The Rowe Family Blog

This morning I set out for my weekly long run. I did set out to run my usual route, the Rowe Half, at about 7 AM. The weather was great! It was about 70 and “partly sunny.” There were more clouds than sunshine but it was very comfortable for the entire run. It was humid but 70 degrees and humid isn’t a big deal.

Since it is now summer there’s plenty of roadkill. I saw what I think was an o’possum. At least it may have been one…some time ago. At this point it’s just a twisted mess of leathery furry grossness that has left a stain on the road. It’s not easy to stain asphalt! I also witnessed an alarming PRK (phantom road kill). PRKs are never pleasant but they are somewhat easy to deal with. Holding your breath while running isn’t fun but it’s necessary sometimes. What frightened me about this PRK was that I witnessed it running past the butcher shop. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday I ran the 2008 Fast and the Furriest 10k road race. This event has a 10k road race followed by a 1 mile dog walk. They are different events. The runners don’t have to walk dogs to complete the race.

This was my second 10k. The first one, the Dorschel Madd Dash, I didn’t run as a race but rather just as a training run with John last year. I had forgotten until yesterday that I had run the Madd Dash and so I thought this was a guaranteed PR. It wasn’t but I knew I could beat my previous 10k time. Read the rest of this entry »

Exactly one week ago I had the best long run I’ve ever had. I wasn’t going to write about it since
posting about every single run I do is excessive and boring. However I got on a kick reading old blog entries and realized the value about writing about exceptional runs. I found some posts talking about long runs, my times, and how I felt. Not only were they far more entertaining than what I usually write but they showed me how I’ve progressed with running. So I will share my a recent long run. It was the best I’ve had so far! Read the rest of this entry »

On Thursday May 29th, just days after running the Buffalo Half Marathon, I ran my third Corporate Challenge event. The Corporate Challenge at Rochester was actually my first race back in 2006. This event has traditionally been a big event for the company that I work for, Impact Technologies. Each year my company has outstanding participation numbers and impressive running numbers as well.

Read the rest of this entry »

I had been looking forward to the weekend of May 24th. I always look forward to races and this one I was looking forward to more than others. This race I would be running with Bates, John, Julie, and Mike. Mark decided that a half isn’t enough and ran the full marathon. Unfortunately John dropped out due to injury but came along to be our running mom and provide hours of entertainment (mostly at his expense, sorry John!).

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On Saturday May 3rd I ran the 2008 Grand Island Half Marathon.

Based on recent training runs and my love of the half marathon distance I felt confident that I could get a new PR. This race provided different medals based on your finishing time. For men if you finished at 1:30 or below you were awarded a gold medal. For 1:30 to 1:45 you were awarded a silver medal. All other finish times were awarded a bronze medal. I really wanted a silver medal, not for the medal of course, and I knew I could do it. I set my sights on a finish time of 1:43.
Read the rest of this entry »

Today, just before noon, I registered for the 33rd Annual Marine Corps Marathon. Even better is that both John and Mark were able to register too. Assuming we can all stay injury free we’ll all be running in Washington DC on October 26th, 2008!

I will use my finish time from the Grand Island 1/2 Marathon to create a training plan using the Smart Coach. Training will start in June.

Not two weeks after Hoselton spammed me I received yet another spam from them. This was after I “unsubscribed” and also after I sent them an email indicating my disappointment in their choice to opt-me in to their mailing list. While this won’t stop me from continuing to use their Toyota service department it has lost them a potential customer. When I buy a new vehicle it will not be from the Hoselton family of dealerships.

I had an incredible week for running.

I’ve started running during my lunch break. This is great for many reasons. First it makes it much easier to increase my mileage. Second, and more importantly, it’s better use of my time. On many nights I don’t feel the need to go for a run after work. This gives me more free time. A half hour each day doesn’t sound like much but it certainly feels like a lot!

On Friday night I set out for a tempo run. I ran the Rowe Quarter with the goal of breaking 52 minutes for the 6.5 mile course, an 8 minute pace. I’ve tried numerous times and never quite broken 52 minutes. I felt more confident Friday night and rightly so. I completed the run in 48:46, a 7:31 pace! My shins hurt during this run (in a good, sore muscle sort of way) which made me even more surprised at the time I put in.

On Sunday I ran the Rowe Half in the afternoon. I’d run a lot during the week and I had no desire to push myself to run fast. Besides you aren’t supposed to push yourself for speed on long runs. I ended up running the course in 1:48:05, an 8:19 pace. This is the fastest I’ve run this route and I’ve run it numerous times.

I also broke my weekly mileage record. I ran 42.3 miles over 6 runs.

I even got to cheer on John for his 6k PR at the Thompson Health 6k.

This coming Saturday is the Grand Island Half Marathon. I hope to break my PR of 1:44:14 and earn a silver medal for the run. This Wednesday registration opens for the Marine Corps Marathon if I could sleep out on a sidewalk to get a registration spot I would. Luckily for me registration is web based so there isn’t any uncomfortable waiting in line but there are no guarantees that I’ll get a spot.

Cassie’s birthday is on May 28th. We’ll be celebrating her birthday with family on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26th. She has compiled a wish list for any guests who would like to bring a present. Keep in mind- no gift required. Her list includes:

• Sand table - Either “Sand and Water Activity Center” by Step 2 or “Sand and Water Fun Factory” by Little Tikes
• 101 Dalmations Movie
• sun hats or baseball hats
• blocks
• 18 month clothes and PJs (summer or early fall weight)
• fingerpaints and paper
• Mickey Sprinkler (on-line at amazon.com)
• 24 month clothes and PJs (fall weight)
• Little People toys
  • Musical Zoo Train
  • Surprise Sounds Zoo
  • Other 12-18 month Little People Toys