New Beginnings!!

In with the new, and out with the old!  2009 has come and gone... this was supposed to be a stress free year for me, but it was anything but.  This was mainly in part from my job and the carelessness, the incompetence, ego's, etc... But this blog is about my running, I could go on and on about the job situation.  I plan on making more major changes as far as that is concerned.  I have resigned as medical director so I don't have to clean up "other people's" mess, and this is just the beginning!

2009 as far as running is concerned, was a pretty good year. This was my first year actually "training" per se. I had a focused plan that I somewhat stuck to.  I had very high expectations early in the year, only to be met with disappointment, but the patience paid off.  My 5k time is STILL not where it was in high school, though. Funny thing is, I went to Lowes and got 2 50lb bags of salt (for you Cali and warm weather people, no I dont plan on doing a lot of seasoning and cooking, its to place on the ice on the sidewalk and driveway), and while carrying one, I thought "Wow, I couldnt even THINK of running with this thing on my back".  But in reality this is what I'm doing compared to high school, running with a 50lb bag on my back. I was a anorexic 6'1" 140lb kid... now I'm a fat nasty sloppy overweight disgusting 6'1" 190lbs fatboy!!! LOL.

Rewind to winter of last year... January thru March... I tried to run as much as possible. This was a very winter, we got several feet of snow. This made running conditions very difficult. I was constantly running over snowbanks, sliding on ice, dodging cars in the street because the sidewalks were never shoveled. It was dark around 530-6pm, so as soon as I got off from work, the darkness hit. I was working MANY late hours too. I had PR (personal record) on my mind for every race this year. Ran a 5k, in the snow and not even close!! Ran another 5k the morning of the Super Bowl where my Steelers smashed the overachieving Cardinals, and did ok but no PR. My training goal was just to put in the miles, dont focus on speed... which was near impossible due to the weather. Ran a half marathon in March to assess my fitness and try to PR since I havent PR'd that distance in 1.5 years. Didnt happen. Not discouraged, just disappointed.

Rewind to Spring 2009.  My goal race was this 25k in Grand Rapids. I really overestimated my fitness. This was a monster course with nothing but hills. I died after about 20k, but still made my maximum time goal of 2hrs by the skin of my teeth. It was pouring rain too! This is when I decided to get serious. I started my official marathon training cycle... sorta. I would run at least 4 days a week, I started putting in 40+ miles a week and started losing weight. AMAZING isn't it... exercise = weight loss. Ran a training marathon and got a slight PR, called Martian Marathon in Dearborn. I ran a 5k Race For the Cure, and got a PR without running all out. Of course it was on a flat as pancake route. Major confidence boost!! So I go into a half marathon in Toledo... dubbed flat and fast... well I croaked at the 10k mark... stomach crunching nauseous, slight vomiting... dehydrated... it was like 80+ degrees. Jogged it in... lowered me back to reality. Ran a 10k race just for redemption from the previous year's bomb... and got 1st place in age group, but nothing close to a PR. Bitter sweet I guess. So now Im doing training runs midweek of 10-15 miles each and doing speedwork at the local tracks here and there. The weather was actaully not too bad for a Michigan spring... after this massive winter!!

Rewind to summer of 2009... great weather!! Not too hot like last year!! Avg temps in low 80's. Got some great runs in. Work really limited my distance though. I did a lot of travelling for my job too, which I didnt care too much for. Went to Vegas for a conference, and got to get my first experience of running in 100 degree weather... not something I plan on doing again any time soon. 6 miles and I was DONE!! I race this yearly race called the Crim, a 10 mile race in Flint. Last year was near 100 degrees and I nearly passed out, ran an embarrassing 84 minutes!! This year, was unseasonably cool... like 65 degrees. Ran it in 73 minutes for a PR. Wasnt even winded at the end, I ran conservative because of fear of the dreaded "BRADLEY HILLS" and fear of dying at mile 8. Big confidence booster... so all these miles are paying off. So i'm entering the final phase of my marathon training cycle... and am on a Runner's High!!

Rewind to Fall of 2009... Fresh off the heels of a great 10miler, I do a 15k run, which is slightly shorter than 10 miles. The course (of course) was all rollers, meaning up down up down up down!!! I forgot my Garmin for this race, so I ran on feel... actually did pretty good considering!! I kinda like that distance, not to fast and not too slow. I'm SO ready for this marathon and attempt to qualify for Boston Marathon. I do this 30k race... well it was actaully a training race, which was straight from hell!! It was dirt and concrete and had more hills than I ever seen!! I actaully walked during this race it was so bad. Good thing about it tho, was I beat this guy that edged me in my 5k PR race, so I know my fitness was better... Next up... the Brooksie Way Half Marathon. This race has 5 miles of straight uphill starting at mile 5! I dreaded this race. My goal was to cruise it being my marathon was in 2 weeks. After 5 miles, I decided to punch it!! I spent all my energy on the hills, that the last 3.1 miles were cruise control. This was the toughest half marathon in the world, and guess what?? A PR!!!!! I crushed it by 3 minutes on a tough course!! WOW!!  Now my marathon in Grand Rapids... just my luck, I get stuck with bronchitis and taking antibiotics the day of my race!!! It sucked!! I walked so much after mile 20 it was pathetic! It was so cold too! Out there running for hours was torture. No, I didnt get my qualifier, but I did get a PR even tho I walked. To add insult to injury, I missed my maximum allowable time by 1 second!! Then I get word that the 2010 Boston Marathon was sold out, and I had already signed up for another marathon in December to attempt it. Lastly, I run this 10k Detroit Turkey Trot... this was the most disorganized event!! The start was weird and it was too big to attempt to race. I never felt so tired during a run as I did this, and no where near a PR.  I gotta learn how to run this distance someday!!

Rewind winter 2009... well not "technically" winter yet. I have been in a running slump since learning that I couldnt get to Boston. Missed a week here and there of running. Flew to Sacramento for my marathon California International Marathon. Felt good running it and got a HUGE PR!! I missed my Boston qualifying time by 7 minutes... after hours of running. But I was happy, it was sooo windy and I was slightly deconditioned, so I know I had it in me to qualify... plus I wasnt trying to. So I take even more time off after this marathon... I visited my in-laws in California for Christmas (yes, a return trip in the same month), and I do a 15 mile run at some place called Point Reyes. This was the most beautiful and peaceful place to run I have ever seen!! It was on trails, but it was well cut out. I got to run along the cliffs bordering the Pacific Ocean, run up into the mountainous terrain and just enjoy a peaceful nature run. It was nothing like it! I guess the cost of living down there is used to compensate such luxuries. So, I get back home, and I have been eating like no tomorrow and sitting around, gained about 5lbs since the marathon til now.

So 2009 was a good year running overall.  I got 4 PR's and 3 respectable times at different distances. What does 2010 have in store? I dont know... I honestly dont plan on getting many PR's if any this year. I just plan on running for the enjoyment and starting my journey to run a marathon in every state during my lifetime... Thus a new chapter in my running life has begun... but I'm still going to go after that 10k PR if it kills me!!!!!!!  I just dont know how to run that thing!!

Back to 2010... So far it has been anything but productive. Its been REALLY cold lately. My hands go numb after about 7 miles and now we just got hit with 5-6 inches of snow, and that makes footing crazy and ankles sore!! The treadmill looks tempting... but boring!! But I'm not going to obsess over this thing... i'm a Weekend Warrior not a professional racer, and I intend on running for recreation and enjoying it!! So I'll see what 2010 has in store, but until then, I run on...