Pay Day!

Many people made it to Austin to support this adventure, and I can not thank you enough, but for those that did not make it here is a recap of the weekend (it's the last blog, it will get long!). 

It all started after packet pickup, "So is there anything that you shouldn't be eating or drinking before a marathon" asked JB.  The three marathoners at the table looked silently at each other and lifted both their plate of Hooter's chicken wings and pints of beers.  I'm convinced this was Dugan's desperate attempt to sabotage my race.  Family and friends met up later that night for dinner; during dinner it was show the most embarrassing pictures of Brent to the family time...thanks guys! 

Race day is finally here.  After a few before pictures, it was time to run.  Dugan and Joey went to the front of the line because they thought they had a shot at winning, I was closer to the back.  I was pretty excited about the run and became very talkative to the people around me.  They did not share in my excitement and I'm pretty sure they thought I was crazy. 

As the herd started to move toward the start line and we started to jog, the marathon was underway.  Running through downtown and all the people running around me, the first couple miles flew by.  I checked my pace around mile 6 and was dead on my goal of 10 min/miles.  We started running back into the city and passed the Hooter's that Dugan tried to sabotage me with, not today I was feeling pretty good still.  Around mile 8, my family was there cheering me on and even jogged a half mile with me.  I was still thinking this was going to be a breeze.

The hills started shortly after the cheers from the family.  I'm convinced that miles 10 through 20 were straight up hill, and not short small hills, real long, steep hills.  At mile 10 was the break-off point where the half marathoners split off, it pumped me up a little knowing I was going further than 75% of these people.  The excitement was quickly diminished when a half mile after the turn-off it was time to run up hill again.  People had no idea how to run these hills, many people were running backward, walking up and sprinting down.  I'm never running in Austin again.

I was enjoying all the random people cheering everyone on, but in my mind they were only cheering for me.  I high-fived everyone I could and enjoyed every sign they had.  My favorite was 'I don't care what anyone says, You are all Kenyans now'.  Around mile 16, a huge house party was hosting a 'Cocktails for Quitters' party.  That looked fun.  I could feel myself starting to drag a little and perfect timing for my fam to be at mile 18/19 for a little pep talk.  That one helped me get to mile 22ish.

I checked my time and had over an hour and a half for the last 4.2 miles.  I was dying and didn't understand why I was running a 'race' that I knew I wasn't winning.  It was a good thing there was a bet on the line because I could have gave up right there.  I took a break at a water station and started talking to the people.  They did not look as tired as I felt.

I started back up, only a couple miles left.  The popular cheer at that point was, 'Don't stop you are almost there'.  That did not help.  I tried to rationalize the 'only 3 miles left' but it doesn't work, 3 miles left after 23 miles is a lot.  Then, the mileage signs turned from miles to tenths of a mile and that was a glorious sight for my eyes.  Not too glorious though, as I passed the '.5 miles left' sign it was time to go up hill.  My entire right leg cramped and I started having visions of crawling to the finish line which would have put a smile on everyone's face.  Luckily the cramp went away and I could jog into the finish line to cheers from friends and family.  4 hours and 27 minutes - cash time!!

They gave me a medal and told me congratulations, so I'm pretty sure I won (or came in second since the medal was silver).   I was pretty excited about the medal, and even wore out to the bars all night.  I finally got that runners high everyone talks about, it was later that night after a couple beers still wearing that medal!   

Unfortunately, I'm associating the marathon to such a good weekend.  This has lead to talks of another marathon or an IronMan or some other gross celebration of over exercise.  Maybe I'll do another blog for that one! 

Thanks again for all the comments and support.  This turned out to be pretty fun, right Dugan?!!

The Last Week

Only 4 days and 35.2 miles (9 training miles) separates me from Mike Dugan's cash, I don't take checks Dugan.  The mileage has certainly decreased in the past weeks and it still amazes me that I think 8 miles is just a 'quick jog'.  I had to battle some cold weather and even took a weekend off of snowboarding to rest the legs, but it will all be worth it when I see those twenty dollar bills flowing into my hands!

I did have a running first in the past week, a jogging date (we'll call it a date at least).  Upon hearing this news, my mother exclaimed, "You finally met a girl running".  Nope, turns out a friend of a friend is also running the Austin marathon and wanted to go for a jog to meet.  No problem, I responded really only expecting 5 miles at most.  I was wrong, she gave me the option of 10 or 15 miles. 

I jumped on the 10 miles but had to emphatically let her know that I am not running fast (I could, I just don't want to) and she could just go ahead of me if I was holding her back.  I had never run with anyone so I didn't know the proper running etiquette (do I wear headphones, do I wear that really cool water belt etc...).  And to be quite honest, what the hell do I do if that runner's trot hits during the middle of 10 miles while running with a girl I just met?  I planned ahead and mapped a run that has a few gas stations, just in case! 

Luckily, it all went great.  Really cool girl and she even made fun of me because of all the clothes I was wearing.  The biggest problem is that my mind turns off (usually around mile 5) and I think I started to repeat myself numerous times while having her repeat the same thing more than once.  

Hope everyone has booked their flight.  Joey is hosting the after-party and the Banholzer family will be there! 

Dugan - the ATM usually only let's you take out $300 at a time, so prepare in advance!

Gotta Make A Change

Pandora just played ‘Changes’ and it led me to think of all the changes that have occurred during this process.  What a great prompt for a blog!  

People ask if I have lost weight, I have not.  I weigh the exact same as I did when I started.  I have reallocated some weight though and it may appear that I have lost weight.  That double chin I’d been working on for 4 years is slowly disappearing and the beer filled gut is draining, the weight must be reallocated to my butt and thighs.  Good thing I’m a dude!  

The biggest change from this reallocation is the way clothes fit, or don’t fit.  I finally had a reason to put on business pants the other day so I put on my custom suit pants.  (While in China last year I had a custom suit made.  It fit perfectly and comfortably.)  Well, the pants were pretty loose.  Loose to the point that when I tightened my belt so my pants would stay up, it looked like I had pleats in my pants.  For those guys that don’t know what pleats are, they are those nice creases in pants that those nice southern gentlemen wear; JB has them in his shorts!  I can live with this change.

The other big change is my perception of distance, especially when running that distance.  This past weekend I had a bunch of college friends come into town.  The morning after the first night we (Joey is training too) ran 5 miles like it was part of the waking up process.  Only a couple months ago the thought of driving 5 miles after the first night with college friends would make me nauseous.  I’m not sure I want to live with this change.  

I have not changed my opinion of running.  I still do not enjoy going for a run and don’t think it is an efficient way to workout.  I will say that I do enjoy having a purpose/goal of working out, instead of just working out to work out.  

I did skip the long run last weekend but I made up for it because I snowboarded the 18 miles in vertical feet, big days!  Still on pace, I just have to make sure I don’t get competitive.  When Joey was here, I tried to keep up with his little guy pace; I can’t do that for 26.2 miles.

Book your trip to Austin, the Banholzers will be there!

Dan – ‘they have a pool?  I ain’t going in no pool!’

Ann – I’ll let you know next time.  Good thought for a blog, but if I go way off topic then I’m going to write about how similar dating and job searching are.

Why Not an IronMan?

I hope no one thought the hiatus from blogging indicated a hiatus in the running.  Training has continued; the blogging just took a back seat to a few other things.  The past couple weeks have been some of the worst and some of the best...let's update (this could go to a Bill Simmons* length)!

Joy is Gone: (Week 7, long run of 12 miles)  As I have stated, the one constant joy in this running is the ability to eat like a teenager in the peak of puberty.  I'm not alone in that feeling either.  Dugan came into town for a night and proceeded to order one of everything on the menu (he's running too and had just completed an 18 mile race).  Joey, also training for this marathon, sent me the following text: 'Dude, I feel like a freshman girl in college who has just broken up with her high school boyfriend.  I am eating everything in sight'.  Glad I'm not the only one.

Unfortunately, that joy disappeared via a vanishing front tooth.  Most know the story, my teeth got knocked out during college, they shoved them back in and hoped the teeth would survive.  The front tooth did not survive and I needed to get an implant.  An implant is when the dentist takes a drill bit (think hanging a flat screen on the wall) and drills a hole into the bone of the mouth.  The dentist then shoves a dry wall screw into that hole and screws it into place, using the neck muscles for torque.  I was on a smoothie diet for 2 weeks and had to skip the long run.  

IronMan Tattoo: (Week 8 long run of 14 miles)  I can eat again, only bite size portions but at least solid food can be consumed.  Also, I headed to see the family for Christmas which was in Newport Beach with perfect weather.  These were some of the best runs so far even though I ran over a half marathon before shopping with the sisters.  It was on that long run where I thought how great it would be to have an IronMan tattoo.  Everyone would ask about it then be impressed, kind of like joining the ultimate exercising club.  Hell, if I'm doing the training for a marathon then I might as well just keep going and do the IronMan.  It seemed logical at the time. 

I quickly realized the number of unsustainable, influencing factors that tricked me into thinking I could train for an IronMan such as: running on the beach is great, the much needed alone time from family (the whole family knows we need it!), a conveniently timed tri-series in Boulder coming up and the thought of how much food I could consume during that training! 

No More Tattoo: (Week 9, long run 16 miles)  From the best runs to the worst run.  Again, multiple factors probably contributed to the struggle of that 16 miles but after that run my confidence was shot.  There is no way I want to do IronMan!  Returning to elevation and the cold (even though CO has 300 sunny days, it is still cold!) the first run was the long run.  I had crammed most the runs together so I could have the weekend off in the mountains and I was dead tired, not to mention my lungs not ready for elevation.  I got through it, barely, but promptly sent a text to Dugan letting him know the IronMan was off. 

On the bright side, I timed that run perfectly, finishing right when happy hour starts.  I went to a nice steak house that offers entrees for 4-6 dollars (normally in the $35 range), I ordered 3 of them.  The waitress quickly asked if someone would be joining me.  I told her, 'Nope, but don't worry there won't be a drop on any of those plates'.  Sure enough, I ate it all and impressed the entire staff.

This week I'm eclipsing 200 miles of training and still on pace or ahead of the 10 min/miles; also, I am running negative splits which seems a little absurd.  I get another shot at the 16 miles this week and am hoping the image of the IronMan tattoo returns as some motivation to sustain the effort. 

Happy New Year everyone! 

*Bill Simmons is a sportswriter for ESPN and has his own website, grantland.com.  He writes absurdly long articles for people to read while at work.  I contributed briefly to his website. 

The Treadmill Week

People in Colorado always use the same excuse when asked about the winter, 'Yeah, but it is not that cold because it is sunny'.  I'll give you sunny (300 days!) but when you feel your nose hair start to freeze, even after you just used a nose hair clipper, it is too cold.  I do not care that it is sunny.  The high was 12 Monday, a day after a blizzard, all the facebook pictures of 1 degree temps in the car, and I needed to run 4 miles.  

I chose to run inside on a treadmill.  I refuse to pay to run (I'm getting paid to do this!) so I'm taking advantage of a free week long trial at the athletic club two blocks away.  This club, as it should only be called a club not a gym, is a swanky joint.  See and be seen type place, not a lot sweat and a lot of flat screen TVs describes the atmosphere in there.  Since I work from home and in sweats, I have to put on real clothes to go workout there.  Needless to say, the place is fantastic and around 5pm it is better than most happy hours.  Santa might be getting me a membership!

Even though I've worn long underwear for a week straight, I'm still getting in my runs.  Almost looking forward to 12 miles this weekend in front of the DirecTV football package at the club, Tebow will be real motivating!  To date, 98 miles of training and on pace (treadmill I'm running 9:15 miles!).  Food intake is only increasing, had breakfast, two lunches and two dinners today.  Have a good week and pray for snow...the mountains are a little thin.

PS - Having the people in Biggest Loser Show complete a marathon only confirms what started this bet.  It's just mental pain, Dugan, anyone can do it!  You are going to pay up, ya old man!!

Setting a Personal Record

Thanks for all the great suggestions on how to pick up a girl on a run.  Unfortunately, I doubt I join the running club, even if Dugan pays the fees.  I like the race idea; already did a Turkey Trot and will keep my eye out for more.  Running with a dog or stroller are good suggestions; I could even go with both dog and stroller. The girl that sticks around after finding out that it isn't my dog and the baby is a doll is sure to be a peach.

The laugh-out-loud suggestion, to trip and fall, is in play but conditions will have to be perfect.  If I get stuck running in the snow on a short run then I will try it.  I will absolutely blog in-depth about the encounter and try to have a video feed of it.  I was running on the beach over the Thanksgiving holiday and constantly thought of taking that dive from the boardwalk into the sand to meet the unsuspecting babe!

I just completed week 5 of the running schedule which included my personal record of 10 miles as the long run.  One cool thing that helped the run was on my way out, couple guys were rolling a 'funny' cigarette.  I smiled (it is not hard to smell) and they asked if I wanted some.  I just shook my head.  On my way back, probably at mile 9, the same guys were still sitting under the road.  "Damn, you've been running a long time", that was a cool feeling, well sort of.  I was also visualizing dinner, I cooked my spaghetti sauce which usually serves a healthy four portions.  Today the sauce was only one portion, I don't have left overs and haven't moved from my couch in 3 hours.  I've run 88 miles total and still on pace; runs are a lot easier at sea level.

Completed all the runs by Wednesday this week because it is finally time to break in the new snowboard...enjoy work everyone!

Three Things

First, Veteran's Day was this past Friday.  I'm a very proud American, especially after visiting China for a couple weeks, and am honored to have a father who served and appreciate all the sacrifices those who serve make and have served made. Thank you!

Second, running is a lot of alone time.  I have to mentally prepare my thoughts before a run and need to ensure I have enough happy thoughts to complete the run.  If I start thinking about the company that didn't call, my dire financial situation or the last relationship that flamed out, then the run turns into a horrific experience.  The past two runs have been the worst.  Monday I was in a bad mood; a company that has strung me along for the last 6 months still hadn't called and I just asked myself, 'Why the hell am I running?  No one is chasing me'.  Couldn't even finish a 3 miler.  I need to make sure I look at a snow report before a run. 

Third, I need some help and my hope is to have at least 3 comments on this post pertaining to the following prompt.  How does one (really only concerned with me but...) meet a girl on a run?  The best I have heard is to try to go their pace and ask 'how far are you running?'  I tried this, but I run slow and couldn't catch the girl (pretty sure she thought I was a stalker and was chasing her as well).  That won't work.  I usually just flash my almost perfect, fake teeth at the person that is running the opposite direction but that has not provided any results.  JB told me to 'Stop running and go to the bar'.  Can't do that Bro, got to prove some people wrong!  Anybody out there have some advice?

I've ran 38 miles so far and except for the last two still on pace (now under 10 min/miles).  Heading to the beach for a week and will enjoy the runs at a lower altitude; actually I'm just running at a lower altitude, pretty sure I won't enjoy them.