God Bless the USA--Memorial Day and the BolderBoulder 2011

This isn't your typical race recap, because today's race wasn't your typical race.  Whether you're a runner or not, read on, because I think you'll identify with some of the uniqueness of today, Memorial Day 2011.


My day began at 3:15am when my alarm sounded to rouse me for the running of the 2011 BolderBoulder, an annual 10k (6.2 miles) held on Memorial Day in Boulder, Colorado.  While I've lived in Colorado nearly 20 years, this was only to be the second time I've run this race, so I was looking forward to it for a number of reasons.  The BolderBoulder is also a tribute to everything that this days means to our country--I just had no idea since I wasn't able to stay for the 'festivities' the first time I ran it.


After meeting up with a friend and warming up, we each took our places in our respective waves.  My race went off without a hitch, and after the usual post-race stretching, hydration, snack-bag-getting, pictures, chatting-with-friends-who-aren't-staying, and gear bag retrieval, we headed into Folsom Field (the stadium at the University of Colorado) to meet other friends for the festivities.  Now, the BolderBoulder is the second largest 10k in the country, with some 50,000 participants expected this year (I don't know yet what the final count was).  We'd started in one of the first few waves, and given that the official celebration wasn't slated to begin until around 11:30 or so--after the elite men's and women's races, we had a lot of time.  Given that all of the runners finish by running into and around the stadium, naturally we watched the runners.  There is, of course, some silliness that ensues in the BolderBoulder, but not with one group who did this race as a unit.  Looking up on the jumbotron, then spotting them entering the stadium, our group--and the entire stadium (which was now getting quite full)--jumped to our feet shouting and clapping, and the clamor grew with each section they passed:  a group of about 12 military men--Army, I think--running two abreast, in their fatigues and combat boots, carrying their branch's flag and the American flag!  They stopped just before the finish, the flag-bearers standing at attention, and in formation and with the precision of a well-oiled machine, executed a set of push-ups before resuming formation to run in to the finish.  The crowd went wild. That was just the beginning.

This year, the BolderBoulder would celebrate its 1 millionth runner crossing the finish line. As we were waiting for the elites to finish their race, the announcer presented the unsuspecting 'winner' to the crowd, interviewed her, and let us all know the bevy of cool things she would be getting.  On this day, how fitting it was that we discovered that she was a veteran herself, and was running for a group of fellow soldiers with whom she'd served who'd not survived to return home.  On her back was a race bib filled with each of their photos.  


Following the International Team Challenge, the elite men's and women's races--which deserves another entry all its own--the official celebration began.  There was a flyover, then the announcer asked us to stand to honor several significant veterans who were being recognized on the podium.  In a stadium now full of at least 50,000 people, you could almost hear a pin drop.  Next was the presentation of colors and the 21-gun salute.  It's always impressive to see the precision and discipline of our military men and women during these time-honored traditions.  When it came time for the singing of our national anthem, it was an a Capella soloist who did the honors.  Standing there, hand over heart, something inside me just wouldn't allow me to sing.  Silent.  Be silent, and honor in that way.  Even if I'd tried to sing, I don't think it would've happened, because I was already sensing something welling up in the 'ol esophagus...


In the sky over the stadium, a plane slowly circled in the air, and as we watched, one...two...three...four...five parachutists jumped, pulled their red-white-and-blue chutes, and began slowly descending in a large spiral--one at a time--toward the center of the stadium in Folsom Field.  But wait...there's something else they've each unfurled that's now trailing behind them.  One by one they spiraled down, got into position, then made their final descent onto the center of the grassy area meant to be a target--each representing a different branch of our nation's military, and trailing that branch's flag behind them as they did.  Army...Navy...Air Force...Marines...Coast Guard. With each successive solo entrance, the crowd became more appreciative, and you could just feel the sense of pride growing.


It was what happened next that capped off the experience I wasn't expecting today...


We'd watched each parachutist land, gather his chute, and make way for the next one.  Without realizing it, though, there was one more who'd just jumped from the still-circling plane.  Suddenly, he released the American flag to trail behind him, and as he did, the music to Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" began. We all stood, initially cheering with enthusiastic pride. Then, every one of us in the crowd in Folsom Field got quiet, listening to the music as we watched this amazing experience unfold before us. Some sang softly, but in our group there was nothing but silence.  There was no singing for this runner--there was no way I could eke out a sound.
He took his time, circling, descending, circling, descending, until the moment for the final chorus was at hand.  I looked up behind me, and there, seemingly within arm's reach, he positioned himself in the center of the end of the stadium above the crowd...floating.  At the final chorus of the song, he released from his position and flew right over us, American flag in tow, and--to the wild excitement of us all, right down onto the center of the field, where the volunteers were waiting to scoop up the American flag so as not to let it be on the ground. 

The excitement, the honor of being an American, and the appreciation for those who had fought and were fighting for our freedom all came together in that moment--at least for me.  Everything I'd just experienced reminded me how thankful I am for the freedoms that we have--not just the ones we usually think of, the big ones, but also the little, daily ones that we sometimes forget.  Thank you, BolderBoulder, for such a great event in which to participate and be reminded of the significance of this day.  And thank you to the men and women of our military, both past and present, for your service.  Those of us who haven't served will never truly understand, but we are appreciative nonetheless.   God bless you and God bless the USA.

God Bless the USA--tribute video




Relentless Forward Motion, Ya'll...

2011 Boston Marathon Recap -- Countdown to Marathon Monday: T-1

Marathon Monday.  That's what they call race day for the Boston Marathon.  In contrast to other marathons that are usually held on Sundays (and in a few cases, Saturdays), the Boston Marathon is held on a Monday, and is always on Patriots' Day.  It's a holiday for the city of Boston, and the Red Sox have a game that day, too.  Marathon Monday is extremely well-supported by the citizens of Boston and the towns along the race course!

We've now reached T-1 day, Sunday, the day before race day.  Our three goals for the day are:

1)  Stay off our feet as much as possible,

2)  Tour the course, and

3)  Talk out our race strategy.

I won't go into detail about each one--just the highlights...

1)  Stay off our feet as much as possible.

     The last thing we want to be doing is spending lots of time on our feet the day before our marathon.  For the last few weeks of the taper, and now especially this close to the race, our objective has been to avoid doing things that would sabotage the training we've put in and hurt our race. 

2)  Tour the course.

     Thanks to a friend in my running group, I'd made reservations for us to take a tour of the course through Marathon Tours.  We were sure to get to the coach buses early in order to get a seat in the front--where we could actually see the course as it unfolded in front of us.  With half an hour to spare before the stated departure time of 10 am, I quickly went to the shirt exchange area in the expo so that I could exchange the technical shirt that came in our packet for a better fitting one.  As I came out to the bus area again, with 13 minutes to spare, Marguerite stepped off the bus and motioned for me to "come on!!"  After I ran to the bus and took my seat, she told me that the tour director had come on the bus at 9:45 wanting to leave, but she proceeded to keep that from happening.  It was an uncomfortable scene for her, and I'm extremely glad that she's a strong woman and friend who'd do that for me.  (Note to Marathon Tours:  If your stated departure time is 10am, then you shouldn't plan on leaving early without telling your paying guests prior to the day of the tour!)  Despite this incident, I highly recommend taking this course tour.

Our tour narrator proved to be very knowledgeable not only about the course, but also about the history of the Boston Marathon, as he'd run it twenty-something times.  His experience on the course dated back to the 1960's, and he had quite a few interesting stories to tell about now-famous runners, such as Alberto Salazar, with whom he'd actually run! 

We arrived in Hopkinton, a small town where the race begins, and they alloted about twenty minutes for us to walk around and take pictures.  If you're a runner, you may have seen some of these pictures before. 



This well-known sign is almost at the Starting Line for the marathon.

The folks in Hopkinton must be very patient...just about every runner out there, including us, had to get their picture at the Start Line.









 

The Start Line for the 115th Boston Marathon!

While on the course tour, we paid close attention and tried to remember as many aspects of the course as possible. The mile markers are actually painted onto the road, and every so often there is an 'elite' marker as well.  These people are committed to the longevity of this marathon.

We made it a point to note were there was a rolling hill and where it flattened out, as well as how steep we thought the initial descent really was.  One important thing we came away with: the course is more of a rolling course in those first miles than it's been described, and we'd need to plan for that accordingly.

Of course, the primary things that everyone wants to see on the Boston Marathon course are the hills.  How steep are they?  How long are they?  I'd read various descriptions of the course, but until I actually saw the hills, I didn't know how they compared to the hills that we'd run in training.  Let me just say that the hills that we run in training are enormous energy-suckers that drain even the best hill warrior.  The hills in Boston are notorious not just because they're hills, but because of where they are in the race--starting at mile 16.5 and lasting until you crest Heartbreak Hill at the end of mile 21.  They aren't to be taken lightly, but because of the hill training we do, we should be ready for them.  I believe it's the running strategy employed up to this point that also helps you navigate them. 

Here is a video of the infamous Heartbreak Hill:

   

 Interestingly, at the end of the course tour, the bus stopped short of the finish line on Boylston Street.  We'd heard that it was bad luck to walk across the finish line prior the the race, so we opted to skip the walk down Boylston and returned to our hotel instead.  It was time to rest and talk strategy.

3)  Talk out our race strategy.

     Up to this point, we'd talked casually about running the race together, but hadn't made a firm decision yet.  We also hadn't talked pacing or pacing strategy. 

     After a few minutes of discussion, we decided that we did want to run the race and cross that finish line together.  Unusual, yes, but we might not ever get a chance to run Boston together again. We agreed on one 'ground rule':  that if either of us had to stop, the other would automatically go on.  As for pacing, we reviewed the different times and settled on the most conservative time as well as the most conservative pacing strategy.  Our plan was to run conservatively through the top of Heartbreak Hill (mile 21), check in with each other, and slam it in from there to the finish on Boylston Street.  We both believed that we could run faster than the pace we'd chosen, but one of our goals was to run a smart race, strategically speaking.

Finally, we caught a cab to the pre-race pasta dinner at City Hall, where we were treated to some pretty decent pasta and a pary-like atmosphere.  It wasn't Little Italy, but we also didn't want to linger at a late dinner the night before we ran the Boston Marathon.  Get in, get out, and get back to our final preparations for the next morning's ride to the race start in Hopkinton.  

In line at the pre-race pasta dinner.



 Ready for Marathon Monday for the 2011 Boston Marathon!

Relentless Forward Motion, Ya'll!







2011 Boston Marathon Recap -- The Countdown to Race Day Begins

Well, it's been quite a whirlwind in my world for the last few weeks.  With a two-week taper for Boston nearing an end, my friend who recently moved to South Africa came back into town prior to us flying to Boston for the race.  I made it through the taper without going stir-crazy, and actually learned that I like a two-week taper much better than the typical three-week taper. (I probably don't have to tell you, then, that I don't ever want to have a four-week taper!) After staging everything I thought I might need--most of which was running gear--and then actually getting it into a suitcase (except for the critical running gear I'd need on race day, of course!), I headed to Beantown with my friend, both of us hardly believing that we were actually going to run the Boston Marathon!  I have to add that there were several other runners who were obviously going to run Boston on our flight out of DIA that morning.  It was interesting to share the camaraderie of knowing that we were all going to the same place for the same purpose--even if we didn't speak or exchange more than a "good luck" to each other. Southwest 2907, take us to Boston! Marguerite & I are ready to go! "Running is not, as it so often seems, only about what you did in your last race or about how many miles you ran last week.  It is, in a much more important way, about community, about appreciating all the miles run by other runners, too."  (Richard O'Brien) Once we reached Boston, checked into our hotel, and had a good dinner at a nearby restaurant, we tried to get a good night's sleep. The next morning, Saturday, we decided to do our final, "shake-out" run, an easy 3-miler, along the Charles River, which was just a few blocks from our hotel.  As we ran, talked, and just enjoyed the scenery and each other's company (after all, there's nothing quite like running with a close friend), we passed other pairs of runners, solo runners, and even a large group of runners, all out doing their final pre-race runs as well.  In those moments, I couldn't help but sense a kindred spirit between all of us running the pathway along the river, for despite the fact that we each had followed our own individual training plan, we shared enough in common to understand what it took just to get here...the long weekend runs, 18, 20, 22, 24 miles...the typically-solo-early-morning / evening / lunchtime runs squeezed into an already packed schedule...the freezing, pre-dawn sessions with your speedwork group where you're demanding difficult things of your body before non-running friends and co-workers have even thought about that first cup of coffee...the nutrition...the cross-training...the aches and pains of daily training...the frustrations of a training stretch not going so well, and the joys of training going better than planned...and the races.  Each of us had to run a qualifying time in an earlier marathon to even be considered for entry into the 2011 Boston Marathon.  I thought about my friend, who'd consistently kept up her distance and speedwork training and racing through an international move and all the frustrations that come with it, often logging her long runs in the pouring rain, usually solo, and driving an hour each way just to reach an area where she could run safely in a new country.  Yes, whether I knew you very well or not at all, I could appreciate what you've been through just to make it to the starting line of the Boston Marathon. Following our shake-out run, we got ready and walked over to the race expo at the Haynes Convention Center.  For my non-running friends out there, the race expo for your marathon is where you pick up your race packet, which has, among other things, your official bib and timing chip, as well as your official race shirt.  So, every runner is inherently required to go the the expo to (at the very least) pick up these critical items.  (In this case, the timing device was built into our bib, so we didn't have to worry about attaching a chip or d-loop to our shoes.  I like that new trend in races, because it's one less thing you have to fiddle with.)  The tricky thing about marathon expos is that there are tons of other things to see, do, and try there, as well as purchase, but those who are racing need to limit the amount of time on their feet before race day.  As a result, many runners often try to attend the expo two days before the race, if possible.  If you're not running, however, you can also attend the race expo, since it's usually open to the public as well as to the runner. Mindful of wanting to save our energy, we walked the expo with a time in mind to call it quits for the day.  Of course, we had to do a bit of shopping, and particularly had to be sure to go to the official Adidas area where we could get any and all things that were officially licensed 2011 Boston Marathon apparel...especially The Jacket!  I think it's safe to say that whether a runner buys anything else or not, he or she will buy The Jacket. By that, I mean The Official 2011 Boston Marathon Jacket.  This year's model is a sleek black with green stripes on the shoulders and down the arms, and had the official Boston Marathon logo on the front and back.  It's been quite controversial, as the logo wasn't embroidered this year, as is typical, but rather screen-printed, and the BAA and Adidas have probably heard a lot of "input", shall we say, about it.  Nonetheless, both Marguerite and I wanted to get The Jacket.  Once secured (yes, along with other purchases--what else did you expect?), we neatly folded them and put them into our bags.  It's bad luck to wear The Jacket before you finish The Race. One tip, here, for anyone who might be reading this who has yet to run your first marathon:  enjoy the expo, but be aware of and careful about what food/drink samples you might try there.  This is because 1) there are usually lots of them and 2) the last thing you want to do in the day or two before your race is to eat or drink lots of things your system isn't used to.  As our coach put it, "now's not the time to try anything new"! We did take the time at the KT Tape booth to both get any pieces-parts that had been bothering us during training taped, and I have to give a shout out to Dr. Billy Kuykendall of the Airrosti Rehab Centers in Dallas (www.airrosti.com) for the expert tape job on my left calf.  He not only did a great job, but also took the time to explain how to duplicate it if I needed to do so.  And so, taped up, packets in hand, and a few bucks poorer, we finished at the expo, ate a fantastic seafood dinner at the Atlantic Fish Company, and walked the few blocks back to our hotel in Back Bay.  It was time to call it a night. Another tip: Tonight's sleep--two nights prior to race day--would be the most important in the days immediately prior to the race.  Why?  Because you're usually so keyed up the night before your marathon that you don't rest well anyway!

Relentless Forward Motion, ya'll!