Ringling Bros Red Nose Run 5k

My race on Saturday May 22, 2010 was the Ringling Bros Red Nose Run 5k at Woodall Rodgers Plaza in downtown Dallas. I arrived early check out some of the sponsors, and ended up getting a message before the race. I spent some time with one of my friends, talking to with a circus clown which was fun. Instead of warming up during the group warm up, I stretched and warmed up on my own. They had a short fun run for family and kids then the 5k started at 8:30 am. I started out on the first row, so I was able to get a good look at the cheerleader that was there to inspire all of us. The horn went off and I started running at a fast pace. With the heat beating down on me, I soon slowed down to my normal pace. It was an unusually hot morning, but thankfully there was a small breeze to help along the way. I couldn't see any mile markers so it was kind of hard for me to judge how far I had run (or had left to run). There was a turn-around on the course which I knew came a little over 1 mile into the race. Once I hit it, I knew that I still had alot of running to do. The course was pretty flat with a few small hills which I prefer over the large ones. I guess it was about 2 miles into the race, and the heat was getting to me. I really wanted to start walking at this point, but I told myself "you have trained for this. Keep running and get to the finish line". I started my step-up pace, and when I thought I had run about 2.5 miles I started sprinting with as much energy as I had left. Then I saw a 3 mile marker, and I knew that I was almost at the finish. One more turn and then I was off to the home stretch and the cheering crowd, which I love to hear. I gave as much as I could give, and crossed the finish line with the time of 27:44. After the race I got some water and something to eat. I checked out the sponsors and got another massage, which really helps a person my age after a long race. The clowns of the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus put on a show for us kids, which was pretty fun. There was also a basketball goal provided by the Dallas Mavericks for the kids to shoot hoops on. The Mavericks will be bringing the goal as well as the Mavericks Maniacs to Dadsfest 5k coming up next month. I checked my time on the board, and was happy to see that I finished 111 place out of 640 overall runners, 15 seconds ahead of the 4th place finisher in my age group. I received a very nice ribbon and medal for 3rd place, and Jerry Glover (of Jerry Glover Photography) took a picture of me, with my award, with a circus clown. Check out the attached pictures from the event. Next, I'll be running the American Heroes 5k at The Ballpark in Arlington on Memorial Day. My final line male 55 - 59 Place Bib# Age Men Overall Overall Chip Time Gun Time Pace 3/9 160 58 70/228 111/640 27:44 27:44 8.53/m

Katy Trail 5k

Most of the races I run take place early in the morning, usually on a Saturday. Thursday May 13, 2010 I ran in the Katy 5K, night race that takes place in the middle of the week. The money generated from the race is used for upkeep and improvement of the legendary Katy trail.

A full day:

I had a full day ahead of me before the race. In the morning I went to see Dr. Justin Lee at USMD Prostate Cancer Center, and got a good report on my PSA. I took the opportunity to get a picture of me and Dr. Lee together (see attached). After that, me and my younger son, Edward (an SMU graduate who is looking for a job by the way... just throwing that out there for you potential employers) and I attended a Texas Rangers game. It was a frustrating, but entertaining game, and I felt bad that we had to leave a bit early since the game was still tied in the ninth inning. Normally, we'd both be there cheering the Rangers to victory even if it was a 19 inning game, but if I wanted to get to the race at a decent time, I needed to get a head start (after the race, we found out that the Rangers had won in the 12th inning!).

Before the race:

The starting line was in Reverchon Park, 3505 Maple Ave. and Turtle Creek Blvd. Attached is a picture of me at the starting line. There were about 5,500 pre-registered runners, but only 4,462 actually ran. I guess the rest just wanted help the Katy trail (or perhaps the free food and beer in the sponsor area after the race had something to do with it, I don't know).

After spending 3 hours in the sun at the baseball game, my son and I got to the race location and were lucky enough to find a parking place across the street from the park. I knew there were alot of runners at the race, and that it would be difficult to get pictures of me running, so we took a few pictures in front of the starting line to simulate me running the race (see attached). Before the 5k, they had a children run (I think it was half a mile) and a skate race. Eventually, the race began at about 6:30pm.

The race

I started 5 or 6 rows back to let all those fast runners get in front. I had run the Butterfly Boogie 5k at this same location (although that was a 10k), so I knew that the first half of the race was on the street and the second half on the Katy trail. I took off at a fast pace to start the race, but many people passed me up anyway. I just said to myself "run your race and do your best", which is what I did. After a few turns, we came to the long hill to climb. Some people stopped running at that point, but I kept running the best I could. Finally I got to flat ground again, but I had lost alot of energy. That hill definitely took it's toll, as did the humidity, which made it difficult to breath easy. I tried to make up time on a few small downhill runs.

About half way through the race, It was on to the Katy trail which is really beautiful. Unfortunately, the trail is alot smaller than the street, especially with so many runners. It was pretty congested, but I did my best to navigate the trail. I noticed that at certain points in the trail there was a lower trail to the left made of softer material for running. When I came to one, I used the lower trail until it ran out then had to go back on to the regular trail. I did this about 5 or 6 times. Many runners did the same thing.

After the 2 mile mark I started to pass up alot of runners. I just kept on going, but was pretty tired. Finally I could see the finish line, a giant yellow inflatable thing, way ahead. I didn't have much left but I ran hard to the finish where I knew my son was there to take a picture of me. I raised my arms up in victory and tried not to look too tired. At the last minute,a lady ran in front of me, and so my son got a picture of her face and a good shot of my arms. Well, we tried, but there were just too many runners to find me to take my picture. I'm glad we were able to get those shots before the race.

The picnic area

After the race, me and my son went to the picnic area. I had no idea it would be so huge. There were many sponsors (maybe 50 or more) giving away free food, drinks, coupons, and discounts. The lines were long, but everyone had a great time listening to the band play. I don't know their name unfortunately, but they were good. I even received a massage which is always great after a race.

My final line 55-59:

Bib Chip Time Gun Time Division Place Overall Place Age Men Overall Total Pace

4332 28:34 28:37 23/62 1354/4462 58 947/1952 9:09/m

Arlington Highlands 5k 2k10

This weekend (Saturday, May 8th) I raced the Arlington Highlands 5k 2k10 in support of the Single Parent Foundation. This was the first year for the race, and they did a great job of organizing it. There were many fun activities to do before and after the race including a classic car show, rock climbing, a petting zoo, and much more.

Fun stuff at the event:

After the race, I got a chance to take pictures with Dallas Cowboy All-Pro Darren Woodson, who hosted the race, and Mike Doocy of KDFW Fox 4 Sports, who was the master of ceremony for the event (these pictures are attached). Mike also hosts his own race, The Dash for Dignity, which I'll always remember was the very first race I ever ran back in October of 2009. I ran the event to prepare for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure which my younger son and I ran for Gilda's Club of North Texas, which I am a member of, and where I sometimes train using the CFFL facility located in the club, as well as the yoga class, and other great programs.

Preparing for the race:

The start and finish lines for the race were set up in the middle of a beautiful shopping center (the merchants there gave out some great discounts as well as some goodies in the registration bag). There was a turn around at about half way through the course which was marked by a cone. I had a good week of training leading up to the race, and was able to elevate the treadmill to 1 which I figured would help me negotiate the hills on the course. I was determined not to walk this time. As I stood a few rows back from the start line, the wind started blowing back against my face so strongly that I had to take my cap off. I thought it might fly off, which would've been pretty embarrassing. The gun went off, and I started the race.

The race:

I kept a steady pace this time. I told myself "no walking" so when I got a little tired I slowed down for a bit then then went back to my pace. I was still pretty far away from the turnaround when I saw the lead runner, a young man already on his way back (who by the way finished with an amazing time of 14:46.1). I said to myself that I'd better pick it up if I wanted to finish with a good time. I finally made it to the turnaround and saw a lot of people behind me which inspired me to just kept running, and not let too many racers pass me up.

Now the wind was at my back, pushing me, and it felt great. On my way to the finish line, there was one hill, so I had to slow down a bit. At my last few races, I had to walk when confronted with a hill, but not this time. I made my way back to the shopping mall area, and knew that the finish line was close. I started going all out, determined to to have a good finishing time. Unfortunately I miss-judged the location of the finish line, and had to push myself even further to get around an unexpected turn leading to the final straight away to the finish. I somehow got my strength together, and was able to finish with my personal best time of 25:33.6.

A new best time... Or was it?

A new best time! I was pumped! After I caught my breath and could breath normal again, I found out that some joker had moved the turnaround cone before the race. One of the racers that had a watch timer said the race was only 2.89 miles. I was disappointed. It still goes in the records as an official race, but I will not count this as my personal best time since it wasn't a true 5k race. My personal best stands at 26:01 at the Dash on Greenville. One day, I'm going to top that time.

My line in 55 - 59 male category:

Place : 2/4

Bib No. : 259

Time : 25:33:6

Pace : 8.14

Overall Place : 83/277

Overall Men : 65/177

Regards,

Teddy