Runner Pick up Lines for V-day!

Me and my bride trial running...

So here we are at Valentine's Day and I thought I might help you out with some good runner themed pickup lines that I searched the Internet for. Feel free to use them  and take credit (or blame) for them!
 

1. Good thing I have GPS, cause I am lost without you!!
2. Did you get lost on your run? Because Heaven is a long way from here.
3. Your pace or mine? (winner)
4. You can stop running after your dreams, I am right here.
5. I am not sure if it's the run or you, but that took my breath away!
6.  Do you like speedwork? Cause I am down for a quickie!
7. Do you run track? Cause I relay want to date you!
8. My love for you is like an ultramarathon, it goes on and on.
9. Are you tired? Because you have been running through my mind day!
10. What's your personal record (PR)? If you'd go out with me, then you'd be mine!
11. Do you believe in love at first sight? Or should I pass you again?
12. Now that I know your bib number, I think I should be able to get your phone number.
13. Coach told me to bang out an easy 6, but you look like a 10!  #BOOM!
14. Coach told me not to get my HR over 160, then I saw you!
15. On a scale of 1-10, you're a 26.2!

Let the Lovefest begin and have a Happy Valentine's Day!

I Do Not Have A Catchy Title.

I have been feeling pretty lazy lately.

My grandfather passed away early last week and the family made a whirlwind trip to go to the funeral on Thursday and Friday. We drove over 700 miles in 2 days, and that time in the car does not include the hour we spent at a McDonalds in Atkins Arkansas trying to get the mini van swagger wagon started! So we spent about 12+ hours in the car.

My last good solid workout was Thursday before we left. I did a 1000 yd swim in 18 and change then I followed that up with a 4 miles run in under 35 minutes. (Then I sent a trash talking video text to Brad D at Brad's Ironman Journey, because he has been sending me mean video texts, so I had to fire back!!) Then I sat in the car for hours and hours it seemed. Sitting in a car seat for an extended period of time always stiffens my joints up! So I have not been to fired up about doing any training.

Even today at my teams basketball game (I am coaching my son's 12-13 year old team), I was wearing my Ironman Branson 70.3 shirt for some motivation. One of the refs called me over and started asking me questions about doing IM races. Usually that fires me up, but for some reason, I was still unmotivated. And I am down 5 pounds since Christmas! What gives??

Well, I don't drink, but other than that...

I finally told my bride that I know what I need to motivate me.I need to sign up for my Olympic race. I spend the money, then I know I will train harder. That's the way it works isn't it? Is that true motivation? I am not sure that is the thing that would motivate me, the spending of money, but more of a deadline. So, maybe when I am officially entered into the race, it will light a fire under my butt. Or maybe the driving wore on me more than I thought. I do have a 5K trail race tomorrow I am going to run, so maybe that race will get my juices flowing again. I just know it is way to early for me to be thinking of missing workouts already!!!

NOW WAIT JUST A SECOND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UPDATE:

I wrote this post on Saturday night, and Sunday after church, I did run the Winter Off Road Series 5K at Stanky Creek. A nice little trail run that I hit a new PR!!!!  25:51 on the trails! I am so stoked about that, an 8:20 pace through the woods!!!!  That placed me 15/42 in my Age Group and 95/499 Overall. For the overall series, I am in 14/58 place in my age group! Funny how things work out, but I am over that pity party and ready to train!!!!!

Great Way to Start 2012!

Today I ran the first race in the Winter Cross Country Series presented by the Memphis Runners Track Club. The first race was a 3K trail run. Last year was the first time I did this series, so I had a time goal I wanted to beat. Last Year's time was my goal! Last year I finished it in 17:08, so I had a better idea of how to run this race.

At the start, we all ran into a problem because someone started up at the front of the group with their kid. The kid tripped or something and went down and the parent tried to grab/protect and almost got trampled. So, if you are reading this and want your kid to run with you, that's cool and all, but please, start in the back!

Anyways, I knew I could start off faster than I normally would because we ran through a big field for the first 1/4 mile or more before we hit the actual trail. Once in the woods, it was very difficult to pass people, I felt like I was in NASCAR picking my spots to pass. It got pretty bad in a couple of spots and we bottle necked and pretty much came to a stop. I knew this would happen, so it gave me some time to catch my breath after starting as fast as I did. It eventually opened up and we were able to get into a good pace.

I did not run with my Garmin or iPod. I wanted to really beat my time from last year and I did not want to be looking at my pace the whole time, so I was glad I left them at home and just went with the old stopwatch.

Anyways, here is the good news. I set a new PR on this race by 1:08. I finished in 16 minutes flat! (I really wished I had hit under 16) I was 17th out of 44 in my AG and 195th out of 750 Overall! So I can say I brought it!  Nice way to start off the new year!

P.S. I really think the marathon has helped my running because after running a marathon, a 3k seems kind of silly and no reason that I should not push it!

Run the Trails Race Report

Here is my race report for the 9.5 mile trail run I did on Sunday April 17, 2011. The race went fairly well. I had set a goal time of 1:30 for myself. This was the first time I have ever run this race, so I was not sure what to expect.

Pre-race: Woke up after having a great sleep, drank some Gatorade and tried to figure out what I was going to wear. It was 44 degrees when I woke up but I knew the forecast called for it to be in the 70s later that afternoon. I hate to be cold, so I went with tights and a t shirt. Hindsight later let me know that this was too much. It was not so much that I got to hot in these clothes, but it not what I have normally been running in, so I should have went with shorts. I do not really think it affected the outcome of my race at all. Another snafu was that I never really ate anything that morning. In my morning workouts, it is not unusual for me not to eat beforehand, but at this distance, I think I would be wise to get some nutrition in me before I race.

Event warm-up: Got to the race site, got my chip and walked around, occasionally talking to racers. This was a much different crowd than I see at normal races, so I really did not know anyone. The crowd was an older crowd than I expected, not the ones I normally see at the triathlons I have attended in the area, but then again I have not ran many "run" races only, so it is possible I was the one out of the norm!

The Run: I had really planned on taking this run easy and using it as a long training run, but I wanted to finish under my goal time of 90 minutes. I purposely moved to the back of the pack when the siren sounded. I was focused on keeping a steady pace, instead of trying to do it as fast as I could. So when it started, I really had to talk to myself and remind myself to go slow. I got into a comfortable pace and was doing well until I had the bright idea to avoid the bottleneck and jump across a creek to the other bank. It was not graceful at all and felt like I jammed my right ankle when I landed. The ankle only bothered me for a little while and I soon got over it. We hit the 3 mile mark of the trail and my GPS said 24 minutes and I knew I was going way to fast. I knew there was no way for me to maintain this pace on trails for another 6 miles, however; I know this was not my plan, but I decided I would run at whatever pace I felt was comfortable. So I pretty much tried to set it on cruise control. The front pack broke away from me and I felt like I was setting the pace for the second group a majority of the run, which was cool. Not much to report on for the next couple of miles except for when the dude behind me bit it pretty hard. It sounded like it hurt, but we all kind of stopped to make sure he was ok.

My Garmin display had somehow been changed so in the section that I normally have total distance, it somehow got changed to total calories, so that really threw me off. I thought the satellites were having trouble connecting through the trees, so I pretty much discounted the use of it and kept my eyes on the path ahead of me. My fancy GPS became a fancy time clock. In a way, it might have been good for me because I had no idea about the distance I had traveled until I came across a marker on the trail.

At about mile 7, my left groin started flaring up a bit and was painful going up and down the hills, I was fine on the flat parts of the course, so I ran when I could and walked when I had too. Only issue I had was that the drink stations were setup at miles 2 and 7, which seemed like odd places for me. I do not need water at mile 2 and by mile 7 it was too late. At 7, I did take an E-gel and wash it down with some water. I actually stopped in order to do this, wish I hadn't, because I would have been under my time goal of 1:30 if I'd kept moving!

The race ended with us running down a levy by the lake to the finish line. The sponsor of the race had it streaming on the internet that you could watch live. I am providing the web address for you to go watch me finish the race. You need to fast forward to the 1:09 point of the video to see me.You can watch me finish the race by clicking on the

Ustream video I am glad they don't show anymore than me crossing the finish line because I was hurting. This race was tough. I am not a trail runner and I battled cramps the rest of the day.

I did finish in 1:30:03! I was pleased and I accomplished what I wanted to out of this race. If you had asked me on Sunday if I would consider doing this race again, I probably would have said No way, but having a day to recover from it, I am actually looking forward to next years race!

For some reason, the link is not highlighting in the above paragraph, click here to go to the video of me finishing.

Ever Been To Stanky Creek?

I have been doing a winter cross country series that started in January. It consists of 4 races, a 3K, a 5K, an 8k and a 10K. All of these races are trail runs. So far they have been a lot of fun, but also a lot different from regular road runs I have done.

Here is a map of Stanky Creek:


There are several factors that go into a trail run that you have to consider if you want a good place and or time. The first thing you need to do is get near the front of the pack when the siren blows. This is also where all the fast runners start, so do not get up there if you can’t hang with them. Another tip is to take short steps because with the wet grass, leaves and mud everywhere, you are going to slip, fall and maybe twist an ankle, but that’s what makes it exciting! The third thing you need to know about is the potential for stopping due to the number of people all trying to cross the same bridge as you. The trail winds and the path is narrow, so I find myself playing NASCAR and plotting the right time to pass people on the inside or around a curve. And lastly, be prepared to get muddy and wet. I know that this upcoming 8K has a creek to cross. Someone will fall in.

I personally think that trail running is a little more challenging than running on the roads, especially when it is wet and lots of leaves everywhere. I have been pleasantly surprised with my times though. I was able to finish the 5K in 28:08 and hold around a 9 minute pace. I admit, I have not been running that much lately and was using these races as my motivator to get me going, so I wasn’t sure of what to expect. It has given me a good feeling going into my tri season. I really think that if I focus on my running I can get my pace down to under 8 minute miles after the bike, which is a goal of mine.

On the 5K I finished 17th in my age group out of 37 and 127th overall out of 400+ people.

This Sunday is the 8K race at Stanky Creek, and I think this distance will be tough due to my lack of running, but it should be fun.

I start my 16 week run focused triathlon plan Monday and I will blog more about that soon.