Summer 2017 Road Rules: Toddler Edition

When my sister first proposed an RV trip out west with all of our kids, I was a bit skeptical.  Neither of us had ever set foot in an RV.  Could either of us even drive one?  Would my son, at just shy of three years old, be too young for it?  Would it be at all enjoyable with five kids all under the age of eight?

Luckily we threw caution to the wind and decided to go for it.  Thankfully, after handling the logistics of a ten day trip to Germany for 16 people just a few weeks earlier, I didn't have to do any of the planning for this trip as my sister took care of all the details.  All I had to do was show up and help drive/wrangle the kids on occasion.

Quick stats:

• 29 foot, class C Ford RV (no special license required to operate)
• Two weeks
• Five kids (Neale and his four cousins)
• Three adults (me, my sister, my sister's German au pair Nina)
• Leaving from and returning to St. Paul, Minnesota
• States: Minnesota → Iowa → Missouri → Nebraska → Kansas → Colorado → Utah → Wyoming → South Dakota → Minnesota
• National Parks: Great Sand Dunes, Arches, Canyonland, Bryce, Zion, Capitol Reef, Badlands

On July 17th, Neale and I flew west to Minnesota where my sister picked us up at the airport.  We spent a few days at her place in St. Paul, then we all boarded the RV in the afternoon and started driving south to Iowa.  We parked and slept in the parking lot of a random Walmart somewhere in Iowa that night, then headed out the next day for Kansas.

My sister and I quickly became adept at driving such a large vehicle.  All we had to do was allow for extra room when making turns, and extra time when stopping or accelerating, and we were fine.  Though my sister never did take a liking to driving through the mountain passes with steep cliffs, which she let me handle.

After spending the night in Iowa, we drove through the northwestern corner of Missouri (my first time in the Show Me State), where we briefly got lost amidst the cornfields, then into the southeastern portion of Nebraska, then finally to our destination of the day: Kansas (my first time in the Sunflower State).

We spent an hour at the Buffalo Bill Cultural Center in Oakley, Kansas where the kids finally got to run free for a bit:

We then parked at our "RV campground" on the edge of a farmer's property in the middle of nowhere in Kansas.  The campground consisted of a small grassy lot with a few water and electrical hookups spaced throughout, a locked metal box to deposit money on the honor system, and that was it. 

I went running that night under the stars and almost got attacked by a dog who came barreling out of a nearby front yard, all teeth and hackles and a ferocious bark.  The owner stuck her head out of her front door and yelled at me not to run.  A steely calm came over me as I faced the dog, backing away slowly, ready to fight if needed, but once I retreated enough, the dog went back to his yard.  I was pleased to note I could keep my calm under pressure and not lose my shit, both figuratively and literally.

The next day we were all packed up and ready to trundle onward through the heartland when we ran into RV trouble.  The back "bedroom" of the RV, which slides out at night to create more space, would not retract.  We spent hours in the blazing Kansas sun trying to figure out what to do.  We eventually got ahold of a nearby RV technician who could not fix the problem either, so we eventually just used brute strength to push the part of the RV back into place, where it stayed the rest of the trip.

Onward across Kansas and into Eastern Colorado, which is just more Kansas.

In Eastern Colorado we met a man on the side of the highway who had survived brain cancer and was walking across the country just because he could.

In Southern Colorado we stopped at Bent's Old Fort which used to be on the border of Mexico.  I bought a book there - Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West by Hampton Sides - and spent the rest of the trip engrossed in the bloody history of this region of America.

We soon hit our first national park of the trip - Great Sand Dunes National Park - where we spent time playing in the sand dunes before retiring to an RV campground outside of the park.

The next few days were a whirlwhind of national parks in Southern Utah.  We hit the big five in the Beehive State: Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Capitol Reef.  At each one, we lathered the kids in sunblock, loaded the backpacks with snacks, and set off on short hikes near the visitor center or anywhere we could park a 29 foot RV (including one trailhead that was so crowded I had to parallel park the RV - clearly the defining accomplishment of my life).

Neale handled the trails about as well as I would expect from an almost-three-year-old.  He walked intermittently but mostly wanted to be carried.  I was pleased and proud to see that he seemed to take a liking to rock climbing.  Like father, like son.

From a young age I've always loved climbing anything and everything - trees, buildings, cliffs, etc. - and was in heaven with the rough red sandstone of southern Utah and its numerous natural hand holds.  There were many times when I scared the wits out of myself when I realized I had climbed higher than I intended and realized I wasn't sure how to get down.  No caffein for me, thanks, my adrenaline has already spiked enough.

I was enamored of the landscape of southern Utah.  I'd been there before, with my mother when I was 17, but I'd forgotten how simply breathtaking the landscape is.  The best view from the RV was in the driver's seat, so I found myself volunteering to drive as much as possible just so I could take it all in (and maybe also to get away from the chaos in the back for a bit).

Life inside the RV was difficult at times.  We were on the road for long stretches, and keeping five young children occupied was challenging.  Too often, when they became bored of the limited supply of books/coloring materials/toys they had brought, they resorted to annoying each other for fun.  Screams of "he's touching me!" or "she stole my Legos!" or variations thereof clanged around in the small space and tested all of our patience.  There were a lot of tears and breakdowns on this trip.

As we settled into a driving routine, so we settled into a campground routine.  My sister took care of the laundry, while I took care of monitoring our fresh/gray/black water tanks and draining/filling as needed.  Nina helped with wrangling the kids and food meal prep/clean up.

I think all but three meals during the entire trip were prepared in the RV.  We did a lot of grocery shopping, and on the few occasions when we went to a restaurant, we usually got pizza.

After hitting the national parks of southern Utah, we slowly started making our way north through the state, then veered east for the first time of the trip into Wyoming.  We barreled across the state until entering South Dakota, where we stopped at our final national park: Badlands National Park.

After spending the night there, we continued on to the Corn Palace of Mitchell, South Dakota.  Surprisingly, this was my third time in the Mt. Rushmore State, and my third time visiting the Corn Palace.  My first time was in 1997 on a service trip to an Indian Reservation, my second time was in 2007 during a cross country road trip, and now my third time in 2017.  I figure I'll head back for a fourth time in 2027.

And finally, two weeks after setting out from Minnesota, we crossed the border back into the North Star State, and shortly thereafter arrived back in St. Paul.  Neale and I stayed on for another two days, then flew back to the east coast.

Huge thanks go out to my sister for coming up with the idea for this trip and then planning every last detail.  I have no doubt this is something we'll be talking about for years to come.  Though it was tiring and stressful at times, it was a wonderful trip, and one I won't soon forget.  Neale had such a good time playing with his cousins, and loved playing with Kiera especially.

At each national park I bought a poster, and I plan to frame those posters and eventually hang them in Neale's room.  I also hope to make a Shutterfly book for Neale with all of the pictures of the trip.  I don't know how much of this trip he will remember, if any at all, but I do hope I have succeeded in planting the seeds of wanderlust deep in his soul.

Strider Indepence 10k Race Recap

There are many running clubs in South Jersey, both new and old.  Of the vanguards of South Jersey running, the Pineland Striders are among the oldest, which my dad used to be a part of (there's an old man joke in here somewhere, but I'll resist, Dad).

Every year for the past thirty plus years, they have put on the Strider Independence Races (10k and 5k) near July 4th.  The races start and finish at Shawnee High School in Medford, and run right past Camp Ockanickon where I used to live and work in my twenties.

I ran the 10k race two years ago and did reasonably well - won my age group and placed 9th overall.  This year I recruited Neale and Stevie as my cheering section, and we all made the drive out to Medford on a chilly summer Saturday morning.

Despite this event's long history, each race has less than 100 runners.  This means, though, that race morning is not chaotic.  Registration is always organized and easy, and there is access to flush toilets in the high school which don't get too crowded.

At 8:30am we took off from the high school parking lot into the surrounding neighborhoods with million dollar homes, some owned by Philadelphia professional athletes.  The course is completely flat and mostly shaded, perfect for a summer race.  In the final half mile, racers leave the pavement and run a quarter mile across the grass, then finish the final quarter mile on the school's track.

I remember the last time I did this race, I fought hard to pick off runners in the second half of the race and maintain my top ten standing.  This time, though, there was no one close to me, either behind or ahead, and it was all I could do to keep up the pace.  I did manage to beat my time from the last race by almost a minute.

Final stats:

While I was racing, Neale had a great time playing with dogs and other small kids, not to mention roaming the hallways of the high school.

I received a medal for winning my age group again, but unfortunately there was no accompanying gift certificate to the Haddonfield Running Company like last time.

There was a nice post-race spread of bottled water, bananas, bagels and oranges for all runners, but I didn't partake too much, because we went to get pizza afterwards.

Thanks to Stevie and Neale for cheering me on, and thanks to the Pineland Striders for a great morning of races!

Running in West Virginia

Spring break only lasted 6 days this year, as opposed to the ten we've had in years' past. Stevie and I wanted to go somewhere during the break, just to get out of Jersey for a bit, but didn't want to break the bank doing so.  We settled on an Airbnb on a farm in West Virginia.

Cue the John Denver...

We had an entire house to ourselves that sat opposite a pasture with four enormous draft horses.  They were very friendly and we were allowed to feed them apples and carrots.  There were also four bloodhound puppies that belonged to a neighbor which frequently came over to say hello.  There were only a few other houses in the area; it was otherwise nothing but farmland and hills.  The town was about a mile down the road with a few basic amenities like a gas station, a grocery store, and a theater.

Almost heaven?  Sounds like the real deal to me.

On our first full day there we went hiking in the state forest surrounding the farm, and took in both waterfalls and cranberry bogs.

On another day, we spent the entire day hanging out on the farm, during which our hosts let me drive the tractor with Neale in my lap.  Just another day in West Virginia.

We spent a good hour that same day trying to catch frogs and rolling down a hill.  When in the company of a toddler, it's easy to slow down and appreciate the little things.

No trip would be complete without sampling the local beer:

And of course I ran every day that I was there on some very chilly mornings, up and down some very hilly terrain.

We returned last night, and tomorrow it's back to the grind.  It turned out to be an amazing, low-key vacation, and here's to the next one.

Snow Day 2016

Yesterday was one of the most perfect days I've had in awhile, so I thought I would record it for posterity.

The snow started on Friday night and was still going strong yesterday morning.  We woke up around 6:30am which is pretty standard for us and sat leisurely on the couch for an hour or so with coffee and chai.  My only lament was the timing of the storm - had it happened on a school night, I most definitely would have had a day off of work today.  Let's face it - teachers love snow days even more than the students.

Soon one of our neighbors pulled out his ATV with attached plow and began plowing everyone's sidewalks, and everyone else came out to begin shoveling their driveways and clearing off their cars.  The snow was still coming down strong, but it was a great sense of community bonding to see everyone out there in the shared struggle.

After clearing out our driveway and cars, I came back in and made myself an epic breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast (from homemade bread), and bacon.

In the afternoon Stevie, Neale and I all bundled up and went outside to play in the snow.  We played with him in the snow drifts out front, then brought him to the pristine snow in the backyard and pulled him around on a sled.

He seemed rather nonplussed by the whole episode.

Following the romping in the snow, we came inside and relaxed more on the couch, this time with hot chocolate.  Neale got to try hot chocolate for the first time in his life, and Stevie and I added a shot of Bailey's to ours.

After we put Neale to bed, we got dressed again and ran around out in the backyard some more and enjoyed the winter twilight sky only a snowstorm can produce.  When we came back in, we poured ourselves some Harpoon Winter Warmers and moved down to the basement where we set up a tent on the floor and talked for awhile.

It truly was a perfect winter day, enjoyed all the more for not having to finish a ten mile training run like so many days in the past.  Days like yesterday, filled with winter activities and over a foot of snow, are so good for my soul, and I already can't wait for the next snowstorm.

Top 10 running experiences of 2015

And so we find ourselves at the end of another year, and so it's time to reflect on the best running experiences of the last 365 days.  It was an epic year of running.  365 days of runs. Trail runs.  Beach runs.  Pavement runs.  Three marathons.  Two new PR's.  Over two thousand miles.  There are so many memories from this past year, but here, in no particular order, are my top ten:

When: September 9th
Where: Haddonfield, NJ
Post: They say it's my birthday

My birthday happened to fall on a Wednesday this year.  While we celebrated with friends at my favorite Belgian Tavern in Philly on Saturday, I spent my actual birthday running a very sweaty seven miles with the gang from Who's Up?  Stevie also surprised me by lining up a babysitter and coming along for the run, then presenting me with a cookie cake afterwards. Beer, running, wife, friends, cookie cake, and more beer.  All at the Haddonfield Running Company.  Everything I love in this world all at once.

When: August 10th
Where: South Beach, Miami, Florida
Post: The Raven Run of Miami

I had known about Robert "Raven" Kraft for awhile, the man who has run 8 miles on South Beach every day for the last 40+ years, and on a trip down to meet the in-laws, I finally got my chance to meet and run with him.  He was one of the kindest, most inspiring and most humble men I have ever met, and I sincerely hope I get a chance to run with him again.  Completing the Raven Run also inspired one of my favorite posts I've ever written.

When: April 20th
Where: Boston, MA
Post: Race Recap and Reflections

The Boston Marathon.  Duh.  Years of dreaming finally yielded to reality on April 20th when I became a part of one of the greatest traditions in sports history.  The years of hard work I put in to earn my spot there only made it better.  It was an incredibly tough race on a cold, wet and windy day, but one I will undoubtedly remember for years to come.  Seeing my dad, wife and son at the finish line?  The icing on the cake.  Someday when I am old and my body fails me, I will still remember the roar of the crowd on Boylston Street and what it was like to touch greatness.

When: Halloween
Where: Philadelphia, PA
Post: Race recap

At the end of October I ran the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in Philadelphia, which ended up being one of the most perfect races I have ever done.  It was one of those days that all runners dream about in which everything comes together for a perfect race.  The weather was perfect, the course was flat, my energy and confidence were high and my pace felt effortless for most of the race.  I ended up finishing with a PR by over three minutes, my first PR in the half marathon in over four years.

When: September 27th
Where: Philadelphia
Post: What it's like to run in Popeadelphia

Pope Francis came to town and shut down the entire city for days leading up to his arrival.  I had 18 miles scheduled for Sunday and decided to take advantage of car free streets by running from my front door across the Ben Franklin Bridge, all around Center City, and then back home.  The entire city was one giant militarized playground, and this run was most likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

When: April 6th
Where: Berlin, Germany
Post: The Brandenburg Gate

In April I led a trip for ten of my students to Germany, just as I was heading into the taper for Boston Marathon training.  While in Berlin, I woke up well before my students to run 14 miles around the city.  Training while traveling is always difficult, even more so when leading a bunch of teenagers around a foreign country, and this ended up being the only decent run of the trip.  But it was about as perfect as a solo long run could ever be.  The sun had just come up, there was a spring chill in the air, and I had major tourist attractions completely to myself, including the amazing Brandenburg Gate.

When: August 23rd

Where: Palmerton, PA

Post: Race report

At the end of August I completed an item on my running bucket list: run a naked 5k.  I had to drive an hour and a half to get there, and not only did I go through with it and actually run a race in the buff, but I ended up winning the whole thing.  It was certainly one of the stranger and more unique experiences of my running life.

When: March 5th

Where: South Jersey

Post: The snow run to end all snow runs

I ran a lot last winter.  Over 800 miles.  All in preparation for my first Boston Marathon.  But without access to a treadmill, I was forced to do all of my runs outside.  This meant running through some insane winter weather, including one snowstorm that dumped almost a foot of snow on South Jersey.  Running in the snow doesn't make for a terribly efficient training run, but I will take the unsteady footing and cold and wet clothes if it means getting to run through a forest with every last twig covered in snow.  The breathtaking beauty and the otherworldly quiet bring this specific run into the top ten.

When: December 23rd

Where: Atlanta, GA

Post: Winning the airport sprint

I was already in the middle of a hellish travel experience on my way down to the Florida Keys for Christmas.  With a mere 15 minutes to make a connecting flight, and with the prospect of spending Christmas Eve alone in Atlanta as a very real consequence, I broke into a dead sprint through the Atlanta Airport and made my flight with a mere two minutes to spare.  It was very clear that were I not a runner, there is no way I would have made that flight, and it was oddly satisfying to see all those  years of training had paid off.

When: May 10th
Where: Cherry Hill, NJ
Post: Finding Neverland Race Report

Stevie and I had technically run one race before this, but we didn't run together during that one, and Neale wasn't even a twinkle in my eye at that point.  This was a first as a family.  It was a poorly organized race, but we stuck together the whole time and stayed for mimosas afterwards.  I loved sharing running with my family, and hope it is the first of more races we complete in the future.

Keeping things in perspective

Counting marathoning as a hobby is a bit of a double-edged sword.  On the one hand, it keeps me healthy, gives me a great sense of accomplishment, helps me meet new people, and takes my mind off of the stresses of life.  It accomplishes what every hobby should.

But.

It takes a lot to run marathons.  Sacrifice.  Patience.  Time.  It's one thing to dream big and set big goals, but it's difficult to not feel like the world is crashing down when those goals aren't met.  It starts to feel like more than a hobby when it just shouldn't.  Hobbies shouldn't consume an entire life at the expense of other areas, nor should so much self-worth be based on an arbitrary time goal.

Keeping perspective during a marathon training cycle is difficult but something I need to consistently work on.

Yesterday Stevie, Neale and I went to Wildwood, NJ.  We spent some time on the beach and then spent the night with a friend before heading out this morning.  I had saved my 8 mile run to do on the beach, reasoning that the change of scenery and running on the beach would be preferable to running my same old boring running routes at home.

Well.

It didn't quite go according to plan.  It was much hotter than I anticipated in the afternoon, and when you run at the beach you pretty much run in direct sunlight the entire time.  The humidity soaked through my shoes within 3 miles so that they squelched with every step thereafter.  I barreled into a headwind for much of the run.  It was slow and monotonous and not at all the kind of run I had envisioned.

But afterwards we all went to the beach where Neale went into the water for the first time of his life (he'd been to the beach before, but only ever stood at the water's edge).  We took turns holding his hands while the waves approached him, and the look of sheer joy on his face is one I hope I never forget.  The shrieks, the laughter, the giant grin, the splashing and the pulling of his mother's arms as he struggled to go farther... It made my heart swell to see him take to the ocean the way he did.

Greater men than I have tried and failed to put words to their feelings of love, so I will leave it at this: Good runs or bad, I will always love my son more.

Running in Ocean City, NJ

Ocean City Boardwalk

I pity those that don't live near the ocean.  Then again, there are those who might pity me for living in New Jersey, so we'll just call it even.

But seriously, I love running on the boardwalk and along the ocean and look forward to it every summer in spite of the accompanying heat and humidity.

My family has been coming to Ocean City in particular since the forties when my great grandfather owned a place by 13th and Wesley.  The house and lot were eventually divided up upon his death in the seventies, and the lot was sold off before I was born, but the family tradition of going to Ocean City continued.  I'm now passing that tradition onto my own son this summer.

Stevie's dad came up from Florida for the weekend, and we all spent Friday and Saturday night at a hotel a block from the beach.  Yesterday morning I ran eight miles on the beach and boardwalk.  Now, if you're able to get up and run at sunrise, I imagine the boardwalk to be a desolate and quiet place.  Calming, even.  But leave at 7:30, like I did, and you'll encounter nothing short of controlled chaos.  The boardwalk is divided in the morning amongst runners, ambling pedestrians, bikes and entire families packed into bell-ringing surreys, each with its own designated lane.  The dizzying movement in both directions makes running anything but boring, thankfully.

This morning I decided to tackle the 9th Street Bridge, the two mile bridge connecting Ocean City (technically a barrier island) to the mainland.  About 10 years ago they completely reconstructed the bridge to make room for passing boats underneath, resulting in the only "hill" available in the area.  This makes it popular with runners and cyclists alike trying to get in some hill training.  I only had time for five miles, but five miles in no shade next to the constant whoosh of traffic was more than enough.  Next time I'll stick with the beach and boardwalk.

And absolutely nothing beats jumping in the ocean after a long, hot run.

2015 Hot Run in the Summertime 5k Race Report

Ran the Roadrunners Club of Woodbury's 4th annual Hot Run in the Summertime 5k this morning.  I ran it for the first time last year when it was only 70 degrees on race morning. Check out the race report here.

My wife and son came out with me this morning, but I didn't run with them because my Wednesday night beer/run club was entered in the team competition, and I wanted to run at my own pace today.

Going anywhere with a baby is challenging, and we had to time Neale's morning nap to the 10am start time.  We arrived with just enough time to pick up our bibs and use the bathroom, but no time to warm up.  It was truly going to be a hot run this year, with clear skies and temps well into the 80's.

Last year the afterparty happened at Charlie Brown's, but this year was moved to the Woodbury Station Cafe and the course was changed slightly to accommodate the move.

Outside of the Woodbury Station Cafe
Photo by RRCW

At 10am we took off through the streets of Woodbury.  There were mile markers posted this year, and I also wore my Garmin just in case, so I was able to keep track of my pace.  I still ended up running my fastest mile at the start.  One of these days I'll learn how to negative split a race.

Mile 1: 6:11
Mile 2: 6:15
Mile 3: 6:12

Photo by RRCW

In the final sprint to the finish, I tried to reel in one of the guys from my running club, but he was just too far ahead of me.  There was no one near me, in front of or behind me, though I wish there had been because it might have encouraged me to push even harder.

Photo by RRCW

Final stats:

19:15
9th overall
3rd in my age group

I was kind of surprised to have run so close to 19 minutes.  I've only broken 19 three times in my life.  Imagine what I could do if I buckled down and trained hard for the 5k.  Is there a new 5k PR in my future?

After finishing I grabbed a bottle of water and walked back through the course looking for Stevie.  I found her just after the 2 mile mark and pushed the stroller for her while she ran the rest of the way in to a 34:06.  New PR!

Photo by RRCW

When they announced the winners after the race, I got a medal for placing in my age group.

And Team Who's Up? took 2nd place in the team competition.  Our team included Dave Welsh, owner of the Haddonfield Running Company, who won the overall race.

Team Who's Up?
Photo by RRCW

There was a post race buffet set up inside the cafe, including a keg of beer and plenty of grilled hotdogs and hamburgers.  A group of us sat outside in the shade talking about all things beer and running.

Photo by RRCW

It was a great morning not only hanging out with running friends, but sharing it all with my wife and son as well.  Stevie is getting more into 5k's and wants to do more with me in the future. Twist my arm, eh?

Huge thanks to Ron Riskie and the Road Runners Club of Woodbury for hosting such a great event.  Everything associated with a race was perfectly executed: sign up (only $30 for the whole event), parking, marked course, awards, post race food, etc.  Great job, RRCW, and I hope to make it out next year.