Archive for October, 2010

Box of Memories

Posted by Will on October 26, 2010

This weekend I unearthed, while casually glancing through some storage at my parent’s house, a box of old slides and postcards. Coincidentally, the postcards were from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, right down the road from where we currently reside.

I have run across these slides before but it was fun to thumb through a few. Below are a few shots of interest and intrigue.

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I Run Athens

Posted by Will on October 25, 2010

As I have jawed on and on about everlasting, I had convinced three of the four former collegiate roommates to band together and compete in the first annual Athens Half Marathon. In the fourth’s place (I won’t call you out Ben Brooks but … oh wait, I just did), Ginny Sally admirably stepped in to complete our quartet. Not only was this a good time to all come together again, it was also a great excuse to visit Athens — a town Brittany and I often wax poetic about and romanticize maybe a tad too much.

The race was a great showcase of Athens as the route began in the heart of downtown, snaked through campus, navigated Five Points by way of Milledge Avenue, hit Cobbham Historic District, down Prince into Normaltown, ran north and then swung around back to downtown with a finish line in front of the fabulous 40 Watt Club.

Kudos to the event organizers, the city, and the gallery for putting on a fun race, especially since it was the largest race in Athens undergoing its debut. Also, full marks for everyone posting excellent times, especially for my mates running their maiden voyages. After months of training and hundreds of miles of travel (San Francisco, D.C., and Savannah), we all left with heads held very high.

The rest of the weekend has and is currently been catching up with friends and family in Thomaston and Lawrenceville. But enough of my guff, I’ll let the photos tell the story from here.

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Charmed, I’m Sure

Posted by Will on October 17, 2010

Leg One of the 7 Day Marathon is complete (more info here).

My participation in the 10th edition of the Baltimore Running Festival was due to my deferment from last year (y’know, the whole toe ordeal). I tried to catch up, initially, on training in 2009, but it was all in vain.

As we did last year, Brittany and I stayed the night in the Charm City after picking up my running packet at M&T Stadium, home to the Baltimore Ravens. This makes the next day convenient and there really is no sense of repeating the DC-to-B’more trip less than 12 hours later.

That night I filled my body with a 1/2 pound Angus burger and pub fries (the “Dinner of Champions”) at a local faux medieval English tavern (Burke’s Restaurant) and turned in early, around midnight or so, for the 9:45 a.m. gun.

As I mentioned before, this was the 10th Anniversary of the Baltimore Running Festival. They hold a 5K, half-marathon, team marathon, and full marathon. I have to say, they do an excellent job in regards to logistics. I was really impressed (as I was last year) at how well organized the race was. Everything ran like a very well-oiled machine.

More impressive, and the thing that struck me the most, is how much the residents embrace the race. Unlike any race in D.C. I’ve run, the marathon and half-marathon really cut up in the neighborhoods and communities of Baltimore. To me, while it may be a traffic headache and logistics nightmare, that is a good thing. For someone who has visited primarily the Inner Harbor and Fells Point area, it was real enjoyable to be able to see more of the town. Baltimore has this gritty, blue-collar, hip vibe. So, for one day, I got to trade in the somewhat aloofness of D.C. for the geniality of Baltimore.

The residents really get into the whole event. Littered along the course (along with paper cups) were bands, boom boxes, general well-wishers, people with candy (Starbursts, gummy bears, etc.), men, women, the old, and the young. If you have ever run a race, I think you know how uplifting spectators can be. A good word goes a long way. Baltimore by far was the most hospitable and fervent gallery and for that, I am thankful for those high-fives and words of encouragement (thanks, Hon).

The run went really well. I had made two goals for this race; run the whole time and pace under 10 minutes per mile. Considering the amount of hills on the course and the grades of most of those feared and never-ending, elevated planes, I was quite happy that I easily hit both goals. I expect to hit a fair amount of rises, mounds, and knolls in Athens but I don’t think they’ll be as long or as steep but … honestly, what do I know?

I had a few surprises along the way. One was hearing one of Brittany’s former colleagues offer a word of cheer at the 9th Mile water station. Completely unexpected but totally appreciated (thanks, Kim). But the best moment was on the homestretch, Mile 13, and catching Brittany right before the final push through Camden Yards. Again, a complete surprise but that gave me an extra boost to push through that last tenth of a mile.

Next Sunday I will be taking a 13.1 mile stroll down memory lane through the Classic City with some of my best friends. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Photos by Brittany.

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