Here's a bit of footage I found on Youtube in the meantime...
Skip to about 6 minutes to see the finish.
Wow, thanks BB, what a superb piece of film. I enjoyed the experience of watching that particular race enormously, for reasons I've been writing about. And I think I may have finally seen the angle I've been searching for. I'll watch that again.
Dick Beardsley is an interesting guy -- I met him briefly at the Boston expo, and went to hear him speak. On that great 1982 race, 'the Duel in the Sun': "We ran that first mile in four minutes thirty three", he explained. "After that, I was hanging on. When you feel yourself hanging on with more than twenty five miles to go, then you know you're in trouble. It was a marathon that came down to a final one hundred yard sprint. I lost a twenty six mile race by 1.6 seconds".
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
I'm beginning to yawn and stretch and think, "Oh god, I'd better do something".
Boston/USA report will be posted shortly, though I'm not sure what "shortly" means. I just need to say something about San Francisco. Nearly all the rest was written some weeks ago, in he US, but I couldn't think of much to say about the race itself, so haven't wanted to post. I've added a bit now, and it will have to do.
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
'Boston' was a tough read. Not the length - I'm hardly one to complain about long-winded race reports - but because I know how much of a holy grail Boston was for you. It was inevitable the race would struggle to deliver the anticipated euphoria, though I dare say memories of the experience will improve as time goes by.
I for one am envious; it's a mighty race in the great marathonium, one I'd love to complete if I could track down a new set of pins :o
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
I can totally relate to how you were feeling after 16 miles - the absence of things, the blank page. Yet somehow you kept on going...
As Sweder also said, I'm envious that you got to run Boston. It has an aura about it that is unlike any other marathon. And you've run it.
I'm glad you liked San Francisco, it is a wonderful city to visit! Different from other big US cities. (I agree with you about Vegas, although I'm going there in 2 weeks, mainly to shop and see Bette Midler).
We'd love to have seen Bette Midler, but she was out of town the week we were there. We were torn between the Cirque de Soleil Beatles show, Love, and Barry Manilow. It would never occur to us to see the latter in the UK, but we fancied the kitsch quality of seeing him in Vegas. But anyway, we opted for the Beatles show and it was brilliant. Just a shame these big shows are so expensive -- about $100 a pop. Decided that we couldn't afford more than one.
I hope the report wasn't too gloomy. Most of the race stuff was written shortly after I got back, when I was still in that holiday hangover phase. I reread it the other day, and was struck by the downbeat quality of some of it, but to be honest, I couldn't face rewriting it. Also, I thought it should remain as the way I was thinking at the time of writing. The fact is, it some elements were disappointing -- but this was almost inevitable given the huge sense of anticipation and excitement. And it really is a fantastic event, and the city truly embraces it. I guess I was just disappointed with how I did on the day. But I have to remind myself that it's a tough race -- the toughest marathon I've done by a long way. 5 miles of mainly upward hills at the 16 mile point is bloody hard to deal with if you've not been able to train for them.
All that said, it was a great trip, and I hope the report ended on an up note. That was certainly the intention. And Chelsea lost the semi-final of the Champions League while I was there.
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
Wow, that was certainly worth waiting for El G, thoroughly moving account of the Holy Grail of marathons. Will you continue with marathons or has that assigned a full stop for you?
The Grand Canyon is gob smackingly "awesome" isn't it. I too tracked down City Lights bookshop:-)
You can't be too hard on yourself over your performance in Boston. As is well documented here that fact you lined up at all was pretty remarkable. To get inside a half hour of your best time with such a huge chunk of training excised reflects, I'm sure others here will agree, a monumental effort and is testament to your capacity for the fight.
I like the honesty of your reportage EG. I've been sorely tempted to re-write my own hommage to the frailty of the human spirit (TOM) so as to remove the black heart of the middle/ end sections of the race, or at least inject a little more humour, not to mention some of the issues regarding cohesion and continuity. Every time I think about doing so I chide myself. The reason these anomalies crop up is they are the result of what we've gone through. My race report weaved and staggered like the ramblings of a drunkard because that's what the race did to me. The bleak sections of your own reflections tell us what Boston did to you. Ultimetely you slayed the dragon.
The honesty of how you feel after a race should where possible be preserved for all to see. It makes your piece all the more valuable, even if, as I found, it's a tough read in places for that reason. I could feel your pain, sense the fight draining from your legs as the disappointment clutched at your heart. Ultimately you survived all that and came through. You now have a medal most of us can only dream about; you paid your dues and furthermore had the courage to tell it like it was; bravo.
The travelogue is wonderful. It's great to see a place (Vegas) that you know well through another pair of eyes, although ultimately your conclusions aren't that far from my own. I've never spent more than a few hours in SFO; your piece has ensured that next chance I get I'll be tacking a couple of days on to put that right, especially as HST spent some of his formative scribbling years in that vacinity. There must be some magic in that west coast air.
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
You chaps have an important intellectual role in life. You don't just turn-up, run around, collect your medal and bugger off. To that extent you're certainly not box-tickers. You draw meaning from your experiences and that becomes more important than how 'good' the experience was. It's people like you, telling the stories of races like Boston and TOM, who inspire others to do it.
stillwaddler Wrote:Wow, that was certainly worth waiting for El G, thoroughly moving account of the Holy Grail of marathons. Will you continue with marathons or has that assigned a full stop for you?
The Grand Canyon is gob smackingly "awesome" isn't it. I too tracked down City Lights bookshop:-)
I'm just going back to read it all again.
You're a glutton for punishment, SW.
Perhaps I am too, as I wouldn't like to say I won't do another one. I would just love to have some road-to-Damascus moment to help me overcome my eating demons. It's always such a struggle to lose enough weight to give myself a proper chance. I have this dream that one day I will retain my focus from 20 weeks out, right up to the day of the race.
But hell yeah, I'll do another one. Not this year, that's for certain. Perhaps next spring.
Hey, glad to hear you got to City Lights.
I was also glad to take up your recommendation (and reinforced by Glaconman) about Alcatraz. Not many people know this, but I have visited quite a lot of prisons in my time, though not as an offender. It's another story for another time, but anyway, I do have a natural interest in these places. And Alcatraz didn't disappoint. Very well preserved, and atmospheric. Great views of the city too.
I hope to get back there someday.
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
Sweder Wrote:You can't be too hard on yourself over your performance in Boston. As is well documented here that fact you lined up at all was pretty remarkable. To get inside a half hour of your best time with such a huge chunk of training excised reflects, I'm sure others here will agree, a monumental effort and is testament to your capacity for the fight.
I like the honesty of your reportage EG. I've been sorely tempted to re-write my own hommage to the frailty of the human spirit (TOM) so as to remove the black heart of the middle/ end sections of the race, or at least inject a little more humour, not to mention some of the issues regarding cohesion and continuity. Every time I think about doing so I chide myself. The reason these anomalies crop up is they are the result of what we've gone through. My race report weaved and staggered like the ramblings of a drunkard because that's what the race did to me. The bleak sections of your own reflections tell us what Boston did to you. Ultimetely you slayed the dragon.
The honesty of how you feel after a race should where possible be preserved for all to see. It makes your piece all the more valuable, even if, as I found, it's a tough read in places for that reason. I could feel your pain, sense the fight draining from your legs as the disappointment clutched at your heart. Ultimately you survived all that and came through. You now have a medal most of us can only dream about; you paid your dues and furthermore had the courage to tell it like it was; bravo.
The travelogue is wonderful. It's great to see a place (Vegas) that you know well through another pair of eyes, although ultimately your conclusions aren't that far from my own. I've never spent more than a few hours in SFO; your piece has ensured that next chance I get I'll be tacking a couple of days on to put that right, especially as HST spent some of his formative scribbling years in that vacinity. There must be some magic in that west coast air.
Oh, you'd love San Francisco. Your kind of town, I reckon. It also struck me that it's a great place for a runner. Tons of hills if that's your thing , though pretty flat if you go crossways. Concrete of course, though there are a couple of glorious, and huge, parks where you can lose yourself, far from the CO2. And although it's on tarmac, I can't help feeling that the Big Sur marathon is one of the few road races that could satisfy a TOM vet.
I hope I've not been too hard on myself. If people ask me about it now, as of course they do, I say it was a great experience and a great event, and I'm very pleased that I did it. The first half was thoroughly enjoyable. New England on a sunny spring morning is a delight. The spectators were fantastic, though probably less numerous than London or Chicago. The trouble is, my arse can only take so much pounding . At 15 miles, I felt like someone staggering out of a Michael Barrymore party.
This was also the point when the sun switched itself off, and the afternoon became cold and grey, and it became a survival shuffle. I had to tell it how it was. But y'know. That was then. The next marathon won't be Boston, and I'll be better able to have a shot at a good PB.
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
glaconman Wrote:You chaps have an important intellectual role in life. You don't just turn-up, run around, collect your medal and bugger off. To that extent you're certainly not box-tickers. You draw meaning from your experiences and that becomes more important than how 'good' the experience was. It's people like you, telling the stories of races like Boston and TOM, who inspire others to do it.
I'm never very comfortable being told that I inspire anything, but the comments are appreciated. You're right -- we ALL recognise that at our level, running isn't actually much to do with running. We can still feel competitive (even if it's only our past performances we're pitched against), but the activity is bound up with all sorts of other complicated stuff, and I for one feel compelled to want to tell people about it. Because it's marvellous and fascinating and enriching. Even when it's horrible, and even when we feel disappointed. Perhaps it's on these occasions we appreciate it more than ever.
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
I'd echo EG on that, though I must say some of BBs stuff makes my sneakers squeak (inspires me), as did MLCMan's improbably tough struggles against cruel injury.
As far as writing about it, well . . . it takes all my energy to stop myself from tapping out volumes every time I get back from a run. There's something chemical going on; I can't explain it. Running creates headspace which floods with imagery, concepts, off-the-wall tales of yore . . .
I also enjoy sharing this madness with others, getting feedback/ input/ criticism, hearing another view, taking advice or just swapping gentle, teasing banter. It's an interactive process, connects us with our fellow runners, our fellow humans. So much of what others post here resonates with me, or at least triggers thought processes that lead me off on a tangent or two. Terrific stuff, and I for one have no idea how I filled my days before RC.
Oh yeah, I used to go to the pub a lot more . . . which uncorks a thought.
If we all lived in the same village I'd be an alcoholic
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
