Sweet Swag

I’m running in the Autumn Rock-n-Run 5k in Casselberry, FL this Saturday sponsored by the Track Shack and Florida Hospital so today I made the drive downtown to pick up my race packet.

The Track Shack has been a running institution in Orlando for decades. It really is a cool shop. If you ever visit you should make the drive up from the theme parks and check it out.

The packet pickup was quick and well organized as usual. I had a few minutes to browse the racks, but managed to keep my wallet in my pocket this time. (If you recall, last time I couldn’t resist a 20% off sale and took home a new pair of ASICS).

The swag was typical for a 5k around here. A handful of coupons, race fliers, samples of power bars and crackers, and of course a tech T. The T-shirt is pretty cool and may even see some wear when I’m not running.

This race is also my entry in the second DoppelLaufer Virtual 5k. If you haven’t been following along, you can see a list of the entrants here.

There are 14 racers this go round with race PR’s ranging from sub 20 to more than 40 minutes. The action will take place over the next three weekends, so watching the standings change will be like announcing a horse race in slow motion. If we designed the handicap system well it should be a photo finish.

You can follow along with the pre- and post-race taunting here.

My prediction, you ask?

johnnysocko:  The fastest among us, jsock, will have the best time outright but will fall frustratingly short of victory in the handicap adjusted standings.

dwm082:  Don will be dq’d for forgetting to post his results in the thread.  It will have been so long since he posted anything, that he will forget where it is.

JimDo64:  Jim will make the classic error of wearing a new pair of shoes at his race, will succumb to a blister, and limp across the finish line.

middleagedrunner will ignore the advice of her doctor, enter her race, shin splints and all, but will exercise caution and finish well over her current PR.

Maryalicia will race without her James Bond stroller, but racked with guilt, will return to the start to pick up her little girl and carry her the 3.1 miles to the finish.

thingmabobby will try to run the race barefoot and like Jim, will end up limping across the finish line on blistered feet.

SurfingVol will develop a run in his stockings, er . . . I mean "Zensah Sleeve," and the uneven compression will be too much of a distraction for him to be any threat on the race course.

WiGuy performed so well in his last race after fueling up with chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream that he logically decided to repeat the ritual. Following the same logic he will eat twice as much ice cream under the mistaken belief that it will mean twice the speed.

Squeakygirl and Papakeith will become so competitive at the starting line because of their little side bet, that they resort to tripping and hair pulling to slow each other down costing them both any chance of victory.

vcackerman – will miss his race in favor of a Hawkeyes tailgating party.

FaithUpHigh will have a camping flashback, get spooked by imagined spiders and snakes, and end up hopping and shrieking her way down the race course.

BowieLinda – Mysterious Linda was quiet as a church mouse throughout much of the DoppelLaufer taunting but will turn out to be the silent threat on the race course that everyone should have been worrying about. She will be a contender, but her downfall will result from throngs of paparazzi blinding her with flashbulbs, trying to get pictures of BowieDavid’s wife’s hot feet.  The result of an anonymous tip tweeted by JimDoGump.

Shona – in a last minute re-entry, Shona will enter a new 5k, but will accidently pack her climbing shoes instead of her running shoes for the race.

and the winner will of course be:

DoppelLaufer Virtual 5k Update

The starting gun will fire in 10 more days with what is certain to be the shot heard round the web.

Our virtual race has grown from 3 runners to 14, representing 12 different states from Florida to Washington and all points in between.

Here is the current list of participants, including handicaps:

As always the taunting and camaraderie continues here:

DoppelLaufers Good Natured Taunting and Race Reports Thread

The competition is fierce. At the moment, the most intense rivalry seems to be centered around a father/daughter pair from Rhode Island who are resorting to outright sabotage and dirty tactics to gain an advantage. The details are a little sketchy, but rumor has it that pancakes and bacon were involved

Virtual Racing is Back!

We virtually had so much fun with the first go round of the DoppleLaufers Virtual Race that we’re doing it again. Participation has virtually doubled already.

We expanded the time to include three weekends to make it virtually easier for people to find a 5k that fits their schedule (9/11/10-9/26/10) and we’ve worked out a handicapping system to virtually level the playing field. Runners of virtually any skill level have a shot at winning. We’ve already attracted people with PR’s virtually ranging from sub 20 minutes to 30 minutes plus.

You can see the details here: Doppel Games September Invitational Race for Virtually Anyone

And the trash talking continues here: DoppelLaufers Good Natured Taunting and Race Reports Thread

I also added a dedicated page for virtual race information here with a list of the participants, their races, PR’s and handicaps.

I will be running in the Autumn Rock-n-Run 5k in Casselberry, FL on 9/11/10.

DoppelLaufer Challenge Results

The results are in and the winner is:

Don

Jim had victory ripped from his grasp by a mere two seconds.

Yours truly managed a personal record, and met his goal of breaking 24 minutes but came in a distant 3rd.

The final times were:

Don: 22:19 

Jim: 22:21

Bob: 23:58

We all had a blast with this virtual race and plans are already underway for a rematch.

Track Shack put on a great event with the Celebration of Running. There were 1538 finishers, I came in 226 overall and 19th in my age division.

The start/finish was located at Loch Haven Park in Orlando, which is one of the cultural centers of town (yes, there is some culture in Orlando). The park is surrounded by the Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando Science Center, the Mennollo Museum of American Art and the Orlando Shakespeare Theater. The lake front park is shaded by ancient, massive Oak Trees (so no there weren’t any palm fronds to hurdle, Jim) and full of sculptures.

Track Shack did a great job with organization, the facilities were great, results were posted quickly and race photos were even available on line by the end of the day.

I would have liked more substantial food offerings after the race. We were offered water, Accelerade, Smoothies, bananas, rice crispy treats and chips. I would have killed for a bagel. The smoothies were awesome, especially with the heat. I chugged one too many and gave myself brain freeze.

The race went pretty much according to plan. My splits were 7:49, 7:47 and 7:34. I managed negative splits but I thought I would be able to improve a little more than that with each mile. By my watch my time was 24:01 at the finish. I had about 15 agonizing minutes during which I believed I had missed my goal by one second until they started posting official results.

It ain't pretty, but this is the look of exhaustion and agony, taken right after finishing.

I was sweating so much after the race that I think I may have ruined my cell phone. Shortly after taking this picture the lens fogged up and the camera was useless. I searched desperately for something dry to wipe it off but I was out of luck, it was just too humid. A few minutes later the volume controls started malfunctioning, constantly adjusting the volume, and all I could do was turn it off. A day later, it’s still malfunctioning. I can only hope it gets better after a few days of drying out or I may have to replace it.

I celebrated my PR with a 10 mile run this morning. I was worried about this run after the race yesterday, but it went really well. I finished strong with an average pace of 9:47 and an 8:46 final mile.

Head to Head to Head

Looks like we have another entrant in the DoppelLaufer Virtual 5k Challenge. dwm082 a/k/a Don threw his hat in the ring yesterday.

Here is the new lineup:

With his weakness for ice cream and potato chips I really don’t consider Don much of a threat, unless of course Ben & Jerry’s sponsored his race and is offering free samples at the finish line. He does seem to have won the heart of our head cheerleader, but I think that’s only because his profile picture hides the spare tire he’s carrying around his waist from eating all that junk food. I also think that’s a rug on his head.

Don’s running in the Mississippi Mudds 5k in Buffalo, NY. Looks like it’s FL vs. IL vs. NY with state pride on the line.

Jim has graciously offered me a few training tips. Apparently applying a thick coat of Icy Hot to the nipples, upper thighs and groin area just before the starting gun virtually guarantees a PR. Makes sense, I think I’ll give it shot.

The shenanigans are escalating here.

I picked up my race packet yesterday at Track Shack. I’m bib # 1363. They were having a 20% off sale so I picked up a new pair of Asics. This will probably be the pair I wear in the Space Coast Marathon. I broke them in this morning.

2010 DoppelLaufer Virtual 5k Challenge

What is this nonsense, you ask?

Well, the bar room brawl started here:
http://community.active.com/thread/91383/proper-running-form-i-give-up/0/0

and then tumbled into the streets here:
http://community.active.com/thread/91449/doppellaufers-good-natured-taunting-and-race-reports-thread/0/0

It all began with an innocent comment to JimDo64 on the CoolRunning forum about how evenly matched we seem to be based on our race PR’s, followed by a not so innocent threat to shred his half marathon PR come October.

Gradually other similarities revealed themselves, apparently including a sense of humor.

JimDo64 - Nemesis
(actual size)

Your Intrepid Blogger

“It’s like we’re living in alternate universes,” says he.

“Or like we’re doppelgangers,” I say.

Wherein he proceeds to lecture me with a long winded diatribe about the etymological origins of doppelganger, culminating in the declaration that we are actually DoppelLauffers (literal translation – Double Runners) and that one of us must therefore be evil.

What nerve!

This will all culminate in a clash of titans Saturday morning, a virtual head to head 5k. I’ve registered for the Track Shack Celebration of Running 5k in Orlando and he entered the Joshua Kurby Charge for the CHARGE 5k in Carol Stream, IL.

Winner gets bragging rights and first crack at being the evil/fun half of the doppel pair.

With any luck we will both break through 24 minutes for the first time.

Stay tuned!