Albert vs Al

2:05PM

Like I said last time, there's not much different going on in the present world of running. My next race is still over a month away so there's not much to talk about. So instead of the present, I thought I might talk about the past. I thought it might be interesting every once in a while when I have nothing new to say to instead write of something old. Sound like fun? No? Well too bad, here goes. If nothing else, I'll read it and cherish the memories which will now be forever saved on this blog.

So here's the first one. It's my earliest running memory. The details are very sketchy or foggy or whatever the word that means I can't remember exactly when it happened or all the facts, but I do remember his name. Al Batson. I know I was in elementary school but I don't remember what grade. Let's say 3rd. We were having field day where everyone participates in events: running, jump rope, tug of war, relay race, etc. We had a day each year where we competed in these events for ribbons. Ribbons? Come on private school, spring for some hardware. But a prize was a prize and I wanted a ribbon. Now it's important that you understand that I was not an athlete. My entire grade of classmates and my family would agree with me here. I lacked coordination in basketball, baseball, soccer, ok sports. That just wasn't in my genes I guess. I tried the sports, but I was that kid where the other parents on the team cheered but secretly rolled their eyes whenever I got the ball or came up to the plate. You know the type. But running was my saving grace. I could run or at least I'm assuming I could based on this story.

It came time in field day for the 50 yard dash. Everyone knew that Al Batson was going to win. He was the runner in our class. Actually, he was the all around athlete in our class but everyone knew he was fast. He was the free play football champion because he'd score all the touchdowns. He had skills. He probably worked out in the gym each day because he was pretty cut for a 3rd grader (or whatever grade we were in). So back to the 50 yard dash. My goal was to get a ribbon. 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. Well, I knew Al was getting 1st, so I was hoping for 2nd or 3rd. We lined up at the start line and the teacher fired the start gun. (Actually she just said "go." We were 3rd graders for crying out loud, but I'm making this story more dramatic.) Now it was just a 50 yard dash. That takes what? 10 seconds. But in my mind it was in slow motion and took several minutes. I got off to a great start. I had my eye on the finish line and that ribbon waiting for me. My form was good. I was getting good traction in my velcro sneakers. And I was moving. About halfway through, I remember looking over and seeing Al right next to me.

By the way, I need to point out that this post is called Albert vs Al. Not Al vs Al. My name is Albert. I don't like being called Al. That's my dad's name. Sorry dad, but Al sounds like an overweight trash collector. No offense to any "Al's" that are reading. Back to the story.

I do remember seeing Al right next to me and being surprised. He wasn't in front of me. He was beside me. I was keeping up with Al. Me. Albert. And I remember everyone else in the race was a good distance behind us. It was truly Albert vs Al. Could I actually beat Al Batson? The fastest kid in the class. I was so happy in that moment that I turned it on and sped up. So did Al.

Now, you're all going to kill me. I told you the facts were sketchy. I can't remember who won. He either barely beat me or I barely beat him. I'd like to say I won. In fact, let's just say that. I won. I think I did to be honest, but if I'm being perfectly honest, I can't fully remember. I was just very happy that day that I kept up with Al. I remember receiving many congratulations from classmates and teachers for my performance. Many (again, many in my mind, it was probably 3) were impressed that I kept up with the champ. I knew that day that I also had a few skills. Maybe I wasn't coordinated (not in the least). Maybe I would never be a star athlete (not even close). But I could run. It took until High School for me to pick up running again, but it was that day in 3rd grade (or whatever) when I knew I was born to run. I got a ribbon that day and I cherished it until I got home and apparently lost it because I have no idea where it is.

Al Batson. If you're out there and reading this, let me know. Maybe we can have a rematch some time. I'm game.

Keep runnin',
Albert

Random Thoughts

9:05PM


I realize that I haven't written a post in a week, so I figured it's about time. Problem - I don't really have anything to write about. I'm kindof in a running blah right now. In other words, nothing big is happening in the world of running at the moment. My next race is over a month away so it's kindof just same old stuff right now. But there are a few random thoughts I thought I'd share.

First of all, I'm being forced to watch "Toddlers and Tiaras" with my wife right now. Actually, I'm not being forced. I could get my lazy rear end off the couch, but I just don't feel like it. Plus, I'm kindof having fun making fun of the show with my wife. It's one of those shows that so ridiculous and crazy that it's entertaining. Know the type? But I think it's safe to say that I won't be a regular viewer of that one. But I am glad little Kinley won. She was the best. Yikes. I'm showing interest. New topic.

Treadmill. I did 4 of my 6 runs this week on the treadmill. Why? I don't know. Sunday was because there was too much snow on the ground. The other three times, it was raining and I could've just gotten wet, but I just didn't feel up to it. Of my 4 runs on the treadmill, 2 were good and 2 were just ok. Sometimes I really enjoy running on it and sometimes I can't stand it. Again, I'm really glad to have it. I like that I don't have to put on a whole lot of clothes to run on it like I do if I run outside. And it's a great backup plan, but it just doesn't compare to running outside overall. I did run 5 miles on it twice this week which is more than I've ever done on it. I wouldn't want to do more than that. Even with watching TV or listening to my Ipod, it's just boring after that many miles seeing the same thing over and over.

The Wall. I was listing to a podcast this week while running on the treadmill. It was a runner talking about how after 5 marathons, he finally had one where he didn't hit "the wall". It hit me that I had never used that phrase in my two marathon reports, but it is so obvious that I hit it smack dab in my first marathon and I didn't hit it at all in my 2nd. Whatever "the wall" is, whether physical, mental, emotional, whatever, it does exist. And it was so obvious to me that I hit it the first time and not the second. I kept waiting for it during the 2nd marathon but it never came and that was such a great feeling. The podcaster's point was that it IS possible to run a marathon without hitting it and he's right. I'm hoping now that's I've done one without it, it'll be easier to avoid it because it wasn't fun.

Fall Marathon. I really really really want to sign up for a fall marathon and I plan to soon. I'm just trying to find the right one. I really want to do Chicago and I will one day. I just have to see if this is the right year. With my new coaching job, it's hard to know if I can fit it in my schedule because it would be right in the middle of my Cross Country season. I don't think it would conflict, but I'm still checking. Money is also an issue right now. I just paid for the Goofy challenge as well as a hotel in Orlando so I hate to plop down another $125 on Chicago, but I'm going to have to pay for a fall race eventually. I don't want to do nothing! I've also considered doing Memphis again. Or the Chicamauga Battlefield marathon. Or Huntsville. Any of those would be good. I've considered waiting on Chicago but a big part of me wants to do it now. This year. We'll see. I just want to decide soon. I don't like holding off.

Ok, that's about it for tonight. I'll do 12 again in the morning for my weekly long run. Gonna be another cold one. It's 30 degrees out there right now. No telling what it'll be in the morning. Have a good night everyone!

Keep runnin',
Albert

Why Do I Run (Part 2)

8:28PM

Let me start by saying I had to run on the treadmill tonight. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad to have it. It's a nice backup plan and I'd rather run on it than not run at all, but I would so much rather run outside. But I can't. For the first time in a long time, I literally can't run outside b/c there is too much snow. There is a solid sheet of ice on most of the backroads and several inches of snow on top of that. I guess I could try it, but it would be very dangerous and I think I would hurt myself. So I ran 4 tonight on the treadmill. I'm due for my long run tomorrow morning. I really considered doing it anyways. I always like an adventure. I figured I would just allow myself a lot of extra time, go slow, and give it a shot, but now I've reconsidered. I think I'll just do a regular run tomorrow, maybe back on the treadmill and save my long run for Monday morning. I'm banking that we won't have school again Monday and I can do it that morning. Of course the snow may be just as bad. It's not supposed to warm up tomorrow at all. So basically I don't know what's going to happen. I hate to just skip my long run for the week though.

Ok, back to the title of the post. First of all, I appreciate the comments I got for part 1. Let me clear up a couple things. Several of you, my wife included, were concerned about my heel pain. It's really not that bad and it's going away. I am 95% sure that it was b/c my shoes had worn out. The heel in my shoes always goes first and it causes my heel to hurt. It lets me know when I need a new pair. I bought a new pair a little over a week ago and so my heel is now getting better. But my wife did some research on things I can do to help it so I'll look into it. Secondly, I also do know that just b/c I run now, doesn't mean I will have bad knees when I grow up. I guess I played into popular thinking there but I know there's nothing to back it up. I guess I just meant the occasional pains I get, and my knees do ache every once in a while. But I'm glad that there's no proof that my knees will one day be bad b/c of what I do. I just know some people that think that way and some have even told me I shouldn't run as much as I do.

Ok, on to the goods. As I said in the last post, the goods of running far outweigh the bads. So why do I run? Well, there are several reasons. Here they are:

1. I run because it's fun. Hey that rhymed. My wife thinks I'm crazy when I say that it's "fun". She hasn't quite found the fun in it yet and I realize that some never do. But I love it. I enjoy it. I think it's fun to run on the streets. To run places I've never run. To say "yeah, I ran 20 miles before church this morning" and see the looks on people's faces. To run races and try to improve my times. It literally makes me smile a lot.
2. It makes me feel good - in so many ways. This one is going to sound selfish and it is, but I'm proud of myself when I run. I feel good about myself that I went out and ran 3,4, 12, 22 miles whatever it is. It makes me feel good and happy inside. Every once in a while when my music is playing, I get that runner's high and it's literally a euphoric feeling. While I'm being selfish, I like the praise and compliments I get because I run. It just adds to the self-confidence and pride that I have as a runner. I like doing well in races because of the "congratulations" I'll receive later. Is it wrong to feel that way? I hope not because if I'm being honest, I do.
3. I like that running keeps me healthy and fit. Now granted, I still need to work on my eating b/c I'm not great at that, but I'm in pretty good shape. I've brought my weight down from close to 200 to close to 150 and I'm hovering there consistently. I can go out and run 3-4 miles without really getting tired. I like that I can do that now. I like that when I went to my doctor last time, he told me I was doing great. There is heart disease in my genes and I'm glad I run to help with that. I hope I can keep it up well into my late years.
4. I do like to challenge myself. I love coming up with new challenges and accomplishing them. I get excited thinking about new marathons I might do in the future. I like the travel, the people I meet, the crowd cheering, and just the celebrations that each event brings. And I like pushing myself. I don't mind feeling some pain because I know it's going to be such a great feeling afterward. Now that I've accomplished the marathon, it opens the doors to so many options for me and I'm excited about taking some of them on.
5. Finally, I like the people I've met because I run. I have enjoyed so much finding others through blogs, podcasts, Facebook, Twitter, whatever who share my love of running. I get so much support and encouragement through these people most of whom I will never meet. But I'm addicted to talking with them, reading their posts, and sharing stories with them. It keeps me motivated and I need that.

So there are some reasons I run. There are others, but those are what popped into my head. Running is more than just a hobby for me. It's a major part of my life and I'm so glad I found it. So why do I run? To sum up. Because I'm a runner. I'm meant to run. And next to my faith and my family, it brings the most happiness to my life.

So I plan to...

Keep runnin',
Albert

Why Do I Run?

7:23AM

A week or so ago, Mike, from one of the blogs I read (Westy's running) posed the question "Why do I run?" I loved his answer which was basically that he wanted the "challenge to fail" meaning each time he runs a race, it shouldn't be 100% clear if he'll make it. He wants to continue to challenge himself with things he's never done. He knows he can and will finish any marathon so he is challenging himself to bigger distances or tougher courses. Mike, if you read this, feel free to comment if I'm wrong.

Regardless, I do love the phrase "challenge to fail" and it got me thinking about why do I run? I agree with his thinking and I feel the same way. I do want to continue to challenge myself. I now know that I also can and will finish any marathon, so it is my desire to try new races, new courses, new places, and therefore new challenges. But for now, I don't have a desire to run a longer distance. Maybe in the future. Right now, with only 2 marathons under my belt, I'm enjoying that distance too much. The marathon is the race for me right now. I am really enjoying it. I realize my next big race is a 1/2 marathon, but the purpose of that is to work on my PR time and possibly improve it. I still enjoy the 1/2 distance as well. So why do I run then? My answer isn't exactly the same as Mike's. But what is my answer?

I've thought about it a lot since I read Mike's post. Why do I run? I mean I have to admit there are some definite disadvantages to running. So let's get those out of the way and end with the positive things. I guess the biggest disadvantage is the time it takes, especially marathon training. It takes sooooo much time. I don't like running when my boys are awake. I sometimes do, but I try to keep those time the exception and not the rule. I don't want my hobby of running to take away any time we have together. And it would take A LOT of that time away if I felt otherwise. So this means I must do my running early in the morning before they wake up or late at night after they go to bed. I do both. I typically do most of my short runs at night and my long runs in the morning. It just works well this way. But neither is my favorite. I am tired in the morning. I want to stay in bed. That's natural. And at night, I want to relax, watch TV, read, spend time with my wife, go to bed early maybe. I have to admit that it's sometimes hard to motivate myself to run at night, especially if it's late for some reason. I always do it, unless it's a rest day, but it is sometimes hard. Another disadvantage is pain. I get pains in my feet, legs, knees, etc. Right now, I have a pretty annoying one in my left heel. Not sure what it is. And I'm sure that I'm probably doing damage for the future. I've heard the horror stories about life-long runners having bad knees when they get older. I'm sure that'll be me. The final disadvantage (even though there are several other minor ones) is the money it cost. Running is expensive. You wouldn't think it would be, but it is. Shoes are expensive. Gear is expensive. Races are expensive. I want to do more races. I love them, but they eat away at our measly budget and it's not fair to my family to go overboard. I wish I had an inexhaustible race budget, but the fact is that I don't so I have to choose my races carefully and that's not always easy. For those reasons alone, it would make sense not to run. But it's the advantages and the benefits that outweigh the above. In other words, the goods far outshine the bads.

So what are the goods? Why do I run? I think I'll save it for next time. This post is getting long. Stay tuned....

Keep runnin',
Albert

15K - Divided Three Ways

11:15AM


Today is my wife, Susan's birthday. I won't tell you how old she is, but Happy 36th, baby. Hope you have a great day! I only ran 3 last night. I wanted to get home in time to watch 24 live so I could go to bed early. Gotta get those priorities right, you know. I was tired. I did end up watching it live but I didn't go to bed early. Not sure why. Anyways, if I had run 4, I wouldn't have made it home in time and would've had to wait until it was over to start watching it on tape. Susan was using TIVO.

I just wanted to let everyone know that I THINK I'm going to be doing a new race in March. Susan and I were having dinner with friends, Nate and Andrea, the other night when they mentioned needing a third for a 3-way 15K relay. They ran it last year with another friend but she's not available to run with them this year. The race is the Huff 'N Puff 15K relay in Sheffield, Alabama on March 13. Click here for the website. You can run the 15K by yourself or in teams of 2 or 3. So we would be a team of 3 each doing a 5K. That is the Saturday of my Spring Break so the timing works out well. It's not a definite yet, but I'm hoping it'll work out. I always enjoy new races and I've never done a relay before.

I'll let you know if we decide to do it. BTW, it's getting colder. Snow expected at the end of the week. Yuck! I was enjoying the milder running temps, but I know I'll be wishing it was freezing when it starts getting hot out there. Ok, hope everyone had a good day. As always...

Keep runnin',
Albert

(2:37PM - later note - Found out that I am indeed running this relay. I'm excited about it and will add it to my upcoming races list. More info. as it approaches)

Zoo Run Update

6:42AM


I just ran 12 miles in the pouring rain. I am drenched. I almost turned around and decided to wait on it but I decided to stick it out. Glad I did.

Just a quick update on yesterday's Zoo Run. The results have now been posted and they have me at 19:55. I know it's just 7 seconds, but I really think they are off. They have my gun and chip time as the same but I didn't cross the line at the same time as the gun. It was about 5 seconds after the gun went off before I crossed the line. But I'll go with their time. It gives me a better chance of PR-ing in the future. I also found out from the results site that I won my age group!! I've never won my age group. I think I would've gotten a prize, but I left right after the race. Oh well. I may call and see if it's still available.

Ok, gotta go get ready for church. I'm freezing!! Have a good Sunday!!

Keep runnin',
Albert

Zooper Day - 5K PR!

9:47PM

Today was a good day. Running wise. But in other ways too. I got to sleep in. Cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Got to see my sons' basketball games. Youngest son scored in his game and they won. Oldest son didn't score and they lost, but he played well. Great defense and he's getting better. Great weather today. 50's. Maybe low 60's. It was a good day. Running wise - it was a great day.

I ran in my first 5K of the year today at the Nashville Zoo. I did this one two years ago. I took it off last year but decided to try it again this year. It was the first 5K that I've done twice so I knew the course and knew what to expect. My time in 2008 had been 23:13 and I remembered it being a pretty tough course. There are a lot of hills at the Nashville Zoo and A LOT of sharp turns. You are actually running through the zoo so the paths aren't straight. You curve around the animal enclosures and literally run through every nook and cranny of the zoo. I told my wife tonight that they don't leave ANY of the paths out. It's almost like they squeezed every ounce of path into the run through the actual zoo so they could get 3.1 miles and not have you run out of the gates very much. But it's a fun race.

I got there around 2PM. Race was to start at 3. Found out quickly they were postponing 15 min. b/c of heavy traffic. It had been difficult to turn into the zoo. They needed a police officer directing. I registered, got my bib, t-shirt, and chip. T-shirt was cotton. Yuck. I like synthetic. Is that what it's called. That wickin' material. I like that. Oh well, cotton will work. Nice design anyways. It was only 2:10 at that point so I went back to my car to put on my bib and chip. I listened to the radio until about 2:40 and then headed to the start area. I saw a couple of people I knew across the crowd and waved but decided to stay put and not try to wiggle my way through. A friend found me and we stood and talked for a while. I soon saw my wife and boys watching across the crowd on the hill. I was so happy to see them there. My oldest had a b'ball game at 4 so they weren't sure if they would get to come but it's so nice to have family there and it made me feel great. The race started promptly at 3:15.

I was not in the very front so the start was a little rough. I was having to weave around people and run up on the sidewalk to find my place. But I felt good the whole time. I could tell I was going pretty fast. When I hit mile 1, I looked down at my watch. It said 6:08 I think. Wow - way too fast. But I kept going knowing I'd slow down eventually. I did slow down a little but not much. Right after the mile 1 sign, you actually enter the paths of the zoo and start weaving. I remember seeing elephants, tigers, zebras, and lynxes (is that a word?). I probably could've seen more but I wasn't really looking at each animal cage. I hit mile 2 at 12:50. I had slowed down some but not too bad. Could I hit under 20? I thought it might just be possible.

I didn't have a big time goal in this race. I thought I might like to run in the 21 minute range. Like I said, I ran 23 two years ago but I felt I was in better shape today so I hoped to improve a couple minutes maybe. When I looked down at mile 2 and realized that I might beat 20, that felt great. I was breathing pretty hard. I'm pretty sure I scared the little girl that I was running beside at that point. I was tired but I picked it up and passed her. I really wanted to beat 20 even though I never dreamed I would before the race began. Close to the end of mile 2, you hit Meerkat Hill. That's an unofficial name, but that' s what I call it. It's a very short but VERY steep hill next to the meerkats. That was tough.

Now, I know the zoo pretty well. We've been members for a few years now so I knew where I was going and how much I had left. When I hit the 3 mile sign, I knew it was in the wrong place. I knew where the finish was going to be and I knew it was much further than .1 miles away. The 3 mile sign was about at 2.8. But I pressed on knowing it was getting closer. You run out of the entrance gates and approach the finish line in the parking lot. Even though I had my Ipod going, I heard "go Albert" when I came out the gate and knew my family was still there. They had stayed. That meant the world b/c I knew they needed to leave to get to the b'ball game. I turned on the sprint and headed toward the finish. I saw the official clock approaching 20 min. so I sprinted even faster. I stopped my watch at the finish and looked at it. 19:48. That's unofficial. I'm still waiting for them to update the website for my official time, but I beat 20. I can't believe it. When I ran 20:28 in October, I never thought I could beat 20. I felt that would be my best, so I was really excited to beat 20 for the first time since high school. Actually, in high school, we ran 3 miles for Cross Country so this is technically the first time I've beat 20 in the 5K distance.

Needless to say, it was a good day. I'll run 12 in the morning and look toward my half marathon in April. I may have another 5K in March. Just found out about that one last night. More info. to come.

Keep runnin',
Albert

5K This Weekend - It's Gonna Be A Zoo.

8:53AM

I'm getting new running shoes today. This is a love/hate thing. I love going to Fleet Feet and trying on new shoes. I love the feel of a new pair of running shoes. I love browsing around the store. But I hate paying for shoes. I am having to get a pair every 3 months or so and they ain't cheap. But I have to get new ones. The heels on my current shoes are almost gone and I'm starting to feel it. I can absolutely tell when the heels of my shoes start to wear without looking because my heels get sore really quickly, especially when I wake up each morning. Right now, I'm feeling that pain so I've got to get shoes today. I even ran in my everyday shoes last night to avoid further pain.

Oh, by the way, I've got a 5K this weekend - the Nashville "Zoo Run Run 5K". It has literally snuck (is that a word? Sounds weird) up on me. I'm not sure what to expect with this race. I did it 2 years ago and enjoyed it but it wasn't easy. There are some fairly steep hills at the Nashville Zoo and the course is pretty curvy and rough in spots. However, it is fun to be able to run through the zoo and look for the animals as you go. I'm not sure if I have a time goal on this one. 2 years ago, I ran 23:13, but I wasn't in as good of shape as I am now. I guess I would love to run in the 21 minute range. I think that's doable if the conditions are right. I am looking forward to it. It's always nice to get another race under your belt. I'll put up a report on Saturday evening at some point.

I ran in shorts and a t-shirt last night. It was in the 50's and felt great. I'm enjoying this warmer weather although as a teacher, I hope we get at least one more snow day. But I can't complain about the weather lately. It's been absolutely beautiful. Of course, it's raining today, but I know we need that too.


Hope everyone is having a good week.

Keep runnin',
Albert

#7 Revealed

2:49PM

So I didn't run this morning. I'm a little disappointed in myself, but not too much. I actually got up at 4:30 to run and could immediately hear the rain. Not a good sign. I then went to the front door to look outside. It was raining pretty hard. Now, I've run in the rain before, but I just didn't feel like getting cold AND wet this morning. And going back to bed sounded soooooo nice. Plus, I'm off tomorrow for MLK day so I knew I could do it then. So I quickly made that decision. Yes, it would've been nice to get it done but I had some good reasons. So I WILL do my 12 miles tomorrow. I promise.

So I figured it was about time I revealed my surprise. I had put #7 in my "Top Running Moments of 2009" and in my "Running Goals for 2010" as a surprise or something that I couldn't talk about yet. This past week on Thursday, it became official so I can talk about it now. I was asked not to until it was announced. This may not be a big deal to some of you out there reading but it is a very big deal to me. Are you ready? Should I ramble on for another few paragraphs and hold you in suspense? Ok, sorry, here goes:

I was named the new High School Cross Country coach at David Lipscomb High School this week. That's it. Ta-da! Like I said, may be boring for some of you out there, but this is something very exciting for me. I have been coaching middle school Cross Country for 11 years now. And don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed each and every year. I love coaching. And coaching running is so much fun with how much I enjoy the sport myself. But to be able to move up and coach on the high school level has been a dream and goal of mine for several years now. The HS CC program at the school where I teach has a reputation and history of big success and I am really looking forward to being a part of that. Don't get me wrong again - I have some worries and anxious feelings about it. There is a lot of work to do and things to learn. It's a totally different program for MS CC and I don't know a lot about it ...yet. But I know it will go well and I'm going to put everything into continuing the traditions and successes that the program has had.

So there you go. It'll start in the fall (actually summer) so I'll be posting about it I'm sure. I'd appreciate any thoughts, prayers, comments or whatever you've got. But I can't wait to work with these runners. They are an awesome group as I coached most of them just a few years ago. It's gonna be a blast.

Keep runnin',
Albert

Disney Race Video #2

10:56PM

Found another great Disney marathon video. Very well done. Enjoy.



Keep runnin',
Albert

Disney Race Video

11:52AM

Found this on another runner's website. His name is "runblogger" and you can find the website by clicking here. He ran Disney this year and posted a great video. Makes me all the more excited to run next year. Enjoy.

Runblogger Runcast #6 - The 2010 Disney Marathon from Pete Larson on Vimeo.

Keep runnin',
Albert

Well, It's Official. I.....AM....(wait for it)....GOOFY!!

10:59PM

It's late. Just got back from a college basketball game. Lipscomb vs Belmont. Lipscomb won. Yahoo. Good game. But I had to post before I went to bed.

I am officially registered for the Goofy Challenge 2011!!

I will run a half marathon on Saturday, January 8, 2011 and a full marathon on Sunday, January 9, 2011 in Disney World. This has been a goal and dream of mine for about three years now and I can't believe I'm officially registered. There's no turning back now. Unless I want to lose 300 bucks. I have a year to plan and get excited. I'm already excited. I'm pumped. I have several internet running friends who are planning to do it also so I'm excited to meet up with them as well.

Ok, that's it. Short post. Just had to share.

Keep runnin',
Albert

Am I Crying?

6:35 AM

10 degrees!! 10 stinkin' degrees. That was the temp this morning when I set out for my Sunday long run. I just finished the 12 miles in 1 hour and 35 minutes so it was a good run, but it was cold. Again, like last week, it wasn't bad once I got warm, but those first few miles....Ouch!

I knew it was cold when I looked at my shoulder around mile 9 or so and noticed that my shoulders and upper chest were covered with about 1/4 inch of snow. And it wasn't snowing. My sweat had literally turned to snow on my shirt. Not kidding. I made snow. I could've brushed it off and gone sledding a little bit. How weird is that?

I also noticed around mile 5 or so that my eyes felt weird. It was like I couldn't blink right or something. I tried to wipe them with my glove but it was too cold and it hurt to rub them so I just left them alone. But they felt weird the whole time. When I got home, I immediately looked in the mirror and my eyelashes and eyebrows had ice all over them. They were frozen. My eyes were frozen open. Of course coming into the warm house, they immedately started to melt and water was falling from my eyes. It was like I was crying. Maybe I was. I don't know. But it felt really good to get inside. It's cold out there and you know what, I'm starting to get tired of it. I know it's January and we've got a lot of winter left, but I'm ready for some warmer temps. At least in the forties or something. It's been in the teens for a week.

I had to nose my Ipod again this morning. See below. I'm getting pretty good at it now.

It also felt good to know I was running at the same time the Disney marathon was going on. I can't wait to hear all the reports from the race. This time next year, I'll be running from park to park.

Hope everyone has a good week. Stay warm. Don't freeze your eyes open.

Keep runnin',
Albert

If I Had 10 Wishes

6:20AM

Snow!! No School!! Actually wait - there's no snow. It's 6:20AM and I just got the call that there's no school today. I'm looking outside and there ain't squat on the ground. Not that I'm complaining. Hey, teachers love the snow days just as much (actually more) as the students do. We have no school because they say the snow is coming. Supposed to hit this morning which would make the afternoon pickup a slippery situation. I hope the snow does come. Our sleds are drastically unused. They look so lonely and new over there in the corner of the garage. I'd like to put a few scratches on them today. We'll see.

So as I'm wishing for some snow this morning, I started thinking about wishing for other things, related to running. If I had 10 wishes, obviously I wouldn't wish them all on running. I'd probably do the old "wish for more wishes thing". I know - so cliche. Maybe I'd wish for world peace. Naaaah - boring. I don't know what I'd wish for if I had 10 wishes. I'd have to put a lot of thought into that. BUT - if I had to use my 10 wishes on running, I know what I'd wish for. Here are my 10 dream races. In other words - these are the top 10 marathons I would LOVE to run. I hope to do some of them in the future. Not sure if I'll get to them all, but if I had those wishes....

MY MARATHON WISH LIST (Click on each for the race website and more info.)

1. Goofy (Half and Full at Disney) - This has been my dream for a long time and if you read this blog, I know you're probably sick of me talking about it, but I can't deny my dream. This is one of the few on this list that I'm 90% sure is gonna happen. Next year!

2. Boston - Come on. The marathon of marathons!! I would love to run Boston. Problem - you have to qualify and the qualifying time for my age is 3:10 (3:15 when I turn 35 this year). I think that's a stretch for me. If I'm still running like I am now when I'm 50 years old (3:35 qualifying time), maybe. But this would be the ultimate dream race for me.

3. Chicago - I've also wanted to run this marathon for a while. I've heard so many great things about it and I love the city of Chicago. This one also has a pretty good chance of happening in the next few years. Maybe this year.

4. Marine Corps (D.C.) - I think it would be awesome to run a race around the national monuments in Washington. I've enjoyed the couple of time I've gotten to go there and I would love to run this race. I have also heard some great things.

5. New York - Another classic. I really enjoyed watching this one on TV a few weeks ago. I also love going to NY and would love to run through it with the many thousands.

6. Big Sur - This one takes place in Carmel, California along the Pacific Coast. I don't know a lot about it, but I've heard great reviews and seen some amazing pictures. The scenery is amazing and I think it would be a fun one to run. Plus it would be fun to do a race out west as all my other wish races are in the eastern U.S.

7. Rocket City (Huntsville) - I almost did this one for my fall 2009 race, but I chose Memphis instead. I've heard this course is great. Flat. It's close. I may tackle this one some day.

8. Flying Pig (Cincinnati) - Another one I've heard a lot about but don't know much. Have some friends at church that have done it and liked it. This one seems to have a lot of neat traditions and the name alone makes me want to run it. And Cincy's not too far away.

9. Chicamauga Battlefield - This one takes place in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. It's a 2 loop course which I don't like but I've heard it's a great course, one that's very historic, scenic, and exciting. I've also hard this is a very family friendly race. It would only be a couple of hours away so I would enjoy giving it a shot.

10. TIE - Little Rock or St. Louis - I would like to do both of these. Again, they aren't too far away and I enjoy big city races. I love the city of St. Louis and would enjoy running through it. I've only been to Little Rock once, but I've read good reviews of this race.

So there's the list. My top 10 (well OK - 11) dream marathons. I may add this list to my sidebar over there and keep track as I hopefully accomplish some of these. If anyone reading has run these or has other recommendations, let me know.

By the way - I unexpectedly was a part of the Runners Roundtable podcast again last night. I just logged in to listen and ended up making a couple of comments. My mic wasn't working well so it was hard to hear me but it was fun to again be a part. I enjoyed the show which was a call in "Resolutions" episode.

Ok, I think I just saw a spare flake out the window so I'm going to get the sled. Have a great weekend!

Keep runnin',
Albert

Nosing my Ipod

10:06PM


Brrrrrrr. It's Fuh-Reeezing out there!! I'm proud of myself. I did my long run this morning. I'll admit that I debated it ever so briefly when my alarm went off at 4:40AM. I knew it was going to be so cold out there and I quickly asked myself, "Do I really need to run 12 miles? 12? I could sleep another hour and just run 5 or 6." But that quickly passed. I put on my hat and gloves and set out in low teen temps. It was soooo cold. It's hard the first couple of miles. After that it does get easier to bear the cold.

Here's the thing....I couldn't do it without the gloves. My hands can't take the extreme cold. The problem.....I can't work my Ipod with my gloves on and I can't take my gloves off after a couple of miles. Why you ask? My gloves are thick. They aren't even running gloves. They are just regular winter...play in the snow...gloves. So my hands sweat in them. So if I take them off, they are too wet to put my hands back in. This morning on mile 3, my Ipod starting messing with me. First one headphone went out. Then the volume mysteriously went up too loud. I groaned and took my glove off and fixed it all. Then I struggled to get the wet glove back on. Then, around mile 6, I needed to turn the Ipod dial to a new selection. I wasn't about to take that glove off again so I was in a bit of a pickle. I thought - what can I use to change this Ipod. I tried to use my gloved hand but Ipod doesn't read glove when you are turning the round part. Just FYI in case you didn't know. Apparently Ipod needs bare skin. How does it know? Ipods are apparently pretty smart. Anyways, I didn't have a lot of exposed bare skin because of the afore mentioned extreme coldness. So I used one of the few exposed parts....my nose. I moved my (runny, but effective) nose around the Ipod dial to change my music selection. It worked! Side note....you might not want to use my Ipod now or my gloves for that matter. But it worked! I was proud of my resourcefullness. Is that a word? I'm sure if anyone was looking out of their home or driving by, they thought I was using my Ipod as a Kleenex but I wasn't. I was using it as a Ipod dial turner. It does work. So there's my running tip of the week.

Noses work on Ipods.

And you thought this blog was pointless!!

Like I said, it wasn't too hard after I ran a few miles but it was a little painful when I got home. I was pretty red all over from the cold and not to get too personal here, but I had to shower pretty soon after I got home to get ready for church and the hot water on my cold body actually hurt pretty bad. Guess I didn't let my body warm up naturally or something. It's supposed to get even colder this week. But I plan to keep running. Can't stop now.

Good luck to all those running the Disney marathon this coming weekend!! I plan to be there next year. Can't wait! Until then....

Keep runnin',
Albert

Twenty Ten. Let It Begin. Goals for 2010.

9:20 PM

As tomorrow is New Year's Eve, I figured I'd better close out this year 2009 with one final post. And what better way to close it then to let you know some running goals I have for next year. 2010 will begin in a little over 24 hours and as I look back to what I've accomplished this year, I can't help but think about what I'd like to accomplish in the new year. So I submit below some running goals I've set for myself to be completed by this time next year. I tried to keep it at 10, but there were a couple left over that I couldn't just get rid of. So there are 12 goals instead. I'll comment about each. They are in no particular order:

1. Register for Goofy 2011. I really hope this works out. I've talked to Susan and I think I'm good to register but I won't believe it's real until I actually press that "confirm" button. I should know in less than 2 weeks. This will be a dream come true if it happens.

2. Improve my half-marathon time. I'm running the Country Music half in April and I'd really like to PR. I'll have to beat 1:34:44. It won't be easy but it'll be a goal. It'll all depend on how I'm feeling, the weather, etc. Stay tuned.

3. Register for a fall marathon, preferably Chicago. I don't know if Chicago will work out with my schedule and money, but I really want to do it some day. If I can't do it in 2010, I want to run some full marathon next fall.

4. Run at least two 5k's. I'm already registered for the Zoo 5K in January, but I'd like to do at least one more at some point, maybe the Cedar Hall one again on Halloween. That was a lot of fun, but it might be fun to try a new one.

5. Run my first 10k. I haven't done this distance yet in a race and I'd really like to. I'll have to do some internet searching to find one close by.

6. Run more with my wife. Susan has gotten into running a little more and the couple of times we've run together have been great. I'd also like to convince her to run/walk a half marathon. I thought she might do the CMM in April but it's gonna take some more convincing.

7. That surprise thing again. I made this #7 again like I did with my "look back" below. Can't talk about this one yet but I promise I will soon. It will definitely have a goal along with it for the new year.

8. Run 1300 miles. I think this is a very reasonable goal. I almost put 1400 but I'll play it safe. I'm pretty sure I've run 1300 this year, but I lost my log from before June so I can't be sure. I'll have to keep my long runs on Sunday pretty consistent to meet this one.

9. Run a 50 mile week. I came pretty close while training for this recent marathon. 45 is my record. This one will probably have to wait until I'm training for a fall marathon but I think I can do it.

10. Keep my weight in the 150's. This one is pretty important. Eating is so hard for me so I'm going to really try to watch it. I don't want to let myself go again. Gotta keep looking at that picture below.

11. Stay injury free. It could really make a lot of these goals difficult if I were to get injured so it's very important I stay healthy and watch my step.

12. Run at Disney. This one is pretty specific and kindof minor, but in all the trips we've taken to Disney, I've never gone for a morning run. Mostly because we are out so late and up so early that I need the sleep, but I'd like to do some exploring and go running at least once. So I plan to do that when we go this coming May.

So there they are. I'll put these over on the right soon and keep up with them throughout the year, letting you know when I've accomplished one. Happy New Year to everyone. Hope your 2010 is the best year yet!

Keep runnin',
Albert

SCREECH on Mile 9!

10:41AM

First of all, I don't mean this Screech. Although I have to give a shout out to Samuel "Screech" Powers. I grew up on "Saved by the Bell." Great show. Extremely cheesy but I watched it. I'll admit it. Gotta love Screech - that crazy character. Don't get me wrong, he's a psycho now, but back in the day he was classic. But again - that's not the screech I meant. I actually heard a screech this morning and it WAS loud. Wanna hear the story? Too bad - here goes:

I'm in Athens, Georgia visiting my in-laws for the holidays. I knew I wanted to do a long run this morning. Just because we go out of town doesn't mean I get to skip my Sunday morning long run. It would be a good excuse, but I knew I wanted to do it. Plus, I kindof like running in new places. So I mapped out a course on Google Earth. It was basically a big loop that turned out to be 11.3 miles. I had no idea how the roads would be or how hilly they would be. But it turned out to be fine. There were a couple of huge hills, but the roads and traffic were fine. I started the run around 7AM so I could be back in time to go to church with the family at 9:30. Everything went well. I felt fine. I was listening to my IPod. This morning it was a podcast about the Disney marathon weekend coming up. So I was very interested. Even though I'm not planning to do it until next year, it was still a very interesting topic and they were going through the whole weekend detail by detail. I had just gotten to mile 9 when I heard the screech. I'll admit - I listen to my Ipod fairly loud especially when I'm listening to podcasts as opposed to music. I want to be able to hear the people talking even if a loud truck or something goes by me. So the fact that I heard the screech over my Ipod meant it was pretty loud. Plus, I was probably close to 1/2 mile away from the source. So I repeat - it was LOUD.

I remember that my first thought was a wreck. But then I quickly dismissed that as I looked toward the direction the screech came. I couldn't see anything because of the trees blocking the view. Plus, I was coming up a hill and the screech was out of my view. My 2nd thought was just someone braking hard or stepping on the gas pretty hard. I assumed it was one of the two. Some crazy person trying to show off I guess. That was what I assumed, but I should've stuck with my initial reaction.

As I turned on the next street just 30 seconds later, I could tell that something wasn't right. There were 3 people standing in the road looking at something in a yard. I ran a little faster and pushed pause on my Ipod. It hit me then that I was coming upon a wreck. But I had no idea how bad it was going to be. It was a single car wreck - a truck had swerved into a yard, cut a metal sign in half, and run into a large tree. The truck was totaled. The front of the hood was nearly touching the windshield if that gives any indication of how fast this man was going. I was the fifth person to come upon the scene. A couple driving the other way had watched it happen. He was a doctor luckily. The other couple out there was from a house close by. They had heard the screech too. They would later tell me that it was the 3rd wreck at that spot within a month. (In fact one person flipped their car into the brush and left the car there. The man found it while mowing. Yikes.) Anyways, I came upon them and asked if the man was okay. The doctor was tending to him, holding a rag on a pretty large gash in his forehead. The airbags had deployed. Not sure if he was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. It was off when I got there. Fluids were leaking out of the engine like crazy. The doctor's wife said he was swerving all over the road before he went into the yard and hit the tree. Nobody had any idea why. She said she didn't think he had been drinking. He was going to be okay, thankfully, but he was pretty out of it. I heard the doctor ask him what day it was and I don't think he knew. A few others stopped. A couple minutes later we heard the sirens. I actually had to direct the ambulance to the right spot because they were up on the other road, where I was when I heard the screech. I ran towards them waving my arms and they turned down the road. 2 police cars came and a firetruck. I stuck around for about 10-15 minutes and then decided to leave. As I ran off with a mile and a half to go, it hit me that if I had been there just two minutes earlier, he could've easily swerved and hit me. Glad I didn't leave earlier or run faster.

So that was my morning adventure. It just goes to show that you never know what you'll see out running. I've seen wrecks before but never that soon after it happened. I hope the guy will be okay. I may watch my back a little closer running on that road this week. Be careful out there.

By the way - our family made another video, kindof a post-Christmas adventure. Check it out on Youtube if you have the time. Click here.


Keep runnin',
Albert

Somebody's Following Me So I'll Look Back

9:38 PM

Ok, nobody's following me. I just wanted to get your attention. But here's why I put that. I often run at night, which I enjoy doing b/c it's peaceful and the roads are clear. But the multiple street lights make several shadows of me on the road and I always think somebody is running right behind me. It actually scares me for a split second every time. I have to move my arms in some crazy way to make sure all the shadows are in fact me. And I'll often look back to make sure nobody is there. Happened again tonight. I'm paranoid. I know. Just another thing that makes me a little crazy.

But here's the real reason for the "look back" in the title. I thought I'd look back on 2009 and list the top 10 moments in my running or related to running. 2009 was a great year for running. In fact it was by far the best running year I've ever had. Listing 10 favorites was pretty easy. So here they are with a little comment about each:

10. Trek in June. Now technically this was not "running" but we sure did do a whole lot of walking. We walked many many miles to get to the top of Mt. Antora in Colorado. It was one of the best weeks of my life and I will never forget it. So it has to go on this list.

9. Losing a good bit of weight. I don't know how much I actually lost this year. But when I weighed myself the Sunday before the St. Jude marathon and saw 149, it was pretty exciting. I do like being semi-skinny again.

8. Co-hosting the Runners Round Table podcast last week. I know this just happened, but it was a lot of fun and it felt good to be a part of that. It just made me realize what a great group of runners are out there and it's so much fun to talk with them and share stories. I'm already in talks to do another show and am very excited.

7. It's a secret. I'm not at liberty to mention #7 yet, but I promise I will very soon. Let's just say something happened related to running that I'm very excited about but I have to wait a little longer to share it. Sorry. Soon, I promise.

6. Starting this blog. I have really enjoyed keeping up with this blog and it has enabled me to get in touch with a lot of runners out there. It helped me with #8 up there. It's a great way to keep track of what I'm doing and share with others who are interested as well. Plus, I really enjoy reading other blogs too.

5. The trip to Memphis. I'll mention the actual race in Memphis in a second, but just the trip was fantastic. It was my first "running trip" and it was a blast. It made me want to travel more to run races. It's fun and easy to run local races but there is something about traveling, exploring a new city, and being part of a new race that makes it really special.

4. Placing 2nd at the Cedar Hall School 5K on Halloween. I had no idea what to expect that day and the race conditions were less than favorable. But it ended up being a great day and I was pretty proud of my performance.

3. Finishing the one mile race with Carter in April. Carter and I ran 25.2 miles together, one mile at a time, before the one mile race downtown on the night before my first marathon. So together, we ran 26.2 miles and had a great time. He did so well that night and running with him, finishing with him, high-fiving Coach Jeff Fisher at the end, and seeing the smile on his face when we had a great time was awesome. I loved running with my son and am excited we're doing it again this year.

2. The marathon in Memphis. It was my 2nd marathon to finish but my first one to run completely and my best time with 3:38. It was such a great day. One of the best of 2009. I will never forget this marathon. It's almost a tie with #1. I absolutely loved running this race.

1. Finishing my first marathon ever. April 25. Country Music marathon here in Nashville. No, the race didn't go exactly as I'd hoped and the heat was brutal, but it was still my first. I did finish it and so it has to be on top. I never dreamed, even a couple years ago, that I would ever finish a marathon. And so to actually be able to say I did was such an unbelievable feeling. It filled me with so much happiness and self-confidence. It was a life-changing, once in a lifetime, experience.

So there they are. In my next post, I plan to list my 10 goals for running in 2010 so check that out. I'll try to post it over the weekend. I am having a little bit harder time getting motivated to run since my marathon. It's hard when my next big race is so far away. But I've still been doing pretty good. I ran 11 on Sunday and it felt good. Planning to do another long run this Sunday.

Since this is my last post before Christmas, let me say Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope everyone has an amazing holiday and a very happy new year!

Keep runnin',
Albert

My Co-Hosting Gig. The Runners Round Table.

5:15AM

Ok, I never thought I'd use the word "Gig." But anyways...

I was privileged to be a part of an awesome experience last night. I was invited to serve as co-host of the Runners Round Table podcast. Mike was the host and Lesley and I co-hosted. We interviewed Jan Seely and Joe Henderson from the magazine Marathon and Beyond. Jan is one of the owners and editors of the magazine and Joe is a regular contributor and has written many books himself. You can find, listen and download the show here at the Runners Round Table website or on iTunes. I'll be honest. I hadn't heard of "Marathon and Beyond" before I was asked to do this, but after reading about it in preparation for the show and talking with Jan and Joe, I would love to get this magazine. I think I am getting a free copy in the mail because of a special offer that was made on the show but this may be a late addition to my Christmas list. Their story about how the magazine got its start was amazing and the features inside sound very appealing. It is over 200 pages and is bound more like a book than a magazine. It is something you keep and refer back to. Not something you throw away like most magazines.

Anyways - I loved serving as the co-host and hope to do it again sometime. Yes, I was a little nervous before it began and I wasn't sure what to expect, but once it started, it was smooth sailing. I sat next to my computer with my cheesy mic headset, watched the chatroom, listened and threw a question in when I could. It was just like having a conversation around a table with a great group of people. Hence the name of the show I guess. Oh well - check it out if you have some time. This is a great podcast and I've listened to several other episodes while running.

Shout out to Mike and Lesley. Thanks to you both. It was an honor to work with you and I hope to do it again.

Keep runnin',
Albert

Flight is Booked. Yee-haw.

11:13AM

Booked our flight to Disney today for our trip in May. I knew Southwest opened up their flight schedule through August today and so I was watching and waiting all morning for the dates to switch. Had to be first, you know.

We'll fly out at 8:35 AM. There was a 6:10AM flight and I really wanted to take it. Again - have to be first, you know. But then I thought, do we really want to get up and be at the airport at 5AM? Sure. But who is going to take us to the airport at 5AM. So for the sake of our driver (whoever it may be) I picked the slightly later flight even though it wasn't easy. You're welcome - whoever you are. We'll still get there around 11AM and hopefully be at our hotel by noon or so. We won't even be able to check in but that'll give us plenty of time to eat lunch, maybe take a swim that afternoon and get ready for dinner that night. No parks on that day. Our flight home is at 2:00PM. A little later than we wanted, but otherwise it was get to the airport really early or have to make a stop somewhere. I didn't want to have to stop and change planes. And I really didn't want to have to get up super early on our last day. That just makes it even more depressing to be leaving DW. 2:00 will give us time to eat a nice breakfast and have plenty of time to make it to the airport. We'll still get home around 3:00 with the time change.

So it's booked. Done. Official. Awesome. Can't wait. The countdown begins. Disney 2010!!

More to come.

Keep runnin',
Albert

At Least I Made the Effort - Quick Update

7:01AM

Quick update from last night's post -

I got up at 4:30 this morning to run. I really did. I was going to do it. But it was pouring down rain. I guess I could've run in the rain but I really didn't want to get drenched for 10 miles this morning so I went back to bed. I can't lie. It felt so good to go back to bed. So I'll take this week off from my long run but I promise I'll do one next Sunday. Rain or shine.

Did I just promise? Can't back out now.

(Later note - I ended up running 5 miles today so that's not bad.)

Keep runnin',
Albert

To Run or not To Run

5:02PM

That is the question. I'll tell you what I mean in a second.

First of all - I've discovered I have a strange habit. Whenever I'm listening to music while I run, I always try to beat the last song to my driveway. In other words, if the timing is right and I think a song is going to end before I get home, I'll sprint and try to beat the song home. I usually end up killing myself and am coughing up my lung when I get there but I feel so good when I beat the song. On the other hand, I am sad and feel like a loser if it beats me. Tonight, I ran three miles and beat the last song by 8 seconds. I was so proud I almost spiked my Ipod into the ground. I know - I have issues.

Ok, back to the title. I'm trying to decide if I should run a long run in the morning. I have run long runs every Sunday morning for the last 6 months with very few exceptions. The only exceptions have been when I was out of town and even then, I sometimes ran on Monday mornings. Tomorrow, I have no excuse not to run unless I use the 'marathon is over. I deserve a break' excuse. Part of me feels like I do deserve a break. "Take a Sunday off, dude. Sleep in. Enjoy the morning." But the other part of me is saying, "keep the streak alive. You'll feel good about yourself. Don't break the habit. You haven't eaten well this week. You need to run off a couple of pounds. Just do it." Which part do I listen to? If I do run, I'll probably do between 8-10 miles. I thought about not doing a long run again until January but I would hate to start my long runs back at 4 or 5 miles which is what I'd have to do.

I don't know what I'll decide. I really don't. I'm torn. Guess you'll know when you check my running log over there to the side.

I only ran 14 miles this week. That's the lowest in a long time but I was trying to let my body recover from the marathon. I think it's fine. No pains and running still feels good.

One more thing - I meant to put the link to our Youtube Christmas video on here in case anyone reading didn't see it on Facebook. Check it out if you want. Here's the link. Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

Keep Runnin',
Albert

Post-Race Depression (But I'm just "Dimpled")

8:31 AM

First of all, don't let the title scare you. I'm not depressed. I'm not even sad. I'm actually quite happy. It's almost Christmas. I'm about to have a 2 week vacation. I just had a great time and race in Memphis. My family rocks. Lots of reasons to be happy. But I am just a little....what's the word...."nostalgic" maybe? Not sure if that's the right word. Maybe "dimpled" b/c a dimple is a slight depression. My depression is slight. It's small. It's low. It's wee. Ok, way too long of an intro.

The point is, I miss Memphis and the race. I have been preparing for this marathon since the beginning of summer. June. And now it's done. It's a little sad. I had such a great experience. Great trip. Great friends. Great basketball game with great dinner. Great hotel (ok, "Great" is a strong word but it was adequate and memorable). Great weather. And great, great race. Near perfect. And so I can't help but wonder - is that it? Will I ever again have a race that goes so well? Is that the best time I will ever have and it's downhill from here? It's just kindof a nostalgic feeling. Again, not sure if that's the right word but I looked it up and nostalgic means "a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life" and part of me wants to be back there doing it all over again. I'm sure I'll get over it, but just curious if any other runners out there have ever felt this way after a big race.

Ok, on to new things. I'm sure that's what I need to do is focus on a new race. And I have a couple on the horizon. I did decide to run the Zoo 5K on January 23. I'm looking forward to it. It was a fun race when I did it 2 years ago so I'll start preparing for that. I am going to take it easy this week and let my body fully recover from running 26.2 miles. So my mileage will be way down this week but it'll start picking up again.

I'm also registered to run the Country Music Half Marathon in April. I decided after last year not to do the full again. I think that's a marathon where once is enough. It's not the best of courses and my experience wasn't great, mainly b/c of the heat which I know is not the race's fault. But I decided I would go back to the half b/c I wanted to make a goal of improving my half time of 1:34:44. Granted, that will be tough to beat, but I'll try. I'll talk more about that race as it approaches in April.

As far as the future after that...who knows? I would love to run the Chicago marathon next fall. That is definitely a goal at some point in the future. I just have to see about funding and timing. But I've heard nothing but good about that race. I also am still planning to do the Goofy challenge in 2011. I will most likely register for that race in about a month. Again, funding and timing will be an issue that I'm still working out, but I'm very hopeful.

One new feature I'm adding to this blog. It's "What's on my IPOD?" My Ipod and music is vital to my running. I really enjoy listening to music, podcasts, and other things so I thought I'd share what's motivating me each week. It might be a podcast, a particular music artist, or just a specific song that gave me a running boost. I'll try to update it each week.

Ok, that's it. I ran my first 3 miles last night since the marathon. It was pouring rain and very windy so it was tough. It felt good, but I was completely drenched when I got home. I'll try to run again tonight. Thanks for all the positive comments from my race-post. I appreciate them all.

Keep runnin',
Albert

2nd Marathon? Check. (The Report)

11:10PM

It's over. My 2nd marathon is in the books. It's hard to believe it's done. So here's the report in a lot of detail. If you want the "Cliff Notes," let me know.

I slept so good last night. I was in a run down motel in a scary part of Memphis, but I slept great. I was so tired. It was so cold outside but so warm in our room. It was a great sleep. Mark agreed. He slept good too. He said he hadn't gone to bed that early (11:00) since high school. I believe him. Our cell phone alarms went off at the exact same time. Exactly. No lie. It was freaky. 5:30AM. We got up, showered, put on our race stuff and checked out of the hotel. Went out to our cars, crossed our fingers that they would still be in one piece, they were, loaded up, and headed to the parking garage downtown. Oh yeah - it was stinkin' freezin'!!! I mean cold. In the 20's. It was 26 at the start of the race so it was even colder when we got there. We walked to the finish which was at the baseball stadium so I could check my bag. We had to shed our coats at that point because otherwise we would have to leave them when the race started. Now, Mark already had on shorts which I thought was crazy, but when he took off his jacket and had nothing but a t-shirt, I knew he was nuts. I had on long pants and 2 shirts (one long, one short). And I was freezing. How he didn't die on the spot of hypothermia I'll never know. We walked back to the Forum and thanked God when we saw it was open and warm inside. We just hung out there for a while and talked and watched people. They had bagles and water. I was a little unimpressed with the breakfast selection. Nashville is better in that regard but that's about it. Keep reading.

At 7:30 we decided to head toward the start line. We got in corral 4. You could choose your corral based on your projected pace. I decided I was going to try and stick with the 3:45 pace setter. I knew I was trying to break 4 hours so I figured sticking with him would give me a little cushion if I needed to slow down later in the race. It was very cold just standing out there. Everyone was jumping around, moving, and stretching to keep warm. I had my trusty socks on my hands since I forgot gloves. They weren't doing squat. I might as well have been holding ice cubes. But I guess it was better than no gloves. Sorry Mark. The race started right at 8. Our corral slowly moved up. They were letting a corral go every 1-2 minutes. Our corral got up to the start and the announcer said go. My 2nd marathon had begun.

I was excited that I was going to try and stay with a pace setter. I've never done that before. I don't know why. One of my biggest problems in my previous races has been going out too fast every time. This would force me to stay on pace the whole time. The start was great. The first few miles were great. Right after mile one, someone threw a knit hat into the bushes right in front of us. Mark did a spin move, stepped into the bushes and grabbed that hat. I told him I saw lice falling from the guy's head but he didn't care. He tried it on. Didn't fit well or something. He left it for someone else. Mark and I stayed together for the first 7 miles or so. Around mile 2 or 3, I guess we both realized that 3:45 pace setter was going a little too slow. We sped up and caught up to the 3:40 guy. I thought that still wouldn't be too fast but would build an even bigger cushion, plus I was starting to slightly fill the urge to go to the bathroom so I needed a little extra cushion when bathroom time hit.

It hit Mark around mile 7. He ran for a port-a-john and said he'd catch up to me. He never did but that was fine. I was happy we'd stayed together that long. He was doing great and I was very impressed, especially since 8 miles was the longest he'd run in his training. He would end up running the whole way and getting 1:50 in his first ever half-marathon. That's awesome and I'm extremely proud of him. He had to leave right after the race to go back to Harding, but we talked on the phone later. Let me just say here that it was so nice to have a friend there to room with, run with, and talk with. It made the trip 1000 times better. Ok, back to me.

I was having a great race. The weather was PERFECT!! It was cold for the first 3 miles but after that I wasn't cold anymore and the cold air felt great! I could've shed my sock gloves but I kindof didn't want to. My hands were still a little cold, plus they made a nice sweat and (sorry this is gross) runny nose rag. Only problem - I had worn those socks the night before so every time I wiped my forehead or nose, I had to smell them. They stunk. I would end up wearing them the entire race. They eventually didn't smell as bad or maybe I got used to it. But those socks were good to me. I hated to throw them out, so I didn't.

Around mile 10, I knew I would have to use the bathroom soon. I just can't go a whole marathon without going. I repeat what I said on my last marathon report - "anyone who can go a whole marathon without using it is a hero in my book, bladder of steel." I hated to stop for 2 reasons. One - sometimes when you stop, your legs will stiffen up and it's very hard to get going again. Two - I didn't want to lose my pace guy. So I sped up and got a little ahead of him. But I soon had to stop. I found a port-a-john at mile 12. I was done in 25 seconds. It would've been 15 but I couldn't get my pants untied. Stupid knot. I came out of the john running. I decided I just had to go for it and hope my legs wouldn't stiffen up. They didn't. When I came out, I could see the 3:40 guy up ahead. I would have to speed up a little to catch him but it wasn't too hard to do that. I caught him.

Now, mile 14 was where I had to stop on the last marathon. When I got to that and felt great I knew this race was going to be different. Let me just say here that I listened to my Ipod the entire time for this race and it really helped. I know it's "frowned upon" and "real racers don't need music" blah blah blah, but I don't care. It helps me. I find myself really listening to a podcast or singing along with songs and it's great. I don't care what anyone says. It helped and I'll probably do it the next race.

Miles 18-20 were probably the hardest but even then, they weren't that hard. This race just went really well. I love the course. I love the crowd. I love the spectators. I meant to say that from mile 5-6, we actually ran through the St. Jude campus and there were many kids cheering us on. That was awesome! But I loved this race. I would love to do it again some day.

22 miles is the longest I've ever run without stopping. When I got to 22 and still felt great, I knew I was going to run this entire race without walking. That made me feel really good. I felt so good that I sped up a little and moved ahead of the 3:40 pacer guy. I could see downtown approaching again and I knew the finish was getting closer. That was motivation to go a little faster. Now mile 25 seemed to last forever. I guess I was really anticipating the finish. Plus, at the end of mile 25, they make you go up this short but very steep hill. I, along with everyone around me was saying "what in the world???" But when you get to the top, you see the "mile 26" sign and it's all downhill from there into the baseball stadium. The stands were full of cheering spectators. The announcer was looking at numbers and calling out names. Not sure if he called mine or not. I was too busy listening to the cheers and screams. I crossed the line and stopped the timer on my Ipod. It said 3:38. I couldn't believe it. Not only did I beat four hours, I beat it bad.

They put the medal around my neck. It felt great. We were ushered to the food/drink area for runners. Very awesome. So much better than Nashville (which is granola bars and water basically). Memphis had pizza (!!!), doughnuts, cookies, fruit, soda (!!!- that was the best tasting Sprite I've ever had - I'm serious), hot chocolate, water, powerade and probably more. I pigged out. I felt I deserved it. I ran into Nate and Andrea again. They took the two pictures you are seeing. The small figure in black is me going through the finish line. I walked to my car and drove the three hours home. It went by fast because I was having that runner's high.

Needless to say, it was a great day and a great trip. I had an amazing time and I can't wait to run the next one. Who knows when the next full will be? I'm running the Nashville half in April but that's all I have on the calendar right now. My official time, after looking on the results webpage, was 3:38:55. I'm very pleased with that. It'll be hard to improve upon but we'll see. I was also very proud that I didn't walk like I had to back in April in Nashville.

In April, I finished my first marathon. Today, I ran my first marathon.

Keep runnin',
Albert

We're Here. We're in our Hotel. And We're Alive!

9:57PM

Well, we're here. I'm sitting in my Super 8 hotel room as I write this. Mark's sitting on his bed watching the movie "300" on TV. I've got to get to bed soon so this won't be too long, but so far, so good. I got here around 4PM and came straight to the hotel to check in. It's not that bad....yet... I realize we haven't left yet. No, it is not a luxury hotel and many would call it "dirty" or "run down" but it's your typical Super 8. Our room has heat, hot water, 2 beds, a TV, a fridge, a microwave, a safe, towels, etc. etc. It's fine. It's actually a lot better than I thought. The parking lot is well lit and there are security cameras all over the place. I'm feeling pretty good about it.

However, there is a slighty scary moment from today...
After I checked in and rested for just a few minutes, I drove downtown to the expo center to register. I found a free parking lot. Free. Yahoo! I found a spot pretty quick and pulled in. When I got out of my car, I just happened to look at the car parked next to mine and noticed something was different. Was it the dirt on the car? Was it the slightly old paint job? Or was it the busted window and glass all in the seat? Yes, that was it. It had been broken into. I mumbled under my breath, "you have got to be kidding me." About that time a lady came running up to me and said "Are you the police?". Did I look like the police? Yes, I have a white Honda but it's missing those things - what are they called - blue lights!! I told her, no I was not the police, but I immediately had a question for her. "Should I not park here?" It was an obvious one. The security guard came with her. He was old and didn't seem to care too much that a crime had occurred. I asked him the same question - "Should I not park here?" He said, "I got 4 levels and I can't watch them all." The lady informed me they were waiting for the police b/c obviously her car had been broken into. The police arrived about that time and I just decided to leave my car. I didn't want to find another spot. And what are the chances of them hitting 2 cars right next to each other? I said a prayer as I walked away and looked back one more time at my car. I thought it might be the last time we saw each other.

I went to the expo. It was good. I found Nate and Andrea. Met their friends. Called Mark. He was running a little late so I went with Nate and Andrea and friends to the Forum for the Grizzlies game. It was freezing outside. Still is. We had to wait for a trolley and I realized waiting in that cold that I don't have enough clothes for the race tomorrow. I don't even have gloves. I'm going to have to use my socks as gloves and then pitch them. Not kidding. The game was fine. I'm not a huge NBA fan, but they were winning when we left after 3 quarters and I think they were supposed to get beat. The all-you-can-eat pasta supper at the game was good. I probably ate too much. Mark finally showed up at the game. It was good to see him. Plus he said we could walk to his car which was close and then he'd drive me to mine which was far. That was good b/c I really didn't want to walk to scary lot by myself.

Moment of truth. Would my car be there? I was seriously nervous and had my doubts. I figured if it was there it would at least have some damage. When we got to the parking lot my car was THE ONLY ONE THERE. The only one. It had to be damaged. It was in the middle of a dimly lit garage and Oldy McCareless was nowhere to be seen. I slowly approached. I didn't see any glass. It had made it. God is good. My GPS was still in the console. Now, if it can just survive tonight.

So that's it. I'll write a race report either tomorrow night or Sunday and let you know how it went. I'm excited but anxious to get to bed and get this race started because I know I'll be freezing until it starts.

Ok, I'm off to bed. More to come.

Keep runnin',
Albert