Past Races: Revisited

I was going through some boxes today, and came across my old journals, so I thought I would share my thoughts from my first five joggling races. Don’t worry, they aren’t long, personal entries.

March 15th, 2009 (Somerville, MA) – “Sunday. Joggled 3.1 Ras NaHeireann Road Race!! Then went to St. Patty’s Parade and got a mohawk and “26.2″ shaved in head by Wayne.”

March 21st, 2009 (Virginia Beach, VA) - “Saturday. 8K today. Ran with Andy, Andy, Bri, Brittany, Leigh-Ann, Becky, Suren, Greg, Michelle, Catherine, and Samina. Joggled it, 5 drops, windy boardwalk, pretty tired at end. Went to finisher’s tent for free Yeungling beer and stew. Everyone did awesome and had a great time. Got JK a hamburger yo-yo at aracade. She got me the S.I. swimsuit issue and a leg massage in return. I should’ve tried harder at arcade I think. Big day tomorrow…” (First marathon the next day)

July 4th, 2009 (Freeport, ME) - “Saturday. 4th of July, Race day/goal day for Joggle for Leukemia. Up early to get down to race. Lots of people, very foggy. Ran with Andy, Becky and Kellie. 10K, a few hills, a little bit of dirt road. Got an awesome response at the finish line, huge cheers. Had 5 drops and a bobble. Ran it in 45:54 (7:24/mile, 166th/880) Pretty happy with that. Sold some shirts, tried to teach a cute little kid how to juggle. Really excited at how well I did at raising money for this race. More to come! $1350 raised for this race! Big pancake breakfast, frisbee golf with Andy and John and friends, drove back to Boston for fireworks.”

July 5th, 2009 (Brighton, MA) – “Sunday. Got up early and ran 4 miles to Artesani Park for a 5K with Wayne, Sharon, and friends. Pretty sore, but loosened up on run over. Ran 20:30 (personal best for joggled 5K, 6:37/mile, 30/195). Also, was able to talk to a lot of people afterwards and hand out business cards. Went out to breakfast with everybody at diner nearby and then headed back home.”

November 1, 2009 (Tucson, AZ) – “Sunday. Day of everyone Runs 1/2 Marathon. J4L fundraiser #2. Lots of sun in beginning, had to get sunglasses from JK. Lots of drops (prob over 20), but finished in 1:52, got 1st in age group (small race). Really nice race. Pretty tired.”

So now you’ve got a better idea of where my joggling has come from, and also how my journal entries generally read… A little glimpse into the mind of genius… Enjoy.

A Joggler’s Dilemma

My dilemma is this: I was a runner for a long time before I was a joggler. As a runner, I spend a lot of time by myself on the road, and like most runners, I tend to be more introverted. Running is a fairly lonely sport 99% of the time, and that is something I like about it. It gives me time to think and push my own limits. Now, you must be thinking, isn’t joggling pushing your limits even farther? Yes, it is. But the issue I am having with joggling is the attention I get for doing it. I don’t like feeling as if I am “showing off” to other runners (which is a common shout-out I get in races). But then, on the other hand, I am joggling to grab onlookers’ attentions to raise money and explain the Joggle for Leukemia cause.

I’ve been trying to think of what Eric would think of me doing all of this. I suspect he would think I was putting too much focus on him, but I know that he would be all over this joggling thing. I also know that he would absolutely kick ass at it. He had a much more outgoing and adventuresome attitude towards everything than I do. So I guess joggling will help me to push myself not only in the physical respect, but also shove me out of my comfort zone and into the spotlight. Whenever I’m racing and people are yelling at how much of a show-off I am, I always wish Eric was there joggling with me. I know he would probably spin around, joggle backwards for a little bit, flash them a grin, and then gun it down the road.

Litchfield Hills Road Race

Distance: 7.1 miles

Time: 58:33

Number of Drops: 8

Ran in the Litchfield Hills Road Race in Litchfield, CT today. It was my first time running in this race, and I hope that it won’t be my last. It is a beautiful course in a nice town, and the race itself has a lot of tradition (this was the 34th running of the event). However, the course did pose some pretty big issues for a joggler:

1. Terrain: The course covered a wide variety of surfaces along the route, including asphalt, single track trail, crushed stone, and unpaved road.

2. Crowds: There were far more people in this race than my last one in East Hampton, CT. I usually try to start off in the back of the pack and work my way up to avoid getting too bunched in. I still had to do a lot of swerving in and out and dodging anyway though.

3. “The Hill”: This race boasts a very foreboding hill, called Gallows Hill, in the last mile of the course. I don’t know the grade, but it was significant. It was really difficult to focus on juggling while trying to get to the top.

All in all, I thought the race was a success. I got a really great reception at the finish and I feel good about my time. I don’t have another race lined up yet, but some plans are in the works. I think that I would like to try a longer race, possibly another half marathon or a full marathon, or maybe something bigger. I need to find a way to get more donations for Dana-Farber, so I’ll need to try some new ideas.

An update on my life

No big developments in my joggling exploits, but I’ve been pretty busy the last few weeks. Because i don’t feel particularly creative right now, I’m just going to list out my major events, and let that be it:

1. Ran in the Cape Cod Relay (May 1-2)

200+ mile relay from Quincy to Provincetown, MA as part of a 12-person team. Team name was “Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe”, which was unofficially changed to “Is This Real Life?” among many other potential names. The race was pretty epic. Brief run-down (pun intended!): 85 degree heat, two vans, 1.5 hours of sleep in third row of mini van, absolute stank B.O., baton = wrist slap bracelet, reflective vests + headlamps, team run over finish line followed by champagne, drunk after 3 sips of beer secondary to minimal food intake over 48 hours. Big shout out to both vans! We’re most likely never going to do this again…

2. Graduated from Northeastern University (May 7)

Finally done! 6 years, 2 coops, 3 clinical rotations, and too many classes and labs to count, I have received my Doctorate of Physical Therapy! Not finished until I pass my boards though… Thanks Boston!

Dr. Joggle

3. The NYC experience (May 9-12)

Did some apartment-sitting for a couple friends in Queens. Their car got broken into and we got to experience first hand the efficiency of the NYPD at responding to 9-11 calls… not amazingly efficient. Also confirmed my hatred for NYC traffic. I did improve my parallel parking skills…

4. Appalacian Trail (May 14-16)

A nice change from city life. Did a nice section hike in up-state New York with my dad, uncle, and cousin. You meet some interesting people on the trail…

Appalacian Trail

5. The NYC experience, Revisited… (May 17)

Went to the Red Sox / Yankees game. First time in the new stadium, last time I enter it with a red sox shirt on… I spent the entire game being yelled to by drunken fools. I earned the nickname “Harry Potter” and “Wakefield” and witnessed about 20 people get kicked out of our section. My harassement was almost worth it when the Sox came back from 5 down, but unfortunately it ended in a walk-off Yankee victory… Subway ride was fun too.

Other events of the last few weeks included two trips down to Philadelphia for apartment searching and job interviewing, two trips up to VT to pick people up and bring them to CT, a graduation party (hey Callie!),  and numerous graduation festivities. I should note that I have slept on all number of surfaces too: couches, futons, a recliner (thanks Life Coach!), air mattress, bed, tent, and wooden forest shelter! Variety is the spice of life!

Upcoming events: Trip to Ireland and England with my parents and my brother! Litchfield Hills Road Race on June 13th!!! More posts to come!

Joggle on.

-Harry Potter

Belltown Spring Sprint (East Hampton, CT)

Distance: 5K

Time: 22:14

Number of drops: 2

I had my first joggling race of the season today. Not ideal conditions this morning: cold and rainy. It was a fairly small race, probably around 50 runners, but it was a nice out-and-back along Lake Pocotopaug in East Hampton. I started off in the back of the pack and worked my way through the field to avoid any drops in the crowd. Because there were so few runners, it was much less stressful than some of my bigger races, because I had more personal space. My hands were pretty numb after one mile, but only dropped twice (once in mile 1, and once in mile 2).

I was nervous before the race since I haven’t joggled since November, but I got such a great response from everyone at the race that I’m now very excited about this year’s fundraising. I was able to give out a bunch of juggling balls to other runners and some kids watching, and I was able to explain to people what I was joggling for. I want to send out a big shout out to the Xavier High School X-Country team, who dominated the race today and donated a bunch of money right on the spot. Don’t tell my old Middletown XC teammates, I’ve been hanging with the enemy…

I was very happy with my time (22:14) and place (2nd in age division), considering this was my first joggle in a while and the numb hands. Looking forward to my next race, the Litchfield Hills Road Race on June 13. It’s a much bigger race, longer (7.1 miles), and reportedly has a pretty big hill in it.

If you want to donate to the cause, here is a link to my personal webpage with Dana-Farber/The Jimmy Fund:

http://www.kintera.org/domainres.aspx?404;http://www.rundanafarber.org/2010/joggleforleukemia

Thanks for your support!

-Andrew

New website to start new joggling season!

Hello everyone,

As most of you may have noticed, this is a different website set-up. I have changed to a blog-format so that I can better update my event schedule and photos instead of relying on my friends to do everything for me. While I am able to juggle and run at the same time, I am absolutely horrible when it comes to anything having to do with this website business.

Last year was a very successful joggling debut, as I was able to finish 5 races (5K, 8K, 10K, 5K, and half marathon) and I raised $2379.71 for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The Jimmy Fund in honor of Eric Zagorda. It has been challenging but a great experience. I have been so impressed with the response I have gotten from everyone who has donated, supported me, or cheered at my races. This has been the best way for me to remember Eric and help to fight not only leukemia but all cancers.

So, now that I have a blog, I can keep you all filled in on my races! I am running in the Belltown Spring Sprint 5K in East Hampton, CT on Sunday (4/25/10). It will be my first race since December, and my first joggling race since November. No goals for time on Sunday, just hoping for few drops and a good response from the crowd.

Feel free to comment and check out the tabs above!

-Andrew