"What? Have you gone completely mad? You are going to run 21 miles? Have you forgotten the MCM last Sunday where you couldn't run a step passed 10 miles? You know you are not getting younger, and you certainly are not getting smarter!"
How do you explain to the love of your life that you have been smitten by the Boston Marathon bug. Fourteen years ago, thanks to moving to the next age bracket, I managed to qualify and I ran the revered race. Now I find myself in a similar circumstance. I am about to transition to the next age group again, and auspiciously, I am running faster, injury free and almost without pain. I am convinced that I am getting "younger with age". I even shaved off my beard. That little setback in the MCM was just a fluke!.
Sitting next to Deedee Loughran in the yellow school bus that was lumbering towards Clark's Gap, Deedee and I were into a discussion of how some runners, even talented ones, simply don't measure up to Al Rider's most-reliable-age-weighted-distance-extrapolated-time-prediction curve. We soon recognized ourselves as members of this cursed category.
At the outset of the run, I declared my intention to run at a 12 minute mile pace with a simple goal of just finishing. I took in some water, generously supplied by the Loudoun Road Runners, and proceeded to jog eastward on the W&OD trail. By that time, Tamra Hall and Gary Euliss had already opened a 1/4 mile lead, Pat Brown was with them, and David Oveissi and Ellen Mannion were making moves to catch them. Behind was Jack Tozier and right behind me there was a constant chatter made by Rayna Matsuno and Jessica Torbeck.
The morning was crisp and cool. I had on a long sleeve shirt but no gloves so my fingers were getting cold. The course itself was downward sloping, mostly empty except for us and an occasional bicyclist. Why couldn't the MCM have been like this last Sunday? John Koss passed by with his famous full stride and declared that mine is the fastest 12 minute mile pace he has ever seen. Ok, maybe I was running a little faster. After all, it was a little cool (although not in Dennis Hays' definition of cool) and I was trying to warm up and the slope was favorable. Soon I joined the chatter, which was now at my side. This took my mind off the temperature and off the lingering aches and pains incurred from Saturday morning's run.
We gradually began to speed up. By the second water station, 3 miles down the trail, we caught Tamra, Gary, Pat and Ellen. John and David were gone, not to be seen by mere mortals, and Jack was way behind. Something inside me foretold that I am going to pay dearly for this speeding indiscretion.
Tamra did not stop at the water station. It was too early for a drink and the legs had to keep on moving; otherwise, rigor mortis might set in. Gary followed her. We savored the water for a few minutes longer and then we took off after the pair. We ran along the trail as it meandered through the less urban neighborhoods of Leesburg. Soon we crossed Catoctin Circle, then followed the down and up elevations of the W&OD trail as it traverses under Route 15 making a U-shaped pattern. Somewhere in that vicinity, a young woman pushing a baby jogger and cheering on the Reston Runners appeared from the opposite direction. Ellen suspected that she is Tierney Pitzner, from the Loudoun Road Runners (LRR), who probably set out, all by herself, the first three water stations along the course. Ellen proved to be right. Thank you Tierney!
The third water station was set beside a dog kennel -- a noisy but refreshing stop. Another 15 miles to go and we are done! After a few minutes of rest and hydration, we were off again, chasing Tamra and Gary who apparently do not believe in lingering too long by water stations. We were now running full stride not noticing that the trail was no longer sloping downward. In a short while, we caught and passed Tamra and Gary. Ellen now was beginning to do what Ellen does best, push up the speed! In no time we were at the quarry! It's one of humanity's eight wonders along the W&OD trail. Don't ask what the other wonders are because I would not have any idea. We took in the magnificent man-made view. Some of us also utilized the potty facility nearby and all except Pat, who needed to stay behind, proceeded to the 4th station just east of the quarry. The station featured a well-endowed cooler of Gatorade, generously provided by Ray Pugsley and the Potomac Road Runners store on nearby Ashburn Rd. Thank you, Ray!.
After drinking and taking in solids and gels high in caloric content, we took off again, three young phillies, one perhaps in the prime of her speed, and one old male horse, trying to postpone the inevitable appointment with the glue factory by hoping to run in one more Boston Marathon. Ellen was setting the pace and I foolishly tried to keep up. We crossed two bridges (the second overlooking Goose Creek on which we slowed down a bit to take in the view) and then we continued at full blast towards Ashburn. It is at this point that I began to realize that I was breathing hard. I tried to convey to Ellen that I am a mere mortal, attempting to complete a 21-mile course standing up and she responded favorably by slowing down. Thank God she has a heart! At Ashburn Road, we stopped to enjoy Ray's second water station and from there we proceeded in full stride to Smith Station where we took full advantage of a cool, high-pressured fountain water. If you think that I have some sort of hydration fixation, you are absolutely right! Also, it is much easier to describe a run by taking account of its water holes than, for example, its elevations. Talking about elevation, the course that used to be so nice and easy was beginning to get elevated and not so nice. As Tamra and Gary arrived at Smith Station, we took off, full blast again, towards Rt. 28 and there, while ascending the overpass, I started to realize that my legs were getting heavier and heavier. But, there was another water station just a short distance away off Church Rd, set out by our own Ellen, and for that I was willing to gallop one more time. Thank you Ellen!
After an appreciative stop at the water station, we took off towards Sterling Blvd. During that stretch, I could hardly keep up with the group. At Sterling Blvd., I decided to surrender to my tired legs. I am good at surrendering. After all, I had good practice doing so at the MCM the previous Sunday. I had no problem in persuading the group to run on without me, and they, in turn, did not require much persuasion to comply. Old horses do get some respect! I took off my shirt and started walking and reminiscing of the times when I could keep up, at least for a short while, with the fast pace of Tom Conrad, RR's leading endurance walker.
Tamra was now jogging besides me. A short distance behind her were Gary and Pat. Inside me, an old competitive spirit was re-awakening and I started jogging again. The term jogging is perhaps too generous for the shuffle movement that we were doing. When Pat with his patented high kick stride passed by us, I tapped into an unknown reservoir of energy and kept pace with him for a while until I ran out of fuel. This burst of energy placed me at the Herndon municipal square where I parked for a bit of rest, hydration and a self-administered massage directed at the numbed toes of my left foot (Morton's Neuroma condition). Two miles to go; the first one mostly down hill; the last one--lets not think about it, yet. Tamra and Gary caught up and together we followed the yellow brick to the Land of Oz.
Three hours and thirty nine minutes after the start, I arrived at Fountain Square in surprisingly high spirits despite the fact that there was no fanfare, no welcoming crowd, in fact, no one recognizable except for Gary who showed a bit later. Tamra finished too but did not come to the square and Jack?, I hope he made it. The finishing time was not fitting of a Boston Marathon qualification, but with a little more distance training and two upcoming trial marathons, who knows? Maybe the dream will come true or maybe the Missus was right after all.
Moshe