Shooting From The Hip: Conquering My First 50K - The Pistol Ultra

I drank the ultra koolaid, and I LOVED it!

On Saturday (Jan. 3), I conquered my first 50K at the Pistol Ultra in Alcoa, Tenn. And to be quite honest, I'm struggling on writing this post as I can't seem to find all the words to describe what an amazing journey this was.

Words that come to mind when thinking about my experience include: fun, challenging, painful, exhilarating, amazing, mind-blowing, and a party.

Heading into this race, I truly did not know what to expect. I really did not have this race on my radar. Sure, I had thought about running it 3-4 months ago, but I let the idea slide as I focused on my marathon which was on Oct. 25. Then after my rough experience at the Spinx Carolina Marathon, I told myself I wanted to take a break from the long distances for a while. Nothing past 13.1 miles for at least the next six months is what I promised I hold myself to.

I even told my lovely bride that I wasn't going to run a marathon until at least late in 2015 or early 2016. (Technically, I didn't lie.)

But as I noted in a recent post, my friend Chris was trying to get his running mojo back and thought running the Pistol Ultra 50K would do the trick. Consequently, he asked me to join him in the fun.

Spinx Carolina Marathon Race Recap - AKA How To Regroup & Enjoy The Run

(Yes this recap has taken me five weeks to write. What can I say? Life happens. In any case, please enjoy.)

Happy to have Marathon No. 5 in the books!

This race did not turn out to be what I had hoped and planned for it to be.

At. All.

The Spinx Carolina Marathon was to be my flat (or at least flatter) marathon. I was supposed to PR. Not only was I supposed to PR, but I was to smash it as I aimed for a time between 4:30-4:35.

But alas, none of that was to be.

The Spinx Carolina Marathon was my worst marathon time-wise, so no PR by rather a PW by nearly 26 minutes. The course wasn't as flat as I led myself it to be.

Yet, in spite of it all, I made the most of it and enjoyed the run.

After all, how could I not? It was a GORGEOUS day for a run. The scenery along the course was beautiful. And I had the best support crew (a.k.a. my lovely bride Genople) waiting for me at the finish line.

A PR, Fun With Friends & Another Fantastic Marathon

Haylee and I right after I crossed the line.

It's official. The Knoxville Marathon is my race.

It's the race I want to do every year.

I love it.

After running it for the third year in a row, Knoxville has become THE race I must do. Every year. And I mean: Every. Year.

There are a variety of reasons why I love this race. For one, it's in my backyard. As long as I can remember, I always enjoyed going to Knoxville, and I spent the better part of my college days at nearby Carson-Newman in the city. Secondly, it is a fun and challenging course. Hills. Love the hills. Next, it is so well supported. Every year, it seems more people come out and cheer on the runners. Nothing like a place embracing an event like this.

But the biggest reason I love this race is all the friends I've made in the Knoxville running community. Each year, I've made more friends, making each trip back like a homecoming of sorts. I saw and caught with so many people this year that I would hate to list them all because I know I would forget someone.

My 2013 Races In Photos

I thought 2012 was an amazing year for me running-wise, but 2013 kicked 2012's butt. 

It has been nothing but wonderful if for no other reason than I got to run with my bride and daughter a lot this year. (Hopefully in 2014, my son will join us.) And while I will have a year-in-review post coming soon, I wanted to relive with you my races this year in photos.

The race count was modest for me this year as I ran in only seven races with one marathon, three half marathons, two 5Ks and a 4-miler.

PRs All Around: Jingle Bell Jog 5K Recap

At the start line.

This past Saturday, my bride and I ran in a local 5K - the Jingle Bell Jog, and neither of us knew really what to expect. We were two weeks removed from running the Secret City Half Marathon relay, I was in wrapping up week 1 of marathon training, and the weather was ... well, let's just say it wasn't ideal. (At least it wasn't according to my bride.)

It was a cold and rainy day.

The temp was in the mid-30s, but there was a light rain when we showed up to pick up our bib. As if being wet wasn't bad enough, the slight breeze was chilling as we waited for the start.

Fortunately, the rain stopped just prior to start and stayed away for much of the race.

Even with good weather, I highly doubt my bride and I would have intentionally shot for PRs. I was just beginning marathon training and focused on that, and she had not had much opportunity to run in the two weeks prior since we ran the half marathon relay. Work and life has been busy for us.

Jack-O-Lantern Jog: The Family That Runs Together

My two running buddies and I.

October 26 was the day. The day my 9-year-old daughter Haylee was to run her first real race. This was going to be a challenge because it was a 4-miler.

Personally, I would have preferred her start off with a 2-miler or even a 5K. But I think the like the cool looking bling for the AG winners and she wanted one of those. (Plus, instead of a t-shirt, you got a nice hoodie. Not bad for a $17 registration fee, eh?)

Then again, she could just take after her old man. After all, the first race I signed up for and ran when I started running at the ripe age of 38 was a half marathon. They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, you know.

The fact Haylee asked to run this race (and trained with my bride and me) was a bit surprising. A couple years ago, she did the Kids Half Marathon as part of the Secret City Half Marathon. All she had to do was run 12 1-mile increments leading up to race and then run the final 1.1 miles on race day. As soon as she crossed the finish line, she announced, "I'm never doing that again."

Again, sounds eerily similar to someone I know.

Nothing Like Being A Cheerleader

I got to be a part of something truly amazing yesterday.

As many of you know, my lovely bride has been doing the Couch-To-5K program for the past several weeks. She completed the course on Sunday, and her first-ever 5K is this weekend. In the meantime, we are working in a few runs to keep her in shape and ready to go for Saturday's race.

Since the start of the program, I've told her I believed she could complete the 5K in under 40 minutes. I guess I said this enough times that she accepted this as her goal.

On Sunday, Genople came oh so close to hitting that mark, going 3.09 in 40 minutes flat.