Astros Race for the Pennant 5k

Weight: 235.75 (238.6)
Percentage of Fat: 29.9%
Fat Mass Weight: 70.5 lbs

I said I wanted to be in the low to mid-230's before the Astros race. Barely squeaked in, but I made it. Next week I have a river trip planned and I also said I wanted to dip into the 220's before then, but it's unlikely to happen before next Friday. This week I lost 1.5 pounds. It is interesting and worth noting.... for the first time my body fat percentage went up 0.3%.


Meet Mark and Brian for their first 5k race. I was unable to find someone to watch Alison while I ran; therefore I ended up pushing her in the jogging stroller. Minutes before the start we lost Brain in the crowd. Mark and I placed ourselves at the back.... very back, even behind the walkers since I was "breaking the rules" with the stroller. As usual, the start crowd was difficult to navigate and we lost an unknown amount of time weaving through the walkers.

Mark and I talked the entire first mile, which says our pace was less than race-effort. Mark dropped back at the one-mile marker, but I quickly found Brian less than a 1/4 mile ahead of me. It was also at this time I realized something was wrong with my garmin. Some how, somewhere, my watch turned off.

Brain and I ran together for half a mile. It was nice to know he was safe and having fun. At 1.5 miles the course headed away from the shade of the downtown buildings and the heat was beaming down on the runners with vengeance. Even with my slow pace, I was picking people off by the dozens the entire time. Probably a result of me starting so far back... either way, it was good for my ego. I had a decent rhythm, but the two climbs out of the underpasses zapped most of my energy. Even slight elevation gains are a struggle with the stroller.

My heart wanted to pick the pace up for the last half-mile, but I was running at full capacity. I gave it all I had when we turned into the park. I don't know what my official time was, but the clock read 33:xx when I crossed. A man beside me said his watch read 31:08, but I don't know where he started either.

The race was a huge success, until I reached the finish line. Everyone wanted to wait near the end of the course for their friends & family, which resulted in the runners being stuck shoulder to shoulder like cattle, not moving, and without any water immediately available. My effort and body-heat had me extremely nauseated. The tight quarters made matters worse. It was not fun waiting 5-minutes to get through the shoot. The next challenge, which has no bearing on the race director, was hauling the stroller up the stairs. I did it, but it was not easy.

Took longer than expected to get my heart rate and temperature back to normal. After three bottles of water, Alison and I made a dash for the car to put the stroller away so we could line up for the "Junction Jack kids run". As soon as we could see the start line, they blew the horn for her race!

We started her race with a 150-yard sprint to the start line. From that point forward I did the best I could to keep up with her. My garmin was showing us running a high 8 min/mile pace, which I struggled to maintain. I'm so proud of Alison. She would run ahead of me solo until she couldn't see me any more, then she contra flowed back to me, then start the cycle again. Not once did she walk. What is even better... her pace seemed very consistent. Being her dad I'm able to gauge her effort level. This was truly a fun run for her, because "ole dad" couldn't keep up! She was patient enough to run with me when the camera guys were in sight. When I asked Alison to run beside me so they could take our picture together she told me, "Let me have your hand and I'll help you run faster". She is so funny and incredible! I'm not sure what her race distance was, but my guess would be a solid mile with the run to the start line and her back-and-fourth maneuvers.

Alison is excited right now as she's sporting her medal and race t-shirt. I was smiling ear to ear too, until I dropped her off at Erins. There were a few cars at Erin's house. Alison told me that today was Preston's birthday party. Obviously, I wasn't invited to my son's first birthday party and that cuts deep. I don't expect anyone else to understand, but it is moments like this I hurt the most. Erin told me a couple weeks ago she wanted separate parties, but I had hoped she would change her mine. I could go on and on about this issue, but it won't change anything. My great morning turned south fast and as I sit here 12-hours later, I still can't get it off my mind.

Breakfast: 468
Snack after race: 100 (2-bites of a lettuce wrap)
Lunch: FREE MEAL (red lobster)
Dinner: 630

The free-meal wasn't too awful, with one exception. Okay Coach, start waggin' your finger, because I had soda(s) at lunch. Wanted something sweet and I broke a big rule doing it (thou shall not drink calories!!!).
The meal consisted of:
Lobster/artichoke dip with chips
Small side salad with ranch dressing
Wild rice, ~4-oz grilled chicken, 6-grilled shrimps, and 2-cheddar biscuits
*I only ate 1/2 of my rice and chicken*

I've looked EVERYWHERE for the official race results, but I cannot find anything. Does anyone know where they are posted?