Meet Camille and my homecoming run

Hello again runners,

Some of you may have caught a tweet from @R3_Running introducing Camille. I thought I'd take a few minutes to expand on that introduction here.

Camille is on a mission! She is attempting to run a race in all 50 states. So far she has Tennessee, Louisiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Alabama, North Carolina and Mississippi. R3 will be tracking her on her travels, so keep on eye on this blog, and follow her progress on Twitter. If you happen to know a great race for her to run (and maybe some nice folks she can stay with, racing all over the country isn't cheap you know!) please let us know.

I actually ran a race myself last week. Not surprisingly, it wasn't all that impressive. Murray State hosted its 28th annual Homecoming Run 5k on Friday. My parents were in town to visit, so I thought it would be fun for them to stand in the rain and watch me run a mediocre race. Who wouldn't love that? Actually, my parents are crazy about running in general and my running in particular (even though neither of them have ever run a race). They couldn't have been happier, and as always, were a magnificent pit crew. Much to my disappointment two of the current pack of Murray State Racer cross country team members were on hand. I had settled for third before the race started. I know that sounds pessimistic, but I was truly only there for fun, and I had eaten Matt B's pizza for lunch a mere two hours before the gun went off. It is my favorite pizza, but a terrible pre-race meal. I knew I was in trouble, and wasn't in "race mode" at all. I didn't even wear my singlet.

I had a cramp within a mile! A cramp!!! I've been running over half my life. I should be well beyond the eating too close to race time and getting a cramp stage! Oh well... My time was terrible even the course is about 2.8 miles. I did tell a few runners about the store, and it was fun to have my parents at a race again, even if I never really planned on doing much racing.

I'm done with PT if I keep improving. The pain in my leg is sort of hit or miss these days. I'm looking forward to maybe running some good races this winter, and hitting it hard come spring.

Keep it up!

Devin

Fall is Falling!

Hello Runners!

It is definitely fall. Temperatures are dropping, the Chicago Marathon is right around the corner, and New York won't be far behind. The Clarksville Half is only a month away! R3 is celebrating fall with an R3Halloween contest on Twitter. All you have to do is give a "tweet out" to the race you'll be running on Halloween (include #R3Halloween in your tweet) and you could win a pair of Mizuno technical running gloves!

I have always loved fall running. In my high school and college years, fall meant that the most important races of the season were finally within reach. In my post collegiate days, I have always focused on fall races. All of the hard work and miles I've logged during the dog days of summer finally pay off. Last year, I used these great fall days to train for my first marathon. It is a great time to run fast and a great time to get motivated. Life on the run is a lot easier when the weather isn't working against you.

I've had a couple of PT appointments. I was a little discouraged after the first (which involved "realigning my stack of bricks" and some ultrasound). Unfortunately, after about a mile of pain free running my leg started to feel the same as it has. It continued to hurt for the rest of the week too. The second appointment consisted of some more ultrasound and some stretching. I wasn't expecting much, but to my surprise I flew through four miles pain free. I haven't run in a couple of days because I was out of town and too busy (read lazy) to get any miles in. I am hoping for the best and have another PT appointment on Friday.

Keep it up!

Devin

My First Day at the Store, Sciatica, and More!

Hello Runners,

Today I am working at R3. Trying to learn the ropes a little. There is so much to learn about all the the shoes, and of course, picking the right shoe for the right runner. I'll be watching and learning mostly, and helping out as much as I can. I will be bothering my coworker with a lot of questions! We are having a sale on tights this weekend. 15% off. It's a good opportunity to pick some up before it gets cold.

I actually went to the ortho last week and got a few interesting results. First, I have sciatica. Which is actually what I thought it might be. After some x-rays, I was prescribed some prednisolone, and have a PT appointment for Monday morning. It's good to finally be doing something about it, but at the same time I think it won't be an easy fix. It was stupid to wait so long. I could be training for real right now. I could be planning for the Clarksville Half Marathon. Hindsight is 20-20. We runners always seem to be learning a lot in hindsight. We are all driven to keep going by unseen forces. Unfortunately, that drive usually pushes us past when we should realistically take a break.

The second thing I learned at the ortho is that I have an extra vertebrae. It isn't the cause of any of my problems, nor does it come with any extra benefits. Just a bit of Devin trivia.

Keep it up,

Devin