Won Another

I was worried about my fun run this month, because last month it was so bad. You’ll remember, it was August, and I ran a 10K and the conditions were so miserable that I bailed at the 5K mark. What were those conditions? 

Well, I’ll tell you. 

World's Worst Fun Run

I've had a spate of really good fun runs lately, so it only makes sense that I was due for a bad one. What constitutes really good? Good parking, good race routes, good pace, good and fun people to see, good all around. 

This one this past week didn't have any of those. Not a single one. 

Pullups a Flex?

This article (linked HERE) expresses something something I've been a proponent of for a very long time. I think one of the ultimate signs of fitness, at any level, is whether or not the person can do a pullup, and to judge level of fitness, count the number of pullups. 

When I worked as a SEAL PT Course instructor, I was a huge advocate for people to do pullups. So often I would see the ladies cheating, kicking or frogging their way up, what do they call it now? Kipping? I'd see people, women and men, put their feet on a spotter to help them up. 

Another Survival Race

 I ran this 8K race last year, immediately after returning from two weeks in the UK. I looked back to see how I did compared to this year. So I've gone back in my fitness history . . . taken a trip in the "way-back machine" so to speak, so I can see how I compare.

These two images, they are from my 2022 8K campaign.

Can't Slow Down

 I was out of town this past week. I needed to "anchor" myself to the area for an extra day. I knew that I would want to leave early. It's just too easy for me now days to find an early flight home and hop on. Well, I needed to force myself to stay this time. An anchor.

So, naturally, I signed up for a fun run.

I doubt you could find anyone else in the world who uses fun runs as anchors like this. But I do.

Back Into Running (Again)

 The other day I wrote about how I needed to get back into my running. How I had failed so badly at my goal to run a fun run a month for a year. Last year the dog days of August got me. I couldn't find a race in August. This year it was my crazy April and May. Well, I am back on track in June, and hopefully making up for lost ground.

Yesterday I ran a 5K. Ran fairly fast too. Surprisingly fast . . . but isn't that the way I always run these damn things.

Back Into Running

A few posts ago I gave an update on my running and racing. You'll remember I had that goal to run a 10K a month for a year. You'll also recall that I failed. 

March and April just became too tough for me to keep at it. Too many things going on. Too many activities. 

Runs Down and Out (but Coming Back)

So, one of my goals this year was to run 10K’s a month. It could be as two 5K races, or as one 10K race. But some how, some way I needed to run 10K a month. 

Well, remember when I said this spring was tough for me. School, work, life, etc. Well, guess what fell apart right about the April or May time frame. Yeah, that’s right, the 10K challenge. 

March Run

I tried to run in Sugar Land in March. I failed. I showed up but I couldn't find it. I tried to find it but I didn't look hard enough. So I quickly found another race, this one in Pearland, to run. 

I promise, I promise! . . . that I was going to run slow. I was going to take it easy. But then I get out there. I see my running buds. I'm surrounded by other crazy people who are up too early on the weekend to pound the pavement. And what happens? I go too fast. 

I Won?

I didn’t really win . . . I came in first in my division. Now, there are those who may say that “sure, but you weren’t running the half marathon, just the 5K, so the field is weak.” Those people would be correct. Then there are those who might say, “Still there were over 500 people in the 5K race and you won your age group among them!” I think they are more right. 

What’s this mean? First it means I’ve hit 10K for the month. Really I’ve hit well over 10K for the month. How many K’s is 5 miles plus 3 miles? Like 12K right? 

So, that’s good. Secondly, I ran this one just for fun. I started slow, 8 min pace, then got frustrated with the crowds around me and took off for the next two miles.

I’ll say this. I’ve run a lot of races in my life. Not only that, in college I helped organize races for the city. I’ve got some experience. No race organizer ever should have both the half marathon course and the 5K course loop almost completely around the parking lot. Doing this means that every car is trapped by the runners trickling around the course for as long as the course is open. What? 3 hours? Sure, runners can do what I did and sneak between gaps in runners, but that’s putting people at risk. Instead they should have placed the route away front the damn parking lot. It’s stunning to me the way that created that route and parking. They should be fined. 

Other than that, I’ll say this . . . It was super cold!

Survival Mode Activated

So, I ran a five miler today. I think I’m evolving the resolution this year from a fun run a month to making sure I run at least 10K fun runs worth a month. What’s this mean? Well, last month I ran a 10K. Today I ran a 5 miler. Is that 10K? Nope. So, now I have to go find a 1K. 

Guess what fans? There is not 1K er out there. So your hero needs to go find another run. Guess what! I did! 

Next week I’ll run a 5K in Katy. Just a little 5K race. So that plus this 5 miler will be way over 10K. Why not just do the 10 miler that was a part of today’s race? Cause I’m not crazy. 

I really don’t like long races anymore. 10K might be my limit for long races. I watched some of those 10 miler people today and I in no way felt jealous of what they were doing. Blech. No thanks. I’ll take a 10 K or a 5 miler any day, but anything beyond that? I just don’t see it. 

Today the goal was to run the first 3 miles as fast as I could then go into survival mode for the last two miles. The thought is that if I can do that, then my 5K time might improve. Well, there was some damn 20 year old kid who latched onto me at about the 1 mile mark and wouldn’t fall back. He paced off of me for the next two miles staying right on my heels . . . Quite obviously on my heels. Right when we hit 3 miles I told him to go on without me. Did he? Nope! He basically told me to keep it up. Pride is my downfall. But I needed water so at the water break I stopped to walk a bit. Once I started running again he told me to catch them up. I couldn’t. I was dead. Survival mode remember? I kept him in sight and finished within a minute of him, but I couldn’t catch up to him and the other fella that made up their little team. We chatted afterward . . . He was super nice, and oh my gosh I’ve never felt so old! I think he was 20! That’s 30 years difference! 

Where has the time gone!

Partial Success?

The goal was to run a fun run a month for a year. I think I didn’t make August. Who knew it was so hard to find a fun run during August in Houston. But I did two in September (I think), two in October (I’m pretty sure) and I have three weeks left if I’d like to do three in December. 

The one I just did was interesting. First, I know a bad run when I see it. This was a bad one. There’s just one thing I need to see to determine if it’s a bad run. If they say, “10K runners will do two laps” then it’s gonna be a bad run. It was even worse than that though. 

I came in 6th in the 40 to 49 year old group. Strangely, I could have won the 50 year old group. I only have 6 months till that would be my group. 

I love all the families who do runs. . . But I hate when I’m on my second lap and all those walkers are taking up the whole race route. It’s not hard to stay to the right folks. Also, CityCenter. UGH! Why?!?!? There’s no parking, and what is there is $5 per hour. Additionally, none of the shops are open that early. There are no breakfast joints, no donuts, no coffee places. So why do a race there? It’s a mess from a race organization perspective. 

Still it wasn’t a bad run. I wanted to go out fast in the first 5K then just survive the second 5K. I did. Strangely, I got the exact same time as the last 10K. I thought those last three miles would slow me down significantly, . . . It didn’t. At least not as much as I thought it might. 

All in all I think I’ll do the same challenge next year. Maybe I’ll say I have to do 6 of them out of town. That might make it more fun!

Reluctant Hero Strikes Again, This Time at a Turkey Dash

I enjoy posting about my races. When I started this posting activity I hoped it would provide me the opportunity to see growth and change over time. What's funny is that my "wall of fame" where I pin up all of my race number placards and hang my medals, . . . THAT is where I see the progress. 

Why? I guess because whenever I pin up a new race number placard I look at the time that I like to write on each of them. This time I got to write, 10K - 53:20 - 8:33/mi. 

This is a full two minutes faster than my 10K from earlier this year. I've seen steady improvement with each 10K that I do. Which is funny. Why? Well, I went for a two mile run the day before to loosen up for the run. I barely hit 10:00/mi pace. Sure it was just a jog, but it worried me about the race. I shouldn't have been worried. I killed it at the Turkey Dash (why not Turkey Trot?). I guess that says a lot for mass hysteria. 

Finally, on my jog the day before I saw a car accident. Well, it happened behind me. About 100 meters behind me a red car (I'm guessing) tried to take an illegal right turn and got slammed by a van in the next lane. Air bags deployed, cars were thrown askew. On the other side of the street I heard the slam and looked back. I considered running over to offer help, but eventually saw everyone moving and seeming okay, so I didn't. I should have. On my return leg of the jog I saw that the fire dept and ambulance had had to show up. I should have realized that even I, just running over to see if everyone is okay, would have been worthwhile. 

So, on the Turkey Dash run when I saw two little gals, volunteers, teens, standing in the road saying "look out for the body" and I saw a dead raccoon in the middle of the road, where hundred of runners were running, it took me very little time to jog back, and pick it up and move if for the ladies. Poor guy. I took him down the gulley to the little woods and laid him down there with as much dignity as I could. I think all of the teens around me thought I was insane. 

This is something I do often. Whenever I see dead critters on my runs I stop, take off my hat (to use it as a glove) and I move them to a safe area off of the road. I remember this started (naturally) with live turtles in danger, a kitten or two lost on the road, and a dead cat I saw while running with the lifers. I remember performing this "ceremony" for several squirrels, possums, couple raccoons, birds, etc etc. 

I thought that it had killed my time, but really . . . it didn't. It occurred at mile 3. Mile 3 was and 8:21 my mile 4 was 8:36, so not that bad and quite worth it to not be the reluctant hero that I commonly am.