Nice Night For A Run

Well, this morning 5:45am came and went and I never got up to run. Rich is sick and I have no will to get up and run by myself. I had training at the PD all day long, so at least I was out of the office. The day went well, but I still wished I had gotten up to run. When I got home, we ordered pizza and I had a few slices. I then went outside with my son to practice his pitching and hitting. After we got done, I sat around a bit and decided that I needed to get my planned 6 miles in today even if it was solo. I got changed into my running gear and headed out around 8:15pm. It was a great night for a run. There was a nice breeze and lightening off in the distance. I ran from my house through the park and back. I got my run in and feel much better now. I just hope I can whine down now so I can go to bed. Good think about the past few weeks for 6 mile runs.....MY IT BAND IS FEELING GREAT!!!!!

Well, off to bed to finish out the week tomorrow. Got 6 miles planned for Saturday morning. I might sneak in 2 more on Sunday to get 50 total miles this month. We will see.....

Watch for potholes while running!!!!

Race Report: 2009 Hendersonville Classic 10k

Well, I did my 1st 10k yesterday in Hendersonville. I mentally was prepared to just finish the race and not worry about my finishing time (other than finishing under 1 hr). I have ran 6 or so 5k races and a 1/2 marathon. I figured I could get through a 6.2 mile race. I done a few 6 mile runs last week to get prepared. So now for race day....

Sunday I was Illinois at my wife's family reunion. Not a good place for pre-race meals or fluid. So after 6 hours in a car and all day at a park in the rain, I was really tired come Sunday night. I woke up Monday morning and hit the commode 1st thing. My stomach was killing me!!!! I was able to get ready and my nephew showed up to ride down with me. The whole 30 min ride to the race my stomach ached and moaned. As soon as I got registered, I hit the bathroom again at the park. I was seriously thinking about not running, but figured I had to man up and do it now that I had paid for the butt ugly shirt!!!! This shirt would be at the top of Amy's 'Ugliest Race Shirt" list (I figured out how to hyperlink!!!!). Anyway, I had a guy I work with running it too. He is in my age group and is faster than me, so I knew I was not getting first...hehehe. Anyway, the race started and I settled into my 9:00 min/mile pace I had planned on. Problem is, it seemed like EVERYONE was running way faster than me!!!! I decided not to do my usual and follow everyone else's pace and just run my race. After mile 1, I serious felt like I was in last place. I hit my pace pretty good at 9:01. I was stoked about about this. I can't pace myself well yet. My running partner Rich can pace like a champ, so I just follow him. He ran the 5k though with his son, so I was on my own. My nephew and buddy from work sped off and left me at the start. I was mentally prepared for the long 1/2 mile or so hill during mile 2, so my pace stayed steady at 9:03. Two good miles for me and right on pace!!! Mile 3 was alittle different. I know the course from working wrecks on the roads we run on when I was on the unit in Hendersonville, but I forgot about the next hill. When I rounded the curve and seen it, I was like "CRAP!!!!" There were already people walking and it was starting to get very humid. I decided to keep my head down and just put one foot in front of the other. By the time I got to the top, I had slowed some and was pouring sweat!!! Mile 3 came at the top and I was off pace by almost a minute. My legs felt good, but my breathing was a little heavy and I was burning up. I brought some Jelly Belly's with me to eat at mile 3. So I slowed to a fast walk and ate them real quick and drank some water to wash them down. I didn't want to run and eat them and choke again like at the Tom King 1/2. Mile 4 had another hill and I just continued to run. I clicked off Mile 4 in 10:03. I was a minute off pace, but I walked about a minute or so to eat the Jelly Belly's. I started mile 5 and tried to get back on pace. This mile was a bummer for me. There was not much to look at and I was having a hard time concentrating. I finished mile 5 in a 9:28 pace. I knew I had 1.2 miles left and 13 minutes to do it in. I felt pretty confident I would make my 1 hr personal time limit. My nephew and I had planned coming into the race to finish strong and start pushing at the bank that is located on Indian Lake Rd. I figured it to be about 1/2 mile from the finish. I walked again for about 15-20 seconds and drank the rest of my water in my bottle I had with me. I knew I could finish strong. The 5k started 30 minutes after the 10k, so all the 5k runners were meeting up with the 10k runners with less than a mile to go both races. I told my running partner it would be cool to meet up with them there and we all finish together. So when I got to the connector, I watched for Rich and Jackson. I didn't see them anywhere, like they would be standing around waiting on me, so I kept going. I was in a group of runners when I got to the bank. I checked my watch and it was actually 0.7 miles to go. I decided to go for it anyway and started to sprint. I left the group I was with pretty quick and started reeling in the next group of runners. I checked my Garmin and I was running under a 7 min/mile pace!!! It felt great and I even got a few cheers from volunteers and runners as I passed them. I just kept trying to pick off runners one by one and run as fast as I could. I made the last turn into the finish line stretch and there they were in front of me, RICH and JACKSON!!!! I sped up some more to catch them. When I was about 10 yards behind them I started screaming "I'm coming Rich!!! I'm going to catch ya!!!!" When Jackson heard this, he hit high gear and started to sprint. I did catch Rich, but Jackson checked out and left me in his dust. Rich actually finished right in front of me too. He was blocking for Jackson a bit...hehehe. I hit my Garmin and checked my time....57:55. I was pleased with that and headed to get some fluids. My stomach never gave me issues during the race and I was thankful for that. I was VERY PROUD of Jackson for shaving 3 mins off his 5k time and finishing in alittle over 27 mins. He even finished 2nd in his age group at 27:30!!! My nephew finished in 55:55. My buddy from work finished 3rd in our age group at 50:45.

All in all, it was a great race and I plan on being back next year to run it. I enjoyed my 1st 10k and it is a nice distance to race. My next 10k I plan on running it alittle harder and try to stay on a 9:00-9:15 pace. Just one complaint....GET RID OF THE BUTT UGLY SHIRTS!!!! They are a cream color with a freakin' fish on the front. Someone asked me later Monday night if the 3rd annual Hendersonville Classic was a bass fishing tourney!!!! Get a better shirt, and this might be one of my favorite races so far!!!!!

Well, off to bed now. I am going to try and get up and get in 3 or 4 miles solo in the morning.

Happy running.....

Quickie #2

Got in a good 6 mile run this morning. Alittle slow at 9:46 pace, but I got it in and felt like I could do 3 more miles.

My son's baseball team won their 5th straight game tonight!!!! We are the hottest team in 9/10 Dixie Baseball right now in Portland.

Got training with the Sumner Co. ERT tomorrow. I am sure it will be physical, but it will be sweet to be out with the big boys!!!!

Looking to run 6 more miles on Saturday before the 10k race on Monday.


Happy Running!

Today was an EPIC DAY!!!!!!!

Well, this marvelous day is coming to and end. Let me rewind for a minute, and then I will get to today. I woke up Sunday morning to some soreness in my legs. It was nice though. I have not woke up sore from running since I ran the 18 miles in February. Yesterday morning was better, but there still was a small amount of soreness. I considered going for a 2 to 3 mile recovery run just to stretch everything out, but I talked myself out of it. My plan for this week is to do 5 to 6 miles on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Then rest up for the 10K on Monday. I am not going to run it hard, but I would like to finish feeling like I could do another 2 or 3 miles. Now fast foward back to today...

I set the alarm clock for 4:45am to get up to meet Rich at 5:15am to run. I woke the first time at 3:11am, and woke up every 15 to 20 minutes until time to get up. I am always afraid I will overslept and leave Rich hanging with no running partner. My nephew showed up at 5am and we started stretching. We headed down to Rich's house and finished stretching. The plan for this run was to do our usual 4 mile route, but add the Richland Park track loop for a total of 5.6 miles. We have not run over 4 miles in a while. The last time we did 6 miles was April 26th. My IT band hurt after the run too, so I was ready to see where the 3 to 4 weeks of running would do. We headed out at our usual pace and talked the whole way. My legs were feeling great and it was a GREAT morning to be running. When I walked out of the house, I could see my breath!!!! We were staying right around our planned pace of 9:30. I carried my pack of Fruit Punch Shot Bloks with me to try out. At mile 3, I ate 3 of them. The taste is not bad, but there was kinda a funky after taste. They were good and chewy, and seemed to "melt" easy in my mouth. After about 30 seconds of chewing, they were about the texture of a GU gel. I washed them down with a drink of water and thought no more about it. With about a half mile to go, I felt like someone kicked me in the butt!!! I don't know if it was the Shot Bloks or the endorphines from the run, but I was FEELING GREAT!!!! I finished up thinking I could do 2 or 3 more! GOOD TIMES!!!!

I got a shower and headed out to take the kiddos to school. I drove the new Edge to work today. BTW, I TRADED IN MY 2007 MUSTANG GT FOR A 2009 FORD EDGE?!?!?!? I know, stupid, but I got to keep mama happy...hehehe. Anyway, on the way to school I switch over to 80's on 8 on Sirus Radio. They are rocking good music all the way to work!!!! So all is well, until I get a text from a buddy of mine, then everything turns EPIC!!!! He tells me John Wall has commited to UK! I was stoked! I ran around the office like a mad man telling everyone (like they cared). Then to top it all off and put icing on the cake, my daughter's team beat the #1 team in softball tonight. She played very well and I am proud of her.

On one more thing, my wife has lost 44 lbs now and is down 5 pant sizes! She is wearing my XL t-shirts now too! She walked 4 miles yesterday and ran just about 0.5 miles of it. I know, not that far, but if you remember, we all started somewhere. I am sooooo proud of her!!!!

Now to bed and some rest. My kids are skipping the 1/2 day of school tomorrow so I can sleep in (6:45am yeah!!!).....

Happy Running!

Race Review: 2009 Strawberry Stride

Noah and I before his 1st Kid's Race

****Official time is 25:04 and I finished 6th out of 11 in my age group****

Well today marked my 1 year racing anniversary. The Strawberry Stride is the 1st 5K that I ran last year. My nephew conned me into running it last year on the night before at his high school graduation. I guess I should thank him for giving me the racing bug!!! Anyway, I was ready for this race this year and hoping to improve on my 28 min 5k from last year. My son, Noah, also decided this would be his 1st race of his running career. They hold a 1 mile fun run and a 1/2 mile Kid's Run at the Strawberry Stride. My daughter was going to run too, but she woke up in a baaaaaad mood and decided she didn't want to run this year.

I ran 3 miles with Rich yesterday morning due to us missing our run on Tuesday and having to switch to Wednesday. This put our 2nd run of the week on Friday instead of Thursday. This concerned me a bit since the last time I did back to back runs, my IT band acted up. But the run yesterday went fine and I was feeling good this morning. We got to the race and registered. My 1st disappointment with this race happened here. NO BIBS!!!! They decided to go the cheap way this year I guess and didn't get each runner a bib. I was looking forward to another bib going on my office wall at work, but not this race. Anyway, about 30 minutes before the race, My nephew and I began to stretch out and get ready to run. At about 10 minutes until race time, I went for a warm up run and progressively worked up to a sprint by the time I was done. It got me warmed up good and I felt pretty good. We lined up with some friends of mine right behind the front row of runners. The gun sounded and we took off. I checked my watch at about0.25 miles and seen we were running a little over a 6 minute mile. I voiced my concern and slowed a bit. I didn't want to run out to fast at the beginning and have nothing left. At 0.5 miles I checked my Garmin again. It read right at a 7 minute mile. I know I can't do 3 7 minute miles, so I backed off again. I had a 7:24 minute 1st mile. I had found a good pace at about 8;15 and tried to stay on it. I usually run at between a 9:00-9:30 pace, so I was alittle out of my comfort zone. I felt confident though, so I kept at it. The next disappointment came here. At about 1.5 miles, you run to the end of a cul-de-sac and turn around. Last year there was a truck there and race people to monitor the turn. This year, there was nothing!!!! Anyone could have just turned and headed out of the neighborhood and cut out the cul-de-sac. When I got to this point, I was unsure how deep to go along with everyone else. Some cut it short and turned around and some went to the curb and turned around. I just split the difference and went to the center. I think they should have atleast put down some cones to split the road and keep people from cutting the course. Anyway, I hit mile two and checked the Garmin. It read an 8:12 2nd mile. I was pretty happy with this and knew if I could do another 8:00-8:15 mile, I would be close to breaking 24 minutes!!! The 1st two fast miles got me at the end though. I struggled some on the 3rd mile and did a 8:35 mile. I seen I was not going to make 24 miles and was kinda bummed. I just stuck to my pace and really didn't push it over the last half mile like I had planned. I wish now I had pushed the last 0.1 miles and I would have been under 25 mins. But as it stands, I finished in 25:08. I was pleased with the run and it was a good effort. My nephew finished just ahead of me at 24:19. I was 45th overall and I am still waiting on the results to see where I was in my age group. I am thinking 5th or 6th, but I am not sure. It sprinkled on us the whole run, so it was a good day to go for a PR. I don't think I could go under a 23:33 right now though.

After my run, Noah ran his 0.5 Kid's Fun Run. He was a little nervous. I told him to pace himself and don't run out too fast. They ran down the side street beside the high school and then turned into the bus pick up lanes and ran the length of it to the finish. I told him when he turned into the parking lot to kick it in and start sprinting. My wife stayed at the starting line to encourage him and I went to the finish line to snap some pics. I heard the gun go off for his age group and watched the group go by. There were probably 25 or so running in the 3rd grade group. He looked to be about mid-pack when they went by on the road. I had sent my nephew to the turn into the parking lot to encourage him and to have him start sprinting. Well, when Noah turned into the parking lot, he started walking. I don't think he realized how far he had to run. He walked for about 12 strides and then my nephew got him going again by telling him he was getting passed by other runners. He kicked it in and passed the 2 that passed him and then one more before he finished. He ended up finishing 15th!!! I was very proud of him. He even got a trophy and his picture will be in the paper. HE WAS TIRED AFTERWARDS THOUGH!!!! He wants to do another one though, so I think all is good. I told him we will start training for his next one though. His heels were hurting him later when we were watching Star Trek, so I need to pick him up some new shoes too. All in all, I was very proud of him!!!!

Well, I finished the week with 10.1 miles. Not that many, but over the next few weeks, I hope to be back to 16-18 miles a week. I plan on hitting 20-25 miles by July.

Happy running to all!!!!

Quick Update

Didn't run for a week.

Ran 4 miles this morning and it felt GREAT!!

Have my 1st 5k of the year this Saturday. Best case time is 24 mins or below. I hope to get at least 26 mins or under.

Started 100 Push ups and 200 sit ups training program. Starting in week 1 for sit ups and week 4 in push ups.

Finished week 1 of sit ups. Abs are not to sore. They feel good.

Finished week 1 of push ups. Was really sore after day 2. Feel good now though.

That is about it. Work and the kid's ball schedules have me busy.

More later....

Another week started off good (running wise)

Well, after Sunday and Monday off, I was ready to get a run in on Tuesday morning. There is alot of stuff going on at work, so I have been alittle stressed lately. All this rain has not been nice either. But I awoke this morning to no rain and was happy. I met Rich out in front of his house to get in a 4 miler. We started chatting it up instantly and before you know it, we were turning around at mile 2. The run felt really good and I didn't feel like I was trying that hard. We did the 1st mile in like 9:30ish and then the rest of the run was around 9:15. Not blazing fast I know, but it feels good when you can do a good 4 mile run and afterwards feel like you could do 4 more. We got another run planned for Thursday morning as long as it is not coming a monsoon. I hope to get in 6 miles on Saturday, but I am kinda eyeballin' the Striders Grand Prix race in Shelby Park on Saturday. I am thinking about running it and then later Saturday after ballgames getting in another 3 miles. I am going to talk with Rich about going up to 5 or 5 1/2 miles per run next week. If we include the loop in Richland Park to our 4 miler, then it is like 5.6 miles. I would like to get in 2 to 3 6 milers before the 10k race on Memorial Day in Hendersonville.

Well, off to bed now. I'm tired and really want to be lazy!!!!

A review and a few shot outs

Well, I will start with the shot outs. I think they are more important today....

1st one goes out to Vandy-Montana. Craig, it was good to get to meet you during the "Nashville Chapter" of your life. I thank you for your tips and advice that you gave me. It was nice to finally meet ya, and hopefully when you drop back into Nashville, we can get a run in!

2nd one - To Old Man from the 'boro. Great job on the Flying Pig marathon. This dude has ran like 70+ days in a row training for this marathon and then went out and finished in 3:05. GREAT JOB!!!

3rd one - to RunnerMom. Good job on your 1st marathon and for getting back out there this week.

4th one - to Brian from Florida. He has been giving me good advice since I started reading his blog. He is running super fast right now, so keep it up!!!

5th one - to Amy. I know you are losing your running partner (Vandy-Montana). Keep your head up and keep running. You are doing awesome and I am sure Craig will be proud when you get the sub-4 marathon on August 1st. Oh yeah, sorry Craig kicked your butt in the drinking contest on Thursday!!!!


Now for my review. We I got in 11 miles this week. I felt really good until I got cocky and tried to run 2 days in a row. That was a bad idea!!! I plan on just Tues, Thurs, and Sat. this week. I ended April with 32 miles. I hope to have double that this month!!! I got my 1st 5k coming up on May 16th and I hope that I can do it under 25 minutes.

I did pick up a foam roller this week. It is supposed to help keep my IT band stretched out and not hurt as much. I know it hurts like crap right now to use it!!!!! I also picked up a pack of Shot Bloks to try out. Amy had success with them in the STL, so I thought I would try them. The Jelly Bellys are going to end up choking me, so I need to find something new. I don't really like GU. It feels like Elmer's Glue in my mouth!!!

Well, off to finish watching LOST from this past weekend off TiVo. Happy Running this week to all of you!!!

A Quick Note...

Went by Acme Multisports this afternoon and picked up a foam roller. WOW, $32 for a piece of foam!!! But if it helps my IT band, it will be the best $32 I have spent in awhile. We also picked up a pair of Brooks Addiction 8s for my wife to walk in. She is up to 2 1/2 miles now walking and her shoes are making her feet her. She loves them even though she freaked out because they cost $100. We got 6 miles planned for in the morning. As long at there is not a monsoon or lightening, we are going to run in the rain. I will be using the foam roller afterwards.

Everyone have a safe weekend....Good Luck to everyone running the Wild Thang Trail Run tomorrow.

Shot out to Vandy-Montana for kicking Amy's butt last night in their drinking contest. I think it was something like 20 to 11 or something like that. When it was tweeted that Amy was drinking water, I knew it was not good. I hope she didn't spend the night with her head in the toilet.

Shot out to Old Man, he is running the Cinny marathon this weekend. He as been putting in an average of 72 miles a week and has run for 73 straight days getting ready for the race. His planned finish time is 3:05. GOOD LUCK DUDE!!!!!

Now off to dinner and then to see X-Men:Origins with my son and his friend.....