Goodnight and Good Luck

I'm in our hotel room, doing final preparations for the Grand Rapids Marathon tomorrow morning. A lot is going through my mind, and I recall a memory that has drifted in and out of mind during the last few months.

Approximately 15 years ago, during college, I was talking to a dormmate named Danny. He had come back from a run. He mentioned his plan to run the Chicago Marathon. Despite the fact that my Dad had run several marathons, I was in disbelief that anyone my age would have a similar interest or ability.

With conviction, he told me that I could do it too. As if it were irrefutable proof, he asked, "You can run a mile in 8:30, right?" Uncertain, but giving myself the benefit of the doubt, I replied that I could. As if a bright neon sign spelling Q.E.D. had suddenly lit our dim hallway, he resolutedly posed that I only had to do it 26 times. Forgetting the remaining 0.2 miles, I thought the prospect was impossible and laughed off the prospect. The topic never came up again.

Tomorrow, I may actually do it. My goal time is 3:45 (technically 8:35 per mile), and Jenn's is 4:00. While we won't be on the flat havens of Chicago, I hear that the Grand Rapids Marathon is a fast course. I had always figured that the goal time that Coach Aaron recommended would require perfect conditions. The weather will be excellent (high 58, low 42 with 12 mph winds), and except for some nagging injuries, I could not imagine better circumstances.

Goodnight and good luck.

Psycho Runner, Qu'est-ce Que C'est?

I have not blogged in a long time, but last night Jenn and I did something noteworthy but kind of crazy. We both registered for the MetroPCS Dallas White Rock Marathon on December 5, 2010. Adding my hometown, we will now run a marathon three months in a row, Grand Rapids in October and New York City in November. And with London in April, that makes four marathons in 2010.

Our mileage has been high this year with weeks hitting 50 miles in training without an end in sight. Talking Heads immediately comes to mind:

Psycho [runner].
Qu’est-ce que c’est?
Fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa, better
Run, run, run, run, run, run, run away.

When David Byrne sings, we listen.

The U.S. tour of They Might Be Runners 4 Life will stop by close to many of you. Our team name this year originally signaled us running our fourth marathon for life (i.e. the AIDS Foundation of Chicago). It seems ever more fitting that Jenn and I will each run four marathons this year alone.

There is still time to join. Come out and cheer us on. Depending on the city, we'll have friends and family with us too (Dan in NY, Dad in Dallas). Or support us remotely through donations to the AIDS Foundation of Chicago through our team. No Ticketmaster charges on that site. Thanks to everyone.

Not Leaving on a Jet Plane

For They Might Be Runners (emphasis on Might), the third time is not the charm. As you no doubt know, the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland (usually referred to simply as the Iceland volcano) has halted air travel to much of Europe. London is one of the cities affected the worst. After some hope that air travel to London would resume on Tuesday night, yesterday a second ash cloud developed and is currently drifting towards the UK. There are no immediate plans to let flights into or out of London from Wednesday to Friday.

Our flight to London is scheduled to depart on Wednesday night; the 2010 Virgin London Marathon takes place on Sunday morning. We will likely know tonight whether our flight is officially cancelled. We hope for the best for our trip and for anyone whom the volcano has impacted in far worse ways. We are certainly fortunate not to be among the thousands of people stranded away from home. We are disappointed nonetheless.

We have found alternatives in the Midwest in the coming weeks, the most likely being the 2d Annual Wisconsin Marathon in Kenosha. Whichever marathon we end up running will be as much of a mental challenge to us now as ever. On a positive note, we made the local NBC news because of our fundraising along with our inability to get to London and got to plug the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and its marathon training program.

Anyway, we had a good streak vs. the World for years. With the 3 of 4 days lost to travel delays on the way to the Grand Canyon in February and this London trip in jeopardy, the score for the 2010 season may soon be: World 2, Us 0. We still have hope, at least for a little while longer. By the way, there is still time for anyone who would like to donate in support of our team. http://afc.aidschicago.org/netcommunity/TheyMightBeRunners3