Safe in the City is the 2012 version of what was known as the Capital City Safe 5k in 2011. Its a race put on by the Columbia Police Department in order to support their foundation. Last year was a surprisingly great race, though it was incredibly hot. Surprising, in that first-time events are always a wild card.  I’ve been to a few disasters before, but this one was really nicely done  in ’11.

This year I was thinking I  would sit it out though. I had a rough week after running an all-out 400 meter and 800 meter at Strictly’s track series, plus one of my cute little disease carriers had given me a cold. A crappy night’s sleep on Thursday, and I was going to be glad to take a rest.  I figured I could satisfy my executive duties in the Columbia Running Club by showing up and taking pictures, and that might actually be fun.  But then I came home from work and a little package was by the front door. The blues. Not just in color, but a pair of the actual adidas adizero adios that started the obsession and gave me my first sub 20 5k on the first try. I was heartbroken the last two years, because adidas changes colors and styles constantly, and the last two adios incarnations were a bright RED. I cant go around wearing RED shoes, can I?? Jeez. So I’ve basically worn all kinds of shoes since then, the only common factor being the color. But this week my heart skipped a beat when i saw the 2012 version was blue again. I was as giddy as a schoolgirl, ordering them immediately and even paying the ridiculous 10 bucks to get them 2-day shipped. So when I saw them on my doorstep, I had to at least break them in, right? I would just walk around in them anyway.

Um, yeaaah. I think that thought lasted about halfway on the ride to the race before I stepped out of my car and registered immediately.  Once a race addict, always a race addict.  I don’t like to complain, but there were some seriously snarky volunteers at the registration table.  She told me it would be 30 dollars, and an extra 25 bucks for a shirt (which was included in the preregistration 25 dollar price). I dont think she liked the look of absolute shock on my face. Needless to say I opted for the registration alone.  Plus, I could clothe a small country with the number of race shirts I already own.

I then went to help our membership chair William hand out our new CRC shirts. And by “help” I mean, stand nearby and flap my gums and not hand out a single shirt. There was a nice showing for this race, ended up being close to 300. Off the top of my head,  Coach Bishop, Plex, Team Schmitz, Rick, Shiela, Ann, Carol, Megan, Jennifers Reeves and Lybrand, Alex P, Team Hewitt, The Diesels + Brady, Team Robertson, Billy Tisdale, Kimi, Kat (watching), The Spratts (also watching) , Team Allers,  Team McGrievy, The Harts, Greta, Ken, Pete P, Mark B, Eric M, and Yerger were there, and I’m sure I’m forgetting some.

The most important factor in changing my mind about not racing, other than the blues, was the weather. Twenty degrees cooler than last year easy.  Still about 80 and humid, but about as good as you’re going to get in late July in Columbia.

So by the 7:45 start I had gone from bystander to standing front and center of a 300 person field. I lined up first row because despite the large crowd, there werent a lot of super fast people. Bishop had this thing won from the get go, and Plex wouldnt be too far behind. I figured everybody else would be way back from them. Billy and Meg were right by my side, so I knew I had 2 good people to guide my pace.

The course is a flat one, right down main street to the capitol building, going around the left side, continuing on main on the back side of the capitol, then a USC loop to capstone and back, and then a couple of turns back to the corner of hampton and main at the Columbia Museum of Art for the finish. I felt pretty strong, so I blasted hard out of the gate.  Billy jumps ahead and Meg starts to surge past but then I speed up to draw even with her. I usually have a tendency to go out a little slow, so I wanted to keep up with Billy and Meg instead of letting them get pretty far ahead in the first mile, which usually happens. The three of us are locked into a mini pack after the first quarter dodging the kids that sprinted out of the gate. And it feels a bit speedy. But I feel like Meg is matching my every move, so I keep up this relentless pace. Finally I pass them both just before the mile marker and my Garmin spits out something that makes me do a double take .

5:51??!!  Ruh roh raggy. This is suicidal pace for me under any conditions but particularly when its over 80 degrees. But apparently my head is both gigantic in both the literal and figurative sense, because I don’t slow down…yet. As we make the turn onto Greene and head back on Sumter that nice breeze we had seems to vanish. It gets real hot, real quick. Whats worse is that I feel completely alone at this point. I can see Yerger and Claudia about 50 meters ahead and can hear no one behind me. But I know the Tisdale and Weis combo cant be too far behind. Unfortunately I have no sense of my pace anymore, and no one to push me.  I near the next turnaround, which coincides with the 2 mile mark. I ‘m desperately afraid of Meg paying me back for passing her at this point last year, especially since I trash talked about it on facebook.  I dont look at my Garmin this time, though later I see I dropped it down about 30 sec (6:22)

Starting to hate life about this point. I was breathing hard, but the heat was the worst. Engine definitely in the red zone.  All of a sudden I can hear someone coming up behind me, and I prepare to get Tisdaled, but its some dude on a skateboard.  I can tell my pace is suffering because Yerger is leaving me for dead. Claudia drops off a little but is still way ahead of me.  We finally round the last turn, and there’s a seemingly endless straightwaway to the finish. I can make out the time in the 18’s but it takes forever to get to the line. I try to throw down a meager kick but I am toast. The only thing keeping me going is a paralyzing fear of getting blue shoed by the two behind me. I see Justin cooling down on the side and I try to follow his form pointers, though I can feel my arms wanting to seize up like a chicken and by enormous melon wanting to tilt back and to the side like Im on a roller coaster from hell. Maybe I am. Finished at 19:34, 8th place overall, 2nd in AG behind Yerger (19:05). I was half delirious after the race, sitting down to take my chip off that didnt exist (the chip was in the bib). Heart rate was like 2000 and just sucking wind like crazy.  Giving “110 percent” apparently is not a problem for me. Tisdale finished in 19:54, Meg in 20:15 and 2nd overall female.

Happy with the time and placement – its 13 seconds faster than last year, though the conditions were far worse then. Justin crushed this race in 15:51 for the win, with Plex in second (16:59). Jen Lybrand,  Kristin Schmitz,  Eric McMichael, Colleen Vowles, Eric allers, Ted Hewitt, William Schmitz, Mark Bailey, Ann Bartow, Howie Phan, Rick Gibbons,  Tigs, Lisa Smarr, Valerie Selby, Alex Ponamarev, Pete Poore, Arnold Floyd, Ken Lowden,  MArgaret and Henry Holt and Rock Soderberg were some of the familiar faces in the age group winners. Little Diesel, aka Brady, also won the 2-10 age group with a police escort to the finish. Awesome. The award ceremony was nice with a photo op with police chief Randy Scott.  Great event again this year!

Oh, and this has got to be the most photographed race of the year – Columbia PD published a ton of pics on their facebook site. Really cool.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/results/12safe.txt

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/201875114

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.407254789312098.80751.182562865114626&type=3

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.407394449298132.80792.182562865114626&type=3

This is the second year of the Xterra half and 5k at Harbison State Forest. I’ve come to the conclusion that Xterra prides itself on super tough courses, because I about died last year en route to  a 23:40 something 5k last year that I think was still top 10. Although I had no problem with the 5k course in 2011, the half became completely derailed with the leaders missing a turn and people literally coming out of the forest everywhere. I had a couple of friends who had to be “rescued” by a truck as they were still wandering the trails 14+ miles in.

https://drachtungbaby.wordpress.com/2011/07/15/xterra-5k-and-half-marathon-trail-harbison-state-forest-71011-2348-10th-oa/

Everyone I talked to about the half, even those that correctly ran the course, said it was beyond brutal. So of course I had the grand idea that I had to run it too. I signed up for the race despite doing no specific training for it and knowing I would probably do a race on the 4th as well. My grandiosity and poor decision making apparently know no bounds. I did take one day off,  so there’s your planning.

As karma payback for making fun of my brother’s lateness, I was running out the door this morning way later than I wanted and got to the race site about a half hour before the race time of 7 am. I knew this was going to be rough , because it was already about 80 degrees with suffocating humidity. I got my race bib and headed to the bathroom, where I was met with a most unpleasant sight. There were two huge lines for both men and women, and I realized they still didnt fix the ridiculous bathroom situation from last year. 300+ runners and exactly one toilet for the guys. Nice. After waiting 10 minutes and essentially going nowhere, and noting the start was eight minutes away..lets just say Harbison State Forest got fertilized.  And dont just blame me, because it was a freaking poopapalooza out there.

I actually didnt see a whole lot of familiar faces – the xterra series draws a lot of out-of-area people and the trail running crowd tends to be different from road racers.  Greta, Sarah B, Ted, Geary, Colleen and Ken Vowles, Jim Lichty, Jen and Brian Clyburn were all there, though half of them were wisely doing the 5k.

My strategy was to try and take it very easy early on in order to save some for the middle of the course, which I had heard was pretty miserable. I had done a 1:44 at the Rudolph’s Rampage half at Harbison in December 2010, so I figured I could at least go sub 2 hours, maybe do something similar to the 1:44 since I was slower 2 years ago.

With the start I didnt have much of a choice, because I got clogged behind a freaking sweaty conga line once we hit the single track. I figured it would be OK, since it would save up some energy for later.  First mile was 8:45, a little slow I thought, but acceptable since I hadnt warmed up at all. Mile 2 was already hitting some pretty technical stuff on the trail and the pace backed down to 9 something, so I tried to pick it up some. This is when I got the first inkling that there was going to be some serious suckage later. Felt about 100 degrees and like I was breathing through a wet washcloth. Whats worse I got double chicked in the matter of 30 seconds. The mental weight of 10 miles to go didnt help things.  Finally hit the first aid station and tried to suck down as much water as I could. I had actually brought my own water bottle, but just over 3 miles in and I had already drained it. As I’ve noted previously, restraint is not my forte. I did manage to keep up with my new closest friends “put the hammer down” shirt guy, tall guy, short tan girl,  and fit masters guy. Everybody’s pace was all over the map, so we kept passing and re-passing each other. I managed to keep up a semblance of a steady run for the next two miles, but I could feel the foundation starting to crack. I did manage to choke down an espresso love GU, right after mile 5, which had already dived back into the nines again. Then we hit some serious hills, so I figured this had to be the “Spider Woman” trail that I had heard so much about. People started walking. Ha ha time to pass them, right? WRONG. Suddenly I can feel a wicked walk of shame coming on myself. And then it happens, and I’m reduced to a soccer mom in the mall on a Tuesday morning. Holy crap, am I really walking again in a race? It was hard enough to take doing it at the Quarry Crusher, but that was a mile and a half of 10 percent grade.  At least no one is passing me. I’m actually catching up to some people with my awesome power walking skills. Who knew I had such a hidden talent for being so slow.  I do try and run all the flats and declines though. This is fine when youre feeling good and lifting your feet in a normal fashion, but I am hitting roots constantly.  I literally almost bust my ass about 30 times, but somehow catch myself without pulling a Sarah Blackwell style wipeout.  I am definitely resetting the Harbison State Forest world record for F bombs, with some other random obscenities thrown in for good measure.  Each near trip sending out an uncontrollable Tourettes style blast.

After enduring some hilly torture for some time, I finally hit a nice little stretch, and I see the sign for the start of the Spider Woman. More F bombs. My previous time goals are going way out the window, and now I’m just thinking of surviving or finishing. In that order. Surviving, because I havent had any water in like 4 miles and I am ready to go Bear Grylls  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81FLsMZB2Fw) here in a second if I dont get any water. Finally I hit the 2nd aid station just short of 8 miles. I start laying waste to this place, double fisting water and gatorade, total Irish handcuffs. Off comes the shirt, which apparently where all the lost water went, because the thing weighs like 5 pounds.  My mile 8 split is a blazing 13:15. I honestly dont recall the next few miles , as I was half delirious. At some point I become aware that the whole Spider woman thing must be over, because the course starts to get a little more level. This is irritating, because now it means I dont have an excuse to walk.  That doesnt mean I dont use every half percent grade to do it though. Finally I hit another root at about the mile 10 marker and get really pissed and decide I need to run to get this thing over with. I figure I can break 2:15 if I can,as Tenacious J would say,  HTFU. I  run, as in not walk,  the 11th mile at 10:03 which feels makes me feel like I’m freaking Scott Jurek.  I actually start passing people again, first tall guy and then short tan girl, both of whom had long left me in their dust, but now had both caught a case of the walksies. Then I start throwing down at mile 11. That usually means sub 6 pace, but today apparently it means blazing away at 9:30. This is fast enough however, to pass a bunch more people. I hit mile 12 and theres a cluster of completely confusing signs. I head off in one direction and have a painful realization I might be headed off on loop number 2 of this sufferfest. Oh hells no. I turned back around, and sure enough I had gone the wrong way and had given up my position to everyone I passed in the last mile. Just awesome. I start hauling it once I make it back on course and re-pass everybody on our little caravan of pain again. I have no idea where the finish is going to be, because my Garmin hits 13.1 and I dont know where I am. But I have a sense its close though, so I start sprinting. I pass Ken and Colleen Vowles at what turns out to be less than a quarter mile from the finish. They later said they thought I must of gone way off course, but in reality I think they were ahead of me the whole time. I finally reach a familiar clearing and see Ted and Rocky cheering me on, so I jump over a log and kick it to the finish, 2:14:25. 50th place out of 236.

Wow. Just totally spent – walked around in a haze for a good 5 minutes. One might think this is a one and done, but I’m sure this suffering will fade and I’ll be trying again next year. Apparently nothing motivates me more than failing abysmally at something. But next year I’ll bring toilet paper.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/12XTERRA.TXT

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/197026882

Exactly how uncool I am, exhibit A

For the last four years, my family has rented a beach house for a week, the last 3 in Folly Beach. For most sane individuals, they would use the chance to relax on the beach and take it easy. All I could think of is plenty of flat roads to run on and a built in T1 and T2  in the driveway of the beach house. FYI,  open water ocean swims suck way worse than Lake Carolina.

Of course one of the great tragedies of beach week was actually missing a race, the Born in the USA 4 miler , no less. I was originally devastated when I looked for a race down in Charleston and couldnt find one. Lucky for me, 2 races popped up on the Charleston Running Club site a couple of weeks ago, so I felt it my executive duty to represent the original CRC in at least one of them. I was going to do both, but sometimes I actually show an ounce of restraint…sometimes at least.  The Xterra half marathon being this Sunday also may have weighed into my deicsion. My brother Ben and his wife Cindy were with us and we all  agreed to do the Johns Island race on the 4th. It was cool to get to race with Ben again, as it was at beach week last year that he took his first steps back toward running.  He was a cross country/track runner for Dutch Fork in the mid 90’s (PR 16:45!) but had been sidelined the last several years due to back injuries. I paced  the Boys and Girls Club 5k on Thanksgiving with him in a shade over 21 minutes. A few runs with him this week though, and I was more afraid of him just outright kicking my ass.

I had no idea what to expect about this race – it was being put on by the Extra Mile and it was billed as completely flat, and on a cross country style course, at a place called “Trophy Lakes”.  And there was beer afterwards. How perfect is that?

I got there about 45 minutes early, and alone, as my brother has a habit of getting an adrenaline boost from running perpetually late. Actually he showed up only 15 minutes later, so I was impressed. I did about a mile warmup with Ben and had a chance to meet fellow blogger Amy, who I had spoken to online but not actually in person. They call her the “Tiny Terror” and, true to her name, I was literally twice her size. http://proudpatriot07.wordpress.com/

Temps were of course crazy hot, being South Carolina in July. About 90 and wet blanket humid.

My first indication this race was old school was the lack of chip timing, and if that wasnt verification enough, the director drawing a start line in the trail with a stick may have been another subtle hint.  There were about a hundred people , I guess, at the race. Pretty big I thought for a race that’s kind of out of the way.  The director did the start and said made some joke about having the results posted sometime in the future, which didnt go over real well with me, since it takes like no time to do. After a guy had to move his car off the course, we got started.

Trails are like kryptonite to me as far as racing goes. I love to run them but usually do a lot of sucking in actual competition. I present my yearly Resolution run 10k results as convincing evidence. I had trouble with the start – trying to do 5k race pace with the wet blanket wasnt easy, and a complete lack of knowledge of the course and the other runners was disorienting. We did about a mile loop back near the start and headed out past one of the “trophy” lakes.  I’ve become such a triathlon training freak I forgot to switch my Garmin over to running, so all I was getting from the watch was my speed in miles per hour. It didnt feel particularly fast. At least my shoes were tied though. Right after the mile marker an older guy in a black tank passes me. Although it hurts my fragile ego, it actually helps me pace to have someone to keep up with . A pack of young elite looking dudes and 2 girls had left us in the dust , so I was mostly alone until he brought me back to reality. As I was blindly following this guy, I hear footsteps and fear that Ben is ready to take back the family running crown. Instead its a tall guy (later found out his name is Robert) who I’m deathly afraid might be a fellow age grouper. Although I’m relieved its not Ben, I’m still struggling to find my pace.  Now I’m chasing 2 guys. A girl in a black sports bra has now fallen off the front pack but is way ahead of us. After what seems like forever, I hit the 2 mile mark and can actually see where the rest of the course is going to go.

Time to throw down. I start really pushing the pace, and realize that I must of been going way too easy early on. I return the favor to Robert and black tank and then blast into some headless chicken action. My imaginary bike is going way over 10 miles an hour according to my Garmin. Black bra is way ahead but I’m starting to reel her in. The last stretch is a  flat and straight quarter mile through the dirt parking lot, and I can see the finish line from way out. Like Spinal Tap, I crank it up past 11 mph and start sprinting as hard as I can. Black bra , whom I had already given up to, was now coming into striking distance. Then I hear it from her girlfriends screaming “DONT LET HIM BEAT YOU!!! Ruh roh, someone just poured lighter fluid on the Blue Shoe fire.  Kicked it into yet another gear and Blue Shoed the Black Bra at about 14 mph maybe 20 meters before the finish. A most unchivalrous but glorious kick to finish in 19:49.

And its a good thing, because little did I know Ben was tracking me down until a little after mile 2 by his account. He finished in about 20:20 though started walking before the actual line since he thought the start of the chute was the end.  I took some pics after the race and Amy finished not not long after us.  Cindy is on the comeback after her last pregnancy and was trying to break 35 minutes. We found her at the straightaway at a surprising 29 minutes, and I seabiscuited her to a 30:30 or so finish. She Blue Shoed a girl right before the chute and outkicked her when she tried to re-pass. I was so proud!

Awards were surprisingly quick given the non-chip format. I actually had to do sub 7 pace on the last half mile of my cooldown when I heard them start. I took 1st in AG, and Ben and Amy placed as well. No trophies, but we got a nice pair of running socks, which beats medals in my opinion. They had a keg of Bud Light at the finish which was awesome, even at 9:30 am.

Oh, but still no results 4 days out. Almost perfect.

The Harden St downhill mile is the first of what will hopefully be three mile races descending into 5 points from various streets , ending at Strictly Running. Jordan Lybrand had talked about this at the last Columbia Run Club meeting, so we were able to add the series to the Tour de Columbia , which was promising for a decent crowd and good competition.

Although I love the mile and really want to lower my time, since I think I’m capable of better,  my original plan was to use the race to introduce little Alex, aka Blue Shoes Jr., to racing. I figured he could definitely do the distance and the downhill would help him get a decent time.

What I hadnt planned on was the heat. Sure,  late June in Columbia is not going to be chilly, but I figured it would be in the 80’s tops.  What I hadnt counted on was that this was THE HOTTEST DAY IN COLUMBIA EVER.  Seriously.  In a city whose slogan is “famously hot”.  As in a high of 109 degrees and temps still over 100 at race time.  Since heat stroke probably wouldnt give little Alex a great intro into racing, I scratched him from the race a couple hours before. He was so torn up about it he could barely manage a “thats OK” between a lego light saber battle on the Wii.

It then dawned on me that I’d be doing the race alone, and would have no excuse to run at 12 minute pace like I had planned. Yes, I could have used some restraint and just ran a tempo pace, but my figuratively and literally giant sized head wouldnt allow it. I pin that bib on and its GAME ON.  So what had been a relaxing Friday afternoon turned into a ball of pre-race anxiety over the heat and the inevitable suffering that would ensue. Can’t you tell why I love my sport?

I got to Strictly about an hour early only to learn the packet pickup was actually at the start, a mile down the road.  Just the walk from my car covered me in sweat. Total oven. Once at the start I debated just parking there and hanging out in the AC for a half hour, but then I thought about having to run back uphill in the heat after the race, so I opted for going back to the store. Jogged up to the start with Meg, who was racing the mile for the first time since high school in the mid 90’s. Ran into Diesel on the way, who had Diesel Jr in tow, ready to give the second generation of blue shoes a beatdown. Had to disappoint him with the no-show.  By the time I got to the start I was just drenched, wiped out after a 10 minute jog up the hill. The start area was kind of comical because everyone was congregated across the street in the only available shade.

I looked around and realized I knew over half the field, because this race was for the hardcore. The mile doesnt usually bring out a casual runner crowd anyway, but if you add  some 100 degree weather, only the obsessive show up. I might meet that description. Team Schmitz, John Richards, Teo, Rocky, Jennifer Lybrand, J-Reeves, Pete O’Boyle, Eric McMichael, Drews Williams and Soltau, Justin Bishop, OJ , Team Allers, Kenzie, Team Vowles and the Hewitts were some of the familiar faces. Only about 70 runners, but a super competitive field.

Course was straight down Harden, a little flat to rolling terrain at the top then a long descent into 5 points with a flat area for a couple of blocks at the end.  Strictly was offering 100 bucks to the first male under 4:20 and female under 5:20. No worry about me taking home any cash, but previous 100 dollar winner Kenzie was there to try and double up.  Bishop and a few other singlet dudes looked like they may have a chance, though.

I didnt really have a strategy for this race. Im sure coaches could wax poetic about the finer points of mile tactics, but my plan usually is to go out like a headless chicken, hold on, and race face it at the end. I dont think Running Times will be calling me anytime soon.

Start was crazy fast with all the sub 5 ers around. McMichael, who I identified as my main age group competition, took off like Usain Bolt and left me for dead. Without the regular warm up, plus no rest in training, made for a rough first quarter. I hadnt blasted any speedwork the last couple of weeks, so running mile pace felt like a sprint. I felt way back in the pack with all the speedsters, and it hurt my giant head.  The voices that usually whisper for me to stop in 5ks were now screaming. Into the second quarter I  felt better, surprisingly strong, especially with the downhill coming up. Invisible to the untrained eye, the Blue Shoes did get a little less Clydesdale-esque with all the tri training. I passed a few guys including one who dropped his key and had to stop and go back.  Meg, who had blasted out of the gates, was starting to get reeled back in, so I tried to pace by her.  I used the beginning of the downhill to make up some ground, because it turns out a boulder has more potential energy than a pebble on a hill. Although the legs were feeling strong, all of a sudden my lungs and throat started burning – really kind of alarming. I’m guessing the killer heat and the poor air quality from a fire in Cayce were combining to sandblast everything inside my chest. Passing by one of the cop cars also produced a wake of oven-like air that about killed me too. I finally reached Meg when the hill leveled out some and was able to pass her. After that was a pretty big gap so I ran the last quarter essentially by myself. I had no idea how fast I was going until I made out the clock at 5:10 or so, which was encouraging because I was afraid of being a lot slower. Tried to muster a kick,  but the burning lungs werent really helping. Kicked it in just enough to break 5:30, crossing at 5:29. Four seconds slower than my last mile, though it was about 30 degrees cooler then.  Ended up in 17th place, 3rd in AG if you take out OJ to the overall (2nd) . Just an insanely fast group.

Ended up with 9 sub 5 finishers, led by Drew Harris at 4:22. Bishop was upset with his 3rd place 4:28, but that is still pretty smoking fast.  The Drews finished in 5:04 and 05, so great races for them. McMichael again proved his dominance in the shorter distances with a 5:15, almost catching Eric Allers at 5:13.  Kenzie won another 100 bucks by winning the women’s race, clocking a 5:18.  I was wise to kick it in, because I had a pretty potent chase pack with Geary, Meg, Pete and Tigs all sub 5:50. J-Lybrand and Kristin both PRd I beleive with a 6:16 and 6:31 respectively. The Vowles definitely won fastest family, with mom, dad and son all finishing under 6:45. Diesel Jr would have destroyed the Blue Shoes Jr with an 8:10.   J-Reeves had to be coaxed out of a brief walk of shame, but still kicked it in to clock under 10 minutes.

Tri the Midlands is a part of Set Up Events SC triathlon series held in Lake Carolina, a planned community in Northeast Columbia. Its a sprint tri, with a 500 meter open water swim, 14 mile bike and 5k run.

Tri the Midlands is what I consider my first triathlon. Yes, there was an event where I attempted to do three sports in March (aka the Downtown triathlon) , where I learned the painful lesson that one does not do a tri on a whim. Especially if your swimming experience amounts to playing around in the pool.  Although that event was also a sprint tri, with the amount of energy I put into 500 meters of pool swimming, it might as well have been Kona. I have never been so tired in my life.

With that experience behind me, I was, needless to say, a little gun shy on signing up for another one.  After a few months, I made tentative plans to do the Tom Hoskins tri in late July, but then I heard Trophy , Diesel  and Charley were signed up for Tri the Midlands.  My original plan was to watch TTM and take pics, but after a month of training for Tom Hoskins, I decided to take the plunge with the guys and do this one.

One of my main concerns was the OPEN WATER. My technique of swimming the deep end of the pool and “swim walking” the shallow at Downtown was probably not going to cut it in this one. So I got in the pool. Repeatedly. Like almost every freaking day. Basically if I had a free moment I was thinking about ways to get a few laps in. I also read articles, and listened to whatever advice anyone would give me about swimming. If you think this is going to end triumphantly, dont. I still sucked. Lots of flopping around, gasping. Fighting the old ladies for space with their damn pool aerobics. However, I did get better. Not Michael Phelps better, but I progressed to where I could do 500, then 800, even 1000 meters without stopping. I figured training overdistance would help me finish and at least allay my crippling anxiety about drowning in the freaking lake. The word “overdistance” would definitely come into play later.

And then there was the bike, which I basically kind of neglected. The good thing about the bike is that you dont actually lose your life if you suck. I bought a road bike from Anton “Bodourov Method” Bodourov and trained enough to at least assure me I could handle the 14 miles. Trophy, Diesel , Charley and I did the course a couple times in the weeks leading up to the race. I was no champ on the bike but at least I could get through fast enough to give me a hope of some running glory.

I got to Lake Carolina about 6:45 after going over my gear about a million times, desperately afraid I would forget something. I laid everything out the day before but I’m the kind of moron that would bring everything except the bike. I actually had a fear on the way over that somehow I had left my front tire at home. Met Trophy, Diesel and Charley at the transition area and tried to set things up in a coordinated manner. From downtown, I remembered they put all the novices together, so everything was a little bit of a cluster on our rack. Luckily we had tri advisors the Howells and Schmitzes to combat our complete cluelessness.  Jen Hill, Teo , and Aubrey were some familiar faces from the running scene on hand. We went down to the water and saw the course. A little scary but not too bad. Diesel looked like he saw a ghost though. .

As mentioned, I signed up in the novice male category. Tris go out of their way to categorize everybody, so there were like 4 waves of people ahead of us.  Diesel had gone rogue at the last second and decided to go the “Clydesdale”  (200+ lbs) route, so he actually started ahead of us. We were all a little nervous, so we were glad we got to see Diesel go off first.  I guess the race got confused with Diesel switching,because they gave him a white swim cap, which I think was for the Athena (160+lb women) group. But this would not be his greatest shame of the day.  About 100 meters in, we saw signs of distress. Diesel was all over the place and had already retreated to the backstroke.  And all of a sudden ..the tapout. Rescue boat came over and picked him up. Under normal circumstances we would have found this extremely funny, but there was a stunned silence on the bank because all the green caps were thinking THAT COULD BE ME. 

THE SWIM

There were 17 novice males, but I still lined up front, not because I thought I was a stellar swimmer,but to avoid all the kicking and elbowing I heard goes on in the open water. And I started killing it. Pretty soon there wasnt even anyone around me. Wow, I must be really kicking some ass.  Looked up, saw the buoy, and I was already making good time. Then I smell gasoline and with a quick look up I see the motorboat, Diesel still aboard, and the captain motioning me to my left. I look left and I about have a stroke.  In all the hysteria of the start, I had somehow started sighting to buoy NUMBER TWO.  And not only was I off course but, WAY THE #$$% off course. Like 50-100 meters. I was actually closer to the people coming back than my own pack, which was now seemingly way off in the distance. Too add to my overall panic, the boat had managed to slap a half pint of gasoline water into my nose and I was treading water for a second trying to figure out what to do. I was dangerously close to being casualty number 2 when I just abandoned my swim form and kept my head up so I wouldnt waste any more time going off course. I finally made it to the first buoy with the next wave of novice females right on my tail. The second buoy was straight across about 50 meters, then back to shore. I just kept plugging away, setting world records for F-bombs in a tri the whole time. I finally caught the tail end of the green caps about 50 meters out and wasted even more energy thrashing to the shore trying to make up time. I was half delirious on the shoreline and could barely jog on the transition mat, but I was overjoyed just to be done. Kept cursing myself for wasting all that training in a couple of critical minutes at the start. I shouldn’t say wasted, actually, because my ass would have been in that boat without beating myself into submission at the pool for two months.

THE BIKE

I manage a feeble jog to T1 and start putting on my cycling shoes when Trophy comes running up. I half expected him to be in the boat too, but he had made it and I had lost any advantage that I thought the swim would give me (this is relative , novice advantage, not actual real swimmer advantage).  I manage to clip in cleanly on the first try but it doesnt help that I am toast. The swim, though not quite the epic cluster of the downtown tri, had left me pretty obliterated.  The whole way out of Lake Carolina I am definitely not setting any land speed records. Finally, about a mile or so in, my head starts to clear and my whole body isnt screaming for me to stop. And I actually start passing people, quite a few really. It should be noted that this is a bit of a fake-out, because the novice guys are the next to last wave, and just about everybody is ahead of you.  I am cycling scared though, because the one time I looked back, I was pretty sure Trophy was there.  All of a sudden I’m passed by some dude with the full tri-suit, 7000 dollar bike ensemble, and I dont know what to think. Then I realize he’s one of those “secret power” novices,  i.e. probably a cyclist doing a tri. I try to keep him in sight so he can get a dose of the Blue Shoe secret power.  Some tough hills in the middle of the course, and with the exposed part of Langford road, I’m starting to realize that it is definitely famously hot out. Blazing really. I am supremely thankful we finally hit a shady area with the turn back towards Lake Carolina. Unfortunately, I’ve also entered into a bit of a pissing match with some other guy. He keeps speeding up when I get close, and I’m deathly afraid of the tri police coming to penalize me for drafting. I’m also realizing that i havent hit my water bottle yet,  which is quite the challenge for the coordination impaired such as me.  I about wipe out when I hit a bump with water bottle in hand. This gives me a jolt of adrenaline, and I power past pissing match guy just before the mountain of a hill that’s the worst on the course. I power up the hill thining i’m a hero, and start gaining on the guy in front of me. All of a sudden I hear a noise behind me and figure its pissing match guy when…SONOFABITCH ITS TROPHY.  Trophy comes flying with sadistic grin on his face by at mach 3 while I’m spinning my small wheel like a toddler on a tricycle.  Now Im standing up and trying not to get dropped.  Trophy is tearing it up though and is still gapping me on the straightaway at the top of the hill.  Very slowly, I start to reel him in a bit. I’m getting pretty close when the last downhill stretch starts and he blows me away again. Do I have to suck on bike downhills too? He hits the transition area about 10 seconds ahead and I miraculously clip out of my pedals like Ive been doing it longer than the 3 days that I actually have.

Trophy and I somehow managed to draw consecutive numbers in the tri (I think they were thinking of a clueless, pale mid 30’s Irish dude category but decided against it) , so were flailing around in the same area in T2. I manage to knock off Trophy’s bike and then get both of our bikes tangled in a mad rush to transition. Luckily we get the bikes back on the rack (again lest the tri police come and assess their evil time penalties) and Trophy takes off while I’m left fumbling with my cycle shoes and running shoes. Its a full two minutes before I can get out of T2 and I figure I’ve just given Trophy the race.

THE RUN

But then I realize the run conditions. It is unbearably hot by this time, and this 5k course is a killer. Right off the bat and they make you run up a hill out of the Harborside subdivsion. And its like a carnage out there. People walking…barely moving. I cant be doing much faster than 8 minute pace, but in the setting of a 90 degree day against back of the pack tri competition, I feel like a complete stud.  Time for the secret power to be unleashed. But first of all, where the hell is Trophy. I get to the top of the first half mile hill and he’s nowhere in sight.  Just when I’m ready to hand him the race, I see a blue blur in the distance. And the trackdown commences. By the bottom of a crazy long downhill, I’m only about 30 feet back. I see Jen Hill motoring her way back to the finish, and I  know our times are going to be close, though I know I cant catch her. I see Greg Howell come by on his bike and immediately fear he’s given away my stealth factor on Trophy. But then Greg comes up to me and tells me I can probably get him on the next downhill. The middle of the 5k course is an insanely steep trek straight up the worst hill in Lake Carolina, then right back down again. I’m really laboring on this thing when suddenly Trophy slows to a walk of shame. I pass him with a probably similar sadistic grin and have a renewed burst of energy. Then I see Charley stop at the turnaround to get water, and I briefly run with him and then pass him on the downhill. The ensuing hike  up the previous crazy downhill is a total death march for the field, so by just maintaining a brisk jog I’m making up some serious ground. I’m finally fully into run mode and my pace starts to pick up, though the heat is getting really oppressive. By the time of the final downhill I’m in a full out sprint because I’m so ready to be done with this thing. I keep thinking I hear Trophy footsteps but they never materialize. Towards the finish chute I hear Crazy Legs and I swear he’s saying someone is about to pass me, so I pull a little sub 5 blast kick in and basically flop across the mat, completely beat. Finished the 5k in about 22 1/2 minutes, which considering the course, conditions, and my hellacious swim, I’m pretty happy about.  Total time 1:28:34.

It takes awhile to see the total results, since I’m way back in the pack. Yet, through some minor miracle, and almost all due to my run, I win first novice male.  I can’t believe it – totally thrilled since I had written off the whole race about 2 minutes into the swim.  113th overall, and about 15 minutes off the age group, but hey I’ll take it!  Kristin won her age group in a smokin 1:21 and finished 11th overall female. Aubrey Johnson also took home third in age group. William and Teo both crushed me with 1:24 and 1:22 respectively. Jen Hill managed a PR of 22 minutes faster than last year, though I should note, 1 minute slower than the Blue Shoes. Diesel came back from his boat trip and finished the race. He said he will compete in the Tom Hoskins…in the duathlon.

http://www.setupevents.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=event_detail&eventID=2043#age-group-results-text

Pics below are mostly from Jennifer Ward, with a few from Laura Howell , Greg Howell and myself.  Thanks to my loyal paparazzi!!

The Fort Jackson Awareness Ride is a 36 and 72 mile cycling event held at Fort Jackson on Father’s Day that gives to a nonprofit on base. This is apparently called a “gran fondo” because its timed, though not necessarily a race. I may be wrong, because I am completely clueless when it somes to cycling. But, as anyone familiar with me knows, once I clip on a bib and a chip  – its on like Donkey Kong.

Or not so much. This is my first cycling event, period.  I’m not counting my ill-fated tri  on a whim in March, because, well, that would be an insult to the sport.  I’ve been trying to train for my first real tri , Tri the Midlands, which is next weekend. I admittedly have given less time to the bike, because my fear of sucking it up cycling pales in comparison to my sheer terror of drowning in the open water swim. Thus, I’ve been making the Golds Gym pool my second home the last couple of months, but have been relegating my  cycling to the weekends and maybe once during the week.

Part of my lack of cycling has to do with it being so damn complicated. I’m used to putting on some shoes and heading out the door on a run. Cycling involves having equipment and trying to operate a machine which I am pretty much completely unfamiliar.  I went ahead and took the plunge a couple of months ago and bought Anton’s bike, and quickly realized there were a whole lot of things I was hopelessly clueless about. In other words, I am a Fred. Fred is apparently a term for newbie cyclists, which Diesel is particularly fond of.

The first thing I realized I needed was a helmet. This is unfortunate, because I have been blessed (cursed?) with one of the largest melons on the planet. Seriously, I have to special order hats. One-size-fits-all hats dont.  I have an ancient extra large helmet I bought about 15 years ago, which I used a few times and let it sit in storage. After using this helmet in the tri, I realized that a) It probably wasnt safe and b) I looked like a complete moron.  Looking ridiculous is something I deal with on a daily basis, but I figured the safety thing wasnt good.  Thus, I went online in a desperate search. They actually have sites dedicated to this kind of thing. Finally, I found the Bell XLV. Its product page mentions “some people with various medical conditions may have a need for an extra large helmet”. It previously was called “the Triton” and before that “The Kinghead”. Really, Bell?  I hear the name before that was the UltraMelon 5000.  Either way, that helmet had my name written all over it. Sure enough, it fit like a glove. Awesome.

Another equipment issue was the shorts. After a few rides in my running shorts, it became painfully evident I would need to get some cycling shorts, lest I wanted to get the sensory equivalent of a black mamba bite to the crotch every time I went more than 5 miles.  And then I got my gears cleaned, and a lock, and a light, and gloves, and a flat kit, and damn this was getting expensive. Not to mention the pedal issue. My bike came with shimano clipless pedals, so I agonized over whether I would get the cycling shoes versus the old school platforms. In the meantime I realized I could pedal with regular shoes on top of the clipless, so my lazy butt never got around to doing one or the other. So apparently Ive chosen to handicap my already questionable biking ability by being remarkably inefficient.

But I digress.  I got to the Fort about 45 minutes early, and registered. I finally managed to put my front tire on in a reasonably smooth manner, rather than the bumbling and stumbling that I usually do. Mark, who has been cycling for years, thankfully showed up and helped me with my tires, one of which I had managed to completely deflate with my new pump.  Fortunately for our training group, Mark has provided a much needed guiding influence against the tidal wave of Freddery going on every time we try to ride.

There were over 160 cyclists in this event, so a pretty impressive crowd. I only knew a few of them, but Ken Lowden and most of his training group was there. My Blue Ridge Relay captain Pete O’Boyle showed up. Team Schmitz was there, of course. Kat and Kimi were manning the registration. After the national anthem and a brief prayer we were off. I made sure to keep to the back, because there were lots of people all tricked out in fancy uniforms and bikes that look like (and probably do) cost more than my Saturn.  Some serious traffic in the early going as some people were just there for the ride while others were apparently looking to qualify for the Tour de France.

The course is a 12 mile loop around the Fort, 3 laps for the 36 and 6 for the 72. I shouldnt have to tell you that I opted for the 36. This was already 22 miles more than I had ever done.  First couple of miles were mostly downhill, nice cruising. This was going to be easy! Then came the turn onto Dixie Road. Dixie apparently was one evil bitch, because this road just kept ascending. Sure there were a few rolls downhill, but it felt like mostly climb. I has heard that there was a killer hill near Wildcat Rd, and as we approached Wildcat, there was a half mile quad buster. I dropped down to the small wheel and was dying already. Finally we made the turn and had a nice downhill. Then I realized that horrific Dixie stretch was just a warmup for the real hill. As soon as the downhill ended, a mountain arose and all of a sudden I’m standing up in the lowest gear trying to power up this thing. I get to the top and promptly get Schmitzed by Crazy Legs.  Passes me like I’m standing still, while I’m sucking some serious wind. The rest of the loop was yet more rolling hills and my small wheel was getting more and more action.  I slowed down because this was not good to be likt this on loop freaking one. Finally got back to the start in a shade over 40 minutes.

And then I got passed by more people, this time a group with Schmitz #2, Kristin. I actually did keep up with these guys for a few miles, but once we hit Dixie again I was left in their dust. Loop 2 was even more fun. Basically all the quad burning action of Loop 1 with that previously mentioned Black Mamba effect mixed in. I was able to handle Mt Wildcat a little better, finding the right gears more quickly and using more of my momentum form the previous downhill. I did manage to pass a few people, though  I think a few returned the favor as well.  Clock was at 1:23 at the second loop finish, so I had slowed down by a few minutes, but not too bad.

Loop 3 was actually a little better. I think my legs had started to get acclimated to this different kind of abuse and were not complaining as much. The same could not be said for the nether regions. The Black Mamba had invited the two cobras from the downtown tri and it was getting tough to sit down. Damn tri pants. Need to get one of those pillow butted cycle shorts.  Dixie and Wildcat were so much more fun the third time around. On the other hand,  I was getting a crash course in gear shifting that seemed to be helping.  At the top of Mt Wildcat I heard voices, and sure enough, I got the lap of shame from a peloton of Lance Armstrong types pulling about 20+ mph on a 10 percent grade.  I even got a “good job” from their leader.  Ouch.  This was of course the first of a couple more lappings that happened in the next couple miles. My only solace is that I managed not to get passed by other Freds on basically the whole loop. Finished in 2:07 on the nose, with a 43 minute split almost identical to loop 2.

I’m pretty happy with the result, as I’m definitely (obviously) still  learning things. Number one is to get a pair of freaking cycling shoes.  No need to do extra work when you already suck.  Hopefully I can use this experience to help with my 14 miles at the tri next week. If I dont drown, of course.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/189915735

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/12FORTJACKSON.TXT

http://www.photoreflect.com/store/thumbpage.aspx?e=8559480

So my wife is exceedingly tolerant of my excessive racing, but her family was planning a day trip to the beach last Saturday, so if I wanted to stay married I figured I better go. I was able to feel better about missing a race since the Fresh Fest 5k was not on the Tour de  Columbia, but it was tough since I was offered a free entry. I was completely at peace with not going until I got a text from Trophy. Here is his account:

The Fresh Fest is a race and Gala held at the SC State Farmer’s Market on Charleston Hwy. This is a 2 day event that features a cookout, live music, silent auction, fun for the kids….and of course….a race.  Actually it has a 10K and a 5K.  The event appears to sponsor a few different organizations and charities.  

About 6 weeks ago our running companion David Spivey mentioned to us that he was in charge of recruiting runners to be on a Special Olympics team for this race. Up until then I had not even heard of this race. Being that it’s hot outside….I don’t actively look for races to do after June or so, despite my reputation.  He mentioned that he could get anyone free entry that would run for the Special Olympics.  I didn’t give it much thought at the time.  Eventually I decided I would run it.  A free entry and a good cause are hard to pass up.  Given that it would likely be hot, I chose the undercard 5K, of course.  Duh.

Good trophy hunting  strategy, the classic “undercard” maneuver. Though in Trophy’s case, his extreme distaste for running in weather over 60 degrees probably was the main factor.

 The morning of the race was slightly cool.  The week before had been extremely hot and humid at Jailbreak, so I was thankful for some slighter cooler temps.  I was one of the first to show up at the market.  Around the same time Mike and Pam Griffin showed up, also running for team Special Olympics.  I went and got my bib and started the pre race routine of checking out the competition.  Despite what Alex will say, I was actually not trophy hunting.  After a few minutes a few regulars showed up.  Eric McMichael, Teo, Ted Hewitt.  This being a first year race I wasn’t sure who would show up.  There were also no other races going on this day, which is amazing.  Eventually Team Diesel showed up to add to our Special Olympics team.  They were accompanied by the Diesel children.  Our team captain also showed up with his family…the Buckle Ups.  At this point in time I was not really thinking much about the race or any competition.  I also looked up and saw Angel.  Was he running the 10k or 5K?  Hmmmm.

In reference to his “actually not trophy hunting” statment, I may quote my 8 year old’s favorite statement “WHATEVER, DUDE”.

The 10K started 15 minutes before the 5K, so I would get a good idea of who was running what race.  Overall there were not a lot of runners hanging around. And most of those did not look very fast. The course for both races was a simple out and back with few turns. Started inside the market, then briefly on Charleston Hwy , then onto a frontage road for the out and back.  The website said it was flat. The 10K was getting ready to start and it appears Angel and Eric are headed that way.  I walked up to the front and asked them if they were running the 10K. Yep.  Hmmmm.  I get to the side and wait for them to go off.  Once they clear then it starts sinking in that I could be one of the fastest left. Oh boy.  In the meantime Angel has opened up a half mile lead in the first mile.

The “elite” starting photo. I see a few kids and a girl with an iPod in the front… a trophy hunters dream. The guy to Trophy’s left is a wild card though.

The 5K is finally ready to line up.  We walk up to the start and time to size everyone up.  As I notice I could be the fastest, I start to get nervous.  We are finally off and to my surprise…I am not leading.  What looks to be about a 10 year old kid is ahead of me! But he faded after about 50 yards. J  After that I am leading the pack.  For about a half mile I can hear footsteps somewhat close to me. We turned onto the frontage road and I decided to kick it in (for me) and not look back.  I was pretty sure I could hold off Teo and Ted, but a couple of the other guys were wildcards, so you never know.  There was a turn around at the halfway point so I knew at that point I’d be able to see what I was up against. I hit the turn around, grabbed some water, and headed back.  To my surprise…no one was in sight.  I eventually passed Teo and Ted and appeared to have a good 30 second lead at that point.  I was feeling pretty good.  Not long after that the cop car got in the road in front of me. Talk about a good feeling.  For those of you who are not Ashton, Plexico, Bishop….leading a race is not easy.  Thoughts start going through your head. What if I fall down?  What if I run into a car? The mental anxiety is tougher than the running!  At that point in time all that is going through my head is that I need to keep moving and that if I win I will be up on Alex. Hahaha  What motivation! Editors note: Bastard! The road back had some slight inclines but was not bad at all. I managed to keep a decent pace and make my way back to Charleston Hwy and knew I should be good. I hit the turn into the Market and was able to look back.  No one in sight.  I cruised to the finish and the crowd went wild!  Not really…I think there were 2 or 3 people who even noticed me come in.  I rested for a few seconds then went back to watch Teo and Ted battle it out for 2^nd.  They had a nice finish that was neck and neck! Good stuff. Teo beat Ted out by a matter of feet.  Once they came through my first thought was….go to the car and get my phone to text Alex. J   Luckily his wonderful wife had him at the beach with her family for the day.  Talk about great timing!  He would eventually respond to my text with some nice and not so nice words. J

I didnt get father of the year points for my reaction to Tyler’s text. It didnt help we were sitting in traffic on 17 north. At least he ran a 20:06, which is just 11 seconds off his PR. Trophy had a peak in April 2010 where he broke 20 and came within 14 seconds of breaking the Blue Shoe 5k victory streak, which stands since March 2009.  Sadly the Trophy faded back to 21 minute 5ks, where he earned his “Blackjack” nickname. He’s been back on track in the last few months and may be ready to break 20 again though. 

 Angel came in not long after and won the 10K by almost 4 minutes.  Not too shabby. Just a nice training run for him.  Team Diesel both ran with a mini Diesel, and both had their best times ever.  Eric came in 3^rd in the 10K.  Mike Griffin managed a good time and 6^th overall in the 10K. 

 No overall awards…only one deep in age groups. The awards were gifts from one of the stores at the Farmer’s Market.  Not as nice as a trophy, but not bad. Overall I enjoyed the race and outing. They had a DJ playing music the whole time.  There was a watermelon eating contest for the kids and inflatables for them to play on. A good event for the whole family to come to.  The course was pretty flat and fast. I would recommend this race to everyone for next year. Special thanks to Buckle Up for the free entry.  I did have to wear a cotton shirt while racing, but I guess it was worth it.  J   More thanks to Mrs Blue Shoes and also to Mrs Diesel for yelling updates as to my position as I passed her and little Diesel.  I think I’ll retire from 5K’s for a while and give Blue Shoes a chance to catch up.  Blind squirrel signing off.

Well played, Trophy, well played.  He’s officially up in overall wins 2-1. While he has had wire to wire easy victories in perfectly picked trophy hunting races, I led my win for maybe 400 meters, passing Greg Howell at the end after a grueling battle in the Race to Read 8k.  

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/12FRESH.TXT

http://www.scfreshfest.com/runwalk-details.html

The Jailbreak 5k is a race held by the Lexington County Sheriffs department that starts and ends in front of their building on Gibson Rd. Its now in its 6th year, and continues to grow, with over 600 entrants in 2012. I havent quite figured out why, but this race brings out a crazy competitive field. Yes, there is prize money (150/75/50 for male and female overalls) but I’m still surprised how every dude capable of a sub 18 comes crawling out of the woodwork for this one.

It is a cool race, figuratively of course, because with its late May date its usually famously hot. It does seem to be run really well, with plenty of volunteers, no course problems and timely awards. It probably helps that the whole police department is out there monitoring the route. And dont forget the picture opportunity with Sheriff James Metts. I used to think he ran the race, but apparently the man just gets hot.

Speaking of hot, it was definitely that again this year. Probably high 70’s with sauna like humidity. When I got to the race my previous plan of just showing up and taking pictures seemed like a lot better idea. But somehow I’m just lost without a freaking race bib on Saturday mornings.  To add to my general demotivation, one of the three disease vectors in my home (albeit cute, little,  disease vectors) had given me a nice head cold.  I ran a super slow mile warm up and basically had worked myself into a nice negative funk by the time I strolled up to the start line. I usually try to line up first and second row, but there was a whole host of big dogs in singlets , so I backed off the start line. There was a start mat too, which is always cool.  Ashton, Justin Bishop, OJ Striggles, Plexico, Drew Williams,  Angel, Amy and Kenzie were just a few of the people I didnt want to get run over by. Team Schmitz, Meg , Jen Lybrand, Trophy, the Diesels, J-Reeves,  Billy Tisdale, Teo,  Amanda and Joel Pierstorff, Flicker, Geary, McMichael,  Mike Ufford, Thomas Tapp,  Ted Hewitt,  and Jeanna Moffett were just a few of the faces I recognized before the start.

I tried to develop a race strategy before the gun, but I was feeling so underconfident I wasnt sure what pace I could hold on this particular day. The course I knew well – flat to downhill for the first mile and a half, then some rolling hills, but generally a near constant rise for the last 1.5, with the last tenth a flat straightaway.  One thing I had told people on the Columbia Running Club newsletter was: don’t go out too fast. I tried to keep this in mind when…

The gun went off and this crazy fast field took off like jackrabbits on cocaine.  My ego was already getting bruised as random jokers were out there crushing it and passing me like I was out for a jog. Usually the pack thins out considerably for those going at blue shoes pace at about a half mile. I populate a no mans land of a few that are faster than the main pack but a lot slower than the leaders.  This race had plenty of 19 min 5kers though, and I was actually having to jockey for position.  Pretty much hating life in the first mile, and wondering how I could be breathing this hard at this slow a pace. Meg and Billy Tisdale, who are always a good measure of where I should be,  were leaving me for dead. I seriously debated pulling out and just taking pictures on the side of the road when my Garmin spat back a 6:03 split. Well that at least explained why I was sucking so much wind. Way to stick to that race plan, hero. Damn that Meg and Billy!

The start of the second mile has a nice long slightly downhill stretch,  so I tried to relax and run more controlled rather than the bat-out-of-hell posturing I was doing previously. I started to feel a little more comfortable, and I actually passed a few people who probably also got caught up in the stampede. A half mile into mile 2 the hills started.  The worst one is actually first. I had built this up in my mind as being some horrible mountain, but in reality it wasnt quite as bad. Still, the wind sucking commenced again. I passed a couple of scrawny teenagers who were probably wondering how some old man sasquatch with a ridiculous nickname shirt was beating them up the hill.  Mt Sesqui and Hope Rd. have their benefits.

Then I felt a loosening of my left shoe and realized my freaking laces had come completely untied. Really? A hundred plus races under my belt and I still cant remember to tie my shoe properly? Damn bib timing strips  made me forget! Oh well, I’ve already put in too much effort to just bag it now.  And I ran the last 4 miles of the Shandon Turkey Trot (see November 2011) with a shoe about to come off, so I just tried to forget about it. Luckily the lack of oxygen to my lungs and the suffocating heat were making an adequate distraction. I didnt look at my Garmin split for mile 2 but heard a 12:30 for the 2 mile mark.

Started trying to kick it in, but wasnt getting a whole lot in return. Definitely slowing down some, but apparently the toxic mix of heat, humidity and hills were laying waste to the entire field. Started to reel Meg back in and managed to pass her with about a half mile to go. Finally caught Billy with a quarter mile to the finish, just as the course started leveling out. He looked to the side and saw me , and started really kicking it in himself.  We ran side by side for a while but I was really on fumes at this point. I was blasting away at 150 percent effort but he managed to hold me off and finish just ahead of me. I did notice we both took down one guy in the last 50 meters or so. I finished in 19:34, which is a PR for this course (previous record 19:47 in 2011). Unbelievable given the way I was feeling, so I definitely happy with the time. Managed a 3rd in age group too – turns out the guy Tisdale and I took down in the final stretch was 37, so I definitely thank Billy for making me push it.

Crazy fast times at this race despite the conditions. The winner, Scott Wietecha, pulled a 14:47 (4:46 pace) – just incredible. I checked his blog to see his training schedule and its really unbelievable. Dude definitely earns that time.  Ashton finished second in 15:47  and Judson Brooker third in 16:20. Justin, OJ and Plex had their first age group medals in years probably. The top twenty all broke 19 minutes.  Danielle Crockford took 1st in the womens overall with a smoking 18:21, Shawanna White and Kenzie also  placed in 18:31 and 18:33.  Billy  ended up taking 2nd masters behind Jim Coombes, Scott Brewer 3rd. Female masters was won by Laura Stepp, Heather Alexander and Sarah Donley. Grandmasters places were taken by regulars Francisco Mora, Albert Anderson, Pete O’Boyle, Jeanna Moffett,  Carol Wallace and Lynn Grimes.  You know its a fast race when all of the female grandmasters went sub 26.  Age groups in this race were insane. 30-34 males saw third place (Gregory Jones, Jr. – who I assume is related to the Gregory Jones Sr that can churn out 18 min 5ks at age 50 something) at 18:15. Talk about competitive. I’m just fortunate that Code , Randy or Steven didnt show up to take my precious third. Angel took 2nd.  Other familiar age groupers were Claudia Nunez-Lopez, David He, Kristin Schmitz, J-Ward, Amy , Meg,  Jackie Key, Pam Griffin, Geary, Mike Ufford, Thomas Tapp, Lisa Smarr, Pete Poore, Jack Keunzie,  Valerie Selby, Alex Ponamarev, Jan Hardwick, Peter Mugglestone,  Rocky Soderberg and the Holts.  Crazy Legs won 3rd Clydesdale, which has apparently been upgraded to 2nd. Some guy who was originally awarded 1st Clydesdale looked like a buck 25, so I’m pretty sure that was a mistake.

Oh, and Trophy ran a good race. He is ever fearful he will drift back into the 21’s and re-earn his “blackjack” nickname, but he managed a 20:25.  Could there be a sub 20 Lady McGaha soon? Diesel has been race whispering his son, who eked out a sub 30 with a 29:59. There was some crying involved, so I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/results/12JailBreak.txt

See Spot Run is a 5k put on by the Humane Society, now in its third year. It is a race close to my heart, given it was my first overall placement. It was originally held at Riverfront Park in its first year, in June. All I remember was it was hot…brutal.  It was run on a cool double bridge course, which was scenic but unfortunately took you right by the chicken plant in 378 – not the best smelling area of Columbia. I was trying to chase down Amy McDonaugh in that race and was failing miserably, but somehow managed to pass a then unknown Ken Sekley in the final half mile to take 3rd overall male in 19:47.  For my efforts I won free entry into the next years race. I managed to unearth this photo from 2010, in which I appear to outweigh the other overall winners combined:

The next year it was moved to Earlewood Park,   in June again and again famously blazing hot.  The course was completely new, and a total hillfest. I showed up early that year to jog the course and it probably would have been better to be blissfully ignorant.  It sucks you in with a flat to screaming downhill first mile, then wipes you out with a slog up a big hill, turn around, go down that hill again, then kills you with a trip right back up that downhill first mile. I finished in 20:09 and felt good about it – most people were at least 30-45 seconds off their usual times. The Blue Shoe kick claimed another victim in Will Brumbach but Sekley exacted revenge and crushed me by nearly a minute. Code and Amy also destroyed me. That year also featured “THE DOG” – a mascot costumed runner thats doing the race for charity. What most of the crowd doesnt know is the dog is also Randy Finn, a 17 minute 5ker. It must of been about 200 degrees in that suit last year and it still took every ounce of my effort not to get mascotted. Poor Rick Gibbons was the lucky one to get outkicked by the dog at the finish and thus appear in all the promotional flyers for the race, even though they didnt explain Rick finished 11th overall in the race. 

http://sc.milesplit.com/meets/95261/results/162114/print

This year they mercifully moved the race date up a few weeks, which made a huge difference in the weather. Basically as close to perfect as you can get in May – cool, slight breeze, 60ish. I was worried the turnout would be a lot worse with both the Red bank 5k and Going the Extra Mile 5k on the same day, but it looked like a decent crowd.  Oh, and dont forget the John Petrey 5k in West Columbia, which had my trophy hunting sense tingling. Trophy claimed he wasnt racing, but I figured about even chances he would show up at that one.

I had already stalked my age group on the Strictly Running site (advanced trophy hunting technique and completely ridiculous), so I knew Angel Manuel and Steven Johnson were going to be there to make my chances at even age group placing difficult. My only hope was to finish 3rd in AG or hope one or more of those guys placed in the overall. Rick , the Diesels, Karen, Brad Steele, Rocky, Alex Ponamarev, Meg Weis, Will Brumbach, Sekley, Joe Tomlin, Teo, Charley, Crazy Legs, and Sarah Blackwell were a few of the familiar faces.  My goal in the race was to break 20 minutes, no easy task on this course. And did I mention I was doubling up with a second 5k in Charleston that afternoon? Yeah I’m an idiot.

Typical banshee start to a 5k. Brumbach told me in the first 100 meters he was going to lurk behind me this year and not get blue shoed again. Meg was right at my side in the first half mile and started surging here and there, so I made a point to hang with her and not give in to my typical “this sucks why do i do this every weekend” self talk in the first mile.  Although it helped I was able to keep pace with her, it didnt do wonders for my self esteem that the freaking DOG was kicking my ass.  The course drops off a cliff just before the mile mark and Meg flies ahead of me along with Mr buff younger guy. Man I suck on downhills. Luckily I was able to draw even with Meg and mr buff just before the mile mark. Burgess is calling out splits and gives us a 6:05. Way to save up for the hills. I manage to surge ahead during the flat part in the middle of mile 2, but Buff apparently cant take the shame of getting passed by an albino 37 year old sasquatch so he passes me back just before the first brutal hill.  The go go gadget quads of steel kick into high gear and I power past him again on the hill. I’m sucking a fair amount of wind but definitely feel a lot stronger than last year. At the top of the hill is the turn around, and I’m actually not too far off the overall lead (by position at least, if not absolute time).  At the turn I can hear what I correctly assume to be Sekley chasing me down hardcore. I surge after the turn and set my sights on DOG, who is finally starting to fade. I didnt catch my mile 2 split..which is around 6:30. Finally at the bottom of the hill I am able to overtake the seven foot giant yellow mascot, though from the reaction of the bystanders I know his furry ass is right behind me. My race paranoia sets in and I’m starting to regret shaming Rick in the last CRC newsletter. I begin to worry of a brutal karma payback with my face on the 2013 See Spot flyer. So I go ahead and empty the tank – blasting up the final quarter mile beast of a hill as hard as I can go. I know the whole time there are people not too far behind me. I figure Sekley, Meg, Will , Mr Buff, DOG…all are ready to take me down. So I decide to redline it some more at the top, and I am about toast, but too afraid to slow up.  apparently I’m willing to go into cardiac arrest to avoid the shame of getting mascotted. Luckily the last tenth is all downhill again, and I sprint it out at about 500 beats per minute and finish in 19:39. Turns out Angel placed 3rd, so I got 2nd in AG behind Steven, which I’m pretty jacked about. Even more happy about the 30 second improvement from last year, though the heat certainly played a role in 2011.

I did beat the mascot, but I still got dogged…Alejandro Arreola and his dog placed 5th human/1st canine in 19:06.  A teenager Hardie Cate won overall, followed by Joe Tomlin and Angel. Steven placed 4th.  Sekley and Will finished just behind me, but Meg was the lucky winner of the DOG finish photo this year:

She did win the female overall, so cant argue with that though. Schmitz won his new 40-44 age group, and Rocky won his for the 1000th time. Sarah, Teo and Rick also placed in their age groups.

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/RESULTS/12SPOT.TXT

Thanks to John Richards for providing the on-course photos!

The Get in the Pink 5k/10k is an event in its 4^th year , hosted by Kicks (a women’s shoe store on Devine St) and put on to raise money for Save our Suzy, a foundation to help those living with breast cancer. This is my 3^rd year doing the race. Crazy as it sounds to me now, I passed on the race in the first year (2009) because it was just a 10k then and I didnt know if I could actually run that whole distance.

A year of hard training later and I certainly could finish the 10k, but I was also a beginning student in the school of trophy hunting. Then it was less about the overall and trying to score as many Tour de Columbia points as possible. So I did one of the cornerstone moves of TH methodology: the undercard. All other things being equal, and the shorter, less glamorous distance will be the easier one. Let the thin singlet guys battle it out in a war of attrition. I ‘ll take my chances against the strollers , couch-to-5kers and kids. Anyway, I recall an epic battle with Coke Mann and Tigs, managing to outkick them and about lose my grip on life, see here:

Suprisingly that race (19:44) earned me a 4^th overall, again, because all the big dawgs were in the 10k. I played the undercard yet again in 2011 in a completely shameless TH move. I was looking to score a good 10k time that year, but my lust for little metal trinkets apparently knows no bounds. I entered the 5k last minute.

Now one thing that has been cool about this race is the separation of the 5k and 10k by 45 minutes. Theoretically, someone could run both, though I dont think its been done. In 2011 I was on the start line and got to see a good bit of the 10kers finish, so by the time I was finishing the 5k most of the crowd was gathered at the finish line already. As I approached the last half mile straightaway, I was in 4^th place again with the 3^rd place guy seemingly just out of reach. Knowing my predilection for being a bit of an attention whore, in addition to the carrot of a trophy/overall placement, set up the perfect storm for an epic blue shoes kick. I threw down a sprint that I don’t think I’ve matched since – a complete scalded, headless chicken, arm-flailing 3:50ish pace blast. Passed the other guy with like 20 meters to go to take 3^rd place, and about had a coronary, but it did score me 40 bucks. It was a bit of a fakeout though, because I used the shield of the slowest 10kers to pull a stealth pass. For this I apologize, Mr. Steve Fink.

I knew I had probably hit the well too many times to trophy hunt at this race this year, so I went ahead and finally manned up to the 10k. The race had grown beyond the TH criteria anyway.  I knew this course to be tough by the looks of it on the map. It starts out great – about 3 miles of flat and downhill, but anyone familiar with a loop course knows you’ll have to pay that back. Sure enough, at the worst possible time in a 10k, you have to start climbing in mile 4. Although it flattens out in sections, there is nothing but a steady rise all the way to the end.

I decided to run his race in a very non-Blue Shoes  way – conservatively. I was still shell shocked from my Wildewood 15k nightmare from last week, in which everything just seemed to shut down. Plus Burgess beat me like a drum – my ego cant take that.

Race had a good crowd at the startof the 10k- Amy McDonaugh, Ted Hewitt, Billy Tisdale, Burgess, Lots of J’s -J-Lybrand, J-Reeves, J-Covington;  Yerger, Shufy,  Adam Beam, Flicker,  OJ, E. Ashton and John Charlton were some of the familiar faces. Jeanna Moffett had brought out her “Run for God” group which was everywhere, though most were doing the 5k.  Tigs was there for moral support, since she wasnt racing. Code and Trophy were MIA.

I walked up to the start and was taking pictures from the front row, when I turned around to face the starter…when she basically , without warning, just said GO!! What the??? All of a sudden I swivel around, my car key in one hand and my cell phone in the other, and I’m furiously trying to put the phone in my belt at about 6 minute pace. Eric Ashton had been off to the side and he pulls onto the street going about Mach 5.  I finally got my phone packed away but I decided just to carry the key instead of waste anymore energy.  All of a sudden my Garmin gives me a mile lap time about 100 meters in, and I realize its just tacking on distance to my warmup. Apparently I didnt reset it at the start line. I can’t believe I forgot to do that in the 1.34 seconds before the gun. Oh well,  I should stop being a slave to the Garmin anyway. I had given myself a few days off from running in an effort to recharge after last week, though I had been doing a lot of swimming and biking in its place, so I wasnt sure how the legs would respond. They actually felt really good. However, the late hills on this course coupled with a fresh experience with an epic bonk made me hold things in check.  I could see Yerger and Amy ahead ,though they were already gapping me pretty bad. I decided to focus on Flicker, “neon shirt guy” and “black shirt guy” as targets.  First 2 miles felt pretty good, and I basically maintained my position pulling an effort slightly harder than tempo. I knew Burgess and perhaps Lybrand were probably right behind me. This was confirmed when a spectator caught my eye at the bottom of the decline. I couldnt make out any facial features, but I can recognize the Code from long distance, having chased him down for years now. I had a flash of terror, because I was distictly afraid he was going to Seabiscuit me for 4 miles. He did that to me at Get to the Green and I about coughed up a lung, though he made me do a 6:02 mile on fumes. He didnt do that, but he did inform me Burgess was right on my tail. I broke one of my cardinal racing rules and sure enough he was tracking me down. NOT AGAIN!! I think I picked it up a little on the straightaway down on Shady Lane, though I was fearful of the mountain in my future.  Black shirt and I were steady gaining on Neon who appeared to be hurting. We both passed him at about 3.5 miles and started the climb out of Lake Katherine. I think I had made this mountain considerably larger in my head, because when I finally reached the hills, they werent that bad.  It helped I hadnt been killing the pace prior to that too, I guess. The next 2 miles I slowly creeped on Black shirt, but Flicker was leaving both in the dust. I was trying to mount some kind of surge, but I knew Flicker and Yerger (i.e. my known age group competition) were too far ahead to catch. Black shirt had all gray hair, so I thought it was unlikely he was in my AG.  They were letting cars go behind us, so I knew we had dropped the rest of the field. The sum total of this was not a whole lot of motivation.

As we hit the straightaway on Devine St, I figured the least I could do is track down Black shirt. He was about 10 meters ahead with about a half mile to go when an ambulance came through Millwood and Devine , stopping us both. After it passed, black shirt takes off like a banshee. I’m right behind him and consider blasting the headless chicken kick, but I can see the clock in the high 41’s and know I’m neither setting a PR or placing any higher in my AG. I wasnt even sure if there was any overall points left. So for the first time in history I decided to finish calmly. No flopping arms, no headless chicken.  My general feeling was that it wasnt fair to pass somebody since he had been stopped slightly longer by the ambulance. To his credit, he was kicking pretty hard anyway, so it would have been close without the stop. So I saved the blue shoes for another day and finished in 42:10, 10th overall and 3rd in AG. Not bad given the effort.

10k was dominated by Ashton again this year, and the 32:16 is smoking even for him. OJ and John Charlton finished  a couple minutes later for 2nd and 3rd. Tisdale notched a sub 40 and qualified for the Cooper River first corral. Amy won the female overall by 4 minutes over Erin Miller and Jordan Maki.  Yerger is in complete beast mode and helped pace/guide Amy. Both finished in 40 minutes flat. Flicker finished about a minute behind them and another minute later was me and black shirt, who actually has a name, which is Winston Holiday.

5k was won by Andy McNiece, who was on my Palmetto 200 team “Van on the Run”. Drew Williams and Steven Johnson finished 2nd and 3rd, with Hedgecock right behind them, who won masters. Ken Cobb , who I remember beating at Capital City Safe last year, has clearly exited my league with an 18:25. Kenzie Riddle blasted a PR in 18:27 and won the female overall. Turns out my 19:22 from 2011 would have gotten me 9th place this year, so good thing I  didnt attempt a trophy hunt.

Speaking of trophy hunting though… Tyler sought out a small 5k in Camden on Saturday, having lied in his emails to our running group about not racing and probably paying hush money to the Diesels to keep me away. For his deceit, he was rewarded with 2nd place and 50 bucks. I would be pissed about his trickery, but I have to stand in awe of his beautifully played Trophy Hunt. The only justice is that he got beat by over a minute by a 15 year old .

http://www.strictlyrunning.com/results/12getinthepink.txt

Pics on the course are courtesy of John Richards – thanks John!