52 Weeks, 52 Runs. No. 41: That familiar feeling

Posted on September 26, 2012 | 14 comments

There’s a smorgasbord of runs to choose from every week in New England, so we’d managed to steer clear of repeats from 2011. But I was keen to do one to really get an idea of how much I have improved. Or if I had at all … The Officer Jamie Cochrane Memorial Road Race was perfect. It’s right on our doorstep in Quincy, MA, and last year it had a great raffle and terrific food. All excellent reasons to run. No beer though, but that’s OK. I guess free ale and law enforcement don’t really mix. There were lots of cops around.

This run honors Quincy officer Jamie, who was killed on his motorcycle while off-duty. It’s been going for five years and attracts a sizeable local crowd. Last year I showed up solo (pre-52 Runs, 52 Weeks), so it was great this time to not be the loser sitting by herself on the grass at the end. I talked Cute Dogs & Hugs blogger Tiffany and her hubby into it, as well as my running buddy from the Old Fashioned 10 Miler and Flat 5K, which seems like eons ago. And of course my own hubby was there. It was a merry gathering.

I was particularly merry when I realized the weather was going to play nice. I’m still so shell-shocked from the long hot summer that anything that seems remotely cool is making me completely giddy. I recalled that this course was relatively flat. Hmmm, could this be the day I set a PR (30.02, for those keeping score)? If nuns can’t get me there, maybe cooler weather and trainee cops in formation can …

Jamie Cochrane Memorial Road Race

On your bike!

There was a good amount of pomp and circumstance at this event. The cops rode though the crowd on their fancy bikes and we got a low-level flyover from a helicopter with its sirens blaring. There was also a lovely rendition of the anthem from a cop and his two daughters. I love that kind of stuff. This is an especially poignant race as it involves law enforcement and happens near Sept. 11 (last year it was right on that date).

Continue reading →

14 Comments

Posted in 52 Weeks, 52 Runs, Fitness, Humor, Running

Tagged , ,

Stadium-sized tribute: Zach Attack 5K

Posted on September 24, 2012 | 3 comments

First, a huge thank you to everyone for the lovely comments you left on my last post. I know Courtney’s family truly appreciated all the support from the running community. 

Back to our regularly scheduled programming! Hubby did such a great job writing about RoadNoise that he’s back for his third appearance on Stride & Joy. I didn’t run this race, but it was such a great cause that it deserves its own post …

Since moving to Boston, I have learned a few things about folks in New England. When they speak they sound a little funny (though I am sure they think the same whenever I open my mouth); they take a perverse pleasure in poor weather; and they like to run. Boy, do they like to run.

When Tracey decided on her 52 runs in 52 weeks challenge, I started looking to find her races to fill her calendar. Two websites came to be the go to places for runs: Running in the USA and Cool Running.  There are always a swag of runs in the Northeast, any time of year.

Through these sites, we found several companies that put on excellent events in New England: Loco Races  – they’ve never found a hill they didn’t want you to run, though they reward you with beer. In fact, they have a series named for it: Will Run for Beer. Millennium Running – the new kid on the block with some great races to their name.

And finally, 3C Race Productions – these guys have the most laid-back attitude when it comes to award ceremonies and prize draws. Also, they keep me in pint glasses (lemonade glasses for the kids); the most useful prize a runner can receive. Hydration is so important!

Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in Fitness, Humor, Running, Sports

Tagged , ,

A very, very sad day

Posted on September 18, 2012 | 20 comments

Hubby and I have met some truly wonderful people through this running and blogging lark.

One of them was Courtney Marshall, a charming man from northern New Hampshire whose enthusiasm for running was infectious and inspiring. A member of the Upper Valley Running Club, he thought nothing of doing multiple runs in a weekend, which is how he and my husband first met recently, during a triple-header (Hollis Fast 5K; Mt. Washington Road Race; Rib Fest Five Miler)— drawn together because they were each as crazy devoted as the other.

After that, we would see Courtney frequently at races in New Hampshire; like us he’d sometimes drive a couple of hours to get to an event. He was fast, and often dominated his age group. Sometimes he’d be accompanied by his lovely wife, Beverly, who like me was just getting into running and still finding her feet. Courtney always had his camera and would often snap a picture of Hubby and me just after I crossed the finish line. The two guys would look refreshed and recovered; I would inevitably look like a wreck. He’d have his photos up and tagged on Facebook before we even pulled into our driveway.

Courtney, Beverly, me, and Hubby at the St. Charles Children’s Home 5K on Labor Day.

He always gave me a “like” and a funny comment on Facebook whenever I posted a blog, which I always appreciated. I called him out in a post recently for pointing out that the NH 10 Miler I was about to run was a “roller coaster.” His reply: “Tracey, roller coaster as in thrilling, exciting and exhilarating! Glad you enjoyed the 10 mile ride. :)”

This past weekend, Courtney ran a 30K on Saturday and a 5K on Sunday—in a kilt no less! He was heading for the Berlin Marathon on Sept. 30, and had made plans with Hubby to run the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington at the end of October, a long-held dream. We were going to run with him this weekend at the WOW Fest.

So you can imagine how devastated we were to find out that he passed away very suddenly on Sunday night, sometime after he had been on Facebook posting about his latest running adventure earlier that day. Beverly took the trouble to message us individually to tell us the news. She also told us that his death was not related to running.

Courtney at the Vermont Mad Half Marathon in July. The second medal around his neck is an age group award. He amassed quite a number of those.

Courtney was a gentleman, and a really genuine person, which is so rare these days. He was quiet, thoughtful, funny, and warm. He exuded enthusiasm. He and Beverly acted as though we’d known them for years. It felt like we had. We are so lucky that both of them came into our lives.

The St. Charles Children’s Home 5K on Labor Day was our last run with Courtney. We of course didn’t realize it at the time. He was the one who told us about the fabulous running-nuns event and we just knew we had to do it. We decided to stay an extra night in New Hampshire that weekend to have dinner with him and Beverly and do the run the next morning. We’re so glad we did. That event will have special meaning for us now.

Farewell, Courtney. It was lovely knowing you, if only for a moment. Thanks for all your support, of our running and my silly little blog. Stride and Joy is a sadder place now.

20 Comments

Posted in Running

Tagged ,

52 Weeks, 52 Runs. No. 40: Sisters are doin’ it for themselves

Posted on September 17, 2012 | 18 comments

This is one incredibly overdue recap. I don’t know why I have been sitting on it for so long. I think maybe this run, the 15th annual St. Charles Children’s Home 5K “Run With the Cause”, was just too fabulous for words.

Run with the Cause

Labor Day jaunt.

We hadn’t planned on doing a Labor Day run, seeing as we’d both done the torturous NH 10 Miler on Saturday and Hubby had finished the Applecrest Half Marathon the following day (because he is that crazy devoted). But when we were informed there was a 5K in which we could run with nuns, we couldn’t resist. Running. With nuns.

All jokes aside though, this was a race with a great cause. The St. Charles Children’s Home is a safe haven for children. The nuns run with the kids to give them healthy ways to channel intense anger and frustration and to enhance their self-esteem. These running nuns are amazing, and a little bit famous.

Run for the Cause

Don’t you just love the brilliant expression on this sister’s face?

They are also fast!

Continue reading →

18 Comments

Posted in 52 Weeks, 52 Runs, Fitness, Humor, Running

Tagged , ,

See my vest: A RoadNoise road test

Posted on September 13, 2012 | 11 comments

Guest post alert! Loyal long-time readers (you rock, by the way) will have noticed Hubby’s influence on this blog, especially in the shopping department. I let him loose this week for his second guest post…

There have been a few times when my shopping has been the inspiration for posts at Stride & Joy: Bunny Bars; Bai; Mamma Chia.

Most of these products we continue to buy in bulk. This must concern the delivery man when he is lugging up heavy boxes of beverages from Amazon and wondering why the hell these two can’t just order T-shirts! A few months back, he got his wish – something light, something filled with music, something that is making me run to a different tune.

I had tried a number of options for headphones during runs, but the wires would always get tangled, or the headphones would slide out of my ears because of the water I douse myself with. Sometimes I think the folks at the water stops must feel they are encountering Ted Striker when I throw another cup of water over my noggin’ . Well, if those folks are of an Airplane-appreciating age …

It became more frustrating on longer runs, and there are only so many runs with bands along the route. Something had to be done. So instead of resorting to running with a boom box, or backup vocalists, I was fortunate enough to find salvation from a group of fellow frustrated runners with some product savvy.

Continue reading →

11 Comments

Posted in Fitness, Reviews, Running, Sports

Tagged ,