Good news can't wait.

This is a follow-up on today's email to the group. Leslie is safe but had too close a call for comfort with the Colorado wildfires.  I'm pasting her e-mail below.

 

Secondly, Cheryl and Marcus had great races.  Cheryl completed the SF marathon with a 4:27 and Marcus finished the Half in a sub 1:39.  Congratulations to both of you!  Cheryl plans to be out next Sunday for her victory lap.  Join us also, Marcus!

 

Rose is on the move again.  Got an e-mail from Germany this time. She and Rich watched a Father's Day half marathon in Guernsey

 

Here is Leslie's not in its entirety. We are very relieved to hear from you!:

 

"Jack, all is fine here now. We were 1/2 mile from voluntary evacuation line but thanks to our fantastic military presence & so many firemen coming from around the country they were able to prevent the fire from jumping 83 to a densely populated area. We were quite nervous for a couple of days.

I participated in garden of the gods 10 miler last Sunday. It started in manitou & ran all thru the park. It was a pretty run with too many hills.

This morning I completed my first Colorado triathlon, I didn't do great but I'm ok with my finish time.

Colorado springs is very challenging to bike & run in, we have these winds (responsible for spreading fires so quickly) that stop u in your tracks 20-30 mph on any day. 2 weeks ago I ran 10 miles, 5 to air force academy @ 50 min then i turned around and it took me 70 min to return because of the winds.

Needless to say I miss Dave et al pushing me"

 

Jack

June 16 Father's Day Run

Today's Run

Happy Father's Day to all of our fathers!

 

We celebrated our last run of Spring today with at least 17 runners.  It might just as well have been Summer already since the starting temperature was 79-80 degrees.  Mercifully, the sun didn't shine until 8:00 AM, so we dodged some of the bullets.

 

Nice turnout.  We hosted Brenda, a lady visiting from Flower Mound TX (Dallas suburb) who needed to do ten 10K's on successive weekends. We also had Seth, a visitor from Palm Beach.  Mark tells me that visiting Seth completed this year's Boston Marathon.  He told Mark he finished an hour before the bombs went off, which means he ran it in the 3:10 range.  Mark and Vince stayed with him for most of the run, but he obviously is one fast dude who gave them a good workout!.  Mike had his son out to run for the second week in a row.

 

Colorado Jack did not make it out today.  I was hoping he would provide some info on the latest wild fires in Colorado.  Last year his house was threatened by the huge Waldo Canyon wildfire. The current wildfire is on the east side Colorado Springs and I'm hoping it's not a threat to Leslie, who lives north of there.  Leslie, please let us know what's happening!

 

It was good to see that Luis is off the injured list and appears to be his old self.

 

Christine showed up on her bike today, so she gets credit for a biathlon today!

 

After last week's run, I heard from Rose that she and Rich are on a cruise around the British Isles.  They are living the good life!!

 

And from the Vermont desk I spoke to Bob this week.  When I called, he was babysitting a flock of long horn sheet in CT.  It's too involved to explain right now, that's a PR in my book.  I will be visiting Bob in Woodstock in 10 days and hope he has shed his sheep!

 

Hopefully we will hear from Cheryl how she and Marcus fared with their San Francisco marathon this weekend.  Hope it went well for both of you!

 

Since I may not make it out next Sunday, I've asked Dylan to cover the festivities on his blog, so please check in at thintrade.com   Have a great week and gear up for the first run of Summer next Sunday.   

 

Jack                     

June 9 Run

Today' Run

Wow! We had the largest turnout since celebrating Bob's birthday a few weeks ago!  We had at least 25 people, thanks to a few new guests.  Mike brought his son Joshua (10 years old?).  Joshua is going for his black belt and, if I understood correctly, needs to build up his running. Cheryl came out with husband Marcus and their dog Pumpkin. Carolyne, our most prolific recruiter, appeared with three of her friends (Megan, Caroline and ?)  Compared to yesterday, we had fairly pleasant conditions.

 

Yesterday's ORC 5K

This was a hot and humid race. Saw a dozen or more of the Sunday group at Blanchard Park, including some long-lost folks like Vicky, Amy, Mikko, Billy, Todd, Michele and Tom.  Seth and his singing group rendered the National Anthem with style and grace along with a few more great songs.  Cheryl, Carly and Dave helped to put on the race and Carly also competed. In short, lots of familiar faces!

 

Colorado Jack finished first in the 70+ age group.  Jack came back out with water for me and shepherded me in the last 100 years or so.  Thanks, Jack! 

 

The race is a fund raiser for the ORC and the format was reminiscent of how races were conducted twenty-five years ago.  The course was an out and back path along the Econ River without a clock or chips. Times were reported on 3 x 5 cards on the honor system.

 

News from Lynne in DC

"I'm looking forward to the Army Birthday Run on the 14th, which will be all the military members of the Army Staff running in formation through Fort Myer and Arlington National Cemetery.  We've been doing this for about a dozen years now and I love it!  We call cadence through Fort Myer, but are respectfully silent in the cemetery."

 

What a neat way for "Pentagon Lynne" and her Army colleagues to celebrate. Have a great run, Lynne.  Hope you can soon join us one of these months, Lynne

 

Upcoming Marathon

Join me in wishing Cheryl and Marcus good luck in their San Francisco Marathon next weekend.  Marcus told me that they will cross the Golden Gate Bridge twice!  That will really be a memorable experience!!

 

Finally, Dylan has extracted himself from his recent lethargy and has come back to life on his blog.  (thintrade.com)

 

See you next Sunday.  Have a great week!

 

Jack
                       

Easing into June

June announced its arrival with a relatively warm and humid day in the mid 70's.  This had little effect on the hardy Sunday group, as we had a healthy torn out of a dozen and a half people.  This includes a new young man looking for a faster group but excludes Cheryl's puppy.  I'm putting him (the new guy) in touch with our sister group which runs from Morse Blvd.

 

Don't know if you've noticed it, but there is a large new tree planted at the top of Alabama hill which a bunch of us stopped and gawked at.  The best name I have heard for it so far is "The Octopus".

 

Dylan pulled me through my last ugly mile as he went on to put in seven.  I imagine he will have some words of wisdom on his blog. (thintrade.com)

 

Seth is back with us briefly and will shortly be off to run a marathon in PA.  Colorado Jack did a 5K race last Sunday (back to back races for him) and placed first in his age category in both races.  Get this:  He said the first place trophy was a big fish.  Second and third place prizes were appropriately smaller fish.  Look, this is what he told me and I have never known Colorado Jack to lie!  This may be the first instance in which a runner cooked and ate his trophy! (The closest I have come is to have my goose cooked in races!)

 

I spoke to Bob in Vermont and have locked in a visit with him in Woodstock at the end of June.  Among his recent adventures were the river in his back yard rising to an uncomfortable level and encountering a May snow storm in later May! So much for climate change!

 

Have a great week!

 

Jack

 

May 26 Run

Today's Run

Great turnout on an idyllic morning.  We had at least 21 people taking advantage of a beautiful 64 degree morning.  Remember it, since we probably won't have that kind of luck for the next several months. A great turnout for a Memorial Day weekend!

Carly reported that she ran a Half Marathon in Fredericksburg VA last week and dealt with some very challenging hills.  Mike Murphy joined us after an absence.  Ed returned to try out his broke toe.  Chris ran solo and early, but I spotted him on the way home.

5K Race in Oviedo yesterday

Known finishers from our group included Cheryl, Rose, Colorado Jack, Dave, Jorge, Ralph and me.  Cheryl, Rose and Jack placed in their age categories. I finished first in the FEMALE 70-99 group, an obvious error.  That definitely is a PR for me!!!  

Cheryl told me this morning that she had the same problem as I did.  She was included in the male category for her age group, but managed to get it corrected and collect her trophy.  I see that the errors were corrected on the website this morning.

After the race, I found a rooster putzing around my car in the parking lot. So it was just one of those strange mornings! 

ORC 5k Race on Saturday June 8:   The ORC 8th Annual Race Into Summer 5K to be held on Saturday, June 8th, at Jay Blanchard Park on Dean Road in Orlando.  The race starts at 7:30 AM.  All proceeds to benefit the Club's general fund and the Urayasu Exchange Program Fund.   The course is an out and back along the paved trail in the park that runs along the Little Econ River. 

Happy Memorial Day!!

Jack

May 19th Run

Today's Run

Despite an early threat of rain, we had 17 people turn out on this rather warm morning.  We welcomed some of the group whom we haven't seen in a while, including Lytle, Jamie and Arnette, Ryan and Danny.

 

Danny was in the news as the head of FDLE.  We both agreed that his picture did not do him justice.

 

Lytle was in town on business and surprised us today.  Her job in Chicago brought her here for a visit.

 

You can find Arnette at Track Shack to help you with your running needs.

 

Jamie did her fifth half marathon in Myrtle Beach last weekend. 

 

Colorado Jack did the Wounded Warrior 15K race at UCF last weekend and placed first in his age group Jack is a Navy veteran.

 

Seth on the Road Again

He did Delaware marathon a week ago and finished a minute faster than the last time he ran it 4 years ago. The week before that he ran a 50K in Maryland.

 

Congratulations to the racers!

Have a great week.  (The Oviedo 5K runs next Saturday. Hope to see some of you there!)

 

Jack

May 12 Run

Happy Mother's day to all of our group's Mothers!  Enjoy your special day!

 

Today's Run

We had a slightly smaller turnout of 12-13 people, including a friend of Liz (Kim) who plans to join us based on her "test drive" with Atif today.  There was a hint of summer in the air with a 70 degree temperature climbing fast.

 

We bid adieu to Claudia who is departing for her home in Wisconsin for the summer.  We will miss you, Claudia, and hope you and your husband have a great summer!)  Kim, I hope we will continue to see you over the summer.

 

Chris is New York City for the college graduation of daughter Emily. One down, Chris and one to go!  .

 

On the Bench

Luis overdid it and is temporarily out of the game.  Also, Ed broke a toe and is similarly grounded until it heals.  We hope you both heal fast.

 

Track Shack fund raiser

This past Wednesday, I attended a fund-raiser breakfast program hosted by the Track Shack Foundation.  The featured speaker was Dick Beardsley, a fine marathoner and a man with a gripping personal story. More on that in a moment. 

 

The Foundation, as many of you know, is the charitable work of Jon & Betsy Hughes.  It is funded from the proceeds of designated local races and contributions from the public. The Foundation has been doing wonderful work within the community for almost 20 years now and has contributed over $2 million dollars to community programs.  I urge you to read more about its work at Trackshack.com  under the "Foundation" tab.

 

Beardsley finished just behind Alberto Salazar in the 1992 Boston Marathon in an extremely close and exciting race which set a course record.  Beardsley later fell on hard times due to some horrific accidents and became addicted to pain killing drugs. His is an emotional and inspirational story, candidly told and with a happy ending. 

 

Quiet Courage

At the TSF meeting, I got to chat with Loren Carmody.  She is fighting brain cancer and not only is she still running in the Marathonfest Program, she also ran the ill-fated Boston Marathon a few weeks ago.  She was running under the auspices of  Mass. General Hospital where she goes for treatment.  She got pulled off the course in the latter stages of the race.  She had great difficulty connecting with husband Chris who was a spectator, but it all worked out and she will have the opportunity to return to Boston to run again next year.

 

She is one courageous runner!!  Please remember her in your prayers.

 

Age Adjusted 10K Performance Data

I don't believe I've ever mentioned in this e-mail the existence of excellent data on the effect of age on race performance. FYI, the World Association of Veteran Athletics (WAVA) publishes age correction factors which can be used to compare performances at different ages to determine the "real" quality of finishing times at any age.

 

I don't think you'll be surprised to learn that I am constantly looking for excuses on why I continue to slow more each year. Once runners hit age 40, there is an inexorable and accelerating loss of speed.  Something like 7% in the 40's, 8% in the 50's, 9% in the 60's, 11% in the 70"s, and whopping 16% in the 80's!  These stats give credence to why I have a "Slack with Jack at the back of the pack" club.

 

Seriously, it's good to know what to expect as time passes.  Otherwise we might give in to discouragement and, heaven forbid, lose our enthusiasm for running.  So I am pasting below an excerpt of the chart I found on line which provides data by gender by five year age group.  One of these days, I would love to convince Jon Hughes to organize a 10K race which uses the data to have the first local race which would be "marked on an age-adjusted curve!"

 

You can see why I would love such a competition.  At my age I would get about a one-third discount off my time, obviating the need for shortcuts!!!

 

Whatcha think???

 

MEN		WOMEN
Age	Factor	Age	Factor
10	0.859	10	0.843
15	0.957	15	0.959
20	1.000	20	1.000
25	1.000	25	1.000
30	1.000	30	1.000
35	1.000	35	0.997
40	0.968	40	0.959
45	0.933	45	0.919
50	0.898	50	0.879
55	0.862	55	0.838
60	0.824	60	0.795
65	0.783	65	0.751
70	0.740	70	0.703
75	0.694	75	0.651
80	0.642	80	0.595
85	0.584	85	0.532
90	0.514	90	0.457
95	0.419	95	0.358
100	0.264	100	0.198

 

Have a great week!

 

Jack