Caleb www.calebkeiter.com

www.calebkeiter.com/racing

Caleb Keiter - Examiner.com
http://www.examiner.com/running-in-san-diego/caleb-keiter

Although the event is only for the female endurance athletes, I will be there with my notebook and camera in hand and do another article as a follow up for the event. Check back on my Examiner.com site Saturday evening to read all about it!

San Diego female endurance sports athletes will GOTRIbal in the park
Scripps Ranch 4th of July 10K results
Two 4th of July running races in San Diego celebrate their thirties
San Diego running clubs help you run better and faster
Movin Shoes Summer Run Series kick-off takes to the streets
26th Annual Bonita 5000 draws runners from all over San Diego
San Diego trail races - going off road can improve your running
Tips on staying cool while running in the San Diego summer

Staying cool while running in the heat

Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

The first male to cross the finish line was Richard Limo of Kenya in a time of 2 hours 9 minutes and 56 seconds, averaging an aggressive 4:56 per mile pace over the course of the race. This was Limo's first marathon win. Yulia Gromova of Russia broke the tape for the women in 2:27:42, her third victory in a row at this race. In the half-marathon, local Oceanside runner Sergio Gonzalez earned the gold in a time of 1:07:18 while Jacquelyne Gallegos of New Mexico took the women's race in 1:21:04. The top three male and female finishers of the half-marathon race were all Americans, proving that American distance running is making a comeback.

The San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon is organized by The Competitor Group based out of San Diego and benefits The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The largest sponsor of this year's event was Brooks Running, a running shoe company based out of Washington state.

I have this feeling that life is about to throw me a curve ball. No, Carrie and I are not expecting a child and yes, marriage life is awesome so go ahead and remove those thoughts from your mind. Something is on the horizon though and I want to be prepared for it. In search of wisdom and understanding to tackle this potential change, I turned to none other than my email. Every day I receive a Daily Bible Verse email. I scanned back through them from the last week and here are the verses and their subject lines.

1 Timothy 6:18-19 ... be generous & willing to share ...
2 Corinthians 4:18 ... For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal ...
Philippians 4:12-13 ... I can do everything through Him who gives me strength ...
Matthew 6:34 ... Tomorrow will worry about itself ...
Genesis 12:1 ... Go to the land I will show you ...
Deuteronomy 31:6 ... Be strong and courageous ...
Proverbs 15:3 ... Whoever heeds correction gains understanding
Psalm 3:3 ... But you are a shield around me, O Lord ...

So much wisdom in these short verses. Who knows what is on the horizon, it might be nothing worth worrying about. But, whatever comes, I know where to find my strength and my wisdom.

We start with my normal top five goals as seen here:

1. Have Fun!!
2. Race MY best race and never give up.
3. Stay injury free. (I have a wedding in 2 weeks)
4. Race smart (pacing & nutrition)
5. FINISH! (It feels great, no matter what the clock says)

From there I usually go into my time goals but I wanted a few additional non-timed goals for this race. Here is what I came up with: (yes swimming straight is a slight problem for me)

6. Encourage others along the way. It will be a tough day for everyone!
7. Stay positive. Remember my training that brought me this far.
8. Run the entire marathon. Pace myself and run efficient. No walking!
9. Swim straight!
10. Push beyond my limits during the final 10K.

I really want to run this marathon. Being that I feel my strongest sport is the run, I do believe in myself for this to be possible. Though, I have no idea about what happens at mile 16 of a marathon after you have already been on the road for 120+ miles. Once I get to the final turn around point, there is roughly a 10K remaining. The first half of it is uphill and then the finish is downhill. I hope to treat the first 134 miles as a warm up and then just let anything and everything that I have left out of the bag for the grand finale. Time will tell.

My swim time goals are not based off of my pool swims since those times include rests and various intervals of hard and or easy pacing. I am basing this off of my long ocean swims in which most of them were fighting ocean currents at some point. I believe these times are completely fair and if I had to guess, I would put myself somewhere around the 1:15 mark. A lot of it depends on how much clean water I get. Keep in mind the swim is a mass start so me and 1,999 of my new friends are going to start all at the same time. Look out for elbows!

Swim Time Goals

1. Under 1:24:29 (2:11/100 meters)
2. Under 1:20:58 (2:06/100 meters)
3. Under 1:17:26 (2:00/100 meters)
4. Under 1:13:55 (1:55/100 meters)
5. Under 1:10:24 (1:49/100 meters)

The bike can really go in either direction. I wish I was more tuned into what I can do on the bike. I spent a lot of time training on the bike but I still do not feel like I understand my body like I do on the run. If the course is hillier than expected or if the weather ends up being super windy, it could have a huge affect on my bike split. However, if the course is not as difficult as what I trained on and if the weather behaves, it could mean a faster bike split than I thought possible. This one will have to be completely played by ear. The biggest thing that I have to keep in mind while on the bike is remembering that there is a marathon coming up. I have to keep something in the tank! Hydration and nutrition are going to be key!

Bike Time Goals

1. Under 7:00 (16 mph)
2. Under 6:35 (17 mph)
3. Under 6:13 (18 mph)
4. Under 6:00 (18.67 mph)
5. Under 5:54 (19 mph)

And then there is the run. Oh yes, the run. My love. My freedom. I trained on some hilly roads and raced some hilly races in preparation for this run. Hands down my three biggest goals are in the marathon. I will try with every once of my being to not walk on this run. I have not walked on a run in a long time and I do not want race day to be the start of it. Bearing in mind that a lot of pros end up walking during Kona but they throw it all on the line from the time the gun goes off. This is going to be a nice and steady aerobic day for me. My next biggest goal in the marathon is to beat my first marathon time. My first race I ever ran as an adult was the marathon in a time of 4:41:53. I want to beat that. I want to destroy that. Lastly, with every ounce of fitness and desire in my body, I want to break 4 hours in the marathon. That is a 9:09 pace. I have run a 9:09 pace recently. It was up an 11% grade at the end of a hilly training run. But then again, I also ran a couple 6:50-7:00 miles at the end of my 18 mile progressive runs. Where does that put me in terms of running off the bike? Well, we will find out in a few short days, won't we?

Run Time Goals

1. Under 4:41:53 (10:45/mile) (my first marathon finish time)
2. Under 4:20 (9:55/mile)
3. Under 4:10 (9:32/mile)
4. Under 4:00 (9:09/mile)
5. Under 3:50 (8:46/mile)
6. Under 3:45 (8:35/mile)
7. Under 3:40 (8:23/mile)
8. Under 3:30 (8:00/mile)

The overall time goals are different combinations of the above individual sport goals plus some transition times. I am not expecting my normal less than 2:00 sprint race transition times but then again I won't be taking any coffee breaks either. I said from the beginning of this adventure that I wanted to break the 12 hour mark. But honestly, I believe that if Saturday is my day, I could come in much faster. I marked goal #7 at 11 hours. That would be a 1:15 swim, a 6:00 bike, and a 3:45 marathon. So add a few minutes on top of that for transitions and some bathroom breaks (if I stop) and that would bring me to the 11:15 finish. I don't know. Hopefully I am not being too hard. I really should not be setting any time goals but then again, reach for the stars.

Overall Time Goals
1. Under 13 hours (8:00 pm)
2. Under 12 hrs 30 min (7:30 pm)
3. Under 12 hours (7:00 pm)
4. Under 11 hrs 45 min (6:45 pm)
5. Under 11 hrs 30 min (6:30 pm)
6. Under 11 hrs 15 min (6:15 pm)
7. Under 11 hrs (6:00 pm)

Currently the weather seems to be calling for mid to upper 60s, windy, and a 30% chance of rain. But like I told a friend of mine who is also racing St George:

I will arrive.
I will swim.
I will bike.
I will run.
I will be an Ironman.
Wind. Rain. Pain. They all just make the victory taste better.

See you at the finish line!

Caleb K
Ironman St George - Bib #675

Hang down your head, there's nothing that remains
After you're dead you don't even keep your name
You've convinced yourself the book is never wrong
But what you'll find out will shake it to the bone

I saw no fire in your street
Only the stones you've thrown at me
Does it make you feel better?
Well, you know we're all just sinners

Why waste your time swearing to save?
You've got your foot half in the grave
You're just a soapbox preacher
Six feet and head in deeper
Well, can't you see it's better to die on your feet than live down on your knees?

Crowded heart and clouded mind
You won't get what you seek
But if you stop, you will find
We just drop slow off in the sea

I saw no fire in your street
Only the stones you've thrown at me
Does it make you feel better?
Well, you know we're all just sinners

Why waste your time swearing to save?
You've got your foot half in the grave
You're just a soapbox preacher
Six feet and head in deeper
Well, can't you see it's better to die on your feet than live down on your...
Well, can't you see it's better to die on your feet than live down on your knees?
Why can't you see it's better to die on your feet than live down on your knees?

All hell is booked up
And heaven's got no vacancy
I guess that this cruel world ain't got no place for me
We're all stuck in the middle
We're throwing our cash at books of cliches
They say the cost is little
It might work but not for me

(I saw no fire in your streets
Only the stones you've thrown at me)
Cause my soul is not for sale
(Does it make you feel better?
Well, you know we're all just sinners)

(I saw no fire in your street
Only the stones you've thrown at me
Does it make you feel better?
Well, you know we're all just sinners)

I saw no fire
(I saw no fire)
I saw no fire
(I saw no fire)

Well, can't you see it's better to die on your feet than live down on your...
Well, can't you see it's better to die?
I saw no fire
I saw no fire
I saw no fire
I saw no fire
I saw no fire
(I saw no fire, I saw no fire)

So first of all, I usually skip this tune on the record because I completely disagree with the lyrics. I don't really need to cloud my brain with words like this that are the complete opposite of what I stand for. Musically, however, this song blows my mind. It is such ear candy it is great! For some reason I decided to not skip this song last night and I am glad I didn't. I was inspired by the last line of each chorus, "Why can't you see it's better to die on your feet than live down on your knees". It seems that even though the writer has no belief in God or salvation, he seems to still understand the great plan. Living life on your own, on your feet, leads to death. Living life with God, on your knees in prayer, leads to life. Heaven has plenty of vacancy friends! You should make a reservation.