Five days to New Orleans

I finished my last long run today before heading to New Orleans on Friday.  10 miles in 1:13.  I think most of my speed on this run came from the fact that it is bitter cold in DC today, topping at 25 when I headed out.  I wanted to get this one over as quick as possible.  I'm feeling good.  However, I'll admit I have not been training well, skipping some training runs and not keeping to schedule.  My posture right now certainly isn't one to get me to the elusive 1:30 Half.  I've indulged in some time off since Annapolis but am working to get back to my 1:30s Half time.

I've also been keeping tabs on Bill and his progress as he trains for this Half.  Remember, it's his first in years.  I gotta say, I think this is going to be close.  He finished 11 miles today in 1:32.  Not bad considering it was 19 degrees in Cleveland today.  I'm certainly looking forward to running this one with Bill as I'm feeling a little "friendly" competition.  That's always nice. 

It's on, Bill.

Other than that all is set for a Friday departure.  I'll be meeting Maria at the apartment we're renting and then wait for Bill to arrive before heading to the Expo to pick up our packets.  Going to get that out of the way early before checking out the city. 

I'm seeing low 70s for this upcoming weekend.  Great for visiting.  A bit high for running.  Regardless, it's going to be nice to get a quick break from this winter. 

I'll be updating every night with pics from each day and of course come race day.  This is the longest trip I've ever taken for a Half (Friday - Tuesday) so good for extra posts as I get back into some blogging.

Up Next: Louisiana

Hello blog world!  After a little break from the blog and marathoning I thought it would be good to give a quick update.

I decided to take January off to recover a bit and quite honestly just to relax. But, training is back in full swing for my upcoming Half.  I'll be flying to New Orleans on February 22 for the Rock n Roll Half taking place on the 24th. This is my second time to this city and I'm quite excited.  I love this town.  The first time I visited was for my good friend Doug's wedding (same Doug I ran the Albuquerque Half with) and this time I'll be joined by my friend Bill and sister Maria.  Bill's a funny/fun guy.  I will let the pictures from the weekend speak for themselves. It'll be interesting to say the least.  You'll see.  And of course any trip with my sister Maria is always fun.  We'll be staying a couple days after the race to enjoy the city which is a plan I've never done before.

Training has been going well.  I was in Cleveland for a few days for work and got a couple training runs in with Bill to see if we could set a good pace.  This is his second Half and he's aiming to break 1:50 (the time of his first Half).  I think he's got it.  We did an 8-mile and 3-mile run (both with cold and icy conditions) and ran at roughly an 8 minute pace.

We'll be staying in the French Quarter not far from the start line.  I'll be arriving early Friday to pick up packets and get settled in.  As always, you can expect photos from start to finish.  By start I mean the minute I touch down with the "Welcome to New Orleans" sign all the way to the finish line with fun photos of the trip in between.

Thank you, 2012

You were a great year 2012.  A kickoff year to my 50 state challenge that saw me visit 13 states and run a total of 183.4 marathon miles (this includes DC).  Many of these states I visited for the first time and many I got to enjoy with friends and family. 

So a quick recap.  2012 kicked off running Austin visiting my very good friend Jodi, then taking to the streets of DC on a tour of our nation’s capital, followed by a road trip with Carla to Wilmington, then taking to the skies traveling to Albuquerque for a race with my good friend Doug, then back to my home state of New Jersey, followed by a trip to Cleveland for a fun wedding and my first “hangover marathon,” then keeping it local in the Midwest with a trip to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, before switching gears and heading to the beaches of Fairfield for the hilliest 13 miles to date, and then to Chi-Town where I saw my very good friend Amanda, then up to Providence on a road trip with Maria and her husband Rich, only to see them accompany me again to run through the historic streets of Philadelphia, followed by another historic run over the hills of Antietam, then being joined by hundreds of NYC marathoners  in Manchester after a cancellation due to Hurricane Sandy, before finally capping the year in historic Annapolis.

The challenge continues through 2013 where I will be crossing the halfway mark by year’s end.  I hope everyone keeps up with the journey!

Maryland race day

I think I may have discovered my new pre race formula for 2013.  It involves making sure I get three hours sleep, consumption of lots of beer, an intense week of happy hours,  and little to no stretching.  Apparently it's a winner because on it I was able to close 2012 with a 1:38:44 marathon time.  Success!

Friday night my very good friend Susan had her annual holiday party, and like every year it was a great time.  The kind of fun night with friends that you never want to end.  But, with 13.1 miles awaiting me in the morning, I made the effort to get to bed at a decent hour.  Decent hour = 1:30 am.  Wake up time:  4:45 am. 

I was meeting my friend Teresa at the race.  She's among the fastest runners I know and incredibly modest about it.  She had a great race finishing in 1:42 and FIRST in her age group.

This was a fun race.  It was foggy morning so we couldn't really get that many views of the Severn river when going over the bridge but got to see all parts of Annapolis running through downtown and by the Naval Academy.  I finished with a 7:32 pace, 26 in my age group, and 207 overall.

Not a bad way to close the year. Up next:  New Orleans

Early and cold

Start/finish line

Me and my good friend Teresa

The obligatory steak & eggs

2013 calendar

I've finalized my 2013 race calendar to include all Rock n Roll races available.  For now I'm keeping it as is.

Link to all races:  http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/tour-stops

If there's a race on the RnR site that I do not have on my calendar below, it's only because I've already completed that state.  If I should come across a state/race and some extra time (and money in the budget) to squeeze it in, I'll go for it.

My races:

February 24 - New Orleans, La.

April 14 - Outer Banks, North Carolina (Flying Pirate Half)

April 27 - Nashville, Tenn.

May 19 - Portland, Ore.

June 22 - Seattle, Wash.

October 27 - St. Louis, Mo.

November 9 - Savannah, Ga.

Back-to-back running weekends

This past weekend was Thanksgiving weekend.  It involved the usual turkey and stuffing but was followed by a first for me with a post Thanksgiving charity run.

The concept was great.  A friend of my buddy Mike set up a virtual online team to benefit some of the charities providing relief to those impacted by Hurricane Sandy.  Friends and family were encouraged to donate.  However, this came with a twist.  If as a team they could raise over $5,000 by Thanksgiving, he would run a full marathon on the track of his former high school.  That's 105.5 laps!

For support, Mike and I joined him on the track on Friday.  By the end of the day, I ended up running nearly a Half with a total of 50 laps.  It was also a gorgeous day (see photo)

Oh, and the team ended up raising $17,379.

Mike and I (top two) running the track

As for this upcoming weekend, Maryland is up.  The Annapolis Half starts at 7:10 am on Saturday, so it's going to be an early morning to get there, park, and run my final Half of 2012.

If you've never been to Annapolis, it's great.  You can basically pull it out from the most important pages of American history.  It's where the Treaty of Paris was signed (officially ending the Revolutionary War), served as the nation's first state house, was where George Washington resigned, and the Naval Academy is located.  It's got a quaint downtown area and is located right on the Severn River.  I'm looking forward to taking some nice pictures.  

Carla will be joining me and I'll also be meeting up with my buddy Byron from work.  He lives in the neighborhood so I basically told him he's required to hang out post race.  A special guest appearance will be my niece Lexi (short for Alexandria).  She is currently in Annapolis attending the Naval Academy.  Yes, she's pretty awesome.  So part of the day's itinerary must include getting some time in with her.  I'm thinking after the race - per the usual - we'll all get some brunch so that'll be a good time for everyone to get together.

After Annapolis I won't be running another Half until February (New Orleans).  I decided to take January off to let the body rest a bit.  I think that's a good idea.  Stay tuned for pictures and details this Saturday.  

Grand Slam!

A very nice way to close my 2012 year of Rock n Roll Halfs.  I received the below medal from my friends at the series for completing four RnR Half marathons in a single calendar year.  

I'm hoping to add to that tally and hit 10 by the close of 2013.  The Heavy medals just keep getting better and better with my ultimate goal now being to hit Rock Idol status.