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/
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.
October
October 6, 2008 by Doug · Leave a Comment
Well … lots going on this month. I have a 5k on the 19th that Fran talked me into (Less than 2 weeks!). The following Sunday will be my first 5 miler. The grand opening of the gym that I joined is on the 17th but I think that’s a bit late to glean any benefit for this month’s races.
So I think that I’ll need to get a MINIMUM of 4 runs in before this next race. The race course terrain is hilly so that’s something that I have to keep in the back of my mind.
Tomorrow we are going to hit the pavement after work. I want to ….. OK look.
Here’s how it is. I haven’t exercised. I haven’t run. My weight has plateaued. I run these races out of an obligation to my goal, not because I necessarily want to. All of this wishy washy wavering SUCKS. I thought about killing DownBroadStreet.Com a number of times over the last month or so but I haven’t. I made promises to people and a commitment to myself.
I can’t get much lower in this barrel so I’m just have to climb out of it. Either that or convert my blog theme to “Fattening eateries of Southeastern PA and South Jersey”. This is quite a journey of self discovery. Well, not really. I know who I am but I’m finding out how hard it is to break old habits and embrace healthy living.
It’s not over …. yet.
