Just do it

Great race!  Rebecca and I showed up and got registered there.  It was really cold!  We then ran our warmup for about a mile.  Great times.  When the race started there was quite a lead pack.  I couldn't help but notice the guy running next to me breathing extrememly heavily.  I was hoping he knew the race was longer than a quarter mile.  After the start I stayed about 10 seconds behind the pack.  I tried to keep the gap somewhat small.  After a mile they began to space out which made things really easy for me.  I just moved up one by one from 5th to 2nd.  First place was a club runner from Mexico who finished at 17:10 so there was no way I was going to catch him.  I did beat the guy who beat me at Running with the Bulls though so I was happy with that.  Rebecca got first being 17 weeks pregnant!

Ran with the wifinator this morning and then we went and ate Rudy's breakfast tacos.  Loads of delicious fun.

I helped organize this race for our squadron.  I ended up being in charge of registration to include on-site registration which did not allow a very good warm-up or cool down for that matter.  The race actually ended up being a good one.  The course ran along our inside runway which is over a mile long.  It felt like a short 5k but the distance was right on.  I had one guy that was with me from the start.  About halfway through I decided to start to pull away because he sounded tired.  I was worried he was going to stay with me but luckily I created a gap and kept it until the finish.  It was a good race.  Rebecca beat all of my students being 5 months pregnant which was also awesome.  She got first in her age group.

I joined up with my squadron for an 8 man team on this race.  I did the run and the entire bike portion.  We actually did really well for not training together at all.  Good times.

For some reason I was thinking that this race was only a 5k.  When I showed up to register and realized it was a 10k also, I decided to go with that one.  Probably a horrible decision on my part for certain reasons but I figured it'd be fine.  I ended up going out really fast because I was following one of my fellow Del Rio competitors thinking he was also doing the 10k.  He then peeled off on the 5k route and I realized I had made an undesirable life choice by keeping pace with him.  I then just stayed behind another guy doing the 10k who went out really fast for his abilities.  I assume he was a high schooler.  A bit further down the road, another guy came panting up beside us and tried to pass.  My draftee decided he didn't want to let him pass (instead of just drafting off him like any smart racer would do) so they both sped ahead I hung back a bit.  About halfway through we lost the first guy and then a bit further along the leader was slowing down quite a bit so I finally passed him.  I was then on my own for the last half which was primarily uphill and it was above 80 degrees at this point.  Needless to say it was a horrible time for the last 3 miles.  I finished and my body was in distress.  I actually jumped in my car and drove to the gas station to get a gatorade down the road.  Way too hot.

Finally put together a plan to train for St. George so that's starting today.

I got up at 5:30 and ran for an hour by myself.  I came back and picked up Rebecca and Naomi in the stroller and we ran for an additional 1:15.  Might have been a bit more than 16 but I don't care.

PT test.  1.5 miles in 8:25.  Ran a bit too fast because my calf is all messed up.

Calves hurt real bad

Calves still hurt real bad.

Long run with Rebecca.  I got up just after 4:30 am and ran around for 1:30.  I picked up Rebecca and we ran with Naomi in the stroller for a little over an hour.  Don't know the exact mileage but it was 2:35 so probably just over 18.

Light recovery run  after Saturday's long run with Rebecca and Naomi.  Legs felt a bit sore but not bad.

South Padre Island out & back.  It was extremely horrible to say the least because I started at 6 am.  Hot and miserable.

My first 50-mile week ever!  Unfortunately my parents were here to babysit Naomi so we had to do the usual, I go, we go, you go routine.  On the positive side, a thunderstorm had rolled through and caused a significant temperature drop to the low 60s.  That made a huge difference.  I ran for 7, stopped back and got some GU and then ran 4 more.  I then pushed the stroller for the 9 remaining miles while running alongside Rebecca.  

Although the thunderstorms had passed, there was still rain we had to deal with.  It started raining pretty hard at mile 18.75 for me.  We had to take cover under a carport at the dorms.  Rebecca started running back and forth underneath.  I started runing in circles around it.  All the while Naomi continued to stay nestled in her little cacoon.  The pace was somewhere between 8 and 8:10.  I don't remember without looking at my watch.  Felt pretty good.

Fartleks.  Ran a mile warm-up followed by 3x1-mile fartleks with about 3-4 minutes in between each.  Pace of the speed work was about 5:50.  

Quite a race!  Rebecca and I had fun hanging out in the cold by the fire before it started.  Unfortunately, the race started a bit late.  I had to catch up to the pacer past all of the people.  

Felt great for the first 16 miles.  By about 18 I just wanted to cry a bit.  Fell behind the pacer by about that point and just had to hold on until the end.  I didn't think I was going to make the Boston qual but as I saw the finish line and looked at my watch, I thought that I was going to make it.  I picked up the pace and did!

e love this race!  This was the 4th time we've run this race and it's definitely the best course in Del Rio.  My last "race" was the Wingman Day Challenge at Laughlin.  Although I wasn't competing (because I didn't have a wingman) I still ran a quick pace.  Unfortunately I was beaten by another instructor here at Laughlin whom I had not yet raced.  I knew I had to redeem myself and this was my one chance since they were going to be at this race. 

Rebecca was willing to run with Naomi because she's amazing.  The weather and temperature were perfect.  Our pack of 4 were together for the first half of the race.  My main competition was a man named Vernon.  We were neck and neck until about the last mile and a half.  He started to fall back and I knew I had the race pegged.  I picked up the pace and maintained through the finish.  

This win meant a lot to me because I won the first year of the race as well.  The last two before this one I got 2nd.  Felt good to take this one again.

This was the 4th Turkey Trot we've done at Laughlin and we've always enjoyed them.  This year we had Naomi with us and since Rebecca was kind enough to allow me to race at Running with the Bulls, I was able to run with her.  Due to the lack of competition, I was still able to get first place.  My pace was about 6:30 so I was happy with it.  Rebecca came in 2nd overall and we both brought up some rather large turkeys.