Monthly Archives: May 2015

Running, Sports

Race #33 – National Geek Day 5K

For frequent and returning readers, you’ll remember that I ran a virtual race, the Dark Helmut 5K, back on May 17th.  To say I struggled is an understatement.  It was a frustrating virtual race that I just slogged through.

I also made mention that course selection was key.  I believe I have proof of that today.

Today is Geek Pride Day, commemorating the release of Star Wars on this date in 1977.  The fine folks over at Moon Joggers had a virtual race to commemorate the day, and with my geeky tendencies, I couldn’t exactly pass it up.

The medal came in a week or so ago (typical for a virtual race — so you can “finish” with your medal), and I was filled with both excitement and dread.  I was thrilled to add another race to the “done” list (along with another medal!), but the results from my last virtual race were pretty crushing.

Last night, as I thought about the run this morning, I decided I would treat this like a regular race.  That’d take a couple of things.

1.  Prepare like a real race.

Last night, I laid out my clothes.  That sounds like a little thing, but it got my brain in the game, and forced me to look at the weather for this morning, find the right clothes and have ’em laid out for this morning.  This included my compression socks (which really do help!), running underwear, shoes, knee braces, Spi-Belt (for my iPhone), and proper shirt selection.  I’ve gotten kinda lazy on the virtual runs, probably because they’re just around the neighborhood, and without the tools that make/keep me comfortable on my travels, it’s no wonder I’ve struggled lately.

2.  Find a course that will lead to a successful outcome.

Also last night, I thought about my course.  I had no idea where I was gonna go, but I knew I didn’t wanna try to conquer that same hill that killed me a little over a week ago.  It was brutal, both physically and mentally, and I just didn’t want to have that kind of outcome again.  I thought about the area, and realized that I could simply take a “right” instead of a “left”, and avoid that hill altogether, keeping me on flatter roads.

As it ends up, that was a brilliant decision.  I ran more on this journey than I have in a while — although my time doesn’t really reflect that very well!  I was comfortable getting to my turnaround point, and it seemed like it was no time until I was at the four kilometer point, and entering the home stretch.

I got home, with Becky awaiting me on the front porch.  She was planning to cheer as I came in, photographing me, and giving me the full race experience.  However, she forgot the direction I was headed, and I ended up sneaking up on her.  🙂  She did end up snapping a few photos before I got back in the house to relax.

The thing I noticed was that I wasn’t nearly as exhausted as I was after trying to conquer the hill last week.  In fact, I felt pretty good.  If I feel that good after the Friday night 5k in Kansas City in a couple of weeks, I’ll be good to go for the 10k the next morning!

So, put another race in the books, and a little bit of learning, too.  I think this was the best solo run I’ve had this season, and I hope I’m focused in on why that was!

And yes, that’s me in the image above.  My parents gave me my first computer, a Radio Shack TRS-80 Model III, as a present for graduation from high school in 1981.  My inner geek runs deep!

(BTW, the course maps look a little different now, and will link back to slightly different looking data.  It’s still the same stuff, just formatted differently.)

Race Course
Geek Day 5K
Geek Day 5K
Running, Sports

Race #32 – Ferguson Twilight 5K

Ferguson.  What comes to mind when you hear that word?

There’s no doubt that there are as many views about what’s taken place there over the last nine months as there are people.  And with all those varying views, it seems there’s a constant flow of rumors of planned unrest, both peaceful and not-so-peaceful.

It’s against that backdrop that this race hit my radar.  I’d been thinking about this race, but frankly, was very concerned about the atmosphere there.  That wasn’t helped much by rumors of a “Ferguson Spring” event that was targeting this weekend.  Even the race organizers addressed this rumor on their website.  They also talked about their commitment to a safe, fun race.

That didn’t stop me from checking social media and other spots on the web as Becky drove us to Ferguson.  I was willing to bail on the event if it looked like there would be danger afoot.  I just simply wouldn’t put us in a dangerous situation for a medal.

We parked, and caught the shuttles from the parking to the race event.  And already I was getting more comfortable with my decision to run this race.  There were people of all ages, capabilities, and races in the bus with us.  It was really a melting pot.

The Plaza at 501
The Plaza at 501

The race site was amazing.  There was plenty of food and people everywhere!  I picked up my shirt and bib, and we headed to the party.  The center of the event was a place called The Plaza at 501.  It was a neat little community area, with plenty of space and a nice pavilion.  Normally, I’d feel a little weird about leaving Darla behind as I raced, but entertainment was everywhere — jugglers, live band, and a drum circle that invited anyone to join in.

My time to race came, and I kissed Darla, heading to the starting corrals.  This race was capped at 2500 runners, and I’m not sure they had that many there, but there was a huge crowd nonetheless.  The horn sounded, and we began moving slowly toward the actual start line.  Of course, once we hit the line, folks took off.

I ran for the first two songs (as measured by the music on my iPhone!), and began to walk.  I discovered that this was a very, very hot and humid day, and that was sucking the life out of me.  I walked the rest of course.

And in retrospect, I was cool with that.  I made it a point to pet every big dog I encountered.  I danced like a kid in the spray from an open fire hydrant.  I enjoyed this race!

For the last three years, this race has been voted “Best Community Support”, and I see why.  Throughout the whole course, there were neighbors sitting on the sidewalk and on their stoops, cheering on the runners.  There were signs of encouragement everywhere along the course.  Along the course was a rock band, and a little while later part of a marching band from one of the schools.  The community was really into this race, and made it a joy to do, despite the heat.

Almost Finished
Almost Finished

Because I was walking, I got to see an awful lot of the area.  I’ve never been to Ferguson before, and at my slow pace I was able to take it all in.  There were some beautiful older homes hidden in the neighborhoods, and some that were obviously not as big.  As I wound up and the down the hills (and the hills were ugly in the heat!), the neighborhood got behind me, and I came into the business district.

That’s where it got very surreal for me.

I was suddenly aware that I was passing the Ferguson City Hall, and eventually the police headquarters.  I walked past shop windows, still boarded up from the unrest.  I saw murals painted on the wood panels, advocating peace.  It was tremendously moving to see this area first hand, and realize just how much things had calmed since August.  It was emotional to be there.

Finished!
Finished!

And with all that, I still felt very comfortable on the course.  There was a ton of very visible security on the course — folks at the street closures, volunteers on bicycles among the racers, and loads of uniformed first responders at the Plaza.  It was obvious that there was a tremendous desire by the folks in Ferguson to have a safe, fun event.  I think they succeeded.

While I’d vote for cooler weather, this was easily one of the most enjoyable races I’ve participated in over the last three years.  I do believe that I’ll add Ferguson to my list of races I’ll run yearly.  It was that good.

Race Course

Running, Sports

Race #31 – Dark Helmut 5K

Last year, I did one virtual race, and frankly, I wasn’t a fan.

I’ve come to discover that I like having other folks around me while I’m running, and I do a little better with a structured race.  However, the virtual races are growing on me.  Let’s face it, aside from the finish line, both formal and virtual races end about the same for me… finishing by myself.  And that’s ok.

Last Tuesday, I tackled the Dark Helmut 5K.  Much like a regular race, I’m finding that course selection is key.  For this race, I chose a course that I’d run once.  It has a great downhill in the first half, but that same hill becomes an awful adversary on the return trip.  And it’s that hill that has kicked my butt both times I’ve done this course.

But I finished, and I knew I had to.

This race was a fundraiser for another runner, Calla Hess, and was managed by the folks at MoonJoggers.  I’ve never met Calla, but I was happy to run this race to benefit her.  You can read her story here.  With the Spaceballs-themed medal, I was even more excited to do this one.  However, it sold out quickly, and I’d missed my chance to run it.  A couple of weeks ago, the MoonJoggers folks said they were opening a second round for it, and I pounced on it.

I posted on their Facebook site, thanking them for bringing it back.  I expected to hear from the MoonJoggers folks, but I was floored to get a response from Calla herself!

Many of the races I run have some kind of charity or organization that benefits from the proceeds of the race.  This is the first time I’d ever heard directly from someone benefitting from my activity, and it was a wonderful feeling.

That’s really the fortune cookie in this run for me.  Sometimes, it’s really not about how hard my race was.  Sometimes it’s about how hard someone else’s race is, and being able to help.

May the Schwartz be with you!

Race Course

Running, Sports

Race #30 – Live Long Memorial 5K (virtual)

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Yep, I’m a Star Trek fan.  Have been as long as I can remember.

I used to audio record episodes when we’d visit my grandparents house in Florida so I could replay them over and over.  (There were a few episodes that I could almost recite from memory.)  And then, when WTVC began showing episodes late on Saturday nights, mom, dad, me and dad’s friend Larry, would sit around the den and watch.

Like many kids that fell into Star Trek fandom, I identified with and idolized Spock.  There was something about that conflicted and, at times, tortured character that hit my sweet spot.  And I know I wasn’t the only one.

And yeah, like a lot of Spock fans, I shed a tear at the end of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan when Spock’s body was torpedoed with a giant ptui! into space near the Genesys planet.  (I also had a girlfriend around that time that bawled in the theatre when the Enterprise was destroyed in the atmosphere of the Genesys planet during Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.)

Fast forward far too many years to late February… I was  traveling to a race in Chattanooga, sitting in a Krystal in Clarksville TN having lunch, when my phone goes off.  My daughter sends me a message, asking if I was ok.  I had no idea what she was talking about.  And then she told me.

Leonard Nimoy died.

Frankly, that didn’t hit me as hard as I thought it would.  I mean, yeah, it sucked, but there was no question it was coming.  Advanced age and COPD aren’t exactly a great combination for long life and prosperity.  (See what I did there?)

A bit later, I heard about a virtual race with a Nimoy-themed medal, in honor of his life and his work on Star Trek, and benefitting the COPD Foundation.  I had to sign up.  And yesterday, I put in my miles for this virtual race.

It was a rainy, soggy day, drizzling when I started, and pouring by the time I finished.  I’m sure folks were staring at this lumbering goofball, trudging through the rain.  I waved at the cyclists as they sped by — we have a ton of them out here — and some actually waved back.  I mean, we were obviously both nuts from the same tree, being out in this crazy spring rain.

About four kilometers in, this very nice gentleman with a score of years on me, stopped on the very busy road on which I was traveling, and asked if I needed a ride.  I told him I was just out exercising, and thanked him profusely for stopping.

And that’s really it.  (Aside from the inherent irony of Creedence’s “Who’ll Stop the Rain” beginning to play on my iPod as the rain began to furiously come down about halfway through my journey.)  There’s still kindness and respect out there — cyclists waving, motorists stopping — and that, to me, is the wonderful discovery on this journey of running that I’ve undertaken.  I’ve had so much support and encountered so much decent humanity out there as I’ve logged my (generally) solitary miles… For the next race (also virtual), I’ll write more about that.

And I expect to continue racing and writing for some time to come.  I’m kinda addicted to the medals, the people, and this way of thinking.  I’m doing things that five years ago, I would never have believed I could do.  And I’m taking chances… I mean, I have my first 10K and a half marathon coming up this year.

What kind of nut am I?!?!?!  🙂

(BTW, the photo of me is from a “helmet dive” off the cost of Aruba a few weeks ago.  Seemed like a unique opportunity!)

Race Course
Live Long Memorial 5K
Running, Sports

Race #29 – Go! St. Louis 5K (virtual)

I’d originally signed up for this year’s Go last year, shortly after the completion of the 2014 race.  That was my best race last year, and (I think) the only race that I completed under fifty minutes.

Although I haven’t gotten my trip report up here yet, Darla and I took off on a cruise shortly after the Boots and Badges race at the end of March.  Unfortunately, this cratered my being able to do the Go, as we were in New Orleans getting ready to board Serenade of the Seas for two weeks at sea.  The folks at Go were amazing, and mailed me the shirt and medal while we were gone.  This was the fifteenth anniversary of the race, and I really wanted that medal!  (Imagine that!)

My intent had been to run this race virtually aboard ship, and earn my medal.  However, the track on Serenade is so short that it’d take NINETEEN circuits to travel five kilometers.  I’m not a fan of looping, so that didn’t hit me very well.  Add to that apparent wind speeds on the top decks that approach 100km/h, and suddenly that run didn’t look so appealing.

I also injured my foot somehow on the first day of the cruise.  While my right foot has given me trouble over the last year, this time, it was my left.  Ugh.  I hobbled about for a day or so until it got under control, but I didn’t want to tempt fate too much.

So, three weeks after the Go was run, I did mine.  My time was pretty slow, but I only walked, as I didn’t want to stress anything out in either foot.  Frankly, it went pretty well.  The temperature was very nice and comfy, until the clouds broke up.  The temp didn’t go up much, but the sun beating down on me really heated me up.

One thing that this pointed out was that I need to come up with a 5K course from the house that is easy to navigate.  I turned left and right, cut through parking lots, and had to watch the traffic far too much to enjoy this as much as I’d like.  But, any miles are good miles, so I’m happy to have gotten this one in.

I wish I had a bib for this race.  I’m scouring the interwebs for an image of the bibs from this year so that I can print one up for my bib book, but ’til then, I’ll take my medal, and be happy knowing that #29 is in the books.

BTW, there’ll be more virtual races coming this year.  The difference between a virtual race, and just training?  Everyone say it together…

A medal!

Race course:

Go! St. Louis 5K (virtual)