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DAILY QUICKSTATS
Marathon Training - Week 3, Day 3, 6:30am
3.10 miles / 9.42 min pace / 30:10 finish
Outdoors: 82 deg; 62% humidity
West Fork neighborhood / Old Denton Rd.
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So
a couple weeks ago when I registered for the MetroPCS Dallas Marathon, I
was pleasantly surprised to discover they offer a Clydesdale division
for race registrants. Never heard of a Clydesdale division? Well, it’s
nothing new, but not all races offer it. The Clydesdale division is a
special division for male runners who weigh 200+ lbs. (And an Athena
division for females weighing 140/150+ lbs.) I think this means that
instead of competing in the usual age brackets, I’ll be competing in a
weight division instead. (But it could be both, I’m not sure.)
Now
granted, it’s a marathon, and I’m not Ethiopian, so either way it’s not
like I stand a chance of collecting a prize purse. But being a 200+ lb.
runner all my life, I like the idea of placing against other athletes
more in line with how I’m built rather than those ultra-lean, no-fat,
waist-as-big-as-my-left-thigh kind of dudes who run their long runs
faster than I run my short runs.
The way I see it, the more weight I
can lose between now and race day without going below 200, the more
competitive I can be. (Conversely, if you’re planning on registering
for Dallas and you weigh in the 195-199lb. range, it would practically
behoove you to start chunking down some Ho-Ho’s and bringing donuts to
the office every morning so you too can register Clydesdale-style.)
I’ve always felt I was faster than average, similarly-sized men anyway,
so now as a registered Clydesdale division runner I’ll get stats on
that theory after my finish.
* * *
This
morning was beautiful and comfortable. I’ve been extremely happy about
my decision to start doing my training runs before work rather than
afterward or late night. Fortunately my job has a flex schedule, so as
long as I put the hours in every pay period, I’m good to go. So this
morning felt surprisingly cool since there was a steady breeze.
I was concerned about having a bad run since it would be my third run
in three days, (after that makeup run from last week) but actually I
felt great. So less than a half-mile in to my run, I fell on my face in
the street.
Here’s how to correctly and unintentionally fall down in the street:
- Prior
to falling, it will be likely that doing so will be the absolute last
thing on your mind. This is the correct frame of mind to be in. Focus
on your run.
- You
might like keeping your hands free during your run, but for purposes of
falling down in the street, it’s better to be loaded up. I recommend
the classic water bottle/iPhone combo as these items will be cleanly
ejected from your hands when you go south.
- When it happens, go down fast and hard. No sense in dragging it out, and you won't have time to tuck and roll with it.
- Make sure you immediately look back at what caused you to fall. It's never your fault anyway, but this technique will ensure any witnesses will immediately understand the situation so that hasty judgments aren't leveled at you.
- You may even scowl at the offending piece of asphalt and mutter something about "calling the city" as you quickly brush yourself off.
- Hopefully you don't need medical aid. This list won't help with that.
* * *
Please consider making a donation here on behalf of the children and families in India who have been and will continue to be directly loved and cared for by members of Cornerstone Baptist Church. Any amount would be appreciated! My pastors Bobby Herrell and Aaron Gowens are heading there this weekend for a couple of weeks. Then a main body of travelers, many going for the first time, will be going early next year. There is a great need for many types of gifts to these people.
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