Jake's Running Log

Renaissance 10K

2011-04-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

Anita Beth started her comeback tour this morning with a great first 10K!

2011 Mississippi 50 Report

2011-03-07T07:54:00.000-08:00

Two words that best describe the 2011 Mississippi 50: Wet and Muddy.

Though I had awoken to the sound of rumbling thunder in my Laurel hotel room at 4 a.m., it was not raining two hours later at the start line. The ground was wet and muddy from Friday night rains, and we all knew rain was coming (100 percent chance), but it was nice to start the day dry.

I left the start line at 6 a.m. very easy, determined to save myself for later in the day enjoying the cool 60-degree temperature. The course was already wet from the day before, and everyone's feet were completely drenched before the one-mile mark. I was so happy just to be out there in the woods with nothing to do for an entire day but run, that I actually took some pleasure in feeling like a first grader playing in the mud. It was great!

I focused on running without effort and keeping my pace in the 9-10 minute range for most of the first 25 miles. I hustled through all the aid stations, never stopping for more time than it took to refill my handheld bottle and scoop a handful of M&M's. I didn't want to lose any cheap minutes.

The rain started off at around mile eight and continued the rest of the day. The course was so muddy that crossing creeks actually became good opportunities to wash my shoes off (and out). Though I had brought extra shoes and socks to change between loops, changing would have been futile. Within minutes the new shoes and socks would be just as muddy and just as wet, so I stuck with the Brooks Cascadia's the entire run. Running through deep water was about the only relief I ever had from the mud.

My mantra as I slogged through the first two 12.5-mile loops was to be strong on the third 12.5 mile loop (miles 25 - 37.5). That was where I fell apart in 2010 and I was determined this year to be strong through the first 37.5 miles and let whatever happens after that happen. I told myself over and over again that my race was all about the third 12-mile loop. I think it worked. I made it through most of the third loop without much fatigue. I didn't start to bonk until about mile 32. But after 37 miles I was pleased with my time, finishing the first three loops a full 1:06 ahead of 2010.

By then the rain was coming down with more force and without relent. The entire trail was submerged in one giant puddle. That first six-mile loop was rough going. I lost my momentum quickly. I think I had focused so much on being strong through mile 37, that I let up mentally for the last 12 miles. I was doing math in my head of how slow I could run the last 12 miles and still finish under 10 hours. That kind of thinking does not lend itself to running very fast. And thus, I had a hard time sustaining a run pace. And as I ran/trudged/splashed/ran, the rain fell harder and harder. It seemed like an eternity to the 40-mile aid station. When I finally reached it, the friendly volunteer filled my bottle and said, "You're doing great! You know you're crazy, right?" I thanked him, nodded and kept going. I felt crazy.

And that's when it started to get a little dangerous out there.

At around mile 41 lightning hit the ground within a couple hundred yards of me. For a minute or two I actually ran faster - as if I can outrun lightning! It was then that I started to question my sanity and just how bad I wanted to finish. The thought of missing the birth of my son because I wanted a 50-mile buckle made me shudder. I pulled into the mile 44 aid station in the midst of more thunder and the hardest rain of the day, a torrential downpour. The race director asked me how it was looking out there. I told him the trail was wet, but that the water levels weren't dangerous. It was the lightning that I was worried about.

I determined to see a radar before deciding whether I would venture back out. Rain was one thing, but lightning something entirely different. I sat under the tent for a minute worrying about the ramifications of quitting versus dying. I'm pretty sure if left to my own devices I would have slogged back out for the last six, but I never had to make that decision. The severe weather resulted in the Forest Service's cancellation of the race at the 8:35 mark and the conclusion of my 44th mile. The feeling of incompletion stinks, but I do take some comfort in the fact that my splits had me on pace to meet my goal, which was was to finish within 10 hours. In those conditions, I'll take it.

The splits on the MS50 web site are incorrect in that they didn't give me credit for finishing my third 12-mile loop, but in that kind of weather, I'll cut the volunteers some slack. That was a rough day! Here are my actual splits with my 2010 splits in parentheses:

12.5 mile 2:09 (2:16)

25 miles 4:24 (4:56)

37.5 miles 7:10 (8:16)

44 miles 8:35 (9:43)

50 miles: Race cancelled for weather. (50 miles in the 2010 race in 11:12)

I know I could run/walk the last six miles in under 1:25, so I'm declaring my 10-hour goal met.

There's something quite satisfying about knowing I'm a better runner in March 2011 than I was in March 2010. But I'm still not where I want to be.

Where do I go from here? I want to get faster. Lots faster. I ran a 4:03 marathon in early January without pushing myself and under-trained. I feel like I have a really good base. I need to devote myself to developing some foot speed. My next marathon is in September. Between now and then I plan to run lots of 5K's and to hit the track.

Mississippi 50 Stuff

2011-03-04T15:10:00.001-08:00

Mississippi 50

2011-03-04T07:25:00.000-08:00

I'm headed to Laurel, Mississippi, this afternoon for the Mississippi 50. I'm totally fired up and can't wait to get to the start line! An entire day of running in the woods is going to be awesome. There's just one minor glitch: Forecast is calling for 80 percent chance of thunderstorms and 1 to 2 inches of rain. Yikes! I'm gonna get wet! But you know what? I don't care! Mississippi 50, here I come!

Goal: 10 hours.

Injuries from Running with Dogs

2011-02-24T07:58:00.000-08:00

Brought to you (and me) by Spike the Bulldog. Thanks Spike.

Mississippi Blues Marathon 2011

2011-01-17T09:41:00.001-08:00

After a three-week break from running in late November/December I wasn't anywhere near "marathon ready" for the Mississippi Blues Marathon on January 8, but I wanted to support the local event and I knew I needed to force myself to do a 20+ mile run if I was going to be ready for the Mississippi 50 on March 5, so I showed up at the start line intent on running slow and easy and just finishing. Funnily enough, it was the best I've ever felt running a marathon. I never hit "the wall" and I still had lots left at the end. So, in taking it really easy I think I learned a lot about marathon strategy. START SLOW.

Anyway, I ran a 4:03 which isn't a PR, but I was happy with it all things considered. But the best part is this picture (click on link below). This is the best marathon picture I've ever had. I'm proud of it. THIS is what you're supposed to look like at the end of a marathon. This picture was taken in the last mile when I was trying to keep my time as close to the 4-hour mark as possible.

From Running Pics

Coke 10k in Corinth

2010-05-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

AB and I had a blast at the Coke 10k in Corinth this morning. One week removed from my epic (I'll always refer to it as "epic") Grand Canyon adventure I was able to post a 47:57 (7:44 pace). Now that I've completed a couple 50 milers, my new goal is to add some speed. Today's 10k was the first stab at getting quicker. The 7:44 pace is a good start. Now I have a benchmark.

AB ran a 53:02 and finished 5th in her age group and she's bringing home some hardware. She was stoked.

Grand Canyon 2010 - R2R2R

2010-04-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

There are so many things to say about this trip...

My brother Bailey, John Brower and myself arrived at Grand Canyon National Park last Thursday evening following 24 hours in a Black Dodge Charger (pictures below). Despite many hours in the car and our desperate need for a clean bathroom, we went straight to the rim. After eight weeks of anticipation, we just couldn't wait a minute longer to see it. As we stumbled down from the parking lot and looked out over that huge crevasse, I had three thoughts:

1. The Grand Canyon doesn't look anything like I thought it would;
2. It's huge; and
3. I'm not ready for this.

Gulp.

Brower spotted the beginning of the Bright Angel Trail thousands of feet below. That's the trail that would us take down into the Canyon.

"So where's the North Rim?" I asked.

Bailey pointed to the furthest point you could point across the Canyon. It looked like it was 100 miles away and higher than high.

"Right there," he said. "That's the North Rim."

I knew the North Rim was supposed to be 23 miles away, but it looked so much further. I hoped he was wrong.

We jumped in the car and drove over to the Bright Angel Trailhead, where we were greeted by a big sign that says: "Do not try to hike to the river and back in one day." and "Can you run the Boston Marathon? Jane Doe did and she died trying to hike to the river and back in one day."

Double Gulp. I'm a far cry from running the Boston Marathon.

Bailey said, "Don't worry Jake, we're not going to the river and back. We're going all the way across and back!"

I eked out an unenthusiastic, "Yay..." I was so worried I could hardly speak at dinner.

Rim to rim to rim is about 46 miles. And there are thousands of feet of elevation change. In other words, GIANT hills. While I had completed a 50 mile run in early March, it was a flat 50 miler. And I didn't exactly finish in record time. I was beyond concerned about my ability to finish this run.

Despite the fear, I was ready to go with a Camel Bak chock full of Gu and Cliff Bars, a 70 oz. bladder and two handheld water bottles just after the alarm went off at 2 a.m. The three of us were running down the trail at 3 a.m.

And I do mean DOWN the trail.

It was straight down. We literally ran downhill for miles. Steep grades. Stair steps. Down we went. Back and forth on the switch backs, jumping mule pee and trying to follow the light of our head lamps. Down, down, down. It was dark, so we couldn't see anything but blackness and trail. We finally stopped for a moment and shined our headlamps up, where we saw a gigantic cliff looming straight over us like a tidal wave just before it crashes over your head. We were officially in the Canyon.

On down we went. After about two hours of running downhill, the thought finally occurred to me: "I'm going to have to run back up this thing at some point today.... Crap."

As we descended still further the Canyon walls began to appear as enormous dark shadows in the first light of the morning sky. We were obligated to stop and ooh and ah. Then down we went some more.

Day broke as we finally reached the bottom and saw the rushing waters of the Colorado River. It was beautiful.

We crossed the transparent metal grate bridge, took some photos and made our way to Phantom Ranch, the National Park's Canyon-Bottom Hotel, Canteen and Campground. Rational people get there by mule or take a day-long hike and spend the night. Not us. We stopped for water planning to see it again in about 26 miles. I looked at my watch. We had run downhill for two hours and forty minutes. Straight. Thoughts began to creep in my mind about a graceful way to head back and leave Bailey and Brower to it. The thought of telling all my friends and family that I'd turned back at mile 10 made me keep going. That and the fear of being eaten by a mountain lion. That was on the sign too. Or the internet, I can't remember. But apparently there are mountain lions in the Grand Canyon and if you're alone, you're an easier lunch. I elected to stay with Brower and Bails. We filled our bottles and left.

For the next few miles we ran through the magnificent "Box", a name given that portion of the canyon for the closely quartered high canyon walls surrounding the trail on either side. The trail started flat and began to incline. We were headed about six or seven miles to our next stop - the Cottonwood campground, located at around mile 16. We ran a steady pace. It felt good to be running on more even ground. The inclines started to get gradually steeper. At about mile 14 my legs were starting to burn. I looked at my watch. By this time we had been running almost five hours.

"Okay," I thought. "If I turn around at Cottonwood, that'll be a nice 50K. Who can call me a wuss for running a 50K in the Grand Canyon?" I thought about the mountain lion. I was beginning to feel like I was willing to risk being a meal after all.

"Uh guys," I said, as we busily filled our bottles at Cottonwood's faucet. "I might turn back. I just don't think I can make it."

"Nope. You're finishing," Brower said.

"I'm scared I'll be a liability to you guys if I keep going," I said.

"You won't be," Brower replied.

"Ok."

And off we went.

The hills were getting steeper. The scenery was more grassy meadows with some cacti and flowers. It was pretty. But my legs still hurt. Brower, who is fast as a cheetah and can eat Double Macs from McDonald's like nobody's business, put me in the lead. That's what fast people do when they don't want to be tempted to leave slow people. They follow the slow people. I knew that, because I'd been there before myself. But not on this trip. Leading also had the effect of making me feel responsible for their pace, which made me push my limits as much as I could and still feel like I had a chance to finish. I didn't want them suffering because of my slowness. Onward I pushed. We started to hit some steeper grades. I had to walk those. Quickly, but I did walk them. We ran and walked the grades like that all the way to the beginning of the real ascent. Up the North Rim. Once we hit those hills, it was all walking. After a few minutes going up the the ascent to the North Rim, even the walking began to get difficult. The altitude was kicking in. I was sucking oxygen. I tried to eat a Cliff Bar as we walked and nearly choked on it. I needed the oxygen too bad to chew. Those Cliff Bars are nothing if not a chewy mouthful. I now hate Cliff Bars.

The northern trail was incredible. The trail was literally dynamited into the side of sheer rock wall. The drop-offs were so long I couldn't even look down. It freaked me out. But the views were amazing, so I did look out.

We trudged on. I started to think I wouldn't be able to make it all the way up. We were at about mile 20 and I thought it might be a good idea to just let Bailey and Brower summit without me. But of course I didn't. My heart was absolutely pounding, as though I was running sub-seven minute miles. But I wasn't of course. I was walking. It was so hard.

We passed through a rock tunnel which meant two miles to the top. It also meant snow. We finished the last two miles of the climb trying not to slip on ice or snow. It just added to the difficulty. At times Bailey and I were leaning against the cliff and walking sideways across the icey trails like crabs so we wouldn't fall off the trail. That didn't help the heart rate. It seemed as though the trail would never end. But then, a few minutes later I heard Bailey and Brower, who were about 50 yards ahead, whooping. We made it rim to rim in 7:40.

It was awesome. We took a few pics and started back. Brower killed it down the slope and Bailey and I ran as fast as our screaming quads would allow. Running downhill for that long will rip your quads up. Making it to the top returned my confidence. I pushed it pretty hard and we made it back to Phantom Ranch fairly quickly. But when we got there I was completely wiped. I was dragging my way through the Ranch. I knew Bright Angel and 10 miles of climbs separated me from ever being finished. But it had to be done.

Brower encouraged urgency in getting to the top. I think he wanted us to beat the cold and dark. It was 3 p.m. 10 miles uphill would take a while. Especially at Jake speed.

"I'll do my best," I said, knowing that wouldn't be much...

We ran for about two miles and then the sudden ascent up Bright Angel began. That's when my legs said no mas. I had to walk those hills. We walked, walked and walked some more. My whole body screamed. Walking got harder and harder. I grunted about ever third step and groaned every fourth. It was rough. And the grades only got steeper. At times I would look up at the rim and wonder how there was even a trail that made it up there. The south rim looked to be eternity away and five miles straight up. Oh yeah...it was!

My back started to really ache. It was killing me so bad that Brower noticed me clutching it as I walked. He took my Camel Bak and stuffed it inside his backpack. I had no pride left. I just wanted to finish. I said thanks.

"That's why they call me the Shuttle," he said.

We marched on. Those switchbacks that we flew down 14 hours ago, were endless, steep, and slow. Stopping wasn't an option. I didn't want to be featured on that dang sign next year. It became a matter of putting one foot in front of the other. I was determined to finish.

At 7:15 we made the Rim. I was so relieved. Total time 16 hours. It was a great feeling to finish. The pizza and beer at the hotel room that night in Flagstaff was probably the best I've ever tasted. When you cheat death, pizza just tastes better.

Without a doubt, the Grand Canyon was the hardest run I've ever done. But it was awesome. Accomplishing it with Bailey and Brower was great. I definitely couldn't have done it without them. And I wouldn't have thought to do it without Bailey. Who knows? I might even do it again. Though I might do some hill training before I go.

You would think getting my butt totally kicked by a trail like that might make me consider hanging up the old running shoes, or perhaps just training for 10K's and Marathons from now on. Nope. Four days removed from this trip, I only want to run more. Weird, huh?

Here's some pics from the trip.

4-25-10 Grand Canyon

3rd times the charm

2010-04-25T02:34:00.000-07:00

Jake gets off with a warning.

71 in a 55

2010-04-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

Bailey is bringing home a souvenir from Texas.

Ultra Driver

2010-04-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

John "Shuttle" Brower is creating a new sport: Ultra Driving.
Combining vast amounts of running with vast amounts of driving.

Homeward Bound

2010-04-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

We're headed home from our epic Grand Canyon adventure, and boy are we stiff! I look like a wooden-legged man.

Finished

2010-04-23T19:46:00.001-07:00

Very tired. Finished in 16 hours. Hardest thing I've ever done.

Report and picks to come.

Canyon at Sunset

2010-04-22T18:13:00.000-07:00

Dinner

2010-04-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

After a shower and some rest, Cindy treated us to dinner at El Tavar.
It was awesome. Tomorrow we run.

Snowing!

2010-04-22T13:58:00.000-07:00

Grand Canyon!

2010-04-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

Carbo Loading

2010-04-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed lunch in Flagstaff.

That's High

2010-04-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

We are within spitting distance of Flagstaff and have stumbled upon
our first sho nuff touches the clouds mountain. The Canyon must be
close, right?

Uh Oh

2010-04-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

I knew the Canyon would be risky but I did not expect to see this.

Arizona!

2010-04-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

No more massive states to cross. Now we just have to find our way to
the Grand Canyon.

New Mehico

2010-04-22T07:57:00.000-07:00

There is some snow on the ground this morning.

John "Double Mac" Brower

2010-04-22T07:13:00.000-07:00

At one of New Mexico's finer truck stop / McDonalds. Just 260 miles to Flagstaff.

Albuquerque

2010-04-22T06:05:00.000-07:00

We made it to Albaquerque. Bugs Bunny took many a wrong turn here. I'm
feeling somewhat refreshed from four hours sleeping despite the
pretzel position in back of the Charger.

315 miles to Flagstaff.

Saw some small hills a few minutes ago. Bailey announced the Grand
Canyon would be 30 times their size. I silently gulped. Was this a
good idea?

Amarillo by Morning

2010-04-22T02:42:00.000-07:00

It's 4:30 a.m., and I just relinquished the wheel to Bailey about 10
miles west of Amarillo. I've been awake nearly 24 hours Very tired.
Car starting to smell. Cow lot at driver switch didn't help.

Somewhere Outside Dallas

2010-04-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

Brower picked the absolute stankiest gas station for a pit stop. It
smelled like a truck stop bathroom from the time you entered the door.
It was foul. But it did have a funny sign for sale. Thought I'd share.
Also bought my first Mt Dew tall boy. This trip just keeps getting
better!

The Dial

2010-04-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

Bailey and I are still adjusting to Brower's taste in music. 141 miles
to Dallas.

Whole Nother Country

2010-04-21T18:14:00.000-07:00

After telling mancation jokes throughout Louisiana, the Charger and
it's greasy inhabitants have now entered Texas.

What are mancation jokes? I can't say.

Into the Sun

2010-04-21T17:39:00.000-07:00

And almost to Shreveport.

Yep

2010-04-21T16:38:00.000-07:00

The Charger has a ketchup holder. Genius!

Dinner

2010-04-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

Ultra runner's delight - McDonalds. Mmm

Crossing the Mighty Mississippi

2010-04-21T15:28:00.000-07:00

First Glitch

2010-04-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

Forgot to give Anita Beth the suburban keys. 25 minute delay. Needless
to say AB was thrilled.

To the Canyon!

2010-04-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

Departing Bailey's house in the Charger. Sweet!

Grand Canyon, Here I Come!

2010-04-21T11:52:00.001-07:00

I'm running Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim at the Grand Canyon Friday with my brother Bailey and friend/ultra running stud John Brower. 48 miles in the Canyon. The rental car is pulling out of Bailey's driveway at approximately 3:45 p.m. central this afternoon. The camel back is stuffed with more Gu and Cliff Bars than any one man should ingest in a 12 hour period. This is gonna be fun. Check back often for updates.

For an idea of exactly what it is the three of us are biting off, read this report from someone who did the run recently.

Or you can watch this video:

And if you want to read about the route we'll be taking, check out this link. We are running the Bright Angel Trail to the North Kaibab and back. There's a good description of the trail on this site. Notice in the description that this is recommended as a three-day hike. We'll be trying to finish in one day.

Mississippi 50 Finisher!

2010-03-08T15:47:00.000-08:00

I could write about the experience for hours, but don't have hours to give at the moment. I did finish. I had great support (see pictures), and I brought home a buckle and a great memory. More to come....

AB's First Marathon!

2010-03-05T08:13:00.000-08:00

In by far my best running experience to-date Anita Beth and I finished the New Orleans Mardis Gras Rock 'n Roll Marathon together last Sunday. We both finished in 4:25. I was very proud of her. At mile 16 she said "I hurt real bad all over," and then she put her head down and just kept running. At mile 22 I couldn't wipe the smile off my face as I realized she was going to finish her first marathon. Having finished a few myself, I knew how rewarding crossing the finish line was going to be for her, and I was right. Five days later, she still hasn't taken her new marathon shirt off. Way to go AB!

Tomorrow I take on the Mississippi 50. Report to follow.

Frosty 17

2010-02-21T12:00:00.000-08:00

I needed to take a load off after 23 miles of trails at the Ridgeland
Mountain Bike trails Saturday.

Back to Backs

2010-01-24T15:04:00.000-08:00

In preparation for the Mississippi 50, coming up March 6, I ran back-to-back 20-milers this weekend. I must say, the second 20 was miserable this morning, but I did it, albeit slowly and under protest. Despite the negative attitude, I'm still not tired of pushing myself to my limits, just to see what I can do. Running gives me a very satisfying sense of accomplishment.

Mississippi Blues Marathon

2010-01-10T13:08:00.000-08:00

The heavy mileage from the last few weeks paid off. I ran a 3:50:24. My goal was to run a sub 4:00, but despite my recent mileage I didn't know how prepared I was to actually accomplish my goal for this reason: I have not done any speed work. My training runs are usually in the 9 to 9:30 range. In order to run a sub 4:00 I knew I would have to sustain a sub 9-minute pace for the entire race. Since I knew my training did not have me prepared to sustain that type of pace, I decided to push it from aid station to aid station and then walk until I had my gatorade gunned down. In this race, the aid stations were approximate 1.5 miles apart. At each station, I walked fast until my Gatorade was down. Downing gatorade was no easy task because in the 16 degree temperatures all the offered beverages were more slush than liquid. It's hard to drink a slushy fast. But I managed. Here are my mile times:

1. 8:36, 2. 8:18, 3. 8:09, 4. 8:36, 5. 8:12, 6. 8:51, 7. 8:34, 8. 8:43, 9. 9:01, 10. 8:11, 11. 8:52, 12. 9:04, 13. 8:22, 14. 8:58, 15. 8:42, 16. 8:58, 17. 9:05, 18. 8:26, 19. 9:07, 20. 8:49, 21. 8:44, 22. 9:27, 23. 9:06, 24. 9:37, 25. 9:04, 26. 8:46.

The last five or six miles of the marathon are always difficult, but in this race the last 10k was particularly difficult due to the consecutive large, rolling hills. Thanks to my walk breaks, I never hit "the wall" in this race, but my times did slow because I resisted the temptation to crank it up the hills. Instead, I would dial back and lean forward, letting my body almost naturally climb and then try to make up for the slow pace by letting it fly on the way down each backside.

I really liked the walk-break strategy. I could tell it paid off at about mile 16. From about mile 8 to mile 16, people would pass me when I walked at the aid station, and then I would pass them before the next aid station. This back and forth went on for miles and was slightly frustrating from a competition standpoint as I didn't want to see the same people passing me over and over again, but I made up my mind to run my own race and ignore everybody else. At mile 16 to 17, this really paid off. The back and forth ended, as gradually my competition started fading. It was easy to see some of them were coming face-to-face with the wall. Meanwhile, I felt pretty great and continued to push my pace. I will probably try this method again at my next marathon. I expect even better results.

Not that I wasn't happy with these. Prior to yesterday, my PR for the marathon was 3:52, in 1997 at age 21 (a lifetime ago). My recent PR was a 3:57 at last year's St. Jude. I really wanted to beat those times if I could, and yesterday, I DID!

Despite the bad luck with the weather, the Mississippi Blues put on a great race. I was really impressed with all the people on the course in the subfreezing temperatures who were just out to cheer or offer an encouraging word. These must have been Blue Cross employees (the race's sponsor). The encouragement was appreciated.

Turning Blue at the Mississippi Blues

2010-01-07T11:12:00.000-08:00

The forecast at start time of Saturday's Mississippi Blues Marathon calls for temps of 16 degrees. Ouch.

Piling on the Mileage

2010-01-02T18:23:00.001-08:00

I'm a short 7-miles away from my 2nd consecutive 50-mile week as I prepare for next Saturday's Mississippi Blues Marathon. Ever since the Tashka 50K in mid-December running is getting more and more addictive to me. It's like I've broken through a barrier and on the other side the miles are easier, pleasant and enjoyable. And most of all necessary. I know this sounds weird, but I crave mileage. I think part of it too is that I've read two very inspiring books lately. The 1st was Dean Karnazes 50 Marathons in 50 Days and Christopher McDougall's Born to Run. If you haven't read Born to Run yet, do. It's awesome.

The Mississippi 50 is not too far off. March 6 will be here before you know it. Or at least before I know it.

1st in my Age Group?

2009-12-21T15:42:00.001-08:00

The official Tashka 50k results have now been posted and it appears as though I won my age division (30-34). I say "appears" because the overall winner was 30. I guess since he was the overall winner he can't win my age group. Whatever, if you sort the results by age group, it says I won. I'll take it anyway I can get it baby!

My First Ultramarathon

2009-12-12T14:16:00.000-08:00

I finished my first 50k today and this picture was the very best part.

Marathon Do-Over!

2009-10-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

I wanted to run a sub 3:50. Instead I got dehydrated and crashed and burned at mile 16. Not a good race for me, to say the least. I literally run-walked the last 10 miles to finish in 4:20. I was still proud of myself for finishing. I contemplated dropping out from miles 16 to 21, but chose to be a finisher. I received massive leg cramps for my reward. Lesson learned: No bourbon the night before my next marathon and I'm going to drink MUCH MUCH more water the week before the race. I also may walk during the water stops at St. Jude to be sure I take in plenty of fluid.

Anita Beth was a superstar in the half marathon. She finished in 1:58! It's official. She's as fast as I am now. Maybe faster. But I couldn't be more proud of her.

My brother Bailey finished his first marathon, too. I was proud of him for gutting it out.

And last but not least, AB's running buddy Kimberly finished another half marathon.

Way to go everybody!

UPDATE: Check out the album below for more pics. Pay particular attention to the look on Bailey's face. If you ever wondered what joy and pain look like simultaneously, then here's your answer:

Marathon Makeover 10-17-09

Marathon Makeover

2009-10-14T19:44:00.000-07:00

Three days away. Hoping to post a good time.

Running, Running, and more Running

2009-09-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

So my posts have been rudely interrupted by football season, but that doesn't mean I'm not running. Last week I successfully completed 47 miles. Before that: 40, 44, and 45. This week: The big 50, capped by a 20 mile run on Sunday. It's going to be a big week. I'm fired up and ready for the Marathon Makeover on October 17. One more big week (54 miles) and then I get a little taper action. Koach's plan seems to be working. I feel really good and my legs feel strong. Bring on October!

Also, I registered for the Mississippi 50 tonight. Yep, I'm going to run a 50-miler in March. More on that later. I'm pumped to have registered for it though. That means no turning back.... I'm going to be an ULTRA marathoner.

Week 4: Two Miles Short

2009-08-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

And so the marathon training continues. I fell two miles short of the weekly mileage goal, but all in all in was a pretty good week. I upped the long run to 17 miles. I feel like I'm within easy striking distance of 26.2 and I still have eight weeks to go until the October 17 warm-up marathon. My last two marathons I hit the wall and hard at mile 20. And let me tell you, there was nothing proverbial or metaphorical about it. My goal this year is to not hit a wall, or at least not let it hit me. I should have plenty of time this fall to prepare for a good performance at St. Jude in December. Here's my week:

Monday: 2

Tuesday: 9

Thursday: 6

Friday: 6

Sunday: 17

Total: 40

Week 3

2009-08-20T06:37:00.001-07:00

Sorry to keep you waiting. Work is not leaving much time to blog. But all the same I am quite pleased to report the successful completion of Week 3 of Koach's plan. Here's how it went down:

Monday: 6

Tuesday: 8

Wednesday: 4

Thursday: 3 (8:17 pace)

Saturday: 2

Sunday: 16

I'm halfway through Week 4 and on target to reach the planned 42 miles. On another note, I all of a sudden dropped a couple pounds. I weighed 166 this morning, down from the 168-170 range. It is nice to know I am capable of losing a pound. I was beginning to wonder.

Week 2: Redemption at Sea Island

2009-08-10T07:08:00.000-07:00

After failing miserably at following my training plan in Week 1, all went according to plan in Week 2. I completed the Koach-prescribed 38 miles!

Monday: 6

Wednesday: 8

Thursday: 6

Saturday: 16

Sunday: 2

Running the long run at Sea Island was awesome. Anita Beth ran eight miles with me. I'm really proud of her progress after last spring's stress fracture. We put in three or four or our miles on the beach. Atlantic Ocean beaches are so much better for running than those I've been to on the Gulf Coast. The sand is more packed and the slants to the water are minimal. There's nothing like listening to waves crash against the shore while you run.

The Island itself is so pristine and beautiful. It was a true joy to run down there. After our long run, Anita Beth and I enjoyed a 90-minute couple's massage in the Cloister Spa. Wow.

My only complaint about the whole weekend was that the restaurants were too good and therefore I ate too much, but I guess that's really my fault.

But seriously, I've got to start watching my calorie intake. I'm not losing any weight and that's crazy if I'm logging almost 40 miles a week. I cut cokes out of my diet a month ago and it had some effect. I'm hovering around 170 pounds and last week I weighed as little as 167 or 168. I'd like to get down to 160. After the weekend at Sea Island I was back at 170 this morning. It's time to cut something else out of the diet. I'm thinking it's going to have to be bad carbs. What are bad carbs? In my diet they are french fries, those silly little 100-calorie cookie packs that my secretaries keep stashed in the office kitchen, potatoe chips, and sweet tea. Oh yeah, and BEER! I may allow myself a Bud Light every now and then, but nothing more, and definitely no more Sam Adams (x2 in the Atlanta airport last night watching the Yankees-Red Sox) or Sierra Nevada's or Blue Moons. They are tasty, but not worth it.

There. Maybe now that I've declared it on the World Wide Web, I'll actually follow through and do it. I'll try to report back next week.

Week 1

2009-08-03T06:39:00.000-07:00

Booooooo! That's what my fans would be yelling at me if I had any fans. The heckles would come due to my abysmal performance in the first week of my training plan. It was supposed to be a 36-mile week. I ran 22. I hope Koach doesn't give up on me. I have decent excuses. The work week was brutal, including Jackson to Corinth, an 8-hour trial and back to Jackson on Wednesday, followed by another drive to Selmer Thursday night. The traveling completely wiped me out. Eight hours of driving sandwiching eight hours of arguing with John Ferrell is no way to spend a Wednesday.

Monday: 4

Tuesday: 4

Saturday: 14

Despite by belly flop of a first week, I did enjoy being back on Highway 350 with my running buddies Greg and Lee on Saturday.

I will not let the week-1 failure deter me. Week 2 started today and I hit the pavement with gusto this morning. Bring it.

Buds

2009-08-01T04:55:00.000-07:00

Week 1; Day 1

2009-07-27T11:33:00.000-07:00

I never get tired of sunrises.

32 Miles

2009-07-26T19:43:00.000-07:00

I ran 32 miles this week.

Monday: 10

Thursday: 6

Saturday: 6

Sunday: 10

Tomorrow, I start my custom-made Koach plan. I told him I want to get serious and fast. He game me a plan that includes a few 50-mile plus weeks. It starts with a 36-mile week this week and builds steadily until a 54-mile week September 21. So, here we go! Look out St. Jude! I'm going to take you down!

44 miles

2009-07-20T07:23:00.001-07:00

44 miles this week!!

Monday: 10

Thursday: 10

Friday: 10

Sunday: 14

I'm happy with the mileage, but I'm even more happy with my speed. I have been running with a guy from the neighborhood who has a little more hop in his step. My times have dramatically improved running with him. We have been averaging around a 9:10 pace.

32 Miles

2009-07-12T13:18:00.000-07:00

I put in 32 miles this week. Admittedly, me legs did feel a little fragile after the 40-mile week prior, but we're still healthy.

Here's the week:

Monday: 10 miles

Thursday: 10 miles

Saturday: 12 miles

I am really missing my running partners. I had intended to run more than 12 on Saturday, but didn't have the stamina to go it alone. I'll be looking for a running buddy this week, as I would really like to run at least 15 on my long run.

Happy 40th

2009-07-04T05:57:00.001-07:00

I ran 40 miles this week! 10 Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Today was tough, but I was determined to log 40.

Across the Res

2009-06-20T05:26:00.000-07:00

It was a hot 12-miler this morning, but worth it for this gorgeous
sunrise.

Running Partner

2009-06-12T18:09:00.000-07:00

My running partner and I are running the Renaissance Half Marathon
tomorrow. Unfortunately, I at Mexican for lunch today. My performance
may suffer.

Eight Mile

2009-05-29T08:44:00.000-07:00

Went eight this morning. All by myself. Had to fight off nature's call the last three miles, so I'm extra proud of myself for not turning toward the house early.

I'm Running, I'm not Running, I'm Running

2009-05-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

The bed trapped me this morning. Second day in a row. Proves that I really need the accountability of someone waiting for me in order to get up at insane hours to run 7 miles. Tonight, the alarm moves to the other side of the room.

Gu & Snot Bubbles

2009-01-17T12:27:00.000-08:00

It was that kind of morning on hilly Highway 350 this morning. While the temperatures weren't as advertised it was still a blustery 27 degrees out there. I strongly considered not going. I contracted some type of cold or sinus funk on Thursday. It was worse yesterday. Last night, I told the wife if I felt sick this morning I wouldn't go.

I woke up at 7 a.m. almost hoping the funk would be worse as the forecast was for 18 degrees and I didn't feel like another bout with the Screaming Barfies. When I woke up I wasn't that sick. I convinced myself to get dressed and jumped in the car. I'm glad I did. I had a really nice 15 mile run. The sinuses and snot were an annoyance, but I still enjoyed the run.

John Aiken introduced me to a new term this morning. He said he was running with a group last Thursday in the cold and the group titled themselves the 'Nucking Futs'.

I ran in sub 20 degree temps on Thursday morning, too, with Greg and Lee. We ran on Highway 45 from Eastview to Guys and back. Going South I was pretty hot, but when we turned around to run North back to Eastview the wind cut through my clothes like a hot knife through butter, pardon the cliche. Another degree colder or 10 minutes of running and the Screaming Barfies may have returned.

Luckily, the wind wasn't too bad this morning.

Another highlight for me today was that I kept up with Koach. I told him at the 10 mile mark that this was the first time I'd ever seen him at 10-miles. Usually, I say hello and goodbye to him at the starting line. While I wish I could credit my improved speed for this, I think it had more to do with Koach being tired. He's been training hard for his latest stunt. I guess I caught him loafing.

Good run.

It was a light week. I'm almost ashamed to publish it, but here it is anyhow:

Tuesday: 6 miles, 54:35, 821 cal

Thursday: 6 miles, 1:01:54, 845 cal

Saturday: 15 miles, 2:19:06, 2067 cal

Total: 27 miles

Rainy Saturday

2009-01-10T09:01:00.000-08:00

The devil and the angel were debating in my ear at 5:30 this morning. I looked out the window and it was raining. The devil was telling me to get back in the bed. The angel said, "You have to run. You'll feel like a slug if you don't, and you'll feel great if you do."

The radar on the Weather Channel showed a line of rain just to the west of Corinth, Mississippi. I knew without a doubt, if I ran, I was going to get wet. Luckily, I had told Greg Cooley and Lee Rodgers I would run with them this morning. Greg had assured me he would call me by 6 if the run would be scratched due to weather. There was no call. I couldn't leave my boys hangin', so out the door I went. The only dry mile was the first one, but it was a good run and I had fun running and chatting with Greg and Lee. Ten miles in the rain felt really good. Here's my week:

Monday: 6 miles

Tuesday: rainout

Wednesday: 6 miles

Thursday: 6 miles

Saturday: 10 miles

Total: 28 miles

Next Saturday, if conditions are right, I would like to run at least 14.

ANITA BETH UPDATE: She swam two times this week in the lap pool at Shiloh Ridge. I'm proud of her for not letting the fractured hip get her down. If she keeps it up she'll probably be in better shape than ever when the Doc clears her to run.

INJURY UPDATE AND GOAL UPDATE

2009-01-08T09:18:00.000-08:00

ANITA BETH'S INJURY

Okay, so by now everbody knows AB is crippled, but the diagnosis is slightly different following her visit to the orthapedic on Tuesday. Anita Beth DOES have a stress fracture in her hip. She'll be on crutches for at least two weeks, or until the pain stops. She should be able to resume running in three months.

What does Anita Beth's injury mean for me? Well, first off I'm completely bummed that she is not going to be able to run in the short term. I have really enjoyed sharing a common interest with her other than work. I feel like running has been great for our relationship. We had so much fun at the St. Jude Marathon last month! But, she's only going to be out three months. My job now is just to encourage her to rest and to help around the house as much as I can. She'll be back at it in April! Faster than ever!

TRANSROCKIES OUT FOR 2009, BUT LOOK OUT 2010

The Transrockies is a no-go, but that's okay. I feel confident that the Transrockies will happen again in 2010 and you can bet Anita Beth and I will be there, or at least try to be there. With an extra year of training under our belts, the mixed division better watch out!

ADJUSTING THE GOAL

As for my running, I'm shifting my goal to focusing completely on getting fast. It may not be realistic, but I'm shooting for a 3:10 marathon before my 35th birthday. That gives me about 18 months to work my time down from 3:57. Impossible? Maybe. But it's going to be fun trying. I'm going to take my training up a notch and see where that gets me at the Country Music Marathon in April.

THE BLOG

I'm thinking I should change the url of the blog if for no other reason than to not mislead 2009 Transrockies participants. Therefore, the new url is http://jakeanitabethrunning.blogspot.com/

Get well soon AB! I can't wait to run with you in a few months!

Transrockies

2009-01-05T14:46:00.000-08:00

Anita Beth had her bone scan today. The good news is she does not have a stress fracture in her hip. The bad news is the Radiologist thought he saw the beginnings of a stress fracture in her femur. Here's what happened to our Transrockies trip:

Mississippi Blues Marathon and Half-Marathon

2009-01-03T19:09:00.001-08:00

1-03-08

I ran the Mississippi Blues Half-Marathon today.

All I can say is, wow, that was one HOT, HILLY course!

The temperature was every bit of 70 degrees.

I saw one guy handing out popsicles it was so hot. But even more ridiculous than the heat was the hills. It was one short steep hill after the next.

At about mile 10 I was really huffing and puffing as we were entering the Belhaven neighborhood. I told the closest guy to me, "I had no idea Jackson was so hilly," to which he casually chuckled as said, "Yeah, where you from?"

"Jackson," I replied. Never saw that guy again.

But seriously, it was a very hilly course. I would not recommend it to anyone for their first half marathon or marathon.

However, I did really enjoy the race. It was a pretty course, and very well run. The Expo and packet pick-up on Friday was very well organized and made the race look very big-time. My only real complaint was that on day this warm I could have used a couple more water stations.

My finishing time was about 1:52, which beat my goal of 1:56, so I was pleased. I say about 1:52 because I forgot to stop my watch as I crossed the finish. The highlight of the race for me was my family being there to greet me at the finish line. There's something about knowing your girls are waiting for you that really helps you through that last mile. Check out the pics.

Here's my training log for the week:

Tuesday: 6

Wednesday: 5

Saturday: 13

Total: 24

I took it easy to be sure I'd be fit to run Saturday. I'm looking foward to resuming my regular schedule next week.

UPDATE: My official time in the Mississippi Blues Half-Marathon was 1:52:13.

Christmas Week 2008

2008-12-28T14:44:00.000-08:00

Other than a Christmas Eve rain-out, I stuck to the training plan pretty well this week, which is a good thing considering all the good food that came through the house and found its way into my belly.

Running gifts received by AB and I this week included a new reflective wrist band for after-dark running, an Under Armor shirt for me, a Garmin 405 for AB, and a new running outfit for AB. She was stoked. Unfortunately, after our Christmas afternoon run she had a little hip flare-up. Probably because she was completely busting it up the hills on our route in her new Reebok running wear! Nothing like new gear to make you run fast. It always happens to me. I googled her symptoms Friday and decided that I think she has hip bursitis, but I'm no doctor. We decided she should probably take a full week to 10 days off to see if it'll heal on its own. I'm confident that it will, but the Mississippi Blues Half Marathon may be a no-go for her. Don't tell her that though. She still aspires to run Saturday. We'll see. It'll probably be a game-time decision.

Here's my miles for this week:

Monday: 6

Tuesday: 6

Thursday: 6

Friday: 4

Saturday: 10

Total: 32

I probably should have abstained from running Friday, but I couldn't help myself. My arches flared up a bit on my Saturday run, but are feeling good today, on this, my regular day off. I'll probably take it easy this week to be sure that I'm ready for the Blues Half Marathon Saturday.

Screaming Barfies

2008-12-22T19:25:00.000-08:00

I received a very informative comment from Transrockies Event Director Aaron McConnell. Apparently, the "sensation" I experienced this morning (see previous post) is commonly referred to by some folks as the "Screaming Barfies." I googled screaming barfies and came up with this definition from Urban Dictionairy:

A term used mostly by ice climbers to describe the feeling of having your hands go numb only to come back to feeling with extreme pain. The terminology coming from when your hands are coming back to feeling you want to scream and barf at the same time.

Scream and barf at the same time. Yep, that's about how I felt this morning. Thanks for the help, Aaron! It's good to know I'm not alone. I also shared my experience with Koach. Here's what he had to say:

"...ashamed of myself for not telling you ...and other men, of that frost-bite issue. It's a VERY common problem and up north they know it. Down here it's usually not a problem, but it CAN BE."

I wonder what else Koach is not telling me.

The low tonight is 24 degrees, double this morning's temperature. I brought Anita Beth home her new Brooks Glycerines tonight. You can bet we're going to hit the pavement in the morning.

12 Degrees

2008-12-22T07:48:00.001-08:00

I am truly crazy. By all accounts this was the coldest morning of the year. Channel 5's Ron Childers said the temperature was 12 degrees when I woke up this morning, but I was determined to go try out the new running shoes and get in my six miles. AB, told me she thought she might just skip and stay in the warm bed. I told her I didn't blame her, put my layers on and left. I wore the long underwear, a wick-away short sleeved shirt underneath, my polar fleece pants and a North Face pullover. I pulled a fleece hat down over my ears and wore fleece gloves. The only uncovered part of my body was my face, which was a little cold the first half mile, but warmed up along with the rest of me by the end of mile one. I felt great all the way through the first four miles. In fact, I was quite proud of myself for braving the elements and putting in my miles, like a real tuff guy, a man. Then a part of my body that I would have thought was the least likely to get cold started to hurt. At first I thought maybe my long underwear was just irritating me. I made a few little "adjustments" and kept plodding. My route takes me by my car at mile 5. The "discomfort" was getting worse, but I only needed one more mile. Knowing what I know now I would have stopped, but like an idiot who gets up to run in 12-degree air, I didn't. I refused to let a little pain stop me. A mile only takes another 9 minutes, right? I trudged a half mile up the hill and turned to come back for the last half mile. The pain was getting worse. When I finally got to the car, the pain was becoming unbearable. I was starting to contort my body and gasp for air in that special way that only a man who has experienced similar pain would understand. I thought the warmer air of the van would heal me, but it was only hurting more and more. I couldn't believe it, but I started to think maybe I had gotten frostbite in the worst possible place. I quickly started the car and cranked up the heat. I almost puked from the pain on the car ride home. It was a scary ten minutes. I started to think more children would be out of the question. I said things like, "Oh please God, if you'll just warm it back up I'll never run in 12-degree temperatures again." When I finally got home I stripped down and stood in front of the gas logs. After a few minutes of moaning and groaning the fire in my living room finally warmed everything up and the pain subsided. I'm sure the reader will be glad to know that all is well. I told AB later that now I know where the saying, "I nearly froze my pecker off" comes from. Next time, I think I'll add another layer.

I'm glad the Transrockies is in August.

Highway 350

2008-12-20T08:31:00.001-08:00

I ran 13 miles on Highway 350 this morning. AB ran 8 with a sore hip.
I'll update with more info on this run and the week later.

UPDATE: My 13 on 350 this morning capped off an excellent week of running. I love Highway 350. Pictured is hill No. 2. The great thing about 350 is the hills. The course starts out with a two mile flat stretch followed by hill after hill after steep steep hill. If you run 350 often enough you don't recognize what other people call hills as hills. Corinth has a great group of runners who meet on 350 or at Shiloh National Park each week. The group is led by Kenneth "Koach" Williams. He does a great job of keeping everybody charged up and ready to run. He also supplies free PowerAde, or "Hydration". If you live close by you should come join us some Saturday. I promise you this, regular runs on 350 will get you in shape.

I think my body has just about recovered from the St. Jude Memphis Marathon and I'm ready to continue with an upward training program. Here's what I did this week:

Monday: 5 (would have been six but was cut short by rain)

Tuesday: 6

Wednesday: 5.5 on the treadmill (I remembered I don't like treadmills)

Thursday: 6

Saturday: 13

Total: 35.5

That's not a ton of miles, but I was pleased with my ability to run four days in a row with no apparent problems. I plan to do the same thing again next week, and may add a mile or two.

I now have two goals:

1. Cut as much time as I can off that 3:57 in Memphis.

2. Complete the Transrockies in August.

Both goals require me to increase my weekly mileage if I want to get faster and stronger. So, I was pleased with this first week of training and my ability to string together four runs with no negative effects.

I bought a new pair of shoes today - the New Balance 768. Supposedly, it's a "stability" shoe. The arches of my feet did cause me some amount of pain after the marathon. I had been running in more of a neutral shoe, i.e., the New Balance 992. After watching me jog on the sidewalk in front of the store, the guy at the Memphis Fleet Feet told me I definitely needed a stability shoe and that should help the arches. I tried on several different pairs of shoes and my two oldest girls raced me up and down the sidewalk in front of the store as I tested them out. It was fun for all or us. It's always fun to buy a new pair of shoes. I feel faster already.

Together at Shiloh National Park

2008-12-13T07:51:00.001-08:00

My mom came to town for Gracie's birthday and was kind enough to let
AB and I out of the house for an early morning 8-miler at Shiloh. It
was cold and beautiful. We ran nice and easy. It was a good recovery
run for the first Saturday after the St. Jude Marathon. My feet have
been sore all week, but felt noticably better this morning. I bought
some arch supports. I'm pretty sure that's the difference. As long as
my recovery has taken it is hard to imagine the day after day grind of
the Transrockies. Luckily, I won't have to worry about it for a while!

Boston: The Other Zone

2008-12-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

In the euphoria following the St. Jude Memphis Marathon, I began wondering how much faster I could get? Kenneth Williams or "Koach" called on Sunday to congratulate AB and I on our times and told me he'd be glad to make me a training plan to help me improve my time. When I mentioned Boston to him, he asked what my qualifying time would need to be. I told him 3:10. There was a long pause on the phone. Finally, Koach said, "That's another zone." I'm pretty sure that was his nice way of saying, "Why don't we come up with a more realistic goal for you."

In order to qualify for the Boston Marathon, males 18-34 must run a marathon in 3:10. That's three hours, ten minutes. In order to run a 3:10 marathon one must run just over a 7-minute mile for 26.2 miles. That, my friends, is fast.

I'm not sure if too many endorphins are running to my brain or if I don't like being told I can't do something (not that Koach said that, exactly), but I really really want to run a 3:10 marathon.

My foot hasn't even quit hurting from Saturday's run, and I'm ready to get outside and start hoofing some miles. If I'm going to knock 47 minutes off my time I better get moving.

Does this mean the Transrockies is out the window? Hardly. The way I see it, the Transrockies will be great training for Boston. It takes alot of miles to get ready to run a 3:10 marathon. I stumbled on John Kearsing's blog trying to learn more about Boston Marathon training plans. He ran 70 miles in one week! The really cool thing about John is that he completely bonked in his qualifying run, the Chicago Marathon due to hot weather. He got leg cramps and finished in 3:59. Undeterred, he ran another marathon 20 days later and got his 3:10. Wow.

The next challenge is the Country Music Marathon in late April. I'm going to train my butt off for the next four months and see how many minutes I can knock off that suddenly slow 3:57:29. I realize I won't run a 3:10 in April, but I want to see how much faster I can go to see if 3:10 would ever be an ascertainable goal for me.

St. Jude Race Report

2008-12-07T12:20:00.000-08:00

The months of training really did pay off. I finished the St. Jude Memphis Marathon in 3:57:29! Anita Beth finished the Half Marathon in 2:09:32. More important, we had a great time!

Here's how it all went down:

Accompanied by AB's training buddy Kimberly Labas, we arrived at the Marriot in downtown Memphis at 10 p.m. after some good old italian carbo-loading with a long list of Corinth friends who were also running the Half Marathon.

Our first mistake was not checking into the hotel before dinner and picking up our race packets. We awoke at 6 a.m. Saturday morning, threw on our clothes and headed to Autozone park to pick up our packets. If you've ever been to downtown Memphis you probably know that the Marriot is not close to Autozone Park. We walked briskly through the subfreezing early morning. We had our packets by 7 a.m. and headed back to the room to drop off our shirts and goody bags and make the final preparations. It was a wasted 30 minutes going back and forth to Autozone Park and burned some energy that would be needed for the race. It also made me late. I was supposed to meet my training partners at a Starbucks near the start line, but I didn't make it to the start line until five minutes before the gun. Luckily, my friend Lee Rogers is sort of tall. I spotted him and Greg Cooley amongst the throngs after a couple minutes of scanning the 9:10 corral.

We lined up just in front of the 3:55 pace runners. My Garmin linked to the satellite just before we crawled up to the start and we were off! Me, Lee and Greg ran just behind the 3:55 pacers for the first mile or so. According to my Garmin they were running about an 8:30 per mile pace, which was too fast for my blood. I didn't want to burn out in the first two miles, so I let them go. Lee ran ahead of me after the first two miles. He was only running the Half and I didn't want to let him run me into the ground. I was all alone, but feeling good as I was moving comfortably below the 9:10 pace or four-hour pace.

For the next six or so miles I ran behind and around a girl wearing a pink hat. She had a steady 8:45 to 9:00 pace. I didn't speak to her, nor her to me. She probably though I was stalking her, but I find that when I'm by myself I like to have someone to keep within sight to help keep my pace even. Otherwise, I'm tempted to run too fast or drop off too slow. I eventually passed her around mile 10.

Around that same time I found myself running beside a lady with a very steady pace. You could look at her and tell she was an experienced marathoner. I must have been getting lonely or something, but I asked her if she was running the Half or the Full and she replied the Full. It was nice to have someone to talk to as we approached the part of the course where the Halfers split off the course to go to the finish line. I still had a vivid memory of that same part of the course from my disastrous 5:03 marathon last year. The course is a desolate place when you pass the split as all the Halfters break toward the finish line. Last year I completely bonked at mile 14 and walk-ran the final 12 miles. I did not want that to happen again, so I made the decision to hang with this experienced marathoner as long as I could.

After the race I would learn her name was Amy Leahy. Around mile 13 or 14 Amy told me she was trying to qualify for Boston and she needed to run a 3:50 or better to do it. I looked at my watch and the pace on the Garmin said 8:23. Hmmmm. A little fast, but I felt comfortable. On we went. The miles really ticked by from 13 to 17. We chatted a little bit and I just stayed with her. We caught and passed the 3:55 pacers. A few minutes later we caught and passed the 3:50 pacers. I couldn't believe there was a chance I was going to beat a 3;50 marathon, but I wasn't going to slow down now.

After mile 17 I began to notice that I was straining. I slugged on, keeping Amy by my side. At mile 18 and 19 I was straining alot. I took another GU, hoping that would pep me up. At mile 20 my legs said NO MORE! They didn't cramp, I just couldn't make them move at at 8:30 to 8:45 pace anymore. Suddenly, I was behind Amy.

She began to pull away after we passed the 20-mile mark, and was nice enough to notice. Her parting words got me through the rest of the race. She looked over her shoulder and said, "Whatever you do, DO NOT WALK!" I assured her as best I could that I wouldn't and off she went.

The next four miles were positively grueling. I would close my eyes and just keep my legs running, but much, much slower. I probably averaged a 10 minute plus mile the rest of the way. It hurt. I did not walk. I refused. I knew if I walked it would be over. There's no way to describe how hard it was to keep going, but I did.

I had announced to anyone who would listen that I wanted to beat a 4:00 marathon. I knew Anita Beth would be waiting for me at the finish line. I wanted her to be proud of me. I visualized myself crossing the line in under 4:00 and her hugging me. I kept running. I kept looking at my watch and assuring myself that I could do it if I just kept pushing.

Without prolonging it any further, I did it. I sprinted through the gate at Autozone Park and across the line at 3:57:29. It was thrilling! Unfortunately, Anita Beth couldn't hug me because they wouldn't let people down on the field, but she gave me a big shout as I crossed the line. It was good to see her, and it was good to be finished.

Anita Beth and Kimberly finished the Half in 2:09 and both were thrilled with their performance as they should have been. We had a great time. I think the three of us are going to run the Country Music Marathon in April. I can't wait.

I did think about the Transrockies run in the first hours following finishing the run. The challenge of 125 miles in six days has grown immensely following yesterday's marathon. As I lay here on this Sunday afternoon, I cannot imagine running the day after completing 26.2 miles. There is much to do in order to be ready to take on the Transrockies.

St. Jude Marathon

2008-12-06T12:10:00.000-08:00

We did it!

My marathon time was 3:57.

Anita Beth and her friend Kimberly finished the half in 2:09.

We all accomplished our goals! What a great feeling. More on the race
later.

Transrockies, Reason No. 2

2008-12-04T20:35:00.000-08:00

Transrockies reason No. 2: Seven days away from the stress of work at
the office and at home. The only worry I'll have is getting to the top
of a mountain and back down.

Forecast for the St. Jude Marathon this Saturday is 22 degrees
according to my iPhone and 28 degrees according to Channel 5. Either
way it's going to be cold. I'm trying to decide how to dress. Long
pants or shorts? Fleece or long sleeve shirt?

The Transrockies run is in August. I'll be looking forward to summer
as I stand in the freezing a_ _ cold waiting for the start Saturday
morning.

Transrockies, Reason No 1

2008-12-03T21:29:00.001-08:00

I am expecting lots of people to ask us why we are running the
Transrockies Run, so I've decided to blog my reasons.

Reason Number 1: I love the Rocky Mountains! When I am in those
mountains I know there must be a God as only he could create something
that majestic and wonderous. I can't wait to see the stars sleeping
underneath that big mountain sky.

Winding Down

2008-12-02T20:05:00.000-08:00

After two days rest, I breezed through six miles this afternoon on Corinth's Coca-Cola 10K loop. My goal for the St. Jude Marathon is to run it in under 4 hours. I ran a 3:52 my junior year of college. If I could run a sub-4 Saturday it would be like being 21 again. In order to get under four hours I will need to average a 9:10 minute-mile or better.

Nine-minute miles have gotten easier and easier over the last few months, but I haven't tried to run a nine-minute mile on a long run. I hope I can do it 26 times on Saturday.

I've been training for St. Jude since last May. It feels good to be this close to reaching the goal. Last year, after I crawled across the St. Jude finish line I didn't run again for the rest of the winter. I gained 10 pounds and by the time I started running in May I felt like I had never even run the marathon.

Not this year.

I'm setting goals to keep myself in shape and hopefully achieve some new milestones. I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life and I don't want to lose it again. It helps that AB has started running. She is so excited about finishing the half marathon Saturday. I can't wait to train for the Country Music Marathon with her this winter. We have really enjoyed having something in common other than crying babies and favorite televisions shows. And I really can't wait until this summer when we start training for the Tranrockies Run!

How do you train to run 125 miles in six days? Luckily, Transrockies offers this handy dandy training program, which AB and I plan to follow to the mile. Check it out. It's been so cold outside the last few days that I have been daydreaming about running on hot sunny days. There must be something wrong with me.

Support Team

2008-11-29T11:13:00.000-08:00

On the last Saturday before St. Jude, we just wanted to take it easy. My sister Libby and her husband Brian (pictured) were kind enough to drive Anita Beth and I 10 miles up the Natchez Trace and drop us off. Libby drives really slow so the 10 miles was starting to seem like a really long way to run. When she finally dropped us off we were all alone with no way home but to run. If there's a more sure fire way to guarantee you run the miles I don't know it.

The Natchez Trace is a beautiful place to run. The Ross Barnett Reservoir was on the left side of the road and thick beautiful woods were on the right side. There is hardly a sign of civilization other than the occasional passing car. The traffic is not too bad. The only complaint is that the stretch we were on was uneven due to the long curves as the road winds around the reservoir.

AB's shins were bothering her the first three miles, but she warmed up and they were good the rest of way. By the time we were to mile six and seven I was having to tell her to slow it down. The worst thing that could happen now is to get hurt 7 days before the big run.

The only other event worthy of note was when some redneck in a pickup pulling a bass boat honked as he passed us from behind. We both jumped out of our skin. Anita Beth gave him a large non-obscene what-gives hand gesture as he drove away. I asked her to put her hands down as I didn't want the opportunity to converse with the dude. The girl's got spunk.

We finished without a hitch. It felt good to put in 10, especially knowing that this week will filled with relaxing easy runs as we rest up for St. Jude. I have a feeling we're both going to accomplish our goals on Saturday. I'm trying to run a sub 4:00 marathon. She's trying for a 2:10 half. The way she's running I know she can do it. We shall see!

Transrockies Here We Come!

2008-11-28T13:10:00.000-08:00

We've joked about it, talked around it, and alluded to it for weeks, but Tuesday night we pulled the trigger and signed up. Anita Beth and I are going to run the 2009 Transrockies Run! We are both so excited about the challenge to come, and a little nervous.

This blog will be our log as we train for the run. The "official" training won't begin until May, but we've much running to do between now and then. Anita Beth is going to run the St. Jude half marathon next Saturday and I'll run the full marathon. On January 3 we plan to run the Mississippi Blues Half Marathon, and in April we plan to run the Country Music Marathon, followed by a week or two of well-deserved rest and the beginning of the quest to conquer the Transrockies. 125 miles in six days. It's going to be great!