Peter Sagal's The Incomplete Book of Running

I read Peter Sagal's The Incomplete Book of Running, which is his extended reflection on what running means to him, especially in the context of facing middle age and going through a difficult divorce.

As a middle-aged runner, I identify with the former, though I have to say that Sagal is such a fast runner that I would occasionally roll my eyes at his pace frustrations, which for me would've been triumphs (a 3:09 marathon in your 40s is inconceivable to me). But he's a funny person and perfectly brought out the various ways the middle-aged body responds to marathon training (just read about egresses). He describes the Boston Marathon, which he's run several times (and in fact was quite close to the bomb in 2013) and I talked about those passages with my wife, who ran it in 2000 while I made my way to cheer her on late in the race around Heartbreak Hill.

He sees running as a very social activity and encourages others to follow his example, though I am not sure how much he realizes extroversion plays into that. His accounts of running groups, talking to everyone he sees, and dressing up in weird costumes made think about how I would hate running if it involved all that. My own enjoyment of running stems from it being a bit social and mostly solo.

But overall, I feel like he nicely summarizes how running provides a structure within life's chaos. I have started training for a marathon in the spring, and my wife and I set up a mileage schedule. During the week, I run almost exclusively in the evening on treadmills, which (as he accurately points out) is sub-optimal but for a variety of reasons unavoidable for me. No matter what's going on during the day, though, I look forward to that time, when I can clear my head. No matter how tired I feel at the beginning, I feel better as I go, and I sleep really well. On weekends, we run longer distances together.

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SECOLAS 2019 in Oaxaca

I have not been on social media as much recently because I've been in Oaxaca for the conference of the Southeastern Council of Latin American Studies, which is always a great conference. Oaxaca itself is gorgeous, as is our conference venue, the Instituto Cultural Oaxaca. Here is a shot I took just as I arrived at the opening reception:

There are also enough runners here that we started a SECOLAS running group. We met first thing this morning and yesterday to go run at a local public sports area (running around streets is challenging, even early!).

We do Latin America every third year (the next one is still being decided). Next year is in Austin, which is also a fun place. I will post the Call for Papers when it comes--it will be March 2020 and the specific days will be nailed down soon. You should come.

BTW, if you're on Twitter you should also follow @SECOLAS_org to keep up.

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Gold Rush 5K

My wife, 10 year old daughter, and I ran the Gold Rush 5K this morning on the UNC Charlotte campus. It is the 17th annual and we've probably done about 10 of them. It is a really hilly race, with the middle mile overwhelmingly uphill, sometimes steep.

The course takes you in a loop around campus.

At least the very last part of the race is downhill, so you finish fast. Kudos to the guy who played the Star Spangled Banner on the trumpet and who then came to the starting line to play the theme to Rocky.

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Charlotte Running Company 13 Mile Trail Race

I ran the Charlotte Running Company 13 Mile Trail Race this morning, and it was perhaps the most challenging race I've ever run. It's on the trails at the U.S. National Whitewater Center here in Charlotte and it was muddy, steep, and slippery, though fortunately the weather was mild. I had to walk numerous times to deal with the hills and although I didn't fall (a guy at the first water stop was calling out, "WHO'S GONNA BE THE FIRST TO BITE IT?") I came close a few times. I can't believe the winner ran it at a 7:30 pace, which means he was running hard up and down slick hills.

Most people do the shorter distances (you can do 4 or 9) and so for the last 4 miles I was alone most of the time. That was actually nice, but my legs were too tired to fully enjoy it.  If I do it again, I may scale back.

Pro tip: this race always gives out a nice hoodie instead of a shirt. It's worth running it for that alone.

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Frosty 25K

I ran the Frosty 25K this morning in Winston-Salem, around Salem Lake. It's a trail race but the path is wide and mostly flat. It's been raining here so the ground was soft but usually not terrible. The exception was the end (which because of looping I had to do twice) which was a sharp uphill in swampy mud.

Last year the race lived up to its name with historically low temperatures, but this year was nice, sunny and low 40s, which is good running weather. I have considered running an ultramarathon but remain undecided. But I would consider the 50K, which is four loops (31 miles). It would be a serious challenge but it's a scenic and pleasant course. Weather is definitely a wild card.

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Race 14: Kiawah Island Marathon

For the 14th and final race of this year (here is my first post about my running year) today I did the Kiawah Island Marathon. I have not seen the official results but it looks like I was about 8-10 minutes faster than the Charleston Marathon, which was my first race this year back in January. Kiawah Island is not big so the course loops and twists around.

The course is known for being flat, and that helps a lot. The weather was good--about 50 degrees and dry. A bit of a breeze at times but not too bad. The main down side was that there were cars and bikes weaving around runners, which is distracting, especially when you're getting tired and weaving is a chore. The upside is that was Palmetto Brewing (a good South Carolina brewery) Amber Ale at the end, which hit the spot.

Marathons are a lot of work, both to train for and to run. Somewhere around mile 22, I start questioning my intelligence but finishing feels great and before too long I will probably think about what else to run (the beer probably contributes to this).

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Race 13: University City Turkey Trot 5K

In my year of running I did the University City Turkey Trot 5K (here is my first post about running this year). We've done this or some other run for many years, as a way to get some exercise before spending the rest of the day cooking and eating. It is a simple, relatively flat there-and-back course not too far from where I live.

It was a perfect morning for running, clear, sunny and probably high 30s at the start. It was the biggest ever, with over 800 runners. That is quite a thing for a basic suburban race, but there were a lot of kids, a lot of walkers, and just a lot of people interested in getting out early on the big day.

Next up: the Kiawah Island Marathon in just two (gulp) weeks.

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Race 12: Runway 5K

In my year of running I did the Runway 5K (here is the first post), which literally goes around runways at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. It's quite a novelty, with planes constantly taking off not far away. It is, as you might guess, a very flat race. Unfortunately, it was a cold (in the 40s) and windy morning, so it was chilly before the race and there was a headwind during it.

We do this race mostly because my son is into planes--they even have walkers start just after runners because so many people walk and take pictures. If you're in Charlotte, it's a fun and very low key race.

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Race 11: Rocktoberfest Half Marathon

In my year of running (here is the first post about work/health) I just added the Rocktoberfest Half Marathon. I ran OK but it was brutal. The weather was unseasonably warm and humid. But it was also hilly. Really hilly. My pace varied quite a bit as a result and I did not go as fast as I hoped.

The race starts at Central Piedmont Community College near downtown and then goes all around. There are long straight stretches, generally through residential neighborhoods. The "Rocktoberfest" refers to the speakers set up every few miles playing music.

Next up: Charlotte Runway 5K

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Race 10: Hit The Brixx 10K

I've been focusing a lot on running this year (here is the first post of my year of even more conscious work-health balance) and today race 10 was Hit the Brixx 10K. I actually set an all time personal record with an 8:15 pace, two seconds per mile faster than I ran a 10K way back in 2000 (incidentally, if you run races and want to see old times, go to athlinks.com, which finds the old ones). Weather was a huge factor: high 50s and low humidity makes for great running.

Hit the Brixx is the best race in Charlotte. It is well organized (even with postponement because of Hurricane Florence) and friendly. It is downtown but parking is close and easily validated, and you can actually go into Brixx Pizza before the race for warmth and bathroom. After the race, there is free pizza and pasta, plus good beer from a variety of local breweries. Yes, pizza and beer on Sunday morning. It works when you've just run hard.

It is a hilly course. I pushed hard on downhills to make up for the inevitable uphill, especially between miles 3 and 4, not to mention the uphill end of the race. There are some switchbacks where you suddenly have to go up as well.

Next up: Rocktoberfest Half Marathon

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Race 9: Novant Health 15K

I ran the Novant Health 15K (in Cornelius, just north of Charlotte) for my ninth race this year (here is the first post on my year of running). I felt really good, getting my best time (1:20) since 2004. This is typically a very fall race, with a bit of chill, but not this morning. It was about 70 degrees and humid. It is a hilly course, especially on mile 7, but not too bad.

Noda Brewing Company had their Cavu blonde ale at the end, which is a great post-race beer.

Next race: Hit the Brixx 10K, which was supposed to be a few weeks ago but Hurricane Florence postponed it.

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Race 8: Yiasou Greek Festival 5K

In the next installment of my year of running (see the first post here) I did the Yiasou Greek Festival 5K. It's labeled as "Charlotte's Flattest 5K) and although I don't know if that's true, it is definitely nice and flat, all around East Boulevard.

It was a beautiful morning, with the hint that fall is coming. This is part of the Run For Your Life Six Pack that my wife and I did last year and are doing again this year. One nice bonus is that NoDa Brewing Company is a sponsor and there is a tasty craft beer at the end of each race.

Next up: Hit the Brixx 10K

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Race 7: Balboa Park 8 Miler

The latest in my running series (see the first post here) I ran the Balboa Park 8 Miler in San Diego. It is a scenic route that includes some trails. It suddenly got tough just before mile 5, where you drop down a very steep trail into a canyon, then run a while alongside CA State Route 163 North until you climb (for me, at a slow pace) back up.

Since Balboa Park is so close to the airport, there were times I felt the planes coming right over me. Overall, a cool locale.

One small pet peeve. In general I am not a fan of an emcee saying "good morning" (or hello, or whatever) then saying the response was not loud enough, which then means they say it again louder, demanding a louder response. When the time is 6:15 am (the race started at 7 am) this is even worse.

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Race 6: American 4 Miler

As part of my year of running (see my initial post here) I ran the American 4 Miler. It was a new course this year and was rolling hills. The course is all just south of downtown Charlotte. This was the second of a six race series put together by Run For Your Life, a running store that has one of their stores not far from my house. One nice feature is that they all have NoDa beer at the end.

And here are the hills.

It was warm and quite humid, but even with the hills I felt pretty good, and beat last year's time by about four minutes.

Next up: the Balboa Park 8 Miler in August.

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Race 5: King Tiger 5K

As part of my ongoing year of running (see my initial post here) I did the King Tiger 5K not too far from where I live. It is a hilly course so I was slower than the Barcelona 5K last week but I still got just under an 8 minute mile pace. Fortunately it was not nearly a humid as I thought it might be.

My wife got an award for 5th female overall and my 10 year daughter for third in her age group. We ran this 10 years ago and had all three kids in baby joggers.

Next up: a 4 miler on July 4.

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Race 4: Guardia Urbana Diagonal 5K

I am in Barcelona for the Latin American Studies Association conference, and my wife and I decided to find a 5K to run. Neither of us had ever done a race outside the United States. The Guardia Urbana Diagonal was incredible. It was capped at 15,000, which is massive, and although I don't know the final count I can say there was a ton of people. It is unique because it goes on Avenida Diagonal, which is perfectly straight and flat, even slightly downhill. I've never run straight that far before and it helped with speed, as I got down to a 7:39/mile pace, perhaps my best ever.

Quick thoughts about this versus a race inside the U.S. There's no food--people are not wolfing things down after the race. There is just water at the end. For the 5K they did not bother with water stops (and indeed, why bother?). There was water right after the fork for people running the 10K, which was most--we knew we'd be up late the night before and did not want to go that far. On the other hand, we saw no jogger strollers at all, and no kids, which stood out given the short distance and the many casual/slow runners. Last point: it was cheap compared to U.S. 5Ks, just 14 euros (about $16) compared to a minimum of $25 in the U.S. The city heavily subsidized it.

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Race 3: Shamrock 4 Miler

Race 3 this year was today's Shamrock 4 Miler. I ran a 7:51 pace, which is the fastest I've run in a really long time. It is the first in a Run For Your Life 6 pack my wife and I are doing. One great things about these races is that they all have NoDa Brewing Company beer afterward. Today it was CAVU Blonde Ale.

It is the sort of course I like, with gentle up and downhills, so unlike some parts of Charlotte you're not doing any real climbing. I slowed with each mile but I was trying to go fast so this has less to do with hills and more with my declining energy.

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Race 2: Gold Rush 5K

The Gold Rush is the 5K on the UNC Charlotte campus, which we have done off and on since it started (years ago it was so small I won awards, but now it's big). Great new look this year, with the biggest change being that all pre and post race stuff was in Belk Gym. Previously everything was on the track and this time of year can be cold (it was in the high 20s at race time). My 9 year old daughter came in second in her age group, with her friend in first (ok, there were only two in the field, but still). So they got a picture with Norm.

Campus is hilly and mile 3 was tough as a result, but it's always a fun race to do.

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Race 1: Charleston Marathon

The issues of work/life balance and health get deserved attention in academic social media. Over the years running helped me in those regards, but with work and kids my wife and I stopped running for any significant distance. Now that my kids are old enough to watch themselves we're getting back into it and 2018 will be a big running year for us.

The first race of the year was a week ago when we ran the Charleston Marathon. We started training for that around September. Here I am almost at the finish line, where my nine-year old daughter jumped in to greet me and run a few steps.

It was in the 40s, which itself isn't bad when you're running, especially since it was sunny, but at times the wind was brutal. The course is flat, which is great, and at the end there are local craft beers and shrimp and grits waiting for you.

So we started 2018 with a marathon and we're thinking of ending it with another.

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NoDa Brew Dash 6K Fail

I ran the NoDa Brewing Company Brew Dash 6K trail race at the Whitewater Center here in Charlotte this morning. I haven't run very many trail races so it's a nice change of pace and the race itself was fun.

It was, however, the Sadly Sober 6K because there was no beer. NoDa is a great brewery but this was 100% false advertising and they should change the name. At many races you get Michelob Ultra, which people apparently buy. I drink it when it's free and I've just finished running. I was looking forward to finishing a race and actually drinking good beer. Instead, there were small Dixie cups of tepid water. If you wanted to wait until 1 pm there was a festival, but when you finish a race before 10 am, waiting three hours in your car or sitting at a picnic table is not terribly appealing.

On the plus side, quite a few strangers were prompted to chat with each other based on their mutual frustration with a beerless beer race.

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