Today, I was about 8 minutes off. I thought Dean would run 2:52. After 50 days of consecutive marathons, anything could happen. I knew he had a special performance in him today and that he wanted to make this last one a good one. However, a three hour marathon is nothing to sneeze at and my 2:52 prediction was just something thrown out there as opposed to a calculated, educated prediction. A three hour marathon after 49 consecutive marathons? Why not? Over the course of this expedition, I've learned a lot of things. The biggest one, however, is to never doubt what is possible. Before we started working with Dean, I did doubt that this was possible. Now I don't. I have a sneaking suspicion that this is not the last time some harebrained scheme gets put in front of us. Although I cannot tell you what it might be, I will look at it through a different set of eyes. Whether it's running 10 miles or 10,000, or across the pacific, I will look at if from the perspective of how things can be possible, not why they wouldn't be so.
Over the past 50 days, several people have become like family to me. It would be a disservice to this event not to mention them in my blog. Each of them, in their own very unique way, has been an inspiration to me. I would be proud to work, or play, alongside of these people any day (as long as it's not 50 of them in a row). So without further adieu, here is my band of brothers, my family in a home away from home.
English- Tour bus driver/general road warrior. English is the type of guy that you will always know where you stand with him. He doesn't pull any punches. Whatever the mood is, you will know. His mood usually follows alongside his beloved Steelers season. God, I'm glad they won at least a couple of football games this trip.
Jimmy Hopper- The North Face/likes tall objects This southern Alabaman turned Southern Californian can light up any dark room the instant he appears. He is our consummate emcee at the festivals, and likes to jump off of tall objects.
Robin Culver- Tour Manager/way too much energy I need about 10 shots of espresso to keep up with Robin. Wait a min... I usually have about 10 shots of espresso. In that case, I need 10 more and I still can't keep up with her. This kayaking, barrel racing, mountain biking, woman without a volume control knob keeps the rest of the crooked crew in line. And yes, we sure did need it.
Garrett Greene- Event manager/'can I get you anything' If there was anyone whom I would want to see the country at 6 mile per hour with, it's Garrett. His easy going demeanor and laid back Louisiana drawl were the perfect anecdote to any hairy situation. I'm glad I never killed him during any of my stunt car driving routines.
JB Benna- Director/not a videographer I made the mistake at the beginning of the tour of calling JB a 'videographer'. I was sorely mistaken. Not just because he was incredibly offended, but he is a brilliant director. Although, he does need to learn to work on the bicycle he turned into a moving movie studio. I can't fault him for that, he's a Hollywood guy. The guy I jokingly call 'my little brother' (we were born exactly one day apart) felt like a true sibling. I just hope he reads this in time, feels the love I'm sending his way, and cuts out my bad side from the documentary.
By my count, there are 2 marathons left in the E50. Looking at Dean today, you would not be able to tell. Dean had another relatively easy cruise today through Philadelphia. Finishing near the infamous 'Rocky' steps was a fitting touch to this run considering he, and 60 others, still felt like champs after 26.2 miles. Ironically enough, there is not much to say about this marathon. The people were great, the city was extremely accommodating, and the course was spectacular. Everything was a relative breeze. Of course, after going through some of the more difficult marathons that we have gone through, just about anything should be a breeze.
On another note, many have asked what CTS and Dean plan to do after the E50 is over. For me, I plan to chill out for a while, get back to my home in Colorado, and take some R and R. However, if there is anything I've learned from this experience, it is not to make your plans too far out in advance, you never know what might happen next!
Today, I am thankful that the east coast has a high population density. This means that our bus rides from city to city are short. Dean can therefore maximize his time at the hotel to rest and recuperate for the next day. At this late stage of the journey, nothing could be more important. After 47 consecutive marathons, every moment of sleep and rest becomes precious.
Not to get too far ahead, but everything thus far tells me that Dean's systems are all go for an excellent 48, 49 and New York City marathon. He's resting very well, eating a ton as usual, and generally has a very optimistic demeanor.
On another bizarre note, there was another building fire near the race course today. Although not nearly as dramatic as yesterday, it is surreal that this has happened two days in a row!
Tomorrow brings another urban marathon with the Philadelphia Marathon. Maybe I'll stop by Gino's for a cheese steak. I know it's not Food for Fitness approved but you gotta live, right?
Remember earlier when I mentioned that the E50 has had to battle almost all of Earth's elements said for one? Fire was the last element that earth could throw at us. I actually was naïve enough to say that Cleveland would be the last time that fire would be an obstacle. I need to learn to stop saying things like this as I tend to jinx the group when I open my big mouth. Today, the E50 had to battle fire... again... sort of. Just after mile 2, as we were merrily running along, a raging fire broke out in an apartment building on the course. Within seconds, the blaze had nearly consumed the building. Our police escorts immediately made the U-turn back to the building and began smashing doors and windows to reach the people inside. A mother and her small child ended up being carried out by a couple of Baltimore's finest. Within minutes (seven to be exact) they had all of the people out of the building and returned to our little corner of the world with the situation under control. Although there are only a handful of days left, I'm not going to say anything about this being the last time we'll see fire again.
Dean's time, 3:49, was the fastest on a recreated course. I think he's 'smelling the barn' (I can't take credit for that phrase, an old coach of mine gave me that one) and is psychologically lifted by the fact that the New York City Marathon is just around the corner. Moments like this can carry athletes and help them conjure up performances that they otherwise would not be able to do. We are all happy, relieved, and saddened that this journey is almost to a close. Now exactly how much happiness, relief, or sadness we each have depends on the person... and on the day!
I know that somewhere, someone is reading my blog out loud to their office (you know who you are). If you are that someone, I think it is sad that you choose to squander a few minutes of your life in this way. You obviously have way too much spare time on your hands. I really wish you would spend it in a more productive fashion, like mapquesting the nearest coffee shop to our hotels so that I can be properly caffeinated for the day. OK, enough with the inside jokes...
I know trick or treat is a cliché title given the day but work with me here... Today's trick or treat had to do with our trail marathon in South Carolina. Trail can turn technical in a heartbeat during the Fall. As the colors change and the trees begin to lose their leaves, they fall to the ground. When I was younger and much braver, I used to scoop up these leaves into a big pile right next to an overhang on my roof. I would climb up on the roof and jump off, using the crunchy foliage as a crash pad for my fall. I could entertain myself for hours climbing and jumping and climbing and jumping until I either missed the crash pad, or the leaves were ground into fine sand, useless to break a fall. These same leaves that I enjoyed as a child are a terror out on a trail run. They cover roots, rocks, and anything else that could take a runner down. Every step could be a treat, cushioning your feet with some crunchy fall goodness, or a trick that could land you upside down with a big swollen ankle (I've been there), or worse (I've been there too). I treated a few of these throughout the course of the day. Naturally, I was relieved when Dean made it to the finish line of the last trail marathon in the E50. Whew.
Islands are notorious for being laid back, chilled our, and just plain relaxing. Today was no exception. A flat course on a beautiful island was perfect for this late stage of the journey. I am starting to thoroughly enjoy some of the non-chain types of hotels we are staying at. Today just before we departed, the kitchen staff let me raid their pantry to feed the crew and Dean. They whipped up a huge meal full of fresh greens, fruit and a nice piece of seared Ahi tuna for Dean. As the Californians on this trip say, 'it was killer.'
Wound care is still top priority for Dean. He heads out to the course with wrap over 3 larger wounds. One is on his forearm. This was the deepest cut and is healing quite nicely thanks to the EMTs in Atlanta. The second is on his right palm just underneath the thumb. If you have a queasy stomach you might want to stop reading here. There is a big chunk of skin missing here. Due to the location, and size of the abrasion, this is the one that is most venerable to infection. As Dean is right handed, it makes it difficult to do just about everything including his favorite activity, the classic high five. He's switched over to the much more macho left handed knuckle punch. The third area to wrap up is on his right thigh. There is some typical road rash here, no biggie. We wrap it up to keep his shorts from rubbing up against the healing words.
Dean and the crew are on the bus for the next several days, this means food to cook. The problem is, we're a little low right now. So for me, it's off to shop for some vittles!
I've always wanted to say that. With some of our nation's finest marines surrounding us today, it was bound to be a memorable marathon. We were not disappointed. The crowds were great, the course was perfect, and the runner's in the 'people's race' were truly fantastic. Dean had a particularly non-event type of day today. Which, under the circumstances, is exactly what I wanted to see. The wounds on his hand, arm and leg, although tough, are showing no signs of infection. This is comforting considering the crowds of people Dean has been around in marathons, airports, and hotels. The bandaging process is still a 10-15 minute ordeal every morning, but it is completely necessary. I go through a few generous dabs of Neosporin, 6-7 non stick pads, and 3 rolls of wrap to seal up and mummify Dean. I think I am going to take a job as mummyficationer (is that a word?) after the E50 is done!
Sometime in my mediocre high school athlete career, I had a coach tell me that 'basketball is a contact sport, football is a collision sport' when describing how much the respective players in each sport get rouged up. After that uplifting speech, I decided to try my hat at running, where neither 'contact' nor 'collision' were options. After years of running on trails and road, I believe I was mislead. Running, like football, is a collision sport. In running however, the collisions normally occur with inanimate objects like poles (see earlier E50 video), the occasional wildlife (I once ran smack dab into a deer on a trail in Colorado), and in Dean's case today, rebar and asphalt.
Dean took a tumble today out on the course. He didn't see a piece of rebar sticking out of the ground. His foot struck it, and down he went. Dean ended up with 2 spots of road rash on his right leg, a few gashes on his right forearm, and a jammed toe. This is not an E50 show stopper. Bumps and bruises are only going to slow Dean down (more). They won't keep him out, especially not at this juncture and with so many other runners out there to lend him a hand. For a guy that I've seen suffer so tremendously, he sure is a wuss when it comes to a little antibiotic and open wounds. Half a first aid kit, and a lot of grunting and wincing later, I had Dean all patched up and ready to go. One of the gashes cut him about 1/8th of an inch deep, and looked as if he were cut with a sharp object. It was a judgment call whether or not to stitch it up. We decided to let the on-site EMT's fill the gash with a crazy glue type of antibiotic ointment to close and protect the wound from infection. As I write this, Dean is sitting next to me on a plane, his arm and leg wrapped in mummy-like bandages. His demeanor is still upbeat, despite the bumps and bruises. He know he gets to run tomorrow and that's all he needs to lift his spirits. I've always had a sneaking suspicion that running was a collision sport, today just confirmed it. Now it's time to fill that first aid kit back up.
Today was definitely the toughest course of the E50. Dean has been through 39 other marathons throughout the course of this expedition, but this one was the most difficult. The terrain was hilly, slippery from the recent rail, and extremely technical with numerous roots and rocks to navigate. Even for experienced runners, slippery roots and ankle twister rocks can be a serious issue. Add into the mix that you loose valuable coordination as you become more and more tired, and this becomes quite an ordeal. Fortunately, Dean runs each marathon at a fraction of his maximum. Even at number 40, he still has reserves left in the tank (although those reserves are not what they one were). During these trail marathons, this will ensure that his mind is focused and his footing is stable.
Another aspect that I have noticed is that Dean's palate has reverted to foods that he was enjoying earlier in the tour. For the first half of the Endurance 50, Dean ate foods he normally would at home. Big salads and smoked salmon were the norm. for the past two weeks, there was a bit of a shift in that approach. He started eating more nature's path granola, some Greek style yogurt, and cottage cheese. Now, it seems like he has reverted back to foods of the first half of the journey. This is not at all surprising. Dean will eat what his body craves. If it's salt, then he will eat salty, savory foods. If it is sweet, then you will see his sweet tooth come out and he will take down an entire box of Nature's Path peanut butter granola. For the most part, I let him eat what he feels like eating. All the while, I keep my internal caloric abacus going, cleverly taking note of each bite and morsel. As long as my mental beads add up to 5000-6000 calories at the end of the day, Dean will be good, and I will sleep a little better.
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