I love the 5K

I planned to write about each of the distance races I have run since my very first 5K race back in December of 1988.  As always happens, life gets in the way.  I found that I wanted to write about other things.  But I promised myself I would get back to the theme as soon as I could.  Finally I have nothing else pressing on my mind about my life or running.  Therefore, I can now start off this series of blog entries with my experience with the 5K distance.

Personally I love the 5K.  It is the one race that I can go out and run with little or no preparation.  Now if I want to run a certain time or set a PR, I have to train.  But it is the once distance race that can truly be called a "fun run".  The best part is that if I do decide to train for it, I can still have a normal life.  It is not an all consuming training program.  When I am training for a 5K, I never feel too tired to do other things in the evenings or weekends.  Best of all I can run a 5K race every weekend if I choose.

The other great thing about a 5K is that the whole family can participate in one of these races.  My children both liked to run with me when they were growing up.  My son even ended up running cross country, indoor and outdoor track in junior and senior high school.  We ran his first 5K together when he was only 8 years old.  It wasn't a fast finish but seeing the look of satisfaction on his face when we crossed the finish line was worth it.  Since then, I have run with both my son and daughter in several different 5K races.  I find it so rewarding to see them embrace the sport I love so much.

Most of my runner friends think that a marathon is the only serious race.  While it is serious, no one should ever look down on someone who runs only 5K races.  Every 4 years when I watch the Olympics, I love watching the 5 and 10,000 meter races.  Partly because I too run those distances albeit not as fast.  No one I know looks at those athletes and says they are not serious runners.  The simple truth is that there are some runners who simply aren't well suited to run long distances.  If you are a casual runner just trying to get healthier and more fit then I would say that the moderate mileage you need to run to prepare for a 5K is perfect.  It will put less stress on your body and potentially provide more satisfaction than training for and running longer distances. And best of all, it will most likely keep you injury free.

Now I cannot talk about racing without dealing with the elephant in the room - costly entry fees.  The nice thing about most 5K races is that they are usually the cheapest races to run.  I have never paid more than $35 for an entry.  The 9 marathons I have run in averaged over $175 per race.  I consider the 5K race the value proposition when it comes to distance racing.  Plus you get to run with all levels of runner because the entry fees are not prohibitive making it affordable for anyone who wants to participate.  If you want to make it a family event, it will not break the bank.  The last 5K I ran with my kids cost us $75 for all three of us to participate.

If you are reading this because you are contemplating running your first 5K, I encourage you to do it.  Send in that entry form and let everyone know you are going to race in your first 5K.  You may ask me why.  The simple answer is because I know when you cross that finish line, no matter how long it takes you, you will be much happier than when you started.  Running always makes me happy.  The experience is like nothing else you will do in your life.  Don’t let the fear of being "too slow" deter you.  You are still better than all those people who never even try.  What have you got to lose?

“Our running shoes have magic in them – the power to transform a bad day into a good day; frustration into speed; self-doubt into confidence; chocolate cake into muscle.” - Mina Samuels, Author

Mar. 13 – 6.10 miles (1:02:28, 10:14 pace) - Hill Repeats
Mar. 14 – 5.30 miles (45:12; 8:32 pace) - Speed Work
Mar. 16 – 5.00 miles (42:30, 8:30 pace) - Tempo Run
Mar. 17 – 6.20 miles (54:42, 8:48 pace)
Mar. 18 – 9.20 miles (01:21:45, 8:53 pace)
Mar. 19 – 9.30 miles (1:22:40, 8:53 pace)
Mar. 20 – 6.20 miles (1:05:41, 10:36 pace) - Hill Repeats
Mar. 21 – 6.20 miles (54:48, 8:50 pace) - Speed Work
Mar. 23 – 8.20 miles (1:12:58, 8:54 pace) - Tempo Run
Mar. 24 – 6.20 miles (53:46, 8:40 pace)
Mar. 25 – 8.30 miles (1:16:02, 9:10 pace)
Mar. 26 – 10.20 miles (1:30:18, 8:51 pace)

Total Miles:  86.4 miles
2017 Total Miles:  495.1 miles

My Path to Becoming a Runner

I started running in 1985 when I moved back to Fort Worth from Las Vegas.  I had been putting on a little weight and wanted to get into shape. I didn't have the money to join a gym.  So the only thing I could do was try running as a way to get back in shape.  I laced up my Nike shoes and went out on a run around my neighborhood.  I ran 1 mile and don't even remember how long it took me to finish.  Over the next several months it became my routine to run 1 mile every other day.  Little did I know then that running would become my life's passion.

My wife and I moved to Sunrise, Florida in 1988.  I kept up my running and had even started pushing 1 -2 runs during the week to 2 miles.  Then in December of that year, I got a flyer on my car for the Sunrise Jingle Bell 5K.  I had never run more than 2 miles.  But I figured if I could run 2 miles how hard could it be to run another mile.  On a whim I signed up for the race.  Years later I would read Dr. George Sheehan's quote, "The difference between a jogger and a runner is an entry blank."  I know now that that first 5K was the official day that I switched from being a jogger to a runner.

My time in that race is lost.  I am sure it took me over 30 minutes.  Regardless of the time it took me to complete that race, I was hooked.  I met so many friendly people that day.  When they heard that it was my first 5K, they gave me words of encouragement.  I felt that I had found my way into a new fraternity.  There was no official invitation and anyone was welcome to join.  When I crossed the finish line, I was so happy because I had challenged myself and completed it.  I was so excited that I started to look for the next race.

Back in those days we didn't have the internet to research races or to sign up for them.  Most of the races had people handing out flyers and entry forms at other races.  You had to mail in your form with a check to enter back then.  I don't recall how many 5K races I ran back then.  I am sure it was at least a dozen.  At the end of one of the races, I received a flyer for a 10K race down in Miami that finished inside the Miami Zoo.  I thought that would be cool.  So I signed up.

At this point in time, I had not run further than 3.1 miles.  I decided that I should train for the race.  I didn't know anything about training.  So I kept running every other day.  But I would add 1 mile to my long run on Saturday each week until I had run 6 miles.  I figured if I could run 6 miles then I knew I could finish the race.  I built up to that 6 mile distance over about 6 weeks.  I am sure I broke every training rule in the book.  Hey, I was young and dumb.  In the end, I did finish the race and with a smile on my face.  My training regimen had worked.

From my first 10K in 1989 until we moved to Arkansas in 1991, I ran at least 6 races per year at either the 5K or 10K distance.  I was really loving it.  I was in pretty good shape and had found something I could do anywhere I went.  I started to feel like a runner.  At that time I felt exactly as Dr. Sheehan said, "Like most runners, I always want to do better. I am constantly after myself for eating too much and training too little. I know if I weighed a few pounds less and trained a few hours more, my times would improve. But I find the rewards not quite worth the effort...I am forced, therefore to do the best with what I've got. I must get my speed and distance from the most efficient use of my body."

I didn't race at all when I lived in Arkansas. I never found any races in my area.  I am sure there were races.  But my wife and I had 2 very young children at home.  This wasn't conducive to a lot of racing.  And frankly I wasn't as motivated to search them out.  I did keep running though every other day.  I also started working out at the Wal-Mart Fitness Center.  I was keeping in shape but missed the challenge of a race.

When we moved to Carlsbad, California in 1995, I was living near my family.  My brother and I would run together occasionally.  I found some races in and around my neighborhood including the Carlsbad 5000.  I started racing again.  I ran a few races with my brother and his friends.  I started reading Runner's World magazine where I started to learn training techniques.  And I started striving to get better and faster.  Then at the finish line of the Chargers 10K, my brother started talking about trying a half marathon.  I told him he was crazy.  We hadn't run more than 6.2 miles at that point in time.  Being a little brother, he challenged me.  So I agreed to do it.

I got advice from a friend who had been an college runner.  He put together a training program for us to follow.  My brother, his friend and I started getting together to do our long runs.  It made the training seem easier to be running with other people.  We followed the plan religiously.  We had signed up to run the America's Finest City Half Marathon which runs from Point Loma to Balboa Park.  It was a real challenge to complete because the last 1.5 miles or so is up hill.  I finished in 2 hours and 10 minutes.  Not too bad for my first half.  My brother had beat me but I was so excited to have completed the distance.

After a few more half marathons, I challenged my brother to run a full marathon.  He told me I was crazy.  But after some discussion, he and our friend Greg decided to sign up for the San Diego Marathon which was going to be run in Carlsbad in January 2000.  Here I was 15 years since I first started running and I had signed up for a full marathon.  I must have been crazy.  I found the Hal Higdon Marathon Training program in Runner's World and gave it to Greg and my brother.  We followed the plan closely and did our long runs together on the race course.  When the day came, we had trained well and knew we could do it.  But I was still a little nervous.  I finished my first marathon in 4:41:29 and my brother beat me...again.  Regardless, I was hooked.

Here I am having been a runner for almost 40 years and I still love it.  I have learned to train smarter.  I have tackled 8 other marathons and numerous halfs.  I set PRs in both distances well past my 40th birthday.  I am now training 6 days per week and getting better despite my advancing age.  I have met so many great people through this sport.  Some of them are my closest friends.  I cannot imagine what my life would have been like if I hadn't signed up for that first 5K race.  I am certain it would have been different.  I am even more certain that my life is significantly better because I am a runner. As Dr. Sheehan said,  "If you don’t have a challenge, find one."

I will leave you with two of my favorite quotes from Dr. Sheehan from his book Running & Being:

“The distance runner is mysteriously reconciling the separations of body and mind, of pain and pleasure, of the conscious and the unconscious. He is repairing the rent, and healing the wound in his divided self. He has found a way to make the ordinary extraordinary; the commonplace unique; the everyday eternal.”

“Man is meant to be a success.” Each of us, he said, is unique and endowed with potentials unlike those of others. Success comes in finding your authentic self, the person you truly are, and becoming that person, tapping all of that untapped potential.”

I am looking forward to what the next challenge brings me and will keep running until I have exhausted all of that untapped potential.

Feb. 27 – 5.60 miles (1:00:08, 10:44 pace) - Hill Repeats
Feb. 28 – 5.20 miles (44:49, 8:37 pace) - Speed Work
Mar. 3 – 4.20 miles (34:46, 8:17 pace)
Mar. 4 – 8.30 miles (1:15:40; 9:07 pace)
Mar. 5 – 10.10 miles (1:28:52, 8:48 pace)
Mar. 6 – 6.10 miles (1:06:17, 10:52 pace) - Hill Repeats
Mar. 7 – 5.30 miles (45:30, 8:35 pace) - Speed Work
Mar. 9 – 7.10 miles (1:03:09, 8:59 pace) - Tempo Run
Mar. 10 – 6.20 miles (53:16, 8:35 pace)
Mar. 11 – 7.20 miles (1:29:27, 12:26 pace) - Trail Run
Mar. 12 – 9.30 miles (1:23:45, 9:00 pace)

Total Miles:  74.6 miles
2017 Total Miles:  408.7 miles

Sharing Experiences

I had started to write this piece about race distances and was in the editing phase when I got a text message from my sister.  It said, "Hey, I ran a 5K today in 41 minutes and ran most of it.  Pretty good for me since I don't run."  I then realized that whenever anyone talks to me about running, they tend to apologize for their times, lack of skill or distance.  It is like they think I am some sort of elite runner who will judge their effort in a negative light which couldn't be further from the truth.  I am just a middle of the pack runner who over the years has learned and trained enough to be able to run any distance up to a marathon.

It makes me sad when other people seem to place themselves below me when they come and talk to me about running.  Running is not only my sport, it is a huge part of my life and who I am.  I am passionate about running.  I love to talk about running with anyone interested because I believe it has done so much for me.  I want to share what I have experienced and learned with anyone willing to listen.  Running has made me more confident, healthier and less stressed.  It has also allowed me to meet so many great people.  Many of whom are now close friends. Running is something that I want to share with everyone who is interested.  It is the one sport that you can participate in at any level and where it is actually encouraged.

I believe that some people don't even try to run because they associate it with punishment.  Remember when your coach would say "take a lap".  It was the penalty you paid for doing something wrong on the field.  That created a negative association with running.  While running may have not been fun in the past, it could be fun now.  I will tell anyone who asks me that running is an easy sport.  It doesn't matter what speed I run.  It only matters that I get out there and run.  The distance is the same whether the person runs it at a 15 minute or 5 minute pace.  I ran the same 26.2 miles in New York in November that Ghirmay Ghebreslassie ran. He just ran it at slightly faster pace (4:53 per mile vs. 9:46 per mile).  The only thing stopping anyone from running is the gumption to lace on a pair of shoes and head out the door.

As I participate in the sport, I am welcomed by an enormous running community.  The best part of being a part of this community is that everyone I meet truly wants me to succeed.  The reason I started this blog in the first place was so that I could write about it.  I don't really know if anyone really reads my musings on a regular basis.  But in the end it doesn't matter.  I know that whoever discovers my posts will benefit from what I have learned over the years.  When I discuss running with my friends, I have found that they are just like me.  They have had the same thoughts and fears I have experienced over the years.  This is where the real connection point is between runners whether they are elite or mid-packers.

I believe strongly that being a runner adds value to my life in so many ways.  It has taught me that I can set a goal and through hard work and perseverance achieve it.  For me it started out just as a way to lose a little weight and get some exercise.  Then I challenged myself to try and run a 5K in less than 30 minutes.  Next I stepped up to the 10K distance.  Before I knew it, I was crossing the finish line of my first marathon.   What I want each runner to know is that the end goal is what drives me to improve so that I can reach my goals.  Running always makes me feel alive.  It makes me feel like I can do anything I set my mind to.  Ultimately it allows me to connect myself to the greater running community.

Perhaps the reason that people seem to apologize to me about their runs when they share their experiences with me is because running doesn't hold the same level of importance in their life.  Even if it isn't a huge part of their life, I still love hearing about their experiences.  I love it when someone tells me that they ran their first race ever.  I always tell them how excited I am for them.  Reaching a goal is so meaningful.  I never let them compare what they have achieved to my running life because it is an individual sport.  I know that when a runner is just getting started, their fight is more much mental than physical.  I usually tell than them that since they made the commitment to run that first race that they now have the mental strength to push through anything.  They will over time find their runs enjoyable and something to look forward to.

Feb. 13 – 5.30 miles (45:36, 8:36 pace) - Speed Work
Feb. 14 – 5.20 miles (54:09, 10:25 pace) - Hill Repeats
Feb. 16 – 4.20 miles (35:29, 8:27 pace) - Tempo Run
Feb. 17 – 6.20 miles (54:57, 8:52 pace)
Feb. 18 – 9.30 miles (1:23:54; 9:01 pace)
Feb. 19 – 7.20 miles (1:03:33, 8:50 pace)
Feb. 20 – 5.50 miles (59:18, 10:47 pace) - Hill Repeats
Feb. 21 – 5.30 miles (44:29, 8:24 pace) - Speed Work
Feb. 23 – 4.20 miles (37:44, 8:59 pace)
Feb. 24 – 6.20 miles (54:28, 8:47 pace)
Feb. 25 – 9.50 miles (1:25:34, 9:00 pace)
Feb. 26 – 10.20 miles (1:30:12, 8:51 pace)

Total Miles:  78.3 miles
2017 Total Miles:  334.1 miles

New Allergies

On a recent business trip I started to break out in to hives and had some severe itching.  It progressively got worse.  When I flew home from Houston, I was miserable the entire flight.  I was feeling very uncomfortable and didn't want to bother the other passengers with my constant scratching.  The flight seemed to go on forever.  When I got home and undressed, my wife could not believe how more than 75% of my body was covered in hives.  I was obviously having a severe allergic reaction to something.

Both my wife and daughter have very severe food allergies.  I have always been allergic to tree nuts, citrus and airborne pollens.  Because of their sensitivities, my wife felt strongly that it had to be something I ate.  We went through everything I had over the previous 2 days and could not find anything that could have triggered such a reaction.  I did the best I could to treat the itch to get through the weekend until I could see the doctor on Monday.

Later that weekend, my wife was looking at the 2 meal replacement bars I have been eating for the past 10 years.  She found that both had almonds, almond butter and one had almond flour.  We thought we had found the culprit.  But still wondered why now I should have such a violent reaction.  As I thought about it and reviewed my food diary, I did notice that I had been eating a lot of cheese and other dairy products like yogurt.  Since I can no longer tolerate milk, I wondered if I had developed a dairy allergy.  So we decided to test it.

After the first couple of days off of dairy, I was feeling better.  But I was still feeling unsure.  Plus with the Super Bowl coming up, I didn't want to miss out on all of the cheesy goodness we typically serve.  I decided to stay off dairy until then.  Well, Super Bowl Sunday came and I indulged in all kinds of great snack foods like Velveeta and Rol Tel dip, crab and artichoke dip (cream cheese based) and buffalo chicken dip.  It didn't take long for me to have a reaction.

I am planning to see an allergist to confirm what I am allergic to.  I shouldn't complain here about my issue because after taking dairy out of my diet I am much better.  I am not going to have to deal with the problems my wife and daughter have which is good.  I have to admit I have been a bit immature about it because one of my favorite treats is ice cream.  The good news is that there are good substitutes out there for me to experiment with and I hope to find one I like.

It is curious that I would have this problem at 55 and not before.  I have read that developing allergies as an adult is a fairly common phenomenon, but there isn't any clear evidence to say what causes the change.  Scientists who research allergens simply don't know why an adult's body suddenly  reacts to an allergen after many years of uneventful contact with it. Some say that it could be due to a change in the person's environment that triggers it.  Another theory is called the “hygiene hypothesis,” suggesting that the highly clean environments we maintain causes our immune systems to overreact to harmless things like pet dander and certain foods.

Regardless of the cause it is obvious I am going to have to change my diet.  The good news is that food-labeling laws require manufacturers to clearly list whether a food contains any of the top eight allergens: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, and soy.   This will help me know what to avoid.  It will mean more time in the grocery aisles but that is a small price to pay to avoid a reaction like the last one.  Working for Sprouts also allows me to learn about more and more food alternatives every day.  My allergy therefore doesn't mean a lifetime of limitation. I am sure that I will find that learning about these alternatives will open a whole new world of eating for me.


Jan. 30 – 6.20 miles (1:03:06, 10:115 pace) - Hill Repeats
Jan. 31 – 5.70 miles (49:35, 8:42 pace) - Speed Work
Feb. 2 – 7.00 miles (1:02:12, 8:53 pace) - Tempo Run
Feb. 3 – 6.20 miles (52:38, 8:29 pace)
Feb. 4 – 8.6 miles (1:16:40; 8:55 pace)
Feb. 5 – 10.10 miles (1:27:42, 8:41 pace)
Feb. 6 – 6.10 miles (1:04:16, 10:32 pace) - Hill Repeats
Feb. 7 – 6.20 miles (53:34, 8:38 pace) - Speed Work
Feb. 9 – 7.20 miles (1:04:11, 8:55 pace) - Tempo Run
Feb. 10 – 6.20 miles (55:08, 8:54 pace)
Feb. 11 – 9.20 miles (1:25:37, 9:18 pace)
Feb. 12 – 8.20 miles (1:12:23, 8:50 pace)

Total Miles:  86.9 miles
2017 Total Miles:  255.8 miles