Masters Running

1

Race Reports for the January 26 & 27 weekend (Read 13 times)

Mariposai


    Wishing our intrepid racers a successful and fun race.

    We are looking forward to reading your report here.

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


    MM#209 / JapanJoyful#803

      Thanks posie.

      you know you are my race log.

       

      Memorable start to 43rd year marathons (Seattle Locks - 1/27/19)

      Nowadays most marathons are persevering for the seven or so hours that most of ‘em are taking.  However, in spite of being so slow, 26.2-milers like today make me appreciate that I didn’t quit trying as I’d once vowed anymore if they ever started taking more than five hours (as they did in 2003 at age 60).
              
      As all marathons somehow turn out to be, today’s Seattle Locks Marathon was more than memorable.

      A.  “Road Kill” Rick.

      With “Road Kill” Rick running his 540th marathon since 1978 and me in no. 225 since 1977, our first joint marathon of 2019 was a chance to celebrate our respective five decades of running over a combined 85 years


      When I ran the Seattle Marathon for the first time during a year in Seattle in 1990 as my 23rd in 13 years, Rick was at no. 54 in 12 years. Though I am not a competitive runner, Rick became my immediate local nemesis when he beat me in 1990 by 33 seconds (3:54:50 vs. 3:55:23). 

       

      However, by the time we got to our respective 100th marathons after 27 years for Rick in 2005 (at 4:45:06) and 30 years (2007) for me at 4:51:39, four hours had gone by the wayside and we were happy with sub-fives.

      Then, after his retirement (and a porcine aortic transplant), he started traveling all over the world for ‘em until, now, he’s closing in on no. 450 while my local focus was only at around a little over 200.  Doesn’t matter, though, as, instead of trying to finish ahead of each other as in past years, we look forward to bringing our 85 years of marathons together to the finish.  Further, since we’re inevitably at a walking pace most of the way, I relish the opportunities to hear about all his adventures all over the world and, sometimes, like today, mine too.  See below.


      B.  Barefoot marathon year no. 30.
      In 1990, the only barefoot runners I'd ever heard of were Abebe Bikila and Zola Budd.  However, when temps soared to 97F for the Goodwill Games Marathon in Seattle that  year and I wondered if a regular runner could go the distance for 26.2 miles without shoes so feet wouldn't get all blistered up from being trapped in a veritable sweat box, I found out that running barefoot has nothing do be with being elite and have been shunning shoes as much as possible ever since or, depending on conditions, aquasocks, Merrill Bahria trail thongs and various traditional Japanese footwear over there (and sometimes over here): wooden geta, Marathon Monk waraji straw sandals (my favorite), split toe jika-tabi rubber-sole/cloth upper roofer shoes, cloth zori, etc.
      .
      However, after the running the Seattle Marathon barefoot several times in November (and others during the winter months), when it’s below 50F or so, though most of my feet-to-ankles are usually warm enough, the soles get uncomfortably cold for several hours afterwards when it’s into the forties so I don’t do it anymore.

      However, in spite of it being January, after days that warmed up to an unseasonably warm 50F+ in the afternoon, I looked forward to barefooting the Locks Marathon and its comfortably smooth bike/pedestrian path pavement.  

      Unfortunately, it stayed cloudy and the 37F start only got up to 40 during the day as a solid 3:15 half deteriorated into nearly four hours for the second out-and-back.  Then, after finishing with another runner from a little south of erika-land who said the adjacent ocean dampness down here made it cold for him too, everything else on me warmed up in due time but my soles remained cold and uncomfortable like they were full of frozen electric circuits shooting baby icicles into the bottoms of my feet.  Even an electric blanket didn’t help much as I grimaced and contorted for the next three hours as I waited it out.  Lesson learned, . . . but I doubt it.

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

      Mike E


      MM #5615

        Congratulations, tet!