Poco Loco - the people

I ran the first time since the Poco Loco today.  I put in 5 miles in 50:46 with splits at 10:39, 10:39, 10:33, 9:36, and 9:17.  I was surprised to feel issues in my right thigh again today.  I had almost no trouble with my hip flexor or IT band during the 13.7 miles of the Poco Loco, so I thought I kicked that almost-injury.  I didn't run at all for 6 days prior to the run in a last ditch attempt to solve the problem. However, it flared up again during my training run today.  I fell off the wagon and quit maintaining the Aleve meds, so perhaps that's contributing to the recurrance.

But enough of injuries and training updates.  I promised an update about the Poco Loco.

I ran with everyone in the group at some time during the event and had a great time.  Eddie and Adam posted a great pic of the group.

Steve Runner - Steve grew up just outside of Boston and lives just a few hours from there now.  He was our host for the Poco Loco and did a great job organizing the event. The pre-party at Grendel's Den was a good time and I loved hanging out on Harvard Square before the event. I even stopped to see the headquarters of Car Talk, a fun radio show on NPR. The post party was at Sunset Grill and Tap which had a huge beer list and great food. I already knew a lot about Steve from listening to his podcasts, Phedippidations and Intervals for several years. I found him to be much like I experience him when he's in my head on a long run. He has a way of inspiring others while being humble and even self-deprecating at times.  It works for him, though. I especially love the way Steve encourages runners of all abilities. He marvels at the fast and ultra runners and is equally impressed with new runners who are struggling with just a mile or two.

Zen Runner - Adam Tinkoff is the founder of the Mojo Loco (of which the Poco Loco was one event) and is such a great guy.  He and Eddie Marathon host the Slow Runner's Club, on which I was a guest in January.  Adam believes strongly in the run-walk-run method and has done 2 marathons and is scheduled for 3 more.  He really walks the talk about taking it easy and enjoying the running experience.  He's also the nicest guy you'll ever meet. Adam was giving hugs and encouragement all the time. I learned that Adam is an art director for a major consulting company and I know one of his colleagues from the HR Technology Conference I attend each year.

Eddie Marathon - Eddie made my day several times during the Poco Loco.  He was really supportive and genuine and it just felt great to be around him. I was also very inspired by his story and zest for life.  Eddie is also a cancer survivor.  He beat it, too and now is amazingly fit and healthy and runs events and races, including marathons, all the time.  He and Adam (Zen Runner) are running the Chicago Marathon to raise awareness and support for the Diabetes Action Team.  Eddie's mother recently passed away because of complications with Diabetes.  Contribute to their run and this great cause! 

Jim Snyder - Jim is the runswim2 follower on this blog. He frequently comments on my posts and is always either encouraging or funny or both.  Jim gets credit for encouraging me to begin running. I had spent 4 years working out with a trainer and knew I needed to add cardio to continue making progress. I had never seriously considered running until I met Jim at a conference and he talked about the marathons and triathlons he was doing. Actually, he was running the Columbus Marathon just a few days after the conference. It wasn't long after that meeting that I decided to train for the Race for the Cure 5K.  Since then, Jim has been a great mentor to me for things related to HR technology, leadership, and running.  He is also a great friend. During the Poco Loco, he seemed to appear out of nowhere just when I was fading and needing some encouragement.

Nicole Wong - Nik (Painter Nik) is a strong runner and all around fit person. She was also very fun to hang out with.  She, Tim C, Jim, and I ran the last couple miles together and I really enjoyed that leg of the event.  Nik was laughing and joining in with Tim as they teased me for kicking into a different gear at the end of the run. I was running about a 9:30 pace for the last mile or so. I could see the end and wanted to take off.  I sat by Nik at the post-party and we both had martinis. Hers was melon and mine was sour apple. They were great.  I hope to get a chance to hang out with Nik again.  You can learn more about Nik and Dan at http://4feetrunning.blogspot.com/.

Mister Fonzie - Dan is Nik's husband and he was the only other runner besides me who has never run a marathon.  He's done 5 half marathons and has been working on increasing his speed for shorter distances. I got turned on to Nik and Dan's podcast, 4 Feet Running, just as they put it on hiatus.  I listened to many archived episodes, though and enjoyed them very much.  I'm very much looking forward to their post-Poco Loco podcast. Dan and Nik rode with Jim and I to the post-party and we had a great time encouraging Jim to be a rebel and do a U-turn to park right in front of the place.  It was the best parking place we had the whole trip - and he put the car just two inches from the curb too.  Dan was so funny when he just had to get a picture of that expert parking job. 

Tim Cleary - Tim was so great to run with! He's a much faster runner, but he made a point of running with me several times along the course. He even asked me about HR technology so we were able to talk a bit of shop during the run. I was impressed that he really did his homework on his teammates. Tim was really fun toward the end of the race when he was convinced I had underreported my pace as I kicked it up a notch. He was tracking the pace with his Garmin and was surprised as we picked it up at the end.  I also loved Tim's Poco Loco head band that he wore to the pre-party.  It was a pleasure to run with Tim. You can find him at http://www.abueloruns.com/

Tim Doiron - Tim has a great spirit for life and a very impressive story.  He has successfully kicked type 2 diabetes with diet and exercise.  He's lost 50 pounds and now runs marathons as well as many other races.  He extended the offer through Slow Runner's Club to coach others through the process of kicking type2 diabetes, too. Tim's wife, Deborah, made celebratory cup cakes for us (they were GREAT!) and Tim got Poco Loco t-shirts made for the team too.  Find Tim at http://www.rundervrun.blogspot.com/.

Deb Kumar - Deb amazed me with her 12 year career of running marathons, half marathons, and even competing in triathlons.  She is a mother of two daughters and talked to me about wanting to be an example for her daughters as she continues to be active and healthy. I'm very impressed with her dedication to training while being a mom and holding a full time job as a high school science teacher.  I know it's not easy to balance all of that!  Also, her husband, Jay, is a runner too and so they have to juggle their schedules to ensure they both get their training done. 

Jay Kumar - Jay is another one of "those guys" - those faster runners.  He was inspired to run when he met Deb and she was training for Boston.  He caught the bug too and has run 14 marathons and many relays.  After the Poco Loco run, Jay and Deb came up to my suite as several of us took turns in the shower.  While we were waiting, they turned on a hockey game and I learned that Jay also plays hockey and soccer.  They are both big hockey fans.  Jay ay hosts the non-running themed podcast Completely Conspicuous and writes a column about running in the Salem News.

Chris Russell - Chris is another Massachusetts local.  He is the host of a very popular running podcast, Run Run Live and the author of The Mid-Packer’s Lament and The Mid-Packer’s Guide to the Galaxy, short stories on running, racing, and the human comedy of the mid-pack.  Chris was one of the fast runners in the group but took the time to run with some of us slower team members, too.  He is very out-going and had me smiling at his Hawaiian shirt prior to the race.  Chris is very active on twitter. You can find him all over the web at cyktrussell.

Kevin Zelechoski - Kevin is tall.  Really tall.  He is also a long distance runner.  Really long distance.  Kevin does ultra-distance running; 50K and 50 mile races.  In 2010, he did a 100 mile race!  Yes, 100 miles on foot!  Kevin was in the faster running group and really looks the part: His gear is a cut above what I have ever seen in a race. The faster group included several different people at different times, Neil, Chris, Kevin, Jay, and others. When they got too far ahead, they stopped and waited for the other groups. Then we all took off again and the groups changed a bit as some of the faster runners joined other groups. I was impressed that the fast guys were intentional about hanging with the rest of us even though they could have finished the course in a quarter of the time.

Alett Mekler - Alett was injured and so she rode her bike for part of the course with us.  She was at the pre-party too.  She was very fun to talk with and her energy was contagious.  Alett was supposed to be running a marathon elsewhere during the Poco Loco, but she joined the group when she was slowed by her calf injury. 

Neil Bearse - Neil did the unthinkable.  He interested Steve in an Apple product.  No kidding.  He showed Steve around his iPad and Steve got hooked - even after countless skits on Pheddipedations about how inferior the apple products are, Steve finally gave in.  Neil is very heavy into social media and knows much about web based marketing.  He is also the host of a new podcast, the Ghost of Radio, which features independent musicians.  Find out more about Neil at http://neilbearse.com/

John Ellis - John wasn't able to run with us, but he took the time to meet us outside the Museum of Science along the route.  He talked with us there and some of the techies, Steve and Eddie, I think, got audio of the event. We were all standing around John as his disciples. John also attended the post-run party. John advises many runners as they train for marathons, including Steve, and he lives along the Boston marathon course.

So you see, the Poco Loco event was heavily stocked with interesting and fun people.  I had a wonderful time and encourage others to host Mojo Loco events.  Invite these and other fun and inspirational runners to run and play with you!