The Quest for the Buckle

The quest has begun.  Training is in full gear.  And I am quickly coming to the realization that this is no freaking joke.  100 miles...  100 miles...  100 miles...  even the sound of that as it rolls off my tongue is scary, daunting, and seemingly improbable.  Just this past weekend as I finished a short 18 miler I thought to myself, "holy crap 82 miles to go!  No f'in way..."  Now obviously I ran a bit faster than I would have in a 100 and I can probably easily run a few more miles that day but the prospect of finishing a 100 mile run in my current state of fitness is not good.  I'd give myself a 10-20% chance actually finish the race at this point in time.  For the first time in a long time I am very scared.  I am going in without experience on my back and confidence in my heart.

The Nanny Goat 100 buckle

What I do have is four month in front of me and I MUST move that completion % from 10% to say 60-70%.  What I have is a massive amount of respect for the distance and the fear that will keep my training honest.  What I have is 29 marathons, a 45M ultra, and two doubles under my belt to lean on as I approach this epic run.  I MUST have this.  I will have this.  (tell myself enough and I will start to believe??)

Pray for me.

One race, one mile, and one step at a time

Jeff

State #23 Mississippi Blues Marathon

State #23 Mississippi Blues Marathon


The MS Blues marathon is the 23rd pit-stop of my race around these beautiful 50 States of ours.  I've got to be honest, I had some preconceived notions about the South.  Certainly, images of southern hospitality and good southern cooking came to mind (and there were plenty, check out these dishes I inhaled after the race, yes in one sitting, yes by myself)

 

seafood gumbo

fried oysters

red bean and rice with andouille sausage

but so did the darker images from history books.  Was it going to be a fun, safe trip for this Asian boy down in the deep south?  The answer is a resounding yes.  I encountered friendlier people on the race course and during my stay in Jackson than I did in many other races in big cities across the country.  I did not see many other Asians throughout my stay in MS but I certainly didn't feel out of place at any given time.

Speaking of Asians, I did finally meet Mitch "Marathon Mitch" Chan on this trip.  Great guy who is a fellow MM from So Cal.  Here is a photo of all the Asians in MS gathering at the race!

(Mitch, Jaeson Winters, and me at the start)

The flight from Orange County to Jackson included a hop through DFW and one of those small planes which is not high on my preference list (the plane).  Here is a view of Jackson from the air.

The Blues Marathon is properly named as Mississippi is obviously the home of Blues music.  The race was also sponsored by Bluecross/Shield ...  (clever huh?).  It is a small race that included the full marathon, half marathon, and the marathon relay.  The expo was small but efficient.  The swag bag was OUTSTANDING as it included a short sleeve technical shirt, a blues CD (pretty good stuff), and even a logoed harmonica!

the 2013 race started at 7:00AM at a whopping 35 degrees.  bring your jackets and blankets boys and girls!

The full marathon completed 755 runners and was well organized.  The first portion of the course (miles 1-2) was a bit crowded as I tried to maneuver around many half marathons in the streets of downtown Jackson.  However, once the course opened up it was well marked and staged with water stations and spectators.  To be honest, the out and back course was not terribly exciting once outside of the downtown area where some historical buildings resided but I did appreciate the thoughtfulness of the organization.  The half marathoners separated fairly early during the course and did not impact the flow of the full marathon.  The course included NUMEROUS rolling hills throughout, however as advertised they were gentle and usually included a fair length of flat distance between the hills.  After my experience in Atlanta, these hills paled in comparison!  I was happy with my 3:55 finish...  felt strong after a big 4th quarter 2012 where I increased my overall volume significantly.  While I didn't PR, I was able to see the strength and confidence I've gained from last year.

The finisher medal is extraordinary.  I don't usually think much about the medals but this one is pretty special!
Thanks for a great time MS!  onward to Kansas in April and 1-0-0 miles in May!

one race, one mile, and one step at a time,

Jeff