tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22221545198314046172024-03-05T12:17:00.715-05:00My Running blogUpdates on training and goals around running.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-36597033766867494352016-06-13T07:55:00.001-04:002016-06-13T07:55:10.540-04:00Annapolis Running Classic Ambassador!So I received an email about two weeks ago asking if I would be an ambassador for the Annapolis running classic. Well I jumped at the chance. I figured that this would be a great opportunity for me to start updating my blog on a regular basis like I wanted to. <br />
So whether I am selected or not I do plan on updating this blog and will focus on doing so once a week.<br />
I figure that Sunday night would be a great time to do so.<br />
I will look at reflecting on my "training" for the past week. I use that term loosely as I am not really training for anything except for a duathlon in July. Oh yea, how can I forget about that!<br />
Back in March I was notified "<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">With your finish at the </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Maryland Olympic Duathlon</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">, USA Triathlon would like to invite you to the 2016 USA Triathlon Duathlon National Championships!"</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well unfortunately I am unable to travel to Bend, OR to participate. This was a goal of mine to qualify for Nationals and I did it. I am hoping that I will be able to do it again this year and actually be able to participate at Nationals next year. We shall see. The crazy thing is that I am not doing any kind of training program. Image what I can do if I followed a program. I am just going out there running and biking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well with that in mind it is time to do some exercising. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Will update later.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-72082071654478518872015-03-05T07:16:00.001-05:002015-03-05T07:16:05.024-05:002014 update continued......So the summer comes and brings with it the return of the brick into our training schedule.<br />
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I actually enjoy brick workouts, probably because I am not doing them correctly. Anyway, I enjoy ridding my bike to work and then being able to run afterwards. It is a bit difficult to get a brick in before work so I usually hold it until after. Ridding back to the car, securing it to a bike rack, changing shoes and off I go. I have often received comments like, wow biking and then running, way to go. I won't lie, it does put a smile on my face. The big down side is the time it takes. I really enjoy the biking more so than the running, but both can take up so much time. That is way you need to work up spousal approval units. Communication is the big thing that needs to be done. I have learn, but don't always practice, that if you don't inform your spouse exactly what you plan on doing and about how long it might take, you might need to come home with flowers or chocolate or something else. </div>
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Anyway, I really don't recall a lot of my training that I was doing during the summer, I was just doing my regular running during the week. Biking to and from work, not all the way, but usually 15 miles one way. I would focus my brick workout on the weekends. All working up toward the Maryland Duathlon. </div>
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***Race Report*** Maryland Olympic Duathlon</div>
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It was a very warm day. I was hoping to get a time as close to 2:15 as possible. Spoiler alert. I did not get there. This is a very well run event and I have done it in the past. I plan to participate in the future as well. </div>
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From what I remember, the first run (2 miles) went well. No issues. Transitioning to the bike went smoothly, however it is something that I really want to focus on to get faster and smoother. </div>
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The bike leg was good. From what I remember my energy was draining. I believe I might need to take a close look at my nutrition next time around. This is a very hilly bike course. so I come into transition and get ready for the 4 mile run loop. I knew that I was not going to beat my time from before so I focused on just finishing. I did not want to walk but I did and ended up finishing anyway. Like I said this is a very well run event. I do plan on doing this event again and will do more brick training as I believe that might be one of the reasons why it did not go as well as I wanted it to. My goal is to get as close to 2 hours as possible. </div>
Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-83038944065205457002015-02-27T17:14:00.002-05:002015-02-27T17:14:56.983-05:002014 - more updatesAs 2014 continues to move forward so do I. <div>
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The end of May brought us Memorial Day weekend and the start of Summer fun. We usually go camping but for some reason we did not. I am not sure why. So instead we partook in the Hometown festival activities. This included a 5k. I started and ended at the local Elementary School. It was a good race. Being that it was a local race there were many people there that I knew. </div>
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It was a bit of a hilly course but it was a good run. I do remember walking a bit up one of the last hills just to catch my breath. I was able to make the final stretch home. </div>
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Good event. Great weekend. Lots of different events going on to partake in.</div>
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If we don't go camping Memorial day weekend I would do this event again.</div>
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Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-550365357794709822015-02-26T17:22:00.000-05:002015-02-26T17:22:05.358-05:002014 - continuedSo I am not keeping up with my Lenten resolution.<br />
At least this update is sooner than the last one. <br />
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So on April 2nd I was ridding my bike to work. My last hard ride before the Virginia Duathlon on that Sunday. I won't lie, something felt odd that day. Not sure what it was, it was just a feeling. No real way to describe it. Something just did not sit right but I quickly brushed it away. I felt that I was making some good time. I was trying not to push too hard but at times I wanted to see what I could do. I turned off the trail and headed toward the office. I was on a road and was now a vehicle and not a cyclist. A vehicle was coming out of a parking lot on my left, I signaled that I was going to be turning in that direction but the driver did not see me. Yep you guessed it, he T-Boned me.<br />
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That was the first (and hopefully last time) I was hit by a vehicle. It did not feel good. I was in pain. laying on the ground with a wide range of emotions running though my head. What happened? Did that just happened? What was the driver thinking? Did they not see me? I was in pain. My legs hurt. My shoulders and back hurt. I heard people around me. Some calling my name. They asked if they should call someone and I said yes. Police and Rescue were called. I was starting to relax and come to my senses. I wanted to get up, however I had enough wits about me to know that I should not move as first responders were on their way and I need to wait for them to access me.<br />
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They finally arrived and started talking with me. They did some "tests" and then asked me if I wanted to get up. I said yes please. They helped me up and I got into the Ambulance for further review. They asked if I wanted to go to the hospital. I said no. My leg was cut up a bit but I was able to walk. I had some discomfort in my shoulders but other than that I was fine. A police office came in and talked with me. Told him my side of the story, then he left. After a bit, I exited the Ambulance. The driver was thankful that I was not seriously injured. He was charged with failure to yield. Anyway, I ended up working a half day. Was able to get a ride back to my car and then took my bike to the shop. I did not think that there was much wrong with it only that the handlebars were not straight, but I did not want to move anything. I want the mechanic to look at it without me moving anything. Turns out the front wheel was shot. Out of tru and all banged up. Everything else seemed ok. There were able to check everything else out and actually let me borrow a wheel set the the weekend, however I need to get myself checked out first. Well I contacted my PCP however they were not able to get me in. I said "I got hit by a car". they still said "sorry no appointment available". So I went to an Urgent Care. Doctor checked me out and I told him my situation. He said biking should not be an issue, but he was concerned about the running. He told me that if it did not hurt to go for it. <br />
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So here goes nothing. ***Virginia Duathlon race report***<br />
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I was a bit ticked off with everything that happened in the last couple of days, however I did a couple of very short distance runs and felt ok. I really wanted to get under 2 hours for this Duathlon. The set up is 5k run, 23 mile bike, 5k run. The previous time I did it in 2:08. Taking 9-10 minutes off is, well, was very duable, but now? Well it was not pretty, but I was able to complete the event. My time was 2:27. Not too bad for being hit by a car. I guess the big blessing that I have is that he was not going that fast. If he was going faster or if he did not do a rolling stop things could have been a lot worse. I am counting my blessings and moving every forward. <br />
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The Virginia Duathlon is a great event. I plan/hope to be able to do this event in the future for many years and eventually get under 2 hours. Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-24556661662722095462015-02-20T16:19:00.001-05:002015-02-20T16:19:51.290-05:00Lenten resolution<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well this was suppose to be a New Years Resolution but being that I am so far behind it is turning into a Lenten resolution.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can not believe I have let this blog go for so long without an update. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My last post was back in 2013 after I ran the Annapolis Half on a Saturday and then turned around and ran a 10k on Sunday. It was so much fun that I did it again in 2014, but I am getting ahead of myself. I have a lot to write about and update on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok. So I traveled to New Orleans with my company for our annual kick off meeting. It was a good time. I had never been to New Orleans so I was looking forward to the trip. I did some research and found a running event that was going on the same weekend we were suppose to arrive. So I went out a day early to participate in the Jackson Day Race. This was a 9k road race. Why 9k? I don't know. The race started at the <span style="line-height: 21px;">Old Spanish Fort and went to the historic French Quarter finishing in Jackson Square. Luckily our hotel was less than a mile from Jackson Square. They provided free bus shuttle from Jackson Square to the start of the race so it was just too convenient not to take advantage of it.</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am still not sure where the name came from as well as why it is a 9k race. I had found out at one time but can not seem to locate it now. At any rate, I went into this with the mindset that I was running a 10k. I felt good but looking back I am sure I was holding back a bit, especially being that I was unsure on the route. </span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was some entertainment at the start, very good support (aide stations) on the course and excellent entertainment and after race party at the end. There really was not a lot of crowds on the course until you got closer to the city. If I do ever go back to New Orleans I will try to make it a point to participate in a running event. I had a very good experience and the after party was great. </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well I will close this post now and will look to make more posts in the coming days.</span></span><br />
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<br />Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-87352590303223208422013-11-28T06:47:00.000-05:002013-11-28T06:47:11.745-05:00Race report - 2 for 1<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Yes you read it correctly. This is a two for one.</span><br />
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On Saturday November 23<sup>rd</sup>, I took part in the 3<sup>rd</sup> annual Annapolis Half Marathon. I have run this race since its inception and I must say that they have definitely made some strides. To give some background, the first year was riddled with issues. First off the traffic was horrible as they had major issues with the parking and getting that organized, we did start late but not too late (Virginia Wine Country half). Also, they did not have any mile markers because the person in charge of putting them out hurt himself, he broke his foot or ankle I think, and was taken to the hospital with the keys to the truck which had the mile makers stored in it. This made the course short by about a half mile. Anyway, year two saw some improvements in the course layout and was in fact the correct distance. They still had some traffic issues but it was a little better.</div>
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Well bring on year three. Traffic was extremely smooth. No real issues there. We were able to drive right in and park very quickly. One big difference this year was it was very cold and very windy, but you cannot put that on the race organizers. Anyway, I went into this race without a well-executed training plan. I had gotten sick and lost about 3 weeks of training, not to mention that I started feeling some pain and tightness in my left calf. There were thoughts in my head about not running as I know how hilly Annapolis is and I did not want to injure myself any further, but I started to rest my legs, ice my calf, use compression and elevate when I could. I was also using “The Stick” to massage both my legs. </div>
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All of the above seemed to help, because come race day my legs felt good, not great mind you, but good. Now for the race, I was wearing Zensah calf sleeves, shorts, Tee shirt, arm warmers and baseball style hat. I was a little chilly but I knew that once I got moving that I would be warm enough. It was a bit of a windy day but the temps were up in the 40s so it was not too bad. I went into this race with the mindset that I was not going to race it. I was just going to try to maintain a solid pace. </div>
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Well within the first 5 miles I was between a 9:30 and a 9:50 pace. Then came the trek over the bridge. There is where the course gets hilly. My pace went down to between 10:20 and 10:45 pace for the rest of the race. They changed the course, again, for this race. It’s hard to explain, but being that Annapolis is not that big of a city there were a lot of turns and the course double backed on itself in a couple of places. This year they added a 10k and I think they might have waited a year or two more to do that. All was fine as far as support on the course except for the last two aid stations. They ran out of water. The half was capped a 4,000 runners and the 10k was capped at 1500 runners. Other than them running out of water I thought that the race went well. I know that I was very pleased with my performance especially with how my training went the last 3 – 4 weeks leading up to the race. I do plan on doing this race again next year. Last year I ran this race in 1:56, this year I was not going to get near that and I knew that going in. I finished in 2:15. I was very happy with my performance due to my training. Oh and I got my name announced as I crossed the finish line. Bonus.</div>
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Now for race report number 2.</div>
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on Sunday I ran in the Columbia Turkey chase 10k. I also ran this race last year. Columbia is not as hilly as Annapolis. With that said, this course was not flat. More like rolling hills. Now I will say that when I first signed up for this race it was not the day after Annapolis. It was actually the weekend before Annapolis. It was changed after I signed up, and while I believe I might have had the option to opt out I decided not to. Again, I almost decided to back out of both races but decided to go slow and not to race the race. </div>
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Now I was watching the weather and knew it was going to be cold and windy and it was. I originally had on a cold gear turtle neck and my long sleeve plodder shirt. I put on a "throw away" sweat shirt and went out for a warm up run. I was cold. I took off the sweat shirt and was really cold. I decided to swap out the plodder shirt and then put on the sweatshirt and then put the plodder shirt back on. </div>
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Anyway, I was still a little cold but figured it should be good enough it I keep moving, and that was the plan. This is an out an back course with plenty of aid stations. With the rolling hills it makes it a fast course as well. There really is not much to say about this event. Last year I ran a 53:42. this year I took it easy and ran a 1:02. Very happy with my time and performance. I hope to do this race next year but honestly not sure what I am going to do if it is the same weekend as Annapolis half. </div>
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Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-44051719943124434592013-10-06T16:33:00.002-04:002013-10-06T16:33:40.131-04:00And so begins my trainingSo my training has begun.<br />
Honestly I am not feeling it so much. Not sure if I have been focusing on the biking too much or not.<br />
My legs have been feeling very heavy. <br />
But I know that things will change. <br />
I was actually surprised at how well my 9 miler went last week as well as today.<br />
Last week we went to a winery concert the night before. I woke up early to go running but felt like crap. No real big surprise there. So I went back to sleep for a couple of hours woke up and felt better. I went out and did my long run at a slow pace and felt pretty good. <br />
Yesterday I went out and had a horrible run. It was hot, I was tired. I was planning on ridding a bike afterward but when I returned from the run one of my tires were flat. Well I wont lie I was actually a little happy about that. <br />
So todays run I did the exact same course that I ran last week. I felt pretty good but ran this course 5 minutes slower that last week when I was hung over. Weird! <br />
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Anyway, I am sure that things will start to feel better once I start getting back into it full swing of things. <br />
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More to come.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-79812383970789608542013-08-02T22:21:00.000-04:002013-08-02T22:21:00.213-04:00Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon - Volunteer reportFor the past two years I have run the Va Wine Country half marathon. This year I decided not to run it. I made the decision to try to make a difference. I decided that I was going to volunteer and run a water stop. It was also part of Boy Scout Troop and we were also doing as a service project.<br />
It was a lot of fun and a lot of work. I had a deep respect for all the volunteers of all the races that I have done in the past. However, this made me have a new view on things. <br />
As a runner I know how important it is to arrive at a water stop and get what you need. Our stop had water as well as sports drink, <a href="http://pacifichealthlabs.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #333333;">Accelerade Advanced Sports Drink</span></a>. It was orange flavor. Personally, I don't like the stuff but as the adult in charge of the scouts at the aid station I had to guide them in mixing it up correctly. There have been times at races where the sports drink on course was mixed very strong and gave many runners upset stomachs. I did not want that to happen. We purposely made it weak but tried not to make it too weak as I know that some people will rely on what the sports drink will do for them. <br />
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Well we got there in plenty of time and got things set up. Started mixing up the sports drink and filling up the cups. I was coaching up the boys on how to pass out the water cups to the runners. I felt that we were ready to go. We heard that the race was late to start, shocker. This is one of the main reasons why I decided not to run in this event this year. Anyway, we had things ready to go and the first runners started to come through. The boys were handing out water and sports drink to those who wanted it. Then it happened. Shit started to get real as they say. We had a swarm of runners. I knew it was going to happen and I thought that we were prepared enough. We weren't. What I did not what to happen, happened. We ran out of filled cups on the table and runners who needed water and sports drink had to stop and wait for us to fill up a cup to give them. I felt so defeated. <br />
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I made apologies to those who were stuck waiting. Some were thankful that we were out there. Others seemed to be oblivious that we were even out there. <br />
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It was tough but we got through it. It was a very warm day. We made some notes about what we could work on for next time. It was a good time and again I have a renewed respect for all of those folks who volunteer at an endurance event. One thing is that we could have used a couple of more boys out there. Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-72506994907241001982013-08-02T21:37:00.001-04:002013-08-02T21:37:35.978-04:00Bike to work dayOk, so this a post that is long over due.<br />
On May 17th it was bike to work day. Last year I rode half way in and then rode all the way home from work. It was a good day.<br />
This time I was hell bent on ridding to and from work. I was ready for it. Had my nutrition and hydration all set up.<br />
My wife was also interested in biking to work. The good thing is that she is on the way to my work, so I would follow her in and make sure she got to work ok then I would be on my way.<br />
It worked out well. <br />
She rides slower then me but that is ok. There was only one questionable road that we had to travel on to get to her work that is the main reason why I followed her in. <br />
I dropped her off at her work and went on my way. <br />
So after making sure that she got to work safe I picked up the pace and made my way in.<br />
It was a great morning and really there were no issues. <br />
Rode by a couple of "pit stops" and made my way to my pit stop that I registered for. <br />
Signed in and continued on my way.<br />
Again, the morning ride was great, and the day went on great. <br />
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At the end of the day it was time to head home. It was a great ride home as well. No issues. I was really worried that I was going to get a flat on the way in or on the way home. <br />
There were a fair amount of people ridding in the morning, but not that many going home. <br />
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I am looking forward to next year as well. I have really enjoyed the biking. <br />
Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-13281200983798012462013-05-14T15:39:00.000-04:002013-05-14T15:39:03.453-04:00Ocean City Half Marathon Race report<br />
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Here is a report on the Island to Island half marathon. This is a point to point race from Ocean City to Assateague Island. This race has been on my bucket list for some time now. </div>
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We went down Friday night and hit packet pickup. It was held at Francis Scott Key Motel in West Ocean City. This is a very nice motel.</div>
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Anyway, we pick up our items and meet up with Pams sister Wanda and her Husband Dennis. Dennis was the one responsible for getting involved in running in the first place. We talked about our plans for race day and then said our good nights.</div>
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We got up at 5 and started to get ready. Wanda and Dennis showed up at 5:40 and off we went. We stopped off and picked up some coffee and something small for breakfast. We make our way down to the inlet parking lot. Not very many people were there yet. We park and started to go through our pre-race routine. and then we saw it. Sunrise. It was unbelievable. Watching the sun come up over the ocean. What a scene. </div>
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Dennis and I continued with our own pre-race warm ups and then decided to make our way to the start. They made some announcements and did their thank yous of all of the sponsors etc. They sang the National Anthem and then we were off.</div>
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We ran around the parking lot and then on the boardwalk. This was a bit weird for me. I have walked the boardwalk many times in the past but never ran on it. It took a bit of an adjustment, but I was able to get into a groove. We head down the boardwalk for a bit and then we make a left and head straight for the Rt 50 bridge. This is one of the two bridges on the course. So aside from the bridges this course is flat. </div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Well before you know it, we are at mile marker 3. The aide stations were plentiful, however there was very little crowd support. As we were running on some major roads it was not very easy to have the streets lined with cheering spectators. We did make a detour and run in a small neighborhood where some people were out cheering us on. This was almost at mile 4 where I got a very bad side stitch and had to stop, walk a bit and stretch out my side. Up until then I was feeling very good, almost great. This is also where the 1:50 pacer went by me. I was a little upset but knew that it was still </span>ok<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">. I knew that I would start moving again so that I could make it under 2 hours. And so I started to get moving again. I did have my </span>garmin<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> on but was not looking at it. Trying to learn to run by feel, anyway more on that later.</span></div>
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I started getting into my groove again, and like I said there was very very little crowd support out there. It actaully helped me a little to try to focus more on my running then on the crowds. So, there really is not much else to say but I did get another side stitch between mile marker 10 and 11 and had to walk it out a little more. I started to move with determination that I needed to finish before the 2 hour mark. At around the 11 mile mark we make a turn toward Assateague Island, and there it is. Like a monster on the horizon. The Verrazano Bridge that takes you into Assateague. I envisioned myself flying over and down the other side. Well it was a pretty picture, inside my head. I did make it over and started on my way down the other side. I was hoping that the finish line would have been in sight, but it was not. Mile 12 was on the crest of the bridge so we still had a mile to go. I was hoping that the downhill was going to allow me to pick up speed and cruse into the finish line. Not so much. </div>
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Well within that last mile, it was a very narrow path. It was a bit difficult that we had to dodge other runners but we also had to dodge horse droppings as well. I heard behind me somebody giving encouragement to "Nicole". I could tell that she was giving it all. He kept on saying that we are almost there and that the finish line was right around the corner. I felt myself fading, when he came up close enough for me to look back and see him. He was the 1:55 pacer. Well I was not letting him, or Nicole, pass me. I picked up the pace and finish I did. 1:55:39. Yes a new PR for me. This is equal to just under an 8:50 pace. </div>
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After downloading and looking at my data, I know why I got a stitch in my side between mile 3 and 4. Mile 1: 8:15 pace Mile 2: 8:16 pace Mile 3: 8:18 pace. I was just going out a little too quick. Something to keep in mind next time. </div>
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Well now for some other news. Pam and Alex ran the 5k. They started at the same place we did and went on an out and back course on the boardwalk. This was Alexs first 5k. She did not do much training at all. She finished in 30:09. this was good enough for 4th in her age group, out of 11. Pam finished a second in front of Alex. They both had a great time, and there is talk about doing this race again next year. Pam is even asking about half marathon training programs. </div>
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Oh, I forgot to mention that my brother in law place 2nd in his age group. He also got a PR. </div>
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We all had a great time and hope that we can do this one again next year. If we do I will try very hard to do what I did at the Rock and Roll in DC. I am very happy with both times, but the RNR race I ran at a more consistant pace than the OC one. Next goal.......1:45 </div>
Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-26254778133830509312013-04-09T09:52:00.000-04:002013-04-09T09:52:01.805-04:00Virginia Duathlon - Race reportI participated in this event last year and enjoyed it so much that I wanted to come back and du it again. Ha Ha.<br />
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This event was held at Chippokes Plantation State Park in Surry which is across the James River from Williamsburg. This is a win win for my family as there is a campground at the state park. So we can camp for the weekend and I can race. <br />
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The distances were 5k run, 23 mile bike, 5k run. So last year my first run time was 26:33, bike was 1:19:59 and my second run was 29:59 for a total time of 2:19:21. So my goal was to beat those times. I feel that I am a stronger runner and I have improved my bike by upgrading. Last year I was on a Trek 440, but it was about a size and a half too small. I am now on a Focus Varido 1.0, but more importantly, the correct size.<br />
So here is how things went down. <br />
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So we make it to the transition area and I get my bike set up. No issues there. Also, I have been working on my hydration. More specifically not taking too much in. My wife is shocked when she tells me to line up at the porta potty and I tell her that I don't have to go. Anyway, she runs with me for a little bit to help me warm up a bit.<br />
So the time comes and I line up for the start. The waves that they had were Males 44 and younger in the first wave, Males 45 and older in the second wave, females in the third and the final was all teams. <br />
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I was in the second wave which went off 3 minutes after the initial gun. <br />
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Off we go and I felt good. We get to the turn around at the campground which is a little more then a mile into the race and the first female catches us. At Mile 2 the second female catches us. The third female catches us at about 2.5 and the forth female just before mile 3. I won't lie it was a bit humbling. <br />
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So I hit the transition area, stop my watch and switch it to bike mode. I did not look at the time but it was 26:00 flat. 33 sec faster then last year. I felt very good and ready for the bike. <br />
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I did not feel like my transition was very smooth, and I am sure it was because I did not "practice" as part of my training. Now we all know how well Mother Nature treated us this winter, not to mention that rodent from PA, but anyway, I won't lie I was a bit concerned about doing well on the bike as I was in the basement on the trainer for most of the winter. <br />
So I am off on the bike. Had a bit of trouble getting on the bike and going but off I went. Now this was a no drafting event and there were many bikers in front of me so I was trying to pace myself but also make sure that I did not get a penalty so close to the start of the bike. I did not want to ex-spell all of my energy within the first couple of miles. <br />
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Well I was able to get past them and get into a nice groove (without a penalty, yea). The rural roads of Surry are not too bad. Lots of different farms to look at but not the most pretty either. Nonetheless I was more focused on what was in front of me the around me. I was feeling really good and pedaling strong. Not really much to say about the bike, except that by mile 20 I was starting to get tired and I forgot about a hill toward the end. I got over that and was on my way to the bike finish. I was able to stop without an issue but had a bit of trouble getting off the bike and getting my legs to move forward. <br />
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Well I got into transition and after fumbling to change my shoes I was finally able to get things going. Not sure about my official time as it did not record correctly. Neither did my transition times. I got in touch with the race director and he thought that I might have taken my race bib off. The timing chip was on the back of the bib. Well I did not remove my bib, there was just a glitch. However, per my garmin, my bike time was probably about 1:11. <br />
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So my goal for the second run was to just keep moving and above all try not to walk. My next goal was to finish it under 30 mins. Main goal, was to keep as close to a 9 min mile as possible. <br />
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As I am running along, I came up to a female. As I got closer I could tell she was struggling and she started to walk. I provided her some words of encouragement to keep going, and she did. We played leap frog for a little bit and then after mile 2 I just saw the back of her. Anyway, as we were coming into the campground I saw my family cheering me on. It was a boost. I was feeling good and kept my legs moving. <br />
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Well I was coming into the final stretch and I saw the clock. Well I was a little disappointed. Last year I completed the event in 2:19. The clock read 2:11. I was hoping for under 2 hours. Well I got my office time and it read 2:08:37. I forgot that I was in the second wave that started 3 mins after the initial gun. <br />
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I was feeling better about that. <br />
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My second run was 28:14 for a pace of 9:06. <br />
So to break things down, my first run was 26:04, pace of 8:23 per mile and 96th place overall, 6th in my age group. My bike time did not record properly, but it had me at 2:44:25. My second run again was 28:14, pace of 9:06 per mile and 88th overall and 7th in my age group.<br />
If I go with 1:11 for the bike it would have me at 5th in my age group, which is where I finished overall. 5th in my age group. Very stoked about that.<br />
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Over all I am very happy with my performance and I am looking forward to doing this event again next year.<br />
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I did some math and adding up the two runs comes to 54:19.12. If I take that time away from my overall time I figure that my two transition time and bike time would be 1:14:18.37. Still is not that bad, plus my run time is a minute off of my PR for a 10k.<br />
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So I have a lot to look forward to. I really like the multi sport events and look forward to doing more. Still not sure about a Tri but I have learned to never say never.<br />
Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-80356324722877688842013-03-21T10:42:00.000-04:002013-03-21T10:42:15.304-04:00Rock and Roll Half Marathon - Race Report<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">This was a race that I had a mission. Last year my goal was to get under 2 hours. Well I did not make that goal. In looking back I believe I was issue was my nutrition. I took in too many calories and started to get side stitches. I finished in 2:05. Still respectful, but I was so disappointed, and pissed off, that I believe I signed up for the 2013 race within a week of finishing the event in 2012.</span><br />
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Anyway, I felt that I needed to redeem myself. I was more then a little pumped. I was, however, concerned about the weather report as I felt that it was on that fine line of wearing too many layer or not enough. So upon waking up that morning and looking at the weather report I went with calf sleeves, shorts, plodder T-shirt arm warmers, knit gloves and baseball running hat. If this was a training run I probably would have worn long sleeves or even a jacket. I will say that there were a couple of times where I felt a breeze and a chill ran through my body, but over all, I was just fine. I think I made the right call, as opposed to long pants long sleeve shirt, skull cap, etc. </div>
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So lets get to the meat of this post.</div>
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I hitched a ride down to the Metro with a close friend. We crammed into Metro and made our way down. Bob and I both had a bag to check so we said our peace and waited in our separate lines to drop off our bag to pick up after the race. I will say that I don't think I will ever use bag check again if I don't have to. It seemed extremely unorganized. The lines were unbelievably long. Anyway, I dropped my bag off and made my way to my corral. Now in the past I have had an issue where I hydrated too much and had to use the bathroom <u>many</u> times before the start of the race. Well my "big trick" this time (as I knew the lines would be long) was that I brought with me a small Gatorade bottle so that I could use, for, well, you know. Anyway, I ducked behind some bushes instead of waiting in the long portapotty lines. TMI I know, but I used a bottle and threw it away when I was done. moving on. </div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> I made my way to my corral and I was getting pumped. My legs were ready to go and I felt strong. I heard the national anthem and I was ready. One by one the corrals before me were set loose. Then came Corral 11. the count down was made and then we were off. Running down Constitution Ave, White House on the right, Washington Monument on the left. I was feeling a bit patriotic as we ran underneath the huge American Flag. My goal was to run as consistently as possible and while there were some 30,000 people running, I did not feel that I was weaving in and out of traffic too much. I guess they had broken up the crowds in manageable corrals. So with that, I was able to get into a groove early and was able to stay with it. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We went out and back on the Arlington Memorial bridge and made our way up Rock Creek parkway. (This is also part of the Cherry Blossom 10 miler which I have done before.) We make our way under the Kennedy Center and continue on Rock Creek Parkway. I am feeling good, but I know that there is a hill coming up as I had looked at the elevation chart beforehand. AND THERE SHE BLOWS! So this hill brought us up to Calvert St. Per my Garmin, at mile 6 we were at 19 feet, by mile 6.3 we were at 160 feet and by mile 7 we topped off at 198 feet. Not that I am say my Garmin is gospel, but it can not be that far off.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Well I got up and over that and started to work on recovering. I knew that was the worst of it as the other hills were not as bad, so I started to get back into my groove. There were a couple more little bumps coming up but I knew I would make up some time. I still felt great and knew that it was mostly down hill from here. </span></div>
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Coming down mile 9 on N. Capitol I was able to focus on the Capitol Dome as I was starting to feel a little tired. This was the first time, and before I knew it I saw the marker for Mile 11. Where the heck did mile 10 go? Never mind I told myself and started to focus more and picture what the finish should look like. We came up to the split from the full and half and I knew it was coming, the finish. I was glad too. My legs, rather hips, were starting to feel it. I saw RFK and knew it was right around the corner. I started to see banners. I started to hear the crowds yelling. I was trying to kick it in, but honestly I felt like I moving slower. Finally I crossed the finish line and then looked at my Garmin for the first time the whole race. 1:56. I did it. Not only did I beat last years time but I came under 2 hours. Mission accomplished!</div>
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Will I do this race next year? Maybe. Unlike last year, I don't have that feeling deep down that I have to. This year I trained and I conquered! However, if I do come back next year I will not use bag check. I might pay someone to be my pack mule. Any takers? Also I was a little disappointed in the water stops. Most of the stops were short on water when I ran by. they only had Gatorade at what seemed to be every other aide station. Even though I did not use the aide stations that much I think it helped me in the long run. I (We) tend to get caught up in making sure we take in enough calories and water when we are out there. For this race I only hit 3 aide stations, 2 for water and 1 for Gatorade and unlike last year where I took 3 Gu packets during the race this year I only took 1 and that was at the very beginning.</div>
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Oh, and supposedly they had bands through out the course (insert sarcasm), but honestly there were only three groups that I could really remember. One was a brass quintet but I have no idea how they sounded as they were not playing as I ran by. Another was a group of people that were all dressed similar and just jumping all around like they had so much energy. Come to think of it I don't believe they were a Band at all, I believe they might have been considered a cheer group. Any way they gave me some of their energy. The last group was Batala at mile 8 I believe. There were a group of kids banging on drums. That just got me going. I really was not focused on the bands, I was more focused on my task at hand. I will say that I have run the Rock and Roll Half in Virginia Beach, VA and I remember more about the bands down there then the ones in DC.</div>
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Anyway all that I have to say about my experience on Saturday is that I had a great time. </div>
Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-31522617905661674312013-01-20T19:15:00.002-05:002013-01-20T19:15:57.118-05:00training startsWell as I sit here watching some great football, I look back at the past week happy that I was focused on keeping my fitness up. <br />
There is a reason why we keep running in the off-season even though we are not training for anything specific.<br />
As it turns out, I have caught something. I have an upper chest/respiratory infection/cold. I feel ok but I have some congestion in my upper chest and it has taken a bit of a toll on me.<br />
I went on a run on Thursday and could tell I was very weak. So I decided, with some encouragement from some friends that I should take it easy, relax and stay focused on what needs to be done long term. <br />
So that is what I am doing. I am not happy about it but I feel that I have kept my endurance going that I can take a couple of days off and not do too much damage.<br />
So I hope that I will be able to get back at it soon.<br />
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Will up date on my progress.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-87224036124351667342013-01-14T13:32:00.001-05:002013-01-14T13:32:25.448-05:00A look back at 2012 So even though I have been extremely busy I am going to make a commitment to updating once a week.<br />
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2012 was a very good year. I am on daily mile and recently received an email with my training summary. Not too bad if I do say so myself.<br />
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I covered 2,433 miles in running and biking. This was an average of 46 miles per week. I logged 340 miles and burned 70 miles.<br />
So I decided to review my Gamin stats. It took me a minute to remember how to navigate, but I figured it out.<br />
I had 165 Activities for running with a total distance of 726.27 miles in 123:29 hours/mins. My average speed was 5.9 mph and burned 117,786 calories.<br />
For Cycling I had 182 activities and went 1,729.31 miles in 117:52 hours/mins. My average speed was 14.7 mph and I burned 128,236 calories.<br />
I did spend 4 hours doing 12 "other" activities and burned 1,021 calories. There was also 5 activities that I did for a total of 2:39 hours/mins. I only burned 194 calories. Not sure what they were but it counts.<br />
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In looking back I accomplished a great deal. I have kept myself fairly healthy and have really improved my speed on my feet. <br />
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I obtained 3 new personal bests. My 5k, 10k and half marathon, in that order.<br />
My 5k is 24:25 at Sadies race on May 12th, my 10k is 53:42 at Columbia Turkey Chase on Nov 18th and my Half is 1:56:35 at Annapolis Half Marathon on Dec 1st.<br />
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I have not done a full marathon since the Marine Corp in 2010. I do plan on doing another one, maybe this is the year. Maybe not. We shall see. I am wanting to get into duathlons more this year, but I have a lot of events on my bucket list. Speaking of the bucket list, I did a Spartan race this past year. Don't plan on doing anything like that again. One and definitely done with that. There are many different obstacle or themed events out there and I am just not interested in doing anything like that again. <br />
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Getting back to duathlons, this year I plan on doing 2 events that I have done before, The Virginia Duathlon and the Maryland Olympic Duathon. I am going to hope to do both duathlons in Hagerstown but we shall see.<br />
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One thing that I have come to realize is that I need to do more stretching and work on my core. I plan to do that. I am also going to give the 100 push ups a try.<br />
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I am going to be giving a couple of different things a try this first quarter, training apps, work out routines etc. I will keep you posted.<br />
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well thanks for reading. I will update more later.<br />
Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-91262368035551581152012-12-12T16:31:00.000-05:002012-12-12T16:31:08.159-05:00Columbia Turkey ChaseOn November 18th, I decided to travel up to Columbia, MD an participate in the first annual Columbia Turkey Chase 10k. <br />
I am glad that I did. I had a very good race. This was an out and back, fast and fairly flat course.<br />
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This was put together by Rip it Events.<br />
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This is a fairly new organization that started up a couple of years ago. I participated in the first event that they put on, the Maryland Olympic Duathlon. It was called Duthe2. It was, in my opinion, a well run event.<br />
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Well the Columbia Turkey Chase was no exception. I did packet pick up the morning of. I had a little issue getting to the start only because of my GPS. Packet pick up was no issue. I got my swag bag and headed back to my car to drop off the stuff. I had enough time to hit the porta potties.<br />
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I would like to just say that when I sign up for an event, I like to know as much as possible about what I am getting myself into. I try to familiarize myself as much as possible with the layout of the start area, the course itself and the finish line. This would include parking, packet pickup, aid stations, porta potties etc. <br />
Well while I was standing in line, some people were talking to each other about whether or not there were aid stations on the course, if there was parking at the relay point, and if there were porta potties on the course and at the relay point. All of this was covered on the website. I decided to do my good deed for the day and answer their questions without judging them.<br />
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Anyway, I did my business and was able to warm my legs up a little bit before the start.<br />
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So the details of the event was a 10k run, 2 person relay and a kids fun run. With the run they had three waves. The first wave was for physically challenged athletes, the second wave was 10k and relay runners and the final wave was the Kids fun run.<br />
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The course was out and back with minimal hills. In fact the elevation gain was only 164 feet. There was no cut off time and I was a little surprised about that but was also not worried about it. With regards to aid stations this is the first time that I felt there were too many. For a 10k, I would think that 1 maybe 2 would be enough. Well they had 4. Anyway, one great thing about this event is that it was benefiting Little Things for Cancer. Honestly I don't know a thing about this organization and I was not doing this race because of the charity but I was happy to be able to support it. <br />
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Over all this event was excellent. RipIt Events is a top notch organization that puts on some great events. I am looking forward to what they have up their sleeve next. <br />
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I ran very well and looking back I probably had more left in the tank but I did not want to go out too strong as I was focusing on my Half Marathon coming up on December 1st. I actually recorded a personal best in the 10k distance at: 53:48Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-48931888146585998462012-12-12T08:28:00.001-05:002012-12-12T08:28:09.057-05:00Annapolis Half Marathon race report<br />
Ok so I wanted to share with everyone my experience in running the 2nd Annual Annapolis Half Marathon on Saturday December 1st.<br />
So I ran last year, along with some other plodders, and there were some issues that came up. Mainly the parking was a big mess and the course was short by about a quarter of a mile.<br />
This year was a vast improvement. The only issue that I have is packet pickup, but I will cover that at the end.<br />
I was actually able to secure a place to stay Friday night so I did not have to worry about driving to Annapolis Saturday morning. This helped out greatly.<br />
The parking issue from last year seemed to be fixed, but then again I was coming in from the opposite way then last year. <br />
Well I got myself parked and started to go through my routine and get ready to race. I had plenty of time. It was a beautiful day for a race. The temps were around the high 40's low 50's. it was very foggy. I was prepared either way. (last year it was a bit colder and a lot windier.) I had packed tights and a long sleeve shirt, but I opted for a short sleeve shirt, arm sleeves (love these), cotton gloves, and shorts. I brought a throw away sweat shirt that I was wearing so I was comfortable. <br />
So I had some time before I needed to line up in the coral for the start, which was at 7:10. <br />
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I have been trying to get a grip on my hydration and fuel. I tend to drink too much water in the morning as I am trying to calm my nerves etc....Well a trick that has helped me is to chew gum, but I started to have that do I need to pee feeling. So I walked over to the line for the porta potties, and there I stood for a while. <br />
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Well after a while I decided that I really did not have to pee so I started to make my way to the starting coral.<br />
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They did not have any pacers but they did have signs in the coral that pointed out if you were going to run a certain pace to line up here. My goal was to come in under 2 hours, which is a 9:10 per min mile. Did I make it? We shall see.<br />
They did sign the National Anthem and then we were off, early I might add. We started at 7:00 not at 7:10 like it was advertised. The course was not much different then last year. We started at the Naval Academy Stadium (outside of the field) and ran through the parking lot. We covered more ground in the parking lot this year then last. We continued around the stadium and went into a little residential area, came out and continued on the roads around the stadium. <br />
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We started to make our way down to the water front. The fog was still thick in the air. I tossed my sweatshirt and was feeling really comfortable all the way around.<br />
When we got "downtown" we went down Dock Street, which was added on from last year as they decided to leave out the out and back on the B&O Trail. Many people complained about this last year. The B&O is similiar to the W&OD but I think the B&O is much more narrower. Having people running 2 -3 wide on an out and back course was just a little dangerous.<br />
Anyway, we make our way next to the Naval Academy on our way to the bridge to cross over the Severn River. I was still feeling very good at this point. I would look down every now and then at my Garmin just to briefly look at my pace. I wanted to make sure that I was not going too fast but that I was going faster then a 9:10 mile.<br />
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I did not carry water with my but I did carry some Gu energy gels. I took one gel before the start. They recommend taking a gel 15 min before and then every 45 mins during. Back when I ran the Rock and Roll in March I had some side stitches and stomach cramping so I decided to note follow the instructions to the letter.<br />
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I did not take water at the first aid station I was looking at doing an every other aid station. <br />
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I was coming up on mile 7 when I decided to take my first gel since starting and I only took about half of it. After that, about mile 8.5 my side started to hurt. I am guessing that either Gu does not agree with me or I really don't need it. Or it could mean that I need to start working more on my core (which I still plan on doing).<br />
Other then that there really is not much more to say. The fog stuck around the whole time. While there were times when I felt a little cold I feel that I made the right move in what I wore. I think I would have been too hot if I wore tights and long sleeves.<br />
So to recap from last year, my garmin reported a distance of 12.77 and a time of 1:57:30. I put a side note on this as the course was short, and the organizers did admit to it. Anyway, my time this year? Well I will say that this was a pretty hilly course and it had a lot, and I mean a lot of turns that we did. With that my garmin, as a lot of others, came up short again but it was 12.95. the course was certified and there is an arguement to be made that GPS watches are not 100% perfect, especially when you are making a lot of turns. Anyway, my time you ask? 1:56:35. So yes I am going with I made my goal of getting under 2 hours in a half marathon. I even beat last years time. My calves were extremely sore for a couple of days after.<br />
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so will I run this again? yes. It really is a great run and they have made a lot of improvements from last year. The after party was a blast as well.<br />
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I am starting to think that I might not need the extra gels, does anyone else have any input?<br />
thanks for reading.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-80650000248896718442012-08-29T18:56:00.001-04:002012-08-29T18:56:35.033-04:00Back on the wagonOk. Summer is over with. Time to get back to what it is all about.<br />
So what have I been doing? A lot.<br />
<br />
I was doing some running training for the Virginia Wine Country half marathon, which I completed. Was not happy with the overall running of the event and will probably not do it again. It was put on by destination races and this was the second year that they put it on here in Virginia. Anyway, not to dwell on the past too much.<br />
After that I started to bike a lot more. I am looking at doing some more Duathlons so I am trying to improve my cycling. I started to notice that my heart rate was elevating during my work outs. Well it started happening more and more, and when I say elevated it was peaking around 220 bpm. I started feeling weird and was feeling like my heart was racing. So I made an appointment with my doctor.<br />
<br />
So I met with my doctor. They did an EKG and scheduled a stress echo. Bottom line. No more exercise for me.<br />
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So this is when we scheduled our family vacation to Tennessee.<br />
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After all of the tests that were done it was determined that I was just fine. More then just fine. My heart was better then average. It was doing everything that it was suppose to be doing. Good news for me. I was given the ok to get back to exercising. <br />
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So what was the issue? <br />
<br />
Well anyone with a Garmin knows this. The battery in my heart rate monitor needed to be replaced. That is what was causing my heart rate to go all haywire.<br />
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So with that I got a new battery and was off and running. Pun intended. <br />
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This was kind of a good thing as I had signed up to run in the Super Spartan in Leesburg VA. <br />
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It was brutal. <br />
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There was lots of running through fields, jumping over walls and horse jumps and going under and through things. That was not that big of a deal. I was good with that. I did have some issues getting over the 8 foot walls.<br />
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<br />
So we are just under 4 miles in and we come up to the barb wire crawl, or what ever it was called. Basically it is a mud pit that you have to crawl through under barb wire. the issue was there was nothing but rocks in the mud. Not sure if that was how it was suppose to be, but it is what it is I guess. then we come up to the monkey bars and this was my first obstacle that I could not complete. My hands were still covered in mud as was the rest of my body and my hands slipped off. 30 bur-pees for me! I won't lie I was tired at this point. For me, 3 water stops was not enough, or maybe I just did not hydrate enough before hand. Oh well. There were two obstacles that I was not sure if I was going to be able to do but I got past them. They were both rope walls. The first was much like the roof of an A frame house. Now some people might not thing that bad but for me, I have issues with heights. I got over it though and was very pleased at myself that I did. The next one was a straight up vertical rope wall. I thought I was in trouble on this one. Going up was not too bad, going down was not bad either, it was the getting over the top. As long as no one else was on the ropes or if they were still enough it was not too bad. <br />
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So at this point we are at about 6 miles. We were coming up to the last water stop. Here we flip those big tires over twice, turn around and flip them back and make sure that they land flat and that the block of cement was in the middle. Not really an issue, it was easier then I thought it was going to be. <br />
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So here we go past the start/finish line on to somewhat of a home stretch. This obstacle was tough as I was having issues getting my footing. You go into a pool of water that is waist deep and you have to get out by going up a muddy hill. my shoes were old running shoes that had very little tread left. Well once you get up, you have to go through two more pools. After the third pool then there is the soapy wall. A wall at about a 45 degree angle that you have to climb up using a rope, all the time they are putting Ajax on the wall and rope. I tried three times to get up. Set number 2 of Bur-pees for me. There were a couple of more obstacles that we did then we have the last two. One you have to throw a spear into a figure made of hay bales. the spear has to stick. Mine did not. 3rd set of bur-pees.<br />
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the last one you had to climb a rope and ring a cowbell at the top. Well I tried, I got about half way up and could not go anymore. Into the waist deep water below. 30 more bur-pees for me and then on to the finish shoot. I was exhausted with battle scars to boot. <br />
All in all it was not bad considering that I did not train properly for this event. Had I did a better job at preparing I am sure I would have had a better time, but honestly at the end I was thinking that a marathon would have been more fun.<br />
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I was under the understanding that it would be about 8+ miles, well it turned out to be around 10.3 miles.<br />
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So that is it in a nut shell. I am back to getting into a routine of things including exercising. I am also going to be trying to get into a more stable routine of cross training, as well as updating this blog on a regular basis.<br />
<br />
Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-15233912474704660592012-04-30T16:22:00.000-04:002012-04-30T16:22:20.802-04:00Hagerstown Duathlon #1Well on April 21st I participated in the Hagerstown Duathlon #1.<br />
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This was the 5th year that they have put this on and in the past this race had been plagued by not so good weather. Cold, rainy and windy, much like what we are having right now as I type this up.<br />
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Well this year was their year. It was almost the perfect day. The sun was shining, very low humidity and no rain. It was a little warm for me though.<br />
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This event was put on by racinemultisports.com They put on a lot of events in the Hagerstown MD area. On this day they were also doing a kids duathlon as well as a 5k.<br />
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So I drove up to Hagerstown, which took about an hours time.<br />
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I was able to get checked in, get my bike set up and start trying to relax and go over my "game plan".<br />
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My plan was to run pretty hard for the first run leg, just under 2 miles, then comes the bike leg. I was thinking that I could rest a bit on the bike leg as it was not that hilly of a ride. Then with the last 5k just try to survive. <br />
So for my time goals, I was looking for about 17 min for the first run, 33 min for the bike and 30 min for the 5k. All in all I was hoping for a time better then 1:30 and more along the lines for a 1:20.<br />
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So here we go. After the kids du and the 5k, they start the Adult Duathlon.<br />
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I stuck with my plan and was running hard, but not at a "sprint". I would call it just shy of being uncomfortable.<br />
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I enter the transition area and get to my bike. I am feeling really good and am excited to see what I can do on the bike route.<br />
Now I am not an expert or elite athlete to the multi-sport event venue, however I am no newbie either. I feel comfortable with the different "rules" around the event. It was interesting to look around and it was easy to pick out those that have not participated in a high profile event. Not a complaint mind you, just an observation. Now I did go back and read the website and it says that it is going to be chipped timed and that there are no additional sanction charges for the race.<br />
It does state that you need to have an approved helmet with chin strap fastened. Drafting is not allowed, not that I saw any race officials on the course. Also, the courses were open to vehicular traffic and that you would need to obey all traffic rules/laws etc. <br />
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So some of the things that I saw. Girl got on bike while still in the transition area. A couple of people wearing headphones - on the run, did not see any on the bike. I did see a couple bikers pass on the right instead of the left.<br />
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So I get out on the bike course and go out on my way. We traveled on roads that were opened to traffic but no big deal as they had volunteer there to assist us.<br />
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The bike was fairly easy as there were no real hard climbs. Just had to watch out for traffic that's all. There was one instance were I was making a right where a semi truck (coming towards us) was making a left. As he made the turn wide I had to slow down and almost stop so I would not gotten crushed between him and the guard rail.<br />
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So I come into transition off of the bike. My legs did feel a bit wobbly as I had suspected they would. I rack my bike get my shoes on and start on the last run.<br />
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It was a little difficult getting started.<br />
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I could tell that the heat was starting to get to me. My calves were starting to twinge, so I backed off a little bit. The run was not too hilly but it did have some elevation change.<br />
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I felt a bit defeated as I did stop to walk a bit, but I mustered on.<br />
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So I took a couple of deep breaths and started to move forward slowly step by step. I started to feel a bit better and started to get into a groove.<br />
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It was tough and I think the combination of the heat and the pollen bothered me more then I wanted to let on. But the water stops help as I was able to pour some water over my head and splash some in my face. They had indicated that they were going to have Heed sports drink on the course, but all everyone was yelling was water.<br />
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Well I finally was able to cross the finish line.<br />
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In my age group there were 13 of us. For the first leg of the run I was in 8th place with a time of 15:02. My first transition was 1:38 (need to work on that) For the bike leg I was 9th in a time of 32:44 my second transition was 1:30 and the final run I was in 11th with a time of 31:11. My final total was 10th place (age group) in a time of 1:22:02<br />
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There were 107 participants and I finished 77th.<br />
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Over all I was satisfied with my performance. I really enjoyed this event and I am looking forward to doing another one either number 2 in Oct or this one again next year. There is also an event in the summer and it is listed as a USA Triathlon sanctioned Event. (so no riding your bike in the transition area).<br />
<br />
Well that is all for now. This was my third duathlon. Looking to get more in. I guess I will need to become a member of USA Triathlon<br />
<br />Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-82395834817532174502012-04-12T14:26:00.002-04:002012-04-12T14:34:15.928-04:00Virginia Duathlon - Race reportHere we go. My Second <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Duathlon</span>.<br /><br />Sunday, April 1st.<br /><br />It was located at <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Chippokes</span> Plantation State Park in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Surry</span>, VA. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Surry</span> is directly across the James River from Jamestown. In fact you can see Busch Gardens from the shore.<br />Anyway, this is a very rural area and luckily for us there is a campground right there at the State Park. As a family, we love to camp so it was a no <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">brainer</span>. <br />This was going to be my second <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">duathlon</span> that I would participate in and I was looking forward to it. This particular event was a 5k run, 24 mile bike and a 5k run. <br />My goal time that I was shooting for was 2 1/2 hours. I figured that I should be able to do the bike in about an hour and a half leaving me an hour combined time for the two 5ks. The corals were as follows: Male 45 and younger, Male 46 and older, All Females, All teams.<br />So here we go. The first 5k. I was feeling really good, and I knew that I was going to get this first run done in under a half hour, what I was not expecting was to actually get a PR. My official time was 26:33, however I did not know this at the time. I was in transition and trying not to trip over myself as I get ready for my bike. My wife was cheering me on and I think she might have asked me what my time was. I just said, "don't know".<br />I switched my shoes out, got my helmet on and buckled it, removed my bike from the block and started moving out of transition. I was feeling good.<br />Off we go on the bike course. I actually drove the course the day before so I was somewhat familiar on what to expect. The route was clearly marked with the turns to take plus there were police at the major intersections helping us out. This was a very flat course so I really was not sure how I was going to do. I have been able to ride 8 miles in about a half hour over a somewhat hilly W&OD (Washington and Old Dominion) trail so given that I was going to have to constantly be pedaling to move myself forward I was not sure if I was going to be able to keep that pace up for 23 miles. Well I completed the bike in 1:19:59.02. I saw this on my watch before I reset it for the run. I was well ahead of my goal but at the time I did not know how far.<br />Now for the second transition and the final run. <br />I dismount from my bike and half expecting to fall flat on my face from my legs giving out I was quite surprised at how well they felt. I was able to jog into transition instead of a quick walk. (On the very big plus side the transition was on grass so I did not have to worry about walking/running in my bike shoes on the road surface.) I rack my bike, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">un</span>-clip and remove helmet, switch out my shoes and away I go.<br />I start out the second run a little faster then my jog into transition after the bike. I wanted to move slowly at first to get into a rhythm before trying to lay down the hammer. What was nice about the run was that it went into the campground so I was able to see my family at the turn around, that was motivation. A secondary goal that I had was not to walk any part of the second run. I accomplished that. I did, however, have to stop to tie my shoe, that made me mad. Anyway, here I come up to the 3 mile mark and around the bend into the home stretch. I look up at the clock and I am very happy. I cross the line in a gun time of: 2:19:27.79 and a chip time of: 2:19:21.75 <br />I was well over my goal and I felt really good afterwards, a little tired but not too sore. Which makes me wonder if I was selling myself short on my goal time.<br />The first <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">duathlon</span> I did was in Columbia, MD back in Aug 2011. It was a 2 mile run, 26 mile bike and 4 mile run. I did that in 2:53:43 it was a hillier bike course then the one in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Surry</span>.<br />They had a fantastic BBQ party after the event. We then packed up our trailer to go home. Pam, my wife, drove home and I slept most of the way.<br />So for my records, there were 24 finishers in my age group. I finished 18<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span>. There were 189 males and I finished 108<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span>. There were 343 finishers and I finished in 135<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> place overall.<br /><br />So I am starting to think..........whats next.....<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">hmmmmmmm</span>.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-16680009486740242302012-04-03T21:27:00.002-04:002012-04-03T22:04:11.832-04:00Rock and Roll USA half marathonWell it has been a while hasn't it.<br />On March 17th, St. Patricks Day, I participated in the inaugural Rock and Roll USA half marathon. This was my A race. I was looking forward to it. Many of the plodders were running in it. Some were even doing the full.<br />We travel down to RFK stadium parking that morning. It was a cool morning but not as cool as the day before.<br />I had been drinking water on the ride in and thus had to use the bathroom many times before the gun went off.<br />We met up with a lot of the other plodders before hand and had some social time and took some pictures.<br />So it was time, and off we went.<br />My goal was to finish in 2 hours or under.<br />I started of feeling very good. I was behind the 2 hour pace group. I knew that they were in front of me but unsure as too exactly where they were. <br />As we were making our way down Constitution Ave, I caught up to the 2 hour pace group. <br />I was feeling really good at the time. I did not push too hard but did not feel that I could stay with them, so off I went.<br />I wasn't until I got around mile 7 near Harvard St where I started to fall apart. I was starting to feel really tired. Then the 2 hour pace group went by. I was a little disturbed by it but then realized that I caught up to them so I do have some time in the bank. <br />I tried not to let it bother me. But I started to really feel it in my legs. <br />I had to walk a bit. I did feel defeated. <br />I continued to plod on. I had a time to meet. <br />Well as it turns out I did not make my time. I came in at 2:05.<br />I feel that I left it all out there on the course. <br />In looking back at the day, it started out a cool morning but then it did grow warm. The pollen from the trees were very high as well. Not that I am trying to make excuses for why I did not make my goal but just looking for answers.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-55463037157993855052012-01-18T09:25:00.003-05:002012-01-18T09:40:10.773-05:00Censorship - what is it all aboutWell it is about time for me to start educating myself.<div>I will be honest. I do not know what specifically all this talk about SOPA and PIPA (Stop Online Piracy Act and the PROTECT IP Act) are all about. From what I gathered to begin with is it was focused on the sharing of illegally copied material. So what is so wrong with that. That is what I need to find out.</div><div>So I will be trying to read up on these two bills and try to make a decision for myself if this is good or bad.</div><div><br /></div><div>stay tuned if you can........</div>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-66446581420619832782011-12-30T21:39:00.004-05:002012-01-03T10:05:42.034-05:002011 - the year in reviewWell this has certainly been a wondrous year.<br />I have made a lot of great strides in my running. Ha Ha, pun intended.<br />I accomplished many goals with some still out there.<br /><br />My accomplishments are as follows: completed my first Duathlon, became a member of the Half Fanatics<br />One goal that I am looking to do is to get my half marathon time under 2 hours.<br />My last half that I ran in the course was short, so even though it is in the books as a 13.1 event in 1 hr 57 mins, I know the truth and I will be working to get under that 2 hour mark. I feel that I will be able to get there. Then I will be working to do it in the heat as well.<br />In looking at what I have done in the past I have seen the following.<br />Well I was finally able to get the data off of garmin connect website.<br />Some very interesting stats I will say.<br />My overall mileage is, to my astonishment, 1,385.15 miles. This does include running and biking. Although there were some times that I was not running with my Garmin so I know that the mileage is low but not that much. The mileage counted for 262 activities. My average speed while running was 5.7 mph and my average speed on the bike was 13.2. The mileage breaks down like this. Running was 684.84 and the bike was 700.19<br />So now I have some real goals to look at to try to improve upon. Obviously I am going to work on getting faster and improving my times, but now I can look to improve my mileage, activities and average speed.<br />I did go back and look at my 2010 results but the customize option was not working. <br />I am not sure what my goals are going to be, but I definitely want to improve my fitness on the bike. I think I am finally getting it tuned up correctly. I am looking at doing at least 2 duathlons next year, maybe more.<br />Of course I need to start updating this more frequently as well.<br />post later.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-67236005278684765312011-12-12T10:49:00.003-05:002012-01-03T09:27:56.755-05:00Gar Williams Half MarathonWell I am not sure what I was thinking but I decided to take part in the Gar Williams Half Marathon.<br />It is put on by the DC Road Runners.<br />This was an out and back course on the C&O Tow path trail.<br />There was not much support on the course. They had 2 water stops.<br />There were no spectators but then again it would not be very easy for them to line the course. It was bad enough that it was very congested with the runners we also had to watch out for other people that were just using the path.<br />All in all is was a very good day to run. the event was put on very well. I did not get the time that I wanted but I was using it more as a training run and not a race run, if that makes sence.Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-88298370780077448012011-11-23T19:37:00.011-05:002011-11-24T10:47:43.886-05:00Annapolis Half Marathon - race report<div><div><div><div>Well here we go.</div><div>This was my first race as a Half Fanatic (number 1509). I was really looking forward to it. This was the inaugural running of this event. So with that in mind I knew there would be some, shall we say, hick ups. And there were.</div><div>First, was the traffic and parking. We could not believe that there was so much issues with getting cars into the Navy Academy parking lot and parked. Well it was a good thing that we left with plenty of time to allow us to get prepared and into the corrals.</div><div>Speaking of corrals, there were none. Thought that there was going to be some there but none of us saw any. Well we took our position toward the back of the pack. No big deal really. this was not that big of an event. there was maybe around 2500 runners. </div><div>They started the race just a little bit behind schedule, but then again it was no big surprise. We get to running. The temperature was in the mid to upper 40s with a cool breeze every now and then. So with that I went with a long compression tech shirt with my Half Fanatic tee over that. Cotton gloves with tights. I was debating on going with shorts and a compression Tee with arm warmers. I am glad that I did not. There were times when it was down right cold, especially when we crossed the bridge. </div><div>So we start running around the stadium and into some of the back residential streets. These were very crowded. It might have been a little easier if we did not have to dodge parked cars. Maybe they can fix that for next year. </div><div>So as we are going along, we noticed that there were no mile markers. was not too sure what to make out about it. I actually missed the first water stop as they were really short of help and there was no water available and I did not want to wait for a cup so I continued on.</div><div>We later found out that the person that was in charge of setting up the mile markers broke his foot that morning.</div><div>Well at any rate, it was actually kind of nice not having the mile markers to distract me. I could actually focus on my running. </div><div>Another issue that came up on the course was a small out and back section on the Baltimore and Annapolis trail. It was very narrow and to have two lanes of traffic was difficult enough we had some people that were running two even three a breast when they really should not have. I was waiting for someone to run into someone else. Not sure if it ever happened or not, but that part of the course really needs to be addressed.</div><div>I will say that spectator support was very good. </div><div>Coming up to the end I was feeling very good. Coming in strong. I looked at the clock and it read 2:02 and change. I then looked at my Garmin, which I was trying not to look at the whole time, and it read 1:57 and change. I was really stoked! I did it. I was able to run 13.1 miles in under 2 hours, or did I? Upon closer look, my mileage read 12.7. As did other peoples watches. What happened?!?! </div><div>Well, the course was short. it might have been the fact that the mile markers were not out there but we missed a turn thus making the course short by .35 miles. </div><div>I did do some math and calculated my pace for the last mile and it did give me the time of under 2 hours. </div><div>However, I was having issues with the time and my wife finally told me to just get over it. Well I am, because when I look back at the goals that I set for myself I realize that it won't be long before I am able to get to a 1:55 or below time in the half marathon. Then it might just be time to start looking at tackling the full marathon beast again. </div><div>Only time will tell. </div></div></div></div>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222154519831404617.post-73175553304608273872011-10-17T10:25:00.005-04:002011-10-24T13:48:53.706-04:00Hershey Half Marathon - Mission AccomplishedWell the title says it all.<br /><br />I had two goals that I wanted to accomplish with this race.<br /><br />First I wanted to finish as it was my last race that I was using to qualify for the Half Fanatics.<br /><br />Two, I wanted to get a new personal record out of it.<br /><br />Well, not only did I finish and get a new PR, I crushed my old PR. I will get to that in a minute. Let me break it down for you as to how things went.<br /><br /><p>So we leave Friday late afternoon on our way up to Hershey. Instead of staying at a hotel we stayed at the Hershey Campground. We love to camp, so tying in a camping weekend around a race was just too good not to pass up.</p><br /><p>We check in at the campground and found out that they were still rebuilding after the storm that came through in September. They were really flooded out. The bathrooms were still not operational. They had to bring in bathrooms on trailers. These were not portapotties but very clean executive type bathrooms. They also had another trailer that had showers. They were very nice.</p><br /><p>Anyway, we get our trailer all set up and call it a night. We get up Saturday morning and take our time getting breakfast as packet pickup is not until 10 am. </p><br /><p>We finally start to head over to Hershey stadium on a clear, cool and windy morning. This was the second year for Hershey to be doing this event and the first year they had an expo with vender's. With that in mind I did not think that it was going to be anything to write home about, and it wasn't but it was good to see some vender's out there.</p><br /><p>So we go to the main tent and pickup my packet. Part of the package was that we were given two tickets to Hershey after dark plus we were able to get up to 4 more at a reduced rate. This was a good deal as we had our kids with us as well. As it turned out the person that was suppose to be selling the extra tickets weren't there yet. Being that the park did not open until 2 this was not that big of an issue. So I looked into my packet, so that my bib was in there, verified that I had 2 tickets to Hershey after dark and I saw a safety pin so I thought all was good. More on that later.</p><br /><p>So we had some time to kill. What better way to spend it that take a stroll down memory lane and visit the place were my wife and I met. So we did. We drove down the road a piece to visit Lebanon Valley College. We went to the College center and to the bookstore. A lot has changed but a lot also stayed the same. We talked to our kids about the kinds of things that we did, where we hung out and just how things were. The campus was a buzz as it was homecoming. The Marching band was warming up in different areas of the campus and then they came together and marched around before going over to the football stadium. It was a good time. We think the kids got a kick out of it as well. Anyway, we got some lunch at a known college hangout, which brought back more memories and then it was time to go pick up our extra tickets for Hershey after dark.</p><br /><p>We head back to the expo and actually pick up coupons for $7.99 off regular admission for up to 4 tickets. So instead of buying the tickets at the expo, we use the coupon and buy the tickets at the door. Ok. That works too. So anyway, while there at the expo I decide to visit a vendor and get some knit gloves and arm warmers. I did not look closely at the weather report. Am I glad I picked up those items.</p><br /><p>So we had a good time at Hershey after dark, rode some rides and played some games. Then we went back to the campground to have some dinner and sit around the campfire. While dinner was cooking, I decided to get my gear ready for tomorrow. I pulled my bib number out of my packet and realized that there was only one safety pin in the packet. I started to panic but kept it together. I found two more in the trailer and figured I would be able to get one tomorrow before the start of the race. So after dinner I was surprised that no one was interested in going back into the park, which was fine by me. I already told my wife that I was not going to. So we let the fire die down and we all went to bed.</p><br /><p>I had set my alarm for 6 am, it went off and I hit snooze (I thought) and closed my eyes. I woke up a half hour later and realized what happened. I almost went into a panic but then realized that all was ok for now. It was a chilly morning. I got the hot water going for my oatmeal and coffee. While the water was heating up I went to the rest rooms. When I came back the water was not quite ready yet so I got dressed. I ate breakfast and had a couple sips of coffee and then got my wife up so that she could drive me over to the start. I will say that I was very glad that I bought the arm warmers and gloves. They came in real handy as the temps were in the high 40s low 50s. It was a bit breezy but not like it was the day before. </p><br /><p>So my wife drops me off and I walk over to the packet pickup tent. I was able to get a forth safety pin so that my bib would lay correctly on my shirt. So I go through my warm up routine, jog a bit, visit the portapotties, jog some more and do some stretching. I was feeling a bit nervous. This was my A race. I wanted to do well. Going into this race my ultimate goal is to get to a 2 hour time, but for this race I wanted to get 2:10 or under. Being that I got a 2:13 at a very hilly Freedoms Run a couple of weeks before I figured this should not be a problem.</p><br /><p>So the runners are getting in the corals. An announcers voice comes over the air and makes some comments about the course and general information. I am listening to him but honestly not really paying attention. I am listening just closely enough to hear if there are any course changes or any other important things to keep in mind. Nothing. Time to really focus and concentrate and a last review of my game plan. That game plan was to run as comfortably as I could while keeping it under a 10 min mile pace. I figured that if I did that I would be under a 2:10 finishing time.</p><br /><p>So as race reports go this is going to be real short as there is not much to say about the course itself. That is from what I can remember. I spent 4 years of my college life around Hershey that I knew what it looked like so I was not doing a lot of site seeing. I was focused on moving my feet forward, keeping my breathing under control and looking at my Garmin watch. The only thing that I was looking at my watch was the minute area of my pace. If it read 10 I was too slow, if it read 9 I was just right. If it read 8 I would evaluate how I felt. I only remember seeing an 8 once and I was going down hill so I did dial it back a bit. I felt focused. I took water at most aid stations and every other one I took Gatorade. At mile 10 I saw my wife and kids. She tried to take a picture of me, then ran a head. She told me to slow down so she could take a picture. I said, "no, I got this!". I was feeling really good. Taking it nice and relaxed. I saw them again around mile 12 and I knew it. I got this. But I kept to my word that I told my self before the race. Don't look at anything except for your min per mile pace, and maybe your heart rate every now and then. </p><br /><p>I knew that I was going to get a PR. I was stoked. I turn the corner into the stadium and I am feeling good. I start to push it a bit. Instead of finishing on the field we run along the track and finish behind the end zone about in the middle. So I turn the corner and I look at the time. I am almost in shock. It read 2:02 and change. 2:02!!! I screamed in my head. Holy cow! I almost could not believe it. My official time was 2:02;36 not far off of my garmin time of 2:02;43. That is about 11 min PR from the Freedoms Run that I did 15 days earlier. I was beside myself. Now I am most confident that I can get under the 2 hour mark sooner rather then later. I can not wait to start focusing on that goal. </p><br /><p>Speaking of goals, this was my third race that I was using to qualify for the Half Fanatics. I had my email draft all ready to go. All I had to do was enter the Hershey Half Marathon and the date and hit send. I did that. With in 24 hours I got a response back. </p><br /><p>Hi Jim,You definitely qualify for the Fanatics at the Neptune (1 Moon) Level with your 3 races in 37 days.Congratulations.</p><br /><p>All that I have to do is go through the process of completing the application on line and then I am in. I will up date with my id later once I receive it.</p><br /><p>Now. Whats next. Not sure. I do have a couple of races planed but they are far enough out that I have not put down a clear training schedule yet. I am going to miss the Turkey Trot this year and I am rally down about it. I figured with what I was able to do at Hershey then I wanted to see what I would do at a shorter race. I am looking for a 5k or 10 for this winter but have not found one yet. We shall see what transpires.</p><br /><p>Well that is all for now thanks for reading.<br /><br /></p>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12593303445795627506noreply@blogger.com0