Country Music Marathon

This past weekend I measured myself, and I achieved my goal. What turned out to be an incredibly perfect day was preceded by days of
uncertainty -- forecast for bad weather, difficulty in finding a hotel room, improper training, and really not sure who else would finally go. All turned out great, Julie finished at 1:38 at a fantastic sub 7'30" mile pace; Mindy finished strong in her very first race at 2:19, and I was able to qualify for Boston at 3:22 in this, my first, marathon.

Traveling separate routes, I met up with Julie and Mindy in the gridlocked streets of downtown Nashville early Friday evening. Talking with some of the locals, I was informed that this was traffic even they had never seen. As it turned out, the Country Music Marathon had grown from ~8000 runners in 2006, to over 32,000. In addition, all those people had to get downtown to pick up their race packets! However, once inside the convention center, everything was very well organized, as was the whole race.

I did managed to find a hotel/crack house, 15 minutes south of Nashville, so after creeping our way back out of downtown, we headed for dinner and sleep. An older hotel with the back side facing the highway made a perfect location for early evening drug deals, shady characters hanging out in stairwells and 1:30 A.M. drag racing on the service road. None of the three of us slept well.
With a forecast for rain on Saturday, we arose at 4:00 A.M. to be greeted by cool, overcast skies, the girls waiting for the other to back out. But by 5:30 we had easily parked the cars, shuttled to Centennial Park and waited in line for the Port-a-Potties. After visiting well stocked tents of bananas, coffee, and bagels, we sat in the lawn and were blessed with a short sprinkling of rain. The skies would soon clear, and we would have sunshine the rest of the day. We met up with Joy Gray, also from the Corinth running group, and made our way to the corrals.

Registering over 4 months ago, and not realizing my ability, I had estimated my finish time at 4:30 which put me back in corral 14. However, now with a realistic goal to qualify for Boston with a 3:30, I knew I needed to move up. So joining Julie in corral 4, we readied to begin the race. In all, it was a beautiful course with 3 out and back loops. This made it fun to watch the oncoming runners as they passed in never-ending waves. The characters were great: a bride, queens, superman, clowns, ballerinas, and of course the professionals at the head of the pack. The aid stations were plentiful and well supported by the greatest volunteers. Having been in this circle of activities less than a year, I was amazed I ran into so many people I knew. Yes even Crazy Ashley!

The first half was so much fun, but at the 11-mile mark, the 7000 full marathon runners parted ways from the 1/2 marathoners and the course grew emptier and hillier. The party was over, and it was time to focus on running. I set my pace and tried to find a fellow runner. I passed the 1/2 marathon mark at 1:40, just about the same time Julie finished her half. It was a great run for her, and she was happy to be done. I still had a 1/2 to go, and so I volleyed a few text messages to keep me busy. By mile 16, a few aches started to set in, but I saw Howard, GNAC, which greatly encouraged my efforts. By mile 20 the legs were unbelievably sore, and the day was now hot, so I focused on nutrition and that it was just a 6-mile run to the end. My times began to drop from 7'40"s to 7'50" miles. It then became a mental run. The cheerleaders were great; the water splashed in my face brought the life back, but the pains would not release me. I held the 7'50" pace to the end, oblivious to the cheering groups along the finish line. I had done it 3hr 22 min+. And at the end was my group of friends ready to congratulate each other.

A special thanks to those who help coach me, train me, and believed in me... "he's 46 and has just learned he can run".

Wet

And so we have a day of rain,
Good for the grass but not running pain.
¤

6 Gaps of Georgia

The weekend adventures took me to Georgia, where I met up with 15 new friends to watch the Tour de Georgia and ride the hills of Georgia.
Thursday’s Time Trails ended at Rock City on Lookout Mtn. There I ran into Craig, the dog wrestler I had met in the Shoals area two days before!

Thursday night we stayed in Suches, GA in a party cabin. There Dr Wolff and Bill treated us to the first of many gourmet meals including various great pasta dishes I could not pronounce but was allowed to help prepare, french baked salmon, and pesto tenderloin. These served as great fuel for the miles and mountains we were to climb some the most beautiful roads in the country. While accents were measured in elevational feet climbed, descents were reported in maximum miles per hour. For the tree days we accumulated over 100 miles 7000 ft elevation gain with one report of 56 mph max!

And why do we ride so fast?….to catch that beer truck !While gathered at the finish line on Coppertown Bald, I got a chance to see Floyd up close in a suit not on a bike.

Dogs and Bikes

I took opportunity to join the Muscle Shoals Cycle Club one Tuesday evening. They took me out on some really great rolling country roads north of town. While cooking along at a 19 mph pace, we were bombarded by the early evening bugs. We had to keep our mouths closed less we get a little extra protein. As we neared the end of the ride a group of dogs began barking and running along side us. Well you can guess the rest…dog jumps in front….cyclist swerves and crashes…while Craig hit real hard, his helmet took the brunt of the fall and after a few minutes he was able to ride the rest of the way in. The bike took minor damage but again it was much better than it could have been.

The SCC is a great group and I hope to ride with them again soon.

Kitchen Adventures

With the inclement weather outside this weekend, the adventures were take indoors and into the kitchen. Working with a bottle of wine and spice ingredients from Ms Julieanna, I embarked on page 34 of Home Cuisine. The menu consisted of Thai Basil Chicken and Shrimp, Coconut Rice, and Salad with Thai Dressing. The only thing missing was company with which to share. The leftovers weren’t too bad either.

Tri Training Thursdays

Its been a little quiet on the adventure side lately, Spring has jumped at us and then a quick jolt of winter freeze. Evenings and weekends have been spent working chores around the house. One thing that has been enjoyable has been our Thursday night Tri Training. The Corinth gang comes out to the house for short 4-5 mile run, 15 mile ride, and then splash in the lake. Okay it’s still too cold for any swim mileage yet, but in time.

Paula is getting a new Trek Pilot while the rest of us have been cleaning and polishing our to look new for the season. And it looks like our Route Master Robert will be back in town on weekends so we are all looking forward to a summer of rides.

Tom King Trio

A chilly morning greeted Mary Helen, Genie, and myself as we rolled into the Titan Stadium for the Tom King Half Marathon. My two gracious hosts had prepared me well for this, my first race with a protein drink, coffee, and a hot bowl of steel cut oats...mmmm. 13.1 miles would be the farthest I had ever run but now was time.

Once we began gathering at the start line, I suddenly felt like part of the gang, seeing friends from GNAC and the MS150. It is a small world and amazing how many you continue to meet up with through the course of the adventures.

The race began and quickly I found my pace and met up with Tom, who had run this race since its inception. I eagerly asked for advice and coaching. He did me right, completing in 1hr32min with a 7 min pace. Fun Fun Fun…..Next month is a full Marathon at the Country Music back here in Nashville.

A special thanks to all those who encouraged and supported me on my training, daily lunch runs, first 12 miler, and helping to realized I really can run. : )