Training Week 4/1-4/7

M- AM: 3.2 miles in 26:27 on Stritch Rd.
PM: 9.3 miles in 1:04:30 on the Tamworth roads with Double J. Solid run. I ran this loop twice in high school and bonked hardcore both times. No bonking today.

Tu- AM: 3.2 miles in 26:47 on Stritch Rd.
PM: 5.5 mile warm-up with Justin and Jim on the roads of North Conway, then headed to the track to do some Aussie Quarters. Track still had about 50m of ice in the 2nd turn, so I modified the workout to be 12 x (200m @ 5k pace, 200m quick recovery). OK workout. I had to make a 180 turn at the end of each 200. Averaged 39s and 53s. 0.5 mile cool down. Drills and strides before workout.

W- AM: 4.0 miles in 39:23 on the Sidehill Trail. Nice easy lunch run. Felt good to be on singletrack.
PM: 7.8 miles in 57:01 on the Mountain Division Bike Path. Nice run after a late meeting at work. Ran with the iPod which I haven't done in a while. Listened to Enter the Haggis Live at Northampton. 8 strides in the last 2 miles.

Th- 6 x 1 mile @ half marathon effort, 3:00/400m recovery. 5:31 5:33 5:33 5:31 5:32 5:28. Solid workout. Feel like I have turned a corner with this one. A few weeks ago I struggle to do 4 of these at 6:00 pace. It still wasn't easy, but it was steady. 3.3 mile wu, drills and strides, 1.0 cd.

F- 8.0 miles in 57:23 on Potter Rd. with Double J. Another solid easy run on hilly dirt roads.

Sa- 3.4 miles in 27:10 on the Mountain Division Rail Trail. Procrastinated all day as I was pretty tired, but didn't have anything else in the way of running. Jess finally made me get out at 6pm as she was going to go for a walk. Stomach felt awful as I didn't eat very well all day. Lesson learned.

Su- 15.6 miles in 1:51:12 on the dirt roads of South Conway and Eaton. ONE HILLY LOOP. Great roads for running. 1500 ft of elevation gain. http://app.strava.com/activities/47746367 Didn't feel great all morning, but I finally got out around 2pm. Once I started running I was able to just click off the miles. Felt really good and in control the whole time. Another positive run.

Totals: 75.6 miles, 9.37 hours. Another solid week. Happy with the 2 workouts and the long run. Disappointed in myself in not getting in more than 3 miles on Saturday, but something to work on for this week. Feeling a little tired right now, but not run down. Hip/back is sore, but seems to be OK as long as I hit the foam roller. I'm going to drop down to 65-70 miles this week as a planned down week and race the Rivah on Saturday. I'm hoping I'll have a little more gas in the tank than I had in my last couple snowshoe races. 10 weeks until Mt. Washington.

Training Week 3/25-3/31

M- AM: 3.2 miles in 26:06 on Stritch Rd.
PM: 8.0 miles in 58:09 on Potter Rd. w/ Double J. Solid run.

Tu- AM: 2.0 miles in 16:55 on Stritch Rd. Had to be to work early to give a presentation at the local high school.
PM: Aussie Quarters in 17:44 (3.0 miles). Decent workout. Still feels weird doing these on the road, but it's better than nothing. 3.4 wu, 1.1 cd.

W- AM: 3.2 miles in 26:28 on Stritch Rd.
PM: 0 Left work around 11:30 with a bad headache.

Th- AM: 8.2 miles in 1:13:01 on Bear Notch Rd. Nice easy climb. Felt good to run on snowmobile trails again, but they are pretty soft. 38:46 to the top.
PM:  5.4 miles in 43:05 on snowmobile trails and roads near King Pine w/ Double J. Not a bad run. Trails are getting in rough shape down that way.

F- AM: 3.2 miles in 26:55 on Stritch Rd. Nice and easy.
PM: 8.7 miles in 59:18 on the Stark Rd. Loop w/ Double J. Just cruising along. 5 strides after.

Sa- 13.1 miles in 1:25:06 on the old WMM half marathon course. 5 miles warm-up, then right into 8.1 miles of tempo running in 50:21 (6:08 pace). Solid workout. Not the fastest long tempo I have ever done, but a solid workout nonetheless.

Su- 8.0 miles in 1:29:37 on the Sidehill Trail up Peaked Mtn. Trails were half dirt and half snow and ice. Felt good to get on some dirt again. I was pretty wiped by the end of this one though.

Totals: 70.6 miles, 9.35 hours. Another solid week. Hip seems to be getting better. It would help if I could get onto the  trails, but it's going to be at least a few weeks before that happens on a regular basis. 2 solid workouts and some decent mileage. This next week is going to be challenging with some work-related activites, but I'm commited to getting the runs in. Gotta be consistent. 11 weeks until Mt. Washington

Spring time in Crawford Notch

Training Week 3/18-3/24

M- AM: 3.0 miles in 27:38 on the Saco Woods trails. Picked a great day to get back into morning runs. 7 degrees out. Brrr.
PM: 8.2 miles in 1:16:35 on the Freedom Town Forest Trails and Bald Ledge singletrack w/ Double J. Good day for MicroSpikes. 5 short strides after.

Tu- AM: 3.1 miles in 29:35 in Saco Woods and Stritch Rd. Trails were pretty slick with new snow over ice.
PM: 7.0 miles in 1:19:25 on Madison trails and roads in snowshoes with Double J. Broke trail for most of the run. DEEP snow.

W- AM: 3.2 miles in 26:44 on Stritch Rd.
PM: 8.6 miles in 1:04:15 on the Chocorua roads and snowmobile trails. Great run for the Oroc 280's. 5 strides after.

Th- AM: 3.3 miles in 24:55 on Stritch Rd. Did half an Aussie Quarters workout on the way back (1.5 miles in 9:30). 56 90 57 96 52 84 51 84. Ideally the 200's would be 45-50 seconds and the 400's would be 70-75. But that would be on a track and not on an icy dirt road. Just ran by feel.
PM: 8.7 miles in 57:41 on the Stark Rd. Loop w/ Double J. Ran steady. Jim blew my doors off in the last 2 miles. What's new. Tried one stride after, but my lower back was super stiff. Spending some time on the foam roller has helped.

F- AM: 2.0 miles in 16:51 on Stritch Rd. Had to be to work early so I only had time for 2 miles. 2 >0.
PM: 4.3 miles in 32:16 on Madison roads w/ Jim. Long day of field work and I was feeling it. Almost bonked. Hip/back was pretty sore too, so I called it short.

Sa- 10.9 miles in 1:16:07 on Potter Rd. (dirt, 6:59 pace). Ran a 30 second pick-up after every mile for the whole run to get some type of turnover. Solid run.

Su- 16.0 miles on the Kanc in 1:51:00 (6:56 pace). Solid run, but I ran out of gas the last 3 miles. Great day to be out though. Hip was ok.

Totals: 78.3 miles, 10.38 hours. Good week. Feels good to get back into a solid routine. My number one goal for the week was to get in a run every week day morning. I find it easier to get in 80 miles in a week than 50 if I know I have to do 2 runs every weekday to do it. The runs weren't too hard to fit in this week either. The "workouts" weren't pretty, but I was just looking for a way to get moving a little without overdoing it while I jacked up the mileage. Just gotta stay consistent. 12 weeks until Mt. Washington.

Training Week 3/11-3/17: Gotta Start Somewhere

Finishing up at the Granite State Snowshoe Championships last Saturday, photo by Joe Viger

Time to start blogging and time to start training again. After having the flu I've managed to average about 50 miles a week for the previous 3 weeks. I didn't do any workouts, but managed to race at Snowshoe to the Clouds and the Granite State Snowshoe Championships, managing to get 2nd in both races. Now that I have some consistency under my belt, it's time to start thinking about ramping up for Mt. Washington.

M- 4.6 miles, 44:29 Moat Mtn. Trail snowshoe run w/ Double J. Was hoping to do a 10 mile loop over North Moat, but I wasn't feeling it. Just flat.

Tu- 0 I got as far as changing into my running clothes at work, but couldn't make myself go out the door. Lame.

W- 0 10+ hours of field work. Exhausted.

Th- 11.7 miles, 1:29:58 Madison to Maine road run w/ Double J. Holy hills Batman. Didn't feel great but I was happy to finally get a solid run in.

F- 6.0 miles, 1:02:23 Black Cap via Hurricane Mtn. Rd. Felt good to get out for a nice easy climb. Snowmobile trails were perfect for MicroSpikes. 35:19 up

Sa- 9.6 miles 1:41:22 Mineral Site snowshoe run. Felt better the longer I went. Got a little off track trying to follow the Tent Boulder Trail in the hemlock groves. Doesn't look like anyone has been out there all winter. Nice crust so you could run anywhere. Massage from Jean Brauel in the morning to work on my lower back/hip/glute.

Su- 8.4 miles total. 4 x Mile @ Half marathon effort, 3:00 recovery. 6:04 6:03 6:05 6:11. Not pretty, but I gotta start somewhere. Snowshoed 2 hours at Rob Brook w/ Jess after.

Totals: 40.3 miles, 5.99 hours. Good end to the week after a lazy start. I think I was a little worn out from the Granite State Snowshoe Championships last Saturday. 13 weeks until Mt. Washington.

2/19/13

"Easy" 8 with Double J. 10 lbs. of poop in a 5lb. bag. 2 days of running in a row though!

2/18/13

Easy 8 with Double J. First run in 2 weeks after having the flu. A little congestion, but didn't feel too bad. Snowmobile trails in good shape. 17 weeks until Mt. Washington. Time to get with the program.

Sandwich Sidehiller

Great photo of the start by Joe Viger 

Well, it's the end of an era. Double J put an end to my reign of terror in the tiny town of Sandwich, NH, also known as the Center of the Snowshoeing Universe. It was a hard fought battle from the beginning to end.

I knew the conditions would be fast as we haven't had any fresh snow in this part of the state in a few weeks. Luckily there was a decent base that allowed Paul Kirsch to set a modified course. I was worried that most of it would be on the flat and fast fairgrounds, but I was quite surprised to see how much of it was in the woods on the other side of the road.

I was pretty nervous the last couple of days as I haven't run a race since Cape Cod in October, and the first snowshoe race of the year always hurts like hell. Usually by the time Sidehiller rolls around, I've run at least one other race to get ready for what is usually a pretty competitive race. With a relative lack of snow and a busy work schedule, that didn't happen. Work has also been cutting into my training, as I have been pretty busy this winter taking on some new responsibilities. Hopefully I'll adjust and get back to some good training again.

The gun went off and as usual Jim shot out to the front 1/2 a mile in. I was working pretty hard just to keep him in sight. This is usual though, so I just kept plugging along hoping that I would make up some time on the hills and singletrack. He had a 5-10 second lead as we crossed Bean Rd. where the volunteers had put down plywood and shoveled snow to cover the road. Thank you Sidehillers!

I immediately started to close the gap on the steep up and managed to catch Jim on the field section, which was surprising as I was not expecting to actually run through the upper fields. My lungs were burning pretty good at this point, but I kept the hammer down as Jim let me by and I opened a little gap while running through the windblown snow.

I was hoping for more of these conditions, but we ran out of hills and the rest of the course was pretty firm. I did my best to open a gap in the last field and on the downhill singletrack, but Jim hung tough. I knew that if he was close after the road crossing that I would be in trouble. Unfortunately, I was in trouble before we hit the downhill. I was pretty much out of gas. I lengthened my stride on the downs, and opened a tiny gap after the road crossing, but with a quarter mile to go Jim went around me. I responded, but it was too late and he cruised into the finish for a 4 second win.

I spent a good amount of time with my hands on my knees at the finish. My lungs were on fire and my quads and core were shot. I ran hard but Jim ran harder. This was the first race in a LONG time where I just didn't feel strong. I haven't been doing the mileage, long tempos or long fartleks that make up the base of my training. This was a good reminder of what I need to get back too.

I am running in the GV Snowshoes Challenge next weekend in Quebec City. It is a 10k consisting of 5 laps of a 2k loop. Not my type of course, but it should be a neat experience running a race in the middle of Winter Carnival in the heart of the old part of the city. The course will be fast, but at least now I have a race under my belt.

GPS data: http://app.strava.com/activities/38735850

Finishing up by Gianina Lindsey