Training for the big dayIt all started again shortly after the Biggs and Al’s run and walk for Children’s Hospital. We decided to run another Marathon together. We hopped on the computer at Dad’s house and started searching Marathons in Florida. Don and Mary Ann had recently acquired a retirement home in Ft Myers Florida, and Dad wanted to have an excuse to go down there this winter.
As we searched the marathon schedules we found the Sarasota “Grouper” Marathon. It was only in it’s third year, so it would not be very crowded. March 2nd in Florida sounded like a great time to run a marathon. Little did we know what a rough winter this was going to be. Hind site being 20/20, it is both a blessing and a curse that the weather has been so tough this year.
We began our training in ernest in November. We were on Thanksgiving break in Fort Myers, and started our training on the beach.
Once back in Wisconsin, our first big run was a 9 mile venture in Germantown in mid December. The temperature was a balmy 17 degrees outside. There was so much snow that we could not run on the sidewalks and had to venture into the streets. When we got back to the house, the water bottle I had with me had turned into “slush”. Dad had frost on the inside of his wind breaker from the sweat and cold weather. This was the eye opener to what training in the Wisconsin winter would be...
Our training regimen broke down to short runs during the week on our treadmills. It is much warmer in the basement than out in the street. Every weekend we would meet and run long.
I purchased a Garmin Forerunner 205 this summer, and this toy helped us evaluate our weekend training runs (see graphic below). We can check our stats and determine if we are running at the appropriate pace. This is always a challenge for Dad, who likes to charge like a bull. No matter what I do, I cannot seem to get the idea of “slow and steady” to stick in his mind.
Another fun Don fact, if you get him talking about a topic he is excited about, his pace picks up dramatically. It seemed like every time we talked about work, or the building in Port Washington, we would cut a minute per mile off of our pace. I quickly learned to be an “anchor”. I would slow down so that he had to meet my pace or we could not talk. It was my last resort. Telling Dad to slow down didn’t have an effect, even if he came out too fast and was feeling bad after 10 miles. He seems to have one pace - Fast.
Throughout the entire winter, we were able to get all of our runs in outside - with one exception. The weekend of the Packers NFC Championship game against the Giants. The entire weekend was single digits or below zero. This one weekend we ended up running at the Petit Ice Rink. There is a track around the ice rink. It is just over .25 miles. For reference 16 miles equals about 63 laps... Dad learned a valuable lesson this day. Be careful how much fun you have the night before a long run. Three beers and two mixers makes for a long running day.
Our final long run before the “taper” was run individually. Dad had gone to Florida with Mr. Vollmar. They were going to the Miami Boat Show. Dad was able to work his run into the vacation. He spent that day running on Estero Boulevard, and along Fort Myers Beach. A much more idyllic setting than Mequon. He even was able to run sans shirt for a portion of the beach run - until it got TOO HOT.
What a contrast to my run. I was out on the interurban trail in 20 degree weather. I had 5 layers on, and when I was running into the wind on the way back it got cold. I would have definitely preferred the beach to the snow and ice. Oh well, It will be that much better on race day after all this cold weather training.
Out of the cold and into the warm weather of Florida! This is what all that training was for.Friday morning, bright and early, Steve Donald and I met at the remote lot in Mitchell Field. While waiting for the shuttle bus, Don sprang his first surprise on us. Cartons of OJ, and watermelon vodka. I know, the initial reaction is “ouch”. However, you never know a good combination until you try it.
Three hours later we met Troy in Fort Myers. Avis provided us with a brand new (6.7 original miles) 2008 Mustang convertible. We were on our way. First stop - Don and Mary Ann’s condo to change out of jeans and sweat shirts. Once we had appropriate clothes, we thought lunch at the Beached Whale would be a good idea. A few beers and a lot of sun to be had.
After lunch a quick stumble down the beach brought us to the Lani Kai hotel. There was a good band playing for the crowd, and we were able to catch the scene as the limbo contest unfolded.
On top of the Lani Kai is a second bar that overlooks the beach. It is 8 stories up, and the sunset view is second to none. We had lots of fun re-capping our previous vacations and/or adventures. Lots of laughs, and quite a few sideways glances from the neighboring tables.
Saturday was spent a bit more conservatively by the runners. We had to limit our alcohol intake, and load up on the carbs. Most of the day was spent hanging out down by the pool.
Alice and Jerry had left a gift card to a local Italian restaurant, so that night we met the Edlebecks out for dinner. We choked down as much pasta as our bodies would allow, and then the runners went home and to sleep.
The support crew, however, decided that a tour of the beach bars would be in order. After bouncing around for a few hours, they settled in at the Channel Mark for Karoke night. I received a phone call at about midnight from Steve with the following message: “You think you are in for pain? Listen to this...........(terrible singing).......WAAAAHOOOO!” That puts it all in perspective for race day my friends ;)
Running a marathon is all about carb loading. Beer is carbs, right?!?!?!So, our marathon journey started about 3:45 AM on Sunday morning. Troy and Steve decided to hitch a ride with the Edelbecks later in the day, so Dad and I were on our own. As we left Fort Myers, we noticed that the GPS was indicating that we would get to the race only about 15 minutes before the race started. Apparently we did not do estimate our travel time very well. Dad was driving, and decided to change in the car...while driving. I’ve seen a lot of things done in a car before, but that was a first. We had just finished changing, and were about 20 minutes away from the start line, when we got pulled over by the police. Dad had been driving for about an hour without the lights on... The daytime running lights were working but not the tail lights. We must have looked desperate, because the trooper left us off without much hassle or a ticket. We made it to the start line with about 7 minutes to spare.
The course was absolutely beautiful. The bridge to Lido Key at mile 12 provided spectacular views of the bay, however when we crossed back at mile 21 it felt like a mountain. Our goal for this marathon was to beat our San Diego time (4:29:11). Our official finishing time (chip time) was 4:01:59. Roughly 27 minutes less than San Diego. The only thing better than that time would have been something with a 3 in front of it. So close, but that leaves a goal for next time! Dad would have qualified for Boston if we could have shaved 2 minutes from our finish. I cut and pasted the data from my Garmin training watch below.
Good things always come to those who wait!The runners were very cautious the first few days of this trip, as we did not want to sabotage our chances in the race. However after 5 hard months of training, and 3 brutal months of winter, we decided it was time to cut loose! Besides, what better pain killer for sore legs than beer?
I’d like to tell you that we whooped it up on Sunday night, but the race finally caught up to us, and put me down hard. Monday, however, was a blast. We decided to go on an everglades air boat tour. After a quick search on the net, we found a company out of Everglade City that had an opening. We hopped into the mustang and headed south.
Once on our air boat, we were joined by Rosco the Pelican. Rosco didn’t care much for Steve, and decided to give him a “Smack down” as we parted company. Maybe Steve got to personal when he began petting Rosco? Who knows.
The boat ride was very cool, and we were able to find a few gators along the way. However, there were dozens of gators sunning themselves along the ditch of the Tamiami highway.
On our way back to Fort Myers, we stopped at a beach side bar in Bonita Beach to have a pitcher and watch the local “wildlife”. Then back to the condo to re-group for the evening.
Dinner was at Salty Sam’s Marina. We stumbled upon their classic car show, and Don took us on a tour past the cars from his early years. Grandpa Orrins 2 door coup was present and almost an exact replica.
After dinner, we went out to Fort Myers Beach. We hit the Tiki Bar at the Lighthouse Inn, then to the Beached Whale for a band, off to the Lani Kai to check out what the 20 somethings were up to, and finally to the Smoking Oyster Brewery.
Once home, I crashed on the couch, while Steve and Troy built a few “Stubens”. A Stuben is simmilar to a Dagwood Sandwich, but includes many un-orthodox ingredients. The goal - in the words of it’s creator “Stub” - is a flavor explosion. Several on this vacation has mint chip ice cream, along with salsa and cheese, potato’s and tomato’s. A cure for the common sandwich!
