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About
My Infrequently Updated Blog. The web-based journal of M. Forde, computer nerd, endurance athlete, and DeLorean owner
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circa 1993
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Giraffes
Eat. Run. Sleep.
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It's not magic, it's C.
I love reading comments like
/* These defined magically in the linker script. */
I found that in the GNU Standard C Library implementation when GCC told me the
the variables to which the comment referred were undefined. I guess that linker
script isn't magic after all...
[/code]
[permanent link]
25th Anniversary Lincoln Tunnel Challenge 5K
Yesterday the Giraffes ran the Lincoln Tunnel Challenge to benefit
Special Olympics New Jersey. It was the events 25th anniversary and the
Giraffes' third anniversary.
The weather was much nicer than the previous two years with far less
rain than last year and a much milder temperature than the 90+ degrees
of two years ago. In fact, the weather outside was ideal for running.
The weather inside the tunnel was a few degrees warmer, but still in
that ideal range.
Before the race, I met up with my friend Bobby. He's an athlete who
competes in the Special Olympics. We went to school together and were on
the Cross Country and Track & Field teams in high school. Back then, he
and I were almost always the last two runners to finish at the Cross
Country meets. The difference between us was that I was a quitter and he
never gave up.
That first time I ran this race in 2008, I failed to meet my goal 31:26.
When I saw Bobby after that race, it made me think back to Cross
Country. His determination to never quit was one of the influences that
kept me running after that day.
Back to this year's race...
After talking to Bobby, I met some other friends from my town who were
running (but decided not to register as Giraffes... grrr...). They, as
well as the other Giraffes, were running in the second wave at 8:45. It
was getting close to the start of the 8:00AM wave, so I parted ways with
them and took my place in the starting area. After the standard pre-race
speeches, including the announcement that this year's race raised almost
$180,000 for SONJ, the gun went off and the race began.
After a few seconds in the tunnel, my watch lost satellite reception and
continued using the footpod while searching for satellites. Because it
went back into the open sky search mode, I couldn't see any sort of
timing or pacing information on the display. I was running blind, so to
speak. Having set a PR of 19:08 in the 5K last month and a previous best
of 20:16 for this course, I was hoping to just break 20 minutes. The
Lincoln Tunnel is essentially a "V" shape with the second and fourth
quarters of the race being uphill.
During the second half I caught up to another runner I had seen in
Weehawken prior to the start of the race. As I approached, he sped up. I
said to him, "You're going to make me work for this, aren't you?"
He replied, "I don't like people passing me. And I'm trying to catch
that guy," gesturing to another runner about 50 feet ahead of us.
I said, "Okay" and started picking up the pace a bit, overtaking the
runner who had been in front of us. And I kept going. I started to feel
the lactic acid in my left calf. I decided to ignore it. The feeling
subsided. As I neared the end of the tunnel, I could hear the announcer
calling out the finishing times. I gave it everything I had left, and
cross the finish line.
I stopped my watch and saw my time at 18:57. I knew then there was the
possibility I had broken 19 minutes, but it would be close. I'd have to
wait for official results. But I was too excited, I had tell someone, so
I text'ed a few friends.
I reconnected with my friends from town and the other giraffes, and told
them all to kick ass and chew bubblegum. I watched as their heat started
and they all entered the tunnel. I went and picked up my blanket from
the registration table and tried to keep warm while I waited and watched
my friends finish. It brought a huge smile to my face to see each of
them, and especially Bobby, cross the line.
The Giraffes celebrated another race and another year with our
traditional post-race brunch. And the waiting continued...
The official results were posted late in the afternoon, while I was
helping a friend prepare for the flooding we're experiencing for the
second time in two months. A friend text'ed just before 5:00PM with
18.55
congrats
It was two seconds faster than I thought. It was 13 seconds faster than
my previous PR set only last month. I finally broke 19 minutes, and I
did it on the same course on which I ran my first race three years ago.
I took 16:56 off my time in those three years. I finished 9th in my age
group and 33rd overall, and for the seventh time in nine races this
year, I set a new PR.
Damn, it feels good.
[/running]
[permanent link]
Acceptance, or lack thereof...
A few days ago I picked up some dumbbells that had been left out, they
were 40lbs each and I lifted them with one hand each. Three years ago
the most I could lift, with both arms combined and "lifting with the
legs," was 43lbs (the weight of my computer).
Last month, I ran a 5K in 19:08. Yesterday during a speed workout I ran
my two fastest 100m ever, 17.9 seconds and 17.87 seconds. Today I ran a
10K at a 6:24 pace, finishing in under 40 minutes. I've set a new PR in
every distance I've raced this year except the half marathon, and that
race I set a new record for myself on that particular course.
I've put lost 126 pounds of fat and gained 36 pounds of bone and muscle.
My body keeps getting stronger and faster.
And I still can't accept my body for what it is....
[/musings/self]
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Scotland 10K 2011
This morning I ran the NYRR Scotland 10K for the third year in a row.
The first time it was cold and raining, and I had food poisoning from
eating at the Macaroni Grill the night before. (The Giraffes had a team
dinner the night before and 40% of us got sick.) I ran that race at a
slower pace than the 15K race a few weeks prior.
Last year, the morning of the race was unseasonably hot and I was
dealing with an ITBS flare-up. I ran that one almost as slowly as the
previous year.
All of the other 10K's I've run were always sub-par compared to my 5K
and 15K times. I had never felt like I had a good 10K race. I always
felt like I let myself down; like I should be doing better.
Until today...
Today's Scotland 10K was the first time I had a good run at this
distance. When I set out this morning, my goal was a 6:56 pace, one
second per mile better than my PR. Central Park was a bit chilly at
about 52 degrees with an overcast sky.
My team made our plans for meeting afterward and we took our places in
the corrals. The gun went off and I started running. As soon as I
crossed the starting line I decided I wanted to see how fast I could do
this, how fast I could run a 10K. I wanted to see if I could break 40.
So I ran fast and hard, watching my pace a little too closely at times.
After the first mile I was warm and debating whether or not to take off
the arm warmers. I decided to wait until later in the race, as one side
of the park is usually warmer than the other. At about 2.5 miles I had
a weird cramping feeling in the ball of my right foot, but within a few
hundred meters the high kicked in and the pain went away. At the halfway
point I knew I'd be close to a 40 minute finish if I kept up the pace.
I kept up the pace until the last mile, then I sped up. I was close to
the goal. I was going to make it or die trying. Well, probably not die.
More likely vomit or pull a muscle or re-injure the IT-band. But not one
of those problems happened. What did happen was I crossed the finish
line less than 40 minutes from the time I crossed the starting line.
For the first time, I had felt good during and after a 10K. I ran the
race I wanted and the race I needed. I accomplished what I set out to do
and it felt awesome.
The official results posted a few hours later put me at 39:46, a
6:24/mile pace. This is a faster pace than my current 5 mile and 4 mile
PRs. I ran at a 67.5% AG performance rating and finished 318 of 8491.
I'm pretty pleased with myself...
[/running]
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1302293987
Why do I run?
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