Humboldt Redwoods Marathon

October 15, 1995

Man on a Mission

Steve leads home a long line of runners at Humboldt

Clearly, this was not going to be an easy task.

Stay tuned for the result...

OK, you've been patient, didn't mean to leave you hanging, just couldn't bring myself to write those fateful words...qualified...NOT :-( (sure, I could have waited until the end of this post to tell you, but then you probably would have just skipped to the end and missed the rest of the details. As it is if you DID skip to the end then you're not reading this and you'll never know how it turns out...

Anyway, I had a great time. Humboldt Redwoods is a LONG way from San Francisco, and I don't think I'll be back anytime soon, but if you're in the mood for a long trip this is a great place to come. Eureka (where we stayed at the Eureka Inn, a grand old place built in 1922) and nearby Arcata both have many Victorian-style mansions, some amazingly ornate. Great birding (and running) at the Arcata Marsh. We went to a town named Ferndale which bills itself as "California's Best Preserved Victorian Village," and it was quaint. It also turns out to be the westernmost city in the continental United States. As Johnny Carson used to say: I did not know that.

Oh, the race? It was a great one. The entire 26.2 is on narrow roads completely surrounded by 300 foot high redwoods. Spectacular. Practically a trail race. The weather could not have been better. They were having a "heat wave," which meant that in the shade of the redwoods (95% of the course) it was just perfect (I guess low 60's?). And that perfection lasted from the start at 9 a.m. until I crossed the finish line at...some later time.

Before the race I met Karl Watanabe and Jane Colman (separately) and we all wished each other well. Never spotted George Parrott and Chris Iwahashi. The race is run literally in two halves; the first half south along the "Avenue of the Giants" and then back to the start where 80% of the field is done, since this is primarily a half marathon. The second half then heads west along another, similar road, and then back to the finish.

I was aiming for 7:45's and over these first flat 13.1 miles I was clicking along pretty much on target. On the out-and-back course I kept looking for the other Deads but only got to shout "Go Karl" since I never saw any of the others. Finally back to the bridge where the race started and there was Karl yet again, finished with his race. I got to get oh so close to the finish line and then a quick left and off to polish off the next 13.1.

Just after seeing Karl I hit the half in 1:42:47. Let's see, 2 x 1:42:47 = 3:25:34; not bad, a 25 second cushion! I had been hoping to go 1:40/1:45 for the two halves, since I've never run a negative split race in my life and my chances of doing so in a marathon were slim and none. So in reality, I knew at that moment that my qualifying chances were over.

The first half I had been watching the watch, holding back, checking my pace, trying to hold steady at target pace. At the half I switched to my triathlon strategy - focus on the next person on the road, and get ahead of them. In *time*, I didn't run a negative split, not even close. But in *effort*, there is no doubt in my mind that I did. I ran that second half like a man possessed, not with the magical 3:25 goal, which I knew wasn't going to happen, but with the goal of passing as many people as possible, the goal simply of doing my best. Which I did.

With my water bottle keeping me hydrated, and my 1 GU/30 minutes keeping my metabolism steady, I was able to keep the foot on the gas the whole way; except for the finishing kick, I would hardly be breathing hard at the end. Unfortunately, above the foot is the leg, and my legs simply aren't able to do that kind of distance without tightening significantly, enough to change 7:45 miles into 8:30 miles. Partly this is because I don't do the miles I "should" to be a marathoner (since I'm not); partly it's just me, someone who has been told by more than one masseuse that I was "the tightest person they had ever seen," and they weren't referring to my meager tips. "Mr. Flexibility" I call myself, and unfortunately that lack of flexibility is no joke after 20 miles or so.

So I finished in 3:34:47, a 23-minute P.R., finished strong (last 2.2 miles at 7:28 pace), finished proud, but finished 9 minutes slower than that magical Boston mark.

Which of course leaves me thinking about December 3 in Sacramento... After all, I'm going to be *there* too (selling software, of course; look for us at the expo). I mean, since I'm going to be there, what else am I going to do on Sunday? And I hear it's a LOT easier race, at LEAST 9 minutes faster than Humboldt...

Steve "Man on a Mission" Patt
slp@alumni.caltech.edu

Aftermath: stopped at the Hopland Brewery on the way home, us and half the other racers. Black Hawk Stout - great stuff. Hardly stiff at all after the race - I was even running up the stairs in the my usual two-at-a-time on Monday. OK, I wasn't running down, but I wasn't hobbling either. Then today came the sore throat. Damn. Told myself to be careful, take extra Vitamin C, wash hands frequently, etc.; didn't do it. Paid the price.