Monday, August 19, 2013

Two Days Worth of 5Ks!

Why not write a post that talks about what happened almost eight weeks ago?

My goal this summer was to run as many small-town 5Ks as possible, in the search of a sub-20 minute finish time. As I talked about in a previous post, I somehow managed to achieve this goal in my first race of the summer. I confess, after that happened, my desire to run tons of 5Ks decreased.

I did manage to run two other 5Ks over the summer and this is an abbreviated version of what happened.

The Kick Up the Dirt 5K, Bemidji, MN
A great excuse for a day trip, this 5K was about 2 1/2 hours from the house. On paper, it sounded like a great day out. I had vague childhood memories of Bemidji and figured it would provide for a day of entertainment followed by an exciting early evening trail run. The run was sponsored by the Bemidji Parks and Rec department and I was looking forward to a difficult, muddy run on the cross-country ski trails.

We arrived to Bemidji and it became clear that my childhood memories were worse than vague. I don't think I've ever been there. The highlight of any trip there is a photo in front of the Paul Bunyan statue, so we immediately did that.

 
Then we realized that this was the only thing to do in Bemidji.

We drove around the small downtown area looking for a cute cafe or restaurant and couldn't find anything. We eventually settled on the deli at the whole-foods co-op and ate at their picnic table. When we asked a recently arrived local for advice about shopping, she recommended Target and Wal-Mart. 

Commence "bad-ittude." Bummed out, we headed to the race and my negative attitude kept going. The race was on a manicured disc golf course and consisted of two laps. I almost cried when the woman explained the route to me. "Go all the way around the landfill, and ...(something)." I managed to convince myself that I wasn't going to do well. Then I didn't. The old adage about running being mostly mental is so true.I did however get a participant ribbon and the landfill was a beautiful, grass-covered hill in a beautiful park setting. So it wasn't that bad.




Good Neighbor Days Memorial 5K, Gordon, WI
One of the good things about running is the personal connections that are formed with running buddies. In 2012, during the Garry Bjorklund 1/2 Marathon, I was reunited with my best friend from High School. Since then, running has been a bond that has rekindled a cherished friendship. We ran the 2013 Bjorklund and met up to celebrate each others' achievements after the race. In that spirit, we coordinated to run this 5K.

It was a beautiful day in Gordon and the organizers assured the racers that last year's problems with the race distance (closer to 7K than 5K) wouldn't happen again.

Seth and I took off from the starting line and ran the first segment out of the parking lot. (See Map featuring "varied terraine(sic)" below).

From the parking lot, the race progressed almost straight uphill. I never run hills. This was tough. The hill plateaued for a second, then went back uphill. And turned to sand. Then we cut from the sand road to crushed gravel. I mean, this route was tough. It didn't help that an 11 or 12 year old passed me. Then another guy, then another and the first woman finisher passed me too. I kept going, but it was grueling. Then I looked at watch. Impossibly, a sub-20 minute was a possibility. I turned on the gas for the last bit, but came across in 20:01. I couldn't believe it. The course was crazy hard, and I almost PR'ed! Seth came in right after me and we celebrated a #1 and #2 spot for our age division. Then we looked at our GPS. Mine said 2.83 miles and his said about 2.9 miles. Oh well. At least it wasn't 7K. And I had fun with an old friend. And I got my first trophy. See what can happen when you don't have a "bad-ittude?"



Thursday, June 27, 2013

2013 Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon!

First and foremost, I want to thank all of my supporters. You may have run with me, encouraged me from afar or donated to my fundraising cause for this year (see sidebar on right!). As you know, this year I raised money for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, the organization that paired our family with a professional photographer when we were in the NICU of New York Presbyterian Hospital. The photos Rachel Elkind took of our family will be everlasting gifts that we'll have to remember our precious son Ellis in the 15 short days of his life. Your donations will give some other families that gift and you should be applauded more loudly than anyone who ran the 1/2 this year.

The donation site is up for a few more days if you didn't get a chance to support.

So race day started early for me. 4am wake up call, after an almost sleepless night. The pre-race jitters, combined with procrastination on preparation (read playlist), over hydration and a fussy baby all contributed to the woeful amount of sleep. My uncle's sister Jill (she ran last year too) picked me up and we were on our way to the bus, a 45 minute drive. From there, the bus took us to the start. The weather this year was a bummer. It was 50 degrees and misty. In fact, it was so foggy, we could barely see anything as we drove to Duluth. At the start, we had about 45 minutes to wait and it finally set in that I was preparing to run my third half marathon. My expectations for this race were high, but pragmatically  I was prepared to not do my best. My training was incomplete, my pre-race was not great and the weather was not my ideal. Nevertheless, when the gun went off, I was on my way.

No turning back.

Due to the weather, there were far fewer spectators this year cheering us on. Another bummer, I thought as I crossed the start about 30 seconds after the gun. This year I had a watch so I'd be watching my splits. Mile one came about 7:20. Good pace I thought, not sure if I could keep it up. Mile two, and the pace was consistent. At the 5K mark, my first "official" split came in at 22:36. Mile four, no change. I resolved to chill out on looking at my pace and concentrate on just relaxing and running. The fog had taken away the gorgeous views of Lake Superior, the light rain/mist had taken away the spectators, so it was just me and the road.

I kept focused on my reason and inspiration for running-the boys and Kate. Thinking of hands, I had practiced signing everyone's names and during the race I kept making everyone's names. E-L-L-I-S (with the LLI being the "I love you" sign, Kate's idea), A-R-L-O, K-A-R-E (after a while I realized my mistake and changed the R to T). Oops! Whenever I saw a photographer, I place the I Love You Sign on my heart for Ellis. You can see my photos here (btw, crazy expensive for digital photos).

My 10K split came in at 45:04 and I knew I was doing well. I felt great and was passing tons of people. Except the Purple Pirate. I couldn't catch him. This guy was barreling along ahead of me, with a wild form, and I couldn't believe he was in front of me. And he was wearing a purple shirt, fringed along the bottom and sleeves. I followed him for miles! Around the eight or nine mile marker, I figured out what his deal was. People were singing "Macho Macho Man" and yelling "Go Macho Man!" as he passed. It dawned on me. Randy "Macho Man" Savage. Eventually, he started to fade and I passed him. I realized that I wasn't fading. In fact, my pace was consistent the whole time and at 10 miles (1:13:11) I started to wonder if a PR was in my future. Knowing that Kate and Arlo were waiting in the next few blocks was a big motivator for the next mile.

I saw Kate right away and crossed the street to say hi to her and Arlo. Even though the weather was gross, she drove down to support me. I owe her the biggest thanks of all. She's been so supportive of my running, through everything. She's my number one inspiration. Thanks love!


Then, to my surprise, Jill's husband Andy popped out! They didn't even know that one another was in the same place waiting. From the meet-up point, there was just a bit more to go. The last official split is 11.9 miles. I crossed at 1:27:09. I did the quick math and realized that I had to finish in just over 11 minutes to beat my last year's time. An eleven minute mile? My pace had been about 7:20 for the entire race. I began to see Running Goal Number 2 come into focus. The last stretch was a strong finish. Seeing Kate and Arlo had energized me and I pushed on to the end. A quick sprint for the last bit and I was crossing the line at 1:35:47. Two minutes, fifty-one seconds faster than last year. 

For fun, here's a video of my finish...



And my playlist...

Get Lucky- Daft Punk
Girl- Beck
Sexy Mexican Maid- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Short Skirt, Long Jacket (Live)- Cake
Daytona 500- Ghostface Killah
Let's All Go To The Bar- Deer Tick
Me So Horny- 2 Live Crew
King of New York- Fun Lovin' Criminals
Stuck In The Middle- Steeler's Wheel
Baby I Got Your Money- ODB
American Woman- The Guess Who
Who Shot Ya- The Notorious B.I.G.
Standing O- Wilco
Jailbreak- Thin Lizzy
Straight Outta Compton- NWA
Moving Out (Anthony's Song) 12-12-12 Benefit, Billy Joel
Mr Big Stuff- The Ska Vengers
Werewolves of Londong- Warren Zevon
Tudo Bem- Garotas Suecas
Michael Jackson- Das Racist
Go! Go! Go!- We Need Surgery
Fix Up, Look Sharp- Dizzee Rascal
Cannonball- The Breeders
Lump- Presidents of the United States of America
Let Me Ride- Dr. Dre
Unbelievers- Vampire Weekend

and the last song before I turned off my iPod was, no lie, Dog Days Are Over- Florence and the Machine 

RACE STATS:

Distance - 13.1 Miles
Time - 1:35:47
Mood - Elated



Saturday, June 22, 2013

Annie, Where Are You?!

The sun won't come out tomorrow...

The forecast for my race tomorrow is 54 degrees F and a 50% chance of rain. I've never run in the rain and 54 sounds cold. Real cold.

Let's hope the rain holds off and I can do the race wet with only my sweat and tears.

If you're interested in how I'm doing, http://grandmasmarathon.com/ will have race tracking (searchable by my name) and a live finish line camera. I expect to finish in 1:30-1:45 and the race starts at 6:45am, Central time. That means a finish at around 8:15am in Canal Park. Add or subtract hours as appropriate for your location.

Thanks to everyone for sticking with me despite the Facebook bombardment, the incessant running talk and everything else.

There's still time to donate! I had 2 unsponsored Murphy Lake 4 Milers this week, or maybe you're holding out for a race-day donation.  Either way, I know Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep will appreciate your gift!


As the summer progresses, look for more small town 5K/10K antics. If you need a running partner, I can come to you (within a reasonable radius, of course)!

Saturday, June 15, 2013

A Missing Boardwalk

A run to the sand for the people in the land of sand! Thanks to Jonathan, Sara, Lucy and #2 for the donation. It means a lot.

This run was all about salty air, longboards, beach cruisers, a missing boardwalk and regrowth. It was the only run in Long Beach that I managed to get up the motivation for, due to the kind donation from Skweebs and the kiddos. We were in NY for a few days visiting the in-laws and I had meant to do more runs, but this year has been tough. There are a few reasons for my lack of motivation this year.

1. New baby means less sleep and more desire to stay home.
2. Having finished two 1/2 marathons now, I know what to expect.
3. Breaking my PR really necessitates true hard work, focused on speed training.

With this in mind, my spirits have been low. My times on the Minnesota routes have all been lower this year than they were last year. I know my training has been more slack this year, and I'm beating myself up about it. Getting out the door has even been harder, with me giving up on training runs before they even start.

Visiting New York was tough, because of the memories associated with the twins' birth. This visit we were back in Kate's parents' house, which was gutted the last time we were there. They've been rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy and being back in the house helped restore some normalcy to the visit.  The day I finally headed out on a run, I chose some silly music and took off. It was a beautiful day and it was nice to see new things on my run. The sea air hit me the minute I was on my way and I felt great! People were everywhere, on their way to the beach with their giant cruiser bicycles, longboards and beach gear. A sad reminder of last year's hurricane hit me when I got the beach. The boardwalk is still missing, so I had to settle for a run along the beach on the nearest street instead. The Boardwalk will be rebuilt, Kate's parents' house will be as good as new and I'll realize that even if I don't do as well this year, it will still be a race well-run because I've managed to raise a lot of money for an organization that helped my family rebuild. Thanks everyone.

ps. My pace on this run was great-maybe I shouldn't panic yet.

https://www.coloradogives.org/forellis

RUN STATS:
Distance - 5 miles

Time - 35:28
Soundtrack - Cypress Hill, Black Sunday



Wednesday, June 12, 2013

13.1 Running Metaphors

Today's run is for the Steadman family. Thanks for your donation. As a professional photographer, I know that Tim can relate to the importance of family photos and the difference they make for the lives of those who benefit from NILMDTS. Take a moment to check out Tim's website if you haven't already used his services. We have and we love his work!

The run for today is the longest run of my training program thus far this year, 13.1 miles. This is the dry run, the practice for the big dance. This year I've been pretty slack with my training so I was a little worried about this run. I've been behind on all of my times and my motivation is low. It helps knowing that people are donating and benefiting a great organization, so I'm keeping that in mind.

13.1 miles is a long way to run, it creates a lot of time for thinking. Last year, when I ran for ACS, I often thought of the comparisons between fighting cancer and running. There are a lot. In fact, I've had a blog entry composed in my head for the last year about those similarities. So today, in honor of the 13.1 mile run, I offer 13.1 Running Metaphors for Life.

1. Sometimes the most difficult part is the first step. Finding the motivation to get up and do it can be tough. But, once you're moving, you're glad you did.
2. You never know what's around the next corner. Sometimes it's giant hill, but sometimes it's a cool breeze. You have to turn to the corner to find out.
3. When you're on the top of a hill, sometimes you can see for miles. Other times, the view of what's to come is obscured. In both cases, you have to keep running to see what's next.
4. Every run has a "finish point." This isn't a finish line, this is the point when you say to yourself, "I've got this. I'm going to finish this run."
5. Just keep running. No matter what, keep running. The only way to finish is to keep moving forward.
6. But sometimes, finishing isn't always the goal. Sometimes You Have to Go Back and take a closer look.
7. It's easier and more enjoyable with friends. Having someone alongside you makes each step a little easier.
8. Slowing down gives you time to soak it all in and see what's to be seen.
9. Running Into the Unknown can be scary, but it can be exciting too. You'll occasionally get lost, but if you keep pushing on and ask for help, you'll be back on track in no time.
10. Running with a purpose is better than running without one. Having a strong motivation to run helps.
11. Setting goals for yourself and trying to improve on your best is important. You don't have to compare yourself with others, but you can always keep working your hardest.
12. You'll be surprised to see what you can do with training and conviction. You are capable of more than you think.
13. It's important to finish strong. When the end is in sight, dig deep and see what you can do. You might surprise yourself with a last minute push that brings you in on a high note.

13.1 - Finding a passion and developing it can be exhilarating. Discovering new routes, going a bit further each time, breaking a personal record-these are the things that make running/life great!

Thanks again for taking the time to read my blog, leave comments and donate to a good cause! 10 days until the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon!

https://www.coloradogives.org/forellis

RUN STATS:
Distance - 13.1 miles
Time - 1:54:48 (way off of my best for the route or the distance)
Soundtrack - Lots of Modest Mouse on Shuffle



Just a Little Bit

You should consider a $15 donation today.

Why $15? I'm asking for $15 donations today to honor the 15 days that my son Ellis was with us. He was small, less than 4 pounds, but his spirit was huge. His tenacity to hang on for much longer than expected proved that small doesn't matter. When I need just a small boost on a run, like Friday's record 5K for example, I think of Ellis and I get the boost I need. Small donations are also huge, especially when added together. Please think about it.

Why today? Because it's almost go time. The race is in 11 days. I'm planning a big, long 13 mile training run tomorrow, so some donations would serve as nice motivation.

Thanks again to all of my dear friends who have donated already. I love you all very much and appreciate your generosity. Now I Lay me Down To Sleep is a great organization and it deserves your help.

Friday, June 7, 2013

Lady Bomber 5K

**DISCLAIMER** No ladies were harmed during this run.

Michele Caputo picked quite a run to have dedicated. It's a big day for me.

Today's run was a 5K race. I've made a goal of researching all of the local 5Ks for the summer, with an eye on running as many of them as possible. I love small towns, and I especially love their 5Ks. Last summer Kate and I tried to visit as many local "Days" as possible. Small town festivals are wonderful. Lots to eat, fun crafts to buy and great parades, etc.

This particular 5K was a part of Barnum, Minnesota's "Spring Fever Days." Now, you might be asking, why would a town have a Spring Fever Days in June? Well, let's just say that summer(and spring) came late to the area this year. Kate and I decided to head to Barnum for the race because I thought it wasn't too far from Duluth. We headed into Duluth for the afternoon and set out for Barnum around 4:45. The race was scheduled for 6pm, so the timing was perfect. Or so I thought. We hit road construction traffic immediately upon leaving Duluth and I decided to check the Google Map directions to get to Barnum. That's when I found out it was 37 miles away. Gulp. I started to think that the whole trip down to Duluth and to Barnum was going to turn out to be a complete waste of time.

Nervously, I kept driving and the traffic eventually broke. We reached Barnum in time to register, change and warm up.

Here's where it gets interesting.

This summer I've made a goal of trying to run a sub 20 minute 5K. It's a really fast pace for me, but I've been close in the past so it's reasonable. I kept this in mind as I set out at the starting gun on the Lady Bomber 5K (which is named for the Barnum High School's basketball team, not a misogynistic sadist routine, by the way). I started the race hot, as usual and ran my first mile in less than 7 minutes. That was good, because I had been obsessively working out paces all afternoon. It was uncomfortable, but not impossible. There were only a few people in front of me, but I was out to achieve my goal, not win the race. After the turn-around (it was an out-and-back) I noticed that none of the frontrunners had an orange sticker that indicated my age group. If I could maintain my pace, I'd break my goal and win my age division. That was good motivation to keep it up and my second mile came in slower than the first, but in the low seven minute plus range. Chugging along into the third mile, I started looking for inspiration as I looked at my watch and remembered why I run. My fundraising is important to me and this year it's more important than ever. I channeled my son Ellis and asked for a little bit of help, thought of my wife and my son Arlo waiting at the finish line and I decided that I was going to make the haul to Barnum worth it. I dug in and kept the hard pace. Around that time, a young kid passed me. I thought to myself, "I could use him to pace me and get me in on time." That lasted for about 2 yards as he cruised past. Damn 17 year-olds.

I knew it was going to be close as the finish line came into view. I was full out sprinting as the next 5 seconds stood still. I looked at my watch and had no idea what I saw. I saw the finish line clock at 19:something. I saw Kate with her hand in the air, yelling at me to push it for the last few strides. Then I saw the kid in front of me buckle (I thought he was passing out). Then I saw the lady in front of him waving us to the right so we would hit the finish chute. I ducked under a ribbon and another lady (maybe a Bomber?) took off my finishing tab. That was at 20:something.

The next few minutes were doubts and questions. Did I finish under 20? Would I have if I didn't have to duck and swerve at the end? How close was I?

The doubts stuck in my head until Monday when the results were posted and I saw my name as the 5th overall, 1st in age group, 19:59 finisher.

I did it!

Thanks again for the donations! They really make a difference.

https://www.coloradogives.org/forellis

RUN STATS:
Distance - 5K
Time - 19:59
Soundtrack - Assorted Green Day songs, of all things.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Minnesota Nice

I'm trying my hardest.

To keep up with my running. To keep up with my blogging. To wave to everyone I see and say "Oh for cute," when something is cute. You know, Minnesota Nice.

The latter is working much better than the former. I've been home for a week and I've only run twice. Today's run is probably dedicated to someone, but to be honest I'm not sure who has donated lately.

SO... why not go to my fundraising site and donate now? I'm almost caught up on my entries, so you'll get a good dedicated run that's bound to be interesting and helpful.

Today's run was an attempt to get back on the running program and add some distance. I chose the Shiver Me Timbers 7 Miler. It's a run that I created last year for my medium distance training runs. Timbers is a bar just down the highway from the house that's across the street from a Park 'N Ride, so I can leave the car, loop a run and drive back home. In fact, I'm sitting in Timbers as I write this in an effort to catch up on my internet use.

The route is a simple "square" that starts at Timbers, runs along three quiet county highways with a final leg along a busy 4 lane highway. It's peaceful and flat. Along the route, I only came across four or five cars and they all pulled into the opposite lane to give me as wide a berth as possible. Quite a contrast from my Delhi runs where I've been hit by side mirrors, bicycles and pedestrians. Other contrasts include crossing rivers instead of the Ring Road, seeing a deer and wild turkeys instead of monkeys and peacocks and deep breathing clean, clear air!

It was a good run and it was nice to get some distance in the books. I'm still gunning for 1000 miles this year, so each run counts!

RUN STATS

Distance - 7 miles
Time - 54:07
Soundtrack - DJ Chris Read, The Diary


Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Hey It’s Good To Be Back Home Again


The Ridge run was my last Delhi run for the year. Wednesday and Thursday just weren’t happening. Friday and Saturday were travel days, and Sunday was a relaxing day back at the lake. Monday, though and it’s back to the grind or I’ll never be in shape. This run is for the generous gifts of Kate’s class, my retired (now!) principal Barb Sirotin, Sue & Buzz and an anonymous gift from a coffee date. Thank you all for your generosity. I’ve passed my original fundraising goal thanks to you all and now I’ve got my eyes set on even greater heights! Please donate if you can!


It’s summer once again, and that means it’s back to life at the lake. The thing about being at the lake, is that all routines are tossed out the window. It’s tough to wake up and go for a run first thing in the morning. First of all, it’s cold. I mean really cold. Almost half the temperature of New Delhi. Secondly, it’s easy to sleep in. Or wake up early and make some coffee. Then some relaxing with the family, then breakfast. After breakfast, it’s hard to run, so there’s more resting and before you know it, it’s time for lunch. This pattern repeats all day. The jet lag doesn’t help. Knowing my downfall was eminent, I managed to scrape myself off of the sofa and away from my first book of summer and dress for running. Waiting on the counter was a gift from last year’s fundraising recipient, the American Cancer Society. A new pair of running shorts and socks! Thanks ACS. Dressed in my new gear, I headed out the door and down the dirt road for a five mile out and back. I felt terrible, with lunch still in my belly. The first thing I noticed of course was the air. How crisp and cool it is here in Minnesota. It’s such a drastic difference from Delhi. Last year I came home and took something like 3 minutes off of my normal times. Would this happen again this year? As I was thinking about the difference in the air, I noticed it was full of the white fluff of dandelion seeds taking flight. Quite a difference from the asbestos fluff and carcinogenic fine particle PM2.5 in the air on the other side of the world. Although my head was happy, my lungs were not. They seemed to be working overtime to get rid of the mess from Delhi and replace it with the intoxicating Murphy Lake air. The run was hard and my lunch kept reminding me it was still there.

 Finally, a reprieve. About 2 miles in to my 5, the next-door neighbor pulled up alongside me to say hello. “Good to have you back,” he said. “Good to be back,” I replied. Then, it was condolences and eagerness to meet Arlo and suddenly, without warning, the feelings I talked about in the last post surfaced. It won’t be easy, but I’d rather have it not be easy and be home than be anywhere else in the world. Because the real thing about the lake, is that it’s home. It’s where my family and I are going to build our future. It’s where we come to recharge. If a run gets skipped, it’s okay. That’s life at the lake. 

Coincidentally, in my ear, the last album on my iPod. I never got around to changing out the John Denver tribute from my last run. The song? “Back Home Again” by Old Crow Medicine Show. Indeed.


RUN STATS

Distance - 5 Miles
Time - 42:24
Soundtrack - Various Artists, The Music is You: A Tribute to John Denver



Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Running Into the Unknown

“Mistah Kurtz - he dead.”

This one was for Keir, my dedicated running partner who always keeps me going and Marianna, a generous colleague.

On today’s run, I felt like the protagonist of Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness.” Like Marlow, I was heading into the unknown, the dark spooky jungle. I ran The Ridge alone this morning, for the first time. There’s a sense of foreboding when running The Ridge, because the entrance is lined with a gauntlet of monkeys. They set the tone for your attitude while on the run. If they’re gone, it’s a peaceful day in the woods. If they let you pass, you’re on edge and anxious. If they come at you...

Today, it was a successful negotiation of the monkey labyrinth and the accompanying anxiousness. After passing through the gauntlet, I entered the ridge forest. Questions immediately began flooding my mind. “Will I remember the turns?” “Will I get lost?” “Will I be attacked by wild beasts?”  I should have been enjoying the respite from the Delhi concrete, but instead I was overcome with doubt and fear of the unknown. I was watching each corner carefully, waiting for monkeys, cows or bandits to jump out at me and leave me like Kurtz. The fact that the ridge is a wild jungle-like setting didn’t help calm me down.

As I ran along thinking about Conrad, Kurtz, and Marlon Brando in “Apocalypse Now,” I started analyzing my fear. I had no reason to be afraid of The Ridge, but the very fact that it was unknown to me made me nervous and afraid. We tend to fear the unknown. Meditating on the fear of the unknown, with my annual departure from Delhi three days away, I started thinking of my previous trip out of Delhi. It was November and we were heading home to deliver the twins. We had no idea what was in store for us, but we were anxious. We knew it would be difficult. We knew it wouldn’t be easy. We knew we were coming up on the hardest times in our lives, but we had no idea what that would mean. Every day we headed further up the river, into the heart of the unknown but instead of finding a “hollow man,” we found ourselves. We made it through and out the other side. I wondered  what this next trip home would yield for us. I knew that the grieving process would begin anew, when we gathered with family and friends that we haven’t grieved with yet. I knew that returning to the lake with one fewer child than we had planned on the previous summer wouldn’t be easy. I ruminated on all of this while running the ridge alone. Every step brought me one step further and I found the right turns, avoided the imaginary demons in the bushes and made it out unscathed. I was sure the same could be said for a trip home to Minnesota.

The soundtrack for the day was intentionally the new John Denver tribute album, “The Music is You.” A nice country album for a run in the woods, I thought. Unintentional though, was the last song I heard as I emerged in one piece from The Ridge - “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” Indeed, I was leaving on a jet plane. A jet plane that would bring me and my family home and into the unknown yet again.

A video about the ridge - https://vimeo.com/110863559

RUN STATS
Distance - 5 MilesTime - 42:42 
Soundtrack - Various Artists, The Music is You: A Tribute to John Denver





Monday, May 27, 2013

May 27, 2013

Only four more days of school! Then it’s back home to Minnesota. In celebration of that trip, the run today is dedicated to Aunt Sandy and Uncle Joe. Can’t wait to see you soon! Also, thanks to Heather, my first race photographer. She was there for my first 5K as part of a team triathlon at our school in Seoul. Today’s run was a 5 miler with Keir. Thanks for running with me yet again, friend. It always helps to have you along for the company. Today we ran a familiar five for me, but it was the first time Keir had run it. I decided to run it backwards to see if it would cure my desire for new routes.

The run was a typically Delhi run. It was hot, humid and seemed like it would never end.  The route is essentially a big loop, so there’s not of variety on the run. Hence, the backwards path today. Two crossings of the ring road, once in the street and once on a pedestrian bridge. Other than a major turf war being fought by two rival dog gangs, there was not too much to report. The end of the year is coming soon and cooler climes will prevail soon!

RUN STATS:Distance - 6.5 MilesTime - 40:39Soundtrack - The Fugees, The Score

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Another Crazy Idea

I sent out a request for donations that would put me past $1000 in my fundraising and within minutes two sets of wonderful friends stepped up to help out. Thanks for your gifts, Matt & Skye and The Gregors. It really puts me in awe that so many friends are willing to help out with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. The organization was so helpful to our family, and the ability to repay some of that kindness means a lot to us. Thank you.

In order to live up to the challenge of passing 1K, I conspired to offer up another of my crazy ideas for a run. Over the past two years, I've grown a reputation for dreaming up crazy runs and somehow convincing people to join me on them! Some of them have been themed (The Railroad Run, The Embassies of the Countries I've Visited Run), some have been pictographic (The Star Run) and others have revolved around my desire to explore (How about a run to see the Hanuman Temple that's made of an 80 foot cement monkey? A 1/2 marathon to Old Delhi and Back? Okay? Let's go!). It was in this vein that I convinced Liz to join me on an exploratory run to Haus Khaz Village and back.

These are some of my most favorite runs in Delhi, or really anywhere. I sit down on MapMyRun, look around for cool stuff and plan routes that:

A: are actually on roads that are "supposed" to be there.
B: are not "dangerous" due to lack of aforementioned roads.
C: not too twisty turny so I can remember the route as we run.

Amazingly (and out of character for most of my crazy ideas for runs), Sunday's was a smashing success. The route to Haus Khaz was easy and except for one small missed entrance to Deer Park, the route went as planned.

Haus Khaz has enjoyed the ups and downs of gentrification. Although it is almost 800 years old, the modern history of the village is what draws most of its visitors. The ruins of the mosque, the reservoir and the madrasa are wonderful archeological sites, but the hip cafes, restaurants and art galleries are what the Delhi elite and expats are coming for. The ruins almost seem like a quaint afterthought. Like any good neighborhood, Haus Khaz became too cool for the cool kids and other, trendier neighborhoods are taking its place. But it wasn't the cafes and galleries I was looking for on Sunday, it was Deer Park. This expansive park would lend itself well to adding miles to a run that is no further than Lodi Garden. The thing about this run, though is the fact that it goes the other way! Most of our runs head east and north, but this one bears almost straight south. There's plenty to see on the way to Deer Park, including a run through the sleepy Netaji Nagar neighborhood, a dodgy Ring Road crossing and a bad stretch on Africa Avenue (crazy ideas, right?).

The arrival to Deer Park, though had me thinking other thoughts. We entered through the Commonwealth Games tennis complex and I was instantly amazed by how nice Deer Park was! There were large lawns, manicured trails and a nice path around the reservoir. If you squinted just right, it was reminiscent of a nice city park in Orlando or another urban area. It was still Delhi, though. The pack of street dogs that chased away an interloper into their territory, the creepers and the unnatural green color of the water told us that. But for here, nice. And for a new route that creates possibilities for more diversity in runs, really nice!

We tried to get from the reservoir up to the madrasa and the ruins, but all of the gates are barred and locked, so we explored a bit for a path out and into Haus Khaz. Eventually we found it, found the next segment and ran along the deer enclosure. Plenty of people were feeding the animals and we cruised past and came out of the park right where I thought we were going to. Success! The crazy route planning worked. I love it when that happens.

The rest of the run was along a busy road and back across the Ring Road and into Sarojini Nagar. We took a pit stop to replace some sweat with Lime Soda, which was much needed after a late night on Saturday. From there it was a few miles left to get home. After a bit more running, we decided that we had had enough adventures for the day and we hopped into an autorickshaw for a quick ride home.

Thanks for joining me Liz and supporting my crazy ideas!

If you want to support more crazy ideas, please donate to keep me running!

https://www.coloradogives.org/forellis

RUN STATS:
Distance - 7.57 miles
Time - 1:18:11
Temp at 6am - Hot. Damn hot.
Soundtrack - De la Soul, 3 Feet High and Rising.




Saturday, May 25, 2013

May 25, 2013

Saturday's run was sponsored by Melissa and Scott! Thanks a million. Your donation is well-appreciated.

It's appropriate that this run was sponsored by Melissa and Scott because it was the three of us that went for  a run on Saturday. I've had a standing appointment to run with any and all comers this year as I've been training and Melissa and Scott have shown up for several. When I saw their names appear on the fundraising site Friday night, I wasn't surprised. They're very generous friends and we've become closer over the years through the heat, the sweat and the numerous miles.

We headed out for a nice 6.5 Miler, the Lodi Garden run. Lodi Garden is a favorite run for many of us, due to the shade, the wonderful monuments and the people watching. If you live in or near New Delhi and you're interested in a morning walk, jog or laughing yoga, this is the place for you. It can be a lot of fun to run to the park and see all of the people. Saturday was no exception. There seemed to be more people than usual, and finding room to run on the jogging track wasn't easy. No laughers this time, but there were plenty of people doing yoga-in groups, alone or just simply taking a moment to do a simple sun salutation. By the way, this is rapidly becoming one of favorite things to see on my morning jog. A faithful Delhite steps out of the shadows into the sunlight, brings his or her hands together in the namaste and takes a moment. At times, it can be magical. The ancient ruins of Lodi Garden make it even more spectacular. There's something that's so reaffirming about watching someone take a moment to give reverence to something that most of us take for granted. The sun for example. Or a tree.

Saturday's run was a good training run for all of us. Melissa and Scott will be running a half marathon in Milwaukee this summer. The pace was good and the weather wasn't too nasty.

As always, help if you can!



Here are a few pics of Lodi Garden that I took while not running!
 



RUN STATS:

Distance - 6.5 miles

Time - 1:10:06
Soundtrack - Galactic - The Other Side of Midnight (Live) and Ruckus



May 24, 2013

This year I wanted to run a marathon. Cooler heads (Kate's) prevailed and convinced me that the first 6 months of life of our new son was no time to be training for a marathon.

Thank God Kate is so smart. This week I took three days off because our son decided to wake up every two hours. That means that waking up at 5:40am isn't so easy. It also means that if I can get 30 extra minutes of sleep before heading to school, I'll take it. The temperature in Delhi is also rising. That means hydration is more important than ever. After not drinking water all day long on Wednesday, then playing soccer Wednesday night, I woke up in the middle of the night with a killer headache. Another day of not running.

Finally, Friday I was back on the streets of Delhi tallying up miles in pursuit of my goals.

The run is a 5 miler that passes through a Dhobi Colony in the Ministers of Parliament's neighborhood. Dhobis are the launderers of India. They collect your clothes, take them away, wash and press them and bring them back. When I cruise through the narrow lane just before the 2 mile mark on this run, the dhobis are just starting their day, hanging the day's work on the multitudinous lines on either side and criss-crossing the route. Given an hour or two more and there would be a sea of white shirts, sheets and other assorted articles of clothing lining the way.

Not too much to report on this run, it was pretty standard. This is the third time I've run this route, and I beat my previous best by 4 seconds, completely on accident!

I've got to start bringing a camera on my runs, or going back and taking photos. A new goal?

RUN STATS:

Distance - 5 miles
Time - 42:27
Temp at 6am - 90 degrees F
Soundtrack - Bonobo, The North Borders




Friday, May 24, 2013

The "Thing" About Running

This run was for Jonah, a dear friend, a generous donor, and maybe a runner mentioned in a previous post...

On Sunday, May 19 I ran a 10K trail run. I had been itching to do a race, with all of the training I had been doing. Since March, I've run 242 miles, which is helping me approach my goal of 1000 miles this year. It's nice to do a race to keep training fresh, add some incentive and switch up the training.

The day before the race, I found myself talking to my wife, Kate about running. These days I love talking about running. I mean, it's almost obnoxious. I'll talk to anyone about running for as long as I can. Anyway, I found myself saying to Kate, "The thing I love about running is..." And then I realized, that I've said this a million times about a million different things. There is no one thing I love about running. There are a bunch. I used to tease my host sister in Mexico when she would say, "There's a saying in Mexico..." and I would respond, "Really? There's A saying in Mexico." Now I know how she must have felt. Sorry Jadwiga.

But back to the "thing" about running. That "thing," I explained to Kate as she patiently waited for my most recent diatribe to end, is that running and other individual sports don't rely on a winner for satisfaction. You are always competing against yourself.

You have the runs where every stride you take takes you farther than you've ever run before. I remember those runs with great fondness from last year. The reward that comes from doing a 2 mile, then 3 mile, then 5, 6, 7, 10, 13 mile run is incredible. There are few things better than coming back from a run that took you one mile farther than your farthest run.

There also comes a great satisfaction in breaking personal records. The swim coach and basketball coach of our middle school were talking about their respective tournaments during assembly and the swim coach beamed with satisfaction that everyone on the team had beaten personal, school or conference records. The basketball coach then goofed on the fact that they also "beat records." Of course, they didn't and that's the "thing" about running. Every time I run a route that I've planned and come home sooner than I did last time, it's an achievement. Every time I enter an event and finish with a PR, it's an achievement.

That's why I was so excited to run the 10K on Sunday. I've only ever run 2 other 10Ks, and the first was before I really became a runner, so I have no record of it. The other one was last year about this time and it was also a trail run. As far as I could recollect, my time from last year was about 50:30. With this in mind, I set out to beat that time. Just me against me. And whoever else showed up, but that's neither here nor there. Every race has faster runners and slower runners.

Zach(the swim coach), Brent and I attended the staff going-away party on Saturday night, then woke up at 4:15am, headed out the door and arrived to the venue at 5:30am. By 5:45 we were off on the 10K trail run. It was a really fun route that took us into a protected Aravalli bio-diversity park, the remnants of the 1500 million year old Aravalli mountain range, through the local villages and back. We passed temples, dogs, wild pigs and more on the cross-country run. It was the first time for a new running organization in Delhi to organize such an event and as you could expect there were freshman snags. The event was well organized in advance and the check-in was easy breezy. In fact the organizer had made special arrangements to help us register! The signage on the run wasn't great and the front runners of the 10K got lost on the way back to the finish. Being one of them, I convinced the other guy I was with to cut across a ravine to get back on track and we did. From there, we ran back to the finish and I was lucky enough to finish first.

When discussing my finish with my friends, I received the obvious congratulations for finishing first. But the "thing" about running isn't winning, it's beating your PR and doing the best you can on any given day. I tried to explain to a friend that winning the race wasn't that big of a deal. "It just means that I was faster than everyone else who showed up that day." Any other day, with any other runners and the story could be different. A broken PR though, can't be taken away. He replied by simply restating what I had said. "Exactly. You were faster than everyone else that day." Another friend helped me accept my fair share of joy when I said, "It's not that big of a deal." "You're right," he said, "but it's fun, isn't it?"

I guess it is fun, but I know that on any given day, there will be people much faster than me. And that's the "thing" about running. It doesn't matter. As long as I'm true to myself and true to my goals and true to my inspirations and motivators, I'll win. Thanks to Jonah, Zach and Brent for the motivation to get up too early after a night too late. Thanks to my family for giving me a reason to run, and thanks to all of you who read the blog. It's not too late to add to my inspiration. If you can donate a few dollars, it's enough to get me out the door on the days that I want to stay in bed, cozying up to my wife and son.

Oh, and we had moustaches!

Please visit https://www.coloradogives.org/forellis and see why I'm running this year.

 
 


RUN STATS:
Distance - 10K (6.2 miles)
Time - My time 46:22, they say 47:15. Either way it's a PR for a 10K!
Soundtrack - Super Race Day Playlist taken from our wedding reception playlist!
  • Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win - Beastie Boys
  • Body Movin'-Never Gonna Get It - Beastie Boys Remix
  • Let Me Clear My Throat - DJ Kool
  • Young'n (Holla Back) - Fabolous
  • Bang Pop - Free Energy
  • No Pause - Girl Talk
  • Great! There it is - Hood Internet
  • Mayhem - Imelda May
  • Tipsy - J Kwon
  • DANCE - Justice
  • Back that Ass Up - Juvenile
  • Bulletproof - La Roux
  • Drunk Girls - LCD Soundsystem
  • Roll Out  - Ludacris
  • Electric Feel - MGMT
  • Work It - Missy Elliot
  • Little Lion Man - Mumford and Sons