On the ropes

8:35 AM - 16 miles, 1:43:05 - Stone Church.
52:36 on the up-and-down 8-mile loop, keeping things pretty relaxed minus a few piss poor attempts to run the hills hard. 50:24 for the second "8", which in reality is closer to 8.4, including a steady 3-mile stretch from 12-15 in 5:44, 5:37, 5:27. Finished up with an easy mile before calling it a day. Solid run, but soft compared to Casey's effort over the same distance this morning.

Finally back on a regular schedule, but that doesn't mean life has been any less hectic. Rich and I survived another asskicking at work today, the second day in a row the two of us have been pummeled by fall marathoners, weekend warriors, high school cross country runners, fitness walkers, Team In Training Gallowalkers and everyday Joe Schmoes with every podiatric malady under the sun.

As physically exhausted, not to mention mentally battered and bruised, some of these difficult cases have left me, it was a great weekend at the store, made even better by the woman who put a big smile on my face when she bought not one, but two, Garmin 305 GPS units yesterday. I even got a chuckle this afternoon when told by a high school runner that the apparent ignorance I displayed by not mentioning her team's home cross country course in this article made one of her teammates mad. I'm not gonna lie, as the local running writer who works at the local running store and crosses paths with 98% of the local running population, it made my weekend.

Exhaustion, Garmin-induced smiling and basking in my own ability to piss people off aside, it's been both exciting and satisfying to see how much this small store has grown in the scant year I've been fortunate enough to call myself an employee. It's a good feeling to see Rich and Jess fulfilling their dream, while filling what was a gaping hole in the Central Mass. running community.

Speaking of filling gaping holes, the folks over at Gallo Builders are doing a nice job turning the pile of dirt at 65 Sophia Drive into a structure that is starting to resemble a livable dwelling. The following photos were taken this morning. Lovely color, don't ya think?



And that's gonna do it for today. I've got a much-needed day off from work tomorrow, which should leave me plenty of time to get some rest and start brainstorming ideas for my next running column. I wonder who I'll manage to piss off this week...

Quote of the Day

"Personally, I don't think human beings should ever run when its 90 degrees. I try to avoid it, and am moderately successful...Any race that's run in temperatures over 80 degrees should be boycotted by runners!...I always have hated summer running. Maybe we can ban it...Run as you feel, not according to some running guru's theories. Half the time those guys were never really very good. Sorry, had to say that."
- Bill Rodgers, in an excerpt from the "Ask Bill" section of the Running Times website. Check out this page, it's a true gem.