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
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Race Results - Steubing Ranch 5K
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
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
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Steubing Rank 5k Run/Walk
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
The best part will be the pizza that we have planned for dinner tonight!!! Yum!!!
Chad
Friday, April 9, 2010
NY Marathon - Lottery results
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
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
Monday, March 22, 2010
Austin Marathon Race Report
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
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
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Race Day
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!!!
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!!!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
New San Antonio Running Store
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
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
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Race Report - RGR Endurathon 25k
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!!!
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!!!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Training Update
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
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
Saturday, December 26, 2009
What Next
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
Now that I have that off from my chest!!! What am I going to do next......
Julianne and Gina told me that they were planning on running the Austin Half Marathon on February 14th. So I figured what the heck I might as well give it a try as I have heard really good things about the Austin Marathon. In general Austin has a really good reputation for putting on good races and providing great race support. I have run the Capitol 10k, Austin 10K+ Adventure Race, and the 3M Half Marathon. I have not been disappointed by the support at the races. The only bad part about the Austin Marathon is that it has a reputation of a lot of hills.
I went ahead and signed up for the full marathon. I figured that I will try and incorporate a lot of hills into my training program. This should also help to keep me motivated and ensure that I continue with the long runs.
By the way I would like to give a big shoult out to Julianne and Gina for completing their first half marathon. They did great and had a lot of fun!!!!
May the Force be with YOU!!!
Chad
Saturday, December 12, 2009
San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon - Race Report
After a fitful night of sleep I awoke about 4am to get ready for the marathon. I was meeting Julianne and Gina to ride together to the AT&T Center. We got to the AT&T Center without any problems and there were no lines for the shuttle. This is a big improvement over last year - although we arrived earlier this year than last year.
We made it to the starting line area and checked in our gear bags and got some bananas, bagels, and Cytomax. The weather was a lot different from last year. Last year it was really cold at the start of the marathon. This year it was pretty warm and would get warmer and more humid as the day would progress.
We wandered around until we found the USA Fit group that was supposed to be meeting for a warm up. I stretched and went for a short jog to get loosened up. Before long we were entering the corral, which began the long wait for us to cross the starting line. I had decided to start the race with Julianne and Gina so we were way back in corral #23. It took about 45 minutes before we were at the starting line (finally!!!). We were off on my second marathon and their first half marathon.
Gina, Julianne, and were running along and about 1 1/2 miles into the race Julianne and I look back to see how Gina was doing and she was gone. She was nowhere to be seen. Like good friends we kept running ;-) So Julianne and I continue on running together. There are lots of people running and the streets that we were running on were pretty full with runners. We were having to duck and dodge around the other runners as they were going slower than our pace. At about mile 4 Julianne let me know that she had to stop for a bathroom break. I was going to stop and use the facilities also, but the line was really long and I didn't have to go that bad. So like the good friend that I am I kept running ;-). Because the weather was warm and humid as I went throught the water stations I would get an extra cup of water and pour it over my head. After each of these water stations I felt soooo refreshed. Unfortunately the feeling did not last long.
A couple of days before the marathon I had pre-programed some text messages into my phone so that I could text to facebook, family, and friends as I ran the race. This worked really well and didn't casue any problems on the run. I would usually plan my walk breaks aroung the mile markers that I had planned send out the texts. I was surprised that I kept getting text messages from the people that I been texting.
It was just before the half way point and my hips were starting to ache. It was a nagging pain,but did not seem too serious. I got a big pick me up around mile 14 as Jill, the girls, Jill's dad, and Janene were there cheering me and the other runners on. It was great to see them. Arin and Rachael ran with me for a little bit, which was really great that they could participate a little with me.
Got a nice surprise right before the Stinson Field Airport as they had a sponsor set up there cheering us on and giving some snacks. I did not remember this little section in last years run. Just before Stinson Field I passed by a little road and relaize that they had changed the course a little and we did not have to go down this little road and back and the part that I did not remember from last year was new - YEAH.
It really started getting tough around mile 18. I started to get some cramping in my quads and had to slow down and walk for a bit. I was just trying to keep moving and hoping that the cramps would loosen up. After about 10 minutes or so the cramps were gone and I was able to start running again. The rest of the race was very difficult. It was definitely mind over body - willing myself to keep going.
I was of course keeping track of my time and I saw the potential finishing time continue to creep up and up. At about mile 23 or 24 I passed a girl that was asking some spectators if she could barrow thier phone. They asked her if she needed them to get her some medical attention and she sobbed "No, I need emotional support." I knew what she was talking about!!!
I finally reached the last little hill before the finish line. Although, this little hill no longer seemed little. It was HUGE!!! - I was determined to run up it as there were tons of people around cheering us on. It was really great. I made it up about 3/4 of the way and had to walk a little, but when I turned the corner and saw the finish line I found a little extra and was able to pick it up a little and finsh the race. I finished in 4 hours 33 minutes and 25 seconds. This was about 12 minutes faster than I finished the race last year. Woo Hoo!!!!
I could definitely tell a difference between how I felt after this years marathon compared to last years marathon. The last 6 miles or so were tough both years, but my knees did not hurt nearly as bad as they did last year.
May the Force be with you.
Chad
We made it to the starting line area and checked in our gear bags and got some bananas, bagels, and Cytomax. The weather was a lot different from last year. Last year it was really cold at the start of the marathon. This year it was pretty warm and would get warmer and more humid as the day would progress.
We wandered around until we found the USA Fit group that was supposed to be meeting for a warm up. I stretched and went for a short jog to get loosened up. Before long we were entering the corral, which began the long wait for us to cross the starting line. I had decided to start the race with Julianne and Gina so we were way back in corral #23. It took about 45 minutes before we were at the starting line (finally!!!). We were off on my second marathon and their first half marathon.
Gina, Julianne, and were running along and about 1 1/2 miles into the race Julianne and I look back to see how Gina was doing and she was gone. She was nowhere to be seen. Like good friends we kept running ;-) So Julianne and I continue on running together. There are lots of people running and the streets that we were running on were pretty full with runners. We were having to duck and dodge around the other runners as they were going slower than our pace. At about mile 4 Julianne let me know that she had to stop for a bathroom break. I was going to stop and use the facilities also, but the line was really long and I didn't have to go that bad. So like the good friend that I am I kept running ;-). Because the weather was warm and humid as I went throught the water stations I would get an extra cup of water and pour it over my head. After each of these water stations I felt soooo refreshed. Unfortunately the feeling did not last long.
A couple of days before the marathon I had pre-programed some text messages into my phone so that I could text to facebook, family, and friends as I ran the race. This worked really well and didn't casue any problems on the run. I would usually plan my walk breaks aroung the mile markers that I had planned send out the texts. I was surprised that I kept getting text messages from the people that I been texting.
It was just before the half way point and my hips were starting to ache. It was a nagging pain,but did not seem too serious. I got a big pick me up around mile 14 as Jill, the girls, Jill's dad, and Janene were there cheering me and the other runners on. It was great to see them. Arin and Rachael ran with me for a little bit, which was really great that they could participate a little with me.
Got a nice surprise right before the Stinson Field Airport as they had a sponsor set up there cheering us on and giving some snacks. I did not remember this little section in last years run. Just before Stinson Field I passed by a little road and relaize that they had changed the course a little and we did not have to go down this little road and back and the part that I did not remember from last year was new - YEAH.
It really started getting tough around mile 18. I started to get some cramping in my quads and had to slow down and walk for a bit. I was just trying to keep moving and hoping that the cramps would loosen up. After about 10 minutes or so the cramps were gone and I was able to start running again. The rest of the race was very difficult. It was definitely mind over body - willing myself to keep going.
I was of course keeping track of my time and I saw the potential finishing time continue to creep up and up. At about mile 23 or 24 I passed a girl that was asking some spectators if she could barrow thier phone. They asked her if she needed them to get her some medical attention and she sobbed "No, I need emotional support." I knew what she was talking about!!!
I finally reached the last little hill before the finish line. Although, this little hill no longer seemed little. It was HUGE!!! - I was determined to run up it as there were tons of people around cheering us on. It was really great. I made it up about 3/4 of the way and had to walk a little, but when I turned the corner and saw the finish line I found a little extra and was able to pick it up a little and finsh the race. I finished in 4 hours 33 minutes and 25 seconds. This was about 12 minutes faster than I finished the race last year. Woo Hoo!!!!
I could definitely tell a difference between how I felt after this years marathon compared to last years marathon. The last 6 miles or so were tough both years, but my knees did not hurt nearly as bad as they did last year.
May the Force be with you.
Chad
Friday, November 20, 2009
2009 San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon - Expo and Pasta Dinner
Finally marathon weekend had arrived. After about six months of training with the USA Fit Training group that was hosted by Run Gear Run I was pretty excited. I think that I was more excited to run this year than I was last year. For one thing I had a lot more running under my belt than what I did last year, I had been running a lot faster this year compared to last year, and I kind of knew what to expect.
I left work early on Friday to pick up my race packet at the expo and walk around. Friday evening I had also volunteered to work at the expo. The expo was pretty cool as usual and there were lots of things to sample. I was really excited that PF Chang's was signing people up to get free food at their tent after the marathon. I even verified that they would still be serving for the slow people like me who were going to take more than four hours to finish. They said that they would be there serving food all day (unfortunately this was a lie as I later found out - it really turned me off from PF Chang's - more about this later)
I splurged while I was at the expo and I bought a SA RNR jacket, a refrigerator magnet, and a SA RNR buff(like the buffs that the Survivor show hands out). I had wanted to buy the buff last year, but didn't decide until I finished the marathon and by then they were all out. I decided to buy the jacket because I figured this was the second time running the marathon I might as well get the jacket. Last year Jill had bought the refrigerator magnet so I thought I would continue the tradition.
Also, while at the expo they were offering a limited number of registrations for 2010 at $55. I can't resist a deal so I went ahead and signed up to run next year also. I know. I know. I am crazy!!!
The most awesome thing ever happened to me at the expo. I was volunteering at the expo (handing out race packets) and was on a break. I was walking through one of the back hallways of the Alamodome and ran into Dick Beardsley (WOW!!!). If you don't already know, Dick is a famous marathoner that came in second place in the Boston Marathon in 1982 in an amazing 2:08!!! He was just behind the winner Alberto Salazar by 2 seconds. That race is one of the most famous Boston Marathons and is called "The Duel in the Sun". Dick was amazing!!! He was so friendly and really took the time to chat with me. It was great. He gladly signed a couple of things for me and I let him get back to his work. Later I caught up to him at his booth and bought one of his books which he also signed.
On Saturday night we had our friends and fellow runners Julianne and Gina and their families over for our version of a pasta dinner. Jill made her fabulous baked spaghetti. We had a great dinner and a fun time. I think this was so much better than going to one of the pasta supper's put on by the events.
A few days earlier I had reviewed my marathon checklist from last year and updated it for this year. I gave a copy of the list to Gina and Julianne. This was going to be their first half marathon. Last year I did my first marathon and Chris from Marathon Chris shared her checklist with me. I was very appreciative for the checklist as her list included something that I never would have thought of on my own, but so desperately needed and that was ---- toilet paper in plastic baggies. It was a lifesaver. As they reviewed the list they razzed me about some of the items that were on the list like - technical underwear, race jersey, and running shoes. I had to explain that the the list was meant to be used for all races especially the ones that you have to travel for. It would really suck to fly into your race a realize that you don't have your shoes - it has been done just ask Alan from the Running with the Pack podcast and blog. He forgot to pack his shoes when he went to run the marathon and had to borrow some from his co-host's (Jeff) wife. I think that they were too small and pink to boot.
After our friends left I went about the process of getting everything ready for the race. It was going to be an early morning as we were going to leave around 4:45am. I wanted to leave as little as possible to do the next morning.
The next post will be about the marathon itself.
May the Force be with You,
Chad
I left work early on Friday to pick up my race packet at the expo and walk around. Friday evening I had also volunteered to work at the expo. The expo was pretty cool as usual and there were lots of things to sample. I was really excited that PF Chang's was signing people up to get free food at their tent after the marathon. I even verified that they would still be serving for the slow people like me who were going to take more than four hours to finish. They said that they would be there serving food all day (unfortunately this was a lie as I later found out - it really turned me off from PF Chang's - more about this later)
I splurged while I was at the expo and I bought a SA RNR jacket, a refrigerator magnet, and a SA RNR buff(like the buffs that the Survivor show hands out). I had wanted to buy the buff last year, but didn't decide until I finished the marathon and by then they were all out. I decided to buy the jacket because I figured this was the second time running the marathon I might as well get the jacket. Last year Jill had bought the refrigerator magnet so I thought I would continue the tradition.
Also, while at the expo they were offering a limited number of registrations for 2010 at $55. I can't resist a deal so I went ahead and signed up to run next year also. I know. I know. I am crazy!!!
The most awesome thing ever happened to me at the expo. I was volunteering at the expo (handing out race packets) and was on a break. I was walking through one of the back hallways of the Alamodome and ran into Dick Beardsley (WOW!!!). If you don't already know, Dick is a famous marathoner that came in second place in the Boston Marathon in 1982 in an amazing 2:08!!! He was just behind the winner Alberto Salazar by 2 seconds. That race is one of the most famous Boston Marathons and is called "The Duel in the Sun". Dick was amazing!!! He was so friendly and really took the time to chat with me. It was great. He gladly signed a couple of things for me and I let him get back to his work. Later I caught up to him at his booth and bought one of his books which he also signed.
On Saturday night we had our friends and fellow runners Julianne and Gina and their families over for our version of a pasta dinner. Jill made her fabulous baked spaghetti. We had a great dinner and a fun time. I think this was so much better than going to one of the pasta supper's put on by the events.
A few days earlier I had reviewed my marathon checklist from last year and updated it for this year. I gave a copy of the list to Gina and Julianne. This was going to be their first half marathon. Last year I did my first marathon and Chris from Marathon Chris shared her checklist with me. I was very appreciative for the checklist as her list included something that I never would have thought of on my own, but so desperately needed and that was ---- toilet paper in plastic baggies. It was a lifesaver. As they reviewed the list they razzed me about some of the items that were on the list like - technical underwear, race jersey, and running shoes. I had to explain that the the list was meant to be used for all races especially the ones that you have to travel for. It would really suck to fly into your race a realize that you don't have your shoes - it has been done just ask Alan from the Running with the Pack podcast and blog. He forgot to pack his shoes when he went to run the marathon and had to borrow some from his co-host's (Jeff) wife. I think that they were too small and pink to boot.
After our friends left I went about the process of getting everything ready for the race. It was going to be an early morning as we were going to leave around 4:45am. I wanted to leave as little as possible to do the next morning.
The next post will be about the marathon itself.
May the Force be with You,
Chad
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Surprise!!!
I was just surfing around some of my favorite running websites tonight and found a link to my blog on the San Antonio Road Runners Website under blogs. WOW - blew me out of the water. I wonder how long it has been there. I now feel really bad for not keeping up on what is going on.
I guess you just get busy with work, training, life, and now Facebook and Mafia Wars. The blog has definitely slipped way down on the priority list.
Well anyway on Sunday I finished my second marathon ;-) (WOW!!! Can't believe it!!!). I will work on a race report very soon and try to get back to blogging more frequently.
May the Force be with you
Chad
I guess you just get busy with work, training, life, and now Facebook and Mafia Wars. The blog has definitely slipped way down on the priority list.
Well anyway on Sunday I finished my second marathon ;-) (WOW!!! Can't believe it!!!). I will work on a race report very soon and try to get back to blogging more frequently.
May the Force be with you
Chad
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Austin 10K+ Adventure Race - Race Report
Several weeks ago I ran in the Austin 10k+ Adventure race. This was a 10k run that also included an obstacle course. I was intrigued by the idea of some obstacles on the race course as a mid run distraction. The race sounded fun and I like to do races on different courses to take in different scenery and get a change from the same old routes.
For the pictures of prior races I knew there were some beams that you had to climb over and there was a wall that you had to climb over using a rope. I did not know if that was all or if there were obstacles. I was a little worried that it would involve running or crawling through mud.
Seems like there were a little over 200 runners for this event. Some were running as a team, some were relays and some were individuals. We were about 2 miles into the race when the obstacles started. The first obstacle was a rope web that was attached to the back of some bleachers. You had to climb up the web and over the back of the bleachers. This was not too difficult and made it over the bleachers easily. Right after this was one of the most challenging obstacles. You had to climb over 2X6's that were about 4 1/2 feet tall. There were six of these in a row. To climb over each one you had to hoist yourself up and get you leg up on the beam and jump on the other side. This was more difficult because the beam and the structure were wobbly and there were other runners climbing over the beams at the same time.
Next were some easy ones. You had to run through tires and walk across three balance beams then jump onto a platform at the end and crawl ender some ropes. It was about this time that I had the thought that this was very similar to the challenges in the reality TV shows like Survivor or the Biggest Loser.
The next obstacle had three thigh high barricades that you had to get over followed by a tunnel that you crawled through and then three more barricades. The last obstacle was the wall. This was the toughest one for me - in fact I had to get the race officials to help me over the wall. By this point I was very tired and really hot. I think that I had the strength to make it over the wall on my own, but was I was lacking was the technique. I ended up getting too far up the wall with my feet and not moving up far enough with my arms.
The finish line was right after the wall. I was happy to finish. My time was 1:02. I will be looking to run these types of "adventure races in the future.
May the Force Be with You.
Chad
For the pictures of prior races I knew there were some beams that you had to climb over and there was a wall that you had to climb over using a rope. I did not know if that was all or if there were obstacles. I was a little worried that it would involve running or crawling through mud.
Seems like there were a little over 200 runners for this event. Some were running as a team, some were relays and some were individuals. We were about 2 miles into the race when the obstacles started. The first obstacle was a rope web that was attached to the back of some bleachers. You had to climb up the web and over the back of the bleachers. This was not too difficult and made it over the bleachers easily. Right after this was one of the most challenging obstacles. You had to climb over 2X6's that were about 4 1/2 feet tall. There were six of these in a row. To climb over each one you had to hoist yourself up and get you leg up on the beam and jump on the other side. This was more difficult because the beam and the structure were wobbly and there were other runners climbing over the beams at the same time.
Next were some easy ones. You had to run through tires and walk across three balance beams then jump onto a platform at the end and crawl ender some ropes. It was about this time that I had the thought that this was very similar to the challenges in the reality TV shows like Survivor or the Biggest Loser.
The next obstacle had three thigh high barricades that you had to get over followed by a tunnel that you crawled through and then three more barricades. The last obstacle was the wall. This was the toughest one for me - in fact I had to get the race officials to help me over the wall. By this point I was very tired and really hot. I think that I had the strength to make it over the wall on my own, but was I was lacking was the technique. I ended up getting too far up the wall with my feet and not moving up far enough with my arms.
The finish line was right after the wall. I was happy to finish. My time was 1:02. I will be looking to run these types of "adventure races in the future.
May the Force Be with You.
Chad
Monday, May 25, 2009
2009 Marathon Training Begins
Training for the 2009 San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon has begun. This year I have joined a training group that is hosted by Run Gear Run (RGR). I had been debating whether to join the RGR training group or the Fleet Feet training group, but after my negative experience on Facebook with Fleet Feet I am boycotting their store and will make referrals only to RGR.
My negative experience with Fleet Feet has to do with posting on their facebook page and having the posts deleted. Earlier this month REI.com had an awesome deal on the Garmin 405 HR monitor. With tax and shipping it was $291 and with a $50 rebate being offered by Garmin the price was $241. This is over $100 less that the normal price of $350, which is not including tax (add another $28) I was very excited about this and posted on all of the running related sites I could. Fleet Feet took the delete approach, which left a bad taste in my mouth. Not that I can blame them for not wanting competitor advertising on their site, but they should have handled this in a much different way. The first choice would have been to contact me and ask me to remove it siting the above reason. I probably would have complied as this is a reasonable request, but I would have challenged them to meet this price or leave the post up on their Facebook page as it should be a site for runners. They should want what is best for runners, and if the runner chooses to buy from the cheaper online store then they would have at least built the goodwill for the store. I contend that most that are making the purchase, because it was $241 would not purchase this in their store as the $350 price point it too high. So what have they really lost by leaving the post on their page???
By deleting my posts they have ticked me off and have missed out at least on my membership in their training group and I will definitely point people away from Fleet Feet in the future.
I will make it a point to begin making regular posts again as I progress through training.
May the Force Be with You!
Chad
My negative experience with Fleet Feet has to do with posting on their facebook page and having the posts deleted. Earlier this month REI.com had an awesome deal on the Garmin 405 HR monitor. With tax and shipping it was $291 and with a $50 rebate being offered by Garmin the price was $241. This is over $100 less that the normal price of $350, which is not including tax (add another $28) I was very excited about this and posted on all of the running related sites I could. Fleet Feet took the delete approach, which left a bad taste in my mouth. Not that I can blame them for not wanting competitor advertising on their site, but they should have handled this in a much different way. The first choice would have been to contact me and ask me to remove it siting the above reason. I probably would have complied as this is a reasonable request, but I would have challenged them to meet this price or leave the post up on their Facebook page as it should be a site for runners. They should want what is best for runners, and if the runner chooses to buy from the cheaper online store then they would have at least built the goodwill for the store. I contend that most that are making the purchase, because it was $241 would not purchase this in their store as the $350 price point it too high. So what have they really lost by leaving the post on their page???
By deleting my posts they have ticked me off and have missed out at least on my membership in their training group and I will definitely point people away from Fleet Feet in the future.
I will make it a point to begin making regular posts again as I progress through training.
May the Force Be with You!
Chad
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Capitol 10k results
It has been almost a month since running this race. I suppose it is about time that I posted the race results.
This was a large 1ok race that I ran with my friends Tato and Steve. Tato and I drove up to the race early the morning of the race and met up with Steve who had picked up our race stuff for us. We got there fairly early as we had to deal with traffic and parking. We milled about for awhile till we met up with Steve. I started the race with Steve, but Tato started a few minutes behind us.
Right after the start I lost track of Steve so I had no idea where he was (in front or behind me. One of the most annoying things about the race was the slow people that started in a group that was a lot faster than they belonged. I remember going less than 1/2 mile ans there were already people walking. These people should be way to the back.
Anyway, I was running fairly well when I can upon he third hil in the race. This hill really zapped my energy. I had a hard time keeping up with my pace after that. This was also the best supported race that I have run. I seems like they had water stops about every mile and they had a misting system that you could run through. If it had been a little wamer that morning it would have very really awesome.
I finished the race around 54:11, which was a good result for me but was not a PR. Overall it was a good experience and may run the race again in the future.
Chad
This was a large 1ok race that I ran with my friends Tato and Steve. Tato and I drove up to the race early the morning of the race and met up with Steve who had picked up our race stuff for us. We got there fairly early as we had to deal with traffic and parking. We milled about for awhile till we met up with Steve. I started the race with Steve, but Tato started a few minutes behind us.
Right after the start I lost track of Steve so I had no idea where he was (in front or behind me. One of the most annoying things about the race was the slow people that started in a group that was a lot faster than they belonged. I remember going less than 1/2 mile ans there were already people walking. These people should be way to the back.
Anyway, I was running fairly well when I can upon he third hil in the race. This hill really zapped my energy. I had a hard time keeping up with my pace after that. This was also the best supported race that I have run. I seems like they had water stops about every mile and they had a misting system that you could run through. If it had been a little wamer that morning it would have very really awesome.
I finished the race around 54:11, which was a good result for me but was not a PR. Overall it was a good experience and may run the race again in the future.
Chad
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Update
I went for a very brief jog today to test out the knee to see if I would have any pain while running. I am happy to report that it did not hurt. YEAH!!!
Also, my friend Tato is going to be running the race with Steve and I. Should be fun!!!
My time to beat will be 54:01 as that is my PR time from the Bird Lover's run.
Chad
Also, my friend Tato is going to be running the race with Steve and I. Should be fun!!!
My time to beat will be 54:01 as that is my PR time from the Bird Lover's run.
Chad
Friday, March 27, 2009
Upcoming Race - Austin Capitol 10k
On Sunday March 29th I have signed up to run in the Austin Capitol 10k race. I am running this race with a friend that I used to work with. He has run this race several times in the past several years and said that it is a fun race. According to its website it is the 5th largest 10k race in the country.
Over the last three weeks it has been pretty difficult to find the time to get out there and run and have only run 1 day a week. This week I started back in with regular running. When I started back this week I could defintely tell that I had lost a little bit of my fitness. I ran on Sunday and the run felt pretty good, but did feel a little tightness on my right hamstring.
I made it out to run again on Monday. From the getgo I could tell that I was still feeling the effects of the run on Monday as my legs were pretty stiff and a little sore. So I took it easy and ran 6 miles.
I took a break from running on Tuesday and worked out on the bowflex. I went out for a six mile run on Wednesday and everything felt pretty good UNTIL I finished. Almost immediately I noticed some soreness in my left knee. UGH!!! This was definitely not what I needed right before a race.
I took the dog for a two mile walk while I cooled down and there wasn't any pain while walking , but it returned when I stopped. I iced it for a while and went to bed. The next morning there was just a little bit of soreness, but it was not bad and today it felt normal.
I am planning on going for an easy run tonight or tomorrow to see how the knee is holds up. I am hoping that the soreness was only temporary and I want have any issues on Sunday.
Chad
Over the last three weeks it has been pretty difficult to find the time to get out there and run and have only run 1 day a week. This week I started back in with regular running. When I started back this week I could defintely tell that I had lost a little bit of my fitness. I ran on Sunday and the run felt pretty good, but did feel a little tightness on my right hamstring.
I made it out to run again on Monday. From the getgo I could tell that I was still feeling the effects of the run on Monday as my legs were pretty stiff and a little sore. So I took it easy and ran 6 miles.
I took a break from running on Tuesday and worked out on the bowflex. I went out for a six mile run on Wednesday and everything felt pretty good UNTIL I finished. Almost immediately I noticed some soreness in my left knee. UGH!!! This was definitely not what I needed right before a race.
I took the dog for a two mile walk while I cooled down and there wasn't any pain while walking , but it returned when I stopped. I iced it for a while and went to bed. The next morning there was just a little bit of soreness, but it was not bad and today it felt normal.
I am planning on going for an easy run tonight or tomorrow to see how the knee is holds up. I am hoping that the soreness was only temporary and I want have any issues on Sunday.
Chad
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Running at Tyler State Park
As I previously wrote I had mapped out a running route while we were camping at State Park. There was a really nice loop that went around the camping area and the distance was just over three miles. I figured I could run the loop twice and have a god six mile run.
As I had also mentioned before the park had a lot of hills!!! I ended up going on one run while camping and that was only one loop around the park. The hills were HORRIBLE!!! I had to take pictures of the hills as we were leaving the campground so that you could share my pain.
This is the first hill that I came upon shortly after starting the run. This hill is going up (the picture almost makes it look like it is going down) and it is much steeper than it looks (at least that is my story - this is the equivalent to the fish that got away story for runners!!!)
And yes where there are uphills there are usually down hills. At this park they were very steep downhills and on some of them I had to keep myself from flying down the hills (or rolling down them. These next two pictures show two of the steep down hills that were on the loop.
The next three pictures are more of the uphills and down hills on this route. I think there were about 8 hills on the three mile loop around the park.
I had planned on running the loop again going the opposite direction to see how that way went, but I put it off so that we could take the girls on a hike, but we ended up packing up camp and going to Jill's brothers in Dallas because the weather was supposed to turn cold and wet. I think it ended up being a good call as it was pretty cold the next morning and there was a drizzle.
Overall we had a great time camping and plan to go on a couple of more trips in April.
May the Force be with you!!!
As I had also mentioned before the park had a lot of hills!!! I ended up going on one run while camping and that was only one loop around the park. The hills were HORRIBLE!!! I had to take pictures of the hills as we were leaving the campground so that you could share my pain.
This is the first hill that I came upon shortly after starting the run. This hill is going up (the picture almost makes it look like it is going down) and it is much steeper than it looks (at least that is my story - this is the equivalent to the fish that got away story for runners!!!)
And yes where there are uphills there are usually down hills. At this park they were very steep downhills and on some of them I had to keep myself from flying down the hills (or rolling down them. These next two pictures show two of the steep down hills that were on the loop.
The next three pictures are more of the uphills and down hills on this route. I think there were about 8 hills on the three mile loop around the park.
I had planned on running the loop again going the opposite direction to see how that way went, but I put it off so that we could take the girls on a hike, but we ended up packing up camp and going to Jill's brothers in Dallas because the weather was supposed to turn cold and wet. I think it ended up being a good call as it was pretty cold the next morning and there was a drizzle.
Overall we had a great time camping and plan to go on a couple of more trips in April.
May the Force be with you!!!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Spring Break Running
This week we are on Spring Break with the kids and are staying at Tyler State Park in northeast TX. I have not run for the last several days as Friday night I was packing to leave for camping on Saturday. On Saturday we drove all day (7 hours) and then had to set up camp. On Sunday, I scoped out the park to determine a running route and I that the park road is a three mile loop. The bad part is that there are massive massive hills. They have really really long hills and they have really really steep hills.
I think that I will try and run this three mile loop tomorrow morning. I am afarid that I will only be able to do it once.
May the Force be with me tomorrow.
Chad
I think that I will try and run this three mile loop tomorrow morning. I am afarid that I will only be able to do it once.
May the Force be with me tomorrow.
Chad
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