Marriage

Congratulations to two members of this team, Srilatha and Andrew (aka Knapp) on getting hitched!

Like after any day, I went for a jaunt through East Bay since I was in town (as was my Pops a week early for Father's Day).  The ABC's of today's ten-er:

Aesthete

At this point, the dreamy notion of getting faster and faster year after year has been met with resistance aka life and reality.  Running is more to keep myself aesthetically pleasing than athletically pleasing.  But East Bay on a great day as today, it doesn't get any better than this.  Aesthete recognizing aesthete (that's a word, right?).  One weekend, I may even stay in Boston during the weekend and (gulp) run long.  It's like that first time I moved to URI, I didn't want to be left alone to fend for myself.

Bird shit and begging

The path begged and pleaded for a ten miler instead of a measly nine and I like usual caved in.  So as part of the aesthetically pleasing part, I decided to run shirtless in honor of the trailblazer of doing so, Knapp.  Well, Mother Nature shook her finger like Dikembe Mutombo and bird crap came raining down on my parade.  Well played, well played.


Children

I conducted another waving experiment and I've come to the conclusion that anyone my age, female or male, will not wave back either out of sheer horror of my shirtlessness or of some innate competition.  Anyone older or with children of their own have lan 84.6% chance of waving back.

Del's

Rhode Island.  Don't go changin'.  I just need to bring some money for that frozen lemonade.

Energy

It seems as though my energy is back after a tumultuous May and hopefully June and on will be a bit more calm.

Half Marathon make up

After two weeks in Dedham, it was nice to get some home (Rhode Island is home?) cooking and see (randomly) folks I haven't seen in a while and experience nice weather in Barrington.  So living in a dearth of miles in Dedham, I went from 6 miles to 13.1, Colt State and back.  While not anything spectacular, it was nice after a 3 week funk since the half marathon DNF.  The futuristic knight I saw at the end made my week as a motorcyclist had a medieval sword on his back.

DNF Report-4th Cherry Blossom/Navigant/ Pawtucket Half Marathon

The conditions were perfect, 50-60 for the temperature.  Sunny with a breeze.  I am unemployed for two weeks.  I EVEN remembered my running shoes this time.  What could go wrong? Famous last words.

Pick up was on Saturday at Rhode Runner with the infamous black bag of stuff after a trip around Barrington with my landlord/friend.  At least this time around the shirt seemed the most normal (a white shirt).  The day was going swimmingly, I slept Friday night from 7:30pm-4:30am.  

I went out for a quick 4 miler and came back to a bit of alarming news personally that threw me for a loop.  Like, forgetting to eat dinner before a half marathon loop.

The night before I oddly did NOT dream about missing my half marathon which should have been warning sign number two.

Oh, Knapp is sitting this one out.  Warning sign number three.

The first half I decided to run at 7:30 pace and go from there.  It seemed like I had used all my reserves on the hills (which should've been warning sign number four; last year I remembered only one hill but this time had my butt handed to me).

By mile six, the rails came off, the hammys got tight, and the wall was hit.  Not the same Magneto-bruise inducing wall (a different story for a different day).  I tried holding on and hit mile 8.5 where I, in dramatic fashion, unbibbed myself, took my watch off, and my Tang Clan Running Club t-shirt since I was basically disrespecting it. Very much like Andrew Bynum in the 2011 playoffs.

I imploded, exploded, ___ploded.

Walked to mile 10, dicked around and could only muster an 8 minute pace before my hammys felt overcooked.

At around mile 12, I walked off the course and walked to my car to change and eat a whole chicken.

I did not pass go, I did not collect 200 dollars, I did not collect my medal.  Contemplated tossing my bib.

OK, ranting over, objectively:

Lessons learned from this race:
-the treadmill times are not to be taken literally.
-DNFs are OK if you hit the wall?
-EAT THE NIGHT BEFORE

The ten mile race pace run this past Sunday was to be in preparation for a hopeful shot at the half marathon top spot on this team.  After the past two days, all that is left is the course record for Pawtucket. Why is that?

Brian Waldron, ex-resident, threw down a 1:29:02 Sunday, and as for the Southie connection of our team?

Some great times, guys!!!

So my Sunday run turned in to what I'd equate to Shooter McGavin trying to swing for the fences like Happy Gilmore.  I blew up after 2 miles trying out 7 minute pace.  

It's Pat Henderson's world, we're just living in it.

11th Annual Nutrition Fuels Fitness 5K Race Report

As I was reading past race reports as advice to myself from the distant past, I have come to one conclusion: there is never a lead up to a race where things are going easy.  Job change, moving, licensing, oh and lack of sleep the past 3 nights.  I finally got a haircut and J. Crew socks for my swan song out of Rhode Island Hospital.  Ok, time for the race.

Why am I doing a 5k sans Andrew Knapp?  Last minute, a co-worker (Dan) enlisted me for to the Tuesday Night Turtles group, in need of a third to run for team awards.  My given goal was to run a 23.

I would pack for the race and to run an errand afterwards the day of.  I GPS'ed my way to the horse portion of Goddard Park...and then finally made it to the park on my intuition (like a man).  As I parked, I saw my backpack for all my stuff and ... wait, my shoes are ...
on my table.

In Providence.

Because luck has been on my side recently,  Dan slept late and was able to find a pair of 11's from a roommate.  Clutch.  I was in boat shoes until 15 minutes before the race.  Cardinal sin much? No new gear right before the race, but it was old gear so...:shrugs shoulders:

Dan gave me a heads up on the course info pre-race to help me feel a little bit at ease.  The beginning started too quick, near 6 minute pace so I let people pass me as I tried to stick it at 7 minute pace with a nice looking runner in front setting the pace for me.  Towards the middle of the race, the pacer for myself unwillingly became my rabbit; the man in green and sun glasses.

We faced a bit of wind so I tucked in behind until the wind broke (har har har) near the 2 mile mark and tried to make a move and pass the pacer.  He shot back and was about 5 to 10 seconds ahead for most of the last mile.  Two younger runners came out of nowhere before the bridge and as I saw Dan cheering me on, I had to put the after burners on, passed one of the younger runners, and JUST squeaked in front of the 60-69 year old pacer who said great race as I (hopefully in not a smug way) told him thanks for pacing.  The younger runner who did beat me by 2 seconds came in 2nd in our age group.

A "cool down" 2 miler off road with the number 2 and 3 runners from the race = continue race pace.  This is what it must feel like when I bring new runners in to the fold; barely able to keep up as these two were speaking in tongues of other tribesmen who run trail races or ran in high school/ college.

So what did my late entry bring?  48 Samuel Adams's and peanuts.

Yeah.

As third in my age group at 21:34, I got a 10 dollar gift certificate, a glass water bottle, teas for PMSing, and a pink shirt aka soccer mom gift basket.

Notes:
I at least remembered my iPod that was actually charged for once.  Been real finnicky as of late.

I am now a Tuesday Night Turtle??? Fees paid for by the head honcho who didn't want the free hooch because he brews his own.

Four Horsemen

Today's long run started in the house of the (future) Knapps.  A bridal shower was taking place today at the (future) O'Brien residence.  And I will be hurdling my life north to meet the fastest today (Pat), traveling even further from Texas.  Boy, time flies from when this was taken:

Together, we combined to cross the Rhode Island border (~48 miles combined today) on an extremely rare long group run.  The picture above might have been the last long group run, that rare.

And while the first paragraph reflected much change in our twenties, some things will always stay the same; fantasy baseball talks, friendly voicemails, temporary outdoor public restrooms, and a general disdain for cyclists and quite possibly, other runners outside our own.

Ten mile

The snow and ice had finally broken after a winter to be forgotten in terms of outdoor mileage.  While the temperature hit, in my opinion, the sweet spot (40-60), the sky would offer us no sunshine and only another dreary backdrop.

Today's agreed upon distance was 10 miles on a back and out on East Bay Bike Path.  As the years have gone by (five, yes, five years) since we started this experiment of running, it amazes me that we continue to soldier on.  In the length of a Hollywood movie (1:32), Knapp and I combined for 20 miles midday Wednesday.  The question persists, why are we doing this to ourselves?

While our reasons for running may be different (racing for dear life versus respite from life), one thing is clear and that is I find motivation from Knapp, who revealed a yarn that motivates him that I may also use to fuel my runs.  I never would have entered two marathons and 99% of my races, and dabbled in weight lifting were it not for him.  One thing for certain is that this synergy that happens hopefully continues another five years and beyond.  

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.