Saturday, December 14, 2013

Seven miles of fun on the GLIRC Clubhouse Run

Group shot just before the start
Photo courtesy of SIOR and GLIRC
Today's run (GLIRC Clubhouse run): 7.4 miles

Well the snow came a little earlier than expected, but it didn't interfere with today's club run in the least. I arrived at the Greater Long Island Running Club (GLIRC) office just before 8:00 AM this morning and saw that I was almost late to the party. My friends TPP and SIOR were there among the assemblage of colorfully dressed participants. After some quick hellos and a group picture, we were all off and running.

The three of us followed the group and headed out of the business park onto the bike trail. It's a hilly section from that point to the turn onto Washington Ave. Although I had good energy at the start, I worried about how I'd be feeling after many more miles. SIOR and TPP are both speedy runners, but they maintained a pace that I could sustain with some effort.

We chatted with other runners as we made our way south and came under the LIE overpass at Washington Ave. We crossed the road and found ourselves on a wooded trail that roughly parallels the bike trail. The snow had covered the sidewalk that led to the paved path, so it was confusing where to go. A little diversion into the woods was unexpected and appreciated at different levels by the three of us. The ice and roots on the path made the going treacherous.

We came out at Old Country Rd and continued on the paved path that rose for a while and proved a little challenging for me. Unlike the last time we ran together, today was more of a workout (though not much of a challenge to my friends). I found it hard to maintain a conversation at times, but we did have our moments. We took the run past Old Bethpage Rd and as far south as Haypath. As we drew close, many of the returning runners warned us of black ice further down.

I struggled to keep up with my friends who were gracious about waiting for me to catch up from time to time. They were probably running one or two minutes slower than their normal training pace, except for periods where they opened the throttle for a few minutes. I was challenged but I didn't reach the point where I felt I was over matched or wished the run was done.

When we turned north from Washington Ave I knew we were close, but I also knew the toughest hills were coming. I took on the first hill with a pace slightly better than a fast walk. SIOR had no trouble burning up that hill as well as the ones that followed. TPP stopped to walk and I stopped with her. She will occasionally do that for 30 second periods and it's a good strategy. I probably delayed her a little, but once we saw SIOR at the top of a hill we returned to running form.

TPP and SIOR took on the remainder of the hills at a brisk pace and I followed. We reached Sunnyside Boulevard and made our way back to GLIRC HQ where they hosted an amazing spread of post race goodies. After indulging in some high carb treats, TPP, SIOR and I headed over to Starbucks for coffee and conversation. Given the greater effort on today's run that made it less conversation-friendly, we still had a lot to catch up on.

Post run - (from left), SIOR, ER, TPP
Photo courtesy of SIOR
It was a really fun time and it's the perfect way for me to do group running. The next adventure for "The Three Musketeers" will be the LIRRC Hangover Run at Eisenhower Park at 9:30 AM. It's a timed five mile run that goes around a one mile route. No bibs, tracking chips, or winners. In this event, everyone's a winner. I'm looking forward to this event as I do every year and it will be more special because my friends will be joining me.

9 comments:

  1. Yay! It was fun! Really the only reason I attempted those hills was to see whether or not I could, it had been so long since I ran any. Looking forward to our next venture! Everyone's a winner, though? Doesn't that also mean we're all losers?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well mission accomplished on the hills! I was inspired by you and TPP and I pushed harder than I would have done had I run that route alone.

      There are no losers on the Hangover! Getting out and logging your first run of the year when most of the world is sleeping can only make you a winner.

      Delete
  2. Oh, and New Year's Day I think I'm scheduled for a ten miler. I think we should do the race twice! ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The great thing about the Hangover is that it's not a race and you can go around as many times as you wish (5 laps = 5 miles). The timing clock is at the start/end point so you can record your overall time no matter how many laps you cover..

      Here's a thought - if you do ten laps, I'll do as many laps as I can in the time it takes you.

      TPP - what do you think about that?

      Delete
    2. Ugh. It's a one mile loop? I think I'm going to be dizzy!

      Delete
    3. With people running on both sides of the loop it is a bit of a circus, but the diversity of participants makes for plenty of distractions. Besides that, there are no boring ocean views or woods!

      Delete
  3. I will do the same. We stop when she is finished with 10. What fun!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm guessing I can cover somewhere between 7.75 to 8 miles in the time that A covers 10. How about you?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I would say the same amount, ER. A, I think this might be on the top of your list for boring runs.. but think of all the hungover people! What a diversion!

    ReplyDelete

Comments will appear only after passing review. Any comments that promote or link to commercial products will be rejected.

 

blogger templates | Webtalks