Then we headed through downtown which is normally quite silent and empty at that hour on a Sunday. I noticed several dog walkers, smugly thinking they were getting a jump on the day while everybody else is sleeping. I love their slack-jawed expression of surprise when they turn around to see a herd of 350 sweaty determined runners thundering toward them.

The fog was thick and cool as we ran past the Santa Barbara Mission and shortly after that the road began winding its way up and around the mountains. At around mile eight we got above the fog layer into sunshine. The views were spectacular looking back down over thick puffy clouds filling mountain valleys. To take my mind off my complaining hamstrings and hip flexors I admired the sights: the red-barked manzanita bushes, wild flowers, runners far ahead of me who looked like ants climbing the road. I imagined each tree I passed was making oxygen just for me to breathe - anything to take my mind off the fact that the road was unceasing in its upward slant and the knowledge that the finish line was still a long way off.

When I climbed across the finish line (OK, I'm exaggerating here but only a little bit - it was really steep!) I was so light-headed I forgot to stop my watch and as somebody hung a finisher's medal around my neck I just stumbled toward the refreshments. I hydrated with vitamin water, wolfed down a few snacks and then had an ice cold beer. Runner's World says drinking a beer is a good thing to do after a long run, it guards against hyponatremia. It did make me feel better. Most runners hung around for a while, cheering for other finishers and taking in the amazing view from our perch high above the clouds which was made all the more beautiful because we'd really earned it.

Shuttle vans drove up and down the mountain delivering us back to our cars at the beach. They weren't very large vehicles and ten stinky sweaty runners packed into the one I was on. The driver either had no sense of smell or he was a saint.

I talked to many people who've done this particular race several times and I don't understand why a person would want to do this more than once. Maybe the memory of pain fades quickly? Actually, it wasn't terribly painful for me, just grueling, but the experience did underscore something I already knew - I don't like running uphill! The good thing about having done this is that, provided it's not too hot, the flat-as-a-pancake Chicago Marathon course will feel like a walk in the park by comparison.

My plan for the rest of the day? I'm going to have another beer and then take a nap.

When I got to the studio the real fun began. Dave would roll the tracks and Art would say to me, “Now right here can you give me sort of a bong, bong, bong and then a gliss of some kind?” while waving his arms around and wiggling his fingers like a cartoon character parody of a harpist. That’s about the level of direction I was given but amazingly it worked well. Luckily I didn’t have to play through the entire song, we just punched in and out inserting harp fills a phrase at a time. I surprised myself when I had to play some parts by ear (Art would hum them for me) and I picked it up pretty easily. It only took an hour and a half to record the harp and then I went in the control booth to listen as Greg recorded guitar and harmonica tracks. Art’s direction to Greg was, ”Play whatever you want, just make it sound like a lonesome cowboy.”

My view into the control booth

It was fun to be part of the creative process. Art has the vision of what he wants to hear and we musicians just had to try to interpret his direction. Dave is an amazing sound engineer with great ears and the ability to keep “artistic personalities” focused and on track, making efficient use of studio time. This was the first time I’d used my Camac pedal harp in a recording session and Dave’s fancy microphones made it sound big and sparkly. I'm looking forward to returning to his studio one day with my own project.

The mate was a mighty sailing man,
The skipper brave and sure.
Five passengers set sale that day
For a three hour tour, a three hour tour.

Well, that’s what I did today, a three hour tour. Because that’s how long it takes me to run 18 miles. Not speedy but it went really well. At mile six I was hobbled by a mystery cramp in my left leg but I managed to stretch/walk it out and it helped to change my pace to a shorter quicker stride. By mile eight I settled into a comfortable groove and I was mightily surprised by how good I felt for the duration. I ate a couple of power gels along the way and made use of every water fountain on my route.

Still standing after 18 miles!

I think hydrating properly is the main reason today’s long run was so successful. Yesterday I was in the recording studio and as the sound engineer watched me gulp down my fourth tall glass of water in two hours he said, “Gosh, you’re really serious about this water thing. Doesn’t that mean you have to pee about a million times a day?” Well, yeah. But it also means every cell in my body has all the water it needs and it makes the difference between a successful long run or crumpling in a heap o’ hurt beside the curb halfway through.

These long runs are good tests for gear in preparation for the actual marathon. I wore these shoes on a beach run a few days ago and thought I’d shaken out all the sand. Not so. Somehow residual grains sifted through my socks and settled irritatingly between my toes so I had to stop in the park, remove the shoes and shake it all out. Also the tape on my toes began to unwrap and cause blisters so that had to go, too. So now I know that the actual shoes I wear for the marathon can NEVER visit the beach and I’ll need to wrap the toes in a less haphazard manner next time.

Aside from light-headedness, a few small blisters on my toes and muscle soreness in the legs I feel surprisingly good and it gives me hope that marathon day will go well!


Chords run through this life of mine
And chords run through my soul.
Chords struck soft in the evening’s quiet
Are the sounds that make them whole.

Music is a blessèd gift,
Bless those who give it birth,
And twice bless those who play the songs
That heal a wounded Earth.

There is a silence of the mind
When life about you stills,
An empty place within the heart
That only music fills.

There are chords that bind us all
These chords that sing our songs,
And to the few who touch the chords,
Our gratitude belongs.

~Mary Lovelace~
Laramie, Wyoming
1996

Tags: poem, inspiration

Tags: Alice Keck Park, Santa Barbara, wedding, harp

Tags: harp, transport

For my next marathon a trainer showed me a simple trick. Before a long run of 10 miles or so, I wrap my second toes in athletic tape. This keeps the knuckle straighter and prevents the nail from taking such a beating. It works like a charm and it’s nice to know I don’t have to sacrifice my toenails.

Tags: running, toe nail

The right shoe

Several years ago I was sidelined for six months from training and the marathon I was shooting for due to an IT band injury caused or aggravated by running in the wrong shoes. I made a couple of mistakes the day I bought those shoes. Firstly, I based my decision on their flashy appearance (They were red, how cool is that?). Secondly, these shoes were for “fast runners” and somehow I thought that wearing them would make me faster. Ha! The red shoes were super lightweight and had almost no cushion, zero support and were meant for sprinters moving fast over short distances. The truth is I am not a sprinter and I will never run fast. My body build, physical idiosyncrasies, running style and long distances require a shoe with more structure, a stiffer sole, lateral stability and cushion to protect the joints in my feet, knees and hips for the many long hours I spend running. I found out the hard way that while running, fashion statements are not nearly as important as comfort - a truth that makes itself painfully apparent to me at around mile 12.

Tags: running, marathon, training, shoes