alt.fan.cthulhia

I am a dirty bandit! I need a mask... and cape!

They only had online regs this year, with another new, untested registration site that would likely spam the crap out of me with sporting events. Plus, by the time I looked, they'd already had the first 2000 so would have no more shirts, and, the only other main perk is beer at the Burren, which is appealing only when I have a line buddy, which I didn't. so, I rolled out of bed, into my shoes, and ran to meet the race in progress.

I ran at least a mile (but not entirely on the race route) before the 1 mile mark [12:08], so that's when my clock started. 2 mile split [22:57]. No 3 mile split. 4 mile finish [44:06].

Gobble Gobble Gobble 4 mile
year	total	pace
2008	Bandit [3 miles in 31:58]	[10:40]
2007	46:24	11:36
2006	untimed solo run
2005	untimed solo run
2004	no run (health issue)
2003	51:04	12:46
2002	50:22	12:36
2001	54:18	13:35

not as bad as I feared, what with recovering from the black death and all. I managed to save my massive coughing fit til after the race.

year	pace	total	race
2008	11:19	35:08	Ras na hEireann U.S.A. 5K
2007	10:40	33:07	Ras na hEireann U.S.A. 5K
2006	--	--	--
2005	11:00	34:08	Ras na hEireann U.S.A. 5K
2004	12:34	42:41	Ras na hEireann U.S.A. 3.4 miles
2003	12:18	41:46	Ras na hEireann U.S.A. 3.4 miles
2002	12:08	48:30	An Ras Mor 4 Miler
2001	12:34	50:13	An Ras Mor 4 Miler

and then proceeded to get schnockered on proper black velvets (champagne sparkling wine and guinness, as opposed to cider and guinness) with surrealestate  , until I sobered up enough to get a scone and stagger home.

Wow, I guess I haven't actually made it to this race in a while. Wasn't expecting that time to be an improvement.
I felt like I was running nervously, because the ground was slick. V. thankful to not slip and fall and have catastrophe with bones breaking through the skin and all that.

Gobble Gobble Gobble 4 mile
year	total	pace
2007	46:24	11:36
2006	untimed solo run
2005	untimed solo run
2004	no run (health issue)
2003	51:04	12:46
2002	50:22	12:36
2001	54:18	13:35

The Burren line only gets longer, and the one person I recognized at the race, pheromone, was a volunteer, hence allowed to cut the line. (Other folks I know were apparently there, but I never saw them.) The last time she volunteered for a race, she had to steal an extra bib-number to even get into the post-race parties, because (off-duty) volunteers weren't allowed at all. No way was I going to make her wait with me, but I didn't want beer enough to wait alone in the line.

Bailed on the Pie Breakfast. Good plan, as this barely gave me enough goof-off time for showering, listening to Alice's Resturant, and cooking up a side and a quick dessert for dinner(s). Both hosts implied low dessert expectations, but, apparently, they knew that too much dessert is inevitable, and were merely trying to reduce the avalanche. (I picked a portable, storable, skip-able dessert: oatmeal cookies. Just in case.)

The first dinner crew wouldn't let me leave unless I took one of Zarf's spare Berry Lime tarts, which was a major hit with the dragonboaters, since all the other pies were pecan. Granted, one of them was from Lulu's, although I was too full to be tempted last night. There's a slice of it in my fridge, just taunting me... except... I'm still not hungry.

31st Tufts 10K for Women

Year	gun time	chip time	Pace
2007	1:12:31	1:10:01	11:17
2006	did not register
2005	did not start
2004	1:18:39	1:14:39	12:01

Lesson number 1: fine, I can run on wet pavement. I just don't like it. No sir, not one bit. I did probably slow myself in some spots because the ground felt slimy. (Slimier than the bananas at the finish line, which was pretty slimy, I tell you what.) But, the cool temperature probably brought my pace up, so, it evened out.

Lesson number 2: I can do this one without an escort. At least when it's cool enough that I am willing to run with everything I brought with me. There was an enormous line at the finish line festival thingie that turned out to be BAG CHECK. However, it would've been more fun with an escort.

mwerble ended up on the train downtown with me, but continued onto dimsumland. rawrin and I found each other at the start line, but then I lost her within the first mile. My time probably would've been better if I'd managed to not lose her until the second mile. I didn't find her at the end tho'.

Like the Ramble back in the days of yore, I may have recouped the entry fee on loot:

• 6 bottles of smartwater
• 3 bottles of vitaminwater
• 2 mini-bottles of vitaminwater
• 3 bags bearnaked granola
• 2 luna sport chews
• 2 luna recovery smoothie mixes
• 5 mini-luna bars
• 1 individually wrapped sharp cheddar slice thingie
• $50 discount to some spa in southboro. (I was thinking, you know, massages and aromatherapy, but, they seem more focused on botox and lipo. about the only thing they offer that sounds vaguely interesting is laser hair removal.)

I could've doubled that amount with better bags or an extra pair of hands, or... less pride.

Now I crave hot tub... and an enormous bowl of noodles from porter exchange.

My 8th Somerville 5K for the Homeless. (Wow! I didn't realize it's been that many years).

Year	Total time	Pace
2007	34:08	11:01
2006	34:00	10:58
2005	34:41	11:11
2004	35:38	11:30
2003	38:57	12:34
2002	39:40	12:48
2001	39:15	12:38
2000	36:42	11:49

Hello Global Warming?
Usually this race is comfy to cold.
It was almost too hot for OATMEAL!

Also, when most of your neighborhood cronies were up until 1 am at a Jonathan Coulton Concert with you, and all the other people you know who get up early on Saturday are at the Dragon-boat practice you skipped to run the race, it's unlikely that any of them will come down to watch you run, cheer you on, and, most importantly, perhaps buy you a cup of coffee (preferably iced, in this heat) when you realize there is none at this particular post-race and you brought no cash.

For the energy I may have lost from sleep deprivation, mojitos and JohnnyD's molten chocolate volcano death torte (or whatever it's called), I made it up by bumping into folks I knew well enough to try to pace. And, also, the show was N kinds of awesome (where N = "Z1 be Z squared plus C, And Z2 is Z1 squared plus C, And Z3 is Z2 squared plus C and so on") , especially since, thanks to the cat-herding efforts of hahathor , I managed to win the show, and got a front row seat. (Julia was totally Set!)

No, I have not eaten that snowball tastycake-like thing that Paul & Storm threw at me. Wondering if I should build a shrine for it, (mostly to get out of eating it).

Now off to wrangle marching bands for the day. Between them and the unseasonably warm weather, it's a perfect chance to dress playa-style. (o:

My 11th boilermaker. (That's ridiculous, it's not even funny).

Year	15K Total Time (pace)	5K split	10K split
2007	chip: 1:54:48 (12:19)	35:01 (11:17)	1:13:16 (11:48)
2006	chip: 1:48:40 (11:39)
2005	chip: 1:47:02 (11:29)
2004	chip: 2:03:53 (13:17)
2003	chip: 2:04:51 (13:24)
2002	chip: 2:06:18
2001	1:59:00 (probably chip time)
2000	01:57:38 (probably chip time)
1999	01:58:43 (probably chip time)
1998	Gun 1:58:54 (-0:04:30)
1997	Gun 2:01:11 (-0:05:30, i.e. when I crossed the starting line)

What's really not even funny is that I lost 40 seconds a mile, and I don't know why.
( wingeing analysis )

So, I need to train myself back up to as fast, hopefully faster:

• lose more weight. (and I'm clearly at a motivational wall, so I need handholding here. HELP.)
  
• weekly timed training (treadmill). no matter how awesome the weather. I can't trust my own sense of pace outdoors.
  
• Hills. I need more hills.
  
• distance. I need to work on my speed at miles 6-9, which means I need to get to those miles more often.
  
• timed distance with hills, i.e., another 15K, or, more feasibly, a half-marathon. Ideally, one that happens between Thanksgiving and christmas. No earlier than the 2nd weekend in November. And, the dozen or so half marathons that happen on MLK weekend are Right Out.

I kinda suspected that I was slower than last year in the first third. It's hard to make that up later, even though I'm pretty sure I took less walking breaks this time.

Gun: 1:55:26 (12:22)
Net(Chip): 1:48:40 (11:39)

Year	Total Time
2006	chip: 1:48:40 (11:39)
2005	chip: 1:47:02 (11:29)
2004	chip: 2:03:53 (13:17)
2003	chip: 2:04:51 (13:24)
2002	chip: 2:06:18
2001	1:59:00 (probably chip time)
2000	01:57:38 (probably chip time)
1999	01:58:43 (probably chip time)
1998	Gun 1:58:54 (-0:04:30)
1997	Gun 2:01:11 (-0:05:30, i.e. when I crossed the starting line)