It's official. I'm a marathon maniac!

Three pee breaks, a one minute stop to talk to the girlfriend, a negative split and my second marathon in eight days in 3:40:13.

Now it's the off season! 

Why I love stores run by runners and the Georgetown Running Company

We've all had the pre-race scramble - forgetting to pack our favourite shorts, top or whatever we need on race day to make us feel comfortable.

Before leaving for DC for the Marine Corps Marathon, I do remember distinctly packing my Garmin 405 charging clip in my bag a few days ago. After emptying my bags a few times, I think I lost it at the airport or on the plane.

I checked the power left on my Garmin a few hours ago -- it read 61%, which left very little room for error. Maybe it'd make it to the 20 mile mark then it'd conk out. What if I didn't have the charger and i'll have a dead Garmin for the next few weeks.

I called a few running stores, including the Georgetown Running Company. We were going to go to the area for lunch so I checked. The guy said to come by and they'd figure something out if they could.

On our way over, we stopped by City Sports, where I had to wrangle a staffer in a near empty store to peer down at the Garmin case. He really didn't even care what I was looking for. "Do you see it there?" he asked after I tried to describe the charging clip. No go.

I stated scheming about ways I'd get it to last longer (turn it on right before race start and pray seemed the only thing to do).

Later, after lunch, I wandered into the smaller Georgetown Running Company, which today was filled to the brim with marathoners from overseas looking to buy a lot of shoes. I explained to one guy, I think the owner or manager, my plight. He had about 10 customers to help out and probably was in no mood to do special requests.

"How bad you need it?" he asked.

"I'm running MCM tomorrow" I said.

A sympathetic look. "Give me five minutes."

Fifteen minutes later, when the crowd died down, he fished out a charger from one of his 405 boxes and said he'd sell it to me if he knew how much it cost. I said it cost $20, but I gave him $30 (he asked for $25) "for the trouble."

And now my Garmin is inching its way back to a 100% charge and this runner is very pleased.

Reflecting on the BQ, and the next chapter

I can't lie, I've been on cloud nine over the past week. I don't think about it too much during the day, but every time I've gone out on a run since last Sunday when I qualified for Boston, there have been moments when I'm just beaming, smiling, and wanting to pump my fists. Other times, i've been in near tears, choked up. My stride goes fluid and I want to start knocking off a marathon-pace run, even for a few minutes.

I've been chasing a BQ for years now. Last year, in chasing that goal, I failed and every friend of mine, particularly those who have qualified, have told me it'll be all the more sweeter when I do. I've been logging my mileage for about five years and in that time, i've run more than 8,000 miles (13,000K). I'm probably up to 50 road races since 2005, about to run my eight marathon in a few days, and there's no sign that I'm losing any interest in this running thing.

After work a few days ago, I was running along the waterfront and bumped into Lee during a recovery five miler. Lee was that friend who was on the course last Sunday cheering me on. We've bumped into each other on the trails more than a few times, shared a few runs, a few beers, and so we debriefed each other.

Lee's also raced Boston a few times -- he also took a long path to qualifying for it before he got a major running breakthrough, he's chasing pretty fast time, doing a 3:03 in Chicago a few weeks ago.

I talked about how strong I felt during the BQ marathon. Just like countless other great races, I felt fine from start to end, but this is the marathon distance, the last 6 miles is supposed to be cruel.

"I would have bet $10,000 you'd get your BQ," Lee told me and I still don't agree, i respect that distance too much to be cocky.

So reflecting on the race is more than reliving three hours, 12 minutes and 36 seconds of my perfect race. It was about that 8000 miles, those winter nights when I get the trail to myself and sweltering middday runs in July. It was about staring at the Advanced Marathon 18-week program and wondering how the hell I'd get a 70 mile week in. It was about foregoing sleeping in on Sundays for the past three years basically. It was about urging my body to do tempo and pace work when I dreaded it so well.

It was also remembering the great, the first time I went sub 20 minutes in the 5K, or when i lowered by half marathon mark by 4 minutes (1:31!) a few years ago, or those simple first day of spring runs when you shed your winter layers to feel the air. Or just the feeling of rushing home from work so i could change into my runners to get out the door in a few minutes.

BQ was that goal that was on top of my running life, but not the point of it. It wasn't the definition, but it also was a tough goal that made me work harder. Getting to this point made me a better runner.

I told Lee that somehow I feel like I'm entering a new chapter in my running life. He admitted that when he qualified for Boston years ago, he became a more serious runner. I don't think i'm going to get any more serious, but I'll look at it differently. I want a victory lap of a year in 2010. I want to chase faster times. I want to be a pace bunny one day. And I want to turn my BQ into a confirmed registration so I can finish booking a hotel and flight for a trip to Beantown next April.

As I was walking around the Marine Corps Marathon expo this afternoon, I passed by the Clif pacing team area. Two tall, slim and buff looking dudes (obviously fitter than little old me, right?) walked by the table, saw that there was a piece of paper propped up near the buckets of pacer bands.

It was the list of qualifying times needed to get into Boston. I'm sure you know it well.

"Dude, i gotta do a 3:10 to get into Boston?" one said to the other. They looked a little stunned and the mystique of that marathon grew just a little. Me, I turned, looked at these guys, gave them the once over, reflected, then smiled.

Marathon expo = spending in excess

I do love the mega marathon expos. Not only because I can get free beer (as I did today), but because you'll find so many specialty products that you may not find at your local running store. I went this morning to pick up my Marine Corps Marathon race kit.

I've purchased a lot of gear in the past 5 years, but I've also come to a point that I have enough clothes that I don't spend a hell of a lot during the year. That is, until today.

First, race gear! I picked up a hat, my third MCM hat. I love Brooks hats, they are the most aerodynamic and they fit me great. Fine for hot days too. I also purchased a raceday jacket. Yeah, i'm a sucker for these things.



Next, I saw these compression socks that I've added to my collection. I'm wearing them now. Like them more than my other ones cause they're thinner, making it more likely I'd wear them. The brand is Recovery Sock which I'm told is from Italy.



The next picture includes everything else:


-A box of high end Roctane GU gels (I got them to give me 12 orange and 12 of the blueberry flavour) for -- wait for it -- $50. These gels are way more expensive than the normal kind and would cost me a fortune if I continue to buy them in Canada a few at a time. They threw in two new flavoured ones and a pair of GU running gloves

-A pair of arm warmers (haven't been able to find them in Canada) from Asics.

-A race number and gel belt, just in case.

-An iFitness belt that can hold a cellphone and up to 7 gels and also stay snug. I may bring my phone with me on Sunday.

-A big fridge magnet "26.2 - Been there, run that"

Never passed

I was looking at some of my race splits when I came across some race details generated by the Toronto Marathon site. That was a nice little stat that says all that needs to be said about the last 12K of the marathon. I was never passed.

I didn't run a negative split. The first half included hills and led to a speedy first half. After the 11 mile mark, it was basically flat or uphill. The second half, after I caught up to the pacer, I slowed down to 4:38s for most of the rest of the race.

First half: 1:35:17
Second half: 1:37:05

The last 12K 56:41

The 30K split: 2:16:12 (gun time, I think).