Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
+17
Seth Harrison
Randy E
Sara Jane
Jim Lentz
Mrs. Schuey
Schuey
Dave-O
Jerry
Matt W
Natalie
Michele "1L" Keane
John Kilpatrick
Tim M
fostever
Julie
KathyK
Pete B
21 posters
Page 1 of 1
Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
Pete B Mon Jun 20, 2011 12:40 pm
Training
I have been following Hal's Advanced I training plan since my DNF in New Orleans last March - most likely the DNF was due to a bad oyster the day before the race.
This gave me not only my first full training cycle since my first marathon in December of 2009 - as I went on a tear and ran six marathons in less than 13 months, some on six or seven week turnarounds - but an extra long training cycle counting the five week turnaround leading up to New Orleans and then the subsequent 18 weeks leading up to Grandma's.
My training had been going great, my first training cycle to incorporate speed work (400, 800, 1600 intervals), hill repeats, tempos, and MP runs. My goal was to break 3:46 (8:37 avg pace) which would give me a BQ under the current qualifying standards for the 55-59 age group, which I am about to enter.
By the tenth week of the cycle I was regularly running this pace and had just run an 12 mile LSD at 9:05 and an 8 mile MP Saturday run at 8:04 pace. I was starting to put up back to back sub-8 minute miles without too much issue.
Just being stupid
Then I did a very stupid thing. Being a regular blood donor, I usually give up a pint right after a marathon and then get right into the next, usually abbreviated, training cycle without any issues. So when I got the call to donate I didn't think anything of it and scheduled an appointment. When I went in to donate I found that I had been slated for a double red donation rather than a regular whole blood donation. In a double red donation they siphon off some blood, centrifuge it, keep the red blood cells and return the white blood cells, then repeat numerous times until they have taken twice the amount of red blood cells than a normal whole blood donation. I had second thoughts, I could have refused at any point, but I'm thinking 'how bad can it be?' and 'if they scheduled me for this, there is someone that needs my B-Positive red blood cells.' Needless to say I was physically weak afterward - no run that day. The next day I went out and I could barely run a mile and was struggling to maintain a 10 minute pace. The next day, it was pretty much the same thing. I was screwed. I started taking iron supplements, my runs became a series of one mile intervals as that was about all I could do before needing a walk break. I slowly started building up the distance that I was able to run non-stop (fastidiously recording these distances in my running log) and was also slowly increasing my pace again. I never was able to do a MP run of any consequence the remaining eight weeks of the cycle.
Now what?
Just as I was starting to get some duration to my runs, going seven and eight miles non-stop, I started having tingling in the toes of my left foot, at eight miles into a 10 mile run the tingling became burning fire, then, what felt like lightning bolts shooting out into my toes. A podiatrist/sports doc diagnosed it as Morton's Neuroma, an aggravation of the nerve running between the third and fourth metatarsal bones in my foot. The nerve sheath builds up such that it is 'considered' a tumor, but it is not a true tumor, but a perineural fibroma (fibrous tissue formation around nerve tissue), just a buildup of abraded nerve sheath fiber. I was told to put neuroma pads onto the insoles of my shoes to support the metatarsal bones that would try to keep them from pinching down on the nerve. This seemed to help a bit as I was able to get in my last 20 miler (at 9:42 pace), but as my pace increased so did the pain and the rate at which it would manifest itself. A week later I had a cortisone shot in the foot - not sure if there were any benefits derived from that. I also had my feet cast for custom orthotics which I thought would solve all my problems - my podiatrist talked me out of any thought of trying to run a marathon on them with less than two weeks to become acclimated to them. I would run Grandma's with just a neuroma pad in my shoe and hope for the best.
The race
The weather watch had set in - high 40s to low 50s at race start, staying in the 50s the whole race, a phenomenal tail wind in a point-to-point race that would be pushing us with 20 mph gusts, but the threat of high humidity, possibly 100% for the first hours of the race and the chance of rain. All in all, near perfect!
I woke at 3am for my usual oatmeal, banana, and bagel. A peek out the window – dry, but windy. Back to bed for another hour or so of sleep and back up at 4:30, another peek out the window and now it was raining hard - crap!
My hotel was one of numerous pickup sites to transport runners to the start area of the marathon; from there we would run back to Duluth. A drive that seemed to go on and on and on – crap, 26.2 miles is a long way out there. When we arrived at the start area the rain had stopped, the wind was brisk and out of the east (nice tail wind) and the temps were downright chilly – still perfect.
My plan was to settle into an 8:30 pace and maintain it – period. I lined up between the 3:40 and 3:50 pace groups, minutes before the start I peeled of my plastic trash bag and was ready to run in my Terrapin 5K running shirt, Race Ready shorts, and my V-Team running hat with the Rhondda ribbon that Glenn Johnson had designed pinned to the side of my hat..
The race started and the running was smooth and easy, very few people to run around. Grandma’s is basically flat – but it is a continuing series of easy rollers. The miles seemed to go by effortlessly although I noticed numbness in the toes of my left foot during the first mile; hopefully they would just stay that way and not get worse. By mile three I didn’t even think about my toes anymore, things looked up.
Each mile was at or near my goal of 8:30, but the humidity was high and shortly after the one mile mark I took off the running hat to allow better heat dissipation – my head and shirt were soaking wet already. But I felt great; I wasn’t breathing hard, the pace felt wonderfully easy, I kept telling myself ‘you can do this, stick with the plan, just maintain this pace.’
My overall average pace settled at 8:31 and sat there for the first ten miles. During these miles I took in water at every aid station, but on the run, and a GU gel every four miles. By the tenth mile I started to feel the pace laboring and it was a struggle to maintain the 8:31 average pace. I walked through the aid station at the 10 mile mark. From there on, at every mile I was losing a second or more on my average pace, but I busted my hump to get to the 13.1 mile timing mat still at BQ MP of 8:36 or 8:37 on my Garmin – official time called it 8:39 pace. After the midway point I started run-walking, just walking for a few seconds then running again, but the pace just wasn’t there. The lingering effects of the blood donation? Not sure, but it sucked.
Somewhere in here my right calf cramped up terribly. I was at a standstill massaging it. Now I was really run-walking with the right calf right on the verge of seizing at any moment.
At mile 15 the neuroma had reared its ugly head – I’m sure it had been affecting me all along, but very subtly. The balls of my right foot hurt like hell, probably compensating for a change in my stride. The right calf cramps were probably also the results of this change in my gate. The toes hurt, but it was the occasional lightning bolt jolts into the toes when weight was placed on the left foot. I was limping, walkers were passing me. This really sucked.
All I could do now was walk to help ease the cramps; it was actually a limping walk as I couldn’t put weight on my full left foot. I met up with a woman who was running two marathons in the same day – her first and her last. She said she would never do another. She was in equally bad shape and we walked together for miles. Occasionally each of us would try a bit of running, maybe giving up too easily. As we approached the 20 mile marker our walking pace was steadily picking up and she decided to give running another try. As she pulled away from me I tried to run, painfully, slowly, with noticeable hitches in my stride, but the more I tried to keep pace, some 20 feet behind her, the less painful it became. Over the next mile I slowly closed the gap and we ran, slowly, together for the next two miles, I was barely holding on and we were somewhere in the 10 to 11 minute per mile pace.
I decided a porta-poty stop right at the bottom of Lemon Drop Hill was a wise decision. I wished my running partner well, told her I would see her at the finish, but I needed to stop. While in the porta-poty I’m looking at my elapsed time, miles to go, etc. and it dawns on me that if I can hold onto 10 minute pace for the last 4.2 miles I should be able to finish in under five hours. I got mad, I got serious, I came out of that porta-poty ready to take on Lemon Drop Hill and give it everything I had left.
Lemon Drop Hill is the only thing on the course that can really be called a hill. I ran up it like it was nothing – it wasn’t any bigger than what I was running my hill repeats on – there were people walking up, there were people trudging up, I was flying by everyone, and I was only running 10 minute pace. From the top of Lemon Drop it is nothing but downhill or level running and there are 4.2 miles to the finish. I am a man possessed, I continue flying by people who are running five-hour-plus pace. After a mile or so I have caught up to the woman I had been walking with, she is still running. As I pass her I tell her I am going for sub-five hours and continue running. I continue passing people left and right, I pass the five hour pace group, I am on a mission. Then the long and circuitous route to the finish line – Sara Jane warned us of this the day before – I wondered if I would ever see it around each of the many turns, still giving it what little I had left and still passing others.
Checking my Garmin after the fact I see that each of the closing miles was done faster than the previous – my paces for the last 6.4 miles according to my Garmin;
Mile 21 - 13:49 (probably some walking)
Mile 22 - 10:41
Mile 23 - 12:59 (porta-potty stop)
Mile 24 - 9:42
Mile 25 - 9:37
Mile 26 - 9:18
Last 0.4 - 8:46</SPAN>
Finish time of 4:59:14 – my third worst performance, only Chicago 10.10.10 in the heat and the Flying Pig with a calf injury were worse, oh well.
The official Grandma’s site says I passed 310 runners in the last 6.2 miles, 60 of them in the last 1.2 miles.
For the first 10K, I set a PR for the 10K by 35 seconds, in 53:04
For the first half marathon, I set a PR for the half by 1:04, in 1:53:14
After the race I was a total mess, both calves completely seized up, people had to keep me from falling over, one woman had her husband run to get medics and a wheel chair but by then I was slowly taking baby steps and loosening up the calves. By the time I slowly walked to the shuttle buses taking us back to the hotel (after a couple of beers) I was able to sit without cramping up. Needless to say this is the sorest I have ever been after a marathon, and mostly my right leg; foot, calf, thigh quads and hammy. I’m still stiff two days later, but recovering nicely and enjoying the pain.
I have been following Hal's Advanced I training plan since my DNF in New Orleans last March - most likely the DNF was due to a bad oyster the day before the race.
This gave me not only my first full training cycle since my first marathon in December of 2009 - as I went on a tear and ran six marathons in less than 13 months, some on six or seven week turnarounds - but an extra long training cycle counting the five week turnaround leading up to New Orleans and then the subsequent 18 weeks leading up to Grandma's.
My training had been going great, my first training cycle to incorporate speed work (400, 800, 1600 intervals), hill repeats, tempos, and MP runs. My goal was to break 3:46 (8:37 avg pace) which would give me a BQ under the current qualifying standards for the 55-59 age group, which I am about to enter.
By the tenth week of the cycle I was regularly running this pace and had just run an 12 mile LSD at 9:05 and an 8 mile MP Saturday run at 8:04 pace. I was starting to put up back to back sub-8 minute miles without too much issue.
Just being stupid
Then I did a very stupid thing. Being a regular blood donor, I usually give up a pint right after a marathon and then get right into the next, usually abbreviated, training cycle without any issues. So when I got the call to donate I didn't think anything of it and scheduled an appointment. When I went in to donate I found that I had been slated for a double red donation rather than a regular whole blood donation. In a double red donation they siphon off some blood, centrifuge it, keep the red blood cells and return the white blood cells, then repeat numerous times until they have taken twice the amount of red blood cells than a normal whole blood donation. I had second thoughts, I could have refused at any point, but I'm thinking 'how bad can it be?' and 'if they scheduled me for this, there is someone that needs my B-Positive red blood cells.' Needless to say I was physically weak afterward - no run that day. The next day I went out and I could barely run a mile and was struggling to maintain a 10 minute pace. The next day, it was pretty much the same thing. I was screwed. I started taking iron supplements, my runs became a series of one mile intervals as that was about all I could do before needing a walk break. I slowly started building up the distance that I was able to run non-stop (fastidiously recording these distances in my running log) and was also slowly increasing my pace again. I never was able to do a MP run of any consequence the remaining eight weeks of the cycle.
Now what?
Just as I was starting to get some duration to my runs, going seven and eight miles non-stop, I started having tingling in the toes of my left foot, at eight miles into a 10 mile run the tingling became burning fire, then, what felt like lightning bolts shooting out into my toes. A podiatrist/sports doc diagnosed it as Morton's Neuroma, an aggravation of the nerve running between the third and fourth metatarsal bones in my foot. The nerve sheath builds up such that it is 'considered' a tumor, but it is not a true tumor, but a perineural fibroma (fibrous tissue formation around nerve tissue), just a buildup of abraded nerve sheath fiber. I was told to put neuroma pads onto the insoles of my shoes to support the metatarsal bones that would try to keep them from pinching down on the nerve. This seemed to help a bit as I was able to get in my last 20 miler (at 9:42 pace), but as my pace increased so did the pain and the rate at which it would manifest itself. A week later I had a cortisone shot in the foot - not sure if there were any benefits derived from that. I also had my feet cast for custom orthotics which I thought would solve all my problems - my podiatrist talked me out of any thought of trying to run a marathon on them with less than two weeks to become acclimated to them. I would run Grandma's with just a neuroma pad in my shoe and hope for the best.
The race
The weather watch had set in - high 40s to low 50s at race start, staying in the 50s the whole race, a phenomenal tail wind in a point-to-point race that would be pushing us with 20 mph gusts, but the threat of high humidity, possibly 100% for the first hours of the race and the chance of rain. All in all, near perfect!
I woke at 3am for my usual oatmeal, banana, and bagel. A peek out the window – dry, but windy. Back to bed for another hour or so of sleep and back up at 4:30, another peek out the window and now it was raining hard - crap!
My hotel was one of numerous pickup sites to transport runners to the start area of the marathon; from there we would run back to Duluth. A drive that seemed to go on and on and on – crap, 26.2 miles is a long way out there. When we arrived at the start area the rain had stopped, the wind was brisk and out of the east (nice tail wind) and the temps were downright chilly – still perfect.
My plan was to settle into an 8:30 pace and maintain it – period. I lined up between the 3:40 and 3:50 pace groups, minutes before the start I peeled of my plastic trash bag and was ready to run in my Terrapin 5K running shirt, Race Ready shorts, and my V-Team running hat with the Rhondda ribbon that Glenn Johnson had designed pinned to the side of my hat..
The race started and the running was smooth and easy, very few people to run around. Grandma’s is basically flat – but it is a continuing series of easy rollers. The miles seemed to go by effortlessly although I noticed numbness in the toes of my left foot during the first mile; hopefully they would just stay that way and not get worse. By mile three I didn’t even think about my toes anymore, things looked up.
Each mile was at or near my goal of 8:30, but the humidity was high and shortly after the one mile mark I took off the running hat to allow better heat dissipation – my head and shirt were soaking wet already. But I felt great; I wasn’t breathing hard, the pace felt wonderfully easy, I kept telling myself ‘you can do this, stick with the plan, just maintain this pace.’
My overall average pace settled at 8:31 and sat there for the first ten miles. During these miles I took in water at every aid station, but on the run, and a GU gel every four miles. By the tenth mile I started to feel the pace laboring and it was a struggle to maintain the 8:31 average pace. I walked through the aid station at the 10 mile mark. From there on, at every mile I was losing a second or more on my average pace, but I busted my hump to get to the 13.1 mile timing mat still at BQ MP of 8:36 or 8:37 on my Garmin – official time called it 8:39 pace. After the midway point I started run-walking, just walking for a few seconds then running again, but the pace just wasn’t there. The lingering effects of the blood donation? Not sure, but it sucked.
Somewhere in here my right calf cramped up terribly. I was at a standstill massaging it. Now I was really run-walking with the right calf right on the verge of seizing at any moment.
At mile 15 the neuroma had reared its ugly head – I’m sure it had been affecting me all along, but very subtly. The balls of my right foot hurt like hell, probably compensating for a change in my stride. The right calf cramps were probably also the results of this change in my gate. The toes hurt, but it was the occasional lightning bolt jolts into the toes when weight was placed on the left foot. I was limping, walkers were passing me. This really sucked.
All I could do now was walk to help ease the cramps; it was actually a limping walk as I couldn’t put weight on my full left foot. I met up with a woman who was running two marathons in the same day – her first and her last. She said she would never do another. She was in equally bad shape and we walked together for miles. Occasionally each of us would try a bit of running, maybe giving up too easily. As we approached the 20 mile marker our walking pace was steadily picking up and she decided to give running another try. As she pulled away from me I tried to run, painfully, slowly, with noticeable hitches in my stride, but the more I tried to keep pace, some 20 feet behind her, the less painful it became. Over the next mile I slowly closed the gap and we ran, slowly, together for the next two miles, I was barely holding on and we were somewhere in the 10 to 11 minute per mile pace.
I decided a porta-poty stop right at the bottom of Lemon Drop Hill was a wise decision. I wished my running partner well, told her I would see her at the finish, but I needed to stop. While in the porta-poty I’m looking at my elapsed time, miles to go, etc. and it dawns on me that if I can hold onto 10 minute pace for the last 4.2 miles I should be able to finish in under five hours. I got mad, I got serious, I came out of that porta-poty ready to take on Lemon Drop Hill and give it everything I had left.
Lemon Drop Hill is the only thing on the course that can really be called a hill. I ran up it like it was nothing – it wasn’t any bigger than what I was running my hill repeats on – there were people walking up, there were people trudging up, I was flying by everyone, and I was only running 10 minute pace. From the top of Lemon Drop it is nothing but downhill or level running and there are 4.2 miles to the finish. I am a man possessed, I continue flying by people who are running five-hour-plus pace. After a mile or so I have caught up to the woman I had been walking with, she is still running. As I pass her I tell her I am going for sub-five hours and continue running. I continue passing people left and right, I pass the five hour pace group, I am on a mission. Then the long and circuitous route to the finish line – Sara Jane warned us of this the day before – I wondered if I would ever see it around each of the many turns, still giving it what little I had left and still passing others.
Checking my Garmin after the fact I see that each of the closing miles was done faster than the previous – my paces for the last 6.4 miles according to my Garmin;
Mile 21 - 13:49 (probably some walking)
Mile 22 - 10:41
Mile 23 - 12:59 (porta-potty stop)
Mile 24 - 9:42
Mile 25 - 9:37
Mile 26 - 9:18
Last 0.4 - 8:46</SPAN>
Finish time of 4:59:14 – my third worst performance, only Chicago 10.10.10 in the heat and the Flying Pig with a calf injury were worse, oh well.
The official Grandma’s site says I passed 310 runners in the last 6.2 miles, 60 of them in the last 1.2 miles.
For the first 10K, I set a PR for the 10K by 35 seconds, in 53:04
For the first half marathon, I set a PR for the half by 1:04, in 1:53:14
After the race I was a total mess, both calves completely seized up, people had to keep me from falling over, one woman had her husband run to get medics and a wheel chair but by then I was slowly taking baby steps and loosening up the calves. By the time I slowly walked to the shuttle buses taking us back to the hotel (after a couple of beers) I was able to sit without cramping up. Needless to say this is the sorest I have ever been after a marathon, and mostly my right leg; foot, calf, thigh quads and hammy. I’m still stiff two days later, but recovering nicely and enjoying the pain.
Last edited by Pete B on Mon Jun 20, 2011 3:47 pm; edited 1 time in total
Pete B- Poster
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
KathyK Mon Jun 20, 2011 1:06 pm
Wow...you set 2 PRs in the course of a marathon! That's amazing..even if you didn't finish the marathon as you'd hoped.
Way to tough it out!
Way to tough it out!
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
Julie Mon Jun 20, 2011 1:21 pm
hey you finished another marathon and toughed it out! Now enjoy the rest and heal up!
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
fostever Mon Jun 20, 2011 3:40 pm
Nothing is squandered if you learn something new and take something away becoming more experienced. Way to tough it out and actually finish, most people would drop out, that shows your intestinal fortitude. Pete, when you get to that race where everything clicks you'll be able to rise above any minor pain knowing how you overcame in much worse conditions!
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
Tim M Mon Jun 20, 2011 3:49 pm
I'm not sure what to say other than I probably would have packed it in and call it a day. Great job on being tough.
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
John Kilpatrick Mon Jun 20, 2011 3:55 pm
I hope you are not disappointed with that - you had a LOT going on - most people wouldn't of even started the thing. Under the circumstances, you took as much as anyone there I'm sure and finished anyway. I say great job 
and there is always next time for what the clock says is a "success"
and there is always next time for what the clock says is a "success"
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
Michele "1L" Keane Mon Jun 20, 2011 4:00 pm
Hey, congrats for finishing, Pete - not sure that I would have, and if I did, it wouldn't have been any different - so that is nothing to be embarrassed about. We win some and we lose some, and I'm sorry that it just wasn't your day.
Rest up, recover, pick out another race, and no giving blood before hand as I think that did you in.
Rest up, recover, pick out another race, and no giving blood before hand as I think that did you in.
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
Natalie Mon Jun 20, 2011 4:44 pm
Tough one, Pete. If only it had been a half!! Oh, well... on to the next one and congratulations on finishing another one. You will have your race -- just get your toe in order!
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
Matt W Mon Jun 20, 2011 5:43 pm
I'm sorry the race didn't turn out the way you'd planned. You seemed like you were set up for a great one before the blood donation and injury got you off track. Hopefully, you recover soon and have a great race next time.
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
Jerry Mon Jun 20, 2011 5:47 pm
The half PR indicates your fitness gain, Pete. Well to tough it out. Next time, time your blood donation better please. 
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
Dave-O Mon Jun 20, 2011 6:00 pm
Note to all: Do not reverse blood dope before a marathon. Although it has me thinking; if it caused such a negative effect, I wonder just how well blood doping would really work.....
Congrats on gutting it out Pete.
Congrats on gutting it out Pete.
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
Schuey Mon Jun 20, 2011 7:27 pm
Pete not the race time you were looking for but some good came out of this race for you. First you set two PR's in this race one at the 10k distance and the other at the half. This is always cool to do especially within a marathon. The second and most important was your mental toughness to hang in there and finish what you started. That was one hell of an effort you put in on Saturday, when your time started to drop I told Lisa that I hope everything was ok.
Like Dave said note to myself not to give blood and then jump right into training the next day. Yikes!
Again congrats Pete
Like Dave said note to myself not to give blood and then jump right into training the next day. Yikes!
Again congrats Pete
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
Mrs. Schuey Mon Jun 20, 2011 7:31 pm
Wow, Pete! I have to say you did a stellar job...you PR'd twice in the same race! You are a thoughtful person to be giving blood and then to continue the process because you knew someone needed the red blood cells. You could've saved someone's life by that decision that day so don't feel too bad about not having the strength to run. To be honest, I wouldn't have tried to run afterwards, but props to you for doing so!
I loved the Rhondda ribbon. I think it would be a great idea for all of us to do...I wonder if Glenn and the rest of the rest of the 365 runners think so?
I loved the Rhondda ribbon. I think it would be a great idea for all of us to do...I wonder if Glenn and the rest of the rest of the 365 runners think so?
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
Jim Lentz Mon Jun 20, 2011 7:50 pm
Wow, great job not accepting a DNF and pushing yourself those last few miles!
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
Sara Jane Mon Jun 20, 2011 9:13 pm
Hey Pete! It was great to meet you - sorry the race didn't end up how you wanted, but well done pushing through to the finish. You'll get there...
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
Randy E Mon Jun 20, 2011 9:24 pm
Boy Pete, what a struggle. But, some day you'll look back on this experience and probably appreciate it some how. I had no idea you were entering the 55-59 age group. Nice. You'll get that BQ. Also, nice of you to wear that Rhondda ribbon. That was a very special gesture. All the struggles we may endure are nothing compared to what Rhondda is facing.
Enjoy that awesome marathon soreness, let your body heal and you will come back even stronger. Nice job crossing the finish line.
Enjoy that awesome marathon soreness, let your body heal and you will come back even stronger. Nice job crossing the finish line.
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
Pete B Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:20 am
Thanks all! Yes Randy, I'm an old fart - soon to have a category all to myself on the 365Runners Record Board, that is until you, Dave Bussard, and the rest of the 50-54 AG grow up. I may actually hold a couple of records for a while, that is if I can start really running again..
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
Seth Harrison Tue Jun 21, 2011 7:02 am
Pete, like everyone else, I kept reading to see at what point you dropped off the course and took the DNF, but no, you toughed it out, and man was it tough!
I hope your foot heals quickly and you can move on. Based on your training, there's no doubt that better races are ahead, including the BQ.
I hope your foot heals quickly and you can move on. Based on your training, there's no doubt that better races are ahead, including the BQ.
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
Peg Coover Tue Jun 21, 2011 9:49 am
Great report Pete. You did great!
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
Glenn Tue Jun 21, 2011 11:02 am
It was great to finally meet you in Duluth, Pete. Sorry you had a tough day. Recover well, and slam it next time!
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
Pete B Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:29 pm
At the finish with my V-Team running hat with the Rhondda H. support patch pinned to my hat (between the top of the 'P' and 'R') that was created by Glenn Johnson. Stay Strong Rhondda - We are all pulling for you!
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
carleenp Wed Jun 22, 2011 12:06 pm
Good job toughing it out! For many years I wasn't allowed to give blood. First because I weighted too little, then because I traveled and took malaria prophylaxis. Well, when I finally got older and gained weight (more than I would like now!) and hadn't traveled someplace odd for how ever many years it is before they let you give blood, I gave blood. It was just a regular donation and it wiped me out! I had a hard time exercising for awhile after it. So instead of giving blood, I give money now.
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
Pete B Wed Jun 22, 2011 11:31 pm
carleenp wrote:Good job toughing it out! For many years I wasn't allowed to give blood. First because I weighted too little, then because I traveled and took malaria prophylaxis. Well, when I finally got older and gained weight (more than I would like now!) and hadn't traveled someplace odd for how ever many years it is before they let you give blood, I gave blood. It was just a regular donation and it wiped me out! I had a hard time exercising for awhile after it. So instead of giving blood, I give money now.
I went nearly 20 years without donating since dealing with a skin cancer in 1990. I guess they figured I was still around, how bad could my blood be?
I will have serious second thoughts the next time they ask me to donate though - hmmm, just before the Chicago Half and the Chicago Full, not going to happen.
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Re: Grandma's 2011 - Opportunity Squandered
Alex Kubacki Thu Jun 23, 2011 3:36 pm
Great job toughening through that.
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Similar topics» Chicago 11: Over the Edge
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