BM BR 11

This is your regular host, Tbone: For a week or two (and what an ugly couple weeks it was!) I had lost my way. And for those who thought I was "crabby" keep in mind that my sign is Cancer, so it would make perfect sense for me to be crabby. Thanks to those of you who remembered me during my cancerous time. But a bigger thank you to Kelly for offering to take over the blog for a while. The current plan is for Kelly to shepherd the group and for me to add some spice alongside. So think of her as the good cop. And me as the bad cop. Thanks Kelly! :-) (Read the next blog entry for her entry this week.)

Here is my promised, traditional, post Boilermaker photo-fest.

For anyone who ran the Boilermaker and didn't know about the "fun" finish line camera view, go to this page and find yourself. It can be a bit like "Where's Waldo", but it's worth the time to watch yourself limp, float, stumble, list, etc, across the finish line. It is listed by "gun time" which starts exactly at 8:00 AM, so it's easy to use your gun time to narrow down your 3 minute window. And the "right" versus "left" is from the runners perspective. So, to see my salute to the camera, I know I was on the left, so I pick the "LEFT CAMERA" and my gun time was 1:21:20ish, so I pick 09:21 AM, and voila, I'm there giving my special salute at 1:21:21. Which just so happened to be the exact same moment, the automated still camera got this shot.

That's right. I'm pointing at you, Mr. Camera-man. (You can do stuff like this and the ol' GW when you haven't ran your hardest and have the energy to play around.)

For another fun one, pick the right camera at 09:06, skip ahead to almost the end and watch what Kelly does at the 1:08:44ish mark -- after crossing the second timing pad, she does some sort of long-floppy-armed-I-want-to-be-in-the-thriller-video-remake maneuver. Nice work Kelly! (This is probably what you do when you actually run your hardest...things happen. And they aren't always pretty. She had composed herself just a couple seconds later. Which is a shame, because a picture mid-flappy arms would have been a classic.)


I'm not going to go through the other TRYers just yet, but you should. It's actually much easier this year, with brightroom providing all those finish shots, so you know when and where each person finished.

And now, the bulk of this weeks entry: A tradition unlike any other! The embarrassing mid-race photos brought to us by Brightroom.com and my online stalking.


Kelly and her booties of levitation +2. (She has been a turd to me lately -- and obviously she's "a floater.)


Kerri - leading up "TRY: East" every week. Right Kerri?


Aaron - missing the patented GW here. Sneak up on you Aaron?


Terry - there were slightly better shots available, but check out the stud to his left. He needs to spend less time in the gym and spend some time taming down his "o-face". Seriously, Terry is perfectly calm, why is Mr. Stud making a scene like that?


Erin - first time BMer. Not quite a first time TRYer yet. Tonight?


Adam - as a first timer, he wisely chose to pace behind a nice old lady with a visor and a fanny pack. (Good lesson here -- when in doubt, pace off of retired librarians. They know the Dewey Decimal System and how to get to the finish.)

(Just kidding Adam -- I know you crushed her net time.)

John. What can I saw about this? Other than to make it stop! There weren't any other solo shots available so I had to put us all through it. Let this be a lesson to everyone. If you are going to take your shirt off, at least make an "o-face"!

Ivy. She has an amazing ability to find me in a crowd even though we barely know each other. I've never felt like I was being stalked before. It's kind of refreshing, actually! First time BMer. Maybe a first time TRYer tonight?

Maria. I thought she was drunk after the race. But she looked so happy throughout that I now have to conclude that she was just high on life that day. Must be the confidence that comes along with a strong core from doing stand up paddle boarding.
The start (along with JJ before he was blinding us with his white chest of disorientation+1)

The finish.

The glamour shot. She's everywhere!


And if you aren't Maria and still want to finish the race with a smile, then do the 5k like this guy.


Seriously, you then have extra time on your hands to ham it up for the camera.


But I kid...he has the fastest PR of any of us, so if he wants to "only" do the 5k...then he's more than earned the right to.

That's it. I think I got at least one representative shot of all the TRYers. Just a reminder that a lot of TRYers weren't there...I hope to see more of you there next year!

A parting shot: This year, was the first time in a few times that I didn't have something more recognisable on for a hat or clothing. And directly following last year where I was very easy to pick out in a crowd. (With the cow hat and the cowbell.) And I must say, it wasn't as fun. So, if you truly want to experience the crowd at the Boilermaker, I recommend hamming it up a little. It's a great rush when you feel that large of a crowd reaching out to you specifically. I missed it this year. And made a mental note to pass along that "winning the crowd" does help you

New Writer

This is Kelly, and I'm going to blog for a few weeks until Terry stops being crabby :)  We'll see if he edits that one!  I am not nearly as creative, but I'll make sure I post every Sunday.

I do have a question for all our "faithful" readers.  Has anyone done a fun race or a memorable running related event in the last month or two?  If you have, leave a comment.  Thanks!

This week there will be some first time TRY-ers in addition to the regular cast of characters.  For those who are new runners, Ron will lead a two mile run at a comfortable pace for everyone.  For those looking for speed work, we will stick with quarters again.  There will be a 1 mile group warm up, 4-6 quarter mile repeats, quarter mile rest between each, and a 1 mile cool down.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone out there at OLP!

Why Bother?

Since only a couple people have the time to read the blog, there is no sense in me taking the time to write it.

You know the drill. At OLP at 5:30.

Injuries and Play Date

The most important thing to know for this week: TRY will not be meeting at the park. We are doing a playdate involving running, kayaking, swimming, and eating. Read to the end for details.

But first, something that all of us can use from time to time -- a little primer on running related injuries:

This came to me via active.com and it looks like it was a runners world article. I thought it was good enough to warrant everyone's attention. It has a little description and help for the following injuries:

1. Runner's Knee

2. Achilles Tendinitis

3. Hamstring Issues

4. Plantar Fasciitis
5. Shinspints

6. Iliotibital Band Syndrome (ITBS)

7. Stress Fracture

So, read the article now if you need to or have interest, or just note that this will be available in the blog articles for the next time that something flares up and you need to find out how to deal with ITBS.

Our mid-summer play date is going to be at Aaron and Kelly's again this year. They have graciously offered up their place and their waterfront for us again.

The plan:

Meet there by 5:45 for a run through the neighborhood. The thought is to do a "fun", group speed work-out.

After the run, there will be some water time - for swimming, kayaking, and perhaps some frisbee tossing. And, theoretically, Maria will be bringing her "stand up paddleboard" for people to demo. It is something that seems to be quickly gaining popularity as the next big thing in self-powered water sports, so I am excited for the opportunity to try it out and hope that other people come to take advantage of it.

After the water play - we will do a small backyard barbecue. A & K will provide the meat (and the bananas?) but will need us to help provide our drinks and sides and desserts.

So, what I need from you is a response if you will be attending (no need to let me know if you will not be attending - save me some emails, please). The sooner, the better for the yesses...on Monday if you can...and then I'll be getting in touch with the attendees, with directions and with some coordination of food. There can be some maybe's so don't feel left out if you can't answer right away -- as long as I have a general headcount on Monday night, that will work fine.

I think this makes sense? If not, please get my attention.

Don't know what stand up paddleboarding look likes? Here you go.

Boilermaker Week 2011

This Tuesday's run at the park should be something with a little bit longer interval mixed in. So, let's plan on 1/2 mile intervals. We can pick total distance and number of repeats before the run starts.

Heads up - next week is going to be our traditional "field trip" week and we will not be meeting at the Liverpool park. The current plan has us heading to Cicero again - for a run followed by some playing in the water and then a backyard cookout at the Gerega/Murlick household. Unfortunately, the turkey will not be attending this year. :-(

We keep ending up with less and less Boilermaker participants (which makes me sad), but to each their own -- I guess not everyone appreciates what it provides like I do. So here is the yearly, BM driving, parking and meet-up information (same as last year) for the few TRYers that are participating:

Driving directions:
Do yourself a favor and do not follow the website directions. Go this way instead. (I just have it marked from the thruway exit to a parking lot in the general area where I usually end up parking.) Me and others have been using it the last couple years and it saves a ton of stress and 20+ minutes of sitting in traffic. You are parking near the start line so it is convenient for picking up your packet that morning and returning the stuff to your car and then the post race shuttles drop you off right near by after the post race party. So, trust me, on this one -- take the Dyke (road) to the race!

Pre Race Location:
I tend to hang out near point A, or just a little to the east of it -- that is towards the packet pick-up tent. (In general - it's a little ways down the road to your left as you are lined up for the start of the race.) Look for me there for some pre-race chit chat and to calm you nervous runners down! (That side of the start corrals is also conveniently located on the Dyke road direction side of the starting line...so if you follow my driving directions you'll be walking right by that spot at some point.)

Post Race Gathering:
Please look for me and others are the unofficial TRY meet-up spot. Located along the flow of traffic just after you grab your frozen pop and turn the corner. (Slightly different -- I have started to hang out just a little bit further down the road -- under some tree cover...but close enough that I'm not updating the map.)

Google map with location marked as 'B'. Also a post-race party map marked with X:

I have not decided on my race attire this year, so I don't know if I'll have a funny, easy-to-find, hat on or not? You'll just have to find my beautiful face instead.