My Last Race Ever!!!*

Yup, it’s true. This weekend is my I’ll be running my last.race.evah.*

*In my current age group.

Yup, I have a birthday coming up, which is going to catapult me into a brand spankin new age group. So this weekend’s race will be my last in the 35-39 division. Hopefully I can go out with a bang!

Sadly tho, I won’t be running any of the St. Patrick’s Day themed races in Dallas. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some St. Patty’s Day fun, but me no likey the huge crowds at those races.

I’d be a giant in leprechaun village.

Instead I’m running the Chain Reaction 5k.

I chose this race for a few reasons: 1. I live nearby. 2. Registration was affordable. 3. All proceeds go to a good charity. 4. A couple times per week I run the trails this race is utilizing, so I’m familiar. 5. It looks to be a small race.**

**With small races, odds go up of placing…even in my super competitive current age group!

That all said, even though I run in this park all the time, I’m not sure how they’re going to host a 5k there. I know for a fact that the main trail is only about 1 mile around. I reached out to them for the course map, which they very kindly sent me. But to be honest, the map cornfuses me.

I can’t make heads or tails of this route.

They say it’s a two lap race, but I don’t get which directions it goes. And also, the map clearly shows that we go off pavement to dirt mud trails for a section. That’s not good because it’s been raining non-stop here in North Texas.

This is what I kept telling myself all week.

I again reached out to the race folks, who assured me the race is all on pavement. If that’s the case, then the map is wrong, so I’m even more cornfused.

Anyways, I’m probably over-thinking it. I need to just go to the race and have fun trying to run fast. But what would runners do if we weren’t obsessing over running details. Am I right?

And those who know me know I also obsess over tacos. So now I’m off for some pre-race veggie ones!

This will help me run fast, right?

Stay tuned for the recap where all the mysteries will be solved!

How bout you? Can you figure out that course map? Are you celebrating St. Pat’s? Do you have a prediction for my performance?

-Scott

Full Frontal Running & Not a Taco

This week we’ve had a 2^nd summer cold front come through! I had to take full advantage of the front. So I guess you could say I went ‘full frontal’? Is that the right use for that term?

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still pretty warm and muggy, but at least it’s not 103 degrees anymore! Compared to last week, my runs this week have been night and day (well, I actually ran mornings).

I felt so fast, like I was a blur.

Yesterday I got in a quick 4 miles and today I did some track work.  And get this…while lapping the track, it actually started to rain!!! So for once I wasn’t just sweat wet, but also cool rain wet. It was like heaven (well, except for the out of breathlessness and the puke-y feeling from the 800’s).

Anyway, other than that I know I haven’t posted a taco photo in a while, but here’s an ad I saw for a local Mex fast food joint…

I should have them arrested for this.

For those wondering, No, I’m not planning on getting one. Doesn’t look as appetizing as the tacos I normally get.

I’ll take these instead please.

Though it is free…so I suppose I could get it, take a bite to try it, then throw it away. But that sounds like a lot of effort.  Meh.

Anyhoodle, I hope this front sticks around a bit longer.  Gotta get in some more runs while I can!

How bout you?  Any wet workouts this week?  Would you try the taco burger?  Anyone else go full frontal?

-Scott

I’m a Sexy Trail & Rain Runner

Firsty, I never check this stuff, but I needed to look at something in my blog settings and I noticed the search term someone had used to find my blog.  I gotta say, whoever he/she is, well, they came to the right place!

Haha, dayum skippy.  They found their man!  If you didn’t know, I’ve been finding that lots of the exercises we do do make us sexy.  Tee hee, I said doo doo.

Secondly, Holy Frijole did we get some rain today!  It was awesome!  We are in a really bad drought here in Tejas, so today was much welcome.  It stormed most of the morning-night and all day.  Only problem – when I was up for my morning run, there was lightning.  We shouldn’t run when there’s lightning.

I waited…and waited…until I thought the lightning had stopped…and went for my run.  It was still raining, which felt uhmaizing!  It’s been a long time since I’ve run in the rain.  However, I have a big but.  (Tee hee, I said big butt.)  BUUUUUUT the lightning hadn’t stopped.  I definitely ducked a few times when I saw the flashes.

Luckily I made it home safe.  However my white tank top was soaked.  I probably would’ve won a wet t-shirt concert if my neighborhood wasn’t so lame and decided to had one.  So sexy.

Anyway, back to whomever was searching for sexy trail runners, I’m sure this is the photo they were looking for…

I hope they were satisfied with their search results.  Hahaha, I wish I could see their reaction.  Oh well.

How bout you?  Rain run much?  Which one of you was searching for ‘sexy trail runners’?  Be honest!

-Scott

Disney Dopey Challenge Training Week 6

It continues.  Today called for a 3 mile run and a weight session in the gym.  I must still be tired from the combined 20 miles I ran this past weekend, because the 3 was no walk in the park (it was a run in the park, though).  It was still 90% humidity and in the mid 70’s, so a tad bit swampy.  It’s supposed to cool down some today, and we’ve actually gotten rain for the first time in like forever.

And can I just say that with the rain, it brought out like a million snails all over the place.  I don’t know where they came from, but they were everywhere.  I think today in the snail world, will forever be known as massacre day.  Now I can’t be certain, because my morning run was in the dark, but I heard and felt an awful lot of crunching under my feet.  I kept hoping they were nuts that had fallen from trees, but I have a feeling many a brave snail met his doom today.

Stole this pic from my friend. I felt I was moving as fast as this guy on my morning run.

As for the rest of the week, I’ve got 6 miles with hill repeats on Wed.  3 miles with weights on Thurs.  9 miles on Sat.  And Yoga on Sunday.  Still on course to successfully navigate the Dopey Challenge!

What about you, did you witness any exoskeletal massacres today?

Track Work & Rain Runnin

So it’s been heck-a-humid ’round here recently.  That’s made for some really sweaty runs.  But the other morning the humidity finally broke out into some rain.  Instead of using that as an excuse not to run, I gladly laced em up and got out there.  I’ve always liked running in the rain, playing soccer in the rain, whatever in the rain.  Now don’t get me wrong…if it’s a downpour, that can be a problem, but if it’s just kind of drizzling, that’s cool…literally.  It helps keep me cool and it’s just something different.  Since we live in what is becoming an arid state, I’ll take any rain we get.  Give running in the rain a try sometime…just not if there is thunder and/or lightning…that’s just plain reckless…hit the treadmill instead in that case…unless you keep your treadmill outdoors…which is also different…and reckless…

Other than that, last night I kept up the weekly track workouts.  We did more 400’s.  It was hot and humid like normal, but at least we had some cloud cover.  I felt pretty good.  Turned in some decent splits.  We’ve also been making new running friends on the track.  It’s like becoming a regular at a bar, but our bar is an oval that we run around.  Anyway, we keep seeing the same faces at our oval bar.  Pretty cool.  Like I’ve said, track work hurts, but it’s nice to see other people toughening out the pain so they can be healthier and faster.  Everyone’s training for a different race, but they all know the same means to get them there.

That said, today I’ve got weights again followed by an evening run.  I usually run with Thursday Night Social Run, but I think tonight I might check out a new run – PlayTri is a new triathlon shop in town and I hear they have a Thurs eve social run.  It starts at 6pm and is on the way home for me, so I might check it out.  Always good to have running options.

201 days till the Dopey Challenge.  Gonna keep at it!

The Final White Rock 1/2 Marathon #blog

I’m skipping a few race recaps to crank out this one because this weekend is the Dallas Full and Half Marathon.  Thought my recap from last year’s race might be timely.

I have lived in the DFW Metroplex for quite a while now, but I have never ever never had the urge to run the race formerly known as White Rock, and now the Dallas Marathon.  Why?  Every year I watch the live coverage on TV, and every year the weather seems to be horriblay!  That’s numero one.  Numero two is that I live here, and I can run around that area anytime I want.  I guess I always figured if I do a marathon,  it may as well be someplace scenic for me.

Buuut, last year I had been training with a bunch of folks who were training for this race.  And I got a free race entry for the half.  That helps.  And let me just say that my fears came true.  The. Weather. Was. Awful.  It was like 40 degrees American and pouring down rain.  Miserable.  I saw people shivering beyond control.  Several friends had severe blisters from wet socks.  And I met several peeps who told me they simply dropped out of the race part way through.  It was tough.

When I finished and changed clothes and picked up my soaking wet clothes, they must’ve weighed about 20 pounds American.  But, I did finish.  My time was just OK, but it could’ve been a lot worse.  I was never so happy to finish a race, just to get out of the elements.  It took a long time to warm up, and the free post race beers may or may not have helped.

Check out the baloonatic.

After the race, it was forever changed.  New name, new course, new new stuff.  So I can at least say I ran in one of the most historic races in Dallas before it disappeared.  I’ll be down there this week during the inaugural Dallas Marathon.  I need to run 20 miles for my training and figured I’d do it when a bazillion other folks are also running.  Plus people cheering and aid stations help out.  I’ll be on the look out for my peeps that I helped train for the half.  I know they’ll do great!  If anyone sees me running around, give a shout out!

Holla!