This is a forum for any SLR runner who is out of town to submit their out-of-town running experience with the rest of the group. Remember, just because we can't see you or find you doesn't mean you are allowed to stop running!

Tim Good, 10/7/01, HUDSON
Ben Richter, 10/7/01, NEW YORK
Joe Racine, 9/9/01, VALPARAISO
Tim Troha, 8/26/01, BOULDER
Tim Good, 3/18/01, CINCINNATI
Joe Balinas, 1/6/01, MALIBU
David Uy, 1/4/01, ENGLAND
John Yow, 12/27/00, FRESNO
Aaron Trent, 12/11/00, MELBOURNE
Aaron Cheskis, 11/13/00, ANN ARBOR
John Coogan, 9/27/00, NEW YORK
Joe Balinas, 9/3/00, ATLANTIC CITY
Dawn Henry, 8/27/00, WAIKIKI BEACH
Tom Nowicki, 8/25/00, NORTH JERSEY
Hank Donigan, 8/23/00, SAN DIEGO
John Warden, 8/19/00, FALMOUTH, MA
Heather May, 8/15/00, INDIANA
Tim Troha, 8/8/00, FOUNTAINHEAD REGIONAL PARK
Bob Platt, 8/8/00, NORFOLK, VA
Tom Stone, 8/8/00, COLORADO SPRINGS
Ben Richter, 8/3/00, HAWAII
John Coogan, 7/26/00, ANN ARBOR
Joe Balinas, 7/20/00, SAN ANTONIO
Hank Donigan, 7/16/00, BOSTON
John Coogan, 7/1/00, NEW YORK
Joe Balinas, 5/27/00, CHICAGO

 Oct 7 2001 Harriman State Park NY

 This was the 7th running of the Hudson Highlander. The Highlander is the 3nd oldest [I think] of the 'goat' style orienteering events. A goat event means it is loosely patterned after the Billygoat, an annual event held in New England or NY now in its 23th year. Goats are characterized by the following: orienteering, a mass start, requirements on the sequence of controls, climb (terrain permitting), longer distance, flair, fun, following and competive camaraderie. A normal [classic] orienteering event has specific guidelines on length and climb, individual starts, and following or assisting others is prohibited. For more on goat events see http://www.billygoat.org This is my 4th goat event of the year. Earlier I did the Susquehanna Stumble (PA) in May, Billygoat (CT) in June, and Hillbilly Goat Gruff (NY) in August. I hope to make the BubbaGoat (NC) in December.

 In addition each specific goat event has a few gimicks which make it special. For the Highlander these include: Length (a metric marathon 26.2k) which makes it about 10k longer than most King/Queen of the Mountain leg - a leg with excessive climb and awards to those who complete it fastest Sprint - A long leg on trails marked with streamers, minimal orienteering required, just a long trail run. Usually to get from one map to another. Location - Always held on some combination of maps in Harriman State Park or the WestPoint Maps. Off the Palisades Parkway, NW of New York City. This is some of the most technical and physical terrain in the US. Many of the maps were first created for the World Orienteering Championships in 1993. This area is very rocky and not conducive to very fast times. Control Codes - The control codes are the initials of the leaders from the previous year. This years course had 34 controls so the top 34 from last year had a control named after them. Time Limit - 8 hours Awards - To all who finish under the time limit. Plus something for the the King and Queen, male & female sprint winners, top 3 finishers in open, women, junior and over 50. For the first 6 years the awards changed every year and have included: shirts, shorts, sweat pants, sweat shirts, jackets & umbrellas. I believe they are repeating the cycle now. This years awards were collared T-shirts

 Once again I chose to drive up the morning of the event so I would not have to deal with a motel. Got up at 1:30am, left a little after 2 and arrived at the registration area just before 7am when registration opened. For the 3rd year in a row, I was the first one there. The race was scheduled to start at 9am. Weather was cool and clear in the low 40s but warmed up later and near perfect for running. Woods were dry in spite of rain the previous day.

 The prerace announcements informed us that there would be no Sprint leg this year. Normally the sprint leg is used to transition from one map to another but this year we were starting near a corner point shared by 4 maps. Instead of several remote map exchange points, we would have just one exchange area which we would visit 3 times. Each exchange would have some trail/road running to get in so we would still get the dead running [no orienteering required] we were accustomed to but not all at once. In addition there would be a forked map exchange. Everyone would use the same map for the first 6 controls, but then half the field would do controls 7-14 on one map followed by controls 15-24 on a 3rd map. The other half of the field would do controls 15-24 first, then 7-14. The last 10 controls would be on a 4th map. I am not in favor of the forked map method because it puts a large element of luck on who ends up running on your map with you. Running with a pack (or the failure to get into one) can make significant differences in your final time. The field limit of 75 entrants had been reached with about 70 actually starting.

 Because of the single transition area, pre-race preparation was much easier than in the past. Other years I have had to prepare as many as 3 sets of food, drink, dry socks, shirts, and spare shoes. This year I had my car right there next to the exchange area so only laid out two bottles of ERG (My rehydration drink of choice - Also known as Gookinade), some power gels, my bottle carrier (already loaded with ERG, power gel, asprin, and a baggie of toilet paper), one spare shirt, pair of socks, backup o-shoes, and a roll of duct tape. The tape is to keep the shoe laces from coming untied. I elected to wear my studless o-shoes and keep the studded ones for backup. The studded shoes have small steel spikes on each nub and give superior grip on rocks and logs, particularly when wet. Normally I would wear them but the leather on the heel counter is in bad shape & I did not want the rocks to scrape away the rest. The Harriman area is very hard on shoes. An hour before the race I ate a power bar, and drank about 32oz of Safeway sports drink. Just before the walk to the start I had a Power Gel (strawberry the caffinated kind) and two asprin. Should have prepared a 3rd bottle of ERG but took one more trip to the restroom instead. They would supply Gatorade and water anyway.

 [Most of the race description below is from the leg comments posted to the post race web site where we send splits and descriptions. (http://attackpoint.mit.edu select 'split list' then 'Hudson Highlander 7') I added additional explanations so you have some idea what I am talking about. It it probably much more that you care about. As is usual in orienteering races, the distances are measured on the straight line between the controls. No adjustments are made for elevation changes or the actual route taken. The descriptions also usually assume you have the map.] Race Evaluation Hudson Highlander 7: TimGood's comments - by leg

1. 855m (150m climb) 11:49 Before the start I was on the left side near Ken Jr [M21 from Baltimore, a former member of my club. Now at MIT. Member of US team.] and Joe B. [M35, from CT, member of US team for many years.] Not to surprised to hear that King of Mountain was the first leg since it had been a topic of speculation while waiting for the start. Ken led a group with Misha, Boris, Randy [M35 from PA, usually beats me, very fast in the woods] & I up the left. Others were also near by, including Joe a little more to the left. No one seemed to be taking the KOM to seriously since we walked most of the uphill. We took the small trail past the rocks. Joe headed N to the control while the rest of us continued NW to get around the green. [Green refers to the color printed on the map. It means heavier vegation than trees, officially it is 'vegetation slow, walk or difficult, and fight' depending on the shade of green. On these maps it is usually Mountain Laurel with poor visibility and difficult level.] When we reached the control there was already a line of people at the punch. [You prove you have been to a control by punching your control card in the numbered box. Each punch has a distinct pin pattern so punches in the wrong box can be determined. Normally there would be several punches at the first controls of a mass start event to prevent pileups at the control.] 7 deep when I got there. Do not remember who except for Peggy [F40, from Bowie MD, US team member for many years, several times US Champ, member of my club and one of my main rivals. I can run faster but she is much better technically and we are usually close] and Nadim [M40, from MD, Peggy's boyfriend. A very strong runner but still makes the occasional big navigational error] leaving as I approached. I took the split while waiting in line not after punching when I usually do.

2. 465m 4:27 Just followed the pack. Some people got a little high and dropped down after passing the control. I could see them joining the line of people on the way to (3) while I was punching with Peggy. Jeff Saeger [M50 from MA, good runner and orienteer, usually beats me in longer events (like this one)] was among them.

3. 400m 4:23 Most people were dropping down to the marsh, while Peggy & I contoured. Jeff disappeared, apparently to go back for (2). With Peggy and Nadim approaching (3), Jeff passes us and is first to the control. He is surprised by the code and says he has missed (2). Nadim has also missed (2).

4. 540m 6:53 Time Lost: 00:40 No more line of people to follow. JJ [M35 from MA, almost always beats me] is only just visible ahead. Behind me are Peggy, Bernie [M40, from NYC, one of my main competitors in my age group. Now on his home turf. Worked in the World Trade Center but was working out at the gym next door when the plane hit] and Doug Gosling [Do not know him]. Come to control via the marsh but hesitantly.

5. 2530m 25:59 Time Lost: 01:00 We all groan when we see the leg. Bernie says road run and he, Doug and I take off for the trail. We should have checked the contours first, since we run to the closest part of the trail by running downhill then have to run back uphill on the trail. Peggy and Dan Schaublin [M40 from NY, another of my age group competition, Dan, Bernie and I finished within 30 seconds of each other at the Billygoat in June.] take the easy contour and are ahead of us. Comfortable run on the trail with Peggy setting the pace. Ken Walker Sr [M50, from Baltimore, father of Ken Jr. Member of my club] has also joined us. On the road, Dan is a short distance ahead, then Doug, me, Ken and Peggy. Do not know what happed to Bernie. Cut in at trail just before Lake K. We are fairly well separated on the trail and cut off at different spots to see the marsh. Dan, Doug, & I converge at the control. JJ runs out just before we get there. He must have taken the non-road route. [He took the road but was ahead enough that I could not see him]

6. 720m 7:28 Run out on W side of marsh to trail. See Ken and a host of others coming in. Just aim between the two lakes. Still with Dan and Doug.

7. 3585m 25:01 Time Lost: 01:30 5:22 to exchange. 2:09 bathroom stop. 17:30 to (7). On the road our group closes together as we catch up most of the distance to JJ. Find out that Dan is on Rockhouse next (as am I) but I fear I will not be able to take advantage since I know I need to stop at the bathrooms. [This is where the maps are forked, and Dan and JJ would be excellent company on the next map]

 At the exchange I grab my map and ERG bottle and head straight for the restroom. Drinking on the way and studying the map there I do not lose to much time. Grab a fig newton on way out and can see JJ, Dan and Ken strung out on the road ahead of me. I lose a little time when I am stopped as I try to cross the road [there are designated road crossings, crossing elsewhere could get you DQed] by the lady who babbles something about Rockhouse & Polebrook. [Those are the names of the maps for the 2nd and 3rd sections of the race.] I have forgotten which map I am on already but know I should cross the road. On the 3rd loop, when I see that Polebrook does not cross the road, I figure out what she was doing. See lots of people coming in from first loop, realize I saw no one going out when I came in so the leaders must be much farther ahead of me. Maybe we were in the 2nd pack. Someone I do not recogize is with me and he crossed to the center of K. circle then to the right side of Seven Lakes Road. When we see the official road crossing ahead he crosses back before we get there, no wheel of penalties for him. [Any infractions such as skipped or stolen controls or road crossing penalties would be judged by the Wheel of Penalties with possible penalties ranging from nothing, added time or DQ.] Have closed a lot on JJ & Dan, and catch Ken on the trail by Lake Askoti. Cut in just past the marsh and no problem finding the bag.

8. 705m 6:27 Time Lost: 00:40 JJ and Dan are close enough that I can see what route they are taking. Had planned to contour more but cut through the green at the same place they do. Lost Ken somewhere. Running out the spur I realize my shoe has come untied. The duct tape is still there holding the ends together but the double knot bow has pulled out and come undone. I can not get the tape off and have a hard time retying with it on (40s). When I finish, JJ and Dan are no longer in sight. Continue the way I was going and spike the cliff. Catch a glimpse of Dan going to the green.

9. 420m 4:07 Time Lost: 00:15 Head straight for the green and find some good alleys through it. At the stone wall, JJ and Dan come in on the trail then pull me off to the small clearing to the W.

10. 840m 11:04 JJ decides to dogleg and heads back for the trail. Dan and I stand and think about it. Trail looks out of the way but straight looks rocky, green and risky. Safety in numbers so we go after JJ catching him on the trail. I ask JJ where he plans to cut off the trail. He says when he is tired of running on it, about "now" and cuts off when the trail first starts uphill. Dan & I continue. I leave when it starts uphill again, Dan a short time later. Lose sight of them in the green and continue on hoping for the best. Hit the cliff and there they both are.

11. 540m 14:08 Time Lost: 07:00 Straight, and not sure how we missed it. Thought I knew where we were as we passed the knoll to the S. Must have not seen it in the green. Followed green edge W checking carefully and eventually relocated from the hill with the undergrowth 250m WSW.

12. 855m 12:17 Time Lost: 02:30 JJ got in first and managed to slip away even though we had seen him go in to punch. Dan went along the S side of the ridge while I tried my luck on the N. He was winning, and got away when I had to stop and tie my shoe again (30s). They had also come untied near 11. Tried to do a better job so it would last until the exchange. Somehow I missed the bag as I went past and ended up on the clearing below to the NW. Had to climb back up to punch. [Controls 11 and 12 were my first big errors of the race. The time lost on 12 was especially important because it allowed Dan and JJ to get away and forced me to orienteer by myself]

13. 600m 5:30 To lower clearing to clear the cliffs then S to road. Thought about cutting in early to save climb but went all the way to clearing.

14. 255m 3:18 Time Lost: 00:30 Had not looked for (14) on way to (7). [It was near the road we had run out on and right next to the road crossing] Drifted R and came out to close to the hill.

15. 2025m 18:38 Time Lost: 06:00 3:27 to exchange. 3:42 bathroom stop and retape shoes. 11:29 to (15). Heard I was about 9th off of Rockhouse so figure 18th overall. [Actually Rockhouse map portion I had been on was harder than the Polebrook part, I was farther back than 18th according to who had passed the checkpoint but much better if the extra distance was included] I asked and they said JJ and Dan were about 3 minutes ahead. Could not see them ahead although I did see them running out on 3rd loop. Had to make another pit stop so repeated the procedure from first exchange plus took my duct tape with me. Hard time getting the old tape off. Power gel just before leaving. Saw Ken Jr,[the leader at this point] closely followed by Misha coming in from the 3rd loop as I ran out the trail. Control should have been easy but I messed it up. Thought it was higher and was past it to soon. Could not see bag from my location so went down first, then up to top, then counted cliffs and went to it. Realized later that I had not made the transition to 1:10 which was why I misjudged the distances. [The Surebrige Mountain, and Rockhouse Mountain maps I had used for the first two sections had been 1:15000 scale, the Polebrook Mtn and New Sebago Beach maps of the last two sections were 1:10000 scale. Those who had the Polebrook section before Rockhouse had to make the scale change three times.]

16. 610m 12:15 Time Lost: 03:00 Generally straight after going around ciffs to left. Came in from hill to WNW but did not follow the line of cliffs. Came out just to NE but could not see the bag. Could see the marsh to NE so felt I was close. Was checking rocks and begining to panic when Ken, Peggy and Charlie Leonard ran to it right it front of me. Bag was low and behind a bush.

17: 370m 6:18 Time Lost: 00:20 After my previous success with cutting through the green, I tried again while the others skirted it to the right. Got to the right area first and was running along the edge looking for the bag in each finger of green. Ran out of green, stopped and looked back and there were Ken and Charlie sneaking in behind me. Just like (11), I had missed the bag in the green. Do not know what happened to Peggy.

18. 300m 5:18 I thought I was good at picking paths through the green but Ken is much better at blasting his way through. We went straight through the green. I see now there is a trail around which I think may have been faster. No problem with the control.

19. 275m 2:58 Ken takes Charlie off to the left somewhere. I go straight, hitting the trail at the stonewall corner. Across the spur and right to it. Caught a glimpse of them as I dropped into the reentrant but do not know if they saw me.

20. 380m 3:58 Go high and run in the good stuff along the ridge. Figure I can not miss seeing one of the stone walls. Spike it, which is good since it is my control. [Remember the codes are the initials from last years placings. I was 20th last year]

21. 475m 6:18 Up the hill, through the rocks and through the green. Trying to hurry but not making very good time. Get a little N going through the green but see the clearing when I clear the green and easily correct.

22. 210m 3:05 R around green, cross stone wall and marsh then right to it. Must be slowing down since I would have expected a better time here.

23. 290m 3:52 Wondered about straight through marsh, but played it safe and went around to right. Checked off the stone wall corner and headed for the green when crossing the spur. Heard sounds from the marsh and saw Ken pop out. Do not think he saw me.

24. 230m 2:28 Think I may have hung a control here during a starburst training exercise a few years ago. [In a starburst exercise, a group of people start at a central location. Everyone has a map with a circular course. Each runs from the start with a control to one of the points on the map, hangs their bag, runs the circular course consisting of the bags everyone just hung, starting and finishing at their own bag, takes down their bag and returns to the meeting area.] Through the woods, since the cliff made it to much trouble to get to the road.

25. 1625m 11:11 6:01 to exchange. 5:10 to (25). Good thing I did not see that the map says this was only 600m to the exchange. Looks more like 1000m. Hurting a bit on the road run but trying to maintain good speed. [I have been out for over 3 1/2 hours now] See lots of people heading out for 3rd loop. Wonder if they would be demoralized to know that there were others a loop ahead of me. No pit stops this time. I only prepared two 20 oz bottles of ERG before the race and already drank them so drink two cups of gatorade and eat an orange wedge. Grab a cracker and go. I can see Ken Sr coming in behind me as I leave. Hard to get the cracker down, it is so dry. Consider the trail to (25) but road looks safer. See Eric Bone [M21, from Seattle WA, US Team member, he is in 2nd place] coming in to last control. Cut down just past road bend, control visible from way off.

26. 335m 3:01 Here is the trail option again and again I do not take it. Head for clearing near road then smaller road S past buildings.

27. 850m 15:30 Time Lost: 02:30 Catch a glimpse of Ken as I am leaving. After 2 easy legs this looks much harder. To road, then trail to power line junction. Powerline is unrunnable so go down to trail through camp. Probably should have just gone straight to bag from here. Actually should have stayed on road to camp and never taken the trail at all. Stop to take a leak and worry that Ken will catch me. Not to worry, look up and he is already in front of me. He took the road. I am closing as we walk up the saddle but only because the hardest part is at the top. When I manage to clear the top, Ken is out of sight. 28. 480m 6:51 Time Lost: 01:00 Do not like all the rocks on the straight route so drop down to the road. Think the stone walls will give me a good attack point. They would have if I could have reached them. The barberry [underbrush with little tiny thorns. Passable but just barely. The little thorns break off and you pick them out of your legs for the next week.] is all over and I end up skirting it to the NE and wasting a lot of time. Wonder if I should have tried to come in from clearing W of bag. Control was easy once I got there. As I am leaving, Peggy and Charlie come in on the straight line.

29. 960m 12:50 I blast out W hoping to leave them behind or at least not let them follow me though the thorns. They were wise not to follow me as I hit a dead end at some roses or something and turn back. Manage to crawl under and join them on a slightly more clear path. They head more toward (29) while I head W to power line and trail. Beat them to the parking lot and am afraid to look back. They catch me on the trail after we leave the clearing. We are walking all the uphills. Only have 30 splits on my watch so this is the last one I take. Will try and estimate the rest from Peggy and Charlie's times later. [I estimated them from Peggys]

30. 195m 3:30 (29) was the last water stop on the course so I drink two cups hoping that will keep me going until the finish. Should have drank a little more at the exchange. Along the line of cliffs then into the reentrant. Do not recall if bag was to low, Peggy led us right to it. [Many people felt the bag was incorrectly placed lower in the reentrant than it should have been.] I am having trouble staying with them.

31. 820m 11:53 Road and then trail around N tip of marsh. I am falling behind on the road but can still walk faster. [At this point I have nothing left and am just hanging on until the finish]

32. 460m 7:00 Straight line to trails, then follow the intermittent stream up. I am 10m back now. Jeff Saeger [remember him from #3, he missed 2 and had to goback for it] comes charging up the stream behind us as we leave.

33. 1470m 22:18 Looking at this leg now, it does not look that bad. It would be hard to miss the camp and road. At the time however it looked very hard and I was afraid that I might have to do it alone. With Jeff moving to the front we sped up and I was hard pressed to keep up. Generally straight, then along the stream and cross S end of distinct marsh. Jeff has left us beind Slog up the hill through the green and come out right at the building. Good job Peggy and Charlie. I am barely keeping them in sight as I nearly cramp getting through the brush. They start S on trail then decide on N which allows me to catch up. Though the camp heading for the finger of Little Long Pond. Jeff reappears from somewhere and rejoins the group From the low point we walk up the rocky reentrant and aim right for it. As we get close Jeff drops off to N, I take a bearing from one of the fireplaces, while Peggy and Charlie head for it. My bearing agrees with them and we find it although I am 40m back

34. 460m 3:43 As I am leaving, Jeff Saeger comes in from the far side with Ken just a little behind. Little trail to the road. I am trying to keep contact in case someone makes a mistake or there is a clear path for the final sprint. Make my move as we leave the road hoping to punch with Peggy and Ken and then beat them on the run in. No luck. Only one punch and I am last in line.

Fin. 60m 0:21 Total time 5:05:06 Look at my watch to get a run in time. Not long enough, nor clear enough to pass anyone. At least we ran to the finish instead of the food tables. [A common mistake of a lot of later finishers. They just ran for the crowd.] We finish Jeff(5:05:52),Charlie(5:06:00),Peggy(02),Ken(03),me(06) Overall a good run, I finished 20th just like last year. Surprised I faded so much on the last loop, thought I had had more training but the 3 limited weeks in Sept hurt. I was hurting after 4 hours.

Total Time Lost - 00:26:55

 After the race, I drank a lot more ERG, narrowly avoided leg cramps while changing my shoes and clothes, then hit the food tables. For a small race & a cheap entry fee ($20 if you finished last year and registered on time) there is quite a spread. Stew, chile, pasta, burgers, hot dogs, chips, cakes, candy and drinks. That entry fee also covers the awards (which most people get) and 4 orienteering maps. For comparison, a local orienteering event will cost me $5 for no food, no awards and one map. A national event goes for about $16 with awards for winners, limited food and 1 map. We sat and ate until stuffed and watched the finishers come in. 58 of the 69 starters made the 8 hour time limit and one missed by 11 minutes. The rest DNFed at various points. I left a little after the 8 hour time limit at 5:00 and arrived home a little after 10pm.

Complete results are at http://www.geocities.com/hvo61/HIGHLANDER/highlander.html Splits at http://attackpoint.mit.edu select 'split list' then 'Hudson Highlander 7'

Grete's Great Gallop is a half-marathon event put on by the New York City Road Runner's Club a month before the NYC Marathon.  I suppose one  could say that GGG is to the NYC Marathon as the Quantico Half-Marathon is to the Marine Corps Marathon.  For me, it's a chance to revisit familiar  territory, as many in my family still live in and around the Big Apple, I often  run in Central Park when I visit, and it was my first trip there since the  World Trade Center attack.

The race is a bit more than two full laps of Central Park Drive in Manhattan, finishing by Tavern on the Green, the same location as the  NYC Marathon finish line.  A busy commuter route during the week, the park  drive is closed to motor vehicles on weekends, and it's always heavily  trafficked by runners, cyclists, skaters, and people just out for a stroll.

Sunday, October 7th featured perfect racing weather in New York: the  skies were clear, the temperature was in the upper 40s to low 50s, the wind  was fairly calm.  And Central Park's foliage was just beginning its fall transition from green to oranges and yellows.  Just before the start, nine-time NYC Marathon winner Grete Waitz, after whom the race is  named, spoke encouraging words to the runners.  Someone standing next to me  mumbled she said exactly the same thing last year.  So what?, her English is a  lot better than my Norwegian!  And then we were off!  It took only about  eleven seconds to cross the start line, and this year's race featured  ChampionChip timing, so it really didn't matter anyway.  There was no "traffic jam;"  I quickly reached my racing pace.  The course is pretty flat, with a bit  of hilliness around the northwest corner of the park, but nothing  significant.

There were four or five aid stations around the Park (and you visited  each twice), some just with water, others also with Gatorade.  The stations  were unmanned, so you had to reach for and grab your liquids from the  tables. The finish line was efficiently run.  It's about a five minute walk  from the finish area back to the start, where you pick up your bag and get  post-race treats.  The food was great in quality (bagels with smoked salmon ...  it's the Norwegian Running Festival, right?) but poor in quantity; they  strictly enforce a one-bagel-per-runner policy, which I thought was rather  skimpy.

I finished with a chip time of 1:31:24, 1:12 faster than my Quantico  time (my real Quantico time, not the 35-seconds-too-fast official time).  It  was a good morning and a fun time.

The Popcorn Panic is an annual event coinciding with the Popcorn Festival in Valparaiso, which celebrates the life of popcorn icon, Orville Redinbacker. I used to the run the race when I was in middle school. It was the unofficial start of the cross country season. During high school, we had a big invitation the morning of the Panic, so I always missed the race during those 4 years. And when I moved out east for college, I never made it back for the Popcorn Festival either. So, this was sort of a homecoming for me.

The race has certainly grown since I ran it. Now there’s over 1200 participants, and they make use of the Championship chip. There’s also, a kids fun run after the big race, call the Kernel Puff.

The race starts and ends in front of the Porter County Courthouse, right in the heart of downtown Valparaiso. It heads onto the streets near my old high school. Having spent most of my running career in Valpo, I basically knew every nook and cranny of those streets. During my warm-up, I saw my old middle school coach who was getting his runners ready for the race. It was great seeing them all out for the race. Thoroughly embarrassing me, he introduced me to all his runners. He told them that I was former runner at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, and I ran for Valpo High as well. Then, he told all his runners to remember my name and face because they were going to see it on the front page of the paper tomorrow. Now, the pressure was really on! How could I disappoint those kids?

The race started with a cannon shot at precisely 7:30. One of the middle school runners ran along side me during the first 100m, and he settled into his pace. The first mile of the race is all up hill, so I just laid back right behind the leaders. Just after the first mile marker, I saw some of friends from high school standing on the corner. I had hung out with them the previous night and I could definitely tell they had just rolled out of bed. After the race, I learned they had been playing beer pong until two in the morning. Needless to say, their support was really appreciated. After the two-mile mark, the lead pack had dwindled to one other runner and me. I really did not want to take the lead until 3 miles, but it soon looked like that was going to be the case. I steam rolled through the water station, while the guy I was running with sort of took his time. At that point, the race was over, and I decided to have some fun. There were some local residents out to watch, and I tried to say good morning to each of them. At the 4 mile mark, I saw one of my former teammates who now a middle school teacher (he did not run because he has had some knee problems). He yelled, “It’s all over, Joe. Go for time!”

The last mile is all downhill (the same road as the 1st mile, but in the opposite direction). After making the final turn towards the finish, I could see the crowd lining up along the street in front of the Courthouse. I was so pumped. I had run that stretch of the finish countless times, but this was certainly the best time. I powered through the finish to a time of 26:39 for the 5 mile course, 61 seconds ahead of 2nd place (I probably could have played a couple games of beer pong with my buds and still won).

The awards ceremony was so fun. Many the middle school kids I met before the race received the age-group awards. The race director waited until the end to announce the top five finishers overall. When she came to the winner, here is what she said: “His entry form says he’s from Arlington, VA, but we know betters. First from Cooks Corners Elementary, then Thomas Jefferson Middle School, and then Valpo High, a real Valparaiso native, 1st place, Joe Racine!”

The rest of the day turned out to be just as perfect. I watched the parade with my friends from high school and his parents from the porch of a local pub. The best part of that was that the parents picked up the first couple rounds. We then strolled through the streets, checking out all the booths, stopping every now and then to fill my cup, and chow down on a funnel cake.

You don’t really need to know how to swim to do an Ironman. I’m sure you’ve heard otherwise, but I’m here to dispel your notions. I know I can’t swim. I’ve seen myself on videotape, above and underwater, and I can tell you without embarassment I’m an ugly, struggling swimmer. You can fake the swim as long as you can finish 2.4 miles. You can not, however, fake a marathon.

Originally I had my heart set on Ironman Florida. Buddies assured me that it was a good course for first-timers. Predictable weather, flat course, perfect for cruising and learning the ropes of long distance triathlon competition. And there’s so much to learn. You can’t compete at the Ironman distance without becoming a student of nutrition, swim technique, bike mechanics and aerodynamics, and marathon training.

My plans for a November Ironman were foiled when Florida closed out unexpectedly early. All the sudden, all the Ironman events were closing out way sooner than expected. There was some sort of rush on. Ironman has become popular in a way that the original practitioners could have never imagined. Who knew thousands of people would clamor at the chance to fork over almost $400 to punish themselves over 140 miles?

Getting shut out of Ironman Florida turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Unrelatedly, I made the decision to quit my comfy job on Alan Greenspan’s research staff and become yet another Colorado carpetbagger, moving to Boulder to be with my longtime girlfriend Crosby. We were both thrilled.

Then, the perfect coincidence. An ambitious woman decided to stage an Ironman-distance race in Boulder, which seemed such an obvious place for such a race one wondered why it hadn’t been done before. After all, Boulder is home to many world-class endurance athletes and has a huge age-group triathlon community. Well, I can tell you why not.

In Boulder County there’s no headwind, no tailwind. There’s just wind. Gusty, unpredictable wind, and lots of it. At a max elevation of 5430 feet – hence, the name of the race – there’s a limited quantity of Ironman-distance triathletes that can or will race at altitude. Add in the intense sun during the racing months – a sun which will fry right through your 30 spf lotion – and you’ve got a reasonably tough stage.

Yet the race was cheaper than a “real” Ironman – you know, the one with the copyrighted m-dot and the fancy dinners, transition area, and mass merchandising websites. And then there was the appeal of racing in an inaugural event, the “I was there when” factor. Plus, smaller races feel so much more grassroots, so much more your own personal battle. Of course, I would also save on travel, since the race was being based about ten miles from my house. At least, these are all the things I thought about when I sent in my check for $275, thereby signing away all my free time for the summer of 2001.

My training was light. I was subscribing to the new “less is more” philosophy and went vegetarian in an attempt to keep off weight. No racing for all of June and July after my first half-Ironman, which left me begging for competition. August came around and I was barely acclimated to the altitude when I tuned up at an Olympic-distance event in Boulder. My swim was, as expected, crappy. My bike was strong, stronger than ever. My run was disappointing. I chalked it up to distance training – which I wasn’t doing much of – and started tapering for the big one.

The 5430 Triathlon had less than 200 individuals come race day. The race director had to be disappointed, but it was the same day as Ironman Canada. You can’t compete with Ironman Canada.

As usual, I was extremely tired and grumpy towards the end of my taper approaching race day. But I was sleeping loads, and my swimming felt good for once. I actually slept for a few hours the night before the race. When the alarm went off I felt strong – clear-headed, hungry, ready for a long day in the sun. There was certainly going to be plenty of sun.

The transition area was pitch black when I got there, with one pair of headlights on a couple spots. I set up under the headlamps. I wandered around, asking volunteers where the ins and outs of the transition area were. No one knew. Nothing was marked. I tried to let it go and concentrate on getting my transition area ready.

When it got a little lighter I rode my bike around, making sure the computer was functioning and my brakes weren’t rubbing, practicing getting on and off without looking foolish, etc. I was very relaxed for some reason. Everybody was. I stopped caring if I knew the entry and exit points in the transition area because it was clear this race wouldn’t be about seconds.

The sun came up gloriously and was powerfully bright when it reflected off the muddy pond that used to be the Boulder Reservoir. The authorities were draining the Reservoir so they could work on the dam. Very bad timing.

The swim began kind of unceremoniously, with a dull bang kind of sound that we all assumed meant we were supposed to start swimming. Or rather, that we were supposed to start wading quickly through ankle-deep muck. When it was deep enough to swim in, I took a dive and realized my arms were working, I could breathe, and my usual swim start panic wasn’t happening. I smiled in that muddy water.

I popped out after the first lap and was ahead of my projected time, and really just felt all kinds of happy. I eagerly jumped in for another 1.2 mile lap. When I finished the swim, I still felt pretty good. By this time I was somewhat suspicious about my good fortune, but a glance at my watch indicated I swam faster than I thought I would. Not fast, just faster than I thought I would.

Getting on the bike always feels good to me. I know how to ride a bike, and that’s very reassuring after flailing around in a wetsuit. I knew the first hour was the most important, that you were supposed to take it easy, spin low gears, and drink a little at regular intervals. My mom and my girlfriend drove past me a couple times while I was riding, honking, waving, and taking pictures. My legs felt solid. I couldn’t believe how well the race was going.

The course was picturesque, relatively flat for the area, and pretty well-marshalled. Aid stations were every ten miles, and the volunteers were well-trained and enthusiastic. I was extremely optimistic after an hour.

At the first turnaround somewhere in northern Colorado I looked at my computer and flipped out – I was averaging over 21 miles an hour. Too fast, I thought. Conserve yourself. I had read that every time you go anaerobic on the bike you take 3-4 minutes off your marathon. Thing was, I wasn’t going anaerobic, I was just feeling comfortable pushing pretty hard.

Time started dragging and the ride back to Boulder was wearing me out. My arms were fatigued from holding that vicious aero position and pulling on the bars when I stood up, which I did a fair amount. I had to switch positions a lot on the bike because I was getting antsy for the mileage to pass, and my neck was getting sore.

The biggest chore on long rides is always eating on the bike. I didn’t have a lot of experience here because the only other time I had ridden even close to 100 miles or more was when I rode the course a few weeks before the race. That time it took me close to seven hours with lots of stops, including two lunch breaks. Here I was trying to unwrap energy bars at 25 MPH, trying to keep cool under the blazing hot sun, and somehow conserve enough energy to run under my marathon target of 3:30.

After a bathroom break around 90 miles, after watching some poor guy with monstrous calves and really little bike get stung in the crotch a few hundred feet in front of me, I began getting back my rhythm. Negotiating the traffic in Lyons, I began the long, hilly, windy march on US 36 back to Boulder.

I wasn’t keeping track of how many people I was passing, because I always pass a lot of people on the bike since my swim is so poor. I had no sense of how I was doing. All I know is I was riding alone by the side of the road, gaining strength and confidence on the barely discernible downhill back to the Reservoir. My speed was high, my cadence higher, and I mentally turned to the marathon.

Amazingly, my legs felt pretty fresh as I gulped down more fluids and gels for the run and cranked down 51st street towards the transition area. When I approached the dismount line, my family jumped up, clearly surprised to see me, less than five-and-a-half hours after I had rode away. “You’re in 16th place!” I heard my girlfriend yell.

That’s when I realized how eerily empty the transition area was. Just a handful of bikes and lots of empty rack space. I had never seen one like this before. Usually, I was still chasing people on the run that I would eventually pass at this point.

I jumped into my running shoes like I was in a sprint race, the same shoes I had run my first marathon in last fall, the Boston Marathon this past spring, and now my first marathon after biking 112 miles. Again, I was stunned by my energy. As I ran out of the transition area, I asked for sunscreen. Since getting badly sunburned at my last event at the Boulder Reservoir I knew to apply some protection for the run, and I specifically remembered the race director saying there would be some sunscreen at this point. But the bewildered faces of those gracious volunteers told me I was out of luck.

I cursed under my breath at that small miscue and at the heat, which was rapidly approaching the low 90s, which was way too hot for me to be running a marathon. As I approached the first marshal near mile 1, I begged for some sunscreen. He obliged and I generously smeared the stuff all over my exposed skin. Moments later a long-haired guy pedaled past me on a mountain bike.

“You the guy who asked for sunscreen? Need some?” He had actually chased me down. The volunteers at this race were like that.

My first lap on the run was magical – I even got flashed by a girl at the third aid station. I trotted past people like they were standing still and felt great about it, even clocking a few seven minute miles. When I got back to the transition area to start the second of three 8.73 mile laps, my family was bonkers. I was in seventh place.

The second lap was tougher, hotter, and I didn’t see any breasts. I wasn’t as verbal to other competitors and volunteers, whereas the first lap I chatted and joked and thanked everyone who handed me something. Whereas my first lap was on a 3:15 marathon pace, my second was closer to what I knew I could actually do. I definitely paid the price for my exuberant first lap when I came around again.

This time my mother was positively apoplectic. I was in fourth place, with the closest runners behind me fading or walking. All I had to do was struggle through less than nine miles. While my second lap was only three minutes slower than my first, I had begun walking through aid stations to get more fluids.

Even though I was still managing miles around 8:15, to me it was a death march. The heat had subsided a bit but my core temp was so high it didn’t matter. No amount of ice dumped over my head, behind my neck, under my armpits, or even down my crotch could revive me. I probably needed salt but couldn’t bear to eat the salt and vinegar chips they were offering.

Still, the idea that I had traveled so far and trained for so long for this finish kept me chugging towards the finish. It was harder to get going again every time I walked through an aid station. No jokes, no talking, just grunting and running and trying to forget how ripped up my feet were from the rutted gravel roads.

Finally, the presence of asphalt under my feet alerted my legs that the finish was less than a mile away. I picked up some energy from somewhere, but at this point I was probably burning brain matter for fuel. I busted through my marathon goal time of 3:30, but I didn’t care.

As I approached the chute, my family and friends were so loud that’s all I could hear. I crossed the line and grabbed some water, waiting for the bomb to drop, waiting for day’s effort to manifest itself in some disastrous physical episode, like totally losing control of my bowels.

Instead, I felt strangely fine. The race director told me I looked the best of all three finishers so far, the last of which had crossed 45 minutes before me. Being a small race, we were pretty spread out. My finishing time of 10:12:35 was at least 45 minutes ahead of my predicted time. Whatever I had done, I had done right. I wish I knew.

Here it is a few days later and still I am waiting for that crippling Ironman hangover to hit me. Sure, I’m tired. But I’m making plans.

The number one thing I learned that day is that you don’t really need that m-dot. Ironman races that pay huge fees to the World Triathlon Corporation for the right to use the name are not necessarily any better races, with any more amazing volunteers, or any more gorgeous courses. You can save money and have just as an intense athletic experience choosing a non-Ironman race that still covers 140.6 miles.

Sure, I would have probably qualified for Kona, which is certainly a huge reason to race a “real” Ironman. I’ll get there someday. For now, I’ll just remember what one spectator said to my friend as she waited for me to cross the finish line. The moment the overall winner finished, the woman next to my friend turned to her and said, “I come here because I know what that feels like,” and pointed to the finish, then down to her legs, which were covered in goosebumps. I’m not a lawyer, but I don’t think you can copyright goosebumps.

Tim Troha 

Flying Pig V - Cincinnati OH 3/16-18/2000

This was the 5th running of the Flying Pig Orienteering event
hosted by Orienteering Cincinnati.  Typically they will hold
a short event on friday, a short or classic distance event on
saturday and a long motala format event on sunday. This year's
meet consisted of a sprint on friday, the US Orienteering
Federation (USOF) short course championships on saturday, and
the USOF long course championships on sunday. Because the meet
is very early in the season and the weather is iffy, (snow 2
years ago and rain last year) attendance is down compared to
a fall meet held in NY or PA. This years meet also featured
SportIdent electronic punching.  Each competitor carries a
'dibber' which is inserted into the unit at each control
instead of the usual manual punching method. Upon finishing
the dibber is downloaded and the software verifies that all
controls have been visited in order and provides the split
times for each leg. Endless discussion of split times, route
choices, and errors occur after each run.

   I got up at 1:30am friday morning and left for Cincinnati
at 2:15. I have made the solo drive to Ohio meets before so
anticipated no problems running after a long drive. The 9 hr
drive took 9 hours, so with my allowance for traffic or bad
weather, I arrived at 11:15 for a 2:04pm start. They had just
started setting up the registration when I arrived. I killed
time changing, warming up, playing a few holes of disc golf
on the course near the parking area and hobnobbing with my
fellow orienteers. The weather was cool and overcast with
periods of light rain or drizzle which would come and go.

   Friday's event was held at Miami Whitewater Park, NW of
Cincinnati. I was entered in the M21 class on the blue course.
M21 is designed for men 21-34 but is open to all ages and can
be run by women also. It is the longest and hardest category.
Because this was a short course day the course was only 1/2
of a normal blue course, today it was 4.5km with 220m climb.
Expected winning time 30 min, I was hoping for under 40 mins.
At 2:04, I was the first starter on Blue and hence had the
disadvantage of no earlier starters to catch, give away control
locations, or leave trails to aid my navigation. I started
well but tired quickly and had trouble running on the slick
hillsides. Three 3 minute errors made sure I finished way
back. I finished a disappointing 19th of 25 in 51:24. The
winner did 31:43.  On the positive side, my time would have
been 17th of 27 on the 3.6k red course my age group ran.

   After discussing our runs in great detail and 9 more holes
of disc golf, I left to set up my tent for the night. Usually
a lot of orienteers will camp but this year I seemed to be
the only one. The weather and abundance of nearby lodging
probably had a lot to do with that. It started raining
again as I set up and my site had a lot of sticky mud due
to some digging to install new wiring.  For dinner most of
us went to the fish fry at the Knights of Columbus recommended
by the meet organizers. There we stuffed oursleves for the
long-O on sunday and continued our analyses of the days runs.

   Saturday's event was held at Mitchell Memorial Forest,
also NW of Cincinnati. Because it was a championship event,
I was signed up in my age group of M40 on the red course.
Unlike the blue course where I am happy to finish in the top
half (and rarely do anymore) on the red course I am trying
to win my age group and finish among the leaders overall. The
red course is used by  men 19-20, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49 and is
the open course for women. The weather was cooler than friday,
and while the temp was supposed to go to the mid 40s, it
started to snow shortly before I went out at 11:56. It was
to warm to be more than an annoyance, but came and went much
like the rain the day before.  I ran much better than friday
and blitzed around the course with nothing but a 30 second
error and 2 10s bobbles. I finished the 3.89k 145m climb course
in 29:17, a per kilometer pace I have never run anywhere but the
open prairies of WY and CO. The next finisher in did 26:10 but
he turned out to be the eventual winner. I was 4th fastest and
more importantly, first in M40.

   Dinner was a pasta dinner fund raiser for the US Junior team.
Once again we stuffed ourselves and debated route choices. They
also had a short awards ceremony for fri and sat results. It was
short because a lot of people had already left by the time they
came with the results. The meet crew were late arriving because
they had been putting out the controls for the next day.

   Sunday's event was back at Miami Whitewater, but starting in
a different part of the park. This was a long course meaning
that it should be about twice the length of normal. I was
running in my age group again so on the Red course of 15.1k and
715m climb. Expected winning time was around 2 hours. The blue
course was 22k and 1100m climb so I was glad I was not doing it.
The weather was clear and sunny but very cold to start out.
Instead of individual starts as done the previous two days, the
long day used a mass start with a Farsti format. Everyone started
at once and ran two loops with a map exchange in the middle. Each
course had several forks (3 on red) with two ways to go for each
fork. The maps were printed so that if you took one fork on the
first loop, you took the other on the 2nd map. The end result is
that there were 8 possible routes so you could not follow without
risk, but everyone ran the same course by the end. The red mass
start was at 9:05am and we immediately separted into two groups.
By the time we reached the first merge, the packs had spread out
enough that I could only see a couple of people nearby.  I started
well and was near the front but made no effort to stay with the
M20s who took out the pace. On the 10th leg, I made a boneheaded
mistake and cost myself 5 minutes coming through the next control
in 10th place. Having lost my confidence, I proceeded to mess up
the next two legs allowing a pack of 3 to catch me. I managed to
drop them just before the map exhange at 68 minutes. With half
the course still to go, I was still in good position.  I felt
pretty good as I ran through the campground and within a few
meters of my tent. Another costly error and I dropped back into
a group of 4. This could be helpful since none were in my age
group. We stayed together though the next 3 legs dropping the
woman who could not maintain the pace. We reached the next fork
point and to my horror they all went the other way. Without my
entorage to keep me going and now approaching 2 hours, I started
running out of gas. I slowed down, made another mistake and
limped in 9 minutes after they did. While they finished among a
pack of 7, only a single person was between me and that pack.
I ended up 17th of 45 in 2:30:04. To my relief and embarassment
I was still the leader in M40 with a 20 minute lead.

Full results are at http://www.ocin.org

Ahh, the thrill to be back in my old haunt, Southern California!
During the late 80's I was assigned as a Navy Environmental Health Officer to
the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Port Hueneme
and Pacific Missile Testing Center, Point Mugu, California.

I had spent memorable times traversing the scenic Pacific Coast Highway
from Santa Barbara, Ventura, Oxnard, Malibu, Santa Monica, Long
Beach, all the way to San Diego.  After doing a long run along the Atlantic
City coast last summer, I just had to come back and do one here
in the Southern California Pacific Coast!

Well here I am in Los Angeles on a two day layover on my way to Manila,
Philippines (and via Osaka, Japan) to spend the holidays with my old folks. I
got to see a couple of old friends and relatives, none were
runners unfortunately.  I had planned to run at least 10 miles from Malibu to
Santa Monica but scrapped it since I would have to run
another 10 miles back to Malibu to get my rental car.  I would need to save as
much energy to enjoy my trip and to do more long runs either in Japan or in
Manila.

Las Tunas and Topanga Beach, just south of the Malibu outskirt was my starting
point, towards the Santa Monica Pier and back, a distance of about 5 miles.
Ten miles, I planned to do in at least 2 hours.  I run primarily for the
pleasure of running, of assimilating in my senses the stimulating ambience of
the places I choose to run.  Just like John "The Penguin, Waddle On" Bingham,
time and speed in running is of lesser relevance to me also. Besides, I don't
think I can run a sub 6 or 7:00 minute mile anymore!

I drove along the Pacific Coast Highway looking for a free parking space, but
seeing all the famous California beach scenes and activities, I just could'nt
wait. I grudgingly paid $6.00 to park my rental car!

The first half of my run was like a blurring movie of California beach scenes.
 I can see for miles the northern and southern tip of the Southern California
coast, from Point Mugu Rock to the Palos Verdes Estates tip. The sun, the mid
70's temperature, sunbathing babes (and hunks), beach volleyballers,
rollbladers, bikers, walkers, the surf.

But that was not all.  As I ran past and under the Santa Monica Pier, lo and
behold I came upon a beach chess Meccah, for us die hard chess players, (I am
a chess player first and runner next, sorry), the  Santa Monica Chess Park,
the old haunt of the infamous former world chess champion Bobby Fischer!  I've
won small chess tournaments during my prime and have attained a chess
expert/master candidate rating from the US Chess Federation many years ago.
My deceased older brother was an International Chess Grandmaster (and a
lawyer) and many times Philippine Chess Champion.  So I would'nt have a hard
time beating these chess bums right?  Well, almost. I figured I would take a
water break and rest from my run.  After kibitzing (watching) a number of
chess matches I decided to take on next the winner between the match of a
couple of decently strong Santa Monica "chess bums".

The most common and fastest game that we chess players prefer is the "blitz
chess" or speed chess which is a 5 minute time allotment for each player using
a chess clock.  This allows for a game to be completed in 10 minutes or less
time. Well, my opponent eyed me in an amused way since I was the only chess
player there in running shorts and shoes, Asics hat, and with my usual shades.
Either I looked cool to him, or a patzer (fish or chess weakling).  I was
obviously in chess heaven blitzing away on the chess pieces and the chess
clock until I realized I was a few pawns down and my position was getting
hopeless.  No chance of desperate attacks, nothing.  Well, I have not played
competitive chess for years, I will beat him next time.

To make this already lengthy story short, I lost another game then found my
groove, so to speak, and proceeded to win the last two games against my last
two opponents, the last game I won, unashamedly to say, in a "brilliant" way
with a sacrificial attack and forced win.  In chess when you win you want to
quit while you are ahead, and when you get beat you want to play the opponent
again to get even.  After my last win I had a good excuse not to play again of
course, because I had to finish my run. I went back running faster now,
invigorated by my unexpected chess thrills, and because I want get the hell
out of there before my "chess bums" opponents get mad at me.

What a time I had.  Nothing gets any better than running and chess in the
Southern California scene,  well, nothing except probably... on a second
thought ... I better not go there.

I've written too much and too long, am off to Osaka and then to Manila from
LAX. Hope to do a piece on my long runs there.//Joe.

Runner’s World and Serpentine Running Club Last Friday of the Month 5K
http://www.serpentine.org.uk/results/friday/2000/dec00.htm

I ran or jogged whenever I travel ever since I was a kid.  Rome was the first time that I didn’t plan to run at all.  I ended up jogging a bit with my old pair of Nike’s.  I vowed Rome will be the last time that I go out of town and not prepare for a run.

I printed the maps and directions before going to the race at Hyde Park which is about 2 miles from where I was staying, but had some difficulty finding the Lido – must be the language problem.  I asked a few people, and finally a nice, unassuming lady running along the Serpentine helped me out.  We ran for a mile or so and reached the Lido.  While warming up, she mentioned her time for Olympic distance triathlons, and I just knew I was in the presence of greatness.  She introduced me to her boyfriend Richard and male friend Keith.  Turns out they’re Ann Emmerson and Richard Stannard, Olympic hopefuls and big guns at ETU and ITU; I found out after I returned from the trip.  They ran sub 17 minutes for the 5K race in cold weather and icy conditions, and probably holding back, too.  Emmerson’s training for London marathon, I believe.

I wanted to race badly, even though the pubs found me the past few nights.  Believe me, I didn’t find the pubs.  This is the first time that I’ve been fit in two to three months and was eager to take a crack at it again.  It’s also been a couple of days, and I’ve become Jerry Seinfeld picking up the accent subconsciously.  I just wanted to run and have some quiet time.  Before the start of the race, a lady approached me asking about the race, and I thought I might end up not racing at all.  I remembered Jodi’s famous words – it’s amazing how men will run slower for cute and beautiful women.  The lady stepped out a little bit to change, and I thought it’s racing time again.   Good thing!   I went over to Annie, Richard and Keith to chat a little bit.  I stepped aside to take my tights off.  This time, another beautiful lady came by and asked where the start is.  I knew I was in trouble.  She is married, great demographics!  I ended up running and chatting with Kate the whole race.  She was training for New York marathon, but had and still has an injury right now.  She still hopes to run decently at London marathon.

The race was well organized.  More than a hundred people showed up in cold weather and it’s even the holidays.  They had marshals at every point where there had black ice or ice.  I left immediately after the race to go back to the hotel.  I noticed several possible mistakes with the results.

 It’s Stannard, not Stallard.
 I finished with Kate at 24:22 instead of 24:31.  It was a fun run.
 I’m not female and neither am I over 45 years old. (no smart aleck remarks, please)

At least they got my last name right this time.  I really need to move, become an Australian citizen and change my name to David Darth.
 

12/30/2000 training run; Serpentine London Run (SLR)

This time, the meeting place was at Speaker’s Corner, Hyde Park still.  I met Ros Y, big shot at SRC who previously was trying to boot me and a couple of people out of the Lido.  Ken K and Jan  F (connected to Canadian gov’t) recognized me from yesterday’s race as well.  Jan was nice enough to make me feel at ease with everyone.  Another lady was there, she holds some records for Great Britain and runs 50 milers.  Monica, Pat (navy, US embassy, from Alaska), Bill S (navy, US embassy) and a couple more ran with us.  Basically we had two choices of routes - 4 ½ or 8 miles.  I knew I have to run the shorter route to get back to the hotel in time to go to Buckingham and sister’s nth time at Harrod’s.  I ran comfortably with Jan, Ros and the ultra runner.  Bill joined us and later on John met us at Kensington.  It turns out Bill has a house in Fairfax Station and his daughter runs for William and Mary.  Bill was actually wearing the W&M sweatshirt (Christmas gift) from her daughter.  I ran with Bill and we picked up the pace a little bit.  He was familiar with  the “Flying Ryans”, Webb, Manner and a couple of the guys we hear about in DC and VA.  The loop we did was around Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.  I felt great, wanted to run more, but had to go. Serpies were great; just goes to show that runners all over the world are great people.  Next up, out on the town report.  On second thought, maybe not, based on popular demand.  Next goal, find out where Sir Alan Greenspan runs.

For the past weeks I've relied heavily on the companionship of Z-Man for my marathon training runs.  The week before we had done almost 22 miles at sub 7:00 pace on the C&O Canal Towpath--and it was actually fun.   This run though was to be alone, without Eric to laugh politely as I make fun of everything around me.  I figured that I could do around 8:00 miles for the 20 slated.   Therefore I decided, not knowing anything about Fresno's running, to just head out 80 minutes from my parent's driveway....and then head back for a total of 2 hours and 40 minutes.

I soon learned that Fresno is the flattest place on the planet, nary a hill was to be found.  I soon found myself running on a seldom used country road surrounded by empty fields.  The sheer barrenness of it all made it seem like I wasn't even moving.   The fact that I saw few cars and only a couple of runners made it perhaps the loneliest run of my life.

I tried my typical daydreams to pass the time:  A QB leading his team down the field with 2:00 left in the Super Bowl, that I become a Navy SEAL, that I serve as National Security Adviser and negotiate a treaty which ends all war, that I fall in love, and finally that I am a famous rock singer (friends will know which one).  However none of these really caught hold on this day.  I was left with the sound of my feet hitting the ground and the knowledge that a gigantic Mountain Dew awaited my completion of the run.

I took turns to stay alert and even cut through a an orange grove for variety.  When I sat upon the cusp of going insane I noticed it was time to turn around.  I carefully retraced my steps to my home....running a perfect, and I do mean perfect, even split on the way back.  As I stopped my watch I was really glad that next week I could run with SLR, although I realized that I needed to find somebody or thing to run with after I move.

Hello everyone,

Following, the eagerly anticipated (hmm) report on my trip to Melbourne,
Australia (in terms of running, at least).

Report from Oz (First of Two)

It began with a looong flight.  Well, it began with several "short" flights,
followed by a long one.  I had attempted to strategically select my seating
arrangements on the various aircraft, but I learned the hard way that often
if there appears to be no row directly in front of you, there is, instead, a
wall. (ugh. . .)

Run One

I arrived in Melbourne, in the Australian state of Victoria, within two hours
of the time scheduled.  (I imagine this is not bad for a trip half-way around
the world.)  I quickly hailed a cab, found "Uni College," the University of
Melbourne dormitory that had been my sister Tara's home since July, and found
Tara perusing the yellow pages on the steps outside the dorm.  It was going
on 11 o'clock (a.m.), so she had by now risen and begun to consider my
whereabouts and/or well-being.

After a hug and some excited exchanges, we decided it would be appropriate to
embark at once on a running tour of the city.  I imagine it was a lot like
running in New York on a sunny Friday, around lunch.  "Heaps" of people and
traffic! (Australians use "heaps" to mean "lots")

The weather was gorgeous.  Probably about 23 degrees C (73 F).  I got my
initial exposure to "look right, then left" when crossing streets, and
similarly to the phenomenon of running along the left side of the walk and
passing on a person's right.  We made it down to the Yarra River, in the
southern part of the city, before my body began to remind me that, in
Washington, it was 4 a.m.

Conversation became more one-sided, and we ventured up some hills, into the
Royal Botanical Gardens.  I felt I'd found a tropical paradise, as the warm
air and sweet scents of thousands of flowers assuaged my rather tired soul.
Shortly thereafter, I collapsed (comfortably) on a lawn near the city's
memorial to the First Great War.

Run Two (Almost)

Several days passed, in which I learned the joys of drinking a VB (Victoria
Bitter), rode with friends in the back of a "ute" (pickup) through "the
paddocks" (farmland), saw waterfalls, swam, rode a train, returned to the
city, etc.  Quickly the day came for Tara and I to join the university
running club for a track workout and following pasta dinner.  For better or
worse, I chose that afternoon to drink a bit of white wine by the downtown
seaside and... settled in for a long nap when Tara went to train.

Dinner was another matter -- that training I could handle -- and we proceeded
to Maria's spaghetti house.  We joined about ten fellow runners from diverse
backgrounds.  I chatted with one woman about first marathons, and I discussed
the politics of the Kursk disaster with a 3K man.

After a filling dish of seafood marinara (I chose the safer spinach
raviolis), Tara said the first of the week's somber goodbyes, to the team's
coach Tony.  As we left, it occurred to me that I might have found a
similarly cordial and jovial group when I was studying in Copenhagen, Denmark.

--To be continued--  (Coming next time: Meat Pie & Me)

Aaron
----
Part Two of Two

Run Two (This time, at least a half-success)

If you haven't been to Australia before, you probably didn't know that
Australians like to shorten words a lot, and they sometimes stress vowels a
little differently.  So "Australia" is often shortened to "Oz," and instead
of saying or writing "Aussie" for "Australian," you'd more likely say
something like "Ozzie."

I had a number of meals at Tara's college, and I found them to be pretty
good.  (For the record, my definition of cooking is to throw a chicken breast
on my George Foreman grill and add Kikkoman.)  I especially liked the way
they had their cereal -- strawberry or peach yogurt, plus some diced fruit
cocktail, added to your choice of half a dozen cereals or granolas.  Two
unique items I sampled were "Milo," a sort of chocolate cocoa that you float
in your milk glass and eat with a spoon, and "vegemite," a strange,
salty-molasses paste that you put on a sandwich with butter.  A third unique
item was the Ozzie meat pie.  Very much like a chicken pot pie.

My sister looked at me funny after I sat down and she examined my plate.  She
mumbled something about "mystery meat," and assembled her PB&J.  I glanced
around the table, carefully gauging the health of other diners who'd chosen
to take a meat pie.  They seemed well enough, so I dug in.  I thought the
thing to be pretty good.

That was at about one o'clock.  It got to be about four, maybe five, and Tara
and I got into gear for a run through Princes Park.  It's a great 3K loop,
very near Uni College.  Kind of like the Mount Vernon trail, with lots of
runners, people with dogs, and so forth.  Not as long, of course.  They have
restrooms along the course, too.  However, they're locked.  Or at least they
were.  It wasn't officially summer in Australia.

I won't go in to detail, but I could have used those restrooms.  We got off
to a good start, and then...  I found myself appreciating the close proximity
of the college.

I splashed some water in my face and headed back out to rejoin the trail.
Running seems to help you adjust to a time change.  Although I'd been in
Melbourne for four or five days by the time of Run Two, I was still feeling
unusually tired at certain times, and feelings of unusual tiredness are bad
for exploring, dancing, eating and/or drinking.  So I found running to be
good for my traveler's spirit.

Run Three: Shake Off the Blues

On the evening before our inevitable return to the States, Tara and I
returned to Princes Park.  I was feeling a bit of a cold bug coming on, but
it felt good to get the blood flowing and set out for a last taste of
Melbourne suburbs.  On this run we ventured out a bit further, following a
rail path for a while and running through several neighborhoods that we're
like any you'd see in, say, Syracuse, New York (where Tara and I grew up).
Run Three was a necessity, a chance to shake off sad feelings of having said
goodbyes to new friends, and to start to daydream of a return to Oz.  Maybe
next time, we said, we'd stay in one of those sleepy, surf-town bungalows, a
few hours west along Great Ocean Road.

Lessons Learned

I would have liked to visit Australia for more than eight days and seven
nights.  I'd recommend the experience to anyone, but I'd also recommend you
go for two weeks (give or take travel days) or more.  I found Melbourne
analogous to San Francisco in it's laid-back attitude and bohemian culture.
Sydney, it's said, is more cosmopolitan (i.e., less authentically Australian)
and faster-paced, like our New York.

See you on the trail!

Aaron

Returned to Ann Arbor, MI this past weekend for the yearly
pilgrimage to a U of Michigan football game.  Ran Saturday morning before
the game.  Weather was pretty good for November in Michigan, sunny, only
slightly breezy, around 40 degrees.  Got to run through campus and see how
things had changed.  Started off at the Student Union building on the main
campus and cut through the Diag and across campus past the Hill Dorms and
around the University Hospital.  Went up Fuller Road to the North Campus
area, circling around the engineering buildings before heading back down
towards the Huron River.  At that point I ran along the river trail to
Gallop Park, circling around the loop made of the islands in the river
before heading back towards campus.  Took a left off the river trail into
the University Arboretum to get a couple of hills in the run.  Unfortunately
the huge hill at the end of the arb is still there, still a killer to climb,
before heading onto Geddes Road into campus.  After dodging a tour group and
taking a left onto State Street I was back at the Union.  Took an hour and
twenty minutes and figured I covered 9, maybe 9.5 miles.  All in all a nice
run, mostly on asphalt/concrete except for the mile and a half in the arb.
Got to remember next time to bring some water along since at this time of
year the outdoor water fountains had been turned off to keep the pipes from
freezing.  Got the cold weather gear tested out now and am ready for
Richmond this coming Saturday.  See y'all there or at the next SLR after
Thanksgiving.

Aaron Cheskis

This was the first alumni meeting for SLR. I went to New York to work for the week and looked up the email of Gene Burkett, an SLR alumni who moved to NYC recently. Turns out he is living on 33rd St and I was on 25th, so he came over at 6:00am the next day and took me on a 6-mile route over to the East River Park and back. Gene is doing well in the big apple and looks forward to seeing more visiting runners coming up his way. Gene also showed me how to get to the Brooklyn Bridge, which has a nice pedestrian path and I ran across this on my own the following morning which was spectacular.

  Did a SLR of over 15 miles along the Atlantic coast boardwalk and the
beaches, with the cooling seabreeze, the soothing sound of the waves and surf,
and the warm early morning sun, although it got close to 80's mid day.  This
is a nice break from the Achilles and back breaking runs we did the previous
Saturdays on the Custis/Corkscrew and Crescent Trails, and the Rockcreek -
Capitol - Hains Points long runs.

  End to end the Atlantic City boardwalk is roughly 6 1/2 miles, starting from
South Fredricksburg Avenue near Margate City, past Ventnor City, past the
casino hotels - Tropicana, Hilton, Trump's, Caesars' Palace (where I am
staying) up north and around the Taj Mahal and ending just past the Oscar
McClinton Park where you can see the looming Brigantine Bridge.

  I started my run from Caesars at 0800 running south - north - south
directions, a couple of miles of beach running, but mostly on the wooden
surface boardwalk as the surface of the beach was too soft and the surface
banked either to my left or right. I did not want to put too much and too long
of a stress on either my right or left hip and lower extremity at this time
with the MC Marathon coming up soon.  I finished the run close to 1100, it got
crowded late in the morning specially along the casino hotels, with a mixture
of pedestrian strollers, bikers, and skate rollers that I have to dodge
around.

  Although I only had a Powerbar for breakfast I loaded up on the Pizza
Buffet line the day before! and had lots of liquids available that made my run
and recovery easy.  Well, that's about it, another running adventure of a
DCRRC SLR trouper.  Oh, did I win anything at the slots and gaming tables?
Are you kidding?  The only game I play is chess.  Well, maybe the slots and
some cards.  Honestly, I donated less than fifty bucks to the gamblers' fund
of Atlantic City.  That's it.  Ciao.  I might do the Pacific Coast run later
on.   Joe.

Sunrise in Hawaii.  The time of day when paddlers and surfers head into the
water in outrigger canoes and on surfboards.  The time of day, once a year,
when 1,500 triathletes line a beach in anticipation of the start of the
Ironman.  The time of day when weary travelers intent on maintaining their
weekly mileage stumble from the lobbies of their hotels to begin the long
run.

I started off in Waikiki Beach, where already the human race was out in full
force - runners and walkers filling the sidewalks that would soon be crowded
with shoppers and beach-goers.  I took in the sight of turquoise water, white
sand and waving palm trees until my path veered away from the beach.  My
route next climbed a hill on the outside of Diamond Head Crater.  At the
highest point of the road, Diamond Head rose hundreds of feet to my left and
the waves of the Pacific Ocean crashed against the shore hundreds of feet
below me to my right.  I followed the road to its end, beyond more palm
trees, a beautiful golf course and, of course, another resort.

Coming back along the same route, and with plenty of miles to run, I happened
upon a couple of runners who suggested the highway heading south as a popular
running route.  Along the highway, I was treated to a view of the cloud
covered mountains further inland.  As I ran, the clouds overtook me and a
heavy "mist" accompanied me for most of the rest of my run.  (I have found a
place to run that's more hot and humid in August than DC.)  The rain, along
with the tradewinds blustering into gale-force fury a few times reminded me
that in Hawaii, nature always rules.

Otherwise, the run was very pleasant.  I discovered that Oahu's roads and
pathways are full of runners and cyclers, and completely devoid of
rollerbladers.  I passed running groups that reminded me of our own SLR.
What's more, water fountains abounded and fellow runners regularly greeted
each other with a nod, a wave, and sometimes even a "morning."  I think that
we could benefit from bringing more of the "aloha spirit" into our DC culture
of running.  Of course, more on-site research may be required.

I spent a long weekend,  August 18-21 at my Aunt's mountain lake house in
Northern New Jersey.   As a boy, I grew up on this lake in another house.
This was the place where as a high schooler I began my training.  The lake
loop is 4 miles of up and down hills.  While running the loop the first time
Friday evening I began to remember why I was so good back in high school,
the hills are so steep and long that they make your legs and lungs sting.
This is where I learned to deal with pain and how to run up and down hills.
It brought back many good memories as I ran double loops on Saturday and
Sunday.  On Sunday I actually won a race, although it was a sailboat
regatta, it still was fun. It was a great weekend of training and memories.
I hope to see you all Saturday the 26th.

Greetings from San Diego!  Life is good out here on the other side of the
continent.  70 degree temps and nice sea breezes everyday.  I have been
running along the waterfront, home of the Pacific Fleet and out on Coronado
Island.  I've also had the opportunity to so some crosstraining, indulge on
Mexican food and watch the Padres beat the Mets in 10 innings.

Assuming all goes according to plan, I will fly back to Washington Friday
night and fight jet lag to join everyone Saturday AM for the SLR.  I still
plan to crosstrain at Henderson Hall and then meet everyone at the O'Toole
BBQ.

Best wishes to everyone. Less than 2 months to the MCM!!!

Hank

Did about 27 minutes at an easy pace this morning along
the Shining Sea Bike Trail in Falmouth, MA.  Not much
mileage in this week since I am looking for a good time at the Falmouth Road
Race Sunday morning.  The forecast has been changing constantly, but for now
it looks like tomorrow's high will be 72, so the start at 10am should be in
the mid 60's.  I'm hoping for lots of clouds :o)

I had an opportunity to chat with my hero, Khalid Khannouchi, at the Falmouth
expo.  I gave him a DCRRC Singlet, and he signed mine for me.  I'll forward
pictures soon.

I didn't know it before we came here, but we are staying in the same B&B with
Sarah and George Buckheit (DC Road Runners).  I knew George was fast, but I
didn't know he placed 12th at the '83 Falmouth Road Race in 33 minutes &
change.  What a stud!!!

I'll let you know how the race goes.  Even though the race is only 7.1 miles,
I will have to count it as my long run... so I will count it as my SLR.

RACE REPORT:
I would call it rolling for the first few miles.  No real distinctive hills
until about 6.5.  That is the only hill that really made me work.

It was a crowded race.  They indicated on the race application that this is
not a course to set a PR.  They had 5 starts, I was in the second group
starting 1 minute after the elite/sub-elite.  I thought that most of the
people in my corral would be about my speed.  I got to the corral late, and
didn't feel like fighting my way to the front of the group.  About a minute
before we started, a guy next to me asked, "what kind of pace you going to
do?"  I said, "probably mid to upper 6:40s."  He replied, "Wow!  I hope I can
do 8:30."  I knew I was screwed.  My first mile, due to heavy traffic, was
7:36.  Second mile was 7:04.  I creeped down to 6:48s until 6 when I slipped
a few seconds.  I picked in up for the last 1.05 and ran that in 6:40.

It was a VERY sunny day, and we were in direct sunlight from about 2.5 to the
finish.  There were a few shady spots after 5, but not many.  I think my
final time was 48:47, about 48 seconds off my goal.  I guess the lesson
learned is, if you know you are faster, fight your way to the front.  It was
SO frustrating trying to work around much slower runners, especially when
then run in a pack.  The course being very narrow the whole way didn't help
either.

I may race here again, but I'll wait until I can get into that first corral.

WebGuy

I still regale people with stories of my runs with the DCRRC.
I really had a fantastic time! Thanks again for helping
me out when I was in DC. I really appreciate all of
the running companionship. Put in some miles for me.

I'm trying to get our club president to set up a challenge race with you
all, so watch out! I think we should set up a sister running club program,
even if extremely informal.

heather may

Whenever my running is taking a beating, or I feel reticent about a long run, I head to Lorton VA and the Fountainhead Regional Park.  If you start at the trail head off of Hampton Rd. (which is nicely marked and maintained) and run the blue blazes to Bull Run Marina (where there is a water fountain and bathrooms) and back, you put together a nice challenging two-hour trail run... it's only 13 miles but the terrain takes some time.  Lots of hills, both steep and gradual.  Stream crossings, roots, the works.  A good pair of trail running shoes is essential.  Don't run this trail in your pavement pounders, at best you'll trash them, at worst you will turn an ankle.

The whole run is shaded by dense forest so it's a little cooler on a hot day, but not any less humid.  You'll skimp on mileage a little, but you'll get a good hill workout and still be running for around two hours.

The bonus is that if you have a mountain bike along with you, you can hit the Fountainhead mountain biking trail loop from the same parking lot after breaking for some lunch.  It's a sweet, well-maintained, intermediate level trail that provides a good aerobic workout as well.  It makes for a nice outdoorsey day, and it's maybe 20 minutes from the beltway down I-95.

Directions and more: http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/2193/ftnhead.html

Tim

On Sat 8/5 Mark Drosky and I ran the Norfolk Naval Station 8K. I
finished 4th in my age group in 34:58.  It is a great race that runs
past the heliport, the piers where the air craft carriers and other big
ships are docked as well as Admiral's Row of stately mansions.
On Sunday 8/6 we joined the Tidewater Striders for their long run.  The
guy who finished 3rd in my age group was leading the group, so I was
already accustomed to following him from the day before. The club meets
at First Landing State Park and is struggling to find course with hills,
so we entered Ft. Story and ran among the sand dunes which bury the EOD
demonstration and training chambers.  The repeat loops through the hills
provided some 25 ft tall hills, and that is the most that Virginia Beach
has to offer. I was a bit alarmed to run past some signs which, if I
correctly understand the icons, said "gas mask and helmet required
zone"  After running two loops of the sand dunes, I headed past the Cape
Henry Lighthouses to the Southern gate of the Fort, down Atlantic Ave.
to 64th Street, where I caught the running trail back to the State Park
Visitor's Center where we had parked.  Many of the Tidewater Striders
are training for the MCM, so we can expect a serious challenge to our
efforts to capture the trophies in the Running Club category. Later on
Sunday, I attended the Tidewater Striders beach party/picnic which drew
about 150 people.

I went on a my own special edition Sunday Long Run (as you said, that
still spells SLR) in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  I was in Colorado
Springs for my sister's wedding.  Both she and her husband are in the
Air Force and they got married in the Air Force Academy Chapel.  Anyway,
on Sunday morning, August 06, at a about 6:20am Mountain Daylight Time,
I started out from the Best Western Palmer House Hotel and ran west on
Filmore Street.  This was a very long, very steep incline that had me
breathing pretty hard about 12 minutes later at the top.  I had to slow
down quite a bit and that pretty much set the pace for the rest of the
run--nice and slow.  From the top of the hill I turned north on Centennial
Blvd. and ran on the sidewalk and in a bike lane for a long again somewhat
steep decline.  By the time I got to the bottom I was feeling OK again,
but continued to run at a slow pace.  The next approximately 1.5 - 2
miles of the course was was essentially the only flat part of the course.
I continued along Centennial and turned back west along Garden of the Gods
Road.  When I reached N. 30th Street, I turned to the south and ran up a
gradual incline.  This part of the course was partially on paved trails,
cinder trails, and dirt trials, that were roughly parallel to N. 30th
Street and then Mesa Road.  Up near the top of the hill, I was
overlooking The Garden of the Gods
to the west and could see the Kissing Camels.
I continued on for about another mile and turned around at the 56 and
a half minute point of the run.  I retraced my route on the way back
and finished in 107 minutes.  The return trip was a bit faster since
the highest point on my run was where I turned around and the lowest
was back at the hotel where I started and finished.  The total distance
was estimated at about 11 miles.  Due to the hilly course, I got a good
workout and the scenery along the way was gorgeous.

Tom Stone

I came here to work at Dominos Pizza headquarters for three days to hawk some software. Ann Arbor is just 20 minutes west of the Detroit Airport. I wanted to see the vaunted University of Michigan 105,000-seat football stadium, so I drove over there after work and found it. The stadium was dissapointing, its only two floors high from the street level, because it's just a giant bowl dug downwards in the middle, and there was a big fence all around so I couldn't get in. So I parked, stretched, and started running. There were loads of playing fields being used all over this campus; baseball, soccer, football, basketball, street hockey, and even a nice track, tennis courts and a big field house with a pool. It made me miss those long-gone carefree college days. Soon I was running by the astroturf soccer fields where the ladies team was practicing and one of their balls went out of bounds towards me. It was rolling real smooth to me and it was on the nice fake turf, so I ran up to it hoping for a glorious arching boot back to the waiting co-eds, but instead I dissapointedly snubbed it along the ground into a little retaining fence. So I waved to them, put my head down, turned around, and looked for my next adventure. Then I did four laps around the track, trying to go over the steeplechase hurdle every time, which was too difficult for me to manage properly. Basically I had to climb the steeplechase hurdle using my hands, and then jump with both feet into the big ramp hole where the water should have been. After these two failures I went along the railroad tracks that go through the area for a little while until it hit Main Street where there were lots of nice little restaurants and cafes. I raced a guy on a bicycle uphill for half a mile, then went up a five floor parking garage stairwell and along an elevated walkway tunnel leading to another garage and somehow this was at street level again. I went by some fraternity homes, hit a long stretch of road, then returned to Michigan Stadium. One hour twenty minutes, 11 miles.

Hey John, Jennifer K.!

     Greetings from hotte and humid San Antonio, Texas, home of:

-- The Alamo, Spanish missions and settlements, and the Spurs' Alamodome.
-- The famous Riverwalk or Paseo del Rio an extraordinary place to shop,
   dine, or relax, where I tried to run along the narrow, crowded walkways
   and where I almost fell into the San Antonio River trying to avoid
   other visitors drinking and eating tacos and fajitas.
-- The revolving Hemisphere, where the prices of food and drinks are as
   high as its 75 stories height, where you can see all of Texas, so they
   say, which is bull because all we saw were herds of bulls and cows and
   the San Antonio skyline.

      Seriously, if not for the scorching heat San Antonio is a nice
multicultural city with many places to visit and things to enjoy from
historical sites to romantic boat cruises.

      We spent a week in San Antonio where my 15 year old son Joseph, a 3rd
Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo Martial Arts, was one of the players
representing the state of Maryland in the U.S Junior Olympics.  There were
close to 4,000 participants from throughout the United States including Hawaii
and Alaska. Joseph got into the medal rounds and placed fourth in his
division.  He could have placed higher but for a few decimal points separating
the top places.  He has at least 3 years to get ready for the qualifying
rounds for the World Olympics.

     Due to the heat and limited time I was just able to squeeze a couple
of continous 6 mile runs mostly around Fort Sam Houston Army Base.
Fortunately the Army base police were not checking ID's so that an enemy Navy
Sailor, me, (Navy-Army Football War remember?), was free to run around
checking out the base.  Fort Sam Houston has a proud and venerable tradition
and has been around since your time John, back to 1870.  For us military folks
Fort Sam Houston is the location of the Brooke Army Medical Center, home of
the world renowned Army Burn Center, 1.5 million sq. feet of operational
space, and 450 inpatient beds.

     Despite the 90 plus heat index, even in the early morning, I survived the
short but hard runs with the important help of lots of pre-run liquids and a
couple of 1.5 pints of Powerade and Gatorade I carried with me on my runs.  So
there you are John, you will see me running back in Iwo Jima this Saturday
next to Fiona's pretty runners!  Later. ////Joe.

SLR,
  How did SLR go?  I am in the Boston area and ran two hours SAT AM, by
myself, in honor of you guys.  Lonely but got a nice sun shower for my
trouble.  Hope Col O'Toole made it to keep everyone motivated...
Hank

First I had to ensure someone would operate the SLR without me, as I had to go to New York with friends to see John "bigmouth" Rocker's Braves take on the Mets. I enlisted Peter and Ben who were helpful enough to stand in for me. So we went to New York on Friday and played softball in Central Park until 8pm. What a day. Then after dinner, everyone was heading out to Times Square. I said, no, I must rest for my LR tomorrow morning. (Also, this permitted me to nab half of the bed instead of being relegated to the floor in the hotel room!) So, on Saturday morning, in solidarity with the SLR team back in DC, I got up, found some breakfast, laced up the running shoes, and headed out from our 45th St. location towards Central Park with my brother. He turned around at the 3-mile mark, which was adjacent to the Metropolitan. I continued on, thinking I would go around the main Park Rd all the way around. But when I got to the other end, at 111th street, I looked at my watch, and in order to make this the complete planned 14-miler, I could not simply head straight back. It was a nice morning, and I was now looking out the other end of the Park, Harlem. What the heck, the stars were aligned and I was feeling good, so I went down 7th avenue into Harlem and ran through to 155th St, which brings you to the river and a bridge, and I looked up and saw Yankee Stadium! Wow, so I ran (I need a thesaurus for this overused word) across the bridge, touched the Stadium, and my watch said 1:00. Just right. Hard to believe, but true. So I struggled (thanks, thesaurus!) all the way back and made it in time to catch the Number 7 to Shea Stadium, with a shower in the middle, of course. The Mets won 9-1; Rocker never came in, but we booed him anyway.

Hey John, Hello Fleet Feet Jennifer K.!

Did a two hour plus SLR run along the Lake Michican Lake Shore
Drive and Michigan St. loop. An awesome tour run with the view of
all of Chicagos major skylines (John Hancock/Sears Towers,others),
Navy Pier (what do you expect from a hard core sailor), Chicago
River, Buckingham Fountain, Field Museum, Soldier Field, Shedd
Aquarium/Oceanarium, Adler Planetarium, McCormick Center and the
Michigan Mile.

Still missed you Jennifer K. and the DCRCCSLR group still.  We have to do
one of our SLR run here in the future!  Best regards./// Joe B. :)