Wednesday, October 24, 2007

UCF 5 Miler Race Report


Summary report:

Race clock time: 50:33 min
Net chip time: 49:51 min

OMG, I broke 50 minutes!!! :-)

Garmin splits:

Mile 1: 9:41 min
Mile 2: 9:29 min
Mile 3: 10:07 min (began losing some steam)
Mile 4: 10:23 min (trying to conserve for the end)
Mile 5: 9:27 min (big finish)

Garmin said I ran 5.1 miles - the last .1 was in 46.65 sec.

See my blog for more details!

Thanks for all the well wishes!!

The Marathon


THE MARATHON

The Marathon is not about running, it is about salvation. We spend so much of our lives doubting ourselves, thinking we’re not good enough, not strong enough, not made of the right stuff. The Marathon is an opportunity for redemption. “Opportunity,” because the outcome is uncertain. “Opportunity,” because it is up to you, and only you, to make it happen.

There is no luck involved in finishing a marathon, the ingredients required to tackle this formidable challenge are straightforward: commitment, sacrifice, grit, and raw determination. Plain and simple.

So you set about in your training to prepare your body for the rigors of running 26.2 miles. You train like crazy, dedicating yourself wholeheartedly to the challenge ahead, pouring everything you’ve got into it. But you know the Marathon will ask for more. In the dark recesses of you mind, a gloomy voice is saying, you can’t. You do your best to ignore this self-doubt, but the voice doesn’t go away.

The Marathon shakes you to the core. It deconstructs your very essence, stripping away all your protective barriers and exposing your inner soul. At a time when you are most vulnerable, the Marathon shows no pity. The Marathon tells you it will hurt you, that it will leave you demoralized and defeated in a lifeless heap on the roadside. The Marathon tells you that it can’t be done, not by you. “Ha!” it torments you, “In your dreams.”

You fight back, however, and stand courageously at that starting line, nervously awaiting the gun to go off. When it does, you put your head down and charge off into the abyss with the knowledge that you either paid your dues, or skimped along the way. There is no lying to yourself, the Marathon sees right through excuses, shortcuts and self-transgressions.

All goes well for the first half. But slowly, step by step, the pain mounts, while the intensity of the endeavor amplifies. You remain steadfast, knowing that you did not skimp, that you did not take shortcuts along the way, that every footstep was earned through months of diligent preparation. Still, with each wearing thrust forward, that little nagging inclination of self-doubt progressively advances toward the surface of your awareness.

Then, at mile twenty, the voice looms louder than ever. It hurts so bad you want to stop. You must stop. But you don’t stop. This time, you ignore the voice, you tune out the naysayers who tell you you’re not good enough, and you listen only to the passion in your heart. This burning desire tells you to keep moving forward. To continue putting one foot boldly in front of the other, and don’t stop. Courage comes in many forms, today you will have the courage to keep trying, to not give up, no matter how dire things become. And dire they do become. At the 26 mile mark, you can barley see the course any longer, your vision is faltering as you teeter on the edge of consciousness.

And then, suddenly before you, looms the finish line. Tears stream down your face as you cover those final few steps. Now you are finally able to answer back to that nagging, pervasive voice with a resounding: Oh yes I can!

You burst across that finish line and are liberated from the prison of self-doubt and limitations that have forever held you captive. You have learned more about yourself in the past 26.2 miles than you have known in a previous lifetime, now you are freed from the chains that bind. Even if you can’t move for a week, you have never been so free.

As you are being carried away from the finish line, wrapped in a flimsy mylar blanket, barely able to raise your head, you are at peace. That daunting adversary that, as a runner, has haunted you for an entire lifetime is now your liberator, you fondest ally. You have done what few will ever do—you have done what you thought you could never do—and it is the most glorious, unforgettable awakening ever. You are, a Marathoner, and you will wear this distinction not on the lapel of your clothing, but in your heart, for the rest of your life.

(from Dean Karnezes blog at http://dean.runnersworld.com/2007/04/index.html)


Congratulations, Maddy on completing your very first marathon!!! And congratulations all on races well run! You have been redeemed!

Monday, October 22, 2007

Go Ladies, Go!!!

Thanks Maddy, I've been thinking about you ladies all day. I hope everyone had a great race. Can't wait to hear about it.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Big Weekend!

This weekend is going to be a pretty busy weekend. There are going to be be a lot of us at various races across the globe.

I wanted to wish everyone luck who has a race this weekend.

Shirley: Siouxland Louis and Clark Marathon, October 20th.

Melisa a.k.a "Irish Blue": Columbus Half Marathon, October 21st.

Petra: Amsterdam Marathon, October 21st.

Maddy: Nike San Francisco Women's Marathon, October 21st.

Marathon Chris: U Can Finish 5 Miler, October 21st.

It's going to be a great weekend!

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

The Great Dolphin Runners!


This picture commemorates the first annual Great Dolphin Run (5 miles
give or take a Mickey Ear). It was a great evening of slow running
around the grand resorts of Walt Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida. We
finished up the night with a decadent table full of french fries and
nachos at the Fountain Restaurant in the Dolphin Hotel... and our
great surprise at the very next table was Steve Ballmer, the CEO of
Microsoft (no lie) quietly enjoying a Mickey Deluxe Cheeseburger and a
big Chocolate Shake. He was in the pressence of real greatness, that
being Marathon Chris, Maddy, Shirley and, of course, The Zen Runner...

Great memories - better friends. On to next year!


Thanks to Adam for the photos, summary and dinner!!

Edited by Chris:

Here is the route around the Dolphin and Boardwalk that we ran:


Sport Tracks says we ran 4.22 miles in 46:37 min. Thanks that everyone ran my slow pace! :-)

Saturday, October 6, 2007

the next big thing?

A few posts ago Chris's post about her run with Maddy mentioned Maddy's suggestion about all running the 2009 Disney Marathon together. Now I will confess I had been thinking of suggesting running a race together next year and Maddy's suggestion is a good one. I can't think I'd be able to keep the family away from this one, for one thing.

But Greg made a different suggestion a week or so ago and I thought I should run it past all of you. He suggested we get a team together to run the Reach for the Beach Relay in New Hampshire next September. This would involve about 1o or 12 of us running a 200 miles across the state in legs of different legs - travelling as a team in 2 vans and supporting whichever one of us is running the race. I've just read a piece in this month's UK RunnersWorld about running relay races and it just seems like so much fun - and we'd be such a great team!

At this point in time there is no information on the website about the 2008 race but if we are interested and can get a team together, I'm quite happy to help to organise this? I could certainly contact the race directors and see what information I could pull together. So what do you think guys?

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

This is What a Marathoner Looks Like

Okay, so it's another post about another cool blog...

Katie, training for her first marathon, posts a regular and a running picture of people who have completed at least one marathon. Check it out here!

Thanks to Tall Girl Running for the heads up!

Several of you qualify. I will in 17 days.