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  • 25 Feb

    Firing Up the Flux Capacitor

    After a brief hiatus, I have found my way back to the keyboard. I hope you didn’t miss me too much.

    At least I had good reasons for being away, most notably a long weekend in my former home of Jacksonville, Fla.

    I was there to run the half marathon of the 26.2 with Donna, which was my first run of more than six miles since mid-November. Given the results, maybe not training for events is a decent idea.

    A year ago I trained all winter for a half marathon in Washington, D.C., and finished in 1:49:45. This winter I spent most of my time in a recliner thanks to a stress fracture in my foot, ran for only five weeks before the race and finished in 1:50:46. Of course I also ran the same distance in November after a ton of training and went 1:43:06, so maybe there’s something to be said for preparation.

    But outside of the race, it was kind of surreal being back in that city. I left in October 2008 to return to the D.C. area. Driving on the same streets and spending an evening at my old workplace felt like taking a vacation back in time to my former life. Even the race featured a portion of running on the beach ending at a pier that I used dozens of times as the finish line for runs when I lived there.

    My job back then entailed working overnight shifts on the weekends, so after the 11 p.m. news was over I had to watch every single soul in the station leave at once. It got quiet in there real fast. But last weekend I was able to be a part of the exodus for the first time, and that was a rather nice change. I certainly don’t miss that portion of The Weekend Morning Show life.

    Of course it was nice to leave a place with two feet of snow on the ground for weather in the 60s with bright sunshine. It’s a heck of a lot more enjoyable to run on pavement than on packed snow and ice.

    The run wasn’t all gravy though. In the seventh mile the course goes through Jacksonville Beach, on a street right next to a bunch of shops and restaurants. I spent a lot of time in this area on my days off — down to the beach to read for a while and often taking a break for some pizza at Happy Stephanos. The good thing about sightseeing during a half marathon is that you have time to process the things around you. In this case, it was noticing that Happy Stephanos no longer exists. Crying shame.

    I also feel the need to mark the end of the line for the Saucony Grid Triumph. They were on my feet since July I believe, playing an integral role in setting big personal bests in the half marathon (noted above) and 5K (20:24). Of course that 5K was done after suffering the stress fracture in these shoes, so maybe they shouldn’t get too much honor here. Back to the Nike Structure Triax starting tomorrow.

    By cjhannas running travel Uncategorized
  • 02 Dec

    Limptastic

    I have learned a lot in the last week about living life at half speed.

    Actually it’s been slightly more than a week. I would have written this yesterday, but one of the things I learned is that going to the grocery store takes forever when you’re limping around. I also found that a shopping cart is kind of like a walker on steroids.

    If you have ever gone someplace with me that involved walking you probably know that I typically stroll quite quickly. So it is less than ideal to have a stress fracture in my foot that means I have to wear a stylish flat-soled shoe.

    In addition to the natural avoidance of pain, I’m also being slowed down by the shoe’s construction. Though today I worked on a sort of combo limp-run, which entails running on the left (uninjured) foot and limping on the right. The result is a slightly faster walking speed without putting the bum foot in jeopardy.

    So we’re making progress.

    Last weekend I found myself in a rare scenario these days. I was wearing a Susquehanna University sweatshirt and was in a place where I bet at least 75 percent of the people around me knew what that was. Of course being at a Taco Bell in central PA is almost cheating in that regard. But it was still a happy time.

    By cjhannas injury running Susquehanna Taco Bell Uncategorized
  • 05 Nov

    Orange You Glad

    It’s always nice to achieve long-term goals.

    In March, I ran a half-marathon in Washington, D.C., in a time of 1:49:45. That was 15 seconds better than my goal, and I was happy.

    I planned to focus on shorter distances for the summer, try to set a new 5K personal best, and see if I could make a run at a 1:45 half-marathon in November.

    The 5K record fell in my first attempt in June, followed by a blazing new 4-miler record in July.

    I woke up on Sunday in rainy, windy Raleigh thinking I might be able to get close to 1:45, but would at least beat my time from March. I ran with my sister-in-law, Bethany, for the first seven miles (we had the same goal time). Through 7, we were about 25 seconds behind that pace.

    As the rain fell even harder, I broke away, finishing with miles of 7:46, 7:44, 7:51, 7:42, 7:18(!) and 7:40. Add that all up (plus the 34 seconds to cover the final .1 miles) and I came in at 1:43:08.

    Needless to say, I was pretty happy with that outcome as evidenced by one of the photos here. Note that I look somewhat miserable during the others, and one is clearly not me.

    Of course I need to give credit where it’s due — to my awesome orange shoes. So far this year they have been on my feet for four races, all of which were new personal records.

    Next up, a Turkey Trot 5K on November 21. Can the orange shoes go 5-for-5 in 2009?

    By cjhannas running shoes Uncategorized
  • 25 Aug

    But the Hat Came Back

    I got a text message today basically saying, “Come get your crap.”

    OK, it wasn’t quite like that. My parents have been doing a lot of work on their house this year, which has led to a lot of cleaning out of rooms and closets.

    Those areas have quite a bit of random items left behind by me and my siblings during our various moves over the years. Fortunately I only had a TV and a winter hat to pick up. Oh and Mom made me dinner, so I can’t complain too much.

    I’m actually quite happy to have the hat back. It’s a sweet New York Giants hat I got somewhere around the 7th or 8th grade. I didn’t exactly need one when I lived in Florida, so I guess it was easily overlooked when I was packing up to leave.

    Here it is after its long journey (roughly 5 miles) to my current abode:

    My most vivid memories of this hat are from my time running track my freshman year of high school. The winter track season was my first–and only–appearance on a school team. Though we competed indoors, the practices were all outside, thus necessitating having a sweet winter hat on hand.

    Of course, it was only useful to have that hat when it actually stayed on your own head. As a sprinter, I spent 99 percent of my time running on the track while the distance runners went out into the surrounding neighborhoods for their workouts. There was one day I was finishing stretching as the distance kids were heading out for their run. I was facing the fence with my back to the track when a hand snatched the hat from my head. I barely had enough time to turn around by the time I saw my hat on top of a much shorter person’s head, with a few inches of blond hair sticking out the bottom.

    I had a decision to make–expend some effort to get it back, or just risk some potentially cold ears. The hat went for a 5-mile run without me. I don’t remember how my ears fared all exposed to the cold, but I do recall being somewhat bitter when the hat and its thief finally returned. Her name is being withheld for her own protection.

    Nobody likes a hat thief.

    By cjhannas fashion football running Uncategorized
  • 15 Aug

    Can You Tell Me How to Get…

    The post office in Reston, Va., is located at 11110 Sunset Hills Rd. I wish I knew that an hour ago.

    I went for a run this morning, planning to head down the W&OD Trail but ended up making a last-second change. I wanted to do a loop with a few more hills that I haven’t done in a while. That’s what brought me to Sunset Hills Rd.

    As I was going down one of the hills, I saw a girl on a bike riding up the street. She was working the pedals hard as she tried to make it uphill while wearing flip-flops. We met about halfway up the hill as I went to just say hello and she stopped me to ask directions.

    “Excuse me, do you know where the Reston post office is?”

    I thought for a second. I’ve lived in Reston since April, and in this area for most of my life. Yet I hadn’t the foggiest clue where to find the Reston post office.

    “I know where the Herndon one is, but not Reston. Sorry.”

    I felt extra bad when I thought about the fact that we stopped in the middle of the hill–meaning she had to work that much harder to get going again. Plus the fact that I have meant to look up the post office about 18 times since I’ve lived here, and never did.

    Hopefully she kept going straight and found it about a half-mile from where we were.

    The whole scene reminded me of my first semester at grad school. In the Maryland journalism program you can finish in a year if you start in the summer session. That’s also when the university hosts tons of summer camps and special classes. Not a good mix.

    I lived just off campus, which meant I had a pretty pleasant walk to the two buildings that housed my classes. The walk took me across the massive parking lot area, which only served to put me in more contact with lost people.

    The problem was, I was a grad student who had attended the school for roughly 8 minutes. My only classes were in two buildings–two of the first ones I came to when I got to campus. So when people asked me where to find the physics buildings, one of the libraries or even if they could park there as a visitor, I had no clue.

    The truly sad part is that halfway through my time there–when I did actually know where a lot of the major things were located–people stopped asking.

    Maybe I should start carrying around a map of everything.

    By cjhannas running Uncategorized
  • 04 Nov

    The Future of America

    I know you’re thinking that November 4 is a big day in deciding the future of America. There’s this whole presidential election that will either put Sen. John McCain or Sen. Barack Obama in the White House come January. But I’m afraid that no matter what happens in Decision ’08, the next generation’s fate is already sealed.

    I have observed many different people during my time running in Northern Virginia (the kind with the shoes and shorts, not the political kind). There’s a park about a mile from my parents’ house that is a frequent location for these excursions, and it was there that today I caught a glimpse of what is in store.

    And it’s not good.

    After darting across a not-so-busy street, I swung into the park and ran past a horse ring. Nearby there is a playground that had maybe a dozen youngsters partaking in childlike fun while their parents watched from a short distance. But next to the horse ring, away from the group, there was a single child sitting in the grass by himself. He gave little notice to me as I passed, which is probably a good thing since I was intently focused on exactly what he was doing.

    That of course was eating grass. This particular park is a model 1930s working farm, and having grown up just down the road I assure you that I know the difference between the cows that graze in the fields and children who now apparently graze there as well.

    Maybe an Obama administration will help fund better education, focus on fighting hunger and perhaps an increase in biofuels that could put that grass in a gastank far from that child’s reach. Or we could just elect the Libertarian candidate and let the kid just do what he wants. The grass a few feet from a pen that has horses running around all day is probably delicious.

    Later I got an email from the McCain-Palin campaign letting me know I should vote tomorrow and informing me of my polling place. I scrolled to the bottom to go for the “unsubscribe me” type button, which at first seemed like a waste of time given there’s only a day left until the election. But it was the principle of the thing.

    At the unsubscribe page, there were options for saying why you wanted to be taken off the list. They ranged from “Support McCain, but emails are too frequent,” “Support McCain, but don’t want to receive mail,” to “I am no longer a McCain supporter and want to be taken off the list.”

    Fortunately there was a comment box, since I at no point supported McCain and certainly did not sign up for emails from said campaign. I wonder how many “For the record, I never supported John McCain and hope Senator Barack Obama has a resounding victory on election day!!!!” responses they get.

    By cjhannas kids running Uncategorized
  • 14 Jul

    No Diving

    There may be nothing better in this universe than finishing a run on a ridiculously hot day and then jumping in a pool. It’s glorious.

    One downside is having to share pool space with kids who happen to also live in your apartment complex and by their very nature suck the relaxation out of the experience.

    But something strange is happening in the neighborhood. In the warm months leading up to the end of the school year, there were always kids at the pool. In fact, I rarely ventured up that way so that I could avoid the constant screaming and non-parental supervision madness.

    Now that school is out, you would expect the pool fiasco to only worsen. Yet for some reason, the kids have all disappeared. Maybe there’s a new Pokemon-type fad I’m not familiar with. Or perhaps they just don’t like the extra heat that Summer has so nicely provided.

    Today there were two children near the pool, in a picnic area just outside. It looked like one may be roughly 10 and the other about 6. The younger girl was sitting at a table looking miserable-as-can-be. The older girl was berating her about something. I didn’t stop to listen, a lot work remained to do in the pool.

    As my cooling-off ritual continued, so did the yelling from the older girl. She was probably babysitting the younger child, and reveling in her authority. Her style was borderline abusive, leading me to think about why people talk to others like that. Her mother probably spoke to her like that (it had that distinct overbearing mother sound).

    Just when I extremely disliked this older girl, she turned her power trip to something useful. The younger girl got up from the table and tossed her empty water bottle on the ground. That dirty litterer. The older girl sprang into action, chasing down her younger counterpart and yelling for her to “PUT YOUR DAMN BOTTLE IN THE TRASH!!!”

    The younger girl was obviously not a big fan of their relationship. She refused. The older girl spanked her. The centuries-old technique was effective and seconds later the bottle was placed in its rightful place. (Note: The rightful place would be a recycling bin, but our complex apparently does not believe in preserving the planet).

    Good thing there were no kids in the pool.

    By cjhannas kids running Uncategorized
  • 07 Nov

    Le Marathone

    Well that was an experience. I’ve had several days of vacation to decompress and run through a bevy of marathon-related thoughts since Sunday’s race.

    I finished in 5:24, which was a great deal longer than I planned or expected. But what I really was not prepared for were the really tough hills in the second half of the course. I made it through the half-marathon point in 2:10, which was just a few minutes slower than my 2-hour goal for that portion.

    Then came one hill that sucked most of the life out of me. Then another. Then another. Then one where I literally came around the bend, looked up at the hill and could not believe I had to run up it.

    So I didn’t do as well in the marathon as I had hoped, but I have reached the milestone of finishing a race of that distance. I was thinking around mile 19 (where the ridiculous hill came into play) that I wouldn’t ever be doing another one. But then again, it’s pretty much universal to say that right after a marathon. After a few days, I think I’m still in that boat.

    It would take a lot to make that kind of commitment again. Running five days a week and working out a sixth, every week for four months, is draining in itself. You have to reorganize Saturdays to do a 2-hour run that will inevitably result in an additional 2-hour nap. Then on Tuesday you have to decide if you’re doing 8 miles before work, or after work.

    I liked running on a “plan” when I started. It was something I haven’t really done before and at first the structure was nice. It felt like I was listening to someone who knew what they were doing, and in the end I couldn’t possibly fail. But after a while I longed for the days when I ran because I felt like running, not because a piece of paper said I had to do six miles at a tempo pace.

    So now it’s back to running like I want. 5K races where I train three days a week. I pick the days, I pick how far, and I get to go faster. The big difference is all mental. I knew going into the marathon that realistically, I just needed to finish for it to be an accomplishment. I wasn’t going to win, or really beat that many people, just had to get through it. When I do a 5K, I’m there to pass people. I’m there to run fast and be competitive.

    I can’t tell you how many people passed me at some point on Sunday between the marathoners who beat me and those who were sharing the course for the half-marathon race. But I had to turn off that voice in my head that says people running by me is bad. There was nothing I could do about it. December 1, when I make a glorious return to the 5K scene, that won’t happen.

    For a nerd-tacular breakdown of my marathon experience, check out a really neat data set from the GPS watch I was wearing…

    By cjhannas running Uncategorized
  • 02 Nov

    Almost There…

    48 hours from now I will have finished the Raleigh Marathon and be lying on a couch. It shall be a glorious time.

    Then it’s definitely back to 5Ks for the foreseeable future. Well at least next year. We’ll see how Sunday goes before we start to look at the 2009 marathon calendar…London…Madrid…Sydney…yeah we’ll see how the first one goes.

    By cjhannas running Uncategorized
  • 29 Oct

    Oh Say Can You See?

    Should I be concerned that what I’m eating for dinner is supposed to feed four people according to the box? Eh, whatever. Maybe I’ll start eating like a normal person after the marathon. Probably not.

    Seeing the Giants play in Wembley Stadium yesterday was kind of neat, though the beginning was a bit disconcerting. There was just something askew about hearing God Save The Queen before an NFL football game. I’m used to hearing the Canadian anthem at some baseball games, which due to the peaceful nature of the Canadians is almost comforting. Maybe I need to watch more events where the English are involved.

    One thing I will never get tired of at sporting events is our national anthem. I mentioned the feeling in one of my newspaper columns three years ago. I don’t know why, but when it gets to O’er the land of the free…I get chills. Every time.

    In March I ran a half-marathon. Well, due to a partially torn tendon in my foot, I ran 3 miles and walked the rest. I planned on walking the entire thing until five minutes before the race started. That’s when they played the national anthem, and had three jets fly over head. If that doesn’t give you chills and make you run, nothing will.

    The anthem tells a story, of standing strong and persevering. It has low notes and high notes, a range that is threaded together through bombs bursting in air. What makes it even more beautiful is that it can evoke the same emotions whether it’s played by the Boston Pops or belted out by Carrie Underwood. A strong version of the anthem can be done with or without words and still raise the hairs on the back of your neck.

    It can even be a time for comedy. In the Baltimore/Washington area, there is a tradition of yelling O!!!!!!! when the song gets to O say does that… as an homage to the Baltimore Orioles. At a Washington Capitals game, a fan with great timing yelled out “Stop doing that!” at the pivotal moment. It was a great moment in anthem history. Here’s a Washington Post blog on the topic.

    Ok the meal for four has been consumed. O’er the laaaaaaaaaaaand of the freeeeeeeeeeee. And the hoooooooooome of theeeee braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave!!!!!!

    By cjhannas football hockey running Susquehanna Uncategorized writing
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