2011 Boston Marathon - Details

Here it is, my 2011 Boston Marathon as tracked by my Garmin. Can you tell when my hip began to revolt? Bonus points for spotting where my left calf joined the revolution.

Thank you to all of my sponsors, all of my supporters, and the the volunteers along the course. Special thanks to:

Grandpa Rufus
My family
The Thirsty Runners
The Mile 10 Water Stop (Jim, Mary, Laurie)
Jennifer for getting me halfway up the Newton Hills
Nicole for getting me the rest of the way
The college kids during the graveyard stretch that kept me moving
Everyone who shouted "Rufus, Rufus, Rufus" to make me run
Karen and Katrina for getting through the last two miles.

Look out New York - I've got all summer to train and make you mine!

wljcr 2011 Boston Marathon at Garmin Connect - Details

A Special Thank You to GSI

Grason-Stadler is supporting the Eaton-Peabody Lab and Team Eye and Ear in Grandpa Rufus's memory.

Medford to Newton

I haven't been writing, but I have been getting some running in. Here is today's Medford to Newton effort. I stepped on a root around mile 8 and from then on went quite a bit slower.

Medford to Newton by wljcr at Garmin Connect - Details

Where does the time go?

It seems like yesterday that I finished the 2010 Boston Marathon, and yet here we are in countdown mode for the 2011 event.

Quick recap of the 2010 Boston Marathon - I had the pleasure of running most of the race with several other Team Eye and Ear runners. When I hit the wall I kept going, even when it meant walking. I knew I would get to the finish, even if it wasn't with a personal record time. It was great to be able to finish.

Post-marathon I decided to take a break from running and limited myself to a few favorite events. The mental break was good, but the effect on my fitness level was alarming. I had to walk parts of the Harpoon 5-miler. But with the occasional 5K here and there I kept my legs moving during the summer.

November came and it was time to start training for Boston. Things were going well, core workouts, adding miles, and then Thanksgiving morning



I was going to the basement to get something, stepped off the stair, onto a shoe, and the ankle rolled. At first I thought it was going to be serious, Karen wanted to take me to the hospital, but I quickly found that it would bear weight. When I finally went to the doctor about it he referred to it as a small tear and instructed me 1. it is more likely to happen again, 2. Training is fine, but go slow, and 3. give it more support.

So training this year is off to a very slow go. Longest run so far has been 10 miles when I'd like it to be 14-16. My speed makes turtles look fast. Both very discouraging.

But then I remember why I'm doing this. It isn't for a personal record. It isn't for personal glory. It is in memory of someone who dealt with Parkinson's disease for more than a decade and only complained once. It puts the small setback of the ankle in perspective.

2010 Boston Marathon

I'll post more as soon as I get a chance, but for now here is my 2010 Boston Marathon. You'll see I forgot to hit the "Stop" button at the end, so you even have some of me walking after the finish.

It's Almost Go Time!

Tomorrow is the day.

None of the past matters. The disappointing Boston and Newport
marathons last year, the PR at the Wicked Half in the fall, the
difficult and scary November, the weeks of training lost when trying
to save ankles cost me a hip, the fantistic bounce bank runs. None of
it, none of it matters.

All that matters now is that tomorrow I will be in the starting chute
and after a fantastic 26.2 mile journey I will be on Boylston St in
Boston. Along the way I'll see Family, Friends, The women of
Wellesley, The pains of the Newton Hills, and The best and the worst I
have inside me. Already Zander understands I'm a winner because I
line up and I keep going.

Being year 4 the planning and packing have become easier. But the
reason I run is still with me.

Thank you Grandpa Rufus. We still miss you.

You may track me online during the race at http://www.baa.org using my bib number 25713

Thank You Cleveland! Goodnight!

I know, what the heck does Cleveland have to do with me. I'm not from Cleveland, never have lived in Cleveland, heck - I've never even been to Cleveland. Bear with me for a little story telling (you like stories, right?)

Saturday was the best weather Boston has seen since Halloween. It was also the day of Zander's birthday party for his friend's at Monster Mini-Golf. The good news is a great time was had by all. The bad news is they play music. Let me rephrase, that they play music isn't bad news. But getting a song stuck in your head can be bad news. Which explains Cleveland. If you ever watched the Drew Carey show you may remember it's theme song "Cleveland Rocks" performed by The Presidents of the United States of America.



Thus how I found myself running 18 miles, plus one bonus cool down mile with Zander, chanting over and over again "CLEVELAND ROCKS!"

Thank you Rachel, Nelly, Janet, Marie, Cathy and Jim, Karen, Kathleen, Joan, Doug, and two anonymous donors.

Short Runs Sunday, In the Rain

I didn't get a long run this weekend, instead I did a series of shorter runs. I ran to Davis Square, to run the Ras na hEireann 5K, and then ran home again. Some observations from running in the rain:

• It makes you feel like a hardcore runner
  
• Your shoes weight twice as much
  
• You get to be a kid again running through, instead of around, puddles
  

My Garmin isn't waterproof, so instead of having the normal data available I used the google map pedometer and the race map so you can see yesterday's run.

Going: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3544125

Race: Ras na hEireann U.S.A. 5K

Coming Home: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3544150

Thank you Bob, Sean, MJ, and Richard for sponsoring the Eaton-Peabody.

The Tale of Two Runs

Last week's run, February 28th, was near perfect. I ran from my house to my mother's house, Medford to Lincoln, almost following exactly Paul Revere's famous ride. The mileage turned out to be less than I hoped to complete, but my pace ended up being to training plan and I recovered nicely. Heck, I even managed to run by the house grandpa built, a real tear provoking moment for me, and get a few nice hills in towards the end of the run. Look out Newton Hills, here I come!!!

This week's run, March 7th, was the polar opposite. Right leg Achilles pain became hip pain. Hip pain became lower back pain. My pace stunk. Heck, I stunk! By mile 15 I was toast. Of course that is when someone else I know, who qualified for the marathon, drove by. Thank goodness they aren't judgmental, and only shouted encouragements. The aches pain finally went away last night.

So what lesson am I taking away from these two runs? Marathon running favors those who can remember that training is a long process, but who can also forget the short term setbacks. March 7th, you are dead to me.

Thank You Nick and Alicia, Jim, Nancy, Jan, Mary, Steve, Xio, Michelle, Andy, Anne-Marie, Carlo, Larry, Susan, Margaret (who I'm pretty sure also so me this past weekend), Vince, Brenda, Judy, Leslie (I'm ordering new shorts today!), Laurie, Kevin, the Bergs, Nicole, Stephanie and Joe (we still need to get together!), Carol and Max, Grandma, and Lee and Sharon for sponsoring me.

If your going to be in Boston on March 25th, please don't forget to RSVP to join me at the Harpoon Brewery from 5:30 to 7 pm for a Marathon Happy Hour. It is my way of thanking you all for your support.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Running, but still not right?

Still not rocking the runs the way I would hope. Tomorrow is another day.

Tonight I Did Not Rock

Some nights you rock the run.

Other nights the run is crap.

Tonight, crap.

I'll be complaining about it until my next run. Pity my famiy since
they have to put up with me until then.

Team Eye and Ear Kick-Off

Attended the Tea Eye and Ear Kick-Off dinner tonight and this year's
team is fantastic! Tonight had great turnout and almost everyone has
some connection to Eye and Ear. Special thanks to Fred for answering
questions and being so encouraging of the newcomers.

It was great to meet KC, who is totally going to rock his first race,
and reconnect with Charles.

Alicia, your name came up, and we missed having you there. Thank you
for supporting the Eaton-Peabody, and I'm looking forward to catching
up with you on March 25th. Hopefully next year you can run past me
again!

This past weekend's run went well. As you have proably noticed from
the Garmin maps, I haven't been doing the Fitcorp runs so far this
year. Similar to when I started running, I'm finding the solitude of
running alone healing and comforting. Of course on April 19th that
all changes.

Don't forget that you can sponsor me by clicking on the marathon
countdown or the firstgiving widget. Thanks!

So Far, So Close

It feels like forever away, after all Boston Marathon = Spring, but it is really right around the corner.

Now that the SPHR exam is behind me I'm starting to focus on training again and was able to get both a long run and intervals session in this past week.

This coming week will be even better!

Part of the Week Off

As you can see in the run history, I ran 10 miles last Sunday in what was claimed to be 10 degree weather, 0 degrees if you include the wind chill. Thank goodness for winter running gear! Smartwool socks and glove liners plus running gloves probably saved my toes and fingers.

I didn't get my midweek runs in this week as I wanted to make sure I was prepared to pass the SPHR exam on Friday. The good news is I did pass, YEAH! Now I can get back to focusing my evenings on miles and asking for your help in supporting the Eaton-Peabody Lab.

Ran, but forgot my Garmin

So I put 4 miles in today, but I forgot my Garmin. Do I still get to
count it as a training run?

Sent from my iPhone

Run? Why Yes I Did.

But I forgot to charge my Garmin beforehand, so there is no link to post.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas.

Back on the Road Again

The training starts again! The road to Boston 2010 starts, or restarts would be more accurate, now!

For those of you who haven't seen me recently, the original plan was to do a fall marathon to stay is shape for the 2010 Boston Marathon. I trained all spring and summer to be ready. I put myself in PT to work out the kinks. Heck, I was getting massages. I ran my fastest half marathon building up to do the full Newport Marathon. And on the appointed weekend - It Rained. Not a little. Full New England gale weather. Driving cold wind and rain weather.

So there I was in Newport to set a personal record for the Marathon and between the weather and the extra 10 pounds I was carrying in wet clothes, my pace was completely off. At the halfway point I knew I would not be setting a personal record. So I stopped.

And now I am finally over it. For on the horizon is the 2010 Boston.

Thank You Garmin!

Garmin recently updated their site so my now my training activities can be tracked as a RSS feed. So we'll try using that for a while to see how we all like it. Instead of posting a link just look to the right of the screen to see the 5 most recent activities.

Where have I been?

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. Like everybody, my summer has been full of ups and downs.

• Ups - Still running (registered for the Newport Marathon on Oct 18th), great family vacations to Smuggler's Notch and New York, and a fun weekend in New York for just Karen and I (even the rain couldn't ruin it!)
  
• Downs - Really only one big one, our beloved Gracie became sick with two different diseases and in a very short period of time became ill enough where it wouldn't have been fair for us to continue her suffering.
  

I've been running so much this summer that I would hate to fill this space with links. If you are interested you can visit Garmin Connect and search for activities by user wljcr. As I'm now back to blogging I'll start posting the runs again as they happen.

Hope you all had a great summer, talk to you soon!

Duh, Sunscreen would be a good idea!

At some point in my life I will learn:

• I sunburn easily
  
• Sunscreen would be a good idea
  
• Especially when running and being outside between the hours of 10 am to 2 pm
  

Yes, I am sunburned again!