The Running Blog Family Lives On

by david on January 7, 2012

I had the pleasure of taking the Running Chick in the Orange Hat to lunch today. It was in a window of time between the Disney Half and the Disney Full. We went to the ESPN Club on the boardwalk at Disney’s Wide World of Sports on a glorious sunny afternoon in the low 70s. Picking her up and spending two hours together was just like old times, even after more than 18 months apart. [I had to bail out of our annual New London race date this summer, to be with #1 son, in town unexpectedly].

It is a testament to the intrinsic nature of this blog and the cyber-agingd Running Blog Family that relationships like mine with Dianna can carry forward for years and years. Yes, we’ve mostly slid over to Facebook to make over our Friend-ship but it was because we found each other in running and blogging that it all began.

It was 2004 and it carries on, with people I’ve hardly seen for more than three days, if even that. Yet we’re pals forever.

So, when in Orlando, make sure to tell me so we can spend some face-to-face time together.

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A second effort to reach Space

by david on December 4, 2011

Let me begin at the end. The breakfast they serve at the Space Coast Marathon is the best post-race meal I have ever had (or remember eating). Beyond the typical bananas and bagel, I went straight to the kitchen tent for as many pancakes, scrambled eggs and sausage patties that I wanted. And boy were they good.

Now back to the beginning.

I drove over by myself at 4:30 a.m. and arrived in Cocoa at 5:30. I found the last parking space in the Elks (?) Lodge lot and had plenty of time to wander around. I saw Carol Sugars for a sec just as I realized I needed to find a port-a-potty. I went to the farthest bank of them, by the intracoastal, and made it back to the start line in plenty of time to watch the space shuttle fire up and launch from the pad and start the race (pre-recorded).

I hung with the 4:40 pace group for the first half of the race; in front of them for the most part, which was easy, even as I did five minute runs and one minute walks. There was some wind before sunrise, then clouds and rainy drizzle. In the 70 degree race start temps, I did not mind. I ran shirtless remembering how I hid my shirt in a tree last year when it was 15 degrees cooler at the start.

By comparison, this race started like most of my races when I ran without walk breaks, somewhere in the 10:15-10:45 per mile range. Having trained faithfully to the distance and frequency numbers I worked from for 16 weeks, I was not too worried about hitting a wall. I looked forward to the run-walk in late miles.

At Mile 12, I topped 11 minutes while playing tag with Dan Hardaway, who was doing 5-and-1s at a different rate. After the half way point my times were in the 11s. Then at the 20-mile turnaround in Rockledge I started overheating and felt faint. I had to walk a little longer than necessary and lost my concentration on run-walk spells. It was hot. Maybe 80 by then.

I had been hydrating and eating well. I added cut pieces of Cliff Bars to my pockets of fuel and I never felt out of sorts or cramped. It was just plain hot. I had one 16 minute mile at 24 that killed me. I managed to get back in a groove of walking a minute and running to left-foot foot strikes of 100-75-50 and 25 before walking again. He helped me finish decently.

15:09 was better than last year by six minutes and better than any of my three marathons in the 2010-11 season so I was pleased to some extent. I really wanted to be sub-5 but I’ll allow for the heat.

My left adductor was sore afterwards. I stretched as best I could between gobbles of breakfast, then headed over to Fishlips at Cape Canaveral to join other Orlando Runners Club mates who had already finished the half or full. I was last to arrive but quick to order a beer and a cheeseburger with fries. I was still hungry.

After the party split up, I made my way to Jetty Park and spent two hours on the beach, including a nap and a treatment of ocean waves massaging my legs. I mean, it was that warm that I could go to the beach as if it were July. Imagine the race.

By dark I was home and ready to eat again and hit the bed.

Did I mention how great the Space Coast breakfast was? Thanks to Dan, Seth, Cheryl, Dave and Leslie for cheering me up on the race course.

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Still kicking better than ever

November 1, 2011

It’s been a long time since I posted an update here on the Thin Trade blog – August. Fear not. No time has been wasted in training for the next marathon (#13). Partly due to superstition, I have avoided posting so that I might not jinx myself; i.e., not make excuses for my lack of [...]

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A 96% Training Week

August 21, 2011

After Newport and time with family I checked off another must-do on my Rhode Island list of essential activities. I ran the 12-mile route from my house to Winnapaug Road, back along Atlantic Avenue through Misquamicut (finding a penny in the parking lot of the state beach, another essential), with a stop at the Inlett [...]

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Family first, right?

August 7, 2011

That was my text to Dianna, the running chick with the yellow hat, yesterday morning. I had made a date to see her for the fourth year in a row at the Ocean Beach 11.6 mile race but then events changed my course. Son 2LT Thomas paid a 36-hour weekend visit from Quantico, VA where [...]

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What have I done?

August 3, 2011

Despite stupid spam-botting from some of Runner Susan’s shoe vendors I have been debating whether to run another marathon. Actually, it’s as much as whether I want to train for another marathon. Given the ease with which I have leisurely run distances in cooler weather in New England at sub-10 minute paces, I was inspired [...]

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Good times begin in New England

August 1, 2011

I thought I knew but didn’t really know how stupid hot it is in Florida these days until I ran 7.5 miles yesterday and didn’t have to stop and walk. I am in South County Rhode Island where it was a glorious 68 degrees when I started my morning run. But for a stop at [...]

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All praise His Excellency Jack Gallagher

July 24, 2011

I went downtown for the morning run and took up with Jack for five miles. We had a good time telling stories, one of which will reveal itself further, tonight, when I have dinner with two old friends I have not seen in over a year. Jack ended each of his stories with, “Don’t tell [...]

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Where’s Waldo? Where’s Casey? Where’s Dylan?

July 23, 2011

What the heck happened since this time last month? besides not posting? The Fourth was nice. I had a 4-day weekend and ran in the Watermelon 5K for the first time in a few years. I felt pleased to be racing again, even if it was just 5K. Actually, that was about all I could [...]

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31 cents of effort

June 25, 2011

I went for a tempo 5K run this morning and “had” to stop three times. Smart runner that I am, I stopped the watch each time. First it was a nickel on the road. Hardly a resume-speed distance farther on I found a penny. Later it was a full-fledged shiny quarter. I love running Baldwin [...]

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A three-run week

June 5, 2011

A semi-normal week of running totaling 10 miles. Geesh. I used to do that on a short Sunday. Anyway, I am not complaining. The heat is on, as in outside, so the running is slow and steady. Steady means at least three times a week. A good week includes a tempo, speed and long run. [...]

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I can run

May 29, 2011

Yes. Let me count my blessings. I am able to run. And I should be more grateful about it and do it more often. It’s a gift. I had a chance and an excuse to roll over again this morning and not run. After all, I’d only had six hours sleep because I insisted on [...]

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