As mentioned on several posts my friend and running partner is moving to Texas at the end of this month. As a matter of fact, all I have left is just a couple more days to enjoy his company while running. This is a guy who has ran so many marathons; know so much about running and who is a truly inspiration to many of us who know him. I, for one, will miss him dearly. As a matter of fact, running will not be the same without him. Unless of course, I move to Texas or join him for a few marathon in his new state. It its definitely a possibility. Well, I truly believe Mark can teach us a thing or two about races so I decided to dedicate this post to him. Instead of writing about him I decided to interview him so that he can share his experiences with us.What Read his interview below:
Q: Tell us about your very first marathon. Where? What year? What was your
time?
A: The first marathon I ever ran was the 19993 Chicago Marathon. It was a much smaller field back then. It was late October and snowing on marathon day. The wind was blowing in from the lake and we had a 4 mile out and back at the end of the race right along Lake Shore Drive. The freezing spray was horrid. The conditions were so bad that unknown to me as she was waiting for me to finish Sue was rehearsing reasons to give to explain why I didn’t finish. It was to be my only marathon ever and I wanted to finish it less than 5 hours. My official time was 4:59:59. I crossed the finish line and said never again. And here I am 35 marathons and two ultra’s later.
Q: Why do you run?
A: FUN. I started running because my doctor at the time said I had such a high stress level that if I didn’t find some release I would probably die. But that is a reason to run a few miles every day, not a reason to be out at 8 deg. F on a snowy morning running up and down hills. Some days I am not sure why I run. A lot of it is my type A personality. I am still trying to find out how far can I push the envelope. Every day I run I challenge my body to do more.
Q: How many marathon have you done?
A: 35.
Q: Which were your best or your favorite marathon and why?
A: If I had to give one favorite I would say Chicago when it was smaller. But I have so many race that I loved parts of. The most beautiful race I ever ran was Carsbad California. The best neighbor support was Green Bay. The most fun is Disney. I could list more also. Boston was Boston and for many of us it is the runners Nirvana, and it was mine too.
Q: What are the "dos" and "don't'" you would advise to new runners?
A: Don’t overtrain. Don’t add miles to quickly, Don’t think that just running will make you lose weight. I won’t. Don’t ignore injuries (but don’t confuse those aches and pains with injuries). The most important: Get a running partner. Train with a group, at least once a week. Do remember that this is supposed to be fun, it is a stress reliever. We are amateurs if running starts to give you more stress that it relieves find a new sport. Remember every time you go out in a race the only person you are really competing against is yourself. Enjoy the day.
Q: What is your motivation during a long run?
A: Running with my partner. A running partner makes the miles easier. I know this is her blog but even if it wasn’t having Sandra as a running partner has been one of the greatest experiences on my running life. We have challenged each other to go farther, faster and longer. We have alternately “carried” each other through those bad runs.
Q: As far as marathon, which ones are in your "to do" list?
A: Big Sur, and Sandra would never forgive me if I didn’t include Rio.
Q: What is the best part of your training?
A: The sense of accomplishment I get when the run is done.
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