Like the Beatles (and subsequent Beatlemania) arriving to America 50 years ago, the infancy of Tang Clan Running Club arrived this month a whopping 5 years ago.  A lot has changed since, faces have faded and some have gotten stronger.

It has come to my attention that our responsibilities are starting to heat up and age is catching up so I feel as though this 5th year is big.  Time to see what we are made of before we become slowed down by Father Time (along with Mother Nature this year).

Personally, I'd like to go through two successful training plans this year to get faster while adding some muscle thanks to the inspiration of Knapp (or the Incredible Hulk) post-pull up bar destruction.  In the midst of training cycle one.  Ten plus months to go, let's see where running takes us.

The Off-season

With a strange Friday the 13th to start the weekend off, I found peace in running around in the beginning of this impending snow storm with my headphones on.  Why am I running a half-marathon's distance in this terrible weather?  The gauntlet's been thrown down for next May, going four for four in Pawtucket Half Marathons as the Knapp Tang showdown starts again.

In hindsight, the only time I came in faster was during the race of my life during the Pawtucket Half this year after a big night for Knapp.  With every 5k, Knapp has exponentially improved as I have stalled and it wasn't even close at this last race.  Should be a fun race come May 2014.

On the other side of mid 20s, the late 20s

Running around with a respiratory infection I can't help but wonder why people would smoke?  Breathing sucks.

Running with the fog rolling in was pretty cool tonight what with the 'BILTMORE' sign and the Bank of America building floating in mid air.

After a year of running it has come to my attention that the faster you are, the more race pics you garner.  For obvious reasons as you are more likely alone and front and center.  But I bet the majority of runners who buy race pics are newbies.  Newbies are usually (but not always) slower than there veteran counterparts and have less pics.  BUT, the photography companies charge a one time fee for pictures.  The faster ones get better deals.  Where am I going with this?  I don't know, I think that infection is going to my brain.

Hartford Half Marathon

Hartford Half Marathon


List of omens/ typical excuses:

2nd shift Thursday, 1st shift Friday...To start off the morning on Friday, dropped an egg while trying to make an omelette to show myself how tired I was.  Throughout Friday, I kept receiving random phone calls and texts from Texas.  Do people know how to use phones/ enter numbers in correctly?

On the way to Hartford, we swerve last second to avoid a deer chilling in the street (which happens on the way back, too).   I walk in toting my Ninja Turtles duffel bag to the surprise and delight of those that recognize the characters.

Cardinal sin:
Ate pizza for the first time in a long time the night before.  At midnight.

Bonus:
Stayed with the most hospitable people ever, the Waldrons.  Brian, our first resident, his father, and cousin would run the half as well.  To validate our friendship, we both agreed and watched Without Limits races (minus Munich obvi) right before sleep at midnight and agreed this was the superior Pre movie.

Credentials:
Brian-just ran a 19:31 5k the week before
His dad-qualified for some small marathon in Boston
His cousin-cross country coach

Missed:
Expo day with THE Bill Rodgers.

Goal: 1:45/ have fun and enjoy running a new city.

Wake up at 5:30 am, (~9 hours of sleep in the past two nights), chewing on a banana and a Skippy-smeared raisin bagel.  Rock my yellow Nike Free 4.0's which has brought me good luck along with my Tang Clan shirt and iPod.  Brian, his father and I head over to pick up his cousin and we park with relative ease in Hartford, about a quarter mile from the race.  On the ride over, there was plenty of locker room banter about the bachelors in the car and all the single ladies today which kept us loose and smiling.

Upon arrival, I was dumbfounded by the leaves changing, the beautiful weather in the 50s, and the awesome buildings downtown.  In typical dad fashion, the phrase 'Where's Tang' kept getting uttered as I portapottied it solo and this phrase was said more than astronauts (badumpcha, credit Brian's cousin).   We warmed up around the starting line which showed me the other side of Hartford.

The pre-race saw us trying to wiggle our way to the 1:45 pace setter to no avail since, this is A race and no one knows what that means. As we waited around for the start, we were treated to a funny emcee that wasn't English and an invocation...

Yeah, an invocation.

Due to the fact I was going through ACL music festival withdrawals, I started with my ACL playlist and Tame Impala.
The start of the race had us plodding along at 8:30 pace until a quarter mile in when I couldn't take it any more and rode the sidewalks.  The first three felt very uneven as I stormed through the second and tried to dial it back for mile three.  The GPS showed I had run an extra .08 already.


We split off from the marathoners and took a right when they took a left.  We would not be that female runner in Canada that trained for a half, took a wrong turn, and oh, won the full marathon.

I tried to sit on people's paces and stay around 8's since my goal today was revised from sub 1:40 to sub 1:45 due to the hectic and swiss cheese training of the past month.

Skipped the first water stop, took the rest using the hooked finger and pinch technique.

Unfortunately I was dealing with not being fully evacuated and kept debating whether or not to hit up a portapotty.

At around mile 6, I couldn't stand it any more and went in to a portapotty for 52 seconds.  How'd I know that?  My GPS watch stops whenever I do so my finish time was 52 seconds slower than my watch.

Upon leaving, I broke in to a stinger packet that also left a glove on the course.  RIP left light Nike glove, a casualty of running. (Bonus, get to buy new gloves...something's wrong with me)  I tried running faster to keep 1:45 in my sights and came upon the 1:45 pace setter with his yellow jersey, sans 1:45 flag at about the 8 mile mark while in a residential area.

At this point I wasn't sure if I could stay within striking distance until the honey kicked in and I kept churning.  I passed a tent that had vuvuzelas (these are still a thing?) and cow bells for free to which I knew I wanted one to commemorate this race.

We snaked through a picturesque park as I came side to side with the pace setter and his crew made up of other 1:45'ers.  At one point, he said he was 5 seconds off the pace so I thought I gotta stay ahead of him, especially during the stretch where I let go and cruised on the downhills.  Cruised, but this would not be the last 10k miracle a la the last half and the last full marathon as I had no extra gear to hit.

Exiting the park, I saw a sign spoofing the blog, Hyperbole and a Half's writer saying "run all the miles!"

 

I picked it up at mile 11 but the rolling hills turned in to an uphill as I tried to hold on for dear life and make sure the pace setter was in my rear view mirror.    Ultimately, kept trying to relax and really stopped staring at my GPS.

Coming downhill on the last half mile or so, spot our cheering section from behind and veer right to tap em and bounce off to finish.  The gag reflex showed up as I was aware of finishing soon.  Where the finish line was confused me as I thought the building similar to the Gansett Casino was it.  Wrong.  The kid that was the shadow of the 1:45 pacer decided to sprint here to which I shrugged my shoulders, looking for someone to acknowledge the ridiculousness of it all.

The end saw me cycling Tame Impala's "Half Glass Full of Wine" and "Elephant" as my groin became sore thanks to the training hiatus.

Finished with the announcer saying "Aaron Tang, from Providence" and swag giveaway started as Brian's father and I finished at around the same time as we saw the speedsters cheering us on (his cousin at 1:25:30 :bows: and Brian at 1:32).

1:43:12 (gps 13.21 miles, 1:42:20 without porta break)

We received a nice water bottle, a sweet finisher's medal, a bag of food (a rarity now with the economy the way it is).

Heading back towards the starting line, everything had been cleaned up and you can hardly tell there was a race.  The volunteers were great, the chute of people at the end helped cheer us on, and apparently its one of the lowest carbon foot print races.

After four grown men changed clothes at 11 A.M. in public (that's normal) and chugging chocolate milk at DD, we headed back to the beer and food tent (non-elite tents) to have a Harpoon, chug tomato soup, eat some grilled cheese, and drink another chocolate milk.

Other than cheering "Go Tang Go!" "Where'd Tango?", Brian's 2 year old Brady got me a cow bell, too.  (Queue 'awwwwwws' from the females)



Post race:
Brian mentioned that the faster you are in a race, you tend to run by yourself and not "race" as much (as apparent by Knapp's 5k pics). #fastproblems

fried chicken and pizza, and a trip extending 4 OT game of Michigan and Penn State before we head home at 11:30 pm.

I thought about all the bands I've seen recently, and now I am thinking of all the states I've run in which just means one thing: I'm getting older.
Texas, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Florida, Virginia, Connecticut, Pennsylvania.

Going forward, I want to take a week break then think about how badly I want sub 1:40, sub 20.  How I reach these goals is apparent in Brian's finishing times; speed work.

It was nice to meet another running family, lamenting about pacers, negative splits, gagging, walkers, etc.

It must be a dad thing to apply Ben Gay pre-race.

Chicago Marathon watching the day after, looking for Knapp on the coverage.
Great swag:
shirt, water bottle commemorating the 20th year of the race, bag, nice medal, and cow bell.

The last of the Plano Runs?

Plano, don't stop being Plano
The Wave
Soul Skatin'


In the closing weeks before the Hartford Half Marathon, I find myself back in the friendly confines of Plano, Texas, the most suburb-y suburb in all of America.  I'm working with a 90% waving and good morning percentage.  The most obscene example?  The wave AND smile from across the street.

As I always do, I slept in on my first day back home and took to the streets to tackle a ten'er.  The first five flew by as the clouds and breeze helped keep the temperature Rhode Island-esque.  I even took a page out of the Knapp playbook and popped the shirt off because of said confines and lack of ridicule on a Wednesday midday.

Then, the sun shined.


Regardless, I have been trying to take a step back in all facets during this week off as I have micromanaged and lived day to day.  As far as the big picture of running, I need to rein in the lofty expectations and really stay happy for the fact I am still able to run fairly consistently and so far, without injury.  If I never break 20 in a 5k, that's fine so long as I run for the next 40+ years (or more). 

I'd like to take a quote, nay a way of life, from the great 1998 Disney Original classic, Brink!


Brink: We skate for fun. We're soul skaters.

I run for fun.  I run to keep myself in shape.  I run to clear my head or just to think about nothing but the next step and the next and the next and the...

And with that pseudo philosophical mumbo jumbo, my goal for this half is to enjoy it, see some friends I haven't seen in a while, and sit around a 1:45.  (sub 1:40, pleeease sub 1:40)

Return to East Bay

After two 5ks in the wrong direction in terms of finishing time, I took a two day break to re-examine training and have determined a 1:45 for this half is more in the cards for me than a sub 1:40.  What has helped was Knapp dragging me out to East Bay for half of his long run.  Seemingly killing it last year on the path reinvigorated me, along with the picturesque day.

Proof?

CVS 5k race report

CVS 5k
Running celebrities in the house: Molly Huddle and hipster runner from Oregon place 1st and 3rd

Nights before:
2nd shift, engagement dinner, Boston.  Last meal? Hazelnut cannoli from Mike's Pastry before a concert.  Smart Aaron, smart.

Sunday:
From around midnight to the start of the race, we were treated with rain in Providence.  From 11:15 am til the end of the race, we were treated with humidity.  Somewhere in here, one of the twenty emcees asked the crowd what they thought of the race shirts.  Purple?  The lack of reaction was appropriate.
This time, the gang would consist of more than myself as Knapp, Kevin, Sri, Nikki, and Nikki gathered in the mall.

I quickly bibbed myself with pins in the rain as I tossed my CVS bag in Nikki's car.

Nikki and I lined up around the 20 minute logo in a tiny pocket free of people.  People around us were more than likely going to walk but that wouldn't matter today.

The race was pretty flat and all up in my backyard.

As the race started, I hit my watch 2 seconds before the line and headed out around 6:45 pace, feeling pretty good and actually cracked a smile.  This feeling of happiness would quickly stop.

It was another repeat of NK as I fell down to progressive positive splits.  I had around a 7 for mile 2.  I upgraded over the last race in that I only took the 2nd water station.

My gag reflex came at mile 1.75.  Wanted to go for 6:30 after mile 2 but had nothing in the tank, shaking my fists mentally at going out late.

There was one hill, the finishing hill to the state house.  This time I actually found myself racing the end with a couple others.

22:03.

In a funk? Declining? Too much training? Too little training? Late nights?

But enough about me, Knapp goes sub-21, 20:57 and a new PR, congratulations!
KOB, Sri and Nikki with nice outings on less mileage (maybe that's the key?)

Immediate results e-mailed, not bad CVS, not bad.

Swag: CVS athletic bag, trail mix, generic 'Crunch' granola bar, athletic tape, not bad?

I just took off the option on my log to view my 9 month obsession with posting a 30 mile/wk average.  I am definitely considering a two week hiatus post half marathon.

"Long" Run

Sunday night's "long" run of 11 miles post 5k abomination was going to be ho hum save for:
1) a runner on the Blackstone path running, then walking in to a bush.  I kid you not.
2) running by a tall blonde practicing volleyball thinking there's no way Rhode Island is that small but it is; it's Ms. 44.

North Kingstown 5k

Carousel of shifts the past 2 weeks (1st to 2nd to 3rd to 1st to 2nd... to 1st) and G.I. issues hampering me but let us get down to brass tax.

Today was a travesty.  Mentally wasn't there, just the hobby jogger's equivalent of picking up a paycheck.

Woke up after a dream of missing the race and not caring.

Never felt comfortable, going solo to a race which is unheard of since my first 5k in Virginia Beach.


At 0.3 mile in, my mouth dried up and hydration came up as an issue.  Had to take the water stations at mile 1 and 2 (What?!?) I tried to hold on to 6:40 pace, ended up with 6:45 and a bit under 7.

Let go of the pedal at mile 2 (in)voluntarily.

Checked out mentally, and 7:22'ed it in on the last mile.

No dramatic finish at the end as I held on with no one in sight (looked back multiple times) and squinted to see 21:xx approaching the left turn...

21:52.8...

So pissed, ran and lifted when I got back from NK.

CVS 5k in two weeks, see ya there.

Of note, they upgraded to chipped timing, throwing out my notion of starting at the front of the pack.

The last Ashton Mills run?

An end of an era if you will occurred this weekend when Knapp and I tackled an easy 10 miler before moving out of Ashton Mills.  These runs are a part of the training plans toward the Chicago Marathon and Hartford Half Marathon, respectively.  The run was hallmarked by the shirtless Top Gun like run through the bike path one last time as we spoke on many a topic that made me realize we are adults (almost).

Personally, mile repeats are what you do if you like the feeling of throwing up.  I had to not only amp myself up to keep the 7:30 pace during the mile repeats by pretending I was racing, but I had to control my gag reflexes on the last repeat as my body instinctively knew it was the end of this faux race.  

5,000 miles over the past 4.5 years, just broke 1,000 and counting for the year, and finally back to 30.0 miles/wk average after fluctuating between 29.4 and 29.6 miles/wk.  Today was a good day.