Jingle Bell Run 2008 Malvern, PA
December 16, 2008 by Doug · Leave a Comment
To those awesome people that have not given up on me, my apologies for the long delay in posts. Yes I’m still kicking. This is my first run since the Race for Hope one and a half months ago. The bulk of my workouts been sporadic trips to the gym, mostly cardio work on the elliptical and treadmill.
May is coming up quickly and I’m trying to figure out how to instill a sense of urgency in my preparations for the 10 Mile monster. I weighed in this past Monday and my weight was a “svelte” 182 …. the exact weight I was at last April when I started this thing. The argument could be made that some of the fat turned to muscle. That may be true but I need to take this to a whole other level.
So anyway, race day. December 14th. It was a beautiful Sunday morning in Chester County. Perfect weather for a run through some scenic back roads. I felt good. I wasn’t expecting much but I always want to finish well. In fact usually I set my expectations so high that success is almost unattainable. This will change I assure you.
Fran ran this race also as did her friend Kathy. Kathy suffers from Arthritis which this race benefits. This event took place in several cities throughout the nation. All three of us were far from our top 5k condition but we fought through it and did great.
This event was really a spectacle. I wish that I could have gotten some video footage. Runners in gorilla costumes, dressed as elves, dogs dressed as Santa, you name it. The race packet included jingle bells to put on your shoes which made the run very festive and fun.
Long story short, I finished in 28:31. I felt that I did better than that but the runners weren’t digitally timed. After the finish there was gridlock as people were handing in the tags so I may have lost some time. The important thing is that I finished. I kept a 9:11/Mile pace and I had enough in the tank to break into a sprint at the end.
The last month has been up and down in every possible way for me. I adjusted my diet and have been taking whole food vitamins and Acai berry caplets. I had a pack of Cheez-its, peanut butter cups and Taco Bell just today. I’ve hit the elliptical hard for 60 straight minutes. I’ve sat on my ass for entire evenings playing MouseHunt in front of the TV.
I’ve said it before. This thing could go either way.
Thanks for reading.
– D.
Jingle Bell Run Philly official site:
http://www.jbrphilly.kintera.org/
Race for Hope 5K Philadelphia
November 4, 2008 by Doug · Leave a Comment
November 1st, 2008. It’s been an eventful month. I hadn’t run a race in months and here it is, the fourth weekend in a row that I’m competing. Fran & I got up early for the trip to the Art Museum for the annual Race for Hope 5K run/walk that benefits Brain Tumor research. My aunt Sandy was diagnosed with a brain tumor many years ago and sadly, she lost her battle with this devastating disease just last week. Ironically, I just heard of this race after she passed and I felt strongly about running in her honor.
It was a beautiful morning to run but damn, it was COLD! We parked on the edge of Fairmount Park and walked down to the museum steps to pick up our numbers. There was actually another 5K that started on the opposite side of the museum at the same time.
As we waited around for the event to get underway, I was amazed at the number of people who were streaming in. This was a bigger event than I thought and to date, by far the largest group that I had run with. We met up with Fran’s cousin John who was walking with some friends of his.
I had a good breakfast before I left the house and grabbed a bagel before the race. I was feeling good though still feeling the effects from my 5 miler last weekend. I knew I was pushing it.
9:00. Race time. The start was delayed for about 10 minutes due to some late entrants. The troops were getting antsy because of the February-like temps. 
I was up close to the front. They started and stopped the pump-up-the-crowd music three different times and people were getting pissed. As you might imagine, there was quite a glut of people at the beginning after the gun went off.
I spent the first mile or so avoiding other runners and jumping over cones. The conditions were good though. The course was flat and the scenery was great. We ran up River Drive across the river from Boathouse Row.
I grabbed a cup of water from a volunteer about a mile in and almost choked on it. That was it for beverages for me and I concentrated on the run the rest of the way.
After the turnaround halfway in, I started looking for Fran coming the other way. I eventually spotted her and we high-fived as we passed (Awwwwwww) :). Shortly after, the walkers entered the picture. Now granted, this was for a great cause and a lot of money was raised, but there were people all over the road! There were volunteers trying to keep the walkers on their side of the road, but there was so many of them. They were all lumped together, many with dogs and strollers. I think there was about 4000 walkers. It was a challenge to navigate. I got a little taste of what the Phillie’s championship parade was like.
I came in 227th out of 805 registered runners at 26:36. I was thinking beforehand that I could come in under 26 minutes but I’m not unhappy with my results. I was a bit tight and for the next two days I was HURTIN’.
I still have a pile of weight to lose. My focus has shifted from losing weight to eating the right foods and overall nutrition. I’m concentrating on building muscle which will help kick start the weight loss naturally. I want to send a thanks to Michelle at work who has also taken up a healthier eating regimen and is helping me stay out of the snack box.
I want to dedicate this race and post to my dear aunt Sandy who was a strong, fun, spritual person who lost her life way too early. I thank God that she is no longer suffering and she’s in a better place.
Next race is the Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving Day. I need a few weeks off 
– D.
Race for Hope Philadelphia 2008 official site:
http://bts.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=08_PA_HomePage
Penn Medicine at Radnor Run 5 Miler
October 26, 2008 by Doug · Leave a Comment
It happens over and over again. No matter how hard I try, life gets in the way (grins). Here in Philly, our beloved Phillies are making a World Series run. If you are a baseball fan you know how rare this is, the Phils being the losingest franchise in sports history. I was partying w/ friends at a World Series function last night. Long story short, I wasn’t consuming salad and beet juice.
I tried to get to bed as early as I could but an exciting day of sports had my adrenaline going (Shout out to my undefeated Nittany Lions, as well as the Phils and Flyers). Fast forward to this morning. I was up at 5:30 with limited functionality. Seems like this was easier in college
This is my first 5 miler and I didn’t expect much as far as my performance. Fran wanted to do this race for awhile, in memory of her father who lost his battle with COPD last year. Her Mom and cousins John and Jody did the mile walk in support of him as well.
This is a hugely popular event in it’s 31st year. A five mile course through the beautiful neighborhoods of Radnor Township on the affluent Main Line. There were over 450 runners participating today and quite a few walkers as well.
In the beginning, which is common among the larger races, there was a glut of runners at the start. Obviously not everyone crosses the start at the same time, which compromises the accuracy of the results unless the race implements computer chips for the runners. I started around the middle of the pack where everyone was stepping around each other at the start.
I’m developing my own routine for these races and doing a better job of getting my pace down. I was a bit uneasy about running two more miles than I was used to today. I didn’t want to burn out early or cross the finish on a stretcher. It turns out though that in my mind I took the length of the race into account and did ok.
The scenery was beautiful and I was able to keep my mind
in the race. At the 3 mile marker I bore down and was doing a good job at keeping my speed consistent. The course had quite a few hills and turns but was not nearly as intense as last week’s run. The hills were not as long. Overall, it was a good, challenging course, a good test for my first attempt at 5 miles.
At mile marker four, I got my second wind. I overheard one of the runners mention that the hill we were going up was the last one. The rest of the race was downhill. Now I didn’t know if this was true or not, but it was enough for me to kick it up a notch. It turns out that it wasn’t too bad and I passed a number of people down the stretch. The sound of the crowd at the finish helped push me to finish strong.
I’m getting better at this, I can feel it. If I have enough energy to push like I did at the end, on my first 5 miler no less … I can probably increase my pace. I’m looking forward to better things from myself.
How was my time? I finished at 48:38. 42nd out of 47 in my age group. 251st out of 292 males. But this is the best that I felt after a race yet. I’m actually starting to enjoy this 
This post is dedicated to Robert P. Stedeford Sr. This race was for you Dad. You are very missed.
Map, logo and results provided by the 31st annual Radnor Run. Click HERE for link.
