| After training with my Run-On! 301 10:30 Pace Training Class for 7 weeks, I decided to run in the 2011 Too Hot To Handle 5K and 15K at Norbuck Park, at White Rock Lake in Dallas, Texas on Sunday, July 10. In 2010, Competitor Magazine voted The Too Hot To Handle as the best running event in Dallas. The event benefited the Protective Animal League and the Richardson Central Rotary Club.
There were tons of great sponsors, led by New Balance, who make my favorite running shoes. The folks at New Balance handed out free wet towels, which you could later turn in to a Run-On store to get $10.00 off on New Balance products. They also gave out free sunglasses. Koala Health and Wellness was also at the event, as was the best running photographer in Dallas, Jerry Glover Photography. Gordon Biersh gave out free beer to runners after the race. Other sponsors were Two men and a Truck, Jason's Delli, and Muscle Milk, as well as many more.
At last year's Too Hot to Handle, I was interviewed by Cure Magazine for their Fall 2010 Issue on energy balance. They also posted a short video of me on their website. At that time, my weight had gone down from 250 lbs in 2007 to 185 lbs, and I ran in the 5k race. I once weighed 345 lbs in my late 40's and now I weigh about 155 lbs. You can see the video on my blog or at curetoday.
This year, I ran in the 15K which I've been training for with Run-On's 10:30 pace team. This race definitely lived up to its name as it was a very hot morning. Jennifer Kimble, the Run-On! Training class Coordinator, helped the Back on My Feet runners stretch before the race, and later, ran with them. I lined up about 6 rows back at the starting line, just like I always do. The 5K and 15K started together, and my 301 Class 10:30 pace team started and ran together with our coaches.
I knew I could not run all out for the full 9.3 miles, so I started at an easy pace, then picked it up. My plan was to run the first 5K fast, before the temperature started to rise. There were many water stops on the course. Also, there were areas where you could cool down by walking under some water sprinklers. About a half a mile into the race, it was decision time. You could turn left to run the 5K or continue on straight to run the 15K. I kept straight, there was no changing my mind. I was in it to finish it.
I arrived at the 1st mile marker in 8:32. I I don't like to see runners passing me in a race, but I knew that I had to slow down so I could reserve some energy. The first water stop was about 1.2 miles into the race. I planned on skipping it, but changed my mind, and ended up getting my cup of water or Poweraide at most of the many water stops. My 2 mile time was 17:42 (9.10 / mile). My 3 mile time was 26:50 (9:08). They had timers at the 5K at 10K distances so after the race, runners could see their split times on the Run-On! results page. I tried to close faster each 5K, then settle back to my comfortable pace. After the 1st 5K I knew I could not keep up that pace for the whole race so I slowed down a bit.
Many Run-On! runners, as well as others, encouraged me as they passed me up. This is the racing community that I love, where everyone cares about each other. I came to the 4 mile marker in the time of 36:13 (9:22 / mile). Soon after the turnaround, at 4.8 miles, on the other side of the hill was the rest of my 10:30 pacing team. We waved and I heard "go Teddy go". Mile 5 time was 45:43 (59:30 / mile), and was my slowest mile so far. I tried to pick it up some and arrived at mile 6 in 55:04 (9:21 / mile). I finished 10K of this 15K race in about 2 minutes less than 1 hour. Now there was only one 5K more to finish the race.
I could have pushed harder, but in this heat I decided to relax and keep a comfortable pace for as long as I could. I arrived at mile 7 in 1:04:33 (9:28 / mile), my 8 mile time was 1:14:04 (9:31 / mile), and my 9 mile time was 1:23:42 (9:37 / mile). As I said before, my Garmin goes off before I reach each mile marker. As with most runners, I don't run a perfect race and sometimes don't run the corners in the most efficient way. My final distance according to my Garmin was 9.49 miles, not the 9.3 miles. My final time on the Run-On web site was 1:28:06. I finished 7 out of 26 in my age division 236 out of 494 men overall and 340 out of 1017 overall 15K finishers. Some chose not to finish, others didn't like their time and took the time chip off before finishing.
My time was a couple of minutes slower than my personal best 15K time which I got in the cooler month of February. After cooling off with the New Balance towels, I started taking pictures of my Run-On! 10:30 pace training class and other Run-On! runners that I've met and run with, as well as a few at the 15K award ceremony. I want to thank the runners that have encouraged me in my training and racing, including my 301 coach Jessica Stanton, Tom Mason, Scott Morris, Heather Williams, my speed class coach Daniel Hagelberg and his fast running mother Enid Schanty-Hagelberg, Genevieve Moran, who won her age division, and my friends that ran the 5K Laura Goodin and Hector Hinojosa, and all the others. I apologize for forgetting names, but sometimes my memory is just too bad.
I will be joining the half marathon class at Run-On! next, and am looking forward to completing my first half marathon race some time in the near future.
You can see some more pictures on Jerry Glover's site here. You can see the results here.
Place Bib # Men Overall Finish Time Pace 7/26 235 236/494 340/1017 1:28:06 9:27 / mile | 
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