Pinckney Trail Half Marathon 2012

Five years ago I raced in the Pinckney Trail Half Marathon.  I was shocked at the difficulty of trail races.  This year Derek had the inspiration to run it, so Marv and I decided to join.  I was prepared for serious misery, but actually REALLY enjoyed the race.  The hills were relentless, but not as high as I remember.  The downhills were painful last time, but a rush of adrenaline this time.

First, a visual of the hills.  They weren't as steep as the graph indicates, but there are WAY more.  Basically the course is nothing but up and down.  Lots and lots of very steep, 5-10 foot climbs.

I really didn't know what time to expect for myself since I have only been running 1-2 times a week.  However, I'm down a few pounds, have been playing a lot of basketball, and my training runs have generally felt good.  So away I went.

Mile 1:  11:00 (1,000 runners, single track, traffic jam)
Mile 2:  9:51 (still traffic jams)
Mile 3:  9:07
Mile 4:  9:22
Mile 5:  9:08
Mile 6:  9:23
Mile 7:  9:35 (walked through aid station)
Mile 8:  9:02
Mile 9:  9:31
Mile 10:  9:39
Mile 11: 9:52 (included bad fall, had to walk for a couple minutes to regroup)
Mile 12: 9:44 (included "cardiac hill", by far worst climb of race)
Mile 13.1:  9:14
TOTAL:  2:04:31 (27 out of 69 for male 30-34)

I was 5 minutes slower compared to 2007, but very happy with my race.  I know I enjoyed this year more, and 2007 was the peak of my running career.

Derek looked like death by the end but finished with a solid 2:12:33.

Marv's legs died at mile 11, but he finished with a strong 2:33:19.

Five years ago I remember seeing at least 10 people fall during the race.  This year Marv, Derek, and I each only saw 1 other person fall.  However, ALL 3 OF US FELL TWICE!  One of my falls was literally 5 seconds after telling Derek it was important to watch the ground (1/4 mile in).  My other fall was at mile 10, where I fell onto the start of a bridge at full speed at the base of the hill.  I hit hard and did a complete roll.  My knee is still bruised and bloody.

Florida 2012 - Part 4

Our second week in Florida was spent near Orlando.  Twice we went to downtown Disney.  

Mickey Cookie

 

Pooh Bear

MONSTER dessert from Ghirardelli's 

Walk around Lake Eola park in downtown Orlando.  I highly recommend this park.

 

Evelyn Turns 4!

Wow, Evelyn is 4 years old!

Grandma Gail coordinated a great "farm" day for Evelyn and her two cousins with similar birthdays.  We went to my uncle Dave's chicken farm and his friend's cow and pig farm.

 

 

The animals were cool, but the smell took some getting-used-to.

Evelyn's first birthday cake this year was a COW.

For her actual birthday, we celebrated with a princess castle cake.  Happy Birthday little girl!

 

 

Florida 2012 - Part 3

The rest of the first week in Florida was spent with ice cream, fishing, sand, family, and mischief. Great week.

Florida 2012 - Part 2

There's no question, William and Jack are very different boys despite being twins.

Florida provided the clearest example to date...the beach.

William did not like the sand, particularly walking on it. He wanted to be held or sit on a towel.

Jack, on the other hand, became 100% crazy as soon as he touched the sand. Non-stop running, pure happiness, bolting into the water, and even shoving his face directly into the sand.

Pure joy on Jack's face; apprehension on William's face.

On the positive side, it was nice just sitting and cuddling with William on the beach.

Jack hit the beach running. The only problem was he didn't stop. His favorite game was to run directly into the ocean, daring you not to grab him. And as soon as you put him back down, he turned around and did it again! Literally non-stop until it was time to go home.

The 3 boy cousins did great together. One of their favorite activities was climbing all over the stroller.

Florida 2012 - Part 1

2 weeks in Florida!

The trip started with a relatively smooth 21 hour drive through the night. I made it all the way until 9:00 am without getting sleepy. 5 hour energy is wonderful. William cried off an on all night but otherwise it was uneventful.

One of the highlights of the first week on Anna Maria Island was awesome sunsets. We had clear skies and warm weather for 6 out of the 7 sunsets. Only 1 sunset was blocked by some clouds.