First Quarter 2009 Results

Distance: 262 Miles [January: 90; February: 85; March: 87]

Weight: Stable at 140 lbs

BP dropped from 140/80 in August to 118/80 last week [donated blood, that's how I know]

Accomplishments: Sharon's 5K debut [vicariously, of course]; completing the 100 Push-up Challenge
Disappointments: Bailing on Caesar Rodney Half Marathon ... oh, well

Time Travel

The problem with running at 5:30AM is that no matter how relaxed and refreshed I feel immediately afterwards, by the end of the day, I just want to do it again to keep from choking the shit out of someone.

Then, as anger rises like a boiling tide within me, I take myself back in time: alone in the pre-dawn world, sweaty and breathing hard. The robins are singing their wake-up songs, the roosters are crowing their wake-up calls; but I'm already wide awake. The well-earned steam comes off my sweatshirt in the cold, crisp, clear early Spring air. My breath makes little clouds [a "smoke ring" if I'm feeling especially playful] as I gasp for air before taking a deep pull on my slushy water bottle just as it begins to freeze.

I take a few deep inhales, through my nose as always, return to the present and I'm okay.

Zen.

Old Dog ... Something About Tricks

Is this normal? I'm new to this coaching thing.

Saturday

Rand: I ran 7 miles, when I was supposed to take the day off
Coach: What'dya do that for?
R: It was nice out
C: Oh, okay. Take tommorrow off then
R: I'll try

Sunday

R: I ran 8 instead of 6
C: You ran 7 yesterday, no?
R: Yep
C: Are you trying to hurt yourself? LOL
R: No, I don't think so
C: How do you feel?
R: Pretty good
C: How's the hamstring?
R: Yeah, I think I figured that out! It's from the way I was stretching while hanging laundry on the line. I made some adjustments, and it's fine.
C: You got a step-ladder? LOL You going to take tomorrow off?
R: I'll try
C: ~sigh~

Flexible Schedule? Maybe A Little

Okay. So this is how my brain works.

D'Girls decided to do the grocery shopping for me. Why? I don't know; I must have done something right this week.

So I figured, while they were out, I could get a run in.

I did 7 Saturday [which was 1 more than "my coach" planned for me to do on Sunday] so I wasn't obligated to go out at all.

But, with time to kill and a light rain, I felt I needed to do something.

So, I figured, an easy 4 would be nice.

At the 2-mile turnaround - "You have 6 on your plan for today. Go for it"
At the 3-mile turnaround - "You did 7 yesterday; try it again"
Half a mile later - "You know ... 8 today would make a 30 mile week*"
Another half a mile later - "Go home knucklehead. You're gonna need to put those groceries away. Otherwise, nothing's gonna be in the right place."

I'm a case.

*Actually, it was only 27 for the week [I ran 22 miles last week and was thinking that was my total thru Saturday]

5th O'Hartford 5K

Hartford, CT, March 15, 2009

Bib #262 SHARON FASCIANI F HARTFORD, CT 31:25 / 10:07 Pace



Great debut, Cuz!!! Proud of you!!!

[Race report goes here, Shar ]

Next up: Bradley International 5K, April 11

Significant Upgrade

Yeah, we all know that March comes in like a Lion.

Y’all didn’t need to dump six inches of medium-wet fluff on us on the first Monday of the month.

Special thanks to the Winslow Township Department of Public Works with implementing an environmentally-friendly, thermo-nuclear, super-low-cost, and “everything-else-that-you-can-measure”-zero-sum, snow removal system … “We’ll wait ‘til the sun comes out, and the ice will melt.”

Yeah, that’s great … and would probably work for normal people who only have to worry about where to drive. Oh, and everyone down here has AWD anyway.

So …

I was stuck in for a couple of days.

I don’t do “stuck in” well. I’m the guy who goes out “whatever” I’m the guy who watches The Weather Channel looking for challenges.

I’m Nigh Indestructible.

In a moment of self-loathing I reached out to my best and most dependable friend.

She chilled me out; as she always does. I knew I could count on her.

Then, came an unexpected bonus.

“I talk to you more than anyone. Except ‘Lady A,’ ‘Lady B,’ ‘Lady C’ and of course ‘Tu Gemela’”

Wait … You mean … I’m … “One of The Girls?!!!!"

[big goofy grin]

It’s about time. I'm just so much more comfortable and at ease around them, more like myself. Sure I can be a flirt and a show-off; but I'm not competing for Alpha Dog-ness. I'm more accepted as myself.

Ever since Middle School, I’ve kind of been “one the girls.” I sat with them at lunch, studied with them, took the ‘girly sports’ in gym [lacrosse and field hockey]. Not in any sort of gender-identification difficulty way; just that they were more fun, smarter and way better to look at then dorky teenage boys. At first, it may have been because [with the difficulty I had adjusting to New Jersey] I was more than a little bit intimidated by the boys’ cliques. One girl, who I met right away, shared a Halloween birthday with me, so I had one friend I had one thing in common with.

From there, the circle grew.

Into High School and then College, pretty much the same; maybe a 60-40 mix of girl friends to guys.

When I entered the workplace, it was High School again. I worked for men, but made friends with women so much easier. The owner at the Ad Agency was a woman, as were the Sales Reps, techs and many of the Clients’ reps, too. My first manager at Lockheed … yep.

My coach is a girl and, in turn, I’m coaching my cousin, Sharon [in a very much “do as I say, not as I do” way]. My friend, TraceyB, often asks about Doe and I, in reference to our training, “How are you girls doing?”

So, it makes sense that I’m one of the girls.

Just don’t make me drink any fruity beer, okay?

Internal Chatter

Interesting conversation this morning …

Right Side of My Brain: Get up dude, time to run!

Left Side of My Brain: It’s 5:20AM

RS: I know, let’s go

LS: We were up late, go back to bed

RS: Can’t. We haven’t run all week. Let’s go

LS: Right, we haven’t. Why start now? The week is shot. Roll over.

RS: No, we’re just starting late. Let’s go.

LS: Dude, it’s probably still cold. Go back to bed.

RS: I put our tights by the heater vent, before we went to bed; they’ll be toasty-oasty

[after checking the temp]

LS: It’s ten degrees. Ten!!! … that’s like ten BELOW zero Celsius!!!

RS: Okay, so we don’t have time to run the same miles as degrees … But we can do HALF!!!

LS: It’s still going to be icy out there

RS: A little, but I checked the streets yesterday. If we stay on the left hand side, it’s pretty clear.

LS: When did you do that?

RS: While you were driving home. You really need to look around more

LS: Oh, man!!! It’s still dark!!!

RS: There’s a little bit of dark blue in the East, if you really look for it. It will be much lighter when we’re done. Plus, next week, Daylight Savings starts and it will be really dark again. C’mon, let’s go … Time’s a-wastin’!!!

LS: You’re not taking us back to bed, are you?

RS: Nope!!! It's a great day

LS: *sigh* Okay, start the watch ... I'll do the math. You have fun, enjoy the sights and sounds

RS: I always do!!!





5 miles - 43 minutes; a little bit of ice-cream headache.