One thing I knew for certain is that it would be quite windy for the 5K.  We had seen a tough breeze the whole trip down.  The temperature was great but as I would warm up the wind was really tough.  The flags were blowing stiff in the wind.  One good thing about the course is much of it would be run between houses on small streets.  This would help in blocking some of the wind.  However, as I would warm up I would turn a corner and be brought to a halt by the stiff wind.

There would also be a lot of turns which is not ideal for most races when running a 5K.  However, I had no real intention of running for a PR and secondly the course is really nice.  It runs you through some nice areas on Tybee Island in my opinion.

My plan was to play this race by ear and see how I felt.  My goal for the weekend was 3:10-3:15 for my overall time.  (Just between you and me, yours truly would have been a little disappointed if I did not hit the 3:10).  I knew for a 3:10 time I needed a 7:15 average pace for the weekend.  I knew the 5k was a race that would give me a nice shot at putting some time in the bank.  I set my goal at 21 minutes and would let me body dictate the pace.

The race would be in the dark which is always tricky for pace and especially with about 1,200 runners.  In order to practice some patience I made sure to line up in the middle of the pack.  That was a mistake.  One funny detail prior to the race was watching the runners trying to stay warm.  I thought they all seemed to feel like it was colder than it really was.  Watching them reminded me of the Disney Marathon a few years ago with cold, snow, sleet and wind.  Watching runners hide from the wind brought back tough memories!  However it was hardly that cold!  Try 30 degrees warmer!  Come on runners!  Toughen up.

As we took off, it felt like most runners thought it was a one mile race.  There was hardly any patience to be found and I was surprised I did not see somebody take a spill in the dark.  I would grade my first mile as a B+.  I might have gone out a tad quick but the legs felt fantastic and it did not feel like I was pushing at all.  I heard someone say to watch out for the speed bump.  Since it was dark and I was in the crowd of runners I was praying not to do a facial!  Thankfullynot.  I finished mile one in 6:11.

Again, the course was fun but the toughest part was coming around a corner and having that wind almost knock you down.  You can’t do anything about the wind so you can’t let that impact your pace.  The great thing about the dark was I could not see my watch so I was running by feal only.  I think this had a real positive impact on my performance.

We made turn after turn and knocked out mile #2.  I think the turns had an impact on the time which was 6:22.  As we started mile #3 I felt great and I wanted to cut it loose as I got closer.  I was passing a good many runners which just fueled the fire.

I have run a few night races and the most challenging thing I have noticed is not as much the dark but the surprise lights.  Your eyes adjust to the dark but each time you get light in the face you can’t see anything at the moment or for a while after that.

My finish was better than I expected.  Since I could not see my watch I could only judge by effort and it just seemed like I was cruising.  Fresh legs treated me well.  Mile 3 was 6:07 and my overall time was 19:05.  It was my second fastest 5K that I have run and I felt great.  I knew I might feel a little bit of that in the morning but figured it would not be too bad.

Race number 1 was in the books.  I managed to place in my age group but I was much more interested in food than sticking around to find out.

I was very pleased about my first race.  The real positives were:

- 2 minutes ahead of my goal

- I ran on feal and felt solid

- I had fun.  I love night racing.  Your times generally are not as good but I just have more fun.  Disney a few years ago was my first night race and I have loved it since then.

The reason I chose Tybee was because I have enjoyed it each time and I wanted a different challenge.  I have to say that the race organizers do an amazing job with  their races.

Race #1 is in the books.  5k at 19:05.  10k in 12 hours and counting.  More to come.

Happy running….

I think we all know those people.  They are the people I strive to be around and get close to.  Who in your life makes you a little uncomfortable but also inspires you to be the best?

Happy running….

“Run Down”

Yes, that is how I felt headed into race number 4 of the 5!  It was a challenge indeed but it also was as much fun as I have ever had in running. 

What worked?

- Mentally running 5 different races that equal 26.2 times is easier.  You don’t have that overwhelming feeling at mile 18 or 20.

- It was just fun.  I heard it was just over 500 doing all 5 races.  The experience itself was just a lot of fun.  By the time the last race got there, we all felt like we were in the same bucket.  Just trying to finish.

- My performance.  I was pretty shocked at how well I did.  I ended with a final total time of 3 hours and 5 minutes.  I ran my 2nd fastest 5k, one of my faster 10k’s, one of my faster half marathons as well.  I was shocked at how well I ran the final mile. 

- Leopold’s.  Ice Cream shop in Savannah for recovery.  I am just listing what worked, and that worked!

- Hotel.  We had a hotel right at the start and finish lines and it made it ideal for the race.

- Weather.  Are you kidding me?!  It felt like April.  It also might make the list of what did not work though.

- Crew.  My crew was my Dad.  Excellent as always.  The encouragement and driver were great to have.

- Hydration.  The races allowed a good amount of time between races and I always had a chance to get rehydrated.

- Format.  I might list under what did not work also but for the most part, the way they had the races done and in which order was great.  5K first, 10k the next morning followed by the half marathon, 2.8 mile beach run and finish with the mile.

What didn’t work?  (This list will be short)

- 2.8 mile beach run.  This was a killer.  I felt like garbage and ran like I felt.  The soft sand to the finish was tough.  This was by far my worst race.

- Weather.  Only during the half marathon did I get really hot.  It got pretty tough about half way through.  I really had to push to keep my pace.

- Physically.  Mentally I think the marathon is tougher, but physically this felt tougher.  Starting with the half marathon the muscles were very hard to get loose and the legs got harder to move each and every race after that.  The constant starting and stopping was tough.

- Race format.  I would have made only one change.  I would prefer the 10k Friday night.  The half marathon would have been a little easier after a 5k and not a 10k that morning.  Other than that I thought it was perfect.

- Nutrition.  I let myself down here.  I think it got me during the half marathon and beach run.  I needed to do more and ignored it.

- Post-Race Ceremony.  For those of us doing all 5 races it was difficult to keep up with.  I found out when I got home that I placed in several of the races including overall. 

 I could not have been happier with the weekend.  The rest and recovery in January really treated me well.  I have made some interesting adjustments to my training this spring with the lack of an ultramarathon on the books.  My goal right now is just New York for the fall with some shorter races in the next 6 months.  More about that in the future but I look forward to sharing some good stories and race reports and even a lesson or two learned along the way.

Happy running….

That being said it really got me to think about limitations.  I am controlling my limitations because of uncertainty and to make sure I am able to perform at my best later in the day.  The fact is, I am not sure what I am capable of.  There might come a time during the races where I loosen some of those limits and run harder.

How many times in life do we truly know what we are capable of doing?  What limitations have we placed on ourselves and our ability.  Are they legit or do we hold ourselves back too much?  I don’t know the answer, I am just asking the question for my own sake.  Usually for me the only thing that limits what I do is myself.  Sometimes fear is my limitation.  Sometimes the unknown like this weekend is.

What does that mean for this weekend?  I have no idea.  I have a plan and a strategy.  However, when I feel like running hard, I will probably run hard.

What are you limitations?

Happy running….

I am on a team, who I can assure you, make me look better than I truly am.  I am thankful for those around me.  I trust you are as well.  Do they know this, and have you told them?

Happy Groundhog Day.

and Happy running….

The question is how hard can I push myself for each race and how well can I recover for the next?

The schedule:

Friday at 6:15pm- 5K

Saturday at 7:00am- 10K

Saturday at 8:30am- Half Marathon

Saturday at 12:00 Noon- 2.8 mile beach race

Saturday at 1:00pm- 1 mile race

The one that concerns me the most is the break between the 10K and half marathon.  It is a pretty short break and then I go right into the half marathon distance without much rest.  The biggest question is knowing how to put forth just the right amount of effort in the 10k.

The good news is Tybee Island is flat.  I have run there a couple of times and there are no hills to be found.  I think the racing and the challenge will be a lot of fun.  It is something different that I am looking forward to.  I am not exactly expecting any PR’s to drop this weekend! 

I do have a goal though.  This is really an unknown and I am not sure what is possible but I would like to run the entire 5 races in the 3:10-3:15 range.  I know I can normally run each race to hit those times, but can I do it running 5 races in that short amount of time?  It will be fun to find out.

 Happy running….

It is interesting for me to think about that above.  As a new runner or a veteran runner we each know how to make decisions.  We established our values and what is important to us.  The start line and finish line mean something different to us and many times is how we can measure our training.  That is why we debate less than others about using discipline to get out the door and get in the miles.

Happy running….

When you are a little banged up you have a tendency to read a lot and try to fix yourself.  When you do too much of this you can get confused.  My recovery has had to be done my way and it seems to be working.  I actually got in back to back runs this week and feel solid.

I had to quit reading so much and listening to others and do what works for me and my recovery.  The rest has done me well, and I will continue to ease into it.  I will be ready for Tybee next weekend.

I also had a chance to take an introspective look into others areas of my life recently and just remind myself of what I do well and make sure I am doing it my way.  I think it is easy sometimes to lose your way.  When you are always searching for the best way, there can come a time that you can get away from what you do best and your natural gifts.  It is always good to remind yourself that you need to weigh those ideas with the scale of your natural gifts.

I have heard it said, push yourself out of your comfort zone but not out of your gift zone. 

If I fail and fall on face and don’t do it my way, I will be full of regret.  However, if I fail doing it my way those are results I can live with.  Just a random thought from the sidelines the past week or so!  But I am running again! 

You gotta be you baby!

Enjoy below from Sammy and Happy Running….

I’ve gotta be me

Whether I’m right or whether I’m wrong
Whether I find a place in this world or never belong
I gotta be me, I’ve gotta be me
What else can I be but what I am

I want to live, not merely survive
And I won’t give up this dream
Of life that keeps me alive
I gotta be me, I gotta be me
The dream that I see makes me what I am

That far-away prize, a world of success
Is waiting for me if I heed the call
I won’t settle down, won’t settle for less
As long as there’s a chance that I can have it all

I’ll go it alone, that’s how it must be
I can’t be right for somebody else
If I’m not right for me
I gotta be free, I’ve gotta be free
Daring to try, to do it or die
I’ve gotta be me

I’ll go it alone, that’s how it must be
I can’t be right for somebody else
If I’m not right for me
I gotta be free, I just gotta be free
Daring to try, to do it or die
I gotta be me

I know it bothers him but the concept is also liberating to know that he controls his destiny, not somebody else.  Each time I seem him battle with this I try to think about the same battle for me.

Who has my remote control?

Does the weather when it gets cold and does it keep me from running or getting to the gym?

Do I give my remote control over to food and temptation?

Do I turn the remote over to leaders in my life and wait for them to lead, or do I take control and be the influencer in our relationship?

The question boils down to, who is in control?  Well, I love control!  I love independence.  With control comes freedom but also restriction.  As I take control I can no longer blame others.

We are now in week #4 of 2012 and I try to remind myself who has my remote.  Who has my remote control over my 2012 goals?

Does the weather, a warm bed, competitors, excuses, food or any other outside factors?  Or have I taken over the remote?  It is a constant battle for me, and my son!  I have to tell him I can relate!

Happy running….

My foot has dictated some of this but I will say the rest of my body of taken advantage of it.  This is the first real down time I have taken in quite some time.  The thing I am happy with, is that it has allowed me to do some things differently.  For instance if you take away weight training my cross training the first 5 months of last year was 30 minutes!  30 minutes total!  Seriously.  I could not believe it once I looked back at it.  I was just running, nothing else.

So far this month alone I have just over 8 hours of cross training!  That is called changing it up.  I really feel like it is making a difference.  I am trying to keep mixing up what I am doing to keep it fresh.

This was one of my goals for 2012.  Some of my training has plateaued and not improved by a lot in the past year.  I have proved I can run a lot of miles during the year but what kind of miles are they?  What I wanted to do this year is to become a better athlete to help make myself a faster runner.  Sometimes less is more.

My training since 2007 really has not changed much.  I have used different plans but my yearly mileage and how I run those miles has not changed.  This year will be different. 

This is just one area where I am trying to change things up a bit in my life.  If I truly want something different I have to make different decisions and take different actions.  Have a great weekend!

Happy running….

Not the sinner and saint, for it’s well understood,
The good are half bad, and the bad are half good.

Not the rich and the poor, for to rate a man’s wealth,
You must first know the state of his conscience and health.

Not the humble and proud, for in life’s little span,
Who puts on vain airs, is not counted a man.

Not the happy and sad, for the swift flying years
Bring each man his laughter and each man his tears.

No; the two kinds of people on earth I mean,
Are the people who lift, and the people who lean.

Wherever you go, you will find the earth’s masses,
Are always divided in just these two classes.

And oddly enough, you will find too, I ween,
There’s only one lifter to twenty who lean.

In which class are you? Are you easing the load,
Of overtaxed lifters, who toil down the road?

Or are you a leaner, who lets others share
Your portion of labor, and worry and care?

Running is one of those unique experiences that brings people together.  How many things do we do in everyday life that cause separation and not uniting.  I know with the growth of the relay races it has done a lot to create a community of runners.  I still look at those 11 runners with a brotherhood reflection unlike other experiences because of what we went through.  Hills, hill and more hills! 

The Disney race experience for us has turned into a family thing with more family being converted for the 2013 race.  As you toe the line at your next race, whether this weekend or one coming up I would just encourage you to look around.  We are all individuals who have given hours of dedication and miles of training to become something better.

Speaking of something better, I am trying to get my foot to become something better.  I have put myself on the shelf for a bit to make sure I am 100% for this year.  I have still been fighting a bit of foot pain.  It is not debilitating but annoying and I have no desire to make it worse.  Each time it begins to feel better I go out and do a hard training effort and irritate it.  I have nothing huge coming up I am all that concerned about so I am just trying to take it easy for the next couple of weeks heading into the Tybee races.  This is me trying to practice patience…yes, still!

Happy running….

I read this in a John Maxwell book the other day and thought it was perfect for me in trying to wrap my head around going after my 2012 goals, “Perseverance means succeeding because you are determined to, not destined to.”

I have a few little things that seem to help me throughout the year and encourage me to press on to reach me goals.  I thought I might share those today just in case it helps.

1- I have to measure my progress.  I think it is vital to establish reality, track reality and know where you finish.  You have to be able to track your positive momentum.

2- Celebrate the small stuff.  It can be very tough in the midst of a big goal to get discouraged when it seems to far away.  I love to create little celebrations along the way.  If your goal is to lose 20 pounds find a way to celebrate each 5 pounds you lose.

3- Don’t do it alone.  You can be so much more effective with accountability.  I was able to reach my end of the year weight loss goal and a big reason for that was doing with others.  There is nothing quite like positive peer pressure of hopping on those scales with them each Monday morning.

4- Keep the end in mind.  Remember your why.  Keep in mind what a changed you will look like at the end.

I hope your 2012 is off to an amazing start.

Happy running….

The past few weeks here in the ATL the temps have been dropping.  A lot!  It has gone from Chilly to cold.  (For those of you who live in colder places I do apologize for calling my weather cold.)  I have noticed a trend, of me heading to the gym and hopping on the treadmill.  In fact the first number on the thermometer has been the gauge.  If it has been 40 or above I have been outside.  30′s or colder and I am hitting the gym.

Don’t get me wrong, I still don’t love the treadmill but we are starting to warm up to each other on the colder days.  Mr. Treadmill has gone from the evil empire to a respected friend. 

So, I have lost my edge.  Frankly, I don’t care!  And if I have, at least I am warm!

This can be a tough time of the year for training.  I know for a fact January has always been my lightest month of the year for running.  Most of the time I am recovering from a Disney Marathon.  This year is the highest volume January I have probably had.  I am also trying to manage myself early in the year.  I have a long year ahead of me and I have had a few aches and pains come up.  I don’t want any lingering injuries this year so I am trying to watch my intensity this month.  I don’t want to lose my year in January and February.

For those of you that are killing the runs outside early in the morning, I respect you greatly.  For those like me recently, enjoy the warm temps inside!  I trust your training is going well either way.

Happy running….

In the last few months I have been able to use that in many areas of my life.  I often think about that when running a race.  It is not just my competitive nature but I truly never know what race could be my last.  It might sound a little bit depressing to talk about, but to me it is not.  I want to take pride in every effort.

There is no better example of this happening than this past Thanksgiving day with the Atlanta Half Marathon.  I put forth everything I had in this race.  I ended up setting a PR by about 4 minutes and running it faster than I could have dreamed.  I had no idea what that race would really mean.

I have wanted to run the NYC Marathon since I started running marathons but it just has never worked out.  My effort on Thanksgiving day paid off and I will be in New York next November.  I cannot tell you how excited I am to finally get a chance to run the NYC Marathon.

This changed things for certain for 2012.  Many of my goals were based on running Leadville this summer.  I just don’t feel like I can run the race I want this November in NYC and run Leadville also.  So Leadville will have to wait for a year.  My goal race for this year will be the NYC Marathon.

Sometimes you talk about lessons to others and know it is reality but you don’t always see the examples play out in front of you.  This is one lesson that is nice to have a good example of.

You never know what your effort on any given day might mean to you or to others.

Every day, every relationship, every effort, every race…Give it all…All the time

Happy running….

Until a few years ago I did no such thing.  I hear most people who don’t do any type of goal setting or those who are not successful all focus on the wrong thing.  For years, I did the same.  I know it sounds strange, but it is really not about the goal.  Say what?

I know, I know.  It sounds crazy but it really is not about the goal.  I have heard for years John Maxwell and others talk about the journey and not the destination.  If one of my goals is to qualify for Boston, think about the things I have to do in order to qualify.  I had to lose a little weight.  I have to hit the gym more and strength train on a regular basis.  I have to do more race pace training.  If I reflect back once I am ready to make my attempt and I did the things I had to do in order to put forth the BQ effort, how much better of a runner will I be?  Holy smoke!

That is really it for me.  I want to set some very lofty goals and expectations because, I am not presently the person I need to be to hit the goals.  In order to hit my goals I need to become something and grow into something that I am not currently.  That is the reality of setting the goal.  I need to become the type of husband, dad, friend, runner and co-worker that will be able to make a run at my goals.  It will require me to stretch myself in ways I have not before.

Will I be disappointed if I don’t qualify for Boston?  You bet.  However, if I do the things I need to do that will help me qualify I will be thrilled with what the journey has done for me.

I am looking forward to the journey in 2012.

Happy running….