First, let me apologize for not updating the blog last week. I came down with something like the flu, but tested negative. I tell ya, it's the sickest I've been since I was little.

Well, there's good that comes out of everything, right? Not only was I forced to take it easy last week, but I dropped about 5 lbs. I'm feeling pretty good going into the Marathon this Sunday, except for a lingering cough, but even that's getting better everyday.

I noticed Dave has a great write-up on "Mental Toughness" on his Blog. I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for that "moment" in the marathon ("the wall") when your brain tells you to "STOP DOING THIS". I hit that point in Shamrock last year about mile 24. I'm going to try to eat more during the race, hopefully the weather will be perfect. and the thought of pigging-out after the race will be enough to get me over (or through) the wall.

We're getting into a great time of the year for running. Seems like there is a local race just about every weekend. Judging from early registration numbers, this year's Ashland Railroad Run will draw a big crowd. We recently found out that Blue Ridge Mountain Outdoors Magazine has added the Railroad Run to it's tour to promote healthy living. They will be at the race with door prizes and lots of freebies. Should be a great event.

I'm sure Dave will have a great race report on B&A (hopefully with some video footage). I'll also let you know how we all fair.

Thanks to all that have emailed me about the blog. I'm thankful to everyone that reads this stuff.

Well, nothing left to do except eat a bunch of carbs.

See ya on the streets,
Tom

I've been thinking about what I should write about this week. I thought about elaborating on the adventure we had getting to the Ashland Track Club's practice this Sunday (during the wind storm), but that would be pretty short. By the way, congrats to the ladies training for the Frederick Marathon Relay, who ran 5+ miles in the 40 mph wind gust, trees snapping around them, fires breaking out, power lines down, nothing stopped these women! I also thought about promoting www.steverunner.com, who does great podcasts & organizes the "Worldwide 1/2 Marathon & Kick the Couch 5K", but I thought I'd wait until the event got a little closer. Then I thought of an old saying, "If you want to be successful and happy, you have to love what you do". I'm not sure who said it, & I'm sure I butchered the exact words, but it got me thinking, "What do I love about running?" That led me to think about other things that I love (wife & kids, Ashland, COFFEE!). As I begin to think about it more, I realized that a few of my favorite things all had some common characteristics. So here ya go, common traits of Ashland, Starbucks, & Running.

No Waiting:

I hate to wait (not sure there's anybody who loves to wait). Living here in Ashland, we rarely have to wait more than 5 minutes for anything. Even El Azteca on a Friday night isn't that bad. Try going for a quick bite to eat in Short Pump on a Friday evening. In Ashland, we can invite the whole town to a street party & not have to worry about traffic or standing in line for beer too long.

Starbucks has their system down, if you are in front of me, ordering one of those fancy drinks with a multitude of ingredients, your order is taken, but then you are quickly moved to the side so that the attendant can get me my Grande Coffee in a Venti cup. Then I can add a ton of half & half so that it's not too hot to drink right away,

For group runs, we have a 5 minute rule. If you are not there 5 minutes after the official starting time, you are left behind. No guilt, everyone knows the rule. Unlike other sports, there is no waiting to get in the game or waiting to use the field or court, the road is always open & you are always in the “game”.

It's Simple:

Living in Ashland is simple. Need groceries, there's Ukrops & Food Lion (for some, Wal Mart, but I'd rather take a beatin'). Hardware, there's Ace. Need to know something about something, you probably know someone or know someone who knows someone. Wanna know how to get somewhere, there's only one way to get there in Ashland.

Starbucks, ... coffee. Of course, they have other things, but that's for people who like to wait.

I love the simplicity of running. Shoes are about the only complicated thing that you need. No special skills are required. Oh, you'll probably see me write about interval training, tempo work, the importantance of core training, but when it comes down to it, to run better, you just have to run more (to a point).

It's Quiet:

Except for the passing trains, Ashland is a quiet town (especially where I live just outside the town limits). Of course, if you live near New Street, it hasn't been very quiet lately, but this too shall pass. Ashland provides just enough excitement to still be a quiet little town without being boring. I remember a friend of mine was visiting from the big city (Richmond). We had gone to pool, visited the library, and went for ice cream with our kids. He kept looking at his watch, and finally said “even time moves slower here in Ashland.”

I often think of taking my laptop down to Starbucks and working from there. They usually have great music playing but not too loud (I'm sure they have done a study on the type & volume of music to play to make their customers feel comfortable). You know when you go to some places & there's so much confusion and noise, that you can't wait to get outta there. I never get that feeling at Starbucks.

Even if you run with a group, there are great moments of silence (of course I've never run with that group of ladies training for the Frederick Relay, I have a feeling there's not much silence in that group). I remember running laps on a cinder track in high school, where the only thing I could hear was my own breathing & the soft crunch of my feet hitting the track. I think I could sleep to that.

No Crowds:

We may think we have crowds in Ashland, but nothing like Short Pump Town Center at Christmas. Our crowds are 20 people & we most likely know 75% of our fellow “crowdees”, so it turns into a social event.

Our Ashland Starbucks is never very crowded. I can't attest for other locations, but it seems they have the system down to move people in & out quickly. So if there is a crowd, it'll be gone soon.

A big crowd for a training run is 6 people. Of course, you could decide to run a big race like Monument Ave (gotten too crowded for me) or the Chicago Marathon, but for the most part even races are only crowded at the start. After the first mile or so, you're back down to 5 or 6 people within spitting distance.

As I thought of my similarities, I did think of one contrast. I like my coffee hot, I like Ashland when the temperature is medium, & I like to run when it's cold.

Next week? Who knows, maybe how running can bring about world peace ;>)

See ya on the streets (or Starbucks),
Tom

I don't have much to say this week, training is going good, the weather is nice (actually a little warm & humid for me, but it'll change back soon), and I'm heading into my last long run before the B and A Marathon.

As I wondered if the weather will be favorable (35 - 40 degrees is perfect for me) on March 2, I started thinking that I've developed some habits on race day. I'll list them here, but I'm not suggesting that you follow any of them.

Rule #1: Never wear the shirt they give for the race until you've finished the race. I use this as my reward for finishing a race.

Rule #2: Never wear another race's shirt in the race you are running. I follow this one for a couple of reasons. One, I like to keep people guessing, if I see someone at a 10K race that is wearing a marathon shirt, I know they are an experienced runner, vice-versa, if I see someone in a 5K shirt lined up at a marathon, I think "better not pace off this guy, it's his first marathon". The other reason is, I would like the people who organized the race I'm running to think that their race is the most important race. It's like showing up to baseball game with a jersey from another team, other than the two teams that are playing, i.e. I'd rather be at a Yankees game, but I'm sitting here watching the Braves vs. Nationals just because it's local.

Rule #3: Never sprint past people at the finish line. If someone is slowing dramatically, I will pass them, but if they are holding their pace, I won't try to nip them at the line. I compete against the clock, & if I pace myself correctly, I shouldn't have the energy to sprint at the end of the race. Sprinting at the end is a great way to injure yourself.

Rule #4: Always ask "How did you do?", not "What was your time?" after the race. Most people will tell you their time, but you'll likely to get better conversation with the first question over the second.

Rule #5: Try to thank as many people involved with organizing the race as possible (even if you didn't have a good race). I try to say thanks to all the course marshalls, police, and water stop volunteers that are out on the course. If it's a well organized race, I'll try to find the race director & thank them, or send them an email afterwards. It is a lot of work to put on a race, & most of the time, it's done by volunteers.

There you have it, my 5 rules to race by.

The 30th Annual Ashland Railroad Run is coming up fast (March 15,2008). We're hoping for a record crowd this year, so come out & run or cheer on the runners (or even better volunteer to help). Infomation & registration at www.hanoverarts.com. The Ashland Track Club is holding practice for kids who are planning to run the 1 mile & 5K. The practices are every Sunday at 3:00 at the Gandy Track. If you have a kid that might want to run, come on out & join us.

After this weekend, I'll begin tapering (cutting back on my distance & intensity) for the marathon. I always tell people, "I'm an average runner, but a world-class taperer";>). Pray for good weather on March 2!

See ya on the streets,
Tom