Double Marathon Weekend video

Here's my video from the Ellerbe Marathon and One City Marathon.

One City Marathon - Newport News, VA - March 1, 2020

Even as far as mile 6 of the One City Marathon in Newport News, Virginia, I had my doubts.  Could I actually complete two sub-four-hour in two states in two days?  I had never run a race with such sore legs before, so at that point, I wondered if the answer was no.  But I was already in the thick of it and there was no turning back. We had literally come too far.

With Gloria behind the wheel on Saturday, we stopped at an Italian restaurant in Suffolk, VA, for a pasta dinner and arrived at our hotel in Newport News, VA, around 7 p.m.  That gave me just enough time to get my clothes ready and get to sleep by 9 p.m.

I woke up at 4 a.m., did some stretches and slathered Biofreeze on my tired legs.  Sure, I had held back as much as I could at the Ellerbe Marathon the day before, but 26.2 miles of running followed by six hours in a car still takes its toll.  Sitting on the bus to take us to the start line of this point-to-point race for an hour after that did not exactly help much, either.

Needless to say, when the race finally started at 7 a.m. Sunday, on the unseasonably cold morning (28 degrees), I was on stiff legs.  If the prior day was about holding back, this race would be about pushing through.

I started the 12/31/99 midnight-to-sunrise Phish set in my headphones at the beginning of "Slave to the Traffic Light".  Even though I had finished that song the previous day, my confidence was shaky and I suspected I would need almost the entire four hours to finish this race.  Sure enough, my first mile, through the park was 8:57.  Good enough.  Twenty-five more of those and my goal is reached.

A quick out-and-back in mile two (8:14) on a state highway led to some local roads for the next few miles (8:32, 8:22, 8:30) before moving on to U.S. Highway 60 for a few miles.  I chalked up those relatively swift miles to the excitement of the beginning of the race and the fact there were a few hundred more people at this race than the day before.

Beautiful tree-lined street in mile 5

Thankfully, the entirety of this marathon was flat, with only a few exceptions that amounted to nothing more than some small inclines and declines (definitely nothing I would call "hills", especially after Ellerbe) so my pace stayed rather consistent with 8:29 and 8:38 for miles six and seven.

With more than a quarter of the race finished, my confidence increased greatly.  Off of the highway and onto some local roads, I managed to keep things status quo (8:38, 8:51, 8:54, 8:35) without worrying as much.  So when I got to one of those inclines in mile 12, I took it gingerly with a 9:00 pace.  Knowing that I could do every mile at that pace for the rest of the race and still finish well under four hours boosted my confidence even more, especially as I hit mile 13 at 8:33 and the halfway point at 1:53:38.  I could spend two hours and six minutes on the second half and still reach my sub-four-hour goal.  Mile after mile of flat course meant that there was a real possibility of not needing nearly that much time, since my splits would likely be more consistent than on Ellerbe's hilly course (where my second half was a full two hours after a 1:51:xx first half).

The sign at the swim club in mile nine said, "Marathoners - just keep swim running"

Sideline support from the local residents in mile nine

I was finally comfortable enough to tell myself that it was not a matter of whether I would do it, but rather how long it would take. I was sore, no doubt about it - it was my 40th mile of the weekend.  But somehow, the building excitement of not just reaching, but smashing that goal got me through the next mile (8:30). After the 15th mile (8:44) it dawned on me that if I kept up the sub-nine miles, I would actually tie the marathon from a day ago.  And then after mile 16 (8:36), the prospect of actually beating it became all too real, especially as I was propelled by some seriously awesome Phish jams like "Drowned -> After Midnight" and a particularly killer "Piper".

If restraint was the order of the day in Ellerbe, consistency was the name of the game in Newport News, and somehow, I kept nailing it through miles 17 (8:44), 18 (8:44), and 19 (8:46) - through Christopher Newport University and into the Mariners' Museum and Park.  "Roses Are Free" started in my ears while I was in the park, as a beautiful view of the James River appeared before me.  Knowing this legendary half-hour jam would take me well into mile 22 and that nine-minute miles from that point on would still net me a better result than the day before, I hung back a bit, with 9:02, 9:01, and 9:04 as I ran through some suburban neighborhoods with people on their driveways cheering for the runners.

Four miles left, with 38 minutes to run them to beat the marathon I had finished less than 24 hours prior.  I had it in the bag, with an 8:47, 8:57 and 8:58 as I made my way into downtown Newport News, joined now by the half-marathon runners and 8K runners.  The excitement of finishing strong, with runners around me and spectators on the sidelines (for a change), the closing sequence of "2001 > Wading in the Velvet Sea > Meatstick" to end the Phish show that had been playing my ears for two days and...holy moly...beating yesterday's time by two minutes...led me to make my last mile an 8:18.  Mile 26 was not only my fastest of the race, but the fastest since mile four of Ellerbe!

Fun signs from locals in mile 23 - "Go random stranger, go!",  "May the course be with you", "Smile, remember you paid to do this" and "Run like zombies are chasing you."

Passing by Newport News Shipbuilding in mile 25

My final time was 3:48:36.  I was elated.  Overjoyed.  Beside myself.  And sore.  All worth it.  Two marathons in two states in two days, and they were not even my two slowest marathons ever, either.

Post-race party in the park in downtown Newport News

At 45 years old, with no more desire to attempt a personal record, I managed to set and reach a new, different goal.  That is what keeps this sport exciting - there are always new ways to approach it.  The only question...what next?

Me, triumphant, with beer

Ellerbe Marathon - Ellerbe, NC - Feb. 29, 2020

"Why are you texting me from a marathon???" wrote my friend, Ali, after I sent her a message while I was in the 25th mile of the Ellerbe Marathon. A good question, since texting is not exactly a typical activity during a marathon.

But my experience on the beautiful, sunny and perfectly chilly race morning in Ellerbe, North Carolina, was not typical. Even as my leg muscles were literally twitching because they were so ready to blast off and send me soaring through my 23rd marathon, I had to keep reminding myself, "The training was not for this race, it was for tomorrow." 

For 12 weeks, I did track intervals, hill sprints, tempo runs and, most importantly, lots and lots of miles - maxing out at 64 in my peak week, which included 19 on Saturday and 23 on Sunday.

On this race day, though, the hardest work would be restraint - holding back and saving it for the next day, when I planned on running the second of two sub-four-hour marathons in two states in two days.

So, with only 99 other marathon runners and 75 half-marathon runners lined up on Page Street in the tiny town of Ellerbe - along with a handful of spectators, like my wife (bless her heart for driving us there from New Jersey the day before) - I started the race as slowly as possible.

By the time I finished the first mile (8:04), I was already in the country, with lots of open space and not much more.

Because both races would be relatively small affairs (this one, especially), I had a plan to listen to music. In honor of the 20th anniversary of the massive midnight-to-sunrise set that Phish played on 12/31/1999, I thought it would be perfect to break up the seven-and-a-half hour set over the two days. Adding some padding in the front with the clock ticking and the "Meat Stick" gag, and at the end with "Here Comes the Sun", it was possible to time it perfectly.

"Meatstick" kicked in after mile two (8:18) and "Auld Lang Syne" hit at mile three (7:51) as some uphill work began during the big "Down With Disease" jam.

The course was hilly, as expected, but certainly no more so than what I had been training on. In fact, I had to stop myself from giving in to my instinct of pushing up the hills. Taking small steps and keeping the energy expense to a minimum, I still ended up with a sub-8 in mile four (7:58). 

Just me, my shadow and two other runners in sight - 
and this was only the fourth mile.

I controlled myself with an (8:27) for mile five and the slow incline through mile six (8:45). The uphill after a turn onto a road that led to a turnaround just after mile seven (8:48) helped me back off a bit. Rolling hills through miles eight, nine, and ten (8:19, 8:32, 8:33) led to the flat miles (8:26, 8:26, 8:33) into town and the finish line, where I would turn and do it all again.

The turnaround point in mile eight was in front of that church that seems to be in the middle of nowhere. 

Downhill after the turnaround in mile eight

A long, quiet road ahead into mile nine

Mile 10 with no one in sight

More cows than runners in sight in mile 10



Again, restraint was the name of the game - go only fast enough to get in under four hours. That meant a 9:00 pace, but there I was at the halfway mark about eight minutes under two hours, an 8:30 pace. 

For the first time in a marathon, I was happy that the upcoming hills and inevitable fatigue would slow me down in the second half. That, plus taking pictures; and texting my wife, my mom, and my friends. Anything to force me to slow down!


So, around the loop I went again, with even fewer other runners in sight. Sometimes none.

My splits were thankfully getting slower - 8:31, 8:45 and 8:58 in miles 14, 15, and 16. The 8:37 for mile 17 would be the fastest until the end as the rolling hills continued with 8:45, 9:13, 9:27, 8:45, 9:35 (mile 22 was the big one, with the road pitched at an ankle-busting angle, to boot) and 9:11 while the 20-minute "Sand -> Quadrophonic Toppling" jam played in my ears (and was exactly what I needed).








Coming up on mile 22

Mile 25

Finally heading back into town for the last three miles (9:06, 8:55, 9:11), I felt good about having slowed my pace enough to make the back half of the race an even two hours. I crossed the finish line with a 3:50:27, just as "Slave to the Traffic Light" was peaking in my ears - the halfway point in the all-night set.



Texting my Phish fan friend, Ali, during Mile 25




Gloria commented that I had never walked so well immediately after a race, and she was correct. That must have meant that I saved enough for the next day. Mission accomplished, then.

I collected my medal, had a bite to eat, did some stretches, and went back to the Ellerbe Springs Inn to shower. An hour after finishing the race, I was in the car (with Gloria behind the wheel again) and on the way to Newport News, Virginia, for the marathon that was to begin in a mere 18 hours.