Marathon Quick Note

Wow, what a great time in Austin, TX over the weekend. I'll give you a full marathon weekend wrap-up with a ton of pics either tomorrow or the next, when I'm back in KC.  But for now just know that the weekend was a great success and I could not have done it without the support and encouragement of all of you.  Thank you so much for all of your kind words and comments you left over the weekend.   I thought about them a lot on the backside of the race ... and they really helped push me!

Best of all, I got to meet Jon from 2 Slow 4 Boston ... (ironic blog title, because he's not).  We actually ran miles 13-17ish together and had a great time visiting.  I think the company helped both of us through the tough Texas Hill Country. 

Jon - I hope I wasn't too much of a distraction in your race, you were a HUGE help with mine my friend!  It was GREAT to meet you and your wonderful family and I wish you the best.  I look forward to running with you again!  Beware of the bats in those caves the remainder of your stay.

I will get you all a boring, detail filled, tediously over-analyzed report on the race and my performance in the coming days.  But for now, I ran 3:29:01 and never felt better in a race ... ever.  (My second fastest) I felt like I could run for days - my last mile was 7:12.  I told Jon when we were done that it just felt like my day.  Everything just clicked and came together at the right time!

Thanks again, and ...
... be great today!

Austin Marathon Tomorrow

I finally got to Austin after a few detours ... more on that later!  Let's just say for now that I drive all over the Midwest with my job, and I'm USUALLY pretty good with directions.

Tomorrow's the big day.  I'm a little nervous because this is probably the toughest course I've ran ... plus, I turn into a little wuss on tough hills.  But hopefully it will go well!  It's a Sunday race, which throws my schedule off a little.  It gives me an extra day of rest, which I probably need, but don't like.

I'm hoping to meet Dick Beardsley at the expo.  He was runner up in the 1982 Boston Marathon to Alberto Salazar.  If you've never read "Duel In The Sun", by John Brant - I highly recommend it.  It's one of my favorites and documents what some consider the greatest American marathon ever.

Goals for tomorrow:

• DON'T injure myself for Boston in 8 weeks
• Blogger meet-up with Jon from 2 Slow 4 Boston
• RUN the whole time ... (I've walked at some point in every marathon)
• Finish somewhere in the 3:30's (not that important, but I wanna keep improving my times overall)
• Enjoy the entire experience
• DON'T injure myself for Boston in 8 weeks

Thank you for all of the support everyone has given me, and especially all of the kind words!  They will give me a little boost at the end when I need it tomorrow. Well, off to drive the course about 73 times and then rest.  Your prayers and happy thoughts would be much appreciated!
... be great today! (hopefully I will tomorrow!)

Dear Austin ... You Talkin' To Me?

Austin Marathon ... me ... 'nuf said!!!

February 4, 2011

Dear Austin Marathon,

Greetings!  Let me start by saying that I am very excited to meet you.  I've only been to Texas a few times, but I've always enjoyed the TV show "Austin City Limits".  I understand that you're also the capital city of the great State of Texas ... how nice.  Okay, enough small talk!

Listen mini-Amarillo, you've made no secret about your disrespectful plans for me in two weeks.  Like some sort of Lone-Star gauntlet, you lie in wait with the notion that YOU'LL be the one to break me.  You've manicured your child-like speed bumps you call hills.  You've contacted the sun and reserved a little southwestern heat-lamp. Playa please ... you've even shipped a wintry heap of snow to my beloved Midwest to force my training to a treadmill for the last month.  You're doing your Yellow-Rosed best to psych me out!  That all you got???

Did you think because I'm 42, and only started running competitively 2 years ago, you could thwart my journey to completing a marathon in all 50 States?  Or because my training times have been inconsistent and slower than usual, I can't rock you like a Texas twister?  Is crossing the Red River supposed to freak me out? Maybe it's because Texas is a prototypical "Manly State" and I've looked less than "manly" in my running tights this winter?  Yeah, well ... okay, I'll give you that one?

But check it out OPEC wanna be ...  Maybe you didn't see me crush Little Rock after puking with the stomach flu the whole week prior.  Shoot, before I ran it, they called it Big Rock!!!  Or did you NOT get the race photos from Mississippi's 16 degree pathetic attempt to freeze me out! And I guess Kentucky didn't drop a dime to let you know that a little rain, and an out & back at mile 23 was just a stroll in the blue grass?  And don't even get me started on the altitude in Utah!  It was nothing kind sir ... NOTHING!!!

I'm a proud Missouri Son baby!  That means I was raised up in the "Show Me" State.  And brotha, you're gonna have to show me a lot more than over-rated sports teams, line-dancin', and old Waylon & Willie albums to cramp my style.  You talkin' 'bout LONGHORNS ... I be 'bout LONG RUNS!  The "Eyes of Texas are upon me???" ... buster, the feet of the Ozarks will be stompin' all over you!  I intend to blaze through your streets, devour your orange slices, guzzle your Gatorade ... and I won't stop 'til I take one of your precious medals back to the Boot-Heel and place it on Harry Truman's door-step!

So, tell Walker, Nolan Ryan, and the Bush Twins ... I'm comin'!  And faster than you can say "Who shot J.R.?" I will check you off the list ... you're #9!  "Don't Mess With Texas"?  Well I'm on a mission ... don't mess with 50 after 40!  Seacrest OUT!
(Disclaimer ... the preceding message was in no way intended to disrespect or discredit the fine people of Austin, TX or the great Lone Star State.  Just it's 26.2 ... which I'm gonna bust up!!!)
...be great today!