Revel Mt. Charleston Race Discount 2018

Join team “Chasing Boston” for a $5 discount for the 2019 race.  Race date is 4/27/19.  Code good for the Half or Full.  Sign up quickly as the marathon is the fastest BQ race in the country and sells out very early.

 

You guessed it!  Registration is about to open on the 3rd Annual Revel Mt. Charleston Marathon & Half in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Beginning 5/11/17, registration opens, and will be the lowest price for this race.  (It can, and will) sell out incredibly fast.

I’ve read article after article since Boston last month, stating that Revel Mt. Charleston qualified more runners for the 2017 Boston Marathon than any other race this past year.  It’s real, my friends.  The course is amazingly beautiful, and incredibly fast!  There is a 5,126 ft descent in the Full, and just over 2,000 ft of descent in the Half.

You’ve got to sign up early to enjoy the lowest pricing, and I feel you want a discount on top of that, just sign up on my team.  My team is open to anyone.  This isn’t a team where we need to run together, or even know each other, it’s just a way for us all to enjoy a discount.  So, when registering, just click on the button “join a team” and enter team name “Chasing Boston” into the search field.  Simple!

Race date for 2018 is April 28th.

I ran this years race about a week ago, so I can tell you first hand, train on some downhills.  This race will hurt you in places you never dreamed possible, if you’re not prepared.  I was gunning for a Boston Qualifier, and although I came short, I ran my fastest marathon in three and a half years.  If you train right, you will PR, you will BQ.  Tons of folks do, and I plan on it next year, after some more appropriate training.

 

If you’re a fan of FAST, you’ve got to run this race.

So, here’s the breakdown…..  joining my team saves you $5 off current registration fees.  “Like” them on Facebook during the checkout process, and that will save you an additional $5.

Sound amazing?  It is, and will be again next year!  After all, it’s Vegas Baby!  It’s beautiful, fast, and your golden ticket to Boston!

Tarheel 10 Miler Discount

Here is a discount code for anyone interested in running the 2017 Tarheel 10 Miler or 4 Miler.  Race date is 4/22/17, and will be the 10th Anniversary of this race!  Since it’s a 10 Miler and the 10th Anniversary, I can only imagine what the medal will look like this time around.  It should be epic!

You can visit the website at https://www.tarheel10miler.com

Enter discount code “TH10PAUL” for either race, and enjoy a $5 discount off current registration rates.

See you you in Chapel Hill!

Bull City Half Marathon- Race Recap

This past Sunday I ran Bull City Race Fest again!  Third time in the four years the race has been running.  The only time I didn’t run it was a few years ago when I ran the Greensboro Marathon the day before.  Yes, I hated to miss it that year but I just couldn’t get myself out of bed at 4am after a marathon the day before.  My legs and energy were shot.  This year was another story.

Everything about this race is just awesome.  Tons of runners, nearly 6,000 every year running the Half, Five miler and 1 miler combined.  I was asked to be on the pace team again this year, one of my absolute favorite things to do.  Since I’ve been struggling a bit with my feet I decided to pace the 9:00 mile group.

I paced with with a great runner, Drew, who I hadn’t met at previous pace experiences at this race.  He was an awesome pace partner.  In 2013 I paced the 1:45:00 finish group, in 2015 I paced the 8:30 per mile group with my son, and now 2016 the 9:00 mile group.

Race morning was near perfection weather wise.  52 degrees, and just beautiful.  This race has always been ultra lucky with fantastic weather.  We lined up with our pace sign about 20 minutes prior to the gun.  As you can imagine, this group was loaded with folks wanting to beat the 2:00:00 Half finish.  I love a huge group of runners, especially on a hilly course.  Runners ebb and flow, and you get a chance to meet and talk with so many new faces along the way!

Our race was filled with ups and downs, as you would expect on the hills of Durham.  Such a great course though, giving runners a chance to see many parts of the city.  We kept a great consistent pace.  Constantly checking our progress, Drew and I maintained a pace of about 8:57 through the first half of the course.  As with most races, our timing devices were a little off from each other, and also the mile markers on course, but doing the extrapolations each mile, we were confident our pace was on target especially knowing how difficult and hilly the final miles are.

We ended up bringing tons of folks across the line with new PR’s, and many more just so happy to finish that tough race.  Pacing is always tough work.  My goals are different depending on each races expectations of how close to the target each pacer should be, and much to my surprise I came across the line with a perfect 1:58:00, 9:00 minute mile pace.  So difficult to nailed it perfectly, in fact I’ve never done it.  Most races expect a finish within a minute under goal time, but not over.  This one may go down in the books as the only perfect finish I’ll ever have.

It was a great day!  Finish festival with food trucks is always a bonus, especially when you can spread out and bask in the sun and also the glow of an awesome finish!  Thanks Bull City, and big thanks to Drew for pacing with me!  I shall return!

Herald of Victory Marathon -Recap

The long and curious absence from my blog can be summed up in one word….

BUSY

Well, many words can actually describe my absence.  Packing, moving, job change, vacation, graduation.  They all equal a complete and total lack of time to blog.

Well, I’m back.  Let me catch you up on a few things.  I celebrated the graduation of my youngest son a month ago with family in town and a very expensive dinner.  We had a blast.  The most important thing being that my son enjoyed every moment of it, and is just about six weeks away now from walking onto his new college campus to start classes for the next phase in life.  I’ve been getting myself used to not seeing him as much, as I have given him a lot more independence this Summer.  He takes the reigns on his own life very soon.  Sad, but true.

In the midst of everything, I had a trip to see my Dad in NY, and to run marathon #27. My Dad and I had a blast together.  The marathon?  Maybe my toughest one to date.  I can sum up the race in one word…  Well two,….BEASTLY HOT!  Seriously, the race was the day before Memorial Day, usually a moderate temperature time of year for upstate New York.  Not to be.  It was hot and humid my entire four day visit.  Topped off with race morning temperatures in the low 70’s, and about 92 degrees by the time I finished.  I normally don’t race just to finish, but I race that day with the goal of surviving the heat and living another day.  It worked.  Get this, the Herald of Victory Marathon was an inaugural race.  Never done before, but so attractive to me because it gave me a chance to run a marathon where I grew up.  Even though the conditions were excruciating at times (most of the time) I had a smile on my face and a positive attitude from start to finish.  I knew I would finish, even in those temperatures.  I took it easy from the very beginning, thoughts of not wanting to have nothing left in that kind of heat 20 miles in.  I finished.  I ran through Binghamton, Vestal, Johnson City, Chenango Forks, over bridges, through beautiful parks, past cheering spectators in utter and complete appreciation for every volunteer along the way keeping me hydrated and pumped up and energized.

With a finish time of 4:30:33 (a personal worst), the Herald of a Victory Marathon was a huge victory for me personally.  Victorious over another grueling 26.2 mile run.  I managed my race very well from start to finish.  I owned it!  Believe it or not there were only 8 finishers under the 4:00:00 mark.  Eight!  A race with 113 finishers in 90+ degrees, I finished 24th.  My worst time, but a stunning accomplishment on the day.  I’ve learned a lot about myself as a runner, fighting conditions, letting my body and mind do the work.  I never cramped, I was never overcome by the heat.  I did the right things that day and made it to the finish with a smile, my Dad welcoming me over the finish line.

Since that day I’ve only run once.  Once in six weeks. I needed a break.  Five marathons this year, my muscles and really the rest of my body needed a break.  Time to relax and rejuvenate.

I promise I will be better with my blogging, too.  Back on the streets today for a run, and back at the blogging game.  So, how have you been?  Are you enjoying the Summer?

Here are a few pix from my NY trip before I head out on errands today.

Running New York

Someone once told me that selling a house and moving is one of the most stressful things in life to do.  I completely agree!  I have been in the the middle of this stress for the last three months.

After making the decision to go ahead with plans to sell the house (youngest graduating in a few weeks) and downsizing, a lot of work was in front of us.  We painted and updated almost every room in the house during spare time from work, projects taking just over two months.  Contractors taking care of things we couldn’t, mostly on the exterior and yard.  Going through everything in the house from top to bottom, organizing, packing, throwing things away, donating others.  Cleaning, staging, and finally listing the house.

We had an offer in 1 day!  1 day!

Now it’s go time!  I thought the tough work was done?  Oh no, there’s more to do.  Now to do final organizing, and packing everything else that hasn’t been packed.  The scheduling, finding a new place, yep, this is stressful.

I’ve only moved once since my college days.  Because I took a relocation opportunity with my employer at the time, the selling of the house, the packing, the moving, were all done for me.  Not true this time.  That was 17 years ago.  Fast forward to now, and not only am I much older, but much less forgiving.  This has been a very hard process!

I’ve been in my attic four out of the last six days, going through boxes, uncovering things I had forgotten all about.  I am tired!  I did uncover some true gems though….  like my High School letter jacket, old vinyl albums, tennis trophies from my younger days of competitive tennis, scrapbooks, and countless photo albums and pictures from a life that seems a lifetime ago.  Treasures really.  I found my class ring, and I found this, which I had no idea I actually saved.

Introducing, an artifact from 21 years ago.  My first race bib!

I don’t remember that I ever kept it, that was the most surprising discovery of all the last few days.  My first ever race, back in 1995.  A race in Batavia, NY.  A 10k.  I have no idea what my finish time was, believe me, I’ve tried finding online results, they just don’t exist.  I just remember that day in July being scortchingly hot, and running my heart out til I almost collapsed.  I have the race shirt somewhere, too.  I just can’t find it, but one day I will.

This journey of packing up my life to move has really been eventful.  I’ve dusted off some old memories (even popping in a few Prince cassettes, yes cassettes, into the tape deck to listen to) while I worked at cleaning up my life in the house.  It’s now time to finalize my life here, where my kids grew up, and start a new journey.  It’s all bittersweet, but looking forward to this next step in life.

Once I finally have a permanent new home, that race bib will be the first one hung.  That bib signifies a running journey that began so long ago.  As the final days approach before my 27th marathon, having stolen a peek at where my running days began kind of brings this race full circle.  Even though my upcoming Herald of Victory Marathon in Binghamton, NY will be in a different city from my first foot race, it will still be in the same state where it all began for me.  Back on the streets of New York.

Why do YOU run marathons?

I’ve read article after article about the reasons why someone should run a marathon.  Every article seems to list a top 5, a top 10, a top 3 reasons why you should.  But, for me the reasons why are just too numerous to count.

It’s all very personal.  Don’t you agree?  I want to push myself further than I ever thought possible, I want to run it to raise money for charity, I want to qualify for the Olympics….the list goes on and on and on.  Some may say they want to run a marathon simply to say they did.  Some run for time, some run for fun.  Some even walk.  I want to hear from you!

I’m going to blog about my readers’ top reasons to run a marathon.  More of a personal approach.  Real life, real runner reasons.  I’m going to compile YOUR reasons to run and blog about the TOP 5!

I’ll start things off with my top reasons…. why I run marathons.

1.  Inner sense of accomplishment
2. Clarity of mind
3. Pushing my physical limits
4. The break it gives me from “real life”
5. Creating my own legacy

Have you ever given it a lot of thought?  Maybe you just run to run, because you love it.  But why?  Why do you love it?  Please share your thoughts…

On the eve of my 27th marathon these thoughts cross my mind.  I often ask myself why I do this, and sometimes the reasons do change from race to race, year to year.  One thing remains true for me, the marathon is epic!  Running a marathon is no small feat and should be celebrated by all who complete one.

26 Glorious 26.2’s

For those of you who have been keeping track (and this probably includes only me), the Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh Marathon on April 10th was my 26th full marathon.  I’ve considered myself a bit OCD when it comes to numbers, so this one was a big deal!  Don’t you have a favorite number?  A lucky number?  Numbers that y don’t care for or feel odd about?  Back several years ago my phone number included my birth date, my age and my sons age.  Of course that only lasted a year or so, but funny stuff with numbers is kinda cool to me.  They call an affection for numbers like this arithmomania.  I definitely have that when it comes to my most recent marathon!

Twenty-six twenty-six point twos.  Yep, most runners will never hit that mark.  I mean, if you consider that less than 1% of the worlds population has ever completed one marathon, what must the percentage be for someone running 26 of them?  A numerologist would have all sorts of fun figuring the statistics on people who run say more than 1, or more than 5.  More than 10, more than 25, or even higher.  It’s a crazy number that I hope will only continue upward for me.  Let’s hope the body continues to hold up!

So yeah, my “double weekend”, including the Rock ‘n’ Roll 5k, which was my last blog post almost three weeks ago, was followed up by the marathon the next day.  This was another race that I’m proud to have been running with my son.  He ran the Half, to a blistering new PR, and although the course was extremely difficult, I managed a sub 4 finish.

Weather was pure perfection that day.  Unusually cold at the start, followed by tons and tons of sunshine and a gradual warm up.  A course that winds its way all over Raleigh up and down hills past historic cemeteries, buildings and monuments.  Past several colleges, and local landmarks, this race is really a feast for your eyes.  My first half was really good considering the hills.  I went out at a pace just over 8:00 minutes per mile, and maintained a sub 8:35 pace until a tough spot at mile 10.

Considering the fact that I had just run a marathon a week prior, I was feeling pretty good.  As the marathon and half courses split, that section through Meredith College was a big challenge.  Not for the faint of heart.  Or legs for that matter.  It’s a true test, but also rewarded with a downhill as runners head back toward NC State.  Even though my son is a student at State, there were parts of the course on the campus that I had never seen, and it was truly beautiful.  Centennial campus was just a really great part of the course!

Now, what follows on Avent Ferry Road was another true test of grit!  I believe for me, this was the beginning of the end for my speed.  I eeked it out, but man was it tough.  I didn’t have a ton of expectations for a finish time that day, I pretty much just wanted to finish in one piece.  My legs were already tired from a disastrous marathon seven days prior at All American.  You remember, my worst marathon finish ever.  I really only wanted to go sub 4 in Raleigh.

My pace and legs were wrecked by the time I hit Lake Johnson in Raleigh, but the views and quiet of running around the lake for the first time gave me some positive enregy for the final six miles of the race.  Just look at this picture I took.  Pure running serenity!

Time to head back northwest to the city, the course was pretty unforgiving.  With the exception of mile 22, where I had a burst of energy, and managed an 8:51 pace, each of my last six miles were over 10 minutes per mile.  I was beat!  I was looking forward to seeing my family at the finish.  Once I finally crested the ridiculous Boylan Avenue hill, I turned east and on into the city for the finish.  My younger son was waiting for me about 3/10 of a mile before the finish.  He surprised me, and I asked he join me and run me in to the finish.  He gladly accepted, although he wasn’t dressed for it at all. 🙂

Thanks to that final bit of energy he gave me, I gave it all I had and crossed the line in 3:59:05.  Two marathons in seven days, I’ve barely run since.  I was rewarded however with a nice marathon medal, and finish jacket.  I also received the “Remix” medal for completing both races during the weekend of events.  Although this marathon course will never be listed or described as flat, or easy, it’s always a joy to run the streets of Raleigh, my states Capitol.

I finished 30th in my AG, and 246th overall out of nearly a thousand finishers.  Top 25 percent, I’ll take it.  I hope to return to this race next year and give it another go.  I surely recommend it!

New Years Day Discount

Don’t miss out on this epic race!  I will be pacing the 4:00 marathon this year, so sign up and join me.  Today, you get a special 2016 discount!

10 days til @nycmarathon

Only one race remains on my 2015 running calendar, and it’s a big one!  It truly has been another epic year of running for me, and I get to cap it off with another of the six marathon majors in just 10 days!

Yes, the New York City Marathon is quickly approaching.  Deep into taper mode at this point, it’s really all now about the planning.  Logistics and mental preparedness.  The body is ready.  Legs have recovered from Chicago, and the only things that remain for me before the race are a few short runs, and a road trip to New York.

Tomorrow is my last day off from work until I leave on my NY journey next Wednesday.  I plan on getting my race shirt emblazoned with the names of my charity donors.  It’s not too late to donate.  I still have not hit my fundraising goal, so with any donation to my charity partner, the James Blake Foundation, your name will be proudly inscribed on my shirt!  Your thoughtfulness will get permanently written on my shirt so that you too, will get to run the streets of NYC with me.

Click on the following link to be taken directly to my fundraising page on Crowdrise, where you can make a donation in any amount with just a few clicks.  Thank you so much for your help in the fight against cancer.

https://www.crowdrise.com/jamesblakenyc2015/fundraiser/paullaviska

Because of the fact that I am going to absolutely slay this race, I have been placed into Corral 1, right along with all of the Professional men.  Yep, starting with the likes of Meb Keflezghi.  Yes, he is my special friend and inspiration.

I gest.  Yes, we’ve clearly met, but I doubt I’ll even see him on race day.  Only in my dreams could I run as fast as he can.  :). I do, however, plan on giving this race my all.  I will be running with inspiration.  Running for my charity partner.  Running for those suffering with cancer.

So, as the countdown to New York continues, tomorrow we enter the single digits.  It’s all becoming very real.  The countless hours I’ve spent fundraising, the countless hours pounding the pavement will all culminate as I line up on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at 9:50am for a three hour plus run through the streets of New York City.  I couldn’t be more excited!  It all begins in just ten days.

Chicago Marathon 2015- Race Recap

What can I say about thus amazing race that hasn’t already been said?  I’ve read so many awesome reviews, comments, posts and recaps.  It seems this race just does not fail to deliver a first rate, amazing experiences to runners from all over the world.  Here is my experience along with a few photos.

Back when I first learned that I made it into the race for the second straight year, there was really hardly ever a question in my mind that I would run it.  Yes, it’s expensive.  $185 just to secure your spot.  Then there’s travel expenses, and for me that includes, flights, hotel, food and various other things.  I knew it was going to be an expensive affair, but after my amazing experience in Chicago in 2014, I knew I had to go back for more!

My flight to Chicago left home early in the morning the day before the race.  It was a very easy two hour direct flight that landed me in Illinois at 8:30am.  I had been toying for quite some time about if I would attempt to just go directly to my hotel and try to check in, or to go directly to the race expo and get it out of the way.  Since I was just using train service again this year, I figured it just best to go on straight to McCormick Place and breeze through the expo.  We took the Orange train from Midway to Roosevelt, and then hoofed it about 1.6 miles lugging along baggage and carry-ons.  That was a mistake.  It didn’t look that far on the map.  Should have taken the Green line south one stop, but didn’t.  Lesson learned if I go back to Chicago for a third time!

The expo hadn’t been open that long on Saturday when I arrived, but it was packed to the gills.  A huge expo, but such an amazing set-up.  So easy to pick up bib and timing chip, with a full walk through the convention center to grab race shirt and bag.  I was actually impressed with the shirt this year.  Last years was gray, and a bit lackluster.  I ended up choosing to wear last years shirt for the race this year, and painted my name on it.  I wanted to be cheered for!  Here’s a look at my race day shirt and bib.  I also painted “Lucky 21” on the back, since this was my 21st marathon.

You’ll get to see this years race shirt with my medal at the end of the post.  ;). Since I spent a fairly significant amount of time at the expo last year, I really didn’t have a need to shop around or look at much.  I wanted to get out fairly quickly and get on to the hotel.

A three block walk from the convention center, we hopped on the Green Line train and headed to the Hampton Inn Downtown.  So close to the action, and so convenient.  The building used to be the home of the Chicago Motor Club.  It was built in 1928, and has recently been renovated and now my hotel for the weekend!

Most buildings in Chicago are quite historic, and the we had a room on the top floor, with amazingly tall ceilings.  It was very comfortable.  Luckily they were ready for us to check in even though we were several hours early.  Once we successfully check in, and changed clothes, it was out to explore Chicago, and grab some grub!  What food do you think of when you think of Chicago?  Deep Dish Pizza, right?  Well yeah!  We headed out for Gino’s East.  Never ate there last year, so it was the first stop!

Man, oh man!  They had the most amazing sauce I think I’ve ever had.  I filled up quite well I do have to say so.  With a fully carbed up system it was time to do some more walking.  Magnificent Mile is always fun, and we wrapped up the walking tour with a trip to Garrett’s Popcorn.  Certainly a Chicago institution, and always a highlight of my trips to Chi-town.  I think it was about 6pm when we headed back to the hotel for the night.  No, I wasn’t up late.  Marathon morning was a mere hours away, and I needed to get my feet up and rest.

If I am remembering correctly, I think I got up at 4:15am on Sunday.  Since I had fallen to sleep around 9pm the night before, I felt completely refreshed and ready for the marathon ahead.  I had been hydrating like fiend for days in anticipation of the warm temperatures that were predicted for race day.  I went down to the lobby, and stepped outside for a quick glimpse.  It was warm.  There’s always a breeze, if not full on wind in Chicago, so it felt pretty comfortable.  Tons warmer than last year, I knew I wouldn’t be cold heading to the starting line this time around.  With temperatures heading into the high 70’s though in the afternoon, I grabbed a Gatorade before heading out for the race.

A simple 10 minute walk had me nearing Jackson Ave., the site of my Corral C entrance.  I met a few friends for a photo op, and off we were into a sea of runners heading into Grant Park.  The process to get through security is a bit unnerving, as it is a bottleneck until you pass through the security check points, and on into the park.  I never felt like I needed to use the bathroom one last time until I had actually been standing in the Corral for about five minutes.  It then became quickly uncomfortable, and knew that at some point I would have to stop to relieve myself.

As race time neared there is all sorts of fanfare.  The announcer spoke, the National Anthem was sung, and before you knew it we were off.  Off and running one of the biggest races in the country.  The feeling really is quite electric.  My goals for the race were really kind of vague.  Chicago was my “gotta do it” race for the Fall season.  A race where I didn’t really have any concrete plans for finish time or pace, I really just wanted to really soak in the experience and enjoy the crowds.  Hence, the reason I painted my name on my shirt.  With 1.7 million spectators lining nearly every inch of the course, I think I heard my name chanted no less than a few hundred times.  It was amazing!

The race course in Chicago is really unique.  You get to see everything!  North, South, East, West.

Yes, this is an old map I found online, but it’s the same course we ran.  I felt good the first few miles, and thought I would be happy finishing under my time from 2014, but I knew as the day heated up, it would probably be tough to better my time this year.  I really didn’t care.  I opted to set a goal early on in the race to beat 3:50:00.  I knew the type of pace I needed to run, and I would stick with it.  The trip though downtown is amazing, the miles ticked by.  Lincoln Park came into view, and the trip north.  I felt good, but I was already warming up.  My pace felt slow for the beginning of a marathon, and I knew I just had to keep even, but have fun.

The sights, the sounds, the smells of each neighborhood is such an amazing experience.  Unique and special.  It really was amazing how quickly the first half of the race had come and gone.  I felt good.  My legs were good, and after I finally found a portolet, I knew I could just run.  As the temperatures rose, so did my sweating,  Everyone was sweating.  I knew I had to make full use of the aid stations so that I didn’t put myself in harms way.  I DID NOT want any legs cramps.  Not in Chicago!  Not this race.  My last marathon in July had been filled with miles and miles of debilitating cramps, and I was not going to let this happen to my Chicago Marathon.  Taking aid every two miles I know cost me some time, but it had to be done.  I think every time I passed a medical station there were folks being attended to.  I was too warm for a marathon, and I had to take this into consideration.

I love the hell out of this race though!  The crowds were amazing.  Certainly a highlight for me.  I trodded along, slow at times, but enjoying myself.  I would make it to the finish!  This, I had to keep repeating to myself, once I hit mile 20.  I felt the WALL this time.  It was the heat.  Normally I can push thought a race without much of a thought about hitting the wall, but this one did me in.  It was a huge mental and physical struggle that final 10k.  I just kept saying one mile at a time.  One mile at a time.  Eventually you’ll get there.  My focus was now to keep going to beat that 3 hour 50 minute mark.  It really kept me going. I would never give up, but my body kept telling me to walk.  I wouldn’t do it!  I would not walk.  I was rewarded for my efforts when I made the final turn and saw the cheering fans in the stands.  I had done it.  Two Chicago’s in a row.

My finish time?  3:49:38.  About eight minutes slower this year, but I didn’t care.  I grabbed that medal, and wore it proudly the rest of the weekend!  I earned that medal!  I earned that finish time.  My splits?  Yeah, completely affected by the day warming up as I ran.

10k – 49:15

Half – 1:47:07

30k – 2:36:26

Aside from a faster miles 3-6 than my first 3 miles, my pace slowly but surely rose as the race wore on.  It happens.  I was just too warm, and wanted more than anything to play it safe, and get to the finish in one piece.  I did it!  I love Chicago!  You MUST run Chicago if you haven’t.  At least once.  Hell, I love the city and the race so much I’ll probably (definitely) enter the lottery again next year.  🙂

Here are a few pictures from the rest of the day, and next before I flew home.  Another epic visit to Chicago!

My shirt and medal photo!