HTC Rocket Run 10 Miler

The 43rd Annual Rocket Run 10 miler
I'm just getting around to it.

 

 

New Stuff

 

Every year I try to enter a new race, or at least new to me.  For years, I've seen the Rocket Run 10 miler pop up, but I never registered for it.  I guess I couldn't appreciate the distance.  Because it's not a 10K or half marathon, just something in between, it didn't resonate with me.  My outlook on this distance changed last year when on a whim, I signed up at the last minute for the Firecracker Chase 10.2 mile race in Fayetteville, TN.  I realized this is a great distance for a race.  It really allows you to push yourself.  There's not a lot of managing a race at this distance.  It's all about how much you can pour yourself into it.

 

A Historic Little Town

 

The race takes place in the historic little town of Mooresville, AL.  The town is about the size of a postage stamp.  It's small, but consists of beautiful old homes, and the race starts at the "Old Brick Church."  This race is free to members of the Huntsville Track Club, so I was surprised to see that Martin Schneekloth was not at this race.  Apparently, he chose to run the Savage Gulf Marathon, which requires an entry fee. I will leave it to the reader to discern what I'm implying.   

 

 

The Race Begins

I went out at a pretty good clip.  At one point I looked at my watch and realized I was running below a 7 minute pace.  I knew I had to slow down or I would blow up at some point.  As I passed the 1 mile mark, I was running about 7:45.  I maintained an 8:00 minute pace as I ran up a long frontage road that ran parallel to I-565. From miles 3 to 4, the gradual climb and rolling nature of the road began to take its toll, and my pace fell off to around 8:19.

The Middle and the push to the Finish line!

At mile 5, I clocked an 8:29 pace, and by mile 6, I was at 8:44.  As I reached an aid station on the other side of 6 miles, I saw Graham Gallamore working the station.  Graham gave me a shout out and that was a much needed lift.  Graham is a ten time Mountain Mist 50K finisher -- a proud group who has an awesome jacket to prove their accomplishment.  If I'm not mistaken, Graham is also the visionary who created the Dizzy Monkey.  This is a challenge that requires one to finish the Dizzy 50K on Monte Sano Mountain in Huntsville, AL, on Saturday and then make the trek up to Nashville, TN to run the Flying Monkey Marathon on Sunday.  Thus, the Dizzy Monkey.

Somewhere between mile 7 and 8, I see Carol Phelps doing a walk/run thing.  I knew something was up. Carol is a really good runner, with a super smooth gait (and she consistently beats me.) Carol and I ran together to the 8 mile aid station, and she said she was still exhausted from a fast run earlier in the week.  It can happen.  Fatigue can catch up with you at all of the wrong times.  I told Carol to hang in there.  She's the real deal and she wound up finishing strong. 

I knew I needed to pick it up and between mile 9 and 10, I posted a negative split -- from 8:41 to 8:22.

I almost beat Kathy Youngren

Kathy and I have a running joke (see what I did there) that goes back to the 2016 Delano Park 12 Hour run.  A well meaning and kind runner, sincerely told Kathy that she almost beat her. 

I needed someone to pace me for the last few miles, if I had any chance of getting a PR.  Kathy was sitting down with a bunch of friends and it looked like she had called it a day, but I convinced her to get back in the race, to help a brother out.  This very nice young woman was convinced she would have posted more miles than Kathy, if she had not reentered the race.  I don't think that was necessarily true, and may have been a case of alternate facts, but needless to say, she didn't beat Kathy.  However, since then it gives me great joy to tell Kathy that I almost beat her.  In fact my life coach, Dr. Stephen Hawking assures me that in the overall space time continuum, that the difference between my finishing times, in any given race, and Kathy's are infinitesimal.

So, back to the race.  As I was about a half a mile from the finish line, Michael Smith comes blazing by me.  Michael is the wrangler for the Thursday morning Fleet Feet Breakfast Club runs. This group meets at 5:30 am.  Those early morning runs must have paid off, because he shot by me and there was no catching up to him.

In any event, I finished the race in 1:23:58, with an 8:24 overall pace. OA: 57/230 AG: 7/21 - Meh.

There were some great performances out there.  Brandon York won with a mind blowing time of 54:09, and a pace of 5:25. My daughter still gets a laugh thinking about the time we ran the Cookie Dash 5K together and Brandon ran and won the race dressed in a rabbit suit. 

Lauren Mitchell won with a time of 1:06:12.

Rob Youngren was in the mix with a 4th place finish followed by, in his words, a 24 mile cool down run.  Me thinks Rob has his eyes focused on the Barkley.

Dink Taylor, Chad Ayers, and Todd Parsons all had top 20 finishes.

Eric Fritz, who's been dealing with a nagging injury, finished in 1:17:35. Way to go Fritz.  You nailed it.

Brad Ryder just keeps getting faster.  He passed me.

On the women's side, Anya Gluzek, Aleisha Chaffin, and Kathy Youngren all had a great day. They're fast.

 It's always good to see my friend Donna Palumbo.  Donna is one of the nicest people in the world and she keeps knocking down those distances -- from 5Ks to marathons.
 



Ainsley's Angels

 

The Huntsville Track Club is working with a great organization, Ainsley's Angels, which gives people with special needs the ability to experience an endurance event with the help of Ainsley Angel volunteers.  This year, Shannon Green experienced the Rocket Run 10 miler with several Ainsley Angel runners assisting her throughout the race.

 



 (Shannon Green approaching the Finish Line!)

 

 

Many thanks to Race Director Valerie Connaughton, all the volunteers, and race sponsor OTBX (the Old Town Beer Exchange)!  The beer at the finish line was much appreciated.  It was a fantastic event and I look forward to making up for lost time and running this race for years to come. 

 

Finally, I will leave you with this quote. 

 

"I want my time running to serve as a reward." -- Frank Shorter

 

 Races are the icing on the cake.  It's the everyday run that will make all the difference in your life.

 

 

 

 

 

 





1 Wedding, 2 Runs and no Funeral

Enjoying the Sites of Mobile, AL

A Trip South

This past weekend, I traveled to Mobile to attend my niece, Amelia's wedding. My Mom came along with me.  At 85, Mom is still sharp as a tack, but her body has started to turn on her.  After several back surgeries and a partial hip replacement, Mom uses a walker to get around.  So, we took our time, but had a nice trip as we made our way from the top of Alabama all the way down I-65 to the Azalea City, of Mobile.

After we checked into our hotel and I got my Mom over to the rehearsal, I took the opportunity to go for a run through town.  I knew the route from our hotel to the church, where the wedding would take place, so I headed in that direction.  The route took me down historic Dauphin, Street, where there are a variety of restaurants and bars.  There were still signs of the Mardi Gras parade that had taken place earlier in the week -- strands of beads could still be seen scattered along the sidewalk and street.

When I reached the church, Dauphin Way United Methodist, I crossed the street and headed back. The sun was going down and various lights of the city were beginning to shine.  As I made my way up Dauphin St., I decided to swing through Bienville Square and see the fountain, that by this time was all in lights.  The Square was named in honor of the founder of Mobile, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville.

So, it will come as no surprise to those that know me that the inevitable was about to happen.  As I exited the Square, I got turned around and after running up and down several streets trying to find my way back to my hotel, I finally had to walk into the downtown Police Station, and ask directions back to the Hampton Suites.  My 4 mile run turned into a 6 mile run.  But hey, it was a beautiful night, in a beautiful city.

(Stock photo of Bienville Square Fountain)

After I got back to the hotel, I showered and decided to go out for a bite.  My Mom was at the rehearsal dinner, and so I had some time on my hands.  I asked the lady at the desk for a recommendation for the best place for a burger and a beer in walking distance.  She said the LoDa Biergarten had the best burgers in town and had over 40 beers on tap and 100 plus beers in bottles. Now, I don't eat red meat often, but when I do, it has to count.  This place did not disappoint.  I highly recommend it.

When I arrived I sat at the bar, ordered a Good People IPA, and struck up a conversation with a guy from Virginia, who traveled all over the East Coast repairing Coast Guard helicopters. When I worked in Washington, DC, I knew a couple of guys that flew MH-65 Dolphins for the Coast Guard, so we had a lot to talk about.

I was also sitting in front of a sign that highlighted their Moon Pie Burger. Although very tempting, I had to pass on it.

(I took a picture of the LoDa Biergarten the next day.)

(I had to throw in a picture of an MH-65 Dolphin because I think they're cool.)

The morning of the wedding, I headed out on a short run.  I ran down to Fort Conde.  It's a partial replica of the old French Fort.  When I was high school, the state Key Club convention was in Mobile. One of the Key Club "sweethearts" and I slipped out of the convention and walked down to Fort Conde. We held hands.  It was a tender moment.  Years later, I ran into her in a grocery store. The snow was falling; it was Christmas Eve.  I stood behind her in the frozen foods and I touched her on the sleeve.  She didn't recognize the face at first, but then her eyes flew open wide.  She went to hug me and she spilled her purse and we laughed until we cried.

(Fort Conde, complete with 1700's fire hydrant)



I ran back down Dauphin St. and passed the original Wintzell's Oyster House.  No offense to the other locations, but nothing beats the original.

 The Wedding

The wedding took place at 5:30, Saturday evening, and it was a lovely ceremony.  Amelia wed Josh Rabbit.  A young man who has just completed dental school, and as I understand it, will be going into pediatric dentistry.  I think the future will be bright for this wonderful couple, and a pediatric dentist named Dr. Rabbit will surely be a hit with little kids.

The reception was held at the Carnival Museum. It highlighted Mobile's rich Mardi Gras history.  The band consisted of a bunch of guys dressed in Elvis jumpsuits, wearing afro wigs.  Great look.  Good band.

It was a great weekend, and if you have a chance to run through the streets of downtown Mobile, I'm sure you will really enjoy it.  Again, it is a beautiful city, with very nice people -- and if you get lost, the police will point you in the right direction. :)