friday the 13th: tagged again!

i was tagged by kevin, a/k/a "5ks and cabernets." three months ago i was tagged by anthony. when i took a look back at how i answered the first one, i realized the questions are different the second time around! the kevin's tag focuses on running questions. here goes:

1. how would you describe your running 10 years ago?

non-existent! in 1998 i didn't run and hardly exercised. i was in the most pathetic physical condition of my 36 year old life (and had ballooned up to 185 pounds)! it would take 2 years for me to crawl out of that abyss of single malt scotch, wine, cigars, long hours at the office - and a move out of new york city - before i started to run in 2000!

2. what is your best and worst run/race experience?

worst race: a difficult question because i try to find the silver lining in just about everything. and, correlatively, if i can't find something good say, i won't say anything.

for example, the umstead 100 miler was one on my bleakest race experiences. two nasty injuries to the same shin, and having to drop after 78 miles, could easily be the worst. but in all other respects; organization, course, friends and family there, atmosphere, et cetera, the race was awesome! plus, i got credit for 50 miles, it was a new state (#18) in my quest for all 50, and i visited family in raleigh! what's not to love about that weekend?!

but, if pressed, one race completely turned me off: the 2004 pequot thanksgiving five miler. i was so displeased how it turned out, i vowed never to return (and i still haven't). i won't list the reasons - but will say, on the positive side, the course is beautiful.

best race: a choice between my first boston qualifier, the 2003 sugarloaf/usa marathon, or any race i've run with my daughter, katie. any race with katie wins hands down. each one of those races is priceless.

3. why do you run?

easy! i love it - and, most importantly, it keeps me out of trouble!

4. what is the best or worst piece of advice that you've been given about running?

tough because i never got advice - good, bad, or otherwise - about running from other runners. i will say "it never always gets worse," is my favorite mantra during a tough race. and i also like "i know we'll be there soon," from terrapin station.

but actual advice about running? "each of us is an experiment of one" to quote george sheehan. what works for me, may not for you. find what works for you and stick to it.

5. tell us something surprising about yourself not many people would know.

on running, most people see me as a distance runner - but i really love the track! intervals and track races are awesome! it's been about 2 years since i ran track races (at the armory or icahn stadium), and about that long since i did speed work. but the urge to drop back down to shorter distances and head back to the track is picking up steam...

at the end of your post, tag five people, post their names, and leave a comment on their blogs with the good news about the tag. when they've answered the five questions, they should, in turn, tag five more bloggers.

okay, here are my five:

anthony
emmy
john
dawn
and meredith