Posted: 6/18/03

Preparing for Grandmaís

Dave Johnson
Guest Writer

I have just completed 465 miles of running through the Forest Lake area since January in preparation for Grandma's Marathon in Duluth this coming weekend.

This is my second attempt at the Grandma's Marathon. I began the marathon endeavor two years ago on New Years Eve 2002. I was joking with some friends, former marathoners, that doing Two Harbors to Duluth on foot didn't sound too bad. After all, it was down hill the whole way, right?

That was my 2002 New Year's resolution, and yep, I soon found out that I was pretty clueless about the whole deal. Getting in proper shape for a marathon would prove to be no trivial matter, but the rewards great. I did complete the Grandma's Marathon last year and I am eager to go again.

Here are a few things I learned and experienced along the way.

A marathon is a distance of 26.2 miles. The event's name and distance originated in 490 BC when a Greek soldier ran from Marathon to Athens to report back on a big Greek victory.

Closer to home, a marathon is like running from the old Forest Lake water tower to Dresser, Wisconsin via St. Croix Falls. If you can do it in 2 hours and 15 minutes, you are a top world-class runner and should be heading to Duluth about now. Average pace for such a time would be about 12 miles an hour the whole time a person is running. My pace is about 6 miles an hour tops and anything beyond that is hard to imagine.

Next, clothing and shoes are important.

Wonder why marathon runners run half naked? Well over long distances, the less stuff flapping on your body the better. Your skin gets irritated in the most unusual spots (my family won't let me elaborate) with fabrics rubbing constantly, so less is better.

Good (i.e., expensive) shoes are critical for proper cushioning and support to minimize the pounding your body takes. Even with top-notch shoes my feet expanded a whole size during training last year. At my age (50) I don't think that was due to a growth spurt. More likely it was the result of running long distances on all kinds of surfaces.

I went through three pairs of running shoes in the process, going from size 9.5, to 10, and finally leveling off at 10.5. Shoes are pretty much worn out after 350 miles. As such, my collection of old running shoes has grown to five pairs.

Running the dusty roads of Forest Lake was beautiful, interesting, and funny.

Sunrises and sunsets were spectacular on most occasions. January to June provided many changes in scenery from barren wind-blown fields to crops on their way.

People were considerate, passing as far away from me as possible on the dirt roads to keep me from getting dusted too badly. A guy hopped in his pickup once in 5 degree below wind chill and caught up with me to make sure I was O.K., as I looked way underdressed in wind pants and windbreaker.

I got to know dogs in the area on a first name basis because, on initial encounter, their owners usually yelled, "Hey (dog's name here), get your nose out of that guy's butt."

Running after dark was risky but I did it sometimes to get the weekly miles logged.

One clear moonless night I was running in almost total darkness when there was a snort on my right, followed by hoof beats flying into the night. I was very glad the horse chose to go south instead of north.

Another time on the home stretch of a 12-mile run, I observed an extremely bright light to the south through some trees. It looked like a street light in the middle of nowhere. As I cleared the trees, the light shot across the sky bright enough to light the countryside. It went from white to white-blue to white-green, then to pieces. Quite a sight.

Well I'll close for now. I could go on about the rigors of training, lonely back roads, etc., but why? It is time to run for real. See you in 26.2 miles.

P.S. Thanks Chris, Casey, and Maddie for your support.

óDave will be back next week with a follow up as he talks about how it was to run the marathon.

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