Monday, September 25, 2017

When Life Gives You Lemons, Chuck Those Bastards Back

I don't see myself running anything beyond a five mile collegiate cross country race - I said years ago as a Morehead State Eagle (1994-1997). In the last year, as a still wet behind the ears "40 something", I have run a variety of 10K's, an eight miler, 16 miles (three separate routes) as part of a 24 hour team relay and ... a half marathon?

Out of all of those races, the half is the most surprising to me. It just came out of nowhere...well, actually, it was due to ridicule by some of my The Buck Fifty teammates who have run their fare share. And running the 13.1 mile race is just as odd as being rear-ended while at a dead stop at a red light in front of the President Warren G. Harding Memorial by a guy (who has a name similar to another former president) in an SUV who isn't wearing a shirt or shoes, has a pastel mohawk, no insurance, is wearing SpongeBob SquarePants pajama bottoms and has changed his middle name to "Highlander"within the last month (Yes, this really did happen and to a co-worker. Melinda is okay, but the car she purchased band new just two months ago...isn't. Afterward, I believe she told this guy what he could do with that pineapple under the sea).
President Warren G. Harding Memorial
If you have trained for it, the half is more about making sure you don't psych yourself out. With a goal of 1:30:00, I began putting in the work. Having spent the last year averaging somewhere around 20 to 25 miles a week with long runs of 7 to 8 miles, I needed to increase my mileage per week as well as my long runs to better prepare (and simply get used to) running the 13.1 mile gauntlet. I began this process the day after the August 12th 10K race.

On that race day, I ran along side one of the half marathoners for the first 5K (before our races went separate directions). There I was getting an idea of how one would pace themselves for a half marathon in order to be competitive and not tire themselves out by the halfway point. I tried to apply this to the six weeks I had to play with before race day and it went something like this...

Half Marathon Training:

6 Weeks To Go: 31.93 total miles; 10.22 Saturday long run (7:18 pace); Monday/Thursday off
5 Weeks To Go: 32.93 total miles: 11.18 Friday long run (7:01 pace); Monday/Thursday off
4 Weeks To Go: 33.64 total miles: 12.06 Saturday long run (6:57 pace); Monday/Thursday off
3 Weeks To Go: 34.11 total miles: 12.51 Saturday long run (7:12 pace); Monday/Thursday off
2 Weeks To Go: 34.51 total miles: 13.10 Friday long run (7:22 pace); Monday/Thursday off
*RACE WEEK: 15.63 total miles: 3.05 Thursday leg warmer (6:54 pace); Monday/Friday off

Running a half marathon is a huge step and it reminded me of the last time I had put this amount of effort into a race. It was my last cross country race, my junior year at Morehead State and we were running at Eastern Kentucky University. My personal best five mile time of 27:13 was established, despite the fact I ran the last 3 1/2 miles (or so) with one shoe on. This was after it was partially pulled off after getting stepped on (and spiked), then kicking the shoe off the rest of the way because I didn't want to spend the time to stop and put it back on. I finished 29th, but my cross country season ended after the gash in my heel - from the spike puncturing my shoe and into the back of my heel - became infected (as a team, we won the meet. CLICK for full details).

 I was hoping the half marathon effort would have just as much success, but not end the way things did back in October of 1996. It’s called a race for a reason and – for me, personally – simply finishing was not good enough.

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Live Hard. We Got You
My 13.1 mile seal breaker was supposed to be the Scioto River Run in Powell on Saturday, September 23rd, with acquaintances of mine who run nearby Ill Mannered Brewing Company having their beer available for finishers. Unfortunately, that Wednesday (just three days out), the 1,500 or so of us who signed up receive an email from the organizers that starts like this..."We regret to inform you that as of 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, September 20, 2017, Liberty Township Trustees decided to reverse their favorable vote on a resolution to support the 2017 Scioto River Run. This is a reverse of a previously written approval obtained on February 22, 2017.  We, the organizers of the Scioto River Run are devastated by this decision..." 

A little ticked, since I had this planned for months, I try to let it sink in. Folks were able to get a refund and the back story on the reasoning for the cancellation is long and drawn out - I will save you the details. It boils down to permit issues and some "he said/she said things", apparently and sounds like a bit of a cluster.

On that same day, after mowing the grass at my apartment building (I do this for cheaper rent) after a short run, I notice my keys were missing. Since I was still wearing my running gear and had nowhere to put my keys, I hid them in a plant near a tree in our yard. I did notice a little earlier some dude, whom I didn't recognize, roaming around the building and walking by my hiding place - then hopping into an SUV and leaving. After trying to figure out what I did with them, I determined they had been taken. I contacted my landlord and explained it to her, then contacted the authorities to file a report. As you can imagine, I was highly pissed since my apartment and car keys were now missing in action. Once my landlord and the officer arrive, I see the same SUV returning. The officer continues taking my frustrating detailed report and my landlord saunters over to visit the fellas in the parking lot.

From a distance, you can see the short, fiery brunette get extremely animated and loud (and scary). Before I know it, she has my keys in her hand to go along with a sly "don't-mess-with-me" grin on her face. Alyssa tells me the group claimed to not know anything about the keys, but the dude whom I recognize as the one I saw earlier suddenly "finds" my keys outside the side door of my building - nowhere near where I had been the entire day and mysteriously next to the door he had just exited. Relieved my keys came back unscathed, I requested my apartment door lock be changed and wondered if I should begin polishing the wooden, splintered baseball bat resting in the trunk of my car. I don't believe my keys were duplicated and the officer has their names and car identification, but I'm not taking any chances.

With that out of my way (but still lingering), my biggest issue was the fact I was now race-less for the weekend. After sending off several emails and web posts on various race/running sites, I learned there was a half marathon - on the same day - still taking registration...it was just much further away (90 minutes instead 30) then I had wanted. The Grand Lake Full/Half Marathon in Celina & St. Marys, Ohio would fit in nicely (complete with free beer from Moeller Brew Barn for finishers).

This race would cover the entire northern shoreline of the 13,500 acre Grand Lake, Ohio's largest inland lake. It would, though, force a complete change in my race weekend game plan. The Scioto River Run was in an area familiar to me, this race was in completely new territory...well, mostly new territory. I did apply for a job years ago in Celina while working in the Dallas, Texas area (Addison) and looking to return to Ohio. I was a radio news reporter/anchor back in 2002 and applied for jobs in Newark and Celina. I was given an interview in Newark and eventually hired there. Though, not more than a month later, Celina made statewide and regional news for some flash flooding and one story I read had the radio station I had applied to underwater. Yeah, just a small bullet dodged there.

Grand Lake Half Marathon route
On a whim, for the first time, I started wearing sunglasses while running about three weeks ago. It was just something I didn't do, though I bought a pair of @shadyrays out of simple curiosity - they were relatively cheap, fit well and helped with my lack of ability to see distance in detail: thus, less squinting when the sun is attempting to blind you. Recent training runs with them proved to be less of a distraction than I had imagined. As it would be, they, along with my usual visor, were needed on this day with the full late summer sun throwing everything it had left at us: mid 80's and humid.

Beginning in Memorial Park in St. Marys, we first hear a few words from 2016 U.S. Olympian Jared Ward, followed by the countdown, then the gun. Starting next to the 1:30:00 pacer, my thinking was if I stayed somewhat ahead of him, I could judge my pacing without having to spy my watch every so often. As it would be, the first handful couple miles had Mr. Ward lead away followed by a few super overzealous participants. Not wanting to pretend to be superman, I hung back with a pace comfortable for me. Slowly some runners would slide by, but not immediately disappear. I casually wondered if they knew what they were doing or were testing the half marathon waters like myself.

From a distance, the good first half
The latter seemed to come true as within the next three miles, three of them came to a stop and began walking. Then I see Lauren - my girlfriend who has tagged along for the day - she's throwing out some encouragement and all seems on track. Feeling good and reaching the halfway point in 43:36, I still have yet to see the 1:30:00 pacer - I must be doing something right...or at least I thought. With the sun beating down and no shade to speak of, I start to feel like I'm lumbering. I can barely see any runners ahead of me and I don't hear any runner within striking distance behind me. At mile eight the struggle begins and when I pass water stations I can hear the cheers for those coming up behind me.

One by one, ever so slowly, I start getting passed and then there he goes. The 1:30:00 pacer strides by and my personal annoyance hits a high note. I do my damnedest to stretch my stride to pick up the pace, but it doesn't last long. The most I can do now is simply hold on and fight the urge to start walking. The last few miles creep along and in the last portion those who had earlier passed me, but then began walking, have enough decent speed left in the tank to blow by. At this point, I'm only moving just enough to not be mistaken for walking backwards and despite being exhausted - I'm disgusted this is how my first half marathon is coming to an end.

Funny, with about a quarter mile to go, I hear a familiar voice. Its Lauren again, she - trying to boost my spirits - points to an electronic "Your Speed" sign that indicates the speed for this Celina City Park road is 20 mph (the kind of sign which flashes your speed if you are going to fast). Its turned off, but she says something like, "You aren't up to speed, the sign hasn't kicked on." I smile slightly and I'm glad I can still at least pick my feet off of the ground and they aren't scuffing across the pavement with each step.

That's me in the gray, a quarter mile to go
The finish chute welcomes me and finally getting to stop running (IF what I was doing at that time could actually be called "running"), I ignore the first guy handing out finisher's medals. I couldn't have grasped it anyway. I get a bottle of water, guzzle half of it, then dump the rest down the back of my neck. In all my extreme wooziness, I then get a finisher's medal and another water. Then I remember I haven't stopped my watch, now even more annoyed, I find I have finally stopped it at 1:40:45. Then comes Lauren and she guides me along to keep me moving as one would an intoxicated zombie. As long as she is a step ahead of me I will follow like a lost puppy, and not collapse to the ground.

We find shade and get more water, a banana and a bagel. Once my wits have returned, I make it over to the Moeller Brew Barn beer cart to get my free finisher's beer. Sitting back down in the shade I realize there was no way I could have sped up at the end, I hit the wall and it hit me head on. Still recovering, some random dude hands me his "free beer" ticket saying he wasn't going to use it. Well, apparently sucking the last five miles wasn't absolutely horrible. Out of curiosity, we wander over to the electronic results and to discover I have finished 17th overall (out of 451) in a time of 1:39:40. Way off of my goal, but it was within the 1 hour, 30 minute time frame - for whatever that means (the overall winner was the Olympian, Jared Ward, finishing with a time of 1:10:51 - ten full minutes ahead of second place).

Posing with my finisher's medal & free beer
Surprisingly, I have finished second in my age group (out of 48). This means I am the recipient of a souvenir beer growler and a gift certificate for one free growler fill from nearby Moeller Brew Barn. Now fed up with melting in the sun, as it is now over 90 degrees with full sun and not a cloud in sight, we decide to drive the 20 minutes to the south to fill up my new growler. Upon arrival I get it filled with the Oktoberfest Marzen, sample a beer or two more, then head home.

On Sunday, my legs are still sore and my pride a bit dented but take in the fact I ran a freakin' half marathon. If I remember right, I think my first words to Lauren after finishing were, "Well...that was just stupid". It may have been, but I'm glad I did it. I complete my day after by moving my homebrew Double IPA from the keg to the bottle and decide to take the next two days off from running.

Will the half marathon become part of my return to running repertoire now that we are no longer strangers? My brain says "no", but my competitive nature says "yes" - and he's a jerk by the way. The next step up, of course, would be the marathon. Regarding that, I will give you a hearty "Hell, No". I've punished myself enough and have no urge to run for three straight hours.

So, there you have it, Summer 2017: 467.47 miles, 19 weeks, five races, two countries and a variety of beers.

Summer runnin'... happened so fast ... has come to an end, at long last ...

Perfect Stranger - Grace Weber

I see myself in strangers
On the subway on the street
I find a little comfort when our eyes meet
I know it’s rude to stare to long sir, but were we friends three lives ago?
I see myself in strangers
In the people I don’t know

But who am I, without you? I don’t know, but I want to
Who could I be next to you? I don’t know, but I want to

Could you be my perfect stranger
I need a little danger
Lose who you are, we can stay in the dark
And you’ll be my perfect stranger

I met you on the corner then you went there in my mind
Creeping to the surface, now I see you all the time
You don’t need to know my name no, let’s just stay inside the game oh
I see myself in strangers in the people I don’t know

But who am I, without you? I don’t know, but I want to
Who could I be next to you? I don’t know, but I want to

Could you be my perfect stranger
I need a little danger
Lose who you are, we can stay in the dark
And you’ll be my perfect stranger

You’re a throwback, a bad plan, but this something that I’ve never had
Tying up some loose threads, cleaning out my head
Mama said don’t ever talk to people you don’t know about
But I can’t help it gonna try it out out out

Could you be my perfect stranger
I need a little danger
Lose who you are, we can stay in the dark
And you’ll be my perfect stranger

The Grand Lake Half Marathon Finish 
Attempting to eat...something...anything...







Post race recovery with Lauren
Filling my 2nd place age group
award at Moeller Brew Barn
Grand Lake Half Marathon SWAG












Finishing!
Runnin' Summer 2017 Tour (completed):





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