A Little Catch-Up

Oh, my goodness. Here we are already a month since I wrote about the NYC Half and I haven't bothered to post since. And now there are too many things to talk about and some of them aren't even relevant anymore. But whatever, here goes.

Twitterpated!

As a former twitter skeptic, I continue to be impressed and delighted with the site and the kinds of networks it helps create. I've met multiple people in person that I didn't know until I met them on Twitter! It's been fantastic. Just a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Christopher Brisley of http://www.takeachallenge.org/ for a 6 mile run in Central Park. Chris lives in the UK but was in New York City because he won a Shorty Award in social fitness. Only weeks prior to that, Chris ran the Thames Path 100, which is a trail race along the Thames from London to Oxford. It should be noted that Chris underwent a 5-year recovery period after being struck by a car while riding his bike in 2002. He's since completed multiple Ironman and ultramarathon events. I know there are a lot of links in this paragraph, but I want you to have a full understanding of what Chris has overcome and accomplished. Read them. Follow Chris (@takeachallenge) on Twitter.

We met bright and early (6am) for a nice sunrise run. I did my best to play tour guide and we made it up to the reservoir, did a loop of that and a loop of part of the Bridle Path and then continued along the east side of Central Park and back to his hotel on Central Park South. All the while we talked about all kinds of things. It was fantastic. And afterward, I got to take a picture with him!

Another twitterer that I got to meet recently is Libby Jones, race director of the New Year's Double series of races in Allen, Texas. It's involves a 5k, half marathon and full marathon on each of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. It's a pretty cool event and probably one I should do sometime in the future.

How did I meet Libby? Once again, the magic of Twitter. I spent last week visiting my family in Texas and ran the Big D Half Marathon on Sunday. Libby sent out a call for packet pickup volunteers. Since I'm a sucker for this kind of thing I was naturally all over it and spend last Thursday morning helping out with packet pickup at the Mockingbird location of Run On! It was great getting to meet Libby and other people who are active in the DFW running scene. You should follow Libby (@libbyruns) and consider doing one (or two, or three) of her races.

The Big D Half Marathon!

As mentioned above, I spent last Sunday morning running the Big D Texas Half Marathon. This is relevant in multiple ways, as you'll see later on in this post. This small paragraph will serve as a mini race report, since this post is already too long. I ran the Big D Half with a few friends. Marathon veteran Sharon, bootcamper extraordinaire Torch (Sarah), and newly minted race junkie Marilyn (who also ran the NYC Half). Not only did I get to run with them, I got to see friends Faith and Alex, who picked perfect spots to cheer for us along the course.

The most striking thing about this race was the weather. The night before, we were worried that it would be cancelled due to lightning. Although we woke up to rain on the morning of the race, it had subsided by the time we started, giving way to a wall of sticky humidity. That lasted for a good four or five miles before the skies became what I can only describe as apocalyptic and heavy winds started. THEN the rain came back and we spent miles 8-11 in heavy rain, which had slowed to a drizzle by the time we finished. It was definitely the largest weather spectrum I've experienced during the course of one race.

Sharon and I finished around 2:30, a little bit before Torch and Marilyn. Then we went into one of the buildings in Fair Park and I ate the best breakfast tacos I've ever had in my life. THEN I got to see friends T (of Choice Training, in Dallas) and Sue Ann at lunch right before I left for the airport. It was really the best possible way I could have ended my trip home. Here's a picture of us after the race:

Runniversary!

Before I left on vacation, I wrote a very introspective post about the birth of my running career. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to edit and thus have delayed posting it. It'll go up soon, but it's too long to go here and I still haven't finished editing. So stay tuned for that. For now, have a fantastic Friday!