Monday, May 27, 2013

BolderBoulder

I ran the BolderBoulder today.  I planned to just tuck in from the gun, and did.  I got dropped by a few seconds a bit before the halfway point but rallied to keep the lead group close.  Then I was that guy who caught the people falling off the lead pack for the rest of the race.  I ended up with a top 5 finish, so being that guy isn't all bad.  A fairly large pack was bearing down on me near the finish, and I think I held them all off and didn't slip on whatever surface they put over the field at the finish line.  So all around, I can call it a successful day.  Now to eat pizza and drive home.

Next weekend I go to San Diego for the Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Half Marathon.  Hopefully I can put together a strong race there.  I feel like I should write more, but I think I've pretty much said it all.  A pretty uneventful day, other than the race.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Headless Chicken Race

The first question that probably comes to mind (hehe) for a lot of you about the Headless Chicken Race is "Why is there a Headless Chicken Race?"  The answer is that in 1948, a chicken named Mike lived for 18 months without a head.  Part of the brain-stem was attached to the rest of his body, which informs us about a lot of cool things dealing with brain function.  However, as I have not filled my head (hehe) with neuroscience, I'll stick to the race.  The Headless Chicken Race is part of Mike the Headless Chicken Days in Fruita, CO, a festival to celebrate the fact that people are willing to celebrate headless chickens.  Unlike the path of a real headless chicken, the Headless Chicken Race is 5km long and has very few corners.  It's not one of those races where you have to constantly use your head (hehe), you can really just run.

Given that I have several road races coming up, I figured running the Headless Chicken Race as a tuneup was a no-brainer (hehe).  I was looking for a quality effort more than anything else, so I put my neck on the line (hehe) and got out ahead (hehe) early.  I was not entirely sure how much of the Boston Marathon was still in my legs, but I tried to keep an open mind (hehe) about pacing and just listen to my legs, not my head (hehe), keeping in mind (hehe) that it is best to even split races.  I ended up running a 15:47 or something (I don't have the head for memorizing times.  hehe) and was really pleased with my effort, but I'm not letting it go to my head (hehe).  Next weekend I'm heading (hehe) to Boulder for the BolderBoulder, where I'll have to remember to keep my head on a swivel (hehe).  Actually, given BolderBoulder, the Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Half Marathon six days later, and everything else happening, I'm about to start running around like a chicken with my head cut off (hehe), but I really don't want to get ahead (hehe) of myself.

I am cognizant (hehe) that when telling jokes, one is supposed to assume that their audience has enough between their ears (hehe) to get them, but I just can't help myself.  It's like a reaction that doesn't need to go past the cerebral cortex (hehe).  I would probably laugh at these puns even if I were braindead (hehe).  Anyways, here's a picture of the race shirt.
Stay headless, my friends.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Long Overdue Update

Hi,
So it has been far too long since I've posted an update.  A lot has happened since then.  I've run some races, lowered my half marathon PR by a few minutes, and been chased during runs by enough animals to populate a petting zoo.  Note:  do not put the animals that have chased me into a petting zoo unless you are a fan of being sued.  If my new profile picture on this blog is to be believed, I also grew a pair of antlers.

I have also been accepted to graduate school, so starting this fall I'll be in Tempe, AZ.  I'll be sort of like some superhero with an awesome alter ego, studying physics by day and running at dusk and dawn (which is sort of like night), because apparently those are the only parts of the day that you can't cook meals on the sidewalks in Arizona.  I'm not sure which of those is the awesome alter ego, and I'm sure a lot of people would argue that both are the boring alter ego.  I prefer to think of them as both awesome alter egos, and neither one requires a mask, which will save a trip to the thrift shop.

I haven't really been blogging because I haven't felt like I had anything interesting to say.  My day to day life is, well, mundane and the sort of thing that happens every day, and I have to wonder about anybody who would eagerly await updates on that sort of thing.  I really should have done updates after races, but I updated Team Colorado and then moved on with life.  If I don't update about races here, you can usually read about them at teamcolorado.blogspot.com (I don't see any typos in the url, but that doesn't mean they aren't there).

After the Boston Marathon, I felt like I had nothing worthwhile to add.  A horrible tragedy struck a day in which a bad race was supposed to be the worst case scenario.  I like to put my races in perspective, but I prefer to do it on my own terms, and I am not enough of a wordsmith to add anything of substance to this tragedy.  Like so many, if they'll let me run, I'll be there next year.

Since I don't think anybody reads this except for my grandmother, I'll close with this.  If I don't post updates about future races, you are allowed to send me angry e-mails.  If you aren't my grandmother, I guess that applies to you too.