The Non-Competitive Learning Curve

I realize that I'm not always the best judge of what passes for "normal" nowadays, but when people try to tell me that they don't like to compete (in a race, game, etc.) but just have fun, it takes everything I have to hide my look of befuddled incredulity (honestly, most times, I don't hide it all). Can you NOT compete and have fun? I find the idea shocking. What more fun is there than to see your enemies and rivals laid out at your feet awash in defeat? Is it not everyone's dream to stand over your fellow competitors in haughty derision at their loss? Is not victory most sweet stolen from those who are not awesome enough to take it away from you? Playing for fun...and not to win? Sounds like a commie plot to me.


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Adrenaline Leakage

Tomorrow is the Warrior Dash in Manchester, TN.  For those of you not in the know, it's a 5K obstacle course that includes mud pits, slides, pipe crawls and fire jumping.  Oh...and horned warrior hats.  You read that right.  Horned.  Warrior.  Hats.  You had me at "horned."  To prepare myself for this race, I've considered wrestling alligators, swinging with gorillas and chasing my dog through the doggy park.  This all seemed too 'soft' to me, so instead I decided to cut back on my mileage and weightlifting to run a couple miles with grade schoolers.  I kid.  Coaching the SBA cross country team has been surprisingly invigorating despite the logistics of managing a 100 + strong member team.  Couple the nervous energy of herding small children about, my own over-flowing Joel-ness, and various hardcore rap tunes, and you get one super-pumped warrior-to-be.  The trick of course will be to not do something incredibly stupid tomorrow to try to win.  I promise you this is no easy feat for me.  I can be INSANELY stupid when it comes to competition.  Did I mention that winners get a horned warrior hat upgrade?  Oh, yeah.  IT. IS. SO. ON.

The Franklin Classic 5K Race Recap

Yesterday, I celebrated Labor Day by running in the Franklin Classic 5K Run/Walk. If you look closely at the image to the left, you will notice that there was also a 10K. Anyone who knows me would then be asking yourself, "I wonder why this Dingus didn't run the 10K also? Or even both races?" (In my self-absorbed head, everyone is always wondering why I do the things that I do.) This is becoming a very tired song, but again my training has dropped off lately. Not entirely my fault this time (I'm not just watching TV and shoveling pie into my face) as I have been trying to run/organize/coach/herd my son's school's cross country team through this season. So for the last several weeks, I haven't done much over 20 miles with my longest run being no more than 8 miles. Ug-ly.

So in a move uncharacteristic of myself, I used some good sense and logic to realize that I couldn't race the 10K effectively, much less both races, and signed up for the 5K. Even if I totally sucked, I could at least make a good show of a 5K, right? Seemed right to me.

So race day is a dreary kind of cool and rainy day. Most of the rain had let up by the time the 5K rolled around, but it was still "spitting" a bit. I lined up in the 6-8 min/mile corral. RANT: I realize that everyone likes to be up front and everyone believes that they can be run a 4 minute mile. If you're one of these people and you can even come close to a 4 minute mile, I salute you. I can't do that, but I know that I can do 6:50/mi. However if you're one of those people that insist on lining up front and so that you can mark out your walking trail first, I just want to shake you. You people always seem to be right in front of me, slowing me down and breathing my oxygen. It just ain't right. I don't have anything against walkers. I love 'em. I love 'em lined up in the back, out of my way. So do us all a favor and line up where you actually think you will finish. Rant done.

The race went pretty well. I managed negative splits turning in a 6:54, 6:49 and 6:29 (and a 6:16/mi pace for the last .1 mile). I finished 53rd overall (out of 1t 006) with a time of 21:08, 6:49/mi. This earned me 3rd place in my age group and a new PR! Compared to the Goodlettsville 4 Miler that I had run over a month ago, this race was much better. I had really pushed myself and left almost nothing on the course. The field was pretty big, so placing meant a lot to me. Beyond that, the course was challenging but not overly difficult, and as usual the Striders put on a well-organized event. The race benefitted a great cause, and there was plenty of community support. I would definitely consider doing this race again.

The Cross Country Dilemma

Before we get started, I could have sworn that "dilemma" was actually spelled "dilemNa" but if Google says I'm wrong, I must be wrong (and the longer I look at it, I know that I was wrong).  On to my self-indulgent ranting!  At some point after my kids' school started, I stopped being a runner and became an administrative coordinator.  Thanks to the political shenanigans of my lovely wife, I am now the cross country coach at my kids' school.  I'm in charge of around 113 kids (the number changes depending on the whimsical nature of kids who want to play with their friends after school and the other kids who want to quit because the coach is a psycho meanie-face) from grades K-8.  Thankfully I have a cadre of awesome volunteer assistant coaches to help me herd cats keep up with the kiddos. 

And while I love running with the kids, I have to admit I don't get to do enough of that.  Most of my time before and after practice is spent making sure that I have plenty of volunteers, that I know which kids have joined or quit, that I have emailed every parent with practice updates, and that I'm sufficiently stocked in forms, first aid kits, water, and cups.  The list of things that needs to get done between practices seems pretty endless and seriously cuts into my running/workout time.

Don't get me wrong...I actually am having a good time.  Since XC (that's how all the cool kids abbreviate it (my lovely wife thinks these are the same kids that spell dilemma with 2 m's)), my mileage has dropped significantly.  Between work, school and having a semi-normal life, I have not had a chance to get in all my training runs.  Worse for me is that I'm having such a good time running with the kids that I want to run all the time.  They're really inspiring when they push themselves hard and suck it up so it doesn't look like they want to quit, even though they're pretty wiped.  Even better is that some of them seem to actually enjoy it!  I miss that feeling sometimes when I'm trying to slog through the hard miles, but when I run with my kids, sometimes I touch that feeling of joy and fun again for the briefest of moments.  And you know what...that is pretty cool.

The Goodlettsville Classic 4 Mile Run Race Recap

Another race, another race recap.  This year was another first for me, The Goodlettsville Classic 4 Mile Run.  Even though I used to work in the Goodlettsville area for a year, I had never been to Moss Wright Park.  Of course in those days, I was about 50 lbs. heavier and the only place I ran was to the Krispy Kreme when the hot, fresh doughnuts sign turned on.  In any case, I was back in Goodlettsville for this odd distance race.  By now, you all know the story.  My training to-date has been less than stellar.  My mileage has been short, but I thought the combination of speed work, hill work and weights would help carry me through.  Since this was a Nashville Strider race, I assumed that the field would be large and competitive.  Although it was competitive, it was a pretty small field. 

The race course itself was relatively flat and beautiful.  It was a mix of paved and tight gravel paths.  Fortunately my trail running made those transitions from gravel to pavement easy to manage.  Ultimately, I finished 27th overall out of 169. This won me a 2nd place award in my age group with a time of 28:48, 7:12/mi.  Was this worthy of a top 3 finish?  Apparently, but in hindsight, I probably could have tried harder.  In hindsight, I probably should have tried harder, and it makes me mad at myself that I did not.  Yes, it's nice to win awards and accolades, but if I get them for putting out a second best effort, is it worth as much?  Maybe, but I still won't feel good about it.  It was a good race with a nice course that deserved more effort from me, whether or not my level of training was up to snuff.  Next year, I might race it again, but if I do, I will do it right.

The Captain America Review

So the boy and I saw Captain America:  The First Avenger today.  As you can imagine it was a good father and son bonding opportunity.  We shared popcorn, discussed what we thought was cool about the movie and even went to Rick's Comic City after the movie to cap off the day (fyi, Dad's this is a great way to spend the day with your kids.  Movies and cool swag at Rick's.  I highly recommend it.  And not just because I hope to get another 5% discount on my comics.  Wink. Wink).  With a movie like Captain America, you will get any number of mixed reviews from the rotten tomato to upbeat praise of a new action hero.  As comic movies go, this is one of the best that I have seen to date.  I was somewhat skeptical of Chris Evans from his Human Torch days in Fantastic Four, but he beefed up both his physical and acting skills for the role.  The story was a good mix of the classic Cap origin with some modern twists to make the story work and keep the action moving. 

What puts this movie above other summer comic movies this year is that it is not only a comic movie but also a running movie!  True believers, I am here to testify that this is one of the best running movies that I've ever seen.  After Cap gets his amazing powers, the scientist that gave him his powers is killed.  Cap leaps into action, running down the street after the Nazi murderer.  What the sharp-eyed runner will note is that Cap is doing so....wait for it....'cause it's really good...barefoot!!!  Now I understand Evans may actually have worn flesh colored foot boots a la Vibrams, but the message is clear, America's favorite son supports barefoot running!

Now for the rest of the movie, we see Cap running in his trademark army regulation boots, but for a good 10 minutes we were treated to barefoot running Cap.  Even without additional barefoot running scenes, the movie is chock full of running.  When Cap isn't marching or riding his Harley, he is running and jumping full tilt into battle.  The movie trailer alone would be a great advertisement for the Warrior Dash 5K (which yours truly is signed up for in September). 

Now I don't think that the boy noticed the running as much as I did (10 year old boys tend to focus on the derring-do, the heroic stances, and the really cool gadgets), but I think that he got the message.  Listen to the trailer.  A wimpy Steve Rogers explains that once you start running, you can't stop.  Truer words, if I ever heard any.  But what I liked even more was that it was running movie about heart.  Wimpy Steve Rogers didn't become Cap overnight.  He had to train.  Train hard.  He was not the strongest, but he was smart and brave.  He had guts and a never-say-quit spirit that naturally appeals to all runners, even the non-super soldier variety.  It was reminiscent of a less cocky, less hirsute Steve Prefontaine.  Hard work and guts can win the race, kids.  And against Nazis no less!  Hoorah!

With my final words, I say this is a must-see movie for both comic lovers and runners alike.  I dare any runner out there to watch this movie and not appreciate the speed and strength of a barefoot Cap running through the streets of Brooklyn or be thrilled by a suited up Cap tearing into Nazis or even get choked up by a desperate running Steve Rogers running through modern day New York realizing all that he's lost.  If you aren't moved, you must be dead inside.  Sniff.  Truly this is movie for everyone.  Would I pay full price to see this movie?  Absolutely.  I would do it twice and then buy the blu-ray combo pack when it comes out (I don't even own a blu-ray player!).  So there you go.  Captain America:  The First Avenger, the best running superhero movie of the summer.  Excelsior!

The Race Apology Recap

If you've been keeping up with my site (and God bless you, if you have, you poor dear), you've noticed a couple things.  One, that I have run 3 races in the last few weeks.  Two, I have not been posting the requisite race recaps (or any other damn thing for that matter).  Tonight, I apologize to you dear readers (this number still remains questionable.  After all if I'm the only one reading this, but reading it on different days, does that count as different reads?), and I will make it up tonight with some speed blogging recaps.  So hit your timers and let's go.

On June 25, I ran the Wilma Rudolph 10K and 5K in Clarksville.  The weather was near perfect, but we did catch some rain at the end of the 5K.  I ran the 10K pretty hard hoping to place in it despite a total (this is becoming a theme for the summer, I'm afraid) lack of proper training.  Luckily for me, I did manage a 1st place finish for my age group (with a 16th place finish overall) with a time of 44:25, 7:10/mi (which also turned out to be a PR.  Yay for me!).  The 5K was a different story.  I was fairly depleted after the 10K but still managed a 2nd place finish for my age group with a time of 21:51, 7:03/mi.  Now that all the soldiers from the 101st are starting to come back home, it looks like there is a lot more competition up there.  I'm glad they're back safe and sound, and almost as glad to have the competition to motivate me to try harder.

On July 4, I ran the I Run For the Party 10K in Nashville.  Having run a fast 10K a couple weeks before, I hoped that would translate into another fast 10K.  Plus I figured all the fast runners would run the 5K.  Shocker. I was wrong.  When given a choice, really competitive runners (at this level) usually go for the longer distance (makes us muy macho).  Duh.  That being said, I did not post a fast time (partly due to my mid-race pit stop at the porta-potty) but finished first in my age group with a time of 46:19, 7:29/mi (Don't be too impressed.  The race only gave prizes to the first 3 finishers, the first 3 Masters finishers and the first 3 Grandmaster finishers both male and female.  The Masters (my group) were all filled out with the other 40 year olds that whipped my ass to the finish line.).

Now I'm about 3 weeks out from my vacation, and I've decided to work on my beach bod instead of my running for now.  I'm glad for the gym time, because I'm just not feeling the drive to put the miles on right now.  Hopefully that will change by August, but right now I gotta get ready for the beach!