by david on August 29, 2010
August is not quite over and I have another four miles on the schedule for Tuesday. All in all it’ll be about 130 miles. Fair enough for two months prior to a marathon. It will be the 10th of them.
Last weekend was a hot one but I managed to put in 14 squishy shoe miles. I tried to slip in eight miles before the Park Avenue meet-up but was only 25 minutes late. I did run into Jack and Sabrina around mile 13 and ran with her for another half mile.
I lost eight pounds between full and hydrated Friday night and Sunday morning post-run. I took to the liquids quickly.
Baltimore. I had a very delightful RBF (Running Blog Family; yes it still exists) meet-up in Baltimore on Thursday. Jeanne came to see me and we had lunch over in Fells Point. It’d been four years since we had connected last; that coinciding with our trip to the 2006 Army-Navy game. She’s great. Looks great. In a whole different place since last time. She changed jobs last week, in fact. Has a BF. She’s still one of my favorite people.
While in Baltimore, I found a “track” to do some mile repeats around. Rash Field is just on the south side of Inner Harbor and across from Federal Hill. After some hot but pleasant repeats I stormed Federal Hill for a touristy view of the harbor.
Long running.Today I had an 18-miler to do and I loaded up with fluids last night, Clif Shot Bloks this morning and good intentions to be on Park Avenue by 7 a.m. All went fairly well except I was inclined to go really slowly and take occasional breath breaks. Yeah, it was hot again but there was a breeze every now and then. I only lost four pounds. I missed the Sunday Group on Park Avenue by 12 minutes this time but my route had some shortcuts in it that allowed me to catch them at the usual 4-mile water stop.
To my great joy, Leslie ran with me for the next six miles and the discomfort of late miles was not so prevalent. I finished by running home two more miles and jumping in the pool and falling asleep on a deck lounge. Much needed.
by david on August 20, 2010
I dipped back into the pool of Central Florida August on Tuesday for a five mile easy run. Slow was the speed that got me through. Since then, it’s been a big zero for running. Work again, even without the 10-hour workdays was a bit demanding, plus Mrs. T is away and the home economics work has had its way with me too.
Tomorrow I’ll do some running and Sunday I’ll get up early to do 14. Must beat the sun to the finish line.
by david on August 12, 2010
Only three days left before it’s back to the grind but I have been grinding out a lot of hill work here in coastal Rhode Island. 50 miles so far and another 20 to go.
The John Kelley Ocean Beach 11.6 miler was very satisfying even though my time stunk. I approached it as a race-training run. Which means I would put in a good effort to align my current stamina and speed to the distance and conditions. It was a cool 59F when I left the house and still in the 60s when I reached New London. I ran it fine with very brief walk-to-drink breaks, coming in with a “passing people” strong finish of 1:51:07. That didn’t stack up too well among my ten other 12-20K distance races but it was better than my inaugural run here two years ago.
The highlight of the day was seeing Dianna H., the famous “running chick with the orange hat.” It’s become our annual reunion to run Ocean Beach then lie on the beach and catch up. This time she was smart enough to put her car keys in her beach bag and not her trunk so the day was not with any more calamity than looking after her sidekick A., who probably needed an IV after the race, which was after she’d lost cookies twice before the race. A. was not feeling too well but she’s a hard-body triathlete with high tolerance for discomfort. (How’s that poison ivy doing, A.?)
My memory of the race in previous years was dispelled when I saw several police cars holding traffic at intersections and scores of volunteers handing out water and Gatorade. It being a free race, one expects little but they do it right in New London, especially the post race clam chowder. Next year will be the 49th annual. I’ll be back … but it better not conflict with the new Providence Half Marathon. I don’t need tough decisions when on vacation.
by david on August 6, 2010
After pretending to be on a marathon training plan I have to put the training to a test: the John Kelley Ocean Beach 11.6 mile race in New London. Drawing what I would call 500-700 semi-pro runners the last two years, I am fearful of not getting any clam chowder at the finish line. Fortunately, it’s not been a big problem but it may have been because I was in better shape previously.
We shall see. We shall see.
I do look forward to meeting up with my long lost running chick RBF sister in the orange hat, Dianna, who has been there loyally. Billy J’s better half from Mystic should be there (Bill too). Clay, the resident masters champion of southern Rhode Island, will be there. Maybe even Michelle but I doubt it, having seen her posting about another camping trip in the rain.
Can’t beat the weather here compared to Florida. Everything is relative.
Once done, I’ll be back on the beach. 
by david on July 18, 2010
It was a quiet morning. From Park Avenue at 6:30 I went up and around the golf course for a two mile warm-up prelude. A five-some, a single and double were already out on the course in the early dew-heavy light. The ball wasn’t rolling well.
By 7 o’clock I was back on Park for the start of another 10 miles. Liz, Chris, Jurgen, a visiting Scotsman, an aspiring FBI agent and a few regular semi-fasties were on hand for the mid-July test of heat and hydration. I went the four miles to the Bonita water stop with Chris. We hadn’t visited in a long time and had much to catch up on. His business merged. His girls are growing up, both now in college-focused directions. His wife and girls ran the 5K on July 4 while he played the national anthem solo on his trumpet. “That’s my husband,” Cindy was reported to have exclaimed with pride in her voice.
After Chris turned back I was on my own for the final six miles. I took my time, listening to the birds, planes, and automobiles as Central Florida woke up and started moving. I stayed hydrated every chance I could, finding a cooler or spigot here and there to drink from. Clif Shot Bloks gave me some nourishment. I made it all around the course without any serious drop in ability although I did take an occasional minute to slow down and walk quickly.
By the time I was done, it was plenty hot and I was relieved to be heading home. A good stretch and Fox Day top down drive to the house. A swim and lunch. Not bad. Most mileage in a week and longest run since the last week of February.
by david on July 17, 2010
I put in about 5-1/2 miles of up and down running this morning over at Lake Chelton. I found a way to do three different circuits around the one-mile neighborhood-around-the-lake course. That gave it some unique character to erase the boredom.
Some rolling on a tennis ball may be in order to unknot the right hip. Tomorrow holds a 12-miler for me. I haven’t gone that far since February.
by david on July 14, 2010
While in Charlotte the last six days I was staying in Uptown which is downtown in any other city. Uptown is surrounded on four sides by interstates; and the tall bank towers are all concentrated inside that box. The city looks nice from a distance, is clean, has friendly citizens but a few too many panhandlers. I never saw a cop or a cop car the whole time I was there, and I did move around a fair amount.
I asked the hotel for options on running and I was flabbergasted when the young lady handed over a glossy coated card with a map and turn-by-turn directions for a three and five mile route over in Dilworth, a neighborhood just across the interstate.
I went out the first time on a warm and humid early morning run and, once across the interstate overpass, found myself near a YMCA where some runners were arriving for a group run. I kept moving and found myself on shady and hilly residential streets named after Colonial names like Lexington, Berkshire, Myrtle, etc. Berkeley stood out as not so Eastern. Anyway, there was a lovely park (Latta Park) within the boundaries of a four block area that I ran around in various twists and turns. Best of all, I found on my long run two days later, the park had water fountains and a shower to douse my steamy sweaty head.
I saw a few runners out there but mostly neighbors walking their many dogs. I found the Dilworth neighborhood to be one I’d like to live in if I ever found myself relocated to south central North Carolina. I also took time from my conference to visit the Mint Museum, watch the World Cup final and dine at Sullivan’s Steak House. The Chilean sea bass melted in my mouth like soft ice cream.
My timing this morning worked out just perfectly. I plotted a long run of 10-ish miles along the front half of route I reserve for really long runs. From home I headed down towards Orlando and looped Lake Ivanhoe. The birds were making enough noise at that hour that they collected my attention and put me in a good pace mind. The return route went through Loch Haven and up Mills Avenue to the Church of the Right Turn.
That was my target because just two blocks away was Mead Gardens, site of the annual 5K Watermelon Run. I approached the Garden Road entrance just as the 20-minute pace finishers were coming in. I slipped in to the stream of fasties and ran the last tenth of a mile towards the finish then veered off and made a beeline to the iced water, bananas and watermelon.
Members of the Sunday morning running group were expected there, in lieu of the Park Avenue effort. I did see Geri, Seth, Liz and Billy. I know Chris was there to play the national anthem on his trumpet for the pre-race formality but I did not see him at the finish area. I believe he was on course with his group playing more music. No sign of Jack or anyone else from the ORC but there were plenty of other good folks to chat with.
After the race I hopped back out on the roads and brought the morning run in, the last couple of miles to the house, all this by 9:30. I am pleased I got some more miles in. This was the first official week of marathon training and I missed all the early week runs, thanks to the four day work week hours. I am not a fan.
MISC: My mileage chart says I’ve exceeded one-third the circumference of the globe since I started tracking in 1999. Most of it has been the last five years, the years I have taken up training for marathons. Number 10 in October.
Six weeks until the Ocean Beach 11.6 mile race with Dianna!
by david on June 20, 2010
Despite my World Cup trance I glanced down at the screen and saw that, in seven weeks, I’ll be in the middle of vacation and standing at the starting line of the John Kelley Ocean Beach 11.6 Mile Road Race. Even better, I’ll be slurping down clam chowder and Coke or water when it’s over, reflecting on the race with the celebrated Running Chick with the Yellow (formerly Orange) Hat.
It’s the unofficial annual “date” when we see each other, at this very unofficial race in New London, CT. There’s no entry fee, no road closures and hundreds of New England road racers out in the heat, with a purpose. Where else can you run an 11.6 mile race? It just happens to be the distance from A to B and around back to A, which is the beach. A drench in the ocean is a fine reward.
Training. I changed the plan this morning to ensure I HAD to go 10 miles whether I wanted to or not. I left from the house and ran the 3.5 miles to Park Avenue, before 7 a.m. The only recourse I had was to keep running on since there were no shortcuts back to the house without running fully around the Winter Park lakes. It turned out to be a steamy warm morning as it will be for the next four months. I ran with Chris and reminisced about Quonochontaug, RI where he summered as a kid. It’s right across the pond by the same name from where my dad lives. Perhaps it was that exchange that clicked on the Ocean Beach race in my head.
I turned in a marathon pace run for 10.8 miles. The pace surprised me because I was trying to go slowly and even took a few walkie breaks. I should slow even more … or not and just shoot for a faster race time. Yeah; that sounds better.
So the next several weeks will be challenging to train since the workdays from Mon-Thur are 7a-6p. Where do you fit in runs that way? Time to experiment.
by david on June 19, 2010
After last weekend’s horrific running efforts, Mrs. T went to New Orleans and left the men at home to fend for themselves. World Cup viewing usurped most everything else and all running was shelved. As tired as I was (and still am to some extent) I don’t care. The marathon isn’t until October.
How ’bout that USA-Slovenia match? We were robbed. Nevertheless, USA has its fate in its own hands. A win over Algeria will win the group if they can lead England in goals for after Wednesday and England salvages a face-saving win over Slovenia.
I love how France is taking it in the gut. Irish justice has incredible power.
