2018: A Year in Review

2018 was another great year of running. I tied my PR in the marathon, finished second overall and first master out in South Dakota, and ran more miles than ever for a calendar year. I started running to work regularly, which accounts for all of my additional miles. Miles and I ran a lot of miles together: in addition to regular commutes to and from daycare and our favorite loop to the Zoo, we had our first races (2nd stroller at College Park 5K and 1st stroller at Capitol Hill 10K). And, today, we ran to the Smithsonian so he could play at the Air and Space Museum, with a quick visit to my office on the Hill.

A few stats to capture 2018 in running:

Total miles (bicycle and running) = 5,063 which was 691 total hours of exercise. I cut back on bicycling since I switched those bike share commutes to runs which allowed me to increase my total miles by over 600 more than last year.

Running = 4,265 miles (previous high in 2017 was 3614). That is about the distance from Washington, D.C. to Fairbanks, Alaska. I climbed 145,840 feet while running. That's the equivalent of summiting Mount Everest (29,029 feet) just over five times!

New places I ran = Deadwood, South Dakota, St. Michaels, Maryland. It wasn't a banner year for accumulating new cities, but I'm fine with that.

My my training partner Shawn captures my year in running:

"Kenny is getting better with age and he's doing it by working harder. When 2018 ends, he expects to have run about 4,200 miles -- he's currently at 4,050 -- a lifetime high that exceeds his previous best annual mileage tally by about 600 miles.

"He's not only running more. He's running faster. Kenny ran his second fastest marathon ever in March with a 2:59:32 at Rock N Roll DC, placing second in his age group on a very difficult course. The hill at Fort Dupont at mile 23 is a doozy. His PR is on the flat course in Houston in 2016 (2:59:31).

"The following month, he persevered on a rainy, cold day in Boston, setting a course PR of 3:08:36 when many other runners dropped out.

"And at the Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon in the Black Hills of South Dakota in June, Kenny was the first master and second overall. He ran in the lead group of two for most of the race. He led the race outright from miles 12-14 until the winner, a 29 year-old, caught and passed him. He finished in 3:17 on a warm day when the winner crossed in 3:11. That made him the South Dakota State Master's Champion for 2018 and marked the 27th state in which he has completed a marathon.

"In November, Kenny set a course PR at the New York City Marathon in 3:01:06, easily besting his previous two attempts 3:26 (2010) and 3:12 (2015).

"He was third master at the DC Road Runners Club 20-Miler in September, setting a PR for the distance of 2:14:16 (6:43 pace).

"Adjusting to the running life as a father, Kenny placed second in the stroller division in the College Park 5K in May. He was then first stroller at the Capitol Hill Classic 10K later that month.

"He ran a 1-mile time trial in 5:15 during the summer and placed 2nd overall in the DCRRC 3K Track Championship in driving rain in July.

"And in November, Kenny placed 3rd AG/7th overall at the Camp Letts Turkey Trot Not-Quite 10K in 37:22."

It was very satisfying to see him run a personal record number of miles in 2018, improve his marathon time from 3:08:20 (Freedom's Run, 9/30/17) to 3:03:16 (Rock and Rock DC, 3/10/18) to 3:02:37 (New York City Marathon, 11/4/18). He also set many other PRs and win a few races outright and age group. It was great to run with someone who follows a similar routine and keeps pace.

The friendly competition was what was ultimately most rewarding in 2018. As I grow older, I maintain my goal of 50 marathons in 50 states. I am still striving for PRs, but I am narrowing my focus to the marathon. It was neat to train for a track one mile race even if the downpour conditions made a PR impossible. I hope that 2019 brings more PRs, milestones, and quality time running with friends and my son!

My Return to the Turkey Trot

Last year, I didn't race a Turkey Trot, so I was excited to join Shawn at the Camp Letts YMCA Turkey Chase. I signed up a few days ago when I was certain that it would fit into my schedule and that dad would join me. It was too cold for Miles, so he stayed and Mom watched him. Last year, Shawn was third overall and first in our age group so I thought this would be a good race to place high.

My father and I pre-race with the mascots. Three turkeys and a raccoon!

Shawn and I warm up for the race

Shawn stretches to "Y-M-C-A!"

I have to change my expectations when I am sick. I have battled a head cold for the couple of days. And while I was able to place in the top ten, I was barely on track to break 40. The course is not easy: it is run on a gravely road (I bruised the outside of my foot during warm up) and through a grassy field and through a trail in the woods with roots, rocks, and standing water. This is not a PR course. I tried to hang with Shawn early, starting the race on the line, but after the first mile I fell back - I made a strategic decision to try to run slower at first then close the gap later. He was wearing bright red and I could see him through the bucolic scenery. Even when he put 20-30 seconds ahead of me, I figured I could make that up over the last 2-3 miles. But coming back to the finish, I didn't have that finishing gear. I wasn't gassed, but I was stuck at my pace. Shawn finished nearly a minute ahead of me - he out-kicked a 54 year old guy to claim 5th overall.

And we're off!

The race sent me photos (link) and results. It reported that me as 8th and 4th in my age group with a guy besting me by 4 seconds. That didn’t sound right - there was no one in the 10K ahead of me. I emailed the race director about the results, pointing out that a 41 year old male from Laurel, MD, bib 153 finishing four seconds ahead of me did not race the 10K. I attached finishing video my father shot and photos from the race's pictures. And Shawn testified to back up my claim.

Early in the race

They replied, “Hi Kenny; Congratulations on a great race! We will certainly check this out. It certainly makes sense he ran the 5k but was signed up for the 10k; which is what was used for scoring. It happened more than once. Give us a couple days to gather any other anomalies and we will repost results. Thanks; Ron”

Finishing almost a minute behind Shawn

After about a week or so, they concluded that he did, in fact, not race the 10K. They emailed:

"The Race Director has authorized us to make the change moving Warren to 5k. Mark will re-calculate results and will update the posted results.
Thanks for your patience;
Ron"

I appreciate that they got this right. I was moved up to 7th overall and 3rd in my age group. In the grand scheme, it means little, but it is nice to have the record accurately reflect the final results.