2013: Year in Review

2013 was a busy year with quite a bit of running and several new experiences.  After this morning’s run, I have logged 835.12 miles total for the year and participated in 29 total events this year!  And I did all of this despite being injured for a portion of the year, and also battling a very hot summer here in Memphis.  I earned some great bling, tried new races, and achieved multiple PR’s.  I also hosted my first event, the Platinum Sombrero 5K, which helped me raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and gain a couple of new friends from the endeavor as well.  This post, if I write in great detail about each event and experience would be several thousand words long, and I am not going to do that to you.  Rather, I am going to do more of a Cliff’s Notes version of the year here with a monthly breakdown.  For in-depth descriptions of my races from the year, you may visit the 2013 page in my blog and click on each race recap.  Enjoy!

This is every race shirt that I received in 2013!

January: 1 Race (Virtual 5K), 81.59 Miles.  The year started off with my first virtual 5K.  It was the Resolution Run and the proceeds went to the Hole in the Wall Gang and started my year off right.  I ran no local races since I could not work them into my schedule, but I did run a race.

This was one of the better medals that I received in 2013.

February: 2 Races (1 Virtual 5K & My 1st 10K), 65.52 Miles.  I started February with another virtual 5K, the Chilly Cheeks 5K.  This event actually netted me a PR at the 5K distance with an elapsed time of 26:30.  Of course, this is an unofficial time, so hopefully I will eclipse that time in an event this year to remove any ambiguity.  My 10K was the Move It Memphis 10K, and since this was my first 10K, it was an automatic PR.  It was a great event and one that I will run again in the future, just not this year since I have another event happening this weekend in 2014.

Approaching the finish at the Move It Memphis 10K

March: 1 Race (HalfMarathon 5K), 18.61 Miles.  This is the month that I was diagnosed with peroneal tendonitis in my right foot.  This occurred two weeks before I was supposed to run in the Germantown Half Marathon, so obviously that did not happen.  I did, however, walk the 5K associated with the event in my walking boot.  This caused a few second takes as I limped through the course.

This is me limping through the course in my walking boot.

April: 2 Races (1 5K & My First Mud Run), 34.64 Miles.  I was making the slow recovery from my injury throughout the month, but I was able to run a 5K, the FedEx St. Jude Classic Fairway 5K, hosted at TPC Southwind here in Memphis as well as my first Warrior Dash.  Warrior Dash was quite a bit of fun, and a nice diversion from your typical race.  Both events showed a nice bounce back for me from my injury.

This is the first race photo that I have actually purchased.

May: 2 Races (1 Virtual 5K, 1 4 Miler), 49.71 Miles.  My virtual run was the May the Fourth Be With You 5K, which I obviously ran on May 4.  The nerd in me made me run this race.  My 4 miler was the Zoom Through the Zoo event, which benefits the wonderful zoo here in Memphis.  It was not my favorite event, but it did lead me to begin using Lock Laces, which was a positive development for my running.  Susan and I also traveled to Arlington, TX for her graduation from graduate school.  It was a great trip and I got some In-N-Out Burger from it as well!

May the Fourth Medal

June: 2 Races (1 5K & A Virtual Week Long Marathon), 75.56.  My 5K was the third race in the M-Town Series (I did not run in the second one due to travel) called the Gibson 5K.  It was a hot run, but it was worth it.  The virtual marathon was for the One Fund for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing and required that participants run 26.2 miles over the course of the week.  It was a nice training tool for me and benefited a great cause.  I also spent a week Cancun, Mexico, which is always a great thing.  And I even kept my running streak active for the entire week that I was there.

Photo cred to my sister-in-law for the pic of the week

July: 4 Races (1 5K, 2 Virtual 5K’s, including my 1st hosted event, & 1 virtual 10K), 89.33.  This was the most running that I had ever done in a month up to this point, and I earned quite a few good-looking medals.  I ran in the Stars and Stripes 5K here in Memphis, the Captain America 5K, First Avenger 10K, and Platinum Sombrero 5K.  All three of the virtual runs benefited St. Jude and my personal event netted $734 for St. Jude!

Finalized race medal for the Platinum Sombrero 5K

August: 3 Races (1 5K, 1 Virtual 5K, 1 Virtual Half Marathon), 77.11.  The hottest month of the year and I was thankful for the taper that came before the Tupelo 14.2 in September.  My 5K was the Bardog 5K here in Memphis, the virtual 5K was the Jedi Challenge (another Star Wars run?), and the virtual half marathon was The Walking Dead 13.1, which had a neat, but small medal.  I used the virtual half as my last long training run before my taper.  Susan and I also discovered the greatness that is the Memphis Farmers Market, which became a weekend staple for us throughout the rest of the year.  And I returned to the University of Memphis to obtain my MPA.

A great place to spend a Saturday morning.

September: 3 Races (1 14.2 Miler, 1 4 Miler, 1 Virtual Half Marathon), 82.37 Miles.  The first day of the month saw me run the longest distance of my career up to that point in the very hot and humid Tupelo 14.2 Miler.  The event is known for their medals, and they did not disappoint again this year.  My four miler was the Cooper Young Festival 4 Miler, which saw me shave over four minutes off of my PR for the distance and my virtual half, the Heroes in a Half Shell Challenge (Teenage Ninja Turtles theme) was another great training run excuse.

Awesome finisher’s medal

October: 4 Races (1 4K, 2 5K’s, 1 Half Marathon), 80.09 Miles.  I ran two events in one day, the Tap N Run Memphis event and Zombie Hunt 5K, both in the Memphis area, but with drastically different weather events.  The first race was very hot and the second one saw some rain.  The half marathon was the 4 Bridges Half Marathon in Chattanooga, TN, and despite a chip malfunction, I set a PR but nearly five minutes!  It was a fun event and the trip out-of-town served as a nice anniversary trip for Susan and me.  I ended the month with my first ever Color Run, an event in which I was an ambassador.

4 Bridges Medal

November: 3 Races (2 5K’s & 1 Half Marathon), 100.54 Miles.  I ran all three races over the first three days of the month, which is a great test of endurance.  My first 5K was my fourth True Blue 5K at the University of Memphis, which is my anniversary run, the half marathon was the Midsouth Championship Half Marathon in Wynne, AR, and the second 5K was the SCS Race For Education here in Memphis, but was actually just short of a 5K.  The half marathon was the cheapest ($27) that I have ever run, and was my second fastest half marathon ever!  Plus, Susan and Beau surprised me at the finish line.  This race qualified me for Neptune status in the Half Fanatics, which was cool.  November also saw another addition to our family when Susan and I adopted Molly.

Post race w/ Beau

Meet Molly

December: 2 Races [1 Half Marathon (Canceled, But I Ran Anyway) & 1 4K], 80.05 Miles.  December was supposed to see me run my third consecutive St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon, but due to the cold and ice, the event was canceled.  I decided to run the event anyway, as did several other fellow runners throughout Memphis.  I ran in the Starry 4K a couple of days ago just to guarantee my monthly race running streak.  My first semester in grad school ended with a 4.0 and I am now ending the month with my taper for the WDW Marathon.

This was me as I was about to head out for my 13.1!

All and all, 2013 was a very eventful year, both for my running and life in general.  I am looking forward to next year being an even bigger and more eventful year.

2014 Running Goals

2013 was a successful year of running for me.  I achieved multiple goals and pushed myself to new levels.  But more on this in my year-end recap post, which will most likely be published sometime tomorrow.  Today’s post is about the upcoming year and what I hope to accomplish.  I am hoping to continue to build upon my successes in 2013 with my 2014 campaign.  These goals are going to be in addition to my 2014 goal of completing at least one RAK (Random Act of Kindness) per day in 2014.  More about this endeavor here and my progress will be tracked here.  Now onto the goals!

This is my ultimate goal!

Run a Marathon.

  This goal will be realized within the first two weeks of the year when I complete the Walt Disney World Marathon on January 12.  This is probably my biggest goal of the year and it will be reached to launch my year of running.  I read somewhere that less than 1% of the population has completed a marathon, so it would be some great company to be associated with.  I am already getting antsy about the race and I am really looking forward to the run.

This is going to take some getting used to.

 

1. Redeem My Germantown Half Marathon.  I did not complete this race last year due to my peroneal tendonitis and had to walk the 5K instead.  This tends to be a race that several runners PR, but that is not my goal.  Rather, I just want to be able to complete the 13.1 miles that I could not complete last year.
   

   We shall see!

2. Become a Tough Mudder and a Spartan.  I ran the Warrior Dash last year, and I loved it.  I wanted to try some more obstacle races, but none come to Memphis, so there is the added expense of traveling to the race.  I have already scheduled trips to Nashville for Tough Mudder in June and Tampa for the Spartan Sprint in February.  These events seem to be even tougher than the Warrior Dash and will certainly push me further.  Susan is still not convinced that I should run in the Tough Mudder, but the registration has been paid for, so it is all systems go.
3. Try New Races.  I presently do not have a set number of new races to try, but I already have six new races added to my schedule, with prospects for at least three more new ones.  We will see how this goal progresses, but I imagine being in double digits of new races in 2014.
4. Run More Half Marathons in 2014 Than My Entire Life Prior.  I have officially completed five half marathons in my running history.  This number could have been seven, but due to injury in March and ice in December, the number remains at five.  I have already scheduled three half marathons with the Germantown Half in March and the Oak Barrel 13.1 and Country Music Half Marathon, both in April.  Also, I will be running the St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon again in December and I hope to run the Disneyland Half in August and Greenline Half in October.  We shall see.  There are a few other attractive options as well.
   

   Log 1,000 miles in 2014

5. Run At Least 1,000 Miles.  This may be aggressive for the year, but I ran over 800 miles this year, which included an injury that sidelined me for a month and required a slow rehab to get to running again.  The monthly total this goal will require is 83.33 miles.  I was near or above this total in all months except February, March, April, and May, which coincides with my injury.  Spreading out my half marathons will help with my mileage goal as well.
6. Focus On Cross Training.  I have TRX straps and get the Spartan Race WOD emailed to me so I do not have a real excuse for the lack of cross training that I am doing.  Cross training will aid in my running and overall fitness, therefore it should be higher on my priority list.  Also, with a Warrior Dash, Spartan Race, and Tough Mudder on my agenda, a focus on my fitness besides running is going to be paramount to my success.  I am also thinking about doing CrossFit once the WDW Marathon has been completed.  My uncle-in-law (is this a thing?) does CrossFit and he raves about the benefits.  Of course, most people who do CrossFit talk about it non-stop (like us runners, I suppose) and it seems to be its own culture.
7. Continue My Race a Month Schedule.  I have loved running a race each month this year, and my current race streak is at 14 months, so continuing this streak will be added to my running goals.  I will probably run less races in 2014 than 2013 since I will be focusing on more substantial races and not incurring the cost of the several smaller races.  I will still run in a few 5K’s, but just not as many as in 2013.  Also, I will do very few, if any virtual races in 2014 this year.  They were a great motivator for me this year, but I do not need them anymore and the whole concept has jumped the shark a little bit.  They help raise money for some great charities, but the market is now saturated and the impact has been diminished.
8. Complete At Least One Pull Up.  This will go with my focus on cross training, but I have never been able to complete a pull up.  We would have to do pull ups in gym class and football when I was younger, but I could never get my chin over the bar.  My peers would have a good time with the fat kid hanging on the bar, unable to even do one pull up, so for my personal pride, I want to complete at least one unassisted pull up by December 31, 2014.  This is not exactly a running goal, but it is associated with my overall fitness, so I included it.

This is my current slate of running and fitness goals for 2014.  I have scheduled several events already for 2014 and I am looking at multiple others as well.  I am hoping for another successful year in 2014, building upon my knowledge and experiences from this past year.

Starry 4K Race Recap

Last night marked the final race of my 2013 campaign.  I ran in the Starry 4K at Shelby Farms here in Memphis.  The race took place in Starry Nights, an outdoor Christmas light display that occurs every year.  The race was originally not on my race calendar but due to the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend cancellation, I decided to run in the event to ensure completion of my 2013 goal of running in a race each month of this year.

This is the look you get when someone takes your picture & you’re not sure who it is.

This race was bigger than I expected with over 1,700 participants.  I knew a few people there, including the parents of a couple of Susan’s students and they are the ones that provided the pictures used in this post.  The forecast was calling for 57 degrees at the race start, but it was actually 45, windy, and a constant drizzle.  It was colder than expected, but some of the other runners were dressed like it was 6 below.  There were people in three and four layers, and I was one of three people there in short sleeves.  I am not sure who was the bigger idiot, me or the people dressed for a blizzard.

Courtney, one of Susan’s favorite parents/friend pre-race.

The race was only a 4K, but it was still a great way to cap off my year.  The race cost was $20, which is what it would cost to drive through Starry Nights, so there was decent value there.  Plus, looking at the lights as I raced by was a nice touch to the run.  It was great to actually have a race held in Memphis in December since the previous two, the St. Jude Marathon and Ugly Sweater Run were both canceled due to inclement weather.  I actually have a few seconds of a video of my run courtesy of Andrew, the husband of the lady in the photo above.

Course: A-: Great concept to run through the lights of Starry Nights in Shelby Farms.  The path was mostly the road through the park with a slight diversion onto a running path to loop back to the visitor’s center.  Shelby Farms, as described by the boyfriend of a friend, “is the only place in Memphis where race and crime don’t matter.”  Proceeds for this race benefit the park, so that is great.  The only way the course would have been better if it would have been a full 5K course.

Swag from the Starry 4K

Swag: C: Decent looking shirt that fits well and actually glows in the dark.  Everything else was not great.  A glow stick and some 2014 glasses were fun items I guess.

Overall: B: Fun, quick race that benefits Shelby Farms and was very family friendly.  The vast majority of people running the event seemed to have a great time and the race ran smoothly.

10 Things I Learned During My Long Run

Today was my last 20+ mile run for my Walt Disney World Marathon training.  It was a wet, muddy, and sloppy run due to the storms here in Memphis yesterday, but the temperature was in the fifties, so there was nothing to complain about there.  Today’s run marks the furthest distance that I have run yet, and remarkably, the run was not longest duration that I have run.  It feels good to notice progress, even if it is small.  But since this was my last 20 miler until race day, I thought it would be prudent to assess the good and the bad from the run to assist me at Disney.

This is my ultimate goal!

1. My wall definitely is between miles 16 and 18.  I know some people claim that the wall is at 20 miles, but for me, this is not the case.  Every run that I have reached this plateau has drastically changed during this mileage.  Now, I must combat it.
2. When I hit the wall, I need to deviate from my “Barney Stinson All Rise” playlist.  Instead, it seems that some variation of 80’s power ballads, Seal (Kiss From a Rose specifically), Darius Rucker (Hootie!!!), and songs of similar stature.  These are songs that are not adrenaline boosters, but rather songs that you sing along with and put you in different place mentally, which is huge.
   

   All rise music

3. 20 mile runs in my neighbor are BORING!  It wears on you as you plod along.  I cannot wait to be at Disney so there are spectators, cast members, and characters to cheer me along.  I think that I chose wisely by picking WDW Marathon to be my first.  There is going to be so much going on throughout the race.  Also, the adrenaline boost of actually running a race will be nice as well.
4. Gatorade, or a similar drink are important on these longer distances.  I almost exclusively drink water on my runs, but today I tried some Gatorade and it was a life saver.  The electrolytes and change in taste palate was crucial to aiding my run.
5. Running with a CamelBak now will pay dividends later.  I use a CamelBak for my longs runs so I have plenty of water throughout the run.  This adds some weight and adjusts my posture slightly.  Today, when I grabbed a bottle of Gatorade around mile 18, I dropped off my CamelBak at the house and felt better over my last few miles.
6. Susan bought me some new shoes for the race and I after the added mileage today, I think that they will be ready for race day.  She opted for the Asics Nimbus, a shoe that I listed in my runner’s Christmas list a few weeks ago (I will explore what all I received from the list for Christmas and my birthday as well later this week).  She actually has a plan for what I should wear on race day, but more on that in the upcoming weeks.  I now have 35 miles on the shoes and will have a little over 50 on them by race day.  Actually, once I hit 50, I am putting them away until the marathon.
   

   Asics Gel Nimbus 15 – Susan opted for a black pair

7. The race is only three weeks away, and I cannot wait!  This time of year leads to a running funk, but as I was eclipsing mile 22, it began to sink in that the race is rapidly approaching.  These long runs are going to serve a purpose, and my mental state, which faltered today, will be perfect on race day.
8. My Nike+ watch will not make it for the entire run if I do not charge it properly prior to the race.  Today I got the low battery warning, but I know that it was not fully charged.  I will do what I need to in three weeks to charge the watch.
9. It is a good thing that I ran these miles today because I am now at my parents’ house, and my mom has quite a few Christmas treats to enjoy.  She has some chocolate oatmeal no bake cookies, a homemade pecan pie, and her famous German cheesecake!  The 4,000 plus calories that I burned today will be consumed before bed tonight!
10. These little lessons that I learn during the runs are just as important as the building of mileage.  Knowledge of how your body will react and just what it feels like to run 20+ miles.  Prepping for all facets of the run will strengthen the run.

It is hard to believe that race day is only three weeks away!  In fact, exactly in three weeks from right now, Susan and I will be enjoying a steak in Canada at Epcot.  That sounds like a great post marathon meal to me!

I will be here on 1.12.14

To all my fellow Disney runners, I hope this last week of long runs went well for you and you are prepped for the big day.

RAK 365 in 2014

A blog/site that I visit daily, The Chive, has a thing called RAK (Random Acts of Kindness).  This is not a concept that the site created, but one that it embraces.  It is something that Chivers do for one another as well as other complete strangers.  Reading about the RAK’s are some of the best entries on the site.  Currently, there are two RAK events going on for Chivers to participate.  One is a Secret Santa type event in which you sign up and you are given a random person to buy a gift for.  There is no price limit and you have no control over the person you get and the person you get will probably not have you.  People are starting to get their gifts now, and you can get an idea of the event by checking #RAKit on Twitter and/or Instagram.  The second promotion is the 12 Days of RAKmas in which you do something kind for a stranger each day leading up to Christmas.  It is a simple concept and one that is easy for anyone to participate in.

12 Days of RAKmas

During the holiday season, you see tons of stories about people helping each other out and going way above and beyond for one another.  By why restrict this generosity to just this season.  Why not act this way on a Tuesday in May or Thursday in July?  Therefore, I decided to take this idea and take it to another level in 2014.  This year I wanted to run a race each month of the year and try some new events.  I fulfilled both of these goals this year, and I will actually be extending this through the next year, but I wanted a new goal as well.  That is where the RAK concept comes in.  I am going to do at least one RAK a day for all 365 days in 2014.

From January 1 through December 31, 2014, I will be doing one RAK per day, everyday.  It might be as simple as buying a homeless person lunch, donating blood, or leaving $5 taped to the gas pump.  When applicable, a note, card, or the such will be left with the RAK encouraging the recipient to pay it forward.  I will track my progress on this blog, as well as an Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter page to share images and such from the events.  These steps are not to bring attention to myself, but rather to hold some accountability for doing one RAK per day (the blog) and for others to share and join in the kindness (social media sites – sadly, RAK365 is taken).  I will not be doing routine posts about RAK’s, but rather just the page (this is still a primarily a running blog) and maybe on occasional post about a RAK someone else did.  I will post more information as it becomes available.

The hashtag will be #RAK365.

Twitter: @RAK_365

This is what I was RAK’d this year (Susan loves this shirt…)

A Quick Update About School

School ended last week with an exam, two papers, and a research proposal.  It was a busy week, and the roughly month break that I will have is certainly welcomed.  I only missed one class all semester and that was only after much discussion with Susan about our free beach vacation.  When I was in undergrad, I would have skipped that week, no questions asked.  What a difference seven years make!  Last night I finally got my official grades.  I received two A+’s and an A, which translates into a 4.0!  Obviously, I am happy with these results and hope to replicate them again this spring!  That is all for now, but I will have a post sometime tomorrow about a major goal for 2014.  Have a great evening!

Nothing to complain about here!

 

Race Medals and Stickers: A Discussion

Disclaimer: this was supposed to be posted a few weeks ago, but oh well.  Better late than never, I suppose.

So over the past few weeks there have been a couple of discussions on the Runner’s World Facebook page concerning the practice of awarding race medals and runners putting stickers on their cars to brag about the achievements.  I am certain that some of this curiosity was prompted by that article in the Wall Street Journal a couple of weeks back.  And after reading some of the responses on the posts as well as on some other running sites, one thing became certain to me, runners are a passionate group of people!  So I decided that I would give my opinion on both of these issues and see who agrees/disagrees with me.

Race Medals

This is my medal rack thus far

It seems to be that the first derogatory comment about race medals anytime there is a discussion about the topic is some form of how we should not be a society that just gives a trophy for participation.  While I agree with this sentiment, I do not agree that it applies here.  For the most part, completing a race, rather it be a half marathon, marathon, ultra, and the list could go on for days, is a major accomplishment for the runner.  People run races for a myriad of reasons, and completing the race is a milestone and should be celebrated.  So what if it was not run at a world record pace or that you finished 150th.  You finished the race, met your goal, achieved more than you thought you could.  Take for example my first half marathon three years ago.  This race was a goal event for myself.  I had just completed a major victory in my weight battle and wanted to keep pushing forward.  I wanted to accomplish something that I thought was impossible.  Before I began training for the St. Jude Half Marathon, the longest distance that I had ever run in my life was a 5K.  This event more than quadrupled this distance!  It took hard work and dedication to complete the race, and I was damn proud that I did!  Going from well over 300 pounds to completing 13.1 miles in a 16 month span was an accomplishment in my book.  I was a guy that would get winded checking the mail, and now I ran further on that day than I had for the decade and a half combined prior to my weight loss journey.  I certainly earned that medal on that chilly December morning, and I have earned every other medal that I have received since that point.

My 1st race medal – St. Jude Half 2011

No, I will not be on the podium as a top finisher in my next race, but I will be competitive with what I have accomplished in the past.  Too often we get caught up with winners and losers and forget that one of the things that makes running so great is that we are competing with ourselves.  Just be getting out there when it is cold, rainy, hot, or we do not feel like it is defying the odds one more time.  We are reaching greatness in our personal history and we deserve a trinket for our efforts.

Race Stickers

Will this hinder your drive home?

The amount of venom for race stickers actually surprised me.  How does it affect your daily life if another person has a sticker on their car?  If the sticker is not hindering their sight lines, derogatory towards another group of people, or obscene, what is the big deal?  If the driver has earned the sticker and wants to share that fact with the world, so be it.  They are proud of what they accomplished and want to brag about that.  By having a sticker on your car, most people are not inferring that they are better than you, but rather that they have accomplished a feat and it makes them proud.  The most appalling comment about stickers on a car was someone on a message board trashing people with the 13.1 stickers on their cars.  The poster’s stance on that distance was that it is an easy distance that anyone can complete whether they train for it or not.  Therefore, completing 13.1 miles is not a triumph and should not be something to be proud of.  I call bullshit on that notion.  Some people can run 13.1 miles without an issue I am certain, but those people are the exception, not the rule.  Rather, it is a triumph to complete a half marathon.  Be proud of your accomplishment, and if you feel inclined to share this information via a decal or magnet on your vehicle, go for it.

After my first half marathon, my running coach from my gym sent me a 13.1 sticker for my car.  I did not hesitate about putting that on my car.  I was proud of my accomplishment and thought that in no way was I showing up someone else.  I have since traded in that vehicle and currently I have no decals on my truck.  It is not that I am suddenly anti-decals, but rather I do not have one at the house that I can use.  But I can guarantee that after the WDW Marathon on January 12, 2014, there will be a 26.2 sticker on one more truck on the streets of Memphis!

Boston Marathon Bombings Victim Proposes to Rehab Nurse

Cool story about a Boston Marathon bombing victim finding a positive out of the ordeal.

The Race That Wasn’t, But Then Was Anyway

At this point last week, 20,000+ runners were supposed to be running in the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend events.  It was going to be my third consecutive year running for the kids of St. Jude, and honestly, I was aiming for another PR.  But a funny thing happened in route to race day, Mother Nature decided that December 7 was not a good day to run and dumped ice and cold upon the Memphis area.  Some may argue that the event cold have gone on as planned, but the St. Jude powers that be made the difficult decision to cancel the race for the safety of the runners, spectators, and volunteers.  Many people forget that races require more than the runners to transpire, and I cannot imagine how brutal it would have been to work an aid station for six hours in single digit temperatures.  Not to mention with the fact about ice accumulation from the discarded water cups around the stations.  St. Jude made the correct call.  It was a call that disappointed all of us, pissed off a few, baffled others, and inconvenienced most.

This was me as I was about to head out for my 13.1!

But a crazy and inspiring thing happened after St. Jude canceled the race.  Some of us crazy SOB’s ran the race anyway!  That’s right, all over Memphis, and even the southeast, there were courageous runners sporting their St. Jude Heroes singlets, bibs, and plenty of cold equipped running gear.  One group ran the majority of the course and even received their medals at the end since the medals were already at the finish line.  Some ran in their neighborhoods, some on treadmills, and some out of towners ran once they returned to their hometowns.  It truly was an amazing experience.

This is what the finish line for the St. Jude Marathon looked like Friday afternoon

I am one of those people who ran the race despite it being canceled.  I logged my cold 13.1 miles for several reasons. One, the event is about the celebration and awareness of the wonderful patients at St. Jude.  We are running for those kids, therefore, despite cancellation, I ran for those kids.  Second, I was scheduled for 13.1, so I wanted to run 13.1.  Simple as that.  Three, in a weird way, I hope people seeming myself and the others running around town will inspire them to join the race next year.  To raise money for St. Jude and make the event an even bigger success.  This year, the heroes program raised a record $8.1 million for the kids of St. Jude with over 14,500 individuals competing as heroes!  Maybe next year the total can eclipse $10 million!

2013 St. Jude Marathon Weekend Medal (w/ a little ice). Not my photo, but this was from the Commercial Appeal, found via Google Image search.

After cancellation, St. Jude handled the situation better than anyone could have imagined.  The Heroes Lounge was still open downtown for all heroes to enjoy.  St. Jude communicated every step of the way, and provided several alternatives for registered participants.  Registration fees could be donated to St. Jude, refunded, and transferred to the Rock ‘N Roll New Orleans, Phoenix, or Nashville events.  All race shirts, medals, and goodie bags that were unclaimed could be mailed to you or donated to St. Jude.  Also, all registered participants for this year’s race will have priority registration for next year’s event!  Any of these options would have appeased most, but all of them truly were above and beyond!  Of course, there were gripes and confusion about some of these details.  Some people want their race materials despite the cancellation.  Then some people cannot understand why you would want something for a race you did not run.  My argument to that logic is everyone is different, but a lot of people did run this race, organized or not, so if they want that medal, fine.  If not, I am sure a patient at St. Jude will enjoy it.

I went to the expo before cancellation, so I got my race shirt, bib & bag. Also, the singlet & other shirt were sent previously to heroes.

Personally, I do not know how or if to claim this race.  It obviously does not count towards my total of half marathons which is a bummer because it would have been my fourth in four months, but I will live.  I might count it as a virtual run since there was, at least at first, an infrastructure for the event and several others running with the option of a medal and race shirt I wanted them.  Also, how does this race affect my race streak?  Virtual races have counted during the streak, but what about canceled races that I ran anyway?  I made it to December and through an injury, I am not going to let a little bit of ice derail my goal for the year!  I guess I will find a local 5K or something just to cover my bases.

Also, this was the weirdest run that I have experienced in my neighborhood since people were honking, waving, and even taking my picture!  These gestures told me that I was making a wise decision running for St. Jude that day.  These people did not know me from Adam, but these saw the St. Jude logo and thought about those kids, even if it was just for a moment.  I hope that the other runners experienced the exact same sensation!

True Life: I’m Doing A Tuff Mudder [VIDEO]

I have not watched this yet, and I loathe 99.9% of what comes on MTV, but I will probably watch this tonight to get a glimpse of what Tough Mudder is like for participants. I mean, I will be doing this in June, so I need to get psyched about it, right?