Ironman Chattanooga 70.3

Last year I made the decision that 2018 would be my "Year of New Races". I was tired of running in the same places and seeing the same sights. This world we live in is just too big and has too many amazing sights to stay within the same areas all the time. My wife and kids love to travel and see new places. Other athletes said they liked this course and I liked the fact it was just over a 6 hour drive to get there. 

We decided to leave Friday morning around 7 am. We had a few stops along the way, but I75 takes you straight to Chattanooga. We got there a little later than expected and realized that Rock City closed at 6pm. I had purchased tickets to see Rock City, Ruby Falls, and ride The Incline Railway before we left. Our original plan was to see Ruby Falls first. Due to the time crunch, we went to Rock City first. The views and scenery is just gorgeous. 

one of the first views in Rock City

so blessed to share this experience with my love, my best friend, my babies momma

Savvy liked the swinging bridge

Heidi didn't like me bouncing on the bridge

waterfall on top of mountain

pool in middle of mountain

incredible views!

The path way has parts where I had to turn and walk sideways to fit through the rock formations. The trees and flowers were beautiful. The swinging bridge was fun to cross over. Then you get to the over look where you can see 7 states. Simply amazing. Then you continue the path and get to see all the different fairytale settings that were carved and put inside the mountain. The lighting and scenes are spectacular. We all loved Rock City and highly recommend it to everyone! 

"Fat Man's Pass"

Lover's Leap

My beautiful wife!

We were tired and hungry from the long drive and Rock City. We went to Tony's Pasta and Trattoria for dinner. I found this place in my search for gluten free pasta in Chattanooga. There was a 45 minute wait, but it was so worth it! The view of the mountains was awesome while we ate and everyone enjoyed their dinner! 

Heidi at Tony's Pasta

We then went to our hotel and swam in the indoor pool before bed. 

Saturday started off with a trip to the Tennessee Aquarium. Ironman had set up their village right next to the aquarium. We had gotten there early, so I went and got checked in for the race. I always get that chill when the coveted IM wristband is put on me. Only the IM athletes get these. The location of the village is great for families because the aquarium is 2 separate buildings. You can come and go to each building as much as you want. There are a lot of restaurants in this area also. The aquarium is separated into Oceans building and Rivers building. Lots of animals, lemurs, sharks, turtles, stingrays, penguins, otters, snakes, fish, if it was an animal that lived in or around water, they had it there. Very easy to navigate and most of it was air conditioned.

My girls at the aquarium

 Lunch time came and we hit up Puckett's. This place was delicious also. They had a brunch buffet set up that had eggs, bacon, pancakes, chicken wings, sausage, Little Debbie Honey Bun bread pudding, lots of fruit...No one left hungry! After lunch I checked my bike into transition and tried to figure out where I would be coming into transition from. I didn't stress about this too bad. I figured the next day there would be plenty of people to follow. 

Vengeance was ready to rock!

Finish Line is the goal!

Got to meet Marcus Cook! Super inspiring guy!

 Off to Ruby Falls we went. The weather was HOT on Saturday. That worried me a little for Sunday. I don't run all that well in the heat. We stood outside in a long line for about 30-35 minutes for Ruby Falls. A worker came outside to inform all of us that the elevator that takes people underground to see the falls, had broken. No timetable on when it would be repaired. Change of plans! We went to The Incline Railway.

First view of the track of Incline Railway

You can start at the top or bottom. I just happened to go to the top. When we went to the loading area, Savannah saw the tracks that at one point are at a 73% grade... and freaked out. She was crying and saying she didn't want to ride the train. She had no idea how slow this thing actually went. When you first see the incline, it is intimidating. There was a boy about 9 years old who was trying to help, but really needed to quit talking to Savvy. He wasn't helping by saying, "You stay in the train, or people would just DIE!" We load up into the trolley car and quickly realize this is a slow mover. But it is really cool and the view of the mountain is spectacular.  

Car was specially built for this track

me and Heidi bear!

 At the bottom of the incline, there's an ice cream shop. We each got a scoop and got back in line to go back up the incline. It was a fun experience, but not one I need to do again. 

view of the track from bottom of hill

     We decided to get a quick dinner that we could take back to hotel. We tried getting Chick Fil A. Apparently the only place in the Kentucky/ Tennessee area to get Chick Fil A is a college campus. On our drive down, we toured the University of the Cumberlands looking for it, then in Chattanooga, The University of Chattanooga had one in their student union, which was closed for summer break. Oh well, Wendy's came through for us. After eating, I got my stuff ready for race day. Another swim with the kids at the hotel pool, then some time in my Air Relax boots, then it was lights out!

Race day! I set my alarm for 3:30 am. Race starts at 6:50 am. Our hotel started breakfast at 4 am to accommodate the race and athletes. I needed calories, but didn't want to over do it on sausage. The hotel had Udi's gluten free blueberry muffins! Total bonus for me. I had 2 of those with some eggs and 2 sausage links. Just enough to feel full, but not feel bad before my race. I walked the mile to transition and got set up. Katie found me and she was already set up. Once transition was set, I got body marked and then Katie and I took shuttle to swim start. The swim line was self seeded. I knew this was supposed to be a fast swim, but I didn't want to over estimate my ability. I started in the 33-35 minute swim place in line. Nerves were flowing through my veins. I probably should've went to an athlete briefing, but couldn't change that now. I tried keeping calm and talked to a few other athletes. 6:50 am and the pro men started. 6:55 the pro women field started. 7am, the rest of us started. I jumped off the dock at about 7:13am. The swim upstream was pretty easy. Then across the river we went and that was no problem. Then I made the turn to go down river. Everytime I took a breath, I could feel the current pushing me down river. This was great! It was just like Louisville where I sight off bridges and just keep swimming until I see people exiting the water. Very little contact with other swimmers and no issues led to a 29 minute swim! I was ahead of my goals. I heart you river current! I got out of the water and found 2 wet suit strippers who had no problem getting my wet suit off. The path to my bike felt like it took me forever to get there. But once there, I made sure I had my nutrition and helmet, shoes on and let's go! 

I've seen to many people try to start too fast and fall over on their bike. I take my time, breathe an extra breath and then jump on the bike. I got rolling and soon enough, I'm out on open roads with mountains as my view. Their was very little traffic on most parts of the bike course. I passed my friend Matt Fadely about 2-3 miles on the bike course. At about mile 5, a female athlete bib #425, passed me and motioned to her right. I took her motion as kind of a snub, like she was out here to own this course. I passed her back and not a minute later she was ahead of me again. That started a thought in my mind that I would not leave her sight. She could stay ahead of me, but every time she turned around, I would be close. I wasn't drafting, I was 6-8 bike lengths back, but she knew she couldn't drop me easily. Then she approached an area where she had to go around a group of cyclists. I was catching up. She decided to burn a match, stood up and started cranking. I stayed where I was and stayed consistent. She pulled way ahead. I was ok that I wasn't in her view anymore.It was fun while it lasted and I knew this was a long race. I also figured that her bib number was lower than mine, so she was All World Athlete also and I didn't feel bad with her kicking my butt. Then we hit the first aid station at mile 15. I took a swig of Gatorade and put a little in my front tank. I tossed the bottle and continued on. Not one minute past the aid station did I catch #425. She looked back, and looked defeated. I rode up next to her and said, "You left me! I felt so alone!!" and smiled. She laughed as I passed her. I never saw her on the bike course again. There were rolling hills and then one steep road, Andrew's Lane, at about mile 26. I knew this was coming, I researched the course, so I geared down and pedaled right up it. My legs were feeling great! I never looked at my watch for speed. I just kept crushing the pedals. 

averaged over 20 mph on bike, still posing!

After the steep up hill, we got to fly down and around some long country roads. I hit 39 mph and was having a blast! There's a short false flat section that you have to work a little harder to maintain speed and I could feel my effort. I didn't want to push my legs too bad as I still had 13.1 miles to run, but I tried to stay consistent on the bike. I finally checked my bike time with 2 miles to go. I was rocking this out. I finished the bike in 2:41 which was faster than 20 mph average over the 57 mile course. The bike course was a little long, but thats the way it goes sometimes. Sure enough, a guy who passed me with less than a half a mile to go, crashed at the dismount line. Fell right over on his right side. All that rushing I thought, now you're on your side and possibly hurt. I sailed in, mentally talked myself through the proper dismount and was back in front of speedy Gonzales who was still on the ground. I racked my bike, switched shoes, and got sunscreen sprayed. Off to the run I went. I knew I was crushing this race and had set myself up for a PR. All I had to do was get through the run. My hamstrings weren't thrilled right away. They needed to stretch out a little. I slowed my run pace, used my 4 minute run 20 second walk interval and stayed steady. I could feel the heat rising, there are parts of the run course that has zero shade. One small stretch goes through a parking lot, that was only part I didn't like. A big part is on the bike path that is shaded! I loved that part. 

first loop, still having fun!
The run is 2 loops. I started the 2nd loop still feeling good. I was catching some people who had passed me on the run earlier. #425 caught me around mile 7 of the run and told her good work. At mile 10, the heat started to take over. I tried taking in more fluid, I tried mental tricks, cold sponges, my body started over heating. My legs were sending cramp warning. Hamstrings and calves dared me to keep running. I walked way more than I want to admit. I tried running a little bit at a time. We cross over 2 bridges at the end of the loop. There was zero shade and these bridges took forever for me to cross the 2nd time across. I kept telling myself that my wife and kids were waiting for me at the finish line and that kept me moving forward. Just get there Matt, just get there. This is the mental battle that endurance athletes get to fight at the end of races. I finally crossed that last bridge and made the turn to the finish line. I didn't think I'd ever get there. But then I heard Heidi say, "DADDY!!" Oh man, that made me smile! 

my girls patiently waiting for me


the face I wanted people to believe


how i truly felt...exhausted

I took off my hat and sunglasses to see my girls. I tried looking happy. Brittney caught a pic of how I truly felt. I was exhausted and over heated. A quick kiss from Brittney and a hi to my beautiful daughters, then I finished what I had started. I was so happy to be done and have the ability to get out of the sun. A volunteer rushed over and grabbed me by the arm. Asked if I was ok. I said I thought I was good, just a little hot and tired. She handed me an open 20 oz water bottle. I took it with my right hand and took a drink. She then said, "How about your medal from Andy Potts?" Andy Potts is a pro triathlete and his name is on my long sleeve wetsuit. Andy said "Congrats Man!" and put my medal on me. Then he went for a fist bump. I struck fists with my right hand which crunched the water bottle causing water to shoot up! Andy said, "Whoa! That was cool!" I agreed. The volunteer asked if I wanted some water over my head. Yes please. 2 other volunteers doused me with cold water. It felt amazing and yet my body was in shock at the same time. I then made my way through the chute and found Brittney and my daughters. 

soaked but still standing!
Brittney had Five Guys burger and fries ready for me!! She's the best wife ever!! It was 1pm and there was a long slow line to get into transition to get my bike. We decided to head back to our hotel room. We had been given a late check out of 2pm. I got a shower and started re-hydrating. We packed up and went back for my bike. On the way home, I looked over my stats. I was on pace for PR for 67 miles. That last 3 got me. 5:45 was my overall time. Brittney said it was 93 degrees when I had finished. I was roasted. I am really happy with my effort and results on a course I'd never seen before and heat that was ridiculous for May. Now comes the final push to prepare for Ironman Canada!!!

I can't leave out Coal Creek Smokehouse. On our way home, I researched towns we were about to hit. Rocky Top, Tennessee is a small city. Not too far from Tennessee Kentucky border. I found Coal Creek Smokehouse online that had rave reviews! I got to choose dinner since I raced. We pulled up to an actual house. 
I'm thinking people lived upstairs and the restaurant was downstairs. There's one bathroom on main floor. There's a patio out back and 4 tables that fit 4 people each inside. This place smelled like barbecue heaven! The food was delicious! The server was incredibly nice and the cook came out asking how the food was. That guy knows how to make dry rub ribs and pulled pork! If you ever find yourself in Rocky Top, Tennessee...get the CANDIED BACON...thank me later.



The trip was a huge success. No real issues other than not finding Chick Fil A and not seeing Ruby Falls. People of Chattanooga are super friendly. Lots of things to do. I can't wait to do it again in 2019!!!

Blue Ridge Marathon

April 2017: My awesome running buddies Brandon and Tom come back from Roanoke, Virginia and tell me what an amazing race this is. Brandon loved it so much, he ran the DOUBLE. Starting at some crazy hour like 2am, he ran the marathon then started at 7:35am to run it again. BUT when a race puts "TOUGHEST Road Marathon" in its title, I'm just smart enough to think. "I'm not sure I need to make 26.2 miles MORE DIFFICULT???" I love earning titles. I love challenges. I needed to knock Virginia of my states I've run marathons in. So I decided to run this in 2018. At the Horsey Hundred cycling event, I talked Kevin into joining me. I've been told I have a way of influencing people into crazy hard events.

Friday morning at 8:30am, we leave Dayton. It was a beautiful 6 hour drive through Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia. Small detail that's important to me, we had lunch at Shoney's in West Virginia. There were 3 options to eat at, Shoney's, McDonalds or Arbys. When I was growing up, with 3 siblings, my parents loved that kids eat free at Shoney's. As a parent now, and knowing that maybe money may have been tight at times, I see the value in this. But as a kid, I started to dislike Shoney's. Seemed like the same old food options to me. So when Kevin suggested Shoney's, I said I had to get over my childhood dislike and at least try it. Turned out to be very good steak and baked potato. Salad bar was nice with fruit! So, Shoney's is off my "dislike list" now. I digress.

Driving through the mountains was awesome. Just beautiful with green leaves and these gorgeous purple flowers blooming everywhere. We had 2 "slow downs" but never a real traffic jam. 6 hour drive went quick! Kevin and I have been training together for 3 years now and we have the same views on a lot of topics. We just talked the whole time, or he did some work on his laptop while I enjoyed the scenery. In the back of my mind though, I was kind of nervous. I had run up and down hills the last couple of months trying to train for this race, but had I done enough??? That's a typical question athletes ask themselves before a race. The mind starts to wonder. Is this going to be the hardest race I've ever done? What if I cramp? Is it really 7430 ft up and down?

From the website--

MARATHON COURSE DESCRIPTION & MAPS:

• Full Marathon is limited to 750 runners
• Total Elevation Gain/Loss=7,430 ft

Last weekend I biked 7,000 ft elevation on my trainer. I was cooked afterwards. How the heck was I going to run that up and down?? The only answer was the same as 

I knew Kevin and I would help push/pull each other from start line to finish line. If one faltered, the other picked up. One mile, one step at a time. Kevin and I agreed we weren't going for a fast time, we were going to complete the challenge and enjoy the journey. We got to the expo and picked up our packets. We figured out pretty quick this wouldn't be a huge race like The Flying Pig or Columbus. But there was a good number of people here. They offer a 10k, half marathon, marathon and The Double Marathon, and a relay option. Lots of choices for runners of all abilities. Feetures is a race sponsor, so on top of the race shirt, you also got a free pair of running socks! Once we hit the expo, Kevin and I ran our daily mile then headed to dinner at Leonore. An Italian restaurant with delicious gluten free Chicken Marsala!! Back to the hotel where we had the view of the Mill Mountain Star.


From our hotel room, this Star didn't look all that big. But it was a symbol of where our journey was about to take us to. The course description said the 2nd mountain we climbed, peaked at the star. Originally it was a town Christmas decoration, but the residents loved it so much, it's a permanent fixture now. We had lights out by 9:30 and rested for the challenge that lie ahead of us.

The Hotel Roanoke was about 2-3 city blocks walk away from starting line. We got to sleep until 5:30am then started getting ready. I felt well rested and energized to be amongst so many runners! Bring on the mountains! We loaded our stuff into the car, then walked to starting area. We met a lady  who decided to run this for her 40th birthday. This race would be her 18th marathon. Kevin and I agreed that's what we expected of other marathoners here. No first time marathon runner would pick "America's TOUGHEST" for their first marathon... would they?? We saw some Double runners finishing their first marathon of the day, just to turn around and start their 2nd marathon. Lines for porta-potties weren't bad. Corrals were self seated. Kevin and I picked to start kind of toward the back so we didn't go out too fast. National Anthem played and off we went. As it should be, We immediately started running UP HILL.
I thought, well this is appropriate. The street finally leveled off...for about a quarter of a mile. Right before the ONE MILE sign, we started up the first real climb. In a marathon, it's been my experience to see people walking around you, starting after mile 20. I'm not talking about us interval run walkers, I'm talking people have hit "the wall" and are doing the zombie death walk

(stock photo, not from Blue Ridge)

Going up the first climb, EVERYONE around us walking. It was steep! Tom had warned me to not let the first mile intimidate me. I was now experiencing why he said that. I was still willing to slow jog up, but at times, it was just a walk. And this climb was over a mile long. What a way to start a marathon! All around us was beautiful trees and flowers.
No vehicle traffic. Quiet and serene. Pure mountain with a paved road going UP. Right before mile 3, the 10k and half marathoners went right, marathoners went left. The crowd quickly was sparse now. The left turn meant we continued UP the mountain. There was a few down hills as we worked this part. There was an aid station with 2 guys playing trumpets. They were awesome! We made a left turn and worked our way to a volunteer guiding us onto the "4 mile loop to overlook" sign trail. "Oh good! Overlooks are usually awesome views!" I thought. "Of course, to get a great view, you usually gotta earn it." My mind was on point! It was like the steep grade we had been climbing was a warm up. Now we were walking up switchbacks! You could see runners ahead of you, over your shoulder. Because this was just up, up, up.


And then we got there, to the over look.



(it's my blog, you gotta deal with my ugly mug with the gorgeous scenery)

There was an aid station set up here. Water and Scratch nutrition, gummy bears, pretzels. Volunteers were amazing! It was easy to just hang out and enjoy the view. But we had 21 more miles to run. So off we went. And I was thinking that since we were at the overlook, we would start heading back down the mountain. NOPE!! That's right folks, we just went UP more. Another half a mile or so of calve working up hill! The views were amazing. God's Country was just gorgeous. That helped keep mind off the legs. Then came the next challenge..running DOWN the mountain! If you think running UP a hill is tough, try running DOWN a mountain. For those of us here in OHIO, we can't really train for this. Yes, we have hills. And that is close. But I'm talking miles of steep down hill descents where you don't want to slow down, but you don't want to face plant either. Kevin has an amazing way of flying down hills. He made me look slow here. My thoughts were, "we still have a long way to go, I'm saving energy and trying to protect quads and hamstrings from future cramps!" Brandon had warned me the down hills were just as tough as the up hills. He was correct! After the 4 mile loop, we worked our way to the other side of Mill Mountain. The course description said 2nd mountain climb led to the STAR. Sure enough, we found ourselves climbing UP the mountain. We talked to a group of runners who some were also triathletes. We talked Ironman stuff and met BRIAN. We think Brian was in his 60's. DUDE WAS IN SHAPE!!! Brian was a DOUBLE Runner. We were with Brian a lot the rest of the race. He was popular. He was from Roanoke and he was an inspiration! UP, UP, UP, we went. Finally saw a sign for the Mill Mountain Star! We made it! The star was HUGE!!





and there was another overlook!

(yes ladies, Kevin is happily married..sorry)

So we are about 12 miles into this thing, and I'm feeling pretty good! 2 out of 3 mountains climbed, I'm thinking we got this! The course description says 3 mountains in first 20 miles then a couple "big hills". As we work our way DOWN the mountain, there's a "Moo-Mosa" aid station. Kevin has his first alcoholic drink during an endurance race. We run under this cut through arch in the mountain that was pretty cool. Then we run past this huge mansion on the side of the mountain that under The Star. Very cool! We get to the bottom of the mountain and the race takes us to a park. The park is almost flat. It was completely different actually running a good pace for a while. In the back of my mind, I'm wondering where the 3rd mountain was. I certainly wasn't complaining. Then we get to this neighborhood section. and OMG how in the world they built all these houses on this incline is insane. Back to walking up this hill we go. The grade is ridiculous.

A little small talk with some other runners leads me to talking with a young man named NOAH. Noah looks young to me, but he's doing well. Noah tells Kevin and I he's wanting to go to a music college in Cleveland. Noah asks why I got into marathons. Since we had some time, this is about mile 15... I give him a quick run down of my weight loss in 2010, running and triathlon story. Brian runs by and I say, "That's Brian, he's a bad ass!" Kevin tells Noah how he completed Ironman Louisville with one eye and Noah says, "You sound like a badass!" Noah was correct, Kevin is a badass! Later on, I tell Brian he inspires me to go farther, he says, "I see your tattoo..thats something I can't put together. That's impressive." I love my Ironman ink! So after this long, I gotta ask, "How old are you Noah?" "18" 18!!! We don't see many 18 year olds out on marathon courses. It's just not usual for an 18 year old to want to run marathons. OK, "How many marathons have you ran Noah?" "This is my first. I wanted to run a marathon, and this was the closest one to me so I figured I'd make it my first!" "I like your MOXY NOAH!!" In my mind, I thought, this kid is crazy. He may have some real problems the last couple of miles of this thing. Noah asks if he can stay with us for a while. Kevin and I assure him he can hang out with us the rest of the race if he wants. We tell him our run walk run intervals and plan of just getting to finish line. Noah seems to like this idea and stays with us. It was great making a new friend who had a positive mindset and was "our kind of crazy!"
(Noah's before and him Finishing yesterday)


Along the route, there were a ton of these Joe Cobb political advertisement yard signs


(Michelle Bennet sign design)

At first glance, there's nothing special or wild about these signs. BUT when you run for more than a few hours, the mind gets hazy, certain things that may be worth a chuckle at best...become HYSTERICAL. After seeing so many signs, I bring it up to Kevin and Noah that I LOVE Joe Cobb! Joe Cobb has my vote, but at the time, I can't seem to remember what the hell position Joe Cobb is running for.Sure enough, we take a left turn, and there's another Joe Cobb For Roanoke sign! "FOR ROANOKE??!!!" Kevin says Joe Cobb isn't just running for one position, he's running for the entire CITY!!! Man, we start cracking up. Really laughing out loud! Praising Joe Cobb. Comparing him to us, because "he's RUNNING for the city, and we are RUNNING this city right now!" Just typing this out seems pretty ridiculous, but you do what you gotta do to stop thinking about the pain in your legs!
I distinctly remember saying, "This is bullshit! I don't think Roanoke deserves Joe Cobb! I want Joe Cobb for DAYTON!!!" Remember, I have no idea who this guy is or what he stands for. But we were biggest Joe Cobb supporters in Roanoke yesterday! About this time, I start to wonder if Noah thinks Kevin and I are nuts?? We seem to keep him laughing and never tried to ditch us, so we must not have annoyed him that much.
On a side note, Joe Cobb even helped us on our drive home.

So moving on, we work through the huge neighborhood incline miles 16ish to 20, up and down the "mountain of Peakwood". That was the 3rd mountain, though it was a neighborhood , kinda confused us, but hey, whatever. We work our way over a bridge and into another park. I start the feel the twinge of "cramp alert!" I inject another walk break to cool it down, and then start to stay on the run walk intervals. Its hard to walk when gravity gives you free speed down the inclines. But when legs are giving out, gotta not over do it. Kevin started taking the lead and helped pull me along. We come across one guy who is clearly drunk and was offering us "water" in the form of moonshine! He was a bit weird! Then about mile 22 we hit the Pickle Juice table. I initially pass it, as I hate the taste of Pickle Juice. But I go back because it's supposed to stop cramping. I downed the stuff as quick as I could. Kevin loves pickle juice and it energized him! We kept working toward mile 24. In the course description, it says to not let mile 18 and 24 sneak up on you. Well, after all that elevation we had already crushed, the mile 24 hill wasn't that bad. It was way shorter than all the other hills. It was steep but not that bad. We come across a couple who live on the course. They've set up a few tables and are cheering us on and offering beer! I stop to see what food they had. I first see cheese squares and take one of those. Then my eyes  LIGHT UP!! I look directly at this lady and say "IS THAT SAUSAGE??!!"" In the way most people would feel if they just got the best present ever! She said take as many as you want! Best sausage links ever!! The people were cracking up. I graciously thanked them and continued soldiering forward.
Then we had 2 miles left.

The PIZZA song. So my legs are shot. I'm tired, it's starting to get hot out. I'm fearful of cramps. I need something new to think about. so I start singing out loud...

Everywhere we GO!
People wanna KNOW!!
Why we do this?
So we tell them..
I LOVE PIZZA I LOVE PIZZA
Pepperoni sausage chicken and mushrooms!!

Over and over and over...freaking weird mantra to have...I don't know where it came from. It's typical for me to want pizza after a long race so maybe my body knew it was coming?? Whatever it was, I kept singing it. Around mile 25 I asked Noah, "Is my singing annoying you?" He said "Nope, but I want some pizza!" and I replied, "Good! Because I wan't going to stop singing even if it annoyed you!" I gave him a big smile and kept on singing. After some thought, even if he thought I was completely outta my mind, it took thoughts off the legs and tiredness. I gotta hand it to Noah, most people would have "hit the wall" and crashed to a walking pace. We passed some people who had crashed into the wall. Noah kept our pace and went right along with zero complaints. We see the mile 26 sign and Kevin tells Noah, "You need to go ahead and get that picture of just you crossing the finish line! You only get ONE FIRST MARATHON FINISH!!" Noah picks it up and cruises through the finish line. Kevin and I finish high next to each other. I heard the announcer say, " Finishing now is Matthew Kennard, from Dayton Ohio, a Police Officer whose lost 80 pounds!" I tear up a little. Another marathon crushed. A blast from the past to remind me how far I've come. The thought that how many people helped and supported me to get this far, and now Kevin and I have helped a young man get to his first marathon finish. The awesome circle of the endurance community keeps rotating!


I love that the medal is a belt buckle. I don't think I have another belt buckle medal. Kevin and I agreed this was a fantastic race. Preparing for the TOUGHNESS, knowing it would be difficult, embracing the challenge, keeping a positive mental outlook...got us to successfully crush this. Blue Ridge should be a "bucket list" race for any marathoner. It's truly incredible. Easy to get to. Well run. Great aid stations and volunteers surrounded by nature's beauty. I'm not making this a yearly race, because it beat me up. Total elevation was around 3600 ft UP then 3500 ft DOWN. Thank goodness! That was plenty!

I have

Signs
Of
Running
Excellence all through my body. But if it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you. Blue Ridge will challenge you.

To finish up, Kevin and I found the Pizza Pasta Pit which was freaking delicious! We made the drive home with no issues. Joe Cobb did provide more entertainment and I have a reminder set to see if he gets elected to city council. Yes, we researched him. What an experience! What a journey!!
I need some recovery time then sights get set to Ironman Chattanooga 70.3!!

Kevin and Noah, You 2 marathoners rock! Thanks for the memories!

Brittney, Heidi and Savvy, MY GIRLS!!! Love you so much! Thanks for supporting Daddy on his crazy adventures!!

RuntheBluegrass 2018

RuntheBluegrass 2018.

This is my 6th year in a row running this race. I ran a 2:18 in 2013, a 1:45 in 2016, and a 1:49 today. Same course, same hills! This is the most telling elevation chart.

You see that flat spot? 

You don't?? Thats because you're either running up hill or downhill in Lexington!

I was super excited for Team Tech who was experiencing Bluegrass for the first time. I tried showing a different elevation chart that didn't get them nervous at all. Brittney has been training hills on the treadmill and was ready to crush it. We met up at the expo then went to dinner. I specifically went to Carino's for the gluten free pasta...which they were out of. Server recommended changing the same meal with potatoes which worked out just fine. After dinner, Brittney and I stayed with our friends Holly and Tony who live 12 minutes away from Keeneland. 

Race morning all went well. I was a bit nervous with my pre-race nutrition plan. Intermittent fasting has been going really well and I wasn't sure when to break my fast. I raced 45 minutes last week fasted and no issues. So today I decided to run 3 miles then hit a Gu and start drinking Infinit. The thought that I'd run on fat for 3 miles then sugar for 10 sounded good. The race got postponed 15 minutes due to traffic congestion.

 Once we started, I felt great. I hit the first few hills and was passing people going up them. I saw Ray, who works with Brittney at the top of a hill. I was straight cruising. I don't look at pace, I run by feel. I use my app to buzz every 5 minutes and then another at 15 seconds. Like Pavlov's dog, 1st buzz is walk 15 seconds, 2nd buzz means run for 5 minutes..repeat until end of race. I had picked out a specific playlist for the entire race. Which was working beautifully through 6 miles. I saw horses out running, a donkey playing with a horse, runners from ORRRC I recognized, and this beautiful scenic course I was just thankful to be a part of. 

Then out of nowhere, my headphones went silent. These are 2 months old and fully charged. I didn't panic, I tried turning them back on but nothing happened. My mind went frazzled. The music drives my feet. It pushes me. I finally decided to try and fix the issue. I walked and messed around with my cellphone and headphones. I then decided to not worry about the headphones and play the music through the phone. Where all the runners around me would hear it... That lasted 20 seconds where I refused to be "that guy" ruining others race with my music. Some runners like the serene quiet race that Bluegrass offers. I wasn't going to mess that up. I've been annoyed by other runners and their cell phones. I train 90% sans music, I knew I could run this without my tunes. It also meant I had to watch my time and do my intervals without the buzzing. All these thoughts and messing with electronics through me outta my game. No one's fault but mine. Then the "did I just mess up my entire PR attempt because of music" entered my head. I wasn't sure how long I had walked but it seemed like forever. Then the thought, "SHUT UP AND RUN!" entered. The positive vibes, "I can still do this! Were just extra rested and ready for the back half of this!" started up. Most of the aid stations were playing music. One was playing a Grease movie song and that made me think of Heidi and her 50's themed birthday party. That made me smile. I continued to run. I tried to stick to my intervals but found myself running longer than 5 minutes. I think I was trying to make up for lost time. Which in retrospect, I was just trashing my legs. Things happen in races, some good, some just add obstacles. Gotta learn from them! Mile 9 hill is steep. There are drummers halfway up who helped get up that hill. I was feeling good, and still running well. I hit mile 10 and looked at my watch. I needed a walk break but did some quick math. I needed to run 5k in 21 minutes to PR. I knew that wasn't happening. I had to keep pushing. More uphills led to tired legs and the "dead leg" feeling hit at mile 11. I need to research this. It's hit me a few times and I'm not sure why. I tried positive mantras. I tried running with others. I did whatever I could to keep pushing. Then the feeling of OMG I gotta pee hits. I know I have this short stretch and a right turn to the finish. There were a few people out here. I did my best to hide behind a tree and answered nature's call. Good lord did I feel better after that. I went back out and ran through the finish line. 1:49.

I wanted a PR. It's the thing runners covet most. To show you've bettered yourself. Gotten faster! But the PR doesn't always come. If it did, it wouldn't be special. Sometimes everything has to go right or you just have the race of your life. Training has to be specific, and to be honest, I didn't train specifically for this race. I've been doing a lot of cycling and swimming getting ready for tri season. Speed hasn't been my focus, endurance has. So I was a little disappointed. I'm a competitive guy, I wanted to push myself. I feel I pushed myself. I learned to have plans ahead of time, for example..if the headphones or music fail...leave it be. Take over intervals and stay the plan. There's no music allowed in tries but if something else happens...let it be, keep moving forward. Thats a life lesson, not just a race lesson. Later in the day, final results come out, I was 252 overall out of 3176 half marathoners. I was in the top 8%. Not bad for a former fat dude who didn't train specifically for this race. Not bad at all. 

On my way back to cheer on runners, I see Chris come sailing in like a bullet! I find a space at the fence to catch Paige with this huge smile on her face as she runs in like a ball of fire! Team Tech came to Lexington and crushed the race! We all cheered on the runners for just a few minutes when the most beautiful runner, with a smile and strong legs zipping past us, comes past us! Brittney looked strong as she finished her 3rd RuntheBluegrass. Team Tech and I met Brittney at the end and off to pizza we went! This was the best part!! I saw runners from Team RWB Cincinnati who were crushing the race and just so many RWB Eagles who ran strong!

Watch the news or social media talk about obesity rates in the United States and be worried about the future. OR come to a race and see ALL types of people in ALL sorts of shapes pushing themselves at ALL different paces and distances. Then smile as you realize there are a lot of healthy people doing great things. I'm proud and honored to have so many running friends! Now...I'm headed to bed. I'm exhausted!