Catch up time

Since my last post a week ago, I've logged 37 miles. Most of that has been in below freezing temps, and I still am quite encouraged at the will power I have had to make myself get out and go run in what seems like insanely cold temps. I swear, while I have not yet skipped a run due to the cold, every single one is a battle that is fought in the warmth of my home. The hardest thing about running in cold weather is simply convincing yourself that you can do it. Each time once I've gotten out there, it is never as bad as my mind had told me that it was going to be. I felt like I needed to log this factoid today as a reminder to myself that it really never is as bad as you think it is going to be. 20 degrees with a wind chill of 0? Today I wore just my regular running socks (only 1 pair), a pair of sweat pants, a base-layer shirt, a long-sleeve tech shirt, my running jacket with a hood, scarf around my neck, 2 pairs of gloves (one pair I took off just over a mile in the run), ear muffs, and a hat. Other than the scarf, which I have never worn before, and the extra pair of gloves (that I do wear from time to time when it is really cold), I didn't have to add anything else out of the ordinary, and I really was not all that cold. Truthfully, I felt more cold when I got out of bed this morning.

OK - to the running part ... last Wednesday I just did a simple 5-mile run with a 9:14 per mile pace. After an incredibly stressful Thursday, I was able to take out anger and frustration over 18 miles on Friday. Friday's run took me 2:58, which is an average of 9:54 per mile. When I say that running is my escape, Friday was a perfect example of what that means to me. For the first 2 hours, I was able to be completely focused on the things that had been frustrating me, and I was able to just cleanse them from my system. I felt great - mentally, emotionally, and physically, for the last hour of the run. I'll be honest, I was glad that it wasn't any longer of a run, but I still felt pretty darn good.

This week I've already run 14 miles - 7 easy miles at a 9:14 pace, and then today I had speed work. My training plan today called for me to do 1 warm up mile, and then do 3x1600m at 8:27 pace, with an 800m jog in between, and then at least another mile for cool down. I did the first 1600 in 8:15, the second in 8:12, and the third in 8:07. Let me just say that I do not like speed work. But I also realize how much it helps make me a stronger runner. Tomorrow my training plan calls for 6 miles nice and easy. After today, I'm almost looking forward to that. For now. Until I hear the forecast for tomorrow morning.

The Difference a Year Makes

I just completed my second run of the week in 20-something degree weather. I've got to admit I feel a tremendous amount of pride and satisfaction that I have done that, and it's not because I have some weird ego-thing about doing crazy stuff. Last year when I was training for the Disney Marathon, on mornings like this I would have waited until the late afternoon to go for my run, justifying that there was no need to subject myself to freezing temperatures. I rationalized that it would not be that cold in Orlando in January, and so there was no need to make myself miserable on a frozen run. But if you have followed this blog at all, then you know that the Disney Marathon of 2010 went down as one of the coldest ever, with the temps at the start around 26 degrees, and it never got above freezing during the duration of the race. I was so unprepared to run in weather like that, and I think that my lack of preparation for something like that led to it being an even more difficult experience.

This year, I have steeled myself to the possibility that it just might be cold in Myrtle Beach in February. In fact, last year the Myrtle Beach Marathon was cancelled due to snow and ice. I am going to be ready for whatever, and I am going to do my absolute best to run in whatever conditions I find each morning I am scheduled to run. So far, I am actually learning what to wear in weather like this - what is comfortable, what is too cool, what is too hot. It is not "fun" to experiment on mornings like this, but I think in the end it will truly pay off.

Yesterday I ran 7 miles at a nice slow pace. Because some businesses have an automated sprinkler system, several places I had to be careful as I ran on the ice-covered sidewalk. I do plan on notifying the 3 businesses in particular of the hazard they are creating by having those things run on nights/mornings when it is so cold and freezing over the public sidewalk. They can blow me off if they want - then I'll just call the City Manager. He can blow me off too - then I'll just call my attorney - who I happen to call my wife.

Today I ran my intervals again. I am learning to truly hate intervals. But as I heard on one of the lines of a Relient K song today, "When the burden feels too much to bear, just remember the end will justify the pain it took to get us there." For my info, I did 4 full laps hard/slow, 2 half laps hard/slow, and hill sprint.

Re-tired run

Thursday morning I went for my "light" recovery run of 5 miles, and I still could feel the "dead legs." I could blame it on many things, but I truly believe the biggest thing is the lack of rest lately. Just been too busy, and not getting to bed early enough each night, and I'm not giving my body the time it needs to heal. As you probably know, when you sleep, your body heals. More sleep = more recovery. If you have ever had plantar fasciitis, then you have experienced the healing that occurs overnight. The tissue in your arch heals as you sleep, but you sleep with your feet pointed down (pay attention to that), so when you get up in the morning and take that first step out of bed, the tissue in your arch stretches again as you put weight on it, and some of the healing that took place overnight is undone, and you feel the pain in those first few steps. Anyway, long story short, I don't have any injuries (right now), but I still can tell I need more rest.

Speaking of lack of rest, yesterday I had 16 miles on my training plan. I knew that at 9:00 AM, I had to be on base for a friend's retirement ceremony, so I had to get up early so that I could get those 16 miles done, get back, eat, shower, and get on base. I actually felt pretty good on this run - something about running in the early morning with the moon and stars still in the sky is a great start to the day. I don't have a lot to say about this run, but I really did have to hustle for the last few miles to be able to get to the ceremony on time - and yes, I cut it extremely close. 16 miles with a couple of bathroom breaks - 9:44 per mile average.

Dead Legs

After my 7 mile run last Wednesday, I thought it was going to be nice to give my legs a few days of rest from running. How'd that work out for me, as we walked mile after mile at Disney World Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and then sit in the car for hour after hour on Sunday? Not. Too. Good. Ah - It really wasn't that bad, but after a 7 mile run on Monday morning, I could tell my legs felt "heavy." It certainly wasn't from eating too much over Thanksgiving - I think that is impossible to do at Disney - it'd cost an arm and a leg to eat too much! Though my legs did feel heavy, it still really felt great to get out and actually run Monday morning. It really wasn't even all that hard to get myself up and out the door - I guess my legs wanted to be free after all the time that we spent in the car on Sunday.

Yesterday was my interval training day, and so I ran down to the park and did my laps. When I look at my time, I can see that I am progressing, and I think that I can feel that I am progressing. But I was very conscious of the feeling that my legs were just "dead." I can understand why they felt that way, and looking back, maybe I should not have run intervals yesterday. But I was able to justify it because I knew that I would not be running today. So when it was time to hit the hard run part of the intervals, I really hit it. And though I wanted to cut some of those intervals short, I pushed through them. And though I wanted to walk some of the recovery jogs, I pushed through those too. This week I ran the following intervals:
Lap - 3 hard/3 light
1/2 lap - 2 hard/2 light
1/4 lap - 2 hard/2 light
Hill - sprint

I did it all, and my average pace (between the hard and light running) was 8:40 for a total of 5 miles.

As a side note, I also booked my room for the Myrtle Beach Bi-Lo Marathon in February! Starting to feel real! It also was still neat to visit Disney World last weekend. Throughout the parks, I was reminded of the marathon and running through certain parts, and even as we rode the Disney buses from one place to another, I was reminded of some of those painful stretches. Still, it actually made me more excited about the MB Marathon, and it reassured me that I definitely want to run Disney again in the future - just not when it's 26 degrees!

7 miles of Thanksgiving

As we prepare to head out of town for Thanksgiving, and relieved that my training plan does not call for a long run this week, I went out for my last run of the week this morning planning on doing 6 miles. I just have to say that today was one of the most delightful runs I have ever had. The weather was perfect, and the scenery was gorgeous - at times it appeared like it was raining leaves as the wind blew them off of the trees. I ran downtown, and saw my favorite homeless guy - who once again cheered me on. I ran past kids waiting for the bus, and a couple of little kids started acting like they were chasing me, and of course, I played along. Absolutely just an amazing morning, and the run felt great. I ended up doing 7 miles, with an average pace of 9:01.

I also wore a new pair of shoes today. I've had 3 pairs of Asics Kayano 15s. I loved the first pair so much that when they wore out, I bought the exact same shoe - and it was a bonus because by then the Kayano 16s had come out, so the 15s were on closeout. Since the prices had dropped so much, I went ahead a week or so later and bought another pair, and that way I could cycle my shoes. I had read that it is a good thing to do to rotate your shoes if you run on back to back days, so that is what I've been doing for months. But I began to realize that one of the pairs was really starting to wear down, so I went back to Omega Sports, and low and behold they had the Ascics Kayano 16s on closeout clearance, because the Kayano 17s are now out. I tried them on, and loved them - so I bought them. I plan on heading back in a week or 2 to get another pair of 16s so that I can keep this rotation thing going. The shoes felt great - cushioning was perfect, and the support exactly that I need. Highly recommend them if you need stability control shoes.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Gutsy Run

Saturday while Aaron had soccer practice, Jacob and I were out on the field just kicking the soccer ball around. Having just run 14 miles the day before, I must admit that my legs were feeling a little heavy, so just running around a little bit and kicking the ball didn't feel the best, but I knew it was good for me. At some point as we were just kicking it, one of us (me) challenged the other to race the length of the field. I have no idea why one of us had that idea, but once the challenge was issued, there was no backing down. Fully anticipating my speedy son to completely destroy me, I even let him do the count - "ready . . . set . . ." I think he was expecting that I was going to cheat (as most Dad's do) on the start, so I fully let him say "go" and once I saw him running, I started as fast as I could. I could not believe that I quickly took the lead, and as I lengthened my stride I began to pull away even more. By the time we got to the end, I was able to let up and cruise to the end. Jacob could not believe that his old man had just beaten him, and I was in some shock about it myself. It's not like he's a little kid anymore - the kid is a speedy almost-13-year-old who plays soccer year round with a travel soccer club. I've marveled at his speed on the soccer pitch, as he would track down another player from behind to break up a breakaway. And I just beat him in a flat out sprint. That showed me how much I have grown as a runner, because I could not do that last year.

All that being said, I paid for that sprint. I could feel it in my thighs Sunday and yesterday, and I could still feel it today. Yesterday I did run a nice, easy 6 miles, and it definitely helped break up that soreness. It was so neat how the stiffness that I felt at the beginning of the run faded, and how I got so much stronger and looser by the end. Today was my day for interval training, and I was actually looking forward to it after my "race" on Saturday. I pushed it really hard in my intervals. For my intervals, I run at a local park, there is a lap that is a little more than 400M. I ran a hard lap, then jogged a lap, and then repeated those 2. I think broke up the lap, and would run hard a half-lap, followed by the jog. Lastly, I quartered the lap, followed by a quarter jog. For my own records, I ran 2 full, 2 half, 4 quarters, and sprinted up the hill out of the park. Add in the warm up and cool down, it was 5.1 miles, and even factoring in the slow jogs after the hard intervals, my average pace was 8:45. One more run tomorrow, and then we head South.

What drives you?

I've got to admit that while I say that I enjoy running, there are times that I don't. I mean, what kind of sane person could actually look forward to punishing their body for a few hours, so much so that you will feel the effects for a couple of days? I've built up my base mileage now so that a normal, slow-paced run will not bother me too much - but I still dread the long runs. Recognize that "long run" is a relative term. This week my long run was 14 miles; last week it was 12. Today, if I had had to run only 12 miles, then it would not have seemed as long as it did last week (though I have to admit - it didn't really feel that long last week). In a couple of weeks, my long run will be 16 (next week scales back a bit, and that couldn't be better news considering we're going to Disney for Thanksgiving). As the mileage keeps building as I prepare for the marathon, I tend to dread that long run - no matter the distance. Presently I don't have a training partner for those long runs (anyone interested? Taking applications . . .), so spending a couple of hours by myself sometimes gets to be tedious, and dare I say boring? As much as I love music, there are some songs that just will not inspire you to keep going when all you want to do is stop, sit down, and wait for someone to ask you if you need help, to which you would reply, "Yes - umm, I think I pulled something and I need a ride home, please."

So today as I was slowly trudging along at a nice slow 9:30 per mile pace, I began to really wonder what pushes me to do this to myself. Some of it without a doubt is to maintain good health. I celebrated last week having to buy some new pants in a size that I haven't come close to fitting in since college But I can assure you that my waist size is not the thing that drives me to run. Sometimes the thing that drives me to run is that it really is a neat time to commune with God. Spend hours alone (relatively, considering all the traffic driving around) in the beauty of His creation, it definitely is a refreshing feeling to draw so close to Him. But frankly, I can do that in the quiet of my backyard, so that's not what drives me to run.

I think I finally boiled it down to two things that actually drive me to run. One, it proves to me that all things ARE possible through God. Sometimes I will set out on a run with a defeatist mentality, telling myself from the start that there is no way that I would be able to run the alloted distance for that day considering how I feel, but in the end when I finish it I know that I didn't do it on my strength alone. I swear, when I finished my first half-marathon I felt like there was nothing in the world that I could not do! I had just run 13.1 miles, and if I could do that, I could do anything. Later when I ran the marathon, as miserable as I felt physically, I was an emotional wreck! I was doing everything I possibly could to hold back the tears because of the amazement and joy at what I had just done. Running for me allows me to push the limits of what I can do, and it teaches me to lean into the everlasting arms to meet what He can do.

The second thing that drives me to run is other people - people that inspire me, and people that I hope that I inspire. I used to run back in high school and some in college, but I gave it up years ago. But then a couple of years ago I was talking with a friend from high school who had become a runner, and I was so inspired by the tales of their marathons that I just had to start running again. Next thing you know, my boys wanted to run a 5K with me. Next thing you know, other friends start running. Next thing you know, I feel like I can't let down those who inspire me, and who I hope to inspire. Today, honestly, it was this second motivation that got me through my run.

I just knew that this was not going to be a great run - sometimes you can just feel it in your gut . . . literally. I truthfully wanted to quit around mile 5, but as I was running on the sidewalks of downtown Goldsboro, I encountered this homeless guy that always cheers me on. This guy is so down on his luck, but as I approached him and said "good morning," he got excited and smiled and said, "He went that way!" As I started laughing, he kept that great smile and said, "You're doing great - keep going!" It gave me chills - and no, it wasn't just the cold temps. It was just awesome how he inspired me. Later, when I starting feeling like crap again, I really just wanted to cut the run short, but then I got to thinking about my friend Doug, who last weekend completed his first marathon at the OBX Marathon. Doug had an injury flare up between mile 3 and 4, and he would not give up and he pressed on to complete the full 26.2. I got to thinking about Doug on my run when I wanted to quit, and I thought, "what excuse do I really have to quit now? If Doug kept moving, then so will I!" Funny thing is that by the time I finished, I really didn't feel that bad. I don't think I would have wanted to run another mile or two, and certainly not 12 more today, but I realized that because I had been inspired by these two guys from polar opposite worlds, I was able to push myself beyond what I thought I could do. That drives me.

Long story short - 14 miles in the bank. Average pace was 9:43, which includes a bathroom break that slowed my time (funny how much a 2 minute stop can impact your average time). 29.3 miles for the week. It's about time to get a new pair of shoes.

Long time, no post . . . but still running

As I was recently reminded by one of the 3 faithful followers of this blog (thanks David!), I haven't posted on my training lately. I am officially in the training mode for my next marathon - Myrtle Beach Marathon, which is February 19, 2011. What is pretty awesome is that right now, my long runs don't seem so long! 12 miles this past Friday really wasn't bad at all, maybe because it was only a few weeks ago that I ran the half-marathon. Right now my training consists of a nice, slow steady run of medium distance on Monday, Interval training on Tuesday, Day off on Wednesday, Light run on Thursday, and Long run on Friday. This Friday I am scheduled to do 14 miles, and I feel ready for it. I'll get back to giving more info in the coming days, but yes David, I am still running ;-)

"Snot" a great run, but "snot" bad

Fall is truly a beautiful time of the year. There is so much to love about fall - the cooler temps, the changing and falling leaves, etc. However one thing to not love about Fall is ragweed - that unseen toxin in the air that affects so many of us. This past Sunday in worship, so many times all you could hear was the sniffles - and that was before I started losing it while confirming my two sons. The ladies that give me my allergy shots tell me that ragweed will be strong until we get our first good frost - so here's to praying for a nice frost this weekend.

This morning as I went for my run, I knew that the temps were going to be cooler today than they had been over the past few days where it felt like it was July again. Not only did it feel cooler, but the wind was really whipping, and I found myself longing for a long sleeved shirt - not just because I was cold, but so that I could use the sleeves to wipe my nose! Yes, I know that is gross and something that I used to tell my kids not to do, but when you are 3-4 miles away from home and do not have a tissue, do you have a better solution? You trying blowing a snot rocket! Adding to the snot issue, the wind was blowing so hard it was causing my eyes to water so bad I truly had to look like a site - snot dripping and tears rolling. Oh, but it gets better. Around mile 3, the snot really started to drain down the back of my throat (I apologize if this is grossing you out - it's really supposed to be a reminder to me, so if it offends, please feel free to skip this part). The snot going down the back of my throat allowed me to work in a little ab work - gagging and running are all well and good when done separately, but together they just don't mix. Once I got that out of my system (literally), things actually improved a bit. I seemed to be able to breathe easier, and I seemed to finally settle into a comfortable pace.

I was reminded in my running today that when I am trying to set a pace to begin my run, I have got to take into account how cool it feels, or how cold I am. If I am cold, I have a tendency to run a little (or a lot) faster than what I want. That was the case today - I intended to run a nice, slow pace somewhere around 9:30-10:00 per mile. Instead, my first 3 miles where closer to 8:30. I ran a total of 8 miles, and never got to my goal pace for the run, instead I averaged a 9:06 pace. Since I'm really not training for the marathon yet, that really was faster than what I wanted. I felt like I was going slow at first - yet I kept trying to slow myself down. The problem was when I slowed down it felt like I was almost walking. That's what the cold does to me. It may not do that to you, but when I feel cold like that (especially running into the wind), I just pump those legs trying to warm up. Anyway, considering everything, it's still snot a bad run.

Maintaining Momentum

Yesterday I had the "wonderful" opportunity to attend a district minister's meeting, and the topic of the meeting was "Clergy health." This has been a significant topic in the past year or so, as Duke has done studies and projects to determine the health status of today's clergy (which is not good), and how that might be improved. My district was one of 2 districts chosen as a "test" group to participate in the Clergy Health Initiative, which involved a lot of medical tests, programs, and follow up that the Duke endowment would pay for. I chose to not participate in the first program. At that time, I was training for my first marathon, and I felt like I was doing what I needed to be doing to get to a good point of health in my life. I felt like that was confirmed at the meeting yesterday, because though so many of the other pastors actually did participate in the program, and I think many assumed that I had participated as well, I still feel like I'm one of the few ministers in the district that could walk a mile (let alone actually run one) and still have the energy to keep going. Many of my colleagues commented on how much weight I've lost and how "fit" I looked. Hearing such things does actually bloat your ego a bit.

Since I began running a couple of years ago, I actually have lost quite a few pounds. I'm lighter now than what I was when I got married 17 years ago. Shoot - last year for the marathon I was hoping to be able to run it weighing around 175, but I could never get there consistently. Now, without really even trying to lose weight, but instead trying to just eat healthy, I'm under 170. I'm in need of new pants - most are about to fall off. I'm in need of new shirts - I feel like I'm wearing a tent sometimes. So considering all of that, I feel like my health is pretty good.

But that doesn't mean any of this is easy. Yesterday at the meeting, one colleague said that I was "such an inspiration" to him, because I just get up and go run and exercise, and that he just can't get himself to do it. I've thought about that a bit - especially today when I really tried to convince myself that I really didn't need to go run. Almost every single time I lace up my shoes to go run I have an argument with myself. Those "love/hate relationship with running" commercials are so true - I love it, and yet I also hate it. Sometimes it is awesome; sometimes (like today) it really stinks. So I consciously fight that battle every single time I go run. We all could just say that we just can't do something, but the truth is that we can actually do whatever we set our minds to do. It may not be easy, but it can be done. It just takes that first decision, and the conscious act of taking that first step. Today I so wanted to go back to bed instead of running. I justified how I was in great shape, and the marathon is still months away. I justified how I really didn't sleep well last night, and thus I needed more sleep. I justified that since my allergies are really bothering me that running outside might make them worse. I justified that since it felt like a July morning in the muggy humidity and 76 degree morning air, then I could just skip it. However, all of those justifications went away when I was reminded of the heavy heart I feel over the death of 2 ministry colleagues who were both under 50. The deaths of the Rev. Todd Krueger and the Rev. Mack McMillan have really shaken me to the core, and right now they both have been an inspiration for me to get out and run this week - not to avoid my own death, but to ensure the fullness of the life that I do have. So today, I laced them up again - just like on Monday - and out I went to run 5 miles. It was not easy; in fact today's run was NEVER comfortable (in fact, as I sit here typing at lunch, I still feel the drain from the run). But in my soul, I know it was good for me. And so I feel like today I've won the battle again - I've maintained the momentum that I began when I first began running. That's a battle that I fight each week; and it's a battle I chose to win.

Neuse River Bridge Run Half Marathon Report

After a week where I had serious doubts about my ability to run in the race, Saturday really was a great race! I have only run one other half marathon, and that was in November of 2008. Back then I was REALLY running hard - so hard that in the months following that race I was found to have not one but two stress fractures. My time back then was 1:59, which I was very excited about. Flash forward to 2010, and I knew that I had not been running as hard I had been for the first half, but I also knew that I was in better overall condition. I knew that I was better at pacing, and I knew that I had learned to enjoy running even more than before. That being said, I had expectations that I would finish somewhere around 2:15.

Saturday morning I got up around 4:20. I knew that I had to be at the race site no later than 6:30, and it would take me a little over an hour to get there, so I wanted to make sure I gave myself enough time. I got up, ate some oatmeal and had a cup of coffee, and off I went. It is amazing how if I had been up early any other day of the week, I would have been a complete zombie. But instead, I was alive, ready, and excited! I had no problems getting to the park in downtown New Bern where the race was to start, but I was stressing a little about the time at the registration table. One complaint I would have about this race was that they had one table set up with 3 lines - one for the half, one for the 10K, and one for the 5K. The half was to start at 7, the 10K 30 minutes later, and the 5K 30 minutes after that. Anyway, long story short, the line to pick up my race packet was quite long, and yet people were walking up to another table where you could sign up if you had not already registered, and those people were getting their packets while we stood in line for quite a while. Finally by the time I did get my packet, I had just enough time to run back to my car to drop off my sweats and the packet, put on my race number, and run back to the start. All in all, I guess that worked out OK because then I didn't have to stand around too long in the cool morning air, and I got a decent little warm up run to boot!

It was a great crowd before the start. People just milling about, encouraging one another. People would say, "The start is a little closer up there - you might want to move that way if you are concerned about your time." I guess they looked at me and knew right away that I was a speed demon - not! It was great to see all the different race t-shirts that people wore - I even saw a couple who had competed the week before at the Kona Iron Man Championships, and here they were now running in a little half-marathon in New Bern. I thought that was pretty cool. Once the horn went off signifying the start of the race, I got to hear one of those neat "race day" sounds - the sounds of hundreds of runners hitting their watch/gps. We began by running past the park and out onto the first bridge. Running over a bridge as the sun is coming up is a beautiful thing. Runner after runner commented on the beauty of it all.

I wanted to run this race with great caution. I really just wanted to enjoy it, especially since 48 hours before I was at the doctor and seriously doubting I would be able to run. I knew that as long as I ran a smoothly then I would be able to come in under 2:15 with no problem. I just wanted to start slow, and if about mid-way through the race I felt good, then maybe I would pick up the pace to the finish. I started talking with a couple of runners, and quickly became friends with a guy who as chance would have it, was a great United Methodist who happened to be an attorney. Turned out we knew many of the same ministers, and he was even familiar with my wife's law firm, having dealt with them once before. Scott told me that if I wanted to finish quick, then I could just leave him behind because he was planning on finishing around 2:30. But running together really seemed to help both of us, as the pace was really quite comfortable - maybe a little slower than I had planned, and a little faster than he had planned. I walked through the water stops to make sure I drank more than I spilled, and he would do the same. For a good 6 miles, we really lifted each other up. At the mile 6 water stop, I realized my time was well within my goal, but I also realized I felt amazing and was ready to pick up the pace. With that, I took off, and only saw Scott again when he finished the race.

The next 7 miles were fantastic. I was running with a purpose, and truly did not feel like I had already run 6 before. Below I have listed my mile splits, and you will see it was a different race. I did not once use the Ipod I had in my pocket - I just loved hearing the sounds of my feet and the sounds of the volunteers cheering us on. I made a point to say thank you to every single one of them who were out there, because I know they could not have been having much fun. I felt like I was constantly in a runner's high for those 7 miles. And another neat thing - after that mile 6 water stop, not a single runner passed me. One by one I tracked down another. Granted, the neat thing about running is that the only person I was really racing against was myself. Everyone comes into it running against themselves, and not the other runners. In the end, I think it's fair to say that I won.

My time for the race was 2:01:45. Considering I had thought it might be closer to 2:15, I was extremely happy. Considering I know that I could have easily beaten my PR had I picked it up a little earlier in the race, I was still extremely happy. Considering how enjoyable running 13.1 miles was, I was incredibly happy. Definitely a race I would recommend to anyone considering running a half (or 10K - or even 5K). Also learned a lot about myself and how to enjoy a run. Hopefully I will apply these lessons when I run my next full marathon in February.

Below are my splits for the race:
Mi 1 9:32.48
Mi 2 9:35.68
Mi 3 9:39.68
Mi 4 9:50.65
Mi 5 9:53.46
Mi 6 9:47.98
Mi 7 9:21.67
Mi 8 9:01.76
Mi 9 9:00.51
Mi 10 8:57.74
Mi 11 8:42.27
Mi 12 8:45.52
Mi 13 8:16.59

Final time = 2:01:45

Race day tomorrow!

I have been super busy lately and have not been able to report much, but I did run last week and this week on Monday. Had a few health issues crop up that required a couple of trips to the doctor - first Monday afternoon, and then again on Thursday - for 2 completely different issues. I won't go into details, but when I went to the doctor on Thursday, I honestly did not think I stood a chance of running in the Bridge Run Half-Marathon tomorrow in New Bern. I woke up early Thursday morning in a great deal of pain, feeling as if my left big toe was a balloon that was about to pop. I could not bear any weight at all on that toe, and it was in fact swollen a lot. Turns out that the antibiotic I started on Monday sometimes triggers a "severe arthritic condition," and my was presenting like gout. I've heard of gout, but it is usually with older people in my congregation. Now I know what they are going through, and it really is painful. The doctor did change up my meds, and put me on a steroid, and believe it or not I am pretty confident I will be able to run tomorrow. In just over 24 hours after beginning the steroid, I am already pain-free. Hopefully it will stay like that tomorrow. Should be a beautiful run, and I'll look forward to reporting on it! My goal time is anywhere under 2:15. My PR is 1:59, but I am not really thinking I'll be near that.

10-mile Run with the Fishes

Because of a complete deluge of rain over the past week, I have not run since last Wednesday. OK - we didn't actually start getting rain till Sunday, but I didn't run towards the end of last week to heal up a couple of minor aches and pains. And yes, technically I could have run in the rain, but I really didn't want to mess my shoes up. And yes, technically I could have run Tuesday because it was actually kind of nice on Tuesday, but . . . ok - all I've got is excuses. But the good news is that I ran today!

The kids had another 2-hour delay for school today, so I knew I was not going to run as early as I usually do, which was not going to be a problem since I take Friday as my day off. But once the kids left for school, I looked out and saw an all too familiar sight for this week - rain. However last night I finally signed up for the Neuse River Bridge Run half marathon , so I knew that I desperately needed to get in a decent long run this week. With the half-marathon only 2 weeks away, I knew that I needed to get in a good run - even if it was raining. So off I went, into the rain - hoping to not have to jump over too many puddles.

Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad. I really was able to avoid any significant puddles, and the rain was more like a drizzle for the first 30 minutes or so, and then it just faded away. I can't say that I even really felt all that wet. My shoes did get a little wet, but probably not as bad as when I run in 90 degree weather. As I approached downtown Goldsboro, I began to detect a different aroma. Now, mind you, the first part of my run I go past a Krispy Kreme, where they had the "hot and ready" sign lit. As I approached the area where I can sometimes smell the bread bakery, instead I began to detect the aroma of . . . fish? The closer I got, the stronger the smell became. Can I just say that when you are running, some aromas are better than others, and some should not be experienced. Today, the aroma of the fish was not helping me - though it wasn't nearly as bad as when the Disney marathon took us past the sewage treatment plant. The occasion for the fish smell was the annual fish fry for one of the civic organizations. How come annual fish fries seem to occur every other week? It's kind of like JCPenney and their "best sale of the year!" that happens every other week. Anyway . . .

Fortunately I was able to outrun the smell and logged 10 miles. I was really curious if I was going to be able to make it for 10 today - I can honestly say that I thought I was going to stop at 7 miles, but I was able to press on. While today running 13 miles would have been difficult, I do have the confidence that I can do it in a couple of weeks. So glad I was able to get out there and run! Instead of having to worry and doubt that I'd be able to do it, now I know I can make it happen. I don't think I'll be setting a PR (personal record), but I've only run one other half-marathon. However, that was a decent time for me - 1:59. Right now, I think I'd be pleased just to come in under 2:15. We'll just have to wait and see how it goes.

The first step is the hardest

Yesterday (Tuesday) I was unable to go out for my usual run. My current running schedule has me running a slow, easy run with decent miles on Monday, interval workout on Tuesday, rest day on Wednesday; slow, shorter run on Thursday; long run on Friday. That schedule was interrupted by having to switch up our car pool to get the kids to school, and so my Tuesday run was out of the question. Knowing that I wanted to make it up by running on Wednesday, I had all my stuff out this morning to make sure that I got the start that I needed. Alarm clock goes off - check. Get out of bed - check. Success so far! By the time I got the boys out of the house to go to school, however, I was not at all feeling like running. I did not sleep that well last night, and I knew that the BBQ that I had eaten the night before at the Men's group meeting had not settled very well, and I was not feeling up for the prospects of going out and doing intervals.

But I was completely reminded that the first step is usually the hardest one to take. That is the case for so many things in life. Asking my wife out on our first date was much harder than asking her to marry me. Going back to church the very first time after leaving the church was much harder than answering my call to the ministry. In that same way, the first step in running is usually the hardest one to take. Being reminded of that, I finished getting my shoes on and off I went to run a warm up mile, 2 miles of intervals, and then a cool down mile. I did not follow that plan. Instead, I did a warm up mile, 3 miles of intervals, and then a cool down mile. See - the first step was the hardest, and I took that step thinking I was only running 4 miles. But once I got started, I was able to go ahead and do another hard running mile.

If you are reading this and have been thinking about making some sort of change in life, let me reassure you that the first step is the most difficult, but it is one that you can make. You cannot know where that step will take you until you first take it. For me, that first step ultimately took me to running a marathon - something I never thought I would do. Where will that first step take you?

Monday's mugging

Monday was a tough day to get out and run. After my 9 miles on Friday, I went out and trimmed some bushes at the church since Sunday was Homecoming, and I wanted it to look nice. I spent about 3 hours out there working, and that was after my 9 mile run. I weighed myself after I was done with it all, and I weighed about 9 pounds less than my normal weight (I weighed in a 166, while I normally float around 175 - granted, I once got up to 225 . . . but that was before I started running). Saturday I was so tired and achy from using muscles I don't usually use, and I really felt like it took almost all weekend to get rehydrated. However, I was still able to get myself out the door and head out for 7 miles.

One of the nice things about running in the middle of the town is that there are sidewalks almost everywhere I run. One of the bad things about running in the middle of the town is that those sidewalks run alongside of streets, and on those streets are cars, trucks, and bicycles. Whenever I approach an intersection I have to take special care before I enter, because even if I have the right of way and I know other vehicles have stoplights, I also know they don't always pay attention to them. Monday as I was running I was approaching an intersection where there was a stop sign for the traffic that would be crossing in front of me. In other words, I had the right of way because there was no stop sign facing me. There was this dude on a bmx bicycle that was peddling just as fast as he could approaching the same intersection, and he had the stop sign facing him, so I knew that I was fine to proceed through the intersection. I know that the dude saw me, and I know that I saw him, but that idiot just peddled right past that stop sign and almost slammed right into me - encouraging me as he went past to "Get the &*^% out of the way!" I swear, if I wasn't a couple of miles from my house, and if I wasn't already so darn tired, I might would have picked up a rock or something and tossed it at the jerk. Ok - we all know that I wouldn't have, but I at least gave it a thought.

I just tell this to remind us all where ever we are to pay attention to our surroundings. If you are driving, please try to keep an eye out for pedestrians, cyclists, and other drivers. If you are running or walking, please try to keep an eye out for other pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. And if you are that dude riding the bmx bike, please get the &*^% out of my way next time.

Back to the run, 7.5 nice and easy miles. A good way to start a stressful week.

Asics, take me away!

Years ago there was a series of commercials that everyone knew about. Usually it was a woman who was having a stressful day with the kids and/or work, and when she would get home she would exclaim, "Calgon, take me away" and then she would take a bubble bath to escape from the realities of the day. I think we all need some form of escape from the realities of the world. Some people escape by playing golf; some escape by playing Farmville. I escape by running. Though I usually run at the start of the day, it seems to release whatever built up stress I have, and the day almost always seems to go better. Maybe the day goes better because I have started the day with a clean slate - getting rid of all my stress by pounding the pavement with my Asics. If I didn't realize how much running is my escape, Wednesday I was truly reminded. A rest day is a necessity for any physical activity. Rest allows your body to recover, and allows you muscles to strengthen so that you push harder and further. I knew I needed a rest day for my body on Wednesday, but I truly could feel the stress the rest of the day. That is not a bad thing - it just was a good reminder to me of one of the reasons that I run.

Thursday I did get back out and run, and I have to admit it was one of those runs that I would rather not had. 4 miles of drudgery. Did not want to do too much because I knew I planned on doing my long run on Friday, so I just slogged through the humidity of the day (when is Fall again?). I guess I felt better because I did it, but not at the time.

Monday's 7 miles was the longest run I have done since I ran the marathon on January 10. That is a long time. Today I ran 9. It really did feel good. When I set out this morning I set out to do 8, but in my heart I wanted to try to go for 9. I always feel like I have really accomplished something when I am able to push further than what I originally planned to do. The pace was not fast, and I didn't want it to be. Today I just wanted to push the distance, and I got it done with relative ease.

One note that I might add if you are new to running or thinking about taking it up. As you go for a run, sometimes you might need to take into consideration some of life's necessities. For instance, if it is going to be hot and humid, and you are going to be running more than 45 minutes, you really should be prepared to be able to take in some liquids somehow - either by running by you home and have some water stashed out there, or you can take some fluids with you by carrying a bottle or wearing a "fuel belt" that holds small water bottles around your waste. I also want to recommend that you plan your running route by making sure that if nature calls, you have a way to answer. The reality is brutal - if you are out running and bouncing for an hour or more, gravity is always at work. It can truly be a miserable feeling to have to run while feeling that gravity pull, if you know what I mean. That's all I'll say about that, but do try to plan for anything.

Monday miles and flat-out fartlek

I have definitely been running this week, but I haven't had the time to blog about it. Monday morning was a great run, especially since I had taken several days off. As I wrote about last week, I was having some issues with my right achilles, and so I decided to not risk making it worse by running last Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Since I usually don't run Saturday or Sunday, I only skipped one day, but it felt like forever. When I set out for my Monday run I had planned on just seeing how it felt, and if it didn't bother me too bad I would do 5 miles. I did 7 instead. It seemed to hurt a little bit around the 2nd or 3rd mile, but just like that the pain went away and I felt terrific. 7 miles at an average pace of 9:04 was not too bad of a Monday run.

Since I did 7 miles on Monday, I decided that I really did not want to do too many miles on Tuesday. I realized that I really have not done any type of interval training, which is designed to make you stronger, faster, and build your endurance - and it breaks up the monotony of just going out and running. One of my favorite type of interval workouts is the fartlek - which if you're not familiar with the term, it sounds funny and possibly appropriate for something I would do. The term is Swedish and means "speed play." What you do is you set a spot out in front of you at a random distance, and you run fast to that point. Once you reach that point, you slow down to recover, and then you do it again. I decided to run down to the nearby park for my warm up and once I got there I just did as many flat-out fartleks as I could without throwing up. Though I dreaded the mile run back home, that workout felt so good - I could feel it in my lungs the rest of the day. I also slept QUITE well that night.

Bread run

In some communities, the locals are blessed or cursed to live in an area that is filled with scents and aromas of the industry surrounding them. When we lived in Spivey's Corner, we occasionally blessed with the aroma of hogs and turkeys. When we got married, we were married in Roanoke Rapids, where the aroma of the paper mill filled the air. The locals would always say "it smells like money to me!" I beg to differ. However, we are fortunate enough to now live in a community where you can smell one of the local industries, and the aroma is quite pleasing - a bread bakery! I love to drive by the bakery, as the smell of loaf bread baking fills the air. And sometimes, if the wind blows just right, you can smell that bread all over town. Today, was such a day! With each breath on my run I inhaled the sweet, pleasing aroma of fresh bread baking. And on that note, I'll see how many "punny" references I can make in my blog today about my run!

I must admit that when I set out for my run I already felt like I was toast(1), which really was a little crumby(2). But once I really wiped the crust(3) out of my eyes, I was able to see it was a beautiful morning Sunrise(4 - I know that's a stretch, but it is a brand of bread). Plugging my ear buds in my ears, they sandwiched(5) my brain with some awesome jams(6 - hey! It's close enough to count!) by Relient K. That music was really popping and there was no way I could loaf(7) my way through my run. Sometimes I think Relient K is the best thing since . . . you guessed it, sliced bread(8). The music helped me keep a good pace, which helped me run a few sub(9) 9:00 minute miles.

Hmm - ok - you've gotta admit - 9 bread puns in that short paragraph was pretty good. The run was also pretty good, but I will need to take note of the pain in my right achilles, and a little pain above my left ankle. The right achilles still is a little sore right now, but the pain above my left ankle is not there right now. Just something for me to be aware of.

Renewable energy

Once your car battery is dead, you've got to get it charged to start the car back up. Assuming your alternator and voltage regulator are fine, simply running your car and driving it will recharge your battery. Amazing technology to me, and it is even more amazing when you consider how hybrid vehicles are using some of that power. I have truly found that I am a lot like a car battery, and no, that does not mean that I am full of acid . . .

I have found that some mornings I will wake up completely dead. That alarm clock may go off, and I try to turn the key to get started, and instead all I get is a weird clicking sound (or the popping from my ankles and knees). But all it takes is if I can get that little jump - whether it is from some OJ or a cup of joe - and I am ready to get started. Yesterday I was reminded of this quite succinctly.

Yesterday morning I felt like there was no way I was going to go run. I got up, ate some breakfast and had a cup of coffee, and then got the boys out the door to the carpool. I managed to get changed into my running gear, and went out the door - still feeling as though I was just "clicking" (and not the good kind of "clicking"). But I found that once I got started, I felt like I had more energy than what I started with. It seemed with almost each step I felt better and better - stronger even. In fact, I ended up running the fastest 5 miles that I've run in over a month. And that power surge seemed to last me ALL day! All day long I felt like I had plenty of energy and did not wear down.

The weird thing is that today I was not scheduled to run, so I got to sleep in a little later. And yet, I feel much more tired today . . . I need a nap so that I can recharge - either that or a run!

Failure success

There are some people in the world who seem to only be able to learn something through failure. These type of people are the type who when they were children, their mother might have told them not to touch the stove because it was hot, but they touched it anyway. These same type of people may have been told in college that they needed to do all of their reading and not depend upon just the classwork to pass, yet they put that to a test to the point of failure. These type of people seem to only learn something once they have failed at something. I am one of those people.

The key to failure is to learn from it. If I continued to touch the hot stove after I was burned the first time, then I would be an idiot. If I continued to try to "just get by" in college classes, then I never would have graduated and ultimately go and receive my Masters. If I had not learned through my failures that there truly is a God upon whom I can depend, then I would still be in the pits of life. I may fail at a lot of things, but I can also say that I learn a lot. Friday I learned another lesson.

Friday is the day that I take off of work. With the kids off at school, and my wife usually off to work in Raleigh on Fridays, it is a perfect day for me to do my "long" runs. However, that also means that Thursday nights once the boys go to bed and with Jenn being gone, I am prone to staying up later than I should watching TV or playing PS3. This Thursday night was no exception, and I was up later than I should have been, especially if I planned on running 7-8 miles the next morning. So when Friday morning rolled around, and once the boys were off to school, instead of going for my run I decided to go back to bed. After all, it was really cloudy and felt quite cool early in the morning, so I figured it would be a nice day and that I would be fine to go for my run around mid-day. Epic fail. The heat and humidity on Friday was much worse than I had anticipated, and I could tell that my body was not ready for that heat. Though I thought I was prepared, I could tell that I had not prepared myself the way I should. I was struggling horribly just 2 miles into the run. Just over 2 miles away from the house, I decided to go ahead and turn back - it just wasn't going to be a 7-8 mile kind of day. Dejected, I soon found myself having to do something I have only done during the marathon - I walked part of it. I was so disappointed. My pace had been great for the first couple of miles - I just felt miserable. Maybe it was because I had done some sprints with my son the evening before. Maybe it was because I stayed up too late. Maybe it was because I ran too late. Maybe it was because I wasn't properly hydrated or nourished. Whatever it was, it ended up being a horrible, no good 4.9 miles.

My usual schedule is to run Monday and Tuesday, and then Thursday and Friday. I'm really trying not to over do it, and I usually don't like to run 3 days in a row (trying my best to not end up with another stress fracture). But we were going to Morehead City Friday evening to visit with my parents, and we would be coming home Saturday night. I knew there was a great running path near my parents home, and so I decided to take my stuff just in case I woke up on Saturday and felt like trying to redeem myself. I knew that I wouldn't do the 7-8, but I was thinking I might just go ahead and do 5 miles that I could feel good about.

Saturday morning came, and sure enough I woke up before everyone got stirring around, so I did decide to go for my run. Though the forecast was for it to be quite pleasant, it was instead quite hot and with very little breeze. But this time I ran with no problems. I ran as though determined. And I ran at a great pace. It really felt nice to get out there and redeem myself. And it also felt great because now I don't have to run again till Tuesday (since I need my 2 days off) and I can sleep in on Labor Day since the whole house will also be sleeping in!

So what have I learned from my failure? If I want to take this upcoming half-marathon and marathon seriously, then I have to be committed to it. I have to hydrate properly the day before. I have to get the rest that I need. I have to eat right. I have got to respect the distance, and the possibility that the weather may be hotter (or colder) than I would prefer. Now if I don't get that 8 miles this coming Friday, hmmm . . . . then I'll be angry . . . and maybe I'll touch a hot stove.

Off pace

As my conditioning improves, one of the things I have struggled with a little bit is my pace. To date, I have run 1 half-marathon and 1 marathon. The half-marathon I intentionally went out s l o w. In fact, it felt too s l o w. But as I kept running, I was able to pick up the pace and really did not have too much problem at all finishing - and I finished in a reasonable 1:59. The marathon was a different story. I went out fast - too fast - much too fast. I was trying to attain a goal that was really out of reach due to my conditioning, and I failed. I finished, but it certainly wasn't easy. So as I am still just building the base and not really doing "training" yet, I am trying to learn the discipline required to maintain the pace that I want to run. That's one of the reasons I highly recommend running with a Garmin or some other GPS watch. It is able to give you that feedback that you need almost instantly. And days like today it is really helpful because I set out with a nice slow pace for what was supposed to be a nice, slow, easy 4 miles. It was important that I not overdo it because tomorrow I am planning a 7 (or 8) mile run, which is longer than I have run since January.

My run started so nice - a nice, slow, easy pace. In fact, I did check my Forerunner, and I was right on track with where I wanted to be, and so I didn't even look at my watch for a couple more miles. When I did check it, I realized I was running about 20 seconds per mile than I had wanted to. The nice thing is that it did not feel like I was going faster, but it still was not what I wanted for today. My last mile was perfectly paced - I don't do many things right, but I did that one. Hoping for the same luck tomorrow!

Dirty run

I wish I had taken a picture of myself this morning after I finished my run. Tuesday is "garbage day" in my area, and so I usually dread my Tuesday morning runs. Inevitably, I will end up right behind a stinky garbage truck, and just when I pass him, he will get back in front - allowing several opportunities for me to encounter/enjoy the smell. I was able to avoid that this morning, however, I had something even MORE pleasant happen!

As I was running on the sidewalk along a fairly busy street, I approached an intersection. As I approached, I saw a sanitation truck heading towards me - but it wasn't a "garbage" truck, instead it was one that gathered stuff like tree limbs, grass cuttings, and leaves. Since he did not have a turn signal on, I proceeded to cross the road. Just as I stepped off the sidewalk and onto the road, the truck quickly turned directly into my path. I was so close I could have slapped the side of the door - that dude almost hit me! How could he not see me? To make matters even better, as he turned so sharply, some of the stuff that was in the back of the truck flew over the side - coating me and my sweaty self in dirt, grass, pine-straw, and leaves. I wasn't exactly buried in the stuff, but it was enough to make the rest of my run uncomfortable. I was a site to see - I'm sure any cars that passed me must have wondered what kind of "extreme" running I was doing. I'm sure no sanitation truck drivers would have noticed - they wouldn't see me in the first place.

All in all, it was still a good, fun run - 5 miles. They weren't all negative splits today, but the average pace was 18 seconds faster than my run yesterday. Not trying to overdo things like I did last year when I got the 2 stress fractures, I am taking tomorrow off from running. Definitely feeling good about my conditioning so far. Both yesterday and today miles 4 and 5 felt better than the first 3.

Run with the Living

This morning when I went for my run I was running towards downtown Goldsboro. I sometimes make that a part of my running route, and it is kind of neat to mix up the scenery and run along the city sidewalks of the thriving metropolis. As I was about 2 blocks away from "downtown," I noticed a pit bull running loose up ahead of me, and so I decided just to be on the safe side and I turned at the next street. Somehow just making that one turn that I had not planned changed things, and so I decided to just explore some different parts of Goldsboro - not necessarily the nicest parts, but it was daylight and still quite early in the morning. I soon found myself across the street from an old cemetery that I have had to be in from time to time for funerals, and I have always thought it to be a pretty cemetery, so I just decided to go for a run in there. Winding my way down the paths and from one section to the next, I began to notice more and more the names on the tombstones. I saw one person who was born on September 13, 1899, and I found that to be interesting because my youngest son was born September 13, 1999. I got to thinking about the joy that my wife and I felt when he was born, and it made me think about the joy that was felt way back in 1899. I noticed the tombstones of some who died at over 100 years old; I noticed some who died less than a year old. I couldn't read all of them because I was running MUCH too fast for that sort of thing (wink, wink), but I just got to thinking about how all of those tombstones represented lives that were lived, and some lives that continue to surround me in the great cloud of witnesses. I had planned on running somewhere between 3-4 miles. Before I knew it, I had run 5. I know that's not much, but sometimes it is really nice to be able to just get so completely "lost" in my running that I don't even realize what I've done. That's what I call a stress reliever - even if it did come about because a pit bull running loose.

All in all, it was 5 miles with negative splits (getting faster each mile).

The Motivator

My family and I love the show "Wipeout!" In fact, we enjoy it so much that for my birthday a couple of weeks ago, my boys gave to me the "Wipeout" video game for Wii, which we enjoy playing very much. If you are familiar with the show, then you may recall what "The Motivator" is; if you're not familiar with the show, then you are not my friend (just kidding - but watch the show already!). One of the obstacles the contestants must face is the "Big Balls" - four giant, inflatable balls the contestants must leap onto in order to cross to the other side. What usually happens is . . . well, there's a reason they call the show "Wipeout!" Anyway, at the top of the platform before the contestants jump onto the first Big Ball, if they hesitate too long, "The Motivator" rises up (or descends down - they have a couple of different Motivators) and shoves the contestant forward . . . again, leading to a . . . well, you get the picture.

The reason I'm talking about "Wipeout" and the Motivator is that I have learned that when it comes to running, sometimes I need a Motivator. Since I ran the marathon in January, I have still been running, just not nearly as regularly as I should. I'd run 20 miles one week, and then not run the next week. I'd run a lot for several weeks in a row, and then stop for several weeks in a row. For me, "The Motivator" is signing up for a race. Which is why I'm back to blogging about running. I have signed up for my next marathon, and preparing to sign up for a half-marathon.

I have signed up for the Myrtle Beach Marathon, which is February 19, 2011, and I am checking out the possibility of running the Neuse River Bridge Run Half Marathon, which is October 16, 2010. Last year the Myrtle Beach Marathon was canceled on the day of the race due to winter weather, so let's hope that doesn't happen again. Last year I ran the Neuse River Bridge Run 10K, and it was a great race - beautiful scenery crossing the bridges and running through downtown New Bern. Really hoping it works out that I can run the Bridge Run Half - I know I'll run something, I just need to make sure my conditioning is strong enough to do the half.

So, now I have my Motivator. I've already paid for one Motivator. Thus, this week I have been rededicated to running again, and it feels great. Though I didn't turn in a lot of high mileage this week, all feels good and I'm loving every step. More to come! I promise!

8 mile (between 2 days)

This week our blog has been sponsored by the number "4"! After running 4 miles on Monday, I decided that I wanted to run 4 miles on Tuesday. I didn't get to run Wednesday, but when I ran today I decided to go for 4 one more time. I really, really, really am not going out there and trying to run fast. Some days, such as Tuesday, I really just want to go out for a very casual jog. There is some real merit to running a nice and relaxed run, but I am finding the self-control to be difficult. One of the things that ruined me at the marathon was I went out WAY too fast. When I ran my half-marathon back in '08, I went out intentionally running slow - and it felt like I was crawling. However, I was able to build the pace as I warmed up and felt more comfortable, and I was able to finish my first half-marathon ever in 1:59. When I ran the marathon, I went out fast, and I knew it was too fast - and it took me almost an hour longer to run the last half as it took me to run the first. So I have got to learn to SLOW down.

Here are my splits for Tuesday:
Mi 1 - 9:22.65 (decent start - not too fast, but still faster than I wanted)
Mi 2 - 9:09.13 (warming up - picking up pace)
Mi 3 - 8:46.99 (now I'm just getting cocky)
Mi 4 - 8:23.89 (now I just want to finish)
Total = 35:42.66

Here are my splits for today (Thursday):
Mi 1 - 8:44.82 (whoa, boy - slow down!)
Mi 2 - 8:22.39 (warming up - picking up the pace - notice the pace of this mile is faster than the last mile on Tuesday!)
Mi 3 - 8:24.75 (ahhh- feeling that last mile - but not really - I really was trying to bring in the reins a bit)
Mi 4 - 8:23.6 (ok - if I had known I was going to be coming in that quick, I really would have tried to turn on the jets, or at least my version of jets. I easily could have come in under 8!)
Total = 33:55.56

If my schedule allows, I'm going to run either 5 or 6 tomorrow. That schedule can fill up quickly - especially since it is tourney time!!!

Ides of March

Disappointed I wasn't able to work in a run this weekend, I was thrilled to see a window of opportunity this afternoon where I could get in 4 miles. I've got to admit - I am LOVING this 60 degree weather - not to hot, not too cool, just right. I decided to run a different route than I've been running lately just to break up the monotony of it all, and it was nice to see some different scenery. I did learn one thing - snakes love this weather too! As I was running along the path I saw a snake slithering along the trail, and I leaped and did a triple loop that would make Evan Lysacek envious (I can't do a quad . . .). I think I pleased the judges (the people in the park) with my routine - it seemed to bring a smile to their face. Needless to say I picked up the speed a little after that.

Mi 1 - 8:59.01
Mi 2 - 8:39.08
Mi 3 - 8:54.04
Mi 4 - 8:48.73
Total = 35:20.86

Fun Mile and Five-for-Friday

On Wednesday my sons needed to run a mile for soccer, so I decided to go run with them. Knowing how quick they are when they are conditioned, I thought it would be a good challenge for me to keep up with them. Jacob and Aaron have both run a mile in around 7:00, so I just told them I was going to go at my own pace and I'd try to keep up with them. As it is still early in the soccer season, the boys are not in as good of condition as they will be, and it wasn't too far into the run that I realized that I might be able to keep up with them. I really didn't want to burn it all out, just because I had run the previous 2 days consecutively, and I usually try not to run 2 days in a row - and this was day 3. About halfway through the run, however, I saw that we were running at a pace of a little over 8:00 per mile, and I knew that was well within reason for me. I began to pick up the pace a little bit, and next thing you know I was passing Jacob. I then picked up a little bit more, and though I never went all out, I beat them both at a time of 7:53 (they came in at 8:02 and 8:06, respectively). I realize that really isn't all that fast - especially considering I've run a mile about 3 minutes faster - but that was many years ago, and I'm pretty darn proud of myself. Oh, and they REALLY need to get faster and in better condition for soccer. Maybe them losing to old dad will make them push harder next time.

Today I was able to get a 5 mile run in between rain showers - and the sprinkles felt great. I wish everything felt great, but it didn't. Sometimes you just have those runs: cramp on the right side, foot hurting randomly and then stopping, cramp again on right side, lungs hurting, etc. Sometimes I love to run; sometimes I don't. I really was just trying to go at an easy pace, but eventually I just wanted to get done and get home. Here are my splits:
Mi 1 - 9:19.44
Mi 2 - 9:06.39
Mi 3 - 9:00.58
Mi 4 - 8:44.03
Mi 5 - 8:52.52
Total = 45:02.96
I'm disappointed that the last mile was a little slower than the 4th mile, but I truly was not trying to do negative splits for the run, so I guess I can't complain. Wouldn't it be nice if I got faster every mile . . .

Wagon

Sorry to realize it has been 2 weeks since my last run! I know I had hoped and planned on running, but just never really found the time. However, today the weather is amazing, and even though I could tell that allergy season is starting up (drainage, anyone?), I just HAD to go out. I planned on just doing a nice and easy 3-mile jog. I don't usually call it a jog, because I sort of distinguish between a jog and a run. For me, a jog is just a light run where you could keep up an easy conversation with someone who might be running/jogging with you. A run has a little more intensity, and short sentences are possible - but not much more than that. Funny that I describe those 2 things in that way - especially since most of the time I am running/jogging by myself.

Anyway, I set out for a 3 mile jog and things felt great. I was just loving the weather and listening to some good tunes. I didn't want to pay attention to my Garmin - I just wanted to jog by feel. I knew that since I had not run for 2 weeks that I could not expect much - maybe 3 miles around 10:00 each. When I heard the first mile beep on my watch, I was amazed to see it was a 9:11 mile. I realize that is not fast, but it was still faster than I was expecting - especially since I felt like I was barely moving. As tempted as I was, I was still intent on following my plan - jog 3 miles, not run 3 miles. It's just I really began to feel good - I mean GOOD. I kept thinking about how much I had missed this for the past 2 weeks, and I kept swearing to myself that I am not going to miss 2 weeks again, unless it is to recoup from injury. I heard the watch beep again at mile 2 and though I didn't want to look down, I did - and I saw that the second mile had been jogged in 8:52. Again, I realize for some runners that is VERY slow - but for me, I was just elated. I was elated because I still felt so darn good - I felt like I wasn't even trying and I had all the breath I could have preached a sermon (a short one, albeit).

Well, if you're reading this, you're probably reading this because you know me. And if you know me, you may know that I tend to be a bit competitive, and I push myself - sometimes when I shouldn't. Since I felt so good, I decided to intentionally (this time) pick up the pace just a little. I actually did it for 2 reasons: one, I wanted to make sure I felt like I had exercised - this was going too easy; two, ok - yes, I am competitive and I wanted to see what I could do. I didn't want to go all out, but I wanted to pick it up to a comfortably fast pace. I finished that third mile in 8:27. Again, that's not setting any records or winning any races (or even pacing in my age group), but I really enjoyed that run today. Assuming all the hardware still feels good tomorrow, I may have to go out for another!

Post-rain run

I was really disappointed today when I looked out just before I left the office for lunch, I saw that it was raining. Well, ok - it was pouring, and I had really wanted to go for a lunch run today. My spirits lifted as the day wore on because eventually the rain let up, and I was able to get in a 5-mile run this evening. Around mile 3 or so I did begin to feel a twinge of pain in the achilles, but I knew I had to make it back to the house so I kept running. I'm glad, because by the time I got back home it wasn't bothering me anymore. I think I'm just paranoid, but I am going to be paying attention to it, and I am icing it right now.

Here are the splits for my run today:
Mi 1 - 8:49.66
Mi 2 - 8:57.79
Mi 3 - 8:58.67
Mi 4 - 8:54.82
Mi 5 - 9:04.28
Total = 44:45.22

I'm back

Well, it took a little longer than I had hoped for my achilles to begin to feel better, but I am now pain-free and have started back running. It couldn't have come at a more perfect time either, because I think I was about to lose my mind! Last week I was able to run 3 miles - as I was running I felt a slight pain in the achilles, but it wasn't like before. I kept thinking that I was going to really feel it later, and I was pleasantly surprised that I have not hurt one single bit - well, at least not on the achilles. Not running for a couple of weeks was worse than I thought, and I was definitely a little sore last week.

Yesterday I was able to get out and run again for 3 miles (3.25 to be exact). I really felt good and today feel no after-effects from it. I think it's safe to say that I am going to ease back into things and start aiming for the Raleigh Rocks Half-Marathon at the end of next month. I really had hoped to run in the Crystal Coast Half-marathon this weekend, but I just don't think it's a good idea at this point. There is definitely one part of me that says, "Of course you could still do it!" And yes, I absolutely know that I could do it on Saturday - it may take me a while, but I know I could do it. But the wiser part of me has decided (for now) that it is not a good idea for me to jump in and run 13.1 miles after not running hardly at all for a few weeks. However, it is only Monday . . .

Long time, no run

Yes, I am still running, but not much. Last Thursday I went out for a run planning on doing 6-7 miles, and I realized I wasn't going to make one. Last week I was having some pain in my right achilles and my left hip, and when I went out to run it really began to bother me. It didn't take long for me to decide to come on back home and not risk any other problems. Then we got the snow/ice, and long story short - I didn't run again until yesterday. My hip pain was gone, but my achilles is still sore, so I only ran 3 miles.

I talked with my ortho doc last night at Bible study, and he did tell me I need to watch it closely, and if I see any swelling along my achilles, then I need to come in and have an MRI to see if there have been any micro-tears, which can lead to a rupture. I'm really not too concerned that it is anything serious - he said it could just be a little bit of tendonitis, and maybe with rest, stretching, and taking an anti-inflamatory, I may be fine.

4 miles, 3 sermons, 2 soccer practices, 1 bad dude

Busy, busy! Between the 2 services this morning and the revival service I'm preaching tonight, I had to take the kids to their soccer practices. My training plan called for 4 miles, and I am quite grateful for that, because I got home from worship at 12:30, and the kids had to be at their practices at 1:00, so I had to scarf down some lunch real quick, get changed and head out the door. Fortunately the boys were both practicing at the same school, and so I was able to just run around the entire school property, which each lap was just a little bit over a mile. Beautiful weather, though the wind was bit strong, but at least I wasn't wet or cold - we should always be thankful for the little things.

Mi 1 - 8:52.15
Mi 2 - 8:53.72
Mi 3 - 9:06.47
Mi 4 - 9:02.56
0.28 Mi-2:27.55
Total = 38:22.45

Exercising Restraint

I had on my training schedule an easy 2 miles for Wednesday, but I just could not justify getting hot and sweaty for only 2 miles, so I did 3 instead (actually it was 3.33). Since I have really not run much on back-to-back days as a way of not over-stressing my legs (no stress fractures, please!), I knew that if I did run the 3 the day after running a quick tempo 5 miles, I knew that I would need to try to make it slow. The Runner's World Smart Coach plan called for me to do 2 miles @ 11:49. Seriously? That's fast walking. I know some people would consider the pace that I run at "fast walking," but for me it's doing pretty good. I knew that I was going to need to make some adjustments to that Smart Coach plan, but anyway - I just went out and did 3 miles averaging 9:16 per mile. For whatever reason, my stride just feels best when I am moving along at a pace around 8:30 - but right now I cannot sustain that as long as I want to. I also know that you need to vary your pace because every different type of run serves a purpose in your training. I think next week when I run on back-to-back days (Tuesday/Wednesday), my Wednesday run needs to be slower.
Mi 1 - 9:33.82
Mi 2 - 9:07.01
Mi 3 - 9:04.25
0.33 Mi 3:03.56
Total = 30:48.64

Thursday I did another "core" workout, which was a difficult thing to motivate myself to do. Wednesday night I needed to lift my head to put another pillow under it, and as I tried to lift my abs hurt so freaking bad I decided to not worry about the other pillow! However, I did manage to get through it, and today I'm not too sore. We'll see how tomorrow feels.

Today I had a 7 mile "long" run on the schedule. Again, the training plan that needed to be revised called for 7 @ 11:49, and I just could not do that. I will say that the run was not as easy as I had hoped, but I was really glad to get it in. Today I got changed and ready, ate a pre-run snack, stretched indoors (because it was cold outside - 41 degrees!), and got myself really psyched up to go run, and I stepped out and it was raining. I very quickly decided I did not feel like going out and getting soaked in the rain today, so I went back in. However, after 10 minutes of fretting around the house about not getting my run in, I changed my mind and said "heck with it," and out I went. Fortunately the rain was now just a light mist that was on again off again. Really not too bad. The wind was a factor at times, as it was pretty strong winds with gusts up to 21 mph. As I ran today I ran down some streets that led into so not-so-nice parts of town. I think I actually impressed some of the drug dealers. As I got into downtown Goldsboro and ran the sidewalks, I came upon 2 guys (not drug dealers - or at least I don't think they were) and one of the guys called out to me "Hey, you need to pick up the pace, buddy!" I kind of resented that, because from the looks of things neither one of the dudes have not run a mile for quite some time, if ever. So I called back to him, "You're right! Why don't you come join me?" He had nothing else to say - or maybe he did, but I was moving so fast I wasn't around any longer to hear him. :-)

Today considering the cool, I knew that I would tend to run faster than what I really wanted to run. When you are cold, it feels much better to be burning it up like that, however as I learned at the marathon, it is not always wise. Today I had to exercise the same restraint that I did on my Wednesday run, and I feel like it is something I'm getting better at, but still have to work on. Here are my splits for today:
Mi 1 - 9:25.93
Mi 2 - 9:12.22
Mi 3 - 8:52.79
Mi 4 - 9:16.43
Mi 5 - 9:20.71
Mi 6 - 9:20.05
Mi 7 - 9:15.9
Total = 1:04:44.03

I did do a revised Runner's World Smart Coach training plan. I really wanted a plan with what I thought were realistic times and mileage, and so today I played around with the numbers and this is what it came back with:

Wk Dat Mon Tues Weds Thurs Fri Sat Sun Total 1 1/18 1/24 Rest / XT Tempo Run Dist: 5 mi, inc Warm; 3 mi @ 8:55; Cool Easy Run Dist: 4 mi @10:30 Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 8 mi @10:30 Rest / XT Easy Run Dist: 4 mi @10:30 21 miles 2 1/25 1/31 Rest / XT Speedwork Dist: 5 mi, inc Warm; 2x1600 in 8:25 w/800 jogs; Cool Easy Run Dist: 4 mi @10:30 Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 8 mi @10:30 Rest / XT Easy Run Dist: 5 mi @10:30 22 miles 3 2/1 2/7 Rest / XT Tempo Run Dist: 5 mi, inc Warm; 3 mi @ 8:55; Cool Easy Run Dist: 4 mi @10:30 Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 9 mi @10:30 Rest / XT Easy Run Dist: 5 mi @10:30 23 miles 4 2/8 2/14 Rest / XT Tempo Run Dist: 6 mi, inc Warm; 4 mi @ 9:00; Cool Easy Run Dist: 4 mi @10:30 Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 9 mi @10:30 Rest / XT Easy Run Dist: 5 mi @10:30 24 miles 5 2/15 2/21 Rest / XT Speedwork Dist: 7 mi, inc Warm; 3x1600 in 8:20 w/800 jogs; Cool Easy Run Dist: 4 mi @10:24 Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 10 mi @10:24 Rest / XT Easy Run Dist: 4 mi @10:24 25 miles 6 2/22 2/28 Rest / XT Easy Run Dist: 3 mi @10:30 Easy Run Dist: 3 mi @10:30 Tempo Run Dist: 5 mi, inc Warm; 3 mi @ 8:55; Cool Rest / XT Rest / XT Race Day Dist: Half-Marathon @9:04 Time: 1:58:59 24 miles

1st Half Marathon training run

Well now that I've got my first marathon under my belt, time to turn to my second half-marathon. I ran a half-marathon in November of 2008, and I finished in 1:59. My goal this time around would be to go faster, but that was a while ago. When I plugged my numbers for the marathon into Runner's World SmartCoach program, it came back with a decent training plan, but I'm definitely going to revise the plan a little bit. Because my marathon time was 4:50, the SmartCoach program is projecting a 2:15 half-marathon, which is not what I want to happen.

Yesterday I followed the plan and did not run, instead I did some core exercises. That has been one thing I have not done at all - any abs, back, shoulders, arms, etc. This time I'm going to do it, and today I feel the burn. Pretty soon this 3-pack may turn into a 6-pack! Today was supposed to be 5 miles - 1 mile warm up, 3 tempo miles at 10:11 per mile pace, and 1 mile cool down. I tweaked that a bit. :-)

Mi 1 - 9:37.89
Mi 2 - 8:17.86
Mi 3 - 7:49.98
Mi 4 - 7:38.95
Mi 5 - 8:33.64
0.11 Mi 0:53.73
Total = 42:52.05

Those 3 tempo miles represent a 23:44 5K, which would be a PR for me - and I could still have gone faster. I was telling my wife that mentally something seems different about running now for me. When I was running those 3 tempo miles, though at times it was difficult, all I could think about was "at least it's not 26 miles!"

Marathon Pictures!

First post-marathon run

All week I have been looking forward to running again. I knew because of the tightness and soreness that I needed to take a few days off, but I also really just wanted to get out there and move. Due to time constraints, I knew that today would really be the only day I could run, and God truly blessed me with an AMAZING day! Today it is beautiful and sunny, and WARM! 60 degrees!! I find it strange that I had to return to sunny North Carolina to warm up from icy Florida.

Today I went out to Waynesborough Park, which has a trail that snakes along the Neuse River. I haven't run this trail for quite a while, and I figured that it would just be nice to run out in the REAL animal kingdom. It felt like real trail running - mud, tree roots, animal tracks, and hills - lots of small hills. Still, it was awesome to be out there and it really felt good.

This weekend I plan on signing up for a couple of races that are coming up in the next couple of months. In February there is a half marathon in Morehead City that I had planned on running last year, but I was out of commission due to my stress fracture. There is another half marathon coming up in Raleigh at the end of March that looks pretty cool. I might as well take advantage of all the training I've done and keep this thing going!

Mi 1 - 9:00.17
Mi 2 - 8:40.41
Mi 3 - 8:56.89
Mi 4 - 9:12.67
Mi 5 - 8:41.04
0.22 Mi - 1:47.96
Total = 46:19.14

Disney World Marathon 2010 Race Report

In December of 2008 I decided I was going to run a marathon in 2009. I had run a half-marathon in November of that year, and I really felt that I could do a marathon, so I began looking through Runner's World trying to determine exactly what marathon I would do. I began joking around with my family that if for whatever reason I couldn't do one in 2009, then maybe we could all go down to Disney and I would run that one in early January of 2010. Two stress fractures later, I was not able to run a marathon in 2009, so Disney 2010 it was. The marathon training program that I was following called for 16-weeks of training, however during the first week of the training I was still wearing a walking boot from my last stress fracture. Anyway, if you've been following this blog at all, there is no need for me to bore you with the details of the training.

I had heard so many great things about the Disney marathon. I had heard about the great entertainment along the course. I had heard about the fantastic finishers medal that you'd get. I had heard about how flat the course was. And best of all, I had heard about how in January you could go to Florida and run in warm weather in the middle of the winter!!! Yeah, it only happened to be the coldest Disney marathon ever run, with a starting temperature of 26 degrees!

My family and I planned on leaving for Florida last Thursday, but we actually got a little excited and went ahead and left Wednesday night and drove 5 hours down to Georgia. We all just couldn't wait to get down there. First thing we did when we got to Orlando was head straight over to the Wide World of Sports where we had to go to pick up my registration info and packet, and then got to walk through the Runner's Expo. I had heard it was a good idea to go early in the week, because the closer it got to the race, the more crowded it would get. I think whoever told me that lied. It was absolutely SLAMMED in the expo, and we could hardly walk anywhere. But it was really cool to be in the midst of that many idiots, umm - I mean runners, who were all there for the same reason. After we left the expo, we checked in to our resort (Disney's Caribbean Beach), and off we went to the Magic Kingdom. We spent all day Friday at the parks, and by the end of Friday I was beginning to have a new understanding of the word "cold." Saturday morning began with snow, changed to sleet, and eventually changed to rain. I can honestly say that I NEVER guessed I would see snow or sleet in Orlando, but sure enough it was there. My heart really went out to the people who were running the half-marathon on Saturday, because they had to run in that crazy stuff.

Saturday I was starting to be filled with nervous energy. I could NOT stay still. We hit Hollywood Studios early that morning (it was only light rain at that time), and were completely frozen and headed back to the room by 1:00 PM. The family was all tired and wanted to nap, but I just could not sit still, so I went off for an hour-long walk around the resort - just thinking about the race ahead. I had so many things running through my head, worried about what I would eat that night, what time I should go to bed, how many layers of clothes should I really wear to the race, etc. After my walk I probably should have settled into the room for a while, but no - I convinced the family to head out to Epcot for the night. I have no idea how many miles I ended up walking that day, but I would guess it was pretty close to the half-marathon distance.

When I got back to the room that evening, I began laying out all that I would need for the marathon. Because of the early start time, and the large number of participants (24,000 had signed up), Disney said you had to be on a bus leaving the resort no later than 4:00 AM to be able to be on time for the start. I got everything out, tried it on to make sure I was good to go, set my alarm for 3:15 AM, and went to bed. I think because I had been on the move so much that I was really able to sleep remarkably well - I was already worn out!

When the alarm went off, I got up no problem and quickly got dressed. As I went out the door of the resort, my first thought was "hey, it's not all that cold out here!" I was wrong - very wrong. I was wearing a base layer sleeveless shirt, an outer layer tech shirt, a sweatshirt, and a hoodie sweatshirt. Disney had said to wear layers and when you got hot you could take off a layer and throw it on the side of the road, and they would come and pick it up and donate it to a homeless shelter. I wore my outer layers planning on donating those, but things don't always go as planned. For my legs I had on a pair of shorts and running pants.

The bus ride over was really pretty cool. You knew that everyone getting on the bus was getting ready to experience the same thing you were, and there was great camaraderie. When we got to gathering area I was a bit overwhelmed. Port-a-johns for miles (or so it seemed)! There was a DJ and lots of bright lights that made you feel like you were at a dance club (though I didn't necessarily start dancing). I heard the DJ making all kinds of announcements of the "house" music, and one of the announcements was: "OK marathon runners! We need everyone to start making their way to the baggage check, because very soon we will start making our way over to the start!" I heard that announcement, and since my watch was several layers under all of my clothes, I just followed what he said, checked my bag, and realized I still had over an hour and a half to go before the start. :-( I walked around a bit, and talked to some random people, stood in line at the port-a-potties, and eventually just found myself sitting on the ground, balled up and cocooned with my outer sweatshirt stretched over my entire body - and I was shivering. I have a new appreciation for homeless people. I have NEVER been so cold in my entire life.

I think it was around 5:30 AM that they began making the announcement that we needed to start walking towards the starting line. It was about a 10-15 minute walk (at least) to the start from where we were, and it was hilarious to watch so many people who could no longer wait in the port-a-potty lines just run to the woods to take care of business. As we walked, you could really begin to taste the excitement in the air. At a race this big, they have you somewhat divided up according to you estimated finish time, and I was a little anxious as I had to walk past so many corrals to get to mine. And once I finally found where I was supposed to go, before I could even realize what was happening, fireworks were going off and the race had begun!

It was so crowded all you could do was go with the flow, as Crush would say in "Finding Nemo." It was a little slower than I wanted to run - I mean, I was still FREEZING!!!! I needed to get some blood flowing!!! About 5 or 6 miles into the race I began to notice what appeared to be frost on the shoulders and arms of the runners around me, and I really began to notice it on some of their hats. As I ran past one dude I saw ice on his beard, and I thought, "Huh! That's funny!" I thought it was funny until I reached up and realized I too had ice in my goatee, and my outer layers were also covered in ice. Our sweat was freezing, along with the condensation in the air, and it was an amazing site. We had to be careful at every water stop, because as people would drink the slush (because the water and PowerAid was freezing), they would spill or just drop some on the pavement, which would immediately freeze. They were trying to throw out salt and sand on the ice, but it still was treacherous at places.

Around mile 8 we were approaching the Magic Kingdom, and you could see to our left as some of the elite runners were already exiting the park. In other words, when I was at mile 8, some of them were already at mile 13.5. It was an amazing thing to see for me - just to realize how fast those guys really are. I joked with the people around me as we all watched them with amazement that those dudes were probably just looking at us, and we were making them jealous with how easy we were making it look. When I hit mile 13.5, I looked over, and all you could still see was people running to mile 8, and I realized I was THAT far ahead of so many other runners. It was a surreal feeling. My family was trying to get to Magic Kingdom in time to see me run through the castle, but I was SMOKING at that time, and they missed me. I had taken my phone in a special belt I had so that I could text and call her along the way so that we could be sure to meet up, and when I got a text from her telling me where they were along the road I was running, I just really began to get emotional. As I passed them and I heard them call out "Dad!", tears definitely began to flow because it became real that I was achieving something I really wanted to do. And that was only about halfway through the race!

I finished the first half of the race in 2:06, which is only 7 minutes off of my best half-marathon time. I knew I was probably going too fast, but I felt really good and I just wanted to keep going! It was not too long after that that I bonked. Hit the wall. Seriously hit the wall.
Below is the text messages that were sent back and forth from 8:09 AM to the finish.
Me: Hitting wall - started too fast.
Jennifer: U were making great time. Walk a little. U can do it!!!

At 9:35 I sent the following text: Hardest thing I have ever done. Hurt so bad. So disappointed. May have to walk to finish.
Her reply to me was just what I needed: So? U should feel proud to finish. It is hard! Boys said u can do it!!!

I could tell you about the horrible smells as we passed by the sewage treatment plant between Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. I could tell you about the people I saw fall. I could tell you about the amazing crowd support, and the awesome appreciation I have for all the Disney cast members who were out there early in the cold to encourage us. But above all, I'd rather tell about the strength that I was able to gain from the other runners. The way we would encourage each other, help each other, and just pull each other along was amazing. It didn't feel like it was something I was doing on my own - it was a giant body working together.

When I hit Epcot again at the end and I knew the finish was very near, everything changed. There was no pain, and I was not tired. All I knew was that I was about to do something that I was not even certain that I could do. And when I crossed the finish in 4:50, I knew I had met my goal of finishing within 4:30-5:00. And yes, I'm already wanting to run another. Come run with me!

There is so much more I could tell, but this is really long. Maybe I'll tell more in the next few days. I know I've got pictures I'll want to add, but for now I think that's enough. Thanks for all the encouragement and support!