Austin Half Marathon

Here is the race recap for Austin.  Officially,  Austin Marathon and Half Marathon
Austin, TX


Registration:

Registration was through Event Dog... eventdog.com .  Who comes up with this stuff??  I dunno.

Fee:
The fees were $110 for the half and 
$7.04 processing fee
Total, in case you hate math $117.04

The Expo:

This expo was at the Palmer Event Center.  It was the same old thing. With the exception that Valerie and all three kids were with me.  Valerie's brother lives in Leander, just outside of Austin, so we bundled this trip with a visit to see her brother.  Packet pick-up was very easy.  There was no line.  I walked right up to the bib pick-up area and showed my drivers license and collected my bib and safety pins, then right over to get my bag and shirt.... easy peezy.  The only "difficult" part of the expo was not losing track of Valerie and the kids.  At one point I had to text them and let them know I where I was waiting for them near the exit -- they were wandering around looking at things that did not even interest them.  Go figure.

Shirt:
The shirt was a short-sleeved wicking, tech shirt.   

Race Day:
Sunday.  We flew out Thursday evening.  Valerie's brother picked us up at the airport and took us to his house for the night.  Then we went into town and stayed in an AirBnb condo for the remainder of the trip.

Race Start Time:

Race start time was 7:00am.  We started right about time.  Valerie and I walked over to the start which was only a block away from our room.  There were corrals, but they were designated for the full marathon, so I did some quick math and determined that I should be in the 3:20 - 3:25 corral area.  This put me right up near the start, about 10 yards from the elite corral.  I appreciated this placement because there were some 15,000 people in this race and it got a bit crowded in spots... particularly the start.

Course Map:
The course started in Downtown Austin with the Capitol in the background, ran over the river and around for a while, then back across the river and back to Congress St. and finished in front of the Capitol just down from the start.


Accommodations:

We stayed at an AirBnb condo/apartment.  It had one bedroom, one bathroom and a loft.  The loft only had room for a bed and a desk.  Keeley slept up there.  There was a pull-out couch in the living room and the boys slept out there, and Valerie and I stayed in the bedroom.  It really was not a big deal that there was only one bathroom.  I thought it would be worse with all five of us, but it was pretty uneventful.  

Transportation:
As I mentioned, Valerie's brother picked us up from the airport and drove us to downtown and even took us to lunch the last day and then on to the airport, so we did not have to get an Uber or taxi anywhere this trip.  Everything else was within walking distance.

Weather:

The weather was pretty good.  It was about 50-60F the entire trip.  The forecast suggested rain on race day, but the rain came about 3:00am and stopped prior to the race, so it was wet out, but there was no rain at all during the race, or even while we were walking around the city.  Some of the racers complained about the humidity, but I did not think it was an issue.  Maybe I am just accustomed to humidity?

Race Morning:

The kids stayed in bed and Valerie and I walked to the start.  She hung around until I took off, then found a spot to catch me coming back over the river and then again at the finish.  The kids were supposed to come out to catch me finishing.... but they just missed me as they had a lesson in herding cats.... but they were right there when I came out of the racers exit just past the finish. --- "missed it by this much!"

Race:

The race was well organized.  I did not have any trouble finding where to go.   There was no confusion.  All of the pacers and the corrals were set up for the full, so there was some simple division that needed to happen, but it was easy enough.  The half and the full took the exact same course until about 12.5 miles and the half runners split off.  It was well marked and there were people there directing traffic.

Valerie and I mapped out before the race about where she would be at mile 8 and roughly where she would be a the finish and then where we would meet after the race.  It was good that we discussed these things before hand, because she did not notice me at the 8 mile mark.  I noticed her and had to call out to her to get her attention.  I was racing pretty well at that point and feeling good, so I was able to focus and recognize her.  Had she been waiting around mile 10-13, I may not have been able to see her because I was "foggy" due to the hills.

Water/Food Stations:
There were water stations every1.5 or so.  This race was sponsored in part by Nuun, so every water station had some Nuun mixture.  I liked that.  If you are not familiar, Nuun is an electrolyte powder or tablet that you mix with water.  It gives the water some flavor and gives you some electrolyte replacement.  I have them at home and it is part of my regular training regimen.  They also had cliff shots at at least one place, maybe more, but I only noticed one around mile 9-10.  I did not see any other food until the finish, but it is possible it was there.

Scenery:
The scenery was downtown Austin.  I think they could have made the course center around the river more to take advantage of the scenic river front, but the river was not the main focus.  

Race Entertainment: 
There were several smaller bands and other groups out for entertainment.  One group of college aged kids were out in tiger outfits playing "eye of the tiger" and singing and dancing.  There was a fair amount of community involvement.  I saw multiple stations of neighborhood folks offering water, beer, and even champaign to the racers.  I did not have any of those.  Actually, I only got water and Nuun water at four stations, and only a couple sips each time.  I skipped the other stations as I was feeling pretty good.... that is, until the late hills.

In the other entertainment category, after braving the expo, Valerie and the kids and I went on a duck tour of Austin on Saturday.  We had a fun time.  It was a decent waste of time and not terribly expensive.  I think the kids enjoyed themselves as well.  

Finish:



The finish was just down the street from the start and just a couple blocks from the room.  Valerie was at the finish to cheer me in and the whole family met me at the racers exit.  The finish area was not crowded.  They took photos, passed out medals and water and fruit cups and a finisher's bag which had another fruit cup that I gave to a homeless guy, some Oreo thins and some chips.  The MC called out my name at the finish and as a bonus, he pronounced it correctly.  We all walked back to the room from the finish together... while I ate my Oreos. ;)  


Bling:



The finishers medal was a belt buckle with the ribbon colored to look like a belt.  Cute.  There was also a race bag.  

Misc:

This was a nice race.  It was well organized, even with a large group.  There were some hills that I have already alluded to.  The late hills were a killer for me.  There was a large elevation gain in the first few miles, some 600ft., but it was spread out over three or so miles.  I was running well at about 7:45 per mile.  Then came the down hill for a couple miles where I ran 7:11 and 7:17 and 7:30ish per mile.  Then came miles 9-13.   There were several hills that had less elevation gain, but over a much shorter period.  That is, they were steep.  I felt like I was standing still.  People were passing me and I was getting winded.  I have simply not mastered hills.  My split times were inching above 8:00 per mile, and particularly the hill at mile 13.  That mile was 8:30 something.  In all, I finished fairly well, but my hopes of another PR faded around mile 10.  

Friday morning, two days before the race, I went for a run, just a mile, around Valerie's brother's house.  There were some major hills there too, but i felt pretty good and ended up running three miles at about 8:30 per mile pace.  It was a relatively easy run.  That evening, my left foot began to swell.  No idea why.  It did not hurt.  Ice and anti-inflammatories did not help.  I was a little concerned that I might have difficulty come Sunday.  When I woke up Saturday morning it had subsided and was not a problem.  I went for a light jog with Valerie and had no issue.  I think it is/was tendinitis, but caused me no issue during the race.  Just weird.

Post Race:

We walked back to the hotel and I got a shower, packed up and went out to lunch with Valerie's brother and his wife and the rest of the fam.  We went to Rudy's BBQ.

It was good.  I had a banana pudding which I ate before my lunch in case I did not survive through lunch, then off to the airport.  We were super early to the airport, but we were sort-of homeless, so we went on to the airport and just hung out for a few hours until our flight.  I walked up and down the terminal several times because the lactic acid was building up and I was getting stiff.  I am still a bit sore three days later.

Next race is NYC.  Not sure about the weather and the race is the day after St. Patty's Day, so I am not so sure about the crowds, but it should be interesting.  It will be televised, so if you are so inclined to watch a half marathon on TV or internet on a Saturday morning, you just may see me out there.

Pictures of the last two races

The photos for the last couple of races were not available when I posted last, so I thought I would post them for you now.

The Rain Run does not seem to have any pictures.  There is a video, and I captured a screen shot of that video.

There is a link on the web site that reads: 2018 Photos, but the link simply takes you to the race results... no photos that I can find.  **** Several months later, I found some pictures, there appears to be ONE of me -- here it is (for your viewing pleasure)

There are several pictures from the Pebble Beach race... unfortunately, I look super tired in all of them.
 

I am not feeling great today and having difficulty getting motivated to run.  I seriously want to go back to bed.... but... I have to run at least a mile.  That was the goal.  That was the deal.  I intended to run 10 miles today, but I am trying to find any excuse to just go back to bed.  We will see how it goes.... at least it is the weekend.  Next race in 2 weeks.

Washington and California

2018 has begun and I am now ahead of schedule.... just one race.

One of the difficult aspects of completing this challenge is managing all of the travel.  Generally speaking, I work during the week and leave for the next race on Friday afternoon, after work, then rush to the expo to get my race packet, go get some dinner, then get some rest.  Race time is most often 7:00am, race, then shower and then off to the airport Saturday afternoon... or around noon.  If the race is on a Sunday, I have a more relaxing pre-race as I can leave Friday evening or Saturday morning and have plenty of time to get to the expo and not be in a rush.  That is nice, but then it is a race to get back Sunday after the race so that I can be ready for work Monday morning.  The difficulty is increased the longer the travel.  Of course there is the time of travel, but the time change is also a difficulty.  Getting a flight out to the "left coast" that meets my time frame and back is sometimes challenging.  If I were to make a vacation out of these races it would be much easier and probably much more fun... but then I would be on vacation every month.  .... hmmmm..... let me think about that..... just kidding.  No one can afford to do that.  Most of us need to go to work every once in a while.

So, I mention all of that because it sets up the reason I ran two races this month.  I was teaching at The Kois Center in Seattle last week.  The course was Monday - Friday and I wanted to find a race out there that I could run the Saturday/Sunday before or the Saturday/Sunday after the course and minimize my travel.  I thought it would be nice to knock out Washington or maybe Oregon or California, or Nevada.  As I was looking, I found a race in Washington -- The Rain Run, an easy Uber ride away from Seattle, and a new race in California -- The inaugural Vineyard Vines Half Marathon at Pebble Beach.  I was trying to decide which one to do and noticed that one was the Saturday before and the other was the Saturday after.  Perfect!  I can run them both. ??? Can I run them both?  I mean physically.  Is that enough time to rest?  Will I struggle?  I thought maybe I could run one just to finish and one for time.  Yeah, that's what I will do.  I'll just relax and enjoy and not try to compete.... I can do that, right??

So, I decided to run them both.  My training was no different with one exception.  I set two new goals for 2018.  One goal is to run at least one mile every day for the year.  At least 365 days -- 2018 has exactly 365 days.  And the second goal is to run at least 1000 miles in 2018.  That is 2.74 miles per day on average.  Neither of those are big goals, but it does mean that I don't get a rest day.  Although 1 mile is hardly a workout unless I pick up my pace considerably.  The other minor difference in my training for these races was the travel.  8-10 hours of travel tend to mess with your running schedule.  Also running in different cities with different time zones can kinda mess with you a bit -- that is, you just have to plan for it and be dedicated to it.

I packed my bag for the trip.  Keep in mind I had to work all week.  I left for Washington on Friday after work,  and returned after my second race, 8 days later.  That makes 9 days of running, 5 days of working, 2 days of a half marathon, and 2 days of travel.  I packed clothes for all of that into a carry-on and a back-pack.  Two pairs of running shoes (I thought I would get my shoes soaked in The Rain Run, so I needed another pair), 5 dress/work shirts and pants, 11 pair of socks, 9 running shorts and shirts, and some walk-around clothes and some other stuff... all without checking a bag.

Anyway,   The Rain Run.  

Both of these races were smaller races.  This one had 416 finishers.  I will spare you all of the details of the logistics of these races.  Most of you were probably bored to death by those details in my race recaps anyway.  This one was cold and wet.  It is scheduled in mid January in Redmond Washington for a reason.  It is the rainy season.  They expect and want it to rain.  The tag line of this race was:  We don't run from the rain, we run in the rain.  I did not attend the pre-race pick-up, but picked-up my race packet the morning of the race.  There was a pancake restaurant in the hotel parking lot.  This was my pre-race dinner. Mmmmm.... 

My hotel was an 18 min walk to the race start/finish.  I walked over, but they were not ready yet, so I waited in the cold and light drizzle -- more like a mist, for about 15 min.  Then I still had about 45 min until the start and it was out in the middle of a park with no wind or rain cover, so I walked back to my hotel, dropped off my stuff, warmed up, dried off and rested.  Then walked back again to the start.  

I had about 32,000 steps by 11:00 -- the race started at 9:00am.  The ground was wet and there were puddles, but there was very little rain.  Mostly just a misting.  I was very cold until mile 2.  I wore my jacket from the Tulsa, Route 66 Half Marathon the whole race.  It was an out and back race.  The park trail was paved except at the start/finish, but the entire length of the race was on an open trail.  That is to say that the general public was out running, biking, walking, walking their dogs, hanging out, etc.  It wasn't a big deal, but there were a few times where we had to dodge some folks.  There were three water stations, one at the half way turn around and the other two you could visit coming and going.  There was no entertainment except for the occasional biker that would yell at the racers who were walking and running for "getting in their way".  "ON YOUR LEFT, ON YOUR LEFT!!!  YOU GOTTA MOVE OVER!  ON YOUR LEFT!"  That was fairly entertaining.

I raced pretty well.  The last three miles were difficult and my split times were just over 8:00/mile.  I was running 7:30-7:45/mile until then.  All of the course info suggested the course was flat, and I overheard many of the runner saying how they liked how flat this course was.  It did not seem so flat to me.  There were not major hills, but lots of little rolling inclines.

BTW... This makes no sense to me.  It was an out and back race on the same trail.  The finish and the start were in the same place, so shouldn't this graph look like a mirror image with the turn around point in the middle?  I don't get it.  Either way, that does not look flat to me.

In all, it was a nice race.  I got my medal, a blanket, an umbrella and a PR 1:42:09.

Vineyard Vines Half Marathon at Pebble Beach

The next Saturday was Pebble Beach.  I worked all week -- ran every day, then flew out Friday evening to Monterey, CA.  I arrived around midnight to my airbnb which was a guest house behind one of the houses on property.  It was nice.  $395 for a few hours and a shower, but much cheaper than the $500 per night hotel room.  I have never been to Pebble Beach, so I was interested to see how it looked.  I was in too late for packet pick-up, so I walked over the morning of the race.  It was almost a 30 min walk from my house in the dark, and it was 42F.  I brought my jacket and did not care if I had to throw it away later.  I was not interested in freezing into an icicle.  When I arrived at the hotel, the concierge greeted me and gave me all of the particulars.  He informed me that I could relax and enjoy the hotel lobby and the very large fireplace and comfy chairs and he would either summon me a shuttle to the start or escort me to the walkway where some staff members would direct me through the golf course to the beach and the start.  I elected to hang out and use the restroom... twice, enjoy the fire and be directed to the start.  As I walked down, there were numerous staff members with flash lights directing a few of us along the path down to thee starting area.  

The view of the clubhouse from the beach.

As I mentioned, this was a small race as well.  There were 359 participants.  It is a new race and they really only had a few months to advertise it.  I would imagine it will become a bigger race, although I think they intend to cap the race at 1000.

I stood around shivering until the race start.  They had an easy gear check, so I waited until the last minute to check my jacket in the bag they gave us instead of a shirt.  and then went directly to the start and we started immediately at 7:15am.  The scenery was very pretty.  Running on 17 mile drive along the pacific ocean was quite scenic.  The 42F was cold, but not too bad after a couple miles.  If not for the wind off the ocean it would have been perfect.  I raced pretty well.  I attempted to stay 7:45/mile and under.  There were some pretty steep hills.  That slowed me down a bit, but I still kept my pace going fairly well.

I ended up with another PR 1:40:33 and because of the small race size, I finished first in my age group.  

There were no spectators, no entertainment, just the scenery and the course.  There were four or so water stations and it was another out and back, so plenty of water and gatorade. It was nice and pretty.  I enjoyed it, especially since I ran well.  

Then, a 30 min walk back to my guest house, a shower and off the airport.  A long day of travel home, then in the bed.  

I do not think I would want to race every weekend, but I did not think this was too difficult.  I see no reason I could not run more than one race per month.  One week appeared to be enough rest.  

Next race Austin Half Marathon Feb 18, 2018

I forgot to mention the after parties.  The after party for the Rain Run consisted of cupcakes, chocolate milk, costco bananas and water.  Then I left.  (There may have been more, but I was cold and had a long walk back).  I only ate one cupcake, 2 choco milks and a banana.

The after party for the Pebble Beach half was at the posh Spanish Bay Hotel.  There was a buffet with champagne and waffles and bacon and eggs benedict and fruit and bagels and locks and soups and steak and salads and muffins and juice and juice and coffee and... you know... all of the stuff that you would generally pay like $40 for the buffet when you stay at the resort.  I am PRETTY sure that I was supposed to have signed up for my participation for the buffet and pay a hefty fee, but as it turned out, they were announcing the awards for the 5k and 10k finishers and no one was around to tell me I could not participate, so, I had myself a little something to eat before I walked back to the guest house.  It was merely average.  FWIW.

2017 Year In Review

I have always been a big fan of recap shows.  Every year I look for shows, news broadcasts, 60 min., 20/20, any of those types of shows that look back at the major happenings of the last year or the last decade.  It is interesting to me to see the trends and remember what happened, who did what, who passed away,  etc...

It is a lot like how I view goals in my life.  I suppose many people, if not most people set goals for themselves.  I also suppose that many, if not most people abandon their goals, forget their goals, ignore their goals after some period of time.  At the very least, most people likely do not evaluate their progress on their goals on a regular basis.  Looking back at the year or decade or week or month, etc. is my way of evaluating my goals.  Did I achieve my goals?  Did I exceed my goals?  Are my goals unrealistic?  How did pursuing my goals affect my world?  Was it a worthwhile goal to pursue?  Should I put more time and money and effort into a particular goal?  Or is it more appropriate for me to quit or shift gears or delay?  Do I find this goal important anymore? -- You get the idea.

I also like to look at statistics.  I always find it interesting to see how the numbers add up and to see what info I can pull out of the trend data.  So, I like to look back at my year and ask and answer lots of questions.  This is primarily a running blog with a goal of running 50 half marathons in 50 states in 50 months, (of course there are numerous mini goals mixed up in there as well) so I will keep this blog focused to my goals as they pertain to that one main goal.  -- I have lots of goals in lots of areas of my life -- I'll spare you those -- your head could possibly explode.

I'll start with 2017 statistics. 

Miles run 2017 750miles
best 5k  22:56
best 10  47:28
best half  1:42:20
longest run 13.35miles

Just for the year 2017 as it relates to the 50 in 50 in 50 goal, I will have to start in Oct. 2016 because that is when I ran my first half marathon.  Actually, the first time I had ever run more than 6 miles at a time.

With a very simply goal of getting in better shape and helping lead my family to remain active, I started running a couple of miles here and there.  As a family we ran a couple 5k races and started making plans to run a few 5k's each year.  I had an idea at one point while I was looking for the next race I would propose.  I thought it would be unique and interesting and fun to run a 5k in all 50 states.  That has to be unique, right?  I mean, who does that?  Well, as it turns out LOTS of people do that.  It is not at all unique.  There are clubs and teams and blogs and sponsored events and sponsored athletes, etc.  Who knew.  Oh, well.   So, I decided to abandon that idea, but I was still interested in running some 5k races, so I kept looking.  One day, I found a half marathon in Cocoa Beach.  The I Dream of Jeannie Half.  It happened to run right by my mom's house and I was due for a visit.  I thought, "What the heck.  Maybe I'll sign up for this half and see how I do."  So, I tried to register, but registration was closed and the race was "sold out".   I had contacted the race director via email because I could not figure out how to register online, not yet understanding that the registration was closed.  So, I thought, "O.K. Fine.  I won't run this one."  Well, I then got an email that informed me that I could get a charity entry that could be purchased at the Expo.  The short story is that I called my mom and she bought the $100 charity race entry for me at the Expo and I was officially registered for my first half marathon.

Up to this point, I had never run more than 6 miles at once and mostly ran 1-3 miles on my intermittent runs through the week and I only had a few days to "prepare".

October 2016 Cocoa Beach, FL

The I Dream of Jeannie Half Marathon.  The logistics were very easy.  My mom lives right on the course, so I stayed at her house.  She made me breakfast and drove me to the start in the morning, road her bicycle along with me and her husband Greg drove us back home.  I was able to run the entire way without walking and ran what I thought was a decent race with a decent time.  1:49:45  8:22/mile.


I ran in my normal running shoes, cotton socks, racquetball shorts.  I suffered from blisters and chaffing.  Painful!

After returning home from this race, I needed rest.  I was sore and chaffed and tired.  I did not run for a week.  While not running, I began looking at different races, thinking that maybe I would consider doing another one.  At some point, I thought it would be a good idea to run a half marathon in all 50 states.  I was aware at this point that it was not unique, but still a challenge and a goal that would force me to train and continue running, so I proposed the idea to my wife.  She was not super excited about the idea at first.



November 2016 Tulsa, Oklahoma

 The Route 66 Half Marathon  This one was different for me because it was a plane flight away and it was cold and hilly.  Still I ran pretty well and had a decent race.  1:47:07 8:10/min.
I had upgraded my shorts and shoes and learned that "cotton is rotten", so I got some new socks.  Still chaffing was an issue, but no blisters.

I was now a bit more savvy about the whole race scene.  I was learning what to do and what not to do as far as what to wear and how to manage the traveling and lodging and other logistics.







December 2016 Kiawah Island, South Carolina

Kiawah Island Half Marathon  My wife and kids drove up with me to this one.  We really had a nice road trip.  It is always enjoyable when the whole family can get together and spend time with each other without the  many distractions of life.  I really like my family.

My race was terrible. I have lots of theories and excuses, but I just had a terrible race.  I was not happy.  2:10:23  9:57/mile.

I walked multiple times and my family was afraid they had missed me because they expected to see me at planned spots, but I was nowhere to be found.  I was just way behind my "normal" pace.  It was ugly.

Jan 2017 Tempe, Arizona

Rock N Roll Arizona  At the last minute my mom decided to join me on this trip also.  She used to run marathons and I road my bike along with her, so now she has the opportunity to ride along with me.  I rented a tiny little AirBnB and she slept on the couch.  I don't think either of us slept too much, but got up and went on to the race never-the-less.  We were able to go out to dinner with my friend Sheila.  It was very sweet of her to take us out and show us a great time... and very nice to see her.

This race was well organized even thought there were some 20,000 people in the race.   I was amazed at the number of folks in this race.  The course was pretty flat with the exception of one hill around mile 9.  I had a pretty good race.  The weather was chilly but not super cold.  I felt very good and ran 1:43:34 7:59/mile (my first sub 8:00/mile avg race).  I was very happy to pass the pacer that I was hoping to keep within sight.

Mom and I had a nice time.  I began to recognize that my performance in the race relatively determines how much I enjoyed the race.







Feb 2017 New Orleans, LA

Rock N Roll New Orleans  I did not enjoy this race.  The roads were terrible, I did not race well (It's all about perspective),  the accommodations I chose were a long ways away, and I did not sleep well.

I struggled through the race and walked at mile 8 and I was plagued with blisters and had to walk 2-3 miles back to my room after the race.  I finished 1:46:51 8:09/mile, but not happy about it.










March 2017 Little Rock, AR

Little Rock Half Marathon  It was really nice to see my cousin Natalie and her husband.  Valerie was with me for this one.  We were able to go out to dinner with them and have a time.  The race itself was cold and wet, but that was not the biggest issue.  I had injured my calf a few weeks earlier and had really been babying it.  My training was almost non existent.  Each time it began to feel better, I would "tweak" it again.  Having said that, I felt great in this race up until about mile 5.  I hobbled the rest of the way.

The medal was huge and it is always nice to spend time with my wife.  Valerie rented a bicycle and road along with me, as much as she could.  The course was not so conducive to riders.  I was able to finish, but not too happy with my performance.  2:04:35 9:30/mile.




April 2017 Salt Lake City, UT

Salt Lake City Half Marathon  I was really pretty pleased with this race.  My time was not good, but my calf was feeling better.  My goal for this race was to finish without injury.  I really wanted to finish sub 2 hours, but more than that I wanted to finish uninjured.

The course was very pretty with the mountains as a back-drop and it was more downhill than uphill, but I walked all of the uphill sections because I did not want to injure my calf.  It was also quite cold

I finished 2:03:31 9:25/mile.







May 2017 Indianapolis, Indiana

One America Mini Marathon  This was a cool race because it ran into and around the Indy 500 race track.  I thought it was really cool.  In fact, I have enjoyed the different aspects of different races as they run through interesting areas of the host city.  It helps me have the appropriate sense that I am in a different town.  Valerie came with me on this one and she ran the 5k.  Although the start was cold and windy, it turned out really nice.  I struggled a bit around mile 7 and/or 8... maybe 9 also, but finished 1:54:03 8:42/mile.  I also really enjoyed the city of Indianapolis.  Pretty cool place.

June 2017  Duluth, Minnesota

Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon  Duluth was a nice town and the race was pretty well organized.  I enjoyed this race, although I did not feel like I raced very well.  My calf felt fine, but I just could not keep my race speed up.  I do not know if I was sick or getting sick or if my training and diet were poor.  I really felt like my calf was better now, so I should be able to put up a good time, but maybe my cardio took a hit because of my inability to train well?  Or maybe my nutrition was not so good.  I don't know.  At this point I was beginning to wonder if  I was "settling in" to run this pace.  I was definitely hoping not, but it sure seemed like I was falling into a rut.  I ran 1:57:44 8:59/mile.  Not happy.

July 2017 Ennis, Montana

Big Sky Half Marathon  This was a tiny race in a tiny town on and up a big mountain.  I was very concerned about the altitude, but it did not seem to be much of a factor.  My goal for this race was sub 2 hours.  I really did not feel like the altitude affected me too much, but my time was not stellar.  Now I am really wondering if I am dropping into a slump.  What changes am I going to have to make to get these times faster.  BTW.  The race was in a nice area, but this was a no frills race, not much exciting about this one.  Keeley went with me and that was nice.  I had a good time with her and we have a memory together.  That was the best part.

August 2017 Mesa Falls, Idaho

Mesa Falls Half Marathon  This race was cute.  The town was cute, the people were sweet.  The race was scenic and nice.  They were all very hospitable.  A pre-race spaghetti dinner in the elementary gymnasium, post-race pizza and huckleberry milkshakes and home-made medals.  It was just cute.  This is one that I would have liked to have some family with me.  I ran 1:58:37  9:03/mile.  I attributed the poor time to the hills.  It was very hilly... still hoping I can figure a way to get faster again.


Sept 2017 Chicago, IL

Chicago Half Marathon  My friend David lives near Chicago and he picked me and Noble up from the airport and showed us around.  We went sight seeing, and had a Segway tour of Chicago.  We went for a bicycle ride or three.  We had a real nice time.  The race was terrible though.  It was 95F and humid.  I was dying.  Not a good race.  I was seriously happy to finish.  Many people had to be carted away with heat stroke or something.  Crazy weather and left me with a great excuse.  I finished 2:10:09 9:56/mile -- Terrible!!!  It was nice spending time with Noble and my friend David.




October 2017 Detroit, MI

Detroit International Half  This one was really cool as it ran from Detroit to Canada and back to Detroit.  I felt much better than Chicago, but still a bit sluggish.  I could not get my legs moving even though I felt good.  I would tell myself to speed up, but my legs just would not respond.  I enjoyed the race and the scenery and the uniqueness of the race and the swag was nice.  I finished 1:57:19 8:57/mile.  Am I stuck here?





November 2017 Naggs Head, NC

Southern Fried Half Marathon.  We drove up for this one with my mom on her motor home.  The whole family.  Valerie and Noble ran the half marathon with me and my mom rode her bike again.  That was nice.  The course was nice.  The city/town was nice.  The people were nice.  The big bridge was not so nice, but actually Valerie loved it because she was able to stop and look around and see how pretty everything was... perspective.  I felt great.  The only problem I had was a little nine year old girl beat me.  lol.  I finished 1:43:58 7:56/mile.  Hey, I finally made it back down to sub 8:00/mile.  What happened?

December 2017 Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Rehoboth Seashore Half Marathon  I enjoyed this race. It was in a cute little beach town.  It was organized well and the weather was perfect.  The scenery and the course was very nice and I had a PR.  I finished 1:42:20 7:48/mile and felt very good most of the race.  I really like the ones when I run well, and now it appears as if I am getting faster. 

So, year in review.  After starting fairly well the first two races, I tanked a race and then got injured and took too long to recover, and now it looks like I am getting back to improving.  It has been an interesting journey.  I am not usually an enjoy the journey type of guy.  I am more of a destination guy.  That is part of why I like to look back at the year and see the journey.  As far as how this has helped me, I have noticed some unexpected results.  I have noticed that I like to spend time with my family.  I enjoy the journey of traveling with them and experienceing with them.  I enjoy the scenery.  I enjoy the race when I perform well.  

I have also noticed that there are changes in my body.  In the first three months, I lost 30 pounds.  I put 10 pounds back on purpose, then with the injury, I think I gained it all back.  Then, with the ability to train again, I have noticed that my body looks different.  I have less bulk in the face, in the neck and shoulders and chest.  My thighs are thinner.  I still carry too much weight around my waist, but I am wearing Large shirts instead of XL.   I have not weighed myself, but I think I have lost some weight.

With my additional goals, I think it is going to be imoortant to lose more weight.  My immediate goal is to run 1:40:00 7:38/mile.  My longer term goal is to run 1:30:00 6:52/mile.  I think I need to be skinny for that.

I have also committed to running at least one mile every day for 2018, and to run at least 1000 miles in 2018.

Next race Jan 20 in Redmond Washington and Jan 27 in Pebble Beach CA.  Happy New Year Everyone.  

Rehoboth Seashore Half Marathon Race Recap

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware -- Rehoboth Seashore Half Marathon

Race recap for state #15 -- Delaware

Registration:

Registration for this race was through their website https://www.rbmarathon.com/ and then to a link for registration that allows you to register through Active.  The website is not that great.  I found it difficult to find everything I was looking for.  Most of the information was still up from 2016.  I found myself heading to the website often to try to find more information about location and accommodations and parking and shuttles and race start time and packet pick-up, etc... but it was not always easy to find what I was looking for.

 Fee:

The fee was $140.  I got a discount through the 50 states half marathon club of $20 which brought the fee down to $120 plus a $12.10 processing fee -- grand total: $132.10

The Expo:

There was no expo.  The pre-race packet pick-up was in a tent on the corner of two streets outside of the running company store.  It was easy enough to find, but I was looking for the running company, so I walked inside and around the shops before venturing outside and finding the tent.  The store was open, so you could purchase shoes or gloves or any other running gear you were looking for.  Of course, I was only looking for the expo to get my bib and shirt.  It was not the most organized event that I have ever been to, but I eventually got my bag with my shirt and race bib and a wrist band for the after party -- discussed later.

Shirt:

The shirt was a short-sleeved wicking, tech shirt  I was happy that it was not a long-sleeve shirt, by which I was surprised because it was December in Delaware.  Apparently they alternate long-sleeve and short sleeve each year and I just happened to draw the short-sleeved year.  Yeah for me.  Truth is, I like the shirt.  It looks nice and is comfy.

Race Day:

Saturday

Race Start Time:

Race start was 7:00am.  We started right on time.  The race started right at the beach at the start of the boardwalk.  There was no formal corral system.  They had a few signs that showed an average pace, 6:00 min/mile line up here, 7:00 min/mile here, 8:00 min/mile here, etc...  Either people grossly estimate how fast they are planning on running, or they were paying no attention to where they were lining up, or they cannot read English or understand English, or maybe they cannot count to 7, or some other reason, but there were hoards of folks that decided to start the race toward the front, in the 7:00 min/mile area.  I only know this because I had to pass them all.  The start was right there at the brick pavers in front of the gazebo and then we ran up this one lane road and around some neighborhoods for a couple of miles, so it was a bit of an obstacle course or more like a pachinko game (sort of a Japanese pinball) just to get into a comfortable rhythm.

Course Map:

Google maps show the race course.  As I mentioned, the race started just off the beach, ran up the road and through some neighborhood, then along the coast out and back.  After the turn around, there was a split of the full marathon and the half.  The markings were not great, but there was a lady with a megaphone that was yelling, "Full marathon to the right!!! Half to the left!!!  Full marathon to the right!!!! Half to the left!!!"  I would have hated that job.  It was effective (for me), but had to be annoying to repeat that thousands of times.

Speaking of annoying.  This part was an out and back, so as the super fast runners made the turn and came back, they had a few four wheelers and some bicycles that rode in front of them to keep their side of the road clear and we were instructed to stay on our side of the road and not cross the double yellow lines.  So, I was running just inside the double yellow lines, when behind me I hear some lady yell "ON YOUR LEFT!"  It was some runner in the same race telling me to move over so that she could run past me on my left.  I thought, "I have been fighting past all of these people the whole race, weaving in and out of traffic, and you are gonna honk your proverbial horn and force ME to move out of YOUR way???!!!?!?!???"  I did move over and let her pass.... but I passed her in another half mile and never saw her again.  UGH!!! PEOPLE!!!!

Accommodations:

I stayed in a beach hotel just a street over from the boardwalk.  This picture is the view from my balcony on race morning.

The hotel was nothing special.  It was older and worn a bit, but it was clean and the people were super nice and it was close and available.  

Transportation:

I rented a car in Philadelphia... which was a bit over two hours away.  I met a guy, a dentist, at a course who is from Rehoboth and he told me that would be the best airport to fly in and out of.  It was fine.  I did not use the car once I got to Rehoboth.  I walked everywhere, which consisted of to the tent (packet pick-up) and back.  To the race start and from the finish to the hotel and back to the tent for the after party, then back to the hotel one last time.

Weather:

The weather was really great.  40-50F from race start to race finish.  It was clear and sunny, but cool.  I wore some throw-away gloves for about 5 or 6 miles, then took them off and stuffed them in my waist band.

Race Morning:

40 F.  A slight wind off the beach, but not a factor throughout the race.    It was a beautiful day.  Great day for a race.

Race:

The race was mostly flat.  As I mentioned it ran through a neighborhood and along the coast out and back, then along a trail.  The trail was hard packed grey dirt/rock and it was quite scenic.  Several of the runners were commenting how pretty it was, and I agree it was pretty nice.

Below is a picture pilfered off the internet.  (this kid has run 20 half marathons in 20 states)... but here he is running on the trail in the race in Rehoboth Delaware.

This section was also an out and back for about 3 miles out and three miles back.  Parts were a tab hilly, but not much at all.

Water/Food Stations:

There were several water and Gatorade stations.  The race info stated there would be nutrition packets at some stations, but I must have missed them all.  The cups they used were those super thin plastic cups, so when you grab them they crumple and spill.  I dropped two cups transferring to my other hand with my gloves on, and one guy spilled his Gatorade all over my shoulder and chest.  He did not mean to do it and he did apologize... and it really did not bother me... especially because I was passing him and never saw him again.  It would have been another story if I either ran behind him the whole time or he took off and left me.  I am much nicer when I am in front of people and STAY in front of them.  You do NOT want to know what I am thinking about you when you are in front of me or worse if you pass me.

Scenery:

The beach you already saw.   The trail you saw a small portion of.  The trail was mostly wooded and a few open field areas, like farm land.  Then there were a couple of little bridges over some streams and a few houses that backed up to the trail.  

Race Entertainment:

There really was no entertainment.  There were a few people out cheering for someone they knew, but not like some of the other races where people just come out and cheer for runners they fo not know.  There was one DJ/MC calling names of runners as they ran by about mile 8... but otherwise it was all about the scenic nature of the course.

Finish:

The finish was a bit lack-luster.  They called my name and took my picture and gave me my medal, but then.... nothing.  There was no fruit or snacks or anything.  There were boxes of water and boxes of chocolate milk, but no volunteers to pass them out.  I grabbed a couple of chocolate milks out of the box myself.  There was no one there to tell me that I could not or should not.  They were still cold.  There was a tent with laptops to check results, so I did that, and just as I figured, I finished.

Actually, I was happy with my race.  I ran - officially - 1:42:20.  That is a PR for me, so that made the whole race enjoyable and my favorite so far.  It is apparently all about me.

I figured out why there were no snacks, etc.  Everything was in the after party tent.  I needed my wrist band to get in, but it was all in there.  of course I did not have it with me, so I went back to the hotel and got all cleaned up and talked with my wonderfully supportive family, then went back for the after party.  By this time most of the half races were finished and a few of the full racers.

Inside they had waffles, bacon, biscuits, gravy, hamburgers, hot dogs, pulled pork, slaw, mac n cheese, baked beans, cokes, beer, water, chocomilk, bananas, and I am sure several other things.  I got my plate full and my pockets full and walked back to the hotel.  The tent was full of people and food and drink and loud music.  Everyone looked like they were having a good time.

Bling:

Misc:

 I enjoyed this race.  It was not so big, but not too Podunk.  The weather was great!  The course was mostly flat and plenty of turns to break up the monotony.  And I ran pretty well.  Perspective is such an interesting topic.  I ran my PR so far.  That is great.  The bad part is, as I was running, my math skills got a little suspect. I was calculating how I could finish 1:40.  If any of you have read some of my early blogs, 1:40 was my original (arbitrary) goal.  So, as I was running, I started to believe that 1:40 was possible.... even up to one mile left.... well, 1.1 miles left.  All I had to do was pick up my pace a little bit for that last mile and I would hit 1:40.  Well, I did not pick up my pace - I ran 7:50 the last mile - nor did I come close to 1:40.  Missed it by a mere 2 minutes and 20 sec.  How was I calculating that???  I would have had to run the last mile in 5:30.  Who knows?  But anyway, even though I ran my PR, I was a bit disappointed that I did not hit 1:40.  All about perspective.  It was a nice race.  I felt good.  I felt so good that on the way to the airport I was checking to see if there were any races in Philadelphia the next day.  Maybe I could run a back to back and knock out another state while I was out there in those tiny little states that are hard to get to.  I only checked in Philly and only found a small Nittany Lions race, and that was at least a three hour drive, so I opted out.  -- BTW, today I am very happy that I did not run again today.  I'm a bit sore.

Next race Jan 20 -- The Rain Run in Redmond, WA (outside Seattle) and
Jan 27 -- Pebble Beach Half Marathon in Pebble Beach, CA