Recently in Running Category

First run in tights this winter season today. I needed them, too. It was 30F by my thermometer when I went out this morning.
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I ran the Clyde’s 10K yesterday. It’s the longest race I’ve been in since running the Army 10 Miler last October.

Clyde’s is a fairly decent restaurant in the heart of “downtown” Columbia, Maryland. They’ve been sponsoring the Clyde’s 10K for more than 25 years. That a local independent restaurant can compete successfully against mediocre corporate establishments in the now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t business environment of Columbia is achievement enough. That they’ve continued to sponsor such a fun, well-organized event for so long is amazing.

The Clyde’s course is hilly. Very hilly. Everyone remembers that three-fourths-mile-long uphill on Route 108 between miles 3 and 4. But it’s the forgotten two or three shorter-but-steeper hills right after that do most people in. Myself included. All those hills and some early April warmth forced me to slow my pace and to take an unplanned one minute walk break right about 5 miles. I finished in 63:15. Much slower than the one hour I was shooting for. I was a little disheartened but there were untold numbers of comely female runners in running shorts and singlets to cheer me up.

But by the end, I found my second wind, the crowd was cheering, my kid was there waiting for me, the Clyde’s post-race brunch was wonderful, and there’s always next year.

Here’s hoping next year the 50 year old can break an hour.

Update 20 Apr 04
The results for the 26th Clyde's 10K were posted this morning. While I was the slowest person from Woodstock, MD, I was not the slowest 49 year old.
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It rained softly just before dawn. By the time I got out for my morning run the rain had stopped. The rainwater must have been very cold or too acidic or something because everywhere I ran, there were millions and millions of worms. So many, in fact, that it was kind of gross to tromp on them as I jogged. They were all over the sidewalks and streets all wriggling and squirming. It was very strange.
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I abandoned the treadmill in the workout room for my morning run today. The treadmill is boring and I get just too pissed off watching the codgers hog them for their power walking. (Which, by the by, they could do later in the morning giving people who have to work an opportunity to use them.)

Instead I just opened the door and enjoyed the Maryland winter. The wind of the last two days has diminished, so even though it was only 14F when I headed out for my run, the beautiful clear sky together with the remnants of last Sunday's snow made for a great morning jog. Today the windchill and the air temperature were the same.

And I'll tell you what... a run when it's 14F is a heck of a lot better than the same run 6 months from now when the temperature is 70 degrees hotter.
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It was 19 degrees outside when I headed out for my morning 5-miler. Thankfully no wind. Coldest run in a while.

Running in the teens is still better than a treadmill.
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(Note change in units to accommodate blog visitors from the British Royal Navy.)

I used the treadmill up at the community workout room this morning for my morning run. I prefer not to run on a treadmill because it's soooo monumentally boring. But today the temperature hovered in the single digits, the wind speed was about 20 knots, and all the streets and sidewalks were snow-covered from yesterday's snow. Today an indoor run had a certain appeal.

As I jogged along the woman on the treadmill beside me said, "You know you run very quietly."

What a great compliment especially as I weigh in at just a tad over 14 stone.

I've been in the workout room with people - some of them very petite women - who have absolutely no skill at running. BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! as they jog on the treadmill. The crashing noise as their feet strike the tread is enough to drown out the TV. These folks can't be real runners; their feet and knees couldn't tolerate such pounding.
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I believe a passing mention was made in Plugs and Dottles about the Big 10 championship performance of the University of Michigan football team? I would be remiss if I did not recognize the other Michigan Big 10 champion team this fall: the women's cross country team who repeat as champs. They finished 4th at the NCAAs. In my dreams, I glide effortlessly along with them during our training runs together. In reality, they're all more than twice as fast as me and they all keep asking "Ewww, who's that old guy?"
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A- and I spent yesterday visiting James Madison University as part of his ongoing tour of potential colleges. JMU is about 2-and-a-half hours from our house. We did it down-and-back in one day so there were times when we could have some nice father-son conversations. (Like for 45-minutes straight on the way home once the 1-liter bottle of Code Red Mountain Dew he drank leaving Harrisonburg kicked in.)

Turns out his dinner party prior to the Saturday night homecoming dance consisted of 5 couples. All of the guys are on the cross country team. None of the dates are.

I asked him "You guys didn't talk about running the whole night, did you?"

"Well, not the whole night."

Those poor girls.
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