St Jude Marathon that wasn't (or was?)

St. Jude Marathon Weekend was cancelled due to inclement weather. That didn't stop me from completing my 26.2 mile run that I was prepared for! 

The weather was about 20 with a wind chill a lot colder. I wore 2 long sleeved compression shirts, my Nike running jacket, St. Jude singlet, 1 pair of gloves, 1 pair of convertible mittens, Nike Pro Combat compression shorts, Nike Pro Combat compression tights, Nike running tights, Nike running shorts, Nike headband, Under Armour Skullcap, a pink beanie, technical running socks, and Nike Pegasus 30. I consumed two bags of Gu Chomps (watermelon), Gu Energy Gel (salted caramel), and lots of water.

I don't recall hitting a wall but it got a little tough around mile 21-23. I finished and immediately got in the car to drive home with Becca and Andrea. I was sore for the rest of the day and loosened up a bit on Sunday and  Monday. I feel pretty good to do a short 2 miler tonight! 

I plan on signing up for the RnR New Orleans Marathon which is on February 2. I did the half last year so it will be good to go back and conquer the rest of the course! It will be my first "official" marathon but Saturday's run will always be my first 26.2 miler!

I want to thank Donnie B for getting a couple of people, Kathryn and Ron, to follow us runners with water in the trucks. I want to thank my training partners who have run with me; Andrea, Mario, and Germantown kids; and lastly, my best friend and wife, Becca, for inspiring me to do something so crazy!

See you in NOLA!

Running through Beale Street!

Week of Veterans' Day

What a beautiful day it was yesterday! I was pretty busy but the weather was perfect. I took my three pups to Shelby Farms. I ran with my two nieces. They are 5 and 6. We did about a mile around the park and then played on the playground. Shelby Farms has a wonderful Children's Discovery Playground with creative and artistic slides, swings, nets to climb, and sandbox. There were about 100+ kids there with their families enjoying the holiday! My dogs really enjoyed hanging out with all the children also! Thank you Veterans' for your service and making this country 'land of the free.'

The holiday season is soon approaching us and I actually put up our Christmas Tree last night. We haven't put any ornaments on it yet but that will be coming soon! I don't think it's ever too early to celebrate the birth of Jesus. I know he probably wasn't born on December 25 but that shouldn't stop me from celebrating it on that day!

My marathon training continues to progress. A couple weeks ago we did a 20 mile training run. It went well. I did not have much post run soreness or injuries so I'm happy about that! The following day I ran in the Race for Education 3 Mile Race. My time was 19:11. I finished 6th overall and 1st in my age group. I also wore my Nike Rival XC Waffle shoes for the first time! They made me feel fast!

I'm racing in the Tim Creager Memorial 5K this Saturday in Millington. I'm hoping to PR with a time of 19:50 or better! Tim was a good friend of mine who was killed in 2004. He was a Marine. Here's a link to the website: http://timcreager5k.racesonline.com/

Here are a few picture from the Race for Education.

Catch up with So!

Here's a brief recap of what's been going on in my life:

First season coaching middle school cross country is coming to a close. One of my boys qualified for state. I didn't think anyone on the team would do so but he was the last one to qualify!!!!

My elementary track club has a meet against a rival school today. My friend Mario is their coach and this Sunday will be the First Annual Battle of the Birds. They're the Falcons and we're the Cardinal so yeah....Battle of the Birds.

For Fall Break Becca, her family, and I went to Destin, FL!!! It was a great trip and even with 5 kids under the age of 5 it wasn't too bad. I got a lot of things at Silver Sands so I think I'm set. I ran my farthest distance ever with 15 miles! It wasn't too bad weather-wise.

I will be running in the Wolf Mash Dash 5k in Downtown Memphis this Friday! I ran it last year and there's this one really steep hill that you have to ascend around the 1.5 mile mark! I hope to place in my age group and win another mug...that was their prize last year.

Tonight O.J. Mayo returns to the Fedexforum as I cheer on my Grizzlies against the Bucks. I will be going with one of my boys on the cross country team. He is a great kid and has been through some rough times over the past year and half or so. I know we'll have an awesome time at the game. I'm thinking about getting a sno cone or some ice cream????....I don't know, maybe both!

I've been meeting with some kids from my youth group, J and M, and we've been reading through this book called, "Weird". It talks about how, as Christians, we should go against the norms of this world because Christ calls us to be set apart. It's a pretty good read and the boys and myself are learning a lot from it and each other! We meet every couple weeks or so.

I've chosen my 5th grade basketball team and we look promising. I have a solid 5-6 and the others are going to fill in nicely. I am doing a training camp week this week to get the team off to a good start.

There are only 7.5 weeks left until my first marathon, the St. Jude Marathon. It takes place Dec. 7 in my hometown of Memphis! I love my city...albeit far from perfect, it has many things to offer. I hope I'm making the city a better place to live and impacting young lives around me. I was thinking the other day that I never would have imagined that I would influence over 50 kids to get into running. I myself did not enjoy it. I knew that I needed to get healthy and so I picked up running. My passion spread and I have been given the opportunity to affect those around me!

Well, sorry this has been so long! I hope to write back sooner next time!

God Bless....

Run with endurance

here's a pic of Mario and me at the Earth Day 5K back in April 2013. 

Nashville HM

It's been a few weeks since I've posted but here's some things to catch you up:

Nashville Half Marathon- rainy, hilly, but great turnout! I ran in my blue Saucony raincoat the whole time. I thought I would burn up but I didn't. It kept me dry (dryer than most runners) and I have no regrets in taking it back after I had put it in gear check. The hills were not too bad...I actually enjoyed the changes in elevation and thought it was good to use different muscle groups to climb and descend.
I finished in 1:52:30
No complaints except:
At the finish, I started to freeze. We waited around for our group and found out they had already boarded the shuttle back to the hotel. I tried changing into some dryer clothes and that helped a little. We eventually boarded the shuttle back to the Opryland Hotel and the bus was nice and toasty.

I really enjoyed running with my wife and we stayed together the whole time until the final mile and a half or so. We had to stop a few times to tie shoes and use the restroom. I used all my GU chomps and drank a little gatorade during the race. I would love to run it next year but could do without the rain!

Post-Boston

Boston: 4-15-2013
So, it's been a week or so since my last post and a lot has happened. Unless you live in a cave somewhere you were probably like me, glued to the screen (tv, computer, smartphone, or tablet) watching all the developments of the Boston Marathon bombings. It was such a senseless act of violence and my thoughts and prayers were with those who were affected. I couldn't imagine being in a situation like that but I would hope that I would step up to help those in need. I'm glad they captured the suspect and know that lots of good things will come due to this tragedy. I am amazed at how much incidents like this can unite a country. One of the best quotes I saw online went something like this:

"If the bombings were meant to break spirits, then marathoners were the wrong group to target."

On Friday, Becca and I went to Overton Park with about 500 other people to run a 2.62 Memorial Run for Boston. The excitement in the air was electrifying. I haven't run in that park since we lived in midtown back in 2007.

On Sunday, I ran in the Earth Day 5K at Shelby Farms. I was shooting for a PR! I wanted to see if all my speed workouts would lower my 5K time. My current PR was 20:57. The course had 5-6 hills that were a good challenge. My first mile split was about 6:30 min. My second mile split was about 13:00. With a mile left I tried to maintain my speed and was passed by one person...how dare he!!!! I knew I could catch him in the last 400 meters or so. I continued to press on and the final 400 was downhill!!! I surged on, passing the runner who passed me earlier and sprinted towards the finish line. I looked up and my time crossing the finish line was 20:21!!! I did it!! It felt so good to achieve a new personal record!!!!

On Saturday we will be running the Nashville Half Marathon. Be sure to visit again to hear all about it!

Track Workout at University of Memphis

So last night I went to my first track workout at the U of M. I always enjoy going back to my alma mater. I spent many semesters around the Fieldhouse Area. Being a PE major, most of my classes were in that vicinity. I never even ran a lap in the 4.5 years I spent there! What a shame! The campus has changed quite drastically with new buildings and a new fountain that highlights the University Center Plaza.
We arrived there with about 20-30 other runners. We did a warm up jog of 1 mile and some light stretches. I chatted with a few people I knew. I brought some water and a towel. I wore my Nike Free 3.0, technical shirt, and a compression sleeve on my left leg.

Here's what our workout consisted of:
4x400-5k pace. I ran each one in about 90 seconds each. 2 minutes rest
2x800- I ran each one in about the 3:20s. 2 minutes rest
2x400 Faster Pace-I ran it in 80-85 seconds. 3 minutes rest
1x800 Faster Pace- I ran it in 3:00 flat
800 meter cool down

I enjoyed the workout very much. It was a good to change up my individual workouts and I was extra motivated to run a little faster. I encourage anyone who wants to get faster to try track workouts!

Here's a picture of the shoes that I currently run in! I'm a little addicted!

Best Weekend Weather So Far!

After all the rain we had last week, I did decide to rest on Friday since I was doing 10 miles on Saturday morning. I woke up at 6 am to get out the door by 6:30. I didn't eat anything but made sure to drink lots of water. The weather was about 50 degrees which seems cold for a run but once you get started it's perfect. We waited for Becca's friend, Liz, to meet us at our house. Liz is actually the one who talked Becca into doing the marathon in New Orleans and me into doing the half. She showed up and we were ready to go.

I mapped out a course using mapmyrun.com and made sure to include a few hills since we will be running in Nashville on the 27th! Our pace for 10 miles was about 9:06min/mile and we finished in 1:33:15. I did not eat any gu chomps or anything during my run and that would explain why I felt kind of sluggish at mile 7. Not eating breakfast probably contributed to that feeling as well. I ran in my red Nike Pegasus 29. Sunday, we did 4 miles. Pretty uneventful but a good run to keep my muscles loose.

For my post-long run meal I ate these Hawaiian Bread Sandwiches that my friend Chris makes for parties. They are delicious!!! I use virginia ham, swiss cheese, and mix mayo and dijon mustard. I spray the tops with a little I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and pop them in the oven for about 10-12 minutes!

I am resting today but I hope to go to my first track workout at U of M tomorrow!

Must See TV
Louisville v. Michigan for the championship. I believe this will be a good game but I'm pulling for Michigan. As a Memphis fan, you know why I'm not pulling for Louisville.

Sunshine!!!!

It's my favorite day of the week and the sun is bright and beaming!!! I would love to go for a run today but it's my rest day! I am running 10 miles tomorrow so it's probably best that I give my bipeds a break.  This is the first time all week that we've gotten such beautiful weather.

What would you do? Tell me your thoughts.

Ain't no rain gonna stop me!

So in my recent blog I was bummed about the rain that would literally shower down on my (running) parade. However, I didn't let that stop me. On Tuesday, I ended up running a 10K in the rain. I wore my new New Balance rain jacket that I bought at TJ Maxx for about $30. It worked magnificently! The rain drops just rolled right off the jacket. Underneath I wore a long sleeve tech shirt and a pair of running shorts. The rain didn't bother me one bit. I actually had another purpose for my run. Our water bill was due and so I ran to municipal building where you can drop off your check. Then I ran by a friends house to drop off something for her. I felt like an ancient courier delivering messages to far off lands!

Yesterday I ran about 4 miles and the rain actually held off in the evening for a few hours. Becca wasn't able to run because her heel had been bothering her that day. I will probably run a couple miles today, Friday, and then Becca and I are doing 10 miles together at 6:30 Saturday morning!

New Running Gear:
A few weeks ago I bought 2 NIKE running hats from Dick's and they are awesome! I normally don't run in hats but thought I'd give it a try. I read that they are good to have for rainy weather so the rain doesn't smack you in the eyes. I bought a black Storm-fit one and a white USA one. I love them both!

Must See TV:
We've been watching The Voice and American Idol lately. I like that Usher and Shakira are judges now! They are hilarious and I love the interaction between them and Adam and Blake. American Idol is not as good as last year but it's not too bad. The girls are much, much better and right now I think it's between Kree and Janelle (because country voters are pretty strong about their people...for example on XFactor when Tate Stevens one instead of Carly Rose Sonenclar!).

Favorite Commercial Right Now:
The AT&T commercial about the Pickle Roll....hilarious!!! The little girl is so funny!

April Showers

Maybe there is something wrong with me but I'm sad that I might have to miss my first speed workout at the Fieldhouse at the University of Memphis!!! I went last week with Becca but couldn't run because of a dental operation I had the day before. I had all my gear on and was ready to run anyways but Becca killed the idea before it blossomed. Oh well!

Today calls for a 50% chance of rain and I've looked at the radar and the rain is now in Arkansas! I guess I will just have to run in the rain!

I went to the Grizzlies game last night with Chris, a buddy of mine who I have not seen in forever. We always have things to talk about and we had a blast screaming and shouting the Grizz to a victory over the Spurs. They were down by 8 before coming back and winning on a high-off-the-glass layup by Mike Conley! The Forum erupted when the sphere sunk through the net! We were high fivin' people we didn't know and it was a thrill of an experience.

Oh, on Easter, my streak of running on holidays continued! I ran down Highway 70 to Becca's parents house. I felt really great running on the various terrain. One minute I was on concrete, then asphalt, then gravel, then grass, and then dirt! I made sure to wear an old pair of Nike Frees that I wore all week when I went to Nicaragua. I considered this my first true trail run. This will be good preparation as I do a 10 miler at Stanky Creek with my friend David, who is training for a Half Ironman. We actually went to high school together and ran on the cross country team. We were really good friends growing up in high school and it will be great to catch up since I haven't hung out with him in years.

I love how sports and running can bring old friends back together! I do enjoy competing in races and getting medals but running is more than prizes. It feels great to reconnect with friends I haven't seen in a while and meeting new friends!

EASTER WEEKEND 2013

My NCAA March Madness Brackets are messed up! I had New Mexico, Louisville, Miami, and Georgetown in the Final Four. Oh well! I never do well with these things! Memphis finally won a tournament game under Pastner and after losing to Michigan State he was offered an extension, which is great! Pastner is a good coach and he seems like a great person as well! I had a chance to meet him when he came to my school to talk to the kids during Read Across America Week.

I ran 11 miles with Becca and Andrea. I ran in my Lime green Nike Free 3.0. I've never run that far before in such a minimalist shoe. It was a nice, easy run and I felt as if I could run 5 more miles. Last week I ran the Race for the Summitt 4 miler. I placed second in my age group with a time of 28 minutes. A few of my students showed up and some of them placed in their age groups as well! It looks like I will be helping or coaching the GMS Cross Country Team next year. They've never had one before so this will be a learning process for all of us!

9 more weeks till summer vacation! I am looking forward to it!


Here's a pic of Becca and me on Easter!

Running in Memphis

Memphis is a great city for food, fun, and running! There are several great areas of the city to satisfy your running desires. Here are a few places that I've run that may not be your typical running spots:

Midtown-The Rhodes College/Cooper Young/Memphis Zoo area is a great place to jog.

Bartlett-there's a nice little track next to the Sekisui/Kroger on Kirby Whitten that you can take the whole family to run. It borders a lake and the paved path measures about 1 mile. I like jogging here from my house since I only live about a mile and half away.

Germantown-Sometimes before or after work I do my jogs. It's the Germantown schools area. Sometimes I'll use the track at GHS and sometimes I'll jog around the neighborhoods. The Riverdale Elem. area is a wonderful spot too.

Shelby Farms/Greenline-I've yet to go for a jog here but I hear it's a great place to run. I plan on get some miles logged there in the coming weeks.

Most of the time I just run around my neighborhood and just find a route to run on MapMyRun.

Usually I take my iPhone and use my Nike Running App to measure how far and the amount of time that I've run. It's pretty accurate and I like all the awards you can get.

I am looking forward to participating in the Nashville Half Marathon on April 27. Becca's sister, Andrea, and her husband, DW, have now signed up to run it as well! I guess running is contagious!

I was talking to Becca and we both agree that we enjoy training just as much as the event. Memphis has great places to train and I look forward to where running takes me!

Race for the Summitt 4 miler

28:00

2nd place in age group

My First Half Marathon

My First Half Marathon
Feb. 27, 2013
So this past weekend, Becca and I headed down to New Orleans to run in the Rock n' Roll Marathon Race. I ran the half and she ran the full. We had never been to the Big Easy before and it was quite an experience! We stayed in the Holiday Inn, which was one street over from Bourbon Street.

Saturday Expo at the Morial Convention Center was less than a mile walk from the hotel. There were lots of booths and Becca got a sweaty band. The race shirt was nice and made by Brooks! Afterwards, we went to Cochon where I ate the mac and cheese and pork leeks. We headed back to the hotel for a much needed power nap! Afterwards we headed to Cafe du Monde and ate some delicious beignets!!! The take out line wasn't too long of a wait. I ended up scarfing down a lot of the powdered sugar that was left in the bag! We enjoyed the sights and sounds of Decatur St. while we devoured our French donuts! We ate dinner on Bourbon St. at Redfish Grill! It was a nice treat before my 13.1 mile journey that I would take the next morning.

How I trained:
I used a combination of Hal Higdon and Runner's World Smart Coach. I rested on Mondays and Fridays. I ran my short runs of 3-4 miles on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. I was supposed to do speedwork on Wednesday but seldom had the chance. My long run was on Saturday. I actually ran 13.1 miles two weeks before the actual race. I ran it around a 9min pace. I used Clif Shot Block and GU Chomps. I preferred the Chomps more because they were smaller and easier to chew. I mainly ran by myself although I did get to run with Becca  a few times. Sunday was a short 3 or 4 mile easy run.

How I ran the marathon:
The race was scheduled to begin at 7am. I went to bed around 10 the night before. I had all my gear ready and plans were finalized. I woke up around 5:30, showered, ate a Bagel Thin with peanut butter, and got dressed. I wore my Nike sleeveless 12:1 shirt that I had made. The verse is Hebrews 12:1. It says,"Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us." I also wore by Nike compression shorts, Nike running shorts with blue lining, black performance socks from Target, another sleeveless Nike shirt underneath, a blue Nike headband, and my volt colored Nike Pegasus 29. I also wore a long sleeve cotton shirt to keep me warm. I took it off around mile 3. We put our luggage in our car before we met the rest of our group in the lobby. They all arrived around 6:30 and we headed to the starting line. We got there and I found the gear check area which were UPS trucks. I grabbed a couple of bananas from the fruit booth and headed to my area, Corral 3. This corral was expected to finish at 1:45.

I found my corral as the elite group was starting and less than 1 minute later my corral begins. I didn't have much time to worry or get anxious about the race. I was off and running. I found a couple of guys who were planning on finishing at about the same time as me and they encouraged me to stay with them. I did this for about the first 4 miles, then I saw the elites! Mo Farah and the others were running so effortlessly. It was amazing to watch these superhumans and to think that I was participating in the same competition as them was mind blowing! It inspired me and gave me a good boost at the 10K mark. I started to pick up my pace at miles 8 and 10 and passed people left and right. Miles 11 and 12 were run at a steady pace and then I had a nice kick in the final mile. I sprinted past 20-30 people and finished with a time of 1:46:07!!!

After the Run:
I walked in the secure zone as they handed me bananas, power bars, water, gatorade, pretzels, etc....I grabbed an empty box to store my treats. Andrea called me and found me. DW and the girls were there to see us run! (We actually stayed at their house on Friday and Sunday night) We headed to our Family Reunion letter, Q, and I laid down on my blanket. I ate a grilled chicken sandwich they were selling, refueled with liquids, bananas, and put on my pants and my race shirt. I wore my medal proudly around the finish line.

We all went to see Becca and Liz finish the marathon. I saw Becca turn the corner and snapped a few pictures. There was a huge smile on her face and she was passing people like it was nothing!!! I was so proud of her. All the training, sweat, and sacrifice culminated into this one moment! She finished with a time of about 4:28:04.

What I learned:
-Don't start off to fast. Try to run a negative split.
-Have a change of clothes. Long pants, long sleeve, and sandals. The weather was perfect but after the race I did get a little cold with the wind blowing.
-REST before. We had planned on doing a light run but decided that all the walking we did the day before was good enough to keep our muscles loose. I hadn't run since the previous Tuesday and the race was on Sunday. I was a little worried that I had lost some fitness since I hadn't run in 4 days. My wife assured me that I would be okay.
-Have everything ready the night before.
-After you run, walk around for a little bit. This will help cool your muscles down.

We decided to sign up for the half marathon in Nashville on April 27th. Before that we are running in a 4 miler in midtown Memphis called Race for the Summitt to benefit the Pat Summitt Foundation.

I have truly enjoyed my running journey and hope to continue it for as long as I can!!!