Out with the old '10

Friday, December 31, 2010

Out with the old '10

This is the final day of this year, 2010. Kinda glad to see it go in many ways. Time to recap the year with Conan Obrien's top ten (not necessarily in order), Clint Eastwood style. *=Many are the same as last year. + is positive, - is negative (still bad).

The good:

10. I am still alive. +
9. Still a member of Runner's Depot! +
8. Got inSTOLed in the triathlon division
7. Got 3 overall victories, tying a record set 2 years ago in my inaugural year with RD!
6. Ran the holiday mile & set a personal best 5:18, beating all elite females!
5. 4 person marathon team (we STOL the show!) wins overall, officially as male team & set course record.
4. Completed 2 challenges, Goofy & Bud ultra challenge, both within 60 days of each other.
3. I completed 6 halves & 2 full marathons within the 1st quarter of the year, tying last year.
2. Florida Fleet Elite relay team wins overall inaugural Trilogy duathlon title.
1. I began a race last under all and still placed!

The bad:

10. Car problems with both & an unrecorded accident with the '02.
9. Even though I got a personal best 5:18 in the holiday mile, I did not place.
8. Elite division removed with multirace takeover of FFW, forced to age group
7. Linda AD, I remain a victim of false promises & other emotional games -.
6. Recession (yes, they say it's getting better, but I don't notice it personally yet). -
5. Struggles to get under 19 in races, worse, to stay under 20 -.
4. Injuries (back after a night time track meet) and other set backs -.
3. 1st relay team of year gets no award despite placing 3rd as co-ed, 5 oa (gasparilla).
2. Got sick after final relay of the year -.
1. Cant get any sleep (parties & celebrations). -

The Ugly:

10. Miami Dolphins seasons end without playoffs -.
9. Extreme difficulty forming teams as a team captain -.
8. Team got 2nd overall, top male team at Miami (not) nice tri but denied any award by evil race director (some technicality).
7. No raises, office closures. -
6. Credit card debt. -
5. Father & son team (yes, my dad) won male relay but stripped of title, given to cheating local favorites.
4. Late to 2 races within a week.
3. Lost (didn't place) in 2 races within a week.
2. a DNF due to poor signage at my first trail half.
1. I won a marathon entry but forced to forfeit due to communication problems and delays between sponsors leaving me insufficient time to prepare.

Happy new year! See you next year.

Christmas 10

Merry Christmas to all! No gifts under the tree but yet blessed by the Lord. #1, he gave his only begotten son to save us all, the ultimate gift. I may not be a saint but I do recognize a good thing. #2, the gift of fitness, namely running.

Christmas eve agenda-roll

Since I have not had much of a change to inline skate, I did just that yesterday. I went long (12 miles) but due to internal (tired) & external (wind) conditions, I failed to break an hour. Afterwards, I did 2 sprints because as a runner, the run element is required!

Christmas day-run

Since I race so many 5k's, today was time for a long run. I did my famous tour de falls. It is a 15k that begins & finishes at my house and the turn around covers the entire face (outskirts) of the shopping center with the return to home on the busway sidewalk. I ran easy so I'm not happy with the time, only that I put in the mileage. Afterwards was a Christmas breakfast at a friends house then some much needed rest before I headed out again. I was invited by Allan Walton & his lady to a Christmas dinner. Another treat-George. I stayed overnight to save the drive to the next event. Praise the Lord & thank you all my friends.

Christmas day after-run

Normally, it my day for a long ride, but this year, I selected the resolution run as my final 5k of the year. I also volunteered before & after the event. Since it is a fun run (no timing), I pre determined to run leisurely, usually to help someone else. Thankfully, there were clocks. Before reaching mile 1, I ran with Louis Best & a friend from Boca before latching onto George McCuen. I 'helped' him break 8 then I moved on to Michelle Feldshiem. I went with her till the sprint zone, where I took off at a more normal pace to close. We don't get to run together in races due to differences in pace so I seized the opportunity to relax with a few fartleks in this training run.

circumstances

Many decisions and/or activities can be altered by circumstances. This was the case this winter weekend. I decided to close out my last race weekend (next week is actually the last but races are difficult to find) of the year with a triple header! I had to pass on the inaugural royal 5k due to cost & day of week (Thursday).

Saturday agenda-race!

Of the list of races available, I was able to select 3; woo hoo!

1. classics by the sea 10k/5k
2. turn on the light 5k
3. its a wonderful run 5k
4. n creek explorer 5k

Ironically, all the races were timed by Accuchip.

First race = #2

I dont remember if it was an inaugural but it was my first time doing it. To my dismay, some of the best masters showed up. By the grace of God, I managed to get 3rd master & place in the top ten despite barely breaking 20; circumstances. However, I didn't know this until later because I left immediately after crossing the finish line. On top of that, I could not pick up the award because of that. Due to the failure of by designee, I have to wait to next year to pick it up far far away.

Second race = #3

This become one of the most memorable races of year because of the outcome. I arrived over 3 minutes late (considered lucky) due to the car accident that occurred at the entrance to tradewinds prior to the first race. That caused the race to be delayed 15 minutes, the thing I most feared. I began last under all and by the grace of God, advanced to the 'spirit of' 76 overall despite using a training pace (8 minutes per mile). On top of that, the pathetic time I logged in qualified to place in my age group! I stuck around for the festivities & some rest because the day is not over.

Third race = #4

I didn't have to worry about the timing since hours separated this from the previous event. However, it had been raining since the 1st 2 events. I forgot that last year, the top ten overall not only qualified for the honor but also free entry into this event; can you say title defense? Praise the Lord, it came to pass. However, I was 3 seconds slower than last year. If it's any consolation, I won the 40-44 age class for the last time & got a trophy; all others get a medal. Also, the time was the best of the day! They had a pretty good post race & loved the long sleeve cotton shirts, previously the best you get until tech shirts were invented.

Sunday agenda-race!

Much easier to decide:

a. parkland 5 mile
b. jcc 5k (Dade)

Proximity rules! However, to my dismay, some of the best masters showed up (Jon W & Walthon) to take the top titles. Despite a pathetic time, I still won my age group and placed within the top ten. For all the races I arrived on time, I made the top ten; circumstances to praise the Lord. This race tied the top position of all the races, 6th overall. Except for the titles, medals were given. Decent post race festivities.

12 11 10 ...

12 11 10 ... 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 the count down! However, those numbers in the title actually represent the date of the weekend start. I got a rare opportunity race on hump day. Might as well since I didn't get to...

Wednesday agenda-holiday mile

I took a risk & signed up for this race since getting the word of my temporary re-assignment to another office. My first gamble failed, as you read in my previous blog but apparently, I'm a gambling man. Jonathan, the vice CEO of STOL, issued a challenge to many of the runners I train with at Niketown. I set a goal of 5:30, an attainable one that didn't seem likely based on some of my performances. Plus, this was a state championship mile race, which means the best show up to compete. Another disadvantage was ten year age group, my ultimate demise. I left work while it was hot but when I arrived in Boca, the temp had dropped; that's a plus. Once the gun went off, I took off like a bat out of hell. I was battling another master & lost by split seconds according to Accuchip; I would have been 3rd under normal 5 year age groups. However, I won, in a sense, by getting a PR & beating all elite women! On top of that, I was only 4 seconds behind Jon W, the age group winner. A surprising post race. Didn't have much but what they did have was hot pizza on a cold night; just what the doctor ordered!

Saturday agenda-race!

2 5k's: run to remember & holiday run. The latter was close, less than 2 miles away, & had a 10k as well. Also, fight 4 air climb, in which I skipped. What I remember is that I was so tight, I wound up forfeiting an overall victory for a master win, based on the winning time. My legs were so heavy it wasn't funny; I am blessed to get a great title despite that.

Sunday agenda-race!

3 for me to do!
a. mistletoe toe 5/10k
b. Boca raton road runners 5/10k
c. run for tomorrow 5

I selected c. & brought my dad so he could run. Our tradition is cat & mouse. After my 5k, went out and did over 11.5 miles since I still need to get in a long run. This year, I finally caught my dad! Once my mission was accomplished, I went at his pace to the finish. My time in the 5k was only slightly better than the previous day but was good enough to get 2nd master. I was disappointed with the scaled down post race (no pancakes). I closed the weekend still on a drought (failed to break 19) and am on the countdown to end this negative streak.
12 11 10 ... 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0!

On the road again

On the road again, that classic country song, certainly applied this weekend.

Friday agenda-waterfront 5k

After finding out I am being temporarily reassigned to different office further north, I took a chance & signed up for this event. In previous years, it was held Saturday morning. If it were blackjack, I hit one too many times; bust! I got stuck in the rush hour traffic and arrived late. To add insult to injury, even though I was pre-registered, my bib # & packet was given away & I had to fight to reissue another number plus take a shirt way larger than I reserved. That added further to the delay. I was told to begin behind the start mat & run, in effect, the race starts when Im ready. So, I pulled a George (similar incident happened to him at the Karhu 5k). afterwards, I was told that someone turned off the mat early so I didn't get my true (net) time. After some convincing, I was at least given the medal I would've gotten had they done it right, even though the clock time recorded won't reflect I placed. When I left work, it was hot but cooled down quickly by the time I got there. The post race was lame unless you were willing to pay.

Saturday agenda-race!

I had 3 choices:

1. Savannah river bridge run
2. OUC half marathon
3. jingle bell jog 5k

#1 is out of state; strike that. The last 2, been there, done that. Therefore, the proximity rule prevailed. I went into this with low expectations. why?

1. never placed at this event, even with great times
2. race within 12 hours of a previous race
3. recent struggles to meet my personal standards

Unfortunately, the tradition continued. On top of that, my time barely broke 20. Much better post race. I had not done the race in, like 5 years and this day reminded me why I haven't.

Sunday agenda-race!

I passed on the following events to continue tradition:

a. Brandon half & 5k
b. k9 cancer walk
c. sfk 5k run for success
d. tri key west

If I were a travelling man, I missed also the Las Vegas marathon & the Jamaican marathon. Speaking of travelling, I passed on a. I dropped b. because it's a fun run. Without a swimmer, I didn't even think about d. plus on top of that, the driving; c it is!

What's the tradition? Palm beach marathon relay! I felt like Pat Riley when the big 3 got signed for the heat. Why? I was able to get Jonathan Mederos, an elite athlete & top runner for team STOL. Plus, the return of Gene, from previous teams that have won. Originally, Chris A was to run but unfortunately got injured, so like UM did with Randy Shannon, I had to get a replacement. When Dwayne Wade spoke, the heat listened; so did I when Jonathon spoke. I took his recommendation, Jose N, as a replacement, not clear of his ability because I trust his judgement. As team captain, it's my responsibility to not only acquire the resources but properly allocate them for maximum results. By the grace of God, this came to pass. Our team not only won the male relay & set the course record but beat ALL teams plus was the only team to break 3 hours. On top of that, we had the 4th fastest time overall! Jose was the starter & impressed me by having us already in the lead. The pressure was on me to continue this then pass on to the 'star' of the team. He advanced us from top 20 to top 5 before passing on to the anchor. Gene killed it, running a great time & we took the title. Post race was probably the same as Friday but I wouldn't know since Jonathan & I were stranded at the 3rd leg relay point for a couple of hours. We were all elated we won. Now, I gotta get back on the road again.