Yep! I Registered for Another Marathon!

Yes, I have.

I figure that I will get very good at running almost marathon distances or I will actually complete a marathon. I tell my friends that I am the Almost Marathon Man. I’m putting time and training miles in to make this happen.

You hear of everyone completing his or her marathon attempts. It was frustrating when I was unable to complete my first one. I realize that I made some mistakes and I’ve reviewed those mistakes many times.

What were those mistakes?
1. Nutrition - Eat properly and enough. The Friday I flew out of Denver, I had one meal. It was a healthy meal, but it was late in the day. Why didn’t I eat better? Nervous from travel mostly. The rest of the weekend was much better.
2. Rest - Need to rest more prior to a marathon attempt. I spent the day before walking tourist venues and shopping malls. I really should have been relaxing.
3. Pace - I didn’t pace out of the starting gate. I was up and down pacing from as fast as 8:30 to 10:30. I trained @ 12:00. I missed my pace group leaders. I saw them ahead and tried to keep up. Then they were gone. I have no idea where they were. I never saw them again. So, learning to pace was pretty mandatory. It still has to come from me. I have to set my pace and stick to it. I HAVE to.
4. Weather (flimsy) - One could say that I wasn’t ready for the heat and humidity. Maybe. I did run in Denver on very hot mornings and that included the long runs. I will admit that I was not used to the humidity.
5. Electrolytes - I sweat when I run. I am a Clydesdale (200 lb +) grand master (55 years old). A friend recently commented that when I come back from a long run, I have white stains along the edges of my sweat patterns. That seems to imply that I also sweat out electrolytes. I need to make sure that I maintain a good electrolyte level when I run. I am and will be using ‘Endurolytes’ electrolyte replenishment tabs every 30 minutes along with “Perpetuem" which is fuel for extreme endurance. Both products have helped a lot so far. (Thanks, Melisa – for the lead). The down side of the Endurolytes is that water is necessary when using them so that will have to be timed with water stops. It can also result in heartburn. I can endure that for a finish!

Well, that is it in a nutshell! Now all I have to do is get out there and do this thing!


What? Where? When?
Oh yeah, the details. I have registered for the Las Vegas Marathon. It is run on the Las Vegas Strip early in the morning of Sunday, December 7th! You can find out more about it here - http://www.lvmarathon.com/


Finally!
Why is there always a, “Finally?” Its because of unfinished business usually. Remember that medal that I received because of the Chicago Marathon? It had nothing to do with finishing the marathon. This medal was given out of friendship from a very special family. Well… Here it is!

And yes, I will be carrying it with me in Las Vegas!

http://twitter.com/cewtwo

Runners, Bloggers, Relationships!

Great People, Runners!
I have found myself in the middle of something huge. I think that I am a member of a group of peers that rival anything I have ever been a part of. It is very exciting!

If you have the chance to meet a fellow blogger/Runner, please do it. You will enjoy the experience! They are people that you know but you have never met. Extremely well spent time.


The Chicago Marathon!
Maddy, Petra and I ran Millennium Park near the lakefront of Chicago the morning before the race. It was a casual run that showed the staging area and several really cool features of the Grant Park area. It was a great way to get to know each other better. We saw the Cloud Gate and ran the length of the serpentine bridge. Millennium park is a great park to run.

At the start line, there was a young man who was running it AND going to work that very afternoon at 3:00 PM. He had even influenced a friend and fellow co-worker to run it with him. I passed him a few times on the course, and he was consistent. His friend was still with him. He really was an admirable young man and I am sure that he made it to work on time!

I ran the first half with a young man named Tony. I was hamming it up with the crowd as I ran. I would clap my hands and entice the on-lookers to cheer us on! Then, of course, the high fives with the spectators and thanking the volunteers and the police. He said that he liked my style. And liked the attention! After a while, we started up a mantra of, “We’re running, I’m Charlie, he’s Tony, You’re cheering!”
Tony gave me a tour of the city as we moved on!

I ran for several miles with Dee. Dee, like me, was from out of town. It was her second running of the Chicago marathon! She helped me to understand the etiquette of running a marathon!


My Medal
As you know, it laid me low when I didn’t finish Chicago. But friends came to my rescue. My friend and her family, took the time to find a special medal. I went to the door Saturday to check the mail. There was an envelope there addressed to me. It had something in it. Something very special!

It had a medal. There was an inscription on the back that made it very, very special to me.

I have a medal because of Chicago. It is not a finisher’s medal. No, it is something much more sentimental and important to me.

It is a runner’s medal from a friend. No other medal I have means as much as this one.

You know who you are – all 4 of you! Thank you very much.