spend the whole day in Sioux Falls doing the things we really enjoy doing.  In the morning we got up and went for a little two mile run just to warm up the legs a little.  I will quite often take in a short run the morning before the race.  After this we went to the Expo and picked up our race kits and took a few pictures.  The Expo just happened to be right next door to our hotel.  They have a convention center, arena,  and hotel all on the same grounds.  The stadium where they start and finish the race is right behind the hotel as well so everything is nicely contained to within easy walking distance. 

 

 

 

 

By now it is early afternoon and we headed down to Falls Park which is where the city derives its name from.  It is called the Big Sioux River.  It is a beautiful park in the middle of the downtown area with a lot of photo opportunities. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also happened to take in a local festivity called Germanfest.  Listened to some nice German music and had a Brat.  It’s not quite Germany but it’s next to the best thing.  After spending some time in the area we headed  over to my next favorite past time, walking the local Mall. The Empire Mall. We also took time to have some prerace food here.  It wasn’t the greatest but it was inexpensive.  Funny thing is that we went back to the Falls to take some night shots and then headed back to the Mall where they have a Panda Express for a little snack before heading to bed.

The next morning we got up at 4:30 after a pretty good sleep.  Okay so I got up and Heidi stayed in bed while I got ready.  As usual I had all of my running wears laid out so there would be no searching in panic for something I couldn’t find. 

 

 You know it’s funny, I’ve been told that I am a creature of habit and I always like to do things the same way at the same time and so on.  I don’t look at it that way.  I like to think of myself as being efficient, nothing wrong with that.  Anyway, I don’t miss anything this way and I’m never in a panic.  My race was starting at 6:30 and Heidi didn’t go off until 7:00.  The temperature was around the 10 Celsius mark so that is a perfect start to the day. 

 

 

We went to the start line so that Heidi could see me off.  It is always nice to have someone see you off.

The biggest unknown for me in the race was how my body was going to react to just having run the week before in Marquette.  I was feeling okay but definitely not at 100% recovered from the week before. The race started at 6:30 right on time and we left in the darkness of the morning.  It is very interesting running with sunglasses in the darkness but soon enough the sun comes up and then there is no problem seeing everything.    The course quickly moved into the residential area and around some parks before we hit the downtown area and Falls Park.  Let me just say that Sioux Falls in not a flat city.  This can be good if you are a resident but not so good if like me you live on a pancake, very flat. Once we got to the Big Sioux River we followed along until we got to the other end of the city and then ran up and down some hills again followed by a very long trail along another small river.  My body was not feeling the greatest for about the first 16 miles and then I don’t know what happened but I started feeling a lot better and picked up the pace a little more.  It was in the last 6 miles that I usually walk a lot more but I continued to walk just at the one mile intervals.  I even started picking off some the slower runners that had succumbed to fatigue.  This is a great feeling. 

 

 

 

The finish of the race was almost a complete lap around the track of the stadium to the wildly cheering crowds, or not.  Heidi was there taking pictures of me coming in, so that was really nice.  My body was quite tired but I guess that was to be expected having just run eight days before.  I really enjoyed the race and got to meet some new people.  It is always neat to talk to other runners and find out how their journey got them to where they are in running full marathons.  I talked to one guy that was from Anchorage Alaska who grew up in Sioux Falls and was running his very first marathon.  His goal was to run a marathon in every state of the U.S...  There is just a lot of camaraderie between runners and a lot of support that goes on that the spectator never sees. 

 

Anyway, it was another fun race and I can’t wait till the next one in Omaha next weekend.  That’s right, I snuck this one in and will be going down with Jennifer and Stephanie.  Unfortunately Wendy couldn’t come.  Heidi will be staying home on this one and it will be just myself and the two girls.

 

 

Speaking of Heidi she ran her 25th half  marathon this weekend and it has been only four years since she started.  What a journey she has come through to get to this point and I am very proud of her for taking the challenge of running and making it a part of her lifestyle.  The funny thing is that Heidi never comes to me and asks which races she wants to do.  She lets me do all of the planning and just wants to know where to show up.  That is a lot of trust.  Heidi has made my journey of running a lot more enjoyable and is a big part of my success in running  to raise support for Siloam Mission.  Without Heidi’s support I could never do this and I just wanted to take this opportunity to recognize her for this.

Marquette Marathon Race #8

Marquette, Michigan
Saturday September 5, 2015
Time: 4:27:06
Overall Place: 197/311

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let me start out by saying that no two marathons are ever the same, so it is hard to go into a marathon and expect the same experience.  This marathon was so different in so many ways which made the experience of running this marathon so amazing.  I will go into more detail later on.

We began the weekend on Thursday morning.  I went in to work for 5:00 so that I could work a “full day” before driving to Marquette.  Heidi picked me up this time because she works till noon and I got off just a little after that.  Our plan was to drive to Duluth and then the rest of the way to Marquette on Friday.  Just a quick not for those that don’t know where Marquette is.  It is about 1005 kilometers southeast of Winnipeg on the southern shores of Lake Superior.  It is also known as the Upper Peninsula being almost completely separated from the rest of Michigan.  It takes longer to get to Marquette because there are no major highways that go there, so the drive is slow but incredibly picturesque.  There are also a lot of little lakes along the way in Minnesota and Wisconsin so there are a lot of fishing lodges. 

We arrived in Duluth, actually we crossed into Wisconsin which then becomes Superior, and found a campground where we could pitch a tent.  We set the tent up by the headlights of our car and had it up in no time.  Why are we tenting?  As most of you know we are paying for these trips out of our own pocket so that all the money raised goes directly to Siloam Mission, so we like to save money by not having to take a hotel all of the time.  We also enjoy tenting if the conditions are ideal so it is a win win situation for us.

 

 

We had a good sleep and got up the next morning to a lot of fog in the area which made everything quite wet.  No problem, pack it up and dry out at the hotel.  We had another 4 hours to Marquette so we were able to take our time and stop along the way to take some pictures.  It’s amazing how much gas is saved by doing 55 MPH.

 

We arrived in Marquette early Friday afternoon and went to our hotel and checked in.  We then drove to the race kit pickup location so that we could get a little bit of a sense of what this city was all about.  Nothing is flat in this city which is not always encouraging when you have to run a marathon over these hills, but it does add certain attractiveness to a city.  We also took this opportunity to look for a place to eat.  I like to get my pre-race meal sometime in the later afternoon, so we found a Chinese buffet.  Yes that is a little unusual, but they do have some very good carb dishes as well.  The little restaurant we found had the best Chinese food I have ever had in my life. We couldn’t stop raving about it. 

Heidi and I went down to Lake Superior and enjoyed the beach area and the scenery.  We took some pictures and were happy we had our tripod with us so I could be in the pictures as well.  It was so peaceful and relaxed.  The water was cold but it did not stop the many people who came to have fun at the beach.

At 6:00 we came back to the Lakeview Arena to get our bibs and shirt and see the expo.  Okay, not much of an Expo but it is a really small race so you can’t expect all of the hype of a big race.  The funny thing was that the bibs for the half marathon were not ready so we had to come back about 45 minutes later so they could put the timing chips onto the bibs, no problem.  After this we headed back to the hotel which was about 10 minutes away so we could get ready for the race the next day and head to bed.

What we knew of this race was that it was considered a downhill marathon.  They drive you out to a town called Ishpeming for the full marathon and Negaunee for the half, and we have to run back to Marquette for the finish.  The main part of the course is along a trail from these two little communities which is partially crushed stone and blacktop and is covered with overhanging trees, from mile one till about mile 16.  From there it is along Lake Superior.

Just a little about the town and the course.  Marquette is an Iron Ore mining town, but it does not process the ore.  The ore is loaded onto ships and sent elsewhere to be processed.  Marquette is a mining town with a large port for shipping.  Marquette is also known for its university, Northern Michigan which has about 10,000 students.  This is what makes up the city. 

My plan for this race was to go at a comfortable pace through the downhill sections and see where I could end up back on the flats.  I knew that Heidi was starting 1 1/2 hours after us so that if I timed it right I could beat her to the finish line.  Yes, Heidi and I have this little competitive streak in us and she was determined not to let this happen.  I needed to come in around a 4:20 for the marathon if she would be consistent with her time. 

One thing I really like about these events is that I can meet a lot of different people.  On the bus I sat with a guy from Ohio.  He told me very quietly that he was attending Ohio State and he couldn’t say it too loud because we were in Michigan country and he was afraid they would run him out of town.  Yes, the Americans take their loyalty for their universities very seriously.  Anyways he was hoping to do the marathon in 3:05 and qualify for Boston.  I also met another Marathon Maniac from Minnesota who was running his 56^th marathon.  Very interesting people with very interesting stories.  I met many other people along the run with different experiences, but all have a common bond, and that is a passion for running.  Yes there are more people in this world that love running.

 

 

Well we woke up in the morning and the weather was at about 20 degrees Celsius and 95% humidity.  That is a nice warm start to the day.  The race started off at first light under a covering of fog.  As I mentioned we ran down a trail for the first 16 miles until we reached the city.  We had a lot of overhanging trees which kept the temperature bearable.  I had good speed going down the last of the downhill sections which lasted for about 6 miles.  During this stretch I was also passed by the half marathon leaders and I marveled at their grace and speed at which they passed me by.  I thought I was going at a good pace until they passed me. 

 

When we reached the city we headed toward the lake. I could just feel the temperature going up to a point where it was no longer comfortable and we started to run in the open sunlight.  The pace slowed back to where I could manage, and not get too over heated.  It was nice that they had a lot of aid stations and I took a lot of fluids in, even though some of the water tasted like it came right out of Lake Superior.  When you are thirsty you drink anything.  We wound our way over to the back half of the course along the lake to Presque Isle Park which was about three miles around.  This was nasty because there was a big climb up about three hundred feet and then down a steep decline.  I was really starting to tire and especially going up I did some walking, like everyone else.  On the back side of this park coming down the hill, at mile 22, I got a nasty cramp in my hamstring.  I was on pace at this point to set a personal best but the cramp stopped me dead in my tracks and I had to walk all the way down.  I finally worked it out and was able to run again but I had lost a lot of time.  I made it to the finishing straight which was about a half mile and I got to see this nice two hundred foot incline right to the finish line.  This is not what you want to see when you finish a race.  This is the hardest finish I have ever encountered and again there was more walking.  The good news is that Heidi was able to finish about five minutes before me. 

 

As usual I finished right around the time I always do with a 4:27.  I really wanted to get the 4:25 again, but that’s okay.  I really enjoyed this race because it was so different than anything I have ever done before and no matter how much you plan to run, you just have to adapt to what the race throws at you. 

The guy that I met on the bus was trying to qualify for Boston had a tough go and I saw him walking the last few miles so he probably did not even come close.  He, like a lot of other runners succumbed to the heat.  It was a great day and we both received our medals and collected the post-race food.  It was a about a mile walk back to the car which is nice to walk a bit after the race.  We headed back to the hotel, cleaned up and headed to Minneapolis for the night before coming home to Winnipeg.  It was a great weekend of experiencing new things, meeting new people and having a great race.  I can’t wait for the next race which is next weekend in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, only a week away.  I better do some resting this week.

 

One last bit of information to pass along.  As of today, September 7 we have raised a total of $8,093.81.  Thank you to all who have supported me in my journey to run these marathons for Siloam Mission.