Posts Tagged ‘Christmas Classic’

In the past couple of weeks, I spent a lot of time reflecting on a great year. Now that the calendar has flipped to a new month and a new year, there’s a feeling of starting something new. The great thing about this year is I don’t have to start over like I did last year.

The Runner’s World Holiday Run Streak — running at least a mile every day from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day — gave me some solid miles and solid runs that makes for an easy transition into training mode. I actually hit day 40 today of consecutive running days, but today was different — the first “official” day of training for the Shamrock Half Marathon.

So with this run, my focus shifts to the year ahead, and here are 12 thoughts for the next 12 months that are on my mind.

1. My “A” goal for the first quarter is a PR in the Shamrock Half Marathon on March 18 in Virginia Beach. Two winters ago I trained in one of the roughest winters around here in years and still managed to set a PR. This year is looking much better weather-wise (although I would love some snow at some point), and my mind will once again be set on beating my best time, which is 1:42.52.

2. I’m still undecided on whether or not I’ll run a marathon in the spring.

3. I want to get my weight to under 180. I don’t know what it is right now, but my letter to myself the other day is something I’m staying focused on. Weight is just a number, I know, but if I could stop eating stupid, I know that my race times would drop even more.

4. Barring injury, I will pass 5,000 running miles since the beginning of 2007 (I didn’t log miles from 2004-06). I have about 750 to go, so that should happen in late summer/early fall.

5. Speaking of mileage, I will not set an overall mileage goal again this year. It was definitely a great thing to focus on in 2010, but I liked how last year went with my “finish it stronger than I begin it” goal — a little more than 400 in the first half of the year and a little more than 600 in the second half. Right now I just want to run; mileage goals will be secondary whenever I realize I’m close to something.

6. I will buy a new GPS watch sometime this year.

7. It’s weird in January to think of things that will happen 11 months from now. It’s that feeling of that time will never get here. I know it will, so assuming everything goes like I hope, I want to return to the Christmas Classic 5k in Bedford and break 22 minutes.

9. I’m going to start riding my bike at least once a week when the weather warms up and I have a little more daylight in the evenings. I fully intend to continue to increase my cross training this year and I want the bike to be a part of it.

10. My sister is running the Monument Avenue 10k at the end of March. I’m not sure how much I had to do with talking her into doing it, but it will be just her second race. I’m really looking forward to her completing it.

11. When May rolls around, I will hit the campaign trail hard for Relay for Life where I will once again run lots of laps for a great cause. My donation page is active now.

12. I have failed to mention it on here, but I am doing the Mountain Junkies’ Frozen Toe 10k this weekend in Roanoke. It will be the first race I’ve ever done in January, but it certainly won’t be a race for time. It’s a trail race around Roanoke Mountain with some generous elevation change. Similar to the Trail Nut 10k last year, I’m looking at this event to gain trail running experience. I think it will be a great way to kick off the year.

Image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Last night I passed last year’s running miles and now stand at more than 1,012 for the year. In just a few days I’ll pass my consecutive running days streak — Saturday will be the record-setting day. It’s a fitting way to end the year full of personal records. Here’s a look:

• It started in April with a 3-second PR in the 10k at the Monument Avenue 10k in Richmond. You may recall this was my No. 1 racing moment of the year in my post the other day.
• In July I had one goal — a PR in the Stars and Stripes 5k in Howland, Ohio. Mission accomplished by 31 seconds.
• A few weeks later, I dug deep and found a PR in the Percival’s Island 5 Miler, the fourth time I’ve done that race. I knocked 12 seconds off my PR from 2007.
• It wasn’t a personal record in the distance, but I did set a course record by more than 4 minutes on the “new” course of the Lynchburg Half Marathon in August.
• A week after that I set a new bar in the 5k in the Fab 5k, knocking off another 18 seconds off my PR.
• Perhaps the biggest PR came in the Baltimore Marathon. I never really talked about how much improvement I made in that distance, but my 3:56:17 finish was more than 16 minutes better than my first attempt at that distance in 2007.
• The final record of the year came with a course record a few weeks ago in the Peaks of Otter Christmas Classic in which I knocked off more than a minute and a half of my time from 2009.

It’s funny to think that at two different times since I started running that I went more than a year between 5ks. Now I can say I have run four 5k races in four weeks. It’s not something I highly recommend, but it’s been fun.

The fourth 5k this past Saturday was similar to the first one in this series — my main goal was to help pace Josh, a co-worker of mine, while still getting in a very solid run at the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis in Roanoke. I was hoping to push Josh to a PR on Saturday, but he just couldn’t quite hold the pace for the final mile.

Josh ran a 24:23, just shy of his PR this past summer. His PR was when I set my PR at the Fab 5k; this course in Roanoke on Saturday was completely different with rolling hills and a couple of tough bridges.

I ran with him for about 2.5 miles, then went ahead with a strong finish myself at 24:08. I would have liked to have gotten to under 24 minutes for the both of us, but on this course I am more than pleased with what we both did. I think with the right conditions on a flatter course Josh is poised to break 24 minutes.

The past four weeks have been a tremendous learning experience for me, as I not only set a personal record for races in consecutive weeks, I also added the Runner’s World Holiday Run Streak into the mix. Here are some things I’ve taken from this:

• It’s perfectly fine to leave something on the course. Yes, I’ve done that before, but it’s been way too long since I ran a race for the fun of running a race and enjoying great company.
• If you’re going to run races in consecutive weeks, make only one of them your “A” race. This approached worked well for me with setting my course record in the Christmas Classic.
• Pacing another runner is an awesome opportunity to take the pressure off yourself. I hope to do more of this in the future. Saturday was fun for me because I didn’t care about my time. Thinking about the “what could have been” element of race like the one on Saturday was quite enjoyable and presents a challenge should I do this race next year.
• Lastly, these four 5ks have made me realize that the distance of 3.1 miles is the hardest distance to race. I used to think it was the 10k, but it’s now this for me. Those precious seconds you may lose at the beginning weaving around slower runners or not hitting a hill exactly right are the make-or-break points with setting personal records for a 5k.

Now that this challenge is done, all that is left is 13.1 miles for 1,000 running miles this year …

After Saturday’s Peaks of Otter Christmas Classic, I didn’t hang out for long. After being out in the cold for a while, my son was ready to go home. I ended up missing some exciting news though — an age group award.

My official time of 22:53 put me 3rd in my age group, which was really surprising considering the top 3 in my age group last year had finishes of 20 minutes or better. So I’d like to thank all the REALLY fast guys 30-34 for staying home Saturday.

My award was the coffee cup above; the inset photo is me and my son showing off our awards — he ended up getting a medal for his race.

I ended up being 60th out of 369 finishers, the largest Christmas Classic ever. My official time puts me at 1:41 better than my previous time from two years ago when I was 100th out of 322.

It always seems like “next year” is so far away, but then it never really is. When it comes to running, I’ve thought about this year’s Peaks of Otter Christmas Classic nearly every time I’ve gone for a run in Bedford. It’s nearly impossible to not run part of that course.

A year ago this weekend, I sat on the sidelines and watched many friends run the race; it was that day that really set the wheels into motion of coming back from my injury that I still have a hard time shaking from my head.

It was that day I felt like I was more determined than ever to get back to running; it was also the same day I had my initial visit with Wimmer Chiropractic and began developing a strategy with how to run more than a half mile at a time.

Today was a special day as I was able to get to the start line of the Christmas Classic healthy, and with a strong goal — break my course record. I did that today with a Garmin time of 22:54, more than 1:30 better than two years ago.

It was such a great race, despite my nose being stopped up again. I actually ran with a Breathe Right strip to help battle that issue.

Today’s cold air felt great — it was in the upper 30s when it started.After last week’s lesson, I finally got brave enough to not wear a long sleeve shirt under 40 degrees.

I hit the first mile, which was a gradual downhill, in just under 7 minutes. I was very happy to battle the infamous hospital hill in the second mile and hit about 7:45. I wish I had some juice left in the final mile, but with a gradual uphill finish and a course record in the bag, I stayed focused on finishing under 23 minutes.

While the focus of this race was about completing my comeback and ending my racing year strong, I also thought a lot about my grandfather who passed away earlier this year. The loop course was his favorite walking loop, and through the neighborhood my grandparents lived in until this year.

I thought a lot about him today, as I often have on runs by myself this year. With Christmas near, the memories of him wearing a “I told you the Schmidt house!” Santa sweatshirt every year are as clear as ever in my head.

To add to today being a special day, my son also completed another race — a simple quarter mile in which he was able to dust another little kid at the end who veered off course. This was after my son’s shoe fell off and he was complaining of his legs hurting.

Seeing him doing this on his own terms is just awesome. I don’t think he quite “gets it” yet when it comes to races, but I’m sure he will soon enough. And when he does, he’ll quickly break all of my personal records.

For now, it’s all about having fun. Something I’m doing a lot of, too.

As a follow up to my sort of “what’s next” post the other day, I put the wheels into motion this week to finish up 2011 strong. For the first time ever, I’ll be running three races three weeks in a row.

While they’re “only” 5ks, my goals for each are different, but all will have the same underlying similarity of figuring out what a realistic goal for the Shamrock Half Marathon will be in March.

Turkey Trot
For $20 and a long-sleeve moisture wicking shirt, plus running for a good cause, why not run this? It’s a new course this year in downtown Lynchburg, so no matter what happens, it’s a course record. And coming off two 5k PRs earlier this year, I want to see where I stand with that distance and speed.

I’m expecting a large crowd, so most of all I just want to have fun and an excuse to have seconds on Thanksgiving. This race is more about setting me up for the next race a little more than a week later.

Christmas Classic
This will be the first race I have ran five times — three of those from my pre-blogging days — with one of those being a 10k that no longer exists. My main goal will be to beat my course record of 24:34 from two years ago on a cold, rainy, almost snowy day.

This is my home course — the loop route includes streets I have ran on dozens of times since I moved back to Bedford two years ago. I feel like there’s no better time than now to make it the best Christmas Classic yet.

Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis
The final leg of the 5k trio takes me to Roanoke, where I fully expect to run a race purely for the fun of it. It’s free through a workout program at work and I’ll be running with co-workers that I’d really like to see push themselves in this distance.

That said, this is going to be a very crowded race and it’s all about bringing awareness to a great cause, ending the year with a fun run, and giving a push to co-workers. I won’t be setting any goals for this other than to have fun.

A year ago I was panicking as my second Richmond Marathon neared and I was battling an ITB injury. I had a strong year only to see things unravel in the final 2½ months of 2010.

After the marathon, I closed out the year at the lowest point since I started running in 2004. Sure I hit 1,000 miles, which was my huge goal for the year, but I had to do it in what felt like such an uncelebratory way. In December, I set a goal for 2011 to end it stronger than I begin it.

And now, all of a sudden, that time is here. I’ve thought about it since I wrote about it. I’ve been trying to figure out what I meant all year – sure it sounded good, but how I hit accomplish this goal is so open-ending.

In some ways, I’ve already accomplished it. In the second half of the year I have set a PR in the 5k twice, the 5 miler and the marathon. I’ve also already ran more miles in the second half of this year than I did in the first 6 months – 412.3 from January through June; 463 since July 1.

I’m finding myself in unchartered terrority with my running – two marathons ended with injury and an overall lack of interest in running. Now with a little more than two months left in the year, I remain excited about running after my third marathon.

It’s time to focus on finishing what I started this year … and last year. In these last two months I want to hit 1,000 miles in a meaningful way. I don’t want to force it just because I’m close to it. I want it to be fun.

I also want to close the year off strong race-wise with a course record at my “home” course – the Bedford Christmas Classic. I enjoyed watching my friends run strong in that race last year, but it hurt me to miss it.

I ease back on my mileage a bit and get rested up before I prepare for the next big training cycle with my fifth Shamrock Half Marathon in Virginia Beach in March. But that’s 2012. I have some things to take care of in the next 67 days.

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

7.2 miles … that’s all I have to get to 1,000 running miles for the year. Sure, some of those miles are power hikes up a mountain or walk breaks during the marathon, but it’s all grueling time on my feet. I won’t let a few miles ruin the celebration of hitting this milestone. For the record, I’m well over 1,000 exercising miles anyway if I still counted walking miles, which I haven’t done in a couple of years.

The question is, when will I run again? A few days after the Richmond Marathon, I actually feel really, really good. There’s some soreness remaining, but I can handle steps just fine and walking provides a lot of relief. It’s kind of crazy to think that I’m so close to 1,000 miles and it all comes down to literally taking it a mile at a time until I get there.

As for “what’s next” with running, there’s a part of me that wants to sign up for a 2011 marathon and do it all over again. Honestly, though, I don’t want to go through that commitment again right now. If I could heal up quickly and have no problems running in a few weeks, I would consider upgrading my Shamrock race, but those chances are slim. If you’re in Vegas, don’t bet on those odds. And I would say right now that there’s a small chance the Shamrock Half won’t happen.

Whatever I do next comes down to how my body reacts to running again. I was hoping I could do a 2-mile turkey trot next week and the Christmas Classic in Bedford on Dec. 4, but I really can’t say either way what I’ll do. Racing isn’t important right now — getting healthy is. All year I have recovered very well after each race and after most of my long runs, so I just have to listen to what my body says.

So go ahead and ask me “what’s next?” All I can say is I don’t know, and I’m fine with that. For a few days anyway.

At this time of the year, I’m in a reflective mood, but I want to do my best to avoid a big year-end round-up post. They really don’t do anything for me. So instead of recapping my year sometime between now and Dec. 31, I’d rather do some Top 5 lists – Top 5 Moments of the Year, Top 5 of the Decade, Top 5 Posts You Read, etc., etc. And I certainly don’t want to jam into one big long post that you’re not going to read anyway because, well, it would be a long post. Long posts are for long races or when there’s a hodgepodge of things to write about.

I’ll start this year-end series of posts with my Top 5 Running Moments of the Year.

#5 – What’s up Doc?
After the weekends of No. 1 and No. 2 on my list below, I was hurt. And I just couldn’t take the pain in my foot anymore. So I finally went to the doctor – my first trip ever due to running issues. I ended up skipping out on future visits, but that one trip saved me from future issues. I’ll never again mess around when something bothers me for more than a week or so.

#4 – Stung in the Eye
No one said that this list had to be top 5 “best” running moments of the year – just “moments.” And for several moments a few months ago, I seriously thought a bug in my eye had permanently damaged my eyesight. While it’s funny now (and to some people it was funny then), my eye hurts just thinking about that moment. My summer running will never be the same. And, at least right now, that post from a bug getting in my eye is one of my most read posts of the year. I’m sure you’ll help keep it in the Top 5 for the next couple of weeks.

#3 – A Return to Bedford
I’m nowhere close to where I want to be right now when it comes to fitness, yet just two weeks ago I set a course record in the Peaks of Otter Christmas Classic 5k in Bedford. Sure, a lot has changed since 2005 when I last did that race, but a course record is a course record no matter how many times an event has happened. And of the 13 5ks I’ve done since 2004, this was my fourth fastest. I still have a lot of work to do, though, to get close to my 2007 PR of 22:42.

#2 – The Unexpected PR
A week after my No. 1 highlight below, I ran the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k. Two races in two weeks? Sure, no problem I thought. I would just go out and run the 10k easily. I would run it to be a part of the Lynchburg College alumni who were running; I would run it to just do two races in a row; I’d run it because I had organized a group of employees at then-Christian Children’s Fund (now ChildFund International) to form a team. It was the least selfish races ever – and to my surprise I set a PR by 21 seconds.

#1 – Shamrock III
It what seems like forever ago, I trained and ran a half marathon less than five months after becoming a father. That experience alone tops any PR to date and rivals the feeling I had when completing my first marathon. I ran that race to prove to myself and to others that there are no excuses when it comes to running a big race.

Cold rain. A few snowflakes mixed in. No watch. But I’m happy to have a 5k under my belt 400-plus days later.

But I did it … I think. “It” is setting a course record for the Christmas Classic. Unfortunately there was no clock at the finish line and I somehow left my watch at home. I overheard someone in front of me say they were just a little more than 24 minutes, so I’m pretty sure I beat my 2004 time of 24:51. Official results have not been posted yet. I know I easily beat 2005′s time of 26:51. It’s nice to get older and get faster in a race, but honestly I know I can do faster. I won’t beat myself up, but if I could knock off 10 pounds I could knock off another minute or so of my 5ks.

Anyway, this was a crazy day to run outside. The temperature when I woke up was 40, but that gradually dropped in the morning. And it was raining. As the race ended, a few huge snowflakes were mixing in, but it rained the whole 3.1 miles. I don’t really have too much to say about the race — I did what I could, but I couldn’t push it very hard in the last half mile, which is pretty much uphill. My shoes were water-logged and my toes were getting numb. And I was cold. I just couldn’t push myself through that today.

This is a great way to close off the crazy running year of 2009. Had injuries not slowed me down in the spring, it’s hard to tell where I would be right now. But I can’t dwell on that — I can only look forward. Ending on a high note like this certainly helps.

On a side note, it did snow today … in the mountains. Here’s proof from a visit to the Peaks of Otter this afternoon: