Steve's Night

Tomorrow night is Steve's night!  He suggested running from the Carousel Mall parking lot again and then socializing at Gordon Biersch Brewery (http://www.gordonbiersch.com/default.aspx).  I think it is a fantastic idea!

We will run Onondaga Creekwalk again, and we plan to cover around 4 miles (or whatever is your desired distance).  We will depart at 5:30.  The meeting location is given in this post:  http://thereisatry.blogspot.com/2012/11/try-try-again.html

--Kelly :)

Outlaw TRY - Liverpool Edition

Today's post is by Aaron :)

Bodies need rest and the winter is a good time to put the speed work in the closet and just put some easy miles on your legs.  We’ll shift back to Liverpool for Tuesday’s run.  Meet up at the Cobblestone intersection at 4:55 with a run start time of 5:00.  We’ll do a short tour of some Liverpool neighborhoods.  Mostly sidewalks but wear visible clothing.  Mileage probably ~3.5-4 miles.  Post run refreshments at the Cobblestone.

For those who want to push themselves harder, there is a hill that you can do repeats on.

Paige's Butterfly Run 2011 Video

This was supposed to be done by the beginning of June, but I missed the boat.  So, six months later, I finally got around to putting the adventures of the 2011 edition of The Centipediatricians to song.  It covers mostly the race day in June of 2011 which included the 5k race followed by the fun walk and then shows "The Paige's" trophy on it's travels around central New York through the spring of 2012.  (Including some moments under the Christmas tree that may have been brought on by a little too much eggnog?)

This thing was a long time coming...was it worth the wait?

Party Time

This week we will be meeting down near the MOST at the Creek Walk parking lot.  We will run towards the mall, and feel free to run as far as you would like. 

The plan would then be to pick a local establishment to wax rhapsodic about adventures on rope courses and the like while consuming a beverage of your liking.

Same timing as usual.  Meet at 5:30, but to allow for traffic delays, the run starts at 5:40.

Here is a map with an arrow next to the little parking lot at the southern end of the Creekwalk:

TRY, TRY Again

I have made a blog entry from where Aaron posted a race report on the Warrior Dash that him and Kelly did this summer in Michigan.  Thanks Aaron!  That is the third, distinct, obstacle course race report that we've posted this year, so you all have some reference if you choose to seek an obstacle course in the future.  They seem amazingly popular, so they aren't going away anytime soon.

This week the weather is going to be chilly, but the long range forecast is calling for warmer weather next week, so this fall, extended TRY season, may last for a while.  We will continue to use the Onondaga Creekwalk, workout to be determined by attendees before we start.  We are meeting at 5:30, with the running starting by 5:40.

This week, we are meeting at a new place - in the Destiny, USA, parking lot off from Solar Street.  As you get onto Solar street off from Hiawatha, take your first right (the lot where the walking bridge connects to), then continue to the back corner of the lot, closest to Hiawatha.  There is Creekwalk access right there and this way we'll leave the homosexuals and their meet-up location alone.  It's tough enough being homosexual without a bunch of runners interfering.  Trust me.  I know.

Here is a map of where to meet for those who prefer visual stimulus:

Race Report: Warrior Dash

Reposted from Aaron's Facebook post - 

Lamest and latest race report ever:

Terry asked us do right up a report on the Warrior Dash Kelly and I did in Michigan this past summer. I'll spare you most of the details and share my general impressions. 

Rule #1 - don't worry about racing anybody unless it is your buddy in your heat. Lots of walkers. Generally, i'd say most people are just out for a good time (we were the third wave out and passed a ton of walkers)

Rule #2 - pay attention the blue laws when you sign up. Watching finishers is far more rewarding with a drink in hand. Sunday morning, we stood around for a while waiting for the beer tent to open

Rule #3 - wear crummy shoes. You'll donate yours to the shoe pile at the end. Use some runners that are on their last legs.

The race in michigan was pretty flat but they managed to find some short up and downs. Something worth considering when picking your race.

My expectation was for nonstop obstacles. We probably ran about a mile (5k total) before the first obstacle of 10, a series of under / over hurdles. The second obstacle involved a river swim that I think was pretty unique to the events. None of the obstacles were really terrifying unless you have issues with heights. Lots of photo ops but they failed to get any good shots of kelly and I together. They are taking thousands of photos so I'll cut them a little slack, just not a check. The fire jump seemed pretty tame and going early, there were maybe two sections with serious mud.

The crowd was clearly there to have a good time. Pretty commercialized with the big screens, loud music and expensive merchandise. A big plus versus some other adventure series was free admission for spectators.

All in all, a good time. If you want to do an adventure style race, I think that anybody who shows up at TRY could definitel finish a Warrior Dash.

If you are interested, I think there's a Cyber Monday sale going on. $35 for any of their races - includes a beer, shirt and warrior hat. Not too shabby.

TRY Overtime

In a first, at least officially, TRY is going to continue meeting this fall until lack of interest or weather dictate otherwise.

Join us Tuesday night, November 20th, at 5:30, at the Syracuse Inner Harbor, where we will check out the yogging conditions under the lamps of the Onondaga Creekwalk.  It's narrow, and perhaps something that a solo female runner would not feel comfortable doing alone after dark, but I think it will serve our purposes well.  The fact that it is lit up by lamposts, and closed to traffic will allow us to continue our group running season a bit.

We will meet at 5:30 next to the amphitheater parking lot, do a dynamic warm-up, and then start running at 5:40.  (Allowing people to have a few minutes leeway to find their way.)  I don't think it will work very well for speed work, so we'll have to feel our way this week and see how the creek walk works for a group.  Plan on about a 4-5 mile run, which would mean we use most of the path, but perhaps not all of it.  I don't like to ask for an attendance list, but since this is new and I don't want to leave anyone behind (because I'm not sure which direction we'll run first), please let me know if you intend to be there.  (No need to let me know if you will not be there.)

Here are some links for you about our new location:
A google map, showing the route from Destiny, to the parking lot next to the inner harbor amphitheater.  (Of interest here is that the trees shown in that block between Bear, Van Rensselear, and Kirkpatrick, are all gone.  The last time I went through there, that entire block had been completely flattened.)  Use Solar street because last I glanced Van Rensselaer was still closed off to non-construction traffic.

Here is an article from back in August explaining the work that is underway (and the flattening of that block).

A more recent article again explaining the future vision for the inner harbor region.

Those two articles overlap a bit, but glancing at the "master plan" in either article is worth a look.  If that plan comes to be, it will be an amazing transformation!  Does Syracuse really have the jobs, money, and need for such projects?  (Wait, don't answer that...it may be too depressing.)

TRY Local

Tuesday night - meet at 5:30 at normal place for a group run under Lights on the Lake.  There will also be some people walking.  There is a suggested (that is, optional) donation of $2, but if you are like me and never contribute to the park all summer long, you can use this chance to donate more to a park that we all get a ton of use out of.  I know my running career owes a lot to the convenience and utility of OLP, so I want to make sure that the park continues to be funded.

We will also have a dinner at Bangkok Thai Restaurant, starting around 7.  (This is a milestone outing for the just relieved "new" leader of TRY...so it should be interesting.)  I know the birthday girl from this past weekend has not been there...for her and anyone else curious, here is their menu to check out ahead of time if you want to.

Wednesday night - meet at 5:30 at normal place for a group walk under Lights on the Lake.  (Nothing else planned that night.)  I'm attempting to get Escalade's and my friend from the Tough Mudder who was paralyzed this spring to come out for the walk.  If the plan holds, her husband, son and her will be joining in...so please consider coming out to make her feel a warm TRY welcome as I help push her through.  (The more people that come out, the less she has to deal with me...so do this for her sake, people!)

Did you hear that November is "buy local" month in Syracuse?  It seems like this movement grows every year and the claim is that buying local has positive community and environmental impacts.  So, think about that as you do your shopping this holiday season and in general.

Next Monday night, the 19th, is the Third Annual Buy Local Bash at the regional market.  Tickets are $20 pre-sale and $25 at the door.  I want to go, but need a date.  Who wants to go with me?  Seriously...I want to go.  The previous link has some details, but a fuller list of participating local entities is at this site.  There will be music, drinks of all sorts and supposedly more snacks than you can shake a flabby belly at.  I hope at least of one of you will be my date...even if it ends up being Duerr!  (The Ace and Gary show lives on!)  But I also hope that a few of you decide to go as well.  It seems like a cause worth supporting.   For more reasons why buying local is good, check out Syracuse First and their list of reasons.

Thanks to a "distraction" tonight, that will not be named, this entry is not going to be what I wanted it to be.  (But if you assume that it's name starts with "J" you'd be off to a great start.)  I'm fighting through though to keep you entertained:

And now that I think about it, I won't blame it on the distraction, I'm going to blame it on the rain:



(I gotta blame it on something.)

Did you know that Milli Vanilli was recently used as a comparison to Lance Armstrong's fall from grace?  And you know what?  It is an apt comparison!  They had him out balled four-to-one and they were more than kind of a big deal.

Don't deny it, girl, you know it's true -



Ok, one more, in loving memory of Rob Pilatus who was taken from us way too soon.  (He died at age 32 back in 1998.  Wikipedia details here.)  Rob, we won't forget your number:



You have to admit, these songs are still catchy!  (Bah-bahp-ah-bah, bah-bahp-ah-bah-baby...)

Finally, last weeks teaser and the reason for the posts title: TRY Local.  I know most of you will find it shocking when I say that I think about things a LOT.  As in too much...I tend to over think things to the point of madness.  (Yes, I realize all this thought should lead to less controversial comments coming out of my mouth...but what would be the fun in that?  Thinking doesn't necessarily lead to action.  I can always overrule my good judgement.)  If you want a tactful running group, go run with some Mormon's.  (There I just did it again!)

So, when Fleet Feet started their numerous "learn to run" and "mid level running techniques" programs, I thought about TRY's place in the world.  Is TRY still relevant?  Is there a use for this when better groups are out there?  What can I learn from them?  How do they get such large turnout for a pay program?  I have asked participants and helpers how their programs are administered to compare and contrast what TRY is offering up.  Did you know that the helpers for Fleet Feet programs tend to be just ordinary runners with no more experience than a few of us?  And that they get paid for each program session?  (With sneakers and FF gift certificates?)  [Editor: Wait! What?  I could be putting in less time and thought and getting paid with merchandise multiple times a year?  Really?  I'm out of here.]


[Footsteps fading away...]


[Door opens and shuts...]


...


[Door opens and shuts...]


[Foosteps getting louder...]


[Kidding.  I was only KIDDING!]

OK, that was weird.  But let's just carry on.  I love you guys, I don't care that I'm flushing money down the toilet.

Another local group that has made me think too much is "Team Red, White, and Blue" or "Team RWB" as their shirts tend to say.  Why are they growing so fast?  Why does it seem like they are everywhere?  What are they doing that TRY isn't?  What can I learn from them?  Would TRY notice if I named a new leader and then I jumped ship?  (That's why the attempted new leader being such a baby has really saddened me and foiled my plans.)

At the Wounded Warrior Run two weekends ago I have to admit I was a bit jealous.  Team RWB had a big turn-out, did awesome things for their group members (I witnessed a first time racer get handed an American flag to carry the last 30 seconds), and seems really well funded.  Seriously, how cool is that to carry a flag across the finish line?  And at least one person had Team RWB compression sleeves on his calves.  I assumed they had them printed up, so I asked and his response was that they "had been sent up from West Point".  Huh?  Exactly how much funding to they have behind them?

As I thought about my jealousy and how long before TRY would be extinct I realized that Team RWB and Fleet Feet's team, while doing a great job, have nothing on us.  I thought about all that TRY has done for individuals who have taken part and for various local events.  We may not have the numbers or the funding of these professional organizations but we've had a big impact just the same.  Think of Paige's Butterfly Run and what we've done there.  Think of the Liverpool Relay For Life and what we've done there.  Think of our members who have done their first 5ks, 10ks, Boilermakers, Hymans, Marathons, and various lengths of triathlons with at least some tip of the cap to TRY.  Team RWB can hand a US flag to a new racer, but Team TRY can show up with dozen cow bells and perhaps even a cow, and let their bells be heard throughout the race course.  Think of all the races that TRYers have come out to cheer for other TRYers at...and the bells that every participant got to hear.  Think about the "cow bell alley" that got set up at the Iron Girl this summer that had to be impressively loud as the people on their running leg came through that small area being filled with the clangs from all those darn bells.  And think that TRYers have ran races on at least 3 continents with thoughts about TRY in their minds.  TRY has literally gone around the world.

I could go on, but you get the point.  And all of this was done for free.  No taxpayer or corporate funding.  No ulterior motives of training people to run with the obvious implication that they'll turn around and buy more products from the store training them.  Just a love of running and the willingness to help other people out, with no strings attached.  I hope you are as impressed by this as I am.  You've done great things!  Truly you have.  :-)

To put a bow on this, remember the photo I posted last week of "our" Escalade talking to "their" Shawn.  Very different paths led the individuals to that point in time and space.  And very different running groups had helped those individuals get to that point in time and space.  I believe I was sensing the weight of that meeting (even though I hadn't formulated a lot of the thoughts in this entry yet) as I got a little misty-eyed watching them smile at each other with smiles that the other couldn't see.  And overhearing, partially, the stories they were exchanging as they were catching up with each other.  Team RWB pimps out Shawn quite heavily (as they should), but once again, they've got nothing on TRY and our Escalade.  I tend to hold off on Escalade-love as I don't want her to get too full of herself, but there are other times that I feel I don't make a big enough deal about her and what she's done the last two years.  She could have done it with some other group, theoretically, but she did not.  She did it through TRY.   And the entire TRY membership has played a role.  All the help, either directly or indirectly, and all the camaraderie and enjoyment that you've provided is something that you should be proud of.  Shawn has received training at some prestigious places this year, I believe even at an Olympic training center.  But, for at least one race, her elite training had nothing on TRY's training...as Escalade crossed the finish line before she did.  Think about that.  A running group, with a joke for a name, started on a whim, does have a place in the world.  Perhaps even a bigger place than  I realized.  Thank you for that.

Here is the photo again...TRY meets World:

Holy History

Not since the shepherd fell into a cave at the Qumran site and discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls, have such historic documents been unearthed.  And while my findings have a slightly smaller impact on the world as a whole than those findings did, there is major historic significance in the TRY Email Scrolls that I will share below...

(I actually updated the calendar for next week!)
Tonight is the final night of regular TRY for the season.  We are meeting at 5 PM.  I know this means a lot of people won't be able to make it, due to the "early" start.  Sorry.  Blame Sue.  We'll pick a workout at that point to suit the needs of the people that are able to attend.

Next Tuesday is the TRY celebration group run under lights on the lake.  In an attempt to get as many people able to attend as possible, we will meet at 5:30 at the normal place and we'll do a warm-up as usual to give people a few more minutes to get there.  It can get quite crowded by then, so you can also text/call as I will have my phone with me.  Next Wednesday is then the TRY celebration walk under lights on the lake.  Meet at 5:30 to walk the course.  (Last year we did a group dinner after the Tuesday night run...plan on that again...but I realize that attendance and participation are very weather dependent so I'm not going to do much pre-planning.  We will just wing it with the people that make it.)

Upcoming races that tend to be popular:
The Jingle Bell Run at Longbranch Park on Sunday, November 18th.  Registration is currently $25.  The race portion is 10 AM and had an annoyingly large turnout last year.  (But was still fun and festive.)



Don't make ChristmasMouse (ChristMouse?) sad by not taking part this year!
(LM Runners/Walkers - there is a team with federated fund backing, so your participation means an extra $50 each to the cause.)

Various Turkey Trots on Thanksgiving morning.  I'm not linking to them, since it depends on what town you are in with your holiday travels.  But locally in Syracuse there are at least two now.  A 5k/10k in Baldwinsville and something (I assume a 5k) in Manlius/Fayetteville.  Be careful at whatever Turkey Trot you end up at...there is a slight chance you'll run into a real turkey.



No amount of tryptophan will allow you to sleep after seeing that...am I right?  Right?

A glimpse at next weeks emotional rollercoaster of a blog entry:
After attempts at stalking both her and the "Team Red, White, and Blue" (Typically just written as Team RWB) since late April, Escalade and I finally crossed paths with Shawn again this past Sunday morning.  It was not planned and completely unexpected and as I stood there and watched the two women exchange smiles and stories like old friends (even though they've only met once or twice) I couldn't help but get a little choked up.  I hope they could "hear" the smiles on each others faces, because it was a cute and heartwarming reunion for the witnesses in that corner of the room.  (It was cute until Escalade purposely beat the pants off from her in the race, that is.)



Lastly, I am providing the historical proof of the very origins of TRY.  These TRY Email Scrolls were discovered as I was looking for the marathon, marathon story a few weeks back.  I haven't got them carbon dated yet to figure out their approximate age, so for now, all we have to go by is the exact date of their origin contained in the email headers.  Unfortunately those exact dates will have to suffice until we can get a much less accurate approximate date through some other means.

The first one is the very origin of TRY itself, which was originally proposed to be called TERRY.  The second one, which was sent perhaps decades (or centuries?) later (or more likely 9 1/2 months later if you want to trust the exact dates available in the emails) was the start of modern TRY, which is the basis for the version that still survives to this very day.  You can clearly see the differences in the techniques used back then, but also see the seeds for what has become the most influential yogging group that is known to mankind, that meets on Tuesday nights, at Onondaga Lake Park, and is not that other group that meets there now too.

Enjoy!  (Note that I am so motivational that the two people CC'd and PPS'd on the first email, still have not completed their "life goal" of doing the Boilermaker.  #epicfail on my part!  Also note that Tim "cock-block" LaRocque is the only person on either email that is still a regular attendee on Tuesday nights.  Congrats Tim!  You are the sole survivor.)

Exhibit A:

_____________________________________________ 
From:   Widrick, Terry  
Sent:   Friday, June 29, 2007 1:32 PM
To:     Bastian, Brian; Dunn, Allyson G; Stjohn, Brad; Caspari, Krista S; Oberlander, Lance R; Holmes, Amy; Bodnar, Brian J

Cc:     Ackerman, Douglas J; Williams, Tarra M
Subject:        Who wants to do TERRY this summer?

Hello peeps,

The concept of a one night a week running club was brought up 3 or so summers ago by Kelly Murlick but I was being anti-social with my running at the time and her and I never brought it to fruition.  It has been on the edge of my thoughts and talked about informally since then and I think I'm ready to give it a shot.

So, this email is to see who would be interested in doing Tuesday Evening Road Runnings and Yoggings (TERRY) for the rest of the summer?  (Yogging is jogging with a soft "j" as in Anchorman).  Hmmm…perhaps the name could still use some work?  Then again, it does have a nice ring to it!  :-)

I'm not sure how well this will work out logistically, but I won't know until I try.  My thoughts are that we'd meet at the Liverpool park somewhere near the Wegman's Playground around 6ish and then proceed with some sort of long run type paced run.  Pacing will be an issue but if it truly is a long run mentality then running too slow is not a concern and perhaps more people could pace together.  In order to encourage a common theme/goal (and since a few of us will be doing the ARC 1/2 marathon anyway) I thought it would make sense to make the Tuesday night runs be the long runs for the week as people build up for the ARC 1/2 marathon which is on the second weekend in September.  This would be tailored to the beginning runners who are just starting to build up their long runs, since that is most of the point of this -- to help and encourage them.  Plus it would keep all of us accountable to run on other nights so that we are ready for the group runs on Tuesdays.  People could run more or less as they deem fit, but I like the idea of the bulk of the group being on the same schedule to encourage comraderie.  I will come up with a real schedule and mileage plan once I see enough people want to do this.

Next week is a holiday week, so that is out…which would leave my first attempt at forming a group for the night of Tuesday, July 10th.  I just looked at a training plan and the goal for that week would be to do a 4 mile run.  Please let me know if you'd be interested in that and if this all seems like a good idea?  For people doing this, please invite other runners, especially new/inexperienced ones who could use some mentoring.  (I know I've been helped out a lot by more experienced runners on the way to doing my 2 marathons…so this is partially an attempt to be a nice person and pass on some of my experience to runners starting out.)

I'm hoping for 6+ people being interested which should mean 4+ people can make it on any given week…if it's less than that then it probably won't be worth while.  The worst case scenario for me is that Brian is the only person who shows up.  He's already been trying to get me to join his BBMRC which he claims is "Brian Bastian's Marathoners Running Club" but I'm more than a little concerned that it really is the "BrokeBack Mountain Running Club".

-Terry

P.S.  Lance -- I thought you, Laura and her running friends might be interested (even though it would be short runs for her).

P.P.S. Doug and Tarra -- I'm not sure if this applies to you this year, but if this is moderately successful and fun this year, I'm dragging you guys out next spring and I'd tailor the runs as a build up for the Boilermaker.  So, you are welcome to come out and do some of the runs this summer, but definitely plan on me bugging you to train for the Boilermaker next spring.  It's a lifetime goal of yours…so it's time to do it!

Exhibit B:

______________________________________________ 
From:   Widrick, Terry  
Sent:   Monday, April 07, 2008 7:08 AM
To:     'Aubrey Adams'; Bement, Kimberly A; Belfield, Mark; Chambers, Glenn; Cooper, Robert; Ackerman, Douglas J; 'Erik Palmer'; Hollister, Laura A; Leite, Joel E; 'Tim LaRocque'; 'Michelle_Palmer'; Murdock, Scott A; Ponto, Emily A; Wheeler, Lee J; Williams, Tarra M; Yoder, Gregory K; Zuccaro, Ron; Zalla, Arthur; Bouziden, Francis A; 'Rachel'

Cc:     Bastian, Brian; Dunn, Allyson G; Holmes, Amy; Oberlander, Lance R; Stjohn, Brad; Caspari, Krista S; Widrick, Terry

Subject:        Who wants to TRY the Boilermaker this summer?

If you are receiving this email, then either I know you have some interest in running, I have talked to you about running in the past, or you grew up in the central New York/Utica area, or specifically have interest in the Boilermaker road race, or else I just felt like bugging you.

The Boilermaker is a "15K" (9.3 mile) race in Utica. This year it will be held on Sunday, July 13th. Believe it or not, this is one of the premier races in the entire US and is something that I think all local runners should experience.  It has some issues (the worst being a poorly executed start corral system) but with the amazing spectator support and the top notch post race party, it really is something to be seen.  And something that even non-runners may want to do once since it is one of the coolest/most famous amateur athletic events in central New York.

So, if you've ever considered running the Boilermaker, this is the year to do it. The Tuesday night running group that I'm a part of ("TRY" -- "Tuesday Recreational Yogging" -- Yogging is jogging with a soft "J" ala Anchorman) is going to help you through a 10 week training program. Its not as hard as you might think...you need to be able to do a 2 mile run in the first week and then the long run slowly climbs up to 8 miles maximum. (with long runs of 2, 3, 4, 2, 5, 6, 4, 7, and 8 miles) Other than the long runs, the plan calls for two other shorter runs each week and some cross training if you so choose. The idea would be that we'd do the long runs on Tuesday nights at Onondaga Lake Park and you'd be expected to do the shorter runs on your own -- or set up some time with other runners to help you get through them and even make them enjoyable.

This program is based on a famous runner/writer/trainer Hal Higdon...you can (and should) read all the details here:http://www.halhigdon.com/15Ktraining/15Knovsch.htm

The Boilermaker website:http://www.boilermaker.com/

TRY:
The TRY runs are Tuesday nights at Onondaga Lake Park starting at 5. Last year 7 people were involved (the "cc" list in the email) and 2 newer runners followed a similar training program and successfully finished their first ever half marathon (13.1 miles). So we proved the concept last fall and I hope to be able to help some new people this summer.

If you want to TRY, let me know and I'll add you to the weekly emails. The "Week 1" run will be on Tuesday, May 6th...but I'd like to do a pre-week -- a "Week 0" run of 2 miles on Tuesday, April 29th. So, if you want to join in on the fun...plan accordingly and get out there and jog a few times before that day so that you are ready to do a two miler at the end of April. If you need any help running before the 29th, let me know and I can come up with something…I'm at the park multiple nights a week and can meet up with people.  Don't worry about your pace...whatever you can do is what you do. "The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running."

Any questions/concerns/advice needed, just let me know. I hope to see a few of you out there this spring/summer!
-Terry
P.S  If you are joining in, feel free to bring along cubemates/friends/spouses/whatever.  (I'm even allowing people named "Ben" to join if they want to!  Yes, this is truly for anyone.)

P.P.S  If you don't think you can run far enough to do the Boilermaker, you could still join in and do the first few runs, but stop building up when you reach your limit.  And who knows, you might surprise yourself.

P.P.P.S  For those of you that this seems to easy for…there will be an intermediate level training program going on at the same time…so you can tailor your training to whatever suits your needs.

P.P.P.P.S  "Do, or do not.  There is no TRY."  -Jedi Master Yoda  (Well, this goes to show you that Yoda didn't know everything…because there is a TRY now!)

P.P.P.P.P.S  I've never done 5 levels of post scripts before, so I was just writing this one to break my old record.  Ok, I'm done now.  :-)

#suebrokethetry

To save her from the wrath of the entire northeastern United States, they called this hurricane "Sandy", but we all know better.  This had been in the works ever since #suebrokethejeter.

I've been waiting out the forecasts and hoping to decide that TRY could go on.  And, honestly, it doesn't look like it will be THAT bad at TRY time, but due to winds expected at 20 mph or more and rain likely, I am going to cancel TRY.  It will fall under the clause of "why bother".  It's not going to make for even decent running weather, so instead of forcing something, I'm asking you all to take the night off.

This will set up the following couple weeks:
Next week, November 6th, TRY will start at 5 PM.  (Time changes this weekend, so it will actually be finishing in the dark.)
The following week, November 13th, we will run through Lights on the Lake (at a group run pace), starting at 5:30.  Plan for a 5 mile, group paced run.
That same week, on Wednesday, November 14th, we will WALK through Lights on the Lake.  This will give people that can't handle the five mile run on Tuesday night a chance to experience the lights.  (Note that this is the dog night.)
Both of those nights, we will meet in roughly the same place we always do.

I have heard nothing back on people interested in doing the Buffalo Tough Mudder with TRY next year.  So, I can only assume that there is no interest.  There will be chances to sign up later, but if know you are interested, it would be ideal to sign up this fall instead of next spring.

To provide some useful content to you all, here are three interesting articles from Runner's World that have come across my twitter feed in the past week.
An interesting discussion on making multiple race goals so that you are more likely to finish happy.
Not as useful as the other two, but a short discussion on how to handle portions of a race where you find yourself running solo.
Finally, a discussion on breaking some age old running rules.  There is stuff in here for beginners and advanced runners.  I am having trouble advocating some of them, so I'll just leave it to you to read and decide for yourself.

TRY a Mudder?

Timely stuff:
The schedule for Lights on the Lake has finally been announced and just like last year the motorized portion will start the Thursday before Thanksgiving.  With Thanksgiving being "early" this year, that means that we are down to THREE weeks left of TRY, counting tonight!  That's right, only two more weeks of regular TRY left after this.

That's the bad news, the good news is that this years Lights on the Lake Stroll is scheduled for a Tuesday, so there will be one final, special, TRY group run through the lights on the lake on Tuesday, November 13th.  More details to come, but please plan on joining us for what has become a fun tradition to end the season on.

That Wednesday, November 14th, we may do something again as you can bring your dog (or not) to the Lights on the Lake Dog Walk.

Tonight's workout:
Included in tonight's dynamic warm-up will be a very quick covering of some of the Good Form Running technique thinking points as described in some detail in a newly published More Meat entry.

Then, during the warm-up half mile I plan to demonstrate a couple different cadences, just to get your mind thinking about that and what your natural cadence may be.  Playing along is optional, of course.

The suggested workout itself will be half mile intervals.  So, 3-4 of them for beginners, 5 for the advanced.

Reminders:
On Facebook I put an appeal for some of you to come join me at a happy hour Thursday night to learn about a local "giving circle".

Last week, I re-published my marathon-marathon story.  Since the events of that day are rooted in the spawning of TRY, I do recommend that everyone read that, eventually.

Looking ahead:
Escalade really wants to do another Tough Mudder next year.  The event picked out is "in Buffalo" but they have not announced the actual location, so at this point it is promised to be within 1 and a half hours of Buffalo.  The event weekend is Saturday, July 27th and Sunday, July 28th.  I believe the day picked out for us is Saturday.  You can currently sign up for $105 which is quite the bargain, actually, compared to later prices.

There has been a few entries this year dedicated to gimmick runs or obstacle course runs.  Notably, Jake's review of a Warrior Run, Escalade's review of her Tough Mudder, and my teaser summary of a Tough Mudder.  At some point, we may even have an insiders take on a Warrior Dash, but for some reason, that report has turned out to be the hardest thing to write since the Warren Commission?  ;-)

I have mixed emotions about doing another Tough Mudder.  I went into the one this spring only knowing Escalade on my team.  And I came out of it with about a dozen friends for life.  In less than 24 hours (team dinner, followed by the Mudder the next morning) we went through the ultimate team building exercise.  I think that part of it would be awesome to do with people that I already know.  It would bond us TRYers in a way that weekly runs never will.

The Mudder beat me.  I blew out something in my abs about 2/3 of the way through (doing a very innocent thing) and had to coast from there.  The competitor in me wants to train better, and show that Mudder who it's daddy is.  Plus, now that I've been through it, I think I could help you train for it better than I did and we could have some workouts (perhaps on Thursday nights) that would be very boot-campish that would be a fun, group way to build up to the event.  (Emphasis on crawling!  Lots and lots of crawling.)

And as I wrote up in my teaser summary, it plays well on TV.  If you want to look tough, feel tough, and have a great time doing so, the Tough Mudder is for you.  And since it's still the granddaddy (grand-mudder?) of all obstacle course races...why not do the best and the hardest?

So, for those positive reasons, I encourage you all to think about joining in next July.  You'll have an experienced coach (me), an inspirational teammate (Esc), and a short drive to do one of the events that everyone is talking about.

I almost forgot to mention the start: It had the best start to a race that I've ever been a part of.  The announcer led us through 15 minutes of: chanting, inspirational talking, emphasizing teamwork on the course, birthday singing to a military women he knew should be in that wave, and I was blown away at how well that was done.  And we were just 1 of about 12 waves of people going off that day...I don't know where he got his energy from to do that for each and every wave...but it was goose-bump-inducingly awesome!  :-)

The neutral side of my mixed feelings:
I'm not sure who the Mudder is for?  There are too many delays and things in your way for it to be a run.  There are too many long gaps in between obstacles for it to be an obstacle course.  And the trail we did was too treacherous to even be considered a trail run.  Plus you get shocked a time or two...so I'm not sure that pleases anybody?  My only take away is that it really isn't for anyone.  It's a hybrid event that is going to test almost everyone's limits.  It takes endurance, it takes strength, it takes teamwork, it takes almost all that you have to give.

The negative side of my mixed feelings:
It's an environmental disaster.  I find it hard to believe that they are even able to stage these things.  They put antifreeze in dumpsters to keep them from freezing (and to make it look more fun in photos?), they dig holes randomly in the ground, they pump water down hillsides just to form mudslides, and they light hay bales on fire and have you run through them.  Not to mention that at ours it was cold to start with, so foil blankets were being handed out and then let go of so they were blowing all over the place...clothing was discarded all over the place and despite their claims that they pick everything up and donate it to a local clothing place...I just find it hard to believe that they got everything and certainly not all the foil blankets.  So, where does that now tainted water with anti-freeze go?  What happens to that now torn up hillside when it rains (more erosion?) and why the heck would I ever pay someone to have me breathe in fumes from lighting hay on fire?   Not to mention that is going straight into the environment.  When I totaled it up this spring I think I guessed over 20,000 people took part in the event in the Poconos...not counting volunteers and workers and such...and had guess that well over a million dollars had been spent in entry fees.  So, I couldn't help but think that 20,000+ people spending a day's worth of time and with over a million dollars at their disposal could have done a hell of a lot of good for the world.  Instead, we did that all in the name of entertaining ourselves so that we'd have a fun story to tell at the office and a great set of photos for Facebook.  Who cares if we contributed to lung and air pollution, erosion, water pollution, and other sins against the Earth?  Our instant gratification is worth it!

Ok, I ended on the negative side of the ledger, but I'm asking people to sign up and do this with me...so it couldn't have been too negative of an experience, eh?  My personal thought is that this is most likely my last Tough Mudder, and I want my people there beside me.  I want to do this up, TRY style, and hug you all as we are wet, muddy, and smiling at the end of this Mudder-fluffer!  Who's with me?  I can't hear you?!!  WHO'S WITH ME?!!!  (Let me know because it is a team sign-up and while you can switch it around afterwards, it's easiest to sign up with the team side of it already set.)

(No time to proofread...I hope it's ok...and I'll fix it later.)

More Meat Volume 9: Good Form Running

Adam and I did indeed attend the New Balance Good Form Running seminar at Fleet Feet sports last Thursday night.  This was completely independent of each other and the face that we both were wearing Making Tracks for Celiacs shirts (different years at least) did prove that our ongoing tribute to the Ace and Gary cartoon will not be denied.



I've heard about and read about this good form stuff for a while, but having it demonstrated live (and having us go through it in person) finally made it sink in for me.

Does running with good form matter?  Not really.  But it is the most efficient stride and also puts less stress on your legs by cutting down on the impact caused by "heel striking".  So, if you truly want to get the most out of your races and with the least risk of injury, you should consider incorporating a more efficient stride.  It will take a while and should be eased into.  Attempting to change over cold-turkey will leave your turkey cold and you frustrated and perhaps injured from the abrupt change.  For those of you who are tempted by the siren's song of the minimalist running movement, this form is almost mandatory.  The minimalist shoes, or barefoot running, is much less forgiving to the heel strike running form and therefore this softer step goes hand in hand (foot in foot?) with the minimalist process.

As Adam teased on Facebook, there were four steps they emphasized:

1) Posture.
What you would expect here.  Feet shoulder width apart and facing forward, body basically straight up and down and shoulders not slouched forward or not thrown back.  The simplest check here is your feet.  Stand up in what you think is your neutral position.  Then look down at your feet.  Are they facing directly forward?  Mine are not.  My right foot toes out a little.  This is something I can work on just when I'm standing around. I tend to lock in a hip and flare out a foot.  This then carries over to my running in a negative way.

He also went into arm position and it turns out that he would claim that I hold my hands and arms too low.  (Much to Adam's delight.)  His neutral position has your elbows bent at a 90 degree angle (no chicken wings!), hands in a thumbs up position (no zipper lines!), and then a nice relaxed swing.  So, not a big change here from what you've heard before, but the 90 degree angle is an easier one to see for yourself or to pass along to others.

2) Midfoot.
Adam called this strike, but I think they officially called it by where they want the foot strike to start - mid foot.  This is the step that had never sunk in til Thursday night.  It is not toe-running as I suspected it was.  You do not strike mid-foot first and then continue to roll forward like you do when heel striking (heel, mid-foot, toes).  What you do, is hit mid-foot first, quickly followed by heel, followed by your push off.  He got us to get the feel for this by simply marching/walking in place.  Do it.  And sure enough you feel the pad of the foot go down first, followed by the heel, and then you are pushing off again.  It's very simple when done that way.  Translating to a running motion, doing this means that you are not reaching your leg out ahead of you when it lands.  You are letting it land almost directly underneath you.  I've ready before that it is like a pawing motion...pawing the ground like a bull does.  The foot sets down underneath you and then paws off the ground.  It makes for what seems like a shorter stride, but he emphasized to lengthen your stride back out BEHIND you.  Very little stride forward, longer stride behind.

It's certainly not easy when switching from stepping in place to actually running, but it game me an idea for the feel of it and it makes sense that you don't want your legs reaching way ahead of you, only to heel strike (which is a breaking motion momentum wise and a jarring motion injury wise) and have your body catch up to where your foot is.

3) Cadence
I may attempt to demonstrate this in groups tonight during the warm-up.  He claimed that a typical, naive, cadence (counting both feet, total steps per minute) is around 160.  Ideally you want this closer to 180.  As before, you should not just change this overnight.  If you do have a slower than ideal cadence, you should slowly adapt it.  There are watches, apps, and even music for your mp3 players that should have a cadence metronome built into them.  I'm hoping to have an app tonight and will have it playing a couple different ones tonight during the warm-up jog.

4) Lean
This one was barely demonstrated and while the example was useful, there was no way to truly get a feel for it without running.  So, I can't describe this one very well, yet.  I need to see if I can "feel" it myself when I do  my first practice run with all these techniques in place.  You are not supposed to lean back.  And you are not supposed to slouch or bend forward.  You are supposed to have your nice, upright, posture and then lean your whole body slightly forward as you lean into your stride.  I can have everyone repeat the same exercise he led us through, but as I said, this is the one that was harder to translate into what it will feel like while running.

And that's it!  Easy, right?  Just be careful if you attempt to change over to this more energy efficient and softer stride pattern.  Old habits die hard, so give it some time and test yourself with it starting with short portions of your run.

Short Post!

Terry is kind of busy this week, and so you get a short note here on the blog.  Make sure to check out his post on the TRY fb page, and I think you'll understand why he is unavailable :)

Congratulations to Erin S., Adam, and Aaron who all had fun races this weekend!  Did anyone else run a race this weekend?

For those who raced this weekend, I would recommend a nice shakeout run.  For those who didn't race, it must be time to go back to quarters.  We will figure out the details at the park tomorrow.

I hope to see everyone there!

Update:
Finally, the story that stated it all.

Some Color For Autumn

I've always been closer to being autistic than artistic, but sometimes something comes along that can even make me look good.  So, stay tuned to the end, if you'd like to see some fall foliage.

For tonight's workout, I once again have a class and will only be there to lead the dynamic warm up and then  will need to skedaddle. I was thinking...that it would be "interesting" to do the warm up with our eyes closed.  It would certainly test our balance!  So, think about that, and if you are brave enough, do the individual exercises, or at least the 3-4 simpler ones, Escalade style.  :-)

For the workout itself, I think we are due for mile repeats.  So, a couple of those, with either a quarter or a half thrown in at the end for good measure.  But, since I won't be there, I'll leave it up to whoever steps forward with a specific interval idea, to dictate the group run.  Just be kind and watch over the less experience yoggers, please.

The weather is supposed to be good, so I encourage someone to coordinate the post cool down core workout.  This week I was going to do the set of 4 at 30 seconds each and then repeat them for another 15 seconds each before finishing with the plank.  But, as with the run, whoever wants to lead it can use their judgment.

What's in a name?  I suppose, it's an 'n', an 'a', an 'm', and an 'e'.  But it's also more than that.  It's a simple and colorful way to have a common and non-ambiguous description for things we come across during the TRY season.  Which leads to all these sort of random descriptive names:

The "Ally Loop" is the final circle that we almost always run around to finish counter-clockwise towards ground marker 0.0.  It's named in honor of a 'former' TRYer named "Loopy" who insisted on adding the extra several steps to our runs once upon a time.  It's also sounds like "alley-oop" and brings to mind basketball.  Quite coincidentAlly, Loopy always had a soft spot for basketball players. Particularly if they were significantly older than her.

"Mr. Mister" is the misting station located between the playground and the skate park.  It's no soul sister, but it can help cool a hot sista down after a run on a warm day.  After we named it, there was even a somewhat popular song created by a fringe TRYer named "Train", who got a kick out of our silly names for things:



(Attempt replacing the "tonight" lyric with "at TRY" for the original version that he penned before he left Syracuse and hit it big.)

"Faith Hill", we've been all over lately.  And it certainly has its ups and downs, leaving us no choice but to Breathe and hope that we don't Cry. (I can't help it...It Matters To Me!  And since I know the site password you have to Take Me As I Am!)

Our cool down walk location was once called the "Bermuda TRYangle", but was rebranded "Angela's TRYangle" once a bench in tribute to Angela Lynn Harris was coincidentally put smack dab in the middle of it.  Read about her sad story at angelasplace.org.

Beyond the 2.25 mile ground marker, we have the newly coined "Treeasure Island" and "Treebsure Island" (I think you can figure out what those are), followed by "Floppers Falls" at the turnaround in front of the old bathroom and snack building just after Long Branch Road where I once almost gave myself a concussion by slipping on ice and doing a cartoon like fall onto my back and head.  (In retrospect, my peculiar behavior has gotten much worse since then, so it may not have been 'almost'?)

Finally, way at the end of the West Shore Trail, if you cross over 690, you can have the pleasure of running up and down "Fitzpatrick's Hill".  Named in honor of Mark who first sought it out and recommended it as a good hill to train on, it leads from the pedestrian bridge up to State Fair Boulevard.

Speaking of the West Shore Trail, be sure to read about the extension that will be added by the end of next year, if you didn't see it in the paper on Friday.

And speaking of Fitzpatricks, I wanted to take a paragraph to welcome Katie back to TRY!  She snuck in on me so I didn't do a proper introduction, but a former favorite was able to return to us after becoming a mother for the first time about 11 months ago.  Hopefully next year works out better schedule wise and she will be able to prove to us that you can indeed get outran by a mother pushing a toddler in a running stroller.  (If Claire herself isn't outrunning us by then.)

Alright, enough colorful names, let's move onto colorful pictures.  I've been playing around with the "Color Splash" app for the past few days and I just can't get enough of it.  I call it finger painting with an un-do button.  And not since finger painting in elementary school have I created something so worthy of hanging on my momma's fridge.

The first one, proves that TRYers really do stand out in a crowd:

 

Production two gives a look back at the 2011 version of the Centipediatricians:


Project three, was payback to Duerr for pretending that his cousin was him last week.  So, here is a more appropriate tribute to OUR Adam Duerr:



And a bonus, for "AA" who is too busy training her dogs to be a synchronized swimming doggie duo (that's the only thing that makes sense to me from the pictures she's been posting) to make it out on a Tuesday evening.  So, this is my final attempt to bait her out for one night before the end of the season.  It combines two of her favorite things.  Wedding photos.  And Jeep Mac:



These all were done quickly, with little thought, and without playing with the other tweaking options available in the app.  They are just my attempt at colorizing or not colorizing parts of the photos.  I can only imagine what a truly artistic person could do with such power.  Join me, do some finger painting yourself, and let me see how your projects turn out.

A TRYer or a "Do-er"?

I don't know how many people are going to have time to read this after spending all that time reading Jen's details about 'Escape from Fright Nights'.  But, for those able to read both, I appreciate the time you put into keeping up on all things TRY.

This week: I dunno...half mile intervals, I guess?  We did short last week, so it's time for a medium length interval.  The post run core workout seemed to be "enjoyed" last week, so that is something that we will continue to do on weeks that people are up for it.

I looked, but did not find this years Lights on the Lake schedule yet.  But, I know from past years that we are down to 5 or 6 weeks left of TRY before our winter hibernation.  It's always sad to think about the end of the group running season, but it is getting to be that time.  We'll keep the start up time at 5:30 for a couple more weeks, and then we'll have to start shifting it earlier to avoid finishing in the dark, until, finally, the start of Lights on the Lake, ends our season.

While we're together, we might as well keep learning:
I snuck in the most bizarre More Meat ever.  Be sure to check that out by using the link or just scrolling below this entry.

Some more TRY lore:
Did you know that our mascot is a beaver?  Do you know why our mascot is a beaver?  Well, it is the state mammal of New York state, certainly, but it is also my school mascot that I passed along to TRY.  So, why not read all you wanted to know about the second largest rodent in the world?  There is plenty to learn in the wikipedia entry about castor canadensis, but the fact that the phrase "beaver testicles" appears at least four times is worth a look in its own right.

I've been given beaver shirts, beaver hats, big beavers, little beavers, etc.  The most recent gift, a pink beaver, became a coxswain for my Great Race adventure a couple months back that you all should have seen in a blog entry at that time.  But, the most prevalent beaver related to TRY is this guy (with his car insurance selling friend):

It's marked multiple Relay for Life events, picnic location from Oneida Lake to Green Lakes, to places I can't even remember.  It even marked a special event in my life early this summer.  It has been said that any time TRYers are gathering, this beaver will be there:



Thank you little beaver, for all you've given to TRY over the years.

Did you know that I used to give out "I TRY Harder" awards?  It was a prestigious and highly sought after award.  But I've fallen out of the habit for at least the last couple years.  Partly because I'm lazy.  And partly because it's tough to signal out an individual without leaving out other, just as worthy, individuals.  But since I've been looking back at things, why not dust off an old tradition?:

It's time to recognize someone for all the hard work they've been putting in.  They used to just be the crazy person who showed up til the end of each season, regardless of the fall weather, even though they weren't preparing for a race.  But eventually they started racing and the last couple years they really started working their butt off and the result is some very impressive gains in their performance.  This year, they've done the Mountain Goat, won hardware at Paige's Butterfly Run, done the Boilermaker, and now done their first hyman.  And not only have they transformed themselves as a runners, but they completely transformed themselves physically too.  Check out this facebook profile as proof:



Congratulations, Adam.  Your dedication to your craft the past couple years and your willingness to completely change your look and your ability to life weights mean that you have won an overdue "I TRY Harder" award.  You are both a do-er and a TRYer!  Well done.

More Meat Volume 8: Let's Get Down To Business

I really had my eyes opened up to me this week.  And while this doesn't have anything to do with running, I feel this has to be shared with the world.

Did you realize that the modern toilet might be the reason for hemorrhoids, constipation, pelvic floor issues, and colon disease?  And, that all of these can be helped/fixed/prevented by squatting?  But, let's say you don't want to travel to parts of the world without a modern toilet?  What are you to do?

Buy a squatty potty!  That's right, buy a squatty potty to line everything up correctly and you'll feel like #1 every time you take a #2.  As they say, healthy colon : happy life.

Get all the details here at squattypotty.com.  But since I can't trust you all to click on links, here is the least you should do...watch the youtube video from their site:


Is anyone else amazed by this?

Don't Look Back? I Don't Think So, Ron.

Despite what you may have heard Ron sing on his Stepping Stones CD, we ARE going to look back. Again.

First, the workout:
I believe this workout got rained out three weeks ago and so it is way overdue that we do some hill repeats on Faith Hill.  I propose a couple 1/4 mile repeats to get worked into a lather and then hitting Faith Hill hard.

Reminder:
A unique run is available this Sunday night.  Who is interested in doing the Escape From Fright Nights run?  If we did a group outing, it could be fun?

And now, a look back:
Did you know that I don't just write jokes?  And that sometimes I actually write useful information?  Starting last summer, I started a serious of especially useful entries, known simply as "More Meat".  Now, they are all available on one page for easy access.  Enjoy the Meat!  (It's still fresh, even after sitting out all this time.)

Did you know that TRY has it's own bad weather poem?  It's a simple little diddy that keeps our spirits up when the weather threatens to bring us down.  Jen, I think I am going to quiz you on this one, and if you can recite it, you'll win a prize!

Did you know that I'm not the only TRYer that has written about running?  Long before we met her, Malinda was wondering why Some People Just Don't Get It.  Two things jumped out at me on this one.  The first being me picking on Lindsay back when she worked an afternoon/evening shift and could only join in with us on very special occasions.  The second is that the third to last line is basically Escalade's motto of "Believe and Achieve".  Quite the coincidence, eh?

Here's Looking At You

[Editor: Someone forgot the upcoming weekend news, added Tuesday morning.]  This Saturday is the attempt to get a few of us to the Greek Peak Outdoor Adventure Center.  Let me know if you want in.  Sunday morning, Adam is doing his first? hyman at the Bread (for schools) Run in Fabius.  And Escalade is leading up a teal laden team at the Hope For Heather 5k at the inner harbor in Syracuse.  A few TRYers are running or walking the 5k there.  No TRYer has done a "stiletto dash" that I know of, so if you want to go down in history (and perhaps go down in a pile on the pavement) consider putting your heels where their teal is, at Hope For Heather.  Saturday afternoon there is a fundraiser for the benefit of Escalade's and my teammate from the Tough Mudder who is now a quadriplegic.  Last I heard, her hospital bills were up over $60,000!  The event is in Cicero at the American Legion and mutliple bands will be there, there will be basket raffles (Malinda put together two lovely Scentsy baskets for the cause), etc.  Message me if you want more information or want to give any moneys.  [End edit.]

Tomorrow night: weather forecast is very sketchy.  So, as always, decide for yourself if you want to run in the rain or not?  As we get into the fall and the rain and poor weather also coincides with cooler weather, there will be days that don't suit you.  No questioning of your manhood or womanhood will be done if you choose to save your run for another day.  But, someone will always be there (usually me).  And you might be surprised just how enjoyable a bad weather running session can be.  Sometimes a rainbow pops through, or you get pelted so hard in the face that it feels like a cleansing massage by the end.  Or, you get blown so hard that...  Umm, better stop with the examples there.  Let's just say that if you change your plan and ease up a little there is almost no weather in central New York that you can't run through.  (Lightning being the only exception I can think of.)  [Editor: Hello, hail?  And Wayne Mahar?  Pretty sure you don't want to run through either of those acts of God.] And there is something great about running and seeing about only 3 or 4 other people the entire time.  It always gives me an extra feeling of accomplishment as I finish it off, despite the weather.

The wind speed may change this, but I intend to do a couple, one mile, repeats as the interval du jour.

I want to summarize from my facebook post on this topic:  Which of these is not like the other, which of these things does not belong?:
5k
10k
15k
10 miler
Half marathon
Marathon

All but one stand on their own and do not refer to another distance for their definition...you wouldn't call a 5k a "one-third 15k" would you?  So, at TRY we are done calling a half marathon a half of anything.  Henceforth, please refer to it as a "Hyman".

TRY Corey-badger did his first ever hyman this weekend and from what he currently thinks, that will probably be the longest race he ever runs.  Which is not a bad thing.  A hyman takes a lot of training and is a race distance to never take for granted.  It can hand your lunch to you...no matter how ready you think you are for it or how many you've previously completed.  I've been humbled by them.  And I know plenty of other people who have as well.  So, it's just a shame in my mind that Corey-badger's career tally will include the term "half marathon".  It makes it seem like less of a big deal, especially to non runners who don't understand the dedication it takes to get ready for one.  I'm glad that thanks to us, and our willingness to get new words into popular language, that someday decades from now, his obit will list "Philadelphia Rock 'n' Roll Hyman" as one of his proudest races.

Thanks in advance for you help with this!  Two last thoughts on the race:

Corey-badger found out something that makes very little sense if you think about it...that finishing off a hyman can give you the clap -


And Sue, once again, is a medalist, while fashionably donning a previous years race shirt....winning! -


I don't like to link back to old content or talk about history too often, but with the biggest turn outs ever for TRY this year, I realize that many of you don't know the stories and haven't read the old posts, so it'll be new to you.  For those of you who know all this, perhaps your memory is as fleeting as mine and you'll read through the jokes like you've never even read them before.

Did you know that TRY has redefined/invented a word before?  In what is easily the most viewed entry in its history, TRY launched both an insanely unsuccessful T-shirt business and an insanely useful new word in one feel swoop.  Read or read again why the word hawkward should be not awkward at all.

Did you know that TRY started in mid summer 2007?  Did you know that some ninny originally proposed that it should be called TERRY?  (Tuesday Evening Recreational Road Yogging).  TERRY!  Hmmmm.  That name has a nice ring to it, don't you think?  But, thankfully? Kris(ta) overruled with an emphatic "I refuse to do TERRY!"  As hurtful, and dishonest, as that was on her part, it led to the name being trimmed down to TRY, and Yoda was brought on board for a reasonable fee and the group was off and running.  (Ahem.)

That year it only ever had a handful of Lockheed Martin runners. With barely any coordination and any advice and lessons being passed on while running only, I think turnout averaged around five people a week.  The main proof of the learning and lengthening while having fun concept that year was helping Brad and Ally build up their long runs to the point that they completed the ARC Hyman with a smile on their faces.

The next spring some external recruiting was done, with the original story of inspiration that got me off butt and wanting to help others learn the joy of running in mind (story is still not quite ready for re-publication :-(.  The biggest recruitment turned out to be getting Tim(my) on board.  He led to a LOT of Cooper scoopers (Crouse Hinders) joining in.  And in a perfect storm sort of way, almost every recruit wanted to do their first ever Boilermaker in a year where you could still sign up for it into July.  TRY 08 summer session one used emails to coordinate and pass on some advice as the group run was a long run that built up over the weeks to get everyone ready for the Boilermaker that year.  Did you realized that TRY used to meet at different places?  Beaver Lake Nature Center, The Wegmans Good Dog Park end of the park, and Green Lakes State park were all used in the past as the location of a TRY Tuesday night run.  (As the group grew and I refused to have to figure out ahead of time who could make it that week or not, it was decided that a permanent meeting place and time made more sense.)

A couple weeks after the BM that year, the blogspot site went live and the first ever entry was a thing (a couple things actually) of beauty!  And as fun as it is to look at our younger and firmer selves, I like this part because it is proof that I used to be a lot funnier, proof of when intervals became the standard TRY workout, plus shows how some things don't change.  (Except I no longer have a fudge packing fetish):
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

Fast forward 4 years and 2 months and here we are!  I've made plenty of mistakes over the years, but thanks to you guys for bearing with me and being forgiving and being willing to bring in new people to keep the atmosphere fresh, TRY is still worthy of a very nice thank you from Corey via facebook as he completed a length race that "would not have happened without you guys".  I'll add to his thanks with one of my own - without you, there would be no TRY.  So, thanks for turning terry into TRY and for keeping TRY an inspirational group, that over five years after its inception is still capable of propelling someone further than they thought possible.

(There will be some more looking back next week...stay tuned.)

Do People Even Read These?

From looking at the site metrics, I can see a couple dozen page views per week...but at least a few of those could be me proofreading and double checking the links from the places I post the entry.  So, I really don't know if more than about five people skim the entry every week.  So, that and the fact that I've been distracted again, lead to posts like this.  A bit of everything to see who is paying attention.  And rude and scandalous enough that at least one person will feel the need to comment, if only to chastise me:

This week's workout:
Whatever you want to do.  Seriously.  The rain scared most of the people away last week.  Plus the beginners all bailed.  And I was sick and did not even make it myself.  If any of the "new to interval" group makes it, go for 1/2 mile intervals.  I will not actually be there for the run portion...  I'll be there to start things and will sort of lead up the warm-up like I have been, and then I have to leave and go to a class just as the rest of you will start to run.  The class?  Breastfeeding!  I had no idea that they taught you about this?!  37 years ago, I have to be honest, I just was winging it and I had no idea what to do with a boob in my face.  How did I handle it back then?  I sucked.  No, really.  This time, I'm going to have been taught by the best and study my heart out and will make sure that I make the most of this second chance that I never expected to get!  Got milk?

Other topics:


Do you like ovaries?  I know that I love all three of mine!  Over easy.  Did you know that September is Ovarian Cancer awareness month?  And that Escalade has invited us all to join her team in the Hope For Heather 5k in a couple weekends?  You still have a day or two to sign up at the early reduced rate and guarantee yourself a shirt.  This link leads you directly to the registration page to join Escalade's "Head over Heals for Teal" team.  Last year, it was her "first" 5k.  Her lead cows helped her get almost everything she could out of her conditioning, so I know it was a very honest time.   This year, if I didn't blow out her knee last night, she is all set to obliterate that time.  (I don't want to put too much pressure on her, so I'll keep our goals private.)  It will be great to see what someone new to running, and working hard and smart at their training, can gain in a years time.  For more information on the event itself, go to the main website.  There is a stiletto dash.  And the 5k encourages running or walking.  So, there is something for everyone who enjoys a good ovary.  Speaking of which...GAME OVARIES!  

Tosh.0
Get More: Tosh.0 Videos,Daniel Tosh,Web Redemption

Do you remember me asking about going to check out the Greek Peak Outdoor Adventure Center many moons ago?  Well, the time has finally come.  Saturday, September 22nd, we'll be going down there to do the low and high ropes course, a couple zip lines and perhaps a couple of the other random activities that the place has to offer.  We have an inside connection, so expect a VIP tour.  Let me know if you want in and details will be coming out to those who want in.  (Expect a midday arrival down there, to allow for morning long runs, and to get back to Syracuse by late afternoon.)

And a tease:
Have you always wanted to be a philanthropist but didn't have the extra millions laying around to make it happen?  Well, that is what the CNY Future Fund is all about.  It's a circle of giving organization, that uses the power of many small contributions to make a big impact.  I've been a member for a year and now I plan to take a more active role, which includes recruiting you.  That's right, you.  Details will be coming in a future week.  For now, think if you would like to learn how to be a philanthropist and join in with other like-minded neighbors, to help decide what local non-profit gets a good size grant from the Future Fund next spring.  If we don't care about the future, will the future care about us?  Why don't you give it a try for a year and see if you enjoy it?

And a very pointed test for one particular person:
I just got the CTMH stamp set for the "When the fluff are you going to stop scheduling workshops, and instead, actually show up at TRY on a Tuesday night?" kit.  I look forward to sharing it with you.  ;-)