Marathon Results

Chariots of Fire...

Yes, I survived the Mayor's Marathon on Saturday. I finished in 6:00:52. That was good enough for 509th place among the men (out of 572). There were 1285 finishers in all. I had predicted that it would take 5 to 6 hours, so I wasn't too far off. This achievement made it into my Top Three Athletic Accomplishments--right behind 1989's second-place finish in a fencing tournament, and just ahead of the "Most Improved" trophy for the 1985 Mixers No. 1 Bowling League at Northridge Lanes. This feat is easy to accomplish if your average after the first day is 35. (A note to all the mothers out there: I know you mean well, but, if you ever find yourself keeping score for a boys' bowling team, drawing a smiley face inside the zeroes isn't going to make any 12-year-old boy feel better about his gutter balls.)

The runners were exuberant and cheerful at the start and for the first mile or so. Around mile two I came out of a deep reverie on the subject of bears to realize that all chatter had suddenly ceased. There was now only the sound of breathing and sneakers pounding the pavement. It was a little eerie to be running so quietly with so many people.

At mile four there was an aid station manned by Mormons handing out cups of water in suits and ties. My friend Craig was also there to cheer me on, so he got to see me when I was still fresh and happy. Right about that time it started to rain. It rained for about 20 minutes. I was glad I had worn a jacket. I thought I might be able to ditch it once it warmed up, but it remained cool and cloudy all day and I never took it off.

For the next ten miles, we ran on a gravel road through the army base. There were very few spectators and this was the hilliest part of the course. Consequently, it was my least favorite stretch. Some of the first marathoners saw a bear and two cubs, but all I saw was some fresh scat on the trail. There were also many geraniums and lupines in bloom, which was nice. As I was running along, I remember thinking to myself, "Wow. There are a lot of old people running this race." A few miles later (my mind operates at a rate inversely proportional to that of my feet) I thought, "I wonder if that is any reflection on the pace I am running? I'm sure there were some younger people back at the start." Seriously. I was running with a man who must have been 70. He had run a marathon in all 50 states and was running one in Alberta in two more weeks. I couldn't keep up with him.

Mile 21--I was much more tired than I look in these photos.

I felt good until mile 10. Then I started to feel tired. By the halfway point, I started taking walk breaks. By mile 16 my walk breaks were longer than my running breaks. By mile 18, I thought, "forget it, I'm walking the rest of the way." By this time I was out of the woods and on the bike path along Tudor Road. I watched with bitter envy as the cabs drove by, but I didn't have any money with me. I walked for the next three miles. Even other walkers were passing me. I don't get that. How can they walk so fast? I only have one walking speed, and it is somewhere between a saunter and a stroll.

I saw one man who was speed walking the whole race. I first caught sight of him in the distance back at mile four. He was an older man, tall, skinny, and dressed in neon green shirt and shorts. He was difficult to miss. I would close in on him. Then I would stop to get something to drink or use the bathroom and he would pull ahead. I finally passed him around mile 6. About 6 or 7 miles later, he passed me, his skinny legs never missing a beat as he blew past me like a lime green juggernaut disappearing into the forest. I never saw him again. He might be halfway to Fairbanks by now.

It's an awkward situation, walking in a marathon. Even if the spectators clap and say something mildly encouraging, you can see the contempt in their eyes. (Does fatigue cause paranoia?) There were few spectators along this stretch, so one option would be to walk until I see some people ahead and then run a little bit until they are out of sight. A second option would be to walk along breathing heavily with my hands on my hips as if I had been running very hard until RIGHT before you saw me and am now taking a previously scheduled walking break. I chose option three: pretend I am not really IN the marathon, I just happen to be walking along this path that is, entirely by coincidence, also the route of some race they must be running today. This didn't fool many, apparently, because every once in a while, someone would clap in a half-hearted way and say something like, "Looking good!" or "OK, way to finish strong." Then I would turn on them and start shrieking, "Stop patronizing me!! And give me cab fare! Are you going to finish that Snickers?!" (But only in my mind. And ref. the note to mothers above.)

At the aid station at mile 21 I spotted some friends who were waiting patiently for me to run by. I remembered that my racing strategy called for me to run for a short distance right before mile 21 and then to stop there for a few minutes while I load up on some calories. So I made some time to visit with the Judges and the Potsanders. I like the kind of athletic event that allows one to just take a break and chat with some friends who are watching on the sidelines. I always viewed baseball as this kind of sport, which is why I was stuck in left field, where there is no one to talk to and nothing to do but look for four-leaf clovers and nobody ever pays attention to you and then suddenly everyone is yelling and pointing at you in an excited fashion but you can't understand what they are saying and people are running around the bases and isn't someone supposed to be throwing the ball? Where is the ball anyway? This is why I never made it past t-ball. Although, I did have two home runs that season--both of them ground balls.

Explaining the necessity of proper race nutrition, no doubt.

Anyway, it was great to see some fans on the course and it really lifted my spirits when they were low. We talked for about five minutes and then I was off. Meggan wanted at least one photo of me actually running. So I did my best "Chariots of Fire" impersonation and hit the trail. I had enough energy to run for another mile. Then I ran and walked for about 3 miles and then ran most of the last mile. Some more friends were waiting at the finish line, including Jesse and Jill who had run the Half Marathon that day. Rachel and Mitchell were also there to witness my titanic triumph. I was very glad to be finished. And glad that I could finish in better spirits than I had been in three hours earlier. I was tired but not completely wasted. When I got home I took a hot bath and laid down for about two hours, but I didn't sleep much. I had some blisters on my left heel, but nothing serious. I had heard horror stories about blackened toe nails falling off, but my toes were fine. The next day I felt a little sore, but not as bad as I had thought I would. I think people were disappointed that I wasn't limping at church. On Monday morning, I felt completely fine, no aches or pains at all. If I can't run fast, I can take some consolation in my recovery time.

I am glad I ran the marathon and I am glad it is over. Thanks to everyone who sent words of encouragement and who came out to cheer me on. It helped a great deal. I don't know if I will run another one, but if I do, I'm buying matching neon green running clothes.

26.2 is a looooong way to run

Tomorrow I celebrate the summer solstice by running my first marathon: the Mayor’s Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska. I have been training for this for 18 weeks (illustrated by the training calendars that adorn my bedroom door). In that time I have run 350 miles. I have run a total of 60 hours. Only 26.2 miles and maybe five hours to go.

I am a slow runner, so I will be satisfied with simply finishing. I’d like to run the whole distance, but I might have to walk part of it. Hopefully the race-day excitement injects some extra energy.

The race starts at 8 AM ADT if anyone wants to cheer vicariously. A live, geo-positioning, webcast would be cool, but I don’t think my technological expertise is sufficient.

See more progress on: run a marathon

Mennonite History Reading List

Mennonite Historical Bulletin, published by the Mennonite Church USA Historical Committee, has compiled “The Essential Anabaptist-Mennonite History Reading List.” This might be a fun reading goal for 2009. I can already cross out a few of them.

Mennonite history reading list

• The Anabaptist Vision by Harold S. Bender
• The Black Mennonite Church in North America, 1886-1986 by LeRoy Bechler
• The CPS Story: An Illustrated History of Civilian Public Service by Albert N. Keim
• Encircled: Stories of Mennonite Women, edited by Ruth Unrau
• Full Circle: Stories of Mennonite Women, edited by Mary Lou Cummings
• Global Mennonite History Series:

• Anabaptist Songs in African Hearts
• Testing Faith and Tradition
  

• Harold S. Bender by Albert N. Keim
• The Hispanic Mennonite Church in North America, 1932-1982 by Rafael Falcon
• A History of the Amish by Steven M. Nolt
• An Introduction to Mennonite History by Cornelius J. Dyck
• Martyrs Mirror by Thieleman J. van Braght (Does anyone actually read this one?)
  
• The Mennonite Church in America: Sometimes Called the Old Mennonites by J.C. Wenger
• The Mennonite Encyclopedia
• The Mennonite Experience in America series:
• Land, Piety, Peoplehood: The Establishment of Mennonite Communities in America, 1683-1790
• Peace, Faith, Nation: Mennonites and Amish in Nineteenth-Century America
• Vision, Doctrine, War: Mennonite Identity and Organization in America, 1890-1930
• Mennonites in American Society, 1930-1970: Modernity and the Persistence of Religious Community
  

• Mennonite Historical Atlas by Helmut T. Huebert and William Schroeder
• Mennonite Women: A Story of God’s Faithfulness by Elaine Sommers Rich
• Mennonites in Canada series:
• Mennonites in Canada, 1786-1920: The History of a Separate People
• Mennonites in Canada, 1920-1940: A People’s Struggle for Survival
• Mennonites in Canada, 1939-1970: A People Transformed
  

• Mennonites in Russia, 1788-1988: Essays in Honour of Gerhard Lohrenz, edited by John Friesen
• Open Doors: The History of the General Conference Mennonite Church by S.F. Pannabecker
• Profiles of Anabaptist Women: Sixteenth-Century Reforming Pioneers, edited by C. Arnold Snyder and Linda A. Huebert Hecht
• The Radical Reformation by George Huntston Williams
• Stories: How Mennonites Came to Be by John D. Roth
• The Story of the Mennonites by C. Henry Smith
• Two Kingdoms, Two Loyalties: Mennonite Pacifism in Modern America by Perry Bush
• Women Against the Good War: Conscientious Objection and Gender on the American Home Front, 1941-1947 by Rachel Waltner Goosse
  

Finished

I finally finished The Brothers Karamazov. And it only took me five months to do it. Yes, it’s a big book, but it took so long because I would set it aside for weeks at a time. If I am going to complete my 19th Century Russian Reading List this year I am going to have to pick up the pace.

But I am content at the moment. I have finished the first of 2008’s goals and at least one more will be completed in about 11 days.

See more progress on: Read The brothers Karamazov

Bo Diddley

Bo Diddley passed away today at the age of 79. He was one of the great bluesmen and musical innovators. No one was more responsible for the birth of rock 'n roll. You can still hear the "Bo Diddley Beat" on the radio today. Here are some videos of the man in action



Diddley is one of the most-covered artists ever. Search for "Who Do You Love" on Youtube and you'll find plenty of covers. (The most famous, of course, was George Thoroughgood's).




in the 90s, many people knew Bo Diddley from the Nike commercials featuring multi-sport athlete Bo Jackson.



And finally, the epitome of all blues songs: "I'm a Man." Ask most people to sing a blues riff and this is what you'll hear. Also covered (very well) by Muddy Waters.