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from Jim
Rumon and Mike will be in the air right now, heading in our direction. They’ll touch down sometime in the late afternoon and will be quickly slotted back into their lives. Perhaps by Sunday night we will have had a chance to sit down, pint in hand, and wrap this adventure back around. I’m looking forward to a full debriefing, bristling with its uncensored battles and photos in full, their brimming stories and updated fashion. Maybe I should have started growing stubble a few days ago, or pressed the collars of my shirts, anything to brace myself for the bit of London that will wash over us when they finally land, when they finally stop.
Here, my days are getting earlier. Today I was up with the light, tying up my shoes and heading to Beacon Hill park for a Times Colonist photo shoot. My legs felt still tangled in my sheets as I ran through the camus and along the trails behind the petting zoo, and I am sure to find both feet on the ground when the shots go to print, one arm thrust to the side for balance. The Times Colonist 10km is now only three days away and I feel less and less fit with each one that passes. This is usually a good sign, and must be the body’s way of allowing us to accept anything on race day given how wretched we felt during the lead in, thereby taking pressure off and allowing us to simply run.
I wouldn’t say that I am looking forward to Sunday’s race. No, I wouldn’t say that at all. Read the rest of this entry »
The results are up now on the London Marathon website. Rumon and Mike came in together at 3:14:11 on what seems to have been a challenging day for both of them. From their splits it appears as though they came together sometime shortly after the 40km marker, but I was only seeing updates every 10km for them. The reports had temperatures around 25 degrees by noon, but if we’re talking air temperature I am certain that it was a good bit warmer than that amongst the 45000 strong. Gebrselassie dropped out and most seemed well off what they were hoping for. No updates for either Steve Osdaduik or Jason Warick either, so I can only assume that they were forced to abandon the race. I’m off to bed, grabbing a couple of hours sleep so that I can get in my workout scheduled for later in the day. I’m proud of the boys and am looking forward to their updates and first hand accounts. A pint to them.
We’re 10 minutes into the men’s race now – likely won’t see the local boys on the live feed here but I’m hoping I can find intermediate splits. 2:19:25 pace for the lead women through 15km.
Kathy Butler (Brit now, but raised in Ontario) is coming over Liz Yelling right now, around 20km in.
Men through 10km in 30:11. Ryan Hall is in the pack.
Women 1:09:58 through the half.
Osaduik 32:17 through 10km. 36:37 for Mike, 38:14 for Rumon through 10km. (2:33 and 2:41 paces for the b’hoys, 2:16:13 pace for OZ). 32:48 for Jason Warick (Saskatchewan).
5:20 last mile for the women, they’re just sub-2:20 pace nearing 30km. Pack of three: Kiplagat, Zhou and Wami have pulled away.
Men’s – 4:58 10th mile – not super fast but steady. Still a big pack – Limo, Gebr, Tergat, Meb, Gharib. Not seeing Baldini in the pack, nor Hall but there’s a close chase pack. Won’t be a world record unless they have one hell of a second half.
Yep, 2nd pack for both Baldini and Hall. Looking conservative but they’re not ripping the course up.
from Jim
R, if you can say hi to the emperor for me I would be much obliged. I was the one in the elevator. If he looks at you quizzically, it may be because he knows me by a different name. The Great White Hope, The Big Mazunga, something like that. Try variations.
Things are falling into place. I am reading the updates by the other two rogues and see that they have managed to connect and are set up in the hotel. A couple of minor stresses dealt with. Far away from the action, away from the press and the buzz, I still feel the excitement of a deadline approaching. 30 hours from now and my b’hoys will be toeing the line, hearts beating powerfully in their chests, legs feeling the rush of anticipation, like gladiators being led into the amphitheatre, anxious for the restraints to be lifted so they can roar at the crowd and parade their mettle. Read the rest of this entry »
from Jim
With Rumon in the air and Mike already in London, the streets here in Victoria are pretty quiet. R came into the shop today just before leaving so I shook the hand and wished him well. It made it final that I wasn’t heading over, seeing rogue number two (but number one in our hearts) packed up and headed to the airport. He looked the limey already, with his one o’clock shadow and his dancing shoes. I think Mike said they’d be starting the race at 9:30 London time (could have been 9:00) and we are 8 hours behind them so get ready to fire up the computers at about 1:00 a.m. Saturday night / Sunday morning. There is only one major challenger in the world (me) missing from the marathon start line (not me. I thought we were talking about the beer mile. Sammy Korir, then). This race is headed towards becoming the greatest marathon field ever assembled on the men’s side. Throw a couple more Canadians in there (Steve Osaduik, Jason Warick, perhaps others) and there are many reasons to tune in.
On these quiet Victoria streets I hit my first 21 miler in a while, injecting some pace over the second half to knock 2 minutes off my old best for the course. 2h01′09″ over some pretty hilly terrain and I ran myself into the ground, needing to stop to catch my breath 3 minutes from home after my execution mile at the end of the run. I had 45 minutes to regroup before clocking in at work, so I hobbled most of my shift in my Chris Martin giddyups, working off cramps and trying to look respectable.
The Times Colonist 10km is next on the list, then (perhaps) the Vancouver 1/2 marathon but this season will likely be nothing more than minor races to get my shorter distances up to speed before refocusing on Berlin in the fall.
From Jim
By all rights that should have been a lot worse. On a day that could have reached as far back as thirty-two minutes plus, which would have had me peering back into the high-school logs for the last time I had run that slow, I escaped from the Sun Run with a 31:04, 16th place, and hard earned satisfaction. 54 000 runners lined up, so many that by the time I had finished my cool down (ending back at the Hyatt hotel which looms over the starting line) the last of the starters were just getting underway.
It was a perfect day, but that’s all I’ll say about trivialities. Read the rest of this entry »
From Jim
Wow! I’m just looking around me at all this space on the new blog. A little spin here, arms out to the side. How am I supposed to fill this up?
Liam popped into the shop today, some last minute shopping and the last I’ll see of him until he gets back from London. He leaves tomorrow and Rumon will be six days behind him. Today was the first day that I felt some nerves over the race, the first day that I have been able to put myself in their heads (don’t try this at home). I’m keeping this short tonight, but bloody hell do I wish I was joining them on the trip. The grit of the city might be all we need to harden our voices so that the next time the CBC gets us to sing we’ll be able to make some money off it. It’d be nice to be racing, too. I’ll be lining up at the Sun Run in Vancouver this weekend, testing my body after the layoff. Exhale. Save that breath for the other two rogues. This one is just a tester.
