Masters Running

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Mariposai's 2 marathons in 2 weeks RR. (Read 307 times)

Mariposai


    "Only those who risk to go far can possibly find out how far one can go" T.S. Elliot Shore to shore marathon, Lake Chelan, WA- September 20th, 2008 Short version Finish time: 4:44:59 Placement: 2 in age group Fashion report: butterfly cheerleader skort, blue top, faithful garmin, copper tone lipstick, diamond earring, Red Door perfume and ipod loaded with McSolar and AA mixes. The long version: (warning...enter here at your own risk...this is long) In the area where I live there are many majestic places, but, Lake Chelan tops them all. When it came to my attention that there was a small marathon there on September 2oth I was tempted to run it because I knew it would be a delightful place to run, besides it is only a hour and half away from my home. After much pondering on how this was going to affect my goal marathon, Portland, which was only two weeks away, the pros outweighed the cons and I decided to sign up for the race. I had three objectives for this race: to run an even pace from start to finish (I am a yo-yo runner most of the time). I also wanted to run every mile with a sense of owning the race and not letting the race own me as is the norm for me. I just wanted to come to a mile marker and to be able to tell the body, mind and spirit the pace we will sustain; and to come to the end of that mile being able to say...good job...now this is your assignment for the next mile. My goal was to run a steady 10:30-11 minute pace the whole way regardless of the hills or being tired. This was an important lesson I wanted to learn. My third goal was to drink in the beauty of the scenery, which was easy to do when one is in paradise. I must admit the feeling was overwhelming when mile after mile I kept up with my goals and with the gorgeous lake as company. I kept up with my pace and never hit the wall the entire race. This indeed was a huge confidence builder for me as a long distance runner. The finish line was in the small, wealthy and quaint town of Manson. When I came across the finish line I was shocked to hear one of the timers (they time this race the old fashion way, no time chip) say that i was 2 in AG. Econo, this is cherry picking galore...you must consider this race in the future. I must clarify here that I was also DFL in my age group (I told you it was a small race). Believe me, I was so proud to have two ribbons around my neck as I drove back home. Me second place? Never in my wildest dream would I have ever dream of such a thing...it sure felt nice. The following two weeks I concentrated on training smart (thanks coach). I consulted with my dietitian for proper post-race recovery diet, I got a massage and eagerly awaited for the Portland marathon. Portland Marathon, October 5th, 2008 Short version: Finish time: 4:23:16 Placement: 41/354 in age group 37 minutes course PR 12 minutes marathon PR Fashion Report: butterfly cheerleader skort, pink top, faithful garmin, pink lipstick, diamond ear ring and Red Door perfume. The long version: The city of Portland and the Portland marathon have a very place in my heart. It was Portland, the first city where I called home in this lovely country. It was also there where I witnessed for the first time a marathon race and saw a real life marathon runner for the first time in my life. It was at that point that I decided that I too, someday, would become a marathoner. Life took its course and it took me over 20 years to take the time and to have the courage to attempt my first marathon. Of course I chose Portland to be my marathon debut. Not knowing much about long distance running, but with a help of Higdon's Marathon guide I trained and run my first marathon in 2006, finishing in 5:00. At that point I never imagined nor did I had the desire to ever run another marathon, but something fantastic happened to me...I came across CR and met you all there. Thanks to your encouragement I started planning for my second marathon for the following spring and the rest is history. In the past two years I have ran 8 marathons, 3 HM, numerous short distance races including some hefty long distance trail races. Some may call it coincidence, but I would like to call it "divine appointment" that I chose Portland as my prominent 2008 fall marathon and for it to be my first repeated race. I trained hard during the summer months, but work and family life made it impossible for me to keep up with the level of training I had envisioned. Once again, your support and t he love and encouragement of my dear husband and sons gave me the confidence in my ability to finish a marathon with the level of training I had. With this in mind, I showed up at the starting line with much eagerness to find how much I had improved in my fitness level since my first marathon. I decided that I would shoot for a 4:20 finish time, thus placing myself right in front of the 4:30 "red lizard" pacing group. My goal was to start out with them and by mile 3 peal off from them and not allow the red lizard to catch me for the rest of the race. The miles went by very quickly thanks to the fantastic crowd and music bands that showed up along the race course to cheer on the runners. At mile 15 my personal cheerleader, DH, met me for a hug, a kiss and encouraging words to keep up with the good work. He surprised me again with another kiss at mile 2o (being a non runner he sure knows well what we need by mile 20 ). It must have been the kiss or the fear of being caught by the cursed 4:30 pace red lizard that pushed me to run up the St. John Bridge without walking it at all, even when the legs were begging for a brake. After crossing the bridge my next goal was to keep up with my pace to the "boomers tent" where the lovely Econo, wearing her fashionable cow shirt, and my personal angel "The Canadian" were waiting for me to give me their love and support. The Canadian met me on the race course and paced me, as per our plan, to the finish line. Having her wit me when the legs were nothing more than rubber and the mind was sending strong messages to quit, was nothing but a blessing to me. For those of you who do not know the Canadian, she is full of pure joy and sweetness besides being a strong and fast runner. It was a delight to have her company in the last miles of the race. I lost my angel in disguise at mile 26 with a departing strong words..."Go get them sister". Her words, together with the loud cheers I received from my husband, WJ, Mike, Sue and others I pushed to the finish line getting more road kills I ever dream possible at that stage on a race. The last two blocks before the finish line found me in tears of joy and gladness as I crossed the line at 4:23:16. This is a whopping 37 minutes course PR; a 12 minutes marathon PR and best of all, a marathon month PR of 2 marathons in 2 weeks...and on top of that.... ...the nasty red reptile never bit me I guess...you can call me a marathon maniac now. I have a MM singlet and a MManiac #1109 to prove it (thank you Tet for your great surprise). For you see...I ran the two marathons in two weeks not even knowing that it would qualify me as a maniac. Thank you friends for being there for me.

    "Champions are everywhereall you need is to train them properly..." ~Arthur Lydiard


    MM#209 / JapanJoyful#803

      Felicitaciones for a memorable entry to Marathon Maniacdom with what-you-just-thought was a last minute Shore-to-Shore make-up for missed training and then being able to power all the way for a 12 minute PR two weeks later.

      "Enjoy yourself. Your younger days never come again." 100yo T. Igarashi to me in geta at top of Mt. Fuji (8/2/87)

        Lovely report!!! You are an inspiration.... What's next???

        "During a marathon, I run about two-thirds of the time. That's plenty." - Margaret Davis, 85 Ed Whitlock regarding his 2:54:48 marathon at age 73, "That was a good day. It was never a struggle."

          Wow, what a beautiful and gutsy experience! I don't know if those two terms can be used to describe the same experience.....but it was both. Congrats on the huge PRs!
          Quit being so damn serious! When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change. "Ya just gotta let it go." OM
            Hip Hip Hooray! Marathon maniac Butterfly Lady! You are a wonder. Bill

            "Some are the strong, silent type. You can't put your finger on exactly what it is they bring to the table until you run without them and then you realize that their steadiness fills a hole that leaks energy in their absence." - Kristin Armstrong

              Mariposai, wow, I wish I had half your endurance. Great job! Dark Horse
              I'm a dark horse, running on a dark race course.
              evanflein


                As I said on KR, I knew you were Maniac material! Congratulations on an excellent run at Portland. Your pacing was as good as any I've seen.
                  Wow, that's two great marathons, mariposai. Getting a big PR in the second one in two weeks is a special accomplishment. Congratulations mm mariposai. TomS
                    Wow -- two marathons in two weeks -- that's pretty amazing, Ms Butterfly Maniac (or is that Ms Maniac Butterfly?). A maniac and a couple of new PRs. Way to go! Great race for you -- I really like your idea of finding a slightly slower pace group to stick with for the first couple of miles. Definitely helps you run the slow start to conserve energy at the end of the race. Good stuff, congratulations, and it was great seeing you again and meeting your DH!

                    Lou, (aka Mr. predawnrunner), MD, USA | Lou's Brews | lking@pobox.com

                      Mari, that is just a fantastic achievement! You entered a new phase of your running life.Congratulations, Maniac!
                      nowor


                        Amazing. Two marathons in 2 weeks. You ran flew thru both according to your wise plans. You look great in the MM garb... Inspiring.
                          Wow, Crazy lady..two marathons in two weeks. Very gutsy. I might not be crazy enough to be on this site. Everyone is doing amazing things. Congrats Mariposai. Way to go Tall

                          Recent Best times: None recently

                          stumpy77


                          Trails are hard!

                            Mari--it's well worth waiting two weeks for the complete report. I really love your joy of running. And yes, I think you're crazy enough to qualify as a "Maniac" Kevin

                            Need a fast half for late fall.  Then I need to actually train for it.

                             

                              Wow-wee! I didn't realize that you had just finished a marathon two weeks ago. You're really very modest, you know. I am supremely impressed, Ms. Butterfly, with your performance in both of these. So, do you think it is weird that we were both 41 of 354 in our age groups at Portland???

                              aka Mrs. WillRunForBeer, MD, USA

                              Marathoning, the triumph of desire over reason

                              arf


                              MM #405

                                ALLLLRIGHT!!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS !! You are now my official MANIAC SISTAAAH !!! Big grin Big grin Big grin Big grin Big grin Huge congrats to you sweet butterfly girl! Fantastic race(s) . We both knew everything would work out, didn't we? Wink Love ya, arf
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