3 - Steamtown Marathon, Scranton, Pennsylvania - October 10, 2004

The 2004 Steamtown Marathon was the first race in which I broke 4 hours for my time!  AND my Dad was there to see me finish!  Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures ;(

Where was Mark when I needed him to take a photo of me at the finish line? Well, to try to make up for his deficiencies, he copied the photo above from the Steamtown Marathon web site.

Prior to this marathon, I was stuck at a marathon time of around 4:30.  I always "hit the wall" at about mile 20. Then I crawled my way to the finish.

But this marathon was to be different. My goal was to break four hours.  At the start of the race, I met two local guys who were trying to break a 4-hour time.  I asked them if I could run with them, and they agreed (this is Pennsylvania remember!).  One of the men was wearing the new Garmin running GPS.  It was one of the first running GPS units that Garmin made.  He had set the Garmin for us to finish in 4 hours; every time we when off the set pace to finish in 4 hours, an alarm would sound notifying us to either slow down or speed up.

What really surprised me was the fact that the Garmin almost always told us to slow down — unconsciously, we were running too fast. Then I realized it: this had been my problem all along.  I went out too fast in the beginning of the marathon, then hit the wall and crashed.  Well, this time when we got to mile 20, we were 3 hours into the race. Unlike past marathons, however, I didn't hit the wall. I wasn't even very tired!  I felt strong and knew I could run the last 6 miles of the marathon in an hour.

Well, I did it. My net or chip finish time was 3:55:14.

2 - ING Marathon New York, New York - November 2, 2003

Angela and me

I ran this NYC marathon with my good friend Angela, with whom I had run the Vineman Marathon on the New Millennium, in Santa Rosa, California on January 1, 2000. Angela flew in from Portland, Oregon for the marathon. Her parents, Roger and Joan, also flew in from Santa Rosa, California, to join us for moral support.

We did many of the recommended marathon events, e.g., we attended the Expo, the pasta party, the fireworks, and took the bus to the start of the race.  After the marathon, Mark and I rented the "party" room in our apartment building for a celebration!

Enjoy the slideshow!

1 - Vineman Marathon on the New Millennium, Santa Rosa, California - January 1, 2000

Who knew that this would be the start of something so big!  When I ran this marathon, running a marathon in every state was the furthest thing from my mind.  But looking back now, it does seem appropriate that this Millennium marathon was the start of my 50 State Marathon quest.

It all started when I called my friend Angela from Portand, Oregan, whom I taught with in Japan. We were discussing what each of us was going to do for the new Millennium since we both agreed that there was way too much hype about it.  Angela, knowing that I liked to run, suggested that we do a marathon.  Of course, I loved the idea— we just needed to find a marathon.  Well lo' and behold, when she was home visiting her parents in Santa Rosa, California she saw an announcement for the Vineman Marathon on the New Millennium in Santa Rosa.  It was a one time race. We both registered and we were in!

On New Year's Eve, Angela's parent's friends had a party at their home with lots of delicious California wine.  Unfortunately, we could only drink water that night, but we knew wine was in the near future. We left the party before midnight and rang in the New Millennium from bed.

Me, Roger, Joan, Angela, December 31, 1999

Angela's Mom, Joan ran the half-marathon and Angela's Dad, Roger was our support crew, driving the course checking on us.

Me, Joan, Angela on the starting line just before the "official start" - January 1, 2000

We were a bit surprised to see not many people on the starting line.  What better way to start the Millennium ?!?

The Marathon start - January 1, 2000

The course was through Sonoma County Wine Country.  There were not many people out cheering us on— but that was OK since we had Roger as our support team.  Every once in a while he would pull up along side us in his car and ask if we needed anything.  He had everything a runner could need with him, including feminine hygiene products!  A side note, the Roman Goddess, Mena had paid an unexpected visit to Angela and I the morning of the marathon ;)

The finish line was at the Kendall-Jackson Winery where we were greeted with wine!

Finish line!

We spent the next few days relaxing by the pool, wine tasting, and exploring Sonoma.  I could not have imagined a more perfect way to start the Millennium.  Thank you Roger, Joan, and Angela !!!