My best friend for 4 hours and 20 Minutes!

I got a chance to meet with Nancy from the AIr Force Marathon Team who I hope to keep up with tomorrow.  Wish there was more time I need to get ready for tomorrow

Don't forget, you can follow my progress via GPS here starting at 0700 in the morning.


http://www.instamapper.com/ext?key=12786877708219104953

Thanks again for tuning in!

I'm in Dayton for the Air Force Marathon! Odds and ends from the Sports Expo

I arrived this afternoon in Dayton in time to check-in and pick-up my race package at the Air Force Marathon.  While I was there I took some pictures of some of the Air Force displays and even took the lipstick Video Camera along for and operations check.  Here are a couple clips I captured.



This is the Stealth Bike.  Commisioned by Northop Grumman and built by Orange County Chopper.



Nothing too exciting here.  Just some of the vendors from the Sports expo.  Lots more going on tomorrow!

Headed to Ohio: Please Join me online!

It's been quite a week!  I've taken it easy on my workouts and eaten some good quality food.  It was also very cool to have an article written about the me and the Fat Serteants Blog.  You can read it in two different forms here:

Face of Defense: Airman Sheds Pounds, Gains Health http://bit.ly/ZSQdd

Blogging Airman sheds 70 pounds, ready to take on marathon http://bit.ly/rcT9f

I'll be leaving tomorrow for Ohio and will be covering the Marathon events here and on the Air Force social media sites.  Not sure how I will use the footage but I also plan on running with a video camera on my head!  

I really appreciate all the support I've gotten from everyone so far.  You can also follow my progress on Twitter by following FatSergeant. Lastly, you can also follow my progress Via GPS coordinates by following this link at 07:30 on race day 19 September:

http://www.instamapper.com/ext?key=12786877708219104953

Thanks again for tuning in.  More to come from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base!

One week till the marathon. 26.2. miles. Am I ready?

 

I now have less than week until I travel over 500 miles to run 26.2 miles.  At this point I have a lot of fear and doubt about being prepared.  Am I ready to run this marathon?  I've logged hundreds of miles, dropped the excess weight, and ate right foods. Even with all that preparation, things can still go wrong.  That nagging heel and ankle pain can I run with for 10 miles can grow to be unbearable when you more than double the distance.  The kids just started back to school and everyone in the house is getting sick.  There is a good change I'll be fighting some sort of virus when I get on the starting line.

At this point my race training is over.  I'll do a short run or two and some strength training but my long runs are finished.  It's time to take it easy, get lots of rest and eat some good food. I must admit I'll feeling the pressure though.  I've gotten so much support and inspiration from others and I don't want to let them, or myself, down.  No matter what happens, I promise to give it my all.

Goal 2 of 3 PASS: Faster than the 18 year olds, faster than ever.

 

This was a big day that I have been working towards for a long time.  In the end I met my goal of 100% on my PT test.  I was ready.  The only real challenge of the day was the weigh-in first thing in the morning.  I hopped on the scale and was exactly were I needed to be, 194 lbs.  If I would have come in heavy, I would have simply went and ran until the scale  read what I needed, but luckily that didn't happen.  

After the weigh-in it was time for push-ups.  40 was required, I did 50.  Then came crunches.  I needed 47 for max points, I got 52 in 60 seconds.  This is not an easy task and I can't imagine doing them much faster.  

The run was the last obstacle of the day and I needed to run 1.5 miles in less than 10:21.  I already knew I would make that time with no problem.  Three months ago I ran it 10:18 and a little over a month ago I made it in 9:41.  The new goal I had been training for was 9:36.  Why this time?  It happens to be the  time needed for an 18 year old Airman to get max points.  

I had the forethought to give my lap split times needed to my PT monitor who was nice enough to keep me posted on my time after every lap.  I started the first lap at almost a sprint and when I went past the monitor I heard him say "10" something.  I didn't know if that meant 10 seconds slow or 10 seconds fast so all I could do is keep it up till the next lap.  This time I heard him say "you're doing good, about 10 seconds ahead of time", Great news!  I kept on chugging.  Lap 3, lap, 4, and on lap 5 I slowed down a bit without realizing it.  For the last lap I kicked it into gear.  My legs wanted fly out from under me but my chest was burning and wanted to stop breathing.  As I rounded the last turn I just thought about all the preparation I had done for this run and how it was all coming down to these last 20 or so steps.  I dug deep, sprinted it out, and it was over.

 

After I crossed the finish line i kept running slowly for a cool down.  I was surprised to find that about half-way through lap I had already gotten my breath back.  It was like my body was saying "whew, that was a tough hill, glad it's over and we're ready for more."  It was a nice feeling. 

In the end my time was 9:27!  Once again the fastest I have ever ran and almost 10 seconds faster than the time needed for an 18 year old.  I said in an earlier post that not every day is a good training day.  Today was a good day.  Today was my day.

Goal 1 of 3: PASS!

 

After a long run on Saturday, I attended my 25th High School Reunion at my graduation weight of 195 pounds!  It was a great time and it was fun to see all my old friends and classmates. 

This was goal of one of three I set out to accomplish this month.   Tomorrow I will celebrate 25 years of service in the Air Force and ATTEMPT to max my PT test for the first time in my career.  I'm a little scared at this point.  I just got on the scale and was shocked to see it reading 200lbs again!  It was a tough weekend to watch my weight and I guess I didn't do too well.  All I can do at this point is cutoff the calories for today and hope for the best tomorrow.

17 Mile Pilgrimage run in WV

I arrived at home in the little town of Lizemores West Virginia on Friday. I knew I needed to do a long run over the weekend which would probably be my last long run before my marathon. Since my 25 year class reunion was Saturday afternoon, I chose a Saturday morning run. It can be hard to find a place to run in Clay and wherever you run you're going to be dodging coal trucks.

I chose a one way run that would take be past some significant landmarks. I started out early in the morning at my home in Grassy Fork, not far from my elementary school. About 4 miles into my run I had to climb Holcomb Hill which is more of a mountain than a hill. After about a mile, I made it to the top and passed the Holcomb Memorial gardens where many of my relatives are located. From there I had some smoothe sailing miles with only one small climb before the Hartland bridge which crosses the Elk river.

About 13 miles into my run I finally made it to Clay County High School. I took a diversion down past the school which was one of he best parts of my run. From there I headed back up to highway 16 and into the town of Clay and past my junior high school on the hill.

I found it entertaining to have people looking at the idiot running through town and enjoyed yelling "Hello Clay County!" as I passed the flee market in the old IGA parking lot. It's also interesting that in all the running I've done at home, I've never passed another person running or jogging.

From there I ran out of town and towards the crossroads at Two Run where I spent many weekends at my Grandma Phililps home. My run ended at the Go Mart with strangely enough has become the happening place in Clay.

It was a good run. Surprisingly easy to complete and very relaxing, almost "Zen like". I can't remember a more enjoyable trail.

Testing the Lipstick Camera. 25th Reunion Bound!

It's late and I'm heading to WV bright and early in the morning for my 25 year class reunion! The scale said 197 this morning so I have two pounds to go. I plan a long run Saturday morning so I'll make it.

I took a small camera with me on my weekly club run today. I'll post the actual footage soon but here is a taste.

Plastic Monkey Shoes!

Running with the Lake Ridge Runners Club this evening. Been using these vey unique shoes. Very light and I love them for short distances.

Under 200 Lbs! Less than a week before reunion and PT test

September is here!
This is the month it all comes together. I got on the scale at work today and the reading was 197.5. I just need to drop 2.5 pounds before Saturday to meet the first of my three goals. 3.5 before September 8th to Max my PT test.

I'm in good shape to meet both of these goals. As long as I watch my intake this week, get a couple of good workouts in, I'll make it. It will take some willpower though. I'll me home in WV and my mom will be making those great pancakes! Snacks and meal at the reunion, drinks with old friends, I need to be strong and keep the eye on the prize.

I don't want to reveal too much, but I have some pretty cool stuff planned for the marathon. Stick with me. I promise some interesting multimedia posts in the near future!