I actually started this post some weeks ago, but didn't know exactly what I was going to write, but I knew it would center around the running community that I now it seems I am a permanent fixture of it. The reaction to the recent unfortunate event in Boston by the running community did not surprise me at all. The theme was "Runners Unified to Remember". But really, we runners have ALWAYS been unified. There is a strong bond. Maybe its because the majority of us all have common goals and aspirations. Maybe its because most of us started from ground zero and transformed ourselves into long distance running machines. Maybe its because of the friendly competition. We all enter most of the same or similar races and root for each other. Or maybe its just because of we all understand the 'high' that comes from completing a routine run, completing a race or just reaching a certain level of fitness.
I started running on my own and trained myself for my first half marathon back in the winter of 2011. Along the way I signed up on dailymile.com and built online friendships with runners all over the planet as we would post our daily runs and share race experiences while we also encouraged and inspired one another as we achieved our goals. I quickly figured out that the running community is an unofficial brotherhood and sisterhood. So I was already somewhat part of the running community even before I officially joined a running club. That September when I finally decided to show up for the fall training program at the Dallas Running Club that I had signed up for two months before, I walked from my car to the clubhouse and was welcomed with open arms, made part of the family and the rest is history.
The one thing that our training director mentioned earlier this year during a run is that of all his years with the running club, he has never heard of anyone clashing or squabbles or anything of the sort. I have noticed that as well. It just doesn't happen. At least not at my running club. I guess that is why I look forward to the weekends with my running family after having to deal with the everyday stressors from life and work. There is not another place that I know of where you have accountability, motivation, competition, like mind people and just plain good old fashioned fun.
-TNT-
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
My father, the Ultra Marathoner
As you may know, I recently lost the most important man in my life, my father. Since the worldwide average expectancy of a male on this planet Earth is 65 years, that means that my father, Clabon Eugene Pleasant, Sr, who lived to be 88 has completed the equivalent an ultra marathon as far as human age is concerned. Most of my friends when I was growing up, grandparents were around the same age or younger than he was since he fathered me at the age of 43. Here are some things to put in perspective the time era he experienced: He lived through the Great Depression, saw World War II (and served in it - What a funny coincidence that his birth date is on veterans day, November 11). He was around before televisions or computers were invented. He endured the periods during the twentieth century which when being a black man did not exactly grant you liberty and justice for all. Along the way, he raised seven children and partly raised several other grandchildren while working for the U.S. Postal Service for as long as I can remember and sometimes worked other half jobs that he picked up along the way to support the family. He provided the opportunity for his offspring to attend fine universities. He was heavily involved with the church which he had an integral part in building. And I'm sure there are a lot of other things that I left out. I am told to be a carbon copy of him and I couldn't receive a better compliment. He led more by example and was somewhat soft spoken, attributes that people tell me that I took from him. I'm half his age now so I have a long way to go to break his P.R. I know he is happy now at rest and ready to claim his finishers medal. As his namesake, I hope to have at least half the quality of life that he had.
-TNT-
-TNT-
In loving memory of Clabon E Pleasant, Sr.
November 11, 1924- April 31, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Dancin' With the One that Brung Me
March 1, 2013 marked my three year "runniversary". Funny I've only been doing this for three years but it feels like 20. The only regret I have is that I didn't start this 25 years sooner. At 44, I'm not getting any younger, which means I need to be smarter. I have to remember that I'm not far removed from being a rookie runner. Being hardheaded and thinking I'm unbreakable, I pushed too much and a number of little nagging injuries finally started popping up this year. Blame it on being constantly in the presence and running along side of some of the most amazing athletes in my opinion you tend to want to be like them. No, blame it on me. So that means back to the fundamentals. No matter if it's running, cooking or doing mathematics, we always seem to have to go back to the fundamentals when we get stuck don't we? The great Green Bay Packer coach Vince Lombardi used to begin every summer training camp with five simple words to his teams, "Gentlemen, this is a football." After spring training season is over and I have my scheduled races out of the way, I'm going back to what got me here in the first place. Back in 2010, I started with building my core through weights and calisthenics and I ran twice per week for cardio. I did enough weight training to tone up pretty well. I used to absolutely HATE running. Then one day it became peaceful to me and it was all she wrote. But that could have been a bad thing because it caused me to loose focus of what I was doing for my overall fitness. My diet also changed as I started to eat more things to make sure I was fueled up for a run every day. Forgetting about all of the other nutrients that my body needs. Now don't get me wrong, I am still a runner FIRST. Just trying to be a better one and a smarter one. So I will start from the basics again with the running and everything else and build back up from there. Hopefully if I keep at it, by the end of fall I can be near as amazing as those super athletes that I train around with every week.
-TNT-
-TNT-
Monday, February 25, 2013
Third Time not Quite a Charm
The Cowtown Marathon. Official Finish: 26.2 miles 4:30:07
Bring on now the Cowtown Marathon in "Funkytown" Ft. Worth, TX, which I had originally planned on doing the ultra marathon then decided after my fiasco at the Dallas Marathon (see previous blog) in December that I need to focus on the 26.2 distance before doing anything else. First let me get this out of my system so I can make the rest of this blog VERY positive. I was pretty down after finish the race at 4:30, very defeated, ego was shot, wondered if I really had "IT". Not necessarily because I was trying to meet my goal for personal satisfaction, but at that time I felt I should be representing my 3:50 BMF Group, whom I felt I let down among others folks. Now I understand how professional athletes feel, for example one of my inspirations the Dallas Cowboy great Charlie Waters #41, who would say they fought hard during not necessarily because they wanted to win, but because they did not want to let their team mates down. But enough of that...Got lots of pep talk from them afterward so I'm all good now. Let's talk about this Cowtown Marathon...
For once, I got a great night sleep before a race. That has never happened before. I may have awaken twice, thought about what could happen in the next few hours. Pre race meal was a banana and Clif Bar, same as I have always had before races, minus the coffee that I would usually gulp down as I found out will dehydrate you. Got to the Will Rogers Memorial Center to keep warm before the race as it was a chilly 39 degrees when I got there. Walked around a bit, took care of my 'bizness' and right afterward, ran into my partner Tim and wife Stacie and another dailymiler. We chatted for a while as we got closer to migrate toward our respective corrals. I waited around for a bit hoping to bump into fellow BMF'er Michele Peterson and chat with her before the race. I figured she was running late and later I found out I was correct. We had originally talked about running together, but I was going to let her know not to try to run with me as I knew she was much more fit than I and had trained just a wee bit harder. She is one of those folks that you know is fast just by looking at her. So I moved on to corral #2 for the race start.
Let's Get it Started
So the race starts, I'm struggling to get my Garmin connected to a satellite before I get to the start line, which I usually turn on during the National Anthem. I just got this new Garmin maybe a month ago and was unsure if the battery would last 4-5 hours, so I was trying to save as much juice as possible by turning it on at the last minute. To my surprise, no national anthem was sung. Got the Garmin going just about 20 feet before I hit the start line, started my stride. The first thing that got my attention was that I had no pain or soreness from a recent left leg issue that I had battle with for about a month. Good deal. I was really concerned that it would come back, but it did not. The route was very congested to start as expected for a big race. I weaved my way in and out, and was following the same race strategy as for the Dallas Marathon, that is keep around a 9 min/mile pace then around mile 17 start kicking the pace down every other mile depending how I felt. I had about 20oz of hydration with me and figured I would use it up within the first third of the race, then hit every aid station the rest of the way. Right before the 10K mark I had to stop and relieve myself, something that I hoped would never happen during a marathon. But when you gotta go, you gotta go. That took about 2-3 minutes off my time because I had to wait on a port-o-potty to become available. A little ways down after that, to my surprise my DRC 3:50 pacing counterpart Steve Griffin, appeared out of nowhere somewhere within the Ft Worth Stockyards. He ran with me for a few hundred yards asked how I felt and gave me an update on the happenin's including letting me know that Michele was about a mile ahead of me, burning up the pavement averaging about an 8:30 min/mile pace. Just the support I needed as I felt I was out there by myself.
Still truckin', but wondering if the spare tire has any air in it...
Right after that I was still feeling fine, but in the back of my mind I knew there was something wrong because usually by 10K I would have hit my Nite Train stride. There was question if I would hold up for 26 miles. My breathing was a little off, heart rate felt a little off. I assumed it would correct itself. I got to the Main Street bridge hill which everyone told me about and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was just very very long. After I crossed it I was like "That's it??" Was expecting more. We have much tougher hill routes during training at the DRC. But I had to remind myself to not get cocky, who knows what was ahead.
Halfway point
Got to I think maybe around mile 13 or 14 and Steve pops up again, ran with me for a minute and gave me a full bottle of hydration. It was like having your own personal pit stop Just what I needed because I wasn't sure how I would be able to take in the fluids I needed without physically stopping at the aid stations and downing five cups of Gatorade. At some stations the Gatorade was really watered down and some stations it tasted like syrup. He asked me if I was OK. Again I told him I was good. I really did feel OK but there was just something that just couldn't put my finger on that wasn't quite right.
Uh oh.
Mile 15 I started to feel it. Went from "not quite right" to "that ain't right". I wasn't going to make it 26 miles at that pace. Felt my legs really tiring. Damn, at 15 miles? You gotta be freaking kidding me. So I started altering my plan. Decided to kick it back up to about a 9:30 pace, to at least try to get a P.R. I knew at some point I would be doing walk/run, the question was how long before I got to that point. Just as a precaution I started popping the mustard to prevent cramps as I'm prone for those. I didn't feel any hint of cramps until miles later after I ran out of mustard. Stopped at every aid station and took in plenty of fluids. I was NOT going to end up in an ambulance again. No siree Bob.
By the time I got to mile 18 I was shot. So my plan was to do intervals the rest of the rest of the way. I would run until my legs couldn't take anymore then walk a few feet. Repeat. Fellow DRC member Bryan Fisher passed me around mile 20 when I stopped to stretch and asked if I was OK. Another amazing person. He just came off a stress fracture injury and was running the ultra marathon right after doing 18 miles the day before. I was getting pissed with every person that passed me. That was supposed to be me passing everyone else.
Every upgrade was a challenge. I dreaded every corner I turned to see an incline. Seemed like the majority of the last half of the course was uphill. But maybe it just seemed that way since I was running on tired legs.
Strug-guh-lin to the finish
Mile 24 there's Steve again. Hero of the day. He ran/walked with me for a few feet and just as he was leaving he got a notification that Michele (see below) had finished in 3:49:25. Awesome. I was elated as she had been chasing her previous PR of 4:08 for two years. So I need to quit my cryin'. Mile 25 I look to my right and see my coworker Jerry Glazner squatting taking pics. Total surprise to me. He actually got a really great ground shot of me (below). I look a lot better than I felt. And as I was forewarned by my running mentor Blanca Gonzales, the last mile ended on an upgrade. They are so wrong for that. I got enough recovery where I could run the rest of the way to the finish. Hoping that I wouldn't break down in cramps on the last stretch which was lined with photographers, I trotted very very slowly across the finish line. So that is Marathon number 3 in the books.
Here are the things that I think contributed to slowing me down. If you have an tips or feedback, feel free to comment.
Not enough quality miles. Number one, I had just finished nursing a pulled tendon in my lower left leg back to normal. I am pretty sure that in the process, altering my training schedule contributed to me maybe losing a bit of endurance. Here is my mileage the past two months compared to what I should have been running which is around 40-45 miles per week before tapering. My last 20+ miler was in late December. Then my mileage the following weeks leading to Cowtown was as follows: 56, 32, 32, 32, 30, 32, 35, 30 with my longest run after that run in December being a 19 miler on February 2. The injury happened on January 20, so after then I was running very gingerly, skipping some runs trying to get it to heal up.
Not enough speedwork. I may have only done one speed workout since the Dallas Marathon. When I was in tip top shape in the fall, I didn't miss a speed workout. If I couldn't make it to a DRC speed workout on Tuesday, I would duplicate to the best of my ability on my own. I assumed I wouldn't lose anything and just got lazy, simple as that. So when trying to run at race pace, my body never kicked into overdrive as it usually does during a race.
(No) Trail running. During the fall season, trail runs every Sunday had become a staple of my workout routine. Trail runs developed muscles on my legs in places I never knew I had. Recent transportation issues along with other family events happening every Sunday morning prevented me from making weekly trail runs. Ironically the one trail run I did make it to, I injure myself.
Bigheadedness (overconfidence). Listening to everyone tell me "I got this" when in the back of my mind I had the feeling I had lost a step over the past two months. I actually was thinking going into the race I may even bust a 3:45. Survey said.... XXX!!! (in my Richard Dawson voice) I know hindsight is 20/20 but here is what I should have done... my body was used to my usual endurance runs leading my 3:50 marathon group at a 9:30-9:40 pace. I think I could have done that for 26 miles or close to it. I should have started there and aimed low, I would have at least PR'ed had I kept that all the way through.
The positives... This is only my 3rd marathon. My PR is 4:13 which was my very first and is pretty good for a first and pretty good period. I have been running only three years and my first marathon was less than a year ago. My first ever running coach Nikki Davis who was a pacer for one of the half groups told me long ago that every race is different and to not expect your performance to better with each successive race. No cramps! I hydrated well and used mustard to prevent cramps as I felt them coming. I used compression sleeves for the first time ever. Never felt a hint of cramps in my calves. The little bit I did feel was in the groin area, so maybe investing in compression shorts are in order. My new Garmin lasted the run and looks like the battery life would be good for an ultra if I choose to run one. I love this race and running in Ft Worth in general. Every race I have done in 'Funkytown' has been a positive race experience so far. Great support, well organized. GREAT weather. Couldn't have been better. Race start was in the upper 30's/lower 40's and ended in the mid 50's. Sunny and a little breezy. Good thing is I'm pretty healthy now, so the everything is looking up.
Splits below.
Bring on now the Cowtown Marathon in "Funkytown" Ft. Worth, TX, which I had originally planned on doing the ultra marathon then decided after my fiasco at the Dallas Marathon (see previous blog) in December that I need to focus on the 26.2 distance before doing anything else. First let me get this out of my system so I can make the rest of this blog VERY positive. I was pretty down after finish the race at 4:30, very defeated, ego was shot, wondered if I really had "IT". Not necessarily because I was trying to meet my goal for personal satisfaction, but at that time I felt I should be representing my 3:50 BMF Group, whom I felt I let down among others folks. Now I understand how professional athletes feel, for example one of my inspirations the Dallas Cowboy great Charlie Waters #41, who would say they fought hard during not necessarily because they wanted to win, but because they did not want to let their team mates down. But enough of that...Got lots of pep talk from them afterward so I'm all good now. Let's talk about this Cowtown Marathon...
For once, I got a great night sleep before a race. That has never happened before. I may have awaken twice, thought about what could happen in the next few hours. Pre race meal was a banana and Clif Bar, same as I have always had before races, minus the coffee that I would usually gulp down as I found out will dehydrate you. Got to the Will Rogers Memorial Center to keep warm before the race as it was a chilly 39 degrees when I got there. Walked around a bit, took care of my 'bizness' and right afterward, ran into my partner Tim and wife Stacie and another dailymiler. We chatted for a while as we got closer to migrate toward our respective corrals. I waited around for a bit hoping to bump into fellow BMF'er Michele Peterson and chat with her before the race. I figured she was running late and later I found out I was correct. We had originally talked about running together, but I was going to let her know not to try to run with me as I knew she was much more fit than I and had trained just a wee bit harder. She is one of those folks that you know is fast just by looking at her. So I moved on to corral #2 for the race start.
Timmaay Taggart and I keeping warm just before race start
Let's Get it Started
So the race starts, I'm struggling to get my Garmin connected to a satellite before I get to the start line, which I usually turn on during the National Anthem. I just got this new Garmin maybe a month ago and was unsure if the battery would last 4-5 hours, so I was trying to save as much juice as possible by turning it on at the last minute. To my surprise, no national anthem was sung. Got the Garmin going just about 20 feet before I hit the start line, started my stride. The first thing that got my attention was that I had no pain or soreness from a recent left leg issue that I had battle with for about a month. Good deal. I was really concerned that it would come back, but it did not. The route was very congested to start as expected for a big race. I weaved my way in and out, and was following the same race strategy as for the Dallas Marathon, that is keep around a 9 min/mile pace then around mile 17 start kicking the pace down every other mile depending how I felt. I had about 20oz of hydration with me and figured I would use it up within the first third of the race, then hit every aid station the rest of the way. Right before the 10K mark I had to stop and relieve myself, something that I hoped would never happen during a marathon. But when you gotta go, you gotta go. That took about 2-3 minutes off my time because I had to wait on a port-o-potty to become available. A little ways down after that, to my surprise my DRC 3:50 pacing counterpart Steve Griffin, appeared out of nowhere somewhere within the Ft Worth Stockyards. He ran with me for a few hundred yards asked how I felt and gave me an update on the happenin's including letting me know that Michele was about a mile ahead of me, burning up the pavement averaging about an 8:30 min/mile pace. Just the support I needed as I felt I was out there by myself.
Still truckin', but wondering if the spare tire has any air in it...
Right after that I was still feeling fine, but in the back of my mind I knew there was something wrong because usually by 10K I would have hit my Nite Train stride. There was question if I would hold up for 26 miles. My breathing was a little off, heart rate felt a little off. I assumed it would correct itself. I got to the Main Street bridge hill which everyone told me about and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was just very very long. After I crossed it I was like "That's it??" Was expecting more. We have much tougher hill routes during training at the DRC. But I had to remind myself to not get cocky, who knows what was ahead.
Feeling OK but having a little bit of doubt
Halfway point
Got to I think maybe around mile 13 or 14 and Steve pops up again, ran with me for a minute and gave me a full bottle of hydration. It was like having your own personal pit stop Just what I needed because I wasn't sure how I would be able to take in the fluids I needed without physically stopping at the aid stations and downing five cups of Gatorade. At some stations the Gatorade was really watered down and some stations it tasted like syrup. He asked me if I was OK. Again I told him I was good. I really did feel OK but there was just something that just couldn't put my finger on that wasn't quite right.
Mile 15 I started to feel it. Went from "not quite right" to "that ain't right". I wasn't going to make it 26 miles at that pace. Felt my legs really tiring. Damn, at 15 miles? You gotta be freaking kidding me. So I started altering my plan. Decided to kick it back up to about a 9:30 pace, to at least try to get a P.R. I knew at some point I would be doing walk/run, the question was how long before I got to that point. Just as a precaution I started popping the mustard to prevent cramps as I'm prone for those. I didn't feel any hint of cramps until miles later after I ran out of mustard. Stopped at every aid station and took in plenty of fluids. I was NOT going to end up in an ambulance again. No siree Bob.
By the time I got to mile 18 I was shot. So my plan was to do intervals the rest of the rest of the way. I would run until my legs couldn't take anymore then walk a few feet. Repeat. Fellow DRC member Bryan Fisher passed me around mile 20 when I stopped to stretch and asked if I was OK. Another amazing person. He just came off a stress fracture injury and was running the ultra marathon right after doing 18 miles the day before. I was getting pissed with every person that passed me. That was supposed to be me passing everyone else.
Every upgrade was a challenge. I dreaded every corner I turned to see an incline. Seemed like the majority of the last half of the course was uphill. But maybe it just seemed that way since I was running on tired legs.
Strug-guh-lin to the finish
Mile 24 there's Steve again. Hero of the day. He ran/walked with me for a few feet and just as he was leaving he got a notification that Michele (see below) had finished in 3:49:25. Awesome. I was elated as she had been chasing her previous PR of 4:08 for two years. So I need to quit my cryin'. Mile 25 I look to my right and see my coworker Jerry Glazner squatting taking pics. Total surprise to me. He actually got a really great ground shot of me (below). I look a lot better than I felt. And as I was forewarned by my running mentor Blanca Gonzales, the last mile ended on an upgrade. They are so wrong for that. I got enough recovery where I could run the rest of the way to the finish. Hoping that I wouldn't break down in cramps on the last stretch which was lined with photographers, I trotted very very slowly across the finish line. So that is Marathon number 3 in the books.
1.2 miles to go
BMFer Michele, around mile 24 lookin' very strong
Here are the things that I think contributed to slowing me down. If you have an tips or feedback, feel free to comment.
Not enough quality miles. Number one, I had just finished nursing a pulled tendon in my lower left leg back to normal. I am pretty sure that in the process, altering my training schedule contributed to me maybe losing a bit of endurance. Here is my mileage the past two months compared to what I should have been running which is around 40-45 miles per week before tapering. My last 20+ miler was in late December. Then my mileage the following weeks leading to Cowtown was as follows: 56, 32, 32, 32, 30, 32, 35, 30 with my longest run after that run in December being a 19 miler on February 2. The injury happened on January 20, so after then I was running very gingerly, skipping some runs trying to get it to heal up.
Not enough speedwork. I may have only done one speed workout since the Dallas Marathon. When I was in tip top shape in the fall, I didn't miss a speed workout. If I couldn't make it to a DRC speed workout on Tuesday, I would duplicate to the best of my ability on my own. I assumed I wouldn't lose anything and just got lazy, simple as that. So when trying to run at race pace, my body never kicked into overdrive as it usually does during a race.
(No) Trail running. During the fall season, trail runs every Sunday had become a staple of my workout routine. Trail runs developed muscles on my legs in places I never knew I had. Recent transportation issues along with other family events happening every Sunday morning prevented me from making weekly trail runs. Ironically the one trail run I did make it to, I injure myself.
Bigheadedness (overconfidence). Listening to everyone tell me "I got this" when in the back of my mind I had the feeling I had lost a step over the past two months. I actually was thinking going into the race I may even bust a 3:45. Survey said.... XXX!!! (in my Richard Dawson voice) I know hindsight is 20/20 but here is what I should have done... my body was used to my usual endurance runs leading my 3:50 marathon group at a 9:30-9:40 pace. I think I could have done that for 26 miles or close to it. I should have started there and aimed low, I would have at least PR'ed had I kept that all the way through.
The positives... This is only my 3rd marathon. My PR is 4:13 which was my very first and is pretty good for a first and pretty good period. I have been running only three years and my first marathon was less than a year ago. My first ever running coach Nikki Davis who was a pacer for one of the half groups told me long ago that every race is different and to not expect your performance to better with each successive race. No cramps! I hydrated well and used mustard to prevent cramps as I felt them coming. I used compression sleeves for the first time ever. Never felt a hint of cramps in my calves. The little bit I did feel was in the groin area, so maybe investing in compression shorts are in order. My new Garmin lasted the run and looks like the battery life would be good for an ultra if I choose to run one. I love this race and running in Ft Worth in general. Every race I have done in 'Funkytown' has been a positive race experience so far. Great support, well organized. GREAT weather. Couldn't have been better. Race start was in the upper 30's/lower 40's and ended in the mid 50's. Sunny and a little breezy. Good thing is I'm pretty healthy now, so the everything is looking up.
Splits below.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Recap of 2012
January 1
Started the year off with a bang by completing a 20 mile solo run. Only the 2nd time I had ever run that distance before. I would have a few more of these over the next 12 months.
Week of January 30 thru February 4. I had just completed a long run of 18 miles the Saturday before and felt really good until the last couple miles of the run I started feeling funny. The next day I got hit with the flu and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I hadn't had the flu in maybe ten years, much less had really ever been sick. I never get sick. It would prove to be a blessing as I had some nagging knee and hip pain that was crying out for rest, possibly the beginning stages of an I.T. band issue, however I was too hard headed to rest them. That flu put me out for almost a week and I believe helped my wheels heal up. Good thing because my marathon training was about to become very vigorous.
February 5. DRC North Dallas Runners group created. Created for the folks in the DRC who could not make it to White Rock Lake for thursday social runs. This would become a weekly staple. Most runs started in Addison or Richardson.
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| DRC North Dallas Runners before a hot summer run in late July 2012. |
The Month of March
Ran for more miles (218) than I ever had before in one month. Still my highest monthly total to date. And I'm still not sure how in the hell I did that and don't remember much about that month except for the two races below. It was a total blur.
March 3 - Trinity Levee Run - Didn't really prepare for this run, but gave it all I got and finished with an 8:14 average pace. What I remember most about this race was the festivites afterward. Had a ball drinking several cold Michelob Ultras and later ate barbeque with the rest of the DRC family and for the first time was referred to by other runners as 'fast'. I really don't think so compared to others that I'm trying to chase but, it was nice to see that my improvement was being noticed. This would also be the last time I ever ran with, ate and drank beer with DRC buddy Bob Philpot who I had just really gotten to know, but would later lose a battle with cancer on Thanksgiving day.
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| Enjoying free beer after Trinity Levee Run 03/03/2012. The late Bob Philpot is to my left. |
March 25 - Rock N Roll Dallas Half Marathon
My best race to date. Was told by my marathon pace leader/coach Steve Griffin that the best way to train for a half marathon was to train for a full. He was dead on. Only a couple weeks away from completing training for the Big D Marathon, I couldn't beleive how comfortable I was at some points of the race running at or around an 8min/mile. A couple times I dipped sub 8 and had to slow myself down. Caught my traditional leg cramp at mile 12.5 but still managed to P.R. at 1:50:07. Without the cramp I know I would have gotten around a 1:47.
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Dallas Rock N Roll Half 03/25/2012. Left: Me getting my traditional cramp at mile 12.5. Right: Me and DRC Member Amy Z posing just after finishing. We passed each other several times during the last quarter of the race. She blew past me right at the finish.
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| Big D Marathon 04/15/2012, somewhere around mile 17 or 18 just as it started to rain. |
June 9 thru July 7 - El Scorcho training - I consider this training, the start of my fall marathon training. I didn't know it at the time. But my fitness was at a very good level by the time the end of August came around. Every friday night at 11:00 pm, a group consisting of me and other fellow DRC members would meet up at the Farmers Branch Police department and run from there around the Brookhaven College area and into the wee hours of Saturday morning. This in preparation for the El Scorcho midnight 25k/50k run. Special thanks to whom I consider my coach, Steve Griffin for coming up with the most monotonous, but most awesome course to train on. It was almost a perfect simulation of the course we would race on.
July 15 - El Scorcho - The funnest race I have ever participated in. Maybe because I only did the 25K which consisted of five 5k loops around Trinty Park in Fort Worth, then sat drank beer and watched the looks on the faces of the 50Kers who had to run out their additional five 5K loops for for the rest of the night.
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Picture collage from El Scorcho 07/25/2012. Clockwise from top: Me flanked by my inspiration Blanca G and her friend Kelley / Me enjoying a post run beer after finishing the 25K in 2:14:59 / Bal B and I before the start of the race / Finisher's Medal
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July 21 - First run with the 2012 DRC fall 3:50 Marathon Group - Running late and almost missed the first ever run with the greatest team that I have ever worked or played with, period.
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| DRC 3:50 Marathon Group before start of 5 Mile Breakfast Bash race on 09/01/2012 |
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Picture collage- Trail runnin' 2012. Clockwise from top: On my first ever trail run at LB Houston / At Northshore Trails led by Jackie C / Trail running friends at the mid point of a 9 miler / Down and dirty after the end of a trail run.
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| Cigna GO YOU Couch to 5K Training project 2012 |
September 30 - 55 mile week - My largest pile up of miles for one week to date.
October 21 - Honored Hero Run and the discovery of mustard - Signed up to run the Honored Hero run with my freind Tim. My strategy was to use it as a training run and keep my pace at about a 9min/mile throughout. For the most part I did that in hot humid conditions. I took a hand full of mustard packet with me as I was told they help for cramps which I have had a history of during races. The mustard did work as I felt crampy from 15 miles on in. I popped a couple packs every mile and it kept the cramps from coming.
November 4 - My full marathon group ran in the DRC Half, I chose to skip the half and get in some more long milage. I got in a 23 miler and it may have been the thoughest run I had ever done. It mad me appreciate group runs as I know it would have been a lot easier if I had 15-20 people running along side me.
December 9 - Dallas Marathon. I have mixed emotions about this one. All the long hard training from July to December and a 5:40:57 finish due to shitty weather. On the other hand, I received I beleive the best and funnest training I could have possibly got. As I sit here in this chair, I'm confident that I have the fitness level to complete a marathon in or around 3:50. This will happen I beleive sooner than later.
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| 2012 Metro PCS Dallas Marathon me and Pace Leader Steve Griffin |
December 22 - Surpassed 2,000 running miles in one year for the first time.
December 26 - Added to pace leader lineup for DRC Spring training. If you had told me three years ago when I first started running, that I would be co-pacing a group and training them to run a marathon in 3 hours and 50 minutes do you know what my reply would be? "What's a pacer?" lol. Exactly. Paired up with the only pace leader I've ever had since I've been training with the DRC, Steve Griffin, I can't lose.
What's up for 2013?
Well of course I have some unfinished business. I still have a marathon P.R. of 4:13:06 dangling out there just begging to be shattered. When it happens, it will happen. I know of 3 marathons that I will be running for sure, that's the Cowtown in February and Tulsa Route 66 in the Fall. My half P.R. is 1:50:12 and that is going down soon as well. My focus however right now is to be the best pace leader that I can be and improve my skill in that area. I have people depending on me now.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Dallas MetroPCS Marathon 12/09/12. Official time 05:40:57
I understand now why my locals prefer to run marathons in other states as you never know what you will get in North Central Texas. It's like that box of chocolates that Forrest Gump referred to. A week ago it looked as if we would have perfect weather with at temperature range of 55-60 degrees. Nope. The weather was similar to the weather in my first Marathon, warm and humid. I felt that I had improved fitness wise to handle this now. My goals for 2012 are as follows: A: Crack the 4:00 mark in my 2nd marathon, B: Not be dying when I complete it C: Have fun training for it. Well I got C covered as it was the most memorable training I have ever had and with one of the closest tight knit groups I have ever worked with, the 3:50 BMFers, where the BMF stand for "Big Marathon Finishers". And all of us were that yesterday.
Training went perfectly leading up to this week, I just knew I "had" this. I had went five consecutive weeks with a 20+ miler before starting the taper process. The last one a 22 miler which I felt I could have easily run 10 more miles when we were done. I felt amazingly well. As I would find out later sometimes it doesn't matter how hard you train if the conditions of the race are crazy.
I understand now why my locals prefer to run marathons in other states as you never know what you will get in North Central Texas. It's like that box of chocolates that Forrest Gump referred to. A week ago it looked as if we would have perfect weather with at temperature range of 55-60 degrees. Nope. The weather was similar to the weather in my first Marathon, warm and humid. I felt that I had improved fitness wise to handle this now. My goals for 2012 are as follows: A: Crack the 4:00 mark in my 2nd marathon, B: Not be dying when I complete it C: Have fun training for it. Well I got C covered as it was the most memorable training I have ever had and with one of the closest tight knit groups I have ever worked with, the 3:50 BMFers, where the BMF stand for "Big Marathon Finishers". And all of us were that yesterday.
Training went perfectly leading up to this week, I just knew I "had" this. I had went five consecutive weeks with a 20+ miler before starting the taper process. The last one a 22 miler which I felt I could have easily run 10 more miles when we were done. I felt amazingly well. As I would find out later sometimes it doesn't matter how hard you train if the conditions of the race are crazy.
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| DRC 3:50 Marathon Group "BMFers" before the start of the race. |
I started out with the dailymiler meetup, but things were so crazy that morning I was only able to meet one person there, my DM bud VK. We chatted for a minute and she volunteered to take the group pic of the BMFers who were meeting in the same place. (see the photo Gallery). We then walked on to the corrals with the rest of the 25, 000 other runners.
The first few miles was unnerving, very congested as many walk-runners were in the way. Trailing pace leader Steve Griffin, we kept it at an easy 9:20-9:30 pace the first mile and the plan was to keep it at about 8:58 until mile 17 and then adjust the plan depending on what the conditions were and how everyone was feeling. Some of the crew took off after mile 3 or 4 at a faster pace, I chose to keep the pace with Steve as we both knew the weather would more than likely make things ugly. We had a sign that had "BMFs" on it, but the wind took the sign, only leaving the green hanky that was tied to it. Steve and I swicthed on and off carrying the flag. Along the way, we had countless folks ask "What pace group it this?" some would run along with us once they determined we were pacing around 4:00. So I kind of unofficially helped partially pace a marathon.
After the course split with the Marathoners going to the left and the halfers to the right at mile 8, congestion lightened up. Steve and I had only one BMFer with us, Vinh until we caught up with some other BMFers around the lake area who got ahead of us then fell back. Steve asked how I felt about mile 17 and I told him I was good, I had a few small pains in my quads, but nothing big. We kicked the pace down a notch. The support was great on the roadside as always. Saw a lot of Dallas Running Club members who either did not participate or were injured but stll showed up to cheer. Heard a lot of chants "Go DRC!".
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| Mile 17 |
So we rounded the lake and at mile 19, caught up with another BMFer, Jackie who was feeling the bite of the humidity. She had dropped back and hung with us. Just as I passed the spillway, Steve handed me the flag. All of a sudden I felt like things were starting to go south, it came out of nowhere. I handed the flag back to Steve and told him that I wasn't sure I was going to make it through the next mile. I slowed up to about a 9:30 pace then that's where it came, my right calf totally cramped up and contracted and I immediately went to the ground. Then my left quad cramped up. A by stander ran over and knew exactly what was going on. She and another guy helped rub out my cramp and helped me stretch. Another person came over with electolyte pills and another fella with pickle juice. After about 10 minutes being 'serviced' I was feeling better so I thought and was on my way. I started running slowly rounded the corner approaching the infamous "Dolly Parton" hills. And yes they are exactly what you think they are. Right when I got to the waterstand where several men dressed in Dolly Parton drag were handing out water and Gatorade, EVERY muscle from my legs to my back contracted and I went down right in front of the water bench. Two of the guys came and helped, they were able to get a medic over who then asked me a few questions and tried to get whatever was around into my body. Water, Gatorade, sugar, mustard while also trying to help rub out the cramps. I was thinking the worst had already happened, all I needed to do was let all of the supplements I had just taken in about 15 minutes before set in and I would be good. Nope. The contracting would not stop and got worse to the point where I was trembling. One of the waterstop volunteers goes "Dude, you aren't sweating, that is not good". I knew it was serious then. I told them to get an ambulance to me as quick as they could. I knew they would give me an IV and get me what my body needed, then I would be on my way. They must have fed me 50 cups of water and Gatorade. I knew I was looking at a possible DNF, if it didn't work. It took about 30 minutes and them carrying me about 100 yards to the Ambulance because the ambulance could not get into the area of the crowd. The medics asked me a few annoying questions over and over then stuck me and got the nutrients I needed in me. I told the medic attending to me that once they were done I would finish the remaining six miles. He was like "You are going to finish?" Heck yes I was. I thought I would have to deal more with the humidity. Not sure what the weather was to start, but it got to 72 degrees and 90% humidity. A cold front came thru while I was being rebooted and I could feel it when I got out of the vehicle. By the way as I type this the next morning, it is 34 degrees, snowing and 55% humidity. Only in Texas. Whatever they pumped into me made me feel much better. I stepped out of the ambulance and my legs felt like stilts. I couldn't bend them. Started out walking like Frankenstein for a few feet then I was able to walk normally. If I had to walk the remaining 6.2 miles I was going to do it. Right at the 20 mile marker, I came across fellow DRCers Carrie and Rosalyn. Walked very fast with them for about a mile or so then we picked it up to a slow run and I was off from there. Very sore, but could still run between a 9 to 9:30 pace, sometimes doing sub 9 down hills. I'm passing walkers and runners as if they were standing still and they were giving me dirty looks. I tried to pass as many people as I could. Felt really good, and hydrated at every water station along the way.
I was a little bummed out that all of my BMF buddies finished so far ahead of me, not because they had better finish times than I, but because I wanted to finish ahead and see every one else come in and celebrate with them. They had already left the building. I would find later that most of us did not meet our goal and struggled through the race. Even though the results of this race were not favorable to me, what counts is the fitness level that I have acheived. I know what I did wrong in this race and you learn from experience. I won't make the same mistake twice. I'm primed to get the sub 4 marathon eventually as one of my top motivators told me. And when I do it will be oh so sweet. This marathon however I will always be proud of.
|
Split
|
Time
|
Distance
|
Avg Pace
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | 5:41:05.1 | 26.59 | 12:50 |
| 1 | 9:23.3 | 1.00 | 9:23 |
| 2 | 8:55.4 | 1.00 | 8:56 |
| 3 | 9:01.8 | 1.00 | 9:02 |
| 4 | 8:56.1 | 1.00 | 8:56 |
| 5 | 8:58.5 | 1.00 | 8:59 |
| 6 | 9:08.3 | 1.00 | 9:08 |
| 7 | 8:59.6 | 1.00 | 9:00 |
| 8 | 9:17.4 | 1.00 | 9:18 |
| 9 | 9:11.5 | 1.00 | 9:12 |
| 10 | 8:57.4 | 1.00 | 8:58 |
| 11 | 8:59.3 | 1.00 | 8:59 |
| 12 | 9:03.8 | 1.00 | 9:04 |
| 13 | 9:11.3 | 1.00 | 9:11 |
| 14 | 9:00.5 | 1.00 | 9:01 |
| 15 | 9:00.4 | 1.00 | 9:00 |
| 16 | 9:00.4 | 1.00 | 9:01 |
| 17 | 8:52.4 | 1.00 | 8:53 |
| 18 | 8:54.2 | 1.00 | 8:54 |
| 19 | 9:10.5 | 1.00 | 9:11 |
| 20 | 57:21.9 | 1.00 | 57:23 |
| 21 | 56:10.8 | 1.00 | 56:12 |
| 22 | 13:05.1 | 1.00 | 13:05 |
| 23 | 9:35.7 | 1.00 | 9:36 |
| 24 | 9:21.9 | 1.00 | 9:22 |
| 25 | 9:13.5 | 1.00 | 9:14 |
| 26 | 9:01.8 | 1.00 | 9:02 |
| 27 | 5:12.3 | 0.60 | 8:42 |
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