On The
Run
Remembering Chicago
The Chairman of the
V-Boards Rehashes the Race
AS CHAIRMAN OF THE V-BOARDS, I am used to answering
questions, both in cyberspace and at appearances. The question asked
me most frequently last weekend at The LaSalle Bank Chicago
Marathon was: "Are you running?"
No, as most of you now know. I wasn't and didn't. Chicago is a
difficult marathon for me to run, because of too many duties. I hit
town Thursday in time for a noon press conference, had lunch
afterwards with Runner's World editor Amby Burfoot to
discuss magazine plans, taped interviews to be broadcast later on
National Public Radio and Chicago's radio station WGN,
then helped my wife Rose set up our booth at the Expo. I had hoped
we might find time to attend a Chicago Symphony Orchestra
concert that evening, but it didn't happen. We did, however, have a
pleasant dinner-for-two at Buckingham's Restaurant at the
Hilton, where we were staying.
Friday and Saturday were even more hectic--but also more fun. I
got a chance to meet many members of my V-Team and have my picture
taken with 373 (best estimate) beautiful women. I was in Photo-Op
Heaven. Friday evening, we joined the V-Teamers meeting at Dave
& Buster's Restaurant. Rose and I had planned to attend a
marathon party at The LaSalle Bank, but ran out of time.
Saturday, I spent all day at the Expo, giving my second lecture
in two days, but had to leave early to emcee at the Carbo-Loading
Party. I returned to McCormick Place just before the closing time of
8:00 PM to help Rose load the remaining boxes into our car. She said
one late person who stopped by our booth was really angry that he
missed me. She didn't think he was mad at me as much as at his girl
friend for having delayed his getting to the booth in time! If I was
responsible for any glitches in someone's domestic life, I
apologize.
Life is
sweet
In watching the race Sunday morning, I figured that I could see
at least the lead runners three times in the first three miles. I
caught them first where the course on Columbus Drive crosses the
Chicago River just before the mile mark, then sprinted to the next
river crossing on Clark Street barely in time to see the elites
sweep by. It was easier jogging one more block to await their third
river crossing on LaSalle Street. I watched some of the
back-packers, then I returned to the hotel to shower before heading
to the finish line. I watched the rest of the race on TV, rushing
out at the last moment to watch Khalid cross the line. Seeing
him celebrating with an American flag was a moving moment. Some
might argue that Khalid is not a "true" American, but my mother's
parents were born in Ireland; Rose's parents were born in Italy.
The afternoon was spent napping and catching snatches of two
separate NFL games featuring my two "home" teams: the Chicago
Bears and the Jacksonville Jaguars. I decided that all of
you are better athletes than the ones I saw playing for those two
teams.
Sunday night's party at Navy Pier, as those of you who
attended already know, was spectacular. Another Best-in-Racing for
Chicago. The Rock Band was a little loud for our tastes, so Rose and
I spent some time walking around outside and looking at the Chicago
skyline. We didn't hang around for the fireworks. Too tired. Monday
we headed home where I found more than 100 messages of joy and
sorrow on the V-Boards. Here are some thoughts related to Chicago
and beyond:
Marathon life goes
on: My apologies to those of
you whose marathon this fall was not Chicago. The rest of us have
been a bit obsessed for three weeks bouncing off the V-walls during
our taper. Things are back to normal now. We'll cheer you for your
efforts at Columbus, New York, Rocket City, Disney and beyond.
Cramps: This
seems to have been the Agony of Choice at this year's Chicago
Marathon. Considering the 20,000 who have signed up for V-Training
since last summer, the percentage who suffered leg or
other-body-part cramps in the closing miles was probably small, but
their cries were loud. The high humidity may have been a factor. A
few complaining runners may have overtrained or failed to drink
enough, but for many there seemed to be no reason. Time is short for
me now, but I'm going to address this issue soon and see if we can
all learn from the experience.
The Princess and the
Knee: I hope all of you had a chance to see the post
by Jeff Hensley under the heading, A fairy tale (for
Michelle). If not, check it out on the Beginner's Forum. This is
the third picture-post from Jeff, whose skills at web site design
obviously exceed most of ours. Michelle Andreas probably was
our most-frequent poster with her various knee problems, and we've
all had fun with that. Ironically, she had zero knee problems during
the marathon. (Michelle, we've got to find a new injury for you in
2001!)
Mile
22: Okay, we goofed. Someone set this mile marker in
the wrong place on the Chicago course. This discouraged some of you
who saw the slow time for that mile and thought you had lost it.
Sorry about that. When I first started running, we were lucky to get
markers every five miles. Spectators (particularly at Boston) often
would shout "One mile to go!" when there were two, three or more
miles of struggle ahead! Veteran runners quickly learned to ignore
this misinformation, but we're spoiled today by the near-perfect
organization of most marathons, not only Chicago. Amidst all the
praise, there were a few complaints about slippery bananas on the
course and a starting line banner too low so that runners
high-fiving it slowed everyone behind down. Don't hesitate to offer
your complaints and suggestions, so that we can continue to make The
LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon the best in racing.
Discovering
Columbus: As most of you already know, I'll be at the
Columbus Marathon the weekend after Chicago. I'll have a
booth at the Expo Friday and Saturday and am also lecturing at 1:00
PM Saturday. For those of you running Columbus, please come by and
say hello. I also have an appearance scheduled for the Rocket
City Marathon in Huntsville, Alabama in December. In between,
Rose and I have a trip planned to Argentina.
V-Team
Plans: I've already floated the idea that
Grandma's Marathon might be worthy of your attention next
June. It will be the 25th anniversary of this race in Duluth,
Minnesota. There is also a half-marathon and 5-K and a great
post-race party. Entries are limited, so I'll try to keep everybody
posted on our plans. There seems to be less immediate interest in a
gathering at the Gate River Run in Jacksonville, Florida in
March, but I'll be there anyway. Consider attending this 15-K for a
getaway winter break. More later.
Seven-Seven:
Another most frequently asked question in Chicago was, "When is your
next marathon?" I don't know. I might run Rocket City. I might do
another winter 26-miler. But I'm considering another challenge.
Those of you who read Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide
know that in 1991 I ran six marathons in six weeks to celebrate my
60th birthday. My 70th birthday is June 17, 2001, the day after
Grandma's, suggesting that I could do seven marathons in seven
months June through December. I'm seriously considering that as my
next challenge and have begun to consider which seven marathons to
pick. Looking further in the future, that would allow me to do eight
marathons in eight years after my 80th birthday in 2011. After that,
it may be more complicated finding proper challenges.
V-Shirts: Still
for sale, although we're out of Extra-Large shirts for men and
nearly out of that size for women. Men's Small are almost gone. More
information on how to order a V-Shirt is posted on Hal Higdon's Web
site.
Run, Dogs, Run!
My latest book is now available online. It's a children's e-book
titled Run, Dogs, Run!, done in collaboration with cartoonist
Dana Sommers. While visiting my Web
site, click on the top logo featuring three dogs and have
a good read.
Copyright © 2000 by Hal
Higdon. All rights reserved.
HAL HIGDON is Senior Writer for
Runner's World and a Training Consultant for The LaSalle Bank
Chicago Marathon.
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