The Long Trip to Arizona

It has been a long 8 months but we are finally permanent residents of Arizona.  No, we don’t have a house yet.  But, my wife is here and my kids are back at school for the fall semesters at Tulane University and TCU.  Things are somewhat back to normal.  We will all feel much better when we have a house to call our own in the next few months. 

It has been quite a whirlwind of a summer.  On July 26^th, my daughter Mara and I left downtown Boston for our drive to Scottsdale.  Originally we are going to really take our time and do some real site seeing on the trip.  But instead we had to try and get from Boston to Scottsdale by July 31^st because my new company was going to be public on the 2^nd of August and they wanted the entire executive team in New York to ring the bell at the NASDAQ.  It was a good reason to get back to Scottsdale in time to take our flight to New York.

We wanted to get to Virginia on the first day so that we could try and see some sites in Tennessee.  The GPS said that we had a 9 hour drive and 597 miles to go.  Mara and I felt like we could do that by switching off regularly.  What we didn’t plan for was the heavy traffic we would encounter in New York even though the route we were taking purposely avoided New York City.  The problem was that we got caught in rush hour traffic over the Tappan Zee Bridge.  Once we got to Pennsylvania the traffic eased and we were able to make up some time.

To add some variety to the trip and to keep us interested, we decided to take our picture at each state line to log when we crossed into another state.  It was fun trying to determine just when we would be reaching the state line.  As the hours dragged on, it was the one thing keeping us alert.  We finally reached the Virginia border at midnight.  We still had a ways to go to the hotel and we finally pulled in around 1:30 am weary but glad to have made it safe and sound.

After a good night’s sleep and a little breakfast, we headed out.  We figured we would get some good miles behind us as there shouldn’t be as much traffic on a Saturday.  Our goal that day was to make it to Jackson, TN with a stop in Nashville.  This was supposed to be a 9 and ½ hour drive and 643 miles. However, Mother Nature did not want us making up any time and threw a big rain storm in front of us which slowed us down quite a bit until we crossed into Tennessee. 

We got into Knoxville around dinner time which meant we would not be able to see any sites in Nashville.  So, we stopped for a BBQ dinner at Calhoun’s.  Pork ribs are one of the few foods that Mara can eat with her allergies.  It was really nice to take a break before heading over to Nashville.  Even though we got in at dusk we decided to drive through downtown so Mara could see Broadway where all the Honky Tonks are located.  It was hoppin’ on Saturday night.  We just rolled down the windows and enjoyed the music wafting through the air.

We then pushed on to Jackson and our hotel.  It was a nice hotel and we were beat.  The time difference allowed us to get in at a decent hour (11:00 pm) and to get some rest.  We had planned to stop at Shiloh National Military Park and Beale Street in Memphis.  After those stops we wanted to make it to my in-laws house in Mansfield, TX.  It was going to be a long day of driving – 527 miles and 8 and ½ hours without the stops.

We got up at 7 am and headed out to Shiloh.  Along the way, we saw signs for the Buford Pusser Home & Museum.  I remember watching the movie “Walking Tall” and really wanted to stop by the house even though it was not open that early in the morning.  It was on the way so Mara humored me and we stopped at the house and took pictures.  I am sure she thought I was crazy.  But, it was cool to see it.  But, I was much more excited about seeing the Shiloh Battlefield. 

We got to the Military Park right after they opened for the day.  Because we couldn’t spend a lot of time, we decided to do the driving tour of the park.  The Shiloh Battlefield has a 12.7 mile auto tour route with 20 tour stops at such famous places as Bloody Pond, the Hornet's Nest, and the Albert Sidney Johnston death site.  Mara was pretty excited about seeing the battlefield.  She had taken a Civil War class at Westborough High School and wanted to see the places they talked about in class.  It was a really great tour and we got to see all of the famous sites.  Sadly we had to get going so we would not get into Mansfield too late.

We wanted to stop in Memphis to grab lunch.  We visited Beale Street which is always busy.  After that I thought it would be really great to have Mara visit the Lorraine Motel and the Civil Rights Museum.  After visiting the site, I have to say that this museum is one of must dos when in Memphis.  Everyone my age and older remembers Martin Luther King's death.  It was really eerie to see and be on the hotel balcony where he was shot and see the recreated bathroom where James Earl Ray shot him. The second floor of the museum is all about the assassination of Martin Luther King and is very good with lots of information to read and articles relating to the assassination and to James Earl Ray.  I think Mara was glad we stopped. 

After driving by Stax Records and Sun Studios, we headed across the Hernando-Desoto Bridge over the Mississippi River and into the state of Mara’s birth.  She had not stepped foot in her birth state since we moved in 1995.  It was really cute seeing how excited she was to be on the ground in Arkansas.  We wanted to make Little Rock in time for dinner before our final push to Mansfield.  It all worked like clockwork after leaving the Visitor’s Center at the Arkansas border.  We grabbed dinner in Benton, AR and headed down I-40 finally arriving at my in-laws at 10:00 pm or so.

We slept in a little as we had put over 1,700 miles behind us since Friday afternoon.  We were only trying to make it to Carlsbad, NM.  Mara wanted to see Carlsbad Caverns and we both wanted to see White Sands National Monument.   It would be the shortest day of our trip at only 443 miles and just under 7 hours of driving.  It was a whole lot of nothing along the route to Carlsbad and we got in right around dinner time which was nice.  We would be able to get a good night’s sleep before our final push to Scottsdale.

We got to the caverns at 8:00 am to make sure we would be able to be some of the first people to go down into the cavern for the tour.  I had been to Carlsbad Caverns back in the 70’s and was excited to see it again.  We had a perfect tour.  We went down in the cave by elevator and had it all to ourselves.  We didn’t see anyone during our walk through the cave.  I think the cave seemed even more spectacular without all of the noise and commotion groups of people would bring had we gone at a later time of day.

When we surfaced, I had to head over to El Paso to visit a site my new company was under contract to build next year.  Plus we had to stop and look at a new site coming to our committee in August in Las Cruces.  It would also allow Mara and I to make a pit stop up at White Sands.  We made it to El Paso in time for lunch.  I reviewed the site and we headed over to Las Cruces.  The site was right off the highway so it didn’t take much time out of our trip.  After reviewing the site (Mara liked it), we headed to White Sands.

 

The White Sands National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located about 16 miles southwest of Alamogordo in western Otero County and northeastern Doña Ana County in the state of New Mexico, at an elevation of 4235 feet. The area is in the mountain-ringed Tularosa Basin and comprises the southern part of a 275-mile field of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals. (Wikipedia)  We drive into the park and got out to walk on the dunes.  Mara and I were both amazed at how packed the “sand” was as we walked.  It didn’t feel anything like beach sand.  It was very bright and very hot.  So we didn’t stay too long.  Plus we wanted to make it to Scottsdale before midnight. 

The last leg of the trip from White Sands to my apartment in Scottsdale would be 445 miles and 6 ½ hours of driving.  We figured we would grab dinner somewhere along the way.  We left White Sands around 3:00 pm.  There is not much to see between White Sands and Tucson.   We listened to music and pushed on towards the setting sun.  We crossed into Arizona just before the sun set on our final day of driving and pulled into my apartment complex at 10:45 pm.  We had travelled over 3,200 miles in 5 days and made it with no problem.  We spent the next day doing laundry and packing for our trip to New York on Thursday. 

As I look back on those 5 days with Mara, I am so glad to have had that time with her.  I cannot begin to tell you how important it was for me to just spend this time with my daughter.  I have always felt it was important to spend time with each of my kids individually.  I had a lot more chances to spend time with my son through our scouting trips.  I felt that this trip would allow me to really get to know Mara as an adult child.  And I was hoping it would helps to bring us closer together.  I want her to see me not only as her Dad, but as close friend and confidant.  I think that Mara and I have built a great relationship because I have always been honest with her and she has always been honest with me.  She knows that she can always come to me with problems that she is dealing with and know that I will help her get through them.   My hope is that she will look back on this trip and remember it with great fondness.  I know I will.

July 22 – 5.50 miles (53:42, 9:50 pace)

July 24 – 5.00 miles (46:17, 9:15 pace) – Speed Work
July 25 – 4.50 miles (45:00, 10:00 pace) – Elliptical
July 31 – 6.20 miles (55:14, 8:55 pace) – Elliptical
Aug. 8 – 6.20 miles (59:18, 9:31 pace)
Aug. 9 – 6.20 miles (54:35, 8:48 pace) – Elliptical
Aug. 10 – 7.20 miles (1:07:14, 9:23 pace)
Aug. 11 – 8.20 miles (1:12:23, 8:49 pace) – Elliptical
Aug. 12 – 6.20 miles (58:09, 9:23 pace)
Aug. 13 – 3.20 miles (25:39, 8:01 pace) – Speed Work
Aug. 14 – 6.20 miles (54:41, 8:49 pace)
Aug. 16 – 4.20 miles (33:34, 8:00 pace) – Tempo Run
Aug. 17 – 8.10 miles (1:20:51, 10:00 pace)
Aug. 18 – 7.20 miles (1:10:13, 9:41 pace)

Total Miles:  84.10 miles

2013 Total Miles:  1,075.1 miles 

Runner Basking in the Heat of Arizona

When I told all of my friends I was moving to Arizona all they could talk about was the heat out here.  Of course, they would qualify their statements with the proverbial “but it’s a dry heat.”  To which I replied, “so is the inside of an oven but I wouldn’t want to live there.”  The truth of the matter is that it is hot here in Arizona starting after Memorial Day and runs at least through Labor Day.  The average temperatures in Phoenix from June through September average between 100 and 105.  The average humidity during this period ranges from 9 to 30%.  Whether the heat is dry or not a runner has to be aware of the effects of the heat on his body during his run.

I have been running in New England for the last eight years through the long winters and the “wicked” humid summers.  After moving to Westborough from San Diego, I found that the humidity was one of the biggest changes I had to deal with during the summer.  The average humidity during the summer was in the mid-70s.  This meant that it felt 3-5 degrees hotter when the humidity was high.  When I came home from those first few summer runs I was drenched in sweat.  Plus it would take me quite a while to cool down.  Over time, my body did begin to adapt to the weather and I was able to keep up my training without a hitch.

When I got here to Arizona in December the weather every morning was perfect running weather and I loved it.  As the summer approached, I started to wonder what affect the higher temperatures would have on my training.  Most mornings in Westborough during the summer would be in the mid-60’s and humid.  Here in Scottsdale the morning temperatures would be at least 10 degrees higher but the humidity would be in the low to mid 20 percent range.  Knowing that lower humidity means that the relative temperature is around the ambient temperature, I felt confident that I would be able to keep training in the same way as I did in Westborough.   I was sadly mistaken.  

What I learned in the weeks since the morning temperatures climbed above 80 degrees, is that I needed to adapt my training and running to my new environment.  This would keep me safe and allow me to maintain a base of fitness so that when the weather changes back I will be able to ramp up my training with little effort.  My number one mantra now is to readjust my training goals and expectations each day depending on the temperature outside.  Since the sun takes a lot out of me in this heat, I have found that my pace easily drops by 1:00 to 1:30 per mile on the hottest days.   But I have noticed that my heart rate is showing that I am working just as hard as if I were running at a faster pace.  Therefore I don’t pay as much attention to my pace as my heart rate to determine how hard my training run is on any given day.

The second lesson I learned was to really stay hydrated.  Of course I knew this from my Scouting days when I preached hydration on all of our hikes and backpack trips.  But, I had become so accustomed to not needing to carry water on runs of less than 6 miles that I dehydrated myself a couple of times when the heat started to rise here in Scottsdale.  I am convinced that this led to my hamstring injury that I am just now recovering from.  I now carry water with me on all of my runs.  I have found that I sweat more here on my early morning runs which means I am losing precious fluids.  I purchased a Nathan Quickdraw Elite 22 oz. Handheld Bottle that makes it easy to bring water with me on all of my runs. 

I am sure that I will learn more tricks of the trade the longer I live here in Arizona.  Since I run early in the morning I can avoid the triple digit temps of the late afternoon.  I always wear sweat wicking clothing that helps to keep me comfortable during my runs.  And I find that I am picking routes that provide shade whenever possible which helps reduce my sun exposure.  Regardless, I am always wearing sunscreen.  Finally, I have simply slowed down.  My personal ideal running temperature ranges from 50-55 degrees.   Studies say that for every five degrees above that, a runner’s performance can degrade 2%.  If I am running in 80 degree heat, my pace will slow by at least 10%!  These slower paces bother me mentally but I find that I just can’t push it any harder in these temperatures.

Some of my friends think I am crazy to run as much as I do and even more so now that I continue to train in these high temperatures.  I stopped trying to explain to my non-running friends my obsession with it. I can’t make them understand what the finish line means to me after months of training. The only way that they will ever understand my passion is when they lace up their own shoes and try it for themselves.  Until then I just acknowledge that it is a crazy passion of mine and I don’t expect others to understand it.  I just ask that they accept that it is a huge part of my life and by extension a big part of who I am as a person.

With that said I want to leave you with this quote from Dean Karnazes, ultra marathoner, ““Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you're not demanding more from yourself - expanding and learning as you go - you're choosing a numb existence. You're denying yourself an extraordinary trip.”  I am never going to deny myself an extraordinary trip no matter how hot it gets out there on the road.

July 8 – 6.10 miles (58:10, 9:31 pace)

July 9 – 3.20 miles (24:45, 7:42 pace) – Speed Work
July 11 – 6.20 miles (49:51, 8:02 pace) – Tempo Run
July 12 – 6.10 miles (59:38, 9:50 pace)
July 13 – 8.20 miles (1:22:02, 10:00 pace)
July 14 – 7.10 miles (1:07:21, 9:31 pace)
July 15 – 5.70 miles (1:00:41, 10:30 pace) – Elliptical
July 16 – 6.10 miles (1:00:04, 9:50 pace) – Elliptical
July 17 – 3.10 miles (35:01, 11:18 pace) – Elliptical
July 18 – 5.10 miles (49:34, 9:41 pace)
July 19 – 6.10 miles (59:39, 9:47 pace) – Elliptical
July 20 – 7.10 miles (1:11:55, 10:10 pace)
July 21 – 7.10 miles (1:07:41, 9:32 pace)

Total Miles:  77.2 miles

2013 Total Miles:  991.0 miles

New England Relay 2013 - Must Dash!

On June 22, I embarked on my 5^th adventure race relay and what would be the last race with my running buddies from New England.  Well, maybe not the last.  But I certainly will not be running on their team in the near future.  We were headed to Casimir Pulaski State Park in northwestern Rhode Island where the race would start.  We would be running across all six New England states finishing at Fort McClary State Historic Site at Kittery Point in Maine.  The race is reported to be the longest relay in the United States covering 220 miles.  Little did we know how far we would really end up running on this mad adventure.

I was in Van 1 with 4 of my closest running friends (Amanda, Josh, Jess and Vanessa) and a new runner (Theresa) who had never run one of these crazy races.  As we drove down to the starting line, I had a chance to talk to Theresa and get to know her better.  I told her that we would be great friends by the end of this race and that she would surely be hooked on these types of races as well.  I could tell she was a little nervous about the race but I also knew she would be one of the gang before it ended.

We arrived in plenty of time to the starting line.  After everyone answered nature’s call, we checked in and got our race numbers.  Amanda would be Runner #1 and would be handing off to me as Runner #2.  We had lost one of our runners to an injury before the race which meant that someone would have to pick up the extra legs.  Vanessa, Amanda and I all agreed to take on an extra leg.  This meant that Vanessa would be running 30+ miles, Amanda 20+ miles and I would be running 25+ miles.  I knew I could do the mileage.  My only concern was that I had been having pain in my right hip and hamstring.  If that started to act up, I knew it was going to be a long race.

The race started right on time which would be the last thing that the organizers did correctly the rest of the race.  They had set some artificially tight check in points in the race which unless you were running at a 7:00 per mile pace you would never hit.  Their solution was to start the next runner prior to your other running getting to the transition area.  This would ruin a bit of the camaraderie that I love about these races.  Plus it meant you had some screwy start and finish times.  We decided we would keep our own times so we knew how well we did as a team. 

After Amanda took off, we headed to the transition area so that I could get ready for what was supposed to be a 5.8 mile run.  Amanda killed her 8 mile run which actually turned out to be 8.21 miles.  She had clocked in at an 8:37 pace.  I took the hand off at 8:11 a.m. and headed off.  I would have the chance to run through Quinebaug, CT across the border into Massachusetts checking off Connecticut in the process.  It was a basically a flat route and very nice.  It was a little humid for me since I have gotten used to Phoenix weather which meant I was soaked in sweat early into my run.  I finished strong and luckily my right leg wasn’t feeling too bad.  I did feel a little soreness near the end of the run which would come back to haunt me in the latter legs.  I finished my first leg (6.0 miles) at an 8:40 per mile pace which was better than I expected.

I handed it off to Josh who took off smiling as he always does.  Josh ran his 4.49 miles at an 8:40 pace and handed off to Jess who then rocked her 7.53 leg.  Jess handed it off to Theresa for her first leg.  Since this was Theresa’s first leg we did not go straight to the transition area. It was starting to get hot so we wanted to check on her a couple of times along her route.  We met her once to make sure she was OK and then headed to one of the critical turns on the way to the transition area to give her water if she need it.  When we left her she was running at a great pace so we became worried when other runners who were behind her came by where we were parked.

Just as we decided to head back along the course to check on her the phone rang and it was Theresa.  After some discussion, we realized she had missed the turn and had run almost 2 miles past the turn.  We told her to stop where she was and wait there.  We drove to pick her up and brought her back to the point she missed the turn so she could finish her leg.  Needless to say she was very angry with herself.  Having missed at turn in the Green Mountain Relay, I could relate.  She finished strong despite the heat and wrong turn.  Theresa had run 11.91 miles and averaged a 9:35 pace.  Unfortunately, the extra miles didn’t count.

Vanessa had an 8.1 mile run which ended up being 8.2 miles.  She ran great as expected and we were finally done with our first legs around 2 p.m.  We decided to go and grab some lunch and relax before we would have to run again.  Lunch was fantastic and we all felt good about how we were doing.  But we also knew it was early and we were picking up Runner #12’s legs which would add to the degree of difficulty as the race wore on.  When we finished lunch we drove to the transition area where Kent (Runner #11) would hand off to Vanessa for her second of 4 legs. 

Vanessa met Kent at the transition area to take the hand off for her 5.1 mile run.  It ended up being 5.13 miles and Amanda took the hand off to start her very short second leg.  It was only 2.7 miles.  I knew she would run fast so we booked over to the transition area so I could stretch a little before my leg.  My right hip and hamstring were really tight after sitting for so long.  I did my best to stretch it out.  I knew it was going to bother me on my second leg.  But, I have run with pain before and did not want to let my team down.  So, I kept it to myself and did my best to mentally prepare for my run.

As expected, Amanda finished her leg averaging 8:26 per mile.  I took the hand off and headed out for what I thought would be an 8.1 mile run.  I started my second leg at 7:35 p.m.  I was running from Northfield, MA across the Vermont border into Vernon, VT allowing us to check of Massachusetts.  When I crossed into Vermont we had run through 3 of the 6 states.  Only 3 more to go. The run was very hilly but beautiful.  I ran past dairy farms which are a bit aromatic this time of year.  I even ran by a woman walking her horse along the road.  The horse looked at me funny as I passed.  I am sure he was thinking, “Why is he running down the road at this time of night?”

It was twilight and I enjoyed watching the sun set over the hills of southern Vermont.  My right leg did bark at me a bit on the run.  I put it out of my mind and kept on going.  The problem was that the leg was only supposed to be 8.1 miles but it actually clocked in at 8.5.  I wanted to run at a sub-9 minute pace.  I finished the 8.51 miles averaging 9:01 per mile.  Although I was disappointed in my time, I felt good about being able to keep that steady pace despite the additional mileage and a bad right leg.   When I got in the van after handing off to Josh, I was feeling pretty sore in the right leg and began to worry about my next 2 legs.  But, I knew that no matter what I was going to finish my legs.

Josh, Jess and Theresa ran extremely well on their next legs.  In fact, Theresa ran angry and finished her second leg averaging a sub-7 minute pace.  Theresa handed off to Vanessa for her third leg which was going to be a 7 miler.  She had already run over 13 miles.  Vanessa is a running machine.  Before we knew it, she had finished her leg and we were headed over to the ski area where we could park and get some sleep.  We knew we would only be able to catch about 4 hours of sleep before I was going to run my third leg.  We got to the parking lot and all sacked out in the van.

The next thing I remember is Amanda shaking my leg to wake me up at 4:45 a.m.  My right leg was really tight and sore.  The original plan was for me to run a 4.1 mile leg hand off to Amanda for her 7 mile leg and then she would hand off to me for my final 7.5 mile leg.  We talked about it for a while and decided that the best thing would be for me to just run back to back legs and be done.  As I thought about it, I knew this was the best solution because I knew my right leg would not be able to run 4.1 miles and then rest for an hour and then run another 7.5.  My right leg would never be able to handle it.  Since the Amanda and my legs were virtually identical, I agreed to switch knowing that I would have to take it slow and gut it out to the end.

My run was going to take me from Francestown, NH (just outside of Bennington) to New Boston, NH.  It would be a net downhill.  I will admit that my leg was hurting for most of the run.  A fellow runner on the first leg asked if he could run with me because he was struggling.  I thought, “You’re struggling, look at this old guy!”  I told him I would be happy to since I knew it would keep my mind off of the pain.  We chatted as we ran which definitely helped.  When we got to the exchange, I shook his hand grabbed some water and kept on going.  I was drenched in sweat even though it was only 64 degrees.  The  77% humidity at the time was draining.  I pushed on.  My teammates met me twice along the route to give me water.  I just wanted to average 9 minute miles to try and keep us on pace.  But with the humidity and my sore leg, I ended up at a 9:59 minute pace.  The last 1.5 miles was tough.  But, I finished and was happy to be done with all my legs.

Because the race organizers did not plan well, Amanda actually started her 3 leg before I finished.  So when I came in, I had to take some water and try to recover a bit before jumping in the van to go support her on her leg.  The good news is that everyone did really well on their final legs.  Vanessa finished her final leg at around 1 p.m.  We had not had much to eat and were famished.  Amanda had one final leg (the anchor leg #36) so we drove as close to her starting point in Kittery as we could and looked for a place to eat.

We found that Loco Cocos Tacos was close and had quick service.  Everyone agreed that this would be great as we could accommodate our vegetarian runners and the carnivores like me could get want we needed.  I will admit I was a little worried about Mexican food in Maine.  But the place was great.  The food was much better than I expected and we all gorged ourselves.  We felt great after our meal and were looking forward to finishing this beast of a race. 

After we finished, we decided to head over to Amanda’s starting point.  The race organizers could not allow our final runner to run to the transition area due to some bridge construction.  If they had planned better, there were alternate routes to the spot.  Nevertheless, we got word that Amanda could start at 2:45 p.m.  It was getting to be really hot and Amanda was worried.  I wasn’t worried about her because she is highly competitive and a beast on the road.  She took off like shot carrying water just to be safe.  We headed over to the finish line area at Fort McClary to wait for her.

When we arrived at the finish line area there was nowhere to park.  With only 30 teams participating, you would have thought the race organizers would have planned better.  We found a spot on the road and waited to see Amanda coming.  Vanessa went out about ½ mile to find her and run with her to the finish line.  Sure enough after only 20 minutes we saw Amanda and Vanessa coming down the road.  The entire team gathered behind her and ran across the finish line together.  We all hugged and high fived each other knowing that we had accomplished something in this race.

Van 2 had one of their runners get injured and not be able to run.  So the others picked up more miles to make sure we could finish.  Getting to this finish line was truly a team effort.  Everyone worked together, assisted runners when they were dragging, picked up extra miles, cheered each other on and generally developed that bond that only other runners can understand.   I feel like they are all a part of my family now and would be proud to be on their team any time or just to run with them again.

Must Dash! finished the race in 36 hours 13 minutes and 27 seconds.  We had run 227.19 miles and despite injuries had a perfectly respectable pace of 9:34 per mile.  Van 1 had covered 138.44 of those miles and averaged a 9:05 per mile pace.  The three work horses on this team were Vanessa (31.76 miles at an average pace of 8:14 per mile); Amanda (20.52 miles at an average pace of 8:39 per mile); and me (26.38 miles at an average pace of 9:22 per mile).  The three of us had covered 35% of the course.  But regardless of who ran what distance or time, the entire team laid it all out there across New England and conquered the course.  You have to admit that it is pretty amazing given we had only 11 runners and several injuries.  I wonder what we could have done if we had all 12 runners and no one hurt.  I am so proud of our effort. 

I do want to let anyone who may be reading this trying to decide if they should run this race in the future that I would recommend against it.  I have run small relays in the past (Green Mountain) and found them to be very organized and a lot of fun.  Without going into too much detail, this one was poorly organized.  The legs were not correctly measured.  Most of the transition areas had no volunteers.  And to really add insult to injury after running all those miles, they did not have medals for the teams.  Instead they gave 16 ounce pint glasses with the race logo in black and white on the side.  They did have lobster rolls for us to eat so that was nice.  There are much better adventure relay races for you to run than this one.

Despite the negatives, it was a truly great experience because I had the chance to be with my friends and experience it with them.  All I can do is quote the message from the Ragnar Relay series which says, “12 friends. 200+ miles. 2 vans. Unforgettable stories.”   We adventure relay race runners liken the race to a slumber party without sleep, pillows or deodorant.  We all share inside jokes, close quarters and truly unforgettable stories.  A race like this brings you together with like minded friends and allows you to create deeper connections and to celebrate together as you conquer a challenge that you could never accomplish alone.   As they say at Ragnar, “Life’s a journey – run it with friends!”

June 3 – 6.10 miles (53:02, 8:42 pace)

June 4 – 6.20 miles (49:40, 8:01 pace) – Tempo Run
June 5 – 6.20 miles (23:25, 7:33 pace) – Speed Work
June 6 – 6.20 miles (57:14, 9:14 pace)
June 7 – 5.20 miles (43:33, 8:32 pace)
June 10 – 6.10 miles (53:12, 8:43 pace)
June 11 – 3.10 miles (23:32, 7:36 pace) – Speed Work
June 13 – 6.20 miles (49:38, 8:00 pace) – Tempo Run
June 14 – 6.20 miles (56:22, 9:05 pace)
June 15 – 9.10 miles (1:26:11, 9:31 pace)
June 16 – 7.10 miles (1:03:25, 8:57 pace)
June 17 – 6.10 miles (54:55, 8:57 pace)
June 18 – 3.10 miles (23:27, 7:36 pace) – Speed Work
June 22 – 6.00 miles (52:07, 8:42 pace) – New England Relay
June 22 – 8.51 miles (1:17:02, 9:05 pace) – New England Relay
June 23 – 11.84 miles (1:58:17, 9:59 pace) – New England Relay
July 1 – 6.10 miles (56:32, 9:14 pace)
July 2 – 3.20 miles (24:50, 7:48 pace) – Speed Work
July 4 – 6.20 miles (49:42, 8:00 pace) – Tempo Run
July 5 – 6.10 miles (58:00, 9:31 pace)
July 6 – 6.20 miles (1:01:14, 9:50 pace)
July 7 – 7.15 miles (1:12:35, 10:10 pace)

Total Miles:  138.2 miles

2013 Total Miles:  913.8 miles

A Runner Muses about Death

I have been thinking a lot about death the past few weeks.  I guess it is because I lost two more friends to cancer this year.  But it is also because I realize that I am now past 50 years old and unless I live to be 120, like our patriarch Moses, my life is more than half over.  What a strange place to be in life – somewhere in the middle.  The thing I wonder about is when or what will ultimately cause me to shuffle off this mortal coil and join the choir invisible.  Please don’t take my contemplations as anything more than just trying to understand my place in this world and trying to see what legacy I will leave behind.   Seeing the posts on my friends Facebook pages has made me wonder if I have had a similar impact on the lives of my family, friends and acquaintances.  Have I left my mark on this world?

In Judaism it is said that it is our job while we are here on this Earth to heal, repair and transform the world.  It is thought that when God created this world he formed vessels to hold the Divine Light.  But when He poured the light into the vessels they shattered and were spread throughout the universe.  Each shard holds a spark of the Divine Light.  It is our job to find these shards and to free the spark through performing good deeds (mitzvoth) so that it can rejoin the others and rise back to the Divinity or God.  When they are all reunited the world will be filled with the Divine and be fully repaired. 

As I thought about what legacy I will leave behind, I realized that I was taught from an early age that we have to help those who cannot help themselves.  My parents both volunteered with many organizations and always included their children in their efforts.   We were taught (though not overtly) that performing good deeds would make us feel good about helping others.  As I grew up and left the nest, I too found ways to volunteer.  Many times I could only provide sweat equity when I had no money to give to help others.  As an adult I have continued to be a volunteer at my Temple, my children’s school, Scouts, etc.  I have raised money to help find a cure for cancer which continues to steal loved ones from my life.  But I sometimes think that even this is not enough.  There is so much more I could do to help to release those sparks.

Sometimes I wonder if the Divine spark that lies within me is hidden by my own egocentric tendencies.   There are times when I can feel the Divine spark nudging me to do the right thing.  I know it is there when my conscience bothers me.  What I now know is that I need to work on strengthening my soul and continue to purify my heart so that I can bear that spark within me without shattering it further.  I need to be more willing to act on what I know is right and to stay away from the din of my chattering mind and reactive emotions.  If I can do this I can build a soul that is the proper vessel for the Divine spark.  Through working towards perfecting myself , my soul and through continued service to society, I feel confident that when I leave this world it will be a better place for my having been here.

Yet having said this, I realize that there is a long time between living, and I mean really living, and the time when I will die.  I want to really live while I am trying to build that vessel within me.  So I will continue to learn and experience new things.  I will strive to be mindful of every moment and try always to live in the present moment.  And most importantly to just be thankful for what I have today – my health, my family and my many friends.  I think that as long as I make an effort to live without negative emotions to the best of my ability, I will have taken an important step.  I will work hard to avoid feeling angry, resentful, jealous, petty, depressed, paranoid, stressed, or full of worry or anxiety because when I do I am missing out on the joy life can bring.  I know it won’t be easy but I need to work to get there.

I have come to the conclusion that I am not the only person who thinks about what will happen to them when they die.  Facing my own mortality and inevitable death is perfectly normal.   When I was a child I would lie awake at night and wonder what happens when you die and I would be afraid of the unknown.  Now in my 50s, I still have a healthy fear of the end but at the same time it actually makes me happy.  In seeing friends pass away, I have come to the realization that life is precious and I want to live my life to the fullest.   As I look back on my achievements they are obviously small and probably wouldn't be noticed by anyone outside of my family.  But, I have two great kids and a wonderful wife who I'm sure will remember me long after I am gone.  And isn’t that all that really matters in the end?



Jackie Hampton



Leslee Rae Rupert



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 13 – 6.10 miles (54:31, 8:57 pace)

May 14 – 3.10 miles (24:02, 7:48 pace) – Speed Work
May 15 – 6.20 miles (55:19, 8:57 pace)
May 16 – 4.10 miles (39:56, 9:41 pace) – Hill Work
May 18 – 7.20 miles (1:04:43, 8:57 pace)
May 19 – 6.20 miles (54:43, 8:49 pace)
May 23 – 5.20 miles (46:37, 8:57 pace)
May 24 – 6.10 miles (54:29, 8:57 pace)
May 25 – 8.10 miles (1:12:18, 8:57 pace)
May 26 – 6.20 miles (56:15, 9:05 pace)
May 27 – 6.20 miles (56:36, 9:05 pace)
May 28 – 3.10 miles (23:45, 7:42 pace) – Speed Work
May 30 – 6.20 miles (54:00, 8:42 pace)
May 31 – 6.20 miles (56:18, 9:05 pace)
June 1 – 9.20 miles (1:25:50, 9:26 pace)
June 2 – 7.20 miles (1:04:37, 8:59 pace)

Total Miles:  96.6 miles

2013 Total Miles:  775.6 miles