Posts

The Start of the 2015 Carol Marsh Kids to Camp 5k

The 2015 Carol Marsh Kids to Camp 5k

This past weekend, I ran in the 3rd Annual Carol Marsh Kids 2 Camp 5k.

I’ve run the race each of the past 3 years, and last year I actually won the race, so I was technically “defending my title” this year.

This race is a fundraiser for the Neighborhood Ministries of First UMC here in Lakeland to help send kids to summer camp that couldn’t otherwise afford it. And since my wife is the director of Neighborhood Ministries, there is a pretty good chance I’ll keep running this race on an annual basis.

I had low expectations for myself going into the race, as I’m in way worse shape than I was last year, so I knew a PR was out of the question. Instead of worrying about my time, I was going to run more strategically, and really race the other runners in an attempt to win the race for the 2nd straight year.

The Start of the 2015 Carol Marsh Kids to Camp 5k

Crazy at the start, but Bailey is ready to RUN!

At least until the race started. Read more

Reflections from Another 5k Season

Well I’m glad that’s over.

Another 5k season is thankfully winding to a close, and I for one, couldn’t be happier.

I know that some people love the 5k, but it’s easily my least favorite race distance. Maybe it makes me sound like a wuss, but the 5k is really nothing but pain and agony. A not quite sprint, but nowhere near comfortable, 20ish minute run.

No thanks. Give me 26.2 miles instead of those nauseating 3.1 any day of the week.

IMG_2828

Photo by The Wife

Lessons Learned this 5k Season

Read more

Going Forward

Hey guys.

It’s been a little while. I hope this post finds y’all doing well, and that your 2014 running goals are progressing nicely.

Speaking of which, I need a reboot. Not only am I failing miserably on my 2014 running goals, but my plans for being more active on this website aren’t doing so well either. Remember my post from the beginning of the year? Here are a few of the highlights:

Run 1500 Miles

More Blog Giveaways

More Guest Posts on the Blog

More Foam Rolling/Yoga/Icing

 

About those. I’m 0-4 thus far.

And I’m not even near 1500 mile pace.

No Sense Looking Back

I may not be where I want to be in terms of this blog and growing my site. But looking back and getting upset about it won’t help me to get where I want to be.

So it’s time to look forward. And here are some things I’m seeing.

  • Regular Posts–I miss writing about running and interacting with you guys. So I’m going to commit to posting every Wednesday on here. I’d love to do more, but with how busy I am with DK FitSoltuions right now, I know I can’t commit to more. So for now, every Wednesday I’ll be posting something running related.
  • New Site Layout–I’m thinking about adding some new things here, and I’ll need more control with the layout and the functionality of the website. So sometime this summer, probably June/July, I’ll be switching some things up with the website. I’ll keep you posted as I get closer to an actual switch.
  • Podcasts–Something I’ve been doing lately at DK FitSolutions is podcasting, and I’m loving it! My show, Better Health 101, airs twice a week and I get a chance to encourage folks to take control of their health. Well, I’m having so much fun podcasting that I want to bring on to this site as well. I’m still working the details out in my head, and it will likely be a completely different format from what I’m doing now, but I’m leaning toward a July 1 launch for a running show. I’m thinking about calling it “Diz Runs With…” and interviewing different celebrity/professional runners. Think you might want to listen to something like that?
  • 2014 Mileage–I’m still shooting for 1500 miles, but I’m not going to be stupid about it. After I finish the Blue Ridge Marathon in a few weeks, I won’t have any big races on my calendar. So I’ll try and pick up some miles in May and June, but with a baby due in July, 1500 might be unattainable. I’ll keep you posted.

Well, this is my story and I’m sticking to it.

2014 has (so far) been a really good year, I just haven’t gotten as much done on here as I’d have liked. But I’m going to get back in the saddle, and you’ll be hearing from me again next week.

Good to be back, y’all.

Who Would You Like for Me to Interview on My Podcast?

I’d Love to Hear Some Suggestions!

Carol Marsh Kids 2 Camp 5k 2014

So this past weekend was the 2nd annual Carol Marsh Kids 2 Camp 5k at First UMC here in town. Seeing that my wife not only works at the church, but that a lot of the kids in her program are able to go to summer camp because of the proceeds of this event, I was obviously running this event again this year.

While I still have a serious hatred for 5k racing, I do enjoy this race for the simple fact that it is not around Lake Hollingsworth like just about every other 5k in town.

So since the race is on a different course, and it’s for a good cause, I went ahead and signed up for the race.

When I was picking up our bibs and goodie bags the night before the race, the ladies that organized the race were already congratulating me on winning this year’s race. I tried laughing them off, but they were certain I’d win after placing third last year. One even said that my only real competition was injured, so I was in pretty good shape to win.

What they didn’t know was that my plan for race morning was to get up early, head into town, and knock of 8-10 miles BEFORE running the 5k. Seeing as I’m only about 7 weeks out from the Blue Ridge Marathon, I need a lot more miles than just 3.1 on a Saturday.

Well, after oversleeping by about an hour on Saturday, I decided to forgo the long run opportunity, and just run the race instead. So I grabbed Bailey, and headed to the church. We got there with enough time for her to do her “thing” and me to get about a mile warm up in, and headed to the start line.

As the race started, there were a handful of kids that basically took off in a sprint. I tried to keep Bailey from going crazy with all of the kids, and we just focused on getting off to a good start. Once the kids dropped off, all of about 1/4 mile into the race, we settled into a groove behind the bike that was leading the way.

20140312-144500.jpg

Bailey and I Were So Fast, This is The Only Evidence of Our Victory!

After the first mile, things were feeling pretty good, and B had stopped going crazy like she does at the start of every run, so we kept at it. We had done the first mile in 6:28, so I knew we were moving pretty good, I just hoped I didn’t go out to fast and could maintain this pace for the rest of the race.

As we blew past the second mile, I thought for a minute that I might actually have a chance at a new PR. I set a PR in last year’s race, but had blown it out of the water a few times during the Watermelon Races last summer. And since I’d really only been doing marathon training, not 5k training, I didn’t think there would be a chance I could touch my 20:21 in this race. But as we were coming around the corner with less than a 1/4 to go, it was actually possible.

When we got to the finish line, I checked the time. 20:24. Not quite a PR, but a good 30 seconds faster than I thought I would be. I was surprised, since there were no other runners around us for the entire race. Of course, I did have miss thing pulling me!

Last year, finishing 2nd in my age group won me an awesome plate decorated by one of the kids in the Neighborhood Ministries Department at the church. This year, the kids decorated some coffee cups. (Somebody in NM must know me well!)

Photo on 2014-03-12 at 14.36So now, I’m almost looking forward to next year’s race. I mean, I’ve got the plate and the coffee cup. What’s next, silverware? Soup bowl?

I guess I’ll just have to wait and see!

 

The Red Ribbon Half Marathon

This past weekend, Lakeland hosted the first half marathon to take place in Polk County.

The Inaugural Red Ribbon Half Marathon was put on by the InnerAct Alliance, a non-profit group dedicated to preventing substance abuse, particularly with kids.

As a resident of Lakeland, it was awesome to be able to run a half marathon in town. But to be able to do so while supporting a local organization that provides a great service to our community made the race even more special.

The Course

When rumors started to swirl last spring about a half marathon being run in Lakeland, course layout possibilities were flying all over the place.

The problem that most people seemed to agree upon was finding an enjoyable 13.1 mile course that wouldn’t create too many problems with closing some of the major roads in town. The organizers settled on a course that ran through some of downtown and the neighborhoods south of Lake Hollingsworth.

I’d say they chose well.

The course, in my opinion, was very fair. There were 4 or 5 legitimate (for central Florida) climbs that tested your strength and your mental toughness. Though it was labeled by many as a tough and hilly course, there were lots of people that PR’d in the race. So to me, if you did the training you were rewarded. If you didn’t train, you struggled. If that’s not a fair course, I don’t know what is.

How I Did

In short, I ran this race exactly how I hoped I would.

Since this was the first race of my double, I knew I couldn’t go all out to keep up with my fellow pack runners. Instead, I had to focus on running my race and giving myself a chance for two half marathon PRs in one day, which was the goal.

Coming into the Red Ribbon Half, my current PR was 1:53:18. If I could average an 8:37 mile for the entire race, I’d be able to just undercut my PR without wearing myself out during this first race.

I targeted an 8:35 overall pace, so I’d have a little wiggle room if needed.

When the gun went off, I tried to just settle in and enjoy the beginning of the race. I really didn’t do any type of warm up before the race, so that’s all I was using the first mile for. I glanced at my watch a couple of times, but really wasn’t worried about my speed. I was getting passed by a good number of runners during that first mile, but I just tried to stay relaxed and concentrated on settling into a rhythm.

After the first mile, I picked the pace up a little bit and tried to stay around 8:40 or so. My plan for the race was to not worry too much about my overall pace until I made the turn onto Hallam. Instead, I’d keep an eye on my current pace, which I knew would bounce around between 8:15 and 8:45. At Hallam (about 4.5 mile mark) I was planning on checking my average pace on my Garmin and adjusting the pace as needed.

I made the turn onto Hallam with an overall average pace of 8:43, which was about what I was shooting for, really. With a little less than 9 miles to go, I knew I had plenty of time to make up for the controlled start of the race, but if I waited until I only had a few miles left it would tough to make up the required time.

It was go time.

From this point on, I didn’t get passed by another runner for the rest of the race, except for when I stopped at water stations. I just dug in, trusted in my training, and kept chugging along. By the time I got to mile 9, I was back down to an 8:35 pace which put me right where I wanted to be. As long as I could maintain it for the last 4 miles, which included two legitimate (for Lakeland) hills, I’d secure my first PR of the day.

With a mile to go, I knew I was good. I still had one hill to climb, but I stopped to get a drink of water at the last water station. After finishing my water, I started up the hill and passed more than a few fellow runners that were starting to fade. From the top of the hill, there was about 1/4 of a mile left, that was all slightly downhill. I dialed back my pace, as I knew I was able to, and coasted to the finish line.

Almost to the Finish Line--Photo by Dave Q.

Almost to the Finish Line–Photo by Dave Q.

1:52:58 on the clock. PR, no question.

Chip time ended up being 1:52:52. I’ll take it. Average pace, 8:33.

Race one of the day-completed in a new PR, albeit only slightly.

But that was by design.

If I had any hope of keeping my half marathon PR streak alive, I knew I needed to take this first race a little bit easy and hope I’d have something left for the night race at Disney.

Before I get ahead of myself though, I want to give a shout out to my beautiful wife for running her first half ever. She took a little longer than she had hoped, but she toughed it out like a champ and finished strong.

Me and Bek--Photo by Nina W.

Me and Bek–Photo by Nina W.

She’s a baller. Love you, babe!