Eberl PR

Windy City Sports (November, 2006)
New Year’s Resolutions
Watching a marathon late in the running season gets the brain thinking, “I want to do that next year. I’m going to log more miles. I’m going to get faster…” With summer on its way out and winter on its way in, you can use the post-running season to come up with new running resolutions and reach all the goals you’ve set for yourself.

Read the full article at: http://www.windycitysports.com/article/?Guid=e77086de-87be-4df3-a184-9c32dfe264c4

Windy City Sports (December, 2006)
Surviving the Snowy Season
Of course winter running is beneficial, but between the holidays, cold temps, short days and long nights, it’s hard to stick with a training program. Follow these tips to stay motivated and reach for those goals.

Read the full article at: http://citysportstx.com/article/?Guid=b01e7872-8738-46aa-bcad-f723823e0c6e

Windy City Sports (March, 2007)
Grocery Store Runs
What’s the best fuel for before and after your runs? Experiment to find out which foods work well for you, and hit the grocery store to stock your home full of optimum pre and post-run fuel sources.

Read the full article at: http://www.floridasports.com/article/?Guid=46e2824a-3d2b-4674-a933-f6b64018abcb

Windy City Sports (April 2007)
A Perfect 10 in Running
Although many runners think the marathon is the ultimate accomplishment, I’ve always believed the 10-mile race is the best distance for runners to excel their speed and cover an endurance run.

Read the full article at: http://www.windycitysports.com/article/?Guid=6ead8909-1cf4-42a9-9c80-d0d59d2b8db0

Windy City Sports (May 2007)
Programmed to Run
“It’s amazing what you can train your body to do.”

Someone said this to me when I started running and it has always stuck with me. People discipline their bodies to do what we never thought we could to train efficiently and reach PRs.

Read the full article at: http://www.windycitysports.com/article/?Guid=6306e27a-cceb-4c2b-94c7-fc5e9e80f38d

Desperate Times, Marathon Measures (November 2007)

After many of the races I do, one of the first questions asked is, “So what was your time?”  To me that question is pretty personal as I am definitely not vying for the top spots for my age group.  Although I can be very proud of my race times, it can be slow to those who hadn’t competed that day, nor knew that I was recovering from an injury, trying to lose weight, tired, it was too hot or cold or whatever personal obstacles.
After the Chicago Marathon this year, I was surprised at the number of people who still asked, “So, what was your time? How’d you do?”  My first reaction is, “No, you don’t understand – it was 90 degrees – I finished.”   
I was very surprised that the Chicago Tribune did print the finishing times or completed times of the racers and the rumor mill I heard is that some of the finishing times weren’t even accurate.   I know someone who had a finishing time published as 4:22 (FIN), but she was one of the thousands who were asked to take a shortcut. So was the 4:22 really a (FIN)? 
Regardless I did finish the full 26.2, barely, walking it out (as forced to) for the last six miles with an old colleague who I ran (or walked) into, Eric Tryba.  This was far, far, far from a PR but this is one of the few races where I turned off my stopwatch, didn’t measure my success by the finish line time nor pace myself by the clocks posted at every mile. 
Although this was my seventh marathon, this was Eric’s first.   When Eric heard of the weather forecast for Sunday, he said, “I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.”
The times that Eric remembered was the 6 AM CARA morning runs, getting up at 4 AM to prepare for the longer ones and spending time buying race gear, researching the best pre-race nutrition and sacrificing or changing a lot of weekends for training.
I admit, as did Eric, that in a very small way we were glad the race was cancelled, as we had an excuse for having such a bad finishing time. 
But in writing this, I remember when I was running the Chicago Ultra a few years ago, I ran a few miles with an older man, who had successfully completed numerous 5k’s, 10k’s, 1/2 marathons, distances of all sorts since a very young age.  I asked, “Which was your favorite race?”
He said, “Every race I finish is my favorite race.”
This is a credo I have tried to live by. I can sort through old medals or bibs and think of that race and how it was a favorite.  I don’t know that I, nor many racers, can say the 2007 Chicago Marathon was a favorite but it certainly was memorable.
I walked with Eric for several miles and learned about how he and his wife trained, what he was accomplishing in his career and much more.  I remember laughing the first time I heard over a megaphone, “The race has been cancelled,” thinking they can’t be serious.  And I remember the informal bond that was formed with the other runners-turned-walkers for the home stretch.  Although there is always a certain commrodary with runners reaching a common goal, this was a bit different, as we were a bunch of stubborn athletes refusing to quit even if the finishing clock struck 6 or 7 hours, even if many volunteers and spectators left, even if the water stops weren’t ample.
When Eric learned of the race conditions, he made a conscious effort to take it easy. “I tried to enjoy the entire thing and just knew I had to pay attention to my body.”
I also tried to pay attention to my body and also pay attention to the thousands of fans and volunteers who spent hours in the heat cheering us on, shouting our names, some giving water bottles, the musical entertainment who still played for many hours, the ambulances who worked very hard and much more.  I still gave hi-fives to kids along the side of the road and tried to put on a happy face even though my lungs burned and the water relief wasn’t as much as I needed.  I thought Eric put it appropriate when he said that he was at least going to try to finish the race.  “I haven’t trained for months to stop at mile 20.”
Although I could talk about what I would have liked from marathon organizers and how I deeply and truly feel for all those who couldn’t finish, who were taken to hospitals and whose first marathon experience was a disappointed one, I am going to try to remember the marathon as a time where I accomplished much more personally than any other physical training could have.