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  #1   ^
Old Tue, Nov-03-09, 06:56
gindorsey gindorsey is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 738
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 123.6/124/115 Female 5 ft. 3 in.
BF:
Progress: -5%
Location: West Virginia
Default NYC Marathon

Did any of you exercise buffs do the NYC Marathon? If so, I would love to hear about your experience. Or any other runs for that matter.
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  #2   ^
Old Tue, Nov-03-09, 14:28
AlienBug's Avatar
AlienBug AlienBug is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 241
 
Plan: PP-ish
Stats: 202/149/147 Male 5'8
BF:~10%
Progress: 96%
Location: Connecticut
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I did the Jimmy Fund Boston Marathon walk once. It's walking, not running, but it's still 26.2 miles. I later published a commentary about the experience.

"If getting there is half the fun, well, I had a ton of fun getting to Boston Sept. 17.
Back in April, I had signed up for the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk because I wanted a physical challenge. Raising money to help sick children was an added bonus.
In a moment of bravado, I had decided to attempt the en-tire 26.2-mile Boston Marathon route. Of the 7,000 participants, only about 2,000 at-tempted that length and, judging from the lines at the first aid stations, quite a few dropped out along the way.
The walk is a fund-raiser for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, as my friends, family and co-workers found out. Throughout the summer they all received one sponsorship request after another and came through for me in fine style.
With several sponsorships still pending, our five-person team raised just under $1,200. For perspective, several teams raised more than 50 times that amount. Nevertheless, we were proud of our efforts and eager to get started.
The sun was just coming over the horizon as we left Hopkington Green, the Boston Marathon’s traditional starting point. For the first few miles, the route resembled a Manhattan sidewalk as participants swept forward in a human wave.
By mile 3, my walking partner, Hometown General Assignment Reporter Ken Hoffman, and I had outpaced most of the Sunday strollers and found ourselves with relatively clear road in front of us. The road was flat and empty, and we were able to maintain our training pace.
Organizers had spaced re-fueling stations along the course, 12 in all. At each one, volunteers handed out water, sports drinks and various food items. By my count I consumed:
• 2 bananas
• 6 small candy bars
• 1 orange
• 2 granola bars
• 1 deli sandwich
• 10 health cookies, courtesy of Hometown’s Conscious Cook, Robin Glowa, each containing enough natural fiber to unblock I-95
• 3 small bags of chips and pretzels
• Enough water, fruit juice and Gatorade that, despite profuse sweating, I still patronized every portable john along the course.
Despite all this, I finished the walk with a ravenous ap-petite and headed to a local establishment for burgers, fries, nachos and liquid painkillers.

The walk started in a remote, sparsely populated area. Motorcycle-mounted police rode herd on the group, keeping us out of harm’s way.
At half-distance, we picked up the rest of our team, Marla and Vanessa, who had opted for one of the shorter routes.
Ken and I made the mistake of sitting down to have lunch, which made getting back up a bit of a challenge. Still, we pressed on.
Mile 16 brought us into Newton, Mass., home of the four Newton hills. Each of these hills has a name, but the best known is the last, longest and steepest.
Heartbreak Hill begins at mile 20 and rises, in three stages, past the 21st mile. A sign at the top congratulated the weary trekkers, along with a (false) promise that the course was all downhill from there.
The last four miles passed in a soreness-numbed haze, but a few things stood out in my mind. For starters, at mile 22 or so, Dana Farber patients and cancer survivors manned the checkpoints, handing out food and drinks, and encouraged those who looked like they were nearing their en-durance limits.
A pat on the back from a cheerful 6-year-old who clearly is enduring chemotherapy can easily convince you to finish those last miles. If they can keep going, so can you.
Then, there was the matter of the curbs. Once the walkers entered Boston city limits, there were police officers at every intersection. They stopped traffic every time a group of walkers approached and waved us along.
The curbs were city-style, about five inches high with steel edges. Each curb had a small, flattened section where cyclist and wheelchair-bound people can get out of the street and onto the sidewalk. Just like virtually every other walker, I lined up at the ramps because the five-inch step onto the curb was simply too daunting for legs burning with 24 miles worth of lactic acid.
Finally, there were the spectators. We had seen peo-ple standing along the side of the road since the start, and many others had left signs and other inspirational mes-sages for the walkers. Once inside Boston, though, there were hundreds of people. Some clapped and called out encouragement; others waved signs that said “Thank you for helping...” with the name of a family member battling cancer.
My mother and one of my sisters waved from the crowd as we neared the 26th mile. I motioned them into the street.
“If I stop my legs now, they aren’t starting up again,” I said.
And then it was over. Crossing the finish line, I paused briefly for a photographer, and then continued on to where my wife, Maggie, and the rest of the family waited. A volunteer placed a medal around my neck.
In the final analysis, the amount of money I spent on training supplies, hotel accommodations, meals and en-try fees very nearly equaled the amount I raised. Economically, I would have been wiser to simply write a check. But walking into Copley Square, with cheering crowds lining both sides of the street, was an experience beyond any dollar value.
If the weekend taught me anything, it was the value of perseverance. There is nothing in particular that separates a marathon walker from anyone else, except the mental determination to push through the soreness and keep going.
I mean, Ken and I weren’t inmates or draftees. We didn’t have to walk, let alone cover the entire route. In fact, buses roamed the course continually, offering a ride to the finish for those who had had enough.
But cancer patients can’t just quit if their treatment gets too tough. And neither did we. I have the T-shirt to prove it."

This column reflects the opinion of Editor Donald Eng and does not necessarily represent the views of Hometown Publications.
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  #3   ^
Old Tue, Nov-03-09, 16:39
gindorsey gindorsey is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 738
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 123.6/124/115 Female 5 ft. 3 in.
BF:
Progress: -5%
Location: West Virginia
Default

Awesome. I would love to do that someday! Congratulations! Do you do other walks or runs?
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  #4   ^
Old Wed, Nov-04-09, 09:30
jschwab jschwab is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 6,378
 
Plan: Atkins72/Paleo/NoGrain/IF
Stats: 285/220/200 Female 5 feet 5.5 inches
BF:
Progress: 76%
Default

Hey Gindorsey, I run races alot and it's really fun. If you go to www.active.com you should be able to find an event near you - they list races all around the country.
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  #5   ^
Old Wed, Nov-04-09, 15:03
brpssm's Avatar
brpssm brpssm is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,590
 
Plan: was Atkins now PāNu
Stats: 292.5/195/160 Female 5'10"
BF:
Progress: 74%
Location: Canada
Default

I like running races as well, it keeps me on track with my training and the smaller ones are usually for charity which is nice.

I have a collegue who ran the NY marathon this weekend(F45), she finished 3:33 (wow!).
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  #6   ^
Old Wed, Nov-04-09, 19:14
gindorsey gindorsey is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 738
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 123.6/124/115 Female 5 ft. 3 in.
BF:
Progress: -5%
Location: West Virginia
Default

Wow. How do you even finish at all must less a time like that. Please congratulate her for me!
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  #7   ^
Old Wed, Nov-04-09, 19:53
jschwab jschwab is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 6,378
 
Plan: Atkins72/Paleo/NoGrain/IF
Stats: 285/220/200 Female 5 feet 5.5 inches
BF:
Progress: 76%
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by brpssm
I like running races as well, it keeps me on track with my training and the smaller ones are usually for charity which is nice.

I have a collegue who ran the NY marathon this weekend(F45), she finished 3:33 (wow!).


That's a great time. I finally figured out the conversion of your 10K time which is very respectable, too!
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  #8   ^
Old Thu, Nov-05-09, 15:02
brpssm's Avatar
brpssm brpssm is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,590
 
Plan: was Atkins now PāNu
Stats: 292.5/195/160 Female 5'10"
BF:
Progress: 74%
Location: Canada
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jschwab
That's a great time. I finally figured out the conversion of your 10K time which is very respectable, too!

I feel SO slow!!! I do keep in mind that I had only been running for 5 months prior to my quarter, and I started literally from 0, so I was pleased with it nonetheless.

Next year my goal is to finish the same quarter marathon (10.5k) in under 1 hour. This winter on the TM I am working on intervals to get quicker, I am using the same 8-week beginner plan I used to start running, only changing it from walk/run to run/runfaster! I think I ran my quarter at a 10:49/mile which is 6:43/km. I want to run regularly at sub-6:00/km by next year.

And yes, my collegues time was really good -- she is amazingly fit. I haven't seen her yet (she still isn't back) but I imagine she is quite pleased -- she wasn't "feeling it" before she went down to NYC.

Last edited by brpssm : Thu, Nov-05-09 at 15:16.
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  #9   ^
Old Thu, Nov-05-09, 15:05
jschwab jschwab is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 6,378
 
Plan: Atkins72/Paleo/NoGrain/IF
Stats: 285/220/200 Female 5 feet 5.5 inches
BF:
Progress: 76%
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by brpssm
I feel SO slow!!! Next year my goal is to finish the same quarter marathon (10.5k) in under 1 hour. This winter on the TM I am working on intervals to get quicker, I am using the same 8-week beginner plan I used to start running, only changing it from walk/run to run/runfaster!

And yes, my collegues time was really good -- she is amazingly fit. I haven't seen her yet (she still isn't back) but I imagine she is quite pleased -- she wasn't "feeling it" before she went down to NYC.


10.5K - even faster than I thought!
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  #10   ^
Old Thu, Nov-05-09, 15:20
brpssm's Avatar
brpssm brpssm is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,590
 
Plan: was Atkins now PāNu
Stats: 292.5/195/160 Female 5'10"
BF:
Progress: 74%
Location: Canada
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jschwab
10.5K - even faster than I thought!

LOL -- my GPS tracked me at 10.58, and trust me, those last .58km counted because I thought it was a 10k NOT literally a quarter marathon.

From kilometer 9.5 to 10 it was completely uphill, and steep, and when I got to the top I was very confused that there was no finish line and I was like "WTF? I have to keep running???" So, I wear that extra .58km with extreme pride!!!!!
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  #11   ^
Old Thu, Nov-05-09, 20:41
gindorsey gindorsey is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 738
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 123.6/124/115 Female 5 ft. 3 in.
BF:
Progress: -5%
Location: West Virginia
Default

Way to go Darlene!!! What sort of GPS do you have and where did you get it?
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  #12   ^
Old Fri, Nov-06-09, 08:28
brpssm's Avatar
brpssm brpssm is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,590
 
Plan: was Atkins now PāNu
Stats: 292.5/195/160 Female 5'10"
BF:
Progress: 74%
Location: Canada
Default

I use my iPhone 3G since it has built-in GPS. I use the RunKeeper app and it uploads all my run data to a website, just like the Garmin GPS watches. I'm VERY happy with it since I only need to bring 1 device out for a run and I have music, GPS and a phone in case of emergency.
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  #13   ^
Old Fri, Nov-06-09, 18:51
gindorsey gindorsey is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 738
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 123.6/124/115 Female 5 ft. 3 in.
BF:
Progress: -5%
Location: West Virginia
Default

Thanks Darlene! I have the same phone but I didn't know the app existed. I added it today at work and can't wait to use it. Thanks for the tip!
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  #14   ^
Old Tue, Nov-10-09, 12:27
brpssm's Avatar
brpssm brpssm is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,590
 
Plan: was Atkins now PāNu
Stats: 292.5/195/160 Female 5'10"
BF:
Progress: 74%
Location: Canada
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by gindorsey
Thanks Darlene! I have the same phone but I didn't know the app existed. I added it today at work and can't wait to use it. Thanks for the tip!

I really love the RunKepper app...the only thing missing (from all the running apps) is a heartrate monitor with a bluetooth strap, can't wait for that! Enjoy!
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