What better way to experience the emotional, inspirational Marine Corps Marathon than paying tribute and supporting wounded U.S. Service members while you run?   The Yellow Ribbon Fund Marine Corps Marathon Team is in search of team members.

The Yellow Ribbon Fund (YRF) is a charitable organization that supports wounded service members recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and National Naval Medical Center.  YRF provides morale-boosting activities and excursions for wounded warriors, free transportation in the form of rental cars and cab vouchers, lodging and airfare for families to visit their soldiers and Marines, job mentoring and a family caregiver program.

This is the third year that YRF has registered a Marine Corps Marathon team – in just two years, they’ve raised more than $36,000 to support the charity’s programs.

There are currently 20 team slots available for the October 30th race.  To confirm your spot on the team, contact me for a registration form and return it, with a $90 registration fee (check or credit card), to YRF.   YRF asks that each team member commit to fundraising a minimum of $500, which is tax-deductible for you/your sponsors.  You’ll also receive a YRF race packet and a carb-loading dinner the night before the race.

Thanks for considering the invite.  As you run past the monuments and memorials of our nation’s capital, and through Arlington Cemetery, you will know you’re doing a great service in honoring the men and women who have made great sacrifices for us.

Find more information on The Yellow Ribbon Fund

On the course

I will cut to the chase… I had a great time.

January in Baltimore is bitter cold and dreary as hell.  The idea of getting out of town and heading to warm temps sure is appealing.  From the moment we touched down in Phoenix our spirits were lifted.  We peered out of the shuttle taking us to our rental car and saw blue skies and green grass.  When we picked up our car and started to head towards Scottsdale where we were staying, I couldn’t help but notice how clean everything looked compared to the east coast.  There were no pot holes!  We had booked a vacation around the marathon to get a little RNR (rest and relaxation not Rock n’ Roll) and were staying at the Boulders Resort.  It was a little out of the way but totally worth the extra driving.  It was beautiful there.  You are out in the middle of the desert with cactus, big rocks, mountains in the distance, we were totally transported to another world while on the resort property.

Our schedule was pretty packed but allowed for downtime too.  The second day there, I hit the running expo with Cindy.  I love the atmosphere at the expos and I am a kid in a candy store with all the running gear.  I still haven’t found an expo that has topped the Chicago Marathon Expo, not even the New York Marathon was as good.  The PF Chang’s RNR Marathon Expo was just okay.  Maybe it is because Brooks Running is the main sponsor or maybe it is something else but, other than Brooks the other shoe manufactures were not there in full force.  After the expo we headed back to the Boulders and went to the pool to chill.  I love sitting by a pool when I know it is FREEZING where I would normally be.  I also can’t tell you the last time I was able to sit by the pool and just relax.  Since my son Theo, I have been on baby duty when it’s pool time.  Later that evening we went to meet up with some dailymilers for dinner.  This was a lot of fun.  I spend so much time interacting with the group online that it is great to get a chance to sit with them and break bread.  I have met some amazing people through dailymile.

The Pool

Expo

Saturday, the day before the race, Cindy wanted to check out some of the shopping in Scottsdale so we did a little bit of walking around and then got back to the pool.  I loved the pool at the Boulders, did I mention that.  My nerves were calm the whole way leading up to this marathon.  Now for some reason, I started getting a little bit jittery.  I wanted to do well in this marathon, I had my sights set on a new PR and wanted to finish in 3:40.  I didn’t run New York smart two months prior to this marathon.  I went out too fast, hit the wall around mile 16 and battle to finish 3:57.  I spent 10 miles mentally beating myself up, it sucked.  My PR going into the PHX marathon was 3:45 with a caveat – I ran the Baltimore Marathon under an injured runners bib as a training run 3 weeks before New York City’s marathon.  I have no official record of the PR.  I wont get in the debate of ethics of running under someone’s bib.  The sport needs to figure out more ways to solve race bib transfer options.  Anyhow, The looming memories of the crushing NYC marathon performance filled my head with some self doubt.  Steve Speirs was running the PHX marathon too, I couldn’t decide what I wanted for a pre-race dinner so I talked to him.  Steve eats a Hamburger with a pint of Guinness, he is a sub 3 hr. marathoner, I figured if it works for him I will give it a shot.

Pre Race

Post Race

Sunday came after some rough sleep.  I had a head cold all week and it seemed to be getting worse.  Cindy dropped me off at the finish where we were shuttled to the start in buses.  I met up with Brooke, Jenny, Steve and Ally before the start.  Jenny, Brook and I were all hoping to finish around 3:40 so we stayed together and got into the corral where the 3:40 pacing group was gathering.  This was my plan, I would stay with the pace group until mile 16, if I had gas in the tank I would try to push a little harder.  The weather at the start was perfect for running 48º and overcast.  It was the first time I saw clouds since coming to Arizona.  The gun went off and we started running full of excitement and energy.  The course was as promised, it felt really flat.  My local running routes in Baltimore are filled with hills so I felt really prepared for this flatter course.  There were some stretches with some slight uphill grades but nothing too severe.  Jenny and I talked quite a bit the first few miles, it really helped those miles go by.  I was feeling boxed in by the jockeying other runners were doing to stay close to the 3:40 pacer.  The group had created quite a dense pack.  I found myself wanting to get away from them.  There were only two options, fall behind the group and make some comfortable space or get out in front of them.  Around mile 11, I decided to get out in front.  I didn’t look back.  It was great motivation to know the group was on my heels.  When I ran through support crowds, I would hear them say “I see the 3:40 sign here they come.”  Not wanting to get passed by the group I would dig a little deeper.  There were plenty of water stops, I was very happy with the way they spaced them out on the course.  There were not enough GU stations.  Just one for the whole marathon and it was deep in the race, around mile 23 I think.  As I finished the last 3 miles, I was beat but still in it and still pushing.  I gave this marathon my best effort.  I felt good about how I managed the race too.  The whole race different people that have sent me well wishes and support scrolled through my mind.  It is amazing what the people on dailymile do for each other in the way of motivation.  I ran with a lot of friends in my head.  When I crossed the line I saw that I had a new PR at 3:38:48!  I was super tired and super happy.  The sun was shining +70º and it was time to meet up with my wife and the other runners.  Everybody seemed to have had a great day.  Steve and Jenny both PR’d and Jenny qualified for Boston.  It was a great day.

Mexican Celebration Dinner

Later, Steve, Ally, Jenny and Brooke met Cindy and me out for some Mexican food.  Everyone seemed so relaxed.  I really will have great memories from this marathon and consider it a great one to do especially in the middle of the winter.  I am really excited that next month I am heading back to Arizona to run The Ragnar Del Sol Relay event with a great group of dailymilers.  Arizona is a great place to visit.

Very special thanks to my Coach, Coach Caleb for your help with training and helping me believe.

Believe in the run.

View from Hotel

For those of you that like to flip to the end of a book, I will give the results first:

Place – 13384 out of 44,829
Gender Place – 10692
Age Place – 2070
Finish Time – 3:57:20
5k – 25:10
10k - 49:49
13.1 – 1:47:10

Splits:

1- 8:49
2- 7:27
3- 7:50
4- 7:47
5- 7:52
6- 7:53
7- 8:01
8- 8:04
9- 8:15
10- 8:07
11- 8:26
12- 8:20
13- 8:21
14- 8:40
15- 9:47
16- 11:03 BRIDGE!
17- 8:49
18- 9:01
19- 9:32
20- 9:38 WALL!
21- 9:48
22- 10:05
23- 10:38
24- 11:00
25- 11:37
26- 9:34

First, I want to thank all my friends online and off that supported me on this run.  I really do feel your encouragement when I am running and think about the well wishes that you thoughtfully took time to send.

The trip up to New York started out Saturday morning.  We left from Whitemarsh, Maryland on a Megabus.  About two hours into the ride the bus driver pulled the bus off to the side I-95, got out and started barfing.  He got back onto the bus and drove another twenty minutes before he pulled over again to resume the barfing. (barfing is a fun word that I haven’t used in awhile)  We then pulled off at a rest stop about 45 minutes from the city where we waited for a replacement driver for two hours.  During that time a woman with a strong Jamaican accent started yelling at the driver that he should keep driving.  She also kept repeating “This feels EVIL.”  We eventually made it to NYC, grabbed a slice of pizza and headed to the expo.  The expo was a little disappointing.  Chicago’s expo was pretty great and it set the bar pretty high.  I really thought that NYC was going to blow Chicago out of the water.  It didn’t.  To be fair it was the last few hours of the expo.  People were tired and the booths were run down after 40,000 plus visitors.

Chowing on pizza

2010 NYCM Expo

Cindy and I went to an early dinner with our good friends Juda and John McGannon at a little Italian restaurant, Pomadora Rosso.  The food was very good.  I had a salmon vegetable and pasta dish.  Next stop bed then getting up early for the bus.

The alarm was set for 4:30 a.m.  I was up and ready to go.  It was cold out, in the 30′s F.  I had my layers of clothes that would be shed and left for volunteers to donate.  I walked to the bus pick-up at 42nd and 6th Ave. and was loaded up almost instantly.  Getting to the village was a bit confusing.  It was still dark out so I just followed the other runners to a Dunkin Donuts tent and enjoyed the free coffee.  There were tents filled with people like some bizarre refugee camp.  I laid down and waited to hear from Juda and John.  They made it to the tent and we began the long wait until start time.  We made friends with an Englishman that lives in Brooklyn named Martin Rowe, he was a nice witty chap.  About an hour before my start time I headed to the starting corral.

It was a little chaotic, the instructions from the waiting area to the corrals were not good.  There was a lot of confusion.  When I got to my gate there was some shouting and pushing going on.  It turns out people had arrived late for their wave and were blocked out from getting in to that wave corral.  It boiled over and a couple French guys bum rushed the gate attendee and completely toppled him head over ass.  While that happened others pushed their way in and yet more people broke in by busting a gate open.  It was a little crazy but peace was restored.

I was now in the corral pressed tight with the 2nd wave of runners.  A very chilly wind was blowing when we started to move toward the starting line.  Once there a few minutes of waiting around, a speech to spur us on crackled over the P.A. system, and finally, a cannon went off and we were running.  It was hardly as crowded as I thought it would be.  It seemed like it was going to be a great day for running.  The sun was out and the air had a nice chill to it.  At first I was running just to get warm.  My pace seemed effortless and I was surprised how quickly I made it to the three mile mark.  I used Caleb Masland’s mantra “smooth equals fast” and I was pretty, pretty, pretty smooth.  It gave me confidence that I would later regret.

The NYCM had the best aid stations I have experienced in my 10 marathons.  There were so many water and Gatorade aid stations you could skip one with confidence that another one would be right around the corner.  The crowd support was awesome as promised.  I made it to the half way point in relative ease, I was full of hope that this was going to be a banner day.  Then all of a sudden around mile 16 going over the bridge I started to hit the wall, first physically, but, more importantly mental.  This began the toughest ten miles of mental torture I can remember.  I really did a number on myself.  I was mad that I ignored common sense that tells you to go out at a reasonable pace and build speed over the miles.  I felt fooled by what seemed like an easy performance on a difficult marathon course in Baltimore three weeks earlier. (3:45 PR)  I realized limitations in the middle of a race and that is a tough place to take a lesson.

The whole show started to crumble in the last 4 miles.  Physically I was giving it everything I had.  I was doing my best and leaving nothing on the course.  I was also having to take short walk breaks on wobbly, beaten legs.  I was so close and could not muster the energy to move my ever tightening legs.  I now was thinking about what Steve Speirs says “BYB” (be your best) and it helped a little.  Gassed and beaten I willed my feet to give one last mile of running to cross the finish.

OMFG! This was the longest post finish march! 100 yards to the space blankets, another 100 yards to get the medal, bag drop was a mile away!  I had to stop my legs totally cramped.  I was escorted to the medical tent.  They rubbed my legs out and I was discharged to continue the death march to bag pick up.

I ran the TransRockies! 118 miles 25,000 feet of elevation, and my legs never cramped up.  NYCM kicked my butt and I felt responsible for it too.  I did not play this one smart.  I thought maybe I was holding myself back and that there actually was a faster marathoner in me.  That maybe if I ran faster and tried harder that would be enough.  This was a great learning experience and I take away a real respect for proper expectations.  My next marathon I will go out with a better pacing plan.  Did I enjoy the New York Marathon? No and yes.  I hardly noticed my surroundings in the mental state I was in.  I do love the experience I gained from running the NYCM.  Purely on logistics, waiting around in the cold for 5 hours before you start running sucks.  The finish line march of death was less then fun, however, I would recommend every one run it.  After all it is the New York City Marathon.  You kinda have too.  I will leave you with a quote from NYRR president, Mary Wittenberg “the great thing about running is how much it means to every runner, how it transforms lives.” Believe in the Run.

Special thanks to Caleb Masland that helped me figure out my marathon training, (It’s not his fault I went out too fast)  Michelle Jacobs for hosting a dailymile meet up that I arrived to late to attend, Juda and John for being there and being friends, my in-laws Jace and Mead Slaughter for watching Theo while we were in NYC.  Lastly I want to thank my wife for being the biggest cheerleader and best support any runner could ask for.  She came up to NYC with me pregnant, sick, and tired just to be there for me.  I am a lucky man.  Thanks Cindy.

Cindy and Me

NIKE LUNAR ECLIPSE

Sunday I will be running the NYC Marathon for the first time.  I gotta admit I am pretty excited about it.  Since training and running the GORE-TEX TransRockies Run, I have been feeling great and have gained some speed too.  I have high hopes for a great race in NYC.  On my last run before NYC I had a good one. I just relaxed and went for a 7 mile loop.  Everything is feeling good.  I have my weapon of choice picked out the Nike Lunar Eclipse.   After my knee gave me a little trouble on Monday in the Nike Pre, it was virtually gone in the Eclipse.  The shoes feel great.  I am focusing on staying relaxed for NYC and trying to enjoy the event without clouding it with expectations.  I want to continue to run faster and would love to beat my Baltimore marathon time of 3:45:32 two weeks ago but, more than that I want to enjoy running an event as big and celebrated as the NYC Marathon. I can always focus on the Phoenix Marathon in January for a new PR.

Speaking of the TransRockies run Juda and I got some coverage in the Washington Running Report, check it out…

Believe in the run.

Finisher medal and official time

A week before the Baltimore Marathon I decided I wanted to run it.  It made sense, I am training for the NYC Marathon and had a 22 mile training run scheduled for the same day.  Why not add 4.2 miles and get a medal?

The event was sold out, so I put the word out that I wanted to run it and if anybody knew a way for me to get a bib contact me.  I even tried calling charities involved to see if I could run legit.

Social media came through when traditional channels failed.  I found a guy that injured his foot and could not run.  I was able to buy his bib and gain entry.  He wanted to keep the shirt so we worked out a discount for it.

The eve of the race came quickly and I found myself more relaxed than I have ever been before a big run.  After all this was just a training run not a race.

I got up early Saturday morning and the family headed down to Fells Point to meet up with some friends.  After getting everyone together, we finally started heading to the start with about a half hour to spare.  We got dropped off about a mile from the start line.  I had told another friend I would meet him at the start for his first marathon, I felt bad that we were getting there late so I ran to the start to meet up with him.  The warm up was good.

We lined up with the 3:50 pace group in the corral.  I concentrated on running easy and relaxed from the get go.  During the run I started to see familiar faces which kept the miles sailing by.  Soon we were in front of the 3:50 pace group and feeling quite relaxed.  Baltimore is a hilly course, I knew I had to keep some reserves for later but, in the mean time, the pace seemed quick and comfortable.  Overall, that is how the race went.  I got in a comfortable groove and just held it.   I was even able to resist the urge to sprint to the finish line.  As I came into the finish I looked up and saw the clock and was honestly surprised to see 3:45.  I had just run my best marathon on a tough course in relative ease.  I was pretty pleased.  I just got a new PR and finished my 9th Marathon.

The bummer is that my time is officially under another name not mine.  The good news is that it filled me with confidence and excitement for the NYC marathon coming up in November.

I definitely believe that the TransRockies Run has put me into the best shape of my life.  I got to write my review of the GTTR, I am just having trouble getting my head around it.

Believe in the Run.

Ok, you know I love the the gear, so after signing up for the the HAT I used a gift certificate to Dick’s to get a pair of new trail running shoes.  I picked up the Adidas Adizero XTs (Runner’s World pick for this years trail shoe.)  I haven’t run in them yet but they look great.

Adidas Adizero XT

I am looking forward to this new challenge.  The training will help me stay focused and in shape over the winter.  I will need to be in great shape as I head into the training season for the GORE-TEX® TransRockies in August.

We arrived at Midway airport Friday night around 7:30 p.m., quickly checked in to the hotel, and then walked to the first of two restaurants Ed Kelly (I ran the Grand Canyon rim to rim with Ed) recommended, Shaw’s Restaurant.  Shaw’s has a great vibe and we felt right at home as we ordered drinks at the bar before we were seated.  As I looked around I was in awe of how many attractive people were there.  I would soon learn from walking around the city, Chicago has a lot of good looking stylish people.  The meal at Shaw’s was great.  Cindy ordered the lobster bisque.  I ordered the seafood gumbo; it was not quite as good as Cindy’s bisque.  For an entre we shared an 8 oz. fillet with scallops and shrimp, and Alaskan halibut with potatoes au gratin.  The place was hopin’, the food was good, and we were off to a great start.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love my Starbucks.  I was stoked to see our hotel had one in the lobby.  We took full advantage of it.

I can’t tell you how giddy I was.  First thing in the morning runners were swarming the hotel lobby, I had never been around such a large group of runners the day before a race, and this was my eighth marathon.  It was time to head off to the marathon expo and get the race packet.  Nike Town was a few blocks from the hotel and they offered a shuttle to the convention center where the expo was.  On the shuttle they were playing a video of the the course.  Nike Town was packed with runners and they had it set up to sell, I was lucky, I only purchased one souvenir.  I could have easily spent a ridiculous amount of dough there.  They had a lot of fun things set up too.  Cindy and I got a great picture in front of their marathon magic number set.  They even had a limited addition Chicago Marathon Lunar Trainer.  I came close to dropping some coin for those and then sobered up.  The atmosphere is intoxicating.

Katie Heyl, John Heyl, Cindy, and me

We hopped on the shuttle and made our way to the expo.  It was amazing, Nike, Brooks, Asics, Mizuno, Reebok, and Saucony had all set up elaborate stores.  Hundreds and hundreds of runners were milling through the isles.  If I was a vendor that had anything to do with running this is where I would want to be selling my stuff.  I was surprised that a few vendors I wanted to get some pre-race gear from were not a part of this massive show.  We met up with Katie from Charm City Run, an occasional running partner.  It was great to finally meet her husband John.  Cindy and I had been at the expo for over three hours so we took a few picture with Katie and John in front of some signs and headed to the shuttle lines with a lot of swag.  There were so many runners lined up for the shuttle it took us at

Me, Gerald Meyers, and Lori O'Connor from "Spirit of the Marathon"

least 40 minutes in line to get on a shuttle back to Nike Town.

We stopped at the Corner Bakery and had a couple really good sandwiches and then headed back to the hotel to rest before dinner.  We went to Scoozi’s an Italian restaurant to load up on pre race carbs.  I highly recommend Scoozi’s.  Everything was delicious.  Cindy had a gnocchi sampler, gnocchi in three different sauces.  Her favorite sauce was sautéd leeks and cream.  I had one of the best pieces of lasagna ever; it was roasted in a brick oven with both local pork and beef.

We made our way back to the hotel after a stop at the Levi’s store.  I got all of my marathon gear together, set my alarm and relaxed until my eyes got heavy.

Did I mention how great Ed is?  Ed gave us to fantastic restaurant recommendations for starters.  Then Ed offered to pick me up at the hotel and get me to the starting line.  It really took some stress off knowing he would be helping me make my way around a new city.

I have a new favorite pre run meal thanks to Starbucks.  My last two big runs I ordered a tall coffee, dark cherry yogurt parfait, and a slice of pumpkin bread.  This meal has done me right.  I had a solid base for the run and plenty of energy.  This is the meal I had the morning of the Chicago Marathon.  I picked up an extra cup of coffee for Ed too.

Me with Ed Kelly

Ed picked me up at the hotel and we drove to a spot closer to Grant Park.  On the way we stopped to meet up with Terry, Ed’s friend and fellow runner.  Terry finished the Badwater this year and Ed paced him for some of the run.  Both men have completed the Marathon Des Sables a six-day, 151-mile stage race across the Sahara multiple times.  I think they are considering teaming up for the GORE-TEX® TransRockies Run too.  We made our way to the bag drop and got ready to enter the mass of humanity lining up for the start of the 2009 Chicago Marathon.

CRAZY! It was so packed the closest we could make it to the front was getting to the 11 minute mile pace marker. It was a crush shoulder to shoulder.  Once the race started it took over 23 minutes just to cross the starting line.  Now that we were in a wall of bodies trying to get up to our running pace.  Mentally, I relaxed thinking that there was no need to worry about my time, this was a running event to experience.  The backdrop of Chicago for a marathon is breath taking.  It is a beautiful city.  For me this was an emotional run.  The fan support was huge; I have never seen so many people there just to cheer.  Those fans were out in cold weather too.  It was 30 – 40 degrees out.  I actually found Cindy cheering for me at mile twelve; I ran over gave her a kiss and told her “I love you.”  Then scampered on.

My girl cheering me on.

The race had a real international feel.  I noticed people from Mexico, England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, and France.  And that was just the runners that were wearing clothes to indicate were they were from.  Their fans were out there cheering them on too.

Ed and I stayed together for the first five miles and then I lost him in the crowd.  Out of this sea of runners I spot a Baltimore Marathon shirt.  I paced up next to the lady wearing the Baltimore shirt and said hello.  We started talking and discovered that she lives in the Baltimore City neighborhood that my office is in.  Then I told her that I work for Warschawski, and she said, “then you know my husband Chuck.”  “You’re kidding me, Chuck Tilden?” I responded.  “Yep.”  Talk about a small world with a needle in a haystack.  We are currently working on a website for Chuck who is with United Way and the City of Baltimore.  I motored on and found a nice easy pace, I felt strong.  While it was cold it was clear.  When the sun hit your face it felt great.

Another marathon in the books!

The last mile of the race contained the only uphill climb.  It is a tough place to find a hill; I had done plenty of hills on my runs so it didn’t kill me.  I had enough energy to really push at the end.  It is kind of a catch twenty-two, I really enjoyed the run and had fun, but knowing how much reserves I had, I wondered if I should have pushed harder earlier in the race and secured a faster time.  Well no time to second guess now.  I loved this Marathon.

I went to the Nike+ tent after the race and got a free message and a pair of free Nike flops.  Ed and I met up and congratulated each other on a great race.  He walked with Cindy and me over to Millennium Park where he took a great picture of us in front of “The Bean.”  I felt great as we left Ed and walked back to our hotel.  All that was left to do was to go get a couple beers and a cheeseburger to celebrate.

Cindy, Me, and the Bean