Sunday, February 21, 2010

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.

Friday, February 19, 2010

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?

Sunday, February 14, 2010

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.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

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.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

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.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

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!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

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 ??)

Monday, February 1, 2010

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!