Running

Race Report – Pensacola International Airport Runway 5k

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This race didn’t start until 10am on Saturday 12/6, so I didn’t have to get up earlier than I normally would, and that was a really nice plus to this race.  I did have to arrive early to get my race packet as I was busy the evening before, and couldn’t make it between 3-6pm to pickup the packet.  We had an abnormally warm day that morning, and quite frankly, it felt hot compared to our (relatively) freezing November in the Florida Panhandle.  Below are the high points – comments and questions are welcomed!

Stats

Weather at the start of the race: Sunny, 77 degrees, light wind

136/550 Participants

11/26 Age Group (35-39)

25:58 minutes

8:23 average pace

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Finish line selfie @JasonOfFlorida

What Went Right

  • Fuel – I woke up at 7, and had a filling bowl of Oatmeal with Honey, Cinnamon, and Brown Sugar.
  • Goal time – My goal was to finish this in under 26 minutes; achievement unlocked. However, I could’ve stood myself if I’d run a bit faster.

What Went Wrong

  • Pre-race walking – Airport parking, I guess I should’ve expected this. I parked at the first parking lot we were allowed to park in free.  This lot was also the furthest away – to make matters worse, I parked at the far edge of the parking lot, as is my habit in any parking lot.  So after my walk to the packet pickup area (which I’m guessing was .75 miles away), I had to return to my car.  Then I walked back to the pre-race gathering area, and then walked probably another ½ a mile to the start line.  I’m not complaining about the arrangements, but I surely wasn’t at my fastest due to the heat and walking 3 miles prior to the start of my 5k.
  • More walking – maybe worse than the actual distance was that there was a real lack of sidewalks when traversing to and from these areas – this made me pretty uneasy, there was actually a stretch where I had to walk down the main airport road; I suppose, if I had searched, I could’ve found a sidewalk that would’ve made my distance double…
  • I invited my two oldest boys (10 and 7) to run this race with me. I can’t get either one consistently interested in running, though they both do forms of it for various sports.  Alas, they decided they didn’t want to do this run.  And, that made me a little sad – but now I am more determined to find a way to share this experience with them in the future.

Takeaways

  • Scenery – well, it was an airport runway, and while this airport likes to call itself an International Airport, there is no international flair there.  Grass, barbed-wire fences, runway lights and a few planes.
  • Runways look flat – but I can attest they go slightly uphill or downhill, depending on which way you’re running.  I didn’t expect this slow upward climb.
  • Swag and Entertainment – There was a live band that played mostly 80’s country and few rock songs.  There were a few vendors that gave out t-shirts, koozies, key chains and the like.
  • Food – Pizza Hut gave away pizza (which seemed counter productive.  Considering I just burned 300 calories, do I want to eat 800 heaping calories of lard?) *Yes I did btw*.  There were more carbs in the form of bagels, and some oranges and bananas for those who preferred something less filling.

Do you have these common running traits?

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Most people notice you’re a runner by the way you look; more and more, I notice other runners by the way they live their life.  Runner’s have a beautiful spirit, heart, and mind.

You have a beautiful spirit

Your spirit is shaped by miles of inclement weather, and a few precious rays of sunshine.  You have cried through pain and joy.  You were broken, and you healed.  You will be broken again, but you run anyways.  When you run, your spirit shines through.

We don’t race to the finish line against other runners.  Our race is one against ourselves, always pushing back that devil who’s telling us to quit.  Every time we finish, we have won.  Sometimes, we win in the form of a Personal Best, sometimes we win by finishing, sometimes we win by starting.  We win because we push our limits each run.  What’s your best victory?

You have a beautiful heart

You took a few wrong turns, and you were lost.   You ran anyways, because one simply does not stop.  Maybe you paused to reflect, or to ask for help, yet you persevered.  When you run, your heart is full.

We find a way to achieve what most find impossible, we run regularly; we run in the snow, rain, heat, darkness, pre-dawn, during our lunch break, or after the kids go to bed.  We find ways to solve our runner problems.  I tell my children what separates heroes from the rest of us is that when heroes get scared, they get brave.  When runners get tired, we dig deeper. When runners are faced with obstacles, we find a way over, around, or through them.  Has running brought out the best in you?

You have a beautiful mind

You started running without having a clue.  Over the weeks, months, and years, you have learned and now people look to you for guidance.  When you run, your mind is stronger.

Running gives our mind a chance to catch up with the hustle and bustle of the day.  During a run, we’re often thinking of ways to improve upon our career, education, parenting skills, relationships, or running techniques, to name a few.  What do you think about when you run?

5 Surprising Ways Running Makes You Smarter

Thank you, dearest runners, for shining a beautiful light on my world.  

What traits do you see that are common among runners?

 

Are you prepared to be great?

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You can only be great if you’re prepared

greatness

I will not inspire a generation with my words.  I will never lead the NBA in scoring or the NFL in rushing.  I will not win an Olympic medal.  I will not save a soldier from gunfire.  But there are things at which I aspire to be great.

Dad

I work to be a great father to my children.  I am the only dad they will ever have, I owe it to them and their children, to teach them to be men.  I want to leave a legacy of love that they can aspire to, that they impress upon their children, so that when I leave, I leave a legacy of great men in my wake.

Career

I aspire to be great at my job.  I don’t wake up each morning hoping to just do enough to keep getting a paycheck.  I choose to be a fully engaged participant with my employer, co-workers, stakeholders, and customers.  I want to be a great servant-leader, I want to inspire others, so that when I leave, I will have left a legacy of hard work, knowledge, and substantial effort to solve challenging problems.  I like being the first person in the office each day, and last to leave because  I’m not the smartest, most experienced, or knowledgeable…but I give the greatest effort I have.

Running

I perspire to be the best runner I can be; I work to get faster, and more durable. I will push those in front of me; should they stop trying to be great, then I will be on their heels, prepared to take the thrown of running greatness.  I push other runners to greatness.  If we find ourselves nearing a finish, I will sprint to beat you in a race.  Because I strive to make you great.

Dare To Be Great

 

Take One Step Toward Your Personal Greatness Today

Are you ready to sprint by that guy in the cubicle next to you, or the mom in the drop off lane at school?  Are you working hard today so that when opportunity knocks, you will be ready to answer?  If the answer is no, that’s okay – start where you are, start right now, because you aren’t defined by what you did yesterday.

 

“I’m going to show you how great I am!” – Mohammed Ali (and Jason Of Florida)

How to #RUNch

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Need more time in the day?  fitting in your run during your work day could give you those few extra minutes you need each day.  Several times each week I run (or cross train) during my lunch break at work, and have done so for more than a year.  Here are some tips if you would like to try a #RUNch on for size:

1. Fat kid has to eat! – prepare and pack a quick lunch that can be consumed in a hurry if needed – I eat the same lunch everyday, red or black beans and whole grain brown rice.  Clocking in at less than 350 calories, I can gobble it down pretty quickly at my desk after I get back from my run.  It’s also a good recovery meal (protein + carbs) according to Runner’s World Magazine.

2.  Bring a gym bag to work – I pack my shoes, running (or cross training) attire, phone armband, ear buds, shower flip-flops, and a towel.  I simply throw my stinky gear in the trunk of my car on my way back to the office.

3.  Find a place to get naked (and shower and change clothes) – For me, my gym is right next to the office.  I leave my desk, walk next door, change, and run out the door for a run (or hit the treadmill or cross train as needed/planned).   I return and take a shower and change back into my work attire.  Also, don’t get aroused in the gym shower (like this guy), that’s just gross:

Now ladies, I know you’re thinking that gym locker rooms are full of young, hard-bodied men.  But let me tell you the dirty, dirty truth – ain’t nobody more proud of their naked body than an elderly man (OMG I just googled “naked old men” and I’ll never live that down – all in the name of providing you with an awesome blog).  Also, Butthold Stamping is apparently a thing.  Now, back to our topic…

4.  Put your workout on your work calendar – because if you don’t, you’ll  find yourself in a meeting 45 minutes into your lunch hour, and there’s no way you can run without first eating because proper fueling (starvation), and you can’t eat then run (cause then upset belly).

5.  Arrive early, stay late – occasionally my workout runs over because the gym showers are full, or I get caught up in the magic of a run, or because I find myself unusually spent after a workout and need a couple extra minutes to catch my breath.  To cover myself, I often arrive a few minutes early for work or stay a few minutes over to make up for time lost.

That’s how to #RUNch in 5 simple steps!  What’s keeping you from exercising during your lunch break?  Did I leave anything out?

Bicycling as Crosstraining

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Bicycling Again

I wanted to run today, but didn’t because I’ve got my mileage for this week, and my legs could’ve used the rest.  Since it was in the low 60’s today on the Gulf Coast, I decided to go biking!  I haven’t biked a lot in the last couple months due to the cold; in fact, in December I biked just over 35 miles, down from 180+ miles per month during the spring and summer  –  Here’s the dirty proof via RunKeeper.  if you use RunKeeper, please friend me and I’ll add you back!

40 mile scenic loop

Things I saw on my ride today – a word of caution, I may take the WORST pictures of any person you’ve ever met.

1.  A Giraffe – passing The Gulf Breeze Zoo, this guy was hanging out doing Giraffe things.

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It’s a Giraffe!

2. Navarre Beach – a little coastal city, known locally for its rustic charm.

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It’s a little resort town!

3. Gulf Islands National Seashore

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Signs!

4. Pensacola Beach (picture from atop the Bob Sykes Bridge) – I run this bridge often (gotta do something to make a hill workout!); in fact, I have a 4 – 5 mile run route over and back this bridge that, in the summer, is one of my favorite routes.  Nothing like running and people watching when the tourists hit the beach!

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It’s a bridge!

6. Powder soft white beaches

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It’s a beach!

7.The crystal clear emerald waters that the Gulf Coast of Florida is famous for

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It’s the Gulf!

During my ride, which took a few hours, I listened to some Jams on Spotify.  I have a paid subscription, and enjoy it immensely.  I also listened to two recent episodes of This American Life via a podcast app called Downcast.

What is one of your favorite programs/shows/apps to listen to when you’re running/biking/cross-training?

Race Report – We Believe in our Children 5k

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My first race of 2014 was the We Believe in Our Children 5k in Pensacola, Florida.  It was a rousing success!  Below are the gritty details.

STATS 

You can view the official stats below, or for those of you who might be skeptical, here are the official documents.

  • #34 of 215 men
  • #7 out of 14 in my age group (35 through 39)
  • 24:47.56 total time
  • 7:59 per mile pace

WHAT WENT RIGHT

  • I woke up at 5:30 AM and fixed oatmeal for breakfast – this was a smart move.  I had plenty of fuel for the entire race.
  • I was fast – for the first half-mile or so, I shook off the nerves and warmed up the engines, then blasted through the rest of the course.  About 2.5 miles into it, I was feeling pretty fatigued, but kept the peddle to the floor.
  • I had fun – given that I really, really dislike running in the cold, my mind and body held up well.  

WHAT WENT WRONG

  • It was cold, much more cold than what we, in the Florida panhandle, are accustomed to; at race time, the temperature hovered around 40º
  • I lined up too far back in the finish line, behind kids and other slowish people.  I didn’t know they would be so much slower than me.  I’m hoping they do a better job of putting the faster people in the front next time.  There were even some walkers in the first group of people.
  • There weren’t any discernible mile markers on the course – though my RunKeeper kept me mostly aware of where I was – I only have the time notifications set for every 10 minutes and don’t have the distance enabled, meaning it only tells me 10 minutes (then 20) have passed, and since I didn’t wear headphones and had the volume all the way down, it wasn’t super easy to know where I was.

TAKEAWAYS

  • Running is fun, even when it’s too hot, too cold, too early or too late.  If you have doubts about your ability to enjoy a race, know that you inevitably will – to runners, running is always full of awesome!
  • 5k’s don’t offer very good swag – I can’t complain as I scored a free entry (and the race raised money for local public schools), but It would be nice, right?  In this case we got a free long-sleeve t-shirt and some snacks/drinks post-race.

 

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My Mistress

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The Other Woman

She was familiar, easily available, and very desirable.  I ran to her; no, not at first.  At first I walked to her, then I walked faster, then I ran slowly and for short bursts.  One day I ran the whole 30 minutes to her house.  Today, I run to her, around her, and from her.  She has given me great comfort; she has listened when nobody else would (and when I didn’t care to tell anyone else); she has held me close, and she gave me love before I gave her anything.  I love her, and cannot ever imagine a day without her.  This passion with her, this love, it is beautiful, it is healing, it is all I ever want or need. 
My mistress is called by many names, but today most of us call her Running.  I am passionate about Running like I have been passionate about few things in my life.  Today I read, watch videos, and generally obsess about all things Running.  I think about Running when I’m not running; I dream about Running.  I am compelled to do things I would have never have done before to become a better runner.  I tolerate embrace cross-training; I do speed work on a treadmill; I talk to people I don’t know; I run with people I don’t know, sometimes whole groups of people.  As a introvert recluse, this is a big deal. I constantly go out of my comfort zone all in the name of Running.  I want more…passion. 

Why should I be a one passion man?  

Today it occurred to me that I started out running so easily, with so little expectation, and today my life nearly revolves around running – so why can’t I grow new passions by first making them habits?
This year I have resolved to learn to write code; I don’t know that I’ll be good at it and I’m not even sure it will enrich my life that much, but I know that I want to try it.  When I started running, my goal was to run a total of 10 minutes for every 30 minute exercise session.  So I would run 1 minute, and walk 2 minutes, and when I kept this up for 30 minutes, I would have met my goal.  Before that, I walked around the neighborhood for 30 minutes.  Then I walked faster.  Then one day I literally thought, “I bet I can run.”  
…and I haven’t stopped since.  So how can I apply the lessons from my love affair with running to a new goal?  

Scheduling Passion

I have carved out two 30 minute sessions every week in my calendar to learn how to code.  What I really want to do is buckle down and tackle it 2 hours a day until I’m really good – but that’s not my style.  This week I had to alter my schedule to make the sessions 1 hour long because 30 minutes was just enough time to find a problem I couldn’t solve.  I’ll revisit this schedule again next week.  
Two years ago  I wasn’t a runner, I wasn’t into fitness, and I wasn’t even so fit.  Today I can’t write a simple program.  

Let’s see where this new journey leads me – what do you want to be passionate about?


New Beginnings

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There are no new beginnings, there is only right now

If you want to make a change then start where you are right now, in your puddle of humanity, swim to the edge, crawl out of that cesspool, claw your way up that beach, through the jungle, over the hills, through the desert, and climb that mountain.  Start paddling right now, or you’ll find yourself in that puddle day after day after day…

How bad do you want it?

Do you want it more than you want to play that video game?
Do you want it more than you want to watch TV?
Do you want it more than you want to go to that party?
If you’re unwilling to skip the luxuries of life to achieve that dream, you will never achieve that dream.

Someone else is always willing to work when you’re not. Pledge allegiance to the struggle…

Bring it on 2014

I’m not the biggest, fastest, strongest, or smartest; maybe I don’t have what others think it takes, but…   
nobody wants it more than me.  
nobody will outwork me for it. 
nobody will sacrifice more.

Love, Passion, Effort

I have those three words written down at work on my desk.  Those are the three things that, when I leave this earth, I want to be remembered for.   
  • Lasting Love – I am leaving a legacy of incredible love to my children.   
  • Powerful Passion – I am passionate about everything I do, because doing things right is important.
  • Extraordinary Effort – I am giving all my effort every time, even when I fail. Especially when I fail.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today!!

Clean Slate

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2013 is history

Now is our chance to reset our lives and make a great 2014.  For me, 2013 has been a forgettable year. I’m starting to turn the corner and move on from a life I can no longer have.  I’m moving in the only direction afforded to me: forward.

2014 is here, and I’ve made some annual goals.

More than twenty goals to be precise.  That number will likely continue to grow this month.  What I’m doing this year different than before is that I’m implementing a process that will let me do things each day that will allow me to meet those goals.  This way, I won’t have to worry about achieving these goals.  Here is an overview of my fitness-related goals.
  • current body fat is ____%; goal body fat % is ____.
  • Run a 5k, a 10k, and a 1/2 marathon
  • run a sub 25 minute 5k
  • Run 100 miles each month in 2014

The Process

The high level view of “the process” is to execute a precise plan every day to the best of my ability.  If I do this in a properly designed process, I will have a very good chance to achieve all of my goals.  Here’s an excerpt of a 60 minute biopic on Nick Saban’s process.
 
 

 

Implementation of The Process

  1. Define what success is (What is the equivalent to winning the championship game?) – For me, I broke these down into individual annual goals.
  2. Define what has to be done on a daily basis to achieve that success. For example, this meant opening up a new bank account to pay certain bills, building a training plan, and committing to that success.
  3. Do those things day in and day out. For example, Setting down and paying my bills twice a month, and executing my daily workouts.

Commitment to The Process

  • I am responsible for my own self-determination 
  • I am responsible to bring a positive attitude everyday 
  • I am responsible to have a great work ethic everyday 
  • I am responsible to have the discipline to execute on a consistent basis 
  • I am responsible to judge myself on effort rather than results 
  • I am responsible to Ignore the scoreboard – Focus on doing my job at the highest level every single moment, and the wins will follow. 
  • I am responsible to have pride in performance – doing it right every time                                  

Stop avoiding unpleasant things that are causing me misery

2014 also means that I can no longer avoid the things in my life that I don’t like to confront, because they will remain a piece of my misery until I fix them.  Nobody else is going to fix my problems for me.  
 
In 2014, It’s high time we start writing our own story, take control of our destiny, and make our own luck.  If you haven’t committed to annual goals, I urge you to commit to making some goals.  

I’m working in 2014, but I have my eyes on 2015 and beyond.  The future starts today.  Hold my hand, we can do this together.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Long Bridge, Incredibly Windy, Hatorade

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Long Bridge

On Saturday I ran 10 miles.  I ran over (and back) the Garcon Point Bridge, which is close to my home.


Problems

There’s an 4.8 mile run/walk event on this bridge in October; I’ve never participated in this event.  You can read about it here if you want.  This is a toll bridge that cost $4.75 to cross in a car, so the traffic is very light.  Although it’s a two lane bridge, it’s been built to be expandable to 3+ lanes, which means there’s lots of room on the berm.  I actually start down the road a bit, run across the bridge (and even past the toll booth a bit if I want), so this has served as a nice long run location in the past.  Except for today…

 

  1. Leg Cramp – I got a sudden leg cramp on Friday at work while sitting down, of all things. I ran a couple easy miles on Friday in spite of this.  This was an intense cramp that lingers; if you’ve had these, you know what I’m talking about.
  2. Windy – it’s usually always windy here, and on many days it’s very windy.  At this location, the prevailing winds are usually either in your face or at your back.  On Saturday it wasn’t just a regular old wind, it did something like this to me:
When I woke up Saturday morning, my thigh was still sore, but I thought it would loosen up when I started running.  While running I noticed that nice boost I was getting from the wind at my back, so I tried to hold back some extra energy for the return trip, and with my thigh still hurting, I knew I’d need all the help I could get.  I should have turned around much, much earlier, but I didn’t.

It Hit Me

As soon as RunKeeper told me I hit the 5.0 mile mark, I hit the brakes and did a u-turn.  Then it hit me full-on in the mouth:
Except instead of just one hit and then they blow the whistle, it was a persistent, painful reminder that I have 5 more miles to go.
Let me tell you that I dislike hate to stop while running.  For the last 5 miles of this run, I run-walked.  I was being sand-blasted through my (substantially hairy) legs; I had a wind-burn on my face when I returned home.  It was painful, terrible, awful.  I don’t know when or If I’ll run that bridge again.