Myrtle Beach Marathon

It was a good day.

Saturday morning, March 5, at 6 a.m.:

It had been 16 months since my last marathon and I stood at the starting line for the Myrtle Beach Marathon knowing that this would be my last attempt at a personal record (3:04:41).  After six months of being sidelined from an injury, I had a non-stop autumn of short race PRs followed by the most intense marathon training of my life (Hal Higdon's Advanced 2 program).  I had to face it - I am not getting any younger so it was now or never.

Yet, at the same time, I was fully prepared to fall short and, if necessary, readjust my goals as I went along.  One perk to getting old is getting wise.  No more early rash moves to sabotage my race. I would use lessons from my previous races to make this one as good as possible.

Mom and I arrive at Myrtle Beach airport.

My mom (who came for support, not to race) and I flew into town on Thursday and spent Friday walking the area surrounding our hotel.  Packet pickup was a breeze at the sports center.  We had an early pre-race dinner at a local Italian joint (Ramando's) and the pasta primavera was perfect.

The view from our hotel balcony at Breakers Resort. Don't let the photo fool you, it was chilly and windy!

One of multiple stops at the local Piggly Wiggly, my favorite name for a grocery store.  Everything was within walking distance of the hotel.  No rental car needed!

The course map, from MBMarathon.com

6:30 a.m.

The race started right on time.  It was a chilly but manageable 39 degrees as the sun began to rise.  Giant flags indicating goal-times helped everyone get to the right spot at the starting line on Grissom Parkway at 21st Avenue.  I planted myself with the 3:05:xx crowd.  They even had pacers for every 10 minute range beyond that, and at go-time, I stuck with the 3:05:xx guy for the first few miles.

The pacer said that the first few mile markers might be a bit off.  We turned left onto Joe White Avenue and right onto Kings Highway and, with everyone's GPS watches beeping about a tenth of a mile after the markers, it seemed to be true.  Still, the guy was running awfully fast for a 3:05:xx pace as I clocked a 7:02, 6:57 and 6:55 in the first three miles while staying near him.

So I hung back a little bit and, as we passed the airport and turned right on Farrow Parkway to head into the Market Commons downtown, I nailed my PR pace nicely with a 7:01 and 7:02 for Miles Four and Five.

Turning right onto Howard Avenue and left onto Reed Avenue, the Market Commons section was good time.  With cheering crowds, funny signs, a band playing "American Girl", and the fun of first watching the leaders come toward me as I ran north and then watching all the people behind me come north as I ran south, everything was going smoothly on this easy, flat course.  The sun broke through the clouds.  I took off one glove (the other was still holding my starlight mints inside).  Miles Six and Seven - 7:02 and 7:08.  Perfect.  Steady as she goes.

Unfortunately, the left turn put us directly into the headwind as we began the nine-mile northbound trek along Ocean Boulevard.  I fought with it for a while, trying to keep up the pace and, though I hung strong, I realized I was expending too much effort.  There was another burst of sideline support in these miles and that helped me hit a 7:02, 7:08, 7:06 and 7:02 for Miles Eight through 11.

Thinking about the Lower Potomac River Marathon (almost exactly two years ago) in Maryland, I remembered the importance of racing smart.  If the wind was going to slow me down, so be it.  Maybe I would be able to make it up.  Maybe not.  But I know that pushing too hard to maintain this early would mean a big wall 10 miles later.  So I backed off a bit with a 7:14, 7:10, 7:10 and 7:09 for Miles 12 through 15.

Even in those miles, I was reading my body's signals and I could tell I was still giving too much.  I am pretty sure that there was a gentle but noticeable incline which did not help matters.

By now I was almost a minute behind my PR.  Trying to make up the time seemed like a bad move, but perhaps I could push a little bit more in the last few miles of Ocean Boulevard, hoping that after the left turn, there would eventually be both a tailwind and a downhill.

However, I could not muster the energy.  Not yet.  So I did the opposite, backing off even more and letting my legs dictate the pace.  Even with a 7:17 and 7:23 in Miles 16 and 17, there was still plenty of hope for a second or third best (3:04:43 to 3:06:28).

Sure enough, after the U-turn on Grand Dunes Boulevard (Mile 18  - 7:26) and a return to Kings Highway, it was downhill with the wind at our backs and the sun in the sky.  I knew that it would not get any better than the 7:13 in Mile 19 but even as I slowed down again, I felt good despite the fatigue in my legs.  I thought again about Maryland and how my legs got tired but I never hit the wall.  I thought about the Fort Myers Beach Marathon, too, though, and how I hit it at Mile 25.  I promised myself I would not let that happen here, so I rode the good vibes and willed myself to keep steady into a 7:21 in Mile 20.

There is a difficult mental struggle that happens when you know you are heading in the direction of the finish, but then forced to turn off and run in a different direction, so the right turn on 66th Avenue was mentally crushing, but I kept it together in Mile 21 with a 7:22 thanks to some more great crowd support. A short stint along a trail in Mile 22 before popping back out onto Grissom Parkway kept things visually interesting but the 7:29 felt too forced.  At that moment I was extremely glad that I had extended my training runs to 22 miles because it felt familiar despite the effort.

I thought about the Missoula Marathon - how I reached into a very primal part of myself, unleashing this monster within that not only defied but embraced the pain of these miles.  I considered trying to summon that beast, but there were another series of turns - a left onto Grand Daddy Boulevard with a U-turn back to Grissom, a right onto 48th, left onto Oleander, left onto 44th, right onto Mayfair, left onto London - and they rapidly sapped my will and energy.  I was in the doldrums for those two miles and I knew it.  No point fighting it.  7:41 and 7:49 for Miles 23 and 24.

Two hours before, I was heading for a PR, but fourth best (3:06:29 to 3:10:44) was now my goal, and I had no doubt it was completely attainable.  I started doing those mathematical negotiations that I tend to do (if I slow down this many seconds per mile, I will get a fourth best and still get a Boston qualifier).  I was hurting, but I was strong.  There would be no wall.  Period.

Happy to be back on Grissom, it was a tough task to get through Mile 25 with a 7:43, but with the Broadway at the Beach shopping complex in view, I could see that it was the home stretch.  It was not enough to know it.  I needed to see it.

I gathered my last bit of strength, dug deep for that last bit of gas in the tank, lengthened my stride despite the pain in my quadriceps and let out several repeated unattractive grunts as I hit a 7:22 for Mile 26.

I rallied to the entrance of Pelican Field with determination and pride, but none of the overwhelming emotion of previous races when I approached the finish line completely spent and trying to hold back tears of joy (Philadelphia and Missoula) or pain (Clarence DeMar Marathon in Keene, N.H.) or sadness (New Jersey, missing my BQ by mere seconds).

This time all I could see was the clock as I heard a voice on my left say, "Get under that 3:10!" while I watched the seconds of 3:09 tick away.

I finished with a 3:09:44, feeling nothing but...good.

I missed my PR, but I felt good.

My legs were burning, but I felt good.

All the good parts of all the good marathons I had run gave me all the tools I needed to run my fourth best ever.  It was also my best (and first Boston qualifier) since Central Park in February 2013.

Maybe Mom was the good luck charm because she was at that one, too.  Maybe I did not need luck at all.  Maybe I just needed it to be good.

And that is exactly what it was.

Post-race photo by Mom.

This was really cool - one of the tents in the finish area had a computer into which you key your bib number and it prints out this little slip with your unofficial results!  

For what it's worth, here are my official results: 

50th of 1,421 overall

46th of 824 males

6th of 124 males age 40-44

10K time: 42:47

Half-marathon time:1:32:14

Some well-deserved relaxation with a cup of coffee on the balcony....

...and a leisurely walk on the beach with Mom, my good luck charm.

Here's a video of the race course from MyrtleBeachOnline.com: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/sports/marathon/article59624396.html

Step into the freezer

Because I selected a March race for my first post-injury marathon, I have had to train through the winter. December was not bad. Temperatures were routinely in the 40s for my training runs (not to mention my week in Florida where I ran in 70+ sunshine).

Even as January began and the training ramped up (using Hal Higdon's most difficult program - Adavnced 2 - because I am a glutton for punishment), not a lot of weather related obstacles were thrown my way. I ran a simulated half-marathon time trial on Jan. 2. It was chilly but sunny and, despite the big hills on my course, I ran a time with which I would have been happy were it a real race.

Then came the blizzard on Jan. 16. Thankfully, I had already run my first 20-miler the previous week, so I only had to do 13. And, yes, I did do all 13, in the thick of the storm; wind and snow blowing in my face as I trudged through snow-covered streets. When asked why I did not postpone the run, my answer was the usual - I stick to the schedule and train in everything so I can race in anything, whether a long run in two feet of snow, speed work on snowy paths and tracks, or hill sprints on icy streets.

But even those were no match for that 15-degree Saturday, with arctic winds whipping at 25 to 35 mph, in which I ran my first ever 22-mile training run.

I might have been slightly under-dressed with my compression shirt topped with a technical polyester shirt and my tights. For the first few miles, even as my chest, arms and legs warmed up, my fingers were freezing my lightweight but usually effective gloves until about the sixth mile. Even my toes were frigid until the third mile.

As I ran south from Little Falls through Cedar Grove, into Verona and West Orange via Mount Prospect Avenue (and climbing some sizeable hills), I never felt comfortable, but I always felt able. At the halfway point, along South Mountain Reservation, I felt strong and accomplished, even as the wind picked up and blew some cold gusts at me.

Returning along Pleasant Valley Way, I could feel myself getting into those mid-teen mileage doldrums, yet even then, I never once dipped below a 7:55 pace as I had on my previous long runs. Even better, in the 17th mile, as I approached a group of bundled up young ladies, they started cheering for me. Nothing beats encouragement from the fairer gender.

I finished the 22 in 2:49:48. That's a 7:40 pace. If that was a marathon, and I could hold on for another four miles, I would have come in under 3:25:00. On the coldest, windiest day of the year! And because it was so cold, I did not even break a sweat.

That is why I train in everything. If I could muster that result in those conditions, imagine what I can do on race day in South Carolina next week. 

Fall 1985 and 1995

In the autumn of 1985, not even the heartiest of Phish phans (of which there were, what, a few dozen?) could have imagined where the band would be a decade hence.

The few tapes that circulate from that era display a band generally goofing off with musical oddities like "Anarchy" and its twin "Revolution" (10/17), "Makisupa Policeman" (11/14), and "Dave's Energy Guide".  Still, "Mike's Song" and "Run Like an Antelope" are fun to hear in their early stages and the first known performance of "Harry Hood" (10/30) is impressive if only for the fact that the whole structure of the song is pretty much exactly as we know it today. This was a five-piece Phish during its short time with both Jeff Holdsworth, who would quit the following spring, and new-member Page McConnell.  Also of note is a full acoustic rendition of Bob Dylan's "Hurricane" to commemorate the release from prison of Rubin Carter, the song's subject, which happened that week.  On a personal level, that song is interesting to hear because I am pretty sure it is the only time Trey has ever name-checked the New Jersey city of Paterson.

A decade later, the fall of 1995 showed a band at the full height of its powers.  From Sept. 27 to Dec. 17, Phish played a whopping 54 shows which, most notably, included the enormous undertaking of playing the entirety of the Who's Quadrophenia in the middle of the Halloween show.  But to listen to the entirety of the tour, one finds that the epic 10/31 show did not exist in a vacuum.  Rather, the buildup is intense, with every show knocking it out of the park.  You want an example?  Pick a show, any show.  Not only is there not a bad show in the tour, especially before Halloween, there is not even a show that is less than fantastic.

It was as if the band was on a mission to convert all doubters (this was, after all, the first tour since the death of Jerry Garcia), so every show was not just Phish - it was Super Phish, and each outing had to be an example of everything the band did, and did well, up to that point.  You want huge jams?  You got them in all the heavy hitters like "You Enjoy Myself", "David Bowie", "Tweezer" and "Antelope", and you were bound to get at least one per show.

The Super Phish checklist did not end there.  Bluegrass?  Check.  A cappella barbershop?  Check.  Classic rock covers?  Check.  Amusing covers sung by Jon Fishman?  Check (usually "Suspicious Minds", but other oddball choices like Aerosmith's "Cryin'" came up).  New songs, old songs, fast songs, slow songs.  They are all represented.  Go to phishows.com or phishtracks.com and pick a show.  Again, it would be futile to select specific performances because they are all that good.  Seriously.

The only thing left to do is to point out some of the interesting ways the songs were evolving, especially "Free", which reached a creative high-point in a 35-minute version on Nov. 22, 1995.  Though still not quite the arrangement we know today, once the jam lifted off it was impossible to return.  The fact that it segued seamlessly into "Llama" gives you an idea how far off the reservation it traveled in that half-hour.

The other noticeable song evolution was what became known as "Taste That Surrounds".  It started as "Taste" in the summer (sort of as we know it today, but without the middle section), but changed lyrically and melodically to "Fog That Surrounds" in early autumn, with Fish singing verses that included bits which became the now-standard middle section, only to give way to the return of the "Taste" melody and lyrics that, in part, included Fish singing his entire verses at the same time (hence, "Taste That Surrounds").  Sometimes Phish comes out with a fully realized song (like "Hood" in 1985) and sometimes the boys bring it out there and work it out in front of the audience (like "Simple" in 1994).

But there is no denying that the constant playing and practicing (even if it was for the Quadrophenia set) was paying off.  By the end of the fall tour, Phish had become the seasoned band that was about to deliver the killer New Year's Eve show, what many of us feel is one of the best ever.

Marathon XIV

It is set.  

The flight and hotel are booked, and the race registration has been completed.  

My 14th marathon - and my first since November 2014 - will be...

The Myrtle Beach Marathon on March 5!

Blizzard running in New Jersey

Yes, we had a huge snowstorm on Saturday.

Yes, we accumulated around two feet of snow in my neck of the woods in New Jersey.

Yes, there were wind gusts upwards of 20 miles per hour.

And yes, indeed, I ran 13 miles.

I had no choice but to take it slowly (8:47 pace) on the sometimes slippery, sometimes mushy footing - pushing up big hills that were actually more frightening on the way down.

I have always said you have to train in everything, so you can race in anything.  And you know what?  It was actually kind of fun.

For what am I training, you ask?

Next post...

Phish at Madison Square Garden, New York, Jan. 2, 2016

At an arena show, where one sits has a lot to do with how good of a time one has. It was as much of a negative on Jan. 1 as it was a positive on the two prior days. But Jan. 2 was different altogether and, for my buddy Marshall, a total game changer.

Marshall managed to snag tickets in section 308 of Madison Square Garden - a "lounge" section. The lounges are semi-closed-off areas with about 30 seats, a little nook on which to keep ones drinks (with accompanying bar stools) additional comfortable chairs, a table, a coat rack...and lots and lots of dancing room.

Too good to be true, right?

Wrong. It was awesome. Not only was it comfortable, but the sound was fantastic.  Marshall said he would never sit anywhere else at MSG.

The only problem was that it was almost too comfortable. It was so convenient to pop over to the very nearby concession stand for drinks or hit the clean, uncrowded bathroom, or simply socialize with the other folks in our little area, that it was all too easy to neglect my 120th Phish show.

That's not to say I did, at least not the whole time, because when "Your Pet Cat" opens the show (only the fourth time played since its debut on Halloween 2014) it is probably going to be a special night. Even though "AC/DC Bag", "It's Ice", and "Horn" were mostly standard, it was a treat to hear "NICU" and "Train Song", and executed nicely for that matter.  Long pause aside, "Divided Sky" was a pleasurable experience and "Axilla > Maze" and "Julius" were fist-pumping rockers.

Set II began with the "Tweezer" for which we had all been hoping since the four-day run began.  The excellent jam led into the funky favorite "Sand", during which I was reminded of how my friend John, just the night before, told me how much he loved the funk.  I have no doubt that John was happy with this one, though I am sure he felt (as I did) that it could have gone on a bit longer instead of segueing into "Limb by Limb".  This was weird placement and, admittedly, I found myself more interested in chatting with a pretty young lady named Chantal and her friends.  But "Suzy Greenberg" put my focus back on the show and I took great delight in pointing out the last line of the first verse to a gentleman in our section (for whom it was his first show) that just happened to be a neurologist.

In addition to the "Tweezer", the general consensus was that we needed a "Harry Hood" and "You Enjoy Myself", both of which climaxed gloriously after some solid jamming.

I was calling a "Mexican Cousin" encore, as a nod to the forthcoming shows in Mexico, and I would bet that everyone else had their own ideas of what Phish would play, but I would also bet that no one called "The Lizards" which has been played as an encore only 10 times out of its 306 performances (thanks, phish.net for those stats!).  I can not say I like it in that slot or that I did not return to my conversations with Chantal and crew, but hey, a Phish show is a lot of things and a social engagement is definitely one of them.

Of course, the "Tweezer Reprise" had me jumping in my usual pogo fashion one last time for the huge, rocking ending.  After four nights at Madison Square Garden, it is best to go out on a high note, and it does not get higher than that.

The next day, two people asked me, "Are you all Phished out now?"

My reply - "Are you kidding?  I can't wait until summer."


Full set list:
Set I: Your Pet Cat, AC/DC Bag > NICU, It's Ice > Horn > Divided Sky, Axilla I > Maze, Train Song > Julius
Set II: Tweezer > Sand > Limb by Limb > Suzy Greenberg > Harry Hood > You Enjoy Myself
Encore: The Lizards, Tweezer Reprise

Phish at Madison Square Garden, New York, Jan. 1, 2016

When the first show of the year is on the first day of the year, I consider myself a lucky guy, and when it turns out to be a quality show instead of a comedown from New Year's Eve, everybody wins.

Unfortunately, my seats way up in section 418 were pretty terrible.  On the plus side, we had a good view from behind the stage, plenty of room to boogie, and some easy breathing space.  On the minus side, the sound was absolutely awful. If someone tries to sell you that bullshit line about how every seat at MSG has good sound, tell him to sit in 418.

Nonetheless, the "Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan" opener got this New Year's Day show off to a raging start, and although I heard some groans about "Heavy Things" following, it was a great tune with good placement.  The set was stylistically herky-jerky, but Phish excels at that, making the most out of the huge climaxes of "Stash", the Pink Floyd-esque "Wingsuit" (though I have heard much better versions), and a soaring "Run Like an Antelope" set closer, while also chilling things out with "Ocelot" and "Lawn Boy".  The funky groove of "Undermind" gets me all charged up every time (it took me six years to finally hear it live, so it is still a novelty for me) and "Rift" is still "Rift" (that is a good thing). As Mike Gordon songs go, I am all for the new "How Many People Are You", and I hope it eclipses "Yarmouth Road" as a go-to Gordo tune (though the return of "Sugar Shack" would be even more welcome, provided Trey Anastasio can actually play the lick). The already playful set was made that much more-so with teases of "Stash", "Stealing Time" and "How Many People" in both "Undermind" and "Antelope".

A "Down With Disease" set opener is always a wonderful thing, especially on a New Year's run and clocking in at more than 15 minutes. Jams were definitely in order for the second set and the delivery kept coming with a big "Fuego", a bigger set-closing "Slave to the Traffic Light" and an huge "Light" (17 minutes), the latter being the standout of the night. The middle of the set dialed it down, but not too much - "Dirt" is still lovely balladry and the mid-tempo "Halfway to the Moon" had some fine lead vocals by Page McConnell and solid backing vocals by Trey and Mike. I am a little burned out on "Theme From the Bottom", thanks to listening to the entire Fall 1995 tour, but it was solid.

So what was up with the "Farmhouse" encore?  If I had to venture a guess, I would say the band saw that it was 11:25 and they needed to be done by 11:30.  It was a strong enough performance, but a disappointing end to a show that deserved a better finale.


Setlist:
Set I: Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, Heavy Things, How Many People Are You, Stash, Undermind > Rift, Wingsuit, Ocelot, Lawn Boy, Run Like an Antelope
Set II: Down With Disease -> Dirt, Halfway to the Moon > Theme From the Bottom, Light -> Fuego > Slave to the Traffic Light
Encore: Farmhouse