Merry Christmas!

Hope everyone has a safe and festive yuletide. Looking forward to seeing the new running gifts we get for the new year. Not sure how many people will make it Sunday morning (we'll be on the road). But let's remember to put a few miles in, between the feasting. We've got a host road races coming up in the new year. Happy holidays everyone.

Kiawah

Well, I was doing fine until mile 17. Must have been something in the gatorade, because no one reported feeling great or clocking a stellar performance. The weather was a bit miserable, but wasn't really the issue (I don't think). Sometimes, it just ain't there. Oh well, they can't all be gems.

The after-race food & beer was great. And it was great seeing the whole running crowd. The whole shuttle parking thing actually worked pretty smoothly, and the on-course support was pretty good. So I guess Kiawah gets a high mark (or at least a passing grade).

Not sure if I'll make it Sunday morning. If I do, it won't be for a long one. How about other folks?

Jet Lag

One week from Kiawah, and I've just come back from San Diego where I've been since Wednesday. Got in a couple of good runs, but I'm not too concerned since I've been pulling the mileage back. Now, I've got to get my clock turned around.

Congrats to Ann, who got fifth overall at a fiercely competitive Reindeer Run. Can't wait to hear from Cami on her half marathon in Palm Beach. Good luck to everyone prepping for Kiawah. I, myself, can't wait.

Happy Thanksgiving

Let's here it for Ricky who pulled off the big prize, 1st overall, at his inaugural ultra: the Mad Marsh 50K. An auspicious beginning to his ultra career.

Good luck to everyone running Turkey Day tomorrow. The registration numbers are up, the competition will be fierce. A perfect beginning to a day of feasting.

Hope to see everyone on Sunday morning. Looking forward to tales of racing success and meals eaten.

Brush with Greatness

I got to meet Bill Rodgers at the Governor's Cup Half this past Saturday. He was a great guy. I asked him if he remembered Bob Schlau and he replied, "Of course, he beat me the first time we raced together."

Big Congratulations to Cami on winning 1st overall female at the Folly 10 Miler. Quite an incredible performance.

November Events

Congrats to John for winning his age group - Governor's cup Half-Marathon. John continues to inspire all of us with his performances. Way to go, John!

It was a chilly morning but perfect for running- beautiful sunrise! See you all next weekend!

Fall Back

Okay, after an indian summer (is that politically correct?), too much Halloween candy and fair food, we were treated to a weekend with great running weather. Did I mention that I forgot to "fall back" and woke up an hour early on Sunday? I wouldn't have known if it hadn't been for my cell phone, cable box and computer, which are automatically programmed to tell me I'm an idiot (the extra hour gave me the opportunity to reflect on that).

Let's hear it for Ann, who got second overall, and Gordon, who won his age group, at the James Island Connector Run. Some of the big local races are just around the corner. I'm doing the Governor's Cup Half this weekend. And we've only got a short while until Turkey Day, Reindeer Run and Kiawah. Is everyone ready to sign-up and line-up?

Bonk!

Normally, when you’re training for a December marathon in late October, you wouldn’t think that heat exhaustion would come into the equation.  However, we were just one degree below the official high temperature records on both Wednesday and Thursday.   Yesterday, I went for a mid-day 12 mile tempo run in 85 degree weather.  It started off fine.  The first four were at marathon race pace.  Then the wheels fell off.  I staggered home the last few miles, stopping at every water fountain along the way.  Oh well, chalk one up for experience.

 

The weekend weather looks much more kind.  I’m looking forward to our Sunday run.  There are a couple of local offerings for road races tomorrow: the Daisy Dash 5K and the Fight for Air 5K.  Anyone planning on racing these?

Double Down

No, not the protein and sodium-laden KFC "sandwich", but the unfortunate timing of events this weekend...  Now armed with kayak, I had decided to take part in the Challenge that is pure Folly put on by John's crowd at the county parks on Sunday.  Unfortunately, my wife and her sister decided I was also running the 5k race for the cure the day before - so it was with tired legs I dropped off my kayak at the Folly Landing to receive it's official handicap.

I'd be back there after setting my bike and running shoes up at the transition point within the county park at the South side of the island.  I managed to get into my boat without disaster and even started on time.  Despite the constant pull to the right the whole 3 miles down the Folly River, I reached the Island tip in just under 38minutes, getting out of the water in 27th place.  Kayaking is not the best preparation for running (neither is 5k the day before) so my legs felt like lead on the 0.7 mile run to the bike transition from the landing.  Things went better on the 9mile bike ride up to the northern end of Folly Island and I managed to pick up about 16 places thanks to my secret weapon: cross tyres on my road bike.

You would not have been very proud of my style on the final 3+ mile run up the beach to the pier and back, although I did manage to claw back another three places, finishing in 9th place overall with 1:38:58, 2nd in the Masters.  Kudos to Dirk deWitt who took over 8 minutes out of last years time to win in 1:27:18 and Heather Knight who finished 1st lady, an impressive second overall in 1:31:25.  More results here

Puns and Entendres galore

I started right behind the fast brothers, Upchuck and Waltz, looking resplendent in their matching "On The Run" outfits, in perfect conditions at the Komen Lowcountry Race for the Cure on Daniel Island on Saturday morning.  Regretfully, although perfectly legal, drafting is of little use on foot, and my usual 5k tactic of "start as fast as you can and try to hang on" paid it's usual dreadfully disappointing dividends as I wouldn't see our Tuesday evening friends for dust once the first fleeting fifteen seconds had passed....

I did manage to stay in front of the remarkably rapid Romanian for almost a whole mile before that significant achievment proved equally fleeting...my pulse rate monitor sounding like the dive klaxon onboard a submarine as Cami sped past me on her way to the Masters title in 20:13

The weatherman won (again) in 15:06, with Jay just beating Karl to the line in 15:39 for second.  I was really impressed, however, with the effort the various running teams had made as shirts with clever slogans such as "Save the Ta Tas"; "The breast team";  "Mamas know breast";  "Save our magazines" (with appropriate pin-up pictures); "Breast foot forward"; "The Rack Pack"; and my particular favourite: "Stop the war in Our Rack". 

The cute pink socks I borrowed off the wife seemed rather pitiful in comparison to such clever entendres - still at least I would manage to beat the 21 minute mark - or so I thought until I checked out the results on line....
                                      ......curses........21:01

Race Day

Congratulations to Cami and Swaz for great performances at the Race for the Cure today. Perhaps the cool weather will keep those times speedy. I will be at the Folly Challenge working the finish line tomorrow. Hope you guys have a good run.

Autumn Among us...

Temperatures have been down - I turned the aircon off earlier in the week and was even putting the duvet back on the bed a couple of days ago... The last couple of mornings I've driven the wife mad with desire to work at 6:45am and it's been pretty dark.  

I called Gordon today and we made a less than democratic decision to START AT 7:00AM TOMORROW morning and until further notice?

I am happy to be back on my feet and will attempt to hang with you heroes for at least 3 miles....

A quick glance at the CRC's web page and it looks like there is almost a race every weekend from now till Kiawah. Anyone doing the Avondale race in October? There are several new upstart races as well as the standards - JI Connector, Race for the Cure, and Turkey Day Run. Yes, we are lucky to live in a running city. Beautiful weather last Sunday morning. Hey is it time to push the starting time to 7am?

IOP?

Anyone running the IOP? Looks like it will be nice morning. No Fat Tire at this unfortunately...but it is a 10k. Hope to see everyone Sunday morning if I can still move!

Fall is here...right?

Okay, technically it's autumn now. Technically. Still waiting on those cooler temps. In the meantime, for our morning run, I'm going to be working up some beer miles. New Belgium is an official sponsor of the Green Fair tomorrow in Marion Square. Yowzah. Can't wait.

We had a great crowd for last week's run. Hope to see everyone tomorrow at 6:30.

Where's Autumn?

Daily highs are still in the 90's. When is fall going to get here? Usually it gets cool enough after Labor Day to begin discussing moving our start time up. Looks like we'll have to wait a little longer.

I've got 12 on my schedule for tomorrow. Hope to see everyone at 6:30.

West Ashley Reprezentin'

Ricky whipped out a 4th place overall, I managed 9th place overall at the Dirt Dash Half Marathon. Beautiful course, but still way too hot. Given the conditions, I was quite happy. I hope they try this one again next year with one small change...

Next year make it an actual half marathon. Did we mention that the course was not certified? The race director was willing to confess that it was measured with a car's odometer. We polled four folks (each wearing a Garmin) at the end. Everyone had over 13.2 miles (13.21 to 13.26).

Admittedly, given the weather, it was not going to be a fast day to begin with (winning time was around 1:24). But an extra tenth of a mile is enough to make you throw out the time. Chalk one up for tactical experience.

Plan to make it tomorrow, but will probably only go 8 to 10 miles. See everyone at 6:30.

Cold Snap (sort of)

This brief respite from the oppressive heat has been a welcome change. But the weather folks say it will be back into the 90's by week's end (and then there are the hurricanes). Hopefully our run on Sunday won't be affect by either extreme.

Lots of races coming up. Caper's Eco Run is this Sunday. The Dirt Dash Half is next weekend. Anyone planning to sign up for these?

800"s anyone?

Thanks goes to Lennie at the track last night for forwarding me this scorching 800 WR run in Berlin over the weekend...the second lap is amazing. Try to play where would you be on the track?

http://www.letsrun.com/2010/rudisha-video-0822.php

Charleston Marathon?

Just wondering if anyone is running the Charleston Marathon? Inaugural race?

Race weekend

We got a couple of races coming up this weekend. Hope the training has been going well for folks. We've been plodding through our Sunday runs, but I'm convinced it will pay dividends in the fall. Hope to see everyone Sunday morning.

Fight for Air Climb - North Chuck Coliseum

Well, I showed up to climb (and descend my 265 feet or so) with a hundred or so others.  Started with the quick guys at the front (30s intervals) because I wanted to get back to Charleston for Edwin Gardner's memorial ride at 9am.  I have no idea what time I achieved as my HRM packed up after 3 minutes and stopped timing.  I went out pretty hard - Neville Miller was 1 minute in front of me - and I was in oxygen debt by about the fourth set (4/22) of stairs (quite literally fighting for air ;)  I managed to recover enough to catch the tall guy who started 30s in front of me, but I didn't see Neville for dust.  The two times I recorded in training were 6m 47s and 6m 14s - will have to wait for results to be posted to see if I bettered that.  Thanks for all the support and kind donations to American Lung Association.

Good to see Gordon and Mike Seekings at Edwin's ride from Cannon Park - 465 cyclists showed up for the ride!

Too Hot

All seemed in agreement that our final few miles on Sunday were sweltering. It's embarrassing to say, but I had to admit to Swaz that I honestly didn't remember that he joined us a few miles in. Such was the state of my baking brain. Running in the summer is a real ....uhm.....adventure? (where's a neurologist when you need one. Wait, one was running with us).

I'm up for another round this Sunday. Let's just plan on keeping it easy and hydrated.

Question: in the midst of this heat, how are folks summer training plans working out?

Nearest thing to a hill race in Chucktown...

On July 31st I plan to be bounding up and down some 1056 steps in the North Charleston coliseum as a way to get a hilly “fix” in between visits upstate to the trails...

Part of the deal is to raise funds for the American Lung Association to help fight lung disease. Your kind $10 donation will make an impact, funding life saving research, education and advocacy efforts. It's easy to support this cause by making your tax-deductible donation online using this link:
Swaz stairclimb page

If you would prefer, you can hand me a cheque (or a tenner) next Sunday morning
(Please make any cheques payable to: American Lung Association)

Whatever you can give will help - it all adds up! I greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress. First training session is on Wednesday evening :)

Stair-bound-Swaz

Keep the head up and look forward!

Well after last week I'm a little tired. July 3rd I ran the Born in the USA 4 miler in Columbia and followed it up on Thursday with the Bear at Grandfather Mountain. I must say it is nice to get off the flats of the lowcounty and test other running venues. Speaking of which there is a trail run at Beech Mountain this weekend - http://www.dirtyspokes.com/. May have to do that one next year. I playing with the idea of doing the 13.1 series race in Atlanta in early October - http://www.131marathon.com/13_1_Atlanta.htm as well. See everyone on Sunday!

The Bear / Pikes Peak / Laurel Valley

Well done to Gordon, finishing 128/700+ at the Bear, 1541 feet in 5 miles (and more hairy tartan covered Scots than "Braveheart" and "Brigadoon" put together) on what was probably the warmest conditions they've seen at that race yet. Gordon was first Chucktown runner home in 48mins 53s

There is still no movement on the Pikes Peak marathon waitlist - I think I'm going to run at Laurel Valley, upstate on 14th August instead (although it sounds kind of ominous - try googling Laurel Valley race and read any of the reports !)

If you're thinking of an Ultra this season try one of these as a start: www.ultrasontrails.com or alex runs if you'd rather stick to the hard-top.

Billy-no-mates run...

Is everybody racing - or just tired of the heat ? I was a little late this morning, but cut across the peninsula to try and catch you on Concord / Waterfront park - either you all had extra wheaties for breakfast and were long gone or nobody showed up this morning....

Please provide excuses / explanantions / white lies below (please write legibly):

Cooler Weather

I felt downright chilly today. Hope this cooler weather holds out for a while. I'll be there bright and early tomorrow. Looking forward to the nicer conditions. See everyone at 6:30.

Hot, Hot, Hot

We've only had five days in June when the high has been below 90. Yikes. Hope everyone is staying hydrated.

I plan to go about 12. Hope to see everyone at 6:30.

Capers Eco Run

Let's hear it for Swaz for his result-- 2nd male and 4th overall at the inaugural Capers Eco Run.

Nice photos, beautiful sunrise. I hope Swaz had a great time and his ankle is getting better.

GSC

So, I have finally made it to West Long Branch last night, trying to race in decent weather conditions. Needless to say, I have a low tolerance to racing in 90 degrees with 100 heat index, but maybe others thrive in such conditions. Surprisingly, I woke up today in much cooler and less humid weather. The race is very competitive (about 1300 folks ran it) , very well organized, but getting to Red Bank can be a pain. I have managed to ran decently, and I am slowly getting back to where I had been just few months ago. This is a race I have wanted to run for quite sometime, and I am planning to run it again next year. According to GS, "Play is where life lives."

Have a great long run tomorrow !

Races, races everywhere

The local race calendar has been packed. ALS Hope run was just a couple of hours ago. Floppin' Flounder last week. More are coming up, and just as the weather is getting downright warm.

As was our pattern last summer, here's hoping we see a few out of town visitors join our group. I plan to go about 6 to 8 tomorrow, but I know others will want to go longer. See everybody at 6:30.

Good Luck

Good luck to everyone racing Floppin' Flounder today. I'll be watching 9 - 14 year old's (our future big dogs) at the state Hershey Track and Field meet.

I'll be looking forward to our long run tomorrow morning. See everyone then.

What's Next?

We have had some good long runs and some good track workouts. Everyone seems tip-top. What's next on our schedule? What do folks have planned for their next races? We need to put something on our calendar.

Don't forget that our new start time is 6:30. See everyone Sunday morning.

When Things Are Not Going Well...

Everyone occasionally experiences bad moments or even periods in life when nothing seems to go well regardless of our efforts, commitment, and motivation. We've all been there at one point or another, and it sucks. It sucks to race poorly (look at my 5K/bad tempo today), and it sucks to get injured just before your biggest event of the year and not be able to recover and move forward. Sometimes these events are just incidental occurences. Sometimes they go on for an extended period of time, without a good explanation.

I am writing this post because I know we have folks in our group who have experienced all the above; some have temporarily lost their edge, but have come back stronger than ever. So, whatever your situation might be, just hang in there and look at the bigger picture-- there is something good out there for you and me waiting to happen. Just like life itself, running is not always a straight path of improvement and glorious moments; sometimes there are dark and troubling moments, but we can overcome them. I am going to buckle down to some serious running, and I will try try to find my mojo again.

But first, I need to recover properly. I will miss running with you tomorrow, but I will see you next weekend.

6:30 Sunday Morning

Please note: our Sunday run will be moving back to 6:30 a.m. this coming Sunday.

The heat has been creeping up on us. This past Sunday was quite warm by the time we were done. Hope to see everyone at 6:30.

Hey guys-

I'm off work tomorrow (wed.) and was curious if anyone would be available or up for a run in the morning? I hope everyone is doing well. Congrats to all on the great times and places posted in recent races!

Annie

Every Marathon you learn!

No doubt I'm disappointed but it was nice to be home. The weather was a little warm but no humidity. Felt good the first 15k but cramped a little before the half. After the half point I actually started feeling strong and tried to make up some time. Things were going well till about mile 21 when a bicyclist ran into me on the bike path going the wrong way! I tried to not let it get to me but about another mile down the bike path yet another cyclist collided with me! I was physically fine just kinda weirded out frankly...note to race organizers - need more marshalls. Once I got on the main drag I dug in but mile 24 and 25 were tough. Realized the PR was ticking away right when I saw my family but nothing was in the tank - ran about a minute slower than PR. Not the best race but sometimes coming home makes you realize there are more important things than a PR! Decided it's time to try to speed up on halfs, 10k's, and 5ks's before going for my 6th marathon. See everyone in next Sunday

Countdown to Mississauga Marathon

So, Georgia and Boston marathons are now past events, and even Swaz's ultra is now in our recent memory--and what a race Swaz had run.

Now Gordon is up for the challenge. Will he run the race of his life and BQ? We all wish him well. I can't wait to see the results and see Gordon in Boston next year! Go get'em Gordon. Have a great race!

A Passage through Enoree - Ver2

Only in trail racing can positions change without you even seeing the people passing you - or you passing them! One of the biggest challenges along this (actually 41 mile) course was staying on course. This passage of the Palmetto Trail is not very heavily travelled, so the course is not really distinctive. Add to this the RD's taste for orange marker flags and my red-green colour blindness and you have a frightfully easy recipe for a night alone in the boondocks!

I managed a pretty decent pace from the start over the surprisingly hilly course, passing 5 miles in 45 minutes in the second group (places 4-7) and 10miles in under 1:30 with what became the third group on the trail (places 6 and 7). My partner turned out to be David from Aiken, SC. Around 12 miles we both ran seriously off course. Fortunately I was carrying a map, we worked out where we had gone wrong and joined the race route again in about position 11 or 12 maybe losing 5 to 10 minutes in the process. By the time we got to the 15 mile aid station, manned by Jenny, my wife, we had clawed our way back to about 8th and 9th.

We would not be the only ones to get lost! I arrived at the turn (after a few false trails) at about 20.5 miles just a few minutes over 3 hours to find myself in second place! David and I fuelled up and set off back down the now more familiar trail. We were caught by one of the previous (now re-found) front runners after about 5 minutes and then passed by the eventual winner, Sean, through the 25 mile aid station (despite Jenny's best delaying tactics :), putting us in 4th and 5th crossing back over the Enoree River. The wheels started falling off climbing out of this valley, as the mileage and rough terrain took it's toll, although we did manage to reel in one more place before the 30mile mark.

I could no longer keep up with David on the steady climbs after the 35mile mark and had another little unplanned scenic diversion 3 miles from the finish, taking almost an hour to finish the last 5 course miles but eventually finished in 4th place overall, in 7hrs 2mins 12s - about 25 minutes behind the winner. Race Results here: ultrasontrails

Roxanne (remember Robin and Roxanne from Atlanta ?) would finish first lady in 7:15:32; Robin won the 30Mile race in 5:53:10.

Course turned out to have over 2100ft climbing over the official 40.11 miles - more tech info for you Garmin peeps kindly provided by Scott Brannam here: Garmin
Another probably more honest race report here: Psyche's_report
The usual crap that will eventually get updated one day here: http://www.swaz.net/

Note to Self!

Note to self - do not go down the YouTube 80's video Tunnel the night before a Sunday Run! Sorry I missed everyone Sunday I really slept in and then tried to knock out a fast finish run later Sunday morning...got caught in the heat and was sun burned to a crisp!! These last two long solo runs have made me realize how lucky I am to be with this running group...see everyone Sunday!

May Day

We made it two miles into last week's run when the lightning made us turn around. By the time we got back to South Windermere, the lightning had subsided into a light rain. So we ran another 8 on the greenway. All in all, not bad.

The Palmetto 200 is underway. I've been texting with my workmates who are in it. As of this posting, they are about 1/3 of the way through and feeling good.

The weather looks like it will be accommodating on Sunday morning. I plan to go about 12-14. How about other folks?

Congratulations

Congrats to Trevor for his effort at the Blue Ridge Marathon! From what I am gathering, this is an extremely difficult course--I do not even dare to attempt to run such a course. Recover well, Trevor. I cannot wait to see you guys again!

I am glad though that I got to sleep in today--crappy weather.

Marathons R Us

Well so far, in just the last month, we've done ING Georgia and Boston. Trevor is toeing the line tomorow for the Blue Ridge Marathon (click here). Gordon is prepping for Mississauga next month. And let's not forget Swaz's upcoming Enoree 40 miler on May 9th. What am I leaving out?

Sheesh! This bunch is crazy. As for Sunday, I plan to go about 14. How about other folks?

Congrats to all Boston Runners!

Great job up in Bean Town! Hope to hear all the stories soon.

Sunday

A final good luck to our Boston Crowd. The BAA website provides separate live feeds for the Elite Women (9:30 start), Elite Men (10:00 start). We'll see how much work I get done Monday morning. Interesting Boston Herald (click here) article on the poor European runners grounded and possibly unable to participate. Yikes.

For tomorrow morning, I plan to go about 12 or so. What about other folks?

One Week To Go...

After a lengthy wait, here it is--Boston-- just around the corner. This training cycle has been a long one for me, but for a good reason: I needed to have all the pieces of the puzzle in one place. Everyone who runs marathons knows the importance of balance in training, diligence, and most importantly, consistence. Every workout builds on another; long runs are…long, tempos are tough and occasionally do not go as planned (like before CRB for me). Fartleks are meant to avoid the “marathon shuffle.” While I am definitely not an expert in any of them, I have learned when to push myself and when to back off and let the body recover.

My three (short) years of competitive running have taught me as much as (or perhaps more than) my 15 plus years of practicing my profession. They have taught me about seeing the body as a marvellous gift, discipline, and self control. I learned how to deal with the successes and the inevitable setbacks. God knows, they were all reflected in this training cycle.

I have had enough time to reflect after my last weekend’s 24-mile run, as I have lain on the floor completely exhausted and with my Achille tendons “trashed.” Somehow, thanks to Rusty, I have emerged from the despair of thinking that all of this work can be ruined in an instant.

I had an awesome fast finish 12-miler today—the kind of run that ties together every effort, every tempo, fartlek or hill repeats one could run during the marathon training.

I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. The fate of the marathon is unpredictable, but I know I am as ready as I can be when the day comes.

Thanks again to all my running buddies for all their support—I had fun while running with you. Thanks, Blair for patiently waiting for me following our long runs and providing transportation.

Good luck to everyone running Boston. Have fun!

Sunday, April 11

Hi all. What's on for tomorrow's agendas?
i know Cami has a fast finish 12-miler on the bridge pre-Boston. Anyone want to drive over and join her, or meet 7:00 as usual at Holy Cow?
i'm without a car right now so will be running to Holy Cow by 7:00.

Fartlek take two

Ok, second attempt - leaving Holy Cow early Thursday 6.45 am for a tour of bridges / parks / stairs and parking garages on the peninsula - apx 8 miles - steady 8:30 pace between efforts - option to join at Cnr Rutledge and Calhoun about 7ish.

Any takers ? Anyone ? Bueller ? Anyone ?

Next Up...

We're just two weeks away from Boston, and our Beantown marathoners are tapering. What do you guys have on your schedule for tomorrow? I'm mostly recovered so I was hoping to go about 12 or so.

I still don't have a clear race calendar for the spring/summer. I'm just now looking at the various offerings. Floppin' Flounder (June) is the only for sure thing. What about other folks?

Silkworms

Okay, I know this doesn't really have to do with running, but when Gordon and I ran into each other on the greenway today, the proud papa pointed out that his daughter is in full color on the cover of today's Post & Courier (click here for the article). Her class is helping to save silkworms.

Cool.

Fartlek?

Trying to get a regular weekly fartlek session going either a Thursday am/pm or Friday am.
This will be a 1 to 1.5 hour session with some hills (i.e bridges, parking lots, stairs) some quicker flat efforts and some different surfaces (grass / sand when we can find it) to break up the ever present asphalt and build a little muscular endurance.

With the oncoming sure-to-be-toasty summer perhaps early mornings is not a bad idea - although this week I'm gunning for 5:30pm on Thursday from Holy Cow Yoga or alternatively later pick up about 5:50pm at Cannon Park (the dog park ?), cnr Rutledge and Calhoun.

Connecting pace between efforts will be easy - similar to our Sunday long run. Drop me a comment if you'd like to take part and what day time would best suit your schedule ?

Wind at our backs

Finally we had a favorable wind at CRBR. Everyone seemed happy with their times. We were nine seconds off a course record. We also were about 600 finishers shy of a record crowd.

It was great to watch everyone finish so strong. I'm glad I got my racing fix last weekend.

News from the front

Here are a few of your elites for tomorrow's Bridge Run. Cami's got some serious competition for top Romanian. Denisa Costescu (17:03 5K) will be running among the elites. Gordon will be happy to know that fellow Canadian, Sean Wade (2006 overall winner at Peachtree) will be among the master elites.

Good luck everyone. See you tomorrow.

Ultra Looming ?

If you are looking for a different (only slightly longer) challenge, Terri Hayes of Newberry, SC organises a most excellent low stress, free to enter, series of longer trail runs in South Carolina. First one up is April 17 (unfortunately I'll be taking an exam that day) then May 9th, June 6th, Sep 5th and finally Oct 3rd.

Have a look at her website here: http://ultrasontrails.com

Way to go Big Guy!

Congrats to John running a fast ING Georgia Marathon. He finished 24th overall and 3rd in his age group! WOW really impressive. Look forward to hearing about the race.

Georgia Marathon

Here it is, believe it or not. It has been a long training for John, who survived this (strange) winter' s cold, grueling 24 milers, and windy days over the bridge. He inspired and motivated us all with his actions. And let's be honest, actions speak better than a thousand words.

The time has come for yet another marathon. Please join me in wishing John a great race, a new PR, and sunny skies in Georgia this weekend. Knowing how determined and resilient John is, will certainly help me to get through my "hilly" 22 miler this Sunday.

Faster Still

Cami knocked 47 seconds off of her half marathon time from three weeks ago. She got another overall master's win at the First Watch Sarasota Half (click here). Trevor notched his sub 40 at the Flowertown 10K. The bridge run beckons. The winter training is paying off.

My marathon training is done. We'll see how that pays off this Sunday. A big thanks to you guys for the training support.

It's official I can register for the bridge run now!

Just got in from the Flowertown festival 10k and managed to pull together a sub 40 time to get a seeded time to the bridge run. Small crowd for the 10k much larger for the 5k. This is a double loop 5k course and since they let the 5k go first there was a lot of traffic the first time around the course. Overall a good race. 10th overall, 2nd in age group, 39:23. See you guys in the morning.

Daylight Savings Time

Daylight savings time begins this weekend. Don't forget to spring forward, loose an hour of sleep, and show up for our 7:00 Sunday morning run when it's a little bit darker. At least the weather won't be too chilly.

I'm a week out from my marathon, so I'll only be going about 8 miles or so. What about other folks?

Spring Has Sprung

It was a gorgeous day today, just perfect for our long, hilly runs over the bridge. It's been great to see and greet our Mount Pleasant running community. I continue to be amazed on how tight our running community is, and how folks help each other when times are tough. As I was going over the Mount Pleasant side of the bridge one last time, just around mile 19, two girls encouraged me with a "keep it up girl!" I was tired going uphill, but their encouragement was enough to keep me going strong at the end. Thanks, girls!

I just wanted to wish good luck to our racers. Trevor, go get 'em tiger! I know you can accomplish what you have in mind!

John, have a great Georgia Marathon!. You have done all the work, and I am sure that you will do great! Anybody else racing the next two weekends, have fun and enjoy!

Bridge Run Registration

Did everyone catch David Quick's blog entry (click here) about the Bridge Run registration? We're closing in on 30,000 registrants. 38,000 is the cap. Accounting for entry forms that are currently in-the-mail, the staffers might make the decision to shut down on-line registration to keep us from registering more people than we have race numbers.

Needless to say, there is a high degree of likelihood that we will not have walk-in registration at the Expo.

My advice is to register on-line.

Now.

Unexpected Help

We had cold but fairly calm weather on Sunday. Cami and I were out for our really long runs in prep for our marathons. We found some help in unexpected places. We had the full crowd (Trevor, Ricky, Rusty, Cami and me) all the way to the foot of the bridge. Right at the top, we ran into Blair, who stayed in contact with Cami for her repeats.

I figured I would run my remaining 15 in solitude. But as I approached the bridge for my return trip (about mile 15) I ran into Tom Mather and his running partner. "You heading back downtown?", he asked. "Yes, sir!" was my reply. I jumped in line and got a welcome (and needed) pick-me-up for all but the last four miles of my run.

It is great to have such a connected community of runners.

Make-Up Exam

Cami got an A+ on her make-up exam today. She got 1st Place Masters (8th top female, and 39th overall). Click here for results. This was in a field that included Joan Benoit-Samuelson! Way to go!

Our long run this morning was treated to nice weather. It was almost 60 degrees by the time we were done. It was also nice to see so many of our fellow runners out and about. Here's hoping that we have more Sundays like today in the near future.

Good Luck to Cami

Good luck to Cami, racing in the Run with Donna Half Marathon this Sunday. Unlike Myrtle Beach, it appears that the weather will be fully cooperating for great race conditions. Jacksonville is supposed to be in the low 40's at race start; partly cloudy with no wind. (we'll be checking those results).

For our Sunday long run, the weather should be equally accommodating. It will be nice to have a run that begins above freezing. With a month to go before Georgia, I've got a 22 miler on my calendar. What about other folks? What's on your schedule?

Damage Control

...So nobody could run Myrtle Beach, and all the work of 6000 people was wasted and for what? For 3 inches of snow and a hasty decision of the Myrtle Beach city officials.

To vent some of my frustration, I have decided to run a "hilly" 18 miler, so I went for it. You have got to imagine that I had all this bottled up adrenaline; in addition, I haven't run much this past week in preparation for the half-marathon, so I was antsy and eager to go. I did the first part of the bridge with John (I thank him for that), and we split thereafter. I went over the bridge 6 times, all between miles 4-18.7 @8:01 pace. It felt so damn good; I ended up running 19 miles total. Then I walked about a mile and called one of my supportive friends (thanks, Raluca) to come and pick me up.

I can finally focus on the Jacksonville half next weekend, and put everything else on the back burner. I know this will be a race that will not get canceled.

Many thanks to my running buddies for their support: John, Gordon, Trevor, Anne.

Canceled?!

The City of Myrtle Beach issued a public statement canceling the Myrtle Beach Marathon (click here). There is no mention on the marathon website (that I can find) of a reschedule date or time. I'm surprised that they couldn't negotiate a delayed start since the high will be close to 40.

There's another big shoe that needs to drop here: refunds. Keep in mind that the entry waiver states that they are in no way obligated to issue refunds for any reason (even cancellation), but they realize that this will create bad P.R. I can't imagine that they have the funds to issue refunds (most of it would have gone to t-shirts and venue and vendor deposits which are probably non-refundable) unless they purchased event insurance that covers a weather cancellation. If they choose to transfer everyone's entry to next year, they will still have a cash flow problem, as that will limit next year's income. Yikes.

My condolences to our buddies who trained so hard and made the trip only to be turned away at the last minute. This really stinks.

More Proof

Here's an interesting article (click here) that my brother forwarded to me. It talks about how running keeps your cells young. Exercise research continues to confirm what runners already know.

Good Luck to our Myrtle Beach runners. Bad news: the temps at start time are predicted to be in the thirties (there's even a slight chance of snow Friday night). Good news: the conditions will be clearing with little wind. Things are bound to be better than Charlie Post and Save the Light. Let's hope this equates to some fast times.

Save the Light - Part 2

Let's hear it for the West Ashley Running crowd representin' at STL. Gordon and I both won our age groups. Sure it was wet. Sure it was windy. But it wasn't too wet or too windy. We also got a lot of great support from the Tuesday night track crowd who were there to cheer us on. A good day all around.

I've got 18 on my schedule for tomorrow morning (along with Cami). See ya'll then.

Save the Light

You know what I'm talking about. We've all been there. Not our fastest race but one with plenty of surprises. After running through the 5th steeplechase obstacle (water) my toes were a little cold but honestly I was just happy to be out there. The last mile and half was tough going into the wind but there were plenty of bagels and bananas at the end. John said we were going to wet - he was right but no one could complain after last weekend! I think John had a good day all and all. Will try to make it tomorrow. I had to take off after the race eh... for two hours of ice skating!

Palmetto 200

Ricky - not sure how else to get a message to ya - but due to lack of interest on everybody's part but ours, probably not going to be racing in this event (Unless you've found at least two other bodies ??)

Training For the Winter/Spring Racing- My Perspective

Green Bank Telescope, WV

As the spring racing season approaches, many folks have started to ramp up their mileage, in preparation for Cooper River Bridge run, half and full marathons. After a slow start last fall, I felt that I had reached my peak later in the fall season. However, my fitness had steadily soared during the months of December and January. I now feel ready to tackle Myrtle Beach HM.
I cannot believe how fast these months went by. It seems that just yesterday we were getting ready for the holidays, while trying to build a solid base. Two weeks ago I was in the WV Mountains, trying to get my 16 miles in, struggling with the 2000 ft ascent, and feeling slow as molasses on the uphill. It was during that time when I began to wonder how in the whole world I am going to make it to the finish line in Boston.

Fortunately, I have been surrounded by people who motivate me every day, who train through rain, bitter cold (at least for us, it is cold), and wind. Two weekends ago, Rusty and Annie have joined me on a great progression run, and I thank them for being such great companions. Thanks, Rusty, I don’t know if I could have done it without your support and encouragement!

Yesterday we ran a 16 miler, fighting the wind and challenging weather conditions. Thanks to Gordon, John and Trevor, we’ve cranked out a good pace at the end. It felt great (of course, nobody could catch John, who took off during the last 6, leaving us in the dust!). But Trevor and I also sped up, running a solid pace, and averaging 8:01 /mile for the entire run. Not too shabby, thinking that a year ago, the crowd was about 1 min/mile slower (well, maybe this applies only to me). So, progress has been made, and I hope it will continue like this for everyone.

I thank again our group of dedicated people, folks who are fun to be around, and provide motivation when times are tough. I wish everyone good luck and excellent weather conditions for next weekend. “Save the light” HM is looming on the horizon!

Wind Chill

Trevor, Cami, Gordon and I braved the freezing temps this morning and ran the bridge. Our faces and hands were quite numb by the end of it, but we cranked out a good overall pace. And at least it was sunny.

Our brave comrades at Charlie Post on the other hand (results click here), were treated to a freezing monsoon. Check out David Quick's blog for some photos of the massive puddle run/swim portion of the race. Conditions like that definitely put the zap on finish times. My hat's off to those runners that toed the line.

A few of us will be at Save the Light on Saturday, but we still plan to have a crowd on Sunday morning. Hopefully things will be dryer and warmer this coming weekend.

Winter Racing Begins

The weather forecast for tomorrow's Charlie Post Run predicts race conditions that might charitably be described as challenging. Let's hope it doesn't terribly affect their registration numbers. On the bright side: if the speed demons sleep in, age group awards will go to the hearty, possibly slower, no less deserving few.

Sunday morning should be sans the rain, but colder still (lows in the 20's). Cami and I both have 16 on our schedules. How about other folks?

Busy Calendar

What's on everyone's menu for tomorrow. I'm going 15 (my mileage for ING Georgia is beginning to ramp up). The temps should be nice and mild. Let's hope the rain holds off.

Lots of races coming up. Charlie Post is next weekend. Save the Light is the weekend after that. Myrtle Beach is the following week. I'm planning on doing STL. What about other folks?

I ran into Frances and Randy Woodard yesterday. For those who haven't heard, Frances is interested in fielding a 12 man team for the Palmetto 200 (click here) as part of a fundraiser she's spearheading. Rusty or I can put you in touch with her if you are interested. I know that Swaz and Ricky were more interested in fielding a smaller division team. Looking at the rules that are posted, I'm not sure of their rule on whether all team members must exchange in full succession, or whether you can split your team into shifts. Anyone know for sure?

Riverfront Race

Had a great day at the Riverfront Race. Trevor and Blair had good races (Blair got second overall, Trevor also got some hardware). Also saw our old buddy Aaron. The rain held off and the temperature wasn't too bad. The crowds were good. Best of all, we had enough volunteers and nobody went off course. Huzzah!

I've got 14 on my calendar for tomorrow. If the rain blows through we'll have downright balmy temperatures (mid 60's). A welcome change from the last two Sundays.

Still trying to run at 8000 feet...

Hey - ya bunch o whiners - at least you got to run on asphalt !!!

Swaz E Cold-Toez

Any more takers for Palmetto 200 ??

Sunday adventure

So after freezing on the run this morning I get home and jump in the shower to warm up. Maybe 15 minutes later I go out in the garage to get something and see water all over the floor and here a gushing noise. I rush outside and cut the main water suply off so that my house doesnt turn into the charleston aquarium part 2. So I have had the joy of fixing a busted pipe in my garage all day. I really can't wait for it to get warm again! Hope I don't have a repeat tonight. On a side note it happened to my neighbor across the street too only she wasn't home so I cut her water off too. Same guy built both houses! See you guys later.

Arctic Training

Okay, here's the good news: it's going to be five degrees warmer tomorrow morning than it was last week. Bad news: it's going to be 25 degrees. I plan to go 12 or so, assuming I don't freeze (I found some better gloves). Is there anyone else crazy enough to join the fun?

Frozen Fourteen

According to the NOAA website, it was 20 degrees when we began and 26 degrees when we were done. But Trevor, Gordon and myself braved the cold weather for a brisk 14. Various body parts (some described in the Scottish dialect) were quite frozen. We were met by a sizable Mt. Pleasant crowd at our usual meet-and-greet location on the peninsula. It was heartening to see others suffering with us.

Here's hoping things get warmer soon.

Happy New Year!

Here's hoping everyone had a wonderful holiday. Now that we've gotten all of that feasting and revelry out of the way, it's time to get back to some serious running. I plan to go 14 or so tomorrow. What about other folks.

BTW, has everyone settled their Jan/Feb race calendar?