(All racing images courtesy of Dick Ross, SeeKCRun. Much thanks!)

Another week come and gone and with its end comes Issue Two of The Half Times, my weekly chronicle of my journey to train for and complete my first Half-Marathon on November 10th, 2012.

Olympic inspiration, a mysterious substance that I believe they call “rain”, cholesterol results and a night trail race–it has been a full week. Looking forward to sharing with you and hearing from you about how your week has gone.

And now, all the news that’s fit to print.

A hot, dry July has thankfully passed and we’ve entered August. Yes, I realize there is precious little difference, but psychologically I can kid myself into believing that as we are closer to Autumn that this heat wave is close to coming to an end.

I entered my first “race” on June 16th and since then I’ve done a total of 6 of them and each has been a chance to push myself while having a great time. Running rocks!!!

Throughout this very hot month I managed to run an average of 10-12 miles a week, steadily increasing my distance each week. I ran my first training 10K at the end of July in 1:06:30 on a flat path and loved it. It was that experienced that inspired the half-marathon goal.

This week was a step down in mileage partially because of starting the week in agony (back) and in part because I could not fit a long morning run into my schedule. That all changes next week. The back was a non-issue starting Tuesday and I did my first bout of hills on Tuesday. I logged 2.2 miles of hills and felt every bit of it over the next few days. But boy did it feel good. On Thursday I did a 2.25 mile easy run and it was a special one.

One of the things I’ve been looking forward to ever since I started running is the opportunity to run under a variety of weather conditions. Thus far I’ve gotten two conditions: hot and dry. On Thursday I woke up to stormy clouds with lightning in the far distance. There was a cool breeze but the storm wasn’t moving close so I headed out to the trail. It was a risk, but the risk was rewarded with a nearly solitary, wind-cooled run that included running in a light rain for the last mile and a half. It was great! A lone buck crossed in front of me and stopped momentarily giving me a picture perfect view. Three wild turkeys couldn’t be bothered with being fearful of my presence and the geese were back to assert their ownership of the trail as I did my cool-down walk.

Friday night was a night run, the Psych Night 5K and 10K. It was a lot of fun and I’ll detail that fun later on.

I was cleared to do more strength training this week and I took advantage of it, doing weights and core work on my non-running days.

You may remember that it was the need to lower my cholesterol without the use of medications that was a big prompt for my lifestyle changes. I waited many, many months before getting my cholesterol tested while I lost weight, lowered my body fat percentage, and overhauled my eating while building a regular fitness regime. A few weeks ago I decided to face the music. After waiting a week, and multiple phone calls, I was finally able to get my total cholesterol number:

198!

Anything 200 and under is considered in the “desirable” category. So its a Win! I want to keep lowering that number, of course, but I am so excited to see this kind of result. At its highest my cholesterol was somewhere in the neighborhood of 270.

I don’t know about you, but the Olympics have been so inspiring this time around, most likely because instead of getting feelings of inspiration that I then do nothing with, I’m actually in the process of working on my own goals and am truly drawing inspiration from the competitive efforts and team spirit of the Olympic athletes the world over.

Watching the heartbreak of Jordyn Wieber as she missed qualifying for the All Around competition was as meaningful and inspiring as watching Gabby Douglas take Gold in that very event. Michael Phelps’ continued domination of swimming is amazing and who doesn’t feel like cheering every time you see the big smiles of Rebecca Soni and Missy Franklin. And of course I was cheering loudly for Mohamed Farah and Galen Rupp who went Gold and Silver, respectively, in the Men’s 10,000 meter race. It was so cool that the two had been training together, had become friends, and were able to finish in the top two spots. And I was over the moon for the people of Great Britain to be able to see their athlete, Farah, win on the home track. How awesome!!!
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For inspiration of a more “hey, those folks are just like me” variety, you should check out the RW Challenge Blog over at the Runner’s World website. Their feature, Challenger of the Week, showcases men and women of all ages who have done what so many of us are doing/attempting to do: they took control of their lives and have developed a passion for running.

Thanks to the local library I was able to secure a copy of the Running Doc’s Guide to Healthy Running. Other than the injury section, which I only perused, I read the thing cover to cover one night this week while watching the Olympics. It was filled with a bunch of practical advice that I plan on putting into play as I train as well as race and it was written in a conversational style from someone who obviously has a passion for running, knows his stuff, and wants you to have a long and healthy love affair with running. I highly recommend it, especially if you are like me and are new to running.

My running for the week culminated in a nighttime run at the Trail Nerds’ sponsored Psych Night at Wyandotte County Lake Park. This was my second night run though this time at a different location. I didn’t know what to expect other than the expectation that I would have a really good time.

This event was a bit different in that I had actually met and interacted with fellow nerds through volunteering at the Psycho Psummer run a few weeks back so it was exciting to actually hook up with them and chat. This was also the first run I participated in with Theresa, a lady I know through work connections who helped get me excited about this great trail running group. I got another surprise upon arriving at the park when I saw my good friend Jeff waiting for us. He decided to come out and support my efforts and I really appreciated it. My wife Mary also came along, thanks honey! There is something extra special knowing you have folks there to cheer you on.

The weather was hot, though not quite as much as the 100 degree weather of the last night run. As there was also a 10K race we started early enough that I was able to actually complete my run without needing my headlamp. The trail itself was fun. I don’t know any other word for it. It was as technical as the other Nerds runs I have participated in, complete with rocks and roots and hills and single-track portions. But something about this particular trail just clicked with me and I had a blast rushing up the hills and using gravity to do my best Killian Jornet impression as I went back down them. This was certainly the most fun I’ve had running trails. I had one brief moment near the end when I joined my fellow runners in walking up a portion of the final hill, but then it was a long downhill to the finish line and oh did that feel good! Hence my crazy ‘bonzai’ leap over the finish line. I’m a goof ball, what can I say?

My goal for Psych Night was to beat my time on the last night run. I had no intention of trying to beat last week’s run time given that that was on a grass trail in broad daylight vs. a technical trail at twilight. But when all was said and done I finished with a time of 24:49.3 and was able to (just barely) break the 8 minute mile mark with an average of 7:59. My best run time to date. 🙂 I was exhausted, a little woozy, and high on endorphins. Wow, what fun!!! It was the kind of night that makes me want to be a running evangelist, converting all I see to the joys of trail running.

It was so great to actually know the names of some people to cheer them on and congratulate them by name after the run was over. It was a nice night to hang around chatting and watching the other runners come in. When I finally felt rested up enough to make the 30 minute trek back home I was presented with a gift from Jeff, the book Run! by Dean Karnazes. I was just watching some You Tube video of him the other day and had come across mention of this book and made a mental note to track it down. Now I don’t have to. And even better, the book is autographed!!! I may not have come in anywhere near first place, but I got a prize anyway!!! Thank you so much Jeff, for both coming out to support me and for the gift that I greatly appreciate. Can’t wait to crack into it and get even more inspiration.

I hope everyone has had a safe and happy weekend and I hope the week ahead is filled with things that improve your health, not just physically but emotionally, spiritually, mentally..in any way that life needs to improve. I hope this week ahead holds something special for you.

Many thanks again to Dick Ross and SeeKCRun for the great photographs.

See you on the trails.