Running...The 50 States One Marathon at a Time: State #22 Albany, Georgia

March 5th 2016

After a three month break from marathons, it is finally time for a double marathon weekend. The necessary break allows for nagging injuries to heal and a period of solid training to take place. We are like horses in the starting gate ready to get out and run...test out the legs. It is also an opportunity to test out our resolve to maintain healthy eating while traveling which is tough to do. The husband is more successful in this endeavor. For me, travel equals bad eating.

We start our trek Thursday morning with an easy drive to the airport. Nobody is on the road in the predawn hours which gets us to the airport parking in record time, leaving two hours for a little nap in the car before making our way to our Southwest gate. The flight is a good one with no delays, turbulence or issues. Car rental is a breeze as well. It is a push start ignition and a little turn knob for the gears which takes some getting used to and is a painful reminder of how old and out of date I am becoming in the modern world. The car only has plug-ins for devices; there will be no book on tape cd’s being played on this trip. I guess I am going to have to adapt to more current ways of accessing books. (sigh)

The early am flight leaves us tired, but also gives us an extra day to explore and catch up on sleep before our first run on Saturday morning in Albany, Georgia. We drive from Atlanta to Macon where we have a hotel for the night. It has been over three months since we have indulged in pizza and we check out a place that has good reviews. What a disappointment! Pizza is a go to meal on marathon trips, but sadly this pizza ranks near the bottom of the twenty-two states where we sample various pies. Too much cheese, too little sauce and very bland crust, but the people sure do have a cute way of talking.

After the less than stellar grilled cheese tasting pizza, we check out the highlights of Macon. A stop at the birthplace of the Allman Brother's is required by my husband. Once there he decides it is not worthwhile to go through the museum.

I did not see the sign (no climbing the steps) until after the picture...Sorry Macon Hay House!!

We also stop at the Hay House which is one of Georgia's most distinguished structures from the Civil War era. The Cannon House is next door. There really is not too much to see and being super tired we make our way to the motel. Lemonade and popcorn in the lobby serves as our dinner. The cloudy weather turns into a large rainstorm and the rain serves as our nighttime entertainment. After a goodnight’s rest we are ready to drive to Albany. On the way out of town, we stop and walk the mounds of the Ocmulgee National Monument, which showcases prehistoric Southeastern Native American cultures.

We also stop to see the Otis Redding statue. He is famous for writing the song “Sitting by the Dock of the Bay." His songs play continuously at his bronze statue. He was a Georgia boy who traveled to California to make a career in music.

Tragically, he died in a plane crash in 1969 three weeks before the song was released. This is such a classic song from my childhood.

Finally, it is time to get into marathon mode. My weight isn’t exactly where I was hoping it would be, but my training has been solid with some five mile runs in the low forties. I feel pretty good about being able to run under four hours. It is the tenth anniversary of the marathon, and we are excited to run this little race. It is touted to be a top ten Boston Marathon qualifier and I keep that little tidbit of information tucked away in the back of my mind. I have no real expectations, but I feel good about my training. The expo takes place in the host hotel which is across the street from the finish area and is very close to the start There are a buzz of runners picking up their packets. Snicker’s (The Mars Company) is the official sponsor of the race this year and we get lots of candy and goodies. Just what I need, lots of candy!!

After getting our bibs and bag for bag drop we get a picture by the river of the Ray Charles spinning statue. A speaker pipes his music into the air.

There are numerous wood swings in the park like setting near the river and we spend some time swinging and soaking in the sun. We have plenty of time and are not in a rush. After the severe food poisoning we experienced at a pre-race pasta dinner back in 2014 we are still hesitant to participate in pasta dinners. Even though the pacer we want to run with is the guest speaker, we elect not to attend.

We find our motel and check in. Being out of practice on the traveling preparation front, we forgot a few things. My husband needs some nail clippers and he forgot to pack his boobie protectors. A trip to Walmart takes care of these necessities. A roll of duct tape is his choice for nipple chaffing prevention. While there, we buy some water and “Whatchamacallit Candy Bar.” I ate one before my first Boston Qualifier and I am hoping that if I eat one it might help me get another qualifier. I am not really superstitions, but it is a good excuse to eat more candy. (what the heck)

We try out a popular pizza chain (Mellow Mushroom) for our race meal. After yesterday’s disastrous pizza, we elect to have a slice and salad combo rather than order a whole pizza.

The husband spins his bowl around thinking it is sitting on something uneven. It is just the mushroom shaped bowl. Look at that healthy eating on a trip! (WHAT) This is another pizza disappoint and I am glad we only have to eat one slice. Our server is super nice though and he wishes us well on the race. People are so pleasant in the south. The hotel lobby has oranges and bananas available and we snack on fruit in the evening. After several trips to the south, we have yet to eat at Cracker Barrel or a Waffle House, but they were nice enough to allow us to use the bathroom on race morning.

It is a fairly small race that starts at 7 a.m. and parking is pretty easy and the drop bag cart is right at the start. It is prefect running weather, slightly cool. Most runners are in shorts and t-shirts, but I have on a long sleeve shirt and gloves. I elect not to wear a jacket and just have a garbage sack to stay warm at the start. We find Ms Georgia, who is the 3:55 pacer and chat with her and some of the other runners that plan to run with her for as long as possible. One lady is wearing a Boston 2012 shirt and we talk about our Boston trips. She gave up marathons for an entire year and realized she misses it. She is hoping for a qualifying race as well. Her daughter is there to cheer on her mom. Just before a race gets underway, there is the chatter and nervous energy of runners getting ready to run. We are warned that the start will be a loud cannon. A boom starts the race and we are off. The pacer group is quite large and I am running just in front. I hear the discussion of runners talking to Ms. Georgia and I am content to listen in. They talk about her upcoming marriage in September. One runner is so engrossed in the conversation that she slams into an orange traffic barrel and screams, but recovers quickly.

As the first three or four miles roll by I am pulling further and further ahead, but I can still hear Ms Georgia saying she has the “pace dialed in, no surprises!” She even comments that she is very precise about being on pace to the second! For the next three to four miles I am focusing on the fact that I need to pee. I try to put it out of my mind, but it is annoying. Each time I see a porta potty, I want to stop, but I keep running instead. Just before mile 8 I take my only GU out of my pack. I know that if I want to maintain a solid pace I am going to have to consume about four GUs. I hate eating it, but I know I need to if I want to reach my goal. Just after I eat my GU they have it on the course. I take the offered fuel and carry it for the next four miles. Finally, the need to pee subsides (thank goodness) love when that happens and I lock in a good rhythm with about six other women. They are talking about their pace and what they need to qualify some know each other, others have just met and are sharing their stories. I settle in with them and feel I can use this little group for awhile. There is one man who also joins in the middle of all the ladies for a few miles. After mile 11 he pulls ahead as the group slows and I continue running. I decide to keep the man in my sights. Somewhere before the halfway point I ingest the 2^nd GU and start to feel good. Miles ten through fourteen are very scenic with beautiful homes, a golf course and waterways.

My pace quickens and I pass the man I am following on a downhill section somewhere around the halfway point. He decides not to let me pass and catches up with me and strikes up a conversation. We run together for the next four miles. These four miles are my fastest miles of the entire marathon we use each others energy and conversation to push the pace. He is from Nashville and moved to Georgia six years ago and works as a Baptist minister. I say how I always enjoy my time in the south and appreciate the politeness of people. He tells me that the south is the “Bible Belt” but that Georgia is even more so than other regions. He points out that, “people have manners in the south.” It is always interesting to talk to people and hear different prospective and viewpoints. When I tell him that my husband and I are running the 50 states he says, “oh your husband must be way up ahead.” When I say he is actually behind me he says, “wow that is a good man you have, he is secure!” This is also an interesting part of the south to me. My husband wants me to do well and he doesn’t have a damaged ego if I finish before him, but I guess that is not the case so much in the south. Where you place in a marathon should have no bearing on a person’s self-worth or how secure they feel, but it gave me something to think about.

Between mile 17 and 18, I tell him I need to slow down a bit and wish him well. He has a few people that he says he wants to beat and off he goes. I usually take an Advil at the half, but I just can’t muster the energy to move my pack around and take it out. By 18 I decide to skip the Advil, but I really need it. My lower back is aching, not something I have experienced before, but my arms just kept swinging and I want to maintain my momentum. I keep getting a glimpse of the 3:50 pace group up ahead which becomes my new focal point. I want to maintain my pace and push to catch the group. With eight miles to go I know if I can maintain my pace I will get a BQ. I try to maintain my composure, I know it is still possible for the “wheels to fall off the bus” with many miles yet to go. By mile 20 I have stomached another GU and a banana or two and lots of little drinks of power aide and water. I am trying not to get too excited or celebrate prematurely. I finally reach the 3:50 group by mile 22. There are five or six runners hanging in there too. One guy has a wrap around his knee and is limping off and on. Just as I get into the group there is a water stop I go to grab a water and someone else takes it. They have to grab another water from the table and I have to stop to get it. In those seconds the pace group pulls away and I spend the next four miles trying to catch it again and never do, but I never lose sight of the group.

The final four miles is a continual fight to keep my pace and not let that pace group out of my view. I am tired, but I keep saying to myself, “do it now, do it now.” It never gets easier and how nice it will be to get more than a ten minute buffer for Boston. The people along the course are very supportive and encouraging. It helps to hear positive comments and cheers.

I watch as the guy in the group limps; in spite of it, he is not letting go of that pacer. I can imagine the pain he is feeling. I am feeling my own aches and pains. This is the first marathon since 2009 that I am running without a knee brace. My knees are holding up, but I am having some intermittent left knee pain and some IT band tweaks, but if that guy can hang in there so I can I! As the final miles tick by, I try to relish the course and at the same time can not wait to cross the finish line. We are getting close as the terrain is becoming familiar; I can see the bridge and the waterway. Once I hit the 26 mile marker, I enjoy the final .2 downhill grade to the finish line. The announcer says my name, and tries to pronounce my city, but just says from California. It is a great feeling to get a finish time under four hours. Thanks to aging up my 3:49:15 gets me a ten minute plus Boston qualifying time.

This is a great feeling...5th Boston for 50 years on earth!

As I get my medal and water I seek out a place to sit down. I find a chair and move it to the sun to stay warm. Boy, can I feel the aches as I marathon shuffle to finally sit down.

I text my daughter, she is in San Jose for a work function, even though it is early back in California, I know she is up. I tell her she has to go with me to Boston 2017. She is happy for me. I also text my mom to tell her and my text wakes her up, but she said it is for a good reason so she doesn’t mind. I text my husband to see how he is doing. He has two miles to go. When he crosses the finish line we get a picture with our awesome pacer Ms. Georgia.