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.

The Twin Cities Marathon map

Check out the elevation gain in the first mile. I think I know what caused that. As we run in downtown Minneapolis, the county court house (403 feet tall) is on both sides of the street and is literally over the road. You run in a tunnel for about a block. All the runners howl, which is kinda cool. I think the building interfered with my garmin and showed my run as if I had climbed over the building. My mileage was off most of the day too and I finished with an extra half mile tacked on.

2009 Twin Cities Marathon

Some random pictures from the TC Marathon. This is the Basilica of St. Marys in downtown Minneapolis. The bells were ringing as I ran by.
Not sure why this deer was on the course. But, I got a picture with him. The ING orange hat was a freebie at the expo. I ended up tossing it in the air at the finish, just like Mary Tyler Moore.

The wall at mile 20. I gave it a Mike Tyson double punch as I passed. Soon the hills returned the favor.

It has to be one of the great finishes in all marathons. You pass under the huge US Flag courtesy of the fire department and then it's downhill straight away to the finish in front of the state capitol.

The medal

For more information and my splits you can see

My mile by mile report

The Twin Cities Marathon

Up until about a week ago, I didn't think I would finish this race. The day before I left Arizona, I thought I had a 25% chance of finishing it.

My bail out points were at 15 miles (the light rail stop) and 19 miles (the Franklin Bridge). I passed both without considering quitting. The first 14 miles were easy and a bit faster than I had planned. Thanks to the cooler temps (Minnesota is cooler than Arizona) and the great crowd support.

I will have a full race report soon. But, to end. I finished at 5:42:27. Nine OH Seven (not really why I named my blog 9:09) faster than my first marathon. So, I went from a DNF to a PR. Wow!

Below is a picture at the start with my brother in law, Jeff. He runs a marathon every ten years. At 30, he ran a 3:47 marathon in Wisconsin. This week he ran a 3:49. He doesn't plan to run another race until he turns 50. I'm gonna kick his ass that year. :)

Jerome Hill Climb 2009

Jerome Hill Climb 2009 Photos

It's one of the most scenic races in all of Arizona.

Thanks USPS!

Last week my garmin 305 (runner's watch with GPS) broke for the second time. Enough is enough, so I ordered my new one from Amazon ($160 w/ free shipping). Sadly, if I could only take one personal item with me from a burning house, this would be second (family photos would come first).

This gadget tracks your running by satellite. Figures out your time, pace, distance, lap pace, heart rate and a whole bunch more. Then you can download all the data onto your computer and see your splits, a map and other cool features.

My training the last few weeks has consisted of how can I finish the Twin Cities Marathon and stay ahead of the 'sweeper bus' that picks up runners that can't finish the race in 6 hours or at a 13:44 pace.

Before my ankle issues I was hoping to finish in under 5 hours. Anytime beginning with 4 would due. Now, I'm just trying to avoid the bus.

My strategy is to keep my heart rate down and run/walk at a 12 minute pace for as many miles as I can. That way, I will gain 1 minute and 44 seconds each mile over the bus. If I can do this the first half of the race, I will be 22 1/2 minutes ahead of the bus after the half marathon. Then it's along the Mississippi river for the next 7 miles. The plan is to pick up at least a minute for each of those miles. With 29.5 minutes advantage, I will then get to tackle the St. Paul hill on Summit Drive. Someone had the wise idea to put downtown St. Paul on a rise above the Mississippi river. 3 miles and 160 feet in elevation climb. Not Mt. Everest, but I'll need that half hour cushion.

At around the 20 mile mark the baseball game starts. Twins vs. Royals. The Twins are the last team that has a chance to make the playoffs. It's the last game at the Metrodome and I have tickets. If the bus catches me, I'll just take a left towards downtown Minneapolis and go to the game. If I have the lead, then I'll take a right over the bridge (Is this the one that collapsed a few years back?) and continue on. I'll gladly give up the first 6 innings of the ball game to finish the marathon.

Now, back to my first training run with my new garmin. Here's the splits.

Intervals (GPS Interval)
Type Distance Time Total Time Pace Avg HR Max HR Notes
1.Interval 1 Mi 12:01.48 12:01.48 12:02 125 151 (Feeling good, but forgot to apply bodyglide)
2.Interval 1 Mi 12:17.09 24:18.57 12:18 135 150
3.Interval 1 Mi 12:01.36 36:19.93 12:02 141 151
4.Interval 1 Mi 12:18.46 48:38.39 12:19 144 154
5.Interval 1 Mi 12:29.75 1:01:08.14 12:30 140 151 (stopped in Circle K and bought vaseline.)
6.Interval 1 Mi 15:26.6 1:16:34.74 15:27 130 147 (helped a lady push her car into parking lot)
7.Interval 1 Mi 14:27.48 1:31:02.22 14:28 140 164 (vaseline doesn't help much after the chaffing has occurred)
8.Interval 1 Mi 14:07.07 1:45:09.29 14:08 136 151 (near home, chaffing hurts, not gonna do 15 miles as planned)
9.Interval 1 Mi 13:35.02 1:58:44.31 13:36 133 149 (picked up the pace some)
10.Interval 0.43 Mi 5:48.39 2:04:32.70 13:31 134 145

Hoover Dam Marathon and Half

I just found out about this race. It's run at the Hoover Dam from a campground and beach on Lake Mead in Nevada. This is the first year and I got to do it.

Who wants to camp out with me? Run either the half or full on Saturday, October 31st and then go kayaking on Lake Mead on Sunday?

Learn more about the Hoover Dam Marathon.

Tonight I'm going to run 15 miles. It'll be my last long run before the Twin Cities Marathon. I'm hoping I can do it at a 12 minute pace. If I do that and I feel good after, it will let me know what I'm capable of come the big race in Minnesota.

I have a top secret strategy that I used the last two times I ran. The 7 miler on Tuesday was a breeze. I could have easily run further. I felt so good that I'm now thinking 20 miles or more up in Minneapolis.

RIP GARMIN FORERUNNER 305: I ordered my new 305 yesterday. The old one just won't start anymore.

Yearly Totals

2009 489.9 Miles 12:00 Pace (3.5 months to go)

2008 604.1 Miles 12:03 Pace


2007 819.6 Miles 12:27 Pace


2006 371.5 Miles 12:23 Pace (half a year)

Grand Total: 2285