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.

Best of the Best Tri 2014

11.9.14

Last Tri of the season...thank goodness.

Each year, DAR has an invitational tri at the end of the season.  In order to qualify, you have to have finished in the top 10 of your AG in an event in the last 2 racing seasons.  So, therein lies the mystery...I'm one of the slower guys, and, typically don't finish near the top.  As I looked back on my race reports from the past 2 years, the only DAR event where I finished in the top 10 was the depot day run in 13.  A small field led to a 3rd place finish in my 1st 5 miler ever.

I was a little torn about competing in this event, as my last few races had been slow, tri season was wrapping up, and, it fell on the same day as the FW Marathon, which I had been targeting for most of the year.

However, I was unsure as to when I might qualify again, so, I used my invitation code and registered.

This course was familiar, as the swim and bike were identical to the Monster Tri Denton (2 weeks ago), and the run was the same as the Old College Tri.

I'd been struggling with insomnia much of the week, my training had been crap, and, to add additional stress, I'd had a few beers on Saturday.  But, after a sleepless night, I rolled out of bed and headed to Denton on this cold Sunday morning.

I arrived to temps in the 40's.  I added a cycling jacket and arm warmers to transition, and headed to the pool.

My swim, although slightly slower than last time, felt good.  Freestyle the whole way and not the kind of traffic I'd encountered 2 weeks prior.  Off to T1.  Painfully slow.  I tried, unsuccessfully, to put on the arm warmers, but my wet arms kept me from it.  I did add my jacket, and, off  I went.  Like the last 2 times I rode this route, I felt good on the way out, with splits of 20 mph or so.  However, on the way back, I struggled.  The cold, wind, lack of sleep and hills made the ride suck. My bike average was 15.9 mph...the worst in any tri I've done and 1.6mph slower than 2 weeks ago.

My run was "normal".  About 10 minute splits.  Overall, I was 6 and a half minutes slower than the same course 2 weeks earlier.

At the end, I'd finished last in my AG.  150 of 260ish overall.  Glad I did this one?  Not so sure.  But, definitely glad that Tri season is over.  Bronda's Du for me next week then all running until Spring.

Toro Dash 10k 2014

11.1.14

In 2013, this event was my 1st 10k ever.  I had been increasing my mileage at the time, in preparation for Turkey Trot, etc.

Having never completed the distance before, I ran slow and steady.  I clocked a 1:03:02 that day.  That time was a consistent time for me over my next several 10k's.

While my training has been crap over the past few months, I have completed a few longer runs over the past 60 days, and, am much smarter about how to manage my races and pace than I was a year ago.

While I'd considered skipping this event this year, I had a colleague that wanted to run this one "together" (he ultimately backed out), and, it does hold a bit of significance, as it was my 1st 10k.

I wanted to manage this race well, potentially run negative splits, and, see if I could get close to my previous PR (56:04).  As I looked back on my race results in preparation for this race, I was surprised to find that I had not run a 10k race since June.

The temperature  dropped drastically last night, and, I arrived to 40 degree temps this morning...it would be the 1st cold run of the year.

As planned,  I managed my race perfectly.  Perhaps the 1st time ever.  My splits were "just right" and, I had enough left at the end to speed up down the stretch.  While I missed my PR (by 16 seconds), I felt really good about this race.  Had I been training at all, I suspect today would have been a 55 minute day.

Even though this was a good day, I don't know that I like this event enough to return.  Time will tell.

http://www.strava.com/activities/214242257

Monster Tri Denton 2014

10.26.14

Back to back weekends, back to back Monster Tri's.  This one in Denton.  For the 3rd year in a row, I would compete on my birthday (or birthday weekend).

This would be a familiar course, as it was basically the same course as The Old College Tri, but, with a slightly longer bike route.

One of my old buddies, Chris Rapp, was participating in his 1st Tri.  It was fun to give him some encouragement along the way.

The pool looked "small" compared to last week's 50m pool.  I got in, got off to a good start, but, got hemmed in behind a slow swimmer.  Even with the slow swim, I bested my last swim in that pool by 11 seconds.

Off to the bike...like last time, I was fast on the way out, with my splits north of 20 mph.  And again, like last time, I was slower on the way back.  Strava showed 17.8mph for the ride, but the chip time showed 17.3mph.

The run was slow and steady at about 10 minutes per mile.

All in all, a 1:36:13.  28th of 35.  frustrating.

However, I completed my 8th tri of the year.  I may hit "best of the best" in two weeks, and then focus on running season.

Friends of the River 6k 2014

10.23.14

This event was brought to my attention by Brian Smith during my recent eye exam.  Apparently, this event has taken place for several years, but, until Brian mentioned it, I was not familiar with it.

The race benefits "Streams and Valleys", a local non profit that supports recreation enhancements and beautification effort for the Trinity River.

The run is followed by a huge party with lots of GREAT food vendors, craft beer, a band, etc.

The route was a 6k (3k option was also available).  It began in Montgomery Plaza, between Boomer Jacks and Gloria's, crossed 7th, and headed south on the roads through Trinity Park before turning back north, crossing the pedestrian bridge, going under 7th, up the big hill on 5th, and, ultimately, turning back onto 7th for a finish just shy of Montgomery Plaza.

I had some difficulty setting a target time for this one, as I had not completed a 6k before, but, set my sights on 8:30 / mile, which would bring me in at about 31 minutes.

I had not had a good day of nutrition, as I skipped lunch.  I had a gel about an hour before the race, but, felt pretty hungry before we started.  

When the horn sounded, I got off to a fast start. I was pacing at just over 7 minutes a mile.  I passed Sheri and knew I was moving too fast. I held about a 7:40 pace for the 1st mile, and then ran out of gas.  My lack of fuel was showing.  I slowed drastically for mile 2, and watched Sheri slowly increase the distance between us.  By mile 2, I was wiped.  Several times I actually considered walking.  

Once we crossed over the river in the pedestrian bridge, I felt like I could finish, but, it sucked.  As we headed up the 5th street hill, again, I considered walking, but, pushed through. 

I finished in 33:59 (per Strava).  A little over 9 minutes a mile based on a 6k distance, but, I booked 3.82 miles, which changed my pace to under 9 minute miles.  

The after party was great.  Good food and beer.  This one will be a staple on the calendar.