Tom's Racewalking History at 4/29/2010

TCF Racewalking History as of April 29, 2010

October, 2004 - Naomi finishes five months of training and completes Nike Women’s Marathon

1. April 30, 2005 Nashville, TN Country Music ½ Marathon – 3:17:10 = 15:03 “Trained” on my own for 2 months - managed to complete it. Not fast, but finish.

2. August 7, 2005 Chicago Distance Classic ½ Marathon – 3:09:06 = 14:26

3. September 4, 2005 Virginia Beach R&R ½ Marathon – 3:13:53 = 14:48

I. October 23, 2005 Nike Women’s Marathon – 6:50:24 = 15:39 Major back spasms from mile 20 onward, but finished.

4. January 15, 2006 Phoenix - P.F. Chang ½ Marathon – 3:21:13 = 15:21

5. March 12, 2006 Tucson - Arizona Distance Classic – 3:17:14 = 15:03

6. April 9, 2006 St. Louis ½ Marathon – 3:13:22 = 14:46

7. May 7, 2006 Cincinnati - Flying Pig ½ Marathon – 3:22:31 = 15:27

8. September 3, 2006 Virginia Beach R&R ½ Marathon – 3:13:53 = 14:48

II October 22, 2006 Nike Women’s Marathon – 6:34:40 = 15:03

October 29, 2006 Marine Corps Marathon 10K – 1:25:45 = 13:50

9. January 21, 2007 Carlsbad, CA ½ Marathon – 3:18:39 = 15:10

10. May 6, 2007 Vancouver, BC BMO Bank ½ – 3:10:16 = 14:31

11. July 15, 2007 Carneros Wine Country ½ – 3:11:02 = 14:35

III October 21, 2007 Nike Women’s Marathon – 6:35:19 = 15:05

October 28, 2007 Marine Corps Marathon 10K – 1:26:00 13:52

12. May 18, 2008 Marine Corps ½ Marathon - 3:21:50 = 15:24

13. May 31, 2008 Zooma Annapolis Women’s ½ Marathon – 3:18:19 - 15:08

14. August 10, 2008 Chicago Distance Classic ½ Marathon – 3:03:22 - 14:00 Course measurement error +.1668 miles, “chip time 3:06" not correct

IV October 19, 2008 Nike Women’s Marathon – 6:30 = 14:53

October 26, 2008 Marine Corps Marathon 10K – 1:26:28 = 13:57

November 9, 2008 Veteran’s Day 10K – 1:25:45 = 13:50

15. November 15, 2008 Richmond, VA ½ Marathon – 3:13:36 = 14:36

16. January 18, 2009 Bermuda Challenge ½ Marathon – 3:20:05 = 15:16 1mi Friday, 10K Saturday

February 14, 2009 GW Birthday 10K – 1:28:02 = 14:12

17. April 18, 2009 Dismal Swamp Stomp ½ Marathon DNF back spasms @ 11

18. May 17, 2009 Marine Corps Historic Half - 3:08:16

May 30, 2009 Zooma Annapolis 10K - 1:26:22

19. August 30, 2009 Marathon des Deux-Rives Levis/Quebec Demi-Marathon Marche (Quebec City Half Marathon) - 3:08:07.24 = 14:21.62

V October 18, 2009 Nike Women's Marathon -- 6:57:09 (see Blog for details)

October 25, 2009 Markine Corps Marathon 10K - 1:25:04.4 = 13:30 = PR

VI February 13, 2010 Caribbean Islands Marathon Cruise - see Blog re "staged marathon"

March 27, 2010 Marine Corps Run to Register 10K - Quantico - 1:23:57.92 = 13:32.56

20. May 16, 2010 Marine Corps Historic Half - 3:20:40 - see Blog

June 6, 2010 Zooma Annapolis 10K - 1:33.49

21. October 17, 2010 Nike Women’s Marathon – 3:18:43

VII November 1, 2010 Marine Corps Marathon – 7:00:28 - last Full Marathon

November 20, 2010 Cranberry Crawl 5k – 41:04 =PR

February 13, 2011 Love the Run You’re With 5K – 43:26 (bronchial asthma)

February 19, 2011 GW Birthday 10K - 89:00.01 (into 50mph wind gusts on 1st half)

March 12, 2011 4 Courts 4 Miler - 58:08

March 26, 2011 National Marathon ½ Marathon Relay – 5 Miles in 1:09:000

April 1, 2011 Crystal City Friday 5K #1 – 43:22

April 8, 2011 Crystal City Friday 5K #2 – 43:10 in cold rain

April 10, 2011 GW Parkway Classic 5K – 40.31 = PR

April 15, 2011 Crystal City Friday 5K#3 – 42.10

April 22, 2011 Crystal City Friday 5K#4 – 42:01 = PR for that course/event

Miracle Cure, Turkeys, etc.

We don't event need a formal event as an excuse for a nice session on the trail. OK, we can consider "World Run Day" an event, but certainly not a formal one, as the whole idea is get out for some exercise. We did, offering our TNT friends the following invitation:
Have you been suffering from:

- Excess avoirdupois (aka spare tire)?

- Social withdrawal (aka lack of contact with TNT teammates)?

- Restless foot syndrome?- Uncertainty about how a racewalker should observe World Run Day? www.runday.com<http://www.runday.com/>

- Caffeine shortage?

- Indecision about what to have for a guilt-free Sunday brunch?

- Tony/Christina withdrawal pains?

WE HAVE A CURE!Come to Buzz on Slaters Lane on Sunday morning (November 11, 2007) at 10:00 or Noon. http://www.buzzonslaters.com/buzz.htm

Several friends joined in, we had a great visit after about 5.5 miles of quick walking (14:19 pace), and did consume a few calories at Buzz, our neighborhood coffee and pastry shop.

Turkeys?

One of the fun things about this racewalking routine is the almost endless number of events available, often near home. Thanksgiving is a great time for most outdoor activities in the DC area, and the "Turkey Trot" races are a classic example. Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend there are a number of these in the area, and some folks from Naomi's office decided they would do one in Bethesda, MD. There were others closer to home in Alexandria and Arlington, but Bethesda is a short drive and has been doing a "Turkey Trot" for about 25 years, so off we went for a Thanksgiving Day stroll. Our friend John Phillips joined us, and the three of us had fun taking a stroll with about 5000 of our closest friends. One of the liabilities of being a walker doing runner events is the course is often closing as we finish, but no matter, it was still fun. Besides, doing a few extra miles gives you a great way to use about 1100 calories, making it easy to justify that extra bit of Thanksgiving dessert.

Marine Corps Marathon 10K

This may seem to some like being a glutton for punishment, but one week after the Nike Marathon in San Francisco, Naomi and I are back at another racewalking event. October 28th, "just" a 10K (6.2 mile) side event for the Marine Corps Marathon, starts next to the Pentagon, just a couple of miles from our home in Alexandria, and gives us an opportunity to be in the Finish area to welcome our Team in Training mates when they finish the Marathon. We even get a nice medal and a t-shirt, without having to travel more than a couple of Metro stops.

More about it later, suffice to say this was our second year of this, and it's fun. We even get our grandson David Matthew Morales out to walk the last mile with his Grandma, complete with a medal at the finish. Took me 85 minutes to walk the 10K, and it's a great recovery walk.

Next event is a "Turkey Trot" 5K, then we'll be off to Randleman, NC (High Point) for the December 2d Victory Junction Run being put on by John Bingham. Finish is at Kyle Petty's Victory Junction Camp.

Nike Women's Marathon 2007

A few minutes past Noon on October 21, 2007, after 6:35:19 on the 26.2 mile course, my adventure with the 2007 Nike Women's Marathon came to a close. Official "chip" time was 39 seconds slower than my 2006 time on the same course, and I'm beginning to understand why. It's a bit disappointing not being able to improve my time from the year before, but it's not a disaster. More about that in a moment, but first let's talk about the good news.

We had a GREAT weekend in San Francisco, even though it was too short. Naomi had business meetings in SF on Wednesday and Thursday, so arrived ahead of me. We were staying with the TNT team at the Serrano Hotel on Taylor at O'Farrell. In the "Tenderloin" (which meant lots of interesting street people), only a couple of blocks from the race Expo and start at Union Square. We went over to Union Square as soon as I got to the hotel, about 2:00pm, and picked up our race packets, with the "bib" for the front of the shirt along with various giveaway goodies like "sport beans" (energy food for the race) and looked around the Expo.

Left the Expo and went across the street to Niketown - five stories of downtown SF Nike store, complete with loud music and crowds of fellow racers. Posted on the outside of the store is "the wall", a two story listing of the name of each entrant in the Nike Women's Marathon, always a crowd of people looking for their name. Naomi had been there on Thursday evening for their special "ladies night" packet pickup, complete with wine, cheese, free posters with all the entrant names from "the wall".

Back to the Expo to wait for the rest of the TNT National Capital Walk Team to arrive for packet pickup, greet everyone and get some photos. We then went back to the hotel to relax for a few minutes before the 5:00pm wine tasting in the lobby (nice touch in an old hotel). Then off on an adventure in a strange city - trolley to Divisadero Street for dinner at Metro Kathmandu, an excellent Nepalese restaurant. Great chance to sample the cuisine before we head to Bhutan/Nepal next April.

SATURDAY
Up and out about 7:30 for a walk to the Ferry Terminal Building with our friend Kevin Frederici from the Walk Team. Breakfast at the Farmers' Market has become a tradition any Saturday we are in San Francisco, with a great chance to get fresh and dried fruit, great yogurt and excellent breakfast tamales. Saturday was a "take it easy" sort of day, trying not to spend too much time on our feet and save energy for the marathon.

TNT Pasta Party at the Moscone Center Saturday evening with a few thousand of our close friends. John Bingham (aka "The Penguin", writes for Runners World and owns a company which puts on several marathons - we enjoy his races) does a funny and motivational speech. We learned there were some 4500 folks doing the Nike Marathon for TNT, and the combined funds raised were over $18.5 million. That's enough to provide some serious help for folks like the young lady who was our prinicipal speaker, telling us how much our fund-raising mattered to her and other blood cancer patients. Our dear friend Peggy G. was seated between me and the speaker, and it was sort of tough watching Peggy during the speech, knowing her cancer has recurred and she's back in chemo and other treatment. But she is DOING the Nike Marathon, and is a real inspiration to me any time I wonder whether the strength is there to complete the next mile.

This event makes me really proud of our National Capital team - 69 walkers and runners went to San Francisco, and each one met the $3800 fund-raising minimum, so we raised a lot of money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We let the other teams know we were there too, whooping it up when our name was mentioned. Back to the hotel, get all the equipment and clothing ready for next morning and then try to sleep. Nerves make that difficult at best, but we have to try. Getting equipment ready the night before may sound like overkill, but it's the best way to be sure the "timing chip" is fastened on the shoe, the "bib number" is pinned to the singlet (and not pinned through the singlet, which makes it really tough to put it over your head), Gatorade mixed (I use the "Endurance Formula", buying it as a powder then carrying 3 or 4 snack size bags with enough for a single water bottle), clothes laid out and so forth.

SUNDAY
Out of bed at 3:30 to get ready for a 5:30 start, after a visit to the nearest all-night diner for a real breakfast. That's one of the advantages of doing an event in a city, fresh fried eggs, sausage, toast instead of hard-boiled eggs and cold bread. Besides, you see and meet some interesting people in the diners at that hour.

4:15am - Team Photos in the lobby for the three of us doing the full and taking the early start at 5:30. Two other walk teammates are doing the 7:00 start for the Full Marathon, with one of the Run/Walk team joining us, while Naomi and the others from our National Capital team doing the Full and Half Marathons are all at the later start. We walk about three blocks over to Union Square for the start, and going through the gate a familiar voice greets me. John Bingham is there, before 5:00am, with a light affixed to his hat, checking credentials. We have gotten to be friends over the past three years, and seeing him is good for the inevitable pre-race jitters. Star Spangled Banner, starting gun and here we go.

5:30am - Off through the streets of San Francisco, working to avoid cable car tracks, potholes, and other possible "trip you" spots while working to get around slower walkers. I chose to start very near the back of the pack, there is plenty of time for this and being in front simply means more crowds. Forgot my Garmin 301 unit (watch with built-in GPS unit) does not like being in tall buildings where the satellite signals are not clear, so for about the first mile there is no pace information, as it can't compare distance to elapsed time. Also miss the first mile marker, not sure whether it was not set up yet or just on other side of course from where I was looking. Not a big deal, although by the time I reached Mile 2 my pace was already one minute behind plan.

6:35 - Mile 4.5, by now we have done our first "hill", a short quick climb of about 60 feet up "Fort Moran" between the Embarcadero and the Marina. Nice spot in the daytime, it's a little tricky at 6:30am because it's not well lit (and is where I stumbled and fell in the 2005 Nike Marathon). The Old Scoutmaster had taken along a tiny flashlight, which was very useful in this section. Now we go across the Marina district (going by Ghiradelli Square), past Crissy Field on Mason Street to the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. UP - Long Street to Lincoln Boulevard, going from 25 feet altitude to 295 feet in just over a mile. And our friends training for the Marine Corps Marathon think the slope to the Iwo Jima Memorial is a hill! Course map at

http://www.nike.com/nikemarathon/media/pdf/nike_marathon.pdf

7:20 - Mile 7.25, after reaching the "peak" of Lincoln Blvd., crossing the Presidio to Camino Del Mar on a gentle downgrade, we head down 32nd Avenue to Clement Street. Left on Clement, and UPHILL again! This time it's less steep, but it seems almost endless, until we pass the VA Hospital and start down towards the ocean. During this stretch the "gazelles" (elite runners, who will do the marathon in under 2.5 hours) begin to pass us, complete with motorcycle escorts. The runners will continue to pass us for the next couple of hours, having started later but often moving faster.

8:00am - Mile 10 - Our friend Ed Avant is waiting with extra "gels" (food supplements) and encouragement, a very welcome if momentary break. Past Seal Rocks and the Cliff House, then steep downhill on Point Lobos Avenue to the Great Highway. As we come around the curve at Cliff House the beach stretches out for miles, with just a bit of fog visible in the distance. Nearer at hand are the large white tents at the finish line, but we won't be going there for quite a while.

Mile 11 is around the corner and in Golden Gate Park, where we will do about five miles, going up JFK Drive to the Art Museum, then back out on the Lincoln Street side. The Half Marathon course splits off at about mile 12, takes a shorter route back to rejoin our course just east of the Great Highway on the south side of the park. Oh, did I mention the Art Museum is at 240 feet, compared to 25 feet when we entered the park? At least it's a very long slow upgrade, but it's still UP.

9:30am Mile 16.2 - Lincoln Boulevard and the Great Highway, the Half Marathon turns right to do their last tenth of a mile, but we turn left to go south on the Great Highway. This is when the miles start to feel a little longer, but at least we have the ocean on the right, and there are a fair number of folks out to cheer us on. Having my name on my singlet means people I've never met before call out "Go Tom", which is a nice boost.

Somewhere along the way I've fallen in with a couple of run/walk TNT members from Louisville who are moving at more or less the same pace. (Later learned they were Anuji Abraham and Margaret Anderson.) At times they will run ahead, then I'll walk past them, then they'll run a bit more. We talk, but not a great deal as we are sort of using our oxygen for other purposes at the moment. Wind up being more or less next to them until just before the finish line.

Along the Great Highway between miles 16 and 18, along comes the smiling face of Coach Shari Tanck, just checking to be sure all is OK and going well. Perfect illustration of one of the biggest advantages of doing this kind of event with TNT - the TEAM is real, and the coaches are all there to help us, based on their training and their own hard-won experience.

11:00 - Mile 18, past the Zoo, then at about 18.7 the course turns East to cross a ridge over to Lake Merced. We do a 4+ mile loop around Lake Merced, passing the San Francisco State University campus.

Mile 22 - I see a woman on the curb cheering people on, wearing an outlandish hat with blue ears sticking up and jumping up and down. I pass her, she reads the "Walking Tom" on the back of my singlet, and then starts yelling "TOM - it's LIZZY". Have been swapping emails with Liz Shepard from California and Deb Hellman from Denver, who is walking the Nike, and Lizzy promised to be out there cheering. (We are all three alumni of Dave McGovern racewalking clinics.) Nice feeling, thanks Lizzy! If you have ever done long miles, by this time you are getting really tired, so greetings from a friend like Dizzy Lizzy is a real boost.

11:45 - Mile 25 and here's Jacque Carter, my Coach from National Capital TNT, there to give us a boost before the finish. She asks how I'm doing, I tell her felling good even though I'm not likely to make a PR today. She asks if I want her to pace me, but at that point I have to reply "Thanks Coach, but don't think there is anything left in the tank for more speed, so with the finish in sight Jacque peels off and goes back to help the next teammate.

12:06 - Cross the finish line a little later than hoped for, but at least with no back problems and able to give the photographer a "thumbs up". Just beyond the finisher medals, calling to me from the sidelines - John Bingham, "The Penguin" himself. And just a few yards beyond him was Naomi . Great way to finish a long hard day.

I will be back next year to make that 6:30 finish time.

Last "Long Miles" training before Nike Marathon 2007

September 29, 2007 we did our last "long miles" TNT training session before Nike.

20 miles - far enough to give the newbies a pretty good idea of what 26.2 will feel like, but not so far as to make it impossible to recover before the big event on October 21 (or for my teammates doing the Marine Corps Marathon, 28 October). We had an absolutely beautiful day, with 6:45am start temperature of about 60 degrees, warming to the mid-70s when we finished (Noon for me, others a few minutes earlier and later). Those doing the Nike half marathon had a mere12 mile stroll, starting about two hours behind us, so we all finished about the same time. We also had all of the National Capital TNT run and run/walk teams out with us, so there were lots of "Go Team" shouts on the trail.

We did all this on the W&OD Trail, starting from mile 17 near Wiehle Ave. in Reston, VA http://www.wodfriends.org/map11.html, then going west to mile 22, back east to mile 12 and finish at mile 17 (Half marathoners did 17-20-14-17). Nice trail, and the early start meant fewer cyclists for most of the walk. If you ride a bike on any of these trails, do the walkers and runners a big favor and tell them when you are passing. Better yet, buy a bell (less than $10) and ring it before passing. If you wonder why, stand on a street corner with your back to traffic moving past you at about 25 mph, less than 6 inches from you. Scary.

I felt pretty good up to about mile 18, when I had muscle spasms in my back which caused me to have about a 15 degree list to starboard. Same problem occurred at the 2005 Nike, at about the same mileage. The good news is I know what causes it, and why it recurred last week. I've a minor congenital spinal deformity, and if I walk bent forward from the waist, it puts an extra strain on my back, and the muscles apparently react by going into a "bend over mode". The attached photo was taken about 30 minutes after I finished the 20 miles, with the other three teammates who are doing the Nike Full Marathon, and makes it very clear what happens. So, my trick is to beware of bending forward (theoretically one can racewalk faster if they bend forward from the ankles, but my body has not learned how to do that yet) - ramrod straight posture is the solution. The mental image I use is a puppet held by a string from the top of its head, which also helps keep me from raising (hunching) my shoulders.

Here's my report to my Coach, which tells all the details.
60 degrees at start, mid 70s at finish, clear & sunny, C shoes
1-14:47
2-14:30 (1.01 mi pace 14:24)
3-14:25
4-14:27 (+5:08 &.15 bio break)
5-14:18
6-14:21
7-14:22
8-14:16
9-14:27
10-14:22
11-14:28
12-14:22
13-14:10
14-14:31
15-14:44
16-14:29
17-14:18
18-14:42 (pause for bike accident in front of me)
19-16:01 (back muscle spasms)
20-14:50 (close as I could get to negative split with back spasms)
Total-4:56:09 for 20.16 miles - average pace 14:41
Back muscle spasms at mile 19 were caused by me trying to lean forward for "better racing form". Same problem at same distance at 2005 Nike Marathon almost caused DNF. Now know that with my congenital back issue the "lean forward" does NOT work and will NOT be attempted.

GOOD NEWS - at the same average pace, will finish 26.2 in 6:27:57, beating PR by 7 minutes!

Pacing plan was VERY simple - first mile at 14:45, after that none slower than 14:30 or faster than 14:00. My plan worked up to bike wreck and back spasms, leaving me feeling reasonably good about using same plan for Nike.

In other words, I'm ready!

Tom

Nike Marathon 2007 - Nervous?

It's now less than four weeks until the 2007 Nike Women's Marathon, and training is going reasonably well but not as well as I'd hoped. Our TNT 18 mile day was September 15, and shown below is the note I sent my Coach, Jacque Carter about that day. Not my best day, sure hope the 20 mile training set for September 29 goes better. In any case, I will do the full 26.2 miles of the Nike Marathon on October 21st! Even if I can't make the 6:15, I will finish.
Think maybe I learned some things yesterday, guess we will know for sure in 35 days. Think my "hit the wall" may be food related, realized afterwards I was a bit behind usual schedule of gel every 3 miles, and also actually stopped for water, not my usual approach. Besides, up to mile 14 I was essentially right on planned paces, so that was working.

In other words I'm not losing faith, at least not yet.

65 sunny, C shoes
1-14:34
2-14:31
3-14:31
4-14:25
5-14:04
6-14:18
7-14:44 (1.03 mi -- pace 14:30) +4:16 bio
8-13:42 (.97 mi -- pace 14:12)
9-14:07 (1.01 mi -- pace 14:01))
10-13:56
11-14:25 (1.01mi) shoelace
12-13:54 (.99mi)
13-14:03
14-14:56 ??? Did not see that wall but sure hit one.
15-14:17
16-14:39. +6:14 bio/water
17-14:35
18-14:52 aw the heck with it
Total-4:29:14 (with 2 stops) Avg=14:57

Same pace for 26.2 would be 6:31:53, NOT good enough! Soo - need to find an average of 4 sec/mile for a 6:30 finish, or 39 sec/mile avg for 6:15. Then again, each minute of bio break is equal to 2.29 seconds/mile. Guess that means no potty stops - might smell worse but finish faster?

Tom

2007 #7 - Chicago Distance Classic Half Marathon

The good news is Naomi and I both finished, earning ourselves another "Big Honkin' Penguin Medal" as race organizer John "The Penguin" Bingham calls them. The less good news is that it was really humid (79% at the 6:30 am start) and by 8:00am (mile 6 or so) the sun was quite hot. So no personal records this weekend. I managed to finish in 3:10, which is an average of 14:30 per mile. Naomi was a bit slower, and courtesy precludes me publishing her time. Not great, but within reason, and as a sage "penguin runner" told me, just think how much more time you had to enjoy the course - which was quite beautiful along Lake Michigan.

The finish line was fun, as John Bingham was in the middle of the course just before the line greeting finishers by name. Having gotten to be friends with he and David Babner over the last three years, it was fun to be announced over the PA. Not sure but think we might be walking marathons at about the same pace John runs them. :-)

Overall we had a nice weekend in Chicago, going up on Friday afternoon, sort of "bumming around" that evening, then taking a tour put on by the Chicago Architectural Association on Saturday morning. (Following our coach's advice to not be on our feet all day Saturday it was a bus tour.) We saw lots of interesting buildings, including the Frank Lloyd Wright "Robie House" (it's being rehabbed, so that was a short tour) and learned neither of us cares for the Mies van der Rohe designs at the IIT campus. We have managed several nice little day trips like this, having gone to Taliesin West in Phoenix when doing the PF Chang R&R Marathon, the Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, and so forth. Helps make our "race weekends" a little more educational and entertaining.

Naomi is still having some issues with sun poisoning due to a medication, so we sort of "holed up" for the afternoon in our hotel room, her reading and me working on the computer. It was interesting when we went out about 5:00 pm to walk up Michigan Avenue and see all the tired and hot folks while we felt quite refreshed. Headed for a "Great Performers of Illinois Festival" at Millenium Park, just north of the Chicago Art Institue on Michigan Avenue. (Interesting bit of trivia about Millenium Park - it was supposed to open in Y2K, but agreement among all parties could not be achieved in time, so it opened in 2004, still named Millenium Park.) The festival included several music stages, and a wine tasting (is there a theme to our events?) of Illinois wines. Yes, they actually make some wines which will not take the fillings out of your teeth, and much to her "California girl" surprise, Naomi found a couple she enjoyed. Being more fond of big reds than sweet whites, I was less impressed, but it was free and not a bad way to spend a few minutes.

Back down Michigan Ave. to a non-memorable pasta dinner, then early to bed to face the 4:00 am wake-up for the Marathon. Sleeping was a bit challenging with the salsa band playing across the street in the park, but we managed. Awoke to rain, lightning, just what we needed to bring up the humidity a few more points. The rain did bring the starting temperature down, but we paid the piper when the sun came up and the sky was clear.

Here are a couple of pictures from the weekend, now it's back to training for the Nike Marathon in October. Scheduled for 16 miles this Saturday (8/18) near DC with our TNT group, which is likely to be another test of my ability to stand the heat and humidity. Lose a few pounds and it might be easier, we'll see how the diet works.

Tom

2007#6 Wine Country Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon

How bad can this be - walk a Half Marathon, get a nifty medal at the finish line, and then they hand you a wine glass to enjoy tasting products from 15 of the local vintners. :-) We even made a nice family weekend out of it, visited some wineries, ate some good food while having a lot of fun.

Flew into San Francisco, sister Ruth flew up from LA, and we drove up to Sonoma Friday evening. Dinner at Mary's Pizza Shack on Sonoma Plaza, then off to the Sonoma Chalet B&B and our digs in Laura's Cottage. Very pleasant to sleep with the windows open and a feather duvet, awaken to sunny day for breakfast on the deck looking out as the deer and quail wander about on the field next to us, and the woodpecker on the telephone pole chases away the squirrels and all the other birds who come near his perch.

Saturday spent doing usual wine country tourist things, including a visit to Clos Pegase for their lovely art work. Two bus loads of tourists there for a Japanese festival so lots of people milling around. Took the ladies to Domaine Mumm to relax and sample some champagnes on the patio. You know how much they hated that duty. Then to Sonoma Plaza Saturday evening for the "Red and White Ball", a local charity fundraiser, featuring all sorts of good food and (can you guess) wine. Another treat was seeing our friends Paula and "Mac" McNichols, there for a balloon ride, visit to Sonoma and for Paula to do the 10K while Mac cheered us on. An open wine bar may not be the best training for a half marathon, but it sure did taste good.

4:30 Sunday came very early - had to get to pickup point for buses to start line, going UP a hill at the Cuvaison Carneros winery. It was a bit chilly but really pretty morning, with the rising sun burning the fog off the vines before the start. No on-course photos, my camera battery quit after this dawn photo from our starting point. It really was a pretty course, mostly through the vineyards on country roads with rolling hills. Nothing too strenuous in terms of hills, just gentle rollers. Last part into Sonoma, with folks out having their morning coffee cheering us into the finish at "Depot Park", as you might suspect on an old rail line which is now a trail for walkers, runners and cyclists.

I finished the course in 3:08:47 - new Personal Record for the 13.1 mile Half Marathon distance. Naomi did the 10K (6.2 miles) in a fast new Personal Record of 1:23:55 after switching to the shorter event to avoid sun poisoning issues caused by a medication. We both were presented with the same medal, one of the nice things about small events like this (only 2400 entries, 400 of them for the 10K). All were given a wine glass as well, which came in handy for the 15 or more wineries which had set up tents to give out samples to the racers.

Sunday afternoon, following showers and some "relax on the porch time", we took off to tour - a winery of course! Took Ruth to one of our favorites, Ferrari Carano outside of Healdsburg. Lovely chateau, two tasting rooms (hot tip - join the wine club, your tastings are complimentary and you get a discount on your purchases).

What a great way to recover from an endurance event. As "designated driver" had to sample gently in order to be able to drive back to Sonoma (about 40 miles) then dinner at Maya, a Mexican place on the Sonoma Plaza with excellent food, before early bedtime.

Up for breakfast with the deer and quail on Monday morning, then back to SFO and flights home. Heck of a nice way to spend a long weekend, get some exercise and prepare for the office. By the end of this week I'll be back on my training schedule for the Nike Marathon in October.

Speaking of the Nike Marathon - if you have not yet contributed to my TNT fund-raising account (all go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) you can contribute right now on my secure web site at www.active.com/donate/tntnca04/tntncaTCFarnam07. My goal for this year is $5000, and I still need your help getting there

2007#5 Vancouver Half Marathon

This one felt a bit strange, as I've gotten used to doing events with Naomi but she had decided not to go along to Vancouver. Our TNT team departed DCA at 6:00am for Vancouver, via Houston. (Someone picked the route based on cheap airfare, never mind the amount of travel time wasted.)

Arrived Vancouver on Friday afternoon to find the sun shining brightly, temperature about 70f, headed in to the hotel. It was very nice (Sheraton Wall Centre) as was my roommate, a young man named Adam Zimmerman doing his first marathon. Vancouver is a very lovely city, as we learned walking about a mile to pick up our "race packets" (bib numbers, etc.) and to Yaletown Brewing Co. for dinner. Yes, the beer was good and it's certainly permitted (in moderation) as part of "carb loading".

Saturday morning we went to Granville Island for breakfast. Fun spot in what must have been an industrial area of the city which is now a big market offering nearly any sort of food you'd like, along with many other shops. Can be reached by a bridge or the more fun way "Aqua Bus" (aka water taxi). Another beautiful sunny day, could not have more pleasant weather. TNT "pasta party" for dinner, held right in our hotel, good pasta and some great fish.

Sunday morning - TNT Team Meeting at 4:30, in order to be ready for the bus by 5:30, as the race start is some distance from the hotel and we must ride the buses. The weather is a bit more like Vancouver's reputation - gray, damp, looking like rain. About three hours into the race it did begin to rain, which was not a big problem for me as I only had a few minutes to put up with it, but it was not very warm. At least the post-race area was inside a domed stadium and dry. Some of our folks really needed it, they got pretty badly chilled over the last few miles. My time - 3:10:16, getting better even if not as fast as desired. It's a lot like racing cars, faster than before but never quite as fast as you hope to be.

Lest you think I'm preoccupied with my times, it's really only a matter of personal performance measurement. In Vancouver I placed 75th of 87 males in the 60-64 age class. That includes runners and walkers, like most of our events this one does not give separate results for walkers. Not disappointing to me, just finishing a half marathon is a victory, and especially when the times are getting a little better.

2007#4 GW Parkway 10 Miler

Let's just make this brief and tell you it's a beautiful course. You gather at Oronoco Park in Old Town, they bus you down to Mt. Vernon so you can walk back to Alexandria. It's late April (22nd in 2007) and spring is very much in the air, with everything green and blooming. The path along the Potomac is a great place to walk, but having the George Washington Parkway closed to traffic and being able to walk there with no buses and cars belching fumes a few feet away is a real treat, not to mention how quiet it seems.

We'll forget the times, Naomi had a foot problem and we came home in a medical unit. Nothing in the way of permanent damage, but it was a bit frustrating.

2007#3 George Washington's Birthday 10K

Our friends at Pacer's Running put on this event, and it looked like a fun concept - 10K on a Saturday morning, starting and ending at the Eisenhower Metro Station. Things got a bit more interesting when it snowed at the beginnning of that week, meaning we could NOT use the trails, but the City of Alexandria was cooperative enough to let us do a two-loop five kilometer course on Eisenhower Avenue.

Race day - usual early start (8:00am), but it was 24 degrees, and windy! That is cold, no matter how you say it. We got out and did it, earned "bragging rights", and were not quite the last ones to finish with our 1:26:51 hand-in-hand to keep warm.

2007#2 Carlsbad Half Marathon - January 21, 2007

We found a pretty good way to combine a couple of things. Flew to San Diego, picked up Ruth (Naomi's sister) at a convention she was attending. The three of us drove to Riverside (about 2 hours) then spent several days there clearing out their Mom's house. End of the week, Naomi and I drove back to San Diego while Ruth returned to her place in LA.

There was a Marathon at Carlsbad, which gave us an excuse to stay across the street from Legoland (good stuff for grandchildren), enjoy the coastline, and do another Half Marathon. Nice course, almost entirely along the coast road with great views of surf and sand - not too cold (remember, I'd been doing winter training in DC, so it's all relative), course was a little hilly but not bad. All in all a pretty good way to spend a weekend. We did another hand-in-hand finish, this time at 3:17:47, which means there is still a lot of work to do on going faster.

2007#1 - Winter Training for Vancouver, BC

Decided to do something completely different to start 2007 - winter training with TNT, leading up to the May 7th BMO Montreal Vancouver Half Marathon. Naomi chose to "pass" on this one, and I decided not to do the fundraising, wanting to avoid too much challenge to the generosity of my friends. Do you know, it can be really cold out there on a bike trail in January, February and March. Even April is still a bit nippy on some days. The good news is my accumulation of cold weather gear from having been a Boy Scout leader came in very handy, and once you get moving quickly even 30 degree days don't feel so cold - except when the wind is whistling down the trail and you are going up that trail. Still, it's different to train in long john tops and bottoms, long running pants, long sleeved technical shirt, jacket, ear band, gloves and mittens than the summer outfit of shorts, a tee shirt and sweat band.

The cold weather does tend to limit your willingness to stand around at the end of the trail, but then again there always seems to be someplace we can go for coffee.

2006 - Racewalking Adventures

Having enjoyed our 2005 activities, Naomi and I decided to "step it up" (pun fully intended) with more events in 2006, at least until the big "C" reared its ugly head and curtailed some of our intentions. More about that later, first a little event history.

• January 15, 2006 - P.F. Chang Rock n' Roll Half Marathon, Phoenix, AZ - 3:21:13 finish time sort of told us we really needed to train before doing these events. Did have a nice Saturday in Phoenix, visiting Taliesin West (Frank Lloyd Wright's home/school) which was truly fascinating. Did NOT like the course, flat and boring, through mostly used car lots and light industrial areas.


• March 12, 2006 - Arizona Distance Classic Half Marathon, Tucson, AZ - 3:17:14 finish for me, Naomi was 3:03:52. Had a great trip to Tucson, enjoyed the Sonora Desert Museum, but proved to myself that having spent March 1st thru 7th driving the Alaska Highway was NOT a good training regimen for me. But the Alaska Highway trip was truly awesome, well worth the time and effort. Not to mention being something I'd dreamt of doing since reading a book about building the Al-Can Highway when I was about 10 years old. A bit chilly (-25F our first night) but what grand scenery. Guess that's the topic for an entire new blog someday soon.


• April 9, 2006 - St. Louis Half Marathon, finished in 3:13:26, while Naomi was at her college reunion. Actually wound up Naomi was spending very little time at the reunion, her mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and most of Naomi's time in California was spent helping her mom. This was the beginning of a very challenging summer for us and our loved ones.


• May 7, 2006 - Flying Pig Half Marathon, Cincinnati, OH. Did this one without Naomi, although we had planned to walk it together, but she was with her Mom. Honestly don't recall my finish time, as it was overshadowed by the news from my sister as I was driving back to St. Louis from Cincy. Seems that SHE had also been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.


• August 13, 2006 - Chicago Distance Classic Half Marathon. Naomi and I finished hand-in-hand at 3:11:27, not bad considering our limited training after her Mom died July 13, 2006. This was our second time at this John Bingham race, which we really enjoy. His events are very well managed, with good crowds but not the huge fields you see at some events. And we have discovered it's fun to spend just a weekend doing the "fly to the city, spend Saturday sightseeing, do the race on Sunday and fly home after the race".


• September 3, 2006 - Virginia Beach Rock n' Roll Half Marathon - another hand-in-hand finish, this one in 3:13:53, including that nasty hot last 4 miles on the Boardwalk. (We do not plan to walk Va. Beach again, just not one we have a lot of fun doing.)


• October 22, 2006 - Nike Women's Marathon, San Francisco, CA - Naomi did the Half, I took another shot at the Full Marathon. The 26.2 miles took me 6:34:40, longer than my target time of 6:30, but I did manage a "negative split" and make the last 1.2 miles my fastest miles!


• October 29, 2006 - Marine Corps Marathon 10K, which we did as a "recovery walk" a week after the Nike, in part to give us a chance to be in the official finish area to cheer on our teammates. 1:25:45 total time for the 6.2 miles.

We had signed up for the inaugural running of the Outer Banks Marathon on November 12, 2006 but traffic jams caused by the opening of the Marine Corps Museum at Quantico, VA made it impossible for us to make the trip to North Carolina. We'll try that one again next year.

2006 was certainly quite a year, marrred by the loss of Naomi's mother in July and my sister on August 27th, four days short of her 66th birthday.

Nothing we could do to change the effect of the cancer on Mom and Fran, but we continue to raise money to fight blood cancers. Managed another $6000 in 2006, with a comparable amount for Naomi, and they tell us our help makes a difference. Actually it's YOUR help, and we thank you.

Racewalking to save lives. Curious? Go to: http://www.active.com/donate/tntnca04/tntncaTCFarnam07

2005 The Racewalking Begins

• First endurance event - April of 2005, Country Music Half Marathon. Naomi had done the Nike Womens Marathon in October of 2004, and I'd gone along to watch. Decided I needed the exercise, and if I was going to be able to see her on Saturdays and this was what it would take, it was worth it. 13.1 miles in 3:17:22. (Naomi was over 30 seconds per mile ahead of me, clearly more training needed.)


• Signed on with TNT in May of 2005, started training more regularly. Found out it's hard work, but there are signs of progess.


• August 7, 2005 - Chicago Distance Classic Half Marathon, Naomi and I finished together in 3:08:21. Felt reasonably good about the time and was able (barely) to move the next day.


• September 4, 2005 - Virginia Beach Half Marathon, Naomi and I finished together in 3:10:38. Last three miles is on the Boardwalk and HOT!


• October 23, 2005 - Nike Womens Marathon, San Francisco, CA. Finished in 6:50:25 My first full marathon, and about four miles into it I stumbled (toe caught a crack in the pavement) and "strawberried" my knee. Ever see a little boy who fell? That's what it looked like, but it really was not painful so keep on going. All seemed fine until about Mile 20, when it seemed impossible for me to stand up straight, because my back was not working right. Kept going, but looked so bad every TNT Coach who saw me said "Tom, how do you feel? Are you going to finish?" (Later saw a picture of me at this point in the race - my face was ashen, can't blame them for asking.) My standard response became "I feel like dog *%$t, but I'm going to finish." Did so, then took Coach advice and went back to the hotel and took a 10 minute ICE bath (tub of water/ice, insert body for 10 minutes). Took care of the muscle injury, went to the TNT Victory Party and did some dancing that night. Not much, but some.


• We came back to DC, then spent the following Sunday cheering on our TNT TeamMates as they did the Marine Corps Marathon. Took lots of pictures, probably walked 10 miles, but recovered from Nike.

We managed to complete some interesting and challenging events, and in the process thanks to the generosity of my friends and clients I managed to raise over $6,000 for leukemia and lymphoma research. Given several family members and friends battles with blood cancers, that is the best part of all.

Racewalking to save lives. Curious? Go to: http://www.active.com/donate/tntnca04/tntncaTCFarnam07

Very First Post

This is my first try at creating a blog, so be patient with me. Want to share my experiences in preparing for my third encounter with the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco, CA on October 21,2007. Have successfully completed this event twice, am now trying to make it within 6:15 total time. Not fast for a runner, but for a 62 year old "racewalker" it's pretty quick. Requires averaging 14:18 per mile for 26 miles (about 4.2 mph). My best previous time is 6:34:40, so this is an ambitious goal, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I'll be posting training times, miles and similar data, sort of as a personal journal and to give anyone so bored as to be reading this an idea of what is going on. We'll start with some historical data in a separate post titled "2005, It Begins". Come back to see this space from time to time, it may be interesting (or not) but hopefully not boring.

Racewalking to save lives. Curious? Go to: http://www.active.com/donate/tntnca04/tntncaTCFarnam07