Dial-a-Dunn

Who you gonna call? 274-DUNN!



Even in California, the writing is on the wall...and it says that Allyson Dunn is the real(tors) deal. (And reAlly annoying! Or not. I had to "fix" the poll and put in a second vote that was something other than "not annoying". Sorry Ally, but I had to make you wonder who the second negative responder was. It was just me, from a different computer.)

For those of you that don't know -- Allyson and I (Terry) go back for years, and in no way do I find her annoying. We just like to joke around with each other. And even if no one else found the poll amusing, I know that her and I did. For the record, Ally is one of my favorite people. And that's why I'm writing this.

An ode to Allyson Dunn:
Allyson is running her first marathon this coming Sunday in Philadelphia. Two years ago at this time, Ally had yet to run a race. Ever. To my knowledge her first ever running race was the Corporate Challenge in summer of 07. The following Tuesday a little running group called TERRY, uh, I mean, TRY met up for the first time. In the year and a half since, there have been a lot of great achievements from TRY group members. From Brad and Ally finishing their first ever half marathons last fall, to Aubrey finishing her first Corporate Challenge, to several people finishing their first ever Boilermakers, to Katie qualifying for the Boston Marathon this fall.

So many people have reached new achievements alongside of TRY that it is hard to choose one, BUT if I had to choose the star pupil of the TRY group, it would have to be Ally. Partly because she's been there both years, but mostly because of what she has dunn and the transition she has made as a runner. To go from never running a race to running a marathon within 17 months is amazing to me. She's always been very dedicated and always willing to listen to more experienced runners. And not only does she listen -- but she actually applies what she hears! Amazing.

So, best of luck to you Allyson. I'm sure you'll have plenty of inspiration running in the city where your mother grew up and where there will be plenty of Phillies references to make you smile and think of your mom and me. (I'm not sure about the cowbells though -- they might be sparse thanks to Tampa ruining the concept of the cowbell for the people of Philadelphia).

It sounds like you've trained reAlly well and reAlly smartly, but that doesn't mean that there won't be tough parts during the race. So when that tough stretch hits late in the race, remember that you're not running by yourself. You have TRY there with you. Think about Katie. Think about Timmy. Think about Amy. Think about Brad. Think about me. Think about all of us that you've trained with in the last year and a half. The freezing days last winter, the hot days this summer. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

I'm very proud of you and I'm sure many others are as well. So, do TRY proud. And do it with a smile on your face. If you aren't smiling and enjoying it, then you aren't being the Ally we all know and like. So, smile at the cowbells, smile at the Phillies shirts, and smile at yourself for such a great accomplishment. Remember, you have an advantage over 99.99% of the other runners -- you'll be Dunn before you even start the race. :-)

Good luck, kiddo. I know you'll do well!
T

Winter Running

I'm now going to face the reality that very few, if anyone at all, are going to show up throughout the winter at OLP on Tuesday afternoons. I know many of you simply can't get out of work early enough, and lets face it, Syracuse winter weather can really make it easy to not go running. Last week, Katie and I made it about 200 ft in a very cold, windy, driving rain before we said "to hell with this." Therefore, I'm not going to bother posting weekly workouts for the rest of the winter. That being said, I plan on being at the park just about every Tuesday. Some days I'll be doing speedwork, sometimes (like today) I'll just be going for an easy run. So, if anybody would like to join me, that would be great. For now, I plan on starting my run about 4:15/4:20ish. I'm sure I'll have to move that time up a little earlier in a few weeks.

Terry, thanks for letting me TRY to keep things going in your absence. If you're not back in the spring, I'll be happy to get things going again until you return.

Ally, if Terry is not back by then, I promise to get better with the polls, and I'll do my best to not make them about you.

To everyone, good luck this winter, and do your best to keep running on at least a somewhat regular basis. It'll prevent you from having to start all over again in the spring. A lot, if not all of us, have made tremendous progress with our running throughout this past year, and at least for me, this group has definitely been a part of it. It's been a pleasure! Hopefully I'll see some of you throughout the winter, and if not, I'm sure I'll see all of you again in the spring.

Thank a Veteran

First off, to any Veterans reading this, my sincerest thanks for all you have done and will continue to do for this country. We are all in your debt. As for the rest of us, make sure you take a moment to reflect on the significance of today, and of course, thank a Veteran!

Okay, now for the running, which looks like it will be in about a 30 degree (if not colder) wind chill with a good chance of rain/snow showers. Regardless of the weather, I will be there. My plan for today is to do 800 m (1/2 mi) intervals with 400 m (1/4 mi) recoveries as follows:

• 1 mi warm-up
• 800 m on/fast
• 400 m recovery
• repeat 4x
• 1 mi cool-down

This adds up to 5 mi. As always, feel free to adjust the workout to fit you. I'm still looking at a 4:30 start time at least for this week.

For those of you looking for other day/time options, I know Aubrey and Sue are always looking for people to run on the weekends, and I believe Ally is pretty much looking for anybody to run another night. I don't really expect attendance to be very high on Tuesday's, especially with the early time. The important thing is to just keep running throughout the winter, even if it's only a couple times a week. Therefore, if anyone would like to get in touch with another TRYer to attempt to work something out for another day, let me know, and I can put you in touch with them (if you don't already have their contact info).

TRY Earlier

Okay, due to it no longer being daylight savings time, it's dark out by like 5:00 now. Therefore, for at least this week, we'll have to move the start time to 4:30. I realize that many of you won't be able to accommodate this, and I apologize. I've heard a few (but not many) suggestions on how to avoid this dilemma. If any of you have ideas and haven't already shared, please do so. I'd like to talk to a few more people before compiling the ideas and trying to figure it all out. Terry, what did you/the group do last winter? That being said, many of us do still run on days besides Tuesday (e.g., I know Sue's looking for people to join her on Saturday or Sunday). So, search around, and I'm sure you'll be able to find something that suits you.

Anyway, like I said before, tempo run tomorrow starting at 4:30 in OLP. I recommend 3-5 miles, with 2-3 at tempo pace (i.e., a pace that's not "all out" but one that is difficult to maintain for the given distance). For example, I'll be doing a 1 mi warm-up, 3 mi at tempo pace, and a 1 mi cool-down. Since it should be warm tomorrow, feel free to cut the warm-up and/or cool-down down to 1/2 mi if you're looking to cut down on the distance a little.

Hopefully at least some of you will be able to make it.

I May Not Be Helping You, But You're Still Helping Me

Guest post by Terry:

Just wanted to say hi to my TRY peeps...and to let you know that you are still on my mind, even though I abandoned you all and moved a couple thousand miles away. Today was the worst weather day I've seen in San Diego...it was only in the low 60's and was actually what I would call overcast and it even rained! (Well, rain is a strong word, more like a heavy mist.) Anyway, I totally didn't feel like running, but then I thought of TRY and all the hard work that a lot of you have done:

Katie ripping through her marathon after training so hard throughout the summer.
Aubrey and Christine building up to and finishing their first 10-k's.
Mark doing his hardcore speed workouts and improving his pace significantly.
Brian doing whatever it is that he does.
Catherine showing up for TRY the last two weeks in the middle of wind and snow storms and currently running at her fastest pace ever.
Amy pushing the length and pace of her runs to new limits.
Allyson doing the longest runs of her life in preparation for her first marathon.
Sue reaching her goal in her half marathon (including a potty break!).
Kris doing whatever it is that she does.
Annette doing crazy trail run half marathons and doing the longest runs of her life in preparation for her first marathon.
I'm sure there are others that I'm missing...

The point is that I thought to myself - "Self. How can you be lazy and sit on your bum just because the weather isn't ideal when the TRYers are back in Syracuse in sometimes miserable weather and pushing themselves to new limits. How can you look them in the eye next spring if you let yourself get soft on the west coast?"

So, I got of my buttocks and went out and suffered through a hilly run that turned out to be 11 miles. It wasn't quite mountain goat worthy, but it did have a Colvin equivalent hill 7+ miles in. And I don't think I could have done it without you guys. With thoughts of you in my head, a drenched shirt, chafed nipples (Annette -- I still get THO's out here!), and tough hills cannot deter me.

Thanks for inspiring me from afar! Now, bundle up and keep training! (Or else I'm going to whoop your butts at the Jingle Bell Run.)

-WCT

Was Yoda Right?

Absentee Organization

Okay, first off, it was REALLY COLD, REALLY WET, REALLY WINDY, and just all around NASTY on Tuesday. So props to you Catherine for braving the OLP in a freakin' pseudo-hurricane (and not those warm tropical ones either). I do really appreciate you showing up and not making me feel like a total ass...heheh.

As for this coming Tuesday's run, I'm not sure it's looking too much better, but we are a few days away yet. I'm posting abnormally early because I will be out of town starting tomorrow (Friday) through next Tuesday. I'll be in Washington, D.C./Arlington, VA rooting on my lovely wife as she conquers the Marine Corp Marathon. Therefore, I will not be present on Tuesday. However, the rotation must go on, which means 800m (1/2 mi) intervals as follows:

• 1 mi warm-up (again, it's probably going to be cold, so I recommend a mile warmup)
• 800m (1/2 mi) fast
• 800m (1/2 mi) recovery
• repeat on/off cycle 2x-3x
• 1/2 mi cool-down

This will result in 3.5 - 4.5 mi (depending on how many intervals you choos to do) all together. As always, feel free to adjust to fit your current conditioning/needs. I'll stress again though, that I think the 1 mi warm-up is something we should not skimp on as the temperature begins to drop. Put it this way, if your cold before you start running, do a full mile (if not more) warm-up before jumping into any high intensity running.

Lastly, I want to start a brainstorming session on how to keep participation up throughout the winter months. So, this is an open invitation to post comments with your ideas. For example, some that have already been mentioned (but please feel free to mention again so I can kind of get a tally as to how many feel a certain way) are moving inside (would obviously need a venue to support this), moving to a weekend run (would need permission from the T in TRY), keep pushing up the time to avoid darkness, etc. Like I said, please post some ideas, even if they are duplicates.

I hope you guys have at least some mediocre weather this week....HAVE A GREAT RUN!!!

Cold and Wet

Well, it looks like tomorrow may be our first true test of running in some potentially nasty weather this year. The latest forecast I saw was a high in the low/mid 40s, and a 70% chance of rain (how's San Diego Terry?...jerk). Regardless of the weather, I'll still be there, and hopefully at least a few of you will too. In all honesty, I believe running in this type of weather is better than some of those very hot/humid days we ran in this summer.

So, meeting time and location is the same as last week: 5:00, OLP. Since the 1 mi (1600m) intervals we did last week result in a similar type of workout as a tempo run (for most of us anyway...we'll leave Katie and her 7mi tempo runs out of this calculation), and the rotation we're all used to is 1/4 mi, 1/2 mi, tempo, the order of the day tomorrow will be 1/4 mi (400m) intervals as follows:
1 mi warmup

1/4 mi hard
1/4 mi easy
(repeat for 5 cycles)

1/2 mi cooldown

This adds up to 4 miles. If you're not up for that, drop an interval cycle and you'll end up with 3.5 mi. You could further shorten the run by dropping back to a 1/2 mi warmup, but I would advise against this due to the cooler temperatures. The increased warmup time will hopefully allow everyones' muscles to get ready for the stress of shorter, high speed intervals, while decreasing the risk of injury. It simply takes longer for our muscles to loosen up as the temperature drops.

Lastly, since I've never really organized anything like this before, and I think Terry's done a pretty damn good job, my plan is to pretty much just keep things going. I realize this is going to be difficult for some of us with the shorter days and inclement weather. Therefore, please feel free to offer up any suggestions/comments/criticisms/copious amounts of praise/etc. on how we can make things better or just keep more of us involved through the winter months.

October 14th

I'm sick and tired so I'll keep this brief.

Meeting at 5:00 at the typical place at OLP. I'm suggesting an interval run that I haven't had the group do before -- whole mile repeats. It seems like that will fit nicely into our rotation of different speed workouts that we do.

Within a four mile run it'll have to be something like this -

1/2 mile warmup
1 mile hard
1/2 mile recovery
1 mile hard
1/2 mile recovery
1/4 mile hard (if you feel like it, just to see how warmed up you are)
1/4 mile cool down

So, plan for a 4 mile run with 2, one mile hard portions in the midst of it.

Remember, this is my last week with TRY for now. If you feel like going out for dinner or drinks afterwards some people will be going to Tully's on 7th north street.

The Times, They Are A Changing

Starting this week, the group will meet at 5 at the same Onondaga Lake Park location. (Due to daylight slowly fading on us.) So, that means we'll be off and running at 5:05. Please arrive accordingly.

It will probably move again in November once daylight savings time ends.

This weeks run will be a four miler again...this time with 1/2 mile intervals. Same idea as always - 1/2 mile off, 1/2 mile on cycle should allow for 4 on cycles this week. (But you should move up the last cycle so that it is not at the very end of the run -- shorten the next to last recovery portion accordingly. That'll be fun! Not!)

Since that probably doesn't make sense to everyone -- ask me what the heck I'm talking about.

See the next blog entry below for another annoucement.

And That's Not All That's Changing

There are some changes happening to the TRY organization as well:

I'm taking a temporary work assignment based out of San Diego, California. The rough plan is to leave in two weeks and to be based out there for about four months. (It could be slightly more, or it could be less). So, I'm down to two more weeks of organizing TRY for this fall and may not be back on a regular basis until March/April.

What does this mean to you? Not much, except you won't see me at any group runs until late winter. I'll still chime in remotely, I'm sure, and someone else is going to be organizing things.

Mark Fitzpatrick has graciously agreed to take over the TRY leadership responsibilities in my absence. So, after next week I'll turn the keys over to him and it'll be up to him on how he chooses to run TRY. (Blog? Emails again? Smoke signals? It's all on how he wants to handle things. You can give him your suggestions in the poll to the right.) I trust that you all will show him the same disrepect and apathy that you have always shown me! :-)

Thanks Mark for taking over...and good luck to the group with your remaining running goals for this fall.

For anyone that feels the need or want to say an extra goodbye to me -- the only thing I plan to do is to have a send-off post run dinner in two Tuesdays. (It will be at Tully's after the group run on the 14th.)

Changes are coming

This is the last week that we'll meet at the summertime time. Meet one last time this year at 5:30 at the OLP rental location.

The speed work cycle we've been following brings us back to doing 1/4 mile repeats. And since almost everyone can handle it, lets plan on a 4 mile run. So a 1/2 warm-up and a 1/2 mile cooldown will leave room for 6 1/4 mile "on" portions. Plan your energy for 6! repeats and try to manage it so that your 5th one is your fastest of the session.

For those of you still learning how to do speed workouts -- if you are barely slowing down for the "off" portions, then either you aren't pushing enough during the "on"s, or you aren't relaxing enough during the "off"s. Someone just glancing at you should be able to tell that you significantly changed your speed and would think to themselves ("Hmmm, that person must be doing speedwork tonight".) If you need to, feel free to walk some during the off portions...but only if you need to, try to keep jogging slowly if you can. But, definitely go slow enough during the recovery cycle so that you have your breathing/heartrate back down enough to kick it back up during the next interval. The main idea is teach your body to stress itself and then recover quickly, then stress again... Once you get used to this and start effectively mixing in this workout technique it will make a big impact on your race pace.


FYI -- I keep forgetting to point this out and I've realized many of you don't understand the weblink for the TRY blog. It is a concatenation of the words "there is a try". So, if you've never realized it, that's all it is. The website is thereisatry.blogspot.com and the only tricky part to remember is the word "blogspot". Or, you can google "Tuesday Recreational Yogging" and the blog is the first thing that shows up. Hope that helps! Sorry that I didn't explain any of that earlier for those of you that have had trouble remembering how to get to the site.

Wake me up when September ends

I'm afraid if I name names, that I will leave someone out accidentally. So, I'll just put out a general congratulations. I know many of you have ran your longest runs ever, or your fastest long runs during the last 2-3 weeks. Congratulations on your 10-Ks, your 1/2 Marathons, and your Marathon performances! All of your hard work over the summer and late summer is paying off and it seems like you are putting up some great times in your longest races ever. Great work! :-)

There has been some discussion about moving the TRY meet-up time. We are leaving it as is, for two more weeks. (It will move earlier -- probably 5 o'clock for a few weeks -- starting in October so there is enough time to get a 3-4 mile run in, in the daylight. Late fall, that time will have to move earlier again. So stay tuned.) FYI -- we are meeting at 5:30 for a reason -- to allow the most people to be able to get there after their work shift. I'm sorry that it means some people have to wait around after they get done working at earlier times. It was a decision based on feedback from everyone, way back in the spring.

This week - same place at OLP at the same time (5:30). We've done the 1/4 mile intervals (two weeks ago) and the 1/2 mile intervals (last week) so its time for my variation of a tempo run. Tonight I say we shoot for a 4 mile tempo run, with 1/2 mile being warmup, 1/2 mile being cooldown, leaving 3 miles in the middle as the "tempo" portion. You should be pushing for these three miles -- basically doing a 5k race, but just slightly slower. This should be a faster pace than your typical long run training pace if you are going to get the full benefit from it. (As always, diverge from the plan as your training or injuries dictate.) If you don't think you can handle 3 miles of pushing it, do 2 or 2 1/2 instead. If that still seems like too much, then do 2, one mile intervals with a 1/2 mile recovery in between. The idea is to make sure the portion you are pushing during is significantly longer (and obviously slower) than you would do for your 1/2 mile intervals. We are attempting to differentiate our speed runs so that our bodies don't get used to any one length...and therefore keep getting pushed to their limits during these otherwise "short" runs.

I can't think of any fun polls for the sidebar -- any ideas?

TRY Drugs

No - don't try drugs! (We're drug free for life, remember?) I mean drug information related to TRY.

But first -- this weeks run. The main group run will be a 3 1/2 mile run with 1/2 mile intervals. Others can do whatever they heck they want to.

After hours activity -- since its getting to be that time of year, and some of us need to practice before our bowling league starts, I'm going to call a couple places and see if there is open bowling tonight at 7ish. So, whoever feels like bowling after running can go TRY bowling. I'll ask around tonight to see if anyone else is interested.

Drug use information:

This is the same information that I sent out last year, so you old timers don't need to read it, but this years TRY members will probably get something out of it.

If you are injured and taking drugs to help your injury heal -- you need to take ibuprofen because that is a NSAID…the key point being the "AI" or the "anti-inflamatory" portion. (Acetaminophen is a pain reliever only, it will not help with the healing of injury itself.) BUT, you shouldn't take ibuprofen before or immediately after LONG runs/races where hydration/dehydration is a concern. On those days, if you need something just for pain, you take acetaminophen. I've broken this rule myself and this might have been part of my problem during my first marathon a few years ago -- I took ibu that day. Ooops! I can find a conclusive answer on what makes a run long or not, but I'm assuming a 5K doesn't really matter, but 10K and up would start to…depending on how hot is out.

As runners, it's probably worth reading through the articles below if you don't already know this stuff…plus there are some other stuff mentioned about allergy meds and pepto type meds:

Runners world link pill primer:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-286-289-7770-0,00.html

Runners world link strong medicine:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,ssss6-241-286--9214-4-1X2X3-4,00.html

More on the science behind the drugs you might take:
http://www.athleteinme.com/ArticleView.aspx?id=306

It's Running Season

Since I played baseball in school, I never went out for "track" and the fall is what I think of as running season. This is the time of year when I run that the temperatures, the scents, the sights and the conditions really make me nostalgic. It takes me right back to being a mediocre cross-country runner!

Many of you have been doing a great job with your running/training. Many of you I have now idea about. But I suspect that some of you haven't been running much lately. I know I fall into that category myself...just haven't been able to find the motivation to do so. Then, the other morning I looked in the mirror and thought to myself, "Boy, you are fat and ugly! You better start running again."

Yeah, I know what you are thinking (or at least what Ally is thinking) -- that running won't fix ugly. But I figure it can help a little with the fat part. So, I'd at least have that, Ally! :-P

So, for the TRY members out there that have been too busy or have been coming up with a lot of excuses to not run lately, I encourage you to come out this Tuesday or next and get restarted with me. There are a couple of really nice running months ahead (nice and cool but still enough sunlight to run after work) for getting in better shape and also plenty of fun races around that you could target if you wanted the extra motivation. Pick out a race in October/November and see if you can make some gains speed/distance/confidence-wise. That way, even if you take the winter off from running, you'll be stronger for skiing/snowboarding and when spring rolls around you can start to think about running faster or longer in next summers races. (And you can become a running superstar like our very own Katie...she is going to have to start her own group called "Do" -- because she's doing it, she's not messing around "Trying" anymore. Congratulations on a great placing again this weekend, Katie! :-) I suppose I should also mention that Mark did very well too. Good job by our fastest couple! Your hard work is really paying off.

So, who's in? What other slackers are ready for a restart along with me? I hope to see a couple non-familiar faces out there this week!

As for this weeks run itself -- I think our speed work cycle brings us back to a tempo run. But, I've been so disconnected, I'll poll the group live before we start and see what speed work (if any) that people are in the mood for (400s, 800s or tempo). The length is up to you. Anywhere from two to four miles for regular folk not gearing up for a long race.

In the original post, I forgot to mention that I have reserved a couple tables for Tuesday night at the official restaurant of TRY -- Tully's Good Times on 7th north street. So hopefully several people will be able to go for dinner, or dessert, or just drinks. Plan accordingly.

Living the Fantasy

Since I was unable to get it moved, I have to do my fantasy football draft tonight and won't be joining in with TRY. (I know, I've missed 2 out of 3 weeks now!)

People are on their own plans for the most part these days, but for those of you who aren't...how about a 3.5 to 4 mile run with 1/4 mile intervals for the speed workout tonight? So, do 4-6 fast intervals or until you can't take it any more. Good luck. I'll be back next week.

FYI -- no more field trips for a while -- meeting at the Liverpool park until further notice.

Round and round we go

Sue (Wait) is out of the office this week but is looking for people to do a long run (8-10) miles with this weekend. Any takers? (Post in the comments or get a hold of Sue.)

Today is our last planned field trip of the summer -- back to Green Lakes State Park for a yog. The group run will start at 5:45ish and meet near the bathroom building, at the second turn in from the main entrance to Green Lakes. (Where we had the picnic back in July.) Google map to guide you.

These field trip runs are hard to coordinate a group run for, so lets just wing it tonight once I talk to the people that make it. There you can do a 3 or 5 mile run around the lakes quite simply, can do hill repeats, can go for an adventure and try to add on new trails off the back of round lake (but they get a little confusing, I almost got lost the other day). So, show up, let me know what you are in the mood for and we'll split up into 2 or 3 like minded groups. People new to Green Lakes, be sure to let me know. I'm not going to send any newbies off into the woods by themselves. (The trails aren't marked very well.)

For people in the mood -- bring towels/swimming stuff. It should be warm enough for a quick dip after the run.

Since I was judged harshly last night by a stranger for a hat that I chose to wear while playing softball (someone was hating on my lucky beaver hat -- thought it meant that I was better than everybody else -- that'll teach me to wear a $2 kids hat!), it reminded me that discrimination still happens all the time. And since the olympics are just wrapping up, here is a thought provoking quote from one of the USAs most famous olympians:
"When I came back, after all those stories about Hitler and his snub, I came back to my native country, and I could not ride in the front of the bus. I had to go to the back door. I couldn't live where I wanted. Now what's the difference?"
Jesse Owens

Keep that in mind when you catch yourself judging others this week.

MIA -- Thanks to my helpers

Just wanted to formally thank Allyson and Katie for leading the troops in my absence yesterday. I wasn't feeling up for running and I texted them at the last minute and asked them to help me out.

Thanks ladies! :-)

For those (non blog readers) that didn't get the group email yesterday or a response to specific emails -- I think you know why by now...but if not -- I was out of commission and out of touch with reality yesterday. Hopefully I'll be ready to try again next week. (Green Lakes State Park field trip.)

A Fair End to the Summer

Is it really time for the Great New York State Fair? Hard to believe. Oh well, that'll teach me to sleep through the summer.

We continue to follow the TRY August Schedule. So that puts us back at our normal place and time for this week. Unfortunately, its time again for 1/2 mile intervals (my least favorite of the three I have you do):

The group run will be a 3.5 mile run with 1/2 mile intervals:
1/2 warmup,
1/2 on,
1/2 recover,
1/2 on,
1/2 recover,
1/2 on,
1/2 cooldown.

Not everyone has been embracing the speedwork, but I continue to encourage you to do so. If you push while doing it, it will make you faster in the long run (punny, aren't I?) and studies show that interval running is much better at helping you lose weight than long, slow distance is. Tonight you know that you only have 1.5 miles of "fast" portions -- so make it hurt. The two miles of warmup, cooldown and recovery are easy...so work the part the matters.


Miscellaneous topics:
1) Syrup -- someone who got the same vintage syrup as most of you said they noticed some mold on their container. That is perfectly normal although unfortunate. There are no preservatives used in pure maple syrup and since I was transporting them in the middle of the summer, they were susceptible. So, if anyone finds mold on their syrup, you have a couple choices. A) Give it back to me or just let me know that you want it replaced. B) Skim it off and then heat up the syrup and then skim the top again. And it will be as good as new. Truly.
Sorry if anyone else has had that problem. :-(

2) I believe TRYers were well represented at some local races this weekend. Two at the Willow Bay Run for Women and three at the Upstate Chiropractic run at Beaver Lake? Keep up the good work peops -- and remember that not ever run and not every race is going to be ideal. Some days you just don't have it, so don't beat yourself up if you don't do as well as expected. Try to figure out what might have gone wrong, but sometimes its just a coincidence. Even Michael Phelps isn't perfect! (Ok, bad example....but you get the point.) You aren't always going to be at your peak.

3) I have added a list to the side of the blog, for TRY members who have their own blogs that they would liked linked to. So, if you would like to join Annette in her kitchen, let me know. Ally, maybe you could make a bedroom blog? Kristen, maybe you could make a blog about Lily? Ron, maybe you could make a pianist blog? Etc... Share your talents please. It will allow us to get to know other TRYers better.

4) This is completely unrelated to anyone but me, but it isn't often that I see my hometown (or in this case the neighboring "city") in the national news. I stumbled across this story on Yahoo most popular the other day. Its a story about how the 200 windmills that have been built on the Tug Hill Plateau near Lowville, NY have not been without controversy. It was a very interesting read for me since I drive by them a lot when visiting my family. Link.

Quote:
"You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement."
- Steve Prefontaine

(A very famous US runner...he died early in a disputed car "accident". When you see people wearing "Pre" stuff...that is a tribute to him.)

TRY Field Trip for August 12th

I'll be out of town through Monday so I thought I should post this ahead of time. On Tuesday the 12th we'll be yogging at Beaver Lake Nature Center.

Meet at the marked parking lot in the map at 5:45. If you are running behind or get lost, call my cell phone at 440 0397.

The plan will be to do a group warm up jog on one of the short trails (Hemlock Hollow perhaps?) and then to do the main lake trail as individuals hard. (A 3 mile tempo type run.)

If you've never been to the park you should head into the main building and check out the animals. (I recommend petting the beaver...I know I always enjoy that.)

Depending on who shows up, and who is interested, we could have one of the Baldwinsville residents lead us to a post race food destination in B'ville.

Coordinate carpooling amongst yourselves or in the comments below. (You shouldn't need an account, just choose the anonymous option.) There is a nominal fee to get out of the park -- $2 per vehicle.

If you enjoy the run there is a race on Sunday right at Beaver Lake -- 5K and 10K options available.

Quote for the week:
"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run, and not be weary; They shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

TRY for the week of August 5th

Meeting at the typical place and time. Tonights group run will be a 3.5 mile run with 1/4 mile intervals dispersed in our typical pattern. So that is five "on" portions. Plan your energy accordingly. (We are saving the "tempo" run for next week at Beaver Lake since there are no markers there.)

After the run there is a TRY group outing to the Syracuse Chiefs game for free baseball and cheap dogs. Feel free to join in!

There is a chance of storms this afternoon, so the group run may be at risk...you can call me if it is threatening and you have questions on whether the run is on as scheduled.

Someone out there is always disappointed when there isn't a quote of the week, so this ones for you:
"Ability is what you are capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it."
--Lou Holtz

What is TRY?

TRY is the Tuesday Recreational Yogging club. (Yogging is jogging with a soft "j", inspired by Ron Burgandy).

TRY is a non-judgmental, non-elitist, group of runners who meet together to train in an attempt to reach new personal goals, but also in an attempt to help and inspire newer runners. Helping others enjoy running and reach goals that they thought were unreachable (or lengths that they thought were unrunnable).

Each week there is a group run that has some basis in logic on why that is the group run. Some people join in, others do their own training that suits them better at that time. Usually there is a little bit of socialization before and after the group run and occasionally there is a group outing to keep the socialization going. But, the focus is on enjoying the running/training that you are doing and to have others help you on your way just as you are helping them.

Weekly updates and/or just the plan for the week will be posted on this TRY blog.

The typical place and time to meet and run is at the Wegmans playground end of the Onondaga Lake Park at 5:30. (See the "Where we TRY" entry for a map link.) If the time or place have been moved it will be mentioned in the weekly post.

"Do, or do not. There is no TRY." -Jedi Master Yoda

"There is a TRY now!" -TRY Master T

Where we TRY

The links below are all google map links, so you should be able to use them to get directions. If you have problems with them, please let me know in the comments section.


The primary TRY meeting location:
Onondaga Lake Park meet-up location

"A" marks the spot. Park in the large lot to the north and meet near the tables next to the bike rental building. The runs start on the circle next to the Wegmans playground. The website for Onondaga Lake Park.


Field trip locations:
Green Lakes State Park meet-up location
"A" marks the spot on the trail where we congregate. Close to the second parking lot and close to the small bathroom building.

Beaver Lake Nature Center meet-up location
"A" marks the spot next to the parking lot where we congregate.

August and Everything After

Well, just August actually. The votes are in and people overwhelmingly wanted to do a couple field trips during August. So here is the plan:

08/05 - Normal place and time
08/12 - Beaver Lake Nature Center at 5:45 (There is a 5K/10K race at Beaver Lake on the 17th so I wanted people to see the course before that.)
08/19 - Normal place and time
08/26 - Green Lakes State Park at 5:45

Details (and maps) to come, but I wanted to get the schedule out there for people to plan around. The field trips will start a little later to allow for travel time.

Syracuse Chiefs Game Field Trip

The game is Tuesday August 5th at 7 PM. (Free seating is in the upper deck only.)

Details from the website:
Hofmann Two-for-Tuesday Complimentary Level 300 General Admission tickets are available at Hofmann Hot Haus locations, the tickets contain a "buy one get one free" hot dog coupon valid at the stadium for this game

Reference website:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t552

For baseball geeks like myself, Charlotte is the opponent and they are the affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

Please either email me, or put in the comments of this post if you are going to the game and how many tickets you would need.

Blah, Blah, Blog

Who cares? I don't and the results of the vote indicate that you don't either. So, typical place, typical time...Wegman's Playground end of the parkway at 5:30.

The group run will be a 3.5 mile run with 1/2 mile intervals:
1/2 warmup,
1/2 on,
1/2 recover,
1/2 on,
1/2 recover,
1/2 on,
1/2 cooldown.

Some others will be doing a longer run...let me know beforehand if you want to be part of that group. (I'll be doing the intervals).

TRY Summer Session II begins

Ahhhhh....gotta love those Boilermaker race day photos of TRY members!

Run tonight at the normal place and normal time. (Wegman's playground end of the park at 5:30).

For now, TRY is starting shorter runs with optional speed training. Tonight will be a 3 mile run with 1/4 mile intervals. (1/2 mile warmup, 1/2 mile cooldown, and 4 1/4 mile speed intervals in the middle).

We might have some new attendees tonight, so please welcome them warmly.

Some answers to recent questions I've been asked:
Yes, we are running tonight. We always run. (We always TRY).
The group run for the next several weeks will, at a minimum, involve short interval workouts.
Last year TRY trained until late November.
Yes, I really am as awesome as I seem.
No, I do not want to date you.
The blog will be updated at my whim. Check Tuesdays at noon if you want to see the plan for that week. Check more often if you don't have anything better to do with your time.
Yes, I really did pack the fudge last week.
Actually, that IS Croghan Bologna in my pocket, but that doesn't mean that I'm not happy to see you.
867-5309


As you've probably noticed, I've added some flair to the blog. Please respond to the poll on the right. (Depending on the results, I may split the training each week and people would follow whichever path suits them the best.) The blog will continue to be tweaked for a couple weeks until I'm relatively happy with the layout/look of it. Feel free to chime in, in the comments section (or an email to me directly) if there are more links you'd like available or more content that would be useful for you. This blog can end up being your one stop shop for the running links that you use...just send them to me and I can get them up in a sidebar for everyone else to use as well.

TRY Weekly Update -- Picnic info and award ceremony

Here is a google map link to help you on your way tonight:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=17043911612453586904,43.051654,-76.127857%3B86528553506501964,43.058745,-75.964594%3B11164750893332514861,43.062640,-76.061580&saddr=I-690+E+%4043.051654,+-76.127857&daddr=Green+Lakes+Park+Dr+%4043.058745,+-75.964594+to:43.061771,-76.061096&mra=dme&mrcr=1&mrsp=2&sz=15&sll=43.062617,-76.055603&sspn=0.013545,0.036907&ie=UTF8&ll=43.060015,-76.052728&spn=0.108365,0.295258&t=h&z=12

Point A is on 690 heading east, Point B is the parking lot to attempt to park in. (We'll TRY to get a picnic table in sight of that bathroom building in that parking lot). Point C is the meet-up place for people carpooling/caravaning with me. (The Bridge Street Walmart parking lot). My cell phone is 440-0397...call if you need help getting there or especially to find the group at the park.

Some of you have wanted to help pay for tonight. There is no need for that. The catering service has been great and is really cheap. They haven't even charged for labor and the food costs aren't any more expensive then if I had bought the stuff myself! If you still insist on paying, then know that any money paid tonight will start my fundraising for next years Relay For Life event. So, feel free to pay $.25 or $200...whatever you want to donate to Relay For Life. My fundraising starts now. What I would rather have you do though, if you want to give something back for this picnic, is to "Take a Moment to Try. Try to Give Back." You should remember the email I sent out for the Relay for Life where I was seeking emails on what random/quirky things people did in order to help out strangers or family members or friends or neighbors? Well, I sent that email to a ton of people...way over 50 for sure. I was hoping for 10 responses. I got 1. Needless to say that was very disappointing. One! That was a real let down to me. Obviously people do good deeds all the time, but couldn't be bothered to email me for my little project. So, if you want to pay me back or help me celebrate my birthday, "Take a Moment to Try. Try to Give Back." (I'm attempting to trademark that phrase...) Since I know all of you do nice things for people, I'm asking that you send an email saying one of those things in the next two weeks. mailto:thereisatry@gmail.com Thanks.

(Ideas: Throw a snack bar at a homeless man. Help your brother quit smoking. Give a big tip to the single mom waiting on you at Tully's to keep her off the poll. Whatever...have some fun with it...but make someones day a little brighter, unexpectedly. That's what I want. Take a Moment to Try. Try to Give Back!)

AWARDS:
Since we've completed another big group race, it's time for the prestigious awards ceremony. I'd like to give one to all who completed the Boilermaker, but if I reward everyone, then I reward no one, in a sense. So, honorary mention to the first time Boilermaker finishers: Mark, Katie, Susan, Jennifer, (Mike,) and Catherine. Great job! And an extra special super-duper job award to first time finishers who completed the longest race of their lives: Lori and Kristen and Timmy (and Mike?)! Excellent work guys and gals! But, there is only one official winner of the "I TRY Harder" Award for the 31st Annual Utica Boilermaker race -- Allyson Dunn. Why does she get the award? Because she has a perfectly symmetrical pair. (Of splits, that is.) How the heck did you manage that? You couldn't do that again if they were TRYing to! So, for finishing your first Boilermaker and for doing the impossible and clocking identical 10k and 15k split times, you get the coveted "I TRY Harder" Award. Congratulations Allyson! You were perfect. Or at least your times were...28:09 and 28:09...well Dunn, Allyson!

http://www.leonetiming.com/2008/Roads/Boilermaker/15kSplits.htm