I Run

Donna Smyth, race director, sent this announcement to the Red Clover Runners mailing list about this upcoming race on July 4, 2008 in Brattleboro:

The Bill Powers Memorial Firecracker 4 Miler begins at Living Memorial Park (directions) at 9:30 a.m. The race ends at the Brattleboro Town Common.

Registration begins at 8:30.

Cost = $10

Environmentally friendly amenities: Water stop ar 2 mi.(bagasse cups made from rice by-products are compostable), organic cookies and bananas at the finish, Eastern Mountain Sports water bottles (complete with water inside them) at the finish line, overall and age-group prizes furnished by Burrows Specialized Sports, West Hill Shop, & Duttons.

VOLUNTEERS ARE DESPERATELY NEEDED FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS: finish line / results, refreshments, and water stop. Please contact Donna Smyth at wildcx@comcast.net or call (802)257-2015 to volunteer.

It really does help. For the past few weeks my legs have been feeling somewhat heavy and fatigued. But last weekend I was forced to take a couple of days off to prepare for a graduation party. And I didn't run on Thursday or Friday either because I was in Burlington for my daughter's college orientation. So when I went out for a run today, I was pleasantly surprised to note that my legs felt good. Right away I knew I could do a long run so I took advantage of the weather (it's humid, but not raining) and did the Sweet Pond to Weatherhead Hollow circuit. I even threw in the extra Carpenter Hill/Barney Hill loop for a total of about 13.5 miles. Sure, the last three miles were a bit tough especially with the sun and humidity on the pavement, but I'm not beat. I guess I really need to take rest more seriously when I'm feeling tired.

I raced the 1st Annual Sports Medicine 5K in Keene this past weekend. The course was actually a bike path that I've run many times between Court St. and Wheelock Park. Some very fast runners showed up (not me!), and there were a decent number of both runners and walkers. The humidity was a bit high for me, but it is summer after all. After the race there was a great presentation by a physical therapist who demonstrated ways to strengthen the core.

As I drove to the second Red Clover Fun Run of the year last night, I passed a kiosk to a trail head on Upper Dummerston Rd. I hadn't seen that before so I parked the car, signed up for the race, then ran back down to the trail head. The kiosk contained a map of the Retreat Trail recreation network. I'd read about these trails in the Brattleboro Reformer some months ago but forgot they were there. So for my warm up I ran part of the Ice Pond Trail, which starts out in a cornfield then enters woods where it meanders over rocks, brooks, and hillocks. I didn't get too far until I had to turn back to make it back in time for the race. But maybe this weekend I'll explore the trails some more. As for the race itself, I ran a 20:37. At the first one (two weeks ago) I ran a 20:25.

The 6th annual Race for a Reason will take place on the campus of the School for International Training (SIT) in Brattleboro, VT at 10:00 AM on May 10, 2008 (rain date: May 17, 2008). Registration begins at 8:00 AM. I ran this race last year. This year's cause is to raise funds for BRAC USA's Cyclone Relief and Rehabilitation efforts in Bangladesh following the devastation of the November 15th, 2007 cyclone.

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As the sun splashed off a sea of foil capes in front of me, the enormity of what I had done hit me. I had just finished the Boston Marathon. A blue and yellow medal hung round my neck, given to me by the woman who had removed the timing chip off my shoe. And she gave me a hug. It was those human touches, I think, that made this marathon so very special. The volunteers, the spectators, and the thousands of runners all around me from start to finish was a total immersion in humanity. You could not be alone in any place except the portable toilet. For a country guy from Vermont, it was a bit overwhelming. One day after it feels like it was all a dream. I got up around 4:00 AM on Monday morning, not able to sleep anymore, and I turned off the alarm clock. My daughters, Emma and Megan, were sound asleep in the bed next to mine as I brewed a cup of coffee with the hotel supplied coffeemaker. I had laid out my running clothes the night before, and had even pinned the number to my shirt and affixed the chip to my shoe so I would not forget to take them with me. I took a shower, ate a banana and half a bagel with peanut butter, finished my coffee, and was on my way to the "T" at Riverside Station. It was just a short 5 minute walk from the hotel, and I breathed the cool dawn air wondering what kind of day it would be. The day before had turned out to be sunnier and warmer than I had thought, and as we watched the tail end of the women's Olympic Trails in Boston I had envisioned myself out on that pavement with the sun beating down on me, fighting to the finish. I was hoping for clouds. I hopped on the train just as it was about to leave and got to the Boston Common about 35 minutes later. I briefly flirted with the idea of getting a real cup of coffee from Dunkin Donuts which was just across the street from the T stop at Boylston St., but there was already a long line of bleary eyed runners who had the same idea. So I made my way to the school buses that were parked alongside the Common. There were lines there, too, but they moved fast and I was on a bus in a matter of a few minutes. The trip to Hopkinton was long and made me realize how truly far I was going to run. The bus dropped us off at a school where there were already thousands of runners picking out spots on the wide expanse of dew laden grass behind the school. Large tents were set up where we could get bagels, bananas, Gatorade, water, and other essential fuels. And there was coffee. I took a cup, and drank it while I munched on a bagel. I then sat on my folded towel on the field and prepared to wait the 2 plus hours until it was time to set out for the start line. I drained a 32 oz. bottle of Gatorade while I sat there. Sure enough, about an hour and a half later I had to get up. I packed up my stuff into the red plastic Adidas bag that all runners were required to use to stash their stuff and picked a line to a port-a-potty. I didn't feel like sitting after that, so I wandered about the Athletes Village until it was nearing time to trek to the start line. I removed my outer wear and shivered a bit since the air was still quite cool and there was a misty overcast. It wasn't apparent to me where the baggage buses were parked, so another runner and I wandered about together until we figured out who we should follow. I found the bus that served the range of numbers where my bag should be stashed, and handed it through the window to the volunteer. As I neared the start in Hopkinton Center, more of the Gatorade I had consumed wanted to exit my body so I placed myself at the end of a long line to a portable toilet. A guy behind me asked a woman runner where she had qualified and she said Clarence Demar Marathon in NH, which is where I had qualified. I turned around and recognized her as a runner I had run with for a short time around mile 20 in Keene until she finally went ahead when my legs started cramping up. Small world. At about 10 minutes before the race was to begin there were still more than 15 runners in front of me waiting to use the toilet. At at least one minute per runner, I wouldn't get there before the gun went off. So I bolted the line and figured I'd either be able to hold it or visit a tree later on. Getting into my corral (#11) was a bit of a challenge since it was already quite full and I though I might just have to wiggle in wherever I found room. But eventually the crowd shifted and I was able to get in. As I stood there alongside thousands of other runners I stopped shivering. There was a lot of body heat. And then the sun came out. Oh no. I was thankful I had put sun block at the tops of my ears and that I was wearing a cap. I didn't hear the gun go off since I was too far down the line, but we saw the front of the massive crowd start to move, and a couple of minutes later I started walking. Then the great garment toss began as runners ahead of and behind me started to discard the outer clothing they would not need for the 26.2 mile run. Hats, jackets, pants, and gloves flew from out of the crowd and to the sides to be picked up later and given to charity. It took almost 10 minutes to reach the starting line, and even after that it took a while to get to a slow jog. There was no way to break out of the pack to pick up the pace so I was just content to keep pace with the crowd around me. But in the meantime my bladder was telling me that I should have stayed in that line for the toilet. I saw runners at the sides of the road relieving themselves, so when I found a suitable site where I wouldn't offend any neighbors I pulled off to the side myself and went. That would be two minutes I'd want back. From there on I kept a pretty even pace (around 8:00). There was a slight spot of discomfort in my left calf that would not go away, and which had been bothering me for a few days. Massaging it hadn't helped and I wondered if it would give me trouble later in the race. I forced myself to think positively, however, and tried to ignore it. I watched the runners and spectators, slapping hands with kids along the side, drinking Gatorade and water at the water stations. Navigating the slippery carpet of discarded cups was a unique challenge. I ran for a while near a runner wearing a Yankees uniform, and the reaction of the spectators to this bit of blasphemy in Red Sox country was amusing: "Yankees suck!" was the most common refrain; "I'm sorry for your loss," was another. As the sun grew warmer my legs got warmer, and I settled into a good groove. Still there was no way to increase the pace if I wanted to, and I found myself sometimes having to negotiate around runners and watching my back to prevent collisions. I thought after a few miles the crowds would thin as they do in other races. But not at Boston. OK, that's fine. I wasn't there to PR. Just taking in the whole experience was more important to me for this first Boston. Toward mile 12 I heard a distant but growing crescendo of sound. It was the siren call of the Wellesley College women. In a matter of minutes my senses were blasted by their cheers and screams. They held signs that said "Kiss me", "Hug me", "Runners are sexy", etc. I ran alongside the barrier where they leaned over, and I slapped their hands for what seemed like a good quarter mile. It was surreal with that wall of sound drowning anything and everything else. And then it was past, and my ears were ringing. A guy behind me said, "Hey, let's do that again!" I was tempted, but Boston is one way only. Now I was on my way to Newton and its hills. But I looked forward to seeing Emma and Megan there since the hotel was not too far from the course. At about mile 15 I started looking for them so I deliberately slowed to keep my eyes on the crowds on either side. At about mile 17 I finally found them and stopped to give them hugs. "You're supposed to be running a marathon," Megan chided and sent me on my way. I'd see them again in downtown Boston. The Newton hills were easier than I'd heard. I didn't realize I'd gone over Heartbreak Hill until I started going downhill and couldn't see any more hills coming up. But then my left calf spasmed. I winced but did not stop. I breathed deeply and the cramp subsided. A half mile later my calf muscle contracted again. And I still kept going. I looked at my watch and saw that I had a chance to run a qualifier. I tried to increase my pace a bit and my right leg decided it wanted to go another way. I willed it to go forward. For the last four miles it was like that. Both my calves would spasm and lock up and I'd grimace in pain, but I would not stop. And the cramps would go away, but only for a little while. Any little thing - a quick move to avoid someone, a small change in pace - would cause my legs to cramp up. I saw the famous Citgo sign in the distance - the sign that the end was near - and thought to myself that it seemed awfully far away. But it was all downhill and the crowds of spectators were tremendous. There was no way I was going to stop, or even walk. The sun was now pretty ferocious but there was a good breeze so I was not sweating so much. Aerobically I was doing fine, and I was not even feeling the effects of carb depletion since I'd been taking in Gatorade all along the way. But my legs were really not cooperating. Still I willed them to move, and as I came around the corner to Boylston St. and saw the finish line in the distance I felt the rush of adrenaline knowing I'd still finish strong at my first Boston. A glance at my watch told me that I would not make a qualifier, but that was OK. Then I was at the finish line, arms raised under the blue arch, and boy did it feel good to stop. I turned off my timer at 3:31:45. It took almost an hour to get from the finish line to getting my bag so that I could find my cell phone to call Emma and Megan. There were just so many people. If I'd run harder, I'm not sure I would have been able to do all the walking I had to do afterward to find the girls, find the "T", then get back to Riverside. But still, despite the massive crowds, the whole experience was very uplifting. Each runner did a lot of work to get there, and so many people did a lot of work to make it happen for these runners. Big kudos to the city of Boston, to the cheerful volunteers, to the spectators. I'm amazed it happens every year since it feels like a once in a lifetime thing. I'll do it again, I'm sure.