Mizuno Wave Rider 13

Gentlemen start your engines... Finally I broke down and changed running shoes from the Mizuno Wave Rider 11 to the upgraded version the Wave Rider 13. I will admit I am one stubborn creature of habit. I guess there was some sentimental value in the old 11's because they got me to Boston and they ran with me at Boston. However, after searching the internet extensively and coming up empty-handed, as well as emailing mizunoUSA directly and offering to buy up to a dozen of their unsold leftover models, I finally conceded victory. The 2007 Wave Rider 11 has been laid to rest and is among the running god's in a better place. The sole's soul has gone.

OUT WITH THE OLD

AND IN WITH THE NEW

I was actually entertaining a move to Asics because of their overwhelming popularity but it appears that Mizuno has the highest arches in their neutral shoes, which is a dealmaker everytime because I got family from St.Louis...

It seems I was able to buy enough of the older model to infact jump an entire generation of Wave Riders and bypass the 12's. I intend to make friends quickly with the 13's and hopefully buyout their brothers and sisters at discounted prices in the months to come. The first pair was free thanks to the race this weekend, makes me wonder.. Is this what Ryan Hall must feel like? Hmm... no job, free shoes, oh wait I got kids, and soo happy for the fact we do!

Clean Air 5K - 1st PLACE*

*1st place overall with an asterisk because none of my competition could legally vote or drink.. Is this a form of child abuse?

Today, I opted for the easy way-out.. the race that was on the other side of town. This weekend was host to several races in Charlotte but most notably on the RunForYourLife Grand Prix Series, The Great Harvest Bread Co. 5K. Due to the point system involved in this series it would be sure to attract the most elite/fastest runners in the area.

While I had originally planned on running in this one, as the date grew nearer my wheels started turning at the possibility of running the not-as-popular Clean Air 5K and possibly snagging a Numero Uno. Finally what sealed the deal for me was checking out the prizes and the 1st Overall Male and Female would receive a new pair of running shoes from Omega Sports. Sweet!

So I toed the start line @ the McAlpine Creek Greenway this morning 8AM sharp. I surveyed the competition and saw more than a handful of High School Track guys that donned their school colors and bright running shoes. Then we were off..

Within the first half mile I saw my pace on the Garmin screaming 4:54 so I decided to pull back slightly as I was being passed by three young high school kids. Man, I feel old. Crazy thing is that I actually thought of quitting again! What is that? Second time in as many 5K's that I was going to pull out before the halfway mark. Anyways, I gotta do speedwork and crunches but nevermind..

Once my heart rate lowered and I found a groove we were at the 1st mile mark in 5:30 flat. The course turns a bit uphill and I was able to pick off two of the guys that took off in the first mile. Then suddenly I was passed by a guy out of nowhere that had some serious spring in his step.

2nd Mile ended around the lake in 11:28 said the course monitor, but Garmin says 5:53. At this point the XC course cuts up thru the woods and back out. I felt pretty confident that I would simply maintain my position as the two ahead of me were about 10 seconds faster. Dug deep for an extra gear and didn't really find much there.

3rd Mile 6:03, really just cruising and not killing it. So I figured I 'd take 3rd place and go home, HOWEVER as I approached the finish they held out the tape for me to break it and announced that I was First Place. But, wait.. How was that? Well, it turns out the other two guys were bandit runners that didn't register and it is questionable if they even began at the start line or jumped in from the woods after the first mile.

So it was a victory but I think the reason it tastes different is because I didn't think I had won during the entire race and couldn't "enjoy" the feeling of being in the lead once, not at all. Plus I would have much rather broken 18min AND won. Course measured 3.14 on my watch, wet ground, high mileage week, pick from any of these excuses.. I need to get back to core strenghtening with my Medicine ball V-ups.
Yet I won't complain as they gave me a nice round of applause and $100 gift certificate to buy a pair of running shoes. Not bad for 3rd/1st/whatever place. The Omega Rep was not happy about me wearing my TrySports gear at the awards ceremony. Lol.  :)

Miner's Run - Charlotte Running Club

Finally, several months after becoming a member of the Charlotte Running Club, I had my first official group run. For some reason my initiation to the group was the 5:30am "Miner's Run"..YAWN! thru some of the local Greenways in South Charlotte.

This was a great experience and I intend to do it again very soon. While I didn't have my own headlamp, there were plenty of other runners there to light the way for the rest of us.. Note - The guy on the right wasn't one of them, unfortunately.

It is amazing to me that I have run and trained in the past running alone more often than not. The energy and conversations of a group setting can be both distracting as well as intriguing while the miles seem to just clip off effortlessly, well almost. I finished off this mornings run with my second ever "deuce in the woods." That's right, when "nature's calling" I am getting very accustomed to fertilizing some local plant life.

Good things are sure to come from running with faster folks and plugging the minds of some of the most elite runners in the city while sharing our common passion on a morning run.

6 WKS TO GRANDMA'S & 6 MONTHS TO NYC

So, I looked at the calendar on my phone today and counted the Saturdays left until my next Marathon in Duluth, MN. Exactly six weeks from today... This is great news because if it were any sooner I think I would be in trouble. My training this past week was not the volume or intensity that I had hoped as I was struggling with an upper respiratory congestion that my generous 2 year old son, Milo, brought home from daycare for mommy and daddy.

I am hoping that my dead legs and general lethargy are a result of this minor sickness and nothing more related to an overused and under-rested body. It is important to note another possibility that seems to be common after a big event. As I read here, often times the lead-up to a huge race or life event can leave those involved in sort of a funk after the dust settles and the excitement comes to a close.

My experience with this is the reason that I entitled this blog, "There is NO Finish Line." Sure, I stole it from Nike, however, for me it resonates on the level that life is a journey. While we celebrate great achievements of hitting goals that we set or perhaps life moments that we anticipate with a child-like energy, in the end its the journey defines us. It is those 20 milers, those speed workouts, those great carb-loading dinners with family that makes the sweet symphony of life's experiences so beautiful.

I plan to throw down two separate 20 milers in preparation for the race as well as 3 weeks of close to 70-80mpw then a slight taper. Now thats the "plan," but as I read in Og Mandino's book, The Greatest Success in the World,
"God plays chess with us. I am convinced that occasonally, He intercedes in all of our lives and causes things to happen. Then He waits to see how we deal with His move. Some react in a manner that will enhance their future. Others may fight back with anger and despair. And then there are those who act not at all. They are the living dead, spending their days whining and complaining and never making any attempt to change their lives for the better."

On a side note, I have successfully got my hotel and plane reservations for the NYC Marathon and from the looks of it this will be one to remember!

Get ready for the Big Apple!!!

Sandy Feet 5K

Report from the small 5K in downtown Matthews today...
Somehow my alarm was not set, or didn't go off rather, and I rolled out of bed @ 8am for the 9am start.. Still plenty of time as the race Start Line is a mere 3.5 miles from my front door. My intention going into this race was nothing less than a 1st place finish. Sounds a bit presumptuos presumptious prezumbchewus or overly confident? Well, this expectation wasn't all necessarily based on skill level you see.

It has been a sort of hidden agenda of mine to come in first place at a race.. sure this could be done by training harder and getting more fit than the competition or... simply by picking the right race. By the right race I mean "the one that nobody knows about, or the one that the fast guys aren't attending." It has been my experience that these races are found on some of the outskirts to the bussling metroplis of Charlotte and often are run on some of the very same days as the larger races that attract the so-called elites of our running community.

Today was one such day.. I counted about three separate 5K's within a 20 mile radius as well as Two separate Half-Ironman competitions in nearby locations that were for sure going to "thin-out" the competition and dilute the strength of the field. While I am no slow-poke, I am no Carl Lewis either and my running career has only recently taken flight as I have surrendered the bottle for the throttle, or let me try that again.. I have given up the 12 pack for a 6 pack... no, how about I stopped throwing up and started growing up. Well, you sort of get the idea anyways.

So when I heard that my little town of Matthews was to hold their Inaugural Sandy Feet 5K, I thought for sure this would be my day to slide on in there and grab me a Numero Uno. On that note, as I exited the Port-O-Let for a Numero Dos it was then that I noticed Aaron Linz, President of Charlotte Running Club. Great! I thought. What the heck is he doing here and shouldn't he be running the The Charlotte Run for Peace at Home up the road @ McAlpine Creek?? Oh well no bother, I settled into my warm-up routine and got to the start line. We chatted a bit and he asked me my Boston time and instead of telling him 2:14 like I wanted, I told him the truth.

9am and finally we are off... I assumed postion in second place and went out hard and fast. I wasn't sure what to expect from my legs after an ok week of recovery runs but I quickly felt myself red-line right about the one-mile mark.
I felt an annoying rub from my Brooks T-6 on my achilles and eventually this would chafe its way to a blistering friction annoyance. Excuse? No it wouldn't have altered my finishing position but it did account for a handful of seconds on the clock. First time and probably my last trying to run in a racing flat as no matter the distance I seem to be comfortable in my trainers.

Interesting that the thought to quit passed by me @ mile 2 and I had'nt felt like that during my entire marathon.. something about the speedwork of a 5K.. its a different kind of hurt that I had forgotten; plus my legs are coming off the quadtastic Boston experience.

I knew it wasn't a PR day for me and I wasn't catching Aaron out in first and there was no sight of anyone behind me so I settled into a groove and finished in 18:00 flat. The highlight of this one was the unexpected 20 dollar gift-card bonus to 2nd place.. sweet! Results Crazy point of irony to mention is that the other two 5K's in the area had winning times of 17:54 and 21:30! What? LOL.

Milo had a nice run after the 5K as he participated in the 1K Fun Run and he made a nice showing with a strong finish. He was able to pick off a couple kids late in the race that were nearly double his age. Way to go Milo!!