Motivated to Succeed

7:00 PM - Overcast and temp in the high 50s.  A bit chilly for Emmy anyways. I drove her and Su to Saratoga because their new road bikes were ready! :D. Su is going to Florida tomorrow so could not go for a ride with us. Emma and I tested the bike out on our cement and on the driveway a few times. Then we embarked on a nice ride to the school and back. I think she needs a pair of biking shorts! She was a trooper though, and it was funny because she was grimacing and yelling as we went up "Horigan Hill" on the way back. The last 2 miles are all uphill fyi. I am very proud of her! Surprisingly no soreness in the legs after logging 185 miles last week! Highest mileage I've ever done!

Total Time:  47:22  Total Distance: 9.4 miles Average Speed: 11.8 mph

9:00 AM - Sunny and breezy. Cool at the start in the low 50s, but it warmed up quickly! I took Su down to Albany with Emma this morning to get her flight. My sister's going to Florida for a whole week! Lucky duck! Came back and crashed for an hour and a half, and then up and at 'em. Went biking north from my house (the hilly route) up into Barkersville and then on Fayville Road up to Edinburgh. Ended up biking all the way along the east side of the Sacandaga Resevoir (~5 miles), and then across the Bachelorsville Bridge. Then turned around and biked home. Saw a runner man. He said "Good morning to you !" and I returned the greeting. Also saw a power walking couple and said hey and the second time they said "Hello again! You're cruising!" It was hard biking in the wind. Huge hilly day though that's for sure. (3000 ft of ascent and descent as per my 5 mile increment laps). Splits were a bit slow but that's okay. Max speed only 40 today.  (22:15; 16:29; 17:31; 18:23; 18:38; 17:02; 6:48 (last 2.35 mi)

Got home right at about 11 and then went with Emma and my mom to the school and did a quick bike loop from the school before my mom had to run inside to do the school store duty. Felt bad because Emma's butt hurt from yesterday. I forgot how hard it is to get used to a road bike seat! But I found a comfy cushion for her to use today so hopefully that helped! We ended up doing 6 miles down Parkis Mills Road, up Crane, over to Donnan and then back down Sacandaga to the Elementary School.  (5.72 miles in 28:49)

Total Time: 2:26:00 Total Distance: 38.07 miles Average Speed: 15.6 mph

8:40 AM - Blue skies and sunny. Temp around 50-52. I decided that hilly miles were in order today. I biked up Barkersville Road to Fayville and then went all the way up to the north end of the Sacandaga Resevoir. Came back down into Barkersville and went up the mountain of doom and then down the far side, then home via Antioch Road and Rte. 29. Felt really good. Got a good sweat going. Legs are just a bit tired, probably from all of the miles last week. Wishing I had a race or something to look forward to. My brother asked me yesterday, "What's the point of doing all these miles if you don't even race anyone man?" Good point. (Max speed today was 41.4 mph). I really like the views up at the lakes though! Man is upstate NY absolutely gorgeous!

Total Time: 2:17:58  Total Distance: 38.75  Average Speed: 16.9 mph

7:30 AM - Sunny skies and temp above 50 so I went for it. Did a long ride. Was going to go farther but when I stopped at home to refill my water bottles Jonny and Kyle were there and about to leave to go meet my mom and Harry at Applebees. The scouts had a pancake fundraiser there this morning and we decided to get lunch there.

The ride today was fun. I went down into Charlton and then over to Saratoga, stopped at mile 28 for water at the springs (I'm cheap like that.) There was a tour group of Japanese men and women and I had to giggle as I was filling up my bottles with spring water and they tried the sulfur laced mineral water. Haha. Then I gave them directions to the Hall of Springs. Got a coffee and bagel at Borders and then biked home, went past my house and decided it would not be a true ride without at least one circuit of the hill of doom. I will now refer to this loop as the Widowmaker, a 7.5 mile ride of true hell. Three vicious uphills followed by 2 miles of the fastest downhills around. I am completely exhausted and yet still need to manage to do an 8 page proposal for tomorrow's class as well as prepare for a 15 minute presentation on a chapter I haven't read yet. Oops!

Funny thing was about 15 miles into the ride I saw the lead runners in the Tour de Cure ride (either 25, 50, 62, or 100 miles) for the American Diabetes Association. They were basically following my route only backwards, so I was swimming upstream. They actually weren't riding very fast and later on I ended up riding WITH them a bit on Route 29 and I was going a good 5-6 mph faster them! I am really anxious to find a bike race to enter! I want to see how I can do! Favorite quote from a cyclist going the other way was a lady that was waving at me furiously, "Other way man! Other way! You're going the wrong way!" I wanted to yell back "NO no. I'm poor and can't afford the 250 buck minimum entry fee! Sorry!!" I am also anxiously anticipating Century Ride #2. Should I do a point to point? Maybe I will follow their route! Heck, the numbers and arrows are still painted on the roads! I think that's just what I might do! Need one more decent long ride and then I'll have my confidence to gun for the next century!

Total Time: 3:16:57 Total Distance: 55.75 miles  Average Speed: 17.0 mph

1:30 PM - Very cloudy, rainy and drizzly. High humidity but temperature only around 62 or so. Not good bike weather. Emmy surprised me after class yesterday and she was here so we decided to drive to Saratoga and went to Spa Park to go running. Wasn't really sure what was going to happen. I've only done 1 or 2 runs since January when I rehurt my knee. It went really well though! :-D We started off and warmed up to the bathrooms, stretched, got some water from the fountain of natural spring water, then continued on the 5k course. Then did a .5 mile cooldown. I had ZERO PAIN IN THE RUN!! Except for the fact that my legs weighed a million pounds or felt that way. It's amazing how much different running is than biking! I am getting excited and hope that I can run a 1/2 marathon or something before the end of the year!  Splits were:

• Mile 1: 9:40
• Mile 2: 8:58
• Mile 3: 8:26
• .67: 6:06 (9:08)

Total Time: 33:12  Total Distance: 3.67 miles Average Pace: 9:03

REALLY HAPPY I DID NOT DIE TODAY!. At the end of a bike ride I was coming down my road and a cat was on the right side so I went to put on the brakes a bit thinking it'd run into the bushes. It was just watching me and then came back across the road towards me on the left. I slammed on the brakes and tried to swerve, but the cat went right under my front wheel. I tried to find the cat for five minutes but I don't know what happened to it. The front of my bike is totaled, but I am counting myself lucky to be alive. My sunglasses went flying like 15 feet, my helmet cracked in half, I hurt my knee, my right calf muscle seized up and hurts a lot, I have a 10" patch of road rash on my right quad/hip, and my right elbow is pretty bad. Add to that a ripped bike glove (Emmy's bday present to me) and effed up handlebars (including the new handlebar tape Emmy got me *sigh I am a crappy boyfriend) and today was not my day.

9:30 AM - Humid and temperature about 70 degrees. I went to Spa park after meeting with Mr. Morris, one of my cooperating teachers for student teaching in Schuylerville. He's really nice. Run went well except I fell and biffed at like mile 2. Someone driving stopped and yelled out : "Oh no! Are you okay! " I waved and smiled and said "Guess I should stick to biking!" How wrong I was there too.....

Total Time: 26:24  Total Distance: 3.10 miles  Average Pace: 8:31

11:00 AM - Got home and decided to do one of my small bike routes. Just a 26 mile loop I do a lot through East Galway and Charlton. Well the ride went really well except that in the last .5 miles, on my dead end road, I was coming down the hill going 25-30 mph. I was just going my normal speed, not pedaling. Then the incident with the cat. I yelled at it as it started to come towards my bike and slammed the brakes, but they skidded and the middle of the cat went under my front wheel. I flew through the air and did a half flip, landing on my right side. The front of my bike is totaled, but I am just glad I didn't die. I got really lucky. I'm a little shaken up, and just sad because I had to call Emmy and tell her that I can't make our bike date on Sunday. *sigh. But at least she still has a fiance if that's any consolation! Had to walk home and called my mom to come check me out. I don't think I have to go to the ER.

Total Time: 1:29:57 Total Distance: 25.69 miles Average Speed: 17.1mph

8:50 AM - A really smart woman once told me : "There are always setbacks when you are achieving greatness." Fortunately for me, I get to talk to that young lady each and every day. Today it was sunny and there were those tiny little puffball clouds that look like folded mashed potatoes in the sky. I got up early at 6am because my brother had ACTs and my sister Su had one of her certification tests for school too. I headed to the track and stretched. There was an older lady walking on the track and I said "Good morning! How are you!" She said, "Oh fine, fine! You make me remember my youth! Nice to see young people enjoying the out of doors!". I smiled and she made it a good run. I ran in lane 6 all the way on the outside and about halfway through my run I noticed something moving along the fence. It was a 30lb snapping turtle!!! I made sure not to get too close. I guess today was the tortoise vs. the snapping turtle. I felt pretty good though during the run. My right calf muscle is still a bit tight. That was the one that seized up as I flew over the handlebars the other day. Thankfully my other injuries and my sore neck didn't affect my jogging. Maybe because I was standing upright and not bent over the bike. I'm anxious to get back out there on the roads though, but my dad said he wants me to take some time off. I'm still really lucky I didn't get seriously hurt or worse. Finished with a cooldown mile on the big nature trail at the school. Felt good to get another run in. No aches or pains aside from the ones associated with this week's bike crash. Splits were:

• Mile 1: 8:37
• Mile 2: 8:05
• Mile 3: 7:14
• Mile 4: 9:37
• .1: :53 (8:55)

Total Time: 34:27  Total Distance: 4.10 miles Average Pace: 8:24

2:00 PM - Sunny and humid; Temp in the mid 70s. Wanted to try to go back on the bike for the first time since the accident but didn't for two reasons. First and most importantly, my parents didn't think it was a good idea. Second, I got called into work. I never work Sundays! :( Grrr. Spent most of the morning trying to get school work done. It's just so hard to concentrate on school work in the summer! Less than two weeks though until I'm done! Went to the nature trails at the school. Did a couple laps on the track and then hit the trails. Felt good. I don't know but I think I ran more than my Garmin said I did only because I didn't change strides or anything and when I was running between the trails on the field I was averaging 8:00-8:30, but then I'd get on the trail and it would say 10:00. I won't guestimate mileage though. Better to underestimate I suppose. Have a great day everyone!

Total Time: 28:23  Total Distance: 3.0 miles  Average Pace: 9:26

5:30 PM - Some bad thunderstorms today going through Albany and Saratoga Counties. Really feeling the "crunch time" trying to get everything done for my summer class with only one week left. I really don't think it's going to happen. Not getting the grades I need to achieve "mastery level" is frustrating. Add to that the fact I am working 4-5 days a week and that makes for some stress. I decided to go to Emma's after school today because I haven't seen her in over a week. She looked up some nature trail in Great Barrington for us to go running on so we drove about a half hour to Great Barrington, MA. Along the way in Stockbridge we saw all this white stuff on the road. I said it was probably pollen because of the huge downpour. But Emma said No, it's got to be snow! We pulled over and sure enough it was hail... lots of it. The most I've ever seen actually. And it was weird because it was only in this one part. Emma got out of the car and I took her picture. I only had my phone though. There was an even bigger section of it across the road but some lady was already over there. Still it's amazing when you think about it in mid June seeing this much ice fall from the sky!

SNOW IN JUNE?! IT REALLY IS CHRISTMAS!

When we finally got to Great Barrington we went to the Housatonic River Walk. Only it was somewhat disappointing. Only about .10 miles long. And there was a sign that said "Warning: No biking, no roller blading, no running". No running? Screw that! We ran! We are such lawbreakers. Then we went and did a loop through the village and down past this castle looking thing, and then back through the village. It is a nice village, but very rundown. It used to be a manufacturing center but as with most industrial cities after 1950 things went downhill. It was nice to have a lovely jogging partner though as I very rarely have anyone to run with.

Total Time: 31:44 Total Distance: 3.42 miles Average Pace: 9:17/ mi

8:30 AM - 56 degrees, rain and 95% humidity. I don't know why but there's something about running in the rain that I like. Maybe it's the challenge. Or the fact that 99% of runners hate running in the rain that makes it so appealing to me. I got up and had a cup of coffee and then drove to the track and stretched. Started jogging. Felt really good. Was a wise move to take 2 days off. It will be hard to hold back to 3-4 days of jogging a week. Must remember slow and steady buildup. Ran a 5k (24:08 [7:46/mi]) and then stretched again and then a half mile cool down. No pain. I can feel the legs adjusting to the running again.  Splits were:

• Mile 1: 8:20
• Mile 2: 7:41
• Mile 3: 7:23
• .63: 5:27 (8:42)

Total Time: 28:53 Total Distance: 3.63 miles Average Pace: 7:58

6:50 AM - Wet, soggy, rainy, humid. There was a cute old couple at the track. When I showed up it looked like they were racing. I think the guy let his wife win. :) I stretched and hit the trails for a recovery run. It was very muddy and everything was soaked! Still I had a blast! It's so fun to run in the rain!

Total Time: 22:10 Total Distance: 2.05 mi  Average Pace: 10:49

To everyone else like me that is battling injuries and trying to stay optimistic: Stay calm. Keep the faith. Maintain your optimism. Don't let anyone tell you "no" or "you can't". Runners are a tough stock. We take no timeouts. We run at dawn, at dusk, and at all hours in between. We make our own rules and play hardball 24/7. You guys and gals are the greatest and you have changed my life. So when you think the world has stacked it's cards against you, remember you are a runner. We are all runners choosing our paths through life, whether it be roads, canalways, trails, mountains, tracks, or 'dread'mills. We are all in this together. And yes we can do it!

3:15 PM - Happy Father's Day! Got up and went to church with the family, then we went out to the local volunteer firehouse across the street where we sat down to a pancake breakfast with my dad. My dad loved his presents. We got him an orange iPod nano and I got him a DVD set of the three stooges. Then we went down to Scotia to a car show. It was so cool to see all the old cars! We even saw a 1967 Aqua Car thing which was awesome! Very hot and humid though. Mid 70s and humidity at 95%. What do you know... when Jonn and I decided to drive to Saratoga to run at the trails it DOWNPOURED! Rain for about the seventh or eighth day in a row. Not good biking weather at all.

Warmed up with Jonn down to the bathhouse and I filled a water bottle. Stretched. Ran the 5k course with him (Mile splits were: 8:56, 8:29, 8:03). Then did a cool down 1.15 miles in 10:30. Felt really good, minus the weird pain behind my right knee. It only really happens when I stretch before/after a run or extend my right leg completely so that the knee is locked. The pain is right where my hamstring connects to the back of my knee. It's interesting because comparing my leg to Jonn's, I have several biker's muscles that he doesn't have, despite being so muscular! At the end I was very wet and muddy. Having dinner with the family and then printing off my FINAL RESEARCH PAPER and heading to Emmy's to drop off her road bike for her! :-D

Total Time: 36:00 Total Distance: 4.15 miles Average Pace: 8:41

5:00 PM - Cloudy and humid. Temperature in the 70s. After class today, I went with my friend Sal and I bought him a Guinness. I felt bad because he's been in the program as long as I have. He's working just like me and even though I just handed in my final project, he was told to work on it some more before Wednesday to get it to the "mastery" level that the professor holds us accountable for. 

After school I drove to Emmy's and we got changed and drove to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. Stretched and started off slow. Did a very nice jog on the trail, despite it being really windy and it looking like it was about to storm on us! Felt good. My right hip and knee are still a bit sore from the fall though. Most of the bruising is gone, but I think where the bones hit on the pavement will be sore for a little while longer. Finished with a "cool down" that Emmy hated me for. Did some striding out during the last mile that ended up reaching the 5:30/ mile pace. Felt good. Stretched afterwards. I truly have the greatest fiancee ever. She makes the runs that much easier! Splits were:

• Mile 1: 9:35
• Mile 2: 9:45
• Mile 3: 9:04
• Mile 4: 8:56

11:00 AM - Sunny, blue skies for the first time in over a week! So tired of the rain! All the rivers and streams are so overflowed. After waking up and getting coffee and tea and a yummy English muffin with egg whites, Emmy and I went for a bike ride on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. The plan was to bike on the trail to Adams, MA and then continue on to North Adams (about five miles up the road). We nixed this idea because traffic was bad, it was crazy humid, and the roads were just not safe with the wind and traffic to be biking. So we turned around, stopped in Adams to eat an apple, and then continued home on the bike trail. So many other bikers and roller bladers out today! 

Some of the highlights of today's ride:

1. I got to go biking with Emmy.

2. Saw a woman wearing crazy go nuts MOON BOOTs (essentially roller blades with the treadmills that are on machine equipment attached to the bottom of them!)

3. Cute little snapping turtle and a bigger painted turtle out on the trail. Moved the snapping turtle, with a stick though because even though it was tiny I'm sure it packed a punch!

4. Lady in flourescent green approached us at about mile 22 and warned us of a big black bear that was on the bike path up ahead. We waited until we saw bikers approaching from that direction, and made a pact to talk loudly to let the bear know we were there and hopefully avoid any unnecessary confrontation!

5. Emma finished the longest bike ride she's ever done! And did it pretty much pain free. Legs felt good it was the shoulder that hurt.

6. Spending time in the great out of doors with the love of my life.

7. Almost had another bike accident today; Heard Emma yell "Watch out! Snake!" Looked down just in time to see a garter snake going schizo. I went off the trail and had to fight to stay upright. Then also almost hit a couple birds. I tell you the animal kingdom is looking to get back at me with a vengeance for my run in with the poor little kitty. :(

Total Time: 2:20:25  Total Distance: 28.32 miles Average Speed: 12.1 mph

2:00 PM - Humid, sunny, and disgusting. I hate the northeast. Biked to and from my car to the campus because I didn't trust people in Albany. Didn't want to leave my bike unattended. Curious incident: Bike was fine when I loaded it, but between the car ride from Albany to Middle Grove (45 mins) all the air in my front tire was let out. I changed the tube, and ran my finger inside the tire and all, but not sure why the flat. Just pumped up the replacement. Will check on it in the morning to see what it looks like.

9:15 AM - Sunny, blue skies. Incredibly muggy and temperature already high 70s. Predicted temp of 89 today. Virtually 100% humidity. I was sweating just walking to the car this morning. Ick. Went to Spa Park in Saratoga with Jonn. We went for a run. Really great run today. Did warm up to the bathhouse. Got water from the natural spring, stretched, then continued on, running on trails and roads. At the end Jonn held my water bottle and keys while I worked on my form. I have horrible running form and usually run with my arms out instead of going forward and back. I think it has to do with my bowleggedness. Just how I learned to balance myself. But made an agreement with Jonny that I will work on better form. Going to do every cool down focusing on form. Hopefully some of it will translate into my runs. No pain in the knee or legs afterward! Went and got my car's oil changed. What a rip off. I have to remember to go to the mechanic in Massachusetts. They seem very more reasonable both in character and prices! Splits were:

• Mile 1: 8:47
• Mile 2: 8:27
• Mile 3: 8:50
• Mile 4: 8:30

Total Time: 36:08  Total Distance: 4.2 miles Average Pace: 8:36/ mile

I don't really know why, but had a scary inkling to jump onto the scale today before work, and had a very real and humbling experience. Today was the first time, ever I have weighed 200 pounds. I don't get it though. Everyone says I don't look like I've gained any weight. Are they just lying? And I don't feel super fat. Yes, most of my clothes fit a bit snugger than usual, but I feel strong when I run and everything. 200 pounds. This is not cool. I am going on a diet. First foods to get axed: BAGELS.

"There is no such thing as bad weather, just soft people."
- Bill Bowerman -

8:55 AM - Temperature was 74 and humid. Sunny. Wanted to get a run in before the horrible storm hit. Got done just in time too. Thunder and lightning. Not cool. But got my run in. Went to the track and ran a warmup lap and hit the small and big nature trails (Small one = ~.25 miles, Big one = .6 miles). I like running on the nature trails for a few reasons. 1. It breaks up the run, 2. It's fun, 3. Not many other people run on the trails and it gives me time to meditate, 4. I like to be different than most people. In all honesty I probably did more near 3.25 or 3.5 but I'll be consistent and go with what the garmin says since I don't know for sure. Splits were:

• Mile 1: 10:26
• Mile 2: 10:24
• Mile 3: 10:07

Total Time: 31:00 Total Distance: 3 miles Average Pace: 10:20

Found this in Amby Burfoot's The Principles of Running, p. 15: "Set realistic goals and reach them. Don't go for records. Aim for results that will bring you maximum satisfaction." (I would say today qualifies as success. Nothing beats running in the rain and running with your younger brother!)

7:30 PM - Worked at the Jazz Festival at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) all day for work. We are selling cds by the artists that are playing there. Worked until 530 or so and then walked to the car. Lots of interesting people today. I have to admit I love to people watch. You always learn new things, and usually see behaviors that thankfully are below you :). Was hot and humid all day, raining on and off. I was very happy to have the tent to work under. We sold a lot of umbrellas which we brought last minute to go with the cds. Got home and had dinner, and was setting down to watch the John Adams HBO series that I got for Christmas. Finally have time to watch it! I absolutely love it! Got a text message from Jonn that asked, "Wanna go for a run". One of my rules of running is never turn down an opportunity to lace up shoes and hit the roads or trails. So I laced up and went to the track. We went running on the nature trails and of course it started to pour on us. I noticed that most of the time when I was running we were going 8:00-8:30s on the flats but then of course GARMIN lost signal and these dropped to 10:00s. So odds are I ran closer to 3.5 miles or more I suspect. Splits according to watch were:

• Mile 1: 9:53
• Mile 2: 10:22
• Mile 3: 8:52
• .27: 2:16 (8:23/mile)

Total Time: 31:24 Total Distance: 3.27 miles  Average Pace: 9:36

"The guys in the '70s didn't know enough to worry about pronation and supination; that fancy running-store jargon hadn't even been invented yet. Their training was primitive as their shoes. They ran way too much. 'We ran twice a day, sometimes three times,' Frank Shorter would recall. 'All we did was run - run, eat, and sleep.'...They were so ignorant, they didn't even realize they were supposed to be burned out, overtrained and injured. Instead, they were fast, really fast."

 p. 93 of Christopher McDougall's Born to Run

Tomorrow is my first race since January 1, 2008. I don't have any goals but to finish with a smile on my face and to have a blast doing it. I am just so glad to be back to running. I think this quote stuck out to me as I read it earlier this week because I think today we think and overanalyze at times our training and racing, when really we could do a lot to learn from the greats of the 70s and early 80s. They ran because they liked it. They didn't worry about following training programs and spending buckets on fitnesswear, gps watches, etc. In truth they weren't invented yet, but besides that they were minimalists. They ran because they felt like it. I hope to capture their drive in my training. Run for the moment. Run from the heart. And run because you truly want to.

Here's to tomorrow's trail 5k race. Can't wait!!!

6:15 PM - Temperature was 78 and sunny, with high humidity. I was anxious about today's race because it's the first race I've done in 18 months since my New Year's half marathon in 2008. I won't lie. I had butterflies in my stomach as I changed and laced up into my racing attire. Jonny came with me. With an entry fee of $4 (most of which goes to benefit the Wilton Wildlife Conservation effort) how could you NOT go run through a hilly, muddy, obstacle-laden course?! Man I was so looking forward to today! Picked up my friend Jonathan in Saratoga on the way and could tell he was stoked too. The three of us got there about 35 mins before the race started. We went and signed in. Very low key race so we don't have bib numbers or anything. You get your finishing time on an index card and you write your name and age on there afterwards.

Warm up:  Did a short .5 mile warm up in 4:33 (9:40 pace) with Jonny and Jonathan. Felt pretty good. Feet were a little sore form two days of being on my feet all day at the Jazz festival. Got back to the starting area and stretched out. Saw my seventh grade English teacher. :). Stretched and got in the back of the back of 65 or so runners I'd estimate. I didn't want to be over zealous. Decided that I would hang in the back, and work my way up.

THE RACE!:

Mile 1: (8:12) - Started dead last right next to Jonathan. We started talking as we jogged off on our adventure. Within 200 m there are two somewhat substantial climbs and people were already dropping back to us and walking up the hill. We pressed on and he told me, "Benn, since you're more experienced with this stuff and since this is my first race I'll let you do the pacing." I tried to step up to the cause. All the miles and hours I've logged on the bike have certainly helped me develop metronome-like cadence when it comes to pacing. After two hills it opened up to a flat and the trail was pretty sandy. I love this course because it has everything: hills, roots, water hazards, dirt, mud, embankments, logs and stumps! Having a blast at this point.

Mile 2: (8:12) - Jonathan and I parted ways. He went off to chase down Jonny and/or several lovely young ladies that had been running in front of us. I tucked into a group of 4 runners. Let them set the pace a bit. Was starting to feel the heat and humidity, especially as mile 2 is predominantly all uphill. Kept cool and collected though. It was nice to be in the moment.

Mile 3: (8:17) - Right before the start of mile 3 the route crosses the road and you enter what I consider the best part of the course. There are a couple more hills, but then the last .5 miles is all downhill. At one point you are literally turning head over heels it's so steep. I saw two runners up ahead and set my eyes on them. I picked off the man first. He seemed to be slowing. Perhaps I was speeding up though. A cheetah on the prowl!. The lady in pink was next. Caught her at the bottom of a downhill. Weaved my way through the woods and got to the last huge downhill section, only it is single track and I got caught behind a guy. Followed him until the dam at the end of mile 3, and sprinted in for the finish. He later apologized for not moving over to which I said, "Hey! You beat me to the top of the trail fair and square. Besides you paced me for the last half mile!" He smiled :).

.12 (:47) 5:38 pace - Kicked it in across the dam, up and to the right, through the flags. A couple people were cheering. Ran all the way to the tape, thinking that someone might come up behind me. Ended up in 21st place (of 66 total runners) in a time of 25:25!!! Going into the race I had hoped 27:00 with a good performance of 26:00.  My time was awesome! They say to add 10-20% to your road time for the 5k because it's so hilly and all the obstacles. I had such a blast and am happy that this shows good things are to come!

Total Time: 25:25 Total Distance: 3.12 miles Average Pace: 8:08 / mile

Cool Down: After getting a drink of water I went with Jonny (13th place) and Jonathan (15th place) up to the 2 mile marker via the road so that we could retrieve Jonny's shirt. I joked that Jonny was trying to impress the ladies too by taking his shirt off. He said, "Yeah right. The only people around me were old hairy men!" Jogged back down to the finish line and watched the raffle. They always have cool useful stuff (i.e. pringles, popcorn, lint roller, fly tape, bug spray) stuff that real people need. Had a true blast today! Total cooldown was .72 miles in 7:08 (9:52 pace).