GOATIE IS OK !!!
FEBRUARY’S NEW GOONS ANNOUNCED
It is with great pleasure that we announce the induction of our two new members for the month of February.
Luke Doherty has been blessed with Goonism and has a tendency of sometimes being a “know it all” type of Goon, but is one dedicated runner. He is blessed with the official Goon Name of “Cocky”.
Michael Robertson has also been blessed with Goonism and happens to be a little hairy as you can see by his photo and is also a dedicated runner who loves the sport. He is blessed with the official Goon Name of “Yeti”.
Welcome to the Squad Cocky and Yeti !!!!!
Doctor Death:-/, Goatie, Hill Checker, Judge, Bently and the entire family of Goons!!! Ruff, Ruff, Ruff!!!
Amherst, 10 Mile NE USATF Championship ~ Goatie
Several days before Amherst, my physical therapist gave reassurance that I likely would not reinjure my knee if I raced. Eight weeks of recovery is "character building"... got to enjoy snowshoeing & elliptical, but I missed running. PRrof Fernando told me without reservation that 10 miles would be no problem, despite hardly running for 8 weeks... so I popped some Advil, wrapped my knee, hid behind incognito sunglasses (bet you can't find me) and asked my body to remember what to do. It did. Jones 10 Miler
This was a day of firsts for me.It was my first time riding in the Goon limo, my first time meeting Goon-in-training Michael Robertson, my first time participating in the Jones 10 miler, and my first time EVER running a race as a training run.Since it was just Doc, Goatie, Michael and me, the ride in the Goon limo was relaxed and mellow.I enjoyed chatting with Michael and getting to know him.It was especially nice to be chauffeured for the long hike to Amherst and back. Thanks SO much, Doc!!When we arrived and parked in the school’s lot, a group of young runners pointed and laughed at the large, shiny vehicle adorned with two skull and crossbones flags on the front!! We discovered pretty quickly that Michael had the traits necessary to be a Goon.Soon after registering for the race, the Goon in training misplaced his number. Fortunately, he ended up finding it.Michael also exhibited goon-like courage, tackling the grueling race without many 10+ mile runs under his belt.
I was warned numerous times about the challenging hills on the course.Since I suffer from some pretty serious pre-race anxiety, it was quite a relief to be doing this one as a workout.I was enjoying the non-race experience - no pressure, no hands were shaking while filling out the application form, no feeling the urge to pee every five minutes for the entire hour before the gun goes off, no nerves whatsoever.Wow.Doc and I did a 2 mile warm up together; then, it was off to the starting line.I saw Goatie, who was sporting her big new fashionable sunglasses, and Rebel, who looked lovely in her purple fleece underneath the “Big G”.Rebel turned around and modeled her Goon nickname that was sewn on the back of her singlet - VERY cool!!
The race started! This was the end of a hard 50+ mile week and my plan was to run marathon goal pace – somewhere between 7:30 – 7:45, depending on the severity of the hills. I had e-mailed the Professor about the plan and he responded that it was perfect, just like meJ!! He really knows how to make people feel good about themselves!! There was one long hill in the first mile. I was slow. The second mile was easier – phew! Goatie, who hadn’t been running much due to a knee injury, passed me and boy, did she look strong! She must’ve still possessed some of Professor’s beautiful magic! The third mile had a ridiculous hill and then with barely anytime to recover, we were running on a dirt road for what seemed to be forever. The footing wasn’t good and a lot of energy was being expended. I was way behind my pace and started to doubt myself. After 5 miles, my average pace was 7:52. I wondered how I was ever going to reach my goal without killing myself. Thankfully, the next several miles were easier. My pace was improving and I wasn’t struggling. I felt in control. Life was good…until we reached the final mile. Why did that gentleman on the sidelines at mile 9 say that the rest of the race was all down hill? A fellow runner cheered me on, “Come on, Goon, give it all you’ve got!” I survived the numerous hills and finally saw where the one downhill was…at the end of the mile heading toward the finish line. Average pace for last 5 miles: 7:27. Pace for race: 7:42 (with no extreme pain!) Thanks, Professor, for the excellent training outline and all of your great workouts! Goatie ended up running a superb race. Doc reached his goal pace for a hard training run and the way Michael gutted it out was quite impressive. Rebel scored as our 3rd master, so a Goon master team was complete and listed in the results…nice!! Thanks for a great day!! I’m proud to be a Goon!
