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
Late Friday nite flight. Midnite. Not always possible to office-scoot early Fridays 🙃 First red-eye cross-country trek in THREE years. Notta HUGE fan of overnight travel & sleep deprivation but mighty good to have options. Touchdown 9:30 Saturday morning: Welcome to Maine.
Toughest part? Staying awake during the 3-hour layover in Newark. Overslept a flight ONCE – my first marathon return from Alaska, 2013. Still remember the panic of waking in Anchorage, at my gate/all alone ‘xcept for the humming of vacuums tidying terminal carpets overnight. Yikes!
This trip, slept every opportunity/every flight. Whole lotta sightseeing planned, sunshiny New England day. AND FOOD of course. LOVER of all sea creatures. Lobstah, get in my belly! 🦞
Early hotel check-in, quick shower refresh, change of clothes, diner breakfast – Dutch’s.
Lotta diet change since Sunday’s gut wrenching DNS in Cheyenne. Consistent pill popping, abdominal pain down, mind again engaged. Not running this past week – that’s a fail – but food planning, big SUCCESS! No bread, no dairy, no sweets/sugar, minimal fat, no alcohol. SUPER restrictive me thinks; however month of October, all in. Doc went to med school, not me – gonna give it a try.
Eggs, lean protein on the good list. Diner fed. Ready, ready to roll.
Scenic walk downtown, Portland Harbour slow stroll. Did not disappoint. Race expo at Southern ME University. Bib pick-up, 50 Stater reunion site. Next up? Cape Elizabeth.
Think of Maine, ya think of lighthouses & rocky beaches. Short 20 minute drive, Portland Head Light on Cape Elizabeth. Gotta/hafta/must go. Day’s WOW spot – Maine expectation met. Bonus points? Dropped to shorts & partner-in-crime’d a scenic/HILLY 4-miler. Training miles for Stephen (half-marathon planned in Nashville), whoopie pie reward.
Hotel dash, ‘nother shower, dinner reservations at Grace. Former church. Stained glass, church organ, vaulted ceiling. STUNNING. What’s on the tonite’s menu? Roasted clams & Frogmore stew. Not exactly starving on October’s restrictive diet 😊
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- Monument Square
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- diner Breakfast
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- Portland Harbour
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- day’s WOW shot
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- Portland Head Light
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- scenic 4-mile training run
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- Cape Whoopies reward
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- clams & Frogmore Stew
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- stained glass, church organ, vaulted ceiling – STUNNING dining experience!
DNS, did not START. Travel, lodging, meal planning – even bib pickup, but failed to START on race day. GUTTED.
nicknamed ‘the Equality State’
Autumn hike on the Divide, late breakfast in Georgetown. Barreled home, swapped out backpacks, dropped Ro at the kennel. Hour-15 drive to Cheyenne, bib pickup deadline 5pm. SUPER Saturday 😊Haven’t spent lotta time in Wyoming’s capitol city, never stayed overnight. Hotel-splurged this trek, opting for a good nite’s sleep before Sunday’s inaugural Cheyenne Marathon. Early 6am start.
‘though just a short drive from Colorado, Wyoming stands on its own. Cowboy culture. Cowboy boots, cowboy statues, cowboy museums, even a cowboy-ridden Bronc dons the state’s license plate. Snapped Downtown shots of Cheyenne’s Wild West past. State capitol though was a bust – under construction, who knew? All signs pointed to a successful Wyoming x2 finish.
Alarm rang early. Feverish all nite, not great sleeps – elevated temp would linger thru Tuesday. Just PUSH through? ARGH. Run/not run, what to do? Not STARTING, soooo much worse than DQ’ing/trying, coming up short. Today: big MISS, runner FAIL.
Hotel check-out, early Colorado return. Traffic-delayed downtown. Street blocked, two runners slowly made their way across – shorts, headphones, eyes forward/focused/in the zone – that should’ve been ME. STINGS, still stings — core of my soul 😡
Back-of-mind questions next race – after DQ’ing: will I finish or late-in-race drop again? after DNS’ing: will I even show up? Am I healthy enough to keep marathoning? Should I skip my next flight & just stay home? Have I aged out? Do I now drop to Halves? HEAD demons.
Week following, notta lotta running. I’m a sore loser – or in this case, a sore ‘non-Starter’.
Maine next weekend. Stephen just an hour-half away, will be good to see a friendly face 😊 Positive note? New Denver doc/gastro specialist provided a full bag of meds, guidance/diet instructions. Step closer. Discovery, diagnosis, resolution.
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- Cowboy culture
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- big BOOT to fill
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- State Capitol (under construction) & historic Governor’s Mansion
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- new doc, new meds
