Recap of Adam Johnson Memorial 3 Mile Run for Success

The first race of the season started 8:30 Am on 3rd Ave on Saturday Morning. If anyone knows Teddy Johnson, you know that he does things a little differently. And he did it in a very good way. With over 200 finishers, this race was a success.

The course was completely flat as it went from 3rd Ave and 10th St backwards on 3rd Ave to 20th St to 5th Ave to 7th St. and back to Pullman on 3rd Ave. This was backwards and at first, I had some concerns as 5th ave is roughly 1 mile of a gradual upgrade but it turned out great. The hill by the Herald-Dispatch Building was challenging but once we got over it, we knew it was all down hill.

The winners were familiar faces to the running circuit. Jason and Marion Pyles were the overall male and female winners. Jason took off from the start and had the lead within one block and didn't look back. He ran just above 5 minute per mile pace for a 15:10. 2nd Place went to local running and walking shop owner Robert Smith. 3rd went to a young man named Jonathan Blatt who said he had a huge PR (Personal Record) as he crossed the finish line.

Marion, who is coming off a 3:00:49 marathon one week ago in Virginia Beach, ran a very fast 18:20 to claim the lead. This is a good run as most marathoners will not run a step for a couple of weeks after a marathon. 2nd place went to the young Jorden Thronton who is running for Milton Middle School. 3rd place in the girls division went to Skye Taylor who goes to Covent School and trains with Cabell Midland.

Here are some interesting links about the race.

- Overall Results
- Age Group Results
- More than 200 Runners Help Battle Huntington Drug Woes

Huntington Races Start Up This Weekend

I am really pumped that we get into racing again in Huntington. The last race was in December. We are due for a chance to test out our fitness.

This weekend, we have the Adam Johnson Memorial 3 Mile Race. The start and finish line is at Pullman Square this year. The start time is 8:30.

Looks like the weather may try to be a little wet but warm.

If you haven't signed up yet, you can still sign up the day of the race. I have provided a link below with the complete information! Hope to see you there!!

Adam Johnson Memorial 3 Miler

Goal Setting the Lance Armstrong Way

Alright, so you are interested in getting "Fit" but what does that mean and how do you know when or if you have actually gotten "Fit?" Too many people say they are setting a goal but they are missing out on 3 of the key concepts that go into setting a goal.

According to Chris Carmicheal, legendary coach to Lance Armstrong, there are three parts of a goal.

Part 1: What is your goal?

This has to be very specific. You cannot say, "I want to get fit." That is not measurable and you will never reach a goal like that. Olympic Marathoners wish they were more "Fit."

Here are a couple of other bad examples:

I want to run a race
I want to feel better
I want to look better

These are all too broad and cannot be measured.

Here are a couple of good examples:

I want to run 3 miles without stopping
I want to lose 10 pounds.
I want to ride my bike from Guyandotte to the West End of Huntington and back.

These three goals are very specific and you will immediately know when you have reached that goal.

Part 2: Set a Date

This is designed to keep you tied to the goal and not let it get out of reach. If you set a goal without a date tied to it, then you allow yourself to keep pushing that goal away.

You may start saying things like: “Oh, I can do that next spring or I have always wanted to do that and someday I will” Those two statements are people who are giving up on their goals or who have not fully committed to their goals.

Now, let’s go on to how to properly complete step 2 of the goal setting process.

Let’s take the good goal of “I want to run a race.”

That is a wonderful goal but now you need to set a date by when you want to run that race.

This is easy, go find a race and set your goal of running it. You can change it to something like…

I want to run a race on June 6^th

Great Job!! Now you have a date set and you will know if you have completed the goal or not!

Now on to the third part.

Part 3: Set a Place

We are using the example of wanting to run a race on June 6^th. To finish out your goal you need to say when and/or where you will be accomplishing that goal.

A complete goal will sound like this: “I want to run the WV 5K Championship in Huntington, WV on June 6^th.”

That is a complete goal. You have all of the characteristics of a goal set. Now you can focus and work towards achieving that goal.

Here are a couple of other good and bad examples:

Bad:

I want to get married

Good:

I want to get married to (Insert Name Here) on June 20^th, 2010.

Bad:

I want to lose 10 lbs.

Good:

I want to lose 10 lbs. by July 4, 2009. (Location would just be silly here)

Bad:

I want a promotion at work.

Good:

I want a promotion working for the Herald-Dispatch by January, 2010.

Yes, Warm Weather!! Time to Plan for a Race

In my last post, I guess I got it right!!

I stated that I was excited about Track Season starting for the young people because that meant that warm weather is coming and I actually got it right!! I hope I have just as good of luck in the future. My next prediction will be a white Christmas. Stay tuned to see if I get it right!

On my run this morning, I saw 4 other people running. It was so great to see more people out and about. I ran with the team this afternoon at the Barboursville Park and it was packed with people running. Glad to see everyone taking advantage of this nice weather!

The race directors in the area are gearing up for all the races that will be held. The first one in our area is the Adam Johnson Memorial 3 Mile Run. If you know anything about local running in this area, then certainly you know Teddy Johnson. He is the extravagant, former president of the Huntington Road Runners Club. He has provided direction for many races in our area.

He has decided to focus all of his attention on his son's memorial race. His son tragically passed away 2 years or so ago. Last year was the 1st Adam Johnson Memorial race. Teddy has moved the start/finish area for the race from Ritter Park to Pullman Square.

He has some of the nicest race shirts that I have seen in our area.

Teddy has made a great decision by putting his race at the end of March. His race will be the first one of the season and I am sure that there are plenty of people who will be eager to see what type of fitness level they are at and this is a great place to test that out.

The race is on March 28th. (Complete Adam Johnson Memorial Information)

Hope to see everyone there!

Update

Hey everyone,

Hope that the weather hasn't discouraged anyone from running. I have been slowly progressing my weekly distance over the past month. The weather has been really cold but as I have been able to keep warm. I hit 50 miles last week with 7 runs in 7 days. I don't really know when my next day off will be. I am sure that my body will let me know when it is time to take a day completely off.

Track season starts today for the high schools and middle schools in our area. This is always makes me happy for a number of reasons. The one reason that we may all share is that is should be warming up soon! This is a good time to get out and moving.

Remember to start slow and be consistent with your running. Don't go out in your first week and run a ton of miles just to be sore and quit the next week. Getting into shape takes time and effort. At first, easy is best.