Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon

Unprovoked attack in PWP - this could happen to you (Read 644 times)

Candice S.


    posted: 8/19/2008 at 9:39 PM
    modified: 8/19/2008 at 9:40 PM
    Quote from JakeKnight on 8/19/2008 at 3:29 PM:
    Strange. I thought we ran a race together last April. I looked for you for three hours and 37 minutes, though, and could never find you. That wasn't my finger. And yes, I plan to keep repeating that joke. It just never stops being funny.
    Well maybe you should have looked for me for 3 hours 39 minutes and 17 seconds...you would have found me. But you eventually found me sitting on a curb....okay, actually I found you from the curb. I yelled "JK" many times, but you would only answer to "Eric" for some reason.

    How do you keep your feet on the ground, when you know you were born to fly?


    break'n three

    Trent


      posted: 8/19/2008 at 10:00 PM
      Candice, JK is running the Tupelo Marathon the day before Franklin Classic (right JK?). He will be in no shape to run the Franklin Classic. So naturally, he will run both races. As may I. The 10k, after all, is part of the Grand Prix...
      Casa


      S&M Collector

        posted: 8/19/2008 at 10:29 PM
        Trent, I assume you'll run both the 5 and 10K in Franklin?
        Come across any cool medals lately?
        Trent


          posted: 8/20/2008 at 7:13 AM
          Define: run
          JakeKnight


            posted: 8/20/2008 at 7:44 AM
            Quote from TonyP on 8/19/2008 at 4:02 PM:
            I looked at your profile pic and I'm pretty sure I've never seen you. Makes sense because a 3:37 marathon means you're probably on your way home by the time I finish if we've ever ran the same races. I ran the CMM in 2007, but just did the half this year. In your pic - is that an electronic musical device you're wearing? I started a "virtual" riot on the Striders board before I did my first marathon (back in 2007) by simply asking if ipods were allowed. It's not a big deal to me, but some people are extremely emotional about it.
            Hmmm. Interesting points. I think I need a new picture in there. Because I don't have those glasses anymore. And I don't have that hair anymore. And yes, that's an iPod. How lame. That was the last marathon I wore one in (and only for the last 10k, and yes I'm being insecure and defensive about it, shut up).
            E-mail: JakeKnight2002@aol.com
            -----------------------------

            JakeKnight


              posted: 8/20/2008 at 7:46 AM
              Quote from Trent on 8/19/2008 at 10:00 PM:
              Candice, JK is running the Tupelo Marathon the day before Franklin Classic (right JK?). He will be in no shape to run the Franklin Classic. So naturally, he will run both races.
              If my budget permits, I'll probably do one or both. Depending on how hard we run Tupelo. I'd actually love to have an accurate 10k PR listed. Racing three races in 24 hours, one a marathon on most top 10 hardest lists, sounds pretty stupid, though. So I assume we'll be doing that.
              E-mail: JakeKnight2002@aol.com
              -----------------------------

              TonyP


                posted: 8/20/2008 at 7:56 AM
                What makes the Tupelo marathon so tough? I grew up in Aberdeen (about 35 miles from Tupelo), but I didn't do this running nonsense back then. I'm guessing the heat & humidity make it a little rough, but are there hills? BTW - I was just trying to find someone to tell me it's ok to wear an Ipod. I started doing training runs with one when I first started, but when I found out it may put me out of the "money", I stopped running with one. Turns out there's other factors that put me out of the "money" - things like time and distance, that kind of thing.
                JakeKnight


                  posted: 8/20/2008 at 8:17 AM
                  Quote from TonyP on 8/20/2008 at 7:56 AM:
                  What makes the Tupelo marathon so tough? I grew up in Aberdeen (about 35 miles from Tupelo), but I didn't do this running nonsense back then. I'm guessing the heat & humidity make it a little rough, but are there hills? BTW - I was just trying to find someone to tell me it's ok to wear an Ipod. I started doing training runs with one when I first started, but when I found out it may put me out of the "money", I stopped running with one. Turns out there's other factors that put me out of the "money" - things like time and distance, that kind of thing.
                  No idea why Tupelo is tough. Never done it. I think its the heat, but with this awesome weather lately, maybe it won't be so bad. I'll let you know in a couple weeks. I don't think its hilly. Trent would know. As for the iPod - do your thing. @#% other people's opinion. I wear it at least half the time on training runs. I seriously thought about taking it to my last 5k, and probably will the next time I go for a PR. Music helps. For a marathon, I wouldn't. Too much to see and experience. And I've now officially participated in a comet topic. I'm going to Hell.
                  E-mail: JakeKnight2002@aol.com
                  -----------------------------

                  Trent


                    posted: 8/20/2008 at 8:19 AM
                    Tupelo has relentless rolling hills, but nothing as bad as Monkey. Tupelo's main issue is the heat/humidity. Of course last year was relatively cool and this year is currently trending the same way.
                    PerfesserR


                    Imminent Catastrophe

                      posted: 8/20/2008 at 8:57 AM
                      I didn't think Tupelo was so bad, it starts at 5 a.m. so H/H are minimized. Bring a flashlight. Just the right amount of rolling hills IMHO. Great shirts--"Trample the weak, hurdle the dead" Big grin

                      "Able to function despite imminent catastrophe"

                       

                      "The most common question from potential entrants is 'I do not know if I can do this' to which I usually answer, 'that's the whole point'.--Paul Charteris, Tarawera Ultramarathon RD.

                       

                      √ Boston Marathon 15 April

                      √ Big Sur Marathon 28 April

                      √ Bighorn 50 Mile 15 June

                      Tahoe Rim Trail 100M 20/21 July

                      JakeKnight


                        posted: 8/20/2008 at 8:58 AM
                        Quote from PerfesserR on 8/20/2008 at 8:57 AM:
                        I didn't think Tupelo was so bad, it starts at 5 a.m. so H/H are minimized. Bring a flashlight. Just the right amount of rolling hills IMHO. Great shirts--"Trample the weak, hurdle the dead" Big grin
                        I'm running it primarily for the shirt and the medal. They better be good.
                        E-mail: JakeKnight2002@aol.com
                        -----------------------------

                        Trent


                          posted: 8/20/2008 at 9:03 AM
                          I disagree; don't bring a flashlight. Run in the dark. That what it is there for. Medal is usually good. Shirt is good every other year it seems. Last year's shirt was not...
                          lph53


                            posted: 8/20/2008 at 9:06 AM
                            Also could have been a Hawk. I have had them swoop at me a few times, when it's dusk.
                            LPH
                            PerfesserR


                            Imminent Catastrophe

                              posted: 8/20/2008 at 9:09 AM
                              modified: 8/20/2008 at 9:12 AM
                              from 2005. MTA: Warning, thread creep violation. And: There's the bonus of visiting the Elvis Museum. Don't miss it.

                              "Able to function despite imminent catastrophe"

                               

                              "The most common question from potential entrants is 'I do not know if I can do this' to which I usually answer, 'that's the whole point'.--Paul Charteris, Tarawera Ultramarathon RD.

                               

                              √ Boston Marathon 15 April

                              √ Big Sur Marathon 28 April

                              √ Bighorn 50 Mile 15 June

                              Tahoe Rim Trail 100M 20/21 July

                              Casa


                              S&M Collector

                                posted: 8/20/2008 at 9:11 AM
                                modified: 8/20/2008 at 9:13 AM
                                An excerpt from my Tupelo Blog. Sept. 2, 2007. I am long winded. sorry. It was still dark outside as people lined up at the marathon start. Many people carried portable flashlights and I even wore a glow-in-the-dark bracelet that was given out at an evening 5K I did the weekend prior. The starting line, not to mention the mile markers, consisted of sidewalk chalk on country roads! The start of the race was signified by the race director simply yelling "go" and a squad patrol car leading the pack of runners. I ran the first four miles with a guy from the New England region who was hoping for a 3:05 finish time. It was too dark for me to see the time on my stopwatch, so I figured I'd stick with my newfound friend for a few miles because he was able to tell me our pacing. The only way I knew what mile I was at was if my flashlight shined in the right spot and I saw the mile marker written on the road surface. I couldn't quite hold the same pace as the guy I was running with, so I let him go on ahead and was able to hold pace with another guy from Atlanta with a timer, who let me know that I was a minute behind my 3:10 pace at the 6 mile mark. The second guy was in training for an Ultra Marathon, so his plan was to run the 14.2 mile course twice. It's no surprise that I could only keep up with him for about a mile. On occasion I'd hear a dog or two barking along the side of the road, but it was too dark to see where they were, until you turned on the flashlight and saw that they were only a couple feet way from the people running by. Anybody who runs with me knows that I become apprehensive if I encounter an unleashed dog when I'm running. I just don't trust them and find the idea of getting bit very unappealing. Luckily humans outnumbered the farm animals on this morning and I figured if they started to give chase, it would be motivation for me to run faster! I did get some level of revenge by purposely shining my flashlight in the eyes of the barking canines! It was at about the seven-mile point that things started to unravel. I could tell that the pace I was holding was challenging. My legs just didn't seem to have the "get up and go" in them. The 75-degree weather and high humidity level may have been the culprit, but I could tell that I was having an off morning. I felt the urge to go to the bathroom shortly thereafter, but noticed that we had yet to pass a restroom. This wasn't surprising since the whole course was run on country roads that went past farms. So, I started eyeballing places that might be convenient for that purpose, but my fear of stray animals attacking me while I squatted made me reluctant to make a decision. At the next water station, I asked one of the volunteers if there was a bathroom coming up anytime soon on the course. He informed me that my best bet was to go behind a bush. He offered me half a roll of toilet paper and sent me on my way. I'll spare readers the details on what came next, but just say that I felt better once I found a hidden spot to take care of that urgent situation. I don't really remember much about the next couple of miles. I think I was still running hard, but also was lost in thought about what my back-up plan was going to be, since I sensed that a 3:10 finish time wasn't in the cards this morning. I think my biggest challenge was staying mentally motivated to run the 18 miles that lie ahead of me, despite knowing that the result wouldn't be what I wanted. I spent so much time planning in my mind how this day was going to go, and then it wasn't going as I had mapped out, I think I panicked. I snapped out of it when I saw the frontrunner coming back at me on this "out and back" course. His name was Chuck, the gentleman we had met at the Italian restaurant the night before. It wasn't surprising that he was the clear leader in this race. He called me by name and offered a few words of encouragement. I've never had any frontrunners do this before, so it was a neat moment! I couldn't help but envy his ability to run a 6 minute mile for 26.2 miles. About twenty minutes later, and I was at the halfway point, turning around to cover the same roads that I had just ran. My time at the half was 1:41, so I figured maybe I could pull off a 3:20 finish. One of the few things I found enjoyable about this course was seeing runners coming in your direction as you're running back towards the home stretch. Everybody was so friendly and encouraging! It really made a difference for those miles. At least now it was light out and I could see landmarks and scenery that I couldn't see on the way out! A lot of what I'd see would be rolling hills that creep up on you and give your legs a beating. I do some training on hills, and have run some steep ones in the past. But, I think the frequency of these gradual climbs was something that my legs just weren't accustomed to. Somewhere around mile 15, something happened to me that has never happened to me before in a marathon. I started walking! My legs quit! They told me that they needed a break, so I walked for a couple of minutes, but started running again because I knew it would be a long 11 miles if I walked the rest of the way! When I was running, I felt like I was running as fast as I could, but then I'd just stop and walk because I felt like it and my body was asking for it. I tried to evaluate my pacing, but when I looked down at my stopwatch, it had frozen up! I usually run with it hanging around my neck, and I think all of the sweat from my shirt made it malfunction. I guess I wouldn't need the weight of a watch around my neck any longer. When I removed it and put it in my pocket, I actually felt a weird sense of relief. From that point forward, I relied on the kindness of other runners and volunteers to find out what time it was, so I could get an idea of my pacing. As I was entering the last third of the race, I had actually gotten a consistent stride going and felt like I was running strong. This all changed at mile 20 when I experienced another first. My right leg started cramping. It was like my hamstring and calf went numb, and I could barely walk, let alone run. I agree with those who say that running is an individual sport ant that everybody has to run their own race, but I couldn't help but feel my competitive ego being bruised as I watched several runners pass me by while I grimaced in pain along the shoulder of the road. I used this as motivation to start running again, but found myself in the same spot seconds later when my left leg started cramping up too! I recognize that this part of my experience may sound strange, but it was a guy running in nothing but a leopard print Speedo that saved the day. A 25-year-old marathoner who had run more marathons than his age, he encouraged me to run with him because he was doing a run/walk combination, just trying to survive the rest of the course himself. He said we were still on pace for a 3:30 finish, so that gave me somewhat of a morale boost. He also gave me instructions about how to run through the cramps by trying to strike the ground more towards the heel of my foot, as opposed to the front. It is with humility and long lasting unpleasant images that I admit that "Speedo Boy" saved the day and helped me through the last five miles of the run, which I affectionately refer to as the "death march."
                                Come across any cool medals lately?
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