First 10K Race today!

Today was race #3 in the Heritage of Air Power race series hosted by the Air Command and Staff College... the Lemay 10K! Although I have not specifically been training for this race it came at an interesting point in my Hal Higdon Half Marathon training plan... the same weekend of my last long run which is scheduled for 10 miles on Sunday. After seeking some advice... I decided to "race" the 10K today in order to establish a reference point for that specific distance... and adjust as necessary for the long run! Goal was less than 54 minutes...

Pre Race Routine
- I was up early this morning... not because of nerves or being anxious about the race... more as result of the Tacos de Pollo with Tipico sauce I had for dinner last night... man I LOVE those tacos but I assure you I sweat more eating them last night then I did running this morning!
- I found a bag of leftover Starbucks Christmas Blend in the freezer and so I brewed up a pot to start the day off in grand fashion.
- Breakfast consisted of a bowl of steel cut oatmeal with a spoonful of peanut butter and some wild clover honey... HOLY CRAP was that delicious! I washed it down with 32 oz of water to get ahead of the hydration curve.
- I drove over to Maxwell AFB only to arrive to find it was a lot more breezy than at our house... it was 38 degrees with a 20 mph brisk wind. I proceeded to sit in my truck and only departed the warmth of the cab once I knew I would be in the elements for only a short period of time but early enough to take in the National Anthem! As I walked over to the start area I did some cursory stretches to loosen the hip flexors and pop my back! As I stood around in my shorts and winter compression top with wind vest and gloves... I thought to myself... I wish I had worn my running pants and brought some ear covers... it was FREEZING! I shivered through the singing of the National Anthem and then made my way to the starting line.

Race
- BANG goes the gun! And we are off...
- Now... the plan was to run the first half of the race at a consistent 9 min/mile pace to see how I felt and then negative split the second half... NO PLAN SURVIVES FIRST CONTACT WITH THE ENEMY!
- So I glance down at my watch... 1/4 mile down... 8:20 pace... but it felt really comfortable... so I went with it hoping I would not regret going out to fast. I settled into a nice, comfortable pace and started to enjoy the music and the surroundings... just running... BEEP goes the Garmin... 1st mile split is 8:21... okay... faster than I planned but again I felt great.. not sure if it was the cold air or the fact that I could not feel my feet I decided to press on and see what would come of it... after weaving our way around the academic circle and through the BEQs we exited the tree and building lined sheltered road into the flat, open area of the perimeter road around the runway... HOLY CRAP is that wind cold and strong... the gusts were causing my ball cap to nearly fly off my head... BEEP goes the Garmin... 2nd mile split is 8:30... okay... still faster than the plan and slower than mile #1 but given the headwind I was good... once we made our way to the opposite side of the runway we were sheltered from the Westerly wind by the trees and I clipped off mile 3 easily... I hit the turn around point and thought... okay... I feel great... let's see if I can pick it up a little... BEEP goes the Garmin for Mile 4... BEEP goes Mile 5...
- Now... like any good trail horse... I can smell the barn and so once we made our way back into the buildings it was game on... I picked a target runner way out in front of me and made him my focus for the finish... catching him was the goal... I passed him with about 500 yards to the finish... 49:56... OH YEAH!! My first 10K race is complete and I am thrilled with the result!

My 1 mile splits

1	00:08:21	1.00	08:21
2	00:08:30	1.00	08:30
3	00:08:19	1.00	08:19
4	00:08:11	1.00	08:11
5	00:07:54	1.00	07:54
6	00:07:47	1.00	07:47

Post Race
- I turned in my slip from my race number... and then headed back out for a cool down jog... once my HR was back in the normal range I made my way over to the finish area and picked up some Gatorade and a banana.
- On my drive home I chilled with a nice squeeze bottle of EnduroxR4... Tangy Orange... my personal favorite!
- No cheering gallery or fanfare required nor desired today... it was personal... me against the distance... to see what I could run... and having reflected on it... I now realize I underestimated my potential and probably could have run just a little faster from the start... live and learn!

Overall
- Cold, blustery day... but a very organized and well run event... and I could not be more thrilled to see that my training is paying off... the Half Marathon is only a week away... more on that later!

Attitude trumps pain!

2011 Multisport season sponsorship!

A few weeks back I ran across a post on the Slowtwitch forum soliciting interested competitive age group triathletes to apply for a slot on a newly corporate sponsored triathlon team. Now... I know what you are thinking... but in my mind I think I am competitive! Anyway... I threw caution into the wind and put together all the information that was being asked of me to provide... a short bio, 2010 event results, 2011 planned events... well yesterday I received an email letting me know that I am one of the 12 selected to be on the inaugural team for the 2011 season!!!

That is way cool... but even cooler... it means companies that have signed up as sponsors offer incentives to the team... which means free gear, product and service discounts and potential media interaction as well as photos on their websites! I could not be more thrilled to be a part of this initiative put together by Ryan Falkee... soon you will see me listed as one of the team members on his website found here!

As of right now he has managed to line up several sponsors and there will be more in the future... I am stoked!

Attitude trumps pain!

Auburn Tigers... National Champions!

For the first time in 57 years... the Auburn University Tigers football program can call themselves National Champions! The game last night was an epic battle of two offensive powerhouses pitted against each other... for what was expected to be a high scoring offensive battle, this game began with a convincing display of defense. Three interceptions were thrown on consecutive drives, but neither offense could take advantage of them. They say defenses win championships and last night goes along way to prove it!

Some Auburn Facts (courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information )

• Auburn becomes the first team since Georgia Tech in 1990 to win a national title after starting the season ranked outside the top 20. 
• Cam Newton is the 9th Heisman winner to play in the national championship game in the last 11 years. 
• Auburn's win, coming on the heels of Alabama's title last year, marks the first time in 70-plus years that two different teams from the same state are crowned national champs in consecutive seasons. 
• The SEC improves to 7-0 in BCS title games and has now won the the last five. 

 2010... National Champs, SEC Champions, Coach of the Year, Heisman Trophy, Lombardi Award... and the list goes on... a perfect year to move back to Alabama to witness the perfect season...

Week	Date	Opponent		Result
1	Sat, Sep 4	Arkansas State		Won 52-26
2	Thu, Sep 9	@ Mississippi State		Won 17-14
3	Sat, Sep 18	Clemson		Won 27-24
4	Sat, Sep 25	(12) South Carolina		Won 35-27
5	Sat, Oct 2	Louisiana-Monroe		Won 52-3
6	Sat, Oct 9	@ Kentucky		Won 37-34
7	Sat, Oct 16	(12) Arkansas		Won 65-43
8	Sat, Oct 23	(6) LSU		Won 24-17
9	Sat, Oct 30	@ Mississippi		Won 51-31
10	Sat, Nov 6	Chattanooga		Won 62-24
11	Sat, Nov 13	Georgia		Won 49-31
13	Fri, Nov 26	@ (9) Alabama		Won 28-27
14	Sat, Dec 4	@ (18) South Carolina		Won 56-17
19	Mon, Jan 10	(2) Oregon		Won 22-19

WAR DAMN EAGLE... and that is all I have to say about that!

2010 Family Christmas in Alabama

"You don't choose your family.  They are God's gift to you, as you are to them."  ~Desmond Tutu


WOW... what a fantastic way to spend Christmas... with your family! Not to mention that Santa was VERY GOOD to all of us too!

This year was extra special in that we had my Brother, Carrie, their two kids- Reid, Lily and my Mom here with us to celebrate the holiday season. Brad and Carrie drove 13 hours from Austin, TX to be with us for a week and Mom drove 7 hours up from Jacksonville, FL... we sincerely appreciate them making a huge sacrifice to be here this year!

cha·os
–noun

1.

a state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack of organization or order.

2.

any confused, disorderly mass: a chaos of meaningless phrases.

3.

the infinity of space or formless matter supposed to have preceded the existence of the ordered universe.

4.

(initial capital letter) the personification of this in any of several ancient Greek myths.

5.

Obsolete. a chasm or abyss.

The kitchen was like a 24 hour diner... counter tops covered with multiple tins filled with all kinds of goodies... cookies, fudge, toffee, Chex mix, etc... we shared in some fantastic meals this past week to include an incredible spread on Christmas night. Just as we sat down eat dinner it began to snow outside... how perfect is that?

We also took the opportunity to drive up and spend the afternoon touring the Auburn University campus... and managed to sneak in lunch at Guthrie's... what a great day!

Managing your caloric intake this time of year is nearly impossible.. but my Brother and I took the opportunity we had together to get in some runs... we are both training for running events and despite the quick turn in temperatures from the 60's to the 20's we managed to get in a couple of great runs.... the highlight for me was running a 10K on the day after Christmas... it was 33 degrees and snowing the entire run... it was the easiest 6 miles I have ever run in my life and what a treat to be able to talk with my Brother while we ran on such a picturesque morning!

All good things must come to an end... and on Tuesday Mom had to depart back to Jax followed by Brad and Carrie on Wednesday... time with family is so precious... we can never seem to get enough of it... especially those moments at the dinner table when everyone is laughing themselves into an asthma attack! We are truly thankful to have such a wonderful family and the opportunity to spend this year's Christmas with them in our home! We love you guys!

Family life is a bit like a runny peach pie - not perfect but who's complaining?  ~Robert Brault

Life keeps on happening...

Well... a lot has happened since my last post... Sydney turned 10 and has started playing the guitar, Colby's team won the Alabama DIV III State Championship in soccer, Maddison moved from 16th chair to 3rd chair on the clarinet, Cassidy was inducted into the National Honor Society, Sherri has become a workout machine at the YMCA and I took over both the Joint Operational Planning Process block of the Air War College curriculum as well as the Naval Advisor to Air University role at work... all movement in the positive direction!


In October I started a 20 week training plan for the Mercedes Half Marathon scheduled for 13 February 2011 but following the Spinners 5K on 23 OCT I started having significant pain in my left foot... the head of my 2nd metatarsal to be exact.... after some self evaluation and internet diagnoses I laid off of it for 10 days... then tried to run again... unsuccessfully! I eventually made my way in for xrays and a visit with the Podiatrist... he decided it was a combination of hyper-extension of the joint, sprained ligaments and inflamed bursa sac which resulted in a Toe Alignment Splint, Naproxen and zero running and elliptical for a couple of weeks... SO... after following his advice... today I am pain free and decided to put it to a test.


If you recall... I signed up for the Heritage of Air Power racing series here at Maxwell Air Force Base a couple months back and completed the 1st of four events... the Mitchell Mile... today was the 2nd event in that series... the Quesada 5K. Elwood Quesada was a member of the famous Question Mark endurance crew of 1929. In the first week of January, Second Lieutenant Quesada flew as a crew member with Major Carl Spaatz, Captain Ira Eaker, and others in the Question Mark plane which set a sustained inflight refueling record of 151 hours - more than six days in the air over Los Angeles. The trimotor Fokker with Wright engines flew 11,000 miles and was refueled 43 times; nine refuelings were at night. Quesada was instrumental in developing many of the principles of tactical air-ground warfare for the Ninth Air Force during the European campaign. Innovations attributed to him included adapting a microwave early warning radar (MEW) for real-time direction of fighter bombers that were already in-flight, as well as placing pilots as forward air controllers inside tanks equipped with VHF aircraft radios on the front lines. This latter technique allowed for direct ground communication with overhead fighter-bombers by personnel who understood what pilots needed to identify ground targets. Besides reducing friendly fire incidents, such tactics allowed attacking ground troops to use close air support with greater precision and speed, allowing for air cover to take the place of artillery support in a rapid armored advance. These improved tactics enormously expanded the contributions of tactical airpower to the Allied defeat of Germany on the Western Front. His career in the USAF and foreward thinking have earned him a spot of honor in this racing series.


Anyway... I decided to run the event this morning as I want to complete the entire series and given the time off thought I would test out the toe. The goal this morning was to simply run comfortably without referencing time on the watch and take whatever it yielded. I did lock the bezel of my watch on the heart rate screen and took a look a couple of times to see where I was so I would a relative marker of my fitness level. I have continued to stay in the pool the past couple of weeks as well as some stationary bike rides so I did not expect to much of a decline. To my surprise... I finished with a 24:34 and ZERO TOE PAIN!! So today was a huge confidence booster for me and an indication that I can once again get back to my half marathon training plan... albeit a 12 week plan... but a plan nonetheless! Hope the joints stay healthy...


Attitude trumps pain!