Gettin' Dirty

This weekend was the inaugural running of the MS Mud Run in Winter Park CO.  It is a 10K fun run with obstacles and mud and great music and bbq and beer, but more importantly it is a fund raiser for MS.  First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who donated to me for this.  I believe I was #8 as far as the amount of money raised with a little over $1200, and the team of guys I did the run with also were the 8th highest team total for money raised.  (The wife of one of my teammates also ran with another team who were the 7th highest fundraisers).  So thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone for their help!

The whole time I was doing this race, I kept thinking I need to remember what is happening so I can write about it.  And when I finished, I thought back and realized I have absolutely no clue what I did with any kind of organized memory.  The description that follows is a dump of what I DO remember, but in no particular order.  Fasten your seatbelts....

We were team "Dragon Ass".  Dave was our captain...he and his wife TC have been good friends of ours from the college days.  Tom was the other member of our team of three.  He is a friend of Dave and TC's that I had never met before, which was my loss, because he is an extremely cool guy.  His wife also ran with TC's team (Team Phat Ass).  Yes, ass was prevalent at this race.

I understood there to be between 400 and 700 competitors.  My team was in the non-competitive group, but there were also teams in a competitive group with stricter rules about completing all the obstacles and getting an official time.  When the race starts, the first thing we do is run down a long hill from the Mary Jane base towards the Winter Park base.  No obstacles here, just a nice easy jog to get into it.  It was at least a half mile to the bottom, at which point we turned around, climbed over the first obstacle (which I think were just a couple of logs), and then headed back up the first of what was going to be a LOT of elevation changes.  We were not given a map of the course before the race....it was all supposed to be a surprise, but rumor at the starting line was that this was the hardest Mud Run course they've ever created.  Needless to say, any thoughts of running the whole thing disappeared quickly (thankfully) just after the turn to run up the first big hill.  I found a map of the course after the race online....check it out, it is crazy:

Winter Park Mud Run 2011 Race Course

From this point on, it is all a blur.  I remember having to run up the mountain a bit.  Thankfully there weren't any obstacles on the climbing portions.  Shortly after the first climb, we came to the first obstacle that I thought would give me some trouble when I read about it.  We had to climb through a drainage culvert that was at least 100 feet long and crossed underground between two of the ski runs.  As I am a bit claustrophobic, this was going to freak me out, but I tried to stay right behind Dave, who alerted me to what was ahead, and I managed to get through it.  One section of the culvert, about half way through, had been crushed somewhat, so we were kind of scaling on the side of it to get around that point.  TC mentioned that this was the first time that being a geologist (and realizing that a landslide had caused this crease) was really a bad thing for her mental state.

More climbing, some descending, more climbing.  We went over more log piles, under some ropes in the mud, over a cargo net.  Another obstacle that I was not looking forward to was a wall made of 2x4s spaced maybe 3 feet apart, and maybe 15 feet tall.  As much as I love to be on mountains and love airplanes, being that far up a wobbly wall of wood was also not one of my favorite things.  Dave and Tom hopped over the thing like it didn't even exist, but it took me a bit longer to make it over.  But again, I did it without passing out or breaking any limbs.  Now that I think about it, I probably should have just side kicked one of the boards and walked through it.  THAT would have been more my style.  Here are a couple more shots of the cargo net (yep, that's me way behind Dave and Tom), and a shot from higher up the mountain.

The last mile or so of the course is where the real mud and fun came.  There was a pit of mud that we had to jump in and then climb out the side.  This was where my boots filled with water and rocks.  Running on waterlogged boots and socks was funky but not bad, but running on the rocks under my feet was not fun.  I considered stopping, but figured they would fill again soon anyway, and maybe we were almost done (we weren't).  We followed a little creek, which at one point had mud that came up to my hips (I kid you not).  It was like quicksand at one point and very hard to move through.  There was one section with four logs, that we had to climb over, then go under, and they were right on the surface of the creek, so there was no choice but to go underwater to get under them.  And finally there were a couple of much shorter pipes to climb through (a piece of cake compared to the culvert).   These are some pics of TC's team going through some of those muddy obstacles towards the home stretch:

The last obstacle before the short jog downhill to the finish was just a big pit of mud that you jump in and climb out of:

After this, you ran down a hill, past the cheering crowd and the DJ playing some great tunes (our team finished up to some Vanilla Ice and Jump Around...totally pumped us up for the final push).  We finished, and got a picture with one of our designated cheerleaders.

There are a few things that are going through my head now that I'm finished with the race.  One thing the organizer said at the starting line was that we would not know what the course held, much like someone with MS does not know from day to day what their life is going to bring.  He also said that just as we are on the starting line looking forward with uncertainty, afterwards we will look back and say "I knew I could do it".  And he was right.  I don't have MS and will never know first hand what that feels like, but I had some of my own demons to conquer on this run.  First, a 10K is not a short distance, but I was able to complete it even with its insane elevation changes.  I'm also very claustrophobic in pipes, yet I went through a 100 foot long culvert, much of it in the dark.  I overcame a fear of heights to climb over a wobbly wall of 2x4's.  And I tend to be a neat freak, almost to the point of obsessive compulsiveness.  If anything on earth is farther from "neat" than this jaunt through the swamp, I don't know what it would be. 

But most of all, this was just fun.  The atmosphere was great.  Kathy and the kids were the loudest cheerleaders in the crowd.  Dave and TC are two of the most fun people I know to be around, and they introduced me to their friends and family who were also just amazing people.  Our final time was about 2hrs 11mins, not bad at all considering how much of it was a slow, uphill hike.  I was a worthless slug the rest of the day and some of the next day, but I'll recover from that quickly enough.  My first mud run was a huge success, and I'm looking forward to doing it again next year.  Thanks again to everyone for their support and well wishes!

Foreplay

Got your attention now?  Good, because this post is actually about the hike to Chasm Lake I did today, which is kind of the "foreplay" for the 10K MS Mud Run I'm doing next weekend.  Simply saying "Here is Another Post By Someone Who Hiked Up to Chasm Lake" wouldn't have been nearly as exciting for a title.

Chasm Lake is a 4.2 mile hike one way from the Longs Peak trailhead.  It actually follows the Longs Peak trail about 3.5 miles before it branches off to the lake, which is at the base of the diamond of Longs Peak.  This was to be another one of my "high altitude training hikes" for next week's 10K, and it was definitely an amazing hike.  2360' of elevation gain to an elevation of 11760' at the lake.  The parking lot at the trailhead is usually filled long before 6 AM with cars of hikers who are climbing Longs Peak.  I got there at 8:00, passing dozens of cars along the road that couldn't find a spot to park in the lot.  Just for grins, I decided to drive into the parking lot anyway, and wouldn't you know it, one of the closest spots to the trailhead itself was actually EMPTY!  Oh, it was going to be a good day.

The first couple of miles of trail is through the forest.  There were not nearly as many people on the trail today as there were on Bierstadt last week, and the solitude was at times very refreshing and sometimes a little tense as I realized "well, if I slipped and broke my ankle here, not sure how long it would be until someone stumbled upon me", as well as "I wonder if I side kicked a bear really hard in the stomach, would it raise its eyebrows in surprised respect and slowly back away?"  Fortunately, neither of those situations happened to me today, but I probably really should hike with a buddy (and not just a buddy in spirit).

The trail follows a small creek much of the way, which I crossed several times.  Lots of small waterfalls along this route as well, all very relaxing.  Here is a picture of one of the falls on the route:

I called this one "Fallijuana", named after the two guys who were "medicating" on a rock just out of this shot.  Maybe that's why it was so relaxing up there in rocky mountain high??  Just beyond this point, around a switchback in the trail, I happened across a young couple off to the side.  They giggled and moved apart when they saw me...I just smiled and kept walking, not looking back, but in hindsight I shoulda just shouted "go on, nail her!" and gave the guy a thumbs up.  This hike was starting off on an interesting note to say the least.

After a couple of miles, the forest thins, and eventually you are up around timberline.  This is where the incredible views really begin (views of the scenery, not the couples trying to sneak in a quickie between hikers).  The Twin Sisters peaks are back towards the east, and Longs, Meeker and Lady Washington are dead ahead.

The hike meanders up through tundra now, all the while Longs Peak continues to get closer and closer.  As with all the other mountains in this fine state, I've seen most of them from the road, and I see Longs through my window every day at home, but I've never been this close to it before.  Truly an amazing rock it is.

In this area, the trail splits, and I took the path into the valley towards the base of Longs where Chasm Lake is.  This area was along the edge of very steep embankment, and although I never really felt unsafe, I could see how someone could slip off if they weren't paying attention.  And it was easy to not pay attention, because Peacock Pool was directly below.  The way the sun was coming in, the pool was a brilliant green color, and the falls that fed it were clearly visible.  Here is some video of this area:

I can't say enough how beautiful this stretch of the trail is, and no video or pictures do it justice.  You could see miles east down the valley with a handful of lakes along the bottom, and ahead were huge cliffs and some of the tallest mountain peaks in the state.  It was stunning.  This was also an area where there was some columbine growing along the sides of the trail.

There were a couple more obstacles to get across before reaching the lake.  First, there is a snow field within a half mile from the top, and you can see the boot-width trail that those before me had made in an arc around the top of it.  The snowfield was pretty short now, but as late as mid July I understand it can be several hundred feet across and not fun to slip on.

On the other side of this snowfield is the last "facilities" before the lake.  I'll try to describe it to you....imagine 4 wooden walls that would come to your chest if you stood up.  Inside of these walls was one of the coolest things I've ever seen...a huge swarm of flies in the shape of a toilet, complete with crap and everything!  As I stood a few feet beyond these walls feeling more relieved by the second, one thought crossed my mind...it is good to be a guy.

Finally, the lake is just 0.2 miles ahead.  Or rather, I should say....up.

The last little bit of the hike involves a nice scramble to get to the final destination.  Again, it wasn't terribly frightening, but there were a few places where a slip would have ended badly.  After a little over 2 hours, I climbed the last few feet over the ridge, and there was the lake.

I found some large rocks along the edge of the lake where I could just kick back and relax for awhile.  I could see a few hikers on the top of Longs if I used my binoculars.  I'm  hoping to climb Longs with a group of friends in a couple of weeks, and the thought of having to climb that much higher than I already had is a little intimidating.  There were probably 10 other people at the lake when I got there, but I couldn't see any of them from where I was parked.  Great opportunity to just clear one's mind and bask in the beauty of nature (and I understand a great remedy for nervous breakdowns, if you're so inclined to have them).  I could have stayed up there for hours, but since I did have a life to come home to, I began to head back down after about 30 minutes.

Physically, I was feeling really good.  This was a strenuous hike to the lake, but not as hard as Bierstadt through 13,000 to 14,000 feet.  The weather was warm and sunny the whole way up, but I could see some storms forming on the way back, so I tried to keep a good pace coming down.  Shortly after I got back into the forest, I passed two women and a man coming up the trail.  One of the women was singing "Like a virgin....HEY!!"  and "you make me feeeeeeeel, shiny and neeeew!".  I would like to thank her for getting that song stuck thoroughly in my head for the last 45 minutes of my hike.

Overall, the hike took about 4 hours and 15 minutes, including the 30 minutes at the lake.  It is definitely one of the most scenic hikes I've ever done, and I highly recommend it, even if it is a bit strenuous at times.  It did wonders for my body and my mind today, and I'm more confident now that a 10K through mud pits at Winter Park is not going to kill me.  Foreplay is now over....it's bidnizz time!

Mt. Bierstadt

Today was kind of a cool day for me.  After living in Colorado for 11 years (plus another 4 1/2 in college), I finally managed to climb my first 14er, Mt. Bierstadt.  Sure, I've driven to the top of Evans and Pikes, and I've looked admiringly at dozens of others from the air conditioned comfort of my car as I drove past them, but I've never actually hiked up one and done it "right".  So just a couple of days ago, Kathy (knowing I wanted, no NEEDED, to do some higher altitude training before my 10K MS Mud Run in Winter Park) said that she could take care of things at the house if I wanted to go hiking Sunday.  Of course, I jumped right from "a high altitude hike" to "hey, I want to climb a 14er!".  I was planning to do Greys and Torreys, but a couple of my kickboxing students with some 14er experience told me that Bierstadt is a good first time hike.  I LOVE the view up at Guanella Pass, and Bierstadt is one of the 14ers I've looked at from my car many times, so I decided that Bierstadt it would be.

Having never done a big hike like this, I wasn't exactly sure what I should bring with me, so I did a little online research.  Water...check.  More water...check.  Had my new hiking boots that I'm still breaking in (this could have been a disaster, but fortunately worked out ok).  GPS....check.  Helmet....wait, what???  Seriously, I need a helmet for this climb?  Guess I'll have to risk it, as I'm not going to wear my bike helmet up a mountain (and this was the right decision...no one was wearing a helmet today).  Flares...ummm, huh????  I could see my car the entire way up the mountain today.  There was not one time that I was more than 100 feet from SOMEBODY.  Needless to say, I had no occasion to use my flares today, thank God (unless of course the idea was to shoot them off at the summit like fireworks, but no one else was doing that so I will just assume they would be for more isolated hikes).  I had on shorts (nice 55 degree morning at the pass), a light long sleeve shirt, a fleece, and I had packed a windbreaker and some windbreaking pants (neither of which I needed, but they seemed like reasonable additions).  Also brought lots of Goo and some energy bars (which I used extensively).  In hindsight, I wish I had brought a pair of gloves because it was a little windy and cooler at the summit, which made it a little tougher to scramble over the rocks up there.  But other than that, I think I packed about right.  

I got on the road about 5:30 this morning, which itself was a complete miracle considering the small celebratory gathering I attended last night.  Got up to Guanella Pass, parked in the overflow lot, and got on the trail by 7:30.  Other than being tired from lack of sleep, I felt good, and Bierstadt didn't look all THAT far away.  Big, yes, but there it was, right in front of me.  Only a mere 3.5 miles away.  And another 1/2 mile straight up.

I won't go into details about every step of the hike...there are all kinds of blogs and descriptions from other climbers that pretty much sums that up.  So this is my own personal take of it....

The hike starts going down into a valley of willows.  Very cool.  Also very good at lulling you into feeling "wow, this won't be so bad".  Ummm...WRONG.

Shortly into the hike, you cross over a stream on some stepping stones.  This is what it looks like:

This wouldn't have been a big deal (I actually really love mountain streams like this...very serene for me), except that my expert mountaineering friend told me that when she hiked Bierstadt, she slipped on this crossing and had to do the rest of the hike with a wet shoe.  Fortunately, I made it across both times (the woman in front of me on the descent wasn't so lucky).

I think I was towards the end of the first "wave" of climbers that day.  Only a very small handful of people were coming down as I went up, but I passed hundreds of people in the first mile of my initial descent from the summit.  It was busy, but I didn't ever feel like I was "crowded", and only had to stop a couple times to let people come past or let me move past them. 

This was pretty typical the whole way.  There were maybe 25-30 people at the summit when I got there and a lot more on the way up when I left.  When I got back to the parking lot, both lots were filled and there was a long line of cars parked on both sides of the road.  7-7:30 was just about the perfect time to get going apparently.

The people hiking at that time of day are very friendly.  I talked to a few people for awhile on the way up...very friendly people, all of them.  And for those of us who were climbing our very first 14er, everyone really responded to us in an honest "way to go" manner, and not in a condescending or "oh I've climbed FIFTY of them" way.  Very refreshing to be around that.  And several people had some very cool dogs with them too.  I imagine if I brought Bella, she'd be half way across Colorado by now.

I made it up in about 2 1/2 hours, and back down in about 2 hours after 15-20 minutes on the summit.

I wasn't nearly the slowest going up, although I did have to stop more frequently than I thought I would on some of the steeper parts.  As I got back to the car, it occurred to me that Longs Peak is twice as long as this one.  I'd love to have a go at Longs someday, but the timing is going to have to be right, and it would be good to get a few more easier ones under my belt first.  Similar to my half marathon and not planning to become a distance runner, I don't think climbing 14ers is something I will ever get hooked on for many reasons.  I'm glad I did this one, and there are some others I'd like to climb in the future, but I'm not going to plan weekly climbs and try to bag every 14er in CO.  But today couldn't have gone any smoother, and it was great practice for the 10K fundraiser in a couple of weeks. 

Meaningful Songs

I've been in a strange mood tonight, and I've spent much of the evening browsing songs to use in my kickboxing classes.  Certain music has always invoked exceptionally strong reactions in me that span the range of emotions (and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way).  A few weeks ago I was searching for a song from a group I'm very fond of, VNV Nation.  The first song of theirs I ever heard was called "Illusion", and the video I found was not made specifically for the song, but it matched up with the message of the song completely perfectly, and it was one of those profoundly moving songs I spoke of earlier.  I've been hooked on VNV Nation ever since. 

The song I was looking for also had a video with it that wasn't made specifically for the song, but again, the message of the song and the message of the video are just overwhelming.  It is called "From My Hands", and the message of the song is about moving on after a loss.   Not that I'm dwelling on any major losses in my life right now, but I found all kinds of parallels with situations I've experienced at various times in my life. 

As some of you around my neck of the woods might have heard, a deputy recently drowned while saving a young girl from a river in Wyoming.  I probably would have missed the story completely, but it just so happened that a friend of mine had just photographed his wedding a few weeks ago, and she posted on facebook the story that he was missing, a link to a "prayers for Bryan" group, and ultimately, the story that his body had been found.  She blogged about her experience at that wedding, and she wrote some pretty amazing things about Bryan.  It was obvious that he made an impact on her life in just the relatively short time that she had known him, and I know his death has hit her hard.  Just reading through the prayer page, it is also obvious that he was a very well liked individual and a great man who will be missed terribly.  And I can't even begin to imagine what his much too prematurely widowed wife is going through right now. 

This song made me think of this person I never knew, and I would imagine a lot of people can relate to it.  I don't personally know anyone who is a friend of his family except for my photographer friend, and I hope she can find peace as she finishes up their wedding album. 

"The Race"

(Yep, it's wordy...a lot on my mind today if you choose to continue reading) :)

Anyone with a Facebook account could tell that today was the Redline 13.1 half marathon here in Longmont.  This was the first half marathon I've ever run (actually the first road race I've run in probably 20 years).  I had only been training for it since April, back when running one mile was one of my least favorite things in the world to do.  But I got used to running 3 or 4 mornings a week and gradually built up my runs to where I had run 12 miles a couple of times before the race today, and I felt ready to go by the time today's race rolled around. 

Woke up at 4:30 this morning, after a not nearly deep enough 6 hours or so of sleep.  Picked up the sitter at 5:00, told her she could crash and then Kathy and I headed to the finish line to catch a bus to the start.  Apparently the buses "got lost", so we were about 20 mins late leaving, then there was a nice line at the porta potties at the starting line, but the race was still only about 20 mins late starting (6:50 vs. 6:30).  We ran with several other people with Alpha connections - John and Ashley Bradley, Erika James, Amber Burtis, Paul Marcotte, Sid Payne, and Leah Davis.  In all, there were 239 people signed up, and it was a gorgeous (although a little warm) morning for a run. 

The race started around Lake Macintosh.  The path was pretty narrow for 239 people, so there was some very slow going for the first quarter mile or so, but that was probably good to help slowly ease into the run without letting the adrenaline get the best of us.  Eventually we all spread out a bit, and Ashley and I ran together for awhile.  About a dozen hot air balloons had launched south of the city, and the nearly full moon was clearly visible against the mountains.  The first two miles, I had a huge smile on my face, was running at about a 9:30 pace and felt very, very good. 

After a couple of miles, we turned off the lake path and onto the road.  It wasn't long until I saw Becca's kindergarten teacher, Julie Kruetner, on the route with her cow bell cheering us on.  Again, huge smile on my face, and Ashley and I were maintaining about a 9:30 pace.  At this point, Ashley questioned our speed and if we were taking it out too fast, and I thought probably but I was feeling very relaxed and thought we could maintain that pace.  About 2.5 more miles up Airport Rd, then we turned east onto the greenway that would take us through town to the finish at Sandstone Ranch.  Things were still feeling good here.

After we turned onto the greenway, I got a sip of water from the water station, and took a packet of goo.  Next time, I'll actually follow the directions and take the goo BEFORE I get the water, as I spent the next mile or so trying to clear it out of my throat and spitting every 50 feet or so.  A mile up the trail and we were at Golden Ponds, which finally provided a little shade.  I was very familiar with the route at this point, as I'd run it to and from Alpha (about 2.5 miles farther) many times.  At this point, I was starting to get concerned about the pace and tried to slow down a little bit.  We did slightly, but still were pacing around 9:40 up through the water station at Alpha which was about 8 miles into the race.

Alpha had a great group of people there to cheer us on and give us drinks.  I think they had the most people manning the stations of any other on the course, and it was good to see some more familiar faces along the way.  Alpha has always been a very supportive "family", and today was no exception.

Shortly after leaving Alpha, the course started to move into a more open area on the long stretch up to the finish.  It was at this point that I started to feel a little tired and my pace dropped to around 10:00 avg.  I still had the ability to run, I was just really starting to feel it.  It was about this time where we (Ashley was still running with me) saw Kathy up ahead walking.  She has not run a half marathon in several years, and tends to get overheated quickly, and when she started to feel that hit her, she did the smart thing and backed down.  Another Alpha friend, Leah Davis, had been running behind Ashley and me for a little while, and about 10 miles in, Ashley pushed ahead to catch up with Kathy and run with her, and Leah ran with me for a bit.  Ashley took off from there and eventually finished a great run, coming in at just under 10:00 miles average for the whole race.

At mile 10, I started to get really concerned.  My legs were starting to get rubbery to the point of not working very well.  Leah encouraged me by saying we only had a 5K left to go, and since she and I had run 12 miles together just a few weeks ago, a 5K should not be so bad.  And I kept reminding myself of that over and over again.  My pace dropped considerably to 11:00, and Leah pressed on ahead of me, and she would also go on to finish a very good race. 

Around mile 11 I caught up to Kathy, who was walking a bit, then running, then walking, then running.  We passed each other several times in the last couple of miles this way, and although I continued running, I was not running much faster than she was walking.  I started to get panicked at about 11.5 miles, knowing that I had another 1.6 miles to go.  Earlier in the week, this was cake and I knew it would be over shortly.  But at this point, my legs were about done, and although 1.6 is a small percentage of 13.1, it is still not a trivial run, especially for a sprint swimmer.  Kathy encouraged me every time we passed each other, and I was lucky to manage a grunt in response. 

At mile 12, I was in bad shape.  My pace at this point was over 12 mins/mile, and I was literally going one step at a time.  On my last long run with Leah, we finished up with a really bad hill, and I was encouraging her to take smaller steps, one at a time, and you'll get to the top soon.  I kept telling myself today that I needed to walk the walk right now, and it was time for some serious head games.  I had a goal of getting under 10:00 miles, but the way I'd been running lately, I thought 9:45s were not out of the question.  Past mile 12, my goal had reverted back to my initial goal from April....finish it without walking.  One step at a time, seeming to barely move with each step now, but I was going to do this.

I finally got to the bridge over the river that lead to the finish at Sandstone.  The only problem was that the finish was up a STEEP hill to an upper parking lot for the last .2 miles or so.  I knew this was going to be a challenge when I first saw the map of the course, but I literally had nothing left by the time I got to this part.  I crossed the bridge and hit the first upslope and managed to continue running, but I knew I was in trouble.  The final push was on me now, and I got about 10 steps up the hill before my legs stopped working.  At the end of all of my kickboxing classes, we do one minute of pushups, with the goal being to go until failure, where your arms just can't lift anymore.  My legs hit this point on that hill, and I had to walk.  I uttered a few choice words under my breath, then started to walk with exaggerated arms and strides as long as I could make them.  Sadly, I was probably going just as fast as I had been "running" for the last couple of miles.  But on the hill, Kathy and I met up again, and we were able to run the last few hundred feet through the finish.  The announcer called out "and here come the Lawrences in together now!"  Never in a million years would I have ever expected to hear those words being said.  Although I didn't get to do any training runs with Kathy (she usually ran first, then I'd run after her so one of us could be home with the kids at all times.  Plus, she is just a faster runner than I am, and I would have held her back), I loved being able to finish my goal race running in with her.   My final time was 2:14:11 (10:14 pace), and I was the 66th male of 88.  I didn't quite make my goal of 10:00 miles, and I had to walk for a few hundred feet, but I completed the race, and that is pretty huge for me, the sprinter swimmer.

Training for this was an exceptionally positive thing for me.  Everyone encouraged everyone else.  Many others who didn't race today had also been posting their runs on facebook, and that just made the support group even stronger.  I've never been a runner, and never had any desire to try it.  But for almost 3 months, I actually looked forward to morning training runs of 3, 4 and 5 miles.  I started to see trends in my times, and they trended consistently downward.  I loved coming home after my run and comparing notes and times with Kathy...it really brought us closer together.

I mentioned several other Alpha students ran today, and all of them have their own stories.  Erika James just took up running about 5 months ago, and has been a fitness machine for the past year.  She finished her first half marathon today, which impresses me beyond words.  Amber Burtis badly sprained her ankle a couple months ago, but she's a tough chica and was able to start training again and competed.  She also finished her first half marathon today.  Paul Marcotte just lost his mom in a car accident a few weeks ago and has been working through all the emotions and logistics that go with that, training when he could around visits to his dad in the hospital and preparing for a funeral.  He finished his first half marathon today.  Sid Payne is a boxer who I've had the (mis?)fortune of sparring numerous times at Alpha (I kid...he's tough as nails and a lot of fun to spar).  He has run at least one half marathon before (I think more), and was the perfect support person for Erika and Amber today to help pull them through their races.  Leah Davis is one of my kickboxing students, married to an Olympic caliber sprinter, but has never run a half marathon before.  I did a great 12 mile run with her a few weeks ago, and today she finished her first half marathon.  John Bradley is a seasoned runner with numerous halves and full marathons under his belt.  He was perfect as the resident running expert to give training advice and encouragement along the way.  Ashley Bradley was my main training partner along the way.  I think it is difficult to find two people that match well to each other in running, but we matched up very well and always tended to push each other on our training runs.  She had been having pretty bad knee and hip issues lately, but today she completed her first half marathon and did it in very quick fashion.  And then my wife Kathy, who was a cross country runner and has a 15 miler under her belt, but has had physical issues that she thought would prevent her from ever competing again.  She has a ton of natural talent and has been training steadily along with me for this race.  The day was very warm, and she was getting overheated and had to walk some of the way, but she overcame her limitations and completed her race today with me. 

I have mixed feelings about the race being over.  I am relieved that I've gotten through it finally, but I really liked having a goal to train for and such a great group of people to be training with me at the same time.  I'm planning to take off a couple of weeks, and then we'll see where it goes from there.  I reaffirmed today that I am not a distance runner, and I have no desire to try a full marathon.  I would train for this half again because I think it was organized very well and I like the course and that it was local, but I'm not looking to compete in any more of these just for fun.  The running has always kept me from doing triathlons, but I don't fear a 5k or even a 10k anymore, and I think I may start looking to compete in tri's sometime down the road.  But the feeling I had immediately after the race, and while doing absolutely nothing with friends this afternoon...that is what I was looking forward to the most, and it has all been worth every minute of it.

It is Time

The half marathon is just a day away now.  In about 2 1/2 months of training, I've run about 175 miles, dropped over a minute off of my 3 mile pace, and lost about 8 lbs.  I've watched many good friends train along with me and post about their highs and lows, and I've loved the camaraderie of this group of runners.  I've worked through injuries and watched others do the same.  I have gained confidence in my ability to simply complete a running race for a distance I never dreamed (nor ever had a desire) of doing.  And now, I feel ready.  I will be glad when it is over, but the journey here has been unforgettable and extremely positive.

At the risk of forgetting someone, I want to wish best of luck to the Alpha crew this weekend....Kathy, Ashley, John, Erika, Leah, Paul, Sid, and Amber.  I've loved watching everyone progress and actually getting to run with many of you.  Now let's go get it!!!

The N-Word

People who know me know that I have a fascination with other cultures, and race relations have always intrigued me.  Along those lines, I found this speech online that had me rolling and made some very good points.  I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did. 

Speech, part 1

Speech, part 2