Ramblings of A Caffeinated Mind 9.3

Overheard

"I like Hillary but you know what they say, 'Once you've had Barack you never go bawk!'"

Maybe if I type this I'll get it off of my mind

Last night, right before the movie started (see below), I check email from my phone. There was a reply to an inquiry that I had made about something. I need to remember that "No" is also an answer. However, it's not the answer that I was hoping for.

Running Rant

Two things happened this week while I was running. One day, a group of four people were running at Memorial Park and they were running four abreast. The running trail is just barely wide enough in most spots for that many people. So I'm running counter-clockwise and they're coming at me clockwise. I'm running right.

Just as we're approaching each other, the path gets more narrow because of a light pole. These are my options:

1.) Stop and curse at them

2.) Jump on to Memorial Drive into the traffic and get hit

3.) Take out one the girls' left breast with my elbow

4.) Take out my right testicle, right arm and right leg by running into the pole

5.) Keep running and see what happens

See below for what happened.

In another incident, I started my run and about 1/10 of a mile into it I pass a guy who is standing there and stretching. About 1/2 mile into the run, he passes me. No big deal. He gets a good lead on me.

Around 2 miles, he stops running and starts to walk. When I reach 2 miles, I stop and get some water; he is still ahead of me walking. However, he keeps looking back at me.

I start my run again and when he sees me running he starts running. OK. That may have been a coincidence but I don't think so. So...I start running hard. Around 2 1/2 miles I'm shoulder to shoulder with him and he starts running faster so I start running faster and he has to eat my dust. He wasn't able to keep up with me. For some reason that made me feel good.

Spirit of the Marathon

Last night I took myself out on a movie date. Dinner consisted of the Combo #1 at Chik-fil-a. I went to see an encore showing of Spirit of the Marathon. The movie follows 6 people as they prepare for the Chicago Marathon 2005.

There was one runner that I could relate to even though there were aspects of the other runners (with the exception of the elites) that were very familiar. Lori is the runner that I am referring to. She is the one who trained by herself and raised money.

I think I laughed the loudest when Rona told her dad that he is a professional talker who runs marathons (instead of a professional marathoner who talks while he runs). Some of you know that I hate to talk when I run.

Deena Kastor is amazing. She suffered an injury and doesn't run for 6 weeks and then wins Chicago 2005.
Then there is Ryan who is bound and determined to qualify for Boston and ends up being injured.
And Daniel runs with the grace of gazelle. He is bound and determined to be the bride and not the bridesmaid as he makes another attempt to win Chicago.


The one that touched me the most was Leah. You can tell that she wanted to quit during the run but she didn't. Her tears at the end of the run were based on many emotions. I can relate to that except I waited until the day after my first marathon to burst into tears...and I was in line at Burger King; not one of my finest moments. (I have metioned this before but still haven't given the details about what triggered the tears...and yes, they let me have it my way.)
The movie was more than just covering the 6 runners. It gave some history about the marathon. The director also interviewed some of running's greatest athletes. I was very intrigued with Katherine Switzer's story about almost being pulled off the course of the Boston Marathon because she is a woman.

photo credit: AP/Worldwide Photo

Here are some additional comments about the movie:

• Based upon the Italian guy who almost died after running a marathon in London(?), people started to take notice of the event more out of morbid curiousity rather than to support the athletes.
• It was long believed that women were not built to be long distance runners because their uterus might fall out.
• I'm not so sure about Deena Kastor's avocado enchiladas.
• I thought the footage of Chicago was awesome. I love that city.
• There were a few chuckles in the crowd everytime they showed Carey Pinkowski who is the race director. If you don't know, Chicago 2007 was a disaster.
• John "The Penguin" Bingham makes a good point. Every marathon participant pays the same entry fee. So if you follow his line of thinking and if you finish the course in 2 1/2 hours and the course is open for 6 hours you're not getting your money's worth. The longer you're on the course the more value you're getting for your dollar.
• The footage of Daniel saying that it was dangerous waiting for the hippopotamus was funny. He kept saying it was dangerous but yet he wouldn't leave!

The movie reminded me that the human spirit is amazing. And its the reminder that I needed after reading that email. (see above)

Answer
I decided that I wasn't going to change my stride just to make room for the four of them. So as we squeezed through that narrow part of the path she realized she was about to get body slammed. None of the other three made any effort to downsize so she had to run sideways for 5 of us to make it through that part of the path.

Have a good weekend everyone! See you latte!

********************

support my efforts to raise funds for

AIDS Walk Houston 2008 (click on the link)

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 5.1

Real quick. The discussion about the Chicago Marathon fiasco continues. I just read this on Dean Karnazes's blog. Dean is an ultra-runner which means he runs distances that I can't even fathom.

I wonder if the Chicago Race Director has read Dean's advice. "#4: Pour water on your head..."

AttyHou is still waiting for Mike Downey to reply to him. Mike is the columnist that made some inappropriate remarks. AttyHou was supposed to be there to run Chicago but hadn't trained so he didn't go. AttyHou has run Chicago before. He is also a former resident of The Windy City so he was more offended than I was by Mike Downey's remarks.

In other news:

I made it to Spin Class yesterday. Not sure what was wrong. I just didn't have my groove going. I broke a sweat and was wet when I left but it was not like previous sessions.

Since it had been a few months, maybe subconsciously I was holding back? Not sure.

In case you forgot, the art festival is going on this weekend. The weather should be fab-u. So I'll probably head downtown and stroll around.

AttyHou called last night and gave me a fab-u idea for a Halloween costume. I found some of the items today. We're invited to a party next Friday so that gives me time to embellish the costume.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Chicago Columnist who p!ssed me off (2007 Chicago Marathon)

This has really been bugging me since I read it yesterday and I referenced it in yesterday's post. I was thinking about it this morning when I was running around Memorial Park.

I couldn't decide if I should give this @sshole more exposure but I figure if any runners are reading this they need to see this.

I have run marathons and when I pay my money (and we're not talking just $20) I expect the race director to provide some type of support.

This was the 30th running of the Chicago Marathon and it was the 17th for the race director. Surely (and don't call me Shirley) there was some type of contingency plan in place? Guess not.

Yes, we are responsible for our own actions & decisions and should take precautions. However, if I pay $100+ for a run I expect something in return for my money...water? Gatorade? Planning for the unexpected?

In my mind I have composed an email to Mr. Downey. It will be well thought out just like my email to Anne Rice when she said "Americans have turned their back on New Orleans..."

If you are so inclined to get in touch with Mr. Downey, his email address is included in the column.

Nobody forced anyone to run
Marathoners can blame only selves
Mike Downey mikedowney@tribune.com
October 9, 2007

Hey, don't blame the city of Chicago if you were too tired and too hot Sunday while running a marathon.

And don't blame sponsor LaSalle Bank if you were weak from thirst and couldn't get enough to drink.

You've got nobody to blame but yourselves.

If you are foolhardy enough to run a marathon when the temperature outdoors is up to 88 degrees, then it is your fault, no one else's.

Nearly 10,000 of the people who filed entries for this 30th annual race were smart enough not to run it.

It is as idiotic to run more than 26 miles in a brutal and potentially lethal heat as it is to play golf in a thunderstorm.

No one made you run. No one bought tickets to see you compete, so you were under no obligation.

This wasn't a football game, where paying customers have a right to expect athletes to play whether it is in 100-degree heat or in fog or snow.

Of the 45,000 who intended to take part in the city's marathon, only 35,867 actually showed up to run.

The ones who did not showed good sense.

Some of the premier runners needed to go out there because this is how they make a living, competing for prize money.

Marathon running for them is an occupation, not recreation.But thousands of others run because it is fun to run.

Or because you train for a race for a long time and you look forward to being there.Chicago's temperature soared nearly to a tropical 90, yet those of you who ran ignored the risks.

You knew the pavement would be sizzling like a griddle.

You knew a long run on a day like this would be hard on your feet, legs, stomach, mind and heart.

You ran anyway.

The city just as easily on an October morning could have had lightning bolts in the sky, or a torrential rain, or a blizzard.

Chicago has had many an October day when the thermometer has read 8 instead of 88.

On such a day, you would have looked at the forecast on TV or in your newspaper, then looked out your window and said, "Not today, man.

"Nevertheless, 35,867 of you hit the streets for this race.

And only 24,933 were able to finish it because Chicago began running short of drinking water, ambulances, paramedics, doctors, volunteers, good Samaritans and cops.

There were tragic results.

A young man died, an off-duty police officer from Michigan.

At least 300 others reportedly had to be rushed to hospitals and first-aid tents.

"They didn't plan for it," one runner harped about Chicago's race authorities.

"They clearly weren't prepared," another said on TV.

Wrong.Totally wrong.

"They," the marathon organizers, cautioned runners all week long that the temperature for Sunday was going to be hot. Not "unseasonably warm" -- hot.

They begged runners to take extra precautions.

They stocked more than 200,000 more servings of water than usual.

They made as many of the necessary preparations as possible.

But when 35,000 people jump off a ledge, you can only catch so many in safety nets.

The rest are going to fall.

This is a professional competition that the public sometimes confuses with a company picnic.

The runners who staged a neck-and-neck finish -- Patrick Ivuti and Jaouad Gharib for the men, Berhane Adere and Adriana Pirtea for the women -- were here to win, not merely to run.

For the rest of you, did the words "hottest day in Chicago's 30-year race history" not even register?

How many of you ran at your normal pace or faster, totally at your own peril, caught up in the thrill of the chase?

Were you among the first to crab later about how the race let you down?

By the time officials put a premature stop to this 8 a.m. race at about 11:35, had it not yet dawned on you that maybe you should already have walked off the course and lived to run on it another day?

"They ought to move it to a later date," one runner whined on TV.

Yeah, how about November next time?

Then you could run it in a blizzard and blame Chicago for your case of frostbite.

Sympathy for the fallen is fine, but the sponsors weren't responsible for making them run.

No one stages a 26.2-mile race for 45,000 people and guarantees, "Oh, by the way, you'll all be fine.

"Marathons are not for the faint of heart.

You run in one, you take your chances.

If the water supply runs short, here's a helpful hint: Stop running.

It's just a race.

Don't die for it.

Congratulations to the winners and the survivors.

You signed up to be in a long, hard run? You got one.

Some Thoughts "Running" Through My Mind

I have mentioned that I sorta got off track with my running the past week or so. I did get out to Memorial Park yesterday around lunch time and did a good 3 mile jaunt. This morning I met RunnerOne at 545A and we had a great 3 mile run.

There are several things that have happened in the past week or so that have been on my mind in regard to running so, let's start with:

Roberto Madrazo. Mr. Madrazo is a former candidate for president in Mexico. If I remember correctly, he came in third when he ran for President. Well, it seems that he went to Berlin to run the Berlin Marathon.

The Berlin Marathon is supposed to be a fast course. And like most marathons, they have the runners wear a chip so that splits can be timed along the course and it monitors who really ran the race. I guess you can thank Rosie Ruiz for that.

You may recall that Rosie was the first woman to cross the finish line in the 1980 Boston Marathon. However, they can't prove that she actually ran the race and there was doubt about her qualifying time from the NYC Marathon.

So back to Mr. Madrazo...he bested his PR by almost an hour. And he crossed the finish line in a sweatsuit; not very runneresque I would say. Well no one really thought anything about it until the Mexican press started asking questions. Then it was ascertained that some of his splits are missing on the course.

I found out today that he will not be listed as a finisher. The well-known cheater got caught. However, I guess he can't be that good of a cheater because he came in third in the election. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck...

Marion Jones. "Thou doth protest too much." Marion. Marion. Marion. I wanted to believe that you didn't take steroids. I was SO happy for you during the Sydney Olympics.

You have not set a good example for young athletes, female or male.

At least you have finally admitted that you did take the steroids, you apologized for lying and you have returned your medals.

There's not much else to say other than D-I-S-A-P-P-O-I-N-T-E-D.

Next on my list, 2007 Chicago Marathon. WTF went wrong? Yes, everyone knew that the temperatures were going to be unseasonably warm. Even I knew that and I wasn't even running.

The marathon had a record no-show rate but had upped the servings of water from 1.6M to 1.8M. The increase was based on expected warm temperatures and everyone showing up. Obviously the formula was wrong.

I heard the Race Director say that if people had only taken one cup of water instead of several to cool themselves off then they would have had plenty of water. It also turns out that for a 26.2 mile course they only had 15 stations and most of those were toward the end. That leaves 11 miles of no water so no wonder people were hoarding water! And I have heard that some runners were told to keep going another mile or 2 to find some water.

I guess I'm spoiled. If I remember correctly, the Houston Marathon starts their water stations at mile 2 and then every mile or every other mile after that until you get to mile 9 or so and then it definitely is every mile.

I guess I'm also spoiled because if I can run in Houston heat and humidity I guess I can run in just about anything. This weather prepares you for being well hydrated.

There was a record number of 911 calls during the marathon. Spectators were trying to do what they could to help runners who were passing out.

As one columnist in Chicago stated (quite sarcastically): "No one made you show up to run." Well true but unless you have given up six months of your life to train for a long distance run I guess you just don't understand the determination to finish.

I don't know. I just don't know. I've done Rock 'n Roll in San Diego in June when it has been hot but they didn't have people dropping like flies. Something really went wrong.

EDIT @ 827P: If you want an account of what it was like, read Running My Mass Off.

Komen Race For The Cure/Houston. Saturday morning when I was beginning my Krewe tasks I made the mistake of going down Waugh Drive. Uh...that was a good bad decision. Let me digress.

Up until several years ago, Race For The Cure/Houston did not allow men to participate. I placed an inquiry to the office and was told that it was to encourage women to participate AND breast cancer affects women. EXCUSE ME?

So I sent back a reply that while the majority of people who have battled breast cancer are women there is a small percent who are men. PLUS, the women are mothers, wives, sisters and friends of men so in a different fashion it does affect men.

Well I was told I could do the 1 mile family walk.

I was pissed but based on the comment from a local running authority who told me to take up another cause and leave them alone I did. It was a few years after that when they opened it up to men. It is now the largest run/walk in Houston. They had 23K+ participants this year.

While I was stuck in traffic (that's the bad part) listening to It's Raining Men I sort of got a little teary eyed. There were people of all ages, shapes and sizes out there Saturday morning raising money for a good cause.

I would like to think that my email exchange a few years ago had something to do with opening it up to everyone.

I also was thinking about a friend of mine who battled breast cancer and won. We have lost touch over the years but she is one of those people that I know is always there for me and likewise. One of these years I will run Race For The Cure/Houston in her honor.

2008 Houston Marathon. The early bird gets the worm. I previously mentioned that the marathon is already sold out. That is a record.

The downside is that there are people who started training programs who did not register and have now been shut out. Too bad I can't sell my registration on ebay! :-)