All Is Quiet

"All is Quiet on New Year's Day..." except for the 170 or so crazies running in my town's New Year's Day 5K. I was not anticipating any land speed records, and don't know how I did though I think I was in the top third or so of finishers, which is respectable. I was strong throughout the run and maintained a good pace. I was familiar with the course since I've run most of it a hundred times -- with the exception of one funny little part of the course which I've never done though I've run by those streets a hundred times. The course was sort of slick with snow and ice, but nothing unmanageable.

I Saw a woman I knew from my last corporate employer and I caught her around 1.5 and ran a bit with her. She told her husband she was tired and I dropped the hammer, as much as I could, and broke away from them. I finished with a good kick and beat her by about 45 seconds.... no reason for the animus except that she's worked 10-plus years for the worst company I ever worked for, goes on the road for long stretches and has no children, so, somewhere, deep down inside, we have fundamentally different value systems. She beat me a couple of years ago during the town's 4th of July race, so now it's onto this year's 7/4 RR and the rubber match. Nothing really to report, beyond this except that I'm happy with this run and it's a good confidence builder.

Happy New Year. Here's a to a year of running and fun.

First Run, 2009

With 60 other crazies I got out for a 5K road race in my town. It was about 9 degrees Fahrenheit with stiff breeze which made it feel even colder. I was joking with some of the other runners that I just paid $20 to run a course that I run all of the time for free, and not very often at 9 F!

I had fun and finished well. I have no idea how fast I went out and in what time I finished, but based on the fact that it was an out an back with a loop in the middle between mile 1 and 2 and I got to see the lead pack a couple of times I estimate that I was in the top quarter to third of runners. A cold weather survival tip: I put body glide on my face today and it seemed to work to keep me from getting totally chapped (Vaseline works well in this type of weather as well) though it didn't keep my face from going quite numb!

Some running resolutions for 2009:

1. At least one race/month (one down!)


2. Break 4 hours at Vermont City


3. Break one hour at Hale


4. Do another tri this year (maybe the Granite Man*)


5. Put together a team for "100 on 100" (anybody?)**


6. Run Falmouth closer to, or better than my 2007 time


7. Put together a couple of Cape Cod Marathon Relay teams

Happy new year!
*I looked up the Granite Man distances: .75 Mi. Swim / 15 Mi. Bike / 4.2 Mi. Run (also listed at 3.7 mi.). It also might be the same weekend as 100 on 100, hence maybe.

Final 2008 Run

I got in my last run of 2008 this morning, in the snow, again. Today was a tougher run than my solstice snow run. It was about 10 degrees colder, much windier and the snow was fine and abrasive. However the course works the wind was in my face very often and I could hardly see along certain sections of the road. The snow was caked in my eyelashes and brows and my face was wet and cold. I toughed it out though and finished the year strong.

On the gear front I wore my entire new Sugoi rain suit and it was nice. It's not as warm as my trusty Patagonia, but the jacket's neck fits more snugly and that's a great bonus. It was very comfortable and kept me dry and warm while breathing well.

So, here we are, again, another year in the books. I think it's been a good year on the blog. We've certainly posted a lot and run/worked out a lot. It's good to see. Thanks for doing this, it's very gratifying as the instigator of this experiment to see that it works -- both as a workout motivator and as a way to keep in touch. It's succeeded beyond my goals and that's because it's so active. Thanks guys.

A happy, healthy, safe, prosperous, blessed and mileage filled New Year to all.

Happy New Year!

I went for my second run since hurting my ankle in November. I didn't wrap the thing and just went out and hit it. I nearly bailed because I was feeling pretty lazy but sucked it up and went. I did my 3.3 mile route in 29:52. Certainly not my quickest for that distance but not bad. The inside of my shin above the ankle was sore but the ankle joint itself was not too bad. Swelling was minimal -- meaning the ankle was no more swollen post-run than it was prior to departure. I feel pretty good today but my legs are a bit sore -- oh, well, it's time to work back to fitness. I'm going to go again tomorrow and looking forward to it.

So, there are 7 hours and 22 minutes left in this year. All in all, it's been a good year and this blog has been lots of fun. I think that the blog did what I intended it to do when it started in February. It's been great sharing our experiences up here and keeping in touch. This silly thing is as much about life and friendships as it is about running, I think. So, to all of my fellow LDT-ers and anybody stumbling across our little blog, I wish you and your families a Happy, Healthy, and Wonderful New Year in 2008. Keep blogging. Keep running. Be well.