New York Racecation Update

So, just a quick update for my loyal readers.

Wednesdays trip north from home was pretty much uneventful, except for clouds, wind and rain almost the entire 630 miles.  I never got tired, but did experience some back pain due to just sitting for that long.  I work on my feet, so I never sit for very long.  That 10 hours in the car kinda did my body in.  I did get to see some very beautiful Fall foliage though along the way, the most impressive area being my drive through the Shenandoah Mountains.  Just beautiful!

After getting to Dad’s, we relaxed.  Caught up on the journey, and what was to come before heading to bed.  I hadn’t seen my Dad in just over two years, so we did talk quite a bit.  He looks great, too.  For an 80 year old guy, he has recently really been watching his diet, and has managed to lose about 30 pounds since spending last Christmas with my sister in Ohio.  We took this photo together down at the bottom of the hill where he lives.

Yesterday we went out for a late breakfast, and toured around some local favorite spots.  I moved away from the area about 26 years ago, and some things have changed a lot, other things haven’t changed a bit.  I miss my Dad, but I don’t miss where I grew up.  Moving to North Carolina was one of the best decisions I ever made.  The quality of life is just so much better where I am now!

After a quick trip to The Cider Mill, and buying some donuts, candy apples and cider, I had the chance to go visit my cousin Michelle.  It was nice to see her, even though we only had about a half hour together.

Late yesterday afternoon we got packed back up, and headed out.  We drove back down into Pennsylvania, and then through the Pocono Mountains and on into New Jersey.  We are staying with my brother for race weekend.  He has lived in this area for years and years.  It’s too hectic here for my liking, but it’s certainly worth a visit now and then.  My brother was supposed to run the race with me, but recently got some bad news from his doctor that he needs a double hip replacement, and won’t run again.  It was shocking news, but he will be a spectator in full force.

Today is all about some rest, and my final shake out run before the marathon on Sunday.  I actually haven’t run now in a full week.  It wasn’t my plan, but between working right up until I left town, my sons soccer, and the rain, I just never got out for a run in the past week.  So, I am going to head out onto the Towpath here close to where my brother lives, and where Bob did most of his training for the race.  I’m looking forward to a peaceful and chilly four mile run.  I think I am going to take Dad along so he can get a walk in, while I run.

We are hitting the race expo in the city tomorrow morning early.  Lunch in the city, and then feet up, and preparations for the race.  I will update again when I have another chance.  For any of you running New York with me on Sunday, have a great race and enjoy!  The weather looks very promising at this point, so fingers crossed for perfect running conditions.

Wrapping up June

With only one more day in the month I’m left wondering what happened.  Where did it go?  With the a Summer Solstice already passed, the days now are already getting shorter.  It feels wonderful though at this time of year to still have daylight at 9pm, and to have the sun rising so early.

I started the month with a 10k race, but have just been training since.  Dealing with pure heat exhaustion almost every run, summertime here will certainly add an extra level of effort needed to crank out the miles.  I’m fresh off of four days of runs in a row, which is my best effort for the whole month.  I haven’t logged nearly enough miles considering I have a Half and Full marathon back to back in under three weeks, but I think I am giving it the most I have.

Work has been absolutely grueling, but at least I’ve been getting really good sleep because of it.  Add a four or five mile run to a 9-10 hour day working on your feet, and you will truly appreciate how I’ve felt the past six weeks.  I’m in much need of a break.  A vacation!

I do get a mini break in mid July, as I fly out to Denver for a weekend of racing.  I can’t wait to see Denver, and Aspen!  The Rockies!

I recently joined the Beast Pacing team, and will be pacing the Aspen Valley Half Marathon.  I have paced a bunch of races in the past, but this will be my first as part of an official pace team that paces races all over the country.  I love to travel, so I will be pacing more events for them in the near future.

The next day is Revel Rockies, where my goal is a Boston Qualifier at this beautiful marathon.  I cannot wait for the challenge.  Last year I ran 5 marathons in the first five months of the year.  I’ve only run two so far this year, and I have to say, I miss it.  My last marathon, New River, was almost row months ago, and I am missing the marathon high!

Just a few weeks after my trip to Denver, I finally get a vacation.  Yes, I love Las Vegas.  I’ve been there once already this year, but by the time this trip comes, it will be six months since I’ve been there.  I cannot wait!  I repeat, I cannot wait!  A full 10 days off.  I need it!

How is your Summer going so far?  Any big plans for races, or trips coming up?  June is almost over, so don’t wait too long, or the Summer will pass you by quickly.

Revel Rockies Marathon & Half

Revel Race series is currently a group of three incredibly beautiful, downhill races in western U.S..  Big Cottonwood, in Utah (which I ran this year), Revel Rockies in Colorado, and Canyon City just outside of Los Angeles, California.  The inaugural event at Canyon City is this weekend, so good luck to those of you lucky enough to be running there!

A huge fan of this race series, I have to check them off my race to-do list.  Why?  I can think of many reasons.  Traveling to race?  Yes!  Up until my race in Utah in September, I hadn’t been to any of the three locations they offer races.  A great reason to run.  Visiting Salt Lake City was a load of fun.  Getting to see a beautiful area on foot while running a marathon was just amazing!  Downhill races equal faster races.  Better chance for a PR or BQ, or both?  Another huge factor for wanting to run these races.  They have a naturally higher percentage of Boston Qualifiers than most races in the States.  Beautiful vistas, mountains, canyons, nature.  Courses designed for beauty and speed, amazing!  They also have great bling, swag and offer a very generous cancellation policy.  You don’t see that in many races at all.  So many reasons to run a Revel event.

I have decided to run the Rockies event in 2015.  Race day is July 19th.  I haven’t booked any travel yet, as one of my favorite airlines, Southwest, hasn’t opened up their flight schedule that far out yet.  Travel details will work themselves out in the months to come.  For now though, I have created a team, and would welcome anyone who wants to join in.  You only run together if you want to, but joining a team allows you to get a discount on registration in addition to liking them on Facebook (which gets you another $5 off).  My team name is “Running Down A Dream”.  You can click on the following link and be taken to the registration page.  https://www.brooksee.com/rdv/register?team=146952.   Let’s Revel Rockies.

Take a look at the great finisher medal from the inaugural event this year.  It’s huge!

The Rockies event promises a beautiful downhill course.  Just look at the elevation chart.  I can tell you from experience, you must train differently for a downhill race.  Do some research, and find yourself a good training plan so that your legs aren’t wrecked post race.

If you are anything like me, you base many decisions on what events you sign up for on the overall runner experience. You look at race recaps, online forums, and race websites.  Based on my experience at Big Cottonwood this year, I know the folks at Revel Races do races right.

Check out this great race series online.  You can read all about their mission, read runner reviews, check out the race course maps, and much more.  www.runrevel.com.

It’s the final countdown!

Everyone around me is gearing up for Fall.  You see, I am originally from upstate NY, and up there, you could just about bet on a change in the weather come Labor Day weekend.  It would be 85 degrees the day before, and 60 the day after.  I’m sure it wasn’t that drastic, but Labor Day up north meant the end of Summer.  The start of school, the end of sleeping in.  

That is really not the case here in NC.  We will continue to have sticky, hot weather sometimes right up to near Halloween.  Fact of the matter is though that one of my kids is already a week into college, and my younger is starting his Junior year in High School tomorrow.  I’ve already hear the complaints, but I explain it like this….  As a kid/young adult you get to have Summers off.  That’s like three months of rest, relaxation, sleeping in, etc..  As an adult in the working world, you may get two, three or four weeks off a year.  Quit the complaining already, right?

Summer means more daylight hours to get my training runs in.  Sure it means more heat, but I think that training in the heat makes me more ready for nice Fall weather racing.  As we inch closer and closer to Labor Day, what does that mean for me?  First, another run in just a short bit.  Yes, training continues.  It’s winding down, but still moves forward.  Five more days until vacation remain.  A week off, then a week of work and my first Marathon of the Fall season.  Big Cottonwood is only 20 days away now!  It’s creeping up fast.  

Summer is always a mixed bag of emotions for me.  Due to where I live, and the heat, most of the time I chose not to race.  As a result, I get really antsy, and look forward to those race days.  I haven’t raced now since June 6th.  Two and a half months ago.  That’s a long time without racing for me.  Last year I mixed in a July 4th 5k, and a Half Marathon in August in NY to keep my race legs satiated.  This year, I held back.  

Fall season is packed with racing excitement.  I’ve tried really hard all Summer to push myself, but not overdo it.  I don’t want to get injured before or during the season, so I have really listened to my body, and have maintained a good regime, yet not too extreme.  

The countdown is getting exciting.  As I near vacation and race days my mind fills with the anticipation of running, and running a great race.  I will take them one by one, focusing on having fun, but also pushing my limits.  So excited to see Utah for the first time, to run Chicago for the first time, and to run some tried and true Fall favorites here close to home.

What exciting Fall races do you have planned?  Do you get antsy when you haven’t raced in a few months? I sure do.  

Traveling to Run – Running to Travel

One of the best things that has happened as a result of my running, well other than the health benefits both physical and mental is that running gives me an opportunity to travel to places that I may not have normally visited otherwise.  Who doesn’t love to travel?  Unique places, different cities.

Let me think…. Racing has taken me many places.  Many, many more to come.  Over the past few years I was able to visit Asheville, NC twice to run marathons.  Different marathons.  I visited a small town in Upstate New York to run a Half Marathon in a town called DeRuyter.  I’ve been to both Wrightsville Beach, NC, and Charleston, SC, both beach towns this year alone.  I’ve been to Roanoke, Virginia.  A beautiful mountain town with beautiful people, to run America’s Toughest Road Marathon, the a Blue Ridge Marathon.  Yeah, I have traveled to Las Vegas three times to race.  Well, I go there anyway a few times a year, but adding a race into the trip makes it even more fun.  I’ve traveled to Jersey City, NJ.  A beautiful half Marathon right across the water from Manhattan, with views of the Statue of Liberty.  I’ve been a few places, for sure.

Looking at the months ahead, I have a few more “new” cities to explore through my running.  I’ve never been to Chicago before.  I get to run the Chicago Marathon this year, so this will be a first visit.  I get to travel to Utah this Fall.  Another first.  Running the Big Cottonwood Marathon is the reason for the trip.  A trip I probably wouldn’t make otherwise.

What other locations on the map will I check off the list one day due to my running?  Many, I hope.  I can think of another right off the bag that would be an amazing trip.  Boston, MA.  We’ll see where running takes me.  Reading running blogs from around the world often inspire me to travel.  One of my favorites, with many beautiful pictures makes me want to travel down under.  http://www.unsportywomencanrun.wordpress.com is a great blog, and the reason why I want to travel a billion miles to get there.

I am lucky to run, and lucky to travel.  Have you ever been to a place through your running that you would have never visited otherwise?  Do you travel to run?  Run to travel?  Share your stories, and let me know what places on the map are just not to be missed.

North Carolina Snow Storm

It it sure is pretty, it sure is uncommon.

All hell breaks loose here in North Carolina when the first word of snow is whispered by a weather forecaster.  The grocery stores clear out, the salt and sand, shovels and sleds disappear from hardware store shelves.  Kids delight in a day or two or three off from school, and adults like me go stir crazy, and absolutely bonkers throughout the entire irritating situation.

It began last night around 6pm, with light, feathery flakes.  It didn’t stop for hours and hours.  Waking up this morning to about three inches of fluffy white stuff.  Kids are already out with their sleds, packing the snow down on the streets here in the neighborhood whirring down the roads.  As the weather isn’t supposed to reach over freezing today, and will plunge into the single digits tonight, this is a nightmare situation for trying to get out to work tomorrow.  The roads will be a complete sheet of ice, making it impossible to get out of here tomorrow morning.

I will have to augment my work schedule to accommodate this.  I am supposed to work at 7am, 20 miles away.

Look at these pictures.  Even the beaches in the south are snow covered.

Amazing!  I don’t see anyone with sunscreen out there today, and yet we are supposed to be about 70 degrees on the beaches of North Carolina this Sunday!  Total craziness!  If you don’t give any credence to global warming, I think you should.

Have you heard about the travel nightmares in Atlanta, Georgia?  This was a record setting storm for areas south of here.  I have a friend that was trying to get home from work yesterday in the Atlanta area around the noon time hour.  She still isn’t home, 24 hours later.  The roads are parking lots, gridlock due to the snow.  This turned into abandoned cars, and just a horrible situation.  This sort of thing happened here locally back in 2010.  In fact, the three inches of snow we got, is more than we have had since 2010.  It just doesn’t happen here very often.

Ok, so I guess I will try to get some things done around the house today.  I got my run in yesterday before the storm.  I logged four miles yesterday so that I would have to get out in this today.  This is what others say though, even though I don’t share this thought today.

Be safe out there!