Runner Insight

(Half) Marathon Madness!

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 Oh Boy, 4:40 a.m. came way too fast! My eyes snapped open – I was excited and animated and ready for the day to begin. But with only abut 4½ hours of sleep, it was difficult to get my eyes to stay open and make them focus (or at least my version of focused ).  But since I was pumped for my half marathon, the sleepiness left me fairly quickly. 

First thing I did was head for the kitchen for my pre-race meal.  I had asked a fellow runner who was preparing to run the full marathon what he eats for his pre-race meal, and he said pancakes. Good for him, but I couldn’t imagine eating that heavy of a meal before a race.  I slurped down my usual yogurt with maple syrup, and chewed on a small banana.  This was a little more than I normally eat before going out for a run, because first off, I was eating quite a bit earlier as the race wasn’t until 6:00 a.m., and secondly: I knew I would be running at a faster pace than I normally do on my training runs.

Then it was time to get dressed which, of course, took no time at all since I had laid out my half marathon running clothes the night before. 

We had the cameras and water packed, and we were off.  We arrived at the race site around 5:20 a.m., and there was already a big crowd gathering.  We heard on the loud speaker that there were about 1,000 more racers registered in the half marathon this year.  That is a big jump in one year!

We were hanging out when my chiropractor, Dr. Kevin Krieg trotted up.  He looked ready to run, and as always…excited to see me. That man has more positive energy exuding from one eyelid than most people have in their whole body. He is a force of nature!!

I asked him what kind of nutrition he was going to eat during the race.  He pulled a Luna Moon from his pocket saying, “They’re for women.”  We laughed at the way he said it.  But no worries, men can eat them too.  Then he went off to stretch, wishing me good luck in the race. 

Within a minute another friend of ours, Leslie and her 16 year old daughter Jade showed up.  While it wasn’t pre-planned, we decided that maybe it would be easier for me, if I would run just behind them.  We made our way over to the starting area.  We positioned ourselves in the middle of the pack.  T snapped a quick pic, and then got out of the way.

Vision Runner and Leslie and Jade starting line Missoula Half Marathon 2009

If I had it to do over, I would have started closer to the edge of the road, closer to the white line, as I lost Leslie and Jade soon after the starting cannon went off at 6 a.m.  There were just too many runners vying for position, and I can’t blame them: I used to do the same thing. 

But once I found the edge of the road, and the crowds thinned out some within a few minutes, I was fine running my own pace.  I ended up passing many of the runners who started out too gung-ho, as they were already walking! 

Unlike the year before, the first few miles were fairly crowded with runners.  Last year I could hear the wild turkeys, but not this year; only the sound of fellow runners’ feet slap-slapping the pavement.

The river was beautiful as the sun started to come up.  But it was the sun that got me as we turned right into its full force.  I had to stop and break out my white cane. 

This served two purposes – one, it let my fellow runners know I did not see well, and two, it kept me from running off the road!  Once I got my bearings, I could see the silhouettes of other runners, so I followed them.

It was not until I got over McClay’s Bridge, that I almost ran into a problem. . . 

How ’bout it?

-Vision Runner   

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Running Summary:

Yesterday was the half marathon! This was the first race that
I had to use my white cane. Here’s the videos of my day!

My pre-race update:

…Here’s a little clip of the start of the race, but I don’t think I’m in it.

The Race Clips…running, running and more running!

After the race….replenishing my glycogen stores!! In other words….FOOD!!!

I finished the 13.1 miles in 2:26:03.
Here’s my results:
Vision Runner’s Half Marathon Results

Victory Photo:

How ’bout it?
-Vision Runner

Run Over To Ellen’s Summary After Half Marathon on Sunday:

Start Date: April 20, 2009

Goal Date: Dec 15-18, 2009 (Whenever we can get Ellen Degeneres tickets to a taping of the Ellen tv show before they stop taping for the end of the year break.)

Total Mileage from Montana to the studio for an Ellen tv show taping: 1,222.25

Must Average: 36 miles of running per week or 5.12 miles per day.
Day Number: 84
Mileage Run Today: 13
Mileage Run so far: 592

Mileage To Go To Get There: 630.25

How ’bout it?

-Vision Runner

Popularity: 1% [?]

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If you’ve donated and been following the video blog daily updates on my Run Over To Ellen’s fundraising project, you know that I’ve been dealing with a bunch of heavy equipment and construction machinery and closed roads on my running path this past month. Well, now the construction project has been completed, and my running trail has open and easy access again.

I wanted to let the crew know how much I appreciated everything they did to help me out this past month, so I wrote a letter to the Editor of our local newspaper, and am also mailing a copy to the construction company that they work for.

Here’s the letter to the Editor that I sent this week:

 Editor:

I just wanted to give a big shout out to the crew at Jensen Construction Co. for being so helpful and kind to me during the road work out on South Ave. the past few weeks.

I’m legally blind, and I’d just started my virtual Run Over To Ellen’s (www.RunOverToEllens.com ) 1,222.25 mile fundraising run for Guide Dogs for the Blind.  (See Missoulian article: Wednesday June 3, 2009.) Since my vision is limited, I have been running on South Ave. as it’s a controlled path that is easy for me to navigate with my white cane. 

When I was told that South Ave. was going to be closed, I became concerned.  How was I going to get the mileage in that I needed each week to meet my goal? So not knowing what to expect, I ventured out the first day construction was to begin. With my white cane in hand and running clothes on, I made my way slowly and cautiously to the “Sidewalk Closed” sign.  After waiting less than a minute, one of the workers approached me.  I explained to him about my dilemma and he was more than willing to accommodate me.  He put his elbow out, and escorted me around the enormous construction equipment and mounds of gravel until we were on smooth sidewalk again. 

He told me it was no problem, just wait for one of them each day, and they would be glad to help me around.

So for this past month, that’s just what I did.  I know Brad helped me several times, and Tom a few times. And while I can’t remember the names of all the other great folks that served as my eyes for me, I really want them ALL to know how much I sincerely appreciate their kindness and willingness to help me run my 36 miles a week on the path I can navigate.

I’m sure that construction crews don’t get enough recognition for a job well done, but in this case, it goes well beyond an “Atta boy” and “Job well-done”. You folks at Jensen on the South Avenue crew all made what could have been a major setback for me, a huge success! So a monstrously huge Thanks!

How ’bout it?

- Vision Runner 

 www.RunOverToEllens.com

www.RunnerInsight.com

www.FirstGiving.com/VisionRunner

P.S. If you donated and can’t find (should be in the FirstGiving email response you got when you donated) or remember the private access link to follow the daily video blog updates, email us at admin at RunnerInsight dot com and we’ll be happy to shoot you the access website link again.

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