{"id":11737,"date":"2017-05-01T11:52:06","date_gmt":"2017-05-01T15:52:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.runkevinrun.com\/?p=11737"},"modified":"2017-05-01T21:34:29","modified_gmt":"2017-05-02T01:34:29","slug":"the-pro-football-hall-of-fame-marathon-april-30-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/?p=11737","title":{"rendered":"The Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon – April 30, 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"
Post-Script As Prelude: I had hoped to try and convey the experience with a recreation of the running internal discussion that happened during the 26.2 miles.\u00a0 But like my race itself, it fails.\u00a0 But it is what it is… so maybe it DOES capture the experience.\u00a0 That’s probably just rationalization talking.\u00a0 At least I can identify that voice…<\/em><\/div>\n

\n–KSH, May 1, 2017<\/em><\/div>\n
\n
A man walks down the street
\nHe says why am I soft in the middle now
\nWhy am I soft in the middle
\nThe rest of my life is so hard
\nI need a photo-opportunity
\nI want a shot at redemption
\nDon’t want to end up a cartoon
\nIn a cartoon graveyard
\nBonedigger Bonedigger
\nDogs in the moonlight
\nFar away my well-lit door
\nMr. Beerbelly Beerbelly
\nGet these mutts away from me
\nYou know I don’t find this stuff amusing anymore<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
If you’ll be my bodyguard
\nI can be your long lost pal
\nI can call you Betty
\nAnd Betty when you call me
\nYou can call me Al<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
–Excerpt from Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al”<\/em><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
My alarm has gone off at 4 AM.\u00a0 The race organizers of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon recommended, nay, instructed us all to park in a remote lot and be bused to the start line.\u00a0 As I looked into the mirror, donning my race shirt and affixing my bib to my running shorts, I realized that like Al in the Paul Simon song, my reflection asks me why I’m so soft in the middle now.\u00a0 I’m heavier than I should be.\u00a0 I’m feeling my age.\u00a0 This is an inauspicious start to the day.\u00a0 I would find myself talking to myself throughout the run.\u00a0 It would not be a good talk.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
1 – Why are you so soft in the middle?\u00a0 You’re a good 15-20 pounds over your fighting weight.<\/div>\n
2 – I know.\u00a0 I need to get it together.\u00a0 But to be fair I’m running faster than I have in the past.<\/div>\n
1 – Not lately.\u00a0 You’ve had a couple of ideal condition races and you haven’t BQ’d.\u00a0 You keep missing that target.<\/div>\n
2 – But I have BQ’d… I just ran Boston.<\/div>\n
1 – Two weeks ago.\u00a0 What have you done recently?\u00a0 You haven’t run at all this week.<\/div>\n
2 – Yes, but my leg was bothering me.\u00a0 I was resting.<\/div>\n
1 – So this is a recovery race, a reset race?\u00a0 You’re just hoping to shake the cobwebs?<\/div>\n
2 – It’s a rebuilding race, yes.<\/div>\n
1 – So you’re not even going to try?<\/div>\n
2 – Oh, no.\u00a0 I’m still aiming to hopefully hit a BQ… but I won’t be disappointed if I don’t.<\/div>\n
1 – Really?\u00a0 Wanna bet?<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The parking lot had a $5 fee to help offset the rental of the field and the bus transportation.\u00a0 I would normally grumble about this late addition parking cost, a cost attributed to there not being enough parking in Downtown Canton for the 7,000+ runners on Sunday.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Nonetheless, the voices in my head were at odds.<\/p>\n

1 – I can’t believe they’re charging $5 for this.
\n2 – Well, we’re running this race in large measure due to their promoted registration fee of $26.20.\u00a0 I suppose $31.20 for a marathon is still pretty cheap.
\n1 – That’s true… it just feels a bit disingenuous.
\n2 – You’re in a real snitty mood, aren’t you?\u00a0 Snap out of it.\u00a0 Get it together, man!<\/p>\n

By the dawn’s early light, more and more runners filtered in.\u00a0 There was an accident on I-77 and the police asked the race to delay 15 minutes to allow them to clear traffic *before* the marathon closures congested the area even more.\u00a0 Though fortunately the forecast lightning didn’t materialize and the race could go on, the projected cloud cover was non-existent and the humidity was rising.<\/p>\n

1 – My socks have lost elasticity.\u00a0 They keep bunching up.\u00a0 I’m going to get a blister.
\n2 – Won’t be the first time; won’t be the last.
\n1 – Gonna be a hot day.\u00a0 Even hotter since we’re starting at 7:15.\u00a0 You wouldn’t think 15 minutes would make a huge difference… and yet I know it’s gonna be that much harder.
\n2 – As they keep announcing, it just means we all need to hydrate more.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\" <\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\" <\/a>\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Before the start, I chatted with a charming professor from Kent State.\u00a0 She told me this was an all-new course as they had been starting and finishing at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in years past but that area is under a major renovation\/expansion and it’s a construction nightmare.\u00a0 She said that was partly the rationale for the $26.20 fee, hoping to keep runners coming given the race’s unique challenges this year.\u00a0 There was a definite sense of figurative “calling audibles,” not just with the aforementioned parking lot.<\/p>\n

1 – There’s a juggler running.
\n2 – And he’s not just doing a three-ball cascade; it’s a 5 ball juggle.
\n1 – I’m having enough trouble running in my shirt and shorts.\u00a0 And this guy’s going to juggle the whole way.\u00a0 Swell.<\/p>\n

With the canon fire start, we were off and running.\u00a0 The route apparently was a large horseshoe, a giant U turn out to 13.1 miles and then we turned around and ran back the same way to get to the finish.<\/p>\n

1 – There’s the McKinley Monument!
\n2 – We’ll see it again in 20 miles or so.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The mile markers and kilometer markers were football jersey and history based — so for example mile 12 featured number 12 Joe Namath.\u00a0 And mile 6?\u00a0 It highlighted the six-ring champion Steelers… and though we were in Canton, there seemed to be a large Pittsburgh contingent.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

1 – It’s getting really hot and humid.\u00a0 I don’t think I can do this.
\n2 – Of course you can do this.\u00a0 You’ve done this before.
\n1 – Lots of times.
\n2 – You can do this; you may not want to do this but that’s a different thing.\u00a0 Words matter.
\n1 – Fine, fine.\u00a0 I don’t want to do this today.
\n2 – Why?
\n1 – It’s hot.\u00a0 I’m tired.
\n2 – You’ve done races with pneumonia, food poisoning, in extreme heat and extreme cold, in thunder, lightning, hail, sleet, sun, rain, and all things inbetween.\u00a0 Suck it up, buttercup.
\n1 – I’m feeling like it’s a slog.
\n2 – You said you felt soft in the middle.\u00a0 Well, you over-carboloaded and have been over carbo loading.\u00a0 You need to run this to make a start at remedying that.
\n1 – But I don’t want to.\u00a0 And I’m having a terrible hair day.
\n2 – While it’s true about the hair, now you’re just whining.\u00a0 Look — there’s the First Ladies National Historic Site.\u00a0 It’s inside one of the local historical McKinley houses.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a>\u00a0 \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

2 – And there’s the Canton Museum of Art.
\n1 – I’m pretty sure that’s my lower intestine.
\n2 – You may not know art, but you know how to be snarky.\u00a0 It is both a charming and distressing character trait.
\n1 – At least I know the difference between “It’s” and “Its.”
\n2 – Well, usually.
\n1 – I suppose it could be a typo in two different ways.\u00a0 They may mean: “Promote COLON It is values” as in Football is in itself the embodiment of values.\u00a0 Albeit tell that to OJ or Aaron Hernandez or any number of players who have done horrible things.
\n2 – I think they meant it as “Promote Its Values” as in one should promote the values that belong to Football… albeit again, as with all things there are exceptions that one hopes proves the rules.
\n1 – Words matter.\u00a0 And I don’t mean to be a grammar cop…
\n2 – Yes.\u00a0 Yes, you do.
\n1 – Okay, okay.\u00a0 I do.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

2 – Heading to the turnaround, there’s a chiropractic center sponsoring a water stop… complete with a mascot vertebra.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

1 – I should really get a photo with her.
\n2 – Well, maybe on the way back… We’ve already passed her.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

1 – Mission Accomplished.
\n2 – I wonder which vertebra she was…
\n1 – I’ll shout back and ask<\/p>\n

I call over my shoulder, “Which vertebra are you?”<\/p>\n

Somebody shouts back, “Lumbar!”<\/p>\n

2 – I suppose that makes her a lumbar support!
\n1 – I hate you.
\n2 – Oh, you’re just in a mood.\u00a0 You wish you’d thought of that.
\n1 – Technically I did… because you’re me and I’m you.
\n2 – Yes, yes.\u00a0 TECHNICALLY.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

1 – Yeesh.\u00a0 I’m really hot.\u00a0 I’m struggling.\u00a0 I need to walk.
\n2 – No.\u00a0 You want to walk.
\n1 – No, I NEED to walk.\u00a0 I feel a cramp.\u00a0 I feel like that lower intestine sculpture outside of the Canton Art Museum is scrunching up and rebelling.
\n2 – Hmmm… we’ve been here before.\u00a0 It’s just a jaunt back the way we came.\u00a0 Keep moving.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

1 – Someone just said my name.
\n2 – OUR name.
\n1 – I guess.\u00a0 But that makes us sound insane.
\n2 – Potato, po-TOT-oh.
\n1 – Hey!\u00a0 It’s Dee Dee!\u00a0 One of my Mainly Marathon friends!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

2 – She says she missed us at Boston two weeks ago.
\n1 – Boston — man, I’m doing worse than I did there.
\n2 – It’s a recovery, rebuilding race, remember?
\n1 – And as I said to you, I suspected I’d be bummed if I faltered in this race.\u00a0 The course should be easier.
\n2 – But the temperatures are somewhat similar.
\n1 – Doesn’t matter.\u00a0 I took a week off.\u00a0 I should be doing better.\u00a0 What’s the point?
\n2 – The point is to keep going.\u00a0 If you want to be finished, the only option is to keep moving forward.
\n1 – They’d pick me up and drop me off at the finish.
\n2 – That wouldn’t be a finish then.\u00a0 That would be a DNF — did not finish.
\n1 – But it’s one way to go.
\n2 – Are you really thinking of quitting?\u00a0 Really?
\n1 – No.\u00a0 Well, yes.\u00a0 For a moment.
\n2 – The moment has passed.\u00a0 Move.\u00a0 Keep moving.\u00a0 Do it.\u00a0 Do it now.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\" <\/a>\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

1 – It’s getting harder.
\n2 – It rarely gets easier as the day goes on.
\n1 – My leg is bothering me.\u00a0 The one that led me to not run for the past week.
\n2 – Bothering you or debilitating you?\u00a0 Words matter.
\n1 – Ugh, fine.\u00a0 Just stop talking.\u00a0 I’ll just keep going.\u00a0 It’s just there.\u00a0 It’s not awful, but there’s a…
\n2 – Tweaking?
\n1 – I don’t know the word.\u00a0 I’m tired.\u00a0 Let me just put one foot in front of the other.
\n2 – That’s the spirit!
\n1 – Is it?\u00a0 Or is it just asking for trouble later?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

1 – Twenty miles later, I’m back at McKinley’s Monument.
\n2 – See?\u00a0 You’ve been here before — you know there’s less than 4 miles to go since the Monument was at about 3.5 miles from the start.
\n1 – So I have about 3.5 miles then.
\n2 – Yes.
\n1 – Then why not say that instead of less than 4 miles?
\n2 – Because I don’t know if it’s EXACTLY 3.5 miles but I do know it’s less than 4 miles.\u00a0 And–
\n1 – “Words matter.”\u00a0 Yeah, yeah.\u00a0 I know.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

1 – Andy, a fellow runner, comes\u00a0up behind me and encourages me.\u00a0 We discuss the heat.
\n2 – He says he felt it all kinda come apart for him around mile 20; that he went out too fast and was paying for it now, especially after the 15 minute delay.
\n1 – He asks what I was hoping to hit today.\u00a0 I lie and say 3:20… even though in my heart I was hoping for a sub 3:15.
\n2 – He’s encouraging!\u00a0 Says he’ll run with me and try and get me in as we can still do it.
\n1 – I’m trying.\u00a0 I try and keep up.\u00a0 But there’s a temptation to slow… my side is cramping up.\u00a0 Or is that just in my head?
\n2 – We need to hydrate more.
\n1 – We just need to finish.\u00a0 I just need to finish.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

1 – I gotta walk.
\n2 – That’s okay.\u00a0 Just keep moving forward.
\n1 – But that just ends any chance of a 3:20.
\n2 – It’s a rebuilding run…
\n1 – It’s a failure.\u00a0 I’m a failure.\u00a0 I’m fat and overweight and lumbering and–
\n2 – Hey, look!\u00a0 It’s a… um… beaver?\u00a0 Woodchuck?\u00a0 We should stop and take a photo.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

1 – If I stop now, I may not be able to restart.\u00a0 Where’s the damn finish line?
\n2 – There.\u00a0 There it is.\u00a0 Just ahead…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

1 – There’s the 7:30 pace flag that I last saw at the start of the race.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

2 – We did it!\u00a0 We finished.
\n1 – I feel lousy… but hey — there’s Andy!\u00a0 He was a few minutes ahead of me in the end.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

2 – All told, it was a 3:23 day.
\n1 – Slower than Boston.
\n2 – But a finish.\u00a0 And a rebuilding race to reset after not running for a week.
\n1 – But it’s slower than Boston.
\n2 – Boston was two weeks ago.\u00a0 Let it go.\u00a0 That’s the past.\u00a0 This is now. \u00a0Focus on the next. \u00a0Move forward.
\n1 – Words matter.\u00a0 And I keep hearing the words in my head that this is too hard, that I don’t want to do this.
\n2 – And yet, you did.\u00a0 You did it.\u00a0 You… wait for it…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

2 – Catched up!\u00a0 Free hot dogs at the end.
\n1 – That doesn’t make any sense.
\n2 – Maybe not… I’m dehydrated and delusional…
\n1 – At least there’s a shuttle bus back to the parking lot…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

2 – Aw, hell.<\/a><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

1 – It was a tough day; I started off, well, “off” and I never really got into any kind of groove
\n2 – Well, it all really seemed to come a bit undone in the closing 6 miles…
\n1 – Oh, it had fallen apart way before then… I don’t care what the numbers say.\u00a0 My head and my heart were telling me it was a rough one.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Post-Script As Prelude: I had hoped to try and convey the experience with a recreation of the running internal discussion that happened during the 26.2 miles.\u00a0 But like my race itself, it fails.\u00a0 But it is what it is… so maybe it DOES capture the experience.\u00a0 That’s probably just rationalization talking.\u00a0 At least I can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11737"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11737\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}