Hope I Didn't Just Cut Samson's Hair

Good bye old friend!  (Man, am I pasty!  Whatup Whitey!)

Do you have any good luck charms, or something that someone gave you that serves as inspiration?

I have several sources of strength and inspiration in my life.  My faith.  My family.  My bracelet??? Yep, my bracelet!!!  But not just any bracelet.  My daughter, Madison, made me a little black braided bracelet in 2008 when I was training for my first marathon in Little Rock, Arkansas ... and I've had it on every second of my life since.  Almost three straight years.  24-7.  But two Sunday's ago, after finishing the second of my back-to-back marathons in Des Moines ... I finally took it off!

It was just time.  And I think Little Black Bracelet understood.  It stunk of sweat & dead skin cells.  And it was wearing very thin in a couple of spots. Several times I stitched it together with crazy glue to keep it from falling off.  And some of the crazy glue would always get stuck in my wrist hairs ... and it hurt getting it out.  Plus, I was becoming more and more worried about losing it.  So, very ceremoniously, we removed it at lunch at The Cheesecake Factory ... with a butter knife.  (Which I may or may not have ... but definitely did ... use later to butter a piece of bread)

This bracelet had been a part of my life for a long time.  I wore it through 15 marathons, a half-marathon, a 10 & 15K, eight 5K's, a Boston Marathon, three Christmas's, over 5,000 training miles, visited three different countries ... and the birth of my first grandchild.  I would always glance down at it for inspiration in training and in races when I wanted to quit.  And I would say, "Little Black Bracelet ... you've never quit on me, so I won't quit on you!!!"  Little Black Bracelet would smile, then I would just keep running.

Samson & Delilah

Sometimes it could be a little embarrassing having two bracelets on the same wrist.  I have worn a Power Balance bracelet for years. (although I have my doubts if it really does anything)  And I sell construction materials to contractors for a living.  So more than once I got some raised eyebrows on job sites when I shook hands.  It was like, "Hey look, here comes 40 year old bracelet guy!"  But me & Little Black Bracelet didn't let it phase us.  We knew what we had ... and we just kept on stylin'!

Don't get me wrong, we had our tough times & close calls.  There was the pizza sauce incident of '09.  And I won't even go into the vending machine mishap last year. It was my fault really.  Little Black Bracelet warned me to just go get my quarters back from the hotel front desk.  But like an idiot, I went in elbow deep after the lodged Ho Ho's. Almost disastrous.  But through thick & thin, we always pulled through!  Man, I'm gonna miss the little fella.

So here's to you Little Black Bracelet!  Even though you stayed wet long after I got out of the shower, and frankly, you had lost a little bit of your black shine ... I'm gonna miss you old friend!  I just hope you weren't my main source of strength.  I would hate to end up like Sampson when Delilah cut his hair.  But you understand ... it was just time!
... be great today! 

Sittin' Here Waitin' For The Sun To Come Up

Checkin' blogs, watchin' the MLB Network, & chillin'
before my Saturday long run ... (Jack' peeking over
the table waiting for his mom to wake up!)

Ha ... sounds like the name of my next country song or something!  But that's basically the way I spend every Saturday morning.  And if you're an early morning runner, you know exactly what I'm talkin' 'bout!

There are only about three months out of the year when I get to run during the week in some sort of daylight.  All of the other weekdays during the year are spent in darkness, before sunrise ... like a friggin' vampire!  But Saturdays ... Saturdays my friend are different!  On those days I don't have to beat the clock for work.  For these precious weekend long runs, I get to wait until I can see the hand in front of my face!  And if you spend 90% of your running time in the dark, you know the sunshine drastically changes your mood, outlook, and attitude!

Waiting for the sun to come up gives me time to think about this past week, and the coming weekend.  Twice this week, I ran into my daughter, Madison while out running.  She lives on the other side of town and has recently turned to occasional early morning running due to her college schedule.  On Tuesday morning, I saw a familiar shadowy figure running toward me in the distance.  If you run similar routes all the time, you often see the same people and can begin to identify them from quite a ways away.  Like, "Oh, there's that bald guy who always zooms past me!", or "Ah, here comes that girl with the dog who never smiles!", or "Hey, is that the Burger King out running this early?" ... but this morning, I didn't recognize the silhouetted shape ... but yet it looked familiar.  And as I approached ... sure enough, good ol' Madi!

The lovely Madison ... early morning runner!

It was kinda weird seeing her out running.  I had happened upon her and Nate one other time, but this time as she passed, we both didn't recognize each other at first.  She gave me a polite "Good Morning!", but then kept on running.  But then we both stopped and turned around and looked back after it clicked ... "Madi?" ... "Dad?" ... "Oh Hi!!!"  And then we ran together for a couple of miles.  It was awesome seeing her and spending a little time with her in the morning hours.  And later in the week, it happened again in almost the exact same spot, but this time I happened to have my camera, so I snapped a couple!  I'm sure she appreciated being photo'd that early ... but hey, I'm a proud dad, so deal with it kiddo!

She kept apologizing for "slowing me down" but I didn't care - it was awesome just running with my daughter.  Plus it was a recovery week after a marathon, so basically the clock goes out the window anyway as I try to get  my legs healthy for another run.

My son and grandson are staying with us for a while, and last night Ryder and I played a little game of, "Hey grandpa watch me throw these balls under the couch for the 92nd time and then laugh as you fish them out!"  But I didn't mind helpin' the little fella out!  His arms are really short. He can't reach anything under there besides a few dust balls.  Plus, it was funny watching him look under the couch and then explain to us where they went, "Blabah gibbetlo hahaha, didoopah!"  He thinks he's so interesting ... but he makes absolutely  no sense when he talks.

Me & Ryder lookin' for balls

So thinking about today, while everyone else is still asleep & I'm just waiting for some precious daylight ... there are only a few things on the agenda for this relaxing Saturday:

1.  Run 20 miles ... SLOWLY!!!
2.  Go see "Straw Dogs" with my sexy wife
3.  Check out the Top Of Utah Marathon results and find out how Terzah of BQby40 & Cory of Fast Cory do ... I know they'll rock it!
4.  And most importantly ... hang out with the fam

All in all ... a great Saturday ... hurry up sun!!!
... be great today!

Kansas City Royals 5K Report

3rd Annual Kansas City Royals 5K

Kansas City, Missouri
August 28, 2011
Time: 19:09
Finish: 13th out of 1479
Place: 1st Place ... Male 40-44

• Great day with my kids
• Beautiful day at the Stadium doing what we love
• 3 out 4 of us PR'd
• 3rd Age Group win of 2011
• I'm the fastest 80 year old!!!

All in all it was a great day at "The K" ... Kauffman Stadium, the home of the MIGHTY Kansas City Royals!  I got to combine my three favorite loves in life ... family, running, and FRIGGIN' BASEBALL!!! I ran the 3rd Annual Kansas City Royals 5K, benefiting Royals Charities, with my daughter Madison and her boyfriend, Nate.  My son, Gage also came out the stadium and watched his sister and ol' man run ... which was AWESOME to have him there!  Michael didn't run with us ... she had a previously scheduled 10K at the Northface Endurance Challenge with Dean Karnazes in downtown KC.  She also did a great job and PR'd, which you can read about here ... Slowly Tri-ing!

Great 5K race bag ... 2 T-Shirts, whistle, cup, pasta, 20% coupon to our favorite pizza shoppe, free ticket to Royals Game!

There were four of us running on Sunday in two different races, and I had hoped to write a race wrap-up about how all of us PR'd ... but I can't!  Three of us PR'd, but "someone" kinda let the group down ... that someone was me!  I was the only one who didn't.  Gotta get faster to keep up with these peeps I guess!

Nate, Madison, and me before the race at "The K"

It was a beautiful day, but a little warm for really fast performances.  And as a result, all of the times were a little slower than last year.  It was about 75 degrees with 75% humidity at the beginning of the race.  And about 2 miles into the run, the humidity kicked in and slowed everyone down a little.  I don't remember seeing any of the top runners stop and walk in a 5K before today, but I passed three different guys at the end who had stopped to walk.  Believe me, I wanted to join them a couple of times, but I just slowed my pace a little and kept going.

I had originally planned to run with Michael at the Northface race, but when Madi & Nate decided to run the Royals 5K a few weeks ago ... I changed my plans to run with them.  My thinking was that Madi is going to be getting married and having babies in the next few years.  As her life gets a lot more hectic, I don't know how many opportunities I'll have to run with her.  I really missed running with Michael but she understood, and we all had a great time at our own races.  Plus, I had ran in the two previous Royals 5K's, so I was excited to keep the tradition going, and try to set my 5K PR ... more on that later.

The Kansas City Royals 5K is a smaller race but is gaining in popularity and size every year.  As far as the course goes, its pretty uneventful other than the finish.  The Kansas City Royals and Kansas City Chiefs Stadiums are located right next to each other and share the same parking lot.  The race starts out in front of Kauffman Stadium, then circles Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs.  After that, it's pretty plain until the finish.  The course basically takes runners around the back of Kauffman Stadium, and then loops the parking lot. But if you're a baseball nut like me, the finish is AWESOME ... because runners finish on the field of Kauffman Stadium!!!  The last tenth of a mile is a loop around the warning track in the Royals outfield, and the finish line is at third base.  I'm like a kid when it comes to actually being on the floor of the stadium ... it's awesome!


Awesome spread after the Royals 5K

The organization of the race is getting better too.  But probably the best thing about the race, other than finishing on the field, is the post-race food.  They have everything!  Hot dogs, nachos, and beer ... and of course the traditional post-race food as well.  This is always the best post-race buffet of any race I run.  Pretty cool!

Madi's Awesome Run!
As far as the running goes ... like I said, everyone set a PR except for this guy!  It was Madi's second 5K ever, and she topped her previous 5K PR by more than 2 minutes at 27:58 ... a 9:02/mile!!!  Gage and I got to watch her from the stands as she circled the outfield and she was FLYING!!! She was passing people right & left with a great final kick to the finish line.   I can't believe how well she is running ... this kid is awesome!  Gage even said, "It's pretty awesome to watch your little sister kick butt like that!"  You're awesome Mad, we love you!

Nate's Big Day!
It was her boyfriend Nate's first 5K ever and he also ran a great race.  The only problem was, his timing chip in his bib didn't register ... (mine didn't either - more on that later.)  He finished a few minutes ahead of Madison, but at this point we don't have any idea on an exact time.  He was a little bummed, which is understandable.  They must have been having trouble with some of the chips, because two out of our three didn't register.  Nate's fairly new to running and ran a great race too!  Plus, he's a pretty cool dude ... "I guess!" I have a "verrrrrrrrry strong suspicion he's gonna be around for a while" ... and we couldn't be happier!

Gage & Madi playing a little catch after the race

Big Talk ... No Results!
Which brings me to my race ... big fat flippin' fail!  I won my age group, which was cool ... but I REALLY wanted to PR, and I didn't!  I had written posts over the past few weeks about how some of my training times had been around 5:30/mile - and I honestly thought I was gonna shatter my 6:03/mile 5K PR pace, but I just didn't have it in me on Sunday.

Basically, it was very confusing.  My legs felt fresh and light.  My energy level was great.  My race plan was solid.  And the whole time I was running, I never felt like I was pushing to hard or anything ... but I just couldn't get my speed down to where it needed to be???  A couple of times I felt like I had really kicked it in and that my time was finally down around a 5:30ish pace ... but when I glanced at my Garmin - it was only 6:00ish???  It was humid, but I've put up much faster times in much "muggier" conditions.  So I dunno???

After the race, we waited around at the awards ceremony.  I was 13th overall so I thought I might have placed in my age group.  But when they announced the winners ... no Jim.  Huh, that was odd ... because I had passed the winner in my age group at about 2.5 so I know I finished before him.  Plus his time was 19:15 ... and I my Garmin read faster than that.  My initial thought was that I had been DQ'd because I wore headphones.

Fastest REALLY OLD GUY on Sunday

After the ceremony, I talked to the official results guy and asked him if I had been DQ'd - he said no, they wouldn't have disqualified me for that.  We went over to the Ultramax timing guys who were awesome.  I told them what had happened and they pulled out a tape of all the finishers and found me crossing at about 19:09. They were very apologetic and said for some reason my chip didn't read?  They actually went and found the medal lady and asked her to give me a first place medal - awesome!  Problem, they had already given away the first place medal that read Male 40-44, and the only first place medal they had left was one that read Male 80 & Over!!!   AWESOME!!!  That was hilarious!!!  So basically, I was the fastest 80 year old on Sunday ... which I'll take!

There is no way not PR'ing could have ruined the day on Sunday.  I was with my two awesome kids and my future son-in-law (more on that later) ... and nothing could have put a damper on that.  Of course, I'm always a little bummed when I try to run my best and don't ... but the day was much more than that!   I was with the people I love and watching them have a great time and do well was a million times more important than an "over-competitive" old man not accomplishing his goal.  They ran great, but more importantly, we were together and it was awesome! It was a beautiful day that we'll never forget!

Look how happy the Royals were about our great day at Kauffman Stadium ... thanks Bret Saberhagen!

... be great today!

Lees Summit Night Flight 5K ... Running After Bedtime

Madi & an ugly old guy

Race Report: Night Flight 5K

June 10, 2011

Lees Summit, Missouri

1st Place 40-44 Age Group

15th out of 602 Overall

20:06 ... 6:29/mile pace

72 degrees/82% humidity

I'm an EARLY morning runner.  So any run after 6AM is getting a little late in the day for me.  And a 5K race that starts at 9PM is ... well frankly ... after my bedtime! (My family and friends say I'm 42 going on 63 ... they're probably right, now get off my lawn!)

Friday night I ran in one of my hometown races, the 30th Annual Lees Summit Night Flight 5K.  It's a fun after dark race that is sponsored by the Parks & Rec Department.  I've ran this race a few times before, but this year I got to run it with my daughter Madison!  (Michael was at a play with her friend Cindy) We actually ran individually ... but hey, it was the same event.  And we both had a great time, with Madi setting a PR!!!  In her first 5K ever, she ran 28:59 for a 9:24/mile pace.  AWESOME!!!

Race shirt with "glow-in-the-dark" logo & glow-sticks

This is typically a small race, with about 600 runners this year.  And since it's ran in June, warm weather and slower times are usually expected.  But I went into this race with a pretty good attitude, just wanting to run well regardless of the time.  Due to the 9PM after dark start time, most of the runners were a little out of their comfort zone to begin with.  Also, it was a nice evening for hanging out, but a little warm to run your best ... about 73 degrees with 82% humidity.  I wasn't SUPER EXCITED about my time of 20:06, about 1:22 off of my PR. But it wasn't bad considering everything.  Ya'll know by now that I'll probably never be satisfied with my time, regardless of where I finish. But I DID end up being one of the fastest "old guys" in the race, winning my age group for the second straight weekend!  Plus, there was only one guy older than me who finished ahead of me.  HOORAY FOR OLD GUYS!!!

I started a little fast trying to keep up with the area Cross Country runners ... too old and too slow for that.  I think the winner was about 15 years old and ran 16:30 or something - a little out of my league.  But I did keep the flashing lights of the police pace car in sight the whole time!  My gut began burning at about 1.5, which was a reminder to this idiot that I need to get back to my ab program and stop eating cheese burgers, fries, and donuts during the week.  I'm not kidding about that.  But as we approached mile 3 I only saw a couple of "30 something" runners in front of me in the last mile and I knew I had enough in the tank to pass them, which I did.

Madison and Nate

The course was not "hilly" at all. There were only three 50ft inclines that were only about .25 miles long. But most of it was completely unlit by street lights.  I've ran this area hundreds of times and I knew there weren't any pot holes, but not being able to see in front of you in a race is a little weird.  You have very distorted depth perception.  Plus, I forgot to start my Garmin until about a half mile into the race, so I wasn't sure exactly where we were other than just knowing the neighborhood.

I NEVER feel like I'm going to throw up during a run ... my problem is fighting back the other end. My biggest fear is being one of those pictures on the internet where there was literally "an explosion."  I would like to think that I would never "allow" that to happen, but hey?  However, I can tell you that last night at the finish line was the closest I've ever come to hurling.  I ran about a 4:45/mile pace the last quarter mile and my heart rate got to 197.  195 is what I use as my max!  And when I crossed the finish, I was seeing stars and actually thought, "Okay, this is the day I throw up from a run!"  But like a champ I held it down!

Madi with the final kick of her 5K PR!!!

Madison's boyfriend, Nate was at the race watching me run ... okay, he was there to see Madi!  And he was kind enough to hold onto my camera, which I got from him immediately after I could breath again. I then rushed over and attempted to take a picture of her crossing the finish line.  The picture I got was horrible!  It was really blurry.  I'm not sure if it was because of the darkness, or the 3 gallons of sweat that I slathered the camera with. But Mad's step-dad took the one at the left and it turned out awesome! Seriously, it's one of the best race photos I've seen!  Great action shot! I joked with him and told that my stupid camera probably cost 3 times what his did, but his took better pictures!  Maybe he's just a better photographer.

I also ran into Lisa from Eat, Pray, Run after the race, but I didn't even think to get a picture (we live in the same town).  I wish Michael could have met her - she's a really cool blogger! I've met Lisa a couple of times now at the gym and at this race and she is always very nice.  According to her time she ran very well also!

Madi and Nate then waited around while I got my medal for 1st in my Age Group.  The medal was pretty ugly, but that's okay.  When Michael saw it, she said, "Wow!  Did they get from a Cracker Jacks box?"  But I really didn't care that much about the medal.  It was just awesome to run the race with Madi.  And honestly, it was pretty awesome to come in first two weekends in a row.  I know when I look back at this period in a few years when I'm a broken down old man, this will probably be the fastest I've ever been.  I still want to improve, but PR's are getting harder and harder to come by.  I think I'm getting pretty close to my ceiling.  But you never know.

1st Place M40-44 ...  2011 Lees Summit Night Flight 5K

After the race when Madi went home, she sent  me this text ...

"I'M SOOOOO PROUD OF YOU!!!! Winning first in your age group two weeks in a row!?  Are you kidding me! You KILLED it.  And I love you!  You were great today! :-)"

That was the best thing about the night.
...be great today!

OKC Half-Marathon Report ... My Daughter's First Race!!!

 Race Review ...

Oklahoma City Memorial (Half)Marathon

May 1, 2011

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Overall Rating ... 3 out of 5

Spoiler Alert... 

• My daughter, Madi's first ever half-marathon!!!
• Great event to remember the victims of Oklahoma City tragedy
• 45 degrees, POURING rain, 15-20mph wind the WHOLE RACE!!!
• Fair to below average race organization & local support
• Easy, flat course
• Nice medal
• Madi ran an awesome 2:28:27 PR!
• Did I mention it STORMED THE WHOLE TIME???



Michael, me & Madi before the OKC Half-Marathon

Finisher Medals & Bibs...

My MOST favorite race bib ever ... "MADI'S DAD"!!!

The Trip From KC To OKC... 

Excited about the 5-1/2 hour drive!!!

Okay, so here is the "proud papa" moment ... like every parent, I am proud of and love both of my kids with all my heart!  But anyone who has met my daughter Madison will not only rave about how smart, funny, loving, caring, and wonderful she is ... they will simply tell you they have never met a BETTER PERSON!   As much as I hate to admit it, I have to give her mom most of the credit.  But now ... FINALLY ... she has one thing she can credit her ol' man with ... RUNNING!  And on Sunday, after weeks of tough training, she became an official HALF-MARATHONER!!!  And I couldn't be prouder!  Our trip to Oklahoma City to run the OKC Memorial (Half) Marathon was awesome, and here is the recap.

We left about 7am on Saturday for the 5-1/2 hour drive from KC to OKC ... but the time really flew by because there is SO MUCH TO SEE ON THE INTERSTATE IN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA!!! (sarcasm)  We did make a couple of stops for maybe the world's best photos!

Mr. Happy!

Oklahoma's sooooooo windy!

Packet Pick-up & Expo ...
As far as packet pick-ups and race expos go, I would give this one a C+.  It could have been a lot better organized and there was a definite "lack of enthusiasm" from the volunteers - but we had a great time anyway!

Hey everybody ... it's my first race packet & gear bag!!!

Watching Madi get her race number for her first half-marathon was so cool.  It's always cool reliving the great moments in your own life through your kids, and this was no different.  There's something magical about picking up your first race packet.  It makes you feel official or something.  She was so excited!

My two beautiful gals ... wow, I'm lucky!!!

The lady who helped us find our race numbers was very kind ... everyone else seemed ready to get the heck out of there, but in fairness, they WERE volunteering and it was late in the day.  I'm sure they were pretty tired from being on their feet all day, dealing with idiots like us!

Check out this Expo!

Michael was sick all week before the race, and on Saturday she felt awful.  But she is so awesome!  She NEVER let on like she was feeling bad, wanting to make Madi's experience wonderful.  I love you Michael - you are a very giving person and you helped make Madison's trip incredible.  Thank you for giving of yourself - I know you felt terrible. 

Shocker ... Michael shopping!  (Check out the lady behind her "Hey, what'd ya get?")

"Holy cow Jim, it's Bill Rogers, Dick Beardsley, and Joan Benoit Samuelson!"

OKC & Bricktown ...
There was a ton of great stuff to do in OKC and Bricktown - Oklahoma City's historic entertainment district.  We walked around for most of the afternoon and got to see a lot of the sights of this wonderful Southwestern city.

Hmmmm ... we really need a MAN to decipher this map!

Hey, let's jump up and click our heels in front of this giant boot!!!

This was billed as a HUGE event for Oklahoma City, and for the most part all of the local people we met were very kind and courteous.  But it really seemed like the marathon weekend really took them by surprise, like they had no idea this many people would be converging on their wonderful city.  For example, we ate at Quiznos for lunch and they were out of bacon, chicken, guacamole, and various cheeses ... ya know THE GOOD STUFF???  And at the hotel, the staff really struggled with check-in.  It was the "official race hotel", but they seemed a little confused.  They were very friendly, just pretty disorganized.

You're out of everything ... what the heck are we supposed to eat???

Of course, being my daughter, Madison is blessed with a great sense of humor and perfect comedic timing ... as you can tell from the photos!  Complete comedy genius runs in our family ... well, we think we're funny anyway!

Madi & Mickey Mantle ... swing needs a little work!

It was literally a living statue with arms ... Hey there ... Hi there ... Ho there!!!

Play that guitar ... idiot!

"What is this ... a fountain for ants? 
How are the children supposed to get a drink if they can't even reach the fountain?"

Madi & Michael in their best Senior Photo poses!

Pre-race salad!

Race Day...

Hey, matching bibs!

After a sleepless night, finally race day was here for Madison.  We had watched the weather all week and even though Saturday in OKC was 76 degrees and perfect, Sunday had promised a threat of rain and plummeting temps.  And unfortunately, for once the forecast was dead-on.  We woke up to about 45 degrees, 15-20mph howling winds, and driving rain ... NO EXAGGERATION!!!  And it lasted ALL DAY ... completely throughout the race!

We got our racin' clothes on and headed out the door, only to find out the race had been delayed from 6:30am to 7:00am because of lightning in the area.  We killed some time in our hotel lobby and rounded up a few trash bags thinking they would keep us dry during in the thunderstorm we were about to brave.  They worked great for about 15 seconds!  I kept telling Madi everything would be fine, but in the back of my mind I was thinking "Man, this is gonna be a rough way to run your first half-marathon".  But my girl is tough ... and I really don't think it even phased her!  She came to OKC to hammer that half-marathon, and nothing could stop her!!!

These should do the trick!!!

For some reason, I miscalculated the time it would take to get to starting line which was a half-mile from our hotel.  Plus, we stopped a couple of times on the way to seek shelter from the hurricane conditions.  We were literally drenched from head to toe and we hadn't even crossed the starting line yet.  But this would be nothing compared to the soaking we would take for 13.1 miles.

As we approached the starting line corrals, I began scanning the horizon for the gear-check trucks.  PROBLEM ... NO GEAR CHECK TRUCKS IN SIGHT!!!  It was right about that time that I heard the P.A. announcer blare words that made my heart skip a beat ... "ONE MINUTE UNTIL THE START OF THE OKC MEMORIAL MARATHON"!  What the...!!! I panicked ... but tried to remain cool, calm, and collected on the outside so as not to worry Madison.  I started running toward the back of the starting corrals with Madi & Michael closely behind ... or so I thought.  With about 30 seconds until the starting gun, I saw the gear-check trucks on the other side of the huddled runners.  I turned around to tell the girls we were gonna be okay ... but only one girl was standing there - Madi.  Somehow we had lost Michael in the confusion.  I panicked again!  Madi and I had no choice but to continue without her and check our bags.  There was a really cool guy at the rainy gear-check who quickly grabbed our bags and said, "I'll take care of them, just go get in line!"  He was such a blessing! 

Everyone all smiles & calm ... that would change!

Just then, the starting gun sounded ... and out of nowhere, Michael appeared.  She still had her bag in hand and she said "It's okay, I'll just run with it!"  Looking back, that was one of the funniest things I've ever heard!  It didn't seem funny at the time, but the thought of Michael, or anyone for that matter, running a half-marathon while toting their gear bag is priceless!  I pointed her to the gear-check truck and she fortunately found the same great gentleman who had help us!

Once Michael checked her bag, we all got in line.  Luckily, this was a large race and we were at the very back of the pack.  It took about 17 minutes for us to get to the start, so everyone had a chance to calm down a little and start the race like normal runners.  But it was close.  It was like one of those dreams where you over-sleep for the S.A.T.'s or something, and then when you get to the testing facility - THE DOOR IS LOCKED!  But this wasn't a dream ... it was real!  And it was pretty scary!  I thought I had let everyone down by screwing around in the hotel instead of heading to the starting line with enough time to prepare.   To say we cut it close would be a huge understatement!

After the typical start-stop-start-stop with such a large race, we made it the starting line and Madi & I separated from Michael, agreeing prior to the race to run our own paces.  Due to Michael's illness, I worried about her all day - but for the time being, I had to focus on helping Madi run the race of her life!

With rain literally stinging our faces and the wind blowing strong enough to move you from side-to-side, Madi ran the race like a pro!  Her pace plan was perfect for her and she ran it to perfection.  I'm a pretty wimpy runner when it comes to weather.  I had two shirts, a hat, and rain-soaked gloves on ... and I was FREEZING!!! This girl ran in a tank top and pants, no gloves or hat and only mentioned once at mile three that she was a little chilly - but other than that, she was focused!


Look at that gal ... straight-up Chickin' Fools!!!

The only really tough miles for her were miles 3-5 where we ran toward the Oklahoma State Capital building directly into the 15mph wind, and the last two miles where she decided to go all Kara Goucher on me!  Now Madi can be very direct sometimes, but for the most part she is OVERLY POLITE. I've never heard her utter a word of conceit or arrogance in her whole life.  But I swear, as she passed guy after guy on Sunday, I heard her say under her breath "Chicked ya!!!"  It was friggin' hilarious!

She was smooth and steady, controlling the pace like a seasoned veteran through 10 miles of a rain-drenched, windy, chilly course.  At mile 11 she said she wanted to speed up.  I was really reluctant to "let" her, wanting to make sure she not only finished, but finished strong.  But if you know this girl, you know she is a "little" bull-headed.  She started increasing her pace to 10:30, then 10:00.  I tried to slow her down, but she only ran faster ... 9:45, 9:30, 9:00.  We had chatted throughout the race about running, strategy, pacing, and some of the local sights we ran by ... and at mile 12 I said, "Hey, aren't those homes really pretty?"  All of the time-consuming chit-chat came to an abrupt halt right then when she responded, "I NEED TO FOCUS!"  I got the message and shut up.

At about 12.5 she was up to about 8:30 and I told her I thought she should slow down ... it was then she announced that she had a goal of 2:30 and, in she willfully responded, "Daddy, I've got to do this..."!  She then sped up to 8:00, 7:45, 7:30!!!  As we neared the last quarter-mile downhill I asked her if she was okay and she answered by speeding up to a 6:30 pace!!!  This girl was hauling!!!  As we got closer, I heard her say "I got this" ... AND SHE DID!  She finished by sprinting across the finish line at her first half-marathon with an amazing 2:28:27!!!


"Need a little wind here!"

I was sooooooo proud!  No, I didn't cry ... but almost!  I couldn't believe my little girl had just killed this thing and ran an unbelievable race!  She was so amazing!  I couldn't stop hugging her!

After the race we were freezing!  We got our gear bags and found Michael, and walked the half-mile back to our hotel in the continued pouring rain, teeth chattering, with fingers and legs numb!  It was so cold!  We had been in the pouring rain for about 3 hours with the wind trying to ice us over.  We couldn't get back to the room fast enough!

Once we got back to the room, everyone took hot showers and crawled under the blankets for a few minutes in an attempt to get our body temps back to 98 degrees before going out to find a well-deserved post-race feast.  We were starving!

We landed at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill - an OKC landmark.  We had a great time talking about the race and reliving the horror of almost missing the start. Madi ordered a 1 pound chicken-fried steak that was literally as big as her face!  Michael enjoyed a salad, and I had chicken.  It was so good!  We of course continued to act like tourists, taking a bunch of pictures before heading back to KC.

There are many things I'll remember about the OKC Half-Marathon.  I'll remember Bricktown and the nice people.  I'll reminisce about the cold weather, rain, and wind.  I'll remember how Michael was a trooper and ran a half-marathon while battling a terrible cold.  And I'll have nightmares about almost missing the start.  But most of all, I will never forget the look on Madison's face as she crossed the finish line and how unbelievably proud I was of my little girl that day!  She continues to amaze me.  Not because she can now add "half-marathoner" to her growing list of great accomplishments, but because I know that she can do anything.  And best of all ... I GET to be her dad!  I love you Madi, and I'm so proud you're in my life.  Great job baby! 
... be great today! (like you are everyday!)

Just The Way You Are

Michael and I had dinner on Saturday night with my daughter Madison and her boyfriend Nate (who was a really cool guy!) And during dinner these gals demonstrated why I love them so much.  It reminded  me of that Bruno Mars song on the radio ...

... and when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while!

.... cause girl you're amazing just the way you are!

Pretty woman and an old wrinkly balding man!

Madison and Nate

 Love my peeps!  But I think is visual evidence that the dudes were the only normal ones in this bunch!

Kansas City Groundhog Run - My Daughter's First Race

Madi, Michael and I, plus our friends Ken and Cindy, ran the 2011 Kansas City Groundhog Run this morning and had a blast!!!  It's an annual 5 & 10K race held at the Hunt Midwest SubTropolis in Kansas City, MO, and benefits Childrens's TLC (Therapeutic Learning Center).  The race is held completely underground in tunnelled out caves which act as the world's largest underground business complex.  It's was pretty different - but a great experience.

It was my daughter, Madison's, first race ever, and I know that I'm speaking now purely as a proud papa, but ... SHE KILLED IT!!!  She was so awesome, chicking several guys, and laughing about it while she did it!  She ran her fastest 10K ever at, 1:05:30!  But more importantly, we had a great morning of running together.  I'm glad I got to share her first race with her.  It's something we both will remember forever!

Here is the day in pictures ... enjoy!!!

Check-in Friday & Saturday at the Ward Parkway Shopping Center

Madison at her first packet pickup - man is she stoked! 

Everyone excited on the way to the caves!

We had to park about 3/4 mile from the entrance to the caves

Everyone freezing!  16 degrees with 15mph wind from car to race.

These goundhogs saw their shadow ... 73 more weeks of winter!

On the way to the race!

At the entrance of the Hunt Midwest SubTropolis

Hollowed out caves in the SubTropolis ... you're literally underground!

All I want this year for Groundhog day is ... NORMAL FRIENDS!

Madi, Michael and me with Madi's first race sign ... Be Great Today!

Me and Fox4 Meteorologist Don Harmon ...
... later he told the crowd that we would get 12" of snow this week!

Michael, Ken and Cindy at the 5K Starting Line

Maid stylin' her race t-shirt

Michael the trooper after her 5K ...
... she was really under the weather, but ran anyway!

Last sip of H2O before the 10K

On your marks, get set ...
... wait, is that the longest shorts they sell there, big guy?

A few nerves before the 10K gun!

10K Starting  Line

That'a girl ... Be Great Today ... You Got This Madi!!!

Oh no ... she's CHICKING these fools in her first race ...
... sorry sucka's, I created a monster!

Me and my "baby" girl after her first race!!!