A Long Road Behind. An Open Road Ahead.

Deal with the past. Practice forgiveness and gratitude.

Be optimistic about the future. Let go of worry and fear.

When you can do that, you can truly celebrate the present. 

I'm a bit of a statistics geek. When I get a bucket of numbers or lists and I have free time (like I do during a slow Thanksgiving week), I like to look at the past to see what I can learn.  With our 100th half marathon coming up next week in San Antonio, it was nice to take a trip through the first 99.

We started in 2005. When we were racing with Team in Training, the idea of doing more than a half marathon every 12 weeks or a full more than twice a year was not within the realm of possibility. We didn't even speak about it. I think the idea was that our participants, many first time marathoners, should concentrate on their event so it's the highlight of the season. Pre-event tune up races detracted from the big one. I get that. And that's how we trained for the first four years. Most of the races we did for the first 5 years were with TNT.

That changed in 2009. Our tenure as TNT mentors and coaches went to an every other year basis and the teams in the Bay Area got smaller, probably due to competition from other training organizations. We added a few of the short hop destination races like Rock n Roll Vegas (with a day-time Run Through Wedding) and a local race featuring a Walk Division (Eye-Q Twin Cities Fresno).

Rock n Roll Las Vegas 2009. Our first vow renewal, photobombed by Elvis.

In 2010, we also found out about the bonus Heavy Medals offered by Rock n Roll. That year, we had 3 halfs and a full to get the Grand Slam. We also met a Marathon Maniac, Kamika Smith. That meeting on the Seattle causeway led us to join the Half Fanatics and eventually the Marathon Maniacs.

This was one instance where Susan and I did different races. Susan did the full in Seattle because I had done one extra full in Anchorage. I did the half 5 months after reconstructive knee surgery (and PRed).
Kamika finished his 100th full on the day we met. I never thought we'd come anywhere close to that total for races.

2011 was a step change. We were on a Southwest flight for RNR Arizona and somehow we had an unscheduled layover in San Diego. We were sitting in the aisle/window in row 2 when a perky blonde lady from the C group asked if she could sit with us. She ended up chatting with Susan for the hour long flight to Phoenix and it turns out she knew all about Rock n Roll. She even mentioned that they were adding a few inaugural races in Providence, Rhode Island; Savannah, Georgia and Miami Beach. By the time we got off the plane we were so excited we registered for another 5 races that year.  Turns out that young lady was Ann Wessling, the striped-socked, high-fiving announcer for the Rock n Roll races. We ended the year with 10 races (9 half marathons) and our first (inaugural) Rock Idol Heavy Medal. Garret Schmidt saved us a second medal for our picture on the shores of Rock n Roll Miami Beach (ours was in the mail).

We hit another inaugural in RNR Pasadena in 2012. I'm not sure where it got into our heads that we would do another 10 races, but the schedule filled up quickly. We met Dan and Jackie Evans, contestants from The Biggest Loser season 5.  They were in the early stages of setting up The Biggest Loser RunWalk race series. We signed up to raise money for Team Future, the Chicago area charity they were supporting, and they were gracious enough to treat us with VIP passes for Rock n Roll Chicago. That was the race we met Beth Deloria and Jim Austin. Beth is the director of social outreach for Allard and the GetBackUp Today movement. She runs with a special brace on her left foot because her ankle was paralyzed from a spinal surgery, but it hasn't slowed her down. She's a Boston qualifier and she and Jim are among our closest friends. By the end of the year, we bought memberships to the Half Fanatics group (#1731 and #1732) as Christmas presents to each other.

In 2013, things took a turn for the ridiculous. We had become good friends with Al and had dinners and post race celebrations with him and Caryn since RNR San Jose 2012, but when Competitor Group had a scheduling overlap putting Rock n Roll San Antonio and Rock n Roll Las Vegas on the same day, Al called me saying 'you know, it might be possible to do both'. We'd done full marathons before that, obviously, but even this was a step up. That was the year Double Live / SA2LV happened. We also added the inaugural Berkeley Half Marathon the following weekend to moon up to Earth level as Half Fanatics with 3 halfs in 3 states in 10 days. That split double gave us a good start for the Brazen New Years Eve/New Years Day double, just a month before we did full marathons 4 days apart on Antarctica and South America.

A second vow renewal, this time with a larger party on an emotional weekend.

The finish line at Vegas with a warm welcome from Ann.

2014 was our busiest year with 47 half marathons between us. Susan had the extra race that year at the Zooma Women's marathon in Napa, California. I didn't race in it, but was there in full support in an electric blue tutu. We also added the 50th Anniversary Mustang Half, a once in a lifetime chance to race on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. We were able to walk in The Biggest Loser RunWalk races in Casper, Wyoming and Panama City Beach, Florida. It was also the year we did our first Disney races, starting with the Dumbo Double Dare in September and Disney Avengers in November (as the first half of the Avengers/RNR Vegas Double Live 2). We were even part of George Melichar's moving art museum at Rock n Roll Chicago. At Rock n Roll San Antonio, we hit our 15th RNR race, putting us on the first ever Heavy Medal Hall of Fame for CGI.

2015 saw another pair of Disney races and two The Biggest Loser RunWalk races.  We went back to where we did our first full marathon in Anchorage, Alaska to mark 10 years since our first race. The celebration was also our 20 year wedding anniversary.  With the inaugural Rock n Roll Brooklyn Half, we checked off the 25th state for half marathons. After this year's Disney Avengers/Rock n Roll Las Vegas double, we also finished our 15th RNR for another entry into the Hall of Fame. 

Messing with Darth

Dan and Jackie. The Biggest Winners in our book.

More than anything, we'll remember our first 99 races with our friends. We cheered for Joe for his 100th finishing his Rock n Roll race in DC. 

In the rain at DC for Joe's 100th Rock n Roll

We prayed for Beth as she underwent major surgery in March and recovered quickly enough to race again in May.

Pre-race at Rock n Roll Raleigh. Beth was just a few weeks out of abdominal surgery and came out to cheer us on. We all wore bibs in her honor.

We came together for Erin Zeman. Joe, Kevin and I wore her husband, Jake's bib from the day he passed away at Rock n Roll Savannah 2013.

Rock n Roll San Antonio will be our 16th RNR each for this year and our 45th half for 2015 combined. And it'll be a race where a lot of our best friends are hitting the 15 race Hall of Fame for the year as well. I want to see how many people I can fit into a group selfie of all the friends we've made over the years and the ones we hope to see for years to come.

I am grateful for every time I post a picture of my suitcase and the dozen or so luggage tags from the races we've done that year.

I'm glad that our bodies have forgiven us for the miles that we put on them.

I'm looking forward to the finishing in San Antonio on Sunday. It'll be the last of our first 100 half marathons.

At that time, and always, we'll celebrate the present.

~//~

I found this way of displaying our race history a little surprising. It didn't really dawn on me that we have been racing nearly every other weekend for almost three years now, most of them out of state. It does make me wonder if we've found a sweet spot or we're just taking a quick pause before going to the next level.

By the numbers, the 100 Half Marathon breakdown and stats.

Top Race Companies: 
- Rock n Roll Marathon (67 and 68 halfs, 5 and 4 fulls)
- runDisney (4) 
- The Biggest Loser RunWalk (4)

Most Frequented Races: 
RNR San Diego (6)
RNR Chicago (6)
RNR Seattle (5)
RNR Arizona (5)
RNR Las Vegas (5)
We've also done Nike San Francisco 10 times, but 8 of those were in support and we did the full marathon as pacers.

States with completed Halfs: 25
In order of completion: California, Alaska, Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Illinois, Texas, Tennessee, Rhode Island, Virginia, Florida, District of Colombia (yes we'll count it), Oregon, Colorado, Ohio, Missouri, North Carolina, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Louisiana, Indiana, Michigan, New York.

Canadian Provinces: 2
Quebec, British Columbia

Legacy Races: 
RNR Portland (4 years). We haven't seen this on the 2016 RNR schedule yet.
RNR San Francisco (3)
If you count these: Disney Avengers (2) and RNR Raleigh (2). 

Fastest halfs: 
Walking: Ron 2:22:28 RNR San Diego 2015, Susan 2:29:23 RNR San Diego 2014
Run/Walking: Ron 2:55:54 (yeah, go figure) RNR Chicago 2014, Susan 2:30:03 RNR Cleveland 2013

Best Age graded performances:  
Ron 63.27%, Susan 65.63%

Best Overall Finishes:
Ron: 1st place - TBL Casper 2014, TBL Las Vegas 2015, 3rd Place - TBL Panama City Beach 2014, American River Parkway 2014
Susan: 2nd place - TBL Casper 2014, 3rd place - TBL Las Vegas 2015.

Age grade awards:
Ron:  1st Place - Eye Q Fresno, 3rd Place - Eye Q Fresno
Susan: 1st Place - Eye Q Fresno, 1st Place American River Parkway (twice)

Favorites - random categories, because people always ask the question:
Ron: 
Favorite overall - Kauai. Tunnel of Trees and the most beautiful finish chute starting at mile 11.
Favorite Urban - RNR Chicago. I can do without the bridges, but the city is awesome.
Favorite For Speed - RNR San Diego. 4 PRs in 4 years (one in the 5K)
Most memorable: RNR San Antonio/RNR Las Vegas 2013. For many reasons.

Susan: 
Favorite Rock n Roll race - Vancouver. The last 3 miles smell like fresh cut Christmas trees.
Race with the most to look forward to at the finish: Diva San Francisco (Tiaras, Feather Boas, Champagne)
Most Scenic: Maui, Monterey

Pac Man Fever - Rock n Roll Los Angeles Half Marathon 2015

Things to think about if you ever decide to race in a costume.

1) Make sure you try it out before the race. Don't just hop on a treadmill for 60 seconds because most of the real weird stuff takes time to fall apart.

2) Read the description about the material. Even if you order from Amazon, different vendors have different thicknesses and fabrics.

3) Chafing. In places you probably don't expect, like the armholes, neck, and the shoulders for outfits that were allegedly 'one size fits all' if you happen to be a size 2.

All that said, note that I ignored all of this before Rock n Roll Los Angeles.

California races are super convenient. A reasonably early flight from Oakland to Burbank and we're at the expo almost as it opens. This was the second weekend where CGI was staffing two different cities, the other being north of the border in Vancouver. I'd say about 80% of the people we know on the circuit chose to come to California. This is also the third of nine consecutive weekends with RNR races for those making the late push to the Heavy Medal Hall of Fame. 

First things first. Hit the expo, grab the pins. No luggage tags this time around. I kinda wish Brooks would do those for every race, but I picked up yet another half-zip in a charcoal. I have to say, the colors for the gear are getting better.

Ron, Amy, Susan, Ainsley and Arnold. By the end of the year, we'll all be Hall of Famers.

This is the last time we see Monarch the California bear. He had some costume cooling issues which made me really appreciate not having a costume that I was wearing over my head.

If you're wondering, the Cali-Combo medal is NOT actual size.

We grabbed lunch at Tom's Urban with Al and Kamika and loitered a bit to wait for Tawni and Caryn. The sliders hit the spot. The lighting was challenging, but I'm glad Tawni remember to ask for a picture. 

With the short trip and the extra gear prep to do, we were back in the hotels for a few hours before dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. Pictures didn't happen. Part of me says it's because I'm trying to enjoy the moments more and part of me is just getting forgetful.

Sunday October 26th. Race morning.

Now keep in mind, we coordinated the idea months ago, but only ordered costumes four to six weeks before the race. Except for a video preview I posted to make sure no one backed out, race morning was the first time we'd seen each other's outfits.

The concierge at the Sheraton was amused.
Pac-Ron, Caryn (Inky), Al (Blinky), Susan (the gameboard), Kamika as The Pineapple.

OK, it turns out that the classic Pac Man game doesn't have a pineapple, but since Kamika is from Hawaii, we thought it had to happen. His was the most recognizable costume on the course, other than the kids who thought he was Spongebob's house. It was a short walk to the starting line to meet Tawni (Pinky), Sherry (Sue) and Don (the edible ghost).

Jim and Beth were busy elevating the level of crazy for some of their TeamUP captains. Virginia (left, holding the sign) joined them in Las Vegas for a 10K on Saturday, drove 4 hours to LA and did the 5K for her first double race weekend in two different states.  

I put a lot of work into getting sounds effects into my phone, some of them being loaded the night before after downloading a Pac Man app and Voice Recorder Pro. A small bluetooth speaker in my bottle pouch made for a good distraction (or annoyance, depending on how long you were behind me). Listen carefully and you can hear the 'waka waka' sound on a 10 second loop coming out of my rear end.

The costume got a lot of attention, even from some of the four-legged participants. Bill "Chino Loco" Kwok, Rock Ambassador for Los Angeles, had a cadre of Running Elvi and a puppy in a stroller. ASPCA was the race sponsor, so this was perfect.

LA had the cheer squads going in full force since this was downtown and we didn't have any early morning noise restrictions like we've had in Brooklyn and San Jose. 

The course goes south to take a loop around the LA Coliseum and back, so we got to see a stream of runners coming back toward us. There were lots of Ninja Turtles, Thing 1 and 2's, Tweedledees and Tweedledums, an Ivan Drago and Rocky, a few Forrest Gumps and even Rosie the Riveter (with the paperboard "You Can Do It" sign behind her). Everyone had the same idea to stop by the arch for pictures. The Coliseum is a national landmark, after all.

The course changed slightly due to some issues at the 6th Street bridge, so we were diverted north to the 3rd Street bridge. Out and backs are good for this kind of picture since we see most people regardless of pace. 

We got this backwards. Sherry was supposed to kill me.

The course change shouldn't have been that big a deal, but it added a substantial hill that peaked at mile 7.5 and 12. We caught Ilona and Carl zipping down at mile 12.5, Ilona keeping a close eye on the ground, because at that speed and a decent sized pothole on her scooter, things could get dicey.  The top of the hill had some good views and the Toyota Inspiration mile kept us entertained.

This wasn't going to be our fastest race. With three fast races in the previous month and Double Live 3 coming up in mid November, this was a great one to throttle back and enjoy. Even the Pineapples are happy.

The group did get a shot at the costume contest thanks to Colleen. Based on applause, I think we took 5th behind the Jamaican Bobsled team, Forrest Gump and Devo and the dude in the Red Solo Cup.

Thanks, Amy, for taking this pic!

The costumes held up pretty well all things considered. The plastic ribs in the Pac Man structure worked loose at mile 8 and started poking me every step until I yanked it back into place. Al's Red/Blue ghost costume was a layer of rubber with light fleece on the inside, so he was roasting a bit. The ladies did a nice job with what turned out to be compression tops and Kamika kept his pineapple top on the entire way. 

We'll be watching our friends from the sidelines for the next two weeks, skipping Philly/Merida and Savannah. This is a good time for a break with the holiday season and the decorations going up, just as long as we don't let the Eating Season go too far. We still have Rock n Roll Fever!

Waka waka.  

~//~

Rock n Roll Los Angeles was run for the 5th year in 2015. Signups were not available for 2016, but if it falls on the same weekend as Vancouver, this is probably the race we would do. Vacation time will be short with Victoria Falls on the schedule.  There were 7,780 finishers in the half marathon (median finish time 2:26) and 1,516  in the 5K (37:57).  The course winds past the Staples Center, LA Live and the Coliseum and over the LA River into Alviso Village. Race temps were in the high 60's, but thankfully, we had cloud cover the entire race. It could have been toasty for the ghosts.

The Pannell Report (Heavy Medal count) going into the Philly/Merida weekend has 91 people with a shot at finishing at 15 or more races to earn a spot in the 2015 Hall of Fame. This is the last weekend to actually double down with Philly/Merida, but if it's possible, it's likely cost prohibitive. 

18 at 11

19 at 12

23 at 13

13 at 14

5 at 15     Hall of Fame

3 at 16

4 at 17

4 at 18

1 at 19

We don't personally know anyone who hit 15 this weekend, but I'd be happy to update it if anyone lets me know. I'd love to recognize the accomplishment! We're projecting a total of 11 repeat Hall of Famer's from 2014. Ilona and Carl were the first and two more should join them this weekend.

This was our 97th half marathon and 70th RNR half or full marathon. I think the medal walls are going to get a much needed makeover when we get a break in December.

Embrace the Suck - Rock n Roll Chicago 5K and Half Marathon 2015

"Embrace the suck": Translation: The situation is bad, but deal with it.

Those of you who've met us know that we don't like heat and humidity. We lived in Wisconsin for 6 summers (or road construction seasons, as the locals call it) and all I could remember was wanting to get back to California for their usually moderate/wimpy conditions.

So when Coach Al gave me a training program to start getting faster at the 5K distance, the assignment was to hit the 5K hard on Saturday and take it relatively easy on the half on Sunday. Naturally, we pick the hottest race day of the 2015 year to do this.

Ugh

We landed in Chicago mid Friday afternoon with just enough time to get to the last 15 minutes of the expo to pick up bibs for the weekend. Many of the vendors had packed up for the day. Susan had been dealing with plantar fasciitis for a few months and opted out of the 5K on Saturday. While the Remix medal was a nice to have, the half is the only thing that matters for Hall of Fame this year. That and she'd have the luxury of having a few drinks at dinner  Friday night and sleeping in on race weekend for once. Caryn joined us for the weekend. We're hoping to see more of her in the second half of the year with the races on the west coast.

The 5K started near the boat house on the edge of the lake. Temperatures were already in low 70's and there wasn't a lot of shade on the out and back course. This was another great race for the Gypsies who came out in force.

I started out about a third of the way through the corrals and got swept up in the pace, walking a 10:13 first mile. Let's ignore for a minute that my previous PR for a mile on flat ground was 10:20, and that I had 2.1 miles left. Al was playing pacer/Sherpa this race and ran ahead to grab water and clear a few tangents. The second mile through the park slowed to a 10:46, close to my half marathon PR pace. The third mile started on the water, but even though I could see the finish line, I was feeling the pain of going out too quickly. By 2.5, I'd slowed to just over 11 minute miles.

At that point, Al reminded me how much work I'd put in for the last month and how many mental barriers I got through. I started cycling between 11 minute miles and 9:30 bursts. At mile 3, the course goes by a boat house and you see the finish line for the last 0.12. Al was reminding me to concentrate on form and push for the last quarter mile. It'd be a real bummer if I missed my time by a few seconds. The last split came in at an 8:59 pace, peaking in the last 40 yards at just under 8 minute pace. 

And I cut another 15 seconds off my 5K PR, heat and all. It took me a little while to get my head around what that meant, but when I realized that was like taking over a minute off a half marathon PR, I was totally stoked.

We spent the next half hour cheering in the rest of the Gypsies and a big contingent of TeamUp. It's been awhile since we were part of the cheer squad and it was a great feeling to walk people in, especially some who were clearly finishing their first race.

Also new this race was Rock n Roll's #PartyRocker group. Like Kelvin Sapp from the old SA2LV group, Bill Kwok now leads a few dozen people who carry their own music to motivate people during the races. Look for them at the RNR's for the rest of the year if you need to keep your spirits up.

One race in the bag. Temperatures climbing into the high 80s with humidity. My legs were dead from a hard effort on the 5K, but I couldn't help but smile. When you're with this group of people, how can you not?

I never made it back to the Expo but Susan went back to grab a few more sundries and pick up a present from Marcey at Sport Hooks. I'll post a picture when I figure out where to hang it on the wall.

We had thundershowers Saturday afternoon. We missed most of them since we were inside a theater watching Minions in 3D. How better to beat the heat and stay off your feet to rest? We had a few Gypsy dinners scattered around Chicago. Here's the group from Noodles & Co. Tawni, Tamie, Rick and Rhonda have been MIA for a few months at other races and it was great to catch up with them.

The 6:30 AM Sunday start time gave us the best chance to beat the heat. For Chicago, they offered a pair of RNR sunglasses if you beat your best time on the course. Given the heat, I wasn't sure how popular that was going to be. We were ready with cooling sleeves and were stopping for ice as many times as we saw it. Al was having some issues that morning that we traced back to something he ate at Noodles.

Fortunately, just about every one of our Gypsy friends were in town for this one. It's starting to get to that point where I need to be more creative with the group selfies. Al gave me some toys to play with for the next few races. Stay tuned.

We're a pretty awesome looking bunch, if I do say so myself!

We've done Chicago enough times to know a few things. It's flat. It's hot. It goes across a few bridges with tricky surfaces. The tunnel at McCormick can be super stuffy, especially since it's so late in the race. None of this changed in 2015, but I chose to give the sunglasses incentive a shot. Back in 2011, this was the first half marathon where I walked under a 12 minute mile pace. We met up for a quick picture with Amy who we met at The Biggest Loser RunWalk Crown Point. She's over halfway through crossing off 7 new states with half marathons this year.

My first 9 miles went pretty well. Imagine my surprise when I actually caught up to Al at mile 10, Noodles still not agreeing with him. I guess everyone has a race where things just don't go right and Chicago is Al's nemesis. Fortunately, he was able to gut it out. 

Literally.

OK, I think I can make it now!

That last mile on Columbus felt like it lasted forever, but I walked in at just under 2:33, 3 minutes better than my previous course record. Given what was going on this weekend, I was more than happy with it. 

We were even happier with the set of bling. For a bunch of us, this was the 10th Rock n Roll race of 2015 and the biggest Heavy Medal awarded to date - the Gold Record. This replaced the previous Rock Idol 10-race medal and I think it was a really cool upgrade by CGI. This makes 5 years in a row for Susan and I getting to the 10 mark. Add that to the 5K medal and the Remix and this was a four medal weekend!

Susan finished the half and had time to catch up with Barbie from TeamUP. They met two years ago when Susan helped Barbie cut a half hour off her previous fastest time. Barbie did the 5K on Saturday and the 10K on Sunday, not bad for a lady who wasn't able to finish the half three years ago!

Chicago marks a long break in the Rock n Roll schedule between the middle to late July and the start of October for Rock n Roll San Jose. The European RNR's haven't hit our radar since we've crossed off the continent for full marathons and Virginia Beach is even less appealing weather-wise than Chicago ever will be. We picked up three races to fill the schedule and may stay on track to join the 100 Half Marathon club by the end of the year.

This isn't a bad half way point for the year. I just hope the wall holds up to the weight of the medals.

~//~

This is the sixth time we've raced Rock n Roll Chicago, missing only the inaugural race in 2009. We've used this race as a mid-summer cool down after San Diego and Seattle, taking part in George Melichar's Moving Art Museum in 2014 as well as using the race to practice walker pacing for Nike San Francisco in 2010. Add to the fact that there's a lot of cool things to see in the city, it makes it a regular location for us, despite how much I complain about the heat.

The July - September slow period lets us work on speed and form or take time to heal and recuperate before things get really nuts in October. This was half marathon #90 leaving 10 more to finish in 2015 including six half marathons in seven weeks in five different states followed by our usual two half marathons in the same day in different states.

We look forward to embracing the suck.

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