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/
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.
Country Bumpkin 5K
October 19, 2008 by Doug · Leave a Comment
I was warned. This race is a killer. Fran and her friends ran it last year. I talked to some people before and after the race. The general consensus is that this race will take around two minutes longer than a normal 5K. I asked myself how much different could it be? Well, see the results for yourself in black:
29:24??? Last week I came in at 26:55 so yeah, it took me about 2 1/2 minutes longer. The reason? The freakin’ HILLS!!! This course was not flat whatoever. What’s worse is it starts out on a huge downward slope to get your confidence up.
I tried to keep my pace but it soon became apparent that this wasn’t the typical course that I was used to. There were some kids around 12 or 13 that flew out of the gate all inspired and were walking in tears about halfway through. That made me feel a little wiser but I admit that I had to stop and walk a handful of times myself.
During my painful journey through this course I was thinking about what to put in this post. There wasn’t much positive material. The urge to throw up was there a few times but I held it in. Fran’s coworker Debbie chews gum and runs 22 minute times so I tried that. Didn’t work. 
I told myself that I would never do this race again but by next year I’ll be feeling all overconfident again I’m sure.
After the finish as I devoured a soft pretzel, I was feeling kind of discouraged. Fran tried to talk me up, telling me that I did well. If nothing else I gained an appreciation that the Broad Street Run, even though it is 10 miles, is FLAT.
Note: Race map and logo provided by Middletown Township, Delaware County, PA CLICK HERE for site.
– D.
