All day I have been working on an excel sheet for planning out a marathon on race day. This calculator will tell you the elapse time you will cross each mile marker and your average pace (min/mile). It will also tell you at what time (i.e. 7:22 AM) you will pass each mile marker. I did this for my loving wife who likes to know about what time I will be passing her when he meets me at certain points in the race.

I made the chart so it may be printed onto an 8 1/2 X 11 paper. Your spouse and family can use it during race day and also you can cut out the chart of the elapsed time and tape it to your forearm to use as reference during the race.

It’s nothing pretty, just nice and simple. I am trying to figure out code to have this pasted into a website and you will put in the start time and expected total time than out will pop a chart for you to print.

Please share it with anyone and everyone! I want to give back to the running community. If you have any suggestions please email me.

One simple step will get you your numbers…

1. fill in your expected finish time and the time the race starts in the red fields….Voila!

**Don’t worry all you half marathoners, there is a calculator for you also!!**

Please click on the link below and it will take you to the public folder for my Mac account. Download the full marathon or half marathon calculator OR…. BOTH!!

Marathon Calculator

Hope you all enjoy!

Cheers,

Mango

The most common question I have got is about how hard is it to complete the full 5 weeks. My answer to that person is that we all have graduated with a undergraduate degree and some of us with a masters or doctorate. If you can survive school you can survive COT. No doubt. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to email me and I will help you out with any question. The memory is fresh in my mind. Here are some more pictures from the 5 weeks.

Let me leave with that COT was a well worth adventure. I came out with friends that moved all throughout the country and I will have a place to stay wherever I go. Also, being in the AF and having this shared experience with all the direct commissioned officer makes me feel connected no matter where I end up.

Cheers all and I hope to hear from you!

I found out that I was promoted to Captain in Late April. The kicker was that I was told I have been a Captain since February. I was a little bothered but then I remembered that back pay is a glorious thing. I am now an O-3, the same rank my father was in the Coast Guard. It’s interesting to think that I have experienced things my dad experienced just 30 years later. So now it will be 3 years until I am promoted to Major (O-4).

Also, last week I was told about my acceptance to my command’s marathon team. There are 10 major commands (MAJCOMS) in the Air Force. I am part of the Materials Command (AFMC). I put my application in and found out that I was given the honor to race the other commands. I received a full ride to fly up to Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton Ohio, in the middle of September for the Air Force Marathon. I have a schedule with meeting my two other team mates from the AFMC. Than I get the pleasure of meeting the commander of the AFMC, General Donald Hoffman. I have set up a training plan for myself which will start on 5 June. I have hopes to represent my MAJCOM well and hope to run a personal best of 2:50.

On another note, I am enjoying my job. I have about 950 children that are assigned to me. This keeps me busy most days. I don’t mind though. It’s truly awesome how work can seem so enjoyable even though I am there long past the clinic closes. The other pediatric providers I work with are a great and the nurses and techs make my life easier.

Talk to you all soon!

Cheers,

Mango

A.K.A Captain Mango

Yesterday I ran this Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Half Marathon in Albany, Georgia. It was a GREAT ego boost that I really needed. The journey to this race was an interesting one but the end result was perfect!

I originally signed up for this race as a marathoner participant in early January. I then the next week came down with the flu which knocked me on my toosh for one week. Then the next week I had a mole removed from my toe that prevented me from running because of the pain. I was all ready 2 1/2 weeks behind schedule in an all ready shortened marathon plan. I made the hard decision to drop down to the half marathon in order not to have my legs fall off after I attempted to run a marathon without training.

After this decision I struggled with motivation to keep training and motivation to get a hotel room and take the 3 hour trek up to Albany Georgia. I had mentally resigned that this would be a donation to the race that I would not be running.

My wife 2 weeks before the race told me she was looking forward to taking the road trip. So that night we booked a hotel. What was even more exciting for us was that our dog, Pikachu, would be joining us because the hotel was pet friendly.

The week previous to the race I felt my motivation and excitement and nervousness growing. It had been a while since these legs raced. I was not tapering for this race so I ran as much as I wanted this week but I did notice getting out the door at 4:50 in the AM was easier. Also, I was looking forward to my runs. A strange thing was happening. I was motivated.

Motivation for running had been lacking in my life. My wife and I recently moved down to Eglin AFB in Florida from Boston, I started a new job with new hours and we have spent the first couple of month adjusting to our new lives. I was still running occasionally but I found myself making excuses not to run and then acting on these excuses. I was becoming soft…..

Now, back to this race. The weather was perfect, the crowds were great, it was a perfect size and parking was not horrible. I finished in 7th place overall with a second place age group award. It felt great to be passed on the course and trying to keep up, waving to spectators, slapping high-5′s and crossing that finish line and feeling great.

If you were to talk to me last week I wold tell you that I was horribly out of shape for me and lacking motivation. This race is something my running and my spirit needed. It told me to HTFU!

Now, for all of you who might have stumbled on this post because you wanted to know about the race and if you would like to run it. Here is a list of Pro’s and Con’s

PROS
1. Great Parking
2. Great time of year for weather
3. flat course
4. The last 5k was fun with the spectators and people dressed for Mardi Gras
5. Finish line was at a park right next to a river
6. I missed the number pick up and I spoke to the RD who was very accommodating and allowed me to pick up my number on race morning.
7. Prize money for pro runners
8. The host Hotel (Hilton) was beautiful
Cons
1. Not a HUGE race (If you like the large marathons like Boston or Chicago)
2. Some of the mile markers were off at the 2011 race. I ran mile 4 in 7:30 and then mile 5 in 5:48 (Felt like I was running at the same speed)
3. The race shirt was a tech wick (which was good) but it was not a athletic fit and it looks like I am swimming in it

Hopefully that helps you with your decision. As for me right now, I’m going for a recovery run on this drizzly day to get my run in!

Talk to you all soon,

Mango

I had spent the last month taking it easy on my running. I was only running 2-3 times per week with no goal. I was just out there getting some small miles on my legs. It was a very nice rest but now I am ready to ramp things up for the 2011 season. Yesterday I signed up for the Snickers Marathon in Albany Georgia on March 5th. I picked this marathon because of it proximity to where I live. It is three hours away and received great reviews on Marathon Guide. I have just over two months to get in marathon shape. Like I have done every year for my marathon training, I’m using Tom Holland’s Marathon Method. I have to modify the 16 week program to 9 weeks. I’m shooting for a 2:55 for my marathon time.

In order to achieve this time my wife gave me a new pair of kicks. I received the new Newton Trail runners (terra momentus). I have put some miles in the shoes and like the way they feel. It’s a heavier shoe but I don’t feel the difference yet. Also the mesh up to is a tightly woven mesh to prevent sticks and stones from getting in while I run. I like this because I have been doing a lot of my running on dirt roads.

2011 will also be the year I start with my triathlons again. I am in the prime spot for training. I am right on the water and there is a 50 meter pool on base. Also, I think with all the hot steamy weather in Florida jumping into the water or jumping on the bike might be a welcome treat then trudging on the hot asphalt.

Well, Here’s to 2011! A year of fun in the sun here in Florida! More to come on my different adventures for this year!

-Mango

Today I passed my Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Exam. To see those words come across that screen was such a great feeling!! I had spent a long time worried about this exam. Mostly due to the fact I told a lot of people the date I was taking it. Which is not a good thing to do because now a whole bunch of people know if you fail. Not to worry about that now, but I should keep that in mind in later exams to lessen my stress.

Anyways, the 2 hour ride up from Eglin AFB to Dothan, Alabama was bare. Just a bunch of trees and farm land. Nothing too exciting for the exception of the interesting tow. Chris and I stopped for lunch and while we were eating we noticed a truck pulling a flat bed trailer with furniture on it. The interesting part of this was there was a woman and child sitting on the furniture which was on the trailer.this made me chuckle….

The test itself was not to bad. It was 175 questions total. They gave you a 3.5 hr time limit, all I needed was 2. I will never forget the chest pain I had pressing that “submit” button. Felt like I was having a MI.

Well, it’s done now and I get to focus on primary care for a little bit at Eglin AFB. Hopefully, I will be credential to staff the nursery, OR and pedi admissions soon to keep up my acute care skills.

Thanks it for now, I’m going to enjoy myself by relaxing while playing super nintendo with my wife.

-Mango

This is the coin I received from a full bird colonel for having the fastest 5k time at COT (17:40)

This is the artifact my flight received when we won academic flight of the week

This is my flight after a leadership exercise…

This is part of the ropes course we had to run during our last week we were at COT….

Dinning out…..

My wife and I at graduation…

It was a great experience! If you are reading this blog and want to know more about COT please don’t hesitate to email me. Before I went to COT i found other people’s blogs to try to get a better understanding of what I would encounter for the 5 weeks.

I am now home for 6 days and will be returning to my new home in Niceville (real name of city) Florida. I will be at the Pediatric Clinic at Eglin AFB as a pediatric nurse practitioner.

More to come…..

This week was a great week as I did what I love, running. I plan on dropping my miles a little next week but not by much. I have the Vermont 50 at the end of September and what to make sure my engine is ready and tuned!

I will leave you with some pictures I took on my run. The solidarity of running is very good therapy and view of the trail ahead of you is exhilarating!

Driving to the trail one morning

Run Hard!

Mango

More to come……

-mango