Sunday, April 22: 5K in Dunbarton (#132)

The first rain we've had in three months moved in just in time for the Dunbarton Library's Earth Day 5K. A field of 18 runners braved the soggy hills that made up the course this afternoon. Despite the ups and downs, and also having already run four miles earlier today with two of our dogs, I finished in the impressive (for me) time of 28:48.

It was a fun low-budget race. Registration was a mere $5, a breath of fresh air compared to the $30-and-up figures I've been seeing lately. Instead of bibs, our numbers were written on paper with an adhesive backing; we then peeled and affixed them to our chest and our left shoulder. (I was #9; the woman underlined it so there would be no mistaking me. Alas, the numbers fell off in the rain.)

Most impressive was the homemade timing clock being used at the finish line. Made of green lights and particle board, I'd never seen anything like it. The guy who built it told me he'd made it using Christmas lights, which were arranged on a board so they could display any four-digit number, depending on what signals were received.

The display was one continuous strip of six wires, though cut and spliced in various ways. The output was controlled by a component fixed to the back of the board, which also fed info to the guy's laptop. It was just what was needed, with only the rain offering the possibility of any trouble.

Sure enough, coming in to the finish line, I noticed the "minutes" output was covered up by someone's sweatshirt; something had obviously gone awry. Still, it was an ingenious effort. It made me regret rushing out of the house without my camera.

And when I say rushing, I mean it. The race was scheduled to start at 3 p.m.; with less than an hour to go, I was still visiting my mother in a skilled nursing facility in Nashua, N.H. (Dear old mom is recovering from a recent fall.)

Not sure how up you might be on New Hampshire geography, but most people would be hard-pressed to make from Nashua up to Dunbarton in less than an hour. But I swung on the highway, made a pit stop at my house (in Bedford, N.H., about the half-way point) and yes, pulled in next to the Dunbarton Library at 2:50 p.m., with plenty of time to spare!

Actually, more than I expected. Though listed as starting at 3 p.m., the race didn't really begin until 3:30 p.m. With the rain already started, I stayed inside and checked out the modest library's selections. For a small library, very impressive! Good selection of coin books, and some interesting history DVDs. I also got to look at the Hugo Cabret book for the first time.

And it occurs to me that this blog is serving a purpose, even if it's just personal. Without, I probably would have been able to come up with any number of excuses about skipping today's run -- sickness, no time, a dicey Achilles tendon, the steady rain. But no -- this blog helped keep me motivated when I might otherwise have blown off this race.

And that's all from Town #132!

A few new towns in 2012...

Okay, checked the upcoming schedule and a few more races are now on the calendar in Granite State communities I haven't hit yet. Among them: Dunbarton (coming up this weekend, on Earth Day), Rumney, Campton, South Hampton, Meredith, and Laconia.

If I keep up, looks like I could bag another eight or nine this season. That's better than things looked a short time ago, but still far fewer than I'm used to in a given season.

So, in order to complete this quest by May, 2016, looks like I will have to start running a few do-it-yourself races here and there. The first one of those may happen the last weekend of April, so stay tuned.

Not sure when the next state in my "running in all 50 challenge" will be, but it could be Maryland on Saturday, June 9, when I plan to attend a silent film screening at which a friend's score will be premiered. We'll see...

In the meantime, training has been erratic, frankly. An injured mother, a congested work schedule, a stiff Achilles tendon, and wacky weather have conspired to keep me off the roads more than I like. Went out with the dogs twice this weekend, but both were short runs due to unseasonably hot weather. Speaking of which, it's changed enough so regular bike rides should commence, meaning cross-training and less chance of injury.

Haven't been to the gym in ages but should probably start that up again, too.

State No. 3: California, April 1, 2012

Today notched another in my 50-state running quest: California! We're in San Francisco this weekend for a screening of 'Napolean' (1927), so took the chance to get in an eight-mile run prior to spending eight hours in a movie theater.

Bright, breezy Sunday morning for an eight-mile jaunt (give or take) through the streets of San Bruno and Millbrae, and along the perimeter of San Francisco International Airport.

Headed out of our hotel at 6:50 a.m., sun just coming up. Bright, breezy morning, wore just shorts but two t-shirts just to be sure. Right decision. Worried about sore right Achilles tendon but didn't prove a problem.

Headed north on El Camino Real in San Bruno, then east on San Bruno Avenue, over Highway 101 and onto grounds of San Francisco International Airport. Followed McDonnell Avenue south, underneath spaghetti junction of concrete overpasses leading into terminal area, then continued south down to Millbrae Avenue. Recrossed 101 to hook up with El Camino Real again, then headed north back to hotel.

Time in: 8:30. So that's 100 minutes to do about eight miles. Nothing to write home about, but enough to cross California off my list.

Preparing for the 'California' run on Sunday, April 1

A sore Achilles tendon had me lay off running this week, but I'm heading out today (Thursday, March 29) for a brief warm-up prior to the next "Running in 50 States" challenge. This one takes place on Sunday, April 1 in the streets and by-ways of San Francisco, where I'm heading this weekend to take in the once-in-a-life time chance to see the restored silent film epic 'Napoleon' (1927) in a theater with a live orchestra.

While I'm there, why not cross California off the running list? And so I will, I hope. I've mapped out an 8-mile route that follows the perimeter of San Francisco International Aiport, which is near where I'll be staying. The plan is to rise early on Sunday and get out on the streets before traffic materializes. Some of the roads look like they don't have sidewalks or even a lot of room for running, so Sunday morning is probably the best time to tackle this route.

If I complete the loop and stay out on the roads for at least 90 minutes, then I'll be able to count California as State #3! Only 47 left to go...

Saturday, March 24: Epping 5K (#131)

The 2012 running season opened today with a strange one: the "2nd Annual Pursuit of the Holy Grail," a 5K that winds through the streets of Epping, N.H., ending in the parking lot of the Holy Grail, a local restaurant and pub. We've just come off a week of record-breaking heat (temps in the 80s!) so this morning's mroe seasonal weather seemed cool, which meant a good day for running.

The unusual part of this race (besides some runners costumed as if they were part of King Arthur's quest) was that it was point-to-point, a rarity in New Hampshire. I didn't know this, so drove to the starting line way out in rural Epping only to be told that registration was back in town at the Holy Grail, after which you take a school bus shuttle to the starting line.

Sheesh! So, with 15 minutes to go, I jogged back to the car and then sped to the Holy Grail, where I registered ($28, a steep entry fee) and caught the very last school bus to the start.

Although I was hoping for a strong time after being able to keep running all winter, a few things worked against that. For starters, I didn't have time to stretch out very much, and in doing what I could prior to the start, I stepped off the road and into a cold wet patch of ground that soaked one foot. Once we got running, this put something of a crimp in my style, and then my right Achilles tendon felt a little sore, so throughout the race I felt like I wasn't able to loosen up.

And then the lace on my left shoe came undone no less than three times! Bad karma.

End result was that I finished at 30:17, or a 9:45 pace, slower than I'd hoped after a whole winter of continuous running. Not sure where I was in the pack but I'll add that when results come in. For now, the 2012 season has begun!

P.S. Posted results have me placing 298 out of 463, a huge field!

Another state, and another season

This year's race season starts tomorrow for me with a 5K in Epping, one of the closer towns (about 30 minutes from my front door) that I've yet to complete a race in. Thanks to the winter without snow, I'm in a pretty good place, I think. We'll see tomorrow.

But last Sunday I did an 8.3-mile run in Syracuse, New York, which makes the Empire State No. 2 in my quest to log a minimum 90-minute run in all 50 states. (The first was Kansas, which I got last month.)

I was in Syracuse for a Cinfest, a vintage film convention (see www.jeffrapsis.com about that) and took advantage of freakily warm and dry weather on Saturday, March 17 to go on a long steady run from my hotel out the Syracuse Airport and back.

Airport action: Kinda quiet on a Saturday afternoon. A couple jets on final approach, that's all.

A big loop, several bad intersections, but nothing terrible. Surprisingly strong late afternoon sun for St. Patrick's Day. Kind of nice to plod around the outer edges of a strange town with only my hotel key and a hand-drawn reference map to guide me. But it worked.

Which state will be next? Well, a quick trip to San Francisco next weekend will provide an opportunity. And if I do one a month, I can pick up the six New England states this summer...

Few new towns on this year's calendar

It's March, and two of our dogs are about to take me on a four-mile run around our neighborhood. First, a few notes.

It's getting to be mid-March, and I'm surprised at how few races are scheduled in towns I haven't run. In prior years, by now I'd be sorting through a list of 15 or 20 communities for the coming season. This year -- just a handful. And that's out of six pages of listings on www.coolrunning.com.

So I really have entered a new phase of this quest. If I'm going to finish it by May 14, 2016 (see below), this is the year to start systematically setting up my "do-it-yourself" 5K courses. The goal: a minimum of 30 communities this year.

To do this, I need to make 15 trips, as my method will actually be to run a minimum 10K, only half in one town and half in another. To do this is quite easy: all you have to do is find where the border is marked between two towns (New Hampshire is pretty good at that), then measure off 2.5K (or 1.6 miles) in each direction.

So then, starting right at the border, you go into Town A a distance of 2.5K, then turn around and come back. That gives you a solid 5K in Town A. But then you cross the border and keep going into Town B, into which you run 2.5K, then turn around and head back. When you reach the border, hey presto -- another 5K done! And you're standing right next to your car.

Two advantages to this method: I can start any time I want, and no registration fees! So I can squeeze them in quite early, say, and still have most of the day free. (Plus I can take the dogs along.) And there being no races this weekend, and the weather being fairly nice, I might start early tomorrow with two towns, Brookline and Mason, and see how it goes.

Running in every state: Next up is New York State, which will happen while I'm roistering in Syracuse from Wednesday, March 14 through Monday, March 19. This will bring my total up to two out of 50. Well, you've got to start somewhere, and if the goal is to motivate me to workout while staying in a comfy hotel room, well, then it seems to be working, right?