Houston Marathon 2010

Can't believe that it has taken me this log to put a report together. Here it goes as much as I can remember.

I went down to Houston with Kim on Friday and got in late like we normally do. I was trying to lay of caffeine as much as I could the week before the race so I was exhausted by the time I hit the bed. The next day we went to brunch and then Kim and I went down to the expo and packet pickup. We hit all the usual stores and I picked up a new pair of shoes, Newtons. They are supposed to change the way you run to more of a forefoot striker so you can run faster. We will see how that works...

Anyway the highlight of the day was meeting NYC Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi. He was a super nice guy, taking pictures with everyone and joking around.



That night I had a great spaghetti dinner (the usual) and then headed down to my sisters condo (since it is right near the start) and I crashed out again. The morning came really early. I don't really function well at 4:30am. But I got out of bed and took a shower to wake up. I grabbed a bagel with peanut butter for breakfast and next thing I know my sister was dropping me off at the expo center. I did forget my Gatorade that I was going to drink before for a few extra calories but no big deal.

After a little stretching and bathroom pit stops done I headed to the start line. It was kind of chilly (about 40F I think) but I warm up pretty quickly and I knew my shorts and t shirt would be fine. I went into this marathon a little nervous. My long runs really hadn't gone well at all. In fact my last one was an 18 miler that I was absolutely dead in. My shorter weekday runs all went great but I was nervous about how I would respond after 15 miles or so.

The starting gun finally went off and we were on our way. This year I was in the first wave so I didn't have any problem getting around the groups of walkers that for some reason like to start at the front and get in everyones way. I settled into a pace right in my low heart rate zone and I was surprised that it was about 8:45/mile. I was a little nervous with that pace but my HR was ok so I forged on.

My pace was pretty even the whole time. All I was trying to do was keep it even as long as I could and then not slow down too much at the end. I hit the 10k mark at 56 minutes which was on what I wanted.

I was feeling strong at mile 8.5 when I saw my family the first time.



The half marathon came at 1:56:17 (~20 minutes faster than my first half marathon by it's self). I knew I had a shot at 4hrs right there. I had 4 minutes in the bank so that eased my mind. The 30k (~18 miles) mark came at 2:46:17. Just a little longer and I could do it. I started feeling it around this point and then out of no where there was an older man down and he was stiff as a board. He had a few people around him and the cops were running up calling for the ambulance. It seemed like there was a phone tree type thing going on where people were yelling from behind for the people ahead to get the medics. Not long after that we saw the medics running towards the man with the defibrillator. He turned out to be ok so that was good to hear afterwards.

I hit the 20 mile mark and I just kept telling myself just a 10k more. I wanted to walk really bad but I told myself just run to the next mile marker and then think about it again. Over and over and over. Then you are at mile 24 and seeing downtown get bigger and bigger. So close but forever to go.

Finally the finish line was in sight. It wasn't far but it seemed like the longest stretch of the race. At this point I was pretty sure that I would beat my old personal best time from the NYC Marathon (3:58) as long as I didn't cramp up. Right at that point I saw a guy jump was seemed like 3 feet in the air, clutching his hamstring. It was so close he just kept going with one leg stiff as a board. I attempted once to "sprint" to the finish but my legs said no way. All of a sudden I saw my family and friends for the last time right before the finish and couldn't help but smile again.



I crossed the finish line in 3:55:51 a new PR by a couple minutes. I was estatic, tired, hungry, tired, thirsty, tired and wobbly. I took a finishers picture then headed in to meet my family. It really meant a lot and really helped my spirit every time I saw them, and I couldn't believe how many times I saw them. I grabbed an ice cream, a banana and a water and plopped down. Man that felt great just to sit and not move. When my family got to me we hung around for a little bit before heading back to my sisters place for a shower and then to mexican food and a beer. I think I ate about 2 baskets of chips, 3 enchiladas a taco and I don't know what else. And that is why I run. :)

MS 150 2009

I finally came back to this page and couldn't believe how long it has been since I updated this.

The weekend after Redman I did the MS 150 ride from Tulsa to OKC on historic Route 66. It was really just going to be a "fun" ride since my legs were still pretty dead from the half ironman. We drove up to Tulsa the night before and stayed at my brother in laws apartment. I tried to stay awake and watch a little football but I think I was out by 9:30. I was up by 5 and headed to the start. It seems like I just dropped off my luggage, picked up my packet, met up with my friend Diana and we were off and riding.

The first few miles are always a little sketchy with all the riders close but we made it through with no problems. Diana and I tried to meet up with the group we had from work but it turned out they were behind us. We finally met up when we stopped at the second rest stop and they caught up.





We all rode off together until the lunch break. It was starting to get a little hilly at this point so the rest break was welcomed. Two other riders and myself left a little before our main group in hopes that we could take it easy and they would catch up. Turns out the hills made everyone go slow. We were hitting every rest stop to try and recover. If anyone tells you Oklahoma is flat they are flat out lying.



We finally made the halfway point, took a shower and grabbed a beer. We hung out the rest of the night as a team and had a few beers and hit the hay.

The next morning came early and it was hard to get on the bike again. The combination of the long ride the day before, hills and beers were a tough sell to keep going. But we finally packed up camp and hit the road again.

The second day was the same as the first, lots of hills and sun, but with the added fun of lots of wind. We took it really easy and hit all of the rest stops and just tried to push through without killing ourselves. We finally came towards the end at the capitol building and it seemed like we kept making turns and each turn was more headwind. I swear it was 30MPH going up the last two miles. Once we crossed the finish line it was time for some grub, shade and cold water.

It was a fun ride overall despite the tough conditions and the fact that it is all for a great cause made it all the better. I'm looking forward to next years already and hope to be in a little better hill riding shape.

Redman Race Report

Woke up about 4:45 took a shower to wake up and eat a bagel with peanut butter. Picked up my friend and made it to the race site at 6 but had to park a ways away, so we had to walk. I got my transition set up no problem since I was at the end of a rack, I had some extra space.



About 30 minutes before the race started it started pouring. The 20% chance of rain was all of a sudden 100%. I found a canopy to wait out the rain so it wasn't too bad but i was still pretty cold. For a while the race staff was talking about canceling the bike portion due to flooding on the course and making it a swim/run/swim. Luckily the rain let up and they decided to just make everyone get off their bike at the flooded part and just run and carry the bike through. The rain let up and I went back to my bike to make sure everything was still there. Some jerk set his stuff up right under my rear wheel, but I laughed when I came back after the downpour to see his helmet filled up with water. I must have been on a slight bump because my stuff was not under water. I had a towel over my stuff too and it kept it fairly dry.

Before we knew it we were headed into the water for the start. The swim went pretty well for me. I did get in a group and veered off to the right a little so I had to break off from them and get back online. I only got hit in the face once when I caught up to a full distance swimmer on the back half of the swim. That was fun. I was out of the water in about 34 minutes.

T1 was just fine. I grabbed a quick bite of a cliff bar since it had been a while since I ate due to the delayed start.

On the bike and felt really good. I almost fell in the shin deep water where we were carrying our bike through. I could have sprained my ankle pretty easily, but luckily I didn't. The rain stayed with me for a while but once it cleared up it wasn't too bad. I ride that road all the time, so the chip seal and pot holes aren't really new to me (I could almost ride it in my sleep). The mud that washed on was annoying though, but volunteers were shoveling and sweeping it off where they could. That is a pretty bad area after a heavy rain with the open fields off Waterloo. On the way back a big group of cyclists formed and I backed off a little so I wouldn't be in them. I wanted to avoid that for 1 - didn't want a penalty and to do it all on my own and 2 - I didn't want one person to fall and take us all down. I finished the bike in about 2:52, just about where I wanted to be. I would have taken a few minutes faster but oh well.

T2 was pretty good too. I walked through transition to get everything situated.

The first part of the run went pretty well considering the lakes we were running through. I wore my Zoot shoes since they drain water a lot better than my New Balance and that was a great decision. They drain water like nothing else and my Under Armor socks dried really nicely. The first loop went by really well, about 54 minutes for the 6.5 miles. Then I made the mistake of taking a quick walk break. I don't know what I was thinking since if I start walking it is hard to get back going again. After that I couldn't go half a mile without a walk break. My quads just wouldn't allow it. The second loop took like 1:18. My over all goal was just to finish in under 6hr and my better than anticipated swim gave me enough buffer to do that.

I crossed the finish line in 5:50 for my first HIM.


When I crossed I didn't know what to do. Sit, walk, eat, bathroom, cry, die? I was miserable for about 10 minutes in the tent drinking a coke and eating a cookie.



I got a massage afterward and waited at the finish line to watch my friend Diana come across. I should have gone to get sunscreen because I got torched. I looked like a red raccoon.



Now that I have done my first HIM, I am ready for the next. I am heading to Galveston in April to do Lonestar.

Maybe a full in a couple years. I really need to work on my cycling base to make it through.

One More Week

Well all the workouts are in. One more week till the Redman Half Ironman. 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run. I think I have put in as much work as I could so as long as I don't get sick this week I am ready to roll. The weather is looking pretty good so far. High of 81, low of 60 and only a 10% chance of rain. If that sticks around I'll be happy.



Also the week after I'll be doing the MS-150. I still need to raise a little more money so if you want to donate, just click this link to my page.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/OKEBikeEvents?px=5217495&pg=personal&fr_id=11357

Pikes Peak Ascent

Finally sat down to write this up before I forget.

I woke up pretty early on race morning, I was actually pretty nervous. I knew it was going to be a long race and tough but I really had no idea what to expect above timber line. I ate a bagel with peanut butter with some Gatorade and we headed out the door.

We got to the start area and it was buzzing with runners ready to hit the trail. A quick trip through the bathroom line and we were moving our way up to watch the first wave go off (ie the really really fast people).






Before we knew it we were lining up to go. The gun went off and so were we. The first part of the race was "flat" and were were all running. I felt pretty good at this point and was just trying to bank a little time. Before the race started I wanted to run about a 4 hour race. That is about twice as long as my regular half marathon time but I had never been in a race at this elevation or grade.

About a mile in we hit the first really steep grade. Everyone was slowed to a walk at once. It was a general fast paced walk from here until mile 6. I had done this first part of the course the day before and knew there wasn't a place to run. It was all pretty steep. The best you could do was walk as fast as you could and pass the slower people when you could. Any attempts at running just lead to about 10 seconds of running and 2 minutes of trying to get your heart rate down.

About mile 6 (about an hour and forty minutes into the race) there was finally a break in the uphill. Most people broke into a run and I tried to back a little more time. It was about a miles worth of running and I was feeling pretty good. I was at 7 miles in about an hour and fifty minutes so I was pretty well on pace for a 4 hour race. Then we hit a hill at mile 8. Wow it was eye opening. I felt like I was going straight up at times.

I was taking my gels and drinking at the aid stations but I was still starting to fell a little lack of energy. Not dragging but just a little tired. It was on and on like this for what seemed like forever. Never ending uphill. I was thinking to myself about how this was never going to end.



Little by little we would catch a glimpse of the peak through the trees and it was a little heart breaking. Once you got above tree line it seemed like it went on forever.

Finally we made it to "A-Frame" and we were out of the woods. It started to get a little windy up there but it felt good to cool off a bit. It was kind of cool to see everyone just going back and forth up the face of the mountain. No running just slow moving. You could tell the air was thin and we were feeling it.




Here we were about 10.5 miles in. Just 3 more miles. I was at 3 hours so a 20 minute mile would get me to the top in 4 hours. As I kept plodding along I was going slower and slower. Each step was hard. Climbing over the rocks was tough since it was like climbing stairs at 13,000 feet after walking up hill for 3 hours. My quads were burning. I tried to eat some jelly beans with some caffeine in them but nothing was tasting good and it was hard to get down. It was at that point I saw 4 hours going out the door.

Mile 11.5 came and I was starting to "hit the wall" I had felt that a little bit in my first ever marathon. Every part of my body was telling me to knock it off. But what can you do at that point? It was 11 miles down and 2 miles up. I just had to keep moving along.

Mile 12ish came and I was at the wall and it was pushing me back hard. I had to stop walking a few times to catch my breath and rest the legs a little. I tried to keep it as short as possible since I knew I would seize up. At this point I was at what they call the "Golden Stairs". I now hate the color gold. Those things were terrible. It was more mental at this point. I could hear the announcer and could see some spectators lining the course. Just a little farther.

Finally I came around the last switch back and saw the finish line. It wasn't anything huge but it was one of the best things I have ever seen in my life. I saw my buddy Michael (who had long since gone ahead of me) cheering me on. I shouted up at him "I hate you" since he told me about sign up, I was blaming him. I got to the finish line finally in 4:30:09. Off my goal time for sure but I was happy none the less.

I had my medal draped around my neck and met up with Michael, his wife and my wife Kim. Next stop was picking up my finishers jacket (it came in handy since it was pretty cold, like 40 degrees)



I was done. Spent. Tired. Hungry.

I spent four and a half hours making my way up that mountain and stayed up there about 15 minutes. The views were amazing, you could see forever.



Here is the elevation profile for the race




We got in line to ride the bus down to the parking lot (while eating a doughnut) and made our way down. At the base I had a slice of pizza and a cold beer. We headed back to the house and just crashed for a while and tried to recover.

That night we went out for some good mexican food (honestly anything would have tasted great) a couple beers and hit up the penny arcade in Manitou Springs.

It was an amazing race. It hurt like hell but it was worth every step. To date this was by far the hardest thing I have ever done. The marathons I did were tame compared to this race, but we will see how the half ironman goes in a few weeks.

The next day was a long drive home back to OK. A couple times stopping for gas my legs didn't want to go completely straight, but we made it.

Great trip, great race, great friends.

Colorado Springs trip

Somehow this spring I was convinced to do a race up Pikes Peak. I thought sure, it wouldn't be that bad. Wow, was I wrong.

I went up to Colorado Springs a few days early to get used to the altitude as much as I could and also just relax a little. The first thing I did was do a little ride from my friends house through Garden of the Gods. It was amazing. The red rocks, steep hills and terrific views.



On my ride I saw this and thought it was pretty cool. In the background is Pikes Peak. Wonder if it was telling me to stop and not go up...



I rested up the rest of the day, driving around downtown Co Springs and playing with my friends dogs.

The next morning we woke up and went on a trail run pretty much right behind their house. I could get used to that. I wonder how anyone in that town can be stuck in front of their TVs. If I lived there I may never be on the couch.

After that I cleaned up and went to packet pick up and decided to hike a little bit of the trail that we would run the next day. When I got my parking spot I hit the trail, pretty much straight up. I went off to the right a little to see what is called the "Incline". Basically a series of steps on what used to be a cog railroad.



I decided to forgo that hike and went back to the trail.






I could tell right away it was going to be a long race the next day. I went about 2.5 miles up the trail and then back down. The best thing I saw on the day was a couple mountain bike riders actually riding up the trail. I can't imagine doing that. Crazy.



In this pic you can see the towns way down below. Ugh...



I made it back down safe and sound in about half the time it took to get up. It was a lot more fun going down than up :)

That night I went to Denver to pick my wife Kim up at the airport and had dinner with some more friends in Denver. We made it back home, got the gear ready and hit the bed. I knew it was going to be a tough next day.

Du Draper Twice

July is one of my favorite months for races because there is a weekend where I get to do two races in a weekend. On Saturday is the Lake Draper Off Road Duathlon. A 5k trail run, 20k mountain bike ride and another 5k trail run. All spring I had wanted to get out on my mountain bike to practice but it just didn't happen. As it turned out the last time I rode the mountain bike was last years race. I used to ride it all the time but it turns out if you don't use it you lose it. The first run went really well. I was able to get towards the front and didn't have to struggle to pass people on the narrow trails. The first 5k went by in 26:58.




Then the bike. I struggle with it for an hour and twenty two minutes. I am used to not getting passed much on the road so it was frustrating seeing so many people go by me. This year was better in the fact that I didn't crash. I was happy to get off the bike in one piece and headed off to the second run. Goal for this winter and spring, ride the trails.





By this time it was getting hot again. Luckily I took my water bottle with me so I was able to pour it on myself and stay a little hydrated. I ran down a few people but for the most part I was alone. I just kept telling myself not to walk and it would be over soon. I finally got to the finish line in 27:33 and a total time of 2:18:06 good for 26th over all and 10th in my age group. Apparently 30-34 year olds love to mountain bike and are a lot faster than me.



I was about 9 minutes faster than last year but 13 places lower overall. Looks like this race is getting bigger.


The next morning I forced myself out of bed and made my way back to Lake Draper for the on road version of the race. This was a 5k run, 24k bike and 5k run.

For some reason once I started the run I felt really really good. I was really pushing my pace but my heart rate was real low so I kept it up as long as I could. There were some fast runners out there but I didn't lose too much time to them.



I finished the first leg in 22:41 which was almost equal to my personal record for a 5k. I couldn't believe it when I saw that.

I hurried out of transition and hopped on my tri bike. There is a hill at the start of the course that some people were having problems getting cliped into their pedals and going so I passed quite a few people there. I was able to get into a nice pace and was moving right along. There wasn't a lot of wind this year which was a nice change. I was back and forth with a few people along the back side of the lake and that kept me pushing the pace. I finished the bike in 43:39 .




I hopped off the bike, threw my running shoes back on real quick and went out on the second run. I felt like I was plodding along but my pace was pretty good and I was passing the people that I was jockeying with on the bike. Towards the end of the run I spotted a guy from my age group up ahead and focused on pulling him in. I caught up with him with about a quarter mile left. After drafting behind him for a few seconds I pulled in front. He picked up his pace but I was somehow able to pick my pace up even more and he dropped back. I was able to finish the second run in 23:49 and beat him by 30 seconds overall. My finishing time was 1:31:48, a couple minutes faster than the previous year.

After the race I was wiped out. I grabbed a beer, my cooler for doing both races and headed home to veg on the couch. A great weekend of racing but I am starting to like tris better, just because of the whole less pounding on the legs thing. Too bad my next race is running up a mountain.