So….how do I get out of this hole and cross the line at the Half Iron in April and NYC in November. My plan is to drop weight and drop weight fast. My plan is to get my rest back in order. I averaged 5.9 hours a night in 2011 with a bunch of sub 5s in there. I couldn’t get healthy! My plan is to build my core back and strengthen my hips and associated muscles. My plan is to drop the muscle through high rep non anaerobic gym workouts. My plan is to drop the number of 5K & 10Ks I did last year and focus on what is important. I hope that with this detailed and sometimes daunting plan will work out in the end. I understand that the first 6-7 months won’t be anything special and much like 2011, but as long as I am on track and improving a little each day….I will stick to the plan and see it through.

2011 wasn’t a complete bust (even though it wasn’t even close to what I wanted). I had the chance to run through Central Park twice and down Broadway through Times Square. I got to watch the worlds best Marathoner pass me by on Central Park Ave. I got to run a mile with Hugh Jackman. I did my first triathlon and loved it. I ran my first trail run and hated it. I got to watch my wife transform in front of my eyes. I ran a race with my 6 year old daughter and even though she face planted….she did not quit. She may turn out to be the best of all of us. I ran in the Worlds Largest Race….The Peachtree 10K in Atlanta (2nd year to do so) with my wife and had an adventure those 2 days. Out of everything I did in 2011, the greatest thing was that I have found a partner in my wife. Something I never had before. Its new to me and strange, but so very welcome. She kicks my ass, but I am fine with that….her victories are mine to share. (I can out swim her though! Heh)

I may have gone backwards a good bit this year, but I learned a lot from my failures. I hope that regain and exceed past goals and I never repeat my failures from 2010-11.

So….here is a “see ya later” to 2011. I hope to never ever see you or anything like you again!

I have been wanting to do this race for two years, but in 2009 I had surgery and in 2010 I ran the marathon the week before. It was going to be a family affair this morning and everyone came along. We met Richard, Ashley and John there and mingled. I warmed up and stretched like ordered, but on this morning….nothing was going to save me. The course other than the last half mile was nothing but hills and inclines……great stuff!. We grabbed our packets (great x-mas themed shirts!) and warmed up. My legs felt very weak and practically dead. The gun goes off and I realize that this is just like all the other Dec 5K courses……tough! I felt ok the first mile as people usually do, but the hills got to me and by the end of 2 miles I was in bad shape. It was a scenic little jaunt, but I could do without all of the up and downs. Loved the race….hated the course. The last .4 miles was around this man made lake on a thin sidewalk covered in goose crap….no kidding…tons of it. Well…..I crossed the last finish line in the last race of the year….in a god awful time. Like the entire year…..awful. I will post more on it in my year ending summary later on, but this year sucked on all levels. Some of it was my fault, but a majority of it was not….more later.
We then ran with Ryleigh in the fun run…..she was not up for it, but did it anyways (later we found out she had the flu….wonderful).
We then stood around for the infamous doorprizes. This was the motherload…..everyone got something….from the biggest prizes you could imagine to the smallest. I won a giftcard to Mens Warehouse, Roo choose a Mechanical Santa Snoopy and Pam a Candle (we were choosen late in the process).
All in all a good race for the Christmas season. I hope to do it again next year….with far better results.
I highly suggest this race……see you in 2012.

81 races….wow….and I am worse off now than race #5. Ahhhhh crap.

I ran this last year with a very heavy heart. I can’t even remember getting up and preparing for the race last year. I struggled through the first part, but the last mile I went white noise and flew to the finish. This year….not so much.

We arrived and ran into friends. One of our friend just started running this summer and already has become a force. His first 10K was 42 mins and his first half marathon was 1:35. The boy can run!!

It was much like last year except this year it was colder and sunny. Tons of people in Xmas gear! Pam wore the elf hat…..funny stuff!

The gun start was jammed full of people…..and when it went off it was a log jam all the way to the top of the hill. I wore myself out as usual and the world passed me by….its a really pretty run though…..a tough course, but fun. I miss running with music….just thought I would point that out because during the run I became annoyed at the sound of my own breathing. In 2012…..going back to music. Anyways,….the last mile was rough. I was so done…..I came across the line 2 and a half full minutes slower than last year…..

Last year…I ran out of heartache……I was 18 lbs lighter…..and did not have 37 different injuries, but here I am…..still plugging away.

We had a fun post race….They were handing out bottles of Myoplex….I went back 5 times and bought home my race fee in Myoplex. We had a great time….and it replaced the memory of last year. I never ever want to go back to those times….and this years race….well…I have some improving to do as well.

I have started my routine this week. Stretching like no other time in the past. I finally can handle core work as the ab is not giving me issues. It all comes down to the lower back pain and the hip (and damn splints in the left leg). It is getting better slowly…..encouraged by this! To show you how important this is…..all week I was pretty much pain free….even after long and hard runs. I forgot to stretch and cool down after the race and spent the next day in pain…..thats how important this stuff is to a super Clydesdale runner!

Recommendations? Yes…I would….good cotton long sleeve….good pre and post race…..music and tons of food. A very good race for the family during the holidays. I will add that the course is not one for PRs….It is a complete skank of a course…..

First off…..I did not realize this was going to be a trail run (Neither did the people who showed up with strollers..lol).
Secondly, I did not know that a 5K on trails equals 3.5 on a road.
Thirdly, Combined Fun Run and 5K?
This thing was a mess from the moment I arrived. The 5K was to be done in conjunction with the fun run…..huh? I have never been to a race in the 80 I have run where the FR was involved in the start. There were several who had issues with this as their kids were in the FR and they were in the 5K It was a total mess of communication and race directorship. It was cold and humid at the start, but we went off into the unknown. The first mile was half asphalt and then off into the woods. I was not ready for that. The trail was wet and very thin. There were pin turns and sharp up and downs. I tried to do my best, but it was all foreign to me and by the eand of mile 2 my shins were inflated and burning. I limped out of the woods and saw that it was 3.0 miles to go and we had a long way to go. Someone goofed and the thing was (from my best guess from different sources) somewhere around 3.45 to 3.50 miles long. Needless to say……I was not happy. I hated it…..with a passion. We went to the post race and the food was sparse and there were just a few door prizes. Pam and Emily were way off as well so I did not feel so badly that my time was completely off the scale!

The results were not ready….shocking……so we left for an X-Mas parade and never looked back. It was a mess…..and won’t be doing it next year……that is for sure! The thing was way long…..I ran my ass off and got a horrific time…..but that’s nothing new. White Cotton shirt was nice though…….zzzzzz. For two days after the race I suffered like no other time in the past. I pretty much had it at that point and went and sought help and found it……it seems that my injuries are all related. Started with the ab and worked itself everywhere due to compensation…..will get into this later in the year end, but I could have prevented this….but….I screwed up and made it worse by doing nothing. It has been a tough go this year from personal life to the physical life. Now that my personal life has sorted it self out….maybe my physical life will follow. Its time I move focus back to this, because what I have done since the marathon a year ago hasn’t worked and has put me back to and past my starting point in 2009.

Pretty much all my race reports this year follow this theme.
- Showed up
- Ran
- Hurt like hell
- Time sucked
- Hate running
- Shirt sucked
- Only XX weeks til NYC

I am a complete mess. I struggle with getting out of bed daily……Hip and lower back pain are with me 24/7. After medical attention it is found that I have nothing seriously wrong except massive inflammation in my lower back and friction syndrome in my hip. Apparently it all started with the pulled ab this spring and the lower back strain. In short….I quit core work about 10 months ago due to the ab and never looked back. What I have now is what happens when you let your core go and go into Tri and Marathon training with said issues. I lessened my work outs….did not adjust my diet….gained weight….no core….and boom…..here I am….a total mess. I have said many times that I am going back to the drawing board and starting all over with the basics, but now I truly have to.

Anyways….This was a nice fun race. It was my first Holiday race to date. We arrived in time to get our chips (ankle chips??) and ran into a few friends. Pam is still feeling the fallout from her injury, but is now pain free. She lost endurance and fitness during the layoff which is typical. She will get it back though. The course was on one road and 2 down and backs. We took off one way and then turned around and went the other way and then back. My goal was to beat my awful summer times. We didn’t know it was a gun start chip finiah….so we had to add 45 seconds for walking to the nonexistent start line….ugh…..At the start we went downhill and then back uphill….it was not fun. It was a pretty straight forward run. I felt great &I did not feel any pain (until the shins spoke up)…just horrible endurance and zero fitness. I managed to stay half way respectable for 4.5 miles until my left shin started burning (shin splints….story of my life). I managed to trot to the finish and even .1 long & I made it by a minute over the awful times of this summer. I think low humidity had everything to do with that. My hip was shot to the point my leg fell asleep during the run at mile 2 and I just went with it. Later that day…..it all caved in on me. I have really had it. I am tried of it. Going to see the doc and see what it wrong…..I know this year was full of my own issues that snowballed, but I am out of control.

We had a great day though….Thanksgiving and running and eating out with friends and then movie night was a fantastic new tradition. Next year we plan on running the Ruben Half on Sunday, Montclair 10K on Thursday and then pack up and leave the next morning for a year ending Half marathon on the coast (Kaiser Half Marathon) and a couple of days relaxing on the beach. I would recommend this race based on the fact it is a great way to spend T-day morning. The post race food was sparse and there wasn’t any sort of pre race gathering. The shirts was tech and l/s. They were an old color, but I wll wear mine for next years race. Nothing great about this race, but on the same hand….nothing negative.

2011 has been a mess……in many many ways…..my new start on Dec 1. Will be tough…..but I will tuck my ego into my shorts and drive on. I know what I have done wrong…..time to adjust and lose the added weight (god do I look horrible…and feel horrible) and start slow and steady and work on things I have let go by the wayside. Core is huge….diet is huge…..legs strength is huge…..heavy gym work is NOT HUGE! See you in Dec……

I have been on the Race Committee for this race since July. I was in charge of getting the word out to many of the area running clubs and beyond. From the beginning I was planning on running the half and still had intentions of doing so until the NYC drop out. I took another job with the race from that point as a handler. I did the 5K with the races namesake. I had been up since 4am helping get things ready and doing pretty much all I could do. By race time….I was beat. I had no idea how the race was going to pan out….whether we would run half or the whole thing. As it turns out….he was also injured and we pretty much walked it. Twice this month I have been forced to sit there and watch others do what I wanted to do and was once capable of doing. I wasn’t very happy and as soon as the race was over….my job was done and I wanted away from it. I do not think I will be involved with the race next year, but I will run the half as a part of my Super Week in 2012. We are going to run the Ruben Half, the Montclair 10K and the Kaiser Half Marathon all in 6 days. Should be a blast
I would suggest the race to anyone….it was a top notch even put on by a serious marketing firm and a great race director and company. The shirts were top notch….the half medal was very very nice and the course (both of them) pretty darn flat. The post race party needs a little help. I would drop the pasta dinner and go for a big post race party inside the Boutwell like Mercedes does….next year the 5K will be a day before and the Marathon will be added to Sunday. I wish this race well because it is a great local event and Bham needs another Half Marathon. I know it received some tough resistance from a group here in Bham, but it went well just the same for a first time event. What makes me sad about this resistance is that the group doing it thinks that they somehow own Bham running…..that they somehow created and maintain this culture all on their own. I hate to tell them…..they don’t….I don’t care how many elite runners you have in your fold…..they still cant open pickle jars or squat a sack of rice their own weight. Its guys like me and people like those on this committee who make Bham running….we can do without your support, because if you choose to think we owe you in some way…….you are wrong. You make a living off of us….and not the other way around……(just getting that off my chest)……btw…..I get my running gear off the web anyways….so in hindsite….I don’t support you anyways .
So…..in short…Great Event, but needs improvement with post race activities….a lot of stuff pre race day that is (IMHO) unneeded. Expo was great…….I see good things for this race. I met a few really cool people from the running community and hope to maintain those friendships. I won’t be a part of it other than running next year as I have NYC and the increase Tris in 2012…but I can say that I was on the first committee and I got to help someone near and dear to this city get through his first race….no matter how fast we did or didn’t do it, That’s all that matters to normal everyday people.

I actually had a good run today (that means on a pain scale and not a time or performance scale). I decided to do this race because I wasn’t going to be running the half tomorrow at the Ruben and I was pretty sure that I wasn’t going to be able to do much in the way of running as the celebrity handler for the race. I decided that I was going to at least get a good run in during the weekend. I am glad I did!
Pete and I met up in the parking lot with wide eyes because of the giant hills and the inclines in the parking lot alone. We decided to make the best of it….we went in and grabbed our bags and bibs and headed out to warm up. We LOVED THE SHIRT! I usually hate tech shirts but not this one as it is all black and long sleeve and fits great! It has a great big neon lime green X on the front with large letters showing the race and distance. FINALLY….a great shirt!! (So much that I went back and bought a couple more and a smaller size for when I “shrink”….and to replace my original shirt that my little terrier had an issue with). The race started on the top level of the parking lot and zig zagged down and up and out into the country side. It was a hilly course to say the least……I did well for the first mile (well meaning a fast mile and a half and a fast death soon after). The hill at 2 got me and the turn around and back up it buried me. The last .2 was straight up a long incline into the parking lot. I was gassed…….a little better time wise, but still……4 mins off my PR. God it has been a pathetic year……My whole body feels like a piece of stiff cedar. My hips kill me, shin splints, ab pain and mostly the back pain….I hate this. I know I have gained weight this year….but cmon!!
We stayed around….didn’t win a door prize and left. 3 days later I find out I placed 3rd of 8 in my age group and went back to get my medal (and shirts). 77 races and I finally get some hardware……its about damn time!! A great race and we will be back next year…..I think…..thats is sure a busy week we are planning!!
I went to the Ruben expo and then home and back to assist with the last few hours. I had to be up at 4am to help with race set up…..note to self: NEVER AGAIN!!
I would recommend this race….it was great from beginning to end. Great shirts, food and good support! The course is as tough as they come, but a great race anyways…..hope they move the weekend to another date…..1rst week in December would be great!

This was a tough one to get up and go to after just returning from NYC a few days before…the post NYC handover was in full effect this morning. I was eager to get out and run for redemption after a god awful run last weekend. I had not run since then and was ready to go mentally…..but sadly….physically I was a no-show.

Great Cause! At the intro speech we learned that there were only 30 survivors in the Atlanta area at this years race. At the Homewood race……one. This type of cancer is a killer with very few seeing success through treatment. I sometimes wonder why these races sponsor just ONE type of cancer. Prostate, Pancreatic, Breast and others. My mother died from breast cancer that had spread throughout her body, but the largest turnout and largest fund raising goes to the Komen Organization who are focusing on the type of cancer with the greatest remission rate. Its has become a trendy thing. I like the LIvestrong Organization…..it supports all cancer…..not just one type. I remember going to my first Komen packet pick up…..I felt almost out of place. It should not be that way….it should be CANCER…..not broken down by organizations to support one particular type. I say we start by going after the one with the least success rate and go from there…..but I guess that would not be trendy enough for everyone. I myself will be running/biking/swimming for LIVESTRONG next year…..

Anyways…….we arrived late, but thank god someone was leaving when we arrived and parked up close for once. I was very very stiff and sore….even though I had not run since the 5K last Saturday. I have not lifted a weight since Oct 6th…..or run more than twice a week…..no cardio….nothing. Something is very very wrong with me. I need to make an MD appt and soon. It wasn’t a big turnout, but fair on the grand scale of races I have done. I had no idea of the course…I thought I did and have run these streets many time, but we lined up the wrong way from what I thought. Gun goes off and Pam Is gone, but in sight for a majority of the race. The first mile was through Hollywood in Homewood and then down through south Homewood and the hills I love so much. The last hill ate me up as the last mile was a part of my running route last spring from the Trak Shak. I began to hurt after that last hill. The hip and shin lit up like Christmas and it was a gimp fest after that. Another ho-hum 5K…..Not happy, but I haven’t been happy about any run this year. We had a good morning though…….I just wish I could stop hurting. I am slowing down with everyday. Its time for a break to heal up…..the only problem with that is that I am signed up every weekend until late Dec…..plus….even though I am utterly pathetic right now….I enjoy our Saturday morning runs….they hurt worse than anything right now, but I still love them and will not stop, At some point I have to and regroup…I am damaged right now and have been for the past 13 months. If I want to continue to run and improve….then I have to do something….it is becoming a serious issue. I have 11 months till my last shot at NYC…..I have to get healthy…..I am getting weary of this and worry that I might get tired of the pain….the terrible performance….the sliding backwards. I am afraid I might get burned out on this and quit. I already feel negative before I even step out of the bed on Saturday mornings…..and on run days…..I watch the clock dreading the run……that sucks……I hate this.
All in all the race was just OK….it was the 1rst Purple Stride in BHAM and it was not well attended. The course was ok with one tough hill….the shirts were not race shirts. ….they were standard organization shirts. We will pass on this one next year……good cause with only so so race day appeal.

We woke up groggy after having a rough night at our hotel. They had us on the 2nd floor at the mouth of the open stairwell which leads to the bar. The music and euro marathoners laughing it up kept us up past midnight. Several calls went to the front desk were dismissed until I walked down in person….5 mins later we had a new room on a quiet floor. The race was in front of the UN bldg and was a 10 minute walk from the hotel. Made it there and found about 5-6 thousand runners ready to go. A majority of them were marathoners out to stretch their legs. We ran into a few LSU folks and wished them luck in smacking around the sidewalk nation (Bama – Sidewalk means a fan that has no affiliation to a school other than buying a t-shirt at a swap meet). Had fun listening to the 50 different languages being spoken by fellow runners. It was a slow start, but once we cleared a few people it was great. I ran my ass off for the first 2 miles and then realized that there was no way I was running the miles as slow as the markers were telling me. You don’t run 75 races and not know how to read your pace. The run up 42nd to 6th was great. A nice incline, but the crowds were nice and running in NYC was awesome. Had a few near misses with people crossing the streets and such. Pam was with me the whole time. She was in pain and stayed with me the whole time. I am worried that her injury will never go away. IT band injuries are tough, but she is like me…stubborn to fix it. We made it into Central Park where I slowed up due to fitness and being pissed at the fact I ran my butt off for no reason (more later). Like the NYC Half….the damn thing was long….not by a little….a lot. Now I know that courses are measured a certain way and that you have to run them just right…..but not almost .19 off. Anyways…..a horrible time….even for me in my shape. We crossed the finish line (Marathon finish line) and promptly left. I will run NYC next year and then I am done with NYC for the most part.
The next morning we got up and headed to Central Park Ave and watched the elites pass…..and about an hour and a half of the faster runners. It was tough…..but I will be ready next year. It has been a tough year all around for us, but we will overcome and make 2012 a far better year.
Oh…..and I ate way too freaking much in NY…..waaay toooo much.
We had a good time without the pressure of a major race to focus on. We walked the city in places we did not go to on our last 2 visits. We slept a lot too…..the room was blacked out (Interior room) and after weeks of working and training…..we needed the break. We went to “Wicked” which Pam loved…..we had a blast.
I can’t wait for 2012. I took being out of it better than I thought I would….watching the many people walking around with their medals the next two days while out and about. I was envious, but motivated….I did it once 11 months ago and I can do it again…except healthy and fit…..I have been a failure at that this year. Took a picture at the Water Taxi pier and will have take another after the marathon next year to compare the changes that are upcoming….2012 will be far better….because I am so much smarter and unburdened than 2011…….
Here I come NY……Just watch and see!
I would recommend the race to anyone up for the marathon. Pam and our oldest are going to run it if Pam does not get in to the marathon….heck…I might just go out and jog it for a fun warm up! The shirt was great, but for 55$ it better be!

Calera, AL – Sunny – 60

I will be running just 5Ks for the rest of the year sadly. My injuries are just to many and to deep to do anything else….
This morning I woke up with dead legs and my back hurting. I did not want to run at all, but we went anyways….
Pam and I met with Emily and we warmed up and then we were off. I ran this last year and the course is one of the flatter runs out there. I was expecting to feel ok for that reason alone, but that was not the case. I am back to the days of “run like hell for 1.5 and hang on for 1.6″….todays rendition was awful. I felt good for a mile and then my legs went dead at the 2 mile mark. The last mile was on a street under going construction with the asphalt torn up….this killed me. My hip was screaming by the time I finished (1 min 20 seconds off from last year). Not happy…..we then ran the fun run which I only started doing this month….for a cool down. Pam did ok in the race…she is averaging 2 mins off her pace due to IT band….she is taking one more month before marathon training…..me? I have no idea what I am doing….its like I am just wasting my time…..I feel horrible all of the time…..”me….shaking my head”…..nice shirt though……the post race stuff lacked…no food….no door prizes….no results….and the results were delayed a week and they were all wrong….a common theme with local races these days
The Shirt was nice though even if it was a tech shirt….it seems everyone is going to the tech shirt. I want Cotton…..I don’t need tech as I have my own running gear. It must be cheaper for tech these days……..give me a nice Gilden cotton shirt!!
It’s a good race, but needs help with logistics. There was one dude handing out water at the halfway point….the post race was seriously lacking and the timing was totally shot. I would recommend it for the course alone……but if there are better runs that day…..I would go with those. It’s a week before NYC next year….and I might take that weekend off to relax and prepare for the trip. I will say this….they did make up for the god awful shirt they gave out last year. That was one Miami Vice meets a bad Hanes shirt.
On second thought