"Your work is your own private megaphone to tell others what you believe." - Simon Sinek
So I took a little break from blogging. Sometimes it get daunting to keep up with a journal, but it's a rewarding thing to look back and see how I've progressed.
I'm going to try & keep at this thing. Maybe not weekly. Perhaps monthly, but periodically to maintain some sense of history.
What did I miss... Well, March 1st meant that opening of general registration for the Pikes Peak Marathon & Ascent. As I mentioned before, Brian asked if I wanted to go with them this year to run it. Being a glutton for punishment I said yes. I actually got registered even though both races sold out within an hour. No turning back now!
Now comes the attempt to hill train in the flatlands of Texas. I started out on a incline treadmill plan, but I didn't feel like it really helped a great deal. The treadmill gave me the temptation/option to hold onto the side rails or lean forward and hang on. Which is why I ordered this puppy. They say that it helps simulate hill climbing. We'll see... I decided to start out easy until I build some strength. I did a 2 mile walk followed by a 1 mile run. The run portion felt similar to the end of a half marathon. Everything just felt heavy. As it should carry 20 extra pounds.
What else happened? My Texas buddy, Leo from the Turtles, decided to run his first full marathon. I volunteered to work the course so that I could be around to cheer him on. I was posted at a turnaround section. Once all of the runners were through that portion they would go into, if I remember correctly, 2.3 mile loops. As I finished my post & walked back to the start/finish area, Leo came along. I ran with him for a minute or two and then stayed at the finish area cheering runners on. After a little time passed I see Mark come by. I decide that the next time he comes by I'll run a loop with him. I'm not really dressed to run, but I thought it would be encouraging for him. I'm wearing sweat pants, a t-shirt, & an old pair of shoes that I retired months ago.
A few minutes later he comes by & I join in. He has just under 9 miles to go. After a couple of loops I decided that he needed me to keep running with him. So I start telling him every part of my life story that I can think of. Anything to keep myself talking & try to distract him from the pain he was in. We kept on going & he finished his first marathon. 26.2 miles!
Another exciting bit of news in the last month or so. The city of McKinney accidentally double booked 2 half marathons on the same weekend. I've always wanted to attempt two halfs back to back. This seemed to be my chance! I put a text to the Turtles to see if anyone wanted to double up... No takers. I asked Brian (the guy who invited me to Pikes Peak). He's equally as crazy as me. So he said yes. He was signed up for another race the weekend before. A trail race in Arkansas. I figured it was the least that I could do to run with him since he was running with me. If you do the math that's 3 half marathons in 9 days. So we signed up.
Race #1 like I mentioned was a trail race in Arkansas. It was gravel backroads with about 900ft of elevation gain. I needed the hill training anyway. It was hard. I had also made the mistake of taking some multiple gels during the race that had a shot of caffeine. I was thinking that it would help push me onward. Unbeknownst to me, what it actually did was push my heart rate to the limit. I was completely trashed about mile 9 and beyond. Afterward I looked at my hear rate data & it had peaked at 211! Lesson learned.
The following weekend Brian came to town to prepare for our back to back races. I forgot to mention that the sponsoring race companies joined together to create a challenge. They were hoping that it would help with attendance. In our case I guess it worked. The races were on the same course. They were slightly different. One starting at one end of the trail & the other starting at the opposite end. Nonetheless there was a lot of repeated scenery. That definitely keyed up a mental game on day 2. We were up to the challenge & earned that hardware! My second race time was only 8 minutes slower than the first. I'd say that was a win for my first double.
That double also qualified me to join Half Fanatics! I've been thinking about it for sometime, but never have pulled the trigger. This weekend also wrapped up my 20th half marathon. I'd say I'm classified as a fanatic.
Lastly, here’s a shot of my new Half Fanatic racing singlet! The boys from Stud Nation & I decided we would use them as our team shirts.
God bless America!
