Ed's Blog

This is how I started 2012 in running, at the Syracuse Track Club Resolution Run. I am pictured in the black and blue, running with my good friend Bob Theis in the blue plaid jacket. One thing is certain, at this year’s Resolution Run we will not be seeing grass and leaves on the ground.

This year my running took me a little over 1,100 miles. Not a great year compared to past years. However I was really humbled when Fred Joslyn, the head of Training programs at Fleet Feet, told me he will clear 5,000 miles of running in 2012.

I am fortunate that my business and personal travels take me to interesting destinations. As with the past few years, I will take you through the highlights, including many of the places you may have visited yourself.

A mid-winter trip took me to Washington, DC for the first of two visits to our nation’s capital this year. Because I was staying downtown, I was able to run by the White House and other landmarks on a lonely Sunday morning. The buds were just starting to come out on the Cherry trees but overall not much color to be seen, mostly a raw and windy morning. Later in June, my return to Washington could not be more different. In the midst of a heat wave, temperatures were in the upper 90’s during the day and humid mornings made running a true test of will.

My family had a spring break week vacation in Ireland this year, a trip of a lifetime. Our trip started in Dublin and my wife and I had a chance to run with some friends along the Grand Canal which cuts right through the city. Although some spots on the canal were low, it was a good experience. Maybe the biggest take away was how many people walk to work.

Fitzgerald Park-Cork	Peoples Park-Limerick

In addition to Dublin, we visited Cork, Limerick and Galway. In Cork, Fitzgerald Park is a must see. Located right in the city, the River Lee runs along one side of the park and the running surface is excellent, although completely flat.  The People’s Park in Limerick is small, but stunning. Although you can’t get a full run in the park, a pass through on the way out and back is a must if you want to see beautiful planting beds, The Limerick Art Gallery and one of the most beautiful fountains I have ever seen.

Mutton Island Lighthouse

The highlight of running in Ireland on this trip was in Galway and a run out to Mutton Island Lighthouse. This lighthouse was the last thing many immigrants leaving for North America saw as they sailed out of Galway Bay on “coffin ships” during the great famine. The Lighthouse is no longer working, although in the beginning a caretaker and their family lived there. It later became automated and finally retired. The lighthouse has been restored and tours are now given.

My run was memorable for the number of conditions I faced. Starting downtown and heading down the popular Shop Street District and past the Griffin Bakery, quickly you are near the bay and headed to the park near the lighthouse and access road. At the start the sun was out but quickly it turned into a cold rain. The rain stopped as I hit the lighthouse access road, but the wind was as strong as I have ever run into.  Running along the access road, which is pictured above, you can see there is no protection, just water and wind on both sides. Fortunately, there is a road block about ½ miles from the lighthouse and I had to turn around. With a very strong wind at my back, I felt like I was running a 5 minute mile!

Hard to believe, but in 2012 my family actually had two trips of a lifetime. Besides the trip to Ireland, we were able to attend the Olympic Games in London. Like my friends Shawn and Kim Molloy who also went, Hyde Park was the place to get your run on. One of the great urban parks of the world, Hype Park was particularly busy with Olympic Events like the triathlon events. Still there were plenty of walk ways and pathways to get around and of course tourists were everywhere. London is an amazing experience and you could spend two weeks there and not scratch the surface of things to do.

Austin, TX	Gettysburg, PA

Additional trips to Austin, TX, Gettysburg, PA and Chapel Hill, NC led to other great runs this fall. The smell of 750,000 bats under the South Congress Bridge in Austin is over rated, trust me, but Austin, Gettysburg and Chapel Hill offer great running opportunities.

As much as I travel, it still makes me appreciate my favorite running haunts here at home. Pratts Falls, Green Lakes, the trails near my home and even my neighborhood loop, stand the test of time and are all different enough to keep things interesting.

I hope you get in as many miles as you want to in 2013 and that health and good fortune comes to you and your family.