Several months ago I decided to fill out an application to run the USAF Marathon as part of the Pacific Air Force Major Command team. I did not think I was going to be accepted but somehow was selected. As the time drew closer I injured my back and thought I would have to withdraw. Fortunately, another member of the team switched the full marathon for the half and I was able to train up at least in part for the half. So I got on yet another plane (lots of traveling as of late) and made the journey to Dayton Ohio.
My travel started at the end of a full day and lasted 30 hours or so and I only was able to get a little sleep. So what else could I do but go for a run on the campus of Wright State?
The pre-race expo was decent, typical stuff like shoes, running gels, and clothing. Here I am at the USAA board signing my name.
Lauren Bosshardt who I worked with in Korea was there as well but running with the European team. She had been recovering from a stress fracture so she was nervous about the run as she had not been training. We decided to hit up the Yoga for Runners class which was fun.
I really did do yoga, but all yoga ends with relaxation.
Hat: cheap quality and made for people with much larger heads than me
Shirt: screams America. Maybe a nice nightgown for the girls
Patch: Why not? Not sure what to do with it
2XU Compression Leggings: expensive but they were on sale. Popular and have never run with them. Will give them a shot.
USAA car kit: phone charger
Sunglasses: 2/$25 awesome deal
Chapstick: thanks.
Mark Cucuzella is a seasoned runner with > 100 marathons under his belt and is a sports physician. He gave a Q&A talk which was fun. He also ran the race in zero-drop minimalist sandals. Awesome and has piqued my curiosity. I am currently looking at a pair on Amazon.
Friday was a repeat expo vs accompanying Lauren to Indianapolis to visit her friends from residency. I slept about 3 hours the night before and was super tired but I had never been to Indianapolis so I went with her.
We had breakfast at a place that was expensive but clean and tasty then she gave me a 5 min walking tour of downtown while her friends refed their meters.
On her list of places to go was this canal that a lot of people run which she and her friends had run 100's of times. It also happens to be connected to the White River and the NCAA headquarters.
The canal is swum as part of a triathlon every year. Not too clean- I would not eagerly jump in
Lauren and friends and me. I actually spent most of my time talking with Osama, an Internal Medicine doctor who is from Jordan. He was really nice and genuine. He is the sort of guy I would for sure be friends with in the long run.
Back to Dayton and the USAF Museum for a pasta dinner. We showed up late but it made getting food fast.
I had been here a few years back so we mostly spent time in the new hanger. Here are some ICBM: Insanely Crazy Big Missles. J/k, Intercontinental Ballistic Missles. They shoot into sub orbit then separate and come back down with warheads.
Fake space shuttle made to scale.
We toured various versions of Air Force One. They put everything behind plexiglass so if you don't fit between the entry posts you won't fit through the plane.
I swear the camera was horizontal when Lauren took this picture...
Bus departure was 5:30 and extreme fatigue resulted in me sleeping through my alarms. Gratefully I put my stuff together the night before and woke up at 5:20. The second level of fortune was that a lightning warning and rain had delayed the busses. So here we sat at the hotel as a team waiting and waiting.
And waiting
But the bus found us and made its way to the race. Note the string of red lights. Traffic was really heavy.
Bus shot.
Other groups ran for various reasons. One guy who ran the half started running at age 50 and had run over 250 full marathons and 600 half marathons. He runs with a picture of a fallen soldier on his shirt and then presents the medal to the family. He also carries a large USA flag. Super inspirational.
Preview of the finish.
Amazing sunrise
We got our own tent!
Loved the sunrise.
Every year they feature a different aircraft. This one was the Osprey used to infiltrate and exfiltrate troops.
Rack-O-Medals
Korean style photo op.
Post run.
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I did not think I would reach the ever-elusive goal of running less than 90 minutes but thanks to an 18-year-old kid who was running at a 6:45/min pace I was able to pace well enough that as I approached the final straightaway I could see my watch read 1 Hr and 29 Min. I sprinted the best I could and 33 seconds later I had achieved what I thought I never would or could.
Ringing the Personal Record bell.
I walked over to cheer people on. This isn't the older guy who has run so many races but still thought it was awesome he was carrying the flag.
And some of our crew. I got what I think is food poisoning which resulted in one having to stop the full at 16 miles due to vomiting and dehydration. So we didn't do really well as a team but it was still fun.
One last impulse buy- electrolyte tabs. Yummy.
Happy I was able to run with this team. It was an honor to run with them and represent PACAF.
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