Steady Progress Continues

I know it's been a while since my last post.  My daughter recently reminded me that she reads my blog and is very disappointed with my lack of progress.  Well, just because I have been having very little (translate that into NO) progress with my blog posts, doesn't mean I have had very little progress with my training.

In fact, I have had a ton of progress with my training and I have never felt this good heading into a Marathon.  I have been regularly running under 8 minutes per mile, even on the long runs.  For instance, on my last 20 mile run I clocked sub 8 minute miles for the last 6 miles.

That's something for me, being a 6 foot tall ~200 lbs runner.  While I have had a few aches and pains (damn that Piriformis muscle) and one small non-running injury (pinky toe vs. doorjamb) there has been nothing terribly debilitating.

Best of all, I have been having so much fun training for this marathon!  I love running fast and trying new routes.  It's been fun keeping track of my split times.  It's quite a thrill to clock sub 7 minute miles every now and then, or to get on the track and fly through 400 meter or 800 meter laps.  I've been able to focus on my training, try new things, and roll with small changes in my schedule with out any problems.

The one thing that did change half way through my training was my goal time.  My goal this year was to try to achieve a qualifying time for the Boston Marathon.  However, I realized that goal was not to be this year about halfway into my training.  The qualifying time for my age group would require a 3 hour and 15 minute finish time.  As my training progressed, though, I realized that was not to be and I lowered my sights to a more realistic 3 hour and 30 minute time.  Since I did that, my training times have been right on target to hit this time, so I am very confident that I can do this.

I have also been working to ensure I am employing a wise fueling plan for this race.  Two things I don't want to do.  1) I don't want to under fuel, and 2) I don't want to end up carrying a ton of stuff with me on the run.  To that end, I think I have a plan that will help me cross the finish line strong!  I am sure it will work this time.

So, on October 19th I will be lacing up to run the Baystate Marathon in Lowell, MA.  I am looking forward to a fun, fast, and challenging race.  This will be my third marathon.  Hope it will also be a new personal record for me!  I'll keep you posted!  Really, I won't wait 3 months for the next post!  Promise!

Training for the Baystate Marathon - Look for my posts to start up again!

Sorry folks for being behind (very behind) on my posts.  I will start up again soon.  I have so much to share, and renewed strength and spirit!  I've had some awesome runs lately and my training for the Baystate Marathon has kicked off strong!

More to come!

Local Press

There was an awesome article about yours truly and the One Run For Boston in my local Newburyport paper.  I was interviewed by The Newburyport Daily News yesterday about this awesome relay, currently underway somewhere in the Arizona desert as I write this.  It was really cool to be able to drum up some local press.   Hopefully it will translate into more runners and more donations!  I'm itching and ready to run my 10.5 miles to the finish to help Boston Marathon bombing victims.  This is for them!

Read the article in The Newburyport Daily News!

If you have not sponsored me yet, or you have not signed up to run a leg yet, please get involved!

You can sponsor me here:
http://www.onerunforboston.org/u/nealgrasso/

You can sign up to run a stage here:
http://www.onerunforboston.org

The Race We're Still Running!

I recently read The Longest Race: A Lifelong Runner, an Iconic Ultramarathon, and the Case for Human Endurance by Ed Ayres.  For someone like me, a runner and environmentalist, this book ties together two aspects of my life in a way that is intellectual, philosophical, and fun.

Ed Ayres is a running icon, having been a member of the original New York Road Runners Club that ran the first New York City Marathon, and having run, and won, the JFK 50 mile ultra-marathon.  He also wrote for the World Watch Institute, an environmental organization that is working to accelerate society's transition to a sustainable world that meets human needs.

In this book, Ed tells a story about his experience running the JFK 50 mile ultra-marathon at age 60, using the race as a back drop while he shares insights about running, sustainability, and a life well lived. 

Some may find this book difficult to read because it's dense and intellectual and it challenges the reader to examine their own beliefs, biases, and prejudices.  I would say this book is a subtle call to action in that Ed points out problems with the unsustainable human existence as it stands now and discusses the lessons human's can learn from ultra running about conservation, planning, and endurance.  

Humans are constantly faced with difficulties that are often onerous to surmount, but we somehow figure out how to endure, much the same way an individual runner in a marathon or ultra-marathon figures out how to draw strength and energy from within to reach the end of the race.

Ayers does a great job using runners and running as metaphors for sustainable living.  In every component of the JFK 50 that Ed writes about he circles back to human sustainability and environmental conservation, finding a window through running onto which we can all learn a little more about human persistence and our place in the world. 

My one issue with Mr. Ayers' book is the poor transition from the story about the race he is running and the philosophical environmental and human issues he addresses.  He has a hard time weaving these two components together seamlessly.  However, despite this issue, I still highly recommend this book to those who enjoy running stories and intelligent reading rolled into one book.  Check out Ed Ayers blog to learn more about him and his philosophy. 

Happy reading and happy running!

100 < 5

So, do I have your attention?  Here it is!  On Valentines Day this Friday I am asking you to donate some amount of money less than $5 to my One Run For Boston fundraising page!  Here is how it works.

Make up a number, any number that has meaning to you, like $2.14 (Valentines Day!) and donate that amount to my fundraising page.  My goal is to get 100 small donations in one day.  I am only asking you to donate up to $5.  Also, whatever amount you decide, give me an explanation as to why you choose it.  Whatever reason you want.  No reason is too small, weird, etc...


If you want to chose a loved ones birthday, I am OK with you going with a number greater than $5 (maximum $12.31).  Just don't feel obligated to do so.

So, whatever amount, no matter how small ($0.01 - super tiny donation); whatever your reason, no matter how strange ($0.27 - the number of times Sting says Roxanne in the song of the same name), just donate.  Again, what I want to achieve is 100 small donations in a single day.  I will be posting some of the most interesting explainations in a future blog post (see example below).

I hope you will consider donating on Friday, 2/14/14!  This is a good cause and your donation will help those whose lives were shattered after the Boston Marathon bombing! 

Thanks,
Neal

Fast Frigid Fiver!

Well, the race is over and the results are in.  I finished the Frigid Fiver 5 mile road race in 34:21 (officially), although my watch said 34:19.  Either way, this is the first time I have ever completed a race in under 7 minute/mile (6:53 min/mile to be exact).

It was a great day for a race.  While it was cloudy, the temperature was in the upper forties.  There was a great crowd of about 317 runners, and some nice smiles all around.  I placed 43rd overall, and 6th in my age group.  Not so bad, if I do say so myself!

The race got started and just as I was approaching the 1 mile marker I saw my family cheering me on.  Since the race went right by my street all they had to do was walk around the corner to watch me run by then head home.  I got a strong high five from my son!  It was awesome!


After I passed the first mile marker I noticed I was under 7 minutes/mile.  Normally I would slow down and conserve energy, but I could tell that I there was nothing holding me back from maintaining that pace for the entire 5 miles.  I kept at it, finding runners ahead of me to 'reel-in' one at a time. 

By the time I reached the 4 mile mark I was feeling so strong that I knew I could pick up the pace a bit more.  I slowly started picking up the pace and when I felt there was less than 1/2 mile remaining I kicked it into high gear and finished hard, passing quite a few runners at the end.  What an exhilarating run!

As I mentioned in my last post, this is my first race of 2014.  It had been a while since my last race, but it felt good to get out there again.  2014 is starting off strong and I couldn't be happier!

Frigid Fiver

Thank goodness for the warm weather.  I'll be running the Frigid Fiver in Newburyport on Sunday.  First race since October, so I am excited.  This will kick off my 2014 racing season, and I couldn't be more excited.  First of all, it looks like the weather is going to be perfect for racing, at about 46 degrees (I guess that's not all that frigid, huh!).  Second, a nice 5 mile race in familiar territory excites me.  This race is is my own back yard, so that's what excites me so much!

Now that I live in Newburyport, I plan to do my warmup run by running from my house to the starting line.  Hows that for a close race!?!

It'll be nice to be outside running again.  I've been hitting the treadmill over the last few weeks, which is not all that fun.  Considering the alternative of freezing my buns off, the treadmill has been my only option.  At least I've been able to stay fit, right!

Anyway, looking forward to the race this weekend, regardless of the cold, or lack there of!  Let's just hope I don't melt before I cross the finish line!  Happy running!

One Run For Boston II

On July 1st 2013, One Run For Boston made running history when runners crossed the Boston Marathon finish line carrying a baton that started in Venice Beach, California and was passed from person to person across the US, thus becoming the first non-stop relay to cross.  Here I am holding Miles, the baton that crossed America, last year!

Over 2000 runners helped complete the 3300 mile journey, raising $91,000 for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.  In the process an inspirational running community was born.  I have made friends doing this run that I hope to have for the rest of my life!  One Run For Boston, or ORFB for short, has become a symbol of hope and positivity that inspired a powerful grassroots movement which continues to unite the running community at races across the country!

This year One Run For Boston returns to blaze an even brighter trail across America and will coincide with the first anniversary of the Boston bombings. This time the One Run For Boston family of the relay hope to raise $1,000,000 for the One Fund Boston. 

The journey starts March 16, 2014 in Santa Monica, California with stage 1 of 336 stages. I am running stage 335.  The finale arrives in Boston on April 13, 2014 - 8 days before the Boston Marathon.

I’d love you to be part of it. I am writing to ask for your sponsorship to help raise funds for the One Fund Boston. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Menino announced the formation of the One Fund Boston on April 16, 2013, the purpose of which is to raise money to help those families most affected by the tragic events that unfolded during the 2013 Boston Marathon.

My desire is to honor the victims, encourage the survivors and support the families by running in this relay. To sponsor me, simply click on the link below, then click on “sponsor me”.

http://www.onerunforboston.org/u/nealgrasso/

Thank you so very much for your thoughtful consideration and generosity.

Happy Running!
Neal

Discover more about One Run For Boston online at:

• http://www.onerunforboston.org
• http://www.facebook.com/onerunforboston
• http://www.twitter.com/onerunforboston

Donation details:Donations for this event are collected by the One Run For Boston Fund, a fund of the Essex County Community Foundation. Donations to this fund will be passed on to the One Fund Boston. Essex County Community Foundation will send a tax acknowledgement letter to donors of all donations of $250.00 and above. Essex County Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization.  Tax exemption number 043-407-816

Catching up

The holiday season makes it hard to stay on top of things.  While I did not let my fitness routine falter, I took a hiatus in writing this blog.  So, I thought I would catchup on things today. 

First, I've successfully maintained my fitness routine despite the busy holiday schedule and inclement weather.  I've been out for a few runs over the last few weeks and even though there was plenty of ice and difficult running conditions, I only face planted once.  While I love winter running, sometimes, for safety sake, you have to suck it up and hit the treadmill instead.  Needless to say, I have done just that over the past few weeks. 

One of my outdoor runs was at Maudslay State Park, which is just beautiful in the snow.  This park is such a pleasure to be in at any time, regardless of the season.    I started running there this fall and I have been trying to hit the trails at least once a week ever since.  However, icy conditions have made it kind of hard to get there often over the last month or so.  I was only there once.

As I mentioned above, I have been spending quite a bit of time on the treadmill these past few weeks.  I always loath running on treadmills, but the alternative is not running at all or risking injury, and I don't like those options.  I still cross train on a regular basis, but I try to run at least 3 days a week to maintain form and efficiency.  So far so good!

I'm looking forward to a little more daylight and a little less ice in the coming weeks so that I can spend more time outdoors.  Until then I will have to be satisfied with the treadmill and cross training.  I will also do my best to keep up with the blog!  We'll see how it goes.

Until then, happy new year, and