BARCStoberfest Ready, Set, Sniff! 5K 2016 Race Report

I've got to get caught up after a busy week and weekend. Before I get to the race report, a quick update on the mysterious knee/leg injury.

I had my appointment with the sports medicine specialist on Tuesday and she diagnosed me with a mild case of IT band syndrome. Which ultimately makes sense and put me at ease that it was minor and very treatable. In fact, by the time I went on Tuesday, my leg was feeling much better and I'd been able to run very easy 3 milers on both Saturday and Sunday of last weekend.

She gave me a referral to have some physical therapy. The idea being that since I want to ramp up my mileage to eventually complete a marathon and possibly beyond, having someone with some expertise look at my biomechanics and prescribe specific stretches and exercises to help improve them will be a good long term solution.

So, I have to call to schedule an appointment, but she said it should only be 1 or 2 sessions; long enough to analyze my gait and get some exercises that I can do at home.

By the time I got to the weekend, my leg was feeling about 90%, with very little discomfort after runs, so I went for what was supposed to be a 7.5 mile slow run on Sunday. But I got a little turned around on my route, so I think I went closer to 8.1 miles than 7.5. I say I think because I've been using my old Garmin 305 to help monitor my pace and miles a bit more closely, but it usually takes a few minutes at the beginning of each run to find the satellites. So, when all is said and done, I'm guessing my missed turns and the GPS delay link up cost me about a half a mile.

But everything felt OK, with only some mild discomfort about 4 miles into the run. But that went away and never returned once I stretched my calf muscles out. So, I'm quite happy with that result, even if I was slow. Overall, the run felt good and while tired, I wasn't winded or exhausted as I had feared, seeing as how it's been almost a month since I last did a proper long run around 10 miles. All good news as I stick to my gradual return to building my mileage.

So, this Saturday was my latest race, a 5k to raise money for the Baltimore Animal Rescue Center (BARCS) called Ready, Set, Sniff! I had not done this race in years past, but it's held as part of a larger day-long festival in Patterson Park in Baltimore, which is about a mile or so from our house. The festival brings in rescue groups from around the area, as well as vendors, food trucks, etc., to raise money and awareness for animal rescue.

What's really cool about this race is that this is one of the rare events I've seen that encourages runners to run with their dogs. You can register as just a human, or as a human/dog team, which is really cool. The teams start about 5 minutes after the humans (in theory). There's also a 1 mile walk where you can walk with your dog if, like us, you have a smaller breed dog, or if you've got an older pet who doesn't like to or can't run 3.1 miles.

The run is a bit later than traditional races and starts at 9:30am. But, in late October, this works fine, and actually was perfect this year. The weather had been, up until Friday, more like late June then late October: highs in the mid-80's and humid. But overnight a front swept through and it cooled off and got really windy. On Saturday morning, it was ~55 degrees with a 20mph wind and overcast: prime October weather. 

I drove over to the park and parked about a half mile away due to city parking and to have a bit of a warm up run on the way over to the starting line. I did about a mile of very slow warm up and then made my way to the starting line. It was full of dogs, who were all very excited to be there and be hanging out with their humans. Some were wearing costumes so there were a few sharks and dinosaurs and ballerinas around, too.

The start was a bit confusing. As I said, in theory, the human/dog teams were supposed to start at the back about 5 minutes after the humans left. But in reality, there were lots of human/dog teams up front even after the race director announced that they needed to move to the back. That became more of an issue when the horn went off and dogs took off zigging and zagging into other runners. More than one pup caught sight of me as I ran beside them and decided to come over and say hello mid-stride!

But you just have to go with it and pet them and run on. I ran beside one black lab for a while and every few meters he'd look over at me with this look like, "Can you believe we're doing this? This is so fun!" and I'd have to say, "I know! This IS fun! Keep running!"

The course stayed within Patterson Park and did several loops. I tried to plot the course based on my memory on my Running Ahead entry, but I'm sure I'm off somewhere. It was a nice course and had two sections of long climbs. Thankfully, the first and longest climb was followed by a nice descent so I could catch my breath.

My goal was to get a personal best. My unofficial PB for the 5k was around 28:00...honestly I don't remember what the specific time was, but it was back in 07 or 08, I think. Anyway, my goal was to get under 28:00 and call it a new official PB. Despite the zig zagging dogs and rolling hills, I came in at 27:13 on my watch (this race was very low key and didn't use chips), which was not only a PB, but got me in the top quartile of finishers and JUST outside the top quintile.

I was really happy with that result for sure, especially considering that I had taken that full week off, and really had only gradually started back running again. So I'll take it as a nice improvement. Overall, I liked this race and would do it again next year. Running with dogs is fun, even if you've got to watch out for pups in your lane and errant leashes.

My next race is the Saturday before Thanksgiving and is a 10k down near Annapolis. Although if I find another one to do between now and then, I may sign up. My primary goal at the 10k is to break 60 minutes. My "reach" goal is to get under 55 minutes, which is a 9:00/mile pace. Slow but steady improvement is the theme!

Run to Remember 11k Race Report: More Work to be Done

I ran the 2016 Run to Remember 11k this morning and my overarching conclusion is that I've got more work to do on improving my fitness, but I'm also happy to have completed the race and the distance.

This race has been held in Baltimore every September 11th since 2002, and is meant to honor those killed in the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, and aboard Flight 93, both victims and first responders alike. It's usually very well-attended (no different this year) and well organized (also no different this year). I've now run the race three times, the last being five years ago on the tenth anniversary. 

This year was the first year that they offered an 11k option. Or, I guess this is the first year I've noticed that this option is offered. I signed up because I thought it would be a good test of where my mileage and endurance stand. Plus 11k is an odd distance, but it's also one that would be fairly challenging, being almost 7 miles. I had done pretty well at the Memorial Day 5k I ran back in May, but this race would be more than twice as long. 

In the end, I took away some good things and some things I need to work on or improve. I finished in a little over an hour, but had to stop a couple times on the course to walk for about a minute or so each time, which killed my per mile pace. Some of that I attribute to simply not pacing myself appropriately, while some part of it can be blamed on a lack of fitness and the weather as well.

Run to Remember 11k Race Strategy

This Sunday is the 15th annual Run to Remember 11k/5k. I've signed up for the 11k and am really looking forward to it. I don't remember if they've always done the two race distances or if this is something they started recently, but I like it. I've run the 5k a couple of times in the past, and have enjoyed it. I'll write up a full race report after the fact on Sunday or Monday, but the main thing I wanted to outline was my general plan for the weekend and for Sunday.

After jetting over to pick up my race packet after work, I'm going to slog through the heat and humidity to get a 5 mile "easy" run in this evening. I took yesterday off, and intend to take tomorrow as a rest day as well, so even though it's awful outside (feels more like mid-July than early September), I got to get that run done. That's the bad news.

The good news is that it is supposed to cool off considerably by Sunday, but I'm willing to bet the forecast will be slightly off, and it'll still be really humid and steamy come race morning. This may actually be advantageous, as I've been running outside in this horrible soup for a couple months now, while a lot of the runners on Sunday will have been indoors on the treadmill, making for a very terrible wake up call. The race doesn't even start until 8:45, so it will likely be in the high 70's by then and should feel like the mid 80's with the humidity.

My plan is to go out slower than I think is fair, at least for the first 2-3 miles, for a couple reasons. First, this will ensure I don't flame out by mile 5 or 6 so I can finish strong. Second, it'll be very

Flamed Out...Like a Boss!

This weekend, I'll admit, I fell off the wagon. I suspect many runners go through this sort of post-race drift. Where your body is no longer as exhausted and tender as it was the 24 hours after your race, but your mind remains in a stupor.

I ran a few times last week, but nowhere near to the schedule I had set for myself. I kept saying, "Well, another day won't hurt. I need tor est. I'll get my long run in on Saturday/Sunday and it'll be fine." The same could be said about yoga, which I skipped on Thursday. Thursday was also my wedding anniversary, so it was a convenient screen to cover up my own laziness. In the end, I went through this weekend having logged 5 measly miles, versus the 15 I had aimed for, plus the Sunday morning yoga class.

But, like I said, I think that's to be expected somewhat and I'm past the point of beating myself up over it. Instead, I chose to re-focus on this week of training. This morning I got out for my usual 4 miler, but made the rookie mistake of trying to run it hard, which was dumb. What's worse, I KNEW it was dumb as I was doing it. Yet I continued on anyway. Needless to say, I flamed out in fine fashion on the return trip up to Mt. Vernon, although my overall time was still completely fine. So, I probably won't do that again for a few months...I hope. But it felt great to get back out, and the unseasonably warm weather (it's nearly 80 here today) made the dark pre-dawn run less painful. January's runs won't be so enjoyable, I think.

Training for what, you might ask? Well, nothing quite as singular as a half marathon, although I'm going to keep my eyes out for a half sometime after the first of the year...maybe in DC, we'll see.

No, between now and December 31, I'm focusing on some shorter races interspersed throughout the holiday season. The next likely candidate is a 5K in Charleston, SC, where my family is meeting for Thanksgiving. My uncle as rented a house on the beach near Charleston, and the $30 entry fee, coupled with the proximity and flat course, should make for a good race. That's about a month away.

After that, there's a 5K up in Towson called the Man Cave 5K, that looks fun. It's partially sponsored by the Big Screen Store (sells ungodly large TVs, recliners, and obesity), so some of the door prizes include a huge TV, recliners, beer, wings, etc. I have no hope of winning an age group prize, of course...but I'd take a free new TV that would be way too big for our apartment. I've not signed up for this race yet, though. Still tentative.

I did register for the 2012 Celtic Solstice 5 Miler on December 15. It's a great local race, and the typically bitter cold weather keeps a lot of unserious runners away. Not that I'm some hard core runner, but you get fewer walkers out there when it's 8:30 AM and below freezing. You got to REALLY like to run to do that to yourself! The way the registration works is they open it up to runners who want the race premium, which is usually a really nice shirt or, in recent years, a jacket. It's nice, but they also charge $65 for the race for those folks. To each their own...those entries help keep the non-premium entry fee low for the rest of us, so who am I to complain?

However, historically you've been able to register for this race without the premium, which makes it really affordable. As in, it used to be $20 for a well-organized race with a nice post-race spread. Now, it's $30, but that's still a nice bargain for this race. As it got more popular, they instituted a waiting list for this option. Usually by mid-November, they'd open it up to the waiting list and you could register for the lower price (sans premium, obviously). I've always done this, as I just want to run the race. This year was no different; I registered for the  wait list way back in August. Last Friday, they sent the first 100 people on the list an e-mail with a password to use on Active.com to register early before they opened the race up. So I went ahead and registered on Friday to secure my spot. A. has no desire to run this race due to the cold weather, so she didn't register.

Beyond that, who knows? We're spending the final week of the year in Cincinnati, so we'll probably seek out a race while we're out there as well, but that's well down the road. For now, I need to make sure I get up tomorrow and get to the gym to re-start my dormant interval training routine!

2012 Freedom's Run Half Marathon Race Report

Mission accomplished, as someone once prematurely said. But in this case, it's true. We successfully completed the Freedom's Run Half Marathon on Saturday morning, despite what I would call a very challenging course and frigid temperatures. We'll take it in chronological order. To wit:

A. and I arrived at my parents' house around 6 PM Friday night after dropping off the dog at the kennel and picking up our race packets. Our packets were really just our shirts and bibs, as all the local racing stuff didn't really apply to us, being from out of town and all. We went out to dinner at a local Italian food place, where I feasted on spaghetti and meatballs and A. had veal parmigiana. Temperatures are generally anywhere from 5 to 10 degrees cooler out in the mountains than in Baltimore, and by the time we were done dinner around 8, it was already dipping into the high 40s. The region west of DC and Baltimore was under a freeze warning that night.

When we got up around 6:30 AM the next morning, it was cold and dark...temps were hovering around freezing and nice frost had coated the lawn and fields around my parents' house. We bundled up, ate a little bit, and were on our way to Shepherdstown, WV (the starting line) by 7 AM.

The race was well organized and we easily found the starting line (Shepherdstown isn't very big, being some neighborhoods, a downtown and then Shepherd University). We donated three pairs of old running shoes to be recycled or donated, which was awesome because we'd been waiting for that opportunity to get rid of those old shoes, and checked my backpack about 10 minutes before the race began.

The field was fairly small...I'd say there were no more than 700 half marathoners. Compare that to the 11,000 who ran the Baltimore Half Marathon on Saturday! We made our way to the starting pack after a quick visit to the port-o-potties (plenty of them around, which was great), and waited in the 32 degree air. Luckily, it was crystal clear and sunny with little wind.

Just after 8:05, the horn sounded and we were off! A. and I started in the back of the small pack but we separated quickly as we settled into our race strategies. The course (see below) took us across the Potomac River, along the C&O Canal Tow Path, then up into the countryside to Antietam Battlefield National Park, through the park, then back down Sharpsburg Pike across the river back into Shepherdstown and finishing in Rams Stadium.

 

The course was incredibly beautiful thanks to the brillant blue sky, bright sunshine, crisp(!) clean air, and golds, reds, browns and greens of the mountains surrounding us. As we crossed the river into Maryland, you could look down to the river and see fog rising off the water as well. Like I told A. later, this time of year always reminds me why I like coming back to my home state to visit.

 

I kept my pace deliberately slow the first three flat miles of the race because I knew that at mile 3, we'd hit the first of several steep hills that would destroy me if I went out too hard. The hills were the worst part of the course. The worst is the monster at mile 3 (see below), but you also hit successive hills between miles 5 through 10, climbing in elevation overall. That final climb at mile 10 was really just awful.

 

 

I resolved, as I started to climb that first monster at mile 3, to at least jog all the hills, no matter how much it hurt, and that's exactly what I did. I used the hills to pass a lot of people, although some of them would catch up to me when I stopped at two water stations to eat my gel blocks. But I can't eat and run, so there really was no other option. Most of them I ended up passing for good though in the final few miles.

 

By the time I was on Sharpsburg Pike coming back towards Shepherdstown, I was hurting. The gel blocks saved me, for certain, as they gave me extra fuel to make it those last several miles. And of course seeing the bridge back across the river gave me a final push to 13.1.

 

I knew after hitting that big hill on mile 3, that a fast time (for me) was likely not going to happen, so I wasn't too bummed about the final time of 2:17:17 (according to my watch). I didn't flame out, I ran all the hills, I followed my fueling strategy, and I didn't kill myself, so like I said at the beginning, mission accomplished.

 

So what's next? We'll probably do a Thanksgiving Day race as we did last year in Cincinnati. Although this year we're spending the holiday with my family, down in Charleston on the beach. There's a 5K Thanksgiving morning we'll sign up for shortly. Other than that, my immediate goals are to maintain and continue to improve my fitness with several weekday morning runs and a long run on the weekends. Ideally I'll do some shorter distances over the winter and then another half in March or April.









New Yorker Article on Running (Really!)

Short post today. There are no new comics out this week that I'm looking to pick up, although I because I spent all day Saturday setting up our new desktop computer, I never made it to Alliance Comics. So, I'm hoping to make it down there this weekend at some point.

However, I will call your attention to an article from The New Yorker that ran a few weeks back. I've been meaning to post about it since then, but have either forgotten about it, or had other things I wanted to post first. The article discusses a middle-aged dentist and runner from Michigan, Kip Litton, who's become infamous over the last several years for running improbably fast marathon times around the country. As in, breaking three hours routinely and winning his age group. I say improbable because Litton nearly always starts his races well behind the starting gun (i.e. his chip time is much lower than the gun time because he doesn't start the race until the majority of runners have already started ahead of him). Couple that with statements from several age-group runners up, who said they never saw Litton along the course, nor were ever passed by him, and you have a small controversy brewing.

The article is fascinating because it not only delves into the evidence against Litton, but talks about his possible motivations. The author manages, after several tries, to interview Litton at a Wendy's in his hometown, and his responses deepen the mystery. It's a long article, but you'll get sucked in to it, I promise.

Is Kip Litton a Marathon Fraud? - by Mark Singer of The New Yorker

Bagging the 15K & New Comic Wednesday (Belated)

After some thought, I've decided to bag the Falls Road 15K next Sunday for a few reasons. To wit:

1. We haven't registered yet. So, not running the race won't cost us anything. Not the most important reason, but saving $60 on a race we don't want to run is non-trivial.
2. Both our training plans call for long runs greater than 9.3 miles (15K) next Sunday. A.'s plan calls for 10 miles, while I will try to drag myself 11 miles. So, we'd have had to run a good distance farther than the actual race.
3. No course map had been posted to the race's Active.com website. That meant that we had no idea what the course would be ahead of time. Not the end of the world, but if you're trying to plan to run an additional mile or more after the race, you need to know where the finish line is.
4. Our experience with these sorts of events is that they're typically not well organized beyond registration. The course may or may not be clearly marked and accurately measured. There will be water stations, but no way of knowing where (at what distance) on the course. While the fast runners will be at the front, no doubt, so will a bunch of slow joggers and walkers. Without clear instructions to pull their head out and get in the back of the pack, they'll block the other runners behind them.

Does that mean the race will be a miserable disaster? Definitely not. I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun. But it's just not for us. With just three weeks until the half marathon, neither of us wants to waste a Sunday morning running a race that's too short and too disorganized to benefit our training.

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 Obviously, today is not New Comic Wednesday. But yesterday was busy and I basically forgot to post, so there you go. Before getting to what I plan on purchasing this weekend, let me very quickly recap what I picked up last Saturday.

 

Manhattan Projects #6 - "Star City"

Image Comics

I haven't read this yet (probably tonight), but I was disappointed that this book got pushed back throughout August. As a result, they didn't release a MP book in August, so it feels like forever since I read it. I'm going to have to skim back through issue #5 to refresh my memory. But the book is outstanding, and I'm hoping the delays don't recur for #7 in October.

 

Batman #0

DC Comics

Like all the other "zero issues" coming out this month, this book puts a new spin on the origins of Batman. But what I most like is that you get to see bits and pieces of how other characters from the other Bat-books came to be. I very much liked that you were seeing the Bat-universe in its earlier stages; like the real universe maybe a half billion years after the Big Bang. I also really like the taste you get of the Red Hood Gang, given where the overall story is going in the book.**

 

Green Lantern #0

DC Comics

This zero issue got rave reviews all around, and I was intrigued by the first Arab American Lantern. The story is crisp; it moves along really well and I reached the end before I knew it. I'll have to go back and re-read it, no doubt. Simon Baz's character is going to be very interesting; I like that Green Lanterns aren't perfect when they're chosen and have to "grow into" the role, often the hard way. I'll definitely be picking up Green Lantern #13.

 

Star Wars: Blood Ties #1

Dark Horse Comics

This five-part series came out back in 2010, but I'm on a Star Wars comic collecting stint now, and found this at my local shop for $1.00. It's a good start to the series, and I'd say Boba Fett is one of my top Star Wars characters (I'm an Obi Wan man, myself). I'll be keeping my eyes open for the other four issues of this, of course, along with other series. I'm using this to get pumped for the Brian Wood Star Wars book coming out in January.

 

So this week, Alliance Comics is having their anniversary sale, and with A. gone all day Saturday at a rehearsal, I plan on going down and checking out what they've got. But I have two must-haves as well:

 

1. Walking Dead #102
2. Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison, Part 5 of 5

In addition, I'll rifle through their back issues a little more and see if I can turn up any other Star Wars books (at $1.00 each, it's not a huge hit to swoop in and get a bunch). If the price is right, I'd like to pick up Batman: Knightfall or Arkham Asylum or The Dark Knight Returns graphic novels.

 

 

 

**My sleeper prediction for the new story arc is that The Joker used to be the leader of the Red Hood Gang. He and Batman face off during some robbery at a chemical plant, the Red Hood leader gets knocked into a vat of chemicals by Batman, thus creating The Joker. You heard it here first.

 

2012 Blue Moon Run Race Report

Our local running store, Falls Road Running, runs a series of races throughout the year and the Blue Moon Run is one of those events. Of course, they only hold it every few years, given the rarity of a blue moon. In fact, I think after this one, the next blue moon won't come around until 2015. At any rate, this was my first time running this race. It, like many of the other Falls Road Running races, was pretty informal, although you did have to register. But there were no race bibs, so I'm certain there were numerous people who ran it who didn't pay the affordable $15 registration fee, most of which went to restoring parts of the trail.

The race was a simple out and back route along the North Central Rail Trail and was billed as being six miles total. That was perfect for both A. and me, as we were looking for a six mile long run for that weekend. Since the run was being held at night (under the blue moon, obvi), I really wasn't worried about getting a solid time. I just thought it would be cool running at night.

So we headed out to Hunt Valley, MD, which is about a 25 minute drive from our apartment in Baltimore City, parked and got on the shuttles taking runners to the trailhead, as the parking lot there was too small. I thought there'd be maybe a few hundred runners doing the race. I was wrong. I heard a final tally of over 700 runners! On a trail about 7-8 feet wide. And on an out and back route, which meant two-way traffic. But we got our glow sticks and waited for word from organizers about where and how to line up.

As I said, Falls Road Running events tend to be informal, and much of the time that's fine, as a.) you're running in the daylight and b.) the course can handle the number of runners. Neither was true this time, unfortunately. Nobody made any announcements, although at one point I did see someone with a bullhorn saying something, but it was so garbled nobody paid any attention. People just started lining up on the trail at some point, so we did too. Then suddenly, the pack lurched forward and we went with it, thinking the race had begun. It had...but with walkers up front blocking the trail, traffic backed up quickly.

Much of the first half of the race was stopping and starting and darting around joggers and walkers walking two or even three abreast blocking the trail. Much of the time, I just ran in the grass/bushes on the side to get around them, hoping I wouldn't step on a log or a rock or a turtle. A. and I ran together at the beginning, but I moved ahead after a few moments. But she reported the same frustrations as I had. By the time we turned around, runners were better spaced out, but I still dodged and passed people on my way back who by that time were walking. And I am by no means a speedy runner.

My run overall was good, but tough. After the first two miles, I was able to find some people to draft to pace me a bit so I could find a comfortable level of effort, and that carried me to the turnaround. Unfortunately, the turnaround was not really at 3 miles, but more like 3.5 miles. Which made a six mile run a seven mile run. Not a huge deal if you're already hitting 7 miles or more regularly, but we weren't at that point, so the miles coming back were rougher. Plus it was frustrating because with the darkness, there was no way to gauge where you were on the trail or identify many landmarks. Lighted mile markers (Just a stick with a number and some glow sticks) would have been a great addition.

Making it more burdensome was the humidity. While the temperatures cooled significantly out in the country, the humidity did us in. By the time the race began, temps were well into the 70s, which was an improvement considering that temps in downtown Baltimore that day had risen above 90. But the quick cool down caused fog/mist to form and that humidity got trapped beneath the trees on the trail. It made the trail much more humid than it otherwise would have been, although seeing the moonlight come through the trees and refract off the mist hovering above the tall grass was really cool; like something out of a ghost story. I was soaked through, as if I had been running through the rain, by the time I got to the finish.

Because of the dodging and weaving, and the extra mile (literally!) that I went, my time was north of an hour. But again, I knew going in that running at night with 700 other runners would not yield a PR, and I was fine with that. But the lack of organization at the trailhead created a lot of problems, I felt. Surely someone had to raise a concern about putting 700 people on that trail at the same time without any organization by speed or ability? Capping the race at 500 runners, and organizing them into several waves (fastest to walkers) might have at least made the congestion less acute. And at night, the lack of communication and organization is amplified. Remember, out on the trail, there are no lights at all, so it's pitch black save for the moonlight and glow sticks. You can't assume people will know where to go or what to do; you need to tell them. Apparently, somewhere afterward there was Gatorade, bananas, an granola bars, but we had no way to know that because there were no (lighted) signs or people telling runners about it. So we got on the shuttle thirsty and hungry, only to find some runners get on with snacks. Frustrating.

So, overall, the idea of running on a trail at night is better than the reality. We likely won't do that race again, although with proper planning and communication, it could be a very cool and unique event. As it stands, it was a near free for all with an improperly measured course and little organization beyond the shuttle buses (which ran relatively smoothly!).

Motivation Along the Timeline

Running, like most sports or any activity that requires a great deal of practice, also requires a great deal of commitment and discipline in order to do it well. Although each person has their own goal for where they want to take their running/kayaking/writing, etc. For some, the goal is to finish a 5K; others want to complete 10 ultra marathons. There's certainly no single achievement that every runner must reach to consider themselves accomplished.

But I would venture to say that every runner who sticks with the sport at any level, must possess something inside, some drive or personal reason for continuing to get out there and run 3 miles every morning or 120 miles every week. Of course whatever that fire might be is different for each runner, but I think at some point, we all have some basic desire that gets up and out the door.

That's what I took away from the article in the Sunday New York Times about Ryan Hall and his close linking of running with his Christian beliefs. Without getting into a discussion on religion, I'll just say I'm not particularly religious, although I was raised in the Episcopalian Church and have both an interest and respect for religion and those who are ardent believers/practitioners.

So, I found Sunday's article interesting because it discusses both Hall's personal beliefs when it comes to running and faith, and addresses a key area of recreational running that I thin often goes overlooked: motivation. Everyone is motivated to voluntarily go run around a few miles several times a week. But the actual substance of that motivation varies widely.

I guess for me, my motivation can be broken into two parts: short-term and long-term. Short-term (i.e. over the next six months to one year) I want to just feel better, fitter than I was walking out of the CFA exam a month ago. I want to get back to the point where I can run a half marathon. I felt better, physically and mentally, when I was running upwards of 15 mile long runs.

Longer term, I guess you could say my motivation is to extend the longer term. While 30 (my current age) isn't old by really any modern definition (although in the 12th century in Europe, I'd be well along towards late middle age, but that's another entry for another day), I know that eventually, things will slow down and what seems easy now won't seem so easy in maybe 10 or 15 years, much less further down the line. So, I want to get into healthy habits now, so when I'm 60 or, ideally, 90(!) I won't feel or act my age. I'm not really afraid of aging, per se, but of the amplification of the effects of aging when one doesn't establish healthy habits earlier in life. Running is one part of that, of course, but healthier eating, sleeping and mental outlook are also big parts over the longer term.

I guess I'd also add a medium term motivation, although it's more of a goal. Medium term, to me, means around five years out, just to be specific. I watched the Ironman World Championships this weekend on NBC; it's one of my favorite sporting events to watch, even if it's not live and it's edited, etc. I like that they profile both the pros and age groupers competing in the event. It's inspiring to see, for example, a guy who lost both legs in an accident complete the course, or a woman who used to weigh over 300 pounds but lost nearly half that, become an Ironman (Ironwoman? Ironperson?). It's also insane to watch the pros do the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and then top it all off with a 26.2 marathon in the Hawaiian heat. And do it in under 8 hours. Just crazy to me.

Got a hankering for some Ironman clips? Here's a link to the Ironman YouTube channel.

But every time I watch it, I find myself saying, that would be cool to do. So I'd like to build toward that goal, although it'll take some time. Firstly, I don't own a road bike, nor do I have easy access to a pool, so a big part of the training remains out of my reach at this point. But also, until further notice, every six months I start a new training program of sorts with the CFA exam. By the time April and May roll around, I'm spending as much time studying per day as I would training for an Ironman. Doing both, for me, at least, is unreasonable.

So, until those small, tiny details are resolved, I'll focus on building up my mileage base and getting consistent in getting out the door or to the gym. And I've promised myself that when I get done with the CFA program, I'm buying myself a road bike. So there's some more motivation!

The Walking Dead and The Running Dead

Today marks the release of the 100th issue of the zombie apocalypse comic series The Walking Dead and I am pretty excited about it. It's long been one of my favorite books to read month in and month out, and I can't wait to pick up my copy this Saturday.

But this is a running blog (right? sure it is!) so I'll tie all this comic nerdiness in to running by highlighting a growing sub-segment of trail races: the zombie race. I first heard about these maybe a year or so ago. They're produced by the same people who brought you the Warrior Dash and other "themed" races that take a basic 5K trail race and dress it up in mud, obstacles, or some theme. The 10 mile Tough Mudder series is also of this ilk, although geared towards an even smaller sub-set of runners. Here I'll focus only on the zombie run.

Basically, the gist is that you run through the woods and attempt to complete an obstacle course, all the while being chased by flesh-eating "zombies," who are other runners dressed up as the undead. Each runner wears a flag belt, representing your health, and the zombies will try to grab those flags. If they grab them all, you "die" and can't be considered for any prizes. There are also health packs you can grab on the course that will keep you alive. There are also numerous paths to take to the finish line, some 5K, others longer, so you have to think as well as run for your life.

It's a novel idea that capitalizes on the recent zombie zeitgeist. The Baltimore race is scheduled for the final Saturday in October, but actually takes place in Darlington, MD, which is an hour north of Baltimore and within spitting distance of the PA border. That's sort of like putting a race in western New Jersey and saying it's being held in New York.

However, the geographic misnomer is the least of my misgivings about this whole class of races. The biggest impediment has to be the cost, and the obvious cash-grab going on.

A sensible cost for a 5K is anywhere up to $40, IMHO. Anything beyond that and you should calculate the $ per mile and $ per minute you'll be spending. Some higher costs are worthier than others. For instance, the Baltimore Running Festival's 5K entry fee is $40 until August 1, then $45 thereafter. But that's a big deal running festival (~20K runners or something) where you're paying for, in theory, insurance, closing the course (busy city streets), paying for police presence (it's Baltimore, come on now), your Under Armour shirt, the post race party, support on the course, etc. So, you could at least present an argument that you're getting $40 of value. Personally, I don't want to pay more than $30 for a 5K and that's pushing it...$25 is more like it, but I realize that's becoming less reasonable. To each their own.

The EARLY registration option for the Baltimore Run for Your Lives 5K is $77!! Yeah, that's right: 7-7. If you register after 09/12/12, the fee goes up to $87. That's just slightly less than A and I paid for our entry fee to the Freedom's Run Half Marathon combined. That works out to $3.44 per mile for the half and a whopping $24.84 per mile for the 5K! Even with differences in insurance and facilities costs (although honestly, I'd assume running through a national battlefield isn't cheap either), the value dispersion is striking.

However, the most egregious money grab of the zombie run is that they charge for spectator tickets. That's right, you pay $77 to run the damn thing and your friend/spouse/misguided co-worker has to pay $32 just to watch the whole thing unfold, but from The Safe Zone. Oh, and no free beer. And nobody gets free food. So, two people cost basically $100, plus food and drinks and souvenirs beyond your medal and t-shirt, assuming only one is running.

In conclusion, these sorts of races are only fun if you're not really going for the running and don't think about how much money you've plopped down to run for 30 minutes. They're all about entertainment and profit margins. And there's nothing wrong with that, I suppose, especially if someone is willing to pay $80 to complete an obstacle course. A fool and his money are easily parted, so good on the race organizers for finding a niche to exploit at the junction between the growing crowd of recreational runners and pop culture. I suppose it's only a matter of time before someone produces a Vampire Scamper or Werewolf Twilight Trot or something like that.

As I said, to each their own. But you've been warned. Don't become a zombie to faddish "races" that are out to make a buck! Be like Rick Grimes and stay away from the hordes crowding these events!

*If you insist on spending money to be chased by fit actors pretending to be zombies, go to the event's website. They run these things all over the country...a cash cow!

Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanks

So, I have begun to make some super awesome upgrades to my blog, which I’m sure all of my loyal readers (thanks Mom!) have already noticed. Before I unveil all the awesomeness that has been going on in the last hour, let’s recap since our last episode.

Thursday was an off day, as I was exhausted, per usual, from the week. Running three days in a row and also actually going to work and doing one’s job takes it out of you. That and staying up too late most nights. Anyway, Thursday I did no activity at all, which was nice. Friday was supposed to be a regular running day, but because of chores (laundry, paying bills, etc) and crappy race organization, that went by the wayside. Let me explain.

So, as you may know from my previous post, I’m running in the Bay Café 5K tomorrow. I’m excited to get another race under my belt and I can’t wait to see how much I have improved on my time from back in July. However, as readers of the past post will know, the whole air of this race is the classic “too cool for school” idiocy I’ve come to expect from most things in Canton. If you don’t believe me, go to the previous post and click on the link to the Bay Café 5K website, peruse it and then come back to this post and continue reading. If you don’t find it mildly annoying and arrogant, and at least agree with my feelings on some abstract, yet tangible level of principle, than you probably live in Canton or go to Towson University.

Anyway, the website makes this race sound like the most awesome-est race in the Mid-Atlantic and that if you aren’t running on Monday, you might as well kill yourself because you’ll never be cool and will never get laid the rest of your miserable dweeb life. This, in a nutshell, is the essence of the Bay Café as well. A crap-hole of a bar that serves overpriced swill to yuppies in training with usually sub-par music to accompany it. All wrapped in a veneer of coolness that barely hides the circle-jerk mentality that pervades the whole establishment.

Knowing this as I do, I was sceptical when I saw that the first opportunity to pick up our race packets was on Friday from 5-7PM at the Bay Café Happy Hour. Not wanting to get screwed out of another T-Shirt (I still have yet to get my Run to Cooperstown shirt!), I wanted to get my packet ASAP. So, after work, I went back to my apartment, got my keys and drove over there through holiday weekend traffic. It took me 20 minutes to drive 3 miles. Then I got there and the bouncer (yeah, they have bouncers at this place, and the balls to have a cover charge!) says, “Oh, the packets were never dropped off here. We don’t know why,”

In the words of Bill Lumberg: “Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanks.”

So I drove over there for nothing. I wasn’t really surprised or even angry. If anything, it only reinforces my opinion of the Bay Café as a place for the flotsam and jetsam of my age group to congregate. So, that shot my Friday night.

Yesterday I was going to do my long run, but had to cut it short because Annie and I had some errands to do in the afternoon. No big deal, really. I got 4 miles in instead of 6.5 and will go and run another 3 or so this afternoon to keep the wheels greased for tomorrow.

Anyway, the changes to my website! Where the countdown to the Great Strides 5K used to be, I have placed a countdown to the Bay Café 5K. Of course, after tomorrow, the Great Strides will be the next race and its countdown will be restarted. Don’t worry.

Secondly, I have started a list of some of the running blogs I read. This list is incomplete because I have some of them saved on my computer at the office and can’t remember their names right now. I have my fantasy draft for the No Talent Ass Clowns on Monday afternoon, which I will do from the office rather than here at home (my office is a 10 minute walk from my apartment so no worries). I’ll add the other blogs to the list then.

You can check out my training schedule and log at Running Ahead (www.runningahead.com). It’s a cool site where you can track your workouts, courses, races, records, even your shoes. Very cool and worth looking at.

And finally, I have added AdSense from Google to my page in a vain attempt to earn millions of dollars through the Internet. So, if you like, go ahead and click on the ads at the bottom of this page 30-40 times for me. I think I get 1/2000th of a cent for each click. I’ll be swimming in gold like Scrooge McDuck in no time.