Melt It Off Monday Weight Loss Challenge!

There's still time to sign up for my weight loss challenge!  But, you only have until this Sunday night March, 31.  So far I have a total of 8 signed up (including myself).  Details are show below (repost from earlier this week).

And for those of you already signed up....don't forget to introduce yourself to the group and share your goals as described below!  Good luck everyone!

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I considered DietBet, but there is a fee to do that so I turned to one of my favorite apps - Fitness Pal!  I figure we all have enough expenses in our lives already, so why pay to lose weight?

If you have never used Fitness Pal it is awesome!  You can download the app to your phone, and/or use it online myfitnesspal.com.  You can track your weight,  your exercise and your food.  They even have a bar code scanner if you use the phone app to scan the foods you eat and it enters them right into your food tracker.  It's pretty cool.

I have created a Closed Group so that we can have our own personal weight loss challenge.  I hope that "knowing" the people in the group will help us all motivate each other.  And, since we aren't "betting" on weight loss we will be more supportive of each other and won't worry about winning money because other people aren't losing the weight they had hoped.

The rules of the challenge ARE simple.  It will officially run from Monday April 1 through Sunday April 28.  However, please sign up for the challenge by March 31.

Steps:

1.  Go to myfitnesspal.com and create an account.

2.  Send your user name to me at weatherlymh01@yahoo.com.  This is a VERY important step.  Since this is a closed group.  I have to add you to the group.

3.  Log on and tell us your name and the amount of weight you would like to lose during the challenge.  For example "Hi, I'm Michael of Slowly Tri-ing.  I plan to lose 8 pounds during this challenge".  Something like that. 

4.  Log on at least once a week and post a comment that tells me your weight loss or gain for the week.  You don't have to share your weight.  Just the amount of weight you have lost.  If you had a gain....it's ok.  You don't have to share your gain.  You can just say something like "Had a bad week".  Just post your weight loss by Sunday night, and then I will do a recap on my blog on every Monday.  Feel free to post more often.  I hope that you do.  I will try to add fun information along the way.

To sweeten the deal, I'll have a little giveaway at the end.  You don't even have to be the biggest loser to win. You just have to be an active participant.  At the end of the Challenge I will select 1 winner.  All you have to do to be entered to win is:

1.  Log your weight every week of the challenge (as defined above)
2.  Lose at least 1 pound during the 4 weeks.

For those of you who already said you wanted to do the challenge on Monday and have started losing weight already.  If you post about your weight loss by this Sunday March 31, you will get one extra entry into the giveaway.

The winner will receive a $25 Gift Card to their choice of Amazon; Dick's Sporting Goods; or RoadRunner Sports!

So what are you "weighting" for??  Go Sign Up Today!!! 

The Work From Home Dog

A few months ago, I started a new job that allows me to work from home a few days a week.

Jack was excited.  He was going to be a work from home dog.  He was totally Gung Ho to start working and earning his keep.  He follows me upstairs to my office every day.  But his secret is out....he really doesn't do much work....well if truth be told he doesn't do any.

What Jack tells his friends:

"Man, I've been on the computer ALL Day!" (Jack- you actually have to open it...just being "on" it doesn't count).

What Jack Actually Does.........

"What, a dog doesn't get a rest break???"" 

On another note...Have you signed up for my Melt It Off Monday Weight Loss Challenge?  You still have time!

Melt It Off Monday - Weight Loss Challenge

I had good response to my post Monday so I have decided to make this an official blog weight loss challenge!

I considered DietBet, but there is a fee to do that so I turned to one of my favorite apps - Fitness Pal!  I figure we all have enough expenses in our lives already, so why pay to lose weight?

If you have never used Fitness Pal it is awesome!  You can download the app to your phone, and/or use it online myfitnesspal.com.  You can track your weight,  your exercise and your food.  They even have a bar code scanner if you use the phone app to scan the foods you eat and it enters them right into your food tracker.  It's pretty cool.

I have created a Closed Group so that we can have our own personal weight loss challenge.  I hope that "knowing" the people in the group will help us all motivate each other.  And, since we aren't "betting" on weight loss we will be more supportive of each other and won't worry about winning money because other people aren't losing the weight they had hoped.

The rules of the challenge ARE simple.  It will officially run from Monday April 1 through Sunday April 28.  However, please sign up for the challenge by March 31.

Steps:

1.  Log in to myfitnesspal.com and create an account.

2.  Send your user name to me at weatherlymh01@yahoo.com.  This is a VERY important step.  Since this is a closed group.  I have to add you to the group.

3.  Log on and tell us your name and the amount of weight you would like to lose during the challenge.  For example "Hi, I'm Michael of Slowly Tri-ing.  I plan to lose 8 pounds during this challenge".  Something like that. 

4.  Log on at least once a week and post a comment that tells me your weight loss or gain for the week.  You don't have to share your weight.  Just the amount of weight you have lost.  If you had a gain....it's ok.  You don't have to share your gain.  You can just say something like "Had a bad week".  Just post your weight loss by Sunday night, and then I will do a recap on my blog on every Monday.  Feel free to post more often.  I hope that you do.  I will try to add fun information along the way.

To sweeten the deal, I'll have a little giveaway at the end.  You don't even have to be the biggest loser to win. You just have to be an active participant.  At the end of the Challenge I will select 1 winner.  All you have to do to be entered to win is:

1.  Log your weight every week of the challenge (as defined above)
2.  Lose at least 1 pound during the 4 weeks.

For those of you who already said you wanted to do the challenge on Monday and have started losing weight already.  If you post about your weight loss by this Sunday March 31, you will get one extra entry into the giveaway.

The winner will receive a $25 Gift Card to their choice of Amazon; Dick's Sporting Goods; or RoadRunner Sports!

So what are you "weighting" for??  Go Sign Up Today!!! 

I Did It...and Now I Have Proof!

You might remember, that last January I completed my first marathon at Walt Disney World.  It was amazing!

After that race, I immediately knew that I wanted to do the Disney Coast to Coast Challenge; which is to complete 2 Disney races (marathon or half marathon) one race at each park during the calendar year.  If you do you get a special Coast to Coast Medal.

So in September I completed the Disneyland Half Marathon with my sister.  2 Disney Races; 3 Disney medals = Awesomeness!

If you are like me, most of your medals just go in a box somewhere.  But this is something I wanted to display.

So, my fabulous and multi-talented husband (Jim of  50 After 40) made the INCREDIBLE frame/display below for me.

Why yes, he can run super fast and make frames!  He can also leap tall buildings in a single bound - I swear.  So yea, I am married to Superman.  What can I say.

This is so awesome. I can't wait to hang it in my new office. 

Melt It Off Monday - The Introductory Version

Thanks for all the comments on my last post.  I know that many people share the same struggles as me.

I truly want to be someone who eats healthy all the time.  I know the effects of processed foods and sugar go far beyond just wanting to look better.  I have been through many periods in my life where I have cut out processed foods, but I seem to be in a bad period right now.  At least I do eat healthy too.  That goes a long way, but I've got to cut out the junk and lose some weight.

Sure, I know I will never be some miraculous weight loss story. I don't have 100 or even 50 pounds to lose.  But, I know that right now I'm not happy with where I am.  I also know that I often complain about being slow and weight plays a role in that.  I could gain some "free" speed just by dropping a few pounds.

So I'm laying it out here again.  I'm ready to do this thing.  I need the accountability.  I know a couple of you mentioned Diet Bet.  I have actually tried that - twice - and even though I lost weight during it, neither time did I meet the goal (which is not very loft 4% of your body weight in 4 weeks).  For me the accountability still wasn't there.  I was doing it with a bunch of random strangers who didn't know me.  They could care less if I lost the weight, and as a matter of fact might prefer that I didn't so they could win some money.  I might consider it again if I created a closed game where I could open it up to only those I knew so I had the accountability.  That might work.

But here it is.  I have decided not to share my weight.  I'm just not comfortable going there.  If  when I am successful, maybe I'll consider sharing my ending weight.  But for now, I will tell you how much weight I want to lose, and I will post about it weekly.  I will ask for your support and to help keep me accountable.  So welcome to my new weekly blog post:  Melt It Off Mondays.

1.  How Many Pounds Would I Like to Lose?:  20-25
2.  How Many Weeks Would I Like to Lose the Weight in?  10 weeks.  Goal Date :June 3

So there it is.  On paper, official. 

Would you like to join me?  Just leave me a comment and let me know you want to go on this journey with me.  I would love to share how many pounds we are losing together on my blog (if you wanted me to).

Or would anyone be interested in a DietBet game?  If so leave me a comment.  If we had enough people interested I would look into getting a closed group started.  I think you can do a game for as little as a $10 bet.  It would be a great way to keep each other motivated.  If you aren't familiar with DietBet you just pay a small fee to join a game.  You have to lose 4% of your weight in 4 weeks.  Everyone who does that splits the pot.  If everyone loses the weight, then everyone gets their money back.  You just have to have a digital scale and a way to take a picture of yourself on the scale with your current weight.  Your weight is anonymous unless you choose to share it.

Thanks again for the support!  The blogging community can truly be wonderful!  And just as an FYI, after my post on Friday I really focused over the weekend and have already lost a couple of pounds!  So there's a start. 

Do You Want to Know How Much I Weigh?

Well, sorry I'm not going to tell you....at least today.  My weight is a highly guarded secret.  Sometimes Jim comes in the  bathroom when I'm on the scale.  I immediately jump off and hide the number with my foot.  I know some people just throw their weight out there all the time, but I don't, especially when the number is no where close to where I want it to be right now.

But, I'm considering telling you.  Because I know for me, and many others, weight loss is so much about accountability.

About a month ago I wrote a post about how I was ready to lose weight.  I had finally gotten to the point where I knew I had to make a change.  I didn't.  I lost a few pounds, only to gain it back.  Now a month later, I'm still at the same weight.

Here's my problem.  I eat healthy and I exercise alot.  I eat tons of salads and fresh fruits.  I workout 10+ hours per week.  But I also eat junk.  I love SUGAR.  As a matter of fact I think I am truly addicted to it.  I want it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  So in my mind, when I workout as much as I do I can eat it.  But it doesn't work that way.  Two workouts a day (some days) does not mean I can eat whatever I want.  Lately, I've had a craving for Little Debbie Brownies.  You can buy them at the convenience store.  They are like 800 calories for one brownie.  I also love Cadbury Eggs and Cadbury Mini Eggs this time of year.  Delish!

It makes me so mad at myself that I don't have more self control.  I can put together a training plan for a half marathon, marathon or triathlon and stick to it.  But for some reason I can not stick to eating healthy....all the time.  Not just for a day or two, but all the time.  Part of the reason is because I'm aging and weight loss is slow.  I used to be able to really watch what I ate for a day or two and I could lose 5 pounds, now I'm lucky to see the scale move 1 or 2 pounds in a week.  It's easy to lose your motivation this way.

So, I am considering just putting it all out there.  Let you in on my little secret and then post weekly about my weight loss.  Accountability.

I've seen other bloggers that do this.  Have you found it works? 

Triathlon season is just around the corner and I'm 15 pounds heavier than I was this time last year.  Is that wet suit gonna fit??  How about those tight tri shorts??  It's not gonna be pretty if I don't do something soon.

Thoughts??  Opinions??  Words of Advice??

How I "Almost" Won an AG Award

Well if you've been following my blog for very long, or if you've ever just glanced at the name of my blog, then you know I'm slow.  I'm a slow swimmer, biker, and runner.  But most of all I'm a slow runner...as in people speed walk past me in races.  I even had a lady once who had one leg longer than the other limp past me during a 5K and I was running...not walking!  That is a true story.  I normally finish somewhere in the bottom 25% of most road races.  If I'm lucky, I'm mid pack.

Anyway this past weekend I did the 3 Hour Tatur Snake Run in Tulsa, OK.  If you missed it you can read my blog recap here.  It's a 3 hour trail run where you run as many miles as you can in 3 hours.  Whoever has the most miles at the end of the race wins.  There was a 4.2 mile looped course and also a shorter .5 mile course.  You did the 4.2 mile loop as many times as you could and then when you knew you didn't have time to do it again, you could try for as many half mile loops as you could make in the remaining time.

During the event the 4.2 mile timing mat worked fine, but the half mile timing mat did not work.  So they manually tracked the number of half mile loops that each person completed.  The problem with this is that they were only able to record the mileage, and not the finish time.

When I looked at the "final" results today, I was pleased to see that I was actually 21 out of 89 females that completed the race; and I was 6 out of 33 in my age group - and age groups for this race were 10 deep - Ages 30-39 instead of the typical 35-39 group I would be in.  That was an AMAZING finish for me!  Apparently the combo of trail racing and the timed event is a good way to go for me.

But then I looked closer -  2 of the overall women's winners were actually in my age group.  Now, in every single race I've ever done, they take the overall winners out of the age group categories.  Maybe this doesn't make sense, but that's what most races do......so that would have put me in 4th place right???  Well.....then I looked again and the person ahead of me who finished 20th and 5th place in our AG only finished the 4.2 mile circuit just over a minute ahead of me.  They have our splits for the first 3 loops.  She was slightly faster than me during loop 1 and 2, but I was faster than her in loop 3.....which means, she was really slowing down at the end....so I might have/probably did pass her on the half mile loops.  Also, on my 2nd loop I stopped for at least 3 to 5 minutes to change socks and put body glide on a developing foot blister...so I would have beat her on that loop too...so I know she was really slowing down at the end.  But, because she finished the 4.2 mile loop circuit ahead of me, and they didn't have our final time, she was placed ahead of me because that's the only time they have to go on.  We finished with the same number of miles, but because she finished 12.6 miles than me she was placed above me in the rankings.  But if I beat her, I would have been in 3rd place in our AG...and I'd get an AG award!  But I really had no way to know for sure.

Ok, so maybe most people would not care.  I know, I know, we aren't in this for the accolades and awards.  That's really easy to say when you win them all the time.....but I have NEVER, EVER even come close to an Age Group Award.  And if I was deserving of one, well I wanted it!  I don't know how many times I have said the only way I would ever win an Age Group Award was if there were only three people in my Age Group, and there weren't in this race there were 33....and that included tons of people who wouldn't normally even be in my age group and were much younger than me.

So, I e-mailed the race director and told him my story.  He thought my logic seemed sound and said he would move me up a spot........BUT in Oklahoma they do not take the overall winners out of the Age Group Awards!!  So, it wouldn't matter whether I beat her or not, it would mean the difference between 5th or 6th place, not 3rd.   So that's it, that's how I "almost" got an AG award.  So close, so dang close!

I told Jim my story and his response was "do you want mine, I've got lots of them".  Nice sweetie, real nice. 

Anyway, I am still happy.  I was 21st or possibly 20th  out of 89 other women and definitely 4th out of 21 women in my real age group (35-39).  So I'm still pretty darn happy with that.  I didn't run any faster than normal, but I preserved in this timed event.  Many people actually ran the 4.2 mile loops faster than me, but chose not to run out their remaining time on the half mile loops, so I beat them in mileage and persistence!  I didn't stop til the time ran out!  So I'm still proud of myself.  I'll take it.

But still.....this should have been mine :)  Once bitten, twice shy!

Snakes on a Trail - The Race Report

I'm posting this again because I had an issue with my earlier post. I apologize if you've already seen this.

"I have had it with these $**@ SNAKES on this $**@ plane!" I have never actually seen this movie, but have heard this line from Snakes on a Plane a million times. For some reason the Tatur Three or Six Hour Snake Run just makes me think about it. I think it makes a lovely introduction to my race report don't you?

Awesome race medals. There were 2 different ones.

When Jim decided sometime last year that he wanted to do his first ultra race he had another race in mind, but it sold out before he could get registered. So, when he decided on the Tatur Snake Run in Tulsa, OK, well I had reservations....Snake Run...that doesn't exactly sound like my cup of tea. But I went to their website and found out that it's actually called the Snake Run due to the winding nature of the course and not the fact that there are venomous pits of vipers at every turn. As a matter of fact, it is a rarity to actually see a snake on the trail. Plus the race is held in mid-March...most snakes are still sleeping this time of year right? And they offered a pretty awesome snake medal and shirt, so I was sold.



Technical Tee...pretty awesome huh?

The race is pretty unique in that it is a timed event. You can either sign up for the 3 hour or the 6 hour race. You run as far as you can in that amount of time, and whoever has the most miles at the end wins. I had never done a timed event before, but I average about 2:30 for a half marathon, so I figured I should be able to do the 3 hour event without much trouble. Jim would be doing the 6 hour run for his first ultra (Jim's race report). You start out the race by running a 4.2 mile looped course (2.1 miles out and 2.1 miles back), then once you get to the point that you can no longer complete the 4.2 mile loop in the remaining time, you can do a half mile loop for the remainder of the race.

Going into the race, I wasn't too concerned with my ability to run for three hours, but I was a little concerned with my ability to trail run. I have only done one other trail race, and it was only a 5K. So in preparation, I completed ONE trail run before the race. Yes, that should do it. I mean I am graceful and never injured so I was sure I'd be just fine. Seriously though, I had planned on doing more trail runs but shortly after my first one, Kansas City was blanketed with 2 feet of snow. Which, as you can imagine stayed on the ground for weeks. There was no way to run on the trails, it was difficult enough to be able to run outside at all. The weather really put a damper on my intended training. Oh well, I knew I could still do it or at least I hoped.

The race was on a Sunday, but Jim and I ended up heading to Tulsa a day earlier than planned. Unfortunately, his grandmother had passed away earlier in the week. Her funeral was held in his hometown, which is about half way between KC and Tulsa. So after the funeral we headed straight to Tulsa late Friday night. So we had all day to wander around and relax. We headed over to RunnersWorld Tulsa a local running store to see if they had anything we couldn't live without. And of course they did. I picked up an awesome Salomon jacket on Winter Clearance! The people in the store were so friendly and even let us pick up our packets - even though packet pick up was the day before. After a little shopping we ate lunch and then saw Burt Wonderstone (not too Wonderful). Overall it was a relaxing day. The weather was GORGEOUS with a high in the low 70s, beautiful sunshine and almost no wind until late in the afternoon.........the weather would change though, and we were watching it like hawks.

We weren't going to let a little cold weather stop us...wait Jim is already cold.



Weirdest pre-race ever? This was Jim's idea..don't let him tell you different.

On race morning the temps were in the uppers 30s and weren't expected to get out of the low 40s all day. There were 15 to 25 mph winds projected and rain and thunderstorms! What had sounded like fun, now sounded kind of awful honestly. I had done the OKC Half Marathon a few years ago in similar conditions and I have to say to date, it is by far the worst running experience I have ever had. I have never been that cold or miserable in my life. You technically only had to complete one 4.2 mile loop to get your medal for this race, and I have to admit...the thought was at least crossing my mind.


Me & Jim pre-race with our matching stocking caps (not planned)

When we woke up it was cold, and it was windy, and it was misty, but at least it wasn't raining. I dressed a little warmer than originally planned and wore a long sleeve technical tee with the race shirt over top and a light wind breaker over that. I wouldn't normally wear the race shirt, but they went out of their way to have green shirts for this St. Patty's day race and I hadn't brought any green so I thought, what the heck? I only wore capri running tights for my bottoms, but I brought a pair of long pants with me in case I was too cold and wanted to put them on over the other ones. When we arrived it was pretty frigid. Feels like temperatures were in the low 30s. We were up pretty high on a hill and the wind was just whipping all around us. We got our timing chips and waited it out in the car. Jim's race started at 9, but mine didn't start until 9:15 so I stayed in the car a little longer.

I walked up to the race in time to see Jim head out for his 6 hour adventure. I then waited for my race to start. Everyone standing around was absolutely freezing, but again, at least it wasn't raining. It was finally time for the gun to go off and the race to start! It started out on a nice downhill. Great way to start a race. It's a small race with only 189 in the 3 hour event, but get 189 people on a narrow trail and it was pretty chaotic at first. Lots of people passed me and I tried to stay out of the way as much as possible. As soon as we got down in to the trails, the wind wasn't a factor at all. You really couldn't even feel it. It never rained all day, so the weather actually ended up being pretty great for running as long as you had dressed appropriately. I found myself shedding my jacket after completing just one 4.2 mile loop, but quickly ended up putting it back on for the rest of the race. I was comfortable, never hot and never cold.

That's me in front...look at all those runners behind me. I'm actually thinking about ordering this photo. Pretty cool huh?

Luckily this is a fairly "easy" trail run. If you can call any trail running easy. It has minimal elevation and it's well maintained. You had to cross over small amounts of water 3 times (6 per loop) but they weren't bad. One was small enough you could leap across it fairly easily, and the other two had some boards thrown in them so you feet didn't get too soggy. There were plenty of rocks and tree branches to manage though and you really had to be careful of your footing that's for sure. I turned my ankle multiple times, and did the almost fall more times than I could count, but somehow I managed to stay upright the entire race and didn't injure myself. Jim did not, he fell twice, I'm glad he wasn't hurt because now I can say how funny I think it is. He preached at me over and over about how careful I needed to be and how easy it would be to fall and hurt myself. I gave him the same speech on the way home, and he really seemed to enjoy my cynicism. It was amazing though how many people you did see fall. They fell in front of me and behind me. I always checked to see if they were ok before going on. I got a few minimal scratches from loose tree limbs or a fallen branch, but no major deal.

I started out a little too fast, and easily ran the first 4.2 mile loop. I had to remind myself this wasn't a half marathon and that I had well over 2 hours left to go. So I slowed down for the remainder of the race. At first it was intentional, but fatigue definitely set in during the last part of the race and I slowed even more. After finishing my first loop, I noticed my left foot was starting to hurt. I stopped and took my shoe off, hoping that maybe I had a rock or my sock was just rubbing me. I adjusted my sock and shook out my shoe and took off running again. That didn't seem to help. All during the 2nd loop I could feel the ball of my foot hurting more and more and knew I was developing a blister. Luckily, since this is such a small laid back race I had stashed a bag close by with a change of socks and some body glide just in case. I stopped to lube up my foot and change socks. Tons of people passed me at this point which was pretty disappointing. I probably spent close to 5 minutes doing this, but knew it might be a life saver in the end. I started running again and it was still bothering me, but slowly as I continued to run, I started to notice it less and less. It was definitely worth the extra time!

I was really starting to fatigue during the last loop. All the climbing over rocks, etc was really getting to me. You use lots of different muscles in a trail run that you just don't normally use when road running. You have to pick your feet up alot more and those hips really get a workout. Somewhere during this third loop someone ran by me and said "Good job Michael" or something like that. I looked up, but of course didn't see anyone I knew. I had seen Jim several times, that's the cool thing about a looped course, but I didn't know anyone else here. I looked down at my bib and thought, no my name isn't on there. Then I thought, ok you are just getting delirious, no one said you name. Are you crazy? I really must be getting tired.

I finished my 3rd 4.2 mile loop for 12.6 miles with less than 20 minutes to spare. My goal going in to this race was to try for at least a half marathon. I thought, if I could do a half marathon in 2:30 on the road, surely I could do one in 3 hours on the trail? But when I had looked at the previous year's results I had noticed that only about 20 women out of 80 something had managed to do more than 13.1 and I'm usually in the bottom 25% of racers, so I thought maybe the trail would prove even more difficult that I expected. So, when I finished that last loop with time still on the clock I knew I had at least enough time to get in one half mile loop if not two.

The half mile loop was much more difficult than the 4.2 mile loop. It was rockier, and had more elevation gain. I was glad I didn't have much time left and wouldn't have to run it very many times. I gave it all I had, but I didn't have much left. I did manage to do an additional mile for a total of 13.6 miles for the day! I exceeded my half marathon goal and had a couple of minutes to spare. When I finished that last lap there were about 2 minutes remaining in the 3 hour race, but I knew it wasn't enough to make it around again, so I told them I was done. I turned in my chip and got my medal, and was so glad to be done. I was tired, and already sore. I was thinking about Jim....man I couldn't imagine going another 3 hours!

Mission
Accomplished!

After the race I got in line for food. I waited quite some time, and got to the front of the line to realize it was BBQ sandwiches. I don't like BBQ on a normal day; I certainly didn't want it after a race. I'm pretty sure I would have thrown up. Lots of people were enjoying it, and I'm certain it was great, but I passed and moved on. I grabbed a soda instead for at least some calorie replenishment. I had a protein bar in the car and a banana in the hotel. I realized I was already freezing! It didn't take long to remember how cold it was as soon as you had stopped moving.

As I was leaving a lady walked up to me and said "Hi Michael". I looked at her kind of dumbfounded. She said "You don't know me, but I read your blog". Say what?? This was my first time experiencing this. I have met up with other bloggers intentionally, but never met a reader who just recognized me. It was pretty cool! She told me that she reads mine and Jim's blog. She lives in the area and was doing the race so she thought she'd say hello. She was also the person who had said my name when running past me on the route, so at least now I know I wasn't crazy. She introduced me to her husband and we chatted briefly. She was super nice and it was so cool to meet someone who actually reads my rambling. So a huge shout out to Crystal! Thanks for reading my blog!

After that I headed back to the hotel. Luckily, Jim and I were only staying about a mile away, so I still had about 2 1/2 hours to get back to the hotel, stretch, shower and change before he finished, which was really nice. I know I couldn't have stood out there and waited for him or I would have frozen to death.

I headed back to the race with about an hour left to go. I figured Jim would really be starting to get tired and could probably use some extra cheering. He was down in the long loop so I didn't see him for awhile, but when he finally emerged he was ready to start the half mile loop so I got to see him and cheer him over several times which was fun. I was also cheering on all of the 6 hour people as they would go by. They were young (as in 2 boys about 9 - which was totally crazy and much, much older). It always amazes me to see all kinds of different people out there pushing themselves to their limit. Testing their bodies...it's truly an inspiration!

Jim finally finished and did an AWESOME job for his first ultra - finishing 1st in his Age Group! I was so proud of him. We got him back to the hotel and showered and then we went out to celebrate both of our accomplishments at the Cheesecake Factory, because nothing says success like 3,000 calorie cheesecake.

Jim and I post race with our medals

Overall, I thought this was a great race! It was small and laid back. The course is not overly technical for a trail race and the volunteers were terrific. They braved the cold for more than 6 hours, but always had a smile on their face and were so helpful. I had a great time, and I can totally see why people fall in love with trail running. In spite of the fact that you were on a looped course I was never bored. Part of that is because of the scenery and part is probably because you are so consumed with not falling. But the time went by so fast. I also like the fact that I didn't feel so "slow" as a normally do. You have to run at a bit slower speed on trails and there were lots of people who were slower than me. In road races I'm usually bottom 25% but for this race I was middle of the pack overall and even higher in my age group and among women. They had some issues with the half mile timing mat, so results aren't official yet, but based on the 4.2 mile loops only I was 84/189 overall; 27/88 women; and 4/20 in my age group! That's the highest I have ever placed. I'm pretty sure I need to become a trail runner!!

It's a great race and I would highly recommend it to anyone thinking about their first ultra or first trail run. I'm super, super sore, but it was a great way to challenge myself. I'd do another trail race in a heart beat!

Snakes on a Trail - The Race Report!

"I have had it with these $**@ SNAKES on this $**@ plane!"  I have never actually seen this movie, but have heard this line from Snakes on a Plane a million times.  For some reason the Tatur Three or Six Hour Snake Run just makes me think about it.  I think it makes a lovely introduction to my race report don't you?

Awesome race medals.  There were 2 different ones.

When Jim decided sometime last year that he wanted to do his first ultra race he had another race in mind, but it sold out before he could get registered.  So, when he decided on the Tatur Snake Run in Tulsa, OK, well I had reservations....Snake Run...that doesn't exactly sound like my cup of tea.  But I went to their website and found out that it's actually called the Snake Run due to the winding nature of the course and not the fact that there are venomous pits of vipers at every turn.  As a matter of fact, it is a rarity to actually see a snake on the trail.  Plus the race is held in mid-March...most snakes are still sleeping this time of year right?  And they offered a pretty awesome snake medal and shirt, so I was sold.



Technical Tee...pretty awesome huh?

The race is pretty unique in that it is a timed event.  You can either sign up for the 3 hour or the 6 hour race.  You run as far as you can in that amount of time, and whoever has the most miles at the end wins.  I had never done a timed event before, but I average about 2:30 for a half marathon, so I figured I should be able to do the 3 hour event without much trouble.  Jim would be doing the 6 hour run for his first ultra (Jim's race report).  You start out the race by running a 4.2 mile looped course (2.1 miles out and 2.1 miles back), then once you get to the point that you can no longer complete the 4.2 mile loop in the remaining time, you can do a half mile loop for the remainder of the race.

Going into the race, I wasn't too concerned with my ability to run for three hours, but I was a little concerned with my ability to trail run.  I have only done one other trail race, and it was only a 5K.  So in preparation, I completed ONE trail run before the race.  Yes, that should do it.  I mean I am graceful and never injured so I was sure I'd be just fine.  Seriously though, I had planned on doing more trail runs but shortly after my first one, Kansas City was blanketed with 2 feet of snow.  Which, as you can imagine stayed on the ground for weeks.  There was no way to run on the trails, it was difficult enough to be able to run outside at all.  The weather really put a damper on my intended training.  Oh well, I knew I could still do it or at least I hoped.

The race was on a Sunday, but Jim and I ended up heading to Tulsa a day earlier than planned.  Unfortunately, his grandmother had passed away earlier in the week.  Her funeral was held in his hometown, which is about half way between KC and Tulsa.  So after the funeral we headed straight to Tulsa late Friday night.  So we had all day to wander around and relax.  We headed over to RunnersWorld Tulsa a local running store to see if they had anything we couldn't live without.  And of course they did.  I picked up an awesome Salomon jacket on Winter Clearance!  The people in the store were so friendly and even let us pick up our packets - even though packet pick up was the day before.  After a little shopping we ate lunch and then saw Burt Wonderstone (not too Wonderful).  Overall it was a relaxing day.  The weather was GORGEOUS with a high in the low 70s, beautiful sunshine and almost no wind until late in the afternoon.........the weather would change though, and we were watching it like hawks.

We weren't going to let a little cold weather stop us...wait Jim is already cold.



Weirdest pre-race ever?  This was Jim's idea..don't let him tell you different.

On race morning the temps were in the uppers 30s and weren't expected to get out of the low 40s all day.  There were 15 to 25 mph winds projected and rain and thunderstorms!  What had sounded like fun, now sounded kind of awful honestly.  I had done the OKC Half Marathon a few years ago in similar conditions and I have to say to date, it is by far the worst running experience I have ever had.  I have never been that cold or miserable in my life.  You technically only had to complete one 4.2 mile loop to get your medal for this race, and I have to admit...the thought was at least crossing my mind.


Me & Jim pre-race with our matching stocking caps (not planned)

When we woke up it was cold, and it was windy, and it was misty, but at least it wasn't raining.  I dressed a little warmer than originally planned and wore a long sleeve technical tee with the race shirt over top and a light wind breaker over that.  I wouldn't normally wear the race shirt, but they went out of their way to have green shirts for this St. Patty's day race and I hadn't brought any green so I thought, what the heck?  I only wore capri running tights for my bottoms, but I brought a pair of long pants with  me in case I was too cold and wanted to put them on over the other ones.  When we arrived it was pretty frigid.  Feels like temperatures were in the low 30s.  We were up pretty high on a hill and the wind was just whipping all around us.  We got our timing chips and waited it out in the car.  Jim's race started at 9, but mine didn't start until 9:15 so I stayed in the car a little longer. 

I walked up to the race in time to see Jim head out for his 6 hour adventure.  I then waited for my race to start.  Everyone standing around was absolutely freezing, but again, at least it wasn't raining.  It was finally time for the gun to go off and the race to start!  It started out on a nice downhill.  Great way to start a race.  It's a small race with only 189 in the 3 hour event, but get 189 people on a narrow trail and it was pretty chaotic at first.  Lots of people passed me and I tried to stay out of the way as much as possible.  As soon as we got down in to the trails, the wind wasn't a factor at all.  You really couldn't even feel it.  It never rained all day, so the weather actually ended up being pretty great for running as long as you had dressed appropriately.  I found myself shedding my jacket after completing just one 4.2 mile loop, but quickly ended up putting it back on for the rest of the race.  I was comfortable, never hot and never cold. 

That's me in front...look at all those runners behind me.  I'm actually thinking about ordering this photo.  Pretty cool huh?

Luckily this is a fairly "easy" trail run. If you can call any trail running easy.  It has minimal elevation and it's well maintained.  You had to cross over small amounts of water 3 times (6 per loop) but they weren't bad.  One was small enough you could leap across it fairly easily, and the other two had some boards thrown in them so you feet didn't get too soggy.  There were plenty of rocks and tree branches to manage though and you really had to be careful of your footing that's for sure.  I turned my ankle multiple times, and did the almost fall more times than I could count, but somehow I managed to stay upright the entire race and didn't injure myself.  Jim did not, he fell twice, I'm glad he wasn't hurt because now I can say how funny I think it is.  He preached at me over and over about how careful I needed to be and how easy it would be to fall and hurt myself.  I gave him the same speech on the way home, and he really seemed to enjoy my cynicism.  It was amazing though how many people you did see fall.  They fell in front of me and behind me.  I always checked to see if they were ok before going on.  I got a few minimal scratches from loose tree limbs or a fallen branch, but no major deal.

I started out a little too fast, and easily ran the first 4.2 mile loop.  I had to remind myself this wasn't a half marathon and that I had well over 2 hours left to go.  So I slowed down for the remainder of the race.  At first it was intentional, but fatigue definitely set in during the last part of the race and I slowed even more.  After finishing my first loop, I noticed my left foot was starting to hurt.  I stopped and took my shoe off, hoping that maybe I had a rock or my sock was just rubbing me.  I adjusted my sock and shook out my shoe and took off running again.  That didn't seem to help.  All during the 2nd loop I could feel the ball of my foot hurting more and more and knew I was developing a blister.  Luckily, since this is such a small laid back race I had stashed a bag close by with a change of socks and some body glide just in case.  I stopped to lube up my foot and change socks.  Tons of people passed me at this point which was pretty disappointing.  I probably spent close to 5 minutes doing this, but knew it might be a life saver in the end.  I started running again and it was still bothering me, but slowly as I continued to run, I started to notice it less and less.  It was definitely worth the extra time!

I was really starting to fatigue during the last loop.  All the climbing over rocks, etc was really getting to me.  You use lots of different muscles in a trail run that you just don't normally use when road running.  You have to pick your feet up alot more and those hips really get a workout.  Somewhere during this third loop someone ran by me and said "Good job Michael" or something like that.  I looked up, but of course didn't see anyone I knew.  I had seen Jim several times, that's the cool thing about a looped course, but I didn't know anyone else here.  I looked down at my bib and thought, no my name isn't on there.  Then I thought, ok you are just getting delirious, no one said you name. Are you crazy?  I really must be getting tired.

I finished my 3rd 4.2 mile loop for 12.6 miles with less than 20 minutes to spare.  My goal going in to this race was to try for at least a half marathon.  I thought, if I could do a half marathon in 2:30 on the road, surely I could do one in 3 hours on the trail?  But when I had looked at the previous year's results I  had noticed that only about 20 women out of 80 something had managed to do more than 13.1 and I'm usually in the bottom 25% of racers, so I thought maybe the trail would prove even more difficult that I expected.  So, when I finished that last loop with time still on the clock I knew I had at least enough time to get in one half mile loop if not two. 

The half mile loop was much more difficult than the 4.2 mile loop.  It was rockier, and had more elevation gain.  I was glad I didn't have much time left and wouldn't have to run it very many times.  I gave it all I had, but I didn't have much left.  I did manage to do an additional mile for a total of 13.6 miles for the day!  I exceeded my half marathon goal and had a couple of minutes to spare.  When I finished that last lap there were about 2 minutes remaining in the 3 hour race, but I knew it wasn't enough to make it around again, so I told them I was done.  I turned in my chip and got my medal, and was so glad to be done.  I was tired, and already sore.  I was thinking about Jim....man I couldn't imagine going another 3 hours!

Mission
Accomplished!

After the race I got in line for food.  I waited quite some time, and got to the front of the line to realize it was BBQ sandwiches.  I don't like BBQ on a normal day; I certainly didn't want it after a race. I'm pretty sure I would have thrown up.  Lots of people were enjoying it, and I'm certain it was great, but I passed and moved on.  I grabbed a soda instead for at least some calorie replenishment.  I had a protein bar in the car and a banana in the hotel.  I realized I was already freezing!  It didn't take long to remember how cold it was as soon as you had stopped moving.

As I was leaving a lady walked up to me and said "Hi Michael".  I looked at her kind of dumbfounded.  She said "You don't know me, but I read your blog".  Say what??  This was my first time experiencing this.  I have met up with other bloggers intentionally, but never met a reader who just recognized me.  It was pretty cool!  She told me that she reads mine and Jim's blog.  She lives in the area and was doing the race so she thought she'd say hello.  She was also the person who had said my name when running past me on the route, so at least now I know I wasn't crazy.  She introduced me to her husband and we chatted briefly.  She was super nice and it was so cool to meet someone who actually reads my rambling.  So a huge shout out to Crystal!  Thanks for reading my blog!

After that I headed back to the hotel.  Luckily, Jim and I were only staying about a mile away, so I still had about 2 1/2 hours to get back to the hotel, stretch, shower and change before he finished, which was really nice.  I know I couldn't have stood out there and waited for him or I would have frozen to death. 

I headed back to the race with about an hour left to go.  I figured Jim would really be starting to get tired and could probably use some extra cheering.  He was down in the long loop so I didn't see him for awhile, but when he finally emerged he was ready to start the half mile loop so I got to see him and cheer him over several times which was fun.  I was also cheering on all of the 6 hour people as they would go by.  They were young (as in 2 boys about 9 - which was totally crazy and much, much older).  It always amazes me to see all kinds of different people out there pushing themselves to their limit.  Testing their bodies...it's truly an inspiration!

Jim finally finished and did an AWESOME job for his first ultra - finishing 1st in his Age Group!  I was so proud of him.  We got him back to the hotel and showered and then we went out to celebrate both of our accomplishments at the Cheesecake Factory, because nothing says success like 3,000 calorie cheesecake.

Jim and I post race with our medals

Overall, I thought this was a great race!  It was small and laid back.  The course is not overly technical for a trail race and the volunteers were terrific.  They braved the cold for more than 6 hours, but always had a smile on their face and were so helpful.  I had a great time, and I can totally see why people fall in love with trail running.  In spite of the fact that you were on a looped course I was never bored.  Part of that is because of the scenery and part is probably because you are so consumed with not falling.  But the time went by so fast.  I also like the fact that I didn't feel so "slow" as a normally do.  You have to run at a bit slower speed on trails and there were lots of people who were slower than me.  In road races I'm usually bottom 25% but for this race I was middle of the pack overall and even higher in my age group and among women.  They had some issues with the half mile timing mat, so results aren't official yet, but based on the 4.2 mile loops only I was 84/189 overall; 27/88 women; and 4/20 in my age group!  That's the highest I have ever placed.  I'm pretty sure I need to become a trail runner!!

It's a great race and I would highly recommend it to anyone thinking about their first ultra or first trail run.  I'm super, super sore, but it was a great way to challenge myself.  I'd do another trail race in a heart beat!

10 Minute PR for a 4 Miler??

I've only done one 4 mile race and that was the Westport St. Patrick's Day 4 mile run in 2011.  My finish time was 51:56 a 12:59 pace.

Me & my friend Michelle pre-race, apparently I am very, very happy about running!

This past weekend I attempted this race again with a finish time of 41:48 a 10:28 pace!  That's an over 10 minute PR, pretty awesome for 4 miles.

Well, I have to admit, I was recovering from a back injury in 2011 and I walked a lot of that race....but still it was good to see this time.  It was especially good to see this time because I have been running SOOOOO SLOW lately...even slow for me.  By last fall I was easily running in the 10s, but lately I've been lucky to be in the 11s and 12s.  So, I was super happy with my final time.

The Westport St. Patrick's Day Run is a Kansas City tradition.  It's a great race and one where almost everyone is dressed up or at least wearing green.  It's a fun atmosphere and starts and finishes in Westport which is a quaint little part of KC full of local bars and other eclectic stores.  After the race the bars fill up.  It's about the only time you'll find me with a beer at 11 in the morning! 

Rachel, Me & Michelle - gotta love the porta potty shot

They were calling for rain all morning the day of the race, so I wasn't too excited about running in 45 degree temps with rain.  But, luckily the rain held off and it actually ended up almost feeling hot!

I went to the race with my friend Michelle and then we met up with her friend Rachel.  I ran with Rachel, who had recently had knee surgery and was doing her first race post-surgery.  She is speedy but decided to run with me so she wouldn't go out too fast.  I told her I was super slow, but she wanted to run slow me me she said.

The 3 of us with our St Pattys Day Good Luck Clovers

Even though this race is fun, it's also HILLY!  I mean hilly and your first couple of miles feel like they are pretty much straight uphill.  The gun goes off and we start and immediately start climbing.  I'm already winded, but pushing along.  We hit mile 1 and I look at my Garmin and I'm at my 5K PR pace.  I am out of breath and I know I can't maintain this pace.  I tell Rachel to go ahead, she smiles and says "No, this is a great pace I'm fine".  I want to tell her, but it's not a great pace for me I'm dying, but I don't have the breath.  I keep up with her for about another half mile and then I start lagging behind.  I see her look back for me in the crowd and I motion her to go on.  I know there's no way I can keep that pace for the rest of the race.  I slow down, but still manage to maintain a decent pace for the rest of the race.  Luckily after the killer hills the first 2 miles, you get some down hill the last 2 miles, so it doesn't seem too bad and I don't slow down too much.

Before I know it, I'm crossing the finish line and looking for Michelle.  She's done...and had a great race with a pace in the 7s!  Dang, why can't I be that fast?!

We meet up with some other friends at one of the local hot spots which is already filled with runners everywhere!  About 30 minutes later 2 ladies come in to the bar and order a beer.  The bartender asks her whether she wants a 16 oz or a 22 oz and the lady slams her fist into the bar and replies "Give Me the Big One!"  My friends and I were dying laughing.  Turns out our new friend is 88 years old, and she has another friend who is a bit younger, but wouldn't reveal her age.  She also just one the Senior Master Division!  She has a plaque and a medal that she is showing off to the crowd.  My friend Ken buys their beers and the lady couldn't have been more excited.  It was so funny.  They later told us, that all they think about during those miserable hills are "cold beer at the end".  LOL, they were funny.

Our friends we met.  Notice the plaque the lady on the left is holding.  She's the 88 year old!  Pretty hard to believe!

Overall, it was a great race and a fun day.  I proved to myself that I haven't lost my ability to run in the 10s and that with a little more speed training this Spring, I'll hopefully be back to running my faster pace....and hopefully even faster by the fall!

Ther Perils of Winter Running

We had 24 inches of snow in Kansas City over a two week period, but luckily the streets are pretty much completely clear, but the sidewalks still completely covered.  They are totally impassable.

This means you have to run in the street.  Not the safest way to run, but at least you can get in an outdoor run as long as you stick to side streets that don't get much traffic.

On Sunday, I had a 10 mile run to do.  I headed out and was pleased to see that many of the streets had wet spots where the snow was starting to melt.  About 1 mile in to my 10 miler, I ran across one of these "wet" spots.....except it wasn't wet, it was ice.  As soon as my right foot hit the icy spot, down I went.

I scrapped up my knee a little, but nothing major.  A little road rash and a pretty decent size bump.  But, I picked myself up, dusted off my pants and my ego and kept on running!

I swear it was the only icy spot I came across during my entire run........only me.