That was 1 Hill of a Workout

Last night was cold and the prospect of the Tuesday regulars showing up for the best hill workout ever was slim. However, after waiting in the warmth at  The Corrib Pub on Harvard Ave. in Brookline, the friendly and familiar faces began to rustle into the bar. There we stood,  four TMIRCE runners, all who had high hopes of accomplishing the daunting Summit Hill Ave. repeats workout. Accompanied by Ray, Galen and Richard, we set out at 6:45pm and made our way to the Summit base, a short 1/2 mile run to warm up. 

A View from the Top

At first the sidewalk seemed like it would be clear enough to the top, but quickly, we found out otherwise. Wearing his reflective gear, Richard paved the way up the hill at a steady pace. Ray and myself managed to arrive at the top with a bit of energy and continued to the opposite side of the hill. After turning around at the bottom, we put it into cruise control back up and over, high five-ing Richard and Galen as we passed one another. This repeated itself several times over the next 35 minutes until I couldn't take any more. 

Once back at the Pub, Ray, Richard and myself were wondering about the ever-absent Galen. Winning the coveted Man of the Night award, Galen had decided to run the tiresome repeat once more, proving his mettle. A few pints and some burgers later, we conceded to the winter night and braved the elements for one final gasp as we went on our way. 

What we did (Thanks Galen): 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/65162836

The Group Page:

http://www.meetup.com/bostonruns/calendar/16126676/    

Cold and Sunny with a Chance of Maps

On a cold morning, familiar faces were peering through the clothing racks in City Sports anticipating the weekly breakfast run. It was 10:25 and only a hand full of us were quietly anticipating the run. Jared, from Run Boston  asked if this was a typical number of runners (8). New to TMIRCE, I explained that within the next 10 minutes, 30-50 people would reliably show up; and you did with gusto.

Holding the New TMIRCE Route Maps

With an informal bang of the gong, a throng of 40ish people took off down Comm. Ave. with the intension of finishing quickly to get out of the 20 degree weather. I was lucky enough to get to run with Chris Wagner, perennial all-star and general nice guy of TMIRCE. We mused on the pros and cons of Vibram Five Finger running as well as our respective marathon training schedules.

Returning to CS, the breakfast table, that had been sparse pre-run, had ballooned to include all the favorites we've come to love - bananas, muffins, juices, and other fruits, and my favorite of the week, a homemade nut and granola combo (went well with yogurt). Kristi, Pablo and the CS team were all on hand helping informal runners try on their favorite shoes and to chat about the impending snow storm of the week.

Cold and Sunny at the Start

On a special note, our favorite Brooks rep, Trish Steele ran with us and showed off her new Brooks HVAC running gloves; the same type I wear only less tattered - my jealousy, unrivaled, has been contained for the moment.

What to Look Forward To (1.29.'011): 

• Special Guest: Our founder, Dave "to tall" Johnson will attempt to run the ice rink of the Charles River. 
• Soles4Souls: We're still collecting your old running shoes for our special annual donation. 

PS: I've been collecting receipts from Star Market purchases to try and levereage our Saturday buying power to negotiate for parking spots in their nearby lot.