Tuesday, January 13, 2009
2009 road races
With a new year, comes a new summer of road races. Here are the 3 that I am planning on so far:
1.
Harpoon 5-Miler, Boston MA - June 6
This race starts and ends at the Harpoon Brewery in the seaport district of Boston so for no other reason, you get to run right to a beer tent - which is frankly how every road race should end. Registration opens on April 1 - and no this is not an April Fools Day prank - so sign-up early because last year's race sold out in 3 weeks!
2.
WFD 6K, Worcester, MA - June 14
The 10th Annual Worcester Firefighters Memorial 6K Run & Walk has been a very hot race the last few years but as fund raisers go, this one hits closest to home. The family friendly atmosphere is such a terrific thing to see in a city like Worcester and the singing of the national anthem while you look at a flag hanging over the starting line thinking about 6 brave men who were lost in 1999 brings a tear to your eye every time.
3.
Sharon Timlin Memorial Event, Hopkinton, MA - June 21
This will be my first time running this 5k road race but I have heard very good things about the race and since the starting line is only 6 miles from my house, how can I not run it? Plus another road race [see Harpoon] which is raising money to find a cure for ALS is all good in my book.
Feel free to comment about other races that you think are worth running in the coming year.
Labels: Running
Monday, April 21, 2008
4 hours and 44 minutes later...
Labels: Marathon, Running
Friday, April 18, 2008
Now serving number 23005
Twenty Three Thousand and Five. That's my bib number for the Boston Marathon, which [for me] gets under way at 10:30 am on Monday morning. For those of you not coming out to the race itself, you can use
this page to track my progress from Main Street in Hopkinton to Copley Square in Boston - 26.2 miles.
The length of a marathon was not fixed at first, since the only important factor was that all athletes competed on the same course. It was the marathon at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London that permanently set our modern day distance. The 1908 race was set to measure about 25 miles (40 km) and to start on
The Long Walk – a magnificent avenue leading up to Windsor Castle in the grounds of Windsor Great Park. The Princess of Wales wanted her children to watch the start of the race, so the start of the race was moved to the east lawn of Windsor Castle, increasing its length to 26 miles (42 km). The race was to finish at the Great White City Stadium in Shepherd's Bush in London; however, Queen Alexandra insisted on having the best view of the finish; so, in the words of the official Olympic report, "385 yards were run on the cinder track to the finish, below the Royal Box". The length then became 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards).
So a big thank you to the Princess of Wales and Queen Alexandra for the last 1 mile and 385 yards of
The Long Walk.
Labels: Running
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Heartbreak Hill [will break your heart]
Yesterday after work I took a fellow runner's good advice and ran the newton hills [3 out of the 4 anyway] to get a sense of what is in store from me next Monday.
As you can see, there are some lovely inclines between miles 16 and 21 on the Boston Marathon route. It was a nice 9+ mile run yesterday and I thought it was a good primer and workout. Now how will I feel next week after running 16 miles to get to the same part of the course? I'm betting I will have a completely different outlook on those five miles of road.
If you ever want to experience this run for yourself, you might want to hook up with
these guys who run in and around
the hill every Sunday.
Labels: Marathon, Running
Monday, March 31, 2008
Border to Border [to Border]
The
Eastern States 20 Miler covers a course which starts in Kittery Maine and ends in Salisbury Massachusetts. Running a race of this length at the end of March, you are truly at the mercy of New England weather. On our drive to Maine on Friday we went from rain here in Massachusetts through a slush storm in New Hampshire to a full on snow storm in Freeport, Maine [5+ inches]. On Saturday as we walked around Portsmouth New Hampshire we enjoyed a blustery 30 degree day with 30+ MPH winds. So when I awoke to a mid 40's day with a mild sea breeze, I couldn't have been happier. The course wound through Portsmouth until we reached route 1A and followed that for the bulk of the run until we entered Massachusetts and reached the finish line. I thought it was a great course and well organized and would highly recommend it for those who want to challenge the distance, run through 3 states in one race, or anyone prepping for the Boston Marathon. Now if my sun/wind burned face would look less sun/wind burned I'd be happier this morning.
Labels: Running
Monday, March 19, 2007
The Streak
On December 8th, 2006 I started my quest for a year long streak of running at least 1 mile everyday. Since then I have run 100 days in a row covering a total of 150 miles - which is not much compared to last year's marathon training but it's still pretty good. I expect the daily average to go up significantly once the warmer weather gets here. In the same time I have also gotten some bike work in and covered over 200 miles in the guy in my building. Not bad but if I'm going to do a triathlon this summer, I will need more miles on the bike [and some time in the pool]. For all of those who are interested, here are the links to the
6th Annual Harpoon 5-Miler to Benefit the Angel Fund [June 2] and the
8th Annual Worcester Firefighters Memorial 6k [June 10]. These are my summer running standards and truly fun for the whole family.
Labels: Running
Friday, December 08, 2006
Some ideas for 2007
I have been thinking about next year and what goals can I set for myself. This year it was a
marathon, so what's left? Well here are three things I would like to accomplish next year:
1. Run Heartbreak Hill. Those who know the
Boston Marathon know the legend of Johnny Kelley and his, as the
Boston Globe reported, heartbreak on the fourth and final of the Newton Hills when he passed then leader Ellison Brown with a pat on the back only to loose the marathon when Brown passed him on the way down the other side. Since 1936, this 100 foot climb over half a mile has been known as Heartbreak Hill. The climb itself is not particularly hard but it is it's location on the marathon route, mile 20.5, which makes it all so difficult.
The Heartbreak Hill Striders run an out and back loop every Sunday along the marathon route, including Heartbreak Hill, and one Sunday morning this summer I want to join them and take a historical run over the hill.
2. We going Streaking! No, not the way Will "Frank The Tank" Ferrell did in
Old School but starting a Running Streak.
The United States Running Steak Association defines it as "running at least one continuous mile within each calendar day under one's own body power". I know I can run at least 1 mile a day, now I just have to make it a priority to get out there [or on the treadmill] for at least a mile everyday. Can I make it 365 days in a row? I'd like to find out and if you want to see other who are currently doing it, check out
USRSA's active list - 5 members who have been streaking over 35 years!
3. Swim, Bike, Run. Yup that's right, a
Triathlon. I'm thinking about an
Olympic length race which is made up from 1.5 km Swimming [.93 miles], 40 km on a Bike [24.85 miles] and a 10 km Run [6.21 miles]. Ironman length is never going to happen for me, I mean I did finish the marathon but not with enough energy to also Swim 2.4 miles and Bike 112 miles. I am currently eyeing the 2007
Cranberry Country Triathlon, which will be held on Sunday, August 26, 2007 in Lakeville, Massachusetts. I really need to get on the bike and into the pool if I am going to do this. Anyone got a wetsuit? Anyone want to join me?
Well that should about do it for next year and don't worry, I would never miss the
Harpoon 5-Miler or the
Worcester Firefighters Memorial 6K. They have become traditions for the summer running season.
Labels: 2007, Goals, Running
