1000 Miles This Year!

("Thank ya, Thank ya very much")

I just returned from a little 3.8 mile run at my house and without even realizing it, I crossed the 1000 mile mark for the year today. That is my first time crossing this mark. After 2 years of non-consistent running followed by 3 years of consistent running, I made it to this point. So far this year my monthly totals look like this

Mistletoe Half Marathon, Winston-Salem NC

Well it was time to return to the great state of NC. I got my 5k Personal Record (PR) there last year in November. We went down for a weekend visit to see my cousin, Christi and her husband. They were nice enough to let us invade their house. My cousin's husband, Brian, had trained hard this fall for many weeks getting ready for this race. As an Reserve Army grunt, he's gone from running 5 milers up to 13 milers now. I'm sure PT tests will be like eating cake to him now. He had worked his way all the way up to a practice 13 mile run. He learned the meaning of nutrition, hydration, and injury along the way.
Saturday December 1st, hey we're in the south why is it in the upper 20's this morning? It was cold! I thought it was perfect though. I knew once I got started I would be fine. I was planning on a 7:37 pace so I could finish in 1:40:00.
First was the fun run. Madison signed up for the fun run. About 8:00 we were hanging around the start line. Madison was to cool to stand with her family so she was standing with a group of kids on the other side of the street. They were late starting the race so I was getting nervous about making it to my 8:15 start about a 1/4 mile away. I was preparing myself to go to the starting line when someone said okay let's have the fun run. A pack of kids lined up, I searched the pack to see Madison, she wasn't there! I ran across the street and over the hill on a soccer field, with that same bunch of kids, she was having her picture taken with them. There she was right in the middle of them. They all had on some sort colored shirt while she had on a gray sweatshirt and stuck out like a sore thumb. I said Madison get up here the race is starting! About that time the fun run started. Parents were standing there looking at me like I was crazy one of them said, "Aw that's just the fun run" I said I know she's supposed to be in it! Madison get up here! I yelled.

So she broke rank in the middle of the picture taking and came up the steps. The other kids were already out of sight down the road. Apparently, the kids she was with were running the 5k! As she took off running she almost broke into tears but her GoGo stepped in and started running with her. She was mad now and took off flying. I think the run was about 1 mile. I would later find out that she came in 5th and that she passed a bunch of kids. I know she gave them almost a 2 minute head start! She did good but it was quite funny after it was over.
GoGo was there to run the 5k so he had to stop running with Madison about half way she was wearing him out! He ran the 5k one second slower than his best at 35:53 for an 11:33 pace. I think he enjoyed this race in particular.

I didn't get to see her finish as I had to hustle to my start. Brian, Christi and I went to the starting line. We were pretty far in the back. Christi was there to wish us well and take our extra clothes. The Star Spangled Banner was sang, I didn't care for the style, sort of a bluesy interpretation and then bang the pistol fired. I didn't even have my sweatshirt off so I yanked it off and gave it to Christi. I was in my light, short sleeved Hokies shirt and some brown running shorts. I ran past Brian and said "Don't go out too fast!" Check out Dr. Frankenstein and Igor in the picture below("Yeeesss Master!").

The pack was pretty crowded here and I was in the back. Fortunately there was a sidewalk and I boogied past a bunch of runners. About mile one the pack began to thin out. The first mile was a little slow but it was still in the high 7's/mile for pace. I ran with an intensity that I'd never run with before for such a long run. Usually I hold back on anything longer than 10 miles. This time I was not holding back. I was going for it. I also wore my heart rate monitor this race. It was reading in the high 160's. My max heart rate is somewhere in the high 170's so I was working at about 90% of my capacity right from the start. The course featured a couple out and backs and on one of them I passed Brian going the other way. I said Go Hokies! He was wearing his Hokie shirt too. He looked good and like he was focused.
I ran very strong throughout the race. I carried a Gatorade bottle for the first half of the race and sipped on it. I had a gu pack at the start, about mile 6 and about mile 9. The course was beautiful mostly through nice residential areas and even a couple fancy shmancy mansions. About mile 11, it seemed like I was beginning to tire out but I rallied and actually ran the last two miles at a faster pace than any of the other miles. I crossed the line in 1:40:17 and I was very happy. Brian finished strong with a time of 1:58:01 and I think he is very pleased with his 9:01 average pace. Great job Brian! He was exhausted but in good spirits.
Statistics of my run.
Time 1:40:17
Pace 7:39
102 out of 602
15 out of 45 in Males 30-34
Average Heart rate 169
Fastest Mile 7:19 (Mile 12)

I got to tell you the post race party for this race is great. There was excellent child care setup and Madison had a blast. They had those blow up slides and jump houses as well as craft tables. They gave the parents bracelets for checking kids in and out. Audrey chose to keep Erin back at the house because her asthma had acted up the night before and I missed them being there. For food they had Papa Johns, Krispy Kremes, Chik Fil A sandwiches, as well as fruit and nuts. The whole family was permitted to eat as well. A great deal for $25. All in all it was an excellent race and I hope to be back next year. It's a great time of the year to run, the course was great, and the party was great too!

A week off

This week was deer season. This is a week where running fades from the brain. Eating and drinking just about fade from the brain for that matter. I ran about 16 last Sunday which includes about 3 miles of running through the woods looking for deer. A new perk I have from being able to run. I can run through the woods and cover miles of terrain to see where the game is hanging out at. Most of the time, they will stand there long enough to see what in the world is running through the woods. I hunted quite hard till Wednesday at noon when I was able to get this nice 8pt!
I'm preparing for the Mistletoe Run for Youth in Winston Salem NC on Dec. 1st. I'm going to go all out on this one. I haven't run a half for 2 years now. Back then 13.1 miles was a new distance for me. I still respect this distance but I am going to try and push myself to a new limit. I may have made a mistake by taking this week off. I feel kinda fat and sluggish. I was able to squeeze in one mile today and that's all. With the rain coming, it may be hard for me to get in a quality run till about Wednesday so that is worrying me a little as well. I will try to run in the rain but I'll have to see how bad it is. My best pace for a half is 7:55/mile. I will be trying for at least a 7:50/mile. I'd like to get a time of 1:40 for the race. I think most of my family will be there to watch as well. My cousin's husband is running this. It was his idea. He is a fairly new long distance runner and is doing great. I can't wait to do this one.

Lessons Learned from MCM 2007

If you're just now tuning in for my Marine Corp Marathon posting please see the posting below this one.

Let's see what did I learn from marathon number 3?

Things I learned in general.

1. Figure out someway to not have to "go" during the race! Bathroom breaks and water stops destroy my time!

2. I need to find someway to fight off cramps late in the race. I don't know if this means having someone meet me with a gatorade or what? Should I look into salt tablets?

3. Carrying your own fluids and food is a good idea especially for the first part of the race. It would actually be good to have someone restock your pack about half way through because stopping at water stations in the last half of a race can tend to slow you way down since it is hard to restart. Next time I may try stopping at a station and refilling my gatorade bottle with gatorade and my water with water although I think that would really really slow me down.

4. I really like sport beans and they do boost your energy some.

5. Wearing your name or something recognizable on your shirt like "Hokies" gives the fans something to cheer for and gives you a boost as well.

Things specific to the MCM

1. MCM is fairly crowded. Don't look to run a personal record (pr) here unless you've really trained hard for it.

2. Be prepared for quite a walk getting to and from this marathon.

3. If you are going to have someone meet you during the race. You'll just about have to map out the exact spot because the crowds are tremendous and it is nearly impossible to find someone even within a certain block.

4. Miles 18-21 and 23-26.2 are hard. There's not much crowd support and/or it's a lot of uphill.

5. I will do MCM again! But not next year. It is a great time.

The 2007 Marine Corp Marathon

A week without running

This week I resolved not to run at all. I biked to work one day. I went on a 56 mile ride with KA on the new river trail which was great. I went on an intense bike ride this morning for an hour. Later in the day I went on a hike in the woods and I ran a little bit. The knee felt fine. I'm going to try running a mile tomorrow if nothing seems to hurt. I hope I can get back in the saddle again and get some runs in before the MCM. I have to ease into this and not overdo it. Thank goodness for the bike. I am really starting to realize that it complements running very well. Running tends to emphasize the back of your legs while biking emphasizes the front. If you only work the back of your legs, tension can actually build up in your legs when the back muscles outgrow the front muscles. Biking helps and I want to make it a routine.

Taking a big chance

Well with 3 weeks to go to the marathon, you typically run your last long run. My IT band hurts when I run on it. If I don't run for a couple days it sort of feels better. With three weeks to go and 3 20+ mile runs behind me I ran another 20 miler today. My leg hurt every step of the way. I took an ibuprofen before I left and two more during the run. They seemed to help some. Had it not been for my knee hurting, I think it would have been my easiest 20 miler ever. I ran it in 3:21 which counts all the stops I made. I think this is the faster I've ever run 20 miles in training. I had recorded a 3:08 on one of my earlier runs but I had not included stops. I hope I didn't completely mess up my knee today. The pain was subdued after the run with a hot bath. I would rate the pain as about a 6 when the run ended. Well I got through it, mentally I know that even if my knee hurts I can make it through MCM.

3 weeks till the marathon and I can't run!

After the 21 miler at Pipestem. I had one day of rest and then decided to do an easy run with a couple of the guys at work. It was my idea to run a trail near work that's only 1.75 miles but is tough. The first mile is basically up a rocky creek, and then the rest is flat to straight down a very steep hill. When I got back to work, I noticed my IT band in my left leg was aching. I took a day off and tried a tempo run on Wedensday, about 2 miles into it, the IT band started really acting up. By the time I got back to the office the pain was evident and here to stay.

I guess I'm going to have to resort to rest and some cycling! I'm trying not to panic or get depressed but it is tough with only about 3 weeks to go to the MCM.

I now have my official bib number for the MCM, it is 9394. You can actually get real-time updates on my progress throughout the race by registering at http://www.marinemarathon.com/Results/remote_runner_tracking.htm

Unfortunately, you have to create an account to do this but you will get split times and finish information instantly on a pager, text messaging number or e-mail. This free service is a great way for spectators to cheer for their runner (or runners) and be there to meet them for the celebration at the finish line. Live split locations will be at the 5mile, 10 mile, 13.1 mile, 15 mile, 20 mile, 23.5 mile and the finish points.

I'm going to create an account just so I will have emails of my own split times for posterity. The marathon starts at 8am and there are several "corrals" that runners will line up in based on their expected finish time. I'm going to be in the 4th one back which is for the 3:40 to 3:59 finish time. Audrey and I will be staying near the Dunn-Loring Metro stop which is about 8 miles from the start line. We'll get on the metro around 5:30am and head to the start which is in Arlington near the Pentagon Station Metro.
The website describes the course as "Similar to 2006, the 2007 USATF certified course starts in Arlington, VA, and winds its way through Rosslyn along Lee Highway before turning on Spout Run and the George Washington Parkway. Runners will experience a climb on Lee Highway in the first few miles of the new course, but are rewarded with a descent along Spout Run and the parkway. After crossing the Key Bridge into Georgetown, runners will be on familiar territory through the District of Columbia. The course passes the Kennedy Center before entering the National Mall and numerous monuments, memorials and landmarks, such as, the Lincoln, FDR, Korean War and Vietnam Veteran's memorials, Washington Monument, and the U.S. Capitol. The marathon once again returns to Hains Point and "the Awakening" (see below) in East Potomac Park before passing the Jefferson Memorial. After crossing the 14th Street Bridge back to Virginia, runners will venture to Crystal City, return past the Pentagon and finish at the Marine Corps War Memorial. It is truly a beautiful course and aptly nicknamed "The Marathon of the Monuments.""

"The Awakening" is a 100-foot statue of a giant embedded in the earth, struggling to free himself. It was created by J. Seward Johnson, Jr. and installed at Hains Point (East Potomac Park), Washington, D.C. in 1980 for the International Sculpture Conference Exhibition. It proved so popular, however, that 27 years after the event it still remains, even though the National Park Service admits that the "temporary permit" has long since expired.

The statue consists of five separate pieces buried in the ground, giving the impression of a panicked giant trying to pull himself to the surface. The left hand and right foot barely protrude, while the bent left leg and knee jut into the air. The 17-foot right arm and hand climb above the observer while the bearded face, with the mouth in mid-scream, struggles to emerge from the surrounding earth.

I have three long runs down now and plan to do 5 all together before the marathon. So I have two more weeks of fairly intense training followed by three weeks of taper. I can't wait.

Touring Pipestem Park 3 Times (21.6 miles)

We camped at Pipestem State Park this past weekend so I ran from the campground to the lodge then down to true road, out onto route 20 and back into the park at the main entrance. I did this 3 times. This was my 4th long run in about 4 weeks and my body is really starting to adapt. This was my slowest run yet at about a 10:30 pace but the terrain here is very hilly. I felt good when I finished with only moderate calf pain. I recovered quickly and by the next day was feeling almost normal.

It really, really helps, when I eat plenty of food and drink plenty of water during these long runs. For this run I woke up then had an Oat and Honey granola bar before the run (220 calories) a GU pack w/ caffeine (100) calories. Then during the run I had 4 GU packs (100 calories each) and another Oat and Honey Granola bar about mid way. So all together I ate about 1000 calories during the run. I speculate that I burned about 130 calories per mile so I probably burned about 2800 calories. For the marathon, I am going to have to eat even more. I drank 0.5 Liter of water throughout 5 miles so I drank 2 Liters of water during the run (4 bottles). This all worked out very good. My time was something like 3:47 minutes. I've received my bib number for the MCM but more about that in a later blog.

20 Miles in the rain

The weekend of the 14th, we camped at Sherwood Lake near Neola, WV. It was a great weekend. It rained Friday, but was beautiful and chilly the rest of the weekend. I ran on Friday before the girls got there so as to not interfere with our weekend activities. I pulled the camper up and did some initial setup then on with the running clothes and out the door. I would run 10 miles downhill away from the lake and then turn around and run back uphill for 10 miles. The Garmin would later tell me that it was a 700ft drop down and a 700ft rise back up or a 1.3% average grade.

Just as I hit start on the Garmin the rain started falling lightly. I said "Oh well" and went on. This would be a great place for a couple buddies to run as there is very little traffic on this paved two lane road through the national forest. By yourself, in the rain, it can get lonely. Thank goodness I had the ipod cranking along. At mile 5 the rain increased in intensity, I pressed on and the rain kept slowly cranking up in intensity. I was placing waters and GU packs along the route to eat on the way back. I've found I need to eat about every 45 minutes at least 100 calories maybe more. I need about 0.5 Liters of water every 5 miles, depending on the temperature.

I had turned around at mile 10 and was starting the climb. The rain had intensified even more and by mile 12 I looked to the clouds and said out loud "Is this the best you can do?". Thank goodness it wasn't lightning or I wouldn't have said that. I wasn't taunting God, I was more so taunting the rain itself. I know better than to taunt God in that situation. I guess you could say I was feeling sassy.

I was feeling good till about mile 18 when the terrain got very hilly. I hung in there till my Garmin said 20.00 in the campground and I stopped. It was a good run. If you were to ask me "What did you think about for those 3 hours and 22 minutes of running?" I really can't say anything specific. It is weird. I thought about my pace, the next water bottle or piece of food, the song that was playing, and how my body felt. It's amazing but your mind sort of goes blank in this state almost like it is refreshing itself. Simple math is hard to do, thank goodness for the Garmin! The next day (Saturday) we had some of the family up for a cookout. Note all the jackets!



Dad and I did a trail run around the lake of 3.7 miles on Saturday. As you can see in the picture below I think I wore him down a little with that one!

20 Miles and feeling good

After last week's semi-failure of a run during the 15 mile race I was anxious to make things right. I am in the heat of marathon training and it was time to run 20. I ate well last night. Chicken thigh, lots of mac and cheese, other food as well. My wife fattened me up. I slept well, got had a bowl of sugary cereal. I grabbed 3 waters and two honey oat granola bars to eat on the run. The first 10 miles were easy as they usually are. I had a granola bar at 7 miles and one about 14 miles into the run.

About mile 16 I was feeling good and knew I was going to finish. I didn't run real fast but I was consistent. I ran a 9:37 pace for the first 10 miles. I was faster for the last 10. I don't have the numbers in front of me but I'd say my average was about 9:15 or so. I ran the last mile at about an 8:45 pace slightly uphill so I felt good. I kept my heart rate below 141 for the first 10 miles and then upped it to the high 140's till the last few miles when it went to 151. I pushed it hard that last mile or so so I was pretty sore. I was trying to stay below my so called lactate threshhold heartrate so my legs didn't build up too much lactic acid. I'm thinking that heartrate is somewhere in the low 140's for me.

I also took some measurements on my weight. I had lost weight before the Charleston Race and I even got down to 155.5 this week which is another pound down for me. I ate well the last part of the week and by Sunday morning was up to 159lbs at the time of the run. After my run, even though I drank and ate food. I was down to 154.5lbs! That's a 4.5lb loss over 20 miles. That tells me that if I were to run 26.2 I need to drink even more water and eat more food! This was a great run to boost my confidence from last week's race.

Sometimes you have good days and sometimes...

My 2nd Charleston 15 miler was today. I had been looking forward to returning to long distances as all summer was 10Ks or less. I hardly slept last night but I had been well rested. I had dropped a pound or so over the last week. Everything was in place. My dad and I drove down and got there at 7am. He was running the 5k. He is recovering from a cold but was feeling ok. We said our goodbye and it was time for the 15 miler at 7:30am. I was going to run about a 7:50 pace for 15 miles. 1.5 miles flat, 2.5 miles uphill, 2 miles downhill, 9 miles of flat.

I started out nervous but comfortable. I powered up the hill and down the hill and had an average pace of 7:55 with 9 miles of flat to go. This was 5 seconds in pace slower than last year but I thought I would have the power to cruise through the flat for a new personal record. I could see my friends first Bruce, then Milton, then Lee. I was going to move forward and pass each one of them in turn. It was going to be very hard but I was ready.


Everything was fine till mile 11 and I'm really not sure what happened. It was like somebody pulled the rug from underneath me. I lost all energy and then my ankle started hurting. I slowed way down. Each mile was slower and slower. The last mile I ran at at about an 11+ minute mile.

I am guessing 100 people passed me in those last few miles. I was beat. I have had this happen to me before on a 20 mile training run and it was because I didn't have enough to eat. I began eating fruit at the tent and drinking gatorade like mad. My legs were hurting pretty bad in the calves. I finished in 2:08+. This was at least 9 minutes slower than last year! Every race this year I had run faster than the year before. Not now. I've got to figure out what happened. Here's the facts as I know them.

• I was sick with a bad cold for about 10 days about 2 weeks before the race.
• I ran 15 miles two weeks before the race and 11.25 one week before the race. Both runs became uncomfortable after about mile 13 and 10 respectively. I really hadn't run long for a month or more.
• It was a few degrees hotter this year.
  
• I had lost a pound or so over the past week. I had been moderately dieting.
• I didn't eat much dinner the night before. A small bowl of spaghetti and a bowl of ice cream.
• I didn't eat much breakfast, one piece of peanut butter toast and a blueberry muffin.
• I carried a gatoraid for 8 miles, sipping on it every mile or so. I had a small amount of water till mile 8 as well. After that I had one sometimes two cups of water or gatoraid about every couple miles.
• I worked pretty hard the day before around the house. I spread manure with a fork for about two hours, put up a basketball goal, split wood for a few minutes, raked dirt for a few minutes. I tried to drink water but may have not drank enough.
• Anyway these are the facts as I see them.
  

What I think I need to do to avoid this again.

• Eat and not diet! Especially a few days before the race.
• Drink water a few days before.
• Run long more!
• Try to avoid working hard around the house the day before a race!
• I should have at least eaten some gu gel during the race first at mile 5 and then at 10.
• I need to drink more water during the race. I think I dehydrated myself.

Sorry to complain on here but running is not always about getting faster or having great runs. It hurts and it takes alot out of you. This is really a training run for me in my march to the Marine Corp Marathon. I honestly am still proud that I finished and just wait till next year. I will have a plan. Dad ended up having a good run and set a PR of 35:29 for the 5K!

Don't Look Back

I was sitting in Sunday School and the teacher asked "Mark when you run in your races do you ever look back?" My response was "I try not to". His point was that God doesn't want us to look back at our past sin but that he wants us to look forward and run the long race of our lives. We are to ask God for forgiveness but continue to grow spiritually in his love. We are not perfect and never will be but God wants us to run the race with our head forward and our eyes focused on the goal.

I started thinking about my response, do I ever really look back in a race? The answer is I occasionally do but it is usually to see if anyone is trying to make a move on me right at the finish line. Sometimes I will pick out someone to "chase" but this is difficult because it is hard to find someone running the exact speed to push you yet not wear you out. Otherwise, whether it is correct or not, I view each race as one against myself. Trying to push my body and overcome the pain whether it is breathing and gasping for air in a short race or fighting off the muscle pain in your legs in a long run. In a race, I am running to see what I can do. How fast can I go and still make it. It is a fine line because you have to juggle the distance with your speed so you don't end up walking the last few miles. When you are running against yourself it does no good to look back.

Umm maybe I made a mistake

Here it is Tuesday morning and I still feel bad. Not so bad I can't sit at the computer and do work but bad enough that I can't really get up and move around much without feeling woozy. Evidently I pushed myself too hard once I got the cold. I've been pretty sick since Saturday evening and I look awful. I don't even feel like running 50 yards much less a mile. Looks like Mark will be taking a week off from running. I'm going to the doctor today to try and get some relief from this. Only a few weeks till Charleston 15 miler I hope I can rebound well.

Feeling better this morning!

Even though I was sick yesterday morning with a cold, I managed to eek out 4 miles. Afterwards, I felt ok. We went to Myrtle Waves Water Park and had a great time. I started feeling better sometime after lunch. This morning I biked 4 miles and then ran 6. The transition was not too hard but I hadn't biked very far. Contrary to what you may think, the beach is hard to run on. The sand and the constant slope of the beach make for difficult running. Throw in the fact that when you are running north the sun beats you in the face and makes you hot. Then when you turn around and run south about a 10-15 mph wind hits you in the face constantly and never lets up. I'm ready to get back to the hills and the hollers!

Sick!

Ugh! I caught a cold yesterday evening. It took all I had to get up and run this morning. I was going to do 7 but had to settle for 3. I actually felt pretty good after I got about a mile into it but it was so hard to get going. It was so hot I really felt like I was melting. The sweat was dripping so fast I couldn't keep my sunglasses dry. There are always several people running on the beach. I usually see about 10 in my morning run. I ended up running with a 47 year old lady from Roanoke the last mile or so. She, like me, had decided enough was enough a year ago and took up running to help with her weight loss. Tomorrow we are supposed to go to the water park. I am sitting here in the camper blowing my nose and clearing my throat constantly. This is not fun!

Update from the Beach!

(On a mission.... to get to the beach!)

Well It's day 3 of our beach adventure. Day 1 was spent traveling down, about a 9 hour camper pull. Day 2, let the triathlon/marathon training begin. I wore myself plumb out... it was my day for a long run so I ran 12.5 miles... mostly in the sand... yikes! by mile 11 I was begging for mercy. I started about 6:30am but by 7am it was really really getting hot. I'm sure it was already approaching 90 or hotter as I finished about 8:30am. The sand was really tough too. There's a big difference running in the sand. I ran on the wetter harder sand but still, whew, it was tough!

I recovered from the run though in about an hour and it was time for the ocean. This was my first time wearing swim goggles. Man do they make a difference. I am so much more relaxed with the goggles on. I can swim much further with them on. It sounds silly but it is true. I don't have to wipe my eyes every time I come out of the water to see where my girls are at. The first wave I road though ripped my goggles right off my head into the ocean and they were gone. I got out of the water and said we have to go get me another set of goggles now! So we went to one of the million beach shops and I got a pair of performance speedos. Bring on Summit Lake!

I swam with them in the pool and I could swim and swim. I'm not saying I'm ready for 1/2 mile or even a 1/4 mile but the goggles really helped me swim farther. Later in the evening (yes this is still day 2) we went back to the ocean and I did some swimming there as well. I was trying to swim about 1/10 of a mile up the beach against the wind/current. I got out past the breakers and started swimming. I swam and I swam and I swam and then I stopped. I had swam for maybe 2 or 3 minutes. I was right where I started! So then I tried a little harder and made a little progress. I ended up swimming some more and tried swimming with the wind and current and that of course was much easier.

Day 3 I let Audrey have the premium running time of 6:30-7am while I stayed with the kids. When she got back after about 30-40 minutes. I ran 3 miles. One mile of warmup and then two at about a 7:30ish pace in the sand. That was tough. Man was it hot. By noon today one of the bank thermometers said 101 F. We're having a good time and are getting ready to head back to the water now. I plan to do more running of course and a couple days I'm going to throw in a short ocean swim with a bike ride followed by a run. I'm going for it all!

Apology to readers

To all you who have read this blog from time to time, I apologize that I have not kept this blog up. I have wanted to blog, I have a lot to blog about I just haven't gotten around to it. I've had some great races this summer. Look for more to come soon. I want to start blogging once a week in this blog but we shall see. I'm getting ready for the Charleston Distance Run in September and the Marine Corps Marathon in October.

Achieving the real goal - Beat the Heat 5k

I have been running for almost 5 years now. In the last 3 I have become more serious about it. Sure my goal was to run a marathon but I've always had another goal. It is not a well defined goal but the goal is to get as many people in my family and even friends involved in some sort of physical activity. Hopefully running of course. Well over the past months I finally started to make progress on this goal. It all started with my cousin Christi and her husband Brian deciding they wanted to run a 5k and get "in shape". They invited me to come to NC and run it with them. The "Beat the Heat 5K" in Winston Salem, NC. This sparked my dad and my wife to begin training for it as well. They both trained for the race. Fortunately the race also included a mile kids run which caused my oldest daughter to start training for that as well. My youngest daughter wanted to run in it too so it became a family affair.


I cannot express the joy it gave me to have all my family with me at a race and most of them running in it! I think they were all really proud of their accomplishment as well. I ran the kids race with my youngest daughter and she ran her guts out. She had to walk some of it but she would run with all her might and then get tired and walk. It's hard to teach a 5 year old to pace themself. My oldest daughter ran really well running the mile in a little over 9 minutes. They both recieved finishing ribbons and they were proud of their accomplishment.
It was a great time and I hope I can keep everyone motivated. Running is not for everyone. It is tough on the body. It can be boring, hot, and lonely. I just feel like a got a tiny bit closer to reaching my goal of getting everyone motivated.

Richwood Scenic Mountain Triathlon 2007

July8th 2007
"Beeeeeeep.... Beep" The sound almost didn't register in my brain. K2 had said "I'll blow my bike horn when I hit the top of the mountain just before the visitor center". That means he's here! He arrived a little earlier than I thought. "We must be doing pretty good I thought". In just a few seconds he appeared on his black mountain bike amongst a couple other road bikes. He slowed to a stop and I yanked the little black wrist band off his wrist slipped it on mine and took off running up the road "like I'd stolen something". I looked down at my GPS and it said I was doing about a 5:45 minute mile. "Whoa Mark" I thought. That is too fast... slow it down. I had been anticipating this 6.2 mile run for months...

(Team Cranberry Rock Pre-Race Jitters)

The Richwood Scenic Triathlon consists of a 0.5 mile swim in the picturesque Summit Lake, a 17.1 mile grueling bicycle ride, and an out-and-back 6.2 (10k) road race. The swim is across the lake and back at the large end of the lake. A rope lined with floating noodles is used to mark the course. Swimmers swim out to the end of the rope and then head back to the start.

(K1 Finishes the Swim!)

The bike ride includes about a 2.5 mile "drop" from summit lake down to the main road (39). The road is a twisty narrow two lane road with several road bike killing pot holes. After that riders turn onto the main road and are treated with almost 14 miles of uphill riding that is capped off with a 9% climb to the top of Kennison Mountain for a total climb of almost 1000 feet.

( A long and grueling uphill ride)

The final section is a slight drop down to the Cranberry Mountain Visitor Center. The run leaves the visitor center and heads for the Cranberry Glades. Most of the run is on pavement the rest is on gravel. From the visitor center, runners drop about 300 feet in 3.1 miles and then have to climb back out for the finish. This race is held near the Cranberry Wilderness, my favorite getaway on earth.

(Touring the Cranberry Glades)

We were competing in this event as a team. Our team name if you can believe it was "Cranberry Rock". Most of the folks were doing it solo. There were about 200 competitors in this event.
I've run in several races now and let me tell you... these triathletes are in shape! Not that runners aren't "in shape" but triathletes work the upper body as well so they have that lean muscular look all over. Hard core runners tend to just be skinny with muscular legs.

(Lining up for the swim start)

We had camped at Summit Lake for a couple days prior to the race. We fished for trout in the Cranberry River and I even fished for native trout in one of its tributaries the Dogway Fork. We had quite of fishing party as my dad and my friend Joe (see Great Greenbrier River Race blog entry in April). On the second day we took it easy and fished in Summit Lake from the boat went sight seeing around the area and went to the race registration dinner.

(K1 with his first two trout)

(One of the three falls of Hills Creek)

(Hills Creek)

My team consisted of two Kevins. Each "specialists" in there field of swimming and biking. At work I call them KT and KA but somehow on this trip we had to interact with my Dad and our race buddies Kenny and Manon and their abbreviations became K1 and K2 respectively. We had been committed to this race for a couple months and the our excitement about the race was ready to explode. We had all trained moderately for the event and were very confident about our abilities. Although we were hoping K1 would not drown in the 1/2 mile swim and K2 would not crash at the bottom of the Summit Lake hill when he had to make the sharp turn onto the main road. He goes downhill like a madman, trust me I've eaten his dust.

(Racing Friends: Manon and Kenny)

Back to the race... After the handoff, I got myself under control and headed down the Cranberry Glades road at a sub 7 minute pace. I began looking for 700 numbers. Our number was 732. Numbers starting with 7 were Male teams... our competition. I counted them as they would pass by going the other way. I saw one early into the race and then a second. About a 1/4 mile before the 3.1 mile turnaround I saw a third. I thought "Man we got 4th... I can't catch that guy no way!". I hit the turn around point at just over 22 minutes which was behind schedule for me. I was resolved we were getting 4th. I pushed along and tried to keep my pace strong. I was starting to climb hills. The air was dry and great but the heat of the sun was beating down hard. I sought the shade along the edges of the road.

(Ah Summit Lake....)

With about two miles to go, I looked out a head and.... there was the guy in the yellow shirt... the third place guy! He was in sight. I had made up some considerable ground on him. I thought "Hey, I can catch this guy". There were plenty of hills left. With about a mile to go there was one of the steeper climbs. I caught him and passed him smoothly. Now I thought "I got to stay ahead of this guy". I made it to the top of the hill before the finish, the same one K2 had blown the horn from. I looked back, he was back there about 200 yards. I relaxed. The finish was great. I cruised through the grass and under the banner.

It was over. We had done it. We got 3rd place in the male teams a medal to boot. Our time was around 2 hours and 6 minutes. The solo guy that won took about an hour and a half. The winning team came in around 1 hour and 40 minutes. We were beat by a team of women over 50 years old. We were 8th out of 14th teams. Now we are totally hooked...

I could write for hours about all this but let me just say this race was special to me because of the friends, the trout fishing, the food (K1 is a great cook), and the Cranberry Backcountry. Thank you Dad for all the memories from this place...

(8 miles from nowhere on Cranberry River: Dad and I camped in a tent and fished many times)