Star Wars Runner

Marathon Training Starts Today

2010-05-22T20:43:00.001-07:00

Today We started Marathon Training with USA Fit. The program is put on by Run Gear Run and is the same one that I participated in last year. The first day they start with a three mile - determine your pace run. Since three miles is a little short for my weekend long run I decided that I would run to the training site and run home. The program started at 6:30 this morning so I had to get up at 4:50 to try to leave by 5:30 to run the 6 miles to get there. Yeah this wasn't the greatest idea, but I did it anyway. I left a little late and got there a little bit late. I found my running partner Julianne and chatted with her until it was our groups turn. Things have been exciting for her as she just moved into their new house - yeah!!!

So I finished the pace run and headed back home. The run home was pretty rough. It had been several weeks since I had run a long distance and I could tell. I was running so slow and stopping to rest and walk that I could hardly believe that I had run a marathon in 4:05 back in February. Hopefully I will get my conditioning back quick.

The other reason that running to the training program and home may not have been a good idea is that I am running the Austin 10k+ tomorrow morning. I can already that the run today will effect me tomorrow. I have not felt well the rest of the day and have been very tired. I was able to take a little nap earlier. Hopefully I will feel better in the morning and the soreness will be gone.

May the Force be with YOU!!
Chad

Race Results - Steubing Ranch 5K

2010-05-04T19:25:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day for this race. The morning was cool and there was a nice breeze. Jill and Arin got up early to volunteer to get the race setup while I stayed home and waited for Rachael to wake up (we thought it would be better for all if we didn't have to wake her up ;-)

The start of the race was about an hour away and she was still sawing logs so I had to wake her up. I got her moving and we made our way down to the community center for the start of the race. There were about 60 people that were participating in the run/walk so I made my way to the front of the pack for the race start.

The race was going pretty good. I was up near the front of the pack. At one point I think that I was in second place, but that did not last long. We were about a mile into the race when I came across a kid that was taking down own of the directional signs that was telling us which way to turn. I started yelling at him that we were using those and that this was being put on by the HOA. His loud mouth mother starts yelling back out the window. Ridiculous!!!! Then when I come back around the loop she is out in the street yelling some more - I kept telling her to come on and run with me ;-)

I may have said a few things that didn't really help the situation - oh well.

Anyway, I finished 5th with a time of 23:24 which is a pace of 7:40. I was very pleased with this time. I leaves me hope that I can finish a 10k at an 8min/mile pace in the near future.

After I finished I headed back out and found Arin and finished with her. She did great!!! She ran about half of it and I think that she finished just over 30 minutes. She had a great kick at the end to finish strong!!!

After I crossed the finish line with Arin I went out and found Jill and Rachael. I caught up with them shortly before they were passing by the house. Rachael was pretty much over it and wanted to stop at the house, but she kept on going. We got to the park and she was done, but she did a great job walking almost three whole miles!!!!

I took Rachael with me to the park while Jill finished the 5k. After a little while I went out and found her not too far from the finish and walked with her to the end. She did a great job!!! She did the entire distance with really no training. One of the funniest things is that she said Rachael had to stop several times on the walk and have her massage her knees!!! That was soooo cute!!!

Congratulations Jill, Arin, and Rachael!!!! Way to go!!!!

Chad

Steubing Rank 5k Run/Walk

2010-05-01T06:29:00.000-07:00

Today I will be joining the family to run the Steubing Ranch 5k. I don't usually run this distance so I am excited to see what my time will be. I am planning to run it hard then go back and catch up with the family and finish it with each of them. Should be a fun day with lots of activities going on!!!

The best part will be the pizza that we have planned for dinner tonight!!! Yum!!!

Chad

NY Marathon - Lottery results

2010-04-09T20:42:00.001-07:00

Late last year I entered the lottery to get a chance to run the NY Marathon. There are several ways to get entered to run in the NY Marathon, but for most of us we have to enter the lottery drawing. Well they have completed the lottery drawing and have published the winners that will get to run in the 2010 NY marathon. Drum roll please..........

I did not win an entry to the marathon. This is just as well. I had not planned on running in the NY marathon this year due to the lottery system. They do have a backdoor entry. If you do not get into the marathon through the lottery for three years in a row, then you are guaranteed entry for the fourth year. So if I apply again for 2011 and 2012 and do not get in I will automatically get in in 2013. I think that 2013 will work into my plans just fine and I will be set to run the 2013 NY Marathon. My goal will be run the NY Marathon and qualify for the Boston Marathon.

It is just as well that I did not get in to the NY Marathon this year as back in November I had signed up for the 2010 San Antonio Rock and Roll marathon so the NY Marathon did not really fit into my plans for this year. Typically, this would result in me getting the race entry, because it would not really fit into my plans. This time I got lucky.

Chad

Austin Marathon Race Report

2010-03-22T21:42:00.000-07:00

Okay it has taken me a really long time to get around to doing the race report. Just not motivated to write after long days at work and hours playing Mafia Wars!!!

One word can describe my experience at the Austin marathon AWESOME!!!!

I had a great time - this was probably the best marathon experience I have had. I ran the first 11 or so miles of the race with Julianne (my training partner), Jenny (my tutor), and Yun(Jenny's friend). They were all doing the half marathon. We had a good time running at a good conversational pace. This was a 20+ reunion for Jenny and I. We went to the same high school and she helped tutor my in one of my classes. She was a year older than me and had not talked after she graduated. We found out that we were both running this race through Facebook. If it had not been for Facebook I know that we would have passed by each other on that day and not had recognized each other.

So the four of us chatted the whole time and the miles just flew by. Jenny introduced me to Runner's Math. We talked about the ticket Jenny got while riding her bike, I brought up Zingerman's deli in Ann Arbor, MI where Jenny and Yun went to school. It seems as if there was some other interesting conversation topics along the way that are better off not mentioned.

We hit the half marathon split and I was feeling pretty good so far so I picked up the pace. The course has a reputation as a hilly course so I had been doing a lot of hills in my training. The hills were not nearly as bad as I have expected or as steep or prevalent as I had been training on. On the last half of the course I was running by myself and it definitely was not as much fun as the first 11 miles, but I felt really good up to about mile 24 or 25 when I hit the notorious "WALL". Typically I would start to struggle and have problems between 18 and 22 miles. I think that I could have made it the whole way without hitting the wall if I had not pushed so hard to make up time on the last half of the course.

I started to get a second wind as I approached the State Capitol grounds. As I passed the capitol building there was wall to wall people cheering us on as we approached the finish line. I got really pumped and picked up the pace with a pretty good finishing kick. I was passing many of the other runners that were also finishing at this time and I was encouraging them to pick it up and finish strong together. The approach to the finish line was also on a downhill slope, which made the finish so much better than the finish of the San Antonio marathon which has an uphill just before the finish.

I finished in 4 hours and 5 minutes, which a PR by more than 30 minutes!!! The two things that I attribute to that improvement was the weather and the hill workouts. The weather was just about perfect for running whereas San Antonio was too hot and humid. While training for this race I went out of my way to add hills to my workouts and it paid off with a huge improvement in time.

Prior to the race I did not set any time goals other than to finish and I think that made a big difference in how I ran the race. I went out to have a good time and run with my friends. Around mile 22 or 23 it was looking like I could get really close to a sub 4 hour marathon, but I just could not keep up the pace that was required.

May the Force be with you!!!

Chad

Race Day

2010-02-13T18:50:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I will be lacing up the shoes to run my third marathon the Austin Marathon. I was a little worried about the weather, but it looks like it is shaping up to be a beautiful day to run. Should be around 43 degrees at the start and get up to the upper 50's.

The course is a hilly course, but I have been running lots of hills in my training so I think that I am as prepared as I can be - if you can really be prepared for a marathon that is.

I will be sporting my Don't Mess with Texas jersey that is made by Primal Wear instead of the Star Wars one.

Also, I will be meeting up with an old friend from High School that I have not seen in over 20 years. We found out on Facebook that we were both doing the race. Facebook is awesome. We would have been running in the same race 1400 miles from where we grew up and would probably not have seen each other if it were not for Facebook.

My running buddy Julianne is also running tomorrow in the half marathon. We have been getting together on the weekends and doing our long runs together. Good Lucj tomorrow.

I will post the pace result as soon as I can and write up a race report. No predictions on a finish time - sorry!

May the Force be with US tomorrow!!!

New San Antonio Running Store

2010-02-06T09:31:00.000-08:00

Recently I had the opportunity to meet with ownership/management from Run On a Dallas based running store that has opened a location in San Antonio. The store has been open about 6 weeks now and is located in Stone Oak area between 1604 and 281. I met with Michelle and Eric and had a nice chat about running in San Antonio.

The store was very nice. Seemed to be well stocked with all of the running essential gear. The store also hosts weekly social runs, running training classes and free seminars. You can sign up the San Antonio store Email Blast and be notified of their upcoming events by clicking on the link.

The store is in a new plaza and seems to be well placed near Anytime Fitness, Subway, and some other health conscious restaurants.

Take some time and stop in at the new store and check it out. I don't think that you will be disappointed! Good luck Run On and welcome to San Antonio!!!

May the Force be with YOU!!!

Chad

Race Report - RGR Endurathon 25k

2010-01-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

A couple of Sundays ago I ran in the SARR Endurathon 25k race sponsored by RGR. The race was held in Bulverde, TX. This was the first time that I had run in this race. I had signed up for the race last year, but had a conflict and was unable to run the race.

The morning was fairly cool, but it was expected to get fairly warm during the day. I wore a thick long sleeve tech shirt and warm-up pants. The race course was fairly hilly for the first 8.6 miles. It then flattens out for about 2 miles. There are a couple of more hills until the huge killer hill around mile 13. It seemed to go straight up. It was horrendous!!!

I struggled through the hill and the remainder of the course. I finished the race in 2:16:48 which was am 8:48 minutes/mile pace. I knew this was a really good time for me, but I was not sure how it compared to the other races that I had run at similar distances. When I got home I reviewed the results from the other races that I had ran, which I have listed below.

Around mid Sept I finished the Dallas Tour de Fleur 20k in 1:55:52 which is a 9:15 min/mile. So I had 27 sec/mile improvement. In Oct 2009 I finished the SARR Fall Fest 25k in 2:35:43, which is a 10:05 min/mile, which was an improvement of 1:17 min/miles.

I am thrilled with the results. I think the key has been all of the hill work that I have been completing while getting ready for the Austin Marathon.

May the Force be with You!!!

Training Update

2010-01-16T07:58:00.001-08:00

Training has been going well for the Austin Marathon. I have been really hitting the hills during the training runs. I have modified my routes on the easy runs and long runs to incorporate a lot more hills. I have also added a hill workout each week and have been increasing the number of hills each week. I watched a video of the race course on the Austin Marathon website and there is a huge hill at mile 9. It looked like it was about 3/4 to 1 mile long and was very steep. So when I have been doing the long runs I have tried to get a good sized hill in the route around mile 9 to simulate this hill. I am hoping that it will help me on race day. We will find out.

It looks like they have made some minor changes to the race course this year and have taken out a hill that was at mile 25. I am sure that I will appreciate that on race day!!!

Julianne and I have been meeting regularly on the weekend to do our long runs. It has worked out pretty good. I have been running with her and then continuing on to run the longer distances. It is nice to have company for some of the miles.

So far I have already put in (2) 20 mile runs and am planning on running a third one next week. This is the most 20 mile runs that I will have put in prior to a marathon. I have not been too worried about how long they take as I have added a lot more hills into the routes that I have in the past. All in hopes of making Austin feel easy.

Today, Julianne and I are going to do a 5 - 6 mile run. I am planning on starting at the Pearl Brewery and running along the new Riverwalk extension. It should be a neat run. Then tomorrow I am running in the San Antonio Road Runners Endurathon 25k race. The race is being sponsored by Run Gear Run (one of the San Antonio running stores). I don't know much about the course as I have not run in the Bulverde area before. I really like running in different locations. You get to see new areas from a different perspective when you go out and run. This is one reason that I look for races when I so on vacations or take along running gear when going out of town.

May the Force be with YOU!!!
Chad

What Next

2009-12-26T20:01:00.001-08:00

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

San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon - Race Report

2009-12-12T21:11:00.000-08:00

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

2009 San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon - Expo and Pasta Dinner

2009-11-20T19:47:00.000-08:00

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

Surprise!!!

2009-11-19T20:29:00.000-08:00

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

Austin 10K+ Adventure Race - Race Report

2009-06-14T20:49:00.001-07:00

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

2009 Marathon Training Begins

2009-05-25T19:52:00.000-07:00

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

Capitol 10k results

2009-04-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

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

Update

2009-03-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

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

Upcoming Race - Austin Capitol 10k

2009-03-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

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

Running at Tyler State Park

2009-03-24T21:58:00.000-07:00

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!!!

Spring Break Running

2009-03-08T20:18:00.000-07:00

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

Bird Lover's 10k

2009-02-24T17:48:00.000-08:00

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!!!

This Weekends Events

2009-02-19T21:56:00.000-08:00

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!!!

Austin Marathon

2009-02-12T20:33:00.000-08:00

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

Civic Duty

2009-02-12T20:25:00.000-08:00

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

Feeling Good - while running

2009-02-05T21:17:00.000-08:00

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

Better than I Deserve

2009-02-04T19:37:00.000-08:00

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

Too Cold To Run

2009-01-27T21:20:00.000-08:00

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

3M Half Marathon - Austin Texas

2009-01-25T17:37:00.001-08:00

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

Dave - Here I Come

2009-01-21T20:51:00.000-08:00

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!!!

Conflict

2009-01-18T20:15:00.000-08:00

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

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2008-12-28T20:17:00.000-08:00

I would just like to take a minute to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

I hope that the new year brings many great things to all. Lets hope that our jobs remain secure and hope that the economy stabilizes. I am looking forward to a good (but challenging) year and plan on continuing to run in 2009. I have already signed up for a 25K (about 16 miles) Endurathon in January and I have signed up for the 2009 San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon.

Hope that everyone has a great 2009!!!

Chad

The Reindeer Run

2008-12-18T16:23:00.000-08:00

The Alamo Series is putting on its final race of the year and it is called The Reindeer Run. The Alamo Series is a group of races that were put together to help prepare people for the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon. They have awards for people that ran in more than 7 of the races. This run is a 5k fun run and there will be no official times. In fact all of the bib numbers are the same number - 2008.

This race is extra special to me for two reasons:

The first reason is that I will be running with Arin. This is Arin's first 5k race and I am looking forward to running with her. I plan on staying with her for the entire race. This will be the farthest distance that she has run.

The second reason that this race is special is that we will have a large cheering section as Jill, Larry, my Mom, Benn, and Mindy all got up super early to come and cheer us on. Any of you that know Benn then you know that anytime before noon is super early for him.

Benn and Mindy flew in late the night before the race from Michigan. They are spending ten days with us to celebrate the holidays. My mom and dad are also in town for a couple of weeks for the holidays. Add Jill's dad and Josh being home from college and that adds up to a house full. Glad we bought a big house when we moved here so that we can fit all of these visitors.

Okay back to the Reindeer run...
I reminded Arin that we needed to pace ourselves because we had to run 5k. When Arin and I did the SARR Fun Run she ran in the 1/2 mile and 1 mile runs and took off like a bat out of Haiti and ran out of steam before the finish line. I also reminded her to save a little near the end for a big finish.

Shortly after we started we were greeted by everyone and picked up a bottle of water for the rest of the run. We were on our way after the short break.

After about another half mile we came across everyone again.

It seems that Larry had done a really good job of staking out the race course and found a couple of places that they could meet up with us. This was not easy as we were running on a trail and they had to park in the business that were in front of the trail. On the way back we came across them again at the first location. It was definitely nice for everyone to see Arin run and for Arin to see everyone out there supporting her.

We took a couple of walk breaks along the way and seemed to be swapping places with a group of older ladies. As we were about a mile from the finish line I said to Arin that we got to beat these old ladies. She cracked me up when she said "I know that is what I am trying to do!!!" In this picture you can see the ladies that we were trying to beat in the background.

We took the lead from them about 1/2 mile from the finish and they were not match for us when we kicked in the BIG FINISH!!!

I could tell that Arin was having a hard time, but she kept going and finished real strong. Here are a couple of picks from the finish line.

Every one was very proud at how well she had done. Great Job ARIN!!!

May the Force Be with You!!!

Chad

Post Marathon Running

2008-12-12T16:29:00.000-08:00

Well I have continued to run after the marathon. Since the Marathon I have run in the SARR Turket Trot 4 mile run and a the SARR 10 Mile Missions 10k run. I did well on both runs. The 10 mile run I did at about a 9:12 min/mile pace, which I was very pleased with.

I had thought about stopping running at least for a while shortly after the Turkey Trot. I dreaded the though about going running once I got home, but I went ahead and ran that night anyways. I took it easy on the run and when I finished I felt great and liked running again. I think that I had been pushing myself too hard and needed to stop and slow down a little. That was all it took and I am back into it.

Although I am not as dedicated as I was when training for the marathon. There have been a couple of nights that I decided to not run or cut the run short because of the weather. One night I was about 1 1/2 miles into my run of 4 miles when it started to hail. Yes that is right HAIL!!!! in Texas can you believe it. I kept going for a little while and figured why put up with this (it stung pretty good being hit by the hail) when I am not training for anything so I called it a night.

On December 13th I will be running in the Reindeer Run 5k with Arin. This will be Arin's first 5k race!!!!

Anyway that it all for this update.

May the Force be with You!!!

Chad

Post Race

2008-12-01T04:10:00.000-08:00

After the race Gill and I met up with my Wife and kids and went back to the AT&T Center to pick up our cars and head home. Gill and I stopped and got some ice so that I could take my ritual ice bath and Gill could ice his knees. They did have ice available after the race and I did ice my knees there while waiting for Gill to finish.

After we chilled out (HA HA - get it chilled out and ice), we went out to eat at Chama Gaucha, a Brazilian steakhouse, that had recently opened in San Antonio. I had been to one other one in Chicago and it is pretty neat. It is all you can eat and they have a nice salad bar that is filled with Brazilian dishes and they walk around to the tables with different meats on a stick and shave some off. It is a pretty neat concept, but it is pricey. It was all you can eat, which was really good after just running a marathon. Gill is from Brazil and he was able to speak to the wait staff in Portuguese and was able to explain to me what some of the dishes were. I had to laugh as we were both soooo sore from the marathon that we were walking around like stiff old men. LOL!!! I am sure the other people in the restaurant were wondering what the heck...

I took the day after the marathon off from work, but still had to get up early to take Gill to the airport and take the kids to school. I came back home and took a nap. When I woke back up I decided to go and see the new James Bond movie Quantum of Solace and treated myself to some ice cream at DQ.

I was sore for about the next two days, but after that I was pretty much back to normal.

May the Force be with You!!!

Race Pictures

2008-11-30T20:09:00.000-08:00

Pictures from the race can be seen at the following web site. My BIB #22001. Enter it in the Photo Search box. Gill's BIB # is 16056.

Race Pictures

There are also some pictures that are not yet under our BIB numbers. Enter these numbers in the Photo Id section of the Photo Search box.

31362-2346-023
31362-084-011
31362-4738-020
31362-4738-021
31362-4738-022
31362-4738-023
31362-4738-024
31362-4738-025
31362-2410-007
31362-2450-029
31362-2450-031
31362-2813-032
31362-3320-018
31362-3320-021
31362-766-011

Thanks,

Chad

The Race Report!!!!

2008-11-25T17:36:00.000-08:00

We gradually made our way closer to the starting line. As we got closer I got a little more excited. Soon it was our corral's turn at the start. Ready set GOOOOOO!!!

And we were off.

The start of the race was pretty fun. We were having a pretty good time. Gill and I were chatting back and forth as we were going. Within the first couple of miles we came across a couple of idiots riding their bikes in the middle of the street full of runners. Of course I had to get after them about being there. I don't think that it did much good, but they got out of the road at the next street. I realized right away that my Star Wars jersey from Primal Wear was perfect for running. There are deep pockets on the back that actually go below the waistline of my shorts and that kept all the stuff that I was carrying from bouncing around. I would definitely recommend Primal Wear jersey to runners doing the marathon.

Gill started having some pains in his feet pretty early on. These were the same pains that he got near the end of the Detroit marathon that he ran about a month earlier.

It was a fairly cold morning, but I had ditched my sweatpants at the gear check and was wearing a sweatshirt, hat, and gloves. We reached the Alamo at mile two and decided it was time to take of the sweatshirt and reveal "The StarWars Runner"!!!!

Things were going pretty good we were maintaining around a 10 min/mile pace and it felt really pretty good. There were several kids along the route that looked pretty bored. So I started making an effort to give them "five" as I was running by. The kids really seemed to enjoy this and it would bring a smile to their face.

A little while later Gill started his own variation of this by trying to get the HOT women spectators to give him high fives.

We were following our race strategy of walking through the water stations. Gill seemed to notice some benefit to this compared to how he ran the Detroit Marathon. Gill and I ran in the general vicinity of each other for about 10 miles and then he had to slow down/stop because of his foot. One minute he was there and the next time I looked back and I couldn't see him. I continued to do well and maintain the 10 min/mile pace. I did have some groin area pain and some pain in my toes, but I was able to run through the pain.

I met up with Jill and the girls around mile 14 and still felt good. I ditched the sweatshirt and gloves. I told the girls to hold out their hands and give the runners "five" as they ran by. I should of had Arin and Rachel run with me for a short way. I was really nice to see them and I was glod to get rid of the stuff that I was carrying. It was shortly after mile 15 that I started to have problems.

The support on the back half of the course was not nearly as good as on the front half. I started listening to the ipod in this area. It was around mile 18 when I started wanting to stop and walk more often, but held off through about mile 20. I finally reached mile 20. This was the point of the unknown. I had previously only run 20 miles so this was all new territory for me. It was around mile 20 that I remember my thighs really burning. On the bright side the groin pain was gone and so was the pain in my toes. It was also around this time that I noticed I was running slower than the 10min/mile pace that I had been maintaining over the first half of the race.

I remember passing the mile markers around mile 23 and I could see the Tower of the Americas in the distance and the Alamodome, but they never seemed to get any closer. I definitely knew at this point that it was all mental. I will have to remember to do a better job of creating mental images or repeating a mantra to myself as I run these last 6 miles. I finally made it to the Alamodome and was running on the side and I turned the corner to head up the dreaded hill that was just before the finish line. I had toured the course before the race so I was aware of the hill. I am not sure yet if that was a mistake or a smart thing to do. The hill was not horrible but the location was!!! The cool thing about this was that there spectators lined all the way up the hill and around the corner to the finish line.

I made it up the hill and rounded the corner to see the finish line. My running became easier since I just came off the hill and I knew that I would make it to the end. I was not able to muster the energy to have a big finish, but I was just happy to cross the finish line. The clock time was 5:15 minutes and my chip time was 4:45 minutes. I crossed and got my medal. I was most surprised by the fact that I just wanted to cry. This was really surprising to me. I walked around the finish line area drinking water and trying to keep loose while I waited for Gill.

I kept looking for Gill, but had not seen him cross. I was becoming more and more worried that he had not been able to finish. I had no way to get a hold of him as he did not have his cell phone (this is one thing that I would change next time - I would make sure that we have a back-up communication plan.) I finally spoke to my mom and had her look him up online. She said that he had not yet crossed the mile 24 split and 1.5 hours had passed since the split at mile 20 (I think). I thought that He had come in off the course and I now I had to go and find him. A few minutes later mom called and said that he just crossed the 24 mile split. This made me feel a whole lot better. Now I waited around for him to cross the finish line. He finished in 6 hours and 15 minutes.

One of the things that I realized from this race is that there are so many variables that can go wrong when running such a long distance that it is just amazing to finish. It would be nice to set a new personal record with each race, but there are just too many possible issues that can cause you problems during the race.

I DID IT!!!!

May the Force be with You!!!

Chad

Race Day!!!!

2008-11-19T21:33:00.001-08:00

I had a hard time falling asleep for the last several days before the marathon.. I am not quite sure why as I did not really feel nervous or excited about the race (at least not that could tell). My goal was to finish so it's not like I had to do my very best or that I was hoping to win so I don't think I had anything to be nervous about.

We got up pretty early to give us enough time to get to the AT&T Center and take the shuttle to the start line. Gill and I went for a quick 1/2+ jog before we left as a little warm up. We get to the AT&T Center and there were some pretty long lines to get onto the shuttles. When we left the AT&T center there had to have been 6 - 8 thousand people still waiting for the bus. I think that we waited for maybe 30 minutes or so and rode the bus for another 20 minutes. We had to walk quite a ways from where the bus dropped us off to get to the starting line. By the time we got up there they had already started the race. On the bus there were a bunch of people that were concerned about getting there after the start of the race, but to me it didn't really matter because your time is based on when you cross the starting line with the chip in your shoe.

While we were making the trek to the start line there were all kinds of people (both men and women) running off among the buildings along side the road to go to the bathroom. I had heard that people would do that during the race, but I was surprised they would need to do that before the race. It was crazy!!!

We got up to the start line area and checked in our gear bags and used the bathrooms. We still had plenty of time to find our corral group before they crossed the starting line. Since it was a cold morning people had worn extra clothes so that they could keep warm before and during the race. As we got closer to the starting line you could see that they had started to shed these clothes. Some of the clothes looked pretty nice too. We continued to see articles of clothes along the course, but mostly hat and gloves.

Our group finally made it to the front and after 30 seconds or so they released our corral and we were off....

I had started my FIRST marathon!!!!

The Expo

2008-11-17T18:28:00.000-08:00

My marathon experience first began with the Health and Fitness Expo. You must go to the Expo to pickup your race packet, goodie bag and T-shirt or you cannot run in the race. Essentially they force you to come to the expo to try and entice you into buying their souvenirs or buying items from the race exhibitors. This seems to be a successful tactic as they got me to so both. I purchased a RNR San Antonio tech shirt, bought a book, and some shot blocks that I needed for the race the next day. The expo was fairly crowded, but did pick up some good samples from Cytomax. Gill was not impressed with the medals that most of the races at the expo were displaying as the medal from the Detroit Marathon was much better that all of the others.

While there we had the opportunity to meet with Marathon Chris at the expo. Chris has the blog and podcast called Running Adventures in an Extraordinary World. It was neat meeting a podcaster that you have listened. After getting to know them in cyberspace, by listening to their podcasts and reading their blogs, it was nice to talk in person. I see that she has already posted several items on her blog about the race so be sure to check that out also. Here is a picture of me with Maraton Chris.

While we were at the Expo we listed to several of the speakers that were putting on the clinics. Several were pretty funny and they were also interesting. The people that we heard were John Bingham, a Runners World journalist that run's mararthon's in the back of the pack, The Hansons, which is a Detroit, MI area elite running team, and Bart Yasso, a Runner's World journalist that has run in a lot of extreme events. Bart was also at the Expo autographing his book about his running life. After listening to him talk it sounded like his book would be interesting. The photo below is of Bart Yasso(on the right)

We skipped the pre-race pasta party to have a pasta party at my house as my wife was making a really good baked spaghetti dish to load us up with carbs for the next day. This was a much better idea for me as I knew that if I went to the pasta party I would have eaten a lot more that I should have.

Next I will be talking about arriving at the race and the race start.

Chad

WE DID IT!!!!!!

2008-11-17T15:23:00.000-08:00

Here are our results from the marathon on Sunday. It was tough especially the last 6 miles. It was definitely mental. When I was at the 23 mile marker the finishe line seemed oh so far away and as I kept going it did not seem like it was getting any closer. I will be working on posting more about the marathon in the coming days as I get time to process the race.

My results - I met my ultimate goal of finishing the marathon and I finished in less than 5 hours, which was my next goal. I fell short of my stretch goal of a 4:30 finish, but I am pleased with how I did!!!

Gill's results - He had some problems early on in the race, but he persevered and finished strong!!!! Gill also ran the Detroit Marathon less than a month ago. So I think he was behind the 8 ball from the beginning!!!

San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon

2008-11-11T04:24:00.001-08:00

Well, the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon is upon us and I have put up some useful links on the right hand side of the blog that you may want to use to view details of the marathon. One of the links will take you to the results page were you can review the results of the race and check on my (or another runner's) progress during the race. Below I have provided a brief summary of the links that I have put on the left side.

As I review the last six months or so when I really started to entertain the this crazy idea of me running a marathon (yeah I know still sounds really funny!!!) I am surprised about what I have accomplished.

To think this really all started when my friend Gill called me last November and really wanted me to participate in some way in the this event. I appeased him and agreed to do some kind of event a 5k walk or something. I still don't know what possessed me to entertain the idea of running last June when I first entered that 10k race. Or the following week when I was in Michigan and conned my two sons into running with me in another 10k race.

At first I figured I would start training for the race whether I would end up trying the whole thing or just the half I wasn't sure. Truthfully, I didn't think that it mattered much because I figured I would have sustained a running ending injury long before this point. I had even waited until just before the price increase to sign up for the race because I figured I wouldn't make it that far. Unfortunately or fortunately (I guess I will let you know after the race on Sunday) my maladies have been essentially minor and have not significantly interfered with my training. I have listed below a brief comparison of where I started and where I am today.

Since I started training I have run over 370 miles. Which means I might have run far enough to almost be out of the state of Texas.

I ran my first 10k at a pace of 11:58/mile to finish in 1 hour and 14 minutes. My last 10k, on September 20th, I ran at a pace of 8:46min/mile and finished in 54 minutes.

In the beginning of July my training runs were run at a pace around 11:40 minutes per mile. Now my training runs are around a 9:15 min/mile pace.

LINKS DESCRIPTIONS:
San Antonio RNR Marathon - This is the link to the overall marathon website. There is lots of good information on this website and you can find about anything that you are looking for related to the marathon

SARNR Course Information - This link will take you to the details about the marathon route, the course mile by mile, course elevations and road closures

SARNR Results Page - This link you should be able to click on during the race and see the times that I have made as I progress through the race. After the race you will be able to see the final race results.

SARNR Race Medals - Here you can view the medals that will be awarded to the finishers.

PRIMAL WEAR - This link will take you to the company that made the Star Wars jersey that I will be wearing during the race.

Thanks for viewing my blog.

May the Force be with you!!!

Chad

The Runner's High

2008-11-06T21:07:00.000-08:00

You often hear from runners about the "runner's high" that runners often get while running. Whenever I heard about this mystical phenomenon I always thought how crazy they must be to run wether or not there is a "runner's high" or not. I have to admit that since I started this journey I have learned a lot about running and the runner's high.

Below I have listed a few of the things that I have learned since I started running:

Clothing - I learned that you don't run or exercise in cotton clothing as it soaks up your sweat like a sponge and you run around with heavy, soaked shirts and shorts. Cotton underwear makes you feel like you are wearing a wet diaper. You definitely want to wear techincal/moisture wicking t-shirts, shorts, socks, and underwear.

Protection - Another very, very important thing I learned is that when running more than six miles I need to make sure that I cover up those sensitive areas on my chest. Yes, I am referring to the nipples. Your shirt rubbing up and down on your nipples for more than 6 miles becomes very painful. I have learned that you need to either cover them with bandaids or put on an anti-chafing glide stick. It is also important to have this available when running longer distances as you will want to reapply this on your long runs. I will admit that I learned this the hard way!!!

As the beginning suggests I have also learned about the runner's high. Although I did not start running because of this mystically item I was curious about it. What is it? what does it feel like? when do you get it? How far/hard do you have to run etc.

Well I have uncovered the secret of the runner's high. As I have discovered on my frequent nightly runs in my neighborhood, the runner's high is the contact buzz you get from running by your neighbors house as they stand in the driveway smoking pot.

There you have it the mystery has been revealed and now you know why I have been enjoying running!!!

May the Force be with you!!!

Chad

Marathon Planning

2008-11-04T20:08:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking a lot about the strategy that I want to use for the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon. I think I need to remember what is most important, which for me is first to finish and second to have an enjoyable race. As this is my first marathon I have no idea what it is like going to be like to run in this event.
Not only is the distance further than I have ever run the magnitude of the event is huge!!! With 30k people signed up to race it is far bigger than the other races that I have run that have had several hundred people at most.

Right now I am thinking that I will run 1 to 2 miles and take a maybe 30 second walk break. It will be important to start these walk breaks right from the beginning. If I were to wait until I am already fatigued or having pain, then the damage will have been done and these breaks will not do much to help. I also want to try to savor the sights and sounds of the event. I will have other opportunities to have a really good time as my goal.

I will also be packing several packs of the Clif Shot Blocks to eat while I run to help me ensure that I have plenty of energy throughout the race and avoid hitting the wall at the end. I will also probably pack some Power Bars or Clif Bars.

I want this one to be for me to savor the journey that I have been on for the last 1 1/2 years.

May the Force be with you!!!

Chad

The Taper

2008-11-02T17:54:00.000-08:00

After I completed the 20 mile long run I started what is referred to as the taper. This is when you significantly reduce your running about 2 to 3 weeks before the race. Essentially you do just enough running and cross training to maintain your fitness, but let your body get completely rested and healed before the marathon (or other race).

Hopefully, this taper period will help prevent race day issues with my right knee and hip. I have 2 weeks left before the marathon and I only have five more runs scheduled on my training log. Gill and I will probably go out for a slow short run together on Saturday.

I have not really seen much change in my times since the last long run, but my last run was five miles and I felt pretty good during the run.

May the Force be with you!!!

Chad

Poll Results!!!!

2008-10-27T17:59:00.000-07:00

Well the results of the poll are in and we have a three way tie!!!!

The masses have voted and it is official Arin, Rachael, and Jill make the SW Jersey look good!!!! As for me, well not so much...

Thanks to all that voted!!!

Chad

Last (Really) Long Run

2008-10-26T21:40:00.000-07:00

Today I completed the last long run before I run the San Antonio Rock and Roll marathon on November 16. The task in front of me was a daunting 20 mile run. YIKES!!! Previously the most I had run was 17.6 miles and had horrible results (right knee pain and had to walk the last 3 miles or so)

Me run 20 miles. I rarely drive 20 miles let alone run that far. I mapped out the route that I would have to follow to accomplish this task and it will consist of one loop around the outer neighborhood, 2 loops around the major roads in the area, and a final lap on our road.

The run took me 3:48 to complete, which was at a pace of 11:25 min/mile. I was once again plagued with right knee pain right groin area and right hip pain. The pain didn't really start to rear its ugly head until around mile 12 or 13. This time I was able to continue the run, but had to take frequent walk breaks. Considering the issues with the pain and the walking I think that this was a good time. I hope that I will not have these issues on MARATHON DAY!!! Hopefully the rest that I get before the race will be enough of break for these issues to heal. For some reason I don't have the knee pain or the groin area pain until I go the long distances. These do not bother me when I run the regular 5 - 6 miles or even the occasional 8 mile run. Go Figure!!! I will have to include walk breaks throughout the marathon in my strategy to complete the race.

I returned home and went about my recovery routine of drinking lots of fluids, eating, stretching, an ice bath, and laying down with legs elevated.

Another accomplishment to put in the books. One more big one to go and it is only 3 weeks away!!!

May the Force be with you!!!

Chad

RGR Fall Fest 25k and 8k - Volunteer

2008-10-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

Today I am voluneering at the RGR race. I felt that this race would be a good opportunity to allow me to give back to the running organization. I signed up to help with the parking in the morning and then as a course marshal during the race.

The race was being held about 40 min from the house at a new park that is not yet open to the public. The park is between Boerne and Comfort off I-10.

The parking was annoying as the people think the rules or direction of the staff does not apply to them. So one person doesn't follow directions then all of the others follow not knowing any difference and next thing that you know you have a mess. I guess it helps my gain perspective in the future when I think the rules don't apply to me. On second thought it won't!!!

The course marshal part was faily busy. It started off by me getting lost and driving off the course. This ended up helping as other volunteers also ended up getting lost. I had to direct the runners to turn left on their first pass by me and then turn left on thier return. I also had to stop traffic to let the runners cross.

I was posted at the top of a fairly large hill, which made me glad that I didn't run the race. The view from the hill was beautiful!!! The photographer from Hill Country Rambling website was also at the hill for part of the race taking pictures. I will check the website and see if there are any good pictures of the view.

Overall it was a good experience ane will probably do it again. I did get a coupon for a free race entry, a T-shirt (that ended up being too small), and some food.

May the Force be with you!!!

Chad

Training Update

2008-10-23T19:43:00.000-07:00

Things have been going pretty well with the training. I have not really had any issues with my running since the knee pain that I had while doing the 18 mile training run.

Speed Workouts - I have been doing the Speed workouts each week and ran the last one at a 9min/mile pace. These workouts are a combination of running hard for five mins followed by easy running for 2. I have been doing 4 sets of these. I first started these three weeks ago and did that one at a pace of 9:48 min/mile.

Easy mid week runs - These have been going well also. I was able to maintain a 9:14 min/mile at an easy pace for 5 miles. This is down from 9:43 about two weeks ago.

Long Runs - I have done one long run that was 8.2 miles and did that at a pace of 9:55 min/mile.

It is encouraging to continue to see such good progress in my running. I look back at where I started and am amazed at how far I have come. I will have to run the first race that I ran in June again next year to see what my time.

I am going to move my long run from Sat to Sun as I will be volunteering at the RGR Fall Fest 25k and 8k. I would have participated in the race but I have to do 20 miles this weekend and I do not want to cut it short.

May the Force be with you!!!

Chad

Lake Corpus Christi Triathalon

2008-10-12T18:52:00.000-07:00

Well I decided that I would get up in the morning and see if they needed any more volunteers for the triathlon. I thought it would be a good opportunity to give back since the races that I run are dependent upon volunteers.

They assigned me to be the marshal in the area where they return from the bike ride and head out on the 5k run. They were supposed to ride in from one direction and run in the other direction. I tried to make sure that the participants knew they had to run towards me and not back the way they came. So I ended up just saying "Runners this way" over and over again.

It was pretty boring, but I was able to see how the while triathlon thing works. There was one guy that took like 35 minutes to swim (400 meters I think). The fastest people were finishing in about 8 minutes. One time he was swimming into the middle of the swim course. Way in the wrong direction.

I was glad that I had the opportunity to help out and I am sure I will do it again some day.

May the Force be with you!!!

Chad

World Wide Festival of Races

2008-10-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

This weekend was also the Worldwide Festival of Races, which is a virtual race that is put on by a few of the major podcasters. Steve Runner from the Phedippidations podcast is one of the main organizers of the event. I think this is the third year that they have done this race. This year there are over 1000 participants.

I was scheduled to do an 18 mile long run as part of my marathon training so I figured I would just use note the time that I had completed the 13.1 miles and record that time and take the average minutes/mile of the long run and apply that to determine the time for the half marathon. Since I had the issues with my running and I was on an unfamiliar course and had difficulty know where the 13.1 mile point was I just made an estimate on my time.

I was starting to make plans to get Arin, Jill and several of the neighbors to do a 5k walk as part of the race but since we went camping it did not work out.

Oh well there is always next year.

May the Force be with you!!!

Chad

18 Miler

2008-10-11T17:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend we are camping at Lake Corpus Christi State Park in Mathis, Tx. It is located about 30 minutes from Corpus Christi or Corpus Chisry as Rachael calls it (LOL). She is such a card. Keeps us cracking up!!!

This is was our first time camping hear and it is pretty nice. I was surprised by all of the wildlife in the park. There were wild boars roaming the camp grounds day and night. While there we also saw armadillos, rabbits, and deer. We went camping with our friends Zeke and Suzie and their kids.

The first night Zeke and I drove around the park trying to map out a the mileage and route for my 18 mile long run that I had to do on Saturday morning. The first thing that I noticed was that there were A LOT of hills. I think I counted 7 or 8 significant hills in a 4.4 miles.

I got up early on Saturday so that I could get the run over with before the others were up for very long. So I dragged my butt out of bed and realized that it was still dark (which it normally is when I start my long runs), but the problem was that unlike at home there are no street lights. It was pitch black and I could hardly see the road. Needless to day I postponed the start of my long run until there was a little more light.

I got started and it was going pretty well. I was able to complete the first loop in about 50 minutes and the second loop in 52 minutes, which I didn't think was too bad considering all of the hills. Sometime during the second and third loops I started getting some pain in my right knee. At first I tried to mix in some walking and stretching hoping that would fix the problem. As I continued on the pain got worse and I eventually decided to finish the 4th loop by walking as I didn't want to risk an injury (assuming that this was only a minor issue). I finished in 3:50 minutes and did a total of 17.6 miles.

I am hoping that this pain will not continue and effect more of my training. While I was on my last loop some other campers stopped and talked to me as they saw me running when they left for town and I was still going several hours later. I found out that they were there for a triathlon that was occurring the next day right there in the park. I would have participated if only I had know!!!

May the Force be with you!!!

Chad

The Speedworkout

2008-10-09T04:31:00.000-07:00

My training plan called for something new this week. Starting this week I am scheduled to do one "Speed Workout" ~~chuckle chuckle~~ each week.

Okay pick yourself up off the floor. I know it is funny to have speed mentioned when having anything to do with me. It is just a name and does not infer in anyway that I am fast or that I will ever be. Although I was just browsing the detroit marathon website and saw that the first person to break a 2:17 time on the Marathon gets an additional $5,000 cash prize. 2:17 doesn't sound that bad (to say). Anyway it gives me a goal to work towards(Yeah right).

Okay, let me get back on track...

The speed workout ~~chuckle chuckle~~ (sorry it is still funny to say/write/think) starts out with a five minute walk and then goes into a 10 minute easy "warmup" run. After this the fun starts and you pick up the pace and run fairly hard for five minutes and then you run easy for two minutes. You do this 5min/2min cycle four times and then finish with a five minute easy run and 5 minute walk.

I didn't really care for this workout, but I think it was because I did the first five minute run way to fast that the other cycle were pretty difficult and left me out of breath and tired.

I will definitely have to play with this type of workout to see what works best for me. I am also very curious to see if the name comes through as an improvement in my speed!!!!

I am gearing up for my 18 mile run this weekend, which I will have to do while we are camping.

May the Force be with you!!!

Chad

An Easy Eight Mile Long Run

2008-10-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

This week my long run was 8 miles. Not only did I never think that I could run eight miles I never dreamed that I would think of an eight mile run as EASY!!!

As it turned out it was not as easy as I thought it was going to be. I thought that I was running at a nice easy pace, but the heart rate monitor was telling me otherwise as I was in the 80 to 90% most of the time, when I should have been in the high 70's to low 80's.

I could also tell because my hips and knees were getting a little bit sore near the end and was short of breath more than I should have been. I still picked it up for that last quarter mile or so and finished running as fast as I could. It feels really weird when I try and run as fast as I can. I feel like my form and stride are all out of whack. I am sure that it will get better as I progress

In the end I did the 8 miles at a pace of 10:11 min/mile, which is really good for me. This week had been a lite running week for me and I have to say that it seemed like something was missing, but yet it was nice to have a break. The timing was good as it was also a very busy week at work with the month-end closing and all that going on. I am looking forward to this next week when I am back on my normal running schedule.

May the Force be with you!!!

Chad

Another Long Run

2008-09-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

Today I completed my 16 mile long run. This is the longest distance that I have run so far. I thought it went very well. I ran a 7+ mile loop twice so that I could swing back by the house and pick up another water. I finished up the last 1.2 mile in front of the house.

This course worked out really well. I was able to complete the run without walking. I was surprised at this as I had to walk a little on my 14 mile long run.

When I got to the end my hips and knees were a little bit sore. The soreness seemed to let up a little while I did my two mile cool down walk.

The 16 miles took me 2 hours and 55 minutes to complete which works out to be about a 10:57 min/mile pace. I went back and compared this to my pace when I did the 14 mile long run and found that I decreased my min/mile by 40 seconds. I was SHOCKED!!!! I certainly did not expect that kind of improvement in two weeks.

I have noticed that I am able to maintain a 10 min/mile pace on my shorter week day runs without much trouble. I looked back at my pace from July and saw that I was running almost 12 min/mile!!!

I hope that I can continue to improve over the next several weeks. I have two more long runs (18 mile and 20 miles)scheduled before the marathon. I hope to continue to see some more improvement.

May the Force be with you!!!

Chad

Country Roads 10K Race

2008-09-20T18:34:00.000-07:00

At the last minute I decided to run the Country Roads 10k Race. I had come across the race a few weeks ago and saw that they were giving participants a long sleeve technical shirt. I figure that I will need a long sleeve one before the winter hits so I figured that I might as well do the race. I thought is was a pretty good deal because these shirts can run more than $20 and the race fee was $25.

The race was put on in San Marcos by the San Marcos runners club. The race was about a hour from home. I got there and and got registered. The shirts were red and they also gave you a Fruit Smootie Power Bar.

For the race I was wearing my new Star Wars Jersey, which by the way is awesome!!! Did I mention a HUGE shout out to Primal Wear!!!!! They are awesome!!!

The last race that I did was in August and was on a very hilly course. I had a time of 9:39 min/mile. I was hoping that I go do a little better on this run than on the last one, since it should not be as hilly.

I finished the race in 54:34!!!! This is a pace of about 8:48 min/mile!!! YES!!!

I could not believe that I got under an 9 min mile. I was shocked. I would not call this an easy course by any means. The last two miles were going UP a long shallow graded hill. I just never ended. UGH!!!

Since the last race I had done I have been doing the waterrunning about once per week and I sincerely believe that a large part of the improvement was a result of it.

For me I had a really good time, but I was 13/16 in my age group and 66/136 overall.

This was a really good race to run. In addition to long sleeve technical shirt they had awesome cookies, plenty of fruit and a lot of power bars for after the race. They also had a lot of door prizes. I think that I will do this race again next year!!!

May the Force be with you!!!

Chad

Below are the pictures that were taken at the race. I think they were trying to take pictures at the most embarrasing moments. They have definitely succeeded with these!!!!

Improvement!!!!

2008-09-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

Tonights training run called for a one hour run at of moderate pace. So I strapped on the HR monitor and hit the usual route in front of my house. I figured that I would just do six miles and that should be just a little over an hour. I strapped on the Brooks Trance 7's, which have been great shoes but just a little small for the longer runs, and hit the road.

The run went pretty well and I was able to pick up the pace for the last 1 1/2 to 2 miles. When I finished I was surprised to see that my pace was 9:37!!! The hilly race that I did in August I did at a 9:39 pace.

I have been logging my avg heart rate for each of my runs and I compared tonights AHR with similar runs and my HR was actually a little bit lower.

I am glad I found that my HR monitor records the avg HR for each of my runs as I find it really useful to compare to similar runs to determine if my fitness level has improved or maybe I was just working harder than the other runs.

I am really glad to be able to see these improvements. It sure has been encouraging.

May the Force be with you!!!

Chad

Post Long Run Training

2008-09-16T21:29:00.000-07:00

My knees have been pretty sore/stiff since the long run on Saturday. I changed my schedule around a little because of this. Sundays are rest days, but I was supposed to run on Monday and then cross train on Tuesday. Instead I did my cross training on Monday, which consisted of an abdominal workout and pushups.

On Tuesday I still had some stiffness in my legs so I thought it would be a good opportunity to do the water running again. I have been wanting to do this once a week instead of one of the runs so this was a good opportunity to start.

I took Rachael down to the pool and let her swim and play while I did my version of water running. I did it for 45 minutes and I must admit that the time seems to drag on. I will have to come up with a way to pass the time better. If only I could use the iPod while I was doing this it would make the time go by faster (I think)!!!

I just had an idea. I think I will try and clip the iPod to my headband. I will just have to remember to not go under the water with it on. Worst case I guess would be that I have to shell out $50 for a new one.

If anyone out there has any other ideas let me know.

May the Force be with you!!!

Chad

New Long Run Record - 14 Miles

2008-09-13T20:53:00.000-07:00

Today was my long run. I ran 14 miles for the first time. It was tough and I did end up having to walk a little. Especially up the huge hill at the end. Ugh!!!

I added a new route to the run because I didn't really want to be that far from home on the second loop in case something went wrong or I needed water etc. The added route ended up being pretty tough. There were a couple of big hills on the way back and I was out of energy to make it up the hill running so ended up walking a little up the hills at the end.

What was amazing to me was that I continued to improve my pace. When I ran 12.5 miles I was able to keep a pace of 11.58. My pace for today's run was 11:40 min/mile. I figured that my pace would go down as I increased my mileage so I was very surprised. Since I had to do some walking I figured it would have been a bit lower than the other long runs.

Anyway the run went pretty good overall. I used the Margarita shot blocks for this run These were okay, but I didn't think they were that great. I will probably not use them if there is a better choice. I think I need to eat more energy bars or shot blocks on the longer runs, because I felt like I hit the wall on those hills.

I can cross this one of the list. I do 16 miles in two weeks. Can't wait!!!Not.

May the Force be with you!!

Chad

SA RNR Marathon Jersey

2008-09-12T17:09:00.000-07:00

My friend Sandy from work gave me the Jersey that I order for the Rock and Roll Marathon. It is definitely the perfect Jersey for me. As you will soon see. I am planning in rolling out a poll to get your opinions in the near future.

I have to give a HUGE shout out to PRIMAL WEAR. They donated my jersey and the Jersey's for Sandy's MS 150 bike race team. They are awesome!!! If you need a jersey definitely check out their website and order from them. I am sure that I will order another one at some point in the future.

Without further ado I will unveil the jersey that I will be wearing for the SARNR Marathon. I sure you will agree that it suits me!!!

Make sure you vote in the poll on the right!
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Sidelined....

2008-09-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry that I have not done many posts lately, but we have been sidelined by Heros. We have finished season 1 and have three shows left on season 2. We want to get these completed before the new season starts.

Chad

The Truth Comes Out

2008-09-08T17:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, Okay, Okay....

We didn't really win the trophy that we had our pictures taken with. This fun run is really cool in that they use recycled trophies to give to anyone that completes three races. You get to pick from what is there. So we could have picked this trophy, but thought it was too big and gaudy.

This was a lot better than having to shell out the $20 that I paid for a trophy from my first 10k.

Yes that's right I bought my trophy that didn't get given away to the race winners. I know pathetic, but I wanted something to symbolize my accomplishment of completing the 10k.

May the force be with you!!!

Chad

SARR Fun Run

2008-09-06T21:47:00.000-07:00

Arin wanted to try the Fun Run that is put on the first Saturday of the month by the San Antonio Road Runnners. This event consist of the following runs: an 80M kids fun run, 1/2 mile run, 1 mile run, and 3 mile run.

I was not sure what to expect from this event since it was not like a regular race. We didn't get to the Fun Run until late, because we went to the wrong pavilion at the park. Arin was not able to do the 80m run, but we were able to make the rest of the races.

We lined up for the 1/2 mile race and when they blew the whistle Arin took off like a bat out of Haiti. We had not talked about this before had, but I assumed she would want to go at a nice easy pace. WRONG!!! She did pretty well. I was able to catch up and get a picture of her crossing the finish line. She did the 1/2 mile in 4 min and 18 sec.

The 1 mile race she started off slower and she was getting tiered during this one. She was able to complete this race in 12 minutes (WOW). Both of these races she finished with very quick times. I had to hustle to keep up with her.

GREAT JOB ARIN!!!!

This is Arin running the 1 mile race - Go Girl Go !!!!

This is me finishing the 3 mile race. I made it under 9min/mile.

This is the Trophy that Arin won for doing the Fun Runs.

This is the Trophy that I won for running in the Fun Run!!!

Running with ......

2008-09-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

No it's not scissors!!! One of the positive aspects of running that I did not anticipate was that Arin would want to do some running with me. I don't recall exactly how it started, but usually once or twice a week we will go out for a quick run. We will usually run for 1 to miles and alternate between running and walking. Sometimes we will go for a bike ride around the neighborhood after the run.

We have only been running a handful of times, but I already can notice a difference in how far she can run without walking.

I am glad that she is enjoying this and hopefully this will help her to include regular exercise into her life.

There is a Kids Fun run that the local running group is putting on this weekend that Arin and I are thinking of going to. I will have more on the fun run in the next post.

May the force be with you!!!

Chad

Water Running - September 1st

2008-09-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

I was listening to the Running Ramblings podcasts. Martin(the podcaster) introduced me to water running. Water running is (as you would expect) when you run while in the water. There are a couple of ways that you can do this. One way is that you can actually run through the water across the pool. You can also run in place. Typically when you would run in place you would also use a flotation belt. With the belt on you would go to the deep end of the pool and move your legs in the motion that you would while running.

This may sound interesting to some but just plain weird to others. Some of you are probably asking why would anyone want to do this? One of the problem that runners have (from what I read) is that impact from running makes them very injury prone. Most injuries are healed by reducing or discontinuing running. The problem is that when you stop running you rapidly lose your fitness level. I have read that some athletes have turned to water running to continue their training while injured. One story I read told how this one lady went on to set a personal record after she trained with water running.

Any how I thought that is may be a good idea if I try to replace one of my runs with water running, which would reduce some of the impact and hopefully reduce the chance or severity of any injuries. Any additional fitness gains would be a bonus.

Today was my first attempt at water running. I started out by running across the pool. Although this worked okay it was kind of a pain. Since I didn't have flotation device I tried a couple of different attempts of running in place and actually found that if I lean back a little into the water and put my legs out in front a little bit, I can kind of simulate the running movement in my legs.

I did this for about 45 minutes and overall I thought this was pretty good workout. Even though this is a pretty boring exercise I think I will try to replace one of my runs each week with water running.

May the Force be with you!!!

Chad

August 30th, 2008 - 12 miles - DONE

2008-09-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

Well I have completed my longest run today. I did 12.5 miles on Aug 30th and I was able to get under the 12 min/mile pace. For the most part the run felt pretty good. My hips were a little bit sore after the run, but I think they felt better than when I did the 10 mile run.

This was the first run that I did with the new shoes. Overall, I think they worked pretty well. My only concern is that they feel a little too small in the area around the toes. I had some minor pain in my right big toe, but I am hoping that they will feel better as they get broken in.

I did not get any blister on my toes this run (I had been getting blisters on my long runs). I had stopped at Run Gear Run store earlier this week and they had recommended this body glide that you put on areas that you get blisters or chafing and it is supposed to help. So I applied the body glide to the toe that I had been getting the blisters and there were no issues. I also used it on my chest and did not have any problems with chafing or bleeding from the sensitive areas that are prone to such problems.

While I was at the running store I picked up a couple of packages of Cliff Shot Blocks. These are gel blocks that you eat while your running so that you replenish your carbohydrates while you run. These are similar to the gels that I sampled at the last race. I tried the Black Cherry flavored Shot Blocks on this run and I thought they were very good. I have Margarita flavored shot blocks to try on the next long run!!!

New Shoes!!!

2008-09-01T18:50:00.000-07:00

Since I started running in June I have been using a couple of pairs of Reebok athletic shoes that I got from Sam's Club. I started running in the one pair that I had been walking in and my left heel started to hurt a little. I switched to the newer pair of shoes that I kept at work for walking. I had been running in those for several weeks and had not had any real issues with this pair (my heal still hurt a little, but it got a little better when I changed shoes).

I knew that I needed to get a pair of true "running" shoes especially as I start to run longer distances. I started looking around at the different running shoes and trying them on, but nothing really "fit like a glove". I even went to a local running store that had a Mizuno truck there doing some advanced analysis that would tell me the type of shoe that I needed. Their shoes were okay, but I was not sure about the Mizuno brand. The analysis was helpful and I got to try on some more shoes both Mizuno and some other brands that the running store sells. I also got a free technical shirt and the store was doing a free BBQ. They were even serving free beer!!! I tried on the Brooks Trance 8 shoe and that felt about the best of the ones that I had tried so far.

I had a gift card for Footlocker that I had redeemed from the points that we had accumulated with the gas card so I looked on their website. I found that they had the Brooks Trance 7 (last year’s model) on sale. After much contemplation I decided to try them. I received the shoes about a week later and found that they had shipped me the 12D (medium width) instead of the regular 12. I went ahead and tried them on and they fit great!!! I was very pleased and eager to try them out. Lucky for me I had my weekly long run (this week is 12 miles) scheduled for the next morning!!!!

Music or Podcast Sugestions

2008-09-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

If any one out there has any good suggestions for good running music that I can listen to while running or podcasts, then let me know. I am probably set for a while but I am always looking for something new!!!

iPod Awakening

2008-09-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

As some of you know I have never really been all that fond of music and listening to music. It is not that I don’t like music. It is more that I think of it as a background to everything else. I have never really been into listening to cd’s or mp3 players, but would listen to music while in the car. Well now that I have a lot of solitude on my hands as I run for 45 minutes to an hour 3 days a week and a couple of hours on Saturday I have started to listen to music and podcasts frequently.

Back in June Josh had bought me an iPod shuffle for my birthday. I must say that this was a most excellent gift as I am now using it almost everyday of the week. Getting this iPod of course required me to download iTunes and start loading my music and cd’s into the computer so that I can load up the iPod with songs and podcasts to listen too.

I started listening to the Ipod while running and had put on some really sweet tunes like Queen’s “We Will Rock You”, Dierks Bentley “What was I Thinkin’”, Van Halen, and Damn Yankees to name a few.

As I started reading more about running and visiting website I found out about running podcasts. I have found several podcasts that are about running that are interesting to listen to while running. As some of these podcasts have been going on for some time I have been listening to the past episodes. There are a lot of other interesting podcasts out there on a variety of topics and best of all the majority of them are free, which fits my budget!!!

It's Race Day!!!

2008-08-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday August 23, 2008
Today is the Fleet Feet Sunrise 10K race. I am running this race with Steve, a friend of mine that I started working with when I moved to San Antonio. I was running late getting to the race as I had decided to drop some stuff off to Josh (my son) at Trinity and had to load up the van before I left. I met up with Steve at the race and picked up the T-shirt and race bib. They delayed the race 10 minutes so I was able to drop the shirt off at the car before the race. It had rained over night and the road was wet, which made for a slightly slippery road.

The race start was near the Alamo Heights pool and the course was very hilly. I do my long training run on a route that has several hills, but this course had a lot of hills on it. They just seemed to never end. I felt I did very well on the hills. I may have slowed down on them but I kept up a good pace. I am not sure if it was the hills or not, but it seemed like the mile markers were more than a mile apart.

All in all it was a good race. I was able to complete the 10k race in one hour and 1 second for a 9:39minutes/mile pace, which is a new personal record for me. Yeah ME!!! I was really surprised especially after my 10:06 pace on the Wednesday run and the added hills.

The only issues that I had were a couple of blisters that I have on my toes. The rest of my feet, legs, and knees felt good.

Hammer Nutrition was a sponsor for the race and they had a booth set up at the race area so I was able to try about 8 different flavors of their gels. I though they all tasted pretty good, but made my mouth feel thick like when you eat peanut butter. I am not sure that I would be able to use these in a race unless I had something that I could drink.

View my race results at the following website - http://www.iaapweb.com/results/08/sunrise.htm#35-39%20Male

About Me….

2008-08-30T15:49:00.000-07:00

My name is Chad. I have lived in San Antonio for about 2 years and I am training to participate in the San Antonio Marathon. This will be my first Marathon and I started running in June 2008. Prior to this I had done very little running. In fact before June I would have never considered running a Marathon. I am currently weighing around 195 lbs, but a year ago I weighed about 335 lbs.

Yes that is a 140 lbs less!!!!

My weight loss journey began in June 2007. It started when I began researching weight loss surgery. I was on a very dismal path. My weight had been increasing over the past several years; I was on blood pressure medicine and cholesterol medicine. I really felt like things were going the wrong way and before long I would have diabetes as well as a shortened lifespan.

While researching weight loss surgery and going through the process to get approved I began walking over my lunch break and I went on a liquid protein diet. From July to October I was able to lose 45 lbs on my own. I had Gastric Bypass surgery in October 2007 and have done very well. By June 2008 I was down to around 195 so I had almost lost 100 lbs since surgery.

I was still walking, but didn’t feel that I was getting much benefit from walks so I started jogging a little bit to try and increase my heart rate and get more out of my walks. In June 2008 I was reading the newspaper and came across an article about an upcoming 10k race on June 14. I though to myself “maybe I should try that I am walking over half of that distance at lunch”. Then I cam across it again a few days later and I knew that I was supposed to run that race.

Earlier in the year my friend Gil from Detroit had called and wanted me to participate with him in the San Antonio Rock and Roll marathon. I had agreed thinking that I would walk a 5k or 10k part of the marathon (I later found out there is only the ½ and full marathon).

After running my first 10k in June I was hooked and have been running regularly ever since.

Wednesday August 20, 2008

2008-08-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

I have been training for the San Antonio Marathon since the beginning of July 2008 when I found a free training plan on the SA Rock and Roll Marathon Website. The plan is set up through activetrainer.com website. I log into my account and it tells me how far or long I am supposed to run each day and what the tempo is supposed to be.

After I complete my workouts I log the results on the website. I have been comparing my workouts to the preivous weeks to see if there has been any improvement in the length or pace. I have started to record the average heart rate from the run as I think it will be a better comparison as to how well I am doing.

This Saturday I have the Fleet Feet Sunrise 10k race so I thought that I would try and run it a little harder to see what kind of a pace I could maintain. I did the five miles in just over 50 minutes, which was a pace of 10:06 minutes/mile and I was dying after the five miles and there is no way that I will be able to beat my 10 min/mile goal for the race especially if it has a bunch of hills.