2015 Year in Review

As the year starts to wind down I like to look at my goals I set at the beginning of the year, and see what goals I reached and what goals I fell short on. When setting goals I tend to set them almost unattainable. I have this theory that if you set unreal goals then you will work double hard to try and hit your goals. If I come up short on a goal, I don't get too upset because I know it was hard to reach, but it still gets me a little upset because I believe I can accomplish any goal I set.

After I went back and looked at my goals I kind of scratched my head and said "that's it?" I feel like I set goals that were very easy for some reason, which means I need to step up my game in 2016. (goals will be posted next week) So here are the 2015 goals:

STAY INJURY FREE: FAIL- If I had to choose one word that described my 2015 it would be, "recovering." I got a calf injury at the beginning of April and it lingered for a few weeks. Instead of sitting out a half marathon, I tricked myself into thinking I could run through the pain. My time suffered and it slowed down the recovery process. 2 weeks later I had the Pittsburgh half marathon and the pain came back and once again my time suffered. For most of the year I was dealing with shin splints or that nagging calf pain. Knock on wood this past month I finally started to feel like I am at 100 percent.

RUN A HALF UNDER 1:30: FAIL- This one is the one that stings the most. I honestly know I can run this and with the injuries it just wasn't in the cards this year. I ran a total of 3 half marathons this year and only 1 of the 3 can I really blame myself. This one will be back on the 2016 list, and I am saying this with confidence. I WILL REACH THAT GOAL.

DROP 1 MILE TIME: PASS- I only run two 1 mile races a year, so this one is harder than one might think. I don't really train for a 1 mile race. Last year my best time was a 6:01. This year I can say I dropped it by 10 seconds. I found out that on a track I am much better than a road race for 1 mile. I was able to use my old track tricks and let someone else set the pace and use my kick at the end to shoot pass them. I will probably still do both mile races in 2016 but I don't think I will worry about the time as much.

DO MORE OBSTACLE RACES: NEUTRAL -I didn't really fail at this goal and at the same time I didn't succeed at it either. At the end of last season I was all about the obstacle races and I thought they would be my new thing. Then something happened and my passion for running grew stronger and I realized I am a runner. Don't get me wrong I still like doing obstacle races, but I put my road races first. I did 2 obstacle races last year and I did 2 this year. I am already signed up for 1 next year, BattleFrog of course. I just don't make the obstacle races as important as I thought I once would.

My last goal was HELP OTHER RUNNERS REACH THEIR GOALS AND GET BETTER: PASS- I can say when I wrote that I wanted to help other runners I had no idea that I would be getting the opportunity to be the Running Specialist for the Pittsburgh Marathon. Even though it turned out to be more of Dick's Sporting Goods Brand Ambassador, I still was able to help a few people out. Even after the marathon I was having people ask me if I could make them up training plans and help them run a race. I didn't transform anyone into a super athlete or anything like that, but I did help people find a new passion and some people even hit some impressive PR's.  This is the one goal that means the most to me. I love running and I love the running community, I want other people to share my passion and see why it's such a great sport and why the people are so great.

Well I may have not hit every goal but I overall i would give myself a B- grade. Well out with 2015 and onto 2016. Hopefully 2016 turns out to be a year of nothing but high's and little to no low's.

How did you do with your goals for 2015?

A Slice Of Humble Pie

Normally every Sunday I would break down my training for the past week, well this week there was very little training. I did not run once, and most of the training was just some light stretching done at the house. I had the Battle Frog race on Saturday August 8th and I wanted to make sure my body was completely rested fro the grueling course. So this post will act as my training for the week and also act as a review for what was the hardest course I have ever ran in my life....The BattleFrog!!!!

I arrived at race sight around 7:00 am to check in, and was informed that they had me registered for the wrong race. I originally was signed up for the BattleFrog Xtreme race, a race in which the participants must complete the course no less than 3 times. I however was registered for the first open wave. I decided to just run the open race and get a refund, instead of trying to find someone to switch everything. Xtreme runners had to be at a briefing at 8:00 am and I don't think I would of made it after finding the right person to take care of registration. I was a little upset but as you will see it was a blessing in disguise.
At 8:15 they called all Xtreme runners and 8:30 open wave runners to the starting line. Like that start of every heat Coach Pain came out and got us fired up and then we were off. The race started out by 3 mud mound in which you had to jump in water then climb over dirt mounds before entering into the woods. Once in the woods you started an uphill ascent. The hill was steep and every time you thought you got to the top you had another hill to go up. The last part was so steep you had to use a rope to climb up the 30 foot cliff. I was out of breathe and already gassed and we were less than a mile into the 8K course. Once at the top of the hill you picked up a wreck bag and threw it on your shoulders and headed up more hills. The bag probably weighed around 50 lbs. but it felt like a 100 at that point. At one point you had to climb over a 4 foot wall with your bag and the bag can not touch the ground. After you dropped your bag you headed down in the hills and made your way out of the woods were there was an inverted wall to climb followed by the dreaded platinum rig. This rig was the killer of the course. If you are an elite athlete you must complete the course twice and do every obstacle. If you aren't elite you can take a penalty and do 10 eight count body builders. The rig was responsible for disqualifying more than half of the elites that day. It had rings, bars and small poles to grab and make your way across without touching the ground. To make it worst right before you got to that obstacle you had just crawled through chest high mud and your hands were slippery.  I tried twice before taking the penalty. After the rig it was back into the woods for more hills and more walls to climb over. Pittsburgh is known for the mine shaft and this year the shaft didn't disappoint. Once in the shaft you were handed 2 noodles and told get in the water and follow the lights. The shaft itself is 50 something degrees, so the water is probably just above freezing. It was breathe taking, and people were having lots of problems. I have never been so happy to get out of the mine and see the hot sun. After the shaft you were back on the trails for more hills and more obstacles. Cargo nets, delta walls, and monkey bars were just some of the obstacles before you got to the Jerry Can carry. 2 cans filled that weighed probably 40 lbs. that you had to carry for about 200 yards up and down hills. Once done with the Jerry Cans you started to head down the trails and make your way to the finish. I met up with a runner from Florida who twisted his ankle at some point on the course while running through the creek bed on the uneven rocks. I stayed with him until we exited the trails and saw the finish. First though we had to climb the 16 foot rope and then make our way across 3 walls that had ropes, a small hand grip and more rope without letting our feet touch the ground before crossing the finish line.
It took me just over 2 hours to complete 1 lap. I don't think I could of made it 3 times to be honest. It was very humbling and I really underestimated the course.  My hat goes off to anyone that completed the Elite race and Xtreme race. I was a muddy mess when I finished and when I got home I was able to see all the bruises and scars that were left on my body. At one point in the race while climbing a hill me and a lady went off course in order to get up the one hill and it was the wrong move. We found ourselves in a thorn bush and I ended up being this girls ladder basically. I told her to step on me and use me to shoot herself to the top. I on the other hand was stuck in the thorns until one of the men got to the top and was able to reach over and pull me up.

The race was intense and I got to meet some awesome people on the course.  If you asked me would I do it all over again.  HELL YA!!!!!!

They have already released a promo code for next years race.....MINE50 will get you into any race for 50 percent off the cost. This code expires on Tuesday Aug. 11th at midnight.   MAN UP and run the course with me!!!!!!

BattleFrog Virtual Run

It's time for another BattleFrog virtual run. Last year I did this and was so glad I did, the medals were nice and shirts even though T-shirts still looked pretty good. This year BattleFrog has decided to do more than one distance and the rewards will be based on the distance you choose. In order to register just click on BattleFrog

5K: cost $45.00   you receive a Finisher medal, Finisher shirt, and 40% off a future BatteFrog event.
(99.00 value)

15K: cost $50.00 you receive a Finisher medal, Finisher shirt, BattleFrog wristband, and 40% off a future Battlefrog event. (145.00 value)

COMBO: cost $60.00 you receive a 15K and 5K finisher medal, Finisher shirt, BattleFrog wristband, BattleFrog buff, and 40% off a future BattleFrog event. (175.00 value)

40% off valid for adult 8K, elite and BattleFrog extreme waves.

USE PROMO CODE: BFBYRNE for 5.00 off
I will be doing the BattleFrog extreme in Pittsburgh, so feel free to use your discount and join me.

My Eyes Must Be Playing Tricks!!!!

     For all of you who are not into the OCR world (Obstacle Course Racing), let me try to explain a few things. First OCR is different than road races because unlike the road races that are in one city every year, the OCR races are more of a series that can go to a number of cities. Take Tough Mudder for instance, you can run this race in Pittsburgh or you can run in a number of cities. Like any other race these series have all come to have a following of loyal runners. You have the Spartans who only run the Spartan series, then you have the BattleFrogs, Tough Mudders, BoneFrogs, along with a few other big races. For most part the athletes who run these may have their favorite series but will still run in other series because they love the growing sport, and the competition differs at each event.
      As the sport has grown a lot of these races have sought out athletes to promote their race, along with even offering sponsorship to the top athletes. One of the best in the world and the number 1 ranked right now is Ryan Atkins, who is sponsored by BattleFrog. To say Ryan is good would be an understatement. The man is a monster, he has already won every BattleFrog event this season along with a few Spartan races. Earlier in the year he won the Worlds Toughest Mudder, and last season finished second at the Obstacle World Championships.  Since Ryan is a sponsored OCR racing is basically his job, almost every weekend you can find him doing a race. He is easy to spot usually because he is out in front and he is wearing his BattleFrog gear.
      One thing that we are seeing more and more is runners showing up to races wearing the gear of their favorite series. For the athletes it is more of  a trash talking thing and a way to brag about who's series is the best, but for the actual series is seems that it means a lot more.  This past weekend Ryan ran and won a Spartan race. After he finished he changed into jean shorts and his BattleFrog T-Shirt. The picture below is after he changed.

 

Like any other race they called the winners to the podium to receive their awards and take a picture of the winners. Now notice if you can see what is different with the picture below.

 

 

If you haven't noticed it let me point it out for you. The Spartan series did a little editing with the photo and now Ryan isn't wearing his BattleFrog shirt. Here is my problem with this....I understand Spartan doesn't want to promote another race in a picture, but you have to remember that as the sport grows more and more runners will be sponsored by other races. If you do not want them to win then do not allow them to run in your race, but I can assure you that your race will lose interest very quickly. People want to race the best in the world, and they will go to a different race to do it. The funny thing about this is Spartan has done this before. For me it shows that they do not have a lot of faith in their series and are worried that runners are going to go else where.  For the athletes though it is not about who wins and what shirt he is wearing. The athletes all are on the same team and want to push each other to be the best even when competing against each other.  Come to one BattleFrog event and before every race you will be blessed to hear some encouraging words from a great man who goes by the name of Coach Dewayne Pain. He not only gets you pumped up but he lets you know that we are all on the same team and if you see a fellow runner that needs help, then help them. Ya, we want to see one of our teammates win the race but if they don't we don't get all upset and tell the race make sure that guy isn't wearing a shirt that supports another race. We will stand there and clap and congratulate him like we should. 

 

here is a link to Coach Pain giving some emotional words before one of the races. He was privileged enough to know a 12 year old girl, who lost her battle with cancer.  Hopefully the link works for you to see what these races are all about, not the politics about what series is better.

 

https://www.facebook.com/imabfab2010/videos/10153383019668530/





Moving on too another race

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

 

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there.

 

I will go back to doing my regular weekly Sunday training update next week. This week I thought I would share some of the races I plan on running throughout the season. Hopefully I will see some of you at a race or two.

 

May 30th- Whitehall Borough 5K

 

June 4th- Gateway Track Mile: I do this race every year. It's a one mile race at the Gateway Middle School. The race is put on by the Tuesday Night Run group and cost nothing. They usually run about 4 heats and the competition is always good. Winners of each heat win homemade chocolates from Tammy Slusser. She is one of the main people who put on the race and is a former Marathon winner.  Details can be found on runhigh.com

 

June 20th-Wilkins Township 5K: This is a small local race in Wilkins Township. I will have more details later in the week on it. I run this race because I live in the area, so it is always nice to do the home town race.

 

June 27th- Oakmont 5K

 

June 28th- Yelllow Jacket 5K: If you were at the PGH Marathon expo you may have ran into this booth. This race is new to Pittsburgh but I would expect a good turnout after seeing the medal, every runner receives one. 

 

July 25th- Turtle Trot 5K: Another local race but this is a very flat and fast race. If you are looking for a race to PR this could be one. The competition is always good for a small race and you can expect the winner to have a blazing time.

 

July 31st- GNC Liberty Mile: This race is a must do just to come watch the elite runners. The field is always stacked with sub 4 min. mile runners and always come down to a close finish. The course is filled with people cheering you on and is right in the heart of downtown.

 

August 8th- BattleFrog : This is one of the best obstacle races in the game. It is held in Wampum Pa. at the mines and meadow grounds. .8 of the race is ran in the mine shaft. This race will bring in the best of the best for the elite field, but at the same time has a race for everyone and is very family friendly. Remember you can save a few dollars off any race by using my promo code BFByrne for a discount.

 

 

August 22nd- Run Around The Square: This is my favorite race of the season. It's a local 5K that is the biggest small town race in Pittsburgh. It sells out every year. The course is half on the road and half on the trails of Frick Park. The finish area is a big party with free beer and hotdogs from the sponsor D's Six Pack.

 

September 26th- Gladiator Rock N Run: This is the first obstacle race I ever ran and is a great one for people looking to run a shorter distance. It is a 5K course filled with many obstacles. You can also enter as a team so its a good one to run with some friends.

 

September 27th-Great Race



 

DATE TBD-EQT Ten Miler

 

This is just some of the races I will be doing. I am sure I will end up doing more once I find out what races SCRR will be doing. Also if you live in Pittsburgh and are not a member of Steel City Road Runners I would highly suggest you come to one the training runs. The people are awesome and if you decide to become a member you will get race discounts and other perks. 

BattleFrog Season Is Here

The snow should be melting soon and warm weather should be upon us shortly. With the change of the weather also brings the start of the OCR (Obstacle Course Racing) season. One race that I am very close with is the BattleFrog Series. Last year I ran my first Battle Frog race and was instantly hooked with the race and the brand. BattleFrog is ran by former Navy Seals, who designed the course to be one of the toughest and challenging courses out. As each year passes more and more races are trying to make a name for themselves. BattleFrog’s field team members do a great job of promoting and getting people to sign up for races, but they have decided to add some other things to make sure they stay on top. For the first time ever 16 college schools made up of 64 athletes will compete for college championship. You will be able to watch this over the summer on ESPN. Where was this when I was in college? In my mind I would have destroyed everyone. In reality I graduated high school weighing in at a whopping 150lbs and was 5’4”. For some reason I didn’t hit a second growth spurt until my first year of college, but I digress. Secondly BattleFrog has brought in some of the best athletes in the world to be part of their team. Ryan Atkins who came in second at the Obstacle World Championships and first at the World’s Toughest Mudder is a BattleFrog team member. If you have ever been to a BattleFrog race you would know that the elite runners take the course first, so if you get there early you can watch some of these great competitors compete for the cash prize. If you think you are up for it, you too can pay the entry fee and run in the elite heat. This year BattleFrog announced that they would be giving over 1 million dollars in cash prizes. No other race has yet to put up that amount. The main event will be a championship event held at the end of the season. In order to be eligible you must compete and do well in five different city races.  With this race getting bigger and better more cities have been added just check out the BattleFrog website. Using my Code BFByrne will get you 15 percent any race except the elite heat and the tadpole.  Tadpole is a race designed for young kids. Battle Frog wants to encourage the youth to be active. They even added Cross-Fit champ Shawn Ramirez to the team to talk to children about the importance of being fit.

If you have ever wanted to try an obstacle race this is one you would want to do. Last weekend was the kick-off to the season in Miami. Ryan Atkins once again proved he is a force to be reckon with. Miami already has another date set for November. If you use my code you will get 30 percent that race. Next weekend is Central Florida and my code is good for 20 percent of that race.  

Do yourself a favor and take a look at the BattleFrog webpage and see why they are so great. I hope to see you at a race. I will be doing the Battle Frog Extreme Race in Pittsburgh Aug. 8th.  6 hours to see who can do the most laps.. HOOYAH!!

Virtual Running

I don’t know about you but December is not only the month of Christmas, but it is also my off season of racing and training.  I will still run, but I am not so hard pressed to make sure I don’t miss a workout. Towards the end of the month I will start to get what I like to call the off season blues. I will start to crave a race and the training again.  Yesterday as I was on Facebook I got my daily messages from the Battle Frog Field Team, and there was a virtual race.  I have never done a virtual race, not because I dislike them but because usually I am training for a race and doing a virtual race just seems like something that isn't a top priority.  However now that I am in the off season for a few more weeks I have decided to sign up and tackle my first one. 

The Battle Frog Virtual 5K will take place from January 9^th thru the 18^th. The registration cost was 40 dollars but you can use the promo code BFFT and save 15%.  Everyone who registers will receive a medal, a shirt, and 25% off a future Battle Frog Race.  The good thing about this race is 50% of the proceeds will be going towards the Navy Seal charities. 

Even though the dates of this race are at the beginning of my marathon training, I will still just be getting into the swing of things so a nice 5K will be good.  One thing about the virtual race is there is no age group, or overall winner. You just go and run a 5K, turn in your time and that’s it.  Some races don’t even require you turn in your time. I am not sure if this will or not. It’s basically the honor system.  Feel free to sign up as well and get yourself another medal. I mean who doesn't want more bling to show off. If you are in the Pittsburgh area and register let me know. We can all meet up and do our 5K together. We can make it for the afternoon and change into dry clothes and go have a beer afterward. You don’t have to twist me arm to get me in a bar. First round is on me.

Just click on Battle Frog for the link to sign up.

What are your thoughts on the whole virtual races? and have you ever done one and would you ever do one?

The Week After A Marathon

     Normally on Sundays I would post each day of the previous week and tell you how I trained each day.  Well if I did that today for you, most days would say the same thing.  Rest Day! All week I really wanted to get out and run or go to the gym and work out, but I knew the smart thing to do was just rest and get my legs back under me. I honestly felt really good on Wednesday during the week and the thought of running did cross me mind. I however will need my legs to be really fresh this weekend coming up.  So everyday when I came home from work instead of changing into my running clothes and going for a run I found myself sitting on the couch and watching TV.


I felt like Al Bundy

    I did receive some good news on Tuesday. I was contacted by the Battle Frog Race Series and told I was accepted as a field team member. Basically what this means is I have my own promo code that can be used for every one of their races. Any who uses my code gets 15 percent off the registration fee. Also, anytime Battle Frog does a race that is close to me I will be invited to help work the booth or talk to people about the race series.  So if anyone is ever interested in doing an obstacle race I suggest you look into the Battle Frog.  It is a great race that will push you to the limit. My code is BFByrne so if you know anyone or you see that they are in your area please pass my code along.

With more time on my hand this week I was able to finalize some things for this weekend coming up. If you don't know yet what I am doing let me explain.  On November 1st at 5:00 pm Chris Smith @chrismith6944 and myself will be doing a fundraiser for Children's Hospital. It will take place on the track at Woodland Hills High School in Churchill. We will take turns running for 24 hours straight I think that is day light savings so it may turn into 25 hours. One of us will be on the track at all times and be running or walking. Originally when we came up with the idea we assumed it would be just me and him, but people started to ask if they could come up and take some of the running off of us if they donated. I am just coming off a marathon and Chris fractured his foot a month ago. We are both going to be put to the test but with so many people saying they will come and help out I can see our running time is probably going to be cut in half.  I figured most people wont show up during the night so that is when we will both have to take turns. This is also the reason why I started it later in the day. We want fresh legs when it is dark out.  Even if people don't want to run they can still come and donate or they can use the link and donate directly to the page set up through the hospital.  http://www.givetochildrens.org/24HourRun 
I am very excited for this event, it is going to really push me to the limit having just done a marathon. Most of all though I am glad that I can use running and give back to people who need it.  I hope everyone can stop up at some point in the 2 days and show their support. 



This week I will do some light running at the beginning of the week, but nothing crazy. I will probably go to the gym and work out most days to keep my legs fresh.  I can't wait until next week to share how the event turned out with all of you.  Until then be safe on the roads.

Battle Frog Race Recap

When: Saturday September 27th

Where: Mines and Meadows 

            Wampum Pa. 

Swag:  T-shirt, bib, timing chip,  and free beer ticket

The shirts are really comfortable and I especially like how the back says SEAL approved.  When I put it on I feel like I accomplished a lot and I earned the right to wear the shirt.  






Finishers Medal:

My Experience:
   
      I woke up at 5:15 am and quickly got dressed. I had my outfit planned out ahead of time and it made it a lot easier than running frantic looking for something to wear.  After dressed I grabbed a nutrition bar and my Gatorade and headed out.  I had to pick up my parents and then drive to my sisters house so we could car pool.  My father who was strictly a road racer has never seen a race like this, so I was happy he would get to experience one.  The ride was just under an hour to get to the parking area. From the parking area you were shuttled via school bus to the race grounds.  I originally signed up for the 15K race, but after some contemplating I decided to do the 5K instead. With Columbus only 3 weeks away the last thing I needed was to injure myself.  The elite runners had just started as we entered the area.  I found a tented area with tables and chairs that my father could sit and watch the finish and not have to stand the whole time.  My race started at 9:00, so around 8:40 I made my way to area you stood and waited until it was your time to run.  As you stood and waited there was a DJ playing music.  At about 10 minutes before your starting time you were given some motivating words from Coach DeWayne Pain.  You were then instructed to get over a small wall and get ready for the start, but first some more words from Coach Pain, he told us not to give up and that the obstacles in front of us would test us but we could not let them beat us.  As I was on one knee listening I looked over at a few of Seals that were there and I couldn't help but to admire them for what they do. We were that day to challenge ourselves on a course with a defined start and finish. These men are in the trenches of war with the unknowing certainty of what is to come.  It really made you want to do your best that day, not just for yourself but for all of those who have fought for us.
    Instead of the normal "Ready, Set, Go start we were sent off with the words "Do Business", and that was what I was hoping to do. The 5K was not measured correctly and was more like 4.5 miles and the 15K was more like 8 miles I was told.  The first part of the race you were in a creek bed running. You had to really be careful because the rocks were wet and slippery.  The first part of the race had your basic obstacles. You had your over, under and through walls, 6 ft. walls that you had to climb over, 12 ft. ladder walls, delta walls with 3 foot spaces in between each step, and of course cargo delta walls.  This course did not have too tough of hills, but it was a very wet and muddy course. 90 percent of the course was in water or mud. The water may be shoe deep or it could be waist deep.  One of the most insane yet awesome parts of the race is when we approached a mine and were given head light lamps and told follow the fluorescent cones. I entered the mine not knowing what to expect.  I quickly realized that the temperature inside the mine was no higher than 50 degrees. At this point in the race a few of us who were in the lead of our heat caught up to people from the 8:30 start. In the distance I could hear people screaming and I knew right away we would be getting into water in the mine.  We rounded a bend and there was someone to hand you off a inner tube. The water was bone chilling cold. we probably only swam 100 yards, but I am pretty sure it felt like a mile. Once out of the mine you headed back onto the trails and were back at more obstacles like the rope climb, monkey bars, inverted walls, and more cargo nets.  At one point a few of us stopped and thought we took a wrong turn and that is when we realized the course was longer than a 5K.  After another mile on the trails you headed for the finish. The finish proved to be the hardest part of the race. First you ran up a warp wall and had to grab a rope and pull yourself up. From there you went down a water slide into a pool of water and then you were faced with a wall with a rope. The wall was wet and muddy from the previous runners so it made it almost impossible to make it up. I tried about 5 times and even got some advice from a Seal who was standing on the side. I still could not get the traction I needed and after a few attempts went up the side with foot boards. Once on top of the wall you went down another slide into another pool of water and then headed for the Normady Jacks. You had to crawl under the wire in the mud and rocks. My knees are still scratched up from it. Once you made it through you were at the finish and were given your medal.
       Inside the finish area was water, banana's, and energy drinks. All I wanted to do though was shower off. They had an area with hoses you could shower off and changing tents were right next to them.  If you needed to get warm there was a fire pit going and many runners stood around and shared their battle stories of the day.
       During the race my sister and nephew got to watch a demonstration from the Seals. They showed how they go in and take over a area. My sister said it was unreal and something that had to be seen.

      I have no negatives to say about this race, the only thing bad I can say is when they posted the results they have me finishing 1st for the 15K. Awesome, except I only ran the 5K. I however did look and I placed 4th in my age and that qualifies me for the National Championship Race next month. I however will have to pass since the marathon is one week before.  Overall this race is top notch and the guys who put it together do an awesome job of bringing good vendors and running a very organized race. I can only hope they come back to Pittsburgh next year. I know I will be doing it again and I will be bringing a crew with me this time to take it on.

  

3 Weeks Until Columbus

     I am really starting to get pumped up for the Columbus Marathon. The months of counting down has turned to weeks and soon it will be days.  I have now entered my second week of tapering and this week turned out to be a mixed bag of training.

MONDAY:  I ran 4 miles at a 8:00 minute pace.  I felt really after the run even though I was a little sore still from running the Gladiator Rock' N Run.  I have said it before and I will say it again, these obstacles races are giving me core strength and the runs are becoming a lot easier.

TUESDAY:  I used this day as a complete rest day. Tapering sucks, I really wanted to get out and do a nice run but I fought off the urge and stayed in.

WEDNESDAY:  At work I started to get the urge to do a long run. I came home and decided  I wouldn't go for a real long run, but a 10 miler wouldn't hurt as long as I kept a slow pace.  I ran the 10 miles at 8:45 pace. Normally I would say that was too fast for a long slow run, but recently the runs have become easier and I have felt really good. When I got finished I had hardly broke a sweat and my confidence was shooting through the roof.

THURSDAY:  I did a light work out in my house. I worked on my arms and abs thinking I would need to have them in shape for the upcoming race on Saturday, the Battle Frog Race Series. A obstacle race designed by the navy seals.

FRIDAY:  I used this day as a complete rest day. Having ran an obstacle race last week I knew I would want to be rested as much as I could for the race in the morning.  I spent the night picking out my outfit and packing a change of clothes.

SATURDAY:  BATTLE FROG RACE: I will have a recap later in the week on the race.  I was originally signed up for a 15K but decided to drop down to the 5K.  With Columbus right around the corner I didn't want to take a chance of getting hurt. However the 5K was more like a 5 miler.  I was put to the test both physically and mentally.  One thing I will say about this race was it taught me that sometimes you are faced with a challenge.  Sometimes you will want to give up and coward away. If you tell yourself you can over come the obstacle presented in front of you and you start to believe it, you can push yourself beyond your expectations.  I will use this in Columbus. When I am tired I will tell myself I can get through it. When I get weak I will tell myself I can overcome it.


SUNDAY:  TODAY:  I don't think I have ever been this sore in my life. The Battle Frog kicked my ass.  Needless to say I used today as a rest day.  I sure need it because my knees are cut up and bruised and my legs feel like they were kicked from a horse.

Next week I will start to slowly build up the mileage, and I will do my last long run.  It's a little out of the norm for most peoples way of doing a taper, but I have a method behind my madness.

6 Weeks Till Columbus

This week is the start of my fall "big" races.  On Sunday the 14th I will be up in Erie Pa. to run a half marathon.  I am going into this race with 2 goals: 1. Run about 90 percent of my marathon pace and see where my body is.  I have done the long runs and I feel good after my long runs, but as a lot of us know when you get into a race your adrenaline will take over and you go faster than you practiced for.  2. I am going to work on the hydration aspect of the race.  I am going to act like I am running a full marathon and make sure I take water more often than not.  I have no set time I am looking to get, I am just focusing on running a smart, good race.

MONDAY:  I ran 10 miles with a break at about mile 4.  I ran my first 4 miles to a near by park and once I was there I did some obstacle training. Monkey bars, climbing a rope, and pull ups.  Then I ran another 6 miles to finish up the run.  I have to say I am overly excited for these obstacle races coming up in the next 3 weeks. I still need to do as much upper body training as I can though.  I can see this is going to be harder than I thought.

TUESDAY:  Went to the gym and did a 4 mile tempo run... I ran my first mile at 8:30 pace on the treadmill then dropped to a 8:00 pace for mile 2 and 3. I finished the fourth mile with a 8:30 pace.  I felt really good for running a treadmill which normally gives my shins problems.  I ended the gym with a back and shoulder workout that beat the shit out of me.

WEDNESDAY:  I planned on a 8 mile run at race pace.  Everything was going great until I got to mile 3 when I ran by a friends house and she saw me. She stopped me and asked if I would look at her lawn mower for her. "Sure why not, it's not like I am doing anything at this moment." So I spent about a half hour fixing a mower mid run. Once I get out of my mind set for running it is hard to get back in it, so I came home and went to the gym and lifted for about an hour.

THURSDAY:  I was super excited because football season finally started this day.  I came home from work and quickly got changed and headed out for a 7 mile run. I ran probably one of my fastest 7 mile training runs all year.  I honestly think it was because I wanted to get home and be showered before the start of kickoff.  I felt great though after the run and I am starting to get more confidence in myself.

FRIDAY: I used this day as a rest day and just did some stretching. Even if I am going to take a rest day I still want to stay loose for all these races coming up.  Plus at the ripe age of 35 I know my body isn't what it use to be and doing obstacles are going to be a challenge if I am not in some type of shape.

SATURDAY: LONG SLOW RUN:  That is exactly what it was a nice long slow run.  I finished just short of 20 miles. My legs were sore a bit, but for the most part I felt good.  I didn't want to push it to hard since I have that half this week, but I wanted to still log some miles.  I dropped my pace down to around 10 minutes to make sure I didn't overwork myself.

SUNDAY: TODAY:  I plan on watching the Steeler game. So if your a Browns fan today, I dislike you.  Once the game is over I am taking the dog to the park that has one of those old style obstacle courses.  You know that ones that are numbered and you are supposed to run to each one and then do the workout.  I figure anyway that will help me gain some strength is a good thing.

This week I plan on doing most of my runs early in the week then tapering off a few days before the race. I also plan on hitting the gym hard again this week.

Have you ever had someone stop you mid run to talk or ask you something?  Does it annoy you as much as it does for me?

A MIXED BAG OF TRAINING

     Let's just call this week training for a mixed bag of races.  The Erie Half Marathon is 2 weeks away. The Battle Frog Race is 4 weeks away, and the Columbus Marathon is 7 weeks away.  Luckily while training for Columbus I basically was training for Erie. In fact the Erie race will be a nice little gauge of where I am just a few weeks out.  The Battle Frog Race is something new to me and I just found out I would be doing it on Wednesday so I have just begun my training for that, which in this post you will see I am out of my element as of right now.

MONDAY:  So if you read my post on last Sunday, you know I was nursing a shoulder/neck injury.  When I woke up Monday I felt pretty good and decided running after work would be my true test to see how I really felt.  I wanted to push it a little hard and see how it felt so I did 10 miles at a medium pace.  I finished just a bit over 1 hour and 30 minutes on a course that can be challenging.  I felt good mentally and physically. My neck and shoulder help up for the most part, there was times when it would get sore.  This actually helped because I would focus on that and forget about running all together and it made the time go by quickly.

TUESDAY: One thing I noticed during my 10 mile run was my hips were a bit sore when I was finished so I wanted to do some cross training and work on them.  I did a leg workout at the gym, followed by an Ab workout.

WEDNESDAY:  This was an exciting day for me. I was contacted by the Battle Frog Race Series and it was confirmed that I will be running their 15K Obstacle Race September 27th.  It is a day before the Great Race so it looks like I will be selling my entry.  Normally I would be pissed about missing a race but I get to do the BattleFrog for free and have the perks of media. Pays to blog people.  Now I know I can run 9 miles no problem but the obstacles will be the challenge for me.  I have made it known that I will not deviate from Columbus training so on this day I did a 7 mile tempo run.  My legs were sore from the workout yesterday but I pushed through and still managed to get a decent time.
I am still pushing for someone, anyone to do this race with me.  It may be a little pricey but the medal is nice, and all funds go to a great cause.

THURSDAY:  The more I thought about the Battle Frog race the more I started to question the physical aspect of the race.  Now I am ready for Erie so that is not even a concern, but Columbus means a lot to me.  I redesigned my training program and will throw in 2 days of cross training instead of 1.  I will just make my runs more productive from here on out.  No more junk miles as people would call them.  I headed to the gym again and did a arm workout followed by a core workout.

FRIDAY:  With Erie only 2 weeks away I wanted to get in at least one more really good speed workout.  I headed to the track and did an hour of all different things.  200's, 400's, 100's, 1600's, and I even did some speed work on a hill.  I felt really good, and I even walked away thinking the old Shaun is starting to come back.  I am now excited to see what I can do in Erie.

SATURDAY:  Lets just call this day an eye opening experience.  I woke up and set out on a 18 mile run.  The weather was perfect, overcast and a nice little breeze.  I felt really good for most of the run and I was really paying attention to when I take water.  My lungs felt really good and I had no trouble breathing through out the run. My legs did start to ache towards the end and once again my hips seem to be at the center of the pain.  When I got home all I wanted to do was lay down, but after talking to my cousin Chris my plans changed.  Chris informed me he and his wife would be taking their daughter to the park.  Normally I would make fun of him for going to the park, but on this day I invited myself to go.  I figured what does a park have that I need? The answer my friends is monkey bars. I mean if I am going to train for an obstacle race why not train on things that will be on the course. So if you drive by a park and see a 35 year old man playing with kids, don't call the cops that's just me training.   Anyway, as I am at the park my cousin is coaching me along this climbing/hanging thingy we will call it.   Now let me first say, I always was the athletic type. I have played sports probably from the time I could walk, so I just assumed I still have it.  Ya, I was wrong.  As I am hanging from this thing trying to get across (which I did) this little girl comes over and goes across this thing like it was easy as can be.  This is the point I realized I am out of my element.  So I am going to still train my normal way for Columbus, but I will throw some after run activities in to help build strength.  Like I said I live for a challenge and this is just what I need, plus this will actually benefit me for Columbus.  A stronger, leaner body will only help.

SUNDAY:  Normally I would call this my rest day, but with all these races I have decided to skip the rest day once in a while.  I headed to the gym early and did some shoulder and back workouts. Once again this helps for all the races.  The rest of this day will be spend doing Fantasy Football Drafts.  I have 2 today.  One live one and one online.  I look forward to this day like it's Christmas.

All these races have me very excited, but I have my eyes set on Columbus.  The other 2 races are ways to help me along the way..

Do you have any fall races coming up, and how is the training going for you?

Bring On The Battle

    A few weeks ago I was contacted by a member of the BattleFrog Race Series and asked if I would be interested in running as a member of the BattleFrog team.  I never heard of this race so I was very intrigued.  After going to the website BattleFrog Pittsburgh and checking everything out, I was sold.  I have never done an obstacle race before and this one is designed by the Navy Seals.
  Yesterday I received an email from them again confirming my code for free entry and I will also be getting a media pass for parking.  I am very excited to be doing this race, but I am super nervous.  The race is Saturday Sept. 27th, which does not give me a lot of time to train.  Luckily I am in my marathon training so the 9 mile run wont be too much trouble.  I have decided to add another day of cross training into my marathon training in hopes of helping me out.  The marathon is the most important race for me right now.  Even if I don't get my BQ I have something I need to prove to myself.  This race however will be a challenge and when it comes to running I don't shy away from a challenge, so 9 miles and 25 obstacles....bring it on!!!!
   I will be sharing my progress on my training like I do for my marathon on Sundays.  One downfall of this race is it is the day before the Great Race, so I will probably end up selling my entry for that.  So if you know anyone looking for an entry to the 10K let me know.  

  Have you ever done an obstacle race?  If so do you have any tips you would like to share with me?