Maniac questionnaire Name: Randy Graves Maniac # 788 How many marathons / ultra marathons have you run? Three What was the first race you ever ran? (Any distance) Deer Creek Classic 5K 3/3/07 What was the first marathon you ever ran? What year did you run it? Did you have fun that day? Lewis and Clark, St. Charles, MO 2007, Yes I did have fun until Mile 18 and I hit a major wall at that point. Prior to that my longest run had been 20 miles so the last 6 miles were an unknown thing to me, and oh were they a surprise. How long have you been a runner and why did you start running? I started to run as part of my cardiac rehab; I had a quadruple bypass surgery on 4/9/05 and so remember the first day of my rehab, I could not even walk a full ¼ mile and it took me 20 minutes to get that far. Humble beginning for me. I started on a treadmill walking in 2006 soon started to run on the treadmill. Then I heard that my younger brother was going to run the 2007 Houston Marathon. I decided I would surprise him and run with him as a “bandit” for the last 6.5 miles, the longest distance that I had run up to that point. I started my adventure with street running after that, so I can honestly say that I’ve been a street runner for ONE year. I finished 2007 just short of 800 miles (796). Why did you decide to become a Maniac? Or what inspired you? I blog with several Maniacs and really like their attitudes. I visited the Maniac website and began to formulate a plan back in the early summer of 2007 of how I could qualify for the “gold” singlet. I decided on the 3 marathons in 3 months, originally choosing the Tulsa Route 66 on 11/18/07, Honolulu 12/09/07, and Houston 01/13/08. I had a running friend that decided to run the Lewis and Clark Marathon 09/16/07 and I decided since we were training together that I would run with her. What I failed to realize was that from the Lewis and Clark to the Honolulu Marathon it was 84 days! I had qualified as a Maniac and didn’t even realize it for almost a full month…crazy me. Of all the races out there in this world, which one would you most like to run? I’m a relative newbie still to the running world but from what I have heard, the Marine Corp Marathon would seem to be an awesome race. I’m also wanting to join the “50 States” club. If you could run a marathon / ultra accompanied by anyone either living or deceased, who would you choose and why? My first candidate as a running partner would be my wife, she has been my biggest supporter. What was you most memorable marathon and why? Well with only 3 under my belt the choice is rather slim…but hands down, my most memorable to date was the Honolulu Marathon 2007. There were 27,000 starters, it rained a steady downpour for the first 2 miles, and the overall course was absolutely beautiful. If someone asked you to pick a race for him or her that they could run a PR at, which race would you suggest? Houston What was the furthest you’ve ever traveled for a race? Oklahoma City to Honolulu, 3,741. Do any of your non-running friends or family members thing that you’re crazy for running as much as you do? What are some of their comments to you? They want to know what big guy with a bat is chasing me. If personal obligations or finances were not an issue, how many marathons would you run in one year? I would love to try and do at least 12 in a year. From what race did you receive your favorite finishers medal? Thus far my favorite medal has been the Tulsa Route 66 Marathon. Where do you keep your finisher medals? Currently they are on a shelf in my home office. They will eventually hang on the wall in some format. Do you wear your race t-shirts? What do you do with the ones you don’t wear? Yes I do wear my race t-shirts. The ones that I don’t wear I donate to a missionary in Africa to give to underprivileged kids there. If you could put on a marathon anywhere in the world, where would you have it? Yellowstone National Park Maniac Yellow, or Maniac Black? Yellow What is your favorite pre race meal? Post race meal? Pre race – 2 pieces of toast and jelly. Post race – steak/filet and a loaded baked potato. What is your energy gel of choice? Sport drink of choice? Vanilla Bean GU/Gatorade Which race would you never run again and why? Tulsa Route 66 because of the amount of concrete we seemed to run on. What was the most challenging race or combination of races you’ve ever done and why? The Honolulu Marathon was very much a struggle for me due to an unknown pain at the time in my left knee, it slowed me down to an embarrassingly slow pace, but I still finished in a vertical position and I did run across the finish line. What is a typical training week like for you? How many miles do you run? Any cross training? A good week includes 20+ miles. I prefer running early morning especially in the summer months. I enjoy running with others, but I don’t necessarily talk a lot. I do a limited amount of cross training and I need to work on that in 2008. Do you have a training partner? If so, who is it? I have four running partners Clyde and Rachel have been my longest partners, but I also run with Lissa and Cindy. I also enjoy running with my wife at times when our schedule allows, even tho our pace is somewhat different. What kind of shoes do you train in? Do you race in a different shoe? Currently running in Etonic Playa’s and I race in them too. What are your short-term running goals? To improve my standings with the Maniac group. What are your long-term running goals? Run a marathon in all 50 U.S. states Assuming you have time, what do you do for fun other than run marathons? Genealogy Who is your favorite Super Hero? Superman, Wonder Woman, Main Maniac (with cat on head) Superman |