GHS Swamp Rabbit 13.1

 

Now, I can look myself in the mirror and say, "you were wrong." For the last couple years following my surgeries I convinced myself I just wasn't built to run long distances. The past 3 months, and especially Saturday, erased any and all doubt in my mind.  I don't know what else to say, but it's an amazing feeling...so here goes...

Fighting the women talking about the bachelor

There's been enough build up to the race so I don't see any reason to re-hash the details. Jer flew in late Thursday night, so we didn't have much time to do anything other than talk race strategy. I took Friday off work so we could go do our packet pick-up and I could show Jer the race course. He was rather interested in the hills that comprised miles 11-13. We wrapped up driving around, had lunch, came home to do a little work, then I had to coach my little leaguers that evening. We finished up Friday with a nice pasta dinner (still not sure this makes a difference, I ate extremely heavy at this meal). I'm usually not a great sleeper but I managed to nod off around 11:00, thank the Lord.

I don't understand, where is everyone?

Saturday morning came quickly - and it was cold. I mean, cold. Like Jer was complaining that Colorado was warmer. We all donned sweats to the start line as we thankfully had my wife and dad there to take our things before starting. We stretched, stood in line for a last minute pee break, and shuffled quickly to the start line. Here occurs what ended up being the funniest part of the day by far. Jer came into this raced focused on setting a 13.1 PR. All the variables were in his favor, especially the thick South Carolina air and the fast Swamp Rabbit course. As the gun sounds, Jer is caught up fiddling with his iPod and shoe laces, failing to realize the rest of the field has left the starting block. Literally, he was the last person to cross the start line. Recipe for success right?

Also - I have to highlight my friend Mike, also known as the second most photogenic guy in history right? Seriously I've never seen someone so happy to torture their body. Congrats!

Not much to talk about for during the race. It was pretty standard...I felt good the whole way through, but the ever present thought of wearing down was in my mind. I knew the end had a couple hills so I was careful to save some energy for the finish. To be honest, I probably left some time out there on the course. I wound my way through the course, hitting the aid stations at miles 8, 10, and 12. The station at 12 was really the only one I was craving something, even though I knew it wouldn't have a single physical effect on my performance. But mentally, it was nice to pound a Hammer shot. The two hills at the end definitely weren't easy, but my plan of conserving energy worked to perfection and coasted comfortably up and over both. The top of the second hill left roughly a quarter mile to the finish, which everyone tells me I looked smooth and powerful over...they were convinced I had plenty in the tank. Maybe, maybe. 

One thing that doesn't get enough attention with these races is the support behind the scenes. I can't tell you how much my wife did on race day to make it easy on me, let alone the 3 months of rarely seeing me in the evenings because I would come home and go straight into a workout. She deserves a huge shout out, so here it is. To her credit, all the photography from the race is straight from the amateur hands of Mrs. Clydesdale. And she caught some stellar shots, highlighted now:

Only one thing is going through my head when imagining the old man's thoughts....

Who is this wild banshee? And why is his shirt unzipped so far?

You have to admit, Jer looks pretty calm at the 11.5 mile mark. 

All joking aside, this was an amazing race. I can't thank my brother enough for being an integral piece in this whole process, all from 1800 miles away. I can't express just how influential he's been in my life the past few years, and this is just one small example.  I doubt I ever would've done something like this if it weren't for him and we had a hell of weekend together.

So...the results, right? My first 13.1 - 2:04:24 chip time. I was hoping to break two hours, but hey I'll take it. Jer on the other hand was quite impressive. He achieved his PR and finished 27th overall, despite the slow start clocking in at 1:29:48. So there you go...a brief, not quite detailed, roughly guided recap of what happened Saturday. Other than what's previously stated, we ate our faces off afterward. Freaking amazing.
 

Excited About New Shoes....yet not really....

One Year...
600+ miles...
Two Pairs...
Three Races...wow, just three?

Regardless, it was time for some new shoes (as previously discussed a couple posts back). I try to support the local running stores here in town, and since I had some store credit I went ahead and jumped for the GTS 13's. First run tonight and DAMN what a difference! I was really starting to feel the effects of adding mileage on some worn down treads lately, so tonight felt like running on pillows with springs on the bottom.

I think I mentioned a brief brush with pain a couple weeks ago when I started to feel some pulling in my right calf, but I'm starting to think that could also be attributed to the old shoes. No sign of injury recently and the runs are still just clicking along. Six and half weeks to go and I'm feeling pretty good. The long weekend runs are the ones I'm most interested in at the moment. As long as I can complete the mileage I'll be happy.

So, about the whole "not excited" part. After Brooks killed the color options on the 11th and 12th edition, the 13th comes in rather mundane if you ask me. Brooks returned back to a look similar to the X edition. You pretty much get red/white or blue/white. Blah. I actually reserved my pair on the phone, so I wasn't sure what I was getting when I picked them up today. Thank God they were the blue. I hate red. I don't think I should have to explain myself.

So here we are, the last four pairs of Adrenaline shoes...guessing I threw all other former pairs out in the trash, but I absolutely LOVE this shoe.

Mental Humpin'

Well, my ultimate nightmare for the P200 & 13.1 has been realized. I'm going to die if the weather is anything like tonight....

Cold ( ~40*)
Windy ( Gusts at 30 mph )
Rain. Real rain.

But my goal was to let as few things as possible interrupt my training schedule, so I set out in the elements. Seems pretty important to me to have the right gear for bad weather, especially the rain. Pretty easy to work around the cold, but nothing is worse than being wet. At least not to me. If I'm wet for any reason other than:

a.) working out
b.) swimming
c.) showering

...I'm not happy. My Brooks LSD jacket did the trick tonight for both the wind and the rain, fortunately. I think they should start paying me for endorsement as much as I mention their products.

So that brings me to my question. What gets you over the mental hump during a run? Whether it be pain, cold, rain, disinterest, etc...what keeps the legs churning? I think it varies based on the session, but for me I ventured off to thinking about work and some lingering issues I'm dealing with. That's sad, if you ask me, but hey it worked. So, what is it for you? Music? Running Group? Let's hear it!

And just for entertainment value, I offer you this....