iToombs

“If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together”
-African proverb

On the 4th of July 2019, at exactly 8:32:41AM – I crossed the finish line at the PR Races Firecracker 5k in Reston Town Center … marking the culmination of 111 days’ work on a project that had started roughly a year earlier.  For those of you that know the story – this all started out when I had the bright idea that I would try to run a 10k to celebrate turning 50.  Little did I know that single idea would evolve into so … so much more.

On one frigid morning in March after completing a practice 5k, my goal of running a single 10k event grew into a goal of running 50k over multiple events … and the “#50for50 Project” was born.  And as of Thursday, I’m proud to say it has now been completed.  50 kilometers of competitive events in 111 days.

Important running tip I’ve learned – always ham it up for the cameraman at the finish line!

To say that it has been an adventurous ride, would be a bit of an understatement!  It’s been exciting … grueling … rewarding … disheartening … painful … heck, I’ve hit all the highs and lows along the way!  But I wouldn’t trade it for anything!  And that’s not just because it has felt great to accomplish something big like that (well – big for me, at least) but because all along the way, my family and friends have supported me in so many ways!  Through supportive texts and Facebook posts, to coming out to watch me run, and in some cases – actually running along with me at some of my events!  All of it has made me feel truly humbled that I have so many wonderful friends in my life.

Thank you for making this the best 50th birthday, ever!!

Here are the final #50for50 challenge results!

And here’s what that looks like in terms of swag/merch …

It’s not just a hobby, it’s a wardrobe…

Now that the 50th kilometer is in the rear view mirror, I’ve decided it’s time for me to hang up my running shoes and …

Oh, heck … who am I kidding.  Of course that’s not the end of things!  I’ve decided that I’ll likely run some more!  So – what happens next?

First off … I’m going to give my shins a bit of a rest.  Phew – they’re a tad bit upset at what I’ve done to them so far this year, and they deserve a break!  They’ve worked hard, and carried me a long way in a short time … so they deserve a bit of a vacation of their own.  So for the month of July … I’ve made a promise to my shins: no running events, no treadmill.

But after that?  Oh yes, there will be more running in the fall!

Right now, I am registered for the Marine Corps Marathon 10k event in October.  But I have a feeling I am going to want to run a few more before then (and probably after then, too).  So here’s what I’m currently looking at.  If I can knock off several of these, I will actually have a chance at hitting a stretch goal of 50 miles of competitive races during the year.

• Run First Wine Later 5k/10k at Tarara, July 20 (of course, this would require me to break my promise to my shins that they get the month off… but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t considering it)
• Leesburg 20k/5k, Leesburg, August 18
• Run On The Runway 5k September 14, Dulles Airport
• EX2 Backyard Burn (5 MILE), Lake Fairfax, October 6 (a “no headphones” event)
• Marine Corps Marathon 10k, DC, October 27 REGISTERED

And looking even further ahead – what’s in store for 2020?  Well, I don’t know yet … but I’m thinking that taking this gig on the road and hitting some of the biggest 10k’s in the country might be fun!  Maybe I can knock off 100km in 2020 by sprinkling in a few epic events such as:

• Crescent City Classic 10k (New Orleans) – April 11
• Bolder Boulder 10k (Colorado) – Memorial Day (#1 on my list for potential travel events next year)
• Garden of the Gods 10k (Colorado) – June 14
• Peachtree Road Race 10k (Atlanta) – July 4th
• Across the Bay 10k (Maryland)  – Fall
• Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon (California) – October

Throughout all of this, I think one of the most rewarding things to see is that some of my friends have now gotten the running “bug” … and are out doing their own training and practice runs for future events of their own!  I hope to run along side them in some of their events to support them in their journey, just as they have with mine!  If I had one wish for the #50for50 project as it comes to its end … it would be for its effects to live on, in the lives of others …

Once again, thank you all for your support!

Over the past 8 days, I’ve knocked off another 10km towards my goal – which means I have completed 45km of competitive events run since March!  That means … there is only one more 5k left before I can say I have completed my #50for50 challenge for 2019!

Two weekends ago I got to run the 5k format in the Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon / 10k / 5k event – and it was an amazing event!  There was a large turnout for the event as a whole, and a then a mini wine festival afterwards with 15 different wineries from Virginia all serving up tastes of their wines.

Running and wine?  Sign me up!

And as has been the case for many of these events recently, some of my spectacular friends (along with my loving and supporting wife) came out to run it along with me!

I made a new PR on the day, finishing at just a bit over a 10-minute pace at 31:51.  I was hoping to break below a 10 minute pace at that event, but it just didn’t end up happening.  However, my finishing pace was about 90 seconds faster per mile than when I started all of this back in March!  So I guess I can’t complain too much …

And then, exactly one week after the Virginia Wine event – I ran the Dash Through The Dirt 5k up on the C&O canal towpath at Carderock, Maryland and I finally broke that goal!  Coming in at 30:47, I had a 9:56/mi pace … and an average speed through the event of 6.1mph.

If you’d told me a year ago I could run at 6 miles per hour for 3 straight miles, nonstop … I would have asked you to share whatever it was you were smoking.  And yet … here we are!  I just did exactly that!  What a difference a year makes…

My next goal, is to have a sub-30m finish time.  And I’m going to make my attempt for that finish time at the Firecracker 5k in Reston Town Center on the 4th of July.  So I’ve got to train carefully in the next few weeks (I’m still working through some shin pain from this much over-use) but I think it’s possible!

Here is the second-to-last #50for50 challenge table, current as of 10-June.

Now that the finish line of the #50for50 challenge is just around the corner … I think the #1 frequently-asked-question I’ve been hearing from friends is …

“So, after that … are you going to stop?”

To which – my answer is … “I have a feeling I won’t.”

So after the 4th of July, I plan to take a few weeks off from running events … take stock of where I’ve been and where I’m going … and consider a few more events for the 2nd half of the year.  Right now I am registered for the Marine Corps Marathon 10k format in October – but I could see adding in a couple more runs along the way.  These are just a few of the ones that I’m looking at right now …

• Run First Wine Later 5k July 20 @ Tarara Winery (potential event)
• Leesburg 20k/5k August 18 @ Leesburg (potential event)
• EX2 Backyard Burn October 6 @ Lake Fairfax (potential event)
• Marine Corps Marathon 10k October 27 @ DC (REGISTERED)
• The North Face Endurance Challenge San Francisco November 17 (potential event)

Thanks again to all of you who have shared words of encouragement, or have come out to see me run, or have actually run with me!  It truly is a blessing, and I thank each and every one of you for it!  Your support helps me go farther!

“If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together…”

It’s only been three weeks since I turned 50, but it’s pretty cool to be able to say that I’m now “into the home stretch” of achieving my #50for50 goal for the year!!  This past Saturday, several friends came out to support me as I ran the National Wine Day race at Tarara Winery …

Completion of this event marks my 6th race for the year, now putting me at 35km completed – 70% of my goal! The course was quite interesting, in that it winds and weaves its way through the grape vines of Tarara…

It was an absolutely picture-perfect morning for a race – the weather was a nice mild 67F as we got ready for our 9am start, with barely a few clouds in the sky!  The blue sky, the green grass, and the grapes on the vine (plus the benefit of nice soft dirt which goes easy on the ol’ knees and shins) all made for an awesome race.  Racing it with friends made it all the better!

And to top it all off, my body was injury-free enough for me to rack up a new PR, beating my previous pace by about 30 seconds!  All-in-all, a great day…

With this event now in the books, that means there are only 3 more left before I complete my goal!  That’s something that I wouldn’t have imagined possible just one year ago!!

So what will I do after running those three events?  Well, somehow I don’t think I am going to stop after just those.  In fact, my new goal for the year is now to achieve 50 miles of races before the end of the season (instead of 50 kilometers) – and I think I can actually see a way to achieve that by October if my body holds up!

Here’s my updated race stats as well as registered and potential upcoming events, current as of 27-May 10-June.  Come on out and run one of these with me!

Thanks again to all of you who have shared words of encouragement, or have come out to see me run, or have actually run with me!  It truly is a blessing, and I thank each and every one of you for it!  Your support helps me go farther!

“If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together…”

Just a few days before my 50th birthday, I was able to accomplish a goal I set for myself one year prior – running a 10k.  Setting that goal was quite a stretch for me, given that a year ago I’d never “run” even a mile in my life (much less several in a row).  Since setting that goal, I’ve thrown all sorts of abuse at my body – from sweating buckets on the treadmill, to nutrition tracking, to limping around on sore knees/shins/ankles, ice packs, “prescription strength doses” of Advil, to twisting my body into pretzel-like shapes in yoga (many of the balance poses are good for ankle strength), to physical therapy and orthopedist appointments…

Fortunately, my body does seem to be holding up to the abuse overall – and on April 28th, I successfully completed the 10k distance of The North Face Endurance Challenge (trail) event here at Algonkian Park in 69 minutes.

That’s not really a very speedy time by any racing standards, but it was still such an amazing feeling as I crossed the finish line (and made even better by the fact that my wife finished just a few seconds behind me).

One interesting thing I learned from that event – “trail” can be much easier on your body overall.  Prior to that event, I’d never actually run a full 5k all the way through from start to finish – I would still always stop a minute or two here and there to give my heart and legs a bit of a rest.  But for the trail format of the 10k, it was much easier on my legs/knees/joints … and I was able to run the entire distance with only a single exception of a 20-second break for water (and other things you simply can’t “run” through on a trail – like a fallen tree on the path).  So now I’ll be adding a few “trail” events to my calendar for 2019.

And as an added bonus, what was really exciting to see was that my last mile … was actually my fastest overall!  That means I didn’t burn myself out on the course and am learning how to pace myself (typically my first mile has always been my fastest).

• Event #1:  Bluemont Shamrock 5k (results link) – 74th place out of 100 (male) runners
  Official finish time:  36m 24s
  Running pace / average speed / max speed:  11’45” / 5.1mph / 8.47mph (runtastic link)
• Event #2:  Rock Creek Park 5k (results link) – 27th place out of 38 runners
  Official finish time:  35m 4s
  Running pace / average speed / max speed:  11’19” / 5.2mph / 6.9mph (Garmin link)
• Event #3:  National Beer Day 5k (results link) – 127th place out of 163 runners
  Official finish time:  38m 10s (ankle injury)
  Running pace / average speed / max speed:  12′ 19″ / 5.0mph / 6.8 mph (Garmin link)
• Event #4:  The North Face Endurance Challenge 10k (results link) – 279th place out of 369 runners
  Official finish time:  1h 9m 26s
  Running pace / average speed / max speed:  11’32” / 5.2mph / 6.6mph (Garmin link)

Total distance completed: 25 kilometers (12-May EDIT: Now 30km with event below)

Updated as of 12-May:

Also, I am currently registered for the 10k distance at the Marine Corps Marathon event in October this year.  That will likely be the “endcap” event for me for the year.

Given that it’s entirely possible I’ll hit my #50for50 goal before the 4th of July, I’ve been pondering some new optional “bonus” goals to strive for.  It will be interesting to see which of these I might be able to hit before the end of the year:

• 50 miles in 2019, instead of the current goal of 50 kilometers 
• Complete a 5k in under 30 minutes (10-minute mile / 6.0 mph)
• Complete a 10k in under 60 minutes (10-minute mile / 6.0 mph)
• 100 kilometers in 2019 (was planning on this being a 2020 goal, but hey … who knows?)

Thanks to all of you who have shared words of encouragement, or have come out to see me run, or have actually run with me!

If there’s one thing that is even more fulfilling than the sense of accomplishment of completing an event … it’s the outpouring of love and support from friends and family that I’ve received!  It truly is a blessing, and I thank each and every one of you for it!  Your support helps me go farther!

A year or so ago in mid 2018, I knew I would soon be coming up on a major milestone in my life.  I knew I’d be coming up on that dreaded marker of having traveled 29.2 billion miles through space – also known as, “turning 50.”  How does one celebrate having survived 50 full years living on a planet where both physics and the laws of nature want to kill you, every single day?  It’s an incredible achievement when you stop and think about it.  Fortunately, I won the genetic lottery just by being born in a time and a place where living past 50 is actually not all that unusual.

But how to celebrate?  I mean, sure – I could go the traditional route of buying a fire-engine red Corvette and then running off with my much-younger secretary … but that’s been done a million times already (and besides, my administrative assistant is the wrong gender for that anyway).

No, that wasn’t going to be the path I took.  But I wasn’t quite sure how else to celebrate, short of the obvious “throwing a big party” (laissez les bons temps rouler, anyone?)

Back in early 2018, I had started paying closer attention to my overall health and fitness.  I wasn’t in the greatest place as January 1st rolled around, and I absolutely needed to get better about it.  In fact, it had gotten so bad that in late 2017 when I attended my mother-in-law’s funeral I couldn’t even button the neck collar on my dress shirt so that I could wear a tie on that day for her.  Honestly, that hit me like a ton of bricks.  So as 2018 rolled around I was already starting to make changes for myself, starting out with Intermittent Fasting.  Overall, that has had some solid results for me (ask me more about it if you’re curious).

Fast-forward to mid-2018, and my 49th birthday came and went … and the countdown-to-50 was really running now.  As I stopped to ponder what I could do over the next 365 days which would be significant, something “improving health” related seemed like an obvious choice to focus on.

But what to do?  I’ve never really been an athlete, never played many sports.  It’s not that I’m uncoordinated, but I just never found anything that I was good enough at, and that I enjoyed doing with others.  I’ll admit to being a bit jealous of some of my other friends who regularly participate in competitive and amateur sports leagues – they are always having fun with their friends, and are helping their health out by doing so.  But I never really found my way into that, despite trying to at previous points in my life.

As a part of already trying to improve my health in some way in 2018 – I had taken up walking on the treadmill at home.  And I do mean walking, because any time I had tried jogging at any point in previous decades, I just couldn’t do it.  My shins would just immediately start radiating this intense pain, within 3-4 minutes of my starting out, and I just couldn’t continue.  So I always assumed jogging was just never going to be in my future.

However … one day after walking 2.5 miles on the treadmill in an hour … I thought I’d give a short jog a try.  So I ramped the treadmill up to 4mph (not at all fast by running standards, but almost impossible to “walk”) and much to my surprise, I was actually able to do that for about a quarter of a mile before I started to hurt.  And the hurt that I was feeling in my legs … was not nearly as bad as when I would just go out and try and run down the sidewalk.

So I figured that might just be my answer – that I just needed really ridiculously long warmups before attempting to jog.  Over the course of a few more “practice short-runs” (with hour-long warmup walks) in the early weeks of the summer of 2018, I found myself increasing my continuous-running time to a half mile, and with speeds getting up to 4.5mph.  And most importantly – without insane levels of pain in my shins.

And so that’s where 50th-birthday-milestone-goal #1 was invented – I decided that I would run a 10k on (or near) my 50th birthday, in order to celebrate.  A 10k is certainly challenging, but did not seem outside of the realm of possibilities for me to build up to in 9-10 months.  It would take training, practice, and dedication to be able to achieve it.

And that’s still a goal right now, but now it is a part of a larger overall goal.  My new and improved goal for this spring and summer is to run 50 kilometers across multiple different events throughout the year – i.e.: #50for50.  And I’m happy to say, I just completed the first 5k (3.1 miles) this past weekend in frigid 37F degree temperatures (that’s me down there in 74th place for the men), so I’m already 10% of the way to my goal for the year!

I might still do that 10k that I’ve had my eye on that is just a week or two before my birthday, but if I don’t (it’s a “trail” course, which is quite different from what I’ve been practicing for) I will find other events throughout the year to get me to my 50k goal.  Here are some of the events I’m either looking into, or currently signed up to run — I’d love to have any of you reading this come and join me!

EDIT: Updated as of 28-Apr

• Shamrock 5k/10k, Bluemont March 16 COMPLETED (Time 36:28, Pace 11’46”)
• Rock Creek 5k/10k, DC, March 30 COMPLETED (Time 35:04, Pace 11’19”)
• National Beer Day 5k/10k, Fairfax, April 7 COMPLETED (Time 38:10, Pace 12’19”)
• North Face Challenge 10k, Sterling, April 28 COMPLETED (Time 1:09:26, Pace 11’32”)
• National Wine Day 5k/10k, Leesburg/Tarara, May 25
• Virginia Wine Country 5k/10k, Purcellville, June 1
• Freedom 5k, Fairfax Corner, June 30
• Firecracker 5k, Reston, July 4
• Leesburg 5k/20k, Leesburg, August 18
• Marine Corps Marathon 10k, DC, October 27

I haven’t seen as much of my friends and family over the past six months, as I’ve been building up towards this goal.  The gym and the dreadmill are taking away time that otherwise would have been spent socializing.  But it’s something I definitely want (and need) to accomplish for myself – so I’m appreciative of all of my friends who have been very understanding that I haven’t been around as much lately!