Monday: 8mi / 1:01 in Saxton's River w/Boj, Ferenc, and the Girls. Very slow going due to my sore legs and dark conditions. Finished with our headlamps on.
Tuesday: 10mi / 64min in Pisgah w/Griffin. Good run. Saw a deer and a hunter, luckily for the deer they were miles apart.
Wednesday: 5mi / 40min on Ashuelot Rail Trail w/Jen and Griffin.
Thursday: 10mi* / 62min Pie and Glove 5K - 15:37(5:02) 2nd. Good race. New P.R.! I went back and forth with a kid that runs for Dartmouth. I got 2 seconds on him at 2miles, but he caught back up and made a really strong move at 4k. That was it. I couldn't match it. He won in 15:31. It was really windy and snowing. This was a flat course with lots of twisty turns. Jen and Katie ran well. Had a nice meal at Jen's parents house in Horseheads, NY.
Friday: 0mi - Long drive home. Body stiff.
Saturday: 7mi / 46min on Ashuelot Rail Trail w/Griffin. Nice run.
Sunday: 24mi / 3:20. Arcadia Run w/Bentley, Jonny, and Boj. Great run. This idea was all Jonny's. He got the maps and figured out a cool route. I have to admit, after driving back from NY on Friday night, I really didn't want to drive 3hrs to Rhody. I'm glad I did. It was a lot of fun. Jonny and I hit Dunkin at 6am, and headed to the trail head. We met Bentley and Boj who were also sipping DD coffee. At 645 we were off. The weather was cold 25 degrees, but sunny with no wind. We saw a few hunters that no doubt were pissed at us for scaring all the deer. We climbed some snow capped peaks in the clouds at 400ft above sea level. O.K. there was no snow or clouds. We hit a lot of great single track and ran over some pretty technical stuff. Mt. Tom was pretty sweet. After 3 hrs, I was tired and ready to be done. At 320, we were back in the parking lot, tired but happy. The company was good and we laughed a lot on this run.
Total: 64mi - Good week. I'm happy to get a new 5K p.r. Now, I just need to avg sub 5min per mile. I'd like to lift some next week and possibly race another 5K.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Week of November 15th-21st
Monday: 10mi /68min on Keene Rail Trail w/George and Griffin. Nice and easy. Ran into Boj. He was doing a tempo run. Drizzly and dark. lifted upper body
Tuesday: 0mi -had C.P.R. training for 4 hours after school. leg routine, no weight
Wednesday: am -3mi /22min w/Griffin in the rain
pm- 11mi* / 67min Track workout @ I pace -1200-800-400-1200-800-400-1200 w/ half rest. (3:52, 2:35, 76, 3:47, 2:26, 75, 3:48) Not a great workout. It was very windy at the track and my body was tight and stiff. Just one of those weird days where everyone was in some sort of funk. Had a blast at Armadillos. Too funny!
Thursday: 13mi* / 1:18:47 in Pisgah w/Griffin. M.P.* run. Felt really good. I set my new record to the ridge (48:45). Kind of shut it down after the ridge. Talked with a hiker at the top that had 2 dogs. He was a cool older guy. There was an awesome moon right over Mt. Monadnock. What a beautiful day and a fantastic run.
Friday: 8mi / 56min in Pisgah w/Fyffe, Ferenc, and the Girls. Nice easy run. Legs fatigued.
Saturday: 5mi / 36min on Ashuelot Rail Trail w/Griffin and Jen. Beautiful, chilly morning run. I haven't run with Jen in a while. It was fun. I'm getting excited for Lil Rhody tomorrow. I really want to break 45 minutes. My right piriformis is pretty sore right now. I'm used to that, I'll be fine!
Sunday: 14mi* / 1:26 - Lil Rhody Runaround 8mile trail race - 45:03(5:38) 1st. My right piriformis was miserably sore before the start of this race. After a good warm-up with Ben Nephew and Boj, I was feeling a little bit looser. I didn't want to complain after seeing how bad Glenn's back was, and he was still racing. The race went well. I took off at the gun and that was pretty much it. It was a solo time trial against the clock. Ben was coming off a 50miler and I figured his leg speed would be a little compromised. I felt great and knew I was running my best Lil Rhody ever. The only problem was the slippery leaves. It seems like in years past, the oaks were still hanging onto their leaves making the course faster. Not this year. Not a leaf on any tree, just on the ground causing me to slip on every uphill and turn. I got to the final road section and really hammered, running this last section the strongest I've ever run it. I felt like I was running a low 44 but figured I was slower because of the leaves. I wasn't wearing a watch and when I came into the finish I saw the clock at 45:00. I was a little discouraged to see that, but oh well, I ran fast and won for the 4th time. My official time was 45:03, which is a p.r. for me. I cheered for all my friends and family running the race. It was great to see Bentley and Jonny run big p.r.'s, Jen run a good first Rhody, Pard win his age group, Big Dave finish strong, and M.C. battle through the pain to finish for the first time in many years. I cooled down with Boj and started bonking due to the late start and early breakfast. Luckily, I had an awesome Thanksgiving meal waiting for me at my parent's house. It was great spending time with family and friends and I'm thankful for my health and the health of everyone around me. Winning is fun, but I'm happy to just be out there running in the woods with like minded people.
Total: 64mi
Tuesday: 0mi -had C.P.R. training for 4 hours after school. leg routine, no weight
Wednesday: am -3mi /22min w/Griffin in the rain
pm- 11mi* / 67min Track workout @ I pace -1200-800-400-1200-800-400-1200 w/ half rest. (3:52, 2:35, 76, 3:47, 2:26, 75, 3:48) Not a great workout. It was very windy at the track and my body was tight and stiff. Just one of those weird days where everyone was in some sort of funk. Had a blast at Armadillos. Too funny!
Thursday: 13mi* / 1:18:47 in Pisgah w/Griffin. M.P.* run. Felt really good. I set my new record to the ridge (48:45). Kind of shut it down after the ridge. Talked with a hiker at the top that had 2 dogs. He was a cool older guy. There was an awesome moon right over Mt. Monadnock. What a beautiful day and a fantastic run.
Friday: 8mi / 56min in Pisgah w/Fyffe, Ferenc, and the Girls. Nice easy run. Legs fatigued.
Saturday: 5mi / 36min on Ashuelot Rail Trail w/Griffin and Jen. Beautiful, chilly morning run. I haven't run with Jen in a while. It was fun. I'm getting excited for Lil Rhody tomorrow. I really want to break 45 minutes. My right piriformis is pretty sore right now. I'm used to that, I'll be fine!
Sunday: 14mi* / 1:26 - Lil Rhody Runaround 8mile trail race - 45:03(5:38) 1st. My right piriformis was miserably sore before the start of this race. After a good warm-up with Ben Nephew and Boj, I was feeling a little bit looser. I didn't want to complain after seeing how bad Glenn's back was, and he was still racing. The race went well. I took off at the gun and that was pretty much it. It was a solo time trial against the clock. Ben was coming off a 50miler and I figured his leg speed would be a little compromised. I felt great and knew I was running my best Lil Rhody ever. The only problem was the slippery leaves. It seems like in years past, the oaks were still hanging onto their leaves making the course faster. Not this year. Not a leaf on any tree, just on the ground causing me to slip on every uphill and turn. I got to the final road section and really hammered, running this last section the strongest I've ever run it. I felt like I was running a low 44 but figured I was slower because of the leaves. I wasn't wearing a watch and when I came into the finish I saw the clock at 45:00. I was a little discouraged to see that, but oh well, I ran fast and won for the 4th time. My official time was 45:03, which is a p.r. for me. I cheered for all my friends and family running the race. It was great to see Bentley and Jonny run big p.r.'s, Jen run a good first Rhody, Pard win his age group, Big Dave finish strong, and M.C. battle through the pain to finish for the first time in many years. I cooled down with Boj and started bonking due to the late start and early breakfast. Luckily, I had an awesome Thanksgiving meal waiting for me at my parent's house. It was great spending time with family and friends and I'm thankful for my health and the health of everyone around me. Winning is fun, but I'm happy to just be out there running in the woods with like minded people.
Total: 64mi
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Week of November 8th-14th
Monday: 7mi / 45min in Pisgah w/Griffin and Jimmy. Cold and blustery with freezing rain. Quite a few trees down in the woods. Feeling good. Lifted total body.
Tuesday: 7mi / 46min in Pisgah w/Griffin. A little stiff and sore today.
Wednesday: 8mi* / 52min. Track workout 8 x 400m @67 avg w/200m rest. w/Andy, Mark, and Fyffe(last 2). Tough workout for me. The rest was too short for an R workout, and the repeats were too fast for an I workout, I guess I was kind of training in no man's land. I hate when I do that! I need to stick to the Daniel's formula, it works for me. It's fun to run with other people, but I need to be smart. It was nice to have such a large group of people at the track this week.
Thursday: 6mi / 43min in Pisgah w/Fyffe, Ferenc, Boj, M.C., and 5 wolves. We were gonna run 10 miles, but a porcupine changed our plans. Ellie and Lena both got quilled. Ellie looked bad. She had about 50 quills in her muzzle, gums, and the roof of her mouth. She was bleeding quite badly. Fyffe and Boj ran a world record time back to my house to get pliers and a head lamp, while Ferenc and I worked on the quills with our hands. The damn porcupine sat there and watched the whole thing! I learned a few things on this run: Boj can hammer with adrenaline(just ask Fyffe!), Ferenc is a good surgeon, and Ellie is hard to kill. We all made it back alive and enjoyed some good eats courtesy of Jen back at my house. Even Ellie ate which was a good sign that her mouth was already feeling a bit better.
Friday: 10mi / 71min in Pisgah w/Ferenc, Goup, Boj and the Girls. Got dark out there. My legs felt like crap. That porcupine was in the same spot, sitting in a tree!
Saturday: 8mi / 52min in Pisgah w/Ferenc and the Girls. Good run. Legs feeling great. Ran into M.C. and Jimmy. Earlier in the day, I watched the DIII regionals xc meet w/Goup, Boj, and Lynn. It was great to see Pipp, MacKnight, and Paige have such awesome races. It looked like a really sweet xc course.
Sunday: 11mi* / 67min. Magic Mtn. 5mile road race - 27:17(5:27) 2nd. I wanted to run a fast 5miler and try to crack 26 minutes. I picked the wrong course for that! On the warm-up with Boj, Ferenc, and Goup we all decided to ditch our watches and run on feel. This was gonna be slow! It was a very tough hilly course. I went out pretty fast w/Ferenc. On the big climb at 1.5mi I pulled away. I questioned myself, wondering if it was a good idea to try to pull away from a great climber this early in the race. Hey, I was feeling pretty good. I hit the rolling uphills at 3 miles and I slowed down big time. Yikes. I could hear Josh reeling me in. He caught me at 3.5, I tried to hang with him, but he dropped me at 4miles and that was it. He crossed the line 11 seconds ahead. I'm pretty pleased with how I ran, maybe I should have saved more on the climb. It was a good effort.
Total: 57mi - O.K. week. I need to get my mileage back up next week. I had fun at the race. I need to lift more and make sure I get a decent long run next week. I also want to kick some butt at Lil Rhody and break 45min.
Tuesday: 7mi / 46min in Pisgah w/Griffin. A little stiff and sore today.
Wednesday: 8mi* / 52min. Track workout 8 x 400m @67 avg w/200m rest. w/Andy, Mark, and Fyffe(last 2). Tough workout for me. The rest was too short for an R workout, and the repeats were too fast for an I workout, I guess I was kind of training in no man's land. I hate when I do that! I need to stick to the Daniel's formula, it works for me. It's fun to run with other people, but I need to be smart. It was nice to have such a large group of people at the track this week.
Thursday: 6mi / 43min in Pisgah w/Fyffe, Ferenc, Boj, M.C., and 5 wolves. We were gonna run 10 miles, but a porcupine changed our plans. Ellie and Lena both got quilled. Ellie looked bad. She had about 50 quills in her muzzle, gums, and the roof of her mouth. She was bleeding quite badly. Fyffe and Boj ran a world record time back to my house to get pliers and a head lamp, while Ferenc and I worked on the quills with our hands. The damn porcupine sat there and watched the whole thing! I learned a few things on this run: Boj can hammer with adrenaline(just ask Fyffe!), Ferenc is a good surgeon, and Ellie is hard to kill. We all made it back alive and enjoyed some good eats courtesy of Jen back at my house. Even Ellie ate which was a good sign that her mouth was already feeling a bit better.
Friday: 10mi / 71min in Pisgah w/Ferenc, Goup, Boj and the Girls. Got dark out there. My legs felt like crap. That porcupine was in the same spot, sitting in a tree!
Saturday: 8mi / 52min in Pisgah w/Ferenc and the Girls. Good run. Legs feeling great. Ran into M.C. and Jimmy. Earlier in the day, I watched the DIII regionals xc meet w/Goup, Boj, and Lynn. It was great to see Pipp, MacKnight, and Paige have such awesome races. It looked like a really sweet xc course.
Sunday: 11mi* / 67min. Magic Mtn. 5mile road race - 27:17(5:27) 2nd. I wanted to run a fast 5miler and try to crack 26 minutes. I picked the wrong course for that! On the warm-up with Boj, Ferenc, and Goup we all decided to ditch our watches and run on feel. This was gonna be slow! It was a very tough hilly course. I went out pretty fast w/Ferenc. On the big climb at 1.5mi I pulled away. I questioned myself, wondering if it was a good idea to try to pull away from a great climber this early in the race. Hey, I was feeling pretty good. I hit the rolling uphills at 3 miles and I slowed down big time. Yikes. I could hear Josh reeling me in. He caught me at 3.5, I tried to hang with him, but he dropped me at 4miles and that was it. He crossed the line 11 seconds ahead. I'm pretty pleased with how I ran, maybe I should have saved more on the climb. It was a good effort.
Total: 57mi - O.K. week. I need to get my mileage back up next week. I had fun at the race. I need to lift more and make sure I get a decent long run next week. I also want to kick some butt at Lil Rhody and break 45min.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Week of November 1st-7th
Monday: am- 3mi /24min w/health class
pm- 4mi / 31min in Pisgah w/M.C., Griffin, and Jimmy. Good run.
Tuesday: 8mi / 52min in Pisgah w/Ferenc and the girls.
Wednesday: 7mi* / 46min. Track workout: 4x400-200 w/200 rest @ R pace 67/32. Felt great to get back on the track again. I haven't done a track workout since September 1st. This was a very easy workout and I kept it smooth. I was impressed that Glenn showed up and ran some 400's.
Thursday: lifted total body.
Friday: 13mi / 1:22 in Saxton's River w/Ferenc, Fyffe, the Girls and Whistle. Great run, body a little bit stiff and sore.
Saturday: 9mi* / 59min - March for Mikey 2.5mile race - 12:40(5:04) 2nd. Decent race. I knew it wasn't going to be a 5k when I hit the turn around at 6:20. My motivation was lacking during the tough parts of the race. Still a solid effort, that I could have carried for another 1k at that pace. I need to continue to do speed workouts. Fyffe ran 4:36 pace which was pretty awe inspiring. It was fun watching Glenn and James push each other.
Sunday: 20mi / 2:30 -Saxton's River Trails to Putney Mtn. w/Ferenc, Fyffe, and Double J. Great run. Enjoyed the beautiful weather, nice views, scary witchcraft, and funny conversations.
Total: 64mi - Good week. Next week get in another good speed workout and long run. Make sure I lift 3 times.
pm- 4mi / 31min in Pisgah w/M.C., Griffin, and Jimmy. Good run.
Tuesday: 8mi / 52min in Pisgah w/Ferenc and the girls.
Wednesday: 7mi* / 46min. Track workout: 4x400-200 w/200 rest @ R pace 67/32. Felt great to get back on the track again. I haven't done a track workout since September 1st. This was a very easy workout and I kept it smooth. I was impressed that Glenn showed up and ran some 400's.
Thursday: lifted total body.
Friday: 13mi / 1:22 in Saxton's River w/Ferenc, Fyffe, the Girls and Whistle. Great run, body a little bit stiff and sore.
Saturday: 9mi* / 59min - March for Mikey 2.5mile race - 12:40(5:04) 2nd. Decent race. I knew it wasn't going to be a 5k when I hit the turn around at 6:20. My motivation was lacking during the tough parts of the race. Still a solid effort, that I could have carried for another 1k at that pace. I need to continue to do speed workouts. Fyffe ran 4:36 pace which was pretty awe inspiring. It was fun watching Glenn and James push each other.
Sunday: 20mi / 2:30 -Saxton's River Trails to Putney Mtn. w/Ferenc, Fyffe, and Double J. Great run. Enjoyed the beautiful weather, nice views, scary witchcraft, and funny conversations.
Total: 64mi - Good week. Next week get in another good speed workout and long run. Make sure I lift 3 times.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Week of Oct. 25th-31st
Monday: 1mi / 8min w/health class.
Tuesday: omi - lifted upper body. Walked w/Griffin
Wednesday: omi - lifted chest and back. Walked w/M.C., Griffin, and Jimmy
Thursday: 8mi */ 45:35 in Pisgah w/Griffin. New P.R. for me on my 8 miler! I said I was going to take this week off from running, but I miss it too much and feel ready to go. 3 days off is plenty of rest.
Friday: 9mi / 62min in Pisgah w/Ferenc and The Girls. Good run, legs a wee tired.
Saturday: 13mi / 1:29 in Pisgah w/Griffin. Good run, beautiful crisp morning. Lifted upper body.
Sunday: 12mi* / 1:15 - 7mile Trail Race in Madame Sherie Forest. Ran with Fyffe and Ferenc. Those guys were killing me on the climbs. We decided to stick together to avoid getting lost. The course was really tough to follow and it was rugged! Ran back out on the course to try to find Goupil. He was out there a while.
Total: 43mi - Not a bad week, considering I took the first 3 days off. I'm glad I lifted 3 times, I want to do that again next week and get a speed workout.
Tuesday: omi - lifted upper body. Walked w/Griffin
Wednesday: omi - lifted chest and back. Walked w/M.C., Griffin, and Jimmy
Thursday: 8mi */ 45:35 in Pisgah w/Griffin. New P.R. for me on my 8 miler! I said I was going to take this week off from running, but I miss it too much and feel ready to go. 3 days off is plenty of rest.
Friday: 9mi / 62min in Pisgah w/Ferenc and The Girls. Good run, legs a wee tired.
Saturday: 13mi / 1:29 in Pisgah w/Griffin. Good run, beautiful crisp morning. Lifted upper body.
Sunday: 12mi* / 1:15 - 7mile Trail Race in Madame Sherie Forest. Ran with Fyffe and Ferenc. Those guys were killing me on the climbs. We decided to stick together to avoid getting lost. The course was really tough to follow and it was rugged! Ran back out on the course to try to find Goupil. He was out there a while.
Total: 43mi - Not a bad week, considering I took the first 3 days off. I'm glad I lifted 3 times, I want to do that again next week and get a speed workout.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Week of October 18th-24th
Monday: Very sore today. I walked 1 hour today trying for a little active recovery. Seemed to help.
Tuesday:am- 3mi / 30min w/health class. Nice and slow, feeling a little better.
pm- 3mi / 22min on Ashuelot Rail Trail w/Griffin. Still some soreness, but not too bad.
Wednesday: 2mi / 16min w/health class. Had an xc meet. Josh and Ashleigh won. States on Saturday, I'm excited.
Thursday: am- 2mi / 16min w/health class.
pm- 10mi / 67min in Pisgah w/Griffin. Saw a barred owl and a porcupine. Legs really tired, I guess I'm not recovered from the marathon yet. Nice chilly day.
Friday: am- 3mi / 24min. w/health class
pm- 13mi / 1:25 in Pisgah w/Ferenc, Boj, Fyffe, and the girls. Tough run. My legs are toast. Started to bonk a bit at the end.
Saturday:am- 3mi / 21min in Friedsam Forest w/Griffin and Jimmy, legs felt dead.
pm- 2mi / 15min at xc meet.
Sunday: 13mi* / 1:21 - Groton Forest 9.5mi trail race - 60:04 2nd place. Crappy race. My legs clearly have not recovered from the marathon. They were hurting early. I had trouble with the downhills and twisty turns on this course. Usually, I really enjoy this course and have fun on the roller coaster terrain. Not today! The winner hammered a new course record. He was flying!
Total: 54mi - Not a great week. I really should have taken more days off, or just not raced on Sunday. My legs are pretty fried. I'm gonna take next week off from running. My goal is to get in the gym 3 times and lift. This will be a nice break for my legs and mind. I'm gonna start training for indoors after my rest. The goal will be to break 4:20 in the mile. I'd also like to break 2min again in the 800m and run a sub 9min. 3000m.
Tuesday:am- 3mi / 30min w/health class. Nice and slow, feeling a little better.
pm- 3mi / 22min on Ashuelot Rail Trail w/Griffin. Still some soreness, but not too bad.
Wednesday: 2mi / 16min w/health class. Had an xc meet. Josh and Ashleigh won. States on Saturday, I'm excited.
Thursday: am- 2mi / 16min w/health class.
pm- 10mi / 67min in Pisgah w/Griffin. Saw a barred owl and a porcupine. Legs really tired, I guess I'm not recovered from the marathon yet. Nice chilly day.
Friday: am- 3mi / 24min. w/health class
pm- 13mi / 1:25 in Pisgah w/Ferenc, Boj, Fyffe, and the girls. Tough run. My legs are toast. Started to bonk a bit at the end.
Saturday:am- 3mi / 21min in Friedsam Forest w/Griffin and Jimmy, legs felt dead.
pm- 2mi / 15min at xc meet.
Sunday: 13mi* / 1:21 - Groton Forest 9.5mi trail race - 60:04 2nd place. Crappy race. My legs clearly have not recovered from the marathon. They were hurting early. I had trouble with the downhills and twisty turns on this course. Usually, I really enjoy this course and have fun on the roller coaster terrain. Not today! The winner hammered a new course record. He was flying!
Total: 54mi - Not a great week. I really should have taken more days off, or just not raced on Sunday. My legs are pretty fried. I'm gonna take next week off from running. My goal is to get in the gym 3 times and lift. This will be a nice break for my legs and mind. I'm gonna start training for indoors after my rest. The goal will be to break 4:20 in the mile. I'd also like to break 2min again in the 800m and run a sub 9min. 3000m.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Baystate Marathon
Road marathons suck. I always thought they did anyway, that's why I waited 33 years to try one. It was never the distance that I was afraid of. It was the distance on roads pounding the crap out of my skeleton. I love running on trails. I don't even mind running far on trails, though I'm definitely better at the short stuff. I like the softness and scenery of the trails. I like that at a trail race, I don't need to wait in a long line to poop in a nasty port-o-potty, I can squat behind a tree and dig a hole. I like the ease of parking, and that trail races are never held in crowded cities. I also kind of liked telling nonrunners that I've never run a road marathon, they usually get silent and you can see their brains thinking, "Oh, he's not a real runner." That always gave me a silent self chuckle. I also like that at trail races, there is no fanfare. No screaming cheering crowds, just trees and wildlife. I really was convinced that road marathons sucked and I never wanted to do one.
Well, I did one. I ran Baystate today. I drove with Jen, George, and Justin down to Lowell, Mass. We got stuck in traffic on the way to the city. Road marathons suck. We had a hard time finding a place to park. Road marathons suck. We didn't know if we could come back to our car, before the race to change clothes. Road marathons suck. We had to wait in long lines to take our prerace dumps. Road marathons suck. When I got to the extremely crowded starting line, I suddenly had to pee really bad. Not a problem at a trail race, find a tall tree. Not here, in the city. I held it for 26.2miles. Road marathons suck.
Then things started to change. Things stopped sucking. We were asked to remove our hats, for the playing of the national anthem. They had technical difficulties. No anthem. Road marathons suck. Until, all 4,000 runners belted out the Star Spangled Banner loud and proud. That was cool. That didn't suck.
The race itself was awesome. I ran with Fyffe for a couple miles. He pulled away after 3 miles. I didn't go, because I knew it was too fast for me. I ran with 2 BAA guys for 13 miles. I was feeling great. I hit the half marathon at 1:16:22. I was ready to do another one. I pulled away from the guys I was running with and the road ahead was pretty desolate looking. No marathoners in sight. Jason Porter caught me around 15.5 miles and we ran together for a while. I felt great and was rolling. I was surprised to see my miles were still under 6 minutes. 22 miles into the race. Jason started to pull away from to chase down Titus Mutinda. A big blister popped on my toe at around 23 miles. I was getting tired but I didn't slow down too much. Mile 26 was tough. It felt great coming into the stadium and seeing Jen cheering like mad. I crossed the line in 2:34:32. I was pumped! I felt good. I had a ton of fun. I enjoyed the experience. I liked the measured miles and the water stations. I smiled at the screaming crowds and gave some thumbs up late in the race. It was really fun. I signed up saying it would be my first and last road marathon. I told people it was gonna suck. I had visions of my legs exploding from the pavement pounding at 20 miles. I was convinced I would drag my body the last 6 miles, limping home in 8 minute miles. It didn't happen. It was great. I can't wait to do another one. Here are my splits:
5:41, 5:46, 5:50, 5:46, 5:46, 5:48, 5:54, 5:44, 5:49, 5:50 - 58:01 10 mile split
5:53, 5:56, 5:54, 5:55, 5:56, 6:01, 5:54, 5:49, 5:54, 5:59 - 1:57:18 20 mile split
5:54, 5:52, 5:51, 5:58, 6:01, 6:20, 1:17 - 2:34:32 17th (5:54 pace)
Well, I did one. I ran Baystate today. I drove with Jen, George, and Justin down to Lowell, Mass. We got stuck in traffic on the way to the city. Road marathons suck. We had a hard time finding a place to park. Road marathons suck. We didn't know if we could come back to our car, before the race to change clothes. Road marathons suck. We had to wait in long lines to take our prerace dumps. Road marathons suck. When I got to the extremely crowded starting line, I suddenly had to pee really bad. Not a problem at a trail race, find a tall tree. Not here, in the city. I held it for 26.2miles. Road marathons suck.
Then things started to change. Things stopped sucking. We were asked to remove our hats, for the playing of the national anthem. They had technical difficulties. No anthem. Road marathons suck. Until, all 4,000 runners belted out the Star Spangled Banner loud and proud. That was cool. That didn't suck.
The race itself was awesome. I ran with Fyffe for a couple miles. He pulled away after 3 miles. I didn't go, because I knew it was too fast for me. I ran with 2 BAA guys for 13 miles. I was feeling great. I hit the half marathon at 1:16:22. I was ready to do another one. I pulled away from the guys I was running with and the road ahead was pretty desolate looking. No marathoners in sight. Jason Porter caught me around 15.5 miles and we ran together for a while. I felt great and was rolling. I was surprised to see my miles were still under 6 minutes. 22 miles into the race. Jason started to pull away from to chase down Titus Mutinda. A big blister popped on my toe at around 23 miles. I was getting tired but I didn't slow down too much. Mile 26 was tough. It felt great coming into the stadium and seeing Jen cheering like mad. I crossed the line in 2:34:32. I was pumped! I felt good. I had a ton of fun. I enjoyed the experience. I liked the measured miles and the water stations. I smiled at the screaming crowds and gave some thumbs up late in the race. It was really fun. I signed up saying it would be my first and last road marathon. I told people it was gonna suck. I had visions of my legs exploding from the pavement pounding at 20 miles. I was convinced I would drag my body the last 6 miles, limping home in 8 minute miles. It didn't happen. It was great. I can't wait to do another one. Here are my splits:
5:41, 5:46, 5:50, 5:46, 5:46, 5:48, 5:54, 5:44, 5:49, 5:50 - 58:01 10 mile split
5:53, 5:56, 5:54, 5:55, 5:56, 6:01, 5:54, 5:49, 5:54, 5:59 - 1:57:18 20 mile split
5:54, 5:52, 5:51, 5:58, 6:01, 6:20, 1:17 - 2:34:32 17th (5:54 pace)
On the way out of the stadium, we had trouble finding our car and the traffic was bad. I guess they still kind of suck...
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