First Day/ Back on the Bike

Hey all-
I have been taking it easy since the half-ironman. I have had pretty much no motivation to train at all since the race, except a few days this past week. I rode my bike a for an hour both Wednesday and Thursday, and did a quick, hard half hour on the trainer today before going to work.

Oh, work. Today was my first day at Dewey's Pizza, a pizza and salad place in Clayton where I'll be waiting tables. Today I filled out a bunch of paper work and then stood in the kitchen and watched everything. Yep, that was all I did. For three hours. It got boring, but it was a good way to see how everything worked.

I was thinking about doing a sprint race at the beginning of October, but I'm thinking I won't do it for 2 reasons: 1) I don't really want to train for it, and 2) Its not really a sprint. I did it last year in 1:51 - that's a pretty long sprint. I'm thinking about volunteering instead.
Hope all is well with the readers of this blog.
GC

Pigman Race Report

70.3! Completed my first half-iron distance race yesterday at the Pigman Triathlon in Palo, Iowa. All in all it was a good race for me. See the video here (8/17/08).

Race Report:

The Swim: A triangular 1.2 mile loop. I am a new swimmer and very slow, so my plan was to take my time and just get through the swim in good shape. I managed to do just that. Navigation was challenging, and there was occasionally a small chop, but I kept it steady and relaxed and finished in 46 minutes.

The Bike: A corn-filled 56 mile course through rolling Iowa countryside. My legs felt really good on the bike, but I planned to keep my effort moderate for a stronger run. I had no problem on the hills throughout the course as I had trained on steeper and longer hills - I actually thought the bike course was quite pleasant (many other athletes disagreed). I ended up averaging 19.2 mph for a 2:55 bike split.

The Run: The run course was an out and back on a shadeless, sun-soaked country highway. The first 3-4 miles I felt pretty strong except a minor stomachache that made me not want to eat at all. Things started going downhill around mile 4-5. I overheated and just felt awful, and mentally went into survival mode. I took a long walk after the next aid station where I took a gel and water, and a lot of ice. I started to pack myself in ice (shorts, jersey) as well as carrying a cup of ice water to dump on my head between stops. After 3 miles or so of extended walking breaks at aid stations and ice packing, I started to feel much better. I got into a good rhythm for the last 5 miles and finished well, with a 2:01 run split, despite a couple 11-12 minute miles in the middle of the run.

My final time was 5:47. My main goal was just to finish, but I thought if I had a good day I could go about 5:45m so I'm really happy with my time. I felt strong most of the day, except those middle miles on the run. Overall, it was a very good race for me.

Guess my finish time.

Use the poll at right to guess my finishing time. Winner gets a prize (prize TBA). Claim your time slot in the comments section of this post. One person to a time slot, first come first served.

COLORADO

Just got back from a fantastic week with the whole family in Leadville, CO. It was a great trip, including a couple beautiful runs, a swim in the warm Leadville pool, a couple bike rides (the following pictures from from a 65-70 mile ride to Independence Pass), cross training via canoe paddling, and climbing Mt. Massive - all of which were fueled by tons of good pizza, ribs, salads, and subs courtesy High Mountain Pies,

The view after a short section of a long climb. I came up along the road you can see.

Same spot as the first shot, but looking to the left. You can see where the road turns and heads uphill.

Me.

The old highway 24 coming out of Leadville. It was pretty much abandoned, and great to ride on for 5 miles or so.

A reservoir viewed through my spokes.

Same reservoir, sans spokes.

Twin Lakes.

Uphill, to where I took the first couple pictures.

Wetsuitsuits are fast

I did a half hour swim yesterday in the campus pool before it closed for the rest of the summer today. I wore my wetsuit, just to make sure it would still work for me, especially over a longer period of time then 10 minutes. Wetsuits make you fast. I am ~10 seconds faster over 50 yards wearing the suit, going from ~65 seconds to ~55 seconds with the same effort. I like that.

Race Rehersal Weekend

Hey all-

I had my longest and best training weekend so far this past weekend.

Friday was an off day, but I ended up doing an inaugural race - the Macklind Mile. It is a mile run on one straight road with a lot of downhill and no uphill. The race was well run, the course was so fast, and it even had the quarter miles marked. I went 1:15 through 1/4 mile, 2:35 through 1/2 mile, then didn't see my 3/4 mile before finishing (downhill) in 5:02. I really didn't run too hard, either - the course was just way faster than I was expecting. Anyway, it was a fun race and a good way to kick off the 4th of July, especially since we went to Denny's afterward.

I decided Friday to do a "race rehearsal" weekend of sorts - I wanted to do the full bike leg on Saturday and the full run leg on Sunday. So I did.

I went slightly over-distance on the bike, logging about 61 miles, which I later realized was really close to 100 kilometers - I wish I would have gone an extra 1.2 miles or so. The ride was really, really hilly. It probably would not have qualified as a "horribly hilly" 100k, but there were probably at least 20 significant climbs. I think my training course is probably (hopefully) more challenging than the Pigman course. Anyway, I got through the ride feeling pretty good, except one near the end of a ~15 minute consistent climb about 2.5 hours in. Its hard to really keep relevant statistics - I hit lots and lots of stoplights - but I think I was probably doing 18-19 mph most of the ride.

Sunday was my half-marathon day. I tried to get up early and failed, eventually waking up at about 11. So I started my run after a light breakfast at about 11:45. A bank sign told me it was 92 degrees. It was really hot, but my legs felt A-OK after my long bike Saturday. I went through Forest Park, down Wydown, and into Clayton. It was a pretty nice run, a few rollers but no major hills. The best part about the course is that there are water fountains about every mile and a half, so I didn't have to worry about carrying any water. I did stop for about 30 seconds at each fountain though, as I was sweating a ton. I had a Gu at 35 minutes and at about 1:10. I think I did OK staying hydrated, but I might have been a bit light on the calories. The last mile and a half or so I got really hot and pretty sluggish, I think I could have used another snack at about 1:30. I will definitely carry a couple extra gels than I plan on using during the race. Anyway, I finished the half-marathon in 1:43 or so, about 7:50 miles, which I was pretty happy with.

So anyway, that long training weekend definitely gave me a confidence boost about the race. I feel like the distance is definitely manageable for me. My swim is coming along - I'm still really slow, but I have been doing some long continuous swims, and can get through 1.2 miles breathing easily, with pretty low effort.

May totals

I know it has been a long time since the last post. If you care, I'm sorry. I'm still doing better than that 'Summer Rains' guy.

Training has been going fairly well. I actually improved my mileage a bit in May, ending up with:
292 miles biking
85 miles running
7500 yards swimming.

I actually managed that despite having some mechanical problems and not having a bike for two weeks, as well as the pool being closed for a two weeks as well. While that did put a damper on training, I managed to make up the bike mileage later in the month (I didn't do so well with the swim mileage), as well as adding about 25 miles running over the month. So, all things considered, it was a good month.

The last two weeks have not been so good. I started my primary lab job during the day (8:30 AM to 4 PM) as well as picking up three 9 hour shifts at the restaurant, which start at 5 PM. That means sneaking in a short swim over lunch, and maybe a quick run before work, at best. Not very good for the training volume. However, I've managed to get in two tough 2.5+ hour rides, as well as a 12 mile run yesterday, which felt strong and pretty easy.

So I am 9 week out from the race. I feel like I could probably maybe finish the race if it were this weekend. My run is really strong, and fine. My swim is slow, but I am pretty sure I can manage. I swam 1500 yards today continuously, at about 2:10 min/100 yards. The bike is probably the most shaky for me. I really need to get some good, long training done in the next couple weeks, especially to build some confidence for the race.

Run

Today I did an 8 miler with some hills at about 7:40 pace. More notably, I saved a baby mouse/shrew from drowning in flooding street in Forest Park. All in all, a good day.

April Totals

April Weekly Mileage Totals
Swim Bike Run
2.24 64.14 14.30

April Total Mileage
Swim Bike Run
9.57 274.50 61.20

Official Results

I dropped to 21st overall, 3rd in my AG.
http://www.ridgerunnersports.com/race/2008STEAMBOATTRIATHLON.htm

Pictures

Getting ready to swim.


The first length. I like this picture because you can make out the wave next to my head, whose trough I breath in.


Coming into T2


Justin, coming out of the swim, just minutes before his flat.


Finishing up the run.


My trophy. We didn't wait the extra hour for the awards ceremony.

Cape Girardeau Race Report

We woke up early to hit the road for Cape Girardeau. After fitting 2 bikes, gear, and 4 people into one (1!) car, Justin and I picked up Julie and Garrett and drove the two hours south to Cape Girardeau. Once there, Justin and I got set up with Julie and Garrett got doughnuts. Lucky.

After getting registered and numbered, I warmed up with a quick run and strech, a quick spin on the bike to make sure everything was working, and then headed into the pool. The swim start was staggered so one person started every 20 seconds. I was feeling pretty good about the swim, as I had had a couple great pool workouts in the past couple weeks. I mingled with the 10-minute-expected-finish group and got started about 35 minutes after the first swimmer. I settled into a good rhythm right away, and felt pretty strong. My breathing was good, and I only 'missed' (i.e., got a mouthful of water) once the whole swim. I passed one person and got passed by one person (who was cruising!). My swim time was great for me: 9:08! My best time in practicing was ~9:30, and my time last year was... 12:34. Great improvement for me. I felt good exiting the water.

T1 was good for me as well, I stripped my googles and cap, and threw on my number belt, helmet, and shoes. I did drop my sunglasses, which cost me a few seconds. I think I was ~56 seconds for T1. Last year I was 1:46.

After a successful flying mount, I spent the first half mile of the bike spinning my legs and strapping on my shoes. After that, I went to work. This course was much harder than I remembered - lots of short, steep climbs and a few significant climbs. Much of the first 6 miles or so was uphill. I didn't feel great on the bike, my stomach was cramping up a bit (not sure why) as well as my hip flexors. I just had to stand up a couple times for a couple seconds to release that though, no problem there. I passed a bunch of people, and didn't get passed at all during the bike leg. I pushed hard but still stayed a bit conservative on the climbs, generally just sitting and spinning up the hills. The official times are not up yet, but I think I came through in about 46 minutes, just over 20 mph, for the bike leg. Last year I went 52:20.

T2 was great. I got my shoes off on the bike, had a running dismount straight to my rack, and pulled my running shoes on. I did have a piece of tape in my left shoe, but it settled to a nice part of my foot and didn't cause any problems. I'd guess my time was about 30-40 seconds.

The first part of the run was brutal. My stomach was not feeling good at all, and cramping a bit. My legs were extremely heavy. After about a half-mile, everything started to loosen up and I picked up the pace as I picked people off. After about 1.5 miles I was feeling great (well, not great, but no cramps) and kept pushing the pace as much as I could. The run course was very nice with a few hills, but nothing major.
I ended up at about 34 minutes for the 5 mile run, so right about 6:45-6:50 pace.

My finish time was 1:30:50. That is a drop of 16 minutes (!) from my time last year. Loyal readers will also take note that my goal time was 1:30:45. I wish I didn't drop my sunglasses.

Last I saw, I was 18th overall, and 2nd on my age group (the winner went 1:25:xx).

Overall, I felt great about the race. If I had to do it over, I would have taken water on the bike instead of gatorade. That is about it, though. This race felt much, much different than past triathlons. I was extremely confident, calm, and in control the whole race. I never felt like stopping or cutting back on the pace. I really was able to trust my training and do my best. I think this was the first race I was really fit for, well prepared for, and knowing that through the planning and execution of the race made a huge difference in the overall experience.

Julie is responsible for sending me some pictures, I will post them ASAP, hopefully with the official results.

First Race

My first race of the season is a week from tomorrow. I will be returning to Cape Girardeau, where I did my first tri ever one year ago. I convinced my buddy Justin to come down and race as well. It will be his first tri, after completing a couple marathons the past few years.
The distances are: 450 meter swim (pool), 15.5 mile bike, and 5 mile run.

My goal times:
------------
Swim: 10:00 (Last year- 12:37)
T1: 1:00 (1:46)
Bike: 45:00 (52:20)
T2: 0:45 (l:28)
Run: 34:00 (38:42)
------------
Total: 1:30:45 (1:46:50)

I think this time might be a bit ambitious - I remember the bike course being a bit hilly. However, if the stars align and I put together a perfect race, I think I could finish around 1:30. Last year's age group winner was 1:26, followed by a 1:27 (third place was 1:40 or so), so I could be in there for top 3 in the age group. I need to make some time this week to practice my transitions - its been a while!

Training for the half is going well. I started the training program a few weeks ago and have been able to stick to it pretty well, only missing one workout so far (in order to play basketball) which I made up later in the week. Swimming and running have gone really well, but biking had been a little tough. My legs felt pretty tired on the bike until today's workout. I did 34 miles in 2 hours. My legs started to feel really good after an hour or so of riding. Maybe these shorter rides I've done haven't given me a chance to get good and warm on the bike, I don't know. Anyway, I did 2 hours in the saddle followed by a quick 1.2 mile run (minibrick) to get used to the bike to run transition. My legs felt great off the bike, I felt good settling into a 7:00 minute/mile pace right away.

April training totals thus far:
Swim: 10850 yards (6.16 miles)
Bike: 175 miles
Run: 40 miles

Marathon Pictures

A friend sent me a couple pictures from the marathon in January, and I am looking spectacular.

Around mile 20. Check out that smooth stride.

Probably mile 22 or so? I'm either smiling or just puked a little in my mouth. Your call.


At the finish. Lookin' good.

Breakfast

German Pancakes!

5k (ish)

I ran a 5k this morning, put on by the SLU Physical Therapy students (benefiting 'research', the entry form stated). The field was probably about... 30 people. I was aiming for 19 something, and so started off at low 6-minute mile pace, running with a (faster) friend, John. After about 50 yards it was apparent that we would be running alone for first and second the whole race. We went just over 6 for the first mile, and I don't know where the second mile marker was. John got bored of running slowly with me and took off about 12 minutes into the race. I kept a steady pace and ended up finishing in 18:45, fairly comfortably. I used gmaps pedometer because I thought the course was short, and it ended up being exactly 3 miles. The extra .1 mile would add about 40 seconds, my extrapolated 5k time would be about 19:30, which I'm pretty happy with. I ended up winning a 10 dollar certificate to a local bar/restaraunt AND a huge mock-turtleneck bearing that bar/restaurant's name. Sweet. I think I could work as a bouncer, with that shirt hanging around my knees and hands engulfed in the sleeves.

Runnin' the Suburbs

I spent spring break sleeping, eating, and running. It was great. I hadn't run a whole lot since the marathon, but I put in 24 miles or so in Libertyville Tuesday through Saturday. My legs felt really great every day, I think the 11-12 hours of sleep I got every day may have sped recovery.

SBR March Totals

So far in March, I've biked 150 miles, ran 12.5 miles, and swam 3.5 miles. I noticed an interesting relationship among my swim, bike and run mileages:

Let
S = Swim mileage
R = Run mileage
B = Bike mileage

then...

S = S = 3.5 miles
R =~ S^2 = (3.5)*(3.5) = 12.25 miles
B =~ S^4 = (3.5)*(3.5)*(3.5)*(3.5) = 150.06 miles

Basically, if you square my swim distance, you get my run distance. If you take my swim distance to the power of 4 (or run distance squared), you get my bike distance.
The bike distances are so close (only .06 miles apart, or 4 hundredths (.04 %) of a percent different), its scary.
Too bad tomorrow's run/swim workout will throw this whole relationship out the window...

Bike Races

I tried my hand at pure cycling this weekend with a 25 mile road race Saturday at Mizzou, and a crit today at Lindenwood University, about 30 miles from SLU. It was quite an experience. Bike races are much different than running road races, or triathlons. There is no timing. It doesn't matter how fast or slow you ride, everything is relative to your position. There isn't really a concept of a PR, except maybe your best finish. You work along with other racers much more than in tris or running. The pace changes so much. You can be coasting in the pack one second, and the next second sprinting to avoid getting dropped. It was a very different experience, but really pretty enjoyable.
Anyway, here are some 'race reports':

Road Race:
Saturday was really cold. About 22 degrees at race time. It was my first race, so I rode collegiate 'D' level - the equivalent of Cat 5, probably. There were about 70 riders for the D's. Registration was super slow, and no one got a chance to warm up. The first 5 miles or so ended up being a warm up. At about 6 miles, there were two really steep hills (walls) with about 1/2 mile of false flat (A section of road that looks level, but is actually slightly uphill) after that. I was about 20 riders back at this point. The first ten picked up the pace on the hills/false flat, and most of the ten riders in front of my dropped. I got through the hills fine, but found myself alone trying to bridge ~30 meters up to the lead group on the false flat. I wasn't able to catch them, and coasted to pick up 4 riders behind me (including a teammate). We formed a pace line and put a gap between us and another group behind us, but didn't make up much ground on the lead pack. Our group of 5 broke up on the hills on the next lap, and my teammate and I worked together the last 6 miles or so to finish 15 and 16 overall. I was pretty happy with the finish. It was pretty hard, I had never biked like that before.

Crit:
Sunday was about 10 degrees warmer than Saturday, but still pretty cold. The field was a lot smaller, about 40 riders. The field spread out a ton right off the start. There are a lot of inexperienced riders (myself included) and it was hard to stay with the lead group through the many riders and turns for the first few laps. I again found myself with about 5 other riders for the majority of the 30 minutes + 5 (1 mile) lap race. It took a while for me to warm up and get some of the soreness out of my legs, but I really rode hard and picked off 8-9 riders the last 5 laps to finish 13th. I was pretty spent and felt like I left everything on the road/ I was happy with my finish, considering I am in no shape for crits. I have been doing only long, slow rides all spring. A crit involves a ton of sprinting. I felt like I had trained for a marathon to show up for a 5k. I am not a very good rider technically, usually losing speed on turns (that I made up for on the 1/3 mile hill on the topside of the course).
The rest of the team did really well- our C riders took 1 and 2 in the road race, and the road race champion repeated in the crit today in a photo finish.

One Year

A week ago today was the one year anniversary of the day Julie and I started dating. After going to the farmers market together in the morning, I wooed her by making her dinner: the grilled salmon Kate gave me a recipe for last Christmas (thanks Kate!). To celebrate, we continued our streak of culinary exploration and made a Salt-Roasted pork tenderloin. I had found the recipe in a magazine the day before. Essentially, you cover a seared tenderloin with 6 pounds of salt and some rosemary and roast it for a half hour.

I was a little confused at first.

But even more confused after burying the pork (and fingerling potatoes) in the salt/rosemary combo.

Soon, the kitchen started to smell great, and the pork was pretty much done.

Julie sometimes goes crazy when shes hungry, but I think this one was mostly excitement.
I guess I don't have a picture of the finished product, but to be honest, it didn't look like much. However, the taste and texture was really good. It was extremely tender and infused with rosemary, and not salty at all (you brush the salt off the meat before serving). Apparently, the salt just seals everything while it bakes. Anyway, it was delicious, and I'll make it again.
As far as training goes, it was a beautiful weekend. I logged 65 miles or so on the bike yesterday and today. Yesterday I went pretty hard and felt strong over the whole ride, which was pretty hilly. Today I was a little tired and just cruised. Either way, it was great being outside in 65 (yesterday) and 75 (today) degree weather. Unfortunately, tomorrow is looking like a 45 degree drop and some ice. Oh well.
Finally, I wanted to share my latest addition to my arsenal of cycling gear: wind-proof gloves.

Duct tape is a great sealant. I estimate that my hand are about 75% warmer on cold rides. Next to the wind-gloves are the aforementioned gas station gloves.

Caloric Estimate

According to some online activity charts, I will burn roughly 4000-4500 calories during a half-iron race. For those keeping track, thats 45 Gu packets.
Anyone up for Famous Dave's after the race?

6 Months to Pigman

It was just about a year ago that I decided to do my first triathlon. During and after my ride yesterday, I thought about how much I have accomplished since then:

1. Swimming. A year ago, I couldn't swim a length without stopping. That is 25 yards. I would watch people who could go back and forth with envy. Now, though not particularly fast, I'm able to swim fairly efficiently. I've logged close to 5 miles in the pool just this month, with 40 minute workouts usually covering over a mile.

2. Cycling. I hadn't owned a bike since the Huffy Mom & Dad got me for my birthday when I was... 9 (I also recall Andy somehow destroying one of the wheels on it). My biking memories were mainly comprised of hating the one day each cross country season when Horton would have us bike ~7 miles instead of running. That workout always killed my legs. Yesterday, I actually enjoyed riding ~60 miles, and feel fine today.

3. Running. Well... I'm not very fast anymore. It was hard for me to keep in 5k shape without a team to run workouts with and to push the pace. However, I have definitely found new life in the realm of endurance running. Running a marathon was something I never thought I would do.

It's now exactly 6 months until the Pigman Half-Ironman. I've thought a lot about the race, from the individual legs, the race as a whole, transitions, nutrition... There are many things that go into a ~5.5 hour race. On the whole, I feel really confident. I can do each leg individually right now. 6 months gives me a lot of time to work on putting them all together, as well as the nutrition and hydration that goes along with that.

Anyway, I have 6 more weeks of 'pre-base' base training before I start the base training of a 20 week half program I plan on loosely following. I'll keep you posted with my progress.

Cold bike ride

Hey all-
I did my longest ride ever today, in the coldest weather ever. It was right about 30 degrees, and I put in ~60 miles with a couple other guys from the cycling club. It wasn't too bad, we took it pretty easy, but there were some good rollers and one big hill about 40 miles in that took their toll. I also bought some sweet $2 gloves at a gas station. They are bright yellow. Lookout.

SNOW DAY and January totals

FIRST COLLEGE SNOW DAY!!! We got ~5 to 6 inches last night. How exciting. It is hard to believe it hit 70 this weekend. Of course, the same day that 70 was the high, 16 was the low (54 degree change, anyone?) On the agenda for today: finishing season 2 of The Office (I just started from the beginning), going for a swim and enjoying the hot tub, playing outside, maybe walking to the store to restock the food supply, which is rapidly dwindling.
I've started to log my workouts a little better. My January totals are as follows (Keep in mind, I tapered for and ran a marathon, and then took a couple weeks off):
Total Miles:
Bike Run Swim
71 50.7 1.62

It's Official!

August 17th!

Back on the Bike

Hey all-
I got my first real workouts in this weekend in some beautiful winter St. Louis weather. Yesterday, I did just under 30 miles in the sunny, windy, and 50 degree weather. Today, I did 31 slightly warmer and less windy miles. I got to use all of my new gear (leg warmers, booties, bib, new bottle/cage, sunglasses). Everything was delicious.

Marathon Report

Here is the much anticipated report:
I got into Mobile Friday night and checked into the hotel, then went for an 20 minute job. Our group grabbed dinner and went to bed early. In the morning, two other runners and I foraged for food in downtown Mobile, and settled upon a great little southern diner. I enjoyed grits with my french toast. We walked around town a bit, then set out to drive the race course. 26.2 miles is a long time. It took a full hour to drive. The course was very flat, with one mile-long section of small rolling hills and a monster hill at mile 17. Of course, neither looked too intimidating in the van. We went to the pre-race meal at a nearby museum, and I carbo-loaded before helping with the dinner. (Sidenote: one of my friend's dad was the race director, and many people in our group were there as volunteers). After dinner, I got all my stuff ready for the morning and got to bed.
I slept pretty well, from 10 PM to about 5:30 AM, giving me 2 hours before the 7:30 start time. I ate some toast and applesauce and showered, relaxed for a while before getting dressed for the race. I wore a new running top and my old Wahlert CC shorts. It was a bit over 40 degrees at the start. You wouldn't believe how much clothes some of the southerners were wearing! Many runners wore plastic trash bags to start, and almost everyone wore at sleeves, gloves, and usually a hat. I was probably one of the least dressed, and it wasn't even cold. Anyway, before I knew it, it was time to start. I walked down to the start with about 1000 other runners, and soon the gun went off.
The weather was perfect to start, and my hands were just a bit chilly for the first few miles. My plan was to just run comfortably, and I thought I would do about 8:15 miles. I went through the first mile just under 8, the second mile at 8, and the third. I started talking to another runner, Dave, an Air Force pilot from Florida, at about mile three, and ran with him for the next ten miles. I ate my first Gu at mile 5 and alternated water and sports drink at the water stops.
I went through the first half right at 8 minute mile pace, 1:45. Dave dropped off at this point, but I caught up with him at the finish and he ended up with a PR. I had caught up to Justin (3:39:39), Bess (3:36, and a first-time Boston Qualification!), and Charlie (who didn't have his best race) and ran with them for a while. At about mile 15 things started to hurt. My quads were starting to hurt after feeling great the first 13.1. At mile 17, the hill struck, and I lost Justin, Bess and Charlie. I was really hurting after the hill, and walked at the next water stop to suck down two cups of sports drink and a cup of water. I got back to a pretty decent pace after that hill, but was really struggling. I was getting hungry, especially after my last Gu at mile 20 or so. I walked every water stop and had as much sports drink as possible, as well as the random orange slice or any food available. One person even had whole peeled Clementines for the runners. I slogged through miles 20-24 going on fumes. A little after mile 24 I hit the wall. It didn't hurt so much as I was just out of energy. I did my best to keep shuffling my feet, but I could tell I was pretty much zapped. The race wasn't chip timed so I don't know those splits, but they were 9:30 minute miles at best. I started to get a bit dizzy and a little lightheaded in those last couple miles at well, but I kept going. Suddenly I recognized where I was, I saw a shop we had stopped at the day before, and I knew I only had about 6 blocks left. I started to pick my feet up for my final effort. Then my calves started to cramp. I pointed my toes to the sky and ran as best I could. I honestly don't really remember the last 200 yards or so, except someone gave my a unshelled peanut (which I held between my teeth and one of my friends got a picture of), and there were some dancing girls in vibrant mardi gras gowns dancing near the finish line. I thought I was hallucinating. I got my arms up because someone told me there was a finish-line photographer. Final time: 3:40:49, 8:26 pace. My goal time was 3:50, and I didn't do a long training run faster than 9 minute pace. I took an early exit from the chute into the arms of my friend Kara who ushered my into a nearby chair, where I instantly ate 3-4 bagels and drank as much sports drink as I could hold. I sat for about a half hour, then shuffled to the post race meal and got a post-race beer (sorry Mom and Dad, but I hear its a good recovery drink, and I think I earned it). I headed back to the hotel and sat in bed for almost the rest of the day.
Post race: I was extremely sore for the next 4-5 days. My left knee was swollen and sore for about a week. My legs were pretty much shot. I discovered that walked down stairs backwards is much less painful than the convention, front facing method.
All in all, it was a great race for me. I look forward to doing another someday, though I think my next goal will be a half-ironman finish.

Time for a new flash game

I beat my latest/favorite flash game, called 'fishy' or something like that. I liked it because of the possibility for exponential growth once you hit a critical size. Tonight I hit the critical size. Here are the results:


The small fish surrounded by red and superimposed on the large fish is my original size. I'm very proud of my accomplishment.

Brrr!

I stupidly decided to run today. It was 18 degrees with 20 mph winds (wind chill of -4). I hadn't run in the past couple days so I decided to bundle up and head out. The first mile or so was really cold, I really wanted to turn around and head back. However, as soon as I turned onto Radford Rd. I was out of the wind until the last mile. I did the Res loop which I just mapped on Gmaps pedometer to be 5.001 miles.
I tried out my new toy today as well, a running belt.

I recently found out there was only going to be water on the marathon course, no gels or gatorade. I guess thats what you get for a 35 dollar entry fee.