2017 Friendship Day 5K

24th Annual Friendship Day 5K
Start: 7:45 am
Her Time: 26:41

Thinking of renaming the blog Daddy Runs...

Not sure exactly what my time was, doesn't matter. Wasn't my best, to be sure. I still have a road back. I wonder whether I will recover from this, if running will continue to be a thing for me. Perhaps I am just trying to accept the possibility that my best work is behind me.

Enough about me. We all headed out today. My wife and the boy ran the one mile, they did very good work. When the five kilometer started I was ahead, but by the first mile the girl had passed me and she stayed out a head of me the whole way.

I knew this day would come.

What's most distressing for me is not that I run slower now (breathing has become harder) it's that recovery time for something as simple as a 5K has become a serious pain.

But enough about me.

The girl ran the entire course without stopping to walk, which was a personal goal for her. This is her third 5K, and by far her fastest, never having run one under thirty minutes. She is in training for high school soccer, conditioning begins in earnest on Tuesday, August 1, that's in just a few days.

She passes me.

Walker Beach and back.

No, I was not planning on a run today. But she asked. And when someone asks, you must go.

Glad I did, though. A bright day, already warm. I said I'd run out one mile and head back, she was planning on 10 kilometers. We made it past Walker Beach and came back to the turning for the cove. She headed on and I turned in. Just fine.

Race tomorrow. What will happen?

Distance: 2.11 miles
Avg. Pace: 8:49
Duration: 18:35
Route: Martin Point Run
Temperature: 72°
Climate: sunny & hot
Mood: good

Road to Waldoboro

Cousin Amy was born in 1982. She's younger than I am. She's serious about running and has been extremely encouraging to me to get out onto the road.

Yesterday was my birthday, yes, hello, I am forty-nine years old. The family was over last night, cousins and second-cousins and aunts and cousins-once-removed and more cousins. Also Michele and her family have joined us. Full house!

Amy asked if I would be running today, so I said yes because it's good to say yes to things and she suggested 12 or 13 kilometers (because she lives and works in Europe, or rather anywhere that isn't America, so metric) and I said how far is that and she said six or eight miles and I said yes.

Haven't run so far since March, if then. But hey, why not?

Distance: 13 kilometers (around 8 miles)
Duration: 1:13:43
Route: Road to Waldoboro

I woke to the rain around five am. We had made a date to meet at eight am, I was going to get up at seven. Kept waking up every ten or fifteen minutes or so. Still raining. Had no rain jacket, was not looking forward to this But I wasn't going to bail. Got up, got dressed, still raining. Had coffee, cereal still rain. Five to eight, stepped out onto the road. No more rain. Held off for the entire run, That was perfect.

Temperature: 63°
Climate: overcast & damp
Mood: good

It's good to run with someone, it is a healthy distraction, and an inspiration. You can keep each other going. But Lord, all those hills. Shortly after the turn around there was a big one and I just had to walk. Too exhausted. Apart from that, however, while I did not feel my best, I did good work.

We'll see how I feel later. Meantime, there's one more piece of birthday carrot cake and that sucker is mine.

Should have tried to do some more.

Solo run, the girl announced she wanted to go on her own. Of course she does. The irony.

Yesterday was a cold, rainy day, and a lazy one. I have been writing, which is good. Revisiting, revising. But we also went fishing, the boy caught a half dozen mackerel one of the other cove residents requested -- then he got paid for them. That was pretty cool.

Distance: 2.75 miles
Avg. Pace: 8:39
Duration: 23:45
Route: Martin Point Run

Today, cool but bright and sunny. She headed out a few minutes ago, but now I will follow. Wonder if she will acknowledge me when we pass out on the point.

Temperature: 68°
Climate: sunny & humid
Mood: all right

Bit wearying, out of shape. Stuck it out past the beach before turning back. Maybe I will hit four miles by the end of the week.

Past the girl by Crystal Pond. She made eye contact and nodded. That was totally cool.

Baby Boomer Deep Regret Playlist
FM (No Static at All) - Steely Dan
25 or 6 to 4 - Chicago
Deacon Blues - Steely Dan
Moondance - Van Morrison
Tomorrow Never Knows - Phil Collins

Martin Point Cousin Run

Afternoon run with the girl and cousin Amy. The girl is in training for high school soccer and working to keep up with conditioning. Amy (who I have mentioned before) is here for the week, staying with her folks at the Baker, she's also leaving Saturday but hasn't decided if she'll stay for the race.

We made it out the beach and back, I was really hoping she would push it out that far. I think Amy coming with us really helped.

Distance: 2.13 miles
Avg. Pace: 9:35
Duration: 20:26
Route: Martin Point Run

Beautiful day, clear skies, blue, blue, blue. The boy and I have been fishing, got my nap on, read a book. Time to make dinner. Strange, this day has actually moved along rather fast.

Temperature: 68°
Climate: breezy & bright
Mood: good

Forecast calls for rain. Enjoy it while you can.

Salem Run

See what I did there?

Three days in Salem, almost didn't take a run but this morning my wife encouraged me to, and I am very thankful for that. Time was I would obsess about getting a run in - plural runs - when visiting a new city, a different city. It makes me feel the place more deeply, running through it.

Distance: 2.5 miles
Avg. Pace: 8:58
Duration: 22:25
Route: Salem Commons & Harbor

Our B&B was only a block from Salem Commons, and a city block in Salem is only about one hundred feet. Also, I jogged down to the harbor and out onto the pier where we had gone fishing the night before.

Temperature: 73°
Climate: overcast & humid
Mood: good, you know?

We have seen many things, I really like visiting Salem. Places rich in history excite me. We'll only have a week in Maine this year, but this trip was definitely worth it. The girl and I have made plans to run the Friendship 5K next Saturday, I hope training this week goes well.

Smooth, my, floatin' like a butterfly.

Weirdest thing this morning. Bright, sunshiny day. I was working on the deck. Suddenly, it started to rain. I looked up and there was lie, one cloud, over my deck. It was like a Charlie Brown thing. Weird.

Distance: 5.5 miles
Avg. Pace: 9:02
Duration: 49:41
Route: Forest Hills Park

When was the last time I went on a running date? Must be ten years. Last time I ran with Chris was the Cleveland Half Marathon, May 15, 2016 -- when it snowed.

Today was very enjoyable, and inspiring. Not only was it a great five mile run, but I had a partner to run with, we talked about training and diet and theater and everything, and I got to be a tour guide, pointing out places of interest through Forest Hill Park.

You know I love being a tour guide.

Chris told me about some upcoming events, and also running organizations which sounded appealing, including We Run This City and an after-work club I have to check out. More on these in the future, I hope.

Temperature: 72°
Climate: sunny & bright
Mood: pretty good

Haven't run more than five miles since the beginning of March. Yes, the sciatica hurts. Last night it made sitting to watch a play for two and a half hours seriously irritating. But what I am supposed to do, not run?

Baseline: 174 lbs.
Today:
Goal: 170 lbs.
Ideal: 165 lbs.

What's That Lyric?
Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) - Us3

You know you better run fast.

It wasn't me.

Thursday evening in July. Why not run?

Distance: 3.25 miles
Route: Forest Hill Loop

Buying a new car, a Corolla. Haven't had a Toyota in some time. Question is this, will sitting higher, and having an automatic, cut down on aggravation and stress in the muscles on my left side? No more idling, no more using a clutch. Will be interesting to find out. Just he past two days, getting to work and home have been painful.

Temperature: 78°
Climate: overcast & humid
Mood: all right

Oh, the joy of running. Running solitary and free, in warm weather, with music in my ears. I am overweight again, it is arduous. I stretched my hamstrings appropriately, but I could feel it a bit in my hip. I will shower and stretch again. We'll see. But it's time to run, and run regular.

Chris has at long last bought that house in the Heights. The park is equidistant from each of our houses. Hell, the Heights entrance is probably closer to where he is. We have made a pact. The partner running will commence.

He doesn't have a choice. He has a mortgage.

Baseline: 174 lbs.

Right back where I started. Breathe. Begin again.

What's That Lyric?
It Wasn't Me - Shaggy ft. Ricardo Ducent

Boy Camp Bike/Run

Boys Camp is in effect for the summer. We've already done a great many things, including seeing the new Spider-Man movie, dining on chicken and waffles, and purchasing an extremely dangerous knife.

I got sick the last day in Chicago, and I have been struggling through it for the past ten days. The wife and the boy have been to the gym, the girl is engaged in conditioning for high school soccer (it's pretty intense) and I can't even get up early enough to write, let alone run.

The back exercises have gone to the wayside, and I am feeling that, too. In spite of all this, or perhaps because of it, I proposed a three-mile bike/run with the boy.

Because Boy Camp!

Distance: 3.5 miles
Avg. Pace: 9:31
Duration: 33:18
Route: Boulevard Loop

Temperature: 71°
Climate: hot & sunny
Mood: It's Boy Camp!

Not bad, stopping every mile for water, talking about all kinds of things. I encouraged him to join me in a brief jog at the end, it was very challenging for him. Says his ankles hurt, his heels hurt, his toes hurt.

Running is hard. This is a true thing.