New York City Marathon!

I had a great time in New York! I’d recommend it to anyone, maybe not for a PR effort though. Although not like Mt. Bonnell, the bridges were a factor to anyone worried about their pace. This day, I decided to stick with Kevin. He had talked me into going to NY and also comped me a room off of his airline miles at the Sheraton. So, I ended up running slower than I usually run. His goal was 4:15, but he (we) missed it by 40 minutes. He had a hip issue that I think was related to his IT band, and walked a little after every water stop.

At least the pace allowed me to enjoy the city! What a great crowd. Really supportive and noisy, at least until we ran through a Jewish section of town. The people, very few of which were on the street, just stared as we went by. It was a real contrast to the rest of the noisy crowd! And the bands were fabulous! A real encouragement to runners and to the crowds.

This race was different for me in many ways. For one, I did not have dehydration issues. (The weather was perfect. Low 40s to low 50s). In fact, I had to stop FIVE times to do my business! Maybe because I knew I could eventually catch back up to Kevin. First stop – at mile 8 – a construction area bordered by a chain link fence. I saw other male runners doing their business so did the same. Unfortunately, in wanting to get as close to the fence as possible, I got my shoe lace tangled up in the chain link! I was hopping on one foot while trying to extricate my other foot. Ended up having to retie my right shoe with slippery gloves, all the while imagining Kevin fading into the distance. I caught back up, but it took me most of a mile.

Second memorable event; about mile 18, just as we were passing the water stop, I heard a “pop” and was immediately pasted on the face with most of a packet of banana GU! Thoughts of the movie “There’s something about Mary” went through my mind. Apparently, a volunteer had stepped on someone’s dropped GU, and it shot out, hit me in the face, some going into my open mouth, and the rest dripping down my shoulder and leg. Yuch! So, although it didn’t affect my pace, it did score high on the gross factor!

Best, and I mean best ever memory; seeing the Achilles Track Club throw down. A runner with a neuro-muscular disease, who sat backwards on his racing wheel chair and pushed himself along with one leg. A runner without legs, who gave a mighty effort with artificial legs and canes. My God, the best of the human spirit was there, right in front of me! I was grateful to just witness such a gutsy effort. The next time I’m tempted to feel sorry for myself, I’ll just think about Achilles.

Prettiest scenery; coming off of the last bridge onto Manhattan. Also the noisiest part of the course. The cheering crowds hit like a rush of adrenaline! And it stayed loud all the way to the finish.

Only problem; from the finish to the baggage truck, the crowds were so huge it took about a half hour of SLOW walking to get to my drop bag. And the knees started swelling up and didn’t want to work!

Second sort of a problem; finding a seat at any Irish bar anywhere near the race course! Found one, had a Guinness and a couple of slices of REAL pizza. A great end to a good day!

Okay, this wasn’t a standard race report. But it was one of my most memorable races! So what’s next? I’m not yet in another training program, but I told my coach I want to train for the Tahoe Triple in September. That’s 3 marathons on 3 successive days, for a total of 78.6 miles. She did it this year, we are considering running it together in 2009.

Hole in the Wall Gang!

Dear Friends,

I recently accepted the challenge to raise funds in support of Hole in the Wall Camps by running in the ING New York City Marathon on November 2, 2008 as part of Team Hole in the Wall.

The Association of Hole in the Wall Camps encompases the world's largest family of camps for children with serious illnesses and life threatening conditions. To date, more than 114,000 children with serious illnesses from all 50 states and 32 countries have attended these camps free of charge. The Association of Hole in the Wall Camps is a not-for-profit organization totally supported by charitable contributions. Hole in the Wall Camps are the dream of actor Paul Newman, who started the first camp in 1988, and has been the driving force ever since.

To date, more than 114,000 children with serious illnesses from all 50 states and 32 countries have attended Hole in the Wall Camps free of charge. Campers have the opportunity to horseback ride, climb towers, make woodshop and crafts projects, sleep next to a campfire, catch as many fish as possible, and sing and dance their hearts out on stage.

Camp is a place where the children, first and foremost, can simply be kids. Certainly, their medical treatments continue while they are at Camp, but those treatments are as unobtrusive as possible. These kids are at Camp to play.

Please consider supporting me as I try to raise funds to send a child to a Hole in the Wall Camp. It is faster and easier than ever to support this great cause by making your tax-deductible donation online. If you prefer, you can mail your check, payable to "The Hole in the Wall Gang Fund, Inc.", directly to me.

Whatever you can give will help - it all adds up! I greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress.

Click here to visit my Web page

Sincerely,
Ed Burgess

New York Marathon - My Next Challenge!

Well, I've settled on a goal for this year! While on a run with my good friend Kevin Kudlac, we discussed our desire to see two of our group qualify for Boston. Leilani Perry and Barb Edwards need 4 hours to BQ, and we got so excited at the prospect that we decided to be there to watch that happen! We both decided not to rely on the lottery, and signed up to raise $3000 through The Hole in the Wall Gang. This charity, sponsored by Paul Newman, provides summer camps for children with serious illnesses.

To date, I've reached about a third of my goal, and hope that friends and family members can help me with the rest! The only catch is that I obligate myself up front for the money, and if I don't raise it they take it out of my credit card. But, I have 4 months left to raise the money!

So, I find myself running a Rogue fall marathon training program (again!), in the middle of the hottest summer I can remember. There are those who say that the heat will make you a stronger runner. Right. I'd sooner take cooler temperatures and be able to run more! But it's all good. Especially the twice weekly runs with friends! The highlight of my week is the Saturday morning long run. I ran 14 this past weekend, and ended up getting lost and actually doing 14.6. Kim Eldridge and I are about the same pace, and decided to run an extra two miles (everybody else was doing 12). However, we both enjoyed talking so much that we missed our turn and tacked on the extra .6. Coach, I want credit for this!

Well, there's no end in sight for the heat, so I'll probably do some runs in the morning before work. And so it goes... :)

Performance Project?

Wow! Another challenge! I listened to Steve Sisson's presentation of the Performance Project this morning. He's building a team of runners for intensive training, and is targeting the Philadelphia Marathon. Woo hoo! Good memories of a great race last year. I'd like nothing more than to train and race with @50 of my Rogue buddies. It's my wife Kate's home town, so I think I've got an okay to train!
I love nothing better than running with friends. It's a shame so many of them are so damned fast! Maybe we'll get some slower runners in the group, like me, so we can run together. Or at least train together.
By the way, Philly has got the best cheesesteaks and soft pretzels in the world!

The Story of the Monkey

After the Rock & Roll Marathon in Jun 2006, I bought a stuffed monkey doll, which represented the "monkey on my back" telling me I couldn't run fast enough to qualify for Boston. This monkey rode in my Jeep, and went with me to all my training sessions. I hated that monkey! I couldn't wait to BQ and then hand off the monkey to someone deserving.
As of Nov 2007, the monkey now belongs to Stacie Fowler! She now has to qualify before she can hand off the monkey to someone else!

A life's goal achieved!

After a couple of aborted tries and a hot, grueling summer training session, I finally qualified to run the Boston Marathon! After DNFing at Chicago (I dropped out halfway due to the heat), I was resigned to trying again sometime in 2008. However, Ruth England (my coach) talked me into trying again the next month. So, on Nov 18th, I ran the Philadelphia Marathon! And...

I qualified with a 3:45:07! I turn 55 a couple of months before Boston, and the 55-59 qualifying time is 3:45:59. So, I had 52 seconds to spare! I was actually a little scared to crank out any more speed, as the ultimate goal was to qualify, not PR. So, I kept it as even as possible. And for me, without a pace group, that was a surprise! I did start out with the 3:40 pace group, knowing that I would eventually settle into a little slower pace. As a result, I built up a 2 minute pad by halfway, which I spent by relieving myself once and by walking the water stops. Anyhow, it worked! Now I'm in the middle of Boston training, and feeling the same old soreness.

Now I need to decide on another goal. An ultra (Sunmart?), the Tahoe Triple (3 marathons on 3 successive days) or maybe Comrades Marathon in South Africa (58 miles). So many choices, so little time!