Illnois Half Marathon - 1:42:08....The Perfect Race

You may recall that back in January I set two 2011 half marathon goals. I wanted to PR (1:50:30) and break 1:50. I ran this race with an IT Band injury last year (1:59) and it completely sucked. I am proud to tell you (finally) that I crushed both goals last weekend! I had the perfect race.

At the very last minute the wife and I decided to find a hotel near the race....surprisingly, we found one! We drove to the expo Friday night, picked up our packets, and made a few rounds through the booths and shopping area. As much as I love this race, I really think they could do a better job with the expo...and the race shirt. But, I shall not gripe about the perfect race.

We woke up Saturday morning bright and early....ready to make it happen. The weather was a little chilly, but I was sporting some new arm warmers, so I was all good.


We both found our way to the start line...saying hello to a Boston Marathoner on the way!! While we were hanging out waiting for the race to start we also stumbled upon a few other folks...my friend KC and her husband GC! KC and I occasionally run together during the weeks....she also ran Boston! She ran Illinois just for kicks...mostly because it's a race that she'll do every year. I also saw a few other folks that I knew. One of them is a guy named Mike. Mike is an amazing success story of a lifestyle transformation. He has provided me with a lot of motivation as I have moved through my own transformation.

Seeing Mike there really made me wonder how many other runners were there that day saying goodbye to a lifestyle that was unhealthy, depressing, and no fun. My motivation spiked....I was ready to rock it!

My goal for this race was to finish in the upper 1:40s. I was thinking something like 1:47. As the race kicked off I stuck with KC and GC. It really felt like a normal weekday training run. My pace was very comfortable....we all kept looking at our Garmins and announcing that we were running a sub-8:00 min/mile pace....but it felt so good that we kept it up. In fact, we kept getting faster. The first 10 miles flew by...I've never felt so good during a 10 mile run. The next few miles even felt good....it was awesome.

We finished our last mile at 6:40-ish! This course finishes on the college football field. We sprinted out the final 50 yards and I felt super. I was actually wondering if I should have kicked it in a bit more and finished under 1:40! Next time!

Here's a little self-portrait postrace action


The best part about this race? It was for my bro. Every single step. When I felt like I needed some extra motivation to push forward, I looked at my hand.


Thanks for the motivation bro. Be safe and watch your 6 while you are over there. This one was for you.

The Omaha 6

Hello bloggies! It's been so long since we've talked! Oh how I have missed your company. Really. I have. Just messin' peeps! I haven't posted in a few weeks and I'll spare you the lame excuses of being too busy with work, family, blog-stalking, and...dang! See what I just did there? Anywho, this past weekend we drove to Omaha, Nebtaska to see my broseph before he does his thang. We had a blast...we all hit the zoo to see (my wife's relatives) some cool animals and stuff, we had some killer margaritas, and then my brohem and I had a little guy time and we managed to squeeze in some fish n chips and my very first bloody mary. So, yeah....we did some damage.

But, we also managed to knock out a freezing cold, wicked windy, stomach churning 6 miles. Seriously, my bra and I were sooo close to calling this one off. It could have been the fact that as soon as we stepped outside we were both nearly blown away by an Omaha hurricane. Or....maybe it was because we ran out of throwing stars and I left my numchucks at the hotel....let's face it, you gots to be packin these days. It's a good thing my ninja bro knows kung-fu.


While we were in Omaha my two sons decided it was time to start serving their country. I have to admit, I'm darn proud of my boys and seriously, it's about time they start earning their dues.


I was able to pound out a quick and sweaty 4.5 in the hotel fitness center/sauna before we started the drive back home. I was a sweaty mess, but it felt good sweat out some margarita goodness.

After all of the eating, drinking, and sweating was over with I had to shake my bro's hand and wish him well. It was an emotional moment, I'm not gonna lie...it's a good thing I don't cry. Ever. I love my bro and I can't even begin to tell you how proud of him I am.

Some people talk about it, others DO IT. Here's to those who serve, especially my bro. I'll see you in a few.


I knocked out a good 12.5 today at a nice and easy 8:22 ave pace. I'm ready for race day next weekend. I've decided that every step I take will be dedicated to my brother...I'll be finishing this one for him.

13.1 Training Run...1:47:x

GREAT run today....FINALLY some gorgeous weather. Dr. C and I pushed it hard today (read: he made me go faster). We had planned to just do 12, but at the 12 mile mark we were pretty pleased with our pace and we knew that stopping short of a half marathon made no sense at all. So, we made 13.1 happen. We finished in 1:47.x at about an 8:10 average pace. If I can repeat today's run in Champaign in a few weeks I will be a happy runner dude.

Everything felt outstanding today....minus some chaffage. Note to self, buy Body Glide....and possibly some new running shorts. Me thinks I've got too many miles on the 3 pairs of shorts that I rotate through now.

Check this out....the wife hit her first double digit run today!!! 10 miles!!! AND, she did it in under a 10 min/mile pace!!! OUT-friggin-STANDING! She has come a LONG way in a very short time period. Pretty impressive stuff!

The wife about to make it happen! (and someone else sporting his new runner's briefs)

15 for Fun

Yesterday was 15 miles in some amazing weather in the beautiful Mackinaw River Valley.....I was loving every minute of it....until around mile 11 when I had a series (probably close to 700?) of hills to tackle that made me feel like a Sherpa on Everest. The good thing about this 15 was that I didn't do it alone. At first there was one Sherpa scaling the hills of Mackinaw. Then I was joined by a second Sherpa. Together we became a pack of Sherpas, a Sherpa-pack if you will.

A local P90X superstar, a future school board member, and doctor hit the run with me (all one person). I am not going to mention his name here, but let's just say that the run was just what the doctor ordered.

It was his longest run in 12 years and probably the fasted 15 I've ever completed. We finished right at an 8:30/8:31 pace. I know, we didn't break any records...but it felt great!

35 miles total this week. 41 days until my next half marathon!!

St. Pat's 5k - 20:52

Well, it wasn't a 5K PR, but it was a course PR. Last year I decided to run this race about 45 minutes before it started. This year I was planning to sit it out due to this nasty cold/sinus sickness that is refusing to leave my house. My family has been getting it's butt kicked by the cold bug....I started getting it last weekend and then it hit me hard at around the middle of this week. Pair it up with a stressful week of work and it makes for a very rough week of training. In fact, I only ran/worked out once this entire week.

I woke up this morning happy that I was able to get some decent sleep, but still feeling pretty miserable. The wife and I were both registered for the race, but after doing a quick round of temperature checks we found that 2 out of our 3 kiddos had slight fevers. So...that meant that either me or the wife would need to stay home. I was pretty convinced that I would get sick bay duty, since the wife seemed to be feeling a little better than me. But, after thinking it through (read: me nagging and whining), I was nominated to go run. We knew that someone had to go pick up the race packets to get our shirts....and I felt that if someone was going to drive all the way in for the packets, that person should also run the race. The wife and I didn't quite see eye to eye on that one. :) She was scheduled to teach an aerobics class later in the day, so I didn't feel so bad about racing.

The running conditions weren't that bad....just over 30 degrees, very little wind, and a big crowd. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite shake the mucus out of my system! (gross, sorry). I wasn't really sure what to expect from this race. I told myself that if I could finish under 21:00 I would be happy. I started off feeling great...not too fast this time, pace felt really good. My pace slowed towards the end, but I still felt good. In fact, I probably could have kicked it in a bit more. I ended up finishing at 20:52, 40th place overall. I'm okay with the time considering my health, but I know I could have done better. I guess I was just a little hesitant to kick it in. Next year!

Frozen Turkey 5K - 20:31

Ready to Rock It (is that a ninja??!!....)

This weekend I knocked out the first race of 2011!! The first ever Frozen Turkey 5K in Tremont, IL. I finished in 4th place overall with a time of 20:31. It was a really fun race. For the first time in my racing 'career' I actually led the pack for a little bit. I was leading the way for about a quarter of a mile....I have to admit, it was a strange feeling. I thought about how everyone else in the race was following...me. I wondered what would happen if I took a wrong turn....I wondered what would happen if I actually finished first. Then, before I knew it, some speedster zoomed past me and the thrill was gone. I looked at my watch at about the one mile mark and the pace read 5:51....what the heck was I doing?? Then I started to think about finishing in second place....but once again, I was passed by a couple of youngsters. The top 3 were gone and I thought for sure others would be approaching as well. But, I reached the halfway point and turned around to see that there was a pretty good distance between me and the 5th runner. So...I gave it all that I had and finished hard at 20:31.

Yeah....a fourth place finish at 20:31 tells you that there weren't too many runners (around 90) and that there may not have been too many fast runners....but, I am totally good with a PR that is 25 seconds better than my previous PR. And...I still have some time this year to shave 32 seconds off of my 5K time to reach my goal of finishing in under 20 minutes. I was 29 seconds away from getting a trophy too...only the top 3 male and female finishers scored trophies...damn you young bucks. Had I known, I totally wouldn't have let those kids pass me.........Oh well.

I'm pretty pleased with my time, but the best part about this race was seeing the wife come in at 26:18!!! She did an amazing job. Amazing. Her previous 5K time was 33 and some change...mad improvement!!! She totally rocked the Frozen Turkey!

Bringin It Home!!

Some pre-race posing!

We Wear Short Shorts!!

Happy February!!!! Today was the first shorts run of 2011!!! Let me tell you, it...felt...FAN-FRICKIN-TASTIC!! 13.1 miles in 1:49 and some change...a new outside training run PR! Lookout Illinois Half Marathon PR, HERE I COME!!!! I'm not sure if it was the awesome weather, the new shorts, or just the joy of running, but something hit me good today and I felt like I could run for days. I was only planning to run about 12, but when I realized that I was on pace for a nice training run PR, I decided to get the full half marathon in. I really, really had to convince myself to turn back home though.

Words just can't describe how a really good run makes you feel. There's just something about being in the running zone that makes you feel so alive. The zone...it's such a peaceful place to be. Everything moves right...arms, legs, breathing...everything just clicks. You live in the zone and you don't want to leave it.

I can't wait to be in the zone on my next race. Tell you one more thing....if I keep finding the zone, there's a good chance that I might just sign up for 26.2 in 2011....instead of waiting for 2012. We shall see loyal readers...we shall see.