ING weekend

Once again, the last days of January are dedicated to Miami, the ING weekend! Yes, this time I remained at 'home' down here in Miami to compete, instead of travelling, to fulful my desire & destiny of being an athlete for life.

Saturday agenda-tropical 5k

I stuck to my tradition of using the tropical 5k as a tune-up for the main event the following day. That means I had to pass on other races, like run for the paws. This time, I wanted to help pace Leo, Gene if necessary, since both were in attendance. I got Leo off to a fast start with a low 6 mile. They kept trading places in front of me as I held back a bit to be consistent with the purpose of this event. I needed only to do enough to make the top 5 in my age group and by the grace of God, squeaked by for additional hardware. Additional because all finishers get a medal. If it had been as normal, I would've lost such as in the jingle bell jog of last year. 4 star post race refreshments. Afterwards, I went to the expo to pick up my packet & met up with lots of fellow athletes, most of whom were planning on running tomorrow. I met with current 'old' friends, such as Berta & Cassie. Got some blasts from the past of '09 by meeting with an ex-girlfriend and my mom & her daughter. While waiting for the ex, I went through 2 seminars, the first was the legendary coach GP. The second, also a legend, was Lisa Dorfman.

Sunday agenda-main event!

The main events are distance races, the half & full marathon. Having completed the first five as marathons, I am satisfied & now choose the former on my quest to a decade with this event. I dub it as the main event because #1, the marathon and half are the feature events and #2, we're talking about distance, which requires endurance. I am on par to get the ten year jacket so other races (like the Ocala marathon) have to wait.

It started off a cool 53 degrees with not much rain in sight. Not sure if it remained cloudy throughout but, it was seemed humid. This is my 2nd half of the year (& month), and coupled with the fact that this course is not exactly flat & forgiving, I didn't expect a great race. However, I did not account for my shoes being a bit too tight. I set a personal goal of 1:34 & was on pace to do so. After about a 10k, I had to deal with equipment failure (shoes too tight). Fortunately, I escaped without any serious physical harm. The post race refreshments were 4 star. For repeat finishers, there was nothing to write home about in regards to the finishers medal. No official mylar blankets were given out. Congrats to all my runners depot teammates who finished.

E nair row

E nair row; as close as I can get to help you pronunciate Enero, spanish for January, correctly. Like the heat, I am struggling.

Saturday agenda-5k

The following were on my list (from furthest to closest):

1. calusa bug chase 5k (ft myers)
2. undy 5000 (palm bch)
3. boca christian 5k
4. Columbus 5k
5. homestead hospital 5k

I passed on the top 2. I planned on the last one, but to my dismay, it was cancelled near the last moment. Rather than not race, it was either proximity or best categories; #3 won. #4 had footworks style categories, so someone Jon W would bump me down when some kid wins the race. Judging by the results, I made a wise decision. I struggled but by the grace of God, managed to get to the podium despite a dismal performance. In any case, the tune up race was completed & now the drive down south awaits.

Sunday agenda-race!

I was forced to miss the bay harbor islands 5k again due to a half marathon. I passed on the palm coast half to revisit the key west half. The external conditions, other than wind, were great-cold to cool. Unfortunately, the internal conditions were not as I failed to meet my minimum time standard. Sometimes, I may do this on purpose, such as prior to the marathon in the Goofy challenge, but to my dismay, I was actually trying. It was hard pressed to see mile markers or clocks. Even the water stations were a bit lacking. However, I was pleased that this time finishers medals were distributed. Also glad that tech shirts were issued. My lodging was descent & post race was good. I didn't stay for the awards ceremony since that would be pointless & time consuming- I still had a long drive back home all by myself. This made half marathon #2 for the year & satisfies the long run training I so desperately need.

Mid month crisis '11

Mid month crisis '11, the 1st of the new year. Unfortunately, some baggage of the previous year continues. Prior to this race weekend, the Niketown run was cancelled so that those who normally run could watch the hood to coast film. It was held in various theatres live nationwide for one night only- 1/11/11. That event was similar to what I just did the past weekend.

Saturday agenda-race!

I had to pass on the following events, some of which occupy today & tomorrow:

a. PF Changs Arizona marathon/half
b. Bahamas marathon/half
c. honda classic 5k
d. run for education 5k

c. & d. were in palm beach county. I elected to the miramar-pines event which included both a 5k & 10k; I chose the former. I set out to break 19 but failed. Instead, I had to struggled to get under 20 & prayed that was enough to place; the Lord answered that prayer. In fact, I was blessed with yet another top ten finish & even earned the last master slot despite the dismal time; woo hoo!

Sunday agenda-race!

As a lifetime member, I returned to my favorite non local half marathon in Naples. External conditions (less any wind) was good but the internal conditions were not. Got off to a great start with a 6:30ish 1st mile & went down hill from there. I was satisfied to escape without injury & break my sub 1:40 quota.

Monday agenda-MLK jr 5k

I return once again for the only local race of the day. After such previous disappointments, this was my last chance for redemption. I was very tight & a bit tired. If you judge by the time, the crisis blanketed the weekend. The overall win was satisfactory for redemption. Didn't get my props (no airline ticket & no really big trophy) but blessed to win despite circumstances.

Honorable mention

* completed triple header
* Gene gets PR (sub 1:30), breaking mine by seconds
* Rachelle wins at Naples half, nearly breaking 1:30
* My dad completes his 1st half of the year

Key to key

Key to key, that's were me & 10 others went when I accepted the challenge. What challenge? read on!

Weekend agenda-team run!

This is was first team/relay of the year. I had to turn down Disney & the goofy challenge to accept another, thanks to Berta. However, in order to take advantage of this, I had to forfeit the following races:

1. Disney Goofy challenge (half on saturday, full on sunday)
2. river run 5k (Boca)
3. run for the animals 5k
4. tropitrot 5k
5. walk for haiti 5k
6. flipany 5k/10k

In keeping with my promise last year that that Goofy would be my last scheduled one (except for an anniversery year), I passed on #1, opening up the weekend for other races. By taking this new challenge, the 1st 3 events were automatically eliminated. Since the van drivers wanted to stay overnight, the last 3 became impossible, making this yet another 1 race weekend, a frequent runner's nightmare.

My experience was incredible. I was the anchor leg & I was in van 2. Gene, my hand picked partner in crime, was the start leg in van 1. We met only when it came time to exchange & the finish. Just like I do when cycling in a du or tri, I handed off to him. This is my synopsis:

1st Leg: 8.8 mile run to & through the Homestead speedway. rank-very hard. no shade & seemingly the hottest point of the day, about 4-ish. I began to break down as I got near it.

2nd Leg: 8.5 mile run toward the 7 mile bridge. rank-very hard. very dark (4 am, the earliest I ever started to run) & began on a path. last half=city street/sidewalk.

Final leg: 2.9 mile run toward the finish line. rank-easy. finally, but the pressure was on as the anchor. Plus, at noon-ish, it was quite hot. The tutu team was blocking the sidewalk, forcing me to go to the outside & outsprint their anchor runner. My team didnt run in with me, partly because of that.

My total mileage was 20.2 over a span of 29:33 hours. The 191 mile journey was split by 11 people (1 quit at last minute). We were the 53rd open team, 110 overall, out of nearly 300 teams that finished. The finisher's medal was nice, as was the post race. The biggest challenge was the wait between legs. I had to figure out how to eat & rest so as not to struggle significantly.

Thanks to team Beach Running Club:

Berta Rios (did not run but is the Chief Running Officer who made this possible)
**van 1**
Gene Ruotolo (hand picked by me to fill a void)
Carollee Kvaska
Dennis Vivanco
Samantha Malallana
Jonathan Barker
Erin Olbrichi
**van 2**
Yours truly was surrounded by the fantastic four beautiful women, like a dream
Katie Swedrock
Carly Bruder
Cecile Legras
Sandra Schibler

In with the new '11.

Happy new year! In with the new '11. Wishing you all an active, injury free athletic year. I wanna put all the bad experiences of last year behind & move on to hopefully better ones this year. I shall cherish the positive memories of last year, but unfortunately, be compelled to deal with any lingering situations this year. Traditionally, we make resolutions, & like bones, they may be broken. My top ten list will include the usual, some will be continuations, some may be possible & some may be improbable, but it doesn't hurt to dream. Come to think of it, didn't Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr do that? Obama is certainly thankful.

Top ten resolutions for this year (not necessarily in order):

1. Continued athletic success, especially with racing & competition.
2. Health.
3. Wealth.
4. Wisdom.
5. Employment.
6. Training (stepped up).
7. Change.
8. Teamwork.
9. Diet.
10. Travel.

Now it's time to expound on those resolutions.

1. Last year, I did 115 races, way more than the previous year. This was largely due to lack of a relationship, forcing me to divert my energies elsewhere; I'd prefer to be with someone. Although I'd like to match or beat that, my main goal is continuation; march will mark 2 decades since I began.
2. To do the aforementioned, I must maintain good health, largely through fitness & diet. That means I still won't smoke or drink, and naturally, do my best to avoid injury & illness.
3. This resolution has always failed but you never know;this might be the year. Maybe I'll get rich the easy way by winning in the powerball or the hard way with some breakthrough opportunity.
4. Hopefully, as I progress, this continues to improve. I made it this far through trial & error, & experiences. Thus far, 2 out of 3 (healthy, wealthy & wise) has been my case.
5. Since the quick fix (lottery) has thus far never panned out, I'll need to keep my job to survive.
6. To get the glory (race win), one must train. I plan to up the ante with quality workouts, such as a 3 mile blast at Niketown.
7. Obama's slogan. He is the change America needs. However, I too, must utilize this. I revolve to make some adjustments in my normal scheme of things. Like Rick Scott says, 'let's get to work'.
8. I want to continue doing relays, both as a team captain & participant. In 2008, I eliminated most series participation, in lieu of individual events because I sacrificed too many running races that I loved the previous year. I will likely adhere to this resolution this year (limit to 2 series). However, I want to increase the number of individual relay races.
9. Continue & hopefully improve upon my nutritional regimen, such as my no meat diet.
10. I will travel as necessary, meaning doing only races that have some significance or purpose to me. I'll avoid just racing to race if it is far.

Today's agenda-1st race of the year

Once again, I did the run, walk, crawl 5k. I picked the middle option because it is extremely difficult to find a racewalk with awards. I failed to beat my anticipated time. largely because I've been battling a cold, lack of walk training and wind. Thankfully this year, it was cooler weather. Despite the circumstances, I still was the overall racewalker. The generic medal was bad (sticker with race data) but not as horrible as 2008's that had absolutely no info was on it at all; I had to write on the medal, the event, date, & result. Today, I was the lone representative for runner's depot. In 2008, I was joined by Jon, Jeffrey and Louis M.

Sunday's agenda-R&R

I passed on a race (deleon springs half/5k) to train; imagine that! I kept to 2 resolutions. For normal people, that would be rest and relaxation, which I really needed since I've been sick this week but I'm a Bell. I did a roll (10k skate) & then a run (5k cross country jog). Afterward, a little rest before housework.

Honorable mention

The inaugural peanut island race began new year's eve featuring 6, 12, & 24 hour events. Congradulations to teammate Jon Williams for winning the 6 hr event!

FYI

You may have noticed much of this blog seemed like a carbon copy of the previous year's post. Testament to how life can be similar yet different. Get out & run!