Country Music Half (aka Matt's beat down)

So this race taught me some very valuable lessons:

1. Don't ever forget your electronic timing chip at your hotel room.
2. If you violate 1, don't wait until you are a mile and a half from you hotel, 30 minutes before the race to realize it.
3. Don't forget rule 1.

As you can tell this race started off with some unexpected stress when I realized I left my timing chip at the hotel.  I was able to get into my starting corral in time to hear them start the race, but I would not suggest the 3 mile warm-up run.  And this is my public acknowledgment that my father may have been right that this would be a hilly, difficult course...but of course that just meant I wanted to run it even more.  Let's just say it was an learning experience.

This race taught me a lot of things, but above all else it was a humbling experience.  I grew up watching UM Football and was always engrossed by the swagger of the Jimmy Johnson teams of the 80's.  There was something about it that always entertained and impressed me...they weren't just good, but they made sure you knew it.  I have been accused of having a "little bit" of the cockiness when I participate in sports and I always have believed that even if something was physically tough I could suck it up and power through; this race taught me that sometimes you reach a point where even being tough can't overcome your body's limitations.

The race started pretty well, which was good given my pre-race...warm-up.  Around the 3 mile mark the race turns uphill and I realized that the race was going to be tough - no pr for me - but I thought I would be able to push through.  I was cruising at an even pace and then at mile 10 my body decided that it had run a half marathon already; it was not pleased when I had to inform it we had a 5k left.  The amount of fans throughout the race were great, however it made having to walk tough because any time I had to walk I would think "don't look like such a wimp in front of all these people" and would start running again.  Some of the signs were also very creative and funny, which helped keep me going; the best of any race so far was one with a 6 foot cut-out of Prof. Dumbledore with the sign saying "Run like you know who is chasing you!" (Harry Potter reference for those of you not in "the know").


I had to stop 3-4 different times, the last being with about a mile left in the race.  That was the worst of the stops because it was so close to the end, but with my hands shaking and my bloodsugar bottoming out, sometimes you do what you have to do.    After a minute walk, I ran the rest of the way in and finished the race.  Following 2 gatorades, 3 waters and every post-race snack available, I started to feel better.  I took so much food after the race it looked like I had robbed a grocery store.

After the race I got to spend some time recovering with Kathy and her dad, I must say that the foot ice baths were a life saver when my calves started cramping.  It was great to see Kathy and her dad, especially since she created the Challenge for her mom.  I also caught up with my old teammate Luke after the race (Luke, by the way, now weighs 235 which is down from his 300lb playing weight and ran a personal best of 1:38! Incredible).  



















A big selling point of the Rock n' Roll series is the post-race concert at night, which featured Montgomery Gentry - a personal favorite of mine.  Rocking the cowboy boots and belt buckle, hanging out with some good friends and listening to some great country music made this race all worth it.  

Luke sporting the Medal all night

"Back when I knew it all"

Want to give a special shoutout to Ryan and Stacy and their two beautiful daughters who I got to see in Nashville too - I even got a souvenir drawing from Macy.

This was my first of the Rock n Roll series and I can absolutely say I am looking forward to running more.  The fan support was incredible and all the people out cheering on all the runners was what helped me push through and keep running.  The bands and the music are fantastic.  

Sometimes the challenge isn't the running, but learning about yourself while you run.  Nashville I will see you next year, and I will be ready.

National Half

Thanks to the NCAA Bracket Committee's decision to put Duke in the West bracket I was not able to go to the Sweet 16 and was able to run the National Half Marathon in DC.  If you haven't noticed, this race was only 6 days after the NYC Half, so I was definitely not expecting to fly through this race.  I decided to take the approach that I would just run the race at whatever pace my body feels good at and I wouldn't push it....that didn't quite work out.  I ended up running approximately the same time as I did in NY.

This course is advertised as a fast course, despite the few hills, and they were not kidding.  The first 3 miles I thought my watch was off because I was on pace to run 1:45.  Eventually I set back into a good rhythm and felt pretty good.  There is something about running through our Nation's capital that really appealed to me.  I can't really describe the feeling but as you see the Capital building and the monuments it makes me think about our history and how much we have done as a Country in such a short time.  Maybe it was the vibe of the city that pushed me through this race, but there was something empowering about the city.

It was also the start of the cherry blossom festival in DC, which was my first time there.  It was peaceful sitting out by the Washginton Monument sitting under the blooming cherry blossoms, walking around the lake and just sitting at the Jefferson Memorial (my favorite) and looking out over our Capital.  It was one of the most relaxing days I have had in a while (even with the running part).

Kathy ran this race and, as usual, she rocked it! It was great to see her, Adam (her boyfriend) and her sister Kristen who both braved the cold and early morning to come cheer us on.  We met up later on in the evening to have dinner and celebrate completing her 3rd race and my 4th of the challenge  It's amazing how quickly we have gotten through these races already.

New York City Half Marathon

I would never schedule the race on the first weekend of March Madness...I forgot to inform the race organizers that the Saturday before the race is my annual march madness mayhem bbq that runs all day with ribs, fajitas and all kinds of other foods, so we should run the race a different weekend; this is not race fuel in case you were wondering.  Luckily I survived my own stupidity, so we got have a great time watching some hoops and it didn't ruin the race.

This was the most well organized, and coldest, race I have run.  The race started at 35 degrees and somehow I decided to dress like it was going to be 50...not a smart move.  Other than that, the NY Road Runners have race organization down to a science.  They have the best signage, clocks/mile markers and some amazing volunteers.  


You will see in some of the pictures my shirt says "Dash for Dad."  The NYC Half Marathon is such a popular race, that you either have to run for a charity or get selected in the lottery.  I unfortunately did not get a lottery spot, so I decided to donate to and run on behalf of Project Zero, a charity meant to help fight prostate cancer.  My grandfather fought and ultimately succumbed to Prostate Cancer, so it was a great cause to run for on top of the 11, 12, 13 Challenge.

The first 7-8 miles was run through Central Park, which if you haven't done before is gorgeous.  You run through the park, and other than the skyline you can see at some places, the tree cover tricks you into thinking that you running someplace other than the biggest city in the world.  

Once you leave the park, you remember where you are as you run down 7th avenue towards Times Square.  I have been to Times Square a bunch of times, but without a single cab honking or 10,000 tourists taking the same picture, it has a much different vibe.  I almost tripped over the uneven pavement multiple times as I looked up at the Coca-Cola sign, the giant billboards for all the shows and the news tickers running the mornings' news updates.  It was like VIP treatment for 10,000 (the number of runners) of my closest friends as they close off the busiest intersection in the city.  

The race finished heading south towards the financial district and the under construction Freedom Tower at Ground Zero.

I worked for a summer overlooking Ground Zero and its great to finally see the Freedom Tower going up.  I know there has been great controversy regarding the decision to build such a massive building in that location, especially with 1776 feet.  But to me it represents what we stand for here, you may knock us down but we are going to pick ourselves up and rebuild ourselves bigger and stronger than ever.  

That's the mentality we are taking to the challenge, no one said its supposed to be easy, but we are going to face it head-on and will be stronger at the end of it.  Hopefully what Kathy and I are doing will help empower her mom to keep fighting and know that she is not doing this alone.

Goldsboro Heart and Sole Half Marathon

Race Number 2 in Goldsboro, NC.  Not sure where that is?  I didn't either, here is a link to the map, but it's about an hour and a half east of Durham.  It made for a perfect excuse to head back to the dirty D and catch up with some friends.  I was worried that my time and the way I ran in Orlando would be a fluke, especially because I had to push so much to catch Kathy at the end.  Luckily during this race I met a very friendly guy named Keith who was running at a good pace and made for a good conversation during the middle five miles of the race (still amazed I can say "middle five miles").  I actually took out one of my earphones while we ran together, it's pretty interesting the sounds of running when you aren't listening to music...the sound of your own breathing, your feet hitting the pavement.  The rhythmic sound of both are enough to help you get lost in your thoughts.

The race itself was pretty straight forward, not a lot of people but some very friendly volunteers.  The weather held until about miles 10-12, when we got dumped on by a rain, but it ended up being the cleansing rain that you look for in the spring or on a warm summer's night rather than the cold miserable rain of the winter....made me hope that spring was going to come early this year. (Update: I was way off on that thought). 

Now it is all about finishing the race, but it is nice to get a cool medal at the end of the race, unfortunately this race did not have one, so the race t-shirt will have to suffice.

This race was pleasant, but definitely was not overly memorable.  Part of the challenge is about getting caught in the experience and finding fun races in fun places to run.  That being said, being out in the NC trees and country was oddly comforting, like I was back home after being gone for a while.