March 29, 2010 by gregshore.

In 2007, just before the Bridge Run, my friend Steve asked me what time I hoped for.”You know,” I told him. “I think I just want to do this one as a celebration of regained health. I think I’ll always want to run this one as a celebration.”In 2008, I ran with my friends Grady and Dave. They were my HCC teammates. Last year, I ran with, Sergio, someone I coached in the Bridge Run Clinic, along with his wife. Sergio had not come to the clinic for the last few weeks.This year I ran with my friends Jody and Allan. Jody just completed the Bridge Run Clinic and Allan was part of my HCC team as well. He had run the bridge a few times but had never done very well. He was always injured and also struggles with asthma.We ran the race in 1:15:00! I was bursting with pride over both of them. I couldn’t have been happier if I had broken 60 minutes. Allan dropped 24 minutes off of his best time. I could see it all over their faces - both hung tough and worked hard during the entire race.One of my most memorable races.

Posted in Coaching, Healthy Charleston Challenge, Races | No Comments »

November 11, 2008 by gregshore.

I have been lax in writing about my marathon experience at the Marine Corps Marathon on October 26. You really do need to time to not only relax but mentally process the run. Part of the reason why I took time off from work was so that I didn’t have a need to answer the question, “So, how was it?” I didn’t want to give half-baked answers.

First, I need to say a huge thank you to my friends at Boot Camp, Healthy Charleston Challenge, and from St. Andrew’s. Folks from Boot Camp and HCC gave me cards wishing me well, along with a dog tag incribed with well wishes from them. At work, my co-laborers and friends, other friends, and their families left a box of cards on my desk, all wishing me well and pledging their prayers. They also included a koozie to keep my post-run beer cold, energy bars, deodorant (because I would stink afterwards), and two dimes. The two dimes were to be used for phone calls - one was in case I got bored while running and wanted to call somebody just to chat and the other was to call in case I got lost afterwards. I was really overwhelmed by it.

I flew to Washington on Friday and stayed at the Hampton Inn in Springfield, VA. I didn’t want to travel on Saturday because traveling itself can tiring and I wanted to rest. As soon as the plane landed, I headed to the Washington Armory to attend the race expo and pick up my race packet.

I have never been at a race where the packet pick up went so smoothly. Then again, I’ve never attended an expo manned by Marines, either. I wandered through the expo, chatted with Bart Yasso, bought a shirt and a sticker. The expo wasn’t any bigger than the Cooper River Bridge Run expo, with the exception of the Brooks running store.

Saturday I spent resting. I hoped to catch the Navy-SMU game on television - I knew it was being covered locally but the hotel didn’t have the channel it was on. I played with the idea of going to Annapolis to see the game but they moved the game time to 3.30. Too late in the day for me.

It rained most of Saturday but it had cleared up by Sunday morning. I woke at about 4.30, ate an energy bar and drank some coffee and headed to the Metro station. The Marine Corps Marathon pays the Metro to open early on race day - 5 am. Smart move. You exited at Pentagon City and then had to walk all the way around the Pentagon to get to the pre-race area. It was cold - about 48 degrees.

I was one of the first people there and chatted with someone who had run the race before while we walked from the Metro to the race. He had a few insights about what to expect. Cathy, my training partner, and I found each other and I tried calling my old Boot Camp instructor, Anthony. I knew he would be on the race course somewhere but wasn’t able to get him on the phone.

The Start

After a couple of hours of standing in line and waiting in the port-a-let line a few times, it was time to head to the start line. I tried calling Anthony one more time and found that he had left me a message. He would be at Waterstop 11 - mile 22.

Cathy and I headed over to the stop - she headed further toward the front. I lined up with the 5.30 pace group. I was pretty confidant I could stay with them. The race begins on a highway and the runners line up on both sides. There are no corrals but people seemed to really understand that lining up according to ability really does work quite well. Or maybe they were intimidated by the Marines nearby.

Once the race started, I just went along with the flow of the crowd. (I started my GPS about 1 mile from the start, if you look at my splits). I was surprised to find out later that I ran the first mile sub-11. That wasn’t my plan and I really don’t think it affected me later.

Miles 1-5

The first few miles are through Rosslyn and then out through what is a secluded road through the woods before crossing the Potomac River. Once we got away from the spectators, men just lined up along the road to use the bathroom while the women took a few steps into the woods. It was fun running and chatting with people with no others around.

Miles 6-10

The next section went around the Georgetown Reservoir. Running up the second (and last) of the larger hills, I saw one of the coolest things. Again - a secluded wooded stretch and the sunlight was filtering through the trees. When I looked up, there was a stream of people rising above me and there was the huge steam cloud rising off the group. It was at about mile 8, at the top of the reservoir where I was passed by Kermit the Frog. I think that’s when the psychological beat down began.

Miles 11-16

Kind of non-descript. Not a lot of spectators once you’re out of Georgetown. You’re running along the Potomac and near the Mall but you can’t see that but you do catch glimpses of monuments. I came upon a runner with a Naval Academy jersey and greeted him with, “Good morning, Shipmate!” He immediately introduced himself and said he was from the class of 1964. We ran together for a few miles.

I didn’t stay with the 5.30 pace group during the race because my side of the road got to the start line quicker than they did. At mile 13, they passed me and started walking. I literally bumped into people in their group when they did. I pushed my way through and they passed me again at about mile 14. I started to run with them but it was painful so I backed off.

At that point I knew I would get over the bridge by a long shot and not get picked up by the sweep bus. So, I let my time goal go out the door and really just enjoed myself. Once we were back near the mall, it became more interesting. I recognize where I was but at times was really turned around.

Miles 16-22

At this point we seemed to run around in circles and not making any progress in getting across the river. At every mile marker, there were usually at least two Marines who were calling out times on a bullhorn. The highlight of the day was the Marine at mile 17 who was not calling out times. I’m a solid back of the pack guy and to anybody who walked by the mile marker, he would exclaim, “I can’t believe you’re walking by MY mile marker!”

I really started to get beat down badly in the mind at mile 19. The race literature states that you need to cross the 14th Street bridge at mile 19 by 1.30 so that it can be re-opened to traffic. I wasn’t worried about missing the cut-off time. I just wanted to get across the stinking bridge. It wasn’t there at mile 19 or 20. You didn’t cross the bridge until mile 21. The course had changed this year but nobody updated the narrative portion of the course description.

Mile 22-26

Mile 22 was at the end of the bridge and as I got to the water stop, I started looking around for Anthony. I was at the point where I was getting ready to start calling out his name when he saw me. I was never so happy to see a face I knew. I told him that even though I was later than expected, there was no way I was going to do push-ups for him. He loaded me up with Powerade and water and sent me on my way.

At this point you run into Crystal City and then back out. I hate out and back portions of a course in a long race. They let those of us that back KNOW that we’re really at the back of the pack. My feet were very painful at this point and I actually walked for about two minutes once I reached mile 23. Then I decided I wanted to RUN this race and not pack it in three miles from the end.

Saw Anthony again at the waterstop as we came out of Crystal City. At that point you could see the Pentagon and you ran around it to get back near to where we started. Ramps on and off of the highways seemed to be particularly hard at this point.

The Finish Line.

The race ends at the Iwo Jima monument but not before you turn off the highway and run up a hill. I was so happy to see the finish line that I practically sprinted up the hill. As I crossed the finish line, a Marine stuck a bottle of water in my hand which I immediately drained. I walked a few more steps and another wrapped me in a space blanket. All greeted me with “Well done, sir,” or “Congratulations, sir.” Tens of thousands had crossed the line before me and yet the guys at the end kept on speaking to everyone as they crossed the line.

A young Marine lieutenant hung a big fat medal around my neck and some people took some pictures. Someone else handed me another bottle of water and other handed me two bags of post-run snacks. That was huge. I usually completely bypass food tables at big races because I have neither the energy or the patience to push my way up to a table to get something.

At the end you do need to walk probably a mile to get your gear off the package truck. That’s a good thing because it does keep you moving. When I got to the baggage truck, Cathy and her mom were there waiting for me. She had finished almost two hours before me but they wanted to wait for me. She’s a great friend and training partner.

We ended the day at a great restaurant in Alexandria. We even had dessert.

Would I do one again?

I don’t know at this point. I wouldn’t rule it out but I’m not sure I would do one in the fall. Dehydration was definitely an issue for me in training during the summer so my next one would probably be a spring race. There’s also the time to consider. When you commit, you’re committing to doing a long run every weekend for at least four months. I’m not sure I want to do that part.

Posted in Races | 10 Comments »

August 10, 2008 by gregshore.

I ran the San Francisco First Half Marathon on August 3 - there’s also a Marathon, 2nd Half marathon, and a 5K on the same day. (You can see the route and my performance on the blog here.) First Half marathoners run the first half of the marathon course. We were started in waves beginning at 5.30 and I left with the last wave at 6.25. Those time are in the morning.

The race course is beautiful. You start under the Oakland Bay Bridge at the Embarcadero and run along the waterfront all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge - that’s about 5 miles. There is a water station at 2 miles and a water and Cytomax station at five miles. There are no hills here with the exception of one that rises 50 feet in 1/10 of a mile. Pretty steep, but if you know it’s coming , you can power over it.

(Links to: Elevation Chart and Course Map.)

As you leave Crissy Field and the Presidio grounds, you begin the first of the tough hills. The first one isn’t so bad but I had to remind myself that it was about even effort and not even pace, even as my pace group left me behind. At the top, you’re rewarded with a run across the Golden Gate Bridge, views of the Marin headlands, the East Bay and Angel Island. At mile seven is the turn around and you get a view of the city from the Bridge, not something that everybody experiences. Many drivers honked their horns while passing by, not angrily, but in salutation. While grateful that the race went across the bridge, this was the one place where it was difficult to run because of the sheer numbers of people going through just a single lane of traffic.

When we left the bridge we went down a hill and then immediately turned to go up a hill. I started huffing and puffing as I headed up and then realized that all were walking this hill. Very steep on the other side. Usually I let myself enter into a controlled fall when descending - not on this day. My legs were too wobbly at this point.

Then one more series of hills between miles 11 and 12.5 and then we entered Golden Gate Park for the finish. Thankfully, the finish line was on a slight downslope.

It was my first half-marathon. Probably won’t be my last. About 20,000 runners total. A day full of seminars at the Expo. I met Dean Karnazes and Bart Yasso at the expo - I wish I had my camera with me.

Posted in Races | No Comments »

May 31, 2008 by gregshore.

This morning I did the Lowcountry Splash, a 2.4 mile open water swim in the Cooper River/Charleston Harbor. Writing this in the afternoon, I’m still pretty wiped out. This is the distance of the swim in the Ironman Triathlons. I can’t imagine going on to ride over 100 miles on a bike and then running a marathon.

The World’s Fastest Man didn’t even show up for this one. Someone told me that he can’t swim or bike.  My time was 61 minutes. The swim was great fun - I had friends on the bridge that were watching for me to swim under. Amazing how big the bridge is when you’re a swimmer in the water.

This is the course:

Posted in Races, Cross Training | No Comments »

May 3, 2008 by gregshore.

Alan Cabading, Grady Burton, Liz Burton, Steve Walker, Karen Kuhn, and I all ran the Hell Hole Samp 10K Gator Run. Fun stories out of it, the least of which is that I ran it in 1 hour, 3 min, 5 sec. My last 10K before the Cooper River Bridge Run was a race in London in August where I ran 1.08.39 so I’m pretty pleased that I was able to shed 5.04 off my PR.

My cell phone doesn’t work in Jamestown so I had no GPS record of the race. Ised my heart rate monitor to help me with pace. I held the HR at 160-162 which used to put me on the edge of losing it. It was a hard effort but I didn’t feel nauseated. Towards the end of the race, I was running alongside a young woman and she was pacing off of me. I turned and asked if she was ready to go - she wasn’t. We were about 400 meters from the end when I kicked it up. She later told me she felt like she was standing still when I left her. I was running very relaxed and felt great. I looked down at the monitor - 171! Wow. I had no idea I could push myself that much and stay relaxed. I think it’s all about practicing being relaxed.

When I finished I went back and finished with Allan. I probably ran back at least a mile to find him (total distance for me today was 8 3/4 mile). His knee was definitely hurting. I’ll have to give him the persistence award today. I could tell he was in pain but he still had a smile on his face.

The inspiration award goes to Betsy - she was diagnosed recently with cancer and had a biopsy last week. She’ll start chemo when she recovers from the biopsy surgical procedure. She was out there and walked the race.

And then there’s Grady and Liz. They were first place in their age division! Liz was a cross country runner in school - Grady wasn’t. And he’s getting faster.

Posted in Races | 1 Comment »

April 26, 2008 by gregshore.

I wasn’t feeling great when we started - I guess I didn’t feel fresh. I had spent the morning with the neighborhood association’s Clean Sweep, picking up trash. It’s not particularly hard work but when you spend two hours stooped over, it tends to get a little tiring. But I’m really grateful that I can now do the bending and shuffling along that comes with doing that kind of thing.

Met Grady, Liz, Allan, and Mary before the race. I kept Mary in my sites for the first mile or so and was really pleased to see Grady and Alan not too far behind me as we wound through the Citadel. I finshed in about 30.10. Grady and Allan finished under 32. This was the first 5K for Grady and he did great and it was a new PR for Allan.

Liz was kind enough to snap a picture of us enjoying our reward after the race.

Posted in Races | 3 Comments »

January 30, 2008 by gregshore.

When I wrote my original post about the Charlie Post Classic I knew my Healthy Charleston Team would read the blog. Everybody else had left and they announced the age group winners in the 65-69 age group. Our Charilla Barham won her age division and it was her first race. We grabbed the trophy and I got it to Sgt. McKee. He gave it to her this past Monday.

Posted in Races, Boot Camp, Greg's Runs | 1 Comment »

January 26, 2008 by gregshore.

Our Healthy Charleston Challenge Team completed the Charlie Post 5K today. All but Alan and I had never run more than two miles. The two miles that most of them did for the first time was last Friday. Alan and I both PR’d but were more pleased that everyone finished strong. Our Marine trainers ran the whole way with us. Lt Giardino ran with me and Sgt McKee ran with Alan. SSgt Parr ran with the majority of the group and Sgt Muldoon finished with the rest.

Several others from Boot Camp also ran the race with us, encouraging all of us. In the picture above are Team Boot Camp. Back row: Sgt Molly Muldoon, Steve Walker, SSgt Bradford Parr, Sgt Benjamin McKee, Pat Wagstaff, Charilla Barham, Amber George, and Lt Anthony Giardino. Front row: Karen Kuhn, Alan Cabading, Greg Shore, and Dave Winchell. Our buddy and team member, Grady Burton is missing from the picture but ran three miles on his own that morning before he went off to work.

The picture was provided by Ida Becker, who ran with Charilla. She has some more pictures posted with Flickr.

Posted in Healthy Charleston Challenge, Races, Boot Camp | 5 Comments »

January 1, 2008 by gregshore.

Fellow Boot Campers - Alan, Mary, Rebecca, and Jennie - at the 2008 Resolution Run.

Posted in Races, Greg's Runs | No Comments »

August 30, 2007 by gregshore.

Posted in Races, Greg's Runs | No Comments »