No Bananas This Sunday!!

It's time for the October

 

No Bananas 5k

 

this Sunday, October 2nd

 

at 8:30 am

 

 

on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

in Chelmsford Center 
For  those of you who have yet to join this crazy bunch, here is a refresher:

This is a low-key fun 5k run. 

You might ask, how low is low-key?

No entry fee. No official time.  No t-shirt. No official sponsers. No water at the finish line. No bananas. Just a fun 5k!  

For those of your who want to do a double race this weekend, or prefer your races on Saturday so you can more fully recover before returning to work on Monday (yeah right!), consider joining us for the very entertaining trail race at Middlesex Community College in Bedford. The race director and announcer are kinda cute and they play great live music after the run. Find more information and registration (yeah this one is for real folks!) at 

http://www.middlesex.mass.edu/events/5k/.

Here are some questions that are frequently, or not so frequently asked about the NO BANANAS 5K:

 

Where exactly do I go for this crazy race?

We run on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in Chelmsford Center.  We most often park at Center Sports at 11 Cushing Place in Chelmsford.  This is right off of 110 in Chelmsford Center.  You could also park at the Bertucci/Java Room Ginger Ale Plaza at 14 Littleton Rd.  The start line is right behind Bertuccis.  Walk to the end of the plaza (by the bank) and there is a set of stairs that will lead you right to the starting line.  Don't look for the crowds of runners.  Look for a tall skinny guy and a "race director" holding a pad of paper and a wrist watch. Remember, low key.

What do I wear?

The answer to this question is obviously dependent on the time of year you ask it.  Prepare for the worst as there won't be a warming hut or volunteers to throw a foil blanket over you at the end of the race.  You can however warm up or cool down at the Java Room after the race with hot cocoa or ice coffee.

What should I bring?

Friends!  Oh, and you might want to bring a stop watch.  You never know when I might forget mine at home.  Or bring friends who have stop watches.  Friends are good.  Bring lots of them.

Am I expected to run fast?

If this excludes having fun, then absolutely not.  Have a good time.  Come each month and run a bit faster each time.  Cheer on your friends and other competitors (who will soon become friends).  No one has volunteered or is getting paid to cheer so we've got to take care of this ourselves.

Will my name be in the paper if I run fast enough?

This is all dependent on whether or not our esteemed press manager Mr. Patrick Cook comes to the race.  I encourage you to write your own press release and send it in to the local press if Pat chooses to sleep in.  This should by no means encourage you to run any faster than necessary.

Will my time be listed on Cool Runnings?

This question cracks me up the most. Again, remember low key.  One of these days I may remember to send in the times to Cool Runnings. I do keep record of all times on a very professional pad of lined paper.  I'm always happy to send you your times.  Just shoot me an email.

Will the race always be on the first Sunday of each month?

Most of the time yes.  Sometimes the race director totally drops the ball and forgets about the race.  She forgets to send an email and before you know it she realizes it's 8:45 on the first Sunday of the month and she is at the grocery store.  Opps. Okay, this only happened once.  The cool thing is that people still show up to race. Every so often the race is scheduled for another weekend.  

What happens if the race director doesn't show up?

You should run anyway.  The whole reason I came up with this silly thing was to get a race in every month.  My plan is to be there rain or shine.  If I'm not there, you should run without me and have fun.  Don't forget to have fun.

How can I get the word out about this fabulous race series?

Forward this message or send me your friends emails and I will send them an "official" invitation.

Does "No Bananas" suggest anything more than the fact that you do not hand out free bananas at the end of the race?

I'm a bit concerned with how many men have asked me this question.  Really guys. "No Bananas" means only that the yellow fruit will not be freely available after the race.

How did this email ever start coming to me and how can I stop getting this thing sent to me every month?

Hmmm...that's a hard one.  You probably mentioned to a friend of a friend that you like running or imagined yourself doing a 5k at some point in your life.  You can always send me a request to drop you from the esteemed group of athletes who receive this invitation each month.  Before you do this however, you might want to join us for a run and check out this crazy bunch at the monthly No Bananas Race series.

COME JOIN US! 

I'm BACK!

Thanks Liz Wall for encouraging me to get back on my racing horse.  When I started this blog many months ago, I was taking bigger racing risks.  I have both fallen off the big race wagon as well as the blogging one.  Last month Liz suggested that we sign up for the Lobsterman Olympic Tri.  I had been intending on doing an Olympic triathlon as it was on my "Summer Bucket List" but the summer was crazy busy and I hadn't really found the time to train consistently.  I had this crazy notion that getting back to teaching would create enough of a routine to get me back into serious training mode.  I did manage to do some long bikes and runs, but didn't get in the water more than three times.  Nonetheless, it was a great race.  Did I go really fast?  No. Did I finish my first ever Olympic TRI?  Absolutely!

How did it go?

The swim was a bit ugly.  I'm a swimmer, this is why I feel like I can do an Olympic tri without including water in my training regimen.  Now I know that it is time that I start training in the water.  I was pretty slow and did way way too much breaststroke.  I also swam like a drunk walks the spotted line.  I might have done 1.2 miles instead of .95.  I got out of the water well after the 30 minute mark and it got uglier before I hit my stride.

At first transition I saw my friend Liz who hopped on her bike moments after we greeted each other.  I couldn't get out of my wet suit. It was a hoot.  I had to sit down, catch my breath, drink a bunch of water, eat a banana and give that big black monster a big pull.  I got it off and managed to waste an entire 4:00 minutes at the transition.  Oh well, it may be just what I needed to set myself up for a good bike.

While my bike didn't feel great, I was faster than usual. The course was unbelievably hilly.  Crazy hilly. There was a headwind the entire way, okay, maybe that is a gross exaggeration. I do recall a half a mile where I enjoyed a sidewind.  There was another rider who I kept passing on the hills and I'd watch her fly by minutes later.  She kept me laughing on the hills, suggesting they would flatten when the run came along. Thanks 40.

I met up with Liz again at the transition. She was having the transition I had after the swim. She suggested we run together. Her goal was to run the whole thing. Since the hills on the run were kind of freaking me out, I had already decided I would let myself walk up the hills and through the water stops as long as I pushed myself to run faster than normal (which still isn't fast) everywhere else.  I started with Liz, but soon she realized I wanted to set a faster pace.  She kindly encouraged me to more on.  The run ended up feeling great.  I managed to average a 9:46 mile which for me is really good.  I loved the sights, the rolling hills, the absolutely beautiful weather. For a while I ran with this great woman who has been doing these tris for a while.  When I said something to her about how beautiful the weather was, she responded saying, "We are so lucky."  It got me thinking about how blessed I am.  I get to race with amazing people, in amazing spaces, under beautiful skies.  I have a family who supports me as I train and race.  I live in a country where men and woman of all ages can race side by side and where I can imagine myself racing when I am twice the age I am now.  Yes, we are so lucky.  Thanks 51 for inspiring such thought.

It was a great day.  Thanks Liz for making it happen. Thanks Jon for being Super Dad.  What's next?