Mahalo and WOO HOO!

Well, I did it. As I'm sure you didn't just randomly get to this blog, you probably already know what I was attempting... or you've scrolled down to the next post. In summary, I was attempting to run 50+ marathons in 2007 for breast cancer awareness and as a tribute to a special family member.

I hit #51 on 10/21.

I've gotten to #64, and even though I have a couple weekends left in 2007, and even though I am registered for 3 more races, I am going to close out the year at 64. I have mixed emotions about that, but it'll have to do.

If you came here looking for race stories, simply scroll down two posts to my calendar (or click this). Each race is a hot link to that race's associated story.

For the public record, this year has been demanding and challenging. Nothing like what a person goes through when battling cancer, though. Still... along the way, I burned certain bridges and damaged relationships. One in particular was especially bad.

The cost was high. I am going to take a break from being a Maniac for an indefinite period. There are other aspects of my life that I need to improve. I want to be a better person, and I need to work off some bad karma associated with being x, y, and z (fill in your own pejoratives; I probably did them).

A longer summary of "WHY I RAN", "WHO I RAN FOR", and "WHY I'M DONE" can be found here.

Thank you for reading this and mahalo plenty for your support this year.

50+ Marathons for J-Lo

Special update: On 10/21/07, I hit the "50+" target!

64! For the latest updates, go here.

Last year, I was trying to complete 55-60 marathons. Unfortunately, I had to stop in August. A family member found out she had breast cancer. I stopped running to help take care of her. Lots of testing, one mastectomy, four rounds of chemo, and lots of drugs later, and... she's doing okay. And I'm running again.

On 2/17/08, Jacksonville FL will host the National Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer. I'll be there.

Between 1/1/07 and 2/17/08, I am going to attempt 50+ marathons to help raise awareness of the disease, early detection, and some of the other "faces" of cancer.

You'll see me. I'll be the guy in the pink shirt.

• You can check my race schedule down below.
• You can read reports of my races and various musings over here.
• For more information on breast cancer, start with this site.
• Want to make a donation to help fund breast cancer research? Support the Donna Hicken Foundation and the Mayo clinic here.
  

Marathons and Ultras completed: 64

2007 Race Schedule

xx: 01/06/07 (FL) Disney Half Marathon complete!
01: 01/07/07 (FL) Disney Marathon complete!
02: 01/14/07 (TX) Houston Marathon complete!
03: 01/21/07 (CA) Carlsbad Marathon complete!
04: 02/04/07 (CA) Pacific Shoreline Marathon complete!
02/10/07 (AZ) Pemberton 50k skipped!
02/11/07 (WA) Valentines Marathon skipped!
05: 02/18/07 (WA) Birch Bay Marathon complete!
06: 02/24/07 (TX) Cowtown Marathon complete!
07: 03/04/07 (CA) Napa Valley Marathon complete!
08: 03/17/07 (WA) Chuckanut 50k complete! First 50k!
09: 03/25/07 (NM) Bataan Memorial Death March complete!
10: 03/31/07 (WA) Yakima River Canyon Marathon complete!
11: 04/01/07 (TX) Big-D Marathon complete! 4th double... and new double PR!
12: 04/07/07 (WA) Easter Marathon complete!
13: 04/15/07 (OH) Glass City Marathon complete!
14: 04/22/07 (WA) Mt Si 50 Miler complete! First 50 miler!
15: 04/29/07 (OR) Eugene Marathon complete!
16: 05/06/07 (OH) Flying Pig Marathon complete!
17: 05/13/07 (WA) Tacoma City Marathon complete!
18: 05/19/07 (CA) Palos Verdes Marathon complete! New PR!
19: 05/20/07 (WA) Capital City Marathon complete! 5th double... and new double PR!
20: 05/26/07 (MI) Bayshore Marathon complete!
21: 05/27/07 (NY) Buffalo Marathon complete! 6th double... and new double PR!
22: 06/03/07 (WA) San Juan Island Marathon complete! New PR!
xx: 06/08/07 (WA) Fremont 5k complete!
23: 06/09/07 (WA) Lake Youngs Ultra complete!
24: 06/10/07 (WA) North Olympic Discovery Marathon complete! 7th double!
25: 06/16/07 (IA) Marathon to Marathon complete!
26: 06/17/07 (CO) Estes Park Marathon complete! 8th double!
27: 06/24/07 (HI) Kona Marathon complete!
28: 07/01/07 (SD) Swan Lake Marathon compete!
29: 07/08/07 (WA) Seafair Marathon complete!
07/14/07 (WA) Lake Youngs Fund Run skipped!
30: 07/15/07 (MT) Missoula Marathon complete!
31: 07/28/07 (HI) Kilauea Volcano Marathon complete!
32: 08/04/07 (AK) Frank Maier Marathon complete!
33: 08/11/07 (OR) Crater Lake Marathon complete!
34: 08/12/07 (OR) Haulin' Aspen Marathon complete! 9th double!
35: 08/25/07 (UT) Park City Marathon complete!
36: 09/01/07 (ID) Pocatello Marathon complete!
37: 09/02/07 (NM) New Mexico Marathon complete!
38: 09/03/07 (CO) ADT Marathon complete! FIRST TRIPLE!
39: 09/08/07 (UT) Mid-Mountain Marathon complete!
40: 09/09/07 (WA) Skagit Flats Marathon complete! 10th double!
41: 09/15/07 (OH) Air Force Marathon complete!
42: 09/16/07 (MO) Lewis & Clark Marathon complete! 11th double!
43: 09/27/07 (CA) Tahoe Triple Day #1 complete!
44: 09/28/07 (NV) Tahoe Triple Day #2 complete!
45: 09/29/07 (CA) Tahoe Triple Day #3 complete!
46: 09/30/07 (WA) Gateway to the Pacific Marathon complete! QUADZILLA!!
47: 10/07/07 (OR) Portland Marathon complete!
48: 10/13/07 (CT) Hartford Marathon complete!
49: 10/14/07 (MA) Bay State Marathon complete! 12th double!
50: 10/20/07 (IN) Indianapolis Marathon complete!
51: 10/21/07 (OH) Columbus Marathon complete! 13th double... and new double PR!
52: 10/28/07 (TX) Miracle Match Marathon complete!
53: 11/03/07 (OR) Autumn Leaves 50k complete!
54: 11/04/07 (WA) iUWR Marathon complete! 14th double!
11/10/07 (VA) Richmond Marathon skipped!
55: 11/11/07 (PA) Harrisburg Marathon complete!
56: 11/17/07 (LA) Louisiana Trails 50k complete!
57: 11/22/07 (GA) Atlanta Marathon complete!
58: 11/24/07 (WA) Ghost of Seattle Marathon complete!
59: 11/25/07 (WA) Seattle Marathon complete! 15th double!
60: 12/01/07 (CA) Death Valley Borax Marathon complete!
61: 12/02/07 (NV) Las Vegas Marathon complete! 16th double!
62: 12/08/07 (TX) Sunmart 50k complete!
63: 12/09/07 (TX) Dallas White Rock Marathon complete! 17th double!
64: 12/16/07 (WA) Christmas Marathon complete!
12/22/07 (WA) Pigtails Marathon skipped!
12/29/07 (FL) Florida Marathon skipped!
12/31/07 (WA) Last Chance Marathon skipped!

2006: The Year in Review

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2006 Race Schedule

01/01/06 (TX) Texas Marathon complete!
01/07/06 (FL) Disney Half Marathon complete!
01/08/06 (FL) Disney Marathon complete!
02/04/06 (GA) Tybee Island Marathon complete!
02/05/06 (FL) Ocala Marathon complete! 1st DOUBLE!
02/12/06 (AL) Mercedes Marathon complete!
02/19/06 (AZ) Lost Dutchman Marathon complete!
02/25/06 (FL) Gasparilla Distance Classic 15k and 5k complete!
02/26/06 (FL) Tampa Marathon complete!
03/05/06 (CA) Napa Valley Marathon complete!
03/12/05 (VA) Virginia Creeper Marathon complete!
03/26/06 (NM) Bataan Death March Marathon complete!
04/01/06 (UT) Moab Marathon complete!
04/08/06 (MO) St. Louis Marathon 5k complete!
04/09/06 (MO) St. Louis Marathon complete!
04/23/06 (IN) French Lick - West Baden Marathon complete!
04/30/06 (CA) Big Sur Marathon complete!
05/07/06 (OH) Flying Pig Marathon complete!
05/13/06 (SD) Brookings Marathon complete!
05/21/06 (WA) Capital City Marathon complete!
05/28/06 (VT) Vermont City Marathon complete! NEW PR!
06/03/06 (OR) Newport Marathon complete! NEW PR!
06/11/06 (HI) Kona Marathon complete!
06/17/06 (IA) Marathon to Marathon complete!
06/18/06 (SD) Swan Lake Half Marathon complete!
07/01/06 (CO) Leadville Trail Marathon complete!
07/09/06 (WA) Seafair Marathon complete!
07/16/06 (ME) Paul Bunyan Marathon complete!
07/22/06 (WA) Lake Youngs Fund Run (28.8 miler) complete! 1st ULTRA!
07/23/06 (WA) Gateway to the Pacific Marathon complete! 2nd DOUBLE!
07/29/06 (HI) Kilauea Volcano Trail Marathon complete!
08/05/06 (AK) Frank Maier Marathon complete!
08/12/06 (OR) Crater Lake Marathon complete!
08/13/06 (OR) Haulin' Aspen Marathon complete! 3rd DOUBLE!
08/19/06 (MT) Grizzly Marathon skipped!
10/21/06 (WA) Halloween Marathon complete!
11/05/06 (WA) UWR Marathon complete!
11/11/06 (VA) Richmond Marathon complete!
11/12/06 (PA) Harrisburg Marathon skipped!
11/25/06 (WA) Ghost of Seattle Half Marathon complete!
11/26/06 (WA) Seattle Marathon complete!
12/03/06 (CA) California International Marathon complete!
12/17/06 (WA) Christmas Marathon canceled!
12/31/06 (WA) Last Chance Marathon complete!

2005: The Year in Review

Final numbers for 2005

Marathons completed: 28 in 24 states and 1 Canadian province.

As of the end of 2005, I have completed 38 states, DC, and 1 Canadian province.

Of the 28 marathons:

• 3 were 3:50 or faster. This includes my current PR of 3:45:54 on a hilly Cape Cod course.
• 10 were 4:00 or faster (inclusive)
• 17 were 4:05 or faster (inclusive). This includes a 4:01 at the very difficult Mt. Desert Island as well as a 4:04 at Grizzly. Then there was Paavo Nurmi (4:00:24) which is only in this section and not the previous section because I had stomach issues.
• 23 were 4:10 or faster (inclusive). This includes Grandfather Mountain. It also includes Casper which was at altitude and had some fierce winds.
• 5 races were over 4:10. Each of these was different. Lost Dutchman was my longest at 4:27. The course was difficult, I was sick, and I was undertrained. American Discovery (4:14) was up higher than Casper and it was hot. I was sick at San Francisco (4:19). It was extremely humid at Delaware (4:13) and I went out too fast. I have no idea what my problem was at Bayshore (4:11). It was a nice day on a nice course, and I ran the whole thing from beginning to end. I just ran it slowly.

I recall having serious stomach issues in 3 races: Lost Dutchman, San Francisco, and Paavo Nurmi. I was marginal for a bit of Mesa Falls, but I recovered quickly. I had a terrible sinus infection for the Mid-south Championship, and I probably should not have run. Finally, I had a bum knee during Kona that was due to dead shoes.

Marathons skipped: 2

A "skipped" marathon is one to which I travelled, but chose not to do. This year, I missed Hatfield-McCoy (in June) because I was sick. Well, to be exact, the nasty Super 8 room I had was a smoking room with perma-wet moldy carpet. I got almost no sleep the night before the race, and I had a terrible headache. I also skipped my very last race of the year, Jacksonville (in December) because the weather was atrocious and I didn't take the proper clothing with me. I was in no mood to run in 45 degrees, strong north wind, and cold rain wearing shorts and shirt. Of course, the rain stopped right before the race was scheduled to start, but by that point I was back in my bed sawing logs.

2005 Race Schedule

01/16/05 (AZ) Lost Dutchman Marathon complete!
02/27/05 (LA) Mardi Gras Marathon complete! NEW PR!
03/13/05 (WA) St. Patrick's Day Dash complete!
03/20/05 (NJ) Ocean Drive Marathon complete!
03/26/05 (TX) Marathon of the Great Southwest complete!
04/02/05 (KS) Eisenhower Marathon complete! NEW PR!
04/10/05 (OH) Glass City Marathon complete!
05/01/05 (NE) Lincoln Marathon complete!
05/15/05 (DE) Delaware Marathon complete!
05/28/05 (MI) Bayshore Marathon complete!
06/05/05 (WY) Casper Marathon complete!
06/11/05 (WV) Hatfield-McCoy Marathon skipped!
06/18/05 (HI) Kona 5k complete!
06/19/05 (HI) Kona Marathon complete!
07/03/05 (WA) Firecracker 5000 (5k) complete!
07/09/05 (NC) Grandfather Mountain Marathon complete!
07/31/05 (CA) San Francisco Marathon complete!
08/13/05 (WI) Paavo Nurmi Marathon complete!
08/20/05 (MT) Grizzly Marathon complete!
08/27/05 (ID) Mesa Falls Marathon complete!
09/02/05 (CO) American Discovery Trail Marathon complete!
09/11/05 (WA) Skagit Flats Marathon complete! NEW PR!
09/17/05 (HI) Maui Tacos 5k complete!
09/18/05 (HI) Maui Marathon complete!
10/01/05 (MN) Twin Cities 5k complete!
10/02/05 (MN) Twin Cities Marathon complete!
10/09/05 (BC) Royal Victoria Marathon complete!
10/16/05 (ME) Mt Desert Island Marathon complete!
10/22/05 (WA) Halloween Marathon complete!
10/30/05 (MA) Cape Cod Marathon complete! NEW PR!
11/05/05 (AR) Mid-south Championship Marathon complete!
11/12/05 (WV) Marshall University Marathon complete!
11/26/05 (WA) Ghost of Seattle Marathon complete!
11/27/05 (WA) Seattle Half Marathon complete!
12/03/05 (TN) Memphis Marathon complete!
12/18/05 (FL) Jacksonville Marathon skipped!

Race PRs

5k 20:32 (Kona 5k - June 2004)
10k 45:30
Half Marathon 1:36 (Disneyworld Half Marathon - January 2008)
Marathon 3:28 (Eugene Marathon - May 2008)
50k 4:46 (Mt Si Ultra - April 2009)


The Moostronaut in Portland