Dallas Jingle Bell Run 2014

12.21.14

take 3. 

This event will remain on our annual calendar, as we really enjoy the run,  the friends we are able to see, and the afterparty.  

This year, Griffin was registered to run the 1 miler, but, alas, time with his cousins proved to be more appealing.  

Kirk and Dinah, Lisa and Craig, and Melody and Bill joined us for this one.  

As per usual, Lindsi and I checked into the hotel for a night away from home.

I had completed the Some Like It cold 10k the previous day, and was interested to see how my legs would react to another race.  Going into this one, I believed  I would feel good about a 26:30 or better.  

When it was time to stage for the race, I moved up towards the front, so as to avoid strollers and dogs on my run.  However, my late(ish) arrival to the start line, kept me from stretching much.  When the horn went off, I got out to a good pace.  I was pacing at about 8:00/mile.  I continued to pace fairly well, and, surprisingly, found myself with lots of room to run, as I'd separated from some of the traffic.  With my pace, I believed I could finish in the "25's".   At the 3 mile mark, I felt a little pull in my right hamstring.  This is the 1st time that I've ever felt an injury occur in a race setting.  Cramping and blisters, yes, but, a pull, no.   I slowed just a bit as I didn't want it to worsen.  I continued to run, and crossed the line at 25:58.  I'm pleased with the time, especially considering the hamstring issue.  

While I'd considered another race next week, I need to see how a few of these nagging injuries feel in the next few days (I'm still feeling the effects of Dallas 13.1 as well).  

My time in these events has improved significantly over the past few years:

2012: 33:41

2013: 27:11

2014: 25:58

The afterparty moved this year to another ballroom.  It was set up to be an incredibly kid friendly, and it's a no brainer to bring the kids next year.  

This event was my 43rd of the year.  yikes.  I may get one more in next week.  However, I need to "buckle down" on my 70.3 training, so the racing may have to stop for a bit.

Some Like it Cold 10k 2014

12.20.14

take 2.

I participated in this event last year.  In 2013, it was a cold, rainy, miserable day.  Of the 300+ registered, only 128 showed up.  The small field led to a 1st place AG finish for me, even with a fairly slow time.

Fast forward a year.

My 10k times have been much better in 2014, with a PR of 56:04 mid-year, and average times between 56:20 - and 57:30.

I have not felt great this week.  I have some foot and calf soreness from last weekend's 13.1, my sleep has been inconsistent, and my training continues to be shit.

However, I was up and at em this morning.  As I was pulling into the race site, I realized that today's race would be much better attended than a year ago.

As we lined up, even though they were instructed otherwise, we had lots of kids towards the front.  frustrating.  I knew that the 1st mile or so would be tough, as I would be dodging kids and working through traffic.  I was right.  Until we got onto the trail (about a mile), the roads were narrow, kids were everywhere, etc.  If there was anything good about the congestion, it kept me from getting out at too fast of a pace.

I finally settled into a 9 minute / mile pace and was comfortable.  As I watched my Garmin, I thought about the potential of a PR, but, knew I would need to quicken my pace after the turn.

I kept a fairly steady pace, and realized that my lack of training would keep me from speeding up much.  As I turned the corner towards the finish line, I sped up a bit, and ended with a 57:23.  A fairly standard time these days.   I was a bit disappointed, as this is a flat course, and I had higher expectations.  But,  I was a full 6 minutes faster than a year ago.  That's significant.

Fortunately, I had no issues with my foot or calf, so should be good to go for the Dallas Jingle Bell 5k tomorrow night.

Dallas Marathon 13.1 2014

12.14.14

Having been a long time resident of Dallas, this is an event that I have been aware of for quite some time.  This event hosts about 20,000 runners, including some of the best in the world.

Earlier in the year, I thought that I might target this run as my 1st 26.2, but, sporadic training and, perhaps, a little sanity set in a few months ago.

This event, like The Cowtown, has the feel of a "big" event, with a big expo, elite runners, lots of sponsors, etc.  I suspect this will remain a constant on my racing schedule.

As mentioned in several of my previous posts, my training had been inconsistent over the past few months, but, I was excited about this race, as I knew I could complete the distance, and, I needed a trigger event to jumpstart my 70.3 training, as I am a few weeks behind.

I fought some insomnia on Saturday night, but, was up and moving early, as I wanted to arrive in plenty of time to find parking, get settled, etc.  While the forecast throughout the week called for rain all day,  I arrived to an unseasonably warm day.  There was a bit of humidity in the air, but, otherwise fairly comfortable.  Short sleeves and shorts comfortable.

I knew several folks participating in this one, and saw several more either participating or cheering along the way.

My plan was to pace with the 2:10 pacer, with hopes of a PR.

I got off to a steady start, and once I warmed up, found good rhythm.  I was ultimately passed by the 2:10 pace group, and reset my sights on 2:15.

Early on I realized that I was extending my distance.  As early as mile 1, I was over the posted distance per my Garmin.

I continued with a steady pace until about the 10k mark, when I knew I needed to stop and pee.  The lines for the toilets added 3-4 minutes to my time, I suspect.  just after leaving the rest stop, I felt a tug on my shirt...there was Hider.  Hider was running his 1st 26.2.  We ran together for the next 3-4 miles, until the 13.1 / 26.2 split.  It was fun to run with a buddy and visit along the way.

This was just before the split, at about 15k:

I had a 1st ever experience on this one, as there was a group of people handing out beer at about mile 8.  Needless to say, I had one. 

I continued with a consistent pace for the duration of the race.  I did notice that I was getting pretty sore and achy by the end.  I suspect that my lack of training has led to some of that.

with only about .2 miles to go, I felt a bad cramp in my right calf.  It made the finish tough, but, there was no way I was going to stop.

All in all, a good day.  I suspect I may have PR'd had it not been for the bathroom stop and longer route.

13.3 in 2:18:05 total time per Strava.  http://www.strava.com/activities/229401666.

An added bonus for this one is the "dallas duo" medal for those that completed the RNR half in march and the Dallas half in December.

I'll definitely be back for this one.   It may make some sense to consider a room at the Omni or Hyatt next year.

FW Jingle Bell Run 2014

12.6.14

I'd planned to take this weekend off, as Lindsi is gearing up for the GRE, so, I am on dad duty.  However, some of the HCY crew mentioned this event, and handed me a bib, as they were not all going to be able to make it.  Also, Griffin really wanted to run another race.

We arrived at Burnett Park and I asked about transferring my race bib, to which I was told no.  So, I registered Griffin for the 1 miler and myself for the 5k.  Griffin really wanted to run alone, but, I asked one of the race officials, and she advised against it, as the race ran through downtown.  So, I ran with him.  He is a little inconsistent in his pacing, but, ran the whole time and finished in about 9 minutes. the little guy is hooked!  We are already looking at events for him for next weekend.

When it was time for the 5k, I moved towards the front, but, had pretty low expectations for this one.  I got off to a good start, and kept a fast pace for the 1st 2 miles.  Then it got ugly. A little after the 2 mile mark, we hit the hills on 5th that lead from the river back to DT.

I got to the top of the 1st hill and stopped to walk briefly.  As I headed up the 2nd hill, again, I walked briefly.  It has been years since I've walked in a race.  My beer drinking, poor diet and lack of training are catching up to me.

I managed to finish fairly strong, and posted a 27:41...my slowest 5k this year.  Per Strava, I clocked 3.3 miles, which makes me feel slightly better.  Even with the poor showing, a small field led me to a 2nd place AG finish.

Lot's of work to do to get back into racing shape...

FW Turkey Trot 10k 2014

11.27.14

Once again, we supported this event.  With Butler coordinating it, we will continue to.  Both Lindsi and I helped with different aspects of packet pick up and race set up for several days leading up to the event.  

The weather was forecasted to be much better than 2013, and we had several days of great weather prior to the event. 

We learned from our challenges the past two years that attempting to run with the boys would be unwise.  Griffin wanted to race in the gobbler trot...by himself.  He and I "trained" a couple of days leading up to the event:

When time for the gobbler trot arrived, I walked him up to the front of the corral, and, per his request, left.  I must admit I was a bit nervous, as there were hundreds of people, including adults, in the corral. When the horn blew to start the race, I headed towards the finish line. We watched as the first few "big kids" ran through the finish line.  I expected to wait a bit before we saw Griffin. However, he was with the 2nd wave!  I couldn't believe how quickly he'd finished! It was awesome.  Life had come full circle, as I got to pick him up and hug him after completing his 1st race:

2 years ago, at that very race, he hugged me after I completed the trot:

I sent him over to Lindsi, and, I was off to the corral to get ready for the 10k.  I hoped for a 56:30 day. As usual with big races, the 1st mile or two can be frustrating, as the crowds make it tough to get going. I finally found some space to run, and found a good pace.  I was pacing close to my target time.  As I discovered last year, this course is incredibly hilly. However, I was prepared for it, and the weather was great. As I got closer to the end of the run, I realized that I would miss my target time, due to the fact hat I extended my run by 1/10 of a mile. I turned the corner towards the finish line, and picked up the pace. 

57:25 for 6.3 miles per Strava. http://www.strava.com/activities/223743920. 

7 minutes faster than last year. 

All in all, a great day, as Griffin was awesome in his 1st race, I had a good run, and, most importantly, it was a great day for the Y.  

Chocolate Chip 10 mile and 20 mile run November 2014

11.22.14

Well, it seems that FW Running Company will hold this event 3 weeks before every "big" marathon, as they held this event in February prior to the Cowtown as well.  Today's event fell 3 weeks before the Dallas Marathon.

I had not planned on racing this weekend, as there was not much on the calendar, and, it was going to be nice to take a week off.  However, I needed to get a long run in, as I have 2 13.1's in the next 3 weeks.

Today's weather was forecasted to be rainy, so I waited until this morning to register.  I arrived to a cool, misty morning.  If the hard rain held off, and it remained a drizzle, it would be a great day for a run.  It looked as if only about 60-75 total participants were there, with some doing 10 miles and others doing 20.

I got off to a nice pace, and found good rhythm, pacing at about 10:15 a mile.

About, 3 miles in, the hard rain hit.  I looked back to see where the other runners were, and many turned back due to the rain.  I was bound and determined to finish my run, so, I continued.  The hard rain (with lightning and thunder) came down for about 20 minutes or so, and then it settled back to a light drizzle.

I took my sunglasses off, would wring out my shirt occasionally, and continued.  My pace was slow due to lack of training and the poor conditions, but, I ran the entire time.  I found myself running alone most of this race, as it was a small field to begin with, and many bailed out due to the rain.  I suspect I would have paced a little faster had there been other runners close.

I finished in 1:47:13, slower than my previous 10 mile efforts, but, I know I can complete the 13.1's coming up, and will likely pace a little better.

Glad I got this one in.  see the very fancy timing system below.

http://www.strava.com/activities/221939077

Bronda's Duathlon 2014

11.16.14

Miserable.

That's how the weather was today.  39 with high winds and a steady cold rain all morning.  Miserable.

I was aiming for 1:35 or faster on this one.  It wasn't going to happen.

uneventful, albeit somewhat slow opening run.

The ride was a mess.  Cold, wet and windy.  My glasses continued to fog, and, the headwind was at the worst possible place on the loop, the area with the slow, steady rise.  The conditions made it difficult to get a good rhythm going.

As I headed into the tunnel towards transition, I removed my glasses to see, and one of the arms came off.  I hastily shoved all the pieces in my pocket, and headed back to transition.

Transition was slow, as I removed my gloves (I knew enough to not try to get them back on), and headed out sans gloves and shades.

The last run was miserable, as my hands hurt, and the weather still sucked.

I clocked a slow 1:44:50.  yuck.  Im looking forward to shelving the bike for a bit and concentrating on running.  I'll get back to multi-sport in the Spring.