My son Jeff and I had been talking about running a marathon together for a few years now. He ran his first marathon in 2014 in Houston, TX, while in his senior year of college. I ran my first marathon in 1979 on Maui, while in my freshman year of high school. Jeff has since run a couple more marathons. I've run a few half-marathons in the past 10 years, but not another marathon. I had talked about running another one while I still can, but had been plagued by minor injuries in the last few years. And honestly, I was really scared to attempt that kind of distance. Well, I finally got past the injuries, and Jeff put me on the spot. He said, how about Portland (OR) in 2016? Then he registered. And sent me the confirmation email. It was my turn.
I was afraid to commit to a marathon, afraid I'd find out that I couldn't do it. But I was past 50 yrs old and figured I'd better give it a shot now because I'm not getting any younger. I registered, then started hunting for training plans. I looked at Runner's World magazine plans as well as Women's Running magazine plans, then ended up cobbling together my own mash-up plan, incorporating pieces of different plans (novice vs. experienced runner) from both magazine offerings and adjusting the long run distances. Dad has assured me that if I could complete a long run of 18 miles, I could finish a marathon (and he should know, he's run more marathons than I can count!) So I set up my plan with a longest run of 20 miles, thinking that those extra 2 miles would give me a little extra certainty.
I didn't always complete every workout, but I managed enough of it to feel prepared.
The reason we chose the Portland Marathon is because my parents live out near Portland, and Dad has run the Portland Marathon many times (I think 5 times). Since Jeff and I would have to meet up somewhere anyway, going to Portland gave us a nice visit with Mom and Dad/Grandma and Grandpa, more people to come cheer us while we ran, and I knew my Dad would get a real kick out of watching two more generations of Axmakers running the same race that he has run.
While we were training for the race, it occurred to me that we could use it as a vehicle to raise funds for cancer research. A friend of mine had done that when he ran the Chicago Marathon, raising funds for lung cancer research, as his wife had lung cancer. Dad has prostate cancer, and he is part of the reason we chose Portland, so it made sense to raise money for prostate cancer research. I looked for a way to do that through the Portland Marathon website but there wasn't anything appropriate that was available to use through their website. Dad goes to OHSU for his treatment, so I contacted them and set up a team fundraising page to benefit prostate cancer research at the Knight Cancer Center at OHSU (Oregon Health and Science University). Jeff and I sent the link to our fundraising page to friends and family, and we have raised over $1600! Here's the link: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/shelley-arenson/team-shelley-and-jeff
I trained hard all summer, through the heat and humidity (I still have scars on my back from the chafing!) and while I completed the distance, I was slow. I really had no idea how fast I could run the race. I knew the temperature in October would be easier to run in than the heat and humidity of the Connecticut summer, but I didn't know what that would translate to as far as overall pace and endurance. I packed several different sets of running clothes so I would be prepared for whatever weather we got on race day. As I watched the weather forecast, things were looking good: clear and sunny, around 70 degrees. Not bad at all. Then as the week progressed, the forecast started looking cloudier and cooler, and then it started looking wetter. Phooey!
Yes, it rained for the entire race! That said, the race went better than I expected. I was hoping to finish under 5 hours, without injury, and without completely dying at the end. Well, I managed all 3.
I finished in 4 hours 44 minutes, with an adjusted time of 4 hours 38 minutes for the 26.2 miles. (I ended up running about 6/10 mile extra, along with hundreds of other runners in my starting corral, due to a problem with race route directions. Dad says that makes me an Ultra-Marathoner. Ha! I'll take that.) I maintained a pretty even pace throughout the race, taking care to not start out too fast, and was even able to pick up my pace for the last couple of miles. And I felt pretty good!
Jeff finished in 3:03, qualifying for Boston by less than 2 minutes. He was able to dry off, get changed, and warm up a bit before cheering me on near the finish line. Here is Jeff, jogging with me for a hundred yards or so, right around mile 26.
Dan (my husband), Julie (Jeff's girlfriend), Mom, and Dad spent the day running around to cheer both Jeff and me (in the rain) and take pictures. I think it was probably a lot harder to put up with the rain and the cold for the supporters, who weren't running to keep themselves warm. We had left the house at 5 am in order to be in Portland for the start of the race, and I didn't finish until around noon. That's a long time to stand out in the rain.
As you can see, we had sunnier days after the race. Jeff and I both appreciated Mom and Dad's hot tub after the race on Sunday afternoon. We were both pretty creaky and stiff, but Jeff had pushed a lot harder and was suffering a little more from his exertions.
As my Dad so succinctly put it, No Good Deed... http://axman-axman.blogspot.com/ After the long day out in the rain, Dad was not feeling well, and ended up with a fever and a trip in to the hospital with an infection. Luckily, with fluids, rest, and antibiotics, his infection was cleared up, but it delayed his next chemotherapy treatment. Our intent had really been to help, not hinder, and thankfully Dad recovered, and in the big picture, we did help the cause of cancer research when we surpassed our fundraising goal.
When all is said and done, I'd call the whole endeavor a success. It was a good visit with everybody, and Jeff and I both achieved our marathon goals as well as our fundraising goals. And who knows, as good as I felt during and after the race, I may even run another marathon.....
Shelley in CT
I was afraid to commit to a marathon, afraid I'd find out that I couldn't do it. But I was past 50 yrs old and figured I'd better give it a shot now because I'm not getting any younger. I registered, then started hunting for training plans. I looked at Runner's World magazine plans as well as Women's Running magazine plans, then ended up cobbling together my own mash-up plan, incorporating pieces of different plans (novice vs. experienced runner) from both magazine offerings and adjusting the long run distances. Dad has assured me that if I could complete a long run of 18 miles, I could finish a marathon (and he should know, he's run more marathons than I can count!) So I set up my plan with a longest run of 20 miles, thinking that those extra 2 miles would give me a little extra certainty.
I didn't always complete every workout, but I managed enough of it to feel prepared.
The reason we chose the Portland Marathon is because my parents live out near Portland, and Dad has run the Portland Marathon many times (I think 5 times). Since Jeff and I would have to meet up somewhere anyway, going to Portland gave us a nice visit with Mom and Dad/Grandma and Grandpa, more people to come cheer us while we ran, and I knew my Dad would get a real kick out of watching two more generations of Axmakers running the same race that he has run.
While we were training for the race, it occurred to me that we could use it as a vehicle to raise funds for cancer research. A friend of mine had done that when he ran the Chicago Marathon, raising funds for lung cancer research, as his wife had lung cancer. Dad has prostate cancer, and he is part of the reason we chose Portland, so it made sense to raise money for prostate cancer research. I looked for a way to do that through the Portland Marathon website but there wasn't anything appropriate that was available to use through their website. Dad goes to OHSU for his treatment, so I contacted them and set up a team fundraising page to benefit prostate cancer research at the Knight Cancer Center at OHSU (Oregon Health and Science University). Jeff and I sent the link to our fundraising page to friends and family, and we have raised over $1600! Here's the link: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/shelley-arenson/team-shelley-and-jeff
I trained hard all summer, through the heat and humidity (I still have scars on my back from the chafing!) and while I completed the distance, I was slow. I really had no idea how fast I could run the race. I knew the temperature in October would be easier to run in than the heat and humidity of the Connecticut summer, but I didn't know what that would translate to as far as overall pace and endurance. I packed several different sets of running clothes so I would be prepared for whatever weather we got on race day. As I watched the weather forecast, things were looking good: clear and sunny, around 70 degrees. Not bad at all. Then as the week progressed, the forecast started looking cloudier and cooler, and then it started looking wetter. Phooey!
Yes, it rained for the entire race! That said, the race went better than I expected. I was hoping to finish under 5 hours, without injury, and without completely dying at the end. Well, I managed all 3.
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| about an hour into the race |
Jeff finished in 3:03, qualifying for Boston by less than 2 minutes. He was able to dry off, get changed, and warm up a bit before cheering me on near the finish line. Here is Jeff, jogging with me for a hundred yards or so, right around mile 26.
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| Jeff with me, around mile 26 |
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| the family: me, Dan, and Jeff |
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| Marathoners old and new: me, Dad, and Jeff |
As my Dad so succinctly put it, No Good Deed... http://axman-axman.blogspot.com/ After the long day out in the rain, Dad was not feeling well, and ended up with a fever and a trip in to the hospital with an infection. Luckily, with fluids, rest, and antibiotics, his infection was cleared up, but it delayed his next chemotherapy treatment. Our intent had really been to help, not hinder, and thankfully Dad recovered, and in the big picture, we did help the cause of cancer research when we surpassed our fundraising goal.
When all is said and done, I'd call the whole endeavor a success. It was a good visit with everybody, and Jeff and I both achieved our marathon goals as well as our fundraising goals. And who knows, as good as I felt during and after the race, I may even run another marathon.....
Shelley in CT
