#100 - Seattle Marathon

DATE: November 28, 2010

LOCATION: Seattle, Washington

It was the final day of the first ever Seattle Qadzilla.  It was also my much anticipated 100 marathon/ultra.  For months I had been planning this milestone.  It meant I had to pass on some marathons, so the schedule would work out.

Being the four day in a row of running marathons, I was in unchartered territory.  I had run a number of triples, but never had I run a quadzilla.

Saturday I had a great marathon at Ghost of Seattle.  I ran an unexpected 3:31:46.  I had no real time goal for this one.  My goal was to have fun and enjoy it.

When I picked up my packet at the Expo on Saturday, they gave me bib #100.  I had requested it months earlier, but had never heard back. I later found out it was a first come first serve biases.  Yolanda Holder was completing her 100th marathon of the year at Seattle.  I was told she also asked for bib #100.  I got it because I requested it sooner.

I arrived at the starting area of the marathon, pretty early.  The Seattle Marathon is always a lot of fun because of all the friendly faces I get to see of other Maniacs.

Many of us Maniacs met at the gear check to socialize.  A few minutes prior to the marathon I walked down to the start line.  Everyone gathered together in the corral.  The PA announcer was making a few announcements.  One was a shout out to me.  They said "Steve Walters is running his 100th marathon today".  That was very cool to hear.

I started the marathon off running pretty fast.  I felt great and was willing to push a bit and see what I had in me.  I jumped ahead of the 3:30 pace group.  I felt like I was in a good spot.  I figured if they passed me that would still be fine.

I hit the half way point and was still humming along really good.  I just kept pushing and felt great.  The weather was perfect.  It was cool (40s-50s) and mostly sunny.  It felt great.

Coming down the stretch I pushed hard knowing I had a 3:30 marathon in the bank.  Upon crossing the finish line I was so happy to have run a good race.  It was my fastest of the Quadzilla and my fastest marathon on the Seattle course.

I grabbed my finishers medal and my Seattle Quadzilla medal and picked up my gear and hung out for a long while.

It was neat to see Yolanda after finish finished.  Since I was unemployed, I didn't have a job to go to on Monday, so I spent the night in Seattle.

That evening I went to church at Mars Hill Ballard and drove home on Monday morning.  It was a great way to cap off a great weekend!

#99 - Ghost of Seattle Marathon 2010

DATE: Saturday, November 27, 2010

LOCATION: Seattle, Washington

This was a very interesting day! I had already run two marathons in two days, and did not expect a fast run. That said, I felt pretty good. I woke up that morning and I didn't feel overly sore. Once I got my day going, my legs felt good. I left the hostel about 6:30 and drove to Lake Washington. Many of the runners took the early start which meant the parking at the start was all gone. I ended up parking at Seward Park (about a half mile away).

I arrived and picked up my race bib about 7:15 and enjoyed seeing so many of my running friends. Many were running the Quadzilla and it was fun to see them for a third straight day. Other runners were doing the Seattle Double (Saturday and Sunday), so it was great to see other runners that I hadn't seen the last few days. As the time got closer we quickly realized that the race was not going to start on time. So many of waited for the runners to get checked in. We finally got started at about 8:15.

The course started with a 3.6 mile loop around Stewar dpark and then headed north for almost five miles before returning to the start area. We ran this twice for the marathon. I started out running with Terry Sentinella and I was runnign pretty fast. I was running about 7:45-8:00 pace. I felt like this was a little too fast, but I felt great, so I kept going.

When I got to the aid station at mile 7.5, I took my first GU and kept pushing along. I had thought that a sub-4 hour marathon was probably a good goal, but at this rate I was looking at more like 3:30-3:40 marathon. My first thought was that I couldn't keep it up. My second thought was that I wanted to keep my Quadzilla lead (I had the best combined time for all the male runners in the Quadzilla). I ran to the turn around and pushed back to the to the start area for the first half.

At the half way point of the race, I had run a 1:45:50. This was pretty amazing, I had no idea I had that much speed in me. I was on pace for a 3:31:40 marathon. I didn't think I could probably keep it up, but I thought a 3:45-4:00 marathon would be great. I kept pushing, because I wanted to see how long I could keep this up. As I made my way around Seward Park, I felt really good. I knew I had only 10 miles to go and felt I could do it.

When I go to the aid station at mile 20.5 I took another GU and powered to the turn around and back to the finsih. It was so great to see all the other runners on the out and backs. So many of them were Maniacs and it was great to greet all the other Quadzilla runners.

I pushed hard and managed to finish in 3:31:46, which means my second half split was 1:45:56, only 6 seconds slower then my first half. I was absolutly thrilled with my time and it was so great to hang out and chat with the other runners. After a few hours people were headed home, so I went back to my car and drove to downtown and check into my hotel. My mom and two sister met me there. It was all in all a wonderful day!

#98 - Wishbone Run 2010

DATE: Friday, November 26, 2010

LOCATION: Gig Harbor, Washington

Marathon #98 was not an easy one, but was a blast! Bill Barmore once again opened his house to the crazy people that can' get enough marathons. This race was on all trails (mostly single track), it was a figure eight loop that each runner ran four times. The total distance was 27.4 miles, this meant it was a trail ultra. While not quite a 50k it was longer than a marathon, therefore an ultra. Nevertheless it was to be treated like one.

I had to understand the nature of the run and therefpore did not expect a fast time. Like most trail runs and most ultras it was not about speed. I had to settle into a ultra pace for this one. I had planned to run between 4:00 (not likely) and 4:30. This would be about a 10:00 pace.

I arrived about an hour early and checked in at Bill's house. It was so great to see all the other runners and the other Quadzilla runners. They were like family. I felt pretty good although a little stiff at first in the morning.

The race started at 7:30 in the morning and the trail was a little muddy and there was still some frozen sections. It was about 40 degrees, which normally would have everyone complaining, but after running in 28 degree temps the day before, I think were all happy for the slightly warmer weather. Most importantly it was dry and would stay that way until the late afternoon.

Because it was 27.4 miles, means that each loop was 6.85 miles long. In the first loop I was just making sure I didn't get lost. The trail was marked very well, and it went off really well. I ran the first loop in about an hour, and realized I had to slow things down.

In the second loop I was happy to get into a groove I felt comfortable with. I ended up running that loop in 65 minutes giving me a irst half split of 2:05. I once again realized I had and was going to slow things down even more.

In the third loop I took a few walking breaks and just enjoyed the trail. At one point the sun even came up. In that loop I ran 66 minutes which was good for a 3:11 split. I felt pretty gpod, but was looking forward to the last loop.

In the final loop, I took a few more walking breaks and was counting down the mileage. I ended up running that one in 68 minutes. I felt really happy to be done, and enjoyed the moment. I ran a 2:05 first half and a 2:14 second half giving me a 4:19 time, good for 10th place out of about 55 finishers.

I hung out for about three hours greeting the other runners as they finished. I the drove to Seattle and got checked in to the hostel and eat some dinner. It feels good to be half way done with the Quadzilla, but I realize I'm only half way done and I still have another 52 miles left!

#97 - Wattle Waddle Marathon 2010

DATE: Thursday, November 25, 2010

LOCATION: Cedar River Trail near Maple Valley, Washington

Leg one of the first ever Seattle Quadzilla was a bit of a challenge, and not just for me but for everyone involoved. In the days leading up to the race, Seattle was belted with a huge snow storm. Weather got down into the teens and a wind chill near zero. This was all companied by snow. In the week or so leading up to the Quadzilla, I was following the weather forecast very closely. I was at first worried that I might not be able to run the Quadzilla due to heavy snow. But in the finals days leading up to the races, it became clear the storm was going to pass before Thanksgiving.

I had planned to sleep in my car on Wednesay night, but I got a call from my dad, who is a truck driver for Fred Meyer (the northwest chain of Kroeger Foods), and he told me that he was going to layover in Federal Way and asked if I wanted to spend the night with him. This was about two miles from where I was going to sleep in my car, so I said yes. I left and drove up to Federal Way, it was a bit wet, and the weather remained about 30 degrees the whole drive up. I spend the night with him and left early to drive the 30 minutes to the Cedar River Trail near Maple Valley.

I arrived about an hour early at 6am. It was quite snowy out and I was probably the fifth or sixth person to arrive. I chatted with some of the other Maniacs and got ready for the race. At this point I realized that I had left my MP3 player in the hotel room, so I called my dad and he got it and took it back home. This meant I was going to be without music, while I don't need music, I like to have it, and so I was going to have to run without.

When the race started I was off and about three people quickly lead the way. I didn't mind, I had no goal for this race, and because of the snow fall the trail was covered in snow and was packed in pretty hard. I realized this was going to be a challenging run. I was joined by another Maniac that I had not met before, Pedro Infante. We ran together for about 18 miles, before he took off.

The race as a double out-and-back course so the course was basically in four parts of 6.55 miles. In the first out section of the course Pedro and I ran pretty smooth, I quickly relized I was not going to run a normal 3:30-3:45 marathon, and that the snow was going to make this more like a trail marathon. We finished the first quarter of the marathon in about 58 minutes.

As we headed back to the start area I could feel that we were running a little faster, but not much. It was great to see all the runners behind us as we headed back. Rarely do I get to see the slower runners, and it's always fun to stay hi and you pass each other. We ended finishing the first half in 1:55:55. This felt pretty good, but I did't know if I could repeat it.

As we headed back out for the third quarter of the marathon, I could feel that I didn't have enough energy to keep running at the speed we were going. About five miles into this third section, I slowed down and took a GU, this is when Pedro kept going, and I would never catch him. At ths turn around I looked at my watch and it said 2:55. This mean I ran a one hour quarter.

As I headed back to the start, I felt myself getting slower and slower. I figured I could still run a sub-4 hour marathon. But soon I realized I was struggling. About mile 21 or 22 I started to take walking breaks, and realized I was running about 10 minute miles. Looking back I realize I did not eat enough on Wednesday and was at a lack of calories. I kept pushing and finished the final quarter in 67 minutes.

This meant I finished with a time of 4:01:47. My first half split was 1:56 and my second half split was 2:06. I can't complain everyone's times were slow and I finished in fourth place overall. It felt good and more importantly I felt good afterwards. I stuck around for a few hours to see everyone finish. The race started about 28 degrees and finished about 34 degrees. The snow started melting and the roads became much easier to drive.

#96 - Autumn Leaves 50 miler 2010

DATE: Saturday, October 30, 2010
LOCATION: Champoeg State Park, near Newberg, Oregon

In 2005 I ran the half marathon at Autumn Leaves, in 2006 I ran the 50k, and in 2007 I ran my first 50 miler at Autumn Leaves. But in 2008, the race director changed the date and I was already doing a different race, and in 2009 the race was canceled. This year, a few Portland area Maniac and ultra runner, Bret Henry took over the race. He did a great job in reviving this race. Many people thought this race was dead, due to a lack of interest. But volume of runners this year exceeded everyone’s expectations. There were 75 runners signed up for the 50 miler, and about 45 signed up for the 50k.

I helped by creating finisher medals for the race. And my friend Tim joined me for the race. After running 42.75 miles in seven hours at Operation Jack 7 hour race in early September, I had a desire to see how fast I could run a 50 miler. My PR was 8:33, which was my 50 mile split at Pacific Rim in 2008. I knew I had a shot at a sub-8 hour race. The course is a 6.25 mile loop run eight times. I figured I could run one loop every hour and finish in 8 hours.

I took the early start at 6am, because I wanted to finish sooner. The first loop was completely dark, and a flashlight or headlamp is a must. I ran with Stacy Otter and Genia Kacey, both Marathon Maniacs, for the first loop and a half. The first loop went pretty well, except we got lost at one point that added 0.35 miles to the loop. I finished the first loop in 0:59:41, which I was really happy with.

From that point forward I was cruising pretty good. My slowest loop was a little more than an hour and most were well under an hour. At the half way point, I ran a 3:42:55 and in second half I ran a 3:58:08 which gave me a final time of 7:41:03. This was a 52 minute personal record and 19 minutes faster than my goal.

I hit the half marathon mark at 3:50:34 and the 50k mark at 4:34:50. And if you take out the time I spent at each aid station, I ran all my miles between 8-10 minute miles. I ran a very steady race, and really pushed hard. It was a challenge at times, because I wanted to slow down, but I knew this was a special race, so I kept pushing.

The weather was pretty nice, it was in the upper 40's with a little rain at times, but the rain didn't stay very long. After I finished Tim and I stuck around for a little more than an hour before we headed back home. Overall it was a huge success!

#95 - Columbia River Power Marathon 2010

DATE: October 23, 2010

LOCATION: Umatilla, Oregon

I had originally planned to the Columbia River Power/Gorge double, but when I found out about the Thanksgiving marathon (Wattle Waddle), I had to drop the Columbia Gorge Marathon in order to make Seattle my 100th. This worked out well, because my sister wanted to do the Run Like Hell Half Marathon in Portland on the 24th. So I ended up running the half with her.

I drove out to Boardman on Friday night, where I slept in my car. I drove 30 minutes the next morning to Umatilla and got ready for the race. It was nice to see other Maniacs at the start, many of them were doing the double.

When the race started I was off and running and feeling pretty good. I was running sub-8 minute miles and feeling like I might have a good day. The course had a huge downhill in the first mile or so, and had a few hills in the first 10 miles. Despite the hills, I was on pace to run a 3:25 (or so) marathon.

At mile 10, we turned on to a dirt trail. I didn't really know what to expect. It turned out the dirt trail was a 10 mile out-and-back, and was a very loose gravel. This caused to me slow down. I ended up pushing through the first half of the out-and-back (about 5 miles) and found the loose gravel and rolling hills a bit challenging. I realized at the turn around that I was in sixth place.

I pushed hard in the next five miles to keep my place at sixth and to keep my times in the low 8 minute range. A woman passed me in the last mile of the dirt trail, so that put me in seventh place.

Once I got off the dirt trail we had a huge climb and the finished on a pretty easy bike path back to the finish. I ended up passing a runner who was ahead of me in the last few miles, putting me back in sixth place. I ended up finishing with a time of 3:36, which was great given the course.

I hung out for a while before heading back to Portland. It was a very nice day and I enjoyed the small marathon. I ended up pacing my sister to a 2:07 PR at the half marathon the next day. It was a very fun weekend.

#94 - Portland Marathon 2010

DATE: Sunday, October 10, 2010

LOCATION: Portland, Oregon

This year Portland proved to be an interesting one. In previous years the cost of the Portland Marathon was between $95-105 which is on the high end of marathons in this area. Portland is a large marathon (tenth largest in USA in 2009), but I can pay $60-$80 for most marathons in the region. That said, Portland told everyone, in March, that the cost of the Portland would go from $105 to $135. I was planning to run it and was willing to pay $105, so I registered then. I don't want to bag too much on Portland, but I don't think it worth $135.

In the history of the Portland Marathon, it has never rained for the entire Portland Marathon. In 2008, it rained for the second half, and all the other times I have done it, it has been dry. But this was the year, it would be a wet one. It rained during the entire marathon, I have run marathons in the rain, or I was ready but many were not.

My friend Jon Dotson and I went to the Expo on Friday and got our packets. The Portland Marathon was getting a lot of heat for the high cost, and this year they gave you two shirts, a collector coin, and a really cheap necklace. These were all things I did not need, but whatever.

On race morning, Jon and I drove to downtown and got ready for the race. We found a covered area to stay dry before race start. Jon wanted to break 3:20, I was looking to run a 3:30. We started with the 3:20 pace group, and I quickly fell back in the first few miles. Jon kept up with the pace group.

When I got to the turnaround at mile 9, I was able to see that the 3:20 group was only about a half mile ahead of me, and Jon was still with them. I was running pretty fast and didn't feel that I could run much faster at that point, and just felt like I wanted to keep up the current pace.

When I got to the half way point, I had run 1:39, which I was pretty happy with. I knew a 3:30 was pretty likely, but at that point I was wondering if 3:20 was possible. Once I got to the St John's Bridge, I pushed up the hill and cruised the rest of the way. I never really slowed down, and even pushed pretty hard the last few miles, hoping to run a 3:20. I ended up finishing in 3:21:08. I was very happy with my time.

I met up with Jon who struggled in the last five miles, and ended up running a 3:25:48. While Portland is a nice race, they need to understand that they are not a "Major" marathon like Chicago, New York or Boston. They need to realize that $135 is bit much, when Boston cost $125. The shirts and medals are pretty much the same every year, and now have even more restrictions on pacers in the last few miles. Also they use Ultima as their energy drink, and that has rubbed a lot of runners the wrong way. Not sure I'll do Portland next year.