Synonyms: disaster, catastrophe, tragedy, cataclysm, adversity, tribulation, affliction, misfortune, misadventure OK... so, it is not a disaster. Not catastrophic. No tragedy. Definitely not cataclysmic. I agree with adversity. Maybe even a tribulation.-- in the sense that it is a trouble, a difficulty, a problem Appears to be an affliction. Certainly a misfortune. Definitely a misadventure. So, is calamity the right word? Well, I am not certain, but it was the word that came to mind first when I began to reflect on the ONE MILE that I ran today. ONE MILE!!! Actually, it was even worse!! It was 0.78 miles. I could not run 0.78 miles without injuring my calf AGAIN! And it was an easy 8:21 per mile pace. What a calamity. I am not sure what the problem is. The first time I injured my calf, I attributed it to overuse. I ran a bunch of hills in Colorado, and I was not accustomed to hills. Then I would ski all day. So, as much as I did not like it, I could understand how and why it happened. THIS IS JUST PLAIN CRAZY! I have not run for 5 days because I was sick. Prior to that, I only ran a couple of times on the cruise. And even when I was running, I was only running 3-5 miles. My point here is that it is DEFINITELY NOT overuse. Not possible. I have been stretching too. I stretched this morning. (It did not seem to help) I am a bit discouraged at the moment. How is it possible that I cannot even run an easy mile without injury? How is it possible? It is not even ONE spot. One day the pain is here and the next time it is there. The calf is such a stubborn muscle group. ARGHHHHHHHH!!!!! My training has been so sparse. I cannot seem to get well or healthy enough to train. Terribly frustrating. Allow me to make clear that I completely understand this is entirely a first world problem. There are certainly MUCH bigger issues in the world. I am sure this sounds exactly like the whining my children perform when they are not allowed to play the next game on their iPad, or get a belly ache after eating too much candy. Never-the-less, I am simply frustrated with my calf, and if I want to whine on my blog.... well then I will whine on my blog. Thanks for "listening". You may continue clicking now... You have reached the end of the internet! |
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Calamity
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Cozumel
Went on a cruise with Levi this past weekend. He was a blast and we had a good time.
We went on the Carnival Paradise quick and easy out of Tampa to Cozumel -- 4 days. I won't bother giving you a cruise recap. Suffice it to say, ya get what ya pay for.
There is a jogging track on the Sports Deck -- Deck 12. I was determined to put in some miles while on the cruise. I am, after all training for the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon June 17. A couple of things happened that are funny and not funny. Let me start with funny.
I got up early on the first day of the cruise and went up to the Sports Deck with Levi. Believe it or not, I stretched a little and then set out for a light run. The track is kinda small. I was not sure how far around it was, but I figured my Garmin and/or my Strava app would tell me something of value.
Well, the Strava app was of no value as there was no wifi or cell connection anywhere up there, and out in the middle of the ocean. So, I tried to pay attention to my Garmin and just listen to tunes with the phone. Well, the Garmin appeared to be calculating km instead of miles, but no big deal... I would just run a 10K. So, I ran and was running what I thought was a decent pace. I was not doing the math, but I was running roughly 3:00 or so every time my watch would buzz at me. So, I figured I was running a nice 10K. When I was done, I thought it seemed too short. So, I rested and took a look at the watch which told me that I was running some major NEW PR's. I was smoking this run. It was actually calculating miles. According to my watch, I was running 3 minute miles. A new PR for a mile. 2 minutes 45 seconds. New PR for a 5K, and a new PR for 10K. I was amused.
When I looked closer and considered what was happening. I realized that the boat was traveling and the watch was calculating distance traveled. How far did I actually run, and at what pace?? WHO KNOWS. Maybe some of you are math wizards that can calculate this for me, but all I could do is laugh.
The next day I ran again, but the boat was moving slower, so I set no more records. LOL
The other thing that happened is not so funny. I spent Saturday night (BTW. wouldn't it just be easier to say Saturnight instead of Saturday night? Monday, Monnight, Tuesnight, Wednesnight, etc..) Either way, I spent that night in the bathroom -- ALL NIGHT. At least ten trips to the bathroom and needed and took multiple showers. It was ugly. I still have not recovered. I have eaten broth and oatmeal and a banana in three days. The expulsion has ceased, but I get quite nauseous at every bite.
I am certain I will be fine. I don't think this will derail my training.... just a minor set-back. I did not run the rest of the cruise, no matter how fast the boat was moving.
Thought you'd enjoy.
We went on the Carnival Paradise quick and easy out of Tampa to Cozumel -- 4 days. I won't bother giving you a cruise recap. Suffice it to say, ya get what ya pay for.
There is a jogging track on the Sports Deck -- Deck 12. I was determined to put in some miles while on the cruise. I am, after all training for the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon June 17. A couple of things happened that are funny and not funny. Let me start with funny.
I got up early on the first day of the cruise and went up to the Sports Deck with Levi. Believe it or not, I stretched a little and then set out for a light run. The track is kinda small. I was not sure how far around it was, but I figured my Garmin and/or my Strava app would tell me something of value.
Well, the Strava app was of no value as there was no wifi or cell connection anywhere up there, and out in the middle of the ocean. So, I tried to pay attention to my Garmin and just listen to tunes with the phone. Well, the Garmin appeared to be calculating km instead of miles, but no big deal... I would just run a 10K. So, I ran and was running what I thought was a decent pace. I was not doing the math, but I was running roughly 3:00 or so every time my watch would buzz at me. So, I figured I was running a nice 10K. When I was done, I thought it seemed too short. So, I rested and took a look at the watch which told me that I was running some major NEW PR's. I was smoking this run. It was actually calculating miles. According to my watch, I was running 3 minute miles. A new PR for a mile. 2 minutes 45 seconds. New PR for a 5K, and a new PR for 10K. I was amused.
When I looked closer and considered what was happening. I realized that the boat was traveling and the watch was calculating distance traveled. How far did I actually run, and at what pace?? WHO KNOWS. Maybe some of you are math wizards that can calculate this for me, but all I could do is laugh.
The next day I ran again, but the boat was moving slower, so I set no more records. LOL
The other thing that happened is not so funny. I spent Saturday night (BTW. wouldn't it just be easier to say Saturnight instead of Saturday night? Monday, Monnight, Tuesnight, Wednesnight, etc..) Either way, I spent that night in the bathroom -- ALL NIGHT. At least ten trips to the bathroom and needed and took multiple showers. It was ugly. I still have not recovered. I have eaten broth and oatmeal and a banana in three days. The expulsion has ceased, but I get quite nauseous at every bite.
I am certain I will be fine. I don't think this will derail my training.... just a minor set-back. I did not run the rest of the cruise, no matter how fast the boat was moving.
Thought you'd enjoy.
Monday, May 8, 2017
Indianapolis Indiana Race Recap
Here is the race recap for Indianapolis. Officially, One America Mini Marathon
Indianapolis, Indiana
Registration:
The fees were $75 for the half and since Valerie came with me AND ran the 5k, it was another $35 for the 5k
$11.56 processing fee
Total, in case you hate math $121.56
The Expo:
This expo was at the Indiana Convention Center. It was the same old thing. I suppose this is what people want and likely what vendors desire too. I bet they sell all sorts of stuff. In fact, Valerie bought a water resistant phone carrier for her arm.... sucker! Truth is, Valerie hates this type of shopping and wandering around the convention hall as much or more than I do. I had to force her to walk down half of the aisles and point stuff out for her saying, "don't you want one of those?" and "oooh, look at that. Maybe the kids would like that," I was met with a quick and emphatic, "NOPE!" So, we walked the convention floor for about 4 minutes after getting our race packets and walked to the hotel... which was connected to the convention center. Finally an easy one.
Shirt:
The shirt was a long-sleeved wicking, tech shirt. Valerie's shirt was gender specific and short-sleeved. These pictures show the front and the back of my shirt.
Race Day:
Saturday
Race Start Time:
Course Map:
I thought this would be a "cool" race because it ran through the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and around the track. And I was right. It was pretty cool. Funny story. After the race, when we were at a local burger restaurant, the owner asked me if I stopped and kissed the bricks. I had no idea what she was talking about. Later, a friend of mine asked me if we ran over the bricks. I had to ask... OK, I Googled it. So, the tradition is to kiss the bricks that are laid out on the track after you win the Indy 500. My friend said, I guess you didn't win. Far from it. So, while we were at the airport we saw a friend who had also run this race -- He actually ran it fast! Super fast! He finished 30 minutes before me. Anyway, I was telling him about all of the brick questions. He said, "Oh yeah, there were signs and reporters, and celebrities and people stopping to kiss the brick and photographers. I am surprised you didn't see them!" I saw NONE OF THAT! Seriously!! I did not notice any part of that. However, take a look at the photo below.
Nope. No bricks!! No idea what they are talking about. LOL.
Accommodations:
We took a Lyft to the convention center from the airport and then we walked to the hotel and everywhere else. Indianapolis is a really nice and pretty city. Interesting architecture and old buildings and it was clean and just nice. There were a bunch of electric cars around called BlueIndy. You can rent them for the day or hour or week or whatever. I considered renting one of those as they were right outside of our hotel and I saw a place at the airport also, but the Lyft ride was only $11, so I decided to save that type of thing for a time when I needed to go more places.
Weather:
Race:
The race was well organized. I did not have any trouble finding where to go. There was no confusion. And based on what I have already told you, you may understand that it is important to me for there to be no confusion as I get confused easily and miss most everything. The roads were not as bad as New Orleans, but could use some work around town. There was one part where we were entering into the Speedway that I stepped into a hole and twisted my ankle. It did not hurt too badly and I do not think it hampered my "performance" much, if at all. It was nice to have the draw of the lap around the Speedway to look forward to. Knowing that was coming up kept me from running too fast (so that I would have some energy left to make it a mile around the track), and kept me motivated to keep going. It was also nice that it was in the "middle" of the race, because as you left the track it felt like you had accomplished something and the finish was within reach.
I really needed a couple or a few more weeks to train for this race. The leg is all good, but my cardio was just not there completely. I walked for a very short 10 seconds after mile two. I thought this was going to be a melt down race for me, but I was able to recover quickly. I was just going too fast. I was only running 7:55-8:00, but I just could not sustain it. After that short walk, I slowed to 8:30-8:40 and did just fine. This is significantly slower than I had been running prior to hurting the calf, but I just did not have the lungs for it. Good news is I have 5 full weeks before Minnesota.
Water/Food Stations:
There were water stations every1.5 and some were even closer than that. Once again, all I saw was water and Gatorade and MOST of the stations were water only. I did not get any Gatorade until after I left the Speedway. I would have liked to have had something other than water at least once during the first 8 miles. There was a Cliff Shot station at mile 9 and that was nice as I was in need of some energy at that point. I saw no bananas or other food at any of the stations. (but, I think we have already established that I do not see everything).
Scenery:
The scenery was downtown Indy and the Indy 500 Motor Speedway. Indy is a nice city and the Speedway was just cool to run on. I thought it was a rather enjoyable race.
Race Entertainment:
There were several smaller acts, but not necessarily music. There were a few bands, but I found it fun that there were several cheerleaders - little ones, and even a group of cloggers. I have no idea how they clogged for several hours, but presumably they did. One entertainment station was at a bus stop, one guy with three large speakers playing loud music. It kinda made me chuckle.
Finish:
The finish was Just a couple of blocks from the start. It was one of the more organized finish areas that I have encountered so far. I think the reason I felt this way is because it was LOOOONG. It went down one street and then turned and went down another. This sounds like a bad thing, but I liked it because it meant that there were not hoards of people all vying for the same space. It may not be apparent, but I do not really like crowds of people. Especially when they are all bunched up into an area. There was bananas, granola bars, water, gatorade, fruit cups and a few other little things. I ate them as I walked back to the hotel where Valerie was waiting.
Bling:
The finishers medal was pretty cool and went with he whole Indy race theme.
Misc:
This was a nice race. If I had my lungs and had been able to keep a good pace, I think this would have been my favorite race so far. There were lots of people. I think there were 20,000 in this race and there was no marathon, only the half. I never was able to get "out in the open". Usually the crowd thins out and you have some breathing/running room. Not this time. In fact, while we were making our way around the track, I was passing two guys (yes, I passed a few people), one of them was passing the other, so I drafted him to make the pass... well, he decided this would be a fine time to take off his jacket and put it around his waist. Of course he had to slow down to do it which put me in a pickle. I tried to split the middle sideways, but I ended up bumping both of them. I yelled, "excuse me! Sorry!" but, I doubt they cared. Probably just mad that I bumped into them.
Post Race:
Indianapolis, Indiana
Registration:
Registration was through ImAthlete. I had to create an account and I now have another account for something for which I will never remember my password.
Fee:The fees were $75 for the half and since Valerie came with me AND ran the 5k, it was another $35 for the 5k
$11.56 processing fee
Total, in case you hate math $121.56
The Expo:
This expo was at the Indiana Convention Center. It was the same old thing. I suppose this is what people want and likely what vendors desire too. I bet they sell all sorts of stuff. In fact, Valerie bought a water resistant phone carrier for her arm.... sucker! Truth is, Valerie hates this type of shopping and wandering around the convention hall as much or more than I do. I had to force her to walk down half of the aisles and point stuff out for her saying, "don't you want one of those?" and "oooh, look at that. Maybe the kids would like that," I was met with a quick and emphatic, "NOPE!" So, we walked the convention floor for about 4 minutes after getting our race packets and walked to the hotel... which was connected to the convention center. Finally an easy one.
Shirt:
The shirt was a long-sleeved wicking, tech shirt. Valerie's shirt was gender specific and short-sleeved. These pictures show the front and the back of my shirt.
Race Day:
Saturday
Race Start Time:
Race start time was 7:00am for the 5k and 7:33am for the half. Valerie went off right at 7:00am, but the half started about 90 seconds late. Actual start time 7:34:30. I was happy that it started a little behind because I was rushing over from the hotel that was directly adjacent to the start. It was 40F and raining. I was cold. So, after I saw Valerie off, I went into the hotel lobby, in the warmth and waited. I was not able to stretch or move around much because there was a whole bunch of other folks who had the same idea, but I was able to get a breakfast bar and some water... which was good, because I forgot to get breakfast. I was more focused on getting Valerie to the starting line on time so I forgot until we were almost there. Oh well, It all worked out.
I thought this would be a "cool" race because it ran through the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and around the track. And I was right. It was pretty cool. Funny story. After the race, when we were at a local burger restaurant, the owner asked me if I stopped and kissed the bricks. I had no idea what she was talking about. Later, a friend of mine asked me if we ran over the bricks. I had to ask... OK, I Googled it. So, the tradition is to kiss the bricks that are laid out on the track after you win the Indy 500. My friend said, I guess you didn't win. Far from it. So, while we were at the airport we saw a friend who had also run this race -- He actually ran it fast! Super fast! He finished 30 minutes before me. Anyway, I was telling him about all of the brick questions. He said, "Oh yeah, there were signs and reporters, and celebrities and people stopping to kiss the brick and photographers. I am surprised you didn't see them!" I saw NONE OF THAT! Seriously!! I did not notice any part of that. However, take a look at the photo below.
Accommodations:
We stayed at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Indy. It was attached to the convention center and it was the old Union Station train station. There were actual train tracks inside the hotel and trains on them. They converted them into rooms, so you could stay in the train. We did not, but it was really cool either way. Also, it is a working station, so real live working trains pass by your room several times each day and night. They give you ear plugs for each person in your room. It did not actually bother us... and it was pretty cool.
Transportation:We took a Lyft to the convention center from the airport and then we walked to the hotel and everywhere else. Indianapolis is a really nice and pretty city. Interesting architecture and old buildings and it was clean and just nice. There were a bunch of electric cars around called BlueIndy. You can rent them for the day or hour or week or whatever. I considered renting one of those as they were right outside of our hotel and I saw a place at the airport also, but the Lyft ride was only $11, so I decided to save that type of thing for a time when I needed to go more places.
Weather:
The weather was cold.... AGAIN. It was 40F at the start... AGAIN... only this time it was raining. It rained from 7:00am to 7:45 or so. Valerie tried to get me to buy some gloves at the Expo, but I declined. My hands were not really cold this time. In fact, because I spent the 30 min before the race in the hotel lobby, I was not really cold at all. It was chilly, but not terrible. I prayed that God would hold off the rain and He did! It was cloudy and moist for most of the race, but the sun came out after a while and it felt really nice.
Race Morning:
We walked through the convention center to get to the start of the 5k... on purpose, It was cold and windy and neither of us wanted to be outside. Good thing there was a way to to get there through the convention center in doors. Valerie told me that there were Indy cars that separated the waves. Since I was closer to the front, we did not have any cars separating anything, but she said it was pretty cool.
Race:
The race was well organized. I did not have any trouble finding where to go. There was no confusion. And based on what I have already told you, you may understand that it is important to me for there to be no confusion as I get confused easily and miss most everything. The roads were not as bad as New Orleans, but could use some work around town. There was one part where we were entering into the Speedway that I stepped into a hole and twisted my ankle. It did not hurt too badly and I do not think it hampered my "performance" much, if at all. It was nice to have the draw of the lap around the Speedway to look forward to. Knowing that was coming up kept me from running too fast (so that I would have some energy left to make it a mile around the track), and kept me motivated to keep going. It was also nice that it was in the "middle" of the race, because as you left the track it felt like you had accomplished something and the finish was within reach.
I really needed a couple or a few more weeks to train for this race. The leg is all good, but my cardio was just not there completely. I walked for a very short 10 seconds after mile two. I thought this was going to be a melt down race for me, but I was able to recover quickly. I was just going too fast. I was only running 7:55-8:00, but I just could not sustain it. After that short walk, I slowed to 8:30-8:40 and did just fine. This is significantly slower than I had been running prior to hurting the calf, but I just did not have the lungs for it. Good news is I have 5 full weeks before Minnesota.
There were water stations every1.5 and some were even closer than that. Once again, all I saw was water and Gatorade and MOST of the stations were water only. I did not get any Gatorade until after I left the Speedway. I would have liked to have had something other than water at least once during the first 8 miles. There was a Cliff Shot station at mile 9 and that was nice as I was in need of some energy at that point. I saw no bananas or other food at any of the stations. (but, I think we have already established that I do not see everything).
Scenery:
The scenery was downtown Indy and the Indy 500 Motor Speedway. Indy is a nice city and the Speedway was just cool to run on. I thought it was a rather enjoyable race.
Race Entertainment:
There were several smaller acts, but not necessarily music. There were a few bands, but I found it fun that there were several cheerleaders - little ones, and even a group of cloggers. I have no idea how they clogged for several hours, but presumably they did. One entertainment station was at a bus stop, one guy with three large speakers playing loud music. It kinda made me chuckle.
Finish:
The finish was Just a couple of blocks from the start. It was one of the more organized finish areas that I have encountered so far. I think the reason I felt this way is because it was LOOOONG. It went down one street and then turned and went down another. This sounds like a bad thing, but I liked it because it meant that there were not hoards of people all vying for the same space. It may not be apparent, but I do not really like crowds of people. Especially when they are all bunched up into an area. There was bananas, granola bars, water, gatorade, fruit cups and a few other little things. I ate them as I walked back to the hotel where Valerie was waiting.
Bling:
The finishers medal was pretty cool and went with he whole Indy race theme.
Misc:
This was a nice race. If I had my lungs and had been able to keep a good pace, I think this would have been my favorite race so far. There were lots of people. I think there were 20,000 in this race and there was no marathon, only the half. I never was able to get "out in the open". Usually the crowd thins out and you have some breathing/running room. Not this time. In fact, while we were making our way around the track, I was passing two guys (yes, I passed a few people), one of them was passing the other, so I drafted him to make the pass... well, he decided this would be a fine time to take off his jacket and put it around his waist. Of course he had to slow down to do it which put me in a pickle. I tried to split the middle sideways, but I ended up bumping both of them. I yelled, "excuse me! Sorry!" but, I doubt they cared. Probably just mad that I bumped into them.
I walked back to the hotel and got a shower and laid down for an hour and then Valerie and I packed up and found a local hamburger joint. It was a good burger and much needed. I actually did not eat the whole thing... but someone that I know DID eat their entire thing.
As I mentioned, I have 5 weeks until Minnesota. I plan on getting my cardio back in that time frame. I start back tomorrow. Honk if you see me on the road. BTW... I am running this next race for St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Please consider donating to this great cause. Simply click here:
http://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/Heroes/Heroes?px=4464319&pg=personal&fr_id=64831
As I mentioned, I have 5 weeks until Minnesota. I plan on getting my cardio back in that time frame. I start back tomorrow. Honk if you see me on the road. BTW... I am running this next race for St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Please consider donating to this great cause. Simply click here:
http://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/Heroes/Heroes?px=4464319&pg=personal&fr_id=64831
Sunday, April 30, 2017
$35.00
Thirty five dollars is simply not a lot of money. I remember when I was a kid and every thing that I wanted was about 5 bucks. I even remember in high school when everything I wanted was ~ 20 dollars, and even when in college it seemed everything I wanted was about $100. Either way, $35 is just simply not a lot of money. In fact, it is a very small amount of money. 35 is a small number. 35 shingles will not cover your roof. 35 leaves will not fill a tree. 35 minutes do not make up a significant part of your day. 35 is small. So, how is it that 35 years seems such a vast divide between my 47 years and my son's 12 years? I figured that when he was 20 or so he would be stronger and faster and bigger than me (muscle wise... I'm sure my mid section will still be bigger), but not at age 12.
We ran home today from church. We have run home from church several times together. It is only 3 miles. A straight shot East on Hwy 60. When we first started running from church, I would have to double back to make sure he did not get too far behind on Hwy 60 and get into trouble. I would stop at the cross streets and allow him to catch up. After a while, I no longer had to double back for him as he made a good effort to keep pace. Every so often he would suggest that he had a cramp or something, a stitch maybe, but he would still keep pace.
Today, he kept pace the entire time, and then decided he wanted to go faster on mile 3, so he picked up the pace. He went from running 8 minute miles to a 7:30 mile. I did not want to go faster, I wanted to slow it up. He went faster.... so, I went faster... but HE WAS PUSHING ME!
In my mind I made all sorts of excuses. One time a few weeks ago, I was nursing a calf injury. We ran home from church and I felt pretty good. After 2.5 miles, my calf "tweeked up" and I had to walk. He kept going. It was a legitimate and convenient excuse. I was injured. Today I was not injured, so I had to come up with another excuse. I have been off from my injury for a while and I just don't have the cardio that I normally have. That was one. I ran yesterday. That was another. I am still recovering from a half marathon one week ago. Yet another. I have another half marathon in one week, so I did not want to over do it. All true. All valid excuses! -- But at the end of the day, they are simply excuses. I am having to make excuses for why my son can run faster and probably farther than I can. UGH!!!! HE IS ONLY 12 years old. He does not even have all of his teeth.
I am going to have to make a revision in my earlier statement(s).
$35 is a LOT of money!
Oh the things I could purchase with $35.
I hope I have $35 more dollars to be able to spend. Maybe when he is 47 and I am 82 I will push him again.
BTW. I am NOT going to let this go lightly. He will have to work at it if he intends to stay up with me. I just wanted to have that on the record.
We ran home today from church. We have run home from church several times together. It is only 3 miles. A straight shot East on Hwy 60. When we first started running from church, I would have to double back to make sure he did not get too far behind on Hwy 60 and get into trouble. I would stop at the cross streets and allow him to catch up. After a while, I no longer had to double back for him as he made a good effort to keep pace. Every so often he would suggest that he had a cramp or something, a stitch maybe, but he would still keep pace.
Today, he kept pace the entire time, and then decided he wanted to go faster on mile 3, so he picked up the pace. He went from running 8 minute miles to a 7:30 mile. I did not want to go faster, I wanted to slow it up. He went faster.... so, I went faster... but HE WAS PUSHING ME!
In my mind I made all sorts of excuses. One time a few weeks ago, I was nursing a calf injury. We ran home from church and I felt pretty good. After 2.5 miles, my calf "tweeked up" and I had to walk. He kept going. It was a legitimate and convenient excuse. I was injured. Today I was not injured, so I had to come up with another excuse. I have been off from my injury for a while and I just don't have the cardio that I normally have. That was one. I ran yesterday. That was another. I am still recovering from a half marathon one week ago. Yet another. I have another half marathon in one week, so I did not want to over do it. All true. All valid excuses! -- But at the end of the day, they are simply excuses. I am having to make excuses for why my son can run faster and probably farther than I can. UGH!!!! HE IS ONLY 12 years old. He does not even have all of his teeth.
I am going to have to make a revision in my earlier statement(s).
$35 is a LOT of money!
Oh the things I could purchase with $35.
I hope I have $35 more dollars to be able to spend. Maybe when he is 47 and I am 82 I will push him again.
BTW. I am NOT going to let this go lightly. He will have to work at it if he intends to stay up with me. I just wanted to have that on the record.
Friday, April 28, 2017
Salt Lake City Half Marathon
It is time for my race recap of the latest race.
Salt Lake City, Utah
Registration:
$75
$6.06 processing fee
Total, in case you hate math $81.06
The Expo:
This expo was at the Salt Palace Convention Center. It was very small. There were just about ten vendors and the packet pick-up area. I think they intentionally made it small because it was in conjunction with FitCon which was right next door.... and in your race packet there was a wrist band that was good for the day at Fit Con. I had never been to a FitCon before, and I cannot say that I will purposefully go back to one. It wasn't bad... it was interesting. I had a few hours to kill, so I decided to go on in. There were Crossfit competitions happening and Ninja Warrior type competitions happening and stationary bike competitions, etc. They had Creatine and protein supplements and energy drinks and wheat and grass for sale and sample, tank tops and tight pants everywhere. There were some extremely muscular men all over the darn place. Everyone who worked one of the booths was a super large person. There were MANY women who were wearing very little. As strange as it may sound to some of you, I had to turn my head and increase my walking pace to avoid seeing some of the things that were there... I did not need for my mind to be wandering -- not sure if that makes any sense to some of you, but I made a conscious choice to avert my gaze and move on a little quicker. I really only spent about 10 min in there. It just did not FEEL like a place I wanted to hang out.
Shirt:
The shirt was another wicking, tech shirt. I am amassing quite the collection.
Race Day:
Saturday
Race Start Time:
7:00 am. We started right on time. I was in Corral B, which was just behind the elite athletes. We went off 30 seconds after the initial gun time. I found it kind of funny because a few of the guys who were next to me in Corral B were anxious to get started, so they ran over and under and through the rope that the volunteers were holding to separate the waves and ran on to takeoff with the elite athletes. I wonder how many of them took off too fast and lost it quickly? Especially considering there was this massive hill at the very start. I had no intention of going off fast in this race. I really should have been in Corral C or D, as my intent for this race was to finish well and not hurt my calf again -- which as you read, you will learn that I accomplished both of those goals!! YAY!
Course Map:
As I looked at this map before the race, I thought to myself that it would not be so difficult. The elevation at the start was only 4800ft or so. That does not sound too bad. Then it mostly goes downhill. There appear to be some minor elevation increases, but they look minor. Well, let me tell you they were not minor. Holy cow, who knew that a simple 200 ft elevation could be so brutal. Maybe it was the altitude. Maybe it was that I was/am out of shape. Maybe it was the 40F weather. I am not sure, but the steep hills were killers... the ones at the beginning anyway. I ran the first few hills up to mile 6 and then I walked every other hill. I was really concerned about my calf and re-injury, so I decided to walk the hills.
Race Type:
This was all road race, with some hilly sections. The roads were in good shape and it was rather scenic.
Yes, those are mountains in the background.
Accommodations:
I took a Lyft to the Convention Center from the airport and from the room to the airport on the way home, but I walked everywhere else. The room provided enough food for me that I did not have to go out and get any dinner or breakfast anywhere, but I walked to the race and from the race. It took me 47 minute to walk to the race and 2 hours to walk back... AFTER the race. (My phone died and I did not have GPS. I knew I was on 300th street, but I was not sure if it was N,S,E or W... and yes, there was all four. Not only that, I knew it was 1060 something which meant I needed to be at the 1000th street cross street, but again was unsure if it was 1000th N,S,E,or W. So, I started off in one direction, then back and around and back again until I finally made some sense of the mountains and their location, then I limped my way back to the room.) I am now going to buy a back-up battery to carry with me for this reason. I use a lot of battery life, as I have Pandora radio on and Strava running GPS. They both eat up my battery life... then I can't find my way home.
Weather:
Race Morning:
Race:
Every time I have ever been to Utah (to ski) I was struck by how nice the people were. The chair lift operators and the waiters and hotel staff have always been nice. I assumed it was just a mormon or LDS thing. The people here... at least the racers... not so nice. It was not that they were mean per se, but they sure did not care about anyone but themselves. I am pretty sure someone cut me off at every water station. One guy in particular ran in front of me, took the water that I was reaching for, and then abruptly stopped. I ran into the back of him. Did he apologize? Uhmmm, NO! I think he was bothered that I bumped him. Some of the races that I have run have had water stations on both sides of the road. I like that much better so that not everyone gets all bunched up... especially toward the end (after the halfway point) where people have a tendency to walk and/or stop at the water stations. This one only had water on one side.
The start was a little unorganized, but I think that was simply because a few of the guys did not want to wait their turn. Otherwise it went off nicely and the rest of the race was smooth. The course was well marked and there was good police presence. The roads were blocked off nicely and I noticed no traffic concerns.
Water/Food Stations:
There were water and Gatorade stations every1.5. But, all I saw was water and Gatorade. One "unofficial" station outside some kids' house was serving shots of alcohol. "FREE SHOTS" read the sign. I thought that was interesting. I saw some halfed bananas at a couple of stations.
Scenery:
The scenery was mountains and downtown salt lake city. It was pretty. We rain through a park of some sort at one point which was nice. In all it was a pretty course. I was able to enjoy some of the scenery this time.
Race Entertainment:
I only noticed a few bands on this race. The entertainment did not seem to be a big focus. It seemed as if it was more about the course and the race. Maybe there was a big after party? I did not notice.
Finish:
The finish was on the other side of town from the start, which is the reason that I chose a AirBnB in the middle... but as I mentioned, without a GPS, I got a little confused. My Garmin was pleased with my step count for the day. At the finish there were bananas and protein bars and water and Gatorade, and some fruit cups. I did not pay much attention to whatever else was going on. I imagine that there was entertainment and other after party "stuff", but I did not notice any of it.
It is likely hard to tell, but I am seriously trying to smile for the photo in this picture. I made a sincere effort.
Bling:
The finishers medal was smaller than I expected. It appears to be in a bag tag theme as the race was sponsored by Alaska Air.
Misc:
It was a nice race. I did not run as fast as I had hoped, but walking the hills will kill your time. I am happy that I did as I am not injured-- again. I have my next race in Indianapolis in just one week. I enjoyed the scenery and the good roads. I did not enjoy the hills, but if I were not just coming off an injury, I think they would have been fine.
Post Race:
Salt Lake City, Utah
Registration:
Registered online again through ChronoTrack. This race also required proof of finish time to be placed in the appropriate coral. A link had to be sent to the organizer to the race results showing your time.
Fee:$75
$6.06 processing fee
Total, in case you hate math $81.06
The Expo:
This expo was at the Salt Palace Convention Center. It was very small. There were just about ten vendors and the packet pick-up area. I think they intentionally made it small because it was in conjunction with FitCon which was right next door.... and in your race packet there was a wrist band that was good for the day at Fit Con. I had never been to a FitCon before, and I cannot say that I will purposefully go back to one. It wasn't bad... it was interesting. I had a few hours to kill, so I decided to go on in. There were Crossfit competitions happening and Ninja Warrior type competitions happening and stationary bike competitions, etc. They had Creatine and protein supplements and energy drinks and wheat and grass for sale and sample, tank tops and tight pants everywhere. There were some extremely muscular men all over the darn place. Everyone who worked one of the booths was a super large person. There were MANY women who were wearing very little. As strange as it may sound to some of you, I had to turn my head and increase my walking pace to avoid seeing some of the things that were there... I did not need for my mind to be wandering -- not sure if that makes any sense to some of you, but I made a conscious choice to avert my gaze and move on a little quicker. I really only spent about 10 min in there. It just did not FEEL like a place I wanted to hang out.
Shirt:
The shirt was another wicking, tech shirt. I am amassing quite the collection.
Race Day:
Saturday
Race Start Time:
7:00 am. We started right on time. I was in Corral B, which was just behind the elite athletes. We went off 30 seconds after the initial gun time. I found it kind of funny because a few of the guys who were next to me in Corral B were anxious to get started, so they ran over and under and through the rope that the volunteers were holding to separate the waves and ran on to takeoff with the elite athletes. I wonder how many of them took off too fast and lost it quickly? Especially considering there was this massive hill at the very start. I had no intention of going off fast in this race. I really should have been in Corral C or D, as my intent for this race was to finish well and not hurt my calf again -- which as you read, you will learn that I accomplished both of those goals!! YAY!
Course Map:
As I looked at this map before the race, I thought to myself that it would not be so difficult. The elevation at the start was only 4800ft or so. That does not sound too bad. Then it mostly goes downhill. There appear to be some minor elevation increases, but they look minor. Well, let me tell you they were not minor. Holy cow, who knew that a simple 200 ft elevation could be so brutal. Maybe it was the altitude. Maybe it was that I was/am out of shape. Maybe it was the 40F weather. I am not sure, but the steep hills were killers... the ones at the beginning anyway. I ran the first few hills up to mile 6 and then I walked every other hill. I was really concerned about my calf and re-injury, so I decided to walk the hills.Race Type:
This was all road race, with some hilly sections. The roads were in good shape and it was rather scenic.
Yes, those are mountains in the background.
Accommodations:
I stayed in an AirBNB basement apartment. It was 1.5 miles from the start and about the same from the finish. There was a kitchen and a bedroom and a living room and a bathroom. Everything I needed. The ceilings were very low, only 7.5 ft... but that did not bother me. I watched a few movies on the Amazon Fire Stick in the living room and I ate the freshly baked banana bread and fresh fruit that they provided.
Transportation:I took a Lyft to the Convention Center from the airport and from the room to the airport on the way home, but I walked everywhere else. The room provided enough food for me that I did not have to go out and get any dinner or breakfast anywhere, but I walked to the race and from the race. It took me 47 minute to walk to the race and 2 hours to walk back... AFTER the race. (My phone died and I did not have GPS. I knew I was on 300th street, but I was not sure if it was N,S,E or W... and yes, there was all four. Not only that, I knew it was 1060 something which meant I needed to be at the 1000th street cross street, but again was unsure if it was 1000th N,S,E,or W. So, I started off in one direction, then back and around and back again until I finally made some sense of the mountains and their location, then I limped my way back to the room.) I am now going to buy a back-up battery to carry with me for this reason. I use a lot of battery life, as I have Pandora radio on and Strava running GPS. They both eat up my battery life... then I can't find my way home.
Weather:
The weather was cold. It was 40F at the start. It warmed up to 50F, but I could not feel my fingers until mile 8. It was not a biting cold though. I just felt like I wanted to run with my hands in my pants. I tried warming my hands on my belly at one point, but it was just as cold, so it did not work. I wish I had had some gloves to wear for the fist 8 miles.
I walked in the dark toward the race start, through the University of Utah campus. It was a nice, although cold walk. I got a little warm-up just walking over there as it was uphill the entire way. Truth is, I was winded just from walking up 300th street which was a very steep hill.
Race:
Every time I have ever been to Utah (to ski) I was struck by how nice the people were. The chair lift operators and the waiters and hotel staff have always been nice. I assumed it was just a mormon or LDS thing. The people here... at least the racers... not so nice. It was not that they were mean per se, but they sure did not care about anyone but themselves. I am pretty sure someone cut me off at every water station. One guy in particular ran in front of me, took the water that I was reaching for, and then abruptly stopped. I ran into the back of him. Did he apologize? Uhmmm, NO! I think he was bothered that I bumped him. Some of the races that I have run have had water stations on both sides of the road. I like that much better so that not everyone gets all bunched up... especially toward the end (after the halfway point) where people have a tendency to walk and/or stop at the water stations. This one only had water on one side. The start was a little unorganized, but I think that was simply because a few of the guys did not want to wait their turn. Otherwise it went off nicely and the rest of the race was smooth. The course was well marked and there was good police presence. The roads were blocked off nicely and I noticed no traffic concerns.
There were water and Gatorade stations every1.5. But, all I saw was water and Gatorade. One "unofficial" station outside some kids' house was serving shots of alcohol. "FREE SHOTS" read the sign. I thought that was interesting. I saw some halfed bananas at a couple of stations.
Scenery:
The scenery was mountains and downtown salt lake city. It was pretty. We rain through a park of some sort at one point which was nice. In all it was a pretty course. I was able to enjoy some of the scenery this time.
Race Entertainment:
I only noticed a few bands on this race. The entertainment did not seem to be a big focus. It seemed as if it was more about the course and the race. Maybe there was a big after party? I did not notice.
Finish:
The finish was on the other side of town from the start, which is the reason that I chose a AirBnB in the middle... but as I mentioned, without a GPS, I got a little confused. My Garmin was pleased with my step count for the day. At the finish there were bananas and protein bars and water and Gatorade, and some fruit cups. I did not pay much attention to whatever else was going on. I imagine that there was entertainment and other after party "stuff", but I did not notice any of it.
It is likely hard to tell, but I am seriously trying to smile for the photo in this picture. I made a sincere effort.Bling:
The finishers medal was smaller than I expected. It appears to be in a bag tag theme as the race was sponsored by Alaska Air.Misc:
It was a nice race. I did not run as fast as I had hoped, but walking the hills will kill your time. I am happy that I did as I am not injured-- again. I have my next race in Indianapolis in just one week. I enjoyed the scenery and the good roads. I did not enjoy the hills, but if I were not just coming off an injury, I think they would have been fine.
As I mentioned, it took my two hours to walk back to my room, but it was a nice walk. I was a little tired though. It took six days for them to post the race photos, but the results were up right away. I have not received any emails or solicitation from them yet post race -- unlike the route 66 marathon in Tulsa. I still get emails from them about weekly. Next race, next weekend in Indianapolis. Calf seems good. Cardio seems poor. Running out of time.
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Hills and altitude
I ran the Salt Lake City half marathon today. I will give a race recap later, but for know I will fill you in on the race from the airport.
Hills and altitude. The race was 4700 feet up at the start. And finished a couple hundred feet below that. I was expecting some uphill sections, but these were not hills. They were mountains. And for the record, there are mountains high enough -- to keep me away from you. (It's a song... or at least my version). These hills were pretty steep and couple that with a higher altitude than I am accustomed to, then you have a recipe for exhaustion.
As you are aware, I have not been able to train too much in the last several weeks. I was only able to run 20 miles in the last four weeks when I had been averaging 20 miles per week. I was also still a bit concerned about my calf. During the last race in Little Rock I re-injured it. Then laid off for several weeks and then started training maybe a little early and injured it again. I was afraid that I would continue to injure and reinjure over and over. I have another race in just two weeks in Indy. So, I decided to take it easy on this one. My goal was to finish uninjured -- which I did!! YAY!! Of course I also wanted to put up a good time, but in the end I opted to walk the steep hills so that I did not hurt my calf again. It apparently worked... but DANG... walking will slow you down.
In all, I am pleased. Pleased that I fiaished in decent time and pleased that my leg is better. Now I can begin to train again. I am looking forward to getting back in shape.
Race recap next -- we are boarding the plane.
Hills and altitude. The race was 4700 feet up at the start. And finished a couple hundred feet below that. I was expecting some uphill sections, but these were not hills. They were mountains. And for the record, there are mountains high enough -- to keep me away from you. (It's a song... or at least my version). These hills were pretty steep and couple that with a higher altitude than I am accustomed to, then you have a recipe for exhaustion.
As you are aware, I have not been able to train too much in the last several weeks. I was only able to run 20 miles in the last four weeks when I had been averaging 20 miles per week. I was also still a bit concerned about my calf. During the last race in Little Rock I re-injured it. Then laid off for several weeks and then started training maybe a little early and injured it again. I was afraid that I would continue to injure and reinjure over and over. I have another race in just two weeks in Indy. So, I decided to take it easy on this one. My goal was to finish uninjured -- which I did!! YAY!! Of course I also wanted to put up a good time, but in the end I opted to walk the steep hills so that I did not hurt my calf again. It apparently worked... but DANG... walking will slow you down.
In all, I am pleased. Pleased that I fiaished in decent time and pleased that my leg is better. Now I can begin to train again. I am looking forward to getting back in shape.
Race recap next -- we are boarding the plane.
Saturday, April 8, 2017
This is Ridiculous
I have decided that this injury business is just plain ridiculous. The treatments are ridiculous. The resting is ridiculous. The worrying is ridiculous. The stretching and massaging and oiling and soaking and icing and abstaining and stopping... all ridiculous. I decided I was going to act like I was 20 again. I don't care what my orthopedic surgeon has to say. I am going to run and play racquetball and run and jump and exercise and act like I am still invincible. SO I HAVE!
This is just plain ridiculous, I tell you. I have now run nearly 17 miles and played racquetball twice... multiple games each time. I ran 6.6 miles in Seattle, 2.4 miles on Monday, 2.6 mile on Wednesday, 3.3 miles on Friday, and 2.6 miles today.
There is some tightness and soreness and a twinge of pain here and there, but I am choosing to not be held hostage anymore. I am going to pretend that my doctor told me it was tendonitis and there is nothing I can do about it, except settle for inactivity, but I am not choosing inactivity, so what are the consequences? Pain! The only consequence. It will hurt, but not create further injury. (This is what the doctor told my daughter when she went for her ankle and her wrist).
So, this is the choice I am making. I have decided and that is that. Tendonitis be darned! Torn or pulled muscles -- Pshaw! Not interested!!
I have a race on April 22. Then another race just two weeks later. I am going to get back to my regimen and get myself back into shape. This is ridiculous!
Cardio stinks right now. Run times stink right now! Endurance stinks right now! Enough is enough. I am a not gonna take this anymore! I am determined to get back on track.
Here I go!
Thanks for "listening".
This is just plain ridiculous, I tell you. I have now run nearly 17 miles and played racquetball twice... multiple games each time. I ran 6.6 miles in Seattle, 2.4 miles on Monday, 2.6 mile on Wednesday, 3.3 miles on Friday, and 2.6 miles today.
There is some tightness and soreness and a twinge of pain here and there, but I am choosing to not be held hostage anymore. I am going to pretend that my doctor told me it was tendonitis and there is nothing I can do about it, except settle for inactivity, but I am not choosing inactivity, so what are the consequences? Pain! The only consequence. It will hurt, but not create further injury. (This is what the doctor told my daughter when she went for her ankle and her wrist).
So, this is the choice I am making. I have decided and that is that. Tendonitis be darned! Torn or pulled muscles -- Pshaw! Not interested!!
I have a race on April 22. Then another race just two weeks later. I am going to get back to my regimen and get myself back into shape. This is ridiculous!
Cardio stinks right now. Run times stink right now! Endurance stinks right now! Enough is enough. I am a not gonna take this anymore! I am determined to get back on track.
Here I go!
Thanks for "listening".
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