Checklist:
- Race bag: Brooks shoes, two pairs of socks, capris, sleeveless, one throwaway longsleeve shirt, sports bra, and a few choices for headgear (cap, toque, bandana, headband), jellybeans and two Clif bars, my Chicago marathon technical long sleeve shirt with thumbholes, multigrain Cheerios
- Everything else bag for the weekend: jeans, two tshirts, one long sleeve, nice sweater, hoodie, pjs, toiletries, meds, socks and sundries .... packing light so I can haul some new clothes home
- Goodies basket for the car: peanut butter, Dairy Milks, pretzels, granola bars; Juices and water, berries, grapes and oranges to be added in the morning; Also a portable DVD player, the next Book Club book, and a crossword puzzle to entertain me for the two-part 9-hour drive
- Training: Best I could do without really sticking to a plan. But feel ready enough.
Well. The party is about to begin. In about 16 hours, we'll be hopefully avoiding rush hour out of the city and on our way to Cincinnati for the race this weekend. We're not driving all the way in one shot, but we don't know where we'll stop either. In all, there's 15 people in my party -- two arriving by plane, and 13 are driving in five separate car. Of the 15, 8-1/2 of them are runners. Yumke plus R equals 1-1/2 runners, logic being that R., who was signed up for the half but has since dropped out since she managed to sprain an ankle the day after signing up. Grasshopper and his entourage are arriving on Saturday afternoon. Then there's my whole family, plus cousin and her husband. I'm still a bit foggy on the details of our actual trip -- like what we'll do while in Cinci, but I think there will be a lot of laughs along the way. The weather looks like it's going to cooperate.
Race Strategy: The plan is to stick with my sister from start to finish. I promised to see her through her first half marathon. If her leg bothers her so much that she must walk, I will walk with her. We will finish together.
Wednesday, April 30
Monday, April 28
A fork in the road
The last long run didn't go quite as planned on the weekend. My sister and I were hoping to run 10 miles together. We were going to do it at 6:30 a.m., same time the race begins this Sunday. We had a 10-mile route planned out. And despite best efforts for preparation, imagined or real, the plan can change and adjustments must be made. Especially if the body breaks down.
Nearly 3 miles into a run that began about 4 hours later than scheduled, my sister's leg began to act up. We had literally and figuratively come to a fork in the road. Heading north would have taken us towards home, cut our run short. Heading west would be sticking seeing through a peak mileage training run. Both routes probably meant risking aggravating an injury a week before the race. None of the options were palatable. Eventually, we decided that having the ability to at least start the race next week would be the best course of action. We tried running a little bit more but there was no rhythm and we ended up walking the bulk of the next 3 miles. She was sorely disappointed in herself. I said can't worry about that now, let's see what the physiotherapist says before we reevaluate the race day plan.
The physiotherapist figures my sister has a weak right ankle, which she thinks likely stems from a sprain back when she was a student living in Montreal. There was also theory that she is developing Baker's cyst. But the physiotherapist also did not say "Do Not Run" so that's good. My sister got her ankle taped -- an effort she'll have to duplicate or beg the medical tent to do for her on race day -- and she tried running on it tonight. Seemed okay, not great, but she has one more appointment this week to loosen everything up. Plan still evolving...
Nearly 3 miles into a run that began about 4 hours later than scheduled, my sister's leg began to act up. We had literally and figuratively come to a fork in the road. Heading north would have taken us towards home, cut our run short. Heading west would be sticking seeing through a peak mileage training run. Both routes probably meant risking aggravating an injury a week before the race. None of the options were palatable. Eventually, we decided that having the ability to at least start the race next week would be the best course of action. We tried running a little bit more but there was no rhythm and we ended up walking the bulk of the next 3 miles. She was sorely disappointed in herself. I said can't worry about that now, let's see what the physiotherapist says before we reevaluate the race day plan.
The physiotherapist figures my sister has a weak right ankle, which she thinks likely stems from a sprain back when she was a student living in Montreal. There was also theory that she is developing Baker's cyst. But the physiotherapist also did not say "Do Not Run" so that's good. My sister got her ankle taped -- an effort she'll have to duplicate or beg the medical tent to do for her on race day -- and she tried running on it tonight. Seemed okay, not great, but she has one more appointment this week to loosen everything up. Plan still evolving...
Saturday, April 26
Pep talk: the sequel
Cool, just got this email blast from the Pig Organizers. Might just have to pencil this in.
"Spirit of the Marathon"
If you'll be downtown Friday night, May 2nd, plan to be at Fountain Square for the viewing of the film, "Spirit of the Marathon" at 9:00 PM. We know that many people didn't get to see the first showing on February 21 because of snow. The Flying Pig Marathon is happy to show the film downtown during Pig weekend!
300
Here's a recap of the activities since the last (sad and slightly negatory) post. It's been hectic in the professional and personal life last little while, but I've managed to find a little bit of time to run but no time to blog. Five times in 10 days (which really breaks down to four times in one week, and once this week).
Valley Adventure
My sister and I got together during a lovely Sunday morning and dipped into the recreation trail near where we live. There is quite a steep hill that leads into the trail. We'll come back to that later. Part way through, she decided her own odor was offending herself (I suspect she will now be offended that I actually just wrote that - ha). Lots of other people had the same idea as us to be in the valley trail that morning. We refueled in Grasshopper's garden, who had generously left a lovely cache of Gatorade, red sports beans and water for us while he was out on his epic 20 miler. At this time, we wondered if we should resume the run with the original plan of residential side streets, featuring a few loops around a gentle slope. In the end, we decided we'd attack the monster hill from the beginning of our run. As we crossed paths with many of the same people on our way back, we wondered how far north on the trail they had been. We took a tiny break before facing the hill. I told my sister that she should just focus on herself, go at her own pace, keep her head up, and not to worry about what I was doing. She made it about two-thirds of the way up before it hurt too much and she slowed to walk up the rest. I told her it was not failure to have to walk -- there is just no shame in walking -- and that she's a champ because by this time, this might as well have been Everest as she'd not only run the furthest she's ever run, but she did it with ease, a smile, and increasing confidence. That was 9 miles in the books. Originally we were going to do 8 miles, so another shot to the arm!
Sidestreet Swing
I had it in my head to ramp up the running right up until the race. My unofficial program that I'm really not following suggests increasingly long weekend runs with the half-marathon as the peak distance. No taper. So I was determined to get out there again after one rest day. My legs were feeling pretty good after the weekend 9 miler. I weaved around the side streets, bopping to my iPod, and just like that, I put up 5 miles.
Killing time before the drink
I had some time between after work and after-work adult beverages. There was an unofficial going-away party and I had a three-hour gap to fill. I didn't want to go home and come back as that usually results in me just staying home. Knowing this, I brought my gear to work and went for a 4-1/2 mile downtown dash before tucking into Heineken and some tasty asparagus and proscuitto rolls, tempura shrimp, and beef skewers. That Patron Silver tequila might have been a bad idea to cap off the night.
Saving the Pandas
Ultimate hill training? I climbed the CN Tower for charity. I had hemmed and hawwed about joining the corporate team (Would this hurt my half-marathon training? Answer:
What training?) Another reason I was leaning to not participating is because I've done this twice before -- nothing left to prove? -- and not feeling adequately trained up for stairs. But I am in reasonably good shape and at the last moment, I decided to go when a spot opened up because a colleague was sick. It's 144 flights, or 1,776 stairs, in a windowless staircase. In the end, I didn't even get an official time because my chip hadn't worked. Unofficially, I estimate it took me between 21-23 minutes (I forgot to stop my own watch when I reached the top but it read a bit more than 25 minutes well after I'd gotten water and reconnected with my team).
Negotiating with myself
Spent the weekend at a training course learning the art of negotiation. In the end, I worked out a good deal with my head to take the weekend off from running and concentrate on absorbing skills and techniques. The 10 mile run can wait til Monday or Tuesday.
To the pool
Too exhausted on Monday to bother with running shoes, but I met my contractual obligation with myself to get my 10 miler in on Tuesday. I did it right after work before going home. I quickly changed at the gym and headed to the waterfront. I kept an eye out for Yumke since this is his turf but didn't see him. My route would take me out to the lakeside pool on the western side of the city. I love this pool, visited it many a time when I was growing up. There was a time when my family would take epic bike rides together on the waterfront and end up at this pool to cool off. This was my turnaround point. By the end of the run, I felt good about the upcoming race. I felt I could easily put out another 3.1 miles so I'm ready. I worry about my sister though -- her knee's acting up.
Reflections
Here we are at Post #300. It's fun to look back at the previous 299 stories. I've concluded this blog is not about the running. Really, it's been about everything else. It's been about bonding with new and veteran runners. It's about what I eat, how much I do or don't sleep, sometimes just the really mundane details. I don't write much about splits, nor speed training, or even my pace. This space is about having an excuse to make bad puns or write really contrived haikus. Sure it's a record of how many miles these legs can or can't handle on any given day. But it's about the person that I was, could become, but just am.
Valley Adventure
My sister and I got together during a lovely Sunday morning and dipped into the recreation trail near where we live. There is quite a steep hill that leads into the trail. We'll come back to that later. Part way through, she decided her own odor was offending herself (I suspect she will now be offended that I actually just wrote that - ha). Lots of other people had the same idea as us to be in the valley trail that morning. We refueled in Grasshopper's garden, who had generously left a lovely cache of Gatorade, red sports beans and water for us while he was out on his epic 20 miler. At this time, we wondered if we should resume the run with the original plan of residential side streets, featuring a few loops around a gentle slope. In the end, we decided we'd attack the monster hill from the beginning of our run. As we crossed paths with many of the same people on our way back, we wondered how far north on the trail they had been. We took a tiny break before facing the hill. I told my sister that she should just focus on herself, go at her own pace, keep her head up, and not to worry about what I was doing. She made it about two-thirds of the way up before it hurt too much and she slowed to walk up the rest. I told her it was not failure to have to walk -- there is just no shame in walking -- and that she's a champ because by this time, this might as well have been Everest as she'd not only run the furthest she's ever run, but she did it with ease, a smile, and increasing confidence. That was 9 miles in the books. Originally we were going to do 8 miles, so another shot to the arm!
Sidestreet Swing
I had it in my head to ramp up the running right up until the race. My unofficial program that I'm really not following suggests increasingly long weekend runs with the half-marathon as the peak distance. No taper. So I was determined to get out there again after one rest day. My legs were feeling pretty good after the weekend 9 miler. I weaved around the side streets, bopping to my iPod, and just like that, I put up 5 miles.
Killing time before the drink
I had some time between after work and after-work adult beverages. There was an unofficial going-away party and I had a three-hour gap to fill. I didn't want to go home and come back as that usually results in me just staying home. Knowing this, I brought my gear to work and went for a 4-1/2 mile downtown dash before tucking into Heineken and some tasty asparagus and proscuitto rolls, tempura shrimp, and beef skewers. That Patron Silver tequila might have been a bad idea to cap off the night.
Saving the Pandas
Ultimate hill training? I climbed the CN Tower for charity. I had hemmed and hawwed about joining the corporate team (Would this hurt my half-marathon training? Answer:
What training?) Another reason I was leaning to not participating is because I've done this twice before -- nothing left to prove? -- and not feeling adequately trained up for stairs. But I am in reasonably good shape and at the last moment, I decided to go when a spot opened up because a colleague was sick. It's 144 flights, or 1,776 stairs, in a windowless staircase. In the end, I didn't even get an official time because my chip hadn't worked. Unofficially, I estimate it took me between 21-23 minutes (I forgot to stop my own watch when I reached the top but it read a bit more than 25 minutes well after I'd gotten water and reconnected with my team).
Negotiating with myself
Spent the weekend at a training course learning the art of negotiation. In the end, I worked out a good deal with my head to take the weekend off from running and concentrate on absorbing skills and techniques. The 10 mile run can wait til Monday or Tuesday.
To the pool
Too exhausted on Monday to bother with running shoes, but I met my contractual obligation with myself to get my 10 miler in on Tuesday. I did it right after work before going home. I quickly changed at the gym and headed to the waterfront. I kept an eye out for Yumke since this is his turf but didn't see him. My route would take me out to the lakeside pool on the western side of the city. I love this pool, visited it many a time when I was growing up. There was a time when my family would take epic bike rides together on the waterfront and end up at this pool to cool off. This was my turnaround point. By the end of the run, I felt good about the upcoming race. I felt I could easily put out another 3.1 miles so I'm ready. I worry about my sister though -- her knee's acting up.
Reflections
Here we are at Post #300. It's fun to look back at the previous 299 stories. I've concluded this blog is not about the running. Really, it's been about everything else. It's been about bonding with new and veteran runners. It's about what I eat, how much I do or don't sleep, sometimes just the really mundane details. I don't write much about splits, nor speed training, or even my pace. This space is about having an excuse to make bad puns or write really contrived haikus. Sure it's a record of how many miles these legs can or can't handle on any given day. But it's about the person that I was, could become, but just am.
Thursday, April 10
A haiku on Pizza Thursday
Zonked, nothing to say
Sloppy three miler, chilly
Where's my whole wheat crust?
Sloppy three miler, chilly
Where's my whole wheat crust?
Wednesday, April 9
Pep Talk
"Well, that was a good pep talk."I wish the entire Pig-bound crew (eight runners in total, more on that another time) came out to see this documentary, a one-time showing across the country tonight. But it was just me and Yumke. I relived quite a few emotions tonight as the 100-minute drama unfolded. I watched six runners juxtaposed in six stories about their personal journeys toward competing and completing the 2005 Chicago Marathon (the year before I ran it).
-Yumke, as the credits were rolling for "Spirit of the Marathon"
I found myself at the edge of my seat, wondering if Deena Kastor was going to survive the fast-closing Constantina Tomescu-Dita. And even though I already knew the result, I still clapped a little when she did win. My heart sank when Daniel Njenga still couldn't claim a victory in his fourth trip to Chicago, after coming so close each time (small complaint: I wish to know more of his story -- a Kenyan living and training in Japan away from his family? Tell me more!). I teared up as the runners lined up at the starting line, then again when they crossed it. I laughed when one runner's husband said he didn't understand why people run long distances. I laughed again when the runner wondered if marathon training had changed or stressed their marriage in any way (Answer: He gets time to himself when she's out for a couple of hours on a long run. Yes the long run he doesn't understand.) These questions have come up in my own life. I cheered at the Chicago scenery. I also saw some of myself in the father-daughter combo who trained and went the distance. I saw some walls. I saw these walls being punched through.
It's definitely the ultimate pep talk for anyone who's a runner. But it's also a film that non-runners would enjoy as well. Did it make me want to immediately sign up for another marathon? No, not exactly though Yumke said I could still upgrade my Pig registration to marathon....
(oh ya, and I'm on my third rest day this week).
Tuesday, April 8
Gift in the mail
The May issue of Runner's World showed up in my mailbox today. Just because I ran the Scotiabank half marathon last year, the accompanying letter said. I'll dogear "Special Beginner's Guide -- P. 70!" right now.
This will come in handy since I'm taking a bonus rest day (feel like I haven't recovered from the weekend yet) so I might as well read about what I should be doing.
This will come in handy since I'm taking a bonus rest day (feel like I haven't recovered from the weekend yet) so I might as well read about what I should be doing.
Sunday, April 6
Flat hills = oxymoron
Yesterday's hills in the race weren't enough. Gimme more. Grasshopper phoned shortly after noon to say he would stop by today for a Gatorade break during his long run (mileage undecided) in about 90 minutes. That gave me enough time to finish folding laundry, eat a small lunch, rock out on Guitar Hero some more, and map an 8-mile route that I would pretty much throw out the window at Mile 1-1/2.
I joined his run-in-progress (wearing the new long sleeve technical shirt from yesterday's goodie bag) after a few sips of the blue stuff. While I was putting on my shoes, I left Grasshopper with a magazine with tips on hill training. One tip was to "visualize a flat hill" as you run up, keeping head up and arms swinging, or something to that effect. He pointed out that hills couldn't be flat. Terrain, yes. Hills, no. Oxymoron.
Anyways, I was able to keep up with Grasshopper nearly stride-for-stride for most of the run (except on a couple of uphills), leading me to declare that he and I should only run together after he's done at least 7miles already and is just a bit tuckered out by this distance completed. That improves my chances much more of keeping up. We made a stop at the running shop for water and some candy. We also made a good decision to head north from the store. He was tiring (this being his longest run in a while), and my energy was starting to wane a little (probably because of a second day of faster-than-normal pace). The yummy berry blue sport jellybeans were probably a key reason for making it up the next five hills (these were definitely NOT flat but these did not defeat me. The second and fourth ones almost though) on the way back home. Mmmmm sugar boost.
Reached home and immediately kicked off the shoes. Laid out a small buffet of lavash, Vinta crackers, smoked gouda, peanut butter, carrot sticks, granola bar, and more Gatorade. Mmmm, replenished. I later mapped out the actual route -- I'm a bit shy of the goal distance, but I'm rounding up from 7.6 miles.
I joined his run-in-progress (wearing the new long sleeve technical shirt from yesterday's goodie bag) after a few sips of the blue stuff. While I was putting on my shoes, I left Grasshopper with a magazine with tips on hill training. One tip was to "visualize a flat hill" as you run up, keeping head up and arms swinging, or something to that effect. He pointed out that hills couldn't be flat. Terrain, yes. Hills, no. Oxymoron.
Anyways, I was able to keep up with Grasshopper nearly stride-for-stride for most of the run (except on a couple of uphills), leading me to declare that he and I should only run together after he's done at least 7miles already and is just a bit tuckered out by this distance completed. That improves my chances much more of keeping up. We made a stop at the running shop for water and some candy. We also made a good decision to head north from the store. He was tiring (this being his longest run in a while), and my energy was starting to wane a little (probably because of a second day of faster-than-normal pace). The yummy berry blue sport jellybeans were probably a key reason for making it up the next five hills (these were definitely NOT flat but these did not defeat me. The second and fourth ones almost though) on the way back home. Mmmmm sugar boost.
Reached home and immediately kicked off the shoes. Laid out a small buffet of lavash, Vinta crackers, smoked gouda, peanut butter, carrot sticks, granola bar, and more Gatorade. Mmmm, replenished. I later mapped out the actual route -- I'm a bit shy of the goal distance, but I'm rounding up from 7.6 miles.
Saturday, April 5
As it actually happened... (Harry's Spring Run-Off race report)
Turns out I'm not much of a fiction writer (please read companion piece posted earlier today). 
I wasn't too far off from my invented post. Just about everything I predicted would happen, did happen. One major change to the fantasy post was my finishing time: a new personal best of 51:49.4 (previous 53:24.6, set in 2005)! I'm not sure why I'd said 56+ minutes in my pretend post, just a number I picked out of the air with no thought to what I'm now capable of. I dressed about perfectly for the weather today: a sleeveless shirt with a long sleeve on top (which I'd take off and wrap around my waist at the halfway mark when I walked through the Gatorade station).
As much as I complain about hills, this course is challenging, yet enjoyable, especially if the weather was as perfect as today's (5C, no wind, all sun). The first hill just before the 3K mark sucked. I think I was still partially distracted by the poor start. I just tried to remember to keep my head up, pump my arms, and just keep going. I hadn't thought about a race strategy, a pace, or even reviewed the course before showing up. After 4K I was a new runner. I had much better focus, better breathing, and frankly, I felt invincible. By the time I hit the 6K mark, I was really warmed up (this is typical -- it takes me at least 3 miles to feel good about running). My stride became surer, stronger. I reached the 7K marker and I quickly glanced at my watch. It read just over 44mins. All that was left was 1K and it included the legendary hill (maybe 300 metres?) to the finish. I charged ahead. It was time to leave it all on the floor. A lot of people were starting to walk up this hill. Easy pickoffs. I felt pretty light during the first half of the hill. It started getting tough, but a great song was blaring in my ears, and I forged ahead. Saw Arcane and Yumke at the top of the hill. Only 100m left. All smiles, high-fived Yumke and made the turn towards a personal best.
Everyone did real well. Fitz placed 10th in his category; Tommy, who just started running in January and has lost 70 pounds in the past year, almost cracked the Top 100 5K finishers. Unsurprisingly, Yumke PB'ed. And Arcane, in his first 8K race, was hot on Yumke's heels, coming in microseconds behind him.
And as a casual observation, this is probably the first post-race meal that I've ever eaten that did not -- !DID NOT! -- feature heaps of bacon. Maybe because it was well after noon by the time the four photogs found each other. I ordered a burger, but the waitress told me the pub was not serving these sandwiches today. Something about the meat being fine but no matter how the kitchen cooked it, the burgers still came out looking raw and each one had already been sent back. Uh, no thanks. So I chose a side of multigrain toast to go with a lovely iron-rich spinach salad with pears, blue cheese and candied walnuts. I ignored the tomatoes.
I wasn't too far off from my invented post. Just about everything I predicted would happen, did happen. One major change to the fantasy post was my finishing time: a new personal best of 51:49.4 (previous 53:24.6, set in 2005)! I'm not sure why I'd said 56+ minutes in my pretend post, just a number I picked out of the air with no thought to what I'm now capable of. I dressed about perfectly for the weather today: a sleeveless shirt with a long sleeve on top (which I'd take off and wrap around my waist at the halfway mark when I walked through the Gatorade station).
As much as I complain about hills, this course is challenging, yet enjoyable, especially if the weather was as perfect as today's (5C, no wind, all sun). The first hill just before the 3K mark sucked. I think I was still partially distracted by the poor start. I just tried to remember to keep my head up, pump my arms, and just keep going. I hadn't thought about a race strategy, a pace, or even reviewed the course before showing up. After 4K I was a new runner. I had much better focus, better breathing, and frankly, I felt invincible. By the time I hit the 6K mark, I was really warmed up (this is typical -- it takes me at least 3 miles to feel good about running). My stride became surer, stronger. I reached the 7K marker and I quickly glanced at my watch. It read just over 44mins. All that was left was 1K and it included the legendary hill (maybe 300 metres?) to the finish. I charged ahead. It was time to leave it all on the floor. A lot of people were starting to walk up this hill. Easy pickoffs. I felt pretty light during the first half of the hill. It started getting tough, but a great song was blaring in my ears, and I forged ahead. Saw Arcane and Yumke at the top of the hill. Only 100m left. All smiles, high-fived Yumke and made the turn towards a personal best.
Everyone did real well. Fitz placed 10th in his category; Tommy, who just started running in January and has lost 70 pounds in the past year, almost cracked the Top 100 5K finishers. Unsurprisingly, Yumke PB'ed. And Arcane, in his first 8K race, was hot on Yumke's heels, coming in microseconds behind him.
And as a casual observation, this is probably the first post-race meal that I've ever eaten that did not -- !DID NOT! -- feature heaps of bacon. Maybe because it was well after noon by the time the four photogs found each other. I ordered a burger, but the waitress told me the pub was not serving these sandwiches today. Something about the meat being fine but no matter how the kitchen cooked it, the burgers still came out looking raw and each one had already been sent back. Uh, no thanks. So I chose a side of multigrain toast to go with a lovely iron-rich spinach salad with pears, blue cheese and candied walnuts. I ignored the tomatoes.
Three things I learned:
- Don't pick up race packet on race day. I was so unprepared this morning. I left the house, realized I'd forgotten photo ID, returned home to get ID, and then run to the subway. Train ride
was uneventful but I kept staring at my watch, trying to will time to slow and/or make the train go faster. I got to the park with 15 minutes before gun time. The packet pickup (nice swag by the way) was not where I'd remembered it to be. By the time I got my chip and checked my bag, I was dashing back to the start line, and someone said "30 seconds!" I was still pinning my bib to my shirt as I was trying to get to the line! I began to wonder if I'd pay for this unnecessary expenditure of energy during those messy hills. I've already run 1.5K for my tardiness. I joined the back of the pack and it'd be another 2 minutes or so before my foot would cross the chip activation mat. - Don't eat a pound of wings the night before a race. This requires no explanation. Yumke might add, "don't eat a pound of hot wings the night before a race". If it weren't because it was monthly Dinner Club night, we both would have eaten something else, but it's Dinner Club and we love Dinner Club. At least I had spaghetti carbonara for lunch.
- My iPod loves me. Put it on shuffle and it's like the songs knew what I needed. Started off with, curiously, Sir Mix A-Lot's "Baby Got Back", which was fun because I was passing all sorts of butts .... and ended with John Parr's "Man in Motion", which is my ultimate Power Up song, and again passing all sorts of butts (going back to the days when Frankie and I would do spinning class on Thursday nights and this was the song that got us through some long hills.)
As I imagined it.... (Harry's Spring Run-Off fake race report)
The following is a post, as i imagined it, for today's race (originally written March 28 after I'd heard who was the potential post-race breakfast partners; photo courtesy of Yumke and posted late afternoon):
Photo Finish
If you had asked me 10 years ago if half the masthead at the school newspaper would become avid runners, I would have bet heavily against that. All my savings, plus my firstborn if I had one.Especially if you had said that this group of runners were all photo editors too. This is a group of kids who stayed up all night to meet deadlines (all of us), smoked too much (well, one of us), drank too much (most of us), watched our waistlines expand with the embarassingly bad eating habits (sadly, all of us), all while inhaling photo developer fluid (hey, these were the days before anyone was fully digital). And occassionally listening to Celine belt out that schmaltzy Titanic love song (one of us subjected the rest of us).But here we were, at the 2008 Harry's Spring Run Off.
Four photo editors running the city's first big race through the beautiful (and hilly -- have I complained about hills before??) High Park. Two of us sign up for the 5K, and the other two sign up for the 8K.
The race itself was okay for me and went as expected. I had difficulty on the hills, but my new shoes feel great. I finished in 56:27 minutes, no walking. Yumke, who PB'ed yet again, and I waited for our former fellow photo editors to finish their 5K race, which started an hour after ours.It's the most unlikely of reunion spots for this group. I wonder if we could get a few more editors, photo and otherwise, out there. One day, maybe we could even enter as a TEAM.
Thursday, April 3
Downtown Dash
It's been a long time since I've run any of my old downtown routes. Not that I've moved to the suburbs, despite some uninformed opinions, but I'll trade a downtown condo for the air that is definitely nicer this side of the Don River. I had about 3 hours today to kill between after work and nerding out at the annual corporate Scrabble tournament.
Centroid: The center of mass of a geometric object of uniform density. So this is the word that I could have spelled on a triple-word, double letter squares hat would have netted me some ginormous one-turn score of 150-something. Too bad I didn't think of it and it was pointed out to me after I had taken my turn (I spelled drones instead, on a triple word no less but it was only worth around 30). I still won my table.
But before all the drama of the tiles, I ran outside. I had intended on doing a few miles in the sunshineless gym, but then I had some sense talked into me. Ended up with a great 4.5 miles and then had a divine steam at the gym. Rest day tomorrow ahead of the 8K race.
Centroid: The center of mass of a geometric object of uniform density. So this is the word that I could have spelled on a triple-word, double letter squares hat would have netted me some ginormous one-turn score of 150-something. Too bad I didn't think of it and it was pointed out to me after I had taken my turn (I spelled drones instead, on a triple word no less but it was only worth around 30). I still won my table.
But before all the drama of the tiles, I ran outside. I had intended on doing a few miles in the sunshineless gym, but then I had some sense talked into me. Ended up with a great 4.5 miles and then had a divine steam at the gym. Rest day tomorrow ahead of the 8K race.
Wednesday, April 2
No loafing around
Nearing the end of my shift yesterday, I emailed my sister and asked her to go out for a run. By the time I got home, there was a wind advisory in effect and not-so-secretly I was glad for the excuse. Although my sister tried to give me a guest pass to her gym so that we could still run together. I politely declined. At least she got 3 miles in.
No excuses today. It was sunny, about 6C, no wind. Of course I overdressed. I figured I'd be good for 3 miles, not wanting to overexert myself before this weekend's Spring RunOff, my first chip-timed race since October. Of course I overdid it. Funniest observation during this 6.5mi run was near the end of my route. Every few steps on the side of the road was a different kind of bread. There was a bagel, a mini French baguette, an onion bun, a panini. I was on a roll uphill, rising to the challenge of this loooong hill (all bad puns absolutely intended and dedicated to Yumke).
That reminds me, need some carbs.
No excuses today. It was sunny, about 6C, no wind. Of course I overdressed. I figured I'd be good for 3 miles, not wanting to overexert myself before this weekend's Spring RunOff, my first chip-timed race since October. Of course I overdid it. Funniest observation during this 6.5mi run was near the end of my route. Every few steps on the side of the road was a different kind of bread. There was a bagel, a mini French baguette, an onion bun, a panini. I was on a roll uphill, rising to the challenge of this loooong hill (all bad puns absolutely intended and dedicated to Yumke).
That reminds me, need some carbs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)