My Most Marathon

Unforgettable

(And What | Learned From It)

OPKINTON, MASH SACHUSETTS, April 17, 2006—Chills ran

up and down my spine as the moment I had so diligently prepared for the last five months approached. The next three-plus hours would tell me whether the time spent preparing for this afternoon had been worth the many miles put in while enduring the elements that atypical Michigan winter has to offer. As I waited in the starting corral, I couldn’t help but think back to when I began running. I knew very little about the marathon distance and how to train for and

Kathy Fischer

A The author, center, with friends, Mike Crongeyer, left, and Jeff Domenico, right, before boarding the bus to go to Hopkinton on the morning of the race.

race it. I doubted my ability to tackle 26 miles. Qualifying for and running in the Boston Marathon was the last thing that I could have imagined.

When I began flirting with

the idea of running my first marathon at the age

of 29, I didn’t put any thought into what opportunities running might provide for me. A Dr. Seuss book titled Oh, the Places You’ll Go! describes the journey of life with its ups and downs and twists and turns. The last few lines of this book have a great quotation: “Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get

on your way!” I have concluded that running provides many parallels to life and

that training for and running a marathon is a mountain that is waiting. Running has taken me places that I never could have imagined, and I hope that the journey continues for years to come.

My running journey began in October 1997 when my wife, Kathy, and I watched our friend Clay run the Chicago Marathon.

We carefully planned our meeting locations on the course for race day and were able to see Clay at miles 2, 12, 18, and 25. I was very curious as to what the runners might be thinking at mile 2, knowing that they had 24 miles to go. My interest in what must be going through their minds intensified as we waited for Clay at each of the planned mile markers. I was mesmerized by the masses of runners laying it all on the line for so many miles. I had pictured a marathon runner as being small, slim, and young, but what I was witnessing was a diverse group of runners, big and small, young and old.

As we watched many of these same runners at mile 25, I was amazed that they were all just a mile away from finishing a marathon. I had thought it impossible to run that far.

Some serious questions for Clay

As I talked with Clay after the race, I had many questions for him. I asked him, “How are you feeling physically, mentally, and emotionally? How do you prepare yourself to run for 26 miles?” He could see from the look in my eye that the marathon might be something that I was willing to try. We talked about it as we made our way back to the hotel. He wanted me to commit to running a marathon with him the following fall. I was eager to attempt this challenge and test the physical limits of my body, but I would have to give it some thought. I had little running experience at that time but came back home and ran four miles the next day. After working my way up to a 10-mile run before Christmas, I called Clay. We decided to run a spring half-marathon, and from there I would decide whether I was willing to give the marathon a shot.

We decided to meet in Indianapolis the next spring to run the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon, a half-marathon known for its two-mile loop around Indianapolis Motor Speedway. My training for this went well and race day was a success. After completing this first test, I decided that I was ready to give the marathon distance a try. Clay and I began discussing plans for a fall marathon after we completed the half. He and his wife and Kathy and I wanted to pick a destination marathon, and after discussing several options we decided to meet in Toronto in the fall for a four-day weekend centered on the Canadian International Marathon. My experience in Toronto was one that I will always remember.

My first marathon will always hold a special place in my heart. I trained for that race on my own without much knowledge of how to do it properly. As I trained

The author approaching the finish line of his first marathon, the 1998 Canadian International Marathon.

during the summer of 1998, I still was not convinced that I could cover the distance until Thad completed a 24-mile run on two occasions. My goal was to finish in under 4:30. I came in at 4:39 but was obviously thrilled just to finish a marathon. My original plan was to run one marathon and then be done with it, but after I crossed that finish line, I was hooked. Physically, I felt the worst I had ever felt, but emotionally I was on top of the world. As I reflect on the emotions from my first marathon and those marathons since then, picking my most memorable marathon is not an easy task. Of the 19 marathons I’ve completed, I consider five my most memorable, the Canadian International Marathon being one of those.

As I waited at the starting line of one of those five marathons—the Detroit Free Press Marathon in October 2005—my good friend Jeff Domenico looked me in the eye and said, “Let’s make a memory.” Jeff and I set a lofty goal at Detroit: to break the three-hour barrier. We hooked up with Mike Crongeyer and Dave Minier at the starting line, both of whom had set a similar goal. We all ran together through mile 18 before we split up, but our finishing times were all close with Jeff coming at 2:57, I at 2:58, Mike at 3:00, and Dave at 3:01. We celebrated our accomplishment in the finish area, with the memories fresh in our minds of keeping each other focused during the physical and emotional highs and lows of the race and the joy of meeting our race goals. Since then, those four words that Jeff said at the starting line in Detroit have stuck in the back of my mind.

The 2004 Des Moines Marathon is also one of my five most memorable marathons. In October 2004, I went home to Iowa to run the Des Moines Marathon. I had completed six marathons prior to that: the Canadian International in 1998, Chicago in 1999, Columbus in 2000, Niagara Falls in 2001, Chicago in 2002, and Detroit in 2003. Prior to training for the Des Moines Marathon, I had not considered trying to qualify for Boston.

Courtesy of Canadian International Marathon,

The book that inspired me

The summer before Des Moines, I had read 26 Miles to Boston by Michael Connelly, which gives a detailed history of the legendary marathon, mile by mile. That book sent me on a mission to attempt my qualifying marathon. The Des Moines Marathon was the first race that my mom had seen me run. Her knowledge of marathons was minimal, but she understood what I had accomplished when I was full of jubilation after the race because I had met my Boston qualifying standard.

In August 2008, I ran the Fallsburg Marathon in Lowell, Michigan, winning it and making it one of my five most memorable marathons. It is a hybrid course with a mixture of trails, gravel roads, pavement, and many breathtaking hills. I also held the course record, for at least one year. It was a thrill to be a marathon winner.

With all of these unforgettable marathons, the one that I consider my most memorable would have to be the Boston Marathon.

Most everyone in the running community is aware of the tradition behind the Boston Marathon. The fact that masses of runners try to meet its qualifying standards speaks volumes about the allure of Boston. Qualifying for Boston is sort of like trying to get into an exclusive club. For many marathoners, Boston is the ultimate goal.

After qualifying in October 2004 in Des Moines, I was eager to go to Boston but decided I would need to wait until 2006. I am a teacher, and although I get plenty of vacation time, it is not during the month of April. I had already burned one of my two personal days going to Des Moines, so running a marathon in Boston on a Monday with one personal day to use was out of the question. Although I was eager to get to Boston, as it turned out, the extra time to prepare was a bonus.

During the summer of 2005, I began running with Jeff. We ran Detroit together that fall and punched our ticket for Boston for April 2006. Before I began running with Jeff, I had told myself that I would go to Boston not to PR, but just to enjoy myself. Jeff later convinced me that we should try to PR at Boston.

Michael Connelly’s book 26 Miles to Boston inspired the author to qualify for and run Boston.

Getting serious about training

myself into the best shape of my life. We mapped out a course in Battle Creek that was roughly 22 miles and called it the Boston Simulator. It had some good inclines and declines from mile 11 to 17, and we ran this course twice during the months leading up to the marathon. I had read about the concept of decline training, which was to practice running downhill to prepare for the first part of the Boston course.

Many runners claim that the downhills at the beginning of Boston and not the inclines at Newton take a toll on the legs. A mile section of Capital Avenue in Battle Creek is all incline, and on three different occasions I ran five repeats going up and down this hill to train for the downhills. I also incorporated this mile incline three times in a 20-mile run in mid-March at a pace of 6:36. My confidence was building as my training continued.

A little over two weeks before the race, I completed my last 20-mile run and tapered from there. I had put in a solid winter of training, and all that was left was to rest as much as possible and wait until race day.

Kathy and I flew into Boston early Saturday morning, two days before the Monday race. We had never been to Boston and wanted to take in some

Kathy Fischer

A The author at the Boston Marathon finish line, while sightseeing two days prior to race day.

sightseeing. According to the pedometer Kathy was wearing, from the time we left our house at four in the morning, walked around the airport in Detroit, and walked around Boston taking in the sights, we had walked nearly 16 miles.

It was 9:00 p.m. by the time we arrived at our hotel. It had been a very long day, and I was completely exhausted. I decided Sunday would be a day spent in the hotel room watching television and relaxing.

I enjoy the masses of runners and crowds of spectators that Boston and other big-city marathon courses provide. Race day is also Patriots’ Day in Boston, a holiday that leaves many locals with a vacation day. Boston residents seem to embrace the marathon, and for many it is a tradition to find a place on the course from which to cheer the sea of runners.

A coworker of mine insists that running is not a spectator sport. He has obviously never been to Boston on Patriots’ Day. Spectators crowded the starting area in Hopkinton, and kids were scrambling after clothing that runners were ditching minutes prior to the start as though it belonged to celebrities.

Jeff and I began the race at a 6:45 pace, which seemed comfortable, especially with the early downhills. Nearing mile six, I had to make a pit stop. I desperately wanted to catch up with Jeff as soon as possible and caught him within two miles, but I am sure that this took its toll on my legs. I should have been a bit more patient in trying to catch him, but my eagerness got the best of me.

We continued to hold the 6:45 pace after I caught him, but I could tell the effort at that point felt much too labored. My confidence in reaching our 2:55 goal was beginning to fade.

Fading but still in the chase

At about mile 15, I had to make another pit stop, but this time I made no attempt to catch up to Jeff. I held on to a sub-7:00 pace through the Newton Hills before I began to fade. One thing I will never forget about my experience at Boston is trying to figure out which hill was Heartbreak. If I had one request of the B.A.A., it would be to place a big sign at the top of Heartbreak Hill that reads, “You have just conquered Heartbreak Hill.” As I crested Heartbreak and began my final stretch into Boston, I had to walk some. I have walked at other marathons, but emotionally it was more difficult at Boston.

During the last six miles, the streets are lined with spectators eager to cheer you on. I felt that I was letting these spectators down by walking. Nevertheless, I crossed the finish line in 3:13:49, more than 15 minutes off my goal but good enough to requalify.

Part of what made Boston such a special experience for me is that it is not a race [run every year. I haven’t been back since, but I hope to return. If Inever have that opportunity, however, I will always feel blessed to have been there once.

Epilogue

Running the Boston Marathon is one of the great places that my running journey has taken me. I hope to go again in a few years when my two children, Torey and Logan, are a bit older and can enjoy the experience. If my running journey never takes me to Boston again, I will still feel grateful for having had one opportunity to experience one of the best venues a marathon can provide. As I reflect on Boston and the other 18 marathons that I’ve run, I realize that my journey will change course again and that my marathon pace will begin to slow. When that happens, I hope that I still keep my initial goal in mind of running one marathon a year as long as I am able.

As [hobbled off the plane when arriving back in Michigan from Boston, the soreness in my legs was more intense than it had been after any other marathon except for my first. Wednesday meant going back to work and the real world. I have always tried not to stay upset after a disappointing marathon finish, but as I drove to work the next morning, I was feeling a bit sorry for myself. I noticed that the parking lot was full, and then I remembered that there was an early-morning staff meeting. I had forgotten all about the meeting and as a result, I had to walk in late. As I walked quietly into the meeting, I was greeted with a standing ovation from my coworkers. They had enjoyed the experience of Boston by tracking me online on race day. They will never know how much that greeting meant to me.

And What | Learned From It

Many lessons are learned from training for and running a marathon. Just the process of running provides time for reflection, or for discussion if you are running with others. This time of reflection allows an opportunity to look at lessons learned not only in running but in life. I have always known that training for and running a marathon requires patience. Knowing this and adhering to it are two different things.

Obviously, I learned the importance of being patient after attempting to chase down Jeff in two miles following my first pit stop. I also learned that tapering is more than just cutting the number of miles run in the weeks leading up to a marathon. A 16-mile walking tour two days before a marathon was not a good way to taper. Boston presented a different type of marathon course than I was accustomed to with its downhills in the beginning and uphills later on. I realize now that trying to run a PR my