Running Frozen, New Ambassadorship &Soccer Season Ends

Sorry I’ve been MIA recently…well, actually I wish I was in MIA as it would be a lot warmer than it is here in Texas this week. But I digress…

Yes, we also got that Arctic Blast that blasted much of the USA. It went from 80 degrees on Monday, to below freezing for the rest of the week. Let’s just say that my transition to cold running hasn’t been so pretty. I still ran each day, but I wasn’t loving it.

So cold that a snowflake formed on my shirt.

Now I know that it could be much worse, and it is much worse up North, but I feel Frozen. Ah well, I just need to let it go. (See what I did there)

Before the cold snap blasted our backsides, we were able to sneak in a season’s end party for the Landsharks. I guess we had a decent enough season because they renewed my coaching contract for next season.

We couldn’t get one picture all season with all eyes open.

And now for some other cold cool news. I’ve been named an ambassador for Ramblen! You can see my Ramblen profile HERE!!!

What is Ramblen? Basically they’re for folks who like to take their workout gear with them when they travel. It helps you find places to run, workout, etc. when visiting a city…or even finding new places in your own hometown. Pretty cool.

I like this because I always take my running shoes when I travel. Like in North Crackalaka…

Running in OBX, NC, USA.

Or in sunny Orlando…

Running at Disney World.

Or on the open sea…

Runnin during an Alaskan cruise.

I gotta tell you about that last photo. I need to write a post on it someday, but let me just say that the miles fly by when the views are like this…

Mountains & icebergs.

Or like this…

Mountains & glaciers.

I’ve been to Alaska a couple times. It.Is.Uhmaizing. I can’t even describe the views there. Maybe someday I’ll get to run a race there (that’s not on a cruise ship). We’ll see!

How bout you? Do you workout when you travel? Did you get arctic blasted? What’s the most amazing place you’ve seen?

-Scott

Almost Race Day & Bestie in Town!

I just got back from my packet pickup for my 5k this weekend.  I gotta say, pretty nice little swag bag – even a bear of local honey!!!  That will save me a trip to the farmers’ market.  At least until I run out of farmers, that is. 😉

It’s been since Jan since I’ve raced, so I’m excited.  Some people are curious how I can be excited about “only” a 5k, since I just did the Dopey Challenge (48.6 miles in 4 straight days).  Ya know what, I learned long ago to respect each distance.  None is better than another.  They are all different and all good.

And I never want to be a running snob.  I’ve seen people in tears at the finish of a marathon and at the finish of a 5k, alike.  I have friends that run 100 mile races too.  It’s all running.  It’s all good.

Anyway, I got in a good run today and a good weight session.  Friday, it has been predicted, that I shall none run, but rest up and foam roll instead.  Speaking of which, I know kids learn by watching, and I guess I’m teaching the little girl a few things.

She’s seen me put myself through so much pain on this thing, she decided to give it a go.

And more exciting news, one of my besties is in town.  It has been exactly one year since I saw her last.  She lives in Raleigh, NC.  I was there with my sis last April to run the Flying Pirate Half Marathon in OBX.  Still my favorite race experience to date.  You can see my recap HERE.

With my sis and my sis from another miss.

Unfortunately she’s here to see her mom who underwent emergency surgery today.  I won’t get into details, but hopefully she will be all good.  I wish it was another circumstance, but it will be nice to see my friend.

How bout you?  Anyone racing this weekend?  Any good race swag lately?  Is it wrong to teach kids to foam roll (it hurts so good)?

-Scott

Hill Repeats Wednesdays

This morning’s Dopey Challenge training called for 5 miles at race pace.  Every other Wednesday it calls for race pace, with just a normal slower run on alternating hump days.  I’ve been taking these days to do Hill Repeats.  I ended up doing probably 1.5 miles of repeats.  If you’ve ever done them, you know they are hard.  But you also know how strong of a runner they make you.  Besides strength, they also make you a faster runner.  And pretty much every race is going to have some sort of incline at some point – even the “flat” courses…I found this out the hard way a few months back.

I was running the Outer Banks, NC Flying Pirate Half Marathon.  Since it was on an island at sea level, I assumed it’d be flat.  Also, the course description on the web site said it was flat, but with one hill right before the finish.  Like a fool, I believed them.

Battling the Unexpected Hills (Not sure if that’s their official name or not)

Yes, it was mostly flat.  But there was one noticeable hill around mile 5 when we were running by the shoreline and had to take a left to enter a neighborhood.  The shoreline was sea level, the neighborhood was not.  We had to run up a hill to get there.  But that was it until mile 10.  Only one hill in the first 10 miles? I will take it!

But after mile 10, things changed.  We left the paved path and entered an unpaved nature preserve.  The last 3.1 miles were full of ups and downs…literally! I hadn’t done a stitch of hill work preparing for this race, and I paid for it.  The PR I was on pace for tripped and went rolling down a hill.

I wrote all about it in my race recap HERE.

I won’t get into the details again in this post, as I just want mention it to make a point:  Always do at least some hill work when preparing for a race!  If you do, you’ll be prepared for any hills you face.  Also, if you do luck out and your race is perfectly flat, then you’ll be stronger and faster for having done some hill work.  Imagine how much easier a flat race is if you’d done some prep for it by running up and down inclines!

So yes, do go out there and make mountains out of molehills!

-Scott

In Training: The Run Disney Dopey Challenge

So I did something that might be a little suspect.  It went down a couple months ago I was in North Crackalaka to run The Flying Pirate Half Marathon.  I was at the apt. of my good friend Christie, or Xty as I call her.  She has a gluten allergy and can’t drink beer, so wine it is!  After a couple glasses I get a text from my sis in Florida.  She was getting ready to join us in NC for the race, but had just done something a little suspect.  She had registered for the Dopey Challenge at Disney World.  The Dopey is a brand spankin’ new event.  It takes place during Disney’s Marathon Weekend.  It’s four straight days of racing with each day increasing the distance.  Thurs=5k Fri=10k Sat=1/2 marathon Sun=Full marathon.  She registered because she lives there, wants the challenge, and wants the bling (you get 6 crazy medals for completing the challenge).  Also, after a day and a half of being on sale, the Dopey was already 99% full.  Drats!  I had to make a choice to join her or not then and there.  It was about to sell out, but I wanted time to ponder.  No time to ponder.  Another glass of wine.  Registered!

Let’s get doped up.

Registered.  Now time to train.  But how does one train for this?  I’ve asked several people but they usually tell me I’m on my own with that one.  Some say I should treat it like an Ultra.  The official training guru for Disney is Jeff Galloway, and he does have a plan on their web page.  I will reference it in my training, but I know his method is the run/walk one.  I want to attempt to run each race, to me that’s part of the challenge.

One thing I do know is that our bodies won’t get much recovery time between races.  So what I’ve been doing is trying to make my body sore/tired all the time to get used to it.  I’ve been basically doing two-a-days of running and weights or yoga, back to back long runs, etc.  Last week I was so drained that it was a struggle just to walk the dogs around the block, and when I got on the floor to do my foam rolling, I promptly fell asleep. On the floor.  On my foam roller.

But it’s all good.  I think my body is getting used to the constant (as can be) motion.  Already lost some extra lbs.  Adjusting my diet too to keep up with the extra energy I need.  And I think the lactic acid in my legs are getting flushed out faster so they can be ready to run again sooner.  But in reality, I haven’t started the actual training yet.  The race isn’t until January, which is good.  Gives me time to get ready.  So I’m trying to be smart about it and not do too much too quickly.  Avoiding injury is key!  But I’m wondering how my body is going to respond in a few months when I have to run 10+ miles one day, and then 20+ miles the next.

As far as training programs go, I already mentioned Galloway, which I will reference once in a while.  I’m also looking at Hal Higdon.  I think he advocates back to back medium/long runs.  So that could be useful.  I’ve also looked into the Hanson marathon method.  They never have you run more than 16 miles, but you are running almost every day and going pretty good distances each time.  Something to consider.  I will look at all of it and try to figure out a plan of attack.

I know I’m probably just telling myself what I want to hear, but I’m thinking it won’t be so bad.  I’ve been running these distances for about 5 years now.  And this past year was the first time it all felt like it was starting to click.  I’ve been injury free (mostly) for that time and I keep getting faster.  I recently read that they tell elites coming out of college that it will take them about 3 years before it clicks for them, and it makes sense.  You’d think running is just running, but it’s not. It’s a lifestyle.  You’ve got to learn to put it all together – the diet, sleep, cross training, etc. etc.  It can take a while to get it.  I still have more to learn, but I hope I’m getting it.

Good news is the 5k is not timed.  My goal will be to get a PW (personal worst).  The other races are timed, but I’m hoping to be smart about it.  I do NOT want to PR in the 10k or half marathon.  I want to keep as much in the tank as possible for the full.  It will hurt the ego and competitive spirit to run slow in a race, but it is necessary.  And I know it’s dumb, but I’m secretly hoping I can still PR in the full.  Like I said, I know that may be a dumb wish.  It would be pretty cool to PR though after three straight days of racing.  We’ll see how it goes.

Anyway, I’ve resisted in the past using this blog as a place to post my routine workouts, but I might start doing more of that now.  Hopefully some of you others doing the Dopey can get some use out of my training posts.  And maybe some of you can offer me some advice from your own perspectives.  Runners helping runners.  There you go.

So it starts here.  I’ll recap my week.  Saturday, 7 miles then 1 hr yoga.  Sun, 7 miles.  Mon, weights.  Tues, 4 miles. Wed, weights then 5 mile track workout.  Thursday (today), weights then running around 4 miles.

Like I said, it’s Thursday.  That means evening social run.  This week we’re running from one of my fav local pubs (they always have good quality beers and it helps that I know the owners) – Rugby House.  Last week we ran from the Katy Trail Icehouse Outpost in Plano.  GREAT patio!  It’s close to 100 degrees outside in North Texas right about now, but on the patio you wouldn’t know it.  Blanked with tree shade, chilled with cold brews, and fanned by misty fans.  Though on my track workout yesterday, I definitely did know it was close to triple digits….HAWT!

That’s enough for now.  I’ll leave you with a pic from our social run last week.  Join us sometime why don’t you?

We run. We socialize. It’s cool.

Head for the Cure 5k Review

Sorry for the delay in this review, I’m sure you were holding your breath.  Exhale, it’s here.  This 5k was alright.  There were more people than I expected – over 1000.  The weather was unseasonably cool, though a tad windy, but not too bad.  The course was relatively flat, save a few hills just after mile one.  The course was fairly scenic too, as the last half of the course meandered on a paved trail through the Oak  Point Nature Preserve.  I’d never been there before, and the part of it we ran through was nice.  I’ll have to explore that park some more on future runs.

Takin it to da bridge!

As you can see in the photo, I wore my Flying Pirate 1/2 Marathon shirt.  I was so happy to do so – you see, my flight home from that race resulted in my luggage being lost…for nearly a MONTH!  I finally was able to retrieve it the night before the race, and reunited with some of my fav running clothes, along with my new shirt, I was joyed to put them on for this race!

Hoping the shirt would give me wings too.

Anykitandkaboodle, the combo of the weather, the course, some secret inspiration, having my gear back, and having done some track work, I was able to turn in a decent finish.  I came across at 22:12 – little over 7 minute miles.  I was 4th in my age group and 29th or 30th overall.  This gives me hope, because it’s 20 seconds faster than my last 5k a month ago, and I had been sick the week leading up to this race.  I guess being sick was like a taper?  Taper for a 5k – I wonder if I can sell people on that idea?  Haha!

 

I don’t normally run with my arms crossed – I was reaching to stop my stopwatch at the finish line.

The race is called Head for the Cure because it raises funds for brain cancer research.  I guess it affects more people than I thought because there were lots of signs on the course and people wearing shirts dedicated to who they were running for.  I hope it was considered a success for them.

Anyway, not much more to say…just another 5k.  Yes, that does rhyme.  Until next time, enjoy some extra photos from the race.  Peacey peace!

 

 

 

Flying Pirate 1/2 Marathon Review 2013

First off, let me just say that this may be my favorite race to date.  Had an incredible time. We lucked out on weather.  We had good times before and after the race, so that may be swaying my opinion.  My sis and I flew into Raleigh, NC.  One of my besties lives there.  We stayed with her and she showed us her town.  It was my 2nd time to visit her there and I love this area of our country more and more each time I visit.  Such great food places (not many chains).  Such great brewpubs.  Such great great people.  Such great sights.

With my sis and sis from another miss.

After I got into town, I had a few hours to kill so I went for a run.  I ran in Umstead Park.  Even though it’s called a park, it’s really a forest.  It’s huge.  Lots of trails, lakes, wildlife, and really tall trees.  It was gorgeous.  And I’m told it’s where Gwen Paltrow would go on runs when she was there shooting Iron Man.  She has good taste.  My trail run was wonderful.

Tall trees. Sounds like the name of a crappy band.

But enough about Raleigh, this post is about the race.  It takes place around Kitty Hawk, NC in the Outer Banks.  The OBX is basically a string of islands off the coast.  It’s where Blackbeard the pirate hung out.  It’s where the Wright Bros did their first flight.  Hence the name of the race – Flying Pirate.  It was my first time to OBX, and it was beautiful.  So any race there has a great chance of being scenic…and it was!

A flying pirate would be a very dangerous thing indeed!

This race was so much more low key and laid back than the races I’m used to.  You run a Rock n Roll Marathon Series race and you’ve got lots of hoopla, and lots of people.  This race was the opposite.  People were so chill.  Getting ready for the race to start, it felt more like a casual Sunday jog than a competitive race.  People were genuinely happy and chill.  Oh, and there were lots of people dressed like pirates.  Of course!

Right before the start. That’s not a threatening pose, I’m trying to show of my temporary pirate tats on my hands.

The course starts through a parkish-neighborhoody area.  It then ran along the Sound.  We were literally feet away from the water.  It was beautiful.  The course then went through some neighborhoods.  Most of the places on the island were empty since it was the off-season (no tourists), but the locals who were there came out to cheer for us.  And they also cheered in a laid back manner.  They weren’t jumping up and down with crazy signs and noisemakers.  They were supporting us with golf claps and words of encouragement.

Even the other runners were supportive.  I don’t see that at most races in Dallas.  As I passed other racers, they would actually take the energy to to yell out encouragement to me.  I really appreciated that.  It was really cool.  More on this in a minute…

Anyway, the course then took us past the Wright Brothers monument where they had their first flight.  Yet another scenic spot.  But then things got hairy.  The course left the paved surfaces for the dirt pathways of a nature preserve.  The last 3-4 miles were a hilly trail run.  I wasn’t expecting that.  I hadn’t trained for that.  My pace to that point had been pretty good and a PR looked like it was a given.  It wasn’t.  Running trail hills after 10 miles took it’s toll on me.  I had to walk up a few of the steeper ones.

Tacklin the trails…kind of.

There was a guy in an Elvis costume doing the same thing.  We’d have to walk up some of the hills, but then were able to run down.  In fact, as I was walking up a hill, a small group of racers passed me, but on the downhill I caught up to them and they all cheered for me.  They encouraged me to finish with them…and we did!  That was really cool.  Runners helping runners. In fact, after the race, some guy came up to my sis and thanked her for running with him for most of the race.  He said she helped him finish and didn’t even know it.

No PR this time, but it was a great time!

After the race, there was a big pirate party.  Pirate ship, live band, free food, free beer, people laying in the sun.  Again, laid back.  Totally chill atmosphere.  That’s island life for you.

I think a pirate threw up on me.

Our medals turned Christie into an owl.

At the finish. Pirate kites everywhere – why not?

Meet us under the pirate pennant.

More pirates. Arrrrgh you glad?

And yes, the medals were cool.  I didn’t take a pic of the backs of them, but they’re cool too with cool inscriptions.  “Happy Happy Happy” they say.

Yes, that’s a pirate ship behind me.

In the end, I finished right at 1:48:32.  That’s 8:17 per mile.  Good enough for 24th in age group and 177 overall.  My time wasn’t what I was shooting for, but given the tough final three miles, I’ll take it.  I will say that the only cool thing about the hills is that as we left the nature preserve, we entered a field.  It was 100 yards downhill to the finish.  You’d never seen so many people running so fast at the end of a half.  Like I said, 100 yards down hill!  And it was a serious slope.

Anywhoodle, after the race, we got some seafood, then some bottles of wine, then chilled on the beach all day.  It was really chill.  Dolphins and surfers out in the ocean.  Great way to recover after a race.

Here’s your typical beach photo of legs and feet.

The next day we actually went and checked out the Wright Bros monument.  It’s probably the highest point of the island had great views at the top.  I was surprised to learn how even Amelia Earhart had visited it.  They also have a set of statues where they recreated the famous photo of the first flight.  We had fun posing with the statues.

Say “Whiskey!”

Gotcha!

We also checked out the sand dunes.  One of only a handful in the country.  I had been to the ones in Michigan before, but that was many moons ago.  These were pretty cool though.  They teach hang gliding there, and supposedly Blackbeard buried some treasure there too.

This will by my solo album cover whenever I become a recording artist.

So I once again must declare this my favorite race to date.  It was like none other I’ve done before – smaller and laid back.  Supportive runners and spectators.  Really cool swag (I forgot to mention they also gave us a pint glass too).  Extremely scenic course.  Very flat course until the very hilly last few miles…But even those last tough miles were very beautiful too.  Cool medal.  Fun afterparty.  Great part of our country.  Historical location.  Excellent food around.  Nice people.  Beaches.  I could go on and on.  I have nothing but positive thoughts on this race.  Can’t wait to do it again!!!

Peace!  -Scott

Flying Pirate Half Marathon Preview

As  you may be able to tell from the name of this blog, I kind of like pirates.  I’m not one of those people who dress up like them year round or decorate my house like a pirate ship, but I do like them.  As you can also tell, I like to run too.  So when I saw the Flying Pirate Half Marathon, I had to register.

It takes place on the Outer Banks in North Carolina.  The Outer Banks are basically a string of long skinny islands just off the coast.  Made famous by the Wright Brothers flight at Kitty Hawk and as a hideout for many pirates including Edward Teach – Blackbeard.  In fact, it’s where Blackbeard was killed.  So the name for this race is a combo of the flight and pirate histories.

A flying pirate would be a very dangerous thing indeed!

The course is a point to point one.  I’m assuming it’s going to be mostly flat since we’ll be at sea level.  Hopefully we won’t have to go over any sand dunes!  The course is also mostly straight…no major turn arounds or anything.  And as of today, the weather is supposed be in the 50’s.  It’s also supposed to be low wind and low humidity.  Man, I hope that’s all true – if so, could make for a chance to PR.  We’ll see though, as I’m not in top endurance shape at the moment.

The course also runs right through Kitty Hawk and past the monument to the Wright Bros. “first” flight.  I put first in quotes because my father doesn’t believe it was the first time they flew.  You see, we are from Ohio, where the Wright Brahs are from.  My dad is convinced that they did test flights there before taking the plane to NC for the official flight.  So sit on that North Crackalacka!  Makes sense, but it could just be Ohio pride.

After the race, there’s supposed to be a big party!  My sis is also running this with me and one of my bestest friends, who lives in Raleigh, will be there too.  So here’s how I see it:  Beaches, Running, Pirates, Fams, Friends,  Parties, Cool Medals….What could be better???

Oh, and get this, they put me in Corral A:

I’m usually in Corral B, so this is a first.  And I’ve never had a bib number that low.  Coolio.

All in all, I’m hoping this will be a really fun race with lots of good scenery and good times.  I don’t know many of the specifics about the course or event set up as I live about 1,200 miles away, but I’ll give a full recap when I get home next week.  Until then, keep it fresh!