and when life gives you lemons...Marine Corps Marathon '11

Not every day nor every race will be your best, somehow someway you have to find that silver lining and make the best of a situation that you had hoped would be much better.  Yesterday I ran my eighth Marine Corps Marathon and as I vow every year, my last.

Despite a cold start in the mid thirty's weather conditions weren't horrible, in fact if I had dressed more appropriately I would have considered the weather better than adequate.  The race itself was no different than those in the past.  Marine Corps Marathon has become a huge race with nearly thirty thousand runners attempting to cross the finish line all for many different reasons.  And whether you agree with what's going on in the White House or overseas there is something special about running through our Nation's Capital.  The thousands of young marines working all the aid stations and those running for fallen friends help me to become a little more grateful.

So what went wrong?  The first few miles that wind along the streets of VA before entering DC felt tougher than they have in the past.  I felt that I was pushing at a speed that was similar to my last marathon I ran a few weeks ago but my splits were nearly forty seconds slower.  I was hoping to run across the half mark under two hours but instead I posted a time of 2:02ish.  It was at this point I realized that this race wasn't going to go down in the record books.

In all my years of running I have also become one hell of a walker.  For the rest of the race at every mile marker I would walk for one minute and then run to the next marker.  Doing this helps to not only lower your heart rate but couples as a psychological tool (at least for me). 

After crossing the finish line with a special smack on the ass I received yet another finisher's medal, and as always it was filled with meaningful importance.  I had a crappy race...for only a split second did I question was it the fish and chips and beer I had the night before, could it have been attributed to my two weeks of sickness, was it because I had pr'd four weeks ago?  But I stopped myself before the swirling onslaught of excuses and questions could fill my mind.  Yesterday was a day no different than others and today I am more than comfortable with the fact that I made the best out of a not so great performance.  Through some pain I was able to laugh and smile, I was able to see complete strangers excitedly accomplish a goal, I was able to watch families push those who couldn't run to the finish line.  So as the old saying says "when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade" yesterday I made a huge glass of the best lemonade ever.

**Thanks again Steve Barash for the ride, Nancy Cooper for the three mile post walk, and to Donahue for being you!

A Beer Run?

Not a whole lot has happened since my last post other than the normal day to day routines such as doing my Dad thing, work, run, gym, and drinking a few cold ones.  I often think about the important things in my life and how they rank in priority and besides my little girl, loved ones, family, and friends, beer undoubtedly falls into the top ten.  In fact after finishing a long trail run this past weekend with a couple good friends we took an extra few minutes in the parking lot to share a cold brew.

My beer much like the races I run are not discriminated upon...I enjoy the large popular publicized races just as much as the small intimate trail races that remain unknown to most.  This is no different than my choice in beer.  I will never turn down an ice cold Miller Lite nor will I ever turn my nose up to an unheard of microbrew.  They each have their place and on any given day may be the best beer that'll ever touch your taste buds.

Here's my dilemma.  In less than two weeks I will run my eight Marine Corps Marathon and all but one year have I stopped to grab a beer at mile 22(ish).  So do I push for yet another PR on a great course or do I stop and savor a small cup of nectar?  It may be a game time decision.

Today's post wasn't full of insight and intellect but hopefully had a small flair of silliness.  I like to run like I live my life, not too seriously.  It's fun to laugh and I love that it's contagious, I wish more people would catch it...and once you add a little bit of happiness it certainly doesn't get any better.

peace

Blame it on the Rain

You ever have one of those days when everything seems to fall into place, when no matter how much you stumble you can't seem to fall down?  This past Saturday was one of those days, I finally ran a sub four hour marathon.  To be exact my finishing time was 3:58.  With a few days behind me and time to savor something that I have chased for a while I've realized it couldn't have come at a more fitting time. 

The race began in Harper's Ferry and ended in Sheperdstown all while running through four national parks, the course was fantastic.  What I enjoyed and perhaps most ironic was the course profile.  There where moments of flailing downhills, stretches of calm flats, and ten miles of constant climbs that were followed by unexpected descents.  And as I neared closer to the finish with each step and each breath I was being followed by a dark cloud that sporadically would drop rain on my head.  There's no doubt I ran a little faster on Saturday because I had trained hard all summer, lost weight, and made slight changes to my diet.  However I am completely convinced that I had extra help during this race, extra help in so many different ways...

I once again proved to myself that I am not a quitter and sometimes getting what you want only takes a little adjusting.  I reassured myself that the way I live my life and the way I find happiness may be different than others but couldn't put me in a better place.

"Keep on dreaming boy, 'cause when you stop dreamin' it's time to die" - Blindmelon