For the 10.2%

I read in the paper, the other day, that unemployment in the United States has reached double digits. That's the highest it's been since 1982. And, they are projecting the numbers not getting any lower anytime soon.

You may have heard this story before (and I apologize upfront if you have) but one of the reasons why I started running because I was unemployed at the time. I realized then that a job is not just a paycheck but it gives you a sense of accomplishment for the day. Even if you hate your job (and, believe me, there were times that I did), I still felt I did my best that day and I could sleep at night knowing that. When you are unemployed, you still want to have that feeling but you don't know where to turn to get it. Sometimes it leads into a downward spiral that is hard to bring yourself back. And, whatever your views are on healthcare reform, I can tell you I'm for it in some way shape or form because when I didn't have it, I was scared to walk outside of my house in fear that I would break something and would bankrupt our future because of my clumsiness. (But, I digress)

I would drop my wife off at the train station in the morning and then go for a run afterwards. At first, it was just a few miles. But, boy, did that feel good. It was breaking new ground for me. And, after the run, I couldn't wait until the next day to run some more. This loss sense of accomplishment of being out of work was now being filled by ability to run further than I ever ran before. This feeling carried me through the day knowing, if I pushed myself in the morning and I didn't die, then there is no reason to believe I couldn't push myself for the rest of the day in finding a job. It was a struggle and, as weeks went by, my enthusiasm waffled. But, looking back I realized it helped me so much get through that difficult time in my life. So much so that my first year of running in races, I would take a moment to pause and think about those families affected by unemployment and say a silent prayer hoping they find the strength to pull themselves through.

I have an idea but not sure how I would go about setting it up (if anyone wants to steal my idea and 'run with it', feel free). I thought about establishing a small charity to cover entry race fees for those unemployed. I know, personally, I would cut way back on races whenever I was out of a job. It was a luxury not a necessity. Yet, I know most people are more motivated to train if there is a future race they have signed up for. My charity would cover that race fee provided the person would be willing to train for the event. Now, the person can't ask for a race fee the day of the race. But, it would be a long term goal so that person can find the motivation to get up every morning, and, in the end, have that sense of accomplishment they might be missing in their lives. The name I thought of, for the charity, was the Run Fund. Like I said, it's an idea and, if you know of someone who knows how to establish charities, please, go for it.

So, if you are one of the 10.2% Americans who are unemployed or someone in another country in the same situation, don't give up hope. Your dreams may be derailed for a bit but, with effort and the right attitude, you can get them back on track. I know it's easier said than done. But, in the meantime, find something else that will help you get back the right attitude. For me, it was running. For you, it might be something else. Take it one step at a time. You will never look back once you have done it.

(Notes: Click here to read an article in the November 11, 2009 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer about a different approach to running. Steve(Runner) has mentioned this in the past in his podcast and thought about attempting it in the Valley Harvest Half marathon. I can understand the thinking behind it, and I agree that shoe companies probably overengineer some of their products but I don't think I could run without shoes.)

Can't Believe a Mario Bros Beat Me

It was a dark and stormy night......

Ok, it really wasn't but it was warmer than normal with intermittent showers on Halloween morning. Below are some pictures before the race of the Skeleton Skurry 5k in Hatboro, PA. The Mario Brother that beat me was a friend of mine from kindergarten/grade/high school that ran the race that day with his family. The funny thing was he is the same guy that tapped me on the shoulder at Philadelphia Distance Run to say hi. I didn't know he was going to run this race either. Just turned out that way.

Race was a lot of fun especially with all the people dressed up. Some people were very clever with their costumes. I have no idea how they ran in them. Please enjoy the pictures below.

(The start of the race at Pennypack Elementary School)

Sunday morning after the race, my cat Fiona died. She had cancer for the past few months. I am grateful the doctors at Buckingham Animal Hospital were able to extend her life for a time for us to say good-bye. I was never a cat person growing up but her and our other cat, Hannibal, were a joy to have. (Hannibal died a few years back.) We had Fiona for seventeen years. This morning, when I woke up, it was the first time in quite awhile that I didn't have to feed her when I was home. I will miss the routine of saying good morning to her and giving her treats before I said good-night to her. I will miss having her around as most times when I would post this blog she would be at my legs wanting her ears scratched. She will be missed and not to be forgotten.

And the results are in.....

Last Wednesday, the Blue Dawgs got together from the summer recess. I saw people off and on over the summer but it was good to get everyone back together again and do some hills in Chalfont.

Joe and Diski were there. Diski is training to walk the Philadelphia half marathon in November. She has had injuries off and on for the past few years that have prevented her from running. So, she has turn to walking instead and Joe is joining her in her training. They are nice people so I'm glad Di has found a way to join us on Wednesday nights. Wouldn't be the same without them.

Eric was there. He is also training for the Philadelphia half marathon but will be running it. We look forward to seeing Eric on the front page of the newspaper the next day as he has a habit of showing up in newspapers, magazines, you name it. Must be his dashing good looks. :-)

Mark was there as well. He walked with Joe and Diski. I think I heard he ran that morning so didn't want to run again that day. I didn't see Mark over the summer as I did last year. Last year, we run with the TZ Sports group on Thursday nights and would run past his house along the course. We would always yell out for Mark to come out and play with us. Most times he did. Mark's wife would come out as we were heading for home and offer us a drink of water from their driveway. A welcome reprieve indeed.

Mike was there. Mike was telling us his theory on training. He was wondering how much training was really needed? He was giving us examples of how he would just show up at races with little training and do really well. Oh, sure. If I was skinny with talent, I could probably do the same thing. Mike is a good guy. He doesn't always have the chance to come out on Wednesdays with us so it's always great to see him when he can.

Kelly 'I hate !@#$%$ hills' was there as well. Kelly just recently did the Wineglass marathon. She almost, almost qualified for Boston. Only if she was a year older. And, to think that last year I thought I could run with her in the Harrisburg marathon. She swore this was her last marathon. But, I don't think so. If you are THAT close to qualifying for Boston, you have to go for it. She will. She just needs to forget about the pain of the marathon.

Among the missing that night was Boyd, Joan, Mitch, Chief and Melissa. Melissa had a good excuse. Just a few weeks ago, her and her husband welcomed their new son into this world. (Congratulations!). I expect to see little Perry training for the 2032 Olympics in a few years time.

After the run, we headed down to our namesake, the Blue Dog Tavern. Watched the Philies, quaffed a few adult beverages, ate like we were carbo-loading, talked about our summers, had a few laughs. Really enjoyed myself.

As we were leaving, we forgot to do one thing. Elect our new president. To qualify for the election, it is best NOT to show up for the first meeting. At least, that is the tradition we follow. My unanimous consent, Chief White was elected the Blue Dawg president for the year. Heavy is the burden of this elected office. The president is responsible for collecting all the dues for the group. Since there are no dues for the group, we felt Chief could handle collecting them. The president is responsible for ordering the first round. OK, I made this up but he should be.

Last year, I spoke about losing my mojo. Not wanting to run. This year should be different. I'm looking forward to hangin' with the Dawgs again this winter.

(Notes: Most of you, after looking at Steve Runner's time at the Valley Harvest Half marathon, thought that he ran like a grandpa. (I did too). Well, you were close. Congratulations goes out to my friend Steve as he recently found out that his stepson will be having a child so Steve will indeed be a grandpa. Soon, he will yelling at kids to stay off his lawn to complete the picture.)

Images of Nova Scotia

I wanted to take one last opportunity to talk about my trip to Nova Scotia. I have spoken ad naseum about the reasons for such a trip. In the beginning of the year, Steve(Runner) and I were looking to do a marathon. By July, we both agreed it made more sense to do a half. I wanted it to be someplace that I had never been before and, chances are, may never have the chance to return. We floated out ideas of Fargo, North Dakota or Eugene, Oregon but decide to visit one of the Canadian Maritime provinces instead. We were originally intending to go to Prince Edward Island but the cost and the timing to get there for a long weekend was a bit too much. So, we decided to go to Nova Scotia. And, I'm glad we did.

Nova Scotia turned out to be everything I expected it to be. And, more. Beautiful coast. Wonderful foliage. Quaint little towns. And, unexpected? The amount of good wineries in the area.

Below are some of the pictures (and videos) I took of the trip. I hope you enjoy.

(We had the chance to visit 5 wineries while there. I picked up a Maple Wine from here, surprisingly good as a dessert wine.)

(The Cornwallis River at lowtide in the morning. Look at the difference from the picture below when it was at high tide in the afternoon.)

(Around Scots Bay area)

(Around Scots Bay area)

(At The Lookoff. If anyone goes there in the future, could you look for Steve's glasses? It's where he lost them.)

(Bay of Fundy)

(The further side of the river is where most of the race took place)

(Along the Bay of Fundy)

(The German restaurant along the coast where we had lunch)

(Along the coast of Bay of Fundy)

(Waterfalls)

(The block dot is one of the seals we saw along the way)

Finally, here are some short videos that I had taken.

(In the town of Scots Bay, looking out at the Bay of Fundy)

(Near Margaretville, Annapolis County)

(Hours later after I've finished, washed, had lunch, still waiting, Steve does his last lap towards the finish line.)

2009 Valley Harvest Half Marathon Report

I sit here trying to figure out, trying to summarize the race that I ran in Nova Scotia. I was thinking of taking the angle of how I beat Steve(Runner). Which, would be a great angle since, in fact, it's true. :-) But, I will also tell you this. Steve is a good friend of mine. We've known each other for half of lives. We do a have friendly rivalry going and some trash talkin'. But, it's all in good fun. The weekend was my continuing celebration of my 50th year on this planet. And, I wanted to do something different. So, I went to the edge of the earth. Or so it seemed. Steve was kind enough to go with me to help in my celebration. Thanks, Steve.

So, do I write about the course? Funny thing I think about this course are people's point of view. I read this on several blogs and websites this was described as a flat course with a few rolling hills. Personally, I would describe it as a hilly course with a few flat spots. This was the hilliest half marathon course I've run. But, saying that, the hills were not monstorous. They just felt like they would go on forever. And, unfortunately for me, I was feeling nauceous going up them. To the point, at mile 10, I was ready to give my breakfast up. But, thankfully, didn't. I kept thinking, I had a 5k more to go and, whatever hills there were upcoming, I was just going to have to walk up those. But, I kept thinking Steve was going to be right behind me and catch up. Funny, when you are in the middle of a a situation like that, how much you don't care. You care afterwards. But, not when you are going through it.

Besides the hills, and, probably because of them, the course was scenic. The race started in downtown Wolfville, NS and headed west out of town. About 2 miles out of town, you turned right and headed to Port William. Before going into Port William, you crossed the Cornwallis River. Now, the area was noted for their tidal changes. It is no more evident than it was crossing that bridge over the Cornwallis River. In the morning, you literally could walk across the water as it was that shallow. By the afternoon, the river had risen about 50 feet. Watching the tide come in was like watching floodwaters. On a daily basis.

Most of the race was in Port William and the surrounding farmland. It was 3 miles into the race that I realized that I had overdressed for the occasion. I was dressed as Nanook of the North. And, for good reason as the race started in the 30s (F). But, the sun was out. And, in reality, I could have been comfortable with a long-sleeve shirt and shorts. Instead, I was bundled up for an impending snowstorm. Except, never happened.

My first 4 miles were at a nice even pace. I took a few walk breaks afterwards only to settle my stomach. I learned my lesson in Philadelphia and was determined to keep things at as much of an even pace as possible.

The turnaround on the course actually happened about 7.5 miles into the race. And, then more hills followed. I thought of Kelly and her 'love' of hills. I imagined her cursing these hills. I didn't have to imagine me cursing these hills. Because, I was doing just that.

Finally, around mile 9, there was one long downhill back into Port William. It was there you could really get a view of the river and the tidal basin and the hills surrounding the area. Just beautiful.

I crossed the Cornwallis River again at mile 10 and continued on following my steps of the first three miles. I turned right onto Route 1 and headed back into Wolfville. Suck it up and make it happen.

The finish line was in the Acadia University football stadium. Almost a full lap around to the end. I was running with someone along side of me, who, thanked me at the end as he was pacing off me. I've done that before and it's funny how you really feel the need to thank someone for doing that when, in fact, they have no idea that they were. About 50 yards from the finish, the name is called over the PA system. And, they even pronounced the last name right!!!! I saw the clock closing in on 2:04. It was then I was determined to beat that time so I made a mad dash. Gun time: 2:03:45. Chip time: 2:03:01. I beat my Philadelphia time. On a tougher course. And, no Steve around. I was feeling happy.

As I waited for Steve to finish, one of the runners who I was running with along the course, was about 50 yards from the finish and decided to make a dash as well. Except, she collapsed in a heap, grabbing her thigh. I suspect she cramped up. She was lying there, crying, wanting so much to cross that line. The paramedics rushed and helped her. She did get up and was limping. I felt so bad as she never crossed the line. All that work and only 50 yards from your goal. Ouch.

After Steve crossed the line, it was time to spend the afternoon riding around, tasting the wines of the region. It was a nice way to finish up the weekend.

I want to thank the people of Wolfville, of Nova Scotia, the race directors and the people who participated in this race. You are some of the friendliest people I ever met. There was a little issue with my registration. They couldn't find me. And, yet, they took me at my word that I did register and was going to give me a number anyway. Turns out, I registered my last name first. I was never one to follow directions anyway.

For a more complete race report, I encourage you to download and listen to Steve's podcast episode 209. (Also, listen to episode 208B for my interview of Steve).

Images of the 2009 Valley Harvest Half-Marathon

Hopefully, by the end of the week I will have a full race report. In the meantime, here are some pictures I took of the 2009 Tm Horton's Valley Harvest Half-Marathon.

(Registration at the Acadia University Gym)

(Steve (Runner) and I before the race)

(At the start)

(About two miles into the race heading towards Port William)

(Someone offered to take my picture so he went ahead of me and did so. If I can only get my camera back....(I'm in the middle) )

(About 5 miles into the race)

(The hills weren't steep but the hilliest half I've ever run)

(Heading towards the turnaround)

(Finally, downhill. About 9 miles into the race)

(Steve (Runner) crosses the finish sans shoes. He ran the last 200 yards barefoot)

(Steve and myself after the race. Somehow Steve musters a smile after losing the race to me.)

iFitness MiniSportsBelt

There is a story I tell of a race I did in Souderton, Pennsylvania one hot July night. That night I was in the midst of setting a new 5k PR when it happened. You see, I used to carry my car key in a shoe pouch. But, as I in the last mile of the race, my shoe pouch started to flap with potentially my car key falling in the middle of the street. I had to take the time to fix it except I didn't fix it right and it started to flap again in the next 100 yards. I was so peeved (not the word I really want to use here), I bent down and tore the pouch off my shoe and stuck my key in my pocket. By then I lost all my momentum and finished seconds off my PR. I never ran with a shoe pouch again.

So, I started to use a wrist pouch. And, they are good. Does the job. But, a little uncomfortable sometimes. Plus, on a good hard day, you can wring out the wristband. And, if you don't be careful, it can get a little funky sitting in the gym bag in a hot car.

A few months ago, Kelly, from the Blue Dawgs showed me her mini Sports Belt. Yeah, yeah, I said. That's great. But, I don't do sports belts. Oh, I've tried. Get yelled out by runner friends for not having one on when doing longer runs. They bounce. They push against the nerves on my back. They are just soooooo uncomfortable. But, let me tell you, and, I don't say this often, Kelly was right.

When walking around the Philadelphia Distance Run expo, there were a few booths selling these. I've been wanting to take my Canon camera along for races/runs and wanted a reason to retire the mini-cam. I thought, for $20, I'll try. So, I bought an iFitness minisportbelt.

Last week, I did two laps around Lake Galena for my final long run before the Valley Harvest half marathon this coming weekend. I ran the first lap (six miles) with the belt on and nothing in it. It was pretty comfortable. Really, didn't even notice I had it on. I stopped at my car and took my wristband off, placed the key in the sportsbelt and took my camera along as well.

I ran about 100 yards. Yep, here it goes. Bounce like crazy. Feel it everytime I take a step. But, in reality, it was what I was expecting. With some adjustments, (keeping the pouch on my front right hip) I never felt it again for the second lap. Even to the point, where after my run, I forgot I didn't take it off, did some errands before I got home and was surprised I had it on still.

I don't think iFitness has the exclusive market on these. I could be wrong. I seem to recall there were other companies selling something similar. But, I can tell you that this is a product I would recommend. Once again, goodbye to the mini-cam. And, dare I say, goodbye to the wristband pouch. I have a new friend with the iFitness minisportsbelt.

(Notes: I think only I would have a chance to go anyplace (within reason) in the world to run a race in the fall and decide to go north instead of south. As of today, the weather forecast in Wolfville, Nova Scotia on Sunday, October 11 is windy with winds out of the west at 24mph. High of 52 degrees (F) which will feel like 40 degrees (F). That's high for the day. Not the race. Need to make sure I bring the long pants and not rely on running in shorts for the race. Still, I have never been to the Maritime Islands of Canada and am looking forward to my trip with Steve (Runner). It will be an adventure.