Friday - Ripley's Family Fun Run: 1 mile run/walk
Uncle Jim, Aunt Holly, Heather, Rowen and RichFriday night was the Family Fun Run and it was a great time but VERY CROWDED indeed! Heather, Rich, Rowen, Jim and I were all registered for the race which followed a 1 mile loop around Boardwalk at Broadway (a shopping/restaurant/open-air mall) and ended at the Ripley's Aquarium. It was great fun to see all the kids and families all geared up and ready to race. You had the great mix of those kids who were serious about running, those who were doing it because they're school had a group and those who were there with their friends or family.
The start gun went off and the race was underway. Even my nephew Rowen, just 1-year old and officially in his first race, was running as fast as his little legs would carry him for those first 500 feet. Then Daddy (Rich) picked him up and walked with him for the first half mile and Mommy (Heather) carried him for most of the second 1/2 mile.
General Observations: Children don't run or pace - they SPRINT with walk breaks in between.
Heard on the Race Course, 500 feet after the Start Line: "Wow this is HARD, are we there yet?" & "Oh man, I have a cramp" (multiple kids seen holding there sides)
Best Comment from an Adult to his young daughter (guessing age of 5-6) as they ran by us: "Good job sweetheart, now find the next hole in the crowd..." Now there is a Dad who does some racing on his own.
Rowen held his own, for a 1-year old - He didn't even begin to melt down (sick of being held and the crowds, I imagine) until we were inside the Aquarium and almost at the finish line.
I ran ahead with the video camera so we could get Rowen's first finish line on tape. Just prior to the finish, Rich and Heather put Rowen down and he ran the last few feet himself. A great start for Rowen!
The crowds were so bad that Rowen and Rich went to the car while Heather, Jim and I stood in line to get some free Chik-fil-A and Fruit Bowls. The lines and the crowds were too much, and we barely made it out of there but we did manage to get some free chicken nuggets and fruit salad.
The start gun went off and the race was underway. Even my nephew Rowen, just 1-year old and officially in his first race, was running as fast as his little legs would carry him for those first 500 feet. Then Daddy (Rich) picked him up and walked with him for the first half mile and Mommy (Heather) carried him for most of the second 1/2 mile.
General Observations: Children don't run or pace - they SPRINT with walk breaks in between.
Heard on the Race Course, 500 feet after the Start Line: "Wow this is HARD, are we there yet?" & "Oh man, I have a cramp" (multiple kids seen holding there sides)
Best Comment from an Adult to his young daughter (guessing age of 5-6) as they ran by us: "Good job sweetheart, now find the next hole in the crowd..." Now there is a Dad who does some racing on his own.
Rowen held his own, for a 1-year old - He didn't even begin to melt down (sick of being held and the crowds, I imagine) until we were inside the Aquarium and almost at the finish line.
I ran ahead with the video camera so we could get Rowen's first finish line on tape. Just prior to the finish, Rich and Heather put Rowen down and he ran the last few feet himself. A great start for Rowen!
The crowds were so bad that Rowen and Rich went to the car while Heather, Jim and I stood in line to get some free Chik-fil-A and Fruit Bowls. The lines and the crowds were too much, and we barely made it out of there but we did manage to get some free chicken nuggets and fruit salad.
Rowen is ready to GO!
Part of the race went through the "Shark Exhibit" at the Aquarium
Rowen crosses his first official *FINISH* line
A Happy Family!Post-Run we just went home and relaxed in anticipation of the early Half Marathon in the morning. Rich made some fantastic Pasta with Marinara Sauce and Chicken and some Garlic Toast (carbo loading at it's finest) and we went to bed early.
Uncle Jim and Rowen check out the latest in sippy cupsSaturday - Myrtle Beach Half Marathon 2008 (13.1 miles)
Sisters, Sisters, never were their such devoted sisters!(Heather, Cathy & Holly - Pre 1/2 Marathon)
This would be my 4th time doing the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon. I know the course well and this year we had great weather. The starting temps at 6:30AM were 48F with a high of 68F by Noon predicted. I had planned to run the race alone, at my own pace so you can imagine my surprise when my youngest sister Cathy, who was running the race for her second time said she was going to hang with me.
So now I had a running buddy after all! I had set a goal to try and run a sub-3 hour Half Marathon and Cathy was willing to go for it with me! We had our plan for race day.
The race started and we bid farewell to Heather and settle into a pace that felt good for both of us. Mile 1 came quickly - too quickly at 12:06. 1:24 faster than my goal pace but I thought, well that is minutes in the bank for later right?
The first walk break happened about 20 minutes into the race. I had wanted to see how long I could run before I felt like I had to take a break and that made me very happy. As the miles continued on, I did take note that we were still running sub 13 minute miles, with walk breaks. I was most definitely not sticking to any *plan* but still simply hoped (although truthfully, I knew better) that if I was having a good day, these faster miles would be time in the bank later on.
As we approach Mile 4, we took out first GU break, and I forgot to take my first set of SALT pills. This would turn out to be a big mistake that I did not realize until around Mile 6 when I found that I was having problems making complete sentences AND that I was getting really nasty and angry in general.
My initial nastiness came from the LACK of PortO Potties on the course. I had not seen one since Mile 3 and, darn-it, I needed one!
I did a physical check and happened to lick my top lip and tasted the salt! AH_HA!!! Immediately, I said to Cathy, "Hey, I forgot my salt pills at Mile 4! Sorry if I have seemed bitchy..." As soon as we hit the next water stop at Mile 8, I took all 4 salt pills and another GU but it was too late as I would find out a mile later. We also FINALLY had PortO Potties at the Mile 8 water stop, so I took care of that as well. That was 5 minutes I wish I had back later....but with so few PortO Potties, I had no choice but to wait in line.
Right around Mile 9, I started getting some odd cramps in my left calf - nothing painful but just the funny feeling that my stride was coming up short when I landed on my left foot. Just about 500 feet from the 9 mile marker, I had my first real cramp. My left calf pulsed and pulled my left ankle up when I was fully expecting to land on that foot. I did a quick little skip and stopped immediately on the side of the road to try to gently stretch my calf, which was very tight. There was no pain but certainly alot of tightness.
These cramps continued on and off for the next 3 miles. I never had any pain and they usually happened if my turnover got too fast and I didn't make an effort to make long complete strides during walk breaks to stretch the calf muscle. Still I kept my eye on the watch and I was well within my goal pace, even with the additional walking and cramp issues.
At Mile 12 - My watch said 2:50:xxx. It was then that I knew that I was not going to reach my sub-3:00 goal. If I had not been having those odd cramps, I probably could have sucked it up and *Just F_cking Run* those last 1.1 miles but I didn't want to do any damage and Cathy was having considerable ankle pain at this point so we were going as fast as we could - or so I thought...
I decided that I was still looking at a better race day than Disney just 4 weeks ago, so I let the sub-3 goal float out of my mind and just focused on enjoying the finish.
I know how competitive my sister Cathy can be, so as we approached the turn for the last 2/10 to the Finish Line, I told her that it was OK if she pulled a "Lance Armstrong" on me and sprinted to the finish.
She said "No, we will finish together" and then as she saw the finish line, she said "Let's pass these people..." and I said "Cathy, I would love to but I am afraid if I sprint, I will cramp" and do you know that my darling sister who just said she would "Finish with me" did?
She said, "Okay, No Problem" and then promptly left my slow butt in the dust while she went on to pass 4 more people. Now *that* is the competitive Cathy that I know! Haha! She pulled a "Lance Armstrong" after all.
Heather, who's goal was to simply have fun - finish in 2:00:16 - just 40 seconds over her HALF MARATHON PR!
Oh and did I mention that she just found out she is pregnant so she was taking it EASY? (CONGRATULATIONS SISTER!!!) This woman was BORN to run long! She managed to average a 9:23 pace and said when she realized how close she was to her PR, she ran the last 2/10 of a mile to the finish line in a 6:20 pace - still no PR on this day.
Cathy finished in: 3:07:43
My chip time was 3:07:58. Just about 9 minutes faster than Disney just 4 weeks ago (3:17:21)
So now I had a running buddy after all! I had set a goal to try and run a sub-3 hour Half Marathon and Cathy was willing to go for it with me! We had our plan for race day.
The race started and we bid farewell to Heather and settle into a pace that felt good for both of us. Mile 1 came quickly - too quickly at 12:06. 1:24 faster than my goal pace but I thought, well that is minutes in the bank for later right?
The first walk break happened about 20 minutes into the race. I had wanted to see how long I could run before I felt like I had to take a break and that made me very happy. As the miles continued on, I did take note that we were still running sub 13 minute miles, with walk breaks. I was most definitely not sticking to any *plan* but still simply hoped (although truthfully, I knew better) that if I was having a good day, these faster miles would be time in the bank later on.
As we approach Mile 4, we took out first GU break, and I forgot to take my first set of SALT pills. This would turn out to be a big mistake that I did not realize until around Mile 6 when I found that I was having problems making complete sentences AND that I was getting really nasty and angry in general.
My initial nastiness came from the LACK of PortO Potties on the course. I had not seen one since Mile 3 and, darn-it, I needed one!
I did a physical check and happened to lick my top lip and tasted the salt! AH_HA!!! Immediately, I said to Cathy, "Hey, I forgot my salt pills at Mile 4! Sorry if I have seemed bitchy..." As soon as we hit the next water stop at Mile 8, I took all 4 salt pills and another GU but it was too late as I would find out a mile later. We also FINALLY had PortO Potties at the Mile 8 water stop, so I took care of that as well. That was 5 minutes I wish I had back later....but with so few PortO Potties, I had no choice but to wait in line.
Right around Mile 9, I started getting some odd cramps in my left calf - nothing painful but just the funny feeling that my stride was coming up short when I landed on my left foot. Just about 500 feet from the 9 mile marker, I had my first real cramp. My left calf pulsed and pulled my left ankle up when I was fully expecting to land on that foot. I did a quick little skip and stopped immediately on the side of the road to try to gently stretch my calf, which was very tight. There was no pain but certainly alot of tightness.
These cramps continued on and off for the next 3 miles. I never had any pain and they usually happened if my turnover got too fast and I didn't make an effort to make long complete strides during walk breaks to stretch the calf muscle. Still I kept my eye on the watch and I was well within my goal pace, even with the additional walking and cramp issues.
At Mile 12 - My watch said 2:50:xxx. It was then that I knew that I was not going to reach my sub-3:00 goal. If I had not been having those odd cramps, I probably could have sucked it up and *Just F_cking Run* those last 1.1 miles but I didn't want to do any damage and Cathy was having considerable ankle pain at this point so we were going as fast as we could - or so I thought...
I decided that I was still looking at a better race day than Disney just 4 weeks ago, so I let the sub-3 goal float out of my mind and just focused on enjoying the finish.
I know how competitive my sister Cathy can be, so as we approached the turn for the last 2/10 to the Finish Line, I told her that it was OK if she pulled a "Lance Armstrong" on me and sprinted to the finish.
She said "No, we will finish together" and then as she saw the finish line, she said "Let's pass these people..." and I said "Cathy, I would love to but I am afraid if I sprint, I will cramp" and do you know that my darling sister who just said she would "Finish with me" did?
She said, "Okay, No Problem" and then promptly left my slow butt in the dust while she went on to pass 4 more people. Now *that* is the competitive Cathy that I know! Haha! She pulled a "Lance Armstrong" after all.
Heather, who's goal was to simply have fun - finish in 2:00:16 - just 40 seconds over her HALF MARATHON PR!
Oh and did I mention that she just found out she is pregnant so she was taking it EASY? (CONGRATULATIONS SISTER!!!) This woman was BORN to run long! She managed to average a 9:23 pace and said when she realized how close she was to her PR, she ran the last 2/10 of a mile to the finish line in a 6:20 pace - still no PR on this day.
Cathy finished in: 3:07:43
My chip time was 3:07:58. Just about 9 minutes faster than Disney just 4 weeks ago (3:17:21)
Sunday - Michelob-Pelican Bike Ride (32 & 64 mile options)
Heather on the morning of her first group bike ride!
Heather and Scwinderrella (her bike!)
Holly, Heather and Jim - Ready to Roll!Sunday was the Myrtle Beach Bike Ride and FINALLY we had year of GOOD WEATHER! It was to be Heather's first organized Bike Ride and she did a great job. Not only was this her first organized bike ride, this was her first time riding in traffic, her first time riding 32 miles and she was riding a very heavy hybrid. She did a great job and we had a blast riding together! I was so happy to be able to share this with her!
The bike course for the 32 mile loop went down Ocean Blvd and down through the old Airforce Base and then looped back around to the finish - an out and back course. Of course the actual mileage for this ride was 36 miles and we finished in 2:54:26. On the *out* section of the ride we averaged close to 15 mph but the headwinds on the return trip were brutal and picking up steadily so we ended up closer to 13.5 mph.
We also managed to experience some heckling from a Truck driver who told us to "Get on the Sidewalk!" and some odd bike harassment from a local gentleman who kept riding around us on his own be, cutting us off, riding on and off the road, and slowing down to "eye our goodies". It was then that Heather and I did some impromptu sprint work to dry to drop this guy. Turns out all we really had to do was stop riding for about 2 minutes and let him pass us and move onto the next group of riders.
But it was JIM who had the best results on Sunday. He went for the 64 mile distance ride and was able to jump onto the front pack through the first hour of the ride until a crash (which he did not get caught up in) cause him to drop the group. He pretty much rode solo for the remainder of the ride and finished the course in a time of 3:19:01 - making him the 47th rider across the finish line out of a field of over 200 who did the 64 mile option.
It is worth noting that all three of us rode the distances almost continuously. There were not many rest stops available so Heather and I never took a break of longer than 2 minutes tops while Jim NEVER stopped for a break. Other than the headwinds, the weather was perfect! It was an excellent way to wrap up the weekend!
The bike course for the 32 mile loop went down Ocean Blvd and down through the old Airforce Base and then looped back around to the finish - an out and back course. Of course the actual mileage for this ride was 36 miles and we finished in 2:54:26. On the *out* section of the ride we averaged close to 15 mph but the headwinds on the return trip were brutal and picking up steadily so we ended up closer to 13.5 mph.
We also managed to experience some heckling from a Truck driver who told us to "Get on the Sidewalk!" and some odd bike harassment from a local gentleman who kept riding around us on his own be, cutting us off, riding on and off the road, and slowing down to "eye our goodies". It was then that Heather and I did some impromptu sprint work to dry to drop this guy. Turns out all we really had to do was stop riding for about 2 minutes and let him pass us and move onto the next group of riders.
But it was JIM who had the best results on Sunday. He went for the 64 mile distance ride and was able to jump onto the front pack through the first hour of the ride until a crash (which he did not get caught up in) cause him to drop the group. He pretty much rode solo for the remainder of the ride and finished the course in a time of 3:19:01 - making him the 47th rider across the finish line out of a field of over 200 who did the 64 mile option.
It is worth noting that all three of us rode the distances almost continuously. There were not many rest stops available so Heather and I never took a break of longer than 2 minutes tops while Jim NEVER stopped for a break. Other than the headwinds, the weather was perfect! It was an excellent way to wrap up the weekend!
36 miles, headwinds and some medals!
Jim, finishing a great 64 mile ride - 47 out of 200
Vive les cyclists!
Yeah, I did that - got some medals to prove it!As usual, the weekend ended too quickly and after some time spent with Heather, Rich, Rowen, Cathy and Chris, we had to head back to DC. Darling Rowen really got attached to his Uncle Jim and he cried and cried when we left. But we will be back! Of that he can be sure!!
Life is Good! Live STRONG!
Life is Good! Live STRONG!
