Yesterday, the running community suffered terrible losses in Boston.  Many participants trained for years to cross the Boston finish line and the joy of their accomplishment has been diminished by these events.  Yesterday, running came with a heavy price to pay.

Boston is the Superbowl of long-distance racing.  To qualify for Boston is our sport’s litmus test, a measure of prowess that runners can relate to immediately.  Because of its significance, friends and family will rally to cheer their runner on, either by traveling to the city or by following the race in real time at home.  Supporting a runner is sometimes as satisfying as completing a race.

Men, women, and children diligently waited for hours yesterday morning and afternoon on the sidelines to see their loved ones complete 26 miles.  A marathon race brings out so much inspiration, courage, and love in all those present.  That compassion was foiled by intentions that none of us can comprehend.

To the city of Boston, the Boston Athletic Association, the family and friends of the injured and the deceased, I offer on behalf of the RidgeRunners Club and all area runners our deepest condolences and sincere sympathies.

Let us celebrate the courage and accomplishment of Boston participants, race organizers and volunteers, emergency responders, and security forces, and let us refuse to be defeated by these acts of terror.

Please join me and members of the RidgeRunners Club tonight at 7 p.m. at the Lake Ridge Elementary School parking lot (11970 Hedges Run Drive) for a two-mile walk to honor the Boston Marathon.  After a brief moment of silence, we will continue to do what we do best: we will support one another and our small community of runners by moving forward, one step at a time.

The post A Walk for Boston appeared first on Ridge Runners.

I see you in the gym in non-traditional workout clothes and think, ‘are you the one?’

I see the look of confusion on your face as you are overwhelmed by all the crazy-looking workout machines and think, ‘are you the one?’

I see you in the back of the class on the spin bike in the corner, struggling to keep pace and think, ‘are you the one?’

I see you at the track running in the waning light, huffing and puffing in the cold winter air and think, ‘are you the one?’

I see you show up at scheduled run with an LRC, intimidated by all of the “real” runners and think, ‘are you the one?’

I see you on the sidewalks and streets of my neighborhood; run-walk-run-walk-repeat. Are you the one?

Are you the one whose determination is stronger than the pain of aching muscles; whose resolve outweighs the numbers on the scale; whose intestinal fortitude can overcome lethargy, whose drive will last far beyond the middle of January…Valentine’s Day…Easter?

Are you the one I will see crossing the finish line of your first race, tears flooding your eyes, arms raised high in victory, that unmistakable look of “I DID IT!” beaming brightly for the world to see?

Are you the one who I will see way out in front of me with a pace I can only dream of?

Are you the one with sponsors where you use to have cynics?

Are you the one in ten…a dozen…fifty, maybe, Resolutionists who will stick it out?

I look at each and every one of you and hope that you are.

The post Viva la Resolution! appeared first on Ridge Runners.

I enjoy running and always looking for new challenges. I moved to Woodbridge in February of this year and I quickly found the Lake Ridge RidgeRunners: a fantastic running club right in my neighborhood. I began running twice a week with the nightly regulars. My speed was upper middle of the pack. Putting in the time each week I closed in on the heels of the top five. Feeling stronger in early summer, I decided to take my children along in a double jogger. Anticipating a poor time the first try on the course with wheels, I preemptively said, “I’m just putting in resistance training.” I did OK…much better than expected (not near last) and I liked it! I brought my sons, who are one and two years old, more often until I didn’t want to run without my little teammates. The joy of running with my boys is priceless. The youngest squeals with excitement and hops on board. While the oldest takes charge of retrieving the ride from the garage and helps load up water bottles. Together they point out buses, tractors and dogs! (Nothing motivates you like your kids out in front). The bonding time was irreplaceable:  just me, my boys  and the course ahead. If I second guess myself I know I won’t quit on them.    

I soon became faster, burning eight-minute miles! It was on a  routine Tuesday night that I realized the speed had developed. On the down hills I  rode the heels of a fellow RidgeRunner who I knew had higher caliber times.  I continued to track through the turnaround point at the bottom, working the ascent back up and they hadn’t lost me still pushing. At that instant I realized I was holding velocity. I dug a little deeper, breathed a little heavier; it was neck and neck and at times I started to pull away. Kicking side by side, determined not to be “beat by two kids in a stroller uphill” only fueled my flame. Calling for more steam I redlined the boiler to the top leaving them around the corner never looking back. That was the defining moment: I knew the jogger would be competitive!   

That became the jogger training regimen. I would push myself to achieve faster times until I was no longer neck and neck with anyone. Unless they were in the business of sub-7:20 minute mile cruising speed because that’s what it was going to take!    

Running a jogger is a completely different machine than running with your normal stride. I have learned to move with the wheels much like a sled dog team. It requires constant compression on the legs: quads and calves pumping as pistons glide down hills, while leaning into the bar to power uphill like a locomotive building up steam and digging toes deep into the gritty pavement.  “It’s only a hill–nothing more, nothing less.” If there’s another runner in sight I’m firing an after burner and shifting gears!  My thrill is their agony.  “Beat by a stroller” forges me into my best. Wheels up!

Moving Stephen

The post Running Wheels appeared first on Ridge Runners.

My experience with running groups made me think there are two kinds of running clubs: the totally serious kind and the totally social kind.  But then I found the RidgeRunners.

The first kind is good if you are training hard and run “their” pace and “their” types of races.  If you want to take your running to the next level and can find a group with your same goals, they are very beneficial.  They tend to be pretty inflexible, almost snobbish.  If you can’t keep up, don’t show up.

The second kind is good if you need to socialize and happen to match their demographics.  They may be of a similar age, occupation, or marital status.  They also tend to run at a similar pace, but mostly so they can talk.  Their running is pretty static, but the social aspect keeps it from getting monotonous.   If you don’t want to talk about what they all talk about, don’t show up.

But the RidgeRunners are different, in a good way.  We have runners of all ages and abilities.  We are the most diverse group with which I have run.  On a typical run, we have runners with over 50 years of difference in age.  We have runners who will run a 6-minute pace and a 14-minute pace and everything in between.  We have runners who have run over 100 marathons and others who have never run a race of any distance.  Some prefer trails and others roads.  We have walkers and strollers and dogs (on leashes.)  Some of us train hard (sometimes) and all of us socialize (a lot of the time.)

It is easy to find somebody to push you or pace you.  It is easy to find others to race with or race against.  It is easy to find somebody a lot like you in pace, in interests, or in experience.  If you’re having an off day or recovering from an injury or long run, it’s easy to find somebody to run slow or walk with you.

It doesn’t matter how fast or far you run (or walk,) how old you are, whether or not you like to chat, or what your goals are, if you like to run you’ll fit right in.

The post It’s Not Your Average Running Club, It’s Everybody’s Running Club appeared first on Ridge Runners.

Not that you really care, but since I blogged about my 2012 goal of running a race sponsored by each of the seven uniformed services, I thought I’d provide a quick update.  Periodically reviewing goals and adjusting them (if necessary) is one of the best ways to keep from losing focus on your goals.

It was a challenge to find a race sponsored by some of the smaller services (especially a local race), but I thought I had it all figured out.  Unfortunately, the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the US Navy threw some monkey wrenches into my plan.  The PHS decided not to hold the Surgeon General’s 5K this year and they sponsor no other races.  They do help support a 5K in Nashville in May, but nothing else—anywhere.  The Navy, in response to the popularity of the Navy 5 Miler, decided to expand and run a half marathon and a 5 miler this year.  But to do so, they had to shift a week.  The 5 Miler now conflicts with the AF Marathon (for which I’ve already registered).

In the immortal words of Gunny Highway (Clint Eastwood in Heartbreak Ridge), I had to improvise, adapt, and overcome.  So, I found a Navy Birthday 5K at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling for my Navy race and will be running the Tim Harmon Recovery Run in Fairfax as my PHS race.  Okay, so it is not sponsored by the PHS, but it is for charity and raising awareness about Hepatitis C…which is a public health issue, so I’m calling it good.

I’ve checked off the NOAA race in March and the US Coast Guard race in April already.  With the “PHS” race in June, that will leave the AF Half in September, the Navy Birthday 5K, Army 10 Miler, and Marine Corps Marathon in October.  My goal suffered a bit of battle damage, but it’s still intact.  How are you doing with your 2012 running goal(s)?

The post Running Goal Update appeared first on Ridge Runners.

I’m about to get all psychological on you.

You can blame Norman Triplett.  Go ahead.  He won’t mind, since he’s been dead since 1933.  But when he was still alive and at Indiana University back in 1898, he published the first known article on sports psychology.  It dealt with the effects of pacers and competitors on cyclists’ speed.  There have been hundreds of other studies since then, but ‘ole Norm started it.

It’s called social facilitation.  It is the psychological effect (don’t say I didn’t warn you) of group dynamics on the performance of simple, well-learned tasks–like running.  I’ll sum up years of research by Academicians who never held real jobs in just a single paragraph, which will explain why running clubs are cool, just ‘cause I’m good like that.

First, regardless of our current level of performance, we tend to perform better when competing.  Second, we tend to perform better when participating in a group setting, even when NOT competing.  Third, we are much more likely to participate regularly when part of a group.  And fourth, participating with a dynamic group varies the experience (even regular runs over the same course) enough to delay or eliminate monotony (which retards performance).

Oh, and on an interesting side note, we also tend to perform better when being watched by someone of the opposite sex.  This is just one of many reasons to ensure our group remains diverse.  But I digress.

If you want to conduct your own experiment in social facilitation, it is not too hard.  I can help you set it up.  Or you can just take my word for it.  Or ask a sports psychologist…they’re way smarter than me.

Share this one with your friends, RidgeRunners.  Have them join us.  The more, the merrier.

The post Together We Are Better, Stronger, Faster appeared first on Ridge Runners.

Allyson and I left for Virginia Beach Friday night when she got home from work. We stayed with her childhood friend Kathy. The next morning Allyson and Kathy walked the 8K. I was going to run it slow and save myself for the marathon the next day.

It is fun the hold back and try not to run fast in a large race. I just took in everything and tried not to let race adrenaline take over. The only thing that happened was a little kid with green hair was in front of me and I tried to go around him on the left and he moved right in front of me. So I tried to get around him on the right and again he moved right in front of me. Now he started to look back at me and no matter which way I went to move around him he pulled right in front of me all the time looking back at me. I almost took him out. At last I got around him. Maybe he was not a small kid but an evil leprechaun.

When I saw the finish line, I started to pick up the pace but then put on the brakes and took it easy all the way to the end. I finished the 8K in 47:28, which is a 9:33 pace. I got to drink beer, eat beef stew, and listen to a live rock band while I watched Allyson and Kathy finish the race on live big-screen TV.

We had a big pasta dinner at Kathy’s house that night. The next morning, Kathy dropped me off near the start line. I saw fellow RidgeRunners Club member Josh Gatz and met his grandparents. Josh was starting in Corral 3. I was in Corral 2. Each corral has around a two-minute interval between starts. This allows the runners to spread out some and give everyone more room to run. Since the race is chip timed, everything works out for the best.

I soon saw John Stacy and his girlfriend Stephanie Danahy. John was in Corral 1 and Stephanie was in 2. Stephanie and I decided to start together. The race started and, of course, I never saw John again. He ran a 3:50:21 marathon.

Stephanie and I started fast. I looked at my watch and I think the first mile was at around an 8:30 pace. In the second mile I saw our pace go up to around an 8:15. I thought we went out too fast so I backed off and let Stephanie go. Now everyone seemed to be passing me.

There is an out-and-back section where you can see the runners coming the other way, and I noticed I was ahead of the 3:45 pace group. We went through Fort Story where the the army comes out and cheers us on. Here the 3:45 pace group went around me.

From there, we ran a few miles down the boardwalk. I was still getting passed more than I was keeping pace with those around me. We ran down the main drag of Virginia Beach. This is a nice section of the race because you can see the race front runners coming back the other way.

From there we turned on a main road that has no crowd and is kind of the dull part of the race. They put up signs with jokes on them to help keep you going. They go something like this: “What happens to a leprechaun if he falls in the water?” “He gets wet.”

I decided now was the time to start trying to pick people off and pick up the pace. Around mile 16, Josh caught up to me. He said I looked like I was running well and would like to pace with me. This gave me more of a mental boost and I picked up the pace even more. I felt like we were now passing just about everyone. We turned back into Fort Story and at mile 19 came up on Stephanie. She was having problems with her foot and had slowed down. I tried to get her to hang on with us but she could not.

We ran past a lighthouse. I remembered two in the past but only saw one this time. After Fort Story we came out on the main drag of Virginia Beach. I always have trouble on this section mentally because we come out on 87th Street and you have to run down to 30th Street.

We were around mile 23 and I thought Josh looked like he was ready to take off and dart to the finish. To my surprise, he fell off the pace. Around mile 24, I hit the wall and slowed to over a 10-minute per mile pace. The four-hour pace group went around me.

I tried hard to hang on the back of that pack but it was no use. I was shot and just had to jog to the finish line. My time was 4:03:53. For the Whale Challenge, which is for both races, I was in 46th place.

Josh finished his first marathon in 4:09:01. Stephanie came in at 4:11:49, which was good enough for 4th place in her age group. There was more beer and beef stew at the finish. There was also an Irish band. I did not feel like doing a jig right at that moment.

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Some people are inherently motivated to achieve all of life’s goals. I am not one of those people. My motivation ebbs and flows with the tide. Winter has always been a low point for me. It is a constant struggle for me to understand myself and how to keep motivated.

I played many sports in high school, mostly focusing on tennis and soccer. The coaches would always dictate what I needed to do in every practice. As I look back, I understand that part of my difficulty with self-motivation is the fact that throughout my sports career, I never had to make the decision to motivate myself. The coach planned the practices and instincts would take over during the games. The team provided motivation through our desire to win.

After high school, I ran a few road races in college and then joined the Air Force, which also provided some motivation to work out with its annual physical fitness tests. However, I found myself doing the minimum when working out so that I could pass the tests. I was never concerned about setting a personal best, etc.

While in college, my friend and I created a bucket list that including running a marathon. We never got close, but it stuck in my mind. In 2007, on a whim for my New Year’s resolution, I decided to run a marathon. I chose the Air Force Marathon in Dayton, Ohio. I had nine months to train and decided that it was sufficient time to prepare. I was motivated by many factors including my family and friends.

I read anything I could get my hands on to help with this vast unknown called “The Marathon.” I found an excellent resource online from a life-long runner with over 100 marathons under his belt, Hal Higdon. I bought one of his books and used the free training plans from his website.

I am a person who needs structure. I planned out nine months of training runs in January and can count on my fingers how many I missed on my way to the September marathon. I was motivated and it showed. I made it through the marathon in 4:15.  I had to slow down when I hit the infamous wall at mile 20, but I got through it. My wife, daughter, friends who were stationed there and my parents were all there to cheer me on.

The next year, three of my friends at work who had followed my progress were motivated to start running races, with one doing a half-marathon. I realized that motivation can be contagious.

I need goals to keep motivated. I’ve run a total of five marathons now and plan on doing more. In years past, I have had annual mileage goals and race time goals. This year, I have a goal of 12 races of various distances and am scheduled for the Marine Corps Half-Marathon in May.

What I am most proud of is my wife. She hadn’t exercised much since high school when she was in track and cheerleading. We’ve joined Gold’s Gym and I haven’t been able to keep up with her. She has been motivating me to keep up in my annual winter ebb and flow of motivation.

Everyone has a different motivator. It can be internal or external. The tough part is knowing yourself and keeping the fire lit.

The post Motivation appeared first on Ridge Runners.

You do not need to enter a single race to be a runner.  To be a runner you need only to run.  But as a runner, you have opportunities that people with other hobbies (interests? activities? obsessions?) don’t have.  Without traveling farther than the distance of a typical DC commute, you can run a race every single weekend of the year.  I know of no other sport or activity in the US which can boast more than 22,000 events per year, and all but about three or four open to the general public.

Okay, so there are lots of races which you do not have to enter to be a runner.  Here are a few reasons that I think you should anyway:

• The feeling you get as you cross the finish line will last a lifetime.  Entering a race, especially your first, can be very nerve racking.  But once you’re off and running you’ll settle down and will forget the anxiety.  The elation you feel as you cross the finish line is much harder to forget.

“In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, ‘I have finished.’ There is a lot of satisfaction in that.”  — Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder

• Entering a race can break up the monotony and routine of running for fun, health, and fitness.  It doesn’t take too long to settle into a running routine that gets monotonous.  Monotony breeds complacency, which makes it more likely for you to blow off a run or two or three or…  Throw in a race, however, and you put more focus in your runs.  You’ll be less likely to skip a run.
• Improve your fitness with a race boost.  Many people take up running to get in better shape or to lose weight.  They see immediate and impressive results.  But the human body quickly adapts to this new level of exertion and those dramatic improvements slow or stop.  Entering a race, setting a goal, and making a training plan to meet that goal will challenge your body and you’ll once again see some of those early results.
• Racing is fun and you don’t have to win to have fun.  Run with friends and/or make new friends.  Run though a historic city or a scenic park.  Many races have a carnival-like atmosphere and sport impressive post-race parties. Worried that you won’t be the first across the finish line? So what?  Only one person gets to cross the finish line first.  Worried that you’ll be the last to cross the finish line?  So what?  The odds are exactly the same that you’ll be last as first (although training for last place is easier).  Oh, and the last one across the line usually gets as big a cheer as the winner. But if the only reason you won’t enter a race is your fear of being last, then you should know that the median 5K finishing time in 2010 for a male runner was almost 28 minutes and for a female runner it was over 33 minutes.

 “Runners just do it – they run for the finish line even if someone else has reached it first.” — Author Unknown

• Racing can boost your confidence and inspire you.  For several reasons, we tend to run faster in a race than we do in even our most challenging training runs.  Finishing a race, setting a personal record (PR), or placing in your category/age group can boost your confidence (most races give awards for the top finishers based upon age and gender categories…so you can “win” without being the first across the line).  This increased confidence will not only help you improve your running, but will spill over into the rest of your life.

“It’s very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit.”  — George Sheehan

• And even if you don’t place or PR, you can be inspired by other runners.  At a race, you’ll see runners of every shape, size, and age.  And they can inspire you even when they beat you.  I won my age group in a 5K once, but was also beat by a 10-year-old girl and I was passed in the middle of my first marathon by a guy with two prosthetic legs.  If that won’t pump you up, and encourage you to run faster, nothing will.

“There ain’t no shame looking at a good runner’s back. Now, if the runner sucks, that’s something else entirely…” — The Rage, Training Tips “Comeback”

• Run to help somebody else.  Many races are held to raise money for worthy causes.  Just by entering, you can make a difference.  There are also many organizations which raise money through runners.  According to RunningUSA.com, the top five running fundraising programs raised over 800 million dollars in charitable contributions in 2010!
•  Race to show others you can.  You never know who you might inspire by entering and completing a race.  Maybe a friend, coworker, or family member will make a healthy lifestyle change because you finished a race.

“I run because I used to be envious of people that could run, and now I am that person.” — Kendra Thompson

There are many more reasons to race; at least one good reason for every excuse.  If you are in the RidgeRunners Club and have never run in an organized race, you should make our May Day 5K your first!

“Why aren’t you signed up for the 401K?  I’d never be able to run that far.” –Scott Adams, Dilbert (4/2/01)

The post Some Reasons to Race appeared first on Ridge Runners.

I started running because I was bored and lonely.

By started, I guess I mean “started seriously running on my own.” I ran plenty when I was younger, either a single mile or so once a year when either Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted me to earn a patch or a different single mile or so when my football coaches decided the team needed it. There were a couple individual fits and starts in college. Then I graduated and joined the Army. Of course, I did a lot of forced running over the ensuing six years.

God, I hated it. There were times it was fun. When I was a young specialist, my buddies and I would push each other on every run. But mostly, I just hated running. I’d get bored, my back would hurt, my knees would hurt, it was raining, the track was iced over; my complaints were endless. Yet somehow, I always did enough mostly to pull in a decent time on the two-mile run the Army insisted I complete every six months. I was never a stud, but I wasn’t ever in danger of failing either.

I left active duty in 2008 and joined the Reserve while I figured out civilian life. Finally, an Army in which they barely ever made me run! I still had to do that two-mile thing every six months, but that would take care of itself. I cruised through life, met my now-wife (many of you know her as Melissa), and watched my scores on the Army Physical Fitness Test trend downward while my weight – which I finally tamed during the last two years I was on active duty – trended the opposite direction.

Around mid-2009, right as Melissa and I were getting serious, I decided to throw a monkey wrench into things and took a job in Norfolk. I packed my things, we vowed to stay together, and I got a little one-bedroom apartment. I spent the first several months waking up, going to work, coming home, and either watching TV or talking on the phone to my girlfriend. I also drank a little too much. That fall, I took my regular APFT during a drill weekend and let’s just say it didn’t go as well as normal. I didn’t fail, but I cut it WAY closer than I would’ve liked and absolutely struggled on the two-miler. I decided I needed to do something about it.

Of course, I didn’t have many excuses. On most weeknights, I had plenty of time, and like I said at the start, I was a little lonely and a little bored. I went home from a week off in Northern Virginia in mid-November and decided it was time to get started. So I pulled out the crappy running shoes I bought in Iraq two years prior that I was sure weren’t the right ones for my feet and got started.

The first day was murder. I decided since I was struggling so badly at even two miles, I would start even shorter than that and work my way up. A mile and a half seemed like a decent compromise, and even running that distance on the completely flat streets in Norfolk killed me. Two days later, I was back at it again. I kept going, progressively lengthening my runs and speeding my pace through fits and starts of running over the next six months. Before I knew it, I’d cracked the five-mile mark, a distance I was relatively certain I’d run maybe once in my life before that.

Running in this manner was fulfilling, but still a lonely pursuit. It was easy to skip a day, a week or even a month with no one running with me and no one holding me accountable, but I kept going through the following summer, my engagement to Melissa and a move back to NoVa so we could get started on our lives together. We moved to Fairfax and I created new routes on a new type of terrain: hilly. Eventually, Melissa started running, too, and we’d occasionally run together. Even though I was no longer lonely and bored – in fact I was precisely the opposite – the time I spent in that state seemed to have built a regular habit.

I ran my first race in October, a month before we moved from our apartment in Fairfax to our house in Lake Ridge. It came about because one day I just decided it was time to crack the next barrier: 10 miles. It was slow and long, but I came home and let my run tracker brag about it on Facebook. An Army friend got in touch and asked if I was going to run in the Army 10-Miler. The annual race was a month away ad I hadn’t registered, but she had a friend with an extra bib to sell and I decided it was a good time to keep pushing things. Mel and I went to the Pentagon and I went for it, finishing in less than 1:30 (my goal, unachieved even in training). Nice feeling, that.

So we moved to Lake Ridge, and our friend Andrea Crookston pushed the RidgeRunners Club on me. I thought “Why not?” Running on my own had gotten a little old, even though I still did plenty of it. It’s nice to add a group of friends to my running, people who push you and encourage you and are trying for the same things you are, be it a 5K or an ultramarathon. Gliding down Mohican is a lot easier, and you push yourself harder, when you’re in the middle of the pack in that Tuesday baker’s dozen and you can hear footsteps approaching. Of course, it’s not doing much for me coming back uphill, but I’m working on that.

So I started running because I was lonely and bored. I kept running solo when that ended, and now I’ve even taken the solo out of some of it. The RidgeRunners Club is that accountability, that fun, and that competitiveness that makes running something more than something I feel like I have to do no matter how much or how little I’m enjoying myself. See you on the streets!

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