July 26 - Rest Day; July 27 - 5.1 Miles Ran

I had a rest day yesterday but got out for a great 5.1 mile run today.  The humidity was down this morning and temps were around 70.  I rad the Pinebrook Loop with a 0.4 mile add.  I ran a little faster than I have been running lately and it felt pretty good.  I like to say I was "runcomfortable".

I hope followers of this blog got a chance to read the July 25 post.  If not, it would be great if you gave it a quick look.  It details the plan for completion of the 1,000 miles, and everyone is invited to join me for the finish.  I hope we can get a good group of folks together to celebrate Chase and his pure, energetic spirit.

I completed miles 848-852 (unsponsored).

Today's Line:

Date

DoW

ToD

Distance

Time

Min/Mile

Notes

Effort

Total Miles

7/27

Sa

8:30a

5.1

38:36:00

7:34:07

72f

8

852.5

July 25 - Join Me for the Last Mile!

Plans are coming together for end of my 1,000 mile journey.  It's hard to believe the end of the trek is in sight--it seems like just yesterday I was sitting with Bob Terry and Greg Ruel trying to come up with a personal way to honor Chase and support the Kowalski's.

Please consider joining me as I complete the 1,000 miles on Sunday, September 1, at Bob and Michele Orzechowski's house at 3 East Maiden Lane in Monroe.  The Orzo's will be hosting their annual Labor Day party and Steve, Becky and many Monroe and Sandy Hook friends will be attending.  In honor of Chase, I will be starting my run that day at the Bethel High School track where he first started running in track meets.  I will then run to Camp Tepee (the Monroe YMCA campgrounds) where Chase played his first baseball game.  Then it's on to Chalk Hill Middle School (the current Sandy Hook Elementary) where I will meet up with anyone who wants to join me for the finish.  From there it's only about a mile up Fan Hill Road to the Orzo's.

The run from Bethel High to Chalk Hill will cover 13.1 miles.  We can take the mile to the Orzo's really slow--even walk it--so everyone who wants to connect with Chase can participate.  Any runners who wish to join me for a longer portion of the run are of course welcome.  The Orzo's invite everyone to stay for the party after we hit the 1,000 mile mark.

I am really looking forward to this special day and spending time with Steve, Becky and all those who have supported their cause this year.

The final leg--Bethel HS, Camp Tepee, Chalk Hill, Orzo's

July 24 - Rest Day; July 25 - 5.5 Miles Ran

Quick post before heading to work.  I ran 5.5 miles via the Pinebrook Loop with a 0.8 mile add on near Day Pond.  Sixty degrees and low humidity...hallelujah!  It was by far the most comfortable run (from a climatological perspective) in over a month.  Of course, the cheeseburger and hotdog I had with Shea at Harry's Drive In (gotta stop there if you're in Colchester) did not add to the comfort level.

I completed miles 842-847.  Miles 842-43 were sponsored by Len Gutman.  Thanks Len!  There are rumors abounding about a good friend of mine preparing to sponsor a big chunk of miles in the near future...stand by for confirmation!

Today's Line:

Date

DoW

ToD

Distance

Time

Min/Mile

Notes

Effort

Total Miles

7/25

Th

7:00a

5.5

42:51:00

7:47:27

60f

7

847.4

July 23 - 6.7 Miles Ran

Took it slow again this morning over 6.7 miles.  I ran the Day Pond and Pinebrook Loops.  It was lightly raining the entire time and incredibly muggy.  I may start longing for the 5-layer runs of February soon!

I completed miles 836-841, sponsored by Len Gutman.  Thanks Len, that's 6 of your latest batch of 32 miles down.

I have been thinking about how to finish up the 1,000 miles and some ideas are coming together, with the help of the Kowalski's and Orzechowski's.  Bob and Michele have graciously allowed me to finish at their house at their Labor Day party where Steve and Becky and many Monroe and Sandy Hook friends will be in attendance.  I haven't chosen a starting point yet but all Race4Chase supporters are welcome to join me for the finish and then celebrate at the party.  (Yes, I cleared this with the Orzo's).  People can join in anywhere they like, but if we have a decent sized group, Chalk Hill MS may be a good location--it's about a mile from Orzo's and I'm sure will bring back some memories for many.

Hard to believe I'm writing about the finish line!  Seems like just a few days ago I was bundling up for  mile 50.

Today's Line:

Date

DoW

ToD

Distance

Time

Min/Mile

Notes

Effort

Total Miles

7/23

Tu

7:00a

6.7

55:46:00

8:19:24

75f

6

841.9

July 22 - 4.7 Miles Ran; 32 Miles Sponsored

Had a nice easy 4.7 mile run this morning.  I had forgotten what 60 degrees feels like!  I ran the Pinebrook loop at a very easy pace, managing to avoid the Garmin curse (running fast to log good times on the watch).

I got a very interesting email and Facebook event invite from Len Gutman, a regular sponsor and follower of this blog.  Len has set a date for his epic 32 mile walk/run around Manhattan.  Everyone is welcome to join him at any point of the route.  He has tentatively scheduled the event for September 21, but is also considering the week before (14th) and after (28th).  In addition to his huge physical commitment, he has pledged to sponsor 32 of my miles and 32 more if he finishes the trek within 10 hours.  What a commitment, thanks Len!  Check out the event page at:

https://www.facebook.com/events/446007395506937/

Other exciting news...the New York Road Runners, the group that operates the New York Marathon, have offered 33 entries to the Newtown Families to support their fundraising efforts, and Becky Kowalski is looking into getting one for me.  If it works out, I'll be relying on all the great sponsors and supporters of Race4Chase to spread the word!

I have broken Len's batch of 32 miles into 4 segments--in addition to his previous miles Len now has miles:

836-843
893-900
936-943
987-994

I owe you a lot of running Len--I better get out there early tomorrow!  Len's miles also bring the total of miles sponsored to 512.5, more that the 500 needed to activate my pledge to run 26.2 miles with Jason Lester on his way to Sandy Hook.  I thought I might skirt out of that one, thanks Len!  I haven't heard anything about Jason's plans, and if he elects to do the run on a weekday I might have to find another way to live up to this pledge, but don't worry, I will definitely deliver the 26.2 sometime, somewhere.

On today's run I completed miles 831-835 (unsponsored).

Today's Line:

Date

DoW

ToD

Distance

Time

Min/Mile

Notes

Effort

Total Miles

7/22

M

7:15a

4.7

40:13:00

8:33:24

65f

6

835.2

Len Gutman's 32 mile route around Manhattan

July 20 - 8 Miles Ran: July 21 - Rest Day

Quick update - I ran the Cato Corner/Rt. 16 loop for 8 miles in the tough late afternoon heat on Sat and took Sun off.  It was a tough week with 5 days in the 90's and I was only able to get 4 days of running in for a total of 20.9 miles, well below the 30-35 I have been averaging.  I plan on having a solid week of running to stay on track to hit 1,000 miles on Labor Day.

I completed miles 823-830.  Mile 826 was sponsored by my second Mom, Mrs. Garrity, in memory of her daughter Kate.  I hit mile 826 at the 4 mile mark of my run, which is located at one of my favorite landmarks--a large vegetable garden after emerging from a dirt trail on to Mill Hill Road.  Thanks Mrs. G and God Bless Katie!

Today's (Sat) Line:

Date

DoW

ToD

Distance

Time

Min/Mile

Notes

Effort

Total Miles

7/20

Sa

5:30p

8.0

1:03:33

7:56:37

80f

8

830.5

July 17-18 - Rest Days; July 19 - 4.1 Miles Ran

I decided to take a break from running in the heat on Wed and then couldn't make it out Th morning so I had back to back days off.  I woke up a little late this morning but was able to squeeze in 4.1 miles via two laps around Day Pond before work.  I felt pretty sluggish at the start but decided to see what I had in the tank after two days off.  I put in a 6:42 second mile and kept miles 3 and 4 under 8 minutes for a decent run.  I'm sitting at 12.9 miles for the week, one of my lowest totals heading into the weekend in quite a while, and I don't have a super long run scheduled, so this could be my first sub 30 mile week in months.  We'll see what I can get in tomorrow before we hit 90 degrees again.

I completed miles 819-822 (unsponsored) this morning.  Tomorrow's run will be a special one; I'll hit mile 826 which is sponsored by Mrs. Garrity, who was my second Mom from 7th grade through high school.  I will think of her telling me to drink plenty of fluids though I should really drive down to her house and put away groceries if I really want to relive the good ol' days.

Today's Line:

Date

DoW

ToD

Distance

Time

Min/Mile

Notes

Effort

Total Miles

7/19

F

7:30a

4.1

31:32:00

7:41:28

80f

8

822.5