Mutiny on the Parkway

[Editor - This weeks entry and new poll on the right (please vote!) were written by a guest. So, if you notice higher quality content and better humor, you are not mistaken.]

After years of plotting and scheming my diabolical takeover of the TRY blog is nearing completion. Muhahaha

Now if only I had admin privileges…

We’re going to mix it up a little with the intervals this week cause I’m in charge and I say so. The run will be a combination of ¼ and ½ intervals.

1 mile warm up followed by:

½ fast ½ recovery

¼ fast, ¼ recovery

¼ fast ¼ recovery

½ fast ½ recovery

Up to this point we’ve always done ½ mile recovery after our intervals no matter what the length…however, in the interest of keeping the run at 4 miles while still fitting in four quality intervals I shortened the recovery time after the shorter intervals. I’m confident we can all handle this.

That last ½ interval is going to suck but just think of it as the annoying last .5 in the 3.5 mile corporate challenge. We’re trying to train our bodies to endure inhuman amounts of pain here and churning out a strong ½ late in the run will do just that! Or just do another ¼ if you really want. Okay, inhuman pain was an exaggeration but we are trying to get used to running fast when we are already tired so we run faster in races. Especially races that are randomly .4 miles longer than they should be.

Speaking of the corporate challenge, it’s next week! Tuesday (6/22) so for most of us this will be the last speed workout before the race.

This may be a goal race for some of you or just a stepping stone on your way to greater (or longer?) things. Who knows, you may find yourself running on another continent. Either way, don’t go to the usual spot to meet next Tuesday at 5:30. You won’t get a parking space and TRY won’t be there. But if you are at the race we usually meet up before or after the run and there will be a blog entry with info on that next week.

Lastly, Friday is the relay for life. There’s still time to sign up or donate to your favorite TRYers website:

Click here to visit my PERSONAL page.

What, what’s that you say…I’m not what? I’m not your favorite TRYer?

Fine.

Click here to view the TEAM page for Lockheed Martin

Happy [Belated] Flag Day!!

Get out there and wave what Betsy Ross gave ya!


[Editor - here is the first look at the new cowbells available now!]

Is There A Doctor In The House - a Prescription for Fun

We will step the intervals up another notch this week before starting over with shorter intervals again next week. Time for our first mile repeats of the year:
Mile warmup
Mile at speed
1/2 Mile recovery
Mile at speed
1/2 Mile cool down
So, two miles at speed in the midst of a four mile run.

I should have done this part before -- I think a few of you will find this useful:
For anyone curious about what a GPS watch provides you or who has been thinking about a GPS watch - here is what the output looks like. (Assuming I've opened up the permissions properly.) I put off getting a GPS watch for a couple years, but once I received mine as a gift, there was no going back. It provides distance, pace, elevation (so-so quality -- can't truly trust the elevation but it gives you a rough idea), heart rate (with optional strap), and a great google map summary of your workout. If you glance around at what happened during the Paige's run, you can clearly see where we took a quick breather later in the race and I can clearly see that I was overheating/overstressing...because my heart rate just kept climbing. I'm surprised to see how high my heart rate ended up. Normally it would not do that at the paces we were running. (Which allows me to think about my race day preparation and execution and attempt to figure out what went wrong.)

GPS watches are still expensive, but I highly recommend them. The online summary is great (and a free feature to use), it helps you manage your pace during races or long runs, and allows you to not have to measure/map out runs ahead of time. Especially while traveling, it's great to just be able to run out the door and trust the watch to know when I've covered the distance I wanted to cover.

About the Paige's Butterfly Race -- this was on facebook on Sunday, so not much new here for those who saw the pictures:
It all started by seeing a brief mention of the race and fun 'centipede division' in a weekly work email distribution. I noticed the blurb, forwarded it to some co-working TRYers and asked simply 'are you thinking what I'm thinking?' Turns out that some others were intrigued. Some recruiting/re-recruiting/begging later and we had our 5 team members. There was some behind the scenes brainstorming for theme ideas and finally a vote on which version to use.

The team trusted me when I said the costume would be all set. And with some major help from my consigliere Catherine and her sister, I showed up with two bags full of costumes. The set-up was confusing and hectic (some volunteers weren't able to tell us where to go, so it took a while to figure it out on our own)...I started handing out props and clothing and bless their hearts, they just kept putting them on. So an ordinary group of runners became Dr Dre, Doc Halladay, Dr McDreamy, Dr Pepper, and Dr Seuss (mispelled).



Dr Seuss and Dr Pepper did a great job setting the pace and picking our path, while the three in lab coats did a great job of not slowing them down too much. We made quite a scene and kept getting our pictures taken whether we wanted them or not. A murmur swept through the crowd whenever we walked or ran through...as we stood out a bit.

For our efforts we won the centipede competition race as well as the costume contest.


But more importantly we won Paige's parents thanks. They thanked us for our creativity and for adding so much fun to their event.



And I'll end with this thought -- one of the team members was heard saying "I've never ran a race for fun, before". Which reminded me -- it's important to have fun once in a while. So, if you've never ran a race for fun before, think about it. Find a fun race to do, whether it be a concept or a location, and run it below your pace. Look around. Enjoy the scenery. Enjoy the crowd. You just might like it! And you never know just how far that fun will take you. You might even end up being famous for it. :-)



A special thanks to the Centipediatricians. For trusting me. And for not just playing along, but for playing it up. You won the crowd! You were awesome.

Kinda Funny

I'm a couple hours away from Syracuse at my families this morning...waking up at 5:30...to rain. So, I had to laugh that after almost unbearable heat and days of beautiful sunshine, that Tuesday morning would start with rain. Figures. But we certainly need some, so hopefully Syracuse is getting it as well. (Doppler map shows its much lighter there, but seems to be hitting.)

Reminder -- for the LM team, signs up are due in a couple days for the Corporate Challenge. I assume thats true for others as well.

This weekend is Paige's Butterfly Run. It's one of the "Syrathon" races and one I have never done. Some TRYers have joined with me on a "Centipede" team where we will run linked together -- should be worth a laugh if you happen to be doing the race yourself or want to be downtown for an early start on the taste-of-Syracuse.

Tonight -- should be really nice TRY-time weather conditions. Let's step it up with some Memorial Day cookout burning off 1/2 mile intervals. Probably will do three 1/2 mile on portions embedded in a 4 mile run.

That's it...I need to drive back to the Cuse!

Ladies and Gentelmen Can I Please Have Your Attention

I've just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story. I need all of you to stop what you are doing and listen.
CANNON BALL!!!!

Ooops, wrong script. Ah yes, here is this weeks update:

A TRYer had her car attempted to be broken into while we were running last Tuesday night! It was a an amateurish attempt -- but they completely ruined her door lock to the point that her key no longer worked. Just like I did, she assumed that a busy parking lot was safe, and had left some obvious valuables sitting out in the open. Thankfully nothing was stolen, but about $100 worth of damage was done to her car...so it was still an expensive break-in.

Takeaways:
Indio is the man! (And is now a Friend of TRY).
Be careful with your stuff. This is a reminder that you should never leave your purse and electronics sitting out. I know some of you tuck things into your trunks -- and I thought that was excessive paranoia -- but not anymore. I was wrong. You were right. Good job not trusting humanity.
We will now be meeting beforehand and wrapping up TRY afterward on the parking lot side of the rental building. It's not nearly as nice of a set up...but me and whoever else wants to can keep an eye on the parking lot for those 10-15 minutes as we're talking...and that can be 10-15 minutes on Tuesday nights that the parking lot is being watched over. I like the Liverpool park a lot and I want it to be a safe place...so I plan to do my part and provide a visible presence that might keep little punk bastards from attempting to break into vehicles.

Tonight:
Please know your limits and if you start to feel lightheaded, please back off. In fact, I am not going to put a recommended group run idea out there because I don't want to encourage anyone to push too hard on what is kind of our first summer-hot day this year. Certainly its our first hot Tuesday night. Perhaps a slow and steady run is in order. Also, throughout the day hydration is very important on a day like this.

Relay for Life:
Some expected teammates have not signed up yet. Please sign up if you know you are doing this as it helps planners figure out what size teams to expect. Here is our LM Team page.

A little color:
Here are a couple group shots from the fun Making Tracks for Celiacs event this past Saturday. Who is up for Frisbee Golf at Jamesville sometime? (It has a large frisbee golf course...it looked fun.)

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. :-(