Lessons Learned From The Monumental

As with any race there are lessons we take. The Monumental Weekend was no exception.

1) A kitchen timer helps. Bob and I agreed to varying intervals during the race, and he had a timer to let us know when to run and when to walk. I found that beep helped, and I looked at my watch less. I will have to look into getting one for future races.

2) Cold and wet weather means the arthritis bothers me in the feet. The rest of my body felt fine, but my feet hurt in the places where the Arthritis lives. Normally I am sore at the end, that kind of soreness kicked in much earlier, and got worse when the sleet came down.

3) It's tough to do back to back races in a month. How do these race everyday/week/month people do it?

4) No where near ready for a marathon.

5) I need more longer runs in my routine. In looking at the Garmin, my pace was spot on for the first 6-7 miles - typical of my average run. Now I need to develop more longer runs.

6) Again I enjoy the Monumental. Great support. Great course. No chicken broth, but happy for the Jimmy Johns at the end.

7) The value of friends. Getting to meet Bob after all these years was a joy. We met the day before the race, and had coffee(of course). I can only compare this to when pen pals meet. They are meeting, yet they have known each other. We talked off and on during our 13.1 mile journey, though not anywhere near as much as some people we encountered, and we got to know each other even better. One thing which touched me a great deal. On Friday Bob gave me an early birthday present. I wasn't expecting anything, but when I opened it I was touched. He gave me a copy of John Steinbeck's "Travels With Charley." I loved this book as a boy. It was one of my favorite reads. Bob's wife Martha had drawn a cute cartoon which made me smile. Never underestimate the value of your friendships. These are the people who see you through the good and the bad. Bob got me through 13.1 miles, and cemented a friendship all a the same time.

8) Use caution when getting up from the table. After the race, Mark and I had dinner with our friends Kris and Mike and their family. At one point I got up from the table, twisted my knee, and have been in a lot of pain since. Ironically the rest of my body doesn't hurt. This will take a few days to heal. I have done this before. It's a nasty pain, and people think I need a walker. I don't.

9) What's next? If my knee will allow it I will run my birthday 5K one week from today. As for half #4, I an reconsidering that. I will work on getting to that point, but not sure if my body can do another half in a month's time again. We'll see.

10) No real lesson here - I love running.

Charlie