Papa, you are an inspiration to me and I look up to you. Thanks for your example and all you do for us.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Null
No blog entries because of no running as of late.
Begins again this week.
Looking for other races to key in the motivation factor.
Edit: and no camera. Bummer.
Begins again this week.
Looking for other races to key in the motivation factor.
Edit: and no camera. Bummer.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Nike, Marathon, and Dean
This is Dean Karnazes most recent blog from Runner's World. I thought it was very clever and interesting (and not too long). For those of you who don't know, Dean is probably the most famous runner in the U.S. He ran 50 marathons in 50 days in 50 states, then wrote a book about it and is also a best selling author. Below is his entry from 11/01/2010:
Nike!
Let me tell you, I have a new appreciation for what Pheidippides did! My costume was much lighter-weight and more flexible than the battle gear he wore, but it still was brutal running a marathon in it.
Here are some photos to share. As difficult as it was running a marathon in this outfit, I’m glad I did it. I feel like it was one small way to pay homage to our patron saint of marathoning.
Long run Pheidippides!
Jake's Edit: The distance between Athens and Marathon is 26.2, hence, a marthon is 26.2 miles.
Nike!
In 490 BC a Greek foot-messenger was dispatched to Athens from the battlefield of Marathon to tell of the defeat of the invading Persian military (Ed.: Or did he?). After arriving in the capital city and proclaiming, “Nike!” (victory), the exhausted runner collapsed to his death. His name was Pheidippides, and the lore of his accomplishment stays with us today.
This year marks the 2,500-Year Anniversary of his heroic undertaking. The Athens Classic Marathon took place on October 31st, which happens to correspond with Halloween. Being of 100% Greek ancestry myself, I wanted to commemorate the occasion, so I dressed in a traditional Greek runner costume and ran the Silicon Valley Marathon (which was also on October 31st).Let me tell you, I have a new appreciation for what Pheidippides did! My costume was much lighter-weight and more flexible than the battle gear he wore, but it still was brutal running a marathon in it.
Here are some photos to share. As difficult as it was running a marathon in this outfit, I’m glad I did it. I feel like it was one small way to pay homage to our patron saint of marathoning.
Long run Pheidippides!
Jake's Edit: The distance between Athens and Marathon is 26.2, hence, a marthon is 26.2 miles.
Halloween Half Marathon Run Down
Running a long distance race is a funny thing. The purpose is to prove to your friends, family, the world, and, most importantly, yourself that you can run such a long distance (13.1 miles) and in doing so you completely incapacitate yourself to walk normal for the next 2-3 days. At least that's my story.
My legs hurt.
Every muscle screams out in protest against their overuse yesterday. Yet what a satisfying and invigorating feeling. Was it worth it? YES! Will I do it again? Several times.
The day started early when I met the speedster Eric at the University Mall and jumped on one of the many buses heading up to the starting line. The old retired school bus had us worried about it's abilities to get us to Aspen Grove. In fact, the headlights went out and we had to get a police escort to the starting line. Upon arrival we headed for the heated tent and spent the next half hour with hundreds of other runners pinning on our running numbers, putting on our running gear, stretching out, and getting ready to run (yes, there was a costume contest as well). At 9:00 we headed out toward the starting line. Eric gave me a good-luck fist bump and headed up to the front of the pack waiting at the starting line. The organizers provided us with pacers, meaning that they hired runners to maintiain a constant pace so they would cross the finish line at 1 hour 30 minutes, 1 hour 40 minutes, and so on. I found the runner holding the "1:50" sign and decided to try and keep pace with him.
The trail lost 2000 feet during the first 5 miles and it was a killer on my legs. Trying to keep a constant pace when you are running down a steep hill is difficult. I found myself running ahead of the pacer - by far. Soon I passed the "1:45" and the "1:40" runners. In my mind I was thinking, "It's taking to much energy to hold back so I'll just go with the downhill flow until I hit the flat stretch, then I'll slow down and allow the "1:50" pacer to catch up. Then I'll stay with him to the end."
It didn't happen. I kept the pace.
When I came out of the canyon, at mile 6, the sun hit and it started to warm up. I ditched my gloves at mile 7 (on the interstate). The provo river trail was beautiful. I kept thinking that I should slow down and enjoy the scenery and the experience but my mind wouldn't let me. "Keep going," I thought, "if you can maintain this speed you'll do awesome."
Katie, Lizzy and Leah were waiting around the 9 mile mark with their blankets and cameras (we searched our apartment the night before but still couldn’t find our camera. The video camera did just fine though). I spotted them from a long way out but they almost missed me. If I hadn’t patted Katie on the shoulder as I passed she might have missed me entirely. They met me again at the 10 mile marker and Katie ran with me for a little ways before stopping. At this point I was in pain. I had run way too fast for how I had trained, but I didn’t want to be one of those novice runners who starts out their first race way to fast and dies at the end. My pride wouldn’t allow it. My calves were in knots and my right quad was stiffening up but I was determined to finish strong. I was so close.
Coming around the bend at mile 12 I could see all the spectators lining up at the finish line. They stretched a mile out. As I was trying to catch up to the fairy in front of me (I’m not being rude, it was a Halloween race and the guy in front of me was dressed up as a fairy) the “1:40” pacer passed me by. I speed up in an attempt to keep up and finish as close to an hour and forty minutes as possible, but I couldn’t maintain his speed. I was out of energy and he slowly increased the distance between us. Coming to the finish line I spotted my parents and Josh cheering my on in the midst of the crowd. It meant a lot to have them supporting me in my first race. Seeing them gave me a burst of energy and I sped up and crossed the finish line at 1:39:46.7 (I guess the “1:40” pacer was a little overambitious).
Katie found me and gave me some water and a few orange slices. I was exhausted but my spirits were high. The race hurt but I had a great experience. We didn’t stay for the post-race activities because there were 10 million people there. The post-race nap was good enough. Now I’m working on getting me legs working again.
STATS
Start Time: 09:12:55.000
Stop Time: 10:52:41.727
Chip Time: 01:39:46.7
Place: 267
Participants: 2,456
Gender Placing: 174
Division Placing M 25 to 29: 30
What do I do now?
My legs hurt.
Every muscle screams out in protest against their overuse yesterday. Yet what a satisfying and invigorating feeling. Was it worth it? YES! Will I do it again? Several times.
The day started early when I met the speedster Eric at the University Mall and jumped on one of the many buses heading up to the starting line. The old retired school bus had us worried about it's abilities to get us to Aspen Grove. In fact, the headlights went out and we had to get a police escort to the starting line. Upon arrival we headed for the heated tent and spent the next half hour with hundreds of other runners pinning on our running numbers, putting on our running gear, stretching out, and getting ready to run (yes, there was a costume contest as well). At 9:00 we headed out toward the starting line. Eric gave me a good-luck fist bump and headed up to the front of the pack waiting at the starting line. The organizers provided us with pacers, meaning that they hired runners to maintiain a constant pace so they would cross the finish line at 1 hour 30 minutes, 1 hour 40 minutes, and so on. I found the runner holding the "1:50" sign and decided to try and keep pace with him.
The trail lost 2000 feet during the first 5 miles and it was a killer on my legs. Trying to keep a constant pace when you are running down a steep hill is difficult. I found myself running ahead of the pacer - by far. Soon I passed the "1:45" and the "1:40" runners. In my mind I was thinking, "It's taking to much energy to hold back so I'll just go with the downhill flow until I hit the flat stretch, then I'll slow down and allow the "1:50" pacer to catch up. Then I'll stay with him to the end."
It didn't happen. I kept the pace.
When I came out of the canyon, at mile 6, the sun hit and it started to warm up. I ditched my gloves at mile 7 (on the interstate). The provo river trail was beautiful. I kept thinking that I should slow down and enjoy the scenery and the experience but my mind wouldn't let me. "Keep going," I thought, "if you can maintain this speed you'll do awesome."
Katie, Lizzy and Leah were waiting around the 9 mile mark with their blankets and cameras (we searched our apartment the night before but still couldn’t find our camera. The video camera did just fine though). I spotted them from a long way out but they almost missed me. If I hadn’t patted Katie on the shoulder as I passed she might have missed me entirely. They met me again at the 10 mile marker and Katie ran with me for a little ways before stopping. At this point I was in pain. I had run way too fast for how I had trained, but I didn’t want to be one of those novice runners who starts out their first race way to fast and dies at the end. My pride wouldn’t allow it. My calves were in knots and my right quad was stiffening up but I was determined to finish strong. I was so close.
Coming around the bend at mile 12 I could see all the spectators lining up at the finish line. They stretched a mile out. As I was trying to catch up to the fairy in front of me (I’m not being rude, it was a Halloween race and the guy in front of me was dressed up as a fairy) the “1:40” pacer passed me by. I speed up in an attempt to keep up and finish as close to an hour and forty minutes as possible, but I couldn’t maintain his speed. I was out of energy and he slowly increased the distance between us. Coming to the finish line I spotted my parents and Josh cheering my on in the midst of the crowd. It meant a lot to have them supporting me in my first race. Seeing them gave me a burst of energy and I sped up and crossed the finish line at 1:39:46.7 (I guess the “1:40” pacer was a little overambitious).
Katie found me and gave me some water and a few orange slices. I was exhausted but my spirits were high. The race hurt but I had a great experience. We didn’t stay for the post-race activities because there were 10 million people there. The post-race nap was good enough. Now I’m working on getting me legs working again.
STATS
Start Time: 09:12:55.000
Stop Time: 10:52:41.727
Chip Time: 01:39:46.7
Place: 267
Participants: 2,456
Gender Placing: 174
Division Placing M 25 to 29: 30
What do I do now?
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