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(Thank you, Char! This picture is courtesy of Charlene Huang-Roberts facebook page!)

I work the swing shift.  Afternoon and evening.  When I have to get up at 3:30 AM, either something catastrophic has happened or I am dedicated to something!  It was the latter.  I had to get ready to run a marathon.

Several months ago my friend, Tom, decided that he wanted to do a marathon run. Tom and I have been friends since elementary school.  I decided to run the same one with him.  He is faster than I am so I doubted that we’d run it together, but we could train and learn the process together. I’ve done this before, so we could draw from what I had learned as we progressed through the training.  We decided to use Hal Higdon’s Intermediate I marathon training schedule as our base.

I ran with another friend, too.  Her name is Penelope The Cat. Penelope is an internet phenomenon. She has been a little bit of everywhere across the world. If I was going to cross the finish line, she was going to be there with me.  You can find out more about her at http://www.facebook.com/penelopethecat.

Remember that this would be my 3^rd attempt at a marathon distance.  I failed to complete at Chicago in 2008 falling to the ground with debilitating lower leg cramps at the 40 kilometer mark (I’ve learned to conquer that problem since). I did complete the Las Vegas Marathon in December of 2008 bringing it in at 6:04:22.

My brother, Clint and his lovely wife Susan, were kind enough to provide his house as a base for our Seattle activities. They live North of the city. We had to get up early to catch a shuttle from a hotel just north of city center.

Everyone has their own procedure for race preparation.  The evening before I made sure that I had what I needed for the morning.  It would be an easy matter to get up, eat, dress and get out the door in an easy manner.  Clint had volunteered to shuttle us to the shuttle bus location. 

The morning was cloud covered, cool and somewhat misty. By the time we made the journey, the mist had cleared. Clint dropped us off 1 block from the shuttle bus loading zone. We got right on the bus and we were off. We were headed for the starting line of the 2010 Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon.

Everyone on this school bus shuttle was a competitor. They were all nervous and contemplating what they were about to do.  We talked about what we registered for, our sport watches, & recent aches and pains. One runner said he stubbed hi big toe badly recently. It was black and blue, but the Doctor gave him clearance to run, so he was going for the half.

Then, we arrived. We were at the staging area for the start line at the Seattle RnR 2010 race! We found ourselves a city block away from an industrial park in Tukwila, Washington. We followed the other runners over.  The next hour was spent just looking.  There was water, fruit, bagels and Cytomax. There were several UPS trucks at the gear station. There were also a whole heck of a lot of porta potties. No lines when we arrived, but long, long lines as the start time approached.

We checked out the corrals at the start line.  A corral is an assigned starting position based on the finish time that you gave yourself at registration. I had Corral 27. Tom was assigned to Corral 22.  In total, there were 39 Corrals. At the back of the line was the silver car that denoted the end of the competition. It was the car that would run the course at the very end of the assigned time closing the course.

As zero time approached, we went to our corrals. Tom and I had talked about it time and time again, but we went over it again. Start out slow. When you think you are slow enough, slow it down a little bit more.  The start is a good time to conserve energy that you’ll need toward the end.  Tom’s brother, Don, had called the day before and reminded us both of that. In January, Don completed his first marathon at the Phoenix RnR! It was advice based on his own real experience.

I entered corral 27 and looked about.  There was a younger man standing close by.  I saw that he had a yellow bib.  The yellow bib was the full marathon color. He told me that this was his first marathon and that it was a “Bucket list” item. I told him that it was my second attempt at a marathon completion.

7:00 AM was approaching quickly by now.  We had the privilege of having John Bingham (waddle on, penguin) as the announcer!  I looked about again and Pat had moved on. The line grew quiet as the national anthem was sung. The countdown to the start of the race commenced and this competition was on!

To a runner this is a special period of time. I contemplated the task that I had taken on. I thought about the weeks of training that I had completed. You could hear the nervous contemplation as corral after corral was started. As my corral got closer and closer to the start line, my nervousness grew and grew. Tom’s corral 22 started their run 34 minutes after the start gun. My corral started 43 minutes after the gun.

We got our “Go” and I started to run. Before I had run far, Pat was at my side. He told me that he’d like to run with me if he could. Well, misery loves company and so do marathoners!  We ran the entire course together.  We discussed a lot about running and Pat shared his knowledge of the area with me. We made a great team.

We ran at a pace of about 12 minute miles. The first half was very scenic. We ran through industrial areas, nice neighborhoods, parks, and along the shore of Lake Washington. We contemplated the floating bridge as we approached it. Then we converged on the first split point. Full marathon runners were to run to the right, half marathoners to the left. As Pat and I moved over, the half runners cheered us on! We returned the favor. We were on the floating bridge and headed across Lake Washington soon after. 

There weren’t many hills to this point. If there were, it didn’t matter as we were still fresh. The floating bridge did have a ramp down and into the bridge, and up again at the other end. As it was an out-and-back at this point, so we had it to do again. There was a slight breeze that cooled us off under those cloudy skies.  Pat found some friends headed back across the bridge, and I saw Tom. We stopped and caught up but you don’t finish until you run, so on we went.

After the floating bridge we entered our first tunnel. It wasn’t very long and we were back out and into the light.  They had split the courses after the floating bridge. We ran on one side of the road and the halvers on the other.  We passed the 12 miles mark and then came up on the 13.1 (halfway) mark. I looked at the Halvers and told ‘em that we had completed 13.1! Then I said that it was OK, though, as we had the same distance to go!

We were in the sports area of Seattle. I remember Safeco and Qwest Fields.  Soon, the Halvers would again split and head for their finish line.  We were at one cross walk watching as some Halvers who had finished were crossing the course. I stopped one young lady asking to see her medal.  It looked great! I commended her. She saw my bib and commented on my being a marathon runner. I told her not to worry as Pat and I were on our way to a finish. We took off again.

Seattle downtown was a fun part of the run. We ran down some steeps headed toward the water front. We headed toward the Alaskan Viaduct. At the split, we marathon runners headed North as the Halvers headed for their finish line. We wished them luck and ran on the middle level of the viaduct.

 The viaduct was not too bad headed North. We were covered and cool as we headed toward the tunnel.

At this marathon, there were medical people with red shirts on bicycles. They were observant and everywhere. Tom told me that one was behind him and commented that his shoulders were too tight.  He loosened them up and felt better.  He did say that he had to turn around and comment that she was just making him nervous after a while.  She smiled and moved on.

The tunnel was interesting. Noise echoed the entire length. I took the opportunity here to take a couple of electrolyte supplements. There was a DJ spinning disks near the end that had music on way too loud.  Hurt the ears.

Pat sure enjoys his music!  At every band and chance to dance, he did.  The bands picked up on that. It was enjoyable all the way around.  This was a Rock and Roll event and there were bands all the way along the course.

We came out of the tunnel into faded sunshine. It felt good to have some warmth. This was at mile 16. The course had been slowly gaining elevation.  It would continue to gain all the way to the Aurora bridge.

We crossed the bridge and got a break from the climb.  I knew that we were on a bridge but my concentration was on our endeavor. I wanted to get the view but I also wanted to achieve the end. To conserve energy, we ran right down the middle and not the edge. So…  No view. On the other side, it was a few blocks to another turn around point. We were headed South again.

Mile 19 was just past the South end of the bridge.  We started the run and I felt cramping in my lower legs.  I reached for my coin purse with the electrolytes. It was not there! I must have dropped it in the tunnel.  Shades of Chicago! What was I going to do. Pat agreed to walk for a while (What a great guy)! As we passed the next water station, there were salt packets (the kind you get at fast food joints). We both downed one. I grabbed some extra packs. We washed it down with bot water and Cytomax. Now it was time to see if it would work.

It was after the water station that I decided to down another salt pack. Pat did one, too.  It left the nasty taste of salt in the mouth until the next water station.  BUT…  The cramps were easing up.  Soon, we were alternating running and walking.  We passed the 20 mile mark.  Pat and I were on the final 6.2!  This was a doable competition now!

Water on the North side of the Viaduct came from hose water and tasted like it.  No way around it, I suppose, but it was noticeable.

We entered the Viaduct tunnel headed South. It was about the same length as the other side but much quieter.  We exited the other side into some bold sunshine. Didn’t matter, though. We were nearing the end.  We were on the upper level of the Viaduct now.

Miles 21 and 22 passed.  Running, walking, running, walking…  Nice and level at this point.  We kept on going.

Mile 23 passed.  I thought that I was running long.  After all, the race was a 7:00 hour maximum.  I knew that Pat and I would make it, though. Up ahead, the viaduct was ending.  It appeared to be a ramp headed down. What lies ahead now?

We neared it and watched as others ahead of us were reaching another ramp leading down to the finish line.

Expecting some relief, we saw that at the bottom of the ramp the course continued (and continued and continued).  We could see the turn around, but it was a ways up there. At the bottom of the ramp was the 25 mile marker for those closer to the finish line. I wouldn’t be long now! W e ran and we walked.  It took a long time (seemingly) but we reached the 24 mile marker a little before the turn-around. There was a Med station there.  Behind that there were two “Vulture” buses. It was their job to take those who couldn’t finish to the final staging area.

Pat and I bolstered each other up and kept going.  We ran toward the 25 mile marker. The ramp after the marker was steep. We decided to walk it. At the top, we started to run again. It felt good to know that the finish was so near. We were going to finish!

Soon, we were at the final downhill ramp.  We passed the 26 mile marker on level ground.  There was a left turn and then another left turn and we could see the finish line. Pat and I looked at each other. We made it! He was kind enough to let me go ahead. I dropped my glove and got Penelope The Cat out. She went into my right hand for the finish line.

I heard my name being yelled. I turned to the right and there was Manager John and GAG Char cheering us to the finish line.  My arms went up and I smiled. I crossed the finish line! Marathon number 2 is in the bag!

Pat and I shook hands, hugged and congratulated each other. Tom was there waiting for me.  We congratulated each other on a marathon completion. Tom had come back to get a picture of both of us at the finish. What a guy!

My medal record goes on!  I waited for a young lady handing out medals to place mine over my neck. She put her hand out but I asked for my usual hug. She agreed!

We got water, granola bars and fruit. We left the finishers chute. Poor John and Char.  Here was a sweaty, large guy that just finished a marathon refusing their out stretched hands for a full body hug!

Unfortunately, Clint and Susan missed my finish again.  They met us soon after.  I don’t like to think this now but I might have to run another so they can see me finish one!

It was great weather and a great personal achievement.  I did feel a disappointment as I saw the finish clock was at 06:31…  I missed my PR I was trying for.  It wasn’t until several hours that I found out that it took me 43 minutes to pass the start line.  SO…  I DID PR! My new Personal Record was 15 minutes and 39 seconds better than my first.

As we were leaving the area to get the car, a familiar face came out of a restaurant. Pat!! He said that he was telling his family of our experiences together when he saw me!  Coincidence?  Who knows…  Pat was a great guy to run with and it made this race a great experience! Thank you so much, Pat!

Oh, yeah…  Tom…  My friend, Tom, did a great thing.  One of the Team-In-Training people was having a hard time at the 19 mile mark. Tom saw her and talked to her. He recognized that she had the spirit but could use some help. She felt exhausted and was contemplating dropping out. He offered her some of his energy gel, some encouraging words and an endurolyte or two.  He stayed with her until the end.  That made the marathon experience even better when 2 runners can assist each other to make it work.  Congratulations to both Tom and Elizabeth for your spectacular finish together!

Overall, a great day for everyone involved!

Memorial Day Weekend -

A panorama of the mountains East of Independence Pass in Colorado (near Aspen).

Beautiful scenery on the Independence Pass highway.

Notice the high water from Spring run off.

Running -

Wow! Training for a marathon consumes time and miles.  It is a healthy procedure, but it can be a trial.  In training for the Seattle Rock and Roll marathon and then running it, I will have logged 626 miles.  I don’t know about you, but I am amazed by it!

I will be running with Tom.  I’ve known Tom since elementray school. Tom is the inspiration for this marathon run.  He wanted to train for and accomplish a marathon run.  I support my friend and agreed to the training!

I will also be running with another partner!  Her name is Penelope The Cat.  This girl is a class act and a world traveller.  She is going on the marathon run with me.  You can find out more about this interesting phenomenon here.  A Picture?  Sure…

My runs -

So far this week, 3 runs @ 13.13 miles and a pace of 10:17.

June of 2010 – 12 runs @ 84.63 miles and a pace of 11:11.

2010 overall – 124 runs @ 124 miles and a pace of 10:24.

As of today, I have 20 training miles to go and 10 days to the event!

Saturday is my last ‘long run.’ It will be 8 miles. I really never thought that I would say this, but 8 miles is a breeze or a walk in the park!  I’ll have to get out early as it is supposed to get hot in Denver, but it should not take long and I am looking forward to it!

Seattle -

I have a brother.  Clint and Susan live in Bothell, just North of Seattle.  They are providing our home base for the weekend.  Tom and I will fly out on Thursday, June 24^th and returning on Tuesday, June 29^th.

Thursday, will be a travel day.  We will also meet some people and get to the Expo for the event.  It is a rest day on our schedule. 

Friday will be mostly a vacation day.  We will do a short run in the morning. Then, we hope to do some driving to see some local sights and some car touring.  Dinner at Maggianos, then back to prepare for a marathon run and get as much rest as possible.

Saturday is our race day.  We hope to catch a shuttle to the start line by 5:30 AM at the Westin Hotel north of Seattle City Center. Clint retired from the navy and has access to parking at place the rest of us might not have. Of course, I will blog about the race with a race report soon after!

Sunday is a recovery day.  But are we planning recovery activities? Nah!  We’ll be tourists again!  We’ll start with a breakfast at the Pike Place Market, the Seattle Duck Tour, then wandering about seeing the market, the piers, and other things in the area.  I hope we’ll be up to it!

Monday is another exciting day!  We will be catching the Victoria Clipper at 8:30 AM and heading for Canada!  We will be meeting John and Charlene and Firefighter Cindy and Mother Superior!  We’ll all meet up in Victoria, BC after the clipper ride.  We’ll come back via the 5:30 PM clipper.  It should be a wild and exciting time.

Tuesday will come all too soon and we will head for home!  We’ll have a short flight to Phoenix then a long wait for the flight back to Denver.

It should be a great weekend and we are really looking forward to it.

I really want to thank Clint and Susan for their willingness to put up with us for the long weekend!

Humor –

You know you’re a runner when…

• you smirk when non-runners ask you, “So how long is this marathon?”
• your treadmill has more miles on it than your car.
• you know where your illiotibial band is located. Tom? Where is it?

Just a quick update…

RUNNING…

In 2010, I have run 100 runs as of today!  My run today was 8.08 miles. I have run 552 miles so far this year.  I am putting on the miles training for the Seattle Rock and Roll marathon on June 26.  I will be running the full marathon with my friend, Tom.  Tom wanted to try a full marathon and I decided to run along as support for a curious friend!

Some weekends are a trial, some are not.  I ran a 5K last weekend with a friend.  Jeff had been training for the 5K for a while.  It was a great morning and a fun community race.  Jeff did great! He ran a wonderful race and faster than he thought he would.  He even placed 2^nd in his age group!  Congratulations, Jeff!

Now, I ran the 5K, then I ran from the event to my house, then finished my scheduled 18 miles on the ol’ treadmill! Now that is an event!

This coming weekend things clicked for once.  I have a bi-week with a schedule of 13 miles.  Well…  Why not run a Pikermi (half-marathon)?  So, I will be running the Kaiser Permanente Colfax Marathon (the half anyway). 

What does it all mean?  Basically, that I will be so happy when the marathon run has been completed!  AND…  That there will be an update next week!

Home Theatre PC News…

This is the new wireless keyboard/mouse combination that I am using with the HTPC system.  It saves a lot of space in the livingroom.  It replaced a full size wireless keyboard and mouse.  This thing is amazingly small and very usable!  It is offered by Lenova.

If you didn’t know, we do not have a TV service at the house anymore.  We do use Netflix at the base rate of $9 per month. We also use off-the-air television broadcasts (HD) through Sage TV software.  A lot of our watching is video on demand from internet sources.

I am very satisfied with what we are receiving and using.  PLUS, the savings are huge!

Humor?

Are you training for an event?  Ever feel like this guy?

A customer in a bakery was observed carefully examining all the rich-looking pastries displayed on trays in the glass cases. When a clerk approached him and asked, “What would you like?” he answered, “I’d like that chocolate-covered, cream-filled doughnut, that jelly-filled doughnut and that cheese Danish.”
Then with a sigh he added, “But I’ll take an oat-bran muffin.”

Just got home from Moab, Utah.  It is an annual thing with an internet group.  These guys are some of the very best people I know or have met!

We had a lot of fun.

FRIDAY -

I drove “The Mighty YJ” to Moab with my friend, Tom.  The first day was Friday, April 16.  It was devoted to the 6 1/2 hour drive, getting some food, checking in to the cabin (Morris Last Resort – Try ‘em!) and then meeting the rest of the group for dinner!  Everyone knew Molly (the Aussie) and knew that she died soon after last Year’s Get Together.  Everyone met Sami, the new trail dog!

We had a great meal at Fiesta Mexicana on Main street.  We agreed to meet at 8:30 AM Saturday morning to run the “Cliffhanger” trail.

SATURDAY -

Tom and I are training for the Seattle Marathon on June 26^th.  Marathon training requires some running.  So, Tom, Sami, and I headed out for a 4+ something run from the cabin and then back.

Showers, then off to the “City Market” in town for the meet up.

Most of us were there on time.  Some of the Colorado Contingent were running late and wanted to meet us at the trail head. 

Cliffhanger is a great, but technical trail.  Take the Kane Creek Road (by the McDonald’s) out to the trail head (Cliffhanger is associated with the Amasa Back trail system).

Cliffhanger is tough!  It starts out with some technical steps, then simmers out some, but there are a lot of technical areas out there that take time and make this a challenging trail.

Somehow, I became the “Spotter” for this run.  A Spotter is the individual that guides a driver over an obstacle.  I don’t feel really comfortable doing it, but I am told that I am good at it, so I did it.

This is the Mighty YJ on the steps at the entry to Cliffhanger.

Here are a few members of the group!

Cliffhanger is a 9 1/2 mile out and back trail.  Along the way are some great scenic views. There are areas where the trail is just a bit wider than the jeeps are. 

2/3 of the way in, you find this obstacle.  Easy to negotiate, but the driver can’t see a thing except blue sky out of the windshield.  When she or he can, the news ain’t good.  Keep your rig all the way over to the passenger side, take it slow, and you’ll be OK.

Just between you and me, I ran ahead of the group to photograph this for the group (but mostly for me).  I actually slipped on one of the rocks to the driver side, then fell off it to the cliff side.  I did stop my slide, but there were Mountain Bikers that were ready to step in and catch me before I went over.

At the furthest point out, we took a break for lunch.  You find yourself out on the edge of a cliff that makes for great conversation and lots of getting nervous at people going near the edge!

This one of my favorite running trails.  I had the togs on and after lunch as everyone else was packing up for the return trip, I took off for a run down the trail. I had a bottle of water and the iPod Touch and had a great time!

This trail is popular with everyone and all of us tend to keep an eye on each other.  I was well on my way when two of the mountain biking people stopped me concerned.  “Where’d you start from?” “Did you stash water somewhere?”  “Will you be OK?”

I explained that I was actually with a Jeep group and they were close behind me.  They accepted that and I moved on after thanking them.  I thought that there concern was nice.

By the way, I passed another contingent of jeeps, a contingent of PowerWagons, and another group of two Jeeps.

At the bottom, again at the steps at the entrance, I waited a few minutes then headed back up to meet the group again 1 mile back up.  Phew!  Tiring but fun!  It is good to be able to do that kind of running!

Stay tuned for more!   

PUNishment -

From the BearCrawling Nation!  http://www.bearcrawling.com/

The latest PUNishment!

PUNishment by Charlie White!

Running -

As you know, I am in training for another marathon. I feel to be in good shape and I am feeling healthy.

I’ve just started the training.  I am in week 4 that just happens to be a bi- week.  So far my training has had me run 88.92 miles.  I will be doing most of my training on the treadmill (as I prefer it).  I am attempting to get my pace on the treadmill to just under a 9:00 minute pace.  I figure that should get me a marathon pace of around an 11:00 pace.

Marathon of Choice?  Seattle Rock and Roll on June 26^th!

Why one of the Rock and Roll?  Bling!

Around my neck are 3 medals.  One is for the Vegas RnR half, run in December of 2009. One is for the PF Chang’s Half, run in January of 2010.  The third is a customer appreciation medal for running the both of the half-marathons.  Called the “Desert Double Down” it is a nice thing to get for just running.

Next race?  Probably the Colfax Marathon (Half) in Denver!

Life, Entertainment, and What I did About it! -

Television entertainment can cost a lot of money.  I was a DirectTV customer for over a decade.  I liked and appreciated their service for a long time, but recently I haven’t liked them.  They are expensive, but are willing to drop the price if you call and complain.  The latest price hike was 9%. That would have placed my monthly bill at about $80.  I called to complain and was offered $200 off for 2010. It would have required a new commitment.  I didn’t want that so I cancelled their service.

I had to think about it first.  I looked at what I actually watched on their service.  I used their HD service. I watched mostly local TV channels. I did watch a lot of BBC America, some ScyFy channel, some History, and some Discovery channels. I had their program guide and DVR service and used it.  That was it.

About a year (or so) ago, I shared a build on a HTPC (Home Theater Personal Computer).  If I was going to get a program guide, HD and a DVR/PVR, I’d have to look at it again.

The HTPC was in an entertainment center type of case.  It blended in well with the other components of the entertainment center.  But to do an up grade, I would need to find additional or replacement cards in a low profile assembly.

I started out with just adding an additional gigabyte of system memory. I added 1GB of DDR2–667.  That brought the system up to 2 GB. I’d have liked more, but it is an HTPC system without the demands of a gaming system.  I also added an outside UHF TV antenna for digital TV broadcasts off of the air.

The basic build was a micro ATX motherboard (MSI K9VGM-V) with an AMD Athlon 3800+ Dual-core CPU in an Antec Minuet case.  The graphics card was a Nvidia 9400GT. I couldn’t use the old tuner card as it is not a low profile.  So, I added a Hauppage USB 950Q tuner card, and an ATI TV Wonder PCIe (1x) card. Those would bring in HD off of the HD TV antenna.

I used the SageTV software that I already had.  That provided a DVR/PVR and a program guide. It also provided a media server for music and household videos, and access to some online media sharing websites (YouTube, Google Videos and the like).  It also provided new HD content from other online providers.

I had Mozilla Firefox on board to provide yet more services, such as Hulu.com, Clicker.com and the like.  I would use the household 7mbps DSL service to access the Internet with.

I assembled the revised system.  It worked!  I could record TV shows and even translate them into portable player modes, so it could be taken with.  It looked and ran like a provided service. I thought I had everything I needed.

Practical use proved otherwise, though.  The video/graphics card could not keep up with the signal.  I needed a new video/graphic card.

More research was necessary.  I wanted to make this change with the least amount of hassle possible.  HD video is not as demanding as gaming, but it would need more than I was giving it.

Most SD (Standard Definition) video is easily viewed using a 256MB card.  Win Media HD (High Definition) requires 512MB card. Those are the 2 basic standards that had to be met.  I also wanted to use an HDMI connection with 7.1 surround sound audio pass through.  Further research showed that the ATI graphic system chips are being used in Samsung TV systems.  I had an AMD CPU, an ATI tuner, and a Samsung LCD TV.  It made sense to go with an ATI graphic card. So, off to the store!

I explained what I wanted to a sales representative in the “peripheral” section.  I bought an HIS HD 4350 PCIe 16x DDR2 512MB graphic card with everything I wanted except the amount of GPU memory that I wanted. 

I got it home, put it in the machine, and turned the HTPC on!  Amazing, colorful HD video ensued!  I had a system that does exactly what I want it to!

A definite plus is that I rebuilt the HTPC with the updates at less than I would pay in a normal month for the satellite system that I dropped.  All input was free and working great at this point.

The splurge!  I have to admit that I did get the Netflix streaming video service at the lowest rate it was offered at.  I don’t necessarily want the DVD sent by mail, but the option is there.  The streaming service is amazing on the revised HTPC!

The only trouble is…  There is often times that there is just nothing on TV to watch!  (But that was always true!)

 How About Some “OK GO” Fun Now?

Working toward the Seattle Rock and Roll full marathon!  June 26, 2010.

I have been!  It was a whirlwind trip that lasted 26 hours.

I ran as Elvis at the Vegas Rock and Roll on December 6^th.  It was a fun race, but you can read about it elsewhere on this blog!

I traveled to Vegas with my friend, Tom.  Tom is a great guy and a great runner.  He is much faster than I am! He ran his first half-marathon since High School and set a start over PR of 2:02!  Congrats, Tom!

While there, his brother and Tom agreed that while Don ran the full marathon at PF Chang’s in Phoenix, Tom would run the Half with his niece, Julia. So Tome was committed to the Phoenix competition.

Now…  I’m selfish.  With Tom’s first 2 half-marathons, he would get 3 medals (one of the medals would be for completing both the Vegas and Phoenix competitions in a 6 week period.  That would give Tom 3 pieces of bling.  I had 3 prior to the Vegas run. With the Vegas bling, I would end up with 4.  It was just too close!  I ended up signing up for the Phoenix competition.  That would give me the greater edge.

It also gave me an additional 5 weeks of training (I took a week off after Vegas).  Unfortunately, I also decided to take a week off to RICE (Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate) after a debilitating left calf muscle injury.

So, I trained for 4 weeks.  It does get cold in Colorado. 3 of those weeks were outside in the cold.  I did finally get my treadmill fixed for the last week of training.

Phoenix!

I start most of my morning runs between 9 to 9:30 AM.  Saturday morning, both Tom and I ran at 8:00 AM. I was a short run of 2 miles.  Then it was time to get showered, get Sami (the yellow labrador dog) to the kennel, park the car (off airport) then get to the airport.

We got to the airport at 1:30 PM. We got through security quickly and headed for our gate.  We were there earlier enough to get some lunch. Why isn’t airport food healthy?  AND why do they charge so much more at the airport than on the street?

Soon enough, we were back at the gate and loading on the plane.  The flight took two hours with no troubles.

As each of us had only a backpack, it was easy to escape the airport. We went outside and Don was just driving up with his family.  We got in after much hugging and all of us headed to the Health & Fitness Expo.

We found out that a family friend was dying.  Nancy, Don’s wife, was absent due to that.  She had her hands full with that situation.

The Expo was good. It was fairly large and well-attended.  I did get myself a new running shirt from a past Vegas competition. I also got some “26.2” socks for Don.  Didn’t give them to him yet.  After all, he did have to earn ‘em!  How much did it cost to park? $20!  Hmmm…

After that?  An Olive Garden for dinner!  It was great! Then off to the house, a viewing of “Spirit Of The Marathon,” prepping the clothes and gear for the race, and then I fell out!

Both Tom and I looked forward to this race.  We trained in very cold weather with snow, ice and other on Winter surfaces.  This race was going to be run in shorts and short sleeves!  Won’t that be wonderful!

4:30 came early…  The coffee was ready.  I had one cup.  After all, you have to think about pit stops along the race route.

Don’s race marathon attempt would start in 3 hours.   I had some oatmeal and slowly prepared for the race.

Slowly, Tom, Nancy and Julia stirred!  We were getting ready to go out the door.  Of course, it was close to 6:20 AM before I got out the door.  It was a long drive to the starting line. 

We let Don out with enough time to get to his start line.

After Don got out, Nancy got a saddening call.  Their friend had died.

Even though it was expected, the news is still a shock.  Nancy asked if she could go to the hospital.  All of us said, “Of course!”  Off to the hospital we went.

We were all left with our thoughts for a while.  We played some games.  There was a restroom call and then a visit.  Nancy met Tom and Julia in the hospital lobby.  They came out to the car.  It was now 8:05 AM.

Nancy and Tom negotiated the closed streets to a runner drop off area.  There were a lot of people coming in as late as we were.  I think that both Tom and Julia were getting tired of me pushing a hustle out of them.  The sidewalk was busy with pedestrians and runners warming up.

We passed the start line and saw both Ryan Hall and Deena Kastor being interviewed prior to the race.  Deena did a phenomenal run and finished first in the women’s race. Ryan came in 2^nd in the Men’s.

I was in corral 17.  Tom and Julia were in corral 16. I finally entered my corral with one minute to spare (to the gun).  They released the corrals slowly but evenly.  It was .28 miles and 33:28 minutes for me to cross the start line.

At the start line was the Mayor of Phoenix and Senator John McClane.  Interesting things to see!

The start was slow and it took a while to break from the crowd to run at a comfortable pace.  I set my mind to an 11 to 11 and a half minute pace.

As is my style, I like to interact with the spectators.  I encouraged them to encourage the runners.  I asked them if they’d run it next year.  I high fived and fist bumped a lot of people!  It needs to be said that I think the people of Phoenix are great, and there were a lot of them watching us run!  Yay, Phoenix!

The run reminded of East Colfax in Denver.  In areas, it was a path of buildings and streets that had seen better times.  The race is a joint venture between Phoenix, Scottsdale and the city of Tempe.  The objective was to run from Phoenix through Scottsdale to Tempe.  It had to be a course that featured all three cities.

I though it was funny because in tow places we ran around little city parks.  It was explained to me later that the route went there to provide some additional restrooms.  Makes sense now!

Most of the course was flat! But from about mile 8 to mile 10 was a slow, gradual upward incline. The we went down for a mile and then slowly up again.  We ran through one University parking lot.  There was a climb out of there that assisted you knowing exactly where the quads are!

The longest miles were the last 2, for me. Finally, though, the bridge that crosses the Salt River just prior to the finish line came into view.  The down side? There were two musicians carrying their cases that I had to run over to and ask them to slow down so I could pass them running.

Finally, there was the crowd at the finish!  I can do this!

Another mile, and I crossed the line.  I ran across the line and started to walk.  In a daze, I missed my friends as they congratulated me from the sidelines! There were water bottles and I grabbed one, opened it, and slugged half of it down.  Ahead of that, was my medal  My bling.  One of the reasons for doing this race!  The lady who was handing them out gave me mine. I told her that I have a tradition of hugging the medal giver!  She told me to go right ahead.  We hugged and she thanked me.  I thanked her, too!

I walked through the finishers area, collecting energy bars, green banana (Green Bananas?), oranges and crunchy munchies!

I found Tom, Julia and Nancy. Is there time to watch as Don finished the full Marathon?  But we’ll talk of the soon!

I cross the Finish Line!

(Look to the right, the count timer actually covers me as I finish!)

The Bling!

Just a quick update to wish everyone a very happy holiday season.  I missed Hannukah, I apologize for that!

A Special Gift -

I am supporting a life long friend in his first marathon attempt.  Don, Nancy, Julia and Mitch are a super family. They provided me great support when I completed my first marathon in Las Vegas last year.  I want to support him in his first marathon!  So, I’m flying out to Phoenix on January 16^th, running the half on Sunday morning, then waiting at the finish line until my friend, Don, crosses it!  They were doing their best to get me to come out but I wanted to surprise them (Now I just hope they don’t read this blog until AFTER Christmas!)

The Numbers -

In November, I ran 21 runs.  It was for a total of 118.1 miles at an 11:04 pace.

In December, I’ve run 10 runs.  They’ve been fo 58 miles at a 12:18 pace.

The Future -

I hope to sign up for the 2011 Walt Disney World Goofy Challenge right after the first of the year.  That sets the sights high for training near the end of 2010.

January 17^th, I will be running the PF Chang’s Rock and Roll Half Marathon.  I’m there, I’m going to run.  I just hope that I can beat the first-timer to the finish line.

Nancy is going to walk the half-marathon, and their daughter, Julia, is going to run the half!  She is 12 years old and it will be her second half-marathon!

Of course, there is also the Rock And Roll Competitor bling. Vegas RnR haf medal, PF Chang’s half medal, a Desert Double Down medal for completing both Vegas and the Phoenix half.

I put a corkboard up in the living room behind the couch.  I put a RnR mylar blanket as a background and we are placing our race numbers and our medals on it now.

Picture?  Later maybe!

So, remember…  Get off the couch, get out there and run! 

Something for a friend that is far from home at Holiday Time!

File Attachment: Seasons greeting – Phil.mp3 (1460 KB)

Hang in there, Mate!  Wanted you to know that people are thinking about you and missing you!  Keep a stiff upper lip! And enjoy the holiday!

I trained for this competition with a good friend, Tom Martin.  I saw a T-shirt during the race that said, “This was a good idea 4 months ago!”  And it was, and it also was good in application!

In 2008, I ran the the Las Vegas full marathon.  I had seen the Runnin’ Elvi then and thought that they were a classy bunch that motivated both the runners and the spectators! 

Elvis! and the Running Elvi!

My desire was to run as Elvis (a costumed character runner) this year.  It involved some extra work.  I had to get a wig, sunglasses, and a costume to wear.  I started with a costume from a Halloween costume store, but it looked exactly like an Elvis costume one would buy from a store.  From the Rock n Roll website, I saw a way to order an Elvis athletic jump suit.  I followed that lead and ordered the jump suit!  That was the clincher!  I was actually going to run as Elvis!

I was looking forward to meeting a group of friends from Twitter that I knew were going to run it.  The meet up was set for 2:00 PM Saturday at the Expo.  I knew that there were Elvi activities that same afternoon, so I went to the Expo in the morning.  It was packed all day long.

When I showed up for the meet, I was in my Elvis persona.  I was found outside by other Elvi and never made it to the meet up.  That was depressing.  But seeing all of those Elvi at the half-marathon finish line was fun!  A lot of pictures and video was taken.

After the Finish Line activities, we Elvi went inside to the Expo.  It was very parade like with several stops in the Mandalay Bay convention center (for photos and showing off)!

We entered the Expo as a crowd, and worked our way through!  It was filled with stops for photos and fun.  There was a presentation at the end and all of us stood at or near the stage.

I wore the Leis around my neck.  At one point, I saw an older lady standing and watching us by herself.  I asked her if she was married or single.  She told me that she was single.  I placed a Lei around her neck.  I told her that, at least, she would not have to explain to anyone that she was lei’d by Elvis!

Many of the Elvi hung around for the Pasta Dinner, but I had friend and family obligations and couldn’t attend.

As you can imagine, restaurants and buffets were full all over town.  We ate at the Gold Coast.  It was very good.  All too soon, though, it was time to head back to the hotel and last minute preparations.

Santa just happened to be at the same buffet.  I stopped by and told him that I just wanted a completion in the morning.  He explained to me that you can wish and you can do. He said that he expected me me to DO my best and I would complete the Half.  Nice guy, and he was so correct!

Race Morning!

I slept better than usual.  I made it to bed by 9:00 PM.  I actually didn’t wake up until the alarm went off at a very early 4:00 AM.  I had one cup of coffee, one small bowl of oatmeal and a banana.  I checked the weather.  36 degrees with a wind chill factor making it feel like 31 degrees.  Very cold for Las Vegas (even in December).

I wore compression shorts, tights, tunic, heavy long socks, under the Elvis jump suit.  I pinned my bib number under the belt sash, pinned the sash to the jump suit and placed my runner’s wallet inside the sash!

In the lobby, Don, Tom and Julia were ready to go.  Julia just stared at me.  It took me a moment to realize that she had not seen me ‘in costume’ before.  We headed out and were the last ones on the hotel shuttle headed to the Start Line.  The shuttle took us to the front door of the Mandalay Bay.  On the way, I addressed the crowd (as Elvis) and introduced 12 year old Julia and the fact that this was her first half-marathon. She got a cheer and kudos!

We walked toward the Shark Reef entry. Shark Reef is an aquarium at the Mandalay bay.  The elvi were meeting there.

This was Tom’s, Don’s and Julia’s first half-marathon.  The event had sold out.  That meant that there were going to be 27,000 runners between the 2 events.  The Mandalay Bay was packed with runners.  There were 225 Elvi, and 95 couples either getting married, or renewing their vows, at the run-through wedding chapel (at the Paris Casino).  We talked about all the people, what to expect, what to watch for and all matter of things.  All of us were feeling the excitement of the event!

The Elvi were called together for the parade to the Start Line.  Imagine 200+ Elvi (Elvis and Elvettes) walking from the Mandalay Bay Expo Center to Russell Road, then around the corner to the Start line.  There we engaged in interviews, more videos, and some inspirational talk.  We saw Bengal tigers, show girls and the Band starting off the event.

After that, we walked back to Corral 14 that the Elvi and the Wedding Couples shared.  It was a fun beginning.

Now for the wait for the start.  I could feel the cold.  Slowly, runners were ambling out to their corrals.  As the people came out, and we squeezed 27,000 people into all of the corrals, it got warmer and warmer. 

As the start time got closer, things started to happen.  There were fireworks and sky jumpers.

They started off the elite group.  We watched as they took off on the Mandalay Bay marquee.

Then came the gun for the rest of us!  More fireworks!  The corrals moved up individually (at first) and released.  By the time Corral 14 made it to the start line we just ran right past.  We were headed South to the southern boundary of McCarran airport.  Then we turned North for the famous Las Vegas strip.

I started my Garmin 205 watch at the gun.  It took me 23 minutes to cross the start line.  The first mile was 37 minutes. It was much more consistent after that.

I played the Elvis role to the hilt during the run!  If there were spectators on the sidelines that were quiet, I’d put my arms in the air and ask them to cheer the runners on!.  When they did, I’d point the Elvis point and say, “Thank you, thank you very much!”

At the 6 mile point, the young lady that made the Elvis jump suit that I was wearing, saw it and told me who she was! I ran over to her and gave her a great, big, sweaty, Elvis hug!

At mile 7, I saw Nancy and Mitch (Don’s wife and son).  Mitch got a kick out of my costume (and a handshake from Elvis!)  Nancy got a hug!

One pit stop on the way, I had to wait in line for a couple of minutes.  I finally got in and when I left, I just couldn’t resist.  I had to say, “Elvis has left the building!”

It was an interesting course this year.  We were able to run the Las Vegas strip both North and South.  It made for an interesting way to track yourself as you ran.  Where are we?  Oh, yeah! There’s Treasure Island!  Oh yeah!  There’s Excalibur!

The miles did tick down.  Soon I was passing the Excalibur on the way back.  I could see the 13 mile mark.  I picked up speed as I neared the Finish Line.  I told my co-runners that a costumed Elvis was passing them!  (There is the unspoken rule – NEVER let a costumed runner beat you to the finish line!).

I pulled off my gloves and stuck them in my belt.  I saw the finish line and raised my hands above my head.  I put a big grin on my face as I crossed it!  Elvis has left the race!

The Numbers

They used the same timing chip this year that was used in last year’s competition.  It is a plastic mounted RF chip that can be read along the course.  It can be saved as a souvenir or just thrown away.  The shoe chips were read at the start line, 5K, 10K, 10 Mile and at the Finish line.  My times were:

Charles White  #14681

Age: 56     Gender:  M

Distance: Half-Marathon

  5 KM                35:00

10 KM             1:10:19

15 Mile             1:59:10

Clock Time:     3:02:41

Chip Time:       2:36:18

Pace:                  11:56              

– – – – – – – – – – – -

Tom finished at 2:02:18

Don and Julia crossed the Finish line together holding hands and smiling!  They finished in 2:28:19.

Now for the bling!

The Aftermath

Once everyone was in, we had our pictures taken with show girls.  Don, Julia and I all joined the poor show girl together.  That way, Don and Julia got a picture of them with their favorite Elvis…

We got our refreshments (bananas, oranges, sport bars, bagels, Cytomax, water, pretzels, Spicy chips, and gobs more). We wandered about the finish area and watched people and things.

Many people asked for a picture with Elvis!

Then, all too soon, it became time to leave.  We made our way over to Russell Road.  We were waiting for our ride to show up.  Two people walked up and the lady touched my arm.  She asked if I was one of the Running Elvi.  I said that I was.  She asked if she could interview me.  Then she said, “On camera.”  I was about to get interviewed for television!

The interview was fun and I just answered a few basic questions…  Who I am, where I was from, why I decided to run as Elvis, and similar.  I, of course, expounded way beyond what was necessary.

It lasted for a few minutes.  They saw Julia and asked about her.  Her Mother (Nancy) explained that Julia was 12 and this was her first Half-Marathon.  Julia was put through a similar series of questions.  She did much better than I did at it, I thought.

About that time, our ride arrived and we were off.  It took about two hours to get to our hotel, but that is a story best saved for another time.

About 2:00 PM (or so), I got a tweet from one of my friends in Vegas.  “Um, did I see you on TV?”

I tweeted back that I had been interviewed.

I later learned that both Julia and I made it to the news show on TV8 KLAS. What could be a better end for an Elvis?

The Special Treat

Most runners plan on something special to eat or drink after a competition that they have trained for.  Tom and I did the same.  What was our special meal?

Canter’s Deli in Treasure Island casino.  I love their Reuben sandwiches.  2 Reuben sandwiches, fries and a soda was $31.50 and very worth it. It is a huge, delicious sandwich.  It did take me a while but I was able to finish the whole thing!

AND…  Just so you know…  I did not bet or wager any where this year.  I had enough to do to not even worry about that!

I am having some fun on this run!

This event lets us run the famous Las Vegas strip from South of the Mandalay Bay up to Fremont Street and then back again!

I’ve called myself the Hawaiian Elvis.  I’ll be wearing 17 leis around my neck and on my person.  I’ll had one off to a young lady as I complete each mile.  Included with the lei will be one of the Elvis cards (above).

The extra ones? One for the person that hands me my finisher medal, one for me as a souvenir and the others for people that supported and cajoled me through training for this event!

Want to find out more about the Las Vegas RnR inaugural event?  Go here!