Dogwood Canyon 25k October 2013

I'm almost up to date on blog posts about the races I have run with the cross.

In October my wife and I ran the Dogwood 25k, her first official 25k and my first trail run with the cross. One of the best organized, most beautiful, challenging, and toughest trails runs I've ever done. Most of the hills you run up during this race are so steep that as you are going up them if you lean to far forward your nose will touch the hill, a slight exaggeration. I've only seen one runner who did not walk on a majority of these hills, and he was a beast. There are numerous creek crossings, the first couple you try your hardest to keep from getting your feet wet, but eventually you stop worrying and just plow right through.

I didn't get close enough to the start line because of the crowd so once the race started I had to carefully weave my way through the crowd to get into a good spot and pace. Now, all of the races up until this point I only had to worry about being in the way at the race start. But on a trail run, the path is much more narrow and I had to be very careful that I didn't smack anyone with the cross. No one came right out and expressed that I was in their way or that I shouldn't be there. However, some of the other runner's made a few comments in a joking manner, but you could tell they weren't the happiest that I was there. Someone made the comment that I need to put a neon flag on the end of the cross, several other runners made comments about how I need to be careful or else I might hit someone. The entire run if a path was too narrow and a runner was close behind me I would step off to the side to let them ahead or if possible I would run off the path to allow them plenty of room on the path. This got me to thinking. There are a lot of people who are grateful of the work of the cross, but there are a lot of people ashamed of the cross, or who think the cross gets in the way of their day to day life. This is an increasing issue in today's society, where anytime a Christian says something it is viewed as judgmental, hypocritical, etc. We have become afraid to express the teachings of the Bible because we don't want people to become angry with us. Or there are those who couldn't care less, and go about bashing people with their metaphorical cross, causing issues and negative impressions of Christians. It is not our place to judge others, there is one true judge and we will all stand before Him one day. With the little time we have on this earth we need to love all of those around us just like Jesus loved. Jesus didn't go around telling everyone what they are doing wrong and condemn them to hell, He loved them, and died for every single person. So why should we be ashamed to speak of the cross and about God!
 I have run this race before so I was somewhat familiar with how my legs would feel. But because of the extra weight of the cross, with each hill I went up my legs grew weaker and weaker from the added weight of the cross. The legs became heavier and heavier, making it harder and harder to get up each hill. As I walked up those hill, with my free hand I would push off of my thigh to try and keep myself going.

My wife ran the race with one of her best friends and they did an awesome job.

Almost a year behind posting.. Rock the Parkway 13.1 April 2013

The first part of this post is going to be me bragging on my wonderful wife! Right before I ran the half marathon I rode my bike alongside my wife as she ran her first official half marathon. We had a friend drive us 13.1 miles away from our house and drop us off. It was a hilly, hot, and windy day, and she suffered from some knee and foot problems. But she dominated her first official half marathon.

Rock The Parkway Half Marathon

My mom, my wife, my puppy, and I all drove up to Kansas City for me to run the half with the cross. The best part of this race was before the race. I had to rush down to packet pick up so I had my mom carry the cross down to the start line for me. My mom is one of the most supportive mothers that God ever blessed a kid with, but outgoing is something I would not categorize her as. So for my mom to carry the cross for me was a big deal. She said she could feel everyones eyes starring at her as she walked with it. I'm hoping for the book to get her to write something up for me ;)

The lesson I want you to learn from this race is the knowing when God will provide and when we must do things ourselves. It is hard to balance out trying to do everything yourself and not leaning on God or leaning so much and God that you don't do anything. I have a bad habit of not properly training for my races. Whether that's because I get too busy with work, the weather is too cold, or I'm just too lazy. When you see me standing at the start line of a race you can typically assume I haven't ran for a few weeks or that I barely trained for this event. Some people go through life expecting God to open all the doors and that what ever happens.. happens. Other's go through life controlling everything they possibly can because they feel helpless if they don't. God has blessed me with the gift of running and through training I have been able to run ultra events and because of my strength I am able to carry the cross. Now, God gave me this talent and with out Him I would not be here or be able to run. However, if I never trained would I be able to run 100 miles? I can try to do these things with out training but it makes me more susceptible to injury. In everything that I do I give God the glory, without God I could not run that many miles while carrying the cross. However, this does not mean that I am not supposed to train and do things myself. So, as we go through life we should not expect God to do everything for us and wait for doors to open, we should go through life working hard and listening closely to Him so that we know which door to go through when a door does open(Not every door that opens is of God). 

The half marathon was tough, you would think that after I had ran a marathon with the cross, running half the distance would be easier... but that is not the case, especially if you don't train properly. Around six miles into the race I started struggling with some muscle cramps. I talked with lots of different people and listened to their stories and I shared mine. One guy passing me said, "I don't think the Bible meant it literally", referring to the scripture where Jesus says take up your cross and follow me.  

Overall, it was a great race, and when I was finished we drove all the way to arizona for our cousin's wedding.

Over a year behind posting... Bass Pro Marathon November 2012

Hello!
I feel foolish forgetting to post about several of my runs with the cross, especially considering I am planning on writing a book about them.

BASS PRO MARATHON 2012

Only two weeks after running my 100 miler I had scheduled my first marathon with the cross. My feet were great, muscles fresh, and I was excited to take on the marathon! My dad, best friend, and wife were all there to support me, or maybe they just wanted to wander around Bass Pro and eat fudge ;)

As usual I arrived supper early and slowly sipped on some energy gels and water as the world outside the car buzzed with excitement. When the race director called out for the 5 minute warning I lined up in the front ready to tackle the challenge. My plan was to not go out too fast, reserve my energy and just finish the marathon... always easier said then done. With the excitement, adrenaline, and freshness of your muscles you feel like you can win the race when the gun goes off. But, those first couple miles quickly fade away and you still have 24 mile left and you start to feel the adrenaline and excitement wear off. I typically blow right by the aid stations because I feel so good that I don't see the point in stopping for any fuel.

This is a great life lesson. As Christians, new or old, there are times where we feel like we can take on every problem there is in the world and accomplish every goal! This could be when you first dedicate your life to God, maybe it's after an amazing conference, retreat, or camp, or maybe it's after a really good Sunday morning sermon. When ever it is, you feel on top of the world and you are filled with the Holy Spirit. So, just like a race, you start out in a dead sprint, going way too fast. Why not? You feel great! You see an aid station and think to yourself, I feel great I don't need any help or fuel. Or because you feel so good and you don't want to stop you grab a cup on the go and try to take a drink while still running. Splashing the water all over the place and hardly any of it actually goes into your mouth. A couple miles down the road you start to feel tired and that finish line you thought you could reach so quickly gets farther and farther away. You have to learn to pace yourself and take help when you need it. God may have given me the ability to cure cancer, but if I start out too quick I can burn out. I can end up with a cramp, pull a muscle, or faint, and I may never reach that finish line God has put in my life, and then I never get to cure cancer. Not all goals and calls in your life are like a sprint where they are accomplished so quickly, most things take time, like a marathon. You have to pace yourself and keep fueled with the Holy Spirit, Word, and Christian friends.

A couple miles into the race the Lay Ministries Leader of the UM Conference ran with me for a while. He asked to carry the cross for awhile and so I gladly passed it off. Immediately my tired legs felt fresh again and I felt great. Your burdens are not meant to be carried alone! We are called to help each other and provide spiritual support, not hiding any sin. When we try and take our burdens and sin on our own you end up much like me when I finish a race with the cross. My muscles are way more sore than they could have been. My shoulders are raw and I am just exhausted. It is harder to walk because of how tired and sore. Someone in a loving way may pat my shoulder and I would cry out in pain or lash out in anger because they touched a "raw" spot. First and foremost our sins are forgiven by Jesus blood on the cross, but we still struggle with things event though we are forgiven. If we can learn how to surround ourselves with Christian friends and family who can help us through these burdensome times those raw spots will be much smaller, muscles won't be as sore, and we will not be as tired!

The rest of the race went just about the same as every other race I run with the cross. My shoulders started to get sore and my muscles started to cramp around mile 20. I talked with lots of different runners as they passed me or I passed them. Near the end of the race I started to pass runners from the half marathon race as their route joined back with mine. The amazing part about running this race was not my personal accomplishments of finishing the marathon, but of the lives it impacted! I probably had 6 or more people come up to me after the race to take a picture with me and thank me for my testimony. One girl came up to me crying. She said she didn't think she was going to be able to finish the race, it was just too much for her. But when I passed her with the cross it gave her the motivation she needed to finish what she started. Children were curious why I carried the cross and their parents had them come up and ask me. The biggest story that touched my heart is one that was shared with me several months after the event. I have to seek permission to tell the details about their story. But what it comes down to, was the picture they took of me with the cross got them through a very very rough patch in their life.

Pumpkin Holler 100 miler!!

The whole reason I started this blog was for my first 100 mile race, and I have accomplished this goal! I will admit... my training was nothing like I wanted it to be or what it should have been. The longest training run I ever went on while training for the 100 miler was a 19 mile run. I had plans of following the training schedule I had put together which had several weekends where I was supposed to run 30 miles on Saturdays and 20 miles on Sunday. This was what you would call an EPIC FAIL! It was partly due to the fact that after my 19 mile training run a started having IT band issues that was never resolved till the race day (by the grace of God).

The final week before the race I did real good at tapering and eating appropriately.. easiest part of the training. My wife, father, and I camped in a tent at the race start/finish. The race was held at the Eagle Bluff Resort just north of Talequah Oklahoma. The Pumpkin Holler 100 miler was put on by a great racing company called Tatur.

                                                                   Before the Race

The night before the race I layered myself in warm clothes and cuddled up under a collection of blankets and tried to get to sleep. It didn't take too long, but longer than what I would have liked. I woke up several times throughout the night, but had no problem getting back to sleep. Just outside the warmth of cocoon was a cold crisp air.

For the first time in a long time, I actually hit the snooze button on the alarm on a race morning. That may have been due to the cold air and that I didn't want to get out of the warmth. But I knew I had to start organizing everything and getting ready for the race, so I slipped on some shoes and went out to find the chip pickup and the restroom. Surprising enough, I only had to use the restroom twice before the race, compared to my 6-10 typical times. The buzz of all the athletes made the morning get more and more exciting as the sun started to come up over the horizon. As at drew nearer to start time I stood among the crowd of 50k, 100k, 100 milers, and a few early 25k runners.

                                                                          The Start

The race director smashed a pumpkin at the start of the race and we were off... in a slow shuffle trying to stretch out the stride a little. A friend from Joplin area was there and so I went with him and we chatted a bit. I was going much faster than I had planned but not too fast to that I needed to slow down. I looked down at my watch thinking we had only been running for maybe five minutes and it was already 30 minutes. The time was flying! I also got to chat with a man from California who has ran 14 100 milers before and he hi fived me when I talked to him about running with a cross and shared with me about how he had just been baptized recently. The race started with a 7-8 mile out and back. When we got back to the start line we all separated from that point on because of the different amount of times we would each spend at aid stations.

                                                            Loop 1... Miles..

I shed my gloves, refilled my bottles and headed out for the first 50k loop. When I took a swig of my Gatorade it tasted horrible... the start/finish line aid station had some nasty tasting water. About four miles into the loop is probably one of the best aid stations, Mad Dog. You have to fight up a long tough hill to get there but once you do you are greeted by a very nice family. Like before I grabbed a few small thing to eat, some more water/Gatorade and I was back at it. I was informed that I was in 6th place... I didn't care, because it wouldn't matter.   Half marathon, and marathon distances passed by in no time.

I started passing the 100k and 50k runners around mile 10 of the loop. At this point I had already ran 8ish more miles than them. 

The longest distance I had ever run before the race was a 50k, and as I reached this distance I felt fine. In fact, I even ran it faster. As the day moved on the sun came out and it got hotter and my stomach did not like anything I put in it, especially the nasty water. Luckily some of the aid stations had good water. During a long stretch of sun exposed running a tried one of my gels (typically the only thing i take during races)... This did not go well with my stomach.

I didn't walk till one of the hills around mile 20. After that some of the hills I would walk up to save my energy. When I was at the Hard Up Ahead aid station I talked with a man very briefly about what my jersey meant and he looked forward to talking more next time I came by. Hard Up Ahead is called this because up ahead is a 3 mile stretch of asphalt road and some hills.The sun was not kind to me on this section of the course.

The course is described as relatively flat, which as of the first loop I would agree with. I finished the first loop + the out and back around 7 hours and had my amazing wife waiting for me with my water backpack. The waterbelt I was wearing was hurting my hips a bit. 

                                                                2nd Loop

When i finished the first 39ish miles I was burning up! The sweat was dried all over me. My dad tried to have me go cool off in the shower because my skin was so hot, but it didn't sound good to me. So I took off my jersey, strapped on the water pack, and headed out for the 2nd 50k loop. When I first started wearing the water back pack i felt very suffocated by it. Any time I wasn't running I had to loosen the chest straps and set them out on my shoulders.

Getting up the hill before Mad Dog was a bit harder than the first time, but still not too bad. At this point all of the aid station were infested with bees/wasps, attracted to the sugar from the Gatorade and foods. When I came into Mad Dog I thought I would try to use the restroom for the first time in over 40 miles. When I stood up i didn't feel so good. I knew I needed to get some food into my belly so I tried to eat a few things. I will use the same expression I used earlier, EPIC FAIL. I got up to try and leave and my stomach and head were driving me crazy. I felt so nauseous! I sat down in the chair trying to get my stomach back but it just wouldn't work. People came and went at the station. I was there long enough for the aid station man's son to ask his dad why I was here. Eventually I grabbed what little gut I still had and decided I might as well go for it. It started out real bad but as I got back to moving the nausea started to go away (but not completely). I'm not sure what was causing it.. but it seemed worse when I took off my waist strap for the pack.

Around mile 50 I was starting to feel tired, nothing big, just a feeling. I brought along with me a very useful motivational tool... my Iphone. I was updating my Facebook page and reading everyone's motivating words and prayers for me. It helped me out a lot! I may not have made it without their motivation, it gets extremely lonely out there. I know for sure I would not have made it with out their prayers! Up till the day of the race I struggled with an IT band issue and not once did it bother me during the race..

As it started to get darker outside I realized that I had forgotten my head lamp at the start/finish line, but I think (not for sure) my spare was at the Savannah's Corner aid station, about 13 miles into the loop. It got darker and darker and people would ask me if I had a light. I was able to see a huge fat snake and avoid it still. The sun went completely down before I made it to the aid station and when I came in I was praying that I had put it in this drop bag. I was wrong.. I put it in the Hard Up Ahead drop bag. I thought about running with some people that had a light but I didn't want to wait around. And so began the hardest part of the race... Being alone and in the dark.

The 6 miles I spent by myself were the hardest miles I think I had ever done. Luckily it was broken up 3 and 3. For the first 3 miles most of the course was in the open, not much was covered by the trees so I was able to see better because the sky was wide open! Most of it was fairly flat as well so I started striding out and picking off the miles quickly. Even though I was accomplishing a lot during this time it was emotionally very difficult. This is when I first started playing with the idea in my mind that I would stop after this lap. I had text my wife earlier telling her I wanted her to run the last lap with me, now I was texting her that I needed her. I was whimpering and every now and then I got cold. Finally I reached the next aid station, but no one had a light so I tried eating what ever I could and started getting ready to head out (Stomach was still driving me crazy).

I can't remember if it was at the aid station or a little bit after the aid station but it was because of this moment (and a few others) that I was able to finish. There was a girl running with her pacer and they suggested I run with them so that I could see. This not only enabled me to see better because of their light, but it also helped me go faster. It gave me someone to keep me going. This wasn't the first time I talked about my wife during the race, but it sure was the most important time. I am proud of my wife and I love her, she would do anything for me. And because she would do anything for me she would run 32 miles with in the middle of the dark even though the longest she has ever ran was 10 miles.. And those 10 miles she ran were because of me also (helping me with my first 50k back when we were dating). So I talked about her a lot during the race and how she was going to help me on the last loop.This girl and her pacer helped me through these 3miles and I started feeling like I could do this again. Once we got to the Hard Up Ahead aid station I got my head lamp so I finally had light! I wanted to keep going with them so I had someone to help me not slow down but I took too long at the aid station. I talked with the guy some more and he told me he looked forward to meeting my wife on the next lap, so I better show up!. And then I was off and then began the hardest 3 miles I had ever done.. (the second half of the 6 i mentioned earlier).

As I was running on the concrete section of road the mixture of not enough food, running for about 60 miles, awake since 7am, night time, and the glow from my head lamp.... made me very sleepy. My eyes got heavier and heavier and I started to doze off as I ran. Every now and then I would realize that my eyes had been closed and I would open them, and I was still moving down the road. I got a tad bit chilly. Finally I came into Bathtub Rock aid station. I sat down and felt so tired, I started to fall alseep. The guy was standing their watching me so I told him I was so tired, I just needed to rest my eyes. I got so cold! Eventually two runners came by and I knew I had to go with them or else I would never get back. This was another one of those moments that I would have never finished with out. It was a 100 miler and a 100k runner. It took a while for my muscle to unstiffen and to warm back up after sitting there for how ever long I did. It was tough but I was able to keep up with them and use them to pull me along. The entire time we talked about getting closer to the camp ground in my mind I started convincing myself I was going to tell my wife I was done. This was it, sorry I dont need you for the last lap because I'm not doing it. As we came into the camp ground the 100k runners went into finisher mode and I stayed in I am soo done mode.

                                                                    Lap 3.. Last Lap

So about 70 miles done and 30 to go. I think it was somewhere between 1-2am. I sat down and my wife rushed over to me ready to help me with the last lap. She knew in my mind I was ready to be done and she was ready to fight me if I told her I couldn't do any more. I never said it out loud that I was done, but she gave me words of encouragement. I forget his name, but one of the race directors came over and started giving me a pep talk. Told me I could do it and that as soon as the sun came up I would feel like a new man. He got me some potato soup.. and would you believe it.. that was the best tasting thing ever! I finally could eat and my stomach felt fine!! 70 miles later and I finally felt good! They gave me a shot of 5 hour energy and I was feeling great! They kicked me out of the aid station and Alexis and I were on our way! I felt so good and we started running. I was talking up a storm, sharing with her how the race went and how people were excited to meet her and everything was awesome!! I already felt like a new man!

We stopped at Mad Dog and he noticed how much better I was feeling and how I was able to eat anything. The only thing that didn't sound good was the chicken noodle soup, it never ended up up sounding good. About 8 miles into the loop my "good knee" became my bad knee. Out of no where my right knee started hurting. No bueno.. It was from this point on that running was almost not an option anymore. I would run some, but my knee would hurt so the distance I would be able to run got shorter and shorter. With about 20 miles left and not being able to run... that's tough. Every time we stopped at an aid station I indulged in a variety of foods, and my stomach was great. 

Each mile got harder and harder and we both began wishing for the sun just to get out of the dark and to be able to see. This lap was very challenging but a really enjoyed it because I got to spend it with my wife. We bonded more, grew together, experienced each other in knew ways, it was really good. Its amazing how God helped me during this race. He healed my IT band, he healed my stomach, He provided me with people that cared and helped me. And with my lack of training there should have been no way I could have even completed half of this race.

The sky became kind of cloudy so when the sun came up the sky just started getting lighter till we could see. I was hoping for a beautiful sunrise, but I was more than happy to see light that it didn't matter. I stopped being alone when Alexis joined me, and I finally didn't have to be in the dark anymore. As time moved on I could no longer run because of my knee and it wouldn't have mattered because Lexi's foot was hurting very badly also.

I have to add... that earlier in the race one of the aid stations had jambalaya. I reeeeally wanted it, but my stomach was not going to like it so I never got it.. But on the last lap.... OOOOH BUDDY!! I ate 2 big bowels of it! mmmmmmmHMMMM!

Each mile seemed to get longer and longer as we kept going. And it seemed like time just started to drag on. We looked forward to the next aid station, and then the next, and then the next.. That's what kept us going. We would keep telling each other, "oh, it's just around that corner. Not much farther now, almost there." The longest mile ever was the last mile.. Which typically is the quickest and shortest because you are almost done! Not the case for this race... When we finally made it to the campsite my dad rushed over to give us hi fives and try to take pics of us as much as possible. When we rounded the last corner we went into what felt like a sprint to us.. but after watching the video... not exactly.
As we approached the finish line we grabbed hands, raised them high.. and Finished!

                                                                           Post-Race

The feeling of finishing 100 miles was awesome. And the feeling of finishing next to my wife who helped me do it and had never gone more than 10 miles before... even more Awesome! Because of how much I talked about my wife and them seeing her do it.. some of the race people gave her a medal and a shirt. It was very nice of them! And it is awesome that my wife has never even ran a half marathon, let alone a full... yet she just ran an Ultra-marathon!

After I laid down for awhile.. my legs started getting worse because I stopped moving. The funny thing I wasn't even sore. I had almost no muscle soreness the week after the race. The only thing that was bad was me knees. But Monday night... they got better and have been feeling better each day! Which makes me feel good, because I still have to run a marathon in 7 days carrying my cross!

Gonna need some more prayers in order to pull this one off!!!

Take up your cross and follow me

It has been a long time since I have been able to post. I had a very busy summer with church camp at Galilee and getting married!!

I ran in the Hospital Hill half marathon at the beginning of the summer with the cross. The cross did not leave my shoulders as raw as the first time, but it still hurt a bit. 

As I stood in the crowded pack of runners ready to start the race director came over and shook my hand.When the gun went off I went out fast but trying to hold a little bit back. I was very careful that the cross did not wack anybody in the huge crowd. As the race went on slowly people would pass me.
I had several people offer to help carry the cross, but it almost sounded like they were joking the way they worded it. There was a very nice guy who paced me up one of the difficult hills when I was getting very tired!! One gentleman joked about how he didn't think I had to take the Scripture so literally. (Matthew 26:24)

After I finished the race I went to find where I had stashed my race packet in the bushes. When I went to find it I ran into Team Nebraska, I running club from the University in Nebraska. They had a lot of questions about why I was running with the cross, how much it weighs, did it hurt, was it hard, etc. I answered everything they asked me and they asked to take photos with me. It was kind of funny because they were really interested.. but kind of quiet and shy about it.

Cross Country Missions/Crazy Runner 4 God

4 years ago I was the summer intern at my home church for the youth ministry position. My youth minister gave me task to take something I had a passion for and mesh it with God! That day I created Cross Country Missions. I combined my passion of running, missions, & God. I hosted my very first race to raise money for mission work. Since then I created fun, new, and exciting races the raise money for mission work! In 2012 I have already hosted the Yeti Set Run series and the Potter's House 5k. Still have the Annual Conference 5k, Bigfoot's Legend/1 Insane Trail Run, Backwards Mile, and a few others to go. And in 2013 I will be adding the Forrest Gump Challenge and creating the Cross Country Missions race series. You will receive the finishers medals from YSR, BFL, & FGC and also receive a special series medal for doing all three.

On top of hosting races I started to pick-up racing under the identity Crazy Runner 4 God in order to raise money for missions also. I created a jersey for myself to wear with the CCM logo... but it just wasn't enough. Sure, people noticed the jersey every now and then and commented how it was great and good job running for God. But I wanted to get God out there much better than that! So... why not run with a cross!

Thankfully for my very supportive running friends from Ozark Mountain Ridge Runners running organization I was able to run my very first race carrying a wooden cross! On April 28th, 2012 at the Frisco Highline Run I sat my cross on my shoulder and lined up at the start line to run 13.1 miles. Having no idea what I might be in store for running with a cross on my shoulder ( I had never ran with it before). I started out and felt great, tried to slow my pace a little but my legs just kept turning so I just kept going! I started out switching which shoulder the cross was on about every 800 meters... and then as the race continued that distance got smaller and smaller. Eventually every couple seconds I would switch. Because the length of the cross the weight pulls at me from behind so I had to hold the cross in a way so that the center of gravity from the cross would be more in line with mine. I ended up gripping the top portion of the vertical beam, bringing the horizontal beam in to my body and the bottom end of the vertical beam sticking more into the air. (Next race I am going to try and find the best way to hold it)
I ended up finishing 4th in my age division and 12th overall with a 1:38, my best time ever being a 1:21. The Lord is good, and if I practice this and run more and more races like this I will eventually be able to win some races and then I will get the publicity I am wanting to share my passion for Christ! 

It takes a lot of money to do all of the stuff I do with my missions. Gas money, race entry fees, running gear, and hosting the races for missions is even more expensive. I use my own money to do all if this, unless anyone feels led to sponsor me! So if you feel led to do so, you can make checks out to CROSS COUNTRY MISSIONS and mail it to:
PO Box 520
El Dorado Springs, MO 64744


or go to paypal.com click on SEND MONEY and send it to:

 crazyrunner4god@aol.com 

My goal is to run across the U.S.A. with-in the next 10 years and carry the cross for a certain amount everyday. To God Be the Glory!!!

Been Awhile...

Sorry about the long expanse of time I have not posted anything! My life has been being blessed more than ever and busier than ever! I have gotten engaged, I am about to graduate, and will be moving to Camp Galilee to work there! I had hopes to get a teaching job as well, but there is no open position as of now, but I don't care because all I want to do is work at camp and do work for GOD! So many ideas running through my head!

RUN TOTO RUN 50K

I ran my first ultra-marathon in February, 50k! This was one incredible experience! It was a record low of 20 degrees that morning and the course was mostly on bridal trails. Meaning that all of the mud with horse tracks in them was frozen solid and very uneven! This started out fun but turned into a disaster and foot/ankle killer. It was a 10 mile loop course totally over 31 miles. I started the race with my ipod and a water pack... but to my dismay the water in the tube had frozen and I could not drink from it! As I got into the twisty turny part of the course my headphones ripped out of my ipod and I though I had lost my ipod. I ditched my pack after the first lap which turns out still had my ipod in it! phew! As the second lap started I hung with a couple of people for awhile and chatted with them, but eventually couldn't keep up their pace and fell back. The aid stations were very cheerful and people were very excited to see me coming with my team beef jersey on. This is also the lap where my hand... went completely numb and I wanted to cry... but for some reason I couldn't. I may have whimpered a lot though. Eventually I got to an aid station that had hand warmers and I was able to warm up my hands by putting them in my gloves.

By the third lap I wasn't sure how I was going to make it 10 more miles. So as I came around past the start/finish I spotted my girlfriend(fiance now) and shouted out for her to run the last lap with me! She replied she was wearing flipflops and I told her to change into her shoes. She joined up with me and we headed out! about 2-3 miles in she asked how far the loop was... and I told her it was about 10 miles... Sorry. ooops... she didn't know it was that long! She hasn't ran more than a 5k! EVER! She replied, I love you. We ran that last 10 miles together! The course by that point had been turned into solid mud. What an experience! I have one amazing woman in my life!



Since then I have run several other races, including a 5k in a parking garage, duathlon, and several half marathons. I also hosted the Potter's House 5k race to raise money for the Christian coffee house which is a college campus ministry creating a fun and safe alternative community that students can hang out at instead of getting drunk.

I have re-amped Cross Country Missions to a 3 race Series in 2013. Consisting of the Yeti Set Run races, Bigfoot's Legend, and the Forrest Gump Challenge. Each race you receive a finishers medal, and if you complete all three you receive a series medal! Once I am stationed at Camp I will have alot of time to work on making the trails better and the races better. I have also decided to raise money to purchase an IPICO timing mat/software. This means the events would become chip timed and much better overall.

Mission Miles

It has been awhile since I have been able to get on and blog. I have been super busy organizing and hosting the Yeti Set Run race series. For the year of 2012 I have been running at least 1 mile every day in an attempt to raise money for missions.

Though one mile a day sounds simple, sometimes it can be tough. After running the marathon in December while I was sick left me off and on being sick for about a month! It was very difficult to continue running through this, especially when I knew if I stopped running I would get better quicker. I have been so dedicated to this task that one night I ran a mile in my living room. My girlfriend and I had watched a scary movie and I did not want to go outside, so we ran back and forth in the living room till we reached 1 mile. Which meant taking two steps and then turning around, take 2 steps, turn around, and so on. The treadmil has been my bittersweet friend over this past month, but the Lord has been providing some amazing beautiful weather this winter. Last night I did not even have to bundle up to go outside. Aaamazing.

If you want to donate as little as 1 quarter (only 25 cents) per a day I run a mile. That will only come to $91.50!! How simple is that!

Run for the Ranch

Wow... So I am really delayed in writing about the Run for the Ranch marathon back in December. Prior to the marathon I ended up getting some kind of virus that made it very hard to eat the proper diet leading up the a marathon. My meals were way too light and almost non-existent on race day. The race was in the afternoon so I had to deal with eating on race day, which consisted of some peanut butter and honey toast which I struggled greatly in eating. I had to wash it down with water, my body did not want to eat.

The time leading up to the race was long and drug out and I wasn't feeling any better. I slurped on a gel packet about an hour before the race. I chatted with all of my friends and lined up for the start (sizing up the competition, as usual). When the race started I went out nice and easy to conserve my energy, I was looking for 7 minute miles. When I looked at my watch and saw it was longer than 7 minutes and still had not seen the mile marker I sped up. But slowed my pace once I realized that there were no mile markers on the course. I felt pretty good for the first few miles. It was a beautiful day!

People said I was still looking and my time was still close to my goal as I was approaching the 13.1 miles. But on the inside I was hurting alot! It wasn't that my muscles were tired or that I couldn't breathe. It was simply that I was sick and hadn't eating enough food. It was probably around mile six when i first started feeling faint and pale. Obviously I was still able to push for a bit longer to keep up a good pace, but it finally caught up to me and slowed me down alot! I tried to drink and consume gels every chance I got. But even this substance could not save me.

I can across the 13.1 behind my mark and from there everything went down hill. My face was as white as a ghost and it took everything I could to keep moving forward. In the beginning of the race I was cheering people on and having conversations, however, as the race progressed my ability to talk and sound enthusiastic was dramatically decreased.

As I was rounding the corner to the finish line, I mustered all I could and hit a "dead" sprint. From where that came.. I do not know! haha. When I crossed the finish line I was wobbling every which way and my eyes rolled into the back of my head. Alexis was trying to get me to come to her so I could lean on her but I was just not able to get to her. Her and my mom had to walk me inside. I was sicker than sick and paler than pale. I was finally starving but if I would have eaten right then I would have puked!

Lesson Learned from this race: running a marathon while sick and not eating... bad idea!

This race left me very sick! In fact I only ran twice between the race and New Years. I am still somewhat sick but unable to stay away from running, especially due to my Mission Miles (at least 1 mile everyday)

Cross Country Missions

For anyone reading this that doesn't know me, my name is Raymond Varner and I have 3 big passions, God, Running, and Missions. I am the director of a small organization called Cross Country Missions where I host races (Yeti Set Run is coming up in January) to raise money for mission work. I also run... ALOT.

I started this blog to record my efforts to raise money for missions as I trained for a 100 mile race in 2012. As part of my training for the 100 mile race I am running in the Run For the Ranch Marathon on Sunday the 18th. If anyone feels led to donate money, 100% of this money is going to be put towards the 2011-2012 mission of Joplin Relief!! The same thing applies for the Yeti Set Run races in January.

The Goal is to raise $5,000 for Joplin Relief by the end of 2012!!!

If you feel led to donate you can mail $$ to:
Cross Country Missions
1315 East Thoman Street
Springfield Mo 65803

OR use paypal at:
crosscountrymissions.org

Too Long

It has been far too long since my last blog entry. Over this time I have completed some very successful 20 and 10 mile training runs around Springfield. Each time choosing a different route even though before I started the run I had planned on running a certain route, I ended up changing that route with in the first few miles of the run. In the middle of November at about 12am I went out for a 20 mile run with nothing but my shoes, shorts and a water pack. It was beautiful weather and I wasn't hindered by any traffic due to every normal person being in bed. However, my next couple 20 milers were a bit more chilly. I ran along I-44 for awhile and that was a super chilly run! I couldn't find my running beanie so I took the only thing I could find (one of those knitted beanies with the strings that have fluff balls on the ends). At first the strings were under my pack so they weren't bouncing around but eventually they worked their way loose and I ended up tying them around my chin.

I went on a road trip with my amazing girlfriend to Columbia where we dressed up as Hillbillies for the XCX costume mud run at Truck Stop Missouri.


I ran the Springfield Turkey Trot 5k hoping to get in the 16's but I got way to excited at the start and went out at a 5 minute mile and suffered in the end. I didn't even get a PR on this run. I did place 24th out of about 8,000 people.

Idle Hands...

When I sit in front of the computer at work I always find my self searching the web for new and exciting races. When I started this blog I said I was beginning my training for the Ozark Trail 100 mile endurance run, however, after some recent information regarding this course I have decided against participating in this event (at least for my first 100 miler, maybe in the future I will give it a try).

So I began my search for a new 100 mile race that was around the same time that i could run in its place. I have been extremely satisfied with the Pumpkin Holler 100 in OK, though they have not set a specific date yet. This is my number one pick at the moment! BUT... my hands have been moving on the keyboard way too much and I have been searching down more and more races i want to do as well as thinking about how I would like to host an ultra-marathon in honor of Forrest Gump! haha.

24 Hours the Hardway

Pigtails Challenge

Leadville 100

Boulder 100

Arkansas Traveler

Because a lot of these are around the same time of the month, I am thinking that every year I will go try one. Essential go on a 100 mile run test drive of the courses and after i try out a few I can go back and do the ones I like again and again.

Bass Pro Conservation Marathon

November 6th 2011

Before the Race
For the first time all season I went to bed at a reasonable time.. and it felt very weird, so I decided to wake up a little early to help offset the weird feeling. The first alarm set on my phone went off at 4:00am followed soon after by the digital clock alarm I set for a back, and then third back alarm I set on my watch started going off. All three with different sounds... all three.. Very annoying. I shut off each of the alarms and pulled myself out of bed to begin my usual race morning rituals (bathroom, race outfit, double tie shoes, make sure time chip is affixed securely, bathroom). As I got into my truck at 4:40am my amazing girlfriend called me!

Normally I like to get to a race around 30 minutes before the race start, however, I really wanted to make sure I didn't have to hassle with parking, so I got there a little more than 2 hours early. Well, I definitely did not have to hassle.. because the only other people there when I arrived were the people in charge of the race. So I kicked back and chatted with Alexis on the phone waiting for the race to come.

RACE
The announcer called for the competitive runners to go ahead and line up, so I made my way to the start. The race started and I darted out a little too quick (I'm so used to racing 5ks) I tried to slow my pace to a more appropriate marathon pace, but I still went out way too fast. I ran the first mile in 6 minutes.. I was aiming for 7:15. I knew this would happen and I thought I had adjusted my pace accordingly.. but apparently even by the 3 mile I wasn't into my set pace, because i crossed the 3 mile 18:48... and again around 6 miles I was around 40 minutes. I have been warned time and time again about going out slow, and I knew I needed to go out slower than what I felt comfortable with, but for some reason i just couldn't get my body to slow down. By mile 9 (61 minutes)I was getting closer to the appropriate pace.

Around mile 5 I turned my ankle pretty badly but kept on going and it worked itself out fine. Around mile 8 I started to get very hungry! I greatly desired to sink my teeth into a big fat juicy burger! Unfortunately all I had to indulge my appetite with were sport beans and I grabbed a packet every time the aid station had one! I forget where I was but it was within the first 9 miles that I was startled by someone loudly shouting my name! My physiology professor was out in his front yard cheering me on! I was going to tell him that when he saw Brad he needed to tell him to catch up to me (but I didn't think to say it soon enough).

I hit a perfect half marathon time that was right on track to qualify me for Boston. 1.29.. The only problem was I could already feel the fatigue hitting me. So I put it in my head that I would run the race 2 miles at a time, I would forget about the rest of the race and focus on 2 miles at a time(every two miles was an aid station). So I ran 2 miles, walked a little bit so that I could actually drink the water or powerade (unlike the past aid stations were one resulted in me missing the cup completely and knocking it out of the volunteers hand, or splashing the water at my face which in return got about 9/10ths of the water on me and not in my mouth) and then started back up with the running.

As I approached mile 20 I became a little nervous (last and first marathon I ran, Mile 20 consisted of me having an entire leg cramp up suddenly sending my face first into the asphalt. Then walking, running, jogging the best i could for the last 6 miles, with muscle cramps every time i tried to run/jog). Mile 20 passed just fine, although my fatigue was getting worse and my butt was on the verge of cramping. Every now and then I would feel great and was able to move at a good pace, still within an attainable BQ (Boston qualifier).

I was still going fairly well till I reached mile 23! My foot and hamstring cramped and I ended up walking for probably 3/4ths of a mile. I am extremely ashamed of this!!! When I hit Mile 24 I grabbed an orange and then got my feet moving (slowly.. but moving). If I hadn't walked I probably would have been pretty close to a BQ. As I rounded the last corner I sprinted (probably not an actual sprint, but it felt like one to me).

I finished 4th in my age group (1st was only 6 minutes ahead of me! that is less than a mile!! Imagine if I hadn't walked that "less than a mile"... URG.) 3rd place was 3 minutes ahead of me. I placed 25th overall for the whole marathon with a time of 3.26.33 (16 minutes slower than my goal) So now it is time to start training for the Run for the Ranch Marathon and kick some butt!!!

MSU & Hustle!!

OCTOBER 29th

It was a slightly chilly morning as I waited outside the MSU student union at 6:30am. The MSU Homecoming 5k started at 7am but no one had any idea where the start line actually was. haha. The campus health center (one of my current jobs) was the main host for this race. When the race started at 7am it was still dark outside and a gentleman in bright yellow and a blinking red light on a bike led the race. I took off fast and tried to get into a good rhythm. I decided to wear gloves for this race (good choice).

As the race continued I was very glad I was in lead following the bike because I could not understand where I needed to turn at All! lol. At one point I passed a spot where someone cheered me on by name but I didn't see who it was. To be honest, I didn't feel like I was running very fast. But as I approached the finish line (lapping at least 20 people) the clock was reading low 17s! I don't know if they got my legitimate time or not because they came up and asked me if I timed myself and what I had got. I looked at my watch that I hit a little bit after finishing and took off one second. But from what I remember when I looked at the race clock it read faster than what I had on my watch by a few seconds... Regardless of all this, I ended up getting 17:13. Still getting faster every race this season.
I jogged over to one of my bosses/co-workers and asked if there were prizes and told them I had to leave to go run another 5k race. I won $75 and a big Trophy =)

I jogged to my truck and headed to Jordan Valley park to get ready for the Halloween Hustle 5k.. a costume race! All of my costume stuff is at my parents house but I did have a black mullet wig, white tutu, and a red cape.. sooo.... I put that on! The race course seemed fairly easy! But i stopped seeing arrows on the concrete eventually and turned around. Ended up getting lost and was followed by about 5 other runners =$ We tacked on about an extra half mile or so probably. By the time I got back to the right spot the 1st place person was starting on the second lap so I quickly jetted in front of him and continued on for the second lap. I ended up finishing first again.. however.. my time wasn't too good.

They handed out all of the awards.. but never called anything for the first place finisher. So I went up there and asked them if overall winner got anything and they said no... But they happened to have an extra gold medal so I still got a medal.. But that is just jank.. They medal 3 deep in age categories.. but didn't have anything for the overall winner.. WOW..
Oh well. It's all about having a good time, staying in shape, and praising the LORD!

Dogwood Canyon 25k 10/23

DOGWOOD CANYON 25k

As my alarm went off at 6:20am I remembered the awesome evening I had just had, ending roughly 4 hours earlier. Everyone tells me I should get more sleep before my races, this is true, and I'm sure I would have much faster times if I did get some decent sleep. But as I lay there thinking about my adventures, I would have been okay getting dead last if it meant spending time with that special someone! =)

Well... anyone who knows me and my running knows that the next part of my morning consisted of several bathroom visits, even when I'm not nervous it seems to hit me good. Plus, I need to make sure its all gone so I don't have issues during the race. None so far in my racing career, unfortunately not the same for training runs! haha.

God could not have blessed us with a more beautiful race day! It wasn't even chilly out. I could stand there in my shorts and race top with no worries, no bundling up till the last few seconds. A-Mazing! As I waited for the race to start I lined up in the front of the pack and danced it out to some "Who Let the Dogs Out".


The race horn went off and I went out in the lead (I knew I would not finish first in this race and I wouldn't be lead for very long, however, there was someone taking pictures and I figured I might as well try and get a good shot of me in the lead). lol. It wasn't long before Rono (the Kenyan) was along side of me, and for awhile I ran next to him. At most of the creek crossings I fell back a little and tried to find the lowest part possible to run through. The last time I ran the race I just went straight through the middle and actually ended up waist deep at one point, but not this year! I do enjoy running through these creeks, however, I wish they were at the end of the race... because when you get your shoes soaked in the first 3 miles and then have to run another 12.5... your feet suffer quite a bit.

As the race continued Matt (a 15k racer) joined us and we ran together until it reached a point where he had to go a different way, eventually wining the 15k race. It was at this point that Rono disappeared from my sights for the rest of the race. I don't know if it was just me... but the hills seemed much much steeper this year (the course was different).

When I reached the first aid station I splashed a little bit of water into my mouth and grabbed a a few sport beans. As the race progressed the 2nd place finisher slowly passed me, and eventually 3rd place caught up to me. I enjoyed running with him. We chatted it up a bit and I used him to keep me going strong! We eventually reached the part in the course where its basically a short cliff drop and then a quick climb up a 75 degree angle maybe. hahaha. I just a bit confused on where to go.. i tried to go towards the camera guy and was supposed to go away from him. I guess he made me nervous, just kiddin.

Eventually, the 3rd place finisher pulled away from me pretty dramatically (Honestly, I can not figure out what happened. It wasn't a gradual distancing, he straight left) At the second aid station I took a quick sip of water. Every time I reached a clearing where I was out of the woods I would look all around me and see God's wonderful creation! The sun was shining with a magnificent beauty over the gorgeous Ozark Mountain hills full of the amazing fall colors as far as I could see! I debated stopping so I could take it all in longer! Every now and then I would say a little prayer of thanks, or prayer for someone. And I had a song stuck in my head, "Our God" by Chris Tomlin. Thanks to last night from Lexi singing it to herself as we made our way through the haunted corn maze and haunted house. haha <3

The first place 50k runner slowly caught up to me... he wasn't stopping on a single hill. He pushed through every single one of them! Amazing!! The 4th place 25k finisher caught up to me and we ran together till we reached the 3rd aid station. According to the race details, there would be an aid station every 5 miles.. so as soon as I saw aid station 3 I kicked it into high gear! Passed 4th place who stopped at the station. I put my stride on and picked up the pace. I kept pushing and pushing... but the finish never came, eventually I came up on a turn where my parents were. A lady said it was a hard push up this hill, level out, and then all down hill from there.. But the top of the hill didn't come for a long time.. once it did come.. there was another aid station, by this point the 4th place guy passed me again. (I had exhausted basically all my fuel... way too early).

I ended up finishing in 2.09, approximately 4 minutes slower than my first time 2 years ago. I Finished 5th overall this year, and 7th overall last year. I placed 1st in my age group. The course was much tougher this year, aaaand I got little sleep so I am fairly happy with my time, especially when I look at the 1st place finisher for both years(same person) he ran about 20 minutes slower than the other time I ran. I got an awesome plaque and nice finishers fleece.




After the race I spent an awesome day with Alexis. Included a random awesome dance party!!!

Skeleton Scramble 10/22

Potter's House Skeleton Scramble 5k
Costume Extravaganza!



I hosted a fun costume race to benefit Potter's House on October 22nd at 8am. My plan was to wake up at 5am and head over to campus to chalk out the course, hang up some arrows and signs and the finish/start line banner. However, as I woke up that morning and looked at my phone... it read 7:03... My eyes jumped out of my head and I said a few words I shouldn't have as I jumped out of bed and grabbed the first items of clothing I could find (pair of jeans and a hoodie.. not even a shirt) I had told my volunteers to get there at 7am so I could show them where to stand.
I called my main helper Sarah and told her I overslept and she said non of the volunteers were even there yet. I got to Potter's House at 7:15 and frantically looked for the chalk. I quickly sprinted the course chalking it and got back at 7:30ish. (Luckily I designed a 1.5 mile loop around campus) I got back and dispersed the volunteers and welcomed our awesome runners with their costumes.


Everything went on without a hitch, and despite the short amount of time available to advertise and no tshirts... we still had 17 people show up, raising about $170 for the Potter's House non-profit Christian coffee house. Almost everyone got one of the prizes (coffee cups full of coupons and merch). Good fun good fun. I look forward to planning it next year with awesome shirts and more time to advertise!

Sassafras(Wildcat) 5k

I just now realized that I never actually published my post about the 5k in Logan Rogersville on the 15th.

It was slightly chilly out as I got out of my truck and went to pick up my race bib. As usual I lined up in the front of everyone and when the race started I darted out in the lead. It was just the right amount of cold that my arms were numb and just a short enough race that they didn't warm up before I finished. It was a nice out and back on a beautiful country road. Very enjoyable! There was also a duathlon going on at the same time and two guys slowly passed me before they reached their mile turn around point.

Today I decided to be MR. POSITIVE! and Encouraging. I said great job to everyone I passed and thanked the volunteers for their help as I ran by them. What a Beautiful morning!

I was able to pull out a 17:24, steadily getting faster and faster each race! My goal is to get in the 16:00's by the Turkey Trot in November. I also placed first overall winning me a nice medal and a nice blue hoodie. As soon as I finished I went and did the course again for a cool down making sure to encourage everyone still racing!

Something really neat about this race was a conversation I had with a guy after the race. I'm horrible with names, but I think it was Jeff. He had a pretty crazy awesome story! I picked up running a few years ago and qualified for Boston on his first try. The crazy thing was that he had a stroke in the middle of his sleep and didn't even know it. Woke up with his arm hurting a little bit and didn't think anything of it. He was born with a small hole in his heart but never knew about it till he started running so much. His heart was working so hard and pumping so much blood that the hole got bigger and eventually caused a stroke, and the fact that he was so healthy also basically saved his life. So interesting... But he was a great example of Christ and praised Him throughout his story.

St. Johns Sunshine Run 10K 10/8/11

So I have decided that due to my inability to post within a reasonable team frame I will stop numbering the days and highlight specific runs and races. Unfortanetly I have been waiting to post my reflactions over the races until I have photos from the race, which usually ends up being at the end of the week after the race, at which point I am ooober busy with school, my two jobs, and running. So.. here is what happened for ever ago with the Sunshine 10k!

St. Johns Sunshine Run 10K 10/8/11


I could not have asked for a more beautiful day to run!! Cool crisp Fall morning weather warmed by the sun slowly rising. The race started and I bolted out in front! (Until this season I have never been one to take the lead, but now every race I have started doing this) Something I think I forget to mention in the Kickin' Route 66 entry was a thought that came to me as I was running the half marathon. I have finally become.. "That Guy". "That guy" who when everyone lines up at the start you look at him and think he'll probably win. And "that guy" who you think, surely he went out to fast and is gonna slow his pace when he gets tired. "That Guy" that everybody slowly can't see any more because he is so far ahead. I've never been "THAT GUY"! I'm still not the fastest (despite my victory every weekend), I have alot to improve, but! I finanly know what it feels like to be "that guy", and if I keep up the training, I will remain "that guy".

Back to the 10k race. I'm out in front feeling great, strollin down Kimbrough. There were bicyclist leading the race and I joked around with them a little as I used them to keep my pace fast. Greeting the race volunteers from time to time. After I completed the neighborhood loop I was back on Kimbrough headed back to the stadium. It was here where I started hearing the guy close behind me! I have decided on a new strategy, and it's never look back (I refuse to look behind me to see how close or far away the next opponent is). This keeps me going strong, not knowing how close they might be, I will stay on pace and keep pushing. So, i could hear his footprints (but not right behind, there was some distance) and occasionally I could hear him breathing. I kept trying to get faster and faster so that his sounds would be too far behind me to hear. Eventually I turned the last corner taking me into the cardinals stadium and for some reason I didn't really sprint. I don't know why, it was the weirdest thing, I basically just coasted into the finish line at 36:34 for the 10k taking 1st place.
Here is an Article covering the race! I'm in it! I feel foolish that I didn't mention Cross Country Missions. I will get another chance soon and then I will talk it up all I can!

Day 118

Toughman Competition
Day 2

Got to bed around 1am after working at the Potters House. Woke up at 5am to head over to the Kum and Go to pick up my bib number for the Kickin Route 66 Mother Road Run Half Marathon! I met with Richard White (running the marathon) to hitch a ride to my start line 13.1 miles down the road in order to save some $$ that I would of had to pay to ride the bus. Unfortunately the race didn't start till 8am.. and I was dropped off at the start line at 6:30am. lol. So, out there in the middle of nowhere in the dark I waited for people to show up for the race.




It was kind of cold out there so I had a hoodie and pants on.. but I was 13.1 miles away from my truck, so I tried to think of how I was going to get my stuff bike to the finish line. luckily someone from my high school ran the race and his parents drove to the start line! The start line consisted of a small yard sign next to a junk yard with porta johns across the street that if you didn't hold onto the bar on the door in front of you.. you might fall off the seat. lol. =) Great start line!!

As soon as the sun popped up on the horizon I could feel the warmth! The race began and Iled the back again! I debated falling in behind someone to "draft" off them but good thing I didn't! I went out in a 6:30 mile pace. got a 18:30 5k.. my arms and hands were freezing for the first 4-5 miles. Yet again another perk of being in the front is somewhat being able to use the lead car to pace you. But it wasn't like the guy on the bike, the cop would be there one minute and then speed off and then after mile 4 he was gone for ever. lol.

I really enjoyed that the mile markers were counting down. I was able to keep my pace up really good for a majority of the race! (I wish I would have hit my lap button on each mile so I would have my splits b/c they were pretty good!) I didn't suffer from any muscle cramps! So that was a big plus! I only looked behind me twice, once to switch sides of the road, and once in the last mile to see if the 2nd place person was close or not. I was tempted to turn around and look but if they were far away I would have slowed down my pace (whether that was b/c I purposely did it, or subconsciously did it) Instead I kept pushing myself not knowing where he was!

When I reached 5 miles left to go I kicked it into high gear, and every time I passed a mile marker I would speed up! Good thing I did b/c if I hadn't... I may have been over taken. I ended up finishing with a personal best of 1:21!!!!! 1 place over all!!! =D

Day 117

Toughman Competition
3 Races in 1 weekend

Saturday October 1st

Wasn't sure what to expect for this morning... I really wanted to do the Panther 12k or 5k... but I ended up doing the 2 mile because the race was at 8:30 and the Pregnancy Care Center 5k was at 9am. I wasn't sure how much time I would have between the races and dealing with parking and traffic. However, if I would have known the 2 mile wasn't timed or awarding medals then i would have went ahead and did one of the others, which after I finished the 2 mile I realized I could have!

I picked up my packet for the Panther Run and then quickly went and got the packet for the PCC 5k. The Panther Run had a great atmosphere and I spoke with a guy at the start line about cross country missions b/c he saw my new jersey . He ended up winning the 5k.



I coasted into the finish line at 10:56. 2 seconds slower than my PR. I quickly left and went to Jordan Valley Park to start the 5k. I ended up having plenty of time between races. Next year(if its the same set up) I will do the 12k followed by the 5k.

PCC 5k

While waiting at the start line I saw loads of people I knew, including a guy from the SBU alumni race with some friends of his and then a guy I met at one of the other races who is an awesome Christian. We started the race and again, I led the race which I didn't want to do. However, I am beginning to realize that I will be doing this alot more. So.. I ran and ran and it was actually nice being the lead b/c I was able to pace off the bike (leading the race) a little!! Probably around the last 400 meters a really fast guy (who was only behind me because he was helping pace his friend) passed me. I had it in me to stay with him, but instead I just let him over take me. Shame on me. But, I still got 2nd overall and 1st in my age group. When I went to get my trophy I jumped over the big gap (the stage was positioned in the middle of a water fountain that was surrounded by water)