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]