The Body is Incredibly Complex or God is Amazing and/or I am Not Sure I Completely Understand Either

I suppose I could also entitle this post "The More I Learn, The Less I Understand" or "The More I Know, The More I Know I Don't Know".

The human body is simply a miracle.  The more I learn and understand about the body, the more I am convinced that it is utterly impossible for this to have been an accident!  The body is incredibly complex and amazing.  Everything works together in such a complex and intricate way.  It is a miracle... plain and simple.

The body itself is not at all simple.  It is incredibly complex.  I cannot figure it out.  The things that this body was designed to do and endure are mind boggling.  How everything works together is unfathomable.... I love saying that word.  Not to make me sound smart or funny or anything, I just like the way it sounds.  For those of you old enough, I kinda say it like a daffy duck cartoon, spit out of my bill and all. "unfath.::;':,.omable".  It is so complex, though that I get lost in all of the detail.  Then of course there is all of the marketing propaganda that muddle all of the "science"... and yes, the "science" is intentionally in quotations, like the "research" done to "prove" that the product being sold is beneficial for us, but that is a whole other blog post entirely.

All of this makes it really hard to figure out what one is supposed to do.  I am totally aware that it is not simply one thing... there is no magic pill.  It is a very complex plan to get the most and the best from your miracle -- the body.  We have such an ability to adapt and compensate and endure and overcome that it makes it difficult to determine exactly what will work best for you at any given time.
I'll seemingly shift gears a little, and hopefully circle back.

I have been incredibly blessed in my life.  I have been afforded immeasurable opportunities that have allowed me to accomplish many things.  In all of the endeavors that I have actively pursued, I have been able to rise to a very high level within that "community", group, or activity.  I have been able to work and play and train and teach with the best of the best... not because I am or was anything special.  Certainly not because I am or was the best athlete, the smartest, the strongest, the fastest, the most organized, or the best in any way.  I attribute any level of success that I have been able to accomplish to what I like to call "sticktoitiveness".  Please do not misunderstand, I attribute all of my successes to God, because He has gifted me and allowed me and provided for me.  I am nothing without Him.  I am nothing, except where He has allowed me to be something.  He has gifted me with sticktoitiveness.... and I use this regularly to achieve.  Basically all it means for me is that I will not give up.  I will not go half way or half speed.  I believe that I can accomplish whatever I decide I want to accomplish.  I will fail.  I will falter.  I will fall down.  I will tank a race.  I will make mistakes, but I will not give up until I accomplish what I am intending to accomplish.  There are way too many stories of individuals and groups who have accomplished a thing that was seemingly impossible and against all odds for me to believe that I cannot accomplish whatever I make up my mind to accomplish.  It may not look the same as how I intended or envisioned, but I will not give up.  I will not accept defeat.

There is a whole other topic here that would require too many blog posts, but if you are interested in the above topic there are some amazing books that I can recommend for you to read.  I highly recommend that anyone interested in success of any kind in any "thing" to read "Talent is Overrated" and "Bounce".  There are many others in the same topic range, but those are a couple good ones to start.


Part of the discussion in those two books and the last topic, which will help me circle back, is the aspect of "rubbing elbows" with the greats.  Surrounding yourself with people smarter than you.  Training and working and playing with people better than you.  As iron sharpens iron,
So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. Proverbs 27:17.  

Two or more people working together, competing, collaborating, working, discussing, growing, encouraging, inspiring each other make both and/or all of them better.  A quick story about racquetball.  The common story that we hear on a regular basis is, "Racquetball?  I used to play racquetball... 20 years ago."  Well, I used to play racquetball with my dad when I was a kid.  He always beat me.. although I knew that if I were to win a game, it was because I earned it.  But, I started playing racquetball with my buddy and Minister of Music at church, Rev. David Shenning.  David is 6' 9" tall, and I kid him and tell him he moves good for a big guy.  The truth is, he moves well for anybody.  He is tall, but he is an athlete and has been playing many sports (yes, even competitive basketball), but particularly racquet sports for decades.  Anyway, I started playing with David and he would murderize me.  He would play left handed and stand in the middle of the court and run me around in circles until I got tired.  It was a bit humiliating, but I would ALWAYS want to play "one more".  He would appease me until he got bored.  But then I would ask if he could play tomorrow.  He was much better than me, so I was determined to work and learn and become better.  I knew that if I accepted the defeats that he was handing out liberally that I would never get better.  I eventually got better and competitive.  We played like that for several years and we are now both much better players.   Thanks David!  Iron sharpens iron.  He made me better and then we made each other better.

When it comes to running, I am not yet at the point that I can compete with the elites of the sport.  And given my advancing age, and given my body type, and every other excuse that I can come up with, I will not likely ever be able to compete with the elites, but maybe I will be able to compete with the old guys who are really good.  I have not yet found that person or that group that will sharpen me, but I have received some great advice and encouragement from several folks that has been beneficial for my growth... Tommy Medlin, Chris Caito, Greg Smith, Derek Hopkins, and my mom.  Thanks guys.  As I learn more and make more mistakes and learn from those mistakes, I can then figure out the little nuances of all of the complexity that will benefit me.  Drawing back to the racquetball example.  It did not matter what racquet I was using when David was running me around in circles.  If I bough the best and most expensive racquet ever made in the world, I would still had lost.  I needed to learn the game, the angles, the strategy, the rules, etc...  

Running seems so simple.  Seriously... how hard is it.  Most of us grew up running.  It is almost inherent for us.  But the more we learn, the more we know we don't know.  To achieve peak performance and then enhance that to an even higher peak... is just hard.  It kinda seems silly when you think about it.  What the heck difference does it make if you run a half marathon in 1:45 or 1:30 or 1:18?  And logically you would not think that it would be all that difficult to improve your time from 1:47 to 1:45, right.  That is only 2 minutes faster.  Big deal... but it really is a big deal.  That is 9 seconds faster per mile, every mile.  Maybe that does not sound like much, but it really is a big deal.  And that is the part that requires the sticktoitiveness.  That is the part that requires deliberate practice (a key theme in the above referenced books).  That is the part that requires learning and understanding the complexities and intricacies of the human body.  Nutrition, energy, fatigue, muscle mass, muscle growth and development, slow-twitch, fast-twitch, rest, over use, atrophy, cardio, weight and race weight -- oh my gosh, my head is spinning -- and that is not even the start.  All of that, and miles and miles and miles of running for nine seconds -- and then another ten seconds, and then another 20 seconds, etc, etc, etc...

BTW... I am beginning to learn the reasons for my recent poor performances.  There are apparently several reasons.  Yes, the last race was cold and I was having difficulty breathing and that was a contributing factor and a convenient excuse, but I think I have determined another reason.  I think I lost too much weight too quickly, and I did not have the energy storage to draw from, so I crapped out.  I am working on that too.  Getting better.  We will see how it goes.  Next race, Tempe, AZ.  Jan 15, 2017.

Kiawah Island Golf Resort Marathon -- Kiawah Island, SC

Here is the race recap for the Kiawah Island, SC Half Marathon December 2016

Registration:
I registered online.  This one required proof of time in order to get into the appropriate corral.  I gave them the only proof I had which was the link to the results for the Cocoa Beach race.  When I registered, I had not yet run the Tulsa race.

That warrants mentioning.  I am signing up for these races three months in advance.  I do not want to schedule too many of them and too far in advance in case I get injured or otherwise have some issue.  I also do not want to wait too long to register because the fee goes up and the hotels book up.  So, three months at a time is what I am working with at the moment.  In the next post I will give some update on what are the next races scheduled.

Fee:
$112.85 total

The Expo:
This expo was in the Island's conference center.  It was not in a big convention center like the Tulsa race.  It was a bit cramped.  The bib and T-shirt pickup were in a little room and seemed a bit unorganized.  Same thing as you would expect, alphabetically by last name, then to the T-shirt station where they checked of the box on your bib and gave you your shirt.  I walked past the small vendor area on the way out, not much there to speak of, then walked right out the door to head to our house.

Shirt:
Long sleeve, Sky Blue with race logo.  On the back it simply reads : Kiawah Island Golf Resort Marathon 12.10.16


Race Day:
Saturday

Race Start Time:
8:00 -- started right on time

Course Map:


This is one of those races where the half marathon and the full marathon start out together and then split off somewhere along the way.  It was super confusing at several spots along the course.  Runners were looking around at each other, shrugging their shoulders.  I was mostly just trying to breathe.  One guy I saw had made the wrong turn and had to double back.  That would be upsetting to me.

Race Type:
Mostly road race, but there were a couple of small dirt trails and a couple of little wooden walkway bridges.  The race was around the gated community and around the golf courses.  I had heard from several people that it was a pretty course and a pretty area.   I think maybe my poor performance is clouding my ability to be objective.  This was not my favorite race.  Maybe I am being more critical because I had a bad day.  I dunno.

Accommodations:
There were NO places available on the island.  We ended up at a house about 40 minutes away.  This meant that we could not even get on the island without a pass.  On race day, we had to park outside the gates and be bussed in... more on that later.

Transportation:
As I mentioned, we had to drive to the island.  The traffic was all backed up.  The road became a parking lot.   Entering the island there is a round-about.  I personally think round-abouts are just plain dumb.  When they are in highly trafficked areas there is ALWAYS  a back up.  It took us a good 40 minutes to travel 1.5 miles.  I kept thinking this was the 39th time they have had this race, they should be able to figure out a way to ease the traffic.  There were no police or anything until we got to the parking lot. Seems like they could have been more prepared and proactive... but we made it and parked in a big grassy field along with everyone else.  Walked in the freezing cold to the busses.  Plenty-o-busses... one after the other.  They drove us past the gate to the race venue.  That was the easiest part.  I was wondering if it would be equally as easy on the way back.

Weather:
It was 33 F at the start.  I was a little more prepared this time.  I had a jacket and a jacket.  I gave Valerie my outer jacket right before the start, and shed the other jacket somewhere on the course.  This was 33 F, but it was a very cold 33.  I don't know if it is just me, but sometimes the temperature does not reflect how cold or warm I feel.  Let's just day, it was cold and I was colder.

Race Morning:
It was cold and people were bundled and meandering.  Only a few people were able to figure out where the start was.  It seemed that those that were aware of where the start was were those that had run this course before.  The DJ announced that everyone needed to get to their respective start areas soon, but it was not well marked.  Once we found the start, we located the A corral and security moved the gate to allow entry.  The A corral was pretty small, the holding area anyway, but once we passed the chip timer mat the course opened up quickly and there was plenty of room.

Race:
There was mostly road running on the pavement.  There were only a few cars here and there and the drivers were extremely careful, traveling... creeping against the grain in a two lane area.  It appeared as if they were well coached, and had done this before.  There were a few areas that went on hard packed dirt and gravel and there were signs informing everyone that spectators and bicycles were not allowed on these areas -- runners only. Of course that did not stop some folks.  There was one time on mile 10 or 11 through one of these trails and over a wooden bridge (the kind that are not terribly uncommon on a golf course like this) where a man jumped off his bike and ran with his bike on this narrow section of bridge -- right next to me.  I really wanted to just shove him as hard as I could and watch him fall backwards pulling his bike over onto himself in the process.  This is all I could think of.  Of course I did not say or do anything, but in all candor, this is what I was thinking.  I can picture it clearly.
Somewhere about mile 5 or 6 the full and the half split off.  I made the turn along with all of the other halfers, then we came up on a large sign that read Mile 12, with a timer.  Presumably the full doubles back around to this area after they split off, but at the time it was super confusing.  I was very well aware that we were not at mile 12 yet, but then I started to wonder if I had turned the wrong way.  Believe me, I had no intention of running the full -- I was already in pain.  There were a few other spots where the signage indicated mile 15 or mile 20.  Obviously we knew we had not run farther than the 13 miles we had signed up for, but my mind, for one, was not working as well as normal.  I was confused several times.

Water/Food Stations:
Plenty of water and Gatorade and bananas.  I think there were oranges somewhere along the way.  I did not notice any vodka jello shots, although in this race I may well have circled the vodka station multiple times if it were available.  I did get a banana at one of the stations.  I ended up dropping most of it.  I could not feel my fingers.

Scenery:
Nice neighborhood and if you like golf course communities, then you would enjoy this course.  One stretch had a water view.  I heard people talking about the ocean course and how beautiful that was.  I am assuming that was were we were.

Race Entertainment:
I did not notice anything anywhere on the course except at the start/finish area.  Was there some entertainment that I may have missed?  Sure... but I did not see or hear any of it.

Finish:
The finish was right in front of the conference center.  We had milled around there before the race and walked over to this area from the busses and this is where I picked up my bib and shirt... so it was familiar.  It was partitioned off and there was a lot of nice cheering and an announcer that called out the names of the finishers.  It was quite crowded, though.  I could not find my family after I finished for a couple of minutes anyway... but we were able to walk over to the busses and they transported us back to the parking area directly.  It was pretty easy.  Oh yeah... there were bananas, water, and gatorade.  I could not find any food.  I was looking.   I was hungry.

Bling:


Misc:
There was a chip timer mat at the start and half and finish.  There were other chip timer mats and timers, but I think they were more for the full runners.  I dunno, I was delirious.  The roads weer blocked off nicely, but the spectators were running wild.  At one point there were two girls walking in the middle of the street, in the middle of the course, just chatting and texting... apparently oblivious that if I were going fast enough, they might actually feel something if I were to bump into them.
We did not participate in any of the "stuff" because we were in a rush to get back, so we simply rushed off.  I don't know if they had a bunch of things that we might have enjoyed -- we just ran off (well, I did not run anywhere... I limped off).

Post Race:
I have received two emails so far.  One for pictures and one thanking me for running, oh and sign up for next year.  I checked earlier this evening and the results are posted on the web site, listed as unofficial.






I am hoping Tempe is better. :)

Route 66 -- Tulsa, OK

Here is the race recap for the Tulsa, OK Route 66 Half  November 2016

Registration:

I registered online.  Nice and easy.  Like most of them that I have seen, it had a tiered pricing based on time.  The earlier you register, the cheaper it is.

Fee:

$110 plus a service fee of $9.70 = $119.70 total

The Expo:

I had to go to the expo for this one to pick up my bib.  It was quick and easy.  It was in a convention center and along the far wall was the bib pick-up area, alphabetically by last name.  All I got was a bib a bag and four safety pins.  I was supposed to go get my jacket, which was on the other side of the expo hall.  I forgot.  I have contacted them and they are going to send me one, but it apparently takes a couple of months.  As I walked through the expo hall, I noticed several vendors, but did not stop and look at any of them  In retrospect, that may have been a good idea for me to see what was available, but I was focused on finding my room... my airbnb.

Shirt:

The shirt was a jacket, which I forgot to get.

Race Day:

Sunday

Race Start Time:

8:00am -- started right on time

Course Map:

The blue course is the half and the red course is the full.  Everybody ran the half and those that were running the full split off just after the finish of the half and they continued on.

Race Type:

Road race.  This was called the Route 66 marathon/half-marathon, but we spent very little time on Route 66.  We crossed over Route 66 at the start and touched on it during mile 11.  Just found that interesting.

Accommodations:

EVERYTHING was full -- ALL the hotels had no vacancy.  This is where I discovered Airbnb.  I checked the race map to see where was the start and finish, and chose a place in the middle somewhere so I could walk to the start and walk from the finish -- easily.  I had a four block walk to the start, but the walk back from the finish was about 1.7miles.  I limped back.  It was still cold.  They had shuttles to and from hotels and the expo center, but I thought I was much closer, so I just walked.  It worked out fine for me.

Transportation:

They had shuttles, but I just walked.

Weather:

It was 32 F.  Warmed up to about 50 F.  I got warm about mile 8.  I was not prepared for 32 degrees at the start, but it did not affect me that much.

Race Morning:

It was dark and cold.  There were people everywhere.  The corrals were manned by security and they would allow you into your respective corral only if your bib showed the correct corral letter.  I waited in corral A for 30 min.  Mostly waiting for the sun to come up and warm me.  There was a DJ, good communication.  A large corral system with plenty of room.  They let the handicapped racers go 3 minutes early after the National Anthem and some local groups chanting, then we were off.  The corral was large enough that it was not terrible to get started, and it widened out even further after the start.

Race:

There was a lot of uphill.  The first mile was downhill, then it seemed to climb, then climb, then climb again.  We ran through some nice neighborhoods.  There were lots of people out in their yards and on their streets with signs and cheering.  They were dressed much more warmly than I was.  Many of them had fire pits and hot chocolate, coffee, etc...  They offered me none.  On one area, we passed by a crossfit gym.  They brought all of their exercycles outside and they were blaring their workout music and conducting a spinning class and cheering.  That was kinda fun to see.  Then a right turn and uphill again.  At the end of mile 13, we split.  The half racers went left and the full racers went right.  It was not confusing for me, but when I was walking back a couple of the racers asked me if they should go right or left... so at least two were confused.  One lady walked through the parking lot.  I think she was getting in her car and driving part of the way?!?!?  I dunno what she was doing.

Water/Food Stations:

There were plenty of water and Gatorade stations.  I did not notice any food, but I was not looking for it either.  I bet there was bananas and probably some other stuff.  One station even had Jello shots.  Of course, I thought they would be made with energy drink or something.  They had Vodka in them.  I found that very interesting.  I am not sure that was race sanctioned, but at the time I was just shocked, then thought maybe this will help me not feel my leg pain.  It did not help.

Scenery:

The neighborhoods were nice.  The race started and ended in downtown, so if you like the historic thing, then you would enjoy.  There was one stretch that was on the water and a park for a bout 3 miles.

Race Entertainment:

Several local bands were playing at different locations.  I heard none of them again.

Finish:

The finish was a blocked off area with a large FINISH inflatable arch banner.  Lots of spectators and photographers.  Volunteers everywhere giving finishers medals and foil coverings, HeatSheets.  Plenty of drinks Gatorade and water and Pepsi and bananas and energy bars.  There was even a post-race meal supplied by Spaghetti Warehouse, which was right next to the finish.  I did not have any, but it looked good.  I grabbed a couple of drinks and an energy bar for the walk back.  I wish I had taken a HeatSheet.

Bling:

Misc:

There were timers clocks and chip timer mats everywhere.  I got stats that showed me how many people I passed and how many passed me, how many women I finished before and after, how many men, what age groups, etc., etc., etc...  There were lots of stats.

This race was well organized and mapped out well.  There were no traffic issues with automobiles or pedestrians.  All the spectators were nice and encouraging.  The roads were completely closed off leaving plenty of room for the racers.  There was a full marathon on the same course, but they turned off right before the finish of the half, relatively no confusion.

Post-Race:

I have received 8 emails so far with instructions to purchase photos, register for next year, and for race results.  The race results are full of stats.  More information than I need, but some of you, and you know who you are, might like all of the detail.

NEXT RACE REVIEW -- Kiawah Island, SC -- "Kiawah Island Golf Resort"

I Dream of Jeannie -- Cocoa Beach, FL

So, here is a rundown of my first half-marathon October 2016.  As I mentioned in the last post, I will give you my thoughts and critiques about each venue, from my perspective.  It is important for youth understand that this is from my perspective for several reasons:

1.  I have never run a half-marathon (or any distance over 6 miles) before -- those that run these races all of the time will certainly have a different set of criteria than I did.

2.  I don't drink alcohol -- apparently for some the running is all about the beer.  This aspect no longer has any appeal for me.

3.  I am not the most social of runners -- I do not do the expos and the dinners and the parties and the chit-chatting while running.

4.  I have not yet gone to any of these races as part of a vacation -- so, the fine hotels and vacation spots will be lost on me.

5.  The beauty and scenic aspects may well be lost on me.  I have a hard enough time breathing while running, much less snapping selfies and pictures of the race venue.

6.  I am all about the easy in, easy out aspects.  -- A place near the start and near the finish, a nearby airport, and a convenient date.

7.  Warmth -- read my previous post. (Right now it is 81 F and I am inside with a blanket and a fire going... seriously!  I have not been able to get warm adequately yet.)

All of that being said, I have my own perspective that may be of some benefit to some of you.

I chose Cocoa Beach on a whim.  The race starts at Patrick Airforce Base and travels down A1A.  I passes right by my mom's house at the 2 mile mark or so.  There was no magic that made me pick this one.  I was not planning one running this race, or any race, nor was I planning to run 50 races.  I just thought, what the heck.  Why not.  I could simply drive over and see my mom, spend some time with her, run the race, and go back to mom's house when I was done.  If I struggled at all, then I could walk back to mom's and it would be no big deal.  I am sure this is a little different perspective than most who were running this race.  Now that I have run a couple more, I can look back and give you some insight into how the race went.

Registration:

I tried to register online, but registration was closed.  I called my mom to see if she could register me at the expo the day before the race.  She went to the expo at RonJon's and registered me with what they called a charity registration.  Same fee, just the proceeds went to charity -- OK -- bonus.

Fee:
$100 -- that reminds me, I still owe my mom $100

The Expo:
I did not go.  My mom went for me.

Shirt:
We got a white wicking shirt and a hat


Race Day:
Sunday

Race Start Time:
7:00am

Course Map:


Race Type:
This was a bit of a themed race.  There were several ladies and a few men dressed as Jeannie.  Some of the men were dressed as Major Nelson.  They put all of the Jeannies at the front of the start line, I think to get good pictures of them, because that was the only place were there was lighting.

Accommodations:
I stayed with mom.  Best accommodations of all.

Transportation:
I simply drove over to my mom's house and she drove me to the start line.  Her husband, Greg (Grampi) picked us up at the finish and drove us home.  After a rest and a shower, I drove home.
There were busses (yellow schools busses) that transported racers from the expo at RonJons to the race.  The race actually started a bit late as they waited on another bus.

Weather:
It was chilly in the morning... mid 50's or so, then warmed up nicely and gradually to 73 F.  Fair skies.

Race Morning:
It was dark and chilly.  The wind was light, but cold.  There was no shelter at the start.  We were all about in the parking lot trying to keep warm.  Several racers went over the dunes to see the sunrise -- it was a pretty one -- but they got reprimanded and told to stay off.

Race Start:
There were no corrals, but pacers.  The starting "gate" was super narrow and many were pushing and cramming their way in to try and get across the chip timer mat, think of a wide funnel with a narrow exit.  That was not so fun.  They had lights for the cameras to get good pictures of the Jeannies, but nobody could see because they were all crammed together trying to get across the start mat.  There was a professional DJ at the start.  Someone sang the National Anthem and we were off.

Race:
The course was very flat, the whole way (unless you count coming off the beach).  The race was straight down A1A from Patrick Air force Base, past my mom's house, past all of the places I knew when I grew up there, to RonJon's, then a turn or two until doubling back on the beach.  At the start they were very proud of the mats that they purchased to allow the runners to get from the pavement to the hard, packed sand without having to struggle through the soft sand at the top of the beach.  They were proud in part because they were donating this mat to the city to allow for better handicap access.  It was very nice.  We did not have to trod through the soft sand to get to the hard, packed sand.  BUT... there was no mat exiting the beach after 2.5 miles on the beach and 12 miles of running.  That part was uphill in the soft sand too.  I thought I might die right there.  Why oh why was there not a mat leaving the beach?  Who knows, but it was painful.

Water/Food Stations:
The water stations were every 1.5 miles.  Some had Gatorade, some had bananas, one had pickle juice.  I bet there were other things, but I only saw those.

Scenery:
It was Cocoa Beach.  Part of the race was on the beach.  Most of the race was on the major highway.  If you like the beach and beach towns, you would enjoy this.

Race Entertainment:
There were several bands and musicians along the way.  No idea what they were playing.  I was zoned out in my own world of Pandora.  I heard none of it.

Finish:
The finish was at a park (Lori Wilson Park) beachside.  There was a big finish banner surrounding the road on both sides and above, and people taking pictures and cheering spectators.  The finishers received a lei and a finishers medal.  There was a long cooler of ice filled with Gatorade and Pepsi and other energy-type drinks.  They had bananas.  I did not notice any other food, but I bet there was some. They had a beer tent that you could get two beers with your bib tags.  There were complementary massages that you could sign up for.  The race results were on a board, on printer paper, updated periodically.  There was a celebrity, Mary-Ann form Gilliagan's Island, taking photos with those that wanted to stand in line to get a photo and/or an autograph.  There was a life-sized billboard photo of Kelly Slater.  I looked for him to see if he was there, but I could not find him.  He was a childhood friend.  I thought it would be fun to say hello.  His life-sized picture was unimpressed with my greeting.

Bling:

I have not yet had a need to stay for awards.  My award is that I am still breathing and my heart is still beating.

Misc:
There was a chip timing mat at the start, at the half and at the finish.  Also a timer at the half.  Plenty of spectators with signs and cheers.  The road was blocked off -- one lane anyway, so traffic was never an issue.  The police presence was adequate and the course was easy to follow.  There was no full marathon at the same time, so it was not at all confusing -- and I get confused easily while running.  Right foot, Left foot, right foot, hokey pokey, right leg... I don't always know.

Post-race:
The race results were posted within a couple of days on the website and I received a couple emails showing me how I could buy photos and how I could register for the race for next year.

That is about all I can think of that would be pertinent to anyone else.  If there is other information that any of you would be interested in reading -- something I missed, neglected to mention, forgot -- let me know and I will include it here or at least on the other races.

NEXT RACE REVIEW -- Tulsa, OK -- "Route 66"

Positives and Negatives

South Carolina -- check 

Well, South Carolina is done.  We drove, almost 8 hours to Kiawah Island, near Charleston... Valerie, Keeley, Noble, Levi and I.  We had a nice drive.  Traffic was not so bad.  We skirted around Orlando by taking the toll road 417.  We stopped somewhere in GA at a Cracker Barrel and had a nice lunch for a bit over an hour.  It was carb day, so we all had some form of the dumplins.  Boy are they good.  We arrived at the Convention Center on the Island and I picked up my shirt and bib in no time flat. (It is an XL.  I have to use it as a bed shirt.  It is HUGE on me). Then drove to the Airbnb.  It was off the island and because of all of the rivers and water, it was about 40 minutes away.  Not so bad that day, but this morning we had to get up super early to drive back over to the race.  The place was nice.  Three bedrooms, one with bunk beds for the boys and a master bedroom for us and a room for Keeley.  It was cute and clean and well kept.  Perfect for what we needed.
  

I only wish it were closer, but all of the places on the island were all taken or they were $450 or more per night.  This one was under $200.  At 5:30am it only took us 35 min to get to the race parking lot.  Not too bad.

I have decided that my stories about my problems running are probably getting boring, so I thought I would give a critique or review of each of the races (from my perspective of course) just in case any of you might be considering running that race.  Maybe my experiences will give you some insight into that race and help you make a decision about whether or not to sign up for that one.  Who knows, it might be helpful to someone.  Something like that, and I'm certain it exists so take this for what it is worth, would be helpful for me as I try to schedule all of these races.  For instance, I sure wish I knew it was going to be 33 F for this race.  Who knew SC could get so cold.  So, my next three posts will be about the last three races (the only three races I have run so far).
1. Cocoa Beach, FL "I Dream of Jeannie."
2. Tulsa, OK "Route 66."
3. Kiawah Island, SC "Kiawah Island Golf Resort."

I will give details about each of these races (from my perspective) for your viewing pleasure.

Valerie and the kids had a nice breakfast at "The Market" after the start of the race.  Pretty inexpensive and they say the food was very good.  Eggs, hot chocolate, hash browns, and some other stuff... I quit listening since I did not get to enjoy any of it.  They were happy.

I was able to see them at mile 9.  I stopped and gave hugs and kisses before forging on.  It was a welcomed break.  I almost wish they were at several spots along the way to give me an excuse to stop... er... take a break.

We also had a nice drive back from SC.  The return trip only took 6:30 hours.  We needed to get back to get Noble to the Christmas program at the church, so we were in a little bit of a time crunch.  I did not even get to shower after the race, then sat in the car for 6:30 hours.  I WAS STINKY.  But we made it with plenty of time and had several fun laughs and talks and games just like the trip over.  These are good memories that we can talk about for a long time.
Those were the positives.

The negatives were, primarily the cold.  It was 33 F... from the start to the finish.  I knew it was gonna be cold.  The forecast suggested 38 for the low and 52 for the high, so I figured it would be chilly at the start, I would warm up and then it would be in the fifties...  not too bad.  Well, it was 33 degree and 33 degrees.  And it was a frigid 33 degrees.  You know how sometimes 32 is nice and comfortable and other times 40 is super cold, bone chilling?  That's how it was with this one.  I had a cheap, zip-up jacket and an over jacket.  I shed the over jacket before the start and wore the zip-up jacket until mile 5 or so.  I was happy to have it if for nothing other than pockets to keep my hands from freezing off.  Yes, I ran with my hands in my pockets.  After mile 3 I started struggling.  My nose was all congested and I could not breathe through it, so I was mouth breathing.  No big deal except it was so cold my lungs started to hurt.  My breathing became very labored, so I slowed considerably.  At mile 5 I shed my jacket, thinking I was over heating.  I watched the 1:45 pacer pass me.  I could not keep up with her at that point.  That hurt a little.  I quickly discovered that my laboring was not due to overheating as I was now freezing.  My thumbs were numb and my nose was cold and had that one drop of sweat/snot/spit on it that would not come off.  My ears were stinging.  I had to walk.  After just a short time, I caught my wind and felt good again.  The 1:50 pacer passed me.  That hurt a little more.  I walked a little more.  My split times rapidly moved from 7min something to 8 minutes something to 9 minute miles.  Somewhere in there the 2:00 hour pacer passed me.  That was down right painful.  I never caught her.  I was 25 minutes behind my goal.  Ugh....

I know it is not likely (well, now impossible) to PR every race, but 25 minutes off my average race time?  That is tough to swallow.  It was a tough race (for me).  My chest still hurts and I am struggling to take a deep breath and it is almost 12 hours after I finished.  I am not injured or anything.  I do not have asthma or COPD or anything... at least then I would have some legitimate excuse... I was simply not prepared to race in those conditions.  My cardio is not sufficient... yet.  I did not train well enough.  Probably didn't eat properly -- although I was hydrated, but probably too many iced teas.  I bet they are full of caffeine and I can imagine that did not help.  Live, learn, move on.  There was a dentist who lectured quite a bit before passing that was somewhat famous for reminding his dentist audience what to say when they had a difficult patient/procedure or some other difficulty.  He would remind them the best thing to say after something like that was, "NEXT!"

Tempe, AZ -- NEXT!

You NEED rest -- sometimes

I think there are times when we just need some rest, and our bodies have a way of telling us.  Sometimes we will ignore those signs and keep pushing, but I believe that when we do that, we will eventually pay a price.

I keep a pretty regimented sleeping schedule.  I go to bed at 10:30pm.  Fall asleep by 11:00pm and wake up at 5:30am.  That is 6 hours 30 min. every night, at least 5 days per week.  I function very well with this amount of sleep.   I am refreshed, alert, and aware in the mornings.  I love the mornings.  I try to schedule all of my difficult procedures and surgeries in the morning when I am fresh.  There are times, though when I have a particularly stressful few days and my body tells me that I need more rest.  There have been days where I would go to bed at 7:00pm and sleep all through the night until 5:00am or so.  My body simply tells me, "You are done.  Go to bed before this turns ugly."

I am starting to think that the body needs rest from training as well.  Don't misunderstand me, I recognize that we need rest to allow our muscles to heal, etc.  What I am talking about is like my sleep pattern.  Sometimes, like the other day (my last post -- Nothing At All), my body just did not want me to train.  I simply did not feel like running, or doing much of anything for that matter.  Maybe my body was telling me, "You do not need to run today.  Sit and relax."  I have no scientific basis for any of this, BTW.  But I took that day off unscheduled and ran a little the next day, played some racquetball, ran a little more, then ran again today.  I only ran 3.4 miles today, but felt really good.  I could have easily kept going and run another several miles, but the next race is in two days... so, I just wanted to get in a few miles, stay loose, and test out my legs and IT band.  Everything felt great.  My last two weeks of training have not been all that good.  Poor training and a poor race on Sunday... but today I feel good.  Hopefully I will feel good again on Saturday.

The race this weekend is in South Carolina.  Kiawah Island.  Everybody tells me it is very nice.  I am betting that this is about all I will see of the whole thing.  I am sure it is beautiful.  Maybe someone will take pictures for me, so I can see it later.  (I am laughing as I type this next sentence) or maybe I will just go slow and easy and enjoy the scenery... LOL.
The pacers for this race start at 1:45, which just happens to be my goal.  I am hoping to find this 1:45 pacer and just stick with him/her the entire race.  (Maybe that will keep me from going out too fast this time?!?!)





The whole family is going to go with me on this one.  We are planning to drive.  A place flight was about 3:30 hours plus two hours (driving to the airport, security, waiting, boarding, waiting), plus landing and renting a car or getting an Uber and driving to the airbnb, easily 7 hours of total travel.  Well, the drive is a little under 7 hours, so we decided to just drive.  Not to mention $400 per person to fly -- that is $2000 for the five of us.  I don't know how much gas will be to drive, but I am betting it will be under $2K.

Anyway, off to SC in the morning.  Thanks for "listening".  Hope you all have a great weekend.

OH, BTW... we are rushing back, right after the race because we have our Living Christmas Tree performance Saturday night 7:00pm and Sunday Night 6:00pm at First Baptist Brandon,  216 N Parsons Ave, Brandon, FL 33510.  If you are interested, you are definitely welcome!!  Come see.


Noble is the Little Drummer Boy.  Hope to see you there.

Nothing At All

Today I don't feel like doing anything
I just wanna lay in my bed
Don't feel like picking up my phone
So leave a message at the tone
'Cause today I swear I'm not doing anything

Uh I'm gonna kick my feet up and stare at the fan
Turn the t.v. on
Throw my hand in my pants
Nobody's gon' tell me I cant, no

I'll be loungin' on the couch just chillin' in my snuggie
Flip to MTV so they can teach me how to Dougie
'Cause in my castle I'm the freakin' man
Oh

Yes I said it
I said it
I said it 'cause I can

Today I don't feel like doing anything
I just wanna lay in my bed
Don't feel like picking up my phone
So leave a message at the tone
'Cause today I swear I'm not doing anything

Nothing at all

Truth be told, I did not want to get out of bed today.  I did not want to go to work.  I did not wan to eat right.  I did not want to train.  I came up with every excuse there was... and a few I am sure I invented.

Oh, I got out of bed and went to work. I did what I needed to do, but I did not do much else.  I did not run today.  I was tired.  It was rainy.  Valerie was not home when I got home from work.  The boys were playing with friends and really should not be left alone.  I did not eat the right foods today.  I was tired.  My back was sore, etc., etc., etc...  The end of the story is -- I just did not feel like it.  I got home from work, had a handful of nuts, which led to a couple of handfuls of my wife's Chex Mix, which led to a handful of M&M's -- before dinner.  I then sat down in my chair and watched a movie with my family.  

I did not feel like exercising.  I did not fee like eating right.  I did not feel like writing this blog.  Today, I did not feel like doing anything... nothing at all.

I am not sure if this is a common thing for others.  Maybe this is a normal "happening', or maybe I am just simply being lazy.  

Further, I STILL don't feel like doing anything.  It is only 7:30pm and I could easily brush my teeth and go to bed.  I feel confident that I could sleep straight through too.  Of course, the reality is that I would wake up at 2:00am and not be able to get back to sleep, but a guy can dream.  I have several things to do.  I just don't feel like doing any of them.

I have been told that the times when one does not feel like training are the times when one receives the most benefit from actually training.  I have also been told that you are much more likely to act your way into feeling than to feel your way into acting, so just get up and do what you need to do.  Get off your duff and go run.  You will feel better.  You will reap the benefit of the training.  You will release the endorphins... blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda...

I don't feel like it.  I'll do it tomorrow.  Today is over, tomorrow never comes, free beer tomorrow.

Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

James 4:14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring

Today I don't feel like doing anything....

Nothing at all.

What's the Point?

What exactly is the point?  I have come to the conclusion that there is no point.  It is a certainty that there will ALWAYS be someone faster than me and younger than me and better looking than me.  Someone who can run farther and faster and complete this or any other goal/task quicker and/or better.  I got bothered yesterday because I had a bad run in a race.  So I finished some three or four minutes slower than I intended to... so what.

A friend of mine from church also ran yesterday.  He ran the half marathon.  He ran it super fast (from my perspective).  I checked the results today.  He ran 1:31.  That is under 7 minute miles for 13.1 miles.  To me, that is SMOKIN'.  I heard through the grapevine that he was not happy with his performance.  So, here is my point.  ENOUGH WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH.

Fast will never be fast enough.  Good will never be good enough.  Great will never be great enough.  I just know it.  So, what's the point?  I have a goal or three or twelve.  I will achieve many of them, but who cares?  If and when I finish this 50 in 50 in 50 thing that I am doing right now, who will care?  Will anybody ask me how fast I ran?  Will anybody ever ask me if I placed first in my age group or what place did I come in overall?  Doubtful.

To that point... I graduated from dental school in 1996.  In 20 years, I have never had anybody ask me where I graduated in my class.  Was I the top student?  Was I in the middle somewhere?  Or does D stand for doctor?  You know what they call the guy who graduated last in my class in dental school???  .... Doctor!!  That's right.  They call him doctor.

I certainly have my own reasons for doing these races.  I am super competitive... if you have not figured that out yet.  I need goals.  I mentioned that before.  I feel the need to stay fit and trim.  I do not do well with weight.  Also, my Mii character needs to stay "normal" sized.  Poor guy.  BTW... Since August, when I went with my wife and daughter to Nicaragua, I have lost 31 pounds.  I was 216 lbs and I weighed Saturday 185 lbs.  I am now a size L, tapered shirt and wear a size 31 waisted pant.  Even they have a little room.  I have lost my booty and am losing my quads.  I wonder if I will force myself to start lifting weights again???

I will certainly continue my quest, but I am not so sure what all of my goals are at the moment.  Will I go from 1:49 to 1:47 to 1:45 to 1:40 to 1:30?  Think they will ask me to run on the US Olympic Half-Marathon team?  LOL.  Is it worth all of the training to get to run faster and faster and faster?  I dunno.  I am sure I will differently about it over a period of time.  Right now, I am struggling wondering where does it end, when will it ever be enough and what difference does it make?

Just the thought for the day.  Thanks for "listening".

The Good News and Bad News

Ran the Brandon 5K this morning.  There is good news and bad news.  The good news is, I tried my new Bose SoundSport earbuds.  They worked super nicely.  They were plenty loud and comfortable and even though I was sweating, they did not come out of my ears or make sweaty popping noises in my ears.  The other good news was I was able to finish the race and still make it home to clean up and get to Sunday school and church on time.  I actually finished third in my age group, got my medal and even got a banana, a smoothie (with whey protein) and a slice of pizza.



The rest of the good news came after the race.  I needed to get in a few more miles to prepare for next weekend, so I went for a run after church.

I ran another 5k and ran it better than the race, so improvement is good.

The other great news was that I got one of my Christmas presents early... and it was super great and helpful for me on my second run.



In case you do not know what this is (I did not know)...  it is an anti chafe balm.  It is like a deodorant/antiperspirant stick, but for the purpose of making the area that normally chafes, nice and slickery.  I was a bit chafed after the race, so I was happy to have some lubricant to keep from chafing further.  It was really pretty nice.  I will definitely use this product again.

I suppose there is other good news.  I learned some stuff.  To be clear, the things I learned today, I already knew, but I generally need to receive the lessons more than once in order for them to sink in.  I learned -- again -- to not start the run too fast.  HOLY COWBOYS!!!! I have NO IDEA what I was thinking today.  It was a pretty small race, so I could see everyone.  When we started out, it sure seemed like everybody just TOOK OFF running.  I was feeling good and fresh and just went out with them.  I was cruising.  When I got to the first mile marker, all my technology told me that I had run mile 1 in 6:40 -- WAY TOO FAST... for me.  I have been training and running 7:20 or so.  6:40 is really fast for me.  But, heck, I was still feeling pretty good... UNTIL... I wasn't.  All of a sudden, my heart was flying.  My breathing was deep and fast and labored.  I had to stop and walk before I got to the mile 3 marker.  I WALKED!! in a 5K.  I was NOT happy!  So, I started running again, but had no real rhythm.  Mile 2 was still 7:45 even though I walked, but I could not hold it.  Heart was still beating out of my chest, and my breathing was heavy.  I WALKED TWO MORE TIMES in mile 3.  WHAT THE HECK.  I NEVER have to walk in a 5k.  But I did today.  Mile 3 was terrible, and I finished in 26 min or so.  Avg. pace 8:30 or so.  I have not seen the official results yet and I did not turn off my garmin or strava -- I was too mad!  I did not even pick up my medal at the finish.  Not happy!  I went back later and got it, as you can see above.

Note to self... do not start out too fast and gas.  It ain't worth it.  It don't work.  Oh, well.  They say that everybody has a bad race from time to time.  Maybe the good news is that I got the bad race out of the way and next weekend I can have a good one.  I did run again, after church, and ran much better, so I guess I learned my lesson.  I suppose I will get faster at some point.  Maybe 6:40 per mile will be no big deal at some point.  BTW... the guy in my age group that passed me during mile 3 asked me what happened.  I told him I started out too fast and ran mile 1 at 6:40.  He said, "OH MY!  If I had run a 6:40 mile, they would have to call an ambulance."  LOL.  Oh... and the anti-chafing BODY GLIDE stick worked great!

Redundant

It appears as if I could rename this blog earbuds and IT bands, as that appears to be all that I talk about.

I am racing the Brandon 5k tomorrow morning.  I'll lay out my goals for this race in a minute.  But, I bought some new earbuds to test during the race tomorrow.  I bought the Bose SoundSport Wireless.  I had a Bose Noise Cancellation Earbuds set that I liked, but found out quickly that they were not appropriate for sweating.  They started popping (LOUDLY) in my ear.  It does not take too long for that to get annoying, and then unbearable not too long after that... I did not make it past the next door neighbor's house before I ran back home and threw them into the garbage.  I mentioned before that I have the Skull Candy set that I have been using, but they fall out of my ears when I get sweaty.  The Bose sets stay in my ears nicely and the sound quality is good -- for me that means loud enough that I cannot hear myself.  So, I bought a new set.  $149.00, plus tax.  They were the same price on the Bose site and Amazon and everywhere else I could find.  I had to take Noble to the mall... I HATE the mall... especially around this time of year, so since I was right there across the street, I went into BestBuy and pick up a set.  They come in Yellow, Blue and Black.  I bought the black ones.  I wore them on the ride home and changed to the best fitting ear piece.  I think they are gonna be good.  I'll keep you informed.



I got a massage Thursday, thank you Pamela.  She wanted to work my IT band, and OH MY GOODNESS was that PAINFUL.  I absolutely HATE having my quads worked.  Always have hated that.  I used to tell the massage therapist that they would have a really hard time hurting me, so give some good pressure.  I love it when they dig, especially on my back and neck.  But not on my quads.  It is just plain painful.  I try very hard to make it look like I am relaxed and comfortable, but inside I am yelling, crying, whining, and wishing they would quit.  Well, she did not stop at the quads.  She worked the length of the IT band, and from mid quad to the tibia, IT WAS PAINFUL!!  I had tears.  Of course the hope is that the massage loosens things up nicely and allows me to run pain free, but dang.  I am not sure it is worth it.  I almost would rather feel the pain during the run and after than the pain of the massage.  Whew, I am glad that is over.  Of course, I ran Friday... just a little 5k, but i did feel the IT band a bit after.  Actually, now that I am thinking about it, I can feel it right now.  I am still gonna run tomorrow.  We will see.

OK, so my goals for this 5k.  I signed up for this race simply as a training race.  Something to force me to get up and go run, but I am certain there is no way that I am just going to go and casually jog the race.  I definitely don't think I am going to win, but I will just bet that I will run harder than I probably should.

My last run was a 5k around the neighborhood.  Strava had me at 23:46.  My Garmin had me at 23:44

My PR is 22:19, so I would definitely like to beat all of those times.  So, I guess my goal is to beat 22:19.  My BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) is to be under 20 min.  But I do not expect to be under 20 any time soon.  In fact, I am going to try not to be under 20 in this race.  My bet is I would injure myself.  So, for this race, I would like to be under 22 min.  Possibly under 7:00 per mile pace.  A 6:59 per mile pace would put me at 21:42:77.  I could deal with that.  That would make me happy.  Of course I have never run that fast for that long.  I have never trained that fast, but oh well... that is my goal.  Race starts at 7:30am.  It is a down and back, so I should be able to gauge if I am on track at the turn around.  Bit, I have to say, I will err on the side of slower than risk the injury... at least that is what I am telling myself right now.  We will see if my mind has a mind of its own.  Tell ya tomorrow.

If I were 20

If only I were 20 years old.  I do not think that I am in mid-life crisis or anything, but it certainly seems to me that this entire venture would be easier if I were still 20 years old... or so.

When I was 20, I was focused, dedicated, unencumbered.  I would wake up every morning and workout or run with my team.  I would workout and often run 6 days a week, every week.  I would and could run every day.  I would go eat a big meal and then go run wind sprints.  We had practices sometimes three times a day, often times twice a day.  We ran, and sweat, and worked out with weights.  Sure, we were sore sometimes, but we would just work through the soreness -- "walk it off".  I have heard that so many times I cannot count.

When I was 20, I did not have a wife or kids.  I did not have a job.  I had few responsibilities.  I was free to go eat and go work out.  I ate whatever I wanted, AS MUCH AS I WANTED.  I was TRYING to gain weight.  I ran as much as I wanted... and more than I wanted.  I worked out as much as I wanted... and more than I wanted.

When I was 20,  I was never worried about injury.  I had knee surgery.  I had ankle sprains and tendinitis and bumps and bruises and cuts and maybe a concussion or two, bone bruises, deep muscle bruises.  These things were simply a way of life and we would ice them and tape them up, and "walk it off".  I was strong and fit, not a care in the world.

If I were 20, I could have run 50 half marathons in 50 states in 50 weeks.... physically.  Where I would get the money to do any of it is an entirely different novela, but physically it would have been a piece of cake,

Now that I am 46 years old -- 46!!  Holy moly, that sounds old when associated with my name -- everything just seems more difficult, more complicated.  I don't necessarily mean more complex, but complicated.  Complicated by the fact that I have a job and a wife and kids and church events and other responsibilities.  Just the time factor alone is much more complicated. I do not have several hours a day that I can dedicate to training.  Many people wake up early and train in the morning before work.  Makes sense,  My issue with that is that I start seeing patients at 7:00am.  So, I would have to get up before 5:00am to run for an hour, which is not so bad, but then there is the cool down period.  If I go run for an hour, then get in the shower and get dress, I am STILL SWEATING.  Now picture this for me... You are my first patient of the day and I walk in to greet you and I am sweating, you are sweating because you are nervous, but we both wipe our brows and we begin the procedure.  As we are working, beads of sweat are dripping off of my nose and forehead and I am jerking my head to the side in an attempt to sling the sweat drop off to the side so that it does not drop into your mouth... OK, I am being dramatic, but you get the idea.  I am still sweating.  This is why I d not like to run before work.  I wanted to build a shower in my office, so that I could just run to work.  You know, save the planet and all... but I would still have the sweating problem.

After work is a nice time for me to run, which is why you will see most of my runs on Strava or MapMyRun are afternoon runs, after work, before dinner.  This is not always so easy, though.  LET ME BE CLEAR HERE, my wife takes care of MOST EVERYTHING, and she does it EXTREMELY WELL, but there are times that I have to go pick up one of the kids from this place or that, or I just have something that I need to do or some place that I need to be and running just does not fit into the equation.

Weekends are a similar issue.  I have a pretty cushy life, thank you Valerie, but there are times when the weekend is booked up with "stuff"... although, I have to say that I can USUALLY find a free moment to run on the weekends, especially in the morning before everyone gets up.  They don't seem to care if I am sweating or not.

Time and family obligations are only a part of the difficulty that I am having though.  When I am considering running now, I have to do a body assessment.  How does my body feel?  I NEVER had to do that before.  "Walk it off". Now if I "walk it off", I might have to take the rest of the week off.  So, I am planning on running this afternoon, after work.  I have a race on Sunday, the Brandon 5k.  It is really just an excuse to get me out running so that I can train for the half marathon in SC., next weekend.  So, I need to train and stay in shape for SC and just use this race as a training run.  I ran last Thursday, Thanksgiving.  I ran Saturday, then again on Monday.  Wanted to rest my leg on Tuesday, then when Wednesday came around, I was trying to decide how to spend my time.  Running was in the plan.  But then I began to do a body assessment.  I can't believe I have to admit that I have to do this.  I wanted to get in a long run.  I had the time.  I had three hours that I could have made the time.  I started to feel my IT band, so I thought I would play racquetball instead of a long run that would aggravate my IT band.  I played three matches of racquetball and felt fine, but did not feel like running after.  Now today I am planning on running after work and my leg kinda aches.  Do I REALLY need to take a day or two off every time I run?  This is getting ridiculous. I think if I try hard enough I could come up with a viable excuse every day, every time.  I'm sure that my wife could use some help around the house.  I'm sure that I could be out playing catch with one of the kids or carting them around town to their various activities.  I'm sure I could do some things at work.  I am certain there are church activities that I could devote more time to.  Various clubs and organizations and community events that I am involved with could use some of my time and attention... etc., etc., etc...

If I were 20 years old...