Maniac questionnaire

Name Bob Hearn

Maniac # 543

State you live in British Columbia

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

What was the first race you ever ran? (Any distance) I think it was a two-mile fun run at the Apple WWDC in the early 90s.

What was the first marathon you ever ran? What year did you run it? Did you have fun that day? Victoria, 2004. Hell, yes I had fun. I qualified for Boston!

How long have you been a runner and why did you start running? I tried off and on over the years to start running, beginning in the early 80s. Mostly I was inspired by my wife (then girlfriend), who is the real runner of the family. But I “really” started running in early 2004 -- I was convinced to join the UBC computer science dept. team entry to the Vancouver Sun Run 10K. That seemed like such an intimidating distance at the time! I discovered then that having a target race and a training plan made a huge difference, and the miles and race lengths just kept piling up. It didn’t hurt that by then I lived next to miles and miles and miles of forested trails in Vancouver. I doubt I would be a runner now otherwise.

Why did you decide to become a Maniac? Or what inspired you? I wanted the yellow shirt! And I’ve met a few maniacs here and there; they seem like cool people.

Of all the races out there in this world, which one would you most like to run? No idea. Antarctica marathon? Western States? Tahoe Triple? Hmm.

If you could run a marathon / ultra accompanied by anyone either living or deceased, who would you choose and why? Maybe Mary Decker? She was an inspiration to me when I tried (abortively) to start running in the early 80s. Or maybe Pete Pfitzinger; his plans have gotten me through all my marathons. I’d love to run one with my wife, but one marathon was enough for her.

What was you most memorable marathon and why? I’d have to say my first Boston, 2005. It was a disaster. After running Victoria in 3:12:18, having been a runner for only 8 months, I figured I was still improving rapidly. I set what I thought was a reasonable goal of 3:09. Problem: it was about 75 degrees. I found out the hard way that that is way, way too hot for me. For the first time I had to stop and walk in a race, and it just about broke my heart. I stopped in the med tent at the top of Heartbreak Hill for 10 minutes, and eventually finished in 3:43. The last few miles my legs constantly cramped, and I was afraid I would fall over and be pulled off the course. If it had been anything other than my first Boston I would have DNFed.

If someone asked you to pick a race for him or her that they could run a PR at, which race would you suggest? Uh. I’ve never run a fast marathon course. Sometime or other I will get around to trying Chigaco.

What was the furthest you’ve ever traveled for a race? Vancouver to Boston.

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? Yes, of course. No specific comments come to mind.

If personal obligations or finances were not an issue, how many marathons would you run in one year? I like to think I would eventually be capable of 1/week. If so, it would be cool to try that sometime. No idea if I actually could.

From what race did you receive your favorite finishers medal? The Country Music Marathon medal is pretty elaborate, if a bit gaudy.

Where do you keep your finisher medals? Around the neck of a Lego Darth Vader my sister’s kids gave me for Christmas.

Do you wear your race t-shirts? What do you do with the ones you don’t wear? I wear the technical shirt running. I rarely wear the cotton T’s; they sit in a drawer.

If you could put on a marathon anywhere in the world, where would you have it? No idea.

Maniac Yellow, or Maniac Black? Yellow!

What is your favorite pre race meal? Post race meal? Usually diet coke and a bagel pre-race. Afterwards, chocolate milk, bagels, then lots of pasta.

What is your energy gel of choice? Sport drink of choice? I generally don’t use gels, but PowerGel when I do. And Gatorade.

Which race would you never run again and why? None.

What was the most challenging race or combination of races you’ve ever done and why? Running CMM two weeks after Boston, so I could become a maniac!

What is a typical training week like for you? How many miles do you run? Any cross training? I’m generally on a Pfitz plan -- either 55 mpw (peak) plus a few miles, or 70 mpw (peak) minus a few miles. No cross training.

Do you have a training partner? If so, who is it? No. Sometimes I run with my wife, but usually I run alone.

What kind of shoes do you train in? Do you race in a different shoe? Saucony Trigons, up until a couple of months ago. I’ve mostly switched to Nike Frees. I race in Saucony Fastwitch 2s.

What are your short-term running goals? PR in the marathon this fall. That PR is soft, so I think I can do it at Portland. Other PRs, I doubt I will be in shape for this year. Love to break 40 in 10K; I’ve run 40:00.00. It would be nice to move up in the MM ranking from Bronze level, but I don't see the opportunity happening soon.

What are your long-term running goals? Eventually, I’d like to run sub-3. I don’t know where I’ll find the time to train for that.

Assuming you have time, what do you do for fun other than run marathons? Astronomy, playing go, playing the harpsichord, solving puzzles, designing puzzles.

Who is your favorite Super Hero? Superman, Wonder Woman, Main Maniac (with cat on head) Ah... main maniac (with cat on head), I guess. But really supervillains are so much more interesting than superheroes.