IT LEAPS, IT CREEPS, IT’S…

BLOBFEST!

On a warm night in July of 1957, a meteorite impacted on the outskirts of a small town in Chester County PA. Contained within was a gelatinous blob. This carnivorous amoeboidal alien began to devour the inhabitants of the town one at a time until it was stopped by a gang of kids and their dog. Of course I’m referring to the plot of the 1958 Sci-fi horror movie THE BLOB starring Steve McQueen. The movie was shot on location in Phoenixville PA.  One of the main buildings featured in the film is THE COLONIAL THEATER, an old time movie house still in operation to this day. Additional scenes were also filmed in the towns of Chester Springs, Downingtown, and Royersford.

For over 20 years the town of Phoenixville has commemorated the film with an annual 3-day festival called BLOBFEST. Six years ago the local Phoenixville area running club THE RUNAGADES began hosting a coinciding race fest on Sunday morning, The BLOBFEST 5K/10K.

Small town movie theaters need all the help they can get to survive these modern times and the profits from the race benefit THE COLONIAL THEATER. These vintage movie houses are slowly going out of business because of the newer theaters, as well as declining theater attendance. Once these remnants of yesteryear are gone, they will be gone forever, so consider adding the BLOBFEST race to your calendar next year.  

This year, the RUNERGADES expanded the races to included a half-marathon distance with a strict 3.5 hour cut-off due to the brutal July heat. I only found out about BLOBFEST last minute, but as there was still time to sign up, I decided to join a friend who asked if anyone was going.

I briefly toyed with the idea of signing up for the half as the cutoff time is right about where I am right now. In the end I made the wise decision to just go with the 10K having just run a brutal summer half-marathon twelve days earlier which I still hadn’t fully recovered from.

Personally, it was the right decision. It was hot and humid. Plus there were a couple of hills that seemed to go up forever, although the total elevation gain according to STRAVA was only 293 feet (89.3 meters).

The course was a straight out and back with ample water stations. As I ran the middle race distance this gave me 4 water stations.

The half-marathon started at 7am, 10K began at 8am, and the 5K launched last at 8:05am. The race was chip-timed and depending on your distance you turned back at the marker sign. The bibs was different colored, 5K red, 10K green , half was pink. The first half mile of the course was decorated with signs or had spectators watching.

I took great delight in yelling “DON’T STAND THERE, RUN IT’S COMING!” as I passed the onlookers. If you aren’t having fun, you’re doing it all wrong. Life is meant to be enjoyed and celebrated. I also encouraged a few of my fellow runners who seemed to be struggling.

The right words at the proper time can lift the spirits of those who are discouraged or filled with self-doubt. As a result, I tend to make friends easily at most of these races.

As a few of the faster runners past me, I also cheered them on, jokingly telling them to save a banana for me if I ever make it to the finish line.

Humor is good medicine and I was having a fun time regardless of any physical discomfort I might have been experiencing as I pushed myself hard. My goal was to run the course in 90min. It took me twelve minutes longer than anticipated as I crossed the finish line at 1hr 42 min FLAT.

I was pleasantly surprised to receive a finisher’s medal. Usually these are offered to half-marathoners,  but  evidently they were awarded to all who ran the 10K course also. I suspect the 5K finishers received medals as well.

As I walked back to my Jeep I paused to hold my medal over the Phoenixville skyline, vowing to return next year!

You can find me at these upcoming local races

AUGUST 2023

August 17th  Third Thirsty Thursday 5K Race Series (#5 of 7) @7pm Reading PA 

August 20th Chobot Challenge 13.24K Trail Run @9am Rustic Park Birdsboro PA

SEPTEMBER 2023

September 9th Bird-in-Hand Half Marathon @9am Bird-in-Hand PA

September 21st  Third Thirsty Thursday 5K Race Series (#6 of 7) @645pm Reading PA 

Be sure to check back  for another article.

As always, I wish you success and happiness!

Battling the Elements at Gettysburg!

A wet one for the history books!

Three weeks ago on April 30th 2023, I had the pleasure of celebrating my 4th year as a runner by participating in the 13th Annual Gettysburg  Festival of Races.  The Gettysburg Festival of Races is the combination of three historic races in held just outside the hallowed grounds of Gettysburg battlefield. They are: the GETTYSBURG 5K,  the BLUE-GRAY HALF MARATHON, and the NORTH-SOUTH MARATHON.  The Festival kicks off with a race expo on Saturday, and the  three races are held on Sunday on the same course. The half-marathon and full marathon start first at the same time, (usually 8am) with full marathoners running a second lap on the course . About 15 minutes later the 5K runners head out. The race is chip-timed by 2L Race Services which also holds the race. I have never run the 5K, but I believe it is just a simple 1.55 mile out and back. I have always ran in the BLUE-GRAY HALF MARATHON each of the four times I have made the trip to this historic location. Finishers medals are awarded to only the marathon and half marathon runners who complete the race. All participants get a t-shirt, pint glass,  and snacks. Other swag in the past has included a drawstring backpack and a race logo sticker. Race Director Lowell Ladd has always delivered a fun and professional race and I highly recommend this one.

For those unfamiliar with U.S. history here is a brief lesson. (Disclaimer: I am neither an expert on Gettysburg,  nor a Civil War historian and this is my best understanding of the facts.)

The United States experienced a bloody  American Civil War from Apr 12, 1861 – Apr 9, 1865 which split the nation in two.  It was fought between the Union (the North wearing blue uniform) and the Confederacy (the South wearing gray uniforms). The Confederacy was formed by southern states wishing to succeed from the USA in order to preserve slavery in the south.  The 1st battle of the war was the Battle of Bull Run (JULY 19, 1861). The war ended on  April 9 1865, when Confederate General Robert E Lee surrendered to Union  General Ulysses S. Grant and his troops at the Battle of Appomattox Court House.

The Battle of Gettysburg is important because it considered by many historians to be the turning point of the American civil war. In 1863 the battle raged around the town of Gettysburg from July 1st till July 3rd as Union Major General George Meade’s Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, halting Lee’s invasion of the North. It was the bloodiest battle of the civil war. The two armies suffered between 46,000 and 51,000 casualties. Union casualties were 23,055 (3,155 killed, 14,531 wounded, 5,369 captured or missing), while Confederate casualties are more difficult to estimate. Many authors have referred to as many as 28,000 Confederate casualties. Four and a half months after the battle, President Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous speech The Gettysburg Address on November 19th 1863 at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery (now known as Gettysburg National Cemetery). As previously stated, the Confederacy ultimately surrender to the Union on April 9th, 1865. Five days later John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Lincoln as he was attending a play at Ford’s Theater on the night of April 14th. The president died hours later on April 15th, 1865 as the final casualty of the civil war.   

Originally, the race course ran through the battlefield. Runners ran past displays of cannon, monuments, and plaques describing the events of the battle.  As this was a race, you really didn’t have time to stop and read anything, but it still was an experience. 

Alas the joy of running through the memorial park is now also a thing of the past.

The original course map.

(mile 1 highlighted in blue)

On Jan. 1, 2022, The Gettysburg National Military Park instituted a ban on competitive events like footraces. Park officials said on the official website that the ban was put in place because “competitive races do not foster an understanding of and appreciation for park resources, have no direct association with or interaction with park resources, and result in unacceptable impacts to park resources, visitor experience, and visitor safety,” They also felt that the shouts of encouragement and ringing of cowbells by race spectators  diminished the ability of other park visitors to experience and enjoy the history of the hallowed grounds and solemnity of the park.

So the park officials may have kicked us out of the park, but fortunately the race continues to this day. It’s  now held on a modified course which runs just outside the Gettysburg battlefield, winding through beautiful wooded back country roads, past fields and farms, and crosses the historic Mason-Dixon line into Maryland and back.  There is a little bit more elevation to this new course, 1,512 ft vs. the original 659 ft, so expect a couple of hills that just seem to go on forever. I really like the part where you cross the Mason-Dixon line into Maryland, and this is usually demarked by a chalk line drawn on the road.   

The new course map.

(mile 1 highlighted in blue)

As I said the 2023 race was a battle against the elements with cold rain falling all day, and pre-race lightening that nearly delayed the start of the race as we waited for the OK to start inside the warm expo area.

Race director Lowel Ladd addressed the assembled runners, telling us that our safety was paramount, and if at any point we felt unsafe, just turn back. Once the rain let up a bit, and it had been several minutes without lightening, the race was on.

So how did I do?  I ran my fastest half-marathon in over 2 years. Chip time was 3:37:20.6 This was also my 2nd fastest time at Gettysburg, about 40 minutes slower than my 2020 PR. Considering the added elevation of the new course, and the unrelenting rain, I think I did awesome.  I was cold, wet, and miserable by the time I was done.

Both of my calves started cramping at mile 12. But, I muscled through the pain because I just wanted to get to my room, take a hot shower, put on dry clothes, and eat leftover pizza. Thank God I had PICKLEXIR in my Jeep for the cramping.

The following text is taken from the wrap-up email report sent by Lowel Ladd the next day.

We got it done (barely)!

“We had over 1300 registrants this year and the forecast looked less than ideal for days.  I personally thought it couldn’t be as bad as they predicted.  It might have been worse.  After going out at 5am to make sure the creek along the course hadn’t flooded the roadway, I began looking at radar and lightening strike maps constantly yesterday morning.  When we heard thunder and saw lightening at 7:35 and saw how bad the radar looked, I wasn’t sure if we could get the race in at all let alone safely.  We were fortunate and while the rain did not relent, the severe weather passed and we got off on schedule.  Almost 1000 of you showed your determination and came out and took part, which is awesome!  The day was tough on all the volunteers who were out in the conditions, so I hope you thanked them for grinding it out with you.  Some of the technology did not like the rain and did not cooperate (finish line clock, some missed chip reads here and there, etc.).  But we got through the day together and hopefully it was good memories once you dried out.”

Next year this race will be held on April 28th 2024. You can bet that I’ll be there once again running the half-marathon, so will you join me for this not-to-be-missed race?

You can find me at these upcoming local races

JUNE 2023

June 10th Dumb Dutchman Half Marathon  @ 8:30 am Reading PA

 June 15th  Third Thirsty Thursday 5K Race Series (#3 of 7) @7pm Reading PA 

Be sure to check back  for another article. As always, I wish you success and happiness!

CARPE DIEM?

DON’T JUST ‘SEIZE THE DAY’, CELEBRATE IT!

Long time no see

Hello again! It’s been a long time. I’m sorry to break the fourth wall like this, but this is my first blog in a year so thank you for your understanding. 

April is a very important month for me, and specifically the last Sunday of the month of April. To quote the first line of the poem Song of Myself by the poet Walt Whitman “I celebrate myself, and I sing myself”.  The epic  52 part poem was written in 1892 and has a lot to say about a lot of things, but the gist of it is we are all connected, you should love yourself because you are unique in all the world, and you should embrace the beauty of nature. In short, life is meant to be enjoyed, shared, and celebrated.

Sunday April 28th, 2019 was the day I became a runner. It was the date of the 1st 5K race I ever ran BEAT BEETHOVEN held at Alvernia University in Reading PA, and timed by PRETZEL CITY SPORTS. That day marked to start of a journey of self-improvement and self-discovery. If you had told me back in 2018 that one day I would be running trails in forests, up and down mountains, and across creeks. I would have called you insane. The thought of running marathons was the furthest thing from my mind. Then by accident I made the online acquaintance in a coffee chat group on Twitter of an ultra-marathon runner named  Nathan Maxwell.  He was always tweeting about these incredible distances he ran. One day, I asked him if he thought that I could ever run a marathon. He said absolutely, start with a 5K, and work up to it. The rest is history.

Running is now a part of who I am. It’s how I self-identify. I cannot imagine not going to races, being with my running friends, and being outdoors enjoying nature. Physically I am now in the best shape of my life and getting better all the time. I have never received as much encouragement and support as I have since I’ve made the connections I have in the community of my fellow runners. Iron sharpens iron!   

So ever since that first 5K back in 2019, I make a point of celebrating the last Sunday of April as the anniversary of my becoming a runner.  My so-called ‘RUNNERVERSARY’ . It is a personal celebration of all that I have achieved. In 2020, I signed up to run Gettysburg on April 26th with friends, but the race ended up getting postponed until  October 18th that year, so we all ran a virtual half-marathon that day instead. Now I always run a half-marathon on the last Sunday of April, which is usually when Gettysburg is supposed to be run, but if the date doesn’t match up, I do a virtual half. Either way, I get a medal.  It is a personal belief of mine that if you run a half-marathon or longer, YOU DESERVE A MEDAL.  13.1 miles (21 kilometers) is nothing to sneeze at. You need to celebrate that level of achievement and determination.  A medal or trophy is a physical object that you can point to and proclaim “I ACHIEVED THIS”. Running is a celebration of self! Don’t just seize the day, celebrate it in the company of your fellow weekend warriors.

At this point, you may be asking yourself why if running is so important to me did I stop blogging about running last April?

2022 was a hard year for me. I didn’t run as much because of rehabbing a hamstring injury, and then I lost a good friend when SUDDENLY, SUZAN passed away.  Her death hit me hard. We ran many races together in the time I knew her and we always ran THE GETTYSBURG HALF MARATHON together.

Although I was still not in the best of shape last April, I ran that half-marathon without her for the 1st time,  and placed flowers and a sign near the finish line. I did the course in just under 4 hours, but it was a bitter-sweet victory. 

I spent most of 2022 taking it easy, I focused on shorter distances, slower paces, and strength training to correct the muscle imbalance in my  left leg caused by the hamstring injury I sustained in July 2021. I really didn’t have anything new or exciting to write about. I hired a personal trainer, found someone willing to run with me at my pathetically slow pace, and gradually as the year progressed I became stronger and faster. I even managed to earn 2 second-place Clydesdale medals before the end of the year.  My strength is greatly improved, but my stamina and endurance still need work. I have set a few personal records this year, and I am greatly hopeful that I will be back down to my faster pace by year’s end.        

Which brings us to yesterday.

Saturday April 15th 2023 was the 3rd Annual APRIL FOOLISH 10HR Endurance Trail  Run. You run as many 4-mile laps around the lake as you can do (or want to do)  in the allotted ten hour time period. It’s held at French Creek State Park in Elverson PA.

I have been doing this race every year, even before it was called the April Foolish. I ran my 1st two full-marathons on this course. Last year I was only able to run ONE lap due to a conflict with the Gettysburg Half Marathon being held the very next day. This year the races are thankfully spaced 2 weeks apart. I HAD ORIGINALLY INTENDED to a try a 3rd attempt at that elusive 50K, but with Gettysburg on April 30th, I had to reconsider. I did not want to overdo it and get hurt, so I set  a more reasonable personal goal of a 13.1 mile distance. Both the APRIL FOOLISH and the GETTYSBURG HALF-MARATHON are important to me for different reasons, so I was not going to anything to jeopardize doing either race.

I made sure to stock up on all my running supplies, ordering new cases  and bags of everything I use. Pacific Health Labs  no longer makes the energy gels I was using due to manufacturing problems, so I had to settle for GU Energy Gels. The majority of my running fuels are manufactured by CARBOROCKET and I have been using their products since my 1st half marathon in 2019.

I even brought new trail shoes! The KARHU IKONI TRAIL replaces my beloved (and long discontinued) INOV-8  X-Talon 200, the shoes I ran two marathons in.

The day was mostly overcast, but the rain held off until almost 4pm, and it was 65°F but got humid when the sun briefly emerged from behind the clouds. I ran 3 full laps around the HOPEWELL LAKE, before doing a 1.1 mile partial-lap to do a half-marathon distance of 13.1 miles. Last year, I only ran one lap around the lake and it took me 1hr 24 minutes.  I shaved nearly 19 minutes off my first lap this year, passing through the chute in 1hr 5min 23+sec.

I had been determined to beat the lap time from last year, but I shot out way too fast! I paid dearly for that fast lap. By mile number 6 halfway through my second lap, my pace had degraded to over 20 minute miles and remained that way for the next 7.1 miles. It was worth it, but if I had paced myself better, I might have had a better overall time.

I concluded lap #2 at 2hr 41min 49+sec  (about 1hr 36 min)

I was dying by Lap #3 taking me till about 4hr 39min 34+sec on the clock (1hr 58min!)

I still needed a partial loop out and back of 1.1 mile to get half marathon distance, and pacer Jennifer ran me out and back to keep me motivated.

I finished the partial lap at 4hr 55min.  

This was the longest distance I’ve ran in the past seven months.  My trail run half-marathon took me just under 5 hours.  

I took it really slow on the tactical parts of the trail navigating through the twisted roots of evil and avoiding tripping on invisible rocks. I can run much faster on flat road.

I’ll be running another 13.1 miles on April 30th in Gettysburg, I’ve ordered a brand new pair of Karhu Fusion road shoes, and I am hoping to run this half-marathon in 3hrs 45 min or faster. Wish me luck!

“Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged,

Missing me one place search another,

I stop somewhere waiting for you.” -Walt Whitman, Song of Myself

You can find me at these upcoming local races

APRIL 2023

April 20th Third Thirsty Thursday 5K Race Series (#1 of 7) @7pm Reading PA 

April 30th Gettysburg Half Marathon @8am Gettysburg PA

MAY 2023

May 18th Third Thirsty Thursday 5K Race Series (#2 of 7) @7pm Reading PA 

Be sure to check back for another article at some point.

As always, I wish you success and happiness!

I PAID FOR THIS?!

The ‘other side’ of the race!

The social calendar of the average runner is usually booked solid with upcoming races during the prime weather seasons between Spring and Fall. Runners love their races! They get to see the familiar faces of friends and acquaintances, they get their swag, ‘free t-shirts’, ‘free candy’, ‘free dinks’, ‘free bananas’. All included in the low, price of the registration fee. Fun, friends, and free stuff! What a bargain! But here’s the thing, all that ‘free stuff’ wasn’t ‘free’, you paid for it as an incentive to sign up for the race. A runner runs, it’s what we do, but when it comes to races we expect certain things. A commemorative t-shirt is top of the list for some runners. For long races such as marathons and half-marathons, a finisher’s medal is a MUST! Post-race snacks and beverages, as well as water stations are non-negotiable!  

 No runner wants to pass out after burning off several hundred to a couple thousand calories because the race was too cheap to provide post-race refreshments. So yes, we paid for it, and we expect it, but have you ever considered the logistic nightmare that is involved with even getting a race off the ground? The life-blood of any business is a loyal customer base. The life-blood of any organization is a combination of a dedicated ,skilled staff and helpful volunteers. A race event is both a business and an organization and has to balance a very tight financial equation to remain profitable. Losses of customers (runners), staff, and volunteers can kill a race.

CONSIDER THE COSTS

You paid your entry fee for the race, but what EXACTLY does that fee cover?

First, there are the visible tangibles like the T-shirts, race bibs, snacks, swag etc. You see these things and can physically hold them, but that is not the ONLY cost that your race entry fee has to cover.

Promotion and advertising-Any printed flyers advertising the race have a production cost. They have to be paid for. Online advertising companies also have associated fees. Web maintenance, site hosting, and domain name costs for the event, (or the group hosting the event if the websites are different) need to be paid for.

Graphic Design– The unique image to be printed for the event on the t-shirts and any promotional material or swag has to be paid for.

T-shirts or swag– These need to be ordered and paid for in advance of the event. There may be a small amount of extra ‘first come, first serve’ for the last minute day of race sign up, but extra costs extra so these tend to be in short supply as to keep costs down.

Licenses, permits, insurance and rental fees– There’s a lot of paperwork involved with organizing a race, and all of these things need to be paid for before the race can begin. You have to have a place to hold the race, and all the necessary legal paperwork to cover the event and any post race award ceremony.

Timing services– A timing company such as Pretzel City Sports has to be hired to time and record the race results. 

Marking the course- Prior to the race, someone has to physically run or walk the entire length of the  course marking any turns, and placing course indicators. This can be done with:

 spray chalk or flour arrows,

colored ribbon,

and even metal signs chained to trees.

If the course crosses onto an open road, someone also needs to be positioned to halt traffic so that the runners may safely cross .

 At the end of the race, again someone has to go remove said markings, The marking materials have to be purchased and the person marking the course should be paid.

Awards– Shiny trophies, medals, or prize money has to be purchased or set aside.

Drinks and snacks– Non-perishables such as candy, water, granola bars may be purchased weeks ahead, but the bananas, bagels, soft pretzels, or any perishable foods must be ordered and picked up shortly before the event, and must be paid for in advance. Plus someone has to do the shopping and pick-up the items, and this person might be either paid staff or a volunteer worker.    

Health and safety– On site paramedics , traffic control officers, first aid stations need to be paid for.

Portable Toilets– The bigger the event, the more porta-potties are needed. These have to be reserved in advance and delivered to the site of the race prior to the event, as well as removed shortly thereafter.

Charities– A portion of the profits of the race may be ear-marked for certain charities.

Volunteer staff– Just because they offer to help doesn’t mean there is no form of compensation for their valuable time or hard work. Some perks of being a volunteer often includes snacks or meals, leftover swag, and discounts or free admission to future events.  

Reputation– Reputation is PRICELESS! It takes years to build and seconds to destroy. Organizations have been banned from using public parks or trails because the attendees trashed the place. In 2020 a local marathon/half-marathon (which shall not be named) lost the privilege to have races on a popular trail near Valley Forge because park officials were unhappy with the state of the post-race clean up, or lack there-of. It doesn’t matter who was at fault. That race has not returned again this year, and may never be back.   

The bottom line is this: Races are expensive and complicated events to put on. For the runner, race day begins at sign in and ends after the awards and post-race snacks. For the people directly involved in the logistics of the race, the work has already been going on for weeks. It is both a nightmare of logistics and a labor of love.  Pre-race set-up took place hours before the race. Post-race clean-up may take hours after the race. The runners can go home as soon as they finish, but the staff will be there long after the last runner crosses the finish line.

Finding out if the event made money or lost money won’t be known for days after the race. So if you have a favorite local race, sign up for it early. Tell your friends about it and spread the word. Thank the race director, thank the staff and thank the volunteers. Don’t litter, and  leave the area in the same state you left it in, or better.  You paid for that race, but ensuring it’s future is also up to you!

You can find me at these upcoming local races:

April 2022

April 21st Third Thirsty Thursday 5K Race Series (#1 of 7) @7pm Reading PA  

May  2022

May 15th Chobot Challenge 15K Trail Run @9am Rustic Park Birdsboro PA

May 19th Third Thirsty Thursday 5K Race Series (#2 of 7) @7pm Reading PA  

Be sure to check back  on April 24th, 2022 for another article.

As always, I wish you success and happiness!

SUDDENLY, SUZAN!

When a runner dies…

I received a few queries about why there wasn’t a March 13th 2022 blog post, or a March 27th one either. The truth is I’ve been severely depressed and it’s hard for me to be enthusiastic , or even care about anything right now. I had two personal traumatic experiences in a six week period that have taken the proverbial wind out of my sails. I apologize for the personal tone of today’s blog. It’s very unprofessional, but no one’s paying me and InstantCoffeeWisdom.com only became a blog about running when running became the center point of my world three years ago. So let’s start at…

THE BEGINNING

My father was NOT a runner. The man could barely walk unassisted. He smoked, he drank, he ate meat. Exercise was unknown to the man. He weighed over 300lbs, most of it fat. When I was about 4 years old, my father was just a few years older than I am now, and one night he died in his sleep.  The reason given by the old-time family doctor was ‘natural causes’. After all death is natural. Everyone of us from the moment we draw our first breath is on a journey to meet the Grim Reaper at some unknown point in the future. There is not a person alive that will go to bed at night with the guarantee that they will wake up in the morning. It’s depressing, but it’s still a fact. This is why it’s imperative that we take care of our bodies. Your health is your wealth, and if you continue making poor choices about your health, you will reap disastrous or possibly even  fatal outcomes. You have one body, and one life here on Earth. Make it count. Be an inspiration, not a cautionary tale. Live a great story!

I have spent nearly my entire life trying to be better and more successful than my father. I live ‘clean’– free from the addictions of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs, plus I’ve been a vegetarian since collage. As far as the exercise component, nothing really grabbed me until I started running. My times began improving with each race and training session, i rapidly made new running friends with whom I was now spending  most of my free time with. This was much to the dismay of my non-running, couch-bound friends who just didn’t understand the whole running thing, even to this day.

2020 was a great year for me, with one PR (Personal Record) after another. I felt amazing, and I had great new positive and highly supportive friends.

THE MIDDLE

The trouble with being a Clydesdale is that your body is taking a beating due to the excess weight.  Clydesdale is a term used to describe heavy-weight runners. Some women prefer the cutesy term Clydette or choose to be referred to Athenas. So because of our larger frame, we have a much slower pace and tend to be back-of-the packers, the turtle patrol, the sloth running team, etc.  Whatever you call us, we’re the big horses in the race, and the only way we’re taking 1st place overall is if everyone else trips.  So I found this second group of runners who had a similar pace to mine, and suddenly long races were being run side-by-side or within sight of other runners who you could match pace with. As we were running near the ventilatory threshold, it was still possible to hold conversations,  and encourage one another. There is a difference between running in a race with someone, and running with someone in a race. And that’s how I met Suzan. I remember the first time she spoke to me, I had seen her at other two prior Third Thirsty Thursday 5Ks, but by the August 6th, 2020 TTTK5, I hit a new personal speed record and flew downhill from the turnabout point screaming a triumphant battle cry as I sped past a wide-eyed  Suzan like a blur. After the race she was so impressed by my performance  that she came up to me and said “My MAN! YOU ARE BADASS!” , then high-fived me and gave me her phone number.

From then on, we were texting each other often, looking for one another at races, running together for as long as we could match pace, and waiting for each other at the finish line. By October I could run a half-marathon every weekend, and in November I ran my first full marathon at the alternate Labor Pains 10-hour endurance race at French Creek. I fell, bruised my legs and injured my IT band, but I limped to the finish line.

Unfortunately the labor shortage at my job decided to derail my new-found happiness. Endless weeks of 20-25hrs of forced overtime quickly took their toll on my health. In 2021 personal bests gave way to personal worsts, and almost every race found me dead last. I spent the most of 2021 trying to fight my way back.

In 2021 Suzan and I we were ‘supposed’ to run seven half-marathons together.  We actually ran 3 together. Gettysburg, The Dumb Dutchman, and BirdInHand.

She missed The Slyfox Dutch Half because she had signed up for a 2020 half that got rescheduled for the same day, and she really wanted to run that one. She overslept and missed the Lebanon Root Beer Half. She signed up for the Half-wit half-marathon. This is the hardest half-marathon known to man, a trail run up Mt Penn. Because she signed up for it, I did too. I told her, “If you can do it, I can do it!” The morning of the race she backed out due to a pulled muscle. I ran 13.1 miles up that damn mountain  without her, and it was the worst experience of my life.  In July I pulled my hamstring, so long runs were OUT, and I had hoped I could heal up by Fall. I did not. In September I had a half that I refused to miss. I struggled through BirdinHand, and honestly I could not have made it without Suzan. I texted her at the 10th mile that I was about to give up, and she texted back “YOU GOT THIS!” She was waiting for me at the finish line, took a bunch of pictures, helped me get my post race food, etc.

That race was my last half of 2021. I backed out of the End-of-the-Line half. Suzan ran it without me.

I decided to stick to nothing longer than a 10K for the foreseeable future, but even that was too much.

THE END

On February 19th 2022 I ran the Ugly Mudder 10k Trail Run. Once again I was dead last. I barely made it back to the finish line and into The Liederkranz (a bar) minutes before a blinding snow squall hit. So I’m sitting in the bar and I closed my eyes for (I swear) just one second. The next thing I know, everyone is yelling my name in my face, and not in the happy good way. They called 911, an ambulance arrived. Evidently I passed out two more times on the EMTs, but I don’t remember any of this. All I wanted to do was go home. I was FINE, I DID NOT WANT TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL! Well the only way I went was under to the threat of being banned from racing forever. One of the EMTS also made the comment that since I lived alone, if I went home and just went to bed without being checked, I could die in my sleep. (Remember what I wrote earlier about my older-than-me-now father dying in his sleep?)  So off to the hospital I went.

They checked me out, I was FINE, Combination of dehydration and exhaustion. After this I was pretty depressed. Then things got worse. I was texting Suzan thought this ordeal because I was burning a lot of sick-time. I had no desire to go to work.  She texted me back that I needed to take care of myself. On March 2nd, I sent Suzan a text about probably going back to work tomorrow, and that I doubted they’d fire me. She texted back “nah, they need you too much”. I trudged away at my job working 10-12 hrs days, and sent a few unanswered texts. I texted that I was going for a run Sunday at Gring’s Mill with our mutual  friend Denise, and she should join us. No answer. Called her. No answer.  Ran with Denise, sent her a text with pictures and said she missed a fun run. No answer. Tested her that she was ‘awfully quiet, is everything OK?’ No answer. I figured she was mad at me for something . A couple of days after that I got a text at work  from another mutual friend asking what happened to Suzan? She had just seen a post on Facebook shared by yet another friend that Suzan had died March 3rd. I fell to pieces. The next day I missed the March 13th Shiver by the River. The 1st time I ever intentionally blew off a race. I didn’t want to run, I didn’t even want to live anymore. I did go to the post-race banquet because I needed to be with my other running friends. Home alone was the worst place for me. Afterward I drove to her house, I was worried about her race medals possibly being tossed in the trash. And who was taking care of her dog? Her parents and an aunt were there going through her belongings. Her father assured me that they were taking her medals back home to Florida and would display them accordingly. Suzan ran the NYC Marathon, 75 half-marathons, and countless 5Ks.  Her dog Sprout went to live with a friend’s daughter.  They told me that Suzan had died from a pulmonary embolism caused by a blood clot in her lung. The ironic thing is that March is National Blood Clot Awareness Month.  If you catch a severe blood clot early, you have a 90% chance of survival. If you ignore the warning signs, your odds are about 50-50. Suzan had been experiencing some breathing issues, but she assumed it was nothing. It was a fatal mistake and it cost her parents their only child. She was 42.

I’m still not in half-marathon shape physically, mentally, or emotionally, but Sunday April 10th, 2022 is the Gettysburg Half Marathon. This will be my 3rd time running in this race, only this time Suzan won’t be there running with me. I got permission from Gettysburg race director Lowell Ladd to place a memorial sign and some flowers at the race. Her father sent me a text wishing me success, and that Suzan will be cheering me on from Heaven. I’m going to cross that finish line Sunday if I have to die trying.     

You can find me at the following upcoming local races:


April 2022

April 9th April Foolish 10hr Endurance trail run. @ 7:00am French Creek State Park Elverson PA (only doing ONE lap)

April 10th Gettysburg Half Marathon @8am Gettysburg PA

April 21st Third Thirsty Thursday 5K Race Series (#1 of 7) @7pm Reading PA  

Be sure to check back  on April 17th, 2022 for another article.

As always, I wish you success and happiness!

YOU DESERVE A MEDAL!

The ultimate ego boost!

The ancient Olympic games date back to 776 B.C. At the games the victors in each competition were adorned with olive wreaths.  The contemporary tradition of awarding gold. silver, and bronze medals for the top three finishers began over  a hundred years ago when such medals were first awarded in every event at the 1904 Olympic Games held in St. Louis Missouri.  

The modern marathon also began with the modern Olympics first held in Athens Greece in 1896. Its current distance of 26.2 miles (42.195 km) was standardized by the International Amateur Athletic Federation 1921.

The practice of giving out finisher’s medals to all participants completing a marathon race did not become common until the mid to late 1980s.

Today, there are currently over 1000 marathons races held across the United States each year. About 1% of the US population has run a marathon. Marathons are the ‘gold standard’ of running. Nearly every runner wants to run at least one marathon in their life. Non-runners sometimes even put running a marathon on their respective bucket lists.  If you asked the average person on the street how many miles are in a marathon, 90% or greater would not be able to tell you the correct distance, despite the prevalence of all those oval car stickers with the 26.2 on them.  However, the MOST popular distance race is not the marathon, but the half-marathon.  The number of half-marathons held annually in the USA is nearly triple those of the full marathon. Many seasoned runners sign up for multiple half-marathons each year. 13.1 miles is still a challenging race, but it does not beat-up your body as much as a full marathon. The bonus of this race is that you also get a finisher’s medal if you complete the distance.  Some runners collect the various finisher’s medals, either by running favorite races annually, choosing races by the medal offered, or an combination of both.

Shorter distance races such as 5K , 10K or 15K do not as a rule hand out finisher’s medals. The only medal you’ll get in these races is if you place in the top of your division. Ultra-marathons also exist but only .03% of the population has run these distances of 50K (31 miles) 100K (62 miles) or 100 Miles (161K). At ultras, finisher’s medals may, or may not be offered depending upon the race.

Running half-marathons, full marathons, or (for those brave souls who dare) ultra-marathons is no easy feat. It takes up to 20 weeks of training to achieve these distances safely. If you skip the training program, you can expect a world of pain and physical injury, or possibly even death. Two out of every three Americans are overweight, and exercise is a foreign concept for most of them. Your health is your wealth, and you only get one body. I don’t care how easy or difficult running a half-marathon or greater is for you, but if you complete that distance you deserve a medal. You earned it! You’ve accomplished something that roughly 97% of the people in the country couldn’t do to save their lives. You are amazing!

In the short run

As previously stated, to earn a medal in a short-distance races such as a 5K, 10K, or 15K, you need to place in a top position in either your gender, age division, or weight class as is the case of Clydesdales.  By breaking the race down into different brackets, you even the playing field so that all participants are able to compete at their best in an effort to shine by going for the proverbial gold. Winning a medal in your division is an incredible ego booster. It is a physical representation which proclaims that you bested another athlete. It is an amazing feeling to have that medal placed around your neck, or handed to you in front of a room of your peers.  When I began running, I ran with a small group of fellow runners all of whom were very supportive and encouraging of ‘the new guy’. And that’s a great thing, to feel accepted and be part of the group.  But it was kind of a mismatch as this pack of runners were much faster than myself, and overtime, they began to grow weary of waiting for ‘the slow-poke’ at the end of these fun runs on local trails.  These athletes ALWAYS walked away with a medal at the post-race award ceremony.  THEY expected a top place medal. THEY WERE FAST!  My hope was just to maybe one day earn 3rd place.

Since then, I’ve met many other running-friends most of whom are roughly the same pace as myself and we have much more fun. 

Expect the unexpected

At the 1st Third Thirsty Thursday race of 2020, I was sitting with that original group of faster runners and watching them go up one-by-one to get their medals. By this point I had lost all hope of ever getting one.  I was stunned when my name was called for the 1st time ever.  I had to ask race director Ron Horn three time “ME?” while point at myself as he said “YOU!” while pointing back at me before I claimed my medal.

The best medals are the ones we don’t expect. The worst medals are the ones we think we deserve, but don’t get. It can be soul-crushing to see someone else walk away with the last medal when you ran you’re fastest pace ever and thought you had the award without a doubt.

Ironically this happened to me just last year. Once again it was at a Third Thirsty Thursday race on May 21, 2021. The thing about the Clydesdale Division is that after a while, you know your competition. The course is a straight out-and-back 5K.  You go straight down the trail 1.55 miles, turn around at the marked point, and run straight back. So as you run out, you’re aware of who passed you, and you have an idea of who’s still behind you. As you see people in your division heading back to the start, you count. 1St, 2nd, 3rd, etc. This particular race is a series, but it also allows for race day sign-up, so the line-up of competitors can change from race to race. As I counted the 4th male Clydesdale heading back, I was confident the 5th place spot was mine. Hitting the turn-around point, I saw that fellow Clydesdale Joe was right behind me by mere yards.  This began a frantic pace to stay ahead as Joe and myself kept trading the lead. I re-claimed the lead at the last quarter-mile calling out as I passed “I’m fighting you to the finish ‘Apollo’ you ain’t taking the win, I’ve got ‘The Eye of the Tiger’!” As the finish line came in sight, Joe yelled back “Alright, LET’S DO THIS!” We sprinted the final 50 yards neck-and-neck like two crazed stallions. And just like that, Joe crossed the finish line  with me just one second behind him.  I was crushed!

Ironically, it was all for nothing.  I had missed a ‘faux pony’ who must have technically just barely been a Clydesdale. The coveted 5th place spot had already been claimed. Joe was 6th and I was 7th. But what a race it was!

The Epic Battle for the gold against Muhammad Ali

Until I began running, the only medal I ever earned in my life was that one time when I was competing against Muhammad Ali. First I didn’t even know I was battling him, it was a total surprise.  Second, it wasn’t THAT Muhammad  Ali. It was this short Muslim kid in 9th grade named Muhammad S. Ali. It was our final year as seniors at Van Wyck J.H.S 217 in Queens NY and we were both the top students in computer programming. We had to right a computer program that did two things based on the info entered. I don’t remember the specifics, but I only know that my program worked and his didn’t. I ‘think’ I used a bit of spaghetti logic with an IF-THEN-GOSUB line that delivered the proper answer.  At graduation we earned the top awards in computer science, I took the gold medal, he got the silver.     

The eye of the beholder

Like beauty, these medals  only have value given to them by the recipient. They are either treasured mementos, or worthless trinkets.  If it’s important to you, then it’s important. Most runners like myself display our medals on the wall.

Some pack them away in a keepsake box. One very competitive runner I know has an entire trophy room to display medals, trophies, race-bibs, and framed news articles,  If I owned a house, I might do likewise some day. On the other end of the spectrum, I know a runner who throws away his race-bibs, and gives away his awards to his grandson to play with. He ran the race, he knows how he did. It’s done, who needs a keepsake? Well that’s his viewpoint not mine. I earned my medal and you can have when you pry it from my cold dead hands!

You can find me at these upcoming local races

March 2022

Shiver by The River 10K Winter Race Series #4 of 4  March 13th @ 10:00am Muhlenberg PA

Be sure to check back  on March 13th, 2022 for another article.

As always, I wish you success and happiness!

THE STRUGGLE IS REAL!

Everyone’s journey is different!

The joy of running! It is a feeling that cannot be conveyed to a non-runner. The non-runner views running as a form of punishment or self-torture. They cannot imagine running a marathon.  They also will never know the deep feeling of personal satisfaction a runner feels after completing a marathon.

A runner runs! It’s who we are, it’s what we do, and it defines us. We are on a journey  of self-improvement.  All runners are not created equal. Each of us is unique in our own special way, and we come to the sport of running from different places in our lives. Everyone’s journey is different, and how we got here is not that important, what is it that we made it!  Five years ago running a marathon was the furthest thing from my mind. It wasn’t until Nathan Maxwell (a Twitter friend who is an ultra runner) inspired me and encouraged me to start with a 5K and work my way up. Since I began my running odyssey three years ago, I have been smothered by accolades, encouragements, and numerous ‘thumbs-ups’ from the running community.  I have been called ‘amazing’, ‘awesome’, an ‘inspiration’ and a ‘rock star’. I have made many friends. Iron sharpens iron and I would not be where I am today were it not for my running friends. In my division, I have placed in the top five twice, and the top four once.  So what’s my division you may ask?  

I am a Clydesdale. In addition to being a breed of horse, Clydesdale is a term applied to larger runners. We are in a different category because of our larger size. Distance running is broken into different divisions by sex, age and weight. A 4O year-old runner would have a hard time beating a 17 year-old.  Same for a woman out-running a man, and a larger person beating a smaller, faster person. So by competing within your division, with similar athletes, you are encouraged to do your best without being discouraged by others outside your category.

The Clydesdale movement began in 1988 and was started by Joe Law who wanted to level the playing field to encourage larger runners. Their motto is “You don’t have to be thin to be fit.” There are male and female Clydesdale divisions as Clydesdale is a breed and not a gender of large horse. None-the-less, some women opt for the cutesy term Clydettes, or prefer to be called Athenas after the mythical  goddess of strength and wisdom.  I’m not a fan of the last term, but that’s just me.

WHAT’S THE SKINNY?

If you saw a man exercising alongside a woman, you might think something like ‘good for them’.

They’re both doing the same exercise. You wouldn’t think ‘she can’t do that, she’s just a girl and he’s so much stronger than her’. You’re a judgmental bastard if you do. Yes men are bigger and tend to be stronger than women,  but this is just a physical reality. It is not an indication of one being better than the other. In reality, the woman is working that much harder than the man to accomplish the same exercise.

Now compare the next two athletes doing a simple planking exercise:

Again, if you though ‘kudos for her’ on the first athlete, but laughed at the second athlete, you’re not a very nice person and you need to check yourself. The overweight woman is working that much harder to do the same exercise than the skinny girl is. There is NO SHAME in trying to improve your health.  This is the real importance of having a Clydesdale division in running.  Winning a medal in a race is an incredible ego booster. Being able to say that I got off the couch, I trained, I worked HARD and I WON THIS! It’s an amazing feeling. Every person deserves to feel good about themselves and have a great life. The Clydesdale division gives us our moment to shine! 

There is no such thing as a FAT PERSON.

Fat is a component of food. It is something that gets stored in our body for energy reserves when you overeat and do not exercise enough. As such, overweight people get slapped with the stigma of being  lazy,  gluttonous, or both.  Every person you know is struggling with some inner demons or internal conflicts that you know nothing about.  Fat-shaming is a real thing and overweight people are constantly humiliated by people  mocking or criticizing them about their size. When I tell non-runners that I have a race coming up this weekend, I sometimes get comments like ‘you run?’ My former boss was famous for this. When I ran my first marathon, he asked me “how many days did it take?”.      

Overweight people are laughed at and rejected in  so many situations in the real world that they tend to believe that they are worthless, or not good enough.  As a result, they lock themselves away from  the world. It takes an incredible act of courage to make that first step and take action to improve your health.

 You may be laughed at by callous people being jerks. Ignore them!   I was 322 pounds before I started running. When I signed up for my first 5K race EVER in 2019, my non-running friends informed me that it takes months of training to run those races.  I told them I had already been running treadmill for the past 8 weeks at that point. When I finished the race, Helene Horn told me I was amazing. Not one of my non-running friends showed up to watch my race.

FAUX PONY BALONEY

When is a Clydesdale NOT a Clydesdale? This is a controversial gray area. Some of my fellow Clydesdales and myself included are slightly upset when we see a runner who looks way too light to be a Clydesdale walk away with a medal. Is this stolen honor, or just sour grapes? The category is not a perfect division. Muscle is much denser than fat, but a pound of muscle is equal to a pound of fat.  Some race directors rely upon a BMI formula based on weight and height, while others go by weight alone. In the weight alone situation, the limits are usually men: 210lbs+ women: 160lbs+ .   Now here’s the thing what if a man is packing a lot of muscle on his frame, very little body fat at all, AND weighs in at 210lbs 1oz ONLY because he ate breakfast that day. Is he REALLY a Clydesdale? According to the rules of that race, yes.

A 250lb Clydesdale packing an excess of body fat, with a BMI of over 35 is going to get clobbered by such an athlete.

What if a very tall, skinny girl with very long legs and who weighs who 160lbs 1oz decides to sign up as a Clydesdale? Should she? Is it a fair race against a short plump woman with short legs who weighs 230lbs and is running her heart out to try to get a medal, only to see the tall girl walk away with the prize?

What about the 20-year-old Clydesdale who is competing against the 45-year-old in the same division?

The above situations have occurred at various races and at various times. Everyone wants a medal. Not everyone is going to get one, and there are some who never will. The Clydesdale division is a necessary race class, but it is NOT a perfect division. Until a greater number of overweight runners begin signing up for races there is no fixing this imbalance in the class. Unlike professional boxing which has 17 different weight classes, there is no way to subdivide the Clydesdale category when Clydesdales on average make up less than 10% of the runners in any given race. It sucks, it’s not fair, but no one ever said life was fair. Participation medals are worthless trinkets. If there is an imbalance in our beloved Clydesdale division, we need to use that to encourage us to push ourselves that much harder. And when we do earn that medal by our own merits, it will be the greatest feeling in the world!

You can find me at these upcoming local races:

February 2022

Ugly Mudder 9.5K Trail Race February 19 @ 10:00 am Reading PA 

March 2022

Shiver by The River 10K Winter Race Series #4 of 4  March 13th @ 10:00am Muhlenberg PA

Be sure to check back  on February 27th 2022 for another article.

As always, I wish you success and happiness!

THE CLEAN SLATE!

Starting over, AGAIN!

It’s 2022 and the first month of the year is just about over. Like many people, you probably started the year out with a New Year’s resolution or two.  That’s a wonderful way to begin the year by wiping the slate clean. The bad news is by the end of the first month, about one in three people have already broken those resolutions and given up.  To those of you who have still managed to hang in there and are on track to accomplishing those goal, kudos to you! You are awesome! For those you stumbled and fell this first month, you too are awesome! You tried, you didn’t succeed, BUT you still have eleven more months of the year. There is no rule that says you can’t start over, again. January is a long, cold month. I only managed to get two runs in this month. A personal 5K on New Year’s Day so that I could start the year running, and the Shiver By the River 10K on January 16th. My New Year’s Day run is  a ‘new tradition’ I first began on January 1st 2020 with my running friend Steve.

It was cold, but we did it together.  I do it solo now, but we all have to start somewhere and that was the beginning.

 I encourage all runners to start the year out with a New Year’s Day run. It’s a way of setting the year up. You can tie this in with any number of personal Virtual Races if there is no local in person race, and you can earn a medal to commemorate the occasion. But it’s vitally important to start the year with a run to set your mind for the year ahead. If you didn’t do this in 2022, plan to do it on January 1st, 2023. A runner runs!

Also be sure to sign up for the Run The Year Challenge from Run The Edge.  Registration includes a tracker app that you can pair to your Strava or Garmin so you can track your mileage for the entire year . Last year I only managed to run just over 300 miles, but hopefully I’ll do better this year. In order to run the entire 2022 miles, I needed to achieve a 5.54 mile every single day.  I fell short by missing most of the month. Now to achieve my goal, I need to up the mileage to 6.6 miles per day, every day for the rest of the year.  You need to challenge yourself and keep motivated, this is a great way to do that.

So IF you fell short of your resolution in January, all is not lost. Begin again on February 1st. February is a cold month, but it’s also the shortest month.  I have 3 in-person live races slated that I plan to run. Once again, these winter months are brutal, but the key is not to quit! Winners never quit, and you are a winner, not a quitter.  Grab those running shoes and go for a run! The ONLY goal I task you with is to run more miles in February than you did in January. That’s it. I can do it, and so can you!  

You can find me at these upcoming local races

FEBRUARY 2022

Arctic Blast 5K February 5 @ 10:00 am Reading PA

Shiver by The River 10K Winter Race Series #3 of 4  February 13th @ 10:00am Muhlenberg PA

Ugly Mudder 9.5K Trail Race February 19 @ 10:00 am Reading PA  

Be sure to check back  on February 13th 2022 for another article.

As always, I wish you success and happiness!

FEEL THE BRRR!

Baby it’s cold outside!

Today is January 9th, 2022 and it’s the 3rd week of winter. The unpredictability of winter weather can pose difficulties for the safety of runners.   

Today was ‘supposed’ to be a race day. It’s not  because of another four letter word, snow. Snow which melts a bit, then re-freezes and becomes known as ‘sleet’, or little pellets of ice. If it doesn’t re-freeze on its journey from the clouds to the ground, it arrives instead as ‘freezing rain’. If air turbulence bounces the precipitation up and down repeatedly for a prolonged period, allowing the snow/rain/sleet particles to melt, freeze, melt again, refreeze and merge with other particles as it hits them, we wind up with hail. Hail is pretty rare as far as precipitation goes, but it has been known to destroy cars, roves,  crops, windows and even kill people or animals not fortunate enough to find shelter in time.

You probably recall the terrible fate that befell a group of runners in China last year.  

On May 22nd, 2021 21 Chinese ultra-marathoners died from exposure to freezing temperatures. The ill-fated 100K race took place at 9am at the Yellow River Stone Forest in the Gansu province of China. The forecast that day predicted some wind and rain, but a freak winter storm caught the participants off guard at a mountainous section of the course. The unfortunate runners were pelted by hail, heavy rains and gales as the temperatures sharply plummeted three hours after the start of the race.

Two of the casualties included 31-year old Liang Jing, one of the most accomplished ultramarathoners in China, and 34 year-old Huang Guanjun  a hearing-impaired Paralympian marathoner. 

172 runners went missing in the limited visibility, but were found by rescue teams before they succumbed to the elements. 6 ‘comparatively lucky’ runners were rescued by  local sheep herder Zhu Keming. He had been sheltering the storm in a cave were he stashed emergency  supplies when he saw one of the participants. As he guided the man to the cave, four other runners arrived. A fire was built. Zhu then rescued a sixth man. The four men and three women  warmed themselves and dried their wet clothes until the storm passed.

There are two things to keep in mind here. 

1. You cannot predict the weather to 100% certainty. You can only make an educated guess based on available data. The officials running the Yellow River Stone Forest 100K made a horrible, bad call on allowing the race to start when they received late-breaking information of worsening storm conditions. As a result, good people died, and charges of criminal negligence were filled against the organizers of the race.

2. Expect the unexpected.  Ultramarathoners  tend to know their stuff, but sometimes that also leads to overconfidence.  I cannot imagine running 62 miles with an impending storm wearing only shorts and a light jacket, or worse, no jacket at all. Yet some chose to because they were comfortable wearing the lighter gear. It is better to have what you don’t need, than to need what you don’t have.  I have already had seasoned runners chide me about my large waist pouch, but it’s my choice to carry gear if I believe I may need it. I’m a Clydesdale, and I’m also not the fastest horse in the race.

My late mother used to tell the temperature by the calendar. It didn’t matter if it was one of those weird January days when the temperature nearly hit 60°F (16°C) and it was sunny. You had to put on six layers, gloves, a hat, boots, and a 12′ knitted scarf that you could wrap around your neck four times and still trip on.  The woman, God rest her soul, had no clue! You dress accordingly and everyone has a different comfort level. Listen to your body!  I have seen people run outdoors in winter wearing shorts, while others looked like they were dressing for an expedition to the North Pole.  

You can’t skip a season of running because it’s cold outside, and no one wants to run like a deranged hamster on a treadmill for months.  So sign up for those winter races because a runner runs and it’s fun to race with your friends and peers. Just dress accordingly.

The key is to wear layers, and have a hat and gloves SHOULD YOU NEED THEM.

You want to keep your core temperature at 98.6°F (37°C) and protect your skin from frostbite in cold temperatures.  When you are done with your run, you want to quickly change into warm dry clothing so keep a change of clothes (including socks) in your vehicle.

If you are running alone in winter, keep distances SHORT, and stick to well traveled trails. These is nothing wrong with doing a morning 5K followed by an afternoon or evening 5K. You just don’t want to get injured or stranded miles away from help.

If you are running in darkness, wear reflective clothing and use a light. Options include headlamps, sneaker lights, LED rope-vests, blinker bands, or a simple flashlight. Just make sure you  can see and be seen.

Wear appropriate footwear, with optional ice-cleat clamp-ons  for icy conditions. You can even purchase neoprene toe-warmers to wear over your socks.

Running outside in winter doesn’t have to be a bad experience as long as you dress smart and always keep personal safety in mind!

You can find me at these upcoming local races.

January 2022

Shiver by The River 10K Winter Race Series #2 of 4 NEW DATE January 16th @ 10:00am Muhlenberg PA

February 2022

Arctic Blast 5K February 5 @ 10:00 am Reading PA

Shiver by The River 10K Winter Race Series #3 of 4  February 13th @ 10:00am Muhlenberg PA

Ugly Mudder 9.5K Trail Race February 19 @ 10:00 am Reading PA (still tentative due to my hamstring issue)

Be sure to check back  on January 30th 2022 for another article.

As always, I wish you success and happiness!

It’s the Most ‘RUN’derful Time of the Year!

Shivering by the river in Muhlenberg PA

Today is the 12th of December 2021 and Christmas is 13 days away! It’s also the second Sunday in December and the start of the 34th Annual SHIVER BY THE RIVER 5K & 10K Winter Race series.  Each year this 4 race series is held by the PAGODA PACERS athletic club (PAC) , a regional Berks County running club founded in 1980.  Shiver by the River is held on the second Sunday of each month at 10AM from December through March. The course starts at Dietrich Park Muhlenberg  and loops though a nearby housing community before heading back to the park. The course is well-marked and staffed by volunteers to keep you con course . The race is timed by another local running giant, PRETZEL CITY SPORTS (PCS).

Although SHIVER is not specifically a Christmas-themed race, the  first race of the series usually marks one of the last times local runners can wish one another a Merry Christmas before December 25th. The  ONLY one other local race between now and then is PCS’s Humbug Bustle 5K on Dec 18th. On the day after Christmas, the PAGODA PACERS will hold a 5 Mile Kris Kringle Run in Leesport PA.  Many runners today, (myself included) dressed in Christmas running attire.

4 Winter Running Tips

  • Always have a hat and gloves YOU MIGHT NEED THEM
  • Always have a running jacket YOU MIGHT NEED IT
  • Always have shoe-cleats YOU MIGHT NEED THEM
  • Always have a dry change of clothes YOU MIGHT NEED IT

In the winter, temperatures can vary drastically by region. Today in Berks County, it was 43°F (6°C). The sun was shining brightly, but there were occasional wind gusts.  It was cool enough that I was very glad I had a runner’s jacket in my car. Just my red t-shirt would not have been enough, buy my Santa Cap kept my head warm.   Thankfully we have yet to have a regional snowfall, so the streets were nice and dry.  It was just warm enough that I could keep my jacket un-zipped to vent, so I did not work up a sweat. The key to safe winter running is to be prepared for the unexpected. On a short 5K loop, the furthest distance away from your vehicle may only be 2.5K (1.55 miles) but that can be a cold and miserable run back. You can always shed a layer if you need to, but it’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Hypothermia kills.  

Know your limits

The Shiver series gives you the OPTION of doing a second 5K lap provided you make the first round before the designated cutoff time of 50 minutes.

I have ALWAYS run the second lap ever since I started in 2019. Today I had every intention of doing so once again.  Unfortunately for the past 5 months I have been plagued by a hamstring injury that just will not heal. I was doing well up until mile 2.5, then I began to feel the discomfort in the back of my knee. I did get my lap in before the cutoff time, but I could not be certain that I could finish a second lap if I dared it. I hesitated 15 seconds before I turned right to the finish line instead of left to an uncertain outcome. Yes, I was disappointed that my knee let me down once again, but IF I had not listened to my body and stopped when I did, I might have made things worse and possibly missed even more upcoming races.

Running is supposed to be fun

The joy of running these great local races held by both PAC and PSC is that you get to see familiar faces and are surrounded by friends. The power of a few encouraging words and thumbs-up from your fellow runners can be all the difference between a good time and a bad one.  I carried a small Bluetooth speaker in my running bag today and played upbeat Christmas music as I ran. I wished people Merry Christmas. I told people they were doing great, and they had this in the bag. I had a good time that my non-running friends will never get, and I outran everyone who sat home. I had a great time.

ANOTHER YEAR OVER, A NEW ONE HAS BEGUN!

In regards to running 2021 didn’t turn out the way I intended. I got hurt, missed races, and my times went from personal bests to personal worsts. The good news is that I was able to run as many races as I did. I didn’t quit, I didn’t give up. My times are slowly dropping back towards my normal, and hopefully by Spring I’ll be able to start running half-marathons again, and by November I’ll be ready for that elusive Philly Marathon that keeps slipping through my fingers. I would not be half the runner I am today were it not for the support and encouragement of all my running friends.

December 2021

HumBug Bustle 5k December 18 @ 10:00 am Reading PA

Kris Kringle 5 Mile Run December 26 @ 10:00 am Leesport PA

January 2022

Shiver by The River 10K Winter Race Series #2 of 4 January 9th @ 10:00am Muhlenberg PA

Well this closes the book on another year, as Christmas is in less than two weeks. InstantCoffeeWisdom will return in the New Year. Be sure to check back  on Janury 9th 2022 for another article.

As always, I wish you success and happiness, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!