Late wake-up, late marathon START. That time of year: less sunlight, cooler temps. 8am guns ok & not get heat-walloped by race end. Nite sleeps just 500ft from today’s FINISH banner, plenty of time for pre-race breakfast. A new era. Oatmeal, fresh fruit – nothing crazy, but 100% not my pre-race norm.
Expecting sunshine later but strong winds gusting off the Atlantic this day. Overcast & breezy. Mighty nice ocean view though 😊 Burrito-wrapped in last weekend’s mylar throwaway (PEI), wait/waiting to run.
Good headspace. Diet on point, training miles logged. Boardwalk run.
Would collect almost all Monopoly pieces over 26 miles. Couldn’t help [but] think of Ash; she’s collected different board versions since childhood. Classic Monopoly today – would tag all properties but the railroads. Tourist shops, food trucks, casinos – but NO RAIL (no B&O, no Reading) on AC’s boardwalk.
North toward Hard Rock, combined Half & FULL Start. Wider Boardwalk passage than most asphalt routes. Notta lotta pedestrians. Sunday morning early; still sleeping off the effects of a hard casino night.
First 2 miles Board, before pushing west into Atlantic City. Would rejoin AC’s famous landmark at marker 8, last 5 miles of Halfers’ journey to Bally’s & Caesar’s – day’s FINISH ticker. FULL runners veered left of the shoot, continued our trek south – collecting the yellow properties: Ventnor, Atlantic, Marvin Gardens.
Cold, strong headwind. RAW. Regrouped at 14. Thankful for my Twin Cities glove swag, lotta use past 3 weeks. Caught appreciated windbreak on a 5-mile subdivision loop thru Ventnor City. Boardwalk last 4 miles. Legs tired but wind at my back. Walk, jog. Push, push, push. Ran mile 23. Walk/jogged 24, ran in the last mile. Course lined with tourists, amused by the action, grabbing a morning coffee/breakfast bagel.
Boy’s on a tear. Not as fast as last Sunday, but darn close – 2nd best of 2018. Work put in, good consistent results. Another bonus to a four hour marathon? No begging for a post-run shower. 2 hours to Newark, FOOD, 4 ½ hour flight home.
Tomorrow: Monday, Monday – but today, a 4:13 finish. FAAAANNTASTIC!
2018 AmeriHealth NJ Atlantic City Marathon & Half Marathon
October 21, 2018 Results presented by AC Marathon Race Series and timed by SVE Timing Mid-Atlantic
Bib Name Division Chip Elapsed City
1237 KEENAN HAGA MARATHON 04:13:19 LOUISVILLE
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- burrito-wrapped START
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- FREE race pics – super classy, thanks AC Marathon 🙂
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- Atlantic WAVES
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- fun fact: ran all day/shirt on backward – LOL>
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- boardwalk FINISH
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- one of the original 13
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- Hello Papa ❤️
Atlantic City Marathon
Jersey marathon weekend. Blog preview: no Hazmat required, all a myth.
Mobster crime & industrial pollution, their past. dirty Jersey, the slur. My holiday? Jersey GREEN, Atlantic Ocean GREY.
Friday post-work flight to Newark. Eastern Time touchdown, rental car traffic, hotel pillow 1am. Fast 6 hours later, two mile shake-out run. Stretch goal met, BIG smile. Gonna be an AMAZING day 😊
Ivy League START, quiet Saturday morn. ‘Welcome to Princeton’ settled 1683. Craftsmen-carved/Revolutionary-era buildings, varsity oars cutting thru Lake Carnegie, bricked clock towers, hushed chapel architecture. Pitched arch, footstep echoes, stained glass glory. WOW!
2nd stop: New Hope PENNSYLVANIA. Parked in downtown Lambertville (New JERSEY). Pedestrian-crossed the Delaware. Riverside LUNCHED in PA. Watched paddleboarders trek UP the river – ski beanie & shorts, chilly water sport day. Mussel feasted. Warm broth, crusty bread. YUM!
History NERD ALERT. Post-lunch walkabout at Washington Crossing Park. Yep, that Washington. General George’s infamous Christmas-crossing of the Delaware. You’ve seen the painting. Toured Johnson Ferry House, only original still standing. After Washington’s icy river crossing, ferryman-Slater moved Washington’s troops, horses & 6 remaining cannons. Soooo much history!
[Thanks Nat’l Park folks for the private tour, very much appreciated!]
Tick, tick, tick. Same state, same day, third destination – the AC: Atlantic City, Jersey’s casino-riddled Monopoly. Boardwalk, Park Place, all the red properties – that Monopoly. Inspired HERE.
Bib pick-up at Bally’s, check-in at the Claridge (casino-free sleeps), ocean walk. Two miles of sunset. Stared out into the Atlantic, wave hypnotized. B-I-G, my life. Dinner: oysters & octopus.
Rethink the slur, folks. Much to see & do. America’s secret vacation destination.
Princeton University
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- Jersey weekend
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- Lake Carnegie
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- Patriot
University Chapel
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- Prayer for Princeton
Crossing the Delaware
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- Lambertville NJ
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- New Hope PA
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- dining on the Delaware
Washington Crossing Park
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- Continental Lane
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- Johnson Ferry House
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- our Nation’s First
Atlantic City
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- Philly skyline
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- oceanview room
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- the Boardwalk
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- 9-11, WW2 & Korea
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- Atlantic sunset
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- I ❤️ Jersey
When ya dine in a 19th century Methodist church Marathon Eve, how can you go wrong Marathon Day? Stained glass windows, massive organ pipes, cathedral arch – and fresh seafood. Ace up my sleeve? Convinced Stephen today a necessary training run. He’d Uber 6-8 miles from the Finish & run me in. Marathon path BACK on TRACK, guaranteed.
7:30am drop off at Sullivan Gym (U of Southern Maine), single loop out n back course, quarter-to-8 start. No frost on the pumpkin but cooler autumn temps 😊
Hit it hard early, deceptively hilly. Didn’t drop pace for 10 miles. Porta-potty regroup, 2:07 first Half split. Plan: keep pushing ‘til 15, pop a pain pill/ease late-race stomach woes. PLENTY of FALL COLOUR – New England foliage: reds, orange, yellows. USA’s brightest/most diverse hues. BESTEST place to leaf peep.
Electrolytes, water – complete refuel, doing it all this day. Unfortunately, found I’d dropped my magic med solution. Argh. “Pain just mental, keep pushing.” Legs like lead by mile 18. Electrolyte sugars initiated day’s dry heave show. Walk/jog. Walk/jog/run. Expected Stephen soon, would help motivate a Maine finish/lift my spirits.
No seacoast grin repeat (re: yesterday’s lighthouse 4-miler) but moving forward. Phoned-a-friend at 19. ‘Training’ partner would meet near marker 21 (last relay exchange). No drama, just no gas in the tank. Walk, jog. Walk, jog, run. VERY MUCH appreciated!
3 hour+ second half – but I finished. I showed up, I medaled. University shower & a flight home 2 hours later. Portland to Philly, Philly to Denver, work in the morning. Despite the slow familiar finish, Colorado-returned upbeat, improved attitude.
ALL IN. 1st day of October. LOVE October, LOVE the temperature swing. Fave month of the year.
Diet, consistent training miles, improved hydration – 100% effort next 30 days. Diet is the answer/will provide long-term relief. Swollen pancreas, meds for the pain. Bread, sugar, dairy, most fats – not my friend, not on October’s deal-a-meal plan.
Now to New Year’s, I’m moving. Every day, every single day. Antarctica driven!
Maine Marathon, Half Marathon and Marathon Relay
Sun September 30, 2018
Portland, ME US 04101
Congratulations on Finishing the Maine Marathon, Half Marathon and Marathon Relay!
K R HAGA Marathon Louisville CO BIB #142 CHIP TIME 5:23:52
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- autumn in New England
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- BACK on TRACK
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- Mainer SWAG ❤️
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- 5 mile ‘training’ run – HUGE thanks, Stephen!
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- Robo Ro 🙂
Maine Marathon
