We'll miss you, Worfette.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Snow ?
I found myself driving through a snow squall up north of where I live on the way home around 9:30 tonight. There's something wrong with the weather and our climate when I see more snow in late February than the whole rest of the winter put together.
We took our son sledding for the first and second times ever Friday and Sunday. As a kid, sledding was what you did in the winter. We had the best hill in the whole neighbourhood and all the kids came over to my house- whether I was out there or not. This was the 1970s, when of course things like liability where not an issue.
We got some good sledding in and it was great to see Ian was totally psyched and didn't want to leave either day. But I have to wonder at how little sledding there is in CT. The kids on the hill didn't seem to have the basics down- that you have to groom the course to keep the run from wearing down to the dirt, that headfirst is the fastest way down, that you have to keep the line moving, and most of all, never turn your back to the run unless you want someone to cut you down at the ankles.
Still, it's too bad that the days of snow in winter in southern CT seem to be gone for good...
We took our son sledding for the first and second times ever Friday and Sunday. As a kid, sledding was what you did in the winter. We had the best hill in the whole neighbourhood and all the kids came over to my house- whether I was out there or not. This was the 1970s, when of course things like liability where not an issue.
We got some good sledding in and it was great to see Ian was totally psyched and didn't want to leave either day. But I have to wonder at how little sledding there is in CT. The kids on the hill didn't seem to have the basics down- that you have to groom the course to keep the run from wearing down to the dirt, that headfirst is the fastest way down, that you have to keep the line moving, and most of all, never turn your back to the run unless you want someone to cut you down at the ankles.
Still, it's too bad that the days of snow in winter in southern CT seem to be gone for good...
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Ironman Replay
A few hours after running the Sweetheart, I found myself on my bike in the basement, spinning out an Aero Base Builder. After all, Saturdays are for the bike, not running races, so there was no question I should do the spin after resting and recovering from the race.
I have an Apple TV with a number of Spinervals set up on it, and that and its monitor sit on top of an old TV. So when I went downstairs the ironman was on, however, I didn't turn it on right away. There was the fact I'd already seen it once. There was also the fact that, well, I have a little bit of a sore spot there.
It's an hard thing to get by. I'm really fortunate to train with, know, and even be coached by people who not only have been in the big show, but conquered it nicely. As someone who never thought about qualifying, to have qualified and then not gone is- it makes it a little difficult to watch this ninety minute celebration of other people at Kona. Which is incredibly selfish. So after refusing to turn it on during the first five minutes of my spin, I did flip the TV on.
Of course, I was glad I did. It's good to get past your own selfish hangups. There are the obligatory reminders about how good you really have it. There was the kid with the scar running the length of his chest, the blind man, the guy with zero legs.
But what really affected me was Rutger Beke. My own race at IM Arizona was brought back to me in force. I was embarrassed. I was shocked with myself, but mostly, I was just disappointed. And then I watched this man, a true professional, an accomplished athlete, the sort of guy who is looking at breaking not just 11 hours, or 10, but who is a top ten finisher, and multiple Kona finisher. And there he was, honouring the race, walking the marathon not because he wanted a finisher's medal, not because he planned to walk the marathon, but because he could no longer run.
That was something. That is something I'll take into races with me, a reminder about determination, about looking inside yourself to find something, even when nothing is left...
I have an Apple TV with a number of Spinervals set up on it, and that and its monitor sit on top of an old TV. So when I went downstairs the ironman was on, however, I didn't turn it on right away. There was the fact I'd already seen it once. There was also the fact that, well, I have a little bit of a sore spot there.
It's an hard thing to get by. I'm really fortunate to train with, know, and even be coached by people who not only have been in the big show, but conquered it nicely. As someone who never thought about qualifying, to have qualified and then not gone is- it makes it a little difficult to watch this ninety minute celebration of other people at Kona. Which is incredibly selfish. So after refusing to turn it on during the first five minutes of my spin, I did flip the TV on.
Of course, I was glad I did. It's good to get past your own selfish hangups. There are the obligatory reminders about how good you really have it. There was the kid with the scar running the length of his chest, the blind man, the guy with zero legs.
But what really affected me was Rutger Beke. My own race at IM Arizona was brought back to me in force. I was embarrassed. I was shocked with myself, but mostly, I was just disappointed. And then I watched this man, a true professional, an accomplished athlete, the sort of guy who is looking at breaking not just 11 hours, or 10, but who is a top ten finisher, and multiple Kona finisher. And there he was, honouring the race, walking the marathon not because he wanted a finisher's medal, not because he planned to walk the marathon, but because he could no longer run.
That was something. That is something I'll take into races with me, a reminder about determination, about looking inside yourself to find something, even when nothing is left...
Sunday, February 17, 2008
A Good Race, but Five Seconds ???
I really went into yesterday's race with a feeling that there would not be much I could do. I didn't say anything to Margit as we'd be racing as a team, but when I haven't raced in two months, I usually don't do anything worth writing about.
It was cold and windy, not quite bitter but certainly bordering on too cold for the racing shoes I was wearing- bright orange Mizunos that stick out and draw comments. I went off on my own and warmed up, running almost two miles and feeling like I was sucking wind on a comparatively small hill. This was not the 2 hour plus bike ride which has become my Saturday staple.
The race thankfully started close to on time and I very quickly found myself set in with a group of four runners, Ryan Pancoast (congrats, Ryan) leading the way on the first downhill mile. There's something nice about racing in February. It really was a sedate first mile. I was in the lead group, so I decided to try and step outside myself and stay with this. We went through a mile at 5:38, but that's as downhill a mile as the 4th is uphill. We climbed a bit and then broke onto a straight away and I told the two college kids with me that Ryan was just waiting for them to draw up with him. Right then, Ryan looked back as he took the turn and after the race he confirmed that was just what he was doing.
We took another hill. I fell back on the opening part of the hill but then surged past everyone but Ryan as we crested. He was only holding about 50 yards, and although I know I could never beat Ryan, I made an attempt to close the gap, but it was so small. I couldn't, and that effort probably hurt me.
I spent the next mile pulling away on downhills and getting tangled up in a mix of what had become 4 runners including myself. We hit the three mile mark and I fell back to fifth. Ryan had left us behind and Fred Willis was slowly pulling away, but we went up that long hill and fell into fifth, just biding my time. As we finally crested, I tried my best to find an extra gear and on the downhill pushed into third place. I ran hard, but after the last turn onto the main road, I slowly fell back to fifth.
The clock was at 23:49 when I first saw it and I knew it would take a titanic effort to break 24:00. It didn't happen. I ran 24:03.
As soon as Margit finished we went out and ran the course backwards with Robin Passander, cutting out the upper loop and just doing about three miles. I was thinking Margit and I had a very good chance to win. I didn't know that Ian Frankel had been randomly matched up with a 15 year old girl that finished second overall and we lost our chance to be three-time champions by 5 seconds.
5 seconds ?
It was cold and windy, not quite bitter but certainly bordering on too cold for the racing shoes I was wearing- bright orange Mizunos that stick out and draw comments. I went off on my own and warmed up, running almost two miles and feeling like I was sucking wind on a comparatively small hill. This was not the 2 hour plus bike ride which has become my Saturday staple.
The race thankfully started close to on time and I very quickly found myself set in with a group of four runners, Ryan Pancoast (congrats, Ryan) leading the way on the first downhill mile. There's something nice about racing in February. It really was a sedate first mile. I was in the lead group, so I decided to try and step outside myself and stay with this. We went through a mile at 5:38, but that's as downhill a mile as the 4th is uphill. We climbed a bit and then broke onto a straight away and I told the two college kids with me that Ryan was just waiting for them to draw up with him. Right then, Ryan looked back as he took the turn and after the race he confirmed that was just what he was doing.
We took another hill. I fell back on the opening part of the hill but then surged past everyone but Ryan as we crested. He was only holding about 50 yards, and although I know I could never beat Ryan, I made an attempt to close the gap, but it was so small. I couldn't, and that effort probably hurt me.
I spent the next mile pulling away on downhills and getting tangled up in a mix of what had become 4 runners including myself. We hit the three mile mark and I fell back to fifth. Ryan had left us behind and Fred Willis was slowly pulling away, but we went up that long hill and fell into fifth, just biding my time. As we finally crested, I tried my best to find an extra gear and on the downhill pushed into third place. I ran hard, but after the last turn onto the main road, I slowly fell back to fifth.
The clock was at 23:49 when I first saw it and I knew it would take a titanic effort to break 24:00. It didn't happen. I ran 24:03.
As soon as Margit finished we went out and ran the course backwards with Robin Passander, cutting out the upper loop and just doing about three miles. I was thinking Margit and I had a very good chance to win. I didn't know that Ian Frankel had been randomly matched up with a 15 year old girl that finished second overall and we lost our chance to be three-time champions by 5 seconds.
5 seconds ?
Friday, February 15, 2008
A Race ?
I haven't run a race since Christopher Martins last year and haven't even really considered running one either. It's been 2 hours on the mountain bike or spinning Saturdays and 90 minutes or more of running every Sunday- I got back up to 1:45 last Sunday.
When Margit suggested running the Sweetheart Run, I was taken a little off-guard. I haven't really done any speed work running. it's been slow runs in the b range, spinning, the occasional swim. Work has been unusually busy- a series of mishaps caused by people who are supposed to be helping me with me picking up the pieces- so getting in two workouts a day has been rough sledding and often if I get one workout in, it's on the bike.
The Sweetheart course is a hard course, with a big hill and usually some good competition. I'll be interested to see how I do.
When Margit suggested running the Sweetheart Run, I was taken a little off-guard. I haven't really done any speed work running. it's been slow runs in the b range, spinning, the occasional swim. Work has been unusually busy- a series of mishaps caused by people who are supposed to be helping me with me picking up the pieces- so getting in two workouts a day has been rough sledding and often if I get one workout in, it's on the bike.
The Sweetheart course is a hard course, with a big hill and usually some good competition. I'll be interested to see how I do.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Electronic Voting Machines- Burned by a Bad Idea
I want to preference this by pointing out something obvious to anyone who knows me- I'm no luddite. I'm an early adopter of technology actually- from wireless networking to the iPhone, I'm on the front edge of this kind of stuff.
But I'm also a major privacy advocate, and I have always felt that electronic voting was at best a good idea with slipshod implementation, and at worst a dangerous undermining of democracy- yes, that sounds paranoid, but Diebold is the big player, and these gentlemen shouldn't be making cash registers for elementary school lunch programs. It's interesting that their ATMs rarely make errors, but I think that's because banks aren't not very tolerant of third-party mathematical errors in consumer transaction. Of course for me the big concern is that the underlying possibility that Diebold has a political agenda.
But this isn't a Diebold rant. This is a generalised rant. I went. I voted. Only my vote wasn't counted. That's right. I filled out my 'ballot'. I walked over to the machine. I put my ballot in while watching the total count. It was at 209 before I inserted the ballot, it stayed at 209 while the ballot was inserting. It stayed at 209 after it disappeared.
I went over and got a volunteer. Astonishingly, she took a key and opened the ballot box. That's right, opened it. One person, with no one but me watching her. She confirmed that my ballot wasn't jammed. I asked what happened next.
She took my name and phone number and told me someone would 'look into it.'
The monster that ate my vote, of course, just sat there, a big, dump, fraking box. My ballot ? Gone. And here at 11 PM,
the state has been called, my vote is still gone, and who knows if this particular machine will be audited. The sheet that my exception was written on was either the 3rd or 4th exception- it was hard to read them as they were hand written. That's between a 1.4 and 1.9 (or so) margin of reported error. Over 1% ?
Not acceptable, not at all.
But I'm also a major privacy advocate, and I have always felt that electronic voting was at best a good idea with slipshod implementation, and at worst a dangerous undermining of democracy- yes, that sounds paranoid, but Diebold is the big player, and these gentlemen shouldn't be making cash registers for elementary school lunch programs. It's interesting that their ATMs rarely make errors, but I think that's because banks aren't not very tolerant of third-party mathematical errors in consumer transaction. Of course for me the big concern is that the underlying possibility that Diebold has a political agenda.
But this isn't a Diebold rant. This is a generalised rant. I went. I voted. Only my vote wasn't counted. That's right. I filled out my 'ballot'. I walked over to the machine. I put my ballot in while watching the total count. It was at 209 before I inserted the ballot, it stayed at 209 while the ballot was inserting. It stayed at 209 after it disappeared.
I went over and got a volunteer. Astonishingly, she took a key and opened the ballot box. That's right, opened it. One person, with no one but me watching her. She confirmed that my ballot wasn't jammed. I asked what happened next.
She took my name and phone number and told me someone would 'look into it.'
The monster that ate my vote, of course, just sat there, a big, dump, fraking box. My ballot ? Gone. And here at 11 PM,
the state has been called, my vote is still gone, and who knows if this particular machine will be audited. The sheet that my exception was written on was either the 3rd or 4th exception- it was hard to read them as they were hand written. That's between a 1.4 and 1.9 (or so) margin of reported error. Over 1% ?
Not acceptable, not at all.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
iTunes and Device Control- Another Opinion
One of my big theories about the internet is that it's always hard to evaluate anything based on what's written on the internet. People who really like things seem to be slugs for the most part, while the haters out there seem to have a ton of energy.
Now don't get me wrong. I hate the record companies as much as the next guy. I'm also a pragmatist. The iTunes store would never have happened without DRM, and the DRM (FairPlay) has never caused me a problem. I've never been unable to play a song when I wanted to and where I wanted to. And I'm way outside the curve. I actually have 5 computers that get daily use- a MacBook Pro, a MacBook, a G5, a Mac Mini, and an HP PC of dubious origin.
The MacBook Pro has, for the entire time I've had it, been my primary iTunes box. It's the machine all my iPods, my iPhone, and my MacTV are linked to. It's also dead as a doorstop due to an odd series of circumstances. I wasted no time moving my portable needs to the MacBook, but with the MacBook Pro on its way to Texas to get some Applecare, I didn't want to set the MacBook up as my iTunes home. For one thing, the hard drive isn't big enough. For another, if the MacBook Pro does come back alive I don't want to have to do all that work twice.
Now, if you don't set iTunes up properly, when you sync your iDevice, it will wipe out whatever is on it and replace it with whatever you've told iTunes to autofill the device with from that computer- usually nothing.
But if you do set it properly, you can still plug in, get a charge- and transfer all the purchased items from the iTunes store that are on it to the computer, but only if you want to.
That device control- which usually gets knocked as a DRM-centric, crippling liability- actually has allowed me to keep my devices charged and full of their own music, and not have to cross-pollinate the different iTunes libraries that are divergent on my different computers.
I like it. I don't feel crippled. i just feel like I have the control that I want.
Now don't get me wrong. I hate the record companies as much as the next guy. I'm also a pragmatist. The iTunes store would never have happened without DRM, and the DRM (FairPlay) has never caused me a problem. I've never been unable to play a song when I wanted to and where I wanted to. And I'm way outside the curve. I actually have 5 computers that get daily use- a MacBook Pro, a MacBook, a G5, a Mac Mini, and an HP PC of dubious origin.
The MacBook Pro has, for the entire time I've had it, been my primary iTunes box. It's the machine all my iPods, my iPhone, and my MacTV are linked to. It's also dead as a doorstop due to an odd series of circumstances. I wasted no time moving my portable needs to the MacBook, but with the MacBook Pro on its way to Texas to get some Applecare, I didn't want to set the MacBook up as my iTunes home. For one thing, the hard drive isn't big enough. For another, if the MacBook Pro does come back alive I don't want to have to do all that work twice.
Now, if you don't set iTunes up properly, when you sync your iDevice, it will wipe out whatever is on it and replace it with whatever you've told iTunes to autofill the device with from that computer- usually nothing.
But if you do set it properly, you can still plug in, get a charge- and transfer all the purchased items from the iTunes store that are on it to the computer, but only if you want to.
That device control- which usually gets knocked as a DRM-centric, crippling liability- actually has allowed me to keep my devices charged and full of their own music, and not have to cross-pollinate the different iTunes libraries that are divergent on my different computers.
I like it. I don't feel crippled. i just feel like I have the control that I want.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
What a week !
By 9 PM Monday night I was sitting in an ambulance, with my son throwing up on me. He tripped and fell at IKEA and ended up with a mild concussion, a CAT scan, and an overnight stay at Yale-New Haven. That was a little disconcerting.
He wasn't really the same until Thursday, and as each day went by some other major or minor catastrophe seemed to creep into frame. I'd missed half a day of work on Tuesday after being off Monday. On Thursday I had my six-month dentist's appointment. Five hours later I no longer could find my MacBook Pro- it would eventually turn up, but dead as a doorstop. I was, however, the proud owner of a faxed, partially hand-written list of new students for our meal plan- that's right, hand-written.
Saturday morning I woke up (at 5 AM) to one cat dropping a load on the kitchen floor, another one vomiting all over the closet. That night we we at a party in the Bronx until 12:30 and it was 2AM by the time we hit the sack to call it a day.
But the point isn't to complain here. Some of these things are serious, others just mild inconveniences. The high points were two fold- one, watching my son return to perfectly normal behaviour- the rapidly expanding vocabulary, the curiosity, but most of all, the willingness to continue to run around exuberantly (although often in ill-advised ways). After a head injury, you worry that there is going to be some permanent deficit. As someone that has had their bell rung several times as an adult, it's a scary thing.
The other thing that went right this weekend were the workouts- the 2 hours of spinning and half an hour of running Saturday, the 90 minute run today. It's nice to be able to unplug from returning students, domestic disasters, dead computers, and focus on something simple, direct, and know that, if you're following your plan, you're accomplishing something. then of course, it's time for a shower and back at the world, but feeling refreshed.
He wasn't really the same until Thursday, and as each day went by some other major or minor catastrophe seemed to creep into frame. I'd missed half a day of work on Tuesday after being off Monday. On Thursday I had my six-month dentist's appointment. Five hours later I no longer could find my MacBook Pro- it would eventually turn up, but dead as a doorstop. I was, however, the proud owner of a faxed, partially hand-written list of new students for our meal plan- that's right, hand-written.
Saturday morning I woke up (at 5 AM) to one cat dropping a load on the kitchen floor, another one vomiting all over the closet. That night we we at a party in the Bronx until 12:30 and it was 2AM by the time we hit the sack to call it a day.
But the point isn't to complain here. Some of these things are serious, others just mild inconveniences. The high points were two fold- one, watching my son return to perfectly normal behaviour- the rapidly expanding vocabulary, the curiosity, but most of all, the willingness to continue to run around exuberantly (although often in ill-advised ways). After a head injury, you worry that there is going to be some permanent deficit. As someone that has had their bell rung several times as an adult, it's a scary thing.
The other thing that went right this weekend were the workouts- the 2 hours of spinning and half an hour of running Saturday, the 90 minute run today. It's nice to be able to unplug from returning students, domestic disasters, dead computers, and focus on something simple, direct, and know that, if you're following your plan, you're accomplishing something. then of course, it's time for a shower and back at the world, but feeling refreshed.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Polar Plunge 2008
Thanks to everyone who donated. It was a nice cold day, the water was pretty damn frigid, and there was a great turn-out as always, thanks to EH, to does a great job with this event.
Only one picture, but it should give you an idea of the type of day it was.
Ian was a real trooper, downing pop'em donut holes, playing with his Pollys and blowing bubbles while Dad ran into the cold water of the sound. My feet were cold for a solid hour, but hey, at least I got a good deal on a digital camera on the way home (Comp USA is going out of business).
I have to say I cannot image who in their right mind would do a plunge without some bigger reason, like charity. Jumping in ice cold water just for the hell of it ? No thanks.
Again, thanks for the donations...
Only one picture, but it should give you an idea of the type of day it was.
Ian was a real trooper, downing pop'em donut holes, playing with his Pollys and blowing bubbles while Dad ran into the cold water of the sound. My feet were cold for a solid hour, but hey, at least I got a good deal on a digital camera on the way home (Comp USA is going out of business).
I have to say I cannot image who in their right mind would do a plunge without some bigger reason, like charity. Jumping in ice cold water just for the hell of it ? No thanks.
Again, thanks for the donations...
Friday, January 18, 2008
Polar Plunge Tomorrow
The Polar Plunge is tomorrow and I'll be diving into the water down in Southport for charity at some time between 8:30 and 9:00 AM (http://www.hodska.com/plunge2008.html). We're supporting a small boy with Kawasaki's disease. If you're reading this there's a good chance I already asked you to donate 5.00 to the cause. If you'd like to donate, Paypal Eric Hodska- http://www.hodska.com/paypal.html
I'll post pictures tomorrow when I get them. It's gonna be cold !
I am going to work to get my whole body under the water this year. It's always easy in your mind, but hard in reality, to actually get under that frigid, nasty water.
I'll post pictures tomorrow when I get them. It's gonna be cold !
I am going to work to get my whole body under the water this year. It's always easy in your mind, but hard in reality, to actually get under that frigid, nasty water.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Wow ! Steve Jobs Delivers again...
The MacBook Air is certainly the big deal in the set of announcements today from Steve Jobs, and it looks like the notebook everyone has been wanting. However, having just gotten a new MacBook Pro at work in late 2006, I'm not up for a new laptop until 2008, so I'll save the salivating for another day.
However, it was much of what was in the rest of the keynote that really made me happy. I started pushing for direct purchase/downloads to the iPhone the day I got it, and I'd been at least able to get that feedback passed along to people inside Apple. The same can't be said about my desire to be able to do the same. The people I know at Apple certainly want to hear my thoughts on the iPhone and Podcasting (I can't wait to get that new X-serve set up), but my Apple TV ? Please.
The biggest negative about the Apple TV (which I love), has been that I couldn't buy content directly on it and have had to clog up my MacBook Pro hard drive with TV shows and so on. And it's always struck me as a bit bizarre that I can watch movie trailers on the Apple TV, but not buy movies to watch. Well, in two weeks, that all changes. I'm not sure how many movies I'll really buy or rent. I've bought 30 songs on my iPhone so far, which is a few dollars a month, nothing big. But as I find myself spinning on my bike 4 days a week in the basement, a little purchasing power right on my Apple TV- sweet.
I'm also looking forward to getting my time capsule next month. Now I know Apple and January product announcements. when they say February as a ship date they do not mean February 1st. Fortunately, there's only 27 other days in the month- oops, 28 days. I have several fairly large external hard drives. I also have a small son, and for that reason I haven't bothered implementing Time Machine- I can barely negotiate with him to keep my MacBook Pro plugged in at night as he thinks the mag-safe power cord is a fire hose...
Anyway, I'm psyched, and to me, the biggest innovation won't cost me a penny... I was hoping for my iPhone apps, but hey, I can wait.
However, it was much of what was in the rest of the keynote that really made me happy. I started pushing for direct purchase/downloads to the iPhone the day I got it, and I'd been at least able to get that feedback passed along to people inside Apple. The same can't be said about my desire to be able to do the same. The people I know at Apple certainly want to hear my thoughts on the iPhone and Podcasting (I can't wait to get that new X-serve set up), but my Apple TV ? Please.
The biggest negative about the Apple TV (which I love), has been that I couldn't buy content directly on it and have had to clog up my MacBook Pro hard drive with TV shows and so on. And it's always struck me as a bit bizarre that I can watch movie trailers on the Apple TV, but not buy movies to watch. Well, in two weeks, that all changes. I'm not sure how many movies I'll really buy or rent. I've bought 30 songs on my iPhone so far, which is a few dollars a month, nothing big. But as I find myself spinning on my bike 4 days a week in the basement, a little purchasing power right on my Apple TV- sweet.
I'm also looking forward to getting my time capsule next month. Now I know Apple and January product announcements. when they say February as a ship date they do not mean February 1st. Fortunately, there's only 27 other days in the month- oops, 28 days. I have several fairly large external hard drives. I also have a small son, and for that reason I haven't bothered implementing Time Machine- I can barely negotiate with him to keep my MacBook Pro plugged in at night as he thinks the mag-safe power cord is a fire hose...
Anyway, I'm psyched, and to me, the biggest innovation won't cost me a penny... I was hoping for my iPhone apps, but hey, I can wait.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Sunday Run, Trail Run
I'm in that period of my training where the Sunday workout is a 90 minute run.
Well, I have to be honest, any Sunday I don't race is usually a 90 minute run (sometimes longer or shorter, but I haven't done 2 hours since late October or less than 75 minutes that I can remember). But this time of year that run is especially ingrained.
I usually run alone, although occasionally I'll get together with one of my Force 5 teammates to run. Today, one of the team, Jay, invited us over to run the trails in Guilford and with an offer to watch Ian from his wife, that gave Margit and I a rare chance to get our workouts in together, and actually run together as well.
We had a really heavy frost down by the shore last night, so once we got into the woods it was an interesting run, because there was standing water in some places, safe ice in others and a few places where it was slick. The sun was out and the sky was bright blue so it was a beautiful day to be in the woods.
I let Jay, as the host, pick the route and follow the trail and just kind of hung back a little and enjoyed the run. It's good to go out with a group sometimes and let the group sort of lead the way. Otherwise I end up out in front, not because I'm faster but because I have a tendency to want to lead the run. That's why it's also good to run with EH sometimes, where my goal is to survive.
It was a good time. We were able to talk as a group, caught some great views, bushwacked just a little and got in just enough technical trail running to make it a nice change of pace. Steve even helped me not spend an extra half hour tracking down my Oakleys.
If you always run alone, find a local group, and even if it's once or twice a month, get out with someone besides yourself, unplug the ipod and have a good time. Groups like Force 5 and Sound Runner here in Branford do several runs most weeks...
Well, I have to be honest, any Sunday I don't race is usually a 90 minute run (sometimes longer or shorter, but I haven't done 2 hours since late October or less than 75 minutes that I can remember). But this time of year that run is especially ingrained.
I usually run alone, although occasionally I'll get together with one of my Force 5 teammates to run. Today, one of the team, Jay, invited us over to run the trails in Guilford and with an offer to watch Ian from his wife, that gave Margit and I a rare chance to get our workouts in together, and actually run together as well.
We had a really heavy frost down by the shore last night, so once we got into the woods it was an interesting run, because there was standing water in some places, safe ice in others and a few places where it was slick. The sun was out and the sky was bright blue so it was a beautiful day to be in the woods.
I let Jay, as the host, pick the route and follow the trail and just kind of hung back a little and enjoyed the run. It's good to go out with a group sometimes and let the group sort of lead the way. Otherwise I end up out in front, not because I'm faster but because I have a tendency to want to lead the run. That's why it's also good to run with EH sometimes, where my goal is to survive.
It was a good time. We were able to talk as a group, caught some great views, bushwacked just a little and got in just enough technical trail running to make it a nice change of pace. Steve even helped me not spend an extra half hour tracking down my Oakleys.
If you always run alone, find a local group, and even if it's once or twice a month, get out with someone besides yourself, unplug the ipod and have a good time. Groups like Force 5 and Sound Runner here in Branford do several runs most weeks...
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
The Apple Store is Offline !
The charming back soon sign is up. Let's find out what's going to be on offer... should be new MacPros and Xserves.
Monday, January 07, 2008
The Primaries- Like the Electoral College All Over Again ?
Well, it has always threatened to be a political blog, hasn't it ?
When I was a little kid, I actually thought the Electoral College was a good idea, and also oh so American. Yes, a little quirky. That's a good thing right ? Quirky. Unique. I actually thought it meant that any state could grow up to be important to the electoral process. Hawaii's 4 votes ? Could decide the election, right ? The swing state.
Of course, I was eight. I also, rather embarrassing using my Light Brite to spell out 'Yeah, Nixon' back in 1973.
By the time I'd hit high school I came to understand how the electoral college really worked. Little states with a few electoral votes ? Who needs you, Vermont ? I think that Dewey was the last president to make a campaign visit there which lasted more than about two hours, and that was because his train had broken down in Poultney during a blizzard. Of course, I lived in New York State at the time, which back then was the holder of 36 glorious electoral votes- 5 more than today- damn you, US Census ! so it wasn't such a big deal that we were 12 Vermonts.
It was also obvious by the time I'd hit my late teens that the only thing the electoral college was good for was sending a candidate who lost the popular vote to the White House. And wow, would that come back to affect the nation in spades.
I have to admit to feeling the same way about our crazy primary system, right up until the other day. Over the last year I've listened to a lot of complaining from states that felt disenfranchised by our primary system about how unfair it was and I'm really embarrassed to say that I had the same reaction to it I had as a young child to the electoral college. So what ? It's cute. Let Iowa and New Hampshire have their little moment in the sun.
The idea of dividing the nation into four geographic regions and letting each one take turns going first ? Sounds OK, but do we really need to change the primary system ? Can't anyone win by winning enough big states ?
Well, there's two problems with this thinking. One is that letting Iowa and New Hampshire go first allows two of the most non-representative states in the Union speak first and speak disproportionally loudly and second, because the press spends so much time talking about who can and can't win the election and so little time actually talking about the candidates that one single caucus (and let's not even talk about how skewed and unfair the entire caucus process in Iowa is) can dictate not what has happened, but who people should vote for. People want to vote for a winner after all, and if the press is going to paint one candidate or another as having unstoppable moment after winning one tiny non-representative caucus where the total number of votes are literally in the thousands...
Then again, the press will turn (a la Howard Dean), so maybe a few early wins can be the worst thing that happens to you. Either way, having early results in small states actually determine who stays and who leaves the process is just not the right way to get the best candidates. Listening to candidates contort their messages to win votes in Iowa ? Disturbing.
Who wins Iowa, or in fact who wins Iowa and New Hampshire, should mean about as much as two states' 11 electoral votes mean in the general election. Since the press isn't likely to stop the hyperbolic coverage of who can win long enough to really present the candidates in a thoughtful and informative way, it's time- long past time- to scrap the crazy primary system we have and go to a format which makes all the states equally important, that shortens the primary season so that donors are giving less to primary fights and more to the general election campaigns, and that quite frankly, reduces the cynicism the current system generates.
When I was a little kid, I actually thought the Electoral College was a good idea, and also oh so American. Yes, a little quirky. That's a good thing right ? Quirky. Unique. I actually thought it meant that any state could grow up to be important to the electoral process. Hawaii's 4 votes ? Could decide the election, right ? The swing state.
Of course, I was eight. I also, rather embarrassing using my Light Brite to spell out 'Yeah, Nixon' back in 1973.
By the time I'd hit high school I came to understand how the electoral college really worked. Little states with a few electoral votes ? Who needs you, Vermont ? I think that Dewey was the last president to make a campaign visit there which lasted more than about two hours, and that was because his train had broken down in Poultney during a blizzard. Of course, I lived in New York State at the time, which back then was the holder of 36 glorious electoral votes- 5 more than today- damn you, US Census ! so it wasn't such a big deal that we were 12 Vermonts.
It was also obvious by the time I'd hit my late teens that the only thing the electoral college was good for was sending a candidate who lost the popular vote to the White House. And wow, would that come back to affect the nation in spades.
I have to admit to feeling the same way about our crazy primary system, right up until the other day. Over the last year I've listened to a lot of complaining from states that felt disenfranchised by our primary system about how unfair it was and I'm really embarrassed to say that I had the same reaction to it I had as a young child to the electoral college. So what ? It's cute. Let Iowa and New Hampshire have their little moment in the sun.
The idea of dividing the nation into four geographic regions and letting each one take turns going first ? Sounds OK, but do we really need to change the primary system ? Can't anyone win by winning enough big states ?
Well, there's two problems with this thinking. One is that letting Iowa and New Hampshire go first allows two of the most non-representative states in the Union speak first and speak disproportionally loudly and second, because the press spends so much time talking about who can and can't win the election and so little time actually talking about the candidates that one single caucus (and let's not even talk about how skewed and unfair the entire caucus process in Iowa is) can dictate not what has happened, but who people should vote for. People want to vote for a winner after all, and if the press is going to paint one candidate or another as having unstoppable moment after winning one tiny non-representative caucus where the total number of votes are literally in the thousands...
Then again, the press will turn (a la Howard Dean), so maybe a few early wins can be the worst thing that happens to you. Either way, having early results in small states actually determine who stays and who leaves the process is just not the right way to get the best candidates. Listening to candidates contort their messages to win votes in Iowa ? Disturbing.
Who wins Iowa, or in fact who wins Iowa and New Hampshire, should mean about as much as two states' 11 electoral votes mean in the general election. Since the press isn't likely to stop the hyperbolic coverage of who can win long enough to really present the candidates in a thoughtful and informative way, it's time- long past time- to scrap the crazy primary system we have and go to a format which makes all the states equally important, that shortens the primary season so that donors are giving less to primary fights and more to the general election campaigns, and that quite frankly, reduces the cynicism the current system generates.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
New Year
Funny how a year that was generally (and unfortunately) warm and dry was ushered out a new year ushered in under the sort of cold and wet conditions that made me glad that my workout was a 60-75 minute run and not the ride my coach was on. I'd been out on the mountain bike several times since Christmas, thanks to the first real pair of booties I've ever had (up until last week I was wearing nothing more than sneakers and heavy socks).
I'm looking forward to this year- I always wanted to do 2 IMs and do Lake Placid again with Margit and this year I'll doing both (I hope).
Here's wishing that everyone finds at least some of what they hope for in 2008 and whether I see you at the races or not, I hope you enjoy yourself, whatever you're doing.
I'm looking forward to this year- I always wanted to do 2 IMs and do Lake Placid again with Margit and this year I'll doing both (I hope).
Here's wishing that everyone finds at least some of what they hope for in 2008 and whether I see you at the races or not, I hope you enjoy yourself, whatever you're doing.
Monday, December 31, 2007
In Review- The Year that Almost Was
Well, I know it's New Year's Eve because I'm once again reviewing the wreckage of my Fantasy Football team as we head to the playoffs and the inevitability someone else will win the league I've run for 13 years.
I decided to take on some new challenges in 2007. Of course, the unspoken challenge is continuing to be an older first-time dad, something that is not always the easiest thing. It's ironic in a way, because my own adoptive parents entered the game late- my dad was 48 and my mom 46 when I was born, even older than I was. Hopefully, I'll see more than 10 of Ian's birthdays- number 3 is hard around the bend less than a month after Christmas. Potty training is coming too.
The year started off slowly, with graduate courses and slow, easy training. There was the misery of the diet and the misery of the Plunge on the diet.
With no race on Margit's calendar and Ironman Arizona the first on mine, we had much more important issues on our mind. Like where Margit was going to be working and where Ian was going to be in day care. These big ticket items worked out with a lot less difficulty than we at first thought they might as Margit hit on a temp job at Pfizer and I took over full-time day care transportation duties around January 31st. Around the same time, we came to the difficult conclusion Margit's mom would have to go into a nursing home...
My grades were good, really good, and so was my training. I was ready for Arizona, but at the same time, Lake Placid was weighing on me and I put a lot of pressure on myself. I have to be honest that I never really felt that I deserved the result I got in Lake Placid. I felt like I'd been in the right place at the right time and not really earned what had come the way I might have had to at a race with a better field. At the same time, having passed on Hawaii left me feeling like I had to try and get a spot again. That's not the best way for me to go into a race and one simple mental error- not taking sunscreen before the bike, really impacted my overall performance. It became my worst race, and yet out of, also a learning experience. I both broke and then, in the end, didn't break. Running the last five miles of a race I'd lost the will to continue in was, well something.
And hey, the beer was good.
Oh yeah, and Peter Daly beat me and I posted another second at Brian's two weeks before Arizona.
On a serious note, there was Dave Parcells passing away in Florida and that was- that was a blow for everyone. I can't really express anything other people with more right and eloquence haven't already said. Dave was a great guy. He left a hole.
I didn't take much time off- I'd signed up for Eagleman. I couldn't find time for courses with the afternoon pickup at day care, so there was parenting, day care, work, and training. Margit's mom's situation finally started to settle out, our cat population jumped to six, and of course, by May the lawn had gotten away from us.
I had to drop out of a duathlon in June just a week before Eagleman with a strained calf. That's the first DNF due to injury I'd ever had and so close to an half-IM... Ice solved the problem. I went to Eagleman, had a great swim AND overcame my math meltdown that had me thinking I'd had a miserable swim, survived the drafting on the bike, and posted a pretty good time for being hurt. I even learned to appreciate Avril Lavinge in the porta-potty line, and snapped a great picture of Ian reading a certain coach's catalog that he got a good laugh out of.
I think it was a good summer, although it's always hard to remember the best of the warm lazy summer days when it's 30 degrees. There was plenty of great weather- and oh yeah, an iPhone.
The big event of the summer for me was the Swim Across the Sound. Never in my life have I dreaded anything more (well, except that time I was waiting for Margit to bail me out on her birthday). The thought of being out in a boat, jumping off that boat into 80-100 feet of water. I'd rather be in a pressure suit orbiting the planet. But it worked out great. I wasn't the boat anchor you'd think I was going to be. The harbour made me horribly sick. I was sneezing up man-sized phlegm an hour after I climbed up on the dock. I couldn't breath well enough to sleep for about 48 hours.
John Brennan- thanks again for organizing that. Awesome job.
Margit went from a contract job to full-time at Pfizer. That was a relief but not a perfect solution- but hey, they do have their own triathlon (employees only). Ian switched day care- tough moments there. He still talks about his 'old school'.
While preparing for the Extrememan half-ironman I found myself helping to set up the Madison Triathlon. Steve Surprise and I sat on the 'race committee', we showed up a day early and helped set up transition- I even gave the race day instructions to the athletes and was a bike course marshall.
Then came my third big race of the year, and probably my only chance at winning a triathlon. I didn't get it done, instead coming third. Enough said.
I took that to heart and went on kind of a tear. I placed in the top ten at a half-marathon the next week. Another two weeks and I jumped into a marathon, cracked the three hour mark, slept it off and won a 5k the next day. Then it was Reunion weekend at Rochester and a second place at a dirt duathlon the following Saturday in one of Rochester's kick-ass parks.
My college reunion was a great time and a real reminder of how much I enjoyed the extended stay I had at UR. The only low moment was Richard Lewis at Curb Your Enthusiasm. Man, he just couldn't get it done.
Somewhere amid the races Margit's BMW crashed into a deer and was totalled. Car shopping sure is fun, isn't it ? A throw away call I made to the Acura dealership I bought my car at about a TL I saw on my iPhone while we were at CarMax led to Margit, well, driving a TL. Also, I lost a cat. Jonah, you were a great friend, the one cat I could count on to Bite the Hand That Feeds.
Of course, I over-raced getting ready for Christopher Martin's and put up a miserable race despite running my fastest 5k in years.
But the big story to end the year with was seeing my son have the first Christmas where he understood what was going on. From magic reindeer food and cookies and milk left out on Christmas Eve and sharing the classics- Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, to opening gifts, he was a great joy. We have some greed issues to work out, and I swear this is the last year I stay up until 1 AM Christmas Eve building a toy, but it was a great day.
Now, 2008- my coach says let's have a great year. I have two IMs on the docket, my family is healthy, I have a roof over my head- so I think that's a great idea.
I decided to take on some new challenges in 2007. Of course, the unspoken challenge is continuing to be an older first-time dad, something that is not always the easiest thing. It's ironic in a way, because my own adoptive parents entered the game late- my dad was 48 and my mom 46 when I was born, even older than I was. Hopefully, I'll see more than 10 of Ian's birthdays- number 3 is hard around the bend less than a month after Christmas. Potty training is coming too.
The year started off slowly, with graduate courses and slow, easy training. There was the misery of the diet and the misery of the Plunge on the diet.
With no race on Margit's calendar and Ironman Arizona the first on mine, we had much more important issues on our mind. Like where Margit was going to be working and where Ian was going to be in day care. These big ticket items worked out with a lot less difficulty than we at first thought they might as Margit hit on a temp job at Pfizer and I took over full-time day care transportation duties around January 31st. Around the same time, we came to the difficult conclusion Margit's mom would have to go into a nursing home...
My grades were good, really good, and so was my training. I was ready for Arizona, but at the same time, Lake Placid was weighing on me and I put a lot of pressure on myself. I have to be honest that I never really felt that I deserved the result I got in Lake Placid. I felt like I'd been in the right place at the right time and not really earned what had come the way I might have had to at a race with a better field. At the same time, having passed on Hawaii left me feeling like I had to try and get a spot again. That's not the best way for me to go into a race and one simple mental error- not taking sunscreen before the bike, really impacted my overall performance. It became my worst race, and yet out of, also a learning experience. I both broke and then, in the end, didn't break. Running the last five miles of a race I'd lost the will to continue in was, well something.
And hey, the beer was good.
Oh yeah, and Peter Daly beat me and I posted another second at Brian's two weeks before Arizona.
On a serious note, there was Dave Parcells passing away in Florida and that was- that was a blow for everyone. I can't really express anything other people with more right and eloquence haven't already said. Dave was a great guy. He left a hole.
I didn't take much time off- I'd signed up for Eagleman. I couldn't find time for courses with the afternoon pickup at day care, so there was parenting, day care, work, and training. Margit's mom's situation finally started to settle out, our cat population jumped to six, and of course, by May the lawn had gotten away from us.
I had to drop out of a duathlon in June just a week before Eagleman with a strained calf. That's the first DNF due to injury I'd ever had and so close to an half-IM... Ice solved the problem. I went to Eagleman, had a great swim AND overcame my math meltdown that had me thinking I'd had a miserable swim, survived the drafting on the bike, and posted a pretty good time for being hurt. I even learned to appreciate Avril Lavinge in the porta-potty line, and snapped a great picture of Ian reading a certain coach's catalog that he got a good laugh out of.
I think it was a good summer, although it's always hard to remember the best of the warm lazy summer days when it's 30 degrees. There was plenty of great weather- and oh yeah, an iPhone.
The big event of the summer for me was the Swim Across the Sound. Never in my life have I dreaded anything more (well, except that time I was waiting for Margit to bail me out on her birthday). The thought of being out in a boat, jumping off that boat into 80-100 feet of water. I'd rather be in a pressure suit orbiting the planet. But it worked out great. I wasn't the boat anchor you'd think I was going to be. The harbour made me horribly sick. I was sneezing up man-sized phlegm an hour after I climbed up on the dock. I couldn't breath well enough to sleep for about 48 hours.
John Brennan- thanks again for organizing that. Awesome job.
Margit went from a contract job to full-time at Pfizer. That was a relief but not a perfect solution- but hey, they do have their own triathlon (employees only). Ian switched day care- tough moments there. He still talks about his 'old school'.
While preparing for the Extrememan half-ironman I found myself helping to set up the Madison Triathlon. Steve Surprise and I sat on the 'race committee', we showed up a day early and helped set up transition- I even gave the race day instructions to the athletes and was a bike course marshall.
Then came my third big race of the year, and probably my only chance at winning a triathlon. I didn't get it done, instead coming third. Enough said.
I took that to heart and went on kind of a tear. I placed in the top ten at a half-marathon the next week. Another two weeks and I jumped into a marathon, cracked the three hour mark, slept it off and won a 5k the next day. Then it was Reunion weekend at Rochester and a second place at a dirt duathlon the following Saturday in one of Rochester's kick-ass parks.
My college reunion was a great time and a real reminder of how much I enjoyed the extended stay I had at UR. The only low moment was Richard Lewis at Curb Your Enthusiasm. Man, he just couldn't get it done.
Somewhere amid the races Margit's BMW crashed into a deer and was totalled. Car shopping sure is fun, isn't it ? A throw away call I made to the Acura dealership I bought my car at about a TL I saw on my iPhone while we were at CarMax led to Margit, well, driving a TL. Also, I lost a cat. Jonah, you were a great friend, the one cat I could count on to Bite the Hand That Feeds.
Of course, I over-raced getting ready for Christopher Martin's and put up a miserable race despite running my fastest 5k in years.
But the big story to end the year with was seeing my son have the first Christmas where he understood what was going on. From magic reindeer food and cookies and milk left out on Christmas Eve and sharing the classics- Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, to opening gifts, he was a great joy. We have some greed issues to work out, and I swear this is the last year I stay up until 1 AM Christmas Eve building a toy, but it was a great day.
Now, 2008- my coach says let's have a great year. I have two IMs on the docket, my family is healthy, I have a roof over my head- so I think that's a great idea.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
My iPhone is calling
I thought that I'd test out blogging directly from my iphone today.
Ever see a bicycle frame thrown 30 feet up in a tree ? The bent
Cannondale frame toss Sunday night at Amity Bike ended just that way- on the first toss of the night...
Sent from my iPhone
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Winter Weather Running
Not that I know anything about anything, but I certainly have plenty of experience running in the snow and slop. I ran 5 days a week in high school, regardless of the weather. Living in upstate New York, that meant fairly frequent runs in snow, sometimes deep snow. Of course, my focus is a lot different these days. But one thing hasn't changed- a long run in the wintery mix requires a slightly different approach. I think it's a great workout, but I also think it's a certain type of workout and one that has to be approached a little differently.
You don't really get that many opportunities to do a long run in the snow when you're down here in CT, especially along the shore, and I think it's just a great opportunity to have a really good time and enjoy yourself. You do a lot of long runs and most of them probably aren't all that memorable, but a snowy run or a run in a storm- you'll remember that a lot longer because it is special.
However, if you're looking for a red zone workout (there's nothing wrong with that, maybe you're training for a late January/February marathon), stop reading this, find the nearest treadmill, crank it up to your 20K pace and elevate it to 4-5% and have at it.
Here's my tips for having a great, enjoyable long run in the snow, sleet and wind.
1) Dress just warm enough and nothing more. It's cold, it's wet, you want to get bundled up. But it's easy to overdo it and you could find yourself sweating up a storm and melting down. Or worse, you might be tempted to remove that outer layer, which usually cools all that sweat and then your core body temperature can crash. It's ok to be a little cold the first 5-10 minutes. Running is one of the best ways to elevate your core body temperature and once you do that, you'll be fine.
2) Leave the beat-up old running shoes at home. If a pair of running shoes aren't good to run in on a normal day, they aren't good enough to run in the slop either. If you're a triathlete you probably have at least 2K invested in your bike and associated gear- you can swing 80.00 for running shoes if the pair you wear really gets ruined (and they won't). Give the old shoes to one of those drives that collects used shoes.
3) Turn down the volume on the ipod- just a little. When the roads are bad, you have to be able to hear the traffic, especially snow plows. The last thing you want to do is go around a corner and find yourself face to face with a plow blade
4) If you (micro) manage your music on the iPod, take it down a notch. Add some festive holiday jingles. Snow Patrol and Stars of Track and Field's The Antarctica EP are mandatory. Nine Inch Nails and Evanescence is probably a little too extreme.
5) The big thing- take the heart beat down a good 10 beats. Your leg muscles are going to be working extra-hard pushing off the uneven, sliding 'ground'. Run at your normal heart rate and you'll be beating up your legs, which shouldn't be the point. Keep it moderate.
Pick a route you don't usually run, or run one of your routes backwards. That way you won't be watching your watch and worrying about how far behind your usual pace you are. Running for 90 minutes ? Pick an eighty or even a seventy-five minute loop- you can always add on if you're ahead towards the end.
6) Wear glasses. You'll probably be headed out into a pretty gray day, and it may seem like the right idea to ditch sunglasses that will only dim things down more or fog up. But driving snow, sleet, or ice can make it impossible to keep your eyes open, much less on the road.
The bottom line is that a snow run should be fun. A good workout yes, but you might be better off leaving the red zone run for another day. Take time to enjoy the scenery and see the world a way you rarely do.
You don't really get that many opportunities to do a long run in the snow when you're down here in CT, especially along the shore, and I think it's just a great opportunity to have a really good time and enjoy yourself. You do a lot of long runs and most of them probably aren't all that memorable, but a snowy run or a run in a storm- you'll remember that a lot longer because it is special.
However, if you're looking for a red zone workout (there's nothing wrong with that, maybe you're training for a late January/February marathon), stop reading this, find the nearest treadmill, crank it up to your 20K pace and elevate it to 4-5% and have at it.
Here's my tips for having a great, enjoyable long run in the snow, sleet and wind.
1) Dress just warm enough and nothing more. It's cold, it's wet, you want to get bundled up. But it's easy to overdo it and you could find yourself sweating up a storm and melting down. Or worse, you might be tempted to remove that outer layer, which usually cools all that sweat and then your core body temperature can crash. It's ok to be a little cold the first 5-10 minutes. Running is one of the best ways to elevate your core body temperature and once you do that, you'll be fine.
2) Leave the beat-up old running shoes at home. If a pair of running shoes aren't good to run in on a normal day, they aren't good enough to run in the slop either. If you're a triathlete you probably have at least 2K invested in your bike and associated gear- you can swing 80.00 for running shoes if the pair you wear really gets ruined (and they won't). Give the old shoes to one of those drives that collects used shoes.
3) Turn down the volume on the ipod- just a little. When the roads are bad, you have to be able to hear the traffic, especially snow plows. The last thing you want to do is go around a corner and find yourself face to face with a plow blade
4) If you (micro) manage your music on the iPod, take it down a notch. Add some festive holiday jingles. Snow Patrol and Stars of Track and Field's The Antarctica EP are mandatory. Nine Inch Nails and Evanescence is probably a little too extreme.
5) The big thing- take the heart beat down a good 10 beats. Your leg muscles are going to be working extra-hard pushing off the uneven, sliding 'ground'. Run at your normal heart rate and you'll be beating up your legs, which shouldn't be the point. Keep it moderate.
Pick a route you don't usually run, or run one of your routes backwards. That way you won't be watching your watch and worrying about how far behind your usual pace you are. Running for 90 minutes ? Pick an eighty or even a seventy-five minute loop- you can always add on if you're ahead towards the end.
6) Wear glasses. You'll probably be headed out into a pretty gray day, and it may seem like the right idea to ditch sunglasses that will only dim things down more or fog up. But driving snow, sleet, or ice can make it impossible to keep your eyes open, much less on the road.
The bottom line is that a snow run should be fun. A good workout yes, but you might be better off leaving the red zone run for another day. Take time to enjoy the scenery and see the world a way you rarely do.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Christopher Martins 5k Road Race
I waited a few days before posting anything about this race.
Good news: 17:46 is my fastest 5K in years, probably three years.
Bad News: I got beat by several people who shouldn't beat me and finished 26th.
I really wanted to run well at this race. And I did. So some other people ran better. Oh well, time to suck it up, get in some strength training, and look at the all the racing I've gotten in in the last two months and say hey, not bad.
Enough said.
Good news: 17:46 is my fastest 5K in years, probably three years.
Bad News: I got beat by several people who shouldn't beat me and finished 26th.
I really wanted to run well at this race. And I did. So some other people ran better. Oh well, time to suck it up, get in some strength training, and look at the all the racing I've gotten in in the last two months and say hey, not bad.
Enough said.
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