Eva Runs Through It

                  I t started innocently enough.  A little red message icon on my Facebook page.  Oh dammit, when those are from Roger, I know I’m in trouble.  He sent me a link to a Hill Repeat From Hell Challenge.  “OMG, he’s totally lost his mind” was my first through tenth thought. He has this horrible/wonderful habit of raising the bar on what I think I can accomplish.   I tried ignoring  the challenge at first, but could not dismiss it.  I knew I would accept.  I always accept such challenges, but, dang it, it wasn’t going to be easy.             The challenge was to do increasing hill repeats over a four-week period ending in 100 hill repeats.  The rules were simple.  You had to complete 25 the first week, 50 the next, followed by 75 and then 100 in the final week.  You had the entire week to complete th...

"Hey Mark, what should I write about the Turkey Trot?"  I asked, as I was struggling to put my thoughts together about this 5 mile race that is not really a race; it's more like a moving carnival with 14,000 people. "Well,"  he said, "You got to run 8 miles by yourself in the morning.  You got all of us to put on stupid costumes.  You got to see your friends on the course.  I could hear you laughing all morning with everyone you were talking to.  You got hysterical comments because you decided to wear a shirt with "Dirty Girl" plastered on the back.  You got to prance around in a tutu and looked good doing it.  And, you beat the boys to the finish line. Why don't you just say it was the perfect start to a perfect day." Well said, Hubs.  But, it was more than that.  It was the perfect ending to a perfect year of running. I am very proud of the work I did in 2012, and other than one non-start in the Buffalo Marathon, I met every goal...

This race report is dictated by Natalie (we call her Lu---long story, don't ask) Today, I did my fourth 5k.  Well, that's not really right, 'cause I did 4 other 5k's in training, so all together, I've done 8 5k's.  One of them was in the rain.  I did NOT like the rain. I ran with my mom.  It was fun.  She would say things like "you are dad, I am pizza, what are you going to do?" Then, I would chase her. This was my best 5k ever, because I never whined.  I beat my record by 15 minutes. Near the end, mom said, "the faster we run, the sooner we'll get to Splash Lagoon!".  So I ran super fast the rest of the way. I left my medal at home, but that's okay, because I LOVE the water park, and I get to stay in a hotel.  I LOVE to stay in hotels. In conclusion, running is fun and I want to be a marathon runner like my mom. And, my brother is annoying.

Mendon Pond 50k. This race is scheduled to be my last race of the most amazing season of running I have ever had.  I just didn’t want to do it. My legs were tired.  I missed weekends watching silly movies with Noah and making chocolate chip pancakes with Natalie.  I wanted to get back to the rigor of training and avoid the taper/recover cycle of racing.  I even tried to volunteer to help clean out my mom’s garage in MASSACHUSETTS just to get out of this race. Then a funny thing happened.  Clyde said he was running.  Roger said he was running.  Jim said he was running.   I just adore running with these folks and the friendships we have forged while running are very important to me.  Okay, I’m in. I got to the race site and saw my friend Kinga.  This woman coached me through the Dirty Girl race and I was glad to get the chance to thank her again.  “You saved me during that race” I said to her.  “You...

             Oil Creek.  Four years ago, it was my very first ultra.  I only signed up because I thought I would never qualify for the Boston Marathon.  This race was like nothing I had ever seen before.   They say you always remember your first, and I certainly do.  Oil Creek changed everything regarding running for me.  It is also where I met my good friends Roger and Clyde.             I was lucky enough to have dinner with Rog, his beautiful wife Kris, and Clyde the night before this year’s race.  We laughed and told stories for hours.  It was a bit like that scene from the movie Jaws where the men are sitting around sharing battle wounds.  We shared stories about races, but I noticed we shared just as many stories about each other as we did about our selves.  I guess that’s what running countless miles with someone will d...

             “Base, you got a minute?”  I hear it constantly and I know within the next few moments, one or more of the following will happen, I’ll:  get a change in schedule, get a new student, have to write an IEP, be asked to provide progress monitoring for the intense state audit, go to a meeting, get a duty change (hehehe—‘duty’ still makes me laugh), do something for the new teacher evaluation system or drop everything and deal with a kid in crisis.  Add to this the endless stream of phone calls and emails (which I am fastidious about returning), eluding that kid who has become my shadow, yelling at my desk mate as his stuff creeps onto my side again, and leaving the building for the relentless fire drills.  Top this all off with all the regular start of the year stuff, actual teaching, planning and reflection, and you’ve got a very busy teacher.           ...

This weekend was a blur.  Friday night, I had the rare luxury of the house to myself.  Unfortunately, I also had a boatload of work to trudge through.  Saturday started early, as I was on the road to Philadelphia by 4 am.  Why Philly?  Because the greatest shoe company in the world comped my race and gave me a chance to represent them.  I love being a moving billboard for Brooks, and proudly wear their clothes and shoes.  I'm pretty tough on my gear, and Brooks has always been up to the challenge.  I love you guys. Back to Philly.  At the expo, I got a chance to meet John Bingham, the author of The Accidental Athlete  and former Runner's World columnist.  Mr. Bingham is a gentleman who promotes the back of the pack.  His philosophy is that runners should run as slow as possible, in order to get their money's worth from the race.  He believes  that anyone who puts on a pair of running shoes and registers for a race i...