Law Enforcement and the Murray Half Marathon

There are many folks who helped to make today's Murray Half Marathon a success among whom were all of the law enforcement personnel.

One incident illustrates the caliber of men and women who serve the people of Murray and Calloway County...

I was running north on 641 and was approaching 121 where

the race route made a left hand turn. Since there was about 50 yards between me and the runners in front of me, a Murray Police Officer let traffic go through the intersection as I continued to get closer. As I got within about 10 yards or so, he motioned for a driver in a red truck to stop so I could make the turn. The driver, for whatever reason, wasn't stopping. So, what did the officer do? He continued to hold his hand up to the driver ... as he stepped directly in front of the truck (the driver had to brake hard!) to make sure a runner could pass safely. That, my friends, is an illustration of how seriously and sacrificially our law enforcement perform their duties.

Besides that, our own sheriff was in the race. It's impressive when those in leadership positions realize that their influence can be leveraged in areas beyond their duties ... specifically to encourage others to pursue health and fitness.

As the race progressed and I passed each of the guys and gals in law enforcement, I tried to make it a point to thank each of them. Our country is going through a mess as an anti-cop culture is brewing. Don't be a part of it! Those guys and gals are in their positions to protect you and uphold the law. Find opportunities to show your gratitude and support.

The Murray Half Marathon

It's been 2 years since I ran my last half marathon so I was extremely excited as our local race approached. It would be my fourth half.

I had not trained as rigorously as I needed to as this race approached. Yet, I had done a respectable 11 mile run two weeks ago and a 12.27 mile run three weeks ago. I felt nervous but ready to conquer today's course.

We all gathered at the Start Line at 6:45 AM. I spoke with a few friends and wished them well as I gathered with the folks around the 2:30 pace runner. I suspected that I would finish closer to 2:15 but I wanted to intentionally start out slow, settle into the race and save my energy for the whole course. (I've never finished a half without walking. I wanted to change that on this run.) After someone sang a beautiful rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner," we waited for the race to begin.

The weather was nice for the race. It was sunny and 50* when the race started. It climbed to 64* by the time I finished.

I think it was a horn that blew and we took off. The race had started!

As I look back over my initial paces, I can see that I started

faster than I needed to. (Unfortunately, I tracked my mileage on my phone and never took a look at it during the race.) Mile 1 was 9'48", mile 2 was 9'34" and mile 3 was 9'18." I find this hard to believe because I was intentionally trying to keep it slow. I certainly didn't think that I was getting faster so soon in the race.

Mile 3 was the fastest mile of the race. Mile 4 was 9'29" followed by mile splits that progressively got slower and slower until mile 10. I had to begin walking for very short periods at about the 3.5 mile mark (I also noticed that my HR hit its peak at that point - 191bpm!). So, the simple explanation for the excess walking I did in the race appears to be due to the fact I exerted more energy than I should have at the outset. I started too quickly.

My peak HR was around mile 3.5 - 191bpm!

The only other story as I struggled to reach the finish line was that I got some much needed water at the mile 10 mark a block away from my house. But, because one (or two) hydration stations weren't manned, we didn't get any more water for 2.37 miles. As the temps were heating up and we were approaching the end of the race, that was the absolute worst time to not get water. I'm sure that the race organizers will not let that happen again. Year after year, I'm impressed with how good of a job that they do.

I crossed the finish line absolutely exhausted. I gladly accepted a Finisher's medal, a cold water bottle and a banana. I found a grassy spot and dropped to the ground to consume water and carbs. I had finished, I was exhausted, but was so proud of the accomplishment.

Stats:

Chip time: 2:21:21

Race pace: 10'47"

Division place: 206 / 307

Gender place: 99 / 124

Age place: 9 / 9

Mile splits:

1 - 9:48

2 - 9:34

3 - 9:18

4 - 9:29

5 - 9:44

6 - 9:50

7 - 10:24

8 - 10:30

9 - 11:17

10 - 12:09

11 - 11:52

12 - 12:10

13 - 12:51

Already, I'm looking forward to next year's race. But, I'm also going to lose some unnecessary weight and focus on training better. I want to break that illusive 2 hour barrier!

My running/race goal for this year...

Go Commando Half Marathon
Race Route / Clarksville, TN

My sites are locked on Clarksville,

Tennessee on October 17, 2015! That's the location and day that I want to beat the 2 hour mark for a half marathon!


I've run in 3 half marathons so far. For various reasons, I approached each of those three races not fully prepared to run it. Either injury, or busyness or my inability to lose weight kept me from crossing the finish line in less than 2 hours (ave. pace 9'08" or faster).


Well, my only race goal this year is to beat that time in Clarksville. I'm presently doing well on weight loss (down to 204.6lbs this morning). I'm currently running slowly (aerobically) to lose weight and build my base before I begin a 16 week training plan on June 30th. I'm also doing body-weight upper-body exercises to trim my core and get it fit.


This is my aim. It could all come crashing down if it's pouring rain on race day or if I get an injury within weeks of the race (it has happened before). But, if circumstances cooperate and I'm able to adjust to whatever comes my way, I plan to be trimmer, fitter and faster on October 17th so I can experience the exhilaration of setting a PR (personal record) of a sub-2 hour half marathon in the city in which I was born.


I ran this race two years ago in October 2013 and blogged about it. You can read about my experience by clicking here.

Reflections on my Murray Half Marathon Race

I approached this day much more relaxed than my previous two half marathons. I think it's just experience. I also think it has to do with the fact that I'm not trying to bust any records at this point. I'm still just enjoying the fact that I can compete in a 13.1 mile race and finish it in a respectable time.

I got about 5 1/2 hours sleep the night before the race. That was plenty. I woke up and downed a bagel and hydrated. In fact, I drank quite a bit of water the day before the race so I approached the beginning of the race properly hydrated.

There were about 12 adults and children from Westside Baptist that had gathered to run in one of the races that morning. From what I observed, each of them did incredibly well and had a fantastic time in their respective race.

There were 336 other half marathoners that began to gather near the Start Line at 6:50am. I began to get a little jittery. This was the moment I had been preparing for and anticipating for a few months. The race was about to begin. How would it play out? How would I do? Would I make wise choices on when to drink water and/or Gatorade at the water stops? (I didn't want to get waterlogged but also didn't want to get dehydrated which is easy to do on long runs.) Would I finally cross the Finish Line in less than 2 hours? All of those questions and more swirled through my mind.

There was no gun or horn (at least not that I heard) to begin the race. Yet, as all of our eyes were fixed on the runners up ahead near the Start Line, I noticed that the front of the pack began to move forward and then take off. The race had started!!! I slowly got into a jog and crossed the Start Line as I pushed the button on my watch to begin tracking my race.

The first few miles were remarkably easy. I kept my pace at a comfortable speed (I guessed around 9:45 a mile) and I was a little surprised at how effortless it was. I wasn't wearing my heart rate monitor but based upon my breathing, my body was ready for this race. 

Kim took this picture at mile 11.5

As I climbed the hill on Highway 641 and completed mile 4, I was beginning to feel a little winded. I expected this. My pace and breathing were still under control, though, so I maintained. However, I also started to feel like I needed to drop by one of the porta-potties (hey, runners talk about everything! lol). I stopped for a quick pitstop at mile 6 and only lost fractions of a minute.

Unfortunately, as I approached the halfway point, it began to hit me that I was running out of steam. I suspect that was due to: 1) mismanaging my hydration levels probably due to the heat and 2) not having enough long runs over 6 miles in my recent training.

As I approached the 7 1/2 mile mark, I found myself almost panicking. I was looking ahead and hoping/praying that there was a water stop. My mouth and lips were really getting dry. I wasn't feeling dizzy so I wasn't worried about any medical emergencies. I just knew that I was blowing my chance to finish in a sub-2 hour time. I suspected that my significant drop in energy was due to the fact that I wasn't getting enough liquid in my body to replace what I was losing in sweat.

I think I stopped to walk the first time as I was working on mile 8. My average pace had looked so good up to that point. But, I was watching my average pace slowly creep up the more I had to stop and walk. The hills on miles 8 and 9 weren't helping either!

For the remainder of the run, I stopped to walk quite a bit. I tried to walk a few seconds to no more than 30 seconds at a time. The crowds on the side of the road were growing and their cheers were really helping. I even smiled as I periodically recognized someone from Westside Baptist Church. Seeing my family and a group of church members around mile 11.5 was so refreshing. But, the frequent walking kept happening. Wwhen you've run out of gas ... well ... you've run out of gas.

I couldn't have been more pleased to see the Finish Line! I was toasted ... but when it was all said and done, I was still pleased with my overall time. Maybe I'll get a sub-2 hour finish time in my next half marathon.

Here are the numbers:

Time it took me to complete the race - 2:12.09 (2 hours, 12 minutes, 9 seconds)

My personal gps map created during the race.
Green signifies faster speeds.
Dark red shows where I walked.

Paces per mile:

Mile 1 - 9:17

Mile 2 - 9:31

Mile 3 - 9:34

Mile 4 - 9:12

Mile 5 - 9:05

Mile 6 - 9:50

Mile 7 - 9:39

Mile 8 - 10:10

Mile 9 - 10:30

Mile 10 - 10:47

Mile 11 - 11:09

Mile 12 - 10:43

Mile 13 - 11:23

Last .1 mile - 9'34"

337 = total half marathoners

162nd place = my ranking among all racers (161 runners in front of me; 175 behind me)

136 = total male runners

92th place = my ranking among male runners (91 male runners in front; 44 behind me)

20 = total male runners 40-44 years of age

13th place = my ranking among these runners (12 in front; 7 behind me)

What could possibly be fun about running a half marathon?

Only a runner can understand the excitement I have as I anticipate running my 3rd half marathon in 1 day, 10 hours, 5 minutes and 10 seconds. (but who's counting. lol)

Here are just a few of the reasons why so many of us are waiting for the 13.1 mile race to begin:

• The thrill of mingling with other achievers. When we gather at the start line, we know that 13.1 miles lies ahead of us. When the race starts, we will either finish the race in a respectable time or get a DNF ("Did Not Finish!"). Who wants that?! So, the folks who approach the line are ready for the race. When most other folks were just thinking they should be exercising, the guys and gals at the start line were actually exercising.

• It's hard! Yep. You read that right. It's fun because it's hard. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, right? Yet, the thrill comes when you push through the pain and discomfort. The feeling of achievement is all the sweeter when you know it wasn't easy.

• The thrill of the race. While running can be fun in and of itself (ever heard of the 'runner's high'?), it's fun to push yourself to see what you're made of. When the gun fires or the horn blows to signify the start of the race, the clock begins. The whole time you are on the race course, the clock is running. Something happens when you are surrounded by other runners and have the awareness of the clock. You find out that under those conditions you can achieve more than in your normal training cycle. It's fun to run but it's also fun to do a race just to see how quickly you can finish it.

• The folks along the race route that cheer. During a race, folks will stand along

  

  At the finish of my first half marathon
  (Lake Minneola, Florida)

  the side of the road just to cheer you on. They probably don't know you. They just find enjoyment in participating in the race (probably in a vicarious way). But their cheers help immensely because running a half marathon is not just physical ... it's mental. The periodic encouragement is extremely helpful! And there's nothing like approach the finish line. You've given it just about everything you've got but the applause and cheers pull you across the finish line. You did it! You finished!!!

• The race bib (and medal). I have a wall in my church office that has the race bib for every race I've run. There are even some award medals in the mix. I don't do that to impress the folks who walk into my office. I do it to remind myself that I've participated in some races and have done extremely well in a few of them. I find that wall to be a very motivating and inspiring influence when I get a little discouraged.

There are many other reasons why running a race is so exciting. I can't wait to run it and then reflect on the race after its over. I'll probably write a post about the whole experience.

If you want to read my post-race reflections on my previous two half marathons, you can click on the following links:

Reflections on my Lake Minneola Half Marathon (April 20, 2013)

Reflections on my Go Commando Half Marathon (October 20, 2013)

Reflections on my Go Commando Half Marathon Race

I approached the Go Commando Half Marathon in Clarksville, Tennessee on Saturday,

My race bib

October 19, 2013 with primarily one objective in mind ... I wanted to enjoy it. 

I was born in Clarksville, Tennessee. I have tons of fond memories in this city! I remember attending Bible Baptist Church on Golf Club Lane and attending my first school years at their academy. I remember living on Edgehill Drive behind the Dairy Queen. I remember staying with my maternal grandparents two houses down from Bible Baptist Church and my paternal grandparents in the Cumberland Heights area. On and on I could go...
     

This half marathon race route took me down (or near) some of these streets and special locations. So, whether I did it in record time or not, I wanted to just take in the moment.
     

My training for the past few months has left much to be desired. With Kim's major surgery and recovery, I took on some added responsibilities. Running wasn't high enough on the priority list and it got scratched out of most days. (I only ran 3 miles last week and only 2 miles the week before. I should have been averaging around 25-35.)

Start time weather

705 half-marathoners lining up at the Start Line

I woke up race day morning at 4am after getting a little more than 5 hours of sleep. I drove the hour and a half to Clarksville and was relieved that parking wasn't hard to find. I tried to go "jacket-less" but the 50 degree weather was a bit cool. Once the race started, I knew I would elevate my body's temperature but standing around waiting for the race would be extremely uncomfortable so I grabbed my jacket.

I logged the weather details on my phone 6 minutes before the race started. Ordinarily, 53 degree weather is incredible racing weather. I've gone running with shorts and short sleeves in 40-something degree temps before and had an enjoyable run! Ten or so minutes into the run, I've heated up and the cool temps did a great job of keeping me from getting overheated.

Race route

However, look at the radar at the bottom of the picture I took on my phone. The rain to our NW was headed our way! It started to hit almost as soon as the race started. Fifty-three degree weather is incredible. Fifty three and raining is another story!

I lined up with Jamie Mantooth and Chad Beck, two running friends. When the gun fired, we took off. I was glad that Jamie didn't feel obligated to hang out with us slow guys. I wanted to see how well he could do in this race. I never saw him again until somewhere around mile marker 9. At that point, runners in front of us had already hit a turn-around point and were headed back. He was doing well coming up the hill but he told me afterward that his knee had radiated so much pain that he had to stop running around that point. I think he finished in 2 hours and 10 minutes. Incredible time for this VERY hilly race with a knee injury!

Picture taken by Chad's wife
around mile marker 2

Chad and I ran at a much slower pace. My right calf developed some severe pain two weeks before in a 5K race and I didn't want to push it and have to abandon this half marathon race. So, I took it slow and easy. Somewhere around mile marker 4 when we were running through Austin Peay University's campus, we were joined by another runner who stayed with us pretty much the rest of the race. We had a lot of great conversation.

My right calf seemed to tighten up within the first few miles of the race. I mentally massaged it as I ran (runners know how this works). Around miles 8 or 9, it started to give out on me. My body was feeling the effects of the lack of training and running at a slower pace than I usually run. I found myself fighting through every step trying to get to the Finish Line.

As we went over the Cunningham Bridge that spans the Cumberland River on the final mile, Chad told me that he had dedicated his final mile to the glory of God. As he said that, we had almost a breathtaking view of the river below and the beautiful landscape around us. I really needed that because my tank was running on fumes at that point. Within minutes, we both crossed the finish line.

Jamie Mantooth and me
after the Go Commando
Half Marathon Race

After crossing the Finish Line, Chad asked to borrow my phone because his phone had died during the race. I looked around and found a table to lay my jacket on while I took my phone/armband off. However, I didn't realize that the table belonged to the EMS personnel who were manning the first aid station nearby. As I neared the table, I heard one of them speak into their radio, "We may need some back-up." I looked over to realize that they were looking at me! Apparently, I was a little more pooped out than I realized! I decided that I wasn't going to use their table after all!

Afterwards, Katie Mantooth took a picture of Jamie and me before I headed to the car for the long trek back home. Believe it or not, I was much, much more tired that I looked!

But, be that as it may, I finished and got the finisher's medal ... and the memories to go along with it. I'll take a few days to rest and then plan my next challenge.

My Finisher's Medal!

Here are my race stats:
Finished 31 of 38 males (40-44)

Placed 297 of 342 male runners

Placed 544 of 705 overall

Finish time: 2:30:43

Average pace: 11:31/mile

Reflections on my Lake Minneola Half Marathon Race

Moments from the Finish Line!

I've been looking forward to this race for a few months! I have run in five 5K races. Yet, ironically, while I celebrated how quickly I was able to reach the finish line only 3.1 miles from the starting line, I lamented how brief the race was. 5K races are finished almost as quickly as they start. While they have their own special niche in a runner's repertoire (I'll certainly continue to run them), I wanted something a little more substantial. I wanted to enter a race that would take longer to run than it took me to drive to the event.

Toward the end of last year, I was toying around with the idea of running a marathon. I'm so glad that a couple of my dailymile friends encouraged me to give the half marathon a try first. I'm glad I did! I finished this race in a respectable 2:04:18 for an average pace of 9:30/mile. I came in 171st place out of 445 half marathoners (official results here). In my gender/age group (40-44), I came in 16th place out of 26 (official results here). I'll take it, especially since I plan to set a PR in my second half marathon!

But back to my first sentence. I had been looking forward to this race for a few months. It was a strange feeling but I just didn't have that passion this morning at the start of the race. The race was enjoyable once it got going but I lacked that deep down desire to conquer the course like I've had in previous races. Here's how it played out:

I couldn't go to sleep last night as I mentally ran the race course in my mind. I was imagining myself starting at a slow and steady pace and making my way around the race course. Yet, I was also battling with a little anxiety. On training runs, I've run as far as 13.1 miles a couple of times (a few months ago). Yet, there have been times when I set out to have a long run and discovered that I didn't have it in me. I would abandon the training run after 4-5 miles and no one knew the difference. This race was different. Everyone who crossed the Start Line would either cross the Finish Line 13.1 miles away or they would get a DNF beside their name ("Did Not Finish!"). Who wants THAT beside their name?! Because of serious pain in my left Achilles tendon about a month ago, I had to drastically reduce my mileage. I questioned my fitness/endurance as I approached this race.

I finally dozed off just before midnight. My eyes opened around 3:15am and I drifted in and out of sleep until I finally got up at 4am. Great! Only 4 hours sleep before a 13.1 mile race!

After taking the hour drive to Clermont, Florida, I got out of the warm, dry car and stepped into cool temps (low 60s) and a drizzly rain. A lot of folks were getting a chill. The restroom lines were long!

I lined up with 444 other half marathon runners about 15 minutes before the 7am start time. However, due to the rain, the race officials didn't want to risk messing up their computers and other electronic gadgetry that would monitor our start and finish times.

The race finally got started at 7:30. We had been standing in the cool, drizzly rain for all that time . I wasn't surprised when the horn blew and the race started to see a lot of runners dart to the porta-potties about  a quarter mile into the race. I joined them. I lost about 2-3 minutes in that first mile. Fortunately, the rain didn't last and everyone was able to focus and settle into their race pace.

The first couple of miles were in a residential area and it was neat to be a part of a group that was 445 strong running a race down the streets. Neighbors were in their front yards or on the side streets watching and some applauded as we passed. I think that the tragedy in Boston this past week played into some of their sentiments.

After the first 2 miles, the route became fairly scenic. Part of it was on a wide, paved bike trail through the woods and the other was along the streets lining Lake Minneola. But, let me tell you that the beauty of that lake wasn't really capturing my attention in the race. The few times I glanced at the lake, I couldn't help but realize how far across it was ... and I was going to have to run around the thing! I quickly refocused upon the road ahead of me.

I had a game plan regarding two specific areas. First, I kept my watch on "heartrate." I had a chest monitor that enabled me to keep tabs on how hard my heart was working. I was concerned that if I let my heart rate get too high, I'd crash and burn before the end of the race. In 5Ks, I allow my heart rate to max out at around 189 and I simply hang on for 3.1 miles. However, I tried to keep my heart rate around 175-180 for this race. After the race, I noticed that my average was 176bpm.

Secondly, I planned on how I would navigate the water stops that were placed about every mile and a half along the route. I never drink water during a 5K race. But, because I was sweating like a pig in this race, I knew that  I had to fight against dehydration as this 2 hour race played out. So, as planned, I stopped to walk at ever water stop. I suspect I didn't lose too much time doing that. I only walked for about 15-20 seconds each time. That way, I could give my legs a break and keep from splashing the water all over my face. (Have you ever tried to drink while you're running?)

In the last 3-4 miles, I had to stop to walk more than I wanted. I was out of gas. But as I observed my heart rate on my watch, I made it a point to take off when it got down to 170bpm. On my next half marathon, I hope to be in better shape so I can run the whole thing.

The last 1/4 mile was rewarding. All of those who had finished the 5K and 12K races as well as those who had finished the half marathon were at the Finish Line to applaud everyone who crossed the line. It felt pretty cool. 

As I crossed the finish line, I had two conscious thoughts: 1) Mission accomplished! and 2) I'm headed to bed!

My 1st Half Marathon: Tomorrow's the day!

Got my race pack. I'll leave the shirt in the closet until I finish the race but can't wait to put on the race bib tomorrow and run my first half marathon!

 

Here's the map of the race course. Below this map is a video I took overlooking Lake Minneola. I took the video from the spot on the map just to the right of the word "Finish."

 

 

 

 

Only 3 days until the Half Marathon!!!

I cannot adequately express how excited I am to participate in my first half marathon in 3 days! If you've never discovered the joys of running, any attempt I make to explain my excitement wouldn't work. If you are a runner, no explanation is needed.

This wall shows off what God can do in the life of someone
who simply takes advantage of the abilities and opportunities
that He gives! Life can be adventurous if you are a good
steward of what God has entrusted to you.

I can't wait to add another race bib to my collection. But this time, it won't be for a short 5K (3.1 mile) race as fun as they may be. This one will be for a half marathon (13.1 miles) that requires much more training, endurance, and mental strength. I am so grateful that the Lord has given me the abilities and opportunities to do well in this sport (at least for a 42 year old!).

Here's a map of the race course  around Lake Minneola in Clermont, Florida with the mile markers in bold black numbers:

Lake Minneola Half Marathon Route (April 20, 2013)

Mentally Preparing for the Lake Minneola Half Marathon

In just 8 days, I'll join a large number of other runners at the start line of the Lake Minneola Half Marathon (13.1 miles) in Clermont, Florida. Up to this point, I've only run 5Ks (3.1 miles) so this is a big jump in distance but I believe that I'm ready for it.

As I enter the last week, I would have normally done a 'taper.' That's where I begin to reduce my weekly mileage. My body will have already benefited from the weeks of preparation and I would have moved into the phase of using less energy so that I could use it for the actual race.

Unfortunately, I developed trouble with my Achilles tendon a month ago. I had to drastically reduce my mileage to speed up the healing process. In reducing my mileage, I had to abandon my training schedule that was tailor made for running a half marathon.

That being said, I still think I can do well in this race. I've heard that the course is reasonably flat and it will begin at 7am (before it gets hot!) so my goal is to be able to complete the 13.1 miles in 2 hours or less. Doing it in that time frame will mean I have to run at a 9:11 pace (average a 9 minute, 11 second mile) or quicker.

Ultimately, though, my primary goal is just to finish! I can't wait to experience this race and use what I learn to begin focusing on longer races!