It was 1999

and I did not run.

I had lived in Arizona for 4 years.

I was in my third year of being a Realtor.

My kids were 6 and 9 years old. Little ones at the elementary school.

Amy and I celebrated our 13th anniversary.

I was 38 years old.

I drove a Mercury Sable.

Amy still worked for May Department Stores in the Credit Department.

It was two years before we took our kids to Disney World. See picture

It was two years before the world changed.

Ten Years Later

I'm older, my kids are taller.

I run 15-25 miles per week.

Amy is a Realtor and I have been for 14 years.

We've lived in Az for 14 years.

I've run 3 Marathons, 11 half marathons and over 50 races.

Amy's made a half dozen quilts or more.

I drive a 2004 Honda Pilot.

Tyler's a Freshman at the U of Arizona.

Emily is soon to become a senior in high school.

Both kids drive!

I've been to California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Florida, Utah and just over the border into Mexico. (during this decade)

And today starts a new decade. It should be fun!

My Running Miles

Just short of 800 miles this year. Two injuries slowed me down. The first was an ankle issue that limited my miles in the summer and the second was a left calf issue that I'm currently dealing with.

I'm hoping to do over 1000 miles in 2010 and race many more 5k, 10k, half and full marathons. The first marathon is supposed to be the PF Chang's Rock N Roll here in Arizona on January 17th. I'm thinking with this calf issue I am going to either cut back to the half or DNS it all together.

The Butterfly Effect: Runnersworld.com

John Bingham, The Penquin, has written his last column for Runner's World Magazine. Waddle On, John. You have helped many people learn to love running and you can count me as one of them.

Here's his last column:

The Butterfly Effect: Runnersworld.com

I hurt all over

Ever since the Tucson Marathon I've hurt all over. I went to my doctor and explained. She was confused, so I showed her by touching my arm and saying 'Oww, that hurts." I then touched my shin and said, 'Oww, that hurts.' I then touched my forehead and said, 'Oww, that hurts.' After looking at my finger, she put a bandaid on it and said my finger was sprained.

Seriously, my back and left calf have kept me out of my Nikes. The back seems to be getting better, but the leg is hurting more and more. I haven't run since Monday, the first day of winter. Only 9 miles run since the marathon. Maybe calling it quits at the 20 mile water stop was the right call. Therefore, I ran on and finished the bloody thing.

Sorry about saying 'bloody thing'. I'm reading a book I got for Christmas written by an English stand up comedian, Tony Hanks. Not the skateboard dude. He likes to say English things like que and quay and bloody thing. The book is "Round Ireland with a Fridge."

It's a true story about a guy that has a bet that he can't hitch hike around Ireland with a fridge. Before you call him daffy (English term) keep in mind he used a small compact fridge and a hand dolly. Then realize that he sold 500,000 copies to the Queen's subjects and that they and other who bought the book are the 'daffy' ones.

I'm not daffy, because it was a gift*. I'd blog more, but I got to get back to the book.

*My son heard me talk about this crazy book I saw in Barnes and Nobles. The library didn't have a copy, so I didn't think I'd ever read it. He went out and bought it for Christmas. What a good kid.

Arizona Vs. Michigan - The 1000 Mile Challenge

It's Arizona Vs. Michigan

Five runners per state.

1000 Miles per runner (or more) in 2010.

We need a team captain for each state and a team name. I'll volunteer to be the AZ captain. I now need teammates. Anyone interested, just leave a comment. Michigan needs a captain. I'm thinking Jen or Ken. As soon as we get captains, we can start making some rules.

If you leave a comment and want to suggest rules or a team name, do so. If you live in another state and can round up 5 teammates and want to play, let me know.

2009 Tucson Marathon and an almost DNF.

I made it to the aid/water station just past mile 20 and asked the lady in charge to call a shuttle to pick me up. I was done. One of the bike patrol offered to make the call about a mile back and I said, "no, I only have a bit more than six miles to go." But, then I thought six miles of walking. What will that be for? It won't help me with my PF Chang's Marathon in January. It won't make me a stronger runner. All it will do is get me a medal and my third marathon completion. At the time it made perfect sense to throw in the towel.



The lady in charge of the water station offered me a chair, while she called. As I sat in it, Vince happened to run by. "No way buddy. You're not done. Come on, run with me." I didn't know Vince at this point. He was just a helpful fellow competitor. I told Vince I was done and he went on. I sat. I became a non runner. I hit the stop button on my garmin. The shuttle was a green jeep cherokee and the driver took 5-10 minutes to get to me. So, I sat and watched as runners stopped, got a drink and hurried on their way. I never volunteered at a water stop, so this was all knew to me. A runner would come by, the volunteer would give them a cup and say how great they looked. I was waiting for her to point to me and say, "you're doing way better than that guy." She didn't.



In the meantime, I massaged by calves.



My day started at 4 am. Actually 3:44. That's when I awoke at the Best Western Innsuites Hotel. I wanted that extra 16 minutes of sleep, so I closed my eyes. Figuring I got the extra rest, I looked at my clock again. It was 3:45. For the next 15 minutes I kept looking at the clock figuring time was up only to see a minute had gone by. Finally, I got up and got ready for the 2009 Tucson Marathon.



It was going to be a good day. The first 8-9 miles are ups and downs with a net elevation drop of about 400 feet. Starting at 4800 feet in Oracle, AZ. The plan was to run the downs and walk the bigger ups, but to conserve energy for state route 77. SR77 is where you go from 4400 elevation to around 27oo over the final 17 miles (little did I realize it would also be in the face of a pretty strong wind). The plan worked for the first 10 miles. All my splits were under the 12 minute per mile I planned. All except for mile 8 that was over 15 minutes and was the biggest up hill on the course.



As I sat at aid station 20, I watched runners go in and out and I knew they'd finish. My time to that point wasn't horrible. I was behind where I wanted to be, but it was the calves and feet that were the reason for me stopping. I'm not good with pain. I tried to pretend I liked pain, but that didn't work.



Miles 12 thru 20 were my undoing. I wanted to do these downhill miles in under 11 minutes. My plan was to get to the finish under 5 hours. The hardest part of the course was behind me and I expected to do negative splits. Around mile 12 I could feel the pain from the Oracle hills in the beginning of the race. The walk breaks became longer. I wasn't sure if I was developing blisters on the pads of my feet. I did realize that I should have trimmed my toe nails the night before. I could feel that one or two of them were slicing into the neighboring toe. Turned out my feet came out ok. No blisters and only one toe got bloodied. My splits in these middle miles were in the 14 to 19 range. Any split over 15 is a mile in which I could only walk. Today, it's hard to imagine I couldn't run. But, from mile 16 until the water stop after 20 I walked. I watched my garmin and I thought how could I ever be able to go another 10 miles? I saw the Catalina Moutains way to my left and I knew the road would curve back to them.



I became a non competitor at the water stop. Vince couldn't get me up. It's weird watching a water stop activity as a non competitor. So, I continued to massage my calves and then I stood up. I walked to the street and said, "I'm not done. Thank the shuttle driver. I'm going to head on down the road." Yeah, I thought about what I was going to write in my blog. I thought about what my fellow bloggers would think. I guess you're my enablers. No, there was no Rocky music with this decision. I just decided my legs felt better after the rest and I could run/walk to the next water station and then see how I felt.



I had a new plan. Survival to the finish line. I was going to count my running steps. 20, 30 or 40 right steps and then I could walk. I did this a few times and passed 3 runners that I watched pass me at the water stop. I did it a few more times and then saw the green jeep. She had her window rolled down and asked how I was doing. I tried not to look at the plush leather seats or feel the heat escaping from the car window. I told her I was fine and that I was going to soldier on. Little did I know that Vince, my 'enabler' was a soldier.



After a few more running segments I passed a Team Chances runner from Ahwatukee. Practically a neighbor. She was laboring with her two sons to get to the finish. I was in the middle of one of my running segments, so I kept on moving. Up ahead I saw a guy in a white shirt. Could it be Vince? After a while, I caught up to him. He was walking with a hiking stick. Never seen that before in a race. I tapped him on the shoulder, which scared him to no end. He was glad to see me and congratulated me on returning to the race. We talked for a while. He's in the army at Fort Huachuca (wa-chu-ka). This is where I learned his name and that he almost quit on a 100 mile race. At mile 93, someone got him up and running. He was just paying it forward. I thanked him for his service and we walked for a while. Then, I told him I needed to get running. I didn't think I'd see him again. But, around mile 25 he passed me. Said I inspired him to finish strong and he finished ahead of me.



Then, the Ahwatukee lady caught up to me. We walked and talked. Her boys still with her. I told her she was doing great and she said I was too. The comradiere at the back of the pack is nice. Everyone supported each other, except for the two 'Paris Hilton' wannabes that were running and wouldn't even talk to me. More on that in another post.



Miles 22 thru 25 were 14:09, 13:56, 14:30 and 15:56. The last hill up Hawser Road slowed me down at the end. I was making a lot better time than in those middle miles. Not fast, but at least there was some running involved.



My attitude wasn't very good. I was upset that I didn't properly train for a marathon with this much elevation change. I was a bit naive to think that a couple hill workouts would suffice. I was embarrassed that I wasn't doing 11 minute miles. I had friends that told me, I just didn't listen.



By mile 26 I was toast again. I was walking and people that I had past were now passing me. I was glad for them (not the paris hilton girls). They all passed me, but by then I knew I would finish. I did in 6 hours and 9 minutes. It felt like 60 hours. But, I finished and for that I got my third marathon medal.

Tucson - Twin Cities - Rock N Roll Arizona

Below are pictures I took. I didn't take many during the last half of the marathon. I was not in a good frame of mind then.

The expo was at the El Conquistador in north Tucson.

The expo was small, so I sat poolside and looked at all the brochures they give you. The El Paso Marathon had a booth, so I spent a long time looking at info for West Texas and Big Bend National Park.

The race director had two school buses at the start. You find the window with your race number, put your extra clothing in a drop bag and toss it in the bus. Then at the finish line, they had your warm clothing for you to pick up.

Me at the start line. The start is in the middle of the Coronado National Park in Oracle, AZ.

A beautiful start area, surrounded by boulders and unbelievable views.

As luck would have it, a bunch of porta potties too. I chose to use the tree on the right instead. I'm sure the women appreciated less competition for the seats. However, I did see a few women squatin' in the desert.

Before the sunrise. We had to ride buses to get there and then we sat for over an hour until the race start time.

A close up of the rock climbing runners. I took several pictures from atop similar rocks.

The start.

Miles 5-9 are an out an back. They are also a down and up. I liked it, because you got to see all the other runners. The views were great at this point. I even saw superman running by.

Now I have 35 days to train for the flat PF Chang's Rock N Roll Marathon in Arizona. Yeah, yesterday I would have cancelled my registration.

Running the Tucson Marathon.

I'm off running in the Tucson Marathon. So, while I'm away I thought you might like to see a little running, Sesame Street style.

Amy's Quilt

For the past few months Amy has been making me a running shirt quilt. She used 16 of my 40+ shirts.
The next few photos are close ups quarters of the quilt. You can click on any picture to enlarge. This section shows my first marathon shirt form the PF Chang's Rock N Roll Marathon here in Arizona. The Air Force 5k was run in between retired planes in the 'boneyard'. The Mesa Turkey trot is my favorite T day run.

And here is my Ironman shirt. No, I didn't do the Ironman. But, I got this shirt from running in the 5k event the day before. The YMCA half is to the right of the Ironman and the Arizona Distance Classic was my second half down in Tucson. The Ostrich Festival 5k is one of the few races I do in my town.

The Higley High run is run in the dark on the canal and then around the HS track. There's my Lost Dutchman half shirt. It's a beautiful course at the foot of the Superstition Mountains. The Bumble Bee 5k was in San Diego and is run right before the Holiday Bowl Parade. I got a can of Bumble Bee chicken for that race.

I actually did the 1 mile race to get the ST. Patty's shirt. I finished second to a 12 year old speedster. There were about a dozen other runners in the race. The Run for the Islands is a race in Gilbert, AZ. It sounds like it should be in Hawaii, but it's not. There is a couple lakes, but no islands. The Run for Brooke shirt is from my very first race and my slowest 5k race ever.

Amy is an incredible quilter and I really do appreciate being able to hang this quilt in my office.

The Wind Cave at Pass Mountain

The last two years I ran in the Mesa Turkey Trot. This year, my kids and I decided to finally hike up to the Wind Cave on Pass Mountain in Usery Recreation Area.

That's Emily and Tyler in front of Pass Mountain. The cave is just below the summit to the right, almost above Tyler's left shoulder in this picture.

There's the cave. Tyler and Emily resting in the center of the picture. It's about 2800 feet above sea level and about 700 feet above car level (parking lot).

You can see Tyler was yawning. He was having a bout of hiccups the entire hike down.

Wind Cave is about 300 feet below the summit of Pass Mountain and there is no trail to the top. But, there is lots of boulders and I'm sure many more experience hikers go to the top. We saved that for another day. Amy spent the morning baking pumpkin pie. We rushed back home to help Amy with the rest of the dinner prep (ok-I'm blogging, but I think the kids are helping).

3 Years of Weight Loss

Started this journey back in June of 2006 weighing close to 260. December of 2008 was my low point at 210. The summer weather and minor injuries have resulted in weight gains all three summers.



The plan for 2010 is to get under 200. Today's weight is 228. I have 13 months to reach this goal. 2.15 lbs. per month.



Cardio: 1000 miles run.

Hiking: 1 major hike per month.

Races: 1 race per month.

Cross Training: 2x week. Resistance training.



Fuel: Calories at 14000 per week (2000/day).

Burn 3500 per week. About a 7000 calorie deficit.



Reduce fats, keep carbs and proteins almost the same.

More salads, vegetables and fruits in diet.



Race Schedule:



PF Chang's Rock N Roll Marathon

Lost Dutchman Marathon

St. Patty's Run

Pat's Run

ARR Summer Series

Sabino Canyon Run

Jerome Hill Climb



Hike Schedule:



Rim to River -Grand Canyon

Summit - Mt. Humphreys

Summit - Flat Iron Superstitions

Summit - North Mtn.

Summit - Shaw Butte

Summit - South Mtn.

Summit - Picacho Peak.

17 Miles and two lost soles

Saturday morning and it's cold. Somewhere between 45 and 50. And it's dark. The alarm went off at 6 am and I was supposed to be out in 30 to 45 minutes.

I wasn't up to the run. Nope. Not going to happen.

But, I figured I was up and I'll read the paper and have some breakfast. By 7 pm I was planning my run.

The World's Largest Cul De Sac.

For a change of pace I decided I was going to run west into Ahwatukee, a Phoenix neighborhood that is separated from the rest of Phoenix by South Mountain. Think of the UP of Michigan, but smaller and no mosquitos (and no obnoxious Wolverines). Some call it the world's largest cul de sac because there are only a few ways into it and it dead ends on the west side. My plan was to run 8.5 miles to were the roads of Ray and Chandler meet. Out on Ray, in on Chandler. 17 miles all at around a 12 minute pace. And for the most part that worked for the first 12 miles.

Then the Wheels came off

After mile 12 my calves started to tighten. I think I was sweating less too. I had a GU at mile 5 and another at mile 10.5. I, even replaced my water with gatorade at a gas station. So, I think I was fine fuel wise. I pushed forward, but my calves were barking. I've experienced this before on long runs, but not lately. My legs didn't feel like this at Twin Cities. Not even after 20 + miles. My legs didn't feel this bad on my trial Tucson run last week. 12 minute miles were not going to happen for miles 13 to 17. After the run my face was crusted with salt. Amy laughed.

I'm thinking my potassium level was low and it resulted in muscles going bad. Today, it's Sunday and my legs feel fine. I'll probably go for a run tonight. 17 miles done at a 12:47 pace. The first 12 miles great. The last 5, not so much.

Lost Soles

I read an article in Outside Magazine about single shoes washing up on shore with feet still in them. Seven washed up in 2007 and 2008. Weird. Then I found a website called "One Shoe Diaries" about a guy that finds single shoes and takes photos of them. He's an artsy type that traveled the US and did this on the side. Now, I'm thinking what are the odds of finding one shoe along the side of the road? Evidently, not so difficult.


Around mile 13 or 14 I ran past my first "Lost Sole". I borrow that phrase from Randall's blog. So, this is Lost Sole #1. I'm thinking she didn't have a designated driver and had to walk home.

Two miles later at the entrance to Harter Park in my neighborhood is Lost Sole #2. A kid's slipper. Two shoes found on one 17 mile run. On Randy's blog he says he takes the picture, but doesn't touch the shoe (there might be a foot in it). So I'll do the same. These two were taken with my camera phone. Not the best quality.

My Run Today

Camelback Mtn. from Papago Park
The Zoo from the Hole in the Rock

The Hole in the Rock

The Hole in the Rock from below.

Papago Park.
3 Miles.
72 Degrees.

My Three Objectives for Yesterdays Trial Run.

This is the map and elevation of my training run. Mile 9 of the marathon starts where I was at mile 4 and it continues in a similar fashion until a short hill at mile 25.


1. To see how the elevation would affect me.

The Tucson Marathon starts at 4800 feet above sea level. That's like 3500 feet above my bed. Can I go from bed to Oracle in just one day and survive. Luckily, the first 3/4 of a mile is all downhill. If you drop your water bottle, you'll retrieve it at the bottom, kind of downhill. But, then the hills start. I don't do well and the hills+elevation was tough on me yesterday. On marathon day I'll have to put up with it for the first 8 miles. It'll be tough, but I think I can manage.

2. To see how hilly Oracle, Az really is.

The hills are like being in the ocean. One wave after the other, but no water to give you buoyancy. Just before the first mile marker they start on Mt. Lemmon Road. I know, when given lemons, make lemonade. My plan is to run all the flats and downhills up to about the half way point of the uphills. Then to walk to the crest and pray there's a downhill on the other side. I didn't see any false summits, so I should be able to do this and keep my mile pace under 12 for the first 8 miles. Miles 1, 2 and 5 should be closer to 11. I need to conserve my energy here, so that I can do the last 18 miles strong.

3. To find out what my comfortable pace is on the downhill portion.


The beauty of the Tucson Marathon is the final 18 miles. All downhill. From about 4500 feet above sea level to about 2000 feet. A 2500' drop in 18 miles and it's pretty consistent. One short hill around mile 25. I ran 5 miles of this portion and between 10:29 and 11:16 miles. I'm pretty sure about two things. I'll be able to run this portion well and my legs we'll feel horrible when I'm done.





Tucson Marathon Expectations.


I break up my marathons into 0ne mile segments and into larger chunks. I like to crunch data during the run. Here's my plan. The first 8 miles is the first chunk(The hills of Oracle). I plan to keep each mile around 12 minutes. I should leave Oracle after 1 hour and 36 minutes. The next five miles (entering civilization) are all downhill and will bring me to the half way point of the marathon. At 11 minute miles, I should get to Biosphere road at 2:31. The next 5 miles (down to Catalina) I plan to do in 11 minute miles, so I should get to mile 18 by 3:26. And then there's the last 8.2 miles. I need to get these done in 1:30 minutes to break 5 hours. That means an keeping it at 11 minute miles all the way to the finish. Can I do it?





I really want a PR for a marathon that starts with a 4. Here's hoping for a 4:56 marathon on December 13th.

Tucson Marathon training run

Thanks to Blue Pants racing for supporting our training run 0n the front half of the Tucson Marathon course. We parked at the 13 mile mark and got shuttled to the start. Yeah, it was cold at 4000 feet elevation in the back of a pickup. But, our biggest fear was that the border patrol was going to stop us and since we didn't have ID and deport us to Mexico.

The marathon starts at 4800' elevation and we pass this sign. I need to call that number and tell him it's time for a new flag. His was pretty worn.

A nice motel in Oracle, AZ.

From mile 8 until the finish it's all downhill. About 1500 feet of elevation drop from that point. If I can just survive the first 8 miles, I think I can get a PR.

Over 50 races completed

Here's a list of all the races I have done. I didn't realize that the Twin Cities Marathon was my 50th race completed since August 2006. Races 52 and 53 will be this Sunday at the Phoenix 5k/10k. I plan to run both.

Run for Brooke 5k(1)
Ghost & Goblins 5k (2)
New Times 5k (3)
Mesa Turkey Trot 10k (4)
Bumble Bee 5k (5)
PF Chang's RnR Half Marathon (6)
Run for the Islands 5k (7)
Lost Dutchman Half Marathon (8)
Ostrich Festival 5k (9)
Valley of Gold Half Marathon (10)
Summer Series (4 races) (14)
WRRC Summer Scamper 4M (15)
Remember 9/11 5k (16)
Casa Grande half Marathon (17)
Phoenix YMCA Half Marathon (18)
Race for the Cure 5k (19)
I Did A Run 5k (20)
New Times 5k (21/2)
New Times 10k (22)
Las Vegas Turkey Trot 5k (23)
Mesa Turkey Trot 10k (24/2)
Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon (25)
PF Chang's Rock N' Roll Marathon (26)
Beat the Heat 5k at Higley High (27)
Air Force Anniversary 5k(28)
Race Judicata 5k (29)
Chandler Challenge 10k (30)
YMCA Half Marathon (31/2)
Phoenix 5k (32/3)
Phoenix 10k (33/2)
Ironman AZ 5k (34)
Mesa Turkey Trot 10k (35/3)
Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon (36/2)
Paloma PTA 5k (37)
PF Chang's Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon (38/2)
Run for the Islands 5k (39)
London's Run Half Marathon (40)
Lost Dutchman Half Marathon (41/2)
Goodyear Heart & sole 5k (42)
Ostrich Festival 5k (43/2)
Sunrise at Old Tucson 3.8m (44)
St. Pat's One Miler @ Kiwanis (45)
Sabino Canyon Sunset Run 7.4m (46)
Pat's Run 4.2m (47)
Jerome Hill Climb 4.5m (48)
Higley High 5k (49/2)
Twin Cities Marathon (50)
Santa Monica 5000 (51)

Tara Costa from the Biggest Loser

Tara ran a 4:23 NYC Marathon. That's pretty impressive, given the fact that a little over a year ago, she was weighing nearly 300 pounds.

Tara Costa's website.

My 14 Miler and the Tucson Marathon.

I had business to attend too over near a subdivision called the Islands. No, there's no islands, but it does have two beautiful lakes and the main drag makes a nice little 4 mile loop around them. I added some mileage in the park to make it about 4.5 miles. My plan was to run it three times and then add some mileage to get up to 15.

The weather was just about perfect. My run started around 2:30 in the afternoon and the temps were about 60 degrees with a slight breeze. It dipped into the 50's at the end with stronger winds and a sprinkle or two.

I started out on the newly slurried asphalt streets, but I was running on the side with no sidewalk. For safety sake (I tend to daydream), I moved over to the sidewalk. Concrete, dips at streets and driveways, some fake cobblestone made rougher running. On the other side of the road was a woman running on the asphalt. I was run/walking so she slowly pulled away from me. She didn't take any walk breaks for the first couple miles, but she did stop at a stoplight. I ran right thru it, there wasn't much traffic. But, she caught me about a half mile down the road and pulled ahead. At the second stop light, she paused ever so briefly and then jay-ran too.

My goal was to do as many 12 minute miles as I could. Just like I was doing for Twin Cities. The first couple miles were done in 22:05 or there abouts. 12 is hard to do in the beginning. Then I started staying in the 11:30 to 12 range and I was happy. I only had one bad mile and that was mile 14. The clouds looked dark, I was tired and my ankle was complaining. And I was at my car. So, I called it a day.

The Tucson Marathon is just 44 days away and I need to figure out what pace I should run it. It's mostly downhill and there's no way I'll be able to hold back at a 12 minute pace, unless I walk alot more. I'm thinking I'll be running around a 9-9:30 minute pace. Add a few walk breaks per mile and my average will be around 10 to 10:30. But, will that burn me out? I know I can do it for a half marathon.

In mid November there's a training run on the first half of the marathon course. You park near the Biosphere and Bluepants Racing will shuttle you to the start line. They have water stations set up and you run back to your car. Sounds like this will be perfect for me.

At Twin Cities I average 13:05 per mile and I felt tired the last few miles, but not dead. I'd like to think I can do a 12 minute average per mile on a downhill course like Tucson. That would shave 30 minutes off of my run. An 11 minute pace would shave an hour off my marathon time. I know those are lofty numbers. If Tucson was flat I would hope my extra training would get me to around 12:30, but it's not and I think the course will help me a lot. I guess the training run in November will answer my questions.

Upcoming Race Schedule

November 8: Phoenix 10k/5k. I'm running both races back to back.
November 26: Mesa Turkey trot 10k.
December 13: Tucson Marathon. 26.2 miles mostly downhill.
January 9: Kyrene de la Paloma 5k.
January 17: PF Chang's Rock N Roll Marathon.
January 30: ARR Desert Classic HM
February 14: Lost Dutchman Marathon
March 28: Bataan Memorial Deathmarch. A marathon.
April 17: Pat's Run 4.2 miles in Tempe

Tenative Schedule. I'll probably add some 5ks along the way. Who wants to join me?

Pat Monahan's finish at the 5:47:28 mark of the Twin Cities Marathon. It's at the 10:25 mark on the video. I'm the guy throwing his hat in the air, ala Mary Tyler Moore.

Patrick Monahan
bib number: 5766
age: 47
gender: M
location: Chandler, AZ
overall place: 8216 out of 8483
division place: 585 out of 595
gender place: 4811 out of 4925
time: 5:47:28
pace: 13:04
chip time: 5:42:23
5k: 33:41
10k: 1:10:47
half: 2:33:34
30k: 3:47:53
20 mile: 4:09:08





Jeff Potters finish at the 3:52:42 mark of the Twin Cities Marathon.

Jeffrey Potter
bib number: 4906
age:40
gender: M
location: Madison, WI
overall place: 2322 out of 8483
division place: 277 out of 747
gender place: 1709 out of 4925
time: 3:52:42
pace: 8:45
chip time: 3:49:24
5k: 23:22
10k: 47:57
half: 1:42:28
30k: 2:31:00
20 mile: 2:45:05

Two Marathons completed in 11 days!

Much thanks to Hal Higdon, the Runner's World contributing editor and author of many marathon training programs in helping me complete two marathons in just 11 days.

Many of you know about my running of the Twin Cities Marathon on October 4th. It was a run I had planned since early in the spring of 2009 and after an ankle set back and a tweeking of my training, I completed much to my surprise.

But, you don't know that I met Hal at the Health and Fitness Expo in St. Paul the day prior to the race and that is when Hal assisted me in getting the second "Marathon" done.

Hal Higdon is the author of 35 different books and training guides and is best know for his virtual training guides you can buy online that will get you to finish a marathon. His latest work is a novel titled, "Marathon" and that is the second marathon I speak of.

You didn't really think I ran two marathons that soon?

Marathon, the novel is a great book. I got copy number 336, autographed by Hal himself. It's a story about a race director and his new love, a big city marathon that is in jeopardy of losing it's sponsor, first time marathoners and the whole marathon experience. Finally, there's a secret celebrity runner too. As a marathon runner, you'll have deja vu moments as you read each chapter. Read Hal's new book right before your next big marathon and you too, can complete two marathons in 11 days (it would have been faster, but I had to complete another book first).

The Santa Monica 5000

Amy planned this 3 day visit to see two colleges in the LA area for our daughter. The day before I checked to see if there were any races that weekend. The Long Beach Marathon was scheduled, but since I ran a marathon a week ago, I didn't think that would be a good idea. Then, I saw it. The Santa Monica 5000. A 5k race just minutes from our hotel on Sunday morning.

It was a bit overcast and in the low 60's at the start of the race. About 800 runners were planning on running the 5k that started south of the pier, looped around and thru the downtown section and then past the pier for another loop to finish at the pier.

I did it around 33 minutes. Not anywhere near a PR, but it was fun anyway. The cool Ed Hardy shirts were given after the race at the small expo on the pier. My daughter knew who Ed Hardy was. I had no clue.

Below are a few pics from our LA trip. First is one of the Japanese Gardens north of Santa Monica. We, also went to Little Tokyo in downtown LA.

A sailboat at Santa Monica beach.

Running past the Santa Monica Pier. The shirt I got is like the one the lady is wearing.

Hey, that's the ocean out there.

Me at the finish. I need to practice putting my bib on straight.