Fleet Feet Run for Your Heart 5K, New PR

This is Carl Radish, my friend that I have run into at multiple races since moving to Florida. He won his age group at this race and got a nice trophy! I got a personal record of 24:51.3 but didn't place in the top 3 in my age group to receive a trophy. I really wanted one. They are very nice looking. I'll be content with the PR. I've been after this one for over 2 years! The shirts were very nice and bright so I bought 2 extra shirts for $5 each for my dark runs. They are bright green!

South Fork 5K

 

 

Before the race start. 7/19/13.

 

 

The race was rescheduled due to rain and lightning on the original planned date. We stood out there for about 45 minutes on 6/28/13 waiting to see if we could catch a break long enough to get the run in. Instead we got to eat pizza, bananas, etc. or have it go to waste. That was good. I ran into a friend that I met at my previous 5K, the Run for the Pineapple on 5/27/13. That was nice.

 

 

There was some standing water along the golf course next to South Fork HS where the race began and finished. There was also tall grass, some places as tall as 8-12 inches. It made for a really interesting run!

 

 





 

 

 

The course was a double-double loop course. We started at the HS parking lot and out the drive and back then out onto the access road along the golf course along the woods, through the 3" deep swampy area and tall grass then back out the access road to the parking lot and back out the drive and back, etc. As you can see here I was trailing the man in blue, the guy in the grey and I had just caught the girl in grey. This is the start of the second loop onto the golf course access road.

 

 

 

 

Despite my valiant efforts, I was unable to catch the guy in grey. I did leave the girl in grey and the man in blue pretty handily on the last loop. It was a very average time of 30:17.4. But what a challenge. It was good enough for second place in my AG. It turns out the man in blue was in my AG and I was able to take him in the last 1/2 mile pretty easily as he was fading. Pretty happy with that!

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a photo of my reward for finishing 2nd in my AG! The balding man to the right is Carl, my friend from the Pineapple Run. He ran it in 25+. A great run in these conditions. Fortunately he is a little younger than me and was not in my AG.

 

 

They brought out the food all over again and I enjoyed plenty. It was a warm muggy evening, but I got it done and then I ate my fill and enjoyed my winnings! Sharon was there as a spectator and was gracious enough to take these photos. Thanks, Sharon!







CIM 12/2/2012

California International Marathon 2012

 

Photo is courtesy of the Sacramento Bee. Runners were peeling ponchos and littering the street with them. It was a bit of a dilemna to make sure you didn't trip on the ponchos, etc., that were all over the ground. We dodged tree limbs, standing water, and each other as the rain poured down!

 

 

 

This was my A race for 2012. I trained for 14 weeks for the race. I logged my first 100+ mile month in November. My biggest total since I started running, with my longest run at 18 miles. We planned a family get-together around this race as it is 5 hours from home but near one of our married daughters. It was a great plan up until the time that we got close to race day and the weather predictions were getting worse by the day.

 

 

 

 

Amanda and I enjoyed a pre-race dinner with friends, some of which I had run with before, and others who I met for the first time, but all were very nice and we enjoyed the dinner immensely. From left to right: Josam Mulinyawe, Mike Dasalla, Beth Esternon, James Storlie, Frederika Villacarlos, and Alvin Sotelo. Even on our way to the dinner it was already raining pretty hard, and the water was starting to pool up in the streets.

 

Race day started out well as I woke up on time and prepared to meet the challenge ahead. I had attended a seminar at the Race Expo the day before where I was told not to overdress, but to wear a lightweight poncho and not change much else from my regular routine. The poncho should be cheap and disposable. As I dressed, I couldn't get past the fact that I didn't want to get sick or drenched or cold, etc. So against what I was told, I wore a shirt and a long-sleeved shirt and a running jacket that I bought after the dinner that night. (There were no ponchos to be had at Target, as they sold out to other crazy runners like me!). I wore the race gloves that I received with my packet, shorts with sweat pants over, 2 pairs of socks, and a hat (and I don't wear hats). I started out well, running about a 61 minute first 10K. Right on pace. Goal time was 4:30-4:45. I was hitting every hydration station. Other runners were stopping to get in line at coffee shops, gas stations, etc. It was cold and wet and they just wanted to get through. I saw more runners vomiting along this race course than I have ever seen. It was crazy! I should have started slower probably but I knew my family and friends would be watching the updates online, so I didn't want to go too slow. Then it happened. I had felt it a few times during my long runs as I trained for the race. There is a tendon that is attached to your hamstring and it runs along the side of the knee. By mile 7 or 8 I was completed soaked and the extra weight of the rain-drenched sweat pants was wearing on my legs. I could feel the tendon getting sore. I started to run/walk, watching for hills ahead. I tried to run up to the hill and walk the hill to save my tiring legs. I hit the halfway point around 2:24, which was by far my worst half time ever. I was already about 10-15 minutes off my pace. Around mile 14 or 15 the rain was stopping but I didn't want to peel any layers. I had just bought the jacket and I really liked it. The hat was a souvenir from another race. The gloves were nice and Amanda wanted them. So I made the decision to walk as much as necessary to ensure that I finished. I had to FINISH! I had to come to grips with the fact that the race course was only guaranteed to be secured for 6 hours, so I knew I had to stay ahead of that time. I walked as quickly as possible and soon I was near the back of the pack with the walkers, somewhere I had never been in a race before, but I was going to finish this. I made sure that I ran and tried to smile for the camera stations and the finish line so I got some good pics to remember this race by. Otherwise, I was a walker at this point. It hurt to run, so I saved it for the finish. I finished in 5:42:11, at least an hour off my goal. I had to limp to the food line and to the car. Then when I got to the motel, I had to climb the stairs because I had gotten a second floor room with my family. That was a tough climb, but I did it with pride and with a nice shiny medal that I will be proud of for a long time. I had literally survived the storm and finished what I started. That was good enough for me for that particular day. I'll probably run this one again sometime and I'm sure that I will be closer to the 4:30 that I was hoping for. Since this race my legs have regrouped and I am running as well as I have in over a year. I feel great and I can't wait to prove that this race was a fluke. Next time I'll start a little slower, work my way into my pace, and dress for success. Tshirt and shorts! 



The Hangover Handicap 2 Mile 1/1/13

 

 

The race turned out to be 2.33 miles which I did in 20:38. Good enough for 21st out of 64 runners. It was around 6 degrees. I was indeed outrun by the lady in front of me with her dog. They both ran well! A decent start to the new year. My goal is to race all distances possible this year between 1 mile and marathon. So I've got my 2 miler out of the way early. I also signed up for a 100 mile January challenge. I've only run 100 miles in a month once. That was 2 months ago when I was gearing up for my first marathon. I hit 103. I also set a goal to run my first 1000 mile year this year, so here we go!



Spud Run 5 Miler

                                                    Spud Run 5Mile in Merrill, OR

I ran the Spud Run today in 46:54. My splits:

1. 9:00
2. 9:50 (hill)
3. 9:07
4. 9:47 (stopped to help another runner who fell)
5. 9:10

Overall, very pleased. It was windy and cold, around 43 degrees. Didn't help my breathing too much. Good to get outside and off the treadmill to stretch my legs and lungs before my upcoming marathon on 12/2. This was part of a community Potato Festival which was very fun and included a free BBQ after the race, live music, and a parade. Cute shops across the street, too!

 

 



Picked this little guy up across the street at a shop called the Blue Wolf. Had lots of cute giftables. This one's for me. I'll have Amanda wrap it and give it to me for Christmas! One bottle wineholder!

They posted my results for the Lake of the Woods 15K today. They took about 4 minutes off my time for some reason. For my records I'll trust the Garmin. I think they had issues with the timing. Official time is 1:25:42.73. Garmin had me at 1:30:03. That's a big difference. I know I waited a few seconds to stop the Garmin, but not 4 minutes! But the placement should be correct. I was 64th out of 91 participants. Sixth in my age group, and had a great time. We need to go back just to spend the day sometime. The lake is beautiful. Sharon was 58th out of 183 in the 5K at 34:25.25. Tim and Amanda walked/jogged the 5K. Click on my time to see the results page. Click here to see the elevation for the 15K! It was cool and overcast. A great combination for a long run. There were a lot of mosquitoes where we parked, but I had no issues on the run. We stopped at the Running Y on the way home for some refreshments, and then I had to hurry home because Sharon and I both had to work. I loved this race. Definitely would do it again.

A good friend, Dean Wilson passed away on Friday, so I dedicated my race on Saturday to Dean. It was a challenging 9.24 miles (15K). Rolling hills, beautiful views, cool temps, etc. Loved it. I kept thinking about Dean and his family. We were neighbors for years. Our kids are very close. Dean and I did church functions together, like leading worship for a local soup kitchen. I gave everything I had to this race in his honor. He will truly be missed. He was a good friend and a great dad and husband. It wasn't my time that was important, it was that I gave my all in his honor, and I got to do it with my family. I need to do more with my own family. You just never know how much time you have!

A new friend won the event, a female! Congrats, Amber from the Linkville Lopers running club. http://www.heraldandnews.com/members/sports/top_stories/article_efa9e6ba-ad48-11e1-9156-0019bb2963f4.html#.T8t0XLvnD0M.facebook