On the way back
I was able to walk and then run a mile this morning with no pain, but I could feel the injury in terms of tightness and some tingling. It's healing, but it's definitely still not ready for a lot of stress. I took three full days off of running, which helped, although not as much as I would have liked. Progress is progress.
On to heat, ice, and stretching. Have a good day, everyone.
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Addendum
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So, today I've been freaking out about wave one and wave two. Twin Cities is doing a two wave start, where only the first 2000 with a qualifying marathon or half-marathon time qualify for wave one. My friend Paul got thrown into wave two last year, and said it was a pain in the ass, running at six-minute pace, to get through the crowd of penguins he started with. I'm not calling slower runners a pain in the ass by association, so don't go there. The situation is a pain in the ass. I would imagine a four hour marathon runner wouldn't enjoy starting up in front of five thousand 2:30 marathon runners either. Elbows and expletives would certainly fly as that guy or gal got trampled.
I don't know how these big marathons work. The scale isn't conducive to weaving through the crowd to the front, while pointing out to every stink-eyed observer that, hey, I'm a legit sub-2:40 runner, I just need to get closer to the line. It might not even be possible. How the hell do I know?
So that's why I'm trying to get into wave one. All I need is to fax proof that I have run a sub-1:46 half-marathon in the last two years. Easy enough, I averaged a half-marathon or better every day most of the winter well faster than 8:06 pace. Of course, training don't matter. I haven't run a half-marathon in about three years, and I'm not planning on another until July. Problem is, as soon as they get 2000 people in wave one, it's closed, and registration is already 90% full. That means there are already 9,450 people ahead of me with a shot at getting their proof in first. Can I afford to wait until July 4th? Probably I can't. That, of course, means entering another half, and soon. Which means driving to another town, picking up packets, etc., and paying for the privilege of doing a training pace run that somebody else is timing. Proof.
I don't want to wade through a pack of people the first mile or two of the race, and I defintely don't want my race or time being affected by the people traffic. Any ideas on how to get an official time by the TCM wave nazis? I already tried talking to them directly. No soup for you! Bring official result! Pay cash! No refund! was the response. Does it really matter to be behind five thousand other runners at the start, given there is a high likelyhood I will pass more than 4900 of them in the first ten minutes of the race?
Ugh. I'm already nervous.
On to heat, ice, and stretching. Have a good day, everyone.
============
Addendum
============
So, today I've been freaking out about wave one and wave two. Twin Cities is doing a two wave start, where only the first 2000 with a qualifying marathon or half-marathon time qualify for wave one. My friend Paul got thrown into wave two last year, and said it was a pain in the ass, running at six-minute pace, to get through the crowd of penguins he started with. I'm not calling slower runners a pain in the ass by association, so don't go there. The situation is a pain in the ass. I would imagine a four hour marathon runner wouldn't enjoy starting up in front of five thousand 2:30 marathon runners either. Elbows and expletives would certainly fly as that guy or gal got trampled.
I don't know how these big marathons work. The scale isn't conducive to weaving through the crowd to the front, while pointing out to every stink-eyed observer that, hey, I'm a legit sub-2:40 runner, I just need to get closer to the line. It might not even be possible. How the hell do I know?
So that's why I'm trying to get into wave one. All I need is to fax proof that I have run a sub-1:46 half-marathon in the last two years. Easy enough, I averaged a half-marathon or better every day most of the winter well faster than 8:06 pace. Of course, training don't matter. I haven't run a half-marathon in about three years, and I'm not planning on another until July. Problem is, as soon as they get 2000 people in wave one, it's closed, and registration is already 90% full. That means there are already 9,450 people ahead of me with a shot at getting their proof in first. Can I afford to wait until July 4th? Probably I can't. That, of course, means entering another half, and soon. Which means driving to another town, picking up packets, etc., and paying for the privilege of doing a training pace run that somebody else is timing. Proof.
I don't want to wade through a pack of people the first mile or two of the race, and I defintely don't want my race or time being affected by the people traffic. Any ideas on how to get an official time by the TCM wave nazis? I already tried talking to them directly. No soup for you! Bring official result! Pay cash! No refund! was the response. Does it really matter to be behind five thousand other runners at the start, given there is a high likelyhood I will pass more than 4900 of them in the first ten minutes of the race?
Ugh. I'm already nervous.
posted at 7:13 AM [+]
6 Comments:
Is there a 1/2 marathon in the area that you can jump into (provided your calf heals)? You can jog a 1:46 - hell you can do one of my favorite workouts (6x10 minutes w/ 5 min. recoveries) and still make the standard, without making it a full-blown race.
I'll ask a few people that might have connections to Twin Cities to help push you through the B.S.
I had a similar problem at Boulder Boulder one year. The first wave required a sub-40 10k. I had never run a 10, but I had a published marathon result of 2:36, which is over 4 consecutive 10k's at under 37:30, but that wouldn't work for these guys.
Damn you Fatboy, it's my turn to be first!! Eric, this is a dilly of a pickle. I was going to suggest you try to find someone in Minnesota to help, but Fatboy already said that. Maybe you can find a race close enough that could be a mini-vacation for the family.
I am glad to hear you are back to running, three days off must have left you climbing the walls.
Hey diddly ho there, neighbor. You guys don't know it yet, but one of you is the other's bizarro Mike S (fatboy is a Mike S. as well). I don't know who is who, but I recall fatboy participating in some bizarro behavior involving a duct tape supersuit quite a few years back. I digress.
I think I have a diabolical plan to get past the TCM arbitrary wave one cutoff time. Details to come...but for now, homemade pizza!
Uh oh! This is your blog, buddy. My sordid past has no place here.
Got a big birthday run planned for tomorrow?
Yeah, I'll probably manage two or three miles in my wheelchair. Woo woo. Happy birthday to me.
Speaking of happy birthdays...Happy Birthday, Bono! I wonder if he is reading my blog.
Aye! Yer blog is bollocks! Ye should be talkin' about me, the greatest rocker of all tyme!
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