Pilgrimage 51

A Zombie Run

2011-10-30T20:13:00.000-07:00

Finished my first audio book, The Great Bridge by David McCullough. I mean the first book I listened to while running. It's about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge in the late 19 th century.

A great book to read if you are into historical non fiction. Did you know john roebling designed the bridge and was going to be the chief engineer, but died from an industrial accident as they were beginning to build the Brooklyn side tower? So, his son took over, but was incapacitated by cassian's disease or what we know as the bends. He lived for a long time after, but he could only continue his job with the aid of his wife, Emily. His wife, during a time when women didn't work in construction or engineering type jobs is credited for much of the work to get the great bridge built.

Anyway, for the past several runs I've been listening to this book. But, tonight was a new book full of zombies and army men. Called We're Alive by KC Wayland. I was so into it i made a wrong turn and added .4 miles onto my run.

My weekly totals have been around 10-12 miles and I'll soon have it up to 15-20 miles. Then I can work on getting a tad faster.

The Great Bridge

2011-10-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

As part of my Pilgrimage this year is my use of audio books. My plan was to download audio books onto my ipod nano from the library. I've listened to a few on my ipad and really enjoyed them. Alas, my ipod won't take library books. It'll only take books from Itunes. My Ipad is too big to take on a run, so I bought a book for my nano. I'm working on getting library books on my wife's Itouch. That I can run with.

So, tonight I ran listening to "The Great Bridge" by David McCullough. It's the history of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge in the late 1800's. If McCullough wrote a book about the invention of vacuum cleaners or headbands, I'd read it. He's that good. Loved "1776" and "John Adams". Really loved "The Greater Journey, Americans in Paris". This book seems to be a good one too.

Plus, it distracts me from the aches of my run. I got in 3 miles tonight and 12 miles in the last 7 days. I'm still not running the entire run, but each time out I run a bit further before I transition into a run/walk to finish the run.

Pilgrimage 51

2011-10-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

Today is 24 days before I start my "Pilgrimage 51". A year of eating healthy, running stronger and living life to the fullest.

I'm in my pre pilgrimage stage. No, I won't take this year to the road like a typical pilgrimage. I'll be doing life right here in Arizona. In 24 days I will be celebrating my 50th birthday, but I won't wait to start doing the right things until then. I've already started.

This week I've gotten four runs in. A 3 miler and 3 two milers. Each one has been better than the last. I've also started a "Gorilla Workout" program. It's a free app on my Ipad that is basically calistenics without any weights or tools needed.

This blog will touch on three things for the next year.

1. My running and fitness activities.
2. My food life. Eating better, eating less and eating adventurously.
3. My Adventure leisure side. Whether it's playing softball or vintage base ball or hiking a mountain; I plan to enjoy life.

It's gonna be a great year!

2011 PF Chang's Rock N Roll Half Marathon

2011-01-17T16:25:00.000-08:00

I didn't run this summer. Fitness wise I gave almost everything I earned over the past four years back. I gained 42 pounds. I lost the ability to even run a half mile. I went back on my cholesterol medicine.

Then in October I ran. I walked and I ran some more. 2 miles a day, six times a week. I got to the point I could run a mile non stop. In December I was up to run/walking 3 or 4 miles, five days a week. Slow progress. I dropped from 252 pounds to 242. Then, to 236 before the race.

The new year arrived, but I wasn't ready for a 5k, let alone a half marathon. I was resigned to skipping the PF Chang's Half Marathon. Four days before the race, the media started telling stories of some of the runners. A guy that lost 70 pounds and others. I wanted to run. I wanted to run with all the others in the half marathon.

Could I? My longest run was a 5 mile run/walk. No where near the 13.1 miles I needed. If I slowed down, could I run/walk the first half and walk the rest?

I felt I could do that. It didn't matter how fast.

Sunday morning arrived and off I went. I brought my cell phone and another camera so I could document the day. I was part runner, part spectator. I took the light rail down and got to chat with several runners heading the same way. I arrived at the race about 10 minutes before the elites would start. I've always wanted to see a race start, so I didn't get in a corral with thousands of other racers. Instead I was about 50 yards in front of the start line. See the youtube start.

I watched as corral 1 and 2 went. Then I decided that I didn't really need to get in a corral, I would just start running from there. I figured if my garmin didn't reach 13.1 miles, I would do a loop on the course before I headed into the finish shoot. Wouldn't that be a site to see.

I hit start on my garmin and followed corral 2. Saw a couple Elvi's running. Saw a homeless man with shopping cart cheering on runners. It takes about 2 miles to get out of the downtown area. I stopped to take some pictures along the way. The first mile was at an 11:48 pace. A few minutes slower than in other half marathons. I was hoping I'd do a bunch of 12 minute miles to start.

Mile 2: 13:08
Mile 3: 13:17
Mile 4: 13:51

The slower miles were due to me not being ready for a half marathon. It's like I did the four day Couch to Half Marathon plan. Just not a good idea. Now, I was taking lots of pictures and posting them on tumblr while I walked.

I was having a good time, enjoying the spectacle that is the Rock N Roll race series. I had no time goal.

Mile 5: 14:28
Mile 6: 14:08
Mile 7: 13:54
Mile 8: 14:41
Mile 9: 15:13

Since I started real early I found that a lot, and I mean a lot of runners were passing me. I think I might have seen 90% of the half marathoners. I saw two guys dressed as bumble bees. I saw two gals playing air guitar to the music as they ran with blow up instruments. I saw one girl fall on her face, but she quickly got up. I saw two different runners in extreme pain. I guess they should have done my four day training program. But, each mile was getting longer. I was getting a bit more tired.

Mile 10: 15:54
Mile 11: 16:49
Mile 12: 14:48
Mile 13: 16:20

But, I kept marching on. Actually, I saw a guy in army fatigues, boots and carry a pack soldiering on. The race organizers have UPS trucks at the start that you can put your extra stuff in. The trucks drive to the finish, so you don't have to carry your stuff. So, I went up to the soldier and as we ran I pointed to his pack and told him they had UPS trucks for that. We both laughed. I told him thanks for his service, gave him a fist bump and we parted.

Mile 13 was slow in part, because I was conserving my energy for running in front of the large finish crowd. And when I say conserving, I mean walking. I walked until I was close to the finish and then for the last 1/3 of a mile I ran in at an 11: 49 pace. You can see all my data at my RunningAhead.com site.

I finished 3:11 minutes after I started for a 14:38 pace. This was my 13th half marathon.

10/25/2008	Run	ymca half marathon - south mtn	Race	13.1 Mi	2:43:25	12:29
12/9/2007	Run	Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon	Race	13.1 Mi	2:27:41	11:17
10/27/2007	Run	ymca half marathon - south mtn	Race	13.1 Mi	2:49:30	12:57
10/7/2007	Run	Casa Grande Half Marathon	Race	13.1 Mi	2:34:49	11:50

3/18/2007	Run	Valley of Gold Half Marathon	Race	13.1 Mi	2:42:53	12:27
2/18/2007	Run	Lost Dutchman Half Marathon	Race	13.1 Mi	2:43:06	12:28
1/14/2007	Run	RnR Half Marathon Course	Race	13.1 Mi	2:47:54	12:50
/16/2011	Run	RnR Half Marathon Course	Race	13.1 Mi	3:11:33	14:38
1/17/2010	Run	RnR Half Marathon Course	Race	13.1 Mi	2:49:52	12:59
/15/2009	Run	Lost Dutchman Half Marathon	Race	13.1 Mi	2:19:47	10:41
1/31/2009	Run	Random Route	Race	13.1 Mi	2:27:15	11:15
1/18/2009	Run	RnR Half Marathon Course	Race	13.1 Mi	2:25:21	11:06
12/14/2008	Run	Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon	Race	13.1 Mi	2:32:36	11:39

It was my slowest half marathon. It was slower than my fastest by almost an hour. I had a blast. I would have loved it if I walked the whole way. I won't lie to you. I would have loved running a 2 hour half even more. But, I loved getting it done.

Now to lose some more weight and get ready for the next one.

Pictures:

A Twenty Mile week?

2010-04-11T13:22:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting at 19.4 miles for the week. They are walking/running miles, or what I call aggressive hiking.

I've been reading a lot about the Pacific Crest Trail that goes from the Mexican border close to San Diego up thru Oregon and Washington and then past the Canadian border. 2,650 miles. And every year around this time, a few hundred people decide to hike it end to end. They're called Thru Hikers.

It's pretty amazing. They take off from 5-6 months to do this journey. They hike thru desert, snowy mountains, rainforest and redwoods. They can climb Mt. Whitney (the highest point in the lower 48) as a bonus.

I read about one Arizonians journey back in 2008. She came to within 100 miles of Canada, before she hurt her ankle and had to stop her journey. Amazing. You can read her journal at Pacific Crest Trail - Jellybean 2008.

Now, I'm following a couple from Houston that just started the PCT on Thursday. Read about Jim and Wendy, as they head north. I'm also, reading about Tim from New Zealand whose starting his journey later this month.

On Wednesday, I plan to hike 10 miles in South Mountain Park, close to home. I wonder if I could do that for 150 days. That would get me a little over half way to Canada on the PCT.

What's the furthest you've ever hiked?

Work In Progress

2010-03-30T20:30:00.001-07:00

Ran with Alan Jackson tonight.

2.5 miles. I'm running for 30 minutes at a time. I know I should be able to get more mileage than that, but I am what I am.
And today I'm a slow runner that likes to eat blueberry granola with flax from Target. It's so good, I know it must not be good for me.

Had leftovers for lunch and dinner. See an earlier post and make your best guess. Today was day four with no soda. I did have an iced tea from Wendy's in the afternoon. With it, I got a free jr frosty. It's really small.

13.5 Mile Week

2010-03-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

2.3 miles tonight. It's not high mileage and it's not fast mileage, but it's outdoors and it's enjoyable.

I'm trying to be more concious of what I'm putting into the ole pie hole. So, I'm snapping pictures with my new palm pre. I just had to get a phone named after a runner.

Anyway, Amy won a cheesecake at Albertson's. I had a small slice yesterday.
I do like popcorn. Had some while we watched Charlotte Grey last night.

Dinner yesterday was a baked chicken breast, broccoli, three cherry tomatoes and some fruit (bananas and straberries). The bowl to the right was some kind of spicy stuff Amy wipped up. Oh, and that's a homemade roll. Part whole wheat and part white flour. It taste much better than it looks. I forgot to take a picture of tonights dinner. We had a salad, spaghetti with a little bit of chicken and a broccoli salad. I helped make it. I diced onion, grated cheese and made a sweet and sour mayo mix. It had sugar and vinegar in it. Tasted great. We used half the amount of mayo and sugar that the recipe called for.

Lunch yesterday and today was left over Mostocholi. One bowl was for me and one was for Emily.

Not pictured were a hand full of cashews, three sugar cookies (small ones) and one myoplex (after tonites run). Breakfast was a bowl of Target blueberry granola cereal with milk.

NO SODAS FOR TWO STRAIGHT DAYS.

The Joy of Running

2010-03-27T10:01:00.001-07:00

Ran another 2.4 miles last night. My 'joy of running' is high, even though my 'endurance' is low. 11.2 miles done for the week. That includes lots of walking/scrambling in South Mountain park on Thursday.

Did anyone watch Food Revolution on ABC? Jaimy Oliver (The Naked Chef) has come over from the British Empire and is trying to help the fine folks of West Virginia eat less fried food and road kill. So, the Monahan's of Arizona plan to start eating a lot better too. Less refined sugars and more whole foods. I'll try to document our progress here. With pictures.

So, your job is to be brutally honest with me. Like, "Pat, I don't think a Peanut Buster Parfait from Dairy Queen for five days in a row is what you planned" or "Pat, that salmon bake with brown rice looked awful, how'd you eat it?"

Now, this is a meal. Maybe cut that steak up into three meals, less potatos and more veggies. Bon Appetit!

Of course this was my breakfast.

Hiking Day

2010-03-25T21:32:00.001-07:00

After two run days I took it easy with a hike in South Mountain. I started just before 5 pm, so I knew I'd have to turn around 2 miles in so that I could get back before it got to dark. I probably could have gone 3 miles.

I ran into the park on Pima Canyon road, a sort of fire road. Then I hiked south in a dry wash. At this point I was all alone. I heard the occassional bee, which had me worried about swarms. About every 50-100 yards I would have to scramble up boulders - a dryfall that I imagine looks great after a heavy rain.

Hopefully next week, I can do this again and get deeper into the park to were the rock tunnels are. Below are some maps of my day. I traveled about 3.7 miles.

Pirate On The Run

2010-03-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

2nd day of running. 2.56 miles in 30 minutes listening to one artist the whole time. Can you guess which one from the title?

If you like the Artist guessing game, go over and say hi to Magazine Smiles. Where every post is a song title and you get to guess who the artist is. If you don't know music that well, just keep answering the same band and eventually Irene will throw you a bone.

Answer to title question

Or my daughter would like this version.

27 Days Ago

2010-03-23T19:39:00.000-07:00

27 Days ago . . . I was a runner.

Today, I am a runner again.

January thru April is a busy time for REALTORS in Arizona and I got to the point that I was too tired to run. Around February 24th, I got really busy. 2 days turned into 5, which turned into 20 and then 27. I learned that when you quit running you start seeing loads of people running. I'd be in my car with clients driving in Scottsdale, Chandler or Gilbert and I'd see someone running down the road. One moment I'm explaining short sales and the next I'm rubber necking watching the runners go by. I half expected my clients to start snapping their fingers telling me to "Focus, Pat Focus."

The good news. 27 days off and 1 pound gained.

So, tonight I got out and ran for 30 minutes. I ran some, I walked some. 2.46 miles later I was done and I loved it.

The NYC Marathon lottery has not happened yet. It won't until April 7th. But, today I start training for the NYC Marathon that will take place on November 7th, 2010. My 49th Birthday. The plan is to be under 200 pounds for that marathon and to run it in under 5 hours.

And Tomorrow I will be a runner again.

Running past the kids

2010-02-07T14:08:00.000-08:00

There's two things I do when I run to Desert Breeze Lake from my house. I tap my 26.2 decal when I'm done and I tap the shoe of this statue.

It's kids playing on a log. I saw a similar statue just north of the Metrodome in Minneapolis after my marathon. It reminds me to enjoy the moment. Today I got in a 3.2 mile run. The fifth run this week.

When I ran this way yesterday I left a dollar bill in a tree. See it in the picture below?

It's a gift for someone. But no one's seen it yet. This sidewalk isn't used much. Just runners, walkers and snot nosed kids with their skateboards. Or you, just go on down to Desert Breeze Parkway for your very own dollar bill.

Indianapolis 35 New Orleans 21. What's your guess?

My Favorite Places to Run Near Home

2010-02-06T13:02:00.001-08:00

I mean like within a 20 minute drive of my front door. If you click on them for a map you can toggle between the map and an aerial view.

1. From my house to Desert Breeze Lake and back. 3.5-5 miles.

2. My One mile loop that I began running back in 2006.

3. The canals in south Tempe. Or this way too.

4. Mt. Chandler or the landfill they made into a park. 1 mile loop.

5. The Paseo Trail Canal system in south Chandler.

6. South Mountain - 48th Street entrance.

7. Kiwanis Park, site of my first ever race.

8. Tempe Town Lake.

9. Gilbert Trail from the dog park past Agritopia to Power Road.

10. Freestone Park with three different canals to run on.

A message on RunningAhead

2010-02-03T18:48:00.000-08:00

I got a message on RunningAhead. I didn't even know you could leave messages. Here it is:

hi meepmeep!
have you been running much?
okay, i admit, i haven'tbeen running much, and the farthest i can run is 0.625 mile.
how are u doing?
i am fine. since you probbaly have more expirience running then i do, can you tell me about it?
i mean like what do you do before and after you run?
like that stuff. thanks!ha ha the smiley faces.
not to be rude, butyou don't have to answer the questions. i just wantto get to know you more.
1. well first, are you a boy or a girl.
2. what is your favorite hobby?
3. and uh,when you run, do you have to eat certain things?
well first,
1. i am a girl,
2. my most favorite hobby is ice skating,
3. and uh, i am no.

After I reply, if you don't hear from me for for awhile you can send me mail to:

Florence Correctional Facility
Cell 1002
Florence, AZ

Fortunately, I have friends in there (Nick).

Mt. Chandler Dual Athletics

2010-02-02T16:41:00.001-08:00

I saw this billboard, so I stopped running. Not sure why, but I took some time off. I even did run a few times because it was too cold. In Arizona. But today, I grabbed my garmin and put on my PF Chang's race shirt. Then I grabbed my recurve and headed on over to Mt. Chandler.

Mt. Chandler or the Paseo Recreation Center is a landfill topped off with a park. It's the highest point in our fair city and has an archery range, disc golf course, dog park and a one mile soft dirt trail with great views in all directions.
I did the loop twice and then ran to the highest point to end my two mile run. When you run north you can see Camelback Mountain. To the west is South Mountain and to the north east you can see Four Peaks, Red Mtn and the Superstitions. Great views. It's not pancake flat, but close with a 30 foot drop off all along the trail. It's like running on the perimeter of a huge man made dirtpile.

Then it was off to the archery range with my recurve bow. I haven't shot an arrow in over 2 years. I had a hard time remembering how to put my bow together, let alone shoot an arrow.

If you're an archer, this place is fantastic. Five targets at different ranges set up and shade at the shooting line.

Arizona Vs. Michigan - The 1000 Mile Challenge

2010-01-21T08:33:00.000-08:00

Week Three is in the books. With the help of four team members running in this weeks PF Chang's Rock N Roll Marathon and Half Marathon, Team AZ has taken the lead.

Team Michigan
(week 3, name, YTD)

17.4 Ken Davenport 49.6

13.2 Jenn Warstler 19.37

7.15 Pam Shorkey 21.25

10.7 Carol Feldmann 25.5

30.25 David Potter 88.75

Week 3: 78.7 YTD: 204.47

Team AZ

14.8 Pat M 30.2

39.3 Rio 99.3

2 Nick 2

41.2 Adam 67.2

33.5 Susie 49.5

Week 3: 130.8 YTD: 248.2

Team Arizona now has a 44 mile lead over the High Five State. Adam lead the way this week with41.2 miles and a blistering 3:44 marathon.

Here's how we did on Sunday (click on stats to enlarge):

Susan Markosian

Adam Ricklefs

Pat Monahan

Demi Rio

PF Chang's Rock N Roll Half Marathon 2010

2010-01-18T15:35:00.001-08:00

After running the Twin Cities Marathon in October and the Tucson Marathon in December, my plan was to run PF Chang's Rock N Roll Marathon here in Phoenix in January. A mixture of too much running and a minor injury after Tucson left me less than excited about running RnR AZ.

I had already paid for the marathon, so I decided I could run the half marathon and still enjoy it. Running the full would turn into 13 miles drudgery. I did not want to limp home to the finish.

I went to the marathon expo expecting to get inspired, but that didn't happen. I got my bib number, chip for timing and cool Sugoi technical running shirt and headed for the door. I did make one pass thru the expo. Got a free tee shirt from Traveler's Insurance (let's hope they don't call me).
Sunday morning and the weather was perfect. I was in shorts and my Half Fanatics tee and ready to run. Had a real nice chat with the German teacher at Chandler High. She came up to about my elbow and reminded me of one of the teachers in a Harry Potter movie. She had spikey blonde hair and a german accent. I tell ya, if my kids went to Chandler high, I'd insist that they take german. Great lady.

It took us about 31 minutes to get to the start line. Ryan Hall had passed the 10k mark two minutes before I even got to start (guess he didn't have to worry about me beating him). My goal was to just do 12 minute miles. Not a real big goal, but I did want to finish injury free too.

The first five miles on my garmin show 10:51, 11:16, 11:48, 11:57 and 12:05. I was up about 2 minutes and knew I would need those minutes later. Later came quickly.

The next four miles were all between 12 and 13 minutes with mile 10 being at 14:31. Thirteens and fourteens would be seen the rest of the day. I finished at 2:49, which was about 10 minutes more than I wanted.
As I was taking a walk break I heard this lady behind me on a cellphone. She told her friend that she was at mile 8 and Pat Monahan just passed her. I turned around to see this lady in an Ohio State University shirt. I slowed down and asked her if she said Pat Monahan. She said, Matt Monahan. Turns out there was a Matt Monahan running in the same race. Turns out I ended up with a faster time than him. Another Monahan from Apache Junction ran the marathon in 2:08, so we aren't all slow.

After the race I got my medal and an orange (it was awesome) and headed over to the marathon course. I was there to see some of my running friends. I knew that Adam from Gilbert would be done already. Congrats Adam. But, I thought I might see Susie from Queen Creek, Eileen from Mesa or Lisa and Karen from the Tumbleweed Running Club. I could have seen Demi from Scottsdale, but I don't really know her that well and she would have been easy to miss. I don't know how I missed Susie. It might have been when I was laying in the grass wishing my feet felt better.

I slowly walked down University Drive figuring I would see Lisa and Karen and I could run with them back towards ASU. I was getting hungry for lunch and no angels (that's what we call TRC women runners, men are called Charlie). I passed two bands and Margaritaville, the water station manned by the Jimmy Buffet fan club. I really like that water stop. As I walked I looked down on the ground to find a sweaty $20 bill. A runner must have dropped it. I was that much richer. I walked further and came to a spot across from a McDonalds. Do I dare cross the street and traffic to get a burger and miss Lisa and Karen. Yes, I was hungry. And I had the money. I watched out the window and hurried back to the running side of the street. Before I could take a second bite of my Big Mac, Karen appeared. She said Lisa was ahead of her. I missed her for a burger. I, offered Karen a bite. She declined and told me how she couldn't hold anything down. I kept eating. A couple runners saw my meal and were slightly jealous. I offered them a bite too.

I walked with Karen all the way to the finish, then snapped this photo of the two new Marathoners.

The day was over and I headed home. Below are pictures of my new shirt and medal.

Here's all three Rock N Roll Half Marathon Medals. The first one is from the 2007 Hm that I ran in 2:47:54. The middle is the 2010 race in 2:49:52 and on the right is 2009 run in 2:25:21.

So, now I have to plan my 2010 race calendar. Not sure what I want to do, but I'm thinking I want to run the Lost Dutchman Half Marathon next month and the Pat's Run (Pat Tillman) in April.

Arizona Vs. Michigan - The 1000 Mile Challenge

2010-01-08T11:15:00.000-08:00

The Challenge is on!

Team Arizona is comprised of Adam, Nick, Rio and me so far. We need a fifth runner, so if any AZ runners want to be on the team let me know. (Susie, Nick's wife will be our fifth)

Team Michigan is comprised of Ken, Jenn, Pam, Carrol and David.

The first week is three days long and so far we have 48.2 miles for Team AZ with Rio leading the way with 28 Miles. Team High Five has 43.5 miles with David leading with 22 miles run.

If anyone from either team would like to make a Challenge logo, please let me know.

It was 1999

2009-12-31T10:20:00.000-08:00

and I did not run.

I had lived in Arizona for 4 years.

I was in my third year of being a Realtor.

My kids were 6 and 9 years old. Little ones at the elementary school.

Amy and I celebrated our 13th anniversary.

I was 38 years old.

I drove a Mercury Sable.

Amy still worked for May Department Stores in the Credit Department.

It was two years before we took our kids to Disney World. See picture

It was two years before the world changed.

Ten Years Later

I'm older, my kids are taller.

I run 15-25 miles per week.

Amy is a Realtor and I have been for 14 years.

We've lived in Az for 14 years.

I've run 3 Marathons, 11 half marathons and over 50 races.

Amy's made a half dozen quilts or more.

I drive a 2004 Honda Pilot.

Tyler's a Freshman at the U of Arizona.

Emily is soon to become a senior in high school.

Both kids drive!

I've been to California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Florida, Utah and just over the border into Mexico. (during this decade)

And today starts a new decade. It should be fun!

My Running Miles

Just short of 800 miles this year. Two injuries slowed me down. The first was an ankle issue that limited my miles in the summer and the second was a left calf issue that I'm currently dealing with.

I'm hoping to do over 1000 miles in 2010 and race many more 5k, 10k, half and full marathons. The first marathon is supposed to be the PF Chang's Rock N Roll here in Arizona on January 17th. I'm thinking with this calf issue I am going to either cut back to the half or DNS it all together.

The Butterfly Effect: Runnersworld.com

2009-12-27T12:10:00.000-08:00

John Bingham, The Penquin, has written his last column for Runner's World Magazine. Waddle On, John. You have helped many people learn to love running and you can count me as one of them.

Here's his last column:

The Butterfly Effect: Runnersworld.com

I hurt all over

2009-12-26T12:12:00.000-08:00

Ever since the Tucson Marathon I've hurt all over. I went to my doctor and explained. She was confused, so I showed her by touching my arm and saying 'Oww, that hurts." I then touched my shin and said, 'Oww, that hurts.' I then touched my forehead and said, 'Oww, that hurts.' After looking at my finger, she put a bandaid on it and said my finger was sprained.

Seriously, my back and left calf have kept me out of my Nikes. The back seems to be getting better, but the leg is hurting more and more. I haven't run since Monday, the first day of winter. Only 9 miles run since the marathon. Maybe calling it quits at the 20 mile water stop was the right call. Therefore, I ran on and finished the bloody thing.

Sorry about saying 'bloody thing'. I'm reading a book I got for Christmas written by an English stand up comedian, Tony Hanks. Not the skateboard dude. He likes to say English things like que and quay and bloody thing. The book is "Round Ireland with a Fridge."

It's a true story about a guy that has a bet that he can't hitch hike around Ireland with a fridge. Before you call him daffy (English term) keep in mind he used a small compact fridge and a hand dolly. Then realize that he sold 500,000 copies to the Queen's subjects and that they and other who bought the book are the 'daffy' ones.

I'm not daffy, because it was a gift*. I'd blog more, but I got to get back to the book.

*My son heard me talk about this crazy book I saw in Barnes and Nobles. The library didn't have a copy, so I didn't think I'd ever read it. He went out and bought it for Christmas. What a good kid.

Arizona Vs. Michigan - The 1000 Mile Challenge

2009-12-21T10:38:00.000-08:00

It's Arizona Vs. Michigan

Five runners per state.

1000 Miles per runner (or more) in 2010.

We need a team captain for each state and a team name. I'll volunteer to be the AZ captain. I now need teammates. Anyone interested, just leave a comment. Michigan needs a captain. I'm thinking Jen or Ken. As soon as we get captains, we can start making some rules.

If you leave a comment and want to suggest rules or a team name, do so. If you live in another state and can round up 5 teammates and want to play, let me know.

2009 Tucson Marathon and an almost DNF.

2009-12-14T13:04:00.000-08:00

I made it to the aid/water station just past mile 20 and asked the lady in charge to call a shuttle to pick me up. I was done. One of the bike patrol offered to make the call about a mile back and I said, "no, I only have a bit more than six miles to go." But, then I thought six miles of walking. What will that be for? It won't help me with my PF Chang's Marathon in January. It won't make me a stronger runner. All it will do is get me a medal and my third marathon completion. At the time it made perfect sense to throw in the towel.

The lady in charge of the water station offered me a chair, while she called. As I sat in it, Vince happened to run by. "No way buddy. You're not done. Come on, run with me." I didn't know Vince at this point. He was just a helpful fellow competitor. I told Vince I was done and he went on. I sat. I became a non runner. I hit the stop button on my garmin. The shuttle was a green jeep cherokee and the driver took 5-10 minutes to get to me. So, I sat and watched as runners stopped, got a drink and hurried on their way. I never volunteered at a water stop, so this was all knew to me. A runner would come by, the volunteer would give them a cup and say how great they looked. I was waiting for her to point to me and say, "you're doing way better than that guy." She didn't.

In the meantime, I massaged by calves.

My day started at 4 am. Actually 3:44. That's when I awoke at the Best Western Innsuites Hotel. I wanted that extra 16 minutes of sleep, so I closed my eyes. Figuring I got the extra rest, I looked at my clock again. It was 3:45. For the next 15 minutes I kept looking at the clock figuring time was up only to see a minute had gone by. Finally, I got up and got ready for the 2009 Tucson Marathon.

It was going to be a good day. The first 8-9 miles are ups and downs with a net elevation drop of about 400 feet. Starting at 4800 feet in Oracle, AZ. The plan was to run the downs and walk the bigger ups, but to conserve energy for state route 77. SR77 is where you go from 4400 elevation to around 27oo over the final 17 miles (little did I realize it would also be in the face of a pretty strong wind). The plan worked for the first 10 miles. All my splits were under the 12 minute per mile I planned. All except for mile 8 that was over 15 minutes and was the biggest up hill on the course.

As I sat at aid station 20, I watched runners go in and out and I knew they'd finish. My time to that point wasn't horrible. I was behind where I wanted to be, but it was the calves and feet that were the reason for me stopping. I'm not good with pain. I tried to pretend I liked pain, but that didn't work.

Miles 12 thru 20 were my undoing. I wanted to do these downhill miles in under 11 minutes. My plan was to get to the finish under 5 hours. The hardest part of the course was behind me and I expected to do negative splits. Around mile 12 I could feel the pain from the Oracle hills in the beginning of the race. The walk breaks became longer. I wasn't sure if I was developing blisters on the pads of my feet. I did realize that I should have trimmed my toe nails the night before. I could feel that one or two of them were slicing into the neighboring toe. Turned out my feet came out ok. No blisters and only one toe got bloodied. My splits in these middle miles were in the 14 to 19 range. Any split over 15 is a mile in which I could only walk. Today, it's hard to imagine I couldn't run. But, from mile 16 until the water stop after 20 I walked. I watched my garmin and I thought how could I ever be able to go another 10 miles? I saw the Catalina Moutains way to my left and I knew the road would curve back to them.

I became a non competitor at the water stop. Vince couldn't get me up. It's weird watching a water stop activity as a non competitor. So, I continued to massage my calves and then I stood up. I walked to the street and said, "I'm not done. Thank the shuttle driver. I'm going to head on down the road." Yeah, I thought about what I was going to write in my blog. I thought about what my fellow bloggers would think. I guess you're my enablers. No, there was no Rocky music with this decision. I just decided my legs felt better after the rest and I could run/walk to the next water station and then see how I felt.

I had a new plan. Survival to the finish line. I was going to count my running steps. 20, 30 or 40 right steps and then I could walk. I did this a few times and passed 3 runners that I watched pass me at the water stop. I did it a few more times and then saw the green jeep. She had her window rolled down and asked how I was doing. I tried not to look at the plush leather seats or feel the heat escaping from the car window. I told her I was fine and that I was going to soldier on. Little did I know that Vince, my 'enabler' was a soldier.

After a few more running segments I passed a Team Chances runner from Ahwatukee. Practically a neighbor. She was laboring with her two sons to get to the finish. I was in the middle of one of my running segments, so I kept on moving. Up ahead I saw a guy in a white shirt. Could it be Vince? After a while, I caught up to him. He was walking with a hiking stick. Never seen that before in a race. I tapped him on the shoulder, which scared him to no end. He was glad to see me and congratulated me on returning to the race. We talked for a while. He's in the army at Fort Huachuca (wa-chu-ka). This is where I learned his name and that he almost quit on a 100 mile race. At mile 93, someone got him up and running. He was just paying it forward. I thanked him for his service and we walked for a while. Then, I told him I needed to get running. I didn't think I'd see him again. But, around mile 25 he passed me. Said I inspired him to finish strong and he finished ahead of me.

Then, the Ahwatukee lady caught up to me. We walked and talked. Her boys still with her. I told her she was doing great and she said I was too. The comradiere at the back of the pack is nice. Everyone supported each other, except for the two 'Paris Hilton' wannabes that were running and wouldn't even talk to me. More on that in another post.

Miles 22 thru 25 were 14:09, 13:56, 14:30 and 15:56. The last hill up Hawser Road slowed me down at the end. I was making a lot better time than in those middle miles. Not fast, but at least there was some running involved.

My attitude wasn't very good. I was upset that I didn't properly train for a marathon with this much elevation change. I was a bit naive to think that a couple hill workouts would suffice. I was embarrassed that I wasn't doing 11 minute miles. I had friends that told me, I just didn't listen.

By mile 26 I was toast again. I was walking and people that I had past were now passing me. I was glad for them (not the paris hilton girls). They all passed me, but by then I knew I would finish. I did in 6 hours and 9 minutes. It felt like 60 hours. But, I finished and for that I got my third marathon medal.

Tucson - Twin Cities - Rock N Roll Arizona

Below are pictures I took. I didn't take many during the last half of the marathon. I was not in a good frame of mind then.

The expo was at the El Conquistador in north Tucson.

The expo was small, so I sat poolside and looked at all the brochures they give you. The El Paso Marathon had a booth, so I spent a long time looking at info for West Texas and Big Bend National Park.

The race director had two school buses at the start. You find the window with your race number, put your extra clothing in a drop bag and toss it in the bus. Then at the finish line, they had your warm clothing for you to pick up.

Me at the start line. The start is in the middle of the Coronado National Park in Oracle, AZ.

A beautiful start area, surrounded by boulders and unbelievable views.

As luck would have it, a bunch of porta potties too. I chose to use the tree on the right instead. I'm sure the women appreciated less competition for the seats. However, I did see a few women squatin' in the desert.

Before the sunrise. We had to ride buses to get there and then we sat for over an hour until the race start time.

A close up of the rock climbing runners. I took several pictures from atop similar rocks.

The start.

Miles 5-9 are an out an back. They are also a down and up. I liked it, because you got to see all the other runners. The views were great at this point. I even saw superman running by.

Now I have 35 days to train for the flat PF Chang's Rock N Roll Marathon in Arizona. Yeah, yesterday I would have cancelled my registration.

Running the Tucson Marathon.

2009-12-13T04:41:00.000-08:00

I'm off running in the Tucson Marathon. So, while I'm away I thought you might like to see a little running, Sesame Street style.

Amy's Quilt

2009-12-03T13:19:00.001-08:00

For the past few months Amy has been making me a running shirt quilt. She used 16 of my 40+ shirts.
The next few photos are close ups quarters of the quilt. You can click on any picture to enlarge. This section shows my first marathon shirt form the PF Chang's Rock N Roll Marathon here in Arizona. The Air Force 5k was run in between retired planes in the 'boneyard'. The Mesa Turkey trot is my favorite T day run.

And here is my Ironman shirt. No, I didn't do the Ironman. But, I got this shirt from running in the 5k event the day before. The YMCA half is to the right of the Ironman and the Arizona Distance Classic was my second half down in Tucson. The Ostrich Festival 5k is one of the few races I do in my town.

The Higley High run is run in the dark on the canal and then around the HS track. There's my Lost Dutchman half shirt. It's a beautiful course at the foot of the Superstition Mountains. The Bumble Bee 5k was in San Diego and is run right before the Holiday Bowl Parade. I got a can of Bumble Bee chicken for that race.

I actually did the 1 mile race to get the ST. Patty's shirt. I finished second to a 12 year old speedster. There were about a dozen other runners in the race. The Run for the Islands is a race in Gilbert, AZ. It sounds like it should be in Hawaii, but it's not. There is a couple lakes, but no islands. The Run for Brooke shirt is from my very first race and my slowest 5k race ever.

Amy is an incredible quilter and I really do appreciate being able to hang this quilt in my office.

The Wind Cave at Pass Mountain

2009-11-26T12:36:00.001-08:00

The last two years I ran in the Mesa Turkey Trot. This year, my kids and I decided to finally hike up to the Wind Cave on Pass Mountain in Usery Recreation Area.

That's Emily and Tyler in front of Pass Mountain. The cave is just below the summit to the right, almost above Tyler's left shoulder in this picture.

There's the cave. Tyler and Emily resting in the center of the picture. It's about 2800 feet above sea level and about 700 feet above car level (parking lot).

You can see Tyler was yawning. He was having a bout of hiccups the entire hike down.

Wind Cave is about 300 feet below the summit of Pass Mountain and there is no trail to the top. But, there is lots of boulders and I'm sure many more experience hikers go to the top. We saved that for another day. Amy spent the morning baking pumpkin pie. We rushed back home to help Amy with the rest of the dinner prep (ok-I'm blogging, but I think the kids are helping).

3 Years of Weight Loss

2009-11-25T08:30:00.000-08:00

Started this journey back in June of 2006 weighing close to 260. December of 2008 was my low point at 210. The summer weather and minor injuries have resulted in weight gains all three summers.

The plan for 2010 is to get under 200. Today's weight is 228. I have 13 months to reach this goal. 2.15 lbs. per month.

Cardio: 1000 miles run.

Hiking: 1 major hike per month.

Races: 1 race per month.

Cross Training: 2x week. Resistance training.

Fuel: Calories at 14000 per week (2000/day).

Burn 3500 per week. About a 7000 calorie deficit.

Reduce fats, keep carbs and proteins almost the same.

More salads, vegetables and fruits in diet.

Race Schedule:

PF Chang's Rock N Roll Marathon

Lost Dutchman Marathon

St. Patty's Run

Pat's Run

ARR Summer Series

Sabino Canyon Run

Jerome Hill Climb

Hike Schedule:

Rim to River -Grand Canyon

Summit - Mt. Humphreys

Summit - Flat Iron Superstitions

Summit - North Mtn.

Summit - Shaw Butte

Summit - South Mtn.

Summit - Picacho Peak.

17 Miles and two lost soles

2009-11-22T10:29:00.001-08:00

Saturday morning and it's cold. Somewhere between 45 and 50. And it's dark. The alarm went off at 6 am and I was supposed to be out in 30 to 45 minutes.

I wasn't up to the run. Nope. Not going to happen.

But, I figured I was up and I'll read the paper and have some breakfast. By 7 pm I was planning my run.

The World's Largest Cul De Sac.

For a change of pace I decided I was going to run west into Ahwatukee, a Phoenix neighborhood that is separated from the rest of Phoenix by South Mountain. Think of the UP of Michigan, but smaller and no mosquitos (and no obnoxious Wolverines). Some call it the world's largest cul de sac because there are only a few ways into it and it dead ends on the west side. My plan was to run 8.5 miles to were the roads of Ray and Chandler meet. Out on Ray, in on Chandler. 17 miles all at around a 12 minute pace. And for the most part that worked for the first 12 miles.

Then the Wheels came off

After mile 12 my calves started to tighten. I think I was sweating less too. I had a GU at mile 5 and another at mile 10.5. I, even replaced my water with gatorade at a gas station. So, I think I was fine fuel wise. I pushed forward, but my calves were barking. I've experienced this before on long runs, but not lately. My legs didn't feel like this at Twin Cities. Not even after 20 + miles. My legs didn't feel this bad on my trial Tucson run last week. 12 minute miles were not going to happen for miles 13 to 17. After the run my face was crusted with salt. Amy laughed.

I'm thinking my potassium level was low and it resulted in muscles going bad. Today, it's Sunday and my legs feel fine. I'll probably go for a run tonight. 17 miles done at a 12:47 pace. The first 12 miles great. The last 5, not so much.

Lost Soles

I read an article in Outside Magazine about single shoes washing up on shore with feet still in them. Seven washed up in 2007 and 2008. Weird. Then I found a website called "One Shoe Diaries" about a guy that finds single shoes and takes photos of them. He's an artsy type that traveled the US and did this on the side. Now, I'm thinking what are the odds of finding one shoe along the side of the road? Evidently, not so difficult.

Around mile 13 or 14 I ran past my first "Lost Sole". I borrow that phrase from Randall's blog. So, this is Lost Sole #1. I'm thinking she didn't have a designated driver and had to walk home.

Two miles later at the entrance to Harter Park in my neighborhood is Lost Sole #2. A kid's slipper. Two shoes found on one 17 mile run. On Randy's blog he says he takes the picture, but doesn't touch the shoe (there might be a foot in it). So I'll do the same. These two were taken with my camera phone. Not the best quality.

My Run Today

2009-11-19T15:56:00.000-08:00

Camelback Mtn. from Papago Park
The Zoo from the Hole in the Rock

The Hole in the Rock

The Hole in the Rock from below.

Papago Park.
3 Miles.
72 Degrees.

My Three Objectives for Yesterdays Trial Run.

2009-11-16T09:32:00.000-08:00

This is the map and elevation of my training run. Mile 9 of the marathon starts where I was at mile 4 and it continues in a similar fashion until a short hill at mile 25.

1. To see how the elevation would affect me.

The Tucson Marathon starts at 4800 feet above sea level. That's like 3500 feet above my bed. Can I go from bed to Oracle in just one day and survive. Luckily, the first 3/4 of a mile is all downhill. If you drop your water bottle, you'll retrieve it at the bottom, kind of downhill. But, then the hills start. I don't do well and the hills+elevation was tough on me yesterday. On marathon day I'll have to put up with it for the first 8 miles. It'll be tough, but I think I can manage.

2. To see how hilly Oracle, Az really is.

The hills are like being in the ocean. One wave after the other, but no water to give you buoyancy. Just before the first mile marker they start on Mt. Lemmon Road. I know, when given lemons, make lemonade. My plan is to run all the flats and downhills up to about the half way point of the uphills. Then to walk to the crest and pray there's a downhill on the other side. I didn't see any false summits, so I should be able to do this and keep my mile pace under 12 for the first 8 miles. Miles 1, 2 and 5 should be closer to 11. I need to conserve my energy here, so that I can do the last 18 miles strong.

3. To find out what my comfortable pace is on the downhill portion.

The beauty of the Tucson Marathon is the final 18 miles. All downhill. From about 4500 feet above sea level to about 2000 feet. A 2500' drop in 18 miles and it's pretty consistent. One short hill around mile 25. I ran 5 miles of this portion and between 10:29 and 11:16 miles. I'm pretty sure about two things. I'll be able to run this portion well and my legs we'll feel horrible when I'm done.

Tucson Marathon Expectations.

I break up my marathons into 0ne mile segments and into larger chunks. I like to crunch data during the run. Here's my plan. The first 8 miles is the first chunk(The hills of Oracle). I plan to keep each mile around 12 minutes. I should leave Oracle after 1 hour and 36 minutes. The next five miles (entering civilization) are all downhill and will bring me to the half way point of the marathon. At 11 minute miles, I should get to Biosphere road at 2:31. The next 5 miles (down to Catalina) I plan to do in 11 minute miles, so I should get to mile 18 by 3:26. And then there's the last 8.2 miles. I need to get these done in 1:30 minutes to break 5 hours. That means an keeping it at 11 minute miles all the way to the finish. Can I do it?

I really want a PR for a marathon that starts with a 4. Here's hoping for a 4:56 marathon on December 13th.

Tucson Marathon training run

2009-11-15T16:05:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Blue Pants racing for supporting our training run 0n the front half of the Tucson Marathon course. We parked at the 13 mile mark and got shuttled to the start. Yeah, it was cold at 4000 feet elevation in the back of a pickup. But, our biggest fear was that the border patrol was going to stop us and since we didn't have ID and deport us to Mexico.

The marathon starts at 4800' elevation and we pass this sign. I need to call that number and tell him it's time for a new flag. His was pretty worn.

A nice motel in Oracle, AZ.

From mile 8 until the finish it's all downhill. About 1500 feet of elevation drop from that point. If I can just survive the first 8 miles, I think I can get a PR.

Over 50 races completed

2009-11-05T10:09:00.000-08:00

Here's a list of all the races I have done. I didn't realize that the Twin Cities Marathon was my 50th race completed since August 2006. Races 52 and 53 will be this Sunday at the Phoenix 5k/10k. I plan to run both.

Run for Brooke 5k(1)
Ghost & Goblins 5k (2)
New Times 5k (3)
Mesa Turkey Trot 10k (4)
Bumble Bee 5k (5)
PF Chang's RnR Half Marathon (6)
Run for the Islands 5k (7)
Lost Dutchman Half Marathon (8)
Ostrich Festival 5k (9)
Valley of Gold Half Marathon (10)
Summer Series (4 races) (14)
WRRC Summer Scamper 4M (15)
Remember 9/11 5k (16)
Casa Grande half Marathon (17)
Phoenix YMCA Half Marathon (18)
Race for the Cure 5k (19)
I Did A Run 5k (20)
New Times 5k (21/2)
New Times 10k (22)
Las Vegas Turkey Trot 5k (23)
Mesa Turkey Trot 10k (24/2)
Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon (25)
PF Chang's Rock N' Roll Marathon (26)
Beat the Heat 5k at Higley High (27)
Air Force Anniversary 5k(28)
Race Judicata 5k (29)
Chandler Challenge 10k (30)
YMCA Half Marathon (31/2)
Phoenix 5k (32/3)
Phoenix 10k (33/2)
Ironman AZ 5k (34)
Mesa Turkey Trot 10k (35/3)
Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon (36/2)
Paloma PTA 5k (37)
PF Chang's Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon (38/2)
Run for the Islands 5k (39)
London's Run Half Marathon (40)
Lost Dutchman Half Marathon (41/2)
Goodyear Heart & sole 5k (42)
Ostrich Festival 5k (43/2)
Sunrise at Old Tucson 3.8m (44)
St. Pat's One Miler @ Kiwanis (45)
Sabino Canyon Sunset Run 7.4m (46)
Pat's Run 4.2m (47)
Jerome Hill Climb 4.5m (48)
Higley High 5k (49/2)
Twin Cities Marathon (50)
Santa Monica 5000 (51)

Tara Costa from the Biggest Loser

2009-11-04T12:37:00.000-08:00

Tara ran a 4:23 NYC Marathon. That's pretty impressive, given the fact that a little over a year ago, she was weighing nearly 300 pounds.

Tara Costa's website.

My 14 Miler and the Tucson Marathon.

2009-10-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

I had business to attend too over near a subdivision called the Islands. No, there's no islands, but it does have two beautiful lakes and the main drag makes a nice little 4 mile loop around them. I added some mileage in the park to make it about 4.5 miles. My plan was to run it three times and then add some mileage to get up to 15.

The weather was just about perfect. My run started around 2:30 in the afternoon and the temps were about 60 degrees with a slight breeze. It dipped into the 50's at the end with stronger winds and a sprinkle or two.

I started out on the newly slurried asphalt streets, but I was running on the side with no sidewalk. For safety sake (I tend to daydream), I moved over to the sidewalk. Concrete, dips at streets and driveways, some fake cobblestone made rougher running. On the other side of the road was a woman running on the asphalt. I was run/walking so she slowly pulled away from me. She didn't take any walk breaks for the first couple miles, but she did stop at a stoplight. I ran right thru it, there wasn't much traffic. But, she caught me about a half mile down the road and pulled ahead. At the second stop light, she paused ever so briefly and then jay-ran too.

My goal was to do as many 12 minute miles as I could. Just like I was doing for Twin Cities. The first couple miles were done in 22:05 or there abouts. 12 is hard to do in the beginning. Then I started staying in the 11:30 to 12 range and I was happy. I only had one bad mile and that was mile 14. The clouds looked dark, I was tired and my ankle was complaining. And I was at my car. So, I called it a day.

The Tucson Marathon is just 44 days away and I need to figure out what pace I should run it. It's mostly downhill and there's no way I'll be able to hold back at a 12 minute pace, unless I walk alot more. I'm thinking I'll be running around a 9-9:30 minute pace. Add a few walk breaks per mile and my average will be around 10 to 10:30. But, will that burn me out? I know I can do it for a half marathon.

In mid November there's a training run on the first half of the marathon course. You park near the Biosphere and Bluepants Racing will shuttle you to the start line. They have water stations set up and you run back to your car. Sounds like this will be perfect for me.

At Twin Cities I average 13:05 per mile and I felt tired the last few miles, but not dead. I'd like to think I can do a 12 minute average per mile on a downhill course like Tucson. That would shave 30 minutes off of my run. An 11 minute pace would shave an hour off my marathon time. I know those are lofty numbers. If Tucson was flat I would hope my extra training would get me to around 12:30, but it's not and I think the course will help me a lot. I guess the training run in November will answer my questions.

Upcoming Race Schedule

2009-10-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

November 8: Phoenix 10k/5k. I'm running both races back to back.
November 26: Mesa Turkey trot 10k.
December 13: Tucson Marathon. 26.2 miles mostly downhill.
January 9: Kyrene de la Paloma 5k.
January 17: PF Chang's Rock N Roll Marathon.
January 30: ARR Desert Classic HM
February 14: Lost Dutchman Marathon
March 28: Bataan Memorial Deathmarch. A marathon.
April 17: Pat's Run 4.2 miles in Tempe

Tenative Schedule. I'll probably add some 5ks along the way. Who wants to join me?

2009-10-17T16:18:00.000-07:00

Pat Monahan's finish at the 5:47:28 mark of the Twin Cities Marathon. It's at the 10:25 mark on the video. I'm the guy throwing his hat in the air, ala Mary Tyler Moore.

Patrick Monahan
bib number: 5766
age: 47
gender: M
location: Chandler, AZ
overall place: 8216 out of 8483
division place: 585 out of 595
gender place: 4811 out of 4925
time: 5:47:28
pace: 13:04
chip time: 5:42:23
5k: 33:41
10k: 1:10:47
half: 2:33:34
30k: 3:47:53
20 mile: 4:09:08

Jeff Potters finish at the 3:52:42 mark of the Twin Cities Marathon.

Jeffrey Potter
bib number: 4906
age:40
gender: M
location: Madison, WI
overall place: 2322 out of 8483
division place: 277 out of 747
gender place: 1709 out of 4925
time: 3:52:42
pace: 8:45
chip time: 3:49:24
5k: 23:22
10k: 47:57
half: 1:42:28
30k: 2:31:00
20 mile: 2:45:05

Two Marathons completed in 11 days!

2009-10-17T06:42:00.000-07:00

Much thanks to Hal Higdon, the Runner's World contributing editor and author of many marathon training programs in helping me complete two marathons in just 11 days.

Many of you know about my running of the Twin Cities Marathon on October 4th. It was a run I had planned since early in the spring of 2009 and after an ankle set back and a tweeking of my training, I completed much to my surprise.

But, you don't know that I met Hal at the Health and Fitness Expo in St. Paul the day prior to the race and that is when Hal assisted me in getting the second "Marathon" done.

Hal Higdon is the author of 35 different books and training guides and is best know for his virtual training guides you can buy online that will get you to finish a marathon. His latest work is a novel titled, "Marathon" and that is the second marathon I speak of.

You didn't really think I ran two marathons that soon?

Marathon, the novel is a great book. I got copy number 336, autographed by Hal himself. It's a story about a race director and his new love, a big city marathon that is in jeopardy of losing it's sponsor, first time marathoners and the whole marathon experience. Finally, there's a secret celebrity runner too. As a marathon runner, you'll have deja vu moments as you read each chapter. Read Hal's new book right before your next big marathon and you too, can complete two marathons in 11 days (it would have been faster, but I had to complete another book first).

The Santa Monica 5000

2009-10-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

Amy planned this 3 day visit to see two colleges in the LA area for our daughter. The day before I checked to see if there were any races that weekend. The Long Beach Marathon was scheduled, but since I ran a marathon a week ago, I didn't think that would be a good idea. Then, I saw it. The Santa Monica 5000. A 5k race just minutes from our hotel on Sunday morning.

It was a bit overcast and in the low 60's at the start of the race. About 800 runners were planning on running the 5k that started south of the pier, looped around and thru the downtown section and then past the pier for another loop to finish at the pier.

I did it around 33 minutes. Not anywhere near a PR, but it was fun anyway. The cool Ed Hardy shirts were given after the race at the small expo on the pier. My daughter knew who Ed Hardy was. I had no clue.

Below are a few pics from our LA trip. First is one of the Japanese Gardens north of Santa Monica. We, also went to Little Tokyo in downtown LA.

A sailboat at Santa Monica beach.

Running past the Santa Monica Pier. The shirt I got is like the one the lady is wearing.

Hey, that's the ocean out there.

Me at the finish. I need to practice putting my bib on straight.

The Twin Cities Marathon map

2009-10-08T17:15:00.001-07:00

Check out the elevation gain in the first mile. I think I know what caused that. As we run in downtown Minneapolis, the county court house (403 feet tall) is on both sides of the street and is literally over the road. You run in a tunnel for about a block. All the runners howl, which is kinda cool. I think the building interfered with my garmin and showed my run as if I had climbed over the building. My mileage was off most of the day too and I finished with an extra half mile tacked on.

2009 Twin Cities Marathon

2009-10-07T22:21:00.000-07:00

Some random pictures from the TC Marathon. This is the Basilica of St. Marys in downtown Minneapolis. The bells were ringing as I ran by.
Not sure why this deer was on the course. But, I got a picture with him. The ING orange hat was a freebie at the expo. I ended up tossing it in the air at the finish, just like Mary Tyler Moore.

The wall at mile 20. I gave it a Mike Tyson double punch as I passed. Soon the hills returned the favor.

It has to be one of the great finishes in all marathons. You pass under the huge US Flag courtesy of the fire department and then it's downhill straight away to the finish in front of the state capitol.

The medal

For more information and my splits you can see

My mile by mile report

The Twin Cities Marathon

2009-10-06T10:17:00.000-07:00

Up until about a week ago, I didn't think I would finish this race. The day before I left Arizona, I thought I had a 25% chance of finishing it.

My bail out points were at 15 miles (the light rail stop) and 19 miles (the Franklin Bridge). I passed both without considering quitting. The first 14 miles were easy and a bit faster than I had planned. Thanks to the cooler temps (Minnesota is cooler than Arizona) and the great crowd support.

I will have a full race report soon. But, to end. I finished at 5:42:27. Nine OH Seven (not really why I named my blog 9:09) faster than my first marathon. So, I went from a DNF to a PR. Wow!

Below is a picture at the start with my brother in law, Jeff. He runs a marathon every ten years. At 30, he ran a 3:47 marathon in Wisconsin. This week he ran a 3:49. He doesn't plan to run another race until he turns 50. I'm gonna kick his ass that year. :)

Jerome Hill Climb 2009

2009-09-28T22:59:00.000-07:00

Jerome Hill Climb 2009 Photos

It's one of the most scenic races in all of Arizona.

Thanks USPS!

2009-09-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

Last week my garmin 305 (runner's watch with GPS) broke for the second time. Enough is enough, so I ordered my new one from Amazon ($160 w/ free shipping). Sadly, if I could only take one personal item with me from a burning house, this would be second (family photos would come first).

This gadget tracks your running by satellite. Figures out your time, pace, distance, lap pace, heart rate and a whole bunch more. Then you can download all the data onto your computer and see your splits, a map and other cool features.

My training the last few weeks has consisted of how can I finish the Twin Cities Marathon and stay ahead of the 'sweeper bus' that picks up runners that can't finish the race in 6 hours or at a 13:44 pace.

Before my ankle issues I was hoping to finish in under 5 hours. Anytime beginning with 4 would due. Now, I'm just trying to avoid the bus.

My strategy is to keep my heart rate down and run/walk at a 12 minute pace for as many miles as I can. That way, I will gain 1 minute and 44 seconds each mile over the bus. If I can do this the first half of the race, I will be 22 1/2 minutes ahead of the bus after the half marathon. Then it's along the Mississippi river for the next 7 miles. The plan is to pick up at least a minute for each of those miles. With 29.5 minutes advantage, I will then get to tackle the St. Paul hill on Summit Drive. Someone had the wise idea to put downtown St. Paul on a rise above the Mississippi river. 3 miles and 160 feet in elevation climb. Not Mt. Everest, but I'll need that half hour cushion.

At around the 20 mile mark the baseball game starts. Twins vs. Royals. The Twins are the last team that has a chance to make the playoffs. It's the last game at the Metrodome and I have tickets. If the bus catches me, I'll just take a left towards downtown Minneapolis and go to the game. If I have the lead, then I'll take a right over the bridge (Is this the one that collapsed a few years back?) and continue on. I'll gladly give up the first 6 innings of the ball game to finish the marathon.

Now, back to my first training run with my new garmin. Here's the splits.

Intervals (GPS Interval)
Type Distance Time Total Time Pace Avg HR Max HR Notes
1.Interval 1 Mi 12:01.48 12:01.48 12:02 125 151 (Feeling good, but forgot to apply bodyglide)
2.Interval 1 Mi 12:17.09 24:18.57 12:18 135 150
3.Interval 1 Mi 12:01.36 36:19.93 12:02 141 151
4.Interval 1 Mi 12:18.46 48:38.39 12:19 144 154
5.Interval 1 Mi 12:29.75 1:01:08.14 12:30 140 151 (stopped in Circle K and bought vaseline.)
6.Interval 1 Mi 15:26.6 1:16:34.74 15:27 130 147 (helped a lady push her car into parking lot)
7.Interval 1 Mi 14:27.48 1:31:02.22 14:28 140 164 (vaseline doesn't help much after the chaffing has occurred)
8.Interval 1 Mi 14:07.07 1:45:09.29 14:08 136 151 (near home, chaffing hurts, not gonna do 15 miles as planned)
9.Interval 1 Mi 13:35.02 1:58:44.31 13:36 133 149 (picked up the pace some)
10.Interval 0.43 Mi 5:48.39 2:04:32.70 13:31 134 145

Hoover Dam Marathon and Half

2009-09-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

I just found out about this race. It's run at the Hoover Dam from a campground and beach on Lake Mead in Nevada. This is the first year and I got to do it.

Who wants to camp out with me? Run either the half or full on Saturday, October 31st and then go kayaking on Lake Mead on Sunday?

Learn more about the Hoover Dam Marathon.

Tonight I'm going to run 15 miles. It'll be my last long run before the Twin Cities Marathon. I'm hoping I can do it at a 12 minute pace. If I do that and I feel good after, it will let me know what I'm capable of come the big race in Minnesota.

I have a top secret strategy that I used the last two times I ran. The 7 miler on Tuesday was a breeze. I could have easily run further. I felt so good that I'm now thinking 20 miles or more up in Minneapolis.

RIP GARMIN FORERUNNER 305: I ordered my new 305 yesterday. The old one just won't start anymore.

Yearly Totals

2009-09-16T13:40:00.000-07:00

2009 489.9 Miles 12:00 Pace (3.5 months to go)

2008 604.1 Miles 12:03 Pace

2007 819.6 Miles 12:27 Pace

2006 371.5 Miles 12:23 Pace (half a year)

Grand Total: 2285

The Three Week Marathon Training Program

2009-09-14T09:50:00.000-07:00

It's just 21 days away. Three short weeks. My training has not gone well. First I was set back by an ankle issue. Two months back.

Then, being an older, heavier runner the ramp up of mileage has been slow.

So, today I googled "Three Week Marathon Training Plan". Nothing from Hal Higdon, nothing from Jeff Galloway. Nothing from Runner's World.

Not even an, "Do a long run of 10 miles the first week, followed by a long run of 20 miles the second week and then taper."

Or, "Do a long run of 20 miles the first week. Then, after you've recovered from your injuries pick a new marathon that is 20 weeks out."

So, I then googled, "Miracle" to see what it says. The first result was about the 1980 US Gold Medal Olympic Hockey team. The Miracle on Ice team. Nice motivation, but I need more.

Then the second result said, "For Pat's Eye's Only"*.

I was intrigued and click on it.

Pat, after your injury healed you trained hard and even got in 97 miles last month. You've made a good amount of progress and you could run a slow half marathon today. Get in one final long run of 13.1 miles. Keep the pace under 13:44. That's the pace of the sweeper bus at the TC marathon. The cool Minnesota air and the adrenaline of running a marathon will help you on race day. Have a short taper for 3 days prior to the race. Eat carbs, but don't over do it the week before the race. During the race make sure you have these three things:

1. Gu's for every three miles.
2. Lots of Bodyglide and your race socks.
3. A light rail pass.

If you can only have one of these things, don't forget the light rail pass because at mile 15 there is a station.

So, enjoy the Twin Cities marathon and stop at the 15 mile mark. Chalk it up as a training run and start preparing for the Tucson Marathon on December 13th.

Finally, Pat this isn't the miracle you wanted but it is a good marathon training plan for you.

*Some parts of this post have been made up. But, you've probably figured that out.

My Journey to run in all 30 Arizona State Parks

2009-09-10T16:49:00.000-07:00

My quest to run in all 30 state parks started this week. I will update this page each time I run in one of our beatiful parks. This time I got to run in Dead Horse Ranch State Park and I started a run at the Jerome State Historic Park.

You can read about each park by clicking on the link. Read about my run on this page.

Western Region
Alamo Lake State Park
Buckskin Mountain State Park
Cattail Cove State Park
Lake Havasu State Park
River Island
Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park
Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park

Northern Region
Dead Horse Ranch State Park -September 7, 2009. This park has three lagoons all in a row. I ran from the park cabins to the first lagoon and did one loop. Then I did a 1 and a half loop around lagoon number 2. One loop around the largest lagoon (3) brought me back to do a half loop around the second lagoon. Then back to the cabins. There are also numerous short trails to run. Then, if you follow Flycatcher Road north you can run for a long time on the trail heading towards Tuzigoot National Monument. I didn't get to run this last trail, but it might be ideal for a long run.
Fort Verde State Historic Park
Homolovi Ruins State Park
Jerome State Historic Park (Park Closed)-September 6, 2009. Some parks are just too small to run. I could have done a 1/10 mile run in the parking lot, except for this park is temporarily closed. Budget cuts. So, with small state parks my plan is to use the park as my start or end point. The Arizona RoadRacers helped me with this. They have the Jerome Hill Climb 4.6 mile race start at this park. This year it was 4.5 miles because the park is gated closed. It goes thru Jerome and up, up and up. About 1000 feet of elevation gain. It's a great experience, even if you can't run it on the day of the race. The fastest runner this year did the 4.5 miles in around 28 minutes. Unbelievable. I was winded after a half mile and 200 feet in elevation gain. This park is not runner friendly. There's no place to run, except for the city streets or past the firehouse up Perkinville Road.
Red Rock State Park
Riordan Mansion State Historic Park
Slide Rock State Park
Verde River Greenway State Natural Area

Eastern Region
Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park
Catalina State Park
Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area
Lost Dutchman State Park Lyman Lake State Park
McFarland State Historic Park (Park Closed)
Oracle State Park
Tonto Natural Bridge State Park (Open Select Weekends Only)

Southern Region
Kartchner Caverns State Park
Patagonia Lake State Park
Picacho Peak State Park
Roper Lake State Park
Sonoita Creek State Natural Area
Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park
Tubac Presidio State Historic Park
San Rafael State Natural Area

2009-09-09T16:03:00.000-07:00

Kudos to my cousins son for winning the Mercy Metric 5k in Cincinnati. I guess he got all the speed in the family, because I didn't get any.

Male 1-18

1
SEAN MONAHAN CINCINNATI OH 1218
16 Age
7 Overall

22:28.00 Chip Time

22:31.00 Gun Time

00:03.00 Diff

7:16/M Pace

2
PETER FELTON CINCINNATI OH 1230
13
11
23:26.00
23:26.00

7:34/M

3
P. FIXLER CINCINNATI OH 1155
10
14
24:49.00
24:52.00
00:03.00
8:01/M

My Personal Records

2009-09-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

1 Mi
8:10 (total time)
8:10 (pace)
St. Patty's One Miler
3/15/2009 -finished second overall. An 8 year old beat me by 6 seconds.

3.1 Mi
28:49
9:18
IronMan AZ 5k
11/22/2008- loved this race in Tempe.

3.8 Mi
41:27.39
10:55
Old Tucson Studios 3.8
3/8/2009-ran thru a movie set. Pretty cool race.

4 Mi
43:43
10:56
West Lafayette - McCormick Road
6/30/2007-Purdue University.

4.2 Mi
40:09.39
9:34
Pat's Run
4/18/2009-Arizona State Univ. A run for Pat Tillman

4.46 Mi
1:10:40.48
15:51
Jerome Hill Climb
9/6/2009-Not a pretty time, but looks like a sure PR next year, if I'm healthy.

6.2 Mi
1:04:35
10:25
Mesa Turkey Trot 10k
11/27/2008-3rd year I've run this race on Thanksgiving Day. It's a tradition.

7.4 Mi
1:18:37.79
10:38
Sabino Canyon
4/4/2009-This and Jerome are the two most scenic runs.

9.3 Mi
1:48:15
11:39
New Times Five and Dime
11/11/2007-You run a 5k, get 15 minutes rest and then run a 10k. This is the total time.

Half Marathon
2:19:47
10:41
Lost Dutchman Half Marathon
2/15/2009-I still can't believe I ran it this fast. Maybe I found a short cut.

Marathon
5:51:34
13:26
Rock and Roll Marathon
1/13/2008-My first marathon. I won't be beating this time in Minneapolis.

Jerome Hill Climb 2009

2009-09-07T17:29:00.001-07:00

Six months ago it seemed like a good idea. I signed up for the Jerome Hill Climb. I was just starting my marathon training and I thought a nice 4.6 miler up a mountain would be a good training run a month before my marathon. I didn't know I would deal with an ankle injury that would derail my summer training.

So on Sunday I showed up, behind in my training in Jerome, Arizona. Jerome is a tourist town southwest of Sedona high on the Cleopatra Hill. It's on a mountain and although I didn't have to go to the top, I did have to go pretty high up.

I didn't want to get in the way of the racers, so at the start I took this photo. Then I preceded to walk to the line and start with the back of the pack. I knew it was going to be a lot of walking and some running. Runners park at the 1 mile mark and then walk down to the start. The walk down is intimidating. After the start, I made it about 4/10 of a mile before I was walking up a steep gravel drive with many other runners.

You can see in the photo below the city of Jerome. It's right below the letter 'J'. I think we basically ran around that hill and up the mountain.

The night before, my wife, daughter and I stayed in a cabin at Dead Horse Ranch State Park. This picture of Jerome is from that park. The next picture is a close up. At the half mile mark I was breathing as hard as I ever had. It was a steep climb mixed with a 5000 foot elevation. I'll admit, I was intimidated and ended up walking more than I should have. At the one mile mark I looked to the left and there sat my Honda Pilot. I already had my cool tee shirt. Time to pack it in? No, I continued on.

I grinded it out and it became a hike from the 2 mile mark to the 3.5 mile mark. At that time, I didn't seem to be breathing so hard. I decided I was going to run/walk in 1/10 of a mile increment. This seemed to work and I finished the race with a bit of dignity. My two fastest splits were the 4th mile and the last half mile. At the top, the Arizona RoadRacers had water, soda, chips and cookies. It was kind of strange to have a finish line in the middle of nowhere.

Of course, the bad news was that I had to turn around and go down the mountain 3.5 miles to my car.

My plan was to run/walk it back down hill. Most people just walked down, so I got to pass quite a few and I enjoyed the downhill much more than the actual race. Uphill it was taking me about 16 minutes a mile. Downhill was a nice 12:24 pace. Some of it was so steep downhill, that I realized the reason why they didn't race it back down was for safety reasons.

All in all? It was a beautiful race with incredible views of the Verde Valley. I wanted to spend more time in Jerome, but that was not to be. We spent the rest of the day exploring Dead Horse Ranch State Park. Will I be back next year? You bet. With the proper training it will be a great race to be a part of.

Higley High's "Beat The Heat" 5k

2009-08-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

My buddy, Nick talked me into runnning a race on Friday nite. I ran it last year and had a great time, so what the heck. I drove out to Higley High while I watched the lightning in the distance. It's a fundraiser for the high school CC team with a half lap on the track, then an out and back along the canal, all at night and for the second year in a row, in the rain.

They had to shorten the course to around 3 miles. We still had a fun time. Nick was the fastest of our group. His wife Susie was second and I brought up the rear. I thought I as going to run around a 12 minute mile or worse. I was closer to 11, so it was a good nite. Far from my personal best, but not bad for a first race after the ankle injury.

I got to meet the owners of gypsyrunner.com. And bought a couple things too. They have some great decals for your car. Check them out.

At the half way point you turn back and see the stadium lights. It was raining lightly at this time.

Loved the shirt I got and the carplate I bought.
Ankle feels fine and I'm ready to do a long run on Sunday.

Higley High Race Stats
The course

I envy those fast runners

2009-08-18T21:49:00.000-07:00

I got in 4.6 miles tonite running past the pee wee football players. I see them and I daydream about my football playing days. I tend to run better when I let my mind wander, daydream and make up heroic stories with me as the hero.

I'm still doing a run/walk program as you see in the graph. But, tonight I was having fun getting the run portion down into the 8's and 9's. I even saw a 7:21 on my garmin. If only I could run that fast for more than a 1/10 of a mile.

I'm really happy with the improvement I've seen since the beginning of the month. I ran about 64 miles total in May, June and July because of my ankle. I'm at 57 miles in August and hope to get 100 miles for the month.

GeoRunning!

2009-08-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

Tonights run was the fourth day in a row. It was going to be a short easy run to the park and back with a short break to look for a geocache at Desert Breeze. I can use my forerunner 305 to locate the cache.

No luck finding it. Darkness had desended on the park, so after looking around the picnic ramadas for about 10 minutes, I headed home. 3 miles tonight game me 18.5 for the last four days.

Maybe I can find a cache during the marathon up in Minnesota.

How far can I go in Minnesota?

2009-08-12T14:09:00.000-07:00

I'm getting my mileage in at a walk/run type pace. Last week it was 18 miles and this week I have 9 already (Monday-Sunday). So, when I run I think about the Twin Cities Marathon course.

The first 2-3 miles head west out of downtown Minneapolis and up a hill to a chain of lakes. It takes me that long to get to my running lake, Desert Breeze. Then the next 5 or 6 miles is along the lakes, so I do a few laps around my lake. From 8 to 15 in Minnesota takes you to Minnehaha Falls, a scenic park near the Mississippi River. These days, as I run I try to picture what that run is going to be like.

Now, I'm way behind in training due to my ankle.

So, my mind wanders to how far I can actually run on Oct 4. I doubt I'll be ready for a full marathon by then. But, it's all paid for, so I will run as far as I can. At the Minnihaha Falls (yes, it's really called that) there is a light rail station. I can run 15 miles and then skip the rest, take the rail to my hotel, pick up my baseball tickets and go the last game at the Metro Dome.

Or I can go to the 19 mile marker and I'll only be a couple miles away from downtown. The last 7 miles heads away from Minneapolis to downtown St. Paul. I even thought about sleeping in and taking the rail to the 15 mile mark and start my run from their. Of course, I would not run thru the finish line nor collect any hardware or a finisher's shirt. I'm going to enjoy the experience, but not cheat.

Most likely, I will run the first half of the race and then determine how I feel as I run. Hopefully, the cooler temps and the crowds will help me to run further. Less than 8 weeks to go.

A Slow Road to Recovery

2009-08-08T12:37:00.000-07:00

I put off the Xray because my ankle was feeling better. But, not 100%. Finally, I talked to the nurse practioner and she arrange for an Xray, which I had on July 14th.

The conclusion: "Lateral soft tissue swelling and possible tiny avulsion distal fibula."

Recommended therapy: Rest and Ice. I can do that.

So I've rested. Iced. And started power walking, advancing into easy runs.

That's been my summer. I've missed several races, but slowly I'm getting better. I'm way behind on my marathon training. Do you think the Twin Cities Marathon will postpone the race until I'm able to do it?

Didn't think so.

DNS at the Summer Series #2

2009-06-15T15:50:00.000-07:00

My wife said I was groaning in my sleep Sunday morning when I should have been out running a 5k race. My ankle was bothering me and I posted my second DNS (Did Not Start) of the year.

Before that, I had a 9 mile long run planned for this weekend. I was going to run it on Saturday. My ankle was bugging me before I even got suited up. After about 1/2 mile I knew I wasn't going to run any where near 9 miles. I ended up walking most of 3 miles with an occasional short jog every now and again.

Before that, I had a softball game on Friday night. My ankle was fine. No issues during the game.

So, how did I come up with an ankle that wouldn't allow me to walk, let alone run a 5k?

I blame my wife, Amy. She put on new sheets. When she does this, my poor feet have no room to roam and they get squished in an awkward position. It's kind of like waking up with a stiff neck. So, I'm a bit behind in my training. But, my ankle feels good today. I'll give it one more day of rest and then go out for a test run tomorrow.

Lesson learned? Fix the damn sheets if they bug you before you go to bed.

Chasing Jackrabbits

2009-06-06T23:06:00.001-07:00

Tonight I was scheduled for 8 miles. I ran around 8 pm in wonderful weather. High 70's. I ran over to Desert Breeze Lake and did loops around the park. A full moon and lots of families finishing picnics, as well as, the cricket players playing under the lights made for a fun run. But the best part came around mile 5. As I turned the corner I spotted about a dozen jackrabbits. Half ran one way, half into the field. So, the race was on. I took off after one rabbit. They are fast. I was between him and home, so he ran south. I tried to keep between him and the goal. After about 10 yards he got enough distance to cut the corner and make it back to his home. They are beautiful animals to watch run.

I made it back home. Switched to my swim shorts and jumped in the pool. Did some laps and pretended to be a tri athlete. After swallowing pool water and Amy opening the door to ask if I was ok, I got out.

This was my first long run for marathon training. 8 miles this week. 9 next week. Legs feel good.

Marathon Training

2009-05-29T16:20:00.000-07:00

Before I know it the Twin Cities Marathon will be upon me and I better get ready for it. Hotel - A Loft in downtown Minneapolis. Check. Baseball tickets to the last two games in the Metrodome - Check. Airline tickets - still needed.

Training? Here's the plan.

June 7 - Long run of 8 miles (3 miles in a race, 5 after race). 20 miles for the week.
June 14 - Long run of 9 miles. 3 runs of 4 miles each. 21 for the week.
June 21 - Long run - 10 miles. 23 total.
June 28 - Long run of 12 miles. 24 total.

July 5 - Long run of 13 miles. 26 total.
July 12 - Long run of 10 miles (cut back). 20 total.
July 19 - Long run of 15 miles. 26 total.
July 26 - Long run of 16 miles. 30 miles total.

Aug 2 - Long run of 17 miles. 31 total
Aug 9 - Long run of 10 miles (cut back). 20 total.
Aug 16 - Long run of 19 miles. 34 total.
Aug 23 - Long run of 20 miles. 36 total.
Aug 30 - Long run of 22 miles. 38 total.

Sept 6 - Long run of 10 miles (cut back). 20 total.
Sept 13 - long run of 22 miles. 42 total.
Sept 20 - Long run of 10 miles (taper begins) 20 total.
Sept 27 - Runs of 6,5 and 4. 15 total.

Oct 3 - Runs of 6,4 and 3. 13 total.

Oct 4th - Twin Cities Marathon.

Blogcation

2009-05-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I'm still running. But, blogging is taking a back seat to me selling some homes. Gotta pay the bills.

Hope everyone is putting in some serious miles and I'll talk to you later.

Sione and The Biggest Loser

2009-04-21T20:50:00.001-07:00

Sione from the Biggest Loser ran Pat's Run. I didn't see him, maybe because I couldn't catch up to him. He beat me by 5:26. Damn, he's fast.

Jeff out in Maryland was thinking of me. I got these in the mail. He knows I'm a Reds fan. Thanks, Jeff. And GOOD LUCK to Jeff, Dan, Karen, Taryn and Katie who are running the AOR Relay.

Pat's Run

2009-04-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

The first of two Pat's Runs take place at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ. The school that Pat Tillman played his collegiate football. Next week there will be another Pat's Run in San Jose, Pat's hometown.
This was the fifth annual run that started soon after Pat Tillman, an American hero, died in Afghanistan fighting for America. Just in case you may not know, Pat played professional football for the Arizona Cardinals. When he was offered a new contract, he passed and joined the military. Today we celebrate Pat Tillman and raised funds for his foundation.

The race featured 20,000+ runners and walkers running from the parking lot of ASU's Sun Devil Stadium north across the Mill Avenue bridge and through Papago Park along Curry Road. As you head south down Scottsdale Road you loop around the athletic fields and up into Sun Devil Stadium. It's 4.2 miles and you finish high fiving ASU football players on the 42 yard line. Yes, you get to finish on the field and you're not rushed off. You can stretch on the grass after your run. Plenty of seating in the stands to watch your fellow runners come in.

Why 42? It was Pat Tillman's number when he was a defensive hero for the Sun Devils. This race is unique, in that 70% of the participants wear the technical shirt you get with your registration. Families will also love the play area for kids and the festival where you can get something to eat, drink or even a message.

Look to your right around the half way point and you'll see the stadium. The finish line looms big just a few miles away.

Football fields are marked every 10 yards, but at ASU, the 42 yard line is also marked so that we can always remember Pat Tillman. If you'd like to learn more about Pat click on his name.

As for my race? I planned to run 9 minute miles, or closed to it. Finish under 40 minutes and stop for just a few pics. My splits came in at 9.08, 9.33, 9.33 and 10.41. Not sure what happened at the end. But, I finished with a 9.11 for the last .2 miles entering the stadium. Final time: 40.09. It was a crowded race, but not so much to slow me down. I did a little weaving, but I was able to run the tangents without much interference. After the race, I went back to the stadium entrance and ran back in to take some pictures. Here's where you can find more pictures.

Race stats and map

2009-04-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

Sumo Are You at 100 Days running yet?

test run

2009-04-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

You might recall back in January I ran for 26 straight days. It was a test to see how my body and specifically my legs would hold up to daily running. Every day was at least one mile and I covered 103 miles. An average of 3.96 miles a day.

On day 27 I could have run on. I could have kept the streak going for a much longer time. I decided to stop, because my legs always felt tired. No injuries, just tired. Some run were fine, but some I didn't enjoy as much. I even ran the Rock N Roll Half Marathon on day 23 and did it in 2:25. A PR at the time. I was real happy about that race.

So, I asked myself if a running streak was in sync with my ultimate running goal. That goal, is to be running for the rest of my life. To be a 70 year old runner, an 80 year old runner and hopefully, a 100 year old runner. Can I run every day for the next 18,980 days? Or if I ran every other day is 9,490 days more realistic?

I think I can better reach my goals with an every other day (EOD) running approach. But, is EOD enough running to get better and fitter?

So, for the past 11 weeks I've done the EOD approach. 171 miles in 37 runs. A run every 2.08 days. Two half marathons of 2:25 (not a PR) and 2:19 (a big PR). 4.62 miles on average. My legs have never felt better.

Time for a new test.

Now, I am going to run EOD, 5 miles or more each time. On the off days I'm going to walk 3-5 miles at a slow pace. Maybe 18-20 minutes a mile. Plus, any walking I do normally in the day. I did 3.52 miles last night. I walked to the mall and in the mall. I only stopped once, no shopping. The mall is less than a mile from my home, so it was interesting to walk over there. My garmin even worked inside the building. Who knew? I enjoyed the walk.
The Reason.

They say you burn the same number of calories if you walk a mile or run a mile. No matter the speed. I could use the extra 300-500 calorie burn and walking won't (I hoping) tire my legs. I'll get an extra 1100 calorie burn from the walking. About 2100 calorie burn from the running each week for a total of 3200 calories. Almost a pound.

So, until the end of April I will be doing the Run/Walk test to see if I can keep fresh legs and burn enough calories to shed some pounds. I guess I'll have to avoid the mall too. The food court and Aunt Annie's Pretzels are way too tempting.

Sabino Canyon Sunset Run

2009-04-05T14:56:00.000-07:00

You don't see this kind of view at the start of most races. At the Sabino Canyon Sunset Run you get this view and many more that are better. I ran the 2009 version of the race as my first hill dominant run. I say hill dominant because the first 3.7 miles are mostly all uphill. You turn around at the top and return the same way to the finish.

Sabino Canyon is just to the northeast of downtown Tucson in the Coronado National Forest. You might have taken the tram into the canyon as a tourist. You defiantly want to do the run. I drove 2 hours each way for just the run and it was well worth it.

Being in the national forest system, you have to pay $5 to park inside the gates. Here's a hint. There's a small parking lot outside that's free. Then you just walk an extra 100 yards and you'll be at the visitor center/ tram station/ race start.

It's all on asphalt road, two lanes wide with seven bridges that the runners cross over twice. Once going up and once coming down. There's a dip in the road for each bridge. Here's a hint. When the Sabino Creek is flowing strong, the water will flow over the bridges. So, on race day that means you're running in water to cross the creek. Deep enough to get your feet wet. See the pictures from the 2008 race.

You'll start out in daylight around 2735' elevation. At the turn around you will have risen about 600 feet to 3375. Half of it in the last mile. But, then you'll get to head back down the canyon. Then you get to fly. I ran down 10 minutes faster than my ascent.

The picture above shows you the last mile. The runner is returning, but above him you might be able to see the road and some runners heading for the turn. In many ways this feels like a trail run, without the trail. No rocks or roots to watch for.

But, hurry down the mountain. Because darkness approaches after about 45 minutes of running. Robert Seamon, of Tucson finished in 40:45 to win overall first and Paula Morrison, of Tucson was first female overall with a time of 48:15. Half the runners finished in under 1 hour 6 minutes. The last group finished in 2 hours and in the dark.

You could say my race was a series of ups and downs. Yeah, pun intended. I had early splits of low 12 minutes per mile. I walked some of the way. Mile five was the first full down hill mile. I did that in 8:06. Miles five and six literally flew by. But, as if by design the race director had one more hill for the runners to climb right before mile 7 ended. Pictured below. By the time I got there, all I could see was the silhouette of the runners as they reached the top.

At the top you could see a single light, about a half mile down the road. That's the finish. You can't see runners in front or behind you. Just the single light. If you can finish this race in under an hour, it won't be an issue. But, for the back half of the field, we ran in the dark. Plus, you get signs like this:

Now that will get you moving.

The Southern Arizona Roadrunners put on this race and do a great job. We had entertainment before the awards ceremony with a cowboy doing gun and rope tricks. The parents loved it, almost as much as the kids.

The awards for 1, 2 and 3rd places were these great framed photos. I had to get back to Chandler, so I couldn't stay for the awards ceremony. I'm sure it was a fun time.

SAR also does a good job at having people around to answer your questions. Here's Dave Hill with a great t shirt on. He's in front of the Performance Footwear sign. A great sponsor of races throughout Arizona.

Then of course, there's the eats. Peanut butter sandwiches, orange slices, bananas were the fare. A bit light compared to what there sister club, Arizona Road Racers, up in Phoenix does. But, it was fine. Heck, maybe all the fast runners got the good stuff.

The volunteers where friendly like always. The weather was perfect. All in all, it was a great day for a run.

Pat's Running Splits

Course Map and Elevation

Sabino Canyon Sunset Run Finisher List
See other AZ race reports at Arizona Foot Races.

Raiders of the Lost Ark

2009-03-31T00:04:00.000-07:00

Tonight I ran my "Raiders of the Lost Ark" run. 6 miles heading north of my home and running through the neighborhood of Circle G Ranches. I was working on keeping my pace as close to 10 minutes per mile, as I could. The first two miles came in at 10:14 and 10:32. I walked a bit to eat half a GU. I wanted to see if that would kick in and let me get to the 10 mpm goal. The 3rd and 4th miles came in at 11:42 and 11:52. Not, so good.

Then I had the rest of the GU and miles 5 and 6 were at 10:55 and 10:42. A bit better. But, all in all a good run that Harrison Ford would be proud of.

Now, why do I call it the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" run? Because I run past this home (click on it last, it may not let you come back)and it's the home of this guy. It's for sale, so if you're interested let me know.

My Run - click on the map and change it to satelitte photo to see if you can find the home. Hint, it's near the 2 mile mark.

2000 Miles

2009-03-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

Google it. Reaching 2000 miles is a big deal. In a car.

Or on foot. Somewhere on Lisbon Drive in Chandler, AZ I reached 2000 miles for my running career.
My first mile was back on August 2, 2006. I did 2 miles. That's 65 miles a month for 31 months.

Jerome Hill Climb

2009-03-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

What are you doing on September 6th? I suggest you visit the mining town of Jerome in the mountains of Arizona. Then with 200 of your closest friends you can run 4.6 miles up the mountain to a finish line and food. In 2008, Zachary Thomas did it in a course record of 29:14. Some take an hour and a half.

The first photo is from the one mile mark looking back at the start. If you look closely at the second photo, you'll see a line of runners proceeding up the dirt trail. The third photo is right before the finish line.

Jerome is called the 'Most Vertical City in America' and now you can see why.

Now, this 2009 will be my first year running this race and I was wondering how you get back down. I looked in the race photos and I don't see the bus. But, I do see other photos of people heading down this road on foot. Maybe the bus is around the corner. Or maybe you'll have to run the 4.6 miles back down the trail as a cool down.

If you like these photos, check out Megan's website. She's a pro that takes pics at many of the ARR races. What's more amazing than the lack of a bus, is that she'll sell you the pictures dirt cheap. So cheap, you'll even want to buy pictures of strangers.

2008 Jerome Hill Climb Pictures

2008 Jerome Hill Climb Results.

Races Added to My Schedule

2009-03-25T16:54:00.000-07:00

I just renewed my membership to the Arizona Road Racers. ARR is the running club for the greater Phoenix area. I am a member of SAR - Southern Arizona Roadrunners too. They are out of Tucson, an hour 20 minutes south of my home.

I joined as a Benefactor. It's three times the cost of a normal membership. But, I get to run in 10 races for free. The Christiansen Trail Run, The Desert Classic 2 miler, All five of the Summer Series races, The Jerome Hill Climb, The South Mountain Classic 5k and the Mazatzals (mad as hell) Trail Run in Sunflower, AZ.
Here's the races I'm adding:

Papago Park 5k on May 23.
Reach 11 Park 5k on June 14.
Rio Vista Four on the Fourth on July 4.
Kiwanis Park 5k on July 18.
South Mountain 5k on August 9. (those are the summer series races)

Jerome Hill Climb. Here's what ARR says about it:

"Join the ARR for the 39th Annual Jerome Hill Climb. This unique event is a 4.6 mile uphill run on paved and dirt roads that begins at the Jerome Historical Museum and passes through historic downtown Jerome before finishing on a nearby mountain top."

Here's a view of Jerome, "America's Most Vertical City". Yeah, we start near the bottom and finish way up high.

16 of 48 Books read

2009-03-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

Remember I am reading 48 books this year before my 48th birthday. This is book 16.

16. Rabbit Redux by John Updike

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
The second book in the rabbit series and probably the last one I read. Updike's books are kind of depressing.

In the first book, Rabbit, Run you read as the main character Rabbit, deals with his faultering marriage and dead end life. So, he runs. In this book it's his wifes turn to run.

I had heard that John Updike was a world class author and he recently passed away, so I wanted to read some of his works. I've read two, so now I'm done.

Does he venture into other subjects? Maybe I just need to get away from the rabbit series.

View all my reviews.

Time for some Dirty Six!

2009-03-15T16:41:00.001-07:00

How about this for a race? I'm thinking about signing up and it's close to home.

My Bounty

Katie sent me my prizes for winning the Biggest Loser Fantasy League and for the Half Marathon Challenge. My wife collects disney pins on the small quilt she made, so I added the two pins to it. You can click on the photo to see the pins closer.

And I also got some spices and seasoning from Maryland.

Thanks Katie!

St. Pat's One Miler

2009-03-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

It was the annual St. Patrick's 8k (4.8 miles) and 1 mile races in Kiwanis Park. I've always wanted to do a one mile race and I figured this was my time. I tapered for three days. My legs were tired and I planned to take two days off, but it turned into three. Over 200 runners lined up for the longer race and 39 of us lined up across the street for the mile. It was about half kids and half adults. I figured I could finish in the top 4 or 5. Usually there's some fast kids and one or two fast adults.

Luckily, today there was only one fast kid. I got to be the fast adult. Before the start of the race, one dad was giving instructions to two young men next to me. Finally, the one kid looked at me and said, "I'll just follow him." That was the nine year old that lead the whole race. I was right behind and had to give him directions to turn right, go under the bridge, keep the lake on your left and finally to turn right again. Yeah, I was tempted to have him run around the lake again.

The finish is up a hill and then a sharp right turn into the picnic area. I tried to kick it, but my tank was empty and his wasn't. His buddy, the 7 year old was right on my tail the whole way. We finished one, two, three.
An 8:10 mile is my best. I think I did an 8:20 first mile at the Goodyear 5k. After the race I got to talk with the kids. For polite and nice. I let him know I didn't let him win. If I could have passed him, I would have. My garmin battery was low, so I didn't get to see my pace during the race. I just tried to keep up with the fast kid.
After our race, I got to watch the longer race. It's entirely inside the park. Around the lake, on the canal and some park road. It was nice that they went one way and the milers went the other.

I stuck around and helped with the kiddie dash. The 7 year old that finished third in the mile, won his age group in the KD. The 9 year old finished 4th. Plenty of fruit, cookies and water for the runners. They even had some green beer. They gave out awards to the top three in all age groups for the long run and medals to the top male and female in the mile. I did win my AG (three old guys), but no medal for second place overall.

Arizona Foot Races

I am now putting my race reports on Arizona Foot Races. It's a blog that lists all Arizona races from Lake Powell to the Mexican border with race reports from lots of different runners. It's new and you can put your race reports there too. That is, if you run any Arizona races.

I started this blog and April is the first month. But, I'm posting older race reports. So, if you have any race reports, let me know. I can copy and paste them from your blog to AFR.

Check it out, I think it'll be pretty cool.

Tired Legs

2009-03-11T19:53:00.001-07:00

My son had to go to downtown Chandler for a Japanese Swordsmenship class. It was his first time driving down there, so I told him I would go with him and run home. I don't get to do too many runs that aren't a loop, so this would be fun.

Except, after running two races over the weekend and running yesterday and again tonight I had tired legs. Four runs in five days was a bit much. Yesterday I ran 3.4 miles in 40.06 (11:36 pace). I got to run the Indian Bend Wash, almost got run over by some SF Giant minor leaguers in a van(they were in uniform) and almost hit by a golf ball as I ran past the golf course. The top map is of that run.

Tonights run was 4.3 miles in 50.57 (11:41 pace). I started my run right where the Ostrich Festival finish line was. The hardest part of the run was going past all the great smelling restaurants. In and Out Burger was unbelievable. I almost stopped.

So, what's unusual about the bicycle below? You can click on the photo to enlarge.

Chip 292

2009-03-09T16:11:00.000-07:00

Dane Patterson's (The Biggest Loser) chip ran again this past saturday. I guessed it would be worn in the 10k and the runner would finish in 58:25.

Nick guessed it would be the 5k with a time of 24:17.
John guessed it would be the 5k with a time of 27:43.

And the winner is:

87 292 Karen Winar 58 30/51 4/6 F 58:38
(Litchfield Park 10k)

Karen was just 13 seconds slower than I predicted.

Sunrise at Old Tucson

2009-03-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

This was a doubleheader weekend. Yesterday was the Ostrich Festival 5k and today was a 3.8 miler at a movie studio. Old Tucson Studios is know for being a filming site for many a John Wayne movie, as well as, many other westerns.

Here's just a few movies made there.
1940: Arizona
1945: The Bells of St. Mary's
1957: 3:10 to Yuma
1957: Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
1958: The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold
1959: Rio Bravo
1965: The Great Sioux Massacre
1966: El Dorado
1967: Hombre
1970: Rio Lobo
1972: The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
1974: The Trial of Billy Jack
1976: The Outlaw Josey Wales
1981: The Cannonball Run
1986: ¡Three Amigos!
1990: Young Guns II
1993: Geronimo: An American Legend
1993: Nemesis
1993: Tombstone
1994: Lightning Jack
1995: Hard Bounty
1995: The Quick and the Dead
2005: Seven Mummies
2007: Legend of Pearl Hart

It was almost a 2 hour drive for me. My kids and wife passed at the chance to get up at 4 am. The question was, would I be dead by the time I got to Tucson?

I ran again in "A Shirt That Races".

Look familiar? This is one of the sets that we ran past. My legs felt great and I was ready to run, but not as fast as yesterday. One, it's my first trail race with a lot of single track. Two, I brought my camera. The race director, who was pretty funny told us it was around 3.9 miles, unless you get lost. This race had lots of turns, as you can see on the map. One loop around the studio streets, then out into the desert, past the start line with a final loop around town. He warned us about rattlesnakes. He said, "the first runner scares the snake, the snake scares the second runner and the third runner gets bit. So make sure you're the fourth runner." Or something to that effect.

I was running and taking pictures and ran mile splits of around 11 minutes each for the first three. The final .8 was in town and I had already taken pictures there, so I ran my fastest. a 9:48 mile split. I finished in 41:27 and was happy with that.

This was put on by the Southern Arizona Roadrunners (which I am now a member) and they had a great awards ceremony. Lots of door prizes for adults and kids, AG awards and the Old Tucson Sheriff added some levity. We had a trail breakfast (scrambled egg burritos).

Here we are running the streets and below is Horse Poop Alley. Yeah, it's where they dump the waste and we got to run right thru it.

Old Tucson Studios is in the Saguaro National Forest. SA-war-o. And it is a forest, as you can see. The drive is majestic.

Now, it's time to send "A Shirt That Races" to another state. Our goal is to have a different runner in all 50 states and Canada run in this shirt. I'll write on the shirt about the two AZ races, wash it (promise) and then mail it to . . . you?

If you want to participate, let Nikemom know when and she'll put you on the calendar.

2009 Ostrich Festival 5k

2009-03-07T09:24:00.000-08:00

Today was the debut of the men's version of "A Shirt That Races". I set my alarm for 6 am and woke up at 6:30 wondering why the alarm didn't go off. I was ok, since this year's Ostrich Festival 5k was being run on the parade route in downtown Chandler for the first time. Just a few minutes from home. I got to packet picket up an hour before race time. Picked up my race tee, which is just the festival tee. But, still good looking and went back to my car to stay warm.

There I am in "A Shirt That Races" with bib #149. It's a small race with less than 200 runners. About 50 degrees and sunny. There was a delay of almost 1/2 hour because the barricade guys slept in.

Runners started warming up. This guy wasn't going 15 mph, but I thought it was a funny picture anyway. I started out fast. My plan was to stay around a 9:09 mile.* Three of those plus a fast sprint at the end will give me a PR of around 28:10. My first mile was in 8:45. I thought I was moving pretty good, but there were still plenty of people gliding past me. This course is made for PRs. It's flat and straight. It all takes place on Arizona Avenue with just two turn arounds. Mile two was done in 9:36. I did walk for a drink and to down half a candy bar (much more enjoyable than a GU).

Mile three was the most fun. In the finish line picture below you'll see a little kid sitting on the curb. He ran the race. Maybe 10 years old. He cruises past me, looks up, smiles and says hi. I catch up to him, thinking that he's running a 1 mile fun run and it happens to be on the same course. So, I ask. Nope, he's running the whole 5k and it doesn't look like it's fazing him one bit.

Yeah, that little kid on the left. Maybe, he's 7 or 8. So we get to the 2.6 mile turn around and theirs a cop directing traffic. I tell the kid to give the cop a high five and he does. As he does I take the turn and say, "see ya kid, I'm in front". As the kid sprints past me, he says, "Oh no your not".

We spend the last bit of the race running side by side and I give him some race advice about conserving energy and saving it for the sprint to win at the end. We match stride for stride and then I tell him at the light I'm going to start my sprint. 100 yards to go and we both kick it up a notch. I did mile three in 9:51, but now the kid and I are under a 7 minute pace. I had some gas in the tank, he was running on fumes. I could have taken the kid, honest. Of course, he probably told his dad he didn't want to beat the old man too bad, so he coasted. But, I like my story better. We both finished around 28:52. The kid won by a nose.

I stop my garmin, give the kid a fist bump and realize that I missed my PR by 3 seconds. Three Seconds! That's ok. I enjoyed racing with the kid, much more than any PR. There's always tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow. I hope I have the horsepower for race #2 this weekend. Yeah, I'm taking "A Shirt That Races" down to Tucson for a special race.

*9:09 pace per mile would give me a 2 hour HM or a 4 hour marathon. That's why my blog is named after my goal pace. I'm a long way from my goal.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

2009-03-02T08:16:00.000-08:00

My first 15 books in my quest to read 48 books before I turn 48. I'm 15 weeks into the goal and I'm on a one book a week pace.

1. Bowerman and the Men of Oregon: The Story of Oregon's Legendary Coach and Nike's Co-founder by Kenny Moore

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Running, history and a biography. What more could I want.

View all my reviews.

2. Adios to Tears: The Memoirs of a Japanese-Peruvian Internee in U.S. Concentration Camps by Seiichi Higashide

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
A great autobiography of one mans journey from Japan to South America to an internment camp in the US. This is full of history tha you can't get in a textbook. You might have know about the iternment camps for the Japanese during WWII, but did you know we arrested Japanese citizens in central and South America and interned them?

View all my reviews.

3.Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength by Bill Phillips

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
Enjoyed the book and it all made sense, but I can't stick with weight training like I can with running.

View all my reviews.

4.Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Loved the book. But, then again I love reading about the Presidents. Whether you voted Obama or not, this is a great read and a very interesting man.

View all my reviews.

5. Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
An interesting book written before JFK became president. He was recovering from back surgery, was a senator and wrote this book about courageous senators of the past.

View all my reviews.
6.Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons by Tim Russert

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
My father passed this book along to me. Like the Chicken Soup series, it's a collection of warm rememberances of fathers. I, enjoyed reading it. Tim Russert, the author and NBC news fame died while I was reading it.

View all my reviews.

7.Where the Game Matters Most: A Last Championship Season in Indiana High School Basketball Tag: In.. by William Gildea

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Since I didn't grow up in Indiana, I didn't know how big the high school game was. Sure, I heard about it's popularity. But, until you've experienced it or at least read this book you won't know.

I wouldn't have picked it out myself, but my brother in law Doug gave it to me and it's fantastic.

View all my reviews.

8. Everything I've Learned: 100 Great Principles to Live by by Leslie Pockell

My review

rating: 1 of 5 stars
A quick, short book of quotes by famous and not so famous people. It was interesting, but I'm glad I didn't buy it.

View all my reviews.

9.Home and Away: Memoir of a Fan by Scott Simon

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
If you are a Chicago sports fan, this is a great book to read. Scott Simon of NPR and NBC fame wrote about his love of Chicago sports from a fans perspective. Great chapters about the Bears Super Bowl win and about the Bulls 6 Championships.

View all my reviews.

10. Running Until You're 100 by Jeff Galloway

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
This is the first book I've read by John Updike. He passed away a month ago, so I thought I should read some of his works.

I think he's best know for the 'rabbit' series. Four books that tell of the life of one Harry Angstrom, a fictional character that was a star basketball player in high school. Updike is a great writer, makes you feel like you are there. Very discriptive. Although the story didn't speak to me, the narrative did.

I ordered the second book, Rabbit, Redux from the library and I'll give it a chance too.

View all my reviews.

12. The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
Satrapi is an Iranian woman that grew up during the Islamic Revolution (1980's). The book is written in comic book form. A first for me. My wife recommended it and I read it in three days. A good book that I probably wouldn't have read otherwise. Give me a book and tell me to read it and I'll at least make an attempt. I'm easy that way.

View all my reviews.

13.Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business by Danny Meyer

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
He calls it the final chapter or what you do to make up for a mistake. He says to do something creative after a goof, so that the client telling about how you screwed up will have to include how you rectified the situation.

View all my reviews.

14. 50 Things I Love About Japan.

It's a short book that was given to me by my mother in law. It's not in GoodReads.

15. Chicken Soup for the Baseball Fan's Soul: Inspirational Stories of Baseball, Big-League Dreams and the Game of Life by Jack Canfield

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
A great collection of baseball stories. I love the Chicken Soup series.

View all my reviews.

Lemons or Oranges?

2009-03-01T20:32:00.000-08:00

We can grow lemons in the backyard, but this is what my oranges look like. The can is for reference purposes. Both of those oranges are from the same tree. The small shriveled orange was very bitter. The huge orange had no taste at all and was very dry.

We call them the Barry Bonds Oranges.

This is the second time I've run this route. I like new places to run and I like this run for a few reasons. Right around the one mile mark I run past a bunch of Orange trees. These are good oranges. They are in the median, so I assume they belong to the HOA. Hopefully, they don't mind if I eat one now and again. Around the 2 mile mark you'll see a series of lakes. If I want to extend this run to 6 or 7 miles, I can run on the trails along the lakes. On the corners before the 3rd and 4th miles are two drugstores. If I need a shot of sugar I can stop at these fuel stations.

I did that tonight. I stopped at Walgreens and got a Take Five. A candy bar with pretzels, caramel, peanuts, peanut butter and chocolate. 210 calories. 25 grams of carbs. I try not to eat these too often. But it was good and it gave me the pick up I needed.

As you can see on the graph. My splits after the PED -Performance Enhancing Dessert are far better. And to think, baseball wants to ban these. I ended up doing 5 miles in 56 minutes at 8 pm. I was going to run in the afternoon, but it was over 80 degrees.

The Shirt That Races

I have it now. The men's version. I'm the first one to wear it, so Arizona is the first state. I plan to run in it this Saturday at the Ostrich Festival 5k. Then I have a surprise for everyone on Sunday. We are still looking for others to wear it in races in all 50 states and in Canada. Are you running a race later in March? If you have a blog and want to wear it, write a race report and mail it to the next runner, you can be a star.

More Dane Patterson

2009-02-28T14:06:00.001-08:00

Click to enlarge

Dane is the Biggest Loser that I blogged about a few days ago. He claimed to have run an entire marathon here in Arizona, when in fact he took a ride for at least 3 miles.

His time was near 6 hours, but the producers claimed he ran a 3:53 marathon. If you look at the show video you'll see the five looks like a three. I thought the show doctored the footage. But, being the amateur journalist that I am I went and looked at the Arizona Road Racers pictures. The one above was taken by Hal Gensler. I cropped it and blew it up. You can click on it and see the clock's five does indeed look like a three. So, the time error could indeed be a random mistake by someone back in a studio in California.

RunningAhead now has a Garmin Download

2009-02-27T15:43:00.000-08:00

Today's run - click on it to enlarge
Today's Graph - click on it to enlarge.

First of all, I love RunningAhead, Garmin and Sporttracks. My routine was to run with my garmin and then download the info to sporttracks. Then I would manually enter my data into RunningAhead. Then I would blog about it.

Eric over at RunningAhead has been working for the last two years so that guys like me can download from garmin right to his software. If you are familiar with the Runner's World online training log, then you know RunningAhead. It's the same thing. RW uses Eric's stuff. Now I don't have to enter the data into RA. It does it with a click on a button and I get a cool graph like above, a map and my splits.

The graph above is my run tonight. Played softball at 7:30. We lost by one in the last inning. Yeah, I was the pitcher that gave up the winning run. Then I came home and ran my 3 miles.

Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon Certificate

It's in the mail. I just got my completion certificate. It's official.

Lost Dutchman Photos

Hey, these are the official pictures of me.

Running a Rock N Roll event? Here's some discount codes.

Rock 'N' Roll San Diego 5/31/09 save $10 code: Rockon

Rock 'N' Roll phoenix 1/17/2010 save $15 code: Urock.

The Dane Patterson Marathon Apology

Reveille, the producer apologized for the short marathon.

I can't believe that they would pick him up for 3 miles and drop him off 6.2 miles from the finish line. I could believe that they would drop him off a mile from the finish line or less, but not that far. I'm not buying. Sorry, Reveille.

If I were in charge, I would have simply paid to keep the finish line open. Or I would have paid to have it set up in a parking lot, if there permit wouldn't let the first option happen. ARR could have used the money and I would rather fabricate a finish line than lie about the complete run.

Chip 292

2009-02-26T14:49:00.000-08:00

The Arizona Road Racers have a supply of Champion Chips to loan at their races. Chip #292 is famous because it is the chip that was worn for 23 miles by The Biggest Losers, Dane Patterson.

I like to track weird things, so I was wondering who got to wear it next. The next ARR race was the inaugural Arizona Marathon. It was used in the half marathon and here's the runners stats:

Place: 316 292 Tracee Dicamillo 2:39:27 12:10 2:39:13 Litchfield Park AZ

Then it was worn at the Heart & Sole 5k in Goodyear Arizona. A race I ran in. Funny, I was 289 - just 3 off the coveted chip.

Place: 18 292 Gerald Bales 40 17/127 3/11 M 21:38 6:58 22:01

The next race is the Litchfield Park 10k & 5k on March 7th. My guess is it will be in the 10k and the runner will finish with a time of 58:25.

I guess I created a game here. Pick the race and the time you think chip 292 will be in and the closest guess will win a $5 Starbucks card. And my guess is like the double zero on the roulette wheel. It counts for the house.

Dane Patterson, marathoner?

2009-02-25T21:52:00.000-08:00

I ran a marathon tonight.

Actually it was 4.67 miles, but I felt like I could run 26.2 and that counts if you ask the producers of 'The Biggest Loser'.

Did you see Dane Patterson get eliminated from the Biggest Loser tonight. An Arizona contestant who I was rooting for. Disclaimer - I still am a Dane fan, I blame the producers.

After he got eliminated he ran the January 31 Desert Classic Marathon here in Phoenix. He ran with his wife and BL was there to film it. However, they ran out of time, so the film crew drove the pair to the finish line for a photo moment.

So, they only ran 23 miles. Now, hopefully they went back out to the point they stopped and finished the marathon. I'd count that. On the show tonight it said that Dane ran the 26 mile marathon in 3:53. Did he run 23 miles in that time? Did they just project out the time, as if he ran it?

I read a blog of a runner that did finish it. Found it courtesy of Obrats. She finished in 6:14. She ran every inch of the course and she said that the pair were behind her.

Now, I was telling my wife that I was going to quit running. If a 400 pound man, granite he lost 100 before the marathon can run that fast in just 3 months time, then I'm not much of a runner. I should just quit.

Now, I know the secret. Have my wife pick me up in her mini van. I could run marathons every day.

Here's some interesting places to visit.

Desert Classic Marathon 2009 Results. - Dane was bib # 292. No, you won't find him. I'm proud of the Arizona Road Racers for not listing him as a finisher.

Melancholy Smile Race Report. Congratulations you are a MARATHONER! Read the last paragraph of the race report and then look for Dane's wife's comment. I give her props for being honest. I don't think Dane was in on the fix, so he should still be consider for the Hall of Fame. I doubt NBC really knew. It's the producers that try to sell us gum and yogurt to lose weight. I do like the zip lock bags, though.

Runner's World Post

2009-02-22T09:49:00.000-08:00

I just left a comment on Runner's World online. It was to a new runner that was having trouble losing weight.

Here's what I said.

I've gone from 260 to 210 by running.

1. Don't eat gels or drink gatorade for your runs. They are too short and you'll congest as many calories as you'll burn. 300 calories in, 300 calories out will not make for weight loss. It'll make for a good run and you'll get fitter, but won't lose weight.

2. Eat less carbs. No bread. No sugar. No sodas(sugar). No candy. No pasta. Get your carbs from veggies. Oh, no ice cream or desserts.

3. Run til you can't run anymore. Then walk for 2-5 minutues. Then run some more. There's no sin in walking, if it allows you to extend your workout.

4. Slowly increase your mileage each week. 10% per week is a good plan.

5. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT. Make sure you are having fun. Run in parks. Around stadiums. Up mountains. In races. Take pictures. Along lakes or rivers. Run with friends. Run alone. Run down a parade route by yourself. Streak.

Do whatever it takes to have fun, so that you can't wait to run tomorrow.

Good luck, the pounds will come off.

Yes, I did everything above. I even ran everyday for 26 days in a row. I hope that's what they thought I meant when I said to streak. Oh well, either way is good as long as you're having fun.

What do you think? Anything I should have added?

The Goodyear Heart and Sole Run

2009-02-21T12:16:00.000-08:00

This morning's 5k was at the site of the Brand Spanking New Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, AZ. The spring home of the Cleveland Indians and future spring home of my Cincinnati Reds.

Lots of Indians fans, but the home opener next Wednesday is not sold out. Tickets are from $12 to $80. I think ticket prices are way too high at all the Cactus League stadiums. It's cheaper to go to a regular season game. Which is why I haven't been to a spring game since Ken Griffey Jr. was a mariner. Hey, I guess I can go again now.

Anyone visiting this blog for the baseball pics, can skip down to them. I talk a lot about running on this blog.

I ran the 5k and was about the 10th person over the start line. And about the 100 person over the finish line. My garmin split for the first mile was 8:16, the fastest one mile in my racing life. My first half mile was at 7:46. I tried to keep up with the rabbits, but it wasn't to be.

My second mile past the practice fields was at 9:43, much more like me.

My third mile was at 10:22. I think I had one walk break during the second mile and a couple in mile three. That first mile was getting to me.

But, I rallied to do the home stretch in 7:28. The Scorpion Cheer squad cheered and I got a finishers ribbon. Finish time was 29:16. Just 27 seconds from a PR.

The sculpture outside the stadium. It's 60' 6" tall ( the distance from home to the pitchers mound) and is supposed to looks somewhat like a planes wing. Goodyear/Phoenix airport is right next to the ballfield. This picture makes it look like a bat, but that's not the intention. If they would have made it out of used tire rubber, then it would have represented Goodyear even more.

Down the third base side of the ballpark are Reds photos. On the left side are the Indians photos.

I asked a stranger to take my picture. He said sure, so I asked him if he was with the city. Turns out he's with HOK, the builder. They introduced him during the ribbon cutting ceremonies.

Goodyear Stadium.

See the ball in midair?

From centerfield. It's a nice facility, but Camelback Ranch, the new home of the Dodgers looks better.

Run a 5k, go to the ballpark and have a dog and a beverage of your choice. It doesn't get any better.

*A side note - as I walked around the facility in my Reds attire, about a dozen Indians fans mentioned I was a year early.

Negotiations

2009-02-19T15:48:00.000-08:00

I am spending today and tomorrow in a real estate class on negotiations. Negotiating is the most important skill your REALTOR can offer you. Here's a video we watched.

Today's Run

5.44 miles in a little over an hour. I found a nice little 2 mile loop in Fulton Ranch. Afterwards I played two softball games. We split.

The Shirt That Races

The idea of TSTR is to have it race in all 50 states and all 7 Canadian Provinces. So, men who's next?

The Men's Shirt that Races!

2009-02-18T14:37:00.000-08:00

Nikemom has a women's shirt that races and it has been to 10 different races. Now there is a Men's Shirt That Races. I get the honor of being the first runner to wear it.

Most likely I will run with the shirt at the Chandler, AZ Ostrich Festival 5k on March 7th. The course is the parade route in downtown Chandler. Then, we'll take in the parade and other festivities. Maybe, even have an Ostrich burger.

Now, if you'd like to run in this shirt too. You can. Just drop Nikemom a line and let her know when you can race. I'll make sure I wash it before I send it to you.

Last Nights Run

I ran 3.75 miles yesterday. It was my first run since my record setting half marathon. I've gone from the 26 day streak to running every other day. I'm hoping to do 6 miles a run, every other day with a long run on the weekends. I plan to spend the next 2 months losing weight and getting my long runs up to 20 miles.

Saturday's 5k

This saturday is the Goodyear, AZ Heart and Sole 5k at Goodyear Park. That's the new home of the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds. Being a big Reds fan, I'll be wearing my Reds hat and shirt for the run. Yeah, I'll have pictures.

Hopefully, the stadium will be finished in time. The Indians play their this year. The Reds start next year. The sculpture is 60 feet 6 inches tall, the same distance from the pitcher's mound to homeplate. When we plant palm trees the frowns are tied together until the roots take hold. Then, the string will brake on it's own and the trees will look normal.

Lost Dutchman Half Marathon

2009-02-15T10:22:00.000-08:00

You learn something at every race.

Yes, you do. You learn something at every race you run. I hadn't run for three days and my legs were fresh. Real fresh. This is a tale of what you learn when you go out fast in a half marathon.
The day started with a beautiful sunrise over the Superstition Mountains.

I got my picture with the Lost Dutchman himself. He wouldn't disclose were the his goldmine is. After all, it's the gold that's lost, not the dutchman.

Right around 7:30 the gun sounded and we were off. Actually, we waited as the faster runners were off. At this time I commented to all around me, "there goes my PR." But eventually we did get to run and it was less than a minute wait.

That's the Superstition Mtns. in the distance. Only about 700 runners in the half, so I didn't have to do a lot of weaving. The first mile split was 9:47. My goal was to see how many miles I could do under an 11 minute pace. 1:13 seconds was way too fast, but my legs wouldn't let me run any slower.

The second mile was 10:12. More reasonable, but still on the fast side. That made me 2 for 2 goal wise. I was a bit worried that it would get me later on. This course is half paved, half dirt road with lots of small hills. Mile 3 was 10:59, perfect and mile 4 was 10:42. I felt like I was getting in the groove.

Maybe it was the site of the medals before the race that got me in a fast mode.

There were lots of medals. I got the HM one on the right. Before the race I got to meet Alissa from Fountain Hills. She's one fast runner and it would be the last time I saw her.

Mile 5 was done in 9:58. Don't ask me. I have no clue as to why I was going so fast. Mile 6 was done in 10:06 and I was cruisin' to the half way point.

Then came mile 7. My first one over 11. I did it in 11:07. Was the first six fast miles catching up to me? I did the 10k in 1:03:47, which would be the fastest 10k I ever did. I did the 6.55 in 1:08:01. That mean't I had 2 minutes in the bank. I was hoping to do 1:10's each way.

Then came mile 8. I was trying to walk thru the water stations. I did it in 10:26. I skipped some stations and this mile most have been one of them. Mile 9 was my second mile over the 11 goal. It was done in 11:27, my slowest mile. I think it was the mile that I saw Lobster Girl. Two years ago I ran behind a girl in a lobster hat for a long time. I even took a picture and she happened to be in it. I recognized her this year. Asked if it was her and we talked for awhile. She's done 8+ marathons and can't even remember how many halfs. And she's young. I was a bit jealous.

Mile 10 was 10:43. Mile 11 was 10:58. Mile 12 was 10:27. During these miles I got to talk with a guy from New Mexico and a gal from Minnesota. We all got in the leap frog mode. When I walked, they would pass me. When they walked, I would pass. Sometimes we would chat. The gal from up north eventually passed me for good. Not sure about the guy.

But, I still had 1.1 miles to go and my legs weren't as fresh as 2 hours ago. Mile 13 came in at 10:25. I did a lot of walking, but I was running in the 9's and I was holding up pretty good.

Good enough to sprint to the finish line at an 8:50 pace. I stopped my garmin about 5-10 seconds after I finished.

It read 2:19:52.

2:19:52 is 7:17 better than I ran PF Chang's 28 days ago. It was 7:23 better than I ran London's Run 15 days ago. It is the fastest Half Marathon I've ever run.

It was a great day. No rain. Sunshine. High 40's to start. Mid 50's for most of the run. The third HM in less than 30 days. Two of them for PR's. The 11th HM of my life. 11 of the 13 miles under 11 minutes. A cool medal. A cool t-shirt.

If only the Dutchman would have shared where the gold is.

A Run in the Sun

2009-02-11T01:34:00.000-08:00

57 degrees and sunny. I went for a run/photo session around Tempe Town Lake.

This is what's left of the old tempe bridge.

The view from the Tempe Arts Center with it's zero edge pool.

Along the lake path are all kinds of art work. This one and others were called windows.

The view from the western most point on the trail.

Can you see what this sculpture is made of?

The big wigs to be announced that the dams up river are at capacity. So, now we have to start letting the water run free. Which means it won't be used, it'll just flow down the dry river bed. This is the adjustable rubber dam letting the water go.

Downtown Phoenix in the distance. You can see the Diamondbacks stadium to the left.

Sculpture below the bridges.

Snow on the mountains. That's Four Peaks and it's the closest mountain range that gets large amounts of snow. You can see it from the east valley. Oh yeah, I got 3.1 miles done. Mostly running, but lots of stopping to snap pictures. 35 minutes.

Southern California Speedsters

Did you know on this day in 1962 Jim Beatty set the indoor mile record of 3:58.9 in LA. It was the first sub 4 minute mile indoors. Which reminds me of another speedy southern Californian, Irene. Here's hoping Irene is having a fabulous February

I'd cut my leg off to run!

2009-02-09T13:14:00.000-08:00

I got to run in the rain today. It was overcast, around 60 degrees and windy. Who knew the weather could be like that here in Arizona. I liked it.

And you can tell by my splits. I decided to keep near home, just incase the heavens opened up. Right around the 2 mile mark it started to drizzle. Didn't last long, so I kept on running. Legs felt great, hip felt great. 6 miles done in almost an hour.

I'd Cut My Leg Off to Run

Yeah, you've heard that before. But, here's a guy that meant it.

Runner's World Notice

One week from Lost Dutchman

2009-02-08T11:40:00.000-08:00

I'm one week from the Lost Dutchman Half Marathon. It'll be #11 for me and the second time I've run the event. Remember back in 2007 I lead the LDHM at the 2 mile mark? This is a beautiful race, run at the foot of the Superstition Mountains. Here's some pictures from the 07 race.

After this race, I am adding a 5k on the 21st. It's in Goodyear, AZ and it will start and finish at the new ballpark. The spring training home of the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds (2010). Since, I'm a Reds fan I had to do it.

Running Until You're 100 by Jeff Galloway
Book #13 (48 books read before I turn 48)

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
If your goal is to run for life or into your 60's, 70's and 100's then this is a great book full of advice on staying injury free, eating right, maintaining weight and enjoying the sport.

I've decide to incorporate several things in this book. One, running every other day. If you want to do high mileage, Galloway advises to do less runs, but longer. Better to do 3 five milers than to do 5 three milers in a week. Your rest days are very important to an older runner. I learned this somewhat from doing my 27 straight run days.

Galloway is most know for his system of run/walk/run in all his training and races. Remember Galloway is an Olympic runner, but he still takes walk breaks so that he can maintain his current running level. I've always taken walk breaks, except for a few 5k races. At my last half marathon Nick and I tried to take a walk break for 30-40 seconds every 4 minutes or so. It worked great. I will continue to take walk breaks, but will shorten them. I've been know to take 2-3 minute walk breaks.

Speed work and hills. I plan to do more of these. My past speed work has been a serious of tempo runs in the middle of a relative easy run. Galloway calls these Acceleration/glides. I would increase my pace to 8-9 mpm and hold it for as long as I could. Then take a walk break and do it again. I'll continue to do this and incorporate running up gradual hills. I can do this at South Mtn. park (main entrance) or Discovery Park in Gilbert.

Weights and pool running. I want to start running in the pool and lifting weights at least twice a week. Galloway and others think that pool running is very beneficial to a runner without the wear and tear.

I highly recommend this book and plan to get other Galloway books.

View all my reviews.

An All New Run

2009-02-07T16:34:00.000-08:00

Decide to run east toward a shopping center that has a lake. The lake has a mile long path around it. It was 70 degrees and beautiful outside.

Ran on a major street going out, but found this hidden path going home. On one side was a wall with a subdivision on the other side. On the south side was a large home with pandas grazing in the field. Down at the bottom of this post is an aerial of the panda ranch. It was shoe horned in between two subdivisions. That long grass area belongs to one owner.

I ran 5 miles in a little less than an hour. It was a slow run/walk/run, but my legs felt great. My hip felt fine.

Books and Chicken Soup on a cold winter's nite

2009-02-06T03:00:00.000-08:00

Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business by Danny Meyer

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars

It's a business book about hospitality in the restaurant business. His restaurants in NYC include Union Square Cafe, The Modern at MoMA, Gramercy Park, Blue Smoke, Tabla and the Shake Shack. I like to read books about customer service and hospitality because it helps me to be a better REALTOR.

He calls it the final chapter or what you do to make up for a mistake. He says to do something creative after a goof, so that the client telling about how you screwed up will, also, have to include how you rectified the situation.

View all my reviews.

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
Satrapi is an Iranian woman that grew up during the Islamic Revolution (1980's). The book is written in comic book form. A first for me. My wife recommended it and I read it in three days. A good book that I probably wouldn't have read otherwise. Give me a book and tell me to read it and I'll at least make an attempt. I'm easy that way.

View all my reviews.

I just started keeping track of books in Goodreads. It's a website that will recommend, list and keep track of books read and books you plan to read. It lets you write a review and you can make that public for your friends and family to read.

Chad had mentioned that he helped make the final selections for "Chicken Soup for the Baseball Fan's Soul" , a book that I have been reading for some time now. It's a collection of heartwarming stories about baseball in people's lives. From little league to big league, from fans to players. It's the kind of book you read in spurts.

I went to the website to see if they have a "Chicken Soup for the Runner" book. They have one in the works and are looking for submissions. Yes, you can write a story about your running and it might be included in a future book. They, also, have one planned for diet and fitness.

The Chicken Soup website has a list of all their books, lists future books and you can even get a daily chicken soup story.

Speaking of book projects, another one of note is at Runner's Lounge. Amy & Tom are collecting stories to put into a book.

Bad Weather, Really Bad Weather

2009-02-04T18:52:00.000-08:00

It's February folks and 83 degrees. In my pre running days I would have thought it was the perfect day. Or if it was August, I would gladly take anything with two digits only. But, it's February folks.

I was out showing homes in Gilbert, so I took my running gear for a run at Discovery Park. It's almost a mile around the perimeter and it has lots of paths in the middle. Like a lot of parks in Arizona it is also a water retention area, so it's down in a valley. So, it has hills. And like a lot of parks in Arizona, it has hardly any shade.

I got 3.8 miles done. About 85% running, but it felt like I was walking the whole time. My legs still feel less than specatacular.

They must run cross country races here. These are the hoodoos and you could see that many a runner has run them. There were about four hills and they were about 4-5 feet high. Think roller coaster.

Championship tee shirt

Did you know that they make championship tees for both teams prior to the Super Bowl? Then they ship out both sets to stores. The stores sell the shirts with the winning team on it. Do you know what they do with the shirts that have the wrong team winning?

This year all the shirts that say Super Bowl Champion Cardinals get shipped to a third world country and are given out to the poor. So, down in El Salvador the Cardinals are the Super Bowl Champs.*

*I heard this on sports radio, so it could be totally false. I, always thought they were destroyed.

The Day the Music Died

2009-02-03T13:21:00.000-08:00

Since today was the day the music died and I don't have American Pie on my ipod, I skipped the music. It was the first day running since my last half marathon.

My legs felt really stiff. I've not felt that before. I got 4 miles in at about an 11:32 pace. It was 78 degrees, a bit warm. But, a beautiful day.

An Official Race photo was taken at the last turn when I started sprinting. You can see the photog in the picture above way back there. These pictures were taken by Suzy, Nick's wife. This is my sprint in. The lady right behind me picked up her pace, but not enough to recapture 498th place.*

Nick with a strong finish.

Nick, Suzy, Billy, Pat

Luis Gonzalez and bubblegum

Did I ever tell I once bid on a piece of bubblgum chewed by the Arizona Diamondback's Luis Gonzalez. It's true. I was even interviewed on a local tv station. I think my bid was around $700. Amy couldn't believe it. My kids thought it was cool. Eventually, I lost out to a guy that paid $10,000 for the chewed gum. It was a way to promote my website - http://www.townhomesonly.com/. I wonder where that gum is today.

*I'm guessing on the place. But we did battle pretty hard in the race to the finish.

The Half Marathon Contest.

2009-02-02T10:05:00.000-08:00

The Contestants

Pat (me) ran the P.F. Chang's Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon too. It was my 9th HM. Race report: short version Long version

Roobabs up in Utah ran the Painters HM in St. George, UT.

Katie at K80K ran the Walt Disney World Half Marathon down in Orlando.

Nat, up in Canada ran a very cold Hypothermic Half Marathon.

To read the race reports and you should read them all, click on their names.

The Prizes

This is a collectors pin from the WDW Marathon week. Katie had to stand in line for ever to get it. You just don't pick one up at the gift shop on the way out of the park.

Shanna must have been thinking about me. I love these gel blasts. And the sport wash, I could use that too.

Here's my bundle of goodies. Most of it was swag. Like the NB fridge magnets, cytomax, hand fan, larabar and sun screen. I'm throwing in the race magazine. It's interesting and might make you want to run in AZ. The final touch is the luggage tag from the Arizona Rock 'N' Roll Marathons. It'll let everyone at the luggage carousel know "you are a runner".

The Winners

1. Shanna 2:15:26

2. Pat 2:27:09

3. Katie 2:50:18

4. Nat

Shanna, you get to pick first. Which prize do you want?

London's Run - Queen Creek, Arizona

2009-01-31T20:09:00.000-08:00

For two hundred yards we ran. Faster than we ran all day. We could see the finish line and as I ran faster, so did she. With a smile, I said to this stranger, "Are we racing?"

"Yes", was the only thing she said. We were moving fast, but it seemed as if time had stopped. I was now looking at her feet. Our legs in sync. With about 100 yards to go, I decided to go a little faster and with that I was gone. Crowds yelling for us. A run that had been going on for 2 hours and 26 odd minutes, boiled down to a 'duel in the desert'. This was how I finished a wonderful day of running in Queen Creek, Arizona.

This is a charity run to raise money for kids battling cancer. London was such a kid. There was a table (pictured) with pictures of all the kids. The race was held at Schnepf's Farm, an agritainment farm southeast of Phoenix proper. About 50 minutes from my home. I felt like I was going to the county fair as my car was in line to park in the field with less than 30 minutes until race time.

I had to make a decision. Run the 10k or run the half. I decided 13 miles would be good distance today and I had reason to run it anyway.

As you might know, I visit the Runner's World forum and leave posts and comments. There's a few of us Arizonans that do. One guy is AZ Nick in Queen Creek. We've discussed meeting at a race, but our race schedule never lined up. Lately, I and a few others convinced Nick he was ready to run a HM. He picked this race to run with a relative. Then, that relative bailed on him and he was preparing to run it alone.

Now Nick seemed like a nice guy, but I only knew him from RW and facebook. Do I want to run for over 2 hours with a stranger? What happens if we can't stand each other? One of us would have to suck it up and run away.

Nick called right as I was entering the porta potty. I told him I'd call him back. We finally met. I got to meet his wife and BIL. They ran the 10k. I told Nick I'd run with him and we decided to do his 4 minutes of running and 40 seconds of walking pattern for an 11 mpm pace. Nick's 4 minutes were long. And his 40 seconds were short. Seriously, we did skip some of the walk breaks and we settled into doing sub 11 mpm miles for the first 4 and then 11 to 11:35 miles the rest of the way.

The course was beautiful. Queen Creek is pretty flat. We had mountains to look at, but for the most part we were running in between farm fields. Lots of dirt roads and a few closed country roads. All straight aways, but lots of turns and in one section you go back and forth three times. The race started with us running past about 5 horses that were running in the pasture.

Nick and I talked the whole way. Kinda like when Karen and Lisa run. But, not about pedicures or tissue paper. We talked running. Jobs. Men stuff. After about 2 miles, I knew we would be running the whole race together and that it would be a pleasure.

I started running with my Phoenix Coyotes sweatshirt. Nick's a big time Coyotes fan, so he was alarmed that I was going to leave it road side. I did at the four mile point. Never to see it again. But, after the race as I was watching them award medals to the 10k winners, I looked down and saw a Coyotes sweatshirt. It was old and beat up and I'm thinking, "oh, someone has a sweatshirt just like mine. Wait, it is mine." The volunteers picked it up and my sweatshirt beat me to the finish line.

The last three miles Nick and I were trying to figure out if we could a) finish under 2:30, b) finish under 2:27:09 (my PR). I kept doing the math, looking at my garmin and telling Nick what we needed to do. Our start was 15-20 seconds late and we did a short stop so I could refill my water bottle. With half a mile left we knew that 2:30 was in the bag, but could I get a PR? As a side note, I wear my garmin really tight. The picture below is what my wrist looked like after the race. I mean 30 minutes after. I guess I plumped up during the race.

Back to the race, Nick and I had a final turn to make and then it was about 200 yards to the finish. I said let's go and started running hard. That's when I caught up to the 'lady in black' that was a willing racer.

In I came at 2:27:15 or 6 seconds over my best time. No PR today. But, a great run anyway.

Race Stats

It was great weather (60's), a great location, a great time and a great volunteer group. But, what made it best was running with Nick in his first half. It's the first half marathon I've run with someone. From start to finish. We are close to the same speed and we enjoyed each other's company. I know that if I ran this today, by myself I would have been 2:34 or more. Easy. Nick and I paced each other well.

So, there it is. London's Run Half Marathon is HM #10 and the second one this month. It's the second fastest HM I've run.

At lunch I saw this license plate:

Back in the day, when Steve Prefontaine was running for Oregon and was one of the best runners in America, a rival school had t-shirts made. They simply said, "Stop PRE".

Book #10

On a day when I ran my 10 half marathon, I finished book #10. "Home and Away" by Scott Simon. You may know Simon from either the Today Show or from NPR's Weekend Edition. He wrote about Chicago sports and how it was a part of his life. I didn't know Simon or was interested in Chicago sports, but my BIL gave me the book. So I read it. Great chapters about the Bears when the did the shuffle and about the six championship years for the Bulls.

Joe's Farm Grill

2009-01-30T17:41:00.000-08:00

You think I was going to run a half marathon tomorrow. I've taken two days off in a row (taper?). And I've eaten a bunch of carbs today. It started at Joe's Farm Grill. An old farmhouse converted tto a burger and shake joint. It was great. Even the bathrooms were wild(Marcy check this one out).
If you want to see more pictures of Joe's, you'll have to go to my facebook page. One final thing about Joe's in Arizona. There was one fan decked out in a Cards jersey. Six Steelers fans. Now I know that everything in AZ is better than Pittsburgh. But, I didn't know we even have better Stiller fans than Pittsburgh.

Then, my daughter made this awesome Broccoli/bacon penne pasta dish.

Laura's Walt Disney World Marathon Report

If you like disney and you like running, this race report is a must read.

Running Like Ralph Walker

2009-01-29T22:01:00.001-08:00

This netflix thing is pretty cool. I got 'Saint Ralph' in the mail today. I keep telling Amy that these running movies aren't really running movies, but a cleaver disguise for relationship movies or the type.

Saint Ralph is a running movie. OK, it does have that lovey dovey crap. But, it has lots of running. It's about a boy, Ralph Walker and his attempt to win the Boston Marathon. Thinking that winning would be a miracle and that's what it would take to get his mom out of a coma. Don't worry, there's more to it than that.

Here's three things I learned about running (from the movie):

1. Keep your arms loose.
2. Sometimes you got to take a chance.
3. If your in the Hamilton, Ontario pool at the just the right angle you can see into the ladies locker room shower.

OK, that last things not about running. But, it's not lovey dovey either.

No running today. I played softball. Our team is bad and I'm not gonna talk about it (1-7).

I just want to run like Ralph Walker. Order the movie, you'll love the running parts.

Rock 'N' Roll Las Vegas

2009-01-27T14:11:00.001-08:00

I just did the RnR AZ survey. I got a $10 discount to any RnR race in the next 12 months and it shows that I can use it on the Rock 'N' Roll Las Vegas Marathon in December. This is news I didn't know. Did you?

Today's a Rest Day. No running.

Arizona Cardinals

2009-01-26T13:25:00.000-08:00

This is the practice facility for the Super Bowl bound AZ Cardinals. You'll notice it's on Hardy because until this year they were a joke (Laurel and Hardy). But, you'll also see that they are on the corner of Warner Road. I think that should be renamed 'Kurt Warner Road'.

I took this picture over the wall. It is highly shrouded by lots of walls and shrubbery.

Yesterday's Picture: That's not me. It was a big guy with an east coast accent and he was probably packing heat. Actually, he was real freindly to talk to and he was at the Arizona Cardinals practice facility. The same place that season ticket holders had to go to pick up their tickets for the Super Bowl. He was looking to buy some for his clients.

Oh yeah, I ran too. It was the 3rd day in a row. Tomorrow I'll rest. Just 3.28 miles to the lake and back. The lake looked very blue, the skies were clear. It was a bit windy and a tad cool. Maybe mid fifties (I know).

Do you know what pace you run when you are just running? Not trying to push it, but not going slow on purpose? I ran some in the 9:40-9:55 range and didn't realize it. Usually I cruise around the 10:40 range without any thoughts. This is a first. I ran about a fifth of a mile under 8 too.

Atkins Is Back!

I'm restricting my carbs again. I was around 210 when I took a break. Around Thanksgiving time. During the holidays I bumped up to 217, but mostly stayed around 214. This morning I weighed in at 210.5 and I'm heading south.

Maybe get down to 208 by the end of the month and to 200 sometime mid February. Afterall, I need to get to 162 by November 7th. Remember 48 by 48.

Books

I'm still reading. Just haven't finished anything until today. I read 'Everything I've Learned. 100 Great Principles to Live By.' Book #9. A small book filled with quotes and principles to live by.

Here's one:

"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.

-Victor E. Frankl.

Frankl wrote "Man's Search for Meaning" and was in a concentration camp. I read his book many years ago. I still have it.

I ran

2009-01-25T21:56:00.000-08:00

Got a four miler in after dinner. I felt kind of full (salad and a drumstick), so the run wasn't spectacular. That's two days in a row (darn, I'm trying not to do that).

I need a 22 mile week to reach 100 for the month.

Which might happen at the London's Run in Queen Creek. I'll probably run the 10k, but there is a HM too.

Guess what this guy wanted to buy in Tempe Arizona? Yeah, that's a lot of Franklins.