Strappin on the Shoes

Since the half marathon I've had a hard time getting back out on the path. Once again I've proven that for me to really stay motivated, I need to have something to get ready for. Since the race I think I've only been out 3 or 4 times and have really taken it easy on the mileage.

I registered for the Full Moon 5K and was a bit nervous what the time off would do to me. I managed to get out a couple of times prior to the race and I was surprised that the time off really didn't hurt me as much as I thought it would.

The Full Moon 5K was great last night. It was a full race, with nearly 500 particpants (are we having a running boom in  Fargo?) and plenty of support along the way. There were a few scary customers lurking behind the bushes. One managed to scare the bee-jeezus out of my co-worker Abbey. We had a good laugh about that.

I came up 2 seconds short of my goal time. I guess I'm ok with that, but a bit disappointed. I actually thought I was further behind than 2 seconds, so I'll take it.

The Jingle Bell 5K is December 5. No doubt I'll need some cold weather gear for that. Any suggestions?

Posted by: tkurtz on 11/4/2009 at 1:22 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Photos from the FM Half Marathon

My wife was a big time trooper on Saturday. 8 1/2 month pregnant she was the mobile photographer, finding me at 3 different locations. And I gotta give E some credit for hangning with mom in the cold.

Posted by: tkurtz on 10/13/2009 at 10:59 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Successful Day on the Path

It was an amazing day on the path yesterday at the inaugural FM Half marathon. What an outstanding course the race organizers put together. I'll post a longer recap later, but I was able to overcome the elements and survive the mental game.

Going in I wanted to accomplish three goals - 1) Finish it, 2) Without having walk, 3) Don't embarass myself. I was able to accomplish the first two, and by my standards, that allowed me to accomplish the third. I was a bit slower than I expected - no, than I wanted - but to finish without walking seemed like an extraordinary accomplishment.

This was my first race, and everyone was right. The competitiveness and just the race itself will help you gut through the last couple of miles. And that's exactly what I did.

The conditions were brutal and surprisingly, I didn't even shed any layers, gloves or headgear. I was actually fairly cold throughout the race.

More to come later. Mission accomplished for now. Now I just need to get my wife to stop talking about 26.2.

Posted by: tkurtz on 10/11/2009 at 7:50 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

The Mental Game

I'm a couple of hours away from my first half marathon. As I sit, nervously waiting, I can't but think what a mental game this is. The weather is going to be horriffic. Temps in the 20's and 20 mph winds. I just keep telling myself it's all out of my control. The only in my control is my fitness level. And I have done absolutely everything possible to be race ready today.

Sure the weather is a bit of a curve ball. I certainly wouldn't go out for a run today. But it is what it is and I can't control it.

So I'm going to go out to the starting line and put my best foot forward.

Posted by: tkurtz on 10/10/2009 at 6:16 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

12 in the bag

Last Saturday marked the furthest I'll run prior to the half marathon. I had logged a 10 miler prior, had a weekend "off" with the Northshore Inline Marathon, then had some decisions to make. At the advice of some running friends, I elected to go out for 12 miles and then start to dial it back the next couple of weeks.

It was an interesting 12 miles. I vowed to learn from my past mistakes and brought plenty of water, a granola bar and a GU. I even planned a stop at the gas station for a Gatorade.

All in all I can't complain about how it went. I fell into the trap of walking a few times. Those shennanigans started around mile 8. My heart rate was much higher than normal, even though my spits weren't where I wanted them to be.

I say I can't complain because I achieved my goal... Finishing. At this point that's all I'm hoping for. I would love to say I finished the half without walking  once, or finished it in whatever time... but I'm just not going to set myself up for that. Finishing 12 without quitting was a huge confidence builder for me. I really didn't know if I could do it. Sure there's part of me that still has some doubt for 13.1, but everyone I talk to thinks I'm good to go if I can do 12 miles.

I did suffer a nasty blood blister after the 12 miler. It's Thursday night and I've been out of the shoes for a full 4 days. It felt good to get an easy 5 miler in tonight, even though it was on the treadmill at the Y. I figure I'll do 3 or 4 tomorrow, 6 or 7 on Saturday, then maybe a couple of easy 3 milers early next week before the race.

I'm in the homestretch. I've done everything I can. Now it's just a matter of going out and doing it.

Posted by: tkurtz on 10/1/2009 at 10:55 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink