ALAS

the ultimate running Warrior, Mike Wardian made a valiant effort but was thwarted by...............

below is an excerpt from a news clip on Wardian's attempt at the treadmill world record.

SundayJune 29, 200812:00 pm - 4:00 pmPacers Running StoreOld Town Fairfax10427 North StreetFairfax, VA 22030Website: www.runpacers. comPhone: 703-537-0630Michael Wardian, 34 of Arlington, VA fell short of both the World Record of fastest the treadmill marathon of 2:21:40 and the World Record for the treadmill 50K.Wardian ran an inspiring 25.9 miles before he was forced to drop out from exhaustion.Wardian ran 2:09:15 through 24 miles (a pace of 5:23 per mile), almost 30 seconds ahead of world record pace.Wardian slowed on the 25th mile running a 5:40 mile, then inexplicitly shut the treadmill off with just over a mile to go. He apparently thought he had finished the 26.2 mile marathon.After being told there was still over a mile to go, Wardian increased the treadmill speed back up to run the last 1.2 miles. At that point, he began to stagger and was having trouble keeping his footing. At 25.9 miles he stopped the treadmill and collapsed. His time at 25.9 miles was 2:22:35. He was .3 miles short of finishing the marathon. The current world treadmill marathon record time of 2:21:40 set by Eric Blake in 2006 was threatened but not beaten.After not being able to complete the marathon, Wardian didn't attempt to continue to run for the 50K treadmill record.

PS....about the race on the 4th

The race for the cure is simply one for the cause. Big money raiser to cure Autism. We(the store) are helping to support the race. In other words, no need to be a speed demon. Heck you can walk it for all I care. So far I have Askey, Justin, I think Melissa is running, too.

I have spread the word wide and far so we will see what transpires.

thanks,

Max

RUN AND MORE

One: I met Big Rob Jarrin, Gier, Jen and Jen and Melissa and and another new comer to the group, who's name is escaping my memory( I apologize), this morning at D-Run for a jog. It was fun but I certainly am feeling the aches and pains now.

Boy, do I miss my youth of only few years. You guys and Gals who are under 34 or so and read this, should live it up now but be wiser than I.

Two: As for a more practical matter, I am wondering if anyone wants to be part of team to run a little 5k in Potomac this July 4th. Its one of the classiest 5ks in the area and raises money for great cause(Cure Autism). I am not running it but have an opportunity to put something together on behalf of the Georgetown Running Company.

If you can do it, it would be much appreciated.

Please let me know within the next 24 hrs if you are game.

thanks

Max

Trials on the TeeVee!

Kind of late notice, but to any of you running junkies that check the blog regularly, Dwyer is coming over to my digs to watch the Olympic Trials on my ridiculous tv. The big dance starts at 7:00 pm so plan on showing up at least a little before that. I live about two blocks from the Rosslyn Metro station across the river the from the store (1575 Colonial Terrace), so just give me a holler on the wireless some time today if you are interested (612-214-0472).

love,

-dylan

Potomac River Running Twilight Festival 4-Miler

Seeing as how I ran a 5k a couple of weeks ago in 110 heat index, 95 should be no problem. Anyone up for this? Let me know and we can meet up.

BACK TO THE BASICS

I am doing a very easy recovery "back into the groove" run this Sunday at Difficult Run. I am meeting a # of different runners who are all running different paces and distances so this equates to an ALL COMERS FUN RUN. Run departs from the parking lot at 8:30am.

If you are coming and want others to know so that they will wait for you, please send me an e-mail directly at max.lockwood@gmail.com or submit a comment. If you need a ride or directions, just ask.

take care

Max

PS. If you come, make sure to bring plenty of water.

Track Workout - tonight

Hey All,

It's a bit last minute, but if any of you are interested, Bain, P. Murphy and I are hitting the track this evening at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in downtown Bethesda.

The plan is 3 x 2k/1k @ 10k/5k pace, but that, as always, is subject to change if people have other ideas.

Drop me an email if you want to join: patrickreaves@gmail.com.

BLOG EDICATE AND SUCH

All,

Based on this most recent little debate on who the best marathoner is, etc. I think it might be good to follow some basic protocols regarding how we communicate.

Such as:

Please allow people, whoever they might be, to blog, share their opinion, etc. If you disagree with what someone is saying simply say you disagree and counter with your own thought/opinion. There is no need to get personal or take any of this personally as it is simply a platform to share ideas and running lore, etc. I enjoy some debate and discussion as I think it is healthy and brings about better ideas and allows for more inclusion from a broader audience.

If by some chance you think someone's comment or post is not appropriate, just go and talk to the person offline about it. It is probably not a good idea to speculate about the person's intentions and confront them on the Blog, etc. as this might lead to more harm than good.

We are all reasonable and thoughtful people so this should not be a problem.

Take it easy and stay cool out there.

Max

Sunday Long Run

I plan on doing 16 miles from lock 5 on the towpath at 7am on Sunday. Let me know if you are game.

Saturday Long Run

I need to get my long run done on Saturday this week. Maybe meeting at "the line" for the "Zoo Loop". Any takers?

Bain Birthday

Christopher Conrad Bain turns 31 (I think) tomorrow (6/24). To celebrate, Jarrin and I are heading to "Union Jacks" in downtown Bethesda at 8:30pm on Tuesday...oh yeah, and we are bringing Chris along too. There are pool tables, food and spirits.

Chris and I are also meeting at "The Line" at 6:15pm tomorrow for a run.

Come and join in the celebration of his life, if you can make it. Apologies for the last minute post.


10 fun facts about BAIN that you may not know
1. he has run two 50-mile races
2. he has run over 30 marathons (3 a year x 10 years)
3. he is attempting a marathon in every state and every continent before he dies
4. he recently ran a PR 2:32 at Boston Marathon...in which he has a 7 or 8 year streak (don't quote me on that)
5. he used to meet Chuck Moeser in Sterling, VA every weekday at 6am for runs
6. he like the Atlanta Braves (for some reason)
7. he hails from Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy
8. he eats at Arbys
9. he went to Harvard
10. he chews his shirt while he runs

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Who Says You Can't Go Home?

This may be my first and last race report ever, so enjoy. This past weekend I went home to Upstate NY to visit family (I didn't get to go for Father's Day last week), get my car inspected (I'm still a NYer), and defend my title in the Vestal XX. This was the 38th running of the race, making it the longest lasting and most historic (and by far the hilliest) race in my hometown.

Last year I ran the race completely alone. 12.4 silent miles up and down the Catskill foothills. I couldn't see anyone behind me for well over half a mile. I finished in 1:13:28, a full 3:32 ahead of the next finisher. In the past my time wouldn't have even warranted a top 10 finish, so I was partially embarrased by claiming the slowest victory in the history of the race.

The champions in the past have almost always gone on to repeat 2, 3, 4, even 5 times. Since this race fit conveniently in my calendar, I wanted to do the same. Not to mention, I wanted to try to post a better time.

Saturday morning I woke up early and drove across the former Valley of Opportunity (like the former race champions, the most talented people in Binghamton have moved on in the past 20 years). I scoped out my competition and there was one tall, fit-looking guy I had not seen before. Other than that, I saw the usual suspects including Fred Bostrom, a man who has run 37-straight Vestal XXs and 26 straight Boston Marathons. Now THAT is something to live up to.

When the gun went off I immediately went to the front to set the pace. Last year nobody went with me, but this year that tall dude latched onto my side. In fact, I was a little concerned at how comfortable he seemed. 3/4 of a mile into the race I introduced myself in an effort to figure out this guy's story. He responded that his name was Shaun Horan and I immediately made connections between that name and numerous race results in the past few months. He had just run a 16:20 5K the week before, and typically dominated the weekly track races in town. I knew he wasn't going anywhere, so at least I wouldn't be lonely again. He stopped just before the mile mark to tie his shoe, and I made a point to not take advantage of that. It was far too early in the race, he would easily catch up to me, and I wanted him to trust me. We went through the first mile in 5:58.

Mile after mile we climbed the hills towards the Pennsylvania border. Despite the ups and downs, we maintained a relatively consistent pace. These hills are tricky in a race like this; they feel easy early in the race, but if you push too hard you're bound to feel them 8 miles later. I started to try to control Shaun's pace. He had not run the course before, so I assumed that he would not try to push those early miles if I kept my cool. We just ran stride-for-stride until we reached the half-way mark. We went through in 37-something, but I wasn't worried. The second half of the race was downhill, and as Shaun was about to find out, much faster.

This is where I decided to make a move. Shortly after the 10K there is a steep 1/4 mile hill to Route 26. I took off up the hill hoping to put a gap on him and keep up the pace on the downhill. There was also a hard left turn at the top of the hill so I could see where he was. I surged and started to hear his breathing become fainter and fainter. As I rounded the corner I only had 4-5 seconds on him. I tried to remember my old coaches' advice and I kept up the hard pace for another two miles. Still, he wouldn't fall any further behind. We had dropped from consistent 6 minute miles to miles of 5:35 and 5:30, granted not a blistering pace, but a reasonable one considering the course ahead. After two miles of this, I conceeded that Shaun was not going to let me go. I began to slow back down to 6 minute miles to allow him to catch up. I planned to conserve my energy for a late charge.

As we passed the 9, 10, and even 11 mile posts he never made a move. He stayed 2-3 strides behind me and let me set the pace. Mile 11-12 is almost completely downhill, and where you lose all the elevation you gained over 11 miles. I started to pick it up here, and finally he mounted a surge. We went through that mile in 5:14. Considering the slope that's not an especially fast time, but there was still a half mile to go and I wanted to make sure I had a few more gears to use. Every step we seemed to get faster until, with about 300 yards to the finish I began to kick. I worried that he would stay a step behind me and come around me at the finish so I made sure to save one more gear. I made the last turn to sprint the final 75 yards not knowing where he was, but thankfully not able to hear him. I crossed the line in 1:12:55 (5:52 pace) and Shaun followed up 11 seconds later.

And, while the subject of shameless self-promotion is on the blog, my hometown newspaper wrote an article about the race. For a few hours I was the lead story in the "Breaking News" section of their website. I'm not sure if that says more about me or about Binghamton...

Splits to come...

IT LOOKS LIKE EVERYONE IS HAVING FUN

On the road to recovery I am in the middle of two week break of running. I have not run a foot since last Saturday. I am doing yoga, active isolated stretching, lifting light weights and rowing.

By doing this, I notice a few things.

One: Running is an addiction albeit a not so bad one. The endorphin rush is second to none. I feel like an addict being slowly weened off of some substance.

Two: Running can really pound the body like nothing else. Rowing and cycling have their issues but they are muscular rather that bone/joint jarring impact ones. So, for the first time in a long time, my legs feel really fresh and many aches and strains are subsiding.

Three: I am enjoying other sports rather than just doing them to support my running.

Four: When I come back I will be better than ever.

PS.

On side note, I noticed that Chris Raabe(who is so quiet I did not know he was running the Grandmas Marathon), ran it in 2:17ish. At the moment, Chris is right up there with Wardian as the best marathoner in our Nation's Capital.

Eugene Oregon...

So who's headed to the 2008 Olympic Track and Field Trials? In a momentary lapse of reason, a few of us this past weekend decided to book our flights to Eugene Oregon (Silverman, myself and Bain is in the process). So far I know the list of confirmed attendees stands at Klim, Jennifer May, Geir Sande Lie, Gabler, Silverman, me and ... (please fill in the blank).

On another note, yesterday a group consisting of Bain, Camacho, Dwyer, Keith, Klim, Silverman and I trekked out to the woods of Frederick MD to engage in a little paintball while also getting in a solid morning run at Gambrill State Park. We were joined by one lonely Pacer (Bert) who managed to somehow get hit with numerous rounds of friendly fire...good times.

- JARRIN

Slow America?

Feel free to read my posting about American running HERE.

GO WILSON

This weekend Wilson makes his way to Duluth, Minnesota to do battle with Grandmas Marathon. After a year of injury and uncertainty he has rebounded back into form and like knight on a quest for the Holly Grail, has departed on yet another quest seeking glory.

I have known Wilson for years and his consistency, steady and friendly demeanor and smile is what sets him apart from the crowd.

Good luck my friend. We will be rooting for you.

Autism Speaks 5k

Does anybody plan on running this race on July 4th? Last year it was called the Cure Autism Now 5k and a few people ran it. There is a team competition, so if a couple people run it, I would be willing to run it as a workout to complete team scoring.

Allen

More Self Promotion...

The day before we ran the 112th Boston Marathon, I photographed the 2008 Women's Olympic Trials that were held in Boston on April 20th. I shot many of the superhuman women we all know and admire including Kastor, Boulet, Russell and (my personal favorite) Ficker.

There are many others including some locals that were participating whom I don't know so please feel free to forward accordingly. Enjoy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/robert_jarrin/sets/.

Self Promotion

You may get a kick out of this video shot for the Running Film Festival...

Fartlek on Thursday

pMURPHY, pREAVES, me and some others (?) are running a fartlek from "The Line" at 6:45pm on Thursday. The workout is TBD, but initial thoughts were 3 minutes on/1 minute off.

Let me know if you plan to make it.

NEXT week there will be a track workout at BCC.

A Morning at Rileys Lock

Intervals tomorrow 7.pm

People, tomorrow I suggest that we meet up at 7 p.m at the GRC.

The session is:
warm up 20-25min
14x2min p1min jog
purpose: not to hard and not to much acid, dont get stiff. Else the purpose is to have fun together!
rundown 15-20min

the session will be done along the canal

ITS TIME TO LISTEN TO MY OWN ADVICE AND COMMON SENSE

AND JUST CHILL

After two years of injury riddled running/jogging in a random manner with zero confidence in my legs, its time to take time off. No point running marathons and 10ks and such with my legs feeling like iron weights.

I went to LHH and for the first time ever, just stopped running mid-race. After a few miles of plodding along with less than 50% leg health, I said to myself, this is silly and walked off the course. No point in hurting one's self because the ego beckons you to keep going.

I think I will take up rowing or kayaking for a bit and let the legs just rebuild themselves.

I hope to come back at some point like the six million dollar man(show from the 80s)

take it easy you all and keep having fun.

Weekend Race Results Wire

I just received word on the wire that BAIN picked up the Silver at a trail half marathon in Richmond.

Dwyer and Philippe ran the Lawyers Have Heart 10k finishing 3rd (32:42) and 4th (32:49) RESPECTIVELY.

Saturday's Run

Can I get a show of hands who might be heading to the run on Saturday morning?

The LHH 10k starts at 8am and it might be nice to start the group run from the LHH finish line so we can cheer on the likes of Jason "The Bearded Lightning" Dwyer and others. We could start the group run from the finish line circa 8:45.

I know a number of folks are heading home/away this weekend to hang out with Dad, so who will be showing up?

http://www.runlhh.org/race/index.htm

PS - I was thinking of Riley's Lock on Sunday. 15 miles at 9:00am. Any interest?

INSIGHT MAYBE?

Based on some of my back and forth comments with Mighty Matias, I have come up with some other Maxisms.

We are all different. We have unique strengths and weaknesses. In other words, we are human. There is no right way to have fun or derive pleasure, etc. If you enjoy getting a certain time running a road race or playing poker all night and losing $100000s, then so be it.

There are many stages to you as a person in terms of growth, development, awareness, etc.(CASE IN POINT IS DYLAN) This means you change your ways of looking at life, determining whats important, etc as you move along. The sooner one accepts this and just goes along with the ups and downs of life, the better.

My goal is to enjoy the ride, try to be a nice guy and take in all of the little aspects of living that are easy to ignore and or forget about when one is so focused on their own achievement or goal. I am not saying one or the other is good or bad but merely that when one is so focused on their own thing they are not geared up to be aware of whats going around them so much.

I am sure that if I was only interested in running faster times at races i might have done or do so. However, I enjoy the whole scene so much more. Its the people and locations and the whole package that has attracted me to running. Heck, most of the people on this team, the Moeser's and Hage's and countless others I have become friends with would not be friends, but simply other runners if I was so focused only on winning or my own goal.

Running and all sorts of exercise is a nice and pure way to express one piece of your humanity. But there is so much more. I suppose I would call running, like all sports I have played, a means to an end. I meet great people doing something I like to do. In the end, its the people and seeing them succeed that brings as much satisfaction as me achieving my particular ambition.

I will say this. In my 20's I had more opinions and hard core views. Us Vs them or my way or the highway kind of thing. As I have journeyed along I have lost many of these ways of looking at life. Values and principles are important but more as a means to guide my personal choices as opposed to how I view others, the world, etc.


As for race directing. That was a blast and lots of fun. Going into it I knew I would enjoy it and make it work.

I throw this out there as food for thought and simply because it came to my mind.

Max Sermon

Running in Dubai U.A.E.,...

Dubai is a remarkably developed city that is best described as a concrete mosaic jungle. Lying on the Arabian Gulf of the United Arab Emirates, less than 10% of the U.A.E.'s economy is based on oil and gas, the majority of its wealth generation coming from ambitious real estate projects, trade and financial services. Temperatures while here have hovered in the mid to upper '90's added with humidity that makes it feel like 104+ degrees. Running is non-existent. In the three days that I've been here I haven't seen a single person running in public. This is probably due to a number of reasons: the heat, a lack of open and unencumbered spaces, lots of traffic, metropolitan congestion and cultural shyness. I believe the Islamic culture here is still quite modest as many men dress in traditional clothing covering their heads and bodies and some women dress head to toe except for the face and hands. I can't imagine anyone running in the streets in skimpy shorts either bare-chested or in a sports bra. Thus my running has been confined to the gym pictured below.

Dubai is known for a number of man made wonders including the worlds largest indoor ski resort (Dylan - The snowboarding looked epic and your dreads would have been a hit!), the Burj Dubai (in construction but will be the world's tallest man made structure), the Palm Islands (man made peninsula resembling a palm tree), the Burj Al Arab (famous building resembling a sail boat), along with many man made jetty's and waterways that sprinkle the coastline. Dubai is also known for SHOPPING MALLS and FOOD and AIR CONDITIONING. I do not recommend Dubai for running, but would recommend it for indulgence.

- JARRIN

Lawyers Have Heart

I just registered. Anyone else in it?

Speaking of memories....

A while back I let it slip that I once had dreadlocks. A bunch of you insisted that I post a picture of said hairstyle. It was something of a team tradition that I carried for over a year, this picture is from the 2005 MIAC Track and Field Conference Championships. I can't believe that was only 3 years ago. As awesome of a hairstyle as dreads are, they are very difficult to create and maintain, it requires a certain degree of OCD usually associated with running.

Enjoy, and.......stay hydrated.

love, dylan

MEMORIES AND MORE

Back when I was a mere youth(OK, be quiet Max) I would follow Wilson out on the C&O Canal at mid-day when it was 100 degrees. There was a pack of us. Wilson was rather new to the scene and typically wore a sweatsuit(kidding-- but he usually wore a long sleeve top). Mind you, it was 100 degrees and humid. We were already soaked with sweat after the 2 mile warm up. We then ran what we called "death runs".---(Intense fartlek runs) -- Basically, run until you die. In retrospect, it is quite possible that someone, might easily have died considering the insanity of it all. None the less, it made me a much tougher runner over a short period of time.

I will make one more go of this sort of thing and see if the 0ld body can hang on.

Live each day like its your last.

M

PS. The highlight of my Sunday, aside from the morning run, was picking up a Best of the Bee Gees CD at a yard sale.

Running in London England...

An often forgotten landmark in London is Hampstead Heath. The grounds of the park make up over 790 acres of sprawling green.

The Heath is known for its labyrinth of paved walkways, unpaved trails and myriad of charted and uncharted paths. It also traverses many a gorgeous neighborhood. Most Londoners enjoy the Heath for its outdoor activities as well as for its ponds, playgrounds, sculptures, track/recreational center and the famous Kenwood House.

The Heath contains Parliament Hill, London’s highest point of observation that serves as a summit from where to view areas of interest. The area has an undulating terrain that makes it ideal for trail running and training. To the south it connects to Primrose Hill and from there you can run down towards the extensive canal.

I traveled through London on Saturday after the GRC run; took full advantage of a 14 hour layover to get downtown and run 12 easy miles with some friends. Decent weather: 82 degrees, low humidity and sunshine.

- JARRIN

The Empty Forum...

Hot!

Not to sound like your parents, or Max Lockwood for that matter, but make sure you hydrate this weekend!

The "feels like" temperature could hit 110 degrees and none of us are quite acclimated to the DC humidity yet.

WX REPORT: A BERMUDA HIGH OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC THROUGH MONDAY WILLBRING HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS TO THE REGION ON WEST TO SOUTHWESTWINDS. HIGH TEMPERATURES ACROSS MOST OF NORTHERN AND CENTRALVIRGINIA AS WELL AS THE BALTIMORE AND WASHINGTON METROPOLITANAREAS WILL REACH THE MID AND UPPER 90S EACH DAY. A FEW LOCATIONSMAY REACH 100 DEGREES.THE HOT TEMPERATURES COMBINED WITH HIGH HUMIDITY WILL CAUSE HEATINDICES TO APPROACH 105 DEGREES THIS AFTERNOON. HEAT INDICES MAYAPPROACH 110 DEGREES SUNDAY AND MONDAY.THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITY WILLCOMBINE TO CREATE A SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES AREPOSSIBLE. SINCE THIS IS THE FIRST PERIOD OF HOT AND HUMID WEATHERTHIS SEASON...MOST AREA RESIDENTS HAVE NOT YET ACCLIMATED TOTHESE CONDITIONS. THAT MAKES HEAT RELATED INJURIES MORE LIKELY.

DIFFICULT RUN RUN ON SUN

I spoke with Jake and he is in agreement that it is OK to meet at 8:30am this Sunday rather than 9am. Its going to be very hot and it might be better to run as early as possible. Furthermore, several of us need to be doing other things by 11 and 12, respectively, so this makes it a little more manageable.

Also, despite the rumor that the water out there is infested with dangerous toxins, there will be an opportunity to jump in a cool pool of stream water after. Moeser, Geir and I cooled off after our last run and it felt good.

Hope to see everyone at the parking lot at 8:30am.

M

GAIT ANALYSIS AND MORE

Robert's photos are excellent for examining people's running Gaits and biomechanics or looking at your own, for that matter. Bain and Moeser, by the look of them, seem to be very efficient. Bain in particular seems to use his arms well to help propel him forward. Ever since I have known Philippe Rolly he has been very efficient, balanced and upright. Wilson has this kind of forward lean where he lurks forward and kind of lopes along. Wardian does not seem to be running as fast he does but he gets the job done. I believe biomechanics are really important and when they are off in anyway, injuries begin to occur. The opposite is true of course in that an injury will throw of one's biomechanics and one's running suffers.


I can tell that my gait is off as I am favoring my right side too much and my arms are wasting too much energy.

As for facial expressions and such....................

Klim has some serious facial expressions going on. Klim, were you pissed, in agony or what? Pat Murphy seems euphoric. Bain seems well, like, Bain.

Anyway, its good to be to get the closeups and do what you will with them.

Georgetown 8K Race video

Sorry for the delay. Apparently it takes google about 3 days to process 10+ minute videos once they have been uploaded. Check out the intensity of the guy finishing at the end of the video. That's my favorite part.

Pictures from the Georgetown Classic 8K

Hey Everyone...

I've posted over 300 pictures I shot last Saturday May 31, at the Georgetown Classic 8K race.

This is my first upload to my brand new flickr premium account and I have granted full access rights for anyone to pull pics and do as they please.

I am not a professional photographer and actually purchased my favorite new weapon (a Nikon D40 SLR) last March prior to my trip to Africa. I'm hooked. And am planning on taking a course in photography to improve upon the work reflected here. When not racing and not traveling, the team can count on me to do some shooting. A big nod to Pete Silverman for the inspiration.

Enjoy.

- JARRIN


http://www.flickr.com/photos/robert_jarrin

Marine Corps Marathon

Someone from the MCM called the store yesterday asking if we were going to be entering a team this year. Anybody interested in representing GRC should call Chris L. @ the store...

Potomac Valley Track Club's all-comers meets

Hi all, three things:

1. I have signed up for the Potomac Valley Track Club's all-comers meets on first coming Sunday. I will either do the 800m or 3000m, depends on how many people that shows up. Any other interested?
More info on: http://www.pvtc.org/outdoor.html

2. Since I have not figured out when you guys have a track session (except Wilson’s Tuesday morning), I am going to the Washington-Lee HS Track tomorrow to train with the DCRR, anybody else interested?
(Copied from homepage) June 4: 8 x 500M at 5K pace. 300M rest. NOTE: Severe T-storms already are predicted for this evening. Please watch Home Page for any announcements with regard to that on Wednesday afternoon.

3. An interesting article in the NYT: Swallow this

Geir

Sunday at Difficult Run

Anyone interested in running at Difficult Run on Sunday?

9am start time...then dip legs in cool, polluted water post-run.

Meet HERE

My birthday run

Read about my 32 mile jaunt on my 32nd birthday (culminating in the GRC 8k!) HERE.

Was great to see so many of you out there and catch-up, albeit briefly. Thanks to Max for organizing the Water St Gym talk with Wardian. I think it went off smashingly.

RACE TO REMEMBER

The Inaugural G-town Classic 8k came and went with success. All of the work and prep paid off as we had approximately 400 runners sign up and around 350 finish. All of this on a day when severe thunderstorms hit the area and threatened to put a damper on the event. This was not to be. NO way. Not on our race. Somewhere around 4:30 the sun appeared and it is was clear the race would be a go.

Logistics were smooth as volunteers and staff worked with positive enthusiasm to make sure water stations, packet pickup and overall race administration was covered.

Aside from the busywork, it was great to see all of the runners out there. There were the usual cast of characters including Philippe Rolly, Chuck (the Orchestrator)Moeser, Klim(who is apparently getting famous for his red hair), Chris(truly silent Bain), Wilson and lots of other familiar faces.

Prior to the race there was a little trouble as a gentleman had a problem with the heat and had to be helped off of the Capital Crescent trail. Yes, it was humid! None the less, we were able to help the man to safety and get prepared for the race.

As the race starting time approached, Luke Merkel was properly set up at the front with his bike and whistle and was ready to lead the charge. Other folks were doing last minute stretching and warm ups, etc.

All during this time I was able to take it all in as I blurted out random pieces of information on the microphone and tried to provide some guidance and structure to the pre-race scene.

With a few seconds to go, I handed the horn to Ben and jumped in so that I could run and see the event first hand. The GO word was yelled out and we were off. Off in the very front I could see the tall and lanky Wilson kind of hopping along with Wardian and the eventual winner, right there. As far as I could tell, the trail was clear as there seemed to be very little, if no, congestion. Yes, it went off well.

When I got done, Ben handed me the mike and I got a chance to encourage people as they pushed across the finish line. Totally cool.

When all was said and done and prizes handed out, etc. We did some clean up and headed over to get some beer and pizza and do some post race chatting.

I could go on forever with various details but I will spare you.

I do, however, want to give shout out and special thanks to Ben Cooke and all of the staff at the store who worked the race. All were positive and helpful. Also, a special thanks goes out to Jay Wind who did lots of behind the scenes work and provided race management expertise that only comes with years of experience.

Laura Turner was also very helpful and thanks to Robert and Peter for taking photos.

Lets make this a tradition that will continue for years to come.

Max