Baltimore BOT-Fest

[MouseDogMom]

Howard - We ordered those temps special just for you. Hope you enjoyed them! On our first drive by ECU, we eliminated it too for the same reasons. Surrounding neighborhoods scared the **** out of me. Then it ended up being the only place DD would apply. (She did, however, let her grades slip enough junior year to eliminate UNC Chapel Hill.) From what I've heard about Andrew, UNC would be a great school for him (although I think he'd enjoy ECU as well!) We still get weary of hearing about the "party school" reputation that ECU earned in the 70's and has never quite been able to shake. As for NC State, heck, I live in Raleigh and think it's perhaps the ugliest campus I've ever seen!

Jackie

 

[KeenHo]

Howard - We ordered those temps special just for you. Hope you enjoyed them! On our first drive by ECU, we eliminated it too for the same reasons. Surrounding neighborhoods scared the **** out of me. Then it ended up being the only place DD would apply. (She did, however, let her grades slip enough junior year to eliminate UNC Chapel Hill.) From what I've heard about Andrew, UNC would be a great school for him (although I think he'd enjoy ECU as well!) We still get weary of hearing about the "party school" reputation that ECU earned in the 70's and has never quite been able to shake. As for NC State, heck, I live in Raleigh and think it's perhaps the ugliest campus I've ever seen!

Jackie

Jackie~ Thanks for the insight on the schools in your back yard. Andrew's Guidance Counselor spoke highly of ECU and said it would definitely be a school Andrew could get in to and more than likely get some scholarship money with his high SAT scores. As a matter of fact a few of his Guidance Counselor's friends graduated from and loved ECU. A sign on one parking lot mentioned not parking there after dark for their own safety. That didn't look great across from the entrance to campus, nor some of the boarded up businesses in the area. NC State isn't a pretty place, but it looks very functional, LOL.

This coming weekend we are looking at Washington & Lee and James Madison University. We might look at Duquesne in Pittsburgh also if it can be fit into one weekend trip.


I managed a "training" run last night:

Miles: 4.0
Time: 34:37
Pace: 8:39
Splits: 9:15, 9:06, 8:23 and 7:51

I am supposed to run 7 tonight, but I am donating platelets this afternoon so I will more than likely swap a rest day and today's 7 miler.

Jodi~ How's the footsie?

Lou~ Did you listen to the theme from Rocky during your run through Philly? I listened to it last night during mile 3. Lady GaGa and Blue Oyster Cult helped with that 7:51 mile.

Have a great day everyone!!!!



Howard

 

[Jodi]

Hey BOTS!

Just a quick drive-by to say HI!

Hi.

Glad you all are doing well...running; healthy teeth; college visiting, etc.

My foot is much better, thanks for asking-still treading on it lightly, though. Loving the Fives!! No one else, huh? Ran 4 yesterday a.m., then some in the afternoon along with bike riding. Hope to swim today...

 

[Cindylou]

Good Morning Bots.

Howard: Great job with all your warm weather runs. Good luck with all the college visits.

Jodi: Glad the foot is feeling fine. It is amazing how much training time it takes for a Tri. I cannot even imagine the training for an Ironman. I think I'll need to be retired before I can fit that into my schedule.

Jen: Glad the dental issues are OK. Hope the training is going well. Happy b-day to your DD.

Lou: Great job on the 16 miler. Too bad the other one had to be cut short, but I'm sure it was a good idea. This heat and humidity has been something this year. I won't complain about it though after the cold/rainy summer we had last year.

Dave: Glad you are able to be consistent with your runs. You'll be back in the swing of higher mileage before long.

Hello to Megan, Judy, Sara, Jackie, Chester, Colleen, Mike, Matt, Cindy and any other Bot or Bot-lurker.

I have actually made some progress in my training. I picked a plan. It was in a back issue of Women's Running. It features 3 key runs a week with XT or light running on the other days if you want to. As much as I thought I could fit in 5 days a week running, I'm starting to realize that 3 might be the limit for me with my work/family/life schedule. It's a 13 week program, but since the races I'm thinking about are 10 - 12 weeks away I'm just jumping in at week 2. The first LR was supposed to have been 10 miles, but since I didn't think my fitness level would allow that I shortened it a bit. I hope to catch up to the schedule in a couple weeks. This plan has the longest LR of 15, which I don't really feel is necessary, so if I scale it back a bit I think I'll be fine. I have managed to get in 5 training runs over the past 2 weeks, so again, that's some progress.

I'm still trying to decide which race to do. I have it narrowed down to Ridgefield, CT on 10/3, or Baystate on 10/17. The 1st would allow me to meet up with some other WISHers (Howard, Judy). It's a 2 1/2 hour drive but I could stay at my brother's house just 20 min. away. I've never done this race, so it would be nice to see a new course. Baystate on the other hand is just 20 min from my house. It's a nice flat, fast course. Several of my local friends are running it. It would give me 2 extra weeks to train. I hope to make a decision in the next several weeks.

Hope everyone is doing well.
Cindy

 

[Jodi]

CindyLou - I think you ought to do both races!!

Hey BOTS- Have we ever thought about Memphis as a destination for a BOT Marathon? Great city, and I'm sure they have a couple runs to choose from.

Pretty random, I know, but it popped into my head the other day...

 

[Optimator]

Hey All,

Just a quick pop in.

We just got back from a week trip to Canada last night. We all had a great time seeing my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandmother. Plus a little boating, fishing, and even a 4 mile walk with Kathy and a 6 mile run. We wrapped it up with an overnight at Niagra Falls.

Now back to regular life for a bit.


Howard - Kathy's brother and a number of kids we know went to/go to JMU and love it. I've never heard anything but positives.

Take care everyone.

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

Hey Everyone: Just got back from Chelsea Clinton's wedding in Rhinebeck, NY. Wait to you hear the interviews I got from this one: Ted Dansen, Vera Wang, Hill & Bill! OK, just kidding... I had a low key weekend at home.

I had a really nice "long" run yesterday with Evie (DD9 ). She rode her bike while I did my slow and steady 7+ miles on the canal trail. My pace was very slow, but it was a great day.

I did 4 days of running this week: 3 miles (more or less) on Mon, Tues, and Thursday, and then my long run on Saturday. I even did some x-training core work on Wed and Friday. I think the 3 days of running in a row is too rough on my legs right now, and I need more recovery time. I also need some new shoes too.

Speaking of which, I took DD9 shoe shopping yesterday, and we saw Jodi's 5 Fingers. She just had to try them on, and had a good laugh with them.

Talk to you all later.

 

[Theta]

Hi all, just got back from Canada too, the western part, I think Mike and Kathy were somewhere in Ontario.

I have about 25-35 mosquito bites on my legs, they were a hungry bunch.

Just popping in to say hi, I am reading everyone's post, back later.

 

[lourodrigis]

Howard - No Rocky theme for me but I did run past the Rocky statue. Great job on the runs again. Glad you can fit them in with all of the college travels. There's a woman I work with in Philly who's son just got drafted #1 by the Phillies. She said they were planning to send him to college on a scholarship but then the pro teams started showing up. The kid got a $1.6M check to play baseball and they gave up on college for now. I wish it were always that easy.

Cindy - Yes, it is tough to complain about the heat/humidity after the winter we had. I like the training plan. It is hard to find the time to run with everything going on so it's better to find a plan that you can realistically stick to...or just do my plan which is run whenever and wherever I can.

Jodi - Memphis sounds nice. I am actually contemplating a trip to Nashville before the year is out and may look for a race there. My neighbor is on assignment there until the end of the year and has a big condo in town that we can stay in. However, I have been to Nashville before and never Memphis.

Mike - Canada sounds nice. I want to go there with the family one of these summers.

Dave - Great job with the runs. Would have been awesome if you could have crashed Chelsea's wedding.

Colleen - Another BOT in Canada. Where'd you go out west? I'd love to see Vancouver one of these years.

Hey BOTs. Got in another 16+ mile run in Philly yesterday (9:01 mpm pace). Temps were cooler then last week so the run was a lot easier. Parked at my office and ran along the Delaware River (Penns Landing), across Center City, then along the Schuykill River, and back to the office. Ran along side a bunch of women tri-athletes as they were competing along the Schuylkill. There was also a festival going on on 2nd Street which is where my office is. I managed to limp over to a beer tent and grabbed a few pale ales before heading back home.

Have a nice week!

Lou

 

[Optimator]

Lou - I'm SUPER impressed that you're knocking out 16 milers. I can't even begin to think about such things right now. I consider half that a long run.

Miss Maple Leaf - I thought you weren't going north.

 

[Cindylou]

Good Morning Bots.

Lou: Fantastic job with your high mileage runs. Nice pace too considering the heat. Glad you were able to treat yourself to some liquid refreshment at the festival.

Colleen: Sorry to hear about all the mosquito bites. Ouch. Hope you enjoyed your vacation.

Dave: Great job on your consistent runs. And some XT too, good job.

Mike: Glad you had a nice trip.

Howard: Great job on all your runs despite all the time you are spending visiting colleges.

Jodi: I've thought about running both races, but I don't think DH would approve. We'll have to see.

My training continues. I managed 9.62 miles yesterday. I was shooting for 10, but didn't get outside until 1PM and the heat really zapped me. It was only mid 80's so I thought I'd be OK, but I passed my driveway at 9.62 and just couldn't make myself continue past. I was supposed to have run 4 of the miles at 1/2 mar pace, but that didn't happen either.

I joined a weight loss challenge at a Wellness Center here in town. I'm hoping to lose some of the 10-15 lbs I've gained since January. Most of it was because of all the stomach issues I was having, but some of it was because I like cookies too much. I'm fairly confident that my running pace will improve if I lose some of this excess. I have to pay $1/lb if I gain any weight each week, so I have a little extra motivation.

Have a great day everyone.
Cindy

 

[Theta]

Miss Maple Leaf - I thought you weren't going north.

No, I wasn't planning on it, threw things together in about 3 hours last Friday. My kids were teasing me that I usually plan things 1-2 years in advance, this trip was 2 days in advance.

"Kids, do you want to go to Canada?".
Kids, "When?".
Me, "Sunday?".

 

[KeenHo]

Howard - Kathy's brother and a number of kids we know went to/go to JMU and love it. I've never heard anything but positives.

Mike~ Thanks for the info on JMU!

Our weekend started off hilariously- we went to see Comedian Jim Gaffigan in Atlantic City, NJ at the Borgata. After making it home around midnight, we slept in a wee bit and then hit the road.

Our travels this past weekend were to Washington and Lee and James Madison University. We drove down to Lexington, VA on Saturday morning. The drive down was almost exactly 5 hours. We toured the campus and adjacent town and decided that the "fit" for Andrew just wasn't there. It was too rural, a small quaint historical town nearby but no draw for him.

We checked into our hotel, went out for dinner and we were in for the night. Sunday morning we were up early, had breakfast, and drove about an hour north to James Madison University. The JMU campus is sizable, the town of Harrisonburg is larger and there seems to be things to do there. So, Andrew said it stays on his potential list of colleges. The fact that one of his best friends is also going to visit there soon is a help to I'm guessing.

Since I was out logging 636 miles on the road this past weekend, I didn't get to run. I traded my XT day yesterday for a quick run:

Miles: 5.0
Time: 43:09
Pace: 8:38
Splits: 8:50, 9:06, 8:34, 8:21 and 8:17

I ran it "unplugged" with no music. Listening to myself breathe is pretty sobering. I need to get in and stay in shape. I felt the loss of fitness in just a weekend of not running.

Today is Cam's Birthday! We are going to dinner at a great restaurant (Iron Hill Brewery in Wilmington) and this weekend we are making a quick trip to Walt Disney World. We're staying at Bay Lake Towers for the first time since adding points on there well over a year ago. Looking forward to the trip!

Have a great day everyone!



Howard

 

[Jodi]

Hi EveryBotty!

Nothing doing on this thread, eh? Seems as if we've got the summer doldrums...or lives.

Can't believe you guys (Lou) are getting in double digit runs in this weather. Ugh!

Can't believe I haven't started training for MCM yet.

 

[Optimator]

Can't believe I haven't started training for MCM yet.

What are you talking about? You've been doing some running. That counts right? Please tell me that counts.

 

[KeenHo]

Good morning and Happy Friday BOTS!!!

Jodi~ All of your running (despite a sore footsie) and your upcoming Tri definitely count as "training" for MCM. Best of Luck with your TRI!!! Of course, we want full details.

I logged a really tough "training" run yesterday after work. I wondered (multiple times) why I even attempted it. It was 90 degrees and super humid outside.

Miles: 7.5
Time: 1:11:22
Pace: 9:31

It was so very (oppressively) hot, there was no way to cool down during the run. Very tough out there. I felt like I was carrying around 200 pounds of extra weight running out there, despite that my pace wasn't too bad I guess.

We fly to Disney World this afternoon at 5:20 PM, we'll be home on Sunday evening. We plan to spend Saturday in the Magic Kingdom and Sunday at Bay Lake Towers' pool. We are also going to be meeting some of Cam's Disney Bride friends for dinner. It should be a lot of fun -- an HOT!

Have a great weekend! Hi to all!!!



Howard

 

[Jodi]

Hey guys, real quick post about this tri-thing i did this a.m. I learned a few things out there today:

1. Swimming in the ocean is freaky & very humbling (& it was just a bay).
2. I REALLY suck @ biking
3. I'm not as bad a runner as I thought I was.
4. Being passed constantly by people while biking was particularly heinous because they write your age on your right calf b4 the start. With helmets on, I could almost convince myself it was all the younger crowds flying by me. But the reality was a 66 y/o grandma
5. Starting the swim in wave #3 (the 6 waves were 3 mins. apart) and being overtaken by swimmers from the 4th wave about 1/2 way sucked!
6. Being overtaken by swimmers from the FIFTH wave when I was almost done was just downright degrading!
7. I should have opted to start in the 6th wave with the geriatrics & first-timers .
8. You know how right before a race your heart rate is up in anticipation & excitement? That doesn't bode well when you have to swim.
9. Biking uphill is worse than running uphill!
10. People that do Iron Man's & 1/2 IM's are INSANE!

But I did finishe & man am I wiped out. The only redeeming moments I had came during the 3.5 mile run. I wasn't passed ONCE (I don't think, I could've been delerious @ that point), I got to do all the passing . All those d-bags with their wet suits, fancy shmancy bikes & padded a**es & tri-suits. Yeah, I got my own back on 'em . I ran like a BOT!


Did I mention I SUCK @ biking??

 

[lourodrigis]

Jodi - Way to go with the tri!!!! I give you a lot of credit...an ultra and now a tri. I would not last in either event. The swimming scares me. Maybe if it were in a shallow lake but no way I would swim that far in an ocean or bay. They actually had a death in Philly this summer when a woman drowned in the river during a tri. That was all I needed to hear.

Ran 17.5 miles today in Philly. The pace was a lame 9:15mpm. Didn't get started until 8AM and by 10AM the heat was kicking. I still managed to trudge back to my office and worked for 2 hours after the run.

Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend!

Lou

 

[Optimator]

Alright, I quit.

I am no longer worthy to post among such accomplished atheletes. People doing tri's and running 17.5 miles... I'm out.

 

[CynthiaCindy]

Jodi - I think it is awesome that you finished a tri! Congrats!