Remembering Race Moments

"SwStudio" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I'd be interested to read others' experiences of cool
"moments" in racing.

I once squeezed one off while in the start line for Boston.

"SwStudio" <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

The race director, or at least the guy who started the
race, had no megaphone. There was no one yelling out "xx
minutes till race time!" every 2 minutes. No one was
really saying anything. All the runners found their way to
the start in time (or not) on their own.

The RD guy was standing in front of the wall of runners.
He kept checking his watch, and when it was getting close,
he informed us at a shockingly conversational noise-level.
Perhaps 15 runners could hear him.

I remember him saying "30 seconds"........ "10
seconds"....... and being amazed that he wasn't yelling or
anything. Here was the largest race I had ever been a part
of and this guy was talking like we were in someone's
living room. I guess he only needed to tell the first row
and everyone would follow... I just never thought of it
that way.

This "quiet" technique might actually be a good way of
controlling the start of the race. If everyone is ready for
the actual start of the race, then there is an "accordian-
style" crush of runners where the mid-packers are queued up.
The only people who really need to know are the front line
runners. Especially if the race is using a chip.

Phil M.

--
"He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as
dead; his eyes are closed." ­ Albert Einstein

"SwStudio" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I'd be interested to read others' experiences of cool
"moments" in racing.

cheers,

Finishing the 1998 NYC Marathon in 3:00:00. That was a rush
the exact opposite of the quiet experience that you had at
the start of your race. The announcer was counting down the
time over the loudspeakers and the people in the grand
stands were screaming. The last 2 thenths of a mile of that
race was an astounding experience.

Andy

In article said:

"SwStudio" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I'd be interested to read others' experiences of cool
"moments" in racing.

cheers,

Finishing the 1998 NYC Marathon in 3:00:00. That was a
rush the exact opposite of the quiet experience that you
had at the start of your race. The announcer was counting
down the time over the loudspeakers and the people in the
grand stands were screaming. The last 2 thenths of a mile
of that race was an astounding experience.

I remember first coming to rec.running and being damn
confused about all those fast little guys (and a slightly
less fast big guy who had ... this ... wierd writing
style) who were all called "Andrew". I kept mixing them up
all the time. And was that amh guy really Andy Hass, or
Andrew Taylor ? After a while, I worked out that Andrew
Taylor lived in Australia and amh in the US, so he must be
Andy Hass (-;

So I was wondering, is there a rule that you have to change
your name to "Andy" or "Andrew" if you run a fast time ? Or
is it optional ? And does my half marathon qualify ?

Cheers,
--
Donovan "Andrew" Rebbechi
pegasus.rutgers.edu~elflordOpen ↗

Donovan 'Andrew' Rebbechi said:

So I was wondering, is there a rule that you have to change
your name to "Andy" or "Andrew" if you run a fast time ? Or
is it optional ? And does my half marathon qualify ?

Great idea! How fast do I have to run to qualify for joe
"Andrew" positive?

Karen "not-yet-Andrew" Collins

The startof the Medoc marathon last year - a totally party
atmosphere that had me all emotional the way I sometimes
feel when I actually FINISH a marathon happy J

You could always change yours to "Tim"
J
"Donovan Andrew Rebbechi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article
<[email hidden]>,

amh said:

"SwStudio" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I'd be interested to read others' experiences of cool
"moments" in racing.

cheers,

Finishing the 1998 NYC Marathon in 3:00:00. That was a
rush the exact opposite of the quiet experience that you
had at the start of your race. The announcer was
counting down the time over the loudspeakers and the
people in the grand stands were screaming. The last 2
thenths of a mile of that race was an astounding
experience.

I remember first coming to rec.running and being damn
confused about all

those

Quoted message said:

fast little guys (and a slightly less fast big guy who had
... this ...

wierd

Quoted message said:

writing style) who were all called "Andrew". I kept mixing
them up all the time. And was that amh guy really Andy
Hass, or Andrew Taylor ? After a

while, I

Quoted message said:

worked out that Andrew Taylor lived in Australia and amh
in the US, so he

must

Quoted message said:

be Andy Hass (-;

So I was wondering, is there a rule that you have to
change your name to

"Andy"

Quoted message said:

or "Andrew" if you run a fast time ? Or is it optional ?
And does my half marathon qualify ?

Cheers,
--
Donovan "Andrew" Rebbechi
pegasus.rutgers.edu~elflordOpen ↗

In article said:

I'd be interested to read others' experiences of cool
"moments" in racing.

Now you're one-upping me (-;

Off the top of my head:

It was one of my best races of all time, a 10:07 3k on a
track that I did in college, in about '96. I remember about
2/3 or so through the race, I was hurting like hell, and the
really fast people were way in front of me, but I had some
challengers close behind. Then all of my personal history
sort of flashed through in my head. All my friends were
there, but so were all my self-doubts, all confronting me on
what I think was coming around the first bend of lap 6. What
did I do ? At that moment, I made the decision to fight it
out till the finish. On the second half of that lap, I would
dig deep throw in a surge that made the guy behind me
abandon his attempt to pass me, and I held my place. That
was where I truly learned how to really race -- and how to
be able to look all of your self-doubts and anxieties in the
eye, and stare them down.

Another one, which applies to any breakthrough race, is just
the amazing rush and feeling of disbelief when you actually
cross the finishline with the race clock reading some
absurdly low time. Even though you have every reason to know
that it's coming, because you're wearing a watch and all
that, it is still a shock to see it there in front of you on
the official race clock. I remember when this happened in
the Rabbit Run 5k (Easter last year), the first race I beat
Global, I was left wondering whether or not I had accidently
cut the course!

And another one -- it was during the half marathon, my first
and only half marathon. I was running pretty well, and had
run with a team mate for most of the race, then I ended up
leaving him behind a little, but when he rejoined me, there
was another teammate with him. So there the three of us
were. "Nice of you to join me", I quipped. Then we chatted
very briefly, and then the other guy said "let's go". And
there we were the three of us, screaming along in our
screaming yellow shirts, all of us in pain that late in the
race, but at the same time understanding that we weren't
suffering alone.

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi pegasus.rutgers.edu~elflordOpen ↗

In article said:

I'd be interested to read others' experiences of cool
"moments" in racing.

Another one -- finishing the half marathon.

Towards the end of a good race, a crescendo of pain is
inevitable, and nothing, even the most careful pacing, will
never change that if one wants to perform their best.
Pictures of the great milers such as Kip Keino, Jim Ryun and
Roger Bannister finishing their races are a testimony to
this. So how does one manage the pain ?

Drawing from my interval workouts, I learned that one does
not *fight* the pain. Indeed, one must learn to relax, and
accept it, as the last thing one needs at the end of a race
is to suddenly adopt a less economical running style where
all muscles are tensed. Once you learn to do that, you
almost reach a state of buddhist enlightenment -- your body
is telling you that you're in pain and yet you feel calm,
because you've trained your mind not to react. As it
happened in this race, mentally relaxing in a state of
physical pain, and yet having judged the race well enough
that I could increase my turn over accelerate to faster than
6:00 pace, was, in its own strange way, blissful. After all,
I was relaxed, focused, running my best, and hearing the
finish line ever so softly calling my name. And who could
want more than that ?

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi pegasus.rutgers.edu~elflordOpen ↗

SwStudio said:

I'd be interested to read others' experiences of cool
"moments" in racing.

Hello, [censored]. Though I doubt you're in the least bit
interested, here's mine.

Track race 'somewhere in Europe' in the early 80's. The
crowd were situated right at the edge of the track, so
close they could reach out and touch a runner in the
outside lane. As it was a 10,000m race you got to
recognise faces as you toured around the track. I was
running poorly and contemplating stepping off the track as
I was lapped by the leaders, but for some reason (I had to
finish to get my airfare paid) decided to stick it out and
run the full distance.

Track etiquette demand that I keep out of the way of the
fast boys, so I found myself running in lane 3 or 4 on some
corners, getting very close to the crowd. A young couple had
a little girl - about 7 or 8
- dressed all in pink with a stupid red woolly hat with
yellow bobbles dangling from its point. For some reason I
found this hilarious, and grinned and waved at the kid
every time I passed. She became more excited with each
lap. On my final lap (two minutes after the leaders had
finished) the couple lifted the kid up and held her out
over the barriers. So I stopped, picked her up, did a 360
degree spin to show her to the crowd - who burst into
applause - and handed her back to her parents.

I think we were the most popular people in the stadium
that night.

PS. If, by some fluke of nature, anyone on rec.running
knows somebody who has a photo of that moment, please
get in touch.

Donovan "Andrew" Rebbechi <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

In article
<[email hidden]>,

amh said:

"SwStudio" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I'd be interested to read others' experiences of cool
"moments" in racing.

cheers,

Finishing the 1998 NYC Marathon in 3:00:00. That was a
rush the exact opposite of the quiet experience that you
had at the start of your race. The announcer was
counting down the time over the loudspeakers and the
people in the grand stands were screaming. The last 2
thenths of a mile of that race was an astounding
experience.

I remember first coming to rec.running and being damn
confused about all those fast little guys (and a slightly
less fast big guy who had ... this ... wierd writing
style) who were all called "Andrew". I kept mixing them up
all the time. And was that amh guy really Andy Hass, or
Andrew Taylor ? After a while, I worked out that Andrew
Taylor lived in Australia and amh in the US, so he must be
Andy Hass (-;

Be prepared to be more confused but amh isn't Andy Haas.
We're two different Andy's. He lives in Michigan while I
live in NYC. And to bring you to your knees I'm not
Globaldisc (or his latest incarnation.). Besides he would
be Andrew.

Quoted message said:

So I was wondering, is there a rule that you have to
change your name to "Andy" or "Andrew" if you run a fast
time ? Or is it optional ? And does my half marathon
qualify ?

Only if you wish to confuse more people.

Andy (amh)

Quoted message said:

Cheers,

In article said:

Be prepared to be more confused but amh isn't Andy Haas.
We're two different Andy's. He lives in Michigan while I
live in NYC. And to

Yeah, I know (-; I worked that one out too, eventually,
though for a while I had this theory going about how maybe
both of you were a university student who studied in one
state and lived in another, or maybe moved from one place to
another because of work.

Quoted message said:

bring you to your knees I'm not Globaldisc (or his latest
incarnation.). Besides he would be Andrew.

In fact he would be Lance, though he was posting under
his middle name for a while (just to confuse everyone,
I suppose)

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi pegasus.rutgers.edu~elflordOpen ↗

In article said:

You could always change yours to "Tim"

An interesting idea. What I'd like to know is, what are the
requirements for that one ?

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi pegasus.rutgers.edu~elflordOpen ↗

"Donovan Rebbechi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message ...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

SwStudio said:

I'd be interested to read others' experiences of cool
"moments" in racing.

Now you're one-upping me (-;

That would be pretty hard, considering I asked many
questions like this for years before your first
appearance here!

cheers,
--
David (in Hamilton, ON) www.allfalldown.org "The most
insecure people are the ones you see, putting other people
down constantly."

In article <[email hidden]>,

SwStudio said:

I'd be interested to read others' experiences of cool
"moments" in racing.

as with Donovan, perhaps one of my strongest memories of
cool moments in racing is of my first half marathon (and
the second HM was just about as great, since i beat my
previous time, but the thrill of finishing the first one
wins over that).

i, too, had to deal with pain nearing the end of the race. i
experienced major pain the calves in the last five or so
minutes of the race. pain management became a priority if i
was to finish the race well. i *could* have walked the rest
in comfort, but i had set out to RUN that race, so it became
a mind over matter (or body) thing here. i adjusted my gait
and pace, slowing down a bit so that the pain wouldn't
cripple me, and then moved onward to the finish line. i
attempted a spurt near the end but i felt like i was
struggling in a dream. i nearly went to the ground as i
crossed the finish line, the calf pain was so excruciating.
race volunteers were concerned but i waved 'em off. i just
needed help getting my timing chip off.

that, at the time, was the longest race i had ever run. and
the longest run i had ever done at that pace. i had run
further in training but not at that intensity.

close to this come my PR races in the 5K and 10K. both were
gorgeous sunny days in 2001, though the temperatures were
quite different. the 10K was an April race, a bit cool, but
perfect for me to run a best at that difference. i couldn't
believe how fast i moved that day.... it worked bloody hard,
nearly collapsing after the effort, but the race was over
before i knew it. i celebrated like h*ll after that one!

my 5K PR race was on a much warmer July morning, and I
surprised myself with the outcome. in fact, for some weird
reason, my watch was inaccurate on the splits. obviously, i
goofed with the watch, and didn't properly record my time. i
thought i was slower than i really was in the race. it blew
me away when i learned my official time.

all happy days, and ingrained in the ol' memory banks.

Cam

"SwStudio" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I have an important race coming up in a week and a half,
and I find myself thinking back to previous key moments in
big races.

[]

Quoted message said:

I'd be interested to read others' experiences of cool
"moments" in racing.

cheers,

How to decide what others might consider "cool"?

How about the moment of my first (and so far only) trophy,
and a lesson on perspective?

I had run the Cleveland marathon that spring and it was now
about a month later. I was running the Battle of lake Erie
5K. Registered as a Clydesdale (my weight was exactly
200pounds) but no expectations other than to try to run a
good race. This was the second year they had this race, so
the field of runners was fairly small (<200?).

The start was on the track and was tricky since the turns
were steeply banked. Soon after the start, I was following a
woman that ran nearly the same pace as me. We both were
slowly passing a few other runners and I slowly gained on
her. Like other occasions where I ran hard, I felt terrible
but I kept going.

I think it was just before going back on the track for the
final lap that I passed her. Keeping a hard pace around the
track, I crossed the finish for a PR. I had run the best 5K
of my life! I was overjoyed. Afterward I happened to see the
woman and asked her how she felt about her race. She
remarked that it was one of the worst runs she had done.
Just goes to show that it's all a matter of your perspective
whether a race result is good or poor.

The track, who sponsor the event, videotaped the finish line
for playback during the awards ceremony. So I'm now sitting
at a table, munching on some orange slices, feeling wiped
out but happy, and watching the video to see myself finish.
Sudenly I hear my name called. My first reaction is
puzzlement, why would anyone call out my name now? I turn to
realize it's the RD and he says my name again. I call back
Here! Folks at a nearby table start to tell me to go get my
trophy. I had taken 3rd place in the clydesdale division!
and boy was I surprised!!

I check the race results later to be sure it wasn't a case
of 3 runners in the division. Well there were 6, so I had
run better than half of the clydesdale runners, gotten a PR
and a trophy.

Maybe you guys that place race after race, taking home
trophies and medals, don't consider that cool. But like I
said, it's all a matter of perspective.

Run on!
ed

Donovan Rebbechi <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

In article
<[email hidden]>,

amh said:

Be prepared to be more confused but amh isn't Andy Haas.
We're two different Andy's. He lives in Michigan while I
live in NYC. And to

Yeah, I know (-; I worked that one out too, eventually,
though for a while I had this theory going about how maybe
both of you were a university student who studied in one
state and lived in another, or maybe moved from one place
to another because of work.

Wow, to be confused for Andy Haas. Too bad it is only
because we have the same first name. I wonder how sad he
would be if he ran my times.

Andy

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

bring you to your knees I'm not Globaldisc (or his
latest incarnation.). Besides he would be Andrew.

In fact he would be Lance, though he was posting under his
middle name for a while (just to confuse everyone, I
suppose)

Cheers,

[cool story snipped]

Quoted message said:

Maybe you guys that place race after race, taking home
trophies and medals, don't consider that cool. But like I
said, it's all a matter of perspective.

I think it's way cool. I don't have two rooms full of
trophies and three walls covered in awards like a few folks
I know, but I have maybe half a dozen, and it still feels
great every time. Plus my times have been improving so I
might start getting more.

Nice report, Ed!

--
Brian P. Baresch Fort Worth, Texas, USA Professional editing
and proofreading

If you're going through hell, keep going. --Winston
Churchill

Since many here are marathoners my first marathon could be
of interest. I was 15 years old and had just finished my
first season of cross country. I had watched Frank Shorter
win the Olympic Marathon in Munich the summer before so I
thought "Why not". About 7 of us from the team set out to do
it. I really don't know what I was thinking at the time. The
fact that I had been running for only 3 months or that I had
never run more than 12 miles must not have phased me.

My preparation was somewhat limited since I decided on a
Wednesday that I would do the marathon on Saturday. To make
matters worse I left my running gear in the high school gym
safely locked away. I substituted a pair of dress shorts and
old tennis shoes and off I went. There were 56 of at the
start line and a simple "GO" started us off. I ran with 3
buddies for the first 10 miles and after mile 12 never saw
another runner the entire day. Back then I never drank
anything while I ran because I didn't want a side ache. I
did mention I was 15 and although it's obvious, oblivious!

I'd like to end this with an up lifting story of grandeur
but the reality was pretty predictable. I walk/ran the last
12 miles, more walk as I remember, to the finish. The one
prevailing thought was getting my finishers certificate in
addition to suffering ridicule by my buddies if I DNFed.

When I finally reached Laguna Lake Park there was only one
person there, the promoter. He was shocked to find that I
had been still on course and had to scurry through his VW
bug to find a finishers certificate for me. I finished dead
last 27th place in 4:36:05. As I implied I drank and also
ate nothing the entire way and went from 136 lbs to 127
lbs. As for my buddies, only one other made it to the
finish. Needless to say I've learned a little about
endurance sports since that day and I guess I learned
something on that day too.

Steve W.