UGH!

I am sad.

Today, I got to run.  I was thinking it was a great day to race.  Thousands were, in Boston.  I knew when I got back from my run, results of the elites would be pouring in from the BAA app I downloaded last night.

I was happy to see how my favorites had done.  Though they hadn't won, the American ladies had done well.  Shalane and Kara had paced with each other for 30 km out of 42 total.  They worked as a team, which is pretty amazing.  I hope they keep training together.  I think they're great role-models for my girls.

Friends were watching.  Friends were running.  All their tweets and Facebook posts were positive.

Then this happened:



Everyone that I knew at the race has reported in, and is okay.  Yet, people lost their lives.  People were hurt.  People lost others they cared about.  People lost legs and arms.  People are panicking because they can't track their loved ones.  People can't contact their loved ones, because they're phones are in the baggage check, and that's the least concern right now.  People had their dreams stolen from them, and somebody robbed them of their reward for months and years of dedication and sacrifice.  None of that is okay.

Runners stopped at mile 21.

And then the images and sign I can't get over...

Each mile, dedicated to one of the Newtown victims

The final mile marker...

Many news agencies posted something similar to this: "Update 4:07 p.m.: Newtown families were reportedly seated in the VIP section right by where the explosions went off. There's no word whether they are among the 23 injured and two dead from the explosions. "

I've got no real words, and I've been trying to come to grips with everything.  I needed to get it all out, and have been trying to say or think of what to say for the last 3 hours.  I can't.  I'm livid, and sad, and what does that make me want to do?

It makes me want to run.  I always feel safe on my run.  I am free, and nothing can touch me, even on my worst day on the road.

For these people, I hope they get to experience that again.

Finally, there's this...

Go back to the video.  See all the helpers.  Look how fast the race volunteers and Boston police on duty responded to the scene.  See how fast Army reservists and National Guardsmen jumped in to clear out the barricade so other first responders could help clear the area.  The medical tent is always just past the finish line, as well.  That could have only helped, as doctors, nurses, EMTs, and ambulances were all there.

And then, take what comedian Patton Oswalt had to say.  Instead of looking at the hate, and getting more angry, remember these words: "the vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak. This is beyond religion or creed or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil...'The good outnumber you, and we always will.'"

Tomorrow's run and track meet will be a little weird.

I'm glad the people I know are safe.

I hope that the ones you know and love are safe, too.

I'll pray for the victims, the first responders, and everyone touched by this.

It's a mad mad mad mad world.



Update: The man pictured above has been seen on numerous news outlets.  The good news is, though knocked down by the first explosion, he was uninjured.   He is the spirit of the marathon.  He is Bill Iffrig, of whom the Everett (WA) Herald had this to say: 

"Bill Iffrig of Lake Stevens was just short of the finish line in the 26-mile Boston Marathon when he heard a horrific noise and found himself on the ground. 
He didn't know what happened...A race official came to check on him and helped him up.
Then, accompanied by the official, Iffrig walked the last 12 feet or so across the finish line."I ended up second in my division," he said. "After you've run 26 miles you're not going to stop there." His timing chip marked his finish at 4 hours, 3 minutes, 47 seconds."

Update: Anby Burrfoot was running the Marathon in honnor of the 45th anniversary of his win.  Here's how he summed up his day, as he was stopped less than a mile from the finish.

Unclaimed baggage at the finish

The latest, and greatest, on the NY Marathon

These are runners, waiting for the Staten Island Ferry this morning. They're not going to the race. It isn't going to happen. No, they're off to volunteer in relief efforts. Kudos to them.  Give them their medals. They're earning them.

Lara Duerrschmid, 27, was among those boarding a ferry. "I know it's going to be tough to see (the damage) but I just wanted to do something good," said Duerrschmid, a resident of Manhattan's Upper East Side, which was spared the worst of the storm.

Also, this Yahoo article was pretty good regarding this. So, check them out.

*Sidenote-I would pay good money for a 2012 New York Marathon t-shirt right now. It will be a collectors item, to say the least. More importantly, the NYRR could sell them all, and donate all the money to the Red Cross earmarked for Sandy's victims.

Watch More News Videos at ABC | 2012 Presidential Election | Entertainment & Celebrity News

NYC Marathon...maybe...

After Hurricane Sandy, Manhattan and the other 4 boroughs have some bad timing. It's marathon week in New York City.  Planning and preparation was going on and I'm sure the NYC Marathon will go off without a hitch...except mass transportation (Read: SUBWAYS, which are down currently).

Take a look at how things are looking the day after Sandy.  Still, people in Wisconsin are optimistic about how New York will handle the adversity.  Yes, you read correctly: Wisconsin.  Then again, the folks at the Wall Street Journal, are using the same AP article.  That is hopeful, I suppose.  Stay positive. As the AP article states, "...if flooding or other damage affects the course or logistics, NYRR has contingency plans every year to adjust to any potential problems."

Also, with the race ending in Central Park, it passes within a block of the now infamous 57th Street Crane. NYC Mayor, Michael Bloomberg said last night, 57th St. between 6th and 7th Ave. were evacuated. Miles 25-26 are within a block or so of that area (albeit, they're in the park).  Kind of scary!  Where is our friendly, neighborhood Spiderman on this one?

See the course map. And review the storm damage and its impact on the race courtesy of the New York Times.  Finally, here's the Times' coverage of all things marathon related.

View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.

As the race crosses the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan, it crosses over Roosevelt Island. Here's what that looked like, yesterday. Here's how things were on the Queensboro Bridge (Courtesy of the WSJ): Here's the home stretch, leading from Harlem 116th into Central Park:

Best of luck to all that are running.

May the odds be ever in your favor!

*Update: 2:20 PM, 10/30/12-An astute colleague noted, without the airports up & running, much of the field won't be able to arrive. Unless flights are detoured/rerouted to Albany, Westchester, or Bradley (Hartford), which are all possibilities, the field could be slim.
*Sidenote-A friend is flying from Florida, and was set to return today. His flight was delayed to Friday as of this past weekend.
*Update: 6:46 AM, 10/31/12-Weather.com has an article posted entitled Crippled Subways Could Hamper NYC Recovery, covering the issue of mass transit. "Mayor Michael Bloomberg guessed it could take four days for train service to resume. And even then it was unclear how much of the nation's largest public transit system would be operational," according to the article.
*Update: 6:00 AM, 11/2/2012-The NY Post went after event organizers today. Not really sure how justified this article is, considering the resources were privately purchased by the NYRR, and that they'll pay for anything they need. The Post and Daily News are not what I would consider reputable. Meanwhile, NYRR president, Mary, "Wittenberg explained how the marathon course, itself, had been spared by the savage storm, how NYRR would use private security and transportation to release the strain on city services which would be needed for storm relief, and announced the institution of a marathon Race to Recovery Fund with an initial contribution by the NYRR, the Rudin Family, and sponsor ING to the tune of $2.6 million."

*Update: 5:32 PM, 11/2/2012-After declaring it would be good for New York to hold something that lifts the spirits like a marathon, Bloomberg has backed out of his previous statement that the race would happen. Instead, it is officially cancelled. 
"We would not want a cloud to hang over the race or its participants, and so we have decided to cancel it," the mayor said in a statement. "We cannot allow a controversy over an athletic event — even one as meaningful as this — to distract attention away from all the critically important work that is being done to recover from the storm and get our city back on track."

Bloomberg called the marathon an "integral part of New York City's life for 40 years" and "an event tens of thousands of New Yorkers participate in and millions more watch."

He still insisted that holding the race would not require diverting resources from the recovery effort, but understood the level of friction."
*Sidenote-To me, this is just his way of saying that the vocal minority of people who called for the marathon will get their way.  Why? Because they had access to the media. Mike Francesa has made a big deal about this. Stephen A. Smith has made a big deal about this. Local news in CT has made a big deal about this. What none of them understood was, you can't POSTPONE the race, it had to be cancelled. The race could have been run, or it could not be run. Either way, I'm still not so sure this is the right choice, but ANY decision is going to be viewed as wrong. It was a lose, lose situation.  In this case, EVERYONE lost. The problem is, a marathon is not something that can just be postponed. They're lucky they can pull it off once a year in the 5 boroughs. I think if they pulled it off, it would have been a tremendous testament to the willpower of the city and all New Yorkers.

*Final Update: 8:28 PM, 11/3/2012-Things are settling down a little. There are sad stories on both sides. Again, it was a lose-lose situation, and everyone lost. That being said, I think that this article, by runner Toni Reavis, looks at all this whole unfortunate mess and puts into full perspective. It's the most complete telling of this debacle I have yet to read.  I encourage you to read it, as well. Reavis has done a MUCH better job following this whole situation over the past few days. Read the blog. Trust me. It's way better than this.

Momentous decisions or delusions of grandeur

The decision, so I had thought, had been made in April.  Maybe it happened even earlier, but it was definitely made by April.  This year, instead of running anything really long, I was going to continue improving my speed.  When October rolled around, I did not want to run the Hartford Half Marathon course for the third year in a row.  It didn't appeal to me.  So, I came up with the idea to do the Marathon Relay with my wife, mMiL, and I thought some more family and friends.  It seemed like a good way to eliminate all the competition (real or perceived) and comparisons (real or perceived) that had plagued the last two years of half training. We were to be one unit, and nobody was going to check in on each other.

Of course, we knew mMiL had a torn meniscus, and needed arthroscopic surgery at the end of April.  However, we assumed she would be back strong by Columbus Day.  If she wasn't, I assumed we would have plenty of people vying for the team.

As the months have progressed, and talk of it has continued, my wife and mMiL seemed to be the only ones where showed genuine enthusiasm about it.  Other people would not commit, or didn't respond when I asked them about joining. So, for my birthday, when I got asked what I wanted, I just said I wanted people on my relay team.  My birthday came and went, and I had no definites except Stacey.  mMiL commited as much as she could, but she's still recovering, and not happy with her pace.

Regardless of all of this, I continued to up my mileage all summer, as I always do.  A funny thing happened.  Several people took notice, and they all assumed I was running the full.  I said no.  They asked if I was running the half.  I said no.  Then I explained that I really wanted to get a Marathon Relay together.  But, they were just amazed that my mileage went up (as it does every summer).

So, there we were on vacation.  I got my 5k pr.  I said, "I need a new goal."  And, a few days later, as I got another noncommittal response about the relay, because people had to figure out what they were doing, and my frustration got the best of me.  I needed to figure out what I was going to do, and I wasn't going to have my training held hostage.  So, I said screw it.  I set my new goal.

My decision, that day, on the beach, was fine.  Since nobody can commit to me except my wife, I will commit myself to my training, with her permission.  I was going to run the full marathon in Hartford for the second time.  I swore, after one, I was done.  But, I also had no interest in running the Hartford Half for a 3rd straight year.  No, not now.  Now I was going back.  I had demons to slay.

A lot of things built into this decision.  With everyone asking me about running 26.2 again, it had been lingering in the back of my head since early May.  Or maybe it was longer; I'm not sure.  I just knew that people's inquiries about my training really piqued my interest.

Plus, I remember reading something on @Frayed_Laces' (a blogger, triathlete, and real person, who I really enjoy reading) blog site that was a minor rant about how if you walk, or take 5 hours, you didn't really run the marathon.  I'm going to chalk that one up to somebody having a bad day, or maybe she even printed a fan email.  I'm not sure.  I just remember that whenever I read it, it stuck in the back of my head.  Regardless, I think people who are interested in running, cycling, or triathlons should read her site.  It's great, and amateur, and just really well done.  Then, Bill Rodgers brought up the debate in The Idiots Guide to Running.  And, after reading those things I felt that, since I cramped up at Mile 20 in my first marathon, I still had a little something to prove (1:45 for 10k is NOT acceptable).  And so, I hoped that after we ran the relay together, I could drop the bomb on my wife, that in 2013, I wanted to torture myself again, and do something I swore I would never do again.

So, I bumped up my timeline.  And I'm thrilled.  The day after we got back from vacation, I still had to check if I was on pace to actually train.  There were only 12 weeks, not 18 as I would have liked.  But, my training prior to vacation had been pretty good, and the miles were there.  So, on Saturday, after we returned from two weeks on the Cape, I capped my first 30+ mile week off in forever, with a half marathon.  I ran 2 minutes faster than I had during the first half of the Hartford Marathon in 2009.  And, therefore, I'm back at this.  I'm ready.

And so, I want to thank some people.  First, my wife, who seemed fine with my goal and decision when I asked her if I could do it.  And yes, I asked if I could do it, because frankly, I remember how much time I spent out training last time.  I also want to thank the people that made me want to go back to that place.  My friends, the people who's website I read, all of them.  Without you, I wouldn't have this need to prove myself. Finally, I want to thank those that were going to maybe, possibly, do the relay.  My impatience and your hemming and hawing really were the push I needed to go out, and try to do what is, by far, the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.

Again.

But faster.