Ok, that means two days from this second, my buddy Jon Docs will be picking me up to drag me to the airport so I can drag Dr. Frank around the Umstead, North Carolina loop for 50 miles so I can help him complete his 1st hundred.
What an honor to help somebody with that. You'd think that I wouldn't be good at the main skill needed to pace somebody in a hunert, but I'm not bad at it. Oh, it's not running 25 -50 miles that is the hard part, usually your runner is worn out enough by the time they get to you that that is the easy part. No, it's not keeping someone on the right path, usually these courses are marked well enough, and this is a loop course anyway.
The key to pacing someone is knowing when to shut the heck up! There comes a time in these 
100's where every runner goes deep inside and being social is the 96th thing out of 50 that one wants to do. To be a good pacer you have to be able to recognize that in a runner and you really have to respect it. I've been so blessed with the few pacers I've used. I would not have won that silver buckle at Western States without my excellent pacer, Deborah Wedge. Deborah talked my ear off for about an hour, and I needed that, but there came a point when she looked at me and just knew, "This guy needs to go inside." And on we ran in silence for hours. When I came back out, she was there for me. She reminded me to run, she reminded me to eat. She let me know that we were making progress.
100's where every runner goes deep inside and being social is the 96th thing out of 50 that one wants to do. To be a good pacer you have to be able to recognize that in a runner and you really have to respect it. I've been so blessed with the few pacers I've used. I would not have won that silver buckle at Western States without my excellent pacer, Deborah Wedge. Deborah talked my ear off for about an hour, and I needed that, but there came a point when she looked at me and just knew, "This guy needs to go inside." And on we ran in silence for hours. When I came back out, she was there for me. She reminded me to run, she reminded me to eat. She let me know that we were making progress.
I hope I can do this for Frank. I know my foot will hold up. I know my legs will hold up. I just hope my brain will hold my mouth closed.... enough.
12 comments:
Gee, I wish I could find someone fast enough to pace me, but no one is! I wouldn't be worried about them talking too much anyway, the story of how I became me would keep us busy for all ten hours it takes me to run 100 miles.
I love to pace myself, don't you wish you could. But then again I'm ...
-Dean Karnazes
Gotta run in 8 circles in NC this weekend. 4 solo, 4 with Andy.
Well I know I can run 50 miles by myself (I've done that before). I recently ran almost 50(47) with other people (1st time I ran more than 20 miles with others..I am antisocial most long runs).
I am looking forward to picking Matthews up! He is going to have that grin on his face and some damn stories. Have you ever conversed with Andy and run out of things to talk about??? nope...
That being said...this fella says he is gonna zip the lips at some point. I am willing to bet that he never won "the quiet game" before! Nawww...I am looking forward to the yacking (NOT Yakking) for the second half(downhill side--my little imagery game).
I might have to say, "Hey Andy!"
He will say, "Yeah??"
Then I might have to say, "Shut the F*CK UP fer a minute!!"
He will say, "OK"
I give him 30 seconds before he starts talking, fartin, laughing, singing....No. this dude doe not play the quiet game.
That's why he is the pacer for me!!!
Hey, I can... be.. quiet. I don't talk in my sleep, but I'l give you the farting thing. It's a side effect of running (or a back effect anyway!)
And yes, feel free to say Shut the F*c# up! Unless you can borrow those Alisa Springman eyes. Pacing her at the Keys 100 at about mile 90, she looked at me, and into me, and I just knew, Shut up now, or lose a larnyx! (and I think you only have the one!)
No matter how pooped you are, that last loop will surprise you, it'll be the easiest loop you run all day, the course breaks up very nicely and that last loop will fly by. Git 'er done!
I'm SO psyched for you Dr. Frank! You will go the distance!!! You may lose a little energy here and there taping up Aman's mouth or punching him in the neck, but that'll just make the experience more memorable.
I'll be sending positive thoughts and energy your way this weekend. You GO 100!
So I was shooting daggers, huh? I don't seem to remember that, I just remember you being the perfect pacer! You gave encouragement when it was needed, acknowledged my discomfort but never allowed me to wallow and used that Jedi mind trick to get me to picture the last 10 miles as just an everyday run. You will have a great time at Umstead and will be tough enough to get Frank through. Say "Hi" to my friend Phil Rosenstein if you meet him. He's shooting for sub-20 this weekend. See you soon!
Hey, if I had kept yaking after you gave me "the look" you would have remembered it, but I knew better! Besides, kind of hard to remember anything negative when you win the whole darn RACE!
And Star, a punch in the neck? Ouch, can we go for the head, nothing to hurt there!
Let's see... Knowing when to shut up and running tens of miles? Yeah, I'm no Pacer.
Pacer, hope the foot holds up !
Go Dr. Frank GO!!!
This just in: An email from Jim Sullivan reports that Dr. Frank finished 100miles with Andy's help!
CONGRATS guys!!!
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