2010 Race Results

To chart my progress I will post my results in this blog and update it with additional race information. I will also include links to compete results and information about the race, course, or anything else that's noteworthy.

Date	Race	Location	Time	Rank
12/4/10	Ten Mile Challenge	Tallahasee	65:54	13/180
11/20/10	Turkey Trot 15k	Tallahasee	61:25	19/464
11/20/10	Shriners Bradley's 5k	Tallahasee	19:07	1/70
11/13/10	Veterans 10k	Bainbridge	40:23	4/78
11/6/10	Deer Lake 5k	Tallahassee	19:43	6/135
10/30/10	FSU Cares 5k	Tallahassee	19:58	10/307
10/30/10	Celebration 5k	Tallahassee	19:59	5/94
10/23/10	Tri the Rez	Tallahassee	20:32	10/214
10/17/10	Columbus Marathon	Columbus, OH	3:30:02	704/4146
10/9/10	Pine Run 20k	Tallahassee	1:30:42	21/243
11/25/10	Prefontaine Trail 5k	Tallahassee	21:43	16/186
11/18/10	Women's Distance 5k	Tallahassee	19:39	94th/345
9/11/10	Sickle Cell 5k	Tallahassee	19:41	4/153
8/28/10	Miller Landing 8k	Tallahassee	34:19	17/168
8/21/10	Breakfast on the Track Mile	Tallahassee	5:30.75	28/191
8/14/10	Falmouth Road Race 7 mile	Falmouth, MA	47:08	295/
8/7/10	Coach Mike's Run 5k	Tallahassee	20:12	7/80
7/17/10	Bridge of Lions 5k	Tallahassee	20:01	21/506
7/3/10	Firecracker 5k	Greensboro	19:25	3/87
06/19/10	Melon Run 5k	Monticello	20:12	14/283
06/5/10	Potluck 4 mile 5k	Tallahassee	27:25	28/173
05/31/10	Gate to Gate 4.4m	Niceville	29:31	62/1803
05/15/10	Wakulla Springs 5k	Wakulla	21:09	24/355
05/8/10	Shriners Mothers Day 5K	Tallahassee	20:32	6/89
05/1/10	Tails & Trails 10k	Tallahassee	43:34	26/315
04/10/10	Palace Saloon 5k	Tallahassee	19:47	57/1214
03/27/10	Springtime 10k	Tallahassee	43:31	78/850
03/13/10	Gate River Run 15k	Jax, FL	1:07:09	471/13342
03/6/10	TRBC 10k	Tallahassee	44:13	20/136
01/27/10	Diabetes 5k	Tallahassee	21:04	14/217
01/21/10	Race Judicata 5k	Tallahassee	20:58	5/64
02/20/10	Flash 12k 5k	Tallahassee	53:31	38th/176
02/7/10	Tallahassee Marathon 5k	Tallahassee	3:43:54	74/233
01/23/10	Special Olympics 5k	Tallahassee	20:56	26/189
01/16/10	GWTC 30k	Tallahassee	2:42:28	43/90
01/9/10	Bowlegs 5k	Tallahassee	21:33	15/84

Where did I go? ! Update Time

Well- I obviously am not very good at blogging. I love to read them and comment but when it comes to actually updating my own, I'm terrible.

I think I left off in April so here goes a quick synopsis of some runs since then.

Palace Saloon 5k - 2010

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/29792875

What a great event. This event would mark 1 year since my first ever road race. I was determined to break 20 minutes for the first time. I started off quick and past mile 1 in about 6:09. Much too fast for me. I slow my pace to a more manageable 6:25. I felt pretty good until I reached the hill and could tell my pace was slowing. I pushed on and crested the hill. By this point I could pretty much see the finish line and blasted my way to a 19:47 PR. An excellent race although my friend had a seizure during the race. He would turn out to be just fine.

Tails & Trails 10k - May 1st, 2010

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/31861282

I had only completed one previous 10k race. This was a humid day on May 1st and would turn out to be a tough off-road race. A lot of the first mile was paved and I ran a 6:38. I died in the root-filled second mine and posted a 7:58! I tried to get things back on track and for the third mile ran a 6:50. Miles 4 and 5 were around 7:35 and my final mile was 6:48. I'm not sure why I struggled so much in this race. I think it was my lack of creating a plan. I was still able to place first in my age group despite a 43:35 finish. I was satisfied with my result given the difficulty of the course. It featured a lot of turns, mud, and lots of roots which kept my head on a swivel.

Marzuq Shriner's Mother's Day 5k - May 8th, 2010

I ran this just for fun. Okay the truth is I wanted to win a cake. That didn't happen. I got beat by a fellow age group competitor by 1 second. Oh well. It was a fun battle. Here is how it went. I started out in the front and ran 6:27 for mile 1. I had been battling either allergies or a head cold and that pace knocked me down. I slowed into the woods and posted 7:06 for mile 2. I still was in reach for the age group win as I battled Keith Gates (20:30) to the line. I finished just behind him in 20:31. I had nothing left so I was happy with my effort and placed 5th overall.

Wakulla Springs 5k May 15th, 2010

This was a challenging off road course that featured soft quicksand like terrain the first 1 mile or so. I wasn't feeling very fast on this day and posted a 21:09 finish time for 24th/355. Pretty terrible but they'll be days like this...

Gate-to-Gate 4.4 Miler - May 31, 2010

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35298110

This race my friend, Brian Davis, traveled to. A lot of Gulf Winds members made the trek to Niceville, FL to compete as a team in this annual event. The race takes place entirely on the Eglin Air Force Base. At the time this was one of my better races. Although it was very hot I ran, 6:26, 6:36, 6:46, 6:55, & 2:46. I got slower but was able to keep it all under seven minutes, my goal. GWTC when on to beat the multiple teams entered by NWFTC. A great party ensued by both clubs.

Time flies when your having fun...running

Wow- I cannot believe how much time has passed since my previous post. I have ran numerous races since. The main event was the Tallahassee Marathon. Here a quick synopsis to get somewhat up-to-date on the latest races.

February 7th 2010 - Tallahassee Marathon

This was my first marathon and I determined around mile 22 that I was completely unprepared for the distance. However, it was well worth it and I beat my goal of 3:45:00 by 1 minute and 1 second. It was a chilly morning in early February but I was very glad. I knew I would warm up quickly once I started running. I started off conservatively with a pace of around 8:15/mile. I kept this through 5-7 miles and then increased my pace slightly. I felt great through the half-marathon turn around point and made sure to drink Gatorade at almost every aid station. By mile 15 I still was running strong and was confident. The first signs of trouble came at the 18 mile point. My effort was slightly harder by the result wasn't a faster pace. By twenty miles I could almost sense the finish, only a 10k left! Well, those would prove to be the longest 6.2 miles of my life. I caught a friend of mine at mile 23 and tried to urge him to jog with me. He had started too fast and had to slow to a walk. He jogged with me for several yards before letting me pass. Mentally I was a wreck and my legs were just as trashed. I remember the final aid station at mile 25 and seriously wondering if I would be able to finish the race. Fortunetly, I did. It was quite the experience to say the least. I look forward to improving dramatically in my next full marathon.

February 13th, 2010 - Run for the Cookies

There was no way in hell I was going to run this race. Little did I know my running shoes for the Tallahassee Marathon were shot before I took my first steps. My knees were swollen for days and I really didn't start running for well over a week. However, I did take pictures at the Run for the Cookies and had a blast watching everyone compete for girl scout cookies.

February 20th, 2010 - Flash 12k

I started this Grand Prix event possibly a little too conservatively. I was unfamiliar with distance, it was quite an odd race. First mile was over 7 minutes and I was never able to make up enough ground. My finish time was 53:31 for a pace of 7:10/mile. I look forward to shattering this time next year. I placed 38th/176.

February 27th, 2010 - Stomp Out Diabetes 5K

Here is a race I probably should have skipped. I was over-tired and started the race way too fast. I crashed after a mile and a half. I finished with a 6:47/mile pace for 14th/217. The course was run at Tom Brown Park.

March 3rd, 2010 - Thomasville Road Baptist Church 10k

This was suprisngly my first 10k road race. I started out hard and on a hilly course through Betton Hills had to struggle to maintain my pace. The final mile was completley up-hill and I had to dig deep to prevent myself from unraveling. I finished 20th/136 in a time of 44:13. Good enough for 3rd place in my age group.

March 13th, 2010 - Gate River Run Jacksonville

One of my favorite races. Through the streets of downtown Jacksonville. Met a few fellow Gulf Winds members here and had a blast running with about 12,000 other athletes. I finished in 1:07:20 for a pace of about 7:15/mile. This was my first 15k and I placed in the top 10%.

March 21st, 2010 - Cody Climb 8k

I was late so I took photos of the Inaugural Cody Climb 8k road race in Southwood. I look forward to running it in 2011.

A lot more to come stay tuned.

Bowlegs 5k - Damn it's cold!

This was my first race since the Jacksonville Half-Marathon. This was also the coldest weather I'd ever raced in - you can tell by what I'm wearing. I'm usually one to wear the least possible as I tend to warm-up very quickly. However, it was about 26 degrees when this 5k started. It was held near the FSU Golf Course on a "rolling hills" course that was slightly more challenging than some of my more recent 5k races.
I started off moderately hitting the mile split at 6:40. I tagged along, side-by-side with another runner who seemed to have a similar pace. We ran almost a mile and a half together and passed two miles at 13:38. This was not going to be one of my fastest races, that was for sure. This realization grew even more true as the runner I was pacing pulled away and crested the final hill on the way to the finish. My pace, which had already slowed, grew even slower with a 7:12 3rd mile. I finished 15th overall with a time of 21:33. A lot of room for improvement in many facets of the race; starting to slow, fading in the second half, and having trouble with hills. More endurance training and speedwork on the track will hopefully remedy these issues.

*Above Photo Credit: Herb Wills
Herb's Bowlegs blog: http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/01/cox-switzer-winners-at-chilly-bowlegs.html

Jacksonville Bank Half-Marathon 2009

Wow. It has been a while since I last updated. Well, I have completed a number of events since my previous post. I participated in my second half-marathon on December 20th, 2009, the Jacksonville Bank Half Marathon. I had increased my mileage since my first half and felt more confident in my preparation for the 13.1m distance. I arrived early to Bolles School in south Jacksonville on a chilly Sunday morning. The temperature was about 44 degrees at the start, just perfect!
I began the race close to the front and my first mile was slightly faster than my goal pace. I had adjusted this by the second mile and felt pretty strong. Using my Garmin 405 GPS watch I could monitor my current pace, average pace and heart rate which is very beneificial, especially early in a longer race. But for those whose watches were less sophisticated 1st Place Sports provided clocks at almost all the mile marks. Using chip timing and my watch I'm able to review my splits. I reached the 5k point at about 23:18 and hit the 10k point at 47:05. By 10 miles I could sense the finish line but could definetly feel the distance and pace wearing on me. I cross 10 miles just over 1:16. Over the last 3 miles my pace faded. I continued to push toward the finish and crossed the line on the Bolles School track at 1:41:12.
Overall I was happy with my result. It was an excellent event by 1st Place Sports and I had knocked many minutes off of my previous half-marathon time. I intend to improve my late-race pace to avoid fading as bad as I did. I look forward to increasing my weekly mileage in order to improve my half-marathon even more.

Gulf Winds Ten Mile Challenge

The Gulf Winds Track Club Ten Mile Challenge is an annual event. It also includes the option to complete 5 miles by turning around at the 2.5 mile mark. This was an enticing option considering the cold and wet morning runners faced on December 5th, 2009. However, I had already committed to completing the entire 10 mile course.

I started out the race with roughly 170 other runners. For a ten mile run I started out quite fast for my level of endurance which up until this point was untrained and untested. Especially for a course that consisted of constant rolling hills. Gentle hills, but still hills! After settling into a more reasonable pace by mile two I had warmed up and was glad I had dressed appropriately. Intially, I felt strong and used my Garmin watch to pace myself. I discovered I was still feeling good at the half-way point and increased my pace slightly. This didn't last long with the hills and the realization that I still had 5 miles to go - I settled back to my more manageable speed.

Around mile seven I could sense I was tiring. Most likely from not running enough distance in the previous months and weeks. Training is key, and I wasn't ready. However, I continued to push toward the finish. Mile eight was also tough and the final hill on mile nine utilized all my fuel. Placing 23rd/117, I was satisfied with my time of 1 hr 16 min 56 secs. With future training aimed at longer and slow distance running, I'm certain I can knock minutes off of next years Ten Mile Challenge.