#48 - Boston - Hot and Hilly - May 4, 2006
Everyone seemed to be fine with a 75-degree day this past Sunday in Dedham, Massachusetts - yours truly included. I pretty much have always been a strong supporter of a nice sunny day (even if I do seem obsessed with snow once in a while). For some reason though all that sunshine appeared to have had an adverse effect on my running performance at the 23rd Unabridged Edition of the James Joyce Ramble (http://www.ramble.org/). Let's just say it was not my best 10 K race ever, but I am hereby commending myself for the effort I put in anyway. I showed up, ran the race, it was hot, it was hilly and I got across the finish line, upright. Good.
The James Joyce Ramble, or "The Ramble" as it is lovingly called is quite an unusual event - during the race volunteers dressed in period costumes stand alongside the course, reading James Joyce aloud, in different languages even. For every mile there is a different book chosen, so Mile 1 features "Finnegan's Wake" whereas Mile 4 might feature "Ulysses" or "The Dubliners". Only in Massachusetts! How much fun it was! Post-race festivities included loads of beer, not enough water and all the winners received books.
The Ramble organizers tell us that the race was conceived by runner and (apparently) James Joyce fan Martin Hanley of Dedham who tried his darndest to get through "Finnegan's Wake" one cold New England winter. He found it just as hard as training for a road race, if not worse, and so came up with this slightly strange idea. On March 26, 1984 the first Ramble was held and 244 runners zipped through Dedham with literature on their mind. On this 23rd anniversary of the race, the crowd of runners numbered more than 2000.
I am not complaining about the weather - New England actually needed a nice day, weather-wise - it has been cold, rainy, and generally unpleasant - so every chance we get we soak up the sun! We are all on the verge of seasonal disorder and borderline depression if this does not change soon. I swear.
Saturday had been equally splendid, and was spent quite adequately in such exciting places as the Home Depot (getting shelves for the kitchen - thanks to my friend Rick for installing them!) and the town of Allston, where we picked up the washing machine who did not fit down the staircase and then drove it back. There is nothing more fun than driving though Boston traffic on a hot day, and then trying to jam a washer down a staircase that is too small. But hey, we had to try!
As soon as the home projects were done, I had to completely switch gears, squeeze myself into my evening gown and head to the new Boston Convention Center to attend a gala where my boss was being honored for his involvement with the Mattapan Community Health Center. The shindig was called "Rock the Boat", and it was very fortunate for me that due to increased attendance it did not take place on an actual boat. You all know my relationship with vessels that float on water. Not a good one. It was a nice occasion though to get dolled up for, all the ladies were dressed to the nines, and thanks to a nice draft in the convention center, we were all freezing to death. I for one was glad to eventually be able to get out of the gown and the high heels, and be in a nice warm cozy place.
The week went by in a jiffy, amazingly and mercifully fast, Monday night was Yoga Class taught by my friend Pauline, followed by a birthday celebration for her husband Ulandt. The two live in the Brickbottom Artists Building in Somerville (http://www.brickbottomartists.com/site/index.html), and the visit gave me a chance to check out Pauline's art work up close and personal (www.paulinelim.net). Wednesday night the running group actually decided not to run, on account of totally sucky weather and went straight to the pub, and Thursday night my creatively gifted friend Claire came for some redecorating and general maintenance of my place. I have very very nice friends, they come to my house to work. I feed them, and they help me with stuff that I am too stupid to do. I love you guys and gals.
Well, it is almost midnight, I am sitting here in Franconia, NH in bed after a strenuous day of hiking (more about that next week). While it rained a bit this afternoon, tomorrow is supposed to be one of the few nice days in the next week or so, and we will certainly take advantage of it. More tales from the trails will be told next week.
I am enclosing a picture for you that speaks for itself, and might explain why we drive the way we drive in Boston. Vroom, vroom!
Sleep tight!
pet:)
The James Joyce Ramble, or "The Ramble" as it is lovingly called is quite an unusual event - during the race volunteers dressed in period costumes stand alongside the course, reading James Joyce aloud, in different languages even. For every mile there is a different book chosen, so Mile 1 features "Finnegan's Wake" whereas Mile 4 might feature "Ulysses" or "The Dubliners". Only in Massachusetts! How much fun it was! Post-race festivities included loads of beer, not enough water and all the winners received books.
The Ramble organizers tell us that the race was conceived by runner and (apparently) James Joyce fan Martin Hanley of Dedham who tried his darndest to get through "Finnegan's Wake" one cold New England winter. He found it just as hard as training for a road race, if not worse, and so came up with this slightly strange idea. On March 26, 1984 the first Ramble was held and 244 runners zipped through Dedham with literature on their mind. On this 23rd anniversary of the race, the crowd of runners numbered more than 2000.
I am not complaining about the weather - New England actually needed a nice day, weather-wise - it has been cold, rainy, and generally unpleasant - so every chance we get we soak up the sun! We are all on the verge of seasonal disorder and borderline depression if this does not change soon. I swear.
Saturday had been equally splendid, and was spent quite adequately in such exciting places as the Home Depot (getting shelves for the kitchen - thanks to my friend Rick for installing them!) and the town of Allston, where we picked up the washing machine who did not fit down the staircase and then drove it back. There is nothing more fun than driving though Boston traffic on a hot day, and then trying to jam a washer down a staircase that is too small. But hey, we had to try!
As soon as the home projects were done, I had to completely switch gears, squeeze myself into my evening gown and head to the new Boston Convention Center to attend a gala where my boss was being honored for his involvement with the Mattapan Community Health Center. The shindig was called "Rock the Boat", and it was very fortunate for me that due to increased attendance it did not take place on an actual boat. You all know my relationship with vessels that float on water. Not a good one. It was a nice occasion though to get dolled up for, all the ladies were dressed to the nines, and thanks to a nice draft in the convention center, we were all freezing to death. I for one was glad to eventually be able to get out of the gown and the high heels, and be in a nice warm cozy place.
The week went by in a jiffy, amazingly and mercifully fast, Monday night was Yoga Class taught by my friend Pauline, followed by a birthday celebration for her husband Ulandt. The two live in the Brickbottom Artists Building in Somerville (http://www.brickbottomartists.com/site/index.html), and the visit gave me a chance to check out Pauline's art work up close and personal (www.paulinelim.net). Wednesday night the running group actually decided not to run, on account of totally sucky weather and went straight to the pub, and Thursday night my creatively gifted friend Claire came for some redecorating and general maintenance of my place. I have very very nice friends, they come to my house to work. I feed them, and they help me with stuff that I am too stupid to do. I love you guys and gals.
Well, it is almost midnight, I am sitting here in Franconia, NH in bed after a strenuous day of hiking (more about that next week). While it rained a bit this afternoon, tomorrow is supposed to be one of the few nice days in the next week or so, and we will certainly take advantage of it. More tales from the trails will be told next week.
I am enclosing a picture for you that speaks for itself, and might explain why we drive the way we drive in Boston. Vroom, vroom!
Sleep tight!
pet:)
posted by My Boston at
9:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home