Well after the Marathon I was sooo looking forward to the P.F. Chang's that they were offering on the day of the race for those that had signed up at the expo. I was concerned that they would be gone or out by the time I finished. So I asked the people at the expo if they would be there for the people that finish in 4 + hours and they assured me that they would be there all day. So I finished the race and made it through the refueling/support area and went right to the P.F. Chang's tent - only to find them packing up for the day and turning everyone away. I don't know if they ran out of food or were only staying for part of the day. Regardless, P.F. Chang's is a big sponsor of the Rock and Roll Marathons and they should be prepared to serve all of the finishers of the marathon or not sponsor/participate at all. This was a big turn-off for me on P.F. Chang's.
Now that I have that off from my chest!!! What am I going to do next......
Julianne and Gina told me that they were planning on running the Austin Half Marathon on February 14th. So I figured what the heck I might as well give it a try as I have heard really good things about the Austin Marathon. In general Austin has a really good reputation for putting on good races and providing great race support. I have run the Capitol 10k, Austin 10K+ Adventure Race, and the 3M Half Marathon. I have not been disappointed by the support at the races. The only bad part about the Austin Marathon is that it has a reputation of a lot of hills.
I went ahead and signed up for the full marathon. I figured that I will try and incorporate a lot of hills into my training program. This should also help to keep me motivated and ensure that I continue with the long runs.
By the way I would like to give a big shoult out to Julianne and Gina for completing their first half marathon. They did great and had a lot of fun!!!!
May the Force be with YOU!!!
Chad
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon - Race Report
After a fitful night of sleep I awoke about 4am to get ready for the marathon. I was meeting Julianne and Gina to ride together to the AT&T Center. We got to the AT&T Center without any problems and there were no lines for the shuttle. This is a big improvement over last year - although we arrived earlier this year than last year.
We made it to the starting line area and checked in our gear bags and got some bananas, bagels, and Cytomax. The weather was a lot different from last year. Last year it was really cold at the start of the marathon. This year it was pretty warm and would get warmer and more humid as the day would progress.
We wandered around until we found the USA Fit group that was supposed to be meeting for a warm up. I stretched and went for a short jog to get loosened up. Before long we were entering the corral, which began the long wait for us to cross the starting line. I had decided to start the race with Julianne and Gina so we were way back in corral #23. It took about 45 minutes before we were at the starting line (finally!!!). We were off on my second marathon and their first half marathon.
Gina, Julianne, and were running along and about 1 1/2 miles into the race Julianne and I look back to see how Gina was doing and she was gone. She was nowhere to be seen. Like good friends we kept running ;-) So Julianne and I continue on running together. There are lots of people running and the streets that we were running on were pretty full with runners. We were having to duck and dodge around the other runners as they were going slower than our pace. At about mile 4 Julianne let me know that she had to stop for a bathroom break. I was going to stop and use the facilities also, but the line was really long and I didn't have to go that bad. So like the good friend that I am I kept running ;-). Because the weather was warm and humid as I went throught the water stations I would get an extra cup of water and pour it over my head. After each of these water stations I felt soooo refreshed. Unfortunately the feeling did not last long.
A couple of days before the marathon I had pre-programed some text messages into my phone so that I could text to facebook, family, and friends as I ran the race. This worked really well and didn't casue any problems on the run. I would usually plan my walk breaks aroung the mile markers that I had planned send out the texts. I was surprised that I kept getting text messages from the people that I been texting.
It was just before the half way point and my hips were starting to ache. It was a nagging pain,but did not seem too serious. I got a big pick me up around mile 14 as Jill, the girls, Jill's dad, and Janene were there cheering me and the other runners on. It was great to see them. Arin and Rachael ran with me for a little bit, which was really great that they could participate a little with me.
Got a nice surprise right before the Stinson Field Airport as they had a sponsor set up there cheering us on and giving some snacks. I did not remember this little section in last years run. Just before Stinson Field I passed by a little road and relaize that they had changed the course a little and we did not have to go down this little road and back and the part that I did not remember from last year was new - YEAH.
It really started getting tough around mile 18. I started to get some cramping in my quads and had to slow down and walk for a bit. I was just trying to keep moving and hoping that the cramps would loosen up. After about 10 minutes or so the cramps were gone and I was able to start running again. The rest of the race was very difficult. It was definitely mind over body - willing myself to keep going.
I was of course keeping track of my time and I saw the potential finishing time continue to creep up and up. At about mile 23 or 24 I passed a girl that was asking some spectators if she could barrow thier phone. They asked her if she needed them to get her some medical attention and she sobbed "No, I need emotional support." I knew what she was talking about!!!
I finally reached the last little hill before the finish line. Although, this little hill no longer seemed little. It was HUGE!!! - I was determined to run up it as there were tons of people around cheering us on. It was really great. I made it up about 3/4 of the way and had to walk a little, but when I turned the corner and saw the finish line I found a little extra and was able to pick it up a little and finsh the race. I finished in 4 hours 33 minutes and 25 seconds. This was about 12 minutes faster than I finished the race last year. Woo Hoo!!!!
I could definitely tell a difference between how I felt after this years marathon compared to last years marathon. The last 6 miles or so were tough both years, but my knees did not hurt nearly as bad as they did last year.
May the Force be with you.
Chad
We made it to the starting line area and checked in our gear bags and got some bananas, bagels, and Cytomax. The weather was a lot different from last year. Last year it was really cold at the start of the marathon. This year it was pretty warm and would get warmer and more humid as the day would progress.
We wandered around until we found the USA Fit group that was supposed to be meeting for a warm up. I stretched and went for a short jog to get loosened up. Before long we were entering the corral, which began the long wait for us to cross the starting line. I had decided to start the race with Julianne and Gina so we were way back in corral #23. It took about 45 minutes before we were at the starting line (finally!!!). We were off on my second marathon and their first half marathon.
Gina, Julianne, and were running along and about 1 1/2 miles into the race Julianne and I look back to see how Gina was doing and she was gone. She was nowhere to be seen. Like good friends we kept running ;-) So Julianne and I continue on running together. There are lots of people running and the streets that we were running on were pretty full with runners. We were having to duck and dodge around the other runners as they were going slower than our pace. At about mile 4 Julianne let me know that she had to stop for a bathroom break. I was going to stop and use the facilities also, but the line was really long and I didn't have to go that bad. So like the good friend that I am I kept running ;-). Because the weather was warm and humid as I went throught the water stations I would get an extra cup of water and pour it over my head. After each of these water stations I felt soooo refreshed. Unfortunately the feeling did not last long.
A couple of days before the marathon I had pre-programed some text messages into my phone so that I could text to facebook, family, and friends as I ran the race. This worked really well and didn't casue any problems on the run. I would usually plan my walk breaks aroung the mile markers that I had planned send out the texts. I was surprised that I kept getting text messages from the people that I been texting.
It was just before the half way point and my hips were starting to ache. It was a nagging pain,but did not seem too serious. I got a big pick me up around mile 14 as Jill, the girls, Jill's dad, and Janene were there cheering me and the other runners on. It was great to see them. Arin and Rachael ran with me for a little bit, which was really great that they could participate a little with me.
Got a nice surprise right before the Stinson Field Airport as they had a sponsor set up there cheering us on and giving some snacks. I did not remember this little section in last years run. Just before Stinson Field I passed by a little road and relaize that they had changed the course a little and we did not have to go down this little road and back and the part that I did not remember from last year was new - YEAH.
It really started getting tough around mile 18. I started to get some cramping in my quads and had to slow down and walk for a bit. I was just trying to keep moving and hoping that the cramps would loosen up. After about 10 minutes or so the cramps were gone and I was able to start running again. The rest of the race was very difficult. It was definitely mind over body - willing myself to keep going.
I was of course keeping track of my time and I saw the potential finishing time continue to creep up and up. At about mile 23 or 24 I passed a girl that was asking some spectators if she could barrow thier phone. They asked her if she needed them to get her some medical attention and she sobbed "No, I need emotional support." I knew what she was talking about!!!
I finally reached the last little hill before the finish line. Although, this little hill no longer seemed little. It was HUGE!!! - I was determined to run up it as there were tons of people around cheering us on. It was really great. I made it up about 3/4 of the way and had to walk a little, but when I turned the corner and saw the finish line I found a little extra and was able to pick it up a little and finsh the race. I finished in 4 hours 33 minutes and 25 seconds. This was about 12 minutes faster than I finished the race last year. Woo Hoo!!!!
I could definitely tell a difference between how I felt after this years marathon compared to last years marathon. The last 6 miles or so were tough both years, but my knees did not hurt nearly as bad as they did last year.
May the Force be with you.
Chad
Friday, November 20, 2009
2009 San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon - Expo and Pasta Dinner
Finally marathon weekend had arrived. After about six months of training with the USA Fit Training group that was hosted by Run Gear Run I was pretty excited. I think that I was more excited to run this year than I was last year. For one thing I had a lot more running under my belt than what I did last year, I had been running a lot faster this year compared to last year, and I kind of knew what to expect.
I left work early on Friday to pick up my race packet at the expo and walk around. Friday evening I had also volunteered to work at the expo. The expo was pretty cool as usual and there were lots of things to sample. I was really excited that PF Chang's was signing people up to get free food at their tent after the marathon. I even verified that they would still be serving for the slow people like me who were going to take more than four hours to finish. They said that they would be there serving food all day (unfortunately this was a lie as I later found out - it really turned me off from PF Chang's - more about this later)
I splurged while I was at the expo and I bought a SA RNR jacket, a refrigerator magnet, and a SA RNR buff(like the buffs that the Survivor show hands out). I had wanted to buy the buff last year, but didn't decide until I finished the marathon and by then they were all out. I decided to buy the jacket because I figured this was the second time running the marathon I might as well get the jacket. Last year Jill had bought the refrigerator magnet so I thought I would continue the tradition.
Also, while at the expo they were offering a limited number of registrations for 2010 at $55. I can't resist a deal so I went ahead and signed up to run next year also. I know. I know. I am crazy!!!
The most awesome thing ever happened to me at the expo. I was volunteering at the expo (handing out race packets) and was on a break. I was walking through one of the back hallways of the Alamodome and ran into Dick Beardsley (WOW!!!). If you don't already know, Dick is a famous marathoner that came in second place in the Boston Marathon in 1982 in an amazing 2:08!!! He was just behind the winner Alberto Salazar by 2 seconds. That race is one of the most famous Boston Marathons and is called "The Duel in the Sun". Dick was amazing!!! He was so friendly and really took the time to chat with me. It was great. He gladly signed a couple of things for me and I let him get back to his work. Later I caught up to him at his booth and bought one of his books which he also signed.
On Saturday night we had our friends and fellow runners Julianne and Gina and their families over for our version of a pasta dinner. Jill made her fabulous baked spaghetti. We had a great dinner and a fun time. I think this was so much better than going to one of the pasta supper's put on by the events.
A few days earlier I had reviewed my marathon checklist from last year and updated it for this year. I gave a copy of the list to Gina and Julianne. This was going to be their first half marathon. Last year I did my first marathon and Chris from Marathon Chris shared her checklist with me. I was very appreciative for the checklist as her list included something that I never would have thought of on my own, but so desperately needed and that was ---- toilet paper in plastic baggies. It was a lifesaver. As they reviewed the list they razzed me about some of the items that were on the list like - technical underwear, race jersey, and running shoes. I had to explain that the the list was meant to be used for all races especially the ones that you have to travel for. It would really suck to fly into your race a realize that you don't have your shoes - it has been done just ask Alan from the Running with the Pack podcast and blog. He forgot to pack his shoes when he went to run the marathon and had to borrow some from his co-host's (Jeff) wife. I think that they were too small and pink to boot.
After our friends left I went about the process of getting everything ready for the race. It was going to be an early morning as we were going to leave around 4:45am. I wanted to leave as little as possible to do the next morning.
The next post will be about the marathon itself.
May the Force be with You,
Chad
I left work early on Friday to pick up my race packet at the expo and walk around. Friday evening I had also volunteered to work at the expo. The expo was pretty cool as usual and there were lots of things to sample. I was really excited that PF Chang's was signing people up to get free food at their tent after the marathon. I even verified that they would still be serving for the slow people like me who were going to take more than four hours to finish. They said that they would be there serving food all day (unfortunately this was a lie as I later found out - it really turned me off from PF Chang's - more about this later)
I splurged while I was at the expo and I bought a SA RNR jacket, a refrigerator magnet, and a SA RNR buff(like the buffs that the Survivor show hands out). I had wanted to buy the buff last year, but didn't decide until I finished the marathon and by then they were all out. I decided to buy the jacket because I figured this was the second time running the marathon I might as well get the jacket. Last year Jill had bought the refrigerator magnet so I thought I would continue the tradition.
Also, while at the expo they were offering a limited number of registrations for 2010 at $55. I can't resist a deal so I went ahead and signed up to run next year also. I know. I know. I am crazy!!!
The most awesome thing ever happened to me at the expo. I was volunteering at the expo (handing out race packets) and was on a break. I was walking through one of the back hallways of the Alamodome and ran into Dick Beardsley (WOW!!!). If you don't already know, Dick is a famous marathoner that came in second place in the Boston Marathon in 1982 in an amazing 2:08!!! He was just behind the winner Alberto Salazar by 2 seconds. That race is one of the most famous Boston Marathons and is called "The Duel in the Sun". Dick was amazing!!! He was so friendly and really took the time to chat with me. It was great. He gladly signed a couple of things for me and I let him get back to his work. Later I caught up to him at his booth and bought one of his books which he also signed.
On Saturday night we had our friends and fellow runners Julianne and Gina and their families over for our version of a pasta dinner. Jill made her fabulous baked spaghetti. We had a great dinner and a fun time. I think this was so much better than going to one of the pasta supper's put on by the events.
A few days earlier I had reviewed my marathon checklist from last year and updated it for this year. I gave a copy of the list to Gina and Julianne. This was going to be their first half marathon. Last year I did my first marathon and Chris from Marathon Chris shared her checklist with me. I was very appreciative for the checklist as her list included something that I never would have thought of on my own, but so desperately needed and that was ---- toilet paper in plastic baggies. It was a lifesaver. As they reviewed the list they razzed me about some of the items that were on the list like - technical underwear, race jersey, and running shoes. I had to explain that the the list was meant to be used for all races especially the ones that you have to travel for. It would really suck to fly into your race a realize that you don't have your shoes - it has been done just ask Alan from the Running with the Pack podcast and blog. He forgot to pack his shoes when he went to run the marathon and had to borrow some from his co-host's (Jeff) wife. I think that they were too small and pink to boot.
After our friends left I went about the process of getting everything ready for the race. It was going to be an early morning as we were going to leave around 4:45am. I wanted to leave as little as possible to do the next morning.
The next post will be about the marathon itself.
May the Force be with You,
Chad
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Surprise!!!
I was just surfing around some of my favorite running websites tonight and found a link to my blog on the San Antonio Road Runners Website under blogs. WOW - blew me out of the water. I wonder how long it has been there. I now feel really bad for not keeping up on what is going on.
I guess you just get busy with work, training, life, and now Facebook and Mafia Wars. The blog has definitely slipped way down on the priority list.
Well anyway on Sunday I finished my second marathon ;-) (WOW!!! Can't believe it!!!). I will work on a race report very soon and try to get back to blogging more frequently.
May the Force be with you
Chad
I guess you just get busy with work, training, life, and now Facebook and Mafia Wars. The blog has definitely slipped way down on the priority list.
Well anyway on Sunday I finished my second marathon ;-) (WOW!!! Can't believe it!!!). I will work on a race report very soon and try to get back to blogging more frequently.
May the Force be with you
Chad
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Austin 10K+ Adventure Race - Race Report
Several weeks ago I ran in the Austin 10k+ Adventure race. This was a 10k run that also included an obstacle course. I was intrigued by the idea of some obstacles on the race course as a mid run distraction. The race sounded fun and I like to do races on different courses to take in different scenery and get a change from the same old routes.
For the pictures of prior races I knew there were some beams that you had to climb over and there was a wall that you had to climb over using a rope. I did not know if that was all or if there were obstacles. I was a little worried that it would involve running or crawling through mud.
Seems like there were a little over 200 runners for this event. Some were running as a team, some were relays and some were individuals. We were about 2 miles into the race when the obstacles started. The first obstacle was a rope web that was attached to the back of some bleachers. You had to climb up the web and over the back of the bleachers. This was not too difficult and made it over the bleachers easily. Right after this was one of the most challenging obstacles. You had to climb over 2X6's that were about 4 1/2 feet tall. There were six of these in a row. To climb over each one you had to hoist yourself up and get you leg up on the beam and jump on the other side. This was more difficult because the beam and the structure were wobbly and there were other runners climbing over the beams at the same time.
Next were some easy ones. You had to run through tires and walk across three balance beams then jump onto a platform at the end and crawl ender some ropes. It was about this time that I had the thought that this was very similar to the challenges in the reality TV shows like Survivor or the Biggest Loser.
The next obstacle had three thigh high barricades that you had to get over followed by a tunnel that you crawled through and then three more barricades. The last obstacle was the wall. This was the toughest one for me - in fact I had to get the race officials to help me over the wall. By this point I was very tired and really hot. I think that I had the strength to make it over the wall on my own, but was I was lacking was the technique. I ended up getting too far up the wall with my feet and not moving up far enough with my arms.
The finish line was right after the wall. I was happy to finish. My time was 1:02. I will be looking to run these types of "adventure races in the future.
May the Force Be with You.
Chad
For the pictures of prior races I knew there were some beams that you had to climb over and there was a wall that you had to climb over using a rope. I did not know if that was all or if there were obstacles. I was a little worried that it would involve running or crawling through mud.
Seems like there were a little over 200 runners for this event. Some were running as a team, some were relays and some were individuals. We were about 2 miles into the race when the obstacles started. The first obstacle was a rope web that was attached to the back of some bleachers. You had to climb up the web and over the back of the bleachers. This was not too difficult and made it over the bleachers easily. Right after this was one of the most challenging obstacles. You had to climb over 2X6's that were about 4 1/2 feet tall. There were six of these in a row. To climb over each one you had to hoist yourself up and get you leg up on the beam and jump on the other side. This was more difficult because the beam and the structure were wobbly and there were other runners climbing over the beams at the same time.
Next were some easy ones. You had to run through tires and walk across three balance beams then jump onto a platform at the end and crawl ender some ropes. It was about this time that I had the thought that this was very similar to the challenges in the reality TV shows like Survivor or the Biggest Loser.
The next obstacle had three thigh high barricades that you had to get over followed by a tunnel that you crawled through and then three more barricades. The last obstacle was the wall. This was the toughest one for me - in fact I had to get the race officials to help me over the wall. By this point I was very tired and really hot. I think that I had the strength to make it over the wall on my own, but was I was lacking was the technique. I ended up getting too far up the wall with my feet and not moving up far enough with my arms.
The finish line was right after the wall. I was happy to finish. My time was 1:02. I will be looking to run these types of "adventure races in the future.
May the Force Be with You.
Chad
Monday, May 25, 2009
2009 Marathon Training Begins
Training for the 2009 San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon has begun. This year I have joined a training group that is hosted by Run Gear Run (RGR). I had been debating whether to join the RGR training group or the Fleet Feet training group, but after my negative experience on Facebook with Fleet Feet I am boycotting their store and will make referrals only to RGR.
My negative experience with Fleet Feet has to do with posting on their facebook page and having the posts deleted. Earlier this month REI.com had an awesome deal on the Garmin 405 HR monitor. With tax and shipping it was $291 and with a $50 rebate being offered by Garmin the price was $241. This is over $100 less that the normal price of $350, which is not including tax (add another $28) I was very excited about this and posted on all of the running related sites I could. Fleet Feet took the delete approach, which left a bad taste in my mouth. Not that I can blame them for not wanting competitor advertising on their site, but they should have handled this in a much different way. The first choice would have been to contact me and ask me to remove it siting the above reason. I probably would have complied as this is a reasonable request, but I would have challenged them to meet this price or leave the post up on their Facebook page as it should be a site for runners. They should want what is best for runners, and if the runner chooses to buy from the cheaper online store then they would have at least built the goodwill for the store. I contend that most that are making the purchase, because it was $241 would not purchase this in their store as the $350 price point it too high. So what have they really lost by leaving the post on their page???
By deleting my posts they have ticked me off and have missed out at least on my membership in their training group and I will definitely point people away from Fleet Feet in the future.
I will make it a point to begin making regular posts again as I progress through training.
May the Force Be with You!
Chad
My negative experience with Fleet Feet has to do with posting on their facebook page and having the posts deleted. Earlier this month REI.com had an awesome deal on the Garmin 405 HR monitor. With tax and shipping it was $291 and with a $50 rebate being offered by Garmin the price was $241. This is over $100 less that the normal price of $350, which is not including tax (add another $28) I was very excited about this and posted on all of the running related sites I could. Fleet Feet took the delete approach, which left a bad taste in my mouth. Not that I can blame them for not wanting competitor advertising on their site, but they should have handled this in a much different way. The first choice would have been to contact me and ask me to remove it siting the above reason. I probably would have complied as this is a reasonable request, but I would have challenged them to meet this price or leave the post up on their Facebook page as it should be a site for runners. They should want what is best for runners, and if the runner chooses to buy from the cheaper online store then they would have at least built the goodwill for the store. I contend that most that are making the purchase, because it was $241 would not purchase this in their store as the $350 price point it too high. So what have they really lost by leaving the post on their page???
By deleting my posts they have ticked me off and have missed out at least on my membership in their training group and I will definitely point people away from Fleet Feet in the future.
I will make it a point to begin making regular posts again as I progress through training.
May the Force Be with You!
Chad
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Capitol 10k results
It has been almost a month since running this race. I suppose it is about time that I posted the race results.
This was a large 1ok race that I ran with my friends Tato and Steve. Tato and I drove up to the race early the morning of the race and met up with Steve who had picked up our race stuff for us. We got there fairly early as we had to deal with traffic and parking. We milled about for awhile till we met up with Steve. I started the race with Steve, but Tato started a few minutes behind us.
Right after the start I lost track of Steve so I had no idea where he was (in front or behind me. One of the most annoying things about the race was the slow people that started in a group that was a lot faster than they belonged. I remember going less than 1/2 mile ans there were already people walking. These people should be way to the back.
Anyway, I was running fairly well when I can upon he third hil in the race. This hill really zapped my energy. I had a hard time keeping up with my pace after that. This was also the best supported race that I have run. I seems like they had water stops about every mile and they had a misting system that you could run through. If it had been a little wamer that morning it would have very really awesome.
I finished the race around 54:11, which was a good result for me but was not a PR. Overall it was a good experience and may run the race again in the future.
Chad
This was a large 1ok race that I ran with my friends Tato and Steve. Tato and I drove up to the race early the morning of the race and met up with Steve who had picked up our race stuff for us. We got there fairly early as we had to deal with traffic and parking. We milled about for awhile till we met up with Steve. I started the race with Steve, but Tato started a few minutes behind us.
Right after the start I lost track of Steve so I had no idea where he was (in front or behind me. One of the most annoying things about the race was the slow people that started in a group that was a lot faster than they belonged. I remember going less than 1/2 mile ans there were already people walking. These people should be way to the back.
Anyway, I was running fairly well when I can upon he third hil in the race. This hill really zapped my energy. I had a hard time keeping up with my pace after that. This was also the best supported race that I have run. I seems like they had water stops about every mile and they had a misting system that you could run through. If it had been a little wamer that morning it would have very really awesome.
I finished the race around 54:11, which was a good result for me but was not a PR. Overall it was a good experience and may run the race again in the future.
Chad
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Update
I went for a very brief jog today to test out the knee to see if I would have any pain while running. I am happy to report that it did not hurt. YEAH!!!
Also, my friend Tato is going to be running the race with Steve and I. Should be fun!!!
My time to beat will be 54:01 as that is my PR time from the Bird Lover's run.
Chad
Also, my friend Tato is going to be running the race with Steve and I. Should be fun!!!
My time to beat will be 54:01 as that is my PR time from the Bird Lover's run.
Chad
Friday, March 27, 2009
Upcoming Race - Austin Capitol 10k
On Sunday March 29th I have signed up to run in the Austin Capitol 10k race. I am running this race with a friend that I used to work with. He has run this race several times in the past several years and said that it is a fun race. According to its website it is the 5th largest 10k race in the country.
Over the last three weeks it has been pretty difficult to find the time to get out there and run and have only run 1 day a week. This week I started back in with regular running. When I started back this week I could defintely tell that I had lost a little bit of my fitness. I ran on Sunday and the run felt pretty good, but did feel a little tightness on my right hamstring.
I made it out to run again on Monday. From the getgo I could tell that I was still feeling the effects of the run on Monday as my legs were pretty stiff and a little sore. So I took it easy and ran 6 miles.
I took a break from running on Tuesday and worked out on the bowflex. I went out for a six mile run on Wednesday and everything felt pretty good UNTIL I finished. Almost immediately I noticed some soreness in my left knee. UGH!!! This was definitely not what I needed right before a race.
I took the dog for a two mile walk while I cooled down and there wasn't any pain while walking , but it returned when I stopped. I iced it for a while and went to bed. The next morning there was just a little bit of soreness, but it was not bad and today it felt normal.
I am planning on going for an easy run tonight or tomorrow to see how the knee is holds up. I am hoping that the soreness was only temporary and I want have any issues on Sunday.
Chad
Over the last three weeks it has been pretty difficult to find the time to get out there and run and have only run 1 day a week. This week I started back in with regular running. When I started back this week I could defintely tell that I had lost a little bit of my fitness. I ran on Sunday and the run felt pretty good, but did feel a little tightness on my right hamstring.
I made it out to run again on Monday. From the getgo I could tell that I was still feeling the effects of the run on Monday as my legs were pretty stiff and a little sore. So I took it easy and ran 6 miles.
I took a break from running on Tuesday and worked out on the bowflex. I went out for a six mile run on Wednesday and everything felt pretty good UNTIL I finished. Almost immediately I noticed some soreness in my left knee. UGH!!! This was definitely not what I needed right before a race.
I took the dog for a two mile walk while I cooled down and there wasn't any pain while walking , but it returned when I stopped. I iced it for a while and went to bed. The next morning there was just a little bit of soreness, but it was not bad and today it felt normal.
I am planning on going for an easy run tonight or tomorrow to see how the knee is holds up. I am hoping that the soreness was only temporary and I want have any issues on Sunday.
Chad
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Running at Tyler State Park
As I previously wrote I had mapped out a running route while we were camping at State Park. There was a really nice loop that went around the camping area and the distance was just over three miles. I figured I could run the loop twice and have a god six mile run.
As I had also mentioned before the park had a lot of hills!!! I ended up going on one run while camping and that was only one loop around the park. The hills were HORRIBLE!!! I had to take pictures of the hills as we were leaving the campground so that you could share my pain.
This is the first hill that I came upon shortly after starting the run. This hill is going up (the picture almost makes it look like it is going down) and it is much steeper than it looks (at least that is my story - this is the equivalent to the fish that got away story for runners!!!)
And yes where there are uphills there are usually down hills. At this park they were very steep downhills and on some of them I had to keep myself from flying down the hills (or rolling down them. These next two pictures show two of the steep down hills that were on the loop.
The next three pictures are more of the uphills and down hills on this route. I think there were about 8 hills on the three mile loop around the park.
I had planned on running the loop again going the opposite direction to see how that way went, but I put it off so that we could take the girls on a hike, but we ended up packing up camp and going to Jill's brothers in Dallas because the weather was supposed to turn cold and wet. I think it ended up being a good call as it was pretty cold the next morning and there was a drizzle.
Overall we had a great time camping and plan to go on a couple of more trips in April.
May the Force be with you!!!
As I had also mentioned before the park had a lot of hills!!! I ended up going on one run while camping and that was only one loop around the park. The hills were HORRIBLE!!! I had to take pictures of the hills as we were leaving the campground so that you could share my pain.
This is the first hill that I came upon shortly after starting the run. This hill is going up (the picture almost makes it look like it is going down) and it is much steeper than it looks (at least that is my story - this is the equivalent to the fish that got away story for runners!!!)
And yes where there are uphills there are usually down hills. At this park they were very steep downhills and on some of them I had to keep myself from flying down the hills (or rolling down them. These next two pictures show two of the steep down hills that were on the loop.
The next three pictures are more of the uphills and down hills on this route. I think there were about 8 hills on the three mile loop around the park.
I had planned on running the loop again going the opposite direction to see how that way went, but I put it off so that we could take the girls on a hike, but we ended up packing up camp and going to Jill's brothers in Dallas because the weather was supposed to turn cold and wet. I think it ended up being a good call as it was pretty cold the next morning and there was a drizzle.
Overall we had a great time camping and plan to go on a couple of more trips in April.
May the Force be with you!!!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Spring Break Running
This week we are on Spring Break with the kids and are staying at Tyler State Park in northeast TX. I have not run for the last several days as Friday night I was packing to leave for camping on Saturday. On Saturday we drove all day (7 hours) and then had to set up camp. On Sunday, I scoped out the park to determine a running route and I that the park road is a three mile loop. The bad part is that there are massive massive hills. They have really really long hills and they have really really steep hills.
I think that I will try and run this three mile loop tomorrow morning. I am afarid that I will only be able to do it once.
May the Force be with me tomorrow.
Chad
I think that I will try and run this three mile loop tomorrow morning. I am afarid that I will only be able to do it once.
May the Force be with me tomorrow.
Chad
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Bird Lover's 10k
As I had mentioned earlier I ran in the Bird Lover's 10k the day before volunteering for the Austin Marathon. This run was particularly tough as I had been sick for the last week and did not feel particularly well the morning of the race.
I ran as well as I could and was able to eek out a 10k PR. This race was different than the others that I ran as it was primarily on trails that had ruts and holes that you had to be careful of.
I finished in 54:01 for a pace of 8:41 min/mile. I think this is really good due to the illness and the fact that it was on a trail. This time was also good enough to get a 3rd place award in my age group!!!! YEAH!!!
As some of you know when I ran my first 10k race I had to purchase a trophy. In less than a year of running I had won my first award. Now don't be too impressed as I think that I have found out the magic formula for winning awards. The key is to look for the least popular race of the 4 races being held the same weekend as a big nearby marathon!!!! Do this and you too will be able to win an award!!!
The awards were definitely unique as it was a dream catcher. I think this was a neat award and it is much better than a trophy.
Below are a couple of pictures from the race.
May the force be with you!!!
I ran as well as I could and was able to eek out a 10k PR. This race was different than the others that I ran as it was primarily on trails that had ruts and holes that you had to be careful of.
I finished in 54:01 for a pace of 8:41 min/mile. I think this is really good due to the illness and the fact that it was on a trail. This time was also good enough to get a 3rd place award in my age group!!!! YEAH!!!
As some of you know when I ran my first 10k race I had to purchase a trophy. In less than a year of running I had won my first award. Now don't be too impressed as I think that I have found out the magic formula for winning awards. The key is to look for the least popular race of the 4 races being held the same weekend as a big nearby marathon!!!! Do this and you too will be able to win an award!!!
The awards were definitely unique as it was a dream catcher. I think this was a neat award and it is much better than a trophy.
Below are a couple of pictures from the race.
May the force be with you!!!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
This Weekends Events
As I had previously posted this last weekend I ran in a 10k race on Saturday and then volunteered at the Austin Marathon.
The Bird Lovers 10k:
This is the first time that I have run this race. It is a trail race that is located in a bird sanctuary in south San Antonio. The race was pretty tough. I went out too fast in the begining and definitely paid for it later. The course was made up of uneven terrain with holes and ruts. You defintely had to be careful of your footing. In additional I was still feeling the effects of the GI issues that had started on Tuesday, but the back pain from the prior weekend was gone. Despite all of the issues I finished the race in 54:01, which was good enough for a PR and a third place finish for my age group!!! The key to winning races is to run the ones that do not have a lot of participation. This particular weekend there were 4 other races going on that most likely drew away the other people.
The Austin Marathon:
At the Austin Marathon I first worked in food distribution and primarily prepared and handed out bananas to the runners. They ran out of bananas after a couple of hours so there were none left for the marathoners that finish in more than four hours or so. I then moved to handing out the medals as the marathoners crossed the finishline. This was a pretty neat experience to see how the people react when they cross they finishline. There was everything from the runners that kept on running (I thought this was kind of wierd) to the runners that were excited to cross to the runners that fought, limped, hobbled to cross the finishline. Several people needed medical attention as they crossed a couple of people puked shortly after crossing the finishline. I saw several runner that day that had blood on their shirts in the nipple area. I surely felt for them and could not imagine having these issues from running the marathon. I am sure that this is much more painful than I have experienced from the shorter races. Fortunatly for me I have found that Band-Aids were extremely well for me and I have not had any issues with this since using Band-Aids on my long runns. I ended up only handing out medals for a couple of hours as they had lots of help and I was still not feeling from the GI issues that I had been having.
May the force be with you!!!
The Bird Lovers 10k:
This is the first time that I have run this race. It is a trail race that is located in a bird sanctuary in south San Antonio. The race was pretty tough. I went out too fast in the begining and definitely paid for it later. The course was made up of uneven terrain with holes and ruts. You defintely had to be careful of your footing. In additional I was still feeling the effects of the GI issues that had started on Tuesday, but the back pain from the prior weekend was gone. Despite all of the issues I finished the race in 54:01, which was good enough for a PR and a third place finish for my age group!!! The key to winning races is to run the ones that do not have a lot of participation. This particular weekend there were 4 other races going on that most likely drew away the other people.
The Austin Marathon:
At the Austin Marathon I first worked in food distribution and primarily prepared and handed out bananas to the runners. They ran out of bananas after a couple of hours so there were none left for the marathoners that finish in more than four hours or so. I then moved to handing out the medals as the marathoners crossed the finishline. This was a pretty neat experience to see how the people react when they cross they finishline. There was everything from the runners that kept on running (I thought this was kind of wierd) to the runners that were excited to cross to the runners that fought, limped, hobbled to cross the finishline. Several people needed medical attention as they crossed a couple of people puked shortly after crossing the finishline. I saw several runner that day that had blood on their shirts in the nipple area. I surely felt for them and could not imagine having these issues from running the marathon. I am sure that this is much more painful than I have experienced from the shorter races. Fortunatly for me I have found that Band-Aids were extremely well for me and I have not had any issues with this since using Band-Aids on my long runns. I ended up only handing out medals for a couple of hours as they had lots of help and I was still not feeling from the GI issues that I had been having.
May the force be with you!!!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Austin Marathon
This weekend is the Austin Marathon and I have decided to participate. Yes that is right another marathon.
I am sure that your saying "Yeah Right" - You just started running like 8 months ago and ran in your first marathon 3 months ago and Austin is a tough course with lots of hills. There is no way - what is the catch.
Well there is a catch. Note that I used the word participate. I will be volunteering for the Austin Marathon. I am scheduled to help with food distribution and handing out medals. This should be fun and it will let me give back to the running community. On Saturday, I am planning on running in a local 10k race at a bird sanctuary.
Chad
I am sure that your saying "Yeah Right" - You just started running like 8 months ago and ran in your first marathon 3 months ago and Austin is a tough course with lots of hills. There is no way - what is the catch.
Well there is a catch. Note that I used the word participate. I will be volunteering for the Austin Marathon. I am scheduled to help with food distribution and handing out medals. This should be fun and it will let me give back to the running community. On Saturday, I am planning on running in a local 10k race at a bird sanctuary.
Chad
Civic Duty
I am going to try and start writing shorter posts more often about the goings on around here as I tend to want to only write when I have more to write about.
I fulfilled my civic duty today at least for the next three years as I served on a jury. The case was a DWI and it was all pretty interesting. We ended up sending her up the river!!! Actually her sentence was pretty light. She has to be on probation for 6 months and take a couple of classes. There is no fine and no loss of license. I guess she was a school teacher and she could lose her job because of the conviction.
Talk to you soon.
Chad
I fulfilled my civic duty today at least for the next three years as I served on a jury. The case was a DWI and it was all pretty interesting. We ended up sending her up the river!!! Actually her sentence was pretty light. She has to be on probation for 6 months and take a couple of classes. There is no fine and no loss of license. I guess she was a school teacher and she could lose her job because of the conviction.
Talk to you soon.
Chad
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Feeling Good - while running
I went out for my run on Tuesday night and for the first time in a long time I felt really good from the beginning. Lately when I had been running I have been tight or stiff feeling for the first couple of miles and somewhere along the way I would loosen up a little and feel good for part of the run. It was nice to have a good run from the beginning.
I ran 6 miles this night and finished in 49:56 which is ggod for an 8:19min/mile pace. This is still amazing to me as when I started last June I was running at like 12 min/mile.
At least I am still progressing and that provides some powerful motivation.
May the Force be with You!!!.
Chad
I ran 6 miles this night and finished in 49:56 which is ggod for an 8:19min/mile pace. This is still amazing to me as when I started last June I was running at like 12 min/mile.
At least I am still progressing and that provides some powerful motivation.
May the Force be with You!!!.
Chad
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Better than I Deserve
Last weekend Jill and I went to see the Total Money Makeover live event. We both had a good time. The event was 5 hours and was a little long, but Dave did a good job speaking. Jill actually enjoyed the event, which is impessive since it had to do with finances.
Dave has a lot of good concepts that would put people in much better personal situations if they were to follow his advice. I can't quite get behind everything that he says. I really like his idea about paying cash for cars and is the way I plan to go in the future.
May the Force be with You!!!
Chad
Dave has a lot of good concepts that would put people in much better personal situations if they were to follow his advice. I can't quite get behind everything that he says. I really like his idea about paying cash for cars and is the way I plan to go in the future.
May the Force be with You!!!
Chad
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Too Cold To Run
I was going to run tonight, but it was way to cold out!!! I think the temp was 40, but it felt like 33(or something like that). Which meant that there was probably a stiff wind.
I had planed on running with Tato so I called him up to ask if he was going to run. He quickly said no way, which cemented my decision not to run. I had planned to tell him to let me know how his run went if he said he was going, but that didn't quite work out.
So instead of running I worked out on the Bowflex and then did 50 minutes on the elliptical. It was good because I do not use the elliptical a whole lot because of the running. This probably worked out well to help me recover from the half marathon that I ran on Sunday.
On Monday I started to focus on my diet more. I am trying to make better choices than I had been. I have been pretty much eating anything and everything that I wanted since before Christmas. I am trying to listen to my body and only eat when hungry and stopping when I feel satisfied. These are very tough to do!!!
I had a mini-meltdown tonight as I succumbed to the Fudge Graham cookies.
Overall I have done well watching what I am eating for the last two days. Tomorrow is a new day!
May the Force be with You!!!
Chad
I had planed on running with Tato so I called him up to ask if he was going to run. He quickly said no way, which cemented my decision not to run. I had planned to tell him to let me know how his run went if he said he was going, but that didn't quite work out.
So instead of running I worked out on the Bowflex and then did 50 minutes on the elliptical. It was good because I do not use the elliptical a whole lot because of the running. This probably worked out well to help me recover from the half marathon that I ran on Sunday.
On Monday I started to focus on my diet more. I am trying to make better choices than I had been. I have been pretty much eating anything and everything that I wanted since before Christmas. I am trying to listen to my body and only eat when hungry and stopping when I feel satisfied. These are very tough to do!!!
I had a mini-meltdown tonight as I succumbed to the Fudge Graham cookies.
Overall I have done well watching what I am eating for the last two days. Tomorrow is a new day!
May the Force be with You!!!
Chad
Sunday, January 25, 2009
3M Half Marathon - Austin Texas
Since I wasn't able to make the Endurathon 25k that I was supposed to run yesterday I signed up for this half marathon that I came across about a week ago. It bragged of a downhill course. So I thought I would give it a try.
There were definitely a lot of downhills on the course but it was also pretty flat and there were some uphills. Some of the other people that finished around the same time as I said they ran this one about 4 minutes faster than a tougher more hilly course that they had recently run in.
I did very well in the race and finished with a 1:55min time. I was hoping to get under 2 hours and was happy to achieve that. Even if I tack on the 4 minutes the other runners said they cut off their time I still would have gotten under 2 hours on a tougher course.
Race support was pretty good, but only had a little entertainment/music. Eventhough there was not much music or entertainment I didn't have to pull out my Ipod on the race.
The goodie bag was filled with all kinds of 3M products. Overall it was a good race and I will look into running it again next year.
May the Force be with You!!!
Chad
There were definitely a lot of downhills on the course but it was also pretty flat and there were some uphills. Some of the other people that finished around the same time as I said they ran this one about 4 minutes faster than a tougher more hilly course that they had recently run in.
I did very well in the race and finished with a 1:55min time. I was hoping to get under 2 hours and was happy to achieve that. Even if I tack on the 4 minutes the other runners said they cut off their time I still would have gotten under 2 hours on a tougher course.
Race support was pretty good, but only had a little entertainment/music. Eventhough there was not much music or entertainment I didn't have to pull out my Ipod on the race.
The goodie bag was filled with all kinds of 3M products. Overall it was a good race and I will look into running it again next year.
May the Force be with You!!!
Chad
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Dave - Here I Come
After missing him for the last two years I have finally been successful in getting tickets to see Dave Ramsey live event here in San Antonio. I have wanted to go to the live event for the last two years. One year we were in Germany and the other year we had some other plans, but I don't recall what they were right now. On January 31st we will be going to see him at the Freeman Coliseum.
I enjoy listening to his radio show and have heard that his live event is great so I am pretty excited. I think what I like most about his show is the stupid people that call into his show. Dave pretty much answers the questions the same way every time and if you listen to his show before you call you can pretty much figure out what he is going to say.
Dave has some very good principles. Although I do not agree with quite everything that he says I think you would definitely win with money if you follow his plan. I especially like his idea about paying cash for cars. I think this is the only way to go and will do everything possible to only buy cars with cash. I also really like the idea of paying for your everyday items like food and groceries with cash and once your out of cash you are done until payday.
May the Force be with You!!!
I enjoy listening to his radio show and have heard that his live event is great so I am pretty excited. I think what I like most about his show is the stupid people that call into his show. Dave pretty much answers the questions the same way every time and if you listen to his show before you call you can pretty much figure out what he is going to say.
Dave has some very good principles. Although I do not agree with quite everything that he says I think you would definitely win with money if you follow his plan. I especially like his idea about paying cash for cars. I think this is the only way to go and will do everything possible to only buy cars with cash. I also really like the idea of paying for your everyday items like food and groceries with cash and once your out of cash you are done until payday.
May the Force be with You!!!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Conflict
This next weekend Jan 24th is the SARR 25k Endurathon. I had signed up for the race over a month ago and have been preparing pretty well for the race. I have started doing hill workouts once a week and trying to increase my speed for short periods of time a couple of time during my other runs. Both of these are supposed to help increase your speed.
Any way a couple of weeks ago I found out that there is a seminar on the same day that I would really like to go to. Needless to say I am feeling conflicted as I really want to do both, but cannot. Believe me I have tried to figure out a way to do both. I even thought about going to the race and starting early and cutting the run short, which would be easy to do based on the course.
So I have decided to skip the race this weekend and go to the seminar. I figure that I can run my own Endurathon on Sunday.
May the Force be with You!
Chad
Any way a couple of weeks ago I found out that there is a seminar on the same day that I would really like to go to. Needless to say I am feeling conflicted as I really want to do both, but cannot. Believe me I have tried to figure out a way to do both. I even thought about going to the race and starting early and cutting the run short, which would be easy to do based on the course.
So I have decided to skip the race this weekend and go to the seminar. I figure that I can run my own Endurathon on Sunday.
May the Force be with You!
Chad
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