You Shook Me...

I sit at my computer a lot and go through several websites that detail races in my area...which I promptly narrow down to half marathons since there is no need to show me those 50-100 milers...you would have to be certifiable! I sign up...I train...I run...I get a medal...post to Facebook and ice down, but this one will be different.

So for the Richmond AmFam Half Marathon I decided to run for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training and raise funds for research and assistance to families. This hit close to home as I had known a couple of people affected. So now I get setup with a coach for proper race training and fundraising coordinators to help me through and leading up to race day. This isn't the first time I had gone through fundraising of course as a coupe of years earlier had raised money for the Special Olympics by doing a "Polar Plunge" at Virginia beach in the middle of February...exhilarating to say the least!

Our Fredericksburg group met up weekly either on Saturday or Sunday to train and gain the good advice of our coach Bob Cooper...who he himself does those ultra races mentioned earlier. With great guidance surely helped us better prepare for what we were getting ready to partake in. The fundraising was something that had me a little worried...they set you a minimum of $1500 to raise which was way  more than I had ever done before, but with constant tips and advise from the LLS staff...the money started rolling in. My worries turned to realization...once I had put it out into the social media mix what I was working towards did the stories from friends and family started rolling in...so many affected...the stories ranged from triumph to of course...heartbreak.

Incentivevisers...not completely sure if that's a word or not as I am hand writing this draft (computer says "No") but I'm leaving it in anyway...we can call it gimmicks too I guess. First, autographed tube socks with certificate of authenticity...this really got the ball rolling. Later on added custom autographed prints (the ego swells) in addition to socks...gotta get photoshopped involved somehow. Now how about something people will really want...Bonnie's homemade chocolate chip cookies...by the dozen...which turned our house into a bakery for a couple of weeks. Little did I know what lay ahead.

A thing of beauty...

Also a thing of beauty!

I was absolutely perfect...a friend remaining anonymous put up $250 challenge if I could push through another $250 in five days. I was tingling with excitement and promptly began posting and messaging like there were no tomorrow...well it was like a snowball rolling down Mount Everest. By that last day I had gained over $600 and with the $250 from the slickest friend I know...put me well over the $1500 goal...and it kept on going....and going! All of a sudden I was over $2000...then $2500. I couldn't believe it. That is when I got the email from LLS noting that I was the second largest fundraiser...in the state of Virginia...wow...and was not far off from first.

I wanted that number one spot...I had come to the conclusion that I will in fact never win a race, but this...this was obtainable. Unfortunately I had exhausted my ideas or "Incentivevisers" down to the last fails safe-hail Mary...shaving my head. I knew that this would do it and the best part was that a wonderful young fighter of leukemia...Alexis...would have the honors as well. I had three weeks to get $300...it took less than five days, pushing me over $3000. So that Saturday afternoon I bid farewell to the mostly grey hair that I didn't care much for anyway and got the perfect cut from the perfect barber.

Buzzed!

So let us get to race day...and my loathing for weather reports. W had the banquet that Friday night before the race and got to meet the team as a whole for inspiration and carbs of course. Got lots of great tips and listened to inspirational speeches, an amazing night. We spent that evening at my dads just outside of Richmond and woke up the next morning...to rain. This was completely unexpected as reports were saying zero percent chance...I should have known. I learn new things all the time with running races and this would be a biggie...when racing out of town...bring ALL your gear no matter how remote thee chances of needing it are. We headed back to the hotel where we had had our banquet the night before and donned our trash bags to stay dry while heading to the start line...chilly and wet, not very ideal...or at all but here we go!

The gun sounded and we were off right down the middle of West Broad street heading right into tepid rain showers squinting to see the road ahead of us...I could feel my socks already damp and knew I was on my way to Blisterville. Eventually the rain died off and my muscles warmed up as the miles counted down...along the way shouts of inspiration from spectators helped propel us forward along with our coaches that were scattered along the route to provide support as well. The wind started to kick up now and i felt my core temp dropping as i was dragging semi-wet clothes on me and the muscles started to ache and tighten. By mile seven I had to pull off for a pit-stop and start the stretching...and about every mile after that too...some days you're hot, and some you're not. The last 300 yards was a steep descent to the finish...sounds ideal right? Not quite the case since the pounding of cold muscles for thirteen miles wears them down to the point of near injury. I felt like a Clydesdale clopping down towards the end and had finally had enough...leaned forward and let the momentum take over powering me across the line into a powerful finish as if we're chasing down first place (he crossed about and hour and a half before me of course). I collected my medal, a nice finishers blanket and some food and water. Thats when the chills set in with sweat and rain soaked clothing feels like a suit of armor as my wife, mom and I trudge back to my car and headed back to dads house to start the recovery process...including Cecil's fried chicken, potato wedges and macaroni and cheese.

I got pretty lucky in the end when it comes to running in wet weather due to the rubbing in your shoes causing blisters the size of quarters and even though I am no foot model, certainly sucks to walk around on...I came out clean and blister free. My usual energetic post race self was not anywhere to be found and just crashed on the couch to reflect over the fifth race of my year...and with all that happened I have to say, the most rewarding. I got to run a race that has been around since the 1970's with a group that raised so much money to fight cancer...with me at the top. Number one in fundraising...number 6872 in the race!

Rockstar

Rock and Roll...

Easiest title to pick yet…

The Rock and Roll race series is the big leagues…their venues are grand, they call in bands that you have actually have heard of…Third Eye Blind for us! Their Expos are crazy big and their race medals are straight legit!

Virginia Beach for the second time this year as I was here in March for the Shamrock Half Marathon to which I battled 43 degrees and strong wind…albeit loving the whole thing. Today was to be very different…

The beauty of this whole weekend was that I was on vacation during and afterwards to recover in the Outer Banks with my wife and our close friends…good motivation if there ever was. Picked up my race packet on the way down that Friday and spent the first night in OBX then the next night at my mom’s in Portsmouth. An easy drive in that morning of the race…only about 20 minutes or so and dropped off right near the start line by the convention center in the city.

This race was marking a friendly rivalry that had been growing for some time…which even included a poster and bragging rights in the end of course. Sara certainly had the upper hand as this was her third Rock and Roll race and knew what to expect…I had salt…yeah, I’ll get to that. Our clinic was enveloped in our taunting’s and jabs here and there making it all the more fun for us. The loser was to be shamed in holding a sign proclaiming the other one the superior runner. So a lot was on the line as you see.

The sun started to show through directly upon us as we waited in our corrals…the heat and humidity already causing the sweat to start…temperature was around 74…the finishing temp for the previous weekend’s race. So we began…

We had a light breeze starting out that is always a good thing especially when the sun is already upon you…and as always….many people cheering us on. Much of the beginning is a mental race…the first couple of miles you have to convince yourself that you can do this even though you have done it five times before and in this case, the weekend before. The streets of the city we’re a little narrow and we have to make lots of left and right turns right away which caused a little bottle-necking as you want to cut those corners close to shave the inches of distance off the whole race…like I said…mental race. Steadily and evenly the temperature and humidity crept up upon us as the miles continued and it was getting to me so I did it…I took the salt. Yes…yuck…wash that down with water ASAP…but I can honestly say that it was very helpful. You lose a lot out there in that kind of heat and it has to be replenished just as quickly or you risk dangerous results to your body. The course was covered very well with water stops and took good advantage of each one…even one that was handing out giant sponges soaked in ice water…brilliant! One of the best things I encounter on the course is the helpful spectators…One gentleman was carry a cooler around mile 10 full of ice for us…thanking him graciously as I grabbed a hand-full and tossed it in my compression shirt right against my chest…YEAH!!!! That will get the heart going!

The miles continued to climb as well as the temps…it was getting bad. I was seeing fit runners along the course and at medic tents with oxygen along with the occasional ambulance. You mind starts to really go into action…look at them!...they are way more fit than me…but you push on. The water from sprinklers and sweat has completely soaked my tube sock rendering it useless and my glasses are fogged and dripping as well that I have to set them at the edge of my nose just to see out ahead of me.

I rounded the corner of mile 12 and found myself on the boardwalk on the last stretch to the finish and I told myself that I wasn't going to walk near the end at all. So I trudged on down the what seemed to be a never ending pavement strip with my head held back to help with breathing closing my eyes for short periods to imagine myself sitting in a walk in freezer or something and hit the finish line at 2:37:37…noting that this was faster than my previous weekend…but…13 minutes behind Sara. I was somewhat relieved…I had a feeling I was going to lose to her…but would have kicked myself if it would have been by like 2 minutes or something…nope…this was a blow out and she had me from the start! This did not diminish my feelings about running one bit and made it even more memorable as a fun competition. I had noticed that with so much moisture that the dye in the tongues of my shoes had come off on my socks…which had in turned had rubbed a couple of blisters on my feet…that’s the price sometimes, but luckily I had a week of rest and relaxation at the beach for recuperation so I put my windows down and cranked the rock and roll all the way back down to OBX…in my flip flops of course.

Come one come all!

Tube socks and Tiaras

Paying my dues

That's The Way...

So it’s been a while…this is the hard part, getting started. I have so much to write and since the end of “Hell Week”…back to back Half Marathon’s…Patrick Henry Half in Ashland August 24^th and Rock and Roll Virginia Beach Sept 1^st.

This seemed like a great idea at the time and in the end…it was. Leading up to it I had my doubts about going only a week between two big races. Had I gotten too comfortable? Am I setting myself up for an injury?

I decided that the Patrick Henry’s focus would be light and steady with the big focus on recovery. My Team in Training coach had given me some great advice as well as searching through the internet for more…so here we go…

I had picked up my packet for the Patrick Henry on the Friday before the race as this was a Saturday race…my first Saturday, this would benefit me. I confirmed that this is a no personal audio device race in which I was a little bummed but decided that serious runners don’t need music and I need to be more serious as it was anyway. It’s a 45 minute drive from my house to the start line which meant a “dark” and early wake up at 4:30 and hitting the road. I took the casual drive down as I adjusted from sleep state to alert…a dog in the middle of the road decided to help me out by attempting a date with the bumper of my Dodge Charger at 50 mph lucky for him he got stood up as I screeched around him…wide awake now and my pulse firmly being felt in my face I continued onward. I got a good parking spot and worked my way to the starting area when…for the first time again…had to use the commode pre-race. This comforted me…not the fact that I was the 500^th person to use that particular port-o-john but that this urge didn't occur in the middle of my race. We started right next to the train tracks in Ashland just after a huge freight train had passed by…unique race indeed with only 1300 some racers…there were no corrals or pacers…just walk up and start. I like that, not having to crazy anxiety that comes with working your way forwards as I had described in the past as feeling like you were about to partake in D-Day on the beaches of France. So I started off with the temperature at a nice 63 degrees and sunshine…keeping at a light pace that would work very consistently for many miles I had the sound of my feet as well as 1300 others to pass the time away. We spent most of our time in the shade until reaching the country farmlands and was met with a little breeze, but direct sunlight to which I am not solar powered…quite draining most of the time, but the temps remained on our side. The lack of hills for the most part was very nice…until mile 11 back in the shade but a mild grade of a hill that stretched almost a mile long. I trudged on to the finish with a time of 2:40:06…a little more than I would've liked but I didn't want to go nuts on this one as it was. Thus begins the recovery protocol…

First…within only 30 minutes from the finish…carbs and protein…solution? Milk, bananas and bagels…took some from the event and had more waiting in the car.

Second…make it to the grocery store to buy two 20lb bags of ice…then home…see where this is going yet? Yup…a quick shower…slapped on a new pair of under armor briefs and ice bath. I thought it would be funny to post online during but found cognitive thinking was suspended for several minutes. I grew used to it and was feeling so much better and got out after about 15 minutes of soaking. This is in fact the way to go and really…as bad as it sounds…the best idea of all.

Third…more carbs…your muscles have been ripped up and need to repair…evidentially carbs are the key so to the kitchen for some good old fashioned enriched spaghetti followed with water and Gatorade.

So from here keep moving around and gentle stretching through Sunday as well to which I felt amazing. With a week off of any intense running…just some nice walking which is accomplished easily enough at work and monitor for any underlying issues to which there were none…That’s the way indeed.

Love the shirt!

No......words.....

How Many More Times...

So I feel good with purpose, so what else could be missing? When I signed up for my first race, I felt something other than old fashioned motivation...it was fear. Fear is what got me out the door faster and made me push harder to make it...it was that or fail. I was missing that component and pondered the again...unthinkable...it was time...go to the next damn level. The Shamrock Marathon...marathon, not half mind you was 300 days away. I had done the half earlier this year and loved it...so I did it...at lunch again with my friend Patti there as a witness. The excitement was back on and the fear had returned...oh how I've missed you!

Sitting Here Thinking...

Title says it all for this one. I'm caught up on all my posts for all the races I've done to date and have been in training mode around the neighborhood. Things were starting to get a little "routine", I needed a purpose other than the sport itself to put some more focus in it for me. While at races and expos you see my organizations that do fundraising with runners and the thought had crossed my mind. I had talked with a friend that was working with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as his wife and former coworker of mine had passed away two years ago...than this past December, another coworkers lovely daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia and now the purpose had a home and I signed on with the Team in Training program that raises money for blood cancer research. I was already registered for one of the races they were sponsoring for...the AmFam Richmond Half Marathon, so things were really coming into place. My goal is to raise $1500 for the cause and I had built my own incentive plan...autographs...brilliant right? Official (unused) tube socks and custom pictures complete with certificate of authenticity for anyone who makes a donation. Knowing that inevitably they could end up on eBay was no bother to me as long as raised the money for such an important cause...my neck has been bothering me more carrying this big head of mine around...hehehe. Having purpose now has spurred on more training combined with having an actual coach with great information for better running is bringing my game to a whole new level...here is the link to my donation page, please take a moment to check it out...Thanks!
http://pages.teamintraining.org/va/richmar13/nathanmiller#home

Friends...

I had come full circle...breaks, bruises...sprains and strains and now again...The alarm clock went off at 5:00am Sunday morning and Fredericksburg's finest 13.1 lay ahead of me.
Lets back up a moment...not too far...because this time we had a team. There was Sara, a seasoned runner like myself who can certainly power the hills that lay ahead. Next was Austin...some people are built to run...that's all him. Then Will...a lean young guy we dubbed the "Wild Card" as his training did not consist as much of cardio than calories, but no stranger to the gym though. Last but certainly not least was Patti...my good friend and coworker of many years whose physical prowess is as strong as her youthful spirit. Five of us made up the Half Marathon team...not to exclude the 10K duo of Larisa and Megan as well as 5K duo Aubrey and Tony.
The Friday night before the race I hosted a carbo load party at my house for teammates and their families...pretty much anyone else who wanted to cheer us on too. Spaghetti and Chicken fettuccine that could feed an army didn't stand a chance against the hungry and energy deprived lot of us. We talked and laughed like warriors before a battle to take on the unknown of Sunday morning...weather was still up in the air of course and our electronic devices updated us hourly.
Fast forward...its Sunday morning...its pretty cloudy with high humidity and a solid 65 degrees with chances for rain...or perfect as I like to also call it. Got to the parking area and made our way to the stakeout where friends and family knew to meet. I headed to the start line and reminisced in my mind a little from last year and how far I had come. To think that this is now my way of life...Nathan Miller, runner...it still almost sounds a little sarcastic when I say it. It had become my stress release and adrenaline rush...my new habit and source of...fun! I would love to go back a few years in time and tell myself that this is what he would be doing soon...but then again, I believe Doc told Marty that seeing one's self from the past or future could have grave consequences on the space time continuum...uh, sorry...got a little off track there. So I'm running now and feeling great...having fun and feeling the adrenaline as I make my way out of Central Park (for my out of town followers, we here in Fredericksburg have a Central Park too...that's how we roll) and head for downtown. We ran into a little rain at mile 3 which always feels nice and saw a few people along the way that I knew, the course was laid out exactly as last year and we serpentine-d through the streets into the old part of Fredericksburg where bands played for us and spectators cheered despite the weather. I was also wearing my calf compression sleeves as my shins had started to give me issues and they were working very well...when your calf muscles are as huge and defined as mine (that's right, you thought it, I said it) they can vibrate from the impacting of running pulling on the tissue in the front of the Tibia and cause...pain, thus...compression sleeves to minimize it! I only ran into Patti out on the course out of all of our crew and good that I saw her first as she claimed that if it were the other way around...I would have her on my back. Continuing on to mile eight now and bumped into yet another friend Christianne...we continued onward together towards Hospital hill which is the "Highlight" of the race and just like last year, put all my energy into it and again made it through...well, not with ease of course...damn thing is steep! We continued on up Cowan  Blvd and the unassuming hill that was there too, but to our surprise...The VA Runner crew was out there to pump us up and got us through it like champs...gotta love 'em! That last couple of tenths of a mile in are great...better than any other race out there...the cheering and fanfare really makes this event the absolute best. We powered to the finish line where yet again Marine soldiers were settling medals around our necks. The satisfaction feeling with this is tremendous...I never want to take these medals off and want to scream from the top of a mountain my accomplishment...and with so many friends too. I stayed over with my entourage again and cheered on more runners as they made their way in and got to escort Patti to the finish as well just like with Laura the year before...the irony. This had been my 4th Half Marathon and my first repeat half race...and as long as I can go out and do this, expect to see me and my tube sock coursing through the historic streets...sweet calves and all.

Top left to bottom right: Will, Austin, Sara, Your's truly, Larisa, Patti and Megan

Christianne and myself displaying out "Bling"

Coming up to the finish

Patti...one of my favorite race pics!

Your Time Is Gonna Come...

A wonderful welcome to April...and with it...much more forgiving running weather. The Monument Ave 10K was next on the hit list and it was about time...all about the time. This was my first race last year and now I wanted to go into it like a lightning bolt...I wanted under an hour. This meant my pace had to be 9:30-9:45 min miles for the duration...no easy task for 6.2 miles.

This race was no small time dance...with 50 some start corrals and over 32,000 runners, this is the only event that the winner can take a shower and a nap before the last person crosses the start line. My specific corral was a seeded one...which meant I had to prove I could do the time so I used my Turkey Trot time which was a lean 29:00 for a 5K. No shortage of irony here as well as coworker and friend Larisa Washburn who also did the Turkey Trot...used her time and ended up in the same corral as me. This couldn't work out any better...I could feed off the crazy/fun energy that she gives off naturally...even if it was for only a mile or two before she smoked me! On top of that I also ran into a former coworker and future super therapist Holly Paton...turns out I know a lot of people in the running world.

The goal was going to be a tough one to reach, but I had energy and motivation on my side...and my mom even came up from Portsmouth to see me run again...which meant a lot. So my music was running and now so am I...with the sun shining and a perfect pace rolling out my adoring fans could only catch a quick glimpse of the tube sock before I was gone. I am keeping an eye on my time as each mile dropped off and my legs were really feeling it...but I pushed on. I knew how upset I would be if I had to walk at all and to my pure enjoyment and pain...I came in at 59:15...right on the mark! On my way home I popped over to Wegmans for the ingredients to an epic turkey sandwich that would conveniently display my finish time for all of Facebook to see.



Larisa "LDawg" and Natedogg




A new PR never tasted so good