Happy Sunday!

Teresa – congrats to your super-sonic DS!

Fatozzig/Leslie – thanks.  I’ve never been to the place, so I don’t know how hilly the trail is, although I do know that we run up and over a Dam at least four times.

Stevie Ray – I hope your race today goes WAYYYY better than the travel getting there….

Dg - I keep meaning to send you the pictures of our landscaping efforts, but then I keep adding more plants and having to take new pictures...

5 recovery miles for me today (ave pace 10:22) in a lovely almost crisp low-humidity 60 degrees.

Morning Holly and Peter!

After being on the DL for 9 weeks with adductor muscle and then neve entrapment issues, I now have 2 weeks of steadily improving running (26 mi last week and 30 miles this week with paces improving from 13's to 9's) So I'm back finally.  One thing I learned with nerve issues is no stretching, no running and long hot baths are the ticket (thanks WRFB!).

today:

5.2 miles in 48:45 (9:22, AHR 159). First 3 mi with Tory and Sadie at 10:15 pace 
then 3.2 miles at 8:46 pace (yea!)  HR is way way high but that will improve over the next month.

Today was hot and somewhat humid (74°-82°F, 84%) and while I had 15 on the plan I knew I'd be satisfied anywhere between 13 and 15, so it's all good.  I could have used a little breeze when going over Ravenel Bridge (over Cooper River in Charleston, SC), as there was no protection from the sun.  I liked running near the buildings and trees to get in the shade.

Nice and easy...

13.6 miles, 2:07:02, 9:22/mi, AHR 151 (77% MHR)

Hmm, maybe I should get something to eat now...

Welcome back Perch--sorry to hear that you've been out of commission for so long.  Glad the comeback is going well.

Ribs--I wish I could find races like that--even with a story involved.  which I hope we'll get to hear.

Teresa--That is some pace your DS hit.  Even better that he's happy with it.  Seem to remember in the past he's been a little hard on himself, even with really good results.

As for me, out at 7:30 for 3.1 at 10:33 pace.  Progress seems to be slowing somewhat.  I think I need to cut back on the speed (such as it is) and get some extra distance in.  Which may be a little tricky, as we switch to summer hours this week.  This will involve being in the car at 6am to make it to work by 7.  the good part is that we will get every other Friday off over the next 3 months.

Kevin

eta: i forgot speel chek before I posted.

Thanks for the thoughts about DS.  Our oh-so-wonderful newspaper listed all the results in fine print as usual, but instead of writing "3200" for his race, wrote "Racewalk" instead!  LOL, that's about the ultimate insult for HS boys!

 

 

 

 Teresa, at my son's school closing ceremonies, they give out various academic awards won throughout the year.  One young boy won a nice award for a non-fiction piece that the judges loved for its heart-felt sincerity in the boy's admiration for his older brother, who is an upperclassman at the same school.  As the Headmaster announced the prize, he said, "and the first place cash prize of $75 goes to (name) for his essay, "My Brother the Benchwarmer."

The Saint and I immediately looked over to where the junior class was sitting to see the brother, who was being mercilessly teased by his classmates, but there sure was a lot of love in it.  Spareribs

Teresa, congratulations to your son on his fine showing at the conference meet.  Also, congratulations to you and your husband on your anniversary.  There were a number of good races reported by mariposai (pacing a friend), SLO (2 races), spareribs (and under an 8 minute pace), and Walt and his two daughters.  munch, way to go on the 10 mile walk.  perch, it's great that you've had two weeks of steady improvement after your long time on the DL.

Nice long runs for Holly, Peter, Tramps, and WRFB.

This morning, it was in the mid 30s (what happened to spring?) and there was a light wind.  I got in 5 miles in a little over 47 minutes for a 9:26 pace.

A good day and good runs for all.

TomS

Busy work week last week and heading up to the Adirondacks tomorrow for a 3 day conference (no lap top), but a mellow afternoon now stretches in front of me. 15.4 miles today with 13.1 embedded in there at the Iron Horse half-marathon. Sorry Twocat, I know I said I wouldn't do it without you, but the day was too nice and Dr. J offered to drive and there you go. This was a baseline test race to see where I am at a lengthier distance as I build it back. 1:41:54 on the watch/1:42:01 on the race clock--- 5/52 in the 40-44 age group. My 1:37:47 last year would have won my age group, but that wasn't the goal today. Happy with this as my first mile was 7:50 and I brought it down a bit and held it. Dr. J ran a PR 1:44:26, but was sort of blue since a 1:44 or better would have been guaranteed entry into the NYC marathon (she is 48). Gorgeous sunny day and great fun. More details in my training log.

Nice racing Ribs...what's the story on the 1st overall---you tell folks to turn the wrong way as you powered to the finish? KIDDING

Great family fashion and racing Walt! 

Yippee...Perchcreek is back. So happy for you. My time off was 9 weeks as well and you'll be back quickly. I have no doubt.

Congrats to your son Teresa. Dr. J's daughter is off to states and the local high school (Northampton) won their regional meet. Good stuff. 

The problem with confessing the story behind the race is that it makes me look better if you think I outran 40 people:

"Spareribs, we'll give you a ten minute handicap."

"Thanks," I said.  "I could use it!"

So I paid my money and went over to talk with my friend Terry who is a member at the Lake Grapevine club and he starts telling me about the handicap they gave him.  I said, "Wait a minute!  This is a handicap race? I thought that guy was kidding me."

So of course they have in their db my previous times at this race which I ran after surgery.  I think my first race there in November I ran a 10:24 pace, and eventually got it to 8:37 pace, but then ran another 5K elsewhere at an 8:32 pace.  I could have gone back and changed it, but I didn't when my two AG enemies, Scott and John showed up and I learned Scott, who is way faster than I am now, was given 9:45.  I have no idea what John's was.  Had this been any other race but the Carrolton race I would have immediately gone back and adjusted for my current best 5K time, the 8:32 pace, because my goal today was to run it in 8's.

But this race is very low key. Everyone gives back the trophies for example, and most of us are just competing with our AG friends.  I thought no more about it since Scott's handicap was so large and I figured overall they were probably about right..  We get some high school speedsters who run it in 16 minutes.  So Scott and I and a few others hang around a bit after I did my 2.2 mile warm up and needle each other about handicaps.

The Saint ran to the race from the house, about 3.7 miles away and her plan was to run home after the race.  She got an 11 minute handicap.  So the race starts and they send people off in groups and there is all this catcalling of "CHEATER!" and stuff like that, aimed at the earlier groups to go off.  When the big clock face counts down to 11 minutes off goes the Saint, and I follow one minute later.

At about 3/4 of a mile I passed her and she kindly mumbled "SANDBAGGER!" as I went by.  As I was running alone I had no idea what my pace was but I was determined to run this race in 8's and also not to go out too fast, so I was pretty pleased to look at my watch at one mile and see 8:08.  I was VERY comfortable at one mile.  And I was comfortable at 2 miles with my 7:44.  So now all I had to do was pick off the slower people who went out ahead of me, and I got the last guy at 2.5 miles.  I ran just steady and fairly comfortably the rest of the way with no one near me, 7:59 for the 3rd mile and a kickless 47 for the final tenth and 24:39, or 7:57's for the race.

Now here is the part I feel bad about.  Instead of the normal scoring with AG trophies etc. which is what I thought it would be, they gave a $25 gift certificate from a local running store!  I figured later on that if I had gone back and given them a more realistic predicted time before the race that I would never have won, but I didn't realize how they were going to do the awards.  They have never given prizes before.  The 2nd and 3rd place winners got running socks.  Of course had I done that, Scott would have won and he sandbagged almost as bad as I did. 

I ran the course again to cool down and when I came back Scott and some of my friends were sitting in camper chairs drinking beer.  We talked about that scene in "The Sting" when Doyle Lonigan, after losing at cards to Henry Gandolph, complains about not being able to tell Gandolph that he was a better cheater.

I talked to the RD after the race and told him I felt bad about the prize, but he said only that he was very happy to see how my running improved and glad to see me running so well, so that is something.   Still, I get to say I was first OA even though I felt like I cheated when they gave me the prize.  Spareribs