Processionals, PRs and Palladium.

Martina (my cousin) and I after Graduation!

I realize it has been a little over a month since my last post and A LOT has happened in the world of endurance sports and life in general.  As you can see from the picture: I OFFICIALLY GRADUATED FROM HIGH POINT!!  That's right people, I have my Master's of Education!!  Funny how two years seemed to drag and it has all culminated into this one moment.  The real question is, "What does the future hold with this new degree?"  I am pursuing administrative positions throughout the piedmont area.  Hopefully by August, I will be a newly minted assistant principal.  This overall goal is to continue with my education and seek out a phD.  Yes, ultimately I will be Dr. Corbin.  (But my brother +Jonathan Corbin will have that honor first, and rightly so!)

High Point University does not do anything halfway.  Graduation was first class all the way!  Every single graduates name was called and marched across stage to shake hands with Dr. Quiben and... Steve Wozniak (follow the link to his short speech)!!!  Yes, Woz, "The Great and Powerful", spoke at graduation!  His basic message was to be kind and understanding and do what you love.  I can honestly say that HPU was an amazing experience and I had incredible professors and instructors.  Two in particular stand out and they are Dr. Farrington and Dr. Johnson.  (They are sort of the Ed. Leadership partners in crime at HPU.)  They helped prepare us and provided real world experience and knowledge for the future that is before me.  Dr. Johnson even worked with us to prepare us for phD work and beyond.  HPU is top notch and I am truly proud to call myself an alumni.

Pub Runs... Brought to you by Off 'n Running Palladium!!

If you are in the High Point/Greensboro Triad area why have you not come by Off 'n Running Palladium for the Tuesday Pub Runs?!?  To be quite honest, I look forward to these and they have become a highlight of each week.  Thanks to the work of +jason smith and Michael Vance (pictured below) OnR Palladium has brought runners in the High Point area together.  It is so awesome to know that you will have people to run with at least one day a week.  But, wait for it... NOW you can have a PR twice a week.  Sunday mornings at Tex and Shirley's High Point location there is the Pancake Long Run.  (Long run being a relative term for where your fitness level might currently be.)  How can say no to two PRs in a week.  (OK, I realize that Pub Runs and Pancake Runs aren't REALLY PRs, but perhaps your STRAVA or Garmin will set one on either day... by the way Mike.. "STRAVA!!")  Sometimes OnR Palladium even has drawings at these events for some really cool SWAG.

Patty, Mike and I before Declan's Dash

"Shut up, legs!" Pacing Amanda.

One concept "The Woz" spoke about at graduation was the idea of paying it forward.  He even joked that the movie Pay it Forward was written about him, or at least his friends said that.  If you have been reading this blog you know that The Shannon paced me to my fastest half marathon at White Lake about a month ago.  Well, this weekend was Declan's Dash 5K and I decided that I would pay it forward.  I paced my friend Amanda to her PR of 21:37, that's averaging 6:55 per mile!  It was a great experience.  Mike paced Patty.  He and I were cracking jokes the first two miles while we paced both girls.  Declan's Dash was a truly fun event and I may just have to return next year.

Pacing Amanda was too fun!  We were at about a little over a half a mile to go until the end and she said her legs were toast.  I kept encouraging her and told he a simple phrase that the legendary cyclists Jens Voigt says to his legs, "Shut up, legs!!"  It seemed to do the trick because she sailed into the finish line and wound up taking 2nd placed overall female.  (I won my age group and Mike called me a sandbagger for doing a smaller race.  I'll admit it was a bit of a sandbag to win.)  Aside from pacing, a group of students from Colfax Elementary all ran together in their Declan's Dash blue shirts.  It was so cool to see them all run in together.
(Side note: look at those awesome 2XU calf sleeves that were compressing my calves because they have been screaming from the weight training and speedwork.  Especially from the impromptu tempo run at the last pub run.  Also, the Pure Drifts are AMAZING for short, fast distances.  All these and more can be found at... you guessed it Off 'n Running Palladium!)

Training for Raleigh 70.3 has been going well.  I have decided that I will enjoy the experience of an Ironman event instead of focusing on time.  I just have to beat Brian Lewis and Roni Shoemaker.  I have been swimming more at The Rush.  That place has the hottest and slowest pool in the world!  The GAC is about twenty minutes from my apartment so The Rush is convient, but it is small, stuffy and SLOW!  I have been getting out on the Speed Concept practicing the aero position and doing Scott's ride on Thursdays.  I pulled the majority of the ride this Thursday and we had a 19.6 mph average.  Jimmy "The Clegghammer" got jumpy at the end and took a nice hard pull.  He has gotten really strong  this season!  To be honest, lately I have just been enjoying the simplicity of running.  I can hear Landen Wark-Acebo yelling about how asinine that statement sounds, but it is true.  And, speaking of running I have a HUGE announcement to make in about a week about some really cool things on the horizon.  As for now, training will continue and Race the Bar is next Saturday.  Last year, I won my age group in the 8K.  I have looked at the possible competition and looks to be a bit tougher this year, but with a little luck and a lot of meta-endurance training from the good folks at ABSolute Fitness NC I just might prevail once more.  Either way, it is an awesome race!

The Original Crew!
We'll take it back to where it began at Race the Bar next week!

As I end this post, I know you all probably realized that I have said nothing about Boston.  To be honest, it has all been said and I have nothing to add to the profound words that others have spoken and written.  Remember this, we are runners, triathletes and cyclists, we know how to endure, we know how to suffer and we know how to prevail over those times when darkness enters our lives.  So, when you are out training take a moment and remember that we are and have always been strong.  During your training sessions be thankful that even in the face of evil and in our collective pain we will continue to keep on keeping on because we are a community of hope, fun and friendship!