2019 Beat the Heat 10K

Doneplete!

This was an awesome race! Another awesome event put on by Freedom Running company! We started behind the Culver's in Bellevue, NE and did an out and back to the east. I will have to say, it was a bit challenging for me, as it is a little flatter and faster to the west (the direction I usually run), so it was a good workout. The great thing about it was the opportunity to work on some mechanics to prepare for my upcoming marathon in September.

While it certainly was not my best 10K effort at 1:03:14, it was still fun. The heat really was not horrible, although my watch gave me an average temperature of 82 degrees. Given the heat I experienced during my marathon attempt last year, that I was completely unprepared for, this was a good conditioning/acclimation run. So, I will take it! Looking forward to more races in preparation for my September marathon goal!

Taking on the Amerithon Challenge!

The Virtual Route

I found the Amerithon Challenge on Facebook yesterday while looking at my feed. It popped up as a suggested link and I checked it out. It is quite a challenge. You can complete it on your own or with a team of up to eight. I may have some friends hop in along the way but, for now, I am going solo. I set my start date as July 1st and logged my running and steps (walking) for the past four days. I am already at 17.88 miles and well on my way to earning the first virtual badge along the way at 25 miles. This should be fun and I am definitely looking forward to completing it!

The Get It All Package

I ordered the Get It All package, which gives you the shirt, map, passport, finishing medal frame, and the pieces for completing each step of the challenge. I am thinking about wearing the shirt for all of the races I participate in, just to show that I am running the race as part of a much larger goal. However, I will have to see how it fits. I ordered the XL size and typically do not like baggy shirts for running, as they rub too much. If it fits alright, then I may just have to show off my goal at each race. I guess we will see!

The First Badge!

This challenge is going to take me a while. It is an investment in making myself better. I ran 246 miles last year and am at 105 miles so far for 2019. So, I have quite a ways to go. However, if I run and walk every day, the small chips will build up to the big, overall goal. And, that's what it is really all about!

2019 Firecracker Flight 5K

Waiting for the Start

Well, this was my third race with Bodies Race Company and, for now, the last for this year. I ran the Sweetheart Shuffle 5K in February (the COLDEST race I've ever run) and the Hero Hustle 5K last month. I am not signed up for any of their other races this year, but we'll see if that changes. They are really fun races. I have a 10K slated for next month, half marathon and marathon in September, and half marathons in October and November. I am also going to run in the Market to Market Relay in October as well. So, I do have a busy running schedule!

My Grand Prize!

The weather for the run was, well, muggy. We had some nice cloud cover, but the temperature was in the mid-70s and the dew point was hanging right there with it. There was a slight breeze. Just enough to keep us cool but not enough to really affect us during the run. The course was actually pretty flat, as we ran along the Little Papillion Creek. The only hills were a few dips where the trail goes under bridges. Otherwise, flat and wide open! Other than the humid conditions, this was a fun race and certainly one I want to run again next year!

2019 Cornfield Cornfield 10K

The Route

This was my first Born & Raced in Nebraska (BRIN) series race. I was supposed to run the Leprechaun Chase back in March, but alas Mother Nature was not done with dropping snow on us and it was canceled. I was excited about this 10K series when I found it and was eager to work my way to the BRIN Blackout medal; a medal given to those who complete all three of the BRIN series 10K races in a single year. After the Leprechaun Chase was canceled, I assumed the Blackout was over. However, that is not the case. They consider it a completed event and the Cornfield Cornfield and Harvest Moon Hustle will still count!

Finish Inside Werner Park

The weather for this race was absolutely perfect! The temperature was in the mid-60s to low 70s, we had some cloud cover, and there was just enough breeze to keep you cool while you ran! I was not sure what to expect on this route, but I was in for a surprise for sure!

Elevation Profile

The race started off just outside of Werner Park, home of the Omaha Storm Chasers, and looped out and around the park. The first half of it was generally downhill, but I was surprised with how many hills we actually ran. You can see by the elevation profile that we had several ups and downs. The last uphill climb at the end was a bit brutal. It felt like we were running straight up at times. However, it was a fun race! I am certainly looking forward to improving my time next year!

2019 Hero Hustle 5K

Getting Ready for the Start!

Yesterday was another fun run with Bodies Race Company, the Hero Hustle 5k. The venue was Eugene T. Mahoney State Park, just outside Ashland, Nebraska and on the outskirts of Omaha, Nebraska. I have only been out there one time before, about 10 or 11 years ago, so I was not sure what to expect. It was beautiful, fun, hilly, and HUMID!

It was about 70 degrees for the start with full sun, but the dewpoints were in the low to mid-60s. So, it was a bit sticky for sure! The course, itself, was great and a bit of a challenge to say the least. Having never run out there before, I was not sure what to expect.

The Leonardo Medal!

The first quarter-mile was a gradual downhill with a few ups and downs. After that, we had a climb for the next quarter to half-mile. Several little hills along the way and started to gradually drop from about a mile on until we got to about the two-mile point. From there it was all back uphill to the finish with some more ups and downs. So, yes, it was a little bit of a challenge. However, it had nothing on the Papillion Half Marathon I ran last month!

A Wall of Memories!

So, another fun run in the books and another medal for the board! With this medal, I now have one for each hook and will start doubling up next weekend at the Cornfield Cornfield 10k! I am inching closer to September and really hoping that I can actually complete the marathon this year. I was quite disappointed last year when I made it to the 21-mile water stop and they shuttled us off the course in buses. I just have to keep my eye on the prize and keep moving forward.

2019 Papillion Half Marathon

Elevation Profile

Wow, what a race and what a bad weather day for a race! It certainly could have been worse, weather-wise, but it sure made the run more challenging. We received a little bit of rain in the early morning, but we were rain-free for the duration of the race. The temperature at the start was in the low to mid-50s, it was overcast, and the wind...what a wind! We ran with a northwest wind of 15-20 miles per hour the ENTIRE time!

Running Along Halleck Park

The course was a nice run through all of the sights Papillion has to offer. We started at Papillion-La Vista South High School, ran downhill to the Papio Trail, ran along the Papillion Creek, and then through Walnut Creek before wrapping up back at the school on the football field. The first part of the race was really good due to it being all downhill. I was running a good race until we made the turn back to the west...and then it was a real challenge!

Finish on the Football Field!

The wind was blowing in our faces all the way from our turn just past Halleck Park until we made it back to 96th Street and started the approach to Walnut Creek. That made it quite interesting for sure! As we approached Walnut Creek, it was more of a gradual uphill climb. The real challenge was the hills after we made it through Walnut Creek. We had two hills on the approach to the final turn towards the high school and then another one before getting to the school. For me, it was rough!

My Grand Prize!

I found the Papillion Half Marathon because the Memorial March Half Marathon I was supposed to run this weekend was pushed to September due to the flooding at Haworth Park. I knew I wanted to run a half in May, so I am glad I found this one. Challenging? Absolutely! Good training for enduring the marathon in September? You bet! I may have to run this one again next year!

2019 World Vision Global 6K for Water

Waiting for the Start!

I discovered the World Vision Global 6K for Water last year; actually, it found me. I had posted about one of my runs and the link posted to twitter. Soon afterward, I saw a reply asking if I had heard about this run. I had not, but felt like it was a good enough cause to participate. And, so here I am again!

Mission Accomplished!

Six kilometers is an awkward distance; 3.7 miles awkward, to be exact. Most runs are one mile, five kilometers, 10 kilometers, 13.1 miles, or 26.2 miles; before you get to the crazy ultra distances. So, why six? Well, that is the average distance people in developing countries walk for water. Think about that for a minute. When was the last time you walked more than, say, 30 feet for water?

The Global 6K for Water happens the same time every year (at least, from my experience), which is generally the beginning of may. If you are looking for a great cause to run for, this is certainly it! Keep an eye out on the website and sign up to run it next year. Not only does your entry fee go to a good cause, you also get a shirt and a shiny new medal to hang on your wall!

Back to iPhone

I tried, I really did. I switched from the iPhone 6 to the Google Pixel 2 XL last year. I had sworn off Android after Samsung decided they thought they knew me better than I know myself and jumped over to iOS. After my iPhone was paid off and with the hype of the Pixel 2 XL, I thought things might be different. It looks like I was wrong.

Now, don't get me wrong, I liked the Pixel 2 XL. The screen size, camera quality, and responsiveness were excellent. I was a big fan of Android Auto over Apple CarPlay because AA will let you scroll around on maps. It was good if we wanted to look at the route ahead to see what, if any, obstructions were up ahead. However, the phone was so buggy with Bluetooth and AA, I just couldn't take it anymore.

More times than not, the phone would fail to connect to the Bluetooth in my car. It would set up multiple instances of my car in the AA settings and I would constantly have to remove and add it back to the phone. The contact list would disappear nearly every time I disconnected and reconnected my phone. Additionally, it was hard to get it to reconnect after shutting off the car and turning it back on. It was, simply put, a pain in the rear.

I tested out some applications on my iPhone 6, which we now keep at home for the kids to have a phone to use, and really liked what I found. The maps don't scroll but, quite frankly, I haven't missed it in the past couple of weeks. The phone connects right away and I have only had one instance where it had trouble reconnecting when restarting the car. Everything functions smoothly and, honestly, I am happier with the iPhone than I was with the Pixel 2 XL. As for the iPhone, I went with the iPhone 8. I just don't like the notch on the newer phones and I wanted the Touch ID capability. And, of course, the Apple CarPlay functionality sealed the deal for me.

FBI Data Hacked

This is scary. Hackers have apparently published names, email addresses, and some street addresses for thousands of law enforcement officials. In today's day and age, with our reliance on data, nothing feels safe anymore. Passwords are cracked, people are victimized by social engineering tactics, and, somewhere, someone sits happier than a kid in a candy store.

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/thousands-identities-personal-information-published-fbi-related-hack-n994366

2019 Garmin Marathon

Waiting to Start!

Saturday was fun…and challenging! I participated in the 2019 Garmin Marathon, choosing to run the half marathon distance. I have yet to reach the 26.2-mile mark. I tried last year, in the 2018 Air Force Marathon, but was swept off the course at 21.2 miles into the attempt. Hopefully, this year, that will change.

I was a little skeptical of how I might perform on Saturday since my last half marathon was in November. I set a new personal record during that run of 2:09:12 but have not run over 6.2 miles since then. However, since my goal is to complete the full marathon distance this year, I knew I needed to start running further earlier in the season. And, that is how I found and signed up for the Garmin Marathon weekend!

Garmin Half Marathon

The course was fun. We had a lot of people cheering us on along the streets and some even yelling from their porches. I felt the first half of the race was mostly downhill, based on the elevation profile, so it wasn’t too intense. Once we hit the mid-point of the race, we started getting into hills. One hill was a monster and certainly zapped my confidence to run any further hills. Admittedly, I have been walking up most hills during my training. I was proud of myself on Saturday since I ran up the majority of the hill to just past the halfway point.

Bib and Medal

Prior to hitting the hills, I really had the intention of beating my personal record. Then, reality set in: it probably wasn’t going to happen. To salvage the race, I decided to settle in and work on my marathon pace. I walked for .15 miles where I needed to and ran the rest. My pace dropped from about 10:04 to an ending pace of 10:39 per mile. Not too bad, considering I am shooting for 11:25 during the marathon. I will just have to keep working on it and improve. That’s all I can really do!

Next up: The Papillion Half Marathon!