2 Mile Fun Run

jen and i ran in the annual Louisville YMCA 2 Mile Fun Run.
it went very well. the weather was a bit muggy - but beautiful. i ran my fastest time (in a race). i finished in 15:55 / 7:58 pace. it felt really good - and i was thankful i was able to overcome the mental anguish that usually comes when i hit the big hill with a 1/4 mile to go. I was 20th overall.

i got 2nd in my age group and even got a medal. ha! alas - there were only 4 men running in the 35-39 age bracket. good odds!

Jen did well, too. Was 33rd overall and the 10th woman to cross the finish line. she is a bit upset - seeing that had the race been a week ago - when she was still 29 (she turned 30 last week) she would have been 1st in her division. but she did really good and we both really enjoyed it.

here are some pictures. note the picture of me passing an 8 year old on the final stretch before the finish line. i felt a little bad about it... but when i saw that i could finish under 16 minutes, i took off.



























































































total times:

run forrest run

the 23rd annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement 2 mile and 5 mile races were held yesterday morning. Jen and i took on yet another running challenge, as did a number of young adults from our church. we ran in the 2 mile race with 882 other people. it was very crowded and the race started without any warning... some guy with a bullhorn hit the siren and we were off. the biggest challenge was weaving in and out of the masses of people... i think a couple of kids tried to take me out when we were running across the bridge. i was pushed to the outside. i felt like i was in Nascar - zig-zaging my way through, hoping not to blow a tire. after the one mile marker it thinned out. i started out running with THIS guy who finished about 20 seconds ahead of me... i think i could have ran with him the whole time - but he used to be chased by defensive lineman and linebackers back in his QB days so he's used to running fast.

i finished in 16 minutes 36 seconds... 45 seconds faster than the two mile race i ran two months ago at the YMCA. my pace was around an 8:19... when i ran my first 5k a year and a half ago - i was running a 9:35 pace. sweet, yo.

like before i ran with what Bryan might called a robotic-iPod arm band that no doubt makes one run faster. running with the Nike+ iPod system does make a race less boring, though.

we are planning on running a race in each of the next three months.

i'm pushing the 300 mile mark since i began running with Nike+ and have been a lot more consistent this spring and summer. i hope to keep it up.

my results... # 243 out of 882.

Run Lola Run

yesterday, jen and i ran in the 3rd annual YMCA 2 mile fun run / 10 K race. right before the 2 mile race was to begin it began to rain... hard. thankfully, by the time the starting gun sounded, it was a mere drizzle. although it was only a 2 mile run - it was still something. it was the completion of a goal (much like the one i set about a year and a half ago).

there were 120+ people who ran in the 2 mile fun run... most of the fast people were running in the 10k - but i think i came in around the top 10 in the 2 miler. i ran it in 17:22... about an 8 min 40 sec pace. i was happy with my time and my pace. the first mile i ran mostly on the tail of a woman with short hair, black pants and a white sweatshirt. she helped me set a good pace. for the last 1/2 mile - it was mostly up hill. that was a tough way to finish. but right at that time i hit my power song on my iPod (i was running with the Nike+ iPod system). that song was The Catastrophe and the Cure by Explosions in the Sky. it carried me through to the finish line. there was spacing all around me - so i had a nice finish. it was almost worshipful (To God be the Glory) coming up around the bend, music playing through my earbuds, race workers cheering along the trail, coming up around the bend, seeing the finish line... inside, i couldn't help but rejoice.

the run kind of gave me the itch... i want to run some more now - so now my wife and i are thinking about signing up for some future 2 mile runs or 5k's.

it felt good to run. it felt good to accomplish a goal. i hope to carry on.

on a side note - i checked out Run Lola Run from the library.


























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