Greenville Downtown 5k run 1/24/09

Now after finishing the Rear in Gear races on the 3rd, Aly started looking for races to sign up for so the next one was the Greenville news 5k.  So she signed up the whole family except for Ryder who is going to be 2 in May.  I had also tried to find a marathon to run and signed up for the ING in Atlanta on 3/29.  Also Aly, Ariel and Brooke (our two oldest daughters) signed up for the 1/2 at the same time.  So we got on Hal Higdon's program and started right in on the training. So the next few weeks we followed the miles chart and once we did this it started to seem like we could do this thing.  One of the benefits running has given is Aly and I really do enjoy doing it together and we do it a lot at least 4 times a week.  

So we got everything ready for the whole family that's seven of us, luckily Kyle (Ariel's boyfriend) said he would watch Ryder at the race so we all could be there.  This was going to be awesome!  The night before I got the shoes ready and took a shot of them with my camera.  Thought it looked pretty cool.  Anyway race morning came and it again turned out to be an awesome day for a race, like 50 and sunny.  We all headed downtown and parked at Starbuck's tried to warm up a little and got ready to run.  

The plan was I would run with Parker who is 8 and the rest would meet at the finish line.  The race went excellent and everyone finished great.  I was so proud of Parker as we ran consistently faster every mile and passed Spencer a couple of times the last time was just before the finish line but Spencer wouldn't let that happen so he sprinted in just ahead of him.

Everyone had a great time and finished real strong so we are really proud of them.

Brooke perplexed after finishing her second race.  What?  I really do have to run thru the finishing chute to get my time recorded.

No it was really confusing at the time she went thru as they had the finish line banner about 50 yards from the chip time recorder.  So she didn't get her time recorded, oh well she still was at the finish around 23:30 which we are very proud of.

Ariel, Brandi and their aunt Marci.  After the race,  Ariel's time was 28:42 and Brandi's was 30:47 unbelievable for their very first race.

Great job girls we are very proud of you.  By the way Marci ran a 23:15 and after this is when Aly starts telling them to join the ING marathon with us.

Ryder with Kyle that was so cool as Parker and I got to see them on the course when Kyle pushed him to see us.

Aly and Brandi at the finish line, they did great Aly finished in 27:56 and Brandi our 11 year old in 30:47 great run girls you did awesome!

This is Parker the 8 year old passing Spencer at 14 just before the finish line with me in the back just proud as I can be what a great day.  Spencer finished in 28:26 (just sorta jogging the whole time except when Parker caught him), Parker 28:28 and me 28:30.

Great job guys way to go!

                         The Family's Shoes night before.

Get Your Rear in Gear 1/2 Marathon 1/3/09

After talking about doing this race while we were at the condo we finally signed up, me for the 1/2 and Aly & Brooke (our 18 year old daughter) signed up for the 5k.  So we headed back to Greer with a stop at Run-In (our local shoe store).  Jana and Amos had told us to go get ourselves Nike Lunar trainers and talk to Jeff the owner.  Friday evening at  6:00 closing time there we were, Aly, Brooke and myself trying on shoes.  We all got our Nike's and headed for home.  At Run-In I had asked Jeff to hook me up so I could finish the race, he did by selling me Carbo Force drinks and GU packs.  (Told me to drink the Carbo force the night before and take a GU every half hour during the race.)  

Race morning we were up bright and early headed to TR.  It was cool about 45 and a little overcast, great weather for running.  I had only run 1 10k race before in my 30's so I started real slow and had a goal of finishing in 10 minute miles, about 2:10.  I didn't have the Garmin 405 yet so I just started slow like 11 minute miles for the first couple until I met Dennis Locke who had a Garmin.  I ran with him asking him the time and his goals etc... He was trying to finish about like me.  At about 6 miles I left him and took off by myself.  I was really getting tired after we ran through Furman and the miles 9 thru 11 felt like they were 2 each.  Aly and Brooke drove down to cheer me on at about 11 so that felt real good.  Also the cowbell ringers, don't know who they were but every time I saw them I ran over and slapped five to get a little extra energy as I had left my running pouch open and lost all my GU packs after only taking 1. Guess I really am a newbie at this thing.  I saw a few people ahead of me on the Swamp Rabbit Trail section of the run and tried to catch them and did.  (I had started last so I could pass some people my little mind game with myself).  The finish line at TR YMCA looked really good and the clock was at 2:09 something when I could read it so I sprinted in and finished in 2:09:24.  That felt really good and I actually finished 13.1 miles and was still walking, awesome!  I saw Nate Coponen at church the next day and said running a half marathon was like playing 9 holes of golf, you really need to finish the back nine.  So now a marathon is on my mind.

Aly and Brooke finished the 5k race and went down to Starbucks they saw me on their way and cheered me on.  The funny thing is they left before the Trophy presentations.  They tell me Aly tells Brooke "this is our first race so we didn't win anything anyway so lets go".  This turned out to be a joke because when they came back to the finish with me they decided to go look at the finish sheet and Aly had took 2nd in Masters and Brooke 2nd in her age group.  So they got their really nice trophies and we headed home.  Being novice runners during the race Brooke was running to garbage cans to throw out her paper cups, they still came in 2nd.  We all were very excited about this running thing now especially when the first race they had placed so well. Aly organized our family to run a couple races a month for the next five months and now we are really starting to get into this running thing.

First Runs 12/26/08-01/02/09

I got up early and decided it was time to go so I took off from my house and ran around our block.  With a few added legs in at Silver Ridge I thought I ran about 9 miles or so.   It took me about an hour and twenty minutes and I felt really good.  I had just completed the longest run of my life and I was still walking.  OK now what, so we headed down to Folly Beach for the rest of the kids Christmas vacation and I knew that Aly would want to exercise there so I would be able to do more runs there.  

We did the Cooper River Bridge 5 mile run 3 times when we were there and I felt good doing it so I started looking for a race to run.  The first race I found was the TR Rear in Gear Half Marathon on 1/3/09, so I started to think about heading back to Greer to do that run.  

Aly, Brooke and Spencer did the bridge with me also.  Spencer didn't really like it to much but Brooke and Aly the organizer were sold on running with me so the running plans started taking place.

Deciding to Run 12/25/08

12/25/08

Spent a beautiful Christmas with the family, ate a lot of food and then finally dared to look at the scale once more.  Aly has been asking me to try and stay trim for a while now and brother Sam has always told me if the scale goes over 240 it will never go down again.  So when I looked down and saw 239 it hit me real hard.  I had been thinking this weight thing was under control,  didn't I prove it when my 40th came around when Shawn (cardio schmardio) the muscle guy got me to 218 and pretty fit.    I guess not.  I guess I am not the athlete I once was.  This weight thing was controlling me and I needed to change it.  So I decide to start running.   This is when it begins,  42 years old father of six beautiful children the oldest 21 the youngest 2 and happily married with a great fit wife.  And now needing to get fit so life will be enjoyable to us all.   So now knowing our friends who have ran marathons and Amos in the middle of training for Myrtle Beach I decide tomorrow 12/26/08 I will begin!