Blast From The Past: 2009 Dick Beardsley Half Marathon

The Dick Beardsley half marathon was the start of my 5 week ambitious fall schedule in 2009.  I would run this event in Detroit Lakes, then the following week I'd run the half marathon in Bismarck, have a couple of weeks off followed by the FM Half marathon. Mentally I was a little unprepared for this race, since my first half marathon in the spring I hadn't run the 13.1 mile distance again, and my last long run before the event went poorly.  The weekend prior I had an out of town wedding to attend and had some trouble finding a rhythm with my schedule heading into the event.

It was dark out as Erin and I drove to Detroit Lakes early in the morning of the event.  We parked at the high school and walked over to Washington park. Packet pickup was well organized and I went through quickly.  We had some time to kill as I tend to be early for events like these and fortunately we found many runners from the Fargo area that we knew to talk with. When the time came to line up to start I was surprised at how large the event was.  I lined up towards the back of the crowd and waited for the start.  I was far enough back that I didn't hear much of the starting announcements or even the signal to get going, but after a little bit saw the people head of me start to move and I trotted across the starting line.

The race starts with a 2 mile loop into town away from the lake before meeting back up with the lake and running around it for the last 11 miles.  As you start heading away from the lake you run about a mile uphill before you get to turn around and head back downhill.  Heading up the hill I wasn't quite holding myself back as much as I should have, but it wasn't disastrous either.  The crowd is a little deceptive to start this race, some people are only running a 5k and start out at the same time as you.  If you're using others to gauge your own effort you can easily get misled.  As I was finishing the in town loop the 5k runners split off and the half marathoners start their run around the lake.  I was glad to be back to some flat ground again and I was enjoying the view out over the lake.  Crowd support was not nearly as good as when I'd run Fargo, but this was to be expected based on those I'd talked to that had run the event before. 3 or 4 miles in there was a DJ setup on a trailer playing Black Betty as I passed.  I remember thinking how perfect the beat of this song was for running and what a nice pick-me-up it was.

As I continued on around the lake the flat terrain gave way to some hills.  I wasn't really expecting much because I thought it would be flat all the way around the lake.  After a particularly long uphill I was coming down a steep short downhill and I saw Erin and Rick.  I didn't expect to see Erin during the race, but she had met up with Rick and they drove some of the course.  I dropped a couple of empty water bottles with them and continued past the relay exchange station.  By this point in the day it was starting to get warm out and one nice person had setup a garden hose on a ladder with the spray directed at the road.  It was very refreshing as I ran through it.  Towards the end of the race I struggled, the rolling terrain adding difficulty I wasn't mentally prepared for and the warmer temps took their toll. The last few miles felt like they went on forever, but eventually I was turning the last corner heading for the finish line.  I was proud to get my finishers medal and glad to be done running for the day.  I had some post race munchies as Erin and I tried to figure out where we wanted to go eat.  We didn't really feel like joining others at Zorbaz so we opted for Perkins. As we entered the restaurant we ran into Rick and Kristy and joined them before heading back to town.

Blast From The Past: My first marathon

The 2010 Fargo marathon was my first marathon.  I had signed up with the training group again and had been primarily running with Rick like the previous year.  This year training went more smoothly because of the previous year's experience and the flood didn't impact my training as much.  Heading into the marathon I felt well prepared.  The 20 mile runs had been very hard, but I had gotten through them and I was confident I had earned my place at the starting line.  My goal was to finish in 5 hours and I didn't have a backup time goal. If I missed 5 hours then my only goal would be to finish.

The special guest at the 2010 Marathon was Dean Karnazes.  He was scheduled to speak at the pasta feed the night before the marathon and also run in the event.  A couple of days before, Rick casually asked if I'd ever considered running an ultra marathon and I told him I was interested in doing one eventually.  I asked why he was curious and he told me that he was trying to get some of the local ultra marathoners a chance to meet with Dean the morning before the race.  He said I should try to make it if I could as a "future ultra marathoner." I arranged to get some time off of work and met up with a group of runners in the lobby of the dome.  We chatted as we waited for Dean, but eventually realized that he was running a bit late.  A few minutes turned into a few hours and most of our group had to leave to get back to work.  I thought I should probably head back as well, but figured since I'd waited this long I should stick it out.  Eventually Dean turned up and Rick, Rachel, Ben and I got to chat with him before a press conference.  Dean was shorter then what I thought he would be, but I was amazed by how toned he looked.  I was even more amazed by the interest he showed in us.  Ben talked about how he started running and about running the 100 miler at Leanhorse.  Dean seemed as motivated by what he heard as we were by getting to meet him.  After chatting with him for a bit I got a picture and headed back to work with a big smile.

Dean Karnazes and I before my first marathon

The morning of the race, Erin and I headed up to the dome leaving about the same time we left the previous year.  I didn't anticipate the increased crowds and found traffic more problematic then last year.  Eventually, we made it to the dome and I met up with Rick again in his camper.  Some of Rick's family joined us including his sister, Jodi. Jodi was hoping to qualify for Boston and Rick was going to pace her during the marathon.  We chilled out in the camper and I was much more relaxed then the previous year until it started to rain.  I was a little concerned about having to run in the rain, but I figured I'd deal with it. Heather, another runner friend of ours joined us just before the start of the marathon.  She was hoping to tag along with Rick and Jodi and also qualify for Boston. Eventually Erin headed out to get to the first location on the route where I would see her. With the start time getting closer and closer we started to all exit the camper and head in the direction of the starting line.  Rick as usual had some last second thing to take care of and was the last out of the camper.  By the time he was out, Jodi and Heather were lost in the crowd.  Rick showed a little frustration about losing them, but with this many people packed around the starting line there wasn't really much we could do.  We headed towards the back of the mass of people and awaited the start.

Shortly after crossing the starting line, Rick and I parted ways.  He was going to have to run much faster then I should be if he was going to catch his sister.  The rain didn't last much past the first mile and then gave way to some clouds and a lot of humidity. As I neared downtown, I saw Erin for the first time.  Things were going well at this point and I was just a little ahead of schedule.  The route cut over to Broadway for a bit and then turned east towards Moorhead where I saw Erin one more time.  Once in Moorhead I made my way over to the pacer for the 5 hour group and chatted with him for a bit.  I found myself needing to pee and started to pick up the pace a little to get a head of the 5 hour group.  At the 5 mile mark I found a port a potty without a line and stopped.  I felt disappointed that I was stopping during a race, but I know how uncomfortable it can be when you have to go to the bathroom while you run.  Around mile 6 is the first relay exchange; after going by that I found myself being passed by all of the people with fresh legs.  Crossing the bridge into Fargo I looked for Erin again and soon found her.  We had enough time as we passed for her to tell me that Rick had gone by a little while earlier still looking for Jodi and Heather.  From there the route continued south along Lindenwood Park.  As I neared the park I found my family who had come to cheer me on.  

A bit further south from my family was a short out and back right next to the river.  I had told Erin about this spot on the course because she would be able to see me 3 times without moving.  I was still doing well after seeing her the second time as I headed into the southern most loop on the course.  Rick and I passed head-on  as he was leaving that loop and I saw that he had found Jodi but Heather was no where to be seen.  We didn't have much time to talk as we passed so I was left to wonder what happened. I found out later that Heather had some issues and wound up throwing up around the halfway point and was not able to run the rest of the race with the same level of intensity. However, Jodi was able to keep her pace the rest of the way and did meet her goal of qualifying for Boston.  The river drive area is a much newer development compared to the neighborhoods we had previously been running in.  Instead of the towering trees we had been running under, the road was lined with young trees that didn't give any shade.  It was here where the sun came out and the temperature started to climb.  I remember early on seeing someone with a sprinkler near the road and thinking of how nice that will feel on the way back.  I thought it couldn't be more then a few blocks and I'd be running through it on my way back to the dome.  It turned out the loop was a lot longer then what I thought it was and I was pretty well cooked when I left the river drive area.  I saw Erin again before heading to the 7th, 8th, 9th street portion of the course.

Around the 16 mile mark I was struggling badly.  I stuck to my decision to keep my pace as long as I could hold out and fought through another mile.  At mile 17 I passed my family again.  I switched from the hydration pack to my fuel belt and took off again.  I was able to make it a few blocks before deciding that this was it, my 5 hour goal was gone and I started walking.  I've described this section of the course as 4 miles of going nowhere.  You run North on 7th, then go over a block and run south on 8th before doing a small loop and going back North on 9th.  It's a nice neighborhood, but this back and forth really sucks.  Fortunately it gives spectators a good place to see runners multiple times and my family had a great opportunity to see just how much I was struggling.  My sister, her boyfriend and Erin all took turns "running" with me as I plodded along as best I could.  Around mile 21 Erin asked if I wanted her to keep going with me and I said no, so she headed back to the car to meet me at the finish.  Shortly after she left I was feeling really down about how things were going.  The thought of quitting had crossed my mind, but I knew it would be easier to deal with the temporary pain then to live with quitting. After pushing through the discomfort a little while longer, I caught up with someone I had been going back and forth with for a while.  She had gone over to a course official because she wasn't feeling well. After I had gone a couple of blocks I could hear an ambulance coming to get her.  I felt fortunate to still be going even though I was in a lot of pain.

After making it back though the downtown area I ran across someone in a pink tutu.  I heard a "Hi Jon" and looked up to see that it was Rachel.  I was really glad to see her. Injury had kept her out of the race, but she had come to see some friends of hers.  Seeing how miserable I was, she kept me company as we headed north towards the dome.  Every now and then I was able to get a little running in, but for the most part I was walking.  Eventually I made it to the dome and it was time to leave Rachel.  I thanked her for keeping me company and did my best to run to the finish.  Crossing the finish line was very emotional.  I thought back through the 26 miles I had just traveled, and then through all of the training I had done to get to this point.  It had taken a year longer then what I first planned but I had finally finished a marathon.

Blast From The Past: Wildwoods 2009

Rick had told me about a brand new event in Itasca state park called Wildwoods.  He was going to do the 25k option there but there was also a 10k loop as well. I was interested in doing the 25k, but Rick wisely convinced me that I should do the 10k with it being my first trail run. Early in the morning the day of the event Erin and I drove to the park, I wasn't sure how long it would take so I left some extra time and we wound up being one of the first people there.  I picked up my packet and looked at the course map.  We had just camped in the park 3 weeks prior so I had some idea of the trails we'd be on, but others were going to be completely new.  As we waited for the start of the race I noticed the crowd was a little different then what I was used to.  All of my races had been in Fargo up to this point.  They were also all on paved flat surfaces and although I recognized a few faces, this event drew a slightly different group of runners.

The 25k runners started before us and I cheered as Rick took off, after running a couple of miles the course took them back through the starting area so I got to see him once more before I lined up to start my event.  The start of the race is along the Dr. Roberts trail which is right off lake Itasca.  The first section of the trail is covered by a wooden walkway which was very slippery as it was wet on this particular morning. Those of us running the 10k kept in a tight group along here as no one could get enough traction to go very fast.  Once we cleared the walkway the group started to spread out along the trail.  When I had last been in this part of the park Erin and I were attacked by swarms of mosquitoes, I was glad they weren't nearly as bad today.  Running back through the starting area Erin and Rick's wife Kristy got some pictures and then I headed back into the woods.  The trail was nice and wide here and I kept a good pace despite the rolling hills.  Runners from other areas would laugh as what I call hills, but most people don't live in an area quite as flat as I do.  The route wound around thought the woods and eventually ended up on a gravel road up to the fire tower.  From past experience I knew that this would be a hard climb for me.  The tower is the highest point around for miles and the road up to it is a long steady climb.  I was relieved when I had made it to the top and could start back down again.  The very last section of the race was on a trail that Erin and I had hiked on previously.  The last time I came down it we were going very slowly and carefully.  This time I blasted down the hill as fast as I could enjoying the challenging terrain and trying not to worry about what would happen if I fell here.

Shortly after I finished the sky opened up and it rained very hard.  Wanting to see some friends finish the 25k, I waited under a tall pine tree and tried to keep as dry as I could. After they finished we went inside as door prizes were drawn and to see the race results.  I wound up winning a gift certificate for a store in Bemidji.  Thinking we wouldn't be back to the area for a while we decided to drive there after the race and use our gift certificate.  The store had an unusual mix of items for sale ranging from hideously ugly clothing to craft supplies.  Erin was feeling a little cold after getting rained on and fortunately we managed to find a Bemidji State University sweatshirt which used up most of the gift certificate. On the drive home we laughed about our adventure and how we picked up this unlikely souvenir.

Blast From The Past: Run For Your Life

This 5k was the first race that Erin and I would both do.  I had been running a bit longer then her, but we felt we were fairly well matched against each other, so we decided to compete.  I felt good going into the race, which was on a Wednesday night after work. Lining up at the starting line I found myself towards the front of the pack, in fact I was lined up directly behind Dick Beardsley.  As the race started I felt really good and decided I'd see just how hard I could push myself.  I easily kept up with the leaders for the first quarter mile before looking down and seeing just how fast I was going.  I started to back off the pace a bit but I'd run about half a mile at a 6:00 minute per mile pace, I backed off a little further, but found myself walking before the end of the first mile.  Trying to catch my breath, I'd occasionally look back for Erin hoping I'd built enough of lead.  Near the halfway point she passed me and tried to egg me on, but I had melted down already.  The rest of the race was miserable as I'd try to run on occasion and feel like I just couldn't sustain it.  Erin beat me easily that day because she controlled her pace and ran with an effort she could sustain. I knew not to start races this fast, but it took a failure like this for that lesson to really sink in. I've definitely had events that have been more fun, but I learned a lot through the misery that day.

Blast From The Past: 2009 Fargo Half Marathon

The 2009 Fargo Marathon is really the story of how I became a runner. Just an overview of the race itself doesn't give the detail that I feel is required for an event that was so pivotal in my life, so I've included the back story as well.

It was the first week of September in 2008 and I was at work. Kristi, one of my coworkers has stopped by my desk and we were chatting when the subject of biking had come up. I told her that I wanted to do the headwaters 100, but an upcoming wedding would conflict with the event. Hearing about that she replied that she's always wanted to do RAGBRAI. (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa)  After doing some research on RAGBRAI I thought it sounded really neat. Erin, Kristi and I eventually decided that we'd sign up and do it the following summer. After making the decision to do a week long bike tour I thought I would need to get in shape so I started to make a plan to spend more time at the gym and to lose some weight.  Thinking I'd need some variety in my workouts I thought I'd try running.  I'd never been a runner before and didn't have much interest in it other then thinking it would be great cross training and help out my biking.  The first few runs were tough, but I got through them.  I started to think that if I was going to put in all this effort and be in great shape maybe I'd try running a marathon.  The Fargo Marathon seemed as good as any and the date would work for me, so I made it my goal to run the full marathon in May 2009.

At the time I didn't really comprehend the decision I'd made or have any idea how much work it would take.  I started to do some research on training plans and strategies and eventually came across a local training class starting in January designed to get you ready for Fargo put on by the Red River Runners.  Deciding the class was my best option I showed up early for the informational meeting that was held at the YMCA downtown.  As I waited I started to talk with a few of the people around me. One lady told me flat out that it would be a bad idea to run a marathon so soon after taking up the sport and suggested I try for the half marathon. I was disappointed to hear this and angry with her and decided I would prove her wrong. To this day whenever I see her I get a little fired up remembering our first exchange, but I keep it to myself. Fortunately I met another runner that day, Tom.  While my goal was to prepare for and survive running a marathon, Tom's goal was to improve on his half marathon time.  He acknowledged the difficulty of what I was trying to do, but was much more encouraging towards me. The meeting got started and the director of the Fargo Marathon came out and told us the mundane details of the class and gave us some idea of what to expect and soon thereafter the meeting was over.

When the training plan was sent out to us I realized just how far we'd be running each week.  The first week called for a 7 mile run, it would be the first time I'd ever run that far. I also found out that I would be out of town for work on the day of our first group run.  I was a bit discouraged but determined to get the miles in.  Luckily the hotel we were staying at had a workout area. I thought I'd break up the 7 miles into more manageable chunks, and planned to run half before going into the plant for the day, and half afterward.  I was feeling good after getting the first half of the miles in so I opted to do the entire 7 miles.  The rest of the day I was excited about what I had done, even though I was stiff and sore as I worked that day.

The second week of the class was an 8 mile run leaving from the downtown Y, before the group headed out the trainers introduced themselves and gave us a rough idea of their pace they would be running. One of the trainers, Cassie,  had brightly colored hair and listed her pace as one of the slowest so I thought I would try to keep up with her.  The route took us into Moorhead and around MSU and then through Concordia before looping by the river and returning to the Y.  I had kept up with the group fairly well, chatting with Cassie until we had reached MSU but then I needed to walk a bit and fell behind.  I could still see the group up ahead as we neared Concordia, but with the quick turns I had soon lost site of them.  Feeling a bit dejected I started to walk through the campus.  I didn't have any idea what the route was at this point and considered just going back to the Y and figuring I'd do better the following week. As I start to head west again I was surprised to hear some people running. I had thought I was well behind everyone in the group.  As I took a few steps in their direction and one of them shouted to ask if I'm with the training group.  I jogged over and told them that I was with the group and had fallen behind and didn't know the route. The guy who had asked if I'm with the group introduced himself as Rick said that I could join them and we headed off together. As we ran we started talking, mostly about the usual stuff like what kind of job do you have, family, stuff like that. After telling Rick a little about myself we realized that I had just left the company he works for.  He told me about some of his experiences running, and what I would be able to expect as the training went on. I appreciated that he slowed to walk with me when I had trouble keeping a running pace. Eventually it came up that he had run from Grand Forks before running the marathon the previous year. I was impressed that someone with his ability would stick with me despite my struggling near the end of the run.  He just said that people don't sign up for the class to run alone.

As the weeks passed I progressed more and more as a runner.  Rick was kind enough to stick with me and share his wisdom on running. I was a little concerned about running the full marathon, but he said I'd be able to do it. Just before the training plan called for my long run mileage to peak Fargo had some major issues with flooding. The group runs were canceled for about 3 weeks while the entire city helped sandbag.  I had hoped that sandbagging would help keep me in shape, but with 3 weeks of minimal running I had regressed to the point that it would be very difficult to build back up in time for the marathon.  I knew the right choice was to run the half marathon, but I still took a long time to actually make that decision. I desperately wanted to prove the lady I had first met at the informational session wrong, and while running a half marathon is a great accomplishment it wasn't what I had set out to do. Eventually I couldn't deny the reality of the situation any more and decided that I would run the half marathon.

The day of the event Rick invited me to meet up with him before the race started.  Each year he brings his camper to the Fargodome parking lot and chills out away from the crowd while waiting for the race to begin.  With this being my first big event it was great getting away from all the excitement for a while and focusing on what I was about to do. The flood that had derailed my plans for a full marathon had also derailed the marathon's planned route.  With water still high on marathon day the route was changed.  The full marathon course was changed to be 2 loops of the half marathon route. This worked out well for us as both races also started at the same time. Rick was well aware of my tendency to start races too fast and offered to run the first mile with me. Shortly after we had crossed the starting line I looked over to him and asked about our pace and he replied by asking me what I thought it was.  I said I thought it was a little slow and he laughed telling me that we were a bit on the fast side.  I had started the run in my gray hoody, but was able to leave it with Erin after the first mile. The weather was perfect to run in but a bit cold for spectators. As I ran I would chat with other runners around me and a few times got to run with people I had trained with before our paces forced us to separate. I passed Erin, Steph, her boyfriend Jake and my mom on the course a few times and exchanged a few brief words and water bottles before dashing off again.  I had chosen to carry my own water rather then rely on the aid stations because I didn't have much experience with aid stations and I could drink at my own pace without worrying about where the next aid station would be. There was an opportunity to see Rick again on the course near the end if I was having a really good day, the last mile of the loop was head to head against the first mile and since Rick was doing 2 loops we should pass each other. As I made the turn and started to run head to head with the full marathoners I started to look for him and was a little disappointed I couldn't find him.  I figured he was having a good day and I wasn't quite fast enough to reach this location in time, but a minute or so later we passed and he shared some encouraging words with me. Shortly after seeing Rick I saw Cassie with her bright red hair running towards me ready to give me a high five. The last little bit of the race flew by, I was in great shape for running the half having gotten my training mileage up to about 18 miles before deciding not to run the full marathon.  Running into the parking lot of the dome and around the north end of it I felt like I was giving it everything I had, but after the final turn where you run down the ramp and to the finish line I found a gear that I didn't know I had.  Crossing the finish line I was a bit overwhelmed by what I had accomplished.  I received my medal for finishing and walked over to grab some food while starting to look for my family.  With all the noise in the dome I didn't hear them shouting to me when I had finished.  Heading back to where I parked I grabbed my bag with fresh clothes and found everyone as I returned to the dome.  After showering and changing I talked with everyone as I waited for Rick to finish the marathon.  His goal was 4:00 and he crossed the finish line in 3:59:22. I greeted him as he finished and we talked for a while about how the event had gone. I had a lot of fun that day, but even more fun in the months leading up to the event.  I knew that this was the start and not the end of my running journey.

Blast From The Past: Turkey Trot

After running the Full Moon 5k I convinced my sister to run the 5 mile turkey trot with me.  We drove together to Edgewood and again I felt very out of place.  Steph commented on how many people were wearing "stretchy pants".  We registered, got our packets and I told Steph what I'd learned about not tearing off the tag on our race number.  As we walked back to the car to drop off our packets we were looking though them and had each found a packet of Gu that was included.  Neither one of us had every tried it, and we put them in our pockets and lined up for the race. We saw someone lined up to run pushing a stroller and joked that we should do our best to keep ahead of them or we'd be embarrassed.  We ran the first mile quite quickly, again I started a race too fast. Slowing down after mile 1 we were passed by the stroller.  We managed to make it out to the halfway point before giving in to the urge to walk. Since the course was an out and back we could see who was behind us at this point.  We were struggling, but told ourselves we wouldn't be last, there was an elderly woman about a third of a mile behind us and we should be able to keep in front of her. We ran and walked for a bit longer then Steph decided to try her Gu, she had chocolate outrage.  Not knowing the proper way to eat one of these things she squirted the entire thing into her mouth, and made a face indicating it wasn't really that good.  I made some smart ass comment about the taste and she tried to laugh keeping her mouth closed because it was full of Gu.  Some of the Gu shot out of her nose and we had a great laugh about it, the volunteers along the course must have thought we were insane.  We were hurting and slow, but having a great time.  A short while later the elderly woman who we swore would never pass us did.  Officially I think there were a couple of people who finished after us that day, but not many.  We had a great feeling about running one of our longest runs together and enjoying the day.

Blast From The Past: My First 5k

My very first event as a runner was the Full Moon 5k on November 13th 2008. The race was on a Thursday night.  I remember arriving at the running store, at the time it was the Dick Beardsley Running Company, seeing the parking lot more full then it had ever been.  I had only been running for a month or so and was amazed at how out of place I seemed. I had worn a grey fleece hoody and some loose fitting athletic pants.  I walked toward the store noticing how many people were wearing shorts or tights that night.  I picked up my race packet and headed back out to the parking lot to find a coworker who was also going to be running.  I finally found her and tagged along as she picked up her packet hoping to absorb any knowledge about this new environment I could from her.  We pinned our race numbers on and decided to leave our packets in her truck.  Not knowing any better I peeled off the perforated tags from the bottom of my race number and left them in my packet.  We lined up towards the back of the pack and before I knew it the race had begun.  I tried to pace myself as best I could, but wound up starting too fast, it was a habit I still have to work hard to avoid.  The actual race it self is just bits and pieces of memories now, the volunteers were dressed in Halloween customs, I did do some walking, and it was a dark night.  I do vividly remember the last turn and sprinting towards the store giving every thing I had to finish strong.  I crossed the finish line and was dimly aware of someone trying to find the tag I had torn off my race number earlier and then walking to find a place to sit down away from the crowd and wanting to throw up.  My coworker eventually found me and brought over something to drink.  I think some door prizes were awarded and then I headed home. I found out later that the tag I had torn off was used in recording the results, so I don't have an official finishing time for my first race.  The night was fun in an odd way and I was eager to try another event.

Kristi and I before the race

Just as we're crossing the starting line