The 112 day overdue Walt Disney World Half Marathon Race Report

Walt Disney World may be the happiest place on earth but when you’re an overweight, wanna be jog-walker, it is anything but.

It was warm in the low 60’s.  It was humid in the 60-70% range.  It was early at 3:00am and my feet already hurt from being out in the cold and rain the previous day for Mrs. Po’s 10k.

It was a half mile walk from the race area to the start line.  And it took 25 minutes.  I lost one of my earbud covers.  I had to retrace my steps and fortunately, I found it.  But not after some major angst.

If you’ve never run a RunDisney event, it truly is a magical event.  Everything about Disney in fact, is Magical.  They have it down to a science.  They are experts at separating you from your money.

When we decided in March 2015 that we would have a Disney Vacation surrounding the 2016 WDW Marathon weekend, we knew that it would be crowded running wise, and we knew that there were going to be significant logistical challenges that we had not faced before.  As a result, we planned an extended stay.  We got down there three days in advance of the Half Marathon and left six days after.  At the time, it seemed like a great idea.  Hindsight being 20/20, not so much.

There was no doubt that we wanted to stay on Disney Property.  For many reasons.  Hospitality, logistics, proximity all were factors.  Of course, the biggest drawback of staying on Disney property is cost. After significant research and research, and questions, and a little more research, we decided that we wanted a 1BR villa at either Old Key West or Saratoga Springs.  Finally found a good deal, paid for it up front (GULP!!!) and moved on to airfare.  We booked our airfare on Southwest which is a short 2 hour nonstop from Port Columbus. 

Because we booked a Disney resort, we were entitled to use Disney’s Magical Express Transportation to and from Orlando Airport.  Let me tell you, unless you have unlimited funding, that is the way to go.  We checked our luggage at the counter around 10:00a in Columbus (Two Bags Fly Free!!), and we didn’t see them again until about 4:00p that afternoon.  We got off the plane, went downstairs to ground transportation, walked to the Magical Express terminal, got directed to the appropriate bus that was heading to Saratoga Springs, and off we went!!!

On Friday, Mrs. Po was participating in the 10k.  As a result, we needed to be in bed by 8:00p or so on Thursday.  Why?  Well, that’s a great question.  I’m glad you asked.  Pretty much all (if not most) of the RunDisney events start at 5:30a so they can still open the parks with little to no impact to non running customers.  And even that, 5:30 isn’t that bad.  Except that the events are so popular that you have to get to the race staging area by 4:30a which means you have to leave your resort to get on the Disney arranged transportation by 3:30 or 4:00.  And if you know me at all, earlier is better so that we can alleviate any last minute issues that might pop up.  So yeah…. Mrs. Po was trying to go to sleep at 7:00 and I went to bed around 8:30. We did this two days in a row.  Absolutely brutal. 

Mrs. Po’s 10k was miserable.  It was cold, it was rainy.  It was miserable.  I couldn’t find anywhere to sit unless I wanted to sit in standing water, so I had to stand the other time.  My feet were not liking me.  The 10k race started in the Epcot parking lot, goes out and back on Epcot drive, back into Epcot through an employee entrance, across the bottom of World Showcase, out the back entrance by the Boardwalk, around the Boardwalk, and back to finish in the Epcot parking lot.  Mrs. Po, who is not in any fashion a dedicated runner, soldiered on through these miserable conditions.  I couldn’t be more proud of her.  And she got a kick ass Minnie Mouse medal, so there’s that.  We got back to the room somewhere around 8:00a and started the recovery process.  Some breakfast, a hot shower, and some warm dry clothes helped in the process. 

Saturday for my Half was a little bit better in terms of logistics and weather if not for the results.  Weather was warmer, and dryer in that it wasn’t the 100% humidity from the previous day.  I was pretty amped up for this race.  From my standpoint, I had probably had the most consistent training program I’ve had in any of my three half marathons.  I had run the Columbus Half in October and had done pretty much what I wanted in terms of time and effort.  I picked up my training two weeks after and had, for the most part, pretty good training runs.  They were hard, don’t get me wrong.  And they were painful.  And I was tired and slow.  But I got through them which I had never done before.  While I always knew a PR was virtually impossible at Disney due to the size of the field, I really had pretty high expectations.  Boy, I couldn’t have been in for a bigger letdown.

From the get go, I couldn’t get anything going.  I really struggled to get my overall pace down below 16:00/mile.  It was just so damned crowded.  Even if I could have gone faster physically, there was just no place to go.  I lost nearly four minutes in the 6^th mile while I was waiting to get through Cinderella’s Castle.  My mile 6 was 3:50 longer than mile 7.  It was atrocious.  Then, all through mile 7 and 8, we were on a one lane road and there was NO WHERE to go.  The mind said, “Run”, the body said, “Ok, we run”, and there was just no where to go.  By the time I got to mile 9 I was mentally toast.  This is the second half in a row where I’ve mentally checked out.  I don’t like that at all.  By the time I got to mile 12, I had lost the will to live.  I didn’t even get a mental pickup when I entered Epcot for the last 1.1 miles.  I was embarrassed by my time, I was ashamed of my mental weakness, and I hurt.  Boy did I hurt.  My lower back was killing me.  My piriformis was hurting, and my legs just felt like jelly.  It was horrible.  The medal was cool.  And I as I explained to my buddy Steve when convincing him to run the Disneyland Half Marathon with me in September (WAIT… WHAT????  I’ll explain later), “The pain is temporary but the medal lasts forever!!”

So we spent most the day Saturday in recovery mode, and both Mrs. Po and I had scheduled massages at the Saratoga Springs Spa for Sunday.  I walked in with some pain and a bit of a limp, and I walked out feeling like a champ!!!  We wore our medals for the rest of the week, and all of the “Congratulations!!!” and “Nice Job!!” from the Disney Cast Members was super uplifting.  I really enjoyed that.  Plus, when we did our character dinner on Sunday evening, we got our pictures taken with both Minnie (Mrs. Po’s medal) and Donald (my medal).  It was fantastic.  I was amazed at how goofy I got when we got to meet the characters. 

So that’s my Walt Disney World Half Marathon horror story.  It was miserable.  I would probably never do a WDW Marathon Weekend event again.  The races were just too crowded.  There were a total of 21,506 runners that officially completed the race.  It was ridiculous at times.  By comparison, the west coast version, the Disneyland Half Marathon had “only” 15,248 finishers in 2015.

Now, we’re on to Indianapolis for the 40^th Indy Mini Half Marathon which is May 7^th.  From there, I’ll train over the summer, and then Team Slo Po is going all Hollywood on y’all.  I had a preplanned trip to Los Angeles to visit my buddy over Labor Day Weekend and go see the Crew SC play at the LA Galaxy.  Well, I happened to see that RunDisney is putting on the Disneyland Half Marathon that Sunday.  If I complete a half marathon on both costs within the same calendar year, I will complete what they call the “Coast to Coast Challenge”.  So not only would I get a medal for the Disneyland Half, in addition to the medal I got in January, I would also get a special “Coast to Coast Challenge” medal.  So….. why not right?  The medals are forever!

In closing this poorly written and phrased race recap out, I want to send out a special “THANK YOU” to “Anonymous” who has been pestering me for this post for about 6 weeks now.  I really do appreciate it.  I didn’t think anyone other than my Mom actually read these things!!!! Hi Mom!!!  So whoever you are, I hope you tell me someday so I can properly thank you!!

Keep running my friends!!!

2015 Columbus Half Marathon

I ran my second ever Half Marathon today.  And boy was it difficult.  There are many reasons for this, most notably that the quality of your training is DIRECTLY proportional to the quality of your race.  My training went to hell in a handbasket about 7 weeks ago.  But that’s not what I’m here to talk about.

I want this post to be a post of thank yous.  I want take time to make sure that I’m giving props where props are due.

First and foremost, I want to thank my wife.  Starting in January of this year, she has watched me get up early on Saturdays and supported me at every step.  Especially this summer when MIT was starting at 7:00a and I was getting up at 4:00a.  Even though this pretty much meant I was even more useless than normal.  That proved to be pretty difficult these last couple months as we’ve been doing quite a bit of home remodeling.  And then today…. Absolute ROCKSTAR.  Getting up at 4:30 to be out the door by 5:00 in 30 degree weather.  And then sitting around bored off her ass for 3+ hours waiting for me to slog my way through a 3 hour tour of the city’s east side.  AND THEN…. Taking care of me in the runner recovery area (even taking my shoes off for me!!!), negotiating marathon traffic downtown, navigating home, making me breakfast, then lunch, then dinner and just letting me recover.  Even though that meant that she had to do more housework herself.  Needless to say, there is no way I could do this without her.

Next, I want to give my MIT Pace Group a shoutout.  I’ve gone on and on before about how awesome MIT is.  But seriously, the friendship and support that I’ve received time and time again from this group is amazing.  Seeing my pacegroup mates and coaches on the course is a psyschological lift for sure.  Seeing Stacey and Lynne on the course with their respective “flocklings” was great.  It was awesome to share a couple words of encouragement back and forth with them.  My other pace coach, Stephanie, was a cheerleader today.  Right at mile 2 and at mile 7.5 she was there cheering, talking, and yelling at all of us 13RW’s.  Getting those words of encouragement from her on both sections was fantastic.  And while I know that we all have our own individual motivations and reasons for running, I hope that seeing us all out there busting our humps makes her proud of the 

work we’ve put in and the effort we’re putting forth.

Thank you to Erica Lotte.  By mile 9, I was toast.  She passed me, talked to me for a bit, and then took off on her own pace and interval.  However, just talking to her and commiserating in our pain gave me renewed psychological willpower.  Thank you Erica.  You got me to the end.  By the way, I still hate those bitches in orange. J

Thank you to my friend, Karie Rolsen.  I love you.  I really do.  And I think it’s a travesty that we had to say “years” to the question “When did we see each other last?”  I’m so thankful that we ran into each other on our way into the corrals this morning.  Your support before and after the race was fantastic and so appreciated.

Thank you to my niece, Annika who was gracious enough to volunteer her parking pass for us to use this weekend saving us close to $20 in parking.  Thank you so much for offering it up.

I have so many friends and family that have been so supportive.  There is no way I can possibly name them all.  Mom, you’ve been one of my most vocal supporters.  Thank you.  Pat and Pam MacLean, you guys are great.  Always so positive and supportive.  Andy Sarkipato, you are the man.  Comp1 be damned!! Thanks for being willing to always talk running.  I appreciate that.  Chadd and Sarah.  Thank you for not scheduling your wedding for Saturday night!!!!  I have so many running influences.  I am so thankful for all of you.

Now the wait is on to see what kind of damage I’ve done with this race.  Time wise, I did about what I expected, but it was wayyyyy harder than I anticipated it being.  Time to recover and start training for the next one.

Over the next week, I’m planning on doing a couple recuperative sessions at the gym, get a massage, and walk the OSU 4 Miler next Sunday.  After that, it’s the Flying Feather 4 Miler on Thanksgiving Day, and then focus in on the big one.  The Walt Disney World Half Marathon on January 9^th, 2016.  My goal there is much like my goal was for this race.  Just finish, don’t hurt yourself too bad, and have a Magical time.  Then my “real” goal race is the Indy Mini Half Marathon in Indianapolis, IN on May 7^th, 2016.  And then I’m going to take a break from “long” races for a bit.

Thanks for taking some time to read this.  As always, your feedback is appreciated!!!!!  See you on the trail!!!!

#determined

Three years ago on August 5, 2012, my first attempt at becoming a runner came to a screeching halt as Mrs. Po and I were lowering our recliner into the garage in preparation for getting our carpets cleaned.  I had been training for my first ever 5k, the Columbus Crew 5k.  I figured what better place/race to start my running career than at Crew Stadium. 

Fast forward three years, tens of medals, and multiple strains/sprains/ailments/injuries later, and I’m sitting here contemplating what it means to be #determined.  As a back-of-the-pack runner, I’ve come to appreciate that word. #determined.  I don’t know if many faster runners truly understand it.  How many faster runners REALLY appreciate their ability to run fast?  Or to go out for a two mile run after not running for days or weeks on end.  I look at other runners as I’m driving down the street.  I evaluate their form, try to judge their pace, but mainly wonder if they truly understand how HARD running can be and if they’re #determined to running or they do it because it’s easy.

The reality is that I’ve discovered that running is harrrrdddd.  I mean REALLY hard.  You don’t just go out and run.  You have to TRAIN.  And train smart.  It took me 2.5 years to figure some of that out.  And I’m still figuring it out.  But through it all, I remain #determined.

This year, for the first time, I’m running the Nationwide Childrens Hospital Columbus Half Marathon.  Every year, they have a slogan or a tag line.  Last year’s was “Triumph”.  They are referencing their child heroes who face incredible challenges and yet show amazing courage and spirit.  The slogan for this year’s event is “Determined”

This summer, I’ve adopted #determined.  I’m more #determined than ever to continue running.  I’m hitting my miles, taking care of my body, and battling through my obstacles. 

I’m going to hit the start line on October 18, 2015 with a smile.  I might not be smiling 3 hours and 15 minutes later, but I’m going to boss Columbus.  Then I’m going to boss the Ohio State Four Miler.  Then I’m going to boss the Flying Feather.  Then the First on the First.  Then I’m going to Disney World and I’m going to Boss Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and that lil Bitch Elsa at the WDW Half Marathon, and then the Indy Mini.  And by “Boss”, I mean start and finish.  Because for me, that is the end game. 

In the meantime, I remain #determined.  I will keep running.  I will keep training.  Running has changed me.  One of my group’s pace coaches posted a blog on our training site where she talked about how she was stronger and smarter than she was 3 years ago.  I’d like to share some of that here.  I find Stephanie to be an inspiration to me.  She has always been there to offer a high five or a foot in the ass.  And somehow, she always knows which one is more appropriate. 

“I’m stronger and I’m smarter!  I’m stronger because I won’t let one less than stellar run throw me into a downward spiral telling myself I’ll never be good enough or fast enough.  I just lace up my shoes for the next run and try again!  I’m stronger because I can more miles without as much fatigue and serious soreness the next day.  I’m stronger because I CAN make it up those hills no matter how fast or slow I’m going!

I’m smarter because I’ve listened to the experts about how to train for the maximum benefit (hello heart rate guided training!)  I’m smarter because I’ve paid more attention to my sleep/hydration/nutrition than I did before.  I’m smarter because I have all you guys and gals as my support system, rather than attempting this alone!”

Running has provided me with so many new friends.  I love my MIT peeps.  I love being part of the #runningcommunity.  But, I’ve lost some running friends too.  And for reasons that I may never truly understand.  I thought I had a special running connection with someone close to me, but that turned out to not be the case.  And that person turned out to be not as close as I thought.  Through it all, I’ve remained #determined to getting better EVERY day.  Today will be better than yesterday.  Tomorrow will be better than today.

I don’t know if I’ll run forever.  I’m still lazy at heart.  I’m finding that if I don’t have a big race to train for, I’m not quite as into it.  So I still have that challenge ahead of me.

But, I am a medal whore.  So there’s always that motivation……

See you on the trail, and at the finish line!!!

Current Team Slo-Po Schedule:

08/23/15              Emerald City Quarter Marathon

10/18/15              The Columbus Half Marathon

10/25/15              THE Ohio State Four Miler

11/26/15              The Flying Feather Four Miler

01/01/16              First on the First 5k

01/09/16              Walt Disney World Half Marathon

04/30/16              Patron Quarter Marathon

05/07/16              Indy Mini Half Marathon

My United Flight Disaster

Recently Mrs. Po and I spent some time in the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas.  We experienced the flight experience from hell and witnessed United's awesome customer service first hand.

In order to lodge a complaint, I was urged to go to www.united.com/feedback and leave my notes there as calling the customer service number would be "futile".  I had to attach a word document because the form is limited to 2000 characters.  There is no way in hell that I can catalog ALL of the issues we encountered in 2000 characters.

"I wish to voice my absolute displeasure regarding my flights on 5/13/15.  We purchased two RT 1st Class airfare tickets for CMH->LAS.  Due to a United mechanical issue, we left CMH over an hour late which eliminated our scheduled layover at ORD.  Our plane parked two gates away from our connecting flight, and as we sprinted to the gate, we could see the jet bridge backing away from the aircraft. It was 3 minutes past the scheduled departure time.  I have multiple complaints about the way we were treated going forward.

1st, how difficult is it to hold an aircraft for connecting passengers who are delayed because the airline had mechanical issues?  Either your gate agents don’t have visibility to the passenger manifest and can’t see the status of the inbound flights, or the gate agents made a CONSCIOUS decision to employ terrible customer service and not wait for passengers on the connecting flight.  We know multiple people missed this connection because we met them in the rebooking line and at the gate of a rescheduled flight.   Not holding the flight for a few minutes is unconscionable and defies any level of “customer service”.

2nd, after having missed our connecting flight due to United’s mechanical issue we were automatically rebooked with no real attractive alternatives.  My wife and I were not able to sit together and put into middle seats of the 2^nd to last row of the aircraft.   After paying for First Class, in what universe does that seem like a fair trade?  What’s more infuriating to me is that on both of our connecting flights, there were passengers that were UPGRADED to first class while we PAID for first class and got back of the bus economy seats.  Additionally, I lost out on my frequent flyer miles accumulation based on my status, class of service, and fare paid.  Lastly, I was forced to purchase food during both layovers now since I wouldn’t be enjoying on board breakfast on my connecting flight.  By the way, 10 days later, and I have not received any sort of refund.  United has essentially pulled a “bait and switch” on me and stolen my money.

Given my Premier Silver status, I would have expected at least a United Club voucher or some food, or something.  Instead, United made it very clear to me that dollars are more important than happy customers.  This has been evident throughout this entire ordeal, and the best the Customer Service agents could give me is “Go to United.com/feedback and voice your concerns there.”  I’m fortunate that in my home airport, I have many options to choose from for my air travel needs.  I can guarantee that based on the current status of this issue, United is at the bottom of that preference list.  Not one person from United has tried to make this better for me."

New Beginnings

12/13/2014.........
That is the day on my calendar that my running journey starts anew.  MIT starts and so does my quest to beat Cap City.  I'd say last year was a draw.  This year, it's on.

I'm dedicated to fitness (not just running this year). I've got a plan to work in cross training, speed work, AND get/keep my diet under control.  It's a long time between now and May 2, 2015, but at the same time, it's not really enough time.  It never is, is it?

Life throws us some crazy curve balls sometimes, and this summer surely hasn't disappointed in that regard.

I'm looking forward to getting started.  I'm hoping to reconnect on some friendships that seem to have gone away for reasons I don't know.  I'm hoping to be a fitter, faster, stronger Po.

As Master Shifu said  once.... "Do or do not.  There is no try."..... oh wait... that might have been a different master....

I'm looking towards 2015 with hope and happiness.

The Summer of My Discontent

This has been the summer of my discontent!!

I ended Cap City relieved, disappointed, proud, and eager all at the same time.  My back gave out on me in mile 11 and my mental fortitude left me faster than a fat kid chasing an ice cream truck.  However, by the time I woke up the next morning, I felt pretty good.  Got the lawn mowed, got on my flight to Houston and to my hotel room ok.  Spent some time in the pool and hot tub stretching my hammies and calves and went to bed.

I woke up Monday morning at 5:00, and couldn’t walk across the hotel room.  I literally had an ankle the size of a grapefruit and it hurt just to stand on it, let alone walk on it.  It was the most painful ankle sprain I’ve ever experienced.  Except that it wasn’t a sprain at all.

Slowly, over the next four weeks while I was in Texas, I got the vast majority of the swelling to go down.  Ice baths in the Hote, running shoes vs. dress shoes, and keeping it elevated during the day seemed to do the trick.  I finally went out for my first post Cap City jog on Sunday 6/1.  I went for 2.23 miles, and at a moderate pace of 14:25/min and I felt great.  I saw Dr. Bright on Monday 6/2, and was diagnosed with Peroneal Tendonitis.  Basically an inflammation of the peroneal tendon that runs down the outside of my right ankle, and across the top of my foot.  Ironically, I failed to heed my pace coach’s warning a month prior to the race about new shoes, and when I looked at the tread of my race shoes after the race, there was SIGNIFICANT wear on both shoes.  Oops.  Lessons learned.

The treatment was ice, rest, and leg strengthening exercises.  I ran again on Wednesday back in Texas, and had severe shin pain in my left leg again.  I thought to myself, “Here we go again…..”…… I ran on Saturday with MIT for 3 miles, and felt great!!  But the entire next week, I had the same pains again.  It was just too much for me to deal with.  I was traveling to Houston every week for work, eating like crap, and I just couldn’t focus on doing the things I needed to do in order for my legs to heal.  I was still icing my ankle like crazy and when I checked out on Friday, I would leave my 5 gallon plastic paint bucket with the hotel staff and pick it back up on Sunday evening when I checked in.  In the 82 days from 4/27/14 to 7/18/14, I spent all or part of 71 of them either in Houston, or traveling to/from Houston.  The workload became so large that I wasn’t getting back to my hotel until 8:30 at night, and I’d be back out the door  at 6:30 or 6:45a.  I wasn’t able to keep up the miles, and I just stopped.  Every now and again, I’d try to get started again, but the shin pain would be too great and I’d have to stop and walk again.  I got very discouraged. 

It was about the seventh week of traveling that I really started to feel the emotional drain.  It’s also about the time where my body said, “Hey asshole! You’ve been feeding me crap for the last 7 weeks, and I’m gonna stop working so hard keep it metabolized!!!  Screw you, I’m going on vacation!!!” 

My work load got so heavy that I was actually sleeping on the flights home!!!  When it was all over in Mid July, I started to slowly run again.  I knew that I had the Emerald City Quarter Marathon at the end of August (Next Blog Post) and I knew that I needed to prep for that.

I ran 4 times from the 19^th of July through the end of the month.  And each time, I was hurting.  Some days the ankle was really sore, some days it was the shin, and other days, I just felt like crap.  Adjusting to life back home was proving to be very difficult given some of the issues going on in my life.  It was my last run on Tuesday 7/29 where I felt my hamstring give out.  There really isn’t any reason that I could think of for this latest injury.  I wasn’t going too fast, I hadn’t been really packing on the miles, nor had I been working at anything extraordinarily hard.  Later, I sat back and realized that my water intake that day and the day before had been sub optimal.  This is the injury that really hurt me.  I was so discouraged.  I knew that my Emerald City race was in jeopardy, and to a lesser extent, so was the OSU 4 Miler in late September.

So, I shut it down.  I walked about 2.8 miles the following Saturday, but after that, it was run/run/run, busy, busy, busy for the remainder of the month.  I knew Emerald City would be tough.

I’m still in recovery mode.  I’ve basically dropped out of MIT because they are now at mileages that I shouldn’t be doing.  I’m going to race the OSU 4 miler, and then maybe the Flying Feather (that’s a fun race because they give you booze!!!).  Other than that, I’m going to really focus on getting 2-3 miles in 3 times per week.  I want to start Winter Training on a high note and hit Cap City like a boss next spring.

I’m still recovering from my summer of discontent.  I’ve lost about 10 of the 25 pounds I’ve gained, and I’m about to schedule a follow up appt with Dr. Bright as well as get into a chiropractor’s office for my back.  I’m still going to work with my trainer too.  The last 15 “Texas Pounds” are going to be difficult.  But it has to happen. 

When in doubt, turn around.  You’ll see me pulling up the rear.  Rest easy in the knowledge that if I can do it, so can you.  My favorite running quote of all time:

“The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” – John “The Penguin” Bingham

My 106 day past due race report!!! Yes, I'm just now posting about Cap City!

Cap City Race Recap…. 3 plus months late

Sooooo…. Yeah…. I’ve been sort of AWOL with this whole blog thing since the Capital City Half Marathon in May.  Since the race, my life has been a  whirlwind of adventure.  I won’t get into that now, but I will give you a race recap.

Race Morning: Pre Race at the Hyatt

The plan was for all the Team Slo-Po’ers to meet up at the MIT conference rooms.  I knew it was gonna be crazy busy downtown, so Mrs. Po and I planned on getting downtown by 6:30 and parked in the garage on Rich just south of Columbus Commons.  We then walked north to the Hyatt and joined up with all the other MIT peeps.  After milling around a bit, I got a pic with my buddy, Chris Ahlum, and with Mrs. Po and then we all assembled for the march to the start line.  This is really where the nerves started to climb.

Starting Line: Corral F

I was joking around with my pace group friends that Corral “F” stood for “Slow as “F*ck”, but they were quick to point out that it really stood for “Freaking Awesome”.  They were right.  Back that far, we couldn’t really hear Babner and the other celebrities up at the starting line.  But that didn’t bother me.  All I could think of as they released each corral and we moved forward was, “Holy shit, I’m really going to do this!!”

As they released Corral F and I approached the start line, it was awesome to get a Shout Out from Race Director Dave Babner acknowledging Team Slo-Po.  I’d like to take a quick moment here and just say how impressed I am with M3S Sports, the group that puts together Cap City and a bunch of other events around town.  If you’re unfamiliar with M3S, check them out at http://www.m3ssports.com.  They are a top notch race promoter.

My plan was to break the 13 miles down into 5 distinct phases.  Four phases of 3 miles each, and the final kick from mile 12 to 13.1.  My goal time was 3:00:00 flat, so I knew my overall moving average had to be 13:45/mile.

Phase 1 Miles 1-3

I felt like Superman!! I had to tell myself to slow down several times.  My splits were 13:47, 13:49, and 14:05.  I started out a little behind, but was ok with that.  My heartrate was up because I was so jacked up.  It took a lot of effort to really get myself under control physically and focus on the task at hand.  By the time I crossed King Avenue on Olentangy River Rd and Mile Marker 3, I felt good.  The MIT Cheer group were there and they were loud.  Great job to them.

Phase2 Miles 4-6

Splits: 13:50, 13:51, and 14:10

I’m not really sure what happened with mile 6 which basically started at the corner of Lane and High and went south on High.  A special shoutout at Mile 4 to Shelly Thompson who was monitoring the course at Mile 4.  It was great to get a high five from her as I made the turn onto Lane Ave.  It was pretty cool to run across Lane Avenue through North Campus.  I was still feeling pretty strong, and while I was a little behind my pace, I felt that I was basically half way through and felt pretty strong.

Phase 3 Miles 7-9

This was the point where I started to get faster.  I was playing a little “cat and mouse” with a guy I knew that had run this race many times before.  We were both on run/walk schedules, but different intervals.  I was running 3 min, walking 1, and I’m not sure what his intervals were.  I’d pass him when he was walking, and he’d catch and pass me when I was walking.  Regardless, as we cruised down High St., made the turn onto Broad, and then right on 4^th, I was running as fast as I’ve ever run in my adult life.  My splits were: 13:42, 13:17, and 13:21.  I had caught up on my overall pace and was feeling good.  However, this is where the train started to go off track a little bit.

I think that I probably over exerted myself here on this segment.  But by itself, I felt awesome.

Phase 4 Miles 10-13

It was in Mile 10 that I started to lose the plot.  It was all I could do to maintain my pace and I was failing miserably. My splits: 14:39 (slowest split to this point), 14:23, and 14:47.

Mile 10 was when I started to feel it in my legs.  It was the first sign of physical fatigue that I really felt.  Mile 10 weaved south through German Village down 3^rd St and was on brick paver streets and  I was feeling each one of them!  I naturally slowed down as we made the turn onto High street and started heading north back toward downtown and the finish line.  You go uphill from 735 ft of elevation at mile 10.79 to 884 ft at mile 11.49.  So, effectively 150 foot gain in about ¾ of a mile.  For me, that’s STEEP!  But I pushed through.  But I was hurting.  My quads and hips were starting to ache pretty good.  Mentally though, I was strong and determined.  I was pushing through.  I’d felt this pain on my long training runs before and I was ready for it. 

Mile 11 saw us finish our climb up High St and turn left on Main St to go down to the river.  Heading down hill, I wanted to release the strain on my hips a little.  I opened up my stride some and tried to pick up steam.  Less than two miles left!  I was going to miss 3 hours by a couple minutes, but I wasn’t worried about that.  I was feeling pretty happy with myself.

LESSON: Never count your chickens before they hatch.

Going down the hil, my back seized up on me.  This had happened on a couple long runs before, but not on others.  I don’t know why it would suddenly appear and not appear.  I’d get a massage and do some stretching, and it would be good.  Today, it was not good.  By the time I got to the bottom of the hill, my right ass hurt so bad, I couldn’t hardly walk without a significant limp.  Mentally, I was shot.  Just like that.  The pain was so bad, I died inside.  I walked across the bridge and I saw two things.  First, around the corner from mile 12, I saw a medical tent and told myself I could stop there and they could get me back to the commons to hook up with Becky and go home.  Yes, I thought about quitting.  Almost immediately after that thought, as I’m walking across the bridge in some SERIOUS ass pain, I see ahead of me, crouched on one knee, a MarathonFoto photographer.  “HELL NO!! They aren’t going to get a picture of me WALKING.  Fuck those fucking fucks!”  And I started to run again.  All the way to 2 feet behind the photographer and I started walking again!!! I walked most of Mile 13 just because of the pain.  I had no mental energy to battle through at that point.  I was pretty shocked later, as I did some post race thought at how quickly my mental fortitude took the last train to Clarksville.

The final part: The .1

As we turned left onto Rich St to head up the hill, I decided to run again and I’m glad I did.  Mrs. Po was standing at the corner of Rich and High St waiting for me and I saw here Quarter Marathon medal hanging around her neck.  I shot her a wave and a smile, and I was so proud of her. This was something that she never thought she could do!!!

As I’m doing my best impression of “The Little Engine that Could” up High St., I can see it all.  I can see the chutes and the crowds.  I can see the official timer clock.  I see the big banner that says “finish” on it.  I see Dave Babner, I hear Dave Babner, and all of a sudden I see this crazy blonde lady running AT me from the right side.  IT’S COACH AIMEE!!!!! Aimee Boss-Price from M3S Sports who is also an MIT pacer, and Fleet Feet staffer is running up to me to give ME a high five!!!!  It was such an awesome moment.  I’m getting teary eyed thinking about it right now!

I get past that, and it’s nothing but me, Babner, and the finish line.  And I know I’m going to finish.  I know I can call myself a half marathoner.  I run straight for Dave.  I have EVERY intention of just wrapping him up in a huge bear hug before I cross the line.  He must have had some sort of ESP thing going on, or he’s seen that crazy look in the fat, slow runners before because he simply stuck out his hand and said “Thanks for coming out today Ian!”  And I crossed the line. 

Officially, I ran a 3:09:15 which is a 14:27 mile pace.  I wasn’t last. I finished in 7854^th out of 8314 overall.  3313 out of 3401 dudes, and 508 out of 517 in my age/sex.  Sooooooo I wasn’t last!!!

As soon as I crossed the line, the first person I ran into was my pace coach from MIT, Stephanie Klingler.  It meant so much to me for her to be there waiting on her little flock of runners and to get a hug from her.  She’s truly an awesome person and a great inspiration.  She got me there, and I was proud to be part of it.

I went over to the MIT area and got a stretch from the OhioHealth trainers there and couldn’t hardly walk after that.  My legs were DEAD!!!  Hindsight being 20/20, I should have also done the ice batch.  Next time!

Sunday, I felt pretty good too.  I even mowed the lawn before I got on the plane to go to Houston.

For the aftermath to Cap City and my glorious summer of not run, I’ll get a blog post up later this week about all that!  For now, thanks for reading, and as always, I appreciate your feedback and comments!

Good Runs, and Bad Runs, and Going Half Mad Runs.....

Lots of things have transpired over the last two weeks.   So let’s get right to it.  There is some Marathon talk, details of a horrid 8 mile run and an AWESOME 12.5 mile run, dinner conversation with Running LEGEND Bart Yasso, and thoughts on what it means to be part of the running community.

Eve of the Marathon

The Boston Marathon is tomorrow.  It’s an important event.  If you’re part of the running world, you know why.  It’s going to be crazy up there in Beantown.  Being from Boston, this hit me a little harder than some last year.  I grew up with The Marathon as part of my life.  It’s a holiday in Massachusetts.  The Red Sox play a home game.  It’s a great day.  To all the runners, sponsors, volunteers, police, EMS, race organizers, and most importantly, spectators, THANK YOU for doing it!!!  I will never look at Patriot’s Day the same again.  

Dinner with Runner’s World Chief Running Officer Bart Yasso

On Wednesday, April 8^th, I was selected by the kind folks at Fleet Feet Sports Columbus in a contest to have dinner with Bart Yasso.  Yes, THE Bart Yasso.  The inventor of the Yasso 800.  The man, the myth, the legend himself.  My winning submission was a picture of me running my first race at the Emerald City Quarter Marathon in August, 2014. 

Needless to say….I was nervous.  How was I (a mere quarter marathon finisher and less than 10 total races to my name) supposed to “hang” with Jeff H, the other contest winners (all of whom have completed MULTIPLE marathon events) and the man himself (who has run EVERY race under the sun)?  What would I talk about?  Needless to say, my nerves were for naught, and it was one of the best evenings I’d ever shared with a bunch of complete strangers.

Bart Yasso has literally run EVERY race under the sun.  All seven continents from the highest races on the planet to running through Death Valley, CA in the Badwater 146 (back before they pussed out and dropped the mileage to 135 miles), to the nudist camp run, to the New York City Marathon to the grandaddy of all marathons, The Boston Marathon.  The stories were fascinating.  The life choices he made that brought him to running and away from a potentially deadly alternate lifestyle were truly inspirational.

Bart Yasso (Center) with myself and the other winners of the dinner event

grand daddy of them all in Boston.  You can read all about Bart's life and running adventures in his book "My Life on the Run" and you can buy it from his website here.  I would highly recommend it.  Such an easy, quick, and enjoyable read.

Most importantly for me that night though….was not the many stories and laughs that we all enjoyed and shared.  It wasn’t hearing about running away from Rhino’s in Africa, or being chased by birds in Antarctica.  It was being introduced to this concept of the Running Community.  This concept that no matter what, we are all brothers.  It doesn’t matter if we are in the “A” corral or the “F” corral.  It doesn’t matter if I’m running a full marathon or a half marathon in that same 3 hour time frame.  It’s about being part of a community.  I’ve felt this here and there from my friends, and on occasionally from being part of MIT.  But when I was given the opportunity to describe why I got into running and what my best/proudest/most memorable moment in running were and the other six people at the dinner table were listening to me as I recalled these moments and people, sometimes with tears in my eyes, I felt it.  I felt like I had a connection.  When I muttered the words, “Being a runner is integral to who I want to be.” and everyone was watching and listening to ME with rapt attention and Bart uttered “EXACTLY”….. I FELT IT.  A huge shout out to Jeff Henderson and the folks at Fleet Feet Sports Columbus for putting this event together.  Jeff and his team embody what it means to be part of the Running Community.

To be part of the Running Community has become something so important to me.  I’ll get into the Who and What in a later post.  This post is already going to be waayyyy too long.

8 Painful Miles

The next morning, I was so pumped up to get my run in.  I was still in “rehab” mode, so instead of the scheduled 11, I was planning on 8-10 very slow miles.  We started off strong, and I was having no issues keeping pace with the group, and the first mile felt fine.  But, you know what they say, “NEVER judge a run by the first mile.”  This would never be more true in my life than April 12^th.  In reality, the first 6 miles felt great.  Not terribly fast, and I was significantly behind the pace at the water stations, but that was ok.  It was part of my rehab plan for the day.  I got to Lane Avenue turnaround, told my pace coach Stephanie that I was heading back, and turned back north.  All in all, I was thinking to myself this is turning out ok.  Life is Bueno.  About mile 6, I started to get some pain in my right butt.  My 6.5, I had to skip a run segment, and from mile 7 to 8, I walked the entire way.  It was so bad, I asked Becky to see if there was an open massage spot with my boy Kyron down at Body Ache Escape Massage.  Fortunately for me, there was an opening and I got my ass worked over!!!!

Needless to say I was pretty bummed out Sat evening and Sunday, but didn’t really have a lot of time to think about it as I had to be on a plan Monday morning heading to Houston for work.  I got up Monday morning and got a slow “recovery” 5 miles in and they felt pretty good. Tuesday, I felt good and decided to give my calf a bit of a test on my 3 mile run.  I ran it at probably close to 80% of “race pace” which is as fast I can run for 3 miles.  I felt awesome.  Wednesday, I was scheduled for 5 miles, but cut it 1 mile short due to impending dinner plans.  All week my training felt great and I had a lot of confidence going into this weekend’s MIT run.  12 miles.  I would be a new distance record for me.

12.54 Miles!!!!

I started this Saturday’s training run with a lot of energy and confidence.  I started off at my “normal” training pace and kept to the rear of the group as I normally do.  I quickly fell behind the pace of the group, but that was ok with me.  We ran 3 miles north on the Olentangy Trail from Thomas Worthington High School to the very end of the trail.  We got to the water station, and as I finished my first energy packet, I thought “I feel pretty good so far!”.  We then started running south to Whetstone High School which would be close to 9 miles.  Up to this point, I’ve felt really, really good.  But I was about to pass my personal long run of 10.02 miles and go into the unknown distances.  My glutes were hurting a little bit, but every now and then I’d look down at my watch and see I was running a sub 13:30 mile pace which for me is BLAZING FAST!!  I had to constantly remind myself to slow down.  By the time I got back to the foot of the Thomas Worthington hill that leads up to the parking lot and our starting line, I had made the decision that I was going farther than the scheduled 12 miles.  It ended up being 12.54, and while my heart rate was up from not stopping on the hill, I felt like I had excess energy.  It was such a confidence boost that the 13.1 would be no problem at all in two weeks.

Cap City, I’m ready for you!!!!!!

Go. Run.  Be Awesome.  Represent the Running Community.  Run for yourself.  Run for Boston.  Run for your friends, family and loved ones.  Just go and get active.

Quick Shirt Update

I’m still looking for people that would like to fly the Team Slo-Po banner this year!!!  It looks like the cost is going to be between $24 and $26 per shirt when all is said and done.  They are going to be produced locally by Traxler Tees.  I had the opportunity to go over there last week to see a sample of the shirt being used, and it’s an “Ultraclub” tech shirt, and I thought it was super soft.  Here is a mockup of what the shirts will look like and some performance details.  I’m really pleased with the shirt.

Anyone that knows me, knows that I’m wearing my Team Slo-Po colors at EVERY race I participate in, and it was on the sidelines of the 2013 Columbus Marathon as I cheered and supported my niece on to her first ever marathon.

It would be awesome to see a small band of Team Slo-Po peoples out there during the upcoming racing season!!!

Let me know ASAP if you're interested in a shirt!!!

Like my pace coach says….. “GO BE AWESOME!”

I'll have a weekend update later on this week!!!

Races, Training, and Strains, oh my!!!!

So, apparently it’s been awhile since I’ve sat down and pushed out a blog post.  What a crazy month it’s been.  I’ve been working like crazy, trying to balance out 60 hr work weeks, home life, good nutrition, and the crescendo that is our training schedule, March was an absolutely crazy time in my life.  April looks to be just as crazy and on one hand, I like that, but I’d also like to be able to focus on my training and race prep a little bit more.  However, my Houston masters have other plans.  Dear Leader is kind and benevolent………

I ran my first race since Thanksgiving.  I ran the first Scioto Miles race and did the 10K distance on Saturday 3/22.  It was two 5k laps, and it was actually quite a good race for me.  I ran a 42:00 flat on the first 5k, and a 42:06 in the second lap.  It would have been faster, but I stopped at the water station to stretch for a second, imbibe a refreshing water, and rinse the Advocare gel off my hands.  Sticky hands, NOT fun.    I probably was actually 20-30 seconds faster in reality.  Also, it was my first race with the new Garmin.  My Garmin said I ran a 6.37 mile race which means my 1:42:06 was a 13:12 pace.  Grease Lightning, go Grease Lightning!  However, since it’s a 6.2 mile race, my “official” pace was a much less respectable 13:34.  Regardless, I was pleased with how I felt during and after the race.  Naturally, I was geared up for my ensuing runs, and the 4/6 Scioto Miles Leg#2 which is a 5K for me.

As I mentioned previously, I’ve been working crazy stupid hours and it’s been absolutely SAPPING me of my desire and will power to do any sort of activity after work.  That has a certainly been a challenge, and a contributing factor to my latest encounter with the calf strain injury bug.

On Saturday 3/29, I ran my longest run ever.  10 scheduled and my Garmin said 10.06.  As my buddy John pointed out, my “first double digit run ever!!”.  Somehow, his enthusiasm was not contagious.  Anyway, it was a thoroughly miserable running day.  It was cold again, raining, and a driving wind from the northwest that cut to the bone.  I knew I was in trouble from the get go when we weren’t even a mile in, and I was thinking, “Damn! We are flying!!” only to look down and see I was running a 14:15 pace.  Never judge a run by the first mile, right?  I should have just stopped and gone home.

Somewhere around mile 3.5-4, I felt a slight pain in my calf, but it went away, and didn’t come back.  I’m trying so hard to listen to my body and what it’s telling me while riding that fine line between toughing it out and being a pu##y.  I had no more pain throughout the run, but it was a long, slow, cold, and wet run.  Mentally, I was fine.  This was nowhere near as tough mentally as my 8.2 miler a few weeks ago.  But physically, it was slower, longer, and more miserable than any run I’ve ever been in.  It wasn’t until later in the day that my calf started to really hurt.  It’s weird because there are times that it has ZERO pain, and times that it’s just about crippling me.  So, I’m only a month away from the half, and in the EXACT same situation I was in a year ago.  So %$#ing frustrating.

HAPPIER NEWS!!!!!!!

I should have my final quote for Team Slo-Po shirts by the end of the day on Wednesday 4/2.  The panda on the front should be the same as (or EXTREMELY close to) the current panda logo.  The 2014 on the sleeve, and the 6RUN4/FF Cbus logo on the bag with a nickname of your choice.  I need to get a min order of 12 people, and I think I’m around 7, so I’ve got a little work to do.  I’ll be reaching out to individuals in the next week to get confirmations to make sure we can do it with regard to the min qty.

That’s about it for now.  I swear I’ll try and be more consistent in my blogification going forward!  Happy trails and fast times!!!!!