Foxboro 10

 

I ran the Old Fashioned 10 Miler yesterday put on by the Wampanoag Roadrunners. They did a wonderful job. I have run the 5K there several times and this year moved up to the 10 mile.

 

A good course, challenging, rolling, and very well done. Police and volunteers at all the key points. Good water stops. It was cold enough, 20's F, I was wondering if we would get ice but we got good cold water.

 

One Wamp running buddy I saw dispensing water at the 3 stop and then again at the 8 stop, nice double duty buddy!

 

A group of Pacers were there (as well as my daughter and her friend to run the 5K).

 

If you have followed my progress, this was going to be a good workout on the race course. I ran 10 in a "fun run" with the Wamps a few weeks ago in about 79 minutes so I want to do just better than that. Especially since each of the last two weeks, I had run 13 on Sunday, this seemed a reasonable goal.

 

Better pacing would have provided that result.

 

I started by working my way through the crowd, about 400 runners, to get into my rhythm and found the first mile at 7:30. Well, it was better than 8:00 so that was good. The second came along the same way as I hit two at 15:00. That was good, consistent. I did feel good. Not sure what happened during the next mile, maybe I was thinking of the 5K my daughter and friend were going to run. I hit three in 22:00 (7:00). Not good. So I backed it off a bit and hit four in 31:00 (9:00). Not good, backed it up too much, or did the rolling road have something to do with it? Back to concentration time and I found five at 38:30 (7:30). That's better. The rolls got a bit more pronounced but they were really only rolls. And whatever went up came down the other side so it was good to work. Six came by in 46:00 (7:30). Not bad, some consistency. The rolls continued and seven came by in 54:10 (8:10) Starting to feel the cold. There was a long hill during the eight mile and I felt it coming to the mile mark at 63:00 (8:50). Only two to go, let's get back to it. Started feeling a bunch coming up on me. For most of the past few miles I had been trading places with folks with little overall movement of folks going by me. But this pack was coming, or I was slowing, and I realized it was more me than them so that helped the concentration. I found nine at 71:00 (8:00). Better. Another group approached and as I stayed with some, some just went by that I could do nothing about. The home stretch was welcome and I finished but was glad it was only ten today. 78:54 (7:54). Halleluiah, now for some soup!

 

The first three at 22:00, the last three at 24:40. Not the negative splits I would have preferred.

 

Some of the stretches were into the breeze and I tried tucking in with whatever running buddy happened to be near to let them take the breeze. Some of them clearly did not appreciate this. They altered their stride to get ahead or fall back. I talked with one of them who did this drastically. I encouraged them to tuck in to me, but they grunted and fell further back. I will need to watch this in other races this season. Where is the cooperativeness on the road? Will also need to help reinforce this with some of the Pacer practices. If we get practiced at it, it will help us all, and maybe by example we can share the road better.

 

All in all, a good day. Cold yes but it has been colder.

 

Carolyn's cold bothered her so she did not run well. Her friend Laura ran real well in the 5K taking first female overall in the 99 finishers. Way to go Laura!

 

What's next? Back to regular workouts for a couple of weeks in preparation for the Run to Remember in Boston. Nice irony in that title, I'll need to remember my pacing advice to do this 13 miler.  :-)

 

 

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New template today

What did you do?

Yes, it was about time. I needed I new look.

Work is busy or quiet, on or off, in or out, up or down, debit or credit.
Hey, all technology is even ones or zeros.
You get the idea.

So the new template is color themed green/white.
Green for the outdoors, the natural world where I run.

But rest assured, I will continue to try and run between, amongst, around, above, below, the line, etc.

With your help via comments, emails, and overall cooperative collaborative inspiration of course!

So that said: what do you think?Is this a keeper?

Let me know.


PS - with a little luck both Passionfor the Good Customer Experience and Steve's 2 Cents will get new looks this weekend also.

PSS - and many thanks to Thur Broeders for the template!


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Long Weekend

Missed the normal Thursday run due to a work party for some folks leaving the company. Needed to hoist a few for the brave. Planned on running this evening to make up for it but the weather (i.e. Mother Nature) had other ideas. Something about 60 MPH gusts kept me indoors. Dinner was quiet (Chinese leftovers) listening to the wind howl and rattle the doors/windows.

 

Glad I was not running, I may not have been able to stay on the roads. May have even ended up like Dorothy. Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas any more.

 

So the log will be short a day and a few miles, oh well. The long run Sunday should be a good one. 10 Miles in Foxboro with the temperature at sunrise forecasted to be in single digits (6 F). It will take me a bit to get warm for sure but it will be better to run 10 in the cold than in 90 plus humidity. (Remember Falmouth?)

 

 

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More Route Mapping Software

For example, I found mapmyrun.com and then heard about two other route mapping tools using Google maps.

I found Google Map Mania which is a collection of sites extending Google maps to applications you would not normally think of. On this site the "new" two route mapping sites are listed, and guess what, they are not alone.

There are more!

Check these out: Favorite Run Walk, Jog, Run



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Two for 6 on Tuesday

 

A little fun with numbers and alliteration tonight.

Two Pacers out on the roads.

Exploring. In the dark.

Found a new section of a development that I had not known existed before.

Cool!

Well, yes, it was, but not bad. Still in the 30's.

Roads wet, no ice to worry about.

No breeze to fight against. A nice night to run.

The moon was rising.

Waning but still almost full. Peaking through the trees at first.

Above the trees as we finished and we were not gone long.

Approx. 6 miles worth to add to the log book.

 

The schedule starts to get a bit crazy.

I won't make it Thursday.

Foxboro's 10 Mile and 5K run on Sunday (2/19).

School vacation follows.

Then Hyannis is the Sunday after (2/26).

Some Pacers are going to each of these runs.

We may not see some folks until the dinner in Providence on March 4th.

 

May the roads and trails be kind to you.

 

 

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Running Community

From Joan Nesbit Mabe at Songs of Experience:

For my entire adult life (and maybe even before, if you count my high school XC team) I have found/chosen/created an intentional family through running that has helped me feel seen and known and safe. Currently, my running brothers and sisters are the Trailheads and seejanerun, but at any given time in my life, it was always a running friend - out there on the trails or track or road, with real-life flesh and blood and sweat - “who was there to listen and be sorry with me, to be happy with me, to share all that there is to share.”

Read the full posting here.

 

In preparing this, I checked for the link to her About me and it was different from the last time I visited.

So, what does the future hold? At the Freihofer’s Master’s 5k National Road Championships in Albany, NY, I met a 75 year-old runner named Toshiko d’Elia. What an inspiration! Toshi ran a sub 3-hour marathon at age 50, a sub 7:00 mile at age 65, and is still going strong at age 75 … breaking the National 5k 75+ record with a 27:02. I told her a little bit of my story, mentioning how I once participated in an “elite distance runner’s” test study, only to discover the one category where I was near the top was foot plant. Not very glamorous, I laughed, foot plant. Toshi’s eyes glistened like Yoda’s when she prophesied, “You will have perfect foot plant in eternity.”

I left that meeting knowing the full impact of her words. Yes! Yes, Toshi, I know who I am and where I’m going. I will always be the “loser” who tries too hard and who risks having beer cans thrown at her, but I will keep on running – with perfect foot plant – into eternity.

Read the full About me section.

 

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FIRST Program - 1/2 Marathon Plan

Dave Kuehls writes at Runner's World in the March 2006 issue:

Last August we published a three-day-a-week marathon-training program developed by researchers Bill Pierce and Scott Murr called the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training program, or FIRST plan. After 16 weeks on this no-frills program, 13 veteran marathoners improved on their most recent times by an average of almost 20 minutes at the December 2004 Kiawah Island Marathon in South Carolina.

It was the August issue where the FIRST program was written about by Amby Burfoot.

Avid readers are aware I have been running the FIRST program since September 2005 and doing quite well with it. I took my 5K PR down twice since I started and in addition ran PR's on 2 courses, bettering the previous year's time by almost 2 minutes in both cases. My mileage this year has been averaging over 20 per week and over 7 per day. The speed/pace day (Tuesday), the tempo day (Thursday) and the distance day (usually Sunday) have combined to bring my fitness level to a point where I was in my 20's. (Note, regular readers may recall that I am in my 50's now.)

The Pacers switched the long run from Sunday to Saturday this week, in advance of the blizzard and it was a good thing they did so. This was my second run at 13 miles since 1978 (the first was last week). We ran the same time as last week but this one felt so much better. After ensuring the group at the back of the pack knew the course, I used Vine St to catch the front pack. It felt good to be able to pick up the pace and catch them. It felt even better to be able to stay with them for the remainder of the run. It felt still better to feel that if the push came to it, I could still have found another gear.

So the FIRST program works. If you have not looked at it closely, I would encourage you to do so.

Only three days to run per week?
Yes, but the days are quality runs.

What kind of mileage can you reach?
Look at the marathon plan, they peak at 32 miles in a single week and then look at the results!

What about the results?
13 marathons improve their times by 20 minutes and in the second test, 14 of 17 marathons run PR's.

But I need the longer mileage?
You think you do, but you would better without it!

Why is the program successful?
Let me ask you this: Have you ever seen a home without doors or windows?
No.
Good, I did not think so. Did you ever get hurt from resting?
No.
Good, I did not think so.

What is the secret?
The secret to the program is proper rest. A big house doesn't do you any good with out a door to get in or out, or windows to open and let in the light and breeze. So the logic goes with the FIRST program: The days you run, you run quality. The days you rest, you are better prepared to run quality the next time you lace your shoes.

So it comes down to your choice: high mileage, multiple days, with results that depend upon staying healthy or three days, quality mileage, results almost guaranteed. (Nothing is ever a guarantee, even if they say so... there is no such thing in life as a real guarantee!)

This issue of Runner's World has a half marathon plan according to the FIRST program.

I also crafted a 10K plan and a 5K according to the FIRST program. Both were of shorter duration and based upon a fitness level of about 20 miles per week. If you need any modification to these plans for your own goal, let me know and I would be willing to craft one for you.


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Wise choice

The Pacers made a wise choice to switch the long run from Sunday to Saturday this week. As the forecast started appearing Thursday and evolved into the major blizzard that is upon us today, the email was almost as quick as good pack running; each new instance, another runner pushing to the front, drawing more attention, drawing another runner to challenge the pack and continue to the push the pace. Ah the glories of pack running! Competitive in the good sense, together we accomplished more than we could have pushing alone.

 

This was pack running on Saturday. Three of us met early for 3 miles and joined up with four others for the 10 mile loop. Good conversations over the first 6 miles, the pairs changing amongst the seven of us. The hill on Arnold St separated the pack for the final time, four leading, three behind.

 

The coffee, hot chocolate and Gatorade was refreshing and enjoyed over some more relaxing conversation in Dunkin Donuts after we finished and joined with those who ran the 6 mile or 3 mile loops.

 

Now we can relax and enjoy the warm, cozy interior of our homes away from the blizzard raging outside today.

 

 

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2006 - New Milestones

The first 100 miles was covered this year as I completed today's 13 mile run with my buddies from the Pacers. I am running better than last year averaging over 7 miles per day on the 3 day a week FIRST program.

The 13 miles today was also the longest single run I completed since... well, since 1978! Yes, lots of reasons for that but it felt good to do it today.

I had registered for the Hyannis Half-Marathon but won't be able to run it now that Carolyn has an accepted students overnight at St Michael's the same day. Instead, the week before, I'll run 10 mile course at the Foxboro Old-Fashioned 10 Mile put on by our partners at the Wampanoag RoadRunners.

Boston's Run to Remember in March will be my new race attempt for the half-marathon, not so much for the race but for the workout.

May the roads/trails be kind to you!


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Running Route Maps

Thanks to some comments and email, we now have three different running map software/web sites to use. They are all based upon Google maps but each takes a different turn.

As I continue to explore them, I'll compile my thoughts on the pluses and minuses of each.

You are most welcome to join in this discussion. Let me know what you like/dislike about each of these.

So far we have:

MapMyRun

America's Running Routes

Gmaps Pedometer


If you have another one, let's throw that into the mix as well.

The more the merrier!


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Two for the tempo

There were three guys on Tuesday but only two for the road tonight. The ladies must be busy. I'll look forward to the stories when they return. In the mean time, it was just the Pacer guys cruising the Franklin roads in the dark.

 

The weather Tuesday was icy, chilly and a fine "almost frozen" mist. We bagged the hills and went exploring this way (through Charles River and back) and that (along the hill ending up on Daley Dr) covering about 6 miles before we were done.

 

Tonight the two of us found our Pacer jingle bell route in the dark successfully again and cruised along conversing about oil changes and stolen cars (no, we weren't think of doing it... just because we were running in the dark doesn't make us hoodlums, crazy maybe, but then that's another story!).

 

We appreciated the warmth tonight (still in the 40's at run time) and that there was no breeze to challenge us. Really can't complain thus far about winter. Haven't really had to run in bad weather too often. But winter isn't over yet. Punxatawny Phil saw his shadow today so we get at least six more weeks of winter, assuming his forecast is good.

 

 

 

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map your run

I found this really cool web site to plot out and map your running routes. As you click to follow the road, it calculates the distance. Slick.

A free site, registration required. Elevation is planned for a future release.

Allows for comments and ratings of the routes. This will be good for use with the running club, the Pacers.

In fact, the Pacer run yesterday inspired me to look for something like this. We did a 10 mile route for the first time and it turned out it was not 10 but rather 8.5. Oh well... things could have been worse.

So anyway, now with this web site, the route has been adjusted and calculated to be a full 10 miles.

I am already putting together a wish list for the site:

• the ability to make mile markers
• the ability to post the route on a window where it can be viewed without scrolling
• the ability to resize the route/window to print

You can check out the Pacers running routes here.

If you ever find yourself in Franklin, you'll have a choice of running routes.


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Solo safety, winter running

It is good to see other publications providing advice similar to what I have put forth. An Active.com article covers how to be safe when running alone in the dark and dressing appropriately for the winter weather.

Read the full article here.


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Cross training marathon plan

The Active.com newletter has this article on Cross-training Marathon Plan.

Here's your conundrum: You want to run a personal best marathon, but every time you build up to the running mileage you believe is required to achieve this goal, you get injured. Should you just give up and find another goal to pursue?

Not at all! By taking a cross-training-based approach to training, you can run a lifetime-best marathon on just three or four runs a week. Incorporating non-impact cardio workouts and functional strength workouts into your program will reduce your chances of getting injured not only by limiting your running mileage, but also by increasing the stability of your joints (as joint instability is the primary cause of most running injuries).

Your cross-training workouts will also enhance your running performance, more than making up for the running miles that are cut from your program to make room for cross-training.

Yes, this sounds just like the FIRST plan we have been using since September, 2005. You may recall it was written up in Runner's World July issue.

Must be a good thing especially if someone else has come up with it in their own way.

 

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5 Guys 5 Miles

No women tonight to keep us company for the Pacer workout. Some of them had a nutrition presentation to attend to. The guys would have offered to come by for snacks but the thought of carrot sticks and tofu without washing it down with some good cold beer wasn't all that appealing. We stuck to the work at hand on the hills. :-)

The night was good. In the mid-30's for temp. No breeze to challenge us on the long hill corner. The ups and downs were covered. The warm up and warm down were talked through.

5 miles. 5 guys.

Simple.

Effective.

Then it was over like that!

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Glorious 10

Yes, the wind abated. The fears of yesterday were relieved of their duty. The day dawned gloriously here in MA.

Some of the Pacers joined with the Wampanoag Roadrunners and the Hopkinton Running Club for a joint club run today. We started at D&B Sports in North Attleboro, the meeting point for a good bunch of the Wamps' runs.

There were about 15-20 of us that headed out for the 10 mile run. Another group was starting later to go 6. Others also joined along the way to do their runs and all finished back at D&B Sports for coffee and chatter.

I felt really good. It was a new route for me. A couple of good long risers but nothing I would classify as a real hill compared to what we do at TriCounty or along the Big Apple routes.

I was in a group of about 5. 2 split off and went ahead of us. 1 of them we reeled in on the way home as the 3 remaining runners talked and made our way along the roads.

Traffic was light. There was ample room on the shoulder so we mostly ran two or three abreast.

On the return, there was one short "hill" section and as we topped out I caught up with and then stayed with the one we reeled in. I knew we were heading back but really did not know the mile marks or what we had left. I was surprised to hear him point out that the stop sign there was the 8 mile mark. I looked at my watch and saw 63 minutes and change.

Are you sure?

Yup, this has been wheel measured.

Wow! sub-8 minute pace and I feel good.

We continued to hold the pace and finished in 79 minutes and change.

I am mighty pleased. This was a glorious 10.

I hope your run today was a good one!


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Weather or not

The wind is blowing. There is a high wind advisory for our neck of the woods through midnight.

WINDS WILL SHIFT TO NORTHWEST BETWEEN 5 PM AND 7 PM ACROSS RHODE ISLAND...CONNECTICUT...WESTERN AND CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS AND SOUTHWEST NEW HAMPSHIRE. FARTHER EAST...WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTHWEST BETWEEN 6 PM AND 8 PM ACROSS EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS...WHICH INCLUDES THE GREATER BOSTON AREA AND CAPE COD AND THE ISLANDS.

AT THAT TIME WINDS WILL REACH 25 TO 35 MPH...WITH GUSTS REACHING 50 TO 55 MPH. WINDS WILL DIMINISH FROM WEST TO EAST AROUND OR SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT.

It was almost 60 degrees again today. This is not what one would call "normal" New England winter weather. But you know, times have changed. Recall it was a year ago, we got buried with a blizzard.

The weather changes are here to stay so runners need to adjust. Bundle up, change time of day, change direction, whatever works to keep on running.

And hope the forecast is accurate: that the wind will dimish overnight. I got a long run scheduled in the morning and it would not be fun in this wind.

 

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Get Your Geek On

Wil and Tri-Geek Kahuna have put together a podcast, the first of a series.

 

Some fun stuff! Have a listen!

 

 

 

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Another tempo run

Two in a row... yes, but that's okay. It was not as much a pushed tempo tonight as it was Tuesday but still good. More conversation along the way. More steady conversation than the halting one Tuesday. Covered 5 miles so that was good.

Discussion for a portion of it was on the first mile. How especially in winter it is tough to get started. One to get loose. Two to be dressed properly. I mentioned that I liked Joan Nesbit Mabe's suggestion of putting her clothes into the dryer for about five minutes to warm them up before going out the door. This helped her be warm to start and then not have to peel off a layer once she got going.

It was the getting going part where the conversation got interesting. We seemed to conclude that it is pretty much a matter of your fitness level that helps to determine when you are warm. Do you follow that?

That if you are capable of doing 3-5 miles, you might reach your warmth point further a long the way than if the same person was capable of running 8-10 miles. That your warmth point, ready to run point, is related to your level of fitness.

I'd be curious to see what you think about this.

What is your experience in this area?


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Quick Tempo Tuesday

A couple of Pacers gathered on Tuesday and we opted out of the hills to do a good tempo run along Pond St. We managed to have a halting conversation part of the way out and then more of the way back. The rest of the time we were moving too quickly to converse haltingly or otherwise.

 

Weather called for rain after midnight but we caught some sleet on the return. I had my head band on to catch my sweat as it was mid-30's and I did not think I needed a hat. It was okay until it started sleeting then I was wishing for my visor cap to keep the sleet off my face.

 

Clocked out at 6.5 miles it felt good.

 

 

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Take the Technorati Survey

Please join me in providing input, feedback, direction... From Niall Kennedy at the Technorati Weblog

We'd like your input! Please take a few minutes to answer all or part of our 33-question survey to contribute to the future of Technorati.

 

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Not so bad after all

There were hardy Pacers out there with me today. A couple of buddies joined me for the 10 miles. The first part of the first loop was the most difficult as it crossed an open stretch and the wind made things difficult but not impassible.

 

We were joined by two others for the 6 mile section and changed our course to go out into the wind instead of the normal loop. This was a good move. Coming back with the wind behind us was almost pleasant.

 

One draw back was returning via Pond Street. We were faced with a long gradual hill. Yes, it is long, it runs over a mile but as it is gradual it just wears on you.

 

Back to the start for coffee and those cinnamon things to bring home for my ladies. At home, I got out of my wet stuff and took a shower in my daughter's bathroom. (They have a tub/shower. Ours is a shower stall.) I let the water run hot and fill up the tub. This warmed my toes very nicely and I came out feeling much better for having done the run.

 

The weather really wasn't all that bad and the forecast calls for the temp to continue to drop and the wind to continue to increase. Knowing that made it easier for me to go out the door this morning. This was a good as it was going to get today!

 

I hope you have "runner friendly" weather for your runs today!

 

 

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Running forecast

 

The National Weather Service has this from its most recent update for Franklin:

LIGHT RAIN WILL CHANGE TO A PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET AFTER 3 AM TONIGHT ACROSS INTERIOR SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. MIXED PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO CHANGE TO SNOW AFTER 6 AM. TEMPERATURES WILL QUICKLY FALL INTO BETWEEN 25 AND 30 DEGREES BY DAYBREAK.

LIGHT TO OCCASIONALLY MODERATE SNOW WILL FALL AFTER DAYBREAK SUNDAY MORNING. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON SHOULD RANGE FROM 2 TO 4 INCHES WEST OF INTERSTATE 95 WITH 1 TO 2 INCHES POSSIBLE SOUTHEAST OF INTERSTATE 95 TO CAPE COD.

The Pacers are scheduled for their loopy runs in the morning starting with the first loop at 7:00 AM. It could be interesting weather to run.

I hope your weather will be more runner friendly!

 

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Great finish

Bob Schul won the 5000 meters at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, one of only 4 American track distance medals. Via Joan Nesbit Mabe at Songs of Experience, you can view this short video clip of the finish.

Truly inspiring!


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Craziness of Idle

Joan Nesbit Mabe writing at Songs of Experience got me to comment as follows:

Two trains of thought come to mind: (1) There was an article recently that went on to elaborate how the greatness of individuals in sports is usually debatable, except for track & field. Was Joe Nameth a better quarterback than Tom Brady? Wilt Chamberlain a better center than Shaq? There could be and endless discussion. They were from different eras, never met on the field.

But in T&F, that is a different story, the race was run in a time recorded for all to compare with or a distance, or a height. No dispute, sure there can be discussions around the conditions and training methods but the performance is recognized and comparable to today.

(2) Running allows for more participation than other sports. You are one of nine in baseball or you spend time sitting; one of five in basketball or spend time sitting, and so on. But when you run, even if you don't compete for the varsity, you still run. You still sweat. You still get from here to there...

Teenagers are just one segment of the population that needs this but they are not the only one that benefits from running!


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3 x Mile on the hills

The Pacers had two groups out on the hill at TriCounty tonight. One group (3 runners) did the "normal" workout, 3 times each up the long hill and short hill. The other group (4 runners) did 3 times the mile which was up long, down short, turn around up short and down long.

It was a good workout for all. Both groups got together for the warm up, the start of each mile and long hill run, and then the warm down. The weather was cooperative. The temp was in the low 30's. The traction on the roads was much better than last week.

I felt good. I probably could have done a fourth repeat on the mile although I hesitated to say it out loud for fear someone would actually say, let's do the fourth! It is too early in the training to add some extra pushes to the workouts. Nice and steady is just fine.


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Good Sunday Run

A bunch of Pacers were out on the loops today; some doing the three loops (10 miles), some the two (6.5 miles), some joined us for the last loop (3.5 miles) and some hung around for some conversation over refreshments at Panera's.

Cool start. The temp was in the 20's F.

A light snow was falling, helping to quiet the world for us to make our footsteps in the early morning.

• Catching up on what happened over the holidays.
• Sharing the Chris Smithers/Stephanie Corby concert at the Circle of Friends Coffehouse last night.
• Discussion on the merits and drawbacks of running on a tredmill versus the wild outdoors.
• Discussion on the coming running year; what events would be targeted, renewing some old favorites, trying some new events.

And 10 miles went by quickly...

I had something left at the end.


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Mileage log available

I have redone my Excel spreadsheet for the new year and have a clean copy if you would like one to track your miles run. The main sheet allows for the entry of the miles on the date. The second and third sheets are charts built with automatic calculations to show the miles per week and days run per week.

If you would like a copy, let me know via comment or email and I'll send it to you.

May the roads/trails be kind to you!


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Tempo run & then some

There were going to be 4 Pacers for the tempo run tonight. The tempo run usually varies in distance from 4 - 7 miles. We were going to start a half hour later. With the late start, I was not sure what distance we would end up with so instead of driving over to our meeting place, I decided to run over. Running to and from the meeting place would give me 4 miles plus whatever we did.

We started out to do a 3.5 loop and then changed to do a 6 mile loop.

No problem, I felt good and did 10 overall.

Longest night run for me!

Frozen Hill

3 other Pacers joined me in the endeavor as we went back to the hills tonight at Tri-County High School for the first time in several weeks. Jogging in the parking lot we realized that it could be an interesting evening. The surface was very slick with ice. We strode gingerly along keeping our center of gravity low and our strides short.

As we went down the long side of the hill on our warm up loop, it became readily apparent that we would not be using this side of the hill tonight. You know that I like to run but I do not like to ice skate when I should be running.

Fortunately, we made it down without incident and the rest of the loop through the neighborhood was fine. Oh, snowy, with icy spots here and there but nothing like the sheet of ice we just were on. We made our way around to the short side of the hill and started up, checking it out as we went. It was okay, clearly not as exposed as the long side, less windy and with a better surface.

Hence we decided upon reaching the top (completing our warm up loop) that we would adjust the workout and only use the short side of the hill for our repeats. We would extend every other run up the short side by going towards the front entrance of the school to still give our workout a "long" run and a short one. This did shorten the overall workout a little but considering we were still slipping some here and there, as cold as it was, in the dark (okay, queue the violins....) I kept the record for my log as 5 miles. No need to quibble about a quarter mile or so in these conditions.

A good workout, one to talk about now as the one where the ice was so bad...

How bad was it?

So bad, that we did not do the long side of the hill!


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running

Snow today - Updated

The almost four inches of fluffy wet snow shoveled this morning was lighter than the almost one inch of slush that I cleared (with Carolyn's help - thank you!) at lunch time.

It is still snowing but little or no accumulation is expected while the temperature will drop into the 20's over night.

So we dodged this one...

Running tonight will be cold. My shoes and socks will likely end up wet from the slush. I should bring some dry ones to change into when I finish.



weather
snow
run
running

Snow today

Yes, the wintery mix is upon us. Some forecasts call for 4-7, others 8-10... stay tuned and we'll let you know how much we really end up with.

I completed the 1st pass at shoveling the driveway and moved 3-4" already. It is coming down steadily. A heavy wet snow that shovelers have to really be careful with but kids will love to play in. School has been called off for Franklin today.

Scheduled to run later today. Running in this will be a challenge. Hopefully most of the roads will have been cleared by then.


weather
snow
run
running

Initial race outlook for 2006

This is what the year looks like thus far:

January
no races, plenty of training

February
Old fashioned 10 Mile, Foxboro (PDF)
Hyannis Half-marathon

April
Groton 5K

The Pacers have not decided if there'll be a grand prix this year so that will factor into some planning.

The Corp Challenge in Boston (June), Crackerbarrell 5K (September), CVS 5K (September) and others are all possible. I'd like to do a minimum of one per month. So we'll see how the calendar develops this year.

run

running

Different road to close 2005

Spent the last few days out in Danville, PA with some long time family friends. This gave me the chance to run a new route through their neighborhood on Saturday. I combined their regular "walking route" (almost 3 miles) with an out and back section along their main road.

Carolyn came along for the first part. We did the "walking route" easily. She had her MP3 player on and we just cruised along completing the loop in 22 minutes (hence it should be less than 3 miles as we were doing about an 8:30-9:00 minute pace). I left her at the house to do the out and back. This interested me as it would take me to the bridge where their road crossed over Route 80. This turned out to be conveniently about 2 miles from the house. I went out in 18 minutes and returned in 16. It felt good and comfortable. I continued past the house to redo the first loop, this time without Carolyn to keep me company. This time around it took me 20 minutes.

Allowing for some rounding, I logged it as a 10 mile run.

A good rolling course. Mostly broad gutter along the road to run away from the traffic (although there was not much to speak of) without running on the road itself.

A good workout in a different place to close out 2005.

A total 980 miles
Ran in 13 races
5 races had been run at least once in previous years.
In all those 5 races, my best time came down about two minutes from the previous best.

I have moved to a new level of running.

A good year.

Now I am ready for 2006!

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2006!

Check back often, there will be a lot to write about this year.

May the roads/trails be kind to you.

Short run today

Woke up tired this morning... been going to bed about 11:00 or so while on vacation and I guess it is catching up finally... was going to go 5 or 6 miles but starting late, feeling tired, just stayed in the neighborhood for a little two miler that I have not done in a long time, probably over a year.

Warm today, in the mid forties, light ground fog as the snow we did have so much of is gradually disappearing. I did not expect to see our grass lawn until March but it is back....

May the roads/trails be kind to you!

Glittens are back!

Yes, years ago I got a couple of pairs of glittens (a combination glove and mitten) and have used them regularly for running. I have three ways of wearing them. One, as a glove. Two, as a glitten (the warmest). And sometimes towards the end of a run when I have warmed up sufficiently, I'll take them off and roll them such that my fingers fit curled in the mitten cover with the remainder of the material rolled to hold in the hand.

Tried looking for some glittens last year and while Google turned up one catalog with them, when I went to order them the order could not be filled. There are a bunch of knitted versions and patterns available but this was the first glitten I found that matched waht I was looking for.

I found these glittens in a recent National Running Center catalog and ordered some online. They arrived in time for Christmas and I used them when I took a walk with my wife yesterday morning. I bought the mens L/XL. The material has some stretch and give in it but fit my long fingers very nicely. The actual coloring is off from what is pictured. The mitten part is black and the mitten part is more dark navy than the lighter blue shown. Oh no, mixing black and blue! Yes, it may be a social faux pax but I don't mind.

They are warm and functional and better yet, they fit.

Book Review: Once a Runner - John L Parker Jr

Just finished Once a Runner by John L Parker Jr today. A fairly quick read. I had started it a couple of weeks ago and almost completely finished it on two train rides (approx. 45 minutes of reading each ride). I got to the point where I knew the end was close and wanted to be able to enjoy it. So rather than take it to work again, I held off reading until this week, vacation week, where one can truly enjoy the time with a good book.

John clearly captures the feeling of running. The time in the locker rooms, on the track, out on the roads... he has this down. I was not in his (or Cassidy's) class of running but I did compete in high school and college and later coached high school. He knows the inside outs and crafts a good story.

Ultimately, I was left unsatisfied on two counts. One, in the climatic race, Cassidy gets entered in the name of another runner. This does not sit well with me. Track is still not well accepted in the USA. You really only hear of it during Olympic years. To have the hero stoop to this level to succeed runs counter to the ideals of the true Olympic sport, especially with drug enhanced performances still in the news. (Yes, I confess, I am an idealist!)

Two, you don't find out his time in this climatic race. I don't want to reveal any more than this to spoil it for anyone who has not yet read the book. I have my suspicions what his time was but since John did not reveal it, Cassidy's finishing time is left open to speculation.

From the opening chapter:

He was going to have to pick up the thread of a normal life again and although he did not know exactly why, he had to start by coming back here, back to the greenhouse warmth of the Panhandle, back to the very quarter mile oval that still held his long-dried sweat. Back to September, the month of promises. He put his bag down by the pole vault pit, looked uptrack to make sure no one was coming, and then walked up to the starting line. God, he thought, one more time on the line.

In lane one, he stood very still, looking down at his street shoes (joggers now going around him with curious glances) and tried to conjure up the feeling. After a moment a trace of it came to him and he knew that was all there would be. You can remember it, he told himself, but you can not experience it again this way. You have to be satisfied with the shadows. Then he thought of the second and third laps and decided with a little twist of a smile that the shadows were sometimes quite enough.

Yes, the shadows can be very good!


Updated 4/7/09 with new link to Amazon page with re-issue of hard cover copy of the book!

Jingle bells run

A good group of Pacers got together this morning for a run. About 8 of us did the "7 at 7" choice. Although I think it worked out to be more than 7 miles and we started about 10 minutes past 7, but hey, who will quibble on Christams Eve. Another 4 runners came along later to run 3 miles.

Most of us were dressed for the occasion. A good number had Santa caps to top off their red or green clothing. I choose to go the elf route with my yellow leggings, red shorts, and deep green t-shirt. I pinned a couple of pre-made ribbon bows on my shoulders to complete the "package".

There were some jingle bell ribbons to tie to our shoes before the run. Those that did ended up loosing most of the bells before they finished. We can certainly provide some feedback that they did not hold up to the miles.

We did the same run as Thursday but with the starting point at Panera's instead of the high school parking lot. While we took off the loop around Dean College, we added the distance from Panera's to and from there hence the conclusion that it was more like 8 or 9 than the 7 it was advertised as.

No problem, a good run, some good conversations around the table at Panera's. Not sure why they are getting this attention, the service is slow. It took us about 10 minutes in line to get inside the door and at least another 10 to get served.

But it is Christmas Eve and with the glow of a good run, we were all in good spirits as we warmed up and cooled down at the same time. Yes, only runners can do that in winter.

I hope your Christmas run is a good one!

I plan on doing an easy 3 tomorrow morning to close out the week and set up for an second helping on the pie after dinner.

...

Tags: run + running

She had her Wheaties today!

The four standard bearers of the Pacers were on the Franklin roads tonight. Two women leading two men. One led because she was showing us the route; one of her regular routes. It was a good one. I would be hard pressed to repeat it as we ran it in the dark and the first part of it had multiple turns this way and that. But it was a good mix of side roads, infrequent traffic and a nice "little" hill in there just for good measure.

The last couple of miles were relatively straight forward and the other lady took over the lead and set the pace. She was cruising along at which point over the shoulder I heard:

She had her Wheaties today!

Did she ever! Nice running!
A good workout was had by all.

...

Tags: run + running

Opted out of hills (again)

No hills again tonight, although since we started our run on the top and finished our running coming up the side, technically we did do the "hills" just not as much as we normally do.

We being the couple of Pacer buddies who joined me for a jaunt in the dark. Checking out this side road here, doing this loop here, and eventually it added up to about 5 miles.

One of my better runs. Just felt really good. So good that I don't want to think about what it would have felt like doing the hills. I can live happy with what I did and I will sleep well tonight.

It will be warmer under those covers than it was on the roads!

...

Tags: run + running

RBF Button

Let see if I can do this properly.

Here is the button.



I already have the link.

Let's see if the two can go together....


Updated: - oh, not yet... if anyone has advice on how to insert the image and apply a link to the image in the column, please let me know. Thanks!

Updated: 12/24/05
A little time to think about this lead me to borrow from the "Sub with Bloglines" code sample and get this working. I am pleased it all worked out.

Saturday Run

First time running on a Saturday for a while. Missed Thursday with the Pacers as I went to my company holiday party. Didn't get to make it up last night as we took Allison out to dinner for her birthday. So before going to the Franklin Indoor Track meet today got up and out for an easy 3 miles.

I had a bunch of mental debate going on during the first mile. It was not easy starting for some reason and the slick roads didn't help any. I was watching my step all the time. Finally decided to do the Chestnut Ridge loop and took it easy.

I'll have the long run tomorrow to close out the week. Wondering who will be there to do three loops? Caught up with a Pacer in the check out line at the market and she'll be doing two loops.

One of these Sunday's I'll try four loops. I want to take the milage up slightly during this off season to prepare for next year. With the hills on Tuesday's, I can gradually work the interval times down. With the tempo run on Thursday's, I can go a minimum 5 or 6 depending upon who shows up. With Sunday's long run, the loop concept makes it easy to add another one of whatever distance I feel like doing to add the milage.

So with 5 on Tuesday, up to 8 on Tuesday, and 12 or 13 on Sunday, I can get 25 quality miles per week. That should help me attack my 5K goal next year.

The decision remains as to whether I'll try to go after the 400 time or not. This past summer told me I can't do both at the same time.

Plenty of time for that decision.

May the roads/trails be kind to you!

Plano (TX) Pacers Running Club

Just happened to be cruising along the web tonight to find this similarly named running club based in Plano, TX.

I like their web site. It offers some good ideas for our Pacer web site.

One really slick item they have is a calculator that scores your race finish time factoring in distance, sex, and age on a 100 point scale. They use this to calculate the results for their Grand Prix results. Each person gets a score for the race and then the scores are averaged, minimum four races for the final results.

Cool stuff!

Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle Received from a Friend Called Felicity

For Joan at Songs of Experience who posted her poem Edozien Grey, known simply as E. today.

During that summer
When unicorns were still possible;
When the purpose of knees
Was to be skinned;
When shiny horse chestnuts
(Hollowed out
Fitted with straws
Crammed with tobacco
Stolen from butts
In family ashtrays)
Were puffed in green lizard silence
While straddling thick branches
Far above and away
From the softening effects
Of civilization;

During that summer--
Which may never have been at all;
But which has become more real
Than the one that was--
Watermelons ruled.

Thick imperial slices
Melting frigidly on sun-parched tongues
Dribbling from chins;
Leaving the best part,
The black bullet seeds,
To be spit out in rapid fire
Against the wall
Against the wind
Against each other;

And when the ammunition was spent,
There was always another bite:
It was a summer of limitless bites,
Of hungers quickly felt
And quickly forgotten
With the next careless gorging.

The bites are fewer now.
Each one is savored lingeringly,
Swallowed reluctantly.

But in a jar put up by Felicity,
The summer which maybe never was
Has been captured and preserved.
And when we unscrew the lid
And slice off a piece
And let it linger on our tongue:
Unicorns become possible again.

John Tobias

From the book Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle by Stephen Dunning

Hot tempo on the cold roads

Yes, it was quite cold tonight. About 14 F with a wind chill into the low single digits. One Pacer buddy decided to brave the cold to keep me company. Thank you!

We decided not to do the hill work we normally are scheduled for on Tuesday. The wind on the corner as we would make the turn on the long hill was going to be a challenge. Stopping multiple times in this cold also did not seem like something we wanted to do. We opted instead for a good tempo run. Most of the beginning was at a "barely can keep a conversation" pace but the sidewalks also contributed to making conversation difficult.

I tried to stay on the road along the gutter while she tried to stay on the sidewalks. She ultimately came out into the road with me. It was safer that way. That is until we got back out onto the main road where the sidewalks were mostly clear so she jumped up to run there and I stayed in the gutter. It was good until one van came by too close for comfort. Fortunately it was near the end of our route. I had enough time to calm down and complete the run.

We did not linger long in the parking lot to chat after the run. It was much too cold for that.

A good run for this day with a good buddy to set/keep a good pace!

May the roads/trails be kind to you!

Loopy

Yes, the loops work. Adjusted the start time for the Pacers by 10 minutes for the second and third loops and it worked out very well today.

What are you talking about?
Okay, let me step back a bit. The Pacers routes on Sunday shifted from our fall location to our winter location for a variety of reasons (change, variety, convenient coffee shop, etc.). What had been successful about our fall routes was that there were two loops, a small one (3.4 miles) and then a longer one (7.1 miles). Both started and finished at the same location. We offered three runs; 10.5, 7.1 and 3.4. Hence those running 10.5 could start with the small loop and make it back to the start to pick up those starting the 7.1 loop. This provided additional folks to run with. Those who started later for the 3.4 miles could join the 7 and 10 miles for the last 1.5 miles depending upon the pace of each group.

So shifting to the new location, we wanted to try and continue this loop concept and see if we could improve on it. Hence, some craftiness might get me labeled as "loopy".

So how does it work?
We devised four loops; two each at 3 miles and 2 each at 3.5 miles. All loops start and end at the same point; the Franklin Village plaza which has a Panera Bread that happens to open at 7:00 AM on Sunday. So if you need to make a pit stop before starting, you have a good place to go. Beats the woods anytime!

The 10 milers start at 7:00 AM and do one of the 3.5 mile loops. Calculating a 10 minute mile pace (which also allows for a sometimes late start), the group should get back about 7:35 AM. Time to pick up the 6.5 milers and head out on one of the 3 mile loops (one hilly and one rolling). They should get back about 8:05 in time to pick up any 3.5 milers for the last loop (the other 3.5).

We made the "official" start for the 6.5 milers at 7:40 AM and 8:10 for the 3.5 milers.

So what happened today?
One other Pacer joined me for the 10 mile run. We left on schedule at 7:00 and came back at 7:37. A little slower due to the snow but otherwise well calculated. We picked up one other Pacer looking to do 6.5 and choose the rolling 3 mile loop. We headed out and got back at 8:04 in time to pick up one other Pacer for the final 3.5 miles for all us. We altered the third loop to be an out and back course instead of a loop to avoid going three times on the one final stretch. (Yes, if we had done the 3.0 mile hill loop this would not have been a problem, but...)

As a side bonus we saw two other Pacers out on their own. We had not expected to see them as both are recovering from injury so it was a pleasant surprise.

Anyway, the four of us made it back together to the finish having done our three loops successfully joined together completing 10 miles, 6.5 miles, and 3.5 miles respectively. Now, how cool is that?

Way cool!

Tempo Thursday

I ran alone for the first time in a while. One good thing about running with a club, you generally have someone to run with. Unfortunately, other obligations kept the Pacers away from the time slot this Thursday evening.

This is not a bad thing, by any means.

Recall that I have run for 34 years, and other than when in high school (2), college (4), and then coaching (6) after that (12 years total, to help those who wanted to count), I have spent the remainder running alone (21 years, actually). It could have been 22 but I can't count this past year as I have been running with the Pacers since September 2004.

I did one of my favorite routes; the Chestnut-Pleasant loop. Starting from the Pacers starting point it is a half mile shorter than if I did it from home, but only a half mile. Doing it as night is also a little more challenging than during the day. Chestnut tends to have more traffic at this time (7:00 PM Eastern) and the road is fairly narrow in spots. I was well dressed for the cold (about 20 degrees F) and my reflective vest and luminous jacket were on. I also carried my little flash light but I need to change the batteries. It was getting weaker as I went and not much use by the end of the run.

The fun stretch is along Pleasant. And not just because the road is called Pleasant, it is pleasant. The side I run tends to have fewer houses, mostly woods, and more space to stay away from the traffic. By the light of the half moon, the trees were casting their shadows across the road. I played a game off not stepping on them for a bit, but then that got my tempo up and I held it for a good mile or so. See what playing can do for you! Even when running alone.

May the roads/trails be kind to you!

Build a calendar for next year's races

Have you picked some races to run next year?
If you have, then you know already what the dates are.

How about getting a calendar with those dates printed on them to hang for a constant reminder?
That might be good!

And how about getting the calendar to help a good cause at the same time?
That would be doubly good!

Yes, you can do both.

Check out the posting on my other blog for details or follow the link in this posting's title to go directly to the web site to build you own calendar and contribute to a good cause.

Cold (but good) night on the hills

A couple of Pacer buddies kept me company on the hills tonight. It was cold (high 20's). Clear, partial moon shining. And no breeze to speak of. Usually it is very noticeable, especially coming up the long side of the hill, as you turn the curve under the street light, the prevailing breeze or wind catches you there. But not tonight.

We did our full routine as this was our second time on the hills this time around. 1 mile warm up. 3 times up the long one hard, down the short one easy. 3 times back up the short one hard, down the long one easy. The last easy down leads us into our mile warm down to close out the workout for a total of 5 miles.

I concentrated on the long hill tonight. I felt pretty good and kept the pace consistent for all three.

Next week, I'll keep the long one steady and work to quicken the short hill pace.

The week after, I'll keep the short pace steady and quicken the long hill. Or at least try and see how it goes; to keep some steadiness in there but progressively work on quickening the pace one side of the hill at a time.

We'll keep you posted when you check back.

May the roads/trails be kind to you!

Milestone 12/4/05

Milestone 12/4/05
Originally uploaded by shersteve.

Yes, 900 miles... at the beginning of the year, it did not seem likely. Now, it is a minor disappointment that I won't get to 1000 (forecasting to end up about 980-990). I could but don't want to risk the injury factor. The three day program has been doing very well. I want to keep with that and gradually modify the mileage rather than add another day or so to put in the other mileage to get to the 1000 mark.

Time enough for next year!

May the roads/trails be kind to you!

Wreath 2005

Wreath_2005_004
Originally uploaded by shersteve.

Sunny breezy day here in Franklin, MA.

The wreath is now mounted front and center to welcome those who chance to come by the home base.

I have posted this here as well to help welcome those who come by via the internet.

Thank you for visiting!

And special thanks to Connie for the wreath!

Good run tonight

A nice night to run.
Temp in the mid-30's.
Little or no breeze.
Just right for a good tempo run.

A couple of Pacer buddies kept company and conversation going for most of the run. That is until we got about a mile to the finish where we picked it up so that talking became second priority, concentrating on the traffic and maintaining the pace took over as the first priority.

Running at night like this, we tried to keep to well light roads and less traveled where possible. One stretch was through a development and we could spread out three across the road no problem. Coming back into Franklin, however we clung to the sidewalk or gutter and paid close attention to the cars coming from the driveways and side streets. They all behaved well tonight (thank you!). We should have been noticeable, all wearing our reflective vests. Creating something of a stir in this small town.

Who are these folks running at this time of night?
Just a few Pacers out for a good tempo run.

About 4.3 miles in 37 minutes and change.
A good night to you all!
I know I can sleep well after a good run.

Back to the hills

Yes, the Pacers went to the hills last night. Back to Tri County Regional VocTech. Had a good group of buddies to attack the hills. We did two sets as opposed to the normal three times up each side. Since it was the first time back on the hills, we did not want to rush it. There will be time enough next week for three times, and the week after, and...

John Mortimer's 3 Words to Run With

John Mortimer, assistant track coach at Boston College, was the guest speaker at the Franklin High School Cross Country banquet. The banquet officially closed the 2005 season for both the boys and girls teams. The athletes families' coordinated a pot luck supper with plenty of good food for all.

John spoke reflecting back on his own running career to highlight the three keys for him: (1) motivation, (2) consistency, and (3) patience. He wove his own personal stories into the talk to reinforce these three points.

John has had a storied career with some highlights

• competing for the US National Team (in the 1997 World University Games and the 1998 Goodwill Games, running the steeplechase in both events)
• as the 1994 Footlocker Cross Country national runner-up, and a three-time National Scholastic Track and Field champion
• a four-time academic All-American and academic All-Big Ten while running for Michigan

Hopefully, his words will resonate with the athletes who heard them Tuesday night.

With the right motivation, the proper consistency in training and lifestyle, and above all, patience to stick with the program, these keys will provide any runner a way to be successful.

Thanks for sharing, John!

Two day week

Only two days of running this week. Yes, the FIRST program is three days.

Monday was scheduled rest (needed to with the long run the day before).
Tuesday was my daughter's high school cross country banquet. (Priority)
Wednesday was scheduled rest (and race next day)
Thursday was race day.
Friday was scheduled rest.
Saturday was scheduled for a walk with my wife.
Sunday the scheduled long run.

So other than finding some other time on Tuesday (and I didn't) it was only two days this week.

The race was the 3rd best 5K this year, and two minutes faster on the course than last year. So all in all, two days is fine with me.

Thanksgiving

I have so much to be thankful for

being able to run
being able to race
being part of the Norfolk County Pacers
being able to write

and just being able

thank you for reading!

More blogs about happy thanksgiving

Songs of Experience - Joan Nesbit Mabe

Joan Nesbit Mabe, a quality runner, member of several US National teams also coaches seejanerun (a club for running mothers) and blogs about running. New Englander's may recall her first place finish at Falmouth but she lists as

Greatest lifetime achievements:
3 daughters … Sarah Jane (12), Rosie (8), and Lizzie (4)

There is some balance to this lady runner. You can learn a lot by reading her!

Weekend Recap

Went to Franklin Park again this weekend but for the last time this season. The Franklin Girl's Cross Country team finished 11th in the All State Meet. A respectable showing. A lot of schools were sitting on the sidelines for this one.

We had a bunch of running buddies come out in the cold morning for the Pacers Sunday runs. Four of us headed out on the 10.5, doing the small loop first. Coming by the parking lot at the Big Apple we picked up the 7 milers and continued on our way for the longer second loop. If the timing works out just right, about 1.5 miles from the finish, the 3 milers can join us, or we may at least see them on the road.

Alas, that was not to be the case for me on Sunday. I fell back off the group I was with coming up the long hill at 8 miles and managed to stay ahead of the couple coming up behind me. Always torn between in that situation. Once you loose contact, you loose concentration as well (or at least I do) and it would be so much better to run with someone. So should I slow down and let the others catch me. I'll have someone to run with then. Or do I try to pick it up and either close the gap with the ones in front of me, or at least hold the ones behind me off.

I held them off this time. Next time, I would prefer not to let the gap occur at all.

The Cross Country (PDF) banquet is Tuesday night so I'll miss our track work out this week. The next time I run will be Thursday morning; the Best Buddies 5K in Brighton.

Tempo run tonight

Two Pacer buddies joined for the run tonight. One gets extra credit for getting there. Her husband was going to be a few minutes late getting home, so she bundled up the kids, drove to the parking lot, husband (who also gets extra bonus points for doing this) meets her there, leaves his car there, takes the kids home, she comes running with us. Worked out nicely for all!

We did not waste any time getting a move on. It was cool (about 39 F) as we left heading into the breeze. At a little over a mile we turned so the breeze cut across us and almost immediately felt warmer. Another mile, another turn, and the breeze was now behind us, helping to push us along. By this point we were cruising along pretty well. This was the same route we did last week except we added another large couple of blocks to the run. I drove the route later to measure it and it came out about 4.3 miles.

Finished strong and easily. Felt very good.

May the roads be kind to you!

Plan for that Thanksgiving Run

Dr. Susan has some good advice on how to eat well. This is always a critical component of a good exercise plan. Eat well, sleep well, and the body will be appropriately fueled for the exercise effort. There are no short cuts to success.

But you knew that!

That is part of the reason why you have picked out a good run for next Thursday. An official race is good even if you don't "race" it, you get timed mile marks, water stops, and emergency medical support for the length of the run you can handle.

If you don't go for a race, get a couple of buddies together. Company is always good on the run.

Worse case, get your own two feet out the door and moving.

The big dinner later will be a real reward for the effort you left on the roads that morning.

May the roads be kind to you!

The State of Track & Field - Steve McGill

Steve McGill has written a good piece on the State of Track & Field in the USA.

I encourage you to follow the link to read the whole thing.

Of course, you are most welcome to return here and leave a comment on what you think about the article. That would be worth some bonus points for you.

The bonus points would be for the intense satisfaction of having contributed to a discussion on one of the most important athletic endeavors; track & field.

Willie McCool - 16 Minutes to Home

Runner's World has a good article written by Steve Friedman on Willie McCool who was the pilot of the shuttle Columbia.

"Most people know what happened. That piece of foam broke off Columbia's external fuel tank and hit the shuttle's left wing. That NASA officials on the ground gravely underestimated the severity of the damage. That, in fact, the damage caused the shuttle to burn and break into pieces in the skies over Texas, just 16 minutes before its scheduled landing on a clear, bright Saturday morning in February nearly three years ago. What everyone doesn't know is something NASA investigators learned when they sifted through and analyzed the wrecked vessel on the ground. Among the shuttle parts that investigators recovered was a damaged but intact piece of equipment called the R-2 instrument panel. When they unfolded it, they saw a series of switches that, according to NASA investigator Jon Clark, appeared to have been engaged and manipulated in the final minutes of the doomed astronauts' lives by the person in the shuttle's right seat -- the pilot. Although NASA's official report is inconclusive, one theory is that the pilot was making adjustments and maneuvers even as Columbia was pitching and spinning toward Earth. That even when death was certainly imminent and known to the crew, Willie McCool as still trying to save the shuttle. Clark, whose wife, Laurel, died along with McCool and five others in the crash, says that what McCool did in those final moments "was a big deal. A very big deal."

Willie McCool was 41 years old when he died that morning, and his singular achievements are what the obituaries and eulogies focused on: Eagle scout, exceptional runner, test pilot, astronaut. He died serving his country, was publicly mourned. Towns where he lived erected statues in his honor. He was a hero in every conventional sense of the word, pronounced at a memorial service by no less a person than the president of the United States. He lived a life deserving of the public recognition he has received."

The article goes on to tell a good deal about Willie's life before the shuttle ride. I do highly recommend picking up an issue while they are still available. I was not able to find it on the Runner's World web site but that is a story for another posting.

His coach at Annapolis, Al Cantello, is looking to put up a memorial on the cross country course. Carefully calculated to be at the spot where during the normal cross country race, Willie would have been 16 minutes from the finish line. (The shuttle broke up 16 minutes from its scheduled arrival.)

This seems like a fitting memorial for a great cause.

Al made his proposal in July 2003 and it is stuck in the bureaucratic approval process.
I would like to find out how we can help to move it along.

As I find out, I'll let you know.

If you know of any way, please let me know.

Franklin Moves on to the All State Meet

The Franklin High School Girl's Cross Country team finished 5th today in the MIAA Division II meet at Franklin Park in Boston and qualified for the All State meet to be held next week on the same course.

Congratulations girls!

Tempo run

One Pacer buddy joined me for the tempo run tonight. I had one course in mind but as we were stretching waiting to see if anyone else would join us, the wind caught my attention. It was strong.

Originally the course I had planned on running would have had us coming back into the wind. Considering how strong it was, I thought it would be good to change the route to head out into the wind and return with it. Generally this makes for a much more pleasant run. When you are tired and returning, heading into the wind and will make it more tiring. For most runs, I like to finish strong. Finish with a positive feeling. Makes it all that much easier to get out the door the next time.

The course seemed to be just over four miles and while we had a brief stretch finishing into the wind, it was not as much as it could have been. Good choice!

May the roads be kind to you!

Under the lights

Yes, the lights at the track stayed on tonight for our Pacer workout. Only one buddy kept me company but it was good company as we cruised through 6 x 600 with our mile warm up and warm down.

The first three 600's I did in 2:20-2:22; the last three 2:17, 2:17, and 2:12.
The air was cool but the feet were hot on the track!

A real good workout... the best splits this year for this kind of running.

How did it happen?

• Ideal conditions.
• Mid 50's temp.
• Very little breeze.
• Stayed on my toes (after running in the dark last week).
• Good partner to push the pace.

May the roads be kind to you!

World Run Day

Unofficially part of World Run Day, many of the Pacers got together with runners from the Hopkinton Running Club and the Wampanoag RoadRunners for our Sunday runs. The first group covering the 10.5 mile route was about 25 strong. When I finished the 7 milers and 3 milers had completed and we were about 50-60 runners all together!

I had a mix of Pacer and new running buddies to be with sharing the road as we made our way along the hilly course.

The coffee, hot chocolate, gatorade, bagels, muffins, and orange slices at the finish helped to fuel plenty of conversations.

I look forward to doing this again.

What a good way to start the day!


PS - unofficially part of World Run Day as we found out too late to do anything official about it. But now it is on our radar for next year.

Imagine - yes, it's real

Earlier this week, I wrote about running in the dark. How with happy, quick, quiet feet I could run concentrating on form and feeling without the distractions of watching what was around me. It was all pitch black. I could not see anyway. I was able to follow the white lane markers on the track to run in a straight line. The workout was that night was good. 8 x 400. I felt good.

Last night, I only did three miles. Yes, there was just three for three. I like how things come together like that but my legs were also sore. Not in a major way but enough to back off. The tops of the thighs and backs of the calves. Reminders of the happy, quick, quiet feet I ran with Tuesday night.

Clearly need to do that again, and regularly, to increase that aspect of leg strength.

Three for three

A small group of Pacers this evening, just the three of us, took it easy through our favorite three mile route. Sidewalks on the main road, then wide roads and less traffic in the development makes this a good route for running, especially in the dark.

Imagine

John Bingham writes about sharing the speakers platform with Steve Jones of Britain, the great record holder from the 1980's, in this month's issue of Runner's World

Of all the seminars I've worked with Jonesy, there's one that stands out. He was asked to define the difference between winning a marathon and setting the world record. His answer was simple.

To win a marathon, Jonesy flatly stated, you only have to beat everyone who shows up that day. To set the world record, you have to beat everyone who has ever shown up.

The room went silent. None of us had ever thought of it that way. And no one, except a former world record holder, could have explained it as such.

John goes on to write:

It's hard for me to imagine the courage it takes to pursue such a dream. Yet, having stood next to Jonesy, I believe the rest of us just aren't asking enough of ourselves. We are limited most by our imaginations--or more precisely, our lack of imagination. We tend to see ourselves only as we are, not as we might be.

The bold is mine for emphasis.

The Pacers were running our track workout last night. Just as we were starting to warm up, the lights went off. Oh well, we could still run in the dark. My watch does not read well in the dark so I determined to just run on the feeling. To let my feet be quiet and happy. To concentrate on the form, the stride, the rhythm, the breathing, and just run. Not worrying about pace, or hitting the split.

Quiet feet are happy feet. They spend very little time on the ground. They touch and push off quickly. Heavy feet are noisy feet. Heel and toe. Heel strike, long roll forward along the lenght of the foot and rise to push off on the ball and toes. But your foot is on the ground a long time. It is slower this way. Keeping up on your toes is harder.

In the dark, it was so much easier. The eyes took awhile to adjust but the white lines on the track were all that I needed to guide me. I could tell I was going a pretty good pace due to my buddies falling behind me. It felt good to run fast. (It did not feel good to leave my buddies behind me.)

We need to do this more often.
Run as we feel.
Run without holding back.
To run as we might be able to run.

And after doing so in the dark,
it will be easier to do so in the light!

Two together

the melody that lingers on
lyrics straining to be remembered

the commercial jingle that jars

the trample of a cleated football
team boarding the school bus

I yearn to leave all these
yes, escape, run away
with just what I need to wear
out into this world
now dark, the day has gone

my shoes by the chair
resemble a giant cloven hoof
half left, half right
I shall put the two together
many times tonight

Is the FIRST Plan working?

This question came up during the discussion amongst the Pacers as we gathered at the Big Apple after our run today.

The quick answer is yes, I believe it is. I am an experiment of one but when I look back at what I have accomplished, the answer is yes.

I ran a four day per week schedule, sometimes five, sometimes three but more often than not four days for most of the year. I already had incorporated the three major elements of the FIRST Plan in the our days: the long run, the tempo run, and track(pace) work. To drop from four to three days, I took out the other tempo run and used that day for walking.

I have been officially on the FIRST Plan since the beginning of September and have recorded two PR's in that time. The Crackerbarrel 5K at 22:13 and then last week's muddy Mayor's Cup (where in better conditions the Crackerbarrel 5K time would have been in jeopardy).

It has been only two months so it is still very early to attribute all the progress strictly to the FIRST Plan. But I think the rest portion is significant. For the Pacers, this would be one key element to help avoid the injuries that have put a few of them on the sidelines.

The key now will be accepting the plan.
Accepting that the 3 days will work.
And sticking too it.

So many folks feel the need for more days.

They do have younger legs than I do.
But they do get older each day.

Age does not discriminate in this matter.

Another milestone this year

milestone_20051030
Originally uploaded by shersteve.

Just into today's 10.5 mile run, I crossed 800 miles for the year to date. As the chart depicts, the most in several years.

The legs feel tired but the good kind of tired. Nothing a nap or a good night's sleep wouldn't cure.

Don't know that I'll manage a nap today but will be looking forward to the pillow tonight.

XC Pyramid

XC Pyramid
Originally uploaded by shersteve.

I think the girl's should stick to running... :-)

Franklin HS Girls Cross Country

Franklin HS Girls Cross Country
Originally uploaded by shersteve.

The team was victorious today. The top 5 runners were bunched in the top 21 spots. They ran really well today. Congratulations ladies!

Way to go Carolyn! (Last week, she took over a minute off her time from last year, and this week dropped another 30 seconds.)