Marathon Training Log - December 31th - Day 21 - 6.4 miles.

Today I came up with an odd little visualization scenario; I had some pain in my right foot on the outside center of the foot, so I started by visualizing a buildup of a red substance in my foot which was the 'pain'. Attached to my brain was a little control center that was in command of a few 'units': Medics, Engineers, and Special Forces. The commanders dispatched the engineers from their barracks near my lungs to my right foot to create a drain for the pain that was building up. (I started this around mile 4 or so.) The engineers arrived as set up their Tactical Area of Operations. They completed their mission, however, being highly caustic, the pain had caused minor damage to the soft tissue 'bridge' in the foot. They requested medics to help heal while they repaired the damage. Also, they stayed to monitor the drain. (Strangely enough, it started hurting less and less as I was imagining this.) While repairing the bridge, the engineers came under attack from 'ouchies' from outside the drain portal. The called in a request for reinforcements to the commanders, who in turn ordered the Special Forces down to defend the bridge at all costs. (This was about the time I was at mile 5) The spec ops gets there and takes out the attackers at the drain and places 3rd platoon there as a guard against further attacks. First platoon and second platoon were deployed to the heel and toe areas respectively to sweep any remaining ouchies. The mission was a success and the engineers covered the pain drain after draining the last of the pain. The spec ops stood gaurd while the medics healed the soft tissue and the engineers redeployed to thier barracks. (This happened during my cool down walk) All the while there were 2 factories generating and pumping to the effected areas using my circulatory system. The 'extra' factory is located on the north wall of the heart so that the 'extra' that it generates can be quickly generated and distributed thru the body. The other was the 'blocker' factory; here the blocker fluid was generated so that it could help repel and counteract the 'pain' that was built up.

Ok, so it may sound retarded, but this whole visual did 2 things; 1. It gave me something to focus on and have fun with while running. 2. It actually reduced the pain that I was feeling, and honestly, my foot does not hurt at all now. Wierd.

Weather report for the day: no wind, 23 degrees. Not bad at all. Roads dry. Good day to run.

Distance today: 6.4 in 55:20. Under 9 min mile pace, which is my goal.

Until tomorrow....

Marathon Training Log - December 30th - Day 20 - 3.4 miles.

About a week ago, after a particularly nast hangover, I decided to get more serious about the nutritional side of this marathon training. I plan on greatly limiting (none if I am lucky) alcohol consumption, sweets, and other junk foods. More fruit, raw veggies, nuts, and other sources of high nutrition type foods are on my list. The way I see it, what good is it doing me to punish my body and then eat garbage? Like a nascar driver fueling up a high performance machine with low grade gas. Anyway, I will update on how I am doing.
For the extreme end of December, the weather could not be better! Unseasonably warm, near 43, with a light breeze blowing out of the south. I acutally wore shorts this morning. My legs were cold, but the weather, for me, is just a mental hurdle. A distraction that keeps my focus away from sore legs and burning lungs. Today was another easy 3 miles, I took it out to 3.4 but only cause it was so nice that I didn't feel like quitting. Also, the kids are out for xmas break, so I have no reason to rush home. Leaving at 6:30 or so, I got to see a nice sunrise... man it was great. I finished at about 8 min mile pace, running almost 3.5 miles in 28:10. No rush, I'm going for tortoise route... Roads were mostly dry, very little traffic, and overall just a great morning run. Next week I think I am actually going to register for the race. Bodily, I had a little pain in my right foot, and just a little twinge in my right hip. Nothing serious, I just thought I would put it down for posterity sake... Well I gotta go get in the shower and get ready for work... Later!

Marathon Training - Summary Report

Here is a dump of the stats that I have gathered since 11/24 when I started Hal Higdons Marathon training program:

11/24/2008 - 12/27/2008

Date	Exercise	Duration (hh:mm:ss)	Distance (miles)	Calories (kcal)
11/25/2008	Running	0:26:01	3.10	417
11/26/2008	Running	0:28:27	3.00	397
11/27/2008	Running	0:24:23	3.00	391
11/29/2008	Running	0:59:33	7.50	1052
12/2/2008	Running	0:25:16	3.00	411
12/3/2008	Running	0:25:27	3.00	414
12/4/2008	Running	0:24:42	3.00	402
12/6/2008	Running	1:01:30	7.50	1000
12/9/2008	Running	0:23:24	3.00	414
12/10/2008	Running	0:35:29	4.05	552
12/13/2008	Running	0:40:53	5.00	665
12/16/2008	Running	0:25:40	3.00	417
12/17/2008	Running	0:42:14	4.00	537
12/18/2008	Running	0:27:06	3.00	383
12/20/2008	Running	1:26:42	10.00	1348
12/23/2008	Running	0:26:00	3.00	404
12/24/2008	Running	0:48:01	5.00	679
12/26/2008	Running	0:30:00	3.60	488
12/27/2008	Running	1:00:44	7.20	987
Total		12:01:32	83.95	11358

So, wow, that really adds up... 12 hours, almost 84 miles! I am only at week 13 (counting down to week 1 - race) from the week 18 start. Cool...

Marathon Training Log - December 27th - Day 19 - 7.2 miles.

I just walked in the door after 7.2 miles. It is late in December and the weather is surprisingly not too bad. We actually had thunderstorms this morning and went from 60s yesterday to around 40 today. There is a light wind out of the northwest but it was more of a breeze than anything. I tried a new route today, and it was pretty good. I started to the west down Catalpa to Western. Then I went south to Willow then east to Carbon. Next it was south on Carbon to Southern and then east all the way to Sinnet. I turned north and then east down Carline Rd. Turned around at Golf Course Rd and headed back to Sinnet, north to Antelope. West on Antelope and turned North on Ozark. Ozark to Howard then around the little hook over to Northern. Northern east to Carbon and then south back to Catalpa. Catalpa east to Osage and Im home. Great. Dandy. Good route. So it stormed last night so the roads were a little wet and there was running water in the ditches. It kinda reminded me of spring. Physically, it was nice to not have my head covered. Also my body is getting stronger and more used to the longer distances. About the last mile or so my right ankle was a little painful, not bad just noticeable. I had no problem with my hip at all, not even from the beginning. Today I really felt like I had kicked that injury all together. I have been waiting to actually register for the marathon until I knew for sure that this injury was not going to hamper me from being able to train correctly. I think that I will sign up after the new year.

Marathon Training Log - December 26th - Day 18 - 3.5 miles.

First off, this was supposed to be the Thursday run, but Thursday was x-mas. I got up Friday well rested and went outside to stretch. It was soooo warm! A real Christmas miracle, 60 degrees and only a light wind. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I wore a lonsleeve tee under a sweatshirt, and shorts. Shorts... nothing on my head. By the turn around I had taken my sweatshirt off and tied it around my waist. Wow it was great. I went farther than the plan said but it was so nice I could not stop. I forgot to hit stop when I got back, so I don't have a good time, but it was somewhere near 30 mins. A very enjoyable day to run.

Marathon Training Log - December 24th - Day 17 - 5 miles.

Well, the morning of Christmas eve was very very very very slick. The rains started freezing, but there was not that much, luckily, or we would have had an ice storm. The temp was not too bad, high 20's, but the footing was absolutely treacherous. Each step had to be carefully placed, muscles tensed to avoid slipping. I had decided that if I were to start to slip, rather than blow out a knee or hamstring, I would tuck and roll off into the ditch. I did my 5 miles, took me 48 minutes. But I did it.

Marathon Training Log - December 23th - Day 16 - 3 miles.

Ok, well, another 3 mile Tuesday... not much to report here other than the fact that I forgot my stopwatch today, so I don't have the exact time of my run, but it was somewhere near my usual. It slows me down so much wearing all the clothes, and breathing frigid air. The wind was really bad today, but the upside is that you don't realize any pain in your limbs at all. My hip is almost back to normal, I can still barely feel a little pinch when first get started but it is getting trivial. Not much more to say here.

Marathon Training Log - December 19th - Day 15 - 10 miles.

This Saturday run was the longest so far, and also the most challenging. To begin with, my hip felt better today than it has since I started this program, that is before AND after the run. I went out in the country like usual, down south to gooding rd, but this time turned right and went to the first mile section before turning around. Ten miles exactly from start to finish (according to MS Streets and Trips anyway). When I left the house it was about 9:15 or so, and was about 45 degrees with very light wind. By the time I finished, it was 30 and a 10 mph wind was blowing out of the north. The last 3 miles into the wind were brutal. A mile south of the cemetary there is an uphill strecth about half a mile where there are no trees on either side of the road and the wind almost killed me. I could feel it cutting thru all my clothes, and was sucking all the air out of my lungs. I took my big glove off and held it over my mouth. This was at about the six mile point, and my strategy is to walk for about 30 seconds every 6 miles and drink half a bottle of water or so. I walked and drank and tried to catch my breath. Luckily I wasnt to far from where the trees picked but up, so I recovered and finished strong. My legs felt great for just finishing a ten miler, and my time was under my 9 min mile goal. I finished in 1:26:42. I recovered faster that I would have expected, it is now Monday morning and I am not sore at all. Here is the summary from 11/25 to current:

	Total	Average
Duration (hh:mm:ss)	9:16:47	0:37:07
Distance miles	65.15	4.34
Average Speed mph		7.02
Pace min/mi		8.59
Calories (kcal)	8800	586

Marathon Training Log - December 18th - Day 14 - 3 miles

Well, first things first, my cold went away after about 24 hours, so this morning I felt fine. I took some theraflu nighttime before bed and passed out. Felt great this morning, but there was still lots of ice...today being the worst so far this week. It was cold again, duh, but there were places that looked like there was no snow or ice that were slick as snot on glass. I made it, no problems, and now I am looking forward to my long 10 miler on Saturday. I is supposed to warm up some... we will see. Not much else to say this morning, but I have stopped taking mp3 player with me in the morning just to enjoy the peace and quiet, and what I find is that now I have been analyzing the books I have been reading. I am on a "classics" kick right now, finishing Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five". I am almost done with "The Catcher in the Rye" and I'm not sure if I like it or not... but I think about that stuff while I am running. I will keep doing it till I get bored... and besides, the marathon is a 'no headphones' race, so I had better get used to the sound of my own breathing.

Marathon Training Log - December 17th - Day 13 - 4 miles

I forgot to mention that yesterday there was also about an inch of powder snow on the ground... It was a little slippery but not too bad since it was so cold. This morning, however, was slippery as shit. What little snow melted yesterday formed a nice layer of ice on the road. Time was slow, and legs are sore. When it is slick like that you have to be very careful every step you take, or it may be your last. Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but you could injure yourself. Tensing up like this while running makes your legs a bit more sore than if you had not so I will look at it as an extra workout. The cold is annoying, but the icy north wind really takes your breath away. I usually run south first and return going into the north wind. This way I am all warm and toasty before battling the wind. No slips or falls today, but the forecast for tomorrow is more of the same. We will see... obtw today I woke up with a stuffy nose from hell... I always tell people that tell me I am going to get sick from running in the cold that it is germs, not cold, that make you sick. I am starting to wonder. I hope it runs it's course quickly so I can run mine.. lol.

Marathon Training Log - December 16th - Day 12 - 3 miles

The word of the day for today's run was FRIGID. At 6:00 am when I left the house the thermometer topped out at 6. You read it right...6. 6 freaking degrees. I was bundled like the baby Jesus when I left, after a cup of coffee and a 15 minute argument with myself. After missing last Thursday, there was no way I was gonna skip this morning... I don't care if it was a nuclulear winter. Actually, with only slits around my eyes exposed, it really wasn't that bad. I ran about 2.5 miles and stopped by work to install a software upgrade before anyone else showed up so I sweated a lot in my office. That made the last half mile a bit unpleasant, but not unbearable by any means. One thing about going this morning that was good, is that it reminded me that as long as you dress appropriately for the conditions, you can run in just about anything.

Marathon Training Log - December 13th - Day 11 - 5 miles

I missed my run on Thursday morning. I was planning on making it up on Friday, but I did not want to over do it before a long run... ok that is a bad excuse, I missed Friday because I went to Gene's house to play "A Game of Thrones" board game on Thursday night, and stayed out until 2 am. My bad. Anyway, I got up Saturday morning raring to go. About 10 o'clock I hit the street. The day was much warmer than it had been all week, between 55-60, I didn't check for sure, but windy. Windy, windy, windy, windy. It was blowing out of the south at about 30-40 mph... no exaggeration. I left my house heading west and it wasn't that bad at all; until I turned left. WOW. It was hard just to move forward... Seriously, it felt that if I just let myself fall, the wind would hold me up. The wind was sucking the life out of my lungs and I felt like I was barely moving. When I turned left again it was a relief , but the real relief came when I turned left again and began running to the north. Now, with a wind in my sails, I made up some time... This was great, a feeling of being shoved from behind by some great force with no chance of slowing down. I finally caught my breath that the wind had stolen and made a dash for home! Victory. The wind was tough, but I was the winner.

Marathon Training Log - December 10th - Day 10 - 4 miles

I got up this morning about 5:15 expecting to see snow, ice or both on the roads. After a cup of hot coffee, I got dressed and headed out. 23 degrees and a nice stiff wind was going to make for an interesting morning. I am starting to notice that I am writing the same thing day after day so today I am going to change it up a bit by detailing my extreme cold weather running wardrobe.

I start with the spandex compression shorts and a tight t-shirt. Next I put on my running pants. These are no ordinary pants. These pants are made of fleece I think, but they are so warm that you can only wear them when it is cold as it gets, else you will sweat. Actually you will sweat no matter when you wear these bad boys. They are loose fitting blue fleece, with elastic drawstring waist, zippered front pockets, and elastic, zippered ankles. These pants are Perfect for winter running. Then I put on a sweat shirt (no hood). Over this, I pull over my fleece. It has a high neck that zips, and a big pouch on the front. For the hands, I go with a pair of small knit gloves that fit skintight and cover these with a larger pair of fleece gloves. Last, but most important, the head... This is the key to surviving the uber-cold winter morning. I start with, you guessed it, fleece balaclava. This is basically a full head hood with just the face cut out. This is crucial since so much of your head leaves via the dome. Finally, and fittingly, a fleece "buff" (like on the show Survivor) with a little mouth hole cut out. Actually it was a fleece hat, I just cut the top seam making it an open tube, then cut a hole to breath out of. Then I pull this over the balaclava, around my nose and mouth with the breathing hole lined up. When all is said and done, all you can see is my eyes and a little slit to breath from.

Oh I almost forgot, a pair of warm socks and your best running shoes top things off... can't forget the shoes... I prefer New Balance. Not sure what the model I have is called, but it is the 3rd pair I have had. I bought 2 last time, so I am all set.

And about the run, it was cold (as I already explained) but good. There was a little icy stuff around, but nothing treacherous. Today was a 4 miler, and I finished in 35:29. My hip still hurts some, but I have basically decided just to ignore it. I know, not that smart, but oh well.

Marathon Training Log - December 9th - Day 9 - 3 miles

This morning was fairly warm with a misting rain. The wind was blowing out of the northwest at probably 10-15 mph. Temperature was maybe 45. I left the house about 5:50. The first mile or so, my hip hurt some with each step, but gradually loosened up. I am starting to think maybe it was a pulled muscle or something, since it feels better after running a while. Really started to pick up speed, and then turned for the 1 mile home stretch... into the north wind. Slowed me down some, and made breathing a little tougher. I gutted it out (wasn't really that bad) and finished with a respectable 23:34.

Marathon Training Log - December 6th - Day 8 - 7.5 miles

Again, the weather changes like a woman's mind around here. I didn't run first thing Saturday morning, so that makes a difference, but 54 degrees is a lot better than 17, I'll attest to that. I took Friday as my rest day, and slept in Saturday morning. Didn't run until after lunch (which is unusual for me, I almost always run before breakfast) It wasn't too bad but the wind sucked. It was coming from the NW about 20mph. Killed my time, I pushed hard on the way back (wind in my face) and finished at 1:01:30. A lot slower than last Saturday's long run. But I loved every minute of it. I think I got passed on the road by 1 maybe 2 farm trucks...that's it. I run south on Western all the way to Gooding road and back. Works out to right over 7.5 miles, and is so peaceful. Smells like cows, dirt roads, farms and fields. It was bright and sunny, I made extra effort to really take not of how beautiful it is even when everything is mostly brown. You can see back into the woods, streams, fields, old farms and barns. There was just a bit of ice floating in the trickling creek that I went over. It was really a great run. So far I am feeling really good, and glad I decided to chronicle it. Next week the mileage builds some more...

Here are the cumulative stats of my training at the end of week 2:

Cardio Summary Report
Total Average Maximum Minimum
Duration (hh:mm:ss) 4:35:19 0:34:25 1:01:30 0:24:23
Distance miles 33.10 4.14 7.50 3.00
Average Speed mph 7.15 7.56 6.33
Pace min/mi 8.41 9.48 7.94
Calories (kcal) 4484 560 1052 391

Marathon Training Log - December 4th - Day 7 - 3 miles

Not much to say about this run, 3 miles, but it was freaking COLD! 17 degrees. Wind about 7 mph out of the north. The cold hampered me a bit, but once I got warmed up, I pushed a little harder, finish time was 24:42. This was a lot slower than my goal, but weather does make a difference. It can get pretty hard to breath when it gets down below 20 or so... It is amazing how at this time of year the temp can swing so much in a day. Yesterday it was 44 degrees. Plenty more cold days like this to come.

Marathon Training Log - December 3rd - Day 6 - 3 miles

It is December now, and my entire run is in darkness as the days get shorter and shorter. I no longer get to see the sunrise in the east as I run my home stretch. The way I see it is that after some months running in darkness, when the sunrise comes, I will appreciate it that much more. This morning was not as cold as yesterday, still chilly, but not freezing. I am still having some pain in my right leg, but it is getting no worse. I will keep going and hopefully it will work itself out. Time this morning was 25:23. Nowhere close to my 5k time, but a decent daily workout. I ran my usual 3 mile route... osage->catalpa->western->willow->summit->catalpa->osage. Tomorrow another 3 mile run, but faster since it is before a rest day. I will be shooting for 23 mins or less.

Marathon Training Log - December 2nd - Day 5 - 3 miles

Another easy 3 miler, not a bad thing after the longer distance I ran on Saturday. It was good to feel rested, although my hip was tight and a bit painful at the start. I think next weekend I will jog or walk a little just to keep it loose, even on the rest days... just nothing to strenuous. Time was 25 something, I screwed up my stopwatch...didn't get the button pushed all the way. I got a new pair of NB running shoes, size 11, cause they didn't have 11.5 or 12. They are a bit small, but I got them anyway... I ran in them this morning, and no ill effects, a little tight, but I think that they will loosen up enough with a little time.

Marathon Training Log -November 29 - Day 4 - End of Week 1 - 7.75 miles

My brother stayed at my house Thursday and Friday night. I got up and around and made some breakfast before they left. Then I hit the road, it was 45 degrees or so, and sunny. I took out at a good pace, heading down Catalpa to Western. Then south on Western all the way out into the country to Gooding Road. It was a great day for a run, just a little wind and even less traffic. I felt great and my hip felt strong when I hit the turn around. I sped up some on the way back, pushing it a bit harder. I finished 7 3/4 miles in 55:33. Not too shabby. Just under 8 min mile pace. The best part was that my right hip felt good enough to do that distance. Rest/Cross Train on Sunday and rest Monday.

Marathon Training Log -November 27 - Day 3 - 3 miles

Thanksgiving! What a nice morning! 40 degrees, no wind, beautiful sunrise. How nice it is to feel the sun on your face. Today was another 3 mile run, but a bit faster (24:23). No pain in my left knee, and I can still feel a bit of pain... but I can tell it is getting stronger. Tomorrow is a rest day, and then a long Saturday run of 6 miles. I am using this easy first week, to test the strength of my right hip and get mentally prepared to battle this beast. So far so good... Until next time...

Marathon Training Log -November 26 - Day 2 - 3 miles

Another easy 3 mile run. This morning it was cool - 35 or so, but very calm and nice. My hip was a bit painful, but the last half mile or so my LEFT knee was pretty painful. I think maybe I was favoring it some in favor of my hip. I ran from home to the heritage, south on western to willow, east on willow to summit, north to catalpa then back home. That is my 3 mile route. Really slow today, just over 28 mins... Im just trying to get going again without hurting myself.

Marathon Training Day 1 - Nov 25th - 3 miles

So back in August I decided that I was going to run a full marathon. Up to now, the farthest I have run in a single session was about 13.5 miles. I found a website to the Olathe Kansas Marathon, and decided to give it a go. Yesterday was the first day, but it was a rest day... lol. I used it to get stoked about the next 18 weeks of long miles before the race. Today was the first run day, starting off with an easy 3 mile run. The mileage builds up week to week and tapers before the race. The plan is here, if you want to check it out. Here is what I wrote this morning on my fitness tracker:

5:40 am - First day of 18 week marathon training. I have been injured last 2 weeks, I hope I can shake the sore hip. we will see

Post Run 6:28 am - It felt very very very very good to be out running again this morning! It was a chilly 32 degrees no wind. I ran nice and easy since it was the first time I have run in the better part of 2 weeks. I feel awesome. I have been in a real sour mood since I have been out of commission, lack of my morning dose of endorphins I suppose. Hip felt great... but I did feel it some, hopefully this wont be a problem.

So the story on the hip was this, about 3 weeks ago, I decided I was going to ramp up my daily distance, to get ready for this marathon. I went too hard with too little rest and ended up over stressing my right hip flexor (I think, no Dr. involved). Long story short, I had to take about 2 weeks off. Boy was I in a foul ass mood the entire time. Guess I had endorphin withdrawls. I feel pretty good today.

Busy Weekend! Girard 5k - Maple Leaf Duathlon : October 11th ,12th 2008

5k and Duathlon Race Wrap - October 11th ,12th 2008

Friday I decided that I could not pass up my hometown race (Girard Fall Festival 5K) even though I was really focusing on the Maple Leaf Duathlon in Carthage on Sunday the 12th. The Girard 5K was Saturday morning 7:30. I rode my bicycle up to the square about 7:15, got registered and stretched out. I thought I would just take it easy and use this race just to stay loose for the duathlon. Of course, when the gun went off, so did I. I could not help myself... I shot out to the front of the pack, and led the entire pack (first time for that) for the first 2 miles or so. There was a young lady on just behind me on my left shoulder the entire time, and she made her move at the turn around and hit a new gear. I tried to keep up with her, but that was not gonna happen. She finished maybe 30-45 seconds ahead of me, my time was 21:24. I didn't beat my PR, but still a good time for me. So much for taking it easy. I finished 2nd overall and 1st in the mens division. I got a cool little trophy of a guy running...probably my first trophy since I was a kid playing baseball, so I'm proud.


I woke up Sunday kinda sore and my legs felt pretty tired... not exactly what you shoot for before a duathlon ( 5K run, 15 Mile Bike, 1 mile run) but whatever. I got to Eric's house about 11:45 and his friend Jim showed up at 12. We hit the road and made it to Carthage about 1:15pm. We got all signed in, stretched out and waited to take off. They started EVERYONE duathlon, 5k, 1mile all at the same time and it was a cluster. I got frustrated and shot to the left of the pack and sprinted to the front of the pack. It was kind of hard to recover from that sprint, but it was worth it to get out of the bulk of the traffic. The transition to the bike went pretty good, except I almost started riding in the transition area ( a big no-no). The bike went south into a 15 mph wind...that sucked. It seemed like I pushed my butt off but could barely muster 15 mph. There was a few mile stretch that got really hilly, creating some further suck. I finally started to get my stride, breathing, heart rate all settled down and then at the turn around (it was an out and back) I really started flying. I think I ended up averaging 18.1 mph . I got my bike back on the rack and headed out the small gate for the 1 mile run, and since I consider myself more of a runner than a cyclist, I figured I could make up some time on some of the others. I ended up following this red-headed kid (15 I think) and followed him all the way to the finish. I think we passed 5 or 6 people. I finished 3rd fastest in the mile, and I barely remember it. I was kinda in survival mode at that point...especially since I lost my water bottle on the first turn of the bike course. Anyway, I finished 1st in my age group, and 11th overall out of 60 some who finished in the required 2 hour mark. There was also a pretty good size group who finished after the 2 hour limit. Here is my stat line and breakdown of individual component times:
Run 1: 22:11 , T1 -00:39, Bike: 49:41:00 , T2: 00:26 , Run 2: 07:28
Total: 1:20:25

Event Rundown: 2008 Susan G. Komen - Race for the Cure , Wichita, Kansas 9/27/2008

Monday, September 29, 2008

Event Rundown: 2008 Susan G. Komen - Race for the Cure , Wichita, Kansas 9/27/2008

First of all, this was an amazing event and I would like to thank the organizers and anyone else that helped put it all together. There were over 7500 registered participants, and god knows how many others attending. The participants raised over 95,000 dollars, and local businesses kicked in a whopping $600,000. Hopefully with this and events like it, a cure will be found for a disease that will affect 1-8 women in their lifetimes.

Second, I would like to say thanks to all that donated to me directly or through my fund raising website, as I collected $550.00. Thanks guys. If you would still would like to donate check out www.wichitaraceforthecure.com and you will find instructions on how to make a donation.

Last but not least, I am pretty proud of the fact that I placed 3rd (out of 24) in the 30-34 men's age bracket and 21st out of 192 (men's division). It was not my best time ever but respectable at 21:05. It is however, my personal best in a timed event (as well as my first... lol) I fought some adrenaline at the beginning of the race, and it was different pacing myself on a course I did not know. But if gives me a good starting point.

Thanks again to everyone.

Thursday, September 11, 2008 - Susan G Komen Race for the Cure 5K

Thursday, September 11, 2008


Susan G Komen Race for the Cure

I recently heard about this "Race for a Cure" 5K (running) race in Wichita Kansas on September 27, 2008. It is a commemorative/fundraiser race for those who have battled breast cancer. They have raised a lot of money for breast cancer research.

Having watched Jodi go through her fight against cancer, and after all the great support we got from friends and family, I thought this would be a great opportunity to give a little back. If you would like to join my team (by making a donation or running) let me know. To read more about it check this link out: Komen Race for a Cure

I registered for this race, and they set me up a fund raising page tracking my progress in fund raising. There is a make a donation link on there as well, allowing you to easily make a donation online.

Please help this great cause!

If you want to support a great cause, here is your chance to get involved...chances are you already know, or will know a women battling breast cancer. Thanks for reading....

Monday, August 25, 2008 - Jackson County Triathlon Results

Monday, August 25, 2008

Well I survived my first competitive sprint distance triathlon. 1/3 mile swim, 11 3/4 mile bike followed by 3 mile run. Whew! That was the most challenging fun that I have ever had. Max and I left for my dad's house around 1 pm, and got there about 3. Dad and I went over to the lake, checked in and got my race bag, checked out the beach, and finally drove the bike course. First thing I noticed was how many more hills there were. Big ones. I usually ride mostly flat, so I knew this was gonna be a challenge. We went back to dad's house, went for a short bike ride, ate spaghetti and went to bed. I didn't ever really get to sleep (it felt like) and got up 15 minutes before my alarm (3:45 am). I ate a couple bananas and granola bars and had 2 cups of hot coffee. I hit the road and made it to the lake about 5:00 am. I got all checked in, body marked, picked up my timing chip, set up my bike and then.... hurry up and wait. My heat didn't hit the water until 8:05. I streched, hydrated, pee..... repeat. Dad and Max showed up about 7:45 and just in time to talk to me at the staging area for the swim, it was cool having Max cheer me on, since it is usually the other way around.

Before I get into the race itself, I gotta give my overall impression of the event (my first obviously). First, there were a TON of people. Counting all the athletes, spectators, event staff, it seemed like thousands... A sea of cars in the parking lot, and half mile lines to the porta johns. It was awesome. Second, the other competitors were all cool as can be. I talked to lots of them between 5 and 8, and all of there stories were different, and all as nice as could be. Another thing, there was everything from elite athletes with thousands of dollars worth of gear all the way to guys like me on a shoestring budget. The youngest kid I saw racing was 13 and the oldest had to be mid sixties. One guy was on a mountain bike with a baby seat mounted to the back(no baby). It was a really cool experience, I am very glad I participated. Thanks again to my dad for sponsoring me and putting me up for the night. Big thanks to Max for going with me even though he had to get up WAY early. And Jodi for being cool with me taking off for most of the weekend leaving here with Mitch and Molly. Here were the results that the posted on the race website:
Overall, I am pretty darn happy with the outcome, my goal was 1:18:30, but why set a goal you know you can achieve? Gotta push it....

Summary
Number of Finishers ...... 447
Number of Females .......163
Number of Males............284
Average Time..................1:31:17

My Stats
Bib Number : 401
Overall Place: 129 out of 447
Division Place(30 - 34 Male): 19 out of 41
Gender Place (M) : 103 out of 284
Complete Time: 1:22:10
Swim: 15:15
Tran1: 1:23
Bike: 40:49
Tran2: 1:00
Run: 23:43

Thursday August 21, 2008 -- So I decided to compete in a Sprint Distance Triathlon...

Just a note, I will be competing in a sprint distance triathlon at the 2008 Jackson County Triathlon at Longview Lake near Lee's Summit, Missouri on Sunday, August 24th. Here's the race website: Jackson County Triathlon Sprint distance is .3 mile swim, 11.75 mile bike, and 3 mile run. My motivation is simple, I want to challenge myself to do something a little more difficult than everyday life. I decided to give it a shot sometime early this July, and have been training pretty hard since then. I have been running regularly since January, usually between 2-6 miles with some longer ones thrown in here and there... For anyone who is interested, I will post a blog after the race mostly to document my thoughts and feelings right after the race. This could be useful should I decide to compete again. I will be heading up Saturday afternoon to pick up my race packet, and will hit the road early, early Sunday morning. My goal is to complete the race in 1:18:30. That is one hour, eighteen minutes and thirty seconds. They are expecting between 350 and 400 participants. I would like to finish in the top 100. Wish me luck! And a big shout out to my Dad for putting me up for the night, going with me at 4 am, and acting as my corporate sponsor (he helped with my entry fee). Thanks Dad!