Saturday, September 26, 2009

Race #44 - Sugar Free 5K - Wilmington, DE - 20:35

Normally I wouldn't travel 90 minutes each way to run a little 5K, but since it was for a good cause, and I also got to see my daughter Leigh Ann. Leigh has been running since she started her second year at UDel and she requested I run this race with her. Bob's 50@50 is all about raising money for JDRF and this race was sponsored by many of the companies devoted to finding a cure. For those of you who don't know, Leigh was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was seven and has been dealing with it for the last 12 years. One way to keep it under control is to exercise which is another important factor for the 50@50.

The race started at 9am so it meant another early wake-up for me so the alarm was set at 5am which gave me about an hour for a shower, coffee and some food. I would get to Leigh's dorm at 7:45 and then we headed over to Wilmington which was 15 minutes away. When we arrived, we picked up our number and t-shirt and then took the customary 50@50 banner picture.


All of the vendor tables had to something to do with diabetes products or diabetes related issues. Leigh and I met John Schlee who worked for Medtronic which is the company we use for all of Leigh's pump supplies. John was also a runner and ran the race in a time of 22:56. John filled Leigh in about the latest updates on the line of Medtronics products.












The weather was perfect except for a slight breeze. The course took us out of the Christiana Care Center onto the roads then into Rochford park, which has a nice size hill. The other race I ran in Delaware in March also ran through the park so I knew I was dealing with that hill again. I pushed the pace and made an effort not to let anyone pass me as I tried to keep the leaders in sight. My plan was to run hard then double back to finish with Leigh. She was hoping to break 30 minutes and just missed by 4 seconds. She had to tie her shoes during the race so I guess she did not double knot them.

She was surprised that she came in first in her age group, but usually the 19 year olds are sleeping on a Saturday morning so sometimes you just need to show up. I knew I had a good chance to finish in the top 3 because the field was so small. I ran a good time so I was happy either way.

Afterwards Leigh and I headed back to Main street in Newark to grab breakfast at the The Post House. After filling up on pancakes and eggs, I said goodbye to Leigh and head back home. I will be back in Delaware in two weeks for parent weekend. I may sneak in another race if I can work it into our schedule.







Next up is the Army Ten Miler in Washington DC. I am meeting up with Brad Hunt and Dale Hoth. I have run a lot of good races this year but I think the ATM might be the best.



It is never to late to get in shape. Stop procrastinating, get out there.




















Monday, September 21, 2009

Race #43 - Philadelphia Distance Classic - 1:34:05



I made a rookie mistake today. I used new Asics that only had 7 miles on them and then tried to run 13.1. My old Brooks were wearing thin so I have been meaning to see the guys at The Running Company in Princeton, but was just to busy. I also decided to switch back to Asics which I used for many years. I was able to buy them just 5 days before the race and thought 2 days of running in them would break them in. Wrong!!!!!!!!



I have run this race the last 3 years and really enjoy it, but don't like the early wake-up. Race starts at 7:45 so it means I have to be on the road by 5:30 because with over 10,000 runners, you need to get in your corral early. John Liptak was doing the driving so he picked up Ken White and I at 5:30. We got into Philly at 6:40 which gave us about an hour to get ready. After a quick change into our running gear and a not so quick bathroom stop we headed over to the start.

John and I were planning on running together at a 7:15 pace and Ken was planning on running a 1:50. John and I were in corral #2 so we got going only 45 seconds after the elites. The initial pace seemed quick but John thought is was 7:45, but I knew it was quicker. Our plan was to go out in 7:30's for the first 2 miles and then gradually get to 7:15's. We hit the first mile in 7:08 and continued at sub 7:10's for the first 5 miles. It was faster than we wanted to go, but my legs and breathing was fine. My only issues was my feet, which were hurting because of the new shoes. It felt like I was developing blisters on the bottoms of both of my feet, but I knew it wasn't. The pain was under the balls of my big toes on both feet and I tried flexing while running to rid me of the discomfort. It seemed to go away for a bit, but hurt like an SOB the last 2 miles.

John and I ran together for about 9 miles but he pulled away and I had no answer. We held a the sub 7:10 pace for most of the race but when he pulled away I think I was running 7:20's for the last 3 miles. My time of 1:34:05 was the second fastest 1/2 marathon, second only to the 1:31 I ran in Virginia earlier this year.

John finished with a 1:33:20 and Ken with a 1:51:01. It was a perfect day for running. The temps were in the 50's at the start and by the finish the sun was shining and the ice foot bath felt great. My feet were fine after I took the shoes off so I am still not sure what the problem was.






We headed over to Jim's Steaks on South Street (which is where all the hippies meet) for our post race feast of Cheesesteak sandwiches. The steaks were average. I like Tony Luke's better.









Next up for me is a run in Delaware with my daughter Leigh. It is a race which benefits diabetes so I will make the 90 minutes to see and run with Leigh.



Reduce health care expenses, exercise 15 minutes per day.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Race #42 - Jimmy D 5K















The Jimmy D 5K is only 5 years old but this race gets a huge turnout, mainly because its a tribute to Fire Chief Jimmy D'heron and the hard work of his daughter Erin. Mr D'heron died fighting a fire five years ago and his daughter Erin works tirelessly to honor his memory. I never met the fire chief but he must have been a great man by the turnout of runners and volunteers.


It was a perfect day for a morning run, with temps in the high 60's. This was a huge change from my last few races which have been in heat and humidity of the summer. Most folks the last few days have been a little down because summer is coming to an end but I bet most runners don't mind. We get to run again in the cooler weather.









Today I ran 20:04 and was able to keep a good pace for the 3.1 miles. If it wasn't for me snapping a few pics along the course and the last hill, I would have gone sub 20. My first mile was 6:21 and I hit mile 2 in 12:50. I was happy with the time and now look forward to the fall running season. This course has sneaky hills and a quick finish on the track which I like because I also feel I have some speed left at the end and use the track as motivation.


It was great to see many of my running friends today. I think there must of been about 15 of my running buddies at today's race and many wore the official Bob's 50@50 t-shirt. After the race, I took advantage of the free beer and chatted for about an hour with friends.


I want to thank all who came out today to support Erin and join me in another great race. I don't have a race scheduled for next week but it's the anniversary of 9/11 and I would love to do one.


My next big race is the Philly 1/2 on September 20th.










Keep running and feel great.