Boston Photos

I took my photos, Joe’s photos, and some race shots from the Internet and created a video to recap the Boston weekend in about four minutes. YouTube shrinks the video, so the pictures get a little pixilated, but you can get the idea. After reviewing my photos, I can think of a thousand shots I missed. I’ll get those when I run Boston with my brother. :-)

The blog truncates the picture, so you may want to view it on YouTube.

Thought from the plane

I'm on the plane back to Sac and thought I'd peck out a couple of thoughts from the weekend.

What went well:
-Travelling with Joe. He's a great travel partner. I'd do it again in a second with him.
-Catching a Sox game. Even if I DNF'd the marathon, the trip would have been worth it just to sit field-side for the game. It was THAT fun.
-The people of Boston. They are amazingly patient and kind. Their city gets overrun with out of towners annually for this event. They tolerate our bumpkin invasion with a smile and a sense of humor.
-The marathon. It really is a must for any runner. If you qualify, you HAVE to go. No excuses!!!!! (More specifics to come)
-Hooking up with Carlos at the Expo. I think he had been up for at least 30 hours at that point.

What needed improvement:
-The "T." Boston public transit is called the "T." It's a network of busses and subways the spiders through the city. It's great once you get the hang of it, but it's a nightmare to figure out. The instructions and routes are convoluted at best. How is a guy from out of town supposed to figure out if he needs the "inbound" or "outbound" subway. The marathon should provide better instructions to participants and the "T" needs to make it easier to use. Really.

Special thanks to:
-Frances and Abby for being understanding, patient, and supportive of this little endeavor. Despite what you think, we know it's a HUGE inconvenience.
-Lino Cedros for keeping the wheels on this 40 year old machine.
-Joe for making the plans.

On the ground and deplaning. Gotta run. More to come.

The prize...

I don't have the time to list the experience right now, but suffice it to say that anyone who can run the Boston Marathon absolutely MUST do it. MUST! It's amazing.

AT&T Athlete Alert

Event Information:
Event:	113th Boston Marathon 2009
Runner:	Eric Norton
Latest Results:
Location Time Pace/mile 10km 0:51:28 8:16 Half-Marathon 1:48:24 8:16 30km 2:35:10 8:19 Finish 3:43:23 8:31

All times are unofficial. Times may vary in post race official results.

AT&T Athlete Alert

Event Information:
Event:	113th Boston Marathon 2009
Runner:	Eric Norton
Latest Results:
Location Time Pace/mile 10km 0:51:28 8:16 Half-Marathon 1:48:24 8:16 30km 2:35:10 8:19

All times are unofficial. Times may vary in post race official results.

AT&T Athlete Alert

Event Information:
Event:	113th Boston Marathon 2009
Runner:	Eric Norton
Latest Results:
Location Time Pace/mile 10km 0:51:28 8:16 Half-Marathon 1:48:24 8:16

All times are unofficial. Times may vary in post race official results.

AT&T Athlete Alert

Event Information:
Event:	113th Boston Marathon 2009
Runner:	Eric Norton
Latest Results:
Location Time Pace/mile 10km 0:51:28 8:16

All times are unofficial. Times may vary in post race official results.

Now THAT is a line.

Better not be an emergency!

In line for a bus...

Joe and I are in line for a bus at Boston Common. We've been up since 4:00 am and the race doesn't start for almost 4 hours. Groan.

Calf feels good. All fueled up. Two hours of sleep.

Sox Win...

Legs pooped. Public transit, the expo, the game, and marching around Boston have the legs a little wobbly. Gonna grab some food at the hotel and watch a movie.

And we're off...

...Like a herd of turtles. Joe and I are at the gate getting ready to tour the lower 48 on our way to Boston: Sac to Phx, Phx to Charlotte, Charlotte to Boston. Aside from Joe getting a body cavity search from TSA, no hitches so far.

I'll leave you contemplating a 9 hour flight with a fully hydrated bladder. Please, no turbulence.

The Witches Brew (Patent Pending)

The following is an email from my brother. We're both big Hammer Nutrition fans and we've been experimenting with a cocktail of their products perfectly balanced for our marathons. Here's the latest iteration...

I don't think the world is interested in the "witches brew", so here it is for you. In a small mixing bowl combine:

1 single serve of Perpetuem
2 single serve HEEDs (use the unflavored)
4 single serve Hammer Gel
Just enough water to help the mixture into two Hammer Flasks (possibly 2-3 oz.)

Stir the stuff up and pour it into (as stated above) two Hammer Flasks.

No foam, froth, or gas of any kind.  As one flask emptied, I filled it with a little water and it freed up the rest of the stuff.   I thought I was going to give the flask to Mary when I saw her on mile 19, but I started to fill the empty flask with water, which worked out really well.   This gave me water when I wanted it as opposed to waiting for the water stops.  My body was very happy with that decision.   I'm in love with hammer flasks!!!!  Also, I was very happy that, for once in my life, I gambled on my race strategy for the marathon and it worked out VERY WELL.

Boston Weather and Some Thoughts on Mustard...

I got in five around Land Park this morning and had almost no pain in the calf. What does "almost" mean? It means that, while it didn't hurt, there were a couple of times when I could feel my calf wanting to knot up. Why it "wants" to knot up is a mystery to me. Lino really helped it out last night. Now all I have to do is keep it loose until Monday. 

The temp on the run was around 43 degrees which mirrors what I anticipate for Monday's run. It gave me the confidence to choose appropriate apparel for the run. Which is O so important! If the Weather Channel is correct, we're looking at low to mid 40's, cloudy, and a chance of showers during the run so I'll take gloves, arm sleeves (AKA tube socks with the toes cut off), and a couple of different hats to fit the situation.

I'm going to stop by a fast food restaurant on the way out of town and stock up on yellow mustard. It turns out that yellow mustard packets combat cramps. Apparently, it's a combination of the mustard, turmeric, and the vinegar that make it a great cramp buster. We'll see. It's a good think I like mustard.

Last visit to Lino

I'm face-down on Lino's treatment table right now with electrodes on both calves. Yeah, I'm confident. :)

After talking with Lino, I'm guessing I'm not the sole Boston runner to receive treatment. If I knew who they were, I see if we could pool funds and fly him out with us.

Time to get the rest of my fun.

Hair Removal

Okay, so I've already established that I scream like a girl. I saw fit to prove it once again. We also know I've had some calf pain and that I've been willing to do just about ANYTHING to make it go away: compression socks, somatic treatments, new shoes, stretching, etc. In that vein, I thought I'd try the Salonpas pain relief patch (It's a topical analgesic). It actually worked pretty well...that is until I took the little patch off. Now, I'm not a furry guy. In the fur o'meter, I'm about about a three (one being Mr. Clean and ten being Yeti-esque); however, my legs are a little more harry than the "three." Anyhow, I ripped that sucker off and had a carpet for a hamster (see enclosed pic). Ouch.

Other news: I went to Lino on Friday after the calf got cranky on my Thursday run...not good. I then got in two 8.5 mile runs this weekend with only modest discomfort. One week to go before Boston. It's gonna be a bumpy ride.

Back to the wheel...

5 on the strip...

Where else can you get a 5 mile run and see Miss USA contestants and the Stanley Cup?

Oh, and the legs feel great. I got a deep tissue massage at the hotel yesterday.

The Hamster is off to the tables. :)

Oh Happy Day

I ran 10 this morning. I must admit that it seems longer that it should and slower than I'd like. Other than that, all was good. <eye roll>

The good news (I think) is that I found my Garmin!! Yeah!!! Of course, the reason I added "I think" is that it will now confirm how pathetically slow I really am. 

The Hamster is headed to Las Vegas for a few days...I'm not entirely certain it's going to help my Boston training any. Of course, it's all shot anyway, so I'm off!