July 4th was a fantastic morning for us! Things were quite frenetic as soon as we arrived at the Potomac Library - my wife and I had family members to get signed up, donations to turn in, race numbers to pickup, race shirts to pick up, about 20 team members to find, about 25 team t-shirts to hand out, race numbers to pin on, including helping kids (although I totally forgot to pin my own bib on!), and some team pictures to arrange. We also did a quick video interview with Diana Hosford, the woman in charge of media contacts for Autism Speaks. We had about 30 minutes to do all that!
As luck would have it, we parked real close to the Frederick Steeplechaser contingent and also Chris (CWCastelli from the Marine Corps Marathon forum), who promptly stepped up and introduced himself. Chris was running for his best friend's daughter. We made our way over to the registration tables and started greeting team members as they arrived. This included Holly (mybleweyedgurl), Jerry (X_39_and_holding_X), Kelly (Run4Cookies), and an MCM forum lurker that has come out of the woodwork, Steve (now JeromeBettis). It was great to see you again, Holly and Jerry, and a pleasure to meet you, Kelly, Steve and Chris!
We had a huge team there to support Raeann and help the cause (raising money to fund Autism research, increasing autism awareness, advocacy for families with autism, and other family services). It was so wonderful so have such a show of support! I'll have many pictures and video links to post soon, but I'm still gathering those.
The official race warm-ups started at 7:30, and we moved our group closer to the announcer's table so we'd have a good view. Just a few minutes later and Raeann was doing her thing! She stood up in front of roughly 2000 people and proceeded to sing our anthem beautifully! As a parent, it just doesn't get any better than this! It was hard for me to see clearly because of the tears in my eyes! Raeann has had the opportunity to do several events like this now, but this was easily the best I'd ever heard her sing! Later in the day I asked Raeann if she was nervous when she was up there. She said, "Not really." She simply loves to sing!
Well, after that I was emotionally and physically drained, and there was a race yet to run! I got in a quick hug with Rae and then we were all off toward the starting line. I lost track of almost everyone in the process, except my co-worker Tony, and Kelly. By the time I got the end of the starting line crowd, the race had apparantly already started; I could see folks way up ahead already running!
And soon we were off. The first mile was difficult because of all the navigation required. I had started way in the back which, of course, made it worse. After about 1/2 a mile I caught up to my wife Andrea, her friend Renee, and my niece Lexi, who at 13 was running her first 5K. I said a quick hello and kept going, along with Tony. I hit Mile 1 at 7:48, right about where I was hoping to. On a warm, humid day, on a hilly course, and after having taken the past 13 days off (well, except for running the 200 meters on Wednesday) due to a mild calf strain, all I really was hoping for was stay below an 8 minute per mile pace. So, so far so good!
By mile 2 the runners had thinned out enough so that we no longer had to hesitate and then surge to get through. Mile 2 has more downhills than ups, so I kept my pace up pretty well. My Mile 2 split was 7:43. Tony fell back off the pace in the 3rd mile as the course become hillier, with a few good climbs tossed in. I finished in 24:14 for a 7:48 pace and 251st place out of 1393 (top 20%). I FINALLY ran a 5K at a steady pace! Not a great 5K time for me, but it did beat my time from last year by about 20 seconds.
In checking the official race results, there were 1393 5k finishers, and here's what I've got for our MCM forum friends:
Jerry 219th place 23:47 (7:40 pace) (Jerry, I'm sure you started way ahead of me or else I might have found you and ran with you some!)
Ron 251st place 24:14 (7:48 pace)
Kelly 501st place 27:40 (8:55) Excellent job!! I think I heard this was a PR for you?
Andrea 548th place 28:14 (9:06) Not a PR, but respectable!
Steve 838th place 31:18 (10:05)
Chris 946th place 32:44 (10:33)
Holly 1309th place 43:12 (13:55) A respectable, on the road back 5K. And I must note that Holly's generocity is inversely proportional to her place!
Our family had a wonderful time and I'd like to thank everyone for their long-distance well wishes and support! And a special thanks to you MCM forum and Frederick Steeplechaser friends who were able to join us yesterday in Potomac, especially on a holiday when I know many of you have other family obligations to attend! I hope it was as enjoyable for you as it was for us and Raeann! It was also a real pleasure meeting Kelly, Chris and Steve.
Finally, thanks for all the donations to help those that are coping with autism! Raeann's Runners has now topped the $2000 amount for the 2nd year in a row! (For anyone interested, donations can still be placed via the web for the next couple of weeks - see my original autism race 5k thread for info, or send me a note.)
Thank you and I hope you all had a great Independence Day!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Autism 5K in Potomac on July 4
Well, I've posted or sent this out just about everywhere else, so...
Hi all,
As you may know, our oldest daughter, Raeann, has autism. It is a developmental disorder that pervades all aspects of her life, making what most people consider simple tasks challenging. It effects her language comprehension & expression, visual/spatial processing, social interactions, fine and gross motor skills, sensory integration, and more.
Yet Raeann is one of the lucky ones. Despite her disability, she can communicate, form relationships, and participate in many activities that she loves, such as singing with the Frederick Children�s Chorus. Autism affects about 1 in 150 children, and most of those cases are much more severe than Raeann�s.
The Autism Speaks 5K raises money to fund autism research, advocacy, family services and to raise awareness about autism. Our family will not only be participating in the race, but we are once again forming a team: Raeann's Runners! Raeann led our fundraising efforts last year and our 12-person team of runners and walkers raised over $2100! We're hoping to blow that figure away this year!
You probably know where I'm going with this. I am writing to ask for your support for Raeann and her team of runners! It's a fun and inspiring event, a great race, and super cause!
If you would like to run or walk with us...
you can sign up here: www.autismspeaks.org/potomac5k (You may need to cut & paste that address in your internet browser's address window. Click on the "Register Here" button in the middle, then click "I Agree", then select the bullet to "Join a Team", then select "Raeann's Runners" from the drop-down list that appears, and follow the directions)
If you would like place a donation...
you can do so in a couple of ways: online with a credit card on Raeann's Race Web Page, or you can get your payment (make checks out to Autism Speaks) to me and I'll turn it in for Raeann. To access Raeann's Race Web Page, click on the link at the bottom of this email.
Last year Andrea and I purchased T-shirts for all members of Raeann's Runners. We are doing that again this year. (And YES, this shirt would be in addition to the shirts they give you for running the race!)
Please consider joining us for a wonderful morning on the 4th! To top it all off, RAEANN WILL BE SINGING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM FOR ALL THE RUNNERS BEFORE THE RACE STARTS!!! She did this last year and they've asked her back!
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Thanks for reading and thanks for your support!
Love,
Ron and Andrea
Ron Robisch & Andrea Morley
4990 Linganore View Drive
Monrovia, MD
21770
301 865-1660
Hi all,
As you may know, our oldest daughter, Raeann, has autism. It is a developmental disorder that pervades all aspects of her life, making what most people consider simple tasks challenging. It effects her language comprehension & expression, visual/spatial processing, social interactions, fine and gross motor skills, sensory integration, and more.
Yet Raeann is one of the lucky ones. Despite her disability, she can communicate, form relationships, and participate in many activities that she loves, such as singing with the Frederick Children�s Chorus. Autism affects about 1 in 150 children, and most of those cases are much more severe than Raeann�s.
The Autism Speaks 5K raises money to fund autism research, advocacy, family services and to raise awareness about autism. Our family will not only be participating in the race, but we are once again forming a team: Raeann's Runners! Raeann led our fundraising efforts last year and our 12-person team of runners and walkers raised over $2100! We're hoping to blow that figure away this year!
You probably know where I'm going with this. I am writing to ask for your support for Raeann and her team of runners! It's a fun and inspiring event, a great race, and super cause!
If you would like to run or walk with us...
you can sign up here: www.autismspeaks.org/potomac5k (You may need to cut & paste that address in your internet browser's address window. Click on the "Register Here" button in the middle, then click "I Agree", then select the bullet to "Join a Team", then select "Raeann's Runners" from the drop-down list that appears, and follow the directions)
If you would like place a donation...
you can do so in a couple of ways: online with a credit card on Raeann's Race Web Page, or you can get your payment (make checks out to Autism Speaks) to me and I'll turn it in for Raeann. To access Raeann's Race Web Page, click on the link at the bottom of this email.
Last year Andrea and I purchased T-shirts for all members of Raeann's Runners. We are doing that again this year. (And YES, this shirt would be in addition to the shirts they give you for running the race!)
Please consider joining us for a wonderful morning on the 4th! To top it all off, RAEANN WILL BE SINGING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM FOR ALL THE RUNNERS BEFORE THE RACE STARTS!!! She did this last year and they've asked her back!
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Thanks for reading and thanks for your support!
Love,
Ron and Andrea
Ron Robisch & Andrea Morley
4990 Linganore View Drive
Monrovia, MD
21770
301 865-1660
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
NSWC "5K" Fun Run
Just did our "5K" Fun Run in conjunction with the President's Challenge. Sunny, breezy and fairly cool for a mid-June day (70s).
The course was 3 laps, mainly around one of the huge water tanks. About 30 people were there, including several walkers. Still a little sore from Sunday's trail run, I planned to run this hard but not totally kill myself either. I basically had no warm up and had already eaten plenty today. Figured I'd shoot for a 7 minute first mile and then try to hold that as best as I could.
I started off well and settled into 4th, then 5th place. Taking the lead were two young women, maintaining a 6 minute pace. A young guy came up from behind swiftly and gave chase. Another young guy and I kept an even pace, but eventually I fell back. By about 1 mile I gave up on the hope that the pair of women went out too fast. They were for real! Mile 1 was right where it was supposed to be timewise: 6:59. However, by that time I had already finished the first lap, so I knew the course would be a little short.
Lap 2 involved a slight decline in pace; Mile 2 was 7:30. I passed some ladies walking their first lap and one of them said, "Hey, here come's another runner!" which made me feel like I was one of the few out of front. That was neat!
At the beginning of Mile 3 one more young guy passed me, like I was standing still! Apparently someone had cheered him on, and he took it to heart! I didn't even try to stay with him and just tried to continue my own pace. Well, his burst didn't last that long and he ended up settling in at about 100' in front of me. As I ran through the final few turns I put in a decent enough kick, but I was too far back at this time to catch the guy. I came in at 20:41 for a distance of 2.83 miles per my GPS (7:18 pace).
I was 6th overall, which was pretty cool. No awards, though, as this was just a fun run. My friend Rick from the Steeplechasers came in shortly after me, and my friend Tony from my office came in shortly after that.
Although I'd like to be running sub 7 for a 5K, given the time of day and the recent tough trail run, I think I'm satisfied with my time. Coolest thing was that, for the first time ever, I beat everyone older than me!!! :-)
The course was 3 laps, mainly around one of the huge water tanks. About 30 people were there, including several walkers. Still a little sore from Sunday's trail run, I planned to run this hard but not totally kill myself either. I basically had no warm up and had already eaten plenty today. Figured I'd shoot for a 7 minute first mile and then try to hold that as best as I could.
I started off well and settled into 4th, then 5th place. Taking the lead were two young women, maintaining a 6 minute pace. A young guy came up from behind swiftly and gave chase. Another young guy and I kept an even pace, but eventually I fell back. By about 1 mile I gave up on the hope that the pair of women went out too fast. They were for real! Mile 1 was right where it was supposed to be timewise: 6:59. However, by that time I had already finished the first lap, so I knew the course would be a little short.
Lap 2 involved a slight decline in pace; Mile 2 was 7:30. I passed some ladies walking their first lap and one of them said, "Hey, here come's another runner!" which made me feel like I was one of the few out of front. That was neat!
At the beginning of Mile 3 one more young guy passed me, like I was standing still! Apparently someone had cheered him on, and he took it to heart! I didn't even try to stay with him and just tried to continue my own pace. Well, his burst didn't last that long and he ended up settling in at about 100' in front of me. As I ran through the final few turns I put in a decent enough kick, but I was too far back at this time to catch the guy. I came in at 20:41 for a distance of 2.83 miles per my GPS (7:18 pace).
I was 6th overall, which was pretty cool. No awards, though, as this was just a fun run. My friend Rick from the Steeplechasers came in shortly after me, and my friend Tony from my office came in shortly after that.
Although I'd like to be running sub 7 for a 5K, given the time of day and the recent tough trail run, I think I'm satisfied with my time. Coolest thing was that, for the first time ever, I beat everyone older than me!!! :-)
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Here a race, there a race, everywhere a race, race!
I ran a race tonight! Our club runs a series of track races on Wednesdays through the summer at a local high school - they call it the Summer Decathlon. Tonight we ran the 800M.
I haven't raced that distance in...well, maybe I've never raced that distance before. So it was tough for me to decide what time goal I should have. I figure I can probably run about a 6 minute mile, so for 1/2 a mile I guessed maybe a 5:30 pace, or 2:45 for the 800M. That sounds slow from what I remember of high school track, so maybe I could go a little faster...
The weather was absolutely wonderful, and our whole family came out for the evening. After a group warmup of about 1 mile, the 800 heats were ready to begin. We had a large turnout, so there ended up being four heats total, slowest first. My two oldest kids, Raeann and Lincoln, ran in the first heat. Neither of them runs much (I"m hoping that changes a bit this summer, thanks largely to the Summer Decathlon!) so I didn't expect them to be too fast. I was thinking Lincoln might break 6 minutes, and Raeann, who knows? She really prefers to walk. It's hard to get her to run steadily for any distance, she always defaults to a walk.
Well soon they were off and they grabbed a strangle hold on the last two places early. But that's ok, there was only one other kid running, and all the others were grownups who ran regularly. Frankly, I was just hoping that they wouldn't get lapped! For the first lap they both ran steadily, much to my surprise! Lincoln paced himself very well and stayed a good 10 yards or so ahead of Raeann. What thrilled me was that Raeann ran the entire first lap without stopping! Meanwhile, I'm running like a nut inside the track from was side to the other to cheer them both on.
Lincoln kept his steady pace all the way around to the final straightaway and then picked it up a bit for a final kick! He finished in 5:01 which I thought was great. Raeann took a couple of short walk breaks on her 2nd lap, but also finished well and came in at 5:36. I think they both were proud of their accomplishments and hopefully will want to do this again!
Two heats later it was my turn. There were a TON of runners in it, maybe a 14 or so, probably because most of us were too chicken to run in the fast heat with the burners! I picked a spot 2/3 of the way out on the arc and in the second row. I was far enough out to have a little daylight at the start and accelerated comfortably into the first turn in roughly 6th or 7th spot, but then had to navigate a bit until coming out of the turn I was hitting my stride again and moved up to around 4th. After 100M, I was mildly surprised to have gotten there that easily, and tried to open up for an easy stride. By about 300M the speed was no longer coming so easily! I started losing a place or two here and there, and with 200M to go I was running right in the middle of the pack. I was running alongside my friend Mark, who I thought I could beat in a 5K, and who I thought I could outkick, but gosh, he was running a strong race! Well, I let everything loose and kicked. During the final 100M I moved up about 5 places, and finished in 2:42 and something like 4th place in my heat. I'm satisfied with that result, and particularly happy about getting that kick in. That was fun!
Next were the speedsters! The final heat had maybe 8 runners, and the leaders were flying! Chad went out fast and came through the first lap with a slight lead over Victor. That's when Victor made his move and he overtook Chad in an allout sprint along the back straightaway. Both of them were just smokin'! Coming out the final turn Chad dug down for everything he had, and with a slightly longer stride and slightly stronger kick was able to re-capture the lead and cross the finish line first in 2:11. It's been quite a while since I've been to a track meet, and I'll tell you what. It was exciting and inspiring!
Jay, if your injuries are doing better you should come out sometime. Next Wednesday night they're doing the 3200M.
And as far my subject title, next Tuesday the center where I work is holding a 5K race at lunchtime! Then the next day is the 3200M. Then a week later the 600M, followed by the Baltimore 10 Miler that weekend. This is getting good!!!
I haven't raced that distance in...well, maybe I've never raced that distance before. So it was tough for me to decide what time goal I should have. I figure I can probably run about a 6 minute mile, so for 1/2 a mile I guessed maybe a 5:30 pace, or 2:45 for the 800M. That sounds slow from what I remember of high school track, so maybe I could go a little faster...
The weather was absolutely wonderful, and our whole family came out for the evening. After a group warmup of about 1 mile, the 800 heats were ready to begin. We had a large turnout, so there ended up being four heats total, slowest first. My two oldest kids, Raeann and Lincoln, ran in the first heat. Neither of them runs much (I"m hoping that changes a bit this summer, thanks largely to the Summer Decathlon!) so I didn't expect them to be too fast. I was thinking Lincoln might break 6 minutes, and Raeann, who knows? She really prefers to walk. It's hard to get her to run steadily for any distance, she always defaults to a walk.
Well soon they were off and they grabbed a strangle hold on the last two places early. But that's ok, there was only one other kid running, and all the others were grownups who ran regularly. Frankly, I was just hoping that they wouldn't get lapped! For the first lap they both ran steadily, much to my surprise! Lincoln paced himself very well and stayed a good 10 yards or so ahead of Raeann. What thrilled me was that Raeann ran the entire first lap without stopping! Meanwhile, I'm running like a nut inside the track from was side to the other to cheer them both on.
Lincoln kept his steady pace all the way around to the final straightaway and then picked it up a bit for a final kick! He finished in 5:01 which I thought was great. Raeann took a couple of short walk breaks on her 2nd lap, but also finished well and came in at 5:36. I think they both were proud of their accomplishments and hopefully will want to do this again!
Two heats later it was my turn. There were a TON of runners in it, maybe a 14 or so, probably because most of us were too chicken to run in the fast heat with the burners! I picked a spot 2/3 of the way out on the arc and in the second row. I was far enough out to have a little daylight at the start and accelerated comfortably into the first turn in roughly 6th or 7th spot, but then had to navigate a bit until coming out of the turn I was hitting my stride again and moved up to around 4th. After 100M, I was mildly surprised to have gotten there that easily, and tried to open up for an easy stride. By about 300M the speed was no longer coming so easily! I started losing a place or two here and there, and with 200M to go I was running right in the middle of the pack. I was running alongside my friend Mark, who I thought I could beat in a 5K, and who I thought I could outkick, but gosh, he was running a strong race! Well, I let everything loose and kicked. During the final 100M I moved up about 5 places, and finished in 2:42 and something like 4th place in my heat. I'm satisfied with that result, and particularly happy about getting that kick in. That was fun!
Next were the speedsters! The final heat had maybe 8 runners, and the leaders were flying! Chad went out fast and came through the first lap with a slight lead over Victor. That's when Victor made his move and he overtook Chad in an allout sprint along the back straightaway. Both of them were just smokin'! Coming out the final turn Chad dug down for everything he had, and with a slightly longer stride and slightly stronger kick was able to re-capture the lead and cross the finish line first in 2:11. It's been quite a while since I've been to a track meet, and I'll tell you what. It was exciting and inspiring!
Jay, if your injuries are doing better you should come out sometime. Next Wednesday night they're doing the 3200M.
And as far my subject title, next Tuesday the center where I work is holding a 5K race at lunchtime! Then the next day is the 3200M. Then a week later the 600M, followed by the Baltimore 10 Miler that weekend. This is getting good!!!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
The Inaugural Deer Dash 5K
This morning my kids and I participated in the Deer Dash 5K and 1 mile fun run at Deer Crossing Elementary School in New Market (MD). This was a little tricky with Andrea in Las Vegas, but all in all it worked out pretty well. Temps were around 70 with high humidity under thickening clouds.Upon arrival I was expecting to have to push Skylar in her stroller for the race, but I soon found the Lincoln actually WANTED to keep Skylar! With a lot of other kids present, a nearby playground, and several people milling around that knew me, I wasn't too worried about leaving Skylar with Rae and Linc, so I was free to run all out! Yeah!
Shortly after signing up (a little disappointed that they were out of T-shirts - more for the kids than for me), we bumped into Jay Silvio. It was great to finally meet someone from the MCM Forum in 3D! Still on the mend from hamstring and calf issues, Jay was planning on taking this race conservatively (which meant maybe he wouldn't win).
Lincoln and Raeann signed up for the 1 mile fun run. Lincoln's funny when you get him to one of these things. He takes his event seriously. He joined me for part of my warm up, and later on he ran some more on his own before his race started.
But the 5K was first. I planned out my target splits based on my most previous 5K earlier this month, although I expected this to be the hillier course. At the Mission of Mercy 5K, I simply went out a bit too fast (6:40 the first mile) and faded to the 7:20s for the last 2 miles, for a 22:08. I wanted to run a more even race this time, and especially take it easy early since I knew hills were coming. As for the hills, I drove part of the course yesterday and knew the start was mainly downhill, hills were plentiful along that drive, but didn't seem too bad. Nothing I shouldn't be ready for. There were a couple of segments of the course which I could not drive because they were on bike paths. I assumed those parts were fairly flat. (Idiot!)
I figured I'd try to run a 7 min first mile and then slow a bit through more uphills to the 7:20s for the second 2 miles. If all went well, maybe I could repeat that 22:08.
So we start and I refrain from getting caught up in the sprinters off of the starting line. I consciously take it easy, letting several more people get ahead of me than in that last 5K race. Through that early downhill and just ran easy and felt decent, confident that I was running a smarter race this time.
My first mile split? 6:35. WTF! I actually went out faster than last time! And again I paid for it. Although I attacked the hills steadily, I soon learned that those bike trail sections were the worst parts!!! Down down down up up up! I'm at 14:30 after 2 miles. I'm not far into the 3rd mile, trudging along more bike path, cursing the course planners and the word "sadistic" pops into my head!
During the race there were a couple of cul-de-sac out and backs which allowed us to see runners in front of and behind us. The first time I saw Jay I think he was in about 4th place. Later I think I saw him again, but don't know what hisplace was. Tim O'Keefe, who I tried to shadow in the MOM 5K, was again well ahead of me, as were many of the same runners that I knew from the Steeplechasers: Steve Dobson, Steve Pilarcik, Chad Connors, the Blacks (Ron and Beverly). Beverly finished one place ahead of me at the MOM 5K, probably 30 seconds faster.
Today I keyed on Beverly as much as anyone else, and I was actually staying with her a little better this time than last. I think the hills might have been hurting her just a tiny bit more.
Another runner I have to mention is a little kid; a middle schooler! I recalled passing him around mile 1 thinking here's another of these kids that sprinted at the start and used everything up. Well, he proved me wrong a mile later by passing me again! He and Beverly were the next runners ahead of me during the last mile, along with another guy that I saw Beverly pass.
With a 1/4 mile to go we turn into the driveway for the school. I notice Jay doing a cooldown and he cheers me on. A couple seconds later I hear the MCM Forum Battle Cry, "Suck it up, Ron, suck it up!" Aw, shit, so I do. With a quick burst I pass the guy that Beverly had passed. Then things get a little interesting.
The course at the finish does a double zig-zag (it goes zig-zag-zig). Entering the first zig, one could also bear left (cutting through a phalanx of cones) and start down the final zig. As I'm picking it up, I see that both the kid and Beverly had done this! Having driven the course previously and studied the finish, I knew I had to stay right and I did. (Chalk that up to experience - it ain't always bad to be in your 40s!) They both get back on track, but by this time I've caught right up to them and had passed the kid. Beverly is still maybe 30 feet ahead of me. So we get to the zag. At the zag, one could also take a wider turn and go to the final zig, but in reverse, to the finish line. To my shock Beverly is doing just that! I'm seeing her head to the finish in one direction and I see someone else coming from the opposite (correct) direction! They're on a collision course! I put my head down and go down the zag. Beverly had done herself in.
My kick is not particularly strong at this stage and, wouldn't you know it, the kid comes flying by me on the left! He had my respect at mile 2, but now I was downright impressed! I pick it up and stay with him around the bend for the final zig, but I'm thinking that unless he totally burns out, I can't pass this kid. He's ran a great race and earned his place. I shadow him to the finish line and I finish in 23:09, maybe 2 seconds back of The Kid, Billy Czajkowski. I end up in 29th place out of 263 finishers (top 11%). That percentile is really skewed, though, because there were a TON of middle and even elementary school kids running.
Given the hills, I'll take the 23:09. I'd like to be at the point where I go sub 23 no matter what, but I guess I'm not too far from that. I'm curious what I could do on a flat course.
'Raeann is ready to run her mile!
The 1 mile fun run goes well for Raeann and Lincoln, and I pushed Skylar along the course as well. Lincoln finished in around 7:39 and says he finished somewhere between 5th and 8th, but I suspect that the distance was a bit less than a full mile. I end up running along with Raeann most of the way. She's not particularly intense when it comes to races, nor particularly coordinated, but she'd run and walk her way steadily. She finished with a kick and came in at about 13 minutes. All 3 kids got finisher's ribbons!
We stuck around for the awards - Jay took 2nd Overall - and grabbed some food. Chatted with several people and took a couple pictures. The band that played the whole time was surprisingly good, if you ask me. I don't expect bands playing in Frederick County to be playing music that I'll like, but they did!
A fun, challenging, and educational race!
Jay Silvio and I after the raceMonday, May 19, 2008
Less than Brilliant
Most people have these little moments of brilliance, like when they’re looking all over the place for their glasses, and the glasses are actually sitting on top of their head. I sort of did that one a notch or two better on Saturday.
Our family went shopping at Target. When the 5 of us shop, the important thing is to keep track of Skylar, our youngest, who is closing in on 3 years old and knows quite well what SHE would like to shop for, thank you very much! We can ask Raeann or Lincoln to watch over Skylar for a couple seconds at a time, but in a busy department store I’d rather not rely on kids that are easily distracted themselves. So, while Andrea does most of the shopping, I do most of the Skylar-tracking. Every now and then she wants a ride on my shoulders, too, which is nice.
So we’re in Target for, like, an hour. We checked out clothes for Raeann and Andrea, socks for me, and had slowly passed through the toy section. All pretty much without a hitch.
Then we came to the Nintendo DS aisle. Raeann has decided she wants to buy High School Musical for the DS, so she was really checking this area out. Skylar and I were with her, and Andrea and Lincoln were an aisle over. I was amazed by one of the games they had on display. It was one of these new basketball games where, I swear, it looked just like live action NBA! The player movement was amazing. If you only glanced quickly at the screen, you’d think it was a real game on tv! Unbelievable!
Noticing that Skylar was not with us anymore, I backed out of the aisle and over to the intersection where Andrea and Lincoln now were. Looking around, there was no sign of Skylar!
“Hey! Where’s Skylar?” Andrea looked at me. Her brow furrowed just a bit. The sense of urgency that a parent should feel when their 2-year-old is missing didn’t seem to be there, though. That angered me a bit.
“Where’s Skylar? IS SHE WITH YOU???”
Andrea’s mouth dropped open. Then I happened to notice my hands. They were firmly grasping ankles. Tiny, 2-year-old, pink-socked ankles. Uh-oh.
I can imagine how this looked to Andrea. There’s her loving, frantic husband, standing there demanding to know where his precious daughter had gone, while said daughter sat patiently perched upon his shoulders all the while! Andrea later told me that she thought I was kidding around at first. It wasn’t until she saw the panic in my eyes that she knew I wasn’t.
My shoulders slumped. I was relieved, but thoroughly beaten. Not sure how I’ll ever live this one down.
Our family went shopping at Target. When the 5 of us shop, the important thing is to keep track of Skylar, our youngest, who is closing in on 3 years old and knows quite well what SHE would like to shop for, thank you very much! We can ask Raeann or Lincoln to watch over Skylar for a couple seconds at a time, but in a busy department store I’d rather not rely on kids that are easily distracted themselves. So, while Andrea does most of the shopping, I do most of the Skylar-tracking. Every now and then she wants a ride on my shoulders, too, which is nice.
So we’re in Target for, like, an hour. We checked out clothes for Raeann and Andrea, socks for me, and had slowly passed through the toy section. All pretty much without a hitch.
Then we came to the Nintendo DS aisle. Raeann has decided she wants to buy High School Musical for the DS, so she was really checking this area out. Skylar and I were with her, and Andrea and Lincoln were an aisle over. I was amazed by one of the games they had on display. It was one of these new basketball games where, I swear, it looked just like live action NBA! The player movement was amazing. If you only glanced quickly at the screen, you’d think it was a real game on tv! Unbelievable!
Noticing that Skylar was not with us anymore, I backed out of the aisle and over to the intersection where Andrea and Lincoln now were. Looking around, there was no sign of Skylar!
“Hey! Where’s Skylar?” Andrea looked at me. Her brow furrowed just a bit. The sense of urgency that a parent should feel when their 2-year-old is missing didn’t seem to be there, though. That angered me a bit.
“Where’s Skylar? IS SHE WITH YOU???”
Andrea’s mouth dropped open. Then I happened to notice my hands. They were firmly grasping ankles. Tiny, 2-year-old, pink-socked ankles. Uh-oh.
I can imagine how this looked to Andrea. There’s her loving, frantic husband, standing there demanding to know where his precious daughter had gone, while said daughter sat patiently perched upon his shoulders all the while! Andrea later told me that she thought I was kidding around at first. It wasn’t until she saw the panic in my eyes that she knew I wasn’t.
My shoulders slumped. I was relieved, but thoroughly beaten. Not sure how I’ll ever live this one down.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Into the Heart of Darkness...
Friday night at 10pm 4 other runners from the Frederick Steeplechasers and I met at the Brunswick Train Station along the Potomac River for our headlamp run. Despite rain earlier in the day, forboding clouds all evening, and a vicious breeze in the parking lot when we pulled up, the weather actually cooperated very well. I was shivering in the parking lot in my shorts and long-sleeve tee, even though it didn't seem all that cold (low 50s), while we waited for the last runner to show up. Once we hit the trail we were out of the main breeze and I quickly got comfortable. And a short while later the moon and stars were out.
It was a great run; we had a blast! Thanks to the rains of the last week, there were puddles EVERYWHERE! Between the 5 of us, I think we only had 2 headlamps that were kicking out significant wattage, so spotting oncoming puddles became a full-time job for the 2 runners that happened to be in the lead. Throughout the night there'd be calls of "Puddle left!", "Puddle right!", "Stay in the middle! "Oh, squishy here!", or "Oh, Shit! That was a puddle!" Try as we might, none of us could evade the small ponds very consistently, and after just a few miles we all had pretty wet feet.
But so what? The company was great and running at night along the towpath was really cool! We only had one instance of primal fear - while still near the railroad tracks, a LOUD shot rang out into the night. We're still not sure what it was, but it sound like a cross between a rifle shot and some really good fireworks being launched very nearby. Or maybe something impacting steel very hard. We all jumped and then froze when it happened - I think we all immediately thought gunshot. After a few seconds, Andrea said, "What the hell are we just standing here for? Let's get out of here!" Good thinking. We scrammed!
The rest of the night was peaceful. But the Potomac was raging! The water level was way beyond anywhere I'd ever seen it before. 10, 20, 30 feet out into the water there were still trees sticking up out of the water that obviously should have been on land. Very impressive display by Mother Nature!
Our pace was fairly relaxed, usually a little sub-10 minute per mile pace, and we took several breaks to walk, eat, or take care of more urgent matters. Three of my four companions (Mary, John, and Andrea) were in training for a 100-mile race in Ohio this coming August! Only Uli and I have never gone farther than 26.2. I no longer felt like my 16-mile long run for the week was so significant! For such a long race as that 100-miler, you've really got to tone down the pace so that you've got something left at the end. I think our pace tonight was faster than what they'll do, but the walking mixed in will probably be similar to what they end up doing. The running style was the same.
So it took a while. We did 16.7 miles in about 3:20. Got home around 2:30am .
Hope to do this again sometime!
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