Blog Master G

Today marks the day 7 years ago my lovely bride and I got married in Poughkeepsie, surrounded by friends and family. What an unforgettable day. And what an amazing 7 years it’s been.

We’ve had so much fun together over the years and I’m so lucky to call Jen my wife that I always struggle with what to write in posts like these (maybe that’s why last year, for the first time, I neglected to even publish an anniversary blog entry, as I’ve done every other year of our marriage; I was even feeling guilty this morning when I realized I neglected to do so last year).

So I thought I’d let my Dad, an incredibly gifted writer, share some memories from this day 7 years ago on my behalf — this is a snippet from a hilarious and touching email he sent both of us today (at midnight on the dot, our time):

After I left Gabe with his private last-minute reflections, I wandered to the back of the chapel, and got a glimpse of you, Jen, surrounded by your entourage of adoring maidens, and you looked so beautiful.  I thought I was catching a glimpse of some kind of Cinderella or Snow White fairy tale about to unfold.  The ceremony was exquisite, intimate, smart, touching, and brilliant.  My heart was in my throat most of the time, and floods of memories came streaming back to me as I watched you two get married.  This was truly one special day — two amazing people embarking on a journey together filled with hope, love, respect, joy, humor, and deep mutual caring.  Life doesn’t really get any better than this.

I couldn’t have said it any better myself — and life continues to be excellent year after year. Jen and I are fortunate to have such a great family and to be surrounded by so many awesome friends.

I love you, Jen, and here’s to the next 7 years of marriage and beyond!

Jen described it best this weekend: “This is the summer I’m falling in love with Saratoga again.”

We had another action-packed weekend that was so much fun and so non-stop we barely had time to sleep. And we really appreciated our little city that much more.

We got things started off right Friday evening with a little get together on Sarah and Eric’s patio. Alexis, Anne, and Tom cruised by as well, and we enjoyed drinks and snacks on a warm summer evening — at least until the bugs came looking for dinner.

Saturday morning Jen headed to work at the library and I ran 6+ miles with the Saratoga Stryders. Then I set to work on a number of projects around the house, including the booking of our next trip to California in the fall that we’re excited about. I met Jen at lunchtime and we hit the Farmers’ Market, where we stocked up on some goods and ran into a number of friends. That afternoon I joined Jen at the library to do some consulting work and reading. I love the library more and more every time I go, and always question why I don’t spend more time there.

We enjoyed a nice evening at home together watching the new Alice in Wonderland, which we downloaded to our TiVo via Amazon VOD.

Sunday morning brought another early day and a 6am wake-up call. I headed to the Saratoga Battlefield to meet a bunch of my Stryder friends (Charles, Hugh, Cole, and Sean) for a 12-miler in the hot and humid historic rolling hills, where the battle that marked the turning point of the Revolutionary War was fought.

After a quick stop at home, Jen and I packed a lunch and some beers, then headed to Fish Creek for an afternoon of canoeing. We rented a sweet canoe from the Kayak Shack at Fish Creek Marina.

We spent an hour-plus paddling upstream against the wind, dodging power boats and wake boarders (and their wakes), and admiring some of the stately homes perched on the hills above the lake. After reaching our goal of crossing beneath the 9P bridge by the Saratoga Lake Marina Park, which was abuzz with people enjoying the perfect day, we turned back and began our return journey with the wind at our backs. On the return trip, we leisurely drifted through some lily pads and hung out with the ducks while enjoying our sandwiches and the sunny day.

We capped off the banner weekend with some tailgating at Saratoga Polo, where we watched the Shamrock — owned by John Walsh from America’s Most Wanted, who was there in the flesh — come from behind to beat the Palm Beach Exotics in overtime.

Today my little bro turns 30. I think that’s got to be the sure sign that I’m no spring chicken myself. I still remember the day Pete was born. And the world hasn’t been safe since… from his kindness, his wit, his humor, and his charm.

This entry won’t be as in-depth as last year’s brother birthday tribute, but suffice it to say that I’m super-psyched that Pete and his girl, Sierra, depart California tomorrow morning and begin their trek to New York, where they’ll be our neighbors just three hours to the south.

I seriously can’t wait to live in the same state as my bro once more. We will dominate. Love you, bro, and happy birthday!

We can only hope that this disaster will be a wake-up call that we need to seriously rethink our extreme dependence on oil as an energy source.

As Mark Morford writes in Behold our dark, magnificent horror:

As if oil wasn’t woven like oxygen into every single aspect of American life, as if fully 30 percent of domestic transportation fuel didn’t come from the gulf, as if shutting down a fraction of those wells wouldn’t re-devastate the economy, as if petroleum and coal weren’t powering the very energy plants that deliver the electricity that charges the iPhones that allows everyone to Tweet their angry complaints through all the various energy-sucking server farms the size of a small country.

Instead of Dodging Deer on a muddy trail, as was the case on this weekend last year, I joined a number of my fellow Saratoga Stryders in Spa State Park for the 31st Annual St. Peter’s Keys Run. It’s actually two races: a 10k at 9am and a 5k at 11am. Some of my fellow Stryders — Richard, Peggy, Sean — were hardcore enough to run both races… and even get in some miles before both races.

I had a great time today (racing only the 5k), and as I was telling Jen after the race, running with a club makes all the difference. Not only has it helped me to get faster, but it’s been a fun way to make new friends, encourage each other, and make running more social. Besides the occasional Stryder workout over the past two years, I spent most of my first two years running solo. Not sure why. Maybe I was just acclimating myself to the sport. Regardless, it’s nice to have a fun group of running friends now.

As for the race, it was pretty much perfect conditions (~44 degrees F, overcast, and slight rain), and I felt confident going into the race that I could beat my 19:31 PR from last summer’s Fasig-Tipton 5k, thanks to all the recent speed work and training with the Stryders. The familiar turf and relatively flat roads of the State Park helped, too.

After some chit-chat at the starting line and wishing my fellow Stryders and others luck, the whistle blew and the race began. I was off to the side, and ran the first 100 meters or so in the grass along the road before falling into place. It was a fast and furious first mile, which I clocked in at a solid 6:07.

As we entered Mile 2, some runners began slowing and I started passing a few people. Though it doesn’t feel like a particularly hilly course, as I look at the elevation now, I see that there are a number of rolling hills, including a 100-foot gain in a 0.2-mile span near the end of the second mile, which explains my slowest-of-the-race mile (6:22).

With just about a mile to go, I tried to keep the pace strong and not fade too much. I passed a couple of runners in the final mile and was motivated to push even harder when I heard someone coming up behind me with just over a quarter-mile to the finish.

I heard his breathing right on my heels, so I kept on pushing as we rounded the final corner into the parking lot as the finish line came into sight. I didn’t see this other runner until after we’d crossed the line and he shook my hand, but he definitely motivated me to turn it on for my final sprint to the line (6:10 for Mile 3 and 34 seconds for the final 0.1 mile / 0.12 by Garmin, which is a 4:46 pace in that final 161-meter dash).

After I finished and caught my breath, it was fun to stick around the finish line and cheer for my fellow Stryders as they came blazing across the line one after another. I’m glad Jen also got the chance to meet so many of my running friends today (and, as always, that she’s awesome enough to stand and cheer in the cold, wet weather to capture the pictures and videos).

Official time: 19:15, a new 5k PR by a solid 16 seconds. I won my division and placed 11th overall. Rounding out the 30-34 male division were other Stryders, Chris and Sean, so it was great to have a Stryder sweep!

Lots of Stryders got division medals today, including Richard in the 10k, and Sean D., Peggy, Judy, and Stan in the 5k as well.

Congrats to everyone who ran a great race today! Good times!

Mile splits (view Garmin data):

Today is an overcast day with 19 MPH winds. I ran the Shamrock Shuffle 5-mile race in Glens Falls and almost exactly nailed my goal time (off by 3 seconds). It was a new PR at the 5-mile distance (32:33) and I’m really happy about it.

Update (3.29.2010): Jen and I left before the results were announced yesterday, but I won 3rd in my division! I placed 42 out of 480 overall.

I’ve been participating in a running study at Skidmore College the past couple weeks and, as a result, ran two 5k time trials last week (and have two more in the next couple days). That, combined with other speed work I’ve been doing, no doubt contributes to my new PR.

In the same race last year it was a torrential downpour and I set what was then a PR at 5 miles (33:39). So taking nearly a full minute off that time is pretty sweet since the faster one gets, the more exponential each incremental improvement becomes. (The first year I ran the race — in 2008 — I clocked in a 41:51.)

I lined up at the front of the pack with one foot on the shamrock portion of the starting line. When the gun fired, I took off in a burst with everyone else and rounded the first corner. Glancing at my Garmin, I saw a too-fast pace of 5:54, so I quickly turned it down and settled into my target pace of around 6:30 to 6:35. The first mile has one of the few slight inclines of the course, leading up an overpass over the highway. I felt strong from the start and ran a 6:39 Mile 1.

Going into the second mile, those runners who’d come out too fast started to fade and I heard lots of huffing and puffing (already) around me. I fell into a pack that was running right around my 6:30 target. I was feeling good, so I went with it. I rounded out Mile 2 in 6:32.

On the back side of the course there are some gentle rolling hills and trees along the road. It was around this time that I reminded myself of one of the things I’m always really conscious of in races: Not to let myself get into a too-comfortable pace behind a runner who’s starting to fade. Such was the case as I passed a girl around the 2.5-mile mark and heard her yell, “Shit!” as she realized she wasn’t maintaining pace. On the slight decline, the pace quickened to 6:17 or so. Mile 3 was one of my fastest of the day: 6:23.

In the fourth mile I was still going mostly strong, but as we turned into the wind, started to feel the race taking its toll. I made some more passes and kept a pack of three or so runners in my sight. Mile 4 pace: 6:32.

With just over a mile to go (about 3.69 elapsed), it was time to push for the finish — not all out but felt that I had enough left to make a few more passes. So as we rounded the last few corners and toward the finish line, I passed the remaining runners who’d been in my immediate sight. There was just one runner off in the distance (at least 400 meters or so ahead) between me and the finish line.

So I turned it on and gave it everything I had. I wasn’t really trying to catch the last guy in front of me (at least at first), but actually came so close in the final few meters that I was right on his heels by the time I flew across the line into the finish corral. I had to slam on my personal brakes to avoid crashing into him. Mile 5 was right up there with Mile 3 as the fastest of the day: 6:23. My max pace in that final sprint dipped as low as 3:58 (!), which could be another new record.

View finish line video

I saw a few fellow Saratoga Stryders at the race, along with some other familiar faces, which is always fun. Congrats to all the runners today!

And a big thanks, as always, to my lovely Jen for braving the wind and cold to cheer me on and take pictures and video!

Mile splits (view Garmin data):

As I wrote about back in January, this year to date I’ve been taking it somewhat easy, not logging too many big miles and focusing more on speed work and faster 6- to 8-mile runs, making more of an effort to run once or twice a week with my running club, the Saratoga Stryders. Running with faster people makes you faster.

In 2010 to date, I’ve gone for 47 runs, which includes 3 races and 2 snowshoe runs. I’ve run 59% of the 80 days in 2010, averaging 5.89 miles per run and 22.92 miles per week.

I’ve also gone swimming 15 times this year (once or twice a week), averaging 0.52 miles each time (about 20 laps or 1,000 yards each time I go), to help improve my cardio. It’s made a big difference in bettering my ability to sustain faster paces with a lower heart rate.

I’m not sure what got into me this week — maybe it’s the awesome spring weather — but I just completed an entire 7 days of working out, which could be a record. I ran 5 days and swam 2 days, and I feel pretty great.

This morning’s run (with Charles) was also the longest I’ve done since my last marathon in October — 13.15 miles at the Saratoga Battlefield, a beautiful place to run — rolling hills, grazing deer (one of which I hypnotized with my bright fluorescent green running jacket), and miles of peaceful trails with nary a car in sight.

The elevation / heart rate chart for this morning’s run:

The run also brought my weekly running total to a year’s best 45.04 miles, adding nearly 20 miles to last week’s 26 and c0mpletely disregarding the rule of thumb to only increase weekly mileage by 10% at a time.

I’ve always been impressed by A Marathoner’s weekly run recaps (along with his daily running analyses), so here’s my version of the same for the past week:

* The 5.82-miler on Saturday included my fourth and final week of spring Fartlek training, as suggested by Greg McMillan in this article: Performance Page: The Lost Art of Fartlek. I did a 5-minute surge at 80% effort, followed by a 2-minute recovery jog. Then a 4-minute surge at 85% effort, and so on (3, 2, and 1). The 1-minute surge was at close to 100% effort, which was fun and really tough. Oh, and Monday’s run also included Week 3 of the Fartleks (yeah, I compressed two speed workouts into one week, which also isn’t ideal).

One thing’s for certain: There’s nothing like five months of a dreary and cold Northeast winter to make one really appreciate the sun (even if we didn’t get much snow this year). So when the temperature climbed to the low 60s yesterday, all I wanted to do was be outside.

Yesterday also happened to be my six-year work anniversary, so I’ve always appreciated this time of year. My birthday is also right around the corner (not that I really look forward to getting any older these days). As I wrote back in 2006, April is the Best Month.

This March feels more like April, and I’ll take it.

It was hard to resist the urge to go for a run yesterday since it was so beautiful out, but I ran a tough 10-miler Monday evening with some intense Fartleks, so I knew I shouldn’t push it. Plus, I went swimming on my lunch break yesterday.

So instead I celebrated spring by busting out our porch rockers (porch sitting season has arrived!), taking Stella and Happy for a couple of long walks, then spending about an hour and a half after work raking up all the winter debris — probably an early season record for me since there are still some patches of snow on the ground (my neighbors on both sides commented). But I couldn’t resist. It was just too damn nice out to be inside.

I filled all three of our yard waste garbage cans plus three additional biodegradable yard waste bags.

Bring it, spring! Enough of this cold nonsense.

The best weekends are those when you’ve had everything to do, and you’ve done it all. Those are also the weekends that seem to last longer than two-and-a-half days.

This past weekend was one of those. Though we didn’t go out Friday night after work, Jen and I did stay in for our own fun little happy hour.

Saturday I woke up and ran 12.04 miles with my Saratoga Stryder buddies in the Spa State Park. It was a great run, and my longest run since the fall. I felt strong throughout and like I could’ve kept going.

Then we painted our bedroom. Jen even hired some guy via craigslist:

That evening we cruised down to Albany for some delicious dinner and hilarious Cranium with Justin and Katie (Jen and I won this time around).

Sunday we woke up and headed right back to Albany, where we enjoyed some pizza with Jack and kids, before a quick stop at Graney’s for a drink and some fries on the way home:

Ice cold beer, HOTT women, 30 T.V.’s ** No, you have not died and gone to heaven, you are at Graney’s!!

Be sure to learn more about the Graney’s loyal staff.

We spent the rest of the evening finishing up the bedroom painting job, applying a second coat and finishing up the detail work.

Good times!

Photo courtesy of HMRRC; that’s me on far right

Despite dealing with some craptastic back pain the past week and a half, I set a new 4-mile race PR this morning (25:52) at the Runnin’ of the Green in Green Island, NY, near Troy, and I was pretty psyched about that.

Like last year’s race (when I also set a then-PR of 26:24), this morning was another picture-perfect day with the sun shining, a gentle breeze, and a field of 500 fast runners.

Coming off last month’s Polar Cap 4-miler, where I had set a then-PR of 26:18 on a tough, hilly course with 20 MPH winds and a “feels like” temperature of -2, I felt good about this morning’s race, where the conditions were… not that.

The Runnin’ of the Green is a USATF event, so lots of fast runners show up. And it’s mostly flat, so it’s a good PR course.

I came out strong off the line — a little too fast, in fact, since I caught myself pushing a 5:45 pace in the initial rush off the line. I eased off and passed the Mile 1 marker in 6:16. My average heart rate in the first mile was 161, so I wasn’t pushing too hard yet and things were looking good. This heart rate / elevation chart is interesting to see my steadily climbing HR:

Slowing a bit in Mile 2, I tried to keep it as close to my goal pace of 6:30. Already, a number of runners who went out too fast started to fade. Mile 2 pace: 6:28.

The third mile is usually the toughest for me in a 4-mile race. It’s the time when I fall into a groove and have to fight the urge to slow down, but don’t want to push too hard since I know there’s still another mile to go. I was running with a fairly good-sized pack of runners by this time, and tried to avoid falling into place behind those who were slowing. Mile 3 pace: 6:34.

As we passed the Mile 3 marker and entered the final mile, I was still feeling strong and picked up the pace, along with a number of other runners in my pack. Half a mile to go… still feeling good… saving that final finishing kick… quarter-mile to go… picking it up… last intersection as the finish line comes into sight about 50 to 100 meters away… turning it on for the final kick and a few final passes. Mile 4 pace: 6:22.

I didn’t have much left by the end, and was really happy with my performance today. It was also my first race in my new Newton Sir Issac Guidance Trainers, and they felt great.

Congrats to the other Green Island runners, too! You are a tough group!

Mile splits (view Garmin data):