Complete! 12 marathons in 2012!

Dave's 12 marathons of 2012 are complete! He actually finished his 12th marathon on 12-12-12 in Sarasota, FL. He ran 58 laps on a greenway for the 12-12-12 marathon in Sarasota.

The Saturday before that he ran the Huntsville Marathon with Andrew. Huntsville was Andrew's 12th marathon of 2012. He brought all his medals from the other 11 races and took and awesome photo with all his medals on his arms after the race.

Huntsville was Harper's first marathon and she was a trooper, she's already taking after her big brother! It was fun to be at a marathon again, there is such a great energy at the races.

I am so proud of Dave for completing his goal of running 12 marathons this year. He ran the last 3 marathons in 10 days and ran over 800 miles this year! Here are photos from the Huntsville Marathon:

 

Chicago Marathon

Marathon #8 is in the books! Dave and Andrew headed up to Chicago on Friday, October 5th for the 35th Annual Bank of American Chicago Marathon. They ran the race for Team Salute and both raised over $600 (each) for the charity (a big thank-you to everyone who donated!)! On Saturday they went to McCormick Place for packet pick up (along with the 45,000 other people running the race!). They also attended a Team Salute luncheon and were able to meet some of the people that would be in their start corral and hear inspiring stories from soldiers that Team Salute has helped.

All of the guys stayed with my sister, Dana and her husband, Paul. Dana even cooked for them on Saturday night! :) Paul was nice enough to get up at the crack of dawn and drive them to the starting point of the race too. Generally the guys are running a little behind on race mornings even after preparing the night before. It was also the coldest weather they have run a race in. Omaha was also cold, but not as cold as Chicago. Cold is definitely better to run the race in though, so I don't think they were complaining too much.

This race was tougher than Omaha, I don't think the course was more difficult though. Dave had problems the entire race, he was not feeling well for some reason. (I am hoping he isn't contagious!) However, he did seem to recover after the race and on Sunday night. The guys went to eat at a favorite place of ours, The Bad Apple Bar. They have the BEST burger menu and a huge selection of beers. Their fried cheese is also the best I've ever had. If you're in Chicago, it's a place you don't want to miss!
(Thanks to Paul and Dana for the photos!)

   

Omaha Marathon

I figured I had better get this post up before Dave leaves for the Chicago marathon on Friday!

 The Omaha Marathon was Sunday, September 23rd. Dave and Andrew arrived in Omaha the Thursday before the race and were entertained by Kyle and Amie and other family and friends until race day. Andrew was able to experience such Midwestern specialties as a swamp dog donkey burger in Neola, as well as actual cuisine at M's Pub in Omaha. I'm glad they took him to M's Pub first ;)

On to the marathon, along with Dave and Andrew, Dave's friend from high school, Andrew (I know another Andrew, we'll call him Andy for this post) also ran the marathon. The weather was perfect for the marathon, cool to start off, in the 40's and then warming up to the 60's by the time they finished. It was certainly much cooler than these guys are used to, but it worked in their favor, Andrew and Andy had personal bests in the race! Andrew ran his race in 3:40 and Andy shaved 20 minutes off his time from his first marathon! Dave came in 2 minutes past his personal best at 4:09, which is still awesome. The next race is Chicago on Sunday, good luck guys!

 Here are some photos from the race (thanks Sherrie and Carolyn!)

Six down, six to go

After a busy winter and spring of running marathons Dave took a couple of months off during the summer. There aren't many marathons in the summer and even the late April, early May ones are HOT to run in. Can you imagine running a marathon in July? I can't imagine running a marathon at all, so one in July sounds especially awful.
Here's a re-cap of what marathons Dave (and Andrew) have run so far this year(if you would like to go back to the post about a particular race the links are below)

Miami
Myrtle Beach
Atlanta
Knoxville
Nashville
Pittsburgh

Coming up this fall:

Omaha (this Sunday, September 23rd)
Chicago
Columbus
Savannah (Andrew only as it is the weekend before my due date!)
Huntsville
Memphis

So, Dave needs to find another race to run this fall to get his 12 in 12 months. The Charlotte Marathon is Nov. 17th and there is also one in NC on October 27th. The one on October 27th makes me a little nervous, that is a little close to my due date...

Dylan and I think the baby will be early, but Dylan did tell me that she would come after my birthday. I am hoping for a Nov. 6th or 7th arrival as Carolyn won't be here until Nov. 5th. We will see how that goes since I really don't have any control over when this (nameless still) baby arrives!

Oh, back to the marathons, that's what this post is supposed to be about right?! Dave and Andrew headed up to Omaha a little early, they are staying with Carolyn. Dave has already exposed Andrew to interesting dining in Neola and the Old Market. Today they are golfing with friends and then tonight going to Kyle and Amie's house warming. Dave always tries to pack in as much as he can when he is back in Iowa, hopefully he doesn't get worn out before the race on Sunday.

It goes without saying, but if you can make it to any of the races to cheer these guys on they would love it. Dave always tells me how much it helps him to see people that he knows cheering him on throughout the race. Nina and I have become experts and strategically placing ourselves throughout the race courses so if you have any questions on where to watch let us know! Also, the Omaha marathon looks super easy to be a spectator at, the race course basically runs 13 miles south and then 13 miles north all within a few blocks of each other. Here's the race map, I would suggest printing it out if you are going to the race and any parking info and road closures.

I am hoping I can get some photos from Dave's family that will be attending the race (hint, hint) and will be able to post them next week!

Good luck Dave and Andrew!!

Nashville and Pittsburgh Marathons

I am more than a little behind in posting considering the Nashville Rock and Roll Marathon was almost a month ago, and the Pittsburgh marathon was on May 5th (Bob's bday!). I think it was fitting that Dave ran in Pittsburgh on Bob's birthday considering Bob is from just outside Pittsburgh. Dave and Andrew also ate at the "almost world famous" Primanti Brothers and of course send photos of their delicious food to Bob. I am not sure if that was the birthday present he was looking for!

Anyway, back to the marathons. Nashville was hot as usual. However, since Nina and I are now experts at navigating cities where our husbands are running marathons we did excellent. We also went to the same places as we did last year, that may have been a factor in our excellent navigation.

I can't forget to mention that Andrew rode his BIKE to Nashville from Knoxville and then ran the marathon. I think it was about 180 miles that he did before he even ran the marathon! And he still finished the marathon in around 4 hours. CRAZY!!

Dave pulled a muscle in his back as he was getting out of the car in Nashville. He wasn't sure he was going to be able to run the race considering he couldn't stand up straight. Luckily a little TLC from Andrew's mom and myself got him loosened up enough to run the race. And he still did great finishing under 4:30!





These guys amaze me every race! Seriously, they just keep getting better and powering through no matter the conditions.

With only a weeks break between Nashville and Pittsburgh there wasn't much recovery time for Dave or Andrew. Andrew's sister lives in Pittsburgh so Dave and Andrew were lucky enough to have a free place to stay again!




Six marathons down, six to go! Way to go guys!!

Knoxville Marathon and kick-ass friends

While I was in Charleston, Dave ran the Knoxville Marathon. Since I wasn't able to attend I didn't get any photos and have forgotten to ask Nina for hers of Dave at the finish line. Our friend Chad did get a photo of Dave towards the end of the race running along Gay Street in Downtown Knoxville.


Grandma Carolyn was going to come and watch Dylan for us that weekend since Dave had to work and run the marathon on Sunday and I would be in Charleston. But, she got sick a day before she was supposed to get on a flight to Knoxville. What to do?! Take Dylan with me Charleston, not really ideal. What else could we do...enter our wonderful friends Andrew and Nina (ok, really Nina, because she was the one who took care of Dylan all weekend). That's right. Dave dropped Dylan off at Andrew and Nina's at 7:30am on Saturday and worked all day (so did Andrew, so it was just Nina and the 4 kids, her 3 plus Dylan). And you know what? She took all the kids grocery shopping and to Hobby Lobby. I realize that to those of you with muliple kids this is no big deal. But I was amazed when I talked to her on Saturday, while I was in Charleston, and she was at Hobby Lobby with all the kids. She said she told them if they were good she would get them a matchbox car at the grocery store (bribes work my friends). I doubt I could handle 4 kids all day by myself without losing it.

After Dave worked all day Saturday he had to go to the race expo to pick up his bib and packet for the race on Sunday. Since the race started so early on Sunday, Dylan and Dave stayed over night and Andrew and Nina's so Dave wouldn't have to drop Dylan off at 6am on Sunday. Dylan had his first sleepover! He absolutely loves Brandon and Andrew (Andrew and Nina's little boys) and had so much fun with them over the weekend.

On Sunday morning Dave and Andrew left early for the race and Nina got the kids up and ready to head to watch their dads run their 4th marathon of the year. Their first stop was Tyson Park, about 1/2 way through the race. A great spot to stop and watch the race since the kids could play while waiting for their dads to run past. The finish of the Knoxville marathon is in Nyland Stadium. I know the boys loved getting to go into the stadium and see their dads finish the race. Then Nina took the kids to lunch and then back to her house to wait for Dave and Andrew.

Dylan was wore out from a weekend of playing with friends. And honestly I didn't worry about him at all. He knows Andrew and Nina and their family well. We have spent a lot of time with them, especially over the past few months, so I knew he would be comfortable there. The only thing I was worried about was him behaving and apparently he did that too.

So, as I've told Nina a million times, thank-you!

Did you want race results...ok...Dave thought the Knoxville marathon was a good race, he said he felt good throughtout the entire race and finished really well. He finished first of his Fleet Feet running group and a personal best of 4 hours 7 minutes!

Publix Georgia Marathon

My Atlanta marathon post is a little late...

I did upload pictures the other night, but for some reason I haven't had time to write the re-cap until now.

We headed down to Atlanta late on Saturday. Dave had to work, so Dylan and I met him at the club. Since Dylan didn't nap Saturday afternoon he fell asleep in the car, which was great, we had an uneventful drive to Atlanta! We were lucky to be able to stay with Nina's mom just outside of Atlanta and not have to get a hotel room.We were going to stop at Outback once we got to Atlanta, but there was a 45 minute wait and we decided that would not work for our starving stomachs. So we headed to Subway. I don't know if that was Dave's best pre-race meal, but it could have been worse!

 Andrew had picked up Dave's race packet earlier that day and had a terrible time getting to the packet pick up and back. Why is getting around Atlanta such a pain?! It was nice for us to not have to deal with picking up the packet though! We were able to watch the Iowa State vs. UK game Saturday night. Even though ISU didn't win, they still did alright considering they were playing the #1 team in the country.

Sunday morning came early for Dave at 4:30am. The race started at 7am, but Dave and Andrew had to pick up another runner, drive downtown and park and be ready to go ontime. Nina, the kids and I had it a little better. We had decided to just go to the finish line and not try and see Dave and Andrew at another spot along the course. With Atlanta's traffic and 4 kids with us it was definately the right decision. We left for the finish about 9am and were ready and watching by 10:30am. We would have been there earlier if the directions we'd gotten from the race website were correct...so annoying.

Andrew finished first and told us that the hills were terrible in the race. Considering they train in Knoxville, where it is very hilly this was a surprise. Andrew said it best later when describing the hills, "You know when your parents talked about walking up hill to school both ways? That's how the course felt, you would get to the top of a hill and instead of going back down a hill, you would go up another one!"

Dave finished about 30 minutes after Andrew. The heat was the hardest part of the race for him. When they started the race it was in the upper 50's and when they finished it was in the upper 70's. They tell runners to dress for 20 degrees warmer than what the temperature is, because that is what it will feel like to you. I can't imagine finishing a marathon feeling like it's 90 degrees outside!

Dave at the finish! Way to go Dave!

3 down, 9 to go! :)

There are always some characters running the races...

Andrew at the finish.

Dylan and Brandon stayed busy playing with the beach ball.

Publix Georgia Marathon Medal.

Myrtle Beach Marathon!

I have been counting down the days until the Myrtle Beach Marathon, because we get to go to the BEACH!! It's been over a year since I've been to the beach, any beach at all (the last beach I was at was on our cruise last year, it's hard to believe it's been a year since then). I am sure you all feel my pain. But after living in Florida for almost 5 years and having the beach accessable in 15 minutes, I would certainly take that over snow and cold. Our beach weather doesn't look great though upper 50's and low 60's. Good weather for running a marathon though!

Marathon 2 of 12 is the Bi-Lo Myrtle Beach Marathon. The course goes right past the house we are renting, which totally makes my day, because have you ever tried to follow someone who is running a marathon? It's not easy driving around trying to figure out where they will be and where you should go to watch them. I wish Dave's Nike GPS watch had some sort of tracking divice on it, that would be very helpful. Anyway, we are lucky this time, we can just watch from the house and then head to the finish line!

I don't know if Dave is getting nervous, but I am! I always get nervous before his races and before we travel, this is both, so I am extra nervous. I know I will start to feel better once we get on the road tomorrow. I am sure Dave is feeling pretty good about the race. He did great at Miami and has been training consistently for Myrtle Beach.

ING Miami Marathon

Update: Want to see photos from the race? Go to www.marathonfoto.com and enter the last name "Vannier" or "McClintock" the event is the ING Miami Marathon. Dave said he took some photos on his IPod too, so when I get those I will post them as well!

One down, 11 to go! Dave and Andrew completed the ING Miami Marathon this morning! They arrived in Miami last night, went to the expo and picked up their packets and admired the view of the ocean from their 36th floor hotel room. :)
The race started at 6:15am this morning. I signed up earlier in the week to receive text alerts, so I set my phone to vibrate last night so I wouldn't be woken up from the first message. But I didn't get any messages at all! Dave hadn't set up any other tracking for me to follow, but luckily Andrew had his results posted to his facebook page. I knew Dave would be running pretty close to Andrew's times, so at least I had some idea how Dave would be doing.
Dave ended up finishing about 20 minutes after Andrew. Dave said the course was great and the fans were awesome in a few of the locations. Having people cheering you on while you are running is a huge boost for those guys, even if they don't know who is cheering for them. That is one thing Dave really likes about the Rock and Roll Marathons, all the bands set up playing music, it gives him something else to think about and see other than just running with no entertainment.
Dave said he felt good after the race too. I think he was a little worried before the race as to how he would do. He had a "long" week at the PGA show, so he didn't get any training in. We were in Iowa the week before and Dave did get a few runs in, one when it was about 10 degrees outside!

Here are the details from the ING Miami Marathon. There were 3943 finishers (2580 male/1363 female) according to active.com.

Here are Dave's stats: 
Chip time 4:27:02
Overall 1811
SexPl 1332
DivPl 214

Here are Andrew's stats:
Chip time: 4:07:32
Overall 1177
SexPl 909
Div Pl 160

Way to go guys!!

The next race is Myrtle Beach on February 18th. Stay tuned for updates!

Countdown to Miami

The ING Miami Marathon is only 13 days away! Dave had a 22 mile run on Saturday and felt really good afterwords. Usually when I talk to him after a long run he sounds tired and beat up, but when I talked to him on Saturday he was in a great mood after his run. He averaged 9:20 minute miles for the 22 miles, which he was pretty happy with. How is he tracking that you might ask? He was gifted a Nike GPS watch for Christmas that he loves, which tracks his runs. He can download the runs to the computer and then the software will track the run for him, show his route, show his times, he can log the weather, and much more.
He has also been working on his core exercises in addition to running 40 plus miles a week.
I am more excited for the Myrtle Beach Marathon since we are renting a house on the beach with Andrew and Nina (and all our kids). Hopefully the weather is nice and we can enjoy the beach  and Andrew and Dave have good running weather. :)

12 in 12ish

Well sort of...Dave and Andrew are planning on running 12 marathons next year. They've already signed up for the first three, Miami, Myrtle Beach & Atlanta. Then comes the Knoxville and Nashville marathons in April followed by Pittsburgh in May. June, July and August are slow months for marathons and really, who wants to be running a marathon when it's super hot (really who want's to be running a marathon at all...wait these guys I guess)?

Fall marathons up for consideration are Chicago, Minneapolis, Omaha, Savannah, Huntsville, and New York. There may be some others, the schedule for the second half of the year hasn't been set yet.

I know Dave needs to start getting more miles in to really start getting ready for the tough schedule next year. He is always in pretty good shape and he started distance training again in October. He is running in the Santa Hustle in Sevierville on December 11th, which is a half marathon that should help in getting his miles up. But he just needs to do better running during the week, other than on the group run night.

We will be chronicling the marathons here on hamtowne and if I can get them to do it, maybe we will even have a few guest posts from Andrew and Dave. This would also be a great excuse for me to get a new lens for my camera. You guys want to see good photos from the races, right? A zoom lens would be excellent to get photos of Dave and Andrew from a distance and at the finish. It would also be a great pain and suffering present, I get super nervous for Dave before a race. Maybe I need to get Xanex and a new lens :)

We are all going to Myrtle Beach and staying a few days. Hopefully the weather will be nice enough to spend some time on the beach! If anyone wants to join us for the marathons let me know. Dave and Andrew love to see friendly faces in the crowd cheering them on!

Let me know if there is anything else you want to know about the crazy year we have coming up!