The Rowe Family Blog

Here’s a video of the finish of the 2008 Shamrock Run. I wasn’t able to find Mike and Julie but I found everyone else. In order they are:

1. Noodles (looks like a bank robber)
2. Me (shirtless of course) and Mark (flying next to me)
3. Jill (in blue)
4. Ally (in pink)
5. John (also shirtless)

The video is encoded in mpeg4 format.  If you are a Linux user you likely won’t have trouble playing this.  If you are a Windows user you may need to download an extra codec.  You might try Media Codec (essential codec pack).

On March 15th I ran Johnny’s Runnin’ o’ the Green with John and Corey. It was a five mile race and themed for St. Patricks Day. It was much like Buffalo’s Shamrock run but slightly longer (the Buffalo race was an 8k instead of 5 miles) and with a a lot fewer participants. Read the rest of this entry »

For a moment think about the smell of baking cookies. I’m serious. Stop reading and think about the smell of baking cookies. Pretend that you really can smell the cookies in the oven. You could even close your eyes if you want.

What were you thinking about? I’m sure you were thinking about cookies but I bet you thought about a lot more than that. Did you think about a nice day at home spent with your mom? Did you think about a crackling fire and feeling cozy in the warmth of your house? Smell and sound provide powerful associations with memories.

For 2008 the USATF (USA Track and Field) association enacted rule 144.3(b). It bans the use of headphones during USATF sanctioned races. This ruling has generated an uproar in the running community. Read the rest of this entry »

Tonight Mary and I both watched Cassie crawl! It’s amazing how proud I was just to see her crawl. She very badly wanted to play with my guitar and figured out how to crawl to it. She didn’t get the guitar but she did get a very big hug from me!

On Saturday March 1st I ran the 2008 Buffalo Shamrock Run. About 3,000 people gathered at a beer tent in the frigid cold of Buffalo. On their way to the beer tent they ran or walked 8 kilometers. Read the rest of this entry »

Over the past few weeks, Cassie has started doing a few new things:

She’s taking steps while holding on to someone’s hands.

Cassie is eating some table foods.

She’s attempting to use a sippy cup.

Cassie is scooching around…not exactly crawling…but she is going places!

Check out our new pictures!

The Freezeroo Race series is hosted by the Greater Rochester Track Club and consists of 6 races throughout the winter. Many of the races were surprisingly challenging due to weather conditions and elevation. Here is a summary of the races:

Race #1- December 15 , 2007 in Mendon Ponds Park – 5k – 31:49 The weather wasn’t bad. It was cool, but there were many small hills. I came off one hill and along came another.

Race #2- January 1, 2008 Mendon Ponds Park – 7.5 miles- 1:25:43 It was very windy, snowy and cold. The race had a couple of significant hills.

Race #3- January 12, 2008 Camp Eastman Conference Center- 5k-30:43 There was great weather. The finish was a bear! It was completely uphill for the last 2 tenths of a mile.

Race #4- January 26, 2008 Powder Mills Park – 6.835 miles – 1:31:59 This course was ridiculous! The hills were repetitive…however one hill was FAR WORSE than any Boilermaker hill! At the beginning of the race, I decided to run with Marie since we found out how awful the hills were going to be. I knew she’d need some encouragement and company. We had a great time running together. Next year, I am going to run this race on my own to see how I’ll do. I may actually run this course as a training run for the Boilermaker. It was NUTS!

Race #5 – February 9, 2008 Greece- 8 miles OH NO! I didn’t do it! Greg gave me a trip to Florida for my birthday. The trip was scheduled for this weekend. Oh well, next year I’ll attempt the full series. I did complete the miles in Florida with Donna.

Race #6 February 23, 2008 Churchville- 10k – 1:00:05 This was a great run for me! I loved it! I do have to say that when I timed myself, I was under an hour! I was so excited and pumped during this run! I completed the run with less than 10 minute miles. My first two miles were 9:15 miles! I’ve never done that! It felt effortless. What a great run! At the end I won a gift certificate to Applebees which we’re using for dinner tonight!

This was a great series! I am definitely doing the series next year. It kept me motivated and on target for preparing for spring races and trimming down after having Cassie. I feel great!  Thanks Freezeroo planners!