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| Sunday, May 27, 2012. |
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12 miles at Weiser Forest with Xenon. We started early to avoid the heat. We were all quiet first ten miles, but Xenon and I found a point of debate and the last two miles flew past. Jake tuned out and dropped back a few meters. We (Jake and I) were not fresh for this run (see last night's entry) and not ready to do the last mile at pace, but we all sprinted the last tenth of a mile.
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| Saturday, May 26, 2012. |
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We ran eight miles in the evening. We started from the house, ran to Central, then down Tower road towards the horse farms, and followed Schaffer all the way to Ridge Road. We talked about some interesting conflicts between various ranked-ballot voting systems. Minna was waiting for us in the car at the four-mile point. The sun was dropping. She didn't want us running in the dark so she planned to follow behind us in the car. We had a few sips of water and headed towards Light Street village and Paper Mill road. We were quiet as we approached Denny's hill. But it wasn't that bad, even after seven miles—I mean, it was hard but not brutal. We continued on to Shawnee hill and shortly after reaching the top we hit the eight-mile mark. That gave us a pleasant five-minute walk home to cool down. We were drenched in sweat.
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| Friday, May 25, 2012. |
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Jake and I did 6.5 this evening. We started with an easy couple of miles on upper campus and then we ran through the woods and over to the hospital, across the bridge, onto lower campus, which was deserted, up to the library, and then around the roads south of campus. Steep hills for a while. We eventually found our way back to upper campus and did one more loop around the soccer fields, sprinting the last tenth of a mile.
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| Wednesday, May 23, 2012. |
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We did 5.3 miles at sundown on upper campus. This was Jake's kind of run: we warmed up with an easy mile around the fields and then explored the trails we discovered last week. Wide grassy paths. We startled a few white-tail bucks—they bounded away across open fields. The grass was so tall that we had a pleasant feeling of isolation. The air was fresh and heavy with the scent of purple wildflowers. I thought they might be lilacs, but Jake was sure they were not. The color was right, but the geometry of the leaves was, he thought, quite different from that of the lilacs in our garden. That's a detail I would not have noticed, especially while running. The trail took us several times into dark wooded areas. Each of these dead-ended at someone's yard, so we doubled back and found a different branch to take. Eventually we ended up at the bottom of the main hill on upper campus. From there we ran back to the fields and did a hospital hill loop and then another one of our easy one-mile loops to wrap it up. Near the end we did a half mile at pace, checking the GPS initially but pacing ourselves for the next 3:26 purely by feel. We hit our target distance on the dot, a perfectly timed half mile. We then headed back to the car. Jake sprinted the final 60 seconds or so. I was close behind. We walked around for a bit to cool down, practicing a few Finnish words.
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| Tuesday, May 22, 2012. |
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We ran separately this evening. Jake did two miles with two half-miles at pace.
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| Sunday, May 20, 2012. |
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12 miles this morning at Weiser Forest with Xenon. Not much conversation today. We were each absorbed in our own thoughts, or maybe not even thinking at all—just running. We tried to do the last mile at pace and Xenon managed, but Jake and I did not have it in us today. I did over 50 miles this week and finally started feeling it on this run. Jake had a good hard week of running, too. We'll rest tomorrow.
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| Saturday, May 19, 2012. |
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Upper campus again, five miles, before dinner. I wanted a light and easy one today, since we have our long run tomorrow morning, but Jake lead me onto the switchbacking trails again. A
redwing blackbird watched us suspiciously, calling in its raspy way, and I caught a flash of its red epaulettes as it shifted position on a bush. We also did a hospital loop and then an easy flat loop around the soccer fields. I thought we might run on the road over to the other end of campus, near the stadium, and we found a wide grassy trail there. We followed the trail for a mile or two, noting several offshoots to explore later on. Rabbits here and there froze for an instant as we came upon them and then they scurried off into the bushes. We did some more running poetry. I got through the first three stanzas of the Raven. But we were coming up a hill, so: Once [breathe] upon a mid [breathe] night dreary, while [breathe] I pondered weak and [breathe] weary... Around mile 4 I felt a twinge in my hamstring so I told Jake that maybe I shouldn't do the last half mile at pace as we had planned. This run was a bit of a grinder for him and he confessed that he welcomed a good excuse to take it easy. We ended up at the bottom of the main hill on upper campus, near the dorms, so we took the road up to the place where we parked and continued on grass for a short distance. Jake announced that he would sprint the last tenth of a mile and I felt like doing that as well. He had a little more in him, I guess, and finished a few paces ahead of me. I could hear the Garmin beeping for mile five. We took a moment to catch our breath, traded a high five, then walked back to the car for water and a bit of walking around. Later, at home, after dinner, we sat on the deck with Minna, continuing a bit of running poetry, Jake with a bowl of blueberries and I with a beer in hand. Good way to end the day.
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| Friday, May 18, 2012. |
The sun set during our 6-miler on upper campus. Jake is not inspired by our usual course, the two loops skirting the soccer and baseball fields, so he took me on the XC trails that periodically intersect our loops. I had worried that we'd end up on rocky or bushy terrain, but it was grass all the way. Perfect. The trails go switchbacking down a steep hill, so it's serious work on the way back. There is a long ridge from which we could see the sun dropping below green mountains on the horizon. The lights of Buckhorn were coming on. Jake recited a poem I used to read to him from a novel by Thomas Pynchon, starting:
Dream tonight of peacock tails,And it goes on for a while as soft and glowing praise of dreams as a safe harbor, concluding in Pynchonian fashion with Jake's (and my) favorite stanza: And should the Angel come this night,We ran the last half mile at pace, or tried to—my timing seems to have been a little off. But it's harder to run on grass, so the same effort would probably have been at pace on a flat road. |
| Thursday, May 17, 2012. |
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Jake ran 5 miles this afternoon, with 3 half-miles at pace. Simultaneously Xenon and I were running on upper campus. I had hoped that Jake would be able to join us, but he had a school commitment.
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| Wednesday, May 16, 2012. |
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Jake ran alone because I was in Pittsburgh. He did 2 miles while Minna and the dog went for a walk.
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| Sunday, May 13, 2012. |
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We ran 12 miles at Weiser Forest this morning with Xenon. We had planned to run the last mile at pace, but the heat had taken a lot out of Jake so I stay back with him and Xenon went ahead. Still, we kept a decent pace and Jake was in good spirits (but tired). He fell asleep on the drive back home (and I fell asleep after lunch).
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| Saturday, May 12, 2012. |
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We did 6 miles on upper campus with Xenon, the last half mile at pace. Warm, clear, quiet.
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| Friday, May 11, 2012. |
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Jake ran 5 miles. We passed each other on the road going opposite directions on Cherry Hill.
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| Thursday, May 10, 2012. |
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Jake ran two miles while I was at chess. He did a half-mile in the middle at pace.
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| Wednesday, May 9, 2012. |
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We ran 5 before dark, with the middle half-mile at pace. A sprint at the end. He started it—I would've been content to finish softly and quietly. Anyway, it was a tie.
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| Sunday, May 6, 2012. |
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This morning we drove with Xenon to Weiser State Forest for a 12-miler. The air was warm but a cool breeze blew off the water. We ran the last mile in 6:50. Jake kept going—he wanted 12.4 today for some reason.
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| Saturday, May 5, 2012. |
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We ran 3.5 this morning in the neighborhood and 6 with Xenon this afternoon on upper campus.
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| Friday, May 4, 2012. |
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We were delayed this evening by thunder, lightning and a violent downpour. It was dark by the time the rain had tapered to a drizzle. We went for a four-miler, but we stopped only a third of the way into it so Jake could check his glucose. The rain had picked up. I kneeled to operate the meter and I bent over him to provide cover from the rain. It was 59—quite low. So he took some tablets and we walked back in the rain, at length coming up behind our house on Cherry Hill and tramping through the margins of our neighbor's muddy yard. Bright side: we have a good reason to do a short run with some intervals tomorrow morning before our 6-miler with Xenon in the afternoon.
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| Thursday, May 3, 2012. |
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Jake ran 5 miles while I was cutting the grass. I went later.
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| Wednesday, May 2, 2012. |
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We did the first mile together and then Jake turned back. His Wednesday run is usually a short one.
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| Sunday, April 29, 2012. |
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We ran on upper campus this morning with Xenon. Sluggish, all of us, in slow grind-it-out mode, putting miles in the bank. Soccer games were in progress on all of the fields but we had no problem running on the margins, alternating the main one-mile loop with the slightly longer (and hilly) hospital loop. We finished 12 together but Jake, keeping to his own plan, kept going. He had planned on 13. Actually, he went a tenth of a mile beyond that to make it a half marathon. We watched him at the end, picking up his pace, long strides. "He can smell the barn," noted Xenon. Like a horse who is almost home.
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| Saturday, April 28, 2012. |
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Jake and I did intervals in the morning (race pace for a fifth of a mile and then slow for another fifth, 5 sets total). We were going to run 6 miles with Xenon on upper campus this afternoon, but Jake decided that he wanted to run on the trails at the end of Highland. So he did 5 miles that way and I ran on grass at upper campus.
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| Friday, April 27, 2012. |
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We had planned to run 5 miles together but I was a bit pressed for time. So I decided to cut this one short at 3.5 and make up the difference tomorrow. But Jake kept to the plan. We did the first couple of miles together and then I headed back alone.
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| Thursday, April 26, 2012. |
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Jake ran 5 miles. I ran to Tree Line with him before heading back. I just needed a 5K today. I waited for him at the finish line and watched him run the last 300 yards hard.
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| Wednesday, April 25, 2012. |
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We ran the first mile of our separate runs together. Jake did 2 miles.
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| Sunday, April 22, 2012. |
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We drove with Xenon out to Weiser State Forest. 12-mile trail run. Jake recited Jaberwocky on the run. I tried it too, needing a reminder about the next word at several points. The action in iambic meter (One, TWO! One, TWO! And through and through! The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!) caused me, without knowing it, to pick up the pace. Jake and Xenon reigned me in. It was a pleasant run, cool, upper 40s, with a promise of rain that turned out to be an empty threat. As planned, we sped up to a 6:45 pace for the final mile. Each of us felt good at the end. We could have kept going.
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| Saturday, April 21, 2012. |
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We ran 6 miles on upper campus with Xenon. We did the last half mile at target race pace for the Wineglass. It was fairly easy — we could even talk while running — and afterwards I, at least, felt extra good. Finished just in time to avoid a thunderstorm.
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| Friday, April 20, 2012. |
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We started together again. I went left at Treeline and Jake went right, back to the logging trails. I did 3 oak loops and, perfect timing, hooked up with Jake on his way back home. We ran together until Shawnee hill. He went straight, needing a little extra distance for his target of five miles. While I was cooling down, I watched Jake coming down Shawnee. He passed me still needing a quarter mile. His arms sometimes swing slightly out of their natural plane of movement, but his feet strike the ground with perfect form.
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| Thursday, April 19, 2012. |
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Jake ran 5 miles. We started together but he peeled off from my route to cross Crestwood and explore the logging trails. He came back with tales of narrow paths and steep hills. This was the first day of the season for shirtless running.
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| Tuesday, April 17, 2012. |
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We ran in the dark, separate distances, but the first mile together. Jake doubled back to make it two miles. Bright stars and a few skittish deer.
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| Sunday, April 15, 2012. |
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We ran with Xenon on upper campus this morning. Jake grew weary of our company and veered off on his own. Our paths crossed from time to time. Xenon and I stopped, as planned, after 11 miles. I felt a little less energetic than usual. Jake had planned to do 12, so Xenon and I had a drink and just walked around for a while. It seemed to be taking longer than expected for Jake to finish, and yet watching him run for a while from the top of the hill it seemed that he was going faster than usual. It turns out that he had already passed the 12-mile mark and, feeling strong, decided to push the limit. When he finally returned to our waiting spot, passing us and then u-turning after a short stretch, he came to a halt, breathing hard. I asked how far he had run. His cryptic response was, "a mile and a half". He held up the Garmin for me to see the distance: 14.1 miles (a mile and a half [marathon]). That's a distance record. His time was 1:57:45—a bit fast for a weekly long run, not to mention one on grass.
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| Saturday, April 14, 2012. |
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We ran 5 miles in the dark. Slight drizzle. Jake was in a blue mood initially, but by the end we both were in high spirits. We walked to the field and talked about how running is such a reliable way to cheer up.
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| Friday, April 13, 2012. |
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Jake called me at the office to tell me that he'd been curious about how fast he could run a Shawnee Mile. He did it in 5:51. That means he could have run a flat mile in under 5:30. By the time the Market Street Mile rolls around at the end of August, he might have whittled that time down even further (and I wonder which of us will break 5 minutes first). I ran later in the afternoon and Jake came with me. He needed 4 more. I was excited because my new zero-drop Altra running shoes had arrived, the beautifully drab black-and-gray style, and they fit like a dream. The shoe is actually shaped like a human foot (not tapered at all) so the toes can splay when contacting the ground as they would if running barefoot. Anyway, we parted company at the Oak loop because Jake wanted to check out some trails near the university, but we hooked up again at the end of the run. It was warm enough, finally, for short sleeves, and it appears that it will remains so until the fall. We walked for a while to wrap up the run, though I no longer remember what we talked about.
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| Thursday, April 12, 2012. |
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Warmer today. We ran slow by design, but for me at least it felt smoother than yesterday's run. Jake only needed 2 miles today, so we split after the first mile and went our separate ways.
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| Wednesday, April 11, 2012. |
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We ran at dusk, finishing in the dark. After recent warm temperatures, it felt miserably cold. We were pining for May and June. We ran slow, extra slow, but it was not easy: I felt strangely awkward, sloppy, and so Jake's company was especially welcome. We talked about ping pong, of all things, and about how a 58:23 Half Marathon (world record) is unfathomable. We saw Xenon on Cherry Hill. On the way back up Shawnee, I had to duck into a stand of pines to tend to some business that just could not be avoided any longer (but it was dark). Then we continued up the hill. Jake asked, "Is it my imagination or are we running faster now?" We were. We agreed to stop at Tanner's mailbox. Actually, we ran the last 100 meters fairly hard. I could not keep up with Jake, though. When he heard me start to breathe a bit more heavily, I think it gave him extra confidence and inspired him to make it a race. He got to the mailbox a few seconds before me and turned to give me a nice high-five. We walked past the field, looking at Venus and Jupiter and other bright lights that turned out to be planes, talking about some problems from yesterday's High School Programming Contest — I had recruited him as one of the judges for the contest. It still felt cold, but it also felt good to walk casually after the run.
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| Sunday, April 8, 2012. |
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We signed Jake up for the Wine Glass.
Thanks to a last minute snafu, he was not able to come with me and Xenon to upper campus this morning. He ran solo later in the day. It was bright and mild. He did about 4 miles before his glucose dropped a bit low, so wisely he called it and returned for another 2 miles later, at dusk.
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| Saturday, April 7, 2012. |
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Upper campus with Xenon. I love running on grass. We did 11 and Jake kept going. He wanted 12. We were out of sync today: I felt extra good and Jake felt a bit tired when it was over.
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| Friday, April 6, 2012. |
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We ran with Xenon and Rose (his dog) this afternoon. We did 4.4 and Jake continued on to make it an even 5.
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| Thursday, April 5, 2012. |
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Jake ran 2 miles. We ran the first mile together and then went our separate ways.
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| Wednesday, April 4, 2012. |
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Jake and Minna biked 20K this morning and then Jake ran 5 miles in the afternoon. I got home in time to see him from the kitchen window on Cherry Hill. Afterwards, he ran barefoot up to Gray Street (about 150 meters) and back. He's been reading Born to Run, which tends to make people want to run barefoot or at least in minimal shoes.
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| Sunday, April 1, 2012. |
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5 miles on upper campus with Xenon. Quite slow. Both Jake and I were stiff at first, but this little shakeout run did us a world of good. I feel almost back to normal and I think Jake is already there.
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| Saturday, March 31, 2012. |
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Jake has been counting the days for a while, and here it is: the 2012 Cook Forest Half Marathon today, his debut at that distance. He has prepared well. Minna is coming with us and Xenon will come over this afternoon to take the dog out. We all got up at 5:30 to prepare for a 7:00 departure. Weather should be fine—mid-40s at race time. Cook Forest is about a 3-hour drive west. We've got food, dry clothes, everything. We're ready to go... I'll continue this entry when we return.
• • • It was a fairly flat and, in my opinion, fast course. It ran through the forest parallel to the Clarion River the whole way, an out-and-back. Temperatures were ideal. There were about 400 runners. Jake's original target was 1:40, though he would have been satisfied with 1:45. That's fast for a first-time half marathon. He carried the meter and a roll of glucose tablets and I carried two more rolls of tablets. As we were waiting to start, we talked with a guy who just came back from a marathon in Rome. Minna was among the spectators and took a few photos when she could get a clear view of us through the crowd. Jake took off fast, probably too fast, but when the adrenaline starts flowing it feels really easy at first. His first mile split was 6:40 and I think 7:00 would have been optimal for overall performance. He was ahead of me but still in sight. After three miles, he was averaging a 6:45 pace. A guy pulled up next to me, getting ready to pass, but we ran side by side for a bit and exchanged a few words. I told him that I was just trying to catch my son and he said, "That's your boy? I saw him take off back there. That kid's fast!" I had not trained to run a PR, but just to keep up with Jake and finish around 1:40, but at this point he was pulling me along at a harder pace. By mile 5 we were still doing sub-7's, which is my target pace for the Wine Glass in the fall. I finally caught up to Jake at the turn-around point, and I heard a loud beep as my chip (tied to a shoelace) was detected and registered. There was a race clock and race officials herding the runners over the mat. The time was exactly 45 minutes, and suddenly sub-7's on the Wine Glass felt a lot less daunting. From this point, we ran together. There were hundreds of runners still approaching the turn-around as we were headed back, and many of these people, some running alone and some in small packs, called out encouragement to Jake: good job, keep it up, etc. I even heard the occasional, "Did you see that kid?" or "Holy #$*!" within a group. The river was on our left and on our right there were weekend cabins, other roads snaking off into the forest, and occasionally some spectators or race volunteers holding out cups of water for runners to grab. We hit mile 8 at exactly 56 minutes, right at a 7:00 pace, and from there we started to fade, the bill finally coming due for the fast start. Still, Jake's target time appeared to be within easy reach, barring a complete collapse; for that matter, I suddenly realized, I could get a PR myself. At mile 9, Jake was hurting, just wanting it to be over. Well, both of us were. We checked my watch more frequently, constantly calculating the time needed to make it to the next mile marker. The road curved a bit and rose and fell gently. Other runners started passing us, the ones who had held themselves back a bit for just this reason, to be able to keep it together on the home stretch, and most of them had strong words of encouragement for Jake (but what about me?!). Even though we were now running 7:40s, we knew that Jake's target remained within easy reach. And I could see a PR for myself. We kept telling each other that. And Jake observed that perhaps he could run the Wine Glass (early October in Corning, NY; about 3000 runners) with me and Xenon. Originally I had thought to keep that race for myself so that I could run at my own pace, but Jake was right: I will not have to worry about him falling far behind me (at these distances, I want to keep fairly close in case there is a problem with glucose levels). It felt wonderful to see the 12-mile marker. I had just popped a few of Jake's glucose tablets into my mouth. I think they actually helped inject a little life into me, though that might have been purely psychological. The world looks rosy during the final mile of a long race, despite the complaints of various muscles. And...mile 13... just a tenth of a mile to go...we could see the line, the clock, lots of people, generic noise. Jake didn't have anything left for a kick, and I would have been happy to run across the mat right behind him, but with a quick glance back I saw a guy behind us starting to sprint. Couldn't help it: I started sprinting. No reason to save anything. The guy did pass Jake at the last instant, beating him by one second, but he was still 2 seconds behind me. He looked to be about my age so I was extra glad to have defeated his attempt at passing. The time? 1:34:45 for me, 1:34:48 for Jake. Or put in more meaningful terms, a 7:14/mile pace for both of us. That is an insane pace for a first Half Marathon, and of course for a 12-year-old. It took me a moment to get my bearings and catch my breath. Minna was hugging Jake. A runner who had finished a bit ahead of us, a big guy, looked really strong, came over to shake Jake's hand. He was curious about Jake's age and upon finding out he was astonished to have his estimation confirmed, seeming to perform that kind of calculation that people often make in this situation, projecting ahead, thinking, "If he can do this when he's 12, then when he's 16...oh, wow...") We went back to the car, now feeling a bit cold, changed into dry clothing, checked Jake's glucose, and ate the lunch we had brought with us. Then, after relaxing and just doing nothing for a bit, we meandered back to the race area to check out the results. The race was chip timed so we expected the results to be up fairly quickly. Jake won first place in his age group, 14-under, though he was the only runner in that age group. He got a medal for being in the top 3 and, for being first, a nice ceramic pottery thing, a vase, I suppose. Overall we were 28th and 30th out of about 400. We've got a few shorter races on the calendar during the coming months, but Jake is thinking about the Wine Glass in October... The drive home was long and uneventful. I wanted to sleep. Jake dozed now and again. |
| Friday, March 30, 2012. |
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Jake ran an easy 2 miles. Just trying to stay sharp for tomorrow.
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| Thursday, March 29, 2012. |
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Jake ran 5 miles. I only needed a 5K today, so we did the Shawnee 5K together and then he continued for 2 more miles.
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| Wednesday, March 28, 2012. |
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We ran 5 miles together, taking the Oak Loop in opposite directions and trading high-fives as we passed each other. He sped up a bit on the last loop and I lost track of him, not sure if he was ahead or behind, but I found him on Tree Line. He doubled back with me as I continued to the end, so for him it was really more like 5.4
miles. We had a nice old-fashioned sprint at the end, a tie.
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| Sunday, March 25, 2012. |
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We ran 10 miles on upper campus with Xenon. Jake ran a few of those miles on the trails and the rest of them with us. Last long run before the Cook Forest Half.
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| Saturday, March 24, 2012. |
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We ran 5 miles by the airport, crossing the bridge over the Susquehanna and then returning to roam around town near the park.
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| Friday, March 23, 2012. |
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Jake ran 5 miles this afternoon.
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| Thursday, March 22, 2012. |
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We ran at night. Jake just needed a mile so he came with me on that part of a short run in the neighborhood. There was a new moon, and our streets are unlit so the stars were bright. Coming up Cherry Hill, we both saw a shooting star.
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| Wednesday, March 21, 2012. |
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We were planning hard 5Ks today. Jake called me at work to say that he'd just done his in 20:32, a 6:37 pace. I went after work and felt good, but he was still faster.
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| Sunday, March 18, 2012. |
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We ran with Xenon on upper campus this morning. Cool and quiet. Jake did 3 miles.
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| Saturday, March 17, 2012. |
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10 easy miles on upper campus with Xenon. Jake was tired a bit by the heat on this first truly warm day of the year. We'll have to be careful about that: the Cook Forest Half is two weeks from today and it starts at 11, when the temperature will have risen a bit from the morning low. We'll hydrate well beforehand.
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| Friday, March 16, 2012. |
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Jake ran 2 miles. He's starting to taper in preparation for the Cook Half.
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| Wednesday, March 14, 2012. |
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We were planning to do 5 miles at Half Marathon race pace today, but when I got home Jake was gone and Minna told me that he'd already run. So I changed and ran alone. It was warm enough to go shirtless for the first time since October. When Jake finally materialized in the evening, we compared notes. We both finished under pace and within 3 seconds/mile of each other. He was the faster one.
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| Tuesday, March 13, 2012. |
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Slow 5 miles on a warm day. We ran the rail trail and Hazard Hill, but near the top of the hill there was an angry No Trespassing sign. We hadn't been here since last summer. I suppose we could have ignored the sign and continued up the dirt road to the very top, but I decided to head back down. We were therefore denied the hardest part of the workout and the sweeping view of the town that you get as a reward for getting through it. No matter. It was a good run anyway.
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| Sunday, March 11, 2012. |
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We met Xenon at upper campus again, and it was beautiful running weather. Not quite warm, but almost. We all did 7, but Jake kept going. He ran field loops and I held a bottle of water for him, wandering around and watching him run. After about 10 miles, he headed to the track to finish up there. I saw him do a couple of laps, consult the Garmin, and then run fairly hard down the football field to make it an even 11.
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| Saturday, March 10, 2012. |
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We ran with Xenon on upper campus. Cold and windy. Jake ran 7 miles, some of it on the trails and some of it on the field loops with Xenon and me. He'd been planning to go long today, but we had trouble keeping the sugars up. Fortunately he still has tomorrow to close out the week and hit his mileage target.
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| Friday, March 9, 2012. |
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Jake ran 5 miles alone.
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| Thursday, March 8, 2012. |
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Jake ran 5 miles. Minna followed in the car so that he could run without his phone, which he takes when he goes out alone.
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| Monday, March 5, 2012. |
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When I came home from work, I wanted to do some miles on upper campus. It was beautiful outside. But Jake was at Alex's and he had already run two miles in the afternoon.
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| Sunday, March 4, 2012. |
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Recovery run in the neighborhood. 3 miles with Xenon and his dog. Jake did 4, which put him over 30 for the week.
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| Saturday, March 3, 2012. |
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We ran on upper campus. Warmer, mid-40s, but very windy. So windy, in fact, that it felt like we were doing hills. Xenon and I did 10 together while Jake roamed on the trails, then I continued for 3 more with Jake. He showed me around the paths in the woods that he had discovered. It was hard to keep up with him. I enjoyed watching him spring ahead, jumping over logs, turning back on occasion to make sure that I was not too far behind. We'll do another 13-miler next weekend and then start tapering just a little for the Cook Half at the end of the month. We try to do these long ones at a fairly slow pace, so 13 miles with hills and furious wind takes a bit over 2 hours.
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| Friday, March 2, 2012. |
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Jake ran 2 miles in the neighborhood.
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| Thursday, March 1, 2012. |
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A rare mid-week run with Xenon. Jake chose the course: Tower road loop (5.5 miles). It was cool and pleasant, and somehow we both felt that the hills were unusually easy. It was a smooth run. Walking home from the field, we heard geese in the sky, two separate flocks in v-formation, returning north as spring approaches.
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| Monday, February 27, 2012. |
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Beautiful day: mid-50s. Jake and I ran 5.5 before dinner. Xenon and I switched back to Sunday mornings for our long runs, so after much consideration and some internal doubt, Jake decided to henceforth regard Sundays as the end of the week. That way, he synchronizes with us and we can all do our long run together.
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| Sunday, February 26, 2012. |
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We ran on upper campus this morning with Xenon. Jake roamed the hills on his own, occasionally joining up with us, and once excitedly telling us about having just found the most inspiring trails in the universe. Steep and slippery, he means. Xenon and I were happy to keep to the fields. We did 10, a slow recovery run. For once, Jake ran a bit less than we did, coming to a natural stopping point at the 6.1 mark. He is now starting a routine of 30 miles/week in preparation for the Cook Half.
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| Saturday, February 25, 2012. |
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Five races on five consecutive weekends. We did the Run for the Cookies today with Xenon. That's a 10K road race in Berwick with cookies for prizes instead of trophies or medals. There were about 300 runners. It was snowing at intervals, sometimes furiously, and the snowflakes whipped around and stung our faces, and then oddly, at other times the snow stopped and the sun came out. There was no accumulation and the roads seemed dry. The course was a bit hilly in the middle, ascending on the way out, and we actually ran negative splits since we had the downhills on the way back. Jake started out fast, of course, hitting the first mile marker at 6:14, 15 seconds ahead of me. I finally caught up to him at the turnaround and then didn't see him again until the finish line, though we were close. We both had good runs. And good results: Jake won first place in the 12-under group (44:33, a PR), I won second place in the 48-50 group, and Xenon won second place in the 50-52 group. I donated my prize (4 cookies) to Minna. Jake actually needed another 2.1 miles to complete his weekly mileage target (for me, the week ends on Sunday, but he considers Saturday to be the end), so before supper he went out with the Garmin and ran that distance in the neighborhood.
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| Friday, February 24, 2012. |
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We ran a 4-miler.
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| Thursday, February 23, 2012. |
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We ran an easy 5K before Chess Club. Quite mild outside.
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| Wednesday, February 22, 2012. |
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Shawnee 5K.
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| Sunday, February 19, 2012. |
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Fourth and final race in the Susquehanna Ridge Runners Winter Series: 6.5 miles through rolling countryside. Really rolling. Jake's first mile split was a PR — 6:08. I could see him about 200 meters ahead. At that point, there were only 2 or 3 runners ahead of him. The first of the big hills came around the second mile, but Jake still kept ahead of me. The fourth mile was also tough. I finally caught up to him just as we started the final mile, a nice flat stretch. We did not fade, though we had no extra kick either. Iron was at the finish line cheering. Our time was 45:53, a 7:04 pace, good for 14th and 15th place overall.
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| Saturday, February 18, 2012. |
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We ran on upper campus with Xenon. Jake kept the GPS and roamed in the hills, while Xenon and I did loops around the fields, diverging on every second loop to run up Hospital Hill. Our paths crossed a few times and Jake ran a bit with us. We stopped at 10 and walked around for a while as Jake continued for an extra mile. Eventually I went to look for him and found him finishing up on the track.
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| Friday, February 17, 2012. |
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Jake ran 5 miles alone.
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| Wednesday, February 15, 2012. |
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Jake and I did 5.4 miles before supper.
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| Monday, February 13, 2012. |
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We ran an easy 5K today.
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| Sunday, February, 12, 2012. |
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Third race in the Susquehanna Ridge Runners Winter Series: a flat and fast 2.5-miler. Jake ran this one alone. Iron came to watch. It was bitterly cold and there was a wicked headwind to fight on the final stretch. Jake finished 10th overall in 16:13, a 6:29 pace. Even though it was shorter than the other races in the series, this one took a lot out of him. Evidence: he dozed all the way home.
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| Saturday, February 11, 2012. |
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Not being able to run today, on a long run day, I felt like the sad dog inside at the window who sees the other dogs running and playing outside. We were scheduled for 12 miles today. Light snow flurries, none of it sticking. Jake took the GPS and ran in the neighborhood. I walked, rendezvousing him on Cherry Hill every 20 minutes so that I could hold his glucose meter while he popped in a few tablets. After an hour and 20 minutes, he told me coming up the hill that he felt so good that he could go 18 miles without any trouble. He still looked strong at our next rendezvous, 20 minutes later. I kept walking, roaming, and eventually Iron came by in the car, wondering how it was possible that Jake was still running. We all converged on Cherry Hill shortly thereafter, when Jake hit the 13-mile mark, a distance record. He'd been tempted to go a little further, at least a tenth of a mile so that he would have run a half marathon, but decided that he wanted the Cook Half Marathon at the end of March to be his first time running that distance.
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| Friday, February 10, 2012. |
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Shawnee 5K.
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| Thursday, February 9, 2012. |
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Light running was aggravating the hamstring I pulled at the race on Sunday, so decided to give it four days of complete rest. So Jake ran alone today, 5.5 miles.
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| Tuesday, February 7, 2012. |
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Jake ran while I was still at work. 2 miles. He ran the first mile with Karl, but was frustrated by the dog's pace and so dropped him off at the house before finishing the second mile.
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| Sunday, February 5, 2012. |
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The Susquehanna Ridge Runners Winter Series continues with a very pretty (and hilly) 5-miler. Great weather —lower 40s. We rode out there with Xenon and Alex. When the gun went off, Jake went out fast (as usual) and I was trailing him for most of the race. This was an out-and-back, and when Jake passed me I called out the time. A guy running next to me asked if Jake is my son, commenting that last week he had Jake in his sights and thought that the boy would eventually fade, but Jake kept his pace and the guy could not catch him. (This was not a very easy conversation to have — both the old guy and I were running hard, so our brief sentences were punctuated with oxygen intakes.) Somewhat to my surprise, I caught up to Jake with about 800 meters to go. He pulled ahead slightly and I caught up again, but then, for the first time in my life, I pulled a hamstring. Odd sensation. I'm glad that we were so close to the finish line. We finished at 33:41 (Jake, 14th overall) and 33:42 (me, 15th). That was a 6:44 pace! It was a while before either of us could talk. As we were catching our breath, a father and son came over to talk to us. The son runs cross country at Berwick High School. They wanted to know how old Jake is, and what his time was. The son slapped Jake on the back and the father shook his hand, offering hearty congratulations on an outstanding run. This series of races is very low key — no medals, no age groups, just a few door prizes. Jake won a folding lawn chair, which, actually, Minna will be able to use.
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| Saturday, February 4, 2012. |
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We ran 11 miles on upper campus with Xenon. He stopped after 10, at which point Jake and I continued for a mile around the stadium. We finished on the track.
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| Friday, February 3, 2012. |
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We ran separately again. Jake did 5 miles this afternoon.
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| Thursday, February 2, 2012. |
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Jake ran alone in the afternoon. 2 miles.
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| Wednesday, February 1, 2012. |
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Jake ran 5 miles in the neighborhood.
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| Sunday, January 29, 2012. |
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Today was the first of four races sponsored by the Susquehanna Ridge Runners Club in Selinsgrove (about 50 minutes away). It was a 5K, a flat out-and-back along the Susquehanna River. Xenon and Alex came with us. Jake has been a distance junkie these past few months, but no speed work. Didn't seem to matter: he set a new PR, finishing in 19:59 (into the teens!) and 14th out of 165 runners. I was close behind at 20:03. Weather was ideal — clear and in the mid-40's. We've been talking for years about the time he'd run a sub-20 5K. And now he is marking days off the calendar: 62 days remaining before his debut half marathon.
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| Saturday, January 28, 2012. |
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We ran 10 miles with Xenon on upper campus. It was good, but tiring, to run on grass again.
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| Friday, January 27, 2012. |
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We ran together for a while at dusk until parting to go our separate ways. Jake ran a 5K.
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| Thursday, January 26, 2012. |
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Jake ran 2 miles.
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| Tuesday, January 24, 2012. |
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After last week, today's temperature of 42° seems mild. Jake planned to run 2 miles with me, trying to break in a new pair of shoes that have not felt right; but in the end he decided to keep me company for a bit longer and did a couple of oak-maple loops with me; then he decided to keep me company some more and do another loop; and finally, feeling good, he go the whole way, so we did 5 miles together.
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| Sunday, January 22, 2012. |
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We did a 5-mile tempo run at the indoor track. Upon completion of each lap I tried to name the corresponding element in the periodic table, though in many cases Jake had to give me a hint. Actually, we kept a threshold pace only for four miles, at which point Jake turned it into an all-outer. I fell behind. There are tennis courts on the interior of the track, and Reza and Paul (who were playing tennis) started taunting me, wondering why I could not keep up with Jake. He finished about a quarter lap ahead of me. I asked him what happened at mile 4, and he said that he just felt like picking it up.
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| Saturday, January 21, 2012. |
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We ran 11 miles. Heavy snowfall last night, so we ran at the indoor track again.
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| Friday, January 20, 2012. |
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Jake and I ran 5 miles this evening at the indoor track.
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| Wednesday, January 18, 2012. |
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We ran 5 miles in the neighborhood. On the oak loop, we were joined by a dog. She trotted along, the three of us a fine pack. Beautiful brown dog with sad eyes, a mutt. After three loops we did not see her again for a while, but then when we were back on Tree Line she appeared, watching us almost without recognition, it seemed.
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| Tuesday, January 17, 2012. |
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Jake ran the Shawnee 5K.
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| Sunday, January 15, 2012. |
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I went to the indoor track this morning, but Jake preferred to run on the road, by himself, in 17°-weather (real feel 10°). He did 2 miles.
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| Saturday, January 14, 2012. |
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The roads were icy, so Jake and I ran on the indoor track on campus. I ran the first 7 miles with Xenon. After he left, Jake and I continued together. He did 12 miles, a personal distance record. That's 96 laps.
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| Friday, January 13, 2012. |
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Jake ran 1.6 miles. He started out to do a 5K, but it was so shockingly cold with a stiff breeze that Iron prevailed upon me to get in the car, find him, and abort the run.
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| Thursday, January 12, 2012. |
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We ran the Tower 5-miler.
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| Wednesday, January 11, 2012. |
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Jake ran 2 miles.
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| Sunday, January 8, 2012. |
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5 miles at upper campus. Jake and Alex did 3 together, then Jake continued with Xenon and me.
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| Saturday, January 7, 2012. |
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We ran 11 miles on upper campus this morning. Xenon and I ran the first 8 miles together while Jake and Alex ran on their own. They explored the trails. Jake tripped once, got a scraped and slightly bloody knee. The whole group reunited at the 8-mile mark, at which point Jake and I did a few more loops to make it an even 11 miles.
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| Friday, January 6, 2012. |
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A few days ago the air was biting cold and today it was downright mild. We ran the first two miles together before parting. Jake did the Shawnee 5K.
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| Thursday, January 5, 2012. |
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We ran out to Horse Farm road and around to Central. 5.7 miles.
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| Wednesday, January, 4, 2012. |
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Bitter cold. Jake ran 2 miles. I ran the first one with him before we went our separate ways.
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| Sunday, January 1, 2012. |
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We ran on upper campus this morning. Jake started out with me and Xenon, and then diverged after half a mile or so. He explored the wooded trails for a while, and then joined us again after a while. We all did 5 miles.
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| Saturday, December 31, 2011. |
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We closed out the year with a 10.1 mile run on upper campus. Xenon ran the first 7 miles with us. After that, Jake lead us to the road and down the hill, then around a side street and up (very up) to a trail in the woods that dumped us back on upper campus.
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| Friday, December 30, 2011. |
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A bit milder today. Jake ran 5 miles with Alex this afternoon. They took off just as I was returning from my run.
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| Thursday, December 29, 2011. |
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Very cold—under 30°. I ran this morning at the indoor track, so Jake was on his own. He did a Shawnee 5K. But I tailed him in the car so that he did not have to carry tablets or meter. He ran smoothly, efficiently.
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| Tuesday, December 27, 2011. |
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Rain and sleet were predicted for the afternoon, so we tried to get our runs in before lunch. I went first and saw Jake on the way back, his orange hat distinguishing him long before I could make out the details of his form. A drizzle had begun. We traded high-fives in passing. Just as I got home, Iron and the dog were headed out for a walk, so I went with them until I could see Jake coming up the hill. He did 2 miles.
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| Sunday, December 25, 2011. |
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We met the Shepards on upper campus. Mike and I ran mile loops, Sam did a tempo run on her own, and Jake ran with Alex. They roamed on the XC trails and did Hospital hill. We crossed paths with them once or twice. Jake had the Garmin. They stopped after 5 miles and then walked over to the stadium to do bleacher sprints. Mike and I were looking for them when we got back to the car, and I spotted Jake's bright orange running hat in the distance.
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| Saturday, December 24, 2011. |
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We ran on upper campus this morning with Xenon. The three of us did the first 8 miles together, and then Jake and I did an extra 2.5 on the XC trails.
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| Friday, December 23, 2011. |
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Jake ran 2 miles. The sky was bruised with clouds, not an opening to be seen except for a glowing strip along the horizon. It looked like the end of the world. Good running weather.
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| Thursday, December 22, 2011. |
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We ran 5.5 miles from the house, across Central, down Shaffer, then up to Saw Mill, where we picked up the end of our Horse Farm route. I really had no idea where we were going, but Jake had it all mapped out in his head and kept trying to give me hints.
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| Wednesday, December 21, 2011. |
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We ran at dusk. Jake did the Shawnee 5K and we ran most of it together.
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| Sunday, December 18, 2011. |
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Jakob and I ran to upper campus, did a hospital loop, and then meandered a bit on the XC course before heading back home. 5.6 miles total. My toes were frozen, but otherwise it was pleasant.
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| Saturday, December 17, 2011. |
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We ran the Horse Farm 10-miler today. Cold and gray. Puffy rain clouds, but no rain. We talked about running sub-7s at the Diamonds next year, and finding a half marathon that we could make an annual tradition for the two of us. The Wineglass is a possibility, though I might like to keep that one for myself. We also talked about how beautiful is the idea of a machine trying to reorganize its own internal structure to optimize performance of some task. That describes a runner perfectly.
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| Friday, December 16, 2011. |
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Jake ran two miles this afternoon. We ran most of it together (sort of—he kept about 50 meters ahead) before I forked off on my own route. This was a special run for Jake—his 183rd of the year, which means that he ran every second day on average.
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| Thursday, December 15, 2011. |
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Jake ran 5 miles at dusk. Not too cold: upper 40s. Iron was walking the dog and they returned together. Today is my rest day—I stayed inside.
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| Wednesday, December 14, 2011. |
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We ran at dusk. Separate courses and distances, but we started together and diverged about a mile later when Jake turned back. Today was his day for an easy two miles.
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| Sunday, December 11, 2011. |
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We ran 6.1 miles on country roads in Danville. This was a course that Jake and Iron had happened upon a while back, extended a bit by Jake with the help of Google maps. They told me it was hilly, but I had no idea that the hills would be so long and steep. Actually, I had not dealt with such hills since North Carolina, and my body did not seem completely ready for it, despite good work on hills yesterday. But Jake seems to have had an easier time of it, waiting a few seconds for me to catch up at each crest. We had to abandon the original plan, however, because the dirt road became quite rocky and after climbing through a wooded area it let out on a farm with a few angry (and loose) dogs to greet us. We might have sallied forth on principle, but more practical instincts prevailed. We let the dogs alone and turned back to find another way. This took us onto unknown roads, past farms, paved and dirt roads, some big hills, broad vistas. Jake thought that he had a good idea where we were and how to get to the rendezvous spot with Iron, but eventually we had to give up and head back. I had my phone so I called Iron on the run and told her to meet us at the drop-off point. It was mostly downhill for the rest of the way. The last half mile was long and straight, somewhat downhill. We could see our car in the distance and knew Iron was waiting for us. Jake said that this was one of the most inspiring finishing stretches that he could remember. And it was clear enough that he felt inspired: after almost 6 miles of steep hills, he started running hard without warning. I finally caught him at the end and we passed the car together. Iron was there knitting. I checked the Garmin and supposedly we did sub-6's on that last half mile, though I find that hard to believe; in any case, it was pretty fast.
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| Saturday, December 10, 2011. |
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Jake and I ran 10 miles: starting from the house, to Arbutus, down the trail behind Upper Campus, over to Iron Street, to the river, meandering a bit, through campus (serious hills, and we sprinted up a few) and then back home, more or less directly. We were happily tired at the end. I biked for 10 minutes in the basement to cool down , and then we showered and feasted.
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| Friday, December 9, 2011. |
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We ran 5 miles together this evening under a full moon, keeping a moderate pace on the flat parts and zipping up the hills.
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| Thursday, December 8, 2011. |
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Jake ran a Shawnee mile.
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| Wednesday, December 7, 2011. |
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Cold, dark, and raining. Jake did a Shawnee mile. His skin was damp and icy when he came inside, and he advised me to take today as my rest day rather than tomorrow. Maybe...
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| Monday, December 5, 2011. |
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Jake ran 5 miles this afternoon.
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| Saturday, December 3, 2011. |
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We ran 10 miles this morning, starting from the house, through Lightstreet village, out to the radio tower, with a double loop through the area of Horse Farm road, and finally back to Central and from there to the bottom of Shawnee Hill. We decided to make the course a standard one for our 10-mile workouts and we named it the Horse Farm 10M. The course has a little bit of everything: hills, long flat stretches,
shaded patches, wide open road, quiet country houses, and the horse farms, of course. Mostly the horses just graze and mind their own business, but one today trotted along the fence as we past and neighed. Jake said that this is his favorite of the 10-mile courses we have run. Actually, he felt strong at the end and decided to append an extra mile, turning it into a distance record. He could easily have continued.
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| Thursday, December 1, 2011. |
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Jake ran the Shawnee 5K before lunch.
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| Wednesday, November 30, 2011. |
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Shawnee mile. I was at work so I did not see it.
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| Monday, November 28, 2011. |
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Warm starry night. We ran separately, though, because Jake was agitated about something. Not sure what. But he ran two miles and felt calm afterwards.
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| Sunday, November 27, 2011. |
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We ran 10K today in the Sawmill area. Pleasant country roads. Warm.
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| Saturday, November 26, 2011. |
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We drove out to the Robbins 10K trail. Jake ran for half an hour (3.8 miles) and I walked, breaking in a new pair of barefoot shoes. Beautiful clear and gray running weather.
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| Friday, November 25, 2011. |
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Recovery run: Jake ran an easy Shawnee mile. He got to the bottom of the hill just as Iron and I were returning on a walk with the dog.
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| Thursday, November 24, 2011. |
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The Run for the Diamonds today. About 1600 runners, perfect weather: 45° and clear. Jake ran the first two miles at a 7 minute pace — a bit too fast, perhaps, or so I thought. Starting at mile 3, there is a long and fairly steep ascent, lasting about a mile and a half. But once we reached the top, we were still ahead of pace. Jake had hoped to keep it in the 7:50s. Hundreds of spectators lined the roads of the course, cheering, yelling encouragement, handing out water, etc. We passed the halfway mark at 34:27. That was a great relief for Jake: still ahead of pace and feeling great. It's a very pleasant and scenic route, 9 miles in all. Jake actually hit the 10K mark in 45:12, a new PR. Jake felt strong up to about the 7.5 mile point, but after that I could tell by his breathing that he was hitting the wall. Still, he stayed on pace. There were plenty of downhills to help. On the final mile, down Market Street, the crowds were thickest. As we neared the finish line, the announcers called out our numbers and names. Minna was there, cheering and snapping a photo. Jake was wiped out, but happy because all of his efforts (several months of training) had paid off. He finished the race in 1:06:51, well ahead of our best estimates. That's a 7:27 pace. Incidentally, we finished 9 seconds ahead of Xenon, though we did not know it at the time.
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| Wednesday, November 23, 2011. |
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We picked up our race packets for the Diamonds today and Jake ran a Shawnee Mile in the evening.
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| Sunday, November 20, 2011. |
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We ran 6.1 miles together, to Denny's hill, through Lightstreet Village, and out to the radio tower where Minna was waiting to pick up Jake. I had a bit more to do. This was, for both of us, our last long run until the Diamonds.
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| Thursday, November 17, 2011. |
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Jake ran 4 miles alone on a raw and cold late afternoon.
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| Tuesday, November 15, 2011. |
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We ran after dark. Jake just wanted a mile, so we ran separately. He timed it so that we would meet at the end of my run. Just as I got to the top of Shawnee hill, I could hear his footfalls. When he got closer, I could see that he had his arm extended for us to trade high-fives. I kept my pace steady for the remaining half-mile, but Jake must have run extra fast because he went down to the bottom of the hill and then nearly caught up to me on the way back.
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| Sunday, November 13, 2011. |
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Just as I returned from my Sunday morning run with Xenon, Jake left for his own. He did 6.1 miles in the neighborhood at race pace for the Diamonds. It was a double out-and-back, and Minna went out to meet him on his first return. She followed him in the car for the second half.
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| Saturday, November 12, 2011. |
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Jake and I ran the Warrior Run Pathways 5K with Paul. Beautiful course: all grass, winding through cornfields. Jake finished in 21:34 and Paul a bit over 20. I was happy to catch up with Jake at about the 3/4 mark, staying with him to the finish line. We all won age-group medals. Two high-school XC runners asked Jake after the race where he goes to school — they were hoping that someday he'd run for their school.
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| Friday, November 11, 2011. |
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Jake ran 2 miles this evening while I was out on my own run. We did not cross paths.
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| Tuesday, November 8, 2011. |
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Jake and I went out for a 5K before bedtime. We talked about lucid dreaming. Strangely pleasant 44°. Full moon and a dazzlingly bright Jupiter. Sodium had called just before we left to tell us that he could see not just the planet but also the Galilean moons with ordinary binoculars. After the run, Jake and I lay on the grass in the yard across the street with our binoculars to check it out. To me it was just a bright smudge, but Jake could see two of the moons clearly and immediately, and eventually the other two.
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| Sunday, November 6, 2011. |
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We ran a 7-mile park loop together on a cool and pleasant afternoon, with a few random meanderings on the other side of the covered bridge. Dirt and gravel roads along open fields. It was my first time taking the barefoot shoes off the road, and all went well.
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| Saturday, November 5, 2011. |
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Run and hike. We ran separate routes and distances this morning. It was cold, about 34°. I started first. About an hour later, coming up Cherry Hill, I saw Jake in the distance. We were separated by a long flat stretch of road. As the gap closed, Jake held up his gloved hand for a high-five. When I got home, I waited a bit and then walked out to meet him. He finished his 5K hard, trying to trick me when I asked how it went by saying, "Not what I expected." He showed me his watch and I saw 22:08, which is a course record. That's a 7:08 pace, which is great considering the hills. He had set out to do 7:30s. We hurried inside to eat lunch because we had plans to hike Rickett's Glen. The goal was to do the whole thing in under 2:15. From Rt. 118, up to the Highlands Trail, further up to the top, past all the waterfalls, and back down. We made good time up to the Midpoint Crevice, but then somehow took a wrong turn, despite our long familiarity with the trails. That turned it into a long 3 hour hike. Good and tired at the end.
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| Friday, November 4, 2011. |
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We ran 5 miles together. Cold and dark. Breezy, too. Jake had only planned to run 5K, but I prevailed upon him to come with me for the rest of the way. I was glad for the company.
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| Wednesday, November 2, 2011. |
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Jake ran a mile this afternoon. I ran the first half with him, then our paths diverged.
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| Tuesday, November 1, 2011. |
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We ran a Shawnee 5K together before dinner.
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| Monday, October 31, 2011. |
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Jake ran a mile, the last 1/5 sprinting in 55 seconds.
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| Sunday, October 30, 2011. |
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We ran 10 miles at the Weiser Forest trail. There was still plenty of snow on the ground, but the trail was still runnable. Tracks from some kind of vehicle made it easy to run without landing in slush except in spots. We had to jump over a few tree limbs that had broken off from the weight of the snow, which was wet and heavy. There were even a few slender trees down across the trail. The first five miles felt light and easy, but Jake felt a bit low so we did a glucose check at the halfway point. He was in fact low, so after getting some carbs we had to wait for about five minutes to check again. That's when we started feeling cold and stiff. Once we were ready to go, our hands were frozen and the running felt a little heavier. But we made it back without incident. The lake was pretty at sunset, reflecting the pines and maples on the far edge. When Jake saw the road, about a quarter mile out, he started running hard. But I was happy to keep a steady pace, so he finished ahead of me. No stretching this time: we got in the car and had our peanut butter sandwiches.
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| Saturday, October 29, 2011. |
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Jake ran a fairly fast mile in the dark and snow. First snowfall of the season.
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| Friday, October 28, 2011. |
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Another call at work: Jake ran 7.2 miles. I asked about his pace and he said that he was doing close to 8's, but at the end he knew it would be a fight to get in under an 8 minute overall average pace; I asked if he made it and: yes, just barely, finishing in 57:34 (at exactly an 8-minute pace, it would've taken 57:36).
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| Thursday, October 27, 2011. |
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Jake ran a Shawnee mile before chess club.
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| Wednesday, October 26, 2011. |
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Jakob called me at work to report a 5.2-mile run.
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| Tuesday, October 25, 2011. |
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We ran 3.6 miles before bedtime, slow and easy.
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| Monday, October 24, 2011. |
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Jake ran 4 miles during the afternoon. He called me at work to let me know.
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| Sunday, October 23, 2011. |
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I got home from the Tussey Mountainback after dark and, while eating, related to Jake some of the stories of the day. He suddenly realized that he had not run yet. His plan was to do 4 miles, but it was so late that I asked him to swap it with a shorter one planned for later in the week. So that's what he did: a Shawnee mile in the dark while I warmed up and finished my meal.
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| Saturday, October 22, 2011. |
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We ran 5K this evening, starting out together but going at different paces. Jake was doing a tempo run but I needed to go slow in preparation for tomorrow's relay race.
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| Friday, October 21, 2011. |
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I went out for an evening run and just as I returned to Shawnee hill, Jake was coming down. He was out for an easy mile. We ran back together.
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| Thursday, October 20, 2011. |
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Jake called me at work again today to tell me that he did a 10-mile roamer with Iron following in the car. He ran fast, finishing in 1:20:15, which is faster than he ran 10 miles with me on the out-and-back path at Weiser State Forest last May. Quite a good pace. Getting ready for the Diamonds. His route included part of Crestwood and Seneca (Wendy told me at work that she saw him running on her way home for lunch). If he hadn't needed to slow for turns, he certainly would have run a sub-8 pace.
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| Wednesday, October 19, 2011. |
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Jakob called me at work to say that he had just completed a 5-mile run in the neighborhood.
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| Monday, October 17, 2011. |
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Jake was down for a while with a cold, but today he returned to running. Just a mile, before bed. I walked the dog while he ran. Pitch black, except for the glow of a sickle moon. Cold, but not bitter.
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| Thursday, October 13, 2011. |
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Jake ran 4 miles alone.
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| Wednesday, October 12, 2011. |
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We ran different routes tonight. Jake went out for a quick mile, the first half of which (down Shawnee) we ran together.
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| Tuesday, October 11, 2011. |
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Jake and I ran four miles this afternoon: our Shawnee 5K with an Oak loop tacked on. Progression run: we started slow, picked it up in the middle, and ran the final quarter mile hard.
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| Monday, October 10, 2011. |
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We ran a fairly fast Shawnee mile in the dark.
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| Sunday, October 9, 2011. |
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Jake planned to do a 4-mile tempo run, but whenever he carries a watch he is doomed to go as hard as he can. I followed in the car. First mile split was 6:35, and he finished the whole thing in 28:54. That's a 7:13 pace.
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| Saturday, October 8, 2011. |
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In the morning Jake and Alex had their last XC meet. We drove to Lewisburg for that. Jake was 31st out of about 100 runners. Alex was 12th. In the aftrnoon, I was cutting the grass and saw Jake take off on another run. It was a 5-miler in the neighborhood.
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| Thursday, October 6, 2011. |
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Another XC meet in Mifflinburg.
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| Wednesday, October 5, 2011. |
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Jake ran a Shawnee 5K this afternoon, training for the Diamonds.
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| Tuesday, October 4, 2011. |
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XC meet at Mifflinburg. He placed 8th out of about 45-50.
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| Monday, October 3, 2011. |
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Short XC practice.
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| Sunday, October 2, 2011. |
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Jake ran a mile on a cold drizzly night. I walked half the course, just to give him a little company at the end.
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| Saturday, October 1, 2011. |
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Jake ran the BU Invitational. Hundreds of runners from dozens of schools were there. Cold and drizzly. The JV course was 1.8 miles, and Jake finished in 11:36. That's a solid 6:27 pace. Then in the afternoon he ran 4 miles in the rain. Iron shadowed him in the car.
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| Friday, September 30, 2011. |
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Jake ran 4.5 miles at dusk. I did not go—resting for Sunday's Wineglass Half. But Iron biked along with him.
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| Thursday, September 29, 2011. |
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Shawnee mile in the dark after chess club. We wore long sleeves for the first time since last winter. A crisp 59°.
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| Wednesday, September 28, 2011. |
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We ran 3.5 miles in the dark. We were only a quarter mile into it when we heard a pattering sound racing up behind us. It was a rain storm. It was heavy enough that we decided to turn around and try a little later, but only ten seconds after turning around it suddenly stopped. So we turned again and continued on the run. A short while later, another burst of rain. But it died just as quickly. Then it was quiet for a while. We were back on Shawnee, for once not sprinting, when thunder and lightning announced a change: a deluge. But even that only lasted only long enough for us to get soaking wet. It stopped, we finished the run, then went for a walk to cool down. It started raining, of course. So we headed home.
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| Tuesday, September 27, 2011. |
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Jake's XC meet was cancelled due to thundershowers. This evening, just before bed, we both debated going out for a quick run. We were both on the fence but decided to go for it. Jake wanted a short run, just to stay sharp, and I also wanted something short for breaking in my barefoot shoes. So we did a Shawnee mile. It was dark and thundery, the sky brightening every few seconds with flashes of lightning. It was quiet lightning—the thunder, if we heard it at all, was only a faint rumble. Finally, with about a quarter mile to go, came a loud crack and more light. Rain, too. We were wet by the time we got back, but the air was cool and pleasant. We stayed in the garage for a while, drying off and talking about our running futures.
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| Monday, September 26, 2011. |
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I watched Jake at XC practice this morning at 7:00. He ran hard and everyone else jogged lightly, so he finished about 5 minutes before the next runner.
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| Saturday, September 24, 2011. |
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We ran 8.6 miles at the rail trail. But Jake felt strong at the finish and so continued out to the end of the trail and back to the car, making it 10.1 miles for him, while I did some stretching to cool down.
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| Thursday, September 22, 2011. |
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XC practice. About 3.5 miles.
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| Wednesday, September 21, 2011. |
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Jake ran the 3-mile XC course.
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| Tuesday, September 20, 2011. |
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XC meet at Central Columbia. Jake was disappointed with his performance, but I did not ask for details. On the other hand, he's optimistic about the Diamonds in November, and we're starting weekly ten-milers together in preparation for that one.
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| Monday, September 19, 2011. |
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Jake had XC practice. They ran the course that will be used at tomorrow's meet.
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| Sunday, September 18, 2011. |
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While I did my Sunday run with Xenon, Jake ran a Shawnee 5K in 22:29 — a course PR. Wish I could have seen it.
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| Saturday, September 17, 2011. |
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Milton Harvest Festival 5K. Vic and Helmut were there, too. Jake ran the first mile fast, as usual, in 6:15, then settled down to a more manageable pace for the long haul. He finished in 20:50, a new PR. It seems clear that he'll be running in the teens next year.
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| Friday, September 16, 2011. |
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XC practice at the school.
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| Thursday, September 15, 2011. |
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Jake had a meet at Mount Carmel HS. Rainy, first cool day of the fall, high 50s. He was muddy at the end, finishing second or third among Central runners and fifth or sixth overall.
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| Wednesday, September 14, 2011. |
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Jake ran a mile before lunch.
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| Tuesday, September 13, 2011. |
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We ran separate courses this evening, under a harvest moon, but we started out together. Jake did an easy mile just to stay sharp.
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| Saturday, September 10, 2011. |
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Just a mile. We both felt strangely sluggish at first, but we ran the last half fairly hard.
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| Friday, September 9, 2011. |
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We ran the Shawnee 5K before supper. Casual pace. Neither of us felt like sprinting this evening, it seemed. But I told Jake that I had my eye on him: if he darted off without warning then I was ready to engage. So for once we had a quiet finish. Well, almost. With about 10 meters to go, Jake flipped the switch. I guess he figured that by the time I reacted, he would already be across the line. But not really. As I said, I was waiting. So we finished our run with the world's shortest sprint. It was virtually a tie, though perhaps a photo would have revealed him to have a lead of, say, a millimeter.
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| Thursday, September 8, 2011. |
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It's official: Market Street is under water and the race has been postponed. It's still raining. In fact, the university is closed through Monday, at least, due to flooding. During a respite from the downpour, Jake and I ran a Shawnee mile with a 320m sprint tacked onto the end. We were satisfied with the results considering the wet terrain.
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| Wednesday, September 7, 2011. |
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Jake and I ran a Shawnee Mile together. I went slow except for a planned sprint near the end, while Jake ran most of it at a fairly fast pace. We started during a lull in the rain, but it picked up again while we were running. Then it stopped as we finished, so we took our walk to the field, though by the time we got there it was pouring again. And now, as I write this, we are digesting bad news. The university is shut down tomorrow due to flooding, and the Susquehanna will, according to reports, crest on Friday evening. The bottom of Market Street will be submerged. I'm not sure what will happen to the race. Maybe it will be cancelled, maybe postponed. But we had carefully planned a summer of sprints and long runs so as to peak at about this time. Jake was ready to break into the 5's. I had high hopes as well. We do, at least, have some 5K's coming up this month and in October. And I have my half marathon in October. But we both wanted to do that mile...
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| Tuesday, September 6, 2011. |
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Jake ran two miles alone in the neighborhood. His XC meet was cancelled due to rain and thunder. Actually, we are worried: the rain is projected to last through Friday, the day of the Market Street Mile, for which we have been preparing each in his own way since May. It would be hard to run a PR in the rain.
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| Saturday, September 3, 2011. |
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We ran the Shawnee 5K. We started slow and kept it that way for most of the run. As usual, we sprinted the last quarter mile, though neither of us felt like sprinting initially. Actually, we had even discussed our intention to avoid the traditional sprint at the end. It (avoidance) did not happen, though. Once atop the hill, staring straight ahead to Gray Street, the finish line, he started inching ahead a bit. So I responded in kind. This quickly evolved into a positive feedback loop. Pack running. But interestingly, once we flew past the finish line and started walking toward the field to catch our breath, we talked about the seeming inevitability of the sprint and Jake seemed to think that I was the one who had initiated the action. I was sure that he had done so. A question, perhaps, never to be resolved.
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| Friday, September 2, 2011. |
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Jake and the XC team ran out ten minutes and then back at a faster pace.
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| Thursday, September 1, 2011. |
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Jake did hill repeats with the XC team.
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| Wednesday, August 31, 2011. |
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XC practice: 3 miles.
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| Tuesday, August 30, 2011. |
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Today Jakob ran his first XC meet at the Briar Creek Lake in Berwick. The high school teams run 5K and junior high runs two miles. Jake had a strong run. He tells me the course is a bit hilly, but he enjoyed it. Actually, he had thought that he was running 5K so he ran at his 5K race pace — a bit slower than the pace he could have managed for a 2-mile run. We do not have official times or results yet, so I cannot record them here, but he thinks that he was about 6th out of about 20 runners.
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| Monday, August 29, 2011. |
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Jake ran XC at the school. Short and easy.
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| Sunday, August 28, 2011. |
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Shawnee Mile. Casual pace.
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| Friday, August 26, 2011. |
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Today, our last full day in NC, we hiked the Grandfather Trail. It climbs to Calloway Peak, elevation 5946 feet, from the southwest side of Grandfather Mountain. We reached the Peak on Wednesday from the east side, but today's approach was striking: rock walls and pinnacles, house-sized boulders, jagged outcrops, open spaces over spruce and fir forests completely shrouded in fog, sections of the trail so steep that they can only be climbed with the help of cables or wooden ladders bolted into the rock. We met very few people. Our often discussed plans to hike the Appalachian Trail and then the Swiss Alps started to feel more concrete and imminent, so as a step in that direction we resolved to try a few overnight hikes, or weekend hikes, next spring. Back to the present: we lunched at the top of Calloway Peak—the flies and wasps seen there on Wednesday had for some reason made themselves scarce. A sparrow landed on the shelf of rock where we were sitting and hopped to within arm's reach. I also saw a waxwing at the top of a spruce tree. On the way back, we detoured to check out MacRae Peak, where I actually felt a twinge of vertigo: sheer drop of at least a million feet (it seemed). We took a water break there, and with our backs to the trail there was nothing to be seen ahead, westward, except for sky. It was gray, too, and we noted the touch of a few drops. The rest of the return trip was uneventful: it was the same terrain we had seen on the way out, though somehow it seemed that we were still going up more often than down. Back in the parking area by mid-afternoon. There was time to walk across the Mile High Swinging Bridge, so called because it is suspended (by cables as thick as your arm) at 5280 feet above sea level. Here finally it started to rain.
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| Thursday, August 25, 2011. |
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10 miles down the mountain and out toward Banner Elk. We halted briefly at the halfway point to deal with a borderline low sugar and to rehydrate. Everything went well after that. We made a detour to a gravel road bordering a creek, and generally just roamed, no need for speed today, just a long slow base run. After a completely satisfying dinner of pasta, salad, and watermelon, we started to realize how exhausted we were. But he still went swimming later (I just watched).
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| Wednesday, August 24, 2011. |
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Jake and I went hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We started up the Cragway Trail on the east side of Grandfather Mountain. The ascent was steep and strenuous, eventually meeting Daniel Boone Scout Trail, which we took to the top: Calloway Peak, elevation 5964 feet. There was a sharp drop out into a void filled with mist so that you could see only the treetops directly below the peak and the outline of mountains across the valley. It would have been pleasant to eat there, but the place was overrun with agitated flies and wasps. So we retreated a bit down the mountain, stopping on a shelf of rock near the debris of a small airplane that evidently crashed into the mountain once upon a time.
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| Tuesday, August 23, 2011. |
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We drove around and found a relatively flat stretch of dirt road to use for intervals. We used the Garmin to mark off the distance and then did 5 x 0.2 miles at mile race pace, getting ready for Market Street next weekend. Jake averaged 66.4 seconds per interval, which is a 5:32 pace. We were both ready to drop after the fourth, but we still closed it out with a strong finish.
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| Monday, August 22, 2011. |
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Jake did a roamer on the roads, 3.3 miles. It was his favorite kind of run—exploring roads and paths without a plan.
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| Sunday, August 21, 2011. |
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Jake ran 4.3 miles. Sounds routine, but the hills were brutal. Along the way, he marked a gravel trail that he plans to explore later.
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| Saturday, August 20, 2011. |
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We're in NC. I was drowsy after driving all day, but Jake was eager for a run on the mountain roads. We did a 3.3-miler, up and down, up and down, past hexagonal houses in the woods, some of them on stilts, for some reason. We were drained at the end, but after showering we felt totally rejuvenated.
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| Friday, August 19, 2011. |
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XC workout at Briar Creek Lake. Grassy trails, some hills. Jake seems to have taken a long cut: only three runners started out ahead of him (they were in high school) and nobody passed him along the way, yet when he got to the finish area he found that almost everybody was already there.
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| Thursday, August 18, 2011. |
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3.4 miles and some stretching with the XC team. I watched from the parking lot.
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| Wednesday, August 17, 2011. |
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Jake ran XC this morning: warm-ups and a 4-mile run. Plenty of stretching afterwards.
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| Tuesday, August 16, 2011. |
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Jake and I did intervals: 3 x 320 at mile race pace.
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| Saturday, August 13, 2011. |
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We hiked with Sodium in the Delaware Water Gap today. We arrived at 10:15 and proceeded to climb straight to the top of the mountain. Lunch on the shores of Sunfish Pond. Jake was stung by a bee. He also found numerous millipedes, various types of mushrooms, and held a newt discovered in a creek. We hiked late into the afternoon, feeling good and tired when we got back to the car.
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| Thursday, August 11, 2011. |
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We ran separately, after dark, under a bright full moon, though for the first half-mile stretch where our routes overlapped. Jake did the Shawnee mile but at the turnaround point I continued on.
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| Wednesday, August 10, 2011. |
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Two miles in the neighborhood. Casual and mostly silent.
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| Tuesday, August 9, 2011. |
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Jake and I did sprints and then a Shawnee 5K at dusk. It was supposed to be a slow easy run. We talked about that along the way — neither of us felt like running hard, and it was good to have company and conversation. But as always happens, somewhere around the last quarter mile, Jake started edging ahead. My first thought was just to keep a steady pace and let him go, but somehow I could not resist the urge to catch up. And then to push ahead a step or two. So there it was — a positive feedback loop. We found ourselves in a mad sprint at the end.
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| Sunday, August 7, 2011. |
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We drove out to Weiser State Forest for an 11-mile run. Jakob wishes me to note, however, that we had to stop briefly at the 8-mile mark in order to deal with a low sugar episode. This happened to be at a point along the lake where there were some cabins and a picnic area. I found a water pump and Jakob happily held his head under the spigot until he was drenched and a bit cooler. After resuming, we slowed down a bit. Still, the whole thing was a good hard 11 miles. Jakob hit the proverbial wall at about 10, where it started to feel like a death slog, as he put it. This run really proved his mettle, though no proof was needed.
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| Saturday, August 6, 2011. |
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Late at night, just before bed: Jakob ran a Shawnee mile. No street lights, so it's pitch black out there. I went out to watch. He carried a pen-sized flashlight, which I could see as he ascended the hill. He finished with a good hard sprint.
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| Friday, August 5, 2011. |
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We ran a fairly fast Shawnee 5K this evening.
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| Thursday, August 4, 2011. |
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Again at dusk: Jake ran the Shawnee Mile. He held a full sprint from Gray Street to the end.
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| Wednesday, August 3, 2011. |
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Jake ran the Shawnee mile at dusk in the rain.
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| Tuesday, August 2, 2011. |
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Jakob had another morning run with the XC team, though only one other runner showed up (not including the coach). It was, he tells me, a nice but short run. Highlight: an algae pond by the trail.
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| Sunday, July 31, 2011. |
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Jake ran a Shawnee Mile and I ate a peanut butter sandwich. I finished my sandwich before he finished the mile, but still he ran pretty fast.
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| Saturday, July 30, 2011. |
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Just a mile at dusk, but the last fifth was, as planned, an all-out sprint.
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| Friday, July 29, 2011. |
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We ran the Shawnee 5K together. We started out slow but gradually found ourselves speeding up. On the way down Cherry Hill, Jake said that he had earlier been scrambling just to keep up. But we ran side by side up Shawnee hill, at the top of which Jake started moving ahead. By the time we were at the field, he was a good 50 meters in front of me. I was not optimistic about catching up. But my mood changed for some reason and I was able to make a nice kick at the end. I could tell that Jake could hear me approaching — he tried to speed up. I caught him, however, and we passed the line together.
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| Thursday, July 28, 2011. |
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Jake ran the Shawnee Mile.
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| Wednesday, July 27, 2011. |
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Jake ran 7+ miles with me on the Rail Trail before dinner.
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| Tuesday, July 26, 2011. |
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This morning was a first: Jakob ran with the Central Columbia (our local school district) cross-country team. It was the first of several informal practices that will take place over the summer, before regular practices begin in the fall. I saw them warm up with a few laps around a track, and then they paired up for a run on one of the school's XC courses. Jakob selected the tallest, and presumably fastest, runner. This practice was a combined middle-high school practice, and Jakob's partner was a high schooler. I could not see them as they ran, but Jakob and his partner returned at least 5 minutes before any other pair. He told me that it was a fun course, winding through a little wooded area and involving a few interesting hills. I'm not sure how long it is, but I think they were running for about half an hour.
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| Saturday, July 23, 2011. |
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We ran the Papermill 2-miler in the evening. It was supposed to be a light run for me, since I go long on Sundays, but on the way back Jakob and I got caught in a positive feedback loop: each picked up the pace a bit, to which the other responded by picking up the pace a bit, and so on. We were in hard run mode even before the crest of the final hill. On the downside, Jakob opened up a lead. I tried but could not catch him. But finally, on the long straightaway at the end, I found an extra gear and we finished at the same time. I like running with company, and in this case Jakob turned what would have been a stay-loose workout into a quality run.
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| Friday, July 22, 2011. |
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It was over 100° in the evening. We did a quick sprint workout together.
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| Thursday, July 21, 2011. |
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Jakob ran the Shawnee mile in blistering hot weather.
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| Tuesday, July 19, 2011. |
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We ran a mile warm-up with a 1/5-mile sprint, then the Shawnee 5K. Jake finished strong, a bit ahead of me, his hand out at the finish line for me to high-five as I passed.
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| Friday, July 15, 2011. |
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Jake did a sprint workout and then we ran the Shawnee 5K together.
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| Saturday, July 9, 2011. |
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Jake and I ran the Papermill 2-miler. Saw deer and groundhogs. We kept a casual pace most of the way, but Jake ran the last half mile hard. I was close behind.
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| Friday, July 8, 2011. |
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We ran the Shawnee 5K at a casual pace with a 1/5-mile sprint tacked on at the end.
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| Saturday, July 2, 2011. |
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Mercury's last day here before returning to Finland, so we all went out to the Robbins Trail. Jake and I ran 5.5 miles while Iron and Mercury walked the dog. We kept a comfortably hard pace, and at one point we talked about how it really is more fun to run trails than on the road.
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| Thursday, June 30, 2011. |
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Jake's 12th birthday. To celebrate, we went to the track. He ran an easy 400m warm-up and then sprints, setting new personal records: 100m in 16.97 seconds, 200m 36.16, and 400m in 1:19.19 (down from 1:27.69).
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| Tuesday, June 28, 2011. |
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Quick mile before lunch — insane sprint for the last fifth.
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| Sunday, June 26, 2011. |
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We did a 10K out by Sawmill. I had forgotten how pretty it is out there. Gently rolling hills, green vistas. We got onto Cabin Run Road, as we did once in February, and I had also forgotten how long and steep the hills are. The road was lined with honeysuckle. We veered off on one of the side roads and continued up, and up, still honeysuckle everywhere, and finally, just as the land was leveling out, we came to the end of the road. There was a church there, and it was exactly 5K from our starting point at Hidlay Church. So we decided to call this one our Church-to-Church 10K, or maybe just the Church 10K. It was a good hard end-of-the-week run.
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| Saturday, June 25, 2011. |
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Shawnee Sprint.
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| Thursday, June 23, 2011. |
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Jake ran a casual Shawnee mile before dinner.
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| Tuesday, June 21, 2011. |
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Jake and I ran sprints before lunch and a 4.8-mile park loop before dinner. He did our 1/5-mile sprint in 54 seconds, down from his previous best of 57 seconds. The long run was not fast, but the sun was still burning brightly and it felt like a hard run. We went pretty fast down Market Street at the end.
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| Saturday, June 18, 2011. |
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Jake won first place in his age group at the annual Irv Zablocky Memorial Run, a 3.5-mile road race in Muncy. His first two mile splits were 6:40 and 7:20, then he settled down and stayed close to an even 7:00 pace, finishing the whole thing in 24:11 (that's a 6:55 pace overall). He also passed the 5K point at 21:48, a new PR. Iron and Mercury were there, cheering and taking pictures.
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| Tuesday, June 14, 2011. |
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5.7 miles at the rail trail and 5 minutes in the creek afterward. We ran slow in the beginning, picked it up a bit in the middle, and ran fairly hard at the end.
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| Saturday, June 11, 2011. |
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We awoke to thunder and lightning but the storm cleared in time for the Jailbreak 5K, which starts at 8 AM on the grounds of a federal prison in Allenwood. A pleasant drizzle remained. This is a small and low-key race with perhaps 40 runners. There is only one prize for each age group, and in fact the bottom group of 19-under would ordinarily be impossible for Jake to seriously compete in — but here it was a small field, so maybe... It took me about a mile to catch up to Jake, and by that time the runners had settled into positions. There were only 7 ahead of us. Directly ahead of us, however, about 50 meters away, was a kid who was clearly about 16. Jake kept a steady pace, perhaps closing the gap just a bit over the next several minutes. Deer scattered as we turned onto the gravel roads. At this point I saw the kid look over his shoulder several times — he was aware of us, probably most keenly aware of Jake as an age-group competitor. If nothing else, he probably did not want to lose his spot to an 11-year-old. By the time we were on the gravel roads, the gap was slowly but clearly diminishing. At the crest of the first of two major hills, we pulled up even and then scooted past. The other kid was breathing heavily and something about his gait suggested a struggle. But he cranked it up and retook the lead. Jake matched his pace, though. On the second hill we passed him again, and I think he was broken. No more gas. He faded. We were about four minutes from the finish line, and nobody passed us. It turns out that one 19-year-old finished ahead, but in fact he was the first-place overall winner, which left Jake as the 19-under age-group winner. For that he received a pretty plaque and a medal. I got the same for my own age group, just for keeping up with Jake. Our time was 22:21 (Jake's third-best 5K time).
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| Friday, June 10, 2011. |
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Jakob announced out of the blue that he felt like he could set a course PR on the Shawnee mile. It had been a long time since we'd run just a mile. Minna and the dog and I watched him go. It looked to me like he was going fast, both on the way out and the way back, but as he checked his watch at the finish line I was not sure — he bent down to catch his breath and said to me as I approached, "I must be out of shape." But it was a trick. He did it in 6:25 (2:47 on the downhill half), easily his best Shawnee mile.
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| Tuesday, June 7, 2011. |
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Jake and I ran 5.7 miles at the rail trail on a hot afternoon, with a couple of 30-second pick-ups, and then we waded into the creek. The water was icy at first, but it only took a few seconds to adapt. We stayed in for about five minutes, and our legs felt wonderfully refreshed afterwards.
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| Saturday, June 4, 2011. |
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Today was the 5th annual JesVic 5K. Jake finishing in 22:01, winning an age-group medal and setting a new PR. His first two mile splits were 6:38 and 7:44, the latter being longer due to a hilly stretch. Overall he ran a 7:06/mile pace.
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| Wednesday, June 1, 2011. |
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Our weather plugin says "84°, feels like 97°". And it's only 11 a.m. Jake ran sprints and I served as his water boy.
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| Monday, May 30, 2011. |
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On a quiet but steamy Memorial Day morning, Minna and I drove with Jake out to the rail trail to watch him run a 5K. It was a rest day for me. Jake ran with the Garmin, and Minna and I went for a little walk up and down a short stretch of the trail. He finished in 22:40, which, considering the heat (or even not considering it), was excellent. He was dripping with sweat so we skipped the cool down routine and got right in the car with the AC at full tilt.
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| Wednesday, May 25, 2011. |
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Jake and I ran a tough 5-miler today. Very hot — 84°, but supposedly it feels like 88°. We ran the back roads to upper campus, did a couple of hospital loops, and then ran back to Light Street. Steep hills. Jake was drained. But lots of water, a shower, and a good meal made us feel fresh again.
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| Tuesday, May 24, 2011. |
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Just a mile of warm-up and sprints.
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| Sunday, May 22, 2011. |
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We ran the First Annual Biscotti 5K Run in Hazleton. Small race — about 70 runners. Jake was 11th, with a time of 22:55. It was a rather hilly out-and-back.
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| Wednesday, May 18, 2011. |
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We warmed up for about half a mile and then did 2/5-mile intervals.
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| Tuesday, May 17, 2011. |
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We ran 4 miles (our Shawnee 5K extended by one Oak Square loop). Jake battled a hellacious cramp for nearly the whole run, but we still kept a good pace. He wisely decided to put off sprints until tomorrow, but I ran one and he timed me.
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| Saturday, May 14, 2011. |
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Jakob ran his first 10-miler today, in 1:22:59. We drove out to Weiser State Forest for the event. Perfect weather: 60° and overcast. The trail has a few gentle hills and skirts a number of pretty lakes. It crosses the Northumberland-Columbia county line. We felt pleasantly exhausted at the end.
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| Friday, May 13, 2011. |
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We did a 2/5-mile warm-up with a 1/5-mile sprint on Shawnee, then we went to the rail trail for a 5-mile run.
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| Thursday, May 12, 2011. |
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We both ran 1/5 mile repeats before lunch. Jake did 57 seconds on the first one.
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| Wednesday, May 11, 2011. |
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Jake ran sprints, 1/5 mile repeats, just a bit over 60 seconds each. One mile covered overall.
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| Saturday, May 7, 2011. |
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We hiked Kaiser Trail in the Delaware Water Gap with Sodium. It was a gently rolling, somewhat rocky trail with waterfalls and a few wide vistas of NJ. We saw a few turkey vultures and, at our lunch spot, studied a tiger beetle with Sodium's near-focus binoculars. It rained for a while.
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| Thursday, May 5, 2011. |
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5.7 miles on the Rail Trail before chess club.
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| Sunday, May 1, 2011. |
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Today Jake and I ran the annual Sick Trail race in the rolling countryside of Millville. Even though it's only 4.5 miles long, or slightly less, it seems like our toughest race of the year because of the ridiculously long and steep hills. Jake finished in 37:56, well under his target. The weather was ideal. Paul was there, finishing 4th overall. The Shepards ran, too.
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| Saturday, April 30, 2011. |
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We ran an easy 5 miles at the Rail Trail with Xenon and Rose.
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| Saturday, April 23, 2011. |
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We kicked off racing season with the Robbins 10K Trail Race in Danville. It was chilly, 47°, wet, and very muddy. Some parts of the trail you could even call swampy. Despite that, Jake set a 10K PR, 46:50, and brought home a trophy for first place in the 11-15 age group. Paul rode with us to the race and he ran the 5K, finishing first overall. Xenon and Boron ran the 5K too.
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| Tuesday, April 19, 2011. |
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We ran 5 miles at dusk and in the dark.
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| Saturday, April 16, 2011. |
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We had planned to run 4 miles at the Rail Trail at a 7:30 pace, in preparation for next weekend's Robbins 10K race. Heavy rain and thunder put a stop to that, so we went to the track at the gym on campus. Jake started fast, as usual. Actually, even faster than usual, doing the first mile in 6:41. After two miles he had not lost a step, so he decided to abort the 4 mile plan and go for a 5K record. It was a phenomenal run, but I messed up the count and we stopped a lap short, at 20:05. Extrapolating, that would be a 20:55, which would have shattered his old record.
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| Tuesday, April 12, 2011. |
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Shawnee 5K before dinner. I could not quite keep up with him.
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| Friday, April 8, 2011. |
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We ran separate courses today but we started together. Jake ran the Shawnee mile. It was raining. Not a warm spring rain, but neither was it bitter cold.
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| Thursday, April 7, 2011. |
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Shawnee 5K before chess club. We ran in total silence.
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| Tuesday, April 5, 2011. |
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We ran 5 miles before dinner. Usually I make it up the hills a little more quickly than Jake does, but this time we took Shawnee hill side by side. And then on the upward sloping road home, he actually started pulling away. I thought that he'd eventually have to slow down, but that didn't happen. I kept a steady pace until Gray Street and then started sprinting. Nearly caught him. But not quite.
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| Sunday, April 3, 2011. |
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Jake and I drove out to Weiser State Forest for a 7-mile run.
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| Friday, April 1, 2011. |
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The house was empty when I got home. I changed into running gear and took off. I soon met Jakob and Minna, who were walking the dog. Jakob must have raced home and put on his own gear, because later on Oak loop he caught up with me. We ran in opposite directions and passed each other twice, exchanging high fives. I then headed back, but Jake had another loop to go. We met up back on Shawnee.
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| Thursday, March 31, 2011. |
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We ran 5K on the road before Chess Club. I had a cramp for the first half and Jake ran ahead. Though I fully recovered, I was not quite able to catch him. It was close at the end, but as I went into a high gear he heard my footsteps and found his own high gear in response. This run pushed Jake over the 50-mile mark for the month.
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| Sunday, March 27, 2011. |
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Jakob was feeling down today, so he hesitated when I asked if he wanted to run with me, saying, "Only if it's something noteworthy." Noteworthy, indeed. We ran from the house to Papermill and out to Lightstreet Village, three miles out and three back. It's mostly downhill on the way, but the return trip has Denny's hill running parallel to I-80, a monster of a climb, and if that is not enough then there is always Shawnee Hill to greet us on the final leg. The boy ran with vigor. We walked around for a while afterward, feeling strong and happy.
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| Tuesday, March 22, 2011. |
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Jakob and I ran 5 miles at the rail trail in 39:25.
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| Saturday, March 19, 2011. |
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We ran 6.5 miles at the rail trail, finishing the first 5 at an 8:15 pace. We then slowed down a bit, but not much, to deal with cramps. I asked Jakob if he wanted to stop at 5 and let me continue for a short while, but he said, "If you're running then I'm running."
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| Friday, March 18, 2011. |
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I needed to run today but would not have time in the afternoon or evening, so it would have to be early. Jake wanted to come. I woke him up at 6 and we were on the road for an easy 5K by 6:30. We lines of kids waiting for their school buses. The sun came up as we ran.
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| Wednesday, March 16, 2011. |
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We ran separately today. Jake did the Shawnee Mile before dinner.
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| Saturday, March 12, 2011. |
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Jake had planned to run 5 with me, but growing pains in his heel convinced him to take it easy today. He ran with me for the first mile and when I got back we walked for a while together. No problems with his heel on the mile.
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| Friday, March 11, 2011. |
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We set out to run our 5-mile loop around the park and fairgrounds, but the road by the river was closed and under water. So we ran back to Market Street, down Main, and then out to the fairgrounds from the other side. We kept a good and steady pace the whole way, except for the last mile, which was noticeably faster.
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| Tuesday, March 8, 2011. |
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Jake and I ran 5 miles.
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| Sunday, March 6, 2011. |
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I ran long yesterday with Xenon but I still needed 3 more miles for the week. Jake was planning at first to run the first mile with me, but when he realized that the morning drizzle had turned into a steady downpour he was inspired to do the whole thing. So we ran the Shawnee 5K in the rain. But at 44° it was actually quite pleasant. Getting wet is, for me at least, irritating, but once I am soaked (which took about 90 seconds today) the rain feels refreshing. We ran an easy pace most of the way, talking about the time a few years back when we ran in the rain and then stripped in the garage, made to hurry by the aroma of apple crisp baking in the oven.
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| Friday, March 4, 2011. |
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We ran 5 miles in Shawnee Heights. On Cherry Hill we stopped for a moment to greet new neighbors who work at the university and have two sons who are a few years younger than Jake. We continued on and, at the corner of Oak and Maple we split as usual, taking the loop in opposite directions. Jake called out, "Fare well, comrade", as we diverged. Later, back on Shawnee, I reached the top of the hill somewhat ahead of Jake and kept a steady pace on the last leg home. He was about 100 meters behind me with about 500 meters remaining when he felt suddenly renewed and picked up the pace. Eventually I heard his footsteps. He was racing, closing the gap, and in fact he pulled up parallel with me just as we crossed the finish line.
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| Wednesday, March 2, 2011. |
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We ran 5 miles before dinner, following our Shawnee 5K extended with three Maple loops. It was about 40° but there was a constant biting wind that made it feel like the arctic. We made good time, though, doing 8:20s. A huge flock of starlings swept over us on Cherry Hill and merged with another flock. Hundreds or maybe thousands of them.
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| Tuesday, March 1, 2011. |
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Again Jake and the dog ran the Shawnee Mile, setting a new record (for the dog) of 7:28.
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| Sunday, February 27, 2011. |
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Jake took the dog for a run today. They did the Shawnee Mile, just the two of them.
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| Saturday, February 26, 2011. |
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We had planned to do the Run for the Cookies, a 10K in Berwick, but Jake's glucose levels were chaotic in the morning. We knew everything would be okay in the afternoon, and he wanted to do something special. That turned out to be a 9-miler, 2 loops down at the park, around the fairgrounds, up Main Street and then down Market. It was a good long run, the longest of Jake's career so far.
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| Saturday, February 19, 2011. |
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On the way out the door to Mike's for our Sunday morning run, Jakob asked if he could run with me. It was a pleasant little warm-up. Jakob continued on Cherry Hill to the Watch Children sign, an easy mile.
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| Friday, February 18, 2011. |
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Jake and I ran a 10K. Warm weather. Shorts and long sleeves. We started on Ridge Road and then cut across to Fowlersville Road, where we discovered a new offshoot: Cabin Run Road. It is quiet, winding, and rolling. At the peak of one particularly steep hill, we turned, running in place, to stare at a line of clouds on the horizon made hot magenta by the setting sun. Jake later deemed it one of the best sunsets he had ever seen. We turned around at the 5K mark (I was wearing my Garmin), though we noted a number of potentially interesting extensions to the route. We ran back to the car mostly in silence, and the final mile in total darkness.
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| Thursday, February 17, 2011. |
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Jake ran the Shawnee Mile in shorts. It was that warm. He sloshed through rivulets of melting snow on the road.
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| Tuesday, February 8, 2011. |
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Jake ran the Shawnee Mile on this most biting of winter days. And, he reports, he composed a short poem along the way.
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| Sunday, February 6, 2011. |
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Jakob and I ran 3.5 miles at the indoor track. Keeping to form, he went out like a burner for the first mile or so, then fell back to a more manageable pace. We were both pleasantly fatigued afterwards.
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| Saturday, February 5, 2011. |
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Jake ran the Shawnee Mile. The roads are slushy.
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| Sunday, January 30, 2011. |
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We ran 3 miles at the indoor track. Jake started fast, as always, then after the first mile settled into a sustainable pace. But we sprinted the last eighth. Then we drove home, ate lunch, and headed out to Crystal Lake, where Jake and Minna ski.
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| Tuesday, January 25, 2011. |
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Again Jakob ran the Shawnee Mile. It was not quite as cold as yesterday, not as biting. He had a good sprint at the end.
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| Monday, January 24, 2011. |
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Jake ran the Shawnee Mile. The temperature had risen from subzero this morning to about 20° when he ran, but still: he is a demon, a machine, somehow both.
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| Monday, January 17, 2011. |
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Jake was a little blue, but he ran the Shawnee mile in the dark (24° out there) and felt better.
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| Thursday, January 13, 2011. |
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We ran at the track again, a bit over 3 miles.
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| Friday, January 7, 2011. |
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The roads were snowy, so Jake ran with me at the SRC's indoor track on campus. Each lap is 1/8 mile. We each did 4 miles in fairly good time. Jake ran the first mile in 7:10, but I did not clock him on the others.
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| Saturday, January 1, 2011. |
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First we hiked on an offshoot of the Robbins Trail for about 3 hours. Then, in the evening, we went for a run. Jake ran the first mile with me before breaking off to head home alone, taking the shortcut back to Shawnee.
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| Saturday, December 25, 2010. |
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Jake and I ran 3.6 miles in the paper mill area. It's a quiet and pleasant course, the last quarter mile a gently descending dirt road. A few flakes of snow drifted down. We did some stretches and jumping jacks to cool down afterward, and then Jake relaxed for a while on a huge slab of slate or shale by the gate to the quarry.
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| Thursday, December 23, 2010. |
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Jake ran 4.2 miles at dusk. He passed Iron several times — she was walking the dog.
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| Tuesday, December 21, 2010. |
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Jake ran the Shawnee mile on this first day of winter. Relatively mild at 34°.
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| Saturday, December 18, 2010. |
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Another Shawnee mile for Jake, and that makes 17 consecutive daily runs (totaling 38 miles). This surpasses the streak of 16 consecutive runs that he did back in March.
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| Friday, December 17, 2010. |
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Jake kept his streak of consecutive daily runs alive with a Shawnee mile at dusk.
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| Thursday, December 16, 2010. |
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Jake ran the Shawnee mile. He saw Tanner on the way and so picked up his pace as he passed.
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| Wednesday, December 15, 2010. |
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Jake ran 4.2 miles in the dark and bitter cold, carrying a flashlight and cellphone. I followed part of the way in the (warm) car, having (thankfully) already run this morning.
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| Tuesday, December 14, 2010. |
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He is a machine. Jake ran the Shawnee mile. Temperature: 22°. Winds: WNW 15 MPH. Feels like: 3°!
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| Monday, December 13, 2010. |
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Jakob and I went for a four miler before dark. It was 27° out there, but the biting wind made it feel, according to reports, like 15°. Jakob started out a bit faster than my target pace, and I fully expected him to slow after his body figured out that it was brutally cold. But he didn't. Once, before we crossed the little glade at the end of Treeline, he yelled back to ask if our course included the dead-ends that branch off the oak-maple-chestnut loop. By then he was about 50 meters ahead and it was hard to hear him in the wind. Eventually, on the return trip, I expected to catch him on the way up Cherry Hill — he usually slows just a bit on the hills, whereas I keep a fairly steady pace. And as it happens, I got within about 10 meters at the crest, but he heard my footsteps and glanced back to see me right behind him, and suddenly he turned the jets on and gradually extended the space between us. But as soon as we got to Shawnee, I knew I would pass him by the time we reached the top. I always had in the past. Again I got close, but again he rebuilt his lead. We passed Minna and Alison and the dogs by the field, and by the time we got to Gray Street I knew that I would not catch him. And so: I ran at my base pace for four miles and Jakob surpassed me for the first time at that distance.
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| Sunday, December 12, 2010. |
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We got ready to start a 4 miler, but it was raining so hard that I decided to go in the evening. Jakob, however, was eager to start, so he ran the Shawnee mile on his own, in the driving rain.
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| Saturday, December 11, 2010. |
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Jake ran the Shawnee mile in the dark.
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| Friday, December 10, 2010. |
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Jake ran the Shawnee mile before I got home today. We both ran very slowly. Snow on the road. Slippery.
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| Thursday, December 9, 2010. |
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Jakob and I ran different routes but we started the first mile together. He did not feel like doing a long run tonight, but he wanted to keep his current streak alive.
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| Wednesday, December 8, 2010. |
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Jakob ran alone again, 4.2 miles. He called me at work to tell me.
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| Tuesday, December 7, 2010. |
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I came home from work ready to run, hoping that Jakob would come with me even though it was dark and the temperature had dropped below freezing. But it turned out that he had already run 4.2 miles in the afternoon — his longest solo run. Getting ready for the Diamonds next November. When he trains alone, he takes a glucose meter, some tablets, and a phone, while Minna waits at home nervously. (When we run together, I carry the meter but we leave the phone at home.) Actually, he kicked around the idea of coming with me as a second workout of the day, but Minna called him crazy (fair enough) and the idea fizzled.
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| Monday, December 6, 2010. |
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Jake ran the Shawnee mile.
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| Sunday, December 5, 2010. |
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I ran this morning and Jakob ran late this afternoon. It was 34° and, according to reports, it felt like 22°. All bundled up, Jakob ran the Shawnee mile.
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| Saturday, December 4, 2010. |
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We ran 5.4 miles on the Mainville rail trail. First time in a while there. Jake likes the rocky, sometimes muddy, path through the woods. I had to watch my balance with every step, though, especially in the deep dusk of the last mile. We saw icicles.
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| Friday, December 3, 2010. |
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Jakob and I ran 4 miles in the dark and cold.
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| Thursday, December 2, 2010. |
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Jake ran alone today, in the freezing cold, to the shortcut down to Cherry Hill, then to Treeline, over to the Oak-Chestnut-Maple loop, and then back home.
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| Sunday, November 29, 2010. |
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Papermill 2-mile: Jakob, Minna, and the dog. 37°, but no wind. Jake had to run in circles from time to time as Minna stopped to train the dog on the finer points of pack running.
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| Friday, November 26, 2010. |
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5.8 miles along the rail trail and up Hazard Hill. Usually I get to the top of the hill a little bit faster than Jake does, but he was right there with me this time.
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| Thursday, November 25, 2010. |
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Our annual Thanksgiving Day run. We started at the park, late in the day with new snow on the ground, and ran out to the heap. The plan was to return to the park and roam for an extra mile or two, but Jake had a low sugar and we had to stop and fix it. Still, it was a good run of 2.2 miles. We talked about our plan to run the Diamonds next Thanksgiving.
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| Monday, November 22, 2010. |
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Jake and I ran the Hazard Trail today. Exactly 3 miles, but with that brutal climb at the far end. Panoramic view of the town at sunset. Easy pace — we were just logging the miles.
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| Sunday, November 21, 2010. |
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Papermill 2-mile: Jake, Minna, and the dog.
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| Saturday, November 20, 2010. |
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We went to the C.W. Heller Schoolboy Races and Jake competed in a mile for boys in 5th and 6th grade. He finished in 4th place with a time of 6:58. The boy behind him was desperately trying to pass. Jake could feel him right there and found another gear in response. That made for an exciting sprint, which Jake won by inches.
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| Friday, November 19, 2010. |
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Jake ran 2 miles at Papermill with Minna and the dog, and the dog's new leash and collar.
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| Wednesday, November 17, 2010. |
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Minna and I were returning home in the car this afternoon and we came upon Jakob out for a run. He was doing a Shawnee Mile, all bundled up in the cold and going fast.
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| Sunday, November 14, 2010. |
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We ran the Great American Smokeout 5K. Perfect weather — 62°, no wind. And a flat course. It went along the river for a while, past huge oaks in the park, and I enjoyed seeing the leaves twirling down. Actually, this was our first race with racing chips to record the times. Jakob ran well, passing three of my colleagues early on. One of them kept up with us, but Jake still finished ahead. His time was 24:34, which seemed a bit strange until we found out about an organizational snafu that made the course longer than a 5K by 1/5 mile.
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| Tuesday, November 9, 2010. |
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Jakob ran the Papermill 2-mile with Minna and the dog.
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| Friday, November 5, 2010. |
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Jakob started out to go the first mile of my run with me, but he felt so good that he decided to continue. It turned into a good solid 5K for him, maybe slightly more.
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| Tuesday, November 2, 2010. |
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Jake ran the Shawnee Mile.
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| Saturday, October 30, 2010. |
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We ran the Pumpkin Run 5K. Minna came to cheer us on. Vic and Sharron where there, and also Mike and Alex. Jake and I finished in 23:18, which is a respectable 7:31 pace.
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| Thursday, October 28, 2010. |
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Jake started the Papermill 2-Miler with Minna and the dog, but by the end he was far ahead.
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| Sunday, October 24, 2010. |
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Jake ran the Papermill with Minna and the dog. The latter two stopped after two miles, but Jake continued to the top of Denny's hill, about 3 miles in all. (Meanwhile, I was in Weiser State Forest on a 12-mile run with Xenon).
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| Saturday, October 23, 2010. |
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Jake and I hiked Hawk Mountain today. We took the River of Rocks trail to Golden Eagle, and from there up to the Skyline Trail. Steep ascent. We headed away from the North Lookout to make contact with the Appalachian Trail, and Jake suggested that we walk 56 paces along the AT before heading back to Skyline. We found a good lunch spot just short of the East Rocks, hiked to the cliff at North Lookout, then up and back to the sanctuary. The whole thing took a bit less than 4 hours.
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| Friday, October 22, 2010. |
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Jake and I ran 4 miles around the Town Park at dusk. This was our first run with the Garmin. It tells us our pace, time, distance, etc.
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| Wednesday, October 20, 2010. |
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Jake and Minna and the dog ran the Papermill-2 again. They sprinted at the end and a deer sprinted across the path about 20 feet ahead of them. The dog went berserk.
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| Tuesday, October 19, 2010. |
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Papermill 2-Mile with Iron and the dog.
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| Sunday, October 17, 2010. |
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We went to the Shannon Rail Trail. Jake ran 2.9 miles with Minna and the dog. I just walked, recovering from a long morning run.
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| Saturday, October 16, 2010. |
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Jake ran the Shawnee mile today and I started with him but continued at the turn-around point for a longer run. He was well ahead of me at that point. Along the way, large groups of squirrels were scurrying about by the edge of the road, agitated perhaps by our passage.
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| Friday, October 15, 2010. |
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Jake and I ran two miles in Shawnee Heights this morning at a solid pace.
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| Wednesday, October 13, 2010. |
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Jake and I ran the Shawnee 5K. Base training pace. Jake started out a little faster and so opened up a small lead, after which we both kept a steady pace. So he finished at the 23:57 mark, about 20 seconds ahead of me.
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| Tuesday, October 12, 2010. |
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The whole pack went for a run. I did the Shawnee 5K and the others ran a 2-mile section of that course. Jake ran along side Minna and the dog for a while, but then sped ahead by the time they reached Shawnee Hill on the way back.
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| Monday, October 11, 2010. |
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Jake ran slightly less than 2 miles with Minna and the dog.
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| Friday, October 8, 2010. |
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Jake's longest run ever: 8.6 miles. We ran from the house to Arbutus Road, followed it to Upper Campus, and then took a trail through the woods to Iron Street, and from there to the Shannon 5K route. According to Google Maps, the whole thing was 8.6 miles. We finished in 78 minutes. Not bad, considering the distance and the hills.
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| Thursday, October 7, 2010. |
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Jake ran with Iron and the dog on the Robbins trail. Using the distance posts, Jake estimated the run to be about 4900 meters long.
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| Wednesday, October 6, 2010. |
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Papermill 2-Mile in an easy 15:58. Beautiful gray drizzly day, cool enough for long sleeves but mild enough for shorts.
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| Saturday, October 2, 2010. |
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We ran the Seasons Change 10K Race in Hazleton with Xenon. Minna came, too. It was a rather hilly course, partially along the highway and some other fairly busy roads, but with plenty of traffic control. The course also took us into a packed-gravel forest trail for a while. Lots of water stations (Jakob grabbed a cup each time and took a few sips before dumping the rest over his head, though the temperature was only in the upper 40s). There were even football cheerleaders in formation near the finish line to cheer on the runners. Everyone who saw Jake shouted out words of encouragement. This was only his second 10K race, so he was able to smash his record. It now stands at 48:50, which was good enough for the first-place medal in the 11-under age group; in fact, it would have been good enough for first place in the 12-14 group. Xenon also won a medal (3rd place in the 45-49 group, with a time of 43:20).
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| Wednesday, September 29, 2010. |
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Base training: 4.5 miles in Shawnee Heights. Fairly frequent hills. Finished in 39:53.
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| Monday, September 27, 2010. |
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It was raining hard when I got home, so we postponed our run until later in the evening. It was dark when we finally set out on an easy 4-miler. We had to stop short because Jake's glucose level dropped quite a bit. But we were curious about the distance and so measured it in the car. Turns out to have been exactly a 5K.
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| Sunday, September 26, 2010. |
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Base training: 8 x 400 at an easy 8:00 pace.
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| Saturday, September 25, 2010. |
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After Zahira's party, Jake and I went for a quick run in the dark. We took the shortcut down to Cherry Hill, then ran to 5th Street and back up Shawnee. Just a mile or so. Jake abandoned our steady pace at the end and sprinted ahead.
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| Friday, September 24, 2010. |
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We were about to call it a night, but Jake decided that he had better run. I declined to join him this time, but I went outside to see him start and finish. Shawnee Mile. His goal, as last time, was a steady pace, comfortably hard, not all out, 3:10 down and 3:50 back. He was within 2 seconds in both directions.
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| Tuesday, September 21, 2010. |
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We have shifted our training focus to keeping a steady pace, then after sufficient volume we will throw speed work into the mix. Today Jake set out to do an easy Shawnee Mile, 3:10 on the downhill half and 3:50 on the return. He could have run much faster, but he knows that speed was not the goal today. He kept it steady on the way down and was not too far off his target pace on the way back.
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| Saturday, September 18, 2010. |
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We ran the Milton Harvest Festival 5K today. Minna came with us, and Vic and Sharon were there. Jake took off like a rocket — his first mile split was 6:39! And he finished at the 22:12 mark, a new PR. The course was a fast and flat loop, weather was about 60°, perfect.
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| Thursday, September 16, 2010. |
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I came home early so we could squeeze in a run before chess club. Jake wanted to do the airport course again. It was raining. Again we ran from the town park to the heap, via the airport. Then we ran over the Susquehanna River bridge and back. The next half hour was pure roaming. We ran down Iron Street, past the prison, the children's museum, through any number of little subdivisions of Bloomsburg, some of them rather dilapidated, the rain now making it hard to see, Jake's clothing caked with mud, and still just roaming, total random destiny, finally to the High School and around the surrounding fields, then back to the park. Exactly 45 minutes, somewhere between 5 and 6 miles. It was a good run and we both felt pleasant tired afterward.
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| Wednesday, September 15, 2010. |
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Jake and I went for a sunset roamer. We started at the town park and ran to the airport, continued along a little service road parallel to the runway. We ended up at the town heap, turned back and retraced our route to the airport where Jake had a low sugar. He took some glucose tablets and after a short while we took off again. Bright half moon and many stars were out by then. We crossed Ferry Road and ran down wide and quiet streets near the pool, heading roughly in the direction of the river, finally coming out near the High School. And there Jake met a dip in the road and lost his balance, flying to the ground and skidding roughly. Not pleasant. But he collected himself and we ran the rest of the way back to the car. It was a fun route and we plan to do it again (maybe not in the dark, though).
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| Saturday, September 11, 2010. |
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We hiked the Geisinger Stewardship Trails today. First we did the Black Bear trail with a short extension along the Possum trail at the end, and then we did the Copperhead trail. That was a little over 6 miles in all according to the maps. Few signs of life along the way — some chipmunks and squirrels and one or two humans. The terrain was rocky and somewhat hilly, the weather mild, the newly fallen acorns many. Autumn is coming.
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| Friday, September 10, 2010. |
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Market Street Mile! Jake smashed his old mile record to smithereens, finishing in 6:10. I also set a personal record and was quite happy about it. Two of Jake's friends, Alex and Kael, ran and each performed excellently. There were 150 runners in all.
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| Thursday, September 9, 2010. |
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Day before the Market Street Mile. We have now completed our long season of preparations. I ran the downhill half of the Shawnee Mile this morning, right after racquetball, and had my best time ever. Jake did it later in the day and called me at work to say that he had shaved a second off his previous best, now 2:48. We will take it easy and rest until tomorrow evening. The race begins at 6:30 p.m.
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| Wednesday, September 8, 2010. |
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We both ran a Shawnee Mile in the dark.
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| Monday, September 6, 2010. |
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Jake and I ran the Shawnee 5K before dinner. We did not run particularly fast, perhaps being a bit tired from a long walk with the dog (and Minna) in Danville.
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| Sunday, September 5, 2010. |
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We ran the Shawnee Mile tonight, after our first day on the golf course. It was cold after the sun went down. Not only did we need shirts, but we actually wore long-sleeved shirts for the first time since last winter. It was a good run. Stars and crickets in abundance. Our cool-down walk took half an hour and I felt in my legs the activities of the weekend. We talked about everything and nothing in equal measure.
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| Thursday, September 2, 2010. |
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Shawnee mile again. Jake ran this one alone.
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| Tuesday, August 31, 2010. |
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Shawnee mile.
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| Monday, August 30, 2010. |
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Track workout tonight. Jake forgot his running shoes (?!) so we had to go back and get them, and by the time we returned it was dark. Jake ran 4x400 sprints, all out.
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| Friday, August 27, 2010. |
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We ran the Shawnee Mile together at dusk.
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| Wednesday, August 25, 2010. |
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Jake ran the Shawnee Mile early this evening. I was just a spectator, timing him and enjoying the show. He took his own watch, which he consulted at points along the way. His pace seemed to me faster than usual and indeed he later reported getting to the turnaround point at 2:56. That is two seconds faster than I managed it several days ago. I could dimly see his outline when he came over the hill on the way back and then I started cheering when he got to Gray Street. Great run. He shaved a second off his record, which is now down to 6:42.
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| Monday, August 23, 2010. |
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Jake ran the Shawnee Mile alone, when I was at work, before the rain came. He seemed to feel it was not one of his better runs, but we do not know the time.
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| Friday, August 20, 2010. |
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It was dark when we returned home from tennis, and Jake realized that he had not run yet. I went inside to get my shoes for a Shawnee Mile and Jake resolved to run the course twice. No lights on the street, but full moon. I could neither see nor hear Jake coming until he was almost upon me, hand extended for a high-five exchange. We passed each other again when I was on the way back. When I finished, I walked around for a while waiting, then looked up at the moon with my ears on alert for his footfalls. The sound of his feet and the sound of his breathing reached me at the same instant. He ran past the mailbox at full speed, then we went for a walk together.
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| Wednesday, August 18, 2010. |
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This morning when Jake told me he was ready, we went outside and he ran the Shawnee Mile again. His time of 6:43 ties his personal record for the mile. Of course, there will be no hills on the Market Street race, so we are both excited.
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| Tuesday, August 17, 2010. |
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Jake ran the Shawnee Mile alone in the dark. His time was outside what for him is the range of acceptability, which made him feel agitated and depressed. But he is determined to try again tomorrow.
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| Sunday, August 15, 2010. |
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A sleepy rainy day. We ran the Shawnee Mile and felt energized afterwards.
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| Friday, August 13, 2010. |
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Jake and I worked out at the track. He ran 4x400 and an 800. I did 6x400. We finished in the dark.
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| Wednesday, August 11, 2010. |
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After the Cobra Lords disbanded for the day, Jake ran the Shawnee Mile in the dark. I watched, having already run earlier in the evening. Jake is in official training mode for the Market Street Mile in September.
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| Monday, August 9, 2010. |
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I just wanted to finish brushing my teeth before going outside to watch Jake run a Shawnee Mile, but he was eager to go and started without me. But I saw him finish. Looked like a solid workout.
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| Saturday, August 7, 2010. |
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Jake ran a Shawnee Mile while I watered the garden. (I would have gone with him but I had already run from the town park to the fairgrounds and back.) After a few minutes I went out to the road and watched Jake come home, sprinting hard. We walked for a bit as he cooled down, then Minna joined us and we all went to play tennis.
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| Monday, August 2, 2010. |
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Jake and Alex ran 2 miles (back-to-back Shawnee miles) while I cut the grass.
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| Saturday, July 31, 2010. |
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Sprints at the track before dinner. We warmed up by lightly running two laps, then Jake did a couple of 100s, followed by a 200, 400, and 800. I did 4x400 at race pace, with 1-minute rest intervals.
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| Friday, July 30, 2010. |
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I was warming up for a Shawnee Mile when Jake came home. He put his bike in the garage and ran out to join me. We traded high-fives and took off. Good solid run, dark at the end.
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| Thursday, July 29, 2010. |
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Jake called me at work, breathing frantically. His words (interspersed with deep breaths): "I would not be surprised if my chest were to break open and my beating heart would come bouncing out!" I knew what that meant — a hard run. And indeed, he had found himself in a record-breaking mood and so went outside to run the Shawnee Mile. He got to the turnaround point at 2:58 (his second best ever) and finished the second (uphill) half strong. His overall time was 6:46, his third best mile time.
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| Sunday, July 25, 2010. |
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I was lacing up my shoes for a quick Shawnee mile at about 9 p.m. Jake had decided to skip it this time, but it occurred to him to wonder about the date of his most recent run. I told him that it had been on Monday (actually Tuesday, but I had forgotten) and he said, "What?! What day is it today?" I told him. His response: "I have to run." So we ran. The moon was bright and there was even a pleasant breeze. He was on fire. At the turnaround point I was about 15 seconds behind, and soon I could not see him at all. I must have run the second half fairly quickly, though, because to our mutual surprise I nearly closed the gap. I first saw a dim outline of him shortly after Gray Street. He heard my footfalls and suddenly it was a race. But Jake was just too strong tonight, finishing a few seconds ahead of me. We went for a long walk to cool down, talking about the moon and about running and about other things, things that seemed interesting at the time but I no longer remember what they were.
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| Tuesday, July 20, 2010. |
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Jake got home just as I was taking off for my evening run and he quickly put on his running shoes to join me. He was in such a hurry that he forgot to take off his bike helmet. I dropped a vague hint about that, but the connection was not made. We ran. Eventually he realized what had amused me back in the garage but he was unconcerned, saying that at least if he should trip and fall then his head would still be protected.
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| Sunday, July 18, 2010. |
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It was getting dark and Jake was somewhere in the neighborhood, so I took off for a Shawnee Mile on my own. But after about 30 seconds we passed each other — he was riding his bike home. He called out that he would put on his running shoes as soon as he got home and come after me. I kept going and eventually, on the way back, heard his footsteps and then saw him in the dark. We exchanged high-fives. I waited at the finish line, again hearing him shortly before seeing his sprinting outline in the moonlight.
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| Saturday, July 17, 2010. |
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Another moonlight Shawnee Mile.
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| Friday, July 16, 2010. |
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Shawnee Mile in the dark.
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| Friday, July 9, 2010. |
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Jake and I ran the Shawnee Mile after practicing chip shots in the front yard for a while.
Lately we have been running at about 9 p.m., and tonight at that time the temperature had dropped down to the low 80s.
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| Tuesday, July 6, 2010. |
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Shawnee Mile at dusk: Jake, Alex, and me. Temperature was still hovering at 92°. Those boys are strong and fast.
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| Tuesday, June 29, 2010. |
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When I first heard Jake's voice on the phone, I thought someone had died. But no, he was breathless and excited for a different reason — a new mile PR (6:43). We had planned to run together in the evening, his last run as a 10-year-old boy, but he ran on his own this morning. He said that he just suddenly felt like he could break his record. He also reported getting to the turnaround point in 2:56. As I sit at the office writing this, I picture him running solo, down the hill and then back up, deep rhythmic breathing, aware of the clock and trying to keep his pace, focused on the road, unbreakable determination.
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| Sunday, June 27, 2010. |
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Hazard Trail at dusk. But wait: when we exited the woods, we found the road closed and the bridge in pieces. Under construction. No way to get to the hill, which was too bad because I was wearing my new watch that measures pulse rate. We decided to run back to the car and then continue on to the far end of the trail, where it hits Rt. 42, and then back to the car. Judging by our time and pace, I would call it about 3.2-3.5 miles. It was dark near the end, especially in the heavily wooded portions of the trail. Fireflies made us feel a bit dreamy.
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| Saturday, June 26, 2010. |
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Jakob and Alex ran the Shawnee Mile together. I watched. They ran fast and it was a close one. Alex, who is a year older, finished about five seconds ahead of Jake.
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| Sunday, June 20, 2010. |
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Today, Father's Day, we ran the URS 5K for Rehab (whatever that means) in Hazleton. The course was mostly straight, right down Diamond Avenue, but a bit hilly. Jake ran hard and finished in 24:16, which turned out to be 5th place in the 19-under group. And running with him put me at 4th place in my age group. I was happy to be racing in my new pink bandanna, which Jake and Minna had given me over coffee this morning.
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| Friday, June 18, 2010. |
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We ran the Shawnee 5K at noon. I felt like timing this one, which was a good call: Jake shattered his old 5K record of 23:37, I mean really blew it too smithereens! His record now stands at 22:59. I knew it was going to be a great run early on — he passed the half-mile point at 3:05 and got to the turnaround in 11 minutes. In fact, I am sure that he ran the first mile faster than he has ever run a mile before, even on a flat course, but I do not know his exact time because we never marked off a mile on the Shawnee 5K. This past winter, Jake had wondered if he would break into the 22's this year; now he wonders if he can make the 21's...
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| Wednesday, June 16, 2010. |
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Shawnee Mile. I had already done mine, so I followed Jake on my bike as he ran.
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| Monday, June 14, 2010. |
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Shawnee Mile before dinner. Long walk to cool down.
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| Saturday, June 12, 2010. |
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Today we ran the Jailbreak 5K on the grounds of a federal prison in White Deer. Paul came with us, and we met Vic and his wife there. It was an enjoyable course on paved and gravel roads, a few hills, a few deer. Jake finished in 23:41, 3 seconds from his record. This was a small race — fewer than 50 runners, I think — so the only age group prizes were for first place. Jake missed first place in the 19-under group by only 15 seconds.
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| Wednesday, June 9, 2010. |
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Shawnee Mile in a faint drizzle just before bedtime. I was a bit slow thanks to having eaten too recently, but Jake kept a good pace. By the turnaround point, he was so far ahead of me that I could no longer see him. He got to the finish line 20 or 30 seconds before I did, waiting patiently for me with his hand extended to give me a high five as I crossed the line.
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| Sunday, June 6, 2010. |
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After an hour of tennis, Minna dropped us off on Papermill Road and we ran home from there, via Denny's Hill. Exactly 2 miles. It was dark by the time we got to Shawnee Hill, and Jake actually passed me on the way up. But I caught up and we both ran hard all the way home. It took us a while to cool down and catch our breath. Minna came out with the dog and the four of us, the whole pack, walked to the field. Cool breeze and clean night air.
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| Saturday, June 5, 2010. |
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Today we ran the fourth annual JesVic 5K in Watsontown, and Jake shaved another 12 seconds off him 5K record — down to 23:37.
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| Thursday, June 3, 2010. |
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Shawnee Mile before dinner.
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| Wednesday, June 2, 2010. |
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Shawnee 5K, our first in a while. It was quite hot — 81°. We set out at a somewhat casual pace, viewing this as a tune-up for JesVic. We finished in 25:29, dripping with sweat. Jake said that during the final quarter mile he had felt slightly nauseated by the sun.
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| Monday, May 31, 2010. |
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Shawnee Mile in the dark.
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| Saturday, May 29, 2010. |
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Up early in the morning for our long drive home. We did our Fox Run course as a farewell workout, then survey the mountains and valleys one last time.
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| Friday, May 28, 2010. |
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Today we hiked — or ran, depending on how you look at it — up Chimney Rock. The sign at the bottom states that one needs about 20 minutes to climb the winding stairway of stone and wood to the top, and last time (in 2007) we did it in 5:02. This time we made it in 3:45. Actually, Jakob did. I was about 15 seconds behind. We took some photos and then took Skyline Trail to the highest point in Chimney Rock State Park. It was a quick little hike, but almost straight up.
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| Thursday, May 27, 2010. |
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We ran from our villa down to the croquet court, near the edge of Lake Lure, and back. Just two miles. There were a few decent hills, but we had conceived this route as a respite from our more test-of-mettle workouts here in the mountains. I think we were going at about 80% race pace. Still, it was work. The route took us along the golf course, though alas, not down the fairways.
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| Wednesday, May 26, 2010. |
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We measured ourselves against yet another extension to our basic route. We had found a fork along Deerfield that wound up to another part of the mountain. I must admit that Jake was the stronger runner today: three times, each at the point of yet another local maximum in the terrain, I asked if he was ready to turn back, secretly hoping the answer to be yes, but each time my question was met with the same terse response: further. When we finally reached the summit — nowhere else to go — I was glad that he had pushed me. We ran in place for a few seconds to take in the view of the hills and valleys below and then it was almost all downhill on the way back, until we got to Fox Run. But by then, the Fox Run hill seemed almost like cake. We tried to relate the intensity of the summit climb to that of a familiar workout, and we ending up agreeing that it was like 2.5 traversals of Denny's Hill back home. As for the whole route: I think it was as taxing as any course I have run other than the Strip Mine 9.
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| Tuesday, May 25, 2010. |
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Fox Run again. It is strange that we think of this as a light workout, steep as the hills are, but it is easier than our other runs here. Jakob was inspired on this one. On the relatively easy (downhill, mostly) first half, he got the feeling that he could push himself harder up the hill than he had before. True enough: we turned around at about the same time, but I never did overcome him on the ascent. Usually my longer legs carry me uphill a bit faster, but not this time. Ironically, I did catch up on the little downward stretch at the very end (usually he races downhill faster than I do).
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| Monday, May 24, 2010. |
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We extended Fox Run even further, up Deerfield Road, 2.6 miles there and back. There was a light rain as we began, which turned at length into a steady rain and from there into a downpour. Jakob loved it! He was running ahead of me, and the rain seemed to propel him forward even faster. Whenever we came to a steep hill, I went a little faster and got to the top first, but then on the downhill side he soon caught up to me. We ran up a sharp switchback and at the top we could look down and see the nearest section of it over a hundred feet below.
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| Sunday, May 23, 2010. |
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We extended our Fox Run course via Roundabout Road. More hills. Mountain air. We both felt strong and happy (and tired) at the end.
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| Saturday, May 22, 2010. |
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We are in North Carolina now. After settling in and eating dinner, we did our Fox Run run. It is a brutally hilly — no, mountainous — road that twists and turns through our section of the resort. The whole thing is just over a mile (we measured it in the car), but it is a Class A workout! Very quiet around here, trees and mountains as far as the eye can see.
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| Wednesday, May 19, 2010. |
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Half-mile sprint.
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| Tuesday, May 18, 2010. |
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Shawnee Mile.
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| Monday, May 17, 2010. |
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Another Shawnee Mile, and again Benjamin was visiting Jake and decided to run with us. We ran fast and kept in a group for most of the way, spreading out a bit near the end. Jake and Benjamin had equally excellent runs — hard to say who won (and certainly they both perceived it as a race) because Benjamin finished several seconds ahead but on the other hand he finished the first of the course half several seconds shy of our official turnaround point.
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| Sunday, May 16, 2010. |
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Shawnee Mile before dinner. Benjamin was visiting, so he ran most of the way with us, diverging at the point where we passed his house on Cherry Hill and cutting through a neighbor's yard to get there. Jake and I ran on, turning an initially somewhat sluggish workout into a solid one by the time we were done.
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| Friday, May 14, 2010. |
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Half mile sprint — the easy (mostly downhill) half of the Shawnee Mile. Jakob and I finished in 2:40 and 2:49. Not bad. We both have the feeling that personal records will drop like flies this summer.
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| Thursday, May 13, 2010. |
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Shawnee Mile before lunch. Beautiful, about 60°. I had planned to run at 80-90% race pace, but we both felt strong and it turned into an all-outer. Jake took the lead on the downhill part before the turnaround, but I caught him on the way back up. We ran side by side for most of the way home, though at the very end I opened up the slimmest of leads — perhaps two seconds — and held it. We went for a walk to catch our breath and cool down, talking about our upcoming North Carolina trip and the running we will do there on the hills and (when nobody is awake to see us) on the golf course.
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| Wednesday, May 12, 2010. |
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Again: racquetball followed by a Shawnee Mile with Jakob. Our pace was perhaps a bit slower than yesterday's, but it was still a solid (though brief) workout.
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| Tuesday, May 11, 2010. |
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I came home this morning from a few hours of racquetball and felt like running, so Jake and I did the Shawnee Mile at about 90% race pace.
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| Saturday, May 8, 2010. |
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We drove to Williamsport and ran a race called the May Day 5K. Jake shaved a few seconds off his 5K record, down now to 23:49. He passed the first mile marker at 7:14. I forget the other splits, but he must have slowed a little at the end (did not seem like it). Still, he picked up a medal for second in the 14-and-under group. The most exciting moment was early in the race, when the runners were still bunched up. Another boy close to Jake's age passed him with a burst of speed, but Jake kept a steady pace and eventually overtook him. Then moments later the boy sprinted past again, and again Jake eventually overtook him. This went on for several rounds, until finally the other boy abandoned his misadventure, falling far behind and sinking into obscurity.
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| Wednesday, May 5, 2010. |
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Just to see where things stand, we decided to time ourselves on the Shawnee Mile. We went out just before dinner, but at the last moment Jake decided that he felt like he needed some fuel and decided to go after dinner. I ran it alone and had my best time in ages. Then, later in the evening, Jake ran (a little nervous perhaps, since we had not timed our runs in many months) and I biked behind him. I could tell he was keeping a magnificent pace, and in fact he got to the turn-around point one second more quickly than I had. He made it back up the hill in good time and then found a rhythm. Finally I had to say it — he was in PR (personal record) territory. At that point, he would later tell me, he felt like he was about to explode. But he held it all together and in the end managed to shave two seconds off his lifetime mile record, crossing the line at 6:45. Imagine if he had run a flat mile!
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| Sunday, May 2, 2010. |
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Today we ran the annual Sick Trail Run, a 4.5 mile race on a family farm in Millville. Probably our toughest course. Very hilly (there is even at one point a rope that you can use for support as you trudge up a slope) and pretty — it twists and turns through forest trails and open pastures. Wildflowers everywhere. Jakob's time was 42:36, and that with over half a minute lost when he felt low enough to stop and check his blood sugar (but it was okay). Though it was hot, we were graced with a pleasant and continuous drizzle.
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| Wednesday, April 28, 2010. |
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Shawnee Mile. Ben rode his bike alongside us.
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| Sunday, April 25, 2010. |
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A new kind of run today: first we did a casual Shawnee Mile (casual except for the mad sprint at the end, of course) as warm-up; then, feeling loose and still fresh, we drove to Red Mill, parked there and ran across the road into the Foxtail area. It is not a long run, but the hills are very steep. Beautiful views at the top of the loop — big houses with lots of greenery and interesting landscaping, green hills rolling away into the distance. The course finishes on a long straight downhill piece of road, which we dashed down like maniacs. |
| Saturday, April 24, 2010. |
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We hiked part of the Appalachian Trail in the Delaware Water Gap with Sodium today, arriving just moments after he did, at 10 a.m. We all packed our gear and then started up to Sunfish Pond, where we saw water snakes and ate lunch on a picturesque overlook. Then we looped back along a green-blazed trail, shady and rocky, through woods and over streams. We saw water striders, caddisflies in their underwater cases, and Jakob found a slime mold (confirmed by Sodium) under a section of old rotting bark. It was 4:30 when we got back to the car and said goodbye to Sodium. Jake dozed in the car on the way home. So did I, almost.
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| Sunday, April 18, 2010. |
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Jakob and I ran the Shawnee Mile with Ben bicycling beside us. Minna was working in the yard, landscaping. We showed Ben our traditional mad sprint at the end. Then we walked to Gray Street and back, Ben still on his bike. Jake took off like a rocket and Ben pursued. Eventually the bike proved too much of an advantage, but it was a good race while it lasted.
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| Saturday, April 17, 2010. |
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Today Jakob ran his first organized 10K — the Robbins 5K and 10K, part of the River Towns Race Series. The course is a tree-lined trail that parallels Mahoning Creek. Mostly flat. Jake won first place in his 6-10 age group. In fact, he was the only 10K runner under 12 years of age. His official time was 53:40, but we lost a minute due to a stupid navigational error on my part — somehow I missed a sign and made a wrong turn, but at least we noticed the error quickly and were able to backtrack and get back on course. Anyway, I picked up a 3rd place age group trophy just by running with Jake. Mike and Alex were there, too, and Alex won first place in the 11-15 age group. We were all exhausted afterwards. It was a fun course, a good crowd and a great start to our 2010 racing season.
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| Friday, April 16, 2010. |
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Shawnee Mile.
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| Wednesday, April 14, 2010. |
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Perfect running weather today: about 65°. We ran our 4-mile Denny's Hill course. Then we cooled down with a short walk, talking about sums of polynomials.
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| Wednesday, April 7, 2010. |
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Jake introduced Tanner to the Shawnee Mile. They ran it together, or at least simultaneously — even at a casual pace, Jake opened up a wide lead. He sprinted the last leg, from Gray Street to our mailbox, and then he ran back to meet Tanner. I came outside just as they were racing past the finish line.
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| Monday, April 5, 2010. |
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Shawnee Mile, fast and hard, before supper. I was mildly surprised that Jake was able to sustain such a pace, given that he had biked 20K with Iron earlier in the afternoon.
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| Sunday, April 4, 2010. |
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We ran from Irondale out to Walmart along back roads. It was generally flat, but there was fairly serious hill at the turnaround point. We estimate the total distance to be about 4 miles.
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| Saturday, April 3, 2010. |
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A roamer in 72° weather, though it felt warmer. Both of us felt a bit sluggish in the beginning, but it turned out to be a long and enjoyable run. We started on Irondale and followed the Hazard Hill route as far as Hemlock, except for a detour into a wooded and rocky area that Jake had wanted to explore. Our path eventually dead-ended into an impassable creek, so we retraced our steps back to the road. We discovered a new neighborhood with hilly little roads and very modest but pleasant houses. Ferncliff Road in particular was quite a climb. At the top we could see the town cemetery on a ridge in the distance. Not sure how long we ran — lost track of time.
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| Wednesday, March 31, 2010. |
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Shawnee Mile on a warm evening.
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| Monday, March 22, 2010. |
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Shawnee Mile at 9:30 p.m. Very dark — no street lights. Then we walked the dog to the field.
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| Sunday, March 21, 2010. |
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A fairly casual Shawnee Mile before lunch, but still our hearts were beating fast. And we did sprint the last 50 meters. Then we ran backwards from the mulberry to the mailbox.
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| Saturday, March 20, 2010. |
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We felt like running but wanted something new. At the same time, we did not want it to be a long one, since we had just finished an afternoon of fairly heavy work in the garden. So we mapped out a new route in the neighborhood, and after much discussion we both agreed that it was at least a mile, possible slightly more.
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| Friday, March 19, 2010. |
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Hazard Trail. Jake was eager to deviate from the course and explore the lands beyond the river, but in the end we decided to try that another time. But after the run, we cooled off by exploring the reservoir for a short while.
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| Thursday, March 18, 2010. |
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We extended our Shawnee Mile to Mrs. D.'s house and back. The whole thing was a pleasant 1.7-mile workout in early spring warmth.
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| Wednesday, March 17, 2010. |
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Shawnee Mile. Then we went for a long walk and, upon returning home, raced backwards from the Mulberry tree in the back yard up to the mailbox.
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| Tuesday, March 16, 2010. |
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Shawnee Mile. Jakob had biked 20 km earlier in the day, but that did not slow him down.
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| Monday, March 15, 2010. |
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Jakob felt a bit blue when I got home, but we cured that with a Shawnee Mile. There was a cold drizzle coming down, but that is no problem for running machines such as we are. We cooled down afterward by walking to the field and back. I saw Tanner come outside. He caught up to us and asked how far we run, if we do it every day, etc. I guess he has seen us from his window. He wondered if he and Jakob could run together at some point, and we all agreed that that would be great.
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| Sunday, March 14, 2010. |
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4 miles tonight, an extended version of our Denny's Hill run.
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| Saturday, March 13, 2010. |
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Dark, windy, rainy, but Jakob really wanted to run. We had been inside all day, playing ping pong and writing Python programs. I hesitated for a moment, considering the weather, but then realized that we are on the cusp of greatness — 7 consecutive daily runs. And both of us are curious to see how far we can push that. So we ran the Shawnee Mile. Hard to see with the rain in our eyes, and at the turnaround Jakob, who was slightly ahead, passed me and said something, but the wind was too loud for me to make it out. I almost caught him at the top of the hill, but then he started to pull away again. By the time I was at Gray Street, I felt a strong breeze at my back and a sudden burst of energy, though it was not quite enough. I crossed the line about 3 seconds after Jake. Despite the weather, we went for a short walk to catch our breath.
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| Friday, March 12, 2010. |
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It was cold and rainy, but Jakob wanted to beat our record for consecutive daily runs. We did the Shawnee Mile. The record is now 6 days in a row. Not sure about tomorrow — constant downpours projected. Today, Jake and I were side-by-side at the top of the hill on the way back, but soon I found myself behind, trying to keep pace. I was not optimistic about my prospects, but I got my second wind in the last quarter mile. With only meters remaining, I pulled ahead. I think I crossed the finish line first, perhaps half an arm's length separating us, but we might have tied.
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| Thursday, March 11, 2010. |
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Shawnee Mile. A bit colder now. I felt woefully sluggish at first, but then warmed up nicely. At the turnaround, Jake was already ahead of me, though not by much. I almost caught him on the hill, but when he heard my footsteps he picked up the pace. I knew it was over. Could not catch him. He finished a good ten seconds ahead. And we tied our record for consecutive daily runs.
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| Wednesday, March 10, 2010. |
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Today we ran 3.8 miles on a new course: starting from the house, down to 5th Street and then over to 487, crossing at the light; then down Denny's hill and about a mile further to the quarry. The tough part, of course, is coming back up Denny's. But we managed. In fact, both of us felt like it was a little easier than anticipated. It made Shawnee hill, the dramatic finale of our 5K route, seem easy by comparison. When we got there, Jakob mockingly called it Peanut hill.
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| Tuesday, March 9, 2010. |
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Shawnee Mile.
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| Monday, March 8, 2010. |
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We ran our Hazard Hill course. Quite pleasant on the way out, but a hard climb up. I ran a little bit ahead and, when the barn came into view, thought that it was not as difficult as I had remembered. But then running around the bend I realized that the peak I had ascended was just a modest local maximum — the real hill loomed into view. My legs were burning by the time I got to the top. Jakob was not far behind. We ran in place for a few moments, taking in the view — the barn, color of rust, stood out against the wheat fields and the lights at the airport came on in the distance. When we resumed, Jake opened up a sizable lead, as he always does on the downhills. In fact, at points he slowed and trotted backwards until I came into sight again, but even when we were on level ground, over the bridge and then down the trail by the river bank, I could not catch him. Finally, though, with only a hundred yards or so remaining, I caught up and even managed to pass him. I arrived at the car about five seconds ahead of him. I note, however, that he had sacrificed a good twenty or thirty seconds waiting for me as we came down the hill. We exchanged high-fives, walked around trying to catch our breath, and decided that this was our inaugural training run for the upcoming (May 2) Sick Trail race in Millville.
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| Sunday, March 7, 2010. |
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We ran the Shawnee 5K, first time in quite a while. Spring, it seems, is here: we ran in shorts, enjoying the clear 55° afternoon. It was a pleasant to realize that all of our other winter activities seem to have kept us in reasonable running form.
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| Monday, March 1, 2010. |
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I was hungry and cold when I got home, but Jakob wanted to run. It had been a while. So we took off for a Shawnee Mile and, happily, neither of us felt at all rusty. It was a good hard run, from beginning to end.
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| Saturday, February 20, 2010. |
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Finally a running day. The snow is melting and the roads are clear. Jake and I ran the Shawnee mile. We were a bit rusty, perhaps, but still I was surprised that we found an early rhythm and maintained a quite respectable pace. The sprint at the end left us both gasping for air, as it always does, and gave us a feeling of peaceful exhaustion.
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| Saturday, January 23, 2010. |
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Cold, about 40°, but we ran in shorts and long sleeves again, a 40-minute run starting on Draketown Road. I wonder how our elevation changes during the course of the first mile — it is all uphill. There is a fork at about the 2-mile point, and this time we went the other way, to the right. It took us down a long hill as steep as the one we had just climbed. We ended up on Fowlersville Road, which we followed all the way to Horse Farm Road (familiar territory) and a little beyond. My hands were frozen, but otherwise we both felt great.
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| Saturday, January 16, 2010. |
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Our first run of the year on the first somewhat mild day in quite a while. We actually ran in shorts and long sleeves. Minna drove us out to Draketown Road, just off 487 near the tennis courts, which she and Jake discovered a few days ago on a walk with the dog. The plan was for us to run as far as we could in 40 minutes, after which Minna would pick us up. The road began with a mile-long ascent, fairly steep. It took us through rolling farmland, cow pastures, wheat fields, up and down, a barking dog or two threatening us from behind fences. Plenty of side roads to explore on future missions. Draketown eventually dumped us onto SR 93, where we continued briefly before crossing into Orangeville and somehow ending up on 487 again. It was not long until our 40 minutes had passed. We marked the occasion with an exchange of high-fives. Minna found us shortly thereafter, surprised that we had gotten so far.
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| Monday, December 28, 2009. |
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We ran about five miles, following our 5K route initially, but turning to the right at Treeline to the Oak-Maple-Chestnut loop, then over to Crestwood and down to Spyglass Hill. Coming back, of course, was a hard climb. Jake checked the temperature before we left — 30°. We were met at the end by a few snow flurries.
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| Sunday, December 27, 2009. |
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We ran the Shawnee mile this afternoon. Bright and mild, quiet as a cemetary.
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| Friday, December 25, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile on Christmas night. It was cold, of course, but not in a biting way. We both ran at a steady pace, though Jake was a bit faster. He was about 40 meters ahead of me at the turnaround point, and we traded high-fives as we passed each other. I gradually closed that gap, though Jake seemed to increase his pace whenever I got close. By Gray Street I no longer felt sluggish and managed to hold my own in a sprint with him. We crossed the line simultaneously, as far as either of us could tell. Afterward, walking down the road to catch our breath, Jake felt a slug drop on him from the overhanging branch of a maple.
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| Sunday, December 13, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile in the morning! It's not often that we run in the morning, but the mood struck us. We had been sitting next to the tree, thinking about its distinct Douglas Fir scent, gray light filtering in through the window. When we got outside, we found that it was actually sleeting, but just enough to make it enjoyable. Perhaps it was slightly hazardous because at the turn-around point, bottom of the hill, we both slipped on an icy patch: I caught myself at the last microsecond, but Jake went down to knees and elbows — just for an instant before regaining himself. We both felt strong and alive on the way home.
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| Saturday, December 12, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile at dusk. Christmas lights were already shining. Biting cold. We walked down to the other end of Shawnee afterwards, catching our breath and talking about the possibility of running with Sodium someday — perhaps when Jake and Victoria are home from college and we all gather for the holidays.
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| Tuesday, December 8, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile in the dark. It was cold.
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| Sunday, December 6, 2009. |
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Jake and I ran from McCormick Hall to some steep roads behind the hospital and then onto a trail in the woods near Upper Campus. On the bridge over Lightstreet Road, Jake slipped on a patch of ice and went flying, but he popped up instantly, unhurt, ready to continue. The trail, which we had never run before, was actually a network of several interconnected paths, still covered with yesterday's snow and a bit muddy.
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| Saturday, November 28, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile at dusk on a cold day. We ran side-by-side the whole way, even during the sprint at the end.
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| Thursday, November 26, 2009. |
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We did the Hazard (as we call Hassert Lane) course again for our fifth annual Thanksgiving Day run. Iron and the dog came with us. They walked out part of the way and turned back just in time for us all to converge on the car almost simultaneously. It was dusk when we started, and at the top of the hill we paused (running in place, or course) to survey the lights coming on across the valley. Jake ran far ahead of me on the way down — he always run down the hills faster than I do. Then we ran side-by-side back to the rail trail and on to the car.
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| Sunday, November 22, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile. Cold and breezy, though afterwards we had warmed up enough to cut my hair on the deck: I wielded the razor as Jake identified missed spots.
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| Saturday, November 21, 2009. |
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Jake and Iron had discovered a new course while walking the dog last week, and since then he has been eager to take me on a run there. We started at the water treatment plant, near the Irondale Inn, following a gravel trail to the Fernville area of Bloomsburg, over the bridge, down a few quiet streets edged by small houses, and finally to Hassert Lane — a gravel road that weaves gradually up a hill and then, suddenly, becomes quite steep. We ran past a corn field, an old barn, and kept going up, breathing hard, coming at length to a high ridge overlooking the whole town and the hills beyond the Susquehanna. The return trip was entirely downhill for a while, then flat to the end. Not sure about the total distance — somewhere between 2 and 2½ miles.
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| Monday, November 16, 2009. |
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Jake and I ran the Shawnee Mile this evening. It was colder today. We talked for a few minutes about the events of the day, but at some point I became aware of a long silence, our heavy breathing the only sounds to be heard. Jake started sprinting sooner than I would have if I had been on my own. We crossed the finish line simultaneously and went for our usual walk down the road, watching the stars come out.
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| Sunday, November 15, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile at dusk, right after a 5-mile bike ride with Iron. There were some fairly intense hills and our legs felt rubbery at the end, but we still wanted to do the run. Our pace was casual, at least until hitting Gray Street on the way back, when we simultaneously shifted into sprinting gear without a word exchanged. Photo finish. We walked back to the field after that, just to cool down, and it was very dark by the time we got home.
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| Saturday, November 14, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile in the dark. Jake finished about 30 seconds ahead of me, and Iron was waiting at the mailbox when we returned. The night air was cool but pleasant. We went for a walk and tried to imagine the descendants of humans, if there will be any, at the time the sun dies, five billion years from now.
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| Sunday, November 8, 2009. |
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A warm spring day in November. We ran the Shawnee Mile in shorts.
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| Saturday, November 7, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile. After running it, we walked it, absorbed in discussion of the centroid and circumcenter of a triangle. We also worked out a geometric way of approximating π.
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| Sunday, November 1, 2009. |
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We ran a new route, exactly 5 miles long, following Ridge Road towards Berwick. It is straight and flat in parts, hilly and winding elsewhere. Jake decided to christen it the Cornfield Run because of the many corn fields along the way. We started shortly before dusk and it was dark during the last fifteen minutes. Full moon low in the sky. The corn stalks, being dry and withered, made a plaintive rustling sound in the wind.
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| Sunday, October 25, 2009. |
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We ran the Shawnee 5K today. We enjoyed the hard breathing, making our hearts beat fast, watching the bright yellow maples along the road, the occasional exchange of thoughts and plans. It was a good run, untimed, which is the way Jake prefers it nowadays, and we felt strong and happy afterward.
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| Monday, October 19, 2009. |
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Jake ran the Shawnee Mile in 7:00. I missed this one (at work). But Iron saw it — she took the dog to the field and watched Jake go.
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| Sunday, October 18, 2009. |
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Papermill again. Great running weather — lower 50s on a quiet autumn afternoon. Our time, 15:52, was not spectacular but we are satisfied. We had been cooped up in the house for several days, thanks to rain and snow, so it felt good to get outside and run again.
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| Wednesday, October 14, 2009. |
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We ran the Papermill 2-miler today in brisk autumn weather (our first run of the season in long-sleeved shirts). Iron came along and walked with the dog. Jake and I finished in 15:37. I really like that course, especially the last half mile, which is a long gravel-road straightaway through the fields, slightly descending.
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| Sunday, October 11, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile in 7:01. The air is crisp and the maples are turning red at the tops.
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| Saturday, October 10, 2009. |
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Shawnee 5K in 24:07. That is Jake's third best 5K time (and he did it on a hilly course).
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| Sunday, October 4, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile in 7:01.
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| Saturday, October 3, 2009. |
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We went out to Sawmill Road and found a new course, starting from the field next to the church. It was relatively flat, but there was one substantial hill. In the beginning, Jake was ahead and had to slow down a few times for me to catch up, but that was a pace that he could not sustain, and I closed the gap shortly before the turnaround point, where we were barked at by a fierce dog who ran right up to the edge of his property, threatening to kill us. A little further on, Jake said that he felt as if he had flamed out, and indeed he had slowed a bit, but his shoulder cramps eventually subsided and we managed a good pace for the rest of the run. The moon and sun were out at the same time, and we saw pumpkins in some of the yards. Afterwards we walked to the edge of the field and watched the sun go down and the stars come out. Horses were grazing on hills out near the radio tower.
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| Monday, September 28, 2009. |
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Jake was primed for a roamer all day long. When I got home, we settled on a quasi-roamer: unplanned route but for a set period of time. After lively negotiations, we settled on 50 minutes. We took off in the direction of Tower Road. I think we once biked around there, but neither of us had run it. We followed the road out to Route 11, up and down some fairly intense hills, with views of corn fields and the forest on the other side of the Susquehanna. Along the way we scared a pair of hedgehogs, or so I thought: "Groundhogs, Beryllium, not hedgehogs", said Jake, "Hedgehogs live in Africa." I looked it up — he was right. Anyway, by the end of the run we were both hungry and tired. Iron was waiting for us in the garage and Jake told her that this was one of his ten toughest runs ever.
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| Wednesday, September 23, 2009. |
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We ran the Shawnee 5K today in the rain. Beautiful gray skies, gloomy and majestic. We are not timing these runs in September, the first phase of our Pumpkin Run preparations. Still, it was a good pace. Jake would fade a bit at the start of a hill, just for a few moments, then he would turn it up a notch until he caught up. Our sprint at the end was the usual photo finish.
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| Sunday, September 20, 2009. |
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Starting at the park, along the river, past corn fields, to the fair grounds and back, a nice, flat 5.4 mile run.
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| Thursday, September 17, 2009. |
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We ran the Shawnee 5K at a casual pace, a hint of autumn chill in the air, talking about binary, octal and hexadecimal conversions — Jake was working them out in his head. He also calculated our ages in base-5. We talked about numbers that have infinite decimal expansions in one base but finite expansions in another. At the end of Treeline, I told him that the first rocky exoplanet was recently discovered, and he asked how scientists estimate the mass and composition of planets, which lead us to talk about how Neptune's existence was predicted by perturbations in the orbit of Uranus (he already knew exactly the years in which those planets had been discovered). Once we cleared the hill on Shawnee, our pace gradually increased with no words spoken, our breathing became more audible and somewhere around the Watch Children sign we broke into a sprint. Got him by about 4 inches!
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| Sunday, September 13, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile at a moderate pace with our traditional mad sprint at the end.
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| Wednesday, September 9, 2009. |
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Jake greeted me at the door as I returned from work, eager to run the Sawmill 2.7 miler. We had not been out there in a while. Novel twist: we went counter clockwise, which was quite nice because that way the run ends on a short and straight stretch after the downside of the steepest hill. Jake opened up an early lead, as usual, but I caught up to him just as the radio tower came into sight, about 3/4 of the way to the end. We saw flocking crows and storm clouds, but the rain never came.
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| Sunday, September 6, 2009. |
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We started our 5K season today, running the Shawnee 5K under a bright afternoon sky, 81°. Mercury is leaving this evening. She and Iron started us off and then waited at the finish line, cheering Jake as we sprinted to a photo finish.
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| Wednesday, September 2, 2009. |
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Jake was primed for a roamer, so we ran through upper campus for 45 minutes as the sun set. Our route took us along grassy paths where we startled a few deer and many rabbits. |
| Sunday, August 30, 2009. |
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Jake ran the Shawnee Mile solo. He had started out trying to catch up with Mercury, but it turns out that she had taken a different route. I rode a bike down the hill and met Jake at Hartman's mailbox, and from there we returned home together — easy work for me on the bike.
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| Friday, August 28, 2009. |
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Jake finished second place in the Market Street Half-Mile with a time of 3:09. I ran the fastest mile of my life. The race was poorly organized and there was some kind of problem with the timing — they recorded my time as 5:36, but I know that it was more like 5:45 (still easily a personal record). That also puts me at second place in my age group, but this was not discovered until the following day (which means that someone else got my medal). Anyway, our mile season is over, and we are ready to start thinking about autumn 5Ks.
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| Thursday, August 27, 2009. |
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Our last workout before the Market Street Races. We ran the Shawnee half mile. Jake did it in 2:52 and I got there in 2:36. We are ready for tomorrow, although Jake still feels frustrated — he was a few seconds faster at this time last year. But he has prepared well and I know that he will, as always, run his very hardest tomorrow.
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| Wednesday, August 26, 2009. |
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We ran a mile by the Susquehanna. It's a mostly flat out-and-back. Jake's time was 6:59, which makes it an A run.
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| Monday, August 24, 2009. |
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Shawnee half-mile again. Jake's time was 2:52. He feels a little frustrated because his times are comparable to those of last year. But just wait...there will be plenty of bright shining moments as he grows towards his fullest strength.
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| Saturday, August 22, 2009. |
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We ran the Shawnee half-mile after an hour of tennis to loosen up. Jake crossed the finish line at 2:53. Good solid run. We walked back slowly, feeling strong, not talking much, ready for dinner.
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| Thursday, August 20, 2009. |
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Jake timed me on the Shawnee Mile and then I timed him on the half-mile, which he finished in 2:53. Then we walked back up the hill together and went home to shower.
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| Tuesday, August 18, 2009. |
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We went to the track but it was crowded — football practice. So we drove down to the river and ran our half-mile course, which is straight and flat. Jake finished in 3:13.
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| Sunday, August 16, 2009. |
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We ran the downhill half of the Shawnee Mile. Jake flew across the finish line in 2:55, exactly the goal he had set for himself before we started. I had thought we might both be sluggish because we had worked a lot on the garden fence this weekend and the day was winding down. But you never can tell when conditions are ripe for an extra strong run.
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| Thursday, August 13, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile in the hot sun. Jake did it in 7:06, which is quite solid. I had a decent time as well, 6:32.
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| Tuesday, August 11, 2009. |
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Half-mile sprint from the mailbox down to the end of Shawnee. I felt good and got there a few seconds ahead of Jake, but he had a good solid run. We both agree that preparations for the Market Street races are going as planned.
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| Sunday, August 9, 2009. |
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We ran the Shawnee 5K (first time in quite a while) in 24:51.
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| Saturday, August 8, 2009. |
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Sprints at the track after a day of garden fence construction. We were tired, but once we got to the track we felt ready to go. Our times were not spectacular, but solid enough.
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| Wednesday, August 5, 2009. |
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A hard half-mile sprint again, in the evening. We walked back quietly in the dark.
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| Sunday, August 2, 2009. |
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We raced from the mailbox to the far end of the road, exactly half a mile. Jake's time was 2:53. I caught him near the bottom of the hill, right near the end, finishing just two seconds ahead.
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| Saturday, August 1, 2009. |
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Today we began our preparations for the Market Street races at the end of the month. Jake will compete in the half mile — his last chance, since next year he will be in the first age group (11 - 14) for the mile competition. We kicked off our training with the Shawnee Mile, our first timed workout in a while. Jake finished in 7:11, which, I think, is a solid start.
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| Tuesday, July 28, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile. First half felt slow, but we picked it up on the way back.
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| Saturday, July 25, 2009. |
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We hiked Rickett's Glen with Eric and Emily. Jake avoided every bridge, tramping through streams instead.
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| Sunday, July 19, 2009. |
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We ran the Shawnee Mile, again planning to go out casually but it never turns out that way. Jake won easily. We capped it with a ten-minute walk and then another race: from the mulberry at the bottom of the yard, up to the mailbox, backwards.
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| Saturday, July 18, 2009. |
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Jake wanted to run a roamer. We parked on campus and ran across the bridge, past the hospital, up a long and steep hill, along a ridge with a wide view of the lands across the river, down side roads, eventually crossing Iron Street, through a little enclave of houses tucked away on the other side, then back. Took about an hour.
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| Wednesday, July 15, 2009. |
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Another Shawnee Mile tune-up. Jakob utterly destroyed me. My legs felt like lead — that was part of it, but he had a good run, too. We started out together, but then, as he noted afterwards, he could not resist the temptation to break out.
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| Sunday, July 12, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile. Hot and sunny. We both felt a bit sluggish at first, but it was a solid workout. Jake finished at least 20 seconds ahead of me.
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| Wednesday, July 8, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile at dusk, untimed. It was supposed to be a light tune-up, but of course Jake opened up an early lead and it turned out to be insurmountable. By the time I got down to the hill, he was already headed back. Neigbhors sitting on their porches watched and waved. When Jake crossed the finish line, I could not even see him. But I think it was precisely at the moment when I passed Gray Street. All that biking is keeping him in fine running form.
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| Saturday, June 27, 2009. |
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Jakob and I hiked part of the AT, from Hamburg to Port Clinton. The round trip was slightly over 12 miles. The trail had a little bit of everything as far as terrain goes (steep hills, creeks, rocks, etc.) but no vistas. At one point it intersected Rt. 61, actually passing under a section of the road and paralleling the Susquehanna for a while. Both of us picked up a few cuts and scrapes, but nothing major. We were on the trail for 7½ hours (and on the road for 3 hours, there and back). We talked a lot about our eventual traversal of the whole AT (probably to be broken into two consecutive summers), as well as hiking in the Swiss Alps. We also had a productive discussion of derivatives in calculus. This was Jake's final hike as a person of single-digit age.
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| Thursday, June 25, 2009. |
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Our first track workout in a long time. It was brutally hot. Pole vaulters from the track team were practicing at the far end of the football field. Jake was disappointed in his times, but I thought he ran well.
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| Tuesday, June 23, 2009. |
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Jake and I hiked one of the Pinnacle trails, part of the Appalachian. At Pulpit Rock, which offers a spectacular view of the surrounding hills and mountains, I reached for the trunk of a small tree to balance myself for the last step up to a little overhanging shelf of rock, but pulled it back with a start: there was a huge black snake coiled around the tree. Must have been about 6 feet long. Later, Jake discovered a pond that had never been seen before by human eyes, or at least we imagined it so, and he officially named it (as discovers are entitled to do) Peaceful Pond.
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| Thursday, June 18, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile. It was supposed to be just a tune-up, untimed, but as it progressed we started feeling stronger and the pack instinct caused us to pick up the pace. It was drizzling as we took off and pouring down rain as we finished. Jakob had, as usual, taken an early lead, but I managed catch him right at the end, just barely, in a mad sprint. We walked around in the rain and then sat on the swing for a while.
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| Wednesday, June 10, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile in 7:07.
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| Saturday, June 6, 2009. |
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We ran the JesVic 5K in 24:19. That's Jakob's best time on that particular course, and his fifth best 5K time overall. There were 335 runners and we were 70th and 71st. Actually, Jakob won a medal for finishing third in his age group (14 and under). The two in his group ahead of him were ages 11 (not far ahead) and 14. The weather was better this year (60° at race time).
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| Thursday, June 4, 2009. |
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Half-mile sprint in 2:55 from the mailbox down to the bottom of Shawnee.
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| Wednesday, June 3, 2009. |
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We ran the Shawnee 5K today, our last one before JesVic, in absolutely perfect weather: cloudy, drizzly, 56°. Jakob was the stronger runner today, finishing ahead of me and registering his second-best 5K time ever. It was 24 minutes flat. I think we're ready for JesVic.
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| Monday, June 1, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile in 6:50! Minna biked beside him. I missed it — cutting the grass.
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| Saturday, May 30, 2009. |
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Shawnee 5K in 25:18.
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| Monday, May 25, 2009. |
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Shawnee 5K in 25:30. Feels very hot but the thermometer says only 75°. Anyway, we're dripping with sweat. Jakob's shoe lace came untied as we ascended the last hill, but he kept going.
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| Friday, May 22, 2009. |
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Two workouts today: a short run in the morning (one mile) and in the afternoon we hiked Whiteside Mountain trail. Lovely terrain with top-of-the-world views of sheer cliffs and conifer forests stretching out at least to infinity. The edge of one of the lookouts was a sharp drop of several thousand feet.
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| Thursday, May 21, 2009. |
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Jakob discovered a cordoned-off dirt road near the villa. Turned out to be a beautiful running trail with long straightaways and steep switchbacks. We ran on the road for about half an hour before looping back to the ski slope, which we ran (slowly) up and sprinted down. After that, we cooled off by walking a few laps around the quarter-mile track near the community center.
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| Wednesday, May 20, 2009. |
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We hiked Glen Falls today. It was a three-hour out-and-back which paralleled a creek for a while before ascending steadily to a series of picturesque lookouts.
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| Tuesday, May 19, 2009. |
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Jakob and I are in NC this week. We hiked part of White Water Falls, like last year, but we did not follow it all the way out because of reports of many copperheads. But back at the top we found a number of rocky slopes to climb up, with each other's help, grasping roots and little crevices in the rock for support. We also discovered another trail near the top, called the Foothils Trail, and followed it as it wound away and back for about half an hour. Later we went swimming and played ping pong.
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| Friday, May 15, 2009. |
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Jakob ran the Shawnee Mile in 7:06 with Minna biking beside him. I was cutting the grass but finished in time to watch him on the last quarter mile.
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| Saturday, May 9, 2009. |
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Another Shawnee Mile. Just a tune-up — untimed. Hot today.
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| Friday, May 8, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile. It's beautiful outside — mild and gray, by turns still and breezy. Jakob had stomach cramps earlier so he did not want to time the run. Our pace was more than decent, though. It was a pleasant workout.
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| Tuesday, May 5, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile in 7:11 on a beautiful cool gray afternoon. We walked back to Gray Street afterwards, just to relax, and from there Jakob was inspired to sprint back to the house.
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| Saturday, May 2, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile in 6:59.
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| Tuesday, April 28, 2009. |
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Shawnee 5K in 25:40. Jakob always opens up a quick lead, while I keep a steady pace, and it's taking longer and longer for me to close the gap. Today it took about 20 minutes. After the run we walked back to the house and from there Jakob broke into a sprint towards the other end of Shawnee, down the hill and back, just to wrap things up properly.
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| Sunday, April 26, 2009. |
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First hot day of the year. We ran about a mile and a half on an extremely hilly trail out in Milleville.
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| Sunday, April 19, 2009. |
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We ran the Robbins 5K in Danville, a pretty trail run, in 24:48.
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| Wednesday, April 15, 2009. |
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Our first Shawnee 5K of the season: 24:41.
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| Saturday, April 11, 2009. |
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Sprints at the track this evening. Chilly and very windy.
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| Sunday, April 5, 2009. |
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We started the Fairgrounds run (5.4 Miles), getting to the turnaround point at 21:15, an excellent pace. On the way back, however, Jakob started feeling his sugars drop. By the time we reached the 38-minute mark, with less than a mile to go, he was certain that he was low. So we did not accomplish exactly what we set out to do, but it was still a good run, close to 5 miles long, and we felt pleasantly exhausted when we got home.
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| Tuesday, March 31, 2009. |
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We ran from the park again, out to the fairgrounds, but this time we went all the way to Route 11. We reached the turnaround point at 23:30 and finished at 49:38. I measured it afterwards in the car as 5.4 miles.
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| Saturday, March 28, 2009. |
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Our first timed Shawnee Mile of the year. Jakob finished in 7:13 and I got there in 7:25. We're gearing up for the Sick Trail Run at the end of April.
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| Wednesday, March 18, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile at dusk. It was the first time, Jakob noted, that we have run on four consecutive days.
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| Tuesday, March 17, 2009. |
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We ran a long one by the Susquehanna, starting at the park and heading out to the fairgrounds, bordering woods and empty fields. The sun set shortly after we began and the lights of Bloomsburg were coming on in the distance. Geese cut across the fields. It was actually quite spooky, as Jakob noted, where the road twists into a swampy area and continues past abandoned shacks with giant sycamores forming a canopy overhead. When we got back to the park it was pitch black. We retraced our route in the car — 4.9 miles — and both of us were pleasantly exhausted.
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| Monday, March 16, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile.
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| Sunday, March 15, 2009. |
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We ran by the Susquehanna River this afternoon, out to the bridge and (for the first time) over, following the pedestrian path. On the other side we took a little gravel path in the direction of Wonderview, but it did not go very far before the terrain became too rocky. We ran back along the railroad tracks, under the bridge, but again the terrain became tricky. So we returned to the gravel path and tried a little offshoot that eventually took us to private property. Out of attractive options, we decided to return to the Bloomsburg side. Right as we got back to the tracks, though, a freight train appeared out of nowhere and roared past. We ran in place for a while, just watching and listening to the train. Back on the bridge, about halfway over, Jakob said that he could not even describe how much fun he was having. We retraced our route and ran parallel to the river, a long flat stretch, past the park and out towards the fairgrounds, recalling bits of poetry from Tolkien (the road goes ever on and on...) and Dr. Suess (we run for fun in the hot hot sun).
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| Saturday, March 7, 2009. |
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Jakob ran sprints at the track. I did not run with him today, but rather merely timed and watched him go. Great runs, each one fairly close to a PR, even though we have not had a track workout in months. His first 100 time, for example, was 18.09.
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| Friday, March 6, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile again. First run of the year in shorts. 65°. The neighbors were unloading as we sprinted to the mailbox and our furious pace caught their attention. They must have thought, Jakob later speculated, that we were running from a mob of cannibals. That's how fast we were going. Anyway, it was another photo finish.
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| Thursday, March 5, 2009. |
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First reasonable running day in a long time. No ice, snow, sleet on the road. We ran the Shawnee Mile. Moderate pace — talking about the coming running season. The sprint at the end was dramatic. We each took the lead and lost it. Jakob opened up a gap at the very end, but I closed it right before the finish line and we crossed it simultaneously.
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| Sunday, February 8, 2009. |
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After weeks of snow and sub-freezing temperatures, we have a mild spell. Sunny and 52° today. Jakob and I ran the Shawnee Mile, untimed, shaking off the rust. We ran hard, though. Jakob splashed through rivulets of melting snow on the road and got thoroughly wet. I kept to the drier half of the road. By Gray Street I had opened up a tiny lead, about two meters wide, and we both raced for the win. I barely managed to keep that sliver of daylight between us. At the end we traded high-fives and held our palms to our pounding hearts.
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| Monday, January 26, 2009. |
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I came home to find the dog but no family. Jakob and Minna had gone for a run again. They did the Shawnee Mile, all bundled up for sub-greezing weather. Minna counted 38 seconds from the time that Jakob crossed the finish line to the time that she crossed it.
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| January 19, 2009. |
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Jakob and Minna ran to Treeline and back — about 4K. The roads are slushy, but they enjoyed the fresh air and exercise. Jakob kept the pace manageable.
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| Sunday, January 4, 2009. |
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Shawnee Mile. Then we went down to the mulberry tree at the bottom of the back yard and ran backwards uphill to the mailbox.
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| Wednesday, December 31, 2008. |
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A cold Shawnee Mile on New Year's Eve. At first it hurt to take in the icy air, but we got used to it around the time that we passed Minna and the dog near the field. This was supposed to be a casual run, just to stay busy, but we ran hard the whole way. And no early leads for Jakob this time — it was shoulder to shoulder from start to finish. I actually shifted into a slightly higher gear near Gray Street, planning to open up a small lead for the final sprint, but Jakob found that gear as well. We really ran hard at the end. You could have heard our breathing from a hundred meters away. It felt like an epic battle and we crossed the finish line simultaneously. Great way to end the year.
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| Sunday, December 28, 2008. |
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We ran the Shawnee Mile at noon. It was dark and cloudy, but quite mild, almost 60° with a pleasant breeze. We ran in shorts. It was not our fastest, but we went all out, and afterward it took a good two or three minutes for our heart rate and breathing to return to sane levels. Jakob led most of the way, but I caught him near the end and, for a change, beat him to the finish line (but only by about half a meter).
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| Saturday, December 27, 2008. |
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A clear day, 41°, after many days of snow and slush. We ran for just over an hour, finishing as the sun set. Very relaxing. We had to negotiate a snow barrier as we crossed over to the Oak Street loop from Cherry Hill, but conditions otherwise were perfect.
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| Friday, December 12, 2008. |
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A beautiful clear crisp winter night. We ordered a pizza, but Jakob suggested that we slip outside for a Shawnee Mile before picking it up. Casual pace, talking along the way. We recalled John Riley's 3-year uninterrupted sequence of daily 10-mile runs, and we talked about the annual Sick Milleville Trail Run. And this time, Jakob won the sprint at the end with about 10 meters to spare.
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| Friday, November 28, 2008. |
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We drove out to Mainville this afternoon and ran the Rail Trail, out 20 minutes and back. There were icicles where the path winds past a small ravine. Along the way we heard fierce barking off in the woods, so without stopping we each grabbed a sturdy stick to use in case of a confrontation. But nothing happened. We did manage to frighten five or six wild turkeys. We returned to the road at dusk and walked back to the car as the sky grew dark.
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| Thursday, November 27, 2008. |
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It's Thanksgiving Day, so Jakob and I ran our traditional Thanksgiving Day Shawnee Mile. An easy run, not timed, just breathing cold night air and talking, although of course when we hit Gray Street it turned into an all-out sprint.
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| Sunday, November 16, 2008. |
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We ran the Great American Smokeout 5K in Bloomsburg today. Good running weather — gray skies, about 40°. As usual, Jakob took off like a rocket. At about the quarter mile point, two runners pulled up even with me and one of them said to the other, "Look at that kid up there!" The other speculated that the kid (Jakob, of course) would flame out. But Jakob's pace dropped only a little. His mile split was 7:02. I was still trailing. I finally caught up to him after about two miles, and we ran side by side for a while, but then another kid, probably about 14, passed us. At that point, Jakob picked up the pace and I could not keep up. Jakob ran all out at the end to catch the kid, but could not quite make it. Still, it was a new 5K record: 23:53! I came in four or five seconds behind him. Jakob beat me fair and square for the first time on a 5K. He won a medal for finishing third in his age group (and I won one for finishing third in my age group). On the way home, it started to snow.
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| Tuesday, November 11, 2008. |
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We ran the roamer again after dark, this time in an hour and eighteen minutes. The hardest part was Pine Hollow, a winding back road that goes down about 400 meters through a wooded area. At the end of Pine Hollow we double back and rejoin Treeline. We did not talk as much this time. Jakob had his heart set on running an extra five kilometers, and I kept hoping he would be too tired for that by the time we got back to Shawnee, but he really was determined to keep going. I know he could have done it, but I still thought that we should wait a while before tackling that kind of distance. The roamer is already insane enough.
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| Sunday, November 9, 2008. |
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Beautiful gray autumn day, 47°. We ran the Shawnee Mile in 7:07. Actually, that was Jakob's time — I could not keep up today. But it was fairly close.
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| Saturday, November 8, 2008. |
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100m and 200m sprints at the track.
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| Monday, November 3, 2008. |
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I came home from work and Jakob had the idea doing of a roamer — you just put on your running shoes and start running, without any planned routes, distances or times. We ran and ran, and it got dark, and we kept running. We ended up following an extended version of our 6-mile route (we later measured it in the car as 7.5 miles). We ran up Pine Hollow, around the Oak Street loop, over in Audobon circle, and so on. After 40 minutes, I was famished. But we kept going, and at one point I suggested that we make a bee-line for the house, but Jakob had not quite completed the mission that he had mapped out in his mind during the run. We kept going. Finally, after an hour and twenty-two minutes, we reached the corner of Gray and Shawnee, walking from there back to the house with rubbery legs. It felt great to warm up inside and eat!
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| Sunday, November 2, 2008. |
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A casual 1.5 miler, just to stretch and stay loose. Beautiful weather again. We ran down to the near end of Shawnee, then to the far end, then over to Central and back to Gray Street, but we tacked on an extra leg up to the end of Gray and back. We worked hard enough to heat up and breathe deeply, but not so hard that we could not talk along the way. Of course, we sprinted the last block. Jakob took an early lead, but I closed the gap right at the end and we crossed the finish line simultaneously.
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| Saturday, November 1, 2008. |
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Today we ran the Warrior Run 5K in Turbotville. It was cool, low 50s, perfect for running. The trail was a double loop that wound through some wooded areas and down the middle of a soy field, with a few mild hills. There were only about 30 runners. Jakob placed 11th, finishing in 24:39, his fourth best, and he placed second in the 14-and-under age group (the winner in that group looked like he was about 12 or 13).
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| Sunday, October 26, 2008. |
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We ran an extension of the Shawnee 5K which we estimate to be about 4.7 miles long. The course follows the 5K to the halfway point, but instead of turning back onto Cherry Hill from Treeline, we cut across to Highland and do the Oak Street loop. Then we take our usual route back to Gray Street, but from there we run down to the end of Shawnee and back up the hill again.
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| Saturday, October 25, 2008. |
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Good running weather — about 50° with a drizzle. Jakob ran the Pumpkin Run in 24:24, his third best 5K time. His 2-mile split was 15:11. Alex was there and finished around 22:40.
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| Thursday, October 23, 2008. |
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I just got a call from Jakob at home. He ran the Shawnee Mile with Minna biking beside him in 6:48. That ties his record for this course, and is only one second off his mile PR on a flat course. This is great news, because we have been running sporadically for the last month or so, even though the Pumpkin Run is coming up. Looks like Jakob is ready.
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| Sunday, October 19, 2008. |
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Shawnee 5K at a casual pace. Crisp at 52°. We have a couple of full-pace workouts planned for the coming week, in preparation for the Pumpkin Run.
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| Saturday, October 11, 2008. |
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We were in NYC for the day, and Jakob and I ran two laps with Mike around the Central Park reservoir. That's exactly 5K. It's a fun, flat, packed-gravel path with hundreds of walkers and runners. Jakob weaved in and out of the crowds, forcing Mike and me to work hard to keep up. He finished the first lap in 12 minutes flat, a PR pace, although our pace dropped a bit on the second half. We finished in 25:15. Then we met Minna, Linda, Victoria and Mike's parents, and wandered around for a bit in the park. All three of us, the runners, felt it in our legs later in the day.
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| Sunday, October 5, 2008. |
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Shawnee 5K in 24:16! Jakob was at the end of Shawnee at 3:01 while I was still at the top of the hill. By the time I got down to the bottom, he was already turning onto Cherry Hill. I chased him for a long time, finally catching him on the final stretch, about 21 minutes into the run! We had just ascended the hill and he said that his legs felt destroyed, but he kept going, finishing strong and just 4 seconds behind his record.
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| Friday, October 3, 2008. |
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Dark and chilly. There are no street lights in the neighborhood, and most of the houses were dark, so the stars were bright. It began as a casual half miler, but we felt strong and decided to do the whole mile. Jakob said that he felt like he could run forever. On the way back we were mostly quiet. At Gray Street, with no words spoken, we both broke into a sprint. I could hear the frenzied barking of the two dogs in 105 as we passed, the only sound other than our own desperate breathing. After the run, we cooled down with a walk over to Light Street, the big dipper in plain view.
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| Wednesday, October 1, 2008. |
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It's now Pumpkin Run season. The race is in 24 days. We started training with an lightly paced Shawnee Mile, or at least it was supposed to be a light pace. It started out that way — I certainly felt sluggish and stiff, even though I had a great racquetball workout this morning. After about a quarter mile, Jakob forged ahead. We passed each other near the turn-around point, and then I finally caught up to him at about Gray Street. It turned into an all-out jet-lightning race, and this time I got him, finishing about a meter ahead of him. Both of us were out of breath for a good sixty seconds. We walked to Gray Street and back as a cool down.
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| Sunday, September 21, 2008. |
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We ran the Shawnee Mile. Jakob took an early lead, reversing direction at the turn-around point with 3:01 on the clock — I was still at the top of the hill. We exchanged a high-five as we passed each other. On the way back I steadily closed the gap, but it was too much: at Gray Street, Jakob was about five meters ahead, both of us sprinting all out, and he finished still two meters ahead, at 6:58. Yesterday, by the way, he and Minna biked 20 km.
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| Sunday, September 14, 2008. |
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We went to the track with Minna tonight. It was dark and windy. Minna cheered, Jakob ran and I was in charge of the stopwatch. He did some 100s and 200s, and then a few 40s on the football field.
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| Wednesday, September 10, 2008. |
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We went to the track at 8:30pm — pitch black outside. Jakob ran 100 meter sprints but was not satisfied with his times. I suggested trying the 400, which we had not done in a while, and that turned out to be a good idea. He shaved 3 seconds off his old record, crossing the line at 1:27.69.
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| Sunday, September 7, 2008. |
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We ran the Sawmill 4.5 Mile this afternoon in 39:48. That's an 8:51 mile pace. We passed a dead cat by the side of the road, and I swallowed a bug (accidentally), but otherwise the run was uneventful (but fun).
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| Wednesday, September 3, 2008. |
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Sprints at the track after sundown.
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| Tuesday, September 2, 2008. |
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Sprints at the track after dark. Jakob ran two 100m dashes in good time, 200m in 40.53 (PR) and then 200m in 38.69 (another PR!). We actually ran the 200 a third time, but I mishandled the watch — hit the wrong button, perhaps...not sure: it was dark.
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| Sunday, August 31, 2008. |
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Jakob and I hiked Mt. Minsi in the Delaware Water Gap with Mike. We ate lunch on a boulder next to a snake skin with a few turkey vultures floating around in the sky.
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| Friday, August 29, 2008. |
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Jakob is a man of iron: we ran the Shawnee 5K in 24:12, shattering his old record of 25:18! On a flat course, it would have been somewhere in the 23's. This was our first 5K together in quite a while. The Pumpkin Run is coming at the end of October.
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| Tuesday, August 26, 2008. |
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Jakob ran the Shawnee 5K with Minna.
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| Sunday, August 24, 2008. |
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Track workout as the football team practiced on the field. Jakob ran 100m in 17.5 seconds, shaving a quarter second off his record, and 400m in 1:30, also a record. We ran the 800 as well, finishing in 3:31.
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| Saturday, August 23, 2008. |
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We ran sprints at the track. Jakob ran 100m five times, his best at 17.75. That's a record. He also ran 200m in 41.75 seconds.
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| Friday, August 22, 2008. |
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Market Street races today! Jakob ran the half mile in 3:02, finishing fourth, which was disappointing for him. He had been targeting 2:50. But it was a good run. I ran the mile, finishing 3rd in my age group, in 6:01. We both won door prizes: Jakob picked up a pair of running shorts that might fit him after another 10 years or so, and I won a $50 gift certificate for a bar and grill.
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| Thursday, August 21, 2008. |
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Last workout before the Market Street races. We tried to run sprints at the track, which opened recently after a summer of construction, but band practice interfered. We waited for a while, gave up, drove home and ran our estimated 400m stretch of Shawnee. I took off way too fast, faded, and Jakob overtook me, eventually finishing about 2 or 3 seconds ahead. But it was dark and I accidentally reset the watch before I could see the time. No matter — we are ready for the race tomorrow.
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| Wednesday, August 20, 2008. |
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Quarter mile sprint.
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| Tuesday, August 19, 2008. |
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Jakob ran his last half-mile before Friday's race, with Minna biking beside us. He was a bit disappointed in his 2:56 mark, but we can do some speed workouts tomorrow and the next day.
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| Sunday, August 17, 2008. |
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Jake ran a quarter mile sprint and then biked with me as I ran the Shawnee 5K. Yesterday he ran some short sprints and swam for a couple of hours.
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| Thursday, August 14, 2008. |
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Half mile in the dark in 2:53.
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| Tuesday, August 12, 2008. |
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Jakob ran a quarter-mile sprint in 1:28. The distance is approximate: from our mailbox down to the Henderson mailbox.
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| Sunday, August 10, 2008. |
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We raced against each other down to the end of Shawnee (1/2 mile). The lead changed three times, but I edged him out at the end by a mere 4 seconds. His time of 2:49 was his best ever on this course. We walked home in a light rain and sat on the swing for a while.
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| Friday, August 8, 2008. |
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Downhill half of the Shawnee mile in 2:53. I rode my bike beside him. Dark and a bit chilly, actually.
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| Thursday, August 7, 2008. |
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My cell went off on the way to class. It was Jakob, telling me that he ran the Shawnee Mile in 6:48. That's one second away from his best mile ever, on a flat course. Minna biked beside him and kept the time. That evening, at around 9pm, I told Jakob that it was time for his shower, but he wanted to run again. So I rode the bike as he ran the downhill half of the Shawnee Mile in 2:53. He cooled down by jogging back home. Shortly aftr that, I took the dog to the field and heard pounding footsteps approaching in the dark — Jakob out for a final sprint. When the animal concluded his business, Jakob ran back to the house.
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| Wednesday, August 6, 2008. |
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I am at the office as I write this. Just got a phone call from Jakob. He tells me that he just ran the downhill half of the Shawnee mile in 2:51 (a record). Minna biked beside him.
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| Monday, August 4, 2008. |
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Shawnee Mile. Minna cheered Jakob on at the finish line. He was well ahead of me.
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| Saturday, August 2, 2008. |
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Half mile by the river in 3:06.
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| Friday, August 1, 2008. |
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Shawnee Mile again, getting ready for the Market Street races in three weeks. I trailed Jakob for most of the run but caught him near Gray Street. He struggled furiously to keep me from overtaking him, but I somehow managed to open up a two-second lead. Jakob crossed the finish line at 6:54.
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| Thursday, July 31, 2008. |
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Shawnee Mile. We started fast, but on the way back Jakob developed stomach cramps so we slowed a bit. At Gray street, though, we raced as usual.
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| Wednesday, July 30, 2008. |
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Shawnee Mile. I overcame Jakob's early lead but could not pass him down the stretch. It was a tie.
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| Sunday, July 27, 2008. |
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We drove to Hamburg (PA) and hiked the Pinnacle, an 8-mile section of the Appalachian Trail that we discovered three years ago. We have talked about it several times since then, but this was our first return visit. Skies were cloudy at the outset, and there was continuous rolling thunder as we ascended, with just a few drops. But it started to rain in spurts about an hour before we reached the top, tapering off just in time for lunch on the pinnacle. On the way down, the rain started again and at one point we took shelter under a thick stand of trees, but the downpour was brief. We met a 61-year-old woman who was hiking the entire AT by herself. Jakob ran the last half mile, where the trail turned flat and smooth, but I had the backpack and so was content to walk.
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| Friday, July 25, 2008. |
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We ran the Shawnee Mile in the dark.
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| Sunday, July 13, 2008. |
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We ran the Shawnee Mile without timing it. Before starting, Jakob asked if we should run together or at our own paces, and I said that it would be fun to run together but that if he felt the urge to pick it up then he should not wait. He felt the urge. It was dark by the time we got back and I could not see him as he crossed the line, probably about 30 seconds ahead of me. To be fair, if I had stretched and warmed up then I could have run quite a bit faster, but it might not have been enough to close the gap.
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| Thursday, July 10, 2008. |
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Shawnee Mile in 6:52. We caught our breath watching fireflies in the backyard for a while.
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| Sunday, July 6, 2008. |
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Shawnee Mile. We did not time it. My legs felt like lead, but Jakob was in fine form. On the way back, with Jakob about 20 seconds ahead of me, our neighbors at the far end of the road were returning home and they pulled up even with me in the car and said, "He's beating you!"
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| Saturday, July 5, 2008. |
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We hiked Rickett's Glen with Minna in just two and a half hours. Jakob ran much of the last half mile, where the trail is relatively straight and not too rocky.
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| Tuesday, July 1, 2008. |
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Shawnee Mile. We did not time it, but it felt very fast.
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| Sunday, June 29, 2008. |
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The day before Jakob's ninth birthday, and we ran the river mile in 6:47, a new PR. Instead of walking around to cool down, we just sat on a bench by the river and chatted. An hour or so passed before we decided to go home.
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| Thursday, June 26, 2008. |
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Shawnee Mile in 7:21.
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| Saturday, June 21, 2008. |
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We started out for a 10K on a sunny afternoon, but Jakob's sugar dropped with just a third of a mile remaining. We stopped and had some glucose tablets and waited for Minna to pick us up. Our time was 56:53, so certainly we would have finished the 10K before the hour passed.
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| Thursday, June 19, 2008. |
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River mile in 6:50, a new PR!
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| Tuesday, June 17, 2008. |
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Jakob ran the river mile in 7:02 (which was faster than I could manage today). He was wearing his new Nike Air Pegasus shoes, which we picked up yesterday in NYC.
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| Saturday, June 14, 2008. |
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Long run today. We set out with the wooded trail that joins Papermill to the Shannon 5K in mind, but I could not recall exactly where the trail begins, so we just continued along Papermill (surprising several deer), into Lightstreet Village and then over to the Sawmill area. The whole thing took well over an hour. Minna picked us up and we retraced our route to check the distance: 5.9 miles. Slow pace, but we were just meandering, watching the sky as evening came on, and the cows by the side of the road.
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| Friday, June 13, 2008. |
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Speedwork on Upper Campus. We sprinted 5x200m (approximately) across the soccer fields, with a minute's rest between each, and then some 100m sprints.
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| Thursday, June 12, 2008. |
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Jakob ran a mile in 6:55 on our flat course by the river — a new PR! He also ran 16 laps around the house again today.
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| Wednesday, June 11, 2008. |
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We measured a mile-long course by the river, an out-and-back starting at the town park. The road is straight and flat, and shaded by huge oaks. Jakob ran it in 7:19. Later in the day, he ran 16 laps around the house in 6:40. We also registered for the Market Street races in August.
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| Tuesday, June 10, 2008. |
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Jakob ran 4/5 of a mile (as measured by the odometer) near the town park, next to the river, in 5:38.
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| Saturday, June 7, 2008. |
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Today we ran the JesVic 5K in Watsontown. Our time was 25:23, just 5 seconds off last year's time. The last mile goes straight down Main Street, and quite a few spectators were incredulous that Jakob was running so hard and so far. Milling about after the race, I heard that many people ran slower this year, which was generally attributed to the humidity.
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| Friday, June 6, 2008. |
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Shawnee Mile, nice and easy, just to loosen up for tomorrow.
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| Wednesday, June 4, 2008. |
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Jakob ran the Shawnee Mile in 7:13. We had discussed in the past how to handle the event of my not being at the finish line when he crosses it: assuming that I am not far behind, he will throw up his arm at the instant that he crosses the line so that I can, from behind, stop the timer. This was the first time when our protocol was actually needed — he lead the whole way, and I was about 10 seconds behind him at the end.
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| Monday, June 2, 2008. |
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Sunny and 81° at 6:30pm. We ran the Shawnee 5K in 25:34! Jakob maintained a lead all the way to the turnaround point, which we reached at 12:08. JesVic is just 5 days away, and it looks like Jakob is peaking at the right time — just 16 seconds off a PR. When we were resting on the swing after the run, he observed that that an all-out run makes a person feel more energetic.
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| Sunday, June 1, 2008. |
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Beautiful morning. Jakob ran the Shawnee Mile with Mike in 7:32.
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| Wednesday, May 28, 2008. |
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Shawnee Mile in 7:16. We are gearing up for JesVic next Saturday.
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| Monday, May 26, 2008. |
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Shawnee Mile in 7:31.
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| Sunday, May 25, 2008. |
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Shawnee 5K in 27:52.
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| Thursday, May 22, 2008. |
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We returned to the Foothills Trail, and this time I carried lunch in my pack so we went a lot further. We hiked for about four hours. We also made plans to hike a longer stretch when we come back next year. This was our last day in North Carolina.
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| Wednesday, May 21, 2008. |
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After horseback riding for an hour, we hiked part of the Foothills Trail near Whitewater Falls. We loved the terrain: rocky, steep, dry. It descended to a boulder field along a river. We continued past that point for a while, crossing the river over a rickety wooden bridge and following the trail for another half hour, parallel to the river. We saw massive black gum trees — maybe 4 feet in diameter at the trunk, rising up 200 feet or so. Later that day, we played another hour or two of ping pong and then ran an easy lap around the track.
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| Tuesday, May 20, 2008. |
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We ran four laps around the quarter mile track at the recreation center in 7:44. Got rained out of a hike.
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| Monday, May 19, 2008. |
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We drove into Georgia to start today's hike, the Bartram Trail, which runs through North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. It was a relatively easy hike — a few long ascents but nothing overly taxing. Nice view from the top, where we had lunch with another hiker on a 75-mile hike, last fling after law school and before a new job. According to our GPS, we were at 4812 feet.
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| Sunday, May 18, 2008. |
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We are in North Carolina now. This morning, we went for a 40-minute run along the golf course, following the paths that golfers drive their carts over. Extreme hills! Green and peaceful. It was all I could do to resist running down the fairways. No one else was out at that hour — we had the whole place to ourselves. Later that afternoon we tried to drive into Georgia for a 4-mile hike, but we got rained out.
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| Thursday, May 15, 2008. |
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Shawnee 5K. Tomorrow morning we hit the road for hiking in North Carolina.
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| Wednesday, May 14, 2008. |
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The track is still inaccessible due to construction, so we ran one of the two loops that make up the BU Alumni 5K Open, and then a 100-yard-dash across a soccer field.
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| Tuesday, May 13, 2008. |
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Shawnee 5K. Hot — shirts off.
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| Sunday, May 11, 2008. |
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Shawnee Mile.
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| Wednesday, May 7, 2008. |
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Shawnee Mile before breakfast. Beautiful day.
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| Sunday, May 4, 2008. |
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We did the annual Sick 4.5 Mile Trail Run with the Shepards, our first time on that course. It is a winding and extremely hilly double loop on the Sick family farm in Millville. As far as I know, this is the only race with a rope at one point to help negotiate a steep and muddy ascent. The course starts with a brutally long and steep climb, and after that it was down and up, down and up — mostly up, it seemed. Jakob took off like a shot, and I really had trouble keeping up with him for the first 20 minutes. I do not know how he maintained that pace. Even on the sharp climbs, he did not stop running (as some people did). At one point the course veered out onto the road, past a water station. A girl handed Jakob a cup of cold water — a blessing. He gulped down half of it and poured the rest over his head. We had started so fast that of course we started to fade a bit, somewhere around the half-way point, where Alex caught up and passed us. But Jakob's determination did not waver. Later, after we reached another summit, Jakob confessed that his legs had started to feel rubbery. So had mine. Once we were back on the farm, there was still a final hill to conquer and then a long sloping descent past cows and chickens to the finish line. His time was 46:57. We both dropped to the ground and rested. Jakob downed two bottles of water, exhausted but in great spirits.
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| Saturday, May 3, 2008. |
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Jakob ran the Shawnee Mile by himself, and then we ran some sprints together.
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| Tuesday, April 29, 2008. |
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I returned at 9am from racquetball, needing to shower quickly and meet someone at 10, when Jakob proposed that we run the Shawnee Mile. No time for that, but I had an idea: after my shower he ran and I followed in the car. He finished in 7:37. Nice tune-up run.
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| Saturday, April 26, 2008. |
|
We drove to the Delaware Water Gap and met Mike for a hike around Mt. Tammany. Twice Jakob fell and scraped his knees, but, as he says, at least they were different knees. The trail was rugged in spots, and interesting on the whole. Great views of the Delaware River. We saw curious pink flowers and fiddleheads, and also a 3-foot-long Black Racer snake. Mike tried to catch it and Jakob waded in to help, but the thing slithered away too quickly. Later some passers-by alerted us to a black bear with her cub, but we never saw them.
|
| Monday, April 22, 2008. |
|
We went to Town Park for an Agora gathering, and Jakob ran 3 laps around a gravel track, about a mile and a half total, with many sprints afterward.
|
| Tuesday, April 15, 2008. |
|
Shawnee Mile.
|
| Sunday, April 13, 2008. |
|
We went to the track but it was gated and locked because of construction on the football field. So we ran the first of the two loops that comprise the Alumni Open cross-country 5K, talked for a while as the sun set, and then did some interval training: a light jog across three soccer fields, a faster run back, repeated three times.
|
| Sunday, April 6, 2008. |
|
Shawnee Mile. Then we walked to Gray Street and sprinted back from 101.
|
| Tuesday, April 1, 2008. |
|
Shawnee Mile. We ran in shorts for the first time this year — 69°. Actually, we stopped briefly in the middle of the run to greet new neighbors who were moving in. Jakob was very professional in stepping forward to shake hands with their 8-year-old son. Then he took off again, and it took me a while to catch up. After the run, Jakob biked the Shawnee 5K as Minna walked the dog (and I tagged along).
|
| Saturday, March 29, 2008. |
|
We drove out to the rail trail near Mainville for a run in the woods — 30 minutes out to the turnaround point, not far from the tunnel (we think), and then back. Not sure of the total distance. 6 miles maybe? Walking from the trail to the car, Jakob challenged me to a race, uphill for about 50 meters.
|
| Sunday, March 23, 2008. |
|
Sunny, low 40s. Ridge Run. It felt chilly at first, but after the first mile we were overheating so we shed our hats and jackets, and dropped them in a field by the side of the road, to be picked up on the way back. Jakob wanted to do the loop twice, which would have made it a 10.6 mile run, but I eventually prevailed upon him to stick with the original plan. When we were running down the gravel lane from Ridge over to Fowlersville Road, Jakob, out of the blue, casually informed me that he was going to run ahead for a bit. The wide open fields must have inspired the idea. Later, on Fowlersville Road, he nearly stepped on a chipmunk.
|
| Monday, March 10, 2008. |
|
Jakob proposed that we return to our new Ridge Road 5.3 mile route, explaining that he felt especially energetic. My counter-proposal: Shawnee mile. He pondered that for a moment and then calmly and hopefully pointed out that his heart was especially set on the Ridge Road run. My own heart had not been set in that particular direction, but I warmed to the idea. We got ready and drove out there. As it happened, however, slightly over a mile into the run Jakob somehow tripped and fell and scraped his elbow. A little blood. We decided to walk back, which Jakob was not particularly happy about, but there were silver linings. First of all, before we started back, the sound of geese in the distance rose to a roar as thousands of them circled overhead. It was like a fractal, totally chaotic at first glance, but with little groups breaking off from the main group and weaving about in what came to look like sophisticated patterns. We could not really tell who was in charge, or where they were planning to go, but there seemed to be some internal logic driving the swarm. It was fun to watch for a while. That was one silver lining. Then instead of walking we decided to run back. Sometimes we would pick out a speed limit sign or a flag down the road and then sprint to it, slow down, sprint again, and so on. It turned out to be a nice little workout (silver lining #2), just shy of two miles, a good warm-up for longer runs later on.
|
| Thursday, March 6, 2008. |
|
Shawnee Mile today in 7:27. Jakob sprinted ahead early and I did not catch him until the 7:16 mark. We went for a walk afterwards but cut it short in order to make it to the Chess Club on time.
|
| Monday, March 3, 2008. |
|
It was beautiful outside today. Quite mild. It felt like the start of running season. I played 90 minutes of intense racquetball (got dusted by Curt), then drove home to pick up Jakob, and we headed out to our Sawmill 1.8 mile route. The countryside was so pleasant, however — the view and the fresh air and the gentle hills — that Jakob proposed a new plan early on: just roam. We went out further on Ridge Road than we ever had before. Clear view of the nuclear power plant smokestacks in Berwick. Several times I chose a landmark in the distance as our turnaround point, but each time we got there Jakob wanted to press on. Eventually we strayed off Ridge Road into unknown territory, although it was fairly easy to keep our bearings. We made a square loop back onto Ridge Road along a dirt and packed gravel lane, got barked at by a black dog named Bear (the owner yelled Bear! Get back here!), and along the way I started feeling a bit drained. I tried a few of Jakob's glucose tablets and eventually felt better, so we picked up the pace again. He said that he had not minded at all slowing down a bit for me. On we went. Conversation was lively, but I no longer remember exactly what we discussed. The sun went down and we ran the last mile or so in darkness. Of course, when it was all over we had to measure the length of our route in the car. It was 5.3 miles. I think that we are both ready for warm weather and long hikes in the mountains and evening runs.
|
| Sunday, February 17, 2008. |
|
Shawnee Mile. We both were in the house all weekend. It felt good to run.
|
| Monday, February 4, 2008. |
|
Shawnee Mile, dusk, cloudy, calm, 38°. Our sprint from Gray Street was a virtual tie, or as Jakob put it, we would have needed a nanosecond clock to determine the winner.
|
| Sunday, February 3, 2008. |
|
Jakob was hoping for another ice run, but it is sunny today and the track was completely dry. So he ran the usual 1-2-4-2-1.
|
| Saturday, February 2, 2008. |
|
Jakob ran a mile at the track — four laps plus an extra 9 meters. The stadium parking lot was completely iced over, so that one had to walk gingerly to avoid falling, and that was fine but the track was also iced over. I told Jakob that we had better call it off and try another day, but he insisted on running. I really thought that he would get a few meters, slip, crash, and call it quits. But he just kept going while I watched from the warmth of the car. He slid often but caught his balance. It was a decent pace, too — not a mere trot. After the second lap, I got out of the car and yelled out that (a) he was insane, and (b) he might as well run two more laps to make it a mile. He practically begged me to get out on the track too — he said he would do anything if I would join him — but I would have wiped out at his pace. Actually, he did slip and fall three times, but each time he popped right up and continued running.
|
| Sunday, January 27, 2008. |
|
Shawnee Mile today, sprinting from Gray Street as always.
|
| January 16, 2008. |
|
Our first track workout in a while. Jakob ran the 400 in 1:36.15,
which is a fraction of a second better than his previous best at
that distance.
|
| Sunday, January 13, 2008. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:11. That's A range. In fact, we ran the back half in 3:58, which was a new record for Jakob.
|
| Saturday, January 12, 2008. |
|
Shawnee Mile. Later when I took the dog to the field, Jakob tagged along and ran a few sprints.
|
| Monday, January 7, 2008. |
|
A quick track workout and then on the road to Washington. I wore shorts at the track— it was that warm. We could not find the watch so our sprints were untimed, but it seemed to me like Jakob was flying. He ran the 400 alone in the dark, and we ran a pair of 100s and a 200 together.
|
| Sunday, January 6, 2008. |
|
Shawnee Mile in the dark. We sprinted the last 100 meters, or maybe more, and I think Jakob edged me by a few centimeters. It was not too cold outside, so we just sat on the driveway for a while, listening to our own breathing.
|
| Monday, December 31, 2007. |
|
We ran the Bloomsburg YMCA New Year's Eve 5K. We had good splits — 7:40 for the first mile and 15:59 for the second. The course was flat but occasionally icy. We finished in 25:28. Pleasant way to close out the year.
|
| Saturday, December 29, 2007. |
|
6 miles! Our route was an extension of the Shawnee 5K with a fair number of hills. We measured the distance in the car yesterday. It was cold and cloudy today. We ran silently for long stretches, and at other times we talked about whatever popped into our minds. For example, we talked about how there is only one person in history who was a world-class mathematician and also a world-class runner. In 1948, Alan Turing ran a marathon just 11 minutes slower than the Olympic marathon winner that year. Anyway, at the end of this run there was a small crowd of spectators — Minna and Aino, waiting in the yard, cheering Jakob as a conquering hero.
|
| Friday, December 28, 2007. |
|
We ran just shy of 2 miles. We had mapped out a 6 mile course in the car earlier in the day, an extension of the Shawnee 5K, but we had to postpone that longer run until perhaps tomorrow.
|
| Thursday, December 27, 2007. |
|
Jakob ran the Shawnee Mile with Aino while Minna and I were in Lewisburg for lunch. He took the hill alone, but otherwise they completed the route together.
|
| Wednesday, December 26, 2007. |
|
We roamed for about two miles at a decent pace.
|
| Monday, December 24, 2007. |
|
Crisp, about 40°, and quiet outside. We embarked on the Shawnee Mile but decided en route to extend it past the finish line down to the near end of the road and back. I set a pace on that last leg, uphill, thinking that Jakob would find it hard to match. He was in "no mercy" mode, having responded to my initial request for a little that he would be providing none. So off I went. He did indeed fade at first, but then picked up his pace dramatically for the last 50 meters. We laughed as we crossed the finish line because it was just too close to declare a winner.
|
| Saturday, December 22, 2007. |
|
Shawnee 5K. Cold and cloudy.
|
| Thursday, December 20, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile with an audience — Aino gave us ready-set-go and cheered for us on the return. As usual, the last 200 meters was a jet lightning sprint.
|
| Saturday, December 15, 2007. |
|
We warmed up by sledding five times from the mailbox down the side yard and
diagonally across the back, over the property line and into the neighbor's yard at
the bottom of the hill. Then we ran a Shawnee Mile. Dark and sub-zero. Our modest
pace turned into a barn burner at the end, and Jakob managed to clear the finish
line a half second ahead of me. We wandered over to Gray street, just cooling down,
and I noticed that all of my afternoon drowsiness was gone.
|
| Monday, December 10, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile again. And again we decided to just run, without timing it.
|
| Sunday, December 9, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile. We did not time it — just went out on the spur of the moment for
a quick and easy run.
|
| Saturday, December 8, 2007. |
|
We ran the Sawmill 2.7 for the first time in over a year. Upper 30s, but no wind, so
the air had no real bite. We saw four flocks of geese. One of them had only six
birds, but another must have had hundreds. All flying in perfect formation. I
counted 13 birds in the third flock, but Jakob said it out loud a split second
before I could manage it. I asked how he had counted so fast and he said that he had
grouped them into threes. Interesting. I had been counting by twos... Anyway, it was
a good solid peaceful run that ended just as the sun set. We sprinted at the end and
then walked around for a while talking about everything and nothing.
|
| Sunday, November 25, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:33.
|
| Thursday, November 22, 2007. |
| Our third annual Thanksgiving Day run, this time the longest distance we have ever run, about 6 miles, out on the rail trail in Mainville — a packed-gravel mountain biking path that winds through quiet countryside, past a few farms, with a view of Route 339 at spots in the distance. It rained during the first quarter of the run. Minna and the dog drove out there with us and waited near the finish line. We ran for about 26 minutes and then turned back, completing the whole run in about 53 minutes. The path was lined with a thick carpet of oak and sycamore leaves, the latter still falling from the trees as we ran. We went through a rocky ravine with water trickling down the sides, echoing, and sometimes we talked, but mostly we were silent. Jakob got muddy and I got bloody, but just a little, from some minor scrapes on my legs. It was, said Jakob, a beautiful run. |
|
|
| Saturday, November 17, 2007. |
|
And today Jakob ran the annual 1/2 mile for 3rd and 4th graders at the C.W. Heller
Memorial Market Street Races again. He picked up some more hardware — a medal
for 8th place (3:23). Alex was there too (6th place). By the way, this was the first
race in which I did not tag along. I just waited at the finish line. Jakob told me
there was a little jostling for position in the beginning but he kept his position
(as a matter of instinct, he said).
|
| Sunday, November 11, 2007. |
|
We ran the Great American Smokeout 5K Race today (and also last year). It was a flat
course that wound past the river. Plenty of people cheering for Jakob. And one of my
students was a little ahead or a little behind the whole way, until the end when
Jakob took the lead for good. We finished in 25:32, and Jakob won a medal for second
place in his age group (14 and under). I also came away with a prize — a door
prize (half dozen bagels from the bagel shop in town). We topped off the day with a
few football tosses in the back yard and then raked the leaves into mammoth piles as
the sun set. Maple leaves for the most part, red and yellow.
|
| Thursday, November 8, 2007. |
|
Shawnee 5K, untimed, after dark, and it was bitterly cold — in the 30s.
|
| Tuesday, November 6, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:29. Cold and windy. We passed Minna and the dog, the latter
watching us with a visible sense of longing. Jakob and I were parallel the whole
way, breathing hard, except for the last three meters when he kicked it into extra
high gear, purely for the pleasure of beating me.
|
| Sunday, November 4, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:25, and an hour later we went mountain biking with Erik.
|
| Saturday, October 27, 2007. |
|
We woke up to a cold rain, so we did not go to the Pumpkin Run. Same thing happened
last year. But we went to the track in the evening and ran the usual distances. Then
Jakob challenged me to a 100-yard race on the football field. It was close...
|
| Tuesday, October 23, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:09. Light rain. Jakob's time on the second (uphill) half was 3:55,
which I believe is his fastest ever.
|
| Sunday, October 21, 2007. |
|
Shawnee 5K in 26:23. Six days to the Pumpkin Run.
|
| Thursday, October 18, 2007. |
|
Shawnee 5K. Jakob got a sharp muscle cramp when we turned onto Treeline, so we
slowed down to a moderate pace. It was a relaxing run and a good little workout. At
the end, Jakob kept running, down to the woods at the end of the road and back,
twice.
|
| Sunday, October 14, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:07.
|
| Wednesday, October 10, 2007. |
|
Time to start running a few 5Ks — the Pumpkin Run is coming soon. We ran the
Shawnee 5K tonight, and for the second time in a row Jakob crossed the finish line
at the 25:18 mark, again tying the record he set in June. That's three of the last
four runs, on two different courses, in exactly 25:18.
|
| Monday, October 8, 2007. |
|
Another track workout. Jakob tied his 200m record, and the rest of the runs were not
bad either. We concluded with what seems to have become a tradition: I line up at
the goal post on the football field, and Jakob lines up at the 50-yard line; then I
try to get to the other goal post before he can make it across the width of the
field and back.
|
| Monday, October 1, 2007. |
|
We ran at the track tonight and set a new 200m record: 41 seconds.
|
| Wednesday, September 26, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile again. Jakob took off like jet lightning, as he usually does. But this
time, for the first time ever, he sustained his lead for the entire run. I tried to
close the gap, and got close in the end. Jakob finished in 7:12 and I was about
three seconds behind. Fortunately we had previously worked out a timing protocol in
the event that I should find myself trailing him at the end — I have my finger
on the stopwatch as he nears the line, and he signals the exact moment of the
crossing by raising his arm.
|
| Monday, September 24, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:06. Jakob reached the turn-around point in 3:02. Minna cheered at
the finish line, and Karl watched sadly from the window.
|
| Sunday, September 23, 2007. |
|
Jakob and I hiked Hawk Mountain.
We started on the River of Rocks trail and picked up the Golden Eagle trail, which
rises 800 feet over a fairly short distance. Our hearts were pounding in our chests,
although we handled it with no problem. We eventually got to the Skyline trail and
then hiked it back to the North Lookout, scrambling up and over massive boulders
along the way.
|
| Wednesday, September 19, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:14.
|
| Tuesday, September 18, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:24. Today we ran first thing in the morning, and it was our first
run of the season wearing sweatshirts. It was chilly (43°) but we warmed up
quickly.
|
| Friday, September 14, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:21. Jakob took the lead after a minute or so, and it was not until
the 5:19 point that I finally caught up to him. We sat on the deck for a while after
the run, and then he ran another lap around the house before we went inside for the
night.
|
| September 8, 2007. |
|
Today we ran the Bloomsburg University Alumni Open Cross Country 5K. Minna
filmed most of the race. It was brutally hot and humid, and I grew a bit worried
about Jakob during the run, but he insisted that he was fine (allowing, however, for
a ruinous thirst). We finished in 29:39, and I think that from now on we will wait
until autumn for the 5K races, focusing on mile runs or shorter in the summer. When
we got home after the race today, we showered and then lay on the bed reading as a
thunderstorm rolled in. It must have been a taxing run, because Jakob fell asleep
— he never does that during daylight hours. Although later that day, he came
with me when I took Karl for a walk and past the field decided that he wanted to run
(literally) home, about a third of a mile away. As far as I could tell, he ran full
speed.
|
| Wednesday, September 5, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:13. Again, third time in a row, Jakob beat me to the turn-around
point. I caught up to him at around the 5-minute mark. Minna and Karl were at the
finish line. One cheered and the other chewed his leash with excitement.
|
| Monday, September 3, 2007. |
|
Papermill 2-mile in 16:12. Last run before the start of third grade (tomorrow).
|
| Saturday, September 1, 2007 |
|
Track workout today. Jakob ran the 400 in 1:36, a new PR. We also ran 100m and 200m,
twice each, in decent times.
|
| Wednesday, August 29, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:10.
|
| Sunday, August 26, 2007. |
|
Shawnee 5K in 25:18. It was our first 5K since June, and the time today tied his
record.
|
| Friday, August 24, 2007. |
|
Jakob ran the Market Street Half Mile (for age 10 and under) in 3:10. He was in high
spirits after the race, and proposed beginning to train on Sunday for 5K races in
the fall. First one up is the Alumni Open (2 weeks from now).
|
| Wednesday, August 22, 2007. |
|
Four runs at the track, three new records. Cheerleaders were practicing, so Jakob
had an audience. He ran the 100 in 18.43 seconds, 200m in 42.97 seconds, and 800m in
3:27. Day after tomorrow is the Market Street Half Mile, and his goal of 3:15 seems
quite possible at this point (the course runs slightly downhill).
|
| Sunday, August 19, 2007. |
|
We hiked the Canyon Vista Trail at World's End State Park. Lots of Black Gum and Wild Cherry trees. It was the kind of terrain that we both like — rocky and hilly, a carpet of yellow leaves. It rained much of the time, but only lightly, and the canopy was thick enough to keep us try.
|
| Saturday, August 18, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:04! Jakob will soon break into the 6's. We reached the turn-around
point in record time, 3:04; at that point Jakob was several strides ahead of me, and
he called back to point out that last year's Market Street Half-Mile winner (age 10
and under) finished in 3:05.
|
| Friday, August 17, 2007. |
|
We ran 100m sprints and 800m at the track today. Jakob's 800 time was 3:30 (better
by four seconds than his previous record). The Market Street Half-Mile Race is one
week from today...
|
| Tuesday, August 14, 2007. |
|
We ran the Papermill 2-mile, a winding packed-gravel country road with some mild
hills and one steep one. We had originally planned it to be a light untimed run, but
Jakob told me that he has felt full of extra energy since his 18 second 100m sprint
the other day. So we timed it, and ran it hard. The boy took off like a shot and I
really could not catch him. He eventually built a 50-meter lead...around some of the
curves I could no longer see him. Finally, near the turn-around point, I started to
gain. He made it there in 7:39. I caught up to him after another quarter mile or so,
on a steep climb where my longer legs proved to be an advantage. Thereafter, it was
a test, a genuine competition: he overtook me, I overtook him, and so on. On the
long straight-away at the end I finally found a rhythm and took a lasting lead, but
a very short one. We passed the birch tree marking the finish line together, at
15:53.
|
| Saturday, August 11, 2007. |
|
We ran the Shawnee Mile in 7:09, shattering Jakob's old record of 7:31! For much of
the first half, he stayed a few paces ahead and I was barely able to match his pace.
We got to the turn-around point at 3:13 and already we both could tell that this one
would be special.
|
| Friday, August 10, 2007. |
|
Today we worked out at the track. Jakob ran a fast 100m, close to his record of
19.32 seconds. Then he improved his previous 800m record by a second, to 3:34.
Finally, another 100m sprint, this time in 18.57 seconds, best ever. We were walking
to the car when Jakob announced that he felt like he "just got a sudden burst of
energy", so we did another 100m (18.94 seconds), and another (18.97 seconds), and
then one more (19.37 seconds).
|
| Sunday, August 5, 2007. |
|
I was sealing the driveway this afternoon, and Jakob came outside to do some laps
around the house. First two laps, and then ten. He estimated that each lap is about
a hundred meters, and announced that he would run 50 laps. I thought about this for
a moment, but before I could say anything he put his hands on his hips and said, "I
am determined to do it." Ok. He ran inside to fetch a stopwatch and came back out
ready for business. I counted out each lap as he passed, and 24 minutes and 54
seconds later he completed the 50th. Minna gave him cold water with lemon juice to
cool down.
|
| Saturday, August 4, 2007. |
|
Two fast 100m sprints at the track, and 800m in 3:35 — a new PR.
|
| Tuesday, July 31, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:38.
|
| Sunday, July 29, 2007. |
|
Another track workout. Thunder, but no rain.
|
| Friday, July 27, 2007. |
|
We worked out at the track today.
|
| Monday, July 23, 2007. |
|
It was nearly dark, but we wanted to squeeze in a run. So we ran about a mile and a
quarter, untimed, mostly along Shawnee but with a couple of detours, quite slowly
except for a sprint near the beginning and one at the end.
|
| Saturday, July 21, 2007. |
|
Interval training at the track. Then we tried running 100m backwards, just to see
what it was like. Next, Jakob ran a fast 100m, second-best ever, a fraction of a
second from his record. Finally, an innovation: a race on the field, with Jakob
running from one side to the other and back, and me going end to end. He won, but it
was close.
|
| Thursday, July 19, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:48.
|
| Wednesday, July 18, 2007. |
|
We rose at 5:15am for a long bike ride before breakfast, as we sometimes do, and
this evening we ran the Shawnee Mile in 7:47.
|
| Sunday, July 15, 2007. |
|
Interval training at the track: 400m, first half at a light pace and the second half
at full speed, three times in a row. Jakob then shaved nearly half a second off his
old 100m record, down to 19:32. As of today, the world's fastest 100m sprinter
(9.77) takes more than half the time that Jakob takes.
|
| Saturday, July 14, 2007. |
|
We hiked Rickett's Glen today, stopping as usual at the Midpoint Crevice for water
and a Clif bar. And later in the evening, shortly before bedtime, we went biking, as
we often do in the summer. Minna came, too. Our route is 4 or 5 miles long.
|
| Friday, July 13, 2007. |
|
Today we worked out at the track. Had to fight a stiff breeze, and it was our first
run in 11 days. But still, we had a good time and made our hearts beat fast.
Starting to think about the Market Street Half Mile race at the end of August...
|
| Monday, July 2, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:39.
|
| Sunday, July 1, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:40.
|
| Friday, June 29, 2007. |
|
Jakob's last workout as a 7-year-old. We ran sprints at the track. He had a couple
of second-best-evers, and one new record: 200m in 43.84 seconds.
|
| Monday, June 25, 2007. |
|
Easy, untimed Shawnee Mile, sprinting at the end.
|
| Friday, June 22, 2007. |
|
We needed some exercise first thing in the morning, since we would be in the car all
day on the trip home. So we ended our vacation in style with a final fox runrun.
|
| Wednesday, June 20, 2007. |
|
This time we hiked the Hickory Nut Falls trail at Chimney Rock Park. After lunch we
went swimming.
|
| Monday, June 18, 2007 |
|
First thing in the morning, out on Fox Run road, we went for an innocent sounding
9/10 mile out-and-back, our inaugural Fox Run run, or fox runrun as we like to call
it. But factor in the North Carolina hills and you have a brief but quite intense
workout. We are spending the week at Fairfield Mountain Resort with my parents.
Minna is home with the dog, enjoying her vacation every bit as much as we are
enjoying ours. Today we (Jakob and I) hiked the Skyline-Cliff loop at Chimney Rock Park near the town of Lake
Lure. It was a bit more civilized than we are used to, but at the same time the
views were spectacular and the trail pleasingly rugged. We picked up the trail at
the top of Chimney Rock itself, the ascent to which was advertised as requiring 20
minutes (but exactly 5:02 for us). Some non-climbing couch-potato turists were up
there too, thanks to an elevator whose shaft was blasted out of the center of the
mountain.
|
| Saturday, June 16, 2007. |
|
We ran the JesVic Watsontown
5K today and Jakob's time was a new personal record: 25:18! There was a
brutal 400m hill beginning right after the first mile, at which point he had
arrived in 7:04. After the race we drove home for lunch, loaded up the car and took
off for our hiking trip to North Carolina.
|
| Friday, June 15, 2007. |
|
Jakob shaved off a tenth of a second from his previous 100m record at the track
today. That record now stands at 19.81 seconds. He also ran each of the other usual
distances in record time: 200m in 45.35 seconds, 400m in 1:39, and 800m in 3:39.
|
| Wednesday, June 13, 2007. |
|
Shawnee 5K in...26:36!
|
| Sunday, June 10, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:36.
|
| Thursday, June 7, 2007. |
|
Shawnee 5K in 27:22. We relaxed afterward on the deck with water and the dog.
|
| Monday, June 4, 2007. |
|
We walked down to the end of Shawnee and ran back (half mile, mostly uphill, in
3:59).
|
| Saturday, June 2, 2007. |
|
We hiked the Falls Trail at Ricketts Glen. Probably our favorite hike. 7.6 miles with lots of steep rocky ascents, roaring waterfalls, and massive towering trees.
|
| Thursday, May 31, 2007. |
|
Unplanned workout. We went for a walk before bedtime, down to the end of Shawnee
Road and beyond. On the way back, turning onto Shawnee, Jakob started to run. When I
saw that he was not going to stop, I sighed and started running to catch up, and
which point we continued together the whole way home, not too fast, really just
jogging, until the last 50 meters or so when Jakob broke into a sprint. A long walk
and a casual half-mile run, very relaxing.
|
| Wednesday, May 30, 2007. |
|
I had thought we would take a day or two off, but Jakob wanted to run the Shawnee
5K. We waited until the end of the day, when it had cooled down a bit. The moon was
out. This was a great run and a new record for this course — 27 minutes flat.
That is more than a minute faster than his previous record, set only a few weeks ago.
|
| Tuesday, May 29, 2007 |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:31, a new record by 4 seconds, which we celebrated by way of a
fierce water balloon battle in the backyard.
|
| Sunday, May 27, 2007. |
|
Back to Big Pocono State Park today. We hiked Indian Trail, ate lunch, and then
hiked the North Trail, which was steep and rocky at points. Jakob declared it to be
one of our best hikes ever. We continued to work on the periodic table along the
way. He has it all burned into his brain, including atomic masses up to Krypton. I
cannot do all that, but at least I was able to rattle off the elements up to Fermium
(atomic number 100). Just 15 more elements to go... We met a couple of girls with
two Labrador Retrievers on the trail, and we passed a large group of campers on the
final hill, but otherwise it was fairly quiet.
|
| Friday, May 25, 2007. |
|
We drove out to Watsontown to scope out the course for next month's 5K. It is flat
except for a single hill at the mile point, 400m to the top and then 200m back down.
We walked most of the course and ran a few sprints along the way, or ran lightly
from one block to the next down the sidewalk on Main street.
|
| Wednesday, May 23, 2007. |
|
The track brought to mind the opening of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's A Very Old Man
with Enormous Wings, which begins "On the third day of rain they had killed
so many crabs inside the house that Pelayo had to cross his drenched courtyard and
throw them into the sea", but instead of crabs it was caterpillars. More per
cubic inch than I had ever seen before. At first I tried to walk gingerly, but
eventually gave up on that. Anyway, we had some splendid runs and some new records.
Jakob ran the 400 in 1:42 (actually, twice in a row!) and we finished with a
series of 100m sprints, each of which was a fraction of a second off his previous
best; more significantly, he finally broke into the teens — 19.91 seconds!
|
| Monday, May 21, 2007. |
|
Last night Jakob announced that he wanted to run the Shawnee 5K. It was too late for
that, but I promised that we would do it the next day. When I picked him up after
school, it was still on his mind. The Shawnee 5K has some steep hills, and I was all
for taking it lightly since it was our first 5K of the year. But Jakob set the pace
and we finished in 28:03, shaving 83 seconds off his old record.
|
| Saturday, May 19, 2007. |
|
Mike and Linda are visiting. We ran the Shawnee Mile with Mike in 7:42.
|
| Friday, May 18, 2007. |
|
We ran the uphill half of the Shawnee Mile. On the walk down, we identified
mailboxes that marked where we wanted to be at each minute's passing. That was a
helpful technique — we finished in 3:50!
|
| Saturday, May 12, 2007. |
|
An experiment: we woke up feeling fresh and went for a run before breakfast. This
worked nicely. We did the Shawnee Mile in 7:39 — only four seconds off his
record. We reached the turnaround point at 3:30, completing the mostly uphill return
trip in 4:09.
|
| Thursday, May 10, 2007. |
|
I just meant to close my eyes for a moment on the sofa but somehow fell fast asleep.
Jakob woke me up, with apologies, reminding me that we had talked this morning about
running after work today. Well, night was coming on and it was raining, but this did
not seem to concern him overly much. So off we went. Something new: we walked down
to the far end of Shawnee Road and then ran back. The return trip is the one with
the steep uphill. Finished in 4:09. The rain was refreshing, actually.
|
| Tuesday, May 8, 2007. |
|
Track workout. It was windy, but Jakob ran the 400 in 1:45, and had some other solid
runs as well.
|
| Monday, May 7, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 8:03.
|
| Sunday, May 6, 2007. |
|
We hiked the South Trail at Big Pocono State Park. Jakob had hoped that the trail
would have some boulders to climb over, but it was a good hike with some decent
ascents. We talked about our plans to hike the entire Appalachian Trial someday, and
perhaps part of the Rocky Mountains. As for Big Pocono State Park, the plan is to
return and try the North and Indian Trails, both of which are supposedly a bit more
rugged. We saw a black and white warbler on the trail today, and caught glimpses of
what were probably other warblers. Along the way, we quizzed each other on the
elements: Jakob can rattle them off up in order of atomic number, up to neodymium
(60). He coached me with gentle hints until I had mastered it up to rhodium (45).
|
| Saturday, May 5, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile, late in the afternoon, still a bit tired probably from biking earlier
in the day, but it was a decent workout, and we made plans afterward to go hiking
tomorrow.
|
| Monday, April 30, 2007. |
|
We ran the Papermill 2-mile in 17:04.
|
| Sunday, April 29, 2007. |
|
Track workout. Minna came to watch. We ran 1-2-4-8-4-2-1 (x 100m) and then a few
sprints on the football field.
|
| Thursday, April 26, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:52. We walked to the field to cool down, reciting the first twenty
elements in atomic-number order.
|
| Tuesday, April 24, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:59. Minna cheered us on at the finish line. We rested for a while,
and then tossed the football around in the front yard.
|
| Sunday, April 22, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 8:03. We passed Minna and the dog. Nearly 80° today. After the run,
we tossed around the football for a while.
|
| Sunday, April 15, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 8:02. Snow is on the way tonight.
|
| Tuesday, March 27, 2007. |
|
First track workout of the year, at dusk, still warm outside. Two new records right
away: 100m in 20.28 seconds and 200m in 45.56. Then we did the 400, and he was only
3/4 of a second off his record. After a few more short runs, we finished with a
hundred-yard-dash on the football field. By then it was dark, so we sat in the
bleachers and talked about running and hiking and constellations.
|
| Sunday, March 25, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 8:00. First run of the year in shorts!
|
| Monday, March 12, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile. Another tune-up.
|
| Sunday, March 11, 2007. |
|
Sunny and warm — upper 40s. It feels like spring, and this was our first run of the
season. We ran the Shawnee Mile. I imagined something like 8:30, since we have not
been training over the winter, except for a few tune-ups. Jakob predicted 8:10. He
took off like a rocket, but I did not think he would be able to maintain that pace.
We got to the turn-around point at 3:25 (4 seconds slower than his record), and we
finished in 7:51. We are both excited about the new season. Jakob is determined to
break 7 minutes on the Shawnee mile, which on a flat course I think would be
something like 6:30. And his goal for the 5K this year is 23 minutes. All of these
times are, for a 7-year-old, unbelievable.
|
| Friday, March 9, 2007. |
|
Another tune-up: Shawnee mile, leisurely pace. We did not bother to time it.
|
| Sunday, March 4, 2007. |
|
Shawnee mile. We are not timing ourselves in the winter. Just going out to loosen up
and keep in decent running shape. But still, it was a pretty good run. We both
enjoyed it.
|
| Sunday, February 25, 2007. |
|
28 ° outside, but clear and somehow mild. We decided to try the Papermill
2-Mile, but when we got there we found that it was it was completely iced over. So
we drove to the Sawmill loop, and measured out a nice 1.8 mile out-and-back. Snow
started to fall midway through. It was good to run again.
|
| Monday, January 8, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:56. Actually, he got to the turnaround point in record time
— 3:21.
|
| Thursday, January 4, 2007. |
|
We worked out at the track today, for the first time in quite a while. Jakob ran
several 100m dashes, but his main focus was on the 800, which he finished in 3:52
(new PR). He also had a good 200 and 400 run, and we did a couple of 40-yard-dashes
on the football field before heading home.
|
| Monday, January 1, 2007. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:35, shattering his old record of 7:50! He got to the turnaround
point in record time as well — 3:23 (the return trip is mostly uphill — were
it flat then I think he would be running a sub-seven-minute mile). All that
disappointment from last night was powerful fuel, it seems.
|
| Sunday, December 31, 2006. |
|
We started the annual New Year's Eve 5K in Bloomsburg, our first race at night, and
Jakob ran heroically but after a mile he got intense cramps, and we had to stop. He
was so disappointed. By the time he recovered it was too late — we walked back
to find Minna at the starting line. In the car, Jakob said that he was going to run
the Shawnee Mile as soon as we got home. Pure determination in his voice. So we ran
at home. Before I could even get out of the car he was already at the top of the
driveway, ready to go. It was very dark — no street lights on Shawnee Road. Our time was 8:14, about which he was again dejected. We talked for a while about that, and I
promised that we would look for some road races in January. He had wanted to close
out the year with an explosive run, I think. But that will come. There will be
fireworks.
|
| Saturday, December 30, 2006. |
|
Last Shawnee Mile of the year. We ran it in 8:06. Jakob was disappointed, but I
think it was a good solid run. He is excited about breaking 7:45, and plans
thereafter to work on half miles for a while, and perhaps a few 5Ks over the winter.
|
| Sunday, December 24, 2006. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:55! We were at the turnaround point in 3:29, but the way back is
almost all uphill. It was a good hard run.
|
| Saturday, December 23, 2006. |
|
We ran the Shawnee 5k for the first time in a while. Christmas lights were coming on
just as we got to the end of Cherry Hill. We finished in 28:34, a record for Jakob
on this course.
|
| Thursday, December 21, 2006. |
|
Shawnee Mile again, 8:05 again. It was dark and the air was crisp. We sat on the
driveway after the run, just chatting for a while.
|
| Sunday, December 10, 2006. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 8:05.
|
| Sunday, December 3, 2006. |
|
Shawnee Mile at dusk, full moon, cold and clear. Jakob got to the turnaround point
in record time, 3:25, and finished the whole thing in 7:50, which is also a new
record.
|
| Sunday, November 26, 2006. |
|
We hiked the 4-mile Oak Loop Trail at Locust Lake State Park again. Minna came, and Alexandra too. Jakob led the expedition, keeping a sharp eye out for the trail markers. He found his own paths across the streams, jumping from rock to rock.
|
| Friday, November 24, 2006. |
|
It felt strangely like spring outside. We put on shorts and drove to Mifflinville,
just to try something new. I like the quiet neighborhoods there with their quiet
roads. There were wheat fields and cozy lawns, I-80 in the distance, and even a
circling hawk to complete the picture. We measured out a 3.3 mile loop, twice around
a square of streets, and Jakob finished in 30:30. This was our first run together
further than 5 kilometers.
|
| Thursday, November 23, 2006. |
|
Our annual Thanksgiving Day run. We did the Shawnee Mile again, without even timing
it, but even at a relaxed pace it is a nice hill workout. Last time was soft and
snowy — this time just cold and drizzly.
|
| Saturday, November 18, 2006. |
|
Today the C. W. Heller Memorial Market Street Races took place. There was a
half-mile run for first and second graders. Jakob placed 5th out of 57 runners,
finishing in 3:50. For that, he received a medal and ribbon.
|
| Sunday, November 12, 2006. |
|
Rain in the morning and puffy gray skies all afternoon. It was 5° C at racetime. It
was the 2nd annual Great American Smokeout 5K. Alexandra and Robin came to watch. It
was a flat out-and-back. The road ran parallel to the Susquehanna river most of the
way. Jakob's one mile split was 7:30, and he finished with a new PR — 25:31!
|
| Wednesday, November 8, 2006. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:58.
|
| Monday, November 6, 2006. |
|
Dusk. Shawnee Mile in 7:55!
|
| Saturday, November 4, 2006. |
|
Jakob, Mike, and I ran around the resevoir in Central Park, a 1.5 mile flat track on
packed gravel. Hundreds of people. His time was 14:22, a slower pace than usual, but
that always happens on a new route. On Sunday we had a few sprints on the streets of
Manhattan, coming back from the Museum of Natural History, and later in the day we
walked across the park to 5th Avenue and watched the New York Marathon for about
half an hour. Tens of thousands of people. Jakob said that he plans to increase his
training runs 5 miles every year until he is up to marathon distances. And I
promised to run his first marathon with him.
|
| Monday, October 30, 2006. |
|
Track workout today. We ran sprints until it was too dark to see. Jakob smashed his
old 400m PR — it was 1:50 and today he ran it in 1:45. We also had a nice
hundred yard dash on the football field (20 seconds).
|
| Saturday, October 28, 2006. |
|
It was cold and rainy this morning, so we had to skip the Pumpkin Run.
Disappointing. But we have our eye on a race in Berwick later in November, a
half-mile run for kids and then a 5K for all. And this afternoon we ran the Shawnee
Mile in 8:01.
|
| Thursday, October 26, 2006. |
|
Papermill 2-Mile again. Last workout before the Pumpkin Run.
|
| Tuesday, October 24, 2006. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 7:59.
|
| Sunday, October 22, 2006. |
|
We measured a new two-mile course on Papermill Road today. It is slightly hilly in
spots, but also has long level stretches. The road winds through forest and field,
through nowhere really, an unused road, mostly packed gravel, leading eventually to
Lightstreet Village, which is our turnaround point. I think it is our most beautiful
course. The last quarter mile is a straight shot with cornfields on either side and
lots of crows watching and, it seems, thinking. We start and finish at a small
commercial mine of some kind. Minna ran with us today. It rained lightly. Jakob's
time: 16:51.
|
| Thursday, October 19, 2006. |
|
Another phone call at the office. Jakob and Minna ran the Shawnee Mile again, and
this time he broke the 8 minute barrier — 7:58.
|
| Wednesday, October 18, 2006. |
|
We went to the track today. He had solid times on the 100, 400, and 800. Then he ran
another 400 in 1:50, 200 in 47 seconds, and 100 in 21 seconds flat. Those are PRs.
|
| Monday, October 16, 2006. |
|
Jakob called me at work with news: he and Minna ran the Shawnee Mile in 8 minutes
flat!
|
| Saturday, October 14, 2006. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 8:18. We were both bundled up — it was cold.
|
| Friday, October 13, 2006. |
|
Shawnee 5K in the cold. A new record for that course — 29:26.
|
| Wednesday, October 11, 2006. |
|
Shawnee Mile at dusk in 8:07.
|
| Tuesday, October 10, 2006. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 8:06! He shaved 13 seconds off the old record. Take away the hills
and I think it would be something like a 7:15 mile.
|
| Sunday, October 8, 2006. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 8:21.
|
| Saturday, October 7, 2006. |
|
Minna and I ran the 1st annual Berwick Health Alliance 5K with Jakob today. It was
cold, but Jakob's recent 30:54 on the Shawnee 5K gave me hope that he might break 30
minutes on a flat course. Dozens of racers passed us in the beginning, but we kept a
steady pace and after about ten minutes started moving past some other runners. Each
time we would pick out our next target, in code, like "blue shirt white hat". Some
of those runners eventually tried to retake the lead, and when they got close Jakob
picked it up a notch. I think one of them eventually did overtake him, but only one.
Did he break 30 minutes? Yes, and this sounds hard to believe, but: 26:50!
|
| Thursday, October 5, 2006. |
|
I was mowing the lawn and Jakob said that he wanted to train. It was chilly, and
almost dark, but we decided to do the Shawnee Mile anyway. When he was dressed and
we finally started, a bright full moon was high in the sky. We finished in 8:23.
|
| Monday, October 2, 2006. |
|
Jakob and I had one of our most intense track workouts ever. We began, as usual,
with a 100m sprint. He finished in 21.53 seconds, just 47/100 of a second off his
best. Then we did 200m, 400m, and 800m — each within seconds of his best. And
then another 100m. Here an interesting thing happened. Instead of calling it a day
as originally planned, I guess he felt that he was so close to a new 100m PR that he
wanted to try again. This time, his third, was close but not quite a PR. So he tried
again. And again. And again. And again. In fact, he ran seven 100m sprints in a row,
with a range of times from 21.53 to 21.90. Amazing that all seven runs were within a
half second of each other! After that last one he was, I suppose, convinced that the
record was not going to fall today. Oh well, time to go home. But wait, he wanted to
try a 300m run, something new. His goal was 1:25, and we did it in 1:23.66. Ok, time
to go home. But wait, he wanted to try a couple of 40-yard dashes on the football
field. And then he was finally ready to head home (except that he wanted to race to
the car — which was a tie). When we did get home, he timed me on the Shawnee
mile, cheering wildly as I neared the finish line and bringing me a glass of water
as I cooled down afterwards.
|
| Sunday, October 1, 2006. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 8:21. Then I ran it alone and Jakob timed me. When it was over,
Jakob brought me a glass of water. We sat on the driveway for a while, just talking.
I was ready for lunch, but Jakob wanted me to time him on a few laps around the
house before we went inside.
|
| Friday, September 29, 2006. |
|
It was dark, but Jakob wanted to go to the track. The moon was out, and there was a
little extra light from the tennis courts. It is the last night before his
grandmother returns to Finland. He ran 100m in 21.06 seconds, a new PR, and then
400m in 1:53, which was less than a second off his best. We also ran 800m and then
400m and 100m again, all of them fast.
|
| Wednesday, September 27, 2006. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 8:29.
|
| Saturday, September 23, 2006. |
|
Shawnee Mile in 8:32.
|
| Friday, September 22, 2006. |
|
We went to the track and Jakob ran like a cheetah. His warm-up 100m was nearly a PR.
We ran 800m in 3:59 and then 400m in 1:51.44, which is a new PR by 44/100 of a
second. We ran another 100m and also 200m. Then we went onto the football field and
I timed Jakob on a few 40 yard dashes. By then it was completely dark.
|
| Sunday, September 17, 2006. |
|
Good news and bad news. The bad news first: Jakob has been fighting a cold for
nearly a week, and he was in no condition to run the Alumni Open 5K yesterday. It
would have been fun, and we had been thinking about that race all summer long. Now
the good news: today we ran the Shawnee Mile again... His grandmother is here, and
she timed us...I keep thinking that Jakob has peaked, but again I was surprised...he
had not had any serious workout for over a week because of the cold...and his time
was — 8:19. On a flat course he would definitely have broken the 8 minute barrier.
|
| Saturday, September 9, 2006. |
|
Jakob wanted to run the Sawmill 2.7, which we have not done in a while. It was
nearly dusk, and we saw a few lightning flashes over the cornfields. 29:06, which is
easily a new personal record.
|
| Friday, September 8, 2006. |
|
Good runs at the track. 100m several times, 200m, 400m (in 1:51.87, a new PR), 800m,
and a 40 yard dash to top it off.
|
| Wednesday, September 6, 2006. |
|
We ran the Shawnee 5K at dusk. The moon was full — almost a harvest moon. 31:01.
|
| Tuesday, September 5, 2006. |
|
Just one day out of the hospital, and I thought Jakob would feel a bit rusty when he
told me that he wanted to train tonight. He has been through so much lately. We did
the Shawnee Mile, and shortly into it I could tell that something was different.
This one was really special. His old PR was 9:21, and I had thought he would stay
there for a while, but tonight — 8:44. He inspires me.
|
| Sunday, August 27, 2006. |
|
Heavy rain all day long. To tell the truth, I really did not feel like going out in
it, but Jake was practically pining for a run in the rain. So...we did the Shawnee
5K, and after half a minute it felt great to be out there. Absolutely beautiful pure
rainy gray day. Down Shawnee road, along Sleepy Hollow, up Cherry Hill and down
Treeline, to the halfway point in record time — 15:08. I kept stealing glances at
him, his black shorts and neon green running shirt plastered against his skin by the
rain, wiping the water out of his eyes, focused on the road ahead, no cares and no
worries, just running, as if the road was the only thing in the world. Back on
Shawnee, at the top of the hill with the finish line still distant but finally in
sight, his old PR of 32:14 (set on a flat course last year) was clearly in danger.
We finished in 30:54. We dried off in the garage, and Minna had baked apple crisp
for us, too!
|
| Friday, August 25, 2006. |
|
We watched Market Street Mile from the finish line. The winner came in at about
4:30. Then we headed to the starting line for the Half Mile. There were about 16
kids (10 and under). Parents were allowed to run with their kids, so I ran right
behind Jake. Some of the kids were really fast. Jake kept up a great pace. You could
read the sheer focus and determination on his face. And what was his finishing time?
Remember, he had recently run 800m (which is 4.5 meters shy of a half mile) in 4:02,
and his goal since June was to break 4 minutes. What was his time tonight? THREE
MINUTES AND 39.65 SECONDS!
|
| Wednesday, August 23, 2006. |
|
We ran 200m in 50.88 seconds, some 100m sprints, and then a few 40 yard dashes on
the football field. His best 40 time was 7.96 seconds, and if he could only shave
off three and a half seconds then he would look like an elite NFL wide receiver. We
also ran a few 100 yard dashes. Ready for Friday's race...
|
| Monday, August 21, 2006. |
|
Jake is primed and ready to go! First, as a warm-up, he ran a 100 in 25 seconds.
Then we ran the 800. Jake kept a fast pace from the very beginning, and we finished
the run in 4:02, which smashes his old record of 4:07 from last year. Then, after
resting for about two minutes, we ran the 400, and it was another record: 1:52.28,
which is 6/100 of a second faster than his old record. Next we ran another 100,
finishing in 21.94, which comes within 31/100 of a second of his record. We wrapped
things up with a couple of dashes up the bleachers. Then we went to buy strawberries
to make a smoothie at home.
|
| Saturday, August 19, 2006. |
|
Madeleine is visiting, so she and Minna timed us on the Shawnee Mile. Great run
— 9:22!
|
| Friday, August 18, 2006. |
|
We went to the track this evening and Jake ran the 800 in 4:23. Then he ran 400m and
a bunch of sprints.
|
| Thursday, August 17, 2006. |
|
The plan was to do an 800m test run for the race next week, and then two 100m
sprints. Jake was quite disappointed by the results. His second lap of the 800 was
not bad — in fact, we passed and kept ahead of another runner on the track — but I guess on the first lap he was a bit sluggish. Anyway, he insists on running tomorrow and the next day to compensate.
|
| Tuesday, August 15, 2006. |
|
We went to the track today after karate, and there was a crowd of cheerleaders
practicing. One of them evidently remembered seeing Jake at the track before,
because as we were stretching she told the others that he is the fastest little boy
in the world. We lined up for the 100m, and Jake took off like a shot; as we passed,
they all cheered wildly (for Jake, I assume), and seemed to be amazed by his pace.
And indeed, it was a new PR! 21.63 seconds. Then we ran 400m, 800m, 200m, then
another 400m and 100m.
|
| Sunday, August 13, 2006. |
|
I really thought that Jake had peaked on the Shawnee Mile for a while, but today he
ran it in 9:21. That, in fact, is his fastest mile time ever, and remember that the
Shawnee Mile is very hilly. Just like last time, Minna timed us, and so did I
because Jake likes to know his splits. Twelve days before the Market Street Half
Mile...
|
| Saturday, August 12, 2006. |
|
We hiked the Oak Loop trail at Locust Lake State Park. It was poorly marked at spots, so we had to backtrack a few times to pick up the trail, but on the whole it was a nice one. Four miles long, a winding trail through a forest of massive oaks, pines, and hickory trees, and supposedly "difficult", but I am not sure about that. We had lunch after
the hike by the lake, where lots of people were swimming.
|
| Wednesday, August 9, 2006. |
|
Shawnee Mile...9:38! Minna timed us and cheered at the finish line, and I took a
watch too so that Jake could hear his splits on the way. Afterwards I carried him on
my shoulders for a bit, Champion of the Universe style.
|
| Sunday, August 6, 2006. |
|
The Shawnee Mile again, this time in 10:05. It's hilly, so I think he might be able
to beat his old one mile record on a flat course.
|
| Monday, July 31, 2006. |
|
We ran the Shawnee Mile in 10:38. Just over 3 weeks left before the Market Street
half mile race!
|
| Friday, July 28, 2006. |
|
Warm-up lap at the track and then 800, 400, 200 and 100m runs. When we got home I
asked Jake how he felt about the workout and he said "not disappointed, but
somewhere in between happy and disappointed." I know what he means, but still it was
good exercise. It counts. I think next time we should try something else. Perhaps
the Sawmill Loop or the Shawnee 5k, or maybe a whole new route if I can find one.
|
| Tuesday, July 25, 2006. |
|
Jake asked out of the blue to go to the track this evening. I had just eaten so I
did not run with him — just operated the clock instead. He warmed up on the
bleachers, did a bit of stretching, ran a 400m warm-up, and then I timed him on
400m, 800m and then 100m. He was visibly disappointed by the results, but I thought
it was a great effort and a solid workout.
|
| Monday, July 24, 2006. |
|
Our recent runs have been less spirited than usual, so we mixed up the routine. We
started with a casual 400m warm-up, then a real 400m on the clock. And then 800m,
and Jake had his best time of the year, and his third best time ever — 4:15. We also ran 200m and a couple of 100m sprints. Jake attracted quite a bit of attention. A
man asked his time after the 800m run and congratulated him heartily. He wanted to
know Jake's age, and then his name so that when Jake is famous he (the man) can say
that he once ran on the same track as Jake. Later, some kids (maybe 12 or 13 years
old) who were on the field for some kind of soccer camp asked Jake about his times
and his age, and they called over to their friends to say that Jake can run a mile
in 9:34 and is only 7 years old.
|
| Sunday, July 23, 2006. |
|
We ran at the track today. A couple of 100m sprints, then 200m, 400m, and another
100m.
|
| Thursday, July 13, 2006. |
|
Jake called me at work to say that he and Minna ran the Sawmill 2.7 loop in 36:18.
|
| Monday, July 10, 2006. |
|
New PR! After warming up with 100m, 200m and a couple of 400m runs, Jake ran 100
meters in 22.06 seconds.
|
| Sunday, July 9, 2006. |
|
We hiked the Skyline Trail at Hawk Mountain. It was a land of boulders with many
sharp and rugged ascents and descents. We were on hands and knees at points. At one
peak we came upon a raptor of some kind, a turkey vulture I think, just ten meters
away. He eventually flew off to join five others who were floating and circling very
close overhead in the warm air currents. The hike took about four hours, and at the
end we had lunch at the South Point overlook.
|
| Wednesday, July 5, 2006. |
|
We ran the Shawnee 5k in 36:49 this morning.
|
| Tuesday, July 4, 2006. |
|
We hiked the River of Rocks trail (4.5 miles) at Hawk Mountain. It descends about
700 feet over rocks and boulders in heavily forested and somewhat boggy terrain.
Back at the top, we ate lunch at River of Rocks Overlook. Being a workday, there
were no other people on the trail, and just a few back on top of the mountain.
|
| Thursday, June 29, 2006. |
|
Jake was in a zone tonight! The idea to go to the track struck him at about 8:30pm,
out of the blue it seemed, and it was nearly dark by the time we got there. He had
great times, running 1-2-4-8-4-2, and by then it was so dark that we had to hold the
stopwatch at just such an angle to catch the moonlight and read the digits. His
first 400 meter time was 1:52.68 — just a third of a second off his best ever! And
his first 200 meter time was quite good as well — 51 seconds, his best this year.
|
| Wednesday, June 21, 2006. |
|
1-2-4-8-2-1 again at the track.
|
| Sunday, June 18, 2006. |
|
1-2-4-8-2-1. He is returning to form on the 100m (23.29) and had a solid 4:26.53 for
the 800.
|
| Thursday, June 15, 2006. |
|
We ran the Sawmill 2.7 mile loop just before sunset in 36:22.
|
| Wednesday, June 14, 2006. |
|
1-2-4-8-16 and some sprints on the football field. On the 1600, Jake finished in
9:42. We are training for the Market Street Half at the end of August. Jake's goal
is to break 4 minutes.
|
| Sunday, June 11, 2006. |
|
Went hiking with Caleb and Christopher at Hawk Mountain. Great trails,
with quite a bit of boulder climbing. We would like to go back and try the River of
Rocks trail, which we could see from several overlooks today.
|
| Saturday, June 10, 2006. |
|
1-2-4-2-1 and a few stairs.
|
| Sunday, May 28, 2006. |
|
Light sprints: 1-2-4-8 (x 100m).
|
| Wednesday, May 24, 2006. |
|
One mile tune-up run to the end of Shawnee Road and back.
|
| Sunday, May 7, 2006. |
|
We ran a 2.8 mile section of the Sawmill Loop. Minna rode behind on a bike. At one
point, a groundhog nosing about in shrubs by the side of the road attacked us
— well, not really attacked us, but he was startled by our approach and darted
away with a hiss, which inspired Jake to later say that he had felt like fainting.
The rest of the run was pleasant but uneventful. We finished in 36:04.
|
| Monday, May 1, 2006. |
|
It feels like summer now. We went to the track and ran 100, 200, 400, 200, and 100
meters, followed by five stair sprints on the bleachers. Then Jake wanted to run on
the football field. In particular, he wanted to run a 100 yard dash, and then a 90
yard dash, and then 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 yard dashes...and then (again,
his idea) a 5 yard dash, a 1 yard dash, and a half yard dash.
|
| Sunday, April 9, 2006. |
|
The hill from our mailbox down to the end of Shawnee is not far, but the return side is fairly steep. A nice hill workout. Jake ran 5 laps in 14:15.
|
| Sunday, April 2, 2006. |
|
There is a flat packed-gravel bike trail that runs along the old railroad tracks. The round trip is about 5K — perhaps slightly more, but I am not sure. Today was bright and sunny — the first hot day of the year. We ran the trail in 37:31. Jake saw what was either a snake or a giant worm — he is not sure which. I did not see it myself and so cannot settle the matter.
|
| Saturday, March 11, 2006. |
|
We hiked Ricket's Glen — the long 7-mile loop. The weather was quite mild, but the trail was still iced over in many spots. It was treacherously icy, in fact. There was a fair amount of slipping, and emergency grabs of overhanging roots, and sliding cautiously on the ground at points to avoid slipping. Jake loved it, but Minna and I were a bit worried. At one point some people turned back because the trail was too slick, the drop off the side of the trail too steep, and the only other way around was a very narrow climbing strip of mud and rock. Two people slipped and slid a good 40 feet. But we were extremely careful, holding roots and exposed rock fragments, and everyone made it across without incident.
|
| Sunday, February 26, 2006. |
|
100, 400, and 800 meters. Freezing and windy.
|
| Tuesday, December 27, 2005. |
|
We went to the track today. Ran 100 and 400 meters, and sprints on the football field. Still a few dirty patches of snow on the ground.
|
| Sunday, November 27, 2005. |
|
Surprisingly mild weather. We ran the Sawmill loop at dusk.
|
| Thursday, November 24, 2005. |
|
Today is Thanksgiving Day. We skipped the race last weekend — it was bitter cold and we were already coughing and sneezing. But today is perfect! Jake and I ran to the end of Shawnee Road and back, which happens to be exactly one mile. There were soft swirls of snow in the beginning, gray skies, and absolute silence — no cars, no people no crows, nothing. We were the only two people in the world. It was a light run — no attempt at records, and we did not even clock it. I think that we both just wanted to run outside, to be in the snow, to hear our own breathing, and I suggested that we go for a run together on every Thanksgiving Day, starting now and continuing forever. Jake liked the idea. At the halfway point, the wind and snow picked up. The swirls became driving sheets, slanting down right into our faces. It was good to be alive.
|
| Saturday, November 12, 2005. |
|
Mild weather, so we went to the track. 100, 200, and 800 meters, then sprints on the
football fields for about 10 minutes. There is a race next Saturday just for kids,
and Jake is going to run the half-mile run for first and second graders.
|
| Saturday, October 29, 2005. |
|
Race day! We ran the annual Great Pumpkin 5K Run. It was too cold for standing around in shorts, but just right for a hard run — about 50 degrees. Totally flat course, mostly on packed gravel, looping through the PPL Riverlands Recreation Area, in plain view of the nuclear power plant in Berwick. Small race — 147 runners. Jake finished in 32:14, a new PR, and he is happy to close out the racing season that way. I think we still have time for some
weekend runs together before the snow comes. By the way, Jake ran with Minna
today, and I went solo. I won a pumpkin for finishing second place in my age group
(there happens not to have been too many runners in my age group), 21:29.
|
| Sunday, October 23, 2005. |
|
We went to the track and ran a 400m warm-up, and then ran 3000m. There was a brisk wind, and Minna had bundled Jake up in layers of clothing, but he still ran it in 19:49, beating his old record by a few seconds.
|
| Friday, October 21, 2005. |
|
Jake ran the Shawnee 5K with Minna.
|
| Wenesday, October 19, 2005. |
|
Track. We ran 400m a few times, 800m and some 100m sprints. Jake also ran on the football field — 100 yard and 40 yard dashes. Then we did stairwork on the bleachers, until it was too dark to see.
|
| Saturday, October 15, 2005. |
|
We went out on the Sawmill 2.7 mile loop, but just over the first big hill, about 5 minutes into the run, Jake tripped and fell. Skinned his knee and palm. I had to carry him back to the car, and at home we had to put a big bandage on his knee.
|
| Tuesday, October 11, 2005. |
|
Jake performed at the track for his grandmother today. Nice workout, but the weather is turning chilly now so he had to wear long pants. He had some good 100m sprints, and also ran 200m and a couple of 400m runs. And stairs at the end.
|
| Tuesday, October 4, 2005. |
|
A few sprints at the track. Some stairs too, until it got dark.
|
| Saturday, October 1, 2005. |
|
Finally, today, the race. We signed in a half hour before start time, and Jake got
his number: he wore #1179. We spent time warming up — stretching, sprinting,
some light jogging. At race time we lined up and waited for the gun...and Jake took
off like a cheetah. People (race monitors and spectators) were cheering for him and
shouting encouragement all along the way. He got tired and hot, but he kept a good
pace and even saved enough for a dash at the end. And whenever we ran past a
cheering crowd, Jake picked it up with a defiant little burst of speed. The two hard
hills were not that bad. In fact, the hills on our Shawnee 5K and the Sawmill Loop
are longer and steeper, so he was prepared. His official time was...it was 32:46, a
new personal record! After the race, the BU cross-country coach said that she wants
Jake on her team when he grows up. And a few older kids asked him if he really ran
the whole thing. So we are done with that. Next up is the 5K Pumpkin Run (a flat
course) at the end of the month.
|
| Thursday, September 29, 2005. |
|
Quick one at the track. 100, 200 and 400m. It was cold and very windy.
|
| Tuesday, September 27, 2005. |
|
We were supposed to go for a long run yesterday after work, but it was raining hard
so we had to skip it. Today we did the Sawmill 2.7 mile loop. New record for Jake —
31:52. The course is shorter than a 5K, but has long and steep hills. Actually, we
have never run a long flat course, but there is a flat 5K road race (Pumpkin Run)
coming up at the end of October. Maybe we will try that one.
|
| Sunday, September 25, 2005. |
|
The three of us went out to upper campus with a map of the race and walked it
through. A lot of it is flat, but there is one hill (Hospital Hill) that the course
goes up twice. Later in the day we went to the track for some sprints and stairwork.
Jake ran 1500 meters in 9:13.03. He also had some good 100m sprints.
|
| Saturday, September 24, 2005. |
|
One week to race day! Today we ran the Shawnee 5K in record time: 34:06. Jake is
ready to go! By the way, last night Jake's karate school held a belt ceremony. He
was promoted to the next rank: red stripe (on white belt).
|
| Thursday, September 22, 2005. |
|
Track today. We did separate workouts. Jake's included a 100, 200, couple of 400's
and an 800. Then we did a few 100m sprints and stairwork on the bleachers. No times
to report -- we both seemed to be a bit sluggish. It was very windy, and that may
have been part of it. His times were solid, but I could tell that he felt
disappointed (as when he said darkly that he was going to run 9000 laps before going
home).
|
| Tuesday, September 20, 2005. |
|
Got a map showing the route for Jake's upcoming (next weekend!) cross-country 5K,
his first real race. But we got lost trying to follow it. Not sure how far we ran,
but perhaps it was about 3 kilometers. I have heard that the race has some deadly
hills, and I wanted to take Jake out on those at least once before race day. May try
again later.
|
| Sunday, September 18, 2005. |
|
Track today. I ran 1-2-4-2-1 (laps) with Kevin while Jake ran sprints solo: 100m,
200m, and some dashes on the football field. Then he and I did stairwork on the
bleachers.
|
| Saturday, September 17, 2005. |
|
We ran the Sawmill 2.7; that's a 2.7-mile loop that starts out on Sawmill Road. Lots
of horses and rolling hills. Took us 34:49. And those are serious hills, too!
|
| Friday, September 16, 2005. |
|
We stood under the bleachers, or in the conserving tunnel as Jake calls it,
stretching and waiting for the rain to stop. It didn't, so we had to cancel the
workout, but we did a quick 100m sprint before getting into the car.
|
| Thursday, September 15, 2005. |
|
Hard workout at the track. Jake warmed up with a 100m sprint, then ran 800m twice.
The first one was fast — 4:07.41, a new PR by 5 seconds. Then he clocked me as I did 400m sets and a couple of 100's. After that, he ran 200m in 48 seconds flat, and
finally a 100 yard dash and a 40 yard dash.
|
| Sunday, September 11, 2005. |
|
We had planned to run 5K yesterday, but Jake decided he felt instead like running
laps around the house. But today we did the Shawnee 5K. And a new PR. 34:43, shaving
5 seconds off the old time. I knew the record was on his mind (it always is), and
that last half mile, when it was clear that he had a chance at a new PR, he really
poured it on. I told him that he is like a bulldog.
|
| Thursday, September 8, 2005. |
|
I wanted to stop after 100, 400 and 800 meter runs, but Jake prevailed upon me to
give the 1500 a try. Actually, this was our first time at that distance. Did it in
9:15.91.
|
| Sunday, September 4, 2005. |
|
Track. 100, 400 and 800 meters, then three 55 meter sprints. Broke his record for
the 400: new PR is 1:52.34.
|
| Friday, September 2, 2005. |
|
Shawnee 5K. At 15:04, we passed the point where Jake wiped out yesterday. He picked
it up right there, almost sprinting; not sure why, but I think it was an act of
defiance. Anyway, finished the whole thing in 34:48. Shaved 2 seconds off his old
time.
|
| Thursday, September 1, 2005. |
|
We started the Shawnee 5K, but Jake wiped out just shy of the halfway point,
tripping and falling on the road, skinning both knees and an elbow. I prevailed upon
him to take it easy and walk back. We were at 15:35. Try again tomorrow.
|
| Saturday, August 27, 2005. |
|
Track. 100m, 400m, 800m. Also a few 55-meter sprints. Shaved a fraction of a second
off his old PR for 100m, from 22.63 to 22.41 seconds. I was not there...Minna took
him. I was running with Kevin — his 4.4 mile course, rolling hills, horse
stables, corn fields.
|
| Thursday, August 25, 2005. |
|
Went to the track. Saw cheerleaders practicing, and a man walking on his hands. Jake
ran a 400, then a 100, another 400, and then an 800. No PRs, but solid times. Then
we ran on the football field: 100 yards and then three 40 yard dashes. Finally, a
quick dash up the bleachers to top it off. By the way, today was Jake's first day of
first grade.
|
| Tuesday, August 23, 2005. |
|
Track today. New PRs for the 400m (1:53.22) and 800m (4:12.03).
|
| Monday, August 22, 2005. |
|
Jake ran the Shawnee 5K. With Minna. 34:50! Just 6 weeks to go before his first real
race, a cross-country 5K.
|
| Saturday, August 20, 2005. |
|
We hiked The
Pinnacle, which is part of the Appalachian Trail. Views of Hawk Mountain, the
Lehigh Valley, and Blue Rocks. We ate lunch at the top and watched several hawks
gliding very nearby. Not sure what kind of hawks. Forgot my bird book. It was a 9
mile hike, including about a half mile of backtracking due to missed turns. Very
steep and rocky at first, but Jake handled it easily. He tired a bit near the end
of the day, as anyone would. We got there at 10:30 and returned to the resevoir
parking lot about 6 hours later. It was gray and hazy all day long.
|
| Friday, August 19, 2005. |
|
Ran Shawnee 5K for second time. That's what we call it. Not an official course, but
it is exactly 5K according to my odometer. We are training for a real cross-country
5K on October 1st. Our Shawnee course starts in front of our house and loops around
on some quiet back roads. Quite hilly. Jake's time was 37:41. His first time,
several days ago, was 40:22. Today it was windy and gray. Dogs bark at us from time
to time, but they stay in their yards.
|
| BEFORE... |
|
Sometime in August, 2005, Jake ran 3000m in 19:55 and 4000m in 26:56. He has run
1600 meters from time to time, starting at 13:09 in October 2004 and down to 10:21
by July 2005, but that is not a standard distance so we stopped. His first run ever
on the BU track was a 400m sprint in 2:35. We also ran a few times in the autumn of
2004. Before that, when we lived in Boston, we used to race short distances at Lars
Anderson park.
|
