Marathons

[W3WN]

I don't know sometimes what's worse... spouses, or kids. Either way, they drive you meshugah.

I just found out an hour ago that my son is coming in from DC to run in the Pittsburgh Marathon on May 6th. So why didn't he tell me earlier? Well, he told his mother, months ago. He figured she told me... she figured I already knew.

Enough to drive you right up the fershligener wall.

I don't usually "do" the Marathon... I just can't volunteer for everything. This year, I may have to make an exception.

At least the "good" news -- part of the early course crosses the bridge right in front of work, and a later leg goes past about 2 blocks away. So if I have to volunteer, and now I probably do, I can try and get stationed near the building. Park my gear here on Saturday and not have to fight traffic restrictions on Sunday morning. We shall see.

...and I'm sure if we're already downtown, wife & daughter will want to go the home Pirate game at 1:30 as well...

[K7SGJ]

If you spread yourself any thinner, we'd have to call you Marg (arine)

[W3WN]

If you spread yourself any thinner, we'd have to call you Marg (arine)You owe Don Rickles a royalty for that joke. About $.02

[W1GUH]

Thanks for the Yiddish lesson. But did you actually mean furshlugginer (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/furshlugginer)? Google didn't turn up anything with your spelling. And, very cool, made popular by Mad Magazine! The unimpeachable journal that also brought Potrzebie (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potrzebie)to us! (Haven't heard or read THAT word for decades.) Now we all can feel slightly more literate.

As for margarine...


"I need oleo for my bungholio!"

As for marathons, I once ran 26.2 feet. Then quit...didn't see the point. Went and worked some 26 meters.

[KG4CGC]

Clone movie sequence, start:



NOW!

[NQ6U]

Here's the only Marathon I've ever been involved with:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/Checker-Marathon-1.jpg/250px-Checker-Marathon-1.jpg

[suddenseer]

My first marathon was one of these. http://www.vintageveggies.com/candystore/images/marathon/1973_Jason-Liebig_front.jpg

Seriously, i am probably the fattest ham operator who ran marathons as well. I could do a 5K in 24 minutes, a 10K in 55 minutes. My best time was 4:20:xx which was my second Columbus marathon. My worse time was just under 5 hours for the Air Force (way too many hills). I have not run in 10 years. The only place I run to these days is the bathroom. It is not really a huge challenge for fat ham operators to run a marathon, just do mindful preparation. I only did not finish one marathon attempt. I was to busy talking to volunteers on 2m simplex on my walkie talkie, I failed to see the parked car that I slammed into. 6 stitches later, and a permanently bruised ego I was ok.

[W3WN]

Thanks for the Yiddish lesson. But did you actually mean furshlugginer (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/furshlugginer)? < snip >Well strictly speaking, the word is transliterated, so there's not really an "official" spelling in English, but yes.
< snip >As for marathons, I once ran 26.2 feet. Then quit...didn't see the point. Went and worked some 26 meters.Reminds me of something...

Several years ago, the late John Cigna of KDKA-AM was challenged to run in a race (I think a 10 K?) that the station was involved in. There was an on-air bet between some of the radio personalities as to whether or not he would go through with it, let alone complete it.

The day of the race comes, and sure enough, it is announced that John Cigna completed the race. So the next Monday morning, during his show, there's some taped interviews with this guy, and that guy, and so forth, all of whom are amazed that John Cigna completed the race. And, of course, each person is asked to state their name at the end.

So the last interview comes, and a young man is talking about how much fun he had in the event, and how proud he was to finish.

"And your name, sir?" (Drumroll, please!)

"John Cigna. Junior."

[N8YX]

I agree with Tim re: Marathons - do they still make those? Used to love 'em as a kid.

[NA4BH]

Marathon? There was this exchange student from England, oh wait you're talking about running. As a doctor friend once said, about exercising, "Your heart is programmed to beat "X" number of times, why speed it up". LOL

[W4GPL]

Running a 10K the first weekend in May.

</random_statement> ;)

[KC2UGV]

Tried to do the 10K, knees are too far gone. So, I'm aiming for a century ride either this season, or next.

[W3WN]

Got the paperwork from the Marathon organizers yesterday in the mail.

My location is officially Mile Marker 0.5. The locatiion will be active all day, I have to be there starting 6:30 AM for the duration.

It's a good thing I have plenty of working battery packs for my HT!

[KC2UGV]

Wow! Mile Marker 0.5 needs to be active all day? You'd figure everyone would be past you loooong before race close.

[W3WN]

You'd think that, until you look at the map. The race will start on Liberty Avenue @ Stanwix Street & head Northeast up Liberty into the Strip District (named after the "strip" of railroad terminal buildings by the river, used to be the Produce & grocery district) before it does a U-turn at 29th Street and over to Penn Avenue. After some jaunts across the rivers & back, the course comes back through the neighborhoods of East Liberty, Friendship (where it picks up Liberty Avenue again, but now in the OPPOSITE direction), and Bloomfield, before heading back into the Strip. So the last leg of the race comes back past the same check point before heading back into Downtown.
5677
The map may be a little tough to read, but you can see where the green (first leg) of the course overlaps with the red (last leg). 10th Street isn't marked (9th is) but it's the road that the Convention Center is built over (it looks like it does a dog leg and becomes 7th Avenue, if that helps).

They've had to redo the race course for one reason or another for a few years now. It used to finish at Point State Park, but then the park went under some needed renovations. Last year they ended at PNC Park, but this year there's an afternoon home ballgame, so that won't work. (Don't blame the Pirates, they asked MLB to schedule the weekend for an away series, but MLB's scheduling people didn't listen very well)

[W3WN]

Oh, crap.

Got an email from N3NHS (who's organizing the hams for the marathon). I've just been informed that I've been moved from the 0.5 mile marker... to the start line. No reason given, just the generic "needs have changed."

Is he nutz?

Now I've worked a lot of public service events over the years, and I know my corner at the PVGP like the back of my hand (where'd that wart come from?)... but this? I have no experience whatsoever for this race at all, let alone what will be needed at Start (and there's more than one race starting... Marathon Elite runners --that's the guys who go out for the Olympics -- Men & Women, Marathon, Wheelchair Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, Relay Race... something for everyone). And he expects me to walk into this cold?

Worse, this reduces the odds of my seeing my son run from small to miniscule. I really doubt I'll be able to spot him in the mass of humanity. At least when they field is spread out a little at the mile markers I'd have a fighting chance.

And Jeff does this barely 48 hours beforehand? By email in the middle of the night? WTF?

I am not happy.

[W4GPL]

Tried to do the 10K, knees are too far gone.I hear ya. I've been "training" every morning and my knees are shot. I'll be done with this non-sense tomorrow, but I'm certain I won't embarrass myself. :) Though I think I need to find something low impact.

[KC2UGV]

I hear ya. I've been "training" every morning and my knees are shot. I'll be done with this non-sense tomorrow, but I'm certain I won't embarrass myself. :) Though I think I need to find something low impact.

Cycling. I'm working up to a century late this season :)

[KG4NEL]

I hear ya. I've been "training" every morning and my knees are shot. I'll be done with this non-sense tomorrow, but I'm certain I won't embarrass myself. :) Though I think I need to find something low impact.

Pretty cool! I haven't done a 10K yet, but I've done a few 5s and I'm finding that racing is addicting. Thinking I'll tackle a 10K and maybe a 10M by this fall.

[suddenseer]

I hear ya. I've been "training" every morning and my knees are shot. I'll be done with this non-sense tomorrow, but I'm certain I won't embarrass myself. :) Though I think I need to find something low impact.Jeff, congrats on running in a public race. I am a Clydesdale runner (a male over 200 pounds) I have finished 6 marathons, and many half marathons. I have finished one 30 mile ultra. I worked out in the gym to have strength, but I wanted cardio as well. I was in special forces back in my military days, we treasured public long distance runs. I cannot comment on what I did back then, except for the readiness of running 6 miles (for some reason). My first marathon was the 1997 Columbus (Ohiya) marathon. 26.2 miles is not 6.2 (10K) miles. I had professional trainers. I used the fartleck system of running. Run 6 minutes, then walk 1 minute/repeat. When I applied this method, my 10K went from 1:03 to 57:30. I have run 4 marathons with this method.Something to consider.