Making up for lost time...the spring of my discontent

Alright, this is going to be an attempt to catch up on everything since December, with the hope of posting more frequently hereafter...

March 3, 2012: Umstead Marathon (the death spiral begins)
I was so excited to run my first Umstead Marathon!  I had been regularly training at Umstead and was primed and ready to go.  And then the night before the race, biblical rains descended upon the land.  I laughed in the face of these rains.  Bwahahahaha!  I took off at what felt like a very comfortable 6:10 or so pace, despite the course conditions.  I was feeling awesome.  I saw some friends along the way who were of amazing encouragement.  Through the turnaround at approx mile 15, I was feeling great.  Heading back down Turkey Creek...still feeling pretty good.  "Wow, I am crushing this!  Just hold on, only 8 more miles," I said around mile 18.  And then, as has been chronicled in many a blog (the epic "Running Down" for one), I experienced something that I have never had happen before.  All of the sudden, I started meandering.  My vision started getting blurry.  I recall people asking me how I was doing, but I honestly don't remember my response.  I was literally imploding.  The death march down Cedar Ridge and back up was just that.  And then, an amazing volunteer on a bike rode alongside me for the last few miles.  The conversation went something like this:
"Hi, I'm James.  What's your name?"
"Ugh...Dave"
"Dave, you don't look so good.  I've got food...sandwiches, Gu's, water.  Want some?"

At this point, I proceeded to eat everything in his backpack and drink several bottles of water over the last few miles, alternating walking, running, cramping and looking for soft places to crash and die.  This guy saved my bacon.  it was embarassing as all get out to lose an 8min lead with 3 miles left, but to finish 2nd overall with all that was a true blessing. 

Since Umstead, I have battled IT band, glute, and hip pain and been to some pretty dark places.  But with some prayer, great friends who encourage me, and healing, I'm feeling much, much better, and Umstead Park hasn't seen the last of me!  Hopefully, I'll tackle that marathon again real soon! 

April 21, 2012: Tar Heel 10-miler
What an amazing race!  So well done.  It was awesome to be standing next to Meb at the starting line.  I was coming off injury and ran conservatively, but was really happy with the result.  Fleet Feet does an amazing job putting on races and I love running for them!  The field was huge too...the most they have ever had and there was tons of energy because of it.

Present Day
Still some residual soreness, but I am much better and finally feel like racing again.  I had a great 15-miler with Victor Ornelas today.  I'm hoping to do a few Godiva meets, the 4 on the 4th, and a few others this summer as I train for the Atlanta Marathon which is this fall.

Future
Hopefully, I can make this funnier/more interesting in the future when I'm not trying to catch up on months of stuff at a time.

Quote of the Day
So, Lone Star, now you see that evil will always triumph because good is dumb.
- Dark Helmet