Don't let hiccups get you down

Today's run definitely qualifies as a sizable hiccup. The plan was to run 13 miles anywhere from 7:05 (flat/downhill) to 7:15 or so (uphill). Right form the start, that was shot, and there wasn't a particular reason I could discern for it early on. [Strike 1] Yes, it's only 1 week post-marathon, but my prior runs the last several days have gone just fine. And the weather was gorgeous this morning. (Probably about 50F when I started out, no wind, and minimal direct sun.) I quickly resolved to not be overly concerned about the pace, it was more about the mileage anyway -- especially since I'll be taking NYC at an easier pace than last week -- I'm running it for the experience of the thing, NOT for a PR.

My head never fully got into the run this morning. [Strike 2] I kept circling back to a conversation I had with a friend last night about how I very much draw energy from the crowds during a race, and that outdoor training runs and virtual marathons are so much more mentally taxing for me than big city marathons. Even indoors in the gym on the treadmill provides for some energy because of the other people in the gym that I can casually observe and the distraction of the TV in front of me.

And despite my having had plenty of time between when I ate breakfast and went to the bathroom, and when I started my run, apparently there was more to be had. [Strike 3] By Mile 8 it was certainly a struggle, and there are no portapotties on the route I was on. Thankfully, with the route I was taking, I wasn't *too* far from the gym once I hit Mile 9. So, decision made -- stop running at Mile 9 and walk the remaining distance (about ½ mile) to the gym (since running was becoming a bit too difficult to hold everything in).

While I originally thought I would just pick up the remaining 4 miles on the treadmill afterwards, I quickly recognized that my glutes were a bit too strained and were certainly going to cause a problem if I picked it up quite that quickly. So, rather than doing a full run today, I'm winding up splitting today's mileage into a double. Start was 9 miles, and about 6 hours after finishing the first part, I'll pick up with an additional 4 miles. (Just not sure at the moment if I'll do it on the treadmill or outside. It's still gorgeous out there.)

Yes, today's performance was disappointing compared to expectations. However, I have to keep my eyes on the prize: running NYC next Sunday with 30,000 other people, and having the expected roller coaster of emotions throughout the entire day. For the 50th running of the NYC marathon I will be running *my* 50th marathon, months before my 50th birthday - wonderful synchronicity. Staying healthy and injury-free through then is the most important thing. Any other intermediate goals are just excess gravy, nice to have but not intrinsically important.

Garmin flailing

Looks like I got very lucky with my Garmin working properly for the marathon this past Sunday, because the last two days it has been seriously f*cked up.

Yesterday, it re-started itself several times, eventually showing a very different time than was the case, having completely nonsensical HR Zones, and wrong personal stats. While I saw (and fixed) the time before my workout, I didn't know about the rest until afterwards. My HR got up to 135 (typically Zone 2), but the entire run showed as Zone 0 (where the vast majority of it really should have been Zone 2). The watch also wasn't syncing properly, forcing me to connect it to the computer and provide the update that way.  After a long time monkeying around with settings, I thought I had fixed everything.

Then today... everything looked correct going into the run. When I run faster than 7.7mph on the treadmill (and I was doing so throughout the run), the beep indicating the mile is complete is off anywhere from 6-15%. When I got to about 1.07 mi on the treadmill, I took a look at the watch. There was no distance indicated whatsoever. Somehow, it looks like the distance for each stride on the treadmill got zeroed out. OK, I can deal with that - edit it afterwards. I do that daily anyway, to get the distance to match what I've done on the treadmill. 

But it's even worse. When I checked my HR, the expected ~132 was showing a zone I've never seen before -- Zone 6.1. WTF? I thought it only had Zones 0-5. And 132 should be nowhere near Zone 5 (let alone 6) -- it's solidly inside of Zone 2 for me. *sigh* Need to fix that.

After I finished the run and stopped the watch, it started to save the workout, same as always. And it kept swirling, saving... for about 40 minutes before I was able to hook it up to recharge the battery and try to kick it out of this endless cycling save. Alas, that seems to have deleted the workout entirely. :-( It was not visible inside the Garmin when I connected it to the computer and try to manually import the workout.

I need to fix this in advance of the upcoming marathons. Hopefully I can manage it, with or without tech support from Garmin.

Check list

As I told my mom on Sunday when I realized I didn't pack one of the foil space blankets to use pre-race, I never wind up putting together a check list for what I'll be packing for a marathon (it's always just a mental note). But, what the heck, let's see what will go into packing for NYC.

In addition to regular packing for the days I will be up in NYC, here's what should be needed related to the race, mostly on race day. Should be interesting to see how many additions I need to make prior to leaving.

Paperwork:

Tour voucher

Parking voucher

NYRR registration confirmation form (needed for bib/packet pickup)

Pre Race:

Banana, granola bars, and bottle of Gatorade (for standard pre-race breakfast)

Foil space blanket (use one from Suffolk County)

Throwaway clothing (fleece/sweatpants; sweatshirt)

Container (with credit card, ID, inurance card, COVID-19 vax card, parking valet ticket, hotel checked bag ticket)

For Race:

Sunscreen

2 Band-Aids (nip tape, naturally)

Contact lenses (iff rain is expected during the race)

Possibly long-sleeve shirt (depending on predicted weather for race)

MM singlet (with bib attached the night before with the 4 Bib Boards)

underwear

shorts

toe socks

Wrightsocks

Sneakers

MM hat

Garmin watch

Throwaway knit gloves

2 hand warmers

Naked belt (think flip belt)

4 sleeves Clif Shot Bloks

2 bottles (for water)

[Edit 1: Body Glide]

Post Race:

Large towel (to drape over driver's seat and not get it sweaty)

Regular towel (to dry off)

Change of shirt, sweatpants/shorts, knit socks, walk-only sneakers

Plastic bag (for marathon clothing being changed)

Large plastic bag (for sweaty marathon sneakers)

Equipment (both pre and post-race)

The Stick

Foam roller

Charge cord for the Garmin, to charge night before race

Feeling great

Typically, any marathon training plan will have you rest for a while after finishing a marathon prior to the next one. (Yeah, yeah, never mind those times where you do a double. Those are exceptions.) Some plans say to wait 1-2 weeks before running again, others actually dictate that you should wait about 26 days before running again. Obviously, in any of these scenarios, some other sort of exercise can still be done, but avoid doing much/any on your feet. Possibly not even do anything overly strenuous.

With only 11 days remaining until my next marathon, and my feet and legs feeling just fine post-Suffolk County, I decided to give a somewhat strenuous workout a shot tonight anyway. Marathon pace for hitting sub-3:00 is approximately 6:52/mile. Tonight's training run was 6 miles at 6:55/mi. And I felt fine for the entire thing. No twinges to speak of, not sore before or after, no need to scale it back at any point - absolutely great.

While next week's final runs Monday through Thursday are all slower than marathon pace (7:30/mi) and pretty short (4 - 6 miles each), the remaining runs this week, through Sunday, are all some variety of strenuous. Looking forward to it. This should keep me in good stead to break 3:30. While I would love to approach or break 3:15 in NYC, I'm not overly concerned with doing so, since I will be looking to have that result in Little Rock. Granted, as NYC gets even closer, I need to figure out how many points I need for one of these two races to have a good chance of finishing wel enough in the Age Rankings to get an invite for the Age Championships in London next year.

Suffolk County Marathon, race report

As I mentioned yesterday, the conditions for the Suffolk County Marathon on Sunday were virtually ideal. (Only covering up the sun with a cloud -- at least when running towards it so that it wasn't so blinding -- would have made it even better.) The course  (revamped entirely for this year to run over the Great South Bay bridge) was actually pretty nice.

While there were only 247 people in the marathon (well, that finished the marathon -- turns out there were at least 3 more that I know of based on my count, which will be clear later), there were 3000 total between all of the races: Kids 1k on Saturday, the 10k, Half Marathon, and Marathon (which all started together in this large group, above), and the 5k (which had a separate start after ours, since they made a left-hand turn to get onto Main Street and run directly towards the finish line where we made a right-hand turn to make an initial loop around Argyle Lake before overlapping with the 5k course.

Round the lake and running along the length of the train station, we re-crossed the start line and then turned left onto Main St. (Montauk Pkwy). The sun was extremely bright and it was a little tricky being sure of my footing. The vicinity of the roadway where I was running was in poor/choppy condition. Not potholes, per se, but the beginnings of what will become nasty potholes after some water gets in there and freezes.

We turned onto Robert Moses Causeway and had the worst uphills -- not just the curving ramp to get up to the causeway, but in about a mile we get to the Great South Bay Bridge. Rather a sizable uphill. And while it's not so bad around Mile 6 of a marathon, coming back at around Mile 24 of the marathon is plain evil.

The view across the bay was really pretty, and with no wind, the water was extremely still.

After we crossed the first bridge, and in approaching a relatively minor second bridge, I could see another bridge in the distance, seemingly as evil as the first one. Fortunately, we turned off of the causeway and onto the bike path prior to getting anywhere near that last bridge.

The bike path afforded plenty of gently rolling hills and a little variety of twists and turns, prior to hitting a very sharp and narrow U-turn just before Mile 15.

As we neared the turnaround point, I finally had the opportunity to find out how I was doing relative to the rest of the field. The person in 1st was about 1.5 miles ahead of me by that point. My count as of the turnaround had be sitting in 25th place overall. As I proceeded further along, I wound up being passed by two people, but also wound up overtaking two people. So, I was expecting to be in 25th at the end. Given I was actually 22nd overall, somewhere along the line either three people dropped out or it was unclear (as we merged back in with half marathoners and 10k runners) that some of the people I passed were participating in the full marathon.

As we approached the return over the Great South Bay Bridge, looking at my watch, I could tell I was *very* close to being able to break 3:15:00, which was the goal for the day given the temps and the fact that I wasn't trying to go all-out. (It was less than 2 weeks since my Chicago-Boston double, and two weeks until New York City; and this race was not eligible for points in the Abbott World Marathon Majors Age Championships, so I had no reason to spend excess energy.)

Yes, that is a very good representation of just how nasty that hill is. At around Mile 24, it's really brutal. Sure, not as bad as Heartbreak Hill (being the 4th of 4 hills), but still...

From this point, it was just coasting to finish, trying to eke out that time. As we took the exit ramp and made the turn back on the last road before the finish, I picked up a little speed, and added a little more juice with the first person who told us "less than ½ mile to go." I think that person was mistaken, as it was another minute or so before someone else told me that. And with the amount of time it took to see the Mile 26 marker, I think the second person was right.

One last very sharp right turn and a quick sprint, and I crossed the finish line. Clock Time is 3:15:20 which is currently my official time. But my Garmin said 3:15:15, which is closer to accurate, since it did take a few seconds for me to cross the Start Line at the beginning. I've got a question out to the race about correcting the Chip Time result. [Edit: I heard back, and they've adjusted my time accordingly. So, my final time is actually my chip time of 3:15:15.]

Either way, a really good result, well-recovered from my double, and no problems with my toes. And, as previously mentioned, a first place result for my age group.

As you may be able to discern, I was still coming in pretty much full speed across the finish line. There was *maybe* 20 feet of space between the finish line and where they had people handing out medals and space blankets and a sharp turn into the chute that led into the post-race tent. WAY too short a distance for me to stop. As I pulled back, I basically shouted to those in my way that I couldn't stop so fast, that I needed to keep moving to slow down. A couple of security folks looked like they wanted to tackle me when I blew past them into an area beyond where people were expected to be, but thankfully realized soon enough what I was doing, and that I would circle back momentarily to get back into the proper post-race flow.

As much as I don't really like the small marathons compared to the big city marathons, given the underwhelming amount of crowd support and I feed off of the energy of the big crowds, I have great results with the Long Island-based marathons. I've run the Nassau County Marathon twice, and placed 3rd in my AG my first time and 2nd in my AG my 2nd time (having aged up), and with my first outing at the Suffolk County Marathon I placed 1st in my AG. Anyone who does like the small town feel of the tinier marathons should give Suffolk County a shot. Depending on what your usual time is, you may be much more competitive for the top spots than if you enter the big races and are going up against the elites who blow away the competition by tons of time; it's always nice coming away with that extra award -- a healthy boost to the ego.

Now, countdown to New York City... T-minus 12 days!

Mostly great day at Suffolk County Marathon

Given I very much liked the synchronicity of having the 50th running of the NYC Marathon be my 50th marathon, and that the Marine Corps Marathon was turned into a virtual, I needed to add one more between the Boston Marathon (my 48th total marathon) and NYC in two weeks. Coming up to Long Island worked quite well to serve as marathon 49.

The morning started off nice and chilly -- about 45 degrees. The start being only about 20 minutes from my mom's place made it very easy to have a relatively late wake-up and departure time. And with the start line actually being right at the Babylon LIRR station, not only using the regular bathroom (rather than port-a-potty) and standing indoors until about 15 minutes before the start was great.

Sure, the politicians talked a bit too long, and we started at least 5-10 minutes late, but once we did, it was a pretty good course. Relatively quickly we made our way to the Robert Moses Causeway, south over the South Bay bridges and onto the bike path that runs past several of the beaches. No wind at all, and a mostly gentle rolling hills course -- save for that one "major" bridge which is a rather steep hill (at about Mile 6 and 24). Very small field in the marathon (only 247 finished) amid the 3000 people running the four simultaneous/overlapping races (5k, 10k, half marathon, marathon), and realtively few people cheering along the course, save for those people volunteering at the aid stations. That's usually my biggest knock on the tiny race fields -- I really do well with the larger crowds of cheering spectators; I definitely get energy from that.

Throughout the entire race, I was on the cusp of getting 3:15. It was tough to tell just where I was with respect to it. I managed to finish with 3:15:20 -- 13 seconds better than my time in Chicago 2 weeks ago. (!)

 

And after a little while, once enough people from my age group had crossed the line, my next, biggest result was available: I got 1st in my age group. (!) And it turns out that I beat 2nd place in my AG by nearly 9 minutes. 

I finished at 10:45am, and found out the result at approximately 11am, while they were handing out the awards for the half marathon. The award ceremony for the full marathon was scheduled for noon. Ugh. But, hey, they had the standard podium set-up, and I was hopeful I could have a normal photo with my fellow competitors. 

Eventually, after eating the finish area's bagel and peanut butter, and partaking of the stretching table, I wait the extra half hour to get that photo.

No such luck. Noon came and went, and the ceremony didn't happen. OK, so they're running a little late. 12:30pm comes and goes. Still nothing. I eventually ask multiple people what's going on. It takes talking to 3 or 4 different people before someone tells me it's going to be another 10 minutes, since they were still waiting for 1 or 2 people to finish the race to hold the ceremony. 12:50pm and they finally start it. They make the various announcements for women and men, in the various AGs starting with the oldest groups and working their way down. Almost NO ONE bothers coming forward. They already collected their awards and left. While I understand waiting to have a full set of finishers to do their particular award ceremony, they should not have postponed the ceremony for everyone else, as just about everyone was gone. Deprives the runners of that ceremony and photo, and deprives the race itself of having that photo to use for publicity.

That said, though, coming in 1st in my age group (out of 22 finishing in the group) and coming in 22nd overal (out of 247 finishing the marathon) is a great result. Happy that this went as wel as it did. Only a couple of minor blisters (since I still can't wear the toe socks I usually wear), and walking seems like it will be pretty normal. Great way of maintaining my fitness in advance of NYC (where I'm looking for 3:30 or better) and Little Rock (where I want better than 3:15, and as close to 3:00 as possible).

Chicago / Boston Marathon double race report, part 11: Departure day traditions (including food porn, part 3)

While I really like Thornton's for breakfast (thanks to Robert Wang for having introduced me to that place a few years ago), my toes were still bothering me enough where I didn't think I'd really be able to be moving fast enough to make sure I got there early enough to have breakfast and then get to my first traditional stop of the day on time, so I partook in the hotel's complimentary continental breakfast. While no great shakes, it was still pretty good.

Check out and have my main bag held by the front desk, I slowly make my way back to the T station, off to Marathon Sports -- right by the finish line area. Every year on the morning after the marathon, they set up a tent outside their store and offer free medal engraving -- your name and finishing time engraved on the back of that year's medal. The line builds fast, so getting there about 90 minutes early is worth it, especially when the rest of the day is often a bit compressed.

This day, the store was a bit behind schedule, and even told everyone they would be starting at 10:30am -- which is 30 minutes later than the information that everyone had been given. Thankfully they caught up a bit, and only started about 10 minutes later than the expected 10am start.

Here's the "pentagram of time" photo that we took.

Starting with my medal at the bottom and going clockwise from there, we have the five of us pictured below, left to right (me, Sagirah Norris, Kelly Wrobel, Jonathan Howse, and Laura Walker).

Whereas the others had a stop at Lindt and several other stores ahead of them, I was on my traditional mission to get to the lunch I wish were open on Mondays, to be able to partake in immediately after the marathon. Alas, I always have to "settle" for going there on Tuesday. And I make sure that my flight is late enough in the afternoon to accommodate this jaunt to the best burger joint in Boston: Mr. Bartley's -- a Harvard Square institution that I was introduced to during one of my trips with my parents to visit my brother when he was in college nearby and attending law school there.

Each year, they revamp their menu to some extent, at least choosing prominent politicians and other celebrities to name their burgers after. 

This year, I got the Joe Biden -- a BBQ bacon cheeseburger (though I subbed in cheddar cheese for the standard American cheese). Change the standard french fries to onion rings, and add on a chocolate shake (that's a small shake, pictured) -- and you've got a GREAT lunch. So tasty, and my goal is to arrive as close to their 11am opening time as possible. Get there after they've been open for a while, and you might have a hefty wait on your hands to get a seat. I got there right after they opened -- first person in the door. Friendly staff, amusing tchotchkes and memorabilia line the walls, good music playing on their sound system -- it all adds up to a great time. If you do go (and you really should), make sure to bring cash, since they don't take credit cards.

This year I wound up having a relatively late flight, so I went back to the hotel and hung out there for a while before taking the shuttle to the airport. Back at the same departure gate as my first day, and that same blast modem-like static noise is still blaring. What the hell is it? And why haven't they done anything about it? Sigh.

Finally back home -- and it's only 6 months until Boston Marathon 2022, and only about 3 weeks until registration opens up  for it. I know that I will be able to get in, so I've already got my hotel reservation made. Thankfully I'll be able to go back to enjoying everything surrounding the marathon a little bit more, since I won't be jetting off to a different city in the middle of the Boston weekend.

Next up, I've got three more marathons this season, every other weekend. Stay tuned for more details about those.

Chicago / Boston Marathon double race report, part 10: Returning to earth

As anyone who has run a marathon (or 48, as is now the case for me) can tell you, when you cross the finish line, no matter how fast your total time nor the speed with which you took that last step, the post-race high lasts for a bit. That said, though, with experience comes the knowledge that you need to get through the post-race area as quickly as possible and keep on moving, making your way back to wherever you're staying. While the mental high stays for a while, and you replay many different aspects of the race just run, your body starts to tighten up, get a little sore (the real soreness takes 1-2 days), and it takes a bit more effort to move than when you had the inertia of running.

I hobbled my way down the stairs into the T and made my way back to the Wonderland station. The walk back (with my feet still feeling like they were blistered underneath) was difficult, and definitely took a fair bit longer than when I walked from the hotel to the station in the morning. On my morning walk, I noticed one of the Chinese restaurants that was on the list from the prior night, and I stopped in briefly to pick up some food. (Boneless Spare Ribs and Roast Pork Fried Rice) While it was a little tougher again to start back up walking after that brief stop, just like it was upon getting off of the train, it was a great idea to pick up food. As it turns out, once I got back to the room, I wasn't leaving it again until the next morning.

I got back and effectively did the same routine as ever: undressed and went into the bathroom to become human again. There are times when all I need for that is to take a slightly longer shower than normal. On this day, I desperately needed to soak in a cold bath. Oh, that felt SO good. Just sitting, finally, with my legs fully outstretched and my feet finally escaped from the confines of shoes and socks, resting in the cold water. And, of course, I brought in the food with me. While the tub was still filling slowly and I was just standing, I wolfed down the boneless spare ribs. Sweet, salty pork. Mmmm!

Then, after the bath was totally full, I sat down (carefully using the bars and the edge of the tub to help lower me) and continued to eat. After I got some of it down, I started to check my text messages, Facebook page, and DMs. It was back-and-forth with all of it, while soaking and eating. I took at least 20 minutes before it seemed like it was time to take a shower and become fully human again. Oh, those bars were SO helpful; I'm not sure I could've managed to stand as easily without them.

Next was to just relax in the bed, under the blanket to keep me warm. Eventually I adjusted the setup so that I had my feet raised atop a couple of very thick pillows while the rest of me was under the blanket. Still nibbling away at my fried rice and watching TV.

Originally, the plan was to join the Boston Squeakers at the finish line that evening to be there when the Race Director, Dave McGillivray, crossed the finish line (of his 49th consecutive Boston Marathon) -- he sets off after the last of the runners in the main race finishes. Given he has an offiial timekeeper with him, all of these efforts count. And have to be SO much harder, given he has much less crowd support along the way than everyone else. I knew I wasn't managing that.

I forced myself to stay awake until sometime after 8pm, since I usually wake up by midnight for 1-2 hours (minimum) if I fall asleep much before 11pm. I stayed asleep all night and woke with my pre-set alarm, in time for my final day in Boston. Still a couple of traditions to keep to!

Chicago / Boston Marathon double race report, part 9: Boston Marathon continues

The race goes beautifully. Even the hills during the early part of the marathon are reasonably manageable. The crowds, as always, are out in force. What's truly unique about Boston compared to most other big city race is that outside of the 8 towns' "downtown" areas, there are lots of single-family homes. And the residents come out in force, standing or sitting in front of their homes cheering along all of these strangers. Some have signs. Many have water, orange slices, and other food or drink that they are handing out to any runner who wants to take them up on the offer of kindness.

We go through Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, and approach Wellesley. This is one of the most overwhelming parts of the course. From at least ½ mile away, you know you're nearing campus, because you can hear the loud roar of the co-eds. OH. MY. GOD. Are they always this loud? No, I think they're louder than normal. After all, they missed doing this last year.

Finally get to the edge of the Scream Tunnel, and the sound is deafening. My god, it's fabulous. Myself and at least one other runner who is a decent bit ahead of me give the rising-hands motion for them to be louder. And do they ever rise to the challenge. The adrenaline surges, huge smile on my face, I push even faster (still no pain - yes!), and finally reach the end of the Scream Tunnel. The sounds dissipates, but takes a while to really do so. Those of us within earshot of each other running along remark on just how great that stretch of the course was, and how loud they were.

With the 5th town behind me, the part of the course I (and most other runners) dread is fast approaching: Newton. Starting around Mile 16, the dreaded Newton Hills kick in. This is where we have about 4-5 miles worth of relatively long, rather steep uphills to contend with. I fully expect to have to walk, but we'll see.

The first hill I take with little problem, but right around Mile 17 I start feeling something. No not my feet (though that will happen shortly thereafter). No, this time my chest. No, I wasn't having any breathing or heart problems. I finally recognized that I forgot to put on my two Band-Aids this morning. Yep, I use Band-Aids for "nip tape", and totally forgot to put them on this morning while getting dressed. A quick check, and I haven't started bleeding yet. Phew. As I approach the med tent, all of the people there are very concerned: What's wrong? I quickly calm them down, alerting them that all I need are two Band-Aids to stop the chafing that is about to start in earnest.

My first-ever med tent pit stop out of the way, I get back into the flow of the runners. Shortly afterwards is when I begin noticing something with both feet. It feels like I'm getting blisters along the bottom of my feet. Oh, that's not good. And there's nothing that I can do to prevent it from happening. After all, my shoes and socks are both soaked through (given that I've been dousing myself with two cups of water at every single water stop in order to keep my core temperature cool), I don't have any way of drying them out nor have a change of either. Just keep pushing through and do whatever possible to minimize movement of my foot within the shoe.

While the 1st hill wasn't a problem. I wound up walking the entirety of the 2nd hill and about half of the last hill. I was highly disappointed that the arch of balloons that has previously marked the top of Heartbreak Hill wasn't there. Nor did I see the statue that I know is in the vicinity. So, I was never really sure that I had crested Heartbreak. After all, the hills aren't a simple up one side down the other. Several of them have small plateaus or minro dips in the middle before continuing up. So calling it four hills is actually somewhat deceptive.

I eventually see the change in the landscape (high-rises) and the signs marking Brookline. We're nearing the home stretch. Running through Boston College was very similar to Wellesley, though they aren't heard quite as far in advance and aren't as loud when you're in the thick of it. But there's still plenty of energy to be gained from them.

Then there's the icon peaking through the fall foliage (which is usually visible earlier and for a much longer period of time during the no-foliage days of early spring) -- the giant Citgo sign. That is a huge signal that you're getting close to the end. Whereas in the spring where it isn't blocked by the trees at all (since there are no leaves then) and it reminds me of the scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail where a knight is fast approaching the castle, but never seems to move, until several cut-shots later he is finally on top of the guards, impaling each last person with his sword, this time around we pretty much played hide-and-seek with the sign, as it was frequently blocked by the leaves. Frankly, I preferred this time, because in the spring, it feels like it takes FOREVER to finally pass the sign and this time around, it wasn't ever-present, taunting my slow movement towards it.

Then we get to Boston proper. Mile 25. Then the "One Mile Left" sign. And before you know it, we're speeding down the last downhill under an overpass, make our way up the beginning of the last climb. Right on Hereford, Left of Boylston! (Anyone who runs Boston knows that mantra.) And it is a quarter mile dash, as fast as possible to finish the race. As before, I motion for more volume from the huge crowd on either side of the road. On the left, I see the first memorial for the 2013 marathon bombing. I instantly doff my hat and bow it to the memorial. Then again with the second memorial near Marathon Sports almost on top of the finish line. Seconds later, hat back on, hands in the air, I'm across the finish line! I made it! And with a time of 3:47:53! Holy $h!t! How the hell did THAT just happen with these feet?!

Chicago / Boston Marathon double race report, part 8: Race Day #2 begins

Time to wake up and see what's doable. Having set up my kit the night before, there was little I needed to do apart from get dressed, eat my typical pre-race breakfast, and make sure to go to the bathroom as much as possible before heading out (where only portapotties would be available). But, the first moment of truth for the day, the one that would dictate if anything was possible at all, was dealing with these toes. 

I knew that I couldn't even contemplate wearing the pair of toe socks that I had. But I still gave a shot at putting on the Wrightsocks that I had. Nope. Those are way too snug for the way my left toe is feeling. Wool socks it is. (Thank you, Jess, for having knit me these socks!) I've never run in wool socks before. In fact, the only time I've ever worn the wool socks has been AFTER a marathon -- they are loose, comfy, and keep my feet warm. But could I run wearing them? Who knows? Mercifully, the second pair of sneakers are my typical pair, and I was able to don them without any problem. So, first hurdle cleared.

Finally get out the door with my bottles of water and Shot Bloks in the clear runner's village bag, and I walk to the T station. Plenty of time. It only takes about 30 minutes for the train, including one transfer, to get me to Boston Commons, where the bus loading is to take place.

As I walk along the front of the park, I briefly meet up with a few other members of the Boston Squeakers group -- all of whom have the ultra-speedy Wave 1/red bibs. I have the slightly less speedy Wave 2/white bib. After a few minutes of chatting, we start walking over to the buses. While they go through Security and board the buses, the white wave isn't being let through yet (which was expected). So, I just stand around for a little while, intermittently chatting with the volunteer who is directing the continuous flood of people. I decide that I want to have a bagel (since there is no runner's village this year -- and any of the food that they would normally have there is not going to be available pre-race), and eventually make my way to the nearby Dunkin' Donuts, pointed the way by some local cops. (Sure, it's not a New York bagel, but pre-marathon, I'm not exactly going to be picky about that. It's the carbs that I wanted.)

Eventually, they decide to allow the 2nd wave to join, and we all pile in to a pre-staging area, waiting for the current set of buses to finish loading and depart. The new set of buses pull in, it starts raining a little bit, and they let us go to the staging area for the buses. If you've ever seen the beginning of a marathon, the way we were off like a shot towards the different buses was reminiscent of the scene.

I chat with my seatmate for most of the ride out, and we eventually get to Hopkinton. The rain has dissipated, but it's still a nice cool day to start with. We couldn't have asked for more perfect conditions. And where we were dropped off at the high school, the portapotties had no more than 5 people in any given line. Wonderful! Make the final pit stop, do a little bit of stretching, get my water bottles and my Shot Bloks into my belt, and begin amking the trek through town towards the Start Line. It's early, but they're not holding back any of us wearing white bibs. By the time I get to the starting area, it's closing in on 9:13. Even though my start window isn't supposed to begin until 9:24, they allow me to proceed.

This is it. The moment of truth that I have been worrying about since Mile 17 during the Chicago Marathon. While walking has been fine, how would I handle running?

As you may know, the first mile of the Boston Marathon is the steepest part of the entire course. EVERYONE always goes out faster than they should here. It's typically a matter of whether you can rein that back in to a more reaslistic time so that you don't drain your batteries too early while you're feeling great.

7:18. That was how well I was doing. I was able to *run* down that hill without feeling any pain in my toes whatsoever in 7:18. Yes! While I know that I won't be keeping that pace for the entire race (I'd be thrilled with 7:30 - 8:00 as my average pace), I finally know the answer to my dreaded question: Yes, I *will* be able to finish the Boston Marathon. And not only will I be able to beat 5 hours easily, I should even be able to beat 4 hours without a problem. 

Chicago / Boston Marathon double race report, part 7: You did WHAT, lady?!

While the flight itself from Chicago to Boston was uneventful, I had occasion to overhear a lady one row up from me and on the other side of the aisle talking with her seatmate. And as she was telling her tale, I began to boil, knowing that venting there was pointless -- so I'm doing so here.

At first, her tale started simply. For some reason, she didn't bother telling any of her friends (who were going to be at the Boston Marathon cheering on the racers, as far as I could gather) that she was going to be running the marathon. She was keeping it a secret from them. Not sure why -- I didn't catch that. After all, they knew that she was running the Chicago Marathon -- why not tell them she's doing the double? But she didn't. Fine, whatever.

But then she gets into talking about the logistics of doing both marathons on consecutive days and how she thought it was silly to go through those hoops. (Excuse me? Given the requirements of both races, you HAD to jump through those hoops, just like I did, to manage both races.) No, she worked her way around the system. She talked about how she had one of her friends pick up her bib (using her ID (and presumably a copy of her COVID vaccination card) -- so, clearly that friend knew the racing plan, but was "sworn to secrecy"). And how her friend made sure that the wristband that was put onto her wrist was loose enough -- so that after she picked up the bib, she could slip the wristband off.

If I heard correctly, she paid this friend about $60 to do this for her. I was a little unclear about the connection to the BAA, if this friend was actually a member or not. But this lady talked about how she had asked about getting the bib and wristband sent to her, or some other way of getting it, to no avail. Hence why she resorted to this method of (in my words) scamming the system.

Yes, this lady legitimately registered for the race and had a legitimate bib. She wasn't going to be running with someone else's bib or a faked one. However, it grinds my gears (thanks, Peter Griffin) that she worked her way around this system. A system that is put in place for good reasons.

I have no idea what her name is, what her expected starting timeframe was, nor if she even finished. But, in my book, she should have been a DNS (Did Not Start, for the uninitiated reading along), since she never got the wristband and bib in the prescribed manner while the expo was open.

By some accounts, there were about 200 of us who did this double. If the rest of us could figure out the way to handle the logistics, she could and SHOULD have done so, too.

Chicago / Boston Marathon double race report, part 6: Can I run Boston?

Less than 2 hours later, we land in Boston, I get my checked bag and call the hotel for their shuttle service. I wind up calling a total of three times over about 45 minutes before the van actually arrives. But it does, and I finally make it to the hotel -- all the way out in Revere, just past the end of the blue line (which has its terminus in Wonderland).

Nice hotel, friendly staff. I get my key from the front desk and then ask if the room has a bathtub, or just a shower. Oh, what a wonderful question to remember to ask. I was given a shower-only room, so I asked for one with a bathtub, if still available. (Given it was past 8pm, there was no guarantee I could change rooms.) A few minutes of typing in the computer and shifting someone else who had not yet checked in, I get a different room. Top floor (the hotel has an elevator, so no complaint), and it is a fully ADA-compliant accessible room. Not only is the room itself huge, as is the bathroom (since it needs to have room to accommodate a wheelchair), but there are bars by the toilet and plenty of bars in different configurations in the tub. Fantastic! While I didn't need them right now, they would surely come in handy after finishing Boston... if I can finish Boston, or even start Boston.

By this point in time, I was really worried about my toes. And as quickly as possible, get my sneakers off and my socks. Huge inflammation of the toenails on both big toes -- the left one feeling much worse than the right -- and both getting cloudy and purple under the nail. (Yep, those are actually blood blisters forming.) I need a pain reliever -- Motrin is what I've been advised. And I really should get some Gatorade or Powerade to continue replenishing some electrolytes. So, wool socks back on my feet, I shuffle downstairs to purchase both items, and get a list of the local restaurants. Despite it being as late as it is, I eventually make the decision to order some take-out Chinese food. Large delivery fee tacked on, and it wasn't quite what I thought it was going to be. But it was good and what I needed.

Still, the worry was whether I could even start Boston, let alone finish in a reasonable time. Can I do 5 hours with these toes? One of my running friends was starting an hour after me and sent me a photo of the outfit she was going to be wearing. I advised her of my hoped-for time and that I'd keep an eye out for her green Mordor outfit. What would the morning bring?

Chicago / Boston Marathon double race report, part 5: Getting to Boston (again)

I finished at about 10:45am, which became a new start clock for me. Why? Because I needed to make sure I got back to the hostel, showered, changed, and got to the airport in time to catch my flight. As my flight was scheduled for 3:40pm, I wasn't overly worried. But, still, given how my toes were screaming at me, I didn't know how fast I was going to be moving. So, having gotten through the post-race area, picked up the medal, space blanket, and food/drink, I was off.

It felt like a really long walk. No longer than it was in the morning when I walked to the start line, but it certainly took a lot longer. But absolutely everyone that I passed (the vast majority of whom were on their way to the family reunion area post-finish) congratulated me on my finish. Absolutely great having all that extra validation for the effort.

I finally get to the corner by my hotel, and wonder how am I going to cross the road? After all, there was a HUGE number of people still on course at that point. (Remember, it's around Mile 12 of the course.) There weren't really any gaps to exploit. So, I do the only thing I can do, jump in with the flow of the runners to shift to the other side of the road, then double-back on the sidewalk to get to the entryway.

I take out the fob and enter. Ugh. There are the stairs. I have three full flights of stairs to walk up. And that's not the worst part of it. I will then have three flights of stairs to walk DOWN. WITH all of my baggage that I need to schlep to the airport and Boston. Sigh.

I finally make it up to the room. Carefully take off my sneakers and socks. Methodically take off the rest of my clothing and get them into plastic bags. Wrap the towel 'round my waist and off to the shower. (It's a hostel. So the bathrooms/showers are shared, not in the private rooms.) Definitely feel a bit more human, but disappointed that I don't have a tub to soak in to help my legs and feet out. Meh, I'll make sure I have that in Boston.

Get back in the room, get dressed, and finish up the last bit of packing that I hadn't done yesterday to set myself up for a quick departure. Off I go. Downstairs. Three. Flights. One. Step. At a time.

The owner was really lax about the check-out time. I had moved it originally from 11am to noon, but now it was approaching 12:30pm. No hassles. One thing he asked of me, that he had upon check-out: Please make sure to autograph one of the marathon posters in the other room. I gladly oblige with name, state, and time.

Back onto the sidewalk, where throngs of runners are still flowing by. I stand there for a few minutes with the medal hanging around my neck, cheering them on, and telling them that the bling is worth the pain (or some variant). But the clock is still ticking. And where I really like being able to get back to a race course after I finish to cheer on the runners, I just didn't want to take the chance of lingering too long and something getting messed up. So, I trek back to the L station (just a block away), and get stopped by a police officer right after I throw away an empty water bottle in the recycling bin just outside the entrance to the station.

We chat for about 5-10 minutes. He's contemplating getting into running and asking me all sorts of questions. I tell him about starting off small with C25k (couch to 5k, for the uninitiated reading along), then slowly tackling longer races as he works up his stamina and speed before signing up for a marathon. I tell him the different ways to get into the Chicago Marathon and, during the course of conversation, wind up mentioning that I'm on my way to Boston to run that the next day. Yes, having just finished Chicago. He wishes me well, and off I go, into the station and onto the L back to O'Hare.

Getting from the L station all the way to the actual terminal in O'Hare is a huge trek. (Watch, someone will come back and say it's not even 0.25 miles.) Loaded down with luggage and feet hurting (despite being in comfortable wool socks and looser sneakers), it seems interminable. But I get there. and, per my plan prior to the weekend, after I get through Security, I immediately get lunch: a torta and tortilla chips from Torta Frontera. While I would have preferred to get a burrito (to have the rice and beans, too), this was quite satisfying.

Eventually make my way to the gate, we board, and we're wheels up. And at least 20-25 people on the flight are also obviously going to Boston to complete this once-in-a-lifetime double. And I can relax, having managed the first several legs of this journey, safe in the knowledge that I will be arriving in Boston Sunday evening, already having my bib in my backpack, not having to worry about getting to the expo. Now all I have to worry about are these toes...

Chicago / Boston Marathon double race report, part 4: The Chicago Marathon

Finally! The big day has arrived. As always, sleep the night before was not great. There's just no good way for me to control that adrenaline from kicking in early. Despite that, I was reasonably well-rested and eager to get out on the course, despite being a bit fearful about just how warm it was going to be.

Well, part of the reason why I got up at 4am was because the hostel was actually putting out a breakfast for the runners. What he neglected to tell me at check-in was that this would be on the ground floor, behind a door that was closed when I arrived. I thought it was going to be on the first floor, where the rules of the house dictate that all the guests are supposed to eat -- no food is permitted in the guest rooms. So, turns out that I merely ate my usual pre-marathon meal (granola bars and banana). Oh well. I was looking forward to seeing what he put out.

Next was getting my sneakers on. Normally this is not something that should even deserve remarking on, but this time it did. As per usual, I put on two pairs of socks: my Injinji toe socks *and* my Wrightsocks (which themselves are a double-sock by design). I do this on race days when I expect it to be raining or I will be dousing myself with lots of water, as I wind up getting blisters a little too easily in those conditions. Getting the socks on is easy. But the sneakers... I had just starting using this style of shoe less than 2 weeks before, and had only gotten about 25 miles of break-in time on them. While that was enough to know I could deal with the shoes, it wasn't enough to determine whether my feet would be able to properly deal with them once they swell during the latter stages of the race, since the longest run I had gotten in on them was 13 miles.

Getting to the starting area could only have been easier by choosing a place a bit closer to Grant Park. As it is, I chose a place in Greektown. In fact, what I didn't know when I made my reservation was that the hostel was literally along the marathon route, around Mile 12. Well, it was about a 1-mile (or a drop longer) walk straight along Van Buren to get to Michigan Avenue. Just a short jaunt to the right from there, and I was at my designated entrance to the park. I quickly make my way through security, meander through much of the area to get to the baggage check area (despite not checking any bag), pick up an extra sleeve of Endurance chews, hit the porta potty, and proceed to the corral where I sit for an hour while the same brief loop of video material is played on the jumbotron. As the corral fills up and it gets close to 7am, I make my way out to line up one last time at the portapotty and then head in to join up with the pace group that has slowly assembled while I was out of the corral.

7:30 arrives and we're off! Well, Corral A was off. Corral B (where I was) needed to wait until 7:35 before we were set loose. Then, off like a shot. For the most part, during the first 7 miles, I paid little attention to my watch, as I was merely making sure to keep pace with our pace group leaders. Turns out that they were going quite a bit faster than they had said they were going to do, but I didn't know that given my non-reliance on the Garmin this time. Paired with the heat (it was 74F by the time we were at Mile 5), this would lead to problems with achieving my sub-3. As I started drifting further back from the pacers, I started looking at my watch to see what was happening. Sub-3 was quickly slipping away.

Well, as you can guess from further above, my feet did NOT do well later on. These ASICS Metaspeed Sky sneakers only come in a Regular (D) width. However, I always by Wide (EE) sneakers. They were tough to get on during my trial runs when only using a single pair of socks, it was definitely a bit tricky with both these pairs. But I managed. And there seemed to be enough room at the front of the sneaker to expand into.

Mile 17. My big toes (especially the one on my left foot) start hurting. A lot. And they only hurt even more the further I go. I know for sure that this is a problem because of the width of the shoe and not having enough space overall to swell into, but have no idea exactly what has happened. Did I actually wind up spraining or even breaking either big toe or both? It's certainly not unheard of for that to happen during a marathon. Was it something else?

The cheering of the crowd definitely helped quite a bit to grit through the pain of my toes. Amazingly enough, my glutes and quads were totally fine -- they didn't feel sore or lock up at all. Possible that the style of sports massage that I had gotten just a few days before was what I needed to prevent problems there.

I see 3 hours come and go, and I still had 2 miles to go. In the end, mostly because of the heat but possibly in small part because of the shoes, I wind up finishing in 3:15:33. It's a BQ, and one that would be sufficient for my registering for Boston 2022 given I age-up, but one that I don't need since I still have my 3:02:02 PR/GWR that can be used from Oct 2019.

Chicago / Boston Marathon double race report, part 3: Food porn, part 2

Saturday... the day before the Chicago Marathon and my sub-3 attempt. What's on the itinerary? Absolutely NOTHING. As minimal physical activity as possible. So, that means staying inside my room the vast majority of the day, and only venturing out to get lunch and dinner. (Since I have something to eat for breakfast and snacks with me in my room.)

Well... I remembered the dim sum restaurant I stumbled upon five years when I did the Chicago Marathon the first time: Minghin Cuisine, in Chinatown. When I had gone in 2016, apparently it was after lunch hour, or something, because it was not all that busy. But this time... I got there right at the height of lunch hour... this place was HOPPING! It was a 30-minute wait for me to get a table.

Finally, I make my way inside and am handed both a dim sum-oriented menu (which has spaces for me to write the number of orders of each item on it) and a tablet. I turn on the tablet thinking that maybe I'm actually supposed to place my order that way (I've been to such restaurants before), but it turns out that their standard Chinese restaurant fare is listed there, not the dim sum. Off it goes, and study the hardcopy. So much to choose from, but I know that I don't want to go TOO far overboard.

Shrimp and chive: while these look pretty nasty, as it's a more slimy/starchy kind of wrap for these, the stuffing is one solid piece. So, when the first one I picked up with the chopsticks fell apart out of the wrap, it was no loss when I left the wrap behind and merely ate the stuffing. Mmm...!

Steamed BBQ pork buns: I was almost disappointed that these came out with the shrimp and chive and well ahead of the other two dishes. This is so sweet, it could easily qualify as a dessert. Oh, wonderful! And these particular buns, if/when they fall apart, you definitely want to make sure to gobble up each little bit that drops to the plate. Wonderful!

Fried roast pork sticy rice: Very simple dish, and one that even novices with chopsticks could handle with aplomb. The sweetness of the stick rice with the saltiness of the soy sauce used while stir frying this paired very nice. A smattering of roast pork throughout was a nice complement.

Fried corn and shrimp cakes: It seems like these got lost in the shuffle back in the kitchen. I had to wait about 5-10 minutes extra after all of the other dishes were finished and I flagged down the waiter to let him know this last dish never arrived. But this dish did not disappoint. Scrumptious. And it also had a hint of sweetness to it, that it was a good "substitute" dessert where the pork buns would have been my default, if everything arrived simultaneously.

While this was my full meal, it PALED in comparison, volume-wise, with what the lady next to me (and fellow Chicago marathoner) was eating. I don't know exatly what dishes she got, since I made it point not to stare and I thought it would be rude to make any overt comment a la "I hope you're going to be bringing half of that home for dinner tonight." However, this relatively thin woman had one large bowl of soup, one dim sum "small plate" (like mine above), and SIX full-size regular entrees brought out. It was just her at the table eating. And slowly but surely making her way through it. She arrive after I did, so it was a bit of a marvel as dish by dish got brought out, maybe 2 or 3 at a time, with the soup being the last to arrive while I was still there. I can't fathom how much of it she actually ate -- I wasn't there to bear witness to the entirety. But even what amount I was there for, it was impressive. And I'm sure, just like with everything I had for my lunch, it was likely all delicious.

Like with Giordano's for deep dish, you *must* make it a point to get to Minghin Cuisine to get dim sum if you are in Chicago long enough to do so. Personally, I would choose Minghin over Giordano's if given the choice, but that's not exactly a surprise.

Chicago / Boston Marathon double race report, part 2: Food porn, part 1

While I was snacking a little bit throughout the day, with all of the running around between both Boston and Chicago and their respective expos, I never managed to have a lunch. (I didn't have much of a breakfast before leaving, either.) So, needless to say, I was *hungry* by the time I was making my way back to my hostel.

Well, thankfully I looked up where some of the best Chicago pizza is located. (NOTE: I'm a New Yorker. Nothing will ever replace a great slice from a New York pizza joint, but when in Chicago...) Lucky for me, my hostel was literally one block away from one of the Giordano's franchises. It was just the right time where it wasn't all that busy inside. 

Sure, it was a 45-minute wait while they baked the pizza, even for the personal-sized like I got (it's well-advertised that's how long it is supposed to take; no surprise, there), but, boy was it worth it!

This photo doesn't really do it justice. Oh, when that was dropped off at my table, the aroma... You can't necessarily tell from the photo, but I got my pizza with both sausage and bacon. And, wow, was it wonderful. Sure, part of the reaction was likely due to sheer hunger. But this was genuinely great Chicago-style pizza. If you're ever in Chicago, make it a point to take the time to go to Giordano's.

Chicago / Boston Marathon Double race report, part 1: two flights, two expos, one day

The races have finally come and gone. It was a wonderful weekend, and while I didn't do as well as desired in Chicago and much better than expected in Boston, let me not get ahead of myself jumping to the results.

Logistics

The logistics that I had to maneuver through worked out beautifully. I flew to Boston early on Friday. Having checked a bag through to Chicago, I didn't need to worry about schlepping the heaviest bag, though I did have two carry-on size bags with me. I was tentative enough with how Security would deal with these bags. Getting the Silver Line for free is always nice. Pretty quick ride and easy connection to get down to the Finish Line area.

I arrived at the COVID vaccination proof tent by approximately 11am, right when the expo was set to open. Inside the tent there were PLENTY of tables, I was immediately seen at one of them, got my wristband, and exited. Then I mosied up the block to get to the Hynes Convention Center, where the expo was being held -- its traditional spot. I was appalled at what I saw once I got inside and picked up by bib and shirt. There was, effectively, NOTHING. This huge space, and precious few vendors were there. Even though I'm typically jaded with most expos (after all, this was going to be my 48th race), it's still nice to have all the vendors there and the bustling atmosphere. Well, Boston had *maybe* a total of 5 or 6 vendors there. All I can recall seeing apart from the Adidas store for race merchandise (where I made my traditional purchase of a ball cap) was the Sam Adams area, the Adidas Makers area (which meant nothing to me at the time), and the Abbott booth.

Well, the Abbott booth was the only one I was interested in seeing. This will be the first opportunity since I earned my 6-Star medal in London back in April 2019 that I was able to see my name on the Wall of Fame. Not that it's really visible in this photo.

Well, breezing through the expo in less than five minutes, I was off... back to Logan Airport to catch my "connecting" flight to Chicago. Made it in plenty of time, flew through TSA Pre-Check, and was able to sit in a nice comfy chair near the gate for the hour or so before boarding. For some reason, there was a godawful modem-like static type sound that was perpetually emanating from *something* in the area -- no idea what.

Simple flight later, and I pick up my checked bag (turns out it arrived on a flight before I did), make the very long hike to the Blue line station at the airport, buy a discounted 3-day pass for the CTA and head on out to my hostel to drop off all my bags before heading over to the expo. 

Upon check-in, I get my key and see it's room 312. There is no elevator (not available for the guests, anyway). That's right -- three full flights of stairs to walk up to get to my room. Sure, I could do that at the beginning of the weekend, but how will my legs and feet cooperate after I finish Sunday's marathon? Oy! Suck it up, buttercup -- you're not the only marathoner staying here.

Chicago's expo, while much smaller than it was my previous time (in 2016) and no speaker programs, it was quite respectable. And, in comparison to Boston, it was positively huge. First stop, the security check that had us also show our vaccination card in order to get our wristband. Now I've got two vaccination wristbands for the weekend and my Berlin 2018 security wristband on. I will certainly keep the Boston and Chicago wristbands on at least until the COVID hysteria dies down. But likely even longer than that, given that it's over 3 years I've been wearing the Berlin wristband. (Wow, that time has flown by.)

I quickly get my bib and shirt and make my way into the rest of the expo.

Of course, it's a rule (isn't it?) that you have to take a photo at Abbott's Wall of Fame the first time you are at an expo where your name is present, right? This time the Abbott volunteer did a better job with the photo, getting the full wall of names in.

Of course I wound up getting an amusing t-shirt that would wind up being ironically semi-prophetic: "Run. Walk. Crawl. Hail a Taxi." Too funny to not get.

Last-minute worries

I'm sitting down at my table listening to the radio and waiting for the car that I put a reservation in for... for more than an hour from now. I *hate* waiting - ugh!

In this intervening time, I get the chance to worry about all sorts of things:

• Do I have my vaccine card? (Need that for both Chicago and Boston to get into expo, get my bib number, and get on the bus in Boston.)
• Do I have my full kit for both races?
• Do I have the proper nutrition (Shot Bloks) and both water bottles for both races?
• Do I have the right additional clothing for the weekend, accounting for the two race shirts that I will get at the respective expos?
• What is the weather really going to be like in both cities? Is it really going to be THAT warm? Will I be able to hit the PR that I'm looking for in Chicago which such a high temp?
• Will my nutrition and hydration this weekend be sufficient for the expected conditions?
• Will there be any timing issues for my turn-around flight to Chicago or my post-Chicago flight to Boston? (I *think* I gave myself enough time for each.)
• Have I forgotten anything that I really need with me and don't want to purchase again?

To be sure, I'll run through this list and maybe a few more questions not yet in mind at least a couple of more times before the car arrives to take me to the airport.

What sort of last-minute worries do you obsess over before you get underway?

Sneaker review

About a week ago, I was pretty much at end-of-life for my two pairs of sneakers. Rather than push it a little bit too far, to include two marathons, I got my newest replacement pairs. And while one of them was my regular -- ASICS Gel Nimbus -- which is a really solid, supportive sneaker, and one which accommodates a custom insole, I splurged on the Metaspeed Sky for my second pair. The Metaspeed is essentially ASICS' answer to Nike's VaporFly. Given my newest sub-3 attempt at Chicago, I figured having the extra "boost" might be helpful.

So far, I've done a few runs in them. Walking in them in the lead-up to the walk is *really* weird. The feeling from the carbon plate is rather awkward. However, that's not a big deal, since I won't exactly be walking in them during the race. These shoes are kinda fascinating.

First off is just the experience of getting them on. With my normal sneakers, regardless of brand, I usually get a wide (2E) shoe. These only come in medium/normal (D) width. So, it definitely takes a little bit of effort to make sure I maximize the amount of space available to put my feet in. While it's a little tricky getting on, once it is, it's a pretty comfy fit. We'll see how I feel about that on Sunday late in the marathon as my feet gradually swell.

Then there's the material covering the top and sides of my feet. VERY thin, lightweight. Where the Gel Nimbus has a LOT of cushiony material there (which soaks up SO MUCH sweat during longer runs), there's almost nothing there on these sneakers. It's so noticeable that I could feel the self-made breeze through the tops of the sneakers as I ran -- instant cooling for my feet. And after a long enough run where the sneakers should have been noticeably wet, even if not soaked through (I only did 13 miles on Sunday), these were pretty much dry right at the end of the run. Nice!

Then there's the main crux of any review -- how were they to run in? While the high stack is a little awkward at first, it's mostly unnoticeable once the run is begun in earnest. These sneakers are very comfortable, lightweight (about half the weight of the Gel Nimbus), and definitely require less effort for the desired result. How much is from the carbon plate and how much simply from the reduced weight is for others to determine. Regardless, with less effort needed to achieve the desired outcome, that means it's likely to be able to endure the desired speed for a longer amount of time with less likelihood of hitting the wall, all else being equal.

If the reduction in PR time is actually comparable, then not only is sub-3 doable, but maybe even dropping down as far as approximately 2:57. (!) Wouldn't that be spectacular! Not sure I'll push that, since there will actually be a 3:00 pace group for Chicago, so I have no reason to break away from them (and risk blowing up my tiem/effort) until inside the last mile.

Looking forward to seeing just how well these hold up for me on Sunday.

Always looking for the next race

Chicago and Boston are both next week, and I have several more marathons scheduled through late November, the possibility of one in December, Dopey in January, and Big Sur in April knowing that once I can register for Boston 2022 I will be able to get in and do Boston 2 Big Sur. And I'm *still* looking to sign up for more marathons.

So, naturally, I took advantage of today's opening for the London Marathon ballot.

Frankly, I'm hoping that I manage to get in via the Abbott World Marathon Majors Age Championships. We'lll see what the next several races have in store for me and what my total points will be. While I'll have 5 qualifying races, only my best two races will count towards the score.