CCM Relay

So the relay has been run. PR and I (mainly PR) cobbled together a team and it was a hoot. We certainly broke no land speed records but had fun despite PR's blown tire. I did the fourth (of five) leg. It covered 6 very hilly miles. I have total respect for the marathoners who tackled that giant climb at mile 20 alongside the Woods Hole Golf Course. That stretch was one of the most challenging stretches I've ever run -- lots of rollers, a couple big climbs and then the aforementioned monster at 20. That hill was savage and gave me a run for my money five miles into my leg so I can only imagine how it felt to hit it at 20 miles!

I have to say that this is one my proudest runs -- I covered the 6 hilly miles in under 48 minutes (48 minutes was my goal) and I squeaked in at 47:43. I don't know what it was but I was rolling and never really felt in trouble. I could feel myself powering over the hills and every roller got a little easier than the last. I worked on the up and relaxed on the down. I loved this run -- it was beautiful scenery and a gorgeous day. When I was done I was totally amped up and feeling the runner's high. It was awesome.

I saw VTR during his run and after his marathon finish -- I'll let him describe it -- but he looked good on the course and afterwards. Congratulations VTR, nicely done.

Fashion Disaster

Time: 33:23
Avg HR: 161
Peak HR: 180
Calories: 556
Distance: 4.02
Start Time: 6:50 AM
Training Effect: 4.1
Temp: Chilly
Date: 10/25/07

It was cold and damp and kind of dreary today -- a 180 degree change from Tuesday. I actually wore tights today to avoid freezing my legs and having my back seize up. It worked. I also wore maroon shorts over my black tights with a pale blue short sleeve shirt over a long sleeve orange shirt -- a total fashion disaster and luckily it was dark for much of my run. Not much to report, it was pretty uneventful and a decent run though I did have a perspective altering glimpse into other peoples' lives.

About a year ago two kids were killed in a wreck not far from our house. They wrapped their ride around a tree that cut the car in half. A couple of days later men in hazmat suits were walking across the property where the accident occurred in a line and I can only guess what they were looking for. A couple of weeks ago Mrs. Agricola says:

You know what gets me?
What?
That hockey stick leaning against the house where that boy lived who died in the accident.
I hadn't noticed, did he live near here?
Yeah, a little house on X Ave, and the stick has been there since he died.

Today I ran by the house -- I've been running by for months and never realized it. The lights were on and in the dining room was a birthday banner with the boys name and age and tons of pictures posted to the wall . . . just stuck to the wall with tape, snapshots, etc. it totally blew me away. I also saw his father in the kitchen and I nearly stopped, the whole scene was so overwhelming . . . I run by the spot where the kids were killed pretty regularly but the shrine is alway at my back so I don't notice it but I couldn't miss this.

Animals

Time: 33:22
Avg HR: 160
Peak HR: 179
Calories: 587
Distance: 4.02
Start Time: 6:47 AM
Training Effect: 4.2
Temp: Warm & Humid
Date: 10/23/07

Today was a decent run. Not my fastest at this distance for sure, but fairly comfortable and uneventful. I really feel fall settling in on me -- I'm moving a bit slower and want to eat a lot more. No matter how much we try and avoid it, we're still animals and still somewhat in tune with Nature and her rhythms.

On a more prosaic note: what's up with our CCM team? Am I going to have to run like half of this marathon this weekend? That's going to be ugly.

The Fairest Borough

Mrs. Agricola and I were in The Fairest Borough over the weekend for a friend's wedding. We stayed in our old hood -- Brooklyn Heights -- and it was a lot of fun. We slept until nearly 9 AM and then went out for a together-run. We ran together for about 30 minutes. We headed from the Brooklyn Marriott, up some street I can't recall, crossed Atlantic to Court, down Court to Carroll -- we rented there -- to Clinton to Remsen to the Promenade where we parted ways and I headed down Cranberry -- we owned there -- across Cadman Plaza to the pedestrian stairs of the Brooklyn Bridge, across the bridge, into Manhattan, back across the bridge, down to the Promenade, back down Remsen, across the Brooklyn City Hall Plaza and back to the Marriott.

It took me 61 minutes total, I burned 1089 calories and enjoyed every minute of it. Brooklyn is really where I started running in earnest and it really felt like being home. My back, which had been aching since my Wednesday run loosened up within a few minutes of starting. I was hurting at the outset but the activity loosened it all up. It was great to run with Mrs. A and talk about old times, current times and future times and I got a nice two part workout. If you've never run a bridge like the Brooklyn Bridge I highly recommend it. The experience gives you a terrific sense of how they are built and you get to do two nice hill climbs. The Manhattan approach is steeper than the Brooklyn. I love running that bridge -- it was like hanging with an old, challenging friend.

It's Dark Out There . . .

. . . and cold.

Today was my first run in a week and a half. It was not so great, but I'll be OK.
First, I'm battling my seasonal allergy thing and actually puffed my inhaler at the one mile mark. Second, it was chilly today and I think I might need to break out the tights -- by the end of the run, my legs felt totally constricted from the cold. They weren't tired from the mileage (I did short arun to get back into it)they were sort of frozen feeling and not firing very nicely. Third, I think my week of labor tweaked my back because it tightened up dramatically near the end. I'll stretch it out tonight and hopefully be ready to roll Friday. My week of labor and no running did nothing for my running fitness, but I can shovel for hours on end now. On a positive note, I rolled out in pre-dawn darkness with the clouds over the eastern horizon just pinking -- it was beautiful. It's dark out there right now and I'm waiting for the clocks to roll back to get me some more morning light.

In reference to your post PR, it's a male team, but as I mentioned in my comment, I'm not sure people will pay that much attention to women or men. Whoever can run is welcome, and we still need three.

Social!

I took a nice run with PR on Sunday. He and his family swung by the house for a visit and we squeaked in a nice little trot. I think that it will be interesting to read his post about the run and compare them -- I see that it's up, but haven't read it. I guy I worked with when I was a kid used to say: "We're all going to the same place, but won't share the same experience . . . "

I totally enjoyed running with PR and talking along the route. It was a nice quiet Sunday. With the Pats just ending and the Sox just starting my town was fairly ghostly. I didn't get in a family run this weekend, but this was a great social experience. I really enjoy running with other folks, sharing the experience and connecting. We talked about work mostly, but it wasn't rancorous -- it was a good brainstorming talking about options and things that we do, could do, would like to do. It's been a while since we've been together and it was great to share a run -- something I don't think we've ever done. Remember PR, your next run is Tuesday -- shoot for another 30 minutes. It was very cool and I thank you for going out with me.

I'm working on a patio in my yard and moved so much dirt today and have so much more to do in the coming days I'm not sure how much running I'll get in this week -- 5 hours of digging sort of knock the run out of you. I may shoot for some shorter more mellow runs but we'll see -- I need to move like 5 more cubic yards of dirt tomorrow as well as spread a ton of gravel. I actually need to spread two tons, but I'll probably get the second ton down on Wednesday and then start spreading sand . . . maybe that counts as cross training?

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Time: 38:18
Avg HR: 158
Peak HR: 178
Calories: 637
Distance: 4.7
Start Time: 6:46 AM
Training Effect: 4.3
Temp: 50s & Humid
Date: 10/4/07

Two days ago I needed a jacket, it was cold and dry and clear. Today I didn't stop sweating for 45 minutes post-run. The air was humid and funky and the sky was leaden.
Fall got a bit more shallow today, for sure.

"There Is No Fight Club"

Time: 32:59
Avg HR: 152
Peak HR: 170
Calories: 526
Distance: 4.02
Start Time: 6:47 AM
Training Effect: 3.8
Temp: high-30s
Date: 10/2/07

"The first rule of fight club is that there is no fight club . . . "
"The second rule of fight club is that there is no fight club . . . "

With those lines I got sucked into a late night movie after watching the Pats beat up the Bengals. I didn't watch the whole of Fight Club, and did manage to get to bed before midnight but 6:30 came awfully quickly. Another thing that hastened the morning was some GI distress that kept rousing me from a fitful sleep. So, I was haggard this AM and not feeling so splendid as I ran my route. I got it in, and I didn't have to do anything that would get me arrested -- I, unlike VTR, do not live in a rural area. A good night's sleep is so key, for me at least, as my (not fleet) time for my 4 mile loop shows. Oh yeah, I actually wore my running jacket today -- the one with the light lining -- because it was pretty chilly out there. Fall deepens.