The proto-Cerebrun period was about developing the process of writing and finding a voice.
That period opened with the running group small and relatively quiet. I started by experimenting with a few Facebook posts here and there then started refining.
(Published 2018’05’12’S)
First posting about a local event
Hey, all, check out the 2018 Abington Ghost Gallop 5K Run/Walk to support Abington SHS soccer, Tuesday, 5/15, 6:30 p.m. Last day to register is tomorrow! I’ll be there!
The mentality of sharing to help build a feeling of community was there from the start . Here’s the followup post. The event ended up not getting rescheduled.
I did a warmup jog to the start line under an ominous sky and with fat teardrops falling from the sky because the event got cancelled. Something about dangerous lightning. Thanks, Ingrid and TC, for picking up my bib, cutting me off before I had to traverse the last few tenths, and giving me a ride back home. Look for rescheduling information!
[Original version in Facebook. Republished without link and surname: 2022’06’06’M.]
(Published 2018’06’28’R)
After a few incidental run reminders and member welcomes, I started sharing more about what I was doing.
I’m going to be in AK and CA for 2 weeks. I’ll be back for the 7/18 run out of JRC. Won’t have a lot of service, but might be able to send a picture or 2 of running in south central AK! Growlers’ Big Dave (not on FB–imagine) says he’ll make 7/4 and 7/11. Or just call the store to confirm someone will be representin’ for the W runs!
[Original version in Facebook. Republished: 2022’06’06’M.]
(Published 2018’07’18’W)
A little candor, a little transparency in the interests of personalization. The beginnings of a run report were developing in the spirit of Shawmont Running Club‘s Weekly Run Report.
Just had a great run with Big Dave and EPBR Tania. Ah, yeah, then got lightheaded and needed a ride home from Big D. Been a while. Probably didn’t carb up well enough
Some kind comments elicited this followup from me. Gentle self-deprecation has long been a part of my writing and felt like an authentic part of my voice.
Fleeting, but I laid down promptly (behind a paying customer!), having learned from past unfortunate experiences. Jill knows and Lauren, undoubtedly, has learned about the growler who’s passed out at the store, twice! Been medically cleared by a cardiologist. Apparently the nervous system wasn’t sync-ing properly with exertion. Hasn’t been a prob in 2 years, easily, so it could also have been eating. Who knows, really? Lying down, a free ginger ade Gu (JRC don’t want n’more incidents, ‘ey?), and a ride home took care of everything. All good!
[Original version in Facebook. Republished without surnames: 2022’06’06’M.]
(Published 2018’07’25’W)
During this building period, there were numerous solo runs. It being my birthday wouldn’t have made a difference. There just weren’t enough regulars anymore after people moved away or otherwise became inactive. Friends from Elkins Park Beer Runners (another, adopted, Jenkintown Running Company club) did send regrets with this post.
Getting ready to go to JRC for tonight’s run. Don’t make me lonely. Ah, rain just picked up. Hmm.
[Original version in Facebook. Republished: 2022’06’06’M]
(Published 2018’08’01’W)
Regularity was the next order of business with weekly being a target.
Growlers’ Run again, tonight! Stop by JRC at 6:30 p.m. for a few miles and some good conversation. I’ll see if I can find someone to provide the latter. I’ll be in attendance for the former.
[Original version in Facebook. Republished: 2022’06’06’M]
(Published 2018’08’15’W)
The details of the previous week’s run was mere reportage. They would remain as proto-Cerebrun content in the earlier, less thoughtful days.
I’m doing a mile over today and back from my house. Then expecting to head over to Alverthorpe for 2x. Anyone joining me? Great to see Big Dave, Paul, Emily, Margi, and high-schooler Anna last Wednesday, 8/8, before the Philadelphia Mayor’s Cup on Saturday.
[Original version in Facebook. Republished without surnames: 2022’06’06’M]
(Published 2018’08’29’W)
The posts started getting longer and including more narrative details. Supplemental photos became a thing.
8/15, W, run with Anna, me, Pete, and Drew.
Those of you in Elkins Park Beer Runners and Pennypack Trail Runners should recognize Anna. She started joining EPBR with Brooks night at JRC, 7/26, Th so that she could start conditioning for her first-year high school soccer season. She joined all 3 clubs for 4 intense weeks to complement her personal interval runs.
Her mother Karen told me that on the first day of official workouts, Anna LED THE PACK! Scooooooooooooore! Anna, you did us proud and you’re going to be awesome this fall
[Original version in Facebook. Republished without a surname: 2022’06’06’M]
(Published 2018’09’12’W)
Group posts started featuring more details about my running. I started adding information about reusing content which I carried over from my academic library work.
JRC Growlers Group Run, W, 9/11, 6:30 p.m., tonight!
Big Dave and I welcomed newbies Dorine and Kate last week, 9/5! Let’s grow this group with more returnees, new and veteran!
If you decided to stalk my Chasing the Unicorn marathon results, you’d know that I did a 3:48:00! But you wouldn’t necessarily know that’s a PR by 2 minutes or that I still need to lop off 8 minutes to BQ.
Being the runner that I am, I’ll happily regale tonight’s attendees with the details of the race and the chase down of the next best male runner to take 2nd place for 55-59M!
Preview: He passed me in the 1st quarter and I passed him in the 4th. Beat him by a minute because I RAN NEGATIVE SPLITS! And he didn’t.
-CtCloser (Calvin the Closer)
Photo credit: Keith Onimus, CC BY-NC-SA
[Original version in Facebook. Republished: 2022’06’06’M]
(Published 2018’09’24’M)
This post set the stage for “Thoughts” as I started calling these thought pieces before using “Cerebruns.” It was a separate post from a weekly run invitation and a more academic treatment.
This article link is for Margi, but others of you may like it too.
Way back on 15 Aug 2018 (check out the picture at The Drake in the group’s albums. Btw, Margi, haven’t seen you since then. What up w’dat?) we were talking about foam rolling and I’d mentioned a Runner’s World article (from the print magazine) I’d just read about most people doing it wrong. Margi asked me to share it.
Don’t y’know I couldn’t find it again for the professional, university librarian life of me. But I did find this Runners Connect article that captures the essence of what I remember the Runner’s World article saying.
To make a short story long, here it is: The 4 Mistakes You’re Making When Foam Rolling (and How to Fix Them)
To make it even longer, I’ll make it about copyright infringement, too. I pasted in a URL. Facebook turned it into an embedded story. RunnersConnect reserves all rights to its publication. Fair. Who’s the infringer, though, if I use the URL but Facebook does the rest? FB?!
[Original version in Facebook. Republished without a surname: 2022’06’06’M]
#1 (Published 2018’09’26’W)
The first “Thoughts” in a run report.
JRC Growlers Group Run, W, 9/26, 6:30 p.m.
5 of us headed over to Alverthorpe Park last W, 9/19, to take advantage of the last few weeks before they start closing at 5p and we have to switch to our winter running route. JRC Drew and Tania turned back at the entrance and returned to the store for 3. Tania, who’s doing 3 marathons and a half this season actually ran 2 miles to and from the store for a total of 7. Something, too, about having to go back to feed her 9 yo daughter. Whatevs.
[Thoughts] Along with sporting a look that’s so cool we shouldn’t even be running with him, Big Dave tells a great story. He, Kate, and I went around the park for 1.7 miles and heard the brilliant account of his 8 yo boy Rowan running his first 5K while chatting up a storm with him. “Son, you know you’d run faster if you didn’t talk so much.” “I know. And Dad…”
Kate is a soon-to-be marathoner dying to actually train for and run one. Evidence: she runs ~5 miles a few times a week (aggressive pace, though she doesn’t know exactly how fast. I think sub-9’s) then Saturday, 9/15, she ran with Shawmont Running Club for the first time on the standard 14-mile route that included Shawmont Ave (6% grade for 0.95 miles). Amazing! I did encourage her to ease up for now to avoid injury.
Me? I started running at the store in 2011 before my 1st marathon, 13 marathons ago. I’m still picking up speed. I like organizing runs for the store. Facebook posting is fun, too. Oh, and I’m trying to convince people that my nickname should be CalvinTheCloser, or Closer for short because I’m all about the negative splits.
Join us tonight and remember to bring reflective gear and illumination! The days are getting pretty short and dusk pretty early.
[Original version in Facebook. Republished without a surname: 2022’06’06’M]
(Published 2018’10’10’W)
Run reminders remain far from consistent and “Thoughts” continue to find form. Pictures work toward regularity.
Who’s showing tonight? I’ll be there as usual.
As for last week, 10/3, here we are, equipped with headlights for the dark. Except for Drew. He stayed back to guard the fort.
For those of you who know him, I got an email from Chas last week who says he’s retired from running. You can do that?! Sometimes there comes the time and the place.
“I have been playing golf. My season continues with a few tournament rounds in the near future. During the summer I played five to eight times a week. Yes, many days I would play two rounds. By the way I like to walk. Each round is walking around 7 to 8 thousand yards and usually in four hours, approximately four miles carrying my bag.”
“I miss everybody, tell my friends I say hi. I wish my body wasn’t slowing down.”
So, Friends of Chas: Hi! The guy is still active, just not the same way.
BTW, I’ll never be as fast as he was, even age-graded. I can do Shawmont Avenue in 8:24, 1 mile 6% uphill grade and I’m mighty proud of it. He did it in 6:30 back in the day. Chas the Man!
[Original version in Facebook. Republished: 2022’06’16’R]
Last update: 2022’12’23’R
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