This year, Thanksgiving was busy, as always, but we had the added dimension of this being Cora’s first Thanksgiving! We had lots of fun with her as she continues to travel well and be a real sport when being passed around to family and friends the entire day. As always, we ran the Turkey Trot 5mi in Miamisburg on Thanksgiving morning (this year with my dad, my uncle, a cousin, tiffany and I, no cora this time). We went on to make our way back up rt. 75 to New Knoxville to finish out our day. Friday was an off-day, then we had another thanksgiving meal with my immediate family in BG on Saturday…concluding with a 5K race in Maumee (Holiday Hustle…race reports for both races coming soon)…If it sounds like a lot, it is…but it is always fun each year we do it and we consider it a blessing to have so much family that still gets together with so many relatives! Here’s some of the pictures from the opening weekend of the 09 Holiday Season…
UPDATED
Results for the Turkey Trot have been posted and everyone did really well!
Jeremy: 36:42 – 7:21/mi pace
Tiffany: 33:15 – 6:39/mi pace
Craig: 44:28 – 8:54/mi pace
Scott: 40:44 – 8:09/mi pace
Kara: 40:44 – 8:09/mi pace (bandit)
Also of note: friend Johnny Moore completed the race in 34:41 in the wheelchair division..awesome
if i’m forgetting anyone else from this race…i’m sorry
Results and photos have been posted for the Holiday Hustle..Tiff ran a 19:32…awesome! Cora and I ran a frustrating 23:34 due to the amount of traffic at the beginning…to the right is the photo they took pre-race….click for race results.
It took until just before I actually crossed the start line, but I decided to not go for any sort of finish time. Instead I wanted to have my first marathon that I actually enjoyed…and I did! How so, you ask? Well, I ran with a group of friends (my dad included in that group as well) for the first 5-6 miles, then I saw another friend (don) and we ran together and got a bit ahead of that group and actually caught up to another friend (mark). The three of us ran together until i decided to attempt a fall-back to see my dad before he would be cutting off for the half finish. That didn’t happen but shortly after the cut-off I noticed another person I knew standing alongside the road waiting by the portajohns…It was my cousin Caitlyn (waiting on her running partner). We ran together from around mile 14 to somewhere around 21, where I decided to make a restroom stop and then attempt a fall-back to find the original group. I then went past my aunt and uncle’s house where they and my grandma and others were cheering on the runners. In my desire to have a fun race, I proceeded to stop running and chat for a few minutes before taking off for the final 4-5 miles. Those next 2 miles or so were some of the best i’ve ever had that late in the race and the rest of the race was almost as equally enjoyable (still painful though). I never caught back up with the original group. In my last and final attempt to truly enjoy the race I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture of the finish line as I approached (downside is that the official race photographer caught me and my finish line picture is of me checking out something on my phone Also of note, they actually got a picture of me that makes me look like I’m running…doesn’t happen that often…
Anyway, tiff had a great comeback (from having a baby) race with a time of 3:15:48 and My finish time was slower than that…
The minster Oktoberfest has been a bright spot for the houseofdixon these past years. We have made it another one of those annual races. Tiff has done this race many more times than I as she participated during her younger years. This race is always exciting due to the prize money offered for winners. If you don’t know, prize money is a great way to get some incredibly high-caliber athletes to run your race. Put it this way…the winner was running a 4:46 per mile pace…that is wicked fast…put it this way…the 2008 Olympic Gold medal winner ran a 4:21 per mile pace. All of that to say, we really enjoy this event both because of the competition and the food/festival afterwards.
This year, I decided to push the stroller and my dad came down to run, so we ended up running together. It was the very first 3G (generation) race! Cora slept most of the way…again, but woke up just before we all 3 crossed the finish line! I just spent a few minutes perusing the race photos and as it is pretty easy to spot a stroller as i quickly scroll across the page, I found 3 pictures taken of us around mile 4 1/2. Here’s one of them (they have watermarks across them because they are official photos)
Now it’s Tiff’s turn…She had an absolutely incredible race! She had a 10K PR of 39:49 (first time to break 40 mins) and came in 1st in her age group! If you’ve been following the Tiff’s exploits these past months you’ll know that this race breaks her winning streak, though an age group win amongst that many high-quality runners is still quite impressive in my book. I think she was pretty happy with her performance as well. The best part was that she received as an award for her first place age group finish, what has to be the single best award EVER!!! I’m serious this thing is awesome and the real deal! What is it… a wooden shoe (or clog, for those traditionalists) Here’s some pics:
Tiffany has now won (1st overall female finisher or 1st prize due to eligibility) the last 4 races she has contested. The first was the Sole to Soul 5K at Levis Commons in Perrysburg, OH. She actually was beaten by a high schooler, but as OHSAA rules apply there can be no prizes awarded to HS athletes in their sport…long story, Tiff was awarded the first prize of a pair of shoes! Awesome! Next up…the Vermillion Triathlon where she was the actual first overall female, though she didn’t believe it at first. Then we have the Buckeye Challenge Triathlon in Springfield, OH where she again was the first overall female finisher. Finally, this past weekend, Tiffany was the female winner in the 1st ever Boy Scouts Half Marathon in Bowling Green, OH (hometown race!)
Now first let me say that this is absolutely incredible, one might argue it can be described as an epic comeback (having given birth to Cora merely 5 months ago) I would not dispute such an idea, as I am awestruck by her God-given abilities and the humility with which she accepts it. She is, in my opinion, a very talented athlete who succeeds in virtually any sport she attempts.
That said…
I was holding Cora as we were watching friend Monica finish the aforementioned half marathon, when two girls said hi and asked if i was the one pushing the jogging stroller for the race (tougher than it looks…really…sore hamstrings). One of the two said that they saw me as I passed by them towards the beginning of the race. Obviously it was meant as a compliment to me, of which I am grateful. My initial thought, however, was that, yes I may be faster than some, and one day maybe I may even win a race (big maybe)…but the thing that must not be overlooked is the simple fact that those two put their foot on that starting line, ran and finished a half marathon that morning the same as me or Tiff or that guy who won overall with a ridiculous 1:09 time (very fast in case you didn’t know…almost olympic level).
Being a finisher of any endurance event is an incredible thing and I don’t want to ever forget how much it means to just complete the race. For me, no more than 3 years ago, I could almost not even finish a mile run (knee problems), so I know what it means to simply not know if you can even finish. Sometimes I even wonder if those who do win lots of races even remember the simple joy in crossing the finish line…that my friends is the true shame. So know that if you have finished something that you didn’t think you could or would ever do, you’re a hero in my book…
p.s. I’m not dilluted enough to not have thought of the fact that I may be using this rationale to justify getting beat by my wife in almost every race I’ve ever done, but still… and again, I’m not taking away from Tiff’s accomplishments at all…
Caesar Creek is the one race Tiff and I really enjoy. The bike course has some rolling hills and one awesome curvy ascent (see course profile to right)that always proves challenging. For me (jeremy) this was the location of my first Triathlon & Half-Iron Triathlon. This year was for Tiff, her 2nd comeback race, and she did great (3rd in her age group, 1:18:20) and I came in top 10 in mine (2:30:26). All said, it was a good race, we’ll be back next year. Full Results here…Check the race photos below:
Yesterday was a special race for a number of reasons. First, It was Father’s Day! My first Father’s Day since becoming…a Father. Secondly, it was Tiffany’s first race since Cora was born. Finally, it was Cora’s first Triathlon spectating experience. Quite a day indeed!
Let’s start the reporting off in reverse order of importance…Me first…
Being my second race of the year, and my first olympic distance, I felt as prepared as I could be given the lower training levels compared to last year. My wave was well after Tiffany’s as she is doing sprint distance this year, so I get to wait around a while until getting my piece of the melee that is triathlon beach starts. I can’t really say much about this race other than that I felt strong the whole way and didn’t overdo any one part. I was excited, however, that my average bike speed for the 24mi was 22.1 mph! The other exciting thing about the race is the photo above, where I actually look like I am running!
Now on to Tiffany’s comeback race!
She will probably say that she didn’t train nearly enough, which is possible, but given the outcome, I’d say she is doing just fine. With a 20.4 mph bike average and a 22:06 5K she took 1st place in her age group by a whopping 6 minutes and 3 seconds!
As far as Cora’s first spectating experience, I’d say that too was a success. Tiffany’s mom, [read: grandma] came with us and the two of them and friend Mike W. hung out together while watching us. Sadly, we have no photos of this as I forgot to pack a camera…I guess she will just have to start racing to get photos at these things…
Ever feel like every workout is like running/pedaling/swimming through some thick viscous liquid? Yep, that’s how I’ve felt these past few weeks. My legs constantly feel soft, like I got nothin’ left…sort of like the days after a long race. This morning Mark (run partner) and I agreed that we both have been feeling this way for a while. Ever since the Glass City Marathon, which didn’t go so well, my legs have felt just completely drained. I’m hoping this is just a mental thing (our pace this morning wasn’t slower than normal) that will go away with continued training. I can’t help feel a bit of concern that this is happening right at the beginning of what will hopefully be a good yet sparse racing season.
My first race was going to be the Maumee Bay Tri on June 21st, but I’m seriously considering doing the Flag City Tri the weekend before, just to see if I’m really slow right now or if it really is just mental on my part…It’ll be especially interesting as I plan to do the sprint distance if I go, which I haven’t done that distance since the ‘07 season. From what I remember it’s just a pedal-to-the-metal, fast and furious, go as hard as you can for 1 1/2 hrs kinda distance. It may be just what I need.
Last night Tiffany and I decided to try out the jog stroller with Cora. We picked a time that gave us the best odds of having a good run, and packed everything into the stroller, locked the car seat in and took off for the city park. Our thought was that we could run the 1/2 mile loop around the park and if we ran into any issues or crying we could run home quickly. Best laid plans, huh?
The first 10 minutes were well enough, Cora just looked back at us from her seat, so I snapped some pictures. Tiff took a turn pushing and I got some photos of her running along. Then came the first cries…followed by more cries which turned into a full-blown scream. We stopped and Tiff held her for a while until we thought she was asleep and continued on. She fussed until we got out of the park and onto a bumpy sidewalk…She fell fast asleep and we decided to go over to my folks house and back. All in all I call it a success, and we found that the key to success is bumpiness…Here’s some photos and a video of Tiff pushing the stroller and Cora’s face…
Yesterday during the sermon, our Pastor told the story of when he was growing up he detested the smell of a certain Bisquick cake his father used to bake. Years later, after the passing of his father, he found himself baking that very cake and being reminded of the fond memories he had. A once mal-odor became a sweet memory through the lense of time and experience. Every once in a while I have a similar olfactory experience and it is one in particular that I found myself dwelling on after church was over.
As I was looking through some bags and random racing/triathlon supply boxes, I found myself looking into the closet of our guest bedroom, which happens to have our wetsuits. Suddenly, I found myself taken back to the last triathlon of the much storied (at least by me) 2008 racing season…the Portage Lakes Triathlon, the last race in the Wheelie Fun Racing Series. The culmination of a season packed with lifetime memories and experiences, excruciatingly painful running courses, seemingly endless uphill bicycle battles, frigid swim courses, that feeling you get as you come into view of the finish line, hearing your name followed by the 4 words “You are an Ironman” and knowing you have earned it. Memories abound as I reminisce about predawn wake ups, race day checklists, pre-visualizing T1 then T2 making sure everything is in its place, shoes here visor there…don’t forget the race number belt. All of this because of a smell…
What was the smell? Like Pastor Malanga’s sermon, it wasn’t the smell of roses, or fresh bread, no this scent has a darker origin…Neoprene and stale lake water. Why does this smell have such power over my memories? Why does the combination of synthetic rubber and highly suspect lake water have such a cogent affect? It isn’t a sweet smell, not particularly inviting at all, but it is the smell that bears the memories of a summer spent training, racing and traveling with my wonderful wife. It was a good summer, one I’m sure to look back upon fondly as I share those memorable moments with friends, family and now…my daughter Cora.
Tiffany and I were talking yesterday afternoon, and I mentioned how that summer could not have been planned better. It was a grueling schedule of training, B-races, A-races, and everything else. It was exhilarating, challenging, painful, but most of all…wicked awesome fun! Tiffany had a suspicion and we later confirmed that during Ironman and all subsequent races, that she was pregnant. She was still able to not only compete in the remaining triathlons we’d planned, but she became the champion of the Wheelie Fun Series…with child… All of this and many more memories are firmly stored in that part of my brain that can be accessed by (among other things) the smell of a man-made rubber-like product aimed at keeping me warm and the strange concoction known as your ordinary off-the-shelf lake water.
As we plan our comparatively meager racing schedule for this year, I find myself still highly affected by the smell that currently resides in the closet of our guest bedroom, to which I’ve returned a few times to make sure those memories are still there. I do not look back with a sense of longing or regret that life has taken its unexpected turns, no those memories deserve so much more. They are a single summer, a collection of events that came together in a way that can never be, nor should ever be, repeated. That smell will forever be known in my own mind as the smell of racing.
As with all babies, when Cora was born it took a little bit for her to take her first breath…This is one thing that you can be told and think you understand, but absolutely cannot know until it’s your child laying there awaiting whatever it is in the brain that tells her to inhale for the first time. In less than 60 seconds (but felt much, much longer) her tiny little body realized that it was time to take that first, life affirming, life giving, breath. Ever since then, I have had an almost paranoid compulsion to make sure she is breathing. If she doesn’t move or make a sound for a while, I find myself putting my ear next to her nose to check that she is still breathing. Originally, I thought myself alone in this preoccupation, but I’m finding that it is more wide-spread, especially amongst dads. A vast majority of breathing is sub-conscious meaning it happens whether we think to breathe or not. As a new dad, I find myself doubting this most simple of instincts in someone who has been living for mere minutes, hours or days…So I double-check…
As I ponder the depths of my not-quite-rational urge to confirm respiration in my daughter, I realize that there is much much more to this whole breathing process that goes beyond the survival instinct. Good breathing technique is essential to running or cycling and most obviously swimming. People who aren’t confident in their swimming typically cite their inability to breathe as their main deterrent from starting. What is truly interesting about this whole topic is that by focusing on your breathing during physical exertion you are able to calm your nerves and even limit the pain or discomfort you feel. If someone is punching you in the arm and you cannot stop it, the best remedy is to try and think of something else. Breathing seems to be contrary to the notion of taking your mind off the pain, rather you would be best served by putting your mind on that pain. Breathing is one of the only things you have control over during any endurance type activity, it is both a source of pain and discomfort and a worthwhile endeavor to limit that same pain and discomfort. So to all you new moms and dads, runners, swimmers, cyclists and anyone else within the human race, take a long deep breath and realize the life-giving, pain-reducing, calming effects that accompany this most basic of life’s activities. Read the rest of this entry »
Also of note, they actually got a picture of me that makes me look like I’m running…doesn’t happen that often…
As I ponder the depths of my not-quite-rational urge to confirm respiration in my daughter, I realize that there is much much more to this whole breathing process that goes beyond the survival instinct. Good breathing technique is essential to running or cycling and most obviously swimming. People who aren’t confident in their swimming typically cite their inability to breathe as their main deterrent from starting. What is truly interesting about this whole topic is that by focusing on your breathing during physical exertion you are able to calm your nerves and even limit the pain or discomfort you feel. If someone is punching you in the arm and you cannot stop it, the best remedy is to try and think of something else. Breathing seems to be contrary to the notion of taking your mind off the pain, rather you would be best served by putting your mind on that pain. Breathing is one of the only things you have control over during any endurance type activity, it is both a source of pain and discomfort and a worthwhile endeavor to limit that same pain and discomfort. So to all you new moms and dads, runners, swimmers, cyclists and anyone else within the human race, take a long deep breath and realize the life-giving, pain-reducing, calming effects that accompany this most basic of life’s activities. 
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