One More Time

Another day and another 6.33 miles. I missed walking on Saturday as both of my grandchildren’s soccer games were given a “bye” and so I didn’t make the trip into town. I know I should have gone anyway…and I have already spoken sternly to myself about it. It shouldn’t happen again.

This morning’s walk was done in solid fashion, 6.33 miles in 1:20 and using the racewalking technique all the way. The goal for the coming month is to do a half marathon distance while racewalking and do it with a 12.5 minute per mile pace. That will prepare me for the Bidwell Classic in March.

Fast Times at Bidwell

Back in Bidwell. The day was chilly, 47 degrees, but I warmed up fairly quickly and after a few miles I broke a sweat. I was wearing a plain cotton long sleeved shirt and they don’t breathe that well. And after 5 miles, I was having a problem with sweat getting into my left eye. Ouch! I need to make sure I’m wearing a better shirt next time.

1 hour and 37 minutes. 8 miles. That adds up to a great walk this morning. The GPS unit told me that I was doing 5 mph. I did the calc’s and came up with 12.13 minutes per mile. Now I have to ask myself; would a marathon average of 12 minute miles be within my reach? I think so.

The park was beautiful this morning, with lots of sunshine and no wind. The only problem I encountered was a “rolling roadblock”, 5 walkers, walking side by side and taking up the whole roadway. This was on the south side where the road narrows; and I had to veer off onto the shoulder to pass.  

26.2 Reasons Why...

26.2 Reasons Why...
I "ran" across this blog the other day and found it interesting. And if you're interested in running a marathon, this might be of some inspiration to you.

No, I'm not changing my goals and becoming a runner. Racewalking is still my sport. And today I need to get out to the park and get in more than the usual 6.33 miles of practice. But I had better do it early as I see that the forecast is for rain later today.

Back At It

I was back in the park once again. And I was able to get in some decent times in my circuit. I did the 6.33 miles in 1:19 and that translates to 12.48 minute miles, or 4.8 mph.

As usual, I had reservations about the morning walk; would I be fast enough? Had I spent too many days away from the circuit? And what about the desserts I had consumed over the past few days? Would they come back to haunt me?

I started off too fast, getting right up to 5.2 mph for about ½ a mile and then I realized what was happening and I slowed to a comfortable 4.7 pace for most of the way around. When I had gone about 5 miles, I decided to up the pace a bit and I finished strong.

Also, I was giving my new NB 111’s another chance and this time they were comfortable for the entire time. Perhaps they are finally broken in?

Weight 202 (Shame!) BP 122/68 Pulse 63

Another Day in the Park

Another day in the park. It was cloudy and cool, good walking weather. And walk I did; doing 6.33 miles in 1:21 (12.79 min/mile)

I like this pace; a 4.6-7 mile per hour pace and if I were to keep this up for a marathon distance, I would do the 26.2 mile race in a little over 5 ½ hours. An improvement of, perhaps, 20 minutes over last week’s time.

I was a little bothered by my knee at first. The same knee I injured in Portland when I fell. It feels a little puffy, as if there were fluid building around the injury, but there is no pain at all, even during a fast walk. So for now I will assume that all is well, but I need to keep an eye on it.

And I should probably take a camera with me during the next few trips to Bidwell. The landscape is changing dramatically as the leaves are beginning to fall, giving the park a whole new look. In fact, my GPS unit seemed to be working better today and I am wondering if a lesser amount of leaves would create greater accuracy?

Race Results

Race ResultsHey! My name is still there! (way down at the bottom)

Sierra Race Walkers Home Page

Sierra Race Walkers Home Page
I'm still a member of this organization...but I had better send in my dues if I want to continue! The members (some) will be in Chico for the Bidwell Classic in march of 2006 and I hope to renew some friendships.

Recap

It was once more around the park and doing it while racewalking. This time I decided to slow it down a little and try to work on my form...such as keeping my back straight and my head up. It's actually more comfortable that way, but I still have a tendency to lean forward and keep my head down. Why do I want to look down at the road? Anyway, I ended up doing the 6.33 miles in 83 minutes, or 13.11 minutes per mile. That is faster than any of our Portland splits.

Racewalking Humor

I ran across these recently...
Racewalking is a Hip Sport.
Racewalkers are Hip People.
Actual Atlanta Racewalk T-shirt (can be ordered by calling said number): On the front: "RACEWALKING: THE HIP WAY TO WALK" On the back, it says, "How is my Walking? Call 404-847-WALK."
Racewalkers Do It With Technique!! -- With one foot on the ground at all times!
"Runners who racewalk run faster"
"Racewalking: the benefits of running without the injuries"
"It's OK. I think RUNNERS look funny"
"Are you going to let a walker beat you?"
"I love to run" (with "run" struck through a "racewalk" written below it)
"If I'm walking 'as fast as' you're running, how come I just passed you?"
"The World Record for the 20 km RACEWALK is 1:17:25 -- You can't even bike that fast!"

All Right!

I just got back from a walk around Bidwell Park. I figured that it was time for me to get back on the road if I wanted to stay in shape. I must say that I enjoyed the days off after the marathon, but...I had to find out if I was still in good shape after the rigors of last weekends 26.2 miles at a fast pace. So I decided to go once around the park as fast I could. And, surprise! I did the 6.33 miles at an average of 12.16 minutes per mile. That's real close to 5 mph.

For the metrically minded, that's 6.33 mile = 10.1871475 kilometers or 7.558 kph. I think.

And I should note here that I used a racewalking form throughout the entire time. It wasn't the best form ever seen and I would have been DQ'ed if I had been in a judged race. But as much as I enjoy plain old fast walking...it has limits and racewalking doesn't. If I want to go fast, I have to racewalk. It's all about efficiency when you need to get beyond the 12.5 mph barrier of fast walking, and racewalking, with short steps and fast turnovers is the only way to go.

Clarity

My, how things change after the excitement dies down...At the finish of the marathon, I was certain that there were only 2 or 3 people between Jill and myself. I heard them call her name and then it seemed like I was stepping over the mat right behind her. Not! I was checking out the race photos on the photographers website and there had to be at least 6 or 7 people crossing the finish before I got there. Oh, well...

And this; after the race and in the finish area, I saw a racewalker that I knew from my practice walks in Bidwell Park and I was certain that I had come in before he had. After all, he was hanging out around the area where they remove your chips. And so I assumed...wrong again. Looking through the photos I found him and read his bib number. Checking that number against the results I found that he beat me by about about 10 minutes...and he's 74 years old! I never would have guessed.

You're it. Get fit!

You're it. Get fit!
You might want to look into this...I joined up and already have 2400 points toward my Bronze medal. ( I used my marathon experience) No matter what your political bent is, this about fitness and not the president. And hey! A medal is always nice...plus it's your tax money, might as well use it!

More walking

The search for more walker friendly marathons goes on. Surprisingly, there aren't that many. Walker friendly means an open course time of at least 7 hours, and not that many cities want to close streets for that long of a time, even on a Sunday. Portland has an 8 hour open course and re-routes those walkers who are at a 7 hour pace. But Portland looks at the marathon as an opportunity, not a task. They make $13 million on the race and over half of that comes from walkers.

I see Phoenix, Fargo and San Diego in my future...they have the kind of marathons I think I'm going to like. Reno has a marathon, but it's a runners race...too bad. And next year around this time, it's our plan to do Portland one week and Susanville the next. Two marathons in 7 days is the plan.

So this means that I will need to get back out on the road and continue the practice...January 15th is coming quickly and that means the Arizona Rock and Roll marathon!

Our Pictures

Here we are, posing in our new shirts with medals included. This was taken on Monday afternoon and doesn't reveal how painful some simple actions have become...such as bending and walking!

Portland, October 9, 2005

And what a wonderful weekend it was. We arrived late Friday afternoon and after visiting with Jill’s grandfather for a short time, Bill drove me into downtown Portland and I checked in to the hotel. I was asleep by the usual hour of 10. I woke up a little later than usual, but by 7, I was already starting to feel the pre-race excitement building and thought that a little more caffeine and some sugar would certainly not be inappropriate for such an exciting weekend, so I left the hotel and went looking for a good cup of coffee.

In downtown Portland, there are more Starbuck’s stores than there are parking places! And so it wasn’t long before I had large latte in one hand and a pastry in the other. Then I decided that it was time for some exercise and a tour of the starting area. So I walked over a few blocks and watched as work crews began erecting tents and placing barriers at the start/finish line area, and they were almost through with the placing of the hundreds of bright blue portable toilets that would line both sides of 4th Avenue.

As long as I was up and certainly awake, I figured that a short walk around the downtown area would be in order, so I left the crews to finish their work and headed downhill towards Chinatown. And as I crossed Morrison, I made a mistake. My toe caught the slight curb at the handicapped ramp and down I went. Hard. I put my hands out and that kept my face from being planted into the concrete but it didn’t save my left knee from smacking the edge of the curb. And as I fell, in slow motion; I was actually thinking of all the hours of training that I had put into this marathon and would it all end right here, sprawled on a Portland sidewalk?

I got up slowly and made certain that nothing was broken. Then I retrieved my hotel room keys; they had flown out of my pocket when I hit the sidewalk and had gone about 10’. My knee hurt, but it wasn’t broken so I decided to try a little walking, just to make sure that it didn’t stiffen up.

After a block or two, the knee started to hurt a little less and so I decided to keep going and eventually I walked about 5 miles. All during this time, my mood was going from one extreme to the other. Would I be able to walk at all on Sunday? I couldn’t come this far and not compete; but how far and how fast?

By the time I arrived back at the hotel, the pain was almost gone and my mood was on the positive side. But all during the day and into the evening, I felt every little twinge and worried about it.

Jill joined me that afternoon and we went to a local restaurant for the obligatory carb loading dinner of pasta. All quite good. Then Jill suggested that I ice the knee and take some Aleve to combat the inflammation. I kept the ice on it for about 20 minutes and then it was numb. And numb was certainly better than how it felt earlier. Now it was time for bed…and prayers that it would be better in the morning.

Sunday morning came quickly and we were awake at 5. Excited. The day we had trained for had arrived. My knee was sore to the touch, but I seemed to be able to walk smoothly and without any discernible limping. Maybe? We headed downstairs and joined the crowds that were heading toward the starting area. It was 6:15 and still quite dark. After a quick stop for Jill to grab a scone and coffee we immersed ourselves in the crowd and made our way, slowly, into the 14/15 minute mile pace group.

There are large signs in the street with minute per mile pace numbers on them and the idea is to group yourself with those who walk at a similar pace. This ensures that the start will be somewhat orderly and the faster runners and walkers won’t have to stumble over the slower ones.

We were in the middle of the street now, surrounded by the crowd. A crowd of 13,000 people, all ready for the 7 AM start. Excited? You bet! And at 7, we heard a cheer from the front of the crowd. The race had started!

There were so many people ahead of us that it would be almost 10 minutes later before we would cross that same starting line; but since your actual starting time is automatically recorded on the “chip” you have strapped to your shoe when you cross the electronic starting mat, all is well.

I’m tall enough so that I could enjoy the sight of the thousands of runners ahead of us, moving quickly down the street. Jill wasn’t as fortunate and had to content herself with my description of the scene. But, after a few more minutes, the crowd began to loosen up a little and we began to walk a little faster. After about a quarter mile, we passed a group of drummers who were beating out a rapid bass rhythm that echoed among the tall buildings. That really got us moving! By the time we reached the China Gate we were up to 4.7 mph and I told Jill I thought it would be wise to slow down a little; after all, we still had about 25 miles to go!

The miles seemed to pass slowly at first and by the time we reached 6 miles, it really seemed much slower than normal, yet the clock times were showing us that we were the 13 minute/mile range? Volunteers call out the gun time elapsed minutes at each mile so that you can get an idea of how you are doing. We were doing fine; it just didn’t seem very fast.

We picked up water and sports drink at each water station, just a sip or two and no more, as there are plenty of these aid stations along the route. And around the 12 mile mark, we were handed a Marathon candy bar…now that became the highlight of that portion of the race! Best candy bar I ever ate. And the miles kept coming, but still slowly; or so it seemed.

All during the first half of the race, we stayed among the same general group of walkers and that was fine with us. But, at mile 16 that would change. I had told Jill about the hill leading to the St. John’s Bridge and we both knew that we could really “shine” on this portion. And up the hill we went, our pace never slacking. We passed people all the way up that hill and over the crest of the bridge. Then a quick downhill where we jogged. Then it was relatively flat as we walked along the bluffs above the Willamette River. And again we were passing more and more people, while the miles seemed to pass ever more quickly. According to our rough calculations we were still close to a 13 minute/mile pace after 20 miles. And we both knew that we would finish the race. After all, we only had 6 miles left.

And my knee? Well, after the first 4 miles, it had become pain free. Oh, I knew it was still injured but it wasn’t bothering me anymore. And it remained that way for the entire race.

Finally, we saw the entrance to the Steel Bridge and on the other side of that are the last 3 miles. We continued our pattern of passing people, Jill to the right and me to the left. One mile to go and then a half mile. Jill was really excited now as the end was near and she urged me to follow her in a run for the finish. Somehow, I was able to do that and I ran for the last 3 blocks. What a feeling! I heard them call out Jill’s name as she crossed the line and 24 seconds later my name was called out as well.

We made our way through the crowds and had our timing chips removed and received our medals. A real thrill! This is what it’s all about…it’s not about how fast or how many people you beat to get here, it’s the fact that you finished and are being recognized for that fact.

My time? It was fantastic! My time in 2001, when I was only 61 years old, was 6:17:48. This time it was 5:56:34! And we had maintained a 13.35 minute/mile average, far above what I had expected us to do. Thanks, Jill!

Now what will I do with this blog? It’s supposed to be about my second Portland marathon. I am certain that there will be a third, so I will keep it around. And there is already some discussion about the Phoenix Rock and Roll marathon, the Catalina marathon and even the Fargo, ND marathon in May! Why not? I’ve never been to Fargo before…

Race Day, minus 2 and counting

Physically, I think that I’m ready for the marathon. I have done all the long walks and have done some of them at an altitude of 4,500’. I have no major aches or pains to contend with. Mentally; I am always nervous and filled with doubt before a marathon, or even a simple half-marathon. But that will go away as the day progresses. Last time, the 18 mile marker was the point where I suddenly “knew” that I would finish the race. Crossing the St. John’s Bridge and seeing downtown Portland from the heights above the Willamette River made it seem possible for the first time during the race. So I'm already looking forward to that long climb up the hill to the bridge...

Forecast

Here's the latest forecast for Sunday...

Partly Cloudy
High: 68° Low: 47°

Sounds good! There is a section of the marathon course that can only be referred to as "Asphalt Hell" and cooler weather will certainly help there.

Ready or Not

The day of reckoning is fast approaching. The Portland marathon is this weekend; Sunday morning to be precise. Are we ready? I think so. We have done long walks and short walks, fast and slow…we’ve done them all. And we have taken a week off to relax before the big event. (Although, I did enjoy a very relaxed and slow 3 mile walk with Laurae on Wednesday.) I was thinking about doing a walk this morning…but I certainly don’t need to. And I do have lots of other demands on my time. Perhaps I will toss a coin. Heads, I walk; tails, I paint.

Sunday, the 9th - Forecast

Daily Local Weather Forecast
As we get closer to the day...it's still a guessing game. A few days ago it was showers and now it's sunny!

Marathon Weather

weather
Now the forecast is for 62 degrees and cloudy...what to wear? What to wear?

Recap

Recap for yesterday with lots of detail!

2.5 Miles 33 min (13.2 minutes per mile) (4.55 mph)
3 miles (13.1 minutes per mile) (4.58 mph)
4 miles 53 min (13.28 minutes per mile) (4.52 mph)
5 miles 1:6 (13.2 minutes per mile) (4.55 mph)
Once around the park - 6.33 miles 1:23 for (13.112 minutes per mile) (4.57 mph)
Include walk back to the car - 1:27 for 6.5 miles (13.38 minutes per mile) (4.48 mph)

What Day?

Well, it's Saturday and next Saturday I will be picking up my pre-race packet at the Hilton in downtown Portland. The revised forecast now shows a chance of showers for Sunday, the 9th. (60%)

But this Saturday morning I was still in Northern California and I took the time for a 6.333 mile walk at Bidwell. I started at 1-Mile, where the first mile marker is located and then used my GPS and pedometer to determine just which one was accurate. The pedometer won, being right on the money at 3 out of 5 checkpoints. At the 5 mile marker, the pedometer showed 4.99. That's close enough for me. Despite all of the checking and verifying, I still did the 6.3 miles in 83 minutes.