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March 2011

Napa Valley Marathon Race Report

Okay. First the bad news: this was the slowest marathon I have ever run …… by a bunch. The upside is that I really don’t care. Well, I do, but I don’t. Well….. you know …… whatever… I guess to get the full picture you have to read on. After all, even I’M confused about how I feel about this 26.2 mile journey. The day began well with a pleasant… Read More »Napa Valley Marathon Race Report

PreRace Napa: Part #2 No Longer Waiting for Joannie

Spent part of the afternoon at the Napa Valley Marathon expo hoping to get my 1984 Olympic Marathon picture signed by Joan Benoit Samuelson (see: http://runspittle.blogspot.com/2011/02/still-waiting-for-joannie-but-only-9.html for more details). Mission accomplished. She was a part of an excellent panel consisting of her, Bill Rodgers (see:http://runspittle.blogspot.com/2011/03/bill-rodgers-and-pre-race-napa.html for my history with Boston Billy), Dick Beardsley, and Guy Morse, so I was able to sneak up to chat with JBS afterward. It’s been… Read More »PreRace Napa: Part #2 No Longer Waiting for Joannie

PreRace Napa: Part #1. Run to Overcome

In the tenth grade, my Coach Al Pingel, taught us that the day to get your best rest was not necessarily the day before a race, but the day before the day before. Now that doesn’t mean that going sleepless the night before is good, but one can get by with a little restlessness and such without overly suffering in the race. If that, then, is the first test of… Read More »PreRace Napa: Part #1. Run to Overcome

Bill Rodgers and Pre Race Napa

I would be remiss if I didn’t share my Napa Valley Marathon excitement about another celebrity attendee: Bill Rodgers. Boston Billy is one of the greatest American marathoners of all time and a distance running ICON. Few people anywhere can match Bill Rodgers’ magnetic personality as well as the ferocity with which he used to race. While I’ve never met Joan Benoit Samuelson (see http://runspittle.blogspot.com/2011/02/still-waiting-for-joannie-but-only-9.html ) I have met Bill… Read More »Bill Rodgers and Pre Race Napa

A Great Time For Taxes

Did I just say that? A great time for taxes??? Oddly yes, I did. In the few days left prior to departing for the Napa Valley Marathon, I have been meticulously working on my tax worksheet for my accountant. It’s good to have something to do. Yesterday I ran six miles. Even though it was a pretty crappy run and extremely windy, I had to fight the urge to go… Read More »A Great Time For Taxes