Race Report: Provo City 5K

Race day started at 6 AM with some Honey Bunches of Oats and YouTubing some classic Disney songs (I dunno why, but I really wanted to listen to that. Maybe because their cheery and uplifting?)

Then I took a shower and shaved my arms and legs-I remember doing the same thing before the triathlon and I think I'm always going to do it pre-race as a sort of ritual. The Spartan warriors used to do something similar by taking off their clothes and covering themselves with oil the night before a battle, and while that probably had some homo-erotic overtones, I imagine it also helped them to get a sense of their own bodies, to confirm to themselves that they were physically prepared for the contest ahead of them.

I got to the start line almost an hour early, so it was nice and quiet and I had plenty of time to get warmed up which was about 25 minutes of jogging in this really swanky neighborhood in north Provo. I thought I had been all over this city, but I had never seen this place; these were mansions with long driveways, fountains, and luxury SUV's parked in each driveway. And at 8:30 AM on a Saturday morning no one was up, so it serene and beautiful and still.

By the time I got back my family was there which was really great. I use to run a lot time but it's taken me a long time to get past injuries and get back into it, so I think they knew how important this was to me personally.

My sister's kids said something funny-a common occurrence. 

Check out that race kit! I just bought it the night before and I was pumped to wear them. I mean, what's the point of running if you can't look cool doing it?

The half marathon was already going and my nephew Tyler got out there at cheered on the runners.

Everyone is checking out my shoes.

Momma bear and her cubs. And some dude in the back stretching.

Own it!

This race has a great gimmick, which is that the Mayor was running it as well, but he gets a two minute head start and the rest of us have to catch him. (Mayor Curtis is the bomb, by the way. My brother and I were joking that we see him everywhere: case in point, I saw him 12 hours earlier at an open-air concert downtown.) Now he's an old guy so I figured I could get him, but two minutes is a pretty long time in a race as short as 5K, so when I saw him at the start I walked over to say hi and casually asked him what time he was planning on running to size him up. He laughed and said he was just gonna get through it. He asked me my goal, I said about 20 minutes and he wished me luck.

That walk to the start is always the most nerve-racking.

Let's do this!

About 300 people showed up-mostly weekend warriors, but there were a handful of serious runners in the group too.

This is a great shot of my shoes: the New Balance 1400. Killer kicks, I've put a couple of months on them so I'm gonna write a review soon.

And they're off!

The race went pretty much exactly according to plan. It was a straight shot down University Ave with no turns or hills so it was about as simple as a course can get. I went out comfortably fast, which ended up being 6:50 for the first mile. From there I just gradually ramped up the pace and tried to hang on until the finish.

I did end up catching the Mayor, about 8 minutes in. He remembered me, though and as I said "good job" he replied, "You too! Good luck going after that 20 minutes!"

About halfway through University Ave crosses University Parkway, and because it is a busy road they had a bunch of cops stopping traffic as I flew through the intersection. I run a lot around town and usually I'm the one waiting for the cars, so it was sweet to see them all stopped for me this time.

Mile two passed in 6:29, and at this point I was starting to feel the fatigue set in. The wheels weren't entirely coming off, but I definitely had to start concentrating on keeping the pace up and fighting off that inevitable feeling that you just want to take it easy and slow down a little. I focused on my form, kept my cadence up, and zeroed in on the finish line that was rapidly approaching.

After high school I switched to running longer distances, so I hadn't run a 5K since I was a teen; the first thing I was reminded of is how quick the race goes by. You have so much training and warming up and stretching and strides, and the actual event feels like a single moment, a brief blur of adrenaline.

The race finished at the intersection of Center Street and University Ave, the nexus of downtown Provo right in front of the courthouse. There hadn't been a lot of spectators early on so most of the race was actually pretty quiet, but at the finish there were plenty of crowds and music and noise. My family had left the start line a few minutes before the gun went off and were going to try to get to the finish before me, so while I was mostly focusing on the finish I also stole some glances around to see if I could find them. At that exact instant, I spotted them and my brother Court grabbed this great photo:

THAT is how you finish a race.

Moments later I barreled through the finishing shoot and it was all over. Five kilometers in 20:37. My goal was under twenty, but being my first race in so long I really had no idea where my fitness was at. It felt good, though, fast, smooth, and not near as much pain as I used to remember from my days on the Glencoe XC Team. Maybe I didn't push myself as hard as I used to, or maybe I know my body better and how to run within myself. My third mile was 6:33, so my pacing was just about perfect- a nice, even split.

Afterwards there was the Gatorade and the congratulations and the sweat and the tired crowds and the euphoria of knowing you pushed your hardest and the relief that it was all over.

Why are my eyes always shut?

It was hot that day, already about 80 degrees.

My Dad, my brother Court, and my nephews Tyler, Keaton, and Alex. 

They had some free food for the runners but there was a huge line so we ended up going across the street to get some breakfast at Gurus (best blueberry pancakes in town). My short shorts got me some funny looks from the waitress, but I didn't have any other pants with me, so she was just gonna have to deal.

My brother had to show me that buzzer-beater from the Blazer game. Amazing.

It's hard to find gluten-free food even at the hippiest restaurant in town.

So cute.

Men, being men.

I wish my mom was in more of these pictures, but as usual she was the one behind the camera getting the shots. Thanks, though, these turned out great.

Afterwards they posted the finishing times, and it turns out I placed 18th out of 287 finishers! Watch out Zephyr Hufflepuff, I'm gonna catch you one of these days.

The whole thing was a blast. Thanks to Mom, Dad, Court, Marissa and the boys for coming out to see me and taking all of the pictures. In a way this race was both an end and a beginning. It was the end of trying to be a runner, of getting strong and working through injuries and figuring out my form. And it is the beginning of running every day, of training hard and racing often. It took me ten years but I finally made it back.

Not nervous

Tomorrow morning I'm running the Provo City 5K.

But I'm not nervous.

I always got nervous before races, so I've been surprised at my current state of tranquility. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited, because this is the first road race I've contested in almost 10 years. But I'm not worrying.

The reason is probably because even though I only signed up for this race two weeks ago, I've been preparing for it since I broke my kneecap in the summer of 2006. Since then I've rebounded from injury to illness trying to get back to where I was. And I've logged plenty of miles during that time, particularly in the last couple of years; in fact, this is exactly why I started this blog, to try to process what I was going through and maybe help a few others who were going through the same thing.

I've ran, for sure, but I haven't raced, because I just wasn't ready before now. Racing is testing yourself, laying it all on the line, being fit and strong and prepared to give an all-out effort. And each weight lifting session, every yoga pose, all of the ice baths and the hours spent trying to find the perfect form were leading me here, and onward.

That is why I'm not nervous.

Are runners jocks?

Meat-heads. Gym-rats. We have a lot of words for it, but do runners fit the bill? I had to ask myself this once I realized just how much of my time and thought went into this sport. Of all my friends I'm probably the one who spends the most time working out, but is that just something I do or does it define my personality? I think there is enough evidence to take this to trial, so let's begin with the evidence against us. First to take the stand is our attire:

Prosecution: My first exhibit is the foundation of the road runner's wardrobe, the racing singlet:

This innocuous garb looks suspiciously like the tank top, the staple of the bro lifestyle!

Judge: Your point is clear. Would the defense like to cross-examine?

Defense: Yes I would, your honor. It's true that on the surface, the singlet is the same as the tank top. But the singlet serves a different purpose: for running long distance, a sleeveless shirt functions to maximize arm mobility and limit chafing, whereas the tank top is usually worn to highlight the bro's 'guns' and show off his tan.

Prosecution: Objection, your honor, the bro community is not on trial today, and the defense's accusations are entirely supposition.

Judge: Objection sustained.

Defense: My apologies, your honor, I will stick to the matter at hand.

Judge: Thank you. I think we're finished with the runner's clothing, will personal grooming now take the stand?

Prosecution: Ever since the landmark case "The People vs. Jersey Shore", it has been clear that shaving one's chest is a pillar of the GTL lifestyle. But many elite runners like Galen Rupp and Dathan Ritzenhein sport the hairless look. What reason could there be other than to identify with this community?

Defense: If I may, your honor. The purpose of shaving one's body as an athlete is to make it easier for the air to pull heat away from your body during hard workouts, keeping your body temperature from rising and therefore bolstering your performance.

Judge: Duly noted. We will now proceed with your closing arguments.

Prosecution: Ladies and gentleman of the jury. Being a jock goes beyond any one detail; we need to look at the bigger picture: spending countless hours working out, lifting weights, stretching, icing, thinking and talking about their sport condemns runners to this distinction. My grandpa used to tell me "if it looks like a horse and talks like a horse, then it is usually a horse." These facts demand you vote guilty.

Defense: As my esteemed colleague has pointed out, there are indeed many similarities between the average runner and a typical jock. Yes, they both spend considerable time devoted to their sport. But they do it not to get the attention of the peers, but rather because of an innate motivation, an inner desire to test one's limits and in so doing come to know one's self. This type of quiet, unassuming introspection clearly contrasts the loud, arrogant bravado of the jock. I urge you to vote not guilty.

Well, there are some of the arguments for and against. I think that each person will have to decide for themselves. Personally I believe that some endurance athletes definitely are jocks (Lance Armstrong comes to mind), but I don't think most runners fit into this group because of their personalities: for example, my high school cross country team was mainly the students in the A.P. classes, people who did theater, and the band kids. But we runners have enough in common with our more muscly peers that we need to be vigilant that we don't accidentally slip into that numbing abyss that is bro-dom.

Spring has sprung

This morning I watched the Carlsbad 5K live and I started to get genuinely excited about the start of the racing season. There were a lot of familiar names in the race like Brenda Martinez, Jordan Hasay, Bernard Lagat, Dejen Gebremeskel. Some of them we've seen in the indoor track and field season, but not all of them. Running is really a summer sport, so the winter is a time for many to take a break, regroup, and get ready for the season ahead. These runners know each other, and we know them, so it kind of feels like a reunion seeing them meet up again, the friendships, the histories, the rivalries. But for all of the familiarity, there is always a hint of the unknown as new runners enter the spotlight and old faces have new breakthroughs.

For me it has been a long, dark, and cold winter, wherein I worked too much and ran far too infrequently. But now as my schedule opens up and the weather changes I can feel the shift from the heavy and serious to the easygoing and fun. I'm ready to join these athletes in the common pursuit of our personal bests, whatever that may be. I hope you are ready too.

Running and the Art of Film

It's a long-standing joke in Hollywood that Tom Cruise will only do a movie if he gets to run in it. Exhibit A:

And why not? He looks awesome doing it. There are a lot of great running scenes in films, like the ending of "Children of Heaven" where a poor Iranian child competes in a foot race to win a pair of shoes for his sister (spoiler alert, only watch this clip if you've already seen the movie. It's on Netflix Instant right now and it's beautiful):

Another that comes to mind is "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner", an old British film about a troubled teen who finds solace in running while away at a boarding school. This shows it as a sad but contemplative pursuit:

 

But if running is so great to watch in movies, why isn't it much of a spectator sport? The reason is that the races that are the easiest to film are the most boring to watch. Marathons get some coverage on TV because that is where the prize money is at, but the race is more than two hours long which doesn't make it very exciting until the end. NBC Universal will air Diamond League track races, but watching men run in a quarter mile circle over and over is only fun if you understand what the times of each lap mean (I get pumped watching Galen Rupp knock out a 52 second final lap, but that's only because I have done repeat quarters myself and realize how fast that is.)

Of all the running events, the Cross Country is the most exciting. Pushing up hills, slogging through mud, or jumping over hay bales is way more fun to watch than someone running even pace on the road or track. And with that many people crammed into a tight space you see jostling and pushing for position around tight turns. Also, the length of the races are perfect for viewing: 20-30 minutes is long enough to establish a narrative but short enough to keep it interesting.

So why aren't we putting these races on TV? The unfortunate answer is the terrain makes it too expensive to film. If David Fincher shot a collegiate XC race with a Panasonic and full lighting, you wouldn't be able to take your eyes away from it. Running is kinetic and violent, vibrant and suspenseful. Anyone who has ever raced can tell you, but you will only believe them if you can see it for yourself.

However I think this could change soon. I watched a few XC races this fall and when the picture quality was clear it was really exciting. They had camera-men on four-wheelers following the action, and when there were close, head-on shots you could see the tree's whipping past them and you could actually get a sense of how fast the athletes were going. New digital camera's like Go-Pro's make it easier than ever to film action, and improvements in broadband internet technology should allow us to broadcast higher-resolution images from those cameras to the rest of the world. And if smart, charismatic commentators can explain the rivalries between the runners and the racing strategies as they play out then I believe more people would tune in to watch.

An Inside Look At The Nike Company Store

I was back in Oregon for Christmas visiting my family, and while I was there I decided that while in the heartland of Nike country (my dad's office is literally next door to the Nike World Headquarters) I should check out their product line. In high school I always ran in Nike, but in the year's since I've moved around to other brands and as such I didn't really know what their shoes are like now.

My friend Heather works there, so she got me into the Company Store:

This is where the employees and their friends and families (which is basically everyone in Portland) shop, and as such everything is half price. Everything, no sales, no coupons, just an across the board price cut. Not only that the selection was really spectacular; to prep I had spent a lot of time online checking out their catalog and I saw a lot of shoes in this store that I hadn't run into on the site.

But being the week after Christmas it was a complete madhouse: hordes of New Year's resolutioners trying to find the perfect gear and almost as many young, fit employees decked from head to toe with Swooshes trying desperately to keep things in order.

But in all of this chaos I was looking for just one shoe: the Nike Flyknit Free. The Free is Nike's concession to the minimalist movement, but what really attracted my attention was this new fabric called Flyknit: the upper is actually knit out of this tough, fibrous, stretchy material so it has no seams and a fit like a rugged sock:

I found a sparsely populated corner to do some strides and they felt great. I don't know how well they will handle full-time running but they were so different I had to give them a try.

This place is a little more stripped down than their normal store fronts, but the checkout line did have this great cartoon of Pre:

I will say this for the company, their marketing department is killer because everything Nike looks hip and sleek and mean. Speaking of style check out my Christmas beard:

Overall it was a blast. If you are ever in Beaverton, OR and know someone who works there definitely check it out.

Resolved

Today is the last day of the year so a good day to talk about resolutions. I've been thinking about change a lot recently and something I realized is how set we can become on even the most trivial things. For example, if you always eat cereal for breakfast it can feel heretical to do anything else; however, upon further reflection you may realize that there is no compelling reason to only eat cereal.

Or there is a compelling reason, rather: habit. Compelling, maybe, but not justified. And I think this propensity comes from the structure of the brain, because as you do a certain task over and over, your brain builds new neural pathways that enable you to continue to do that same activity. So changing those pathways, rebuilding, renewing them takes deliberate, focused effort.

But we all have things about ourselves and our lives that we'd like to retool, big and small. But if change is so hard what is the biggest chance of success?

Change in the smallest possible way

If you want to start lifting weights but are afraid of the effort or pain, then decide to do the simplest, shortest set of exercises that are still meaningful, and decide to do them once a week.

"But where is your sense of adventure?" you might be thinking. Such meager goals can seem a little cowardly, unless they are taken in the right context. That small step can be the first of a long series of goals that will eventually lead to greatness. Running three miles every day can lead to five which can lead to 10 and then 20. This in turn can be part of a plan to finish your first marathon, which in and of itself can be a preparation to a triathlon that is helping you get to an ultra-marathon in the mountains of Peru (I don't know if such a race exists but I hope it does. If not then maybe someday I can start it.)

Do you see how small decisions can form the foundations of grand, sweeping, majestic life plans? This is how they balance, the mundane and the magnificent. So that's my hope for each of you, that your life means something to you, that you are each pursing something important, something that matters.

Maybe someday?