Weekend Preview: Lewis & Clark Marathon

I’m still coming down off of my high that was last weekend’s Tahoe Triple, but because of what Operation Jack is, I have to get over that now, because it’s about time to head out of town to run a marathon. Marathon No. 47 of the year is in St. Charles, Mo., and as difficult as running a marathon is, this is just the break I needed.

Real quick in case you’ve never been here before, I’m a father of three and marathon runner. Click here to see why I’m running 61 marathons this year for Train 4 Autism.

Lewis & Clark Marathon: Just What I Need!
Here’s what I did in September:
– September 4, Pocatello Marathon, starting at 6,400 feet and ending at 4,500 feet. The elevation made it tough and the downhill did a number on my quads.
– September 5, Operation Jack 7-Hour Challenge. Yes, that was the next day, and it was in Portland. After a long drive to the airport from Idaho, I got in, had a dinner function, then woke up early the next morning and ran 45 miles on a 0.94-mile loop.
– September 11, Patriots Run. This was a 9:11 timed run and I won it with 54 miles. For me, it’s pretty challenging to run ultras five days apart. What made this one even tougher was it started at noon, we were completely exposed to the sun for the first 7.5 hours, and the weather at the start was 80 degrees with 70 percent humidity. It gradually warmed up from there.
– September 19, Mountain Air Marathon. This race, in Gunnison, Colo., started at 8,950 feet and ended at 7,850 feet. This was extremely difficult for me since I don’t train at altitude. The 150-foot climb at mile 23 was pretty brutal, too. After flying to Denver, I had to drive 225 miles through winding mountain roads to get to and from this race. That didn’t make my weekend any easier.
– September 24, Emerald Bay Marathon. The first leg of the Tahoe Triple, after just four days off following my previous marathon. Elevation started at 6,830 feet, ended about 200 feet higher than that, but dipped down to 6,200 feet and had a brutal climb from miles 23 – 25.5. This was the toughest marathon I’ve ever run.
– September 25, Cal-Neva Marathon. The second leg of the Tahoe Triple. I was anything but fresh. This was the easiest leg of the Tahoe Triple, but was still among the top 5 or 6 most difficult marathon courses I’e ever run.
– September 26, Lake Tahoe Marathon. The third and final leg of the Tahoe Triple. Tougher than the second day, but a tiny bit less tough than the first day. This capped a brutal month, although I was pleased to finish third overall in the Tahoe Triple.

So that brings me to Sunday’s race, the Lewis & Clark Marathon in St. Charles, Mo. I couldn’t have asked for anything better than what I’m facing on Sunday. It’s at about 400 feet above sea level, which is sea level as far as I’m concerned since I train at about 1,000 feet.

There are some very gradual rolling hills early that don’t faze me at all. In fact, I think I’ll like them because they look like they’re slight enough that they’ll give me the opportunity to use different muscles and mix it up. There’s a climb between 15.5 and 18, but when you’re looking at a climb of 75 feet over 2 1/2 miles, you know it’s nothing major. I had two climbs last weekend that were about 750 feet over 2 1/2 miles — yes, 10 times as steep.

And the weather? High of 58, low of 37, no precipitation.

Really, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I’ll be feeling it in my legs when I get going, but the course won’t set me back at all. For the first time since August, I should be able to just go out and run hard and get a time my body is capable of. In that race in August, I went 3:12. I don’t know that I have enough in my legs to run a 3:12 right now, but I’ll be disappointed if I don’t run a 3:15.

Weekly Contest
Normally, I have a weekly contest where y’all make a donation equivalent to the amount you think I’m going to run, so for instance, if you think I’m going to run a 3:15, you donate $3.15, and whoever gets closest wins their choice of an Operation Jack t-shirt, tech shirt or sweatshirt.

Well, I’m trying to raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Center for the St. Jude’s Marathon in Memphis on December 4. It will be my 58th marathon of the year. I’m more than halfway to my goal for that, so once I hit that, I’ll get back to having my weekly contest.

Function With St. Louis Cardinals
If you’re in the St. Louis area, or if you know anybody who is, we’re having a really cool function on Saturday with two players on the St. Louis Cardinals. Starting pitcher Adam Wainwright, who won 20 games this year and finished second in the National League Cy Young voting last year, and second baseman Skip Schumaker, who finished 10th in the National League in batting in 2008 and hit better than .300 each of the previous three seasons, will both be at Hot Shots in Fenton, Mo. about two hours after the game signing autographs.

For details about the event, head to operationjack.org/cardinals.

OK, that’s all I have for today. I actually had something more, but I’m out of time. Have a great weekend, y’all! I’ll have a race recap up on Sunday!