Maniac questionnaire

Name   David A. (Dave) Tucker

Maniac #         682

State you live in          Michigan

How many marathons / ultra marathons have you run?          12 marathons, no ultras (yet)

What was the first race you ever ran? (Any distance)            Governor’s Cup Race, Columbia, SC, 1984.

What was the first marathon you ever ran? What year did you run it? Did you have fun that day? Detroit Free Press Marathon, October 2002.  At Mile 20 I asked my friend, “Remind me again why we’re doing this?”  By the time I crossed the finish line I was thinking of the next one.  You better believe it was fun!

How long have you been a runner and why did you start running?   Started running on a whim in 1979 when I picked up a cheap book on running and decided to give it a try.

Why did you decide to become a Maniac? Or what inspired you?  I am a member of MarathonGuide.com.  One day someone posted a message about the Maniacs.  I was curious enough to look at the web site.  I thought you were all crazy.  When I had the chance to run two marathons in three weeks, I remembered the Maniacs.  You are crazy, but now it’s we who are crazy!

Of all the races out there in this world, which one would you most like to run?  Antarctica Marathon.  If someone will sponsor my transportation, I’ll pick up the race fees J.

If you could run a marathon / ultra accompanied by anyone either living or deceased, who would you choose and why?  Patricia Ball.  She is the director of the Detroit Free Press Marathon and the one who inspired me to run my first.

What was you most memorable marathon and why?  The Baltimore Marathon in October 2006.  My wife ran her first half marathon there.  The starts were staggered so that, with her time, I was able to complete my marathon, then run back about a mile to find her and accompany her the rest of the way to the finish line.  I had already run a good race and was feeling better than at any other finish; seeing my Kathy finish her half was the icing on the cake for that day!  I pranced along with her, shouting to the crowd, “This is Kathy’s first Half Marathon, cheer for her!!”

If someone asked you to pick a race for him or her that they could run a PR at, which race would you suggest?  Detroit.  It’s a good, flat, fast course, well organized, and fun.

What was the furthest you’ve ever traveled for a race?  Detroit to Sarasota, FL

Do any of your non-running friends or family members think that you’re crazy for running as much as you do? What are some of their comments to you?  They know I’m crazy . . . and so do I.  I have one friend in particular – a non-runner – who has had two knee replacements, both with complications.  He is constantly warning me that I’ll wind up where he is.  On the family side, since I started doing marathons, my wife has started running halfs, our younger daughter did her first half marathon last month in Detroit, and our elder daughter did her first race of any distance, the 5k, in Detroit last month.

If personal obligations or finances were not an issue, how many marathons would you run in one year? I could do six per year with no problem.

From what race did you receive your favorite finishers medal?  The medal from Detroit, my first marathon, is special in a sentimental as well as aesthetic way.  That was the 25^th anniversary of the Detroit Free Press Marathon, so the medal was specially designed.

Where do you keep your finisher medals? I always hand the most recent medal on the wall of my office, along with my race number.  When I replace that one, it joins the others hanging over a picture frame on my dresser at home.  By the way, the photo frame, now hidden by medals, shows me in a fencing uniform, wearing the gold medal I had just won at a local tournament.

 Do you wear your race t-shirts? What do you do with the ones you don’t wear?  I have saved all my marathon shirts.  I have this weird idea of either having them made into a quilt at some point, or saving them until retirement when I will not be able to afford new running clothes.  I do wear my shirts from shorter races.

If you could put on a marathon anywhere in the world, where would you have it?  Anywhere in Ukraine..

Maniac Yellow, or Maniac Black?

What is your favorite pre race meal? Post race meal?  On the night before a race I treat myself to pancakes.  I don’t know how this helps, but it’s become my personal tradition and gives me something to do.  The morning of a race I generally have coffee and yogurt.  When I’m ready to eat post-race it doesn’t really matter what I eat, but I love both spaghetti and hamburgers, so it’s probably one of those if I’m on my own.

What is your energy gel of choice? Sport drink of choice?  I sometimes use Goo.  I actually like green Gatorade.

Which race would you never run again and why?  I didn’t especially like the Sunburst Marathon in South Bend, IN.  It seemed poorly organized, had poor crowd support and had us running on the sidewalks by the time we finished.  That was also the first time I had severe leg and stomach cramps after a race, so the memory is not a good one.

What was the most challenging race or combination of races you’ve ever done and why?  Grandma’s Marathon was the most challenging.  I trained harder for that race than ever before, intending to use it as my Boston qualifier.  The training was intense, and the race no less intense.  I did not meet my personal goal, but did make my qualifying time.  Afterward I promised myself I would never train or run that hard again.

What is a typical training week like for you? How many miles do you run? Any cross training? I use a modification of a training program first created for me by Mike Booth of EnduranceMatters.com  when I was training for my BQ at Grandma’s Marathon.  That schedule brings me up to 60-70 miles per week at the peak.  Mike built in a variety of speed work and distance, but no cross training.  On my own, I do lift weights three times a week, and try to fit in a bike ride when I can.

Do you have a training partner? If so, who is it?  No, I enjoy running alongside people when I can.  I especially enjoy running along with and talking to other runners during races.  I do most of my training around 5:00 AM, so it’s difficult to find training partners, which makes me basically a loner.

What kind of shoes do you train in? Do you race in a different shoe?  Up until this week I have trained and run in the Asics 2100 series.  I’ve just switched to Brooks because the newer Asics models were causing some foot pain.

What are your short-term running goals?  Run two marathons in two weeks sometime within the next year.  I also want to train specially for a 5k and break 21:00.

What are your long-term running goals?    Run a full marathon in every state and on every continent.

Assuming you have time, what do you do for fun other than run marathons?  Mountain biking.

Who is your favorite Super Hero? Superman, Wonder Woman, Main Maniac (with cat on head)  I’ve always been a Spiderman fan.  After all, he was the first superhero to have real personal problems and hang-ups.  I even named my first daughter after a character from Spiderman comics.  Yes, she knows that and has forgiven me.