Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas

 

           As we reflect on the past year, it was a time of loss, a time of change, and a time of gain. We had to say good-bye to our dear Aunt Tootsy and our beloved Midnight. We also witnessed the senseless bombings at the Boston Marathon which I was close enough to hear. In September it was wonderful to see our great cousins and Uncle Howie at Aunt Tootsy’s memorial in Auburn. In November it was so touching to see the outpouring of love from Midnight’s friends in the neighborhood. And back in April there was a tremendous response from the Fresno running community in support of the people of Boston. I was asked to speak at a number of functions regarding my perspective on what had happened in what was my 15^th Boston Marathon.

            I coached 2 marathon teams this year adding one for the local running store (SRC) as well as one for Team in Training. The season was extra special because I met my girl friend, Jodi Nili, and coached her for her first marathon. She and I had a lot of fun going to a Fresno Grizzlies’ baseball game, hiking in Sequoia and Yosemite, going to a Cal football game, and visiting Mom and Bill in Calistoga. I also got my picture taken with the Giants’ 2 World Series trophies from 2010 and 2012 when they came to Reedley. The FSU Bulldogs’ 11-1, conference champion, and bowl-bound football team provided a lot of excitement this year, too.

            My running this year suffered greatly from the dislocated and fractured shoulder I experienced skiing in December 2012. I did join some of my Westmont buddies at Big Sky, MT for some skiing in February, but spent 6 months of 2013 doing shoulder and hamstring rehab. I ran only  5 marathons this year including one in South Carolina where I got to spend a week with Becki and Bob McKee. I ran 2 more marathons in Canada (Winnipeg, MB and New Brunswick) and did qualify for Boston 2015 at CIM in Sacramento in December. My two cats Boston and CIM (named after my two favorite marathons) continue to be such attentive and affectionate buddies. After running CIM, I did get on TV to talk about Boston and CIM (the marathons), but the clip didn’t include the part about the cats being named for the marathons: http://fox40.com/2013/12/08/runners-brave-freezing-temps-in-cim/

            An extra special week was the one I spent in August with Brad Towers and his family at Newport Beach. Brad and I went to an Angels game and to Disneyland with his nieces and acted like kids again. This year I have also been teaching Bible classes and developing a computer-based library at “Rescue the Children” which provides Christian homes and training for women and their children. It is such a blessing to work with these ladies. And that brings us back to thanking the Lord for being with us through all our gains and losses this year, and to wishing you all the Lord’s blessings in 2014.

                                               

Have a great New Year,

 

John

 

CIM 2013

CIM, Sacramento

Dec. 8, 2013

 

3:52:14  31/127 in 60-64    2160/6435 overall  8:52 pace overall

            Driving rain and 30 mph winds? Yes, it was much worse at CIM last year. This year it was very cold-about 28 degrees, but it didn’t rain and there was little wind. So actually, pretty good for a marathon. One interesting aspect of the freezing temps was that at the early aid stations the spilled liquid froze on the ground and created icy, slippery conditions. One had to be very careful not to fall.    

            Jodi and I drove up on Sat. morning and had fun looking at the Christmas tree on the Capitol lawn and then going to the expo. I ran into a group of friends that I knew from when I taught in Reedley, and it was neat to hear that they were doing the marathon. I also got my award from CIM loyalty group for having run CIM 10 times since I didn’t get it earlier. They had 2 years with my name as Volkmar.

            Sat. night we had dinner at the Spaghetti Factory with a number of Fresno friends who were running CIM including Paul, Amanda, Nick, Michelle, Juan (who was doing his 23^rd CIM and 140^th marathon), and Bill. And then race morning, I got on the bus at 5:15 and lo and behold it was the same bus that Amanda, Mark, Dion, Kathleen and Paul were on. We had fun chatting and then freezing together when we finally had to get off the bus.

            I wore a short sleeve shirt and arm warmers with a long sleeve shirt over the top. I debated long and hard with myself, but finally did opt for tights which proved to be a good decision as the cold prevailed the whole race. I also wore cotton gloves and a cap with ear flaps. After mile 7, I tossed the long sleeve shirt and was not cold, just invigorated. I felt really good and after the first couple of miles at just under 9, I ran some 8:25 miles and some 8:35 miles feeling like I was holding myself back as best I could. The paces came very comfortably. But then at mile 6 my right calf tightened, followed shortly my the left calf doing the same. My right calf had been tight the week before, but very odd to have both of them hurt so much. I did have an awful lot of soreness throughout my legs when I got my massage from Kristie on Thursday so was wondering what was going on in those let muscles. At one point I felt like the right calf had ripped and I had to stop and stretch. Jodi really helped me by being out on the course to cheer and take pictures and use “The Stick” on me. No, not to beat me to go faster. It’s the one used to massage tight muscles and it really helped to have her rub on those calves at miles 13 and 19. That and seven ibuprofen and a lot of grimacing got me through somehow. This was the most painful marathon I’ve run because of the calf cramps. It was doubly frustrating because I felt fast and in good shape but couldn’t perform at peak level.

            At halfway I was at 1:54 and still hoping for sub 3:50. I did run an 8:35 and an 8:30 at miles 15 and 17 and 8:45-8:55 for miles 21-26, but had a couple of 9:30s at 19 and 20 where I had to stretch and roll that cost me the 3:50. My time was a Boston Qualifying time so I was very happy about that.

            At the expo there was a young man named Lance Casazza who has run 3 marathons in the 5 hour range. He hopes to go from 260 lbs to 210 and get his time down to his BQ time of 3:15. See his quest to qualify and to raise money for the Boston Marathon bombing victims at: http://thelongroadtoboston.com/  He points out that “less than 1% of the US population will ever finish a marathon. Of that group, only 10.4% will ever receive an invitation to Boston.” It certainly makes me appreciate all the more how blessed I’ve been to be able to run Boston 15 times and be registered to run again in 2014 and qualified for 2015.

This was Marathon #134;16 states on 2d go round; 8 provinces.. Pictures at: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1JcNWbVkxY8Q

My Canadian Marathon 10 27 13; Moncton, New Brunswick

Legs for Literacy-Moncton, NB, Can. Oct. 27, 2013 3:55:46  2/11AG  94/195 total                                                                                  

                                                                                     Div               Gun      Chip        Pace/

Place No.   Name         City / Town     Prov CO.   S   Total  Div      Time      Time         Km  

94   John Volkman        Fresno          CA   US      M   2/11   M6069 3:56:28 3:55:46   5:37

 

            My plane was supposed to leave Fresno at 6AM on Fri and get into Moncton at 8PM. Instead it was delayed leaving Fresno so that I missed all my connections including the one from Toronto. I was rerouted via New Jersey and got into Moncton at midnight. New Brunswick is in the Atlantic time zone which is 4 time zones over from our Pacific time zone. We don’t even have that time zone in the states. Saturday I got up about 10 ADT and ran 15 min in 32° with light winds and “feel-like” of 28°. Brrr

            I went to the expo and got my race packet and bib which in Canada are called a race “kit”. It was fun to find out that the race benefits Legs for Literacy which works with teaching adults to read. Very cool for a retired librarian to be part of thatJ I enjoyed meeting a number of race personnel and having pasta dinner with some of them. Jeanne invited me over to meet her family. I had fun talking with her husband, Mike, daughter, Sydney, and her boyfriend, Tyler. Mike is a golfer and we had fun looking at pictures of some great courses he’s played and hearing about the 4 times he’s played in Ireland and Scotland. They are big Red Sox fans so we watched some of the World Series which, with 4 hour time difference, didn’t start until 9PM. BTW, Mike ran 3:18 the next day and then went to play hockey at 9 that night—and he’s 52!  Sydney ran a 1:42 in the half and got 2^nd.

            Race day for me meant getting up at 2AM PDT (6AM in Moncton) for the 8AM start. The morning was dark until nearly starting time and was 38°, overcast, and included light showers most of the race. With ¾ of the race on packed gravel trail, this meant some puddles and muddy spots. The 800 half-marathoners started with the 200 marathoners so the conditions were very crowded especially in the 3 or 4 parts where the course double-backed. I stayed very consistently between 8:55-9:05 for the first half hitting midway about 1:58. The second half of the race had just the full marathoners so I really ran alone most of the time. It included some neighborhoods and running on streets which was a bit faster than the trail and a good change of pace. I ran miles 19-26 at 8:43, 8:05 (downhill), 8:55, 8:34, 8:56, 8:40, 8:35, 8:23, and last (on my watch) .53 at 7:50 pace. I knew I was going be close to my Boston qualifying time of 3:55 so was pleased my legs felt good and I was able to run hard & fast the last 8 miles.

            Unfortunately, even though the overall average pace of 8:53 on my watch (which is sub 3:55 marathon pace) was not fast enough because I actually ran 26.53 miles. Oh, well, that wasn’t my number one goal for this race. I wanted to place and I got 2^nd and I wanted to be under 4 hours. My real BQ goal race (for 2015) is CIM in Dec., and in my mind this was a “training” race. It was also my comeback-from-injuries race in that I finally felt like I had been able to get some speed work in the last couple of months and the hamstring was ok with itJ I really was pleased that I was patient in the early part of the race, and was able to run negative splits with the last miles being my fastest!

            I admit I did not take an ice bath as I was already freezing cold after the race. I had worn a long sleeve shirt for first 5 miles, but tossed it and wore just singlet and gloves the rest of the race (shorts, socks, and shoes, too for those who you who might not be assuming those things and thinking odd thoughtsJ).

            In the pictures you can see the pumpkin pie blizzard I got at Dairy Queen and the beautiful sunset views of the trail and river in Moncton. Also, Magnetic Hill was an interesting phenomenon where your car seems to be coasting uphill because of the way the surrounding land and trees give an optical illusion.

            On Monday I drove about an hour and a half to St. John which is on the Bay of Fundy which has the world’s highest tides. The city has many historic buildings, and I enjoyed a walking tour of the town. The Market Place is a combination of museum, restaurants, shops, and a public library. The museum featured the War of 1812 from 4 viewpoints: American, Canadian, Indian, and British. Francis Scott Key who wrote Star Spangled Banner at Fort McHenry, MD is a highlight. Note the captions on the pictures for more details.

            Marathon #133; 8th province; 16 states on 2d go round. Next up CIM #14 in Sacramento on Dec. 8, 2013

Pictures at: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1JcNWbVkxY4A

Winnipeg, Manitoba  June 18, 2013   4:09:25   8/17 AG   303/636 finishers

            Arriving in Winnipeg on Sat. afternoon, I headed to the expo to get my packet. In the parking lot of the football stadium, I met two young ladies who were just as confused as I was as to where the expo was. It turned out that they were reps for Red Bull and driving the car I had noticed with the Red Bull can on top. I told them that my running friend had just bought some Red Bull the other afternoon for her office because everyone seemed to need a boost that day. They were so impressed that they gave me 3 free sample cans of their new flavors. So I got the marathon off to a Red Bull start the next morning since the motel didn't have coffee.  We eventually found the expo, and I got my packet and signed up for a massage the next day. I had never been to a marathon that had a massage signup the day before; considering my hamstring, I thought it might be a good idea.

            Saturday was a short night with my having to get up at 5AM (3AM PDT) to get to the 5:45 shuttle. This was the 35th edition of the Winnipeg Marathon so they had everything down perfectly. I was able to easily drop my sweat bag in the tent where it would be waiting at the end of this out-and-back course. I jogged some to warm-up and didn't feel too bad, but wondered what the hamstring would allow and what my conditioning would give me. To the sounds of "Chariots of Fire" over the speakers, the race started and I found that 8:50-9:00 pace came very comfortably, and was what I'd like to stay at, and maybe bring down in 2d half. I was wearing a Boston Marathon cap and was inspired by a number of spectators calling out, “Boston Strong.” I was trying to be, but mentally I wasn't really where I wanted to be. I started to feel the competitive juices flowing as the pace seemed comfortable and I hoped I could hold it. (Actually it was delusions of stealing a faster time than I deep-down knew I was trained for; darn reality!)

            The course was flat; this is prairie land here in Manitoba. The sun was out and it was high 50s, but there were lots of trees and shade so I felt cool enough. I had stretches where the Garmin hit 8:30-40 and I kept the pace under 9. I hit half at just over 1:55 and kept that pace going until about 16. I was dreaming of finishing strong and getting 3:45-50. But lo, it was not to be. Funny how the body does what it's going to do in spite of your great plans. It was a classic example of hitting the wall: one minute I'm doing 9 min miles and the next minute, the same effort is now closer to 10. Miles 17-20 were 9:20. Doing the math at 20 I realized that 3:50 was gone and I'd be lucky to break 4. Well, I sure wanted to do that so I pushed, but the times wouldn't budge below 9:30. In fact 21-22 were over 10. So, discouraged I walked a bit which didn't help much, but gave me time to feel sorry for myself and then get over it. I couldn't believe that the thought of quitting went through my mind. Forget that! And I started running. Running 10s sure beat walking 15s. I was going to get as close to 4 as my beat-up legs would let me.

            It sure didn't hurt any less to walk, and if I just forgot how slow I was running, I would eventually reach the finish, battered, but not beaten! It was really pride that was getting in my way. Just because I couldn't break 3:50 or 4:00, I wanted to throw in the towel. I could keep running as long as I wasn't concerned about the pace. I did try to go faster at points, but just couldn't sustain it. The lack of long runs and speed-work because of the hamstring injury made a difference. If you don't/can't do the homework, you will not Ace the test! So now it was time to see if I could slide by with a "C". Originally, I'd hope to place in this race. (I see that 3:50 was 3d so I could have.) So 23-26 averaged just under 11. I was disappointed, but had to realize that I did the best I could with what I had on that day and under the circumstances of the last few months.

            After I finished, I was taken to the massage area which was inside the field house. They had my name in their computer and I was able to clean-up and then get my massage from Derrick who had done his training in Sydney, Australia. He explained that he had dual citizenship since his mom was Aussie, but he'd been raised in Winnipeg. He had gotten his chiropractic license 6 months ago so I got an adjustment as well as a massage. How great was that to get both! My body felt so much better afterwards!

            Now it's time to rest and rehab some more. The hamstring is much improved from 4-5 months ago and I hope with 2 weeks easy, it will be good to go for some serious training. I'd sure like to improve my Boston qualifying time just to be sure I get in. Amazingly, my BQ for 2014 is the 3:47 I ran in the driving rain at CIM in Dec. That is more than 5 minutes faster than the required 3:55 BQ time so I'm in 3d group, but I'd sure like to get under 3:45 and get in 2d group just to be safe. Motivation! I have given one talk to a group about Boston and my marathon career, and am scheduled for a Rotary group next month. It's for sure I want to run Boston next year no matter what it takes! And if you don't think so ask my cat. (Boston, the tabby, insists I honor his name!)

Marathon #132; 7th province; still at 16 states on 2d go round. Next up Santa Rosa or Ventura at end of Aug or first of Sep; still deciding)

            On Sunday afternoon, I got the obligatory hamburger and fries and then took a boat ride on the Red and Assiniboine rivers which was fun, relaxing, and informative. I had my post-race ice cream after having a salad for dinner. On Monday I took a tour of the mint. (Did you know I worked in the SF mint for 6 weeks after I graduated from Westmont? That was to be my career path, but then I got my draft notice. It was the end of the Vietnam War and I ended up at Fort Ord for basic training in August 1972. I wasn't thrilled at the time, but looking back, I'm so glad that the Lord had other plans for me and I ended up as librarian/teacher and coach.) At the recommendation of the mint guides I went to the Exchange District to eat at Smoke's Poutinerie. Pountins are basically French fries smothered with gravy and meat of your choice. Great for day after a marathon, but not really in training diet otherwise. I ate them while listening to jazz band in the park there. Later on I visited the Manitoba Museum seeing a lot of natural and local history and seeing a planetarium presentation. I met a lot of friendly people in Winnipeg which they told me is something the city prides itself on. And I can vouch for that and a well-organized marathon.

Marathon #132; 7th province; still at 16 states on 2d go round. Next up Santa Rosa or Ventura at end of Aug or first of Sep; still deciding)

Pictures at: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1JcNWbVkxYrI 

Volkman ran hard to reach milestone

Volkman ran hard to reach milestone
Published online on Tuesday, Jun. 09, 2009

By Matt James / The Fresno Bee

My favorite John Volkman story is not the time he lost five toenails during a race and went into shock.

It isn't the time he was so distraught that he and a girlfriend had broken up that he lost 20 pounds and ran his best marathon in years.

It isn't the time he ran two marathons in two states on the same weekend. (He's done that twice, actually.)

It isn't even the time he and his brother Bill flew to Arkansas to run in a marathon together in honor of their father who had just died.

No, my favorite John Volkman story is that he has written two somewhat noteworthy books, one of which sold 3,000 copies, and that seems quite a lot for a book about "collaborative library research."

It is amazing what we don't know about each other.

Many of us are great listeners. Many of us are great talkers. But there are few who do both well. Volkman is one of those people.

His stories roll downhill, in the sense that he gets excited telling them and they get faster and faster. But you can also see he's paying attention when you talk, not just thinking of what he's going to say next. That's too much of a rarity these days.

Volkman makes today's Sports section because Sunday in Casper, Wyo., he ran his 100th marathon, an accomplishment only two other Fresno runners are known to have achieved: Bob Lindsey and Juan Sobenes.

Lindsey ran 114 marathons before retiring. Sobenes was 68 years old when he ran his 100th in Boston in 2006.

There's no telling how many Volkman will run. He has three more this fall -- Omaha, Neb., Detroit and Philadelphia -- before he's run a marathon in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. After that, he can rattle off another dozen marathons he wants to run for the first time, and then a few in Europe. With classic librarian efficiency and planning, he says he's been "waiting for the exchange rate to get better."

Not that he's had time to go abroad anyway. Volkman has run 47 marathons since 2001. At age 58, he's relatively young for having already reached this milestone, and his Wyoming time of 4:03.54 this weekend is pretty remarkable for a 100th. Especially when you consider Casper was his fifth marathon in eight weeks.

The man didn't limp to 100; he sprinted downhill.

As for possibly running on all seven continents, he has no interest in going anywhere near Antarctica.

"You know there are 10 provinces in Canada," he says.

Ah yes, there's always the northern tour.

After playing basketball and baseball in high school, Volkman didn't start running until age 30, after a teacher at Sanger High dared him to run the local 10k. From there, he was hooked, training so hard that within a year, the spring of 1981, he broke three hours in his first marathon (2:58.43).

After graduating from San Jose State, Volkman moved to the Central Valley from Calistoga to be librarian at Sanger High. He did that for 10 years, then was librarian at Hoover High for 16 years, and he's been a librarian at Reedley High for the past seven years.

Then, in 1998, he applied to be the coach for the local chapter of Team in Training, and since then, the Fresno group has raised $15 million for cancer research. Volkman gets the best of it all. He gets to be part of the honorees' lives, some with sad endings and others who become inspirational survivors. He gets to turn everyday people into marathon runners, their lives and bodies transformed.

"You look at old pictures," he says, "and you don't even recognize some of them."

And he gets paid to do it, funding all his own marathon trips and paying off his house early, which is, of course, not why he does it, but still pretty nice.

"I get double satisfaction," he says. "You just go down the list. It's just incredible personal stories, peoples' lives who I've been able to be involved with."

He has plenty of his own stories -- that time his shoes were too tight in an ultramarathon and all his toenails fell off. Every fast step downhill sent pain screaming through his body. But he kept going fast. It's the only way he knows.