Sprinting to Spring

Hey everyone, it's been quite a while, hasn't it? For me to blog on here, that is. I really should make much more of an effort to keep you all updated on everything that's going on in our lives.

Did you know that we entered into the season of spring during this week? Supposedly we're entering a time of warmer temperatures, where the grass turns green again, and where the trees begin to put on leaves. I went out today, and, sure enough, our trees are getting ready to put out their buds and begin another season of growth.

Spring also means that race season starts around here. Once the likelihood of snow diminishes somewhat, our local running organizations decide that it's worth the risk to schedule a few runs. Even though we can get snow all the way into June here, the race calendar typically begins in March.

So today was my first "official" race of the year. It was a short little 5K, one sponsored by an organization that does outdoor adventures for handicapped people. So this morning, 9:00 found me toeing the start line in the crisp 30+ degree temperatures, ready to head out. The whistle blew, and we all (about 100 of us) took off.

This little 5K went through one of the local neighborhoods and wound back to the park where we started. There were several little uphill stretches, which always threaten the calves and thighs as you run. But since the race is only a little more than 3 miles, it's bearable. I managed to keep my legs churning, finishing up in a personal best 23:57 for a 5K.

We also got a T-shirt for participating. Here is a picture of me later on in the day with my fun little T-shirt. (Carrie calls it my little flowerhead shirt!)

Yes, that really is a person running with a flower for its head. Don't ask me why, but I still think it's pretty cool.

Once I updated my facebook status to say that I ran the race, I pretty quickly got an invitation to run another local 5K, this one coming up in the middle of April. I'm already signed up for one of the local half marathons, held later in August. But I enjoy getting out and running and helping out a good cause, so who knows, you might be hearing from quite a few more races this summer, provided the upcoming little one doesn't completely kill my running time!

How far can you run?

How far can you run? Have you ever really tried to figure it out? Well, recently I wanted to see just how far I could go. Many of you who follow our blog know that I have run a number of races of different lengths in the last few years. I've run a 5K (3 miles), 10K, 15K, and a handful of half marathons (13.1 miles). Up until this year, I had been content with 13.1 miles as a good long run.

That is, until I started to get the itch to run a full marathon. It wasn't out of any desire to "prove myself" or anything like that. It was more to see if I really could manage to run 26.2 miles all the way through. So earlier this summer, I filled out the form, paid my fee, and was signed up for my first ever full marathon.

The race was held this past Saturday. As with the local half marathons that I have run, start time was 7:00 AM. That meant that I needed to catch my bus up to the start line around 5:30 AM. I sat on a school bus next to a man who was running his second, and we chatted about running and other things. Then, we finally arrived at the start line, pretty far up in the mountains.

I should mention here that it was rather chilly that morning. In fact, it was cloudy and cold, which meant that they had a warming tent near the start line. It was packed really full. And then, about 30 minutes before the start, it began to rain. Not a nice drizzly rain, but a cloudburst. It stopped after about 5 minutes, at which time everyone proceeded to get ready at the start line.

Then, about 5 minutes before the race was to begin, wouldn't you know it, but another cloudburst. Quite a few people had worn trash bags to keep themselves dry. I kind of envied them. Despite the downpour, the starting gun sounded, and we were off!

The rain persisted fairly heavily for about the first 2 miles. Then, it stopped. That was about the time that I finally started to warm up. So I tossed my warm up jacket to the collection spot on the side of the road and kept running. The rain had made the weather nice and cool, which gave the promise of a nice run.

The course that the race follows starts up at the end of a mountain valley. For the first 17 miles, the route goes down out of the mountains into the valley beneath. That means that we all got to run downhill. Now, downhill running is great, except that it does take its effect on the quad muscles of the thighs. During the run, though, it actually felt pretty good.

It was during this downhill portion that the clouds above seemed to think that it was a good time to start another downpour. Around mile 8, the clouds once again began to pour our their watery contents. Again, not a nice drizzle, but a downpour. My shirt was so soaked that it was sticking to my body, and my shoes felt like they had gained about three pounds in water. We all continued to run in this until we exited the mountains and came out down into the valley.

That's when the rain decided to give way to hail. Not really large hail, but some nice, pea-sized stuff that just persisted for about 5 minutes or so. However, the one good thing about all of this was that it kept all of us runners nice and cool, which means that we were saving energy that our bodies would be needing later on in the race.

I was running at a really decent pace throughout this first portion of the race. In fact, the only times I slowed down was to walk through the aid stations when I needed something to drink. However, once I reached mile 18, I finally hit the point that I needed to walk for a couple of minutes. That seemed to rejuvenate me enough to keep running, though at a much slower pace than I had started.

Finally, I reached mile 20. That meant that I only had 6 more miles to go. However, most marathon runners will tell you that the wall typically happens around mile 20. That's when I really started to feel like my legs were ready to drop off. However, I was determined, not just to finish the race, but to finish in under 4 hours. So, I pushed on.

Now, some of the people who support runners at a marathon are very enthusiastic. Throughout the route, there had been people with signs, people cheering on loved ones, and in general, people showing their support for everyone who takes up a challenge like the marathon. However, the funniest thing that happened to me happened at the mile 23 aid station. There was a young man holding his infant child, and he spied me out, and starting hollering at me to kiss his baby. After he persisted two or three times, I decided, "why not?" and took a quick detour to kiss his little one!

The last three miles really seemed like they weren't going to ever end. However, as I got closer and closer to the finish line, Carrie spied me out to take a few pictures. Here is one of me, exhausted, as I am running down one of the last roads before the end of the race.


The route wound around a few blocks, going up one street, over a block, back down the next street, and then did the same thing again, leading up the finish line. That meant that Carrie was able to zip over and catch a picture or two of me as I headed toward the finish line.


Just a few moments after this picture, I crossed the finish line. Total time was 3 hours, 58.1 seconds. A few moments later, Carrie had found me in the runners' area and got this picture of me in all of my triumphant glory!

Yes, that is my medal for finishing the race. I can now say that I am a marathon runner.

The rest of the day, I found that I had worn a few of my joints a bit more than they were used to. This made sense, as I had never run more than 13 miles before. It took the rest of that day and a good night of sleep to let those joints cool off and feel normal again. Then, on Monday, after a nice four mile run, all the built up lactic acid was out of my muscles, and I now feel as good as new. Will I ever run a marathon again? I can't say that right now. However, I can look back and say that I have run a full marathon.

Post-Half-Marathon Pics

Just over a week ago, I ran my fourth half-marathon. For our regular readers, you know that I set my own personal record by running it in 1:43:18. Also, I finished 190th out of about 1,900 people who finished (around 2,600 signed up for the race).

One of the perks of running races is that you get a shirt when you sign up and run. I'm getting quite a collection, as this was my third race of the summer. That made it my third shirt that I "earned" in my running. Here's a picture of me wearing it.

You'll notice the medallion that I'm holding in my hand. Each year, at this race, all finishers receive a medallion. In the previous two years of the race, it has been rather small, as in slightly larger than a quarter. However, as you can see, this year's is pretty big. They give it to you about 10 feet after you cross the finish line.

Want a bit closer of a view? Of course you do!

In just under two weeks, I have my fourth and final race of the season. This one will be a full marathon (26.2 miles for those who don't know the distance). My first goal will be to finish the race. My second (and secondary) goal is to run it in under 4 hours. But the thing I'm most excited about is getting a T-shirt and then showing you a picture of me wearing that shirt. So now you have something to look forward to, as well!

Race Day!

This morning, my alarm went off at 4:45. I got up, put on my running clothes, made a quick smoothie, grabbed a bagel, and then drove over to run this morning's half marathon.

Why so early? Well, the race begins at approximately 7:00AM, in order to take advantage of the cooler temperatures. But every once in a while, you get a heat wave that doesn't cool off overnight. That happened to be the case this morning, as I woke up to temperatures that barely got down to 60. (Yes, I know some of you live in places that don't even get that cool at night, but it's all relative, right?)

I met up with a friend who was running her first ever half, and we got on the school bus to ride up to the start line. Getting off, it was pretty nice and cool. However, it was also pretty obvious that the temperature would warm up quite a bit once the sun peeked over the mountains. So, a few minutes before 7:00, the race director had us all get in line at the starting point.

This year, the race directors did something a little different. In past years, it was just a mass of humanity which lined up to start the race. They did try to push the crowd back to allow the elites a space in the front, but overall, it was every person for themselves. This year, however, they actually had us line up according to the time that we thought we would finish. The times were broken down by 15 minute increments, so I placed myself in the 1:30-1:45 group.

The gun sounded, and we were off! It was nice, since the first 6+ miles are mostly downhill, out of the mountain valley where we started from. Plus, early in the morning, you get a nice breeze blowing down as the cool air makes its way to the valley below. Downhill with a nice breeze behind you really lets you get going at times, and I found myself with lots of energy, letting gravity do its thing, and the breeze push me along.

All of that changed after about mile 7. This is when the course enters the valley and flattens out. It also means that you are out of the mountains all around you. So, as the sun rises, it peeks over the peaks and suddenly you find yourself running in full sunlight. You also lose the breeze behind you and start fighting the climbing temperatures. And let me tell you, once the sun came out, it really did start to heat up fast!

I was probably on pace to break 1:40 until I hit around mile 11. At this point, the race climbs very gently, but very persistently over the last two miles. On top of that, the sun decided to shine full out. While I still had a pretty good amount of energy, I could tell that my body was working a lot harder than it had earlier in the cool part of the race. I felt my pace slowing down, though I was very determined not to slow down to a walk at all.

Finally, I could see the finish line in the distance. I deliberately didn't look up at it much, at least not until the last 0.1 mile. I looked at the clock displaying the time, and saw that it read 1:43. So I pushed myself the last few feet, crossing at a time of 1:43 and a few seconds. Checking my results later, I can say that I finished 190th overall, 28th in my gender division.

This time represents my personal best. I really feel that, if the temperature had been even five degrees cooler throughout, I would have broken 1:40. But there is no use crying over spilled milk, and really, who can complain about just finishing a half marathon?

He is alive, and running

Yes, I know it's been quite a while since I last posted anything on here. (Many thanks to Carrie for keeping things going on this site, she's the motor that keeps it running!) But yes, I am still alive and thought it would be good to share a bit with you all again.

This coming Saturday is an exciting day for me. It's my third local half-marathon. That's right! This is the third year in a row that I am running the local 13.1 mile race, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Okay, so most of you may think I'm crazy for "looking forward" to pushing my body through 13 miles of running (does it help if I tell you that it's mostly downhill?). However, while I'm making you think I'm partly crazy, I might as well push the envelope and go the whole distance. This marks the first year that the half is merely a stepping stone along the way. Three weeks later, I will be running the local full marathon for the first time!

Yes, 13.1 miles is merely a stepping stone this year. I know, most of you would probably rather find another way to go if that was the stepping stone you had to take, but I realize that I'm a little different from most people. So you can be expecting to hear something about a full 26.2 mile adventure sometime around the middle of September.

So yes, I am still alive. In fact, I've probably never been healthier. And yes, I am running. And running. And running some more. (If you look closely, you may even see me running in your neighborhood sometime.) I'll let you know how things turn out this weekend, and will keep you informed as to how the even bigger event goes in just a few short weeks!

Freedom Run

When you wake up on the morning of the 4th of July, what is the first thing that you think of doing? Trying out a few firecrackers to wake the neighborhood up? Thinking about what you'll put on the grill later on in the day? Hitting the snooze, since you probably have the day off of work?

What about getting up and running 9.3 miles? Well, that's what I did this past 4th of July. Earlier in the spring, I looked at some of the local races, and noticed a 4th of July Freedom Run. It starts up one of the local canyons and ends at the park in one of the small towns nearby.

Race time, you ask? 7:00AM sharp. So the 4th found me waking up around 5:00 in the morning, getting on my running outfit, and driving up to the start point. For this particular race, being somewhat small in size, I had to get up there early to get a parking place, since there was no shuttling from the finish line to the start line.

So at 7:00, I lined up with about 575 other runners, the gun sounded, and we were off. It was a somewhat humid morning by our standards out here, so when the sunlight hit, you could almost hear everyone groan. However, about 15 minutes later some cloud cover rolled in, which cooled things off quite a bit.

For this race, the first 7 miles were pretty much downhill. But at mile 7, there was a fairly steep, 1/2 mile incline to climb. I'm proud to say that I did not slow down much, and actually passed several people who had to walk up the hill.

From there, it was a nice, easy run to the finish line. My wife was waiting there with her new camera, and caught a few shots of me as I raced toward the finish line.

I was so happy to see her I even stuck my tongue out at her as a loving sign of affection!

Overall, I ended up #107 out of about 575 people. In my age group, I was the 13th place overall finisher. It was a great run, and I look forward to another freedom run next 4th of July!

Race Day

What a day! This morning, I awoke a little after 6:00, which is early for a Saturday. But that's because I had a race today. One of the local small towns features a "Health Days", and part of this celebration is to feature three races. They have what is called a Mayor's Mile which, as you might guess, is a mile-long run. They also have a 5K and a 10K. So, as you may guess, I decided to run the 10K.

For those who may not know, a 10K is approximately 6.1 miles. That's half of a half marathon. Given the amount of running that I have done lately, ti's really not all that great of a distance. However, this run is called Conquer the Canyon. And it does indeed live up to its name.

The run is a loop, which means you venture out a little over three miles, and then return basically the same way. The only thing is, for this race, the first three miles up the canyon gain a little over 1,000 feet in elevation. It's a lot of work to run uphill for three miles. I resolved that I would not walk any of it, and I was able to be true to that commitment.

On the return, it's downhill. That is, except for one small part. The return route takes an alternate road that runs along the top of the canyon, running basically the same route as the road leading up. But yes, that means that we had to run up a very steep road for about 75 yards with about 2 miles to go. I was really huffing and puffing at the top of that little stretch, but was able to keep running the whole race.

I finished with a time of 49:06, good enough for 6th in my age group (30-39). I didn't see the full listings yet, but I think I finished in the top 40 overall. Once I see the official race results, I'll let you know the specifics.

What a run! Now I'm getting ready for another 10K, coming up early in July!

Sweethearts and Snowshoes

One of the nice things about living near mountains are all the fun winter activities involving snow. Carrie keeps an eye on new adventures for us, and recently she discovered the sweetheart snowshoe hike. It's a romantic stroll through the snow and the woods and the mountains, just you and that special person and about 14 other people. With Valentine's Day in our minds, and love in our hearts, we set out for our fun adventure.

First, we met with the rest of the group, and then took the 30 minute drive up to our trail. We started to hike up into the mountains on a trail set aside for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing (no snowmobiles allowed!). It was uphill all the way. That meant that we, who had dressed rather warmly, were already rather warm about halfway up. I even had to unzip my jacket!

Now, of course, I cannot just get off the trail and not have a little fun. Armed with her camera for proof, Carrie caught me in this most unusual of snowshoe positions.

For all of you amateurs out there, DO NOT try that at home!

Just to show you how cool she is, my sweetheart snowflake also wandered a few steps off the trail to show off her modeling skills. What do you think? You'd buy whatever she was selling, right?

Really, we had a lot of fun. We have both gone snowshoeing before, but were reminded today of how much fun it really is, and how much beauty we are surrounded by out here. We noticed the pawprints of a number of different creatures (such as ermine, snowshoe hare, kangaroo rat, deer, and then from a moose or an elk, the guide wasn't sure), saw how the snow packs up, and got a pretty good workout.

This has become an annual tradition at the local nature center. We have gone on a sweetheart snowshoe hike before, and really enjoy it a lot. We got to interact with a few other couples from the local area, but really, we got to enjoy some beautiful landscapes that God made and so few people ever get to see. What a great joy that is!

Of course, we can't help but be a little silly every once in a while. You would never guess that from this picture.

Just a couple of cool people, out for a cool stroll through the cool mountains, enjoying God's cool creation. What better way to be sweehearts together?

Overcoming Prejudice

Okay, raise your right hand right now and repeat after me. "I'm prejudiced." Okay, confession is good for the soul. You've got it out now. But you aren't alone. I also have to admit that I am prejudiced.

Recently, however, I have overcome a prejudice. Growing up, I remember that I absolutely hated...tomatoes. Okay, maybe that's not one of the more offensive prejudices in the world, but it was a prejudice nonetheless. I distinctly remember not liking them at all as I grew up. On one occasion, my mom even told me that I couldn't get up from my chair at lunch until I had eaten a small, cherry sized tomato. I took my glass of water and swallowed the thing whole, just to get it over with.

But about two years ago, I was confronted with my prejudice. I had just taken up running as both a hobby and a means of keeping fit. In the reading I was doing, there also was quite a bit about foods that were good for runners. One thing that kept coming up again and again were tomatoes. They have lots of good vitamins. They have antioxidants. They carry all sorts of good things for runners and their recovery.

So I started looking for ways to include tomatoes into my diet in less than obvious ways. Tomato sauce in dishes instead of whole tomatoes. Small slices on my sandwiches. But it seems like this is the way to start overcoming prejudice. If you expose yourself to something you dislike a little at a time, it seems that it starts to grow on you.

Tonight, I made one of my regular pasta dishes for myself. One part of that dish included 10 Roma tomatoes, cut up into fourths or sixths, and then put in with my sauce. After they cook, the tomato pieces are still obvious in the dish, as is the taste. And, to my recent surprise, I have really started to like the bites with a part of a tomato in it.

What prejudice do you have that you could work to overcome in this way? Take it one small step at a time, and you may come to love it just as much as I now like tomatoes.

Treadmill Trepidations

Part of my weekly routine involves three different days each week where I go for a run. My local gym has a good batch of treadmills, and so Monday, Wednesday, and Friday typically find me down there, running away on a treadmill.

Now, usually my runs aren't all that exciting. I plug my iPod into my ears, listen to my music, and then run. My short runs are 6 miles long, with my Friday run being my long run.

Today, though, was one of those runs where the unusual happened. I had my iPod tucked into the iPod pocket of my shorts, and started off running. However, at one point, I bumped up against the front bar of the machine. The cord of my iPod came into contact with the metal, and I got a shock! Not a really powerful one, but enough to catch my attention. I proceeded to turn off the component which allows you to plug into the TVs, thinking that there might be a short in it. After my run, I would then go and tell the attendant about the problem. So I thought that was the end of it.

That is, until I touched one of the side metal bars. Another shock! Again, not real powerful, but enough to get my attention. So then, I started to experiment. About every minute, I would reach over and touch the bar, and sure enough, a shock. I realized that it was the kind of shock that you get when you wear wool socks over carpet and then touch a light switch. That's when it hit me. I had worn a pair of microfiber pants, which tend to build up static electricity, and that was what caused my shocks. So for the rest of the run, I just had fun reaching up and touching the bar every minute or so to see if I could get rid of the static.

Now, if that were the only adventure, that might have been enough. But no, there's more! About 20 minutes into my run, I noticed a very distinct odor coming around the machine. It was the serious smell of someone who had not bathed for a while, and then was building up a sweat on top of it. Usually when I run, I do quite a bit of breathing through my nose. But today, the smell was starting to get so strong, I had to resort to breathing through my mouth. Someone around me had some serious B.O. Now, running in a gym, you get used to a certain lingering odor of sweat. I'm not sure who it was, but there was definitely someone who was exuding a smell that went far beyond what is socially acceptable.

Crazy adventures at the gym. They don't happen often, but when they do, it sometimes is a shocking, smelly event.

Tastiest Pasta Dish Ever!

It is truly amazing what you can learn reading through magazines. Some time back, I subscribed to a magazine, Runner's World, which has helped me learn a lot about being a safe, inury-free runner. With much of what I have learned in reading through this magazine, I am probably in some of the best shape of my life, fitness-wise.

But would you believe that a running magazine is not only about running? Every issue, they give a number of healthy recipes that are friendly for runners. And then, in a recent issue, they even had a number of recipes from one of the judges on the TV show "MasterChef." Following some of his ideas, I have come across what is, to me, the tastiest pasta dish ever!

I typically start out with a pound of ground beef, a small onion chopped up, and about 3-4 cloves of garlic, also chopped. I cook these together over medium heat until the beef is cooked thoroughly. Then, I add three small cans of tomato sauce (it's been really great when I have made my own tomato sauce, but that's for another post!), rinse the cans with water and add it to the mixture, along with generous sprinklings of oregano, basil, ground black pepper, and then salt to taste. At this point, I usually will add any "extras" that I want, such as chopped tomatos, mushrooms, etc. I let this mixture cook for about 4-5 minutes, mostly to let the veggies cook a bit, but also to let the flavors all mix well together.

While this is going on, I also get my pasta going. I bring my pot of water to a boil, then add my pasta about the time that I'm pouring in the tomato sauce with the meat, onion, and garlic. Most pasta recipes say to let them boil about 8-10 minutes, but I only boil mine for about 6-8. Then, using a slotted spoon or sieve, I add the pasta into the sauce to finish. (I also will add some of the starchy water, as it helps the sauce to set better and provides a bit of liquid for the pasta to finish cooking.) Let it all cook for about 2-4 more minutes, and you have some of the tastiest pasta ever!

If you really want to put this dish over the top, just add a little shredded Parmesan cheese. It'll practically knock your socks off.

One of the best things about this recipe: I usually only have two pots/pans, two spoons, a knife, and a cutting board to wash afterward!

Tidbits, Odd Things, and a Bit of This and That

The Christmas tree is up. Our usual tradition is to put it up the day or two after Thanksgiving, but since we were out of town with some family commitments, we had to delay a bit this year. Right now, it has the lights, and the ornaments will start finding their way to the tree this weekend.

Carrie spotted a great deal for me over the past few weeks. I have a fairly large number of CDs in my collection that I rarely listen to anymore. She found a coupon to the local Hastings that gives you 5 extra dollars if you sell back 5 CDs. So far, we've had three such coupons, and I have made good use of them.

I have discovered a new favorite fruit. It's the asian pear, which has the taste of a pear, but the consistency more like an apple. We've signed up a few times for a local fruit and veggie pick-up, which has included these in our basket of delights, and I have truly taken a liking to these sweet delights!

Is it really December when you live in the mountains in the north, and yet it's still in the mid-40s outside?

We ordered some pants for me from L.L. Bean a couple of weeks ago. My size is such that it is fairly difficult to find my size in stock at stores. So we ordered a pair (getting a $10 gift card along with the order). I received them this week, and they fit great. Then, in the catalog they sent along with the pants, we found some more pants on sale for an even greater discount. Two more pairs should be arriving at our door soon!

I have maintained my running through the winter. It's very likely that I am in the best shape of my life right now. Though today's 8 mile run was one that I really had to push through.

As you can tell, my thoughts are a little random today. Maybe in the next day or two, I'll get back to you with one of my usual thought-provoking, laughter-invoking posts. Until then, may God be with you!

Raceday!

This past weekend was time for a new adventure for me. From past entries, you know that I have taken up running as a sport, and in general, just a fun thing to do. A mere three and a half weeks ago, I completed our local half marathon. Each year, this race is a prelude to the full marathon, which is typically run about three weeks later.

I know what you're thinking. A half marathon, and then, three weeks later, a full marathon! You must be crazy! I agree, that would be crazy. However, in addition to the full marathon, there is also a 5K race on the same day. It follows a little bit of the same course, and so I signed up to run the shorter race.

A 5K is a little over three miles in distance. So at 7:30 that brisk Saturday morning, I lined up with about 250 other runners. At 7:30AM sharp, we were off.

Now, three miles is not all that far if you've been running regularly, as I have. I managed to complete the race in 23:08. Yes, just over 23 minutes to cover a little more than three miles. It timed out to 7:27 per mile, or just a touch over 8 miles per hour. I feel really good about that.

On top of that, I also finished 7th overall in the race. Yes, it's my first ever top 10 finish! I managed to get back home less than an hour after the race had started, and Carrie was so happy for me, she took my picture!

Yes, perhaps the thing that stands out most is the lime shirt. That's actually the shirt from the half-marathon. But you should see the shirt for the 5K. It's really, really bright yellow. My tradition is that I will wear the shirt from the last race that I ran when I run the next race, so you can be assured that the next race will feature me in a really bright yellow shirt! After all, I run the races for the shirts.

Running the Race Before You

All you faithful followers of our blog have seen my last two efforts in running half marathons. This past Saturday, I had my third career half marathon, running our local race. In recent years, this race has blossomed in popularity. In 2007, there were a mere 700 runners signed up for the 13.1 mile race. Last year, I ran the course along with about 2,200 other people, and this year, the race was finally capped at 2,397. There just simply isn't any more room for all the runners. So I'm really glad that I got signed up early!

This course is mostly downhill. We start up in one of the local mountain canyons, and the first 7 miles are run down out of that canyon. Then we turn up into the populated area, running through a couple of neighborhoods toward the finish line, which is only about 5 miles from our house.

The race began at 7:00 AM. That meant an early morning for me to drive over, catch the school bus for the ride up to the start line, and then get ready. I found myself starting about 50 yards from the starting line. Fortunately, our race bibs had a chip on them which was activated when we crossed the start line, and timed out when we crossed the finish line.

Running down a mountain valley means limited photo opportunities, unlike in my last race earlier this summer. So Carrie had to wait at the finish line to get any pictures. Here, she catches me in action as I race toward the finish line.

Even though I had trained earlier in the summer, we had quite a few visitors over the summer, not to mention a couple of trips. That meant that I didn't get as many training runs in as I would have liked. I did set a personal record for myself, with a time of 1 hour, 46 minutes, and 4 seconds. But I can say that I was really pretty beat at the end of the race, if you can't tell from this picture.

Remember that we had to ride the bus up to the start line? Well, the temperature was really pretty chilly at the start line. I had shown up wearing a running jacket, not to mention such things as my car keys. I was hardly alone, as many other people had personal belongings that they wanted to keep close at hand. However, the race officials provided all of us with a bag to put our personal belongings in, and then we filled two busses full of them to take the bags back to the finish line. Here's what they all looked like near the finish line.

Once I had finished, I went into the area set aside for runners, where they had oranges, bananas, water, and gatorade. I made a few stops in there to get some liquids back into me after sweating them out most of the morning. Then, it was time to stretch out my muscles, so we found a nice little area where I could lay down on the ground and stretch out.

I should also mention that my time of 1:46:04 placed me at #251 overall in the race. That's not too bad- 251 out of 2,397. The winning runner ran the race in just over 1:05, which comes out to 12 MPH, or one mile every 5 minutes. My average was one mile every 8:08, an average of just under 7.5 MPH. Not quite Olympic material yet!

My next race is not a half marathon. We have a local full marathon that runs 4 weeks after the half. That same day, the race officials offer a 5K that same morning, which I will run instead. 3 miles instead of 13. I wonder what I'll do with all the extra energy!

Getaway: Raceday!

Our last few blogposts have been telling you about our recent little getaway, up in the mountains of Idaho. This post brings us to the main reason that we took this little trip in the first place.

Several months ago, I was looking for an early summer half marathon to run. Checking one of the local running magazines, I came across this one called the Sun Valley Half Marathon. Sun Valley is a little resort town up in the mountains of Idaho. Before the busy summer tourist season begins, they must attempt to bring in a few tourists. So I signed up and we planned our little getaway around it.

Carrie posted a few pictures about the resort in her last post. Just about 30 yards away from the resort was the start line. Since the race didn't begin until 9:00 AM, we got to sleep in that morning until about 7:00. Then it was time to get ready, go over, stretch out, and get mentally prepared. Don't I look like I'm ready to conquer anything?

At a few minutes til 9, they lined us up in the chute. There were about 235 runners in the race, mostly locals from Idaho. Here we are, all lined up and ready to go. Can you spot me?

Just in case you couldn't find Waldo or Scott, look at the runner in the red on the far right. I'm right behind him.

9:00 came, and we were off!

Hey, number 180, don't you know we're trying to take a picture here? Move your elbow. Oh, we're running a race? Well I guess we'll just take any shot that we can get.

I should tell you a little about the course. Part of this race is sponsored by a shoe company, who gives out a pair of shoes to the first male and female racer to arrive at the top of the first hill (I think it's a mountain, but that's another story). The top of this hill is found at about mile marker 1.3, which means that about the first mile and a third are up a hill with an elevation gain of about 1,000 feet. No, I did not win the king of the mountain pair of shoes. But it sure did sap my strength. I thought I was ready, but nothing like adding 1,500 feet in base elevation, then throwing in a 1,000 foot hill right at the beginning of the race. Needless to say, I would not be setting any records on this run.

But something interesting happened around mile 6. Somehow, my wife, who wasn't running the race, managed to get ahead of me. How did she do that and get in such good position to take this nice little snapshot?

Well, she was able to do this because the course essentially made a big circle. She was able to drive around the little town and get ahead of me to capture a few photographic moments of this great running endeavor (oh, and to take a few pictures of bridges and stuff like that).

Here she managed to get ahead of me again. Look at the space under my shoes. My feet aren't even touching the ground!

How does she manage to keep getting ahead of me? And how does she get such great shots, with me running and the snow covered mountains in the background?

For most of the race, we followed a biking/running trail that ran through the town. But at times, it looked like I was just plain lost.

Hey, get back on the course! Oh, that is the course. Okay, keep going.

At mile 11, there was another "little" hill of just about 200 feet. In my mind, that was just cruel. Yes, this is me actually having to walk up that hill just a bit.

But from then on, it was all downhill, and here he comes to the starting/finish line. I think he's going to do it! Yes, yes, he finished the race!

In dazed confusion, this mighty warrior/crazy idiot received his prize, a nice medal to hang around his neck for finishing.

Then, the kind lady had to point him out to where his lovely wife was waiting to greet him, though definitely not with a hug after 13.1 miles.

I managed to cross the finish line in 1:53. Considering the terrain and elevation, I am very happy with that. I finished in 55th place overall.

So what does a mighty half marathoner do once he finishes? He runs up, packs up all his stuff, takes a quick cold shower to cool off, and packs up his car before check out time. Then, it was back over to the race site for the ceremony afterward. Incidentally, the last few runners crossed the finish line in just over 3 hours total. Everyone cheered, especially for those who tried to sprint to beat their running friends.

And to the finishers go the spoils. Yes, that is free beer for all the runners! No beer has ever tasted better than one after 13.1 miles.
Just in case you are wondering, I have already signed up for my next race, which comes up in late August. But for now, I'm going to wear my T-shirt proudly, which declares that I have finished the Sun Valley Half Marathon.

1:50:15.9

Yes, that is the amount of time it took me to finish running 13.1 miles yesterday morning. Please permit me to share a little bit of the adventure of running the half marathon.

The morning started for me at 5:20 AM. I woke up, got dressed, and headed out to the finish line, where a lot of school buses were waiting to take all the runners up to the starting point. I was on one of the first buses that made it up to the starting line, so I had to wait for about an hour, in temperatures of about 45 degrees, as the rest of the runners were shuttled up.

Finally, we all started to get in line for the race. Oh, did I mention that there were over 2,100 people running this race? This meant that we took up about a quarter of a mile of the two lane road, packed with people ready to start the race. As always, there were a few stragglers. That meant that we finally were in line, ready, set, and headed off at 7:15 AM.

Want to know what it's like to run in the mountains? Just think of running and seeing some beautiful scenes such as this one, which is from the route that I ran.
Running in the mountains has its advantages. On this particular course, most of the running is downhill. The topography of the run is rather interesting, and I can truly say that I was thankful for a good portion of the run to be downhill.

My goal was to complete the race in about 1 hour 45 minutes. As I ran, I had to stop on a couple of occasions to stretch out some muscles that threatened to tighten up. While this may have slowed my time a bit, as well as one stretch where I simply had to walk for a few minutes, I still managed to make it to the finish line, where Carrie was watching and waiting. She spied me, called out, and snapped a quick picture. Too bad this man in front of her had to scoot over right as she did.

But, as you can see, I did finish. I cannot put into words how good it felt to be done, and to be on this side of the finish line. The final stretch of the run consisted of about 1 1/2 miles of straight running, where I could see the finish line ahead, but for some reason, it just never seemed to get closer. So to finally be able to stand idly by and point to the sign felt really good!

Of course, there were prizes for the winners. I do have to say that I didn't come close to winning anything. I finished 43rd in my age and gender group, and looking at the overall standings, I was 414th out of over 2,100 people. This means I met my other goal, to finish in the top 1/4 of all the racers. These were the prizes going out to the top three in each age category. And I thought Kokopeli was a much more southwestern symbol!

As I report all this the day after, I have to say that it felt good to go home and sit down for a while. I made myself get up and keep moving around so that my muscles wouldn't be quite so sore today. I'm glad I did, since today proved to be a full day. Wouldn't you know it, but we had a picnic to go to with some fellow Christians, and the place just happened to be the park right next to the starting line. This gave me the opportunity to go and pose by the start line in a much less intimidating way.

So now I can say that I have completed a half-marathon. Believe it or not, we're already looking for the next one to run, and I'm already trying to convince Carrie that she could at least walk the course! But I want to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and support. Here's looking to the next big race! Thanks be to God for surviving the first!

Less Than 48 Hours

The countdown is on. Saturday morning, 7:00 AM, I will be taking off on a 13.1 mile expedition as I run my first ever half marathon. All the training has taken place. Now I'm in the day of making sure I get plenty of rest, so that my legs have plenty of energy to take in the whole distance.

Yes, being the person I am, and being married to the one to whom I am, you can imagine that I have a strategy. That includes research, and especially helpful have been hints from a magazine called "Runners", which published a special on half marathons about 3 months ago. So, what's my plan, you ask? I'm glad you asked.

I will wake up early on Saturday, probably around 5:30, and start doing some stretching. I want to make sure my lower back, thighs, hamstrings, and calves are well stretched and warmed up. Once I take the bus up to the starting point (which leaves me about 45 minutes prior to the race), I will probably do some light jogging and/or fast walking, simply to get the blood flowing. Then, it will be race time!

My goal is to run the second half of the race faster than the first half. I will probably take about the first 6 miles or so at a pace of about 7 MPH. That has been the speed I used on my easy days of running, which doesn't use up a lot of energy. Then I plan to pick up the pace to about 7.5 MPH for the next 3-4 miles. That leaves me with about 3-3.5 miles to the end. During that time, I will gradually pick up pace, according to how I feel, but my hope is to average a little over 8 MPH over those last three miles.

That means that I hope to finish the 13.1 miles in roughly 1.5-1.75 hours. That means that around 8:30-8:45 MST on Saturday, I will have completed my first ever half marathon. When you consider that I have always hated distance running in the past, I will consider this a great achievement in my life. Check in sometime this weekend to see a few pictures of this great feat!

Who wants to run?

For the past several months, I have been putting my body through a rigorous training in preparation for running a half marathon. The run will be taking place, starting at 7:00AM, on Saturday, August 29. Just this week, I went and put my registration money down! So it's official. I will be running a half marathon in just over two weeks.

It's actually been easier than I anticipated in getting ready for the run. I have been averaging about 25-30 miles running each week for the past month or so. The longest single run I've had so far has been 8 miles, which took about an hour and ten minutes. My goal is to finish the half marathon in about an hour and a half, which measures out to about 8 mph.

What's the most you've ever run before? I'm actually surprised how many people I keep running into who have run a half or full marathon before. I'd love to hear how many of you have done something this this before.