merry christmas 2010!!

merry christmas everyone!!

i just couldn't resist this image - normally i'd opt for a vintage merry christmas card. but this year, with news in the air that boston plans to announce tighter qualifying standards next month - and, more importantly, i'm in need of a bq for the 2012 race - it seems almost perfect :D for the non-runners out there, traditional christmas greeting will return next year!

we're just about to open the presents under the tree. this afternoon my brother and his family will join us for christmas dinner. my mom has already begun work on it as i write this post! somewhere between presents and dinner i have to find some time to run a few miles. my plan was to run the 10k at the christmas marathon. but a trip to van cortlandt park doesn't seem likely at this point. too much activity here!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2010 norfolk pub 10 miler: race report

i worked on this report (which was planned as a short recap) a handful of times since saturday, but was repeatedly overtaken by christmas week events - a final exam (and the attendant grading) for my undergrad students, a couple of client meeting to execute documents, a christmas tree, christmas lights (inside and out), and our office holiday lunch (this year, at les halles downtown). it's been a busy, but fun (except for the grading) stretch. the only negative was the increasingly ice box-like conditions for running. it's been a brutal slog logging the miles this week.

by now it seems that the norfolk pub 10 miler is a distant memory. this is one of my favorite 10 milers - and one of my favorite race distances at that. it was my 3rd norfolk pub in 2 years (with 2009 seeing one race in january (the postponed 2008 edition) and one in december). it's a tough, hilly course - ignoring the usually freezer-like weather conditions that somehow manage to arrive for race day (and a hometown logo that's apt, "norfolk: the icebox of connecticut").

my times up there have been pretty inconsistent: 1:20, 1:15, and 1:25 (this time around). i had a time goal of 1:20 in mind on the drive up with emmy. an 8:00 pace was about the best i could push - and even that was too optimistic. instead, the race morphed into a long training run. i found myself walking up all the major hills (basically three) and running the rest. rather than that 1:20 i envisioned, i didn't break 1:25 (finishing in 1:25:10).

i wasn't disappointed because, when the running was all said and done, there was some great post-race socializing at the pub. one of the best perks of this old school event (low fee, no shirt, tough course) was the beer each runner was entitled to for trading in his bib tag! todd (who was running his first norfolk pub 10 miler), emmy, lyn, and i had a great time at sitting at the bar drinking berkshire pale ales! and, an even brighter spot was the $20 emmy won for taking first in her age group!

for the record, here are my splits:

7:41
9:30 17:12
8:18 25:30
8:24 33:54
8:01 41:55
8:02 49:58
8:10 58:09
10:37 1:08:46
7:25 1:16:11
8:58 1:25:10

8:31 pace

on a technical level, i wore my road shoes for the race. i should have gone with trail shoes because there was plenty of snow (and some ice) on the dirt roads. while it didn't make a too much of a difference this time around, trail shoes would have made a positive difference racing the course.

the next day, switching gears and regions, i went to fairfield for the annual holiday run for toys 5k. i managed to pick up the pace on the nice, flat loop course (with about a mile run on trails) for a 23:26, 7:30 pace.

a couple of days later, tuesday, i did a 10 mile training run (via the post road where the hills aren't an issue). with no walking breaks, i ran a comfortable 1:22, which made me smile at the stark contrast between relative effort for the two 10 mile distances :D

here are my 2010 race photos

happy 2010 winter solstice

while the official winter solstice is just over 2 hours from now, as i post this - here in the northeast, winter arrived 3 weeks ago. it seems like we've had an incredible run of below average temperatures for december, with no abatement in sight. maybe the weather picture will balance out next month with a warmer than usual january.

even though winter is my least favorite season, it's still fun to get out there and run - if only to savor the warmth when you get back inside - haha. in a great surprise the folks who brought us the free thanksgiving day races at van cortlandt park are back with another series to celebrate christmas on saturday. i'll be there for the 10k - and wish i could stay for the marathon, but have to get home to prepare dinner (a pleasant replay of my thanksgiving)!

happy winter solstice everyone!

2010 holiday run for toys 5k: race photos and results

the turnout for the 2010 holiday run for toys 5k was more than twice that of the 2009 edition (both "versions" of the race last year). tough weather resulted in such a low turnout for the originally scheduled 5k last year (which i missed), that marty scheduled a rerun the following weekend (which i ran). great weather, albeit nippy, this time around - and a huge crowd to go along with it!

this was going to my last race of 2010 - but the great folks that brought us the thanksgiving marathon (and half, and 10k) at van cortlandt park last month are bringing us a christmas version next weekend! count me in for the 10k :D

here are the results from the holiday run for toys.

here are photos from the 2009 edition (a/k/a the "rerun").

2010 norfolk pub 10 miler: race photos and results

this was my 3rd straight norfolk pub 10 miler. it's an awesome (read tough) course and fun race overall (which includes post-race beer at it's namesake pub)! in addition to emmy, lyn was back for another go. todd and brian ran it for the first time. it was todd's first 10 miler, in fact, and he knocked off a 1:13 - pretty excellent for someone who's spent the last few months logging his miles on trails! emmy collected another check (the second in 3 norfolk pub 10 milers) for winning her age group!

race report to follow; here are the race results from greystone racing.

a few more photos posted on facebook.

the return of tights - or, confronting an early winter :(

i finally put on tights to go running yesterday - argh. it's not that i have a problem wearing running tights when it's cold out - but, psychologically, putting them on for the first time at the start of a new winter season is tantamount to capitulating to the arrival of COLD - argh again! every day still in shorts is a moral victory. mentally, once the tights are on, going back to shorts before spring is on the horizon is a tough call.

so yesterday's 8.5 miles was nothing special in the way of training - but a bittersweet milestone that winter has arrived very early this year. on the other hand, while i don't remember it as an especially cold winter, i did switch over to tights around thanksgiving last year! pushing it back to mid-december, by comparison, is a big improvement this time around.

on the topic of winter running, i also wore mittens over my gloves yesterday. in extreme cold weather (especially in windy conditions) i always use a base glove together with a mitten. the double pair keeps my hands comfortably warm (the one downside is having to deal w/the ipod). given the line layer of snow that covered the post road, i also wore an old pair of trail shoes to improve my footing.

yes, cold weather running has finally arrived - brrr :(

brett favre's record of consecutive nfl starts ends at 297 :(

brett favre's remarkable streak of 297 consecutive nfl starts ended as he sat out the giants-minnesota game tonight. even with an extra day of rest because of the rescheduled game (a snowstorm moved the game from sunday afternoon to monday night), his shoulder injury kept him out of the game. including favre's post-season starts, he's started a remarkable 321 consecutive nfl games across his 18 year career!

the next closest quarterback, with 205 straight regular season starts, is peyton manning - with an impressive 205. his brother, eli, started his 100th consecutive game - as the giants beat a hapless minnesota vikings 21-3 tonight. favre's streak is comparable to cal ripken's amazing record of 2,632 consecutive baseball starts!

given the nature of his shoulder injury, and the length of the remaining regular season (just 3 games), it's an open question whether favre can add to his overall total starts if he sits out the remaining games. he has repeatedly "retired" at the end of the last few seasons - only to be pulled back into the game. at 41 years old, it's a tough call!

anyway, brett, congrats on remarkable run!