5 Loaves 2 Fish 5K Update

I am excited to share that we have arranged for 2007 NCAA DI XC National Champ Josh McDougal to be part of our church's 5K.

The race will be held in lovely Eunice, LA on Valentine's Day 2009. All proceeds go to our local Relay for Life (American Cancer Society). Josh will be sharing his story and describing how faith fits into his life and his running.

For more info go to the race section of our church website.

Marathon Report

It has been a couple of weeks since I ran the Baton Rouge Beach Marathon and I have neglected to report a summary of the day.

The race was wonderfully well organized from packet pick up to start to route to post race fare. This was a relief, because the race's website had seemed really amateurish. I could not have asked for anything else.

The weather was fantastic in my opinion. About 35 at the start, barely hitting 50 at the finish. A little wind, but not worth complaining about.

Biggest crowd was running the half. So I ran the first lap constantly surrounded by people. However at the half the course suddenly was nearly empty. Fortunately I quickly connected with Bob from Cincinatti who was shooting for a similar finish as I was. Bob and I stuck together till about mile 21 or 22. At which point, my son jumped on the course and escorted me home.

It was by far my best home stretch of my three marathons. But I still would not wish them on my worst enemy. But thanks to a strong first lap and company on the second I headed to the finish ahead of my goal pace which took some pressure off.

I crossed the line at 3:54:39. Achieving my goal of breaking 4:00:00 and taking more than 14 minutes off my previous PR.

Which could explain why I plan to back next year!

Recovery was (and is) another story. Four days of agony. Six days before I could run again. Two weeks later I have only run four times and am currently nursing a very tender foot.

But did I mention I broke 4:00:00? No complaints here.

4 Days to Go....

Well really less than four since this day is nearing its close. But other than a 2 mile jog scheduled for Friday morning, I have finished training for my marathon. Now it is just time to wait....

And worry. Worry that because this is my third marathon I have made the mistake of not giving 26.2 miles the respect it will eventually wring from my body. Worry that moving my marathon up four weeks is going to leave me severely underprepared. Worry that instead of a PR I will have a PW (personal worst). Worry that the small crowd is going to make the marathon too gruelling mentally. Worry that....

Yeah, I am a blast to live with this week!

But the waiting will soon be over.

A Change of Plans

Last night I registered for the Baton Rouge Beach Marathon, solidifying a recent change in plans. This will take the place of the Mississippi Blues Marathon. I determined that running a marathon closer to home just made more sense. (Money lost in registration will be more than made up in travel savings.)

The down side to this change is that it bumps my race date up by four whole weeks. I feel like my base is really strong, but I do worry the lost weeks. The upside is that the course is a much less challenging course, so I hope things will break even.

Either way...I am doing 26.2 in 12 days.

Ah, yes....the 20 miler

The much anticipated first twenty miler of the season is this Saturday. Folks often ask, where do you run 20 miles? Below you see what is a beautiful, quiet country route that runs mostly through rice and crawfish fields.

During the summer I stay away from this route due to the lack of shade, but even then I have strong associations with last winter's long runs when I drive these roads.

Click here.

Going to Have to Make Room....

for this morning's run on my Top Ten Runs list.

I spent the last couple of days in New Orleans for the Louisiana Baptist Convention annual meeting. I traveled by myself, which gave me the opportunity to get in a run that I have been wanting to do for a long time....St. Charles Avenue.

Since my marathon training called for a 10 miler today it fit in perfectly. I parked in a public parking lot in the French Quarter, close to Cafe du Monde. From there I ran along the riverwalk, then headed up Canal Street for several blocks to St. Charles. Once I got past Lee Circle I was hitting the route I had really wanted to get to. For a while I ran the sidewalk, but then moved to the neutral ground (grass median every place else in America)between the street car tracks. But traffic was light and I spent most of the run on the street, which was the smoothest of the three surfaces.

I turned around at the main entrance to Audobon Park. Once I had got back to my car I had completed a hair over 11 miles at about 8:25 a mile. Only down side was having to pay $8 for the parking. Most expensive run that did not at least get me a t shirt!

Bouncing Back Nicely

Saturday I completed my 15 miler incident free. Just as a precaution, I soaked my ankle in a bucket of ice water when I finished my run, but gratefully I had no lingering effects yesterday or on my run this morning.

I now consider myself back on schedule for my training. In fact, I just finished mapping out this weekend's 19 miler on http://www.mapmyrun.com/. Due to scheduling this will be my longest solo run in a couple of years. I will do the long run on Friday, as I am running the Cajun Cup on Saturday. (It will be my son's first 10K race. He is looking forward to it, I am just along for the ride.)

New shoes, should arrive tomorrow, along with some new socks and shorts later this week. Yipee.

Meet my new shoes

Just thought you might want to meet my new shoes. Well I would like to meet them too....they don't arrive till Tuesday....which means I can't use them till Wednesday.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1431564400/bclid1435496324/bctid1509297655

Note -- I got these for 30% off using a coupon code at Eastbay.com.

A Tester

All of my runs have gone well this week, but tomorrow is the test. It will be my first long run (15 miles) since my ankle started to bother me. If all goes well I will return to my full training plan on Monday, if not, I will return to my previously scheduled bad mood (just kidding....sort of).

In the meantime, I will be reading about the maximum daily dosages for Advil.

A Blip

After repeating on an almost daily basis "this is the best prepared I have ever been at this stage of marathon prep" the unthinkable occured.

An injury. Coming off vacation, I suddenly developed a severe pain in the top my foot/ankle which Dr. WorldWideWeb and I have diagnosed to be a tendon problem. I ran for a few days with clenched teeth but realized that was not going to be a long term strategy. So I shut it down for nearly a week and sat around the house being grumpy, eating everything in sight.

Thankfully, my first two days back on the road (slightly scaled down) have been encouraging. I experienced a little discomfort but was easily able to finish each run.

So with 67 days remaining till the Mississippi Blues Marathon, I would encourage each of you to buy stock in Advil because I am not giving up this easy (and my registration is non refundable.)

Marathon training

For my first two marathons I used Hal Higdon training schedules, http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/Mar00index.htm first the Intermediate I and then then I stepped up to the Intermediate II. I could not have run a marathon without these schedules building me up for the big race.

The one draw back to the schedules is they did not prescribe the pace to run. Even a few that did give me a pace to train at, never told me what pace to attempt on race day. (The result was a colossal meltdown on the second half of my first marathon. At the finish line my wife was certain I was about to die....I knew there was no way I was going to get off that easy!)

Experience gained that day made my second marathon a much better experience. However, I was still guessing about training paces and race pace.

But this year I discovered McMillan pace charts. http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/Running%20University/Article%201/mcmillanrunningcalculator.htm They are fantastic! Punch in a recent race result and the site will give you a goal pace for every distance from 100 meters to marathon, including long runs, tempo runs and recovery runs.

A few weeks into my training and I have never felt so confident and prepared. If only I did not continue to read about how "challenging" the Mississippi Blues Marathon course is, I would almost guarantee a sub 4:00 result!

Oh well, at least the training will go well. After all that is more than half the fun.

And the Marathon is......

I have been tentatively planning to run my third marathon this winter, but had not yet selected the specific race. I had actually registered for Houston but sold my registration when the logistics did not work.

The race needed to be not too far from SW Louisiana, not too small and not too warm. It also needs to fit into some existing travel plans our family has made.

With that in mind.....I am please to announce that the marathon is.....The Mississippi Blues Marathon in Jackson, MS on January 3, 2009. http://www.msbluesmarathon.com/

The race is a Saturday race which is a nice bonus for a pastor. The downside is that of the 47 reviews (www.marathonguide.com/races/racedetails.cfm?MIDD=2795090103) approximately....all of them choose to describe the race as challenging or difficult. Apparently Jackson has some hills. This may jeopardize my chances to achieve my goal of breaking 4:00.

At the same time, these same reviewers all raved about the race. So they must be doing something right.

I am looking forward to the race and getting underway with the training.

Church 5K Scheduled

This week our church, First Baptist Church of Eunice, LA finalized the date for next year's Five Loaves, Two Fish 5K. The race will be held on Saturday, February 14th. Yes, we know it is Valentine's Day, but I think that can add some extra fun to the day.

Last year our first ever Five Loaves, Two Fish had over 150 registered participants and we look forward to improving on that this year.

Here are some reasons you should plan to participate --

1. Best post race meal for participants and spectators in all of 5Kdom.

2. All proceeds go to Relay for Life (I mean, you are not pro cancer are you?)

3. Great long sleeve t-shirt.

4. Did somebody say door prizes?

5. It's a Eunice tradition since 2008.

My Favorite Running Stuff

I have been a runner for about four and a half years now. One of the attractions to running as a hobby and fitness strategy is that there is "no equipment" and "it can't cost that much to run around the block a couple of times."

Turns out it costs more than you think and there is quite a bit of equipment that you can buy. Over time however I have found that not every I bought really made a difference in my life. Here is a list of some of the things I am glad I bought --

1. Running clothes by Starter. Shorts and shirts for under $15 each at Walmart. What is not to love?

2. Body Glide. Don't leave home without it or you could spend the weekend walking like a cowboy who lost his horse.

3. Nexcare™ Heavy Duty Flexible Fabric Bandages. Best way to save your shirts and avoid awkward stares after a long run.

4. Cliff Bar Shot Blocks. Giant gummy cubes provide fuel and something to do during marathon training. I like the ones that have caffeine.

5. Asics GT 2120. After hitting every running store on the Gulf Coast in search of the perfect shoe that would provide a "cloud like" running experience, I discovered that shoe did not exist (and neither did a bunch of my money). I can usually find the 2120's online for less than $60 that are at least equal to the ones I paid twice that much for.

6. Garmin Forerunner 301. Without a doubt my favorite purchase, tracking my every mile and instantly revealing my current pace.

Top 10 Favorite Runs of All Time

10. My first two miler.

To achieve this distance once again after so many years and pounds brought a tear to my eye.

9. Macclay Gardens State Park, Tallahassee, FL.

Ran this Runner's World "Rave Run" with my son not long after he started running.

8. Littleton, NH.

Scenic New England town featured covered bridges and an old mill. Note to Runner's World you may want to check this place out.

7. Running the Boardwalk and Beach resorts at Disney with my son.

Highlighted by hearing "Chariots of Fire" playing over the loudspeakers of the empty parking lot at MGM Studios as we approached the park. Talk about movie magic!

6. Leominster State Park, Fitchburg MA.

First ever 10 miler on single track through heavy forest. Fantastic. The fact that not a single person in the world knew where I was and that I was running it alone may not have been so wise. Still a fantastic run!

5. St. Johnsbury, VT.

Running in the town my father grew up and where my grandfather delivered the mail was a wonderful experience. So was the 39 degree late May temperature for this Florida/Louisiana runner.

4. Cades Cove, TN.

Great 11 mile loop featuring beautiful scenery and rolling countryside.

3. Rail to Trail Saginaw to St. Charles, MI.

Incredible 8+ mile run through 6 to 8 inches of brand new snow. Funnest run ever!

2. Houston Marathon, Houston, TX

Incredible crowd support, wonderfully diverse course.

1. Hyde Park, London England.

I read about someone running both Hyde Park, London and Central Park, NYC in the same day. I would like to run them both in the same lifetime.

A Milestone Morning

This morning my daughter completed her first ever 2 mile run. The goal was for her to do this on her 10th birthday which is a couple of weeks away. But we have been adding a bit of distance each week and Friday she was quite upset with me when she discovered that she had 1.92 miles. She came in the house and said "dad wouldn't let me run 2 miles!"

I had no idea she cared that much. It was good to know that my daughter had joined the running ranks.

This week will also mark another running milestone in the family. Based on my son's somewhat loosely maintained running log, he will hit one thousand miles as a runner in a couple of days time.

I returned to running myself about four and a half years ago after a nearly 15 year hiatus from all forms of athletic activity. (The fact that I did spend much of that time carb-loading hinted that there was a runner within....way within.)

Today I am nearly 60 pounds lighter than I once was. I am proud that, but the best is running with both of my kids three times each week.