The Keenan Family 411

Cam's Final Tune-Up: The Camp Jewell 5K!

The Point Sebago 2-Miler is now so close, it's scary.  But Cameron got in his final tune-up race at the Camp Jewell 5K, which is at a YMCA camp way-the-heck out in beautiful Colebrook, Connecticut.  

This 5K had a different twist...it was a trail 5K.  Lots of roots, ruts, dirt and very sharp uphills and downhills.  So it was a very scenic, but very difficult course.  Nonetheless, Cameron managed to finish in 14th place out of 45 runners with a time of 26:12.  Unfortunately, he ran into a supernatural pair of 11 year-old twins and ended up with 3rd place in his age-group. 

I got nipped at the line by a 16 year-old (that falls squarely in the "young punk" category) and took 2nd place with a painful 18:57.  It's a bit unnerving when you duke it out with someone who's much less than half your age for the entire race!

But the reason we drove over an hour to get to the race was because they allowed everyone to participate in the regular Camp Jewell activities after the race, such as kayaking/canoeing, archery, riding on a horse-drawn wagon, wall-climbing, arts & crafts, and a fun obstacle course.  So it was an all-around unique 5K race experience.

Photo album's on the right...

A "Storm" Hits the Landers 5K

With the Point Sebago 2-Miler now virtually around the corner, Coach Amy couldn't be happier.  Not only are the training logs starting to look a bit more impressive, but Cameron and I had yet another encouraging "tune-up" race this past weekend.

The Bill Landers 5K Road Race (an event held in memory of a local "soccer dad" and runner who died from cancer a few years ago) was held here in town on Sunday.   Since the race has a team division, Cameron and I put together the Glastonbury Storm which consisted of some of Cam's fellow soccer players, as well some of their parents and siblings.

The Storm delivered a solid dose of "shock and awe" to the field as we took 2nd place in the adult division!  The only team that stood between us and the title was the dreaded Hello Kitty Athletic Club. 

Despite the team name, the Kitties are a bunch of top-notch runners as they placed a whopping 6 runners in the top 15, including 3 in the top 4!  To see just how freaky these guys are, click here for their website.

Luckily, I managed to hold off all of the Kitties and finished in first place (16:52), but just barely as the Head Kitty crossed the line just 6 seconds after I did.   Cameron clocked a 24:10, making him the second Storm finisher and 51st out of a field of over 200!

Not to be outdone by their big brother, Owen and Shane ran a tune-up race of their own when they jumped into the kids' fun run; a 600 meter race around the Hubbard Green.  Since it was a fun run there were no official results, but Owen surprised us all by placing in the top-ten in a field of about 60 runners.  I have no idea what place Shane (a little hold-out who still hasn't committed to the 501st running team) ended up with, but I noticed that everyone who finished ahead of him was bigger, and that's gotta count for something!

Photo album's on the right.

Please note there are 58 training days left 'til the Point Sebago 2-Miler.

 

 

 

Our Destiny Looms...

There are a scant 68 training days left 'til the Point Sebago 2-Miler!  This seems like a good time to take a peek at the training logs for the 501st runners and see what they've been up to over the past week...

Mike: "68 miles of running on roads, the high school track, treadmill and the trails of the Meshomasic State Forest, average pace of 7:25 per mile.  Plus three hours of relatively intense upper-body weight training at the gym.  A bucket of nails for breakfast each morning."

Coach Amy:  "That ain't none of your &^%$# business!"

Tony the Tiger:  "I chased down some bad guys, so that's about 200 meters right there.  Then I beat 'em up pretty bad, so I guess I got in some upper-body work too." 

"Bring the Pain" Owen: "I ran my little butt off in a soccer game.  That's gotta be a half mile, at least!  You got a problem with that?!"

Sam the Man:  "I clocked another 1/10th of a mile this week.  Aw...yeah!!!  These Point Sebago people oughta just mail me the 'I Won It' t-shirt right now, save them the trouble of putting on the race.  I'm a very good runner, you know."

Godmother-of-Running Nana:  "I walked around Lake Oniad with my friend (about 3/4 mile).  Hold on...are we supposed to RUN in this race?!" 

Cameron Gump:  "I've been doing a bunch of running for travel soccer, and I've done some workouts on the track to get ready for the big Hershey Track & Field meet this coming Wednesday.  Game on!"

Kinky Kiki:  Refuses to provide a statement, but KF411's sources on the ground estimate that she has logged close to 50 miles of running this past week.  Most of it at a decent pace, and she's been throwing in some interval training and repeat climbs up Snake Hill Road.  She's also developed a hankering for post-workout ab-crunches and fingertip push-ups.  Not bad.  Not bad at all. 

 

I'm the Queen!

One of the most important components of training for the Point Sebago 2-Miler is to get in a handful of "tune-up" races as a way to test how effective the workouts have been, and I managed to get in my second tune-up race this weekend. 

Despite the heckling and harassment I received from my family and training buddies, I decided to jump into the Run Diva Run 5K in Glastonbury this past Sunday morning.  And no, despite what the boys may claim, it was not an all-female race...there were plenty of guys there too!

Well, to be honest, there weren't a ton of guys there, which helped me to pick up a first place overall finish.  But more importantly, I was very happy with my time of 16:50, which works out to an average pace of 5:25 per mile.  So my Point Sebago training appears to be on track.  So far.

The proceeds from the 220-runner race benefit breast cancer research, and that fact is helping me to endure the endless chants of "Daddy's a diva!...Daddy's a diva!..." which are echoing throughout the household. 

The only real disappointment of the morning was being handed a very traditional trophy for my efforts instead of the sparkling, pink tiara I was hoping for.

A small photo album's on the top right...

 

 

 

The 501st Approaches "Critical Mass"!

And the team just keeps on growin'...

The 501st proudly announced today that three more athletes have joined the roster.  At this point, I believe the squad is big enough that we've triggered a Federal requirement for obtaining a tax identification number.

Recent comments on a particular social networking site which will go unnamed (Facebook) made it crystal-clear that Aunt Kiki has thrown her hat (sombrero?) into the "Quest for the T-Shirt" ring.

Then there's Owen who, upon hearing that Sammy had signed on, decided he did not want to be left out of a good thing.  He made his announcement over dinner last night, and has mapped out some rather ambitious training plans.

And finally, Coach Amy, after loudly declaring that the 501st is the sorriest pack of deadbeats she's ever had the displeasure of coaching, decided that the only way to save the team from utter embarassment was to join it herself.   This is not a move that you often see among athletic teams, but the Coach stated that "Desperate times call for desperate measures!"

There are 103 training days left 'til the Point Sebago 2-Miler!

 

 

 

Sammy Joins "The Quest"...

A veritable army is forming.  An army of runners, that is!

We've learned from reliable sources that Samuel of Fasciglione has signed a 3 1/2-month deal to join the Sinclair/Keenan crew in "The Quest for the Shirt", which culminates in the Point Sebago 2-Miler on July 15th! Satellite data indicates that Sammy has logged at least 1/10 of a mile in training.  So far.

The team's latest aquisition lengthens the roster to a robust five...Nana, Cammy, Uncle Tony, Sammy and myself. 

On top of that, Amy has issued a press release announcing that she is assuming coaching duties for the team.  She apparently plans to e-mail workouts to the team members on a weekly basis, and place phone calls on a bi-weekly basis to yell at each runner and remind them about how slow, lazy and embarassing they are (this reflects Amy's old-school coaching philosophy which calls for ruthlessly belittling the athletes under your command).

The final bit of "Quest" news:  Coach Amy has also tagged the team with its official name:  "The 501st" in honor of Captain Rex's famed elite division of the Clone Army.  How cool is that?!

The term, "Shock & Awe" comes to mind, for some reason...

"Quest for the Shirt": And so it begins...

Ah, yes.  In the immortal words of Rafiki from The Lion King..."it is time!"

By my count, there are only 4 months left until the starting gun fires for the Point Sebago Two-Mile Road Race, and my formal training program began in earnest this morning.  The "Quest for the Shirt" kicked off with a solid gym workout: 6 miles on the treadmill at a brisk 6:30 pace with an hour of weight training thrown in for good measure. 

We will be heading to Point Sebago Resort in Maine for a fun camping trip this July, and the most coveted item at the campground (besides Amy, of course) is the storied "I Won It" t-shirt.  These shirts cannot be purchased; they can only be obtained by winning one of  the myriad events held throughout the week.  And serious bragging rights are earned for any family fortunate to nab one.

Based on the results of the War Canoe Race (oh Lord help us!) and the Mr. Sexy Legs Contest last summer, it seems clear that the family's only realistic shot at a t-shirt is the road race.  And although 4 months of comprehensive training seems over-the-top for a 2-miler, I've decided it's better to be overprepared than underprepared.

And it's a good thing that Nana has agreed to run the race as well!  She sounds surprisingly determined to take home the women's title.  Geez, that gives us a decent shot at two shirts in one event! 

So, in the immortal words of Darth Vader, "This will be a day long-remembered!"