Pikes Peak, marathon pacing, & back to back half marathons!

 "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!

Just don't stop... ever.

      “Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.”

– Earl Nightingale

You know a lot, I mean, a lot of people don't stick to (or even start) something because of how long it takes to see results.  That's why I love this quote!  It's a perfect perspective.  So what if it's going to take a year to lose that 20 pounds, the year will go by regardless (the good Lord willing).  You might as well do those little things everyday and persevere until the results come.  You can arrive in March of 2022 a different, better, healthier person or you can arrive, best case scenario, just as you are now.

It's like I've said before, if a living thing is not growing, essentially, it's in the act of dying.  So do what you can each day to live & grow.  Do it for yourself.  Do it for your family.  Do it for whatever.  Just do it.  Nike may have been on to something with that slogan.

Here we are another week in the books!  This is the 16th week that I have posted on this blog.  I think I'm getting better at it, but who knows.  I've had between 3 - 24 readers depending on the week.  Not many at all, but the journaling is as much for me as anyone else.  I can't wait to look back in a year to see how far that I've come!  I also hope that this blog will help someone realize that average people can change their life for the better.  We don't have to be elite athletes.  We can't let ourselves become discouraged because our pace isn't sub-6:00, or sub-8:00, or sub-14:00.  Just do it.  Maybe we won't ever win a race, but 

1. We can put in the work consistently and see changes.  
2. We can improve & have fun at the same time.
3. We don't have to be perfect.

Anyway, back to it.  Tuesday was a hectic work day, so I ended up running after work.  It's definitely my least favorite time to run.  I've been eating all day, I'm in a stress overload, & I'm just tired.  I like to run early in the morning before I have any other distractions.  I just go out & enjoy the run.  I did a quick little loop around the neighborhood.  I stopped by the school for a pic with the half-mast flag, in honor and memory of those who have lost their lives to Covid-19.

Wednesday we are back at it for Hump Day double digit miles.  We did a few familiar loops trying to avoid the wind.  It was a easy pace, but I was abnormally tired for some reason.  I couldn't seem to catch my breath.  Raph & I did 7 with Leo & then finished up those double digits!

After the miserable run on Wednesday I skip Thursday and grab a lunchtime 5-miler on Friday.  With the snow event, I realize that I'm way behind on mileage.  Plus, February only has 28 days.  So we're going to have to push it to hit my goal of 100 miles every month in 2021.

Saturday I'm shooting for 14-15 miles.  That will just leave me a couple for recovery on Sunday & I'll hit 100 just barely.  We head out on a 12 mile plan with Leo & company planning to grab a few extra afterward, but by mile 9 I was in the tank.  Another crappy run, but as we know not every run is going to be good.  You can fuel right, sleep right, stretch right, & sometimes the run is just crap.  The important thing is that we keep going.  Run, walk, or crawl finish it out.  So that what I did.  This is the first run in several months that I actually had to walk. Like earlier in the week, I just couldn't seem to catch my breath. Leo & Raph stuck with me regardless, as they always do & we finished it up together.

Sunday about 4.1 miles to hit 100.  So that's what I do.  Through the neighborhood I make up a loop that gets me a little over, just in case.  As I'm running a storm starts rolling in.  It looks pretty rough.  Luckily, I finish up just before it starts.  It was nice to sit on the steps & let the rain cool me down though.  

100 February miles achieved.  Now on to March!

Snow-Pocalypse 2021

 "In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer."  -Albert Camus

So unless you've been under a rock the last few weeks, you know that Texas was crippled by some historically low temps, snow & ice.  It delayed everything.  Restaurants & businesses closed for days.  Factories & were shut down for days.  People experienced rolling blackouts, low water pressure, and tens of thousands didn't have any power or water at all.

That sure makes an old running blog pretty insignificant.  But just a short week later & we are back to 80 degree days!  God bless Texas!

This installment will be more or less a photo album.  Hell, I can barely remember 1 week ago, much less 2, but I'll try...

SNOW-POCALYPSE IS COMING

I ran with the 5am speedsters on Monday.  They super fast sub-7 milers easy, but sometimes they slow it down.  I was invited to tag along.

The temps really started dropping by mid-week, but nothing stops a turtle.  Leo & I met for some 5k loops.  He is training for a marathon that is a multiple loops course.  So he's been working on his loop enduring skills.  We did 4 loops.  Each loop was a 5k.  It actually wasn't that bad.  It cut the run up in bite-sized pieces.  I found myself zoning out a few times.  8 loops may have been a different story.

Saturday it was even colder.  The wind chill was subzero, but as you know, we just keep running.  So out we went for 10 frigid miles.  I picked up a Camelbak to try and move away from the waist belt bottles.  This wasn't the day to try that.  Newbie mistake.  By mile 3 the straw was completely froze up.  As best as I can tell when we finished the entire bladder was froze.

SNOW-POCALYPSE HAS ARRIVED

Sunday I ventured out for little run in the snow in Texas.  I figured it was probably one of my only chances to do so while in Texas.  Just a quick mile.  At 9am it was 4 degrees & felt like -16!

After a 6 day hiatus due to the weather & utility rationing, we were out again.  Probably a little too soon.  A lot of the main roads were good.  The sidewalks were still very treacherous, as we found out.  Not even quarter mile from the store & 2 turtles go down.  We were concerned that Don might have to go into concussion protocol, but luckily he was okay.  We finished up the 11 miles really slow & safe.

And just like that, one day later, there's not even a trace of any snow whatsoever.  Being low on miles for the month I went out and grabbed few. It ended up being 72 degrees that day!  That was pretty quick rundown of the last 2 weeks.  See you next time!

SNOW-POCALYPSE BE GONE!

Sometimes you have to change it up

If we don't change, we don't grow.  If we don't grow, we aren't really living. - Gail Sheehy

A very thought provoking quote.  Living things grow that's what they do.  If something is not growing most often it's dead or at least unproductive.

As you know, I have been back & forth about where to go next with my training.  Sometimes options open up that help with your decision.  It did for me.

Some friends of mine invited me to go with them to run Pike's Peak.  Being the psychopath that I am, I said yes.  There are several of us planning to go, rent a house, stay the week and run the 14,115ft mountain race.  Being my first trip, I'll just do the Ascent.  That's a half marathon to the top.  Some of the others are doing the full marathon which includes the Decent back to the bottom.  Registration opens on March 1st.  I just have to hope that I can get a spot.

Now I need to start looking for some hills & trails.  And trails with hills.  It has been suggested that I run with a weighted vest.  Let's make sure that I get in first.

MONDAY means it’s a new week!  I took a nice little out and back. I didn’t intend to run negative splits, but I’ll take it. 9:16, 9:09, 8:49. 

It seems like a lot of my Monday runs end up being negative splits. 

THURSDAY and it's XT day again.  I've taken a few extra days off this week.  I've been having some pain in the arch of my right foot.  I've been rolling it with the touchpoint ball & hitting it with the impact massager.  This morning it feels better.  So, I guess I have no excuse not to do the workout this week.  I mean I did win another prize last week.  I could recuse myself to let someone else have a chance.  That wouldn't be any fun.  Besides its just a little 3 mile run. Oh and 20 burpees every half mile!  I'm going to feel real empowered after this one.

I put on my USA ASICS.  They’re a little more stiff in the arch. No issues during the workout. Maybe these shoes aren’t so bad after all. 

The workout was tough, but I felt stronger than I thought I would. I’m sure the people passing by though that I was insane. I did manage to keep all of the running sections under 10min/mile. I can remember last year not being able to do 5 burpees without being completely out of breath. If it’s hard just keep doing what you can & eventually you’ll get better & stronger. 

SATURDAY it's time for something a little different. Trail running.  I wanted to spend some time on the Squircle this year. That begins today.  What's a Squircle?  It's a squared loop. Not a square & not a circle.  A Squircle.

So I arrive at Erwin Park & there are tons of mountain bikers everywhere.  I quickly find a parking spot & head out toward the park entrance to begin the Squircle.  It's about a half mile to the gate.  Going left out of the park, it's a short run to the first turn onto gravel.  After another mile starts a pretty decent uphill.  Honestly, I can't remember a whole lot about the course except that there were several rolling hills.  I was trying to make sure I didn't miss a turn.  It was my first time & I was alone.  One section had some new homes & land being developed.  The rest was just like being out on Miller Creek Road in Arkansas.  It felt almost like being back home, passing farms & livestock..  The last thing I remember is the gradual uphill back to the park entrance.  I make the final left turn & finish the half mile back to the car.  There was definitely an added degree of difficulty.  The Nike Pegasus Trail 2 made for a nice run as well.  Ended up with just over 5 miles on my first trip around the Squircle.

It's SUNDAY and I'm back at Erwin Park for more.  I haven't ran a long run this week.  So I decide on a double Squircle.  One loop to the left like yesterday & one loop in the opposite direction.  I won't bore you with too much repeating the course report from yesterday, but I'll tell you this.  The Right Squircle is definitely tougher than the Left Squircle.  About 2 miles after starting the Right Squircle there is a massive hill.  In the opposite direction obviously it's a nice downhill. So I didn't notice it.  Yesterday I saw once person.  Today there were probably 8-10 other people on on the Squircle.  Looking at my final pace, I could tell that it was tougher today.  Nonetheless, I got it done.  Final tally was 9.5 miles.

Running for fun? Are you sure?

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. - Henry Ford

I saw this quote a few weeks ago and saved it.  It's hitting home with me lately.  I kind feel like I'm wandering.  The races that I was training for are done.  The FRC plan is pretty much done.  Mentally, I told myself that I would rest after these races.  Honestly, I'm not sure that I can. I thought about working some weights into my routine, but then I wonder, am I getting to greedy?  Am I looking for the next thing?  What I am doing is working & it's not making me too miserable. If it ain't broke don't fix it, right?

I was talking to someone recently that was saying that they had tried running.  They decided that it sucked & it was painful. I tried to explain that I agreed completely.  Running is not like laying by the pool.  It takes physical exertion.  Even when it's an easy run there is an element of uncomfortableness.  At least I know it is that way for me.  So why do I run?  I run for the feeling of accomplishment.  When I finish running I feel good about what I have done.  When I finish one of our tough XT workouts & I can say I just did 80 or 100 burpees, I feel like a badass, like I can accomplish anything.

Back to the topic at hand, without a goal, what's next?  I'm going to stay the course.  Keep running with by friends.  Throw in some old track & hill workouts like last year.  A couple of the guys have marathons coming up very soon so I'll have plenty of miles to log.  And just like that I have another goal!  In the FRC XT challenge I won a free entry to the Texas Big Star Half Marathon in April.  Now I have 3 months to get 34 seconds faster & go sub 2:00

TUESDAY was an attempt at an easy run after resting on Monday.  My legs were still a little tired from the race.  I ran by this tree & I saw a little bird's nest.  So I thought that would be a neat photo for the blog.  Ends up it was not.  So I propped my phone up on a fire hydrant & got this one.  I thought it was perfect for the status of my legs.

Also a friend of mine in KC was having a real good time with my finish line photo from the race.  So, of course, I had to share.

Enjoy!

WEDNESDAY we run long runs.  People think that we're insane, and we may be a little.  Before moving to Texas I had a rule of no more than 5 miles on week day.  Well, we have smashed that many time as you may have noticed.

Anyway, last night was one of those nights where I just couldn't sleep.  I kept waking up.  Finally about 2am it was over.  My workload for the day started running through my head.  I tossed & turned until 3am and finally just got up.  I was setup to run with The Turtles at 5am, I thought well, I'll just get up and go run now since I can't sleep.  It was raining.  Blah.  So I decided to eat some ramen (my pre-long run meal), drink some coffee, & just wait till run time.

The rain had passed by the time I went to meet the guys.  We took off on another 10-miler.  We decided on a nice easy pace.  With 2 of our squad training for full marathons the pace would generally need to be a little slower.  It was a real good time; a lot of talking.  We haven't been able to do that much lately with the intervals & quicker paces. With the exception of nearly being mauled by Chupacabra that was lurching around in the woods along the trail, it was a nice run.  

XT THURSDAY is here again!  Another empowering workout from the mind of our cross training coach!  Not a whole lot to say about it.  4 rounds of the workout listed below.  I did start to dry heave during round 3, but I finished it up in less than 30 minutes.  

It's SATURDAY!  That means we're going long!  There had been talk of 15 miles today. While I wasn't really looking forward to 15, I was down to support my friends.  So I was in.  I've been trying out some new nutrition & I have it all prepped & ready go.  

• Body Glide to prevent chaffing.
• Salt Stick capsules to replace electrolytes during the run.
• Karbolyn Fuel in the Maurten bottle for gradual carb intake during the run.
• Huma energy gels for a boost every now and again.

It was raining again and it was really windy.  I mean really really windy. Like I mentioned earlier, we're a little crazy.  With a little reservation we press on with the plan to meet at the store.  Once on the way I realize that the wind is blowing a lot harder than I thought.  The weather is saying 35-40 mph gusts.  We get out of our cars & can barely stand up to the gusts.  For our safety we decided to postpone until later in the day.  One brave Turtle, Donatello, who had plans for the day actually went out an hour earlier & logged 8 miles. See... crazy...

Being Saturday, I jump back in bed & nap for a bit.  About 9am I get back up & head out for my solo run. It's still windy, but it's died down to about 14mph,  With no particular route in mind, I just wing it.  I think the most I've ever ran in my neighborhood is 7-8 miles.  I feel like I want to do at least 10.  

Off I go!  I try to go to the farthest points in the neighborhood that I can think of.  Out to Hwy 1385 on the East, up around the clubhouse, past the school & up to the stoplight by the DollarGentral on Hwy 380.  I zig zag through a couple of streets & back on a common route around by Rowdy's house.  Instead of going back home now, I keep going down to the roundabout & up past The Kitch.  There apparently having a 5k or something.  A lot of people are stagger starting as I run by the start line I'm just over Mile 4.  I go through the 2nd roundabout by the flagpoles all the way up to the 7-Eleven that's also on Hwy 380. Here I have to turnaround. I take the other side of the street & loop back by The Kitch on the other side, down around the lake & up through the outside loop.  

About Mile 8 or so, I touching Hwy 1385 again, & I start to get tired mentally.  I turn back North toward the house at Mile 9 & I am welcomed by the 14mph headwind.  Yea!  Nonetheless I slog on back to village, around the block & we're done.  10 miles on the money.  Honesty it felt like 13 or more.

Sometimes it's easy to under estimate the power of running in groups.  One of the main things that attracted to running was the relationships.  Runners are one of the most inclusive group of people that I have met.  Whether you're the fastest, the lowest, or somewhere in between you are cheered for & cheered on.  I've seen it in multiple states.  

I'll leave you with this.  You don't have to be lonely.  You don't have to exercise alone.  Whether you run a 6 minute mile or 20 minute mile, reach out to a local running group.  I'll wager dollars to donuts that you'll be welcomed with open arms.