Jimmy "The Squirrel" Kennedy Memorial Run for ALS

Saturday morning, 14 June, I headed to Quincy to do The Squirrel Run. It's a memorial run and fund raiser sponsored by the Angel Fund to support ALS research. It was a small, well organized race. The course was 5 miles long and fast. It wound through the Wollaston section of Quincy and had a long stretch along Wollaston Beach. The weather was hot and sunny. There was a small hill in the first mile and then the rest of the course was fairly flat. Mile 4-5 repeated a portion of the course between miles 1 and 2 and that small hill was climbed again. The run started and finished in a big park, with a small uphill to the finish line.

I had no idea how to pace this race, there were no starting area markers and I knew only one other person in the field and knew that I was going to be faster than he. I passed the first mile marker under 8, but I didn't mark a lap until the mile 2 marker. This is where I'm going to let my splits tell the story:

Miles 1-2: 15:19
Mile 3: 6:44 (22:03)
Mile 4: 8:15 (30:18)
Mile 5: 6:51 (37:09)

I came into the finish behind a relative of the guy for whom the race is run -- I ratcheted it back a bit so as not to pass him - he was a guy in his 50s, and a good runner and the crowd was going wild for him. A woman I'd passed in between 3 & 4 out kicked me at the end and beat me by a step . . . that was the only downer of the run for me but she had a nice kick and I congratulated her on her kick. It was a good time and it's got me thinking about how to run Falmouth (which I think I'm in) and what might be possible -- perhaps 52 . . .

I got a 4 mile run in on Cape Cod yesterday. I saw an elderly couple and the guy was funny, saying, "hey you're cheating, I can't do that!" I responded, "Full speed ahead." I couldn't think of anything else to say . . . it was lighthearted interaction on my trot.

Beautiful Day

I got out for a short run this morning -- 3.3 in 26:58. It was a gorgeous, cool, cloudless day -- just a perfect summer morning. I eased back just a bit on the pace (~8:12/mile) and it was a really nice run. Things were flowing, almost from the moment I got out the door at 6:15 AM. It was just one of those runs where I know I had a great one and it was a joy to be out and moving.

I kept it short because I'm running a 5 mile race tomorrow to support ALS research. It's Squirrel Run in Quincy. The husband of a woman with whom I work is an ALS researcher at Harvard Med. Mike Timlin -- relief pitcher for the Red Sox, FA -- came into his lab one day and said "Hey, do this run." So he is and so am I. Supposedly Timlin will be in the field. I'll write it up tomorrow.

Monday In June

I got out yesterday for 27 minutes -- I did my short loop, 3.3 miles. Everything felt good one week after Vermont City. I'll go again tomorrow for a short one, maybe with C2. I had to catch an early train so it was a little dicey to get out today (and also on Thursday).

I'm psyched that people want to run the CCM Relay! That will be cool. I've got the form on my desk, 85% filled out. I've got another form for a run next week in Quincy, MA, a 5 miler benefiting ALS research -- The Squirrel Run. I'm also running the Chase Corporate Challenge at the end of the month, in Boston. It should be a good month!