Runputt Runs

Today

2014-04-11T12:21:00.000-04:00

I haven't said this in a very, very long time: today was a good run.

Nantucket Hero Tri report

2013-07-31T08:43:00.001-04:00

So clearly I did not drown during the swim. In fact, it turns out that the water was so shallow that I could have stood up at any point. I'm not making this up, we had gotten word from the Sprint racers the day before that it was really shallow and they had basically walked it the whole way. This picture is a good indicator:

Baywatch Nantucket?

Ok, now stop checking out her butt and look way off into the distance. Notice how no one is swimming? Yeah, it's that shallow.

But I'm getting ahead of myself here. Wednesday before the race I picked up my bike from Fast Splits where they gave it a great tune-up, fixed my loose head gear and put on my brand new racing tires. Now I was ready to race! By the time I got home from Newton though, my truck was less than enthusiastic about the upcoming trip to the Cape. Actually, my truck was smoking from the rear wheel. Not a good sign. It looked like it was some axle grease coming from a leak so I brought it to the shop where they told me it would be done on Friday. Yeah! And then they called me on Friday and said it was much worse and wouldn't be done until next week. Which left me with no ride to Hyannis the next day. Long story short, thanks for the extra stress! But I found a ride.

Naturally the night before the race I was all sorts of manic. Unlike other races though, this time I had a house full of people as an audience to watch as I obsessively went over every detail of my race prep and needlessly stressed out over the fact that my bike was in a tennis court 3 miles away and I couldn't do any last minute checks on it. Aargh. Somehow I accepted this fact and went to bed around 10PM. And fell asleep around, oh, never, pretty much. I hate that.

6:30AM and it was time to race. Everything was laid out in transition and I began to put on my wetsuit, which I managed to rip twice while doing so. We walked down to the water and started wading out when my wave was up. I had no idea what to expect at this time but I felt like I was ready for it.


That's me third from the left, ready to dodge the sharks

As I said earlier it was shallow. At first we walked for a bit until it was finally deep enough to swim, then we all just dove in and swam. Not much to say about the swim except that I found it hard to get in a rhythm so I kept breathing every second stroke and that I was way too far outside. Otherwise the buoy came up surprisingly quickly and I eventually made it back to shallow water. Once my hand hit the bottom I got up and ran/waddled and started pulling off my wetsuit, which was sort of a mistake because it was like 100 yards from shore and it got deeper in the middle there. But I bounded out of the water in 23:24 and passed Mel and Michelle on the long way back to transition.

Now about that transition; I'll just leave you with my T1 time, 4:23. You could say I was being cautious about making sure I had everything.

Off to the bike and I was determined to do well. And did I ever! I got out there and started passing people like it was my job. The roads were quite good and there were only rolling hills at worst. After the first out portion I got into a pace with another guy and we kept trading positions. It was great because it helped me keep up my pace and spurred me on to stay focused and quick. The bike portion was by far the best part of my race and I think I did a good job of making it fast enough to move me up in the rankings without killing my legs for the run. Total time for 25 miles was 1:37 which was the 16th best bike of the race!

Here I come into the turn around, looking good

The one part on the bike I did not plan well was hydration. I drank way too much in preparation for the run. T2 went much faster and I ran out of it preparing to kill the run. All that fluid in my stomach though was sloshing around and man was it uncomfortable. But I soldiered on and set a nice pace that I thought would give me a good time. Actually, I found that besides the stomach issues I was feeling pretty good going into the run. At this point I knew I was doing well and being that running was my strong point I was confident in a good performance. Of course it then promptly started to rain which turned into a deluge which left some great rivers and lakes all over the road. I'd already been wet once that morning though so why not twice?

Other than the forming cramps in my legs, which thankfully held off, tho only part of the run that worried me was the second half of the first loop. It was different from the bike route and I found myself all alone running down an unfamiliar road. The volunteers had told me to go this way so I just kept running, getting more and more worried that I had made a mistake. Finally I came up to a water stop so i knew I was on the right path. I grabbed some water and kept running when I heard her call out to me "Go left! Sorry!". I quickly veered left and was back on track. An uneventful second lap ensued and after 48:10 I was crossing the finish line and had completed my first triathlon! My run time was a bit disappointing but I felt that I had done well overall.

Turns out that I did better than I had expected.The official times came in and I had placed 18th overall and 2nd in my age group. Shocking to be sure, but pretty awesome too.

With the work done it was time to enjoy a week on Nantucket. Nothing but beaches and the Cisco brewery.

Tri-madness

2013-07-19T18:23:00.001-04:00

Two days until my first tri. So how do I feel about this? Let's see. I'm ten pounds overweight (damn you birthday kegorator) and I really don't think I trained hard enough. I only had one week of 11+ hours of training and the rest barely came close to that. So honestly I think I could be in better shape for this.

But it is what it is and I started to accept that fact, and then things took a turn. For the worse, in case that last sentence was too vague. I had dropped my bike of at Fast Splits for a complete tuneup and to have them fix the wobbling in my head gear. Wobbling is bad, it leads to nothing good at 30 mph. They also installed my sweet new tires: goodbye flat old ones hello slicks! I picked it up in Newton and that's where it began.

No, the bike isn't the problem, that is even more awesome now. After the long drive back I pulled in to get some gas when the kids working the pump says, "hey, your tire is smoking pretty bad". Say what now. Sure enough, smoke was streaming up from the rear tire. I checked it out and determined that it was either the brakes or the fluid leaking from my axle (I swear I was going to get that fixed).

After getting it home and hosing it down I faced facts, it had to be fixed. I needed the truck to get to Nantucket. So I brought it to the shop where I was told what I expected, axle seal needed to be replaced and it wasn't going to be cheap. But it should be done Friday afternoon. Ok then.

Then they call back. Yeah, the bearing kit that was installed awhile back chewed up the axle, it all needs to be replaced. And it won't be done until next week. Fuuuu... You get the point. So exactly how am I supposed to get to Hyannis tomorrow morning? Luckily my brother stepped up and offered to drive me. I owe him huge.

This experience certainly hasn't helped my mental state going into this race. I'm already worked up, I don't need cap like this. But Sunday is go time and go I will. And after that I am going to enjoy the hell out of Nantucket for 5 more days. Adult beverages have already been sent ahead on the forward caravan for my enjoyment. It is also comforting to find out that it is actually quite possible to walk the entire swim portion of the tri because it is so shallow at the jetties. So that's pretty comforting.

Then again, there is still the issue of all the sharks that have been spotted in the area... Goddammit.

Left turn at Albuquerque

2013-07-10T13:12:00.000-04:00

Last Monday we headed up to the Catskills for a little R and R for the Fourth. As usual the weekend before was totally hectic and I just didn't get to do as much training as I had hoped so when we finally arrive at the campground around 5PM I decided that it was the perfect time to go for a run. I planned on doing somewhere between 7-10 miles which would give me plenty of time to get back for dinner. Unfortunately I had failed to map out any routes prior to arrival and the cell service up there sucked so I checked out Google Maps and estimated a route. Looked simple enough, go down the road, across Rt 52, up the street and take my first left. Then take the next left and I was back to Rt 52. If needed I could add in another loop that would bring me in the opposite way. It was tough to tell how long this was going to be but it didn't look too bad. Here is what it would have looked like:

Note that I said "would have looked like".

The run began and was right on track, I passed the synagogue on Synagogue St (shocking, I know) and then came to the first left hand turn. Why did that sign on the road I was just on say Towne Rd? That's odd. I turned left and kept running. The road went for some time, longer than I had anticipated, so at the 6.5 mile mark I stopped. Luckily I had put in the coordinates for the campground into my GPS watch so I pulled it up and set it to navigate to that site. The watch was telling me that it was nearly 4 miles directly behind me. Impossible, I thought, I should only be one turn away from heading towards it. I hesitated, started running back the way I came and then turned around again after realizing that even if I followed my path back it would be 11 miles. Might as well keep running forward.

Finally I came to what looked like a major road (for that area). Time to turn left again and then I should be back on Rt 52. Except this said it was Rt 42. It was now painfully clear that I had no idea where the hell I was. Furthermore it was getting dark, still raining, and there was absolutely nobody out that I could ask directions from. My watch was indicating that I was doing a loop around the campground and it would fluctuate between 3 and 4 miles away so I wasn't even getting any closer. I kept an eye out for any cross streets but there were absolutely none. All I could do was keep running and ration what water I had left.

Around mile 10 I was passed by a volunteer fireman going to a call. A mile later I happened upon them finishing up a call and starting to get into their cars. I sprinted towards them hoping to ask for directions. At first I was afraid they would get in the car and drive off but luckily he had to put something in the trunk so I started yelling at him to get his attention. I told them that I had no idea where I was but was trying to get back to Rt 52. Just up ahead is the intersection he said. Finally some relief.

I made it to Rt 52 and turned for home but it was still 4 miles away and darkness was descending. This was the opposite way we had come so I had no landmarks to guide me, I just kept running up and down the endless hills. With a mile left I was confused if I should turn up a road or keep going. I went up it but then quickly turned back, it didn't seem right. A few minutes later I ran into a couple in a car and I asked them where the campground was; he pointed over my shoulder and said that it's right there. Sure enough, there was the sign for it right behind me. With darkness falling I made it back in just under 2:30 hours and a bit over 17 miles done. A bit farther than I had planned.

Distance does not include the times I retraced my route

Catskills for the Fourth

2013-07-04T12:18:00.001-04:00

We are camping* in the Catskills this Fourth of July week with some of Jen's family. I figured it would be a great opportunity to get in some quality running, biking, and swimming. Turns out that there is no lake swimming anywhere in upstate NY. I'm not kidding. I asked around and everyone looked at me like I say crazy. Apparently New Yorkers fear the water.

As for running and biking, I will do another post on the first run but suffice to say, age the second hour I began to wonder if I would ever find my way back. At least the rain had mostly stopped by that time.

And the hills, my lord the hills! For every 30 seconds of downhill I swear there was 5 minutes of uphill. My Gamin says that the elevation gain and loss was even but I suspect that it is a filthy liar. The Catskills may not technically be mountains but I think someone forgot to tell them that.

After a long, long run on Monday and a nice but really freakin hilly ride on Tuesday my legs were aching like an old woman. Yesterday's run helped loosen them up but every workout in this area is like being in a race: it is laying waste to my legs.

So many lakes, so little swimming. What the hell New York?

And then there are all the ultra hassidic Jews that live in the area. That's a whole nother story.

*by camping I mean staying in a camper with ac and electricity.

So, um, what's going on?

2013-06-19T13:54:00.000-04:00

Once again I have been slacking off and not posting anything. I didn't even get around to writing up a race report for the Boston's Run To Remember half marathon! I decided to run it on the spur of the moment after the marathon bombings and they extended the rate for an extra month. A nice way to show some support and I haven't done a half in ages. So here's the report in super summary mode:

It was snowing when I left for the race at like 4:30 AM. I wish I was kidding. There is a secret bathroom in the hotel that I camped out at until it was just time to start warming up. Even if you waterboard me I will never reveal the location of this bathroom, I consider it a state secret at this point. Out in the cold, ready to go, the politicians start 15 minutes of speeches. Fuuuuuuuckkkk.

Off we go and along with the start there goes my idea of running a "conservative" pace. Again. Mile 2, damn, gotta pee. Run run run!! Wheeeee!!! Mile 5ish, here comes the leader! Woo woo! And teh second place guy, um, somewhere; where the hell is the next guy? Oh there he is, 30 seconds behind. Damn that guy was fast. Mile 7, gotta pee. Damn. Ruuuuuunnnnnnnn.............

Mile 11, go time. Hammer down and I am flying! I want to hurl but I'm going so fast I can't stop. As I am virtually sprinting across the finish line the announcer calls my name and town (I do love that part) and I give a wave to the crowd. Many Gatorades and a free loaf of bread later I limp my way to the truck which seemed to have been parked way closer that morning. Numbers: 1:35:27 time, 7:17 pace, 291 overall. So yeah, a nice "conservative" race. Whoops.

Since then training for the Tri has continued. I thought I was doing alright but a hard look at myself has revealed that I was kidding myself. I haven't lost squat for weight (damn you E.L. Fudges!) and I've been struggling on the runs. Biking has been decent but a recent indoor threshold test left me less than impressed. Swimming has been ok but my criteria for swimming has been 1. don't drown and 2. try to do 1600 yards in less than 35 minutes. So far number 1 has been a rousing success and number 2 is accomplished more often than not.

One area that has been going great is my bricks, as few as they have been. This past weekend I did 40 miles on the bike and then did a quick transition into a three mile run and the end result was quite encouraging. I find that I am actually running much faster off the bike than it feels and my pace is 20-30 seconds per mile faster than I would normally run. Not bad.

But, disaster has struck recently. Ok, not really a "disaster" per se. I got really sick Sunday with what I thought was dehydration but I am now convinced it was more like food poisoning. It was pretty awful and hasn't really left yet. I did a 7 miler today which would be polite to call a disaster and spent the better part of an hour afterwards shivering and watching the color drain out of my fingers. So that has slowed my training down a bit. Hopefully this will pass soon because I ain't got time to be sick.

Norfolk Runs 5K

2013-05-15T13:01:00.001-04:00

Last week I decided to run the 7th Annual Norfolk Runs 5K. It's a smaller race with all the proceeds going to the local DARE chapter so I thought it would be nice to do. A good chance to see how my running was coming along and to just get out and race again. It also didn't hurt that it takes place in my town and that I was knew the course by heart.

Turns out that the weather decided to cooperate and it was a great day for a run. When it was time we walked up the hill to the start line (thank you for not starting it at the bottom of the hill!) and got ready to go. It was a bit odd that as I looked around at the people at the front with me there were like three women who clearly weren't in it to win and a bunch of 10 year olds. Ok, we'll just see how this turns out. The race began and what did the 10 year olds do? They shot forward as if out of a cannon. A few seconds later when they hit the wall I passed them and we began to settle into our pace.

A few people passed me early on but I was feeling good and running strong. about a half mile in the lead woman went by me but that would be it for the rest of the race. I had no idea what my pace was at this point; my Garmin was acting squirrely so I opted to go with the ordinary watch. We hit mile one and I noted the 6:14. A bit faster than anticipated.

Halfway and I passed Jackson on the side cheering me on. That buoyed my spirits and gave me a bit of a lift to get up the big hill that was waiting. It was just after that the downhill on the other side that I began to notice that that woman that had passed my not only wasn't getting any farther away but I was pretty sure that I was closing in on her. Hmm. Yup, I definitely was getting closer. A plan was hatched. Being familiar with the course I knew what I would do; I would continue to close on her up the slight incline and try to get as close as I could through the last hill over the railroad bridge. From there it was all downhill and I could hopefully power past.

I set the plan into action and ended up behind her a little too soon so I hung off her shoulder. After the bridge I turned on the jets, which I was surprised to find I still had, and made my move. At first I thought she may hang on but no, I was able to overtake her with ease. I made the last turn into the parking lot and into the chute at 19:53. Alright!

Jen and Catie were waiting for me so I went over to them and they told me I was 6th. Cool, I had no idea! Maybe that means I got an age group award. We waited until they posted the results and I excitedly ran up to see, could it be, maybe? No. Places 2 through 6 were all 30-39 year old males; I was fifth in my age group. Damn you 30 year old men! No worries. I ran well, I felt pretty good, and I was really happy with the results. All in all a good days run.

What if?

2013-04-30T08:34:00.000-04:00

With the Boston Marathon bombings seemingly a lifetime behind us, it's amazing how fast life can move, I've had the time to ponder the question, "What if?".

What if I had ended up running the marathon? People keep telling me, "but you're much faster than the 4 hours the bombs exploded at". True, but, because I was injured I had started to modify my expectations. Up until three weeks before the race I was still determined to run. Since I had lost a few key weeks of training I figured I could run it in around 4 hours comfortably. I would start in the first wave and cross the start about two minutes after the gun. If I ended up being slower than I planned I could have been crossing the finish line right around the 4:09 mark.

Even if I had been there though, no runners were hurt by the blasts. But what if my family had been there to watch me finish? They could have been standing on the sidelines with all those other people when it happened. Or maybe I could have finished it a bit faster than expected and joined them at the finish to wait for our other friends. There are so many possibilities.

Or what if we had ended up sending the kids to school and just Jen and I decided to go in to town to watch the finish. That was something that we had discussed and it could have gone that way if we hadn't ended up wanting to bring the kids out with us. We've done that before so there is no reason why we wouldn't have this time.

In the end, none of that happened though. The problem with What Ifs is that they can never happen, they are only questions. I didn't run, I wasn't at the finish, and everyone I know is fine. Speculating about what could have been is a deep rabbit hole that can lead to dark places. It can never serve a good purpose.

I still wish I could have run that marathon, even knowing what took place, but I didn't. With all these What Ifs floating around, the fact that I didn't get to run maybe isn't such a bad thing after all.

Marathon Bombing Suspects

2013-04-18T18:46:00.001-04:00

The FBI has released photos and video of the two bombing suspects. Please take a look to see if you can identify them.

Video

Boston Marathon 2013

2013-04-17T13:19:00.000-04:00

After a late night of riding my bike along the marathon course and a long morning cheering on the runners at Wellesley I had finally settled in to take a nap Monday afternoon when my phone started ringing. I promptly ignored it, but it kept ringing. And ringing. So I got up and checked the voice mail transcripts. At first I was surprised to see so many, but then I read what caused me to run downstairs and turn on the tv:

" My friend Betsy just texted me that the explosion at the windows of Marathon Sports"

I stood in front of the tv for ten minutes watching the same video clip of the explosion. Disbelief and shock quickly transformed itself and I began studying the video, looking for anyone that I may know. Having met Kim and Vin at the half-way point I knew what they were wearing so I scanned the footage looking for any sign of them. Finally convinced that they weren't there I confirmed with the BAA tracking that they never reached the finish and weren't scheduled to for some time. Facebook had become the source of information for most people so I updated everyone as I found out anything.

What amazed me was how quickly I went from the shock of seeing what happened to transitioning into crisis mode to start collecting, organizing, and disseminating information out to people. But through it all one feeling remained with me; anger. Anger at whoever did this. This is my marathon, the marathon I grew up watching, the marathon that got me into running. It stands as a testament to the countless hours of sacrifice and perseverance that runners endure to better themselves and their dedication to reach for a goal for which some may never achieve. The Boston Marathon is an event like no other. It is a race, a celebration, a party, a destination, a day of victory. It is history. I stood in anger as someone tried to take away all of that.

I'm still angry, but also resolved to not let these events change anything I love about the marathon. The anger may last for awhile but one thing I am certain of is that I have no fear. No one can make me afraid to be involved with the marathon that I love, no matter what they do. Because in the end it's not just about celebrating a race, it is about celebrating the people who make up the race. That is what makes the Boston Marathon so special, the people, whether they are running, volunteering or cheering it's the people who make the race what it is.

After watching hours of tv and internet coverage, hearing all of the stories, and making sure everyone I knew was safe there were still no answers to why. So I did the only thing I could think of to do, I laced up my shoes, and for the first time since suffering the injury that kept me from running that day, I went for a run.

Bib numbers are out

2013-03-12T07:50:00.000-04:00

BAA posted the bib numbers for the marathon. I got 2531, first wave, third corral. Basically I'm in the first wave of runners to start right behind the elites. Oh, I mean, I would be in the first wave if I was running. Which I will not be.

Can I just fly away to somewhere for the next month so I don't have to be reminded every single day about this? It's really putting me in an irritable mood.

At least my swimming is going pretty good. I've been hitting the pool as often as possible and just plugging along. I've never been a great swimmer so I am surprised that I am doing pretty well. Sunday I did two long stretches of swimming that came out to a total of 1.25 miles (2200 yards!) which is much farther than I though I could do. Now if I could just figure out how to swim fast I may do somewhat respectable in the swim portion of the triathlon. At least I'm pretty sure I won't drown at this point.

FML - Redux, Apocalypse

2013-03-06T14:51:00.001-05:00

So Boston is pretty much out at this point. Turns out it was my Psoas which suddenly decided to give up on me and I haven't run in over three weeks now. It seems to be getting better but it is going to be at least another 4-5 days before it may be able to handle a run (and that's being optimistic). At that point it would be almost a month of no running which means that the dream is dead. No Boston for me. With just over 5 weeks to go there is no possible way to get into any sort of running shape.

This whole situation totally blows, I worked hard to get into this race and now it's all for naught. That's pretty much all I have to say other than that this whole thing really hasn't been worth the trouble. Seriously, it sucks.

FML

2013-02-13T14:47:00.000-05:00

So I haven't posted anything in a bit. Ok, more like forever. Here's the quick and dirty version of what I have been up to.

First off, real life: I finally got that promotion that I should have gotten 3 years ago. Strange thing about that, absolutely nothing at work has changed. Still doing the same thing but now I can afford a few extra pairs of running shoes.

Alright, when last we met I had just run the CVS Downtown 5k and was mildly pleased with the results. From there I continued to train being ever mindful to slowly up the mileage and pace so as not to aggravate the injured Achilles. Soon it was time for the Ho Ho Ho 5K and I was excited to run it. I planned on hitting a 7 minute pace and putting in a solid show. But the guy in front of me decided to go a wee bit faster so I stuck to him and then turned on the jets for the final mile and ended up twelfth overall with a 20:36. Alright! Getting back in shape!

And of course that didn't last. I went out for a normal run one day and ended up with sharp stabbing pain in my heel. That basically put my training on hold for a few weeks while I cut down on mileage and intensity to make sure I didn't do anything stupid like re-injure myself. Eventually it cleared up but the email from the BAA informing me that the marathon was 10 weeks away was most definitely not welcome news. I was way behind on my training at this point and getting nowhere fast.

I should also mention that up until this point I had been dealing with a severe case of shin splints. It didn't stop me from running but it certainly stopped me from doing any serious training. Damn things really hurt.

A few weeks ago everything started to clear up though. My heel/Achilles was feeling pretty good, the shin splints were getting much better and I was looking forward to really train. So I did. The past two weeks I have felt good and have got some great runs in. The Old Fashioned Ten Miler is this Sunday and I plan on using it to test where I am at endurance-wise. That is, I was planning on using it as a litmus test, right up until yesterday. I went for an 8.8 mile run (totally didn't mean to go that far) through the puddles and slush and snow which was fun but as soon as I stopped I realized there was a pretty bad pain in what I think is my Adducter muscle in my hip/groin. And it still hurts, which totally sucks.

So right now I am dead in the water. Running will definitely make this worse so I have to wait and see. I'm hoping that it is just overuse and a few days of rest will clear it up, I really don't want to skip the OFTM but I really don't want to screw it all up and miss the marathon. FML.

CVS Caremark Downtown 5K

2012-09-21T15:04:00.001-04:00

Take eight!

This was my eighth year in a row running this race. The only streak I have going as it concerns my running. I always make a point to run this race, not because it's a flat course, that hill at the end is a killer, but because the weather is always awesome. I'm not kidding, eight straight years of absolutely gorgeous, if not hot, weather. Now that's a streak!

Unlike previous years I decided that I only needed a week to get ready for this one. So with a total of about 6.8 miles of training I set out to conquer the all-new 5K course. I'm kidding of course, I planned on just finishing and not looking like a fool. The closer the day got though the more I began to have an idea. As I had previously mentioned I needed to bring some fun back to running. Enough with the doom and gloom of ten months of no running (oh the shame!) I needed an attitude adjustment. So I started to look forward to the race more and more. At least it was something to do! And though even all my friends abandoned me and I had to do it alone, I was determined to have a good time.

And I did. As I said, the weather was gorgeous, everyone was in high spirits and I was just happy to be out running. I'm so used to running this race that everything was on autopilot so I could just take it all in and have some fun.

I also ran pretty well. I purposely kept it slow, except for the start where I went out at a 6:30 pace until I finally realized that my GPS watch was not playing tricks on me. I kept a steady pace and took in the new course. When it was all over I had run my second slowest time of that race but I didn't care at all because it may have been one of my slowest 5K times ever, but it was my fastest time ever having run a 5K:

as the Freakin' Batman!

na na na na na na, me

Well That Was Quick

2012-09-13T09:37:00.000-04:00

Oh yeah.

Going to the big show.

Fingers crossed, let's hope everything holds together. I'm looking at you Achilles.

Yes, you

And now...

2012-09-12T10:11:00.001-04:00

We wait...

Then comes the fun parts.

No Wonder Why

2012-08-20T07:56:00.001-04:00

I was perusing some blogs today when I came upon one particular one. It was all about getting out and doing a race for no reason other than to just get out there; no agenda, no expectations, just go have some fun. And like the proverbial ton of bricks it hit me, no wonder why I've been so depressed about my lack of running, it 's not just that I haven't been running, I haven't raced since October 30th of last year.

One of the first things I tell new runners is to go out and pick a race that they want to run. The reason is that this gives them a goal, something they can remember when they are sweating their asses off at 4:30 in the morning. It's the reward for all of the time and effort that you have put in to getting there. Basically, it's the fun part. Now I know some people are saying, "Racing, fun? What the..?" But it really is. You get to throw caution to the wind and just run run run as fast as you can while chasing down and fending off opponents. And some times they have prizes too!

So yes, I like to race. It is the only part of my life that I get competitive about and I can be super-serious when it comes to race time. At the end of the day though, whether it is a marathon I've trained months for, a fun local 5K, a run up a mountain, or an Ultra relay across New England, the one thing I have always tried to find in every race is the fun. Racing has always made me happy because of the challenge it brings; what else in our lives gives us the opportunity to see how far we can push our limits?

With that part of my life gone for so long now it is no wonder that I've been feeling so low. There are studies out there that have shown that running can be a form of addiction which could explain my attitude the last few months. Race time was always something that I could look forward to and get excited about but this morning I suddenly realized that not only have I lost anything to look forward to I've actually come to be depressed about the races I do have on the calendar. My last post is a shining example of this!

It's time for an attitude change. I am signed up for the Providence 5K in September and up until now my attitude towards it has been, meh. It shouldn't be like that, I need to remember the fun and excitement. Now I know I'm not going to PR it, at this rate I just hope to be able to run the whole thing, but I can use that knowledge. Since a PR is out of the question, and in fact I can't even run fast, there is no pressure at all for this race. Maybe I can do something that I haven't actually done in years; take some time during a race to enjoy the course, the other runners, the spectators. In short, to go out and have some fun.

I'm giving up

2012-08-09T09:42:00.000-04:00

This is not the post I wanted to be writing. Even though I've put it off for a while now, it's time to face facts.

About a month ago I was feeling pretty good, good enough that I decided to start running again and see how things went. So I started running, slow, short runs to test the water; think one mile runs. It definitely proved that I wasn't yet 100% but it was encouraging. Then came that run one Monday; it was about 2.5 miles and the pace was faster but not crazy. I could tell during that the Achilles wasn't good, and it wasn't, and it continued to not be for days afterwards. Not painful per se, but worse than it had been. All of which just proved to me that I still wasn't ready to run. And I have no idea when I will be.

So what, right? I've gone this long, what's another month or two? What changed is that I happened to look at my calendar the other day. This is what I saw:

I put those entries into my calendar within days of running my qualify time back in October. With ten separate alerts tied to the appointments to remind me to register I would say that I was a bit excited. Now, reality is crashing down on me.

At this point I am all but out of time to start any sort of training regime. I kept telling myself as one month of not running turned to three which turned to nine which now has no end in site that there was time. Always more time. Maybe I wouldn't be shooting for a 2:55 but I'd be ready to run a nice solid marathon. Now I need to realize that those dreams are rapidly fading away. If I was 100% ready to run right now I could still be ready, but I'm far from that point.

So I'm left with only a couple of options. Register as planned, hope for the best, and maybe put in a weak showing during the marathon. All the while hoping that I've healed enough to not make things worse during training and the race. Or, scrap all plans on running Boston. This second option really pisses me off though. Not running means that all that work and training was ultimately for nothing. Yes I will always be thrilled with my last marathon time and I'm happy I ran it, but the intent was to qualify for Boston. Not being able to run is, in my mind, a failure. Whenever I think about the situation all I can hear in my mind is this clip from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory:

Except, unlike Charlie, I did nothing wrong. In fact, I did everything right and yet I still lose. So when I said that it was time to face facts at the beginning of this post what I meant was that it is a growing fact that no good will come of this situation. The silver lining I tried so desperately to cling to is slipping away and I can see that at best I may be at the starting line this April. Or not. Either way it's a shitty situation I find myself in right now and I'm really tired of it.

Adventures in Acupuncture

2012-07-17T09:48:00.001-04:00

For the past couple of months I have been seeing an acupuncturist to try and speed along the healing with my Achilles. It's been pretty nice I guess. Basically he sticks me with a bunch of needles and then I fall asleep on the table for 40 minutes. Not a bad break from the day I will admit.

It has actually been more than that. He has been working my ankle and leg joints, giving me advice on stretches, and throws in the occasional cracking of the back for good measure. So does this mean that it has helped? I have no idea. Some days my heel feels great, others it can be annoying. At the end of the day though, he is actually trying to help. Not just by telling me to wait and let it heal, but by trying to get to the root of the problem and fixing it. I feel like I have spent the last nine months just waiting around for it to get better on its own so it is a nice change to feel like I am actively participating in my recovery.

I am still hyper-sensitive to every single little twinge and pain that emanates from my heel but there is no doubt that it is getting better. So much so that I have started to think about, wait for it...going for a run. Whoa! I know, a crazy thought but I think I may be at the point where I need to test it out and see how everything reacts. We shall see, soon.

I only wish I looked this good with needles all over me

Good News Everyone

2012-06-26T13:09:00.001-04:00

Podiatrist not drawn to scale (or ethnicity, or gender)

The podiatrist says my heel is looking much better! Not running better, but better. I haven't had a bad flare up at all in the past month or so and it only occasionally aches. She gave me the go ahead to resume my life, no more heel lifts or restrictions. To the sandals!

The bad news is that I will probably be susceptible to this kind of injury from now on but there's not much I can do about that. I'll just have to keep stretching and be mindful.

Soon, I hope to be running. Soon.

National Running Day

2012-06-06T12:57:00.000-04:00

How I will be celebrating National Running Day

A Great Loss

2012-06-04T12:47:00.000-04:00

Today we woke to news of a great loss in the entertainment world. A man universally recognized as one of the greats of our time. He rose to fame and critical claim during the 60's and 70's even though there were those that believed he would have a difficult time being a foreigner. The internet recently brought his work to a new generation and spread his charm to the four corners of the global. Sadly, he succumbed after a long fight for health and died today. I am speaking, of course, of the great Eduard Khil, aka "Mr. Trololo". He will be missed by all.

Truly enchanting

Apparently Richard Dawson died too! But what has he ever accomplished, really?

Actor (28 titles)

1987 The Running Man
Damon Killian
1979-1980 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (TV series)
Guest Host

– Episode dated 7 January 1980 (1980) … Guest Host

– Episode dated 7 December 1979 (1979) … Guest Host

1978 The Love Boat (TV series)
Bert Buchanan

– A Time for Everything/The Song Is Ended/Accidental Cruise/Anoushka (1978) … Bert Buchanan

1978 How to Pick Up Girls! (TV movie)
Chandler Corey

1978 Fantasy Island (TV series)
Harry Beamus

– Call Me Lucky/Torch Singer (1978) … Harry Beamus

1975 McMillan & Wife (TV series)
Roger Stambler

– Aftershock (1975) … Roger Stambler

1975 The Odd Couple (TV series)
Richard Dawson

– Laugh Clown, Laugh (1975) … Richard Dawson

1974 Hong Kong Phooey (TV series)

1973-1974 The New Dick Van Dyke Show (TV series)
Richard Richardson

1973 Keep an Eye on Denise (TV movie)

1970-1973 Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (TV series)
Regular Performer

1973 Treasure Island
Captain Smollett (voice)

1972 The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie (TV series)
Furniture Man / Sam Sniperley

– Oliver and the Artful Dodger: Part 2 (1972) … Sam Sniperley/Furniture Man (voice)

– Oliver and the Artful Dodger: Part 1 (1972) … Sam Sniperley/Furniture Man (voice)

1972 Wait Till Your Father Gets Home (TV series)

– The Hippie (1972) (voice)

1971-1972 Love, American Style (TV series)
Danny (segment "Love and the Hiccups") / Melvin Danger (segment "Love and the Private Eye") / Rick Jagmund (segment "Love and the Groupie")

– Love and the Anxious Mama/Love and the Boomerang/Love and the Private Eye (1972) … Melvin Danger (segment "Love and the Private Eye") (voice)

– Love and the Bowling Ball/Love and the Check/Love and the Hiccups/Love and the Liberated Lady Boss (1971) … Danny (segment "Love and the Hiccups")

– Love and the Fuzz/Love and the Groupie/Love and the Housekeeper/Love and Women's Lib (1971) … Rick Jagmund (segment "Love and the Groupie")

1965-1971 Hogan's Heroes (TV series)
Cpl. Peter Newkirk

During the run of Hogan's Heroes, Dawson introduced sitcom costar Bob Crane (a long-time photography enthusiast) to John Henry Carpenter, who worked with the video department at Sony Electronics and had access to early video tape recorders. In later years, Carpenter, who photographed some of Crane's sexual escapades with various women, would be implicated in but acquitted of Crane's murder.

1970 McCloud (TV series)
Ted Callender

– The Stage Is All the World (1970) … Ted Callender

1968 The Devil's Brigade
Pvt. Hugh MacDonald

1967 Mr. Terrific (TV series)
Max

– The Formula Is Stolen (1967) … Max

1966 Munster, Go Home!
Joey

1966 Out of Sight
Agent (uncredited)

1965 King Rat
Weaver

1964 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (TV series)
Robert Johnson

– Anyone for Murder? (1964) … Robert Johnson (as Dick Dawson)

1964 The Outer Limits (TV series)
Oliver Fair

– The Invisibles (1964) … Oliver Fair (as Dick Dawson)

1963 Promises! Promises!

1963 The Dick Van Dyke Show (TV series)
Tracy Rattigan

– Racy Tracy Rattigan (1963) … Tracy Rattigan (as Dick Dawson)

1963 The Jack Benny Program (TV series)
Audience Member sitting next to Jack

– Jack Meets Max Bygraves (1963) … Audience Member sitting next to Jack

1962 The Longest Day
British Soldier (uncredited)

Himself

2009 2009 Game Show Awards (TV movie)
Himself - Interviewee (also archive footage)

1994-1995 Family Feud (TV series)
Host

1994 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (TV series)
Himself

– Episode dated 8 September 1994 (1994) … Himself

1988 Richard Dawson and You Bet Your Life (TV movie)
Himself - Host

1985 Dorothy Stratten: The Untold Story (video documentary)
Himself

1976-1985 Family Feud (TV series)
Himself - Host

won a Daytime Emmy Award for Best Game Show Host for his work on Family Feud

1984 TV's Funniest Game Show Moments (TV special)
Himself

1983 Mama's Family (TV series)
Himself

– Family Feud (1983) … Himself

1981 The 8th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (TV movie)
Himself - Nominee

1980 Bizarre (TV series)
Himself - Host

1979 Angie (TV series)
Himself

– Family Feud (1979) … Himself

1979 Good Morning America (TV series)
Himself

– Episode dated 20 March 1979 (1979) … Himself

1973-1978 Match Game 73 (TV series)
Himself / Himself - Panelist / Panelist / …

1977 US Against the World (TV movie)
Himself

1976-1977 Tattletales (TV series)
Himself

– Episode dated 5 September 1977 (1977) … Himself

1977 All-Star Family Feud Special (TV series)
Host

1976 I've Got a Secret (TV series)
Himself/panelist

1976 The Gong Show (TV series)
Panelist

– Episode #1.1 (1976) … Panelist

1975 Showoffs (TV series)
Himself

– Episode dated 8 September 1975 (1975) … Himself

– Episode dated 28 July 1975 (1975) … Himself

1975-1978 Match Game PM (TV series)
Panelist

– Episode #1.1 (1975) … Panelist

1975 Celebrity Bowling (TV series)
Himself

– Episode dated 24 June 1975 (1975) … Himself

1975 Rhyme and Reason (TV series)
Himself

– Pilot (1975) … Himself

1974 Masquerade Party (TV series)
Himself/Host

1974 The Dean Martin Comedy Hour (TV series)
Himself

– Celebrity Roast: Dan Rowan and Dick Martin (1974) … Himself

1973 Password All-Stars (TV series)
Himself

– Episode dated 5 November 1973 (1973) … Himself

1969-1973 The Merv Griffin Show (TV series)
Himself

– Episode dated 12 September 1973 (1973) … Himself

– Episode dated 1 September 1972 (1972) … Himself

– Episode dated 6 November 1969 (1969) … Himself

1973 The Vin Scully Show (TV series)
Himself

– Episode dated 19 February 1973 (1973) … Himself

1973 ABC Late Night (TV series)
Host / Narrator

1972 I've Got a Secret (TV series)
Himself / panelist

1972 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (TV series)
Himself

– Episode dated 1 September 1972 (1972) … Himself

1972 Cop Out! (TV movie)
Himself

1971 The Virginia Graham Show (TV series)
Himself

– Episode dated 13 October 1971 (1971) … Himself

1971 Mantrap (TV series)
Himself

– Episode dated 31 August 1971 (1971) … Himself

1970 The Game Game (TV series)
Himself

– Episode dated 13 July 1970 (1970) … Himself

1970 Can You Top This (TV series)
Himself / joke teller

1969 Allen Ludden's Gallery (TV series)
Himself

– Episode #1.5 (1969) … Himself

1968 Operation: Entertainment (TV series)
Himself

– Episode #2.12 (1968) … Himself

1968 The Donald O'Connor Show (TV series)
Himself

– Episode dated 20 November 1968 (1968) … Himself

1968 Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (TV series)
Himself - Guest Performer

– Episode #1.5 (1968) … Himself - Guest Performer

1968 How's Your Mother-in-Law? (TV series)
Himself

– Episode dated 12 February 1968 (1968) … Himself

1965 The Hollywood Palace (TV series)
Himself - Sketch Actor

– Episode #3.13 (1965) … Himself - Sketch Actor

1960 The Royal Variety Show (TV movie)
Himself

1959 The Diana Dors Show (TV series)
Himself

1959 The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (TV series)
Himself

– Episode #4.29 (1959) … Himself

Week six?

2012-05-16T07:31:00.000-04:00

We're already half done! The P90X train keeps rolling and I will admit that I am seeing improvements in my arms. Getting those nice short-sleeve muscles ready for the summer! I can always tell that my strength is improving when I get to a point that my girlish forearms start to become a limiting factor. They are just too week and tiny to support any significant increase in weight. Sigh.


I feel your pain

It's been a crappy week mentally though. Although I am enjoying not feeling like a total sloth anymore my achilles started to bother me again this week and so I was reminded anew that I was still not running. It's May and I am still not running. Seven months later. I've done everything right and yet I am still not running.

We are heading to a wedding at the end of July in San Francisco and I was really looking forward to being able to run through the city. There is no better way to see a new city than to run through it; that way you get the whole experience. And I was psyched to tackle some killer hills. There are two types of runners, those that love hills and those that will go out of their way to avoid them.


Adidas gets it

But now, who the hell knows. I am continuing in running limbo. I've been getting mad about it, not just frustrated or annoyed, straight up angry. I'm tired of being told to just wait, to have patience. Screw your waiting, I want to run!

334 days until the 117th Boston Marathon

P90X Week Three

2012-04-23T10:01:00.000-04:00

Week three of P90X has begun and boy have I already seen some dramatic changes!

Alright, that's totally not me. But one can dream!

Definitely feeling stronger and better than I have in a while though. It sucks getting up before the birds to work out but it will all be worth it in the end. Right? Gotta keep repeating that to myself.

As far as losing weight I can confidently say that I have lost a grand total of

Well, maybe not that bad, but I have not been great with my diet, as if that is something new. So onwards and upwards! I'll just keep plugging away until I can get back running. I got out with Melissa and Rose this weekend for a 90 minute bike ride. I am enjoying the bike rides, it's nice to be outside exercising again on a good day.

Marathon Pics

2012-04-17T07:36:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures from the 114th Boston Marathon. I claimed a patch of asphalt in Wellesley where 135 meets 16, just past the halfway point of the race. I think the heat kept most of the more "interesting" runners out this year so there really wasn't much in the way of characters.

The calm before the storm

Here come the women

Followed by the men

The infamous Don Burke!

The entertainment

Tom Rooney giving Michael Gilio terrible directions (hint: follow the other runners)

Kim and Vin "Team" Greene stop off for some oranges

Taking a break to borrow my cell phone for a quick call

Taking in the sun, cheering on the runners