Sunday, December 30

9mi s.s./57min in Pisgah with Ferenc, George, Miller and the girls. It was a gorgeous sunny day with fresh powder. The snowmobiles hadn't been out yet. Miller was feeling peppy and kept the pace very honest. We were planning on going longer but an hour of snowshoeing in fresh powder was plenty. Feeling good. Total for the week: 48miles. Total for the month: 236mi = 55.1mpw Total for the year: 3,361mi = 64.6mpw (My run log ends at 52 weeks. The 31st counts for 2013. It might seem strange but it works for me!)

Saturday, December 29 - BU Mini Meet #3

6mi*/39min. I was in heat #2 of the 800. My goal was to break my lifetime pr of 1:58.0 set in 1997 indoor at URI. I knew I needed to get out well in the first 200. I hadn't done that in my first 2 800's of the year. I remembered what Dan Halsey said back in college, "Always let some other a#$h@le lead the first lap of an 800." I tucked into 2nd. After the 200, I could feel the leader lagging so I charged into the lead and never looked back. I kicked hard at the bell and leaned at the line. Boj and Najem had me hand timed at 1:57.9 so I knew it was 1:58 low on automatic timing. Sure enough: 1:58.22 officially. I'm very happy with the result, but not satisfied. I will break 1:58! I had 30min to get ready for the 4xmile relay with my CMS mates: Dan, Scott and Adam. I was surprised to see them just show up for the relay, as I assumed everyone would be racing the mini meet beforehand. Turns out I was the only one not fresh...no pressure! Dan looked great leading off with a 4:27.3, handing to Scott in the lead. Scott ran a nice leg, battling with a college kid from Lafayette. Every time the kid tried to pass, Scott would hold him off. Finally, the youngster got around him on the last lap and handed off 1sec ahead of us. Scott ran 4:36.0. I immediately caught the kid in front of me. I figured he was about a 4:30 guy and even though I was tired from the 800, I could sit on him and out kick him to give Adam the lead. WRONG! We went out in 63 and he held on running 4:15ish, while I managed a 4:32.5. I gave Adam the baton and he was exactly where he didn't want to be: in no man's land. He ran a 4:29.9 leg bringing us home in 2nd in 18:05.7. We high tailed it out of there and I drove 4hrs home in the snowstorm with no cool down. My legs are gonna be sore but it was a Fun day.

Friday, December 28

8mi s.s./56min in Pisgah with Griffin and George. It was gorgeous in the woods today. Snowshoe running probably isn't the best pre race workout but it was fun to put them on for the first time this season. Tomorrow I'm racing the 800 at BU and then doing a 4x1mile with the CMS guys.

Thursday, December 27

10mi/70min on the snow covered dirt roads of Putney, VT with Fyffe and Ferenc. It was nice to run a good one with my dogs. Snow was coming down hard at times making it hard to see. Traction was a little spotty in my road shoes. I fell once. Lifted weights and shoveled. I'll be rocking snowshoes tomorrow.

Wednesday, December 26

0miles. We drove 6 hours back from NY. Then I had to go to the dump. Then I went to get a truck load of wood and had to wait 25min for guys to pick one log at a time and delicately stack the wood in their pickups. You get charged for a loose rate or a stacked rate. So it's not like you're saving cash. Oh man it was frustrating! Finally they drove off freeing up a lane so I could back up to the pile. Jen and I loaded up in 5 minutes. Unfortunately I had to bail on the track workout with Andy. I decided to be lazy after stacking the wood and just read a book on my couch.

Tuesday, December 25

5mi/35min on the slippery Corning, NY sidewalks. There was 2" of fresh snow. Merry Christmas Ho ho ho.

Monday, December 24

10mi/69min on the streets of Corning, NY. Felt good to run after 6 hours in the car yesterday.

Sunday, December 23 - White Ghost

12mi/1:24 in Pisgah with Griffin. We had a great run out in the woods today. It was cold, clear and sunny. My favorite running weather, Griffin's too. Heading down from the vista on Hubbard Hill we saw an albino coyote. It saw us and took off into the forest running at top speed. It was gorgeous with thick white fur. It's definitely the coolest animal I've ever seen in the wild. I took it as a good omen. Getting back to the house there were a dozen common red polls at my bird feeder. I got 50 miles for the week. Next week I want to get my mileage up to 65+. I need to keep lifting and doing hill sprints.

Saturday, December 22 BU Mini Meet#2

6mi*/39min. I ran the 400 first. I won my heat by a step or two. The official results have me 2nd in 54.03 but I definitely beat the guy. It wasn't that close. It was obvious to me and everyone else there. Oh well. I'll take his time of 53.98. Fun stuff and I'm not as bitter as I might sound. The 800 was next and it's tough to shake the lactic acid from the 4. I ran 1:59.24. Sweet! I felt great but didn't get out well. I was feeling heavy especially in the upper body from the 400. (Even though I had plenty of time between events). Kicked hard but it didn't feel as smooth as last week. I'm pumped to break 2 though and can't wait for next week. This 4x800 world record thing might not happen but I'm happy knowing that I'm fast enough. We'll see hopefully guys will get motivated. Today was a ton of fun. I love racing on the track!

Friday, December 21

Am:1mi with kids at school + circuits. Pm:7mi/48min in Pisgah with Ferenc and the girls. Nice run. The rain let up but we splashed through countless puddles. Feeling good. Tomorrow racing the 400 and 800 at the BU Mini Meet#2. Should be interesting running the 400. I haven't raced one since 1995. It'll be tough doing an 800 after the 4. I have no idea what to seed myself in the 4. I'm excited for both!

Thursday, December 20

Am:2miles with kids at school. pm:had to ref 2 games. Legs sore today.

Wednesday, December 19

Am:2miles with kids at school. pm:11mi*/74min with Drummer Hill repeats. Ran with Boj, George and Andy. We did 6x400 + 4x200. Result: (69,71,68,67,67,64) +(29,30,30,28) I'm really pleased. Stayed smooth and relaxed. Feeling good!

Tuesday, December 18

Am:1mi with kids at school. Lifted weights. pm: 3mi/19min + 6x8sec hill sprints with Griffin in the dark on the roads. I came home from school and fell asleep on my couch. I guess I needed the rest. I felt awesome on the hill sprints. Feeling strong and fast. I just need to get some mileage! It's tough during the darkest week of the year.

Monday, December 17

5mi/33min in Pisgah with Griffin. 1" of snow on the trails. There was a light freezing drizzle coming down. I felt really good.

Sunday, December 16

14mi/1:35 in Saxton's River trails with Ferenc and his girls. Nice weather with a little snow on the ground and more coming down. Watched an interesting true documentary about Abraham Lincoln. The 16th President was damn good at killing Vampires with a silver tipped axe. History is so fascinating!

Saturday, December 15 - BU Mini Meet

9mi*/60min. Drove down with Boj and Glenn. Watched all the CMS guys run the 3000. They ran great. It's great seeing so many running track. I got ready for the mile. I felt very anxious on the line. Got bumped and jostled for the first 600m then worked my way up to 2nd place. I think I went through the 800m in 2:13 or so. After the 1000m a guy went flying into the lead. I couldn't match it and hung onto 2nd losing ground in the next 3 laps. I hit the line in 4:24. It was a pretty disappointing race. I never felt comfortable out there. I cooled down and watched every one run their mile races. I couldn't wrap my head around racing the 800. This was gonna suck! The 800 went off and I sat near the back through 200m and 400m. After 400 I couldn't believe how good I was feeling. I started to move up but got boxed in after the first turn. I waited until the homestretch and then I went in lane 2 and started cranking. I hit the bell and was flying by people. I caught the leader right before the final turn and blew by him. I hit the line in first in 2:00.29. Almost snuck under 2 min. I was pumped and surprised that I was able to run that time in my first 800 of the season. I'm excited to run a few more and crack 2min and maybe go after my pr of 1:58.0 set in 1997.

Friday, December 14

Am: 4mi/30min. Pm: 8mi/51min in Pisgah. Jen and Griffin had a 5 minute head start. I caught up to them at Fullam Pond. I ran solo the rest of the way just rolling along. I felt great out there and the weather was nice.

Thursday, December 13

Am:2miles with kids at school. Lifted weights. Pm:had to ref 2 games.

Wednesday, December 12

Am:1mile with kids at school. pm:10mi*/66min with track workout. 800-400x4 w/200rest. (2:25,70,2:25,70,2:24,69,2:19,66) With Mark and Andy. (Boj,George and Chris there also) I'm pleased with this effort. I managed to stay relaxed during the entire workout. Mark absolutely killed this and looks super fit right now.

Tuesday, December 11

Am:2miles with kids at school. Lifted weights. Pm: had to ref 2 games. This is going to be a very low mileage week. Oh well. I suppose there are bigger tragedies in the world.

Monday. December 10

Am: 1mi with kids at school. Pm: didn't run.

Sunday, December 9

10mi/66min on the roads of Putney,VT with Fyffe. Good run. I was feeling a little sore and tired. Was gonna do a long run but decided to take an easier day. 60miles for the week. I want to get more miles but it's tough with the lack of day light. It's probably good for me though to take a month with lower mileage.

Saturday, December 8

9mi*/58min at the Concord Jingle Bell 5K. 16:01 (5:10) 1st place. I ran solo after the first quarter mile. My miles were (5:06,5:15,5:12,28) It was 33° and raining. Miserable weather! There were puddles on the first and third miles Which probably slowed me down a bit, still I hate running in the 16's! I'm happy to get my second win here and raise money to fight arthritis.

Friday, December 7

Am:2miles with kids at school. Lifted weights. pm:7mi/50min in Pisgah with Goupil and Griffin. Dark and drizzly day. Good run. Race tomorrow.

Thursday, December 6

Am:2miles with kids at school. Pm: had a meeting that went late. Glenn came over and we talked about running and coaching.

Wednesday, December 5

Am:2miles with kids at school. Pm:11mi*/74min with Miller, George and Andy in Marlborough with 8 x Forrest Hills. Result (90,88,84,80,75,78,83,xx) I went too fast on the 5th one and just couldn't clear the lactic acid. I rigged in the last 100m of the 6th one and then rigged even harder in the last 200m of the 7th. I had to pull the plug and skipped the last repeat. I hate rigging up like that in workouts! I need to run with more control. It was cold with snow flurries during the run. Good vegetarian recovery chili after courtesy of Miller.

Tuesday, December 4

Am:2miles with kids at school. Lifted weights. pm:4mi*/25min in Pisgah with Griffin + 4x8 sec hill sprints. Feel great!

Monday, December 3

Am:1mile with kids at school. pm:10mi/71min in Saxton's River trails with Ferenc and the girls. Good run. Warm weather. Finished wearing the head lamps. Had wings after to celebrate Ferenc's birthday.

Sunday, December 2

10mi/74min went with Jen and Pard to the Pearl Harbor Master's Race. I wasn't old enough to race so I had to bandit. I ran the 5.2 Mile course in 33min as a warmup and then got on the line with Jen and Pard and his running buddies Carol Anne and Paul. I decided I would run with whomever was behind so I could see both Jen and Pard's race. Jen lead Pard for 2.5 miles and then he passed her. I ran with Jen the rest of the way. She was able to dig down for a kick to hold onto 3rd place and 1st in her age group. Pard got 3rd in his age group. Good food and beverages after. It was fun seeing Pard in his post race glory talking with all his running friends. This is a great race. Someday , when I grow up, I'd like to race it!

Saturday, December 1

Am:3mi/20min in the snow before driving to Rhode Island. pm:14mi*/1:32 with Blue vs White Alumni Meet at URI. Did a 5mile warmup with Eric and Wayne who ran at URI in the late 80's. They were both sprinters and hurdlers that now do tri's. Then I raced the 3000 in 8:51. I got beat by a college kid by 3 sec but was able to put 3 sec on Matty P in the final 200m. Next some light jogging then on the line to race the 1500. My calves were screaming from the 3000 so I wore flats. I felt dead in the 1500 and just wanted to get a good workout in and hopefully beat Matty! I started in the back and slowly moved up in place as Others slowed down. Matty had a 3 second gap on me hitting the bell lap. I dug down and caught him before the finish line for a photo finish. It was close! The final results had me in 3rd in 4:14.8 to Matty's 4:14.9 He joked about making an appeal, it was funny. We cooled down with 5 more miles and I ended with a Bruce Denton-like 17 miles for the day. Jen,Jill, Matty and I went to the Mew's after and the rest of the alumni were there. Awesome day!!

Friday, November 30

Am:2miles with kids at school. pm:8mi/51:30 in Pisgah with Griffin and (Jen). I felt great out there. Just rolling along and Waiting for Jen and Griffin at a couple pts. Cranked out some pushups while I waited. I saw a guy and his yellow lab playing catch out on the ice at Fullam Pond. Crazy! I wouldn't trust the ice yet! Total miles for November: 274. 63.9 mpw avg. Not bad for me this time of year. 2 pr's and some quality track workouts. I need to keep it going for December. Keep lifting too.

Thursday, November 29

1mile with kids at school. Lifted weights. My body is really sore from the hill sprints and track workout. Needed a rest day.