Maniac questionnaire

Name Michael Pulley

Maniac # 917

State you live in: Virginia

How many marathons / ultra marathons have you run?
6 marathons

What was the first race you ever ran? (Any distance)
            Midlothian Blaze 5K

What was the first marathon you ever ran? What year did you run it? Did you have fun that day?
 Shamrock Virginia Beach (March 2007).  My best running friend (Maniac #855) and I decided to run the half marathon.  However, when I went to sign up, the half was full.  In my infinite wisdom, I thought I was doing enough miles to run the full.  I was wrong!  I did manage to finish that day.  I was so disappointed but the following day I was already researching where I could run my second one!  

How long have you been a runner and why did you start running?
            I started running in August 2005.  I signed up for a 10K training team.  After being mostly inactive during my 30’s, I had been going to the gym for about 6 months and needed some excitement and a challenge in my life. 

Why did you decide to become a Maniac? Or what inspired you?
            Gaela “Batmomm” Stromberg (#855) set it as her goal very early on.  Like a bad habit, if you just continue to hang around, you soon learn those habits.  After listening to her excitement over and over again, I decided I had to pursue it myself also.  

Of all the races out there in this world, which one would you most like to run?
            Boston, but because I will never qualify, I have no idea what to run secondly.  I will not run Boston even though I understand you can run it with an authorized fund raiser. 

If you could run a marathon / ultra accompanied by anyone either living or deceased, who would you choose and why?
            Most of my friends would argue that any cute girl with a pulse would qualify for this answer.  That is simply not true.  I would choose Gaela.  I have logged more miles with Gaela than anyone else.  We are extremely compatible running buddies.  I admire her for being so consistent.  I can beat her by a couple of minutes or lose to her by a half hour.  We never know.  The best times are when we are both feeling comfortable at any given pace.  Those times create the best memories.               

What was your most memorable marathon and why?
            I can’t really answer this one.  Richmond (Nov 2007) was awesome because it was the first time that I realized I could reach heights that I thought were unattainable.  Shamrock (March 2008) was awesome because I met my goal of shaving an hour off my first marathon time.  Country Music (April 2008) was the best combination of pre-race fun and memorable racing.      

If someone asked you to pick a race for him or her that they could run a PR at, which race would you suggest?
            I would choose Shamrock without any hesitation. 

What was the furthest you’ve ever traveled for a race?
            We drove 624 miles to Nashville but I think Key Bank Vermont City will top that later this month. 

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?
            My favorite comment was “are you running towards something or away from something?”  I have also been told that I would die while running, it’s not worth it, why do you put yourself through all that pain, and what are you thinking?

If personal obligations or finances were not an issue, how many marathons would you run in one year?
            I could see myself running 12 a year but no more.  A month seems to be fine with me for recovery but any closer than that seems to take some of the fun out of it for me.    

From what race did you receive your favorite finishers medal?
            My favorite medal was the Disney 15th Anniversary medal in January 2008. 

Where do you keep your finisher medals?
            My medals hang in my office at work but I intend to buy a shadow box for them. 

 Do you wear your race t-shirts? What do you do with the ones you don’t wear?
            I wear any race shirt that fits.  If it may be a day it will fit then I keep them in the closet.  The ones that will never fit are given away to family. 

If you could put on a marathon anywhere in the world, where would you have it?
            I have no clue. 

Maniac Yellow, or Maniac Black?
            Black

What is your favorite pre race meal? Post race meal?
            I do not have any favorite pre or post race meals.  I eat everything and just eat whatever strikes me at the moment. 

What is your energy gel of choice? Sport drink of choice?
            My favorite gel is Accelerade Chocolate and my favorite sport drink is Powerade Blue. 

Which race would you never run again and why?
            I will most likely never run Shamrock again because I have nothing left to prove to myself there and I have already run it twice. 

What was the most challenging race or combination of races you’ve ever done and why?
            The Country Music marathon and the United Health Greensboro marathons in back to back weekends that qualified me as a maniac.  I had no idea how many hills there were in either Nashville or Greensboro.  The Nashville elevation chart was very deceiving.  Both races reached the low 80’s with Nashville also having 95% humidity. 

What is a typical training week like for you? How many miles do you run? Any cross training?
            I run 30-50 miles a week, 5 days a week.  That will increase soon because I will be training to run 2 marathons in the same weekend in the fall.  I also do some weight lifting but very little cross training cardio.   

Do you have a training partner? If so, who is it?
            Gaela, Maniac #855 is my favorite when schedules permit.  We also have a wide range of running friends that run similar paces so we can always find one of them. 

What kind of shoes do you train in? Do you race in a different shoe?
            I wear New Balance 882 for both training and racing.  I usually have 2 pairs at the same time. 

What are your short-term running goals?
            I want to run Key Bank Vermont in sub 4:45.  I also want to start our local marathon training team in June on a healthy note. 

What are your long-term running goals?
            I want to run 50 marathons by the time I am 50 years old.  It works out to about 9 per year.  I am on pace………………….so far. 

Assuming you have time, what do you do for fun other than run marathons?
            I ride my 2005 Harley Davidson Super Glide. 

Who is your favorite Super Hero? Superman, Wonder Woman, Main Maniac (with cat on head)
            No doubt it would be Main Maniac.  I can relate much better than with Superman or Wonder Women.