Back in the Saddle

Ok.... back at it. Finally. Apologies for the temporary hiatus. A combination of laziness and technical difficulties contributed to the blog not being truly updated for some time. No matter.....

Ok, so a running recap of the last few days. On Saturday Nate, AK, and I went to the last Tufts meet to cheer on the team, take some footage for the video we're making, and to race (at least Hog and I). So, a quick note about the video. My junior year I made a documentary about the Cross Country season, which I think turned out really well. (You can see a trailer for it here... I suggest you check it out.) I used Adobe Premiere to make it, and I still have the trial disks. Ethan, the men's Track and Field coach had asked our apartment if we could make a short movie about the season to show the guys on the team the night before the New England Division 3 Championship. I think this is a great idea, so we've been filming at each of the meets. This project has been reflected in our house goals.

Some back-story on racing at these Tufts meets. Throughout the indoor season, colleges host indoor track meets. These meets are sometimes open to unattached athletes, or athletes who belong to a running club. Since I've been at Tufts, our home meets have always been open to unattached athletes, assuming they register to run in advance. I had asked Ethan if it were ok for Hog and I to race this weekend, and he said it would be no problem. We got a call from Ethan on Thursday before the race, and he said that due to a large number of entrants in the running events, meet management decided they weren't going to let any non-collegiate athletes compete. I was sort of bummed out, but Ethan said that there was a still a chance that I could race in the 5k.... there were only 6 kids in the race anyway, so it wasn't like they would have had to have added extra sections to accomodate me. Ethan said I should still show up, warm up, and that he'd try to get me on the line right before the race started. I figured this would be no problem, especially becuase it was a meet at Tufts, and I had been a four year Varsity athlete and captain of the team.

Well, it didn't turn out so easy. I went out on my usual three mile warmup, changed into spikes, ran my strides... same as always. About 5 minutes before the race was to start, I found Ethan and asked what the deal was. He went to talk to Branwen Smith-King, who is the former women's head coach, and the current assistant athletic director at Tufts. After a 5 minute conversation Ethan came up to me and said the race was a no go.

I was pretty disappointed. I fully understand if Tufts wants to put a cap on the number of athletes they let compete, and I really appreciate when people make rules and stick to them. This situation just seemed ridiculous to me though. There were 6 competing athletes in the 5k. Usually you can fit about 20 or 22 before you have to add another section. So it wasn't like I'd be slowing down the meet if they had let me run. It also makes me mad that Branwen didn't let me run. I don't really understand why she would treat former athletes the way she did. I was there to support the team, take video for a team project, and to hopefully run a race on my home track. Bran's decision to not let me run wasn't unfair, it just seemed inconsiderate. I know Ethan tried really hard to get me into the meet, which I really appreciate. It just sucks that I couldn't get to race due to bureaucratic crap. It's more annoying that I wasn't able to get in the race becuase I thought I had a good chance to pr, and I had tailored my training with this weekend in mind. Oh well, I guess some things are just out of your control. Anyway, Hog and I ran 6 miles in the Fells after to give me 9.5 for the day and 62.5 for the week.

On Sunday, Hog, Rosen and I ran 14 miles around Jamaica Pond, through Boston, and Cambridge. My legs felt pretty crappy, but I think that was due to a lack of sleep from the night before. Monday Bromka, Hog and I did our Brookline loop. 8 miles. My legs felt pretty good. Tonight Nate and I went to Tufts after work to do some lighter intervals. We ran 5 miles warmup, then 2 by 400 and 4 by 200 with 90 seconds rest. There was a running club on the track, so we did the intervals in lane three. We ran 64, 64, 30, 29, 29, and 28. I felt pretty good, and I'm very excited to race the mile at BU this weekend.

On Saturday night AK, Hog, Skip, Rosen, Cummings, Anne and Annie (of Foley fame) and some of Skip's friends went out to The Harp. It was a pretty good night, highlighted by Nate consuming a few beers. A good night for sure, despite not getting to bed until about 3:15. Ouch.

And... for what you've all been waiting for. Updated To-Do Lists. Last week was generally a bad week for the apartment, as no one accomplished all of their goals. Nate did garner the distinction of being the first ever recipient of both Best Week Ever and Worst Week Ever. He won Best Week Ever due to his amazing Saturday night (which included an awesome phone call to his girlfriend Emily, as well as walking home from North Station.....(it's very far)). And , because Nate didn't achieve any of his official goals, he was also awarded Worst Week Ever. Good job Hog.
Now, for the new To-Do List. It's pretty good. I think the hardest goal for the week might be for Bromka to stop drinking Hater-ade. He's been hating on the To -Do List for some time, and he really needs to show the apartment that he's dedicated to success. Also, "Rocket Boom Girl" is actually Amanda Congdon, of www.rocketboom.com and www.amandacongdon.com fame. She's a 24 year year old Magna Cum Laude graduate of Northwestern University, and currently resides in Manhattan. I figure when I tell her that I'm a dude who 's living in Boston, working at a law firm, have boyish good looks, a rapier wit, and an amazing sense of humor, I figure I'll be all set. We'll see....