PF Chang's Rock N Roll Half Marathon 2010

After running the Twin Cities Marathon in October and the Tucson Marathon in December, my plan was to run PF Chang's Rock N Roll Marathon here in Phoenix in January. A mixture of too much running and a minor injury after Tucson left me less than excited about running RnR AZ.

I had already paid for the marathon, so I decided I could run the half marathon and still enjoy it. Running the full would turn into 13 miles drudgery. I did not want to limp home to the finish.

I went to the marathon expo expecting to get inspired, but that didn't happen. I got my bib number, chip for timing and cool Sugoi technical running shirt and headed for the door. I did make one pass thru the expo. Got a free tee shirt from Traveler's Insurance (let's hope they don't call me).
Sunday morning and the weather was perfect. I was in shorts and my Half Fanatics tee and ready to run. Had a real nice chat with the German teacher at Chandler High. She came up to about my elbow and reminded me of one of the teachers in a Harry Potter movie. She had spikey blonde hair and a german accent. I tell ya, if my kids went to Chandler high, I'd insist that they take german. Great lady.

It took us about 31 minutes to get to the start line. Ryan Hall had passed the 10k mark two minutes before I even got to start (guess he didn't have to worry about me beating him). My goal was to just do 12 minute miles. Not a real big goal, but I did want to finish injury free too.

The first five miles on my garmin show 10:51, 11:16, 11:48, 11:57 and 12:05. I was up about 2 minutes and knew I would need those minutes later. Later came quickly.

The next four miles were all between 12 and 13 minutes with mile 10 being at 14:31. Thirteens and fourteens would be seen the rest of the day. I finished at 2:49, which was about 10 minutes more than I wanted.
As I was taking a walk break I heard this lady behind me on a cellphone. She told her friend that she was at mile 8 and Pat Monahan just passed her. I turned around to see this lady in an Ohio State University shirt. I slowed down and asked her if she said Pat Monahan. She said, Matt Monahan. Turns out there was a Matt Monahan running in the same race. Turns out I ended up with a faster time than him. Another Monahan from Apache Junction ran the marathon in 2:08, so we aren't all slow.

After the race I got my medal and an orange (it was awesome) and headed over to the marathon course. I was there to see some of my running friends. I knew that Adam from Gilbert would be done already. Congrats Adam. But, I thought I might see Susie from Queen Creek, Eileen from Mesa or Lisa and Karen from the Tumbleweed Running Club. I could have seen Demi from Scottsdale, but I don't really know her that well and she would have been easy to miss. I don't know how I missed Susie. It might have been when I was laying in the grass wishing my feet felt better.

I slowly walked down University Drive figuring I would see Lisa and Karen and I could run with them back towards ASU. I was getting hungry for lunch and no angels (that's what we call TRC women runners, men are called Charlie). I passed two bands and Margaritaville, the water station manned by the Jimmy Buffet fan club. I really like that water stop. As I walked I looked down on the ground to find a sweaty $20 bill. A runner must have dropped it. I was that much richer. I walked further and came to a spot across from a McDonalds. Do I dare cross the street and traffic to get a burger and miss Lisa and Karen. Yes, I was hungry. And I had the money. I watched out the window and hurried back to the running side of the street. Before I could take a second bite of my Big Mac, Karen appeared. She said Lisa was ahead of her. I missed her for a burger. I, offered Karen a bite. She declined and told me how she couldn't hold anything down. I kept eating. A couple runners saw my meal and were slightly jealous. I offered them a bite too.

I walked with Karen all the way to the finish, then snapped this photo of the two new Marathoners.


The day was over and I headed home. Below are pictures of my new shirt and medal.

Here's all three Rock N Roll Half Marathon Medals. The first one is from the 2007 Hm that I ran in 2:47:54. The middle is the 2010 race in 2:49:52 and on the right is 2009 run in 2:25:21.

So, now I have to plan my 2010 race calendar. Not sure what I want to do, but I'm thinking I want to run the Lost Dutchman Half Marathon next month and the Pat's Run (Pat Tillman) in April.

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.

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 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.

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. :)

Higley High's "Beat The Heat" 5k

My buddy, Nick talked me into runnning a race on Friday nite. I ran it last year and had a great time, so what the heck. I drove out to Higley High while I watched the lightning in the distance. It's a fundraiser for the high school CC team with a half lap on the track, then an out and back along the canal, all at night and for the second year in a row, in the rain.

They had to shorten the course to around 3 miles. We still had a fun time. Nick was the fastest of our group. His wife Susie was second and I brought up the rear. I thought I as going to run around a 12 minute mile or worse. I was closer to 11, so it was a good nite. Far from my personal best, but not bad for a first race after the ankle injury.

I got to meet the owners of gypsyrunner.com. And bought a couple things too. They have some great decals for your car. Check them out.

At the half way point you turn back and see the stadium lights. It was raining lightly at this time.

Loved the shirt I got and the carplate I bought.
Ankle feels fine and I'm ready to do a long run on Sunday.

Higley High Race Stats
The course

Pat's Run

The first of two Pat's Runs take place at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ. The school that Pat Tillman played his collegiate football. Next week there will be another Pat's Run in San Jose, Pat's hometown.
This was the fifth annual run that started soon after Pat Tillman, an American hero, died in Afghanistan fighting for America. Just in case you may not know, Pat played professional football for the Arizona Cardinals. When he was offered a new contract, he passed and joined the military. Today we celebrate Pat Tillman and raised funds for his foundation.

The race featured 20,000+ runners and walkers running from the parking lot of ASU's Sun Devil Stadium north across the Mill Avenue bridge and through Papago Park along Curry Road. As you head south down Scottsdale Road you loop around the athletic fields and up into Sun Devil Stadium. It's 4.2 miles and you finish high fiving ASU football players on the 42 yard line. Yes, you get to finish on the field and you're not rushed off. You can stretch on the grass after your run. Plenty of seating in the stands to watch your fellow runners come in.

Why 42? It was Pat Tillman's number when he was a defensive hero for the Sun Devils. This race is unique, in that 70% of the participants wear the technical shirt you get with your registration. Families will also love the play area for kids and the festival where you can get something to eat, drink or even a message.

Look to your right around the half way point and you'll see the stadium. The finish line looms big just a few miles away.

Football fields are marked every 10 yards, but at ASU, the 42 yard line is also marked so that we can always remember Pat Tillman. If you'd like to learn more about Pat click on his name.

As for my race? I planned to run 9 minute miles, or closed to it. Finish under 40 minutes and stop for just a few pics. My splits came in at 9.08, 9.33, 9.33 and 10.41. Not sure what happened at the end. But, I finished with a 9.11 for the last .2 miles entering the stadium. Final time: 40.09. It was a crowded race, but not so much to slow me down. I did a little weaving, but I was able to run the tangents without much interference. After the race, I went back to the stadium entrance and ran back in to take some pictures. Here's where you can find more pictures.

Race stats and map

Sabino Canyon Sunset Run

You don't see this kind of view at the start of most races. At the Sabino Canyon Sunset Run you get this view and many more that are better. I ran the 2009 version of the race as my first hill dominant run. I say hill dominant because the first 3.7 miles are mostly all uphill. You turn around at the top and return the same way to the finish.

Sabino Canyon is just to the northeast of downtown Tucson in the Coronado National Forest. You might have taken the tram into the canyon as a tourist. You defiantly want to do the run. I drove 2 hours each way for just the run and it was well worth it.

Being in the national forest system, you have to pay $5 to park inside the gates. Here's a hint. There's a small parking lot outside that's free. Then you just walk an extra 100 yards and you'll be at the visitor center/ tram station/ race start.

It's all on asphalt road, two lanes wide with seven bridges that the runners cross over twice. Once going up and once coming down. There's a dip in the road for each bridge. Here's a hint. When the Sabino Creek is flowing strong, the water will flow over the bridges. So, on race day that means you're running in water to cross the creek. Deep enough to get your feet wet. See the pictures from the 2008 race.

You'll start out in daylight around 2735' elevation. At the turn around you will have risen about 600 feet to 3375. Half of it in the last mile. But, then you'll get to head back down the canyon. Then you get to fly. I ran down 10 minutes faster than my ascent.

The picture above shows you the last mile. The runner is returning, but above him you might be able to see the road and some runners heading for the turn. In many ways this feels like a trail run, without the trail. No rocks or roots to watch for.

But, hurry down the mountain. Because darkness approaches after about 45 minutes of running. Robert Seamon, of Tucson finished in 40:45 to win overall first and Paula Morrison, of Tucson was first female overall with a time of 48:15. Half the runners finished in under 1 hour 6 minutes. The last group finished in 2 hours and in the dark.

You could say my race was a series of ups and downs. Yeah, pun intended. I had early splits of low 12 minutes per mile. I walked some of the way. Mile five was the first full down hill mile. I did that in 8:06. Miles five and six literally flew by. But, as if by design the race director had one more hill for the runners to climb right before mile 7 ended. Pictured below. By the time I got there, all I could see was the silhouette of the runners as they reached the top.

At the top you could see a single light, about a half mile down the road. That's the finish. You can't see runners in front or behind you. Just the single light. If you can finish this race in under an hour, it won't be an issue. But, for the back half of the field, we ran in the dark. Plus, you get signs like this:

Now that will get you moving.

The Southern Arizona Roadrunners put on this race and do a great job. We had entertainment before the awards ceremony with a cowboy doing gun and rope tricks. The parents loved it, almost as much as the kids.

The awards for 1, 2 and 3rd places were these great framed photos. I had to get back to Chandler, so I couldn't stay for the awards ceremony. I'm sure it was a fun time.

SAR also does a good job at having people around to answer your questions. Here's Dave Hill with a great t shirt on. He's in front of the Performance Footwear sign. A great sponsor of races throughout Arizona.

Then of course, there's the eats. Peanut butter sandwiches, orange slices, bananas were the fare. A bit light compared to what there sister club, Arizona Road Racers, up in Phoenix does. But, it was fine. Heck, maybe all the fast runners got the good stuff.

The volunteers where friendly like always. The weather was perfect. All in all, it was a great day for a run.



Pat's Running Splits

Course Map and Elevation

Sabino Canyon Sunset Run Finisher List
See other AZ race reports at Arizona Foot Races.