Having it Handed to You

So, I went running over lunch. If you've been outside today in Lee's Summit, MO, you know that it is hot and humid. But, I'm a super-stud, right?

Down Pryor road to Schere, I am cruising. But I can feel my skin sweating off...pretty sure I lost two pounds between Hook and Eagle Creek...good riddance. Crest up the hll, still moving at a 7:30 pace, and I am feeling good, but hot.

I get to the turnaround point, but damn, lost another pound somewhere...might need to pick that one back up. Fortunately for me, there were no spectators, for the most part of my route, because the heat and my mind were kicking my butt.

I was whipped.

Never, ever, have I sweated so much,or felt so depleted...and really wondering why I didn't go swimming instead.

Walked three times on the way back. Damn.

Lessons Learned:

• I am nt as good as I think
• It is crazy to run in the middle of the day during the summertime
• Running gets harder the more I do it
• No one care about how well I run, except me
• I am without answers (like when you get dumped and hae no idea why, and she wasn't even all that great)
• Heat makes me delirious (Note: I shoud never get drunk in the heat of the day)
• Chocolate milk is wonderful

Cheers!

Night Flight 5K - 2010

In junior high and in high school, I was a runner. Well, I ran track and cross country, but at heart I hated it...every single second. So, as soon as school was over, so was running. When my wife became pregnant with our first child, I decided that I needed to get back into shape, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Running was the natural answer for the physical part, so I started running in the fall of 20o2. Madilyn was born the following July 2003.

Running is not an attractive sport. Sure, runners are lean and physically fit, women wear short shorts, and the medals and race shirts are super cool. But it is hard...waking up early, running in the heat, freezing cold, rain, and often alone. A runner battles foot pains, leg cramps, sore backs, blisters, chaffing, and the emotional destruction of will at every turn, where the demons lurk to kill our fortitude. Basically, it is hard, and it hurts.

I should have been a lawyer.

Convincing Madilyn to run a race with me was rather easy...she is easy-going anyway, and believed we would have fun running a nice, little race. So, I signed us up for the 2010 Night Flight 5K in Lee's Summit, MO. The race was held in our town, and started / finished at the gym where the girls play indoor soccer, so convienience was all around.

Madge and I picked up our race packets on Thursdays, but to our disappointment, her shirt was way too big. But, no matter. We went home, found a cool, black tank-top shirt, and we sat together in the bedroom pinning on her bib, talking about the rules of running: race shirts can't be worn until after you complete the race, eat all the food you can after the race, and when the pain comes, say "hello", and keep running.

Night Flight started at 9 pm...an hour past her school-time bedtime! We arrived in the parking lot 45 minutes before hand, visited the restroom (2 additional times for me), and began stretching. We stretched our calves on the curb, held each other steady as we stretched our thighs and hamstrings, and sat on the sidewalk talking and stretching some more. Other runners and spectators stopped by to talk to Maddi, as she was clearly the youngest runner in the race...she graciously engaged with each of them, smiling nervously the entire time.

As the RD called out the final instructions, Maddi and I stood next to each other, me still talking about what we were going to do as we ran...run slow and steady, keep looking ahead, etc. I held my hands on her, to keep her close, physically and metaphorically, and as the horn sounded, together we started running.

"Soft steps, Maddi" I repeated. I hadn't realized that running a race isn't natural. There are techniques that are learned...like arm movement, posture, and gliding strides. We held hands as some runners slowed down, and as some ran past. But then...we were off!

We ran the first mile without stopping...11 minutes...not bad for a 6 1/2 year old. I pointed to the people clapping and chearing us. "They are cheering for you, Maddi," I told her. And they were. Most spectatators cheer for everyone, and a little louder for the runners the know. No one knew Maddi, but when they saw her, they pointed and shouted louder. "You go girl!" "Show 'em how to do it, blondie!" I was eating it up. Maddi turned to me as we took a brief walking break, "They are cheering for you, Maddi", I said. "They are?" asked Maddi. You bet!

We took our first short walking break after the first mile, and as we entered downtown, the crowds were larger and more vocal. At the turnaround, Maddi and I grabbed some water, with Maddi dumping some on her head...a true runner! As we headed back to the way we came, the distance began to wear on Madge. It was uphill, dark, and she had been on her feet running longer than she had ever been. A couple more walking breaks, more cheers from spectatators, and we were almost home!

The route from Douglas (leading to and from downtown) took us back onto the outer road. Another runner passed us, but turned to Maddi and commented on how fast she (Madge) was running. Her words must have had an impact, because Maddi started running faster, and with determination. As we rounded the driveway into the community center parking lot, Maddi was sprinting. To the side were her grandparents and uncle, each shouting loudly. I was beaming!

We crossed the finish line in 39:58...a huge success for Madilyn's first 5k. We ate, drank, and took some pictures. I didn't stop smiling the entire night.

Sitting on the ground with Madilyn during the awards ceremony, watching the runners mingling, and soaking up the time spent with my daughter, I felt the true joy of running.

Thank you, Madilyn, for an incredible night. Thank you for being born!

The Swimming Runner

Runners stretch, pace, drink a lot of water, eat Gu, chia seeds, buy new shoes all the time (to the chargrin of our spouses), yet for the recreational runner, this isn't enough to establish a lean body frame.

Swimming is the perfect cross-training exercise for runners...and why? This is my expert (I'm a novice) opinion:

• Swimming, next to walking, is the best physical activity for your body.
• There is no impact to your bones and joints (except for early morning swimmers who experience the shock of the cold water against the barely-awake body).
• You are stretching your entire body with every stroke
• Increased lung capacity
• Better trained lungs
• Core building (abdomen, glutes, chest, hips, stomach)

Somehow, I get lean when I swim. I feel lean. I feel good. And because I am a runner, where repitition is intrinsic to the art, lap swimming is within my windfall tolerance.

Oh, and the swimsuits...well, it does provide motivation. Those things are skin tight. Plus, we are already wearing tights in the winter to run, why not wear a skin-tight swimsuit in the summer.

Hospital Hill Half-Marathon Race Report

The expectation of race directors for runners is runners train properly by logging the necessary miles, long and short, and are mentally prepared for the race for which they paid money.
The expectation of a runner for oneself is adequate and proper training, both physical and mental is a requirement, performed weeks (and sometimes months) in advance, in order to achieve the greatest results.

Expectations are sometimes not met.

I ran the Go Saint Louis Half-Marathon in April...it was not a solid performance. I trained improperly and inadequately, but still carried a confidence into the race that I had not had in the previous two half-marathon races. I failed to run a good race, walking multiple times and landing a 1:45.

The preface to all of this is simple: I ran the RunTotoRun 10 mile trail race in February...again improperly trained. However, I loved that race. Running through the woods, up hills meant for mountain goats, through the mud...it was like being a kid again. Awesome. But with one downside: I instantly did not want to run road races anymore. Fast forward to the morning of the Hospital Hill Half-Marathon race....nope, not going to do it anymore...this is the last road race.

And then I started to run.

The weather was hot, humid, and perfectly normal for Kansas City, MO in the spring. I decided to run the first few miles easy...watching my Garmin to ensure I didn't broach 7:40 / mile. I have a tendancy to feel really strong after the first mile, and then I blow up around mile 7...at least that is what happened in STL (reference my inadequate training, in addition to). But, I kept it nice and easy...steady as she goes...for the first 5 miles. And then, something strange happened...

Gliding up the hill past the college, I started to smile. I was having fun. Of course, I was not running to compete, even with myself, but was just running. I stopped at every aide station, taking Gatorade and water (sometimes), stopping to ensure I was drinking the fluid instead of sloshing it down my shirt, and started back up. I had not run more than 8 miles in a single run since STL, so I was concerned how my legs would handle the distance. At mile 8, I did a systems check: legs - good; arms - good; fingernails - growing (wierd); feet - good; visor - failing.

Mile 9 came with a parting of a newly made friend, forever. Holding a hat in my hand simply isn't worth it. So I tossed it into the yard of the joyous new owner of an Under Armour white visor, and took off.

Mile 10 came with the pain. I had a rock in my shoe, I thought anyway. A stabbing pain to my ankle that caused an instant reaction...must...stop...to...remove...the...stupid...rock. NO! I refused to stop. There was no water, there was no Gatorade, so there would be no stopping.

I attribute running to penance, sometimes. I deserve the pain. I have earned it. I will pay for it.

Mile 12 should have had trumpets blariing from my Garmin, because it meant there was only a mile to go. I was running strong, I felt good, and I was still smiling. So I sprinted.

Sprinting for a long distance runner is like having an out-of-body experience. It isn't natural, and I get light-headed. But man, what a rush! It was my cliff-dive rush. Up the massive hill on the backside of the Federal Reserve Bank (they keep a ton of cash just below the courtyard at that place), and then down the hill. My dear friend was there, waiting for me as I sprinted by. She didn't see me, of course. Must have been going too fast! (As a side note, a long-distance runner sprinting is like watching a 100 meter dash sprinter take a victory lap...speed-wise, anyway).

Finish line...

Hospital Hill was my slowest time yet...1:49 and a lot of change. But it was a rejuvination of my runninig self. I learned in 13.1 miles to enjoy the run, to have fun, and to not worry. Isn't that was running is all about? Racing is about winning, and the time in which you finish. Running is about running, no matter what the pace.

Oh, and the medal. The Flavor Flav-sized medal! You know what they say about a man with a huge medal...