So I left the house this a.m. at 6:15, ready to meet my friend, John, and to go for a 21+ mile run to the top of Heartbreak Hill and back.
John finished with no trouble, but we parted ways with about 5 miles to go...my stamina just didn't compare...and, I called in the cavalry at with about 3 miles to go. My net run was still a decent 18.8 miler, but it bugs me to not finish at my goal distance, especially with my trip to China next week and uncertain sleep/training time in next week or so...
John and I talk a lot about the mental aspects of running when we're out, and today was just one of those days; distraction and the threat of missing a 10:00 town meeting forced my head out of the tranquil rhythm of my shuffling feet and the musical sloshing of water in my "camel back" hydration backpack.
Oh well, overall, I'm feeling strong and no major aches and pains other than a few small blisters -- time to lose the thicker "cold weather" socks permanently! I can't believe the marathon is coming up so fast. 5 weeks and 2 days...I need a nap!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
5 and 1/2 weeks...and 2 Olympic sites to go!!
So I'm looking out a dreary grey sky, getting ready to log (hopefully) a double digit (12-13 mi.?) afternoon training run. As I plan my next "long" run (18-22 miles range) for Saturday, I'm looking even farther ahead...the Boston Marathon is in 5.5 weeks; CO Marathon in 7.5 weeks.
Between now and then, I'll have flown to China (specifically, Shanghai)and back; and to Atlanta and back...all the while tyring to eat, sleep, and train well...yikes. This is where I should insert a Tom Hanks-esque running version of "There's no crying in baseball"!
And as I look ahead to the next 1.5-2 months of running, fundraising, business building, teaching (oh yeah, and parenting, spousing, doing taxes, cleaning my office, etc!!), it's easy to get overwhelmed by it all.
One of the most valuable lessons I've learned from all of this running has been the need to get something done...Even if it's not at the pace I had intended...as usual, I have too much on my plate, but like the miles of all these training runs, step-by-step, task-by-task, dollar-by-dollar, the big, hairy, audacious goals seem manageable...just don't ask Lena about that office mess...it seems like there are some races I'm doomed to repeat :-)
Between now and then, I'll have flown to China (specifically, Shanghai)and back; and to Atlanta and back...all the while tyring to eat, sleep, and train well...yikes. This is where I should insert a Tom Hanks-esque running version of "There's no crying in baseball"!
And as I look ahead to the next 1.5-2 months of running, fundraising, business building, teaching (oh yeah, and parenting, spousing, doing taxes, cleaning my office, etc!!), it's easy to get overwhelmed by it all.
One of the most valuable lessons I've learned from all of this running has been the need to get something done...Even if it's not at the pace I had intended...as usual, I have too much on my plate, but like the miles of all these training runs, step-by-step, task-by-task, dollar-by-dollar, the big, hairy, audacious goals seem manageable...just don't ask Lena about that office mess...it seems like there are some races I'm doomed to repeat :-)
Monday, March 2, 2009
Weather - I like it or not
Running (OK, running and a bit of walking/stretching) 18 miles on Friday, it felt like spring. My pace was relaxed, the temps were in 40s and I was in shorts and a T-shirt. Yesterday, a little less relaxed,I raced to get a quick 7 miles in before the major snow storm hit (which it is, today!) bundled back up in pants, three layers on top, and winter hat, I'm reminded that March is certainly doing its part to come in like a lion.
But, there's nothing quite like running on a fresh, packed snow. A bit scary when the cars whizz by, but for the most part, the quiet country roads and trees absorb all but the sounds of my sneakers, literally crunching the snow. I try to keep my iPod to a reverent, low volume...sometimes I pause it altogether just to here the silence...it's pretty amazing.
As I watch the inches of heavy wet snow pile up today, I'm glad I snuck in that last 7-mile. With exactly 7 weeks to go before the Boston Marathon (OK, 7 weeks, 4 hours and 35 minutes, to be exact), I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be sporting the shorts and T-shirt look come April 20th...I'm all too happy to give up the 3-layered look at Mother Nature's earliest convenience!
But, there's nothing quite like running on a fresh, packed snow. A bit scary when the cars whizz by, but for the most part, the quiet country roads and trees absorb all but the sounds of my sneakers, literally crunching the snow. I try to keep my iPod to a reverent, low volume...sometimes I pause it altogether just to here the silence...it's pretty amazing.
As I watch the inches of heavy wet snow pile up today, I'm glad I snuck in that last 7-mile. With exactly 7 weeks to go before the Boston Marathon (OK, 7 weeks, 4 hours and 35 minutes, to be exact), I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be sporting the shorts and T-shirt look come April 20th...I'm all too happy to give up the 3-layered look at Mother Nature's earliest convenience!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Running to stand still?
So, I'm writing my first entry since (1) finishing the Maine Marathon in personal record pace of 3 hours, 42 min and 41 seconds and (2) committing to running 2 marathons in 2 weeks (Boston and Colorado)
What's funny is that my previous post (from last fall) mentions a guy named Duffy...wouldn't ya know I was out for a grueling 18 mile training run yesterday and as I'm heading home (INTO a headwind, mind you, after stopping to walk for about 1/4 mile in the below 20 degree wind-chill), who should I see parked on the side of the road, but Duffy...he's since participated in 2 more triathelons, so I don't dare compare.
What I will say is this - inspiration takes interesting forms and arrives at interesting moments...just as my mind was saying "pack it in", I pass this bald, cut, drill-sargeant of a guy who encouraged me, congratulated me and with a simple smile, a handshake and sincere recollection of our shared run last fall, inspired me to leg out my last mile.
I am in the process of training for these 2 marathons... a pretty serious endeavor for a guy like me (family, self-employed, traveling, marginally fit...you get the idea). I hope to get back to the sporadic blogging and will be interested to see whether/how much Facebook impacts my writing here...if you're reading, I'll keep writing.
Keep me in your thoughts, and spread the word that ESPECIALLY in a bad economy, the homeless and the hungry need our help.
Thanks, Paul
What's funny is that my previous post (from last fall) mentions a guy named Duffy...wouldn't ya know I was out for a grueling 18 mile training run yesterday and as I'm heading home (INTO a headwind, mind you, after stopping to walk for about 1/4 mile in the below 20 degree wind-chill), who should I see parked on the side of the road, but Duffy...he's since participated in 2 more triathelons, so I don't dare compare.
What I will say is this - inspiration takes interesting forms and arrives at interesting moments...just as my mind was saying "pack it in", I pass this bald, cut, drill-sargeant of a guy who encouraged me, congratulated me and with a simple smile, a handshake and sincere recollection of our shared run last fall, inspired me to leg out my last mile.
I am in the process of training for these 2 marathons... a pretty serious endeavor for a guy like me (family, self-employed, traveling, marginally fit...you get the idea). I hope to get back to the sporadic blogging and will be interested to see whether/how much Facebook impacts my writing here...if you're reading, I'll keep writing.
Keep me in your thoughts, and spread the word that ESPECIALLY in a bad economy, the homeless and the hungry need our help.
Thanks, Paul
Monday, September 22, 2008
Perspective
So... to make a LONG absence of posting and story short....
1) I finished the Boston Marathon last spring in 4 hrs 0 min and 58 seconds (though, stopped for a Pine Street photo op and hugs for the family, so I'll live with that 58 seconds knowing I coulda run in under 4 hrs! ;-)
2) As I train for the Maine Marathon in 2 weeks (Sunday Oct 5th), I was out running over a week ago...doing one of my final 'long' runs before tapering for Maine, and I ran for a while with a 42 yr old father of a teenager with inoperable brain cancer. He was training for an Iron Man triatholon, and was kind enough to share with me some fueling and training techniques for my 26.2 miles in Maine.
I share this story because I am constantly amazed by the running community, the kindness of strangers, but mostly the inspriation of folks like "Duffy" -- I can't imagine what he and his son and his family have had to bear over the past couple of years, yet this father and combat veteren was out there talking to me like I was a hero...inspiring and encouraging me as we shared the road for about 7-8 miles. I wish him well and I admire his courage and ability to teach his dying son two important lessons -- about appreciating what he has had in this life and about setting a goal and working harder than you'd ever thought possible to achieve it (or, survive it).
As I get ready for my next 26.2, I remain in awe of New England autumns and everyday heroes whose names we haven't yet learned. I am also humbled by my family, friends, and acquaintances who've so readily supported my charitable runs over the past few years. Thank you, and I hope to post more as I get ready to 'hit the road' in a couple of weeks.
1) I finished the Boston Marathon last spring in 4 hrs 0 min and 58 seconds (though, stopped for a Pine Street photo op and hugs for the family, so I'll live with that 58 seconds knowing I coulda run in under 4 hrs! ;-)
2) As I train for the Maine Marathon in 2 weeks (Sunday Oct 5th), I was out running over a week ago...doing one of my final 'long' runs before tapering for Maine, and I ran for a while with a 42 yr old father of a teenager with inoperable brain cancer. He was training for an Iron Man triatholon, and was kind enough to share with me some fueling and training techniques for my 26.2 miles in Maine.
I share this story because I am constantly amazed by the running community, the kindness of strangers, but mostly the inspriation of folks like "Duffy" -- I can't imagine what he and his son and his family have had to bear over the past couple of years, yet this father and combat veteren was out there talking to me like I was a hero...inspiring and encouraging me as we shared the road for about 7-8 miles. I wish him well and I admire his courage and ability to teach his dying son two important lessons -- about appreciating what he has had in this life and about setting a goal and working harder than you'd ever thought possible to achieve it (or, survive it).
As I get ready for my next 26.2, I remain in awe of New England autumns and everyday heroes whose names we haven't yet learned. I am also humbled by my family, friends, and acquaintances who've so readily supported my charitable runs over the past few years. Thank you, and I hope to post more as I get ready to 'hit the road' in a couple of weeks.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Happy Marathon Eve!
It's about 10:30 p.m. and I should be in bed, but forgot I had to update a few folks on location-specific ETA's for the marathon tomorrow. I leave the Start Line between 10:30 and 10:40, depending on the crowd at the start of the race -- that pansy, Lance Armstrong, needs a headstart with the rest of the so-called 'Elite' runners, so they'll be leaving at 10:00 a.m.
I'm hoping for a PR of under 3:52:00, so, I need to maintain well under a 9 min/mile pace for the first half of marathon, as I inevitably get slower throughout the race (if you track my 'split' times, this is painfully obvious!) So, ETAs are as follows:
Speen St. and Rte. 135: Between 11:30 and 11:50
Downtown Natick: Between 11:50 and 12:10
Wellesley College (yeah, the girls go wild for us wheezy, balding, late thirtysomething fellas!): Between 12:10 and 12:25
Downtown Wellesley: Between 12:15 and 12:35
Wellesley Lower Falls: Between 12:40 and 12:55
Rte 16 and Rte 30 (Firehouse, near Deploy/Kronos): Between 12:50 and 1:10
Heartbreak Hill: God only knows! seriously, about 1:20 - 1:40
Pine Street Team cheering section (1043-45 Beacon St): About 2:00-2:15
Wish me luck!! The way the Bruins and Sox have been rallying all weekend, I'm getting excited!
Thanks again, Paul
I'm hoping for a PR of under 3:52:00, so, I need to maintain well under a 9 min/mile pace for the first half of marathon, as I inevitably get slower throughout the race (if you track my 'split' times, this is painfully obvious!) So, ETAs are as follows:
Speen St. and Rte. 135: Between 11:30 and 11:50
Downtown Natick: Between 11:50 and 12:10
Wellesley College (yeah, the girls go wild for us wheezy, balding, late thirtysomething fellas!): Between 12:10 and 12:25
Downtown Wellesley: Between 12:15 and 12:35
Wellesley Lower Falls: Between 12:40 and 12:55
Rte 16 and Rte 30 (Firehouse, near Deploy/Kronos): Between 12:50 and 1:10
Heartbreak Hill: God only knows! seriously, about 1:20 - 1:40
Pine Street Team cheering section (1043-45 Beacon St): About 2:00-2:15
Wish me luck!! The way the Bruins and Sox have been rallying all weekend, I'm getting excited!
Thanks again, Paul
Friday, April 18, 2008
3 days and 2 hours to go (but who's counting?!)
I "toe the line" in a few more days, and am excited about the fact that, despite possibility of rain showers, there's no 'wrath of God' type of weather in the forecast like last year! Also, I'm breathing a bit more clearly today, so the trend is a good sign. Hope the congestion is completely gone by Monday, but I'll settle for an ugly, drippy nose over the chest tightness I've had over past few days!
A quick update for those watching at home:
1) if you'd like to get an e-mail or SMS/text message during my run, please send me an e-mail no later than by 6 p.m. Sunday night. I'm re-forming the e-mail list "wherespaulnow@googlegroups.com" and can add you to the list if you'd like 'event time' updates on Monday morning (if the little blip on the radar screen stops moving, I've either passed out or ditched my tracking chip and jumped on a train!) just kidding...no 'blips', just text and e-mail updates available.
2) My bib # is 23498 if you want to go to BAA.org to figure out how to follow me from there.
3) IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE WATCHING LIVE, on the route -- PLEASE e-mail me to let me know where you'll be standing...will do best to see you and wave/wheeze in your general direction :-) I'll post one more update here with my projected arrival times at key milestones so you can watch for me on race day -- I'll be in navy shorts, white (or dark blue, still TBD) short sleeve shirt with golden (almost orange) tank top with Team Pine Street printed on it -- will add my name in bold black lettering -- will also go with my 'lucky' red Red Sox hat which I wore in DC Marathon the day the Sox clinched the World Series last fall.
Finally, and I can't stress this enough, THANK YOU. Thanks to Lena, Noah, and Ali for your ongoing patience, love and support (including all the 'rescue' rides!!). And thanks to my donors and morale boosters -- this winter/spring has been CRAZY with schedule and erratic ability to train, so I am grateful for the good vibes I've received from my family and friends.
For all of you thinking about doing this...DO it! It is impossible to explain how this great energy arrives from the whole experience, but each year I have become even more humbled and thrilled by the Boston Marathon in particular, and the crazy notion that what started for me as a 'way to lose weight and keep myself honest about running' has also generated more than $15,000 to fight hunger and homelessness over the past 3 years. Wow.
So, take a minute on Monday to say a prayer/think good thoughts for me -- tailwind, healthy run, etc. but then take 2 minutes to be mindful and grateful for what you've got and remember those many of our neighbors and other people that might be struggling to hold on to what they have or that may be fighting to survive every single day with little to no support at all.
Gotta run! Thanks, Paul
A quick update for those watching at home:
1) if you'd like to get an e-mail or SMS/text message during my run, please send me an e-mail no later than by 6 p.m. Sunday night. I'm re-forming the e-mail list "wherespaulnow@googlegroups.com" and can add you to the list if you'd like 'event time' updates on Monday morning (if the little blip on the radar screen stops moving, I've either passed out or ditched my tracking chip and jumped on a train!) just kidding...no 'blips', just text and e-mail updates available.
2) My bib # is 23498 if you want to go to BAA.org to figure out how to follow me from there.
3) IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE WATCHING LIVE, on the route -- PLEASE e-mail me to let me know where you'll be standing...will do best to see you and wave/wheeze in your general direction :-) I'll post one more update here with my projected arrival times at key milestones so you can watch for me on race day -- I'll be in navy shorts, white (or dark blue, still TBD) short sleeve shirt with golden (almost orange) tank top with Team Pine Street printed on it -- will add my name in bold black lettering -- will also go with my 'lucky' red Red Sox hat which I wore in DC Marathon the day the Sox clinched the World Series last fall.
Finally, and I can't stress this enough, THANK YOU. Thanks to Lena, Noah, and Ali for your ongoing patience, love and support (including all the 'rescue' rides!!). And thanks to my donors and morale boosters -- this winter/spring has been CRAZY with schedule and erratic ability to train, so I am grateful for the good vibes I've received from my family and friends.
For all of you thinking about doing this...DO it! It is impossible to explain how this great energy arrives from the whole experience, but each year I have become even more humbled and thrilled by the Boston Marathon in particular, and the crazy notion that what started for me as a 'way to lose weight and keep myself honest about running' has also generated more than $15,000 to fight hunger and homelessness over the past 3 years. Wow.
So, take a minute on Monday to say a prayer/think good thoughts for me -- tailwind, healthy run, etc. but then take 2 minutes to be mindful and grateful for what you've got and remember those many of our neighbors and other people that might be struggling to hold on to what they have or that may be fighting to survive every single day with little to no support at all.
Gotta run! Thanks, Paul
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