Running in the Deep South

Tour de Bodock results

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 04:36:00 +0000

Here were my results:

Total Distance: 62 miles

Total Time: 3:50:52 (riding time)

Avg Speed: 16.1 mph

Top Speed: 32.1 mph

(See details and photos of the ride in previous post)

Tour de Bodock

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 03:39:00 +0000

Notes: Several of the race course photos are courtesy of the Shoals Cycling Club.

Saturday I completed the first annual Tour de Bodock. The “tour” consisted of a 100 kilometer (62 mile) bicycle tour in and around the small town of Pontotoc, MS. There is also a 37-mile option available for those new to cycling or short on time.
The most I had ever ridden on a bicycle was 50 miles but had completed that distance a few times. I had a 60 miler scheduled several weeks ago to prepare for the tour but a stomach bug limited me to a VERY difficult 54 miles. However, I felt pretty comfortable going into the ride. I ride with a great group of guys that call ourselves “Team Saltillo” and our goal was just to finish comfortably. I knew that someone would be there with me if I “bonked”. The only thing that did worry me was the 8 am start which is two hours later than we normally ride, making for a pretty hot finish for sure.
We all met up in Tupelo and followed each other over to Pontotoc. The registration area was very crowded so we were all a little late getting back to our cars and bikes. While a few of the guys pumped up their tires, a couple of us cycled over to the wellness center for one more bathroom break before we were off.
The start of the ride was in another parking lot about 100 yards below where we were parked and I was surprised to find a HUGE group of cyclists waiting for the start. I have not heard a number yet but it appeared to be 200 or so cyclists. However, pedaling around the parking lot I could not find the “Team Saltillo” crew anywhere. Finally, I spotted a couple of them but they did not know why everyone else had not gotten down there. The few of us listened to the pre-race instructions and prayer and it was time for the mass exit. It was a very cool experience and I hated for the other guys to miss it and found myself worried about what was going on.
Only about a quarter mile from the start, a couple cyclists went down when one of them got into some gravel on the side of the road. Suddenly, I found myself much more careful! Since we had waited for our posse at the start, we had gone out in the back and I found myself with a group only going about 14 miles an hour. Since the road was flat and fast, I passed a lot of people, especially the first 10 miles. After about 40 minutes, I found myself pretty much all alone except for Matt. We caught up with a few cyclists from the Oxford cycling group and chatted a bit. We went on ahead of them and I was a bit surprised when I found the first rest stop at about 17 miles. I was still feeling great and was excited to see that we had caught up with a big group of cyclists from the area (about 60 or so in number).
The stop was fully furnished with ice cold water, Gatorade, nutrition bars, PB & J sandwiches, fruit, and more. The porta potty was frequented but there was not a long line. I filled my bottles to the brim and used the “facilities”. I talked to a few of the more familiar faces and watched the road to watch for Team Saltillo coming up the hill. I had blood running down my leg but I was not sure why. I had not fallen and did not remember hitting anything.
The big group began to set off. While we were ready to go, we decided to wait and see if they would make it to us. We waited about 25 minutes in all but they never made it. I think we probably left just before they got there.
The next 13 miles can be best characterized as rolling hills. The hills were not that bad at all and I found myself passing several of the cyclists who had left before me at the previous stop. I felt pretty strong but let Matt, the stronger cyclist, pull me on several of the hills. Then we came to a flatter section and Salmon road, an area known for the Amish community in this area. The roads here were terribly rough and the vibrations were getting to my hinder parts! Still, we managed a nice pace of about 18 miles per hour through here and enjoyed seeing the Amish houses and barns. Three Amish boys waved from their yoked mule. A horse and buggy loaded up with an Amish family passed going the other way and a young Amish girl complete in a long dress and bonnet looked just like a postcard playing bare foot out in her yard. The smell was pretty bad through here as "horse apples" filled the road.
We came to the second rest stop at 30 miles. Even though I was still feeling strong, I was ready for a short rest. After about 10 minutes, the other guys finally caught up to us. We would learn that they had a tire issue at the start of the race and experienced two more flats out on the road! It was no wonder they were delayed but had worked hard to catch back up. Although the big group of cyclists was at the stop when we arrived, they left just after Team Saltillo arrived. We waited another 10 minutes to give them a good break and then we all set off together.
Matt wanted to catch the big group and took off at a pace no one else wanted to match and everyone settled in at about 17 miles an hour. When Matt began to slow down, Marcus and I raised the pace to try and catch him. We did, but the others in the group decided to stay at a more comfortable pace. We split up into, essentially, two groups and after a little while, I looked back and did not see them. Mechanical problems can take a major mental toll and I am sure they had worked hard to catch back up to us before.
At around 45 miles, I was beginning to feel the heat. I thought there would be another rest stop at about the 48 mile marker but would not find one. 50 miles went by and still no rest stop. My pace had slowed considerably because the heat was taking its toll. I was managing 16 ½ but any hill slowed me way down. I figured out that the final rest stop was the same one at the 30 mile marker and it would be another 5 miles before we got there.
The 5 miles didn’t seem to come fast enough and we finally stopped at 56 miles. The rest of the guys caught up in a few minutes and I called my wife who was already waiting at the finish. Although I wanted to all finish together, I struck out ahead with Matt so I wouldn’t keep my family waiting too long. Moreover, there was thunder and a storm cloud that appeared to be headed Ponotoc’s way.
Matt appeared to want to race to the finish but I was comfortable with a much slower pace. It was pretty flat to the finish, all except the last couple of miles. The two steepest hills in the entire tour were both in the last mile. Neither was long but I had to go to the granny gear on both. The last hill, I decided to walk the last 50 yards for fear that I would fall from a lack of momentum.
Once I turned left on Main street, I could now see downtown Pontotoc. I knew I was home now. Sam caught up with me right as I made the turn. We rode in together to the cheers of my family. I went back to chat and they took a few pictures. Marcus rode in a few minutes later and they took our picture. We decided to head back to the parking lot but, when I clipped in and stood up on the pedal, the chain flew off the front ring leaving me with no momentum and resulting in a fall to the pavement! 62 miles and I fell right there in the middle of downtown Pontotoc and right smack in the middle of the Bodock festival! Nothing like a little humble pie at the end of a nice accomplishment!
I felt good at the finish and know I had prepared myself for the ride. I would have liked to have finished stronger but I actually had very little drafting opportunities throughout the ride. I look forward to this ride or a similar one next year so I can have a chance to stay with the big group again. Hopefully, mechanical issues won’t slow us down again!

Come to Jesus Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:29:00 +0000

When I was in high school, my friends and I would often engage in activities that we knew we shouldn’t. I am sure I am not alone in that statement by any means. I remember one night on a July 4th when I was only about 16. My best friend and I decided to go out and hit mailboxes. Understand, we lived in a small town with absolutely nothing to do except really stupid stuff like, well, hitting mailboxes. The only problem was we had heard about people hitting mailboxes and heard reports of how fun it was, but we did not know exactly how to engage in this crazy endeavor. But my friend got an ax handle from his dad’s shop and we went out huntin’ a mailbox, nevertheless.

Now, we would learn later that the trick to this mailbox hittin’ thing is to do it on the go. That way you can’t get caught. We didn’t have that little tid bit of information. We go out at about 8 pm that night (awful early for mailbox hittin’ we would come to understand) and picked out a mailbox on a lonely road in my own neighborhood. Well, you can guess that we weren’t the most skilled at these kinds of stupid ideas. In addition, I drove a bright yellow GMC stepside truck that was a one-of-a-kind in the small town in which we lived. Getting the picture? Considering all this it is a wonder how David and I figured out anything in the way of a career but we managed.

Well, we stop, yes I said stop, in front of this mailbox and take the time to roll down the window. David climbs halfway out of the window and is pulling back the ax handle when I look over to the left and see several individuals looking through the storm-glass door of their living room. I see them begin to get off their couches and immediately yelled to David, “NOOOOO!” It was at that moment that I hear the unmistakable clang of a wooden ax handle hitting a tin metal mailbox with full force. I put the pedal to the floorboard, almost slinging David out of the window, so we could get out of dodge!

We drove around our little town that night for all of about 30 minutes and then made the clever decision to return home, just one street over from the mailbox we just caved in. We pulled into my driveway and had not even shut the doors to the truck when a car slung into the driveway and a man twice my age jumped out along with his twenty-something son. Now to get the full effect, you have to read his quotes in your best redneck twang: “I seen what you done and you ain’t getting away with it neither!” he yelled pointing his finger in my face. “We got you now. Uh huh. We got you now!” He nodded confidently, got back in their automobile and left.

My 15-year old best friend and I went into our house and into my back bedroom and sat on my bed, hands in our lap, staring at each other with wide eyes. We sat there for a long time and said nothing. In those days, I had a big ceramic Mississippi State Bulldog lamp that sat on my night stand. I still remember looking past David, staring at that big bulldog lamp. The bulldog looked back, standing there, hands on his hips, menacing look on his face. We just knew that, at any moment, the police were going to be ringing the doorbell and taking us away in handcuffs. It was a moment best characterized as a “come to Jesus moment”.

Unfortunately, I did not learn effectively from this experience and would have several more “come to Jesus moments” during my teenage years. It became an expression we used for those times when we knew we were caught or close to it and we sat there thinking, “what have I got myself into?”

I had another one of those “come to Jesus moments” this weekend but it had nothing to do with hitting mailboxes or, fortunately, any other sort of bad decision-making that brought me into a world of trouble. I planned a five-mile trail run Sunday evening to get back into the swing of running. I have run this trail numerous times and was not at all worried about completing the distance. Oh, I knew that it was going to be pretty hot and I would have to take it slow. But still, I was pretty confident that I could complete the distance without any problems. It didn’t strike me that I have really been relying more on cycling to stay in shape and have been running less and less. In fact, the extent of my running for the last several months has been a 2 or 3 mile “jog” in the air-conditioned comfort of the gym just a couple days a week. Nevertheless, I loaded in the car and headed out to the start of the trail.

The run started off great. I had a great playlist set up on my ipod and was enjoying running through the woods. About a mile and a half in the run I began thinking, “Hmm. This is kinda hard.” Five minutes later I was taking a walk break! I was only able to run a little more than two miles before walking. My pride was hurt. I quickly started back running but had to continue a walk break about every five minutes. I was a long way from the shape I was in when I ran a marathon last year! It was a “come to Jesus moment”! I have lost a LOT of my running shape from my focus on cycling.

My run ended at four miles that day and I am embarrassed to say how long it took me. It was hot and I haven’t run a trail in a while. But really, it just goes to show you that cycling fitness does not translate into running fitness and vice versa. Now that I have been awakened from my running slumber I realize I have to really get working to complete the half-marathon this December. Hopefully, my body at some point will remember how to run again and it will come more quickly that I realize. But at this point, I have been humbled and realize that this “awakening” has taught me a valuable lesson. At least this time I didn’t have to worry about being led off in handcuffs!

Bonked by Bug

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 14:26:00 +0000

Subtitled: Why you should not bike with a stomach virus.

Ah, the joy of cycling! Building your mileage each week, pushing yourself and your cycling buddies with an increased pace, spinning up the hills. It can be a really fun sport. Which is why I was worried about missing out on the big ride on Saturday when I became ill on Thursday of this week.

I left work early Thursday with all the classic signs of a stomach bug: nausea, weakness, did I mention nausea? We had small, rather cold, missle-shaped pills at home to keep the nausea at bay (if you know what I mean) but what I worried about as I lay on the couch watching Oprah is, 'Will I miss out on the big 60 mile ride Saturday?'

You see, cycling is much different than running. Missing one long run in a 12 or 16-week training program is not a huge deal. But missing a long ride can make you the slow guy the very next week in cycling. At least that is what I have found to be true for a newbie like myself. That's why we have lost a few guys along the way this summer due to really unimportant things like babies being born or family vacations. :-)

So when I felt a little better by Friday afternoon, I figured I would be A-ok for the big Saturday ride. We planned a big dinner out with friends that evening at Olive Garden. The plan was to load up on carbs for the next morning. Only problem was, I got a bit of an uneasy stomach less than hafway through my entree. You have to understand, I don't leave leftovers at a place like Olive Garden. It just doesn't happen. I declined a post ice-cream sundae at my friend's house later in the evening. Again - doesn't happen. I laid out all of my cycling gear, put the Gatorade bottle in the freezer, and set the alarm for 5 am.

Disclaimer: The remainder of this blog entry contains references to my potty problems so proceed carefully.

Five am came early as it always does on a Saturday morning. I began to gather my gear but waited to get my morning “business” completed before heading out the door. I noticed the “business” was a little more “fluid” than usual but did not think too much of it. I also remember not being too interested in finishing my Clif bar en route to our departure site but, again, did not really think anything of it.

I felt pretty good as the ride started off but 10 miles into the ride I began to feel my stomach turn over a bit and had what felt like acid reflux. “Hmmmm”, I thought, “I hope this has nothing to do with my stomach problems this week.” Our first stop came 14 miles into the ride. I had mentioned my stomach acting funny to the other cyclists and had gone into the convenience store we were stopped at to experience a very brief episode of the “squirts”. Well, it is pretty early in the morning, or so I thought, so this is probably just a passing problem (pardon the unintended pun.)

However, 10 more miles into the ride my stomach was doing flips inside my body and the acid reflux was flaring up with each hill. Being a guy, I guess, I felt like I could tough it out. The only problem was, eating or drinking made the stomach problem and acid reflux even worse. A break at 27 miles did not seem to help me feel better at all and I began to struggle more and more, causing our small “peleton” of cyclists to be split up into two groups.

Somewhere after 40 miles we came to an area called “Brice’s Crossroads”, site of a historic civil war battle. I needed an extended break and felt like lying down because my stomach was seriously cramping by this point and my chest burning. The heat did not help matters any and I poured water down my back and over my head, which felt a lot better than drinking it. I decided at this point to continue on, even though a couple cyclists offered to go a shorter route with me.

A few more miles into the ride, the cramping and, especially, the acid reflux seemed almost unbearable. I stopped at a store at about the 48 mile mark and decided I did not want to go on. However, not knowing where I was, I called my wife and told her to meet me in a town just off a major highway that is called “Guntown”. Guntown turned out to be another 6 miles down the road and I only averaged about 14 mph as I pedaled through the discomfort of stomach pain. I stopped at a church at the 54 mile mark. I had bonked but could care less. It was only 6 more miles to the finish but I could care less. I wanted a nice shady spot to sit down and wanted the burning in my chest to stop. Thinking back, I probably should have just finished. It would have only taken another 20 to 30 minutes but, I really don’t have much regret. 54 miles with a stomach virus is not all that shabby after all.

I spent a lot of time in the bathroom later that day. Once it hit me, it HIT me, with sounds my words cannot express. Let’s just say, at one point, I fully expected for some alien-looking creature to come from within me snarling and growling telling me I was doomed. DOOMED! It was not pleasant at all and I am sure I owe much of that to pushing myself on the bike. Now I must redeem myself on some future ride to all of my cycling buddies for seriously bonking on a ride. I slowed a couple of them down but they were still great about it. Maybe I can do the same for them some day. And although I did bonk on this day, at least it WAS by a bug!

Shane.......

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 15:52:00 +0000

Shane! Come back Shane! Shane! Come back!!!

Just where have I been you may ask? Because, if you have been checking, it has been TWO MONTHS since I last posted. TWO MONTHS!!! What in the world have I been doing the last two months. Well, a Lot of EVERYTHING but very little running!

I have actually been on two vacations over the last couple of months, going all the way south to the beach and then going all the way north to Lake Ontario! My family and I took the usual summer vacation to Orange Beach, Alabama, a favorite spot of ours. A couple of weeks later we went to New York State for a wedding and visited Niagra Falls. We rode the "Maid of the Mist" right into the falls, an experience I highly recommend if you have a chance to go up that way.

Just make sure you wear the ponchos because it is like one of those water rides at Disneyworld - you WILL get wet! That's my little girl and boy all decked out in their ponchos. Check out my little boy sporting his John Deere shirt in up state New York!

It was a great time but, of course, the time between trips meant I was always playing "catch-up" at work. Plus, the C.C.O. decided to make TWO visits during this time which was REALLY fun!

But things are starting to slow down now and I've been thinking about the blog. I ran a 10K back in the middle of May but haven't run much since. I've been cycling a LOT - about three or four times a week with rides up to 50 miles. But even still, cycling doesn't seem to take the weight off like running does so I have crept back up a little in the weight department. I haven't been eating all that well and haven't kept up with any of the activity I've been doing on my exercise journal OR this blog. Of course, I say all this while I down an chocolate-oatmeal drop cookie or what my family fondly refers to as "doo doo drops"!

But I have been thinking about some goals for the remainder of the year and will start blogging again to track my progress. I have Two races marked on my calendar for the remainder of the year:

The Los Locos Duathlon in Lakeland, TN benefiting childhood congenital heart disease on September 30th. Childhood heart disease is something close to my heart since I suffered from the disease as a child. It is a duathlon with a 2 mile run, 15 mile bike ride, and another 2 mile run to finish. It will be my first go at a multisport event so I am pretty pumped about it.

I also have marked the Memphis St Jude Half Marathon on December 1st. That's right. I am going just the half distance this year because I have been concentrating so much on cycling. But I plan to work really hard in the fall months to try and get my time below two hours. My wife plans to run it with me so it looks to be a fun family event!

I also want to lose about 25 pounds over the next few months. A lot of it is weight that has just been nagging at me and I haven't concentrated hard enough on it to lose it. But STARTING TOMORROW :-) I am starting a healthier way of eating to try and get rid of the weight. My wife is going to do it with me for a while, even though she doesn't really need to lose weight. I think I have been feeling myself get more motivated because I know I will get up those hills faster on a bike if I was a few kilos lighter!

SO there! I have put all my goals out there so YOU - the blog reader - can track my progress. Of course, I would LOVE any encouragement you choose to offer but feel free just to read along. Then again, if you don't hear from me in a couple more months, you can only imagine how the progress has been going!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

To Be HUMBLED

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Wed, 02 May 2007 21:57:00 +0000

My exercise regimen has been humming along the last couple of weeks. The cycling as cross-training has helped me avoid the nagging injuries I experienced on and off last year – at least for now. Plus, I really enjoy it! But this past Tuesday, I had one of those humbling experiences you often have as you start off in a new sport.

I went on a Saturday ride with several guys this weekend and I was mentioning, to one of the more experienced riders, my desire to bike some during the week to work on my skills more often. He mentioned a group ride he knew of on Tuesday evenings that includes cyclists of “varying levels” with some going “as slow as 13 or 14 mph”. “GREAT!” I thought. This would be perfect! I could try to keep up with the faster group but slow down to the slower group if I needed.

I left work a bit early Tuesday, arrived in the parking lot, and quickly scanned the crowd of about 15 cyclists. There were several who looked like professional bikers with high dollar bikes. Immediately I knew that these were people I would not be able to keep up with, so I kept scanning the crowd. I saw a guy who looked more like a recreational cyclist and pulled up to ask about the ride.

He was nice enough and told me they would be glad to have me. I asked him about the pace, telling him that I usually average 15 mph or so for a 20-mile course. He kinda’ of got a look that told me, “That’s a bit slow for us.” But said that there would PROBABLY be other cyclists about that speed and the group would not leave anybody behind. I was getting skeptical but felt it was too late to load up in the car again.

But then I looked around and saw a couple older guys in their fifties. There were a couple middle-aged woman as well. I looked over and saw a woman I often see at the Wellness Center in the mornings. She is probably in her 40’s but in decent shape. She often runs at the track at the same time as I do but I usually go at a faster pace. Suddenly, I felt more comfortable. Maybe I am going to fine! Surely I can keep up with this crew.

“I completed my century this weekend!” the familiar woman proudly exclaimed to the other bikers. Uh oh – sinking feeling in my stomach. (A century is a 100 mile ride.) “How did you do?” another cyclist asked. “We averaged 17.3 mph for the day”, she answered. 17.3 miles an hour average for one-hundred miles!!!! My feelings of comfort suddenly vanished! I felt like I was in trouble and I just now taken my bike off the back of my car!

The ride included 21 miles through the countryside surrounding Tupelo. There were a few rolling hills, one pretty steep but short, but nothing much different than what I normally ride. The first few miles I was hanging pretty well. “Maybe I can hang with these guys,” I thought. Once we left the city limits, however, they were off. The professional guys left us like they had an engine on their bikes. There about five of them and they zoomed off to the tune of 25 or so miles an hour. But there was acceleration in the secondary group as well. I tried my hardest to keep up, keeping my speed at about 17 mph, 20 or so on the flatter sections, but I could not stay in the line.

I was dropped.

I finally made it to their first short water break at 9 miles. I had kept them in sight for the ride so far so they didn’t have to wait long. But they were ready to start again before I could pull my water bottle out of its cage. I started off fast, trying to get a lead and some momentum but they had dropped me once again not more than a mile later. I tried as hard as I could but this time, I lost sight of them.

Fortunately, there was one man who was also having some trouble and I was able to keep him in my sights. I tried to catch up so I could draft off of him, after all, I would be willing to take turns; however, he was not too fond of the idea. Once I caught up he swerved to the right and left, a move I took as him not wanting me on his back wheel. So I fell back again but stayed within 100 yards of him.

I had actually dropped one of the women in the group but did not realize it until getting to the second water break of the ride. I pulled up and was saying something to one of the cyclists. Apparently, I was not paying enough attention until it was too late. Before realizing it, I had come to a complete stop and could not pull my foot off the pedal. In that slow manner many cyclists are familiar with, I fell right over with the bike flipping on top of me! There I was looking up at the sky through the frame of a specialized! Yes, that’s right. I fell right in front of this group of superior cyclists without knowing a one of them. It was a humbling experience to say the least!

They made several comments that made me feel better. They said they had all fallen on the ride before as well, sometimes in the parking lot before even getting started. I told them I could at least provide their entertainment for the ride and we all laughed together.

The last 7 or so miles were pretty uneventful. The group spread out more and I was able to keep up with about half of them. When I pulled back into the parking lot, I made it before the secondary group had dismounted their bikes. I had a chance to talk to a few of them and they were accepting, despite my poor showing.

I told this story to my wife once I got home. She and my sister-in-law who is visiting both laughed their heads off and said, “I bet you won’t go do that ride again!” But actually they are wrong. I averaged 16.4 mph for the ride. That is almost 1 mile per hour faster than ever before for a similar ride of this length. So my desire to improve will probably drive me back there once again, feeling a little more humble once again, but, hopefully, getting faster in the process!

By the way, the 4 miles of intervals were pretty tough this morning! One of the downsides to cross-training I guess, huh?

Gearing up again

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 17:34:00 +0000

I feel that I am starting to gear up for the race in less than a month but imagine my time will be a little slower than last year because of the time I took off with marathon-related injuries. I ran the longest run so far this year: an 8-miler on a brisk, windy early Sunday morning.

I actually felt GREAT toward the end of the run and felt I had a lot left in the tank as I finished. I think the cycling has helped me a little running up hills because I noticed that they did not take quite as much out of me as they normally do. I zoned out a few times listening to the Relevant Magazine podcast and didn’t realize until after the fact that I had crested a few of the annoying hills on the route.

However, my left foot really started hurting late Sunday afternoon, bringing back some of the memories of why I had taken off so much time to begin with. It was disappointing because I felt good during the run so the soreness was unexpected. I iced the area for about 20 minutes and then took a hot bath and it was a lot better Monday morning.

Yesterday was my birthday and I completed a 5-miler to begin the day and then ate horribly from then on out. One of my departments took me out for lunch and then my parents took me out for dinner at Olive Garden. Despite my best efforts at willpower, I cannot escape from ordering the Steak Gorzongola whenever I eat there and a few bread sticks don’t help anything either. To top it off, I had TWO birthday cakes and, of course, must eat an obligatory slice of each one! So - it was not a good diet day to say the least! Rolling out of bed this morning was a bit more than just a figure of speech!

This morning I had a meeting with my 3rd shift staff so I had to forgo my morning workout. I hope to get a run in some time today but it is not looking too promising. I may ride the bike late this evening instead and add a few easy miles on Friday instead.

I feel I am getting back on track but still having those intermittent conflicts that nag at me and attempt to mess things up. Hopefully, I can stay on track with all my exercising because, starting in mid-May I plan to begin hitting the pool to prepare for my first ever triathlon this fall! For those who have trained for a triathlon before, you know what that will eventually mean: brick workouts. Won’t that be fun! More on that later – I hope you are having a great week!

New Shoes!

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 03:23:00 +0000

My birthday present came a couple weeks early this year. That’s because I got a bonus from work that burned a hole in my pocket! But I’ve wanted some cycling shoes and clipless pedals for my road bike so I just got them for my birthday – a few weeks early.

I have read in magazines that clipless pedals and shoes on a bike can help you be as much as 30 % more efficient. I need all the efficiency I can get so I was sold! But it was odd for me that the pedals are referred to as “clipless” pedals when you actually clip your shoe directly to the pedal. Of course, my inquisitive mind wanted to know so I researched the shoes over the internet.

It turns out that, in the olden day, cyclists only had straps to attach their shoes to the pedals on bikes, but the straps were mostly referred to as “clips”. When a new style of pedals was invented that allowed you to mechanically attach your shoe to the pedal, they ingeniously referred to them as “clipless” pedals. The brilliant name apparently stuck because they are still referred to as “clipless” pedals, although you do actually clip your shoe into them.

However, clipless pedals are also known for something else – they can be difficult to get used to. Those cyclists that convert to clipless pedals are known to suddenly fall over to the ground, even though they are at a complete stop. Obviously, this is because they can be hard to get out of. Thus, there was a little hesitation on my part; but, with the efficiency in mind, I bit the bullet anyway.

Being as mechanically inclined as I am, it only took me about 3 hours to install the pedals. I think they usually take others about 15 minutes. But when I finally got them on my bike I thought they looked really cool. I put the cleats that came with the pedals on my new shoes. They enable me to do the clipping part into the pedal. I put the bike in the stand, velcroed my new bike shoes on my foot, and I got ready for a spin. This was it. I was now official!
I had told my wife of the pedals’ notoriety for spills and I think she had a little fun in her head as she watched me mount my bike. Of course, the bike was in a trainer so there was no danger of me falling over, but I was less than graceful as I tried to clip in for the first time. I stumbled a bit but caught myself quickly, looking over at my wife and catching her rolling her eyes. “What?”I asked. She attempted to conceal her smile, “Oh, nothing. I can just see that you are probably going to hurt yourself with those.” I knew she secretly wanted to be there when I do but I would deny her the joy at least on this day.

I will try my shoes on the trainer a few times before I hit the roads. Hopefully, no one will be following me with a camera. Then again, if I were to fall, at least it would be worth something!

Looking at men's backsides

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 02:36:00 +0000

I have taken up cycling lately. I have a group of friends at church and we try to go every Saturday morning in groups of 4 to 8 different men. None of them are "newbies"like myself so I find myself watching backsides alot, especially on the "hills" we have around here in Mississippi.

It is not like I enjoy the view by any means, but, unfortunately, I have little choice whenever we turn a corner and stare down a few hundred yards of upward real estate. Although its early in the cycling season, they have the power to spin up the hills where my running legs feel the burn every time.

I have been trying to bike on the trainer a few days a week to build up some power and I took in some hills on my long run Sunday morning, but it is coming slow. I know that the extra pounds I am carrying around don't help either. Although I have gotten back in the swing of exercising, it is difficult taking on the battle of the bulge. The BBQ tonight sure didn't help matters but MAN was it good!

But I am enjoying the weeking bike rides a whole lot despite the marks against my manhood as I watch these guys from a, ahem, less than pleasant view. I just hope I am able to stay up with them throughout the season and, perhaps, become a better runner in the process!

Thought of the day:

"The future is that time when you'll wish you had done what you're not doing right now" - John Maxwell

The Curse of the DOWN !!!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 22:14:00 +0000

To get the full effect of this blog entry, you need to read the title in a low and echoic voice and follow up with an immediate Jaws-like, "da duh.........da duh................da duh da duh da duh da duh!"

What you are about to read is true. Nothing has been changed to protect the innocent.

I discovered this morning that my running habit has often been affected by a curse. It is the curse of the down! (Repeat the first paragraph if you'd like.) You see, my wife and I bought a down comforter approximately 12 years ago. While the duvet covers have changed through the years, the soft, warm, plush, (did I mention soft?) comforter has remained the same.

I was all geared up to start the morning off right. I had my coffee set to go off at 5:15 in the Quisinart, gym bag packed up, lunch prepared, and clothes laid out. My alarm went off promptly at 5:15 am. I actually remember that I was having a dream about terrorists. I was working with an individual of a particular religious persuasion and trying to determine if he was being honest or buying his time to carry out his evil plan. It was a true "24" dream and not the kind you particularly want to go back to sleep for.

I pushed my arm outside of the covers and hit the snooze but then, suddenly, the down comforter wrapped around my shoulder, pulling me back into a spoon-like position. I could not escape its grasp! Before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

No more than ten minutes later this scenario would be played out all over again. The down would tease me by allowing me to get one arm out just enough to hit the alarm but then suck me back into its clutches like a helpless bug in a toilet flush. Another ten minutes later its “game” would begin all over again.

It wasn't until an hour and a half later that I finally escaped its evil…although…oh so comfortable grasp! As I staggered down the hallway I could almost hear its goose feathers swishing in glee that another workout had been thwarted.

I got ready, repacked my gym bag with my workout clothes, and headed out the door. I would have the last laugh! I would work out after work! My new plan worked out flawlessly except that a newly formed hole in my sock began to cause a blister and cut my run short. Who knew all these fabrics work together? But I have to figure out how to break the powerful grasp of the down each morning.

Tomorrow is a bike day and I plan to preload my bike on the trainer tonight so I will be all ready in the morning. I have 2 hours of Cyclism Sundays on the DVR I can watch as I ride. Tomorrow I will try a new plan and set TWO alarms to get up in the morning, with one all the way across the room. Tomorrow the marathon starts all over. I just hope I can break the curse!

Building the Base

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 19:31:00 +0000

I ran an easy 14.5 miles this week. After taking off several weeks of running...uh...who am I kidding.....a couple MONTHS of running, I am focusing on a slow build for my 10K race in May.

I ran only 14.6 miles this week but feel like I had some pretty good runs. I finished off this week with a nice 5-miler on a beautiful 50 degree sunny day. I will build up about a mile and half each week up to a peak of 23 weekly miles, two weeks before the race. In about four weeks from now, I will add in one day that will include either a tempo run or speed work and a long run each week that will cap off at 8 miles.

I have been actually riding the bike more lately, completing a pretty easy 15-miler with 7 church friends last weekend. Cycling takes me back to my childhood and feels almost more like playing than exercising. Plus, I have gotten really into "Cyclism Sundays" on Versus so I can imagine myself in the pelton when I am out there on the roads.

I plan to ride an easy 10 miles tomorrow but I am always a little scared to ride around here with all the crazies and narrow roads. The town I live in is a great community but there are no bike lanes or designated routes. I know I am always taking a chance when I go out there but I enjoy the rides.

I hope everyone has a great St. Patrick's Day!!!

WEARING THE GREEN! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The REAL Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 18:25:00 +0000

I know.

It has been three months of no posting whatsoever from mississiprunner.

After completing a life long dream of finishing a marathon, he just vanished off of the face of the earth. What happened?! Did he die? Got hit by a car maybe? Well, he lives in Mississippi so maybe he got attacked by a deer! No. It was nothing like that. I probably have lost any regular readers of this blog, but I think I its time to describe just what happened; if no one else, but for myself.

The marathon was a great success for me. I had thought about trying to finish a marathon for years and last December, my dreams came to fruition. Nagging injuries and burnout affected my training in the waning weeks and my time suffered from what I had hoped, but it did not serve to dampen the joy of finishing the distance for the first time.

Those of you who have trained hard for a race for weeks or even months, know all about post-race depression. It is kind of like postpartum depression but without the baby. (Just joking for all those who have suffered or is suffering from postpartum!) But seriously, there is a let down after a big race when a runner wonders, what’s next? At least there was for me anyway.

I had suffered though ankle and foot pain through several weeks of training and the marathon distance brought on a brand spankin’ new pain on the outside of my right knee. I knew I needed a few weeks of rest, possibly with no running at all. With the holidays coming up and the business of life at full steam, it was easy to sleep in every morning and enjoy the gratification of being a sloth – knowing, of course, that I was actually a runner just on a short furlough.

I didn’t intend for such a long layoff. I started running again a few weeks later but the lack of a goal revealed little motivation. The injuries were still present and whispered in my ear that a few more days off were really necessary. I went through the Christmas holiday and New Year’s with very little running to show on my log. In fact, the last two weeks of December, I ran less than 20 miles.

I decided I needed a new goal. I have always had an interest in triathlons. I have a road bike and thought that this may be just what I needed to get my motivation back. I logged 12 miles the first week of January with some cycling mixed in. Then the flu bug bit me, zapping my energy for a full week. A visit from corporate followed shortly after that, gaining my full attention. Continued work stress and a heavy load of outside activity seemed to take over my life and take away my ability to avoid the snooze button every morning.

I was starting to lose the daily battle of getting out the door to run. Even more, my eating habits were on the slide. My appetite had increased significantly throughout my months of training for the marathon. All the full fat foods and sweets during the holidays, New Year’s eve parties, and college bowl games were REALLY taking their toll. My clothes began to fit more snug and the poor eating habits continued on, reeking havoc on my energy levels. I had lost my desire to eat right, lost my desire to exercise, and lost my desire to run.

What happened? I didn’t really know but I tried to exercise again, starting on the “Ab’s diet” and the corresponding exercise program in early February. I was shocked to discover that 3 miles on a treadmill seemed hard. I slumbered off each time worrying to myself that I had lost all the endurance I had trained so long and hard for. Could I really have lost it that quickly? I didn’t have the answers and knew I had lost motivation. I wasn’t blogging, not even logging in my runs.

Then came another big illness, strep throat. I thought the flu was bad but it doesn’t have anything on its big bully, strep throat! Apparently, adults suffer much greater than children do when they get strep throat; or at least that is what my doctor told me. He said I tested higher on the strep test than anyone he had ever seen. In other words, I had it bad! Another week of absolutely NO running. The week after, I found it even harder to start up again.

My wife began to question, “Uh honey…when are you going to start running again?” She recognized the behavior from a time I weighed 80 pounds heavier. She worried that I was returning to my old patterns that would pack on the pounds once again.

I was getting slower, fatter, and lazy. I looked at the calendar. The month of March had arrived. OH CRAP! Where had the weeks gone? I was hoping to compete in a sprint tri in March but I am not even sure I could finish 3 miles anymore!

That is when it hit me.

I had completed the St. Jude Memphis Marathon in December of last year. But I had discovered that I was currently losing what is my REAL marathon in life. The real marathon was not the one I ran last December or the ones I hope to run in years to come.

The REAL marathon is the one that begins every day with the sound of the alarm at 5 am.

It is the marathon I face as I strap on my running shoes and step out of the house with temperatures under 40 degrees.

It is the marathon I face at 3 pm this afternoon when I stand in front of the snack machine with hunger pains, staring down a snickers bar, playing with the change in my pocket.

It is the marathon I face at 9 pm this evening when I am tempted to empty a half roll of Chip’s Ahoy’s or fill up a mixing bowl full of Fruity Pebbles. It is the marathon I face at 10 pm when I am tempted to stay up a little late watching television, rather than get the sleep I need.
It is the marathon that starts over the very next morning.

It is a marathon I have to face each and every day due to the genes I inherited, the upbringing I experienced, and the lifestyle I have lived.

I know we all face our marathons. Your marathon may sound similar to mine. And I didn’t even mention the spiritual marathon we all face if we are people of Christian faith.

See, I thought I had finished my marathon in December. Thought I had the finisher’s marathon to prove it. But in reality, it was just a corner I turned, or maybe a hill I topped in the REAL marathon I run each day.

So I sat down this weekend with my wife and wrote out a new running plan to compete in the Gum Tree 10 K this May. 10 weeks of running. I entitled it, “The Return”.

The last few months? Let’s call it a pause at a water station.

Now it’s time to start running again.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 NLT

Starting up Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 18:57:00 +0000

It is getting closer and closer to Christmas, which means that the end of the year is almost here! It has been just over two weeks since the marathon and I ran for the first time this weekend. On Saturday, exactly two weeks after the marathon, I went for a 3-mile trail run near my home. I kept a slow, but steady 9:40 pace and enjoyed every minute of it. My left ankle began hurting pretty much immediately after I started. It was a sharp pain, not just the dull ache associated with soreness. I have been babying it for two weeks now so I just ignored it and it went away after about 5 minutes. It was a little sore afterwards but no more than normal. I am beginning to think that I NEED to run more on it, but just be careful about pushing the mileage up.

On a sad note, I think my ipod is on its death bed. It has been intermittent at best and did not work on the trail run. It is frustrating to strap it on my arm and then it be pretty much useless. I am starting to try and figure out how I can put my mini to rest and save for a new nano. We have already purchased my Christmas present – a new bike trainer for my road bike – so I will have to figure out something else. Of course, trail running is serene enough that I can do without music so I may just stick to the dirt track.

I also biked out on the road for an hour on Sunday. I was with a friend so I did not worry as much about traffic but that is going to be a real concern. People around here don’t know how to be respectful of bikers and I know that it would probably hurt to be hit by a car! But I am already eyeing my first sprint tri in March so I need to build up my cycling endurance. I didn’t push it hard but I only managed an average of 15 mph on the rolling country roads Sunday. I need to push it up to feel comfortable enough to complete a triathlon.

Swimming is another story in itself. I can’t remember the last time I swam so I know I have a rude awakening coming! Plus, I am not all that thrilled about showing off my gut to get in the gym’s pool. I don’t yet have a tri swimming suit so I am going to aim for beginning in the new year when I should at least have some goggles.

Christmas is now just a week away! I hope all of you have most of your shopping done!

The Marathon Post

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 23:04:00 +0000

WOW!

Post Marathon blues!

It has been hard to blog about the St. Jude Marathon because I felt it took so much out of me! It had been a long eleven weeks of training to get ready for this thing but I made it and here are the details.

I didn’t write a whole lot in the weeks leading up to the marathon because my ankle had been really bothering me and I was getting discouraged. In hindsight, I should have blogged much MORE about this and your encouragement could have pulled me through it. I am sure that many people feel the wearing down on their body a few weeks out from their first marathon but it was discouraging. I felt I had to tone down my weekly mileage to prevent myself from getting so injured that I had to scrap the race all together.

Due to work conflicts, I had to miss my 22-miler so I had only completed a long run of 20 miles, which was 5 weeks from the marathon. I ran a 16 mile long run two weeks away and I was scared I might not have the endurance I would need to get through those final few miles. In the days leading up to the marathon I only ran two 4-milers, but my ankle was still a bit sore.

I also noticed that the “old man” had not exactly left. The Austin business trip, Thanksgiving holiday, and other church dinners and company lunches had wreaked havoc on my eating! With the extra eating and reduced mileage, I had actually put on a few pounds in the last few weeks of my training. I could feel it but didn’t really think no one had noticed until my mom made a comment about it at dinner one evening. Thanks mom!!

For the marathon, I did probably one of the biggest no-no’s of running in such a big race. I bought a pair of running tights that I did not run in until the start of the marathon! A cold front came through and brought temps down so I would need them, but I did not have a chance to run in them before the race. While I had some problems during the race, none of them had anything to do with my tights. They worked great!

The race start was at 8 AM and there were thousands of runners in line. I heard they had almost 9,000 runners in the marathon, half-marathon, and 5k races combined! I wore my new “in-sport” tights, running shorts over them, a long sleeve technical running shirt, technical Adidas pull-over, hat, and a cheap pair of gloves. It was cold but I felt perfectly dressed at the start. I was a little concerned I might warm up and get uncomfortable later on but that was never really a problem.

I thought I lined up in the 4:30 corral but I would later learn that I actually lined up in the 4:45. They did not have signs explaining which side of the rope you should be on but it would really make no difference for me over the course of the race. It was crowded in the corral and I didn’t do much talking.

I pulled my ipod mini out of my pocket and put it on. I had prearranged a complete playlist for the race including some of my favorite podcasts. I ALWAYS use my ipod on long runs because it helps me zone out and ignore the tiredness in my body. I had been saving up podcasts so I would have some good stuff to listen to and was actually excited to listen to some of the shows I’d been saving. I got it strapped on and turned it on when….

WHA?????!!!!

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My ipod was NOT working!!!! Nothing. I had checked it that morning and it was fully charged. It is pretty old so I am not sure what happened but my ipod was not coming on and would not work the entirety of the race! I am not sure if the cold affected it or not but this was a huge blow to me. I am accustomed to listening to my ipod for every workout. It has dragged me through some rough miles and I was not sure how I was going to get through 26.2 miles without it. I had my cell in my pocket and text messaged my wife to get some encouragement. I did not have much time to think about it because, in a matter of minutes, the race was on.

I lived in Memphis for years before moving to Mississippi so I was pretty familiar with the race course. I was excited to run down some of the roads and take in some of the views. I love the view coming off the hill and on to Riverside Drive with the Mississippi River on the left and downtown Memphis on the right. I was excited to run down Beale street and by the FedExForum. I even thought the stretch down Second street beside the Peabody Place and Autozone Park was awesome. There was a huge crowd cheering us on through there so it was much different than any kind of race I have experienced before.

Despite my ipod problems, I was enjoying the first few miles of the race, particularly with all of the crowds. The only problem is I really had to pee!!! I didn’t want to stop at a porta potty because all of them had lines, but by mile 4 I had to succumb to the pressure (pun intended) and wait in line. I timed the wait and it was a bit over 2 minutes to complete the stop. I hate that 2 minutes of my marathon time was a bathroom break but I bet I did better than some people. Plus, when nature calls there is not much you can do!

I had taken it really easy the few couple of miles and I was feeling good as I crossed through the first 10K. My 10K split time was 1:01:44 with a 9:58 per mile pace. Crossing at about 60 minutes is about where I had planned to be which, with the bathroom break added in, meant I was about on pace.

I actually experienced a negative split the second 6 miles. I know part of this was the crowd thinning out and no bathroom break but I was really enjoying myself. I was not missing the ipod yet and the crowds were great. All along the course there were people holding pictures of children treated by St. Jude Research Hospital. I was feeling myself energized by thinking about what I was running for.

I talked with a guy through mile 10 who had run several marathons. He was wearing a crazy pink flamingo hat and chatting it up with everyone around. I told him it was my first one and he encouraged me to not worry at all about my time. “The first one is just you against the distance and no one else,” I remember him saying. “Time doesn’t matter because it is such a big challenge. Just focus on finishing.” Turns out I would need that advice later on!

Mile 10 or 11 went by the Target House, a home away from home for the patients and their families of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Several of the patients stood on the side of the road and cheered. Some of them wore surgical masks to protect them from the germ-filled air outside. I couldn’t help fighting back tears as I thought about how blessed I am with my two healthy children and what the families living inside the Target House must be going through right now as they battle for their child’s life against a deadly disease. I was energized by the moment and ran my 11th mile in just a few seconds over 9 minutes. Soon after someone cheered, “Come on! You only have less than two miles to go!” I looked over and said, “I wish!” She smiled and said, “Ooops!” It was a funny moment.

Heading back toward Autozone Park, the half-marathoners split off from us marathoners and it was a lot less crowded around me. I was feeling really strong at this point and was encouraged to acknowledge the progress I have made in my physical fitness. I can now comfortably run a half-marathon! I knew I would be just a few minutes above a two hour time and I think a sub-2 hour time would have been almost attainable had I been going that distance. My official results reflect a time of 2:09:48 with a 9:55 minute per mile pace. I was on target with a 10 minute per mile pace, I had long since passed the 4:30 pacer, and I was feeling strong. But I knew the hardest miles were yet to come and, sure enough, it would all hit me pretty soon.

I had been walking through the water breaks since mile 6 but around mile 16 I noticed it was taking me a few extra seconds to get motivated enough to start up again. I was starting to tire and realized that I was probably getting close to the height of my endurance level. The smaller crowds and lack of the previous buzz also made things harder, particularly since I didn’t have my ipod keeping me company. My wife and family had planned to meet me at mile 18 so I kept thinking about staying strong until I reached them.

I walked through the water stop and mile 18, took time eating one of my energy gels, and started up again when I saw my family up ahead at the curb. My wife, two kids, next oldest brother and his family, and parents were all there. They were all excited to see me and I was excited to see them too. I dropped off my ipod and hugged my wife who is always a great encourager. I felt like hanging out for a while but reluctantly started running again. I told myself, “Only 8 miles to go.” For some reason that thought was not very comforting!

It was about a mile later that the race quickly got much harder! I know I started slowing way down before mile 20 because my pace at that point reflects that. I crossed the 20 mile point at 3:27:39 with a pace per mile of 10:23. Over the previous 7 miles my pace per mile for the entire race had been slowed by almost 30 seconds per mile! I tried to keep split times using my watch and had slowed down to above 11-minutes per mile by mile 18 and was approaching 12 by mile 20. Missing the 22-miler and the reduced volume in weekly training miles was starting to affect me. My ankle was starting to hurt and I looked at my hands and could tell my fingers were swollen. I was hurting. I began to tell myself that my time was not important. I wanted to finish relatively comfortable. Looking back, I can’t say I regret that decision. A time of a few minute faster would have been nice but not really important enough to kill myself over!

I was walking for a minute or so after each water stop. I was taking in powerade at each stop, although it was significantly watered down by this point. I crossed 13 minutes for a couple of miles there at the end and was just trying to jog from water stop to water stop. Everyone around me was struggling too. Everyone else was stopping and walking and joking about stopping and walking. I overheard one lady complaining to her friend about her shoes and how she felt she was running directly on the asphalt. I passed an older couple who sported t-shirts about running a marathon in all 50 states. I was passing several who looked like they should be doing much better than me, and was passed by several I would have thought would have been much further back. That’s the marathon for you – the great equalizer!

I called my wife to tell her I was off pace and would be in after 12:30 pm. She encouraged me to continue on and I began text messaging her at each mile marker to keep her informed.

I had been passed a long time ago by the 4:30 pacer when I took in some pretzels at mile 23. I was energized by the salty carbs and I picked up the pace just a bit. By mile 24 I was really hurting but still keeping a slow jog. My ankle was killing me and my legs felt like pudding. I was wondering if I would see the 4:45 pacer when she ran up beside me at 24 ½ miles. She encouraged me to stay up with her and we chatted briefly. I told her it was my first marathon and she asked where I was from. She then began to call me by my hometown name and she became my encourager the rest of the way.

After mile 25, she began drifting away and I had to start walking again. The pacer turned around and waited briefly. She refused to let me go and yelled at me to catch up. I felt like I was running an 8-minute mile to stay up with her but then turned the corner and suddenly saw the 26 mile marker. It was just one more turn into AutoZone Park and I knew I wouldn’t have any problems in there. I don’t know who that pacer was but she really helped me finish strong the last couple of miles. I may have had it in me the whole time but I sure needed someone to pull it out of me!

It was an exhilarating feeling running around the outfield warning track to the finish line. I heard my name being called and I lifting my hand in triumph! I was finishing my first marathon! I crossed the finish line and hurt the beep of my time. I would forget to hit my watch so I wouldn’t know my official time until the next day. They put one of the silver blankets on me and hung the finisher’s medal around my neck. I was ecstatic. I had done it! The thrill was starting to set in! After having my time chip cut off, I headed up the steps to the stadium’s concourse. Walking up the steps I thought of all the weeks of training, all of the successes, all of the disappointments. I thought about all of the encouragement and support my family has given me. I thought about what I had just accomplished.

After reaching the top, I immediately saw my wife, my two small kids, and the rest of the family. When the hugging began something unexpected happened. Something I had not imagined and would not anticipate. I began to cry. All of the emotion from the race; seeing all of the pictures of all of the children battling for their life; those children in surgical masks at mile 11; all the hard miles I had to endure and the physical pain; the 4:45 pacer that pushed me near the finish; and my loving family and the support they provided all along the way, through all the weeks of training; it all came washing through and I didn’t have the strength to hold the emotions back. My brother snapped pictures, but luckily, they didn’t take too well and there is no pictorial evidence of the tears! I had finished the race. My official time: 4 hours, 44 minutes, 51 seconds. Not the time I had been hoping for a couple of months ago, but the accomplishment was still there.

Once I had waded through the emotion, I was HUNGRY! And this might have been a big mistake for me – not taking enough calories in during the race. Of course, I ate the mandatory pasta dinner the evening before, but I only ate 2/3 of a Powerbar that morning and 4 gels throughout the race. At my fitness level, and for the amount of time I was pounding the course, I think I should have eaten way more gels than I did. I scarfed down two pieces of pizza and was ready for lunch. We went to Huey’s – one of the best burger joints in town and I had no trouble downing a big burger and fries.

Five days out from the marathon I am still a bit sore but I am getting better. The main concern is my ankle that just doesn’t seem to be getting better. I am going to take two weeks off from running and try to do more cycling. I am currently reading a book on triathlons and hope to get more involved in multisport during the new year. Hopefully, less of a frequency of running will help. We will see.

I also plan to try this same marathon next year but try to build up a base of running more gradually. My body rebelled those last few weeks and I know the lack of training hurt me. But now that the race is over I feel like I am just getting started. I see the marathon as simply a “kick off” to all of the fitness goals I have dreamed about the last few years. The old man is not dead yet, but I got him on the ropes!

If you want to see my official marathon race pictures, click here and type in my bib number – 1842. They are all in the last mile. I will post others when I get them uploaded.

Neyland Run

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 14:57:00 +0000

I am now in east Tennessee and planned out a 8.5 mile run for the last "long run" before Saturday's marathon. I would start off at Island Home Park and run down beside the Tennessee River before crossing at the Gay Street Bridge. It was really foggy so I was disapointed that I was not able to take in views of the river. To make matters worse, my ipod crapped out after only 2 miles!

After crossing the river, I ran around and joined the Neyland Greenway to continue on to the University of Tennessee campus. I ran up to Neyland Stadium and around through campus to Circle Park, where the "eternal tourchbearer" stands. The campus was abuzz with the Kentucky game just hours away. There were already a dozen fans lined up for the famed Vol Walk two hours before it was scheduled to take place. I had tickets for ther game myself so I got a little excited running through seeing all the vendors setting up and the programs guys tossing footballs. I made a mental note of the placement of the Nathan's Hotdogs stand. I know it is crazy to think of eating a hot dog after a good run but it flung a craving on me!

The return run along the river brought the same fog but I made pretty good time - about a 9:45 minutes per mile pace. I thought it was a good taper run before next week's marathon but all the walking later in the day feet hurt my feet so I will need to do some icing before next week.

I will have to look at my schedule to see what runs I have this week. The main focus will be easy easy. I may only run twice so I will feel realy good on Saturday. I haven't even registered yet but I will do that Tuesday. It is too far to tell but the forecast in Memphis on Saturday is sunny but a COLD COLD day with a high of 39 and low of 24 degrees!!!! In other words it is going to be FREEZING! As a rule, I NEVER run outside when it is that cold!!!!! This may be the first time I have ever run on a day that it is this cold and it will be when running a marathon -- how about that!

So I will be going to get some running tights this week. (I ALWAYS run in shorts). I will get them in time to run in them a couple of times before the marathon. I noticed my favorite local sporting goods store has a couple of options. One brand is InSport and the other one is Brooks. I think the prices is $35 and $50 but I will really need them. I am a little worried I will over or under dress since I am not used to running in this kinda of cold. Of course, I can always hope that it is warmer than that. The weather people are sure enough wrong around here more times than they are right!

So it is now less then a week before the big day. If anyone has any advice that you have found helped you, I would sure like to know. Have a great week!

What's Happening in My World!

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 05:15:00 +0000

Wow! Thanks for the question Phil because things have certainly been crazy lately and my focus has definately not been on the marathon

Several weeks ago the 20-miler went great and I was really gearing up for the marathon. The reality that I could do it was sinking in and I could see the end of my training in sight.

I completed a 12 miler the next weekend and commented to my wife that I remembered when 6-milers felt like that. I could tell that I was getting accustomed to the longer miles.

Then, I don't know if I was wearing my body down or what but I got a terrible cold that cut into my running the next week. I was really tired and had congestion in my chest. Some meds seemed to finally clear it up before the weekend but I faced a delima: I had to fly out to Austin, Texas the next day for the yearly senior managment conference and I thought that running 22 miles with the week I had was not a smart idea. But the business of packing and getting everything else ready got to me and I actually missed any kind of long run that Saturday!

I did manage to run both Monday and Tuesday in Texas but the heat and humidity down there were both something! I ran once more on Friday and completed a 16 miler this past Saturday.

I know that this is not the kind of taper you want for a beginner running a marathon. 16 miles two weeks beforehand may have been pushing it a bit but I felt I needed to do it with all of the time I had taken off. I must admit that the 16 miles were a little harder than I would have liked. There was not so much a time that I lacked the wind but my ankles bothered me and I had more soreness than normal.

I have been really wrapped up in some major work stuff and my attention has just not been on my running. In fact, as you have noticed, it has been really hard to keep the blogging going. It really stinks that work is so demanding right now because I have put all the hard weeks into training and now I have not been able to "gear up" for it like I would want.

So I guess I am kinda of dragging my butt into the marathon and the reality just has not sunk in just yet. I am kinda bummed about it all and that is part of why I haven;t blogged -- that and all the business that is.

Me and the fam will be traveling to K-town for Thanksgiving Wednesday and I hope to take a few runs around campus to "clear the mind". It's less than two weeks away so I need to be "psyching" myself up! I will try and post more frequently in the days leading up to December 2nd!

20 miles!!

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 12:02:00 +0000

WHEW!!

20 miles!!!!

So THAT is what it feels like!

I feel like I have entered into the “big boy” miles now! Those 20 miles were NOT easy! I am not sure why, but 20 miles seemed a few notches more difficult than the 18 I completed two weeks ago.

I started off the morning with 2/3 of a powerbar and packed three gels into my camelbak that was full of water. Due to a combination of weather and oversleeping, I was not able to run as much last week, logging only 12 miles during the week. That may be the contributor to my sluggish feeling as I started the run, a sluggish feeling that never quite went away.

I used the google pedometer to map out the route. It is essentially the same route as usual with extensions to meet the distance. I mapped out a small loop in a side neighborhood and it turned out it had a couple of nice gradual hills to run through. The weather was in the mid 40’s when I started. I was dressed perfectly for those temperatures but later in the run (3 ½ hours later) I was burning up!

I was not worrying about pace but, at 10 miles, I was disapointed that I was running about 10:24 a mile. I had not paid any attention and had not wanted to run over a 10-minute mile. I knew that I did not need to try to pick up the pace at that point because I was not really feeling up to it.

After about 2 ½ hours, the miles seemed to be passing more slowly. Partially, I was just bored. Three hours is a long time to be out pounding a road. At about 15 miles my route took me past my neighborhood. I had a tempting thought to just turn right and end my run early. I quickly dismissed it from my mind.

Three miles later, my route took me by my house for a 2 miles loop through the neighborhood to complete the run. At this point I was just hanging on. Quitting was not an option but pace was no concern. I had to keep reminding myself of the short distance left when my wife drove slowly by on her way to church and encouraged me.

I took off my camelbak and gave it to my wife. I told her I was struggling to finish the last mile and she stayed with me and talked me through it. It was a big help and I did make it! 20 miles! It felt like it too! I finished the run in 3:35:58, with a pace of 10:48 per mile. I came into the house, showered and got dressed, and made it to Sunday School before the teacher had started the lesson.

If I had any grandeur thoughts of a fantastic time for the marathon, they were squelched from my mind this weekend. This marathon will be about finishing. Future marathons may include talk of time goals but this one is just about going the distance. In two weeks, I will find out what 22 miles feels like!!!

Happy Halloween!

100th Post!

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 13:40:00 +0000

TA DA!! This is my 100th post on this running blog! I think that is pretty cool! I’m a little late writing my summary of last week’s running. Things have been SOOO busy lately that I am actually writing this at work! (shhhhhh)

I have not been getting the miles I had planned during the week lately but at least my long runs are going on as scheduled. This past Sunday I completed a 13 miler that went pretty well. I pushed the pace a little bit but not enough that I was ever running uncomfortably. I finished the run at a time of 2:06:20 or a 9:44 per mile pace.

I have found it easier to dial down the miles during the week to help me recover from the long runs. My weekly mileage has been down in the low 30’s as a result but I am feeling pretty good. I still have to ice frequently for my PF and left ankle. I really try to dig into the bottom of my foot with my ice block and it tends to help. Those tendons in my left foot are still pretty tight.

This week I have a 6 miler on Thursday, will probably do an easy 4 on Friday, and then a 20-miler on Sunday! (The longest run of my life to date.) On my long run last weekend I realized that I run by several significant historical sights in my hometown of Tupelo, Mississippi – if you liked Elvis Presley that is. I will try to give you a run down on that later. Have a great week!!!

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 03:36:00 +0000

Last week a day in history passed that no one even noticed. Not even me.

Monday, a week ago, was the One-Year Anniversary for the Running in the Deep South blog by yours truly! Yep, one year ago I posted on how I got started running and got this very blog started at the same time.

I can't say that the writing has gotten any better but my running sure has! That week I was planning for a 5K and ran a grand total of 13 miles! The Saturday before I completed a 4-mile "long run" and actually wore my camelbak to stay hydrated! Ha Ha Ha!!! I have to say that I am almost as proud that I have stuck to blogging as running! Usually my efforts at such ventures fall by the waist side after a couple of days!

My first blog entry elicited an actual comment by famed trail runner Scott Dunlap! (He knows Kristen Armstrong personally ya know!) I haven't heard from him since but I have gained some readers over this first year that leave me great feedback and encourage me on a consistent basis. I want to thank Phil, Terry, Jim, Michele, Leonard, my brother R., and parent-in-laws for their "comment support" along the way!

My next post will mark number 100 for this blog, which will probably summarize the long run this weekend. My running is going fairly well this week but I have been busy with the CCO in town at work and the weather has been bad. I hope to knock down 7 in the morning but heavy rain is projected.

I know I have let many of you down when I failed to follow through on my "fearless reviews" of running gear :-) but I thank you for sticking around! I appreciate the support as I continue my quest to complete 26.2!!!

18 miles: check!

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 10:57:00 +0000

Total miles this week: 33.6 (4 times)

Cycling: 50 minutes (Sunday)

Long run: 18.1 miles (10:19 pace)

Another long run in the books!

My wife was out of town this weekend "with the girls" so the kids and I went down to my parents and spent the night so they could watch them for my long run Saturday morning. I showed them my route the night before by driving it in the car after we had eaten out.

My mom is a chronic worrier and she was on me the entire time about how I should not be running that far. She elicited the name of Dr. Donohue, a weekly columnist in the paper who often advices his readers not to overdo it. I am serious when I say that she attempted to talk me out of the run the entire drive. In her mind, my running is only about weight loss and she insists I would do fine by running only 2 miles every day.

I didn't listen to my mom and headed out just before 7 am on Saturday morning. It was cold - in the mid 40's and I had to wear an Adidas running pull-over to keep warm. I felt pretty strong as I started. I had only run 3 times the week before. My wife encouraged me to take off Friday to give myself some rest before the long run and I think it helped. The 18 miles didn't seem any longer than the 16 last Saturday. My lower legs were hurting those last few miles but, otherwise, I felt strong.

I iced a lot Saturday and I feel like I am recovering well. I biked 50 minutes Sunday and the new muscles I am using are a bit sore but I have no muscles soreness from the run! The ligaments in my ankles are a little sore but my PF doesn't seem to be a problem at all.

It is now Monday morning. It was easy to talk myself out of running this morning. When I woke up at 5 am it was cold, windy, and pouring down rain. I told myself that I DID cross train yesterday and turned back over. At any rate, I think the extra day of rest will help me recover from the long run and I will just tack on a couple extra miles on Tuesday's and Thursday's run. This weekend it is back down to only a half marathon distance before kicking it back up to 20 miles in two weeks!

One foot after another

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 15:03:00 +0000

I have come to that point in my marathon training where I repeatedly find myself asking the question, “Why am I doing this???”

This morning was definitely no exception. I had driven 6 ½ hours roundtrip yesterday to complete an all day training session with staff of a new program we are opening up. I didn’t run yesterday, leaving the house before 5:30 am and arriving after 8:30 pm. When the alarm went off this morning at 5:00, I hit the snooze of course. (and then again and again). But when I finally DID get up at 5:30, I asked the question again, “Why am I doing this?”

I read a few months ago that the hardest part of running a marathon is not the event itself, but the weeks of training leading up to the race. I have never been a very disciplined person. (I like to think of myself as a perfectionist who just leaves a few things undone because I don’t have time to do them right!) So sticking to this training has been really challenging. It was easier when the miles were not adding up to 35 or 40 a week and long runs were not so taxing.

I can REALLY tell that this week’s 16-miler took a lot out of me. The easy run Monday was not so easy and the 4 mile tempo run this morning was more of a struggle than a 9 minute mile at this distance is usually.

So I’m tired. And I, honestly, am not looking forward to an 18-miler sometime Saturday night or Sunday morning. I mean…18 miles!!!! 18 miles??? “Why am I doing this?” But then I remind myself that this is all an exercise in discipline and I am just going to continue plodding along – one foot after another. Seems like a good Forrest Gump quote would fit nicely here! :-)

P.S. Thanks for all the encouraging words! It helps!!!

Just about 10 miles to go for a marathon!

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 23:15:00 +0000

Week Total: 35 miles

Long run -- 16 miles

I just finished week 3 of my 11-week marathon training plan and completed the longest run of my life by going 16 miles.

I had planned to go only 15. I completed 12 last week so I mapped out a side route the night before that would add an additional 3 miles. But I forgot I had knocked off a mile the previous week because of a big dog and did not realize until a few miles into the run that I actually mapped out a 16 mile run. I decided I was going to go for it as long as I was feeling okay.

The weather cooperated with a sunny day and temps in the mid to high 40's during most of the run. I felt really good and kept a relaxed pace throughout. I didn't take in any water until about 5 miles and didn't feel I really needed the powergel I finally consumed at mile 8. I never hurt at any point in the run and finished fairly strong at the end!

I have an 18 mile run this Saturday and then begin alternating 20-milers with a half-marathon distance the following weekends. My ankle and bottom of my left foot is still a bit sore but I have started doing something that seems to help. Instead of just icing, I have taken several hot baths for about 15 minutes and then ice it afterwards. It seems to be getting better faster than it normally does.

I have a busy week next week and may have to move some of the runs around a bit. More on that later -- I hope everyone had a great weekend!

New Wheels!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 01:28:00 +0000

Finally! The day arrived when I was able to go out and buy a road bike. I can't tell if my old Fisher Marlin trail bike is jealous or not but I'm sure it will start getting a lot less use!

After a lot of looking and reading reviews on the internet, I went with an 2007 Specialized Roubaix. They gave me a GREAT deal at a bike shop about 45 minutes from my house and the staff there were really patient with me as I tried it and several other rides in the store. It is built to be comfortable for really long rides but is light and aggressive enough for triathlons as well. It is a 30 speed that is made of lightweight aluminum and has a complete carbon fork, carbon seat stays, and carbon seat post. The shop owner thought it would work fine to install aero bars down the road if I desire but I may not worry about it since I won't be doing any serious competion.

I already have two triathlons I know I want to compete in next year. One is the Rebel Man Sprint Triathlon in Oxford, Mississippi that is held in March or April of every year. The other is the larger DragonFly Tri in Sardis, Mississippi in June. There is another sprint tri in Tupelo in August but it is a new event so I have decided on that one yet. In 2008 I would like to tackle a longer olympic distance triathlon, possible the Memphis in May tri in Memphis.

But I am SOOOO excited! I went out on a 12.5 mile ride Saturday and had a blast! I took relatively the same route that I use for long runs and it was wild to cover the same ground in 53 minutes! I was a little sore in the thighs and butt but nothing real major. I may have some more adjusting to the seat to get just the right fit but I still averaged 14 mph without really pushing and I had a lot of gas in the tank when I quit.

So you may be hearing me talk more and more about biking and thinking about tri's -- that it -- once I am able to get through a marathon! :-)

Kicking the mileage up

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 21:57:00 +0000

I finished week 2 of the marathon plan and it went a bit better than week 1. I woke up late Sunday morning and only had time for a 12 mile run. Actually, it would have been 13 but, at mile 7, I saw a HUGE dog chasing a squirrel across the street about 150 yards ahead. I don’t exactly have an aversion to dogs but I easily talked myself in going the other direction.

I felt pretty strong during most of the run but could feel myself running out of gas near the end. I think I could have easily gone an extra mile. Next week I will try a 15 miler and then 18 the week after. Then, I will alternate long runs of 20 and 22 miles with runs of half-marathon length the weekends in between.
My ankle is bothering me a little after my long runs so I have gone to my old trick of freezing coffee-size Styrofoam cups full of water. They are convenient because you just tear off the top few inches and use them to message the sore muscles (or in this case – ligaments). The speedwork tomorrow will really tell me where I am at.

New Shoes!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Shane (mississip)) — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 16:25:00 +0000

FINALLY! NEW SHOES!!!

I had planned a trip to “Mempho” (the armpit of Tennessee) this weekend for some new shoes since we don’t have a specialty running store in the area but decided to look one more place before making the trek. After my Monday easy run I decided I didn’t need to take another running step in my old shoes. They had 440 miles on them but I felt the cushioning was long gone and my lower legs ached even on the easy runs.

We have an awesome store in the area called “Trails and Treads” that is an outdoorsy type store that carries products similar to what you might find at REI. I have been in there several times looking at the road bikes (which I plan to purchase this weekend – WOO HOO!) but I have never paid much attention to the shoes they carry. Plus, I didn’t know if anyone there is knowledgeable about the different types of shoes (stability, motion-control, cushioning). As you all know, the folks in department stores or most of those chains like Foot Locker have NO clue whatsoever. You might as well be speaking French when you mention words like “stability shoe”. “uhhh, yesssir, all of our shoes are pretty stabile”.

I was fortunate that I caught the owner/manager of the store, Harris, who was, in fact, very knowledgeable about the type of shoe I needed. He didn’t watch me run because I told him the folks at Fleet Feet (which he knows pretty well) determined I have minimum motion and would do best in a stability shoe. He did measure my foot and look at my arch. I told him that the Brooks Axiom I had been using never seemed to have enough cushioning because I have experienced a lot of lower leg problems.

He confirmed what I thought – that the Axiom didn’t provide enough support for the mileage I am putting in. He said it doesn’t really make a good trainer because it is so light. (I have to confess that I may have moved the guy at Fleet Feet this direction because I loved the lighter shoes I tried.) But after trying several shoes at Trail and Treads, I picked a shoe that was in my budget at $95. I went with the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 6. I liked the Brooks Trance a bit better but $130 is just too much for a shoe I plan to replace in three months.

I went on my first run in the new shoes this morning. Off the bat the left shoe seemed hard and I felt I was slapping my foot on the pavement. Once I got going and the shoe was broken in a bit, I was fine and they felt comfortable. The BEST part is - I am feeling NO lower leg pain this morning at all! None of that normal soreness below my calves, at my ankle, or underneath my foot! And today I ran mile intervals so it wasn’t a real easy day.

So I am hoping that this continues to be the case and this weekend’s long run is doable. The temps are going to be GREAT so I hope my legs will cooperate. I am going to see if I can reach at least 14, maybe 15. But if I am struggling at all I will cut short at 13. (Hopefully, not less than that.) I need to get on track so I can do this marathon in December. I’ll let you know how it goes!