3.28.10 Knoxville Marathon

Alright so I know a lot of people were looking for me to hammer out a great time, and I had every intention of doing that, but sometimes you just have one of those days where absolutely nothing goes your way.

Training:
So as for my training for this thon' it wasn't anything special, in fact I was surprised I was knocking out 18 milers at all considering where I was in January, barely able to run 4 miles without stopping. The reason for that was literally no training in November and December, the months where I really should have been building up a decent base I did absolutely nothing and lost a ton of fitness. I knew this going into the race, but my training recently suggested that I did still have hope. I was running the same times I was last year on my daily and long runs and I really felt good on my longer runs too so it seemed like the waters were fine to jump in.

Race Morning:
This started off magnificently. I was awake at 5 ish and had a light breakfast, my usual nothing out of the ordinary. I pinned on my bib which somehow never turns out level. Checked the weather and it actually just showed cloudy for 2 hours into the race! Considering it was raining while I was reading that I didn't have a lot of confidence in that prediction. Drank some gatorade before heading out the door, right on schedule.

I get downtown to the parking garage and for some reason the cars are backed up forever. It took at least half an hour to finally get into the garage and get parked, ugh I waited forever and without realizing it lost a huge chunk of warmup time. Surprisingly none of the people in that car line were running it seemed because they drove right by the garage. Now normally I have April or somebody around, but since she is pregnant and days (hours?) from popping out our baby it was the best thing for her to stay home. Still I like to have somebody around to talk to before the race because it relaxes me.

Anyway I decided to go find the bag check, which I didn't see because I really needed to use the bathroom. The lines for the porta-potties stretched from the start line to the finish, so I decided to go to another inside. Unfortunately some bright person decided to lock that one and so there I was with essentially no bathroom. I waited in line, 10,15,20,25 minutes. All I could do was stand there and kind of stretch. Meanwhile the clock is slowly ticking down toward the marathon. By the time I made it in and out I had maybe 5 minutes left to warm up, and so I had to skip the bag check and run my junk back to the car. It was pretty tense, but I just tried to stay calm. I swear time just felt like it was flying by 1000 miles an hour the entire time today. So I run up 5 flights of stairs to the car, which actually wasn't there. I must have parked on another level.

The Race:
I heard the friggin national anthem and said screw it. The first person I saw I said will you take my stuff. She memorized my name and #, and I said "I'll see you at the finish" then I ran like hell back to the line. I didn't make it. Things just get better from here. So I run TO the start, just so I can turnaround and start with like the 9:00 pace group, which wasn't bad, but there were a TON of them so I had to snake everyone until I could find an open sidewalk. I wasn't even thinking at this point, I was literally having an out of body experience, Crazy!

Finally we get into the race and of course the hills. Rollers and more rollers, but I was actually feeling good despite starting late. How late I didn't know so I just had to listen to other people to find out what they were running. That's pretty unreliable though and so I just tried to run at a good clip and not worry about the time until I saw the 10k. Chugging up and flying down hills. There are tons of uphills, but each one goes back down, then right back up. It's a wearing first 6 miles that is hard to describe. You want to go fast, but you know you shouldn't. So 10k reads about 42 right as I cross. Okay, not where I want to be exactly, but on pace nonetheless, especially with a late start. And what'ya know is up next, good old Noelton hill. Ugh what a beast. I did pretty well although it's a serious punch to the legs.

I was expecting flooding on the greenway but it was the nicest part of the race and the paths were dry. This was the part of course where I tried to conserve energy for the second half. I tracked a few people, but mostly just tried to maintain and relax. I was doing well. Mile 10 came up with Tyson Park and I took a GU here, and by the way there wasn't a water stop where I didn't drink at least a few sips of water or powerade. Right as I went to go up the final hill of the half, at 11 miles something just hit me. My stomach dropped and I felt like I was going to die. I really wanted to find a bathroom quick. Alas there were none to be seen. I went through the half directly at 1:30:00. Not good but I had slowed down a lot due to my ugh, condition. I was eagerly and desperately looking for a porta potty. I also managed to see the woman who was holding my jacket and things at this point, she recognized me and hollered "Go Ron!", crazy day.


The Second Half:
But it never came, until mile 16. I slowed Way The Heck down inbetween then, thinking I could make up the time after by conserving but it was really hard to focus and a few people passed me here. Finally thank the lord I found the first porta-potty in 7 miles and spent good 5 minutes there. I hate to stop during a race, but it wasn't even a choice at this point. Directly after this I kept feeling something and hearing it go click clack click clack on the bottom of my shoe. I thought it was a rock and tried to the the 'swipe' method, but it really didn't come out. So I finally had to just stop and pluck the dang thing out. It was some sort of washer or something, no idea. But I was like oh great, yet another something else to slow me down. Crazy!

So I get back on track actually running again. Things still weren't good though. My stomach was still tied in a knot and now I get to fight the wind for the rest of the race. It literally hurt to run. and at mile 18 I think it was the first time I ever really considered dropping out of a race. This was simple torture. Each time I tried to run my chest tightened up and I felt like I couldn't breathe. So I took my first hill walk at 18 or so.

Still a shard of hope remained. I just kept telling myself it will pass and I'll get a second wind. I reached 19 and was like, okay 10k to go, I still might be able to hit 3:10, which is a BQ. I figured I needed some secondary goal because after the stop I knew I lost way too much time and so that became my next motivation. But it didn't last long. Running across the bridge I was being blown all over the place and I couldn't have been running more than 8:30 or 9:00. I mean I was barely getting one foot in front of the other and said heck with it I might as well just walk. So I did. Just friggin' walking out there. I was a mess, but my only hope quickly became finishing this thing. I knew there was nothing I could do. This race was completely out of my control and I felt like it wasn't even me running, and it wasn't, I never run like this!

22-24
My right calf was now cramping and I stopped a few times to stretch it to no avail. My legs obviously weren't fresh, but I could easily run at pace until my heart felt like it was going to explode again. Over and over I would get up to pace, hold it for a few minutes and then just feel like I was going to die. Yo-yo'ing everyone, but mostly the yo-yo never returned. People along the course were great, other runners, volunteers, just people outside giving out fruit, sheer awesomeness. I felt bad for walking through their stations. I've never done that. It felt like I was insulting them.

The finish:
Still there was nothing else I could do. It was a battle that I had pretty much given up on. I would walk some, run some, walk some run some and do this as much as possible. I wasn't quitting though. There was no backing down, and I was finishing this if I had to crawl to the line. The only nice part here was the wind at the side and knowing that there is just two miles left. Two miles isn't even a warm up but Lord those two miles hurt. There were a few hills that I walked, but I actually gained some ground here and found a second wind. Probably about a minute slower than my normal runs, but hey it was consistent and I was actually maintaining so I'll take it.

I passed a few people here, but it also started to rain. It got cold so I put my arm warmers back on. Legs were pretty trash but I found a nice little group to latch on to and passed them up by 25. I bolted back across the start line (make that 3 times for this race) and went on down a nice steep hill, which of course leads right back up the nice steep hill on the other side and into the finish. I managed to pass one or two marathoners here, but most of them were halfers that were coming in. I actually felt good here and I suppose it's because I knew it was almost over. I crossed the finish line and really didn't feel anything. I guess it's because I knew this race was over for me a long time ago and had pretty much accepted it by then.

Despite all that the post-race was the worst. It was a total downpour and I was freezing. I puked numerous times, behind the uhaul, in front of the uhaul, in the bathroom, in the porta john, pretty much if there was a place to puke I found it. Funny though this never ever happens. Maybe it was the GU or something that didn't sit right, but I really just felt sick the whole race and it hit me afterward, hard. I drank something and of course you can imagine how that went. I didn't even bother eating. Ugh I was miserable. I don't even know how to describe the emotion. It's kind of an anger/helpless/wtf/astonishment all rolled into one. It just felt like everything was out of my control on this day and there was nothing I could do to prepare for it.

Please don't believe that I'm giving you excuses, that's not the point of all this. I ran what I ran and I'm confident that I could do no better on this day, and I'm happy with that. My training was not the best. I knew this going in but I'm confident that my goals were achievable. Having ran a 2:59 last year I know that I CAN do it, and I really think I still could on a better day, and I don't just mean the weather. In hindsight I wish I would have ran the half. I nearly switched yesterday when I heard someone else switch at the Expo, but it's just not in my character to back out or back down regardless of the situation, and if you've read this far that should be pretty obvious.

My original goal for this race was simply to start and continue training again and I accomplished that. I even made it back to 80 mile training week by the end which made me very happy. The problem was I saw some light at the end of the tunnel and unfortunately put an expectation on this race instead of just having fun with it. I just have to remind myself that the race wasn't the end of my training cycle, it just was the beginning.

To all my daily mile fellow runners, you guys are awesome. I appreciate and ingest every word and advice you have, no matter your pace or accomplishments. Believe me I listen to and respect you all. Congrats to those who ran along side of me (and a few in front of me) today at the race.

The Lesson:
So what did I learn from this insanely crazy day in my running journey? Well firstly, you can never be too early or prepared for a race. I learned that sometimes you don't need to PR (big for me) and that sometimes you just have one of those days and that's okay. Another thing is that I will be properly trained for my next marathon. I knew I was jumping into this one with minimal training just starting from January 1, so I probably should have just done the half. Oh - and I also learned that GU doesn't like me one little bit apparently, I don't know though my stomach still doesn't feel right.

But mostly I learned that there are some really good people out there. The woman who had my stuff found me afterward and returned it to me. I mean how amazing is that? I let her know that she was an awesome person and it was so nice to have met her. I offered my artistic services to her as repayment of her kindness. Such a cool thing happened from what I consider to be a stupid risk or incident. Whatever you want to call it I am glad for those silly risks and incidents so that I can still be amazed by just people, it was far better than any PR I could have ran today.


Knoxville Marathon
3:21:06 (7:40)
chip: 3:20:37 (7:39)


fasttwitch 182

5.23.09 Expo 10K

Okay I'm going to try and get this report done now, take that procrastination, bam! The morning started off well enough. It was gorgeous outside, but unfortunately I didn't sleep all that well last night. Well I slept well until about 4:30 am, at which point i tossed and turned. Either way I felt somewhat alive when I finally did get up. I had everything ready to go and decided to leave my HR monitor behind. I didn't want to be checking it constantly and just wanted to run.

78 must be my lucky number

So after some cereal and getting things in order, April and I were off downtown to get parked for the race. Pretty standard race morning, well for the most part. I had plenty of time to warm up and do all my pre-race things, which I normally don't, so it was nice just to be relaxed. Okay firstly this year the Expo chose a new course. Normally it starts down Gay Street in downtown Knoxville, heads out and then comes back finishing at Market Square, which is pretty much the hot spot nowadays. That course has a few rolling hills, but no major drops or inclines. This year it started at the Coliseum and headed out, then ended at the same spot, so definitely different and I hadn't really the "back" part of the course.

some pre-race happiness

The first thing I noticed was that the start looked to be right at the Coliseum. So I did all my warming up there, but after a while it got closer and closer to start time, and they weren't putting the banner out and nobody was lining up. I saw a migration up the hill, which is pretty steep, and just started following people. It turns out the start was clear at the top of it! By the time I chugged up that thing, everyone else was lined up and ready, yikes. Either way they still had to do the anthem and things like that so I wasn't too late or anything. I decided to get my ipod ready, which turned out to be a mistake. The screen went blank on me, and never came back. It has been doing that lately and was a huge oversight on my part not to take care of it earlier. So I ran this race blind.

trucking down the hill

That was probably a big factor in this run. Now normally in races you set out the mile markers like this 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. Well my friends today was opposite day....I'll get to that later. So I'm actually feeling good at the start, even though I knew I would have no idea of splits, I figured if I ran close to someone with a watch I might hear a few. Okay so the first part of this race is down the huge hill we had to walk up, then it goes right back up another hill, pretty much eliminating any momentum you had off the first. I decided to just run down this thing hard, well at least fast and not just coast down. I ended up being pretty close to the leaders at the top of the hill, but there were plenty of people ahead. So that was an interesting start.

trucking back up the hill

I stayed calm and focused on breathing easy and relaxing. It worked and I could tell the people around me were not feeling the same way. In fact even at mile 1 people were breathing hard like crazy. I tried to maintain a good pace. A runner yelled out 5:45 for the first mile, but I had already passed it, so I was probably closer to 5:42. I felt pretty good though and thought I might be able to hold that pace, I was relaxed. We come up on mile 4 and I think, I am feeling great, maybe I should pick it up. I had been running a guy for most of this time, step for step. We were feeding off each other and going at a pretty good rate. Then we come up on mile 3 and ....oh crap. There are STILL three more miles to go.

My legs at this point were already burning a bit, but breathing was good so I thought maybe I could hold the pace. The guy stayed with me, but I was pulling ahead. There were plenty of others right behind me though. At 2 miles I was running with our top woman in the area, Kathy Wolski. She was chugging right along. I actually stayed with her for the next mile or so, but she had paced the first half better and had plenty of gas in the tank and started to get away. I was just trying to maintain. She dropped me around 1 mile, but she wasn't too far ahead. At this point I was breathing pretty hard and the legs didn't have much strength. We had a short hill to climb, then cross the river on the bridge and not too far after that was the finish. At this point a guy was breathing incredibly hard tried to pass me. He got a few steps, but it was pretty clear by his breathing that he was hurting much more than I was.

My only goal at that point was holding him off. Remember, I have no idea how fast we are going, I'm just racing people, not time. So I try to get a gap on him, if anything just not to hear his crazy breathing anymore. That thing took a lot out of me and I slowed a ton, but at the top I recovered and took off. I got a good gap by the end of the bridge, and could sort of make out the turn to the finish. I could hear breathing guy getting closer, he was making a final push. I was determined not to let him get me. At that point I was going to do whatever it took. I thought to myself, I am in nowhere near as bad of shape as him, there is no way I'm letting him outkick me. And I just gunned it when I saw the finish line. The only fortunate thing here was it was a little downhill (we climbed it at the start) and I finished as strong as I could. I actually saw my time this go around, and it wasn't what I hoped for, but it was good enough.

no, I will not let you pass heavy breather guy!

So I ran a 37:50 today. I am making no excuses. The course may have been different and possibly a little tougher, but I was simply not fit enough to run faster. Maybe I could have gone out more conservative, but honestly I think I run better if I stick with people as I don't tend to catch to many. Of course that may be because I go out too fast, but 5:40's weren't really much faster than my goal pace and I had no clue how fast I was going to begin with. But considering my last 5k was 18:35 I can't really complain. I mean I basically ran that twice in a row today. Progress is progress, I just would have liked to see something a little closer to 37. So the training continues. It was a good day, great day in fact. I got a 2nd place age group finish, Last year I wasn't even close to the top. Probably the only bummer on the day was smoothie king wasn't there :(


first year
74th overall
12th age
43:50

last year
48th overall
10th age
39:22

this year
20th overall
2nd age
37:50*different course

8am. expo 10k. 64° 90%H 1mph from NE
37:50(6.2) fasttwitch 84

4.27.09 Dogwood Mile Race Report

Dogwood Mile
I signed up for this mile race mostly on a whim and partially just to see how well I could do. It was in downtown Knoxville along gay street and I signed up the day of the race down there. I brought along my running gear and we also invited April's sis and her boyfriend to come along. They had a good time because they brought their 3 month old puppies, although they are already bigger than most dogs.

I wasn't nervous at all before this race. Why should I have been? I had absolutely no expectations and only hopes of beating my high school self. So I basically went into this race as I would go into some speedwork, a little warm up (jogged to the car to change shoes and jogged back) some form drills, a few pickups and I was ready as ever. The other races were going on before mine in the different age groups. It wasn't all run at once. The kids race was first then various age groups, mine being the last one and the elites went after all age groups had run. They also did a sort of staggered start where after 8 minutes or something they started the next "wave" A wave consisted of mavbe 15-20 people. The road was pretty narrow so I'm glad there weren't more than that actually.

So I was ready to run this, well as ready as you can be after months of slow running training for a marathon. I had only done maybe 2 or 3 speed session in the last few weeks tops, because I wanted to give myself some rest after the marathon. Not a whole lot of change can happen in that time, but I felt like I had a good chance of coming close to 5. From my last workout which i ran 77's or so I pretty much knew it wasn't going to be possible, because even those were difficult. Regardless I had it my mind to run fast despite how I felt.

So the announcer says "one minute till start" and I get up to the line. Right in the front, I wasn't playin'. I put my toe on the line, hand on ipod to click the start button and wait for the gun. Before I know it bam, we are flying up a somewhat short incline about 150 meters to the first right turn (from there it's a straight out and back). A guy takes off in front of me and I think "Dang he's gonna run a 4:30!"

He wasn't far ahead, but the fact that he was ahead kind of worried me. There was a guy to my left, but I wasn't to worried about him. I just focused on the leader. As we turn right for about 100 meters onto Gay Street, which is lined with various buildings and business there is an Arbies. I decided that's where I would start my kick from, just to have a landmark to look for. We pass arbies on the out route and are going at a pretty good clip for another 10-20 seconds, then I find myself gaining on the leader and within another few seconds I pass him.

Holy crap I'm in the lead! This was kind of scary. I wanted the lead, but when I got there I sort of wanted out, haha. So it was all me from there, there was no looking back. I focused on the end of the road where the turnaround was. I could really see it because it was dark, so I just ran. Eventually I made it to the turnaround and did a HUGE friggin half loop to go back the other way, think of doing a 180 in an indy car going top speed - that is what it felt like.

I took a quick glance to the right as I ran the other way, sizing up my competition. Didnt' really give me that much info, but I saw that I had a small lead, but since it was dark everything was just a blur and anyone could have been just behind me and I would have missed them. Right at the half I noticed my throat became incredibly dry. It felt like I just drank a cup of sand. My breathing already was heavy, but not uncontrolled. I tried to keep my pace, but I felt it slagging and here I relaxed about the 600 meter point through the race. I was hurting a bit breathing wise, but legs were still moving and turning over for me. I could see Arbies ahead. Since I had nobody to run with, I tried catching stragglers from the previous race and actually nabbed a few.

As I ran by Arbies I yelled at all the people sitting there eating outside "go Arbies!!!" then I just took off like crazy. I started my kick, and yay it was actually there! As I turned the corner to head toward the finish line I heard a guy yelling "You got this!" and another " Go catch that girl!" (the previous race was still finishing) and so I did. I just took off and caught them.

I didn't hear the announcer calling times or anything, and at no point in the race were there markers or anyone giving times, so this was a blind run. Still it wouldn't have mattered, I simply am not in track shape, or even close to it at this point, but I'm getting there. I was so happy when I crossed the line. It was so fun to just run a mile. I knew I won, but I really didn't care too much about that, I just wanted to know what my time was and get some WATER.

Unfortunately there was only warm vitamin water, and that didn't do me very well. I felt like I just ran 200 miles through the Sahara. It's funny, this race almost felt worse than the marathon in terms of breathing. I could breathe fine during the marathon, but this was just dryness. I guess you can be dehydrated for a mile race, who knew? Anyway I had a great time. I don't know if I got some kind of award. Someone said there were gift certifactes or something, but I never got one. I would be happier with a medal or something like that. I like to have a little keepsake showing the feat, instead of like a free water bottle or something. So there it is 5:17 mile is my current pace. There is another mile race after my 10k. I'm not sure if I'll run it though. I want to be a little better trained for faster paces going into the next one.

today's afternoon run:

Really hot and I struggled just to get two loops in the neighborhood finished without dying. So if there were any doubts about weather affecting a run, they are gone now. It's real and don't underestimate the heat. Fortunately I was wise enough to realize this before the run and wanted to use these miles as a sort of primer to tonights workout. Which I may or may not be able to do. We have to our car out of the towing lot and it could take a little longer since I have to try to jump the battery, and possibly leave, buy a new one, come back, take the old one out and put the new one in and even then who knows. Worst case scenario is it has to be towed back which is yet another 50$ on top of the 135 to get it out. Ugh. So I'm not really planning on having a workout tonight, but I really want to. Most of that is because tomorrow there is a chance of thunderstorms and I'd rather just do the workout a day early than miss it altogether.

12:29pm. home. 83º 32%H 13 mph wind from SSW (hot)
42:58, (6.25) gm 1002
AHR161/MHR177

pm workout:

Fortunately I was able to jump the car after charging it for about 25 minutes, so didn't have to have it towed back from the towing company. Unfortunately it wasn't possible to get another run in because the whole ordeal took so much time (just to have the car moved from our Community lot 50 feet to our house)

4.24.09

So for those of you who read this blog and follow me on twitter, this is for you! I'm going to draw a quick black and white caricature of whoever guesses (not finds) my finish time from last nights race. If there is a tie I will take whoever posted it first in an @ reply in twitter. Please don't leave your guess in the blog because I want to easily compare the times and posting here it could get confusing. So guess away. You've got till 12 noon Saturday April 24th, sorry if you are finding out about this later than that.

Oh if you would like me to draw someone else instead that is fine, either way please give me a GOOD quality photo to work with. I'm not sure exactly how far I will take the exaggeration, it depends on the face, muhahaha..err hehe.

So I will save the race report for tomorrow and not give any clues away. Good luck :)

3.29.08 Knoxville Marathon

Race Report

Had a little trouble sleeping last night, waking up at various points but I woke up at the first ring of the alarm. I got ready quickly and since everything was packed there wasn't a whole lot to look for or make sure I had. April went with me, as my bag carrier and moral support and I guess as my wife too. Got a place to park and walked over to the convention center. It was cold this morning, but since it was early I was hoping it would warm up a little bit as the race went and I would be okay in just shorts and the technical tee they gave us this year. Warm up went well, just did some jogging and stretching, and a few accelerations. Before I knew it we were heading to the start line.

The corral this year was set up for 6:00-8:00 minute miles, so I just got situated in the front about 5 minutes from the start. The handcycle guys started 5 minutes early, and after that was the star-spangled banner. They didn't really have anyone talking like they do at other races, usually a UT coach or something like that, but it was all business today. I was lined up between a very fast looking african on my left, and a beardy runner to my right apparently sponsored by marathonguide as he had all the gear on. (later I would find out it was the winner from 3 years ago Justin Gillette).
So they took an extra minute, and fired the gun. I nearly forgot to get my ipod ready and in the first 20 meters of the race I was jostling and looking at it trying to make sure it was recording, it paid off later on. So we are cruising along and I just stuck with marathon guide for a while as I figured he would have to have a good pace. Didn't see a mile marker for 1 or 2? Not sure what happened there and had no clue as to my pacing, and mostly I was just tucked into crowds trying to block the wind. Lots of runners were passing me, but honestly it didn't bother me. I grew accustomed quickly to looking to the right or left, taking a quick glance at the color of their bib. At 3 miles I saw a marker and my ipod said just above 20:00 or so, so I was actually on pace. We took off into a neighborhood which has rollers, lots of up and downs. Basically you burn the downhills and try to make it over the uphills. There was a guy on my heels at this point, and it was funny to see him accordion back and forth. I tried to save energy on the hills, but honestly it wasn't working.

Mile 5 came along, I think it was high 25 or low 26, can't really remember, real windy. There were puddles to dodge here as some parts of the road were covered all the way across, and about 10 feet long, so you either ran through the water, which I really didn't want to do, or you took the grass/mud. I went through the grass, but it didn't help much. Came up on mile 6 around 40 minutes, not sure if that was the 6 or 10k. I looked at the clock, but mostly I tried to stay focused, plus I was grabbing powerade or water (didn't matter to me) and so that also made it difficult to judge the time. One of my track kids who was volunteering yelled out my name here and that was a nice boost.

Now we are coming it to it, and I was conserving as much willpower as I could, the HILL at Noelton. Every year this thing is brutal. I started trekking up it and made it halfway, just tried to conserve and maintain. By the time I reached the top I felt like my chest was going to explode, and the hams took a pretty good blow as well. Still, I recovered pretty fast I entered the Third Creek Greenway which winds through a forested area. It was wet here too, and many times I had to go off the path and across some muddy grass instead of foot-deep water on the course. One marathoner passed me here, and he was moving pretty well so I just let him go. There was a lot of race left, and I figured if I had any chance of catching him, it would be later on in the race anyway. Miles 8,9,10 went through the creek and it is relatively flat, with a few really steep but short hills. I was feeling decent at this point. The good part about this area is that the wind was somewhat blocked by the trees.

Miles 11,12 were pretty good. I had a few runners ahead of me in sight, so I just made sure they didn't get too far. At 12.5 April was at the hill waiting for me, I think I ran up on her too fast as she said she didn't get any photos of me :( Now the half marathoners were coming up on me, making their final push to the finish, which was just down the hill (and back up) so I let them go and kept going were directed. There was another hill to run up for me here, this one is usually a downhill on the 5k courses run downtown and goes right by the expo center. I started chugging up this one, and a marathoner with a headband passed me here. He looked fresh as a dang daisy and said "let's go" and took off into the wild blue. I already wasn't feeling great and we were heading straight into the wind.

Someone had said I was ninth just at the split, but I wasn't sure as the halfers were there as well, so I thought maybe he was talking about them. Nonetheless I was just trying to smart and keep a decent pace. So out we go into east Knoxville, a long uphill, but not really that steep. The wind was bad now and my arms were getting cold. Passed 14 miles. Things started getting fishy at this point and I was having some serious G.I. issues, they crept up on me early around 8-9, but now they had intensified and I was really distracted. More wind and nobody to hide behind. We ran up through some neighborhoods, and honestly this was the craziest part of the course, left, right, left, left, right, left, right. I had no clue where I was going. At 16 I checked my ipod and it wasn't that great. I can't remember the time, but I remembered thinking I had slowed a bit. Coming up on 17 I thought I was at 18. demoralized. My hams and calves were starting to get tight, and the G.I. issue hit me again where I almost had to walk. This would almost be a constant for the rest of the race, even up to the final mile. I'm not sure what caused it, I guess just being cold and racing like crazy.

At 18 I looked at my ipod 2:02. A guy here came up on me, but I was struggling. He said "We are still on good pace" I just said, my stomach is killing me, and the legs ain't much better. He said good luck and went on by. I remember looking at him and thinking "he's not going that fast" and then thinking, I must look like I'm walking. Now we are heading out toward the innerstate, mile 19. No houses, no nothing for protection, dead on into the wind. I crawled. At one point, running over the bridge, I just prayed to God that I finish the race. The wind hit me so hard I almost fell down, literally. Each step was a struggle. The only good thing about this dang bridge was the view, and the fact that in minute we might be running with the wind a bit, and of course mile 20. The finish line is growing nearer, and I certainly ain't getting any faster.

It's funny there were some points where I felt great, talked to the volunteers, asked questions, chatted away. These were the parts when my stomach didn't feel like it was going to hit the pavement I guess. It was kind of like that the rest of the way, sometimes feeling great, then I'd feel like I was dying, but mostly in the legs. My hams were tight, and the calves were right behind em. At 20 I saw beardy running the opposite direction, he was roughly 3 miles ahead of me (I didn't know that) I was hoping he was only like a mile, so I could get turned around and heading back toward Neyland Stadium!

Mile 22, four miles left and it's the turnaround point. I know I only have four miles left. I think if I can just maintain I still have a chance to get under 3 hours, but at this point I'd be happy just to cross the finish line today.
At 23 I pass the opposite runners and shout encouragement to them. That made myself feel a little better. There was a water stop at this point where someone said "Go Ron", but I have no idea how they knew me? Maybe this blog or twitter, could have even be an old track kid? I dunno, but that was pretty cool they recognized me. The next mile was familiar because it's part of the 10k course for the Expo 10k I have ran before. So I knew exactly what the course was like for the last 3 miles. A marathoner came out of nowhere though and passed me here. I guess he was smart and saved his energy for the final few miles, I was almost going to go with him, but decided I would have to make my last mile the fastest as I didn't have a lot left.

Passed 24, 2:4?:?? I can't remember now, but I knew If I just held on even to a 7 minute pace I should make it. We run across Gay St. bridge and I see a runner coming back to me. By the end of the bridge I almost caught him. I passed him within the mile, he looked like he had fallen or something, but apparently he was hurt as he started walking. Passed 25, one mile to go! Aah it was crazy I couldn't believe just one more mile. I looked at my ipod something like 2:51:something, uh oh, I turned it up a little more and more, but not too much because there is still the giant hill that leads into the stadium to run up. We met up with the half marathoners, and it was a rush to pass them (no offense) as I ran by. I was almost there and dang it I just wanted this thing over!

I saw the stadium and got this crazy grin on my face, smiling from ear to ear I looked around and took it all in, I was THERE! I took off at a dead sprint and headed toward the 50 yard line. I didn't even look at the clock, i just ran and smiled. I gave the power fist as I crossed the line and then stumbled around. I could hardly walk, my legs were shaking, and but I kept moving. Photographers were trying to take my picture, and...haha, I almost fell over right when she snapped off the picture, lol. I was just wanting to get something to drink and find the bathroom at this point.

April met up with me and we "walked" to the after party at the Arena. My legs tightened up in a bad way, and it hurt to walk or stand or sit. There is no pain like it, a total charlie horse over the calves, but mostly the hamstrings. Super tight, overworked, feeling like my legs were going to explode. After hobbling 10 minutes to the Arena (it's less than 5 minute walk) I just sat down in the bleachers for like an hour. I didn't even get anything other than some gatorade that I had brought along. After the hour or so of sitting there shivering and shaking uncontrollably, I hobbled around to get some food. They actually had some pretty good stuff this year, so kudos on the selection (other than pizza and chili). I ended up getting the chili though because I needed something warm. I didn't eat but a spoonful and threw that away, and had to just nibble various bagels and granola because each time I swallowed, I wasn't quite sure if it was going to stay down. So after another half hour of sitting there I was feeling better and decided we better get going, and hobbled the 5 minutes back to the car in the cold wind.

My right hamstring seems to had taken the brunt of the damage. And when I got home I just went to sleep with a full ice pack wrapped securely to it. It was undoubtedly the hardest race of my life. I wish the weather had been a little more optimal. I mean the marathon is challenging enough the way it is, I knew that going into it. I also knew that the hills were tough, but this was like putting your legs through a meat grinder. Needless to say I've earned some days off. Tonight we are going out for my VICTORY dinner, because despite everything I still managed to run a sub 3 hour marathon. My finish time was Somewhere around 2 hours 59 minutes and some odd seconds.

see that runner! my foot is behind them.

The first place finisher ran a 2:29, God bless ya Stewart Ellington, raining champ from here in K-ville. Gillette (they guy I lined up beside) came in second with a time of 2:37, third place was 2:47. I am not sure of the other finishers times, but April kept track of them and I placed in the TOP TEN (10th lol) in this marathon! That was one of my Gold goals that I made when I first started training! Now that's unofficial, so even if I didn't get it, I'm perfectly happy. Honestly once I started getting past halfway into that crazy wind, I just wanted to finish the race. So yay me, I'm a marathoner and although I have a lot to learn, I couldn't be happier to be one. Now it's time celebrate, rest, recover, and training for the next crazy goal I devise - 50k? 50 mile? some crazy time goal? who knows!

7:00 am. Knoxville Marathon. 38° Mostly Cloudy 76%H SW14 mph
2:59:09, (28.11) fasttwitch 44

11.16.08 - Buddy's Race

Well I was so busy trying to get to the start line on time I didn't even think about the foot hurting :) I made it with about 5 minutes to spare, although I didn't really get a warm up in which sucked. Especially for a cold day like today where we had snow flurries in the morning. It was a little over 40 degrees at the line, with some here and there. I was nervous driving there, and really I didn't feel ready for the start. I mean I did literally zero jogging other than from the hotel to the line.

Soon enough there was a bang and I was definitely farther back than I had planned to be. Tons of people were ahead of me, but I knew they would all die sooner or later. I worked my way through them. The pace was pushing it, but I definitely knew I could probably hold it for 5k. It was cold. I heard a few guys complaining or commenting on it, and I was feeling it too. The legs were pretty numb. Made it to the first downhill and passed a few people, and few more right after that on an uphill section, starting to find a groove. I felt good about then and the cold was starting to fade.

At the 1 mile mark I ran by the timers and heard nothing so I yelled out TIME! and they said 5:50. i figured I might have even been a little ahead of that since I was past them. Good, I thought. I feel like I'm running about what they said, and that's a good sign because I wasn't going too fast. Another hill to traverse, then a long flat out. I had a few people in my sights, one of them a kid. Not sure how old, but certainly younger than me. Then I pass another kid, who happens to be one of my track guys! He said "hey coach". Actually he was the second, I saw another earlier just after the mile mark. That one said hey coach too, but I replied, I'm getting in shape here! and took off. My other track guy was doing well, but was fading, as was the younger kid. I could hear him breathing heavy. I found an extra half step at 2 miles and reached it in about 12:05, just leaving those two behind. I calculated another 6 minute mile I might be able to run would give me my 18, but I forgot to add in the .1 or I might have pushed it even a little harder ;)

Now was a straight shot to the huge brick bridge. Unfortunately it was right into the headwind and the hills were coming too. Now I felt the calves and legs starting to burn. A big hill, then another. The brick bridge gave me some problems as my shoes with 700+ miles offered little grip and I could feel them "slipping" a bit each time I pushed off. I really wish I had been able to obtain a pair of Lunar racers. Heck that might have even prevented the bottom of the foot pain I was having from that crappy treadmill run.

A few guys in red were ahead of me, but I couldn't close the gap. I just didn't have the legs. They were burning from those hills, but I knew the other guys were burning worse and I kept pushing. At one point I even thought to myself "Is this the same course I ran a month ago?" It felt a lot harder now for some reason. Last hill I struggled up, but maintained. I was closing a bit on a redshirt, but the other red had passed him and taken off. It was the last downhill section and I was really turning over, but not smooth. I was bumbling down like a maniac and trying to catch this guy. I saw him turn the corner for the last 20 meters to the finish and I kicked a little. Breathing was good, but legs were totally gone at this point. I almost caught him at the end, but just didn't have it, maybe came within 5 or 10 feet.

It was a good race. But afterward my foot was killing me. I had to sit down and practically limped to the car. It was also cold and I just wanted to go home. April said there were only about 8 people ahead of me, but there may have been more. I guess I will find out when the results are posted. Hopefully the bottom-outside foot bruise thing will heal up in the next few days. I still plan on running, but might have to go down to ball camp park so I can run on the grass- that actually sounds like a good idea. I'll do that and just go cautiously from there. As for the time today I'm going to take a guess at 18:30. I HOPE it was that fast. I knew if I held on the last mile I had a chance, so we'll see. I KNOW I'm capable of running faster than today, but given the foot and the crazy start I'll be happy with whatever time shows up.

3pm. Buddy's Race. 40 degrees, 10 mph wind.
3.1 miles, bf 736

10.11.08 Race for the Cure

I woke up early in the morning. Apparently I had consumed a bit too much gatorade last night whilst formulating my race strategy. After going back to sleep I awoke to the alarm clock and quickly got into my routine. Bowl of cereal and some skim milk, browse the weather channel on the internet.

I already had everything ready to go out the door this morning, race bib was pinned on, chip timer was attached to my shoe, shorts and ipod good to go. So it didn't take much time for both me and April to head out the door. She wasn't necessarily "racing" so to speak, so details were a little less important for her part. So after watching a clip of Family Guy, where Peter, the dad, goes into a crazy dance everytime he hears Surfin' Bird I was relaxed as I ever was going to be. Laughing also helped me wake up.

So traffic is horrible downtown. We aren't necessarily late, but if we have to continue waiting at every single traffic light, things are going to start looking bad. It's almost 8 and we are still at a red light. Finally I get to turn and we go in search of a parking spot. It was a little farther away than I had wanted, but it was a legal spot (I don't need to mention why that was important). So April is bookin' it to the start line. We are about four to five blocks away. The race starts at 8:15 for the chip timed people. So I use this time to jog and warm up as we make our way there. We made it to the line at 8:07

Plenty of time, and honestly there didn't seem to be that many at the front of this thing. Normally it's packed. So I took my time and did some light stretching. A really short acceleration, then got behind someone at the starting line. Now standing there waiting for a race to start is one of the worst things. You don't want to sit there and expend energy, so you stretch, bob back and forth, do some other stretch, or basically just stand around. So this goes on well after 8:15 and we hear "5 more minutes". Everybody is like AAAwww man. So we wait it out, but at least it was broken up by a prayer, the national anthem, and a few words about the Breast Cancer survivors after the race.

Then, like always, the gun goes off barely before you're even ready. But I was as ready as I'd ever be, maybe not in terms of performance, but mentally. Ready. The first hill is taken easily and right away I see there aren't that many people in front of me. I stick to my plan and take it easy on this hill, but maintain a good pace. One guy is already waay out ahead, but the others are basically in a group. I wouldn't call it a pack as they were spread out, but definitely close together, made up of about 10 runners.

First hill was okay. Nothing special, but I caught one guy on it. Then it started downhill. I paced the tall mohawk kid who was doing sprinter jumps at the start line - You know the ones where you bring your knees up to your chest. Those activate your fast twitch muscles. He took off at the beginning along with the faster (better?) runner and unfortunately his fibers didn't last but half a mile, and he died. I passed him easily on the outside as we turned around a corner. Another guy ahead, I track him down, and he says "go get em" as I run by breathing heavily, but certainly not in bad shape. No mile markers or times at this point.

The turnaround. Well at 2 miles I see some women holding up a sign. I yell "WHATS THE TIME?" they scramble around looking for a non-existent stopwatch and I run by. "Nevermind" I say as nicely as possible without making them feel too bad about it. So the long stretch begins. I am breathing hard at this point and my legs aren't doing too great. That last small hill was tougher than anticipated. So the duel begins. I pass this guy, he catches up, we run side by side. I listen to his breathing. It's worse than mine, but only by a fraction. I try to burn him out and do a slight surge. It works.

I make it to the final hill. Man that thing looks like a mountain and I'm breathing heavily and struggling. Legs are exhausted and muscles dont' have a lot left. I slow on the bridge/hill. I know it and I hear a lot of deep-breaths coming up behind me, trucking up this hill. Still I hold him off, although he's right there. As soon as I reach the top of this hill I see the decline. The finish! I do another small burst, just enough where I can't hear the guy on my back anymore. I truck it down this hill and am pretty much spent. I don't have much left and the legs are burning. I run hard, but not all out. I see the 50 meters that are all that is left just around this bend. 18:58, I'm almost there! I pick up, but at the same time I don't because I see I won't break 19, just not enough time to burst. Then as I cross the line, the heavy breather picks me off the instant we cross the line. He got me.

I just smiled. I ran a hard race and if I had known that guy was so close, I would have been able to hold him or burst. Lesson: always look behind you at the end of a race. I will not forget.

So I'm not sure what my official time was. i think it was 19:05, but as I said it was a crazy finish, so I'm not sure. I felt pretty good afterwards. Exhausted, but good. My legs at this point aren't ready for that kind of punishment, and the course was a lot hillier than I had remembered or even anticipated. If I'm right on the time that was a 6:08 pace. Just awesome improvement considering last year in November I ran a 20:47. I'm a month ahead of that and closing into the 18's. I know that I COULD go faster, but not much, and certainly not for any longer. So I think it was a good time trial so to speak. I really wanted to know where I was and this showed a lot.

So If I could run today's run 8 times in a row, that's a 2:41 marathon. Haha, that's totally not going to happen....now. But I know I can try to come close to that in 6-7 months. I've only been back running for 1 month, so there is a ton of improvement left for me. I still have long runs, hill and speed training that need to be developed. But probably the best part is that I feel better than last year. My muscles are much more used to the strain, and my legs aren't as tight as they were last year (except for this week).

http://ronsrunning.blogspot.com/2008/09/2-weeks-3-days.html
here I listed my goals.
So today I won the GOLD medal. yay I''m an olympian!

Now the next thing is when to race again? Well there is a buddy's race for the cure and the Turkey Trot. They are both in a month or so. I could do Buddy's because it's bigger and there will be more runners in it. It is almost the same course as I ran today. OR I could do the Turkey Trot. i am quite familiar with the course as I ran it last year because it is literally right down the road. It is flat and there are no hills at ALL, but it does steadily rise over the first mile and a half. There are a lot less people who run it. I could also compare last years time to this year's as I really enjoy comparing that kind of thing.

So for right now I really like the Turkey Trot. I know it's flat, less hassle, less runners (although good - around 15 minutes was winning time last year), and I have last years time as comparison. I can't do both as they are usually back-to-back weekends.

Ah before I forget. April did really well. I ran back up the course a little ways to finish with her. She was completely exhausted, panting, and her whole face was blush red. She said she was going to walk and did, but I nudged her (literally) and started giving her encouragement. The finish line was less than a half mile away, and she was almost to the downhill. She kept saying I have to stop, but I told her "you can make it, you're doing fine." then she said she was going to puke, I said "It's all downhill from here". Then I quit encouragement as I think she might have gotten (more) annoyed if I hounded her the whole way. Once she reached the bottom I ran off to the side to see her finish, but there were to many people blocking. The time said 40 minutes, but they started 5 minutes late. Her ipod said 35 something and she beat her co-worker Angie and her friend Jessica. Way to go!

I forgot to click my ipod as I was too focused on the race. I didn't even realize it till just before I saw April as I was walking back up the course.

8:30 a.m. Komen Race for the Cure. 63 degrees cool and sunny.
19:05. 3.1 miles. gf 269

change my mind about something

Hey people. The race went well today. I nearly got to my goal, but it just wasn't in the books for me.? I'll talk about the race in a follow up. I'm taking a nap.

The beginning-
Set the alarm for 5:30 last night and got in bed. Then I got straight out and stretched and had a granola bar. I was hungry and wouldn't be able to sleep without something to eat. So I did. Then I got my stuff ready. I was going to do it in the morning, but since I didn't feel like sleeping it was the perfect time. So I got my bib pinned on straight, packed all the stuff in my bag, got clothes out of the dryer, and readied a waterbottle for the morning. Sleep came fairly soon after I got back in bed, and before I knew it, it was 4:30 and I turned my alarm clock over-I always turn it over because I don't like the light from it- to see if it was set correctly, or if the power had went out and I was late. That wasn't the case and I went back to sleep for 3 seconds and it went back off as scheduled.

I was ready to go, had a small breakfast with water, and got everything ready to go. Stepped outside and it was fairly warm, warm enough to only need a jacket. Still dark and cloudy outside April and I were on our way downtown, to the big sunsphere. We found a parking spot immediately and after that made our way to the Convention Center. I had actually never been inside it, as last year I parked on the Holiday Inn side and stretched in there. We made our way to the bathroom, which I visited numerous times in the next hour. I did my normal routine of stretching, a few running drills, and then we made our way back to the corrals after I went to the bathroom again. Lots more people had shown up, and they were already calling for the "elite" runners to go to the front. That was me, haha. The elite consisted of anyone capable of like a 3:30 marathon. So there I was 5 months of training and standing behind a row of 7 kenyans, not intimidated at all.

So it Begins-
So I did some light running out into the course and it felt okay. Not great by any means. I should have warmed up a little more, but I was anxious. I looked around. This was oddly familiar. Dark dreary skies, puddles, I just wait for the downpour of rain. But before I knew it they were saying their words and getting ready for the start. I took a stance, left foot out in front of the right and my knees slightly bent. I looked down, then over at the guy with the gun. When he raised it, I looked out. Bam, and there we go flying up the first hill. Little did I know how much I would regret that first mile.

We are going fast, but I was feeling pretty good. I had no idea what our time was. Up a hill and my legs are turning over, down another hill and then out on a loop down to the river. I'm watching people ahead of me, and I can see Michael Wardian- the guy who ran out in front of the likes of Ryan Hall, Brian Sell, and Ritz for the first miles of the Olympic Trials. I had saw him in warmup and almost talked to him, then I didn't worry about it. Mile one marker ahead- 25,26,27,28......WHAT 28 I thought. It was 6. Ahhhh. For all holiness again with a fast first mile (for me). I wanted to go out in 6:50, then increase. Oh well I thought, everyone else out in front of me will die. But the damage was done. My legs started to turn into burning vessels of pain and before you know it I'm struggling just to run at any pace, let alone comfortably. I can attribute some of this to the hill sprints wednesday- but it was just faster than I had trained. I normally start off slow, then increase; and this was the exact opposite. I truly believe this first mile cost me a minute or possibly more in terms of time.

So I just gutted out the first 5 miles. Up hills just kept on coming, and even at 3 miles, the hills were tough. Little hills, big hills, long hills, you name it and there were hills. At 6 miles I FINally started feeling somewhat under control. The pace had drifted slightly and there were lots of downhills that I could coast on. I always excel here because of the downhills I trained on- I always got faster after them and so it was today. At 6 miles I see the 10k timer and it reads just under 42 minutes. Good- but not anywhere near the 40 I had envinsioned. So I doubled it- I could run next 6 miles just as fast as the first-That puts me at 84 with a mile to go, meaning I would have to kill the last mile to make it. And so right then I knew the race was still on.

Halfway there-
Mile 7. Good old mile 7. This is where the dreaded hill of death is. The one I walked last year. I see a curly hair guy I've had my sights on for 2 miles and I track him. Halfway up the first hill I'm within yards, and by the second hill I've passed him at the top. He's breathing hard, I'm not, but my legs are screaming for mercy. I can feel my left quad just pulsing and wanting to rip apart, calves aren't much better but it's the whole leg, from the ankle up. My right foot is numb. The turf toe shows its head again and the thing is lifeless and hurts on impact. Stupid turf toe. I ignore it and think about the next 3 miles. They will have to be fast- this is the flat part of the course. Another hill ahead, two more hills, a steep hill, and then some rolling hills. I'm flying with three guys. They pass me, I pass them. I'm stronger and smoother than them, but my legs are destroyed. 10 miles. 3 more to go.

The bitter end-
The next mile I track down 3 guys I see ahead and soon enough pass two of them- the third I would never catch. I follow him up the next series of hills at mile 11- where I believe I walked for a few steps last year. I stayed smooth but I'm pretty much spent- just running on guts at this point. I know there is only two miles left, but I can't go any faster- or at least my legs tell me that. Stupid legs why are you so unprepared! I000 miles and still you don't cooperate. I see the 12 mile mark. Two guys are ahead of me and I go for them, down we go, almost there. I think I can catch them. I prepare to turn right to head towards the stadium- but we don't, we go straight. Right into a huge friggin hill. For pete's sake another friggin hill right at the end. And it's not small, it's long and steep. Little did I know the stadium is right at the top. I struggle to catch the two guys, but I can't, I can but my body says no. I get inside the stadium and see 1:30, I book it, but it's too late as I have only 50 yards. I just try to finish with the best time possible.

Sub 1:30 evades me by 27 seconds. I think if I had just started off slower I would have worked my way into a good pace, then been able to really kick the last few miles. But thats what I would have done, and not how it went down. Thats the kind of things you learn. Or least should have learned because it happened last year too. But last year was a beginners mistake, this year I should have known better. So why the title "I change my mind". Well it's not about running, it's actually about something technical. Keeping track of my time. If I had had my watch on, I would have known that I only needed to sprint a little earlier to reach my time. Now the other side of this story is- How much improvement is a watch going to make- is it significant enough to be worth the cost. I believe so. If I had trained properly at the right pace on my daily runs I would have been prepared better for the early pace. If I had a watch I could track elevation and work out better formulas for how many hills to do. If I had a watch...all my dreams would come true. You get the point, but I think there are some benefits there that I missed out on.

As far as training goes I'm extremely pleased. 5 months.... IN FIVE MONTHS of solid training I improved 20 minutes and 27 seconds. That is exciting and encouraging. Next year I do not expect the same result, but in a way I do. If I run the whole year and not just the last 5 months, how much more will I be in shape? If I increase my training gradually even more how much more stamina will I gain? If I do even better speed and hill work how much stronger will I get? 15 minutes, 20 minutes improvement again? I'm not sure, but the journey is mine to take.

Last year: 219th of 1393 overall, 19th in age group. 8:29 per mile, 1:50:53
This year: 46th of 1675 overall, 10th in age group. 6:53 per mile, 1:30:26

13 miles @6:54. 49 degrees. GF 81

Susan Komen Race for the Cure

Yep, finally got a race in again. This one was just a 5k and for fun. I was hoping to get a really good time, but after waiting 15 minutes for the fourth or so start I got to go. April and her friend went with us, so it was our first race together. At the start we were all together and probably 100 yards from the line. We got there a little late, so had to park a ways off and walk there. I tried to get to the front, but there were too many people and only 5 minutes. I didn't feel like pushing my way all the way up there.

I haven't been running as much as I should, I ran on wednesday and before that was at least two weeks. It has been hectic since I started a new job, but things are coming back into motion for me. I also applied for a track coaching postition, so that will be nice if I end up getting it.

anyway the race went fine. It was downtown again and there are all sorts of hills to run up. since I started in the fourth or fifth pack I was passing all kinds of people and that was fun, but also made the course harder. At some points I was just slowly jogging because there were too many people taking up the road. There was a guy in front of me who looked like he may have been in the military. He was ahead of me for the first half of the race, then my endurance started to kick in and I passed him and left him way behind. At the end of the course was a huge downhill, so that made it so easy to get to the line. I practically just strided in. I finished around 45 minutes so I think that was like a 28 or 29 minute 5k which is pretty pathetic. But considering the course and the amount of time I was just stuck walking at the start, it was a good run.

Another race is coming up soon, so I'll be looking forward to that at the end of November. Plus now that I'm at a new school, I should be able to use the track afterschool. My ultimate goal is the half-marathon. I think after four or five I'll go for the marathon, but I'm content with the half for now. okay more to come later on.

wednesday 70 degrees sunny, 5k. silver
saturday 50 degrees sunny, 5k. grey

10k

8am 72 degrees, grey shoes

This week went on forever. Last week of school, trying to get papers turned in. Going around to get signatures for the check off list, getting grades done, cleaning out the art room, field days, awards, etc. Then go home everynight and organize more stuff, and do future growth plans, fill out questionaires for transfer applications, and do everything else. Tried to pick up my packet at the runners market store last night, it closes at 7. I didn't realize they stop handing out packets at 6. We went out to dinner and then raced over (there are two stores, the one I live a mile from just happens to not hand out packets, only take applications....) so we are racing to get there only to be an hour late thinking we could pick it up at 7.

that sucked. then the xbox 360 quit working. that sucked. went out and bought a dvd player, watched apocalypto-now one of my favorites- and then got everything ready for the morning.

It was a nice morning. Warm and sunny. I got up on time, arrived in time to pick up my packet. Unfortunately no t-shirts left, even though i paid for one. hopefully they will send one. I don't know. Walked around downtown knoxville and took in some air with april. then started warming up about 15 minutes before start with some slow jogging and walking. The start of the race took a while, but soon after the anthem the guy finally fired the gun.

I started toward the front, but far enough back out of the way of the elite guys not to get ran over. I wanted to go slow, but everyone's adrenaline is going and you just have to stride it out and keep a fast pace. a 6:30 first mile felt kinda fast. I knew i wouldn't break 40 at that point. 2 miles I was with a yellow shirt guy who said "doing good", and i said "yep 1/3 of the way there". He went past me, then I passed him. At 4 we met up again, and I stayed in step with him for about a half-mile and he took the lead again. There were rolling hills and I was catching a lot of people on them, including the yellow guy. Still my legs were tired and my breathing eratic. I tried breathing deep. Never did really find a good stride the whole race. I finally passed a lady who I had in my sights since a few miles back, and then a few more people. less than a mile now and the legs are burning, but my breathing calming down.

Running across a bridge, passing cars with rap music blasting out, and chasing cars who were waiting in the traffic. I could see a downhill, and then a turn before the final turn. I picked it up a little. Turned the corner, another slight incline to the final turn. Trucked past a pony-tail guy. then once i hit that final turn I kicked it into gear and sprinted to the finish. I couldn't see the time. 42 something april said. I was winded and a few people had to tear my name off the bib so they could track my time i guess (no timing chip).

Then i slipped up and after walking a minute or two found a rock to sit on. My calves tightened up like crazy and i could hardly walk. They are okay now, but I think they were just overworked. I had been meaning to work that into my routine, but never did. I could feel it, they felt like rocks, which isn't a great feeling, but it doesn't really hurt either. I suppose you could compare it to a charlie horse. The best part of the day was downing my smoothie king smoothie. and then aprils.

good day, and a decent run. Carter mill 7 miler coming up should be great, and I'll actually have time to run and do speedwork since school is out!