Chicago Marathon Pt. 1 – Lost Wallet & Expo, No Flat Runners & We Bean Runnin!

So the trip got off to a rocky road start. As in my ride to the airport arrived at 5 a.m. (thanks for the ride dad!) and as I was walking out the door, I realized I didn’t have my wallet. It was nowhere to be found. It was frustrating. It was stressful. It caused me and my friend to miss our flight. I felt awful about that. And any hope to getting to the Expo early was dashed.

Too many people. Too much stimulation. Please don’t make me go in there.

Luckily I’m one of the few Americans who actually has a passport. I grabbed it. My pops let me borrow his credit card. I thanked him. Finally got to the airport and sweated out the standby process.

Three happy people. One miserable one.

Luckily there was a loooooong security line that caused many a people to miss their flights. Thanks TSA. But their loss, my gain. I took one of those poor suckers seats on the next flight. Standby success!

Next stop, Chi-Town!

First sight off the L train. A sign that we were in the right spot.

Then it was off to the Expo. Luckily there was a shuttle from our hotel. And by shuttle, I mean a real live school bus. Okie dokie.

Snapchat fun: @piratebobcat

I personally don’t like expos much. Too overwhelming for me. But I sucked it up and tried to enjoy it. Luckily they had free beer to help endure it.

We found the beer bus!

Do we really have to run that far?

Bibs got.

Hoping I will be like the sign says.

You see that Chicago? I own you!

With the expo out of the way, we were free to do a bit of light sight seeing.

Who us? No, we’re not tourists.

Heck of a town.

I see you, camera person.

And of course, we ate. A lot. We ate a lot. Ate a lot, we did.

Homemade past? Yes. Wine? Double yes.

And did I mention I was running this race for charity? I had raised funds for Alzheimers, and the group was cool enough give us a pre race dinner! They rule!

And it was all purple.

But the best part of the pre race shenanigans was meeting up with my old college buddy, Rexy. We were on the cheerleading team at Ohio University and have remained close ever since. She’s the bomb biggie…and one heck of a runner. We met up with her for a two+ mile shakeout run the day before the race.

Lisa Lisa, why ya buggin?

Where did we run? To the Bean of course! And we weren’t the only ones with that idea. I think every other shakeout runner was there too.

Have you ever ‘bean’ to Chicago?

That’s always a good spot for pictures, and I’m glad we got it out of the way early as it would be packed later on in the weekend.

Just hanging around.

And since I refuse to take a #flatrunner picture the night before a race…all that was left was to wait for the 3 a.m. alarm to go off. While I did, I went back and read all the supportive comments you bloggers have been making on my posts the past few weeks (I still promise to respond to each of them). I also checked out all the supportive messages on the Facebook as well as the kind texts I received. Thanks again urrbody!

Time to sleep. Months and months of preparation was over. In the morning we race 26.2 miles across CHI.

Good night, sweet city.

One heck of a town.

Come Monday I will post my recap of the race. Stay tuned folks! Spoiler alert – I ran a PR!!!!

How bout you? What’s your pre-race ritual? Do you like expos? Ever bean to Chicago?

-Scott

Rock n Roll Dallas Half Marathon Recap – New PR & I Beat Deena Kastor!

We did it, you guys!

Yes, I set another PR, but I’ll get to that. First, let me start at the beginning ~

Like a lot of big races, this one had an expo where we have to go to pick up our bibs. So that’s what I did.

A pretend finish line at a real expo.

I saw a lotta friends there, which was good. Tho some of them didn’t notice me at first…

Photobombing like a BOSS!

But I gotta say, the RnRDal expo has gotten really small over the years. There were not a lot of vendors. I wonder what’s going on there???

Anyway, the next morning some friends met up earrrrrrly to carpool down.

The carpool gang. We hang out under bridges and terrorize the city folk.

Since the race route had separate start & end points, we parked near the finish and then had to heel-toe it across town to the start.

The carpool gang roaming the foggy streets of Dallas.

When we got there, we were waaay early. So we did like a buttload of other runners and kept warm (and off our feet) inside the Omni Hotel.

Chilaxing wide shot.

It’s nice of the hotel to let us destroy their restrooms politely sit on their floors like that. Shout out to Omni!

Chilaxing close up.

After a while, it was finally time to race! So we shed extra layers, dropped off our gear bags, then went to the corrals. I was in corral 1 – yippee! The horn sounded, and we were off!

Here we come! Lots of interesting outfits here.

The weather was decent. In the 50’s, and somewhat humid. But the rain had stopped a few hours before the race, and it felt cool.

I will rise above, thanks street artist.

I had a ton of friends not only running this race, but also cheering and volunteering at aid stations. So great to see so many peeps along the course!

Hey, my form looks pretty good here. I’ll take it!

A bonus of having friends along the course is they were able to take some of the pics you see here. Tho sometimes they didn’t see me until I was going past.

I swear I was waving at my friend and not flipping the bird.

Warning ~ Mild Rant Here

The course itself was just ok with me. I do not understand local race directors obsession with having us run through West Dallas. I know they think it’s cool to have us cross some of the bridges over the Trinity River, but it comes at a cost of us passing MANY bail bond shops, car impound lots, etc. Not the best way to show off Dallas.

I boycotted this race last year because they had dropped their charity and were strictly for-profit. That, and I thought the quality had gone downhill year after year. Part of that quality is the on-course entertainment. There was not a lot of crowd support. And for a race that bills itself as “Rock n Roll”, there were hardly any bands along the course. Speaking of which, why is it they always seem to be taking a break when you run past?

And I already mentioned the disappointing expo, but people were also disappointed with the medals. They were very small and kind of uninspired. What gives RnRDAL?

Warning ~ Mild Rant Over

Runnin over a bridge.

Other than that, the course was nice….except for the hills! They threw in a few doozies. Especially towards the end.

Ugh.

I felt pretty good during this race. I never even wanted to stop and walk (well, I might have wanted to on that last hill – but didn’t!), I never drank anything at the aid stations, & I didn’t even eat my Gu. I was never completely uncomfortable during this race. That’s good, because it means I can go faster!

Proof that I ran the race.

I don’t know why I felt so good. Could be that everything just fell into place. However, I did do one thing different that morning…I drank UCAN.

Just a couple of BFF’s.

They are one of Meb’s sponsors. When I met him back in December, they gave us a free sample. I decided to try it before this race. I need to do more experimenting to see if it really works that well for me, or if it was a fluke!

Back to the race ~

It finished outside American Airlines Center, which is where the Mavericks & Stars play. If you’ll recall, I ran a fun 5k at the same spot back in the fall. Here’s the recap.

Flying to the finish.

Finally, I passed by the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders who were dancing near the end and finished the race! New PR! WooHoo!

The stats.

This was my first race since turning 40 earlier in the week. I was probably the youngest in my age group. Hahaha, I guess it’s not any easier than the 35-39 age group. I was in the top 6% overall, but only top 13% in my division. Ahh well.

Oh, and one cool feather in my cap is now I can officially say I beat Deena Kastor in a race. She was there pacing the 1:45 group. But officially, it will go down in the record books as me finishing ahead of her. Hahaha!

Anywhoodle, at the finish area I saw a bunch more friends!

Some friends.

And then it was time for the post-race party. I was excited because Eric Hutchinson was the headliner. I actually like some of his music.

The party was ok. They gave us one free Mich Ultra beer. To me, MU is like drinking water. Not much flava. And if you wanted more than one, then you had to shell out $6 a piece. HAHAHAHAHAHA…No thanks!

Our one free beer. Celebrating the many PR’s set this day by the members of the Carpool Gang.

So we left to go get brunch and margaritas at a TexMex joint. But before we did, I got in one last 6 second video of the party.

So there it is, another half marathon in the books. And yay for the PR!!!

How bout you? Ever raced without stopping or drinking/eating anything along the way? Are you scared of the Carpool Gang? Did you race this weekend?

-Scott

Bi-Running Weather, Boney Gloves, & Avocado Eye

Happy Day every people! Things have been crazy whack busy around these parts, per uge. And the weather has been bipolar as crap. Most of the week it was freezing. Some days twas really windy, like on track day…

A bare bones run.

I still got up early to run each day. I just had to bundle up. And then warm up after with some hottie hot tea.

I mustache you to shave some for me.

But then it warmed back up to shorts weather. Whateves. Either way, I wanted to make sure I continued my workouts, because I have a race next week! Woot woot! A Turkey Day 5k is a few days away!

This was the scene last year. I hope they find a happier turkey.

So far this month, I’m up to 101 running miles with a couple weeks to go! Hopefully the work will pay off. We’ll see…

And in other news, when I’m not running, I’m a TV producer. And recently I got booked to work some hockey games in the American Airlines Center – home of the Dallas Mavs & Stars.

Pondering life from the floor. Sans glow in the dark boney gloves.

I hadn’t been down there since the Mavs 5k & Dallas 13.1 that I ran last month. Both went around the AAC. It was nice this time to be walking those streets instead of running them.

At the Mavs 5k. To read my recaps, click the links in the sentence above this pic.

If you follow my Instagram, then you also know that to help fuel my runs, I continue to eat somewhat healthy. Including…

Eye want you to eat healthy fats. Avocadon’t forget!

I’ve also been working on some secret run projects I’m excited about…stay tuned for news on them! Shhhhh!

How bout you? Been busy with exercise and work and life much? Anyone racing on Thanksgiving? Any ideas of my secret runs?

-Scott

Mavs 5k Recap – Great Race, Great Party & Brushes with Fame!

What a whirlwind! My head is still spinning. So much happened, so much fun at the the Mavs Run This Town 5k.

The Mavs Dancers asked to take a photo with me, I obliged, and taught them to ‘leg pop’.

This race took place at 7:00 pm outside the home of the Dallas Mavericks – American Airlines Center. One advantage: they let us use the restrooms inside (instead of the normal race porta-potties).

The scene of the time.

This course ran around downtown Dallas after dark. I hadn’t run a night race in a long time, but luckily my morning runs are in the dark, so I was used to having to use my night-vision.

Not a bad view.

Unfortunately there were a few sprinklers going off along the course, which left some slippery spots on the roads. There were also a few little hills, and it was surprisingly windy…but not too bad.

The course was mostly spetcator-free, save for some people yelling at us from their apartments and a section with Mavs entertainers. That said, I still had a lot of fun and even ran within one second of my PR that I set last month.

They had laptops where you could look up your time. Very convenient.

I felt pretty good this race. I made SURE to reign it in at the start. I wanted to run a negative split, or at least even splits, and I came close. Roughly – 6:53, 7:01, 6:58. Good enough for a 21:34 finish and 4th in my age group – one freakin person from a medal…Ahh well. It was also good enough to be the 54th finisher out of 1,900 ~ I’ll take that!

We also had a bunch of bananas friends running this race. It was great hanging out with them at the post race party!

Some friends.

And look, more friends, including fellow blogger from Marathon State of Mind…

Some other friends.

The post race party was awesome – all the free beer you could drink, food trucks, and a concert by Old 97’s!!!!

Front row selfie!

Rock on!

Rockin’ Rhett!

 

I didn’t get a pic with my face, but here’s my back. Some say it’s my best side anyways.

Run Free!

After the show, we even got to hang out with the band for a little while. Such great dudes!

Even the lead singer was cool enough to hang out with fans.

In summary, it was a super fun event, and we all had great runs and a great time! Bonus – each runner gets a ticket to a Mavericks game…score!!!

#MFFL

But now I gotta rest up – I have a half marathon in the morning!!! Woot woot!

How bout you? Any recent night races? Bump into any celebs recently? Who’s also racing this weekend?

-Scott

Pretty Good Lil Sports Weekend

The weekend was a pretty happy one for the Ole Scott-O. First up, you should know that besides running, I’m also a fan of all sports. And this weekend was big for some of ‘my’ teams.

As we creep into March Madness, my Ohio University men’s basketball Bobcats won a big game against our arch rival in overtime. #Excellent

I had to look up to make sure I was balancing her correctly.

My Dallas Mavericks won two big games to keep them in the NBA playoff hunt. #Dope

Pic I took when getting Dirk Nowitzki’s autograph a little while back.

My FC Dallas won their season opener. #Sweet

FC Dallas dancers. We granted their request to have a photo taken with us.

And my Dallas Stars won a very exciting comeback on a night when the team was honoring Mike Modano by retiring his jersey number. #Radical

Me and Mo as I call him. We go way back (to our two run-ins)

It’s rare when all of my teams win all of their games on the same weekend. #Booyah

Other than that…I had a good 7.5 mile run. Went to yoga with some friends. Had some nice doggy walks. And met the whole family at a park for a photo session. #Awesome

My mom always complains that I ruin photos, I think I make them funny. So does the boy.

And it gets even better, because the weekend also kicked off my birthday/St. Pat’s week! #Cheers

I’d be a giant in leprechaun village.

How bout you? Did you have a good weekend? Do you follow sports? Will you be celebrating St. Pat’s Day? What are you getting me for my birthday?

Don’t be an Embarrassed Runner

There’s no reason to be.  I bring this up because recently I’ve had a few interactions with people, who for whatever reason, are embarrassed to work out.  I guess I didn’t really know that so many people feel this way.  But I hear that they think everyone is judging them (either in the gym or on the roads) and they don’t want to be embarrassed by how they look working out.  They tell me that they are self conscience about their bodies, their running pace, their lack of knowledge around gym equipment, their age, etc. etc. etc.

I have never felt that way.  Well, except for once.  I had just had wrist surgery, and once I was cleared to start rehab, the only weights I could lift were 2-3 lbs.  So I hid in a side room at the gym so nobody would see me doing curls with baby weights.  But then a group of body builders came in the same room and stripped down to g-strings and started critiquing each others poses, as they were preparing for a competition.  I was trapped in the room, surrounded by giant men in tiny banana hammocks, lifting 2 pound dumbbells – so yes, I was a little embarrassed.

But anyway, I seem to recall in college someone telling me they were intimidated being around buff dudes in the gym, so they didn’t go.  Now I’m not saying I was buff, but I was on the cheerleading team and we had to lift weights…a lot.  The gym was our second home.  And yes, we had a strength and conditioning coach, just like every other sports team on campus.  Here’s photo proof of my involvement:

My fav cheerleading photo (Hint–I’m the one on the bottom)

I remember talking to some of the other regulars at the gym and asked if they ever judged anyone else, and they all said “No.”  They were too busy focusing on their own workouts.  In fact, they said they actually respect the out of shape people they see in the gym.  They respect how their in there working to get better.  The only time they don’t is when someone just shows up one time and quits.  Or people who are just there doing things half-butted.  But if you are there and committed, then others respect you, no matter what your fitness level is.

This goes for people running too.  Whenever I pass another runner, I don’t say to myself, “They should not be out here.”  Instead I think, “Hey, another runner trying to get better, just like me.”

And when I’m in my car and pass by someone running, I’m always jealous.  I’d rather be out there on my feet than on my vehicular wheels.

So to sum up:  lift the weights, run the roads, swim the the pools, bike the streets, yoga the yoga mats, do whatever it is you like to do without fear.  Nobody is judging how fast you run, how much weight you can lift, how unflexible  you are, etc, etc.   Chances are, you are actually being respected or envied……Unless of course you’re doing something weird, like stealing all the paper towels and putting them in her giant purse, like I saw an old lady at the gym do the other week.  If that’s the case, then yes, I am judging you Mrs. Paper Towel Stealer.

Rock n Roll Dallas Half 2013

This was a surprising race performance for me and just about everyone I know who ran it.  I wasn’t expecting much as I’d been sick for about three weeks straight and couldn’t run for more than a couple miles without getting exhausted.  Add to that that on race morning the temps were in the 30’s (USA) with steady 20+ mile per hour winds with gusts up to 40 mph (USA) that pushed the wind chill factor into the 20’s (USA).  And I knew the first 8 miles were pretty much on a steady incline (running into the wind).  So like I said, I wasn’t expecting much of a good performance.

At the expo. I got several compliments on “my style”, so I’m never going to change outfits again.

I was so not expecting a good performance that I didn’t even bother to warm up before the race.  Instead I found some friends in a hotel lobby and just kept warm and lounged.  But here’s the funny thing…once the race started, I ran along at a pretty decent clip for me.  In fact, I was trying to take it out slow, but instead found myself running 8 min miles flat for the first few.

One bundled up man in black (and yellow and green)

I knew that I hadn’t been able to train properly and that I probably wouldn’t have the endurance to keep it up, but as the race went on, I kept on keeping on.  I was ahead of the 1:45 pace group for a good portion of the race.  That would’ve been a PR by almost three minutes.  But then it happened around mile 10-11, I hit the wall from lack of conditioning and had to take a walk break.  The break took around two minutes, and I knew it would cost me a PR, but I was fine with it, like I said, I wasn’t expecting much.

Notice the blond Dallas Cowboy cheerleader checking me out. She must’ve also liked “my style”

I average a 1:50 half marathon.  Sometimes a few minutes faster or slower depending on the day.  With everything considered going into this race, I was just  hoping not to have a PW (personal worst, not sure if it’s a real term, just thought of it).  But I finished in my 3rd best time at 1:48:03, within 20 seconds of my PB (personal best, not peanut butter).  If I hadn’t taken that walk break, I would’ve crushed my PR by minutes.  That’s gives me hope cause I never really felt especially labored, I just didn’t have the endurance thanks to that illness.

PROOF that I finished. Thumbs up, yo!

Now, I have another Half Marathon in less than a month.  I’m hoping to build on this performance and hope for a new PR in that race.  I’d love to get down to 1:45 as the next milestone, but we’ll take it as it comes.  I’m feeling much better now (health-wise) and hope to get a few good weeks of training in.  We’ll see how it goes!

Before I sign off, let me add some constructive criticism about this race in case any race director happens to see this…not trying to be negative, just want to help make things better.  1.) I find it a real shame that our entry fees for RnRDal no longer benefits any charities whatsoever.  I’ve may be naive, but I’ve never heard of a race that didn’t have a charity attached to it.  I see now that they are purely for-profit organization, and that makes me sad.  2.) I thought the medal was kind of spare.  People commented on how the ribbon seemed like it was a cheap-o picked up at JoAnn Fabric.  And in this age of big fancy medals, the RnRDal was kind of small.  I also don’t quite get how a guitar represents Dallas.  In years past they’ve had other land marks incorporated into the medal…like the giant Ferris wheel at Fair park.  I know there are a few guitarists that call Dallas home, but I’m not sure Lisa Loeb will go down in history next to Jimi Hendrix.  3.) I still think the race should start at 7 instead of 8 am.  And that’s coming from a non morning person.  4.) I still think it’d be much cooler to end inside the Cotton Bowl instead of outside of it.  5.)  And I still think the course could find some other parts of Dallas to run through – like going through Deep Ellum instead of by all the bail bond shops in the first few miles.  It seemed like this year’s course copied some of the exact portions of the Dallas Marathon course.  Not every race has to go up Turtle Creek Blvd. folks! 6.) I know it was cold and that kept spectators away, but the course entertainment seemed really light this year.  Not a lot of bands, cheerleading teams, etc. along the way.  Not sure if they bailed, or less were booked this year, but it felt kind of empty.

I know it looks like Brooks threw up on me, but don’t care cause it was cold! I needed more of that tin foil stuff to wrap me up like a baked potato.

All that said, everyone I know seemed to PR this day, or at least have a good finishing time.  And I was so very proud of the people we helped train – some of which had never run a half before.  They all finished and I think they all PR’d too!  It was also very cool that some members of our group either went back after finishing and helped others in our group finish, or some didn’t run the race at all but instead did the same thing and just helped others finish by running them in.  That was really cool.  Runners helping runners.  Hopefully one day those newbies will be more experienced and able to help newer newbies.  It all goes full circle.

Anyways, congrats to all who finished!  Way to get out there and battle the elements!  Success everyone!