High Times

My race finish times are still higher than I want, though I am improving.

What did you think I meant?

The Fayetteville Half Marathon was held on the same course as the St. Jude 10K that I ran in August. The Lake Fayetteville trail is beautiful in the Fall and the weather was perfect.  This time we got to race around the lake twice.  Plugging that earlier 10K time into an online calculator gave me a projection of 1:41:35 for this race.  Since that 10K though, I have had some good training and I thought a 1:40 goal was within reach.  I did better than that, finishing in 1:37:15.


Caution, nerd at work

My runner friend, Abrena, ran the race too; she was 2nd place overall female, and beat me handily too. Congratulations Abrena!

She told me after the race that her Garmin showed the course to be short, only 12.9 miles.  I usually scoff at Garmin reports, but that is usually because the Garmin tells people that the course is too long and they really ran faster.  You can make a lot of money building gadgets that tell people what they want to hear.

Her watch was saying the opposite, though.  So, I measured the course online with Google maps and it came out just right.  Abrena, I think you are just in better shape than you realized.  That bodes well for your Memphis Marathon next month, good luck!

For the record, I don't really trust Google maps that much either. Though, I used it once to measure the Arkansas Razorback track circumference and it measured 399.9 meters.  Good enough.



Old guys 

I was passed at mile 10 by an old guy.  He said he had been chasing me for 5 miles.  I knew what he meant.  We had made eye contact at an out-and-back section near mile 5.  Runners are always on the lookout for others ahead/behind who appear to be in their age groups.  We are competitive that way.

He didn't worry me though, he was behind me, and clearly older than me.  Clearly.  At mile 10, he passed me, but still, he was obviously older than me.  Obviously.

I never caught him again; he finished about 20 seconds in front of me.  Inconceivably, he is 2 years younger than me.  Inconceivably!  As it happens though, he finished 3rd in the Masters awards and I was "first" in my age group. 

Perhaps it is time to roll out my long-term strategy for continued success in my age group:

St. Jude 10K

My complaints, which I now believe were due completely to low vitamin D, began last year on August 19.  It took over a year but I finally felt like racing again.

One of the reasons I wanted to run this race was the course, the paved loop around Lake Fayetteville.  It is my favorite running spot; I usually run that loop a couple of times a week.  It is a little bit hilly, but for Northwest Arkansas, what do you expect?  It is a beautiful trail.  The lake is visible as you run across the dam, but mostly it is a jaunt through the surrounding woods. 

Given the hills and summer heat, I figured my pace would be slowed by a minute or two, but everyone else would slow down too.  Based on my recent training I thought I could finish in 46 minutes, give or take a minute. 

I chose to run without my watch.  I am pretty good at knowing what pace I can maintain just by how it feels.  If it feels like your heart is about to explode, your lungs are on fire, and your muscles could rip apart at any moment, then you are running too fast for a 10K.  That is how a 5K feels.  Okay, not quite.  ;)

I finished in 45:35.  I was first in my age group and 4th master's male but those are really a function of who decides to show up.  More objectively, I was 16th out of 83 men.  Top 20% among men is about where I thought I was, so I'm pretty pleased.

Boston Marathon 2014 - Blood, sweat, and tears. And sweat.

Getting to Boston is never easy for any runner.  This year was especially trying for me. I didn't run this race for time; I was thrilled to just be there.  Instead of a race report, I will just describe some of what I saw and how I will remember the day.

As we walked to the start line in Hopkington, some generous locals offered free supplies to runners --  Beer, donuts, and cigarettes.  That cracked me up, and it set the tone for race day.  The crowd was incredible.  Spirits were high.

I cannot tell you how many kids I slapped high-fives with.  I have run other large races and the crowds are always great.  The crowd at Boston is something truly special.



Another sign I saw later, during the race:

Smile if you peed a little.  

Now tell me, how do you not smile when you read that?


I wore Ryan's University of Arkansas shirt and all day long I got to hear yankees call the hogs.  Woo pig sooie.

Go hogs!  Razorbacks!

Go Arizona Razorbacks, wait, what?  Lol.

The Wellesley scream tunnel at mile 13 is a favorite among runners.  It isn't a tunnel at all.  It is a long line of screaming coeds offering cheers and kisses.  "Kiss me I'm Irish."

I would feel creepy getting a kiss from those girls at my age, but I have often joked that if the professor ladies came out to support the runners, well...

As luck would have it, I saw the sign, "Kiss me I'm a Professor".  Finally, my chance!  Was I serious?  Shelly would understand, right?

Then I looked down at the person holding the sign.  It was a dude.

After the race, we made our way to the subway.  It was packed and we got stuck on a train for 45 minutes.  Just like last time, the riders were all very kind and allowed runners to sit.

As I sat there and waited, a little girl handed me a post-it note and a pen.  She asked for my autograph.  Awww.  She was the sweetest little 4th grader you ever saw.

 I signed it of course.  Then we had time to chat with her and her mom and her little brother.  Her name was Michelle.  We talked about how long they had lived in Boston, after moving from New York.  We talked about the race.  We talked about where we were from.  Shelly, the librarian, talked with her about her favorite books.

Her little brother, a second grader named Jason, asked to see my medal.  I told Shelly to grab the camera as I put it around his neck.  His mom took his picture too, as he beamed a huge smile.  I won't post that picture publicly.  Instead, I will keep it on the shelf next to my medal.  That is how I will remember this race.

Got milk?

It appears my running issue has been vitamin D.  That is certainly odd, given that our bodies produce vitamin D in response to sunlight and my symptoms began in August, after I had run outside the entire summer.  Nevertheless, my vitamin D levels tested low and I have been responding very well to the mega-dose my doctor prescribed.

My running has improved steadily and I feel much better too.  Shelly, Ryan, and I will be going to Boston in 2 weeks, where I will simply run slow and enjoy the experience.

This has been a long ordeal and I'm glad to put it behind me.  In the end, it seems I can treat my problems with cheap supplements, milkshakes, and more time on the beach.

Don't cry too much for me.

Suck it up Nancy

I have been struggling with a health issue. I can barely run anymore. It happened virtually overnight, August 19 to be exact. Though, I have no explanation for what happened exactly. I'm tired and sore whenever I run. It is all I can do to get in an occasional 5 miles, no matter how slow.

Here is my weekly mileage since last summer.  I was ramping up for some races but I've since had to withdraw from all of them.

Apparently, August 19 was the day someone told my body how old I really am.

 
I've been consulting every health-care provider I can find.  I have given so many blood samples I'm tempted to just install a tap.  Some doctors have been helpful, others not so much.  My dentist just looked at me with a blank stare.  Pitiful.  He was no help at all.

Running the Boston Marathon, actually running it hard, has been out of the question for a while now.  At this point I would need a miracle to simply be able to shuffle along and finish the race without hurting myself.  I won't withdraw officially yet, but realistically.... sigh.

My hope now is to simply get back to feeling better.  My exercise streak is still alive though; my bike is still bearable.

Hopefully the doctors can figure this out soon.  Otherwise, I will have to rename this blog ARiderOfStationaryBikesNerd.  If you think my writing is boring now...