2006 Grandma's Marathon

This race started out so well, but ended up a tough day for my brother and I. I ran the race exactly as planned early on, running 10K in 41:47, the halfway point in 1:29:46, and the 20 mile marker in 2:23:00. I was on pace at 20 miles to finish in the 3:07-3:08 range. Unfortunately, the slight sprain I felt during the race I did just 4 days earlier weakened my ankle enough that it gave in to the pressure and I walked, jogged, and hobbled the remaining 6.2 miles. My pace over the last 10 K was 1:10:16, which killed my time. I finished 721st overall with a chip time of 3:33:15 and a gun time of 3:33:38. I was 246 out of 1465 in my age group and 609th out of 4320 overall. My brother suffered from the heat and had dehydration issues, but still finished in 3:59:32 (under 4 hours bro!). He too could have finished higher had conditions the heat not been so bad. We had a blast though and for both of us, it was our first marathon.

2006 Aquafest 10K

My first of what I plan to be many Aquafest 10K runs was tonight. It was a great time. The run takes place on the Tuscobia Trail and is an out-and-back run along a nice old railroad path which has been converted to trail. Still new to racing, I kept and maintained a nice pace which I was happy about considering that my first Grandma's Marathon was in a few days. I finished in 39:55, which was first in my age group and 3rd overall out of 53 runners in the 10K race. My wife participated in the 2 mile run and finished in 18:13 and was second in her age group.

Baldwin-Woodville Uff Da Run

My first ever competitive running race. Angela said I was pretty nervous. She said I kept making comments about how all the other people looked fast and she got sick of me saying those kinds of things. This was a great run. 13.1 miles in length, it was the perfect preparation for Grandma's marathon next month. I ran a strong race and felt great throughout, however it was tough to touch the times on the fastest guys. I was in a tough age group as I finished fifth overall, and fourth in my age group. My time was 1:26.56. My wife had hardly run at all and she finished third in her age group. Included is a picture of me toward the start of the race (5K and half marathon). I am about the fifth person from the front in the red shorts and no shirt. Photos by Anderson Photography.

The Race that Started it All.

Not being one to have done a lot of races before, my soon to be wife talked me into trying a roller blading marathon. I had skated many times before and while not the easiest thing for me, I thought I would have no problem. One mile into the 26.2 mile race, I hit a tar snake (a.k.a. tar repair strip) on the road and crashed bad (so much for my brand new outfit I bought just two days before). I tore the back of my shirt, skinned my knees, and worst of all, bent the bottom of my skates. I skated for 10 miles on bent skates before I started having foot/ankle pain. At 16 miles, I actually had to stop to check my skates and then realized they were bent. I kept on until mile 21, by which time I was stopping every 1-2 blocks to rest my foot. Finally I could not stand on the roller blade any more. I took off the roller blades and was going to walk bare-foot to the finish. Luckily, a fan watching asked what shoe size I was. He was exactly my size. He gave me his shoes, and luckily he was a runner, so I ran the last 5 miles to the finish. Well, I lost a lot of ground, but I did pass some people believe it or not. This was my worst race ever. Out of 1,929 skaters, I was 1,870th place. My total time was 2:45.58. I was not that far from the last place person in 3:15.14. It was a lesson in humility, but a testament to my determination to finish what I start. Sorry, Angela, for making you late for your own wedding shower since you had to wait for me to finish. The picture of me running while carrying my roller blades and wearing my helmet is one of the true gems in my picture collection and I must say is one of the funniest pictures ever taken of me.

Two Harbors Kayak Festival

Under what appeared to be not so bad of conditions according to what the sky looked like, I looked at the water before departing and thought that this was the worst conditions I have attempted to kayak in. Usually I talked myself out of going on days like this. Actually, I spent a few too many minutes in the bathroom prior to the gun going off (that's what happens when you are new to a race) so I was still on shore when the starting gun went off. I had to scramble to get in my boat and I lost a couple of minutes because of that. In the water I fought hard with one goal in mind. . .to not tip over. I seriously thought if I tipped over in any water very deep, it would be hard for me to get back in my kayak. I didn't tip over, although I hit a rock rounding the island midway through. The boat there for watching the kayakers had a couple of guys taking pictures during the race and they snapped a few of me while I was trying to get myself off of the rock. I scratched the bottom of my kayak pretty bad, but kept on going. I finished in 3:49:56, which was 4th out of 5 in the male 16-29 composite category and 24th out of 36 overall. This was definitely an event I would like to try again. Finishers receive a fired pottery medal which is unlike any I have seen before.