Ethnomethodology and a marathon
At first I wasn't going to write this on the marathon. I've already used the experiences I had in Alaska for so much of this course it felt like I was milking a rock. But Marilyn suggested I do it and well you don't take the advice of someone whose teaching you lightly so I began to consider whether or not it could be done. After going through my head of all the lingo my girlfriend threw at me while she was going through the training process I laughed at my silly pre-conception that any social event I experience has a "limit" to the amount of analysis you can do with it. So once again I'm going back to Alaska, I swear for the very last time.
So my girlfriend was preparing the night before the big run. She had her outfit, a fuel belt filled with water bottles, goo(I'll explain that later), some snack bars, nip guards and other random stuff. We went to bed early (for me anyways) that night so she could get to the start on time. When 6am rolled around I got up to see her out and then went back to bed. At around 8:30am her brother and I left the hotel to rent some bikes and began our day long odyssey riding through Anchorage to meet her at various water stops. After actually volunteering for a water stop in San Jose several months ago I already knew what to expect at them but her brother was quite surprised to see that these stops were not just for water (which many runners carry with them while they run) but is actually a place for a brief respite from the marathon. The runners can refill their water bottles with water or electrolyte solution (this is important since the human body loses a lot of electrolytes in sweat during extended running) as well as "refuel" which refers to eating something with a large amount of carbohydrates or sugars, almost every water stop offered pretzels and twizzlers. I found it interesting how the runners equated food not so much as a form of sustenance but as something to consume in order for their body to continue functioning properly during the race. I was quite familiar with the old term "hitting the wall" as being a point where exhaustion sets in and makes it difficult for a runner to carry on but was puzzled as to how the lingo had changed where hitting the wall is now referred to as "Bonk" such as, "she bonked out at mile 15 and we had to call in the sag wagon." The sag wagon was the vehicle that travelled the length of the course in order to pick up runners who drop out of the race whether from injury or illness. Where the term sag wagon came from no one knows, but it appears to be the lingo used to represent not only the vehicle but its purpose on the course so when the vehicle is radioed for by marathon volunteers they know immediately what it is for.
After two hours of cycling along the beginning of the track we finally found Kelly on about mile 15 looking a little flushed but still very much in the race. The first 10 miles had been on loose gravel along an army base tank trail so the running had been hard. She told me that she had changed her interval to something closer to 4/2 which refers to the number of minutes you run to the number of minutes you walk. Discussing the interval gives other runners an idea at the pace you are running at.
A major topic of conversation between Kelly and other members of Team in Training was of hydration. Hydration refers to the liquid intake of the runner during the course. It is an important element that all runners must consider in order to maintain adequate levels of stamina during the race, from what I was told poor hydration and a lack of fuel are two of the main reasons why runners bonk out on the course. TnT had a lot of coaches running along the course at different points in order to check on their runners and every-time they saw one of their runners the first thing they would ask is how the runners hydration was and whether or not they had enough fuel. They were there to help these runners get across the finish line and after seeing them in action I see it was important to be able to ask brief questions about the runners water and food intake in the shortest amount of time. The coaches know these people have not run many if any marathons before and need only brief one or two word answers to be able to confirm the runners are taking care of their bodies. The terms hydration and fuel also remind the runners that water and food is not just a suggested forms of consumption but are necessary forms of energy as I already mentioned. The coaches also made a point of encouraging all of their runners, often referring to them as "rock stars". I found it funny that they used the term rock star for describing sweaty, exhausted people but it seemed to pick their spirits up to be referred to as such.
By about mile 20 Kelly had entered what John Bingham had referred to in his speech the night before as the "Bite Me" zone. This was not a spatial place but a mental state in which the runner has gone so far and is so tired that thinking of anything other than making it to the finish line requires far more energy than they are willing to spend and anyone that forces them to expend that energy in idle small talk while running will be told to "bite me". At this point I had stop talking to Kelly on more than an encouraging level when I saw her since she clearly wasn't capable of small talk. You give your runner a pat on the pack and a glass of water then get the hell out of their way at this point and that's exactly what I did.
Now for whatever reason, the marathon course planner decided it would be a great idea to make the last mile uphill. Not just a gradual rise but a damn near 25-30 degree incline. Now after 25 miles of tank trails and highway sidewalks I would imagine the last thing any runner would want to see is a hill of that magnitude. But thankfully the TnT group knew the course and had incorporated a great deal of "Hill Work" into their training in which runners were taken on many runs prior to the marathon that incorporated varying degree of hills and inclines in order for all the runners to develop the necessary stamina and strength to traverse the end.
Kelly completed what she had set out to do six months before. She ran a complete marathon after five months of training. I was incredibly proud of her and glad to have been apart, albeit small, of her training. The world of runners is unique in it's individual drive fueled by group encouragement. There was a great of terms she learned during the training process
• "Bite Me" Zone - The period during a marathon where the runner is testy, prone to emotional outbursts and possible biting.
• Bonk - When your body runs out of energy during the race. "She bonked at mile 15"
• Goo - A particular brand of electrolyte gel, comes from the most popular brand of gel "Gu"
• Hydration - Water intake or consumption"you need to watch your hydration when its hot out"
• Penguin - a person who runs for the joy of running instead of for recognition and public awards.
• Fuel - Generic term for food. "make sure you have enough fuel to complete the 10 k"
• Interval - a specific amount of time running followed by a specific amount of time walking "today we're gonna do a 6/2 interval"
• Sag Wagon - a vehicle that is used to pick up runners who drop out of the race.
• Sweeping - people on foot or on vehicles come along the rear of the pack to ensure there are no runners on the trail near the end of a day.
• Water Stop - a rest station set up at intervals during the race along the course. Staffed by volunteers who hand out water, electrolyte drink and fuel. Also includes a bathroom and medical staff at some spots. Also called an aid station.
• Nature's Ice Bath - The pacific ocean
• Rock Star - an encouraging term for a runner who is doing well on a run
• Hill Work - a form of training that incorporates hills of various steepness and length in order to improve your strength, endurance and cardio
• Out and Back - a part of the course where instead of a linear distance from point a to point b you run out out to point a then run back the way you came. A 4 mile out and back would be 2 miles going in one way then turn around and run the same 2 miles back.
• Nip Guards - an anti-friction substance
• cardio - a form of exercise that raises your heart rate to an optimal level for a certain amount of time in order to increase your stamina and capacity for exercise.
So my girlfriend was preparing the night before the big run. She had her outfit, a fuel belt filled with water bottles, goo(I'll explain that later), some snack bars, nip guards and other random stuff. We went to bed early (for me anyways) that night so she could get to the start on time. When 6am rolled around I got up to see her out and then went back to bed. At around 8:30am her brother and I left the hotel to rent some bikes and began our day long odyssey riding through Anchorage to meet her at various water stops. After actually volunteering for a water stop in San Jose several months ago I already knew what to expect at them but her brother was quite surprised to see that these stops were not just for water (which many runners carry with them while they run) but is actually a place for a brief respite from the marathon. The runners can refill their water bottles with water or electrolyte solution (this is important since the human body loses a lot of electrolytes in sweat during extended running) as well as "refuel" which refers to eating something with a large amount of carbohydrates or sugars, almost every water stop offered pretzels and twizzlers. I found it interesting how the runners equated food not so much as a form of sustenance but as something to consume in order for their body to continue functioning properly during the race. I was quite familiar with the old term "hitting the wall" as being a point where exhaustion sets in and makes it difficult for a runner to carry on but was puzzled as to how the lingo had changed where hitting the wall is now referred to as "Bonk" such as, "she bonked out at mile 15 and we had to call in the sag wagon." The sag wagon was the vehicle that travelled the length of the course in order to pick up runners who drop out of the race whether from injury or illness. Where the term sag wagon came from no one knows, but it appears to be the lingo used to represent not only the vehicle but its purpose on the course so when the vehicle is radioed for by marathon volunteers they know immediately what it is for.
After two hours of cycling along the beginning of the track we finally found Kelly on about mile 15 looking a little flushed but still very much in the race. The first 10 miles had been on loose gravel along an army base tank trail so the running had been hard. She told me that she had changed her interval to something closer to 4/2 which refers to the number of minutes you run to the number of minutes you walk. Discussing the interval gives other runners an idea at the pace you are running at.
A major topic of conversation between Kelly and other members of Team in Training was of hydration. Hydration refers to the liquid intake of the runner during the course. It is an important element that all runners must consider in order to maintain adequate levels of stamina during the race, from what I was told poor hydration and a lack of fuel are two of the main reasons why runners bonk out on the course. TnT had a lot of coaches running along the course at different points in order to check on their runners and every-time they saw one of their runners the first thing they would ask is how the runners hydration was and whether or not they had enough fuel. They were there to help these runners get across the finish line and after seeing them in action I see it was important to be able to ask brief questions about the runners water and food intake in the shortest amount of time. The coaches know these people have not run many if any marathons before and need only brief one or two word answers to be able to confirm the runners are taking care of their bodies. The terms hydration and fuel also remind the runners that water and food is not just a suggested forms of consumption but are necessary forms of energy as I already mentioned. The coaches also made a point of encouraging all of their runners, often referring to them as "rock stars". I found it funny that they used the term rock star for describing sweaty, exhausted people but it seemed to pick their spirits up to be referred to as such.
By about mile 20 Kelly had entered what John Bingham had referred to in his speech the night before as the "Bite Me" zone. This was not a spatial place but a mental state in which the runner has gone so far and is so tired that thinking of anything other than making it to the finish line requires far more energy than they are willing to spend and anyone that forces them to expend that energy in idle small talk while running will be told to "bite me". At this point I had stop talking to Kelly on more than an encouraging level when I saw her since she clearly wasn't capable of small talk. You give your runner a pat on the pack and a glass of water then get the hell out of their way at this point and that's exactly what I did.
Now for whatever reason, the marathon course planner decided it would be a great idea to make the last mile uphill. Not just a gradual rise but a damn near 25-30 degree incline. Now after 25 miles of tank trails and highway sidewalks I would imagine the last thing any runner would want to see is a hill of that magnitude. But thankfully the TnT group knew the course and had incorporated a great deal of "Hill Work" into their training in which runners were taken on many runs prior to the marathon that incorporated varying degree of hills and inclines in order for all the runners to develop the necessary stamina and strength to traverse the end.
Kelly completed what she had set out to do six months before. She ran a complete marathon after five months of training. I was incredibly proud of her and glad to have been apart, albeit small, of her training. The world of runners is unique in it's individual drive fueled by group encouragement. There was a great of terms she learned during the training process
• "Bite Me" Zone - The period during a marathon where the runner is testy, prone to emotional outbursts and possible biting.
• Bonk - When your body runs out of energy during the race. "She bonked at mile 15"
• Goo - A particular brand of electrolyte gel, comes from the most popular brand of gel "Gu"
• Hydration - Water intake or consumption"you need to watch your hydration when its hot out"
• Penguin - a person who runs for the joy of running instead of for recognition and public awards.
• Fuel - Generic term for food. "make sure you have enough fuel to complete the 10 k"
• Interval - a specific amount of time running followed by a specific amount of time walking "today we're gonna do a 6/2 interval"
• Sag Wagon - a vehicle that is used to pick up runners who drop out of the race.
• Sweeping - people on foot or on vehicles come along the rear of the pack to ensure there are no runners on the trail near the end of a day.
• Water Stop - a rest station set up at intervals during the race along the course. Staffed by volunteers who hand out water, electrolyte drink and fuel. Also includes a bathroom and medical staff at some spots. Also called an aid station.
• Nature's Ice Bath - The pacific ocean
• Rock Star - an encouraging term for a runner who is doing well on a run
• Hill Work - a form of training that incorporates hills of various steepness and length in order to improve your strength, endurance and cardio
• Out and Back - a part of the course where instead of a linear distance from point a to point b you run out out to point a then run back the way you came. A 4 mile out and back would be 2 miles going in one way then turn around and run the same 2 miles back.
• Nip Guards - an anti-friction substance
• cardio - a form of exercise that raises your heart rate to an optimal level for a certain amount of time in order to increase your stamina and capacity for exercise.