Madison Marathon Race Report

It had been a while since I had gone a trip on my own to do a race. Back when I was pacing a lot, there were a few times I made trips to races alone, though I usually shared a hotel with another pacer or two.

I had decided to do the Madison Marathon because I didn't want to go another year without running a marathon. So, I registered for the race and booked a cheap hotel and headed to Madison, The drive was uneventful and quiet, and I arrived in Madison with plenty of time to get to the expo.

Those who know me know I'm incredibly bad with directions, so I paid extra close attention to where I parked for expo. On race morning I used Google Maps on my phone to mark my parking location.

But for the expo I risked using my memory, and fortunately it worked out. After picking up my race packet, I headed to the hotel. Unfortunately, the hotel wasn't too nice. I asked them about a late checkout, and negotiated my way to 12:30 p.m., which would be cutting it close after finishing the race, but I really wanted to shower before driving back to Eagan. Strangely, they didn't seem to take down my room number.

After I did a short shake out run, I got some dinner at Noodles and Company, then tried to get some sleep. I had been in a mixed state (combination of manic and depression), so it was difficult to fall asleep, but I finally dozed off around 10:45 p.m, which gave a about six hours of sleep after I got up early for the race,

I had plenty of time to park and get to the start, so after hunkering down it my warm clothes for a while, I  did my warm up exercises. Laura called me and told me that her coworker, who was there to watch her husband, was at the race, and that I should send a picture of myself to her so her coworker could watch for me and cheer for me.

Then, I got in line for gear check, which turned out to be a bit of a fiasco. There was a very long line, and only one person was collecting the bags. I was certain I wouldn't make it to the start in time, but a volunteer started walking up the line and taking people's bags just in the nick of time.

Unfortunately, there were thousands of runners already lined up, and I couldn't get very close to the front. When the race started, I was still walking a fair amount after crossing the start line, and it took me around six miles to being able to run without weaving through the crowds.

I had trouble deciding what to wear on top. The temperature was decent, but in spots in it was pretty windy, which made it a little chilly, so I ended up wearing a long sleeve shirt the entire race instead of taking it off like I was planning.

I saw Laura's coworker, Becky, at the halfway point which was a nice boost. The course was a little bit of a blur. We ran along a couple lakes which was pretty, and there were some rolling hills with quite a bit of elevation gain the last couple miles.

I finished the race in 3:34:46. I was reasonably satisfied with my time as I hadn't run a ton of workouts or miles leading up to the race,

After I got my finishing food, I decided to forgo the finishing beer so I could get to the hotel. Seeing's how they didn't take my room number down for a late check out, I was a little worried that my room wouldn't be held for me.

Turns out I came just before it was about to be cleaned. My key card didn't work, but fortunately they reactivated it for me so I could get in my room and take a shower before my 5ish hour drive back to Eagan.

Overall the race was fine, but there was nothing great about it that would make me want to do it again. I also don't think I'll go on a solo trip to do a race again. I missed the wife and kids, and it would have been more fun if they had come along.

Hospital Anniversary

Eight years. Eight years of being mentally healthy enough to stay out of the psych ward.

I definitely didn't do it on my own. My friends and family have been absolute rocks for me, especially my wonderful wife, Laura.

While I've stayed out of the hospital, it hasn't all been rosy. I've been close to heading for the hospital a few times, but thankfully I broke out of the funk I was in before having to go.

I've definitely gone through some pretty rough patches where being a productive member of society just wasn't happening. 

But, again, my family and friends helped pull me through those hard times, so many thanks to them for getting me through another year of being hospital-free.

Be well.

Everyday Happenings: Wasting Time, Money, and Gas

Running and mental health are the overarching themes of this blog, but I'd like to branch out a little bit by making this weblog (blog), a little more of a journal. The happenings may be boring, but I hope to write them in a way that is a little entertaining and/or relatable. Anyhow, here's episode 1 of Everyday Happenings.

"Wasting Time, Wasting Money, Wasting Gas"

This morning I needed gas for our beloved maroon Toyota Sienna minivan. Normally this would be a straightforward process of driving to the gas station, inserting my HyVee Fuel Saver Plus Perks reward card, tapping my Discover card, and fueling up.

Today, however, after using my Perks card and tapping my Discover card, the gas started flowing, Slowly. Very slowly. Like, amazingly slowly. I'm talking, one minute and I hadn't reached half a gallon.

My little girl was patiently waiting in the car, and fortunately she wasn't too irked to go inside the convenience store. I went to the counter and waited in line to explain my problem. The Shell station wasn't too busy, so I only had to wait for one customer before I explained my situation.

"Hi," I began. "I went to fuel up out there, and the gas pump isn't working. It's pumping incredibly slowly."

"Let me look," the nice lady who was balancing a cell phone on her shoulder. "Oh, yes. We need to have our filters replaced and we're waiting for someone to come and do that. Also, the cold weather (it was -7 degrees Fahrenheit) makes it worse."

"OK," I said. "Well I used my Perks card. Is there a way you can get the 27 cents a gallon back on there?"

"I can't," she said. "But you can go to Hy Vee and they can do it there."

Great. I needed to get bananas and almond bark anyway, so the little one and I pack up and head to Hy Vee.

After getting the bananas and almond bark, I went to customer service and explained my situation.

The nice young lady at the counter looked up my account and said the 27 cents was still there. 

Great. I couldn't pay for the bananas at customer service because there was no scale, but the nice lady opened a check lane for me and rang me up. 

I then headed to a different Shell station near our house. Once there, I inserted my Hy Vee Fuel Saver. "Loading," the pump said. I waited. "Loading," it still said. It was cold. My fingers were losing feeling and my face felt frostbitten. "Loading."

Then, nothing. The pump went back to its home screen. I tried again. Same thing only I was even colder. Once again, I had to take my little girl inside.

Another nice young lady greeted me. "I'm having trouble using my Perks card," I said. "Can I use it in here?"

"No problem," she said. I prepaid for $50 worth of gas after inserting my Perks card. 

"Did the discount go through?" I asked.

"It will go back on your card," she said.

"What do you mean?" I said. "Will I get the discount?"

"It will go on your credit card," she said.

This didn't make sense to me, but whatever. I went outside to pump my $50 of gas. Normally the price at the pump changes to reflect the discounted price, but it did not. The gas at this Shell was ten cents a gallon more expensive than the other, and I have a ten cents per gallon card for Holiday, and the gas there was also cheaper than the Shell I filled up at.

So, to save 27 cents per gallon on gas I: 

• Drove to a Shell that was a little out of the way. 
• Went inside to report a problem. 
• Went to Hy Vee.
• Drove to another Shell.
• Went inside to report another problem.
• Paid for gas without the discount and spent more money than I would have had I just gone to the Holiday by my house.

All of this took almost an hour, so there's an hour of my morning I'll never get back. On the plus side, it looks like I still have the 27 cents discount on my card, so when I fill up next time, perhaps it'll be easier.

If you made it this far, congratulations; you just shared a mundane moment of life with me. Thanks for reading.

Goals Progress

My year of goals hasn’t been off to a great start, but I’ve recommitted in the New Year and plan on getting at least closer to meeting my goals. Here’s how my goals are going:

1.  Eat/drink one sweet a week or fewer.

My goal has been off to an abysmal start. It didn’t help that Thanksgiving and Christmas brought a lot of tempting sweets. My main problem with meeting this goal is I often end up binging on sweets when I intend to only have one. I’ve now decided that I’m not going to have any sweets for at least a month which will help get me back on track.

2. Drink one alcoholic beverage per week or fewer.

This one has gone a lot better, and I’m on track to meeting it.

3. Run a marathon.

I’m signed up for the Twin Cities Marathon, and barring a significant injury I should definitely be able to do it.

4. Break 20 minutes in the 5K.

After running a couple 5Ks, this one’s going to be a tough one. I’m hoping to give it a couple shots from late August to late September.

5. Run over 1,111 miles.

I’m pretty close to being on track for this one.

6. Hit race weight by May and stay there.

I’m moving in the right direction, but not quite on pace.

7. Write 14 blog posts.

I'm pretty fat off from this one, but I’m going to try to get a few more out in the next month to get back on track.

8. Average one hour of strength and mobility per week.

I’m pretty close to being on track on this one.

--

I'm optimistic about my chances for meeting my goals. If I can get a handle on sweets, I'll feel a lot better.

Be well.

Goals for my 43rd Year

 

After running the Chocoholic Frolic with my oldest on my birthday

This is going to be my healthiest year yet. In the past I've struggled with my eating choices, and although I'm a healthy weight, my blood glucose and cholesterol numbers haven't been great. Eating too many sweets is the main culprit along with too much refined grain, so this year I'm setting some serious goals to bring my cholesterol and glucose back into the normal range.

Here are my goals for the year:

1.  Eat/drink one sweet a week or fewer.

Eating or drinking one sweet a week will be a big change for me. I've set this goal in the past, but haven't stuck with it as my sweet tooth won out. This year I'm going to be more dedicated and choose a sweet I really like rather than to just satisfy a sweet craving.

2. Drink one alcoholic beverage per week or fewer.

This one won't be too hard, but in the past I've had more than one drink in a sitting, even though I don't drink more than a few times a month.

3. Run a marathon.

I'm already signed up to run the Twin Cities Marathon for Team World Vision. I'm hoping training goes well and I can run a little faster than this year's race.

4. Break 20 minutes in the 5K.

This will be an over 75 second improvement from this year, but I think it's doable.

5. Run over 1,111 miles.

I ran 1,109 this year, so next year I'm going to bump it up by 2 miles, or 0.04 miles per week.

6. Hit race weight by May and stay there.

7. Write 14 blog posts.

8. Average one hour of strength and mobility per week.

I'm feeling optimistic about my goals as I'm pretty motivated to improve my health. I want to make my 43rd year my healthiest yet.

My 42nd year

Eagan parkrun

Last fall I set some goals for my 42nd year of life. I very much enjoyed my 42nd birthday as I once again ran the Chocoholic Frolic with my son. I decided to stretch my goals to Nov. 9 rather than my actual birthday, Nov. 5, since I didn't race a 5K for the whole year. Instead, I've been running the parkrun races with my son, so today he sat out so I could race. 

Here are the results of my goals:

1. Run a marathon.

I ran two marathons, but I'm not going to give myself 200%. I enjoyed running the Madison Marathon and really enjoyed running the Twin Cities Marathon.

100%

2. Do strength and mobility work at least 45 minutes a week.

I averaged 49 minutes. 

109%

3. Break 19:15 in the 5K

I didn't put in the training I needed to in order to run this fast. I was happy with 21:18, which was even a little faster than I thought I could run.

91%

4. Run 1,000 miles for the year.

I stayed fairly consistent and didn't manage to up my miles much for marathon training, but I still ended up running 1,109.

111%

5. Hit race weight by May and maintain for the year.

Didn't do so hot on this one. 

10%

6. Write 12 blog posts.

I only managed 10.

83%

Total for the year: 84%

The weight goal really brought me down. Next year I have some ideas on how to improve in that area.

Stay tuned for my next post where I'll set my goals for my 43rd year.

Twin Cities Marathon Race Report

Thanks to everyone who generously donated to Team World Vision and brought clean water to communities in need. Throughout the race I thought about each donor and the support they gave to those without access to clean water.

Going into the race I was hoping to run under 3:45. Training didn’t go as planned and I didn’t run as many miles or as hard of workouts than in the past. After a couple of long runs finishing at marathon pace effort, 8:30 miles or slower were about what I thought I could handle.

Before the race started, Laura and I rode the shuttle to the start. The ten mile started an hour before the marathon, so after hanging out with Laura for a bit, I found a spot to sit and then warmed up.

The temperature for the race was nearly perfect. It was very windy, but standing in the crowd of people lined up for the race I wasn’t too chilly in my singlet and shorts.

The race started out great. Last year, in Madison, I got to the start with only a few minutes to spare and ended up spending six miles or so weaving in and out of the crowd because I was lined up so far back.

At Twin Cities Marathon I was able to line up in corral one, and it was easy to run my goal pace. There was no pacer for 3:45 and I thought that 3:40 would be a little too fast, so I positioned myself between the 3:40 and 3:50 pacers.

As I ran I settled into running about 8:26 miles, which had me on track to run a little faster than 3:45, but I was feeling good.

On my wrist I had a band with the names of people who had donated to Team World Vision. I enjoyed dedicating miles they had chosen to the donors. It was nice having people to think about as I ran.

The first water stop offered a bit of a surprise. Usually I depend on whatever sports drink is offered for my calories, but this year  they were offering Nuun instead. I then had to make a decision: risk crashing from a lack of calories or take in calories from whatever I could get on the course and end up with stomach troubles.

I decided to do the latter and take my chances with stomach trouble. The first calories I took in was a mimosa. It was only a Dixie cup, so I wasn’t too concerned about the alcohol. Then, in no particular order I ate: bananas (once a quarter of a banana once a half), jelly beans, an orange slice, and a maple syrup gel.

I got some big boosts from seeing some people I know on various points throughout the course. I saw a former coworker, one of Laura’s coworkers, a former college professor, and a former cross country athlete I coached.

.

My biggest boost came from seeing Laura and the kiddos at mile 24. For a while I thought they were going to be at mile 22, but just after 22 I remembered it was 24. Thinking they were going to be at mile 22 and then realizing they were not made the next couple miles a little more challenging. Laura texted me while I was around 23 (I can read texts on my watch) telling me she would be on the right side of the road just after the mile 24 aid station.

As I continued to run, I couldn’t remember if she said the left or the right side. I remembered that she had always been on the right side of the road, but since I wasn’t entirely sure, so I ran in the middle of the road so I could look on both sides.

After passing the mile 24 aid station, I saw Laura jumping up and down to get my attention. I ran to the side of the road where Laura, the kiddos, and Laura’s parents were cheering. I gave the kids high fives and got to see the sign my older kiddo made.

After that boost I was able to really pick up the pace. I never hit a wall, and the random calories didn’t bother my stomach.

I finished the race in 3:39 and ran hard enough to the finish to pass a couple of runners including the 3:40 pacer. If I went with the 3:40 pacer at the beginning of the race, I think I would have ran faster, but I’m still happy that I ran over five minutes faster than I thought I could.

After the race I saw Jeff Webber, the coach I worked with when I was coaching track and cross country as Burnsville High School along with a former athlete I coached. We had a nice chat and then I headed to the Team World Vision tent where I met Laura and and the kids for pizza. As I came in to the tent, a World Vision volunteer asked me how much money I’d raised, then announced how many people were provided with clean water because of those who donated.

Running Twin Cities Marathon and raising money for World Vision was a great experience, and I’m thinking I’m going to do it again next year. Thanks for all the support raising money and motivating me to run — especially to Laura who supported and encouraged me throughout training and fundraising. 

Be well.