It would be a perfect day to sleep in, too bad for that job thing. Rest day, my legs feel beat up from yesterday. Now I need to figure out if I want to try another half. 2 weeks seems a little too close given how I feel this morning. Next one I was eyeing is a month out. If I do that, how should I handle the next 4 weeks? Recover, 2 weeks of workouts, then taper?

Go Ginny & Bluerun and anyone else running Boston! Hope things clear up a bit for you.

Jay, 2:10:58. Not what I wanted, but probably about as good as expected. I did what you did, I didn't look at my watch after the turnaround.

'Morning!  I work 50 miles from Boston.  It's pretty much worst possible running weather right now.  35 degrees, windy, and heavy rain.  Good luck to our Boston runners.

'Morning!  I work 50 miles from Boston.  It's pretty much worst possible running weather right now.  35 degrees, windy, and heavy rain.  Good luck to our Boston runners.

Amy Hastings posted video on IG, that was some wicked shit!

Good luck today Blue and Ginny!!

I woke up to a light dusting of snow this morning, but I don't think we're expecting much more than that.

I have my group run tonight, probably 3-4 miles.

Atlantic City Race Weekend.

On Saturday, I ran the 7k with my son (11 years old). He’s run mostly 1-mile fun runs and a couple of 5k’s, so this was something new for him.  The day was warm and sunny with a stiff breeze that would be a headwind on the way out and a tailwind on the way back.  He was nervous in the starting chute, so I reached into my bag of tricks and gave him a couple of gummy bears, telling him they’d be an energy boost.  They served their true purpose of distracting him, and during the race I gave him two more each time we passed a mile marker.  When the race started, he was about to go way too fast, but I reeled him in.  We mostly ran the 11:00 – 12:00 pace I knew he was comfortable with.  At 1.8 miles, there was a water stop and he walked to drink his water, saying “That hit the spot.”  After the turnaround, we hit the same water stop again and he walked while drinking another cup.  He also took off his sweat jacket, having quickly learned how much warmer it is running with the wind at your back.  At about 3.7 miles, there was a large building casting some shade from the bright sun (which was making the 60 degrees feel much warmer) and he decided we should walk through the shade to spend more time cooling off.  There was one more, short walk break at 4.2 miles, then we ran to the finish.  With about 30 yards left, he broke into a sprint with no warning and later made a point of telling me how his time was 2 seconds better than mine.  At the finish line, he really liked the frozen Gatorade slushees.  This was the first race he ran that handed out more than a generic rec-department medal and he was quite happy to get a “real” medal such as those I’ve gotten.  He wore his for the rest of the day.

The next day was not so nice. When I headed out for the start line of the half, it was cloudy with temps in the low 40s and a wind of 20 – 30 mph (so strong that they had to do without the inflatable arch at the start/finish line).  There was a slight mist/drizzle but not enough to really matter other than to make my glasses so wet that I couldn’t tell the difference between plain and raisin bagels at the end.  We had left home on Friday, when the forecast was for 55, so I hadn’t packed any gloves.  My wife was kind enough to give me hers, which at first were so tight they threatened to cut off circulation, but the fabric stretched enough that I could wear them.  Knowing I tend to be too warm early in runs and get cold later, I went down to one layer for the start, but carried along a t-shirt and long-sleeved shirt that came in handy later.

I saw Jay and Vibe about 10 minutes before the start, but never managed to find Half Crazy K. I spent time chatting and commiserating with other runners before the start.  We began on time and I knew I’d have to be very careful with my pacing given the strong tailwind and wanted to be sure I was saving energy.  I averaged 9:04 on the way out, though sometimes the wind pushed enough that I’d get to 8:30 without even noticing.  After about 5 miles, my back was aching a bit from the constant force of the wind pushing me from behind.  Around this time I also say Jay and then Vibe going back the other way – they didn’t look too happy.  At the turnaround, I did the math and figured I’d need 9:15 miles to beat 2 hours and 9:32 miles to get near my previous best.  I held on for about a mile after the turnaround, almost to mile 8, but then the constant buffeting from the wind really started wearing me down.  I looked at people still on their way to the turnaround, many smiling, and felt a bit bad, knowing what they would soon be in for.  My pace wasn’t bad when the wind was milder, but the stronger blasts could last a while and the gusts really slowed me down.  Around mile 9 we went back on the boardwalk and for a little while were completely exposed to the wind, with no buildings to offer shelter.  This became the slowest (and most miserable) part of the race.  Once we hit the more developed parts of the boardwalk, I was able to get some shelter from buildings and was able to pick up my pace, which is something I’m rather encouraged by – I didn’t give in and fought back when I could.  Walking crossed my mind once or twice, but I didn’t resort to that.

I finished with a 2:05:36, which was a bit better than middle of the pack, which is where I often finish, so I know I put in a solid effort. Around the time I finished, the announcer was saying the wind was up to 30mph.  All I knew was my family were there, ringing their cowbells and cheering people on.  It was nice to be able to retreat to the hotel and get a hot shower, though at first my fingers found the warm water almost painful.  A difficult race due to the weather, but one I’m glad I can say I finished.  I get another shot at 2 hours when I run the half at the NJ Marathon in two weeks.

I know the conditions are even worse today in Boston.  I wish Ginny, Blue, and all the runners the best for what will be a trying day.

60's and overcast here. I did 5 easy miles starting at 5am because DH had to leave for work at 6:15am. Too damn early!

Fred, it sounds like your son had a wonderful race experience!  I'm sorry you, HCK and Jay had a tough time of it yesterday, but in conditions like that, you have to go by effort and not pace.  I hope your weather is better in 2 weeks for the next one.  Nice job to all of you for getting it done!

Thanks, KC.  The fact that Saturday went so well more than made up for Sunday.  One of the nice things about being a parent.  :-)