Fitness

Half, The man I used to be

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(Yes, that is a turkey you see there…hanging around my neck, not me!)

Saturday, November 10th, 2012…a day that will live in…

Well, it will live on in my memory for some time.

This was the day I *trained for and one I was looking forward to, with admittedly some trepidation, for several months.

It was Pilgrim Pacer day. The day of my first Half-Marathon.

In order to allay any suspense: I survived!!!

More than that, I thrived! At least in regards to my own personal goals.

*My training, chronicled occasionally in my Half-Times posts, was going along at a great clip until mid-September. I was steadily adding length to each of my runs and working my way up to 13.1 miles. My training derailed to some degree towards the end of September. I didn’t stop running nor did I stop my weight training, but I did stop adding mileage. The reasons were the typical convoluted ones that sidetrack us from our best laid plans. Work issues, projects that I either needed to do around the house or wanted to do around the house, etc, etc, etc. The end result being that I had not run any longer than 8 miles at any one time along the way and although I did have some confidence that I could run 13.1 miles without fail, I was not sure how fast I could run it or what kind of vegetative state I might be in at the end.

I was proclaiming it to be a three hour task as I planned to take it slow and make sure that I fulfilled the only goal that mattered: finishing. But the weather was gorgeous today (70 degrees at race time?) and my steady pace for the first half of the race gave me great encouragement and so I picked up the pace considerably on the way back. On the first leg of the journey I was passed by many, on the way back I did the passing and it was fun, not because I was competing with them but because I was competing with myself. I was surprised by how good it felt to push a little harder on the way back and even though those last couple of miles, with steady uphill climbs, were very rough for me (in other words, I was pooped), I beat the personal goal that I had set for myself: 2.5 hours.

My finish time: 2:23:38!!! 10:58 second miles! I can’t tell you how happy I am with that time.

I also had another first today: pumpkin pie! I can hear your cries of incredulity all the way over here. Yes, you heard me right. I had never tried pumpkin pie until today. And it may have just been the famished runner in me talking but that was one mighty fine piece of pie.

As has happened with every Trail Nerds event I have participated in this year I was much impressed by the organization of the event and the professionalism. Ben Holmes and his crew of volunteers know how to do things right and they deliver each and every time. Pilgrim Pacer was a joy to participate in because of their efforts. Thank you all!

And a big “Thank You” to everyone who encouraged and supported me on the journey to my first half-marathon. I appreciate it more than you can know.

And a special, special thanks to my wife Mary and to our friend Nick who attended the event with me. They were my support crew and I so appreciate them being out there for me and also for all the other runners that they cheered on. As a runner I know how nice it is to have people cheer you on even if they don’t know who you are and I know those other runners appreciated what you both did. Thank you. It made today so much more special.

Congrats to all of you who did the 5K, 10K, Half and the Marathon. Especially you marathon runners. Had I had to turn around and run the half course again I think I might have burst into tears. I’ll get there, I’m sure, but I wasn’t there today. If there is one thing I’ve learned about myself in regards to running it is “never say never”.

As the year comes to a close I’ll do one or two more shorter runs and will look ahead to what goals I want to set for myself come 2013.

I can’t believe I just ran 13.1 miles! The me from a year ago–that guy that was 54 pounds heavier and whose only exercise was the annual Turkey Day touch football game–would have scoffed at such a thing. I’m glad that guy’s voice has been silenced.

44 thoughts on “Half, The man I used to be”

    1. Thanks! It was so much fun. A great course through beautiful Shawnee Mission Park, great weather and thankfully I felt great throughout most of the run.

      One of these days Jimmy….

  2. Woohoo!!! That is definitely a fantastic time, especially if you’d never run close to that far before. Congrats, Carl! This is just amazing!

    1. Thanks Amanda, your recent half was amazing too! I was most pleased with being able to pick up the pace the last half of the run. It felt good to set that faster pace and keep with it.

      Your mud run is coming up soon, right?

  3. Carl, this is f*ing awesome! Seriously. And you really need to retake that profile pic because you need to show off those guns all of the time. 🙂 I am so proud of you and all of your progress. I can’t wait to see what you tackle next.

    1. I think so too, Kristen, just because I’m still a little stunned that I am at this place in my life.

      I don’t know, I should probably replace my profile picture with my drunken Gimli shot from last Christmas just to keep me on the right track! 🙂

      Thank you so much!

    1. Thanks Gina! Do it!!! It is addicting once you get in the groove.

      Yes, the pie was a fun idea given the theme of the run.

  5. Wow,Carl-looking good! Very proud of you and your extreme make-over!! Love you so much!!

    1. Thank you mom! I’m feeling good too. Well, feeling a bit beat around today, but it is a good feeling.

  6. Congratulations, Carl! This is incredible stuff. And pumpkin pie–Nice! Think of all the vitamin A to keep you healthy throughout the year.

  7. Well done Carl, it’s a great achievement and you must be really pleased. Actually – I’ve never had pumpkin pie either!
    Lynn 😀

    1. I’m happy that it was a successful run, that is for sure. And I’m glad I wasn’t alone in being a pumpkin-pie-less adult. Of course now it is your turn.

  10. Go Carl!! keep it up!

    and pumpkin pie is the BEST. almost, but not quite, better than 10-ish minute miles.

    1. I prefer chocolate cream, but the pumpkin was good stuff.

      Thanks Andrea, that is the plan.

  12. Wow Carl!! Congratulations!! That is amazing and awesome and spectacular 😀 And I’m glad you had pumpkin pie for the first time as a special treat! It is indeed a fantastic pie 😉

    1. Thanks Chris! It means a lot. I’m happy to have gotten to this point and, despite being a bit sore still today, can’t wait to get out and run some more.

  13. Congratulations, Carl! It’s so inspiring watching others work so hard for a goal, and then achieve that goal. 😀

    I have to admit that I got totally derailed there for a moment though when you said you’d never had pumpkin pie before. It’s only the best thing about Thanksgiving. So relieved to here you rectified that. 😉

    1. Thanks Debi, and I agree because there are several people who I watched and was inspired by to get to this point. I don’t think I would have had the motivation to even get started without that inspiration.

      Yes, I’m an oddball when it comes to some foods. But I’m making adjustments…

  14. Congratulations! It is always great to see people succeed beyond their goals . . . and not die in the process! 😀

    Any chance that you could send some of your self-discipline my way????

    1. That is a plus, Sue! 😉 If I can trim a bit off I’ll mail it to you for Christmas.

  15. Your first half marathon and pumpkin pie. That seems fitting. Congrats Carl, you are an inspiration to me.

    1. Thanks TBM! I’m glad I got to pair the two fun new experiences together. 🙂

  16. Way to go Carl! I can’t believe you’ve never had pumpkin pie before! It is my favorite pie. Maybe it will soon become yours too!

    1. Yes, not sure why I hadn’t ever given it a try before. I look forward to having some again sometime soon.

  18. congratulations! i am very impressed–by the finish and the fact you have made it this long without eating pumpkin pie.

    sounded like a gorgeous day and a fantastic experience. May this be the first of a long and glorious career as a half-marathon runner!

    1. Thanks L! It was a really great day. A little chilly for the folks who stayed around to cheer us on and to help out, but perfect for the run.

  19. I am so delighted to hear that you enjoyed the pumpkin pie. You aren’t crazy, I keep meeting people who admit this same thing to me, one that they had never tried ANY pie at all.

    1. Part of the reason is because those kinds of desserts have never been my favorite. I like cookies and ice cream much, much more.

  20. I’m so happy you finished your first Half that I’m willing to forgive your lifetime of criminal pie behavior 🙂

    CONGRATULATIONS!

    1. Thanks Andi, it was a fun one to set and fun to actually follow through with. I look forward to a fun year of running in 2013.

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