Denver Marathon Waives Entry Fee for Chicago Runners

I’ve been playfully bagging on the Denver Marathon lately over their Celebrity Auction, but I think that this is a really cool thing to do. I received an e-mail from the Denver Marathon this morning with the following message:

The Denver Marathon, scheduled for October 14, 2007, announced today that it will waive marathon entry fees to runners who were registered for the Chicago Marathon but were unable to finish.

The downside for those runners is that the Denver Marathon is only 3 days away which leaves very little time to make the trip out here to Denver. The predicted high temperature for Sunday here in Denver is 56 degrees with a 40% chance of showers so I don’t think heat will be an issue, but the altitude might if you’re a flatlander.

“As a former professional athlete, I know what it takes to train for a big race and the disappointment of not being able to finish due to circumstances outside of my control,” said Denver Marathon Executive Director Anton Villatoro.

Awesome. I had another post lined up for today which I’ll post this afternoon, but I thought that this was too cool to leave unmentioned.

Source: Denver Marathon

Vote Early Vote Often

One of my very best cyber-friends, Amy Lawson has been nominated for the 2007 Weblog Awards in the category of Funniest Blog. If you've never read Amy's blog then you should go do that, but not until after you've voted. Amy is very funny and as if that wasn't enough she's also a runner. A very fast one. So let's all come together as a running community and help out a fellow runner.

My initial thought when I read about the nomination on her blog was to chuckle and think of creative ways that I could call her a geek. Then I realized that the only thing geekier than pimping your own blog for the Weblog Awards is pimping your cyber-friend's blog for a Weblog Award.

Am I a geek? I guess you could argue that I am, but my devastating good looks and charming wit blow an ozone sized hole in your argument. To vote, simply go to the Weblog Awards Funniest Blog page and scroll down until you see The Lawson's do Dallas in the comments, then click the plus sign in the bottom right hand corner of the comment. You don't have to fill out any personal information and it seriously takes 5 seconds to vote. I know you've got some time to kill because otherwise you wouldn't be here. As an added benefit you can try to guilt Amy into making you a magnet as thanks for your vote.

This is great because it gives me an opportunity to use my 'helping others' tag which makes me feel charitable and not so self-centered. Tomorrow, we'll resume with your normal programming of me talking about me, and my upcoming race, and my training.

A Goal To Fall Short Of

With the Denver Half Marathon less than 5 days away it's probably a good time to start thinking about setting a goal. Actually a good time for setting a goal would have been 6 months ago when I could have trained towards that specific goal, but that's just not the way we do things in the procrastination business. When it comes to getting things done, I drag my feet more than Keyser Söze.

Over the past few weeks I've had some really good runs that have left me feeling like a world beater and some pretty crappy VW Jetta runs. I've changed my mind on what I think my goal time will be every other run and the times have varied by as much as 15 minutes. There's a good chance that I'm indecisive. An indecisive, procrastinating employee who is blogging from work? They're lucky to have me, but in typical corporate fashion they keep promoting me up the ladder. Enough with the procrastinating, on to the goal.

My FIRST training plan indicates that the pace I've been running at should allow me to complete the race in 2:02:42. The annoyingly accurate McMillan Calculator indicates from my last race that I'll finish in 2:04:37. Going off of these numbers and taking a guess at what my time will be I'd say it's going to be 2:06:57. I've kind of been hoping that I could finish with a time under 2 hours but given my history in predicting my time I doubt that will happen.

Let's hear your predictions for my time in the comments. Maybe I'll even have some Half-Fast memorabilia for the person who comes the closest to my official time, like a keychain, or a bracelet - something really useless that you'll never use.

Chicago Marathon - Game Off

In case you hadn't already heard (doubtful) the Chicago Marathon was called off yesterday due to excessive heat and insufficient water. Runners who had not reached the midpoint at the time of the cancellation were re-routed and instructed to walk, at which point I'd have probably instructed someone to pucker up to my posterior. I cannot even imagine how disappointed you would be as a runner to have trained so hard for something only to have it cancelled midway. It would be easy to rant and rave against the Chicago Marathon, but I'll leave that to the people who actually ran it.

Of the runners I mentioned in the last post, Tom has posted a race report and Doug has posted his time but it will certainly be interesting to see what everyone has to say. I hope that all are well and look forward to hearing their thoughts on Sunday’s race.

Once again, major props to those who ran:

• Ali
• Jess
• Tom
• Perry (Just Your Average Joggler)
• Doug

Weekend Splits

Weekend Splits is my recap of things that I found interesting or humorous over the past week. If you have a submission for the weekend splits e-mail me.

Picture credit to The Booze Hounds Inc. Running Team, which quite frankly sounds like a running team that I could get on board with.

Tomorrow (Sunday) the windy city hosts the Chicago Marathon. Best of luck to all of the runners but most especially to the one's listed below:

• Ali (Run #99 in a row!)
• Jess
• Tom
• Perry (Just Your Average Joggler) - who will be joggling the whole way.
• Doug

As for me, I'll be doing a little relaxing this weekend watching the MLB playoffs (let's go Red Sox!) and plenty of football through the bottom of my beer bottle. It's a little harder to see the TV, but the losses don't hurt quite so bad. If you're also going to be doing some relaxing then head on over to the newly opened Runners Lounge and hang out with me and all the rest of the cool kids over there.

I discovered a great new blog this week which is just going to cut back my productivity at the office even more. Lance: the Blog! I recommend you begin by reading his 10 Things You Should Never Say To Your Trainer, and then check out some of the other posts too.

In honor of those saps dedicated individuals running the Chicago Marathon tomorrow the terrifyingly named A Case of the Runs has one of those 'you know you're a marathoner if...' lists.

Amanda at Run to Finish tells the tale of having to run without socks this past week. I cannot run without socks, mostly because it doesn't take much of an excuse for me to cancel or postpone a run and not having socks would certainly qualify as a good enough excuse.

Nora over at Cruchy 'Nanas had a bizarre experience at the Paris-Versailles 10 miler. You should go and read it because I've never heard of congestion at the finish line happening at a race before. Wait... I didn't think the French liked running?

That's all I got today. Have a great weekend!

Running In Place

Do you run in place when you come to a street that you have to cross? I'm in two minds about this. One of the routes I like to run has a major intersection that I have to cross, and it can often take 30-40 seconds before I get a walk signal. Standing around doing nothing for that long gets me out of my rhythm and it allows the lactic acid to start building up in your muscles. (Editor's Note: I have no idea if that lactic acid thing is true or not, I just know that it is much harder for me to run if I stop for a prolonged period of time. If you were looking for actual facts and scientifically backed up articles then you're at the wrong blog. I suggest you start with these guys - Science of Sport.)

On the other hand when I do run in place I feel like everyone in their cars is just rolling their eyes at me. 'Would you look at this guy? Hey buddy! We get it, you're healthy! You don't even stop running when you have to stop running!' I don't want to be that guy. You all know that guy he's the one that sees you eating something and tells you without solicitation that he never eats that because it's not good for your health. That guy is the person in your office who not only takes the stairs every time, but tells you that he takes the stairs every time because elevators are not good for your health. Yeah, well you know what else is not good for your health? A flurry of punches from my fists of steel and justice, so you'd better quit annoying me.

Lance Breger has a hilarious post about what to do instead of running in place at the intersection, but I don't recommend that you read it if you're dedicated to running in place. I just read it and I can tell you with certainty that I will NEVER AGAIN run in place at an intersection. Thanks for breaking me of the habit Lance. Those are some pretty good alternatives, but next time I come to an intersection I think I'll do the Chicken Noodle Soup.

Your thoughts in the comments, and also, do you stop your watch while stopped at the intersection? It only seems fair that you would.

You Write Like A Girl!

The ultimate insult is very difficult to achieve, but when done correctly it can be quite effective in making the target feel like a quivering mass of useless flesh. A putdown of that nature can be witnessed in the following video clip taken from The Sandlot.


"You play ball like a GIRL!" - Ouch!
Half-Fast was recently listed as one of the Top 100 Health and Wellness Blogs by the Nursing Online Education Database (NOEDb). At first I was pretty happy about this news but then I went and actually read the review (emphasis mine):

"Vanilla" writes an entertaining blog about her running skills, where she claims that she's neither fast nor slow but always in the middle of the pack. Great advice on treadmill use and other sage tips.

Ughhh!! Shoot me! Shoot me now! 'Her' running skills? Yeah, I've got your great advice and sage tips RIGHT HERE! *grabs crotch in overtly masculine fashion*

This means one of a few of things: 1) Whoever compiled that list really hasn't spent a lot of time here at Half-Fast, I mean you don't have to scroll very far to see a post titled My Balls Ache. 2) I should never have written about my running skirt experience. 3) I write like a girl! I'm going to say it's probably the first one because that's easier on my ego. I actually suspect that the list was put together to get 100 health and wellness bloggers to link back to the NOEDb site while excitedly screaming to their readers "Look! I got linked in a Top 100 list! It's right here! Go see it!" And it is working to perfection, we running bloggers are like a pack of lemmings. On the other hand what do I care? Any publicity is good publicity right? Even if it isn't anatomically correct.

I guess that's the price I pay for trying to be anonymous. So if you're here for the first time from the NOEDb Top 100 link, welcome to Half-Fast, make yourself at home. My name's Ian and I'm a guy. I'm sorry if that disappoints you. Feel free to poke around my blog, my e-mail is up top in case you want to contact me, there are some links to some of my favorite posts on the right and please leave the seat up if you use the bathroom while you're here.

Running Companion

I run alone. I'm like a lone wolf that way, a free spirit or the tiger who hunts in solitary. I do however have a running companion. It's the best friend a runner could ever have. It's 3.5 oz of sleek black plastic. It's my Sony Ericsson W810i cell phone.

I Love You Sony Ericsson W810i
Oh, but it's so much more than just a phone. It's a music player, it's a flashlight, it's a radio, it's a camera, it's a stopwatch, it's an internet browser, it's a crime deterrent, it's too good to be true is what it is! Allow me to show you why I need all of these incredible features, and the benefits they provide.

Feature #1 - Phone
The ability to make phone calls during a run is a blessing, not because I DO make phone calls, but because I know I COULD make phone calls. Should I try to run around this lake before I head back home? Yes, because I can always call someone to come pick me up if it turns out to be too far. Should I stop running because I feel a twinge in my knee? No, because if it snaps I can call 911 to come get me. Benefit: Having a phone makes me run further and train harder. I assure you that my logic in this matter is quite infallible.

Feature #2 - Light
The phone has a very bright light, and if you've been paying attention you know that I am often out running in the wee hours of the morning when it is still dark. I often turn on the light to scare off potential muggers and to see the path that I am running on. I am less likely to step in a pothole if I illuminate my way with the light. This in turn makes it less likely that I will be hobbled by a sprained ankle, making me an even more attractive prey to the muggers than before. You don't want to be the wounded baby rabbit when the lone wolf comes along because, where do you think you're going? Benefit: Having my light decreases my chance of injury and ambush.

Feature #3 - Camera
The phone has a 2 mega pixel camera. This is essential for me because I am a dedicated running blogger and there may be something that I need to photograph so that I can blog about it, or maybe there is just something I have never seen before. For example, during my first ever morning run I saw the sun rising in the east. I know, I couldn't believe it either! Benefit: Having my camera makes me a better running blogger, and a better human being.

Feature #4 - MP3 Player
The phone holds up to 2 MB (upgraded) of songs. Not just any songs, songs that make me faster. Songs like ‘Til I Collapse by Eminem and Fergalicious by Fergie. Hey, don't judge me. Benefit: Having my MP3 player makes me run faster.

Feature #5 - FM Radio
If I ever get sick of listening to my stolen legally downloaded and paid for MP3s, then I can annoy myself by listening to the afternoon show DJs or the always asinine 'Morning Zoo'. Nothing makes me want to end my run faster (or jump into oncoming traffic) than suffering through the ramblings of these idiots. Benefit: Having a radio will annoy me into being faster.

Feature #6 - Stopwatch
The phone boasts a stopwatch that will track and remember up to 9 laps. Benefit: If you need me to explain the benefit of this feature to you then you should turn in your runner's membership card right now, and go become a morning DJ... or a door-stop... or a boat anchor. Your potential is limitless.

Feature #7 - Internet Access
The phone allows me to check my e-mail, view sports scores, and pull up directions on Google maps. 'But you can't do those things while you're running?' Maybe YOU can't do those things while you're running you sausage-fingered-chucklehead, I do them all the time. Seriously. How else am I going to pass the miles during my long runs? Benefit: Having internet access stops me from getting bored.

Feature #8 - Crime Deterrent

Personal Running Log - September 2007

Not as much mileage as I would have liked for September, but that’s primarily due to the laziness in the week of 9/3. That was the week that I actually allowed myself to be content with a one mile run.

Date	Route	Type	Distance	Time	Pace
9/29/2007	Misc Route	Long	10 Mi	1:37:24	9:45
9/27/2007	Misc Route	Tempo	4.5 Mi	43:35	9:42
9/24/2007	Home Treadmill	Interval	7 Mi	1:04:00	9:09
9/22/2007	Misc Route	Long	12 Mi	2:00:45	10:04
9/20/2007	Misc Route	Tempo	8 Mi	1:15:31	9:27
9/17/2007	Home Treadmill	Interval	4 Mi	36:47	9:12
9/15/2007	10 Mile Loop	Tempo	10 Mi	1:30:45	9:05
9/14/2007	Misc Route	Long	7.75 Mi	1:17:01	9:57
9/10/2007	Home Treadmill	Interval	5.5 Mi	50:17	9:09
9/8/2007	Misc Route	Easy	1 Mi	9:00	9:00
9/5/2007	Misc Route	Race	5 km	27:10	8:45
9/2/2007	Misc Route	Long	12 Mi	2:07:25	10:38
Totals Distance: 84.9 miles Total Time: 13:39:40

More Celebrity Goodness from the Denver Marathon

A little over a month ago I managed to offend super-sensitive commenter Daniel when I called out the folks at the Denver Marathon over their somewhat exaggerated use of the word "celebrity." I sure hope that Daniel is not still reading this blog because I just received an e-mail from the Denver Marathon with the remainder of the "celebrities" who will be running.

In case you missed my first post on this subject, or missed Daniel's comment you can find them here.

The complete list of "celebrities" (new to the list "celebrities" are bolded):

• Rowdy Gaines - gold medal-winning Olympic swimmer.
• Bill Romanowski - former Denver Broncos player.
• Alex Smith - cast member of MTV's Real World Denver.
• Scott Elrod - cast member on ABC's "Men in Trees."
• Jake Schroeder - lead singer of Opie Gone Bad.
• Marni Rachich - "Peekaboo Screech" on the Denver Roller Dolls.
• Vic Lombardi - CBS4 sportscaster.
• Maggie Ireland - Miss Colorado 2007.
• Chris Anthony - extreme skier and star of 17 Warren Miller films.
• Ami Cusack - cast member of CBS' "Survivor 9 Vanuatu".
• Whitney Gustafson - Broncos Cheerleader.
• Stephen Keel - a Colorado Rapids defender player. (Their phrasing, not mine.)
• Dave McGillivray - Race Director of the Denver and Boston Marathon.

To be honest I don't really have anything further to say and probably would have just let this slide by unnoticed if Daniel hadn't commented on the last post, but now I feel like I have to defend the position that I took. I'm guessing that Daniel is actually someone who is involved with the Denver Marathon, because I really can't fathom someone on the list being upset about a blog with a daily readership of under 200. I also find it hard to believe that this actually reached one of the people on the list. Daniel is probably the talent coordinator for the Denver Marathon and was Googling "Denver Marathon celebrities" to see what people were saying about the wonderful job he did of bringing in A list celebrities to run this thing when he came across Half-Fast. It's really too bad because I found Daniel's comment amusing, he seems like a funny guy. I'm quite sure that we'd have been best of friends if we'd have met under different circumstances.

As I stated previously I have no beef with any of the people who are volunteering to run for the benefit of a charity. I was merely pointing out that there are very few of them that I would consider to be celebrities, but hey, what do I know? I'm just some dick with a blog.