Show Off Your Medals Day

December 31st - New Years Eve should be known as "Show Off Your Medals Day" for runners to brag about all the medals they obtained during that year. What is the point in earning them if they will just be hidden in your house? Hopefully runners everywhere will join us to post their medals in as many online locations such as profile pics, blogs, discussion boards etc.

"My 2011 Medal Collection"

Santa To The Sea Half Marathon

This was a cold but fun run for me. It was my first time running with lil kenny in the stroller and starting in the last corral of a race. Wow! Things are so different when you start in the back. I had to work my way around so many runners to get up to my proper pace. Every time I got into a good groove though, lil kenny started flipping out and crying. He didn't seem to like it when I ran fast. I enjoyed all the many nice people that gave me great words of encouragement and even offered to carry my son for a while to give me a chance to run on my own for a bit. Unfortunately, when he's in a bad mood he won't let anyone hold him but mom and dad. I haven't even checked my time yet, because this race wasn't about time or pace for me, it was about being the first Stroller Dad to the Finish Line!

"SUPER STROLLER DAD"

Long Beach Half Marathon

My wife and I ran the Long Beach Half Marathon last Sunday and thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt good most of the way which was surprising because I haven't really been keeping up with my weekly mileage. But the biggest surprise was the fact that my wife finished her first half marathon under 3 hours while pregnant. I ran 1:27 and hope to go under 1:20 for my next half marathon if I can just stick to my training routine. Work plus our 1yr old in the house makes it tough to train over 50 miles per week.

Gladiator Rock N' Run

My shoes got stuck in the mud towards the end of the Gladiator Race this morning. The next guy was gaining on me so I ran the final mile without shoes to finish 2nd. Good thing I'm an African Warrior! Lol

The Horses

Today I decided to run in the evening because as I was on my way out the door at 6am my pregnant wife began having really bad stomach pains so I stayed home to make sure she would be alright and  lil kenny (my 1yr old son) won't bother her. After my appointments and work today I started my run at 6pm. I wanted to test out my new CEP Socks so I set out for a 6 mile long run. I felt a little sluggish during my first mile then I saw a couple up ahead riding their horses. I quickly ran up close so I could study the horses form/stride as I run behind them. Each time I got near they picked up the pace. I was determined to follow them so as they went off course to climb a large hill I continued up the hill. They got away for a while but I noticed that horses are bad downhill runners so I caught up on the way down. The riders both waved and said I was doing an awesome job keeping up with the horses. I continued down the hill with good speed then realized how far off course I was! I slowed my pace a little so that I can make the right turns to get back on track. By the time I finished the entire workout I clocked 8miles at 7:30 pace. Those up hill climbs killed my pace but the motivation I got from the horses was great. I hope I see them again on my next run!

Spontaneous Racing

This morning I was on my way to my usual morning workout then while eating breakfast I was browsing raceplace magazine and saw an 5k run that was going to start near sea world in an hour. I quickly finished my breakfast and rushed out the door to participate in Jaimee's Run hosted by the twin sisters of the Running Skirts company. I arrived 40 minutes before the start so I had just enough time to register and get warmed up to run. The race started right on time with a few hundred participants. I felt good right off the line at a pace of 5:40. I stayed in front of the pack the entire race. By the time I reached the turnaround point I felt good so I held my pace and finished first place with a time of 17:40. The best part is I won a free pair of shoes! I'm glad I chose to race at the last minute rather than my original plan of running 5 miles at the golf course today.

Pick Up The Pace.

So yesterday I met an older gentlemen by the name of Joe at the end of my workout. He also looked fast so I asked if he'd like to run with me sometimes. He said "sure let's start tomorrow at 5am!" I agreed even though my usual start time is 6am.

This morning when I arrived at the training course he wasn't there at 5 so I figured I'll stretch and warm up. He wasn't there by 5:20 so I took off running figuring maybe he didn't set his alarm clock. The course was extremely dark at 5:30 so I had to run a little slower than usual to make sure I didn't trip over anything. I felt good during the 3mile loop, and because it was so dark and quiet I was able to listen to my body and focus on proper form. By the end of my first 3 mile loop, guess who popped up...it was Joe. He just started stretching because he woke up late but jumped right in the workout after we both high fived. I was warmed up from my first loop and he was on fresh legs so we blasted out of the parking lot. I wish I wore my garmin watch to verify our pace because We Were Flying! I think we were both trying to see who would back down first. By mile 5 for me and mile 2 for him, we both decided to drop the pace a little. He continued his run into the hills to complete a 7mile morning and I finished the loop to complete 6 miles before heading home for some water, a banana, and oatmeal. My PR guy called during my run with some great news for the Hollywood Half Marathon so it's straight to work at 6:30Am.