Independence Week

I'm not sure what the title has to do with anything that I'll actually write?  But we're going with it.

For the training run tonight, people prepping for the Boilermaker should be starting to ease up.  The Hal Higdon beginner plan has you doing a steady 3 miler.  His intermediate plan suggests a 4 mile tempo run.  For those not constrained by the Boilermaker, I'll suggest you keeping the tempo runners company.

I hope the BM runners are thinking beefy thoughts.  I'll email you guys directly to see if anyone needs help getting their race jersey ahead of time.

For everyone:
Here is a useful article about hydration for long runs.  And it emphasizes three phases - before, during, and after and goes into hydrating as a lifestyle.

I cheered on the Runapalooza run this past Saturday morning (hey Sue, how about a race report since its a new race for everyone?).  For proof I was there, look to the two sitting figures, in the shade, on the left hand side (you may need to squint a little, but the good looking one on the far left is me):


It reminded me to remind you all about running tangents and making the race course as short as possible.  As  the photo shows, I was sitting in the middle of an 's' curve.  The photo is capturing people being pretty good about taking the inside corner.  But I was witness to a lot people not doing that and hugging the wrong side and being sheepish and following those in front of them whether they were setting a good example or not.  Even the lead pack of three elite guys the first time through were in the wrong lane until one of them made an awkward maneuver to not trip the group, then cut to the inside corner at which point the other two followed suit.  It was a new course which took some getting used to and I did notice the better runners, especially, did a much better job the second time around.  But, the summary I took away was that it's time for people to re-read my tangent lesson from last year.

Next topic:
Just to add some color to this post, here are two perfect photos to sum up my trip to Lake Placid.

It was cold and wet, more mid-spring like than anything approaching summer Monday through Wednesday.  The snow here was from the zamboni and therefore was a little bit faked but the hood up and the hands in the pocket for warmth was not faked at all.


But, that didn't stop me from having fun and seeking out my kind.   Here is a very cute shot of a baby beaver from a wildlife refuge...and I just happened to have borrowed a baby to make the shot complete.  (Yes, that is one of my beaver hats that I'm wearing.)



And finally, Boilermaker stuff for the Boilermaker runners:

Long time TRYers will recognize all of this from past years, so you don't need to go through it again, but for first timers...here is all the information you need to know for avoiding traffic and meeting up before and after the Boilermaker on Sunday morning:

 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:

(Both the "x" and point B are just barely off...we meet up just a tad west of there.  On the google map, you can see the trees - we almost always seek out their shade to survive the heat of the day.)