~Philadelphia Marathon 11/23/08~

[Theta]

Race for the Taste
This was my third running of the Race for the Taste. Tracy decided to accompany me over to Orlando so I set the departure time as late as possible in order to let her sleep. The race start was slated for 7:00am and late packet pick-up was scheduled until 6:45 so I figured if we left at 4:30 we could make it over in plenty of time. I was wrong.

I woke up at 4:00 and read through the final race instructions. "Road closings will begin at 6:15am". Holy carp. "Tracy get up, We have to leave now". She actually got up fairly quickly - because she stayed up to watch the end of the Rays-Bosox game and had gotten into bed less than an hour before.

We made it to WWOS with time to spare at 6:10, although I was still wearing flip-flops and had to finish putting my running costume on. I went through packet pick-up and chip pick-up while Tracy mingled with the gathered W.I.S.H.ers. Matt and Becky were there along with a few others whom I can't name because I have already forgotten their names.

I strapped on my shoes while the W.I.S.H. contingent headed for the Port-o-let lines. I headed for my own line to wait for the facilities and remember that I haven't zipped my chip on. Tracy quickly looks through her W.I.S.H. backpack and the goody bag and didn't see it. Holy carp. So I get out of line and head back to where I put my shoes on to see if I left it on the ground there. Nope. Tracy found it in the bags. So back to the end of the line I go.

So, I finally get to take care of business and before I'm finished I hear a plop hit the floor. Holy carp. I look down and there is a tree frog on the floor. So then I hear a little voice say "I bet that little frog can really make the next occupant scream". But another little voice says "the frog will get squished". So I gathered up the frog and carefully found it a new home away from the port-o-lets.

Happy running,

Chester
W.I.S.H. Half-Fast T.O.T. Marathon Team.

Holy Carp Plop, Batman!

 

[keenercam]

Colleen -- I hope your DD is feeling better. Poor little thing! And poor Mom!

 

[KeenHo]

Colleen~ (Just in case you need some additional pixie dust for DD.)

Well... I didn't get the 5 miles in I wanted before dance lessons tonight. In fact, Cam and I bagged the dance lessons too and opted for some time together out to dinner, then to Barnes & Noble to look around before coming home tonight. I don't think the all you can eat rib night at Stanley's Pub is the right meal for a marathoner just 11 days away from a BIG race.

I did get a much needed hair-cut tonight on the way home from work. I am sure my pace will drop a few seconds since I am carrying much less weight (in hair) and I am now more aerodynamic.

I'll get back on the wagon tomorrow for sure. However, I think I'll be running 6 or 7 miles instead of 5. My muscle soreness is pretty much all gone now.

Have a great night!



Howard

 

[Optimator]

Colleen - Alrighty now. I think ya'll are due for a break in all this illness silliness. Is the rash all better and is she starting to feel any better? Have you gotten any rest?

My weekend was wigidy-wack!

I've got absolutely no clue what that means, but I like it! It sounds like everyone had fun this weekend

So, now Bruce may have caught the bug? He's seen you run what, a couple of fulls and an ultra and now he gets what it's all about? Well, tell him "Welcome aboard." (Let's see how much the bug has him when he has to get out for a 20 miler ).


Chester - Sounds more like a trip to the lake than a race with all the carp and frogs in that story! Nice job again under some less than calming conditions.

Howard - All you can eat rib night at Stanley's Pub? Never heard of the place but it sounds like a great meal anytime.

Cam - Great job on your 5K! Are your scrapes and cuts healing?

Steve - Thanks for the advice for Kathy. She hasn't verbalized it, but I think the biggest problem is that it's her a$$ kicking foot that's hurt. It's just too hard for her to boot me or the kids right now. (Just checking to see if you're reading along, honey!)


I got 5.5 miles in tonight at soccer. It was supposed to be speed work night but I just didn't feel like it so I coasted a bit.

Then I was a little cranky on the way home and made the girls stop doing math problems (Sorry Colleen) because they kept arguing:

DD8: "What's 800 + 4?"
DD5: "Ummmmm"
DD8: "Come on, that's a kindergarten question!"
DD5: "That's not fair!! Waaah!!!"
Me: "Alright, that's enough. No more talking."
5 second pause...
DD5: "What's 1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1..."
Me: "I said NO TALKING!"
DD5: "But I was just..."
Me: "NO TALKING!!!!!"

 

[Jodi]

DD8: "What's 800 + 4?"
DD5: "Ummmmm"
DD8: "Come on, that's a kindergarten question!"
DD5: "That's not fair!! Waaah!!!"
Me: "Alright, that's enough. No more talking."
5 second pause...
DD5: "What's 1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1..."
Me: "I said NO TALKING!"
DD5: "But I was just..."
Me: "NO TALKING!!!!!"

Sounds something like when Spencer's rambling on to me about video games or some crap, and I'm like "Dude, i am SO done with you, leave me alone already." I KNOW I'm going straight to a nursing home the first time I fall & break a hip!

 

[CynthiaCindy]

Colleen – I hope your DD is feeling better and you are able to get some rest.

Sara – Nice pace on your long run. You are clearly ready for the half.

Howard – Nice pace on the 20. Glad you had a nice night last night.

Lou – Congratulations on a big PR. Not sure I could handle running into the wind.

Steve – I hope you had a nice time with your niece.

Jodi – The school fund raiser race thing sounds fun - glad no one was injured.

Chester – I was so distracted by the plopping that I forgot to congratulate you on a great race!

Mike – Hi!

Jen – Have fun in Disney

As for me, this moring called for 9 miles. But not just 9 miles. Within those 9 miles I was supposed to do 5 x 1000 meters at 5K pace with 2 min jogs in between. Holy Carp! Um, to say that this run was difficult is an understatement. It totally kicked my a$$! Admittedly, this was the first time I've done speed work in this training cycle (the first part of the schedule has only temp HOs and no speed and the second only speed work and no temp HOs). There were 2 other speedwork sessions earlier in the schedule, but I've missed exactly 2 runs in the schedule - guess which ones

Thankfully, tomorrow is a rest day.

 

[Theta]

Colleen - Is the rash all better?

She had a few hives last night too, gave more Benadryl so she could sleep. She is improving, about 55% better now, so things are looking brighter.

Cindy, cindy, cindy, what the h*** are you running all these miles for? I am exhausted just reading your training schedule. I think I got 7 miles in the last 5 days.

Jodi, I am a friend and I think it is time to be frank, but I don't think you will have to wait for a broken hip before Spencer will be 'introducing' you to your new neighbors in the home.

AH, MIke, good to hear you are instilling the love of learning and family togetherness.

Howard, good to hear you don't have any more aches and pains.

Cam, thank you for the well wishes for DD. She is feeling much better, it has been a week now and I think she is getting a little tired about 'mom 24/7'.

Chester, congratulations for yet another race under your belt.

Steve, so what is the deal with the knee? Do you have it diagnosed?

I hope to get out of the house today for a little walk/run. Today was suppose to be my 17 miler, but I guess it will have to happen this weekend sometime when DH is home. Oh, by the way, weather-wise, 82 degrees here.

 

[Theta]

Philly marathon and half marathon CLOSED yesterday!

Did everyone get registered???

 

[keenercam]

Whewww!!! Dodged that bullet! I was seriously wondering how long I could hold out on registering for that half (having just found out I couldn't do San Antonio). I am so glad the decision has been taken out of my hands!!!

Mike -- Sorry about Kathy injuring her more important foot. I'll assume you had nothing to do with her injury. Thanks for asking about the cuts and bruises. Both knees hurt during my run yesterday but definitely better today and the swelling is almost all gone over the right kneecap. Saw an eye specialist yesterday who confirmed I am not clumsy. The falls are physiologically legitimate.

Colleen - so glad DD is a bit better, though how anyone would want to give up being in your company 24/7 is beyond me.

 

[Jodi]

Good evening Bots

Cindy - OK, I'm re-thinking my position here on all your running and am switching my smilie from to . That run this a.m. sounds hideous!! Please rest & soak in hot tubs n' stuff!

Colleen - Glad DD is a bit better , poor little thing . Who cares about that 17 miles, you're on MOM duty & that trumps anything, right?

Cam - I must've missed something, did you fall-down-go-boom?

Jen - Have fun in The World!

He likes it, hey Mikey - You KNOW Bruce'll never run a marathon, he just got caught up in the moment...for literally JUST a moment . Where are you, Kathy & the kidlings staying in Philly??

For that matter, where are all the rest of you BOTS staying? Am I the only tool @ the...OMGosh, can't remember the name but it starts w/ a C & has suites in it somewhere.

Ran 4 TempHO today & felt it. It was a little warm, I shoulda went out in the a.m. instead. Oh well, it's done now.

 

[keenercam]

Yes, Jodi, for the Nth time in about a month, I fell AGAIN on Sunday, this time during a race (my first-ever fall during a race was the 2007 marathon -- a fall and slide of epic proportions, I might add. I don't ever do things halfway ). I think my running days are numbered.

 

[CynthiaCindy]

Colleen - I'm glad to hear that DD is better.

Cindy, cindy, cindy, what the h*** are you running all these miles for?

Short answer - both of my marathons really sucked. I was really, really miserable during the last 8 or 10 miles of both of them. Not a good feeling. So I decided I wanted to be better trained for this one. I don't know - I guess the theory is, be more miserable for 18 weeks of training but happier during the marathon. It all made sense back in July.

For that matter, where are all the rest of you BOTS staying? Am I the only tool @ the...OMGosh, can't remember the name but it starts w/ a C & has suites in it somewhere.

I thought we were all at the Embassy Suites. That's where I am.

Yes, Jodi, for the Nth time in about a month, I fell AGAIN on Sunday, this time during a race (my first-ever fall during a race was the 2007 marathon -- a fall and slide of epic proportions, I might add. I don't ever do things halfway ). I think my running days are numbered.

Cam I'm sorry to hear that. I'm glad that your bumps and bruises are getting better.

 

[Theta]

Colleen - I'm glad to hear that DD is better.



Short answer - both of my marathons really sucked. I was really, really miserable during the last 8 or 10 miles of both of them. Not a good feeling. So I decided I wanted to be better trained for this one. I don't know - I guess the theory is, be more miserable for 18 weeks of training but happier during the marathon. It all made sense back in July.

Cindy, I am just REALLY jealous about your running! I has a 4:48 on my first marathon and my last 6 miles sucked, in my mind, I really thought I could run a sub 4:30. Sara and I declared we would both run a sub 4:30. Sara accomplished her goal at Grandma's last year, but I got hurt. Congratulations on your training, be careful and stay healthy.

Cam, I didn't know you were consider Philly. You and Howard are always on the go, I wish I had your energy.

 

[KeenHo]

Hi there athletes!

I got back on the wagon tonight after 3 whole days off! I think I am better off mentally if I run regularly and keep up with my training plan. However, I am glad I took the time to rest and recover from my LR (20) on Saturday.

Taking a "ME" night last night was wonderful too. Cam enjoyed the "Smokey Jack Daniels" and I had the Original. Mmmmm....

Mike~ Check this out... http://stanleys-tavern.com/index.html

MAIN EVENT
served with choice of two sides
RIBS
FULL rack 18.99 ½ RACK. 14.99
Award Winning Baby Back Ribs slow roasted with choice of sauce
CAROLINA STYLE
MEMPHIS DRY RUB
ORIGINAL
SMOKEY “JACK DANIEL’S”
CHEFS CHOICE
EASTERN SHORE​

Tonight...yes, my training tonight...

Miles: 10.0
Time: 1:26:21
Pace: 8:38

Splits: 8:27, 8:35, 8:12, 8:37, 8:46, 9:04, 8:43, 8:29; 8:31 and 8:58.

I felt pretty good overall, I stopped a couple of times to stretch mid-run. Smart! My thighs were still a little tight from the weekend.

I looked back at some of my other 10 mile training runs for comparison:

8/31/08 = 10.0 miles 1:31:16 9:07 pace
9/28/08 = 10.01 miles 1:30:45 9:04 pace
10/15/08 = 10.0 miles 1:26:21 8:38 pace

Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

Have a good night everyone!



Howard

 

[Optimator]

Jodi - One or two more tempHo's and you are going to be a PermaHo (and VERY popular in the nursing home)!

Embassy Suites for us too.

Colleen - Glad things are looking up for DD. It was plenty warm around here today as well but is supposed to be cooler this weekend. Maybe your forced schedule change will work for the better.

Cindy - Congrats on the speed workout. Truth be told, I've only ever done one real interval workout. I usually end up just Ho-ing at a pace somewhere between the prescribed interval speed and a true Ho. Something to focus on in the future, I guess.

Cam - Don't be too quick to give up the running. Is the vision problem something that's correctable or something you can deal with? Maybe you just need some running clothes made of wicking bubble wrap .

Howard - Nice run tonight. That's great progress on your pace. You obviously should have gotten a haircut a long time ago.

As for me, I ran 9 miles tonight. Good, clean fun (well, other than the sweaty mess part of it when I was done). Rest day tomorrow.

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

Good Morning Teammates: Sorry I haven't posted much, but I've been really busy at work lately. That's a good thing. I've been liking my new job. I really enjoying being on an undergrad campus again, and everyone is so supportive and helpful. It's a good environment for me.

I haven't been doing any running lately. I've been solely relying on the bike to maintain my fitness. I've been doing a mix of riding my mountain bike and the exercise bike. I'll do 45 min or so on my mountian bike, or 30 min on the exercise bike. I have a 20 miler planned for Saturday, but I'm going to do a long bike instead. I plan on biking 3 hours or so. We'll have to see if my rear end can take the bike seat that long.

So I'm now convinced that my hip injury is a strained hip flexor. My right leg hurts when I move it towards my chest. It hurts more on the front of the thigh (near the hip joint) than on the side. I haven't gone to the doctor. I really don't have time right now, and they never seem to be all that helpful.

Colleen- I hope your DD is better. Pneumonia can be scary. I wish her well, and hope she's starting to recover.

Chester- I loved your RftT report. You had me laughing. Especially with the plop in the portajohn. However, I'm not sure I'd be scraping anything off the floor that plopped in the port-o-potty.

Cindy- Your training is very impressive. I wish I was as well trained as you for the Philly marathon. You are going to rock it. I'm sensing a PR here.

Howard- Your training has been remarkable too. Wow, you have been consistently under 9 mpm. I'm sensing a PR for you too. Was your plan to go for a PR at the Marine Corps Marathon, and then use Philly as a training run for Goofy?

Hi Cam- Sorry to hear about your fall. Hope you're doing OK. Looking forward to seeing you again in a month or so.

Hi Mike- I'll be at the Embassy Suites too. It's nice to know I'm not the only one that has those types of conversations with the kiddos. Give my best to Kathy. Hope her foot is doing OK.

Howdy Jo-do-do- You had me laughing about your interaction with Spence. You should get some sort of mother-of-the year award... How was the tempHo run? I'm at Embassy Suites for Philly. What's with Bruce not wanting to run a marathon? Is he coming down to Philly?

Sara- Haven't heard much from you lately. Busy moving furniture with DH? Good for you on getting that double digit LR in. I haven't done one of those for a month.

Steve- How was that final soccer game? Was your niece surprised to see all of you? Hope your achilles is recovering OK. Wow, you have the same injury as Misty May-Treanor.

Lou- Really nice job with the LBI run. I think that sounds like a great way to get your 18 miler in. WTG for your Phillies. You must be excited for them. If the BoSox don't get into the WS (which it looks like they won't), I'll root for the Phillies.

Jen- Have fun at Disney and with MNSSHP. I love your Maragaret Mead quote in your siggie. I've used that quote for some of my classes.

OK, have a great day everyone!

 

[Jodi]

EmbassySuiteBots-

OK, my bad, my hotel doesn't have a "C" in it, I'm staying @ Embassy Suites, too! Must've had a senior moment...looks like Spence will be signing me over to that lizard home sooner than planned

Colleen - How's DD??

Mikael - Nice on job on the 9er, but Cindy thinks you're a wuss for stopping short of double digits. PermaHo, PermaWench, I've been called worse.

Sara - Hi, how are you? That's all I'm gonna say

Jen - You're gonna LOVE MNSSHP! Have fun!

Hummus - When RU leaving Philly on Sun?

Dave - WTG, keeping up your fitness up w/ biking. I'd just eat bon-bons and hope I could run again soon!

Cindy - So do you have a PR time in mind for Philly?

HuggyHoward - What about you? PR-gunning @ Philly?

Cam - Stop falling, please! Make Howard hold your hand when you run!

Louisville slugger! - Congrats to your Phillies!

Link - What wildlife will you save in Philly porta-potties?

Who'd I leave out????
I'm seriously thinking about taking the day off tomorrow so I can finish my LR (18 miles). It's scheduled for Sat., but I have to be a corn cop (Remember last year? YES, again!) to raise $ for my kid's school (I'm SO done with fundraising CRAP) & don't feel like getting up @ the butt-crack to run before walking around aimlessly through a corn maze. I'll let you know what happens!

 

[msblrobs]

I'm seriously thinking about taking the day off tomorrow so I can finish my LR (18 miles).

Um, don't you work for your family? Isn't it merely just a call to your dad telling him you've got STD over the weekend and NEED to do 18 miles on Friday so you can't grace him with your presence?

 

[KeenHo]

Sara wrote: Um, don't you work for your family? Isn't it merely just a call to your dad telling him you've got STD over the weekend and NEED to do 18 miles on Friday so you can't grace him with your presence?

What? Jodi got an STD over the weekend? I thought that Sara would be more prone to that with all of the "furniture moving" going on lately. Either way, someone should get to a Doctor soon.

Jodi~ I am really hoping to PR at the Marine Corps Marathon on 10/26. If I can parlee that into another in Philly with all of you guys, so much the better. I guess it will depend on how low (or high?) I set the bar at MCM. As Dave mentioned I guess I have the option of cruising along in Philly and using it as a trainer for Goofy PLUS in January. However, I am sure I'll want to lay it all out there again. My training between MCM and Philly will be key.

By the way, I enjoy holding Cam's hand as often as possible. Helping her around the course would be fun... however, she likes to perform on her own at her pace. I think she must be prone to falling... she fell for me didn't she?

Have a great Thursday!



Howard

 

[msblrobs]

What? Jodi got an STD over the weekend? I thought that Sara would be more prone to that with all of the "furniture moving" going on lately. Either way, someone should get to a Doctor soon.

I'll blame it on the taper madness but please don't be spreading that rumor or that I started it . I think Jodi seriously could kick my a@@ and I know she could definitely out run me .

Jodi - , Howard KNEW I meant "sh*# to do". Best of luck on your LR and for hours and hours of hay maze fun