For the past several months I’ve been down. Through injuries, work and everyday stresses…I’m spent emotionally. I haven’t had the same enthusiasm and passion for running as I normally do and the proof is right here on the blog. The longer in between posts, the worse it is. When things are normal, I have more drafts ready to go out then I have time to write.

This weekend, I’m hoping the tide will turn. I’ll be heading up north to Fargo, North Dakota to participate in the Fargo Marathon Weekend. I’m going back home to run on the streets I once called home and I hope it’s just what the doctor ordered…a hit of passion. There are family and friends running in every distance (5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon) and the social aspect of running should be at an all time high. Friends I haven’t seen in 15 years. Family I haven’t seen in 5.

This weekend will also mark the first time I will get to run with my father since I’ve started running. Growing up, he was a maniac before there was an official club. He’s enlisted the help of a trainer to help him work thru his injuries to run a 5K. It won’t get any better than that until the roles are reversed and my kids come back to run with me. I’ll also be running with my sister, her husband, a great friend and my 86 year old grandmother (OK, she’ll be walking but I be right there by her side). That covers Friday.

Saturday will be the half marathon where I hope to overcome all my injuries from the year to let my hair down and let it all hang out. Add into the mix 20 or so family members and you’ve got emotions to the nth degree. If this weekend doesn’t lift my spirits, I either dead or lost.

Here’s to a weekend full of emotion and a recharged battery!!!

RMFR

“I always go for a run the morning of the NFL draft. If I can’t go extra long, then I go extra hard. It’s the same the morning of a game. If I let up, then I feel something will go wrong. I don’t know why – it’s kind of silly – but I’ve always felt that way.”
– Bobby Beathard, General Manager, San Diego Chargers, 2:46 PR for the marathon

Ah yes…running superstitions. We all have them. Mine is right shoe first…ALWAYS.

“To be a good mayor or a good politician, you need to fell good about yourself. You have to believe in yourself and running certainly helps that. I feel good. I feel healthy. Because I feel good, I think I have energy to spread around, to take care of my responsibility as mayor.”
– Jim Scheibel, Mayor of St. Paul, 2:40 marathon PR

I think we all run because it makes us feel good. I know if I didn’t enjoy running or how running made me feel, I wouldn’t run.

Again, seeing that the Rock-n-Roll Las Vegas Marathon is my hometown race, I’d like to offer my expertise to those of you who are not very familiar with Las Vegas. My wife and I were discussing the best place for her and my kidz to see me during the marathon route and it got me thinking of the best places for spectators to watch the race. You can also see the official race website locations by clicking here. I’ll break it down by categories:

Don’t want to deal with traffic and cool temperatures.

• Stay at home and watch the race on KLAS TV Channel 8. Last year they did 2 hours live coverage and then did an hour recap later in the day (so participants could watch). I will know the times of coverage early next week and will update my Twitter and Facebook pages with that information. Not a fan or following us in social media yet? Click on the Twitter and Facebook links now.

1/2 Marathon Spectators

• Seeing that the nearly the whole race is being run on the strip provides numerous opportunities to view the race. Your best bet is to find a place on one of the many overhead walkways that span Las Vegas Boulevard. There are sidewalks as well but a view from above should be really cool.
• The most activity will be around Mile 3 between Tropicana and Harmon (near the MGM and Planet Hollywood hotels). There will be a band there and couples will be getting married near here around 7:15 am. This spot will also give you time to hoof it back to the finish line to cheer your favorite runner home.
• Spring Mountain and Las Vegas Boulevard. On the west side of the Strip is Treasure Island (T.I.) and the Fashion Show Mall. Here you can cheer on the 1/2 marathoners return and also bid farewell to the marathoners as they venture west for their epic journey.
• Start/Finish line. From my past experience, there’s nothing like the excitement at the beginning of a race. Fireworks, Air Force fly overs and atmosphere can be thrilling (no only for runners but the spectators as well). It’s also cool to see the sea of humanity in the corrals. I still am in awe every time that there are so many of us!!!

Full Marathon Spectators

• Hands down the best spot this year is on the corner of Rainbow Boulevard and Hacienda Avenue. Black Market Music will be rockin’ the corner and you will have 3 (yes 3) chances to see runners cross this intersection. The route goes west on Hacienda and turns north on Rainbow – does a U Turn back to Hacienda – west on Hacienda where we U Turn again back down to Rainbow and towards the Strip. On the southeast corner of this intersection is Spring Valley Hospital and there will be ample parking available. It also has easy access but you need to approach the intersection from the south. I recommend taking the I-215 and exiting north on Rainbow. After your favorite runner passes you the third time, you can take Russell Road east straight down to Mandalay Bay for the finish. Depending on how fast your runner is you’ll have about 30-40 minutes to make it down – should be plenty of time.
• Any of the other 1/2 marathon sites will work here as well but you’ll have more time to hang out before your runner returns to the finish.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. See you all in a week!!!

RMFR

It seems to me that there have been a lot of incidents/deaths during marathons. Most recently in the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon. We’re not talking about unhealthy individuals either. You have to figure that some amount of training was done for these races. Age isn’t the issue either. One runner was 26 and the others were 35 and 65.

I was trying to wrap my brain around this on one of my runs. I searched a bunch of things and come up with this explanation (or closest thing I could find): Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA).

In an article by the PR Newswire, “Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association Says Deaths of Three Detroit Marathon Runners Underscore Need for More Public Awareness,” it is said that nearly 300,000 U.S. deaths can be attributed to SCA each year. With the growing popularity of marathons and half marathons, you have to figure that we’re going to SCA come into play more and more each year.

As reported in Tara Parker-Pope’s blog “Are Marathons Safe?” on the New York Times website, death’s during marathons are rare (0.8 per 100,000) in comparison to triathlons (1.5 per 100,000), dying from diabetes (23 per 100,000) and dying in a car accident (1 per 6,700). But that doesn’t make it right.

As runners, we consider ourselves healthy just by the nature of what we are and what we do. This isn’t always the case though. I urge you to have yearly physicals and listen to your doctor’s advice. You can’t tell if your cholesterol is off the charts (trust me, I know). If you do get physicals, good for you. Now take it a step further and make sure you mention it to your running partner, running organization and friends. Let’s spread the word and keep runners running and not lying flat on their backs.

RMFR

I HATE IT!!! I hate the “I Did It” t-shirts at races. Not for one great ideological reason that will set a precedent for all to follow but for the following (but not limited to) trivial reasons:

• Most of the shirts and apparel you see this illustrious saying on are offered at the pre-race expo. You haven’t done anything yet. I appreciate the confidence but offer these items after the race for those crossing the finish line.
• Instead of putting the revered saying on clothing, why not on the medal? I have seen medals that have it. While still not ecstatic about it, I can accept the premise.
• Distance running speaks for itself. Approximately 1% of the country’s population will EVER run a marathon and that’s a pretty special company. Maybe it’s my personality but I’ve never been one to puff out my chest and toot my horn.
• For me this is a personal quest. Yes, I initially started running for my health and my family but I’m proud of what I do for me. I don’t need others to validate it (especially on a t-shirt).

This isn’t a hot button item. In fact, it’s like complaining about your sports team winning even though they didn’t play up to their potential (Minnesota Vikings). It’s more like a pebble in your shoe – it’s not a big deal but it drives you absolutely nuts!!!

I finished adding our recent race swag to our “Running Wall” in my home office. Now that I’ve completed 7 distance races (1 marathon and 6 – 1/2 marathons) and the various races my wife and kids have run, the wall is starting to fill up very quickly!!! With 2 more races in the next 4 months, I need to find some more room.

Everybody likes to commemorate the race accomplishments in different ways and this just happens to be ours. The framed piece in the middle celebrates my first marathon (and first race) – the 2006 Las Vegas Marathon.

What do you do with your race swag?

Nearly one year ago I decided to try my go at running a “marathon”. I admit, I was one of those guys that asks the infamous question, “how far is a marathon?” On May 17, 2008, I started, and yes, FINISHED my first full marathon (26.2 miles) for those of you who are still wondering what the answer is to my earlier question. It was a quiet finish for the most part, a modest time just over 3 hours and 30 some minutes. With a few congratulations, hugs and high fives, I knew immediately upon crossing the finish line that I was not satisfied. Don’t get me wrong, I was internally proud that I had FINISHED a marathon, but my hunger for the MARATHON was not satisfied. 

With in a day, I began experiencing symptoms…strange symptoms (felt a little down, slightly defeated, without purpose). Through some due dilligence within my running circles I determined I was experiencing the post race blues. I knew that the only cure was to run another race and SOON! So, literally the day after my first marathon, I signed up for the Portland Marathon. Not only did I sign up for that marathon, I signed up for a third marathon called California International (CIM). If that wasn’t enough, I decided to raise the bar a bit…chantings of “Boston, Boston, Boston” rang through my head. Yep, that’s right, after one lousy marathon finish I set the goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon, and gave myself two opportunities in 2008 (October and December) to accomplish the task.

I then made one mistake every runner should avoid (I actually made several, but one very important one). I TOLD PEOPLE. Never, never, never, tell people that you are trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon. The pressure in itself is hard enough to burden, but to bring added pressure to yourself by mentioning to others that your goal is to qualify for Boston is another. Do you know what that means, Troy? You are saying you are going to shave 27 minutes off of your first marathon time and run a SUB 3:10 marathon? That’s right, I was going to prove the nay sayers wrong (believe me, there are plenty of nay sayers out there, and they just love to see you fail; I actually love the nay sayers, without them, my fire may not burn as hot as it does).

Portland Marathon - October 5, 2008, arrives… I run, I finish, I set a PR (Personal Record) AND…I miss my BQT (Boston Qualifying Time) by approximately 98 seconds!  The nay sayers, got me.  They proved that I couldn’t do it. They were right, I was too old, too slow, and too new to running. 

 Yeah right. You think for a moment I believed any of that? I admit, after the race, I again experienced severe post race blues (among many other symptoms that require a separate post). There wasn’t time for the blues. CIM was just 8 weeks away. All those people that had known I was trying to qualify began calling, texting, and emailing me to see if I had accomplished the goal. The answer, a humble “no”. I would quickly respond to each inquiry with, “I have another marathon in a few weeks, and I will try and have a better race”. Their reply, “Oh, is that a Boston Qualifier?” Oh, no I did it again, I set myself up! I made it public for a second time that I was trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I am a competitor by default. The competition drive is mostly with myself. I can handle pressure, but I had created a real pressure cooker and it was my own fault. 

California International Marathon - December 5, 2008, I run, I finish, I set a PR, AND…I miss my BQT by approximately 33 seconds! The nay sayers, got me again. They proved that I couldn’t do it. They were right, I was too old, too slow, and too new to running.

WOW! “Again?” I asked myself. I was embarassed, disappointed, defeated and down right humbled. At this point, I knew I had to do two things: 

1. Sign up for another marathon and

2. Don’t tell anyone except for my wife (and a select few of my inner running circle).

Utah Valley Marathon - June 13, 2009 arrives. Just 10 days before my 35th birthday, I quietly set out on my mission for a 3rd time. Racing at 5,700 above sea level, on 3 hours of sleep, with severe thunderstorms in the forecast…

Will this run be different from the others?

Is Boston in my future? 

Here’s a clue…on mile 4, severe runner’s drag has already set in. My feet feel like they have magnets taped to the bottom and the earth is a huge U shaped magnet.  I think to myself, “This is going to be a long day”….

- RITN, Schritter

Great news for you Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon runners…we have a new route!!! When Competitor Group, Inc. bought the Las Vegas Marathon last year, I had a feeling good things were going to happen to the December 6th event. It was released this week that a new, more friendly route will be used for this years race.

In year’s past, the marathon course ran the first 6 miles down the strip and then set off into Never Never Land. Runner’s were sent out north into the “desert” out to Carey Avenue and Smoke Ranch Road before trekking across Torrey Pines and eventually back down Twain until you came back to civilization. The half marathon wasn’t too bad unless you call passing several strip joints and “not so nice” neighborhoods on Industrial Road until reveling in the awe of the back of the strip casinos.

This year, they are shutting down both the north and south bound lanes of Las Vegas Boulevard (aka “The Strip”). The half marathon will be run entirely on The Strip. How cool is that. The walkways over the street are great for friends and family to witness the mass of humanity – not once but twice. The marathon will also spend more time amidst the “Towering Money Makers”. After 10 1/2 miles, we’ll head west up Twain to Rainbow. Here’s where it gets interesting…for me anyway. I work near here and have run these streets during many a lunch hour. It will be a welcome site come miles 17-23 near Spanish Trail Country Club. I know these streets like the back of my hand. It’s back down Hacienda to the finish after a little loop that I’m not quite sure about.

Overall, I couldn’t be happier. The old route is why I only ran the marathon once. I couldn’t stand the marathon course. Having a little foresight, I signed up early and now I’m being rewarded for my leap of faith. See you all in December!!!