Capon Valley 50K, May 7, 2011

I spend Friday afternoon touring Civil War battlefields that figured in Sheridan's Valley Campaign in the Fall of 1864 south of Winchester (Cedar Creek, Fisher's Hill and Tom's Brook).  I'm particularly interested in the first and the last, as Custer fought at them and I'll be visiting Custer's last battle, the Little Big Horn, next month.  In one of those deathbed moments so beloved in the 19th century, Custer held the hand of Confederate General Stephen Ramsuer as he died from his wounds at Cedar Creek.  A key portion of Fishers Hill has been preserved by the Civil War Trust and has a walking path with an excellent interpretive brochure.

I stop at Big Daddy's in Stephens City for some delicious barbecue, then head to Yellow Spring for packet pickup at the Ruritan Club.  They have a drawing for several door prizes and I win a small, hand-hooked mat of a sheep.

At the start

Race day conditions are about perfect with temperatures in the 50s, headed for the low 60s.  There is a chance for showers later in the day.  It's just a bit cool for me and I elect for a long sleeve shirt knowing that I'll be pushing the sleeves up before I've gone too far.

I meet Kate A. at the Ruritan Club where I down a freshly made pancake that covers the entire plate and have a glass of orange juice.  Breakfast sets me back $1.25, but as I hand the volunteers $2, someone is getting a $.75 cup of coffee, so I tell them to use my change to pay for his drink.

Unlike the three other years I have run Capon, there is no prayer or National Anthem before the start.  The approximately 150 runners walk outside to the start and someone must say 'go' as we begin to run.

Kate and I run easily near the back of the pack. I chat with a runner from the Pagoda Pacers of Reading, PA who I had also run with at Bull Run Run 50M.  Kate has a cast on her right wrist due to a bruised bone that has refused to heal since January, but says it is lighter than carrying a water bottle.

I'm familiar with the course from previous years and tell Kate what to expect as we go along.    A couple of miles into the run we come to the first stream crossing.  The water is up a bit from rain the previous week, and  knowing that this is only the first of  numerous crossings to come, I run through it rather than try to pick my way over it.

We soon arrive at Lynn G.'s horse barn, the first aid station (mile 3.4).  Someone calls my name.  It is Lynn F., someone I've known from our days working on Capitol Hill.  She has a house nearby, but her husband is a college president and normally she is away at graduation in May.  But this time she is in Yellow Spring, and we exchange greetings. I'd like to linger and chat, but the clock is running and Kate has blasted through the aid station and I need to hustle to catch up with her.

Sun-struck Kate cruising along

We cruise along easily. I feel like I can run faster, but Kate is good at pacing and I decide to go with her rather than my a all-too-often fly-and-die strategy.

Kate spots the remains of a deer carcass by the side of the trail.  All that remains are bones - the ribcage is still intact -and some hide.  She pulls out her camera and snaps a picture. "My boys will love this one," she says.

I spot a runner ahead with what look likes a Bighorn Trail shirt.  I ask for confirmation and Phil H. tells me that he has done it previously and is going out there this year as well, just as I am.  He is doing the 50K while I'm doing the 50M.  He tells me that he had previously tried the 50M and missed one of the cutoffs.  We run together for awhile and he compares the hills of Capon to those of Bighorn.  Just past the water stop (mile 6.8) the course goes up a steep incline.  "This is like 'The Wall' at Bighorn," he informs me.  "But it goes on for a couple of hours," he adds.  The climb at Capon is over in ten minutes.

As we go down the steep downhill under the powerlines about eight miles into the race, we catch up with Michelle P. and  Amanda D.  It was Michele who convinced me that I could run Capon as my first ultra in 2007, perhaps because she forgot to mention that it involved significant ascents and descents.  The descent under the powerlines is still a bit frightening to me as it involves loose rocks and an eroded path, but not as bad as it was the first time I saw it in 2007.

Field and sky on the Capon Valley course

We splash across the river to get to the next aid station (mile 10.5).  I've left a drop bag there with shoes and socks, but I know from the earlier stream crossings that there will be more to come, so I don't bother changing anything.

In the next mile or so we crisscross Back Creek while we head uphill.  The course levels out as we run through and past fields, then past the old grass airstrip before heading down the short steep paved road to the next aid station (mile 14.4).


While Kate and I are generally running together, she spends almost no time at aid stations, refueling herself with GUs.  I on the other hand, eat chocolate chip cookies, M&Ms, Pringles and Coke at the aid stations, so I have to chase after her after leaving each one.

I provide commentary and coming attractions on the course for her.  Just before entering the stretch to what I call the 'spooky house' I nearly stumble and fall over in one of the creek crossings.  But only my shorts have gotten a bit wet, and Kate derides my claim to falling in.  Apparently only getting submerged save for your left ear counts for her, based on Mark Z.'s mishap at Bull Run earlier in the year.

We head up the road past the 'video surveillance' signs.  Off to the side is a collection of rusting auto hulks, looking worse than when I saw them two years ago.  Past the house where the fellow sits and politely responds to our hello.  Once past the three slowing disintegrating Peugeot sedans the trail starts up the long climb (maybe 500-600 feet) to an old logging or fire road that runs parallel to the top of the ridge.  The level section is both muddy and rocky.

I reach down and toss a stick off the trail.  "You are still a teenager," Kate jokes to me.  I thought I was doing a good deed by grooming the trail, and Kate thinks I'm just playing! But maybe it is a bit of both.  I tell her that what she said gives me a promotion from the age that Sandy usually says I act. 

I dash ahead a bit to get to the next aid station (mile 18.7) in advance of Kate so that I can refill the borrowed Nathan pack that I'm using.  Kate catches me and we make good time down the long downhill.  The course has been slightly rerouted here, as there are logging operations taking place.

More stream crossings and mud greet us, and we take turns taking action photos of each of us running through the streams.  She'r reminding me to keep drinking, and truth be told, it is easy to forget to drink without having a bottle in my hand.  In addition, I lose track of 

As we approach the Capon Springs Road crossing  there are several boys playing with toy guns by the side of the path.  They helpfully tell us that the road crossing is just ahead.  One volunteers to escort us to the crossing, and so we have an 'armed' escort.  The boy stops at a table where his father, a volunteer member of the rescue squad is sitting, while his colleagues make sure that we get safely across the lightly traveled road for the quarter mile stretch of dirt road to the next to last aid station (mile 24.4).

The gravestone of Jemima

Kate barely stops at the aid station, but I get my usual refreshments and also remove my pack to refill it.  By the time I head up the hill, Kate is barely in sight.  Try as I may, I can't narrow the gap, and the climb up this next-to-last long hill is tough.  After a brief flat section it turns steeply downhill to the final stream crossing of the day.

I see Kate across the stream and headed up the other side for the last steep climb.  But I'm seriously running out of energy and have to stop several times to gather my strength.  By the time I reach the top of the ridge, Kate is nowhere to be seen.
And then it starts to rain.  Just a few drops and hard to feel in the woods, but definitely rain.  I'm on the lookout for the solitary tombstone of Jemima, and I spot it and take a picture.  The inscription reads: "JEMIMA/wife of/Davis Farmer./Born/Dec. 20, 182?/Died/Aug. 9, 1883/-- years 7 mos" With the climbing behind me I regain my strength and can run again.

The rain is getting heavier approaching the barn (mile 27.6) for the second time.  Leaving it and heading down the short stretch of gravel road, the rain is now being blown into my face.  It is cool and I'm glad that I didn't change to a short-sleeve shirt, as I pull down the sleeves to keep warm. In less than another five minutes the rain stops.

Capon Valley swag 

I had long given up my hope to have finished in 6:30, and now I've given up hope of finishing in seven hours.  The last mile I run with a pair of runners, Bob F., running his sixth Capon (PR 5:30) and 22nd ultra and Nicole K, running her first ultra.  We talk about our times. None of us are concerned.

We cross the bridge over the Capon River, cross the same field we crossed hours earlier, retrace our steps up Capon River Road and finish at the Ruritan Club.

I finish in 7:06:36, 106/148 overall; 72/94 males; 4/8 in my age group.  It is my second fastest Capon finish of the four times I've run it, although closer to my slowest (7:10) than my fastest (6:57).

Kate gets a plastic bag at the last aid station to protect her cast and finishes in 6:57. I enjoy the chicken dinner at the Ruritan Club and even though I don't have much on an appetite for the chicken, I do have two desserts.

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For more on my experiences at Capon Valley 50Ks, read my 2007 and  2008 Capon Valley reports.  My 2009 report is not online.

Bull Run Run 50 Mile, April 9, 2011

April Showers Bring . . .
Friday brings rain, promising sloppy conditions for the Bull Run Run 50 Mile race put on by the Virginia Happy Trails Running Club.  I'm less concerned about sloppy conditions than I am about rain on Saturday, so I prepare by spraying Scotchgard on my hat and lightweight windbreaker.  My thought is that I might be able to ward off getting my head, body and arms wet.  For my drop bag at mile 16.6 I pack a complete change of clothes except shoes and include a towel and a Mylar space blanket.

Mike E. shows up at my door promptly at 4:15 a.m. Saturday morning for a ride to the race.  We make very good time on the 32 mile drive to the start at Hemlock Overlook Regional Park in Clifton, Virginia, pick up our race packets and go to the dining hall where we meet up with other runners.  I have a piece of chocolate chip muffin that is available to the runners.  The weather looks like it will be OK, with a chance of some light mist or drizzle early, and gradually improving as the day goes on.  It is a bit cool, though, with temperatures in the middle 40s at the start, so I start the day wearing both a long sleeve and short sleeve shirt, tights, shorts, gloves and a hat.

I meet Mark Z., Yi D. and Larry B., my teammates on MCRRC Absolute Zeroes.  Our only chance to win a team prize is for all of us to finish and for our combined time to be the slowest of the 28 teams entered.  Kate A. is also there and is motivated by a comment I had made that Mark could run races faster if he did not stay with her.  She has taken this as a slight and is determined to set things straight on the course.  I start off with them, but soon leave them behind.

. . . Mud
At precisely 6:30 a.m. the race begins.  About a mile in, a fox charges directly at the file of runners on the single track through the woods, until it looks up and slams on its brakes.  It briefly looks left and right, then turns around and dashes back over the ridge. "Probably going to text his fox friends to beware of the crazily dressed people in the woods," someone wisecracks.


Soon we come to the first creek crossing.  Normally, the creeks are easy to get over without getting one's feet wet by hopping from one circular concrete stepping stone to another, but Friday's rain has got the creeks over the stones.  Nothing to do but get the feet wet and try not to fall in.

About six miles into the race we come to the second stream crossing.  The water in this creek is high enough that mud from the runners' shoes is clouding the water and making it hard to see the crossing stones.  I decide to follow some other runners crossing through the stream itself, which is about mid-thigh high on the theory that it is better to get a bit wetter but cross on better footing to reduce the chances of falling in.

To be safe, I take my cell phone, sealed in a baggie, from my shorts pocket, and hold it up.  I step into the stream, but the current is stronger than I anticipated, and it knocks me off balance and I fall into the water up to my armpits.  I manage to stumble across the stream, but I'm thoroughly soaked.

I strip off my shirts and wring them out, hoping to be able to avoid hypothermia over the next twelve miles before we get back to Hemlock where I can change my clothes.  I put the long-sleeve shirt back on but tuck the short-sleeve one into my belt.

I pass through the Centreville Road aid station, grab a couple of chocolate chip cookies and a mini-whoopie pie and head out through the low-lying portion of the course for the turn -around amidst fields of bluebells.  Alas, the bluebells are not yet in full bloom as they were last year.

But the mud is in full bloom.  Just about every step of the 4.4 miles out and back between the Centreville Road aid station and the turnaround consists of slippery, clinging mud. And I discover that I've lost one of the gloves that I had tucked into my belt as well.

Long segments of the trail seem to be shallow lakes themselves.  Every step requires care, and even then, one's foot moves left or right, forward or backward as it comes down.  Trying to run on the edge of the path to stay out of the mud puts one on  a tilted surface.  I pay the price for trying that, and fall full on my left side in the mud, covering myself from my ankle to my shoulder.

On the way back to Hemlock Overlook, the streams that we have to recross are noticeably lower.  I successfully use the stepping stones at the stream I fell in.

Heading along, I catch up to a women telling another one about a race she had taken part in.  She's telling how she had to run alongside this creek with cold water, while water ran across the trail from a hill above the trail.  All this while running uphill.

"Please tell me the name of that race," I say, "so that I can avoid it."

"Bighorn Trail Run," she replies.

"No!" I scream, "I'm signed up to go out there in June."

She assures me that it is beautiful.  And she was doing the 100 miler, and as I'm only doing the 50 miler, I only have to run down the section she had to run up (in the night) and then down.

When I signed up for Bull Run, I'd harbored a secret ambition to finish under 11 hours, knocking about 16 minutes off my time in 2010.  But the mud is slowing me down, and my splits through the first few aid stations don't bode well for reaching that goal.  Still, it is early, and the course after returning to Hemlock Overlook (mile 16.6) should be less muddy.

Change We Can Believe In
At the aid station I head for my drop bag.  It's in a picnic pavilion, and I'd put it on the furthest table so I could do what I now set out to do:  a complete change of clothing.  I strip off the still wet shirt and replace it with a dry long-sleeve one.  I sit down, take off shoes and socks, lay the towel over my lap and remove my shorts and tights.   The temperature has risen a bit and the sky seems a bit lighter and I gamble that dry shorts will be sufficient the rest of the day.  I put dry socks on, even if my shoes are still a bit damp grab a different hat and head out.  It takes about five minutes to change.

Knee Pain
It is 4.5 miles to the next aid station, and my left knee begins to hurt. The pain is toward the medial side, so I figure it is not an ITB problem.  But it starts to slow me down, and I decide that I'll take the rest of the day aid station to aid station, as it will be wiser to quit than risk serious damage that could jeopardize going to Bighorn.  It is also clear that 11 hours is out of the question.

Through the Marina aid station (mile 21.1), where the volunteers are grilling hot cheese and ham and cheese wraps to go with the usual cookies, candy, boiled potatoes and assorted other goodies.  Next stop is the Wolf Run Shoals aid station (mile 26.1) where the volunteers always dress to a theme.  Last year, they were characters from the Wizard of Oz.  This year, they are dressed from Toy Story.

Now my knee is really bothering me, particularly on the uphills.  I'm not just walking them but walking them and favoring my left side, so that I am actually limping up them.  Strangely, the knee isn't really bad going downhill or on flats.  I run a bit with a doctor who has just helped another runner by tying a band around her knee, and he says that he can practice field medicine on me as well.  I decline the offer.

Soon I look back and see Kate A. approaching.  She gives me a couple of Advil for my pain and then moves ahead.  She tells me that she has left Mark a ways behind, and that he had fallen in the same creek that I fell in, only that only his left ear remained dry from his dunking.  Her race report has more details on his fall and her day.

I spend some time running with Caroline W.  She seemingly knows every runner on the course, and has words of encouragement for everyone, even those she doesn't know.  She doesn't allow me to lapse into any kind of pity party over my knee.  The Advil seem to be kicking in, and the pain, while present on the uphills seems to have lessened a bit.

Pizza!
At the aid station heading into the Do-Loop (mile 32.5), I contemplate the pizza choices: plain, pepperoni, and ham and pineapple. This last is an affront to my Brooklyn-born Italian-American heritage, but I help myself to a slice of the pepperoni pie.

In the loop, I run past the carcasses of two abandoned cars and look at the crew boats on the Occoquon River.  I chat with a runner who had a heart attack 18 months ago, and received two stents and a quadruple bypass as a result.  His doctor told him that his running had strengthened his heart and that without that, the heart attack would have killed him.

When I get back to the Do Loop aid station there is one slice of pepperoni pizza left.  I hesitate, but a volunteer tells me to go ahead and take it, and I don't need additional encouragement.

Through the Fountainhead aid station for the second time (mile 37.9) I tweet, "knee sore but bearable. Can run flats and downhill."  As I pass a woman she says, "Are you Ken?"  It is Jennifer Z., who I have exchanged emails with (she is a friend of Mark Z.), but have not met.  Her left knee is bothering her, but strangely, hers hurts more on the downhills, while mine hurts on the uphills.  We chat was we amble along, running where the course is flat, but also doing a fair amount of walking.

We get back to Wolf Run Shoals aid station (mile 39.9) and I have half of an ice cream sandwich, one of that aid station's specialties.  I consult my watch and pace card and tweet that it "looks like 11:30 is not gonna happen."  Given that I had hopes for sub-11 hours, I should have been discouraged, but I'm feeling like I'm making relentless forward progress, and given the mud and my knee, I'm OK with doing that.

Kicking It In
About a mile from the Marina aid station (mile 44.9) one can see the bridge carrying Yates Ford Road over Bull Run. This perks me up, and I pick up the pace.  The climb over the rocks under the bridge is slow and painful to my knee.  I wait for Jennifer at the aid station and then urge her to hurry along.  I've looked at my pace card and think there might be a chance to finish under eleven and a half hours after all.

I don't feel tired, and with the exception of walking uphills, I'm pushing the pace.  I'm passing people, just as I did last year in my quest for 11:15.  Just like last year, I'm urging people to get a move on, because "You have a chance to finish in 11:30."  But the rocky sections are difficult to clamber over for my knee, and I let out more than one yelp of pain in so doing.

I keep waiting for the turn away from the trail alongside Bull Run and up the hill to the finish, but at each bend it isn't there, and when it comes, it's clearly too late for 11:30.  But no matter. I move along with another pair of runners, and don't even try to out sprint them at the end and they finish three seconds ahead of me. I cross the line in 11:34:19, good for 250th out of 320 finishers.  In my first appearance in the Male Super Senior division, I finish 13th of 19.

Kate gets her revenge, finishing nine minutes ahead of me.  Jennifer, with her bad knee and her quads complaining, finishes her first 50 miler in 11:49.  She has to walk backwards downhill on the way to her car.

Mark, with his hamstring bothering him, finishes in 11:55.  That time clinches last place for the Absolute Zeros, and each team member receives a BRR Team Champion blanket for being the slowest team.

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Read my 2010 Bull Run Run report here.

Read my 2009 Bull Run Run report here.

Seneca Creek Greenway Trail 50K, March 5, 2011

Desperately Seeking Rebecca
"I'm just crossing 495," Rebecca texts in response to my inquiry of her location. That's clearly wrong since 495 is  not on the way from her house to my house to carpool with me and Barry S to the start of the Seneca Creek Greenway Trail Marathon and 50K.    Rebecca recognizes that she is chronically late, so she asked me to tell her an earlier time to be there but since she knew it was an earlier time, it didn't work and she is running late.  In a couple of minutes she zooms up, we pile in my car and head off to the finish to catch the bus to the start of the low-key point-to-point race.  And since I chronically plan to arrive early anyway, we get there in plenty of time.

On the bus, everyone puts their entry fee and entry form in the envelope that gets passed around as that is the procedure that has been used in the past.  But when we get to the registration area, we're told that this year we are to hand in payment and form individually, setting off a bit of a scramble to sort out the 35-40 checks, cash and forms.  But there is plenty of time and everyone gets registered and gets their number before Race Director Ed Schultze issues the Go! command at 8 a.m.

Start
It's a bit chilly in the morning and I'm wearing a long sleeve shirt over a short sleeved one, along with gloves, tights, a buff around my neck that I've pulled over my head as a balaclava and a hat on top of that.  I start off with Emaad B.who is running the marathon.  The only difference between the two courses is that the 50K runners will do a loop around Clopper Lake to add sufficient distance to make 50K.

Within a mile I pull away from Emaad and fall in with Michelle P. and Lorrin H.  They are running the marathon and I briefly think that staying with them may be a mistake as it will make me go out too fast.  On the other hand, I'm used to going out to fast and then trying to hold on, a rationalization for bad pacing.  Soon I've warmed up and shed the long sleeve shirt, buff and gloves.

We cross the rocks over Seneca Creek at about mile five.  There is a rope across the stream to steady oneself, but one foot slips in anyway.  Getting wet feet is always more feared than the consequences warrant, and the day isn't cold enough to cause any concern.

We get to the first aid station at Brink Road, around mile 7 and Race Director Ed is there pouring drinks for the runners.

About a mile and a half later the trail crosses Watkins Mill Road.  As I approach the trail head on the south side of the road, Ed is there again, this time carrying a satchel and running down the trail past me.  He had a report of a runner in distress and is headed to provide aid.  After about a half mile I catch up to him and overhear him talking on his mobile.  He is headed back to access the runner from a different direction.

What's Yellow and Read All Over (on the Trail)?
Shortly before the aid station at Route 355, about mile 11, the first of the inevitable signs appear.  The signs are the brainchild of Don L., master of the Route 28 aid station, at mile 25.5 of the 50K.  It is of a goldfish, or perhaps a goldfish cracker.  Soon the second  sign comes in sight, with what looks to me to be a yellow rubber ducky.  "It's a Peep," another runner says, and we good naturedly debate what is the correct interpretation. (Don L. later confirms that it is a Peep.)  On the other side of route 355 is the third sign, a banana peel.  That clinches it for me; the theme at the Route 28 Aid Station is yellow, I proclaim.  The fourth sign, a glowing  yellow light bulb is further evidence I think, but other runners are not entirely persuaded.

I reach the aid station at Clopper Lake, about mile 15, and start the loop around the lake.  Shortly into the loop, I decide that it is a bit too cool for short sleeves and swap the short sleeve shirt for the long sleeved one.  I run for a while with Kevin O'C. of Virginia.  We feel each other out about our ages, and he turns out to be two years older than me.  He is also the race director of the Swinging Bridge 35K and 50K in Cumberland, VA.  After leaving him I catch up with Michele M. and we chat before I move on.

Back to the Clopper Lake aid station at about mile 19, I rejoin the trial to head for the finish about 12 miles downstream.  After crossing Riffleford Road, I smell what I think at first is a barbecue, but then realize that it is the odor from the fire, driven by high winds and partly caused by exploding Pepco transformers, that swept through the area three weeks before.  For almost the next two miles, the grass has been scorched, in some places on both sides of the creek, and some tree trunks are blacked as high as eight to ten feet off the ground.  Spring is coming, though, and new shoots of green can be seen sticking up through the burnt grass.

And even here, there are more of Don's entertaining signs.  I chuckle out loud at the "Yellow Fever: Catch it!" one, and smile at  "Yellow cake: If it's good enough for uranium, it's good enough for our runners!"

After crossing Route 118 I spot Barry up ahead.  "Hey, Custer," I shout, "I'm coming to get you."  Barry spins around and strikes a mock kung-fu pose. "Martial arts won't do you any good at the Little Big Horn," I yell and then have to explain to a puzzled near-by runner that we are going out to run the Bighorn Trail Runs in Wyoming in June, and plan to pay a visit to the Little Bighorn Battlefield while in the area. Barry says that Emaad and Rebecca are together a little ways ahead.

I'm feeling pretty good, walking most of the uphills and running the downhills.  Don's signs are increasing in frequency as the aid station gets closer. Beyond Blackrock Mill on sign asks, "1 mile to Mellow Yellow / Are you sure you're not hallucinating?" and another promises "Yellow tofu: Not nearly as bad tasting as yellow cardboard!"

Sure enough, runners to the Route 28 aid station at mile 25.5 are greeted with: "Welcome to Mellow Yellow! / Sorry we're all out of hallucinogenic banana peels. / All that's left is sugary [stuff]."

Don only provides a single cup for runners to use, and in a moment of unusual delicacy, I pour Coke directly into my mouth rather than use the cup.

Emaad, running the marathon, is at the aid station talking on his mobile phone. "C'mon," I urge him, but he is in no hurry to leave.

Desperately Seeking Rebecca 2
He tells me he and Rebecca reached the aid station together and that she has left.  Maybe I can catch her, I think, although she can run fast when she wants to.  On the other hand, prior to the race she had talked about dropping out at Route 28 so maybe she is a bit tired.

Leaving the aid station is Don's final sign, and one worth a final laugh: "Next aid station in 6.5 [sic] miles. Color theme: Soylent Green."

I push on, alternating periods of running with an occasional walk, particularly on uphills.  The trail has mile markers every half mile and they steadily count down the distance remaining.

Reaching the final aid station at Berryville Road, around mile 30, Rebecca is nowhere to be seen, for good reason.  She will finish her marathon distance more than eight minutes ahead of me.

No matter.  I get across Hooker's Branch without getting my feet wet, go up and down the last few wooded hills to Seneca Road, then head down the packed dirt and gravel of Tschiffley Mill Road to the finish.  I'm in the company of Marina B. and Lisa J. but I can't keep up the pace and with a half mile to go tell them that I need to walk.  After a brief walk, I resume running to the finish, crossing the line in 6:32:41, 96th of 119 male finishers, 135 of 168 overall, at a pace of 12:39 per mile.

I'm quite pleased.  Continuing a trend from trail races last year, I've knocked more than 32 minutes off of last year's SCGT 50K time.
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To read my report on the 2010 Seneca Creek Greenway Trail 50K, click here.

Washington's Birthday Marathon, February 20, 2011

How Long Will It Take?
"4:52."

Saturday night over dinner Sandy has asked me what time it will take me to run the George Washington's Birthday Marathon the next day, and after a brief moment of contemplation, I've responded with a rather specific prediction.  It's a bit of educated guess work but the degree of precision is not meant seriously.  I do think that I'll run under five hours, but not as fast as my two Fall marathons of 4:37 and 4:40.

Sunday morning is bright and cool and after feeding the cats and having breakfast myself, I get on the Beltway for the short drive to Greenbelt for the race.  It is the 50th Anniversary of the low-key race put on by the DC Road Runners Club and it starts at the rather late hours of 10:30 a.m., although I plan to get there in time to register and take the early start at 9:30 a.m.  The early start disqualifies one for any prizes, but I'm not going to be likely to get any, so it does not really matter.

Halfway to Greenbelt I realize that I've forgotten my watch.  Well, I think, this is going to make for some interesting pacing.

Early Start
Upon arrival, I quickly register and go to sign up for the early start.  The volunteer tells me that the early start is for runners who expect to take more than six hours and that anyone running  faster than five hours will be disqualified.  I protest that the website doesn't say that be he is insistent.  Friend Caroline W. tells me not to worry about it.

She also introduces me to Ed D., who is a very experienced member of the Virginia Happy Trails Running Club.  Ed is wearing a Bighorn Trails shirt, so I eagearly question him about the race which I will be doing in June.

Finally we stroll the couple of blocks to the starting line for the early start and without much ado, the 'G-O' command is given and the four dozen or so early starters cross the mat.

I set off with Caroline and Ed at an easy pace as we run the few blocks through Greenbelt, a planned community begun by the Federal government in 1937.  Then we enter onto the grounds of the USDA Agricultural Research Center and head down a long hill.  I joke with them that while we are running the three loops of the Center the race organizers come and make the hill steeper for our climp up it at mile 25.

City Boy
As we approach some fragrant piles near a building a runner says that there is nothing like the scent of pig manure.

"How can you be sure that's what it is?," I ask.

"You're a city guy, aren't you," he responds.  "There's nothing like the scent of pig manure."

During the first loop I catch up awhile with a couple. She's wearing a Megatransect shirt and we discuss her experience in that race that involves a scramble up a boulder field in central Pennsylvania.  Her companion brings up Comrades Marathon, one of the greatest footraces in the world, and that he had done it twice.  He tells a stirring story of reaching the finish with less than 3 minutes to spare within the very strict 13 hour time limit.  Based on my 50 mile times he assures me that I could certainly finish the 56 mile race in a 'down' year.  And 2012 is a 'down' year.  Maybe a trip to South Africa in May 2012?  Something that was off my list is, perhaps, back on.

The disadvantage of the early start is that the aid stations are not in operation yet.  Around mile 8, I catch up with an runner who is complaining bitterly about it.  I snap at him that the lack of aid stations for early starters was fully disclosed on the website and that he could have carried a bottle if that was a problem for him.  He just keeps on complaining.  I run past him and use the Porta-potty at the location of the next aid station, but where drinks have not yet been set up.  He passes while I'm inside, and when I pass him again, he continues to whine about the lack of water and then adds that a car had run him off the road.  I note to him that we are running on two-lane roads that open to traffic and that he needs to watch out for himself.

The first aid station with fluids is at the relay exchange point just short of mile 10.  I down a couple of cups of Gatorade and take a Succeed! salt tablet.

I'm wearing a pair of colorful Eric Clifton Jesterwear tights, blue with gold, and one of the women at the aid station complements me on them.  Then she reaches out and very gently touches the outside of my right thigh with a couple of fingers. "I'm not going to tell my wife that you did that," I say.  But in fact, when I get home, I do.

While running through the exchange area Kenny A. gives me a shout.  He's there to run a leg of the relay and I slow down to chat.  He urges me to keep going, but I tell him I'm just out to have fun.

Going 'Round
Starting the second loop I fall in with another of the early starters.  I tell him of my lack of a watch and he notes that we have reached the 10 mile mark in about 1:48.  I quickly - and surprisingly easily, since arithmetical functions are usually the first thing to fail while running - compute our pace as 10:48 per mile.  "That can't last," I say.

A couple of miles later I'm running and daydreaming when I'm startled by a voice behind me.  I must have jumped because the woman who has overtaken me apologizes for, as she says "scaring the crap out of you."

"I was asleep," I explain.

"Running coma," she responds, and we both laugh.

Shortly thereafter I peel off my long-sleeve shirt, remove the short-sleeve one underneath and re-don the former.  I fold the latter in half and tuck it into the back of my pants.  Since we are running loops, sometimes the mild breezes are to our backs, sometimes on the quarter and other times directly at us.  All day long I take my hat or gloves off and on, sometimes wearing only the hat or the gloves, or neither, or both seeking the perfect degree of warmth and never attaining it for long.

By now some of the relay runners on the second leg are flying past.  Less than a quarter mile beyond the halfway point, Carsten Brown, who will go on to win the race, glides by.  A couple of minutes later another one of the leaders go past.  The rout of the slow is on.

Over the gently rolling slopes of the I move on.  Without a watch I can't use the "run 7 / walk 1" strategy that I successfully used in a couple of Fall races, so I just walk some uphills when I feel like it.  And even though the course has mile markers, without a watch I can't gauge my progress.  On the other hand, running without a watch is liberating, as there is no tyranny of the march of digital numbers.  I can contemplate the vultures circling overhead at one point of the course - there's a turkey vulture, and that one might be a black vulture - without worrying that staring at the carrion eaters is costing me time.

Through the relay area again and on to the third circuit of the course.  Past the fields and woods and banks and buildings that make up the agricultural center, with one section echoing with gunfire from the near-by Prince George's Trap and Skeet Center.

Time without a Timepiece
Finally, it's back up the steep hill at mile 25, and indeed, it is steeper going up than it was going down 24 miles ago.  Run on a couple of streets, and turn onto the paved park path to the finish.  I fall in with Ron H. and tell him that we have no need to race to the finish as he is an hour ahead of me.  He corrects me and says that he also took the early start. I mention that I'm not wearing a watch and as he starts to look at his to tell me what our time is, I stop him.  We cross the finish together and then I turn to him for our time.

4:52," he says.  I laugh. Just as predicted.  Without a watch and with only one timed point on the course. Maybe I should have bought a lottery ticket.

Epilogue
My official time is 4:52:44.  The four early starters who finished under five hours are not disqualified.  I have a bowl of chili, a Pepsi and some birthday cake in honor of the first President's birthday at the post-race meal.  I finish 154 of 222 overall, 112 of 151 males and 15 of 25 in my age group.

Rosaryville Veterans Day 50K, November 13, 2010

JeanneLouWho, elegantly attired in a red wool coat, matching red beret and a star spangled silk scarf, beautifully sings the National Anthem on a brilliantly clear crisp fall morning for the 89 runners awaiting the 8 a.m. start of the inaugural Rosaryville Veterans Day 50K in Upper Marlboro, MD. Some of the runners join in. Members of the United States Naval Academy's cross country team stand at attention. The race, put on by the Annapolis Striders, is taking place in Rosaryville State Park, a 982 acre hidden gem just a few miles southwest of Andrews Air Force base off US 301. The Washington, DC, area is blest with trails, and these are ones that those of us who live north of DC don't know about.

The course consists of three loops of the ten mile-long single track Perimeter Trail, with about 3/4 of a mile in a mowed field and then some park road from a pavilion at the beginning of the race to spread out the field, and the same stub for the return. The track is mostly in the woods and gently undulating without much in the way of serious ascent or descent. There are a few tree roots and even fewer rocks, but nothing that requires much more than ordinary attention and not enough to distupt running stride. The trail has two stream crossings, but today the water is down. One stream is easy to leap over and the other has a log in it the enables a dry crossing. The course twice goes under a powerline and briefly skirts a pair of fields. There are two aid stations on the course, the first at the point where the loop begins and ends, and the second halfway around the loop.

It is cool at the start with temperatures in the mid-30s, but will warm to 63, so dressing is a bit of a challenge. I elect to start in my shorts, but wear a cap, gloves and my Miwok buff around my neck. Within a couple of miles I've taken off the hat but the gloves last a while longer. After the first loop I drop the gloves and hat at the aid station which also doubles as a place where runners can leave drop bags. The volunteers return all the bags and other items left at the station to the start before the end of the race.

A couple of weeks earlier at the Marine Corps Marathon I had success with a run seven minutes, walk one minute strategy and I've decided to use it again. I have some trouble figuring out how to maximize use of my watch for the cycle, but after about 15 miles I have it figured out. What the solution means however is that I routinely won't be flipping back to either the time of day or lap time functions on the watch. And that means that I won't know how I'm progressing.

The course is very well marked and since the footing is pretty good, one can spend some time looking at the scenery. There are no spectacular views as there are at other races, but the woods are infused with a golden light from from the mostly yellow and brown leaves on the ground and on the trees. A moment of inattentiveness allows a rise in the ground to catch my foot and I stumble and fall gently, dirtying my right calf, but without so much as an abrasion on either my leg or my hands. "Down but not out," I assure a runner who sees me fall, as I pop back up.

Passed the second aid station a runner tells me that trail bikers use the course. As if on cue a couple of riders come toward us. We'll see bike riders the rest of the day going in both directions, but all are unfailingly polite and there are no problems over sharing the trail. Later I meet a woman riding her horse in the woods, but mostly on trails that cross the trail we are running on.

I finish the first loop in 1:53. A bit quick I think. A flicker of a thought that I can go under six hours crosses my mind. On the plus side, the course is very runnable, I've now seen it all, and there are no difficult sections. On the down side is that there are still 20 miles to go, the day is getting warmer and slowing down is inevitable.

After I disposed of my hat and gloves I'd moved the buff to my wrist, but it it is hot there so I roll it up and wrap it around my head to catch the sweat which is starting to drip down.

About four miles into the second loop a photographer is busy shooting the passing runners. "What goes up must go down," he says of the rolling section of the course. "If the up lasts more than three hours," I reply, "call your doctor."

A little way past the second aid station, about mile 16, the first place runner passes me. He's done 26 miles to my 16. I try to do some mental arithmetic as to the ratio of our times, and figure that I'm about on my regular pace, which is to run about 54 percent of the distance covered by race winners when they are finished. Four or five more runners a lap ahead will pass me before I finish the second loop.

I finish the second loop in about 3:49. One loop to go, the 7/1 running has me feeling strong, and absent a catastrophic fall, I'm confident that I'll break my 50K PR of 6:37. What about six hours? I've got 11 minutes in the bank, but on the other hand, there is that extra three-quarters of a mile at the end.

I decide not to worry about. I've got the routine of using the timer function of the watch down so that I never have to look at either the time of day or the elapsed time. Run seven. Walk at the beep. Reset the time. When it counts down to six minutes, reset it again and run seven. Repeat. If I walk an uphill during the seven minutes, don't worry about it.

About mile 26 I finally hit the 'bad patch.' It is that point in an ultra when you start to wonder why you are doing it. Marathon runners 'hit the wall,' a point when they have depleted all their glycogen and start to have to rely on fat reserves for energy. It often seems that there is no recovery from the wall as it is based on physiology. Ultra runners don't seem to experience the wall. It may be because they are eating throughout the race, or are used to going longer distances or are better at pacing. The bad patch obviously has physiological components, but more of it seems mental. Today, it is a not-so-bad bad patch. It isn't very deep and doesn't last very long, maybe because I've been having a fine day. I avoid the temptation to glance at my elapsed time. I figure I should be able to finish under 6:10 or 6:15.

I exit the woods and get on the road to the finish. It is a long uphill and while I run some of it, I also walk a fair amount. Cresting the hill I can see the finish maybe 400 yards off. The red glow of the clock is visible, but it's too far away to see the numbers. My watch beeps and I take my one minute walk.

Finally I'm off the road and in the field. One hundred and fifty yards of tall grass, slightly uphill, to go. Someone is standing between me and the clock. Fifty yards to go and now I can see the hour number: '5.' Forty five yards and I can see '5:5' but not the unit minutes or seconds. Closer now. And finally the full clock: '5:59:42.' Sprint! Six hours is within range and sight. Cross the line. Gasp for air. Hands on knees. Did I make it? The race director comes over and congratulates me. "You were under six hours," he says. When the official results are posted the next day my time is 5:59:59. I finish 60 of 89.

After catching my breath I walk over to the pavilion for a Coke and a baked potato. I top the potato with cheese and a curried corn topping. And I collect my glass finishers mug to go with the hat I received when I registered in the morning.

When I get home I notice that salt is caked on the bridge of my nose and that my black shirt has salt stains as well. Fortunately I had taken two Succeed tablets during the race which helped replace - or contributed - to the salt I lost through my skin.

Marine Corps Marathon, October 31, 2010

The Plan

"I'll call you in six minutes," Emaad texts the day before the Marine Corps Marathon. He's all excited about his success using the Galloway run/walk system at the Army Ten Miler last week. The phone rings promptly six minutes later. He tries to convince me that using the system and walking one minute will enable us to run MCM in 4:27, ten minutes faster than either of us have ever run a marathon.

After running out of steam toward the end of the Wineglass Marathon I'm more than willing to try the walk/run method with him. But I don't share his optimism that we can run the entire marathon at the pace he ran the Army Ten Miler.

"But I was just as fresh at the end as I was when I started," he states.

"We have to go more than two and a half times the distance," I gently remind him.

He agrees and throttles back a bit on the enthusiasm but he's definitely ready and looking forward to tomorrow.

Tres Amigos Dos

Promptly at 6:00 a.m. Emaad and Wayne roll up to my house. I'm ready and we pile into my car for the drive to the MCRRC hospitality suite prior to the race. Last year we left a bit later and only got across the Key Bridge after some cajoling of the police who had closed it to traffic to Virginia. This year we take no chances and cross the Potomac on the Beltway and earlier time. We make quick time getting to the Rosslyn Holiday Inn and the suite.

This is the second (or third) time the three of us have done MCM together, and coincidentially this year, we are attired in a patriotic combination of red, white, and blue shirts, appropriate for the Marines own marathon. Wayne is also planning to use a run/walk strategy but on a different interval than Emaad and I. We'll start together, but then be on our own, although we all expect to be close to one another as we were last year.

We stroll to the start where we meet Heather H. All of us have something extra on to ward off the bit of chill in the morning air before the sun will warm us up. The Tres Amigos are wearing large trash bags and Heather has a throw-away shirt and a light sweatshirt.

Seventeen seconds after the scheduled 8:00 a.m. starting time the Marine howitzer barks and the marathon begins. It takes us twelve minutes to reach the start line, but we begin to run as we get to the line. This year seems more crowded than last year's MCM, and there are places through Arlington that force walking simply because of the numbers of runners. Headed down Spout Run, a stretch whose descent should allow us to make some time, is crowded and we are forced to weave and walk.

We cross Key Bridge and head out Canal Road and proceed up Reservoir Road onto MacArthur Boulevard. Now that the crowds have thinned out a bit, we are sticking to the run seven/walk one schedule. We leapfrog with Wayne, catching up to him during his walks and falling behind during ours.

Emaad is in good spirits. Part of it is the glorious weather, part of it is the effacy of the strategy and most it is because he is running with the over 87oo women who will make up 40 percent of the 21,856 finishers today. A woman goes past us wearing a football jersey. "I love to see women in football jerseys," he purrs.

As we pass Georgetown University, we pass some cheerleaders on the sidewalk. Emaad, a Syracuse University graduate, tries to get their attention by yelling "''Cuse, 'Cuse, 'Cuse," but they ignore him. Then we are in the heart of Georgetown and the crowds are electric. Loud, boisterous and dynamic they line both sides of the street. Cheering, music playing, shouting, they energize us as we turn first down Wisconsin Avenue, then K Street to begin the long trek down to Haines Point and the halfway point.

Emaad seems to be tiring just a little bit as we approach mile 14 so I tell him that I'll stay with him until at least mile 20. I give him one of my Succeed electrolyte capsules. We make the seemingly long slog along Constitution Avenue from the Lincoln Memorial, and then we are on the Mall. We catch up with Wayne again but as has been happening all day, we start are walk and he goes on.

The Bethesda Rebel Runners have set up an unofficial aid station across from the National Gallery of Art just beyond mile 18. Even though I know it is going to be there, I almost run past it, but at the last moment spot daughter Hilary. I get some pretzels and chocolate chip cookies. Emaad has missed it, but he slows down to allow me to catch up, and then Rebecca R., who has organized the station comes along and asks if she can get us anything. We arrange for her to meet us on the other side of the Mall after we circle around the foot of Capitol Hill.

Passing an aid station as we return to the Mall, I grab not one or two packets of sports beans, but four of them. As we meet up with Rebecca and Hilary, who have brought us more goodies from the Rebel Runners, I give them the packets as I take more chocolate chip cookies. It may be one of the few times in running history that a runner has tried to restock an aid station.

Emaad is starting to obviously fade more now. "There's a woman in a Brett Favre jersey," I point out to lift his spirits. But it doesn't do the trick. "I've got standards," he unfairly replies. It's less the standards than the distance, I think.

Mile 20 comes just before the approach to the 14th Street Bridge. I tell Emaad that I'm feeling good and am going on, and he gives me a farewell wave and wishes me good luck. I credit the feeling to the seven/one method we have been practicing, and the goos and other things I have been eating. I decide to keep it up for the remaining 10K of the race.

In previous MCM's the bridge has often been the low point of the race. There are few spectators on the straight mile-long barren concrete highway with the sun shining down at the time that most runners start to hit 'the wall.' Police boats patrol the waters beneath the bridge. About halfway across the bridge I catch up with Wayne and Heather. They are in the midst of one of their walk breaks as I pass them. This time the bridge is not a problem for me and I cruise into Crystal City looking forward to the beer at the Hash House Harriers unofficial aid station. They do not disappoint.

I'm in good spirits. I ask a pregnant runner if they charged her two entry fees. I'm enjoying the costumed runners as today is Halloween, and I've seen brides, superheroes (male and female), chicken man and even Satan, complete with bib number 666. I note that everyone in the race is actually in costume and could go out for Halloween as a marathon runner.

Run seven, walk one. Only in the last mile do I begin to falter a bit and walk a little bit more. But that has a purpose of making sure I have enough energy to run up the hill to the finish line at the Marine Corps Memorial, the iconic Iwo Jima statue. I do and finish in 4:40:05, my best time of my five MCMs.

With my medal around my neck, place there as tradition dictates by a Marine lieutenant, I leave the finish area, get my USAA finisher's coin from its booth and walk back to the Holiday Inn. I'm eating lasagna and washing it down with a non-alcoholic beer - I've got to drive Tres Amigos home - when Wayne comes in. He finished in 4:48, meeting his goal of finishing under five hours due to his lack of training. Emaad does indeed fade the last six miles, finishing in 4:56. But like Wayne he, too, had his training disrupted by an injury, so he is not particularly disappointed Heather also finishes in 4:56.

Wineglass Marathon, October 3, 2010

Four Runners; Four Goals; One Race
Hilary, me, Jennifer and Kenny pose for a picture at the Bully Hill Winery in Hammondsport the day before the Wineglass Marathon. We've just had lunch at the restaurant and enjoyed both the food and the views of Keuka Lake. Now we are about to drive the course from Bath on our way to packet pickup in Corning.

Each of us has a goal for the race: Hilary to complete her first marathon and run it faster than friend Justin's 4:23; Jennifer to prove the naysayers in her group wrong that she can't run under 3:20 - and to reach the podium in her age group; Kenny to run 3:10 and qualify for his hometown marathon - the Boston Marathon; and me, to set a PR of 4:36 or even to run 4:30.

I recall to myself a story from D-Day. The night before the invasion of Normandy paratroopers lined up to board their gliders as part of the first wave. The commander came out and gave them a pep talk and then some sobering news: German resistance was expected to be heavy and casualties could run 50 percent. Each man looked at another and thought, "poor bastard." That's where we are today, I think. We might all make it, or there may be some casualties. And we have now way of knowing which of us might be in which column tomorrow.

As we drive the course, Jennifer becomes increasingly excited. She's amped up for the race and loves the course's flatness. Kenny and Hilary are more quiet. This will be my third Wineglass and I know the course, so I'm able to provide some additional information at it as we drive.

In Corning we collect our bibs and goody bags, which contain a split of sparkling wine, a long sleeve technical shirt and, for the first time that I've run the race, a wineglass. The men receive black shirts and the women a much more attractive deep purple one. After a brief visit to the small expo where Kenny picks up some GUs, we head back to our house in Watkins Glen. We have a meal of whole grain pasta with tomato basil sauce, garlic bread and salad. Kenny and Jennifer turn in early, Hilary goes to the movies to see Wall Street and I watch some TV and fuss laying out my kit for the morning.

Sunday morning arrives with temperatures in the low to mid 40s, higher than the predicted upper 30s. The forecast has removed any chance of showers. We wind up blest with a wonderful day to run, and I elect to run with shorts, a single longsleeved shirt and my Miwok buff to keep my head warm at the start.

We drive to Corning to board busses to the start in Bath. It seems like a long ride - our version of the flight over the Channel to the drop zone. Hilary and Jennifer share a seat and chat. Kenny and I get seats of our our own and partly fiddle with our phones and partly rest.

Disembarking at the lighting plant in Bath about 50 minutes before the 8 a.m. start, we all head to the portapotties. We get separated, but I find Hilary and we wait on the short line to get into the plant to keep warm. Jennifer calls me and comes in as well. We seem to have lost Kenny.

Ten minutes to race time we go outside. Jennifer and I toss our drop bags into the truck that will take our things back to the finish. I take a quick picture of the other two and then we all go off to find our spot amongst the 2000 runners waiting for the start. I find the 4:30 pacer and get further behind him. I'm determined not to go out too fast as I've done frequently in the past. I'm hoping for a 4:30, but want to start out slowly.

After a mile I've pushed the buff down around my neck and hiked up my sleeves, but my hands are cold. Around mile 2 I spot a pair of gloves that someone has discarded by the side of the course, and I pick them up and put them on. As I struggle with the second glove I realize that they are both left handed. Nevertheless I wear them for a mile until my hands warm up and I discard them by another pair by the side of the road that look remarkably similar. Maybe they are the two rights and I've reunited them, I think.

I get through six miles a minute and a half slower than in 2009. My plan to go out slowly seems to be working. Somewhere around mile seven or eight I catch up with the 4:30 pace group. I don't try to stay with them and slowly I pull slightly ahead.

Passing through the town of Savona at mile 9 a woman runner asks me if I had run Wineglass last year. When I reply in the affirmative, she tells me that she recognized me and that we ran together for a while last year. I remember her. She's Elena R. of Toronto who ran the race last year in hopes of qualifying for Boston. She ran a remarkably steady pace and finished in 4:23 at the age of 59, but had miscalculated the time she needed, which was 4:15. Now that she has turned 60, she only needs to run 4:30 and she is back to try. I remember that last year she ran a remarkably steady pace and I have no doubt that she can.

By now the 4:30 pace group has caught up with us and we join in with them. It is a convivial group, led by Pacer Pete M. from near Baltimore. He and I chat about the JFK 50 Miler and how we are not returning to it this year, as well as other races. He's keeping the group on a very steady pace, and I figure that hanging with them from this point on is a good plan.

We cruise easily through the next miles, past fields with cows and horses, including a pair of magnificent sorrel draft horses. As we approach the halfway point the pace group discusses whether there is a tradition that subjects of the Queen are supposed to recognize her at the halfway point. Elena and another Canadian are just yards ahead so I pick up the pace and ask, since they are still technically subjects of Her Majesty, whether they know if they are supposed to say "God Bless the Queen" at the halfway mark. There is a pause and then one of them replies, "First of all, it's 'God Save the Queen.'" Then I'm advised that there is no such tradition.

We pass the halfway mark in 2:13, giving me a bit of leeway for the second half. I'm starting to feel good about the chance to finish in 4:30, particularly considering that only three weeks earlier I'd shaved 20 minutes from my 50K time.

We get through mile 17 right on pace. Even a traffic jam consisting of a stopped tractor trailer making milk pick-ups at the dairy farms along the two lane road at the aid station at that mile marker doesn't slow us down. But after crossing the railroad tracks in the next mile, Pacer Pete, Elena and the rest of the group slowly begin to pull away from me. It's less that they are pulling away; it's more that I can no longer keep up. I take a Succeed! salt tablet in hopes that it may be of some benefit.

I go through mile 18 on what is technically a 4:30 pace, but the game is up. I just don't have the strength or energy to push it. I have a GU packet that I picked up ten or more miles back and suck on it in hopes that it, like the Succeed! will revive me.

Neither do much good. I'm trudging more than running now. I chat with a second-time marathoner through miles 19 and 20 trying to give her some spirit that I don't feel myself. I glance at my watch a few times during this stretch. I note the passing of 3:10 and wonder if Kenny has made his Boston qualifying. Several minutes later I wonder whether Jennifer has made her goal. I've got a long way to go before I will get those answers.

Just past mile 21 there is woman along the sidewalk offering cups of Yuengling beer. I take a cup and urge my companion to have some. She declines, saying she'll have some after the race. I tout the benefits of complex carbohydrates, but she thinks that alcohol is dehydrating.

On I go. I don't hesitate to tell several runners that I'd much prefer to be running a ultra race in the woods for seven hours than being out here. I cite several reasons: 1) softer surfaces; 2) no mile markers; 3) a varied gait; 4) more scenic; and 5) better food at the aid stations.

In past years the local Hash House Harriers ("a drinking club with a running habit") have had an unofficial refreshment stand just past mile 23. Sure enough, chalked on the path are HHH, then on-on, the call of the hashers. Beer ahead! But when I arrive, the hasher is carrying his folding table to his car. "No beer?," I half question and half moan, and he can only say, 'None. Sorry." Apparently the doubling in size of the race means that us back-of-the-packers are out of luck today.

Maybe it is the lack of beer, or maybe it is having run a trail marathon and a 50K in the four weeks preceding the marathon, but miles 24 and 25 are my slowest of the day. I'm confident that by now Hilary is finished.

And I start to think that maybe I still have an chance for a PR. The inability to do mathematical computations during long runs is a widely recognized phenomenon amongst runners, but near as I can tell, I may still have a chance. Or at least an chance to finish faster than I'm moving now. So I pick up the pace just past mile 25. I pass someone with "Erin - First Marathon" pinned to her back. She is walking. "C'mon," I say, " Stay with me and I'll get you in under 4:40." She doesn't respond, but a quarter mile later passes me. After another block I pick up the pace again and go past her and other runners. About two thirds of a mile to go now. I'm looking at my watch trying to figure if I can do it. I've pretty much figured that there is too little course left, but I don't let up anyway. I cross the line in 4:37:11, missing a PR by 59 seconds.

Pacer Pete brought his group in right on time, as he promised to do, crossing the line in 4:29:45. Elena stayed with them and qualified for Boston in 4:29:49.

I don't see Kenny, Jennifer or Hilary at the finish, or in the refreshments area where I get pepperoni pizza, chicken soup and a Coke. As is often the case after running a long race, my taste buds are off and the pizza and Coke have an odd taste. I eat and drink anyway, but without much gusto and finally discard much of the second piece of pizza.

I find Hilary at her car. "This is the worst thing I ever did," she moans. "My quads are screaming. I'm never doing this again." But it turns out that she ran a smart first-time marathon, finishing in 4:13:44. She made her objective, bettering Justin's 4:23 in San Diego last year. Her splits were a reasonable 2:05/2:08, showing a better sense of pacing than her father. Despite my efforts not to fly and die, it is just what I did, with 2:13/2:24 splits.

"Everyone feels like that after a marathon," I assure her, thinking exactly the same thought she has just expressed. "Wait until Wednesday until you make that decision."

Kenny has failed in his Boston qualifying effort, running 3:13:35. He was on pace through mile 20, and then his thighs began to tighten up. When I see him, he is fairly upbeat, as he ran a marathon PR even though he didn't get his BQ. His full report is here.

Kenny sees Jennifer finish, gasping for breath. She has willed herself to run hard the last six miles even though, as she later reports, she "was in a very dark place." It pays off and Jennifer hits the trifecta. Her 3:18:30 is not only good enough to qualify for Boston, but she finishes fifth in her age group. That gets her a spot on the podium, and she gets a white short-sleeve Wineglass shirt as a prize. And may most importantly for her, it's under the 3:20 that her pace group at home told her that she couldn't get under. "My husband told me I had to show them they were wrong," she says later. "When I couldn't think of a single happy thought, I thought of his words."

In a way, we all ran smartly paced races compared to the 1482 other finishers. From mile 9 to the finish Kenny improved his standing by 14 places (from 136 to 122); I improved by 58 places (from 1246 to 1188); Jennifer by 122 places (from 283 to 161) ; and Hilary by 131 places (from 1045 to 914), a remarkable showing of pace-management for a first-time marathoner.

After showers we gather for post-race beers to celebrate, commiserate and congratulate and to prepare for the drive home. Kenny and Jennifer state their intention to return in 2011 for the 30th anniversary Wineglass Marathon. Hilary is still adamant about how awful the last three miles were. She is one and done with marathons. "Don't decide until Wednesday," I repeat.

On Monday Hilary emails the three of us: "I dont know if you guys slipped me something, but I would be up for doing it again next year. In fact I am already thinking about the Madison Marathon in May 2011. [I] guess it didn't suck THAT MUCH."