An intense north Atlantic storm pushed an unusual surge of sea ice at St. John’s, Newfoundland, on Friday, a sight not seen by some locals in decades.
The powerful Atlantic low, centered about 400 miles southeast of Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula, produced strong northeast winds gusting up to 70 mph in parts of Newfoundland.
This was the second major north Atlantic storm in a week.
End-of-month at work, no chance of taking [off] the day…especially after a half-month away in New Zealand. Friday night East Coast flight, connection in Chicago – Saturday a.m. marathoning in West Haven, CT. Tomorrow’s forecast – rain.
Descending from the clouds, water poured off my window. Not just rain, sloppy sleet & ice. Airport hotel by 1am, up again at 5. Crazy quick turnaround. Hour-15 minute drive to today’s marathon start. April 1st – ironically, my first official ‘Spring’ 26.2 of 2017.
Race day bib pickup, bitter cold porta-potty, then retreated to the car for a 20 minute nap. Aside from visiting friends & family this East Coast trip, would be marathoning today with my Indiana pal, Carolyn. Finishing 26.2 in CT, would up her 50-State tally to 41. Go Carolyn!
8am Start, 2 loop course, cold & windy, 100% chance of rain. Beanie-opted after a ball cap gusted off my head. Luckily, weather man got it all wrong this day. NO rain. Strong headwind first 2 miles before skirting into town. Closely knit Brownstones provided multiple wind breaks in this old New England town. Mile 5 or 6, local WWI Memorial (photo opp).
Hilly run, deceptive beach o’ hills. Reality: hills helped equalize pace. UP UP UP, I’d lead. Downhill or flats, Carolyn flew.
Lap 2: took almost a 10-minute break. Indoor restroom, change of socks, waited while Carolyn de-layered (we had prepared for heavy rain). Head down, pushed thru the wind. Lost our way 2-3 miles in. Flagged down a police car who called in our location & got us back on track – 15 minutes, eight-tenths long, my first ultra of 2017 🙁 Stayed uber-focused race remainder…running long is never fun.
Nothing left/outta fuel at mile 24. ‘Go on, see you at the Finish’ – instead, Carolyn urged me forward. Good egg, thanks friend.
Back along the Sound, pushed thru swirling wind, circled ’round Savin Rock, then brought it home. 15 minutes slower than expected but another marathon FINISH. #85, my 2nd in Connecticut.
Savin Rock Marathon & Half Marathon – April 1, 2017
Marathon » Overall Results
192 K R Haga 4:39:26.97
Goodbyes to my running pal, [she] needed to log 5 hours under her belt before hotel-crashing for the night [long drive home to Indiana]. I, on the other hand, enjoyed an impromptu dinner party with friends. Lived 9 years in New Haven, LOVE LOVE these guys!
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- not just rain, sloppy sleet & ice
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- layered UP, ready to RUN!
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- first official ‘Spring’ marathon of 2017
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- halftime show: change o’ socks
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- Long Island Sound *BLING*
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- post-marathon ‘circle of friends’
Savin Rock Marathon
Early to bed, early to rise — woke marathon morning to FOG. Dense, thick, ‘can’t see 10 feet in front of you‘ FOG.
Layered up — 2 shirts (long sleeves under yesterday’s ‘Run WV’ purchase), shorts, running tights, ball cap & gloves. 35 degrees, pretty much perfect conditions. All signs point to marathon EXCELLENCE!
Drove in early from neighboring Barboursville, stadium parked, pre-race porta-potty’d, patiently waited for my run sister Carolyn. BQ — all about HER this day. Months of texts back-n-forth; I’m just the lucky guy signed up to enjoy the ride. Flat 2-lap course — notta fan of laps, never been…but a flat course in West Virginia? That I dig.
Crowded field. Could not connect with Indiana. Hovered ’round the 4 hr pace group. Cannon pop, we’re off. Two/three minutes, happy upbeat Carolyn tags in. No tunes, no playlist. Passed the morn with runner banter. Whole lotta chatter.
Slow first mile, then paced up. 8:20, sub-8, 8:35 — slow down she says, voice of reason. My best chance for sub-4 would be a quick first half. Not steady enough to run 9 minute/miles the entire duration, haven’t finished a strong 2nd in over a year. We agree on 1:55 — “it’s a marathon, not a 10K”…I know, I know. Chilly weather, good sleeps & remembered my meds — popping anti-nausea at 9 & 15…no pain pills ’til the end — dulls the pain but zaps the adrenaline…sweat a lot, jacks my breathing.
No head games, steady easy run. STRONG today.
St. Mary’s Marathon:
K R HAGA crossed the 13.1 Mile at 08:54
Course time: 01:53:37
Pace: 08:41 min/mi
2nd lap: slowed our pace 2 miles in. Quads, legs tight. Hadn’t run this fast all year. No giving in to pain, best chance at sub-4. Stopped briefly at mile 18, hydrated. Carolyn shed layers; I chose to run warm. Lagged a step behind thru 19 — and said our goodbyes.
Running empty but knew I had 7 ‘1st Half‘ minutes banked. 10 min, 10:20, pacing too slow. Puked at 23 — come on man, dig deep!
Aid station straight ahead. Stopped for water, 4 hr pace group bounced by…with one mile to go. Super frustrating. 9 minute/mile no longer possible. Nothing left. Laid on a park bench, wrecked. 5 minutes. Blew my nose, deep breath. Ok, it is what it is.
Steady jog to Joan C Edwards Stadium, grabbed a football & did my lap. Marathon 75. Check, done.
St. Mary’s Marathon:
K R HAGA crossed the Finish at 11:08
Course time: 04:08:18
Pace: 09:29 min/mi
my friend Carolyn? sub-3:55, new PR, Boston 2018. Couldn’t be prouder.
40 minute drive in rural Appalachia for a true West Virginia celebration. Hillbilly Hotdogs. Highlighted on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives”, had this joint scoped out before leaving the Rockies. Picnic tables outside, school bus seating inside, a true dining destination. If ever in Lesage WV, gotta/hafta/must go. Highly recommended.
Next weekend, family weekend — DisneyWorld…but first, marathoning in nearby Winter Park, FL 🙂
Marshall University Marathon
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- where’s the Stadium? F-O-G!
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- ‘run West Virginia’
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- missed sub-4 by minutes
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- marathon #75 (WV PR)
Hillbilly Hotdogs, WV
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- wanna get hitched?
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- Food Network’s ‘Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives’
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- whole lotta hot dogs
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- school bus seating — Appalachia fine dining 🙂
accountability partner end goals: Carolyn BQs (Boston qualify), I PR. Both happen if we run sub 3:55 this year.
Been a long journey since May – whole lotta texts back n forth (Indiana to Colorado) – so couldn’t have been more surprised when Carolyn chose a race in West Virginia for her BQ. Out of all 50 states, my run in Morgantown WV was the hilliest.
Never argue with a woman – I signed up 🙂 Not super easy to reach the coal mining lands of southern WV. Boarded a mighty small connection in DC. One by 2 seats across, prop plane. Sunday’s marathon commemorates the university football team, who went down in a plane crash November 14 1970. No survivors. Team, coaches, prominent citizens. Makes one think.
Arrived in Charleston, day ahead of my running pal (5 hours away in Indiana). Woke Saturday to sunshine. Added West Virginia to my capitol-dome tally, my tenth (LA TX IN IA AR AL CT DC & IL). Was never a goal to see all 50…but have certainly enjoyed the journey. Quiet, still morning…just me & a parade of ground squirrels. HUGE fan of both history & architecture. FAAANNNTASTIC morn!
On the highway before noon, hour drive west to Huntington. Bib pick-up, 50 State Marathon Club reunion & PASTA 🙂 (however no red sauce for me/stomach cancer irritant, but do love to carb load – YUM!) Dumb luck re: the reunion — completely unplanned. Have been to three in my life (Indianapolis, Falmouth Mass & Santa Rosa). Always fun to connect with folks on a similar journey. Humbling too. More than handful of runners have collected 300+ medals. That’s a whole lotta miles.
Buddy time. Did a thorough campus walk. ‘We are Marshall’ – snapped that shot plus one of Memorial Fountain. Thankful I saw the movie this past week. Made my experience much more impactful. Tomorrow we’ll lay white roses at the fountain…last two-tenths of our run; marathon finishes in the football stadium. Quick drive to Spring Hill Cemetery, then parted ways with my friend.
Tomorrow a.m. my 75th marathon – We are MARSHALL.
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- one by 2 seats across, small prop plane to WV
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- Welcome to West Virginia
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- Veterans Memorial
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- “The West Virginia Coal Miner”
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- State Capitol
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- We are Marshall
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- the Thundering Herd
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- Memorial Fountain
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- marathon bib pick-up
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- “They shall live on in the hearts of their families and friends forever, and this memorial records their loss to the university and to the community.”
Marshall’s Memorial Fountain is a celebration of life
“They shall live on in the hearts of their families and friends forever, and this memorial records their loss to the university and the community.”
The Memorial Student Center Fountain is a tulip-shaped sculpture which will always serve as a reminder of Marshall University’s past and its future. Located in the plaza area on the campus-side of the Student Center building, this unique landmark stands as a monument to those who perished in the November 14, 1970 plane crash that killed most of the school’s football team.
This tragedy cut so deep because it involved more than the football team, coaching staff and school administrators. Also lost were some of the school’s strongest supporters. Doctors, attorneys, business people and civic leaders were also on board the ill-fated flight in which there were no survivors.
The fountain serves as a monument to honor those who died, but that isn’t the sole purpose for its existence. When the fountain was dedicated a few days before the second anniversary of the crash in November 1972, sculptor Harry Bertoia made it known that his creation was more about celebrating life as opposed to mourning the tragic deaths of the crash victims.
There’s strong symbolism associated with Memorial Fountain. The flowing waters from the fountain represent the continuation of life. Every year on November 14, the school conducts a memorial service which includes the traditional laying of the wreath at the front of the fountain. Once that part of the service is completed, the fountain’s waters are turned off until the next spring.
