Pete Tanguay

Had a great time at the Dam Night Run5k last night.  980 runners, running a net downhill course across the Dam to Lake DeGray.  We had about 25 people from the running club there and cooked out and enjoyed the moonlight after the race. 

Felt real good throughout the race.  I got a 7 minute pace that I could hold and held it through the first 2 miles.  The 3rd mile was flat / slight uphill and so I slowed a bit.  Kept pushing and passed people the entire race.  The end was a 180 degree turn into the parking lot and a sprint and I passed a couple people and could feel someone coming up on me but did not let them pass.  I had hoped to get under 22 minutes but mostly wanted to have a well run race.  It was.  I learn so much through putting the body through the test and running races.

My official time was 22:01 and I was 3rd in my age group.  Not sure why my Garmin says 22:12, but I’d say the Garmin is more accurate!  Although they were calling out splits in the race and my mile 1 was 6:59 and mile 2 was 14:07. 

Drove 65 miles to run 3.1 miles and then drove 65 miles back home.  What am I thinking?  It’s all for the team.  This was a grand prix race and I run for the Conway Running Club.  Great friends and great races together.  At the 7:30 start the temp was already in the high 70’s or 80’s.  Race started with a .2  mile uphill (also finished with this – downhill).  Paced myself up this hill and got onto the route.  I felt like I was going at a snails pace and already breathing heavily into the first mile.  Ran the first mile in a 7:04.  Goal was to keep working and not slow down to an easy or conservative pace.  Picked up the pace on a good downhill (we came back up this hill later) and focused on staying with some runners and passing some. 

I felt that in the last 5k I did I started my kick too late and finished with too much left and tried to start my kick at mile 2, attacked the hill and worked to keep picking up the pace.  Had someone I was wanting to beat that I passed about 1/2 mile out from the finish line and kept picking it up.  Tried to run a controlled pace and a controlled race. 

Although my time was a minute slower than a 5k a month ago that was flat and cooler, I am happy with my time.  I still want to get my 5k time down into the 21 – 22 minute range. 

Had a nice run up Mount Magazine today. 3 miles of flat and 6 miles up the mountain. It was beautiful and not too hard since I was running with someone who was slower and needed some encouragement. We ran walked after mile 5 or so and I tried to keep him running. Definitely a race I would do again.

Had a good race this morning.  Had only run a couple times this week as I had been out of town.  I’m a little frustrated that my mile 3-4 were not down in the 7:30 pace but that’s ok.  Had a good finish.  I think I am running hard, but not racing.  I try to make sure that I do not run out of gas on the course and I don’t, but I wonder how much more I could do if I could push myself harder.  Now, with that said, I felt real good today.  Had a nice first mile, stayed controlled and relaxed the entire race and finished relatively strong.  It was a beautiful day and race route and I got second place in my age division (that is because 2 others placed in the senior masters divisions and can not place in the 50-54 age group, otherwise I would have been 4th).  Just off the golf course where I shot a 75 (best round of the year!), 3 over on the front and even on the back so it’s been a good day and a great start to a Memorial Day weekend. 

We got new Conway Running Club singlets to run in and Judy had them at the race today.  I ordered a shirt but not a singlet.  I’ve committed to run all of my races for Mavia and remember the families who are fighting NF.  I don’t wear it any other time and don’t run a race without it.  It’s added an element to my racing and I deeply hope that some day they will find a way to treat and cure NF.  It is definitely possible. 

Had a good 5k run this morning.  I had hoped to get under 22 minutes and missed it by 5 seconds on my watch and 3 seconds official time.  You would think there were three seconds to be found out there!  Honestly, I didn’t leave it all out on the course.  I finished with a lot of gas left in the tank.  I ran too conservative.  It didn’t hurt like it should.  I could have squeezed another 10 seconds out of that race if I would have pushed.  Great learning experience, I’ll do better next time.  I am not disappointed, just wiser.

Great weather for the race.  When I woke up at 5:30am it was thunder and lightning real close and the electricity was going on and off in the house.  But weather.com said there was a clearing about race time!!

I headed out and sure enough when we go there the rain was gone and other than wet roads, we had perfect weather.  Right after the awards, it started pouring again.  I focused on running where I was in the race – pick up the pace to the corner, catch up and pass that person, etc. rather than focusing on my time.  I got 3rd in my age group again which is nice. 

Had a good race on a course with a lot of hills.  On the bright side, there were a lot of up and downhills so if you managed it right you can balance it out a bit.  Set out to run 9 minute miles as long as I could and that was basically through mile 15.  At mile 15 Lynn met me and handed me a cliff bar and a running bottle filled with Amino Vital drink.  I did not feel like I was struggling at that point.  However, as I ate my cliff bar and got some hydration, I was also heading up a pretty good hill and it seemed to take a lot out of me.  As you can see from the Garmin, I slowed on this hill (which is understandable) but after this I could never get my pace back (which is not).  I never gave up, kept working the race but basically saw an immediate 1 minute 20 second difference / mile for the next 7 miles.  I don’t really  understand this.  I want to learn what I can do in this situation.  I’ve learned a lot and am in a position to figure this one out.  In the past I would get discouraged, try to run faster, burn up more energy and hit a wall.    I did not hit a wall.  I’ve really learned about my nutrition and hydration needs in the races and feel I have good plans for that.  It was quite a bit hotter during these miles but really it was my legs not running the pace I wanted them to run.  I dropped another minute per mile in miles 23-25, taking a little longer at the aide stations to make sure I got plenty of hydration.  As I got in to the last mile it was down and up with net up and I ran real strong.  Nobody passed me in the last 4 miles and I passed a number of people. 

It’s so great to have running friends.  Ran with Claudia for the first 15 miles and when I slowed, she kept to the plan and finished in 4:06.  Frank was a bit behind us, then caught us and then dropped back with some cramping.  Here’s part of our group, some registered for the full and some the half. 

I finished 41 overall out of 102 men in the race and third out of 9 in my age group.  One of these I passed in the last mile which is nice to know.  On the enjoyable side, this was a good race.  I ran what my body could run and enjoyed the beautiful course, even the hills.  I am more interested now in learning about my running than what time I finish.  This is my 4th marathon in 5 months and I am ready for a break and then some work on specific things.  I ran again for Mavia, my NF hero and it has become a very meaningful thing to wear my NF shirt and to be a part of her and her family’s struggle with NF.  Frank also had his NF shirt on and it was great to run together for the time we were able. 

My official finishing time was 4:14:50, which is a bit longer than my garmin.  They did not use chips so part of it was this, although we were very close to the front, and part of it was when we went through a long tunnel and I lost satellite, I think. 

Didn’t feel I was ready for this race as I have been teaching tennis on Tues & Thursday mornings and therefore have not done any speedwork or hills or tempo runs for 8 weeks.  I’ve been doing good runs and long runs but the thought of doing a 10k was met with “I am not ready for this”.  My goal was to keep it controlled at the start, run every mile under 8 min/mile pace and finish strong.  I did that and so I feel good about it.  I had to hold back at the beginning as the lead runners were at a 7 minute pace and I kept an eye on my watch and settled in to a more controlled pace.  As I got into the race, all I could think about was how I didn’t want to be there.  Interesting.  But I kept in mind the every mile under 8 min/mile and kept my pace and then picked it up about mile 4.  I had 3 people that I wanted to finish in front of that I picked off one at a time and finished strong.  Overall it was a good race.  Still don’t feel I was ready for it.  I am anxious to get back out to speed work and tempo runs.  Tennis is over.  Yeah!!!!  One week until the Hogeye marathon.   Nice 6 mile run in the morning and tapering for hogeye.

I’ve had a nice week off after the LR Marathon last Sunday, only running once.  We often underestimate the need and the value for rest and recovery.  You have to have something to recover from, for sure, but when you do it is so important to rest.

I had planned to run with someone else this morning at a much slower pace but they decided not to run so all of a sudden it was, “let’s run this fast”.  Woke up a little tired and tight but loosened up and had a fun race.  2 miles is such a short distance.  I feel like I could have done a little better but also feel good about my finish.  Seems like I always feel like I could have done a little better, maybe I need to translate that into race time!

Came in 3rd in my age group, behind 2nd place by 2 seconds.  Ran with my NF Singlet on for Mavia again.  I’ll run all of my races with this on – it’s a nice constant reminder that we hope to find a cure or at least better treatment for NF and I enjoy having the Evensons in my life and all of my races.  Just one more little thing to make life a little better and if it raises some awareness then all the better. 

Really glad I ran today as I was getting a little out of running with the recovery week and this has gotten me fired up again!  Last year I ran this race 13 seconds faster so it’s not a PR but it is a feeling of accomplishment to run a couple miles under a 7 minute mile.  For some reason this race has gotten me fired up to run the Hogeye Marathon in 4 weeks.  What am I thinking.  Why can’t I say no?  I’ll decide tomorrow but it looks like it’s ON!

Another marathon behind me.  It was a good race, perfect weather day and the added element of running for the NF Endurance team was great.  Children and adults with NF have such a challenge and yet I have to say that they are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met.  They have a wonderful support network and are out there cheering for eachother, helping those running on their team, etc.  I met my NF Hero, Mavia Evenson, and her brother and parents on Saturday night at the NF Pasta dinner and it was a great time.  Here they were at the starting line – Mavia, Maddox and Mommy (Karrie)

And then one with Ryan as well.

I ran the first 8 miles with the 3:45 pace group and had planned to run the first half with them if I could stay with them without burning up too much in the first half.  Going up an incline about mile 8 I let them go and kept a pace I felt comfortable with through the first half.  I finished the half at 1:54, about 3 minutes behind where they finished it.  Curt and Brad met me just after this point and began running with me.  This is where the hills started and this is where the work started.  I had planned to keep all of my miles under 9 min/mile and as I started going up these hills it was taking a lot of energy to keep this pace and I fell back.  The hills were pretty much mile 13.3 or so to mile 17 and even though I had lots of help, I could feel the legs getting tired. 

From a fuel and hydration standpoint I had an excellent race, always had plenty and felt good.  It’s just that by mile 18 or so my legs just couldn’t keep the pace I wanted.  I kept telling Curt and Brad to run a specific pace and I’d catch them and try to hang with them but the legs wouldn’t go.  I worked on different form issues, etc. to try to get back to this pace but couldn’t.  Here’s Curt and I coming in to the finish, my awesome pacer and you can still see that he is carrying the “fuel”.

All in all it was a good race.  I didn’t expect a PR as I hadn’t trained as seriously for this race.  I decided to run it after my 2 marathons in Nov and Dec last year, figuring I was already into my training and I did some long runs but not really a full training schedule.  Mostly 16’s a 20 and a 23, although my 23 mile training run was real slow.  The positives I take from the race are that I have finished another marathon, my 7th, I worked hard through the race and kept going, I finished strong and I ran for something more than a time on a clock.  As a result, we have a new family in our lives that we’ll have as friends forever and that makes it all worthwhile.  And here are the details.

My official time was 4:11:53, I stopped a couple times to try and stretch my legs to get me moving faster and my garmin must have stopped.

Added a new twist to the marathon day experience.  After the marathon I spent the afternoon at one of Madeleine’s dance competitions and then played a team tennis match at 6pm.  Fortunately you use different muscles playing tennis than running but the legs were pretty shot!  We won our match 6-0, 6-2.

Out of nowhere I had the urge to join the NF Endurance Team and add a fundraising dimension to my Little Rock Marathon experience.  Wow, has this been awesome.  I now have a whole new family in my life, people that seem to be such nice people and I haven’t even met them yet.  I set up a fundraising page and started raising money to help find a cure for NF.  If you are reading this, please stop right now and check out this page.  I challenge you to be able to read it and not become a member of my team.  I think that is about as possible as eating just one Lay’s potato chip.  Let me know if you are able to do it. 

Here is my introductory note to Mavia, my NF hero, in her online guestbook.