The Coming 13.1 Marathon - Atlanta

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I still think it is a strange name for a half marathon, but I guess I understand the angle they are coming from as far as marketing goes. Their tag line is:

"It isn't half of anything"

This Sunday, October 4th, I will be running the Inaugural 13.1 Marathon in Atlanta. The half marathon is the premier event and that is where their name and tag line comes in.

13.1 Atlanta™ is one of the latest craze in themed half-marathons so come ready to experience some of the best Southern Rock and Southern cooking. This race is about the run, the fun, the sights and the experience. It will be truly one of a kind and the most fun running experience of your life! Don't miss out on this inaugural event, register now to insure you will be one of the first to start, finish, and rock 13.1 Atlanta™...Where the Party meets the Pavement!

I am excited as it will be my second half marathon, after my first one back in February of 2008, the Run The Reagan Half Marathon. I finished that half marathon in 1:55:46 and just a few short months later was tripped in a 5k race and broke my collar bone, taking me completely out of running and any hope of completing my first marathon later that year. It took 8 months to be able to start running again, and even longer to get anywhere near being able to run the half marathon distance again.

Running this half marathon is not the goal, in fact I have not been training for a half marathon at all, but rather I am training for my first Full Marathon, the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon on November 14th. This half marathon just happened to fall in a great place on my schedule when I am completely ready and able to run a half marathon....... and also falls on a step back mileage week when I am supposed to run a 12 mile long run on Sunday as opposed to the 20 milers I have been doing..... What perfect timing!

I am really looking forward to this race, it looks like it will be packed with entertainment and a lot going on, much different from the low key Run The Reagan Half Marathon. I do have a time goal, but it is not really aggressive because I don't want to hurt myself so close to my marathon. First and foremost I want to beat my last half marathon time of 1:55:46, which I shouldn't have any trouble doing. The second, and more aggressive goal, is to run under 1:50:00. I am not sure I will be able to keep the 8:24 pace for that long, but we will see. Either way I will be happy since ultimately this is just another training run for the ultimate goal in November!

Wish me luck!

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

The Last 20 Miles..... for these old shoes

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This past Sunday was the last 20 miles that my shoes will see. It was time to retire those old shoes as they had nearly 500 miles on them. It seemed like I went through this pair faster than any previous pair...... notice I didn't say I ran any faster in them..... just that I went through them faster. I guess that is what marathon training does to a pair of shoes.

My new shoes, which I purchased from Gerald AKA RaceSpeed over at www.telarun.com showed up at my doorstep on Saturday with the new pair that I ordered for my daughter who also was in need of a new pair. We both stayed with the same model that we currently ran in, the New Balance 769's. Mine are identical to my last pair, while my daughters are the next 1/2 size up. This is my forth pair of New Balance, all within this same model line. 767, 768, 769, 769...... will I ever try another brand or model..... Who knows!

We were both starting to feel that it was time to change them out. I was starting to get some ankle pain as well as other misc soreness like in my hips and muscles. This is the same trouble I have started to have each time my shoes were due to be replaced. My daughter was starting to feel pain in her right arch, which we were not sure was caused by the shoes, but it was time for replacement anyway.

I decided to hold off and run in my old shoes for my 20 miler on Sunday - not a good run to break in some new shoes. Monday I ran in the new shoes, but without putting my inserts in. I wanted to see the difference. My feet and legs hurt some the rest of the day so Tuesday I went ahead and put in the inserts which felt much better. This week has been a step back week for me in my marathon training schedule so it was a great week to introduce some new shoes.

My daughter spent this past weekend in Richmond. VA running the Freshman race at the U.S. Army X-Country Festival at Maymont, one of the premier running festivals in the country. This worked out pretty good as well because Monday she was ready to go with some new shoes. We also are trying her new shoes out without the inserts to see how they feel. She has run the entire week so far without the inserts and they are still feeling good. We will probably for-go the inserts unless at a later time we feel she needs them again. Her arch does seem to be feeling a bit better, but that could also be related to her coach intentionally lowering her miles this week.

A friend of mine mentioned that I was probably due for an oil change when he saw how many miles I had been running. To a runner new shoes = oil change.

Looking forward to my Half Marathon this Sunday - it is a race, but also just part of my Marathon Training..... I will be blogging about it soon!

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

A Trip to Washington DC.... To Run

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My daughter Payton had an awesome opportunity this weekend to take a trip to Washington DC and Richmond Virginia to run in the U.S. Army X-Country Festival at Maymont, one of the premier running festivals in the country.

I have been suspiciously silent about this until now because of safety concerns for Payton, but it was difficult to keep quiet about something so exciting for her.

Her team had the opportunity to run in this meet and Payton was one of those eligible to run. Earlier on in the season I never would have thought she would have been eligible, but she ended up being eligible on two levels. They took the top 7 (she is #7) and they also took the top 3 Freshmen to run in a Freshmen race.

Luckily we were able to get some sponsorships to help pay for the trip and we got enough sponsorships to pay for all but $70 of the trip.... what a lifesaver!

Payton left Friday morning when I dropped her off at the Airport. It was funny, she was a bit nervous, but also very excited. She has not flown since she was 5 years old. Imagine my surprise when I received a text message from her about 20 minutes after she took off...... "Thank you, thank you, thank you for letting me go.... The takeoff was Amazing!" I just got a chuckle and texted her back mentioning that she should probably not be texting from the air since she wasn't supposed to have her phone on.

Friday afternoon they were able to run the course at Maymont and get a feel for what they were up against.

Saturday morning came and they went to run in the meet. Payton and one of her team-mates were running in the Freshman race which they had a very good chance of doing very well in. The Freshman race was the first race of the morning at 9:30. I woke up at about 7:00 and laid in bed nervous for her. I couldn't do anything to help her or even cheer her on, I felt so helpless. I just laid there till 9:00 and finally got up since I couldn't sleep. I then watched and waited for a call or text message..... the waiting seemed like it took forever, I guess that is part of being a parent! :)

Payton ran a 21:54 and finished 5th overall. This was not her best race or time, and I am certain she could have done better. I think the nerves of the whole trip and us not being there to cheer her on got to her. She was really upset that neither mom or I would be going to watch her run. I tried to prepare her for the race, because based on last years times I knew she would have a chance at running near the front of the pack and even possibly leading and winning it. This years winner won it with a time of 21:10 (Payton's last two meets she ran 20:59 and 21:13) This is a learning experience and next time she will know better what to expect and will do better no doubt. We are very proud of her!

They drove back to Washington DC Saturday afternoon and got a little sightseeing in, but not as much as they wanted to because of rain. They got up this morning and did their long run together as a team around Washington DC, stopping along the way to do some sightseeing - how cool is that - a sightseeing run!

She arrived back in Atlanta this afternoon and it was nice to welcome her home at the airport. We missed her, but was so glad she had the opportunity to go...... it is something she will never forget!

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

My First 20 Mile Run

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This past Sunday was my first 20 mile run. It went very good, in fact better than I expected. It is not that I expected to Bonk or have too much difficulty, but I did expect to feel like walking more than I did.

It was an early morning for a Sunday morning when the alarm clock went off at 4:40. I needed to get out the door by 5:00 am if I was going to get the full 20 miles in before church. I started the morning with some water and a little bit of Gatorade and a piece of whole wheat bread. I prefer to eat a whole wheat bagel because it stays with me longer but there weren't any in the house.

Shortly after 5:00 I was out the door, water bottle in one hand, Gatorade in the other. I had one package of Sport Beans and tunes for the road. Have I ever told you that I hate carrying my hydration in my hands? I really need to look at other options but I just don't have the extra cash flow at this time........ just bought two new pair of shoes from Gerald AKA RaceSpeed over at www.telarun.com who always gives me a good deal and great advice (and doesn't even ask that I say anything on my blog about him) One pair for myself to replace my 400+ mile shoes, and the other for my daughter Payton to replace her 400+ mile shoes. Payton really needed the new shoes badly.... you should see how fast she runs!

OK..... I will get back on track now!

I started the run off at the pace I wanted to hovering right above the 10:00/mile pace. I wanted to make sure I could complete the entire run without any issues. I started to sip at the Gatorade about 2 miles in and then again every 1.5-2.0 miles until it was gone. I switched to the water at about mile 13 and shortly after ate the Sport Beans. I later in my run ran around a park so I was able to refill my water bottle so I was well hydrated the entire run.

I didn't really have any idea where I would get the entire 20 miles in, I only planned up till about 13 miles and then did the rest as I came to it. This is one of the beauties of running with my MyTach GPS watch. I do not know what I would do without it! It is so freeing to be able to run without having to think about where you are going or how far you have been. I just kept running until it said 20 miles. :)

There also is the downside to not planning out your route. I ended up having quite a few large hills in the last 6 miles of my run. These hills are not horrible, but hitting them when I did in my run made them that much more difficult.

I managed to keep running the entire 20 miles even though it became a mental battle at least one time in the last few miles. I even was able to drop the pace a bit for most of the second half of the run, ending with a better overall pace than my 18 miler just a couple weeks earlier. I ended just a short walk from home and was happy both to be home, and also to have just accomplished such a hugh milestone!

Just a couple weeks ago after accomplishing my first 18 mile run I had a little scare. Monday morning following the 18 mile Sunday I ran a bit harder and faster than I should have in my 4 mile recovery run. Later that same week following my 9 miler I ran a 4 miler, again much harder than I should have and started to feel some pain in my left Thigh. I took the next 3 days off and rested until my 12 miler on Sunday. Luckily the pain has not returned, but I did get a little nervous.

All is going really good with my marathon training. I am looking forward to my Second Half Marathon, The Atlanta 13.1 Marathon (funny name) in just a couple weeks on October 4th, and then my First Full Marathon, The Chickamauga Marathon, on November 14th.

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