Dying To Run

 Yea, I know that is a weird title but it is one that crossed my mind while running the 70 this past weekend. A couple of us had even mentioned that if it was our time to be with the Lord, well,,,what a way  to go. Seems like a better option than dying a slow death with a horrendous disease or being hit by a Mack truck. Heck, it certainly beats collapsing over the front of your laptop while tying to get just one more job assignment completed.

I hadn't actually planned on a new post this quickly but the comments I read on the AOL web site in reference to the Boston was just more than I could stomach. It seems most of the comments were racist in reference to the Kenyan's winning again. A couple of folks just railed about how stupid runners were in general. I would just be guessing but I would take the bet that most of these folks were probably smoking and eating Twinkies while blasting our sport as a death wish. I do not want to make to many comments about the folks that posted but it sadden me to think about young folks that may have read the post and decided running would never be for them.

So, once again today I decided to take a short run just to see if the old legs were ready for a spin. I was surprised that they actually moved without discomfort. It wasn't a long run but long enough to think about this past weekend again. My runs always provide me the opportunity to search my soul, solve some problems and just dump some of that stress I obtained at the ole laptop. Today was a little different. I started thinking about Mica True. He was a Ultra runner my age. Fifty eight. He was known for his love to run. I thought about the resemblance I had with him. No,  not the ultra trail runner but  our age and the love to run. He went out for a 12 miler and never returned. They later found his body beside a creek on the trail. No signs of trauma, just laying there with his water bottle beside him. I have no idea if Mica knew the Lord so I can't comment as to what happen at the end of that run and his life that day. But I can bet he was doing what he loved and was Ok with dying to run.

I think I am too.

We Finished the Palmetto 70!!!

Well,,,we made it to the finish of the Palmetto 70. All 4 of us!!! This was a new race event for me and I have to say a milestone for what I hope to be the first of many. Runners understand the camaraderie that occurs after a race when you are hanging out and discussing how the race went and what you learned. Or, how fresh or stale the bagels are, how you meet your expectations, and of course how cold or warm the beer is. This race was something like that except you got to talk about how each leg of the race progressed. It was a great time of discussing strategy, new or old injuries, but mainly about encouraging each other for their next leg. It was sort of like experiencing the finish line and camaraderie 12 times. ( We had 12 legs that comprised our 70 mile route). Your team mates are standing there and cheering for you at each exchange point. We had said that we would not worry about where we placed but it was interesting that we were very aware of what the other teams were doing and who we had or hadn't passed on the previous leg. I realized that where we finished did matter to me shortly after the start. Speaking of the start,,,,

 We drove towards Monks Corner on Friday night after hooking up with a friend of a friend of Kevin's that allowed us to crash at his house. This put us about 35 minutes from the start line. We arose at 4:00 am for final prep, drive and then a 5:30 am start. We started on time and I had the first leg of 8.9 miles. The temp was 43 degrees with no wind and clear skies. It could not have been more perfect. I had my 2 headlamps, 2 red flashers and reflective vest on ready for the command to go. This is the first race that I have started in the dark. I have run a few training runs about 15 to 20 minutes before dawn with just a hint of day light creeping in, but never in the pitch black of a tree lined narrow, in need of some repairs roadway. The race directors did an excellent job keeping us safe. They had arranged for the Berkeley Sheriff dept to provide an escort for us until well after daylight. The traffic was minimal on this two lane country road but all of the traffic slowed when they saw the flashing blue lights lighting up the pre dawn sky. I had to laugh as the motorist passed by and realized it was just some dumb runners out on the roadway in the middle of the night.

I started out a little to fast. I was still not 100% after a recent hip injury. I managed to stay with the guys in front of me for the first couple of miles. I then remembered that this was just my first leg and I had 3 other guys that were counting on me to complete all 3 of my legs. I backed down to a semi comfortable pace but really hated to see the red flashing lights on the back of the guys in front of me drifting smaller and smaller with each passing mile. I completed the first leg with a 9:15 pace. I was pleased with that since I wanted to be around a 9:45 pace. I felt pretty good but could tell my hip was not too pleased with the pace. I wrapped an ice pack on the hip; re fueled and was surprised how quickly I wanted my next leg to begin.

My next leg was a 3.67 that started on Hwy 17 just outside of Mt Pleasant. Alan had been assigned the prior leg and he was on 17 for several miles.

Running on a 4 lane busy highway was not much fun. Thankfully I only had about .06 of a mile on 17 before I made a left turn thru a Subdivision. I started out a little fast ( same old story) but was anxious to get away from the highway. I knew my pace was a little fast but I had a target that I decided I wanted to pass. You just can’t let go of the competition when you believe you can pass someone. The leg was fairly easy as far as an elevation rise. It was almost flat. I realized around mile 2 that I had already ran an 8.9 mile leg that morning and my legs were starting to feel crampy.

I had managed to stay loose between my runs but maybe that .06 sprint down the highway was more than my body was willing to allow. I pushed on knowing that once again, thee other team members were counting on me. I finished my second leg with a 8:54 pace. No wonder my legs were cramping.

I managed to botch the hand off of the bracelet to Kevin for the  2nd leg. You wouldn’t think that would be a big deal but we found out in the end it was. Sorry guys.

 My final leg was only a 3.1 that ended under the Cooper River Bridge. I finished around a 9:12 pace. This was for sure the hardest leg even though it was the shortest. It was about 80 degrees and my tank was on empty. I had refueled again with a bagel, gel and fluids but the old body just wasn’t processing them fast enough.  I wanted so bad to jog or even walk the last mile. I was running on emotions and fumes. I then remembered just as I had on the prior two legs that I was not alone in this event. Three other guys were counting on me to finish and finish strong. I didn’t slow down but pressed on knowing each step was closer to finding the last one. I passed the bracelet off again to Kevin. Believe it or not, I botched it again. I dropped the bracelet on his arm as I ran by the finish. I would think that this would not be a big deal with an event that last somewhere around 8-9 hours. Well,,,, the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th place team finished timing had a spread of less than one minute between us. Dropping the bracelet twice may have cost us 2 spots.  Our average pace was 8:54 per mile. The 4^th and 5^th pace,,,,,,,8:53 and change. Can you believe that 3 teams were running that close over a 70 mile event? You always learn something in a race. I will be practicing that bracelet exchange technique before my next relay.

The post race was great. Bar B Que, tortilla chips, salsa and beer. A nice medal and one of the organizers personally thanked the teams for participating at the finish. These folks put on a great event and are well organized. I am already counting on doing this again. I think I have a new addiction. This event will test your determination and mettle but it is worth every step,,, especially when you can experience it with some great running buddies. Thanks again guys.

The waiting game

I had a weird sitcom dad moment tonight putting the boys to bed. We spent the day at an amusement park, which as it turns out, is not a good place to go over spring break. Needless to say, the lines were long, with some being and hour or more (even for the kid rides). Since we broke down and got the season passes, we were not too stressed about it, knowing we would be able and come back soon. The boys enjoyed themselves anyway, and we actually had a day free of the usual amusement park meltdown that is known to occur among kids and parents alike.

Tonight, though, Cody asked me how long we waited in line, in total. I guessed it was probably around six hours (which is depressing if you think about it). He then asked how long we were on rides, in total. I guessed it was less than thirty minutes (which may have been a high estimate). Sudden inspiration hit, though, so I asked him if it was worth it, to which he replied with an emphatic 'Yes!'

Here is the classic sitcom moment: I then compared waiting in line for a roller coaster to life. No, I really did. And it totally got through to him, despite the cheese factor. It actually led to a rich discussion on how sometimes the boring things of life (waiting in line, going to school, doing chores) can lead to a very rewarding payoff. The key is to make that investment on the front end, and the payoff will follow.

Why Do U Run-

I have a love and slight hate relationship with the Cooper River Bridge Run. I love the Pre and Post race expo. The race organizers do a fantastic job with lining up some great sponsors. By great sponsors I mean the level of energy and how the runners are appreciated. (See the Johnsonville Brawest trailer here as example) The level of free goodies far exceeds any other race event that I have attended. That includes the New York ING Marathon. That is a great race for sure but it could learn a lot from the folks in Charleston. Maybe it is just part of the southern hospitality that comes into play. My semi hate part actually has to do with some of the runners. Don’t misunderstand what I am saying. My hat is off to all of the participants that lace up and head out there. The problem arises when such a large number of runners have absolutely no clue about race etiquette. I see the problem growing each year and this past Saturday was no exception. It seems thousands of runners indicate they will finish the race in less than 60 minutes on their race event application. They actually have no idea about a real time or just lie to place themselves in a front corral. They just do not care about how their real pace will affect thousands of their running friends. My point in case relates to the number of folks that are already walking by mile one. Yes, I said mile one. No kidding. I had to bob and weave like a NFL running back to maneuver the walking crowds. These are not people that signed up to walk. These are people that signed up to run this event in less than an hour. I actually saw a large number of runners that were walking by mile two that had bib colors/numbers indicating they had signed up as sub 49 minute runners. REALLY!!! I saw one couple strolling along hand in hand like they were the only two love birds on the bridge. These two yahoos had to have noted a sub 49 time on their application in reference to their bib colors. All that being said, it is a great race and putting up with morons is just a part of the CRBR ritual. Myself,

  I did OK considering the very limited training and a nagging hip injury. The race started almost an hour late due to transport issues with the buses that chauffer the runners from Charleston to the Mt Pleasant start line. Something about blah, blah,blah or at least that is all I and 36 thousands other runners heard. So, it was about 80 degrees and 83% humidity by 9 am when we finally got the gun. This is a first for the CRBR for a delay start since one episode in the eighties due to fog. Pretty good track record I would say.

Standing in a corral that has no room to stretch or stay loose for an hour and a half is a real bummer. All of your planning with food, fluid and bathroom issues just runs out the window. Pun intended. I have already complained about the thoughtless runners but, the second reason for the bottle neck of runners was due to the hour of delay issues in and of itself. More confusion even for the seasoned runners. The start of an event usually begins close to the projected time. It seems some of the runners figured they could out run the clock delay. I saw people sprinting at a Kenyan pace,,,, for about a 100 yards. They hit they wall like a blind drunk Nascar driver at Bristol. It was almost funny and yet sad to think about they still had over 5 miles to go and no reserves to get them there.

 I had planned on running around a 10 minute pace due to my hip issues and 3 other people counting on me in two weeks as part of a 70 miler relay team. My plan was to take it easy and enjoy the sites from the Ravenel bridge to the cheering crowds along Meeting and

King St

.

I thought I was running a little fast the first mile but figured I would be okay. I determined  my 2nd mile up the bridge would force me to slow down. I have to admit that I too was feeling like the hour delay had to be recaptured, somehow. I also wanted to move through the slow crowds to be certain I beat them to the Bratwurst truck. I checked my watch at mile one and saw 8:48. Good grief, what are you doing moron, trying to run like this is your first race? Was the pot calling the kettle black? Maybe a little. That was actually a little slow for my first mile under normal 10K standards but I was supposed to be keeping it around 10 +- and protecting my hip. Well, the bridge sort of solved my problem. I backed down to a 9:45 and was on pace to come in around a 59. I had to continue to bob and weave thru the other runners. The casualty count continued to rise as runners had sprinted to the base of the bridge and then discovered an incline such as this bridge is very stingy with allowing runners to get over it with out some serious payment being extracted. Mile 3 couldn’t come too soon. The heat was rising and the down hill side of this bridge is always a welcoming site. I was sitting at 29 and change at the 3.1 split. Just where I needed to be. I also saw and knew that the continued slowing crowds in front of me was going to take some extra work to pass. I will have to say that this race has usually opened up by this point and the crowds are manageable. Not today. People were spent and lined the middle and both sides of

Meeting street

like a slow moving Christmas parade. I have never seen so many people that succumbed to walking this race. Maybe it was the delay and increased heat. Maybe it was folks that had no business starting in a front corral. I continued on the same way I started this event. bob and weave, bob and weave. I hit the finish line at 58:22. That was 5 minutes above what I should have done without any injuries but I was thrilled that my hip was slightly sore but no real pain at all. I headed straight to the medical tent for a bag of ice and literally sat on it for about an hour. My rear end was completely numb but felt really good. I had just finished a 10K with a 9:24 pace and began to believe a decent time is on the horizon for the Palmetto 70 relay. By the way, I did get that Bratwurst and other goodies that pretty much loaded me up with all the calories I had just burned. It was worth every one of them. So,, Why do I run, sometime it is about the mental challenge, sometime it is about learning how you handle situations when some of the folks around you are pretty thoughtless and sometime it is just the thought of how good that Expo food really is in Charleston. Yep, I will be back at this one next year. It is a race like no other. It is why I run, or least one of them. How about you?