Hey Stephen! You are an Ironman!!! Part 2

So, baseball season wraps up on June 4th and as soon as I get home I jump on the bike to get in an hour of work.  It's time to really get after it because my first real triathlon race is just over 6 weeks away and I have no idea what I'm doing. 

Every year, Tricia and I try to plan a trip to North Dakota to see her family in early summer.  This trip would be different.  We'd meet them in South Dakota instead and spend time in the Mt. Rushmore area. 

Just so happens there's a swim only event there that weekend that my sister-in-law has found.  Of course, my first thought is that this is a great idea.  Sure, I'm in.  "A Dam Good Swim" is the name of the race.  It's in the lake behind Pactola Dam.  Calm water, very controlled setting, right up my alley.  So I thought.....

In the days leading up to the race, we're informed that things are changing due to flooding.  WHAT?  I don't need all this.  Make this simple on me.  There would be no parking near the start line because the parking lot is completely flooded.  Race check-in would happen near the dam and we'd be shuttled down to the start line.  Tricia and I arrive early at the direction of the race director.  Lot's of standing around.......walked across the dam to get to a restroom.  Not at all an ideal setting.  Finally, I get a shuttle down to the start line. 

We stand around for an hour because the race team is delayed in getting buoys out.  Finally some race instructions.  I get my wet suit on and slowly wade into the water.  It's cold.....like really cold, or at least to me.  I finally get my face in the water and it takes my breath away.  HOLY CRAP!  The race organizer advertises this race at 68-72 degrees.  No FREAKING WAY!!!!  It's much colder, or so it feels.  I swim 2 strokes and freak out a bit.  I can't see my hand in front of my face.  The race organizer advertised the water as clear to about 20-30 feet.  DAMN, THAT'S COLD!!!  Race time and I'm slowly getting comfortable in the water.  Ok, I can do this.  The first group goes off.  They're going 2.4 miles.  My race is the 1.2 mile.  15 minutes until I go.  I'm wading around in this cold water.  I swim 4 -5 strokes and the cold water gets me.  I swim 5-6 strokes, no better.  Everyone in my race starts to gather near the start line and I find my way to the back of the group.  My only hope at this point is to complete this race.  No need to 'race', just going through the motions. 

The gun goes off and I let everyone take out ahead of me.  I get my face in the water and freak out.  I swim 2-3 strokes and lose my breath.  I raise my head up out of the water and start flailing.  I'm panicking and don't know how to do this.  Another 5-6- strokes in this cold water and another freak out.  Breath taken, Heart racing. Doggy paddle, cold, heavy breathing, heart racing, 3 more strokes of real swimming, head up, breath taken, heart racing, more doggy paddle.  I'm 75 yards off the start line and I stop.  I try to regain my breath and slow my heart rate.  I take 15-20 seconds as I see everyone in my race pulling away farther toward the first buoy.  5-6 more strokes and attempting to breath every stroke.  My breath is taken again.  I freak out and decide today's not my day.  I pull up, float for a second, and backstroke my way back to the start line.  Done.  Finished.  What the hell was I thinking when I signed up to do this???  I'm NOT a SWIMMER. 

The Eddie Ferrell, Music City Triathlon is a staple in the city and brings out all of the local triathletes.  I decide it's important to eliminate as much of the race morning anxiety as I can by picking up my packet and dropping off my bike the day before.  I get there and realize I'm completely out of place here.  I know some of these people through running, but I'm lost.  It's a lot like the first time I ran a big race.  Not knowing where to go or what order things get done and so on.  Fortunately, Tricia is with me and I gotta at least act like I know what I'm doing!  haha! 

I see some familiar faces and chat for a minute or two, then I see Season!  What a welcome sight!  Runner, Triathlete, Race Organizer, good friend.  I haven't seen her in probably a year at this point, maybe more.  I introduce her to Tricia and we catch up for a minute.  She knows that I've taken on this challenge of doing an Ironman and is extremely supportive and curious.  As a friend, she wants to make sure I'm doing everything I can to get ready for the big day and knows that this is a 'training race' for me.  Me, I kept saying that, but my anxiety was growing with every minute.  Tricia and I walk down to the river......yeah, the Cumberland River, where I'll be jumping off a perfectly good dock the next morning to swim 300 yards or so.  This is stupid!!!  Will this turn into another 'Dam Good Swim' spectacle?  Or can I really do this?

Race day arrives and I'm nervous.  I'm up extremely early to make sure that I have everything packed that I need.  Wetsuit - CHECK, Cycling Shoes - CHECK, Helmet - CHECK, Running Shoes - CHECK, WETSUIT- CHECK!!  I arrive at the race plenty early.  I get everything laid out around my bike.  The 'jerk' next to me not-so-politely tells me to move my things as I'm in 'his space'.  Clearly he doesn't know this is my first race and that I have no clue what I'm doing, or that I've only made it this far from youtube videos.  I see Brad and Emily and they want to get in a little run to warm-up.  Wait, I thought the swim was the warm-up!  haha!  I agree to go and grab my running shoes.  We run a couple of miles and given it's July......I work up a nice sweat.  Just in time to put on a wetsuit.  Not the easiest thing I've ever tried.  Everyone begins to head toward the river and line up for jumping in.  The people doing the Olympic distance race board the General Jackson and they head up stream.  Everyone standing on shore applaud and cheer them on, all while my anxiety grows. 

It's a slow go as people one by one jump in to start the race.  Standing on the dock, I get to see lots of athletes swim by.  Some swimming as if they've done this their entire life, as if they have gills.  Others, not so much.  I have hope that I can do this.  I also have serious anxiety as I see those people who are struggling.  I'm standing behind a lady that I've talked to on a couple of occasions at the pool where I train.  She's doing this race without a wetsuit, her first without one.  The Olympic distance swimmers start to come into view and I slowly get to the start line.  5, 4, 3, 2, 1.......Here we go! JUMP!!!  DAMN That's cold!!!!  Face down, cold water, panic!  I tell myself to slow down.  I can manage this.  Face back in the water.  Panic.  Doggy Paddle.  I get my head turned and paddle as best I can.  I rollover to backstroke and slow my heart rate.  I try to roll back over to swim and freak out.  I hear one of the kayakers ask if I'm OK.  I nod that I'm fine.  Really Stephen, are you fine?!?!?  Doggy paddle, doggy paddle......I'm killing this doggy paddle!  Oh, there's Tricia, she's taking a picture of me doggy paddling.  That won't be my favorite triathlon photo of all time.  Let's try to swim.  Ok, there's 5 strokes.  Doggy paddle.  5-7 more strokes.  Hey, there's the finish line.  I got this..........

I come out of the water feeling exhausted, but I made it.  I completed the swim portion of this race!  That's worth celebrating.  I take my time getting up the hill from the river and try to slow my heart rate.  Once I reach my bike, I'm ready to roll.  I had come out of the water 25th of 26 in my Age Group.  Now, let's get after it!  I get out of transition on the bike and know that I have to pace myself.  While this is only a 14'ish mile bike ride, I've got to run following this.  Not something I've really practiced doing a lot.  I'm patient to start and take my time settling in.  By the time I get to Ellington Parkway, I'm ready to do some racing.  I'm consistently passing people, lot's of people.  As I make the turn to come back, I know that the worst of the climbing on the course is behind me.  Let's get after it.  I push hard all the way back into downtown.  As I get close to the stadium, I ease up a bit knowing I need to shake out my legs so that I can run.  I've just put down the 7th best bike time in my age group and while I didn't know this at the time, I'm moving up quickly.  I get my bike racked and running shoes on.
 

Tricia has my hat and now we're gonna have a little fun.  I ease into this run, but I'm passing people right and left.  I know a lot of people got into the water before me, but this many???    The first mile I click off at 7:43.  I blow by a kid that everyone who passes cheers on and tells him how great he's doing.  I ask if he's ok.  He says yes, then I tell him to push harder!  haha!  Never let up, young man!  2nd mile at 7:29 and we're heading back toward the finish.  3rd mile at 7:10 and I feel really good all the way to the finish.  I've just put down the 4th fastest run in my age group.  Add all that together with my very slow transition times and I finish 7th in my age group.  While that swim was frustrating and I know I have lot's of work to do, I know now that if I make it out of the water that I can be competitive at this.

To be continued............

Training (March 28 - April 3)

Another good week of training in the books.  I found myself really tired at the end of the week and I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the grind that it's been for the past 6 months.  However, after a couple of days away from it, I feel like I'm as ready as I've ever been for a marathon. 

Monday - After getting home late from Fayetteville, Monday was to be an easy day.  Since the time change, I've been trying to run on Monday night with the Tin Roof 2 Running Crew.  This is good because I see some familiar faces and get to run with some people that are as fast, if not faster, than me.  This day would be no different.  Alex and I got in 4 easy miles prior to starting with the Crew.  I needed 9 total miles for the day with some strides on the end.  After 3 more steady miles, Kyle McPhee and I take of on strides by ourselves.  Kyle is a former collegiate runner that claims to have some extra weight on right now.  He can run circles around me but at the same time push me to go just a bit harder on each of these strides.  Great workout.  9.4 total miles @ 7:45.

Tuesday - Easy, breezy miles.  Seems all my miles lately have been 'breezy'!!!  8.23 @ 7:59.  With a baseball game scheduled for the evening, this one happened at lunch.  Rushed again to get from meeting to run to meeting.

Wednesday - Coach has said a few times that he'd be glad to pace me over a few miles if I was interested.  I've always said yes, but until this day, we hadn't been able to work it out.  As I'm getting closer to my race, Coach decided we'd run a tempo pace over some hills.  We did a short warm-up and then dropped the pace just below 7:00.  Coach talked the entire time and gave me a play-by-play of the route as we went.  Don't you just hate those guys that can run and talk???  haha!  While I'm back behind him dying, he's carrying on a very one-sided conversation!  We finished with 11.24 miles @ 7:02.  This includes both warm-up and cool-down miles. 

Thursday - Another day where I'm cramming miles in at lunch because I'm traveling for baseball in the evening.  This time, I'm driving to Atlanta.  Not so bad and I could run after work, but there's the expectation of some thunderstorms.  8.23 @ 8:01.  Easy, breezy!

Friday - Friday's have turned into a very hectic day.  By traveling on Thursday evening, I'm able to work most all day on Friday, but I have to be at the ballpark before the end of the work day, in most cases.  Slipping in a run at lunch is tough, but I'm finding a way to make it happen.  Did a couple of easy strides on the end of this one.  7.07 @ 7:49.

Saturday - Long run in another city.  While this is challenging to coordinate and learn, this has been a lot of fun.  Atlanta is no different.  Just a mile from my hotel is the Noon Day Creek trail/greenway.  It connects on the far end to the Kennesaw Mountain trail/greenway. On Friday, I figured out there was no water on the trail so I stashed a small bottle on my way out.
I've also been doing long runs on minimal nutrition in an effort to familiarize my body with the feeling of running in a carb depleted state.  This time I took a gel prior to starting and then one at mile 6.  A 20 mile run on low cals/carbs is freaking tough but it's a bit easier today than it was a month ago when I bailed out half-way into a run.  20.5 miles (5 Mi. Fast Finish) @ 7:40 (last 5 @ 6:55).

Sunday - In this blog I've mentioned several times that I need to learn to run slow!  This is still a work in progress and I expect it to always be.  Saturday's run, followed by 9 innings of plate work, left me sore and stiff.  I managed to take this one very slow.....for me.  6.13 @ 8:31. 

70.9 miles for the week.  I like this as a final, high-mileage week for my training.  I feel good about my fitness and excited about the possibilities of a good showing in Boston.  Now it's time to start stalking the weather report!!! 

Catching Up

As my marathon training has continued over the past several months, I’ve thought often of writing about what’s been going on.  I realized a while back that I hadn’t written in this blog since my race recap from Boston last year.  Wow, almost a full year since I’ve set down to projectile vomit my thoughts into words.  Tricia has asked me every couple of weeks when I’m going to write again.  I haven’t really had a good answer for her, but here’s a go at it. 

So, 2015 turned out to be a pretty good year.  I didn’t accomplish all of my goals, but here’s a quick recap.

1.    2500 Miles – 2,091 Miles.  I came up a couple hundred miles short on this one.  After being a hundred or so miles ahead of schedule when I got to Boston, I quickly lost this momentum and ran only 135 miles in April, 65 in May, 81 in June and 103 in July.  I guess you could say I took some time off. 

2.    A New PR in every distance – I ran 1 full, 1 half, 2 10k’s, and a couple of 5k’s.  Taking time off definitely decreased my chances of succeeding at this goal.  I did however PR in the 10k and 5k. 

3.    Help someone else achieve a PR – I’m going to call this a success.  When 2015 started, Tricia and I had just started dating and she appeared to have no interest in running.  After sitting at the finish line in Boston waiting for me to get there, Tricia had an itch that she needed to scratch.  She decided to run her first 5k, then another faster, then another one even faster.  She ran her first 10k and then her first half-marathon.  I told her from the beginning that I was going to do my best to stay out of her training but that I’d be there every step of the way.  I can only hope I did a good job of staying out of her way while encouraging her and giving her accurate, solid advice.  We’re still dating, so I guess I did. 

 

4.    Re-Qualify for Boston – DONE.  CHECK.  Man ‘o man, was it good to check this one off the list. 

5.    Cross-Training – Yeah……I got off to a horrible start with this one and never got back to it.  Training for Boston was intense, I took time off, and when I did get back to it, I had a lot of work to do just to get into running shape. 

Now, let’s take a look at 2016.  My only goal for 2016 is to run faster than I ever have.  Considering it’s such a small, little goal for an old guy, I think this is the only one I’ll have for the year!  Haha!!!  Actually, I’m also carrying over the 2,500 miles goal to this year also.  Had I not taken off so much time last year, I would have destroyed this goal.  I need to achieve this once in my life, just to say I did. 

One thing I’ve done to help with these goals is enlist the help of a coach.  I reached a point last year of thinking I had gotten everything out of my body that my knowledge of running would allow.  I’d questioned and studied all I knew to and was beginning to run out of answers.  I asked a lot of the people that I run with who are working with coaches about their guy/gal.  I even asked those that don’t have coaches if they’d considered anyone and if so, who and why?   Everyone had their guy or gal for a reason and made compelling arguments for why I should consider them.  While I was in line at Whole Foods getting lunch one day, I see Susan Wenner.  Susan and I chat running every time I go in and I mentioned to her I was considering a coach.  Before I could finish my sentence, she says ‘Oh, you have to go with Scott!’  I could physically feel the enthusiasm with which she said this and for the most part, my mind was made up.  Scott Wietecha would be my first choice to work with if it was an option. 

Scott is easily the Nashville area’s most decorated runner: a professional runner, Olympic Trials qualifier, and 3x winner of the Rock n’ Roll Country Music/Nashville Marathon, I think Scott knows what he’s doing.  After a few conversations, we started working toward an April 18, 2016 peak date.

Back to running fast, I started working with Scott in late September and immediately ran 45 consecutive days.  Wow, that wasn’t what I had in mind, but I quickly remembered why he’s even involved.  He’s the coach, I’m the athlete and I need to trust everything he suggests I do.  If I buy in fully, I may be able to improve on the hard work I’ve already done.  After a day off, 53 more consecutive days to finish up the year.  In December, I ran a 5k and PR’d by almost 30 seconds.  My last 5k PR came the week prior to Chicago in 2013.  I like this as a good sign.

2016 has started off extremely well.  In February, I ran the Cedars of Lebanon Half Marathon as a training run.  I went in with relatively low expectations and while I was hoping to PR, didn’t expect it would be by much considering the course.  After 13.1 hilly miles I had a new PR by just over three minutes.  WHOA!!!  Coach, whatever you’re doing, it’s  working!!!  A month later, I ran the Tom King Half and ran another minute+ faster.  I like this trend and hope to keep it up.

I’ve been given the chance to run Boston again, 21 days from now.  I’ve work extremely hard for the past 6 months and feel like I’m in the best shape of my life.  I told a friend last night I thought I was a better runner now that I was in my 20’s.  Granted, I didn’t run a lot in my 20’s because I was busy with other things.  But, while I know I’m more committed to it, I also feel I’m stronger both physically and mentally.    

I’ve said for a long time now that I want my best performance in the marathon to come on the world’s biggest stage.  I’ll never have the opportunity to run in the Olympics or even the Trials.  I’ll never compete for prize money at one of these big races.  But, that big stage still awaits for all of us.  Mine just happens to be on Patriot’s Day and I’m taking a whole sack full of grit and determination with me, along with 6 months of hard work and fitness, and I’m going to find out just how good I can be on one day. 

 

"How many laps did you run?"

4 days away from the beginning of another College Baseball season.  I'm going to find out very quickly if I'm able to manage that work along with training for a marathon.  I've never actually tried to do this, so keep your fingers crossed for me, say a prayer, send me a protein bar, a foam roller and some melatonin!  hahaha

When I'm in Naples and have track work on the training plan, I go to Naples High School.  I spoke with a grounds guy there last May to ensure that I wasn't 'trespassing' and that it was cool that I use the track.  On Monday nights, I get to 'borrow' a lane while the Gulf Coast Runner's Youth Group has their practice.  For the most part, this means that I'm dodging kids that are clueless to their surroundings, but in some way, it motivates me to keep pushing a bit harder.  Heck, if these little guys/gals can get out there to run, this old dude can show 'em how it's done, right?  

This Monday night was no different.  Dodging kids, but it seemed there were more of them.  Maybe even a few kids that were older than I had recalled previously seeing.  After dodging kids for 5 mile repeats, I was catching my breath and putting on my shirt for my run back to the hotel.  All of the kids started gathering in the same general area for their next exercise.  One little girl looks at me with bright eyes and a huge smile and asks, "How many laps did you do?"  My immediate response was that I didn't know, but then we started doing the math together.  "How many laps make a mile? And I did 5 of those and add 4 more laps.  So, 24."  Her eyes light up with amazement as if I've just solved world-wide hunger or something.  I ask her how many laps she's done.  "3", as she shows me with her fingers.  Of course, I immediately think to challenge her to do more.  "I think you should go one more to get to four. What do you think?"  Everyone around can see the wheels turning in this little girl's head.  Before she has a chance to respond I say, "If you want to go one more, I'll do it with you."  Instantly the wheels land on 'Ask Mom'.  We walk over to her Mom and she asks if she can run a lap with me.  I explain to her Mom what's going on.  The other kids are lining up to run the 100.  Her Mom tells her it's her choice and I ask her if she'd rather run the 100 or run with me.  "With you!", she says with no hesitation and off we go.  We start out slow as I had no idea whether she was a poser or a runner.  She's a runner AND a talker!  Instantly she turns into 'Chatty-Cathy'.  Wow!  She's 9, thinks running is tiring, her Mom runs marathons, is only there to get her little sister interested, and would rather cheer, dance or sing.  Oh, and she's pretty good at the cheer, dance and sing.  

We run the first 3/4 of the lap relatively comfortable and as we approach the last 1/4, I tell her we are going to pick up the pace.  Gurlfren dropped it like it was hot!  haha!!!  We jet the last 1/4 lap and finish in plenty of time for her to catch her breath to run the 100.  She is now glowing with energy (as if she wasn't before).  I give her a high-five and thank her.  Her Mom thanks me and little sister asks why I'm so wet.  Before I can answer, Mom tells her she'd be the same way if she was out there running instead of playing with an umbrella!  haha!  Thanks Mom!  (BTW, Mom has only done a couple of 5k's.  I forget the innocence a child and their concept of distance).

Perspective is something I struggle with often.  I find myself getting absorbed into my own workouts or my own day and lose sight of other things.  I had just finished a difficult workout and on one hand was beating myself up for finishing the last mile 5 seconds off goal pace, while on the other hand congratulating myself for working hard and pushing through the pain, when this little girl completely changed my day.  As I ran back to my hotel from the track, I couldn't get the look of excitement on this little girl's face out of my head.  She reminded me of the joy that I get from a good, hard run.  She reminded me of the energy with which I should be running.  Run like a kid at recess!!!

And seriously, how does that happen?  Her timing could not have been better.  Is this a case of me simply having my eyes open to this sort of thing or some sort of divine intervention?  I'm not sure that's for me to decide, but whatever it is, I'm extremely thankful for this reset of my perspective.  Thank you, Ms. Chatty-Cathy.  You definitely had a bigger impact on me than I had on you.  

Ok, so it's now less than 10 weeks until #MarathonMonday.  Here's a little recap of last week's training.  

Monday -  7 Miles at Tempo pace.  Started out too fast, but rather than backing off, I chose to run till I almost puked.  Thankful for a couple of traffic lights that kept that from happening.  5 of these miles averaged sub-6:30. 

Tuesday - 7 easy miles.

Wednesday - 6.5 miles.  This one turned into a 'Progressive' run with each mile getting faster.  1st mile @ 7:40, the last @ 6:47.  

Thursday - Off/Travel Day

Friday - 10 miles followed by 6 innings working the plate in a baseball scrimmage.  Nice quad burn!

Saturday - 19 miles, the last 4 by myself and a bit slower than I wanted, but I was spent.  This was following by 9 innings on the bases of a baseball scrimmage.  Legs were barking by the end of that one.  

Sunday - 9 mile recovery run.  Slowly I'm learning how to do these.  Typically I go way too fast after I loosen up.  This one was pretty steady.  

I feel as though I continue to do a good job of focusing on each workout individually and not getting ahead of myself looking at the full week or even the totality of the training.  

Goals Update:

2500 miles - As expected a couple of weeks ago, I'm slightly ahead of pace on this one and should be for the next 3 months or so.

Cross-training - I'm failing miserably at this.  I have to get this mixed into my routine and can't be slacking.  I know that this will help with injury prevention as well as being able to execute my running workouts.  

New Race PRs. - No attempts and nothing on the calendar.  The schedule is a bit full right now, so these will have to wait until later in the year.  

Chili Peppers....on 'repeat'

12 weeks from today.  Wow!  How'd that happen so quickly?  It seem like only yesterday that I was celebrating the fact my entry was accepted into Boston.  That my qualifying time was good enough to gain that entry.  And now.......well now, it's time to go to work.

While many people I know have already started their training for Boston, I chose a shorter, more intense training option; 12 Weeks of Hell.  A couple of months ago, when I started planning this, it seemed like a good idea.  Today, I'm not so sure.  Fortunately I didn't rest on my fitness back then and kept running a decent amount of miles each week.  However, I didn't run fast very often and that has become an area of concern.  While on a casual long'ish run this weekend, I was asked about my upcoming training.  Before I could respond, Jenifer chimes in with "Run fast, all the time".  Yep, that pretty much sums it up.  So, it is only appropriate that this 12 week training plan start with a super-fast (for me) track workout.

The past 10 days or so have been pretty good in terms of running and mileage with a disappointing race performance sandwiched in there.  On Sunday, 1/18, I ran the Naples Daily News Half Marathon.  The goal for the race was to get as close as possible to 1:30.  It was not to be on this day.  66 degrees and 90% humidity for a 7:00 a.m. start.  I started out right in front of the 1:30 pacer, hoping that he was going to run consistent miles the entire way and that if I could stay right in front of him, I'd be good on my goal.  6:44 first mile and he's on my heels.  6:49 second mile and he's past me.  6:50 third mile and he's pulling away.  This guy is banking time and no way am I going to try to keep up with him and implode because of him.  I'm pretty good at implosions of my own.  And that I did.  Half way there and I'm on pace for a solid 1:30.  Two miles later, I think this is a great morning for a casual stroll.  Oh look, there's a Priest spraying everyone with holy water.  Ok, this is a first.  Never seen this one during a race.  Why doesn't this guy just have a sprinkler system of that stuff going off so that it's cooling as well???  I finish with a 1:34.  Not my best day by any means, but a couple of good things came out of this.  I was able to race without Plantar Fasciitis pain and I got to feel the adrenaline of the start line.

Oh yeah, this happened just behind me at this race.  While having snacks in the park after finishing I heard the announcer telling people that medical personnel were on the way.  Thankful that this gentleman is alive and well.

http://t.co/xH5EVacOIE


(Complete Tangent - Rant)
Seriously......IF you are going to be that person that wears the Vibrams (slap, slap, slap, slap), you CANNOT be the person that also wears speakers so that everyone else can hear your music.  PLEASE STOP!!!!  The guy that told you he hadn't heard the Red Hot Chili Peppers in a long time was not asking you to put it on repeat.  He was goofing on you!!!  You have essentially ruined 'Dani California' for me!  Damn You!!!!  HAHAHA!!!

Ok, enough of my ramblings.  Here's a recap of the last 10 days or so of running.........

Monday - 1/12 - 6.36 miles
Tuesday - 8.12 miles
Wednesday - 7.01 miles
Thursday - 8.05 miles
Friday - OFF DAY
Saturday - 4.02 Shake-out Run
Sunday - 1.15 mile WU, NDN Half Marathon
Monday - 1/19 - 7.08 miles
Tuesday - 7.09 miles
Wednesday - 6.45 miles (79 degrees)
Thursday - OFF DAY
Friday - Dry Needling/ART treatment
Saturday - 14.04 miles, on the ice with one fall. (28 degrees)
Sunday - 7.27 miles.

Goals
I'm about 10 miles off pace to reach 2500 miles for the year.  As Boston training starts today, I think I'll catch that up in a couple of weeks.  Nothing to be concerned about yet.

I am concerned about my 'cross-training' goal.  I did pretty well the first couple of weeks, but having been on the road a good bit, I've found it more difficult.  Need to get focused on this one.

PR goals......1 attempt, 1 failure.

Baseball, Boston and Plantar Fasciitis

Do you smell it?  Seriously?  Take a whiff.  That's the smell of college baseball's opening day being only 30 days away.  It's this time of year, every year, that I start to really miss the game of baseball.  There is nothing better than a freshly cut baseball field on a sunny spring day.  The smells and sounds of the game remind me so much of why I love being a part of it and work so hard to hold up my end of the bargain.  This year, baseball season is going to be a bit different because I'm training for a marathon.  I've never actually undertaken a spring marathon because of baseball.  That's always been my sort of built in recovery period from a summer and fall full of training.  To say that this is going to be a challenge is a gross understatement.  My anxiety level goes up every time I look at my calendar for the month of March.



So, there's a little race that starts in Hopkinton, MA on Patriot's Day that I was lucky enough to qualify for and be accepted into.  It ends 26.2 miles later in Boston at Copley Square.  This will be known as the 119th running of The Boston Marathon.  When I first started thinking about running a marathon almost 6 years ago, I never thought this was even a possibility.  Now, it's about to go down!!!


I'm stoked about the opportunity to run this race.  Coming off a disappointing day in the New York Marathon, I'm even more motivated and dedicated to my training.  In two weeks, I'll actually start a 12-week training cycle.  This is going to be a bit different for me because I've always done 16-18 weeks with a base building phase.  Not so much this time.  Fortunately, since New York, I've continued to run and have stayed in at least half-marathon shape and have a solid base under me.  Another change in my training is that I've assigned specific paces to each of my workouts.  In the past, I just ran how I felt except on Monday's when I would do speed work.  My thought behind this is to give each run a 'purpose' if you will.  Speed, Tempo, Long Run, Recovery....whatever it is that is going to make me fast enough to chase down another PR and do it in Boston.

Speaking of half-marathons and PRs, one of my goals for the year is to run a PR at every distance.  This coming Sunday, I take my first shot at a PR in the half-marathon.  I'll be running the Naples Daily News Half in Naples, FL.  Those of us that live and run in middle Tennessee know nothing about how flat this course is.  We think that the Tom King and Middle Half are flat courses.  Dude........this course is as flat as an airport runway.  Flatter than a 4th-grade girls chest! HA!  I think there might be 5 feet of elevation change.  That said, it's up to me to go out and race smart and put in a good effort.

One thing that could stand in the way of a solid effort is a case of Plantar Fasciitis that I've been dealing with for a couple of months now.  While this hasn't exactly slowed me down, or stopped me from running, it is something that I know is always there and it takes me a bit longer to loosen up.  I really feel this each morning when I get out of bed and shortly after a run when everything starts to tighten back up.  Last week I saw a doctor in Nashville that performed some Dry Needling, ART and I'm using some Kenesio Tape.


I got almost immediate relief.  This week has been much easier than past weeks and I've even knocked out a couple of really 'comfortable' runs.  I'm finding that it's all upstream from my foot.  Tightness in my calves, hamstrings and back seem to be the source for all my pain.  I'm really trying to be diligent about stretching and the use of my Stick and massage balls.  We'll see how things shake out on Sunday.

Here's a bit of a recap of last week's running.......
Monday - 9.4 Miles - Track Work - 1.25 mile WU, 400, 800, 1200, 1600, 1600, 1200, 800, 400 with 400 recovery jogs between each segment, 1.25 mile CD.  I didn't execute this perfectly, but wow, I felt great about just finishing this workout.  I know that I got better while doing this one.
Tuesday - 7 miles
Wednesday - 7 miles
Thursday - OFF - Travel Day
Friday - (Dry Needling and ART) - 7 miles
Saturday - 7.85 miles - Felt very fatigued in my calves from the previous day's treatment.  Cut this one short.
Sunday - 8.1 miles

2 weeks until Boston training officially starts.  I'm feeling pretty good about where I am physically and the progress that I've made with the Plantar Fasciitis.  Hopefully there's more relief on the way.

2015 Goals

As Christmas and the beginning of a new year approach, it's time to put into writing some goals to be accomplished during the 365 days of 2015.  2014 unfortunately, turned out to be one big learning experience for me, and one that I won't soon forget.  Let's hope that I've learned enough from the current year that allows me to succeed in the next one.  So, here we go........

Goal #1 - 2,500 Miles - This year is going to be different for me in that I've never ran a spring marathon.  This year, I am lucky enough to be going to Boston in April for that little race they hold there.  That said, I've never run a large number of miles during the spring (160 total for March 2014), and specifically during baseball season.  This year that changes and hopefully I can keep up with the demands of both marathon training and baseball season.  I'm going into the new year assuming that I'm also doing a Fall marathon.  With that commitment,  I think this goal is within reach considering I'm closing in on 1,900 miles this year and haven't exactly gotten after it the last month of so.

Goal #2 - A New PR in EVERY Distance - This was a goal that I laid out for 2013 as well and the reason for putting it out there again is so that I race and plan to race.  I ran a grand total of 4 races during 2014.  3 Half Marathons and 1 Marathon.  I don't believe that I toed the line often enough to be able to best embrace my competitiveness.  I love all of my running friends, and foes for that matter, but for the time that we are racing, my only mission in life is to beat you to the finish line.  In order to be better at racing, you gotta race.  I know already that I have a shot at two new PRs with a half in Naples, FL (1/18/15) and a marathon in Boston.  I'll start looking at the race calendar over the next few days to figure out where and when to attack the 5 and 10k distances.

Goal #3 - Help someone else achieve a new PR - I've been absolutely blessed to be surrounded by so many who are willing to help.  So many people willing to share little bits of information that they've acquired through study and experience to help me become better.  I think that now it is my turn to do this for someone else.  I don't know how this happens or what shape/form this comes in, but part of my becoming a better runner, athlete and person is to help others achieve their goals as well.

Goal #4 - Re-Qualify for Boston - Complacency has a way of letting the obvious hide in plain sight.  This goal seems to piggy-back on goal #2, but I feel that it needs to be put into writing.  If I PR at the marathon distance, I will re-qualify for Boston.  That isn't enough though.  This goal needs to be front, center and in my face as much as possible.  I've told people for the past year or so that an ongoing goal of mine is to be able to run Boston any year that I choose to do it.  Therefore, this goal needs to appear on my yearly list of goals.

Goal #5 - Cross-training - Reflecting back on the things that went right in 2013, and what went wrong in 2014, cross-training is one of the things that I must get back to doing.  Swimming, cycling, core strength training, increased flexibility.  I need to be much more consistent about all of these things.  The goal is to add two of these items each week to my schedule.  Even if it's only 30 minutes at a time.  I'll track this along with my running to ensure that I stay on track.  The challenge will be keeping up with this routine when the training mileage gets high and baseball season is in full swing.  

So, with 1 day left until 2015, it's time to get moving on some of these goals.  Over the next few days, as I learn where I'll be traveling for baseball, I'll start researching race calendars to see when I can fit in shorter distance races during the spring.  I'll also be researching yoga classes, boot camps, etc. in Nashville, Naples and whatever other cities I'm going to be in for the next 5 months so that I can work toward all of these goals.  

A big hope of mine for 2015 is that I've learned from the past couple of years.  I've experience enormous highs and some interesting lows.  Let's hope hope that I've aligned these goals with all of those experiences.  That said, what are some of your goals for the coming year?  Anyone setting a mileage goal or a PR goal?  Respond to this and let me know.  I'm very interested in what others set as goals.

Wow, it's already Christmas???

Are you kidding me?  It seems like yesterday that I was writing a recap of 2013 and basking in the pleasure of my successes throughout that year.  It seems like yesterday that I was giddy with excitement for my acceptance into the 2014 New York City Marathon and the upcoming college baseball season.  Now, it's late December and I'm wondering how exactly this year disappeared.  This has definitely been a roller-coaster of a year with all sorts of new experiences.

Before looking forward to 2015, I think it is important to look back at the current year.  What did I do right and wrong, and what can I do better in the coming year.  First failures and then successes.  Failures are always tougher to admit than the successes, so let's get those out of the way.

My first failure was putting all of my eggs in one basket.  During 2013, I set multiple goals and chasing each of those contributed to the success of all of them.  In 2014, I had a single goal, breaking the 3:00.00 marathon barrier and that was my sole focus.  My 'one basket' was the New York City Marathon in November and while I feel I was prepared to chase that 3:00.00 barrier, the conditions that day didn't allow for it.  The learning point here is that chasing multiple running related goals will make me better, or better prepared for all distances.

My second failure was that I stopped chasing knowledge.  There was a bit of complacency that set in after I qualified for Boston in 2013 and I stopped reading about how I could get better and stopped learning.  When I started running, I chased every bit of information that I could get my hands on.  Whether it be reading books, websites and magazines, or talking with fellow runners and co-workers.  I think I've already rectified this problem.  I have 3 books lined up and ready to read that I hope will give me the knowledge necessary to continue to grow as a runner, athlete and person.  While I no longer have a 12-time (or is it 13?) Ironman sitting beside me at work, I know that he's an email or phone call away and that I need to be a bit more resourceful for those personal interactions with more experienced athletes.

My third failure was that I just simply ran during 2014.  During 2013, I was committed to 'doing more' than just running.  I swam 3 or 4 days a week for 30-40 minutes at a time.  I rode my bike, even though in the trainer in my living room, more miles that I ever had.  I did yoga from time to time and I was committed to my Trademarked (not so much) 'Commercial Break Workout'.  I must get back to more 'cross-training'.  Having better full body strength and fitness is extremely important for me to push myself as far and as hard as my mind believes that I can go.

Now, let's talk about successes.  This is the short section of the post.  One real success times 3.  During 2013 I didn't even attempt a half marathon.  During 2014, I ran 3 of them.  Each one producing a new personal best.  I've always said I wanted to get myself into good enough shape that I could go out and race a half-marathon on a moment's notice.  Well, in April I put that to the test in Columbus, MS.  Fortunately I knew a couple of weeks prior that I was going to race, but I wasn't exactly in 'racing shape'.  I posted a new PR that day by 2 minutes to get my half PR to 1:34.44.  I went out way too fast and had to listen to Emily Rollins give me grief afterward.  I deserved every bit of it.

The 2nd PR was at the Middle Half in Murfreesboro.  This race came during the last high-mileage week of marathon training for New York.  I had already run 55 miles for the week going into the race and still came out with an almost 3 minute PR, 1:31.54.  Really made me wonder just how fast I could go if focused on training for a half.  

The last PR came earlier this month at the inaugural Mt. Juliet Half.  Well rested, but not well trained, I went 1:31.19, shaving off more than 30 seconds.  My goal for that day was to simply have a consistent race.  After two miles of ridiculous hills at miles 3 and 4, I settled in and had my most consistent race performance yet.  A very nice way to close the year.

So, what's in store for 2015?  Over the next few days, I'll be writing down my goals for the coming year.  Having that commitment in writing is very powerful for me.  Knowing that someone else has read (or thinking someone else has read) what I plan to do really commits me to doing it.  Once I put the goals to paper, or the internets, I'll come up with a racing plan that best prepares me for another year of successes.

In the meantime, I've got some shopping to do!  Geez, how did this come up on me so quickly???  Merry Christmas peoples!  I hope that you only get coal if you asked for it!

Week 3 - NYC

July is supposed to be filled with 100 degree runs, exhausted bodies, and dehydration.  The past couple of weeks, I was running in Naples and that's exactly what I was given.  Now a week at home and I'm met with the Polar Vortex.  What?  It's July....what on earth does that mean?  Well, to me, it means amazing conditions for running and a good opportunity to find out where exactly the bar is set, and hopefully raise it!

Monday - 5 x Hills

The vortex hasn't yet arrived and mid-day temps were in the low 90s.  At lunch I decided to get in a swim at the Y and try to work out some of the soreness in my lats and shoulders from the prior couple of days.  Just what the doctor orders and the abs are starting to feel more normal now.  Back home and working, I kept an eye on the radar and could see that the rain would be arriving around 4:30-5:00 p.m.  By 6:00 I was jonesing to get out of the house and started checking my lightning detector to see how just how close some of these strikes were.  After a few minutes and lightning more than 6 miles away, I decided to start a run.  With a light rain and a temp that had dropped into the 70's, these conditions were perfect for a great workout.  Hill repeats at paces of 6:31, :29, :28, :25, and :28.  Exactly where I wanted to be.  Warm up miles at 7:41 and 7:24.  Cool Down miles at 7:39 and 7:26.  Workouts like these make me feel like a 'real' runner.

Tuesday - 8 Miles

I had planned to take this one slow after another great swim workout at lunch.  I managed to stick to that plan for about a mile.  The temp was 80 degrees and humidity was extremely low.  This was a great afternoon for a run.  Just over 3 miles in I ran up on Mark Buckreis and we ran together for a mile or so.  Like me, he was out for a longer mid-week run simply because the weather was so good.  Finished with 8.6 miles at 7:36 pace.  This run felt very, very good.  

Wednesday - 7 Miles

East Nasty!  I haven't been able to run with this group for a couple of months and was very excited to do so.  It's always great to see so many like-minded, positive people.  To see all those familiar faces and even the new ones.  It is especially motivating to see those people involved in the 'Potato to Tomato' 5K training program.  I believe it takes a ton of courage to take that first step toward some level of fitness.  Christopher and I ran 3.5 miles prior to the East Nasty route for a good warm-up.  The plan was to go around 7:30-7:45 for the 4.22 miles with East Nasty.  With a temp of 77 degrees, this very quickly turned into a pseudo race.  Erin and I quickly pulled away from the 8:00 group and were joined just after the first mile by Beth Meadows.  Anyone that knows Beth knows that she's the one guilty of pushing the pace!  ;)  4.22 miles at 7:07 pace.  Stoopid!  Overall  7.76 miles for the day. 

Thursday - OFF DAY

This was a stressful day for me.  Working remotely during the week meant working from the house.  Having an off day meant no run, no swim, and really not much of anything in terms of physical activity.  Add to that another perfect day for running and I felt like a drug addict in search of his next fix.  

Friday - 7 Miles

Friday is my 'marathon pace' run day.  I'm getting closer and closer with each week that goes by.  Thankfully the polar vortex is sticking around to help me out.  I know that these temps won't last much longer, so I'm pushing it a bit on these runs.  7.2 miles at 7:16 pace.  The last 3.2 miles were sub 7:00 pace.  Runs like this give me confidence to believe that maybe I can break that 3 hour mark.....maybe.  Still a lot of hard work to be done.  

Saturday - 14 Miles

My alarm goes off at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday mornings.  Usually this gives me time to eat, drink, use the facilities, brush my teeth and drive to wherever I'm meeting people to run.  Not on this morning.  As I got out of bed I could hear it raining and decided to check things out before starting my routine.  I opened the door to look outside and saw a 'frog strangler' going on.  I then went to my computer to look at the radar.  Green and yellow everywhere!!  3 minutes after getting up and I'm back in bed!  YES, I get to sleep in!!!  I woke up about 6 hours later (yes, 6) and knew that I needed to get my run in.  The rain had cleared and the temp was starting to climb.  I decided to do the route that was planned by PR Bandits for earlier in the a.m., just because I knew of a couple of water stops along the way.  Bongo to Bongo it was.  I took my time and enjoyed a trip through the heart of Nashville.  14.07 miles complete at just over 8:00 pace.  

Sunday - 7 Miles

An early flight to Naples to start the work week.  The plan was to spend the afternoon on the beach and I knew that I needed to run as soon as I got checked into the hotel.  I clicked my heels together to find out that I was not in Tennessee anymore and that the polar vortex had not reached south Florida.  90+ degrees and 70% humidity.  It only took me a few hundred yards to realize how fortunate I was for the past week to have such amazing running conditions.  I would not need to remind myself that this is a Sunday 'recovery' run and to take it easy.  7.34 miles at 7:56 pace.  Random Thought: One of the coolest things about running in Naples is that there are sidewalks and bike lanes everywhere.  I was able to change up my route and run as far as I wanted without being concerned with being forced into traffic because the sidewalk/bike lane ended abruptly.  

This was an overall great week of training.  I'm feeling good about where I am physically.  Mentally, I have a bit of work to do and still need to find more motivation on some of these more 'challenging' runs.  3 weeks complete, 15 weeks to go.  

....and so it begins

The one thing that is constant is change.  It seems that since my last writing here, I've been reminded of this almost daily.  Sometimes change is bad and it forces each of us to take a focused look at what we're doing and figure out how to do it better.  Sometimes change is good and it gives us an opportunity to be thankful for the blessings that we've been given.  In some ways, over the last six months, I've experienced both of these.  Now, running season is upon me and it's time to see if I can chase down another PR.  

Just a short recap of the past six months or so.  Baseball season started (good change), layoff from my job (bad change), started new contract position (good change), running miles very low (bad change), incredible new job opportunity (good change), baseball season ends (good change), travel every week for work (big challenge).  As stated earlier, the one constant over the past six months has been change.  Slowly I'm figuring it all out.  There was panic at first, then rejoicing, and now just settling into what is becoming the routine.  

As I'm writing this, the Boston Athletic Association (BAA), administrators of the Boston Marathon announce the registration procedure for the 2015 race.  As I scan through the website I get cold chills when I see that Monday, September 15th at 10:00 a.m. ET is the date that I can officially commit to running the Boston Marathon.  That doesn't mean that I'm in just yet, but it does mean that I have a chance.  It seems so surreal to think that I ran my first marathon in October of 2009 as an overweight, out of shape guy that just wanted to check something off the bucket list and to try to get into shape.  I had a shape alright.....round.  Wow, what a significant turn around.  

So, speaking of marathons, two weeks from now I will officially begin my training plan for the New York City Marathon on November 2nd.  For me, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to participate in one of the world's greatest races.  Millions of people (yes, plural) line the streets of NYC to cheer on the 50,000 runners that take on the challenge that is the marathon.  Can you even imagine a million people?  I can't!  And then two or three times that???  WOW!  Just wow!  New York......I'm coming for you and I'm bringing my best to tame your streets in less than 3 hours.  

Last summer during my training for Chicago, I took on the challenge of raising my mileage to a maximum of 80-85 miles per week.  Fortunately, that worked out extremely well and produced a 19 minute PR in Chicago and qualified me for Boston.  This summer is going to present another challenge.  My work schedule now has me in Florida Monday through Thursday.  Fortunately, I travel on Sunday evening, which shouldn't interfere with my training assuming I get my butt out of bed, and on Thursday evening.  In my training plans, Thursday is typically that built-in off-day.  It will become a challenge however when my weekly mileage gets close to that 80-85 mile mark when I need to run on Thursday just to get the miles.  There is also a missing element here in Naples.....HILLS.  One of the workouts that I most enjoy during marathon training is a good hill workout.  It's sadistic to say that, but when finished with a hill workout, I know I'm a better runner because of it.  I've spent the last month scoping out bridges and parking garages for something that resembles a hill.  Seriously, a parking garage??? haha!

And so it begins.  Running season is upon us (me).  People are starting to train for fall/winter races and the temperatures are rising.  To all my runner friends, I wish you the best of luck in whichever race you decide to take on this fall/winter.  

While running a couple of days ago in Naples, I passed an elderly lady on the sidewalk who said "It's too hot for you..." in a very thick New Jersey accent.  I responded by saying, "Oh honey, we're just getting started!!", and with a smile I was gone!  As Lou Holtz once said, "No one ever drowned in sweat."  Let's get this party started!!!  

Till next time, to steal a line from my favorite sock-maker, Swiftwick, "Do What Moves You!"

Walking away from 2013......

It is here!!!  The end of another amazing year.  Full of new experiences and life changing decisions, 2013 has been all I expected and in some cases even more.  At the end of 2012, while on a flight to the Dominican Republic and reading the latest issue of Runner's World, I started writing down some of my 2012 accomplishments and once I finished, I wrote down some high-level 2013 goals.  I held onto that Runner's World and a few weeks back found it while looking for something else and took a few minutes to assess how I had done with those goals.  

The 5K
Shortly after deciding to run my first marathon in 2009, I ran a 5K as a fun run just to experience that 'race' feeling again.  That day I ran a 25:26.  A month later, I ran another at 25:15.  As a new 'runner' (if that's what you would call it), I was tickled to death with these results.  In both 2011 and 2012, I focused on running the marathon and ran a total of three 5K's.  In two of those three races I was beaten by 15 seconds by Jim Schwan.  Jim is a good friend but that doesn't mean I'm gonna let him continue to beat me.  I decided I needed to commit to running the 5K more often so that on Thanksgiving Day of 2013 I didn't finish 15 seconds behind Jim again.  So, goal #1 was to run a 5K per month for the year.  This got a little tough during the summer of crazy mileage marathon training, but I pulled it off!!!  And, I didn't finish behind Jim on Thanksgiving Day because he never made it to the start line. (He completed the Flying Monkey Marathon 4 days earlier).  GOAL #1 - CHECK

Goal #2a was also a 5K related goal.  Since that initial 25+ minute time, I had reached a point where I was consistently just above 21:00.  In my mind, this is pretty good for a 5K, but I really wanted to break that 21:00 barrier and with 12 chances to do it this year, it had to be possible, right?  In March I ran the Mt. Juliet Middle School 5K on a snowy Saturday morning.  I was very surprised by the number of people that showed up for this race considering the snow that was coming down.  The cold air must be the trick.  20:59.  Good for 3rd place overall that day.  GOAL #2a - CHECK.   So, considering this was the 2nd day of March, I felt the need to add another goal.  Let's break 20:30.  Why not right?  I really didn't think this was possible, but the week prior to the Chicago Marathon, I ran the Shelby Bottoms Boogie and crushed a 19:40.  WHAT???  Yeah, I looked at it twice too!  GOAL #2b - CHECK  (I've raised the bar awfully high here, so there will not be a 5K goal for 2014.)

The Half-Marathon
Toward the end of 2012 I ran the Music City Marathon and posted a very respectable 1:36 time.  In my 'overly aggressive' goal writing, I decided that I wanted to break 1:30 for the half-marathon.  This one gets carried over to 2014 simply because there wasn't enough time for me to schedule a half-marathon. I feel really confident that I can do this considering I ran a 1:32 front half during the Chicago Marathon.  This one should be easy pickens' for 2014.

The Marathon
When writing down my goals, I was three weeks removed from a 3 minute PR (3:29), which was preceded a 14 minute PR (3:32) from September.  I seriously wondered if there was any improvement left in my body.  I mean, I'm not 22 anymore, right?  (I'm really only 27, but don't tell anyone!  Shhhh!!!)  I guess though, without a goal, or something to shoot for, one will never know.  On the cover of that Runner's World, I wrote down "Sub-3:20 Marathon".  That would amount to another 9 minute plus PR.  In previous marathon attempts, I've seen big number improvements like that (13:00, 16:00, 9:00, 14:00), but as you get a bit faster, the amount of time that comes off becomes more difficult.  In my mind 9 minutes at sub-3:30 is twice as hard as 16 minutes at 4:30.  I may be wrong, but that's just the way I see it.  In February I got into the Bank of American Chicago Marathon and it was ON LIKE DONKEY KONG!!  Hahaha!  Or whatever the cool kids say these days!  I'll spare you the race recap as you can read it here in an earlier post, but with a 3:10 on Marathon Sunday, I not only crushed the sub-3:20 goal, I destroyed it and qualified for Boston in the process.  GOAL #4 - CHECK (DESTROYED!!!) 

Goal #5
During 2012, I ran 1623 miles.  A number that I looked at almost in disbelief.  At the same time, I wondered if I could possible get to 2,000 miles.  I was planning some significant changes to my training that I knew would add mileage and if I stayed healthy, I could surely get close, right?  On Saturday, December 7th, I surpassed the 2,000 mile mark.  With more than 20 days left in the year I would say that I crushed this goal as well.  GOAL #5 - CHECK

Walking Away.......
As I started planning how to get to the marathon goal of sub-3:20, I wanted to make sure that I had more than one chance at this during the year.  Getting in two marathons during a fall racing season is a challenge, both physically and mentally.  After having such an incredible race in Chicago, mentally I don't think I ever 'checked back in' to my training.  I completed the each of the runs and went through the motions, but never got to that determined point of focus needed for me during marathon training.  Physically, I was a little nicked up as well.  All of the miles and the hard workouts for the past 6 months were starting to hurt.  Pain that was tolerable, but ever-present.  I knew that I needed time off and that certainly didn't help my mental state.  On 12/14 I was to run the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, AL.  I had run this race last December and knew the course was one that I could post a good time.

Saturday morning the rain started pouring about 3 a.m.  At 6:00 when I got up for coffee and breakfast, still pouring.  At this point physically I'm still in for the start.  Mentally I checked out months ago! At 7:00 still pouring as I start putting on my running gear.  7:15 while looking out the window of my hotel room, I see that the empty lot across the street looks more like a lake than it does anything else.  I decided at that point that mentally I was not prepared for 26.2 miles on that day.  I sent a simple text message to Nate that read "I'm out! Heading back to bed."  30 minutes later we were both walking away from the start line looking toward the next year of running, the next race and the next goal to fall on the list.  I found myself 'justifying' my decision throughout the day before finally coming to peace with it.  Knowing deep down that the marathon is something that I expect to be able to give my best effort and anything less can be a greater disappointment.  

So, as I walk away from 2013, and prepare to run into 2014, I am incredibly thankful for the health that I have and the ability to even try these things.  I'm also very thankful for the incredible experience of 2013.  I'm extremely thankful for the friends and peers that I've met through running.  Most of them inspire me in one way or another to be better at what I'm doing.   Others of them teach me how to be better.  And all of them, and I mean all of them, will gladly talk your ear off about running!   

Merry Christmas (Yes, Christmas! You know, immaculate conception, the manger, wise men, 'franken-scent' and baby Jesus) and Happy New Year to you all.