Las Vegas Half - Final race

12 races run, 12 races completed.  After 10 months, and 25 days, Kathy and I have both completed the challenge.  Despite the year’s ups and downs, and the challenges we faced both physically and emotionally, we each persevered and completed the challenge we set out to finish 12 months ago.  To be fair, Kathy finished the challenge a few weeks ago and actually ran a full marathon as one of her races (overachiever); so my Vegas run marked the final race for the team.  Although this last race ended up not having the most ideal circumstances, the challenge itself was an amazing experience and I will look back on it with pride and with a sense of accomplishment.


Now as a bit of background, the trip to Vegas ended up being a belated 30^th birthday celebration for my friend Richard and myself (yes I am actually 30 years old now).  I am blessed with some amazing friends who made the effort and expense to come to Vegas for this trip (and there were a few others who did the best they could, but were just unable to make it).  This group includes my brother, who always comes through for me when I need him; best big brother a guy could ask for.  It is an amazing thing to realize that this group of guys actually put up with me and are willing to come out and support me.  I want to give special recognition to my friend JR Stevenson, who not only came to Vegas for the trip but also participated in his first ever half marathon ever on behalf of the challenge.  Thank you JR!

JR and I before the race

Now this trip is made up of two elements: 1) the amazing trip; and 2) the horrendously organized race.  As a brief background, I arrived on Thursday night with my friend Richard and the race was run on Sunday night at 5:30.  Now I know what you are all thinking: disaster.  However, I will say that I was actually ready to run the race, both mentally and physically, however the Rock n’ Roll series had other plans.  I will summarize the rest of the weekend in a moment.

The race itself had 44,000 people signed up: approximately 8,000 marathoners and 36,000 half-marathoners.  That is a lot of people.  The race started in front of the Mandalay Bay and my group was staying at the Wynn/Encore, which is 2.75 miles (apparently) from the Mandalay Bay.  The strip was shut down for the race, but there were complementary shuttles running from our hotel to the starting area.  JR and I got in line at 4:30 for the shuttle…at 5:10, with still two busses worth of people in front of us, we decided to walk to the starting line.  Not the best decision we admit, but we were - ok, I was - too impatient to wait any more.  It was a long walk and we eventually started the race at 6:11pm, 41 minutes late.  In fairness, we only started 5 minutes after the people in line with us, but it was still a stupid idea on my part.

How crowded the race was when I finished.

There were almost 40 starting groups, I was assigned to group 4 and JR to group 17…we started last.  And I don’t mean in the last group, I mean the lights at the start were off and they had already re-arranged the barricades at the start from starting corrals to direct people towards the finish line.  We actually had to jump 3 fences to get to the start line and GOT HECKLED, playfully, by the starting line announcers; they told us to be careful for the fences and wished the two us luck on the race… although I was not pumped to be hopping fences, it still cracked me up.  Who else gets a personal starting message from the announcers?

I apparently was feeling like a dork when I saw my friends

Given frustration before the race, after the first quarter mile when JR and I caught the marathoners entering the half-marathon course (marathoners started at 4pm), I took off running at a sub-eight minute pace.  Now this was a great idea until I actually caught the half-marathon group.  Apparently there were 20,000 “race walkers” and I ended up weaving through race-walker traffic for the first 8-9 miles of the race.  I have to say I feel bad for the marathoners, as they had to do the same – talk about the worst way to run the last half of a marathon.  Although there was a designated marathon lane to the left of the road, the walkers moved over took up the entire road making it a total disaster.  I had to come to a complete stop multiple times throughout the race.

I was able to catch my brother and friends right before the 3 mile mark and it was inspiring having people at the race cheering me on – this was the first time I had this in all 12 races.  After briefly talking to them, I took off again. Officially ran 13.1 miles in 2 hours.   According to my watch I ran 13.75 miles in 1hr 57min.  I consider that a victory giving the conditions.  In fact, it turns out that some people even got sick and had to go to the hospital from the water handed out at the race.  Rock n’ Roll caught a lot of negative reviews from this race.

Feeling good after the race

JR was feeling his first half

I admit that my experience would have been significantly different had I started in my group, but overall the race was just oversold and they were not equipped to hand this many people.  Although I would never, ever run this race again, I wouldn’t trade the weekend for anything in this world.  It is also fitting that my last race was a challenge – if it were easy, everyone would do it.

The Medal (it glows in the dark)

The boys and I had an amazing weekend, from a big birthday celebration night out Friday night, to JR, Alex and I skydiving Saturday morning, my daily chicken and waffle breakfast, and dinner at SW Steakhouse after the race to celebrate the completion of the challenge.  It was an amazing weekend and I am thankful everyday for the friends I have in my life.

The Brooks Boys - cheer up some Steven!

SJ, Jeremy and JR

Alex and I before jumping from a plane

As a side note, Kathy actually got a concussion and was unable to participate, but I have to give her a special recognition here for both her amazing achievement in completing the Challenge she created and more so for inspiring me to actually participate.  I always swore I would never run a half marathon, much less 12, and she had me on board from the beginning. 

Looking back over the 12 months, the Challenge was an amazing success and we both want to thank all of you for your support.  You have no idea the difference you have made in her mother’s life, her family’s life and to the National Psoriasis Foundation.  I am in awe at the outpouring of support we received and want to thank each of you for sticking with us these 12 months.  Although the fight never ends, this year has shown the difference belief can make.  Thank you!

End of the day, it's all about the Challenge

Savannah Half Marathon (updated)

Finally! It only took 7 races, but I finally got back down under 1:50! I know these races are more about finishing and less about the time, but it was really starting to get old that I could not get back to that time.  We’ll ignore that this was a fast course and a 14 year old girl beat her own age group world record at this race with a 1:17. . . .

I was excited to run this race mainly because it gave me an opportunity to go to Savannah, GA which I have wanted to for a while.  I love getting to the South and Savannah is one the prettiest historic cities in the South.  Savannah, at least the historic district by the water where the race started, is all old historic buildings from the 1800’s.  Most have been restored or renovated, but as you walk around the city you still get the feeling you could be walking around in 1911 rather than 2011.

The race expo was in the convention center across the river form downtown Savannah, so you could take a free sightseeing bus or the ferry to the center.  I took the bus over and we got a little tour and history of Savannah and took the ferry back since it took about ¼ of the time the bus took.

The race itself started in the heart of the downtown historic district and ran out from the city.  It was perfect weather, starting out around 48-50 degrees with a high around 60 for the day.  I was over ambitious when I registered and put my expected time at 1:48 so I ended up in corral 3.  I thought it was overreaching at this point, but stuck with it anyway.  I knew I couldn’t run with the 1:45 pace group, but there was a 3:40 marathon pace group so I decided to run with them to start since it would get me to the finish around 1:50. 

The race route took us out from downtown to the middle of nowhere outskirts of the city, which is ordinarily pretty boring but the morning was clear and cloudless and the people in the pace group were very pleasant and fun that the distance just flew by.  In fact, I was feeling so good I forgot to take my gu-pack at my usual 4-mile mark.  I took it as a sign I didn’t need two this race and only took one at the 6-mile mark.

It was around the 7-mile mark that I realized I felt good enough to pick up the pace, so I left the pace group and started to cruise a little faster.  At eight-miles it was apparently the place that spectators are told to watch the runners because it was PACKED.  It was like we came up to the finish line.  There were so many people, that the 3 lane road was squeezed to one lane.  We were running right into the sun and the only way to see where you were going was to follow the line of spectators.  I had to keep myself from really speeding up here, the enthusiasm from the crowd was infectious.

After that I hit a groove and kept running at my pace.  I realized at the 10 mile mark I could PR the race and ended up picking up the pace and ran a 7:30 mile.  This was a little fast but then I screwed up trying to scale it back some and my 11^th mile was too slow.  I pushed at the end, almost hitting a full sprint to finish the race (see below) but I knew I wasn’t going to PR.  After I crossed the finish line I just felt good, not tired, not worn out, just like I had a good work out and the strong finish made me feel good.  As it turns out I ran 1:49:08, which was only 37 seconds off my PR so that was exciting.  At this point it was time for the post-race music and beer.

 

After the race, I was able to go to a Mexican restaurant that turned the Duke/Miami football game on for me - great except for the score - and had those $7.59 beers. It was a great place to relax after the race until I met up with my friend Heather and her boyfriend Jim for dinner and continued drinking.  Heather ran the half marathon and kicked my butt with a 1:38:30, and Jim ran the full marathon and finished with an impressive 3:27:31.  The only annoying thing was that they both felt they ran slow…I hate fast people.  We concluded our evening with Guiness and the Alabama/LSU snoozefest, I mean defense struggle; as a former kicker it was torture to watch.

One thing I love about Savannah is something many people complain about: the smell.  Savannah has a paper mill nearby that, as anyone who has been around one could tell you, has a distinctive aroma that is generally not very pleasant.  However, for me it reminds me of the paper mill near my grandparents’ house in North Charleston, SC where I would spend time every summer.

All in all it was the perfect race day: flat and fast course, cool weather with clear skies, good friends, and cheap cold beer in a city you can walk around.  Every race should be in Savannah.

Tune in shortly for the 12^th and final race which is taking place on the Strip in Las Vegas…this one is going to get interesting.

Grand Slam Medal for running 4 Rock n' Roll Series
races in a calendar year.

New York 10k (updated)

Although this race did not count towards the 12, it still is worth writing a little something about.  I decided to sign up for this because it was one of the Rock n’ Roll races and would make for a good training run two weeks before Savannah (my 11^th half).  The race was a 10k (6.2 miles), which makes up roughly 2 laps around Prospect Park in Brooklyn.  I generally find ways to avoid going to Brooklyn, due to the overwhelming number of “hipsters,” but this was reasonable exception.

The weather was perfect, sunny and about 52 degrees at race start.  I decided to try and make this a speed workout, of sorts, and wanted to break 50 minutes, which would put me right around 8 min per mile.  The race had one hill at the 2 mile and 4 mile mark, which was not fun, but the rest was slightly rolling or down hill so it was a pretty even course.  I pushed myself at the end and ended up finishing at 49:57; it was very satisfying to reach my time goal and gives me hope to get back under 1:50 in two weeks.

The best part about this race was that I had some good friends running it as well.  Giuseppe (“Pep”) and JR decided to sign up for the race as a test to see if they would be able to run the Vegas half with me in December.  Both of them ran great and I am ever hopeful they will pull it together and run the final race with me.  3 other friends – Stephanie, Vinny and Jonathan – also ran the race, and of course they did a fantastic job running.

Vinny and Pep Pre-Race

JR, Vinny, Stephanie and I had a pre-race meal at Lil’ Frankies, which was highlighted by some delicious pizza, Gnocchi by me and 2 bottles of wine (somehow we thought this was a good idea).  It did help for a sound sleep - but definitely made our 6am meet up time a little rough.  Vinny was nice enough to drive all 6 of us to Brooklyn, and let me tell you, you really get to know someone when you see them at 6am in the morning and are driving someplace that none of us were familiar with.

Vinny and Steph feeling good post-race

We got there in plenty of time and despite a little griping about the cold, the time of day and the parking situation, we all got started without much of a hitch.  I have to say the best part of this race was having some great friends to start the race with and being able to go cheer them on as they finished.  We met up after the race for a couple complimentary beers provided by the Rock n’ Roll series.  I couldn’t have asked for a better race or better group of people to share it with.  It’s amazing I only have 2 races left of this challenge…it has gone by so quickly!

Yep, it's real.

6 Happy Racers

As usual, Rock n' Roll did a great job with the medal:

Triple Crown - for running 3 Rock n' Roll Series Races

Staten Island Half Marathon

Now that was a good race.  I am not sure if it was the weather, the course or my conditioning, but this race felt a hundred times better than the last race, and it showed with my best time since March.  Although not my fastest race, it was a 7 minute improvement from two weeks prior.  Time may not be everything, but it certainly is indicative of how I felt during the race.  All in all, it felt like I was close to being back to my running form earlier in the year (I even had a kick at the end).

The race was on Staten Island, NY, which is the least accessible borough in NY.  The only way to get there is by take a cab and a ferry; subways are not an option.  Luckily my good friend Giuseppe was kind enough to wake up and go over to Staten Island with me, where he grew up, and kind of usher me along.  He even stuck around the island to hang out afterwards - had to give him a special shout out here.


The race started on the north end of Staten Island facing north towards Manhattan: as is fitting for NY, it actually started in the Staten Island Yankees’ stadium parking lot.  We ran through “downtown” Staten, along the water, then turned around and came back.  The course seemed like it was going to be pretty flat, and it was except for what I dubbed heartbreak ridge of Staten; this was an incline that rose 100ft. in a ¼ mile – that is a steep incline for a race.  Downtown had a bit of incline at the end, but was nothing terrible.

Good feeling at the finish

Finished Strong

Because the race was along the water there was a gentle breeze the whole race, even when we ran through the barbed wire fenced in shipping areas (which is what you really would think of when you think of Staten Island.

The best part about this race was probably getting there and the view from the start.  If you have not been to NY, the Staten Island ferry (free to all passengers) leaves from financial district in Manhattan, which is not far from Ground Zero.  The ferry takes you directly past the Statue of Liberty and upon arrival on Staten Island you have an unobstructed view of Manhattan across the water where you can see the Freedom Tower.  The best place to see Manhattan from this area is from the 9/11 memorial built on the water’s edge.  Looking back to Manhattan in the morning, the fog along the water made it look like Manhattan was rising out of the mist.

Waiting for the Staten Island Ferry

Battery Park/Downtown

I have mentioned patriotism and US pride many times in this blog and I have to say, NY brings it out of me more than any other place.  There are patriotic people all over, especially in the South – which I love, but New York is truly unique.  People outside New York see its people as rough, course and rude.  But once you live here and spend time around New Yorkers, you will quickly realize they really are the embodiment of the spirit of our country.  You have a mix of every type of person from every walk of life.  They may not agree on everything – or anything - but when they come together they are a force to be reckoned with.  As Yankee haters have learned, the one thing you do not want to do is pick a fight with a New Yorker because they rally behind each other better than any other group of people – just like Americans.  And just like this country, you may knock us down and think you have hurt us, but all you have done is brought us together to unite as one.  When we rally together, we are one heck of a force.  And no matter what happens, we will rebuild and rise above the mist.

This is the flag with the names of all the victims of 9/11 -
He ran the entire half marathon with it.

Hamptons' Half Marathon

If the race in Providence was fun and enjoyable, then this race has to be categorized as cerebral and pensive.  I do not mean that in the sense that it was a mental battle to finish, but that the course allowed me to get lost in my thoughts. 

The race was in East Hampton, NY at the beginning of the fall, thus the leaves were just starting to change color and the weather was cool, but not cold.  It was supposed to rain, but luckily that held off during the race leaving it 70 degrees and humid.

Pre-race.  A little hazy

The race wound through the back streets of East Hampton, which are heavily tree lined and all the homes are set back from the road as if they are back in the woods; it was almost as if you were running through the forest.  Occasionally the course would take us through wide-open fields that seemed to emerge out of nowhere.  Canvassing the fields was a layer of fog caused by the humidity.  The venture through the fog was always short lived; as quickly as we entered the field, the road took us back across the tree line. 

Although we mostly ran through these seemingly isolated areas, there were still a number of spectators: people out supporting the runners were at many of the intersections where we made our turns - a special recognition has to go to the American Cancer Society and Team in Training for Leukemia (which holds a special place due to my Grandmother).

The sleeves were down, so
I was still doing ok.

Missed my start group

The 11-mile mark hits right along the beach to the Long Island Sound, so you get a breeze off the water and a relaxing view of the open water, which is refreshing so close to the end.  There were even girl scouts handing out water at the turn around at this point, sadly they didn't have any tagalongs or thin mints - yes, I asked.

Yep, that big a dork even 11.5 miles in.

The finish was at the local elementary school and there was a great showing of fan support from runners’ families and friends.  Overall it was a well-managed race and I bet it is great to run on a cool, sunny, fall day.  My finish time was not great, for whatever reason I just did not have it today.  I wasn't exhausted or struggling, I just couldn't crank it up another gear - even my finishing kick didn't have very much kick.

That look about sums it up.

Mixed feelings about the race

I mentioned earlier that this race was more cerebral and pensive and I probably should explain what I meant.  As you are running through the trees, especially during the longer stretches of the race with just trees, you quickly develop tunnel vision and it is almost as if you are out on the road by yourself.  The only occasional interruption came from Nicki Minaj, Pitbull or some other up-tempo song playing on my iPod.  During these stretches I found myself lost in thought on things that have been on my mind: thoughts of life, my future, my family, missed opportunities, girls that have come and gone or related issues (told you it was deep) and of course Laurie Markham and her perseverance - she is the one who I am running these races for in case you have forgotten.  I finally had the opportunity to think about things that get pressed to the back of my consciousness for the day to day necessities. 

At one point during the race a woman ran past me with a shirt saying "In memory of Mary Anne" and I started to think about my family - my mom or dad, my brother and his family, my best friend/brother Dave who is soon to be an FBI agent after being a SWAT officer in Miami – how I have spent less and less time with them as I have gotten older.  I got sad thinking about how I am not able to spend enough time with the people who matter to me most, despite that we really only have limited time to share with the people we love. Despite the slightly depressing nature of the thoughts, it made me think about the bonds I have with my family and that these bonds are what make our relationship special.  I realized that these bonds can never be severed by time, distance or even an eventually passing.  These people are always with me.  The person I am today has been irreparable shaped and molded by my family and I carry them with me ever step of the way.  No matter what I do in my life, where I go or what twists and turns my life will take, I will never face them alone because the people we love are always with us.

The Boys

The Family.

It probably would be an injustice to categorize this race as "therapeutic".  I can definitely say that it was good for the mind and the soul.  It turns out running can actually be good for clearing your mind and sorting through whatever has been pushed to the mental back burner.  So although this may not have been the fastest or "most fun" race, it may have been the best race I have run yet.

The next race is in two weeks (although due to a delay in getting my pictures from this race, this post is actually going to come up after that race).  Stay tuned for more coverage.   Oh, and how about this medal? Well done on the design.