TSA Body Scan Controversy

There is quite an uproar over the TSA's insistence that passengers undergo a full body scan.  Something I find very ironic, is that most of the uproar is coming from republicans, Fox News, etc, the very groups that have always wholeheartedly supported the TSA and the Department of Homeland Security.  These scanners actually appear to do a much better job of screening passengers than an x-ray machine.  However, I think there is still a problem with luggage, since it is likely still easy to camouflage items in a carry-on.

Anyway, there is a video circulating where a passenger told the TSA agent not to touch "his junk" and is now upset he may be fined $10,000 for leaving the screening.  People are aghast that you can't leave the screening once it starts.  But if you let people leave the screening, the screening is even less effective, since a potential terrorist could just keep trying until he did not get selected.  Anyway, I don't have too much of a problem with the scanners, or the new regulations.  I actually think this is one of the first steps the TSA has taken that addresses security, unlike the ID checks, and other nonsense.

Richmond Half Marathon Recap

On Saturday I completed the McDonald's Half Marathon (now there's an appropriate sponsor) in Richmond, VA.  The main charity involved was Donate Life.  If you are not signed up to be an organ donor, I strongly encourage you to learn how to here: http://www.donatelife.net/

This was my first half marathon and was also the furthest I've ever run in one outing; a half marathon is 13.1 miles.  At the beginning of this year, when I signed up for my first 5k, I set a goal to complete a few 5ks and 10ks this year, and if possible a half marathon.  In June I figured that signing up for Richmond would be a good idea, since it is late in the season and would give me ample opportunity to prepare.  For the last few weeks, I upped my goal and challenged myself to finish in under 2 hours (more on that later).

We arrived in Richmond yesterday.  The race expo was nothing like the larger races, like the Marine Corps, but was still decent if a bit cramped.  We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn, which was surprisingly nice, in downtown Richmond.  The pasta dinner was less expensive across the street at the Marriott though, so that's where we had dinner.  We hoped to see the Poe Museum, but didn't have time.  I spent last night reading about 100 pages of Dean Karnazes's book 50/50 for extra motivation.

I awoke at 5am with multiple alarms ate a banana, got dressed and headed out.  The temperature was about 35 but felt surprisingly warm, maybe due to the thousands of people in the streets.  I decided to cast aside fashion, and forego the tights today since this was still shorts weather.  Since I had indicated I expected to finish in about 2 hours, I was assigned Wave 2, which means I could not start until 3 minutes after Wave 1 started.  There were a lot of people in Wave 2.  I drank my Gatorade Prime 1 beverage and bummed a piece of gum from a man named Bart, who said he hoped to break his 2 hour record from last year (unfortunately, he was not able to do this, falling short by less than 60 seconds).

You can follow along with my GPS route here if you want: http://connect.garmin.com/player/56561979

The first 2 miles down Broad Street were pretty uneventful.  I was able to stay above target pace (probably not a good idea) without any problems.  

Between miles 2-3 there was a rather steep hill to go over train tracks.  We then moved into a small loop down Brookland Parkway, which seemed to be a nice neighborhood.  There was a good turnout of residents here.

At around mile 5, I noticed a cramp in my left big toe, which continued until the end of the race.  Every step hurt, but it did not worsen, otherwise I may not have made it.

Next up came Bryan Park, which was by far the worst part of the whole course.  Thankfully, if I choose to run the full marathon here, this part is left off.  The roads were paved but strewn with gravel; I almost tripped several times.  There were also a lot of hills, and the roads were rather narrow.  They also decided to put the a water stop at a curve in the narrow road, which is not good planning.  Did I mention there were a lot of hills?

After the park, the rest was just mentally tough.  At this point my pace had moved from the low 8:00-8:10 of earlier miles to 8:30.  My GPS unit was set to warn me everytime I dropped above 8:45 miles.  It started beeping here.  It took everything I had to keep moving, and to make it even worse I managed to drop my Clif Shot Bloks.  I had a choice: stop running to pick up my fuel or keep going.  I kept going.  There were a lot of crowds here, mostly residents.  Some passed out beer.  I didn't take it, but I did manage to spill powerade over some poor volunteer and myself.

Once I got back into downtown, I picked up speed again.  The crowd was really good at this part and there was music playing.  The last bit is down hill, which makes getting to the finish that much easier.  I was able to muster up a sprint across the finish line.  I was given a very nice finisher's medal and got my picture taken.  

My legs felt really spent.  They cramped up considerably and I had to keep moving else I would have to lay down.  Unfortunately, the entire walk back to our hotel was up hill, but I made it.  

Here are some things I learned today:

• Signs can be motivational.  A few that I saw today: "Run like snot."  "Don't poop your pants."  "Pain is temporarily, pride is forever."  This last one is definitely true; the pain in my toe is now gone, so it is a good thing I ran through it today.
• It is easy to go from couch to 13.1 in 1 year.  I started running on November 2, 2009.  I ran about 1.5 miles and thought I was going to die.  I had to walk the rest of the route.  The pace I ran that 1.5 miles at was nothing close to what I ran 13.1 at today. 
• Setting goals is powerful.  At the beginning of this year, my goal was to simply run a 5k.  It morphed into running a 10k and possibly a half marathon.  Yesterday, it was to run the half marathon in under 2 hours.  My finish time was 1:48:58 so I was able to meet all of my goals.
• Cold water is a good pain reliever.  I felt like complete trash until I took a shower that included putting my legs under freezing water for about 2 minutes.  
• It is all about making small steps, and not making excuses.  

So, the bottom line is, I challenge all of you to set some fitness goals and meet them this year or next.  I don't have any races scheduled at the moment, but as soon as I complete my next goal I'll let you know.

Thanks for your continued support.  Don't forget to register as an organ donor.