Surftown

Congrats

• Muddy for the win – awesome, have a beer now
• Matthew – GREAT job, watch you the entire way. If you are reading this your are alone – so it’s ok to SMILE no one is looking
• Jeff – nice job. You’ll place again next year / when your 50
• Crutchley – I enjoy finding out post race times from you this year. You PR at almost everyone – GOOD job
• Seth – you are running very well this year, you have step it up. I have a feeling you will be killing it at Li'l Rhody Runaround this year. Remember last year – you said you went out too fast. This year you belong up front.
• Beth, don’t sell yourself short, you did a great job and you will do great at next month marathon.
• Rest of WTAC – great job, nice having home field advantage
• Jana – again thanks for the great pictures of everyone. I look forward to that nightly email saying you have been tag – appreciate the effort/support hanging around to take pics. Maybe we should start a pool and see who can get Matthew to smile.
• 5K – I know you weren’t there but I do have a scouting report (hi Julie)

Woke up early as I do every day, had my stuff already out – I’m like the military, very well organized. Wish my teenage kids were. Arrived early because I know from previous year’s traffic backs up to Jeff house. So hung out in the beach parking lot talking to complete strangers – these are runners so they are ok or insane like the rest of us. Actually, I really enjoy this part of the per race activity – nice meeting and talking with other runners and finding out where they are from and other races they have done or are doing.  I happen to run into couple of high school classmates and a lot of people from work. A very high level executive (one you always want on your side) from work happen to recognize me – now, I happen to work on a project with this person when I was working in facilities/operations over four or five years ago and he still recognizes me. I haven’t seen him in years (work at a place that has over 3,000 colleagues). He was there to support his daughter and cheered me on just after mile 7. How cool, nice knowing I still have connections at work – I’m part Italian if you haven’t notice, so we use these connections when needed. Beth knows these connections can be an advantage at work.

Ok, ok, I know the race – lineup upfront and gave out good lucks to fellow WTAC members. Now six days prior to this race I got Plantar – treated it with ice, Aleve, make shift roller thingy (actually it was a round award I got a work) but it worked - I was about 90%. Started out feeling great just behind Matthew, settling in a comfortable pace. When I past the mile 8 marker turning onto Watch Hill road the Plantar started to fare-up. It was a nagging pain, like marriage (Hi Julie). Change me stride a little to compensate for the nagging pain – wrong thing to do. Because when I got to the last water stop around 11 ½ miles on Ocean view, my calf muscle tightens up big time. One good thing about this – I could hardly feel the nagging plantar pain now. When I turned onto Atlantic Avenue I was running with a limp. Ended up coming in 30^th at 1:28:40 / 1:30 slower than last year. Not bad but because of the injuries this year with the knee and now Plantar – this year sucks. My morale, my drive, my spirit for running is at an all time low, I’m in a funk. Maybe I need to go on some kind of retreat and have an intervention.

Oh, Godfather, what am I gonna do "You can act like a man! [slap] What's the matter with you?"

Remember, part Italian – love this movie.

After the race I went over to the massage table to get my calf worked on – ok, massage by a guy – not my thing. End up going back the parking lot where I meet up with some towns people (Stonington) and talk about the event. Change cloths went back to the tent were I talk to Melanie Diamanti about the 5K race – Tom you would have killed it. Couldn’t find anyone as they must have been out doing cool downs.

Note for next year or have noticed or just feedback

·         Looking for a clean, no line Porter John - they have a few at the finish line, so do your warm up that way and they are all yours

·         Arrive early because of traffic

·         13.2 - everyone that had a space watch had 13.2 or more for distance. I believe this is because they wouldn’t let us run tangents. I was upset that we had to “stay to the right”. We all have run these roads before and know about the traffic – really. I know, I know – safety

·         They really need to work on the mile 3 markers and the timer – the last 3 years this has been off.  Jeff last year gave HM group this feedback. Guess they forgot  

Great participation from all the volunteers, recognized a lot of people volunteering