Race Report - Holiday Run @ Sharon Woods

The racing weather gods were smiling on us yesterday at the Holiday Run. There was a winter weather advisory posted for Saturday night for freezing rain and possibly .2 inches of ice. Not a good scenario for the race. But thankfully, I awoke Sunday morning to some drizzle and temps in the low 30’s.

The 4 mile path around Sharon Woods Metro Park was paved and cleared of snow for the race. Over 430 people showed up for the race. All in all, it went pretty well. I was able to complete the race in 1:03:46. My average pace was 15:56 minutes/mile. Here are my splits for the miles: (1) 16:16, (2) 17:01, (3) 16:03 and (4) 15:02. I came in 423rd out of 438 participants.

Here is a link to photos from the race and will be available until 1/31/08.


December 5, 2007 - Walking in a Winter Wonderland

I woke up this morning to find that Central Ohio did get the snow that the weather forecasters were calling for. The ground was blanketed in white. We got about a total of 3-4 inches of snow overnight and into the morning. It really made a mess of the morning commute. Took me one hour to get to work - normally a 20 minute trip. Thanks, Columbus "Snow Warriors" (insert sarcasm)!!??!!

At first, I decided to forgo the lunch walk in the park. Then I decided to go ahead and walk but not at the usual brisk pace. Good decision on my part. It was awesome to walk while the snow was falling. It really was peaceful. The snow muffled most of the sounds around me. I had the park to myself. I guess that no one wanted to be out when it was about 28 degrees with a wind chill of about 19. I did have to watch my step - especially on the wooden boardwalks. Only slipped a little once.

I would highly recommend walking in a winter wonderland if you get the chance!

Training Log - December 4, 2007

I think that today's weather is more like what December should be like. It was cloudy and cold. Tonight we are to get our first snow accumulation of the winter. Forecast is for 1-3 inches tonight and another 1-2 inches tomorrow.

Went to Creekside today to walk. Forgot my windbreaker. Not good. The temperature was about 31 degrees but the wind chill was in the 2o's. Ended up walking with my winter coat on. Just too cold to go without it. Walked 2 miles today. Time was around 36 minutes. Nothing too special to report. Will remember the windbreaker tomorrow and also some ear covering.

As a note, I have added a few of the pictures that I took during the Columbus Half Marathon in October to the other pics from the race. I have decided that I will be doing the full marathon this fall.

2007 Ironman World Championships - Some thoughts

I forgot to post a reminder that the 2007 Ironman World Championships were shown on NBC this weekend. If you didn't get a chance to watch it and it is shown again some time, I would highly recommend checking it out. Even if you aren't into triathlons - you will be touched by the stories of ordinary people that have overcome or are in the process of overcoming various challenges in their lives. I have yet been able to watch one without tears rolling down my face. Their stories are an inspiration to me and countless others.

This year was unusual in that many of the ranked professionals dropped out of the race. Last year's winners: Norman Stadler and Michellie Jones both left during the 112 mile bike portion due to medical issues. 2005 men's champion, Faris Al-Sultan did not even start the race due to a stomach flu. Natascha Badmann wrecked her bike into a traffic cone and fractured her collar bone. This left the field open for anyone to claim the prize.

As interesting as these events were, I found the stories from the non-professionals or "age groupers" more riveting. Stories like the 65 year old woman in her first Ironman as a competitor. She has volunteered in previous years. Or the legally blind gentleman who also was taking on Kona for the first time.

The story that hit me closest to home was the story that was not told in the broadcast. It was of Murray Frank of Canada. He was bib # 644. I saw him get out of the water and knew that he was the one racer that I was going to be rooting for. He was mentioned at the end of the program and they showed him crossing the finish line - becoming an Ironman. I checked his info and he finished with a time of 16:44:08. He was 161/162 in the 45-49 year old men. He was the 1677th finisher of the 1685. He weighs in at 285 pounds.

He is my role model - if he can do it then so can I and so will I.

Race Report - Columbus Turkey Trot

A little late – I’ll agree - but here is the race report for the 2007 Columbus Turkey Trot 5 miler.

The weather forecast for Thanksgiving was for drizzle/ light rain turning to a rain snow mix later in the day. Woke up and got ready to go and noticed that it wasn’t raining but was a chilly 35 degrees. Drove to the race and was able to park about 2 blocks from the starting line.

I got there early enough to watch the 3 races for the kids. Was great to watch the kids racing and enjoying everything about running. They loved it and they each got a ribbon for doing it.

The time finally came for the over 3500 of us to line up for the race. As fate would have it, it began to drizzle. The closer it got to the start time – the heavier the rain got. I thought that this was not going to be a good way to start the race. Oddly enough, as soon as the race began, the rain stopped. So all we had to deal with was the wind.

Times for the mile spits were as follows: (1) 15:47, (2) 16:00, (3) 16:22, (4) 15:37 and (5) 15:59. Total time for the 5 miles was 1:19:44 with an average pace of 15:57 min/mile. Felt great at the end and felt great about the times.

I only had a few issues with the race. The first was that even though there were quite a few walkers behind me – it appeared that they were beginning to shut down the water station. They were also tearing down the finish line when I got there!!! The other issue that I had was that there was no post race refreshments. Every other race I have been in has had at least water available at the finish line.

Other that these things, the race was good for me. It was the first competition since the half marathon and I was very pleased with my performance.

If you want to check out my photos from the race, please go to the following website:

http://www.fairfieldphoto.com/photocart/index.php?do=photocart&viewGallery=10500

These pictures will be available to view until 12/31/2007.

Mini Recovery over - November 12, 2007

Well after posting the last entry, I did a 3 mile walk the next day and aggravated the muscles/tendons on the outer side of my left foot. Same spot that was bothering me before. I ended up taking the next few days off.

It is starting to feel better so I set off today to do a little light intervals. No jogging today - only some faster pace walking. Also put in about 20 min. of regular walking. Foot feeling OK. Did get a little rain while out walking around the neighborhood. Nothing to complain about - temps were in the mid 50's.

After announcing that I have the goal of doing the 2010 IM Louisville, I started to take a look at what steps need to be taken to reach the starting line. I have checked into some training plans but it occurred to me that there are many smaller steps that need to be taken care of first. Right now I need to keep my focus on the first step - the foundation that everything else will be built upon. That would be to lose some weight but keep the muscle. Not an easy task but it is something that will need to be done. That will mean getting back to lifting on a regular basis. I have already started this but now I will be keeping a separate log online of my progress. I will add the link to this blog later.

Well, off to the shower. See ya!

Recovery Over - A New Mountain to Climb

After taking the last 2 weeks to recover from the half marathon, I return to my work outs. Today I went back to Creekside to do some interval training. It doesn't take as much time to do but can really kick your butt. I only did 4 repetitions of a 30/90 second interval. That is 30 seconds of in my case fast walking or jogging and then 90 seconds of recovery. My first fast interval was a fast walk and the other 3 were a very slow jog. A starting point.

I have decided to set my long range sights on the 2010 Ironman in Louisville, KY. Pretty ambitious I know but I know that if I can train and do a half marathon at 320+ pounds. I can get in better shape, lose weight and train to do the IM. For those that don't know, that is a triathlon consisting of a 2.4 mile swim followed by a 112 mile bike ride and ending with a 26.2 mile race. That gives me about 2 years to get ready. Buckle up 'cause here we go again!!!!

If you want to get an idea of what the IM is like, the Ford Ironman World Championships will be on TV on December 1st on NBC. Very beautiful and inspirational. I have a hard time watching this without getting emotional at some of the stories.

Columbus Half Marathon Photos

As promised, here are some photos from Sunday's race.

This is the back of my race shirt. Janet and the kids signed my sleeve.

Cameron & Rachael cheering on the racers.

Janet and Rachael

My cheering section - Cameron, my brother Mike, Rachael and Janet

My official finish line picture.


After the race with family and fellow TNT walker Kevin

My feet

Here is the link to MarathonFoto. Just select the Columbus Marathon 2007 from the dropdown menu and enter my last name and 32 for the bib number.

2007 Columbus Half Marathon Report - October 22, 2007

Today brings the report on the 2007 Columbus Half Marathon. I can’t believe that it is finally come to pass. When I look back, I have been training for this since the middle of May. Having followed the training program, I knew that I was ready to do the race.

Saturday was the prep day. I had made a checklist of what I needed to do and have ready. After dinner, I went thru the list. Everything was ready by evening and I went to bed at 10:30PM. I was amazed that I slept as well as I did. The only glitch in my plans was that I set my alarm for 5 AM but forgot to turn on the alarm! Thankfully, Janet woke me up at 5:05AM. I got dressed and gathered my stuff and headed downtown.

I met with the Team in Training group at the Hyatt Hotel downtown at 6AM. We headed off to the starting line at around 6:40. It was still rather dark and the wind was whipping through the buildings. The temperature at the start was around 55 degrees. I met a gentleman named Kevin who was with TNT. Through talking before the race, we found that we both were in the same boat. Due to our work schedules and family responsibilities neither of us was able to train with the team.

The horn went off at 7 AM to start the almost 1000 walkers on our 13.1 mile journey. Kevin and I had the same pace so we walked together with several other TNT walkers. The sun was just starting to come up as we headed east on Broad St. My first three mile times were right where I trained – 17:26, 16:40 and 16:47.

Just past the 3 mile mark, we turned north into Bexley and wound our way through the side streets. At one point, we passed the Governor’s Mansion and the Governor’s wife was out front flanked by State Troopers waving at the racers. I hit the 4 mile mark at 16:51. We turned south to head towards Town St. We passed several bands providing entertainment along the route. My mile times for miles 5-9 were 16:13, 16:37, 16:21, 16:08 and 16:11.

It was about this time that I began to notice blisters beginning to form on the inside edges of my heels. Continued to press on into German Village. Mile 10 time was 16:14. Passed Schiller Park and was struck by how beautiful it was. Kevin (who has been walking beside me the entire way) stated that he did quite a bit of training in the park.

At mile 11, we turned north on High St and began the final stretch of the race. My time at mile 11 was 16:34. Heading up High St towards downtown, we hit what seemed like the biggest hill in the race. It probably was just the tired legs!! Mile 12 time was 16:30 and the crowds began to grow larger. We turned off of High St and onto Nationwide Blvd. at mile 13 with a time of 16:24. The finish line was in sight. Just shy of the finish line, I saw Janet and the kids along with my brother Mike- he had just gotten in from vacation in Florida late Saturday night. Hit the finish line with a time of 3:37:23. The pace time was 16:36.

Picked up my medal and had my picture taken and then headed to the Team In Training tent to check in and wait for my family. I was completely surprised by running into my brother in law’s parents – Jim and Nancy Simms. It took some time for Janet and the kids to make it to the Family Reunion area. Once we met up and took some pictures, it was time to start the quarter mile hike to the car – uphill!!!

All in all, the day was perfect for racing and watching the race. Janet and the kids were able to get a good spot to watch the race and I was able to park close to the finish line.

I have been asked if I will do the Columbus again. I reply that I would but next time I would probably train on my own.

I asked people in my fundraising letter to let me know if I could walk in honor or in memorial for a friend or loved one. I want to list here the names that I put on my race shirt.

In Memorial:

Mary Spohn (My grandmother )

Sally Mann ( My aunt)

Arthur Rose Sr.

Andy Grether

Donald Parks

Fred Williams

Jack Williams


In Honor:

Alwyn Cosgrove

Rickie Samuel

Keegan Quinn


My race stats :

Time: 3:37:23

Pace: 16:36

Overall: 647/939

Age Group: 10/17

Gender: 107/147


I will be posting some pictures from the race later as well as providing a link to the official photos.

Training Log - October 15, 2007

Well, it’s hard to believe but it’s the week of the Half Marathon. Each time I think about it – I get a few butterflies in the stomach. Mostly from excitement but I have to admit that some of it is nerves. This is the biggest thing that I have attempted in quite some time. I have followed my training and have put in the miles (248 training miles!!!). So looking ahead to the race there is I have no doubt that I will be able to finish the 13.1 miles and will probably be able to finish in under 4 hours. I guess that everyone that stands at the starting line on Sunday will be nervous in some way so I will be in good company.

I will save my looking back and thinking about what I have learned for my post race posts. This week will be three 2 mile walks and then rest on Saturday. I have already begun a checklist of things that I need to do and to have ready for Sunday. If you know me, you will understand that is just the way I am. My loving wife, Janet, commented at lunch on Saturday that I probably have a list of times for each mile already planned out. I don’t have it written down but I do have a good idea what pace I want to hit for most of the race.

Now to the training report. I completed what will be my last training walk at Antrim Park yesterday. It was a beautiful day to be out. I did the 4 miles in 1:06:30 which is a pace of 16:38 min/mile. Felt good during the walk. Started to lose some steam in the third mile but didn’t bring any beans with me. Gutted it out for the last mile and had a pretty good time. Splits are as follows: (1) 16:53, (2) 16:25, (3) 16:58 and (4) 16:15.

Training Log - October 1, 2007

The end of the month of September brought about the end of my training escalation. That bright sunny Sunday morning saw me once again at Antrim Park to log in my weekly high mileage day for training. My training program listed it as my final long walk prior to the taper period that ends with the Half Marathon. The ten miles went well. No real problems to report with the exception of getting a small rock in my shoe that caused a blister. Not fun but was able to finish the final 3 miles without much of a change to my mile times.

I finished the walk in 2:48:46 with an average pace of 16:53 minutes/mile. That average pace will put me finishing the half marathon in about 3 hours and 41 minutes. I spent quite a bit of time during my walk thinking. That’s what I love about walking (especially without headphones and music). It gives me a chance to do some real thinking. Yesterday, the topic of thought was what I wanted as goals for the half marathon. I finally decided that the most important thing for me to accomplish is to have fun. I know that sounds trite but the more I thought about it the more I wanted that to be my main goal. I have no idea what will happen once the race starts. Most of what happens will be outside my control so I want to make sure that I have a great time. After that, my “serious” goal would be to finish in less than 4 hours. All in all, I would have to say that the whole training experience has been great.

Here are my splits for the 10 mile walk: (1) 17:34, (2) 16:33, (3) 17:12, (4) 16:17, (5) 16:02, (6) 16:21, (7) 16:56, (8) 18:20, (9) 17:01 and (10) 16:32.

Training Log - September 27, 2007

Today’s training walk was unique among all of my walks. This one took place in the rain. Not a late summer/early fall gentle rain no… this one was one with periods of heavy downpours and occasional thunder. That last part was one that I wasn’t sure I wanted to deal with. There was only one instance that concerned me. About ¾ of a mile and around 10 minutes into the walk there was a bright flash followed about 2-3 seconds later with a clap of thunder that sounded like a firework shell exploding.

I’m not so sure that I shouldn’t have just stopped right there and got back to my car but I continued and there were no more “close” calls. The rain continued and by the second mile I was soaked to the bone. There wasn’t a spot on me that was dry. Of course, as I finished up – the rain stopped!

Did 3 miles today in 49:31 with a pace of 16:14 min/mile.

Training Log - September 25, 2007

Another awesome day to be outside! I went to Creekside to do my training walk for the day. There just seems to be something about walking through the woods and seeing the leaves starting to change color that just invigorates me. I love the fall season. I am especially loving the training walks when the temperature is not over 90 degrees! It quickens the pace.

My time today for the 3.05 miles was 49:39. My pace was 16:17 min/mile.

My foot is feeling much better. I went out and got some new socks to replace my old running socks. They were over a year and a half old. The new ones are a little thicker so I think that they work better with the new shoes.

Training Log - September 24, 2007

Well…….. it was another beautiful weekend here in Central Ohio. I decided to celebrate the arrival of Fall by spending some time outside. I was scheduled to do a 9 mile training walk on Sunday and I set out to accomplish that task. I ended up only getting 7 miles in due to what I thought was a large blister forming on the side of my left foot. No blister was found but I do have two small cracks on my left heel. I will definitely start using the Zim’s Crack Cream on the heels. Other than that everything went well. I am still trying to figure out what I should eat before the long walks and when. Hopefully, I will get it right next week. Next Sunday is my final long walk – 10 miles – before the tapering down prior to the Half Marathon.

So here are my split times for the walk: (1) 17:20, (2) 16:35, (3) 17:19, (4) 16:19, (5) 16:59, (6) 17:13 and (7) 20:30. My total time for the 7 miles was 2:02:17.

Update to 10K

Not sure if anyone is reading these entries. For those that are keeping up with my progress, you can check out photos of me at the New Albany 10K Walk. These were taken in about the last tenth of a mile from the finish line. The lady walking next to me is Amber Walls. She is my Team In Training walk coach.

Here is the link.

My pictures are listed as "Baird 0076" and will be available for viewing until 10/18.

Training Log - September 17, 2007

This training report will also be a race report as yesterday’s training walk was the 2007 New Albany 10K Walk.

Got up at around 5:30AM and showered and shaved. Ate a bowl of Kashi Go Lean for breakfast. Got dressed and gathered up my race gear. Checked the thermometer and it said that it was 45°. Stepped outside and decided that it wasn’t that bad. Drove to the race and got there at around 7:30. Parked and walked about a half mile to the check in.

The volunteers were still setting up the check in lines so I was able to walk right up to the table to get my timing chip. Walked around the area for a little while and visited some of the sponsor tables. I availed myself to a bagel and some of the other “goodies” that they were giving away. Since there was still about an hour until the race started, I walked back to the car to drop off my stuff and to warm up a little.

This was the largest race that I have been a part of so far. There were 2046 participants that finished the race. Prior to the start, we were grouped by pace times. I was in the back along with many other people. We all had times of 16:00 and above. The race started and it took us about 2 minutes to reach the starting line. The road was packed with walkers. The only way to move up was to get to the outside edge and work your way up.

The course wound its way through the neighborhoods of New Albany and past the Country Club. Many of the homeowners were out on their porches and were cheering us on. Several little kids were standing by the road and gave us high fives!!!. At one point, there was a group of Girl Scout Brownies that had pom-poms and cheered us along. It was so uplifting. The weather was beautiful, the sun was out and it was a great day to be out walking.

As I headed into the final leg of the race, my walk coach from TNT – Amber – came out and finished the race with me. She walked the Dayton Marathon on Saturday and was there to cheer her walkers on. She said that the Columbus Marathon will be much bigger – it will be about 10,000 participants.

I finished the race with a time of 1:41:14. I had a pace of 16:18 min/mile. Out of the 2046 walkers, I finished #1196. Some other trivial facts: 254/381 Males and 52/78 in my age group. Overall, I believe that this was the most fun I have had in a race.

My split times are as follows: (1) 17:12, (2) 16:23, (3) 16:28, (4) 15:55, (5) 16:06, (6) 15:57 and the final .2 miles in 3:23.

Training Log - September 3, 2007

I hope that everyone enjoyed their Labor Day! The unofficial end of summer and the beginning of fall. We spent the day sealing the driveway and having a cookout at my sister-in-law and brother-in-law's house. This evening we will enjoy a fire in the fire pit in our back yard.

The weekend also brought about my 41st birthday. Received several gift cards that will allow me to pick up a new Ironman watch and also a fanny pack for my walking. Great time with both sides of the family!

I spent most of the morning at Antrim Park getting my 9 mile walk in. The weather was once again beautiful. The sun was out and there was not a cloud in the sky. Walk went very well. Completed it in 2:29:50. Not too far off from my last 9 miler - 2:27:52. My splits went as follows: 17:21, 16:55, 17:17, 16:08, 15:40, 16:57, 16:15, 16:08 and 17:10.

I am very pleased with my times. This puts me on track to finish the half marathon in about 3 hours and 45 min.

There are only 47 days til the half marathon!!!!

Training Log - August 31, 2007

I know that this has been a very busy time lately ….. but when I checked my last entry in this blog I was amazed. It was at the beginning of August and was an update of several days. Now I stand at the end of the month wondering how it could go by so fast.

Tomorrow is the first of September (and my 41st birthday!!) and there will be 49 days until the 2007 Columbus Half Marathon. The training has gone by so fast. It continues to amaze me when I look back at my stats for the training. Including today’s walk, I have put in 44:40:09 in time and 159.18 miles. I can and have done several 8 mile walks and look forward to the 10 mile walk. This is the same “mountain” that looked so impossible back in the middle of May.

I have picked up a little “badge of honor” after my first 9 miler. The toenail on my second toe on my right foot has started to turn black or various shades of several colors. I guess that this is not uncommon in long distance athletes.

I have raised 77% of the amount that I need to raise and the donations continue to come in.

I will list the distance, time, pace and split times for my training walks:

August 7 – 3.05 miles, 52:23, 17:10, (1) 17:46 (2) 17:37 (3) 17:00

August 11 – 3.0 miles, 51:28, 17:09, (1) 16:56 (2) 16:50 (3) 17:42

August 12 – 8.0 miles, 2:23:11, 17:54, (1) 18:44 (2) 17:03 (3) 18:29 (4) 16:02 (5) 17:11 (6) 18:59 (7) 17:50 (8) 18:55

August 14 – 4.08 miles, 1:07:46, 16:37, (1) 18:20 (2) 17:14 (3) 16:01 (4) 16:12

August 18 – 3.0 miles, 50:53, 16:58, (1) 17:29 (2) 16:27 (3) 16:58

August 19 – 9.0 miles, 2:27:52, 16:26, (1) 16:46 (2) 15:57 (3) 16:12 (4) 15:43 (5) 15:29 (6) 17:01 (7) 16:31 (8) 16:45 (9) 17:28

August 24 – 2.0 miles, 35:30, 17:45, (1) 17:48 (2) 17:42

August 25 – 3.0 miles, 49:45, 16:35, (1) 16:52 (2) 16:13 (3) 16:40

August 26 – 8.0 miles, 2:13:35, 16:42, (1) 17:20 (2) 16:30 (3) 16:58 (4) 16:04 (5) 15:51 (6) 17:36 (7) 16:44 (8) 16:31

August 28 – 3.05 miles, 50:59, 16:43, (1) 17:39 (2) 17:06 (3) 16:14

August 31 – 3.05 miles, 49:14, 16:09, (1) 16:44 (2) 16:37 (3) 15:53

Sunday will bring the second of three 9 mile walks. Report back then.

Training Log - August 7, 2007

I went to post my weekend report and noticed that I haven’t posted anything since last weekend. Boy, have I dropped the ball !!!! SO here goes the report…….

Tuesday July 31, 2007

Did my 3.05 miles at Creekside Park again. The temps were in the low 80’s. Time was 50:33 with a pace of 16:34. My split times were: 17:06, 17:00 and 16:27.

Thursday August 2, 2007

Tempo day today at Creekside. Temps around 84 degrees. Quite humid. Tempo was 10-20-10.

Friday August 3, 2007

Creekside Park today. Temp was 84 degrees with 58% humidity. Heat index 87 degrees. Completed the 3.05 miles in 49:43. Pace was 16:18 min/mile. Split times were: 16:42, 16:46 and 16:15.

Saturday August 4, 2007

Decided that due to a family event this evening that I would walk in the morning. Got to Antrim Park around 10:15 and it was already hot and humid. Completed the 3.0 miles in 49:09 with a pace of 16:23. Split times were: 17:12, 16:36 and 15:21.

Sunday August 5, 2007

It rained most of the morning with a few thundershowers in the late morning. Finally got to Antrim at 2:15 PM. Not many folks at the park… there were only 6 other cars in the parking lot. Got started on the 6.0 mile walk and there was only 2 other people on the trail. Humidity was up and only got worse as the sun began to come out. Finished the walk in 1:44:07. Split times were: 17:35, 16:45, 15:59, 16:39, 17:20 and 19:48. Made two mistakes today. One was that I only brought a 20 oz. bottle of water on the walk. Second, I forgot to bring my sports beans. I really began to feel it around the 4 mile mark. The last mile was a battle. Also need to look into another shirt to wear. My shirt was soaked and felt like it weighed around 5 lbs.

Training Log - July 30, 2007

Well it’s Monday again. Time to start another week and time to report on my walk yesterday. I did my 7 mile walk at Antrim Park. I have figured that the remainder of my distance walks will be done at Antrim. I have figured out where the tenth mile marks are so calculating mileage is easier.

The day was another good day to walk. The temperature was around 83 degrees and as is typical of Central Ohio summer – the humidity was up around 75%. There was a breeze that helped with easing the humidity a bit. After last week and the problems that I ran into at about 3.5 miles, I got some “sports beans” at Target. I started eating 1-2 every mile after about the 3.5 mile mark. Didn’t run into the same thing this time. I decided that I was not going to try to go all out but just keep a steady pace through the walk.

I finished the walk in 1:58:20 with an average pace of 16:54 min/mile. Very pleased with my performance. My mile split times are: 16:40, 16:22, 16:20, 16:47, 17:10, 17:10 and 17:52.

This was a milestone in my training as this distance represents over half of the half marathon distance. I look forward to this coming weekend’s walk as it will be only 6 miles.

Training Log - July 26, 2007 Part II

Well, after a strong morning thundershower, I wasn’t sure what the weather was going to be but I was sure that I was going to be out in it. As fate would have it – the rain moved on and it wasn’t that bad a walk. This was a Temp walk again. Ten minutes of regular pace followed by ten minutes of fast pace ending with ten minutes of regular pace. Not too many folks at the park today – probably due to the weather.

Training Log - July 26, 2007 Part I

Good morning to all. I thought that I would bring this blog up to date this morning and then post my Tempo walk info this PM.

After taking last Thursday and Friday off to let a leg injury of sorts heal up, I went back at it on Sunday to do my 6 mile walk. Decided that the 1.2 mile path at Antrim Park would be the best place to walk. It was a great day to walk – temps in the low 80’s and low humidity. I don’t think that I “bonked” at the 3.5 mile mark but I really ran out of steam. Not sure why but everything seemed to be funny to me and I found myself giggling at times. I didn’t have anything like a gel or sport beans to eat while I walked – this is something that I won’t let happen again! I did manage to finish the 6 miles in 1:42:25 – a 17:04 min/mile pace. My times for the 1.2 mile laps were: 19:54, 19:19, 20:11, 20:50 and 22:10.

Tuesday brought my 3.05 mile walk at Creekside Park. Weather was cool – 68 degrees and overcast. Time for the walk was 50:35 and a 16:35 min/mile pace. Splits were: 16:56, 16:57 and 16:41.

I will post again later today with the Tempo walk report.

Training Log - July 18, 2007

For anyone that keeps up with these entries, you will notice that I did not post anything for yesterday. I was scheduled to walk 3 miles yesterday but I got to work and my wife called to inform me that my bag with my "walking stuff" was on the kitchen table. I had walked off without it! Not good. But I adapted and moved the walk to today. This will make for an interesting next couple of days. Today was the makeup day, tomorrow is the Tempo walk, Friday is another 3 mile, as is Saturday. Sunday is the 6 mile walk! 15+ miles in 5 days. Yahoo!

Today was an OK walk. The temp wasn't too bad - around 74 degrees. The humidity was another story. It was around 78%. Still I was able to do the 3.05 miles in 49:57 and a pace of 16:23 min/mile.

Training Log - July 16, 2007

Very busy weekend for me. Starting back on Thursday with my Temp training. It was the 10-10-10 tempo. Everything went well. It was about 72 degrees and sunny at Creekside Park. Felt a little burning in the lower shins during the faster pace 10 min. Nothing that was a real problem.

Friday brought about a 2 mile walk at Creekside again. Temp was around 68 degrees and was very comfortable. Did the 2.06 miles in 33:04 minutes. This was a 16:03 min/mile pace. Could have done the usual 3 mile walk but did not want to stray from the training schedule because of the mileage on the weekend.

Sunday saw me at Antrim Park to do the 5 miles for the weekend. Sunny skies and about 83 degrees when I walked at 2:30PM. I wasn't able to get the splits for the walk but I did get it done in 1:22:05. That is a 16:25 min/mile pace. This is the longest distance that I have walked thus far. The only event of the walk was when I was bit/stung by some insect on the back of my leg about 1.5 miles into the walk. It didn't swell up and I rinsed it off with water and continued. Afterward, I was sore but didn't stiffen up or need to soak or take some OTC pain killers.

Training Log - July 10, 2007

Good evening everyone!

Today was a great day to get out and walk. I went at lunch to Creekside Park and did my walk. Temp was around 83 degrees and it was somewhat humid. Oddly enough, there were not too many people there today. I started off slow and then built up speed. I finished the 3.05 miles in 49:24 with a pace of 16:24 min/mile. The sky was starting to get very dark towards the end of the walk and thankfully I was able to finish and be in the car before the heavy rains came!

Very interested to see how Thursday goes as it is the first "Tempo" walk of the training.

July 9, 2007 Update

Well, July is here and the summer is in full swing. I haven't posted here for a little while so an update is in order. Everything is going well. My kids are enjoying the summer vacation and amazingly are doing a lot more outside activities. They love playing on the trampoline and riding their bikes after dinner. I am very happy about that.

My training for the half marathon continues. I have been fitted for my running shoes and love them! They are Asics Foundation 7's. These are really good for the overpronation that I found out that I have. The shoes are great and I want to thank Karl at Front Runner. The folks at Front Runner are the greatest! They take the time to make sure that you get the shoes that are the best for your feet.

In the training realm, I continue to follow my training schedule. Saturday began the steady increase in mileage on the weekends. I did the 3.8 mile trail at Sharon Woods in the heat and humidity in 1:04:38. That is a 17:01 min/mile pace. I began to run out of steam probably at the 3.5 mile mark but did not stop and continued to walk. Overall, I am pleased with the walk.

I completed the Westerville Rotary 4th of July 5K last Wednesday. It was a great morning to have the 5K. Temps in the mid 60's and low humidity. I finished in 50:18 and a 16:12 pace. The next race that I will be in will be the New Albany Walk Classic in September.

My fundraising continues to go well. I am now at $738 of the $1700/$2500 that I need to reach.

Training Log - June 25, 2007

Good evening everyone!

Just wanted to check in this evening. I am sitting at the kitchen table writing this and even at 10:35PM it is warm in this house (78 degrees). Not a good sign for tomorrow and my walk.

I did do a walk on Saturday evening again at Antrim Park. Lots of people there even though it looked like rain. Didn't rain though -- par for the course here in Central Ohio lately. We could sure use the rain. Finished the 3 miles in about 49 min. That is getting to be a standard time for me. Not sure if I can keep that pace up for 13.1 miles though.

I will check in tomorrow night with my report from my walk. I gotta go - sweat is not a friend of the laptop!

Training Log - June 20, 2007

Once again bringing everyone up to speed with the training. Everything is moving along. Got over whatever I had last week and did get a walk in on Thursday at Creekside. Did it in 1 hour 18 seconds.

We had a great training clinic on Saturday. It was with the doctors from the Ohio State University Sports Medicine Endurance sports group. They spoke about how to avoid injuries. Mostly how to stretch correctly. They also had a nutritionist that works with the football team and wrestling teams at OSU. Her topic was how to eat enough while training and also be watching your weight. It was tailored just for me.

Walked at Antrim again on Saturday night. Only did 3 miles that night. Did it in 51:20. I spoke to the TNT walking coach at the clinic. She told me that when I do my mileage during the week that it should be at my usual pace and not to be a slow walk. So I will be back to my usual speed.

Today I walked at Creekside again. Sunny with a slight breeze. Temps in the 75 degree range. Completed the 3.05 miles in 49:28. Felt great.

My fund raising continues to amaze me. I have received over $450 in donations! I am also amazed at some of the stories that I am hearing from people. It truly is humbling to hear what others have gone thru or have watched in dealing with these diseases.

Training Log - June 14, 2007

After the thrill of the personal record time for the 5K on Saturday, I ran right into the valley on Tuesday. Long story short -- I went to see my doctor on Friday because of a "boil" on my left elbow that had been there since Monday and was warm to the touch and had developed a black center to it. I called the office about it on Thursday and I was told that they would like to see me. I thought it was just an infected spider bite but the dr. thought it might be a staph infection. He put me on antibiotics. Fast forward to Tuesday and I wake up feeling like crap. I got in the shower and started shivering. Ended up spending about 20 min. just standing under the hot water. Went thru the day still feeling less than 100%. I canceled my walk because I was not up to it. Ended the day at 10 PM and went to bed (usual time for this is about 11-11:30). Woke up the next morning feeling much better. So I guess that this wasn't the short version of the long story after all !!

Today I did my 3.05 mile walk at Creekside. They are getting ready for a blues and jazz festival there this weekend. Park looks good. There is a small carnival with rides that set itself up in the field by the veterans memorial. It was sunny today and the temp at 11AM was 78 degrees with 48% humidity. By the time I was done it was up to 81 degrees and 45% humidity. I am continuing to do a slower walk so my time was 1 hour and 18 seconds.

I have been amazed by the response at work to my fund raising letters. I have received many checks and wishes of good luck. I also got a note from someone from our Marilyn Lane office. He shared with me that he lost a friend to leukemia/lymphoma and that the doctors thought that he might have had leukemia. I never knew this about him.

I keep the notes that I get from people on the wall next to my desk at work to keep me motivated.

Update - June 10, 2007

Just wanted to update my training log from yesterday. I got the official results from the Muirfield 5K and my time was incorrect. The official time for me was 49:16 !!!!!!!! My pace was 15:52 minutes/ mile. This is a new personal record for me in the 5K.

Training Log - June 9, 2007

This post will bring us up to date on the activities of the past few days. It has been a little hectic around the house. School has ended for the kids which will bring a little relief! I did a lot of work in getting my fundraising letters out. The deadline for TNT to pay for postage on the first 50 letters was yesterday. I got all of my letters stuffed and labeled and to the office on time.

Thursday, I got my 3.05 mile walk in at Creekside. Once again I decided to try to ease back a little on the pace and do it at an easier pace. The weather was great - 80 degrees and 45% humidity with a great breeze from the south. Did the walk in 58:28 with a pace of 19:10 minutes/mile.

This morning I was able to get my weekend 3 mile walk in. I did the 2007 Muirfield 5K. Beautiful weather for the race. Temps were in the mid 60's to start and the sun was shinning! By my watch, my time was 50:40 but I'll wait and see what the timing chip says.

Training Log - June 3, 2007

This is actually for yesterday. I decided that because of some family obligations this afternoon and the prediction of thunderstorms for most of today that I would get my walk in last night. My training schedule called for a 3 mile walk this weekend. So at 7:30 PM I set off for Antrim Park to walk around the lake.

Not sure what the temp or humidity was so nothing to report there. The track around the lake is 1.2 miles. I ended up doing 3.6 miles in 1:00:54. The track there is crushed gravel so by the time I was done my legs and shoes were very dusty. All in all, it was an enjoyable experience. I'm glad that I got it in.

I will be picking up my Muirfield 5K race packet tomorrow at lunch. The Muirfield was the first race I entered in - so it's been 1 year of races. With the completion of that race, I will have done 6 5K's and 2 4 mile races.

Training Log - June 1, 2007

Today continues the summer like conditions. I will say the having someone that we walk for does make a difference. Work responsibilities pushed my lunch out 30 min. and I started thinking about how much hotter it would be. I started to talk myself into not walking because of the heat. Then I thought how lame that excuse was in light of what Alwyn and the thousands of others that are having to go thru chemo and radiation today were going through. So I put my stuff on and headed out with a new dedication.

It was another sunny day. The temperature at 11:37 when I began was 83 degrees with 53% humidity (H.I. 85). There was a slight breeze that helped a little. By the time the 3.05 mile walk was over it was 88 degrees with humidity of 35% (H.I. 88). I completed my walk in 52 minutes flat. That is a pace of 17:03 min/mile.

Challenge Log - Goals

Here are my goals according to the latest rules revisions:

Nutrition - 110 half days
Fitness
Resistance Training - 15 sessions
Interval Training - 3 sessions
SS/Walking - 27 sessions
Personal - Lose 20 pounds
Competition - Complete 2 5K events

Training Log - May 30, 2007

It's hard to believe that the month of May is almost over! It seemed that we spent the first four months holding on until May came. In my mind, May is the month of spring. We don't get too many snows in the month of May in Central Ohio. April is always good for one or two accumulations.

Today we were about as far away from thoughts of snow as you can be. The temps here were around 90 degrees. The humidity was also beginning to show itself. The walk today at Creekside went well. It was a nice sunny late morning and it was about 78 degrees. I was thankful that I decided to bring a white shirt to walk in. By the time I was done, it was 84 degrees and the air seemed to be a warm blanket around me. I completed the 3.05 miles in 50:40 minutes. That is a pace of 16:37.

I received notification that my brother and his wife went online and made a contribution to support me. I'm not sure if they want the amount to be public so I will just say "THANKS" to Mike & Patty and also Zach and Jacob. It means a lot to me.

I have signed up for a challenge on the JP Fitness forums to help me stay on track with my fitness goals and my training schedule. I will be posting my training here as well as my half marathon training. I will title the JP Fitness posts as "Challenge Log" and continue to post my walking log as "Training Log". I hope that everyone is now thoroughly confused.

I will say that one of the benefits of this training is of course that I will lose weight. I weighed myself this morning and I was 341 pounds. That's down 6 pounds from about 2 weeks ago !!! Less weight to carry over the 13 miles.

Training Log - May 28, 2007

Good Memorial Day to everyone and a special thanks to all of our service men and women both past and present. We would not be able to enjoy the freedoms we have today if it were not for brave souls that paid the ultimate price.

Just to bring everyone up to speed. I went to the Team in Training kickoff breakfast on Saturday and had a great time. There were probably 150 folks there that will be competing in the 3 major events coming up. The majority of the people were at the tables for the Columbus Marathon and Half Marathon. It was a great event and it was great to meet my mentor Jenni and also to meet the walkers. There were 11 of us there that will be walking in the event. We found out that we will be walking to honor the 5 researchers that the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society sponsors here in Central Ohio. They are: John Byrd MD , Gustavo Leone PhD, Christoph Plass PhD, Roger Brieswitz PhD and Michael Caligiuri MD.

Sunday was another trip to Highbanks to walk the trails. This time I remembered to wear my walking gear and to bring water and a cell phone. The weather was supposed to be stormy all afternoon but was just cloudy when we got to the park. I did the 2.3 miles in about 32 min. Janet and the kids came along again and walked the trail while I went on ahead.

Noticed that my heels are beginning to crack so I will need to keep on top of that. Other than that all is going well.

Training Log - May 23, 2007

Well, I managed to get my walk in at lunch today. I wasn't sure that this was going to be the case though. We are having some difficulties with several transactions at the bank. I thought that I might need to go to the bank in person. Luckily, I was able to do it over the phone - allowing me to get my walk in.

Another lovely day here in Central Ohio. At Creekside Park, the temperature was 79 degrees with 52% humidity (heat index of 80) at 11:15 AM. I did my 3.05 miles in 52:25 which is a 17:11 min/mile pace. Tried to focus on my technique more today as I walked.

I received an e-mail from the Customer Service dept at alwyncosgrove.com. It thanked my for my e-mail and said that it would be fine for me to walk in Alwyn's honor. I haven't heard anything from my family and friends but I'm sure it will happen.

Ooops.... - May 22, 2007

Well, I just went to get my stuff ready to change into so that I could do my walk at Creekside and realized that I was missing an important piece of equipment. I forgot to pack my socks !!!! There are several items that I could forget and still be able to walk. Socks are not on that list. Oh well, tomorrow is supposed to be a nice day as well.

Training Log - May 22, 2007

Took last Thursday off due to feeling under the weather. Janet (my wife) has strep and I wasn't sure if I was coming down with it as well. Feeling much better now.

Took the family to Highbanks Metro Park on Sunday to get my weekend walk in. Took the Overlook trail. 2.35 miles of scenic trail. Several good sized hills so the legs got a good workout. Did come across a 2.5 - 3 foot snake sunning itself on the trail. It saw me coming and slithered off into the woods. The temperature was about 75 with some humidity.

Sent out some of my fundraising e-mails this morning. Good to get going on that. I am looking forward to hearing back from family and friends. I also sent an e-mail to Alwyn Cosgrove. It was his Lift Strong CD that started me on this journey. Just wanted to thank him for his inspirational story. He would probably shrug it off and say that others have had it worse. I also wanted to ask his permission to train and walk in his honor as a leukemia/lymphoma survivor.

Training Log - May 15, 2007

Kinda sounds like something Capt. Kirk would say doesn't it?

Good day today! I was able to walk at Creekside park today. I got my 3.05 miles done in 52:16. Pretty good pace. I am still working on my walking technique and not really interested in setting a blazing pace. The weather was very nice. It was about 75 degrees with moderate humidity. There was a great breeze that kept me cool. I decided to wear my Headsweats covering today and was glad I did. Having a shaved head means that I have to watch out for a sunburn! No one wants to see me with my head peeling - Yuck!

I was able to create a flier today that I was able to put up on the bulletin board at work. Put a picture of me in my TNT shirt on it as well as some facts about LLS and how folks can contribute. I thought it looked pretty good. I also worked on my fundraiser letter this evening. All I need to do to finish it is to add some info on our Hero.

I will be sending out an e-mail to close family and friends explaining what I am doing and asking them to contribute.

The first steps

They say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. This is a journal of my journey to walk a marathon. I don't know where or when the idea took root in my mind but it is there now.

I started walking in races last June with the 2006 Muirfield 5K. It was there that I was bitten by the race bug. By the time December came around, I had competed in four 5Ks and one 4 miler. My times were not in the top of the walkers but they are were around the same times. My personal best was 51:02 - a 16:27 min/mile pace.

Once the winter cold had left the Central Ohio area, it was time for my first race of the year - The Dam Fool 4 Miler. I was not totally prepared for the race and by the first mile I knew I was in trouble. I managed to finish the race ( dead last) with a couple of surprises. The first was that I was only 1 minute off of my December 4 mile race time. The other was that I was the only male to walk the race. Because of this, I was listed as getting the top honors for my category and received a $20 gift card to a local restaurant.

Enter the folks from Team In Training. They train people to run and walk marathons. The participants are asked to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I joined the organization and entered to walk the 2007 Columbus Half Marathon. This is my first big step in reaching my goal to walk a marathon.

Saturday, I walked another 5K. This was the Mother's Day 5K at Griggs Reservoir. I was able to put some of the things I have learned about training to walk a marathon to use. I set a new personal record for the 5K with a time of 50:06 and a 16:08 min/mile pace.

I will keep the journal up to date with my training and the status of my donations. I am trying to raise between $1700 and $2500 for the Society.