Hyannis Marathon

First let me say after I read what people said at Marathonguide.com, I didn't have a great feeling about the race.
BUT everything they criticized was great. Maybe the organizers read the comments too and decided to fix everything. The shirt, timing, metal, drinks ( plenty for all runners), and food after the race were wonderful. I especially liked the soup, tomato basil and chicken noodle. Well done Hyannis!!!
Now for my race. Let me preface that I had a problem with the bunion on my left foot before the race, weeks before. So 2 days before we left for the race I got a tight wrap for my left foot. I wore it the day before when I had soup and salad for lunch and ww pasta for supper. I drank at least 80 oz of water and woke with a full stomach and not feeling like myself.
The start was fine and my 1st 1/2 was 1:47 and I felt good until mile 15. By mile 18 I felt like I was going to puke. At 20 I had to walk, I felt light headed and I could take the last 2 gels. I walked/ran until the about 25.2 mark and then ran to the finish with both legs cramping. 4:18:44, 6/13 60-69M, 246/402. Pros/Cons not feeling stiff today and I made the race into a long training run for Boston; wish I could have run without feeling sick had a time in the 4:40s.
Today I had acupuncture and I talked to Dr. Mark about my race. I showed him where the band had been and how I was still wearing it and my digestion was all messed up. He said it was over the major meridian for the stomach and all the digestive organs and the liver. After acupuncture I feel 100% better. Live and learn even at 60 ;) 
My friend Nick Platsis came in 82th, 3:38:32. Way to go Nick!

Less than a Week to Go

I ran 3 days in a row and on Saturday when I was tied my shoe to go to work the top of my right foot hurt. 16.7 miles W-F and 31.7 miles for the week. Today I walked about 2 hours with my dog, Bridget and my foot feels OK but my feet hurt going into marathon season. Any advice???
I'm thinking next year I may run more 1/2s; I guess at 60 and the way I live my life 1/2s may be a better way to go. I'll still run 1-2 full marathons but I will not push myself to 4-6 unless I feel great, which I haven't since I stopped seeing Shannon for weekly massages. When I got laid off and knew I wouldn't see Shannon anymore I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up my marathons. I had hoped I could still see her but it wasn't possible she needed more money than I could afford; Shannon was a blessing which I didn't deserve. NERAC was a family and when Kevin killed it he killed a lot more than just jobs. I can still run marathons but it is a lot more difficult. A job is a job. Running is life. He took my pain-free running life from me. I hope he enjoys his millions as much as I enjoyed my marathons; then it would be OK.

KeyBank Vermont City Marathon 1/2 Relays

First let me say I finished last week with a 4 and a 4.1 mile run with an off day on Saturday. 15 on Sunday, a very cold, windy day has made me take 2 days off.
But today my family found out we only received 2 relays for Vermont. Now this might sound like a lot and maybe a bit gluttonous but we needed 3. 5 of my co-workers at Fleet Feet are running the full and one of my friends/co-workers was running with my family in the 1/2 relays. I will try to get another relay but next year we will make a decision as a family where we will go to carry on our running tradition and hopefully, soon, all run a marathon together. The KeyBank Vermont City is my favorite marathon and has helped get my 4 kids and grandkids into running and I tell everyone who comes into our store in West Hartford how much I love it. Maybe I have told too many people to the point that we will be shut out and disappoint some family members. Unfortunately, everyone is not ready to run the full. Maybe Buffalo would be a better choice for the family; they have a 1/2 marathon and a 4-person relay. I know I don't have a lot of followers but have any of you run Buffalo? 

Update on Training for Hyannis

I finished January with a total of 106.5 miles run. My Achilles, bunion and sciatica all play a part in fewer miles.
I finished last week with totals of 25.7 mi. run, 12 mi. elliptical and 6200 m rowed. I haven't felt great for about 5 days so those numbers are good. After taking Sunday off, I ran 5.6 mi. @ 8:10/mi. yesterday and 6.0 mi. @ 8:22/mi. today. I have found that my right foot must be a little smaller than my left so I have tightened the laces and my Achilles feel better and I can run faster. I was thinking of getting a pair of Brooks Glycerin 1/2 a size smaller than what I am running in now and use the size 10 on my right foot. But today the bigger shoe seemed OK.