Go, you chicken fat, go away!

2009 Mesquite Marathon

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Location:

Mesa,AZ,USA

Member Since:

May 12, 2008

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

I started running again in 2007 after 14 years of not running.

Mile - 4:59 (high school 1992), 5:57 (9/21/2010 ARR Open Mile)

2 mile - 11:10 (high school 1992)

5k - 21:54 (11/18/2010 Tempe Road Runners 5k)

10k - 48:29 (5/9/2009 Race for Hospice)

Unofficial 10k - 47:11 (1/27/2011 Red Mountain Park)

1/2 marathon - 1:49:00 (4/4/2009 Havasu Half)

Marathon - 4:33:09 (11/21/2009 Mesquite Marathon)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Run a half marathon in under two hours.

Run a marathon in close to 4 hours.

Long-Term Running Goals:

Stay healthy long enough to live through the millenium.

Personal:

I am married and have six kids. 

Blog title explanation

Bloggers I've met in real life: 1MileToGo, Aaron Kennard, Andrea North, Arizona Desert Monsoon, auntieem, Bec, Ben, Benjamin, Bonnie, Camille, Cari, Collin Anderson, David Holt, DooneEight Kid Mom, Erico, Flatlander, Gary, Jake Krong, JamesW, Jose, Josse, Julieesplin, JunKelli, Kerri, KP, Kyle Dion, Lightitup, Little Bad Legs, Lybi, Marthon Dreamer, M, Mary Ann Schauerhamer, Misty, Nan, Peds Endo Doc, Rachelle, RADRhett, Riley Cook, Rossy, runningafterbabies, Sasha, Scott Hughes, Scott (Kelli's husband), Scott Wesemann, Slow Joe, Spencer Simpson, Stephen, Steve Piccolo, Susie, The Rookie, Toby, Tracy, Twinkies, TylerS, Walter

Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
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Asics Gel 3030 Lifetime Miles: 204.85
Saucony Hurricane 13 Lifetime Miles: 149.22
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Asics Gel Kayano 21 Lifetime Miles: 56.47
Mizuno Wave Inspire 11 (blue) Lifetime Miles: 800.75
New Balance 1260v5 Lifetime Miles: 9.19
Reebok Floatride Lifetime Miles: 8.23
Race: 2009 Mesquite Marathon (26.2 Miles) 04:33:10, Place overall: 112, Place in age division: 17
Total Distance
27.00

I've been trying to think of the perfect sentence to start out my report.  'That was not a pleasant experience.' 'I'm too fat too run a marathon.'  'Fast Running Bloggers Unite!'  I'm not a writer, so I can't say I have writer's block.  Anyway, I got nothing.  So here we go.

JamesW first told me about the Mesquite Marathon.  At the time I was set on not running another marathon until I was sure I could qualify for Boston.  But there were three things I really liked about this one.  A)  It's on a Saturday.  2)  It goes through three states.  D)  It only costs $55. The more I allowed these things to fester inside me, the more the infectuous pus of "when is another chance like this going to come along?" began to ooze out.  So a month before I ran 15.1 miles with the thought in mind that if I can do this, I'll seriously consider the marathon.  I did it.  The next week I ran 17.4 miles with the thought in mind that if I can do this I will do the marathon.  I did it.  It hurt.  I didn't want to do the marathon.  But the next day I felt recovered.  So it was on.  Time to cram for the exam.  I put in 61 miles the next week.  (That should get me ready.)  Then I took it relatively easy for the next two weeks.  Was I ready?  Absolutely not, and I knew it.  But still I hoped for the best.  According to the McMillan Running Calculator and my half marathon PR I should be able to finish in 3:50 (if properly trained.)  Anywhere between 3:50 and 4:00 would make me happy.

Since I'm such a cheap guy like Troy on the Goonies, I looked on the blog to see who lived in Mesquite.  I knew Gary Culver did, so I asked him if he'd be interested in putting up a stranger from the blog for a night.  I took a chance with Rhett at the Havasu Half, and that worked out.  Would fate smile down on me again?

As it turns out, Gary's really cool, too.  Since he doesn't have an active blog that tracks his daily workouts, not a lot of people know about him.  He's an ultra runner that uses the Galloway method.  My wife and I got to spend a pleasant weekend with him and his wife.  They are two of the nicest people you could ever meet.  Very intelligent, too.  We shipped our kids off to various family members and friends, including our daughter Abby to her grandma's house in Kingman.

Hands down the best part of the race was seeing other bloggers.  Some, like Walter and Jose, I had met before, and others I was meeting for the first time.  Here's a list of the bloggers I saw in order of appearance: Gary, Scott, Eight Kid Mom, Ben, Josse, Walter, Bec, TylerS, Mary Ann, and Jose.  (I hope I didn't miss anyone.)  I didn't get to see Red Rooster, and that bummed me out.

Gary was worried that we might get some of the 100 mph winds that northern Nevada was getting.  But it was beautiful out; 57 degrees when we walked out the door.  And it stayed beautiful; 63 degrees when we got back.  I didn't wear the gloves, headband, sweat pants, long sleeved-shirt, or jacket that I brought.  We rode up to the start in these luxury buses.  Only about 170 people signed up for the marathon.  I sat next to Gary.  Walter was one row up from me and Bec was right behind me.  Bec was so cute.  I overheard part of her conversation with a first time marathoner.  She told the guy that she hadn't figured out how to run marathons yet.  Then I read her blog, and found out that this was her 13th.  She's so humble.

The sun was just coming up as we got off the bus.  I ate a banana and drank some Gatorade.  I emptied my bladder over by the electric fence.  That's where I met Tyler, but he wasn't willing to shake my hand until he put gloves on.  I did about a half mile warm up, stretched out, and was ready to go.  In between songs from The Furnace that were stuck in my mind, I kept repeating - Even Effort.  Relax.

With the goal to run a sub 4-hour marathon, I started off just going with the flow.  I knew the first 10 miles or so were downhill, and I wanted to bank a little time before I hit the hills.  I was running my own race, but I knew a handful of people were going for the same time I was, and it was encouraging that I was never too far behind them.  Gary was doing his Galloway method.  That made it really easy to know how long I was running because he would run for 5 minutes and walk for 30 seconds.  Ben was trying to pace his wife, Eight Kid Mom, their friend, and one of the '8 kids' to a 4-hour time.  I was leap frogging them after a while.  By the way, I don't know how Eight Kid Mom has an 18-year old kid when she's only 32.  And certainly none of her kids passed through the birth canal because she's far too skinny.  (Somehow, that last statement is going to get me in trouble with someone.)

The first aid station was at mile 3.  I ducked in the porta-potty really fast and grabbed some TP for my clogged up nose.  I drank a cup of water because the Gatorade was still in the cooler.  At mile 3.75 we entered Arizona.  Most of the race was actually in Arizona.  That' why it was so awesome.  At mile 5 I took a Gu.  From then on out I would take them every 4 miles.  I also grabbed some at the aid stations that had them.  So I ended up with about as many as I brought with me.

The first 11 miles were great.  I was well on my way to getting that sub 4.  Mile 12 brought the first significant hill.  I powered up it, and without losing a lot of time.  But my breathing was becoming labored.  I hoped I would get it back under control once I hit the downhills.  However, I really don't remember any downhills.  It was all a big blur.  Actually, it wasn't that bad.  Yet. 

An interesting feature to this race is that they put up "Miles to Go" markers.  So when you see the "8 Miles to Go" sign, you've run 18.2 miles.  The half marathon, 10k, and 5k were also on the same course, so I could see when I was half way there.  I looked at my Garmin and saw 1:55:xx at the half way point.  At that point I knew I wouldn't get a sub 4, but I still hoped to be close to it.  Then mile 15's aid station came along.  Here's the aid I got: "I'm sorry.  I have nothing for you."  You have nothing for me?!  Give me that Thirstbuster in your car!  You've got to have something.  That was quite disheartening.  So I plugged along to the next aid station telling myself, "Two miles isn't that long."  Well, it is.

I finally made it to the next aid station.  In between here is where I finally fell off pace for a sub 4.  This is the last time I saw Ben during the race.  His friend he was pacing was wanting to throw in the towel.  His wife, Cathy, er I mean Eight Kid Mom, and their son had gotten a little ahead of me.  Climbing those next never-ending hills was brutal.  At one point I stopped, sat down, and emptied my shoe out.  One of the runners asked if I was ok.  I told him yes, but it was a lie Steven.  A LIE!  The cool thing about the race is I was done at the same time Walter was.  Well, he had finished in 2:50.  I was finished at 2:50.  This was the same time I yelled out, "Curse you, Nan!"  How dare you tell me to reward myself with a marathon.  (You know I love you, Nan.  But I sure hated you then.)  Anyway, nobody heard me.  I'm sure she felt a shiver go down her spine though.

A couple of miles later I found myself waddling like a penguin.  That's when I yelled, "Curse you, allie!"  (She knows why.)  But I was finally out of the big hills.  And with a 10k to go, I was telling myself, "I can run 6.2 miles."  That's a little more than my Wal Mart loop.  Even thought I stopped and walked a few times the last six miles, it was a moral victory.  It would have been so easy to stop and walk the rest of the way or even quit.  But I kept going.  I was proud of myself for finding the mental strength to finish hard.  (Even if hard meant walking for 30 seconds here and there.) 

With two miles to go I could see Eight Kid Mom again.  Her son was long gone.  'Come on Burt.  You can run 2 miles in your sleep.'  I knew I was going to finish.  But I also now knew I wouldn't finish under 4:30.  Oh well.  I'm getting out of it what I put into it.  And not a lot of 195 lb guys could do what I just did.  With half a mile to go I got within earshot of Eight Kid Mom.  "Go Cathy!", I yelled.  That's what she needed.  I'm embarrassed to say that I had to stop twice and walk for about 20 seconds each in the last mile.  I'm pretty sure it was post partum depression.  I mean, I was almost done.  Now what was I going to do with my life?  I hadn't thought that far.  I don't want to be done!  But really I did.  So I finally got to the last turn where I could see the finish line.  There was a small crowd lined on the along the street.  They were just sitting there.  Quiet.  Maybe because I looked like death-warmed-over.  So I yelled, "You all can cheer!"  That fired them up.  Then I started slapping high fives and kissing babies.  Well, if there were babies, I would have kissed them.  I didn't see any.  But I saw Tyler and slapped him a gloveless five.  I saw Walter and his crew cheering me in.  And I saw my wife taking my picture.  It was so cool to have them there at the end when I was knocking on death's door.

After the race I was done.  It would have been nice to go mingle.  But I could barely move.  I did talk to Mary Ann, and she told me she got 2nd place for females.  I went back to Gary's, showered, packed my stuff, went to Pizza Hut for a post marathon meal, then headed back home.  We picked up my daughter in Kingman and made a bed for her in the cab of my truck.  We at dinner at Arby's.  She puked it all up.

THE END.

 

Mile Mile Split Cummulative Time On pace for Avg. pace
1 07:39 07:39 3:20:26 07:39
2 07:57 15:36 3:24:22 07:48
3 07:57 23:33 3:25:40 07:51
4 08:26 31:59 3:29:29 08:00
5 08:13 40:12 3:30:39 08:02
6 08:44 48:56 3:33:41 08:09
7 08:35 57:31 3:35:17 08:13
8 08:54 1:06:25 3:37:31 08:18
9 09:03 1:15:28 3:39:42 08:23
10 09:11 1:24:39 3:41:47 08:28
11 08:56 1:33:35 3:42:54 08:30
12 09:53 1:43:28 3:45:54 08:37
13 10:01 1:53:29 3:48:43 08:44
14 09:50 2:03:19 3:50:47 08:48
15 10:11 2:13:30 3:53:11 08:54
16 11:11 2:24:41 3:56:55 09:03
17 13:40 2:38:21 4:04:03 09:19
18 14:36 2:52:57 4:11:44 09:37
19 11:14 3:04:11 4:13:59 09:42
20 12:06 3:16:17 4:17:08 09:49
21 11:33 3:27:50 4:19:18 09:54
22 11:05 3:38:55 4:20:43 09:57
23 11:47 3:50:42 4:22:48 10:02
24 12:31 4:03:13 4:25:31 10:08
25 12:04 4:15:17 4:27:32 10:13
26 11:41 4:26:58 4:29:01 10:16
26.2 06:14 4:33:12 4:33:12 10:26


Mizuno Wave Inspire 4 White/Classic Blue/Raven Miles: 26.20
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Vis on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 00:03:16 from 208.88.8.20

Quite the race report, Burt, and quite the PR. Keep it up. You ought to come run St. George. That's the one.

From Lyns on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 00:42:25 from 75.162.196.36

I really enjoyed reading this Burt. You are AWESOME! Great job!

From Walter on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 01:00:14 from 206.53.157.84

Excellent race Burt! You did good cookie, you did good! Good to see you and chat a bit.

From daceg on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 01:33:06 from 74.211.28.156

Nice! Your blog is a great read.

From ChrisM on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 04:04:42 from 130.88.123.4

I kept checking your blog yesterday for the report!

Well done Burt for your race, the report is great too! You still got a PR though by over half an hour? That's a bit pants that they ran out of stuff at the aid station with only 170 marathon entrants! Glad you enjoyed yourself though, and hope you recover quickly.

From Sandy Dune-Howard on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 06:58:18 from 78.32.130.9

Burt well done what a great Marathon and huge PR you should be very happy.... and the buzz of the marathon will live in you for a week or so as you hung in there to the end so well done for that, hitting the mind wall smashing it through is a great achievement.

Loved the report, and the same as Chris pants about the aid station huh ! gentle exercise is best way to recover like swimming :-)

From nguyenvn on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 07:01:03 from 75.77.22.187

Nice detailed race report Burt. It felt like I was right there with you! Although you didn't reach your goal for the marathon (I know it sucks), you still did an awesome job!

From leslie peterson on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 09:27:31 from 174.52.158.81

Great race Burt! I will be there next year!

From flatlander on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 09:28:55 from 198.207.244.102

Burt, good race, no way should you be disappointed in a 45-minute PR. You'll probably improve by that much again the next race, which is Boston territory for guys like you and me.

p.s., glad you survived the electric fence, that could have ended your PR right there.

From Eric Day on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 09:30:21 from 189.169.222.27

Burt, several pointers: you DID finish the marathon; a PR is a PR; you did an awesome race; you the MAN.

Awesome Burt, can you move today?

From Sue on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 10:04:33 from 75.169.62.91

Nice job Burt! I am so incredibly jealous! Wish I could have headed up with the Utah crowd!

From Lyman on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 10:33:27 from 170.135.241.46

Way to push through the last 10-k. Congratulations on a new PR!

From auntieem on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 10:53:20 from 67.182.145.8

Congratulations Burt! Great race report too; what do you mean you are not a writer? That's really cool that you ran in three states. Hope you are having some nice relaxation about now.

From seeaprilrun on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 11:00:32 from 68.103.250.39

Finally your race report! I was laughing and crying for you the whole time. No aid at the aid station? That is HORRIBLE! Congratulations on finishing either though you felt like death--what an accomplishment!

From Merri on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 11:04:43 from 67.199.179.247

congrats burt I am so proud.

From redrooster on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 12:11:58 from 129.123.3.31

great report Burt, I am laughing hard. what a day we had. well, we forged a special bond even though we didn't formally meet. wish I could have found you at the start. I should have gone to the electric fence rather than the joshua trees!

Get some well deserved rest and recovery. looking forward to seeing you at our next one. let's just pick our next race a little more carefully next time!

From Twinkies on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 12:27:20 from 134.24.147.249

Excellent work Burt. You did very well. A PR in three states, way to go.

It's now Monday morning, can you move?

From ben on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 12:51:06 from 209.33.248.15

That was a fun read... I felt like I ran that race all over again. I am glad I finally met you. Gary and his wife are cool!!! And, I hope we see you this thursday at the turkey trot. I'm ready for more!!! Good job on the race. For the amount of course difficulty, you can count that as a sub-4 marathon.

From Metcalf Running on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 12:55:01 from 207.225.192.66

Whoot WHoot!! ( My Whistle) and a big congratulations!! Love reading the report.

From Kelli on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 13:00:15 from 71.219.71.229

Burt, you are a writer, YOU ARE!!! That was very entertaining, I did not skip so much as a word.

1. I am glad that Gary turned out to be nice and did not hack you and your wife into a million little pieces in the night.

2. I am glad you got to meet so many awesome people (sorry you did not get to meet Kellie the doll,though).

3. I am glad you did it! I think you did great. It sounds like it was a super tough marathon and many people struggled with it and the nasty hills and lack of water and such.

I AM PROUD OF YOU!! You finished, you ran for another hour and 43 minutes after you wanted to quit! Marathons are beasts, you have conquered the first one and the next one will be awesome.

Great job, Burt. But I can not believe you did not go to a cheap buffet!!

From Burt on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 13:15:39 from 12.231.112.98

Travis - If I get chosen to run SGM, I will. And if I lose another 20 lbs.

Lyns - No, you're awesome.

Walter - The funniest part was when Bec said, "I don't have your stuff. Some guy out there does."

Dace - thanks for the encouragement.

Chris - Sorry. I had a long drive home ahead of me.

Sam - That was pants. Total pants!

Vinh - It does suck, but hey, I did a marathon.

Leslie - Maybe you'll win next year's $1500...

Mark - it might have been barbed wire only. I wasn't going to take any chances.

Eric - you always look on the bright side.

Sue - with as pregnant as you must be right now, you could have just rolled right through the first 10 miles :)

Lyman - it was definitely better than the last 10k of my previous marathon.

auntieem - The more I relax, the tighter I get. :(

April - Again, I apologize for the wait. Glad it was worth it for you.

Merri - aw shucks. Hey, my wife made me an egg nog milk shake last night.

Scott - I knew it was going to be a tough one. But that gives us all the more to brag about, right?

Matt - my legs are so sore, I can barely type. That's how bad it is.

Ben - Your family is way cool. At least the eighth of the children of yours that I met. Still trying to find out when they're doing that 5k.

Lori - I was in NV, but no one slapped me on the butt.

Kelli - 1) Me too. 2) Me too. 3) Me too. And get this. Me, Vickie, Gary, and Sandy went to Pizza Hut. Vickie did the text for free bread sticks, so we got those. Then, Gary and Sandy brought a coupon for two large pizzas with three toppings. Then, they had a gift card for $25. So Vickie and I picked up the remaining amount of the bill and left the tip. It turned out to be pretty cheap.

From Kelli on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 13:23:00 from 71.219.71.229

Free breadsticks, totally worth it! I actually love Pizza Hut but never eat it. Maybe after my next marathon...

From JD on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 13:30:57 from 70.96.78.157

Great job Burt. Nice PR.

My bald spot is much larger than yours.

From Burt on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 13:33:13 from 12.231.112.98

JD - That's good to know. Thank goodness. It takes a real man to admit that.

From Sasha Pachev on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 13:42:32 from 192.168.1.1

Burt - you've got Saturday and Low Cost covered for the Utah Valley Marathon this June. And you could stay with somebody in Provo, possibly us subject to the approval of the boss. So the only drawback is the 10 hour drive (8 if you are led footed).

From RAD on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 13:49:48 from 76.27.12.70

What a great (crappy) race! You pushed through when you were done which is what it takes to finish those beasts! I'm glad you're recovering well...keep walking, even though you don't want to just keep walking! That is what gets me through recovery. LOVED the report, I'd been waiting all weekend for it, totally worth the wait. You did an AWESOME job, and I can't wait to read your next marathon report! :)

From Merri on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 13:59:22 from 67.199.179.247

And Burt if you do the Provo one Lily and Lyn's houses are always open to stay at too.

From Brent on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 14:12:32 from 168.178.30.194

Burt, 1,000 commando points for the PR, nice job. Next time, cram and jam training may not be the best, congrads on your marathon and great read of the race report.

Stay Kool, B of BS Rools out

From Aaron Kennard on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 14:14:02 from 174.51.250.151

Hahahaaa. That was an awesome report, Burt. I have been anticipating that report all weekend and it satisfied all my expectations. Thanks for revealing the cause of that wave of energy sucking pain I felt around 9:25 a.m. right in the middle of my final tempo repeat on Saturday morning. It was YOU cursing me!

I'm interested to hear more about the post partum depression in your last mile. That sounds rough! I didn't know that ailment applied to running too. I usually get depressed somewhere in my third trimester of pregnancy when I realize I still have x weeks to go and I keep feeling more uncomfortable, but afterwards I'm always very relieved and happy its over. Glad you can relate. And I'm glad you survived. You'll soon be planning for your next marathon. :)

From jj on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 14:29:28 from 138.64.2.76

Burt, you were in my thoughts through most of the second half of the race. I kept thinking "Oh Burt's going to have somthing funny to say about this hill on his blog". However, you exceeded my expectations. That reference to Nacho Libre (It's a lie!!!) made me choke with laughter.

I actually saw you come in and gave you a cheer. Good job. That marathon was way tougher than TOU and you did a ton better. Good PR!

From Kelli on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 14:32:43 from 71.219.71.229

I obviously missed the movie reference, stupid Nacho Libre.

Scott took the kids to a homecoming yesterday. He was returning from Chile and Eli leaned over to Scott and said, "Dad, that kids sounds just like Nacho Libre!!!"

From Burt on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 14:54:21 from 12.231.112.98

Sasha - Thanks for the invite. I'm not lead footed. Although it feels like someone pumped my foot full of lead right now.

Rachel - I wish I could stand and do my job. That would help.

Merri - how very kind of you to offer the use of your 'next door neighbors' homes. You're all heart.

Brent - Next time I'll follow the Brent Rools Method. I'll crank out another 45 minute PR.

Aaron (but really Nan) - I sure hope you're not having babies. I knew there was something strange about the Kennard household.

Jose - there was nothing funny about those hills. They were pure dag nasty evil.

Kelli - did you get the Home Alone reference?

From Nan Kennard on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 14:58:30 from 174.51.250.151

Oops. Yeah, that was me. Thats what we get for being a double blogging household now. Gotta log out, Aaron or I'm sure to make you sound strange. :)

From Rhett on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 15:05:55 from 216.67.216.176

Burt, as expected that was a truly great race report. Hopefully the race didn't ruin you for future marathons. Next time you do one, maybe you will be fully trained and have the race of your life. Are you coming back to Havasu for the 1/2 in April?

From Bec on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 15:18:57 from 67.177.35.60

Nice meeting you on the bus ride up. You had a great race. Nice report.

From Bec on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 15:29:30 from 67.177.35.60

Um, I pretended that I read your race report and I really didn't. Well, I REALLY read it this time! You described a lot of the same feelings I had during this race. You have actually INSPIRED me to write a REAL race report now. Before I just didn't want to re-connect with those feelings I had out there.

From Burt on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 15:36:52 from 12.231.112.98

Rhett - I'd sure like to do the Havasu Half again. It depends on where I'm at then. Maybe I'll move back to Kingman, so I'll be there for sure.

Bec - Bec, Bec, Bec. See everyone. I told you she was cute.

From scotthughes on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 16:21:46 from 209.33.211.3

Nice report Burt! I loved reliving the marathon this morning while reading the report. This was a tough one for sure but like many have already mentioned, you finished! I have continually beat myself up for not doing better in the marathons.....I now have a very healthy respect for them, good time or bad.

I have found that if I have fun and interact with other runners and volunteers etc. and complete the race I have won. A PR is icing on the top....the Boston Qualify was the ultimate feeling, I only wish that my family could have been at the finish to help me enjoy the moment.

Great job on the race and the report!

From josse on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 16:32:24 from 70.192.115.145

Good job on finishing the race, this was a tough one. The toughest I have done. I hope you can move on to the next one they are not all like this.

From Steve Piccolo on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 16:40:40 from 66.60.123.135

Way to get out and do the marathon. Even if you didn't meet the 4:00 goal, you still set a big PR. And with the race reports I've seen on the Mesquite Marathon, it might not survive, so you may be one of the few people to ever finish that race!

From Kelli on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 18:31:42 from 71.219.71.229

No, I did not. But I have not seen Home Alone in years. Although I noticed it is on a bunch the next hew weeks, maybe I will watch it.

I am no movie buff.

From Merri on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 18:39:22 from 67.199.179.247

ok ok burt if you want to stay somewhere closer you can stay w/ leandra in Orem. See I am all heart!

From jj on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 19:32:42 from 138.64.2.76

Yes Burt, I admit that those hills nearly brought me to tears. Evil indeed. Dare I say Ragnar-quality hills at the second half of a marathon are no laughing matter. But I was right, your post about them was hilarious!

Kelli - Stop denying it, you love Nacho Libre(well, at least you find the sight of Scott, Walter and me laughing at Nacho extremely entertaining). Besides, it looks like Nacho has already been culturally beneficial for your children (although that missionary may disagree :-)

From rattletrap on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 19:46:47 from 75.216.56.184

Way to go! Great race report and a killer PR! You should get a special medal for not strangling anyone at the 15 mile "aid station".

From Nevels on Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 15:41:26 from 131.204.15.93

Solid run, Burt. A PR's a PR, so congrats on that, and my popcorn ran out well before finishing your epic and adventurous tale of heroic and manic marathoning.

From JamesH on Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 22:40:35 from 74.211.22.194

Congrats on the race. Loved the report!

From Teena on Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 18:02:54 from 174.52.45.85

Laughing so hard!!! How did I miss this report!!!

Congrats on the PR and the cheap lodging!!!

Oh yeah, do you remember that time when everyone was screaming your name???

From Britta on Thu, Nov 26, 2009 at 13:51:05 from 67.159.142.6

Way to power through!!! Great race report! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

From anji on Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 21:03:30 from 97.126.159.110

seriously awesome. that is one tough course!

From Shimelle on Mon, Nov 30, 2009 at 12:36:39 from 75.162.225.79

Woohoo! I just looked and realized you had run a marathon. Way to go! Oh, and you are not too fat to run a marathon!

From Mike Clarke on Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 00:05:47 from 68.218.22.217

Burt how do you post pictures inside of your individual posts? thanks mike

From Burt on Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 12:45:20 from 206.19.214.144

Hi Mike - I sent you a private message. Go ahead and respond to it, and you'll be in business.

Okay, I count 9 people that I didn't respond to individually like I usually like to; scotthughes, josse, Steve Piccolo, rattletrap, Nevels, JamesH, Teena, Britta, anji, and Michelle. The reason is that I didn't want to feel like I was dragging out my 15 minutes of fame. It's bad enough that a 4:33 marathon is on the top of the Hot Discussion Board. But now that it seems I'll be up here for another few months, (unless Sasha so graciously pulls me off) I say a great big collective thank you to you all.

From josse on Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 12:53:06 from 70.193.52.231

Man finally i was getting my feeling hurt;)

From Burt on Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 12:54:34 from 206.19.214.144

Sorry josse! Did I mention that I enjoyed meeting you the most?

From josse on Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 16:11:39 from 75.216.188.60

thats better!

From Missee on Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 02:13:05 from 75.169.146.126

ok....after all those comments from people you know, here is one from someone you don't saying pretty much the same thing! That is an awesome race report. I loved reading it. Congratulations on your finish. After your glowing report of this marathon, I think I'll run it.........not! Just kidding. I like the price!

From Burt on Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 12:17:14 from 98.177.216.165

Hey, thanks missee. Yes, this was a very challenging race.

From bern on Thu, Jan 28, 2010 at 21:01:16 from 205.208.246.73

Fun read. I run with a man 6'4" 225 lbs. He's hit a 3:19 his one and only marathon last year. We do speed work once/week (variations ~ 8 miles), and intervals another day (~9 mi @ 7:20 pace). But NEVER does he put in a 60+ mile week like you. You over trained and went out too fast. Bank? You banked lactic acid, not time. Do it again. I did 10 last year. I'm 175 lb, 52 yrs old.

From Burt on Thu, Jan 28, 2010 at 23:13:02 from 98.177.216.165

Thanks bern. I definitely need more base miles. I'll be working on that this summer when it's hot and running fast is not an option.

From TylerS on Fri, Feb 05, 2010 at 23:58:52 from 68.28.42.225

You totally peed on your hand that day! I just know it! It looked like you were for sure peeing into the wind! jk

From Burt on Sat, Feb 06, 2010 at 08:44:50 from 98.177.216.165

Well I do apologize for that Tyler. You caught me off guard. Never sneak up on someone while they're doing their business!

From Mark on Fri, Feb 19, 2010 at 10:55:10 from 24.129.132.74

Hey, where are all the photoshopped pictures? lol Great job on the race Burt.

From Burt on Fri, Feb 19, 2010 at 11:28:12 from 206.19.214.144

Thanks Mark. Here's the photoshopped picture courtesy of ChrisM: http://chrism.fastrunningblog.com/blog--9-miles-easy-1-17-30I-got-to-use-h/11-23-2009.html

From Kim on Tue, Feb 23, 2010 at 15:50:25 from 67.199.180.90

Best race report I've ever read! Great job Burt!

From Rye on Wed, Mar 31, 2010 at 23:27:51 from 97.121.5.76

What a great read! Great pix.

From Derunzo on Fri, May 14, 2010 at 20:30:08 from 98.229.131.173

Great job Burt! You kicked that marathon right in the "Crackal" region. What a great read and awesome pictures!

From Barb on Wed, May 26, 2010 at 18:36:21 from 196.200.54.130

Great job Burt! Enjoyed reading your report and seeing the pictures.

From Burt on Wed, May 26, 2010 at 19:27:13 from 206.19.214.144

Thanks everyone.

From Run Dixie Run on Mon, Jun 14, 2010 at 21:45:07 from 24.92.31.152

"but it was a lie, Steven. A LIE."

What a breath of fresh air to see another Nacho Libre fan out there somewhere!

From RivertonPaul on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 10:49:58 from 67.42.27.114

Bump

From Burt on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 11:43:53 from 206.19.214.144

Jerk. :)

From Jason McK on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 12:02:55 from 63.255.173.99

Nice PR. I thought, from the photo, that Gary was your father. I wasn't paying attention to the blog back when you ran this race, but it turns out that now is a good time to comment. Loved the report. Are you running it again this year?

From Burt on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 12:29:50 from 206.19.214.144

Hi Jason. I'm pretty sure I won't be running it again. My training is no where near what it needs to be to do another marathon anytime soon. Plus this one is just brutal. But you should do it. You'd do great.

From Jason McK on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 14:09:51 from 63.255.173.99

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I have seriously considered it. It's still 4 months away - you have time, if you have time...

From allie on Thu, Jul 29, 2010 at 13:49:10 from 174.23.226.74

53. war.

From Burt on Thu, Jul 29, 2010 at 14:02:29 from 206.19.214.144

allie - this is not a game!

Vis - how's everything going?

From Nan on Thu, Jul 29, 2010 at 14:39:38 from 174.51.250.151

Of course its not, Burt. You've already been spanked.

From Scott Ensign on Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 00:17:09 from 67.41.171.30

first time I commented here I was "redrooster". I wonder if I comment again if it will count as a new comment and bump the total... worth a try....

From Sasha Pachev on Mon, Aug 02, 2010 at 13:44:14 from 192.168.1.1

Scott:

If it did, it would be a bug. It counts unique user ids which are tied to individual accounts. So the only way to cheat the system should be to start another blog.

From Burt on Mon, Aug 02, 2010 at 13:47:01 from 206.19.214.144

That's right Scott. You little punk.

From Scott Ensign on Mon, Aug 02, 2010 at 14:12:32 from 129.123.3.31

I should have known Sasha wold have had that covered. but now a seed has been planted in my head... Burt, if you see comments to your blog from a newbie with user name "littlepunk" it's not me. really.

PS- Sasha, I'm just kidding. really.

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