There's A Great Up Dating Coming To This Website--Keep Looking In. In The Mean Time, Check Out Jim And Mary In The Next Entry

Thursday, January 20, 2011

posted by Average Al @ 1:37 PM

They "Ran" Away And Tied The Knot



---Meet Jim and Mary. These are very great friends of mine and they snuck off recently and got married on a beach. We met at a small local restaurant but we've seen each other much more often at different road races.

--- This picture was taken at the Holyoke, Ma. Turkey Trot the last weekend of November. Jim and Mary keep adding to the reasons I love to go to so many road races. Getting to see them always helps sending me home at the end of the day feeling blessed by all the people I can truly call friends.

BEST WISHES TO YOU IN YOUR NEW JOURNEY AS HUSBAND AND WIFE

posted by Average Al @ 1:23 PM

THERE ARE 2 NEW ENTRIES ABOUT LOWELL- A RACE-AND 4 COINS - READ THEM BOTH-- I KNOW YOU'LL ENJOY THEM----HAPPY NEW YEAR

Monday, January 3, 2011

posted by Average Al @ 2:51 PM

A Dollar-A Penny-And 11 Cents--Welcome To 2011 In Lowell, Ma.


--- What were you doing at 5:30-5:45am on January 1st. Since I had stayed out bringing in the new year until around 1:30 New Years Eve, I was wondering why I had decided I was going to run a race 2 hours from my home that started at 11:00am. And, if you have gotten to know me, you know I like to get to the races 2 hours early (i.e. wake up 5:30, out the door by 7, little voice inside saying "what the h___ are you doing?", arrival in Lowell at 9am).
---The first photo you see is the sun coming up on January 1, 2011. In case you missed the rising sun on the new year, I took this picture out of the windshield at 75(oops) 65 miles an hour just for you.
---After arriving at the Elks Lodge, along with watching the sun rise, I started feeling better about following through on my race decision. Then I went inside to register and there were Pam and Pam with their great smiles, and I knew I was in the right place. Plus, somehow knowing the night I had had, the organizers put pretty woman at the table who had the same names. I'm convinced they were there so I wouldn't appear a complete idiot trying to remember 2 different names. Thank You. Plus the Pam on my right remembered me from a race 2 years ago in West Chelmsford.
---I have a secret to share with you. So don't tell anyone--ok??During the week leading to this race I kept talking about doing the 10k run (both 5 & 10 k were offered). But when I walked up to register, after the long night, early alarm, and 2 hour drive I registered for the 5k.
---So what's the picture of the coins???? Absolutely true story. As I walked back through a parking lot to my truck after registering, I noticed a round object that looked like a token of some sort in a puddle. I, for some reason, picked it up and while sitting in the truck I wiped it off. Turns out it is a $1 coin. On the way home I stopped at a rest area on Rt90 and when I got out of the truck I noticed a penny at my feet. So I picked it up. When I got back to my home area I went and got my pictures developed and while paying at the register I noticed a dime and a penny on the floor, so I picked them up.
---I don't normally spend my days looking for money on the ground....IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING. But for some reason that day I noticed these coins. Later on that day I realized I had found a dollar, a penny, and 11 cents. You might already know where I'm going with this. And I believe it to be coincidence. But, I found 1 dollar, 1 cent, and 11 cents(in that order) on 1/1/11 . Personally I just thought it was kinda cool. And It proves, however, that it pays to run. TRUE STORY.
---There are some pictures showing some of the great people that were at this great race on such a great day that you can see and read about in the next entry.
---Go and enjoy this race next year. You'll truly be glad you did.













posted by Average Al @ 1:46 PM

You Can't Beat Spending The 1st Day Of The Year With These People







The People at the Lowell Ready-Set-1st Run 2011 were a great bunch of people to be around on the very first day of a new year. Karen is currently in training for the Boston Marathon. Next month she turns __(no way am I telling the world a woman's age). She was true to her training regiment and turned away friends and my willingness to help her re-load her carb levels. She's done other marathons and is really setting a glorious pace for all to try and keep up with.
---Lisa(1224), it turned out, lived in a town close to where I live and we have mutual friends. We shared both running stories and "do you happen to know..."stories. It did make it fun to travel 100 miles and be able to share home town tales with such a great person.
---Then there was Ron and company. Ron(167) was there on the first day of a new year to run his first ever road race. Rachael(169)was also doing her first race ever. Nick(yellow hat) was there to run his 2nd race. Alexander(170) was one of the more experienced of the group since he was in his 3rd or 4th race. And Diane....when Ron introduced me to Diane he said she had run 1000's of races. In this day and age of running I wouldn't doubt that 1000's of races could be run by an individual. For me, no matter what the running experience of each one individually, I was proud of the fact they were there participating--happily--in a sport that allows families to experience memories together.
----What a great day it was in Lowell on the 1st day of 2011. The music, the food, the race, the 50 plus degrees in January, and especially the GREAT people. Somehow next year, drag yourself out of bed and go enjoy the wonderful race and atmosphere.



posted by Average Al @ 1:00 PM

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