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.