2005 Great Race – My First 10K! :)

great race bibToday I ran my first 10K race. 🙂 It was the Richard S. Caliguiri Great Race.

I met up with Rob Carr at the ambulance behind the starting line. My wife took a picture of us. As soon as that roll of film gets developed, I'll post my Run Shadyside and Great Race pics.

Rob and I ran the first mile together. He was worried about his knee and I was worried about setting too fast a pace, so we took it slow. As it turned out, we took it slower than either of us really wanted (about 13 minutes as I recall). After the first mile, I split off from Rob and picked up my pace. Having looked at Rob's chip time, it seems I didn't out-pace him by much. I finished in 1:04:55 according to my watch (1:06:13, officially ) and he finished in 1:09:41. I probably put about a minute's distance between us when I left him and just held on to it, accumulating another minute of separation with each mile. Had I known Rob was going to be so close behind me, I'd have stayed with him so we could push and support each other. Oh well.

Anyhow, I didn't finish in under an hour like I wanted to, but I'm not too disappointed. I'm mostly glad I finished. That was the first time I ran 10K without stopping. During training, I always stopped at about 5K, got water and walked around a bit before running the remaining 5K. I have something to shoot for next year.

I learned some things at this race (Learning make me happy).

1. I need new sneakers. I've put too many miles on the ones I have.
2. The bananas and other goodies at the end of the race run out fast. I should ask my wife to bring energy food for me next time.
3. A heck of a lot of people show up for this race. Have a meeting place in mind for after the race or I'll be wandering around aimlessly for while.

Rob made a few comments in his post that I'd like to respond to.

"Heat, though, was a problem….I was extremely hot. I wasn't so hot that I was dumping ice down my shorts, but this race was too humid and warm for me."

Amen to that. I wish the weather had stayed cool like it was at the start.

"I didn't see any caterpillars, or much in the way of costumes at all this year. Usually I'm with the some ROTC guys with a flag for part of the run, but I didn't see them, either."

That was disappointing. I'd have loved to have seen people being silly and having fun like that.

"Just before the 4 mile mark, there's the unofficial 'water' station that handed out beer. "

What was up with that?! Who the heck wants booze during a race?!

"At Eat-n-Park's water station, there were some cheerleaders, which was fun."

To those who cheered, I offer a hearty thank you. You were much appreciated. I only wish there had been more of you, especially during miles 5 and 6.

"Someone was sick at a bit past the 4 mile mark, but for once there were enough people that there was no need to stop. I have about a 50% chance of someone getting injured and stopping when I run the Great Race. Usually, it's right before the two-mile mark where the crowd pinches down as it makes the turn off Forbes by CMU onto Morewood. People run into each other at the turn and someone falls, winding up with significant road rash (abrasions with little bits of asphalt and rock imbedded in the skin – not fun!). Come to think of it, the 'just past the 4 mile mark' is a popular spot, too."

At both locations water is distributed. The asphalt is wet and the street is littered with plastic cups, which on wet road can be as slippery as banana peels.

"Well, I survived. There was no way I'd be happy with the time unless it was sub-40 minutes. I've never gone sub-40, so that wasn't likely to happen. Still and all, it was a great workout. There were people behind me, and I was running in a crowd, so I didn't get the worst time of the day."

Let's shoot for that sub-40 time next year, friend. 🙂

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About Funky Dung

Who is Funky Dung? 29-year-old grad student in Intelligent Systems (A.I.) at the University of Pittsburgh. I consider myself to be politically moderate and independent and somewhere between a traditional and neo-traditional Catholic. I was raised Lutheran, spent a number of years as an agnostic, and joined the Catholic Church at the 2000 Easter Vigil. Why Funky Dung? I haven't been asked this question nearly as many times as you or I might expect. Funky Dung is a reference to an obscure Pink Floyd song. On the album Atom Heart Mother, there is a track called Atom Heart Mother Suite. It's broken up into movements, like a symphony, and one of the movements is called Funky Dung. I picked that nickname a long time ago (while I was still in high school I think), shortly after getting an internet connection for the first time. To me it means "cool/neat/groovy/spiffy stuff/crap/shiznit", as in "That's some cool stuff, dude!" Whence Ales Rarus? I used to enjoy making people guess what this means, but I've decided to relent and make it known to all. Ales Rarus is a Latin play on words. "Avis rarus" means "a rare bird" and carries similar meaning to "an odd fellow". "Ales" is another Latin word for bird that carries connotations of omens, signs of the times, and/or augery. If you want to get technical, both "avis" and "ales" are feminine (requiring "rara", but they can be made masculine in poetry (which tends to breaks lots of rules). I decided I'd rather have a masculine name in Latin. ;) Yeah, I'm a nerd. So what? :-P Wherefore blog? It is my intention to "teach in order to lead others to faith" by being always "on the lookout for occasions of announcing Christ by word, either to unbelievers . . . or to the faithful" through the "use of the communications media". I also act knowing that I "have the right and even at times a duty to manifest to the sacred pastors [my] opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church, and [I] have a right to make [my] opinion known to the other Christian faithful, with due regard to the integrity of faith and morals and reverence toward [my and their] pastors, and with consideration for the common good and the dignity of persons." (adapted from CCC 904-907) Statement of Faith I have been baptized and confirmed in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I, therefore, renounce Satan; I renounce all his works; I renounce all his allurements. I hold and profess all that is contained in the Apostles' Creed, the Niceno- Constantinopolitan Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. Having been buried with Christ unto death and raised up with him unto a new life, I promise to live no longer for myself or for that world which is the enemy of God but for him who died for me and rose again, serving God, my heavenly Father, faithfully and unto death in the holy Catholic Church. I am obedient to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. That is, I promote and defend authentic Catholic Teaching and Faith in union with Christ and His Church and in union with the Holy Father, the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of St. Peter. Thanks be unto Thee, O my God, for all Thy infinite goodness, and, especially, for the love Thou hast shown unto me at my Confirmation. I Give Thee thanks that Thou didst then send down Thy Holy Spirit unto my soul with all His gifts and graces. May He take full possession of me for ever. May His divine unction cause my face to shine. May His heavenly wisdom reign in my heart. May His understanding enlighten my darkness. May His counsel guide me. May His knowledge instruct me. May His piety make me fervent. May His divine fear keep me from all evil. Drive from my soul, O Lord, all that may defile it. Give me grace to be Thy faithful soldier, that having fought the good fight of faith, I may be brought to the crown of everlasting life, through the merits of Thy dearly beloved Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Behind the Curtain: an Interview With Funky Dung (Thursday, March 03, 2005) I try to avoid most memes that make their way 'round the blogosphere (We really do need a better name, don't we?), but some are worth participating in. Take for instance the "interview game" that's the talk o' the 'sphere. I think it's a great way to get to know the people in neighborhood. Who are the people in your neighborhood? In your neighborhod? In your neigh-bor-hoo-ood...*smack* Sorry, Sesame Street flashback. Anyhow, I saw Jeff "Curt Jester" Miller's answers and figured since he's a regular reader of mine he'd be a good interviewer. Without further ado, here are my answers to his questions. 1. Being that your pseudonym Funky Dung was chosen from a Pink Floyd track on Atom Heart Mother, what is you favorite Pink Floyd song and why? Wow. That's a tuffy. It's hard to pick out a single favorite. Pink Floyd isn't really a band known for singles. They mostly did album rock and my appreciation of them is mostly of a gestalt nature. If I had to pick one, though, it'd be "Comfortably Numb". I get chills up my spine every time I hear it and if it's been long enough since the last time, I get midty-eyed. I really don't know why. That's a rather unsatisfying answer for an interview, so here are the lyrics to a Rush song. It's not their best piece of music, but the lyrics describe me pretty well.

New World Man He's a rebel and a runner He's a signal turning green He's a restless young romantic Wants to run the big machine He's got a problem with his poisons But you know he'll find a cure He's cleaning up his systems To keep his nature pure Learning to match the beat of the old world man Learning to catch the heat of the third world man He's got to make his own mistakes And learn to mend the mess he makes He's old enough to know what's right But young enough not to choose it He's noble enough to win the world But weak enough to lose it --- He's a new world man... He's a radio receiver Tuned to factories and farms He's a writer and arranger And a young boy bearing arms He's got a problem with his power With weapons on patrol He's got to walk a fine line And keep his self-control Trying to save the day for the old world man Trying to pave the way for the third world man He's not concerned with yesterday He knows constant change is here today He's noble enough to know what's right But weak enough not to choose it He's wise enough to win the world But fool enough to lose it --- He's a new world man...
2. What do you consider your most important turning point from agnosticism to the Catholic Church. At some point in '99, I started attending RCIA at the Pittsburgh Oratory. I mostly went to ask a lot of obnoxious Protestant questions. Or at least that's what I told myself. I think deep down I wanted desperately to have faith again. At that point I think I'd decided that if any variety of Christianity had the Truth, the Catholic Church did. Protestantism's wholesale rejection of 1500 years of tradition didn't sit well with me, even as a former Lutheran. During class one week, Sister Bernadette Young (who runs the program) passed out thin booklet called "Handbook for Today's Catholic". One paragraph in that book spoke to me and I nearly cried as I read it.
"A person who is seeking deeper insight into reality may sometimes have doubts, even about God himself. Such doubts do not necessarily indicate lack of faith. They may be just the opposite - a sign of growing faith. Faith is alive and dynamic. It seeks, through grace, to penetrate into the very mystery of God. If a particular doctrine of faith no longer 'makes sense' to a person, the person should go right on seeking. To know what a doctrine says is one thing. To gain insight into its meaning through the gift of understanding is something else. When in doubt, 'Seek and you will find.' The person who seeks y reading, discussing, thinking, or praying eventually sees the light. The person who talks to God even when God is 'not there' is alive with faith."
At the end of class I told Sr. Bernadette that I wanted to enter the Church at the next Easter vigil. 3. If you were a tree what kind of, oh sorry about that .. what is the PODest thing you have ever done? I set up WikiIndex, a clearinghouse for reviews of theological books, good, bad, and ugly. It has a long way to go, but it'll be cool when it's finished. :) 4. What is your favorite quote from Venerable John Henry Newman? "Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt." 5. If you could ban one hymn from existence, what would it be? That's a tough one. As a member of the Society for a Moratorium on the Music of Marty Haugen and David Haas, there are obviously a lot of songs that grate on my nerves. If I had to pick one, though, I'd probably pick "Sing of the Lord's Goodness" by Ernie Sands.

13 thoughts on “2005 Great Race – My First 10K! :)

  1. Rob

    1. The “beer stop” is by a Pittsburgh contingent of Hash House runners. I’ve availed myself of a small amount in times past. Given that I really don’t like beer, (Guiness excepted), it was more of a “I did it because I could” type thing. It’s one of the few remnants of those “fun” things that used to happen in the race. It’s an echo of the Chunder Run from Australia. You probably don’t want to know about that.

    2. Maybe we need to do something ourselves. I should have. I could have had a great excuse for my time.

    3. The first injury location is before the water station on Morewood. The second is after the water station on Fifth and before the one on the Blvd. of the Allies. Both are clear of water and cups. The first really is because of the squeeze. The second seems to be because of the uphill. I think people break at the uphill.

    4. Next year! Of course, if you’re up for the Youngstown Peace Race, you can easily break your 1 hr. there. The race is more downhill, less crowded, and tends to be cooler.

  2. russ

    Congrats Eric!! Very well done. It was a fun race although much warmer than it usually is. I like to be cold at the beginning of the race and let the running warm me up.

    Curious note… your website is blocked at work as “Intolerance/Hate Speech or Violence”!!?? I’ve never seen that on any other website. Their attempts to filter the web end up with some very random classifications.

  3. Rob

    Peace Race:

    Oct. 23, 2005 10:15 am in Youngstown, OH.

    I would switch to the race you mentioned, but I already signed up for this one. In years past, back when Phar-Mor was around, this was the International Peace Race, had the absolute best goodie bag, and it was a premiere race with runners from all over the world.

  4. Steve Nicoloso

    Congrats to Rob, Funky, and especially Edey for beating ’em both!! 10k is a long ways to go, Funky, when you just ran your first 5k a little while ago. Good job!

    I spent last Sat running my 4th VA 10-miler (5th 10 mile race ever) and having a catastrophically bad time at doing it. You can read my results here. I was hoping for at least (most actually) 83:00, and ran ~82:11 last year in the same race… BUT that was before I decided to play softball at a work picnic last Thurs (for the first time in about 5 years). After pitching about 150 pitches and taking about 30 swings of the bat, I’d managed to beat up my back, glutes, and hamstrings something awful. I was more sore before the race than I usually am afterward. The result about 87:40 🙁 So let that be a lesson to ya!! No stinkin softball!!! Next year I’ll break 80:00 or die trying!!

    Cheers!

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