Tag: marathon

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Plan an Event

Today I completed my second half marathon of the year and I had a great time. Last month I did the race with Elizabeth and our daughter Hannah and today with our son Davis.

What I find very interesting is all the positive things that happen just for signing up for an event. First, it keeps you accountable to a time based goal. More important, it gives you an opportunity to invite others to either do the event with you or come along for support. When we did the Huntington Beach Half I invited our family members to participate, and six people signed up for and did the 5K. For all six this was their very first event. We had such a great time and had I not invited them it would have never happened.

5K’ers

This week I did something fun and I signed upfor a 50 mile gravel race in Arkansas. I’ve never done one and I don’t even have a gravel bike but I have plenty of time and I ride about 450 miles per month.

There is something very energizing about trying something new. That is my thought for you, consider signing up for an event this year. There are so many great things to do, especially in the spring and fall. Invite a buddy to do it with you- the world is out there waiting.

Here is the gravel race I’m doing

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Running Chicago

By Ralph —

There are a lot of ways to celebrate your birthday, and running a marathon probably isn’t at the top of most people’s list. But it is mine! And getting to run in the 40th annual Chicago Marathon was such a gift. The event staff did an amazing job of keeping everything safe and organized.  The spectator support throughout the course was amazing. It was great to see so many enthusiastic people out supporting their loved ones and everyone else.

This race was particularly special to me because Elizabeth and both of our kids were there to share the weekend and the whole race experience. In fact, the three of them ran in the 5K race the day before the marathon. What great memories I have of the three days we had together in Chicago!

Elizabeth and the kids are very experienced race spectators and they take supporting me during a race to the next level. In Chicago, they managed to log 11 miles themselves on race day tracking me around the course. Through some very careful strategizing (and tracking on Find My Friends, Strava and the race app), they saw me at miles 1, 3, 13, 17 and 25. Each time I saw them I got a little energy boost and pep in my step.

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Post-race birthday celebration at Ema in Chicago

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Excited to see my family at mile 3.

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Very excited to spot my family along the race course.

My philosophy is any time you get across the finish line in a race it’s a success. As I was running through the dog miles of 15-20 I was reflecting on how fortunate I am to have the physical capability and opportunity to do these races.  That being said, I did not make my time goal and that’s a little disappointing, but I am not letting that take away from the overall experience and the joy of the day.  I am blessed to have such a wonderful and supportive family. I acknowledge not everyone has that and I am grateful.

My time? 4:03:38. I came in 11,943 out of 43,000 finishers.

Here is the great thing about the situation: it’s on to the next event.  This weekend, I am doing the Meals on Wheels Charity Bike Ride and in November, I’ll run the Las Vegas Rock n Roll Half Marathon. I’m doing the Rock n Roll Half as a fundraiser for Augie’s Quest and the fight against ALS. 

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Count Down to Chicago Marathon

By Ralph

With just six days to go until the Chicago Marathon, the countdown to race day has started.  I completed my longest training run two weeks ago — a 20 miler.  That’s a milestone that always feels good to hit.

I’ve backed off on the miles the last two weekends. I’ve done two 10-mile runs and have crossed trained with several long bike rides. We did a fun family run in Santa Monica last week, that included a set of stairs.

Santa Monica 9.17Overall, I feel ready. I had a high hamstring strain on my left side for  three weeks that was bothersome, but not enough to miss workouts.  I backed off my pace to help it heal, which is a small sacrifice to keep training. In the past, I’ve sometimes overdone it trying to do too much to heal it. I’ve learned through experience that I just need to be patient and dial it back a bit. That strategy definitely paid off this year.

I’m really looking forward to this year’s race in my “big city marathon” tour. It turns out both kids will be going on the trip, which is super fun. I’m excited that I’ll be able to share my birthday and the race with them and Elizabeth.

A few other pre-race logistical items we took care of included double checking all our travel arrangements, downloading the official race app, and reviewing the course map and elevation.

These last two weeks, I have focused on my diet and hydration as well as rest and recovery while keeping myself sharp. The trick is doing that while not losing fitness. I’m looking forward to getting to the starting line with a bunch of other enthusiastic runners. We’ll see how the day goes!

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Taking the ‘Big City Marathon’ Tour

By Ralph

I like having a major race on the calendar at least once a year. It keeps me interested in getting better and it gives me a major challenge for the year.  This year, that race is the Chicago Marathon on October 8th. Just so happens that is also my birthday, so I will be having a huge party this year — 12,000 people have already RSVP’d.  So nice of all of them to meet me in Chicago to celebrate!

This is my third big city marathon in the last three years. Two years ago, I ran the New York City Marathon and last year I did the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC. I like to have a training theme for my races. Right now it’s Big City Marathons. Before that it was Ironman triathlon. That lasted eight years and I completed five full Ironman triathlons during that time frame.

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A million spectators for the NY marathon and I spotted Elizabeth on the course!

Elizabeth and I are enjoying the Big City Marathon Tour — a theme we made up– because it also gives us a chance to explore a new city, or enjoy a city we have already been to, beyond just the race.

Touring the capital after the race.
We enjoy sight-seeing during our Big City Marathon tours.

After I finished the Marine Corps Marathon, I got cleaned up, we went out for a great celebratory lunch, and we had a memorable time leisurely strolling around DC looking at the monuments and taking in the sites.  It’s a day I will never forget.  What made the day even more special was the fact that our son Davis was able to join us for the weekend and participate in all the activities.

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Elizabeth and Davis were at the finish line at the Marine Corps Marathon.

I am very thankful that I have such a supportive family who joins me on these journeys.

Here is what I look for when selecting a race:
1. The reputation of the race – is it an iconic race that is well respected with a great history?
2. Is it a city Elizabeth and I will enjoy going to beside the race? What other activities can we plan while we are there?  In New York, for example, we went to a Broadway show two nights before the race.
3. What are the logistics around the race? How close is the venue to an airport?  Are there plenty of hotels close to the start or finish? How spectator friendly is the race?

My challenge for you is to look around at the fall racing schedule and see what appeals to you. Close or far, long or short, that’s up to you. But I do think you will find it motivating to have a fall event on the calendar. I am not sure what I am going to do in 2018 yet, that is yet to be determined. Half the fun is trying to figure that out.