Reflections On Marshall

A week has passed since the Marshall University Marathon. We've had time to reflect on the race and sift through the experience, compiling out unofficial list of lessons learned. I'm still not sure why I cramped so badly at mile 17, but I'm very pleased at how I was able to fight through it and still post a personal best time. Therein likely lies the most important lesson from this race: always respect the marathon. It would be easy to become greedy and say, "If I hadn't cramped, I could have run sub-four". But I think the wisest thing to do would be to "take what you can get and be grateful". After all, 4:14 is two minutes faster than the previous PR.

The marathon is one tough event, filled with peaks and valleys. Talent and athletic ability are of no use when the difficult times arrive. These tough periods in a race must be expected, anticipated and embraced. They require preparation in advance. To paraphrase Vince Lombardi, the will to win is not the important thing. It is the will to prepare to win that makes the difference.

The film "We Are Marshall" was shot in several locations in and around Huntington, WV. Here are some pics of some sites central to the movie.


Springhill Cemetery, the site of the memorial to the plane crash. Six players, whose bodies could not be identified are buried here together. The site overlooks the cities of Huntington, The MU campus and stadium.


Nate Ruffin, captain of the 1971 Young Thundering Herd, died of cancer in 2001. He is buried next to his teammates. Jessica is getting a closer look here.


Nate Ruffin's headstone.


Someone left their artwork of number 25.


This is the top of the monument. On the sides of the monument below are inscribed the names of the players, staff, boosters and flight crew killed in the crash.


The main entrance to the campus. The building is named "Old Main".


The Chief Justice John Marshall statue, for whom the school is named.



The memorial fountain, in front of the Memorial Student Center.


The plaque beside the fountain.


On November 14 of each year, the anniversary of the crash, the water to the fountain is turned off. The fountain remains dry until the spring.


Outside Joan C Edwards stadium.


A church across the street.


The 50-yard line.


State Road 75 in Kenova, the site of the plane crash, less than a mile from Tri-State Airport.



The Marshall plane clipped the tops of the trees to the left...



...and crashed into the hillside near the bottom of the ravine to the right.




The Keith-Albee Theater on 4th Avenue. This is the theater depicted in the movie, and was the site of the world premier of "We Are Marshall".


The Frederick Hotel on 4th Avenue, site of the crash hearings held by the NTSB.




Jim's Restaurant on 5th Avenue, inspiration for the restaurant in the movie.

We Are... Marshall!! New PR!!

Well, we made it. A new PR for us, 4:14:03, official time. The trip was great. We got to see some old friends and make some new ones.

The course was flat as advertised and the weather was cool, a great formula for a good time. I've learned through experience that every race brings its own unique set of challenges, and this time it was cramps. My legs started cramping around mile 17 and it was literally a fight to the finish. I've dealt with pain before in a race, but never quite like that. I tried every trick in the book, but ultimately decided on the Nike method, "Just Do It". Hopefully in the next few days I'll have time to post some insights and observations from the weekend, but for now here are some pics.



The "pre-game" meal with Rick and Cindy Shideler.










Near the starting line, a balmy 37 degrees F.









The striptease inside Cam Henderson Center.









One last item of business...










Ready, set, go! We're in there somewhere, I promise.











Mile 6...










Mile 19.... a cramping we will go :-)

Finally....

Go Herd!!

Time to relax.

That's nothin' doc. Last race I lost three toenails.

All pictures courtesy of Rick Shideler, our "official" race photographer.