Kenny Ames's Staging Area

I was really disappointed with the decision to cancel the full. I woke up to a text saying that due to flooding on the course, the marathon was canceled but I had the option of running the full. The “flooding” was near my hotel which was near the end of the race. There was maybe 50 meters of water on the trail by the river when I went out for my warm up before the half. In my opinion, runners could have been directed around the water. When I got back to my hotel, the flooding had receded and wouldn’t have impacted the race. I was looking forward to racing Green Bay to add it as another state on my 50 state marathon quest. The half was run through neighborhoods and a part went around Lambeau Field. Running through the stadium was neat, but the rest of the course wasn’t particularly scenic or memorable. I know that it is a tough decision to cancel any race, but in my opinion, the organizers made the wrong call. As a final kick-in-the-pants, when I finished the half, the announcer mispronounced my name which summed up my race experience.

There are few options to run winter races in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic. DC Road Runners club puts on this nice race. I am biased since I am a club member. Since it is in the winter, be warned that the race has been canceled in the past. The club and volunteers are great. Nice race!

I continued my quest to run a marathon in every state by checking off South Dakota. Who would have thought I would finish both Dakotas before even starting the Carolinas? The weather was warm. The course was one climb over the first fourteen miles then downhill to the finish. It was well supported and gorgeous.

This tied my PR. Great effort on a perfect day. I didn’t realize I was so close to my PR. I signed up because I didn’t have to travel. I’m not a huge fan of RnR, but they do put on a decent race.

I don’t want to knock the entire race because a volunteer mistakenly sent us down a dead end, adding half a mile. But, that’s what I most remember about the race – that and how wet and windy it was. I added another state and collected another BQ, but I am left wondering how many minutes I lost doing that out and back that shouldn’t have been.

On Sunday, October 30, 2016, I ran my first marathon as a father. My son Miles is two-and-a-half months. This also was my first Marine Corps Marathon in 11 years: my first two marathons were the Marine Corps (2004 in 4:10 and 2005 in 3:29). Also, one note of my first two marathons: I walked portions of them. So, the Marine Corps Marathon was the only marathon I hadn’t ever run the entire way (my first Boston, 2012, was so hot that there were stretches I had to walk, but in subsequent years, I have not walked at all). With my 3:08:31, not only did I finally qualify for Boston in my adopted city of DC, I ran the whole time. Plus, with warm temperatures, this was my best time on a day that didn’t provide ideal conditions.

Someday, I will run Boston properly. Even with a warm day, I still set a course PR by two minutes. I tried to stay with my friend, but there were so many people and he felt stronger so he went off. I last saw him before the ninth mile. I just kept turning my legs. I recall that a Globe photographer took my photo that made it into the online site. I remembered to wear sunscreen!

It’s the New York City Marathon! You’ll want to run it. It is an amazing experience. It was a little warm that day. I hoped to BQ, but it wasn’t to be.

It was a nice, small race. It was well organized. The course was beautiful. The hills are real. But it was a great racing experience. The organization was solid – I am thankful for a fun time on a warm day on a difficult course.

Tulsa seemed like a forced marathon, an effort to get in another state before the end of the year. My high school friend went to college in Tulsa and never left so I got to spend time with her. She ran the half marathon and was part of her company’s marathon team. I also met up with a friend I met running in Idaho. He lives in Houston, but is from Tulsa, so coming back to run the half was a good option for him. He had just returned from India on business.

Ran with a first time marathoner; not much to see as on highway then neighborhoods and industrial area; really strong finish. Got a massage and walked around Portland all afternoon and didn’t feel so sore – in fact could probably have run a mile or two more.

The Rocket City Marathon was my 25th total marathon, and Alabama was my 16th different state. I ran the old course which wasn’t remarkable as it mostly darted through neighborhoods and along highways. In fact, next year they are using a completely new course that actually goes by some of the attractions. And, this year it rained a lot before the race and on and off during the race. Plus, I was coming down with a cold so it turned out that my accomplishment would be simply to add another state.

I was looking to squeeze in another marathon. In retrospect, I should have chosen Rehoboth, but this was convenient and fit my schedule at the time. Two loops, humid, long hill, ran smart, and enjoyed a good sampling of beer at Iron Hill, which was right along the walkway by the water on the race course.

While the NYC Marathon was canceled due to the hurricane, I did run in the Marshall University Marathon in Huntington, WV. It was a decent last minute substitute. The volunteers were gracious and helpful. It wasn’t what I expected, but it was another marathon in another state.

Minnesota was very kind to me. I guess that’s why they call it Minnesota nice. I was distracted as my uncle was very sick. In fact, he passed away the day after the marathon, so I thought about him the entire race. The first half of the race it was warm, so I took it slow. The second half, a cloud covering cooled temperatures, and I was able to lay down the hammer the final 10K. Nice race and very nice people!

I love Savannah. It is a great town. This was the inaugural race, so I had to check Georgia off my checklist. It was my then PR after PR-ing a few months ago. I just got under the new BQ time (3:05 at the time for my age). I love Savannah and hope you will too.

I had high hopes for Providence, but I never found my pace. It was hillier than I thought and slightly warm. My family came to support me. The hill 7 miles in where I knew it wasn’t my day, seeing my folks at various water stops, I came back into the city with heavy legs but I finished.

It was a beautiful course and well organized. I drove up with friends and we made a little weekend. The finger lakes are gorgeous. It was well run and a fun time.

I coached a training group and received a complimentary entry. I had a friend run with me. The course has some hills that are challenging. It was an early marathon in my career.

I targeted Philly in November, and since I got this entry free, I treated it like a long run. It was a fun time running with friends and not caring too much about my result. The hills are real, though.

This was too early in my running career. I thought I knew how to BQ. I didn’t know that when it gets warm, I need to back off. This was a good lesson in my career, learning how to pace and adjust.

I had always wanted to run a marathon. I signed up for this one back in the spring. In the fall, with the Red Sox making an historic postseason run, I thought the World Series would go 7 games, so I would skip the marathon to be in Boston. But, I got tickets to go to St. Louis for game 3 and the Sox swept, so I was in DC for the race. I didn’t know how to train and I still was able to finish the race. I am proud that this remains my personal slowest time to date. Great organization and course!