The 2010 edition of Athens, GA Twilight was filled with rain and wind provided by a nearby tropical storm, and smaller crowds than the usual 30,000 that are expected to line the streets of the downtown. Even though the weather was less than optimal people were still in good spirits and having a great time. My day began with a stop to Jittery Joe’s for pre-race coffee and then I headed downtown for the first race of the day, the 5k run.

At 8:30 am I was cruising through the streets of Athens with a small crowd of fellow runners. I hit the first mile in 4:45, which was a little faster than I wanted to go out in, but it was mostly a flat to downhill mile. By mile two I settled into the lead pack with two other runners (Nate Peck of ZAP Fitness + a UGA runner). Just after the two mile mark we descended and ascended a set of rolling hills. I felt great after this section, so I decided to pick it up and close a bit of the gap that Peck opened up on the field. Coming down the home stretch I heard foot steps coming up quickly behind me and had to kick a little harder right at the end to secure 2^nd place overall to Peck in 15:35. The man right who finished in 3^rd was Drew Haro, a local to Athens. Drew is a great guy and it was a pleasure meeting and hanging with him. Thanks to my finishing place I qualified for the $1000 mile later in the evening.

The format for the $1000 mile is that the top 15 men and women from the 5k in the morning run 1.5 laps on the cycling criterium course at 7:15 pm. The prize money actually went five places deep, with a bonus for 1^st place after the first lap and a $1000 bonus to the first sub-4 mile. Well, 7:15 pm came and passed. Everyone stayed close to the parking garage, jogging around, making small talk, and trying to keep loose. Thanks to rain falling at up to an inch per hour things were running about an hour late. A little after 8 pm the hand-cycles finished their race and then we were escorted onto the course. Despite the rain spectators lined the course all the way around. We were allowed a quick strider or two, then settled into our starting position on the backstretch of the course. A few seconds later we were off.

Everyone charged the uphill start, fueled by an adrenaline filled atmosphere provided by the spectators and the world renowned announcer. As we crested the uphill I heard my former teammate Tom Carpenter yell, “Go D-Whit!” We quickly made it to turn three of the course I found myself right in the mix up front and in a great position. After we navigated a huge puddle on turn four and entered the homestretch for the first time we were greeted with tons of screaming fans cheering us on. Three men took off in seek of the $50 bonus. I picked it up, but chose to be conservative and save my energy for the hill on the backstretch. My second go round on the hill I was in 6^th place and feeling confident in my ability to pick off at least one runner and put myself in a position to make top five. Near the top of the hill I passed a fading runner and focused on driving my arms and looking for the next person to go after. Right before I entered the last two sharp turns I took out another runner and put myself in 4^th place. Powered by the roars on the homestretch I made myself a split second promise. That promise was that no matter how bad I was hurting I would find a way to hold my ground and try to close on 3^rd place. I put on the blinders, shifted into my last gear, and pushed hard all the way through the line.

4 minutes and 28 seconds later the blur of a race was complete. I had finished 4^th and kept the promise to myself. The street mile was awesome and such a rush! This was definitely a unique set of races and I loved that I was able to be a part of them this year.

Next up is the Patriot’s Cup 8k Corporate challenge on May 2^nd. I will be supporting the company I work for (BIT Systems, Inc.) and trying to help bring home some hardware!

Today I am going to teach you how to blend up my recovery drink of choice. 

Ingredients:

Endurox R4 (I prefer Vanilla or Chocolate)
Organic Whole Milk
Organic Low Fat French Vanilla Yogurt
Fruit - Bananas, Strawberries, Mixed Berries, etc.

Put in about a pint glass of milk, 2 scoops of Endurox R4, 2 - 3 tablespoons of yogurt, and a good sized handful of berries.  Mix everything up and enjoy yourself a great tasting, healthy smoothie.  Feel free to add more milk, ice cubes for coldness, or a splash of water to thin the drink out to your liking. 

The end result should look something like this:

I started mixing up recovery smoothies on the regular about a year ago to stop myself from eating so much right after runs.  It is extremely important to refuel yourself with the right things after a workout, especially long runs.  I find that I have a much easier time downing a smoothie vs. solid foods immediately after a run.

This smoothie is perfect for recovery from workouts because it is loaded with nutrients your body needs and can process right away.  Milk and yogurt are filled with protein, calcium, and vitamins.  Endurox R4 contains 12 grams of protein, 780% d.v. of vitamin c, 1330% d.v. of vitamin e, as well as potassium and sodium.  Vitamin E helps your body build up antioxidants that protect your cells and boost your immune system.  Finally, fresh or frozen fruit add even more vitamins, nutrients, and natural sugars that your body can process without adding hfcs, bad fats, or fake sugars. 

New kicks! Expect a full review soon!

Yesterday Dave and I headed out for a 2 hour trail run along the Potomac River.  We started in Arlington and ended up very close to CIA HQ in Langley, VA.  Along the route we encountered some expert level trails.  One of the trails literally had hand rails drilled into rock so that you could pull yourself up.  A little ways into one trail we discovered a hashers’ trail from earlier in the morning.  We decided to follow their trail and see where it went.  A few miles, rivers, rocks, and roots later the two of us found ourselves immersed in what might be the nicest block of houses I have seen in this area.

15 miles, 2 hours of actual running, and 2.5 hours total time spent in the woods we finally found home.

This morning I competed in the 5th annual James Madison High School Warhawk 5k in Vienna, VA.  I found out about the race through a co-worker who has kids that attend the school.  Frank and Will came out on their bikes to ride along and take pictures.  My main goals going into the race were to have fun and get in a solid workout.  I believe that I accomplished both of those today. 

The course layout was set up over rolling hills and had quite a few turns.  The finish was a lap on the track at the high school.  I ended up winning by about a minute, in a time of 15:52’ish.  It felt good to run something short after having done the National 1/2 Marathon a few weeks ago.

Next up is the Athens Twilight 5k in Athens, GA on April 24th.