Here's a copy of a picture that Pipes took when I finished the Austin 3M Half Marathon. Read the entry entitled 13.1 (below) for the story.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
13.1
I first started running because I was dared by a certain Romanian P.E. teacher to do a 10K in Lima. There were a lot of teachers from school signed up (mostly women) and the challenge was set down to complete the task. So I ran my first 10K back in November 2007 and in doing so, proved to myself that I could indeed be a runner and all those years of not doing it because of a knee injury were a thing of the past. It was after I completed that 10K that the thought of doing something a little farther entered my mind and after a bit of research, I found a half marathon in Austin, TX to satisfy my curiosity.
The plans were in my head for the better part of 8 months although the training regimen was not. When I first moved to ABQ, the altitude was a butt-kicker and I was off the wagon for a while. As the months went on and the day of the race drew closer, I started to feel a sense of dread. I left for Austin last Thursday night with my longest run to date being 7 miles in the thin air of the Sandia Mountains. Lucky for me, Austin is a lot lower in elevation and the thicker air would help my run. So on Sunday, January 25th, I tied my shoes up snug and walked on to the race course, not really sure what I had gotten myself into but with the determination to complete the 13.1 miles (22K) no matter what. The front of my shirt accurately reflected what was going through my mind. It read - "This seemed like a good idea 3 months ago."
The morning was cold, 38 F (3 C) to start the race and my friends and I were bundled for the race. Waiting at the start area was surreal at times, I knew I was there but didn't know what to expect. In some ways, it was like waiting for a plane to leave and take you to another country - you have no idea what to expect as you venture forward. So we traded bad jokes and guarded smiles as not one of the three of us felt prepared. The starting gun snapped us all into the reality of the situation and from there, we just took it one step at a time.
Our first few miles were easy. My friends from Lima and I took it at an easy pace, being sure to not over do it in the first few miles of the race. I was happy to be with them; they were something familiar in a very unfamiliar environment. The small talk we traded was enough to keep us going but we all knew that there was a decently sized challenge ahead of us. Eventually the chatter died down as the miles progressed; partly due to fitness, partly due to mental uneasiness. I ran with my two friends for the first 5 miles but then I felt like I had it in me to go faster and left them behind (we would meet at the finish hours later). I picked up the pace and started running how I felt comfortable and with 8 miles to go, I ventured out on my own to see what I could do.
My normal running pace for distance is somewhere around 10:30/mile but that had only been tested when I was running less than 7 miles. I was pleased to feel my feet finding a comfortable rhythm at my normal pace and I ran the next several miles at that tempo. Silly me, I stopped for water at mile 8 and felt that comfort disappear. My body finally realized that I had run farther than I ever had before and told my legs that same idea - you've not trained for this and you're going to pay for your stupidity. I walked for a bit, reassuring my legs that with a little rest, they could indeed go the rest of the distance and shortly thereafter, I started back to pounding the pavement toward the finish line.
My legs were numb and if ever there was an upside to that, it meant that I couldn't feel what I was inflicting upon my calves during the run. My head started to clear of thoughts and I just concentrated on the rhythm of my feet. Zen and the Punishment of Road Racing is going to be the title of my first book, I think. But I pushed on and my legs responded. "Just keep running, don't stop." I said over and over in my head. The power of gentle persuasion...
Mile 12 was a wonderful sign to see and I wish I could say that I enjoyed the last 1.1 miles of my journey. Truth be told, mile 12 was the most difficult of the race and I swear the part of the U of Texas campus we ran through was uphill (even though that part was in a valley). The lactic acid in my legs and arms gave me a painful reminder of what I was doing and I am very grateful to 2 young ladies from the UT cycling team who cheered me on that last half of a mile to the finish with their simple words - "You're looking strong and you're not going to quit now, right?!" Damn straight girls, damn straight.
I came around a curve and saw two policemen blockading the road. "You're almost there, can you see the finish line?" Yes officer, I can and thank you for those wonderful words. At that moment the throbbing of my feet went away, the burning of the lactic acid subsided, and a warm, soothing feeling filled me from top to bottom - a sense of accomplishment. With the finish line in sight, I knew I had to finish strong. The people along the side of the road egging me on, "Push it hard to the finish, you're looking great!"; it elevated me to run harder and faster. I crossed the finish line in my best sprint, smiling as the announcer called out my name and my girlfriend took a picture. It wasn't the greatest of times (2 hours 38 minutes) but that didn't matter, it was the simple fact of accomplishment that made it special for me.
The numbness in my legs soon subsided and my calves and quads have been reminding me ever since of what I did on Sunday. I waited at the finish line for my friends who crossed a bit later but it wasn't until Pipes and I retraced the race course later that night in our rental car that it really hit me with what I had done. 13.1 miles is not a huge distance but it is a satisfying one and that's all that matters to me.
The plans were in my head for the better part of 8 months although the training regimen was not. When I first moved to ABQ, the altitude was a butt-kicker and I was off the wagon for a while. As the months went on and the day of the race drew closer, I started to feel a sense of dread. I left for Austin last Thursday night with my longest run to date being 7 miles in the thin air of the Sandia Mountains. Lucky for me, Austin is a lot lower in elevation and the thicker air would help my run. So on Sunday, January 25th, I tied my shoes up snug and walked on to the race course, not really sure what I had gotten myself into but with the determination to complete the 13.1 miles (22K) no matter what. The front of my shirt accurately reflected what was going through my mind. It read - "This seemed like a good idea 3 months ago."
The morning was cold, 38 F (3 C) to start the race and my friends and I were bundled for the race. Waiting at the start area was surreal at times, I knew I was there but didn't know what to expect. In some ways, it was like waiting for a plane to leave and take you to another country - you have no idea what to expect as you venture forward. So we traded bad jokes and guarded smiles as not one of the three of us felt prepared. The starting gun snapped us all into the reality of the situation and from there, we just took it one step at a time.
Our first few miles were easy. My friends from Lima and I took it at an easy pace, being sure to not over do it in the first few miles of the race. I was happy to be with them; they were something familiar in a very unfamiliar environment. The small talk we traded was enough to keep us going but we all knew that there was a decently sized challenge ahead of us. Eventually the chatter died down as the miles progressed; partly due to fitness, partly due to mental uneasiness. I ran with my two friends for the first 5 miles but then I felt like I had it in me to go faster and left them behind (we would meet at the finish hours later). I picked up the pace and started running how I felt comfortable and with 8 miles to go, I ventured out on my own to see what I could do.
My normal running pace for distance is somewhere around 10:30/mile but that had only been tested when I was running less than 7 miles. I was pleased to feel my feet finding a comfortable rhythm at my normal pace and I ran the next several miles at that tempo. Silly me, I stopped for water at mile 8 and felt that comfort disappear. My body finally realized that I had run farther than I ever had before and told my legs that same idea - you've not trained for this and you're going to pay for your stupidity. I walked for a bit, reassuring my legs that with a little rest, they could indeed go the rest of the distance and shortly thereafter, I started back to pounding the pavement toward the finish line.
My legs were numb and if ever there was an upside to that, it meant that I couldn't feel what I was inflicting upon my calves during the run. My head started to clear of thoughts and I just concentrated on the rhythm of my feet. Zen and the Punishment of Road Racing is going to be the title of my first book, I think. But I pushed on and my legs responded. "Just keep running, don't stop." I said over and over in my head. The power of gentle persuasion...
Mile 12 was a wonderful sign to see and I wish I could say that I enjoyed the last 1.1 miles of my journey. Truth be told, mile 12 was the most difficult of the race and I swear the part of the U of Texas campus we ran through was uphill (even though that part was in a valley). The lactic acid in my legs and arms gave me a painful reminder of what I was doing and I am very grateful to 2 young ladies from the UT cycling team who cheered me on that last half of a mile to the finish with their simple words - "You're looking strong and you're not going to quit now, right?!" Damn straight girls, damn straight.
I came around a curve and saw two policemen blockading the road. "You're almost there, can you see the finish line?" Yes officer, I can and thank you for those wonderful words. At that moment the throbbing of my feet went away, the burning of the lactic acid subsided, and a warm, soothing feeling filled me from top to bottom - a sense of accomplishment. With the finish line in sight, I knew I had to finish strong. The people along the side of the road egging me on, "Push it hard to the finish, you're looking great!"; it elevated me to run harder and faster. I crossed the finish line in my best sprint, smiling as the announcer called out my name and my girlfriend took a picture. It wasn't the greatest of times (2 hours 38 minutes) but that didn't matter, it was the simple fact of accomplishment that made it special for me.
The numbness in my legs soon subsided and my calves and quads have been reminding me ever since of what I did on Sunday. I waited at the finish line for my friends who crossed a bit later but it wasn't until Pipes and I retraced the race course later that night in our rental car that it really hit me with what I had done. 13.1 miles is not a huge distance but it is a satisfying one and that's all that matters to me.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
a new hope
Like millions of Americans and millions more around the world, I tuned in today for the Inauguration of President Obama. I started off on NBC and was watching coverage there but soon got fed up with the constant babbling by the commentator and switched over to FOX. I was happy to watch coverage and appreciated the fact that Shepard Smith didn't talk all the time and frequently said, "Let's listen in and hear what's going on." Thanks Shep - sometimes its good just to live in the moment and not clutter it up with mindless background information on Nancy Pelosi...
This election was a strange event for me. Unlike many of my friends who knew exactly whom they wanted to vote for from the beginning, I took my time and it wasn't until 40 hours before the election that I figured out who I wanted to vote for. I didn't want to "drink the Obama kool-aid" just because he was a black man and I didn't want to vote for McCain just because he was a P.O.W. who has a hot wife. I took my time and weighed the pros and cons of each, eventually making my decision that I wanted the change that Obama promised and I wanted the possibility of a new, strong leader in the White House.
So today, Obama took the reigns from Dubya and I watched my TV as hundreds of millions of others did on this planet. The swearing in was fun - especially with both Chief Justice John Roberts and Barak Obama flubbing the oath - giving the situation a bit of levity. But what I really wanted to hear was President Obama's speech. I listened and was filled with hope as he said many things that I agreed with and I appreciated his ideas for how to make our country a better place. The "speech analyst" on FOX didn't think that his words said anything spectacular. I totally disagree - they spoke to the country and to the world about what America can do to be better.
I loved that Barak told us that it would be hard and difficult to make America a better place. The government isn't here to make our lives better; if you want a better life, do it for yourself. Don't look to the government for the 'easy life', do some hard work and follow in the footsteps that this country was founded upon. America is still seen as the place where anyone can be anything they want to be. Just ask the former bodybuilder who now runs the world's 4th largest economy in California.
The part of his speech that tickled me the most was his call for Americans to have a greater sense of responsibility. For far too long we, as a country, have relied on others to be our oversight and with morals constantly being shirked for the quick buck, we find ourselves in the situation we are in. Responsibility is something I try endlessly to get my students to understand and hopefully this new president will get a lot of other Americans to realize that we are all responsible for who we are as a country. Americans have seen been witness to plenty of our leaders not take responsibility for their actions; from Tricky Dick's "I am not a crook" to Slick Willy's "I did not have sexual relations", our role models have not exactly been worth following. I hope that Barak Obama's ideal of being responsible catches on - it certainly would set a great example, especially since America is the 'light on a hill' that many hold in high regard.
After the speech I came away with a sense of hope. I understand his message - its not going to be easy or quick but we all can make the United States a better place, if we all do our part in society. Unemployment may go up, the stock market down, war fronts move side to side. Old enemies may be new friends and new enemies may come from places we don't expect but we must remain true to our founding ideals. Nothing good ever came easy and make America a better place is going to be very hard but if everyone pitches in, we can all make this country what we want it to be.
And yes, I cried during the speech as I was filled with joy. Someone said that which I thought and didn't pull punches when he did so. He wasn't playing to a partisan crowd or trying to say the politically correct thing. For once, a politician came forth and laid out the truth for us to hear and I wasn't afraid. I know what my role ahead is and I am drinking the kool-aid that Obama is preaching. Now if only I can get another 300 million Americans to do the same... ;-)
This election was a strange event for me. Unlike many of my friends who knew exactly whom they wanted to vote for from the beginning, I took my time and it wasn't until 40 hours before the election that I figured out who I wanted to vote for. I didn't want to "drink the Obama kool-aid" just because he was a black man and I didn't want to vote for McCain just because he was a P.O.W. who has a hot wife. I took my time and weighed the pros and cons of each, eventually making my decision that I wanted the change that Obama promised and I wanted the possibility of a new, strong leader in the White House.
So today, Obama took the reigns from Dubya and I watched my TV as hundreds of millions of others did on this planet. The swearing in was fun - especially with both Chief Justice John Roberts and Barak Obama flubbing the oath - giving the situation a bit of levity. But what I really wanted to hear was President Obama's speech. I listened and was filled with hope as he said many things that I agreed with and I appreciated his ideas for how to make our country a better place. The "speech analyst" on FOX didn't think that his words said anything spectacular. I totally disagree - they spoke to the country and to the world about what America can do to be better.
I loved that Barak told us that it would be hard and difficult to make America a better place. The government isn't here to make our lives better; if you want a better life, do it for yourself. Don't look to the government for the 'easy life', do some hard work and follow in the footsteps that this country was founded upon. America is still seen as the place where anyone can be anything they want to be. Just ask the former bodybuilder who now runs the world's 4th largest economy in California.
The part of his speech that tickled me the most was his call for Americans to have a greater sense of responsibility. For far too long we, as a country, have relied on others to be our oversight and with morals constantly being shirked for the quick buck, we find ourselves in the situation we are in. Responsibility is something I try endlessly to get my students to understand and hopefully this new president will get a lot of other Americans to realize that we are all responsible for who we are as a country. Americans have seen been witness to plenty of our leaders not take responsibility for their actions; from Tricky Dick's "I am not a crook" to Slick Willy's "I did not have sexual relations", our role models have not exactly been worth following. I hope that Barak Obama's ideal of being responsible catches on - it certainly would set a great example, especially since America is the 'light on a hill' that many hold in high regard.
After the speech I came away with a sense of hope. I understand his message - its not going to be easy or quick but we all can make the United States a better place, if we all do our part in society. Unemployment may go up, the stock market down, war fronts move side to side. Old enemies may be new friends and new enemies may come from places we don't expect but we must remain true to our founding ideals. Nothing good ever came easy and make America a better place is going to be very hard but if everyone pitches in, we can all make this country what we want it to be.
And yes, I cried during the speech as I was filled with joy. Someone said that which I thought and didn't pull punches when he did so. He wasn't playing to a partisan crowd or trying to say the politically correct thing. For once, a politician came forth and laid out the truth for us to hear and I wasn't afraid. I know what my role ahead is and I am drinking the kool-aid that Obama is preaching. Now if only I can get another 300 million Americans to do the same... ;-)
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