Getting to know you (Pt. 1)

So I decided since it is the off season I will add a couple posts, that help people get to know me better.
This post is very simple. It is just showing one of my hobbies.

Photography
Here are some of the many pictures I have taken. I like to take pictures for fun :).

Spokane Marathon 5miler/ EWU Invitational

I was very excited for this race. I have not raced in a while and getting some racing in would be fun!! I wasn't too nervous for this race. It's a fun run, so you are suppose to have fun!! I did not matter where I finished. I had no idea where my fitness was at, and this would be a great test. First things first. This race was COLD!!! I am a big wimp for cold wheather, but once I got racing i forgot all about the cold wheather. Besides I had my proper warm up attire on.
Hey when it gets cold you have to take things seriously(full head gear required)! Kurt from Runners Soul counted us down and sent us out on our way. From the start I took it out quick. I quickly found a comfortable pace and settled in. At this time I would like to talk to all the athletes out there about over hydration. They had 3 water stations on a 5 mile run, and two of the stations you pass twice. Many people were stopping 5 times to gulp down water!! I think it is ok to have a water station every mile in an Ironman, but in a 5 mile race, you have got to be kidding me! I felt very comfortable throughout the race. I just followed the lead biker ahead of me, and tried to maintain my pace. With about a mile and a half left to go. I decided to turn on the cruise control. I had a race the next weekend and I didn't want to beat up my body from all the pavement running of this race. So with cruise control set I finished my race. My time was 26:34 That was good enough for 5:20 per mile. I only wish this was a 10k, I definently felt like I could have kept my pace going, if not run a much faster pace the last mile. This would have put me at a high 32min-low 33min 10k. Oh well there is always time.




One week later I had a race that was the same distance, but with much harder competition. I decided to run the EWU cross country invitational unattached. I wanted to run a race where I would get my butt kicked. I needed some people to push me harder and make me tougher.

I was a little bit nervous going into this race because I did not want to be last. I was Ok with second to last, but last place is not something I am ok with. The reason I was nervous for this was because these guys train close to 100 mils a week, and I only run 20-30miles a week. This is a huge difference in performance levels. The one thing I was afraid of was a very fast start! In triathlon you get off the bike recover a little bit, and then build into your pace. In running races it is much different. Usually you go out very fast, somewhat shocking the body, then you try to settle in for the middle, and at the end you take it up a gear. This style of racing puts you into oxygen debt from the start.
To my surprise the race started out pretty slow, and I found myself up in the top 3 for a little while. I knew later on in the race I would be nowhere near the front, but figured hey this position will work for now. We went through mile 1 at 5:15 and it was a much slower first mile than I anticipated. Sweet!! From here the hammer came down and the pace took off. I held on as best as i could and when it was all said and done I ended up 17th out of about 60 runners. I ended up running an almost identical time to the week before. I ran 26:35. There was one big difference though. The race before had no hills what soever. This race was a very hilly cross country course, It had a steep hill in the course that we ran 3 times. SO I was ok with running an Identical time on a course that was probably 3 times as hard.
It is two days after the race and I still cannot walk. My legs are not sore at all. I have an achilles tendon that is swollen like crazy, and doesn't wan't me to walk. I hopefully can get it healed up in time for the Tri-Fusion 5k. the last week I only ran 3 days, trying to nurse the injury,and sooner or later these weeks of sparse running will catch up to me and my fitness will collapse. Oh whel I am very thankful that I got to race. I would also like to thank Matt for coming out and watching me at the EWU invitational. He was my cheer squad, and I apreaciate his comming out to watch a ton. So if you wondering where I am this whole week. I am probably at PT or icing my leg!

My new bike for the 09 season!

Starting next year I will be riding a new bike. I decided I need to get more aero. My transitions might be a little slower though.

A new Feeling

The feeling hit me on Thursday. I was running up Tower Mountain with a local high school cross country team. The run started easy with casual chit chat and joking around, but after a couple miles things started to change. The laughing and talking slowly disappeared, and the heavy breathing began. Starting at mile 1.2 of this run the hill begins and it does not loose a grip on you until mile 5.2. With every mile runners began to drop, and soon it was just Adam and I charging side by side to the top of the mountain.

I must say I have never run a road that teases you more. It climbs and climbs, and when you think you have reached the top, the pitch gets steeper and the hill reveals that it isn’t about to give up. After you get off the road, you then hit a trail that makes you wish you could go back to the tolerable pain that the road inflicted. Hitting the last long climb, my legs were begging me to Stop, my lungs were about to explode, and every ounce of my body was begging to concede to the mountain before me. The only thing that kept me going was my mind. I felt this strong urge to push my body harder than I have ever pushed it before, Raising the bar and stretching the limit.

In years past I pull back when pain approaches. In high school my strategy was to train so I feel no pain when I race. I avoided and hated this pain that would occur in my legs. But on this day I find myself taking pain to its own limit. I was seeing how much a dose of itself that pain could take. Enjoying this exploration of the limit of my pain is something not too often experienced by me. I reached the top of the mountain and it felt great. I knew I ran hard, but more importantly I learned to beat pain, and use it to motivate myself.

Now that the top was reached it was time to finish the rest of the run. The remainder of the run winds back down the mountain, and back to the school. The climb is only for five miles, but the whole run ends up being twelve miles. Looking back at my times I realized the 5 mile climb, was run at 6:38 pace. Not too bad for steep uphill running. I ended my run in 1 hour 13 min. coming down a mountain really helps your time J. That night I had an hour swim, after a bite to eat and some homework it was time for bed. The only thought spinning in my head, was an excitement to race.