I Can Clearly See Your Nuts

It's time to sign up for Relay For Life! An email will be coming later this morning. (I'll re-post that here later).

Tonight:
1/2 mile intervals...time to finally step it up. As always, what you run is optional, but some sort of speed work is ideal for optimizing your running training.

This weekend:
Celiac 5K/1 Mile walk. There is still time to sign up! I checked out the trail on Sunday and its going to be fun...take you back to your high school cross-country days. Only this time you won't have a coach yelling at you. Or a face full of zits. Ahhhh, good times. :-)

The Boilermaker:
Only 8 weeks away! And the registration cost goes WAY up after the end of May. It's time to sign up kiddies!
15K Race early registration through 5/31/2010 - $35
15K Race late registration 6/01/10 - 6/25/10 - $50
No Race Day Registration 5K Run early registration through 5/31/10 - $20
5K Run late registration 6/01/10 - 6/25/10 - $30
No Event Day Registration 3-Mile Walk early registration through 5/31/10 - $15
3-Mile Walk late registration through 6/01/10 - 6/25/10 - $ 20
Event Day Registration until 10:00 am

Some inspiration:
This story about baseball and running really resonated with me....choked me a up a little. (Ok, it choked me up a lot. But I think maybe the room was really dusty and bothered my eyes while reading it?) In defense of my wussy-ness, I'm a huge baseball fan and I watched this on TV and it got one of my all-time favorite baseball players a world series ring (he had been traded by the Phillies to the Marlins earlier that season.) Plus, Amy in the story is my age. And she's been dead for 17 years...she only got to live half the life I did. :-( I'm thinking of tie-ing this into our Relay for Life night...perhaps a midnight chicken run is in order?

Random central NY story:
You can skip to the 2 minute mark if you don't want to watch the whole few minutes...some fun national exposure for a local company.

Wondering about the title of this post? Think its what my therapist told me when I started talking about my cowbells? Nope, that would be "I can clearly see YOU'RE nuts".

Your versus you're makes a huge difference...in this case, I can clearly see your nuts:



Thanks for the tip off Aubrey and bringing this joy into our lives. Stay classy! Seriously.

Naturally, It'll be Cool and Rainy

Another Tuesday, another below average weather day. Will anyone show up? Who knows? I can certainly understand if you don't. The few, the brave, the yoggers will get to pick their poison...but it's time to do some speedwork again after a couple weeks of rest and recovery.

Also -- not many takers on the volunteer opportunity this Saturday morning yet. Who wants to help raise money to fight breast cancer with me? Don't forget that there is also a 5K run to do at the "Race for the Cure" as well. Do either, do both, and make for a memorable morning at the fairgrounds.

Next Saturday (the 22nd) is the "Making Tracks for Celiacs" cross-country 5K. Several TRYers have already signed up...but we can do better! (I'm organizing a "team" entry, but there is not an official team component in the race yet this year. I would like more people on my team, though.)

But enough business...it's a yearly tradition -- the ever popular Mountain Goat TRYers Photo Day! (Thank you, Brightroom.)

Katie leading the way. (Now that is one fast woman!)



They say that running makes you healthier, but I've never seen it quite this dramatic. Check out the runner trailing Malinda earlier in the race.



Then, after running just a couple more miles, look at how the wear and tear of a life have just fallen off the guy. He looks like a completely new man! (If that isn't an advertisement for the benefits of exercise, then I don't know what is. Amazing transformation there.)



The TRY poster girl makes another appearance. Not quite as "in your face" as the original appearance two years ago, but still a solid effort on her part.



Kelly, making a striking appearance in her running skirt...even showing a little midriff! Very risque for a Sunday morning race, but hey, better her than me attempting that look, right?



How do you know when you could be running just a teensy-weensy bit harder? When you are waving to the camera the whole time. Aaron! Quit smiling! Put your hand down! And start pumping those arms harder! Always posing for the paparazzi aren't you -- just like your famous singing cousin -- Lady Ga-gere-Ga. (Please be more serious and wear your "poker face" next time.)



I don't think we've scared her off just yet, so Jessica, welcome to TRY and welcome to your first Mountain Goat TRYers Photo Day!


Who is that hiding behind Friend of TRY Colleen? Why it's Catherine! No hiding in the lost and found on us!



And where were Mark and I during all the finish line photography fun? Well, momma always said that race day is like a box of chocolates -- you never know what you're gonna get. We just didn't feel like runnin' no more.

May Day!

I had lots of thoughts for this weeks update, but they've been trumped by the events of the weekend. A very experienced and darn good runner (certainly a lot better than me, for a reference point) from LMCO remained in the hospital the last I knew after failing to finish the Mountain Goat. After I failed in my own way, to finish Sunday, I had a chance to see 90% of the 10 milers go past my vantage point at the 9.75 mile mark. I saw one guy collapse and sort of helped him (a couple others beat me to him) and I got to see how he responded to the paramedics and that he was obviously incoherent and uncooperative to the point of his own detriment. And it got me thinking...is this all worth it? Is this even remotely healthy what we put ourselves through on a day like this? Is this sort of event that a community should encourage? And that was before I learned about my co-worker and the fact that he was still not doing well in the hospital today. So, I've gotten the message and want to make sure that I pass it on.

At times I've felt sorry for myself for having my condition where I can't push myself to the brink of exhaustion like I used to during the days of my youth. My elevated heart rate and weakened pulse forces me to tap out and walk before I would choose to. The first couple times it was very much a blow to my ego. And as I'm walking off to the side of the course as hundreds of people "I should be beating" run by, it's a very frustrating experience. All the training down the tubes. The goal and the glory of finishing 187th eluding me, yet again. :-(

But, you know what? After a couple times, you get over it. The humility turns into clarity - it doesn't matter. The race doesn't care about any one of us. None among us is going to win. (Well, Katie and Malinda being the exception in certain local races, but they don't count...they are getting kicked out of TRY soon. Shhhh! Don't tell them.) None of us are professional runners. We are engineers and IT professionals. Pharmacists and teachers. Elderly care providers and male strippers (part time, for extra spending money. Don't judge me! Times are tough, you do what you have to in order to get by.) So, if the race day isn't going how you planned it in your mind...think about why you are out there. You are out there to have fun. Know your limits. Stop and drink the power ade. The extra few seconds aren't going to matter. Walking isn't going to ruin your life. Doing worse than you did last year isn't going to cause your momma to look down on you. Getting beat by someone who never should beat you isn't going to get you fired from work. We sign ourselves up for these races and we talk ourselves into exactly how fast we need to run them in order to be happy with ourselves. We want the age group awards. We want that shiny medal. We want to wear the shirt with pride so we can tell people the story about it. But it's all just silly selfishness. 2000+ people could care less that I limped off the course and hobbled back the way I came. Sure, I made a personal ceremony out of unpinning my race number and tucking it in my pocket. And I'll always remember that the guy was singing Toby's "She's my little whiskey girl" as I did it. But no one else cared. The race didn't stop. The goats didn't stop grazing. Colvin didn't get any less daunting. Ronnie Z didn't stop Tik-Tok-ing. (Wait, he didn't sing? I thought maybe I just didn't see him?) The only person it mattered to was myself. And I'm over it.

So, I'm proud of the people who walked for the first time. And I'm proud of those of you who went slower than you wanted to and faded in the second half. Your first career DNF? Good for you! You knew your limit. You knew this is just something you do for fun. A hobby you do after work and on the weekends. And you saved yourself so that you can do it after work this Tuesday and so you can do it again this weekend.

If you are injured? Or if you are physically exhausted? Slow down. Walk. Stop if you have to. No one will judge you for it as long as you don't judge yourself.

(Wow, that got long! Maybe I am finally feeling better and back to my old wordy self?!!!)

For tonight - let's see who shows up. A few people will be nursing post race soreness and may need a recovery week. So, a "game time decision" run is in order and we'll group up according to like minded runners.

More Sunday thoughts - many of you did better and better the more I've heard about the conditions. Definitely 2 to 4 or more minutes were lost out there. So, while you can't "count" that at least keep it in mind at how much better that time would seem if you took 3 minutes off of it. Excellent performances amongst the TRYers! Including peoples first tastes of the Goat.

Mark and Katie -- thanks for hosting what might be becoming a Mountain Goat tradition -- the nice post race gathering at your place. That was very much appreciated! And I've figured something out...next year when the opening gun is fired, I'm going to immediately turn around and just walk to your house. No need to bother with the course itself. And since I'm going to be walking anyway, I might as well head to my final destination. And while I figured, it would be close -- check this out - my random pin placements came up as exactly 10.0 miles. (Seriously, I didn't even cheat. Dead serious! I'm as shocked as anyone is...although I'm sure I'm slightly off where I dropped the pins. Pretty funny though.)

Ok, I'm saving anything useful for another week. :-(

Pre-Mountain Goat Week

Another rainy Tuesday. This time before our first big group race of the year - the Mountain Goat. The group run will be a game time decision, depending on who is there and what they need to get out of the run. I am injured, so I'll be limping along at a medium pace.

But more importantly, Mark and Katie are hosting a post Mountain Goat Run party at their house. In celebration of the race and Katie's birthday. So, whether or not you are running this Sunday, you are invited to their house.

Details:
3 PM, Sunday afternoon. BYOH. (Bring Your Own Hydration). Mark will have some cook-out type food. If you want anything special beyond that, you can bring it, but no need for anything except for your choice of hydration. Please RSVP to Mark so that he can plan for the amount of people to expect.


Mountain Goat Packet Pick-up:
Noon to 7 PM Friday
9 AM to 4 PM Saturday
At the new Fleet Feet store on Bridge Street.

Good luck in the race on Sunday...hopefully I'll see you there or at Mark and Katie's afterward.

Some Times They Come Back

A potpourri of topics:

Today (Monday) is the last day to register for the Allyson Dunn Tire Mountain Goat at the regular rate.

I have added subscription links to the sidebar so that you can receive the blog via an RSS feed.

Don't forget that TRY has a facebook page. I added some group photos from the past couple years. Please add your own to make the page seem a little more homey for everyone. (Let me know if you want to be added -- I can't remember if it is invite only or not.)

The previous blog post described a fun race that I hope a lot of you can join in on. The "Making Tracks for Celiacs" 5K run/1 mile walk.

It's Patriots Day in Boston. Which means that Katie is running her Boston Marathon. I've signed up for the text messages Katie...looking forward to them interrupting my work day.

For you beginners reading this. We meet here. At mile marker 0.0 at Onondaga Lake Park.

I plan on going out to the Retreat or Tully's this week after the training run to celebrate a dream coming true - You can go your separate ways or you can join in faithfully. Everyone will be welcomed with open arms. Be good to yourself!

The group run: (As if anyone is still reading this scatterbrained list). It's time to lengthen out our intervals. So, it'll be 1/2 milers tonight. Probably 3 1/2 milers in a 4 mile run. (Or 4 in a 5?) We'll see who wants to do it during the pregame chat.

We have some new people interested in joining in TRY in the next couple weeks. Please help me make them feel welcome. I'd like to remind the regulars that when you miss a night because the weather isn't ideal, or because it's inconvenient for you, or because you don't feel like running...that it isn't just you that misses out. It could be that night that someone new checks us out. And doesn't have anyone their pace to run with. Or that there is one less smile to welcome them. One less kindred spirit with the same running goals. So, if you enjoy the group camaraderie, remember that you are a big part of that. And that without you, this group is just a weird guy writing rambling blog entries. And that would make for a lonely luchador.

Email Solicitation For Cross Country Race on May 22nd

Tired of racing on pavement? All those switchbacks at the Race for the Cure making you want some better scenery? Want to get nostalgic and go back to your years running cross-country in high school? Check out this rapidly growing local event.

When: Saturday, May 22nd (9 AM Registration, 10 AM Event)
Where: Jamesville Beach County Park
What: 9th International Run/Walk for Celiac Disease
How Much: $15 for adults until May 1st, $20 after that and day of event. $5 for children 6-12
Why: To run on the USATF sanctioned cross country course where the NY State Section III championship has been held for the last 2 years. (Or more?)
Why: Also a 1 mile walk for those not up for the run.
What else: There are goodie bags available, a large raffle, gluten free food tastings, gluten free vendors, and other distractions to fill your morning.

There is also a fund raising component to this event. Please sign up through the team fund raising site, even if you don't plan to individually raise money. I have set up for the LM Federated Fund to donate and they will provide additional money for each LM employee who participates.

Event web site: http://celiacwalk.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=340373 (Need to click on Syracuse, NY Walk/Run on the left hand side)
Alternate (shorter) web site that you can actually remember: http://www.celiacwalk.org/
Lockheed Martin team fund raising site: http://celiacwalk.kintera.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=340373&team=3731527

If you unable to take part but want to contribute, use the Lockheed Martin team page above to make a general donation to the team or to find your favorite co-worker to donate to.

There should also be volunteer positions available for the day of this event. If you or your friends and family would like to help out, please let me know and I can put you in touch with the local organizers who will be glad to hear from you.

That is the minimum amount of information that I wanted to pass along (see below for my further ramblings). Please let me know if you have any questions about this event. I plan to be in contact with those who sign up a time or two before the event itself.
-Terry Widrick
-315.456.3349

P.S. For those with inquisitive minds, feel free to read on for more miscellaneous information:

I helped organize and participated in the running portion of this event two years ago when it was still held at Willow Bay. The race itself that year went down to the Salt Museum and back. I got 4th place! Out of eight participants. (Hey, those kids and that girl that beat me were fast! That race will always be my highest overall finish.) For those that were a part of TRY, this is when I pretended to have won a puppy! :-)

Last year, the event moved and a race director took over and moved the run to the Section III cross-country race course at Jamesville Beach. I was out of town on business travel so I was unable to attend, but the race had 69 finishers (up from 8!). Due to the unique location and the fact that this is one of the few adult cross-country races in the area, I expect this race to gain popularity quickly. My goal is to put a Lockheed Martin stamp on it, starting this year. And I need help with that, since, quite honestly, I am slow. I am working on getting LM t-shirts for those who participate but don't know the details of that just yet.

May is Celiac Awareness Month (which is why the event is held in May):
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that is triggered by the protein gluten, found in wheat, barley, rye and other grains. It can be difficult to diagnose because symptoms include anemia, weight loss, chronic fatigue, osteoporosis, infertility, and a variety of gastrointestinal problems. Untreated celiac disease can be life threatening. One out of every 133 Americans has celiac disease and most don’t know it.

Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeliac_disease
Google search: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=celiac+disease&sourceid=navclient-ff&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS233US233&ie=UTF-8

Or a more personal perspective - I do not have celiac disease but a couple good friends of mine do. It is sad and depressing to witness what they are unable to eat: Pizza, bread, donuts, pancakes, potato chips, cakes, beer, candy bars, snack bars, cookies, breading on anything fried, etc... Basically all of my favorite foods! (There are starting to be more and more gluten free options (marked with a GF on the packaging), but they tend to be more expensive, less tasty, harder to prepare, and higher calorie. So for those of you still reading this, that are thinking "what is the big deal, giving up wheat can't be that much of a sacrifice"? Well, it is a huge deal for people who suffer from it. It completely changes the way you grocery shop, cook, eat, and order food when dining out.

Please support the cause if you are so moved to do so.

A Decent Forecast!

For the first time in a month we have a decent forecast to look forward to. Since I continue to not post a series of "What TRY is About" informational links for potential new members, let me just throw it into this update.

But first, since I get sick of reading my own writing, here is a touching story from one of our own and the road she took that is taking her to the Boston Marathon on Monday morning. Congratulations Katie. You've done what no other TRYer can lay claim to -- you are Boston bona-fide!

This weeks run: 4 mile run with 1/4 mile intervals. (Since not many people were able to take part last week. We'll restart with 1/4 miles again.)

For those looking for some background --

What TRY is about:
TRY is not email based. It is web/blog based...I am not actually supposed to send emails from work, you are probably not supposed to actually receive emails at work. So, for those who can, please start using the blog as your source of the updates.

TRY meets every Tuesday night at 5:30 at Liverpool's Onondaga Lake Park, near the Wegman's playground and right next to the bike rental area. The "group" run is typically 4-5 miles, but is optional. People are always encouraged to run shorter/longer/faster/slower as their training and body dictates. Every once in a while there is an exception to the meeting location and this summer there may be additional nights added (possible track nights on Thursdays a few times?). See the blog and the calendar app for reference. Follow along on twitter. Follow along on your smart phone. Whatever suits you.

TRY welcomes all speeds and running experiences...but it skews for newer runners or for runners attempting to improve their running times/techniques. TRY encourages running for the enjoyment of it. If you aren't enjoying yourself, then why bother? TRY wants to see a smile on your face. Often.

TRY believes that speed work is the most efficient use of your running time and the most useful training technique. We mix in different length intervals (kept very simple on group night) and tempo runs. For those of you that have never attempted speed work or have never TRULY given it a fair chance -- what are you waiting for? For anyone other than an absolute beginner, you are doing yourself a disservice to not mix in speed work into your training. It makes you faster, it gets you in better cardiovascular shape, and it helps you lose weight. Train smarter! Trust me. And trust every Runner's World that you'll ever flip through...they always mention the benefits of it.

TRY likes to help people improve. Let me know what your goals are for the year and I can either give you real advice, make something up to give you fake advice (sometimes I can be a real prick -- and honestly, I'm not as nice as you think I am), or can make sure you talk to the TRY member that has the experience and knowledge you are looking for.

TRY wants to make TRY more interesting and more fun. TRY has noticed that first time "users" tend to really enjoy the group experience. But each year, that persons interest seems to decrease a little. TRY takes this personally and blames TRY for this failure. So, TRY is looking for ideas on how to keep returning members captivated. Some ideas being tossed around:
Add some core exercises at the end of the runs.
Add some speed tracking nights -- clock a 1/4 mile or a mile run, say, in mid May, mid July, and mid October...just to see progress throughout the summer. (And give a fun goal outside of the confines of formal races.)
Play some shuffleboard, bocce, or volleyball after the runs...to take advantage of the fun park that we sometimes take for granted. All those options are available right next to where we meet every week.
Suggestions?

TRY encourages you to stop and smell the roses. Sometimes you need to ignore your watch. Here are some photos I stopped to take while running this Sunday morning. Sure, may pace suffered. But my spirit was buoyed. :-)