Got treated to my first pedicure today. Right in front of me was the big TV playing the Broncos beating the Chiefs. What a nice evening! Thanks to N to introducing me to the experience.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
DD12 - Earning the Meal
Thanksgiving Day brought the second organized run that I have participated in multiple times, giving me a sense of how I have progressed as a runner. It also brought an opportunity to be with family and friends, as well as 19,000 others, as we ran off the big meal had yet to devour.
N introduced me to the Drumstick Dash last year. I had run the TWR a couple of times, which is a 5k favorite now, but I had not run anything longer. Time to try 4.5 miles, which was listed as 4.6 this year, but registered as 4.65 with all of the weaving between slower folks. Yes, there are folks that are slower than me. Still seems odd to me.
Anyway, a snapshot of my progress over that past year is this:
2011 1968 160 CHAD STARR PITTSBORO IN M 39 08:44 39:19.7
2012 1229 85 CHAD STARR PITTSBORO IN M 40 08:04 37:30.5
2 minutes equals 740 spots better. Dang! I could've broken the 8 minute/mile mark, but I walked for a minute while got a piece of gum out of my pocket. I'll remember that gum next time. Better still was the fact that N and a couple of Starrs, along with JG and SN came out to run too.
Looking forward to next year, Turkey!
N introduced me to the Drumstick Dash last year. I had run the TWR a couple of times, which is a 5k favorite now, but I had not run anything longer. Time to try 4.5 miles, which was listed as 4.6 this year, but registered as 4.65 with all of the weaving between slower folks. Yes, there are folks that are slower than me. Still seems odd to me.
Anyway, a snapshot of my progress over that past year is this:
2011 1968 160 CHAD STARR PITTSBORO IN M 39 08:44 39:19.7
2012 1229 85 CHAD STARR PITTSBORO IN M 40 08:04 37:30.5
2 minutes equals 740 spots better. Dang! I could've broken the 8 minute/mile mark, but I walked for a minute while got a piece of gum out of my pocket. I'll remember that gum next time. Better still was the fact that N and a couple of Starrs, along with JG and SN came out to run too.
Looking forward to next year, Turkey!
Monday, November 19, 2012
Oh, it said 350?
It's not very often that I read directions incorrectly. I tend to just not follow them if there's an issue.
This time, in an effort to completely stink up N's place, I DID read the directions. What I didn't do is read the oven dial correctly. 550 degrees for seven minutes, vs. 350 degrees for ten minutes seems much less appetizing, and can really smoke up a place...
This time, in an effort to completely stink up N's place, I DID read the directions. What I didn't do is read the oven dial correctly. 550 degrees for seven minutes, vs. 350 degrees for ten minutes seems much less appetizing, and can really smoke up a place...
Those were supposed to be taco salad shells. Needless to say, it was burrito night after this.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Come On Down!
Last night, N provided an opportunity to see something fun. Everybody got to wear one of these...
If you've ever watched a daytime game show, you recognize that price tag. We went to see The Price Is Right Live at Clowes Hall on Butler University's campus. I had never seen anything there, so I got an extra bonus.
The show wasn't quite what we expected, and they have a bit of a different format than you see on TV, for timing and venue management. The games that were played were familiar ones.
We got to see Cliffhangers, Plinko, Hole-in-One (or Two, because they gave the lady playing an extra chance to win), and Any Number. Any Number had the only really big winner of the night when a Butler student won a trip to Vegas.
Apparently, someone was disappointed that she didn't win.
Oh, well. It was fun to watch, and there was excitement around whether your name would be called. Not a complete bust.
Thanks to N, for presenting the chance to win big!
If you've ever watched a daytime game show, you recognize that price tag. We went to see The Price Is Right Live at Clowes Hall on Butler University's campus. I had never seen anything there, so I got an extra bonus.
The show wasn't quite what we expected, and they have a bit of a different format than you see on TV, for timing and venue management. The games that were played were familiar ones.
We got to see Cliffhangers, Plinko, Hole-in-One (or Two, because they gave the lady playing an extra chance to win), and Any Number. Any Number had the only really big winner of the night when a Butler student won a trip to Vegas.
Apparently, someone was disappointed that she didn't win.
Oh, well. It was fun to watch, and there was excitement around whether your name would be called. Not a complete bust.
Thanks to N, for presenting the chance to win big!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
10K Gold
I have quite a few 5K results under my belt to gauge my running. Until yesterday, I had not run a timed 10K race. Just a week ago, I recorded my first 5k run at a sub-eight minute pace (7:58). Still I had no idea what
pace I should run or how to time it for twice the distance I usually run.
I began the week by changing my usual running playlist. I knew I'd need to relax a little more in the first miles and be ready to pick it up (or at least maintain) in the late stretch. My 5k playlist has consisted of Avenged Sevenfold (A7X), Bullet for My Valentine (B4MV), Nonpoint, and Hollywood Undead. To change it up for longer distance, I moved A7X and B4MV to the end of the list, added some Five Finger Death Punch (FFDP) in the middle, and started out with Stereo Hearts by Gym Class Heroes, a remix of Rock that Body by Skrillex, and Get Up by Korn to ease into the later miles.
The race was close to home on the West side of town, and it didn't take much arm twisting to get N and JG to join.
The 4th Annual B&O Express is promoted as having a section of the race run on the old B&O railroad path that has been repurposed as a "trail" for hiking, running, and even riding horses. While it sounded really cool at first glance, the section of the B&O that we ran on was a completely asphalt-paved trail.
I didn't know what to expect, but I wanted to set a goal. I figured since I had broken into the sub-8 range in a 5k, I could push through a bit longer and beat a 9 minute pace for 6.2. Goal: 54 minutes. I wanted to be under 9 minutes per mile, even though it was my first race of this length. Most of the course was relatively flat, and much of it wound through a neighborhood, so there were at least some distractions. When it was over, my result was:
Crushed my goal! If I had known I was doing that well, I may have pushed a little harder. If you've seen the tweet or FB post from yesterday, you may note that Runtastic recorded 5.73 mile in a longer time. Not only did I forget to stop it when I was done, but the GPS cut out three times, so it continued to record the time, but not include the distance. N & JG both got the distance on their devices at 6.11 miles. Runtastic is great for a free run recording software, but it has proven inaccurate on a few occasions. At least it has helped me gauge my progress at some level.
A personally impressive achievement by me turned into a cool one for N as well. Little did she know, after the speedy overall female winners had collected their goods, she finished second in her age group.
In all, a great day, and certainly felt spectacular to do so well at my first 10k, regardless of my age group.
pace I should run or how to time it for twice the distance I usually run.
I began the week by changing my usual running playlist. I knew I'd need to relax a little more in the first miles and be ready to pick it up (or at least maintain) in the late stretch. My 5k playlist has consisted of Avenged Sevenfold (A7X), Bullet for My Valentine (B4MV), Nonpoint, and Hollywood Undead. To change it up for longer distance, I moved A7X and B4MV to the end of the list, added some Five Finger Death Punch (FFDP) in the middle, and started out with Stereo Hearts by Gym Class Heroes, a remix of Rock that Body by Skrillex, and Get Up by Korn to ease into the later miles.
The race was close to home on the West side of town, and it didn't take much arm twisting to get N and JG to join.
The 4th Annual B&O Express is promoted as having a section of the race run on the old B&O railroad path that has been repurposed as a "trail" for hiking, running, and even riding horses. While it sounded really cool at first glance, the section of the B&O that we ran on was a completely asphalt-paved trail.
I didn't know what to expect, but I wanted to set a goal. I figured since I had broken into the sub-8 range in a 5k, I could push through a bit longer and beat a 9 minute pace for 6.2. Goal: 54 minutes. I wanted to be under 9 minutes per mile, even though it was my first race of this length. Most of the course was relatively flat, and much of it wound through a neighborhood, so there were at least some distractions. When it was over, my result was:
Crushed my goal! If I had known I was doing that well, I may have pushed a little harder. If you've seen the tweet or FB post from yesterday, you may note that Runtastic recorded 5.73 mile in a longer time. Not only did I forget to stop it when I was done, but the GPS cut out three times, so it continued to record the time, but not include the distance. N & JG both got the distance on their devices at 6.11 miles. Runtastic is great for a free run recording software, but it has proven inaccurate on a few occasions. At least it has helped me gauge my progress at some level.
A personally impressive achievement by me turned into a cool one for N as well. Little did she know, after the speedy overall female winners had collected their goods, she finished second in her age group.
In all, a great day, and certainly felt spectacular to do so well at my first 10k, regardless of my age group.
TWR '12
I started running by signing up for the Talk Walk Run in April of 2010. Then, except for Corporate Challenge, I didn't run another organized race until Talk Walk Run 2011. I ran quite a bit for the next twelve months, all of the while looking forward to TWR 2012. It's at Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park, on scenic and fairly hilly, paved trails. Since I basically learned to run there, I like to think of it as "my run."
This was the one run that I had experience with; that I could make a true comparison to prior efforts and clearly gauge progress (let's hope!)
Tada!! I didn't progress as much between 2011 and 2012 as I did the previous runs, but I did have a lot more room to improve after the 2010 run. Still happy with myself for getting better. Bring on TWR 2013!
This was the one run that I had experience with; that I could make a true comparison to prior efforts and clearly gauge progress (let's hope!)
 | Talk Walk Run 2010 | IN | 5/1/10 | 5 | 67 | 88 | 9:30 | 29:31 |  |
| Talk Walk Run 2011 | IN | 4/30/11 | 5 | 42 | 56 | 8:39 | 26:55 | | |
| Talk Walk Run 2012 | IN | 4/28/12 | 6 | 39 | 46 | 8:09 | 25:19 | |
Tada!! I didn't progress as much between 2011 and 2012 as I did the previous runs, but I did have a lot more room to improve after the 2010 run. Still happy with myself for getting better. Bring on TWR 2013!
Face off vs. Head off
I ran into these two staring at each other while cutting the grass yesterday.
The mantis decided quickly that he was better served saving face until his lady friend could tear his head off. I know some humans who can identify. You know who you are.
The mantis decided quickly that he was better served saving face until his lady friend could tear his head off. I know some humans who can identify. You know who you are.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
March through March
After running in November and December, then the Bop to the Top in January, I had an idea. N and I had already talked about a run at the end of February, and I knew the inaugural Anywhere 5K was approaching at the beginning of March. After a little research, and having the running bug coming out of winter, I decided to "March through March." I planned to run an organized run every weekend in the month of March. Primary goal: Improve. Ultimate goal: RUN.
And so, at the end of February, I began my quest…
February - Week 0
February - Week 0
First was the Polar Bear 5 Mile run. My first five-miler, and at a balmy 20 degrees in downtown Indy. At least I had learned not to wear 4 layers (Jingle Bell). I did rock the running tights for the first time. They’d be more fashionable if they were made for a 6’ 4” runner. Getting a stretch in afterward…
Result: 45:19 total; 9:04/M A solid performance, considering the extra distance.
March - Week 1
March - Week 1
Next up was the Inaugural Anywhere 5K run. Check out their page, buy a shirt or three, and start signing up for these things. They’re FREE!!
Result: 26:25 total; 8:41/M Fortunately for me, I use the “Runtastic” app on my Galaxy S to track my runs, so there was no way I could fib about the result. If you check my tweets just after that, you’ll see a couple more miles logged. I had mapped a new route around home to run, but made on wrong turn on the way out. Add another wrong turn heading back, and you go a couple more miles.
March - Week 2
March - Week 2
To open the week for the Big 10 Conference Basketball Tournament there is an annual Big 10 Hoops Day 5K run. I happen to be pretty close to a Purdue grad, so I put on my big cotton Boilermaker t-shirt, over the gigantic long sleeve dri-fit tee provided for the race, and set out through the streets of downtown Indy once again.
Result: 25:32 total; 8:31/M It must have been the big parachute of a shirt that slowed me down. I didn’t win anything based on my time, but at least a couple of friends and I were able to photo bomb the trophy.
March - Week 3
Of course, St. Patty’s day brings all kinds of events, one of which is the Shamrock 4 Mile run/walk. No photos from this one. The finish was deceptive. As we were routed back into the Monument Circle downtown, we expected to be done as we rounded the corner to head south. Nope. The sprint to the finish was premature. We had to make it three quarters of the way around the circle to finish, which doesn’t sound so bad, unless you have already run 4 miles. That’s no small circle!
Result: 35:06; 08:46/M Acceptable given the extra distance, I suppose.
March - Week 4
March - Week 4
I’ve run trails with N before, and I’ve hiked/jogged some with y2kemo in NC, so the Holliday Park 5 Mile Trail run seemed like a great fit for this month. What I have not done, and certainly not competitively, is stomp across plastic floating bridges due to flooding creeks and slide down muddy, slimy wooden bridges from the rains the night before. It was a lot more than I had experience before, but still as fun as could be. No photos of me this time either. Probably best, though I didn’t get the dirty arse that a lot of other runners came out of there sporting.
Result: 54:42; 10:56/M I’ll take that for my first extremely muddy trail run!
March - Week 5
March - Week 5
Last but not least, on the last day of March, and in anticipation of Easter, was the Bunny Rock 5K run. I say “not least”, but that’s not entirely true. For a 5k in downtown Indy, since this was a new race, there were very few people registered for it. Perhaps I should lead with “I finished 6th in my age group and 44th overall”? It was true, but the race clearly did not bring out a huge crowd. Fewer than 500 in all, but we did all get rockin’ sunglasses and bunny ears to run in. You’ll notice in photos that the ears are bent back so I could be more aerodynamic. Did it work?
Result: 25:30; 8:14/M Best recorded time EVAH by this guy.
There are some in-race photos from this one. This was not too far in. Note the crowd way behind me, and JG’s arm next to me…
This one was near the finish. I had trouble passing that pair behind me. They threw up some hellish elbow blocks. (not really)
Mission accomplished! I ran a race every weekend and improved along the way. Since then, I’ve run one organized race that I’ll tell about later and I’m registered for my first 10k. We’ll see how the extra distance treats me.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Fort(y)ress of Solitude
I, Chadrock, turned forty (40) two weeks ago. No surprise if we went to school together, because most of you have experienced it already. I was unfortunate enough then, but fortunate enough now (some might say) to be one of the youngest in the class of 1990.
To "prepare" for what many consider "over the hill" or some dark number that means you have reached some point where everything begins to fall apart, I have done quite a bit in the last six months. Not everything was a "test" or athletic in nature, but I was quoted on an elevator one day at work. In response to a question that I'll post later, I replied "I'm training to turn forty." Following that, everyone heard "You're going to turn forty anyway."
The next few stories shall be accounts of the events leading up to my fortieth birthday. Perhaps in an effort to prove four-zero is simply a number; maybe to ensure that I got there in the best way; or likely just because I wanted to do stuff that made me happy and turning forty was a fabulous excuse after the fact - I feel like I've done a lot in the last six months.
Stay Tuned! (I promise not to leave you hanging for months again!)
To "prepare" for what many consider "over the hill" or some dark number that means you have reached some point where everything begins to fall apart, I have done quite a bit in the last six months. Not everything was a "test" or athletic in nature, but I was quoted on an elevator one day at work. In response to a question that I'll post later, I replied "I'm training to turn forty." Following that, everyone heard "You're going to turn forty anyway."
The next few stories shall be accounts of the events leading up to my fortieth birthday. Perhaps in an effort to prove four-zero is simply a number; maybe to ensure that I got there in the best way; or likely just because I wanted to do stuff that made me happy and turning forty was a fabulous excuse after the fact - I feel like I've done a lot in the last six months.
Stay Tuned! (I promise not to leave you hanging for months again!)
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Mussel, not muscle
Stepped on a rock in the lake nine days ago. Felt a sharp pain, which turned out to be a bunch of zebra mussels attached to the rock, one of which punctured my heel.
It sucked running, playing volleyball, and doing boot camp on it - until today. I just dug this out of my heel. (note: it was not visible...)
Friday, May 4, 2012
Caberfae II
For the second year in a row, N and I went up to Michigan for the closest thing to a mountain we could f
ind for some skiing back in February.
Still rocking the Atomic 205's from 1992, and having never had them tuned, we hit the slopes.
According to some of the locals, skiing had been bad business this winter because of the unseasonably warm temperatures. Understandable, since this year it was in the upper thirties, compared to low twenties last year. They had blown plenty of "snow" for us to get around on, which made both days worthwhile, even if it wasn't a powdery mountainous wonderland.
Next year we'll have to explore something new, but this was a solid trip for the time. Until later... Shut up and SKI!
According to some of the locals, skiing had been bad business this winter because of the unseasonably warm temperatures. Understandable, since this year it was in the upper thirties, compared to low twenties last year. They had blown plenty of "snow" for us to get around on, which made both days worthwhile, even if it wasn't a powdery mountainous wonderland.
Next year we'll have to explore something new, but this was a solid trip for the time. Until later... Shut up and SKI!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Zipping and Jamming
Back in February, the SB Village was a happening place for ten days. I had a few chances to get out and check the sites for celebs, athletes, etc. More importantly, a had the opportunity to do something extremely exciting, that people spent hundreds of dollars and waited hours in line to do.
The city had put a zip-line down the middle of Capital, just down the street from my building. Whoa...
I had hoped to do it, but when i tried for tickets, they were sold out. Fail. Then along came KF and the crew with an extra ticket for me. Yea!
We had heard stories of people waiting for several hours in line, and people who paid hundred of dollars for tickets to ride. We paid face value of $10 thanks to KF, and with a little planning, we waited in line for about 20 minutes. People are silly.
It was a sweet ride. Way up high above a street I normally drive down...
Amazing how you can be strapped into a dozen buckles and straps with ropes and cables yet still feel like you could fall to your death when you step onto a platform and look out at this
If you look one pane to the left and one pane down from the GMC logo on the convention center windows, you can see a reflection of me flying by, as I tried to snap pictures.
They said to keep your legs tucked to make you more aerodynamic. Not these long things. By the end of my 25 second ride, they were dangling and I was spinning. I felt bad for the dude who had to real me in from about as far out as the latch could reach. If he wasn't getting paid, he was certainly ripped when he was done.
That was awesome, but the day wasn't over. I was trying to get into a show at the fairgrounds that was promoting #SBIndy and to be televised on VH1, live a couple of days before the game. The outfit responsible for tickets, which were FREE, is a company that does audience "placement" for several talk shows and other events. This event was set for live casting, so they chose ticket recipients by some unknown criteria. I assume now that my age was a factor, since I didn't get picked, but N and K both did.
So thanks to these ladies, I was headed to the show
First, we had to stand in line while "producers combed through the crowd to pick out the people they wanted in the camera shots, and the groups that we later learned were to wear football jerseys with one of the band names on the back. And we waited to be casted...
No luck. This mug was not one they wanted in the shot.
Still watching a free show though! The line-up appeared on VH1 in a different order then what we saw, since they air it "live, but need time to do promos and change the stage. The production was a cool thing to witness, even though there was a bit of standing around to contend with. First, we saw B.O.B. I say we, because TV viewers saw him second.
Second for us, but first in the TV airing was Gym Class Heroes, and yes ladies, they brought in Adam Levine, in his ever popular plain white tee...
Finally, what sparked my interest in the first place, was that the All-American Rejects were headlining the show!
And if you missed it, this free show was because of #SBIndy
If they bring back shows like this, for free, then I'll gladly put up with some traffic in this sometimes fabulous city.
The city had put a zip-line down the middle of Capital, just down the street from my building. Whoa...
I had hoped to do it, but when i tried for tickets, they were sold out. Fail. Then along came KF and the crew with an extra ticket for me. Yea!
We had heard stories of people waiting for several hours in line, and people who paid hundred of dollars for tickets to ride. We paid face value of $10 thanks to KF, and with a little planning, we waited in line for about 20 minutes. People are silly.
It was a sweet ride. Way up high above a street I normally drive down...
Amazing how you can be strapped into a dozen buckles and straps with ropes and cables yet still feel like you could fall to your death when you step onto a platform and look out at this
If you look one pane to the left and one pane down from the GMC logo on the convention center windows, you can see a reflection of me flying by, as I tried to snap pictures.
They said to keep your legs tucked to make you more aerodynamic. Not these long things. By the end of my 25 second ride, they were dangling and I was spinning. I felt bad for the dude who had to real me in from about as far out as the latch could reach. If he wasn't getting paid, he was certainly ripped when he was done.
That was awesome, but the day wasn't over. I was trying to get into a show at the fairgrounds that was promoting #SBIndy and to be televised on VH1, live a couple of days before the game. The outfit responsible for tickets, which were FREE, is a company that does audience "placement" for several talk shows and other events. This event was set for live casting, so they chose ticket recipients by some unknown criteria. I assume now that my age was a factor, since I didn't get picked, but N and K both did.
So thanks to these ladies, I was headed to the show
First, we had to stand in line while "producers combed through the crowd to pick out the people they wanted in the camera shots, and the groups that we later learned were to wear football jerseys with one of the band names on the back. And we waited to be casted...
No luck. This mug was not one they wanted in the shot.
Still watching a free show though! The line-up appeared on VH1 in a different order then what we saw, since they air it "live, but need time to do promos and change the stage. The production was a cool thing to witness, even though there was a bit of standing around to contend with. First, we saw B.O.B. I say we, because TV viewers saw him second.
Second for us, but first in the TV airing was Gym Class Heroes, and yes ladies, they brought in Adam Levine, in his ever popular plain white tee...
Finally, what sparked my interest in the first place, was that the All-American Rejects were headlining the show!
And if you missed it, this free show was because of #SBIndy
If they bring back shows like this, for free, then I'll gladly put up with some traffic in this sometimes fabulous city.
Pardon the Hiatus
It's been a few months since I wrote anything. Perhaps I felt too busy. Perhaps I was lazy. (more likely) Maybe there was nothing to write about. (not even close) In any event, apologies to my two loyal readers. Most probably haven't noticed.
Having gotten that off my chest...
Let's step back to February for a moment. You may know of a big football event that was held in Indy back then. Call it #SBIndy for you Twitter folks. I had the opportunity, being a "local", to take in a lot of the atmosphere, and a couple of the events leading up to the big game.
I've shown the cars, since this is Indy, and there's a big race here too. But I got another opportunity when these two came downtown with me to check out the sites.
Since they know I love my Broncos, they went to see the Indy cars with me again. I happened to be wearing an old-school Broncos sweatshirt, and since this was months before the Broncos picked up Peyton (sorry Colts fans), I had to...
We got to see a lot of other cool stuff, including live music at two different stages, thousands of people, where I'm certain a hundred celebrities were blending in since we spotted none, and
With the heaters they installed down the middle of the village and all of the people wandering, you couldn't tell it was 25 degrees out. It felt more like 28.
Since we were downtown, and parked near my building, I treated the kids to an area favorite, Acapulco Joe's. What meal is complete without salsa out of a squirt bottle?
It was a great day in the village, and I hope the kids had as much fun as I did. Not to worry, there was still more to come.
Having gotten that off my chest...
Let's step back to February for a moment. You may know of a big football event that was held in Indy back then. Call it #SBIndy for you Twitter folks. I had the opportunity, being a "local", to take in a lot of the atmosphere, and a couple of the events leading up to the big game.
I've shown the cars, since this is Indy, and there's a big race here too. But I got another opportunity when these two came downtown with me to check out the sites.
Since they know I love my Broncos, they went to see the Indy cars with me again. I happened to be wearing an old-school Broncos sweatshirt, and since this was months before the Broncos picked up Peyton (sorry Colts fans), I had to...
We got to see a lot of other cool stuff, including live music at two different stages, thousands of people, where I'm certain a hundred celebrities were blending in since we spotted none, and
With the heaters they installed down the middle of the village and all of the people wandering, you couldn't tell it was 25 degrees out. It felt more like 28.
Since we were downtown, and parked near my building, I treated the kids to an area favorite, Acapulco Joe's. What meal is complete without salsa out of a squirt bottle?
It was a great day in the village, and I hope the kids had as much fun as I did. Not to worry, there was still more to come.
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