Peachtree Road Race - Tomorrow

I don't know a lot of the history, but I do know that 40 years ago it was run for the first time by 110 runners, one of them being the one man that has run every race for the past 40 years - Bill Thorn. I know that the field is limited to 55,000 runners, and it is not the easiest race to get into (although I have been able to get in the last three years without any issue)

Two sayings that Bill Thorn shares with his runners at Landmark Christian: “When it’s hard to run, run hard.” “In running, you’ve got to deal with three things — sweat, discomfort and heavy breathing. If you can’t deal with those three things, then running isn’t for you.

The other things I know about the Peachtree Road Race pertain specifically to me. This will be my third year running (more appropriatly - doing) it. The first year, 2007, it was my first 10k race and I ran it in 1:03:59 after just 6 months of losing weight in which I would eventually lose 90 lbs.

The second year I participated in the Peachtree Road Race was just last year. I had a qualifying time from the Shamrock & Roll of 48:03 and was looking forward to running in Time Group 1A. I ended up not being able to run it because of being tripped in the S.W.A.T. Trot 5k just a few weeks before the race and breaking my collar bone in two places. I did end up planning for and then just walking the Peachtree last year.

I am really looking forward to the Peachtree Road Race again this year. I am excited because I am able to run it again and also because my qualifying time of 48:03 at the Shamrock & Roll was still within the timeframe and I was able to use it to get my Time Group 1A again this year. I have a time goal of sub-50 which I know I can do, it just depends on a lot of things one of them being the big crowds and getting around them.

This will be my first 10k back since returning from the broken collar bone injury, but I have done a couple 5k's and have trained well for it with plenty of 10k + distance training runs.

Well, that will be it until I put up the race report. I am off to get Pizza for the family for dinner. I am going to be eating some left over chicken and pasta from last nights dinner. I don't need the pizza on my stomach for the race tomorrow.

Till tommorrow!

Tim Wilson - blog.262quest.com - subscribe - follow - virtual4now

Cross Country Time Trials - Payton did Awesome!

As you are already aware if you have been reading here lately, my 13 year old daughter, Payton who is going to be a freshman this upcoming year is going to be running Cross Country. As you can imagine that makes me very happy and very proud. Both because I am a runner, and because that was my favorite sport when I was in high school.

This past week was the first time trials for her team. She has been training with them ever since school was out three days a week. I am not 100% certain what the time trials are completely for, but I am sure it is to help see where everyone currently is. The other thing the time trial is for is to determine who will be going on their summer running trip to Myrtle Beach. This trip is only open for the "Top 20" and the top 4 freshman.

Going into this time trial I told her she had a pretty good chance at getting in the top 4 freshman and encouraged her that way. She was not sure she wanted to go on the trip since she didn't know anybody and is quite shy. I told her not to throw the race just so she didn't have to go, that we wouldn't make her go.

The time trial was for 2 miles. I told her I had in mind what I knew she could accomplish, but I didn't tell her incase she didn't hit it she wouldn't be upset. I knew she could come in under 15 minutes which would mean a 7:30 pace. I knew this was doable considering the times we had run together and the 5k race she had just run with me a couple weeks earlier.

She was nervous the night before, she was worried she was going to let me down. I told her that as long as she ran her hardest and didn't stop to walk I would be happy and very proud of her. Now, if she "had" to walk I would be OK, but I told her she needed to keep running and not give up.

Well, the morning came and she went to run it. We were not aware that parents could be there so we missed the race. She was very excited and called me when she was headed home. She said that she came in 7th and her time was 14 something. As you can imagine, I couldn't believe she didn't know the "something" and it about drove me crazy.

I had to wait till the official results came out which stressed me out having to wait, but the results finally came out later that day. There were some of the girls that ran the time trial the week before because they would not be able to be there on the time trial day. This messed up her original finishing place, but only by a couple places.

The final results were in and she finished 9th out of 89 girls!!!!!!! That was all grades freshman through senior. Her official time was 14:06 - yes OH-6! She ran a 7:03 pace and finished well into the "Top 20" She immediately told the coach that she was going on the trip.... I guess finishing as well as she did changed her mind about the trip. :) She was the second freshman, she had one other freshman beat her by 15 seconds.

I am so proud of her, she exceeded my expectations by almost a whole minute - for two miles!

Tim Wilson - blog.262quest.com - subscribe - follow - virtual4now

100 Push Ups and 200 Situps aka @100pushups

Yes, I have officially joined the club and have started the 100 Push Ups plan. I am a glutton for punishment and have also started the 200 Situps just one week later.

It was just over a year ago when my online running buddy, Steve Speirs aka @britishbulldog and blogger extraordinaire over at www.runbulldogrun.com started the 100 Push ups craze. That was right around the time I broke my collar bone so I was not able to participate, but I knew one day, once my collar bone was completely healed I would join that craze.

That time has come and just last week I started the 100 Push Ups. This week as I started the second week I also started the 200 Situps plan and will be doing them on alternating days.

Steve has also written an accompanying book called 7 Weeks to 100 Push-Ups available where ever good books are sold.

I know of a couple others out on Twitter that are currently doing it, if you are one of those, make yourself known in the comments with your Twitter ID so we can check up on each other.

Wish me luck!

Tim Wilson - blog.262quest.com - subscribe - follow - virtual4now

New On The Run @BlakeCraig

I wanted to give a quick shout out to Blake Craig. He has just started running again and needs lots of encouragement. He is doing great, but I know how great it is to have accountability and others that care when times get tough.

His blog is blakesdailyrun.blogspot.com and you can follow him on Twitter at @BlakeCraig

Let's flood his blog with comments and followers and his Twitter account with followers.

Make sure you let him know I sent you!

Tim Wilson - blog.262quest.com - subscribe - follow - virtual4now

My Fastest Mile

I hit the road this morning and decided I would do a long interval and see how fast I could sustain for 1 mile. I did a warm up mile and then turned it on for the second mile. I wanted to see how fast I could go for an entire mile without giving up or giving in.

You must remember that the person in question here (me) is a former fatty and still carries around a little loose skin and extra weight here and there so running fast is not my fortitude.

My first mile was a nice easy first mile pace at 9:18 and as soon as I saw my MyTach click 1 mile I turned it on..... no looking back! I thought after about 1/4 mile that I wouldn't be able to make it to the next mile marker without giving up, but I pressed on. The houses went by much quicker than they usually do.... funny :) I must have sounded like I was going to die with the way I was breathing (maybe because I was going to) but I finally rounded the last corner and I could see the spot I knew as the 2 mile mark. I didn't let up, and kept pumping knowing now that I would make it. I hit the spot and my MyTach beeped, I looked down to see something I had never seen before....... a 6 as the first digit! It was a high 6, but it was a 6 none the less. It was officially my fastest mile I ever remember at 6:49!!!!

I stopped and walked for a few paces to regain my composure and then picked back up again running. I was going to finish off with a 1 mile cool down but had nothing left and stopped at the half mile mark (4:27) and finished it off walking.

Another milestone, and one I am very proud of. I won't be seeing this time in any races soon (if ever) but I was able to hit it which makes me very happy :)

Tim Wilson - blog.262quest.com - subscribe - follow

Running 100,000 miles

I was going through my reader when I came by a post on Scott Dunlap's A Trail Runner's Blog about Raven Craft - link to post

I had read about Raven a year or two ago and how he ran 8 miles every day and hadn't missed a day in over 30 years. I wasn't aware that he was coming up on a milestone this year of 100,000 miles. Pretty amazing stuff!

ESPN did a piece on him which can be seen below or a cleaner copy can be seen on his website.

Tim Wilson - blog.262quest.com - subscribe - follow

Camping, the beach, and family running

It has been a busy week this past week. I have been running a lot, but also been keeping busy with life in general.

This past week I missed my run on Friday morning and didn't get a long run in on Saturday. The reason being that we decided at the last minute to go camping at the beach for the weekend. I ran Thursday morning and then again Thursday night (which has been common now that my daughter is training for Cross Country and needs someone to run with on the days she is not running with the team)

Since I had run Thursday night and Friday morning I needed to pack the van for the camping trip I decided I would forgo my Friday morning run. As the morning progressed I was happy I had chosen to do so since I barely had enough time the way it was (and I didn't want to get up at 4:30 on my day off)

We headed to Jekyll Island, on the coast of GA for the weekend camping trip. We are (new) tent campers.... and yes.... it was HOT! It got up near 100 degrees each day we were there, and was probably still in the upper 80's and humid when we crawled into the tent each night.

My daughter Payton and I got up on Saturday morning and planned on running 5 miles. I wanted to do those 5 and then head back out for more after dropping her off.... but..... well..... We drove down near the beach and got ready to go about 8:00 am. I thought we would be able to miss the heat of the day that way, but I didn't think about how hot the sun could be that early in the morning along the beach. We ran the bike trail along the beach for the view, but of course since we were running that close to the beach there was no shade anywhere - mistake! We didn't get far before we were both feeling the wrath of the sun. My daughter just couldn't go any further following 3 miles so we called it quits. It is hard for me to give in to a run, but it was the right thing to do.

We spent the day at the beach, and even though it was hot, we really had a great weekend camping/beach trip.

Last night was also a new and exciting time for me as a dad. If you have been reading long you are aware that my second daughter (Payton) is training for Cross Country so we run together a lot. My 7 year old son, Brady also runs with me occasionally, but my oldest daughter Ashlee, and my wife have yet to lace up the running shoes.

Yesterday I got one step closer to true family running. Ashlee is in Color Guard and has been practicing lately. She realized that she needs to get in better shape so she decided she needed to run. I won't let her run alone so she had to wait till last night. Last night we went out for just a mile. Both her and Payton went out with me. This was the first time Ashlee has run with me, and I don't know that she has truly ever run a mile before.

The run started off good and Ashlee was running with a smile on her face just in front of Payton and I. She said she was feeling pretty good..... but we had only gone about 2 tenths of a mile. She quieted down shortly after that, and when we got close to the 3/4 mile mark she started saying it was really hard and started to slow down. I looked at her and she was not happy, the smile was gone. I wouldn't let her stop before the mile, and to her credit she finished it strong and didn't complain anymore..... until after we were done. She said it was too hard and she was never going to run again. :) I talked her off the ledge and I think she will run with me again, but not as fast as we did this time. I let her pace this run and we ran it too fast for her ability. She ran the mile in 8:54 - excellent for the first mile I know her to have ever run.

This week is going good so far, trying to put some miles in and hope to get a good long run in this Saturday. This past Monday Payton ran on the Cross Country trails for the first time. She said it was fun and she did great running just behind the varsity. This Friday is her time trials for Cross Country. They have to run a 2 mile race to see where they all are on the team and to see who gets to go on the summer training trip. She is one of the top Freshmen on the team, and is running with last years JV most of the time. I think she will do great this Friday if she can mentally keep going when it gets hard. (I think she can do 15 min if she really wants to but am not going to say anything to her)

Till next time.....

Tim Wilson - blog.262quest.com - subscribe - follow