The year 2009 was a great year for Mark and Amy...a year of PR's and firsts. The first race of the year was a bit of a disappointment. We both went into the Nashville Predators Fangtastic 5k looking for a solid start to the year. However, Mark missed his goal time by almost a minute while Amy narrowly missed hers. The wind and underestimated hills seemed to be the culprits.
With the hills of downtown Nashville behind us, we set our sights on the Purity Moosic City 5k at Metrocenter. The flat course and frigid temperatures set the path for a post-high school PR for Mark and an improvement of over two minutes for Amy over her Fangtastic 5k time. After the race, it was time to treat ourselves to some of the sponsor's frozen delights, which sent us further into hypothermia.
With the hills of downtown Nashville behind us, we set our sights on the Purity Moosic City 5k at Metrocenter. The flat course and frigid temperatures set the path for a post-high school PR for Mark and an improvement of over two minutes for Amy over her Fangtastic 5k time. After the race, it was time to treat ourselves to some of the sponsor's frozen delights, which sent us further into hypothermia.
During the winter months, Mark (along with Jonathan) discovered the 11.2 mile route at Percy Warner Park. Wow. You've got to run this one. We ended up running it three times together during the year and Mark ran it once with another runner (I would have run it more, but it is a pretty decent drive from the southeast suburbs). A sunrise atop three mile hill is well worth the early start and arduous climb.
With the first two 5k's of the year under our belts, it was time for Mark to take on the Country Music Half Marathon. Training for the race went well and I set my sights on a finish somewhere in the 1:40 - 1:45 range. It would not be so. During the second half of the race I faded to a 1:52 finish. Though disappointed, I did not linger on this result.
On a side note, we took a trip in May to Oregon to attend the wedding of Amy's brother. Oregon is a beautiful state (I got to go back in August...more on that below). After the wedding, we went to Hawaii for a week and had a great time snorkeling, biking down a volcano, relaxing, and enjoying all other sorts of Hawaiian activities.
At the urging of Jonathan, Mark attempted his second sprint triathlon during June. This experience was much better than the first, as there were no equipment malfunctions. I finished about a decade behind Jonathan, but still managed to finish in the middle of my age group. During the run, I uttered the words, "I hate your sport," to Jonathan, who had finished the race, eaten a couple of bananas, downed a recovery shake, completed a 60 mile cooldown ride, showered, and doubled back to cheer me on. Oh, and I'm pretty sure that was Rooks that passed me like I was riding a tricycle at about mile five of the bike.
The Firecracker 5k awaited Mark in July and memories of blazing hot temperatures in 2007 haunted me leading up to the race. This was the second race I ran as part of the Corporate Challenge series with my company (the first being the Purity 5k) and I finished just above 22:00, which was perfectly fine with me given the temperature and slightly challenging course.
In July, Amy began her training for her first half marathon to be run in October. She kicked it off in August with a stellar effort at the Smyrna Parks 5k. Mark again ran right at 22:00, so consistency seemed to be the theme of the summer. The highlight of the race was our debut on local Smyrna television during a post race interview. After viewing the footage, we are both considering a career move to TV broadcasting. Ok, not really, but it was fun.
In late August, Mark got to participate in the "Mother of All Relays," Hood to Coast. It was an amazing experience shared with great people. The 36 members of Team Livestrong raised over $40,000 for cancer research. For those of you who have never seen a sunset over the ocean on the west coast put it on your "bucket list". Amazing.
September was an especially busy month. Amy's half marathon training continued to build and we both ran the Chik-Fil-A 10k on the Murfreesboro greenway. This was the first year for this race and the course was great. Amy set a 10k PR and Mark set a post-high school 10k PR. Oh, and that same weekend we moved. It was a bit busy, but all well worth it.
October rolled around and the big day was here...Amy's first half marathon. Near perfect temperatures, low wind, and a flat course provided for a great run. Amy destroyed her goal time and ran a 2:14. If you can only run one half marathon a year in middle Tennessee, this is the one. Great course support, a mostly flat course, and plenty of onlookers make for a great experience. You double back at one point and Amy and I were able to see each other. I ran probably one of my top three races ever and finished in 1:38:55. I secretly wanted to finish in the top 100 and when I entered the stadium and the PA announcer said that 100 runners had crossed the finish line, I was a bit disheartened. When all was said and done, though, I had finished 99th out of 1,564 total finishers and 10th out of 100 in my age group. Soon after, Amy decided that this would not be her only half marathon.
The next weekend was the final race in the Corporate Challenge series for the year, the Germantown 5k. With not expectations of a good run at all due to the half marathon the previous weekend, Mark set a post-high school PR of 21:08, which was a 46 second improvement over his previous season best.
For the fourth year in a row, we ran the Boulevard Bolt on Thanksgiving morning, both setting PRs in the process. This continues to be our favorite race and we hope to keep this tradition alive for many years to come.
This year was great for us as a family and individually. We are blessed to have stable jobs, good health to enjoy these activities, great friends, and to be part of a great church family. Amy is looking to complete another half marathon in 2010 and Mark is hoping to complete his first (and potentially only) marathon. We are looking forward to a snowmobiling trip in Wyoming in February with Amy's parents. Happy New Year!
With the first two 5k's of the year under our belts, it was time for Mark to take on the Country Music Half Marathon. Training for the race went well and I set my sights on a finish somewhere in the 1:40 - 1:45 range. It would not be so. During the second half of the race I faded to a 1:52 finish. Though disappointed, I did not linger on this result.
On a side note, we took a trip in May to Oregon to attend the wedding of Amy's brother. Oregon is a beautiful state (I got to go back in August...more on that below). After the wedding, we went to Hawaii for a week and had a great time snorkeling, biking down a volcano, relaxing, and enjoying all other sorts of Hawaiian activities.
At the urging of Jonathan, Mark attempted his second sprint triathlon during June. This experience was much better than the first, as there were no equipment malfunctions. I finished about a decade behind Jonathan, but still managed to finish in the middle of my age group. During the run, I uttered the words, "I hate your sport," to Jonathan, who had finished the race, eaten a couple of bananas, downed a recovery shake, completed a 60 mile cooldown ride, showered, and doubled back to cheer me on. Oh, and I'm pretty sure that was Rooks that passed me like I was riding a tricycle at about mile five of the bike.
The Firecracker 5k awaited Mark in July and memories of blazing hot temperatures in 2007 haunted me leading up to the race. This was the second race I ran as part of the Corporate Challenge series with my company (the first being the Purity 5k) and I finished just above 22:00, which was perfectly fine with me given the temperature and slightly challenging course.
In July, Amy began her training for her first half marathon to be run in October. She kicked it off in August with a stellar effort at the Smyrna Parks 5k. Mark again ran right at 22:00, so consistency seemed to be the theme of the summer. The highlight of the race was our debut on local Smyrna television during a post race interview. After viewing the footage, we are both considering a career move to TV broadcasting. Ok, not really, but it was fun.
In late August, Mark got to participate in the "Mother of All Relays," Hood to Coast. It was an amazing experience shared with great people. The 36 members of Team Livestrong raised over $40,000 for cancer research. For those of you who have never seen a sunset over the ocean on the west coast put it on your "bucket list". Amazing.September was an especially busy month. Amy's half marathon training continued to build and we both ran the Chik-Fil-A 10k on the Murfreesboro greenway. This was the first year for this race and the course was great. Amy set a 10k PR and Mark set a post-high school 10k PR. Oh, and that same weekend we moved. It was a bit busy, but all well worth it.
October rolled around and the big day was here...Amy's first half marathon. Near perfect temperatures, low wind, and a flat course provided for a great run. Amy destroyed her goal time and ran a 2:14. If you can only run one half marathon a year in middle Tennessee, this is the one. Great course support, a mostly flat course, and plenty of onlookers make for a great experience. You double back at one point and Amy and I were able to see each other. I ran probably one of my top three races ever and finished in 1:38:55. I secretly wanted to finish in the top 100 and when I entered the stadium and the PA announcer said that 100 runners had crossed the finish line, I was a bit disheartened. When all was said and done, though, I had finished 99th out of 1,564 total finishers and 10th out of 100 in my age group. Soon after, Amy decided that this would not be her only half marathon.
The next weekend was the final race in the Corporate Challenge series for the year, the Germantown 5k. With not expectations of a good run at all due to the half marathon the previous weekend, Mark set a post-high school PR of 21:08, which was a 46 second improvement over his previous season best.
For the fourth year in a row, we ran the Boulevard Bolt on Thanksgiving morning, both setting PRs in the process. This continues to be our favorite race and we hope to keep this tradition alive for many years to come.
This year was great for us as a family and individually. We are blessed to have stable jobs, good health to enjoy these activities, great friends, and to be part of a great church family. Amy is looking to complete another half marathon in 2010 and Mark is hoping to complete his first (and potentially only) marathon. We are looking forward to a snowmobiling trip in Wyoming in February with Amy's parents. Happy New Year!
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