March Comes In Like ...???

Chevy Chase:
Last week we made the comment that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Now here to reply is our chief meteorologist, John Belushi, with a seasonal report.

John Belushi:
Thank you Chevy. Well, another winter is almost over and March true to form has come in like a lion, and hopefully will go out like a lamb. At least that's how March works here in the United States.

But did you know that March behaves differently in other countries? In Norway, for example, March comes in like a polar bear and goes out like a walrus. Or, take the case of Honduras where March comes in like a lamb and goes out like a salt marsh harvest mouse.

Let's compare this to the Maldive Islands where March comes in like a wildebeest and goes out like an ant. A tiny, little ant about this big.

[holds thumb and index fingers a small distance apart]

Unlike the Malay Peninsula where March comes in like a worm-eating fernbird and goes out like a worm-eating fernbird. In fact, their whole year is like a worm-eating fernbird.

Or consider the Republic of South Africa where March comes in like a lion and goes out like a different lion. Like one has a mane, and one doesn't have a mane. Or in certain parts of South America where March swims in like a sea otter, and then it slithers out like a giant anaconda.

There you can buy land real cheap, you know.

And there's a country where March hops in like a kangaroo, and stays a kangaroo for a while, and then it becomes a slightly smaller kangaroo. Then, then, then for a couple of days it's sort of a cross between a, a frilled lizard and a common house cat.

[Chevy Chase tries to interrupt him]

Wait wait wait wait. Then it changes back into a smaller kangaroo, and then it goes out like a, like a wild dingo. Now, now, and it's not Australia! Now, now, you'd think it would be Australia, but it's not!!!



[Chevy Chase tries to interrupt him]

Now look, pal! I know a country where March comes in like an emu and goes out like a tapir. And they don't even know what it means!!! All right? Now listen, there are nine different countries, where March comes in like a frog, and goes out like a golden retriever. But that - that's not the weird part!!! No, no, the weird part is, is the frog. The frog- The weird part is -

[has seizure and falls off chair]

Someone's Gonna Need a Bigger Boat

Day 3 of Broad Street training and I'm still on Plan [meaning, I haven't over-run my Program ... yet ] Two days in a row*??? How long has it been since I've done that??? This is from the guy who was once asked by Coach Xena: "How long has it been since you took a day off?" ... And I couldn't remember

Not that my Mojo has left, as some of my friends have been struggling with, it’s just been the way things have been going lately, from a scheduling or meteorological standpoint. [Bad timing or bad weather]

As I was cruising around, my thoughts turned to my cousin, who took Silver in her Age Group at the University City 5K. She has no plans to defend her title in Philly, but I happened to wonder where her result there would put her in her NEXT race, judging by last year’s results at her racing debut in Hartford.

Subject: No medal in 2010 I'm afraid

5th O'Hartford 5K
Hartford, CT, March 15, 2009

FEMALE AGE GROUP: 40 – 44
1st Place - WEST HARTFORD, CT 23:03
2nd Place - COLCHESTER, CT 23:12
3rd Place - WEST HARTFORD, CT 23:13

Although a 28:00 could bring you in around the Top 20 for your Age Group … That’s pretty sweet – and doable, if you haven’t lost too much fitness over the Winter. Sub-25:00 gets you near the Top 10

Coach R

After I checked her time from last year, curiosity got the better of me. Doe has no plans for running Broad Street this year [or anything else it seems, which makes me sad], so it fell to my nearest male competitor. I checked Disco Bob’s 2009 time.

He only beat me by 3 minutes last year, just barely cracking 90 minutes … He slyly let me know that 2010 will be his 15th Broad Street in a row … being ever diligent, I checked back a couple years … He’s been LOSING 3 minutes every year, while I’ve been 3 minutes quicker for each 10M I’ve done!!!

Yeah, there’s blood in the water.



* Day 1 was a “Rest Day” … You know, to keep ALL the Mondays consistent

I :heart: my Coach

"Once more into the breach ..."

Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead!

Whoa … That’s a bit harsh!!!

I only mean to say that … when I said I wouldn’t be racing in 2010, it was mostly due to D’Wife’s job, since she works on Sunday – prime racing day – we most likely wouldn’t have anyone to watch D’Kid while dad trotted around Philly or Jersey or PA or wherever. Just for shits & giggles though, my Coach and I whipped up a 10-week Training Program for Broad Street, with the caveat “Whether I’ll actually register and run it is a whole other story LOL”

Well, two developments came together over the weekend

1] D’Wife approved of my Race Day Plan / Conspiracy, should she not be able to take the day off: Her BF works at Blue Cross and plans to Volunteer that day; if D’Wife can’t get the day off, Cathy will take D’Kid with her to whatever task she’ll be doing, whether is water stationing or something at the finish line

B] My brother’s sister-in-law [my sister-in-law’s sister?] told us yesterday at my nephew’s baptism party that SHE is doing it, too.

With those two pieces of the puzzle now in place …

Registration Confirmation for:

2010 Blue Cross Broad Street Run

Dear rudy,

Congratulations! You are now registered for 2010 Blue Cross Broad Street Run. Please check the event's official website for updates: http://www.broadstreetrun.com

God help us all …

Know Your Rights

"You have the right to Free Speech ... As long as you're not dumb enough to actually try it"

You are all on notice - one more issue with any of you and your ability to post in the PRT [Post Race Tent forum on Kickrunners.com] will be removed. Further issues, and your accounts will be closed completely.

I no longer care who started it; which side you're on; whether you feel justified in your disdain for each other or not - I simply am tired of it. Period.

Your subscription service doesn't give you the right to abuse this site or slice hairs to cause shit - period. If you don't like that - you can demonstrate your dissatisfaction with my decision by leaving the site.

I've informed Grizzly and Sierra of the steps required to remove your permissions from the PRT - and they both have the ability to place your accounts in moderation.

If you would like a refund on the balance of your subscriptions, then simply email me your PayPal account information and I will be happy to refund you that balance.

If any post; veiled or not - comes across the wrong way to any moderator whatsoever, your access to the PRT will be closed immediately. If you then violate any other rule - based on the moderators opinion in any other forum, your accounts will be closed.

Rich

Lock me out of PRT Rich, see if I care ... as long as I can VRAA.

Bringing Heat on a Frosty Morning

I woke up late this morning and decided to cut the 5-miler I’ve been doing lately to a 4-miler. I give myself roughly 10 minutes per mile, for morning rush sake, making sure to be home [or close to it] by 6:15AM to cool down and come back in the house by 6:30 and start my day [read” “feed my fake fish and play Mafia Wars”].

As I approached the mile and a half mark, a voice whispered to me underneath the nice cap my friend La Tortuga had knitted.

'Look at your watch”

12:30-ish and that included a brief stop for a “Hail Mary” at the statue of the Blessed Mother in front of our church right at one mile.

“Hey” the voice said almost seductively “You’re running late anyway. Why don’t you make a right here at the railroad crossing, cut it short another mile, to just three and … um … while you’re at it … put the hammer down? Let’s see what we can do”

I careful trotted up and over RR crossing and leaned right. I apologized to my friends – the ducks, geese and chickens at the farm down by the lake that I usually pass in the mornings – that I wouldn’t be seeing them today.

I cruised in and out of pockets of orange where the sparse streetlights lit the road, onto brighter surroundings as I approached “The “Main Drag,” such as it is [clockwise from my left: a candy store, a sports/fishing gear shop, a tattoo shop, Atco Ave, a crafts/sewing shop, mini-Library, Firehouse, a dance school, a carpet store, and a liquor store; on the other side of the railroad tracks: an auto supply shop and a body shop across the street from that]

At 2 miles, I was at about 16 minutes. Another 8½ [my usual pace] would bring me in around 24:30; not bad at all, going under 25 would sure be nice. I put “Downtown” behind me and threw a little more coal on the fire. I wasn’t straining, not breathing hard in the cold, frosty stillness; the wheels were turning over just fine [maybe a little confused, is all]

I was in a groove, for sure.

As I made the turn to head back home I made an important observation and a possible strategic error: I had a stoplight between me and the finish. If I got caught on the wrong side of a red light and [now on the other side of 6AM where the traffic starts to pick up] my “time trial” could be screwed.

‘Oh well, ‘ I thought, ‘best not think about that, just yet.’

One thing about running in the dark; it’s hard to pace yourself. I generally keep pace by the Team Tania blinky on my back: if it’s not moving = too slow; bouncing all over = too fast. I put it in a firm but even rhythm as I rushed to the Pike.

Green turned to amber, which turned to red shortly thereafter. Then, back to green.

Twenty yards or so from Dominos, it went amber. I slowed as it went red. Fortunately, there were only five cars waiting [two westbound and three eastbound], and none coming that I couldn’t beat across the street.

I nodded for them to go, crossed and began my final approach; a gentle decline, past some townhouses, a vacant field and a junkyard.

The Public School kids were already waiting for their bus as I returned to our development.

‘Okay, make it look good’ I advised myself. With a surprise, I reached for another gear and I found a … um, what’s it called … when you run REAL fast at the end … Oh yeah!!! A “Kick!!!” That's it!!! I had a Kick!!!

I barreled over the rise at the top of my street and back down to the end of my driveway.

DONE!!!

I stopped my watch.

23:48

Now, I WAS breathing hard. Puffy clouds of exertion floated around my head; a sweaty mist rose from my fleece sweatshirt. I unzipped my collars [yeah, BOTH of them], rolled up my sleeves and took off my hat. I scratched my head partially from amazement but most mostly because, as soft as the wool was, it was still kind of itchy. The sweaty shag on my noggin froze instantly into icy punk-rock spikes.

“Dude” I said to myself, “You haven’t changed a bit. You’ve still got it”