COAST TO COAST
A regular column on running....dedicated to the enthusiasm that is Brian Fendrich. The column name? You will have to ask Brian about that!
OCT. 10, 2005 - A regular column - does once every nine months count? The goofy 24 hour relay took on major significance for the club this year. We had a legitimate threat to our hold over this event, and that made all the difference in the world. We struggled and won. That was AWESOME. Updating from March. I did finish Boston number 10, and managed sub-three hours. None of our marathon hopefuls for Twin Cities made it to the line. I have taken over full-time duties trying to convince Newman that he can do it one more time. In the Chicago Marathon, newbies "Timmy" Verner and Pat West ran together as true teammates and came within a minute of each other to break the three hour barrier. I am so proud. Jerry Hickey ran a PR and Jeff Haushalter ran a hard first part of the marathon, but fell just short of his goal, but he still produced an excellent result. The last marathon on the schedule is Memphis and Cookie will try to run the Cal. International Marathon in Sacramento. We crowned Mark Newman as the first ever Newman Award winner, which will be awarded to each year based on activities from December 1 to November 30 of the prior year. We also will be awarding the Walton Award this year to a woman, and the namesake, Brenda has been announced as the first winner for 2004. The website is behind, but I am only one guy with a keyboard. I will try to do better. Peace, out. bjc
March 22, 2005 - Has it been a year? Where does the time go? The Boston Heat Wave of 2004 nearly killed, me, and then I turned into a Masters runner. I was reborn as an 800 meter runner only to return to the marathon in the fall. I suffered in the fall after the marathon and tried to put together a run at Boston 2005 for my 10th straight year. I am in the middle of this training now, and I see light at the end of a long dark tunnel. Boston calls to me, and I answer.... it is the greatest show on earth, and after running Chicago, I am convinced it is one of the toughest races on the planet.
Todd Moroney made waves as he debuted in 2:29 at the Memphis, Marathon in December 2004. He has his eye on the one-day window of 2008 Olympic Trials qualification at Twin Cities on the first Sunday in October 2005. His fiance Susie Motl has her eye on the same prize - with the women's B mark decreasing to 2:47. The men's B standard stays at 2:22.
Can Mark Newman do it again? His daughter thinks so. She made him sign a contract to give it a shot. No try. Do or do not. There is no try. Yoda.
MARCH 1, 2004 - The Olympic Trials Marathon in Birmingham was all that we thought it would be. Mark Newman flagged the Pilgrimage TC colors - many clubs had no one running. I believe we need to recruit hard to get runners in this community to the level Newman has pushed himself to. We all know runners here that have great potential but don't even train anymore. Why? I believe it is the "Geb" factor. Times have gotten so fast that many young people just don't want to try. They forget the thrill of competition no matter what the level. I also see the "what can you do for me" attitude. Young runners get out of college and think in terms of sponsors, money, and what can I get for it. Maybe Buddy Edelin is something young people need to study. No one gave Buddy anything. If you run fast enough, those things will take care of themselves. If you don't run fast enough to get "freebies" that is o.k. Running as competition used to be satisfaction enough. It still is, but young people need to discover that for themselves. I also like Rod DeHaven's comment on where all the sub 2:20 marathoners in the U.S. have gone. Rod said they are too worried about losing their "precious 29 minute 10K leg speed." That is sarcastic, folks. I like it.
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December 7, 2003 John Geiger reports on Fukuoka
Fukuoka Results - Japan Sweeps with 3 Sub-2:08
December 6, 2003 - Joe Coffelt and Joel Lyons and all the rest of the Pilgrims who volunteered for the SJ Marathon should be proud of themselves... Way to go Pilgrims! St. Jude went well. It was better than last year, and seemingly well organized. I registered at the last minute, and paid the price. I am always out of shape at this point in the year, but I ran better than last year. The finish is much better. The down hill blast from 20K provided a nice lift for the half. The marathon distance must be respected. We all learn that one way or another.... bjc
December 6, 2003 - I would like to take this space to thank Joel and Padma Lyons for their generous financial support of this club above the required dues. They get the full Pilgrim salute. I would also like to thank Joe Coffelt for his creative t-shirt designs and happily getting uniforms look so awesome. He might be a troll, but he is our troll.
December 3, 2003 - BREAKING
NEWS
KHALID KHANNOUCHI OUT OF OLYMPIC MARATHON TRIALS
DECEMBER 1, 2003 - Joel Lyons joins the list for the PTC men's team for 2004 at Boston. We are currently looking at several recruits for the team - please contact us if you are going to the Boston Marathon so we can coordinate team information.
USATF is discontinuing its national team program starting January 1, 2004. This change is important to our club since we are a Section 8 National Club. The purpose for our national status has been to add people from outside our state to our club roster. Boston has gone to a real club from the "same geographical region" without stating that all have to be from the same state. This is because New England, in its compact geographical area undoubtedly draws runners from different states - the "tri-state" area, etc. We will register as a Tennessee USATF club. This will give us entry into the club meets such as the summer track meet and the cross country team meets in December.
Where are all our young runners? There is no one outside our club running really fast in this town. Our youngest stars are 27 years old on the men's side and 26 on the women's side. I can think of several outstanding area runners who for one reason or another have thrown in the towel before their 25th birthday. It is truly a sad situation. If anyone has some theories, please send them to me. My personal theory is that younger people seem distracted. They focus on prize money, sponsorships, shoes, the hoard of fast foreigners without regard to the pure fun of competition and seeing what they have on their own.
November 23, 2003 - New Qualifying Times for Olympic Games
|
IAAF Council changes Olympic standards FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact:
Nick Karas Communications Intern USA Track & Field (317) 261-0478 x357 Nick.Karas@usatf.org |
The IAAF Council approved numerous changes over the weekend to the 2004 Olympic Games entry standards to reflect current performance levels and to facilitate the target figure of 2000 athletes for the Athens Games.
The changes are as follows, with each event where the standard was changed followed by the Olympic A and B standards
A B
Men’s 1,500 meters 3:36.20; 3:38.00 Women’s Marathon 2:37:00; 2:42:00 Men’s Marathon 2:15:00; 2:18:00 Men’s Steeplechase 8:24.60; 8:32.00
The complete list of Olympic standards are available at http://www.usatf.org/events/2004/OlympicGames/entry/qualifyingStandards.shtml
October 30, 2003 - Cheating. The emergence of the THG scandal is not really surprising. I am jaded about the sport. I question every performance by every athlete. When Bernard Lagat pulled out of the World Championships because he popped for EPO, I hung my head, ashamed for him. He was the affable Kenyan with great Nike commercial, which we will never see again. Say it ain't so, Bernard. When the A sample of Regina Jacobs pulled a positive, I can't say I was greatly surprised. When Regina didn't go to Sydney because she was "sick", I was skeptical...... I would run the Olympics sick. My thoughts then were - she was dirty, not sick. Dirty is the word. The toothless USATF, which we are members of, has announced a get-tough policy, with life time bans, etc. Life-time bans, and retroactive expungement of all performances, and all medals. That way an aging athlete like Mary Slaney won't be tempted to pull one off just one more time.... Can you imagine an aging but dirty El G getting his existence wiped clean because he dug into his bag of tricks.....I have know world class athletes that have been outraged by cheaters and called certain cheaters, cheaters from a country of cheaters. With the news of Regina, and others I guess we are now the country of cheaters. There is one interesting thing to note: Our American Men may in fact really be the fastest in world. I have to believe they are not cheating. If they are cheating, then they aren't cheating very well.....ROCK ON RODNEY DEHAVEN AND THE GOOD AMERICANS!!!!!!!!!!
October 16, 2003 - Joel and Padma Lyons did advanced research for the club on the Chicago Marathon. Joel and Mark Newman ran extremely well in 2002, and gave the rest of us inspiration for 2003. John Geiger started the march to Chicago after deciding against a spring marathon. John did a 20 mile run, which I witnessed serving as water boy, in Germantown this spring over the old Germantown Half Marathon course. John ran an eye-popping 1:58 for 20 miles, now known as the "Newman Deuce." (We just like the name.) I knew he was ready right then, and I pushed him to use it up in a spring marathon. Schedules and such didn't allow it. John trained for Eugene all summer, but I knew his mind was on the long blue line.....John has repeatedly won "Mr. Consistent" every year. Now he is "Mr. Breakthrough". There was one harsh critic at the 24 hour relay that doubted Mr. John could break the 2:40 barrier. It is with great pleasure that I send to the doubter a little post card. Say hello to my little friend...... John did it with style. 2:39:59. Not a second to spare. He took care of Curt, Michael, Bradley, Joe, Joel - in one shot. The PR was huge. Over six minutes! Now John is the king of the B-team Pilgrims. Only Newman - our A team marathoner, who is still on the active roster, has a better PR. John's hard work and dedication have made this moment possible. We often joked that when he did it, John would throw his shoes into the crowd.... Well, he should have on Oct. 12, 2003, as he made his dream a reality. The rest of us should be inspired........
August 12, 2003 - The 2003 Master's National Track Meet is now over. John Geiger, Curt Arthur and I all had a successful trip to Eugene. It was a different season with different challenges than in 2000. I really got to thinking about injury dynamics this summer. I hurt my Achilles tendon, and I have battled it now for almost 3 months. The main thing is that my training was inconsistent. I hit a point of depression on the Saturday before we left as my Achilles was so sore I could hardly run.... I fell apart in the 5K on Thursday, but redeemed myself to run to my best 10K since last fall.... How is that possible? I know that my VDOT (according to Jack Daniels' formula) was a 61 for the 10K. In looking at my workouts and racing up to this point, that means I exceeded expectations for myself....How? I am not sure. I do know that the pacing in the 10K starts much more easily, and that I gained confidence that my Achilles would not shut down on me during the race. Then I just worked off a good group and stayed with them.
I have been taking some flak for not keeping the site update - sorry. I have not been able to keep pace with everything. What I do ask for everyone to do is to email me your results. I know I will forget someone or get the times wrong, etc. I enjoy getting first person accounts and they will help us get this space up to date.
July 2003 - Check out the list of marathon qualifiers for men and women by hitting this link: http://www.runningusa.org/cgi/ot-qual-sum.cgi
July 17, 2003- I am sitting at my computer icing my leg, and it reminds me of how fragile we are, especially pushing 40. Cookie told me the other day that my "window was closing" as an open runner. She was trying to motivate me, but as I am such a wreck, it sort of put it in perspective. Hope for another personal year like 2000 is fading as an open runner. My master's career is looming. Coming up - Egan Ave. Mile on the last Saturday in July and then Eugene Masters meet in mid-August. A trip to see the World Championships of Track in Paris at the end of August, and then focus on training for a month to get ready for Chicago. A month to get ready for a marathon? Probably not a good idea, but at our age, muscle memory has to play some role - now if I can find any muscles that don't appear damaged.....
April 23, 2003 - The Boston Marathon is now in the history books. It was a warm day, and true test of the mighty Pilgrimage Track Club. John Dolan suffered from a bad cold, and the unforgiving day made it worse forcing him to drop at half way. Rich Kelly and I both finished. Rich ran a little slower than last year, mainly due to the heat. I ran a little faster than last year, but I was in better shape. I did finish in my second best placing at 270 overall. Our Tom Redding ran in an undisclosed uniform so I am not sure what his club status is...I didn't hear from him prior to the race, but we surely needed him to help our team effort. Tom finished in the top 100. See our Boston link for more details.
February 1, 2003 - The Space Shuttle Columbia just crashed. Mark Newman went to the Naval Academy with the pilot, William McCool. McCool ran track for the Naval Academy, posting sub-30 minutes for the 10k.
2003 started with a flurry of activity as John Geiger posted his PR for half marathon and Susie Motl opened up her indoor season with a 3000 meters win. John ran 1:13:51 and Susie ran 9:54.
November 3, 2002 - Special - Mark Newman officially signs up for Olympic Trials Marathon as Pilgrimage TC runner!
November Special - The trip to Mobile started with a chance meeting of Rod DeHaven at the pasta dinner. He seemed in good spirits after struggling with a sprained ankle and then a nerve problem in his foot in late summer. He put off his fall marathon for a December run in Sacramento, CA. He likes the idea of the point-to-point route on the notoriously fast course. The Pilgrimage to Mobile was a full success. Vince led all Pilgrims with a near PR effort on the lightning fast certified 10K course. Susie Motl, our adopted Pilgrim from the Invaders, ran well, finishing 9th overall for women in 36:07. Cookie had the performance of the weekend with her 49:10 PR - and had they offered chip timing, we think she would have been under the 49 minutes. John-Boy ran well, keeping his Mobile streak of sub 34:30s alive at 5. I had a good day, finishing nearly a minute better than last month. Oh, and Rod showed up. He ran 28:32 - for 5th, with the top five separated by only five seconds! He won the 35-39 age group. The time bodes well for his marathon effort in Sacramento.
November 2002 - The month of October hangs around this week, but we end the week with our Pilgrimage to Mobile for the USAT&F 10K road championship on November 10, 2002. A pretty full slate of Pilgrims are ready to run. October Highlights are too numerous to count. Mark Newman, who is so close to being a Pilgrim now we can taste it, made it to his third straight Olympic Trials with his 2:21:26 for 31st at the Chicago Marathon. Joel Lyons qualified for Boston in 2003 and 2004 with his 3:13 at Chicago. Sarah Rowe had a challenge. She was basically attacked during the Chicago Marathon - ending up with some jerk throwing her shoe over a bridge overpass! She missed qualifying for Boston by three minutes, about the time it took to get her shoe recovered. Suzy Motl and Todd Moroney continue to dominate the local short scene with double wins of the Race for the Cure 5K in Germantown.
On a very sad note, Michael and Sylvia Hecht's little boy, Walker, was diagnosed with leukemia. They literally found out just as the arrived in Chicago for the marathon, and they had to turn back and come home. All of us are praying for and thinking of Walker, who is bravely undergoing treatment at St. Jude right here in Memphis.
OCTOBER 2002 - For the second year The Fighting Pilgrims dominated the 24 hour relay posting 205 miles in 24 hours over a one mile loop cross country course that features a lot of sharp turns, asphalt, trails and mud. Joe Coffelt once again coordinated the efforts - it was a good team event, and the Blues City Track Club paid the price for trying to keep pace with the Pilgrims. On October 13, 2002, Michael Hecht, Joel Lyons and Mark Newman will face their marathon demons at the Chicago marathon. On October 19, 2002 we are going to try to pace John Geiger to a sub 10 minute 2 mile on the track. The final weekend of the Month is the Race for the Cure 5K in Germantown with men's and women's prize money.
- BOSTON REGISTRATION IS AVAILABLE ONLINE NOW! I tried the process, and it works great.
- For the November 2, 2002, Senior Bowl, online registration is now available. Go to www.seniorbowl.com and register now. We are planning on leaving at noon on Friday. We need a head count for those going to the race. We are staying at the Holiday Inn Express Civic Center, which is near the start. Go to www.sixcontinetshotels.com and you can reserve a room for $51.15!! Don't delay as this race is coming up soon.
- We are also adding the Vulcan Run 10K on November 16, 2002, as the final road 10K of the season. If you want to register go to www.vulcanrun.com and get in the race now. It is a tough course, but it has been a good race in the past. We will notify you of hotels as soon as we find one. If you know of a better race on that or the next weekend, please email me and we can adjust our plans.
- St. Jude marathon and half marathon is set for Saturday December 7, 2002, and you can register online. There is good prize money, especially good local money in the marathon. Joel Lyons is serving as the medical director. I believe Danny Greer will be running the full marathon. Suzy Motl is thinking about the Half Marathon.
- John and Jenny Fields are thinking about becoming Pilgrims - Welcome.
SEPTEMBER 2002 - The Pilgrimage to the fall campaign is now underway. John Geiger and BJC headed to Bowling Green to see about some 10K action on a regional level. Training is going well and the cooler weather is coming. John and I made a Pilgrimage to Bowling Green, KY, for the Medical Center 10K, and we finished 1-2 in the 35-39 age group. It is a good race, trying to maintain its character as a premium race. It has a good history - and DANNY GREER set his PR there back in the day so it must be good. Joel and Michael are getting their final stages for the Chicago Marathon. October holds much promise. A lot the rest of us are using October to work for the Senior Bowl 10K in Mobile. The last big 10K in the mid-South is at Birmingham on November 16 - the Vulcan Run.
AUGUST 2002
- NEWS FLASH - BOSTON REGISTRATION BEGINS SEPTEMBER 9, 2002 for 2003 BOSTON MARATHON.
The Egan Avenue Mile and Tour the City 10K/5K events in Madison, South Dakota, once again produced some good results. It was great to get home again, and even though it seemed like everything could not get done before the race, we pulled it off. It seemed like my duties to race were released by the gun for the mile. I struggled early in the race, and I fought negative thoughts for the first three quarters. I summoned my resolve over the last 200 meters and made something out of the race. This happens to everyone at some point. Fighting negative thoughts during a race can be accomplished in a number of ways. I just try to relax and quit pressing, and it seems that I suddenly find myself moving with a lot more ease. The amazing thing is that when I look back at those points, it seems I hold or even increase the pace despite the feeling of letting off the gas a bit. There is a great article in this month's Track Coach magazine about runners finding the "flow" in a race. This occurs when you have a feeling that a great race really took less effort than other races but produced better results. I have had this feeling in some of my fastest 1,500 meters. It is a feeling that your legs are going as fast as you can send signals to them to turn over but you have no awareness of breathing or the tingling of losing oxygen from a full out effort. Getting in this zone is rare, but is magical. I have felt this in a race where I had a stated goal, and was aware enough of the goal to really put in whatever it took over the last lap or even last 200 meters to get the goal. You feel as if you continue to accelerate through the tape. We find ourselves transitioning into fall marathon training but hanging on the end of the quicker summer racing season. Sometimes these great runs occur in this twilight between "seasons." Keep up the good search for it.
July/June/May 2002
Letters:
Hey Bradley:
Ii found the pilgrimage web site and it looks great. Do you still have any large shorts and singlets for sale I hope to be in Memphis for Elvis and would love to represent the Florida Pilgrims. I hope everyone is doing and running well. Dr. Richard Brazzel Gainesville, FLNEW ADDRESS: Vince Perryman
- 4446 Quince, Memphis, TN 38117 phone 901-277-0490.JOHN SAYS:
Thoughts on USATF meet: I think Webb is hanging it up for the year. He's gone back to his HS coach & going to heal up After his disappointing college season. I think he's fried mentally. I think he got carried away beginning with X-C. He should have run X-C for solely for building a base (or skipped it altogether after such a long 2001 track season), but the competitiveness got him & he wanted to win it all. I think he spent a lot of energy & forgot that he was there to run track. (Hicham El G didn't win the world XCs!). He didn't give his body enough rest & lead to the series of injuries. Hopefully, he'll get his stuff together & not cave under the lofty expectations. I think we both worried when we saw that tattoo; I guess he thought if he got tatted, he could bluff his way through the NCAAs. I don't see any tattoos on Hicham El G. The 1500 was pretty weak; 3:40 won't buy you a Starbucks in a European meet, but I was glad to see Lassiter win. He's had a disappointing couple of years. I read where he's changed coaches & they supposedly have a fool-proof 2-year plan to get the AR. Good luck with all that! I wonder if we've seen the last of Gabe Jennings, DNQ again! I was impressed with Culpepper's double, winning the 5K the night after 27:49 10K. He's not running any more track meets before a long build-up for his marathon debut at NYC. I'm kind of surprised he's not getting in one or two European meets to try to go really fast. I guess he figures a potential 2:10 at NYC is worth more than a 13:10 or 27:20 at some obscure meet off the US radar. I think Alberto S. and Frank S. prove you can do both. Regina still owns Suzy.
John G.
I am sure most of you have missed these updates. I have been on the road for the Navy and working way too much. There has been a lot of Pilgrim activity. I am sure I will forget some of it. Please email me any updates that don't make this first update since Boston. Lots of racing news - email me your recent performances for inclusion....
First a bit of rumor - Rumor has it that the Germantown Half Marathon may change the course next year. This, in my opinion, would be a disaster! This course is already steeped in history. It is a proven fast course, and I believe the start and finish are in close enough proximity to qualify for not only American Records, but World Records! The rumored change is to end at the Germantown Community Center. This would be foolish. They can still use the center, but the start and finish must remain in place for continuity of records and to keep it a fast course with record possibilities. Send letters of dismay directly to Harry Scott.
More from the Rumor Mill: The St. Jude Memphis Marathon is rumored to want to charge $85 for the marathon. Wait, let me check - Boston is $75, and it is the most incredible show on Earth. I ran into a guy in Boston who was trying to do some advising to the race directors of the new Memphis marathon. They were rightly concerned that simple issues like pricing were holding things up, and they like me were dismayed at the pricing level. It probably costs that much to do it right, but go slow. Build it and they will come. If the charities involved in races would be patient, and let the race pour money back into itself to build its momentum, then they eventually will have a cash cow. Let it grow. If you want apples, you don't go choppin' down the trees. If you want honey, you don't go killin' all the bees. Little Rock did it wrong as well. They had a fantastic half marathon race. They built it up slowly, but as it was about to become a classic, they jacked the price up to something like $45. Enough. This Pilgrim went to New Orleans.
The beef: Charity is great, but what about just having a foot race for no reason other than having a foot race. How about the concept of pouring all of the money back into the race and give runners a first class experience and bringing in the best, the brightest, the inspiration to those who actually want to race, and are inspired by the quick folks in the world - those of us who know that in a fast race it tends to work like a train - pulling everyone to faster times. After all, running isn't just about feeling good in a spiritual sense. Running really is about beating the heck out of all of those non-pilgrims and sometimes even your training partners. IF you want a group hug, join your local feel-good club. If you want to race, you're on the right web page.
Finally, this may be a local good bye to the legendary Tom Redding. It is reported that he will be moving to the Nike motherland - Oregon. Having been an Oregonian myself, and a graduate of the University of Oregon, I have mixed feelings. I know Tom will thrive no matter where he lands, but he and Becky were so great to have in Memphis. I love Memphis, but I love Oregon, too. Tom will find his way. Tom was a constant source of entertainment. He is not off the hook. We shall continue to claim Tom, and as a National USAT&F Club, we can claim him. Once a Pilgrim.... Tom, we hardly knew ye. I am quite certain that Tom will qualify for his third straight Olympic Marathon Trials in February 2004 in Birmingham. There would be tears in my eyes if Tom would flag the colors at that level.
April 2002 - BOSTON 2002 Commentary
The 106th Boston Marathon is now in the history books. The day before left most of us with a feeling of foreboding as the temperature in the city climbed to 76 degrees. There was talk of another "Run for the Hoses." Without warning from the weatherman, an eerie fog engulfed Hopkinton and the old city itself. It seemed as though higher powers put a hold on the warm front and allowed this cool mass, with a little spitting rain to hold out the burning sun. It still was warm compared to the past six years, but with no burning sun, and slight mist, it felt perfect in singlet and shorts for the race. AS Bob Dylan says - "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows."
The group huddled just outside the tent, making camp using a nice piece of plastic donated by Joe Coffelt, and a blanket. We read the newspapers from the city and talked about the front runners. The stress of the extra runners - 17,000 registered and about 15,000 showed up, kept the portajohn lines long. The guards gave in to the "behind the johns watering hole" as enforcement slacked off toward race time. This is only one of many problems with the increased numbers allowed to participate. There is also no security keeping out bandits from the staging area, and one has to wonder why a group of sub-three hour guys and girls were sitting on the wet ground outside the tented area. We knew one runner, who shall remain nameless here, that ran 2:29 and finished in the top 60 who had to sit outside the tenting. There is no room in this race for the unqualified. The sad thing is that unqualified "first-timers" run the race by buying their number through charity money-raising, and then taking up needed resources only to run 5 hour marathons. There a hundreds of marathons for these type of feel-good efforts. Once someone informed me that a friend of theirs was running Boston, and then said it was the person's first marathon. I furrowed my brow, but bit my tongue. Then she asked, do you think he will be o.k. since he just increased his mileage to 5 miles a day.....palezz stop! If you want to wear a clown suit, your wedding clothes, etc., go to Disney. If you want to race, run a qualifier, and then toe the line at Boston. The course is brutal, and it is hallowed ground after a 106 runs into Boston.
The Pilgrims ran well. See our report below in our Boston section. It was a new Club Record for the Men. John Geiger ran brave, but fell short in his record attempt, but he hung on to lead the squad to a new team record. Get your qualifiers now, and meet me next April at the Swissotel, the finest hotel near the Boston Commons. Marathon Tours already is allowing reservations for 2003. P.S. - If you stay at the Swissotel, you do not need a rental car or a T-pass. We can get everywhere inexpensively by taxi and on foot. Next year, maybe the Yankees will not be in town and we can resume our Red Sox excursions. Click on big Blue Boston link below to see more....
April 2002 - Pre-Boston update (Eve of the race - final)
This is Boston Month. April. A new beginning, and a chance to renew my depth of feeling for the Boston Marathon. Without Boston, there would be no marathons outside the Olympics. This year is the 20th anniversary of the famous Duel in the Sun between Dick Beardsley and Alberto Salazar. They ran a great race, both breaking 2:09 when that meant something and on a hot day, and I think they wrecked each other. Isn't running marvelous? I love it! Dick Beardsley has a new book out about his life and a great section is devoted to this race in 1982. John Geiger recommends the book. The name of the book is Staying the Course: A Runner's Toughest Race. I first met Dick Beardsley in 1983. He was assisting a graduate student who was teaching "marathon training" for PE credit. Dick brought "game film" from all his marathon exploits. I have run into Dick over the years, and I met him again at his book signing at Boston. He was as cheerful as ever, and now I own a signed copy of his new book.
The Pilgrim faithful have now all gathered. John Geiger, Danny Greer, Sara Rowe, Charles Manahan, myself and Cookie all had a great pre-race meal at the Swissotel. We were joined by Robyn "Sparky" Hagadorn. Todd and Missy Sheldon and son Mark of Team Ford broke bread with us as well. We are nervous, but ready. John watched Tiger Woods win the Masters all day, and the rest of us hit the expo and some went to the Omni-Max at the Science Museum.
The weather is predicted to be warm with a southwest tailwind. It could be in the mid-70s and humid. It was too warm today (4-14-02). It was 76 degrees by late afternoon. It quickly dropped into the 50s after sundown so there is hope.
Predictions:
John Geiger: 2:40:55
Danny Greer: 2:59:57
Charles Manahan: 3:09:35
Bradley J. Cordts: 2:59:58 - medical tent visit.
John Dolan: 3:14:30
I am not going to predict the women. I am in no position to speculate.
In other news:
LONDON SERVES UP WORLD RECORD
Khalid Kannouchi won London in sort of an upset and improved on his own world record with a stunning 2:05:38. He bet the Kenyan Tergat and Geb, in his debut at the distance. Go to some of the links listed below for the complete story.
I have been adding to the Links section above. I use our web page as my home page, and then when I need to surf, I head out to the web through www.Yahoo.com. I use Yahoo for news, weather and a secondary email site. I have also included three running sites: www.allsportrunning.com www.runnersworld.com and www.letsrun.com. I am open to adding other great running sites. Please email me your favorites. It is my goal to get you to make this page your Home page on your browser. You can open up Internet Explore straight to us, and then use the link section to head into the surfing madness.
Some website reviews:
First up: www.allsportrunning.com is great portal as a race calendar. You can personalize an account for a host of features. The best part of this site is the "Rod's Corner" featuring Rod DeHaven. DeHaven has all of his running logs on the site with inspiring commentary and witty one-liners. I am little disappointed that the Allsportrunning crew will not be at Boston this year. Company president Steve Kurtenbach was an instigator of fun at the Purple Shamrock post race.
Second up: www.runnersworld.com is a nicely organized content-rich site. It does cater a bit to the jogger, but there is plenty for the fan of the sport as well. A good source of interviews, racing news and a good calendar. They also have a free Friday e-mail update. There is always something on the update to read.
Finally: www.letsrun.com is not for the average "Gallowaggler." The site is best suited to hard-core running freaks. Sign me up! They are bit over the top on occasion. The site is busy - just like ours. It is full of pure speculation. It reminds me of a rag-tag crew in Eugene Oregon who published a little known gem called NEWSLETTER WEST. Weldon Johnson, a national class 10K man, and his side-kick twin brother is a good club level marathoner. Weldon runs in his Letsrun.com outfit, and I first saw him at the Olympic Trials 10K in 2000 at Sacramento. Interesting marketing technique. I just hope he keeps "ROJO" on the web issues and focuses on his racing. Weldon gave me permission to use a first person report on the ever-growing Rod DeHaven chronicle. No publication date yet. Keep waiting.
Running Product news: I used to be a Vaseline purist, but I tried Sportslick, and now I am hooked. This stuff as a gritty feel to it, which at first I hated. However, I think the grittiness is was keeps the stuff on the spots it's supposed to stay. I have not blistered since using the product, but the full marathon test at full speed will be Boston 2002. You can get it at running stores and expos. Call them at 800-646-8448. (None of my product tips are paid endorsements - yet.)
Boston Marathon Tips:
print, cut and save ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bring out to the start:
_____1. Sunscreen-waterproof
_____2. A bagel and at least 16 oz. Gatorade.
_____3. A powerbar.
_____4. 2 Gu packs - Vanilla Bean is the easiest to take in my opinion
_____5. Gloves
_____6. Two pairs of socks - in case grass is wet.
_____7. Several Layers of warm sweats.
_____8. Your most despised long-sleeve t-shirt or sweat shirt to throw off right before the start to keep you warm.
_____9. A hat and sunglasses
____10. YOUR PILGRIMAGE UNIFORM (CHARLES!)
____11. Your racing flats.
____12. For those with bad eyes - contact lens solutions - I put mine in right before race time so a case for glasses as well.
____13. A few large plastic garbage bags for sitting in the grass and for wearing for rain to the start.
____14. Foot lubricant and nip guards.
____15. Cool Max long and short sleeve to wear under singlet if weather is below 45 degrees.
____16. You check in bag.
____17. Your chip and number.
____18. A blanket/sleeping bag
____19. Newspaper
____20. Add your own:
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
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PIGRIMAGE ROAD TRIP TO NCAAs?
The NCAA meet is in Baton Rouge, LA this year May 29-June 1. Tickets: 800-960-8587 or www.lsusports.net email is tickets@etigers.net
March 2002
Beware the ides of March. "I come to praise Caesar....." Anyway, I always wanted to start a column like that. As for March, it is the stepping stone to Boston. The month starts with promise of all that may be possible and ends with the finishing touches for marathon preparation. In the Pilgrimage World, we look at our performances over the half marathon distance to gauge our shape for the full beast. In March, we have our Germantown Half Marathon, a race that seems to be evolving into something special. Last year, the race featured Olympian Rod DeHaven, who set a men's course record which we thought was one for the ages at 1:05.1, and this year the race featured Kelly Keeler, who came in from Minnesota and ran to a women's record of 1:20:07 as well as Jim Jurcevich of Columbus, Ohio, who shattered DeHaven's record with a 1:04:15.. It was the battle of the Pilgrimage faithful in the back ground that gives me a lot of excitement. See below in the Club News section how Tom Redding and Curt Arthur battled it out. We enjoyed a pre-race Italian meal before the big Germantown race this year. We had a good 16 people ready to eat within 15 minutes of the called start time, a club record. What a wonderful opportunity to talk smack about the upcoming race. After the race Cookie Cordts hosted a beer and pizza meeting at our house so we could tell the stories one more time before they fade into the mists of time. I must admit that I have not spent much time getting to know elite women runners. Meeting Kelly Keeler was a great experience. I was shocked to learn that she trains with Team Ford in Minnesota, a man's only club. No wonder she has so many, shall I say, Todd Sheldon-isms. These are little sayings that I am sure Todd either developed or helped promulgate. For instance, Kelly informs me that when a man is beaten by a woman, he must tell his training buddies that he was "girled". She seems to have fun with her training and racing, and, in the end, isn't that what it is all about?
A little worrisome is the changes the Boston Marathon keeps tacking on to its team championship. In 2001, the BAA started making clubs actually join either USATF or Road Runners of America. Not a bad idea on its face, but costly, and certainly takes some of the fun out as the hated Team Sock Monkey is now alive only in the murky mists of our memories... The step too far may be the geographical limitations now placed on the team along with the limits of the clubs only being able to enter one team. No Atlanta Track Club "A" team and "B" team etc. This smacks of BAA provincialism - an effort to try to put the cup in the hands of regional powers like the BAA. I find it fascinating. In the computer age, there is no sense in limiting teams to a geographic area - or to limiting teams to one squad. Something needs to be investigated. It is hard to focus on a single-minded club goal when the rules change every year. I will have to mull this over in committee. This mulling in committee will occur during coffee post run at my house. Brian Fendrich used to call these Pilgrimage Fact Finding Missions.
The new marathon standards for men and women are now out for Olympic qualifying. If you thought it was tough in 2000, then hold on. Men now have to run 2:12 or better to get an "A" qualifying time for the Olympics. Holy smokes. Only Rod DeHaven's PR in 2001 at Chicago was close in USA running in 2001. Maybe Khalid can do it, but you are only as good as your last race, and he quit his last race in the Worlds. Hmmm. I think some boys better plan on running fast this year and next. The women have it tough as well. The new "A" standard is 2:32. The men's "B" standard is now 2:14:50 and the women's "B" standard is 2:36. Ouch.!
New product report: The Nike travel bag for running, simply called "Training Bag" is excellent. Its product code is style BA0008. It features two good sized external pouches, one flat external pouch, an external water bottle and holder a vented shoe storage tunnel, and a large interior compartment. I am really impressed with the functionality and the durability of this product. Suggested retail is $55. It is worth it. It is a bad that can easily hold all items necessary for your big race day.
February 2002
Written schedules are interesting to study, sometimes difficult to plan, easy to type up, but incredibly difficult to carry out. I should know. I am in the middle of schedule-violation hell. These perfect plans forget about minor injuries, tiredness from non-running life, and work. Work. Work. Work. It balances us as runners in many cases, and it kills us in others. It is also the largest deterrent to perfect training. Of course, without work, most of us wouldn't eat, and that hurts training, too. Yogi says, "Work is good." An old friend, Joe Curtin said that. He used to say it a lot. At the time, Joe had moved to Eugene, Oregon, to find his dream. He came to city of Pre, like a lot of guys, as a 14:30 "(NCAA) Division I washout." Joe knew this wasn't the case. He trained hard, and yes, he worked. He worked a series of jobs just to pay the rent, but he knew it was the time in his life to see what he was made out of. Being 23 years old and full of hope helps. Joe ran the race of his dreams - a 13:51 5K on the track.
Have you tried Nike dri-fit? This fabric is amazing. I first used it on a mountain hiking trip in Japan to climb Mount Fuji.I wore a long sleeve version. It was warm, then cold. Dry then rain. Then sleet. The shirt dried out so fast that I actually wore it back to my hotel on the long bus ride from the mountain. The same thing applies in all kinds of weather and works well with shorts and singlets.
January 2002
Random thoughts - John Geiger proved you can run two marathons within a short time frame. In John's case, he ran a solid race in November in New York, but he was not satisfied. He announced after about a week of recovery running that he was running Huntsville. We all rolled our eyes, but the "Punisher" just kept running and he came back to run a near PR in Huntsville. With renewed enthusiasm, John pulled the trigger and purchased a trip to Boston! If you read Pete Pfitzinger's book, Advanced Marathoning, there is a workout set for just such an attempt. John proved it can be done. Danny Greer roared back to qualify for Boston 2002. Pilgrimage has a full team. Charles Manahan and myself have qualifiers. We are waiting for Tom Redding to commit to run. The women's team has a strong contingent. We are getting uniforms selected for the women. We are using Nike uniforms. We will try to put up info on them as soon as we get it. The men will run in their new blue uniforms.
The best running shoes I have run in for some time are the Nike Span. This shoe has good cushioning and it is light enough for faster running. It is a must have. It also keeps getting better. Also, another Nike product I really like is the sdm Triax 100. This neat gadget looks like a key keeper on your shoe, but holds some cool technology. It communicates to a watch and gives you accurate distance measurements and pacing information. Don't even ask me how it works - but it does! It is addicting. I have seen it priced around $229 (down from $299). The only draw back is that it sucks batteries, but what fun to measure all your favorite routes!