It has been cold here in New Jersey during the past week or so. It has also snowed a few times. To that, I say, "So what?"
Do not let the snow discourage you from getting out there and running. Granted, icy conditions may be a problem and I certainly would not want to see my fellow runners falling and getting hurt. But on snowy days like this past Saturday and yesterday, why not get on out there? If you do, here are a couple of tips:
Dress warm. For slower runners, that means bundling up - wear a few layers, a winter hat, heavy duty gloves and long socks. Be prepared for those items to get wet from falling and kicked up snow as well as your inevitable sweat. For faster folk, that means compression shirts and tights. Even at 20 degrees, you will be surprised how quickly you warm up once you get going.
Your shoes will definitely get wet, so wear an older pair. When you are through, crumple up pages from newspapers and stuff them into your shoes. The paper will absorb the moisture, helping to dry out the shoes before you need to use them again.
Most of all, have fun! Remember how much you used to enjoy playing in the snow as a kid? Now is not the time to worry about splits and pace. Rather, get out there and channel that youthful energy to have a ball in the winter wonderland. While you are at it, why not drop to the ground and make a snow angel or two?
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
I'm going to MSG for New Year's Eve!
I was 25 the last time I saw Phish on New Year's Eve. I am now pushing 40. It has been 15 long years.
That is not for lack of trying and also a bit for lack of options. To wit:
After the mother of all NYE shows (Big Cypress in Florida, 1999), Phish only played two such concerts in the next decade, both of which were in Miami. In 2003 and 2009, I was not in much of a position to do that kind of traveling.
Since then, they have done every Dec. 31 at Madison Square Garden and I have tried to get tickets each time, both through the band's own mail-order system and through Ticketmaster. I am happy and grateful to have attended excellent shows on Dec. 28, 29 and 30 in the past three years, but the golden ticket of New Year's was ever elusive.
Until now. This year, after applying for all four nights through mail order, I received only one, but the best one of all. Two days later, I landed the 28th and 29th through Ticketmaster.
Finally, it's time to break out the party hat and champagne flute (do I still have my Big Cypress flute??) and party down like I did in 1995, 1997 and 1999. I can barely contain my excitement.
Christmas? Who cares about that? Dec. 25 is just a stop along the way. The real festivities begin on Dec. 28. I hope to see you there.
That is not for lack of trying and also a bit for lack of options. To wit:
After the mother of all NYE shows (Big Cypress in Florida, 1999), Phish only played two such concerts in the next decade, both of which were in Miami. In 2003 and 2009, I was not in much of a position to do that kind of traveling.
Since then, they have done every Dec. 31 at Madison Square Garden and I have tried to get tickets each time, both through the band's own mail-order system and through Ticketmaster. I am happy and grateful to have attended excellent shows on Dec. 28, 29 and 30 in the past three years, but the golden ticket of New Year's was ever elusive.
Until now. This year, after applying for all four nights through mail order, I received only one, but the best one of all. Two days later, I landed the 28th and 29th through Ticketmaster.
Finally, it's time to break out the party hat and champagne flute (do I still have my Big Cypress flute??) and party down like I did in 1995, 1997 and 1999. I can barely contain my excitement.
Christmas? Who cares about that? Dec. 25 is just a stop along the way. The real festivities begin on Dec. 28. I hope to see you there.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Trinity Academy Reindeer Run 5K
I was itching to get back into marathon mode, but after my surprisingly good showing at the Passaic Valley Rotary River Run, I decided to try my luck at the third annual Trinity Academy Reindeer Run 5K in Caldwell on Dec. 7, a mere six days after the PV race.
This would be my shortest turnaround ever, but I felt good about my short game.
It was chilly that morning, but dry - only days before two snowstorms would slick up the region - so footing was not a problem.
Much of the first half of the race, mostly a straight shot up Smull Avenue, was uphill - not steep, but enough of an incline to warrant some extra work. If you have read my race accounts before, you know that I make my move on hills, but usually not so early in the race. Nonetheless, I went for it and, during the course of that first mile and a half, worked my way from eighth place to third.
By the time of the turn onto Mountain Avenue, I had a pretty good lead over the fourth placer, but the two guys ahead (clearly a couple of college track kids) were long gone. Literally. I could not even see them anymore. I was in third, but had no one to follow. It was a good thing there were no more turns on the course because none of the cops and volunteers at the intersections had any interest in directing me where to go. At each previous turn, I had to point in a direction with an expression on my face as if to say, "This way??" (I was working too hard to actually talk.)
At the Mile 2 sign, I started fizzling, but with a mile of mostly flat and downhill to go, I dug deep and pushed hard. I grunted an awful lot.
I refused to look back, but I had convinced myself that the person behind me was closing in, so I extended my legs as far as they would go on each turnover (my tactic at September's Heroes Run), even though I could feel the burn in my groin.
Up ahead, I could see the crowd of people, just before the intersection of Bloomfield Avenue. I knew that was the end, but...
Where was the finish line? All I could see was a wall of people and tables, but no chute, no clock, and yet again, no one pointing me in the direction of where to go. And here I am barreling at them at a sub-6:00 pace. So I yelled, "WHERE'S THE FINISH???"
Startled, everyone started pointing to my left, toward the side entrance of the academy where the finish chute had been set up. That did not allow me time for a final kick, but with the way I sprinted down Mountain Avenue, I would not have had much anyway. Besides, I nailed my finish at 18:35 - four seconds faster than six days prior - so who am I to complain?
I grabbed some water, coffee, a bagel and a banana and headed straight back to the course, cheering as many people as possible to their finish. One of my favorite things about finishing early is being able to give a little something to the folks behind me. I may have somehow managed to get myself in the top 10 percent of almost all my races, but providing some encouragement from the sidelines is one of the most rewarding things about it.
Speaking of rewards, what a day for swag and prizes! The registration came with a cotton long-sleeve T-shirt and the prize for the top three placers in each age group was a comfortable and cozy wool knit hat with the race's reindeer logo on it.
Even though I received my prize, I hung around for another hour for the award ceremony, since I came in third overall. I think it is impolite to place in the top three and then ditch. Heck, maybe I would get a medal.
As with the PV race, there were no medals, but instead I was given a $25 gift certificate to the Fleet Feet running store in Montclair (at the PV race, I received a $25 gift certificate to the New Balance store in Hasbrouck Heights), so the race almost entirely paid for itself!
Plus, my gift bag also contained another one of those hats. I have long been opposed to duplicate awards (when the overall winners also win the age group awards), so I found one of the volunteers and asked them to find the fourth placer in my age group and give it to him.
What can I say, I was filled with the Christmas spirit and the satisfaction of another successful race - my fifth best 5K (out of 29 since 2006).
This would be my shortest turnaround ever, but I felt good about my short game.
It was chilly that morning, but dry - only days before two snowstorms would slick up the region - so footing was not a problem.
Much of the first half of the race, mostly a straight shot up Smull Avenue, was uphill - not steep, but enough of an incline to warrant some extra work. If you have read my race accounts before, you know that I make my move on hills, but usually not so early in the race. Nonetheless, I went for it and, during the course of that first mile and a half, worked my way from eighth place to third.
By the time of the turn onto Mountain Avenue, I had a pretty good lead over the fourth placer, but the two guys ahead (clearly a couple of college track kids) were long gone. Literally. I could not even see them anymore. I was in third, but had no one to follow. It was a good thing there were no more turns on the course because none of the cops and volunteers at the intersections had any interest in directing me where to go. At each previous turn, I had to point in a direction with an expression on my face as if to say, "This way??" (I was working too hard to actually talk.)
At the Mile 2 sign, I started fizzling, but with a mile of mostly flat and downhill to go, I dug deep and pushed hard. I grunted an awful lot.
I refused to look back, but I had convinced myself that the person behind me was closing in, so I extended my legs as far as they would go on each turnover (my tactic at September's Heroes Run), even though I could feel the burn in my groin.
Up ahead, I could see the crowd of people, just before the intersection of Bloomfield Avenue. I knew that was the end, but...
Where was the finish line? All I could see was a wall of people and tables, but no chute, no clock, and yet again, no one pointing me in the direction of where to go. And here I am barreling at them at a sub-6:00 pace. So I yelled, "WHERE'S THE FINISH???"
Startled, everyone started pointing to my left, toward the side entrance of the academy where the finish chute had been set up. That did not allow me time for a final kick, but with the way I sprinted down Mountain Avenue, I would not have had much anyway. Besides, I nailed my finish at 18:35 - four seconds faster than six days prior - so who am I to complain?
I grabbed some water, coffee, a bagel and a banana and headed straight back to the course, cheering as many people as possible to their finish. One of my favorite things about finishing early is being able to give a little something to the folks behind me. I may have somehow managed to get myself in the top 10 percent of almost all my races, but providing some encouragement from the sidelines is one of the most rewarding things about it.
Speaking of rewards, what a day for swag and prizes! The registration came with a cotton long-sleeve T-shirt and the prize for the top three placers in each age group was a comfortable and cozy wool knit hat with the race's reindeer logo on it.
Even though I received my prize, I hung around for another hour for the award ceremony, since I came in third overall. I think it is impolite to place in the top three and then ditch. Heck, maybe I would get a medal.
As with the PV race, there were no medals, but instead I was given a $25 gift certificate to the Fleet Feet running store in Montclair (at the PV race, I received a $25 gift certificate to the New Balance store in Hasbrouck Heights), so the race almost entirely paid for itself!
Plus, my gift bag also contained another one of those hats. I have long been opposed to duplicate awards (when the overall winners also win the age group awards), so I found one of the volunteers and asked them to find the fourth placer in my age group and give it to him.
What can I say, I was filled with the Christmas spirit and the satisfaction of another successful race - my fifth best 5K (out of 29 since 2006).
Monday, December 2, 2013
Harold Schumacher Passaic Valley Rotary 5K River Run
One of the first 5Ks I ran when I moved to Little Falls in 2008 was this one, which starts in town and passes through Woodland Park and Totowa. Since then, I have run it every year except 2012. And in a banner year that has included my two fastest 5Ks ever, I ended up with the best result of my five stabs at this course. Not bad for a guy pushing 40.
I was sad to see that participation had dipped a bit this year, but who could blame people for staying away from a race that was jinxed with disaster two years in a row - first, getting postponed from its new Halloween date in the freak blizzard of 2011, then run in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy last year?
It is not an overly challenging course, but the hill on Riverview Drive that comes in the second mile can be quite the PR-breaker. Luckily for me, I have been training on that road so I feel I have some home field advantage knowing in advance how much energy to save and then expend on it. After running the first mile in under six minutes, I pushed up that hill and passed a couple of people in doing so. See you later, guys, this is my town, and my hill!
Actually, the race completely belonged to Rob Albano, a young man from Pompton Plains who won the Apple Chase 10K (at which I also nailed a PR) back in May. This kid is crazy fast. HE owned the course yesterday, finishing in a jaw-dropping 15:47.
After losing a bit of steam in the end of the second mile, through the residential south end of Little Falls, I picked up the pace and finished strong on the downhill to the end. I knew I ran a good race, but 18:39 was pleasantly unexpected. That is a mere 11 seconds off of my PR.
Meanwhile, as I huffed and puffed past the finish line, winner Rob was already hanging out in the parking lot. Amazing. The second place guy did a sub-17, but the next bunch were more in my competitive range, so I ended up with a 9th place result overall (of 144), taking second in my age group (which only consisted of nine men ages 30 to 39).
Still, that placing got me a $25 New Balance store gift certificate, so I am beyond thrilled with yesterday's experience.
Plus, I was home in five minutes.
Full results here: https://runsignup.com/race/results/?raceId=1075&eventId=11650
Friday, November 29, 2013
898-5875 - Reba's phone number?
"Here's an interesting little notion. Did you realize that most people's lives are governed by telephone numbers?"
(from Douglas Adams' "The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy")
For 21 years, I have been enjoying the song "Reba". It was the second Phish song I had ever heard.
And for 21 years, I kept getting thrown off by the staccato hits and pauses that come at the end of the composed fugue section just before the jam.
I finally decided to count the beats between the seven sets of staccato hits and I found that the section is comprised, in eighth notes, of a measure of 8, followed by a measure of 9, then a measure of 8, then of 5, of 8, 7, and 5.
8-9-8-5-8-7-5
Sounds like a phone number, right? So that got me wondering if Reba was a real person and if, in a crazy yet subtle way, Trey Anastasio decided to expose her phone number to the most attuned ears in Phish's tiny audience in 1989.
Or maybe Dougals Adams was right and, even without our knowing it, the things we do in life are governed by telephone numbers. And because of that, it was so incredibly easy to commit it to memory that I have not missed the beat all year.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Mountain men
"I'm the man from the mountain. Won't you come on up?"
While spending a week exploring the mountains of Utah, I could not help but sing songs that refer to mountains (yes, out loud, to myself), usually Phish songs.
At some point I realized while "Mountains in the Mist" may be the most direct and obvious, several of their songs make passing references to mountains. So many, in fact, that one can not help but wonder if these guys from the Green Mountain state always have mountains on their minds.
Mountains can be found in the Anastasio/Marshall songs, with lyrics presumably written by Tom Marshall - "Two Versions of Me", "Walls of the Cave", "All of These Dreams", "Back on the Train", "End of Session", "The Wedge".
If you count cliffs, there are more - like the "cliffside push" in "Limb by Limb" and the "unclimbable cliffs" in "Nothing". Even Mike Gordon, whose lyrics seem to be devoid of mountains, mentions a cliff in "Sugar Shack".
Trey Anastasio's own lyrics are chock full of mountains - from the early days of "Runaway Jim" to more recent fare like "Kill Devil Falls" and "Twenty Years Later". Most of the songs in his "Gamehendge" saga mention The Mountain. Even songs that are peripheral to the story refer to mountains or The Mountain - "Llama", Jeff Holsdworth's "Possum", and the liner notes to "The Divided Sky".
Even frequently-played cover songs have mountains - the lyric above comes from the Rolling Stones' "Loving Cup". And "Rocky Top" is, I presume, about a mountain.
Despite the multitude of songs I mentioned, I am sure I missed some. Mountains are everywhere in Phish's songs. Let us go on up.
While spending a week exploring the mountains of Utah, I could not help but sing songs that refer to mountains (yes, out loud, to myself), usually Phish songs.
At some point I realized while "Mountains in the Mist" may be the most direct and obvious, several of their songs make passing references to mountains. So many, in fact, that one can not help but wonder if these guys from the Green Mountain state always have mountains on their minds.
Mountains can be found in the Anastasio/Marshall songs, with lyrics presumably written by Tom Marshall - "Two Versions of Me", "Walls of the Cave", "All of These Dreams", "Back on the Train", "End of Session", "The Wedge".
If you count cliffs, there are more - like the "cliffside push" in "Limb by Limb" and the "unclimbable cliffs" in "Nothing". Even Mike Gordon, whose lyrics seem to be devoid of mountains, mentions a cliff in "Sugar Shack".
Trey Anastasio's own lyrics are chock full of mountains - from the early days of "Runaway Jim" to more recent fare like "Kill Devil Falls" and "Twenty Years Later". Most of the songs in his "Gamehendge" saga mention The Mountain. Even songs that are peripheral to the story refer to mountains or The Mountain - "Llama", Jeff Holsdworth's "Possum", and the liner notes to "The Divided Sky".
Even frequently-played cover songs have mountains - the lyric above comes from the Rolling Stones' "Loving Cup". And "Rocky Top" is, I presume, about a mountain.
Despite the multitude of songs I mentioned, I am sure I missed some. Mountains are everywhere in Phish's songs. Let us go on up.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Alexis runs Philly
This past winter I wrote about how I coached my friend Alexis as she trained for her first half-marathon. After that race, it warmed my heart when she told me she was hooked. As a missionary to spread the joy of running, she was my first convert. She even expressed interest in running a full marathon.
I suggested Philadelphia because it was my first and my decision to do it came hot off the heels of my first half-marathon. I knew it was a fun race, a great course and big enough to get a big-city feel, but small enough to not be too overwhelming. During the summer, she committed to it and started her training.
Check out Alexis' blog for the rest of the story, including all the excitement, nerves and emotions that comes with running one's first marathon: http://alexistarrazi.wordpress.com/2013/11/21/i-am-a-marathoner/
I could not be happier for her accomplishment. Her story made me remember the joy of that first marathon - breaking barriers, everything being so new, the thrill of the crowds cheering as the finish line approaches. Alexis reminded me of the essence of marathon running, something I may have lost along the way, emphasizing those lessons I learned a week earlier in Florida.
I suggested Philadelphia because it was my first and my decision to do it came hot off the heels of my first half-marathon. I knew it was a fun race, a great course and big enough to get a big-city feel, but small enough to not be too overwhelming. During the summer, she committed to it and started her training.
Check out Alexis' blog for the rest of the story, including all the excitement, nerves and emotions that comes with running one's first marathon: http://alexistarrazi.wordpress.com/2013/11/21/i-am-a-marathoner/
I could not be happier for her accomplishment. Her story made me remember the joy of that first marathon - breaking barriers, everything being so new, the thrill of the crowds cheering as the finish line approaches. Alexis reminded me of the essence of marathon running, something I may have lost along the way, emphasizing those lessons I learned a week earlier in Florida.
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