Bataan Memorial Death March

It's a few days after the race, and I'm back in Texas after spending a week in New Mexico. It was so much fun to be back in NM to enjoy the scenery, food, and friends, and not necessarily in that order. I was able to spend time with people I hadn't seen in over a decade. It never ceases to amaze me how easy it is to reconnect with old friends, almost as if we hadn't been apart for more than a week.

We started out the visit with a 4-mile run on Thursday, kind of an altitude test/acclimitazation. It was interesting because this run was at 4300 feet above sea level, as opposed to the 700 foot plane we experience in Texas. After running on the south end of Scenic Drive we found a trail that snaked into the foothills to give us some off-road exposure. It wasn't the best of easy runs, but it helped.

On Saturday we headed for the Missile Range, not knowing what to expect. We planned on spending the night in a tent if there was room. When we arrived on the access road, the line was at least fifty cars deep. We spend some time in that line until the left lane started filling up with cars moving past us a lot quicker. I finally got tired of waiting, figuring that maybe I should have moved into the other line earlier. That didn't work out as planned. That lane was for people who'd already been through the initial screening, so we had to turn around and get back in the other line. All in all it took us two hours to get into the facility.

I was surprised by the number of people camping. I thought there might be a couple dozen tents and a few RVs, but instead a few thousand people were spread out all over the south end of the base. We staked our claim to a piece of ground and drove over to pick up our packets. That was uneventful other than the line, but it moved quickly. Once back at the tent we unloaded and sat around until dinner. The pasta dinner was also uneventful, and then we went back to the truck and enjoyed some down time with music and an early bedtime.

During the night the wind picked up and at times it seemed someone was standing outside, grabbing the tent, and shaking it as hard as they could. We woke up about 4:30 a.m. and started the process of getting ready. Fortunately the wind died down to a breeze.

We made the starting area by 6:15 and stood around in the cold. I brought trash bags as a shield from the wind, but they didn't do much for insulation. The opening ceremony was touching, including the reading of the names of the Bataan survivors who had passed since last year's march. The three attending survivors were introduced by roll call, and the American and Filipino generals welcomed us. A chaplain offered a great prayer, and then a medical Blackhawk performed a flyover. After the survivors moved to the starting line we exited the corrals. As we approached the start a race official told us we could shake hands with the survivors but to be careful and not squeeze their hands too hard because they're fragile. I shook hands with all of them and told them what an honor it was for me. I meant it. Then the march itself began.

The first couple of miles were crowded and went pretty quick, with a stop at mile 2 to use a relatively uncrowded restroom. We also walked at the subsequent two-mile intervals, as planned, and then began the journey toward the great uphill. After we crossed under the highway before mile 9 a lady in front of us fell. She was walking and her shoe caught on a crack and she went down pretty hard. I would guess her to be over 60 years old, but we helped her up and she insisted on continuing. Her knees and elbows were a little bloodied, and it must have all turned out right because she passed us in the last couple of miles of the race.

After mile 9 the big uphill began and we started our odyssey of walking quite a bit. The route took us around Mineral Hill, a mountain just barely detached from the Organ Mountain chain. The back side took us up and down through the ridges, and we finally arrived back on the pavement uphill of mile 19. It was downhill for a while until we reached the infamous Sand Pit. This stretch of ankle-deep sand went on seemingly forever. By the time we exited that area and ran a little more we were almost too tired to run any more. We walked most of the last two miles along the perimeter wall, with a final run to finish in fine form.

Once again I got to shake the survivors' hands since they were also at the finish. I read a book a couple of weeks ago on the Bataan Death March and I honestly don't know how anyone survived it or the hard labor that followed. We had drinks and food every two miles, but those men marched all day without water, food, or rest, and then slept where they stopped. All with the constant threat of being bayoneted or beheaded. What remarkable men.

To conclude the race we received a surprisingly decent meal and drinks. After eating we headed back to Alamogordo. As we drove by the course we could see several thousand people still walking. This was the toughest course I've ever run, but was easily the most rewarding experience of any marathon. Even though I don't plan on doing it again (once was enough) I'd recommend this race to every runner or walker. The only complaint I had was getting through the gate, but that was a minor irritant. Everything else was first class. I've been wanting to do this march for several years and glad I finally got the chance. Now it's time to rest for a few weeks and then decide what's next.

Last Texas Run

Today was the last run in Texas before we head to New Mexico tomorrow for the race. It was an easy 5-miler, although it wasn't as easy as I'd hoped. The temperature was around 80 degrees and sunny, and I felt a little tight in the legs. I also ran a little faster pace than I wanted during the first half and kept trying to rein it in. My problem is that both the wind and hills cause me to kick it in, to my detriment.

Anyway, that's done and I'm all packed and ready to head west in the morning. One more short run in NM and then it's race day on Sunday. Woo hoo!

Last Long Run

Today was a 10-miler, the last of the long runs before the race. Eight days to go and then it'll be 26.2 miles in New Mexico. I suppose it's a good sign that 10 miles didn't seem like a long run, and almost like a day off from the longer runs we've been doing. That's where you want to be in your training and not trudging through the last of the Saturday runs. The day was cloudy and very humid, two conditions that will probably not be an issue on the 20th. Time to start packing and getting everything in order to go.

My Favorite Run

The 2x800 run is one of my favorites, as you my longtime reader knows. Today was the first time I've run this one with someone else. Not necessarily the best plan.

I wanted to run on level ground, so we ran on my normal route, which was a battle all by itself. Plus today it was cloudy, cool, and misty. Between the first and second interval the FVRP got a phone call from work, and I left him behind. Both of my intervals went pretty well, although I slowed down on the second to get past some flooding and mud on the path, but still logged a best time of 5:45/mile at one point.

My overall thought is that I need to run this more than once a cycle. For some reason I think it's a blast, even though that's not necessarily my first thought when I'm actually running it. However, the opportunity to run fast (although not compared to elite runners) is something I enjoy.

Post-Rain Run

This morning a big line of thunderstorms rolled through the area. It was supposed to break up by lunch time but finally died down about 1:30 p.m. I was beginning to think we wouldn't get in our run, but the sun actually came out and we hit the road for 6 miles. The plan called for speedwork but we decided that wasn't the best course given the post-rain humidity. When we finished up the humidity level was 70%. Could have been worse, I suppose.

A week from tomorrow we leave for NM and the race. Hard to believe it's almost finally here, but also glad to have the worst of the training behind us. We're expecting the worst for the race, weather-wise and the course. Regardless of how that goes, it'll be nice to be back home. Haven't been there for seven years, which hardly seems possible that I would be away for so long. Looking forward to some good food and spending time with old friends.

A Little Warm

When I looked at the forecast for today it said 72 degrees by noon. That was wrong. It was actually closer to 80 degrees, and if you believe the sign in front of the school at the finish it was actually 80. Fortunately the humidity was down, but so was the breeze. It was a tough slog, but we finished the 15 miles.

In actuality it was probably good practice for the race since there's a good chance the weather will be this warm there, too. I'm glad we're through with the long runs as we taper toward race day. Next Saturday is a 10-miler, but at this point that seems like a walk in the park.

Hills and Speed

The FVRP wasn't too happy about running hills this afternoon, but it had to be done. He suffered a little as we went out against the wind, walking a few times, but on the return route we had the wind at our backs. He misheard his Nike app and thought we had a half-mile to go when in reality we had a full mile. By that time he was feeling better and kicked it in. I made a remark about it and he asked how much more we had to go, which at the time was still over half a mile. We kept running faster and I thought my new Garmin was giving an incorrect pace, especially when we went sub-8. By the time we finished the 6 miles the pace showed as 7:20, and our last mile was done in 8:07. Not bad for a couple of older guys. The last part felt good.

My left calf was a little cramped today, the first time I've felt that since I started foam rolling. I did an extra-long rolling session this evening and I'm hoping that will help for the long run in a few days.

An Easy One

We're at the point in the training plan where a 6-mile run seems like a jog around the block. That's a good thing, because it means the training is working. We ran the Craig Ranch route on a nice sunny afternoon with some wind out of the north. Also, it was the second outing with the new Garmin. I need to get a little more used to some of the features but that'll come in time. Good day, good run.