Marathon Runner vs Fiat Panda on London Marathon Course

Can a Marathon Runner beat a 4WD Fiat Panda on the London Marathon Course during rush hour traffic? Watch the videos and find out.





Happy Thanksgiving!

Long Overdue Reports

I am really, really, really behind in my blogging duties. A lot of things have happened since I last posted in early October. I have just been so busy with life, that I have not had time to post. The last time I had posted I was just a few weeks back into my running schedule. I spent most of the summer training on the bike and had done very little running. A lot of this was due to the heat and I do not do very well in training without a goal in mind and I did not have goal races lined up. With the staggering summer heat here in Oklahoma, I decided to just do a lot of riding. I still ran a couple days a week and at least once in awhile, I did a brick off the bike, but my heart was just not into it. Slowly, but surely, that has turned around.
The next race that I did was the Tulsa Zoo Run. Wyatt did the 5K and I did the 10K. If Wyatt does not look happy, it is because he is not. He is mad at me for making him do a little warm up before the race. Sorry, need to get the blood flowing.

The Zoo Run is one of my favorite races in Tulsa as it is at Mohawk Park, which is flat, and we end up in the Zoo and can walk around the Zoo and check out everything for free. This is was only my 3rd week back running and the race did not go as planned. I maintained a steady 40 minute 10K pace, but towards the end, my fitness level, or the lack of it, showed up and I dropped off in the end. I still managed a 40:25, but it was not near where I wanted to be.
Here is the start of the 5K.
Here I am coming across the finish line. The one good thing about this race is that I beat John Stukey. You can see him in the photo behind me. He must have been injured as he is a lot better runner than that.
Next up was the Route 66 Half Marathon. I definitely was not up to the full Marathon, but thought I had a good chance at doing well in the half. I like the longer distances better and thought I would give it a go. This was a first year race and was happening on 10.10.10. How cool is that. Plus, I had the added benefit of running on old sections of Route 66. This was a point to point race and the half started in Baxter Springs, KS and ended up in Joplin, MO. The full Marathon started in Commerce, OK and went through Baxter Springs, KS and then on to Joplin. What a neat concept for a race.

The weather for the day turned out pretty nice for the half, but it would have been warm for the full. The one bad thing about the race is that there is very little shade and it can warm up quickly. There was about 800 runners in the half and after the the gun was fired we were off. I wanted to maintain a 6:40 pace as I thought that was achievable with my current fitness level. I ended up being able to cruise through consistently at about 6:39 pace and felt decent. We ended up going through a few smaller towns and the crowd support was phenomenal. I think most of the people in the small towns came out and cheered or handed out drinks.

The course itself was pretty hilly and from about a little past mile 5, we had at least a half mile uphill section. My pace slowed a little, but I still maintained a 6:45 pace. We entered Galena at about mile 9 and I was starting to feel it. I popped a GU and the crowd support really helped pick up my spirits, let alone seeing Tow-mater on the edge of town. Have no idea what I am talking about, check out the movie Cars.

After Galena, we got on an old stretch of Route 66 and started heading towards Joplin. This last section of the course was full of rolling hills and really pushed you to your limits. I was wondering at this point, when I was going to be in Missouri? Once I hit the main 4 lane heading back to Joplin, there was a little sign along the road that said Missouri. From there, it was about 3 miles to go. I just tried to maintain my pace, but it was slowing to about 7 minute miles because of the hills. I caught an 18 year old kid with about a mile to go and tried to put some distance between us. My experience has always been that you may pass them initially, but once they see the finish line, that youthfulness kicks in and they sprint past you at the finish.

We turned to the left down about a half mile flat road and it was time to kick it in. I dropped my speed down to about 6:10 and was able to finish up in 1:28. First Master and 8th overall. Not too bad for a race with about 800 people.
Here I am getting my nice trophy for the first Master. I was really impressed by the this race and the friendliness of all the people. This was a major undertaking on their part to do a point to point race through 3 states and they pulled it off. The people were so friendly and glad to have you there. Even at the hotel, they prepared food for the race participants. I will have this race on sights again next year as they were able to do a big time race and keep the small town feel.
Three weeks later was the Tulsa Run. I end up doing up this race every year as my employer is one of the two main sponsors and we get in for free. This race I had an additional 3 weeks of training and felt good going into the race. My goal was get under the 60 minute mark and get one of the coveted Hillcrest cups, but the Denver hill at 13K, always looms in the background.

The weather was really cool and turned out be a great day for a run. I had qualified to be up front with the Elite start at the Zoo Run, plus I have the privilege of running on Brian & Kathy Hoover's Runnersworld race team, and they usually grant me an elite start through the team.

Julie had originally signed up for the 15K, but backed down to the 5K at the last minute. She can do so much more if she would just stick with it and keep focused. I really wish she had someone her speed to train with and keep her motivated. She could do great.

After the 5K'ers took off, it was time to line up. Since this race offers cash, several out of state runners come in to try and grab some training money. This usually gives me a chance to say that I have ran with the Kenyans, but usually entails me just lining up with them and watching them fade off into the distance. They are so fast, it boggles the mind.

At 9 AM, the gun sounded and we were off. I was trying to stay around 6:25 and hopefully bring it in at under 1 hour. The first 6K of the course is very hilly and it is easy to overextend yourself and not save enough for the end. I kept everything even throughout this section and was even about 6 seconds under my goal. The next section up to about 13K is flat on Riverside. This is usually where I have faded off in the past and I wanted to make sure and maintain a steady pace. Once we headed south on Riverside, we were in the wind. Everyone was trying to duck down behind other runners, but it didn't make a difference as the wind hit you no matter where you were at. We turned around at about 41st St and headed back to downtown at the BOK center. I was still maintaining a good pace and went through the 10K at right at 40 minutes. I kept it going until I hit the 13K mark on Denver and lost about 20 seconds on the hill. After the big initial incline, it still has smaller rollers and it is hard to get it back going again. Once everything leveled out and I was able to start getting a good rhythm going again, it was too late. I could still see the clock under 60 minutes, but watched it fade away in the distance as I crossed the line in 1:00:21. Oh, so close.
Here is Julie finishing up her 5K run. I wish I could have seen her come in and cheered for her.
Here I am getting my cool award for 5th place in my age group. They gave us a cool print of the race that some artist had drawn. I really like getting something unique from a race as I like the medals and cups, but they are getting old.

Yesterday, I ran the Route 66 Marathon on a humid, windy day. I had a great race, but I will do a race report on it tomorrow.

The European Kona Contingent

As the days are winding down towards Saturday's race, the European studs only did a 4K swim, 1 hr run, and a 2 hr bike. Slackers!

A Day in the Life of a Kona Star

To get yourself pumped about the Kona Ironman Championship this Saturday, check out this great video about Mirinda Carfrae.

Alberto Contador: Winner or Loser?

Here we go again. Last night Cyclingnews was reporting that 2010 Tour De France Champion Alberto Contador had tested positive for clenbuterol. Clenbuterol is typically a steroid associated with Bodybuilding and one that I have heard of from my weightlifting days. The initial reaction to the news is one of shock, which turns into disbelief, and then anger.

The shock comes from that another Tour winner or participant has tested positive for an illegal substance. After just getting over the Floyd Landis controversy, we now are hit with another scandal within the cycling community. It has been happening on a regular basis that cheaters have been caught and suspended, but when the Tour Winner tests positive, then it is major headlines.

The disbelief part comes from trying to figure out why Contador would stoop to that level? I know the obvious answer is that people will do whatever to win, even if it involves cheating, but I still don't understand when someone has so much natural talent, why would they stoop to such a low level. Like him or hate him, he is a great cyclist.

The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Cycling is a great sport and one I like to do, but when numbskulls like him continually bring the sport into the public eye in such a bad light, it infuriates me. People like to rally around winners, not cheats and it really lets the wind out of your sail when things like this happen. I know they are human, but when you are at such a high level of competition and and are thrust into the international light, you have a certain level of responsibility to the fans and the public. I know Charles Barkley thinks he is not a role model, and I agree that the parents should be the role model, but whether Charles or Alberto like it, they are broadcasting an image to the youth and fans of today.

I personally have never been a Contador fan because of actions like him overtaking Schleck's chain problem.. Right, wrong, or indifferent, I think that he has never been a team player. Cycling is very much a team sport. Yes, they always have the GC contendor, the climber, the sprinter, but they always function as a team. If you read Lance's book, he paid his team a big bonus after one of his Tour De France wins, because he realized he could not have done it without them. Priest Holmes, the former great running back of the Kansas City Chiefs, won an award for the most rushing yards in a season and he went out and back all of his lineman gifts, because he realized he could not have done it without their help.

He did the same thing in the 2009 Tour when he attacked his own teammates and ended costing Kloden a podium spot. Lance was able to bridge the gap, but fell from 2nd to 3rd. Team manager Johan Bruyneel was not happy with the move, but I would have expected no less from him. Kind of ironic that everyone left him on Astana to go to team Radioshack.

Alberto is supposed to have a conference today in his hometown and I guess explain what happened? Right now he is saying that is because of some meat that he ate. The guys over at Science of Sport have a more accurate take on this, but my experience has always been, that lies usually proceed the truth. Whether it is a politician, athlete, or even the President, they always start out lying and then eventually the truth comes out.

It may be possible that it is because of him eating some meat that caused it, but I don't know if I buy it. I am not a doctor, nor portray one on TV, and I did not stay in an Holiday Inn Express last night, but I can read human nature. Floyd Landis had everyone fooled. Wrote a book about his innocence, conned millions of people into believing it, had tons of money donated to his legal defenses, and when it appeared that he got mad about getting snubbed for the Tour of California, he comes clean. Greg Lemond has been kind of a cantankerous, bitter, old kook as of late, but maybe he is right on some of these things. He is kind of like the crazy, old uncle everyone has.



Sadly, last month, great cycling champion, Laurent Fignon, passed away after losing his battle to cancer. He was a father, champion, and hero to many. But before he passed away, he said that he did not know if some of the doping that he did may have attributed to his cancer. No one will ever know, but to think that to achieve the highest level in this sport may have cost him his life, is truly sad. It is one thing to be the best, achieve the highest, and succeed where others have failed, but when it costs you your health and your family, was it really worth it.

Time will tell whether Alberto is innocent or not. The media will try him in the public, long before the courts do. In the meantime, I hope that he is honest with his fans and himself. Whether you like him or not, I do not think anyone wants to hear about him passing away at a young age because of the choices he made to be the best.

Race Across the Sky - Leadville 100 MTB Race

Race Across The Sky 2010 from Citizen Pictures on Vimeo.

It's back! I think I might throw my name in the hat for the lottery next year.

Tulsa Susan B. Komen Race for The Cure Report

I know this is only a 5K and I have the reputation of being a long distance runner, but it worked for my schedule. I have been only running solid for the last two weeks as I have been concentrating on cycling more over the summer. I would have much rather been doing Do-Wacka-Do or Flatrock last Saturday, but the 5K was in the cards. I am going to concentrate on some shorter, faster races in hopes of going sub-60 in the Tulsa Run. That may be a stretch, but it is worth a shot.
We were greeted with beautiful lower 60 degree weather early in the morning. We grabbed a front row parking spot in the Mabee Center at ORU and started to set up for the day and I do mean day. My race started st 7:45, but they had an untimed 5K after ours, a Survivor's walk, and later a 1 mile fun run. So basically, we were trapped until after the 1 mile run, unless I didn't get an award and we could leave early. All the races start on 81st St. and we were facing the road for all the action. After the mandatory 500th last port-a-potty trip, it was time to start warming up.
I have not done a local 5K in awhile and it looked like the usual suspects were out. A lot of runners here in town do all the local races and you can expect them to show, but this race was huge. I heard on the radio Thursday, that they had 12 -13,000 people signed up for all the races. My work, Bank of Oklahoma, had a team and I was a part of it. My race ended up with around 2,000 runners.

You can see that it was cool out as I had a jacket on to warm up. I always love how most all of the faster runners go up and down from the start warming up and doing some sprints. It reminds me of some form of animalistic mating ritual. Like strutting peacocks.
At 7:45 we were off. One mild complaint about the start, if you are going to use an announcer to start the race, just make sure that the speakers are pointed towards the runners, so they can hear the instructions and the start. Just a thought.

We headed down 81st to turn onto Riverside to head north to a little bridge, turn around and head south to about 86th St., turn around and then back North on Riverside to 81st and to the finish. The course is pretty much flat and a good one to run fast.

As usual, I started out really fast and then try to hang on for dear life. I head out and hit the first mile in 5:59. About this time we turned and I could see who was behind me at this point. I saw Scott Ostrem and knew he would be coming after me. He is in my age group and would be challenging me for an award. One good thing about Triathlons is they write your age on the back of your calve, so you can see who is in your age group. Maybe a thought for running races?

I felt good at this point and managed to hit mile two at 6:14. A little slower, but still good. At close to 3K, Scott passed me, but I managed to stay with him to the turnaround and then he started to pull away. In between mile 2 & 3 is where I really started to feel the Hang On For Dear Life Syndrome. I turned the corner onto 81st and it is a flat, straight shot to the finish. I tried really hard to maintain my arm swing and keep my turnover up. I went through mile 3 in 6:25 and finished in 19:21. Good enough for 27th male and 2nd in my age group.

While I am talking about age groups, when they finally posted the results, my age group was 44-47, not the standard 5 year age groups. It wouldn't have mattered as I would have still got an award for the 40-44, but I have not seen this before and I have done a lot of races.
After the race, it was time to walk around and get something to drink and eat and take in the festivities. Re/Max brought out one of their hot air balloons.
After walking around for quite some time, I finally located the tent where the goodies were. It was hard to find where to go, but once you got there, they had quite a bit of stuff. Whenever I just finish a race, I cannot eat and just look for something to drink. I have learned though to grab whatever I want for later as it may not be there. I will say for this race, they had plenty of stuff and did not even run out of water. Pretty impressive for such a large turn out.
I just had to throw this picture in. This is one of Tulsa's finest motorcycle Cop's ride. A six speed Harley Davidson. They have always said that after God created the Harley-Davidson, he rested.
The start of the 1 mile fun was delayed as somebody got in an accident on Lewis and they had to clean it up before they could start. Really?

Once they did take off, I did not think it was ever going to end. It looked worse than a Marathon. I don't know how many people were in this race, but it was huge.
Here is the mass still coming at us.
After it was all said and done, it was time to get my award. One complaint here. I am not for sure who timed the race, but to wait 2 hrs. to see if you got an award is ridiculous. A lot of people took off because they got tired of waiting. I am stubborn, so I wasn't going anywhere until I saw the results. I finished my race at 8:04 and they did not post anything until 10 AM. I have seen Ultra finishes posted faster.
After all that, I did manage to get my award. Pretty cool looking.

Overall, I am glad I did the race and I am happy with my time. To run a 19:21 on only 2 weeks of training, I am pretty pleased with the result. With another solid month of training. I will be even faster and hopefully fast enough to make my goal.

I am pretty sure I will do the Zoo Run 10K this Saturday and I may even do the Mother Road 1/2 Marathon the following weekend. I will probably then lay low until the Tulsa Run. Then it will be time to get ready for the Route 66 Marathon. I have done the race every year they have had it, so why stop now. The results of the Race for the Cure can be found here.