If Shakespeare Was an Aging Marathoner

Chronic knee problems recently led me to an orthopedic doctor's examining table. As you can see, the resulting diagnosis of a torn meniscus has left me in a quandary...

If Shakespear Was an Aging Marathoner
(Ronlet's Soliloquy)

To cut or not to cut: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The pangs and Ow! Ow!'s of outrageous torsion,
Or to take arms against a knee of troubles,
And by op’rating end them?
To cut: to scope;No more; and by a scope to say we end
The knee-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That joint is heir to, 'tis an inflammation
Of whose pain I'd be rid. To cut, to scope;
To jog: perchance to run: ay, there's the rub;
For in that slice of knife what runs may come
When we have suffered through arthritic toil,
Must give us pause: there's the prospect
To de-fray cartilage by so long knife;
For who would bear the pops and tweaks of mine,
Marathoner's gimp, the sore man's hobbled gait,
The pangs of patellar grate, the knee's decay,
The consequence of off-days and the spurns
Of fellow runners, ahead of me they wait,
When he himself might his knee wellness make
With an incision? Who would fartleks bear,
To grunt and sweat during a weary run,
But that the dread of something after knife,
The undiscover'd country from whose paths
Some runners return, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those aches we have
Than run with others that we know not of?
Thus new science does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of my meniscus
Tho’ sicklied o'er with the tear of running fraught,
And re-built knees of great strength and speed
With this regard their footfalls turn awry;
I choose the lame reaction.

One Costume to Rule Them All...

So Lincoln's off to school with his Lord Sauron costume (from Lord of the Rings) for their costume party today. Unfortunately, I think the school frowns on bringing realistic looking weapons to school, so the medieval mace that we've built and painted will have to stay home. But really, what's Lord Sauron without his bone-crushing mace? Just a guy with a ring.

It's been about 25 years...

...since I ran my PR in the mile as a senior in high school. 6:13. Amongst track runners, cross country runners or soccer players, running over 6 minutes for a mile ain't much to write home about. I pretty much sucked at distance running back then (comparatively), and I really only ran the mile all out a few times. I remember always wanting to drop that mile time to below 6 minutes, but 6:13 was the best I could do. Over the years I've had breaking that PR on my mind, but have never been able to get there. Last summer I had the fitness, but a sprained ankle a week before the mile caused me to run just 6:37.

Tonight was the last night of the Frederick Steeplechasers Summer Decathlon. Tonight's event? You guessed it, the mile. Goal #1 - break 6:13 and PR. Goal #2 - Sub 6.

I ran in the fast heat and for the first lap I tried to key on a friend of mine who expected to run around 5:50. I was aiming for 1:30 laps to get me to 6 minutes. The first lap was smooth but perhaps a bit fast, I thought. Finishing the lap I hear 1:22, so yup, too fast. I eased up a little and let my friend get further ahead. Then I tried to stay steady. Lap 2 split - 3:00. Right on target, but I was concerned because that meant my 2nd lap was a 1:38. The third lap was tough and I remained steady. Another 1:38, meaning I'd have to rip off another 1:22 to get back to 6. I surged, then kept accelerating from about 300 yards out.

There are times in these races when you feel like you just want to stop. There's a fear that you will. With 300 yards to go I was beyond that, and kicking with everything I had. Although alone most of the way (behind all the fast runners that REALLY belong in the fast heat), I ran hard. I knew this was my shot at getting that PR and maybe sub 6.

Well, I cross the finish in 6:08. PR by 5 seconds! 1:30 for the 4th lap. Now 42 years old, I can run a mile faster now than when running track in high school!!! And so far this year I've PR'd in the mile, 10 mile, and marathon.

But honestly, I really still want to go sub 6.

Autism Speaks 5K - July 4th, 2009

Okay, I just sat here for 3 minutes trying to figure where I should start with this post, and I still don't really know. The race and walk on the morning of the 4th was the culmination of so much activity that I don't really know where to begin.


But here's what I do know. I know we've been on the receiving end of some of the most wonderful support from family and friends that anyone could ever hope for. I know that we, Andrea, Raeann, Lincoln, Skylar and I, are so thankful for that support!


Andrea and I were forced to divide and conquer on Saturday morning: I drove to Frederick with Raeann and my long-time friend Brad (whose family stayed with us for the weekend) at 6am to meet up with her friend from the Frederick Chamber Singers, Timmy. The two of them, along with another friend, Lizzey, would later be singing the Star Spangled Banner before the race. From there we drove down to Potomac where we would meet up with Andrea, Tanya (Brad's wife) and all the kids.


In Potomac, we also met up with Lizzey and her family, the Frederick Steeplechaser contingent of Raeann's Runners, and numerous other friends, co-workers, and relatives. All told we had about 30 people there as part of Raeann's Runners!


Before a race, time moves VERY fast, especially when you're trying to find people, handing out t-shirts, and making sure you're kids have their bibs pinned on and timing chips strapped on their shoes. Before I knew it, the anthem was moments away!


Lizzey, Timmy, and Raeann did a wonderful job singing our national anthem! I only wish the microphone had been held not so close to Raeann, because her voice was much louder as a result, and it made it tough to hear Lizzey and Timmy.


Well, they finished and then we were all off for the starting line. I tried to get up front where I figured the other Steeps would be, but I didn't end up seeing anyone I knew during the race. Oh, well. It was an absolutely beautiful morning for a race, and I headed up the first hill not worrying too much about how the race would go. I went out comfortably fast, but not real sure how fast because one of the things that I'd forgotten on Saturday was to put on my runner's GPS watch.


I hit the Mile 1 mark at about 7:40. I figured that maybe it took me 10-15 seconds to get to the starting line once the race started, so that meant a 7:25 mile. Fine. At Mile 2 the clock read about 15:10, so that was a 7:30 mile. Fine. The last mile is a bit more hilly, and I was not quite able to maintain the same pace - dropping to something more like an 8:00 minute pace -- but the last 1/4 mile is a nice downhill and I finished with a 23:12, which is about a minute faster than I ran the race last year. So I was cool with that!


After a quick water bottle and pizza, I doubled back onto the course and soon found Lincoln joggin into the homestretch. I joined him and soon he was really kicking for the finish! His buddy, Ben, followed close behind, and several minutes behind them came Ben's brother, Josh! At 7 years young, he was finishing his first 5K in grand fashion!


Once again I doubled back, and about a 1/2 mile back I came upon the wave of violet that was Raeann's entourage! Raeann, Timmy, and Rae's cousin Lexi walked together, followed closely by Andrea pushing Skylar in the stroller, and then followed not as closely by Andrea's sister, Chris, and cousin Emma. The kids were having a great time, getting into the cheering as much as the vocal fans were! As we all approached the finish, the 14-year olds took off and ran to the finish! The 9th annual Autism Speaks 5K was in the books!


It was wonderful to meet so many people at the race: our dear friends Renee & Nenad and Brad & Tanya; Lizzey's family; my co-worker Ted and his girlfriend Jen (both of whom placed in their age groups, I think!); Raeann's Runners veteran from last year, Tony; all the Steeps (Tim, Rick, Brenda, Steve); Aunt Chris and cousins Lexi and Emma, Chris from the Marine Corps Marathon forum; race director Susan Pereles; Andrea's co-worker Elyse; Susan, Alexander & Brian!


For those that couldn't join us today or missed us there (so sorry, Kat!), we missed you and hope you can join us next year!


Thanks to you all for the help, emotional support, donations, good vibes, and friendship!


With Love,

Andrea, Ron, Raeann, Lincoln & Skylar

Summer Decathlon in the Rain

I'm clocking in a little late here, but had a nice night at the track, despite a rain delay and much concern that the festivites would get canceled. First up were the little kiddies in the 200 M dash. That's a long way for a 3 yr old, but Skylar hung with the older kids great and finished the 200 in about 64 seconds! She was utterly adorable out there, running free, elbows straight like only a toddler knows how, and a huge smile on her face flanked by dimples!

Next up: Lincoln. Though he was tired from basketball camp today, he still brought home a 5 second PR by beating last summer's time. I think he finished in about 48 seconds.
I ran with the big dogs in the last, fast heat, though whether I really belonged there might have been iffy. With the rain and monitoring 2 kids, I didn't warm up completely as I might have liked. But I got off to nice, quick start anyway. By the straightaway, though, it was clear that a few of the young guys were too fast for too long. I finished 5th of 6 with a 28.88s. This beats last year's time by almost a second, and I think I could still improve it a little with some more focused training.

The "workout" session after the main event tonight was a predict-your-finish 5k. I didn't give it much thought and put down 23:00. I was rather surprised to find that I ran smoothly so soon after the 200. My pace was steady throughout and I had a nice dogfight with another guy over the last 3 laps. I took over in the last straightaway, though, and got him by a few seconds. 23:23 - and 3rd place in getting close to my prediction! But the real story was my son. He was beat from basketball, beat from the 200 sprint, but wanted to give the 5k a shot anyway. I figured he'd jog a couple laps and get tired a walk for a while before retiring. He'd never gone more than 2 miles before. I told him to just go for as long as he felt like it and not worry about doing the full distance. I knew he was beat.

I'll tell you what, that boy ran and ran and ran! We all started together, so I got to cheer him on a few times while lapping him. He just kept on going! Half way through I could tell he was psyched that he'd even done that much. With 2 laps to go I was screaming my fool head off for him! He was steady throughout and even finished with a kick to pass another kid. 34:15 PR for Lincoln!!!

Happy Fathers' Day!

I did an awesome trail run today with 15 other Fathers, Mothers and Others from the Steeplechasers. We tackled the Catoctin Mountain blue trail, which is the same trail that the Catoctin 50K is run on. Hilly, rocky, and on this morning VERY muddy! It was a blast! Most of us did 10 miles (a few others did 13), then we had a huge cookout at one of the runners' house (Mike O'Grady's) which was on the mountain about 50 feet from the nearest trailhead. What an awesome place to live! My wife and daughters came up for the cookout (brats, burgers, pasta salid, fruit salad, sweets, and plenty of beverages) and then we went on a short hike with all the kids to a nearby pond where the littlest ones got a kick out of tossing rocks into the water. Great morning, great run, great company, great food! It just doesn't get any better than this!
Happy Father's Day, my fellow fathers!

Bushwacker Adventure Run

After having run trails for several years, this morning I actually ran in my first trail run race, the Bushwacker Adventure Running Race, which is hosted by ex2.Adventures.com. The course is point to point, running from Hemlock Overlook Regional Park to Fountainhead Regional Park in northern Virginia. Most of the race can be run by following the Bull Run - Occoquan Trail (Blue Blazes) along the Occoquan Reservoir; however, what makes this special is one simple change: runners, feel free to choose your own path (ie., bushwack). All runners were supplied with a detailed, accurate and colorful topo map of the course, and we were encouraged to bring a compass.

Put simply, THIS RACE WAS AWESOME!!! Our family met up with longtime friends Karen and Alan along with their kids at the start, and Al and I ran the race together (well, 90% of the way at least).

Although I'd spent some time reviewing the trail map online, and then studied the supplied map as much as possible, everything went haywire 20 seconds after the start! It was at that point that the other 100 or so runners suddenly started going in about 100 different directions! Everyone ditched the main path for some immediate off-trail running, and in no-time I had no idea where I really was, or worse, which way I needed to go! Runners were everywhere, hopping over fallen tree trunks and dipping under low-hanging limbs, dodging this way then that. Al and I roughly stayed together, and perhaps he had a better idea of what we were doing, but as far as I was concerned it was just a giant case of the blind leading the blind!

So that's how we start, and within about a quarter mile we have a tiny creek to cross -- easy to jump normally, but the banks were quite steep. And then there's the mud. Earlier in the week it rained. A lot. Like a few inches worth. Nicer weather in the last couple of days left me thinking that MAYBE it wouldn't be terribly muddy after all. But then, out of nowhere, from about 4am to 6am we get showers. So, everything's wet. And muddy.

So back to this stupid creek. Al carefully steps down the nearside bank, hop over, and scampers up the other side. No biggie. I follow suit. I start down the bank, and immediately both feet slide out from under me in the mud. My ass hits next, mud squishing its way up the legs of my shorts, and I'm off! I zoom right on down the bank, stopping only when my feet hit the next change in the topography, which is the 4" deep shoe-sucking mud and water. I curse under my breathe (I don't remember this, but I simply must have!), hop over the rest of the water and start up the other side. And my feet now slide out from under me going the other way! I'm quickly on my hands and knees, digging my fingernails into the side of the bank, to desperately cling my way out of this quagmire.

So that was the first 3 minutes of the race.

Eventually, I resume running, holding a map that is no longer particularly readable thanks to its protective coating of mud. I follow Al and in him I trust. I'm frazzled, slimey, and lost. And we run. After a few more minutes of chaos, we find our way onto an actual trail. I had no clue what trail, but Al thought it was the one we wanted, and, as it turned out, it was. Great. Another 1/4 mile up the trail is where we actually planned to start a bushwack to cut a corner. The Horseshoe Trail bent right, and we went left. Oh, boy. Here goes nothin'!

This would be the first of many optimistically-mileage-cutting bushwacks that we would attempt, and I would become rather amazed to find that by and large, they worked! The first bushwack cut out a nice chunk of trail. Soon we were back on the Blue path! Hey, this was fun!

From here the details get a little blurry. We cut tiny corners on the trails frequently; pretty much anytime you could see the trail bending up ahead, you'd be looking for a quicker way to get there. And occasionally we took calculated risks and bushwacked for real. We hit the first of 3 checkpoints (you had to check in at each, in order) quickly, and the pace for the first 3 miles must have been a good one. Pace while trail running is a relative thing, of course. I just know we ran it pretty fast.

One of the other bigger bushwacks came right after the 2nd checkpoint, and it was not intentional. We're running along the trail, and woman fan claps and encourages us as we go by her. A few seconds later and the trail we were on dumped us into a parking lot, with no real indication of where the blue trail is! We pick a direction and go. We're again running all over the place, no one else is with us, and eventually we hit another trail. We charge down it and it brings us back to blue!

The best bushwack came during the longest stage of the race, between the 2nd and 3rd checkpoints. The blue trail had mile markers on it, and we knew we wanted to ditch the trail at around mile 13.75. We get roughly there and turn left and downhill. Were zooming along in this fashion, again dodging low hanging branches and such, when suddenly we find ourselves crossing a marsh! There's standing water, a few inches deep, all around us and also some different vegetation, low-lying plants with huge leaves. We go charging right through and I impulsively start singing the Charlie Daniels Band's Legen of Wooley Swamp:

Well, if you ever go back into Wooley Swamp,
Well, you better not go at night.
There's things out there in the middle of them woods
That make a strong man die from fright.
Things that crawl and things that fly
And things that creep around on the ground.
And they say the ghost of Lucius Clay gets up and he walks
around.

Feet soaked, water splashing, everything stinking, and right there ahead of us running from right to left are a few relatively dry-footed racers! We storm our way out of the swamp and rejoin the runners! This was kicking butt!

Alas, we still had several miles to go, and the plentiful hills were taking their toll on me. A couple of weeks ago I was ready for this, but unfortunately in the mean time I'd had a bad cold and had a sore neck and then sore back. The net effect was that I hadn't run much in the last two weeks.

Oh, well, I knew this would probably happen. I started cutting back to a walk and many of the uphills. Al was kind enough to stick with me for quite a while, even though he felt fairly good. With about a mile to go, Al had gotten far enough ahead of me that he went ahead to the finish. My last mile was pretty strong still, but I did lose maybe another minute or so when I suddenly found myself not on the trail and without a clue as to how I lost it! Two guys followed me, and together we found our way back to the blue trail.

A little farther and we could hear music...that was the finish! I picked it up a little more for the end and soon we were punching our chips at the finish! I finished in 1:50:51, in 10th place in my age group (19 had pre-registered in my age group; so about 50th percentile). Al finished a few minutes ahead and in 8th in our age group. We reunited with family and enjoyed the feast laid out at the finish. Tons of pizza, drinks and snacks. They had so much extra that we ended up walking away with a complete sausage pizza!

They had plenty of giveaways, but neither of us happened to win. Overall, the race was well organized and the course was incredible! This was such a fun experience! It was challenging not only in terms of all the hills and all of the bushwacking, but also because the trail was all muddy. The center of the trail was mostly muck, and we'd run along the sides more. If at all possible, I'm sure we'll be returning next year -- and this time maybe Andrea will run it, too!