With 1,785 runners completing the 5k race and 5,051 finishing the half marathon, another 2,540 crossing the marathon finish line and 2,344 involved in the team relay...Saturday's 2007 Baltimore Running Festival was a venue for 11,720 runners to enjoy the October weather and earn a well deserved congratulations! From my perspective running the half marathon, this was one of the most enjoyable Baltimore Running Festivals we've had so far. The half marathon course features the great neighborhood support you find throughout the city plus the beautiful loop around Lake Montebello that gets you pumped for the ever challenging climb up 33rd street. For me, the race, whether I'm running the half or the full marathon, always seems to turn on how I feel at the water stop on 33rd Street, which is mile 9 of the half marathon or mile 22 of the full marathon. If I still have some energy at this point, I know I have a chance for a decent time. This year I felt good all the way up 33rd Street and the zig zag onto Guilford and then 28th Street and finally Howard Street provided a nice change of pace and a chance to enjoy a comfortable finish. My friend Joe Brandli, who has completed a couple of Ironman triathlons, was my pacer. He's much more efficient than me at the water stops, drinking while he's running and usually leaving me in the dust for a while. But thanks to Joe I was able to finish in 1:51 even after doing a couple 9:45 miles as we navigated the large crowds at the start of the race. Joe beat me by about a minute and surely could have finished much faster if he wasn't running with this slowpoke. Thanks Joe! And thanks to our wives, Laurie and Mary Ann, and my son Stephen for coming out to cheer us on...that's what it's all about!

On Sunday morning Joe, my wife Laurie and I got out to cheer Joe's wife Mary Ann and 30,000+ other runners and walkers in the Race For The Cure in Hunt Valley. We were with fellow members of Hunt Valley Church and the cross country team from McDonogh School handing out water at mile 2. Joe and I agreed that standing with outstretched arms holding water for two and a half hours was probably more tiring than running the half marathon! But what an inspiration to see all the people with so many courageous stories to tell...congratulations to them too!

All in all...a great running weekend...now we need some rain!

Tom Tasselmyer

With the fear of record heat behind us and normal temperatures expected for tomorrow's Baltimore Running Festival don't let your guard down with respect to dehydration. Temperatures are expected to reach 60 by late morning and into the mid 60s by early afternoon with relative humidity levels dropping to between 35% and 45%. A west wind will add to the drying factor. All this leads to a need to keep hydrated. There are more than a dozen water stops along the route so plan on using them to your advantage. A short walking break while taking in some water or Gatorade will be well worth it when compared to the risk of dehydration. Click on: hydration tips for some great advice from Nutritionist Sue A. James posted on the website of the Baltimore Marathon.

The updated forecast for race day:

8:00 a.m.
Sky: Clear
Temp: 49
Wind: West 5 mph

11:00 a.m.
Sky: Mostly Clear
Temp: 59
Wind: West 10 mph

2:00 p.m.
Sky: Mostly Clear
Temp: 65
Wind: West 6-12 mph

See you at the finish line...enjoy the run!

Tom Tasselmyer

From 2001 through last year, the six Baltimore Running Festivals have had mostly good running weather. Only one of the six events has had some rain (2004) and only twice have temperatures topped 70. The warmest Festival day was in 2005 when temperatures hit the upper 70s by afternoon. The coolest day was in 2003 when temperatures stayed in the 50s for most of the day. The chilliest starting time temperature was 37 just last year. When you average the six years you come up with a high of 66.7 and a low of 47.5 and that's just about what we expect for the 7th Baltimore Running Festival this weekend. The current forecast:

8:00 a.m.
Sky: Mostly clear
Temp: 49
Wind: West 5-10 mph

1:00 p.m.
Sky: Partly cloudy
Temp: 66
Wind: West 10-15 mph

See you on Saturday!

Tom Tasselmyer

The first of two cold fronts has cleared the Baltimore area as a return to more typical October weather begins. While the first front didn't do much in the way of producing much needed rain, it did take the record heat off the coast which should ease the fears of the 14,000 registered runners for this weekend's Baltimore Running Festival. A second front is tracking through Ohio this Wednesday morning and should sweep through Maryland late tonight and off the coast early tomorrow. Even cooler air is coming in behind this front so that temperatures by race time Saturday morning should be much more tolerable. Here's the early estimate of weather conditions Saturday in downtown Baltimore:

8:00 a.m.:
Temp: 48
Sky: Mostly Clear
Wind: NW 5-10 mph

1:00 p.m.:
Temp: 66
Sky: Mostly Sunny
Wind: NW 10 mph


See you Saturday!

Tom Tasselmyer

With temperatures in the 80s and low 90s the past several days unpleasant thoughts of a very uncomfortable Baltimore Running Festival have managed to creep into my mind. But looking at this morning's run of the medium range computer models gives hope for a more pleasant run come Saturday. If the models are right (a big "if"!), two surges of cooler air will make their way through Maryland this week, each one helping to take temperatures back down toward more typical October levels. The first front is expected to arrive here late Tuesday night, hopefully producing a few much needed showers as it passes. The second push of cool air will come as a low pressure are in the middle levels of the atmosphere drops southeast from northern Michigan on Wednesday into the mid Atlantic states on Friday. If the current timing holds (another big "if"!) this low pressure system will lift out to the northeast Friday night, leaving behind clearing skies and comfortable running temperatures for Saturday. Lots of "ifs" to watch as the weather pattern across North America gets set to go through some changes this week, but the early outlook for Saturday morning in Baltimore is: Partly cloudy, breezy...morning temperatures in the upper 40s and afternoon highs in the upper 60s.

Tom Tasselmyer

The folks at The Baltimore Running Festival have teamed up with local technology firm Force 3
to provide a cool way to track your friend and loved ones as they cover the terrain around Baltimore on race day. The update they sent out about this new system is posted below.

Tom Tasselmyer

FORCE 3 RUNNER TRACKING SITE UP AND RUNNING
Tell Your Friends and Family to Sign Up Now!

Local Information Technology firm FORCE 3 is bringing the latest technology to the Under Armour Baltimore Running Festival. This year, friends and family from all corners of the nation can track a marathon, half marathon or relay runner's progress on the course.

Runners, their friends and family can visit THIS LINK and sign up to receive messages on their cell phones, PDA's or via email. Each time your runner crosses one of up to six locations on the course, those who signed up will receive a message that includes your time, your pace and your expected finishing time-- all courtesy of FORCE 3.

The tracking registration site will only be available until Friday, Oct. 12 at 9pm so don't wait to sign up! The process is easy and takes only a few moments. You will receive a confirmation message on the device that you register to assure that you indeed want the service on race day (8am start in Baltimore can mean a 5am Wake Up Text in California!) Once your reply to the confirmation you will be set to receive the messages on Race Day. (If you cannot find your runner's name, it may be that they were a late registrant and they have not been added to the service. All pre-registered runners will be added prior to the start of the expo so check back later if this is the case.)

It's been a tough training season for me as far as logging miles, but this meteorologist is becoming a better herpetologist with almost every run. Earlier this summer I came across a lightning quick Water Snake coiled along the trail near the Gunpowder river. Yesterday's lesson involved identifying a snake which was displaying cobra-like behavior. My teacher, as always, was WBAL Radio morning newsman Bill Vanko. It was easy for Bill to lead me in the direction of an Eastern Hognose when I told him the telltale sign of the snake spreading the skin behind his neck very wide. This behavior and the yellowish color with grey/black blotches narrowed the possibilities quickly. The snake was moving steadily across the trail as I approached, then paused in the grass allowing me to get a nice view of him. Once again, Bill scolded me for not having a camera but I'm not sure he understands that my intention is to complete a training run, not find snakes...they just seem to find me! Since I didn't have my camera, I've posted a picture from the internet. If you're worried about running into an Eastern Hognose during your workout, Bill says relax, they aren't dangerous and will roll over, stick out their tongue and play dead if threatened. Something he says is actually quite comical to see. Hmm...wonder what I'll see on Friday's run?

Tom Tasselmyer

Right on cue to address my motivational slump, the October issue of Runner's World magazine arrived this week with the following headline on the lower left side of the front cover: Train Your Brain To Love Every Run. Hmmm....flipped to page 51 and found out I'm a "dissociater"...usually external but occasionally internal. "Huh", you say? Well the article says we either dissociate or associate while we run. Internal dissociation is a form of self-distraction where we use songs, mind games, or for me, scripture memorization to pass the miles . External dissociation uses the surrounding scenery, spectators, running partners or other runners in the race as a diversion. (I can't repeat what Gerry Sandusky told me to look at and concentrate on when I was running my first marathon!) People who dissociate are usually running for energy, serenity or creativity. That's me! Runners more concerned with their time and performance will do better to associate. Internal association involves paying attention to how your body feels, what muscles are getting sore, how your feet are holding up or what your breathing is like. External association puts the concentration on things important to the run or race that are outside of your body like mile markers, water stops, your watch and your pace band. I'm not sure this article will help me "love every run", but I do think it is accurate in saying that running with an association strategy will usually get you a better time. When I ran my best marathon (3:28, Baltimore 2003), I paid careful attention to my position on the course in relation to the next water stop and I was much more in tune with my pace, my breathing and the level of fatigue I was accumulating. The problem for me is that too much concentration on the details of the race makes it a job. That's why I like to run on the Northern Central Trail. The beauty of the surroundings makes external dissociation a natural way to log miles and pass time. I run a bit slower, but I also enjoy the run...usually. See you on the trail!

Tom Tasselmyer

I trudged through another sluggish 6 miles this morning...a nice morning to view the woods but the slow pace (9 minute miles) makes me feel like the training is not working. I think if I push through this training wall the last month heading up to the race will fall into place. It's kind of like mile 20 of the marathon...mind over miles! Yesterday's short run was made a little more exciting when I noticed a water snake on the edge of the trail. I didn't have a camera but Bill Vanko, the WBAL Radio morning news man and snake freak, was able to identify the snake through my descriptions and he assures me that although people frequently mistake this species for a copperhead, it was most likely a water snake. The snake didn't bother anybody, his pale eyes were probably an indication that he was about to shed his skin, according to Bill. My new motivational partner, pictured here, didn't seem to mind the snake either. Pete, our 2 year old Field Spaniel, just loves to run and run and run....he whimpers when he sees me leaving on a run without him, so I've decided that I'll run to make Pete happier...anything to get the running mojo back!

Tom Tasselmyer

It has been a tough couple weeks for me in the motivation department. After putting in an easy 12 mile run a couple weeks ago I've had a real hard time increasing my weekly training miles. Lack of sleep is my easy excuse, but it's probably more of a middle age (I'm 45) metabolism thing. I just can't get myself to look forward to the daily mid-distance runs the way I used to. Searching for ways to jump start my training, I found myself back on Jeff Galloway's blog on the Runner's World website and an entry he did for someone who was struggling with the first couple miles of her run. He suggested come caffeine before the run and a run/walk warm up for the first 10 minutes. While this doesn't exactly get to the motivational problem I'm dealing with, I think if I try to make the first few miles easier, my desire to hit the trail will improve. So...since I love coffee, I'll down a cup and mix in some early walking to see if it helps me get back to logging 25-30 mile weeks. Say a prayer for me!

Tom Tasselmyer