The following is a post I originally did back in March 1, 2006. I repost it today as we get ready to head down to Colorado Springs so that my husband can run his 6th consecutive Ascent. Since late post Jay's running accomplishments have continued to increase, his running has gotten even faster, the distances longer, the weather for the Ascents have gotten even worse (including last year when there was a snowstorm which turned around the majority of the runners, except those very few quick ones, including Jay that made it to the top - where Jay reported it looked like a triage unit of hypotherma victims. Thankfully he was okay), and he's even that much more of a freak - but you got to love him. I do.
Jay is officially registered this morning for his 3rd Pikes Peak Ascent. For those of you how don't know the Ascent is a foot race from starting in Manitou Springs, Colorado at the base of Pikes Peak to the summit.
The first year Jay ran the race, he had to be in the 2nd wave of runners because he didn't know how fast he could do it. (They estimate that to complete the Ascent, a half marathon, that you take your best marathon time and add 15 minutes.) Jay had never run a marathon before. Jay ran that first race, in which it was snowing at the summit in 3 hours and 45 minutes, meeting his goal to do it in under 4 hours so he could be in the 1st wave.
Last year, it was pouring rain and miserable out and Jay completed the race in 3 hours and 43 minutes. Thankfully my in-laws were at the summit to pick him up so he didn't need to wait around to ride back down in a transport van. He just missed a massive hail and lightening storm which endangered and stranded a lot of runners.
This year his predicted finish time is 3 hours and 15 minutes.
I, his self-appointed trainer and coach (those who can't do teach, right?), have convinced him to set up his goals and map out his training runs planning for the Ascent which is at the end of August. Last year, I impressed upon him the same, but he managed to ignore me for several more months - that and something about a new baby in the house, lack of sleep, blah, blah, blah.
The thing that always gets me about Jay and his running is that he is so freaking good without even trying. Jay started running several years ago when I decided to try running (to lose weight of course). He whined and complained about how he hates running, but went with me anyway - what a good husband. Then I ended up with knee surgery and he went on to become a very good and fast runner. He does 5K's like they're nothing. A 7 minute mile is not the completely foreign concept to him, as it is to me. As an example. This last summer I was training and training and training to get up to do the Race for the Cure 5K. Jay would stay home with Megan while I'd go run in the mornings. By the time the Race was approaching, my knees were hurting me so bad, I was back in physical therapy. We still went out for the Race for the Cure (the one in Denver is one of the largest in the country this year with approximately 65,000 participants). Jay decided that he was going to run it with Megan in the stroller while I walked it with my best friend, Denise.
This freak of a husband of mine ran this 5K, pushing a stroller and dodging 65,000 people (granted most where behind him) in under 30 minutes.
This year, Jay will also be attempting his 2nd Marathon, this time in Chicago in October - yippee, I get to go to Chicago for my birthday! In addition, he'll most likely be running the Colorado Outward Bound relay again (3rd time as well - assuming that the team survived the winter. The Relay is a 10 person, 24 hour race in September halfway across Colorado and over usually 3 mountain passes. And my husband the freak, is the anchor that always asks for the hardest legs - meaning those over the mountain passes (sometimes in the middle of the night). And there'll be some smaller races just for fun and training as well.
I'm so proud of him and what he's accomplished, but I'm not finished pushing him either. He is fully aware of my semi-annual speech, about how talented he is and what he could accomplish if he actually trained with some consistency and plan. And how much is bugs me when he just wings it and still places in races. I have to bust my ass to accomplish anything, I have no natural talents that I have discovered so far in my 34 years of trying, and to waste such ability just pisses me off.
But God do I love that freak!
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