Close! And Close Enough
Big news from the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati.
I had my plan all set. I was going to ride my bike and hit all four legs of the marathon. That would give me a chance to see Jay Schloss, maybe catch David and also to see (in order) Kendahl, Rob, Andy and Gene, our relay team.
So the weather was perfect for racing, 40-55 and cloudy. An the night before Jay and I were lamenting the fact that we both sweat too much. How come they don't give out little towels for the sweaty guys? To remedy this Lisa and I put together 4 little white towels( with rubber bands to make them throwable). So I packed a bag witht he towels and water and Powerbars.
Come 5:30 and my lungs are still lagging behind with my pneumonia not completely cleared. No problem I will drive.
Mile 5 is downtown and I have never seen the race from this angle. I scoped out the perfect spot but missed Jay and Kendahl. Not sure how I did that, but I did. So scratch following the relay team. Let's try to meet up with Jay.
I decided to head for mile 14 around Hap's bar. But all the roads are closed so I have to hike in from Ault Park (Hill !!!). Now here is where it is all worth it. I see Jay coming down the street, running side by side with another runner. He shakes off the Powerbar and shakes off the water. But wants the towel. Now comes the pressure--- I need a 20 yard toss on the dead run. I launch the towel with just a little lead--Jay runs right into the towel and snags it on the dead run.
Now out to mile 18---way down on Columbia Parkway. All of the ambience of running along a federal highway. He still looks good. Jump in the car and head to mile 23. A bad band somehow seems great at this location. Jay heads by around 2:55 on the clock time (Which may not be his official time). He is gunning for Boston and needs 3:20 to make it. By my calculation it will be a real close call. So I head home.
Log on to the times. Jay goes 3:20:25--UGH!!! I cannot believe it. Missed by one second per mile. Did my stops slow him down? Would not have taken much.
So we head over to the after race party. Lisa and I are plotting how we will deal with a depressed Jay. On the way over I casually ask, "I wonder if they round down to the nearest minute".
We arrive. One look on Jay's face and I know they answer--"Yes, they do round down". He actually had 34 seconds to spare.
Jay is going to Boston 2007.
As for David (Jody's Husband), he knocked 20 minutes off last year's time. People are getting faster.
I had my plan all set. I was going to ride my bike and hit all four legs of the marathon. That would give me a chance to see Jay Schloss, maybe catch David and also to see (in order) Kendahl, Rob, Andy and Gene, our relay team.
So the weather was perfect for racing, 40-55 and cloudy. An the night before Jay and I were lamenting the fact that we both sweat too much. How come they don't give out little towels for the sweaty guys? To remedy this Lisa and I put together 4 little white towels( with rubber bands to make them throwable). So I packed a bag witht he towels and water and Powerbars.
Come 5:30 and my lungs are still lagging behind with my pneumonia not completely cleared. No problem I will drive.
Mile 5 is downtown and I have never seen the race from this angle. I scoped out the perfect spot but missed Jay and Kendahl. Not sure how I did that, but I did. So scratch following the relay team. Let's try to meet up with Jay.
I decided to head for mile 14 around Hap's bar. But all the roads are closed so I have to hike in from Ault Park (Hill !!!). Now here is where it is all worth it. I see Jay coming down the street, running side by side with another runner. He shakes off the Powerbar and shakes off the water. But wants the towel. Now comes the pressure--- I need a 20 yard toss on the dead run. I launch the towel with just a little lead--Jay runs right into the towel and snags it on the dead run.
Now out to mile 18---way down on Columbia Parkway. All of the ambience of running along a federal highway. He still looks good. Jump in the car and head to mile 23. A bad band somehow seems great at this location. Jay heads by around 2:55 on the clock time (Which may not be his official time). He is gunning for Boston and needs 3:20 to make it. By my calculation it will be a real close call. So I head home.
Log on to the times. Jay goes 3:20:25--UGH!!! I cannot believe it. Missed by one second per mile. Did my stops slow him down? Would not have taken much.
So we head over to the after race party. Lisa and I are plotting how we will deal with a depressed Jay. On the way over I casually ask, "I wonder if they round down to the nearest minute".
We arrive. One look on Jay's face and I know they answer--"Yes, they do round down". He actually had 34 seconds to spare.
Jay is going to Boston 2007.
As for David (Jody's Husband), he knocked 20 minutes off last year's time. People are getting faster.
posted by BigWaveTom at 8:36 PM
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