This past Sunday, I completed the 39th running of The Falmouth Road. And I am also proud to report that my time was a very respectable time for my age group - I finished ahead of almost 9,000 runners (there was almost 11,000 total) and ahead of about 1,000 in my division. Not bad for a middle-aged dad to triplets!
I have run the scenic, yet challenging 7.1 mile race every year since 1996 and as such I know the course and race logistics very well.
Saturday (the day before the race):
I didn’t run, but spent the mid-summer day with Sarah and the girls. We did some errands in the morning and then took Allie, Anna and Emily swimming in my brother’s above-ground pool in the afternoon. After putting the girls to bed, I was exhausted as I had not yet recovered from the effects of our drive to Michigan two weeks earlier. After phoning in our order for dinner from a local pub-restaurant, I plopped myself down on the back deck for a 5-10minute cat nap. I was zonked! I think I was in bed @10:15 Saturday night.
Sunday morning (race day):
Before I left the house, I had my regular bowl of cereal and then I gave Anna a kiss, said goodbye to Sarah and Grammy, and then I was out the door.
Experience has taught me that arriving for the buses which take the runners from Falmouth to Woods Hole at 8:45 works best for me. So I knew I had time to stop and get a small coffee for the drive to Falmouth. That is what I did. Unfortunately I only took three sips of the coffee because they decided to make a milk with coffee instead of a coffee with milk. This was not a good start to my day, but I decided I could survive without the java.
The drive to Falmouth was uneventful. The traffic I hit where Route 28 turns into one lane was a little more than I would have expected, but I was still on schedule. I parked the car at the designated spot where I was to meet Sarah, Sheila, and the girls after the race. I had put my bib on my singlet the night before and had my shorts and singlet on so I just changed from my flip-flops to my Saucony treads, locked the car, and slipped the car key into the tiny pocket in my shorts. I was ready for the 5-7 minute walk to the buses, fully expecting to get on a bus shortly after arriving at the school where the runners board.
Surprise! The line for the buses was ¼ mile long – no lie!
I got in line, watched it move (albeit very slowly) and then watched the line continue to grow. It was not moving fast. It started to become apparent something was wrong. In the fifteen years having run this extremely well organized race, there had never been a problem with the buses. The organizers have historically stressed to runners the importance of arriving before the LAST bus leaves at 8:45. It was obvious they would be lucky to get all the runners boarded on buses by 9:15.
Knowing the port-a-potty situation, I ducked out of line at the school where the buses were being loaded. It was then that I heard one of the volunteers announce that the runners could thank the new sponsor New Balance for the delay. New Balance had cut the number of buses shuttling runners from Falmouth to Woods hole from 70 to 40! What!?
At least the time waiting in line and the ride to Woods Hole passed somewhat quickly with a nice conversation with a mother from Florida with three young children. She was running Falmouth for the first time. We talked of race logistics, running, and what sports is like for kids today….
I think it was close to 9:40 by the time I stepped off the bus in Woods Hole. I would not have been surprised if there were 1,000+ runners yet to arrive to the start.
To be continued....Next post: more logistical nightmares, pre-race anticipation and a Tedy Bruschi sighting!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Suppoprt Verizon Workers.
After speaking to my brother, I was compelled to do a post about the Verizon worker strike which started this past weekend. I spoke to my frustrated and upset youngest brother yesterday after he had spent a couple of days on the picket lines. C is a member of the local IBEW and his frustration, combined with the information (or lack there of) in the media, made me decide to do my (small) part in getting the public to understand what is really at stake with the strike.
It happens that a story written by Tayrn Luna on boston.com better tells the story:
Claudia Slaney did something that many people would consider unthinkable in this economy: give up her paycheck.
She did just that on Sunday when she walked off the job, joining about 6,000 Verizon Communications Inc. employees in Massachusetts after the unions and the company failed to reach an agreement on a new contract. The strike is unusual in its size - 45,000 people nationwide and one of the largest in a decade - and for its timing, during a period of historically high unemployment and concerns about another recession.
“It is a tough situation, but it would have been a lot harder if we didn’t do it,’’ said Slaney, a 41-year-old mother of four who made $1,200 a week as an administrative assistant. “If we gave in to their demands, we’d be without a job the next day.’’
The unions - the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Communications Workers of America - are fighting to keep employee pensions, affordable health care benefits, and a clause that makes it more difficult for Verizon to lay off union workers. If that job security is wiped away, union members fear they will lose their jobs and the work will be outsourced overseas or shifted to company facilities in other parts of the country. A Verizon spokesman contends that would not happen.
Since Sunday, hundreds of striking workers have been picketing the downtown Boston building where they worked. They hold signs that read “IBEW Local 2222 on Strike Against Verizon’’ and chant slogans like “What do we want? Contracts!’’
Passing drivers have been honking in support, and the strikers respond with cheers. Other workers have picketed Verizon offices and stores throughout the region - even on Monday when the Dow Jones industrial average plunged 634.76 points.
If the strike lasts more than two weeks, CWA members will be able to tap a half-billion-dollar strike fund and receive $200, and then $300 each week after. The IBEW doesn’t have a strike fund.
That didn’t matter to IBEW members Kenneth and Lynn Caruso. They have been preparing for this day since the ink dried on the last contract in 2008. The couple, who met at Verizon, started tucking away $100 from each paycheck into an account they dubbed a “strike fund.’’
“Every time our contract comes up, there’s always that possibility of a strike,’’ said Lynn Caruso, 38, who is a service representative, while her husband is a central office technician. “We just want to have something to fall back on.’’
The Quincy couple said they started adding $150 to their strike fund a year ago after they bought a house; the Carusos, who have a 2-year-old daughter, pull in $1,600 a week. Their fund will cover two months of living expenses, including their mortgage, but after that they will have to tap into their 401(k) retirement accounts.
Other striking employees like Dennize Denton of Boston wish they had done more to prepare.
“The economy has been so bad you can’t save,’’ said Denton, as she picketed the downtown Boston Verizon building on Monday.
The 43-year-old single mother of three said she started applying for other jobs a few weeks ago and tried to pay off bills early. But with her son’s college tuition payment coming up, she realized even a day without pay is too long.
“If we get to two weeks, this line is not going to be as peaceful as it is now,’’ she said.
Tensions are already rising, with Verizon saying that service lines have been sabotaged in more than a dozen instances and that some nonunion employees have been assaulted by union members. Meanwhile, the unions reported that members in Amherst, N.Y., were hit by a car as a replacement worker attempted to drive through the picket line.
Verizon and the unions have been negotiating since late June. The big sticking points in the contract have been health care benefits, and preserving employee pensions and a layoff protection clause.
Gene Carroll, the director of the Union Leadership Institute at Cornell University, said Verizon’s contract proposals follow a 25-year labor relations trend of diminishing job security for the average worker. Some of the things the Verizon unions are asking for are no longer standard benefits in America, he said.
“Striking is not a common practice at all now,’’ he said. “It’s a risky strategy on the part of the union, and it’s also very courageous.’’
Don Trementozzi, president of CWA Local 1400 in New England, said the unions went on strike to force the company to negotiate on their demands.
“I don’t think this contract was going to be won by the bargaining team,’’ he said. “I think it was going to be won by the strength of our members, and I think Verizon underestimated that and the unity of the unions.’’
Verizon spokesman Phil Santoro said the company is looking for concessions because the recently expired contract was negotiated at a time when the landline division was faring better. The striking employees work for the landline division, which oversees the company’s telephone, Internet, and television service.
The number of landline customers has dropped nearly 60 percent over the past decade, to 26 million last year. At the same time, the number of cellphone customers grew to 94 million, according to Verizon figures.
Santoro said Verizon seeks to remove the layoff clause because it limits the company’s ability to reassign union employees to other cities when work shifts. Because of the contract clause, there have been “no layoffs of union employees in many, many years.’’ He added that fears that jobs would be outsourced are “baseless.’’
Passersby who watched the parade of workers surrounding the Verizon building in the Financial District shared mixed emotions about the work stoppage.
But Stefanie Archer, a 34-year-old Brandeis University MBA student, was impressed.
“It’s important that these [strikes] are organized well to show a threat, because big companies don’t get easily threatened,’’ she said.
Chuck Miller, a 32-year Verizon veteran who provisions circuits, was part of the 1989strike that lasted 17 weeks over similar issues.
The Charlestown man said his wife left the landline division after that strike and now works for Verizon Wireless. He fears the current strike could go on for months - even though both sides continued negotiations for the second day in a row yesterday.
“It’s tough,’’ said Miller. “I didn’t think we’d be here again, but we can’t go back.’’
© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.
It happens that a story written by Tayrn Luna on boston.com better tells the story:
Claudia Slaney did something that many people would consider unthinkable in this economy: give up her paycheck.
She did just that on Sunday when she walked off the job, joining about 6,000 Verizon Communications Inc. employees in Massachusetts after the unions and the company failed to reach an agreement on a new contract. The strike is unusual in its size - 45,000 people nationwide and one of the largest in a decade - and for its timing, during a period of historically high unemployment and concerns about another recession.
“It is a tough situation, but it would have been a lot harder if we didn’t do it,’’ said Slaney, a 41-year-old mother of four who made $1,200 a week as an administrative assistant. “If we gave in to their demands, we’d be without a job the next day.’’
The unions - the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Communications Workers of America - are fighting to keep employee pensions, affordable health care benefits, and a clause that makes it more difficult for Verizon to lay off union workers. If that job security is wiped away, union members fear they will lose their jobs and the work will be outsourced overseas or shifted to company facilities in other parts of the country. A Verizon spokesman contends that would not happen.
Since Sunday, hundreds of striking workers have been picketing the downtown Boston building where they worked. They hold signs that read “IBEW Local 2222 on Strike Against Verizon’’ and chant slogans like “What do we want? Contracts!’’
Passing drivers have been honking in support, and the strikers respond with cheers. Other workers have picketed Verizon offices and stores throughout the region - even on Monday when the Dow Jones industrial average plunged 634.76 points.
If the strike lasts more than two weeks, CWA members will be able to tap a half-billion-dollar strike fund and receive $200, and then $300 each week after. The IBEW doesn’t have a strike fund.
That didn’t matter to IBEW members Kenneth and Lynn Caruso. They have been preparing for this day since the ink dried on the last contract in 2008. The couple, who met at Verizon, started tucking away $100 from each paycheck into an account they dubbed a “strike fund.’’
“Every time our contract comes up, there’s always that possibility of a strike,’’ said Lynn Caruso, 38, who is a service representative, while her husband is a central office technician. “We just want to have something to fall back on.’’
The Quincy couple said they started adding $150 to their strike fund a year ago after they bought a house; the Carusos, who have a 2-year-old daughter, pull in $1,600 a week. Their fund will cover two months of living expenses, including their mortgage, but after that they will have to tap into their 401(k) retirement accounts.
Other striking employees like Dennize Denton of Boston wish they had done more to prepare.
“The economy has been so bad you can’t save,’’ said Denton, as she picketed the downtown Boston Verizon building on Monday.
The 43-year-old single mother of three said she started applying for other jobs a few weeks ago and tried to pay off bills early. But with her son’s college tuition payment coming up, she realized even a day without pay is too long.
“If we get to two weeks, this line is not going to be as peaceful as it is now,’’ she said.
Tensions are already rising, with Verizon saying that service lines have been sabotaged in more than a dozen instances and that some nonunion employees have been assaulted by union members. Meanwhile, the unions reported that members in Amherst, N.Y., were hit by a car as a replacement worker attempted to drive through the picket line.
Verizon and the unions have been negotiating since late June. The big sticking points in the contract have been health care benefits, and preserving employee pensions and a layoff protection clause.
Gene Carroll, the director of the Union Leadership Institute at Cornell University, said Verizon’s contract proposals follow a 25-year labor relations trend of diminishing job security for the average worker. Some of the things the Verizon unions are asking for are no longer standard benefits in America, he said.
“Striking is not a common practice at all now,’’ he said. “It’s a risky strategy on the part of the union, and it’s also very courageous.’’
Don Trementozzi, president of CWA Local 1400 in New England, said the unions went on strike to force the company to negotiate on their demands.
“I don’t think this contract was going to be won by the bargaining team,’’ he said. “I think it was going to be won by the strength of our members, and I think Verizon underestimated that and the unity of the unions.’’
Verizon spokesman Phil Santoro said the company is looking for concessions because the recently expired contract was negotiated at a time when the landline division was faring better. The striking employees work for the landline division, which oversees the company’s telephone, Internet, and television service.
The number of landline customers has dropped nearly 60 percent over the past decade, to 26 million last year. At the same time, the number of cellphone customers grew to 94 million, according to Verizon figures.
Santoro said Verizon seeks to remove the layoff clause because it limits the company’s ability to reassign union employees to other cities when work shifts. Because of the contract clause, there have been “no layoffs of union employees in many, many years.’’ He added that fears that jobs would be outsourced are “baseless.’’
Passersby who watched the parade of workers surrounding the Verizon building in the Financial District shared mixed emotions about the work stoppage.
But Stefanie Archer, a 34-year-old Brandeis University MBA student, was impressed.
“It’s important that these [strikes] are organized well to show a threat, because big companies don’t get easily threatened,’’ she said.
Chuck Miller, a 32-year Verizon veteran who provisions circuits, was part of the 1989strike that lasted 17 weeks over similar issues.
The Charlestown man said his wife left the landline division after that strike and now works for Verizon Wireless. He fears the current strike could go on for months - even though both sides continued negotiations for the second day in a row yesterday.
“It’s tough,’’ said Miller. “I didn’t think we’d be here again, but we can’t go back.’’
© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Triple strollers = Triple trouble?
As is the case with most households with young children, we experienced a serious toy explosion in our house over a two year period. Generous gift giving by family and three children of the same age definitely contributed to explosion. Sarah and I were, of course, also learning how to safely entertain and educate three toddlers at the same time. Should we buy three of these or one for them to share? No, we didn’t purchase three Little People Houses or three shopping carts. But we felt that if we could afford to buy some things in threes, we would. I think we are getting better at the decision-making process when it comes to discretionary spending on the kids, but I am more certain now that the sibling rivalry of “she took that…that is MINE…” will continue for years.
One item we did buy in quantity was a triple doll stroller from FAO Schwarz. A “bahgahn” as we say in Beantown - under $100 (delivered) for all three!
Since the girls got the strollers on their second Christmas, they have only been used sporadically - mostly because the handles are a bit high and our girls are small for their age. We have kept them in the basement with other toys that are rotated every week or two to keep them “fresh”. We also do the toy rotation in an attempt to get the girls to appreciate ALL the toys they have. We tell them often that many kids don’t get to play with so many toys.
This past weekend, for a variety of reasons, was a challenge in keeping the girls entertained/occupied. Rain, errands, and general grumpiness were all contributing factors. So, after the girls became bored (and somewhat frustrated) with riding their bikes one night after dinner, I suggested we take their “lovies” for a walk in the triple strollers. BINGO - they loved the idea! We had a nice walk up and down our street. The girls were so cute and funny.
Here is a little clip:
I must admit that while I walked alongside my daughters pushing the strollers, I had a “what if” thought. What if all three of our daughters gave birth to triplets! Ask my wife Sarah what she thinks about the odds of that happening! :)
One item we did buy in quantity was a triple doll stroller from FAO Schwarz. A “bahgahn” as we say in Beantown - under $100 (delivered) for all three!
Since the girls got the strollers on their second Christmas, they have only been used sporadically - mostly because the handles are a bit high and our girls are small for their age. We have kept them in the basement with other toys that are rotated every week or two to keep them “fresh”. We also do the toy rotation in an attempt to get the girls to appreciate ALL the toys they have. We tell them often that many kids don’t get to play with so many toys.
This past weekend, for a variety of reasons, was a challenge in keeping the girls entertained/occupied. Rain, errands, and general grumpiness were all contributing factors. So, after the girls became bored (and somewhat frustrated) with riding their bikes one night after dinner, I suggested we take their “lovies” for a walk in the triple strollers. BINGO - they loved the idea! We had a nice walk up and down our street. The girls were so cute and funny.
Here is a little clip:
I must admit that while I walked alongside my daughters pushing the strollers, I had a “what if” thought. What if all three of our daughters gave birth to triplets! Ask my wife Sarah what she thinks about the odds of that happening! :)
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
On The Road Again.
We took a major road trip last week to visit some family on Sarah's side. "Major" in that we drove the distance to Michigan in one day, each way. That is almost 15 hours in the car each way, people! Sarah has several posts about our trip so I will take the easy way out tonight and direct you to her blog for details.
I was, however, able to pull together a few video clips of our playground fun as well as our visit to the Detroit Zoo:
I was, however, able to pull together a few video clips of our playground fun as well as our visit to the Detroit Zoo:
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Is it hot enough for you?
I just received the following email from the organizers of a road race I am scheduled to run in a couple of hours:
We are getting tons of calls, emails questions. The race is still on. Yes, it's very hot and we want everyone to have a safe, enjoyable race - so please hydrate accordingly, cut back the pace if needed and come on down to the race and enjoy the ocean breeze (and water if you want to jump in).
Sincerely,
Race Organizers
I have been an avid runner for about 15 years now and do not recall having run a race on a day this hot. According to weather.com, the current temperature is 96 degrees and “feels like 103”. This ought to be interesting……
We are getting tons of calls, emails questions. The race is still on. Yes, it's very hot and we want everyone to have a safe, enjoyable race - so please hydrate accordingly, cut back the pace if needed and come on down to the race and enjoy the ocean breeze (and water if you want to jump in).
Sincerely,
Race Organizers
I have been an avid runner for about 15 years now and do not recall having run a race on a day this hot. According to weather.com, the current temperature is 96 degrees and “feels like 103”. This ought to be interesting……
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