Category: John

Super Shuffle 5K (2/13/22)


(Photo courtesy of John – thanks for guiding me!)

As I’ve mentioned in the past, this journey began from a simple premise of ‘that looks like fun’ without really thinking through all the pieces.  While my only regret is not trying it earlier, that thinking can sometimes lead to ‘interesting’ events…

During late 2020 and early 2021, I was constantly searching Running in the USA for anything to do in-person.  While these events were EXTREMELY scarce, I did come across a 5K for the morning of ‘the big game’.  Because conditions kept shifting, it didn’t work to do in 2021, but it was on my list for 2022.

Winter running isn’t the easiest thing for me, as my nostrils freeze at about 20-25 degrees.  That’s not a big deal when you’re just out for a run by yourself, but it is when you’re doing a race.  It had also been snowing a few days prior, so ice spots (and some ‘fun’ hills) were also a factor.

For safety reasons / nostril freezing, there were some spots where we had to walk.  However, it was still a decent run, and a really fun race.  I look forward to doing it again in 2023 — hopefully it’ll be a little warmer! 



EndureIt! Team 10K – 7/18/21

A few years ago, I saw something that I thought would be fun. This was the EndureIt! 2 person 10K Team Relay.

The first time round, I made mistakes. Prior to that race, I had been doing consistent 2-2:15 quarter mile repeats at camp. I thought that if I had one of my faster Dare2Tri teammates as the other half, we’d have a decent time and I’d still be able to recover. What I didn’t factor into that equation was that it took about 25-30 seconds to get off the track, get water and get back to the exchange point. This meant that I would typically get about 40 seconds to recover, which was never enough.

Knowing that, for 2021, I looked to find a parter whose 1/4 mile splits were closer to mine. The original person had schedule conflicts, but we were able to find another on short notice.

While the recovery part went better this time around, the actual race part did not. I was struggling on the laps after about the 4th or 5th one and they were almost all walk/run laps.

Even though it was a struggle, it was still a great and fun event. Thanks to John for guiding and Jeff for being the other half of the team!