Monday:
3mi/23min in Friedsam with the Running Club. Fun slipping and sliding in the snow and mud with the kids.
Tuesday:
5mi/37min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice easy run. The snow is almost gone already. We saw 2 hunters out there. I think this is the last week of hunting season. I'll be happy when it's over but not as happy as the deer!
Wednesday:
2mi/14min in Pisgah with Griffin. I was going to run longer but the ice was bothering Griffin's feet. Lifted weights.
Thursday:
2mi/15min in Friedsam with Griffin.
Friday:
3mi/20min on the roads solo in the morning. I had a meeting til 7:30 at night after school.
Saturday:
9mi/1:02 on the Putney Mtn trails with Ferenc, Lena, Ellie, and Griffin. Good run. Freezing rain 32 degrees. 2" of snow on the trails. Feeling good.
Sunday:
15mi/1:45 in the Gilsum woods with George. Beautiful weather, 29 degrees and sunny. Feel decent.
Total for the week:
39mi.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Week of November 24th to 30th, 2014
Monday:
3mi/24min in Friedsam with Running Club. It's fun running trails with those kids. They make me laugh.
Tuesday:
0mi. I got out of work and it was dark and I was feeling unmotivated and lazy.
Wednesday:
0mi. Woke up early and drove to Corning, NY to beat the coming storm. Hung out with family and had no time for a run.
Thursday:
8mi*/51min - Pie and Glove 5K Corning, NY - 16:14 (5:14) 4th place.
It was cold and snowy but the roads were clear. I sat in fourth place through the mile in 5:07 only a few ticks behind the 3 leaders. The winner (Nick) made a strong surge after the mile, passing the college kids that were leading and they tried to go with him. I immediately lost contact and ran the rest of the race in no-man's-land. I just didn't have the fitness to match that move. I didn't see any of the other mile markers, but I was clearly slowing down based on the gap that the 3 guys ahead were creating. I hit the line in 16:14 for my slowest finish here ever after 5 years of racing. I won a pie for my efforts but the results were messed up and I didn't get to pick up my pie. I had fun and was pleased with my race even though it was my slowest there. Great dinner after. A race always makes the meal taste better!
Friday:
4mi/38min in Watkins Glen State Park with Jen and Griffin. This was a cold morning, 23 degrees. We ran on the snow covered trails. There were some awesome and somewhat scary views of the gorge below us. Fun place to run.
Saturday:
0mi. Drove back from NY and I had to shovel for a couple hours. Didn't feel like running. This is going to be a low mileage week anyway.
Sunday:
9mi/1:01 on the Athens, VT trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Fun running in the deep snow. The traction was good and we didn't use snowshoes. Nice easy run.
Total for the week:
24mi. Pretty crappy week but I had a fun race and a nice trip out to NY. I'll get the miles up next week. This time of year is always a challenge with the lack of day light.
3mi/24min in Friedsam with Running Club. It's fun running trails with those kids. They make me laugh.
Tuesday:
0mi. I got out of work and it was dark and I was feeling unmotivated and lazy.
Wednesday:
0mi. Woke up early and drove to Corning, NY to beat the coming storm. Hung out with family and had no time for a run.
Thursday:
8mi*/51min - Pie and Glove 5K Corning, NY - 16:14 (5:14) 4th place.
It was cold and snowy but the roads were clear. I sat in fourth place through the mile in 5:07 only a few ticks behind the 3 leaders. The winner (Nick) made a strong surge after the mile, passing the college kids that were leading and they tried to go with him. I immediately lost contact and ran the rest of the race in no-man's-land. I just didn't have the fitness to match that move. I didn't see any of the other mile markers, but I was clearly slowing down based on the gap that the 3 guys ahead were creating. I hit the line in 16:14 for my slowest finish here ever after 5 years of racing. I won a pie for my efforts but the results were messed up and I didn't get to pick up my pie. I had fun and was pleased with my race even though it was my slowest there. Great dinner after. A race always makes the meal taste better!
Friday:
4mi/38min in Watkins Glen State Park with Jen and Griffin. This was a cold morning, 23 degrees. We ran on the snow covered trails. There were some awesome and somewhat scary views of the gorge below us. Fun place to run.
Saturday:
0mi. Drove back from NY and I had to shovel for a couple hours. Didn't feel like running. This is going to be a low mileage week anyway.
Sunday:
9mi/1:01 on the Athens, VT trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Fun running in the deep snow. The traction was good and we didn't use snowshoes. Nice easy run.
Total for the week:
24mi. Pretty crappy week but I had a fun race and a nice trip out to NY. I'll get the miles up next week. This time of year is always a challenge with the lack of day light.
Monday, November 24, 2014
Week of November 17th to 23rd, 2014
Monday:
0mi. Rest day. My body is sore today from Lil Rhody. It was also nasty weather with freezing rain and rain all day. A perfect day to rest up.
Tuesday:
AM: 3mi/21min on the roads solo. Feel good.
PM: 7mi/47min in Pisgah with Griffin. Good run. Saw a tiny porcupine walking around. Cute little guy!
Wednesday:
0mi. Lazy day.
Thursday:
9mi/65min in Waterville Valley up Snow's Mtn with Pat Ard. Good run. I got dropped hard going up Snow's. Legs heavy and sluggish. Good run though with cold temps and snow flurries. 1/2" of snow on the trails.
Friday:
5mi/36min on the Waterville Valley roads with Pat Ard. Feeling tired but it's always nice running with Pat. He's a cool dude and it's fun talking PE, running and life with him.
Saturday:
11mi/77min on the Athens, VT trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Good run. Chilly weather. We saw a deer. It ran right by us. It was a little spike-horn buck. He was bedded down and we flushed him out. Hopefully, no hunters got him. Finishing the run, we saw a dead 3-ptr in the back of some hunters truck. Not the same deer. I'm not against hunting, it's good organic meat, but I do feel a little bit sorry for the suckers. I've watched Bambi too many times I guess. I still love venison if anyone wants to give me some!
Sunday:
19mi*/2:10 in Pisgah with George, Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Nice easy run. It started out chilly but got warm by the end of the run. Beautiful day!
Total for the week:
54miles. OK week. I have two races next week (Pie and Glove 5K in Corning, NY on Thanksgiving and the Jingle Bell 5K in Concord on Sunday). After that, I'm going to reset and rebuild my aerobic base.
0mi. Rest day. My body is sore today from Lil Rhody. It was also nasty weather with freezing rain and rain all day. A perfect day to rest up.
Tuesday:
AM: 3mi/21min on the roads solo. Feel good.
PM: 7mi/47min in Pisgah with Griffin. Good run. Saw a tiny porcupine walking around. Cute little guy!
Wednesday:
0mi. Lazy day.
Thursday:
9mi/65min in Waterville Valley up Snow's Mtn with Pat Ard. Good run. I got dropped hard going up Snow's. Legs heavy and sluggish. Good run though with cold temps and snow flurries. 1/2" of snow on the trails.
Friday:
5mi/36min on the Waterville Valley roads with Pat Ard. Feeling tired but it's always nice running with Pat. He's a cool dude and it's fun talking PE, running and life with him.
Saturday:
11mi/77min on the Athens, VT trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Good run. Chilly weather. We saw a deer. It ran right by us. It was a little spike-horn buck. He was bedded down and we flushed him out. Hopefully, no hunters got him. Finishing the run, we saw a dead 3-ptr in the back of some hunters truck. Not the same deer. I'm not against hunting, it's good organic meat, but I do feel a little bit sorry for the suckers. I've watched Bambi too many times I guess. I still love venison if anyone wants to give me some!
Sunday:
19mi*/2:10 in Pisgah with George, Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Nice easy run. It started out chilly but got warm by the end of the run. Beautiful day!
Total for the week:
54miles. OK week. I have two races next week (Pie and Glove 5K in Corning, NY on Thanksgiving and the Jingle Bell 5K in Concord on Sunday). After that, I'm going to reset and rebuild my aerobic base.
Monday, November 17, 2014
Week of November 10th to 16th, 2014 - Lil Rhody
Monday:
3mi/24min in Friedsam with the Running Club. Uh Oh. My cold is coming back with a vengeance. Starting to get a fever too. Feels like a sinus infection.
Tuesday:
0mi. Wow. Feeling sick. Went to the doctor's and got meds for a sinus infection. I have a fever and my sinuses in my face hurt.
Wednesday:
0mi. Still sick. Meds not working yet.
Thursday:
5mi/33min on the roads solo + drills and sprints. Starting to feel ok.
Friday:
3.5mi/27min with kids at Running Club. Feeling decent.
Saturday:
32min/4.5mi in Pisgah with Griffin. Good run, cold weather. I feel healthy now. Ready or not, Lil Rhody is tomorrow.
Sunday:
13mi*/1:20 - Lil Rhody Runaround 8mi trail race - 46:03 (5:45) - 2nd place.
I was excited and nervous heading into this year's race. I always want to do well here and it's a goal race every year for me. I was curious to see how my body would feel after 2 weeks of being sick and being on meds for a sinus infection. I have to say, during the race it felt fine. I was at 100%. I debated my race strategy multiple times as I was warming up and even jogging to the line. I knew Mike Galoob was super fit and I wasn't sure if I should sit behind him and let him lead and just try to stick with him. As the gun went off, I decided to run my usual race and take it out fast. I immediately had a small gap of a few seconds. I really didn't expect this, I figured Mike and possibly Ryan Carrara would be right on my heels. I kept my lead through the campground and back into the trails. Coming off one of the long bridges there is a sharp left-hand turn, it's always the first place I look back in the race. I glanced back and Mike was 5 seconds back, but no one else was in sight. I got the dreadful feeling that I wouldn't be holding off Mike for long and he would be catching me soon. This premonition proved correct and Mike caught me right at the Vin-Gormley covered bridge.
He used the demoralizing strategy of talking to me as he caught up. "Wow this is fun! I usually can't see you at this point in this race. How you feeling?" He clearly exclaimed without breathing heavy at all.
I gasped back, "Good." That was my best poker face and I tried to pretend I felt fine. I don't think he was buying it because about 5 seconds later he asked again, "Are you doing ok?". With that he took the lead and danced easily away from me. I tried to not let him get a gap. I tried to stay on his back and not let the elastic snap. It lasted for about 10 seconds and then snap he pulled away smoothly while I just tried to keep tough. I told myself maybe he would struggle late, just keep him close. Ahh the lies we tell ourselves, deep down I knew he was gone and I wasn't going to win.
I tried to stay tough and when we dumped out onto Buckeye Brook Rd, I checked his lead as he headed back onto the trails. It was 22 seconds. I told myself to get tough make it hurt it's only 22 seconds, work hard, close that damn gap! The last time I saw him was after the ledges climb and then the hard right-hand turn switchback. I was too tired to check his lead but it looked bigger that 22 seconds. I never saw him again and I knew he was running fast and I also knew that I was starting to really suffer and slow down. After the climb where the Ornstein's were sitting, I stopped thinking about catching Mike and I started looking back. Was Ryan Carrara lurking back there about to pass me? Ben Nephew? Muddy? Jonny? Thankfully, I couldn't see anyone and I figured I had 2nd place in the bag.
Coming out onto Kings Factory Rd, I was tired. Some years, I feel strong and really smoke the road section to the finish. This year, I was in survival mode just desperate to see the finish line. Mercifully, I hit the turn into the parking lot, I heard my family cheering for me, and I crossed the finish line (ending my suffering). I was disappointed to not break 46min as I consider running in the 45's my standard for a decent race. I saw Galoob and congratulated him on an awesome run and was happy to hear he broke the course record. The old record was 44:36 by Stephen Herrera. Mike broke the record by 3 seconds!
It didn't take long for a whole train of guys to come into the finishing chute. Jonny ran a monster pr and it seemed that everyone was pr' ing left and right. I was glad to see everyone run so well. I saw some chatter on Facebook regarding the perfect conditions being the reason for all the fast times up front and I'm going to chime in with I disagree. The conditions have been like this many times. The difference this year was the fitness and depth of everyone in the top 15 or so. Everyone pushed each other to fast times and people are in great shape this year. The conditions were good, but they've been good a lot at this race. Great job to everyone!
On the cool down I was bonking and Jen wanted to leave and I gladly got a ride home with her. Fun times at Jonny's house after the race. I hope I can get myself back in shape next year to run in the 44's and challenge Mike's record, but I don't know, damn that's fast. We'll see.
Total for the week:
29mi. Not a great week. I feel recovered from my sinus infection. Lil Rhody was fun. Time to reset and figure out my goals for the winter.
3mi/24min in Friedsam with the Running Club. Uh Oh. My cold is coming back with a vengeance. Starting to get a fever too. Feels like a sinus infection.
Tuesday:
0mi. Wow. Feeling sick. Went to the doctor's and got meds for a sinus infection. I have a fever and my sinuses in my face hurt.
Wednesday:
0mi. Still sick. Meds not working yet.
Thursday:
5mi/33min on the roads solo + drills and sprints. Starting to feel ok.
Friday:
3.5mi/27min with kids at Running Club. Feeling decent.
Saturday:
32min/4.5mi in Pisgah with Griffin. Good run, cold weather. I feel healthy now. Ready or not, Lil Rhody is tomorrow.
Sunday:
13mi*/1:20 - Lil Rhody Runaround 8mi trail race - 46:03 (5:45) - 2nd place.
I was excited and nervous heading into this year's race. I always want to do well here and it's a goal race every year for me. I was curious to see how my body would feel after 2 weeks of being sick and being on meds for a sinus infection. I have to say, during the race it felt fine. I was at 100%. I debated my race strategy multiple times as I was warming up and even jogging to the line. I knew Mike Galoob was super fit and I wasn't sure if I should sit behind him and let him lead and just try to stick with him. As the gun went off, I decided to run my usual race and take it out fast. I immediately had a small gap of a few seconds. I really didn't expect this, I figured Mike and possibly Ryan Carrara would be right on my heels. I kept my lead through the campground and back into the trails. Coming off one of the long bridges there is a sharp left-hand turn, it's always the first place I look back in the race. I glanced back and Mike was 5 seconds back, but no one else was in sight. I got the dreadful feeling that I wouldn't be holding off Mike for long and he would be catching me soon. This premonition proved correct and Mike caught me right at the Vin-Gormley covered bridge.
He used the demoralizing strategy of talking to me as he caught up. "Wow this is fun! I usually can't see you at this point in this race. How you feeling?" He clearly exclaimed without breathing heavy at all.
I gasped back, "Good." That was my best poker face and I tried to pretend I felt fine. I don't think he was buying it because about 5 seconds later he asked again, "Are you doing ok?". With that he took the lead and danced easily away from me. I tried to not let him get a gap. I tried to stay on his back and not let the elastic snap. It lasted for about 10 seconds and then snap he pulled away smoothly while I just tried to keep tough. I told myself maybe he would struggle late, just keep him close. Ahh the lies we tell ourselves, deep down I knew he was gone and I wasn't going to win.
I tried to stay tough and when we dumped out onto Buckeye Brook Rd, I checked his lead as he headed back onto the trails. It was 22 seconds. I told myself to get tough make it hurt it's only 22 seconds, work hard, close that damn gap! The last time I saw him was after the ledges climb and then the hard right-hand turn switchback. I was too tired to check his lead but it looked bigger that 22 seconds. I never saw him again and I knew he was running fast and I also knew that I was starting to really suffer and slow down. After the climb where the Ornstein's were sitting, I stopped thinking about catching Mike and I started looking back. Was Ryan Carrara lurking back there about to pass me? Ben Nephew? Muddy? Jonny? Thankfully, I couldn't see anyone and I figured I had 2nd place in the bag.
Coming out onto Kings Factory Rd, I was tired. Some years, I feel strong and really smoke the road section to the finish. This year, I was in survival mode just desperate to see the finish line. Mercifully, I hit the turn into the parking lot, I heard my family cheering for me, and I crossed the finish line (ending my suffering). I was disappointed to not break 46min as I consider running in the 45's my standard for a decent race. I saw Galoob and congratulated him on an awesome run and was happy to hear he broke the course record. The old record was 44:36 by Stephen Herrera. Mike broke the record by 3 seconds!
It didn't take long for a whole train of guys to come into the finishing chute. Jonny ran a monster pr and it seemed that everyone was pr' ing left and right. I was glad to see everyone run so well. I saw some chatter on Facebook regarding the perfect conditions being the reason for all the fast times up front and I'm going to chime in with I disagree. The conditions have been like this many times. The difference this year was the fitness and depth of everyone in the top 15 or so. Everyone pushed each other to fast times and people are in great shape this year. The conditions were good, but they've been good a lot at this race. Great job to everyone!
On the cool down I was bonking and Jen wanted to leave and I gladly got a ride home with her. Fun times at Jonny's house after the race. I hope I can get myself back in shape next year to run in the 44's and challenge Mike's record, but I don't know, damn that's fast. We'll see.
Total for the week:
29mi. Not a great week. I feel recovered from my sinus infection. Lil Rhody was fun. Time to reset and figure out my goals for the winter.
Week of November 3rd to 9th, 2014
Monday:
AM: 2mi with kids at school.
PM: 3mi/24min in Friedsam with Running Club.
Tuesday:
0mi.
Wednesday:
4mi/28min in Pisgah with Griffin. My cold is brutal. This is a rough one.
Thursday:
5mi/34min on the roads with drills and sprints. Feeling sick.
Friday:
0mi. Ugghh. Feeling pretty sick. No energy to run.
Saturday:
10mi/69min in Pisgah with Griffin. Fantastic run! Feeling a lot better today.
PM: 2mi/19min up Moon Ledges with Jonny. Fun run. Lot's of slipping in the leaves because I was wearing road shoes.
Sunday:
17mi/1:53 in Pisgah with Ferenc, George, Thomas, Brett, Summit and Lena. Great run. We saw a baby moose on Hubbard Hill. Feeling good.
Total for the week:
43mi. Not a good week. My cold finally seems to be gone.
AM: 2mi with kids at school.
PM: 3mi/24min in Friedsam with Running Club.
Tuesday:
0mi.
Wednesday:
4mi/28min in Pisgah with Griffin. My cold is brutal. This is a rough one.
Thursday:
5mi/34min on the roads with drills and sprints. Feeling sick.
Friday:
0mi. Ugghh. Feeling pretty sick. No energy to run.
Saturday:
10mi/69min in Pisgah with Griffin. Fantastic run! Feeling a lot better today.
PM: 2mi/19min up Moon Ledges with Jonny. Fun run. Lot's of slipping in the leaves because I was wearing road shoes.
Sunday:
17mi/1:53 in Pisgah with Ferenc, George, Thomas, Brett, Summit and Lena. Great run. We saw a baby moose on Hubbard Hill. Feeling good.
Total for the week:
43mi. Not a good week. My cold finally seems to be gone.
Week of October 27th to November 2nd, 2014
Monday:
AM: 2mi with kids at school.
PM: 8mi/51min in Pisgah with Griffin. I'm starting to get a cold.
Tuesday:
AM: 5mi with kids at school.
PM: 10mi/64min in Pisgah with Ferenc and the girls. Great run. 60 degrees, nice weather!
Wednesday:
AM: 4mi with kids at school.
PM: 9mi/63min on the Athens trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Tough run. Legs tired and I have a nasty cold. Losing my voice.
Thursday:
0mi. Lifted weights in the morning. Not feeling great.
Friday:
4mi with kids at school.
Saturday:
10mi/67min in Pisgah with Brett, Thomas, Summit and Griffin. Good run. Left knee plica bugging me a little bit. I'll have to watch that.
Sunday:
18mi/2:07 on Athen's trails with Ferenc, Pat, MacKnight, Lena and Ellie. Good run. I have a pretty nasty cold and feeling run down after. Lot's of coughing.
Total for the week:
70mi. OK week. I need to get over this cold and get healthy.
AM: 2mi with kids at school.
PM: 8mi/51min in Pisgah with Griffin. I'm starting to get a cold.
Tuesday:
AM: 5mi with kids at school.
PM: 10mi/64min in Pisgah with Ferenc and the girls. Great run. 60 degrees, nice weather!
Wednesday:
AM: 4mi with kids at school.
PM: 9mi/63min on the Athens trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Tough run. Legs tired and I have a nasty cold. Losing my voice.
Thursday:
0mi. Lifted weights in the morning. Not feeling great.
Friday:
4mi with kids at school.
Saturday:
10mi/67min in Pisgah with Brett, Thomas, Summit and Griffin. Good run. Left knee plica bugging me a little bit. I'll have to watch that.
Sunday:
18mi/2:07 on Athen's trails with Ferenc, Pat, MacKnight, Lena and Ellie. Good run. I have a pretty nasty cold and feeling run down after. Lot's of coughing.
Total for the week:
70mi. OK week. I need to get over this cold and get healthy.
Week of October 20th to 26th, 2014
Monday:
AM: 2mi with kids at school.
PM: 7mi/53min on the Saxton's River trails with Ferenc and the girls. Calves are sore.
Tuesday:
AM: 2mi with kids at school.
PM: 3mi/24min in Friedsam with XC team. Last practice with the kids.
Wednesday:
4mi at school with kids. I had a meeting in the afternoon.
Thursday:
10mi/67min in Pisgah with Ferenc and the girls. Good run.
Friday:
AM: 2mi with kids at school.
PM: 10mi/70min on the Putney Mtn trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Great run.
Saturday:
5mi/35min on the Saxton's River trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Helped Ferenc and Emily move after the run. Fun day.
Sunday:
0mi. Lazy day.
Total for the week:
Not a great week. I need to get my mileage up.
AM: 2mi with kids at school.
PM: 7mi/53min on the Saxton's River trails with Ferenc and the girls. Calves are sore.
Tuesday:
AM: 2mi with kids at school.
PM: 3mi/24min in Friedsam with XC team. Last practice with the kids.
Wednesday:
4mi at school with kids. I had a meeting in the afternoon.
Thursday:
10mi/67min in Pisgah with Ferenc and the girls. Good run.
Friday:
AM: 2mi with kids at school.
PM: 10mi/70min on the Putney Mtn trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Great run.
Saturday:
5mi/35min on the Saxton's River trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Helped Ferenc and Emily move after the run. Fun day.
Sunday:
0mi. Lazy day.
Total for the week:
Not a great week. I need to get my mileage up.
Week of October 13th to 19th, 2014
Monday:
3mi/23min in Friedsam with XC team. Not too sore today.
Tuesday:
0mi. Had a dentist appointment.
Wednesday:
2mi/16min at school with kids. Had an XC meet afterschool.
Thursday:
10mi/70min in Pisgah with Ferenc and the girls. Raining and warm, 70F. Lifted weights in the morning.
Friday:
7mi/47min in Pisgah with Brett, Summit and Griffin. Saw a huge porcupine.
Saturday:
AM: 5mi/35min + drills and sprints. I got this run in early before the State Meet.
PM: 2mi* at the State Meet jogging warm-ups and sprinting like crazy all around the meet to cheer for the kids. Great day! We did awesome.
Sunday:
14mi*/1:25 - Granite State 10miler - 55:51 (5:35) - 1st place.
It was a windy chilly day. I sat behind Eric Williams through the first half of the race and then opened up a small gap on a downhill after the 5mile mark. (28:44). I was able to increase my lead and get the win running a nice negative split. (27:07). It is mostly downhill in the second half. I'm happy with this race. It's a tough course so the time is better than it appears. Jen and I did this race to celebrate our 3rd anniversary. It's become our anniversary tradition and it's a fun one. Jen joked after her race, "Why didn't we pick a 5K? 10 miles is tough!"
Total for the week:
43mi. Ok week. Last week of XC season!
3mi/23min in Friedsam with XC team. Not too sore today.
Tuesday:
0mi. Had a dentist appointment.
Wednesday:
2mi/16min at school with kids. Had an XC meet afterschool.
Thursday:
10mi/70min in Pisgah with Ferenc and the girls. Raining and warm, 70F. Lifted weights in the morning.
Friday:
7mi/47min in Pisgah with Brett, Summit and Griffin. Saw a huge porcupine.
Saturday:
AM: 5mi/35min + drills and sprints. I got this run in early before the State Meet.
PM: 2mi* at the State Meet jogging warm-ups and sprinting like crazy all around the meet to cheer for the kids. Great day! We did awesome.
Sunday:
14mi*/1:25 - Granite State 10miler - 55:51 (5:35) - 1st place.
It was a windy chilly day. I sat behind Eric Williams through the first half of the race and then opened up a small gap on a downhill after the 5mile mark. (28:44). I was able to increase my lead and get the win running a nice negative split. (27:07). It is mostly downhill in the second half. I'm happy with this race. It's a tough course so the time is better than it appears. Jen and I did this race to celebrate our 3rd anniversary. It's become our anniversary tradition and it's a fun one. Jen joked after her race, "Why didn't we pick a 5K? 10 miles is tough!"
Total for the week:
43mi. Ok week. Last week of XC season!
Week of October 6th to 12th, 2014
Monday:
AM: 3mi/24min with kids at school.
PM: 8mi/54min on Saxton's River trails with Ferenc and the girls. Pulled a deer tick out of my calf. I'll have to watch that.
Tuesday:
8mi*/47min in Pisgah with Brett. We ran 7mi at m.p. in 39:41. Great run! Lifted weights in the morning.
Wednesday:
5mi/40min with kids at school.
Thursday:
AM: 3.5mi with kids at school.
PM: 3.5mi/30min with kids at xc practice.
PM#2: 9mi/60min in Pisgah with Brett, Ferenc and the girls. Great run.
Friday:
Am: 1mi with kids at school.
PM: 9mi/63min on Grafton Ledge Rd. trails with Ferenc, Brett, Lena and Ellie. Legs tired. Wore the head lamps last 15min.
Saturday:
4mi/33min in Pisgah with Jen and Griffin. Nice and easy run in the rain and drizzle.
Sunday:
16mi*/1:45 - Monroe Dunbar Brook 10.5mi trail race - 1:17:04 - 1st place.
The weather was beautiful. I took the lead with Steven Grainger, Brett and Brian Rusiecki right behind me. We hit the big climb and Steven and I started to get a little separation from Brett and Brian. Steven stuck right with me as we ran by the first aid station and turned up toward the summit. Steven jumped in the lead and I sat behind him. Brian started reeling us in and I decided to make a move by Steven. As we got near the top, I could see Brian very close to me. I took off on the descent and just had fun hammering down the mountain. I glanced back on the dirt road and Steven was 20 sec back. He must have been going fast on the downhills too. I hit the first stream crossing and again Steven was not too far behind. I was getting tired, but knew I had enough in the tank to finish and first and that's what I did. Steven ended up only 35seconds back in 2nd place. It was a fun day and I love that course.
Total for the week:
70miles. Great week. Fun race on Sunday and good miles.
AM: 3mi/24min with kids at school.
PM: 8mi/54min on Saxton's River trails with Ferenc and the girls. Pulled a deer tick out of my calf. I'll have to watch that.
Tuesday:
8mi*/47min in Pisgah with Brett. We ran 7mi at m.p. in 39:41. Great run! Lifted weights in the morning.
Wednesday:
5mi/40min with kids at school.
Thursday:
AM: 3.5mi with kids at school.
PM: 3.5mi/30min with kids at xc practice.
PM#2: 9mi/60min in Pisgah with Brett, Ferenc and the girls. Great run.
Friday:
Am: 1mi with kids at school.
PM: 9mi/63min on Grafton Ledge Rd. trails with Ferenc, Brett, Lena and Ellie. Legs tired. Wore the head lamps last 15min.
Saturday:
4mi/33min in Pisgah with Jen and Griffin. Nice and easy run in the rain and drizzle.
Sunday:
16mi*/1:45 - Monroe Dunbar Brook 10.5mi trail race - 1:17:04 - 1st place.
The weather was beautiful. I took the lead with Steven Grainger, Brett and Brian Rusiecki right behind me. We hit the big climb and Steven and I started to get a little separation from Brett and Brian. Steven stuck right with me as we ran by the first aid station and turned up toward the summit. Steven jumped in the lead and I sat behind him. Brian started reeling us in and I decided to make a move by Steven. As we got near the top, I could see Brian very close to me. I took off on the descent and just had fun hammering down the mountain. I glanced back on the dirt road and Steven was 20 sec back. He must have been going fast on the downhills too. I hit the first stream crossing and again Steven was not too far behind. I was getting tired, but knew I had enough in the tank to finish and first and that's what I did. Steven ended up only 35seconds back in 2nd place. It was a fun day and I love that course.
Total for the week:
70miles. Great week. Fun race on Sunday and good miles.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Week of September 29th to October 5th, 2014
Monday:
AM: 3mi/19min on the roads solo. Feel good.
XC practice: 3mi/23min in Friedsam Forest with xc team.
PM: 4mi+/33min in Pisgah with Greg E., Champ and Griffin. Good run, nice little triple today.
Tuesday:
AM: 4mi/28min on the roads solo. Drills and sprints after.
PM: 10mi/71min in Pisgah with Brett. Nice run. Feel a little bit tired.
Wednesday:
0mi. Lifted weights. Raining and feeling lazy in the afternoon.
Thursday:
7mi/49min in Pisgah with Greg E., Champ and Griffin. I started out the morning planning to run but I got a massive migraine and called out sick from work. I haven't had one in almost 2years. Not fun. Puked and lied in my bed in the dark for 4 hours. Felt a little better in the afternoon for my run.
Friday:
8mi/54min in Pisgah with Ferenc, Lena, Ellie and Griffin. Feel good. Fantastic weather. Dull headache today from my migraine hangover. Tomorrow race and coach at the Ben Brackett Memorial Invite.
Saturday:
7mi*/46min - Ben Bracket 5K XC - 16:25 (5:17) 2nd place. I sat behind Jon Allard (KHS) through the mile (5:15). He looked smooth and relaxed, I felt pretty good. I thought about just sitting on him and seeing if I could outkick him, but my ego got the better of me. I decided it was more honorable to break him in the second mile so I surged and created a gap. I extended the gap to 8 seconds or so, but he started to reel me in after 2 miles. He caught me and passed me after 2.5mi. I couldn't latch onto him, he was too strong and I watched him pull away and finish 12seconds ahead of me. I was happy with my race, but wish I used different tactics. I definitely was feeling the effects of the strong surge in the second mile. Still, I'm pleased with the result and my fitness is starting to improve. I got a very short cool down in with Chris Barry and then it was time to put on my coaching hat. My kids ran well. My girls ran out of their minds with 3 in the top 10. Unfortunately, my number 4 girl was missing and I was missing my 6,7,8 girls as well, so we didn't score as a team in the girls race. Fun day in the rain.
Sunday:
16mi*/1:53 on the Putney Mtn trails with Ferenc, Brett, Summit, Lena and Ellie. Fantastic run. The weather was absolutely glorious! It was chilly in the 40's to start but the sun was shining. We saw a Golden Eagle migrating south west, soaring over the valley. Stopped at the top of Putney Mountain and talked to the hawk watchers and they confirmed our siting. While talking to them we saw a Cooper's and 5 Sharp-shinned hawks fly over. Beautiful fall day.
Total for the week:
62miles. Pretty good week. The migraine sucked on Thursday, hopefully I won't get anymore of those. I gotta keep up the green smoothies with ginger! (I think they help). I want to double more next week and get some more lifting in. I need to start doing hill sprints too.
AM: 3mi/19min on the roads solo. Feel good.
XC practice: 3mi/23min in Friedsam Forest with xc team.
PM: 4mi+/33min in Pisgah with Greg E., Champ and Griffin. Good run, nice little triple today.
Tuesday:
AM: 4mi/28min on the roads solo. Drills and sprints after.
PM: 10mi/71min in Pisgah with Brett. Nice run. Feel a little bit tired.
Wednesday:
0mi. Lifted weights. Raining and feeling lazy in the afternoon.
Thursday:
7mi/49min in Pisgah with Greg E., Champ and Griffin. I started out the morning planning to run but I got a massive migraine and called out sick from work. I haven't had one in almost 2years. Not fun. Puked and lied in my bed in the dark for 4 hours. Felt a little better in the afternoon for my run.
Friday:
8mi/54min in Pisgah with Ferenc, Lena, Ellie and Griffin. Feel good. Fantastic weather. Dull headache today from my migraine hangover. Tomorrow race and coach at the Ben Brackett Memorial Invite.
Saturday:
7mi*/46min - Ben Bracket 5K XC - 16:25 (5:17) 2nd place. I sat behind Jon Allard (KHS) through the mile (5:15). He looked smooth and relaxed, I felt pretty good. I thought about just sitting on him and seeing if I could outkick him, but my ego got the better of me. I decided it was more honorable to break him in the second mile so I surged and created a gap. I extended the gap to 8 seconds or so, but he started to reel me in after 2 miles. He caught me and passed me after 2.5mi. I couldn't latch onto him, he was too strong and I watched him pull away and finish 12seconds ahead of me. I was happy with my race, but wish I used different tactics. I definitely was feeling the effects of the strong surge in the second mile. Still, I'm pleased with the result and my fitness is starting to improve. I got a very short cool down in with Chris Barry and then it was time to put on my coaching hat. My kids ran well. My girls ran out of their minds with 3 in the top 10. Unfortunately, my number 4 girl was missing and I was missing my 6,7,8 girls as well, so we didn't score as a team in the girls race. Fun day in the rain.
Sunday:
16mi*/1:53 on the Putney Mtn trails with Ferenc, Brett, Summit, Lena and Ellie. Fantastic run. The weather was absolutely glorious! It was chilly in the 40's to start but the sun was shining. We saw a Golden Eagle migrating south west, soaring over the valley. Stopped at the top of Putney Mountain and talked to the hawk watchers and they confirmed our siting. While talking to them we saw a Cooper's and 5 Sharp-shinned hawks fly over. Beautiful fall day.
Total for the week:
62miles. Pretty good week. The migraine sucked on Thursday, hopefully I won't get anymore of those. I gotta keep up the green smoothies with ginger! (I think they help). I want to double more next week and get some more lifting in. I need to start doing hill sprints too.
Week of September 22nd to 28th, 2014
Monday:
3mi/23min in Friedsam with the xc team. Beautiful weather. A wee bit sore.
Tuesday:
AM: 3mi/22min on the roads solo. Good run.
PM: 7mi/53min in Pisgah with Greg E. and Griffin. Great run. Nice weather. Body a bit stiff and sore.
Wednesday:
5mi/35min on the roads solo in the morning. Did drills and sprints after. Had an xc meet in the afternoon. My kids ran great.
Thursday:
0mi. Lifted weights. I'm feeling a little run down with a cold or allergies. I took a short nap in the afternoon.
Friday:
AM: 3mi/20min on the roads solo.
PM: 7mi/49min in Pisgah with Greg E. and Griffin. Nice run feeling good. The Pisgah race is out of my legs now, body feels good.
Saturday:
5mi/35min on the roads solo. Had an xc meet. My kids ran great again.
Sunday:
18mi*/2:05 on the Saxton's River trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Great run. We saw a porcupine and the girls didn't get quilled! The porcupine ran down the trail for a ways and didn't want to climb a tree but eventually it did. Cute little guy.
Total for the week:
51miles. OK week. I need to turn these morning runs into doubles. I'm happy I doubled twice, but shooting for more of those next week.
3mi/23min in Friedsam with the xc team. Beautiful weather. A wee bit sore.
Tuesday:
AM: 3mi/22min on the roads solo. Good run.
PM: 7mi/53min in Pisgah with Greg E. and Griffin. Great run. Nice weather. Body a bit stiff and sore.
Wednesday:
5mi/35min on the roads solo in the morning. Did drills and sprints after. Had an xc meet in the afternoon. My kids ran great.
Thursday:
0mi. Lifted weights. I'm feeling a little run down with a cold or allergies. I took a short nap in the afternoon.
Friday:
AM: 3mi/20min on the roads solo.
PM: 7mi/49min in Pisgah with Greg E. and Griffin. Nice run feeling good. The Pisgah race is out of my legs now, body feels good.
Saturday:
5mi/35min on the roads solo. Had an xc meet. My kids ran great again.
Sunday:
18mi*/2:05 on the Saxton's River trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Great run. We saw a porcupine and the girls didn't get quilled! The porcupine ran down the trail for a ways and didn't want to climb a tree but eventually it did. Cute little guy.
Total for the week:
51miles. OK week. I need to turn these morning runs into doubles. I'm happy I doubled twice, but shooting for more of those next week.
Monday, September 29, 2014
2014 Pisgah Mountain 23K
Pisgah Mountain Trail 23K - 1:36:06 (6:45) 1st place.
I went into this year's Pisgah race a little upset with myself that I didn't do the mileage and the long runs and get myself in shape for the 50K. I kind of told myself after 2012, when I ran the course record on the short course (1:28:55), that I would do the 50K every year after that. I just didn't feel like suffering through a 50K with not enough miles on the old legs this year. So, I took the easy way out and did the 23K. The 23K is a fantastic course and is right in my wheel house. It's almost too bad that there is a 50K going on because it ends up spreading out the talent, when I'd really like to give every trail runner in New England a personal 23K tour of Pisgah State Park. This year, I was going for my 5th win at the 23K. I was pretty sure my biggest competition was racing Andy McCarron on this day. He beat me at the 4 on the 4th in July and we're always pretty close to one another in races. I had no idea how fit Andy was, but I know he's tough and I had to take him seriously. I was also a little worried that I might blow up, and get beaten by my older brother, Jonny.
At the start I took it out fairly fast with Andy sitting right beside me. I got the feeling that this was going to be an epic battle, where we'd run side-by-side all race. I decided that the idea of that was too scary to face, so I picked up the pace to the uncomfortable zone on the dirt road steep hill before entering the park. The kids on my XC team call it "Killer Hill". I got a little separation from Andy. My plan became to get a little gap on him and hammer the first part of the trails and get out of sight. My strategy worked. I started to increase my gap on the climb up the Reservoir Trail. When we hit the tough little switch back climb near North Ponds Trail, I glanced back and I couldn't see Andy anymore. I couldn't relax because I knew Andy could come back on me.
I ran the ridge section pretty well and hit the top in 50:11. I hit this spot in 47:11 back in 2012. I was already 3min off the pace. I figured I could probably run about a 1:35, so this seemed about right. I pushed on down the descents and towards the Kilburn aid station.
I hit Kilburn aid and grabbed a drink. I hustled up the hill on the dirt road and my legs were feeling a bit sluggish. This was not a great sign, but I seemed to still have a comfortable lead. I figured if I could just survive Davis Hill I'd be ok.
I hit Davis and I immediately felt a bit tired. Clearly, my early pace was too fast considering my less than stellar fitness. I started looking back as I slowly made my way up the trail. No Andy in sight. Keep pushing.
Hubbard was much of the same, but the climb is pretty short really. The downhills felt good, and I could still run fast on the descent.
Exiting the park onto my road, I was officially tired and ready to be done. The downhill was fine but a little painful. I was starting to feel hot and thirsty. I hit the road uphill and I started getting blurry vision and felt like I slowed down a ton. I looked back a hundred times. I rolled into the finish line moving not super fast, but satisfied to break the tape for my 5th win. The time was ok. I can live with it. It was my second slowest winning time here. Andy came in 4min later with Jonny right on his heels. It's now no longer a question of "if" but "when" will Jonny beat me in a race. It's inevitable. I doubt it'll be a short race, but he's definitely got a shot of taking me down in a longer race. If I don't do my homework and train hard, he'll beat me. I'm happy for him, but it is motivation to train a bit!
Post race we hung out eating chili and watching the 50Kers finish. Great day! Thanks to Chris and Gary Montgomery for their 13 awesome years of race directing!
I went into this year's Pisgah race a little upset with myself that I didn't do the mileage and the long runs and get myself in shape for the 50K. I kind of told myself after 2012, when I ran the course record on the short course (1:28:55), that I would do the 50K every year after that. I just didn't feel like suffering through a 50K with not enough miles on the old legs this year. So, I took the easy way out and did the 23K. The 23K is a fantastic course and is right in my wheel house. It's almost too bad that there is a 50K going on because it ends up spreading out the talent, when I'd really like to give every trail runner in New England a personal 23K tour of Pisgah State Park. This year, I was going for my 5th win at the 23K. I was pretty sure my biggest competition was racing Andy McCarron on this day. He beat me at the 4 on the 4th in July and we're always pretty close to one another in races. I had no idea how fit Andy was, but I know he's tough and I had to take him seriously. I was also a little worried that I might blow up, and get beaten by my older brother, Jonny.
At the start I took it out fairly fast with Andy sitting right beside me. I got the feeling that this was going to be an epic battle, where we'd run side-by-side all race. I decided that the idea of that was too scary to face, so I picked up the pace to the uncomfortable zone on the dirt road steep hill before entering the park. The kids on my XC team call it "Killer Hill". I got a little separation from Andy. My plan became to get a little gap on him and hammer the first part of the trails and get out of sight. My strategy worked. I started to increase my gap on the climb up the Reservoir Trail. When we hit the tough little switch back climb near North Ponds Trail, I glanced back and I couldn't see Andy anymore. I couldn't relax because I knew Andy could come back on me.
I ran the ridge section pretty well and hit the top in 50:11. I hit this spot in 47:11 back in 2012. I was already 3min off the pace. I figured I could probably run about a 1:35, so this seemed about right. I pushed on down the descents and towards the Kilburn aid station.
I hit Kilburn aid and grabbed a drink. I hustled up the hill on the dirt road and my legs were feeling a bit sluggish. This was not a great sign, but I seemed to still have a comfortable lead. I figured if I could just survive Davis Hill I'd be ok.
I hit Davis and I immediately felt a bit tired. Clearly, my early pace was too fast considering my less than stellar fitness. I started looking back as I slowly made my way up the trail. No Andy in sight. Keep pushing.
Hubbard was much of the same, but the climb is pretty short really. The downhills felt good, and I could still run fast on the descent.
Exiting the park onto my road, I was officially tired and ready to be done. The downhill was fine but a little painful. I was starting to feel hot and thirsty. I hit the road uphill and I started getting blurry vision and felt like I slowed down a ton. I looked back a hundred times. I rolled into the finish line moving not super fast, but satisfied to break the tape for my 5th win. The time was ok. I can live with it. It was my second slowest winning time here. Andy came in 4min later with Jonny right on his heels. It's now no longer a question of "if" but "when" will Jonny beat me in a race. It's inevitable. I doubt it'll be a short race, but he's definitely got a shot of taking me down in a longer race. If I don't do my homework and train hard, he'll beat me. I'm happy for him, but it is motivation to train a bit!
Post race we hung out eating chili and watching the 50Kers finish. Great day! Thanks to Chris and Gary Montgomery for their 13 awesome years of race directing!
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Week of September 15th to 21st, 2014
Monday:
3mi w/XC team in Friedsam Forest
9mi/61min in Saxton's River trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Beautiful weather, feeling good.
Tuesday:
4mi/30min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice and easy, feeling good. Lifted weights in the morning.
Wednesday:
0mi. We had an xc meet afterschool. My kids ran great again. Great day for a race.
Thursday:
AM: 4.5mi/32min on the roads + Sprints and Drills
PM: 3.5mi/28min on the roads w/xc team.
Friday:
7mi*/41:18 in Pisgah solo. I guess I'll call this an m.p. run though really I was just effortlessly letting the legs flow. I think it was due to the easy week and the perfect weather. 55 degrees and sunny. I feel great!
Saturday:
4mi/28min in Pisgah with Jen and Griffin (1.5mi). Nice crisp morning run, 50 degrees and breezy. I'm ready to race tomorrow. It should be fun.
Sunday:
17mi*/1:50 - Pisgah Mountain Trail Race 23K - 1:36:07 (6:45) 1st place.
Total for the week:
52miles. Good week. Happy to win at Pisgah. Sunday was a lot of fun.
3mi w/XC team in Friedsam Forest
9mi/61min in Saxton's River trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Beautiful weather, feeling good.
Tuesday:
4mi/30min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice and easy, feeling good. Lifted weights in the morning.
Wednesday:
0mi. We had an xc meet afterschool. My kids ran great again. Great day for a race.
Thursday:
AM: 4.5mi/32min on the roads + Sprints and Drills
PM: 3.5mi/28min on the roads w/xc team.
Friday:
7mi*/41:18 in Pisgah solo. I guess I'll call this an m.p. run though really I was just effortlessly letting the legs flow. I think it was due to the easy week and the perfect weather. 55 degrees and sunny. I feel great!
Saturday:
4mi/28min in Pisgah with Jen and Griffin (1.5mi). Nice crisp morning run, 50 degrees and breezy. I'm ready to race tomorrow. It should be fun.
Sunday:
17mi*/1:50 - Pisgah Mountain Trail Race 23K - 1:36:07 (6:45) 1st place.
Total for the week:
52miles. Good week. Happy to win at Pisgah. Sunday was a lot of fun.
Week of September 8th to 14th, 2014
Monday:
3mi/25min in Friedsam Forest with the xc team. Body tired. Did circuits at school.
Tuesday:
2mi w/xc team + 7mi/48min in Pisgah with Brett and Griffin. We saw 3 porcupines on this run. I'm glad Summit wasn't with us, he has never met a porcupine before and it could have gotten ugly. Griffin is too wise to mess with them. Beautiful weather. Lifted weights in the morning.
Wednesday:
7mi/56min in Pisgah with Greg E. (my neighbor) and Griffin. Good run nice and easy. We saw another porcupine today. It must be the weather that has them moving around more.
Thursday:
9mi/58min Westmoreland/Walpole trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Good run. I broke through an old snowmobile bridge, scraping up my shin. Great run otherwise.
Friday:
AM: 2mi/14min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice early morning run.
PM: Had an xc meet. My team did great!
Saturday:
14mi/1:36 in Pisgah with Brett, Thomas, Summit and Griffin. Great run! Cool weather 52 degrees. I wore gloves. I love this weather!
Sunday:
10mi*/63min - Josh Billings Runaground Triathlon - 6mi run - 33:26 (5:34) 3rd runner. Our team was 7th overall and we won the coed division. Gorgeous cool weather. I felt pretty good out there, I went out a little too fast and suffered in the second half a little. Fun day.
Total:
54mi. Not a bad week. Feeling good. The weather was great every day.
3mi/25min in Friedsam Forest with the xc team. Body tired. Did circuits at school.
Tuesday:
2mi w/xc team + 7mi/48min in Pisgah with Brett and Griffin. We saw 3 porcupines on this run. I'm glad Summit wasn't with us, he has never met a porcupine before and it could have gotten ugly. Griffin is too wise to mess with them. Beautiful weather. Lifted weights in the morning.
Wednesday:
7mi/56min in Pisgah with Greg E. (my neighbor) and Griffin. Good run nice and easy. We saw another porcupine today. It must be the weather that has them moving around more.
Thursday:
9mi/58min Westmoreland/Walpole trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Good run. I broke through an old snowmobile bridge, scraping up my shin. Great run otherwise.
Friday:
AM: 2mi/14min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice early morning run.
PM: Had an xc meet. My team did great!
Saturday:
14mi/1:36 in Pisgah with Brett, Thomas, Summit and Griffin. Great run! Cool weather 52 degrees. I wore gloves. I love this weather!
Sunday:
10mi*/63min - Josh Billings Runaground Triathlon - 6mi run - 33:26 (5:34) 3rd runner. Our team was 7th overall and we won the coed division. Gorgeous cool weather. I felt pretty good out there, I went out a little too fast and suffered in the second half a little. Fun day.
Total:
54mi. Not a bad week. Feeling good. The weather was great every day.
Monday, September 1, 2014
September 1st to 7th, 2014
Monday:
0mi. Spent the day hanging out on the water with Jen and Griffin. I did some fishing while they swam.
Tuesday:
0mi. Super humid and hot day. Starting to feel sick or possibly allergies. Lifted weights in the morning.
Wednesday:
AM: 5mi/37min. Roads solo before school + sprints and drills.
XC practice: 3mi/25min in Friedsam Forest with the XC team.
PM: 10mi/65min in Pisgah with Brett and Summit. Great run. Nice weather. Less humidity today. Good triple!
Thursday:
0mi. Uggh super sore throat. Not feeling good.
Friday:
8mi+/58min in Pisgah with Ferenc, Lena, Ellie and Griffin. Very humid again today. Good swim after with the moon out over Kilburn Pond. I rode my mountain bike into Hinsdale to pick up my truck that was getting inspected. Man, mtn bikes suck on the roads! Circuits at school.
Saturday:
10mi*/59:42 on the Keene tracks solo. Good m.p. run. It was humid and quite warm. I didn't feel great but glad I got in some quality running. Watched a high school XC meet after the run. Terrible running conditions, super hot and humid.
Sunday:
18mi*/2:09 in Pisgah with Brett and Summit. Fantastic run. Gorgeous weather and feeling good. We ran into Jen and Griffin coming down the ridge.
Total:
54mi. OK week. Good long run and m.p. run.
0mi. Spent the day hanging out on the water with Jen and Griffin. I did some fishing while they swam.
 |
| I caught 10 largemouths. Most were small like this guy. "Grow up, Son!" |
 |
| I caught all my fish on a 5" Sink-O. Most of them hit on the Sink-O's rigged Whacky Style. |
 |
| This hog pounded the Sink-O as soon as it landed in the water. I caught 3 fish this size today. "Come here, Sugar Booger!" |
Tuesday:
0mi. Super humid and hot day. Starting to feel sick or possibly allergies. Lifted weights in the morning.
Wednesday:
AM: 5mi/37min. Roads solo before school + sprints and drills.
XC practice: 3mi/25min in Friedsam Forest with the XC team.
PM: 10mi/65min in Pisgah with Brett and Summit. Great run. Nice weather. Less humidity today. Good triple!
Thursday:
0mi. Uggh super sore throat. Not feeling good.
Friday:
8mi+/58min in Pisgah with Ferenc, Lena, Ellie and Griffin. Very humid again today. Good swim after with the moon out over Kilburn Pond. I rode my mountain bike into Hinsdale to pick up my truck that was getting inspected. Man, mtn bikes suck on the roads! Circuits at school.
Saturday:
10mi*/59:42 on the Keene tracks solo. Good m.p. run. It was humid and quite warm. I didn't feel great but glad I got in some quality running. Watched a high school XC meet after the run. Terrible running conditions, super hot and humid.
Sunday:
18mi*/2:09 in Pisgah with Brett and Summit. Fantastic run. Gorgeous weather and feeling good. We ran into Jen and Griffin coming down the ridge.
Total:
54mi. OK week. Good long run and m.p. run.
Week of August 25th to 31st, 2014
Monday:
0mi. First day of school and I'm feeling lazy.
Tuesday:
AM: 2mi + Sprints and drills and lifting weights at the Y. My body feels good.
PM: 9mi/58min in Pisgah solo. Hot weather today, feeling great.
Wednesday:
4mi/31min in Pisgah with Griffin. Hot day again. This is my first day with the kids at school. Fun day. It's always good going back to school. Feeling sluggish on the run.
Thursday:
AM: 3mi/20min on the roads solo. Nice morning.
PM: 8mi/50min in Pisgah solo. Cruising and feeling like a rock star! Awesome weather.
Friday:
10mi/73min on the Pinnacle Mtn trails with Ferenc, Lena, Ellie and Griffin. I got a little lost on the drive there, which put me in sort of a foul mood, but once we started running the weather and company was great and the trails were beautiful. I got my mojo back. We ate a ton of black berries at the Athen's Lookout summit. Race tomorrow.
Saturday:
8mi*/50min. KSC Alumni XC Meet - 17:01 (5:29) 20th place, 5th for Alumni. This was a well executed, solidly run race for me. I went out conservatively and kept moving up through the field and picking people off. Nobody passed me but I did yo-yo with a college kid in the last half mile. I was able to dig down and out kick him in the final straight-away. It felt hot on the exposed course and it was a relief to pour water on my head at the finish. It was my slowest time ever at this race, but I ran a good race. This course is deceptively slow. It's flat but the thick grass makes it about 40sec slower than an honest road 5K.
Sunday:
18mi*/2:05 in Pisgah with Ferenc, MacKnight, Thomas, Brett, Lena and Summit. Great run! The weather was nice, but the humidity was climbing as the run went on. Eric and I took a dip at the Pisgah Reservoir about half way into the run, the other guys opted to stay dry. On Hubbard Hill, MacKnight wanted to get the run finished and picked up the pace. Ferenc and I went with him and we hammered the downhill to the finish.
Total for the week:
62miles. This was a pretty good week for the first week of school. I need to really get into a routine and get some work (lifting or running) in the morning. Cross Country starts next week.
0mi. First day of school and I'm feeling lazy.
Tuesday:
AM: 2mi + Sprints and drills and lifting weights at the Y. My body feels good.
PM: 9mi/58min in Pisgah solo. Hot weather today, feeling great.
Wednesday:
4mi/31min in Pisgah with Griffin. Hot day again. This is my first day with the kids at school. Fun day. It's always good going back to school. Feeling sluggish on the run.
Thursday:
AM: 3mi/20min on the roads solo. Nice morning.
PM: 8mi/50min in Pisgah solo. Cruising and feeling like a rock star! Awesome weather.
Friday:
10mi/73min on the Pinnacle Mtn trails with Ferenc, Lena, Ellie and Griffin. I got a little lost on the drive there, which put me in sort of a foul mood, but once we started running the weather and company was great and the trails were beautiful. I got my mojo back. We ate a ton of black berries at the Athen's Lookout summit. Race tomorrow.
Saturday:
8mi*/50min. KSC Alumni XC Meet - 17:01 (5:29) 20th place, 5th for Alumni. This was a well executed, solidly run race for me. I went out conservatively and kept moving up through the field and picking people off. Nobody passed me but I did yo-yo with a college kid in the last half mile. I was able to dig down and out kick him in the final straight-away. It felt hot on the exposed course and it was a relief to pour water on my head at the finish. It was my slowest time ever at this race, but I ran a good race. This course is deceptively slow. It's flat but the thick grass makes it about 40sec slower than an honest road 5K.
Sunday:
18mi*/2:05 in Pisgah with Ferenc, MacKnight, Thomas, Brett, Lena and Summit. Great run! The weather was nice, but the humidity was climbing as the run went on. Eric and I took a dip at the Pisgah Reservoir about half way into the run, the other guys opted to stay dry. On Hubbard Hill, MacKnight wanted to get the run finished and picked up the pace. Ferenc and I went with him and we hammered the downhill to the finish.
Total for the week:
62miles. This was a pretty good week for the first week of school. I need to really get into a routine and get some work (lifting or running) in the morning. Cross Country starts next week.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Week of August 18th to 24th, 2014
Monday:
14mi/1:38 in the Gilsum Woods with George. Great run, perfect weather. I went fishing at night at Pearly Pond and caught 1 bass.
Tuesday:
10mi/72min in Pisgah with George. Legs a little sluggish today. The weather was awesome again. I went fishing at the reservoir and caught 13 bass. Later that night I went fishing with Miller and caught 20+ bass. It was a great day to spent outside.
Wednesday:
AM: 10mi/72min on the KSC rail trail with George. Nice and easy run. Great weather again.
PM: 9mi/60min on the Saxton's River trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Good run. Fun hearing all about Ferenc's trip to Columbia.
Thursday:
AM: 1mi + Sprints and Drills and lifting weights at the Y.
PM: 4mi/31min in Pisgah with Griffin. Saw a barred owl on the 4H trail. Feel good.
Friday:
0mi. Lazy and unmotivated today.
Saturday:
AM: 4mi/31min in Pisgah with Griffin.
PM: 12mi/1:14 in Pisgah solo. I worked the climb up to the ridge. I ran it in 14:45. Feel great and like I'm starting to get some fitness.
Sunday:
15mi/1:43 on the Putney Mtn trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Gorgeous weather. Went and had lobsters at Fyffe's after the run. Summer is over.
Total for the week:
79miles. My highest week of 2014 (so far). I'd like to keep this little bit of motivation I have going into the school year.
14mi/1:38 in the Gilsum Woods with George. Great run, perfect weather. I went fishing at night at Pearly Pond and caught 1 bass.
Tuesday:
10mi/72min in Pisgah with George. Legs a little sluggish today. The weather was awesome again. I went fishing at the reservoir and caught 13 bass. Later that night I went fishing with Miller and caught 20+ bass. It was a great day to spent outside.
Wednesday:
AM: 10mi/72min on the KSC rail trail with George. Nice and easy run. Great weather again.
PM: 9mi/60min on the Saxton's River trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Good run. Fun hearing all about Ferenc's trip to Columbia.
Thursday:
AM: 1mi + Sprints and Drills and lifting weights at the Y.
PM: 4mi/31min in Pisgah with Griffin. Saw a barred owl on the 4H trail. Feel good.
Friday:
0mi. Lazy and unmotivated today.
Saturday:
AM: 4mi/31min in Pisgah with Griffin.
PM: 12mi/1:14 in Pisgah solo. I worked the climb up to the ridge. I ran it in 14:45. Feel great and like I'm starting to get some fitness.
Sunday:
15mi/1:43 on the Putney Mtn trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Gorgeous weather. Went and had lobsters at Fyffe's after the run. Summer is over.
Total for the week:
79miles. My highest week of 2014 (so far). I'd like to keep this little bit of motivation I have going into the school year.
Week of August 11th to 17th, 2014
Monday:
0mi. I had a meeting at school. I went fishing and caught 2 rainbows and 1 brown trout (with fins), caught a black crappie at a different fishing hole.
Tuesday:
10mi/63min in Friedsam solo. Good run, I worked a few sections of this one. Glenn and I gave a trail running talk at camp XLR8. I went bowling at night with Boj and Sontag.
Wednesday:
0mi. Not feeling motivated to slog out the miles in the pouring rain. Watched the entire 3rd season of Game of Thrones instead. Not very productive day.
Thursday:
AM: 8mi/52min in Pisgah. Jen and Griffin ran with me and I would stop and wait for them in spots.
Middle of Day: 2mi/16min with Glenn. We ran up to the reservoir to go fishing. I caught 1 tiny bass.
PM: 9mi/65min on the Saxton's River trails with Boj, Lena and Ellie. We went for a nice run with the girls to keep them entertained while Ferenc is in Columbia for a race.
Friday:
4mi/30min in Pisgah with Griffin. Legs tired.
Saturday:
9mi/60min in Burlingame solo. Had Matty P and Jill's wedding at night. Fun times dancing and hanging out with a lot of URI folks that I haven't seen in a while.
Sunday:
12mi/1:15 in Pisgah solo. Great run. Legs felt good. I worked the climb up to the ridge. Beautiful day.
Total for the Week:
54mi. Ok week. I need a long run next week and possibly a track workout.
0mi. I had a meeting at school. I went fishing and caught 2 rainbows and 1 brown trout (with fins), caught a black crappie at a different fishing hole.
Tuesday:
10mi/63min in Friedsam solo. Good run, I worked a few sections of this one. Glenn and I gave a trail running talk at camp XLR8. I went bowling at night with Boj and Sontag.
Wednesday:
0mi. Not feeling motivated to slog out the miles in the pouring rain. Watched the entire 3rd season of Game of Thrones instead. Not very productive day.
Thursday:
AM: 8mi/52min in Pisgah. Jen and Griffin ran with me and I would stop and wait for them in spots.
Middle of Day: 2mi/16min with Glenn. We ran up to the reservoir to go fishing. I caught 1 tiny bass.
PM: 9mi/65min on the Saxton's River trails with Boj, Lena and Ellie. We went for a nice run with the girls to keep them entertained while Ferenc is in Columbia for a race.
Friday:
4mi/30min in Pisgah with Griffin. Legs tired.
Saturday:
9mi/60min in Burlingame solo. Had Matty P and Jill's wedding at night. Fun times dancing and hanging out with a lot of URI folks that I haven't seen in a while.
Sunday:
12mi/1:15 in Pisgah solo. Great run. Legs felt good. I worked the climb up to the ridge. Beautiful day.
Total for the Week:
54mi. Ok week. I need a long run next week and possibly a track workout.
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Week of August 4th to 10th, 2014
Monday:
5mi/36min in Friedsam with Griffin. Body stiff from all the travel back from New York. I was going to double but got hooked on watching the Game of Thrones. Watched the whole first season.
Tuesday:
12mi/1:15 in Pisgah with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Great run. We were moving pretty quickly. I went fishing at night with Miller and caught about 30 large mouths.
Wednesday:
8mi/56min - Grafton Ponds trails with Ferenc and the girls. Good run, legs a bit tired.
Thursday:
11mi/77min on Claremont, NH roads with Ferenc, Brent W. and Justin Montgomery. Nice run. Fun running with these guys. Feeling good.
Friday:
AM: 4mi/30min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice easy run before the drive to Rhode Island.
PM: 11mi*/68min in Burlingame solo. I was cruising m.p.* for the first half of the run and then I smoked my head on a tree on the return trip. I was running fast and ducked under a big blow down. Unfortunately, the tree was a Y. I popped up and hit the second trunk. I didn't see it because I was wearing a running hat and it was hidden by the brim. The blow knocked me to the ground. It was a hard hit to the head. I got up scared that I did some brain damage (no kidding) and ran fast towards home. After a few minutes, I told myself to slow down and relax and make it home safely. I was bleeding from the head and had a huge goose egg and a decent head ache. I popped out early onto Buckeye Brook Rd., hoping I could flag down a car for a ride back to my parent's house, but there were no cars and I ended up running all the way back. Jen took care of my head injury and decided I didn't have a concussion, but man it hurt! It was a real eye opener that I should carry a cell phone on runs. I already wear a road ID and I write a note telling my wife where I'm going and my ETA. It never occurred to me that I could get hurt ducking under a tree. Lesson learned! Be careful out there friends!
Saturday:
0mi. I wanted to rest my aching head and neck from yesterday's smashing. I rode my mtn bike nice and easy on the Lil Rhody course with Jen and my dad. Fun ride. Today is my 37th birthday. I always run on my birthday but my head was not feeling too good and decided to take it easy.
Sunday:
AM: 11mi/1:23 in Pisgah with Ferenc and the girls + (Emily and Jen). Nice and easy run followed up with a good swim in Kilburn Pond.
PM: 3mi/22min with Boj. We ran out to Kilburn to the high rocks for a nice swim after a wiffle ball game where he destroyed me and hit one of the hardest home runs in Hammett Stadium.
Total for the week:
65miles. Good week. Hitting my head sucked, but I'm feeling much better now. I'll be more careful about blow downs in the future. Higher mileage next week.
5mi/36min in Friedsam with Griffin. Body stiff from all the travel back from New York. I was going to double but got hooked on watching the Game of Thrones. Watched the whole first season.
Tuesday:
12mi/1:15 in Pisgah with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Great run. We were moving pretty quickly. I went fishing at night with Miller and caught about 30 large mouths.
Wednesday:
8mi/56min - Grafton Ponds trails with Ferenc and the girls. Good run, legs a bit tired.
Thursday:
11mi/77min on Claremont, NH roads with Ferenc, Brent W. and Justin Montgomery. Nice run. Fun running with these guys. Feeling good.
Friday:
AM: 4mi/30min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice easy run before the drive to Rhode Island.
PM: 11mi*/68min in Burlingame solo. I was cruising m.p.* for the first half of the run and then I smoked my head on a tree on the return trip. I was running fast and ducked under a big blow down. Unfortunately, the tree was a Y. I popped up and hit the second trunk. I didn't see it because I was wearing a running hat and it was hidden by the brim. The blow knocked me to the ground. It was a hard hit to the head. I got up scared that I did some brain damage (no kidding) and ran fast towards home. After a few minutes, I told myself to slow down and relax and make it home safely. I was bleeding from the head and had a huge goose egg and a decent head ache. I popped out early onto Buckeye Brook Rd., hoping I could flag down a car for a ride back to my parent's house, but there were no cars and I ended up running all the way back. Jen took care of my head injury and decided I didn't have a concussion, but man it hurt! It was a real eye opener that I should carry a cell phone on runs. I already wear a road ID and I write a note telling my wife where I'm going and my ETA. It never occurred to me that I could get hurt ducking under a tree. Lesson learned! Be careful out there friends!
Saturday:
0mi. I wanted to rest my aching head and neck from yesterday's smashing. I rode my mtn bike nice and easy on the Lil Rhody course with Jen and my dad. Fun ride. Today is my 37th birthday. I always run on my birthday but my head was not feeling too good and decided to take it easy.
Sunday:
AM: 11mi/1:23 in Pisgah with Ferenc and the girls + (Emily and Jen). Nice and easy run followed up with a good swim in Kilburn Pond.
PM: 3mi/22min with Boj. We ran out to Kilburn to the high rocks for a nice swim after a wiffle ball game where he destroyed me and hit one of the hardest home runs in Hammett Stadium.
Total for the week:
65miles. Good week. Hitting my head sucked, but I'm feeling much better now. I'll be more careful about blow downs in the future. Higher mileage next week.
Week of July 28th to August 3rd, 2014
Monday:
1mi*/8min. I lifted weights at the YMCA and did sprints and drills after.
Tuesday:
9mi/60min on the Saxton's River trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Great run. Feeling good.
Wednesday:
6mi/50min in the Texas Hollow State Park trails in Western New York. Fun easy run with Jen and Griffin.
Thursday:
7mi/60min at Connecticut Hill State Park in Western New York. Cool run with Jen and Griffin.
Friday:
1mi/10min in Sugar Hill State Park in Western New York. These trail sucked. It was hot and they were all over grown horse trails with mud and tall grass. I caught a monster 4lb small mouth bass at night in Keuka Lake.
Saturday:
5mi/46min in Urbana State Park in Western New York with Jen and Griffin. This was a really nice little loop. We climbed up a huge hill for a while then it was flat and single-track the rest of the way.
Sunday:
4mi/32min in Bird's Eye Hollow State Park in Western New York with Jen and Griffin. Nice easy run. Fun trip to New York.
Total for the week:
33mi. Not a good week for mileage, but I had a nice trip to New York to visit with Jen's family. We explored a bunch of little state parks and ran on the Finger Lake's trail quite a bit. It was a fun trip.
1mi*/8min. I lifted weights at the YMCA and did sprints and drills after.
Tuesday:
9mi/60min on the Saxton's River trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Great run. Feeling good.
Wednesday:
6mi/50min in the Texas Hollow State Park trails in Western New York. Fun easy run with Jen and Griffin.
Thursday:
7mi/60min at Connecticut Hill State Park in Western New York. Cool run with Jen and Griffin.
Friday:
1mi/10min in Sugar Hill State Park in Western New York. These trail sucked. It was hot and they were all over grown horse trails with mud and tall grass. I caught a monster 4lb small mouth bass at night in Keuka Lake.
Saturday:
5mi/46min in Urbana State Park in Western New York with Jen and Griffin. This was a really nice little loop. We climbed up a huge hill for a while then it was flat and single-track the rest of the way.
Sunday:
4mi/32min in Bird's Eye Hollow State Park in Western New York with Jen and Griffin. Nice easy run. Fun trip to New York.
Total for the week:
33mi. Not a good week for mileage, but I had a nice trip to New York to visit with Jen's family. We explored a bunch of little state parks and ran on the Finger Lake's trail quite a bit. It was a fun trip.
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Week of July 21st to 27th, 2014
Monday:
0mi. Saving my legs for tomorrow's big run.
Tuesday:
20mi*/6:35 - Presidential Traverse with Ferenc. This was a tough, fun, beautiful, brutal, miserable, awesome, epic, tiring, crappy, and satisfying experience.
Wednesday:
0mi. Sore from the long day in the mountains. Not crazy sore, just stiff with a bit of soreness.
Thursday:
11mi/1:15 in Burlingame. I ran my favorite trail in Burlingame out and back, Sammy C's trail. Legs pretty good.
Friday:
3mi/24min in Burlingame with Jen and Griffin. Nice and easy.
Saturday:
13mi/1:27 with Ferenc on the Westmoreland tracks. Good run, just rolling a long. Legs a little sore.
Sunday:
15mi/1:45 on the Putney Mtn trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Body tight and sore but it was a good run. We saw some goats on the summit of Putney Mtn that were put there to eat invasive plants.
Total for the week:
62mi. OK week. Presidential Traverse was fun but it left me a little bit beat up.
0mi. Saving my legs for tomorrow's big run.
Tuesday:
20mi*/6:35 - Presidential Traverse with Ferenc. This was a tough, fun, beautiful, brutal, miserable, awesome, epic, tiring, crappy, and satisfying experience.
Wednesday:
0mi. Sore from the long day in the mountains. Not crazy sore, just stiff with a bit of soreness.
Thursday:
11mi/1:15 in Burlingame. I ran my favorite trail in Burlingame out and back, Sammy C's trail. Legs pretty good.
Friday:
3mi/24min in Burlingame with Jen and Griffin. Nice and easy.
Saturday:
13mi/1:27 with Ferenc on the Westmoreland tracks. Good run, just rolling a long. Legs a little sore.
Sunday:
15mi/1:45 on the Putney Mtn trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Body tight and sore but it was a good run. We saw some goats on the summit of Putney Mtn that were put there to eat invasive plants.
Total for the week:
62mi. OK week. Presidential Traverse was fun but it left me a little bit beat up.
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Week of July 14th to 20th, 2014
Monday:
12mi*/1:39 up Mt. Ascutney with Ferenc and Matt Haley. Great run. Legs feel good. Weather was a tad bit humid but not bad for July.
Tuesday:
8mi/50min in Pisgah solo. Cruising, feeling darn good.
Wednesday:
AM: 1mi with sprints and drills @YMCA indoor track. Lifted weights and played 30min of hoops.
PM: 8mi*/54min - track workout at KMS with James. I wanted to do something easy and short since it's been a loooong time since I've done a speed workout of any kind. I settled on 6 x 400 with 200rest.
Result: (74, 74, 72, 72, 70, 69)
Decent workout, I felt relaxed but hot. There's no shade on the track!
Thursday:
12mi/1:21 on the Keene tracks at night with Jen on her mtn. bike. I am extremely sore from lifting, hoops, drills and the speed workout yesterday. I bailed on a trip to the Whites with Ferenc.
Friday:
12mi*/1:32 up Mt. Monadnock with Ferenc. Gorgeous day to be on the mountain. No humidity, 75F. Legs and upper body still sore but had fun. Cruised on the way down near the bottom on the less steep sections.
Saturday:
5mi/34min in Friedsam with Griffin. Legs sluggish today.
Sunday:
13mi/1:31 in the Gilsum Woods with George, Ferenc and Lena. Good run. I went fly fishing after the run in the Ashuelot in Surry. Caught a nice 14" leaping rainbow, my first trout on a fly rod. Fun stuff.
Total for the week:
71mi. Decent week.
12mi*/1:39 up Mt. Ascutney with Ferenc and Matt Haley. Great run. Legs feel good. Weather was a tad bit humid but not bad for July.
Tuesday:
8mi/50min in Pisgah solo. Cruising, feeling darn good.
Wednesday:
AM: 1mi with sprints and drills @YMCA indoor track. Lifted weights and played 30min of hoops.
PM: 8mi*/54min - track workout at KMS with James. I wanted to do something easy and short since it's been a loooong time since I've done a speed workout of any kind. I settled on 6 x 400 with 200rest.
Result: (74, 74, 72, 72, 70, 69)
Decent workout, I felt relaxed but hot. There's no shade on the track!
Thursday:
12mi/1:21 on the Keene tracks at night with Jen on her mtn. bike. I am extremely sore from lifting, hoops, drills and the speed workout yesterday. I bailed on a trip to the Whites with Ferenc.
Friday:
12mi*/1:32 up Mt. Monadnock with Ferenc. Gorgeous day to be on the mountain. No humidity, 75F. Legs and upper body still sore but had fun. Cruised on the way down near the bottom on the less steep sections.
Saturday:
5mi/34min in Friedsam with Griffin. Legs sluggish today.
Sunday:
13mi/1:31 in the Gilsum Woods with George, Ferenc and Lena. Good run. I went fly fishing after the run in the Ashuelot in Surry. Caught a nice 14" leaping rainbow, my first trout on a fly rod. Fun stuff.
Total for the week:
71mi. Decent week.
Monday, July 14, 2014
Week of July 7th to 13th, 2014
Monday:
0mi. Drove up to Pittsburg, NH. Jen, Griffin and I hike Prospect Mtn on the way up in Whitefield, NH. It was a nice little hike with awesome views at the top and a good way to break up the long drive. Pittsburg is gorgeous. We're staying in a little cabin on the First Connecticut Lake. I went fishing and caught a tiny dace in Lake Francis. I didn't catch anything else but had a couple rainbow trout follow my lure. The fishing up here is world class, but only if you have a boat for the lakes, and it's fly fishing only in the rivers and streams.
Tuesday:
0mi. Hiked up Sanguiary Mtn in Dixville Notch with Jen and Griffin. Great hike. Awesome views of the closed Balsams Resort below. More fishing, nada, zilch, zero fish. Oh well. I'm gonna buy a fly rod and hammer the streams next year when we come back. We love it up here and we're already talking about the next time we come up. Fun trip!
Wednesday:
0mi. One last drive of Moose Alley early in the morning. We saw 4 deer and a snowshoe hare, but no luck seeing moose. Headed home around 9:30 for the long drive back to Chesterfield.
Thursday:
13mi/1:24 on the Grafton trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Great run. Awesome weather. Lifted weights.
Friday:
8mi+/55min in Pisgah. Feeling good. Caught 3 rainbows in the afternoon.
Saturday:
15mi*/1:35 - Run with the Beavers 10mi trail race - 1:05:31 (6:33) 1st place.
Decent race. I took it out hard, too hard! I built up a comfortable lead and then was suffering a bit on the 2nd lap. The first half of the second lap is difficult because there is a decent amount of uphill, though it is very gradual, it's tough when you're tired. I started to feel hot in the second loop in addition to being a little gassed from the fast first loop. The new start/finish made the finish much tougher. Instead of finishing strong, blasting down a hill, we had to continue up a gradual climb which sucked the life out of me. I was cooked. I was pleased to get the win, going for my 3-peat at this race and sealing the victory in the Rhode Island Triple Crown of Trail Racing. Garvin, Bentley and Jonny were next to cross the line all in the 1:08's. They looked to have a good battle and team HammBoj was still in the lead. It would come down to our 3rd man. Seth ran a super 1:12 and then Boj came home with a 1:17 (the results have him at 1:15, but I think he was 1:17). We lost to WTAC. If I could have been as fit as 2012, it would have been interesting. It was a fun day with Jen running the full 10mi distance and Pard dominating the 5mi in his age group and winning an award for the oldest finisher. The guy is a beast! Every time he does a race I'm proud and in awe of his fitness and vitality at his age. 71 years young! I hope I'm can do the same when I'm that age. Jen and I stopped at Big Gary's and stocked the fridge with cold chromium replacement beverages. Thanks to Bob and Jackie for putting on an excellent event. It's a shame that Bob and Mike Galoob couldn't race in the events they put on, because they certainly would have been in the mix for the Triple Crown. Those are the sacrifices R.D.'s make to bring awesome events to us and I really appreciate their efforts. Thanks, Jeff Walker, Mike Galoob, and Bob Jackman for an awesome series on some of the best trails in my home state!
Sunday:
8mi+/59min in Pisgah with Griffin. Legs sore. Nice and easy run. I saw 2 garter snakes sunning themselves in the tops of blue berry bushes at Kilburn Pond. Pretty cool sighting. Nice swim after the run with Griffin.
Total for the Week:
44mi. OK week. I was fine with taking the zeroes while up in Pittsburg. Next week, I plan on doubling and getting some good miles in.
0mi. Drove up to Pittsburg, NH. Jen, Griffin and I hike Prospect Mtn on the way up in Whitefield, NH. It was a nice little hike with awesome views at the top and a good way to break up the long drive. Pittsburg is gorgeous. We're staying in a little cabin on the First Connecticut Lake. I went fishing and caught a tiny dace in Lake Francis. I didn't catch anything else but had a couple rainbow trout follow my lure. The fishing up here is world class, but only if you have a boat for the lakes, and it's fly fishing only in the rivers and streams.
Tuesday:
0mi. Hiked up Sanguiary Mtn in Dixville Notch with Jen and Griffin. Great hike. Awesome views of the closed Balsams Resort below. More fishing, nada, zilch, zero fish. Oh well. I'm gonna buy a fly rod and hammer the streams next year when we come back. We love it up here and we're already talking about the next time we come up. Fun trip!
Wednesday:
0mi. One last drive of Moose Alley early in the morning. We saw 4 deer and a snowshoe hare, but no luck seeing moose. Headed home around 9:30 for the long drive back to Chesterfield.
Thursday:
13mi/1:24 on the Grafton trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Great run. Awesome weather. Lifted weights.
Friday:
8mi+/55min in Pisgah. Feeling good. Caught 3 rainbows in the afternoon.
Saturday:
15mi*/1:35 - Run with the Beavers 10mi trail race - 1:05:31 (6:33) 1st place.
Decent race. I took it out hard, too hard! I built up a comfortable lead and then was suffering a bit on the 2nd lap. The first half of the second lap is difficult because there is a decent amount of uphill, though it is very gradual, it's tough when you're tired. I started to feel hot in the second loop in addition to being a little gassed from the fast first loop. The new start/finish made the finish much tougher. Instead of finishing strong, blasting down a hill, we had to continue up a gradual climb which sucked the life out of me. I was cooked. I was pleased to get the win, going for my 3-peat at this race and sealing the victory in the Rhode Island Triple Crown of Trail Racing. Garvin, Bentley and Jonny were next to cross the line all in the 1:08's. They looked to have a good battle and team HammBoj was still in the lead. It would come down to our 3rd man. Seth ran a super 1:12 and then Boj came home with a 1:17 (the results have him at 1:15, but I think he was 1:17). We lost to WTAC. If I could have been as fit as 2012, it would have been interesting. It was a fun day with Jen running the full 10mi distance and Pard dominating the 5mi in his age group and winning an award for the oldest finisher. The guy is a beast! Every time he does a race I'm proud and in awe of his fitness and vitality at his age. 71 years young! I hope I'm can do the same when I'm that age. Jen and I stopped at Big Gary's and stocked the fridge with cold chromium replacement beverages. Thanks to Bob and Jackie for putting on an excellent event. It's a shame that Bob and Mike Galoob couldn't race in the events they put on, because they certainly would have been in the mix for the Triple Crown. Those are the sacrifices R.D.'s make to bring awesome events to us and I really appreciate their efforts. Thanks, Jeff Walker, Mike Galoob, and Bob Jackman for an awesome series on some of the best trails in my home state!
Sunday:
8mi+/59min in Pisgah with Griffin. Legs sore. Nice and easy run. I saw 2 garter snakes sunning themselves in the tops of blue berry bushes at Kilburn Pond. Pretty cool sighting. Nice swim after the run with Griffin.
Total for the Week:
44mi. OK week. I was fine with taking the zeroes while up in Pittsburg. Next week, I plan on doubling and getting some good miles in.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Week of June 30th to July 6th, 2014
Monday:
0mi. I hiked for 2hr on Mt. Cardigan with Jen and Griffin. What an awesome mountain! Had a great time. In the afternoon, Jen and I rode our mtn. bikes for an hour around Stone Wall Farm. We spent quite a bit of time on sections of the race course. It's pretty technical but I'm getting good at rolling over and around obstacles and staying in the pedals. My butt is sore from 2 days in a row of biking!
Tuesday:
8mi+/57min in Pisgah with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Nice run. Enjoyed a good long swim in Kilburn Pond after the run. I watched the US lose to Belgium in the World Cup at Glenn's house while playing with the twins. We went fishing at night. I caught 2 smallmouth bass and 3 rainbow trout. Glenn landed 2 rainbows and a brown trout (it did have fins!).
Wednesday:
AM: 8mi/52min on Ledge Rd. trails in Grafton, VT with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Hot and humid out there today. I felt good. Refreshing dip in the Saxton's River after to cool off.
PM: 0mi. I was planning on doing a short speed workout with Andy but the weather was absolutely frightening. Hard rain and lot's of lightning kept me indoors. Turns out that Andy and Bryce still did the workout. Crazy fools!
Thursday:
8mi+/59min in Pisgah with Ferenc and the girls. Nice run. Went for a swim in Kilburn after the run.
Friday:
11mi*/70min - Keene 4 on the 4th Road Race - 21:25 (5:22) 5th.
I warmed up with Jonny, George and Andrea Walkonen in a downpour. This is the first year in the 13 year history of the race that it's been raining and cool. It's usually pretty toasty. At the start, I went out conservatively in a chase group with George and a couple other guys. Planky was leading up the bike path with Thomas, Andy and a couple other guys. I hit the mile in a slow 5:26. After the mile the course turns right off the bike path and then takes a left at a fork in the road onto Marlborough St. The lead pack went right after being sent that way by the police officer. I realized this was different, but thought for a second that maybe the race did go that way. I paused and then decided it had to go left, so I shouted to the leaders to go left. I was now in the lead, (but I had to wait for a car that police officer let cross in front of me, since he assumed I was turning right.) It didn't take too long before Thomas and a couple other guys passed me to retake the lead.
We crossed the grass section before the 2 mile mark and added on a little extra loop to make up for the shorter start section. This confused most of us and then a volunteer sent us right. We always went left in year's past and lolipopped back to the part of the course we already ran. I stopped and shouted this way again to the same guys who already took a wrong turn. At that point, Chris Reilly, George and Andrea went to the lead and I quickly passed George and Andrea and started chasing to catch Chris. At about 2 and 3/4 Thomas and the guy who wound up 2nd passed us back. Then Andy passed Chris and I at the 3mi mark. Chris and I yo-yoed a few times in the last mile and Andy's friend John went flying by us. He was hammering. I could see Thomas take off ahead of us and it looked like he had his 3rd win in the bag. Andrea got on my shoulder with about 600m to go with Chris Reilly a couple steps up on me. In the final straight away, I dug down and passed Chris to hit the line in 5th place. Chris was 2 seconds back with Andrea another 2 seconds behind him. I was pleased with my result for the shape I'm in, but I really need to get fit. There's no reason other than work ethic that I'm not battling for the win on this course. I was happy that Thomas got his three-peat. It would have been a shame if he lost it with 2 wrong turns. He probably added 20sec+ as did the guy who finished 2nd.
After the race I did a cool down with Andrea. Her coach wanted her to do a step up fartlek. We started with 10 steps fast, 10 easy and built up to 90 steps fast, building by 10 steps each acceleration. It was a fun way to do a fartlek after a race and the counting took my mind off of running fast on tired legs. We cooled down with 2mi easy after that. I definitely got a good quality day of running in and was bonking and looking for the food table after the cool down.
Here are my miles:
1mi - 5:26
2mi - 5:29
3mi - 5:12
4mi - 5:18
Total - 21:25
Saturday:
5mi/36min in Pisgah with Griffin. Gorgeous weather.
PM: Mtn biking 1:45 in Pisgah. My neighbor is missing, possibly in the park. I was out searching and riding. It was a nice ride but I didn't find him. There was a massive search under way, with 8 dog teams and lot's of volunteers. He has dementia and went missing yesterday at noon. Sad stuff.
Sunday:
0mi. Body sore and beat up from the race and the long mtn bike ride.
Total for the week:
40mi. I need to lift, double and do yoga next week.
0mi. I hiked for 2hr on Mt. Cardigan with Jen and Griffin. What an awesome mountain! Had a great time. In the afternoon, Jen and I rode our mtn. bikes for an hour around Stone Wall Farm. We spent quite a bit of time on sections of the race course. It's pretty technical but I'm getting good at rolling over and around obstacles and staying in the pedals. My butt is sore from 2 days in a row of biking!
Tuesday:
8mi+/57min in Pisgah with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Nice run. Enjoyed a good long swim in Kilburn Pond after the run. I watched the US lose to Belgium in the World Cup at Glenn's house while playing with the twins. We went fishing at night. I caught 2 smallmouth bass and 3 rainbow trout. Glenn landed 2 rainbows and a brown trout (it did have fins!).
Wednesday:
AM: 8mi/52min on Ledge Rd. trails in Grafton, VT with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Hot and humid out there today. I felt good. Refreshing dip in the Saxton's River after to cool off.
PM: 0mi. I was planning on doing a short speed workout with Andy but the weather was absolutely frightening. Hard rain and lot's of lightning kept me indoors. Turns out that Andy and Bryce still did the workout. Crazy fools!
Thursday:
8mi+/59min in Pisgah with Ferenc and the girls. Nice run. Went for a swim in Kilburn after the run.
Friday:
11mi*/70min - Keene 4 on the 4th Road Race - 21:25 (5:22) 5th.
I warmed up with Jonny, George and Andrea Walkonen in a downpour. This is the first year in the 13 year history of the race that it's been raining and cool. It's usually pretty toasty. At the start, I went out conservatively in a chase group with George and a couple other guys. Planky was leading up the bike path with Thomas, Andy and a couple other guys. I hit the mile in a slow 5:26. After the mile the course turns right off the bike path and then takes a left at a fork in the road onto Marlborough St. The lead pack went right after being sent that way by the police officer. I realized this was different, but thought for a second that maybe the race did go that way. I paused and then decided it had to go left, so I shouted to the leaders to go left. I was now in the lead, (but I had to wait for a car that police officer let cross in front of me, since he assumed I was turning right.) It didn't take too long before Thomas and a couple other guys passed me to retake the lead.
We crossed the grass section before the 2 mile mark and added on a little extra loop to make up for the shorter start section. This confused most of us and then a volunteer sent us right. We always went left in year's past and lolipopped back to the part of the course we already ran. I stopped and shouted this way again to the same guys who already took a wrong turn. At that point, Chris Reilly, George and Andrea went to the lead and I quickly passed George and Andrea and started chasing to catch Chris. At about 2 and 3/4 Thomas and the guy who wound up 2nd passed us back. Then Andy passed Chris and I at the 3mi mark. Chris and I yo-yoed a few times in the last mile and Andy's friend John went flying by us. He was hammering. I could see Thomas take off ahead of us and it looked like he had his 3rd win in the bag. Andrea got on my shoulder with about 600m to go with Chris Reilly a couple steps up on me. In the final straight away, I dug down and passed Chris to hit the line in 5th place. Chris was 2 seconds back with Andrea another 2 seconds behind him. I was pleased with my result for the shape I'm in, but I really need to get fit. There's no reason other than work ethic that I'm not battling for the win on this course. I was happy that Thomas got his three-peat. It would have been a shame if he lost it with 2 wrong turns. He probably added 20sec+ as did the guy who finished 2nd.
After the race I did a cool down with Andrea. Her coach wanted her to do a step up fartlek. We started with 10 steps fast, 10 easy and built up to 90 steps fast, building by 10 steps each acceleration. It was a fun way to do a fartlek after a race and the counting took my mind off of running fast on tired legs. We cooled down with 2mi easy after that. I definitely got a good quality day of running in and was bonking and looking for the food table after the cool down.
Here are my miles:
1mi - 5:26
2mi - 5:29
3mi - 5:12
4mi - 5:18
Total - 21:25
Saturday:
5mi/36min in Pisgah with Griffin. Gorgeous weather.
PM: Mtn biking 1:45 in Pisgah. My neighbor is missing, possibly in the park. I was out searching and riding. It was a nice ride but I didn't find him. There was a massive search under way, with 8 dog teams and lot's of volunteers. He has dementia and went missing yesterday at noon. Sad stuff.
Sunday:
0mi. Body sore and beat up from the race and the long mtn bike ride.
Total for the week:
40mi. I need to lift, double and do yoga next week.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Week of June 23rd to 29th, 2014
Monday:
0mi. Feeling unmotivated to run. Lethargy breeds lethargy. I went fishing with Glenn and Jonny Dubs. Caught 5 rainbow trout. It was so fun to be out at the river casting lines and catching fish. I hope to do a lot of fishing this summer.
Tuesday:
0mi. Lifted weights. I had graduation and then the post graduation party with the 8th graders. Played some laser tag and got to blast my students. Fun times! I'm going to miss those kids!
Wednesday:
0mi. Last day with the students. Time to figure out my summer goals. Do I want to run big miles, cross train, lift weights? All of the above? I got some soul searching to do I guess.
Thursday:
0mi. Hung out after school at Glenn's and played with Brady and Emma. We tried to go fishing at night, but the river was way too high to fish.
Friday:
AM: 2mi/14min in Friedsam with Griffin. Nice and easy run before my last day of school.
PM: 8mi/52min in Pisgah solo. Perfect weather today, 75F with no humidity. I felt great. I guess I still know how to run after 5 days off. Lifted weights. Summer vacation begins!
Saturday:
12mi*/1:54 ran up and down Mt. Monadnock with George. Nice run, beautiful day on the mountain.
Sunday:
8mi/54min in Pisgah solo. Let out a loon call at Kilburn Pond and it was answered by a stranger in the woods. Turns out it was MC. He joined me for a nice refreshing swim in the pond. I bought a new mtn. bike in the afternoon and went for a 45min ride with Jen around Stone Wall Farm. So much fun! For you bike geeks out there, I got a 2013 Specialized Crave 29 expert hardtail. It feels fast on the flats, I'm getting used to the step in (clipless) pedals. I can't wait til my skills get a bit better and I can ride with the big boys.
Total for the week:
30mi. A pretty crappy week. I'd call this the end of the school year let down. Time to set some summer goals and get after it. I plan on mtn biking a lot and maybe doubling less than in past years which will mean lower miles, but hopefully fresher legs with similar aerobic development, time will tell if it pays off fitness-wise, but it will definitely pay off in the fun department!
0mi. Feeling unmotivated to run. Lethargy breeds lethargy. I went fishing with Glenn and Jonny Dubs. Caught 5 rainbow trout. It was so fun to be out at the river casting lines and catching fish. I hope to do a lot of fishing this summer.
Tuesday:
0mi. Lifted weights. I had graduation and then the post graduation party with the 8th graders. Played some laser tag and got to blast my students. Fun times! I'm going to miss those kids!
Wednesday:
0mi. Last day with the students. Time to figure out my summer goals. Do I want to run big miles, cross train, lift weights? All of the above? I got some soul searching to do I guess.
Thursday:
0mi. Hung out after school at Glenn's and played with Brady and Emma. We tried to go fishing at night, but the river was way too high to fish.
Friday:
AM: 2mi/14min in Friedsam with Griffin. Nice and easy run before my last day of school.
PM: 8mi/52min in Pisgah solo. Perfect weather today, 75F with no humidity. I felt great. I guess I still know how to run after 5 days off. Lifted weights. Summer vacation begins!
Saturday:
12mi*/1:54 ran up and down Mt. Monadnock with George. Nice run, beautiful day on the mountain.
Sunday:
8mi/54min in Pisgah solo. Let out a loon call at Kilburn Pond and it was answered by a stranger in the woods. Turns out it was MC. He joined me for a nice refreshing swim in the pond. I bought a new mtn. bike in the afternoon and went for a 45min ride with Jen around Stone Wall Farm. So much fun! For you bike geeks out there, I got a 2013 Specialized Crave 29 expert hardtail. It feels fast on the flats, I'm getting used to the step in (clipless) pedals. I can't wait til my skills get a bit better and I can ride with the big boys.
Total for the week:
30mi. A pretty crappy week. I'd call this the end of the school year let down. Time to set some summer goals and get after it. I plan on mtn biking a lot and maybe doubling less than in past years which will mean lower miles, but hopefully fresher legs with similar aerobic development, time will tell if it pays off fitness-wise, but it will definitely pay off in the fun department!
Week of June 16th to 22nd, 2014
Monday:
0mi. Lazy
Tuesday:
5mi/33min in Friedsam solo. Hot out there today.
Wednesday:
0mi. Lifted weights. Went to a party for a coworker. Beautiful weather, I should have run.
Thursday:
10mi/63min around Spofford Lake from my house. I should call this a lake bang I guess. This is a pretty darn hilly road run. Felt great.
Friday:
5mi/37min in Friedsam with Griffin. Nice easy run. Saw 2 deer. Fantastic weather. Lifted weights.
Saturday:
8mi/58min in Pisgah with Jen and Griffin. I ran ahead of Jen and Griffin and waited for them to catch up in a couple spots. Fun run. Awesome weather again. No humidity and cool.
Sunday:
0mi. Felt tired and lazy all day. Went and checked out some mountain bikes. I'm going to buy one soon for some summer fun.
Total for the week:
28miles. This week was pretty pathetic, I'm just not super motivated to train. I still love running when I do get out for a run, but not feeling like running every day. Maybe it's just a case of the End of School Year Blues. I've been stuck in a rut. Next week is my last week of school. There's a lot going on with meetings and graduation. I finally hit 1,000 miles for the year.
0mi. Lazy
Tuesday:
5mi/33min in Friedsam solo. Hot out there today.
Wednesday:
0mi. Lifted weights. Went to a party for a coworker. Beautiful weather, I should have run.
Thursday:
10mi/63min around Spofford Lake from my house. I should call this a lake bang I guess. This is a pretty darn hilly road run. Felt great.
Friday:
5mi/37min in Friedsam with Griffin. Nice easy run. Saw 2 deer. Fantastic weather. Lifted weights.
Saturday:
8mi/58min in Pisgah with Jen and Griffin. I ran ahead of Jen and Griffin and waited for them to catch up in a couple spots. Fun run. Awesome weather again. No humidity and cool.
Sunday:
0mi. Felt tired and lazy all day. Went and checked out some mountain bikes. I'm going to buy one soon for some summer fun.
Total for the week:
28miles. This week was pretty pathetic, I'm just not super motivated to train. I still love running when I do get out for a run, but not feeling like running every day. Maybe it's just a case of the End of School Year Blues. I've been stuck in a rut. Next week is my last week of school. There's a lot going on with meetings and graduation. I finally hit 1,000 miles for the year.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Week of June 9th - 15th, 2014
Monday:
0mi. Body sore and tired from 3 good days of running in a row.
Tuesday:
4mi/29min in Pisgah with Griffin. A couple deer flies were out. Lifted weights.
Wednesday:
8mi/56min around Swanzey Lake Rds with Brent. Good run. My calves were a little sore. Nice cool and cloudy weather.
Thursday:
5mi/36min in Friedsam with Griffin. Feel good. Drizzle, cool weather. Lifted weights.
Friday:
8mi/60min in the Grafton Trails with Ferenc and the girls. Nice and easy run. Legs a little flat.
Saturday:
4mi/30min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice cool morning for a run.
Sunday:
16mi*/1:56 - Mt. Greylock Trail Half Marathon - 1:47:01 - 3rd place.
It was a gorgeous day for a race up the tallest mountain in Massachusetts. I arrived very early and bumped into Crutchley and his friend James. We talked a bit about the course and the weather. It was cool, perfect for racing. Every year I've done this race it's been hot, one year it was 97F and humid. (I stopped racing that year and dunked several times in streams and just jogged it in.) This year there would be none of that nonsense. Jonny and my dad arrived a little bit later. Jonny and I did a short warm up and then got ready to race. At the start, I dropped in behind Jonny. We were in about 9th and 10th position. The start went out pretty relaxed. My plan was to stay with Jonny on the climb or drop him if he was going too slow. I had no delusions of winning with Derek Jakoboski in the field and some other fast dudes. I'm just not fit. Jonny made a move very early as the climbing started and passed some runners. I couldn't go with him. He was too strong! I watched as he got a good 10 second gap on me. My heart rate and breathing were maxed and my legs were already complaining very early into the climb and I was sitting in about 8th place. I kept trying to catch Jonny on the flatter sections and I would make up a little ground, but he was stronger on the steep stuff and would extend his gap on me. Near the top of the climb he really started hammering and he got at least 30 seconds up on me. I hit the aid station at the summit in 37-mid. I pounded a Gatorade and got passed by a guy I summited with. I think I've made it to this aid station in 34 flat before, but I'm not sure.
Time for the technical descent of the top part of the mountain. My favorite part of the race. I started hammering and quickly passed the guy in the blue shirt who passed me at the aid station. It didn't take more than a minute or two to catch up to Jonny and another guy in a white singlet. I went flying by them and gave Jonny some encouragement and told him to be careful on the wet rocks, that it was dangerous. In hindsight, that seems kind of funny as I was flying by them at breakneck speed on the wet rocks. I just really enjoy this part of the race. After that top section, the course levels out and even climbs up in spots on much less technical trail. I could tell I was moving slowly here compared to my fast years on this course. I got to a big T intersection that wasn't marked, but I went right. It helped knowing the course, but I was worried that Jonny and other racers would take a wrong turn here. Sounds like Crutch did do just that. The trail gets steep and technical again in spots and it reminds me of parts of the Escarpment course. It's a fun section that gets even more fun when it dumps out onto an open meadow. That is just an amazing part of the course. You're flying downhill on single track on an open field, it's just awesome. I hit the aid station in the parking lot and let the volunteers know that the big turn was not marked and there were no markers until that aid station.
Next up is the longest, baseball-sized rock infested jeep road in the world. It goes mostly downhill at different grades ranging from really steep to not very steep at all. There is one section that goes uphill for a long while which is by far the toughest part of the course. (Not counting the climb up to the summit). After that climb it's down, down, down the jeep road. Usually, I'm just absolutely pounding myself, running as fast as possible. This year my legs were too tired to really kill this section. I ran fast, but not crazy fast. The rocks start to get annoying on your tired feet. Finally, the trail gets dark and shaded which means you're almost finished. I passed a young guy here who was moving very slowly. This put me into 3rd place. He looked like he was wearing very lightweight xc racers. I bet his legs and feet were just destroyed. I tried to encourage him, but I could tell he was not a happy camper. Shortly after that, I crossed the bridge and climbed up the last hill and pushed hard to the finish in the field by the pond. My time was 1:47:01, which wasn't great but I had a lot of fun out there and it was a great day on the mountain. I enjoyed a Coke and some grub and chatted with Jonny and Pard about their races. I'll be back, it's a great mountain race.
Total for the week:
45miles. Fun race. I need to run and lift more and stop being lazy.
0mi. Body sore and tired from 3 good days of running in a row.
Tuesday:
4mi/29min in Pisgah with Griffin. A couple deer flies were out. Lifted weights.
Wednesday:
8mi/56min around Swanzey Lake Rds with Brent. Good run. My calves were a little sore. Nice cool and cloudy weather.
Thursday:
5mi/36min in Friedsam with Griffin. Feel good. Drizzle, cool weather. Lifted weights.
Friday:
8mi/60min in the Grafton Trails with Ferenc and the girls. Nice and easy run. Legs a little flat.
Saturday:
4mi/30min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice cool morning for a run.
Sunday:
16mi*/1:56 - Mt. Greylock Trail Half Marathon - 1:47:01 - 3rd place.
It was a gorgeous day for a race up the tallest mountain in Massachusetts. I arrived very early and bumped into Crutchley and his friend James. We talked a bit about the course and the weather. It was cool, perfect for racing. Every year I've done this race it's been hot, one year it was 97F and humid. (I stopped racing that year and dunked several times in streams and just jogged it in.) This year there would be none of that nonsense. Jonny and my dad arrived a little bit later. Jonny and I did a short warm up and then got ready to race. At the start, I dropped in behind Jonny. We were in about 9th and 10th position. The start went out pretty relaxed. My plan was to stay with Jonny on the climb or drop him if he was going too slow. I had no delusions of winning with Derek Jakoboski in the field and some other fast dudes. I'm just not fit. Jonny made a move very early as the climbing started and passed some runners. I couldn't go with him. He was too strong! I watched as he got a good 10 second gap on me. My heart rate and breathing were maxed and my legs were already complaining very early into the climb and I was sitting in about 8th place. I kept trying to catch Jonny on the flatter sections and I would make up a little ground, but he was stronger on the steep stuff and would extend his gap on me. Near the top of the climb he really started hammering and he got at least 30 seconds up on me. I hit the aid station at the summit in 37-mid. I pounded a Gatorade and got passed by a guy I summited with. I think I've made it to this aid station in 34 flat before, but I'm not sure.
Time for the technical descent of the top part of the mountain. My favorite part of the race. I started hammering and quickly passed the guy in the blue shirt who passed me at the aid station. It didn't take more than a minute or two to catch up to Jonny and another guy in a white singlet. I went flying by them and gave Jonny some encouragement and told him to be careful on the wet rocks, that it was dangerous. In hindsight, that seems kind of funny as I was flying by them at breakneck speed on the wet rocks. I just really enjoy this part of the race. After that top section, the course levels out and even climbs up in spots on much less technical trail. I could tell I was moving slowly here compared to my fast years on this course. I got to a big T intersection that wasn't marked, but I went right. It helped knowing the course, but I was worried that Jonny and other racers would take a wrong turn here. Sounds like Crutch did do just that. The trail gets steep and technical again in spots and it reminds me of parts of the Escarpment course. It's a fun section that gets even more fun when it dumps out onto an open meadow. That is just an amazing part of the course. You're flying downhill on single track on an open field, it's just awesome. I hit the aid station in the parking lot and let the volunteers know that the big turn was not marked and there were no markers until that aid station.
Next up is the longest, baseball-sized rock infested jeep road in the world. It goes mostly downhill at different grades ranging from really steep to not very steep at all. There is one section that goes uphill for a long while which is by far the toughest part of the course. (Not counting the climb up to the summit). After that climb it's down, down, down the jeep road. Usually, I'm just absolutely pounding myself, running as fast as possible. This year my legs were too tired to really kill this section. I ran fast, but not crazy fast. The rocks start to get annoying on your tired feet. Finally, the trail gets dark and shaded which means you're almost finished. I passed a young guy here who was moving very slowly. This put me into 3rd place. He looked like he was wearing very lightweight xc racers. I bet his legs and feet were just destroyed. I tried to encourage him, but I could tell he was not a happy camper. Shortly after that, I crossed the bridge and climbed up the last hill and pushed hard to the finish in the field by the pond. My time was 1:47:01, which wasn't great but I had a lot of fun out there and it was a great day on the mountain. I enjoyed a Coke and some grub and chatted with Jonny and Pard about their races. I'll be back, it's a great mountain race.
Total for the week:
45miles. Fun race. I need to run and lift more and stop being lazy.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Week of June 2nd - 8th, 2014
Monday:
8mi*/48:30 in Pisgah solo M.P.* run. Felt smooth and easy. Beautiful sunny weather, 80F.
Tuesday:
0mi - lifted weights. Bought a kettle bell and I'm doing sets of kettle bells swings.
Wednesday:
10mi/70min in Pisgah with Ferenc and the girls. Kind of hot out there. I have a cold. Annoying.
Thursday:
3mi/22min in Friedsam with track team. Fun run. Lifted weights.
Friday:
Am: 1mi at school. Lifted weights.
Pm: 13mi/1:27 on the Pinnacle Mtn trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Saw a male scarlet tanager at the top of the Pinnacle. Perfect weather. No humidity, 77F.
Saturday:
9mi*/60min - Westmoreland 4mi - 22:44 (5:41) 3rd place. My legs felt a little flat, perhaps from yesterday's hilly run or all the kettle bell swings I've been doing. Sam Lagasse, Chris Riley, Chris Hayhurst, Brett M. and I were all in a tight pack through the mile. Then the big hill created a bit of separation. Sam started to go and I tried to go with him. Chris Riley passed me on the flat section after the downhill and caught up to Sam. I had no fight and couldn't make up any distance in the next 2mi. I settled for 3rd. Not a great race but I got a decent workout in and it was a good fitness test. What should I expect with my horrible mileage? Good cool down after with the guys.
Here are my miles:
5:25
6:00 - big hill
5:37
5:39
Sunday:
16mi*/1:46 on the Putney Mtn trails with Ferenc. Good run. My legs were fairly sore and tired but the weather was nice and it was a fun day out there. Lot's of climbing. I was hot and thirsty by the end. Glad we didn't go longer like we were planning. Dipped in the icy cold waters at the Putney culvert, first time this summer. Brrr!
Total:
60mi - I'll take it. Only one day off, lot's of lifting and a fun long run. The race kind of sucked but it's a good wake up call. Time to get serious. Next week, do some hill sprints and race at Mt. Greylock. I hope it's not crazy hot for that race.
8mi*/48:30 in Pisgah solo M.P.* run. Felt smooth and easy. Beautiful sunny weather, 80F.
Tuesday:
0mi - lifted weights. Bought a kettle bell and I'm doing sets of kettle bells swings.
Wednesday:
10mi/70min in Pisgah with Ferenc and the girls. Kind of hot out there. I have a cold. Annoying.
Thursday:
3mi/22min in Friedsam with track team. Fun run. Lifted weights.
Friday:
Am: 1mi at school. Lifted weights.
Pm: 13mi/1:27 on the Pinnacle Mtn trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Saw a male scarlet tanager at the top of the Pinnacle. Perfect weather. No humidity, 77F.
Saturday:
9mi*/60min - Westmoreland 4mi - 22:44 (5:41) 3rd place. My legs felt a little flat, perhaps from yesterday's hilly run or all the kettle bell swings I've been doing. Sam Lagasse, Chris Riley, Chris Hayhurst, Brett M. and I were all in a tight pack through the mile. Then the big hill created a bit of separation. Sam started to go and I tried to go with him. Chris Riley passed me on the flat section after the downhill and caught up to Sam. I had no fight and couldn't make up any distance in the next 2mi. I settled for 3rd. Not a great race but I got a decent workout in and it was a good fitness test. What should I expect with my horrible mileage? Good cool down after with the guys.
Here are my miles:
5:25
6:00 - big hill
5:37
5:39
Sunday:
16mi*/1:46 on the Putney Mtn trails with Ferenc. Good run. My legs were fairly sore and tired but the weather was nice and it was a fun day out there. Lot's of climbing. I was hot and thirsty by the end. Glad we didn't go longer like we were planning. Dipped in the icy cold waters at the Putney culvert, first time this summer. Brrr!
Total:
60mi - I'll take it. Only one day off, lot's of lifting and a fun long run. The race kind of sucked but it's a good wake up call. Time to get serious. Next week, do some hill sprints and race at Mt. Greylock. I hope it's not crazy hot for that race.
Playing Catsup - Weeks of May 12th - June 1st, 2014
Well, this is a slacker blog post as Jonny would put it, with some slacker running. (Unlike Jonny!)
May 12th - 18th
Mon - 0mi
Tues - 3mi
Wed - 0mi
Thurs - am: 2mi pm: 6mi with a 5mi tempo in 29:40
Fri - 0mi
Sat - 12mi w/Ferenc and the girls
Sun - 14mi
Total - 37mi
May 19th - 25th
Mon - 0mi
Tues - 4mi
Wed - 0mi
Thurs - 0mi
Fri - 0mi, lifted weights - at least I did something
Sat - 14mi with Pisgah 10K trail race - 40:31 (6:31) 1st place - Fun race, tough course
Sun - 0mi - lifted weights
Total - 18mi - Pathetic week. Fun race though
May 26th - June 1st
Mon - 10mi w/George and Thomas
Tues - 2mi
Wed - 0mi
Thurs - 0mi
Fri - 10mi w/Boj, Ferenc and the girls, fun run.
Sat - 4mi - CVL Meet - some great performances today. Proud of my team. Scott and Meagan champions in the 400m (56.8/66.7)
Sun - 17mi w/George in Gilsum
Total - 43mi. Crappy week again. My track team did great on Saturday and now the season is over. No more excuses. Time to get after it.
May 12th - 18th
Mon - 0mi
Tues - 3mi
Wed - 0mi
Thurs - am: 2mi pm: 6mi with a 5mi tempo in 29:40
Fri - 0mi
Sat - 12mi w/Ferenc and the girls
Sun - 14mi
Total - 37mi
May 19th - 25th
Mon - 0mi
Tues - 4mi
Wed - 0mi
Thurs - 0mi
Fri - 0mi, lifted weights - at least I did something
Sat - 14mi with Pisgah 10K trail race - 40:31 (6:31) 1st place - Fun race, tough course
Sun - 0mi - lifted weights
Total - 18mi - Pathetic week. Fun race though
May 26th - June 1st
Mon - 10mi w/George and Thomas
Tues - 2mi
Wed - 0mi
Thurs - 0mi
Fri - 10mi w/Boj, Ferenc and the girls, fun run.
Sat - 4mi - CVL Meet - some great performances today. Proud of my team. Scott and Meagan champions in the 400m (56.8/66.7)
Sun - 17mi w/George in Gilsum
Total - 43mi. Crappy week again. My track team did great on Saturday and now the season is over. No more excuses. Time to get after it.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Week of May 5th to 11th, 2014
Monday:
0mi. Down at Nature's Classroom in Rhode Island with the 6th graders. Too crazy and hectic to get a run in. This is usually how it goes on the first day down here.
Tuesday:
10mi*/59min - Wakefield Rds. M.P.* run. Felt great. Awesome weather. Just rolling along.
Wednesday:
0mi. Drove back from Nature's Classroom and then went to a track meet.
Thursday:
0mi. Had another track meet.
Friday:
3mi/24min in Friedsam with track team + Jen and Griffin. This was a fun run.
Saturday:
8mi/52min in Pisgah with Griffin. Drizzle and rain. Starting to feel sick. I feel achy and feverish. Uh Oh!
Sunday:
0mi. Sick day. Spent the day huddled under the sheets shivering with a fever. My body is achy and my stomach is upset. Not fun. The weather was gorgeous today and I didn't get to enjoy any of it.
Total for the week:
21mi. Oh man. This is pathetic. I knew it'd be a tough week to get miles with all I had going on, but I didn't predict getting sick. I need to get healthy and get after it.
0mi. Down at Nature's Classroom in Rhode Island with the 6th graders. Too crazy and hectic to get a run in. This is usually how it goes on the first day down here.
Tuesday:
10mi*/59min - Wakefield Rds. M.P.* run. Felt great. Awesome weather. Just rolling along.
Wednesday:
0mi. Drove back from Nature's Classroom and then went to a track meet.
Thursday:
0mi. Had another track meet.
Friday:
3mi/24min in Friedsam with track team + Jen and Griffin. This was a fun run.
Saturday:
8mi/52min in Pisgah with Griffin. Drizzle and rain. Starting to feel sick. I feel achy and feverish. Uh Oh!
Sunday:
0mi. Sick day. Spent the day huddled under the sheets shivering with a fever. My body is achy and my stomach is upset. Not fun. The weather was gorgeous today and I didn't get to enjoy any of it.
Total for the week:
21mi. Oh man. This is pathetic. I knew it'd be a tough week to get miles with all I had going on, but I didn't predict getting sick. I need to get healthy and get after it.
Week of April 28th to May 4th, 2014
Monday:
0mi. I had a track meet and didn't get home til 8pm. We had some really good performances. A kid ran a school record 400m in 58.4.
Tuesday:
0mi. It was a cold miserable day and when I got home from practice I just didn't feel like heading back out into the weather. Pathetic. Lethargy breeds lethargy. I hate starting weeks like this.
Wednesday:
8mi/54min in Pisgah with Griffin. Crappy weather. 44degrees F and raining. Felt good and glad I got out there. I saw a large pile of bear scat on the Lily trail.
Thursday:
0mi. Just feeling lazy. Sometimes when I know my weekly total is going to suck anyway, I bag a day like this. Ugghhh. I should have run. On days like this I should just get out the door and run 3 miles. Anything is better than a zero.
Friday:
am: 3mi at school with Fit Club.
Pm: 3mi with the track team in Friedsam. Fun run. Feeling good.
Pm+: 4mi in Pisgah with Griffin. Gorgeous weather today. Feeling great. Fun triple, but it's only a 10mi day.
Saturday:
9mi*/60min - Friends of Chesterfield School 10K - 37:51 (6:05) 1st place.
This is a very tough hybrid race. It's a mix of roads, dirt roads and trails. It's very hilly and slow going. Chris Hayhurst and another guy that looked fit but was wearing Vibrams stuck with me through the mile. After that we climbed the big hill up my road. Chris stayed on my tail until we entered the woods. I hammered and opened up a gap on Chris. At the turn around in the woods, near the 5K mark, my lead was 42 seconds on Chris. The next mile and a half is all uphill. I continued to hammer made it hurt climbing out of Horseshoe Rd. The final 3K is mostly downhill on dirt road and I pushed home for the comfortable win. I was almost 2min up on Chris at the finish. I was pleased to see that I was exactly 2min faster than last year. Last year, I was coming off a terrible sinus infection that forced me to take 11 days off and I was quite out of shape after that. I don't think I'm in great shape this year, but 2min faster is highly encouraging. I also ran hard the entire time and felt like I nailed a good race. I know what a good race feels like and that was it.
Sunday:
7mi/49min on the Sleepy Hollow trails in Huntington, VT. I drove up with Ferenc to the Sleepy Hollow race to watch him crush souls. Warmed up with Jim Johnson, Kevin Tilton and Ferenc. It's always good seeing those guys. I wish they lived closer so I could run with them more. They're good people. The weather was nasty and the course was muddy. I got cold watching the race so I ran up a hill to warm myself up and I missed Ferenc finishing. Oops. We did a good cool down and he was clearly very pumped with his result. I felt bad for Mike Galoob and his shitty race. I know he's in great shape and shouldn't be too discouraged by one sub-par result due to stomach issues. He'll bounce back. Fun day watching a good trail race.
Total for the week:
34mi. Not a great week. I need to get out the door every day. One day off is ok. 3 days off is terrible. I need to lift again also. I'm pretty pleased with Saturday's race.
0mi. I had a track meet and didn't get home til 8pm. We had some really good performances. A kid ran a school record 400m in 58.4.
Tuesday:
0mi. It was a cold miserable day and when I got home from practice I just didn't feel like heading back out into the weather. Pathetic. Lethargy breeds lethargy. I hate starting weeks like this.
Wednesday:
8mi/54min in Pisgah with Griffin. Crappy weather. 44degrees F and raining. Felt good and glad I got out there. I saw a large pile of bear scat on the Lily trail.
Thursday:
0mi. Just feeling lazy. Sometimes when I know my weekly total is going to suck anyway, I bag a day like this. Ugghhh. I should have run. On days like this I should just get out the door and run 3 miles. Anything is better than a zero.
Friday:
am: 3mi at school with Fit Club.
Pm: 3mi with the track team in Friedsam. Fun run. Feeling good.
Pm+: 4mi in Pisgah with Griffin. Gorgeous weather today. Feeling great. Fun triple, but it's only a 10mi day.
Saturday:
9mi*/60min - Friends of Chesterfield School 10K - 37:51 (6:05) 1st place.
This is a very tough hybrid race. It's a mix of roads, dirt roads and trails. It's very hilly and slow going. Chris Hayhurst and another guy that looked fit but was wearing Vibrams stuck with me through the mile. After that we climbed the big hill up my road. Chris stayed on my tail until we entered the woods. I hammered and opened up a gap on Chris. At the turn around in the woods, near the 5K mark, my lead was 42 seconds on Chris. The next mile and a half is all uphill. I continued to hammer made it hurt climbing out of Horseshoe Rd. The final 3K is mostly downhill on dirt road and I pushed home for the comfortable win. I was almost 2min up on Chris at the finish. I was pleased to see that I was exactly 2min faster than last year. Last year, I was coming off a terrible sinus infection that forced me to take 11 days off and I was quite out of shape after that. I don't think I'm in great shape this year, but 2min faster is highly encouraging. I also ran hard the entire time and felt like I nailed a good race. I know what a good race feels like and that was it.
Sunday:
7mi/49min on the Sleepy Hollow trails in Huntington, VT. I drove up with Ferenc to the Sleepy Hollow race to watch him crush souls. Warmed up with Jim Johnson, Kevin Tilton and Ferenc. It's always good seeing those guys. I wish they lived closer so I could run with them more. They're good people. The weather was nasty and the course was muddy. I got cold watching the race so I ran up a hill to warm myself up and I missed Ferenc finishing. Oops. We did a good cool down and he was clearly very pumped with his result. I felt bad for Mike Galoob and his shitty race. I know he's in great shape and shouldn't be too discouraged by one sub-par result due to stomach issues. He'll bounce back. Fun day watching a good trail race.
Total for the week:
34mi. Not a great week. I need to get out the door every day. One day off is ok. 3 days off is terrible. I need to lift again also. I'm pretty pleased with Saturday's race.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Week of April 21st - 27th, 2014
Monday:
10mi/71min in Pisgah with George. Great run. First run with my shirt off of the year, 71 degrees F. Feeling good.
Tuesday:
10mi/67min with George on the Keene Tracks. Good run. My legs were a bit sluggish.
Wednesday:
Am: 4mi/28min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice easy run. Windy and damp weather.
Pm: 10mi*/68min - track workout at Monadnock with George and Pacman.
200-200-200-200-400 x 2 @ R Pace with full rest
(32, 32, 32, 32, 66, 31, 31, 31, 31, 66)
Good workout. This was my first speed workout since January 22nd. I wanted to do something low volume and R paced 200's seemed the way to go with the strong head wind on the back stretch. I felt smooth and relaxed and the wind was definitely tough while finishing up the 400's. I need to get back into the routine of Wednesday workouts. I'll do something longer next week, perhaps a mix T and I workout.
Thursday:
5mi/34min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice easy run. My legs were pretty tired from yesterday's workout. It was super windy today and I was a bit worried that a tree would come crashing down on my head. I saw a hawk carrying a snake. I didn't get a great look at it, but it was either a broad-winged hawk or a red shouldered hawk. There were at least 100 tree swallows darting back and forth over my beaver pond. I guess the wind didn't bother them too much.
Friday:
10mi/67min on trails in Grafton, VT with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Good run. We visited Creature Rock which is a really cool, huge boulder in the middle of the woods. Legs feel good. Nice weather today, 64 degrees and sunny.
Saturday:
12mi/1:22 on Pinnacle Mtn trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Good run. My legs were pretty tired on the climbs but I felt fine going downhill.
Sunday:
14mi*/1:34 in Pisgah with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. My legs are pretty freakin' fatigued. Stopped to walk a few times and just took our time. I was too tired to do a proper long run of 2hrs or more. Chilly, grey day.
Total for the week:
75miles. I'm pleased with my total mileage and happy that I got back to the track for a speed workout. I need to stretch more and lift weights next week and keep the miles up.
10mi/71min in Pisgah with George. Great run. First run with my shirt off of the year, 71 degrees F. Feeling good.
Tuesday:
10mi/67min with George on the Keene Tracks. Good run. My legs were a bit sluggish.
Wednesday:
Am: 4mi/28min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice easy run. Windy and damp weather.
Pm: 10mi*/68min - track workout at Monadnock with George and Pacman.
200-200-200-200-400 x 2 @ R Pace with full rest
(32, 32, 32, 32, 66, 31, 31, 31, 31, 66)
Good workout. This was my first speed workout since January 22nd. I wanted to do something low volume and R paced 200's seemed the way to go with the strong head wind on the back stretch. I felt smooth and relaxed and the wind was definitely tough while finishing up the 400's. I need to get back into the routine of Wednesday workouts. I'll do something longer next week, perhaps a mix T and I workout.
Thursday:
5mi/34min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice easy run. My legs were pretty tired from yesterday's workout. It was super windy today and I was a bit worried that a tree would come crashing down on my head. I saw a hawk carrying a snake. I didn't get a great look at it, but it was either a broad-winged hawk or a red shouldered hawk. There were at least 100 tree swallows darting back and forth over my beaver pond. I guess the wind didn't bother them too much.
Friday:
10mi/67min on trails in Grafton, VT with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Good run. We visited Creature Rock which is a really cool, huge boulder in the middle of the woods. Legs feel good. Nice weather today, 64 degrees and sunny.
Saturday:
12mi/1:22 on Pinnacle Mtn trails with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Good run. My legs were pretty tired on the climbs but I felt fine going downhill.
Sunday:
14mi*/1:34 in Pisgah with Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. My legs are pretty freakin' fatigued. Stopped to walk a few times and just took our time. I was too tired to do a proper long run of 2hrs or more. Chilly, grey day.
Total for the week:
75miles. I'm pleased with my total mileage and happy that I got back to the track for a speed workout. I need to stretch more and lift weights next week and keep the miles up.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Week of April 14th - 20th, 2014
Monday:
2mi/15min with the track team. I drove to Ferenc's at night to run an hour and get wings. When I got there I was starving and talked him and Boj into just getting wings. Great decision.
Tuesday:
0mi. It was pouring and I was feeling lazy. This is not a good start to this week.
Wednesday:
Am: 4mi/28min in Pisgah with Griffin + Fit Club + Circuits. I woke up to a fresh 1"+ of snow on the ground and 20degree F temps. Welcome back winter! Beautiful morning for a run.
Pm: 10mi/68min in Pisgah with Griffin. Great run. It was sunny and 41degrees. The morning's snowfall was still hanging on in the shade but clear trail in the sun. Saw a beaver and some wood ducks. Feeling good.
Thursday:
5mi/33min in Pisgah with Griffin. I was going to run longer, but Griffin was hanging back and acting funny. I stopped and waited for her and she yelped. I turned around and she charged to the front and acted like nothing was wrong. Chilly temps today.
Friday:
7mi/57min in Pisgah with Sontag and Rockstar (Jen, Courtney, Griffin and Cookie). We ran nice and slow with the girls and they turned back and us boys added on some more mileage. Fun run.
Saturday:
11mi/79min on the Keene Hilly Rds. with George and Thomas. Good run. Nice weather. Feel good.
Sunday:
15mi*/1:45 - Putney Mtn - Pinnacle Mtn trails with Goupil, Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Nice run. The weather was chilly at the start, but it quickly warmed up. I could have stayed at the lookout at the top of Pinnacle Mtn forever. It was a beautiful day.
Total:
54miles. I didn't lift, do a speed workout, or a race. It was still a good week because my mileage is slowly starting to climb up and I'm beginning to feel some fitness coming back. Vacation next week, I want to run some good miles and maybe go run up Mt. Monadnock. I'll go to the gym to lift a couple times too.
2mi/15min with the track team. I drove to Ferenc's at night to run an hour and get wings. When I got there I was starving and talked him and Boj into just getting wings. Great decision.
Tuesday:
0mi. It was pouring and I was feeling lazy. This is not a good start to this week.
Wednesday:
Am: 4mi/28min in Pisgah with Griffin + Fit Club + Circuits. I woke up to a fresh 1"+ of snow on the ground and 20degree F temps. Welcome back winter! Beautiful morning for a run.
Pm: 10mi/68min in Pisgah with Griffin. Great run. It was sunny and 41degrees. The morning's snowfall was still hanging on in the shade but clear trail in the sun. Saw a beaver and some wood ducks. Feeling good.
Thursday:
5mi/33min in Pisgah with Griffin. I was going to run longer, but Griffin was hanging back and acting funny. I stopped and waited for her and she yelped. I turned around and she charged to the front and acted like nothing was wrong. Chilly temps today.
Friday:
7mi/57min in Pisgah with Sontag and Rockstar (Jen, Courtney, Griffin and Cookie). We ran nice and slow with the girls and they turned back and us boys added on some more mileage. Fun run.
Saturday:
11mi/79min on the Keene Hilly Rds. with George and Thomas. Good run. Nice weather. Feel good.
Sunday:
15mi*/1:45 - Putney Mtn - Pinnacle Mtn trails with Goupil, Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Nice run. The weather was chilly at the start, but it quickly warmed up. I could have stayed at the lookout at the top of Pinnacle Mtn forever. It was a beautiful day.
Total:
54miles. I didn't lift, do a speed workout, or a race. It was still a good week because my mileage is slowly starting to climb up and I'm beginning to feel some fitness coming back. Vacation next week, I want to run some good miles and maybe go run up Mt. Monadnock. I'll go to the gym to lift a couple times too.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Week of April 7th - 13th, 2014
Monday:
0mi. Rest day. I have a sore throat and I'm feeling run down. I started coaching track today.
Tuesday:
4mi/27min in Pisgah with Griffin. Trails are brutal right now. Lot's of ice/snow and mud. I have a cold.
Wednesday:
10mi/67min in Pisgah with Griffin. Good run, I stuck to the sunniest trails I could find. Still long stretches of ice in the shade. I post holed in the mud a few times falling in above the ankle. That's what happens when there's deep frost and mud. I woke up early this morning and lifted weights. Still have an annoying cold.
Thursday:
1mi + Circuits with Fit Club at school. I came home from practice with the desire to run even though my cold is raging and I'm feeling run down. I plopped down in my bed to close my eyes for 15min before my run. I woke up 2hrs later. I guess I needed the sleep. Kind of a shame to miss out on a 60 degree day.
Friday:
6mi/43min in Friedsam/Pisgah. I ran 3mi at track practice in Friedsam. That was a lot of fun. Then I came home and headed out for 3 more in Pisgah with Griffin. It started to rain and there were a few wood frogs croaking (more like quacking) in a vernal pool. This got me excited that tonight would be a big migration night for the salamanders, wood frogs and spring peepers. Jen and I headed out at night and we helped a few spotted salamanders cross the road. There were a ton of peepers and woodies out. It's really nice to hear the peepers out on the pond calling again. They only started 2 nights ago. The great blue herons are back in the nest, the beavers are active, the black birds are calling and the temps are warm. Spring is here, now we just need the damn trails to be ice/snow free!
Saturday:
11mi*/75min - Sports Medicine 5K - 16:46 (5:25) 2nd place.
This was a beautiful day to run a race. Perfect temps in the 60's with sunshine. I took off very conservatively sitting in 9th place or so. Thomas already was pulling away from the field with Andy being the only one to give chase. I started to pick it up late in the first mile and moved up into 3rd place after the mile (5:21). A tall runner I didn't recognize latched onto me and pushed me through the second mile (5:25). There's a good amount of small but steep hills and I felt good legging out on the downhills. I was able to catch Andy and go by him on the steep twisty downhill by Rte 9 and was in second place with 3/4 of a mile to go. Andy didn't give up and I could hear him a few seconds back. Exiting the bike path up the final steep hill, I dug down and created more separation. Thomas was far ahead and would go on to win comfortably in 16:20. I crossed the line in 16:46, 6 seconds ahead of Andy. It was a good, consistent effort that I was pleased with. The time was about what I expected considering my current fitness level on this slow course. I won 75 smackers for my efforts which was a nice surprise. George, Thomas and I did a cool down after the awards and then went to Margaritas for some post race grub. Fun day!
Sunday:
18mi*/2:10 in Pisgah with George, Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Nice easy long run. The trails are 90% clear of snow and ice. The snow is only hanging on in the darkest of places in the park. We ran the Old Town Forest trail which is pretty cool and headed up to Pisgah ridge. The run started with cold temps in the 40's and hard rain. We were all a little cold, but it got warmer as the run progressed and the rain stopped. Legs good and tired. I'm really happy to finally get a long run in and had no issues with my knee which is now back to 100% healthy.
Total for the week:
50miles. OK week. I want to get my mileage up into the 60's and beyond soon. Coaching track does cut into my desire to get out the door after a long day, but it stays light out for so long that I really don't have any excuses. I'm really happy to be running on mostly snow-free trails again. Next week, I need to get to the gym to lift at least twice and get back to the track for speed workouts.
0mi. Rest day. I have a sore throat and I'm feeling run down. I started coaching track today.
Tuesday:
4mi/27min in Pisgah with Griffin. Trails are brutal right now. Lot's of ice/snow and mud. I have a cold.
Wednesday:
10mi/67min in Pisgah with Griffin. Good run, I stuck to the sunniest trails I could find. Still long stretches of ice in the shade. I post holed in the mud a few times falling in above the ankle. That's what happens when there's deep frost and mud. I woke up early this morning and lifted weights. Still have an annoying cold.
Thursday:
1mi + Circuits with Fit Club at school. I came home from practice with the desire to run even though my cold is raging and I'm feeling run down. I plopped down in my bed to close my eyes for 15min before my run. I woke up 2hrs later. I guess I needed the sleep. Kind of a shame to miss out on a 60 degree day.
Friday:
6mi/43min in Friedsam/Pisgah. I ran 3mi at track practice in Friedsam. That was a lot of fun. Then I came home and headed out for 3 more in Pisgah with Griffin. It started to rain and there were a few wood frogs croaking (more like quacking) in a vernal pool. This got me excited that tonight would be a big migration night for the salamanders, wood frogs and spring peepers. Jen and I headed out at night and we helped a few spotted salamanders cross the road. There were a ton of peepers and woodies out. It's really nice to hear the peepers out on the pond calling again. They only started 2 nights ago. The great blue herons are back in the nest, the beavers are active, the black birds are calling and the temps are warm. Spring is here, now we just need the damn trails to be ice/snow free!
Saturday:
11mi*/75min - Sports Medicine 5K - 16:46 (5:25) 2nd place.
This was a beautiful day to run a race. Perfect temps in the 60's with sunshine. I took off very conservatively sitting in 9th place or so. Thomas already was pulling away from the field with Andy being the only one to give chase. I started to pick it up late in the first mile and moved up into 3rd place after the mile (5:21). A tall runner I didn't recognize latched onto me and pushed me through the second mile (5:25). There's a good amount of small but steep hills and I felt good legging out on the downhills. I was able to catch Andy and go by him on the steep twisty downhill by Rte 9 and was in second place with 3/4 of a mile to go. Andy didn't give up and I could hear him a few seconds back. Exiting the bike path up the final steep hill, I dug down and created more separation. Thomas was far ahead and would go on to win comfortably in 16:20. I crossed the line in 16:46, 6 seconds ahead of Andy. It was a good, consistent effort that I was pleased with. The time was about what I expected considering my current fitness level on this slow course. I won 75 smackers for my efforts which was a nice surprise. George, Thomas and I did a cool down after the awards and then went to Margaritas for some post race grub. Fun day!
Sunday:
18mi*/2:10 in Pisgah with George, Ferenc, Lena and Ellie. Nice easy long run. The trails are 90% clear of snow and ice. The snow is only hanging on in the darkest of places in the park. We ran the Old Town Forest trail which is pretty cool and headed up to Pisgah ridge. The run started with cold temps in the 40's and hard rain. We were all a little cold, but it got warmer as the run progressed and the rain stopped. Legs good and tired. I'm really happy to finally get a long run in and had no issues with my knee which is now back to 100% healthy.
Total for the week:
50miles. OK week. I want to get my mileage up into the 60's and beyond soon. Coaching track does cut into my desire to get out the door after a long day, but it stays light out for so long that I really don't have any excuses. I'm really happy to be running on mostly snow-free trails again. Next week, I need to get to the gym to lift at least twice and get back to the track for speed workouts.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Week of March 31st - April 6th, 2014
Monday:
0mi. My body is really stiff today.
Tuesday:
6mi/45min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice sunny day, 47 degrees F. The trails are absolutely as bad as they get right now: lot's of snow, ice, slush, ice bridges, running water, standing water, and mud. (The mud is the best surface to run on). It was still nice to be out in the gorgeous spring weather. I wore shorts and short sleeves. Good yoga session after the run.
Wednesday:
Am: 1mi + Circuits with Fit Club. Really fun, tough circuit. The kids looked wiped after it!
Pm: 5mi/37min in Pisgah with Griffin. Yikes the trails are just awful but the weather was fantastic, 55 degrees F and sunny. I scooted down to the beaver pond and just sat there for a while, soaking in the sunshine and beautiful view. I wanted to run longer, but the trails just suck. I can't wait until they're snow/ice free.
Thursday:
5mi/35min in Pisgah with Griffin. I ran home from school, grabbed Griff and headed out for a short run. Nice weather, but the trails are a mess. I can't will myself to run longer in those conditions.
Friday:
4mi/26min in Pisgah with Griffin. Lifted weights.
Saturday:
15mi*/1:38 - Big River Trail Half Marathon - 1:27:44 - 1st place.
I drove down with Boj the morning of the race. I was excited to race here because I've heard such good things about the course. I've only run here once or twice in the past. At the start, a guy with a handheld bottle sprinted to the lead. He had on Julbo shades and I think a LaSportiva singlet. He was lean and wiry and had the look of a serious competitor. (Carrying the handheld made me think that maybe he wasn't that experienced, however). He lead for a little while but I passed him after about 3 min of racing. I started to push my lead with Jackman now in 2nd place. I was enjoying the twisty, rolling single track and I extended my lead on Bob and the rest of the field. Soon, I was no longer able to see Bob when I glanced back on the turns. My gap felt pretty sizeable for being early in the race. I came to an intersection with no flagging, and I headed left, up the hill. I started to slow down as I saw no flagging. I felt like I was going the correct way as it was the most obvious route, but I slowed even more. Finally, I got to a house and could still see no markings, so I turned around and started running back. I wasn't running very long when Bob and Steve Brightman came running towards me telling me I was still on course. I jumped behind Bob since he knew the course. We ran by the house I turned around at and the parking lot seemed like it came up only 30 seconds later. Damn. I pounded 2 gatorades at the aid station and jumped back on Bob's heels. I would stay here for the next 9miles. I was afraid of going off course again, and Bob knew where he was going and thus my new strategy was born.
We quickly pulled away from Brightman after the aid station. Bob was really hammering, especially the downhills. He is a monster on the descents. My lower back is pretty tight and sore this morning as I type this, and I think I have Bob to thank for that. The course twisted and turned, crossed wet areas and streams, and continued to rise and fall many times. Each descent was the same as the last, Bob hammering at a very uncomfortable pace. I took a gel at 45min and then another one at 55min. I just felt like I wanted to be well fueled for the long (for me currently) race and the late start time. My second gel exploded all over my hands. I had to lick my hands to get the gel off and then my fingers were sticking to my palm. I've never had that happen before in a race.
I began to really get tired after about an hour of racing. My legs were just getting fatigued. I started to tell myself to just hang with Bob until 1:20 and then try to go by him. We reached 1:20, and I was too tired to pass. We saw 3 deer and I was going to say something about chasing them down for food, but instead I just grunted to Bob, "deer". He grunted back, "yup". That's about as chatty as you can be 12miles into a tough race. A little bit later, I was following close to Bob and couldn't see a root and I went down hard. He got a 3 second gap on me, but I reeled him back in pretty quickly. We emptied out onto a dirt road and I felt like the finish must be close. I surged by him as we entered back onto the single track. I opened up a small gap. My legs immediately complained to me that they were too tired and I thought that Bob might catch me and pass me. I dug down and was able to hang on for the win with Bob finishing really closely behind me. It was very satisfying to get the win. Bob is a tough competitor and racing him for 9mi will make this one memorable for me. He definitely made me earn the win. Jonny and Bentley came racing in to the finish 2min after us and it sounds like they had a similar race as Bob and me. Fun times post race, swapping stories. Kudos to Mike Galoob for hosting another awesome event.
Sunday:
7mi/56min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice and slow recovery run. Legs not sore at all, just a little sluggish. My lower back is tight. Sunny cool weather.
Total for the week:
43mi - Good week. My mileage is low, but it should start to climb up once the trails finally are snow free. I'm happy to win at Big River.
0mi. My body is really stiff today.
Tuesday:
6mi/45min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice sunny day, 47 degrees F. The trails are absolutely as bad as they get right now: lot's of snow, ice, slush, ice bridges, running water, standing water, and mud. (The mud is the best surface to run on). It was still nice to be out in the gorgeous spring weather. I wore shorts and short sleeves. Good yoga session after the run.
Wednesday:
Am: 1mi + Circuits with Fit Club. Really fun, tough circuit. The kids looked wiped after it!
Pm: 5mi/37min in Pisgah with Griffin. Yikes the trails are just awful but the weather was fantastic, 55 degrees F and sunny. I scooted down to the beaver pond and just sat there for a while, soaking in the sunshine and beautiful view. I wanted to run longer, but the trails just suck. I can't wait until they're snow/ice free.
Thursday:
5mi/35min in Pisgah with Griffin. I ran home from school, grabbed Griff and headed out for a short run. Nice weather, but the trails are a mess. I can't will myself to run longer in those conditions.
Friday:
4mi/26min in Pisgah with Griffin. Lifted weights.
Saturday:
15mi*/1:38 - Big River Trail Half Marathon - 1:27:44 - 1st place.
I drove down with Boj the morning of the race. I was excited to race here because I've heard such good things about the course. I've only run here once or twice in the past. At the start, a guy with a handheld bottle sprinted to the lead. He had on Julbo shades and I think a LaSportiva singlet. He was lean and wiry and had the look of a serious competitor. (Carrying the handheld made me think that maybe he wasn't that experienced, however). He lead for a little while but I passed him after about 3 min of racing. I started to push my lead with Jackman now in 2nd place. I was enjoying the twisty, rolling single track and I extended my lead on Bob and the rest of the field. Soon, I was no longer able to see Bob when I glanced back on the turns. My gap felt pretty sizeable for being early in the race. I came to an intersection with no flagging, and I headed left, up the hill. I started to slow down as I saw no flagging. I felt like I was going the correct way as it was the most obvious route, but I slowed even more. Finally, I got to a house and could still see no markings, so I turned around and started running back. I wasn't running very long when Bob and Steve Brightman came running towards me telling me I was still on course. I jumped behind Bob since he knew the course. We ran by the house I turned around at and the parking lot seemed like it came up only 30 seconds later. Damn. I pounded 2 gatorades at the aid station and jumped back on Bob's heels. I would stay here for the next 9miles. I was afraid of going off course again, and Bob knew where he was going and thus my new strategy was born.
We quickly pulled away from Brightman after the aid station. Bob was really hammering, especially the downhills. He is a monster on the descents. My lower back is pretty tight and sore this morning as I type this, and I think I have Bob to thank for that. The course twisted and turned, crossed wet areas and streams, and continued to rise and fall many times. Each descent was the same as the last, Bob hammering at a very uncomfortable pace. I took a gel at 45min and then another one at 55min. I just felt like I wanted to be well fueled for the long (for me currently) race and the late start time. My second gel exploded all over my hands. I had to lick my hands to get the gel off and then my fingers were sticking to my palm. I've never had that happen before in a race.
I began to really get tired after about an hour of racing. My legs were just getting fatigued. I started to tell myself to just hang with Bob until 1:20 and then try to go by him. We reached 1:20, and I was too tired to pass. We saw 3 deer and I was going to say something about chasing them down for food, but instead I just grunted to Bob, "deer". He grunted back, "yup". That's about as chatty as you can be 12miles into a tough race. A little bit later, I was following close to Bob and couldn't see a root and I went down hard. He got a 3 second gap on me, but I reeled him back in pretty quickly. We emptied out onto a dirt road and I felt like the finish must be close. I surged by him as we entered back onto the single track. I opened up a small gap. My legs immediately complained to me that they were too tired and I thought that Bob might catch me and pass me. I dug down and was able to hang on for the win with Bob finishing really closely behind me. It was very satisfying to get the win. Bob is a tough competitor and racing him for 9mi will make this one memorable for me. He definitely made me earn the win. Jonny and Bentley came racing in to the finish 2min after us and it sounds like they had a similar race as Bob and me. Fun times post race, swapping stories. Kudos to Mike Galoob for hosting another awesome event.
Sunday:
7mi/56min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice and slow recovery run. Legs not sore at all, just a little sluggish. My lower back is tight. Sunny cool weather.
Total for the week:
43mi - Good week. My mileage is low, but it should start to climb up once the trails finally are snow free. I'm happy to win at Big River.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
First Quarter Totals
499mi = 38.4mpw
The first quarter of 2014 is over. I've always enjoyed keeping track of weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly mileage totals. This ranks as one of my worst quarters ever as far as total miles. I had a knee injury which I'm recovered from but I also just really suffered from a lack of running motivation for the first time in 20 years of running and racing. The winter was cold and snowy, but normally that would get me excited to do lot's of snowshoe races and wouldn't discourage me from getting the training in. This year I did zero snowshoe races and missed out on great racing conditions and skipped Nationals which were only an hour+ drive away. Damn, missed opportunities! Spring is here, I hope with it comes renewed health and motivation.
The first quarter of 2014 is over. I've always enjoyed keeping track of weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly mileage totals. This ranks as one of my worst quarters ever as far as total miles. I had a knee injury which I'm recovered from but I also just really suffered from a lack of running motivation for the first time in 20 years of running and racing. The winter was cold and snowy, but normally that would get me excited to do lot's of snowshoe races and wouldn't discourage me from getting the training in. This year I did zero snowshoe races and missed out on great racing conditions and skipped Nationals which were only an hour+ drive away. Damn, missed opportunities! Spring is here, I hope with it comes renewed health and motivation.
Week of March 24th - 30th, 2014
Monday:
6mi/40min in Pisgah with Griffin. Hamstrings are sore today, probably from the hard fall in the race on Saturday. My knee felt good. My (R) big toe was a little painful but manageable.
Tuesday:
9mi/62min on Grafton Ponds trails with Ferenc and the girls. Great run. I felt good and the toe wasn't too much of an issue. Knee is good.
Wednesday;
0mi. It is Jen's birthday today. We celebrated by gut gorging at Koto's Japanese Steak House. Good food and fun times.
Thursday:
Am: 1mi + Circuits with Fit Club.
Pm: 10mi/70min in Pisgah with Griffin. Good run. Legs felt good. I should have worn my micro spikes as there were a lot of icy spots on the trails. There are some open muddy spots in a very few sunny places. Full snow free trails is still a long ways out. Did a solid yoga session after the run. I need to get to the gym to lift soon. I set my alarm twice this week but turned it off because I needed more sleep.
Friday:
9mi/62min on the Putney dirt roads with Ferenc. Good run. Of course it was a bit cold and drizzly. It seems to always be raining and cold when we do this loop.
Saturday:
4mi/30min in Pisgah with Griffin. The trails are all ice. My micro spikes work great but poor Griffin was slipping and sliding all over the place. My legs are tired. I know I'm out of shape when two back to back days of 10 and 9 miles leaves me tired the following day.
Sunday:
0mi. I lifted weights and then played basketball for an hour.
Total for the week:
39mi. Not a great week. This could have been a 50 mile week if I ran on Sunday. I also only lifted once. I need to increase the mileage and make sure I get to the gym more next week.
6mi/40min in Pisgah with Griffin. Hamstrings are sore today, probably from the hard fall in the race on Saturday. My knee felt good. My (R) big toe was a little painful but manageable.
Tuesday:
9mi/62min on Grafton Ponds trails with Ferenc and the girls. Great run. I felt good and the toe wasn't too much of an issue. Knee is good.
Wednesday;
0mi. It is Jen's birthday today. We celebrated by gut gorging at Koto's Japanese Steak House. Good food and fun times.
Thursday:
Am: 1mi + Circuits with Fit Club.
Pm: 10mi/70min in Pisgah with Griffin. Good run. Legs felt good. I should have worn my micro spikes as there were a lot of icy spots on the trails. There are some open muddy spots in a very few sunny places. Full snow free trails is still a long ways out. Did a solid yoga session after the run. I need to get to the gym to lift soon. I set my alarm twice this week but turned it off because I needed more sleep.
Friday:
9mi/62min on the Putney dirt roads with Ferenc. Good run. Of course it was a bit cold and drizzly. It seems to always be raining and cold when we do this loop.
Saturday:
4mi/30min in Pisgah with Griffin. The trails are all ice. My micro spikes work great but poor Griffin was slipping and sliding all over the place. My legs are tired. I know I'm out of shape when two back to back days of 10 and 9 miles leaves me tired the following day.
Sunday:
0mi. I lifted weights and then played basketball for an hour.
Total for the week:
39mi. Not a great week. This could have been a 50 mile week if I ran on Sunday. I also only lifted once. I need to increase the mileage and make sure I get to the gym more next week.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Week of March 17th - 23rd, 2014
Monday:
9mi/60min in Pisgah with Griffin. Awesome run! Knee felt good. Trails really icy, but my micro-spikes are the bomb. 30 degrees F and sunny.
Tuesday:
0mi. Just a lazy day.
Wednesday:
6mi/39min in Pisgah with Griffin. Knee good again. Snow and sleet was coming down hard the last 2 miles of my run. Feeling good. Solid yoga session after.
Thursday;
9mi/62min in Pisgah with Ferenc and the girls. Trails were slushy but the traction was ok. Knee a bit stiff after 40min of running. Lifted in the morning and got jacked.
Friday;
2mi/13min in Pisgah with Griffin. Knee still a bit stiff. Did a good yoga session before jumping in the car and driving down to Rhody for the Brrrlingame 10mi trail race tomorrow.
Saturday:
12mi*/1:18. Brrrlingame 10mi trail race - 1:03:08 (6:19) 2nd place
Started the morning off with a sighting of 2 snowy owls at Charlestown Breachway with Jen. Very cool. Saw an adult (all white) male and it looked like an adult female (grey streaks). It could have been an immature owl but it seemed to be hanging out with the adult male. At one point they flew up and together and touched talons. Jen was so excited to see the owls as she's been dying to see snowys after hearing that they were hanging around the south county beaches.
Now for the race. I knew I was not in top shape with the knee injury and low mileage for the last couple of months. I was really looking forward to racing on clear trails and seeing where my fitness stacked up against the Rhody guys. Derek Jacoboski took the race out fairly fast and I followed in 4th place sitting behind Jonny and Bob Jackman. After about 10min or so of racing, Derek had a good little gap and Bob was getting separation from Jonny. I was uncomfortable with the pace, but decided I needed to pass Jonny and catch up to Bob. I caught Bob and was impressed with how hard he blasted the downhills. He was racing the exact way I love to race this kind of fast twisty course. After the ridge section, I passed Bob on the open double track before the sand pit climb. I tried to catch up to Derek, but I was red lining and was making no ground on him. I was able to put a little distance on Bob before I hit the bridges. I glanced back and could see Chris Garvin now in 3rd place about 20 sec or so back. I was starting to struggle a bit as I exited the bridges and glanced back a few times to see if Chris was gaining on me. I took a nasty digger near the end of the first loop, as I glanced up at Derek to try to judge how far ahead he was and I smashed my right big toe on a large root. I went down hard and it felt like I broke my toe. I got up slowly and limped for a few strides, but soon I was able to run normally again but the toe was hurting and I could feel blood squishing around in my shoe. Finishing the first lap in 31 flat, I stopped to pound a Gatorade. I would normally never need to do this in a race this short, but I was hurting from the fall and my lack of fitness, the break was more of a mental break. Chris quickly passed me and I hurried out of the aid station to catch up to him and start lap 2.
In lap 2, I knew there was absolutely no way that I was going to even split, time to hang on for dear life and not fade too badly. Chris started to gap me and he probably got 10 seconds up on me. Derek was completely out of sight. My new goal became to catch back up to Chris at all cost, at least go down fighting for second place. I caught up to Chris at the ridge trail and just tried to relax for a little bit and gather myself while letting him lead. I wanted to try and pass him soon because I didn't want it to come down to a kick, but I was hurting. Passing him too far out would be a gamble, but passing him too late would be certain death in the form of his 1:59 800 wheels. After the sand pit on the wide road before the bridges, I could see Derek for the first time in the second lap. I got excited by this and decided it was now or never and went by Chris. I was able to pull away just before the bridges and I now was charging and thought maybe I still had a shot to catch Derek. It wasn't to be. The move tired me out and I was hanging on the last 8min of racing. I finished exhausted in 1:03:08, 27 seconds behind Derek and 13sec ahead of Chris. My 2nd lap was 32:07. It's interesting to see that if I didn't stop for a drink, I probably would have had the fastest 2nd lap of the entire race which would have been a small victory for me, but then again, I felt I needed that mental boost. It was a ton of fun being out there racing again and I was happy that my knee held up very well. My big toe on the other hand, was a bloody mess when I took my shoe off and it's pretty obvious that I will lose that toe nail soon. It was great chilling with family and friends post race and winning a growler of BBC Drayman's Porter for my efforts. I also enjoyed the vacation from snow and ice covered trails. It got up to 57degrees F in the afternoon and the spring peepers were out at night.
I can't wait to come down and race at Big River in a couple weeks. The extra 3.1 miles will make it interesting for sure. Time to recover and get after it. Thanks to Mike Galoob for putting his heart and soul into these awesome events for the Rhode Island trail running community.
Sunday:
0mi. My big toe is quite painful but not broken. I'll try running tomorrow.
Total for the week:
38mi.
9mi/60min in Pisgah with Griffin. Awesome run! Knee felt good. Trails really icy, but my micro-spikes are the bomb. 30 degrees F and sunny.
Tuesday:
0mi. Just a lazy day.
Wednesday:
6mi/39min in Pisgah with Griffin. Knee good again. Snow and sleet was coming down hard the last 2 miles of my run. Feeling good. Solid yoga session after.
Thursday;
9mi/62min in Pisgah with Ferenc and the girls. Trails were slushy but the traction was ok. Knee a bit stiff after 40min of running. Lifted in the morning and got jacked.
Friday;
2mi/13min in Pisgah with Griffin. Knee still a bit stiff. Did a good yoga session before jumping in the car and driving down to Rhody for the Brrrlingame 10mi trail race tomorrow.
Saturday:
12mi*/1:18. Brrrlingame 10mi trail race - 1:03:08 (6:19) 2nd place
Started the morning off with a sighting of 2 snowy owls at Charlestown Breachway with Jen. Very cool. Saw an adult (all white) male and it looked like an adult female (grey streaks). It could have been an immature owl but it seemed to be hanging out with the adult male. At one point they flew up and together and touched talons. Jen was so excited to see the owls as she's been dying to see snowys after hearing that they were hanging around the south county beaches.
Now for the race. I knew I was not in top shape with the knee injury and low mileage for the last couple of months. I was really looking forward to racing on clear trails and seeing where my fitness stacked up against the Rhody guys. Derek Jacoboski took the race out fairly fast and I followed in 4th place sitting behind Jonny and Bob Jackman. After about 10min or so of racing, Derek had a good little gap and Bob was getting separation from Jonny. I was uncomfortable with the pace, but decided I needed to pass Jonny and catch up to Bob. I caught Bob and was impressed with how hard he blasted the downhills. He was racing the exact way I love to race this kind of fast twisty course. After the ridge section, I passed Bob on the open double track before the sand pit climb. I tried to catch up to Derek, but I was red lining and was making no ground on him. I was able to put a little distance on Bob before I hit the bridges. I glanced back and could see Chris Garvin now in 3rd place about 20 sec or so back. I was starting to struggle a bit as I exited the bridges and glanced back a few times to see if Chris was gaining on me. I took a nasty digger near the end of the first loop, as I glanced up at Derek to try to judge how far ahead he was and I smashed my right big toe on a large root. I went down hard and it felt like I broke my toe. I got up slowly and limped for a few strides, but soon I was able to run normally again but the toe was hurting and I could feel blood squishing around in my shoe. Finishing the first lap in 31 flat, I stopped to pound a Gatorade. I would normally never need to do this in a race this short, but I was hurting from the fall and my lack of fitness, the break was more of a mental break. Chris quickly passed me and I hurried out of the aid station to catch up to him and start lap 2.
In lap 2, I knew there was absolutely no way that I was going to even split, time to hang on for dear life and not fade too badly. Chris started to gap me and he probably got 10 seconds up on me. Derek was completely out of sight. My new goal became to catch back up to Chris at all cost, at least go down fighting for second place. I caught up to Chris at the ridge trail and just tried to relax for a little bit and gather myself while letting him lead. I wanted to try and pass him soon because I didn't want it to come down to a kick, but I was hurting. Passing him too far out would be a gamble, but passing him too late would be certain death in the form of his 1:59 800 wheels. After the sand pit on the wide road before the bridges, I could see Derek for the first time in the second lap. I got excited by this and decided it was now or never and went by Chris. I was able to pull away just before the bridges and I now was charging and thought maybe I still had a shot to catch Derek. It wasn't to be. The move tired me out and I was hanging on the last 8min of racing. I finished exhausted in 1:03:08, 27 seconds behind Derek and 13sec ahead of Chris. My 2nd lap was 32:07. It's interesting to see that if I didn't stop for a drink, I probably would have had the fastest 2nd lap of the entire race which would have been a small victory for me, but then again, I felt I needed that mental boost. It was a ton of fun being out there racing again and I was happy that my knee held up very well. My big toe on the other hand, was a bloody mess when I took my shoe off and it's pretty obvious that I will lose that toe nail soon. It was great chilling with family and friends post race and winning a growler of BBC Drayman's Porter for my efforts. I also enjoyed the vacation from snow and ice covered trails. It got up to 57degrees F in the afternoon and the spring peepers were out at night.
I can't wait to come down and race at Big River in a couple weeks. The extra 3.1 miles will make it interesting for sure. Time to recover and get after it. Thanks to Mike Galoob for putting his heart and soul into these awesome events for the Rhode Island trail running community.
Sunday:
0mi. My big toe is quite painful but not broken. I'll try running tomorrow.
Total for the week:
38mi.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Week of March 10th - 16th, 2014
Monday:
6mi/39min in Pisgah with Griffin. Knee felt really good. Did circuits at school.
Tuesday:
2mi/13min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice 50 degree day! I lifted weights and played hoops at the Y after school because I had a workshop in Keene. I ran in the late afternoon but it was still 50F at 5:00 when I headed out.
Wednesday:
1mi/8min + Circuits at Fit Club. Body sore and tired from hoops and the hard lifting session yesterday.
Thursday:
4mi/29min in Pisgah with Griffin. It was cold and windy. There was 1" of fresh snow on the trails, just enough to make everything look fresh and pretty. Good yoga session after.
Friday:
12mi/1:30 on the Grafton, VT power lines with Ferenc and the girls. They had 3 or 4" of snow up there and made the going slow and slippery. After an hour the slipping really started bugging my knee which had been feeling great all week. This will probably end up setting me back a little bit. I need to just keep doing short runs and slowly adding a mile or two. It was a fun run though and a good test for the knee.
Saturday:
4mi/27min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice and warm today, 46 degrees. The snowmobile trails were very icy but my micro spikes worked like a charm. Got swole in the morning, pumping the weights. Did about 50 pull-ups at night with Sontag and Boj.
Sunday:
6mi/40min in Pisgah with Griffin. Beautiful sunny day, 28 degrees. The trails conditions are ideal for micro spikes right now. Knee felt good.
Total for the week:
35mi
I'm happy that I'm able to tolerate more mileage and my knee is handling it. The 12 miler on Friday aggravated it, but it didn't stay inflamed. I did a good couple lifting days and circuit days. I've been happy that I'm doing yoga every time after my runs (just like the old days). I got away from doing that consistently for about a year. Next week, I might go down to Rhody for the Burlingame 10mi trail race.
6mi/39min in Pisgah with Griffin. Knee felt really good. Did circuits at school.
Tuesday:
2mi/13min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice 50 degree day! I lifted weights and played hoops at the Y after school because I had a workshop in Keene. I ran in the late afternoon but it was still 50F at 5:00 when I headed out.
Wednesday:
1mi/8min + Circuits at Fit Club. Body sore and tired from hoops and the hard lifting session yesterday.
Thursday:
4mi/29min in Pisgah with Griffin. It was cold and windy. There was 1" of fresh snow on the trails, just enough to make everything look fresh and pretty. Good yoga session after.
Friday:
12mi/1:30 on the Grafton, VT power lines with Ferenc and the girls. They had 3 or 4" of snow up there and made the going slow and slippery. After an hour the slipping really started bugging my knee which had been feeling great all week. This will probably end up setting me back a little bit. I need to just keep doing short runs and slowly adding a mile or two. It was a fun run though and a good test for the knee.
Saturday:
4mi/27min in Pisgah with Griffin. Nice and warm today, 46 degrees. The snowmobile trails were very icy but my micro spikes worked like a charm. Got swole in the morning, pumping the weights. Did about 50 pull-ups at night with Sontag and Boj.
Sunday:
6mi/40min in Pisgah with Griffin. Beautiful sunny day, 28 degrees. The trails conditions are ideal for micro spikes right now. Knee felt good.
Total for the week:
35mi
I'm happy that I'm able to tolerate more mileage and my knee is handling it. The 12 miler on Friday aggravated it, but it didn't stay inflamed. I did a good couple lifting days and circuit days. I've been happy that I'm doing yoga every time after my runs (just like the old days). I got away from doing that consistently for about a year. Next week, I might go down to Rhody for the Burlingame 10mi trail race.
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