New Year, new challenges

Happy New Year!  2016 has started, and so has the running. Ran a 5 mile race New Years day. Same race I ran last year, just not as fast. But that's ok. Big plans for this year, but still uncertain about some races. There's ones that I've seen that I'd like to do, but just not sure right now if they're the right ones to sign up for.

But it's a new year, and with the end of the year goal of a full marathon, the focus this year is going to be building distances. Maybe just a couple of 5k races, but I'm going to try and find some challenging 10k, and a couple more half marathons. I have some in mind, but it all comes down to timing and what is all going on for me later in the year.

First half marathon in the books

Oh geez! Where did the time go? It's been nearly two months since I've updated. Guess time just got away from me. But not so far ahead that I have already forgotten about my first half marathon, August 22, 2015. It went really well.

I finished with an official time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 20 seconds. Un-officially, I was 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 22 seconds. There was a bit of a line when I made a "pit-stop" a few miles in. Couldn't have asked for a better day. It was nice and cool, the sun was out, and there was a slight breeze. The first two miles were frustrating as I was lumped in with slower runners and was held to just over 10 minutes per mile. But at the 3 mile mark, I was able to go at my pace, somewhere around 9:45 per mile. And I was able to maintain a steady pace. I was really surprised. When things started getting tough, there always seemed to be a group of people along the route cheering, and that helps so much. They might be there waiting for a friend or family member, but the energy...I just feed off of it.

It was a really positive experience. For not really have been able to train much, for one reason or another, things went really well. The only issues were runners toe on a few of my toes, and some chafed and bleeding nipples. Yup, you read that right. I've heard of it happening, seen it in pictures, but never happened to me. Nice picture, right? Pictures, I don't have many, and have to get them off of my phone. Wish I could get my finisher picture, but I'm not shelling out $25 for only one picture.

For a first half marathon, this was good. I learned a lot, and can't wait for the next one in October. Speaking of October, that's when the Carbone Race for Research is. Don't forget to check out the main page of this blog for information on how you can help fund some great research being done at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center.

Still moving forward!

Well, I'm still here. Finally after weeks and weeks, I've been able to run pain free. Still have some tenderness in my leg, if I push on the spot, but as far as running goes, I don't fell a thing. Good thing too, the half marathon is coming up quick and I need to pile on the miles.

In other, and more important news, I have a couple of fundraising runs coming up.I have runs for Make-A-Wish Wisconsin, as well as the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Centers "Race for Research". Last year I had to choose between the two, but this year, the dates are far enough apart I get to do both. It's been two years since I've run for Make-A-Wish, and I can't wait for that one. Carbone is just an annual race for me, the one that started it all. If you'd like to donate to either of the causes please, see the links below, every little bit helps in making a difference in someones life.

UW Carbone Race For Research

Make-A-Wish Wisconsin Walk/Run for Wishes

2015 BolderBoulder

Another year, and another BolderBoulder complete. It didn't all go as planned, but it wasn't bad. The flight out to Colorado was good. The layover in Minneapolis was made better by a nice stay in the Delta Sky Lounge. Nothing like a free breakfast after an early morning flight. Three hours of sitting in a nice, quiet environment, free WiFi, coffee, food, can't beat that. Got into Denver right no time, but arrived to clouds, not the nice sunny day that I had left behind in Madison.

 

No sooner did I arrive in Denver and get my rental car, than the rains let loose. Lightning, thunder, rain, hail. Thanks Colorado, great to see you too. Didn't do too much the first day. Went to the Wings Over The Rockies air and space museum, a must see if you've never been there. They have an actual B-1 bomber in this huge hanger with other amazing aircraft and space memorabilia. There's even a B-52 outside! Of course, no first night in Denver is complete without a stop at one of my all time favourites, Hapa Sushi.

Saturday was supposed to be a nice drive up to Fort Collins to tour the New Belgium brewery. Well, things didn't go quite as expected. When I got to my car, the battery was dead. I can neither confirm or deny that I left the lights on. Needless to say, having to wait an hour for AAA to show up to jump start me killed any chance of making the tour. That's ok. I still made the drive there, while dodging the severe weather to the south. The weather was really crappy this trip, rain, rain and more rain. 

Mid afternoon, I started making the trip back to Boulder. Time to pick up my race packet, get some of the most amazing protein powder (Silver Star Nutrition), and just roam around the Pearl Street Mall. If you've never been to Boulder, Pearl Street is a pedestrian mall with all sorts of shops, restaurants, street entertainers and great people watching. I'm glad I pre-registered last June, the walk up registration line was huge. For a race with 50,000 people, they really have this thing down to a science with the registration, both online and in person. 

After pickup, drove around a bit, then headed to my cousin's apartment. One of the benefits of knowing people is having a place to crash for the night, that is right on the starting line. Really, they are right there! A step out of their patio door and down a step, I'm on the the sidewalk, then just a short walk to the end of the block and I was ready to find my start wave. It was kind of an interesting night sleeping there. None of us knew what to expect, would it be loud, would there be a lot of distractions overnight? Nothing like that. Every once in a while, if you were up, you could hear the quiet clanging of the fencing going up, but other wise it was really quiet. I got up around 3:30, and took a look out the window. Sitting in the middle of the street was the start line banner. How cool is that!

Ok, so on to the real reason you're here, the race details. This year is was a 7:07:30am start time. Nice and early. The morning was beautiful. Some high clouds, sun, cool, and a very light breeze. Exactly how I like to run. Staying so close to the starting line afforded me a few extra minutes to get myself ready. I got to my wave group, and about 5 minutes after that, the first groups started. It's amazing how well they have this race timed out, but I suppose after 30-some years, they know what they're doing. Shortly after that first wave set out, we slowly made our way to the start. 

After not having run much for the last few months, I wasn't sure how things would feel. I've been dealing with shin splints, but today things felt good. Soon it was time to run. The gun fired, and we were off. Right away, I found a pace that felt good to me. A pace that I thought I would be able to hold for most of the race. Things were good for the first couple of miles, but then I started to feel the fatigue set in. Running at an altitude like this isn't ease, especially when you haven't had a lot of time to train, even for the distance. No matter how hard it got, I just kept pushing along. Wearing my regular shirt and hat for the run, I got a few "Go Packers" and "Go Team Munky"s along the way. That was really uplifting. There were kids along the route with their hand outstreatched to give runners high-fives, and I took full advantage of that. There was a firehouse along the route, and the firefighters were at the end of their drive drinking their coffee, so I decided to run by and thank them. It's funny how just the words or high-fives of strangers can really make a difference. It just gives you an extra push when you need it. You don't know them, they don't know you, but they're out there to watch and support the runners. That's the one thing I love about this race. The whole city of Boulder just embraces it. So what if the city closes down for half the day so that 50,000 people can run in their streets, they really seem to love it. Boulderites and the people of Colorado are some of the warmest, most welcoming and relaxed people I have ever met. I guess that's what keeps me coming back.

Ok, back to the run. Things were tough at parts, but I kept on pushing on. Soon, the turn on to Folsom came. This is the final stretch before entering the stadium, and a good part of it is up hill. After 5.5 miles, going up hill isn't easy, but I did my best not to slow. I was able to save just enough so that when we entered the stadium I could give it all I had left. I made the final sprint around the stadium to the finish. It felt great. I knew I had not done as well as I had expected, but I did it. As it turned out I was 4 seconds slower than last year, but that's ok. For what I've had to deal with in the past few months, finishing in under an hour was an accomplishment. Finished with an official time of 57:39.20. In my division, men age 36, I placed 192 out of 432. And out of 20,931 men, I finished 6578. And, if we really want to get into it, I finished 9,731 of....well, close to 50,000. I'm still very excited to have placed so well in all of the groups. 

So that's about it. As I sit here in the airport having a wonderful New Belgium beer, waiting for my flight to head home, cheers BolderBoulder! Thank you again for a wonderful race!

Mid-week blahs

Well, here I am, just a few days before heading out to Colorado. Just the other day I was super excited to get back out there. Now, I'm kind of blah. Not sure why. Perhaps because it's such a short trip. Maybe because I feel that I haven't trained enough for this race. I'm sure I'll do fine once I'm out there. I'm just trying to remember the last time that I ran 10k. November? Plus, I've got the extra weight that I magically gained over the winter (thanks stress).

Anyway, just a couple more days of work. A relaxing Friday to get packed. Then an early flight out.

2 weeks

Wow. Didn't realize it's been about 2 months since I've posted anything. Oops. Things have been busy. Things have also been sneaking up on me. Here we are 15 days from the 2015 BolderBoulder. The last month or so, while time has been flying by, I've been moving very slowly. I've been dealing with shin splints in my right leg. If I was smart, I would have stopped when the symptoms showed up, but I didn't. I finally went to the doctor this past week, and he confirmed it. It could be worse. I'm lucky it's not a stress fracture, which is what I had feared had happened. The pain is manageable, but the down side to that is I've really had to lay low with the running. With laying low, I've put on some extra weight, which I'm sure doesn't help.

I've been struggling, both with not being able to run enough, but with my weight. I had done so good, but once Thanksgiving hit, things just slid. I know I can bounce back, the problem is just getting myself to do it right now. I know what I need to do. I've been finding bits of motivation here and there, and it's helping. Like today, I didn't want to run, but I did. 3.12 miles in just over 26 minutes. If I can maintain the pace I ran today, but over 6 miles, I be sitting really good to reach my goal of 50 to 52 minutes in Boulder.

One of those bits of inspiration came today while running. Somewhere around the start of my second mile, a song came on. I haven't run with music in a while, but I really wanted to keep my head clear of distractions, and I figured it was time to start doing this again. It seemed to work, I only looked at my watch a couple of times, and it was mostly just checking distance, not time. But anyway, a song came on around mile 2 and it really brought a strong drive to finish hard. It's called "Rise" by Justin Roth. It was on the mix that the wonderful people at BolderBoulder and KBCO put out every year.


Just something about this song really made things click. It made any doubt that I would finish today's run go away. My struggle though pain or weakness is nothing compared to the struggle other's have to go through. Just as the people of Colorado have risen back from fire and flood, I too will rise and come back from what's going on with me. They've come back strong and resilient, I'm going to bounce back and run my best on May 25th. I can't wait.

Off to a slow start

Finally, the weather has started to change. I've finally been able to get outside for a couple of runs now. Problem is, the winter was not kind to me. Since the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I've managed to gain between 10 and 15 pounds. Yikes. I can tell it is beginning to affect my running. Even with trying to stay active all winter, my times are not great, and I don't have the endurance that I had last year. Not sure what happened this winter, as that did not happen the previous.

So I'm off to a slow start. I've really got to do my best to get my daily workouts back in. I've got about a month until my next race, an 8k, and just over two months until Boulder. If I really start hard now, I know I can do good next month, and really excel in May. But I have to start NOW. I have to make the time and get things done. Even on those days where I don't want to (like today), I've got to do it.

I put on a pair of pants I got last year. I haven't even had a chance to wear them yet. They don't fit. They're too small now. I promised myself I wouldn't go back that way again, but slowly I am. While things have been stable for a few months, what I decide to start now will determine which way they go. For me, knowing how I felt last fall, being above 200 pounds is not an option. It's beginning to affect things, and I have to change it. I will change it.

Winning through losing

So today I saw a story about a high school girls basketball game that finished with the score of 161-2. While I don't agree that this game should have been left to go this long, especially when the halftime score was 104-1, it serves to prove a point. I have a feeling, that the team that lost that game, is stronger than the team that won. Aparently the team that won, has won several games recently from anywhere from 50 to 90 points. They're used to winning. What's going to happen when they actually lose a game?

It seems like in today's society, kids feel entitled. They feel like everything should be handed to them, and they don't need to work for it.There are sports leagues where they don't keep score. The kids will play, but no winner, no loser. Everyone gets a "participant" medal at the end. There's no drive to learn from the mistakes of losing. There's no pressure to be the best that you can. There are winners and losers in every day life. I brought this up on my Facebook, and one of my friends really summed it up:

They are all "special snowflakes." Geez. If you don't learn to take disappointment and loss early, how do you handle it when you get into the real world, and you don't get the job you want, the promotion, and other things that just don't go the way you want. That's why sports and games are important at an early age.

So where am I going with this? I honestly have no idea. I guess the point, if there is one, that no matter what, you should always try to succeed, even when it looks impossible. I never thought I'd be at the part of my running, where in 7 months I'll be on my first half marathon. What? Hold on. Half marathon. That's like 13 miles or some crazy long distance. The longest I've run against the clock is 6. And wait, in 2016, I'm flying like half way around the world to Hawaii to run a full marathon? Yup I'm nuts. I want to take every step, no matter how painful, and learn from each one. To be come stronger. So when there is that disappointment, I can learn from it and get better. I've run races where I've done just "horrible", or so I thought. But then I look at the course. I look at who was all running. The weather. There's all sorts of factors. But just the fact that I got out there and tried, I've won. Yes, I've done well enough to receive a medal, or some other award, but that's not the point. What matters is each time I go out there I compete. I will only lose when I give up. When I stop there on the course, or worse yet, stop before I get there. 

The school that only scored 2 points, they could have walked away from that game. They could have thrown in the towel. But they didn't. The fact that they continued to play a game that they didn't stand a chance to win shows a lot. They're winners in my book.

Today the world lost another

Watching SportsCenter this morning, and how broken up the anchors are...it's almost devistating. The emotion they're carrying with them this morning is so great. All of us who watch sports know Stuart Scott, not personally, but we let him into our homes. Another hero in the battle against cancer, but sadly, lost that battle.

It's up to us to fight the battle that he couldn't finish. Please consider a donation to an organization dedicated to fighting all forms of cancer. You can go through my Stand Up To Cancer page by visiting www.teammunky.com, or you can donate to one of your choosing. It's never about one form of cancer, it's about all.

Thanks Stuart for showing your fight, for being in the fight, and for not giving up. “As cool as the other side of the pillow.”

I wasn't going to run today because of the snow and wind, but that would be giving up, giving in. Those in the fight don't give up, they don't give in. I'm going out today.

https://atransplantedlifeblog.wordpress.com/2014/07/24/cool-as-the-other-side-of-the-pillow/

2014 Year in review

Wow. 2014 is almost over. Just a couple more hours, and there will new goals to set. Records to be broken. So what did I accomplish in the last year? Well, I ran my first 10k, and did it in the very difficult setting of Boulder Colorado when I ran the BolderBoulder 10k. I did amazingly well considering it was my first time running that distance, and running at an altitude of over 5,000 feet with over 40,000 other crazy people. When it was all said and done, 404.59 miles were run over the course of 57.44 hours. I would never imagine doing something like that before. There's been a lot of people who have supported me all this year, and even leading up to this year. There's people I know, and people I barely know, but they've all made a difference. Between the daily support I need, and just the motivation to keep going when things seem impossible. People who know that they've helped me, and those that don't. Anyone who's taken the time to read this, help out with donations for some of my races, thank you so much. We're all in this together. Team Munky will continue to grow in 2015. I see good things happening.

Starting off the new year right with a 5 mile run. An odd distance, but a race none the less. My friend Doug, who helped me get back into shape, lost his father this week due to cancer. From talking with him and seeing Facebook posts, his dad was a real fighter. He was also a runner. Having someone like Doug who helped motivate me and get me to where I am now is incredible. They guy will not give up on you. It might be small, and can't fully repay what he as put into me, but tomorrow I'm running for him and his dad. Ever race I run, I try to raise cancer awareness with the shirt I wear. Tomorrow is no exception. So if you read this, thank you Doug. Thank you for all you have given. Thank you for not giving up on me, even when I was stubborn (and still am), and pushed me to keep going. I may have not had the good fortune to meet your dad, but the little you've shared in the last few months, what a man. Know that tomorrow, you and your family will be running with me. You will once again be pushing me though that last, cold mile when I think I can't go any further. Thank you.

On a happy note.....HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

The end of the year

Well, the end of 2014 is almost here. Unless there's something that really perks my interest, I've run my last race for the year. And that might be a good thing. A few weeks ago, before my last 10k, I developed what I think is plantar facitis. It was pretty tender, and I thought I had done a good job of rehabbing my foot in time for my Thanksgiving 10k run. Not so much. I did good up until about mile 4 when things started to hurt a bit. The last mile was mind over matter, doing what ever I could to not think about the pain in my foot and finish strong. I still ended up with a very respectable time of 52:06, with an average of 8:24/mi (according the the official results, my watch had me a bit faster average). I'm very pleased with that, and will most likely submit that for my BolderBoulder qualify time and that should put me in an early D wave (of which there are 5). That's about 5 and a half minutes quicker than my first 10k in Boulder this past May.

So anyway, had a run yesterday. It wasn't a timed race. I was a little disappointed in that, cosidering that it was a route though downtown Madison, around the capital square, a really good goody bag and a race fee that I'd expect to have timing involved with. But what ever. It was fun. It really just made me focus on me, which was good. Timed myself at a 23:58, 7:54/mi average. So not too bad. And having not run since Tuesday, and the race on Saturday, I'm ok with it. Felt a little funny in the beginning, but really started to feel good going up the hill with a little over a half mile to go.

But what a year this has been. My first 10k, about a race a month, the goal of running a full marathon in 2016 in Hawaii with a high school friend set, times going down, and just getting out more than I have. I've returned to raced I did in my first year, entered into new ones. Bettered my times, and pushed myself to just get better. It's really amazing.

Working my way up the final hill with about a half mile to go

Finishing strong

No matter how bad a race might feel, or how much I hurt, I always finish strong

2014 was a big year! 12 races (I lost one of my bibs I think). Kicked some butt!

Baby it's cold outside

Did I miss something? Did I got get the memo? When did it suddenly become mid-January? Just a couple of weeks ago it was still warm out, nice days. Then the bottom fell out. The last few mornings have been in the single digets. Last Sunday I went for a morning 10k run and it was barely in the 20's. This morning I look out my window and see fog, freezing drizzle and 34 degrees. What's going on? Hasn't been the greatest running weather lately, and much of my running has been on the treadmill during my lunch breaks. 

After my run last week, I developed some foot pain. Not as bad as what happened when first started running, but still pretty bad. Some poking around on the internet, and I self diagnosed as plantar fasciitis. Wonderful. Just what a runner wants a week before a race. But, I've been using my foot roller, soaking my foot in our foot spa with some epsom salts, wrapping with KT Tape, and just taking it easy. Things seem much better this morning. The pain is almost all gone, just feels like there's a bump in my foot right now. I should be ready for a short run on Wednesday and the 10k on Thursday.  Once again, a reminder that I'm human and not a machine, as much as I'd like to think otherwise. 

So what's in store for TeamMunky? Right now I've got the Berbee Derby 10k on Thanksgiving. I just signed up for the "Run, Santa, Run!" race in December. I also have my eye on a New Years Day run in Madison.  Still waiting to see what February brings (as I type this, I'm looking to see what there is). Oh look! The Frosty 5k that I ran last year! March, who knows. But April will once again be the Crazylegs Classic in Madison, then off to Colorado at the end of May for another great run in the BolderBoulder. This next year is really shaping up to set some high personal goals, and shatter old personal records. Also looking at doing my first half marathon sometime in 2015 in preperation for my first full marathon in 2016. 

The holidays are coming, and so is the end of the year. I'd like to take a moment and remind you all that I still have my ongoing fundraising through StandUpToCancer (I know, I really need to update my page since they changed formats). If you're looking for a great cause to help support and fund some amazing cancer research, please keep this one in mind. 

2014 Haunted Hustle 5k

It's too quiet

Oh man, it's been over a month since I've written anything? What happened.

Well, I met my 12 mile goal. Ran my big run on September 25th. It turned into a 12.5 mile run. Finished in the dark, but I did it.1 hour, 51 minutes and 8 seconds, with an 8:49 average pace.That was really an amazing run. I'm glad I pushed myself to do this run. Almost 2 hours of running was a lot, but I didn't stop. Even when it was uncomfortable, I kept going. I had to finish. And I did.

So since that, I've run a couple of 5k races. This last weekend, I repeated the Haunted Hustle 5k. Funny thing was, I finished in the exact same place as last year, just a minute and a half faster. I also finished at the top of my age group for the second year in a row. I was very surprised with the age group win. Very happy overall.

So what's next? Nothing scheduled until Thanksgiving when I have a 10k. After that, not sure yet. I would really like to find something for each month. I know races are out there, just have to find them.

A year gone and double digits

Hard to believe that this Saturday will the the anniversary of my first 5k race. Has is been a year already? It just doesn't seem possible. It's going to be nice returning to the event that got all of this started. And it carries just as much meaning now as it did then. I've come a long way in the last year. My times are picking up. 3 miles doesn't seem like such a chore. I'm always looking for new and bigger challenges.

Speaking of bigger challenges, today I have crossed in to the land of double digits. Because this week has been a little nuts, either the weather or our water heater dying, I was worried I wouldn't get my week 10 run in. Well, as luck would have it, I could shower at work, so I got up extra early this morning. 4:15 early. Got to my starting place a little after 5:30 and took off. The sun wasn't even up yet. The mornings are getting cool too, it was only in the low 40's when I started. Just me, the road, a few cars and the geese. I was mentally prepared today. I went to bed early. Had an energy filled breakfast. The first mile was a little quick at 7:55, but soon got into a steady rhythm. Not once, did a mile go longer than 8:30. In fact, my "slowest" was an 8:21 at mile 4. And mile 10? I was really moving at 8:01. My BolderBoulder 10k time was smashed today. And this run, at 1:22:18, was hardly a minute slower than my 9 mile run last weekend. Things were solid!

After today's run, I'm feeling very good about Saturday. I honestly think I can do this 5k in 22 minutes or less. It's going to be a bit on the cool side, but that's when I seem to do my best. We'll just have to wait and see!

Today's split times

New miles and a new goal

Well, today I got my week 9 run in. 9.44 miles total. 1 hour, 21 minutes, with an 8:35 pace. Kicked some major butt. I even beat my BolderBoulder time by a few minutes at the 10k mark. This felt really good, and looking at the graph, my pace was pretty steady. I took known 5 and 10k routes and combined them. I knew I'd be a little more than 9 miles, but that's ok. It was was a beautiful morning for a run. Temperature was right around 60, clear sky, light breeze if any. And where the route was, I was able to use the street more than the sidewalk as there was hardly any traffic that early in the day.

It's going to be a tough week, with getting this run done on a Sunday. I still have to get a 10 mile run in. I was thinking Wednesday, but it looks like rain that day. We're putting in overtime at work lately, and staying until 5:30 or later is going to be cutting into the daylight with these longer runs. So I've got the 10 miles to do this week, and I also have a 5k race on Saturday. And as much as I'd love to hang out at the end of the race Saturday, I'm actually coming from another event, so I may just wait for results to post and split.

So Saturday's race is the Carbone Race for Research. The one that was my first 5k. It's a special race for many reasons. And this year, I think more than last, it holds a little more meaning. My friend, who kind of gave me the idea to run this last year, isn't doing so hot at the moment. I guess the leukemia has kind of reared it's ugly head and is really taking it's toll. Between some significant weight loss and weakness. Not to say that there isn't a chance that things could improve, right now is pretty tough. It just shows how important cancer research is. If you can help out with either my StandUp2Cancer fundraising or my Carbone fundraising, that would be really cool, especially right now.

Ok,so for some good news. I have a new goal set. I never really thought I would do a marathon. Well, I was proven wrong. Can't enter yet, but I have given my "verbal commitment" to run in the 2016 Honolulu Marathon. Plenty of time to get ready. And even thought it's long distance, I've got a training buddy. One of my friends going all the way back to grade school, kind of  gave me the idea and we're going to work together on this. How cool is that?! What a perfect location for my first race at that distance. And in December, who wouldn't want to go to Hawaii. I've never missed a goal that I have set in the last 2 years, I don't see why this won't be any different.

So lots going on for Team Munky this week, and in the future.

Those links again for my fundraising efforts again are:

Stand Up 2 Cancer
Carbone's Race for Research

Thanks for all the support that you give me. You have no idea what it means to me.

8 miles

This is going to be short and to the point. Week 8, and my 8 mile run is done. Really didn't feel like doing it today, but once I put on the shoes and hit the pavement, all seemed right. Even if I didn't get 8 in today, it would have been ok. But I did it. 1 hour, 9 minutes and 10 seconds. 8:32 average per mile. A little ticked I can't see it all graphed out on MapMyRun (those idots just can't get their crap together sometimes). Anyway, it was good. Three quarters of the way done with my 12 week personal support goal running thing. I know the route I'm doing next week for 9 miles. Should be a good time!!

Humidity

The title says it all. Ran in the Middleton Good Neighbor Fest 5k this morning. The humidity level was somewhere in the mid to upper 90% range. Hazy, foggy. I was feeling really good going into the run, but that feeling was zapped just after the first mile. I don't think I've run in humidity like this before. Humidity and heat are two different beasts. All the water that I put in my body this morning and last night, just seemed to seep out of every pore. There was just no relief from that sticky feeling, and that started playing mind games with me.

There were times I really had to will myself to keep going, to not stop and walk, to not show weakness. I may have slowed up, but I still finished with a respectable time of 23:39 and a 7:39/mi average pace. Really, not bad. I was so disappointed when I finished, I felt like I did terrible. 58th out of 266, 10 of 26 in my division. But no, it wasn't bad. That was really good. There were a lot of really strong runners out there today. And 23:39, that's close to 3 minutes faster than I was a year ago. THREE MINUTES!!! Every month, week, race, I get a little stronger. I think I may go back to music for races, just to get that little extra mental kick.

Coming up this week I've got my week 8, 8 mile run. Should be interesting. Good news is, after Monday it's supposed to cool down. Bad news, it's supposed to rain much of the week. I guess if worse comes to worse, I'll be doing another treadmill run.

Brought the wall up to date with the exception of today's. Wow, what a year!!

Where no munky has gone before

I did my 7 mile run yesterday. It was pretty amazing. I hadn't planned on doing it then as the weather wasn't supposed to be too good. But as the day went on, things looked good. When I got home, it was still sunny out, a few clouds, and humid. I decided to go for it. I was going to run at a pace that felt good. It wasn't all about the time, it was more about the distance. Sure, I still wanted to have a decent time, but it was more important to get the full 7 miles in. Off I went. I'd set out on the trail for 3.5 miles, then turn back. Things felt great! Even after a day of work, I still had the energy. But it was more than energy, it was motivation. I had set a goal, and I was going to make it. I have yet to fail on a goal I've set. Sometimes it might take longer to reach, but I always make it.

It took me just a little over an hour to finish. Yes, I did slow a couple of times. Not because of being tired or hurting. I lost focus. After I had made the turn, there as no reason for me to look again at my watch, but I did. Once I gained my focus back, I picked up the pace and finished strong. Next week is 8 miles. Maybe in need to get the soundtrack to 8 Mile listen to.

Going off the map....sort of

Well, next week is week 7 of my 12 week goal. 7 miles. That's one more mile that I am used to running on my longest runs. I've gone over 6 a few times, but only by accident or if the race route was slightly longer than. I will now be more than halfway through my goal, a goal I set into motion over a month ago, and will carry though on until the end.

A lot of what I do has to do with setting goals and not giving up until the end. I'm not perfect. Have I given up in the past? Sure. Who hasn't. But I've found that goals set in a public forum such as this, tend to stick. It all goes back to the accountability thing. I have no idea how many people actually follow this blog, I can tell that pages have been "viewed". But knowing that, by putting my goals out here, it makes me feel like I owe it to all of you (and myself) to carry through on them. Ever since I started this a year ago, I haven't slowed. I've picked up the pace. I can't believe that a year ago I was getting ready for my first 5k race. A race that I thought might just be a one time thing to help make a difference after learning that a friend had thyroid cancer. Boy was I wrong.

In the last year, I've run over 300 miles (20 of those were this week alone). I've run in almost a dozen races, including two out of state (one of those races was even run for about a block with a really great friend, thanks Brad, I really needed that pick right then). I've had my own small cheering sections of one or two people, thanks Shelly and mom and dad. It's been amazing. Sometimes I wonder why I keep doing it when I could spend the time after work or on the weekends out on my bike cruising the back roads, or sleeping in an other hour on weekdays. I guess it's something that I just really enjoy doing. It keeps me active, helps me focus, and sometimes I can use it to help out a good cause. I love the competition when it's there. I love to see how much I can improve.

After my run today, I was going over what races I still had this year, and became a little sad at seeing how quickly this year is coming to an end. Where has it all gone? Next week I have the Middleton Good Neighbor Festival 5k, followed by the Carbone Race for Research two weeks later. October will bring the Haunted Hustle 5k, going to try and maintain my division win from last year. Instead of the 5k, I will be doing the 10k in the Berbee Derby on Thanksgiving day. December, I'm not sure what is happening then. Last year I was running in Littleton Colorado. As much as I'd love to make it back there, I don't know if that will happen this year. So there's the rest of the year as it stands right now. Still plenty busy, and lots of opertunities to fit more races in.

Going the distance

Ok, I might not be going for speed (all of the time), but I've definitely gone the distance. Yesterday was my week 6, 6 mile run. Today was the Tuesday group run, that turned into two runs totaling 6.66 miles. In the last four days, I've run 19.3. And in the last week, 24.3. And the funny thing is, I'm feeling great! A little sore here and there, but good. It was a hard push on the second run today, but, showed the people at the front of our small group what I was made of when I blew past a few of them at the end. Next week is my 7 mile run, should be good.

And just a reminder, we're a month out now for Carbone's Race for Research. I'm still collecting donations through my participant page. Thank you all for any support that you have given me with my running over the last year. I really am amazed how far I've come, and how I continue to improve.