Indy Mini
Another spring milestone is over; the Indy Mini was yesterday, and for the second consecutive race, heat was a major factor.
I listened to Jimmy try to put a happy face on the forecast. Sure, it'll be hot by the end of the day, but we'll run in the cooler part. The sun won't be directly on us. There'll be a bit of cloud cover. All true. But you don't have to be in the sun's core to be burnt to a crisp - the corona will do just fine. Likewise, dew points in the upper 60's means suffering.
How bad was it? The Kenyans leading the race called conditions "brutal". Kenyans. Africans. Yikes.
It didn't take long to see we were in for it. Jimmy never really talked the entire race, and by mile 5 the pace was slipping away to unmanageable. We were up by almost a minute by then, but when Jimmy complained of his core temp going up, we'd lost a bunch of time on that mile. I ran the numbers, and the loss of pace would outstrip our margin in only a few miles. 1:30 was lost, and I knew it.
"Settle down. Run the pace you need. Get comfortable. Don't worry about the time", I coached. I hoped he'd recover, but doubted it was possible. It was too hot.
By mile 6 I was beginning to get twinges in the lower portion of my right calf. They were light at first, and I wondered if it was really happening. By the end of mile 7 there was no doubt. I told Jimmy I would try to get to 8 before I walked, and to go on. I kept up, though slightly behind, and at mile 8 I decided for 9. That's pretty much how the rest of the race went.
I did feel better as we cleared the track, picked up the pace, and began dragging Jimmy again. I was up for trying one more time to get him to 1:30. Sure, it'd be tough; we'd have to be on pace the rest of the way (or under), but it was still possible. We lost another 20 seconds in the next mile, and there was no longer any doubt. My calf was back by then too, and now I began to doubt my ability to finish without walking.
That two-mile stretch from 9 to 11 is awful. I hate it so much, it takes forever. Having a severely cramping calf didn't make it any more pleasant, so it was with a great deal of relief we turned the corner south. I stayed with Jimmy until mile 12, when the cramping became severe enough I had to slow again. Jimmy went on, slightly faster than me, and I vowed to make it in no matter what.
I really didn't let him open much, and even had the thought of just picking it up and getting him again. I was afraid to do it though, and just cruised. As we came into the final crowd, I began to clown around and mug for the crowd. I heard my name yelled several times, saw a few Bedfordians, and posed for the cameras. All that, and I was still under 1:32, something I didn't expect.
The toll had been heavy for most. Josh and Aaron both blew up midway through the race. Jon couldn't break 2, despite his strict adherence to the Sullivan Training Doctrine. JD turned an ankle and walked off. Jessie lost a couple of minutes off last year's time. Steve had a hard time with the heat and fell off his goal by a bit.
There were some who did well. Chelsea went 1:55 and took 3rd in her age group. John T. had a fine time. Rand did okay. Scherschel had an outstanding 1:28 and change. Kathy did a great job pacing Chelsea.
I'm sure I've left others out for which I apologize; I was hurting enough by the end of the day I didn't get to talk to too many of our runners.
Sunday Ride
Galloway, Dan, and I rode this afternoon, the Amish Loop, Lighthouse Books start at 2 PM. It was hot out, and the light winds we faced seemed to be from everywhere at once. It was an easy one, at least for me, as my right leg was still sore from yesterday.
The big story for me was getting to use my new helmet for the first time. I like it! Even though it's black, it's vented extremely well. I think it's cooler than my other helmet! Better still, my sunglasses fit seamlessly into it, and best of all, it perfectly matches my bike and shoes. I'm no Galloway, but I'm starting to pull this whole look together.
Oh, and it's fast, too. On the test hill, from the pole at 13.6 mph and into a light headwind I was able to go to virtually the same spot I ordinarily hit. What makes this remarkable is ordinarily the glide test is started at 22 mph without a headwind. So, despite starting at a slower speed with more friction I was able to reach the same ending point. The only thing different about my equipment was my helmet. I wouldn't have believed it could matter that much, but apparently it does.
After the ride, I convinced Dan to let me look at his tires. Once I took it to my shop, I discovered the Vitorrio tires, as I suspected, are junk. I replaced them with a competition-grade set of Continental 4000s and his bike rides as smooth as glass.
The Avengers
Sometimes the sum is greater than the parts, and in the case of The Avengers, it is absolutely true. Marvel has been building toward this moment since the release of The Hulk; the bread crumbs inserted at the end of each of its superhero epics all formed a trail to this point. Thor might have been weak, The Hulk never found its stride, even Captain America was missing something, but put together it culminates in an outstanding movie, one of the best I've seen in years.
What makes it so good? Honestly, the writing is pretty strong, and Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man is flawless. It is one of the rare times in cinema where taking creative license with an iconic character has created a refreshing update and actually improved on the original (see: Heath Ledger, the Joker).
Seeing it in 3D was okay, but not a must, so if you suffer from vertigo, go to the regular show (it won't matter). This is the way 3D is supposed to be done, that is to say, the 3D helps move the story, not the other way around.
Don't worry if you were a fan of the comics, there's something in this for everybody. Okay, maybe not everybody. There wasn't a big love story embedded, so romantics won't be that involved, but for those that love plot twists and surprises, well, I haven't laughed so hard in a theater in a long, long time. This is definitely a film with a sense of humor.
Another spring milestone is over; the Indy Mini was yesterday, and for the second consecutive race, heat was a major factor.
I listened to Jimmy try to put a happy face on the forecast. Sure, it'll be hot by the end of the day, but we'll run in the cooler part. The sun won't be directly on us. There'll be a bit of cloud cover. All true. But you don't have to be in the sun's core to be burnt to a crisp - the corona will do just fine. Likewise, dew points in the upper 60's means suffering.
How bad was it? The Kenyans leading the race called conditions "brutal". Kenyans. Africans. Yikes.
It didn't take long to see we were in for it. Jimmy never really talked the entire race, and by mile 5 the pace was slipping away to unmanageable. We were up by almost a minute by then, but when Jimmy complained of his core temp going up, we'd lost a bunch of time on that mile. I ran the numbers, and the loss of pace would outstrip our margin in only a few miles. 1:30 was lost, and I knew it.
"Settle down. Run the pace you need. Get comfortable. Don't worry about the time", I coached. I hoped he'd recover, but doubted it was possible. It was too hot.
By mile 6 I was beginning to get twinges in the lower portion of my right calf. They were light at first, and I wondered if it was really happening. By the end of mile 7 there was no doubt. I told Jimmy I would try to get to 8 before I walked, and to go on. I kept up, though slightly behind, and at mile 8 I decided for 9. That's pretty much how the rest of the race went.
I did feel better as we cleared the track, picked up the pace, and began dragging Jimmy again. I was up for trying one more time to get him to 1:30. Sure, it'd be tough; we'd have to be on pace the rest of the way (or under), but it was still possible. We lost another 20 seconds in the next mile, and there was no longer any doubt. My calf was back by then too, and now I began to doubt my ability to finish without walking.
That two-mile stretch from 9 to 11 is awful. I hate it so much, it takes forever. Having a severely cramping calf didn't make it any more pleasant, so it was with a great deal of relief we turned the corner south. I stayed with Jimmy until mile 12, when the cramping became severe enough I had to slow again. Jimmy went on, slightly faster than me, and I vowed to make it in no matter what.
I really didn't let him open much, and even had the thought of just picking it up and getting him again. I was afraid to do it though, and just cruised. As we came into the final crowd, I began to clown around and mug for the crowd. I heard my name yelled several times, saw a few Bedfordians, and posed for the cameras. All that, and I was still under 1:32, something I didn't expect.
The toll had been heavy for most. Josh and Aaron both blew up midway through the race. Jon couldn't break 2, despite his strict adherence to the Sullivan Training Doctrine. JD turned an ankle and walked off. Jessie lost a couple of minutes off last year's time. Steve had a hard time with the heat and fell off his goal by a bit.
There were some who did well. Chelsea went 1:55 and took 3rd in her age group. John T. had a fine time. Rand did okay. Scherschel had an outstanding 1:28 and change. Kathy did a great job pacing Chelsea.
I'm sure I've left others out for which I apologize; I was hurting enough by the end of the day I didn't get to talk to too many of our runners.
Sunday Ride
Galloway, Dan, and I rode this afternoon, the Amish Loop, Lighthouse Books start at 2 PM. It was hot out, and the light winds we faced seemed to be from everywhere at once. It was an easy one, at least for me, as my right leg was still sore from yesterday.
The big story for me was getting to use my new helmet for the first time. I like it! Even though it's black, it's vented extremely well. I think it's cooler than my other helmet! Better still, my sunglasses fit seamlessly into it, and best of all, it perfectly matches my bike and shoes. I'm no Galloway, but I'm starting to pull this whole look together.
Oh, and it's fast, too. On the test hill, from the pole at 13.6 mph and into a light headwind I was able to go to virtually the same spot I ordinarily hit. What makes this remarkable is ordinarily the glide test is started at 22 mph without a headwind. So, despite starting at a slower speed with more friction I was able to reach the same ending point. The only thing different about my equipment was my helmet. I wouldn't have believed it could matter that much, but apparently it does.
After the ride, I convinced Dan to let me look at his tires. Once I took it to my shop, I discovered the Vitorrio tires, as I suspected, are junk. I replaced them with a competition-grade set of Continental 4000s and his bike rides as smooth as glass.
The Avengers
Sometimes the sum is greater than the parts, and in the case of The Avengers, it is absolutely true. Marvel has been building toward this moment since the release of The Hulk; the bread crumbs inserted at the end of each of its superhero epics all formed a trail to this point. Thor might have been weak, The Hulk never found its stride, even Captain America was missing something, but put together it culminates in an outstanding movie, one of the best I've seen in years.
What makes it so good? Honestly, the writing is pretty strong, and Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man is flawless. It is one of the rare times in cinema where taking creative license with an iconic character has created a refreshing update and actually improved on the original (see: Heath Ledger, the Joker).
Seeing it in 3D was okay, but not a must, so if you suffer from vertigo, go to the regular show (it won't matter). This is the way 3D is supposed to be done, that is to say, the 3D helps move the story, not the other way around.
Don't worry if you were a fan of the comics, there's something in this for everybody. Okay, maybe not everybody. There wasn't a big love story embedded, so romantics won't be that involved, but for those that love plot twists and surprises, well, I haven't laughed so hard in a theater in a long, long time. This is definitely a film with a sense of humor.
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