Geddes Area Happenings

Since I need an excuse to have a blog post for August...

Aaron is doing a great job of pushing speed differentiation and has said it is quarter miles intervals again this week. (I don't always run, but when I do, I listen to Aaron.) Also, thanks to MLB doing nicknames on their jerseys in a couple weekends for "players weekend", I now know what to order Aaron for Christmas!



The forecast is for high 70s and storms probably having passed through by TRY time, but keep an eye on the Doppler radar and choose wisely.

Assuming decent weather after TRY time you may want to consider a very unique outdoor movie venue. I went to the Amphitheater for movie night a couple weeks ago and it was very nice. Free parking (and you get rather close), free to get in and all they cared about was if you had glass containers. Bathrooms are open and there is a vendor or two selling ice cream and popcorn. But really it is a bring your own set up and you get to watch the movies on the auxiliary screens they use for concerts. They aren't huge, but there is always at least a couple in your sight line, and you can bring in whatever you need to make your night fun. (Drinks? A mistress? Your own children? Etc...) This is the third, and final, week for this summer "Moonlight Movie Series 2017". The 8 PM showing is "Sing" and the second feature is "This is Spinal Tap". (No word on whether Ron is willing to put it up to eleven for us for a night?)

Here are the simple details of these movie events from syracuse.com.

What else is about to happen in Geddes? Why the New York State Fair, of course! This year it opens with a preview day on Wednesday the 23rd (It will only $1 to get in on the preview Wednesday, so save your advance sale tickets for another day) and so will last one extra day. Unfortunately for me, my first wife is taking me out of town on a family vacation so I will have limited days where I can check it out. (I see that both Thursdays are only $3 to get in, so you don't need advance sale tickets for those days either.)

The highlights from what I can tell from a couple of the early articles (one and two):
There will be a chair lift down the middle of the fairway.
The west end (where the Chinese lantern festival was) will have things in it this year, including a floating tiki bar in the dragon lagoon. So that area should feel a lot less empty than it was last year.
The Indian village area got spruced up.
And several other minor upgrades...like moving the state police demonstration area and adding family recharge zones.

So, nothing as big as last year, but continuing to fancy up the place. I'll put a poll on the Facebook page for possible TRY nights at the Fair.

I Plead The Fourth

Is anyone around for TRY this week? Probably not, but mid 70s and sunny at TRY time. Next week there is no TRY due to the post Boilermaker hangover. See the separate invite for our fun alternative night. (Get a hold of me if you didn't get an invite.) So with the holiday and then the BM there is a two week sabbatical this summer.

I assume most people will be celebrating the holiday somewhere? So enjoy yourself some holiday-ing and be sure to seek out some noise and air pollution!

I know I enjoy them myself, but how much longer are we going to allow this stuff to continue? We are mostly all for the Paris Climate Accord and yet we gleefully gather in large numbers and cheer on ground, water, and air pollution. Does this even make sense anymore? (Hat tip to Disney for working on a partially better way! Score one for Berms!)

And just because I expect no one to show up for TRY does not mean that it is a wasted week - I've built up some links of interest for you on this "off" week. Here are a couple about running and exercising:

1) The biggest mistakes that all levels of runners make. (Including a couple about overuse!)

2) Common exercise myths. (OK, not really running, but ties in nicely and these myths are debunked by SCIENCE!)

Lastly, this is perfect on a day where very few should be working as this gets into NSFW links. As the non-running leader of a running group you can imagine that I get asked a lot of questions and by far the most common questions that I DON'T get asked are about sex...so here you go. (Lifehacker seems to have gotten on a sex kick lately?)

1) How much sex should you be having? (It's well reasoned and has links to more information.)

2) The nice persons guide to playing rough. (My safe word is "Versace"! If you don't have one, be sure to think of one for yourself and share it with your partner.)

Why does the fourth of July always land in the first week of July?! Seems like an odd coincidence to me.

So Into Annals

It has been awhile since I've done a post on the blog site plus I wanted to preserve Aaron's heartfelt shared story for the Annals of TRY. (In case 30 For 30 ever picks up our story!) Most of you know that I love annals. (That's with two N's, Meat Loaf!)

Forecast for tonight is for 50% chance of storms all through early afternoon, then downgrading to showers at a 25-30% clip in the TRY hours. (According to weather.com)

Aaron posted some running workout ideas for your run and is starting up another 30 day ab challenge. See his FB post for details.

I see that a few of you have already gone to the Chinese Lantern Festival at the state fairgrounds. If you have not and are interested, this is your final week as it's 2 1/2 month stay ends on the 24th. I recommend it for the uniqueness of it all. The lights look great, especially after dark and the 30 minute performance of culture is well worth the viewing...and bring cash as they give a "discount" at the gate for cash. Plus they have food trucks and merchandise if you are into such things. Of everyone in TRY, it would seem like Ron would be the most interested?!

(Because of his intense, hands on, interest in foreign cultures.)

As a group, we really downgraded our support of Paige's Butterfly Run this year. It happens! But it did make me curious if people would be more interested in supporting their summer clam bake? They did their first annual one last year and Berms, her male roommate, and I attended. It was plenty good food-wise and not crowded at all as it was their first attempt at it. In fact, I'm a bit surprised they are running it back, but obviously it is something they see as an event to grow and therefore a small crowd the first time did not scare them off.

They call it the "Clams 4 Cures Clambake" and is July 29th at the Spinning Wheel. Please let me know if you are interested and maybe we can get a bigger group together for it this year? (It looks like it is 50 "clams" -- that is dollars -- per ticket! Which I suppose is the going rate for an open clam bake? That would crush my allowance for the month but I still plan to go if we can get a group.)

It was Berms' first time and she seemed to like it. Would you go again Berms or was it enough to get the check-mark?





Finally, let's preserve Aaron's small world story in a blog entry. Obviously is a powerful reminder of the community in a long race and reminds me of how often a bond can be made among strangers as the miles add up. (And brings a twinkle to my eye as I remember two different connections made in my marathon-marathon story.) It also calls into question the people who always wear headphones in races? I know it is a personal choice and it "helps them" so who am I to judge? But, I just know I've had cases where I've cheered on someone I knew who I then noticed had headphones in and they didn't seem to flinch at all. If someone gets cheered for but does not hear it, does a tree still fall on them in the forest?!

Aaron, thanks again for sharing:

Tangentially running related story to share. I've had a note sitting in my Facebook Messenger queue for weeks now. I had assumed that was spam but when I opened it yesterday, I found this:

"Hi. We were in a photo together coming out of Thornden park at the Mountain Goat Sunday. I just wanted to tell you that your words of encouragement to everyone near you on the course were very uplifting. It was an emotional point in the race for me after losing a friend last week. I heard you talking to others and it reminded me of him and just what he would have been doing."

Most of us aren't going to win the races that we enter. Try to have fun out there. Cracking a joke or encouraging those runners around you might make all the difference to somebody in earshot.

Oh MG!

Mid 60s and some sun at TRY time. Ideal conditions to join Aaron in some interval training. See his Facebook post for his suggestions.

I'll be absent, of course, this time while marveling at the train wreck that is youth sports. If I don't convince the coach tonight that my son should be the first ever person to pitch during a teeball baseball game then clearly it is the coaches fault and he will never see my sons greatness like I do and I'll petition the league commissioner to get him fired.

Here is the colorful follow up to the Mountain Goat run from a couple weekends ago. Hopefully I found everyone (with exceptions like Doug and Janna who I don't feel are still TRYing). If Lisa thought she could obscure her bib to the point of not being found, then clearly she should not have attempted to sprint in Brett B from Geneva, NY. (The lesson is that I WILL FIND YOU, LISA!)























Lots of smiles, thumbs-ups, and waves. Well done, you crazy kids!

And So It Begins Anew

Welcome to the 11th year of TRY! Or as it can more easily be thought of...our 10th Anniversary year. Much has changed over the years and with the leader mailing it in the last couple years there is no regular contributor that remains from the first attempts at TRY in 2007. Some remaining people have been there from nearly the beginning and while some people have shown up one time and others have shown up one hundred times, there remains something at TRYs core that is a friendly running group.

This spring some of you have already done a half marathon while others are just shaking the winter ice off their legs. Some of you have marathons in your sights while others might not even race a 5K. I feel the groups experience and goals have never been more expansive or diverse. With that in mind, I don't really have any idea what to write about this season that would be applicable to even half of you, so feel free to let me know ideas.

For the weekly TRY meet-up, it'll be the "system" that has been in place for the past few years. Meet at 5:30 or a bit before, figure out who wants to run what, start the run at 5:35ish in like minded groups and then regroup afterwards. Do a cool down walk and then either say goodbye or follow the thirst group to a local establishment for drink and food. 

Aaron did a nice write-up of a trail run him, Katie and Bart all did over the weekend that your inner kid would have loved and your laundry servant would have loathed. Be sure to catch that and some of the photos on Facebook if you haven not already.

One idea I have for the 10th anniversary is to reach out to and "interview" 10 past participants of TRY. We have ex-TRYers spread throughout the country and the county so I thought it would be interesting to catch up to some of them and find out what they are up to, if they still run, and where they have found to run in their new areas. I'll probably call it "10 For 10" and spread that throughout the rest of the running season. Beyond that? I'm not sure if there is anything left to say. I do encourage people who do unique races to share their experiences with us.

I think that's it for the TRY season? It is a running group that basically runs itself at this point.

An extra item for anyone wondering what a winter hibernation is like. It's basically the scene from Anchorman except that it is cold enough that the milk doesn't curdle. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.

The Syracuse Chiefs start this week but the forecast for Thursday is poor enough that I'm not sure it is worth even attempting to organize anything? But if anyone is looking for a baseball outing, you can let me know.

Finale

Today is the regular season finale. Another great forecast is in the works and has mid to high 50s for the final OLP TRY of the year.

The group is meeting at 5 with a 5:05 start time. That still means mostly dark to actually dark as you finish your running so please pair off or group up and make sure that everyone gets out of the park safely. Flashlights or headlamps would be nice for anyone running more than a two miles.

Stay tuned to the Facebook page for "off season" running meet-ups including continued running on Tuesday nights at various after-dark safe running locations. I am usually unable to attend which leaves you in more capable hands to orchestrate the runs.

As most of you know today is a very important day. So I wanted to take the time to remind you to be sure to take advantage of today and do something that many people around the world think we take for granted. Whether you did it this morning already and sneak it in tonight at the last minute it is VERY IMPORTANT for you to go out and ...

Think about TRY and the running accomplishments that you and the group have had this year. Whether you did another marathon, your first hymon, a unique trail run, a new group relay race, a relay "great" race, another group relay race, a trail marathon, another hymon, a 5k, a 3.5 mile "challenge", or any of the various other running "races" that group members have put themselves through...take a moment to think back.

There is plenty of time in the calendar year to add on more races - from jingly balls, to wonderful runs, to turkey trots, to frozen trail races, but with the end of regular TRY for 2016 think of your accomplishments and learn from them - both good and bad lessons - and consider what you will do the same or different in 2017.

That's it...nothing else of note to do today...

Frost on the Pumpkin

Despite the cold start to the day, the hourly forecast is saying high 50s at TRY time.

Counting tonight, we have TWO SESSIONS of regular TRY left. BUT, next week falls after the change back to standard time, so I recommend moving the TRY meetup time based on what was done last year - shifting 30 minutes earlier for next week. Hopefully I remember to bring that up tonight.

For those who care about lights on the lake, it opens for cars on Wednesday the 16th with a "Salute the Troops Night" (free with military ID). Monday the 14th is the stroll night and Tuesday the 15th is the dog walk night.

That's it...I'm all hallows eve'd out!

Whatever Floats Your Boat

Somehow it will be 35 or so degrees cooler this week at TRY time. Forecast is putting it in the low 40s.

Counting today, there are THREE weeks left of regular season TRY. Next week will be normal time and then there will be one week after daylight saving time ends...I'll have to look up how we handled that last year. (I'm guessing I wasn't there since after dark is not kid friendly.)

Predicting the future:
I thought Prancercising was going to be a thing. I thought carrying your own drink cup was going to be a thing. I thought elevation training masks were going to be a thing... (I'm way too lazy to link back to those specific predictions but feel free to search the archives.) So, my predictive skills have not been very good at all. But, this showed up in my FB newsfeed and since I clicked on it, it continues to show up constantly. I don't know if anyone else is seeing this so I wanted to pass it on...

Salt therapy and float therapy are coming to Syracuse. It appears the latest estimate is for a January opening. Somewhere on Erie Blvd. Here is the local Facebook page with all sorts of links and details, but here is the article from Yahoo! I read about "floating like Eleven in Stranger Things". (I assume you do not get to visit the upside-down, but details are sketchy, so maybe?) It's not immediately obvious if all the floating tanks are sensory deprivation tanks as well? Or if there is some sort of choice for which type of "float" you want to do? (From the simple pictures it sure looks like there are different size tanks that are used - but no indication yet on what the Syracuse location will have.)

That's all I have...you'll thank me when you are floating your troubles and this winter away come January.

The Summer That Won't Quit

Somehow, it's another Tuesday TRY with high 70s at TRY time. This one might hurt a little.

Counting tonight there are FOUR weeks left of regular season TRY.

And since this is such a long article that is REALLY IMPORTANT to read, I'll end my writing here in the hopes you continue. This was from Runner's World in the past week and about your hips and glutes and proper running form. (Is the minimalist movement as dead as this article claims? Duerr?)

Pork, The One You Love

Cloudy and low 60s at TRY time. Fall like, but still leaning way to the side of great weather.

The countdown to the end of regular season TRY is on -- counting tonight there are FIVE weeks left.

On 10/11/12, my oldest boy was born. Tonight after TRY you can join us at the Village Burger for a tasty, but slowly served, burger followed by some funfetti cupcakes. No need to bring anything for the birthday boy, except a happy birthday wish, either at the park or at VB for those who can join in.

The "Run of the Dead" is this Saturday (the 15th) right in Liverpool. There is a video right at the top of the page that shows off a lot better zombie action than I assumed they had. Certainly looks interesting! (If you are into that sort of thing.) My sister-in-law plays a role in this event because her and other North Syracuse Wilderness Search and Rescue volunteers do most of the work getting the course prepared...and then get a minor kick-back of money from each participant. (So it becomes one of the WSARs bigger fundraisers for the year.)

Does anyone want to check out a local Y?
Catherine's membership (And I assume any other main member?) currently has the option of "gifting" a two week trial membership to as many friends as she can find to take up the offer. (Then if you end up joining, she does get a free month herself, but that is very secondary to you guys taking advantage to see if the Y is worth your time.) I am thinking someone like Malinda? Or Tim and Lindsay? Bill? People that live super close to the "new" one in B'ville that maybe have never seen the inside? Membership is month to month, so for anyone looking for a place to get runs in through the winter, it may be worth considering for 4-6 months? (The B'ville one does have a 1/8 mile track.)

No matter which Y you would want to check out, Catherine just would need to know that you are interested - gives them your name - and then you get two weeks free. You do have to start your two week trial by the end of October. (And it just so happens that at the B'ville Y they are doing a 2 week yearly pool maintenance the last week of October and first week of November, so that would limit what you have access to during your trial.)

For those who have never thought about the Y as a gym choice - a membership gets you into "all" the Syracuse area Y's, including the one at OCC - which has that very nice indoor track for winter running.

Do you have a choice of what time of day to run? Because SCIENCE is now claiming it is better to run in the evening. (TRY time is probably a bit too early to be considered to ideal time...but at least it is close?) Of course, I've often heard that running in the morning is better for weight loss, so who knows with these studies and how they come up with their numbers?

Meat eaters only from this point on:
Lastly, I posted this on TRY, but another way to ask people: Who would be interested in buying locally raised pork next late September or early October? My brother-in-law proved the concept this summer raising 5 of them, but next year is willing to double his herd. (But needs the "order" soon so that he can put the request in with the farmer that will have the piglets in the spring.) This year the price per half pig ended up being a little less than $300 for about 70 pounds of meat. You get a lot of choices for the cuts you want. (Hams versus steaks, what types of sausage, ribs or not, etc.) The pigs are raised on my families old farm in Croghan and the meat market is just outside of Lowville.

Here are some photos to give you an idea of what half of a pig involves. We ended up with about 20 pounds of ham and ham steaks, and 5 pounds of bacon. 15 pounds of sausage. And then ribs, all sorts of pork chops, tenderloin, shoulder, ...

Here are the coolers that were both full:



Here is the bacon (disappointingly little, but super tasty):


Here is almost all the rest of the meat (a couple small pieces wouldn't fit and kept sliding off). Hams and shoulder on left. Chops and steaks in the middle and our sweet and hot sausage on the right.:


Here is part of the custom cut order form to see the decisions you have to make:




This year no payment was due until the end, but with him expanding to non-family members, there may be a minor down payment asked for in the spring? (I trust all of you so am not too worried about it.)

Fall In Love With Running

Fall is here on the calendar and also with our overnight temperatures, but at TRY time the mercury will have fought its way to an almost summery 70 degrees. Unlike me, this summer just won't quit!

Kelly has already posted about the group run - it will be quarter mile intervals for those able. As a non-runner myself, I didn't feel it was my place to chime in, but I'm glad the group vote was to attempt some form of group intervals again. (It is the only choice that allows for some semblance of a group run when there is such a diverse group of people running. And is even written up in our charter.)

The running part:
Slight, but lingering, injuries, my own apathy, and my own obesity all contributed to a poor spring and summer for me running-wise. Once September arrived I rebooted my running and turned off my watch and turned off my thinking about my runs. It has given me a clean slate and allowed me to slowly "fall" in love with running again. It has been refreshing! So I wanted to encourage anyone who reads this that is in a running rut - take a week or two to think about what you enjoy about running. And ask yourself what it would take for you to "fall" in love with running again over the next couple months? (There are a myriad of reasons that people run. Re-find your own specific reason!)

The fun but educational part:
You've certainly seen Truck Nutz by now.

And hopefully you've had an in depth discussion in the past about "neuticles".

But have you embraced the latest bike safety craze...the naturally inspired invention known as "bike balls"?

You're welcome!

Again?

Yet again we have an low-to-mid 80s forecast for TRY time. Soak it in and let the sweat times roll!

I will not be able to attend again, which is getting to be entirely too common of an occurrence. (Today's excuse - it's Wegman's appreciation month at "The Strong National Museum of Play" and this is the day that worked best for Catherine and her parents to go...so we'll be on our way back from there at TRY time.)

Something to file away for next year:
My oldest sister and my niece took part in a very special sounding race on Sunday. They talked so highly of it that I decided to feature it here for future reference. I liked that it had such a unique "heart" to the event...

The race is called "The DeWitt PFA 5K" and the course is along the canal. This year was extra special because it was held on 9/11 but it is not just for 9/11.

In the race's own words: "TheThird annual "DeWitt PFA 5K" is a run/walk designed to remember and support those emergency services personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty. Although held on September 11th, the run memorializes those heroes who risk and unfortunately lose their lives on a daily basis. Starting and ending at the Town of DeWitt 9/11 memorial site, the route takes participants along the Erie Canal before turning and heading back.

Proceeds from this event will be donated to the “National Fallen Firefighters Foundation”, a 501(c)3 not for profit organization that supports families and fire departments of fallen firefighters."

My sister and niece both got to select someone to run for (a fallen hero), including a picture, and said the finisher medal was top notch and you can see they both got roses as well. There was also a 1/4 mile kids fun run that she recommended to me (I think for my sons, but maybe for ME?!) for next year.

#neverforget

Post Labor Recovery

It is the summer that just keeps giving! Low to mid 80s at TRY time.

I'm gonna drop the friendly act and just get to what you want...more SCIENCE! This time it is sad for me personally and probably explains a lot about what I look like. Once upon a time I used to drink gatorade (full strength) as my water at work...I have cut way down on that but once in a while still convince myself I need a sports drink to replenish after sweating some. Well, with the amount of exercise I do these days this article would say that is bullcrap! It turns out most people don't need sports drinks when they exercise.

OK, we got the running related requirement out of the way. So here is the fluff. SCIENCE! says it is probably better to sleep naked. (Probably safe for work, but make sure know one has a sight line, so they don't misunderstand the PG-13 content.) Go ahead, ladies, we'll follow your lead...sleep naked.

And where better to sleep naked than on a cuddle mattress?! I can't embed the related video here so will have to share that in the Facebook group itself.

That's it for this week, enjoy your Labor Day!

Going Into Labor (Day)

I was all set to say that we are close to cooling off, but aren't quite there yet today...then I looked at the 10 day forecast and I saw that next Wednesday (September 7th) has a forecasted high of 90 degrees. NINETY degrees. In Syracuse. And I was like what the heck is going on? What-the-actual-heck?! The only conclusion is that #suebroketheweather. Sue has broken a lot of crap over the years, but to break mother nature? It's amazing and revolting at same time. SUE - enough. ENOUGH!

For tonight - low 80s, some sun and some very annoying car traffic at TRY time. I would say to enjoy it while it lasts, but, thanks to Sue, apparently summer is going to last until winter. We are transitioning into a two season cycle: Sue and Elsa are going to be our new seasons from this point forward.

I have personally proven that the hand printable New York State Fair coupons work and work well. Family and friends saved well over $10 yesterday on things we would have bought anyway. Cha-ching! If you are going, and like saving money, do yourselves a favor and print out the whole set, or use my "cheat sheet" image below of my guess at the most useful ones.




Now that I've explored about 2/3 of it - the redesigned fair is "interesting". Parts of it now seem like they are abandoned and ignored, some vendors got totally screwed with their new locations, and it can be confusing to find an old favorite. BUT, it is so much easier to get through some once crowded locations and the sight lines and walkways are much more open. Certainly there are some pluses and minuses, but it isn't dull and isn't the same which makes for fun fair outings this year.

For those of you who expect something related to running. Here it [sort of] is:
You know how I predicted "elevation masks" would be the next big thing? And that I expect Jake to show up any week wearing one? Well, they haven't exactly caught on fire yet, but I did see one in full, open use at the B'ville Y this past spring. And now a study has come out using SCIENCE to prove that they work. Kind of. But not in the way that you (or they?) expected.

Read the full details in this active.com article (Will take up to a few minutes to read), but the conclusion for those who don't want to read it, is that they are already changing their name and their claims and were never an elevation mask, after all. (They are now called "training" masks but still have a promising future in improving endurance performance.)

Do they make a pink one for ladies? I would love to see a lot of Lady Bane's running around at the park next year. (What it is really going to take is for a company to come up with a cute face to put on them...once you can look like a super-hero or really anything that isn't completely awful to look at...I would expect a big increase in sales. Where is Disney and Marvel on this?)

Fair Enough

This weeks forecast is for beautiful summer weather around TRY time - 80 degrees and sunny. (At some point it is hard for me to come up with new excuses on why I don't run!)

With the fair now just a couple days away I've been doing some research on what days make the most sense to go and I found that the coupon booklet from previous years is now available as a printable file right off of the fairs website. So, do yourself a favor and print out the pages you may use from this .pdf.

Or, if you are like me and do not want to waste paper, check out this condensed sheet off the 10 most likely coupons I would use. Note that all three slushie coupons are on the page and there is no limit to how many you can print...so it is like printing money.


(There are a several other coupons that others may make use out of - so check out the link above to make sure you are not limited to what suited my taste. You would have to be a Bavarian [roasted] nut to not take advantage of at least a few of these.)

Back to running:
At some point I feel that everything that can be written about running, HAS been written about running. So it makes it impossible to find new and interesting material for the old timers in the group. But, rehashing some stuff may refresh the memory for those people? And maybe some of this is new to the less experienced runners? With that in mind I thought the article in the weekend Fleet Feet newsletter was sort of interesting. It is called "Learn to Love Summer Running" and is a couple minute read on what heat does to your body and what benefits you can glean from suffering through some hot runs. It feels harder on super hot days, because it is harder (science!). Your body works harder, so the key takeaways are to take it a little easy, certainly, but also to use that extra body stress to improve your running fitness. When cooler weather comes in the fall, you will be a little better off than if you dodged all the hottest days or hottest times of the days.

This last article was shared by a former co-worker of several of ours on Facebook, so I read through it and found it fascinating. It has running at its core, but is really a human interest piece and shows how recently the world really sucked and how simple acts of decency could change peoples lives around him for the better and his for the worse. Do yourself a favor and take the 5-10 minutes to read about "The White Man In That Photo".

(Full disclosure: I'm sure I "knew" that photo and that moment was about a running event but something about the gloves on made my mind remember that it was about boxers. Not that boxers wear gloves like that...but with the gloves and the fists I had somehow misremembered what the lead-up to that moment even was. Shame on me - even though the type of sport they competed in was irrelevant to the moment and the gesture.)

Headache

Tonight's run will be threatened by scattered storms to general storms based on the hourly forecast along with some mid-80s temperatures. Choose wisely! (Like Jake did.)

I will be out of town today visiting family so will not be available (again) to help coordinate in any way.

With the state fair starting at the end of next week I am going to declare the vote closed and say that the second Sunday, that is the 4th of September, is TRY night at the fair. So if you have an interest in seeing Daughtry or you just want to be at the fair for some food, folks and fun, plan accordingly.

This past weekends big news was a successful finish of the Peak to Brew relay race by some TRYers and friends. From what I could tell from stalking from a distance, much fun was had, no major injuries were sustained and everyone ran their proper shifts. (Which when there are 48 shifts to do, not having to deviate from the plan is a major accomplishment.)




Finishing a race like that is a victory in itself so I did not even bother looking to see what place they got or how they compared to other co-ed teams or check to see how close they were to their own estimate. I assume they weren't the only team doing this but have no idea how big of a turn out the event got. I'll leave any of those unique and interesting details for one of them to write up if they choose to put together a post race report for friends and family (and TRY) to enjoy.

That's all I've got. I have been plagued by a headache since midday yesterday so I'm giving up and am saying "no mas".

There is Still Time

Current forecast is for a sweltering 90 degrees Tuesday, so like C & C Music Factory, this weeks run is going to make you sweat til you bleed. Run smart. (Typically by 5:30 the danger has passed but if the heat index is still high, consider scaling back your run, or even doing laps/intervals around Angela's TRY-angle which would allow for some running through Mr. Mister and keeps you close to the drinking fountain.)

I stopped by to cheer on and check out the Corner Store Country Run and it was as advertised...a barn raising good time with a swag bag to die for. If you want to get more freebies than you can physically carry back to the car with you...keep an eye out for this event next year.

Here was my haul, which was only "this small" because I stopped stuffing my bag:




This Friday and Saturday some TRYers are on a team taking part in the Peak 2 Brew relay race. (This is not a Ragnar. Ahem! Nothing to see here.) Perhaps someone from the team can provide information on how to best track the team progress? And perhaps someone on the team will volunteer to write up a summary for us, post race, so that we have some idea on what it's like to share a van with 5 other equally sweaty people caused by insanely doing this during the dog days of August. Woof-woof.

This Thursday night, I have "organized" a simple Syracuse Chiefs outing in the attempt to get several young kids to come out and enjoy the game together. (Preferably with their parents.) It was also done as a way to pass along the invite to TRYers. If anyone is interested - let me know and I'll pass along the details. Here is the graphic I made, which shows the time and dollar night specials. (Along with some Olympic thing?)

The New York State Fair is closing in on us. The leader, and probable winner, for the TRY Night At The Fair is the Sunday before Labor Day featuring Daughtry as the 8 pm concert. Apparently him losing American Idol was not enough to sway people into listening to Toto? (You can still vote in the FB poll if you want to feel the rains down in Africa.)

I stumbled upon this "new" feature of the fair this year and thought it was rather cool. Too bad it is a Wednesday and hardly anyone (that works) will be able to take advantage. But, since we have some bikers in our midst I wanted to make sure they saw this.



The "paper" just posted this excellent summary of what's new and different this year with the layout. It's the biggest changes in decades from what I can tell and certainly will make things unfamiliar, but hopefully in a good way?

Country Theme

This weeks hourly forecast is for high 70s and with a reduction in humidity at TRY time, so it should be a summery pleasant night for those of us who skip every week. Ummm, I mean, it should make for a pleasant, summery, feel to the run.

If you haven't already noticed them on Facebook, be sure to check out a couple of recent posts. Berms has provided some fun group shots and candids from the Boilermaker and from her BM flushing party. I have added a poll for preferred night or nights for heading off for a group outing to the state fair. For those who might attend and have an opinion, please vote.

This weekend:
Coming up this Saturday is the "Corner Store Country Run" promising "down home family fun". There is a 5k starting at 8:30 followed by a "Country Fair". It is $5 for the fair only, $10 for the run or $15 if you want to run and be officially timed. So it is about as cheap as it can get and from word of mouth and their own advertising it is about the "best post-race ever". Supposedly a ton of sponsor swag, food, live music, carnival games and two free beer tickets for adults. I am suspicious that it matches the Boilermaker post race party...but for only having to run 3.1 miles to get there and theoretically being able to move around while there, it just might compete?

A little insider information - the Corner Store enterprise bought out the formerly family owned Nice and Easy brand, so that is why there is a tie-in to central New York. And while that is possibly old news, this was brand new to me: They partner with a local children's charity in each city they come into and last year and again this year that charity will be...wait for it...Paige's Butterfly Run!

Learning that made me even more curious about showing up. It is kind of a misnomer to say that I want to support the event now...because clearly they are not making any money with the handouts they are doing and the price-point they have for the race. But I do like the idea of physically supporting it, even if it is a corporate entity attempting to buy our love? I'm very buy-able! I know a couple TRYers that plan to do this and while I have my boys to myself that morning I am pretty sure that I'll show up with them and pay for the country fair part only. (Or perhaps sign up for the untimed race and only do one lap? I really have no interest in 90 pounds in a stroller on those hills though.) Let me know if you plan on being there either to run or just to watch and I'll make sure all TRYers know to keep an eye out for each other.

Something educational?
This short article from active got my attention - "10 Things Running Coaches Wish You Would Stop". Since it is an annoying "click-through" type I'll provide the bullet points that caught my attention (emphasis added is mine):
Failing to put in the time and effort required.
Letting emotions dictate your decisions. (this was opposite of what I thought - runners getting excited and wanting to go too fast, too soon)
Comparing yourself to others.
Skipping Strength Training
Over training.
Not listening to your body.
Making excuses. (Which amused me, because weaseling out of things we would rather not do is what separates mankind from the animal kingdom. Well, except for the weasel.)
Not Asking Questions.
Snacking before and after every run. (Over estimating the amount of calorie burn from your short runs.)
Training harder rather than smarter.

Normally Prequels Are Lacking:
But something about this one immediately caught my eye! I was unable to watch it while in the movie theater but now that it is entering the "On Demand" phase and soon to be on Netflix, I was just curious if anyone is interested in what sounds like a very intriguing movie night?!

Dual Endings

This week the forecast is for low 80s and sun at TRY time.

Nothing to do with running, but everything to do with time. Somehow, a simple coincidence of life has aligned itself that two TRYers have lost grandmothers this past week. A-jax and Malinda lost grandmothers just three days apart. I do not read anything into this unfortunate coincidence, but it does serve as a reminder that life is fleeting, our peak years pass all too quickly and that time remains undefeated. Surround yourself with people and activities that bring energy and joy into your life and shed those people and things that do not.

The official race photos are getting less and less fun to screen capture, so I'm just going to include the free to share Team Beef finish area photos from the Boilermaker.

A lot going on here...strollers? With something other than just kids in them? (Anyone have any insight into that?)


A veteran.


A veteran.


A rookie. (Who is such a dedicated mother that she expressed milk along the way and carried it with her to take home for the afternoon feeding. Impressive!)


The last of our TRY herd.


And I was stopped randomly while throwing away some trash at the after party. Not sure where this was posted but Team Beef found it.

Ready, Set, Run

If I happen to pass away on the Boilermaker course on Sunday morning and you read this post posthumously, know that I loved you all. Well, except you, you, and you. And especially YOU. But with those few exceptions, I did love all of you.

This weeks only important topic is the post Boilermaker gathering on Tuesday night, meaning there is no TRY (at the park). You should all have been invited to through the FB event. If not and you want to know details, get a hold of me.

For those that can come, please read the details in the Flushing The BM Away event and then use the comment section to coordinate what you are bringing for side dishes or desserts. There is no need for everyone to bring something (no need for a feast), so especially for those of you coming directly from work - I would rather have you there on time to enjoy the evening then have you have to stop and buy food right during rush hour and be delayed substantially doing so. We will make sure that there is enough to go around.

Despite no TRY, there is big goings on this week at the park. There is a "Onondaga Lake Fest" at the Willow Bay end on Saturday. Here is some reference material I've read:
A description of the worlds largest rubber duck was written back in June. (Where is Ernie when you need him? I challenge anyone to listen to this entire song and NOT get it stuck in there head for hours.)



Last week there was a better description about everything to do with the entire days activities.
And you can go directly to the Lakefest website.

Seems really interesting! Not sure that I will make it but will at least attempt to get within viewing distance of the duck with the boys. (Could be an interesting view of it from near the Amphitheater at that elevated viewing point almost directly across from our weekly meetup area?)

...do de rubber duck...

That song is so catchy! (But in a good way?)

In my final attempt to cram Caroline Kole down your throats...well, for now, anyway, and to get the rubber duck song out of your head, I'll share three videos of partial songs from Friday night's show. (With apologies for my poor quality video and audio versions.) Caroline did an excellent job, I expressed my love for her in front of a hundred witnesses (true story...Malinda can confirm) and did not get a restraining order, and it was an awesome concert again. I highly recommend catching her if she comes back through the area again.

...do de rubber duck...

One of her own songs, that works well for TRY - Ready, Set, Run:



...duck, rubber duck, duck, rubber duck...

A song for the non-country folks - her cover of Billy Jean:


...do de rubber duck...

And a country cover that is almost as old as Caroline is (somehow this song is 16 years old?!) - Goodbye Earl:



[Finally, that one forced it out...cause the duck had to die]