tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31721856396538633382024-02-01T20:24:01.340-08:00A Glimpse Inside the Head of a Mountain ManCrossing Bean Rd. at the Sandwich Sidehiller Snowshoe Race, <a href="http://www.joeviger.com">Photo by Joe Viger</a>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-1222934483734364402015-11-20T16:20:00.002-08:002015-11-20T16:20:52.400-08:00Back From the Dead, HopefullyIt's been a long time since my last blog post, as this blog has mostly been about running. The past 2+ years have not been very interesting from a running perspective. Since Colin was born, it's been an adjustment trying to get any type of training in, let alone racing. Work has been busy, except the 3 month layoff I had last winter, where I had numerous 90 mile weeks and had a lot of fun exploring the winter trails of the White Mountains. I signed up for the Leadville 100 at this time last year hoping that it would light a fire under my ass, but it really didn't. A DNF at 40 miles pretty much summed up how my running has been going.<br />
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At this point I'm back to where I was 2 years ago: at the highest weight in my life and no real goals. I would like to get back in shape and run some races, but always wondering if the hard work is really worth it. I've had some decent weeks of running here and there, and some glimpses of fitness, but they usually go away after a stressful work week and a bunch of zeroes.<br />
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Running at 4:30AM, giving up donuts, beer and coffee would go a long way to fixing my problems, but all I can think is "why bother?" every time I stuff my face or the alarm goes off. Maybe bitching about it on my blog will help.<br />
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A slightly more-fit me. Photo by<a href="http://www.joeviger.com/"> Joe Viger</a></div>
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Future Tom Brady. Photo by<a href="http://www.joeviger.com/"> Joe Viger</a></div>
<br />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-86201276185086119832014-04-11T04:43:00.000-07:002014-04-11T04:43:31.448-07:00100 DaysWe are 100 days into 2014 and running is going pretty well for me. I had some decent snowshoe results this winter, including a 12th place at <a href="http://www.albanyrunningexchange.org/results/resultsView.php?ID=3766">Nationals</a>. I am certainly not in the same shape that I was in the winters of 2010-2012, but I put in a lot of hard training knowing that I may have to wait until June to see the rewards. Through the first 100 days I have run 577 miles for a total of 102 hours. That works out to 5.77 miles/day and 61 minutes/day. Not a lot by most standards, but I have also amassed 221,000 ft. of vertical gain, for an average of 2210 ft. of climbing per day. That's the equivalent of running up the auto road 47 times this year. I have missed 11 days of running, but 1 of those days I did XC ski up and down a 4500 ft. mountain for 4 hours. I have spent a lot of time on the treadmill just logging miles at 12% grade or higher. It has been good to get a lot of climbing in without having to run back downhill. I have been throwing in some low key tempo, fartlek and progression runs to break up the monotony and to work on my aerobic base. I have managed to lose 7 lbs since Christmas, but I still have at least another 5 lbs. to go. I plan of continuing to log some big climbing weeks through the end of April, then I'll cut back on the climbing volume once the USATF-NE Mountain Running Series starts. Looking forward to racing in the mountains this spring!<br />
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Jess and Colin spectating at Snowshoe Nationals. Photo by <a href="http://www.scottmasonphoto.com/">Scott Mason</a></div>
Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-14200483081205454422014-01-10T07:23:00.000-08:002014-01-10T07:23:43.571-08:00More Killer, Less FillerA new year dawns and so has my motivation to train and race. After a terrible fall of training and racing, I pretty much shut it down for the month of November to try to recover physically and mentally. I had a good, consistent summer of training and some improving race performances, but that all went to shit when I got back from my running vacation in Colorado. I felt great running 93 miles in the 5 days I was there, but felt like death once I got back to sea level. This has happened the last 2 times I have been to altitude. I have no regrets running that much while I was there, but it is something I will have to think about in the future.<br />
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I told myself years ago that if I ever have kids I will probably cut back on the volume of my training (by necessity) and try to include more quality. With the arrival of Colin at the end of November, I realized that I would need to work on my time management skills to be a good father, husband, co-worker and still chase my running dreams. I've been getting a lot of feedback about running once you have kids. Some of it is encouraging and some of it is depressing. I truly believe that you are still the same person once you become a parent, the same person with dreams, goals and aspirations. It's how you juggle your responsibilities that determines your success. I have no delusions that parenting will be easy and that I can just take off for a run anytime I want. I want to spend time with my family and be a good father to my son, but I still want to chase my dreams while I'm physically able to.<br />
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Since Colin was born I have had a renewed motivation to run when I can and my time management has gotten better. I got a 3 month membership to the <span id="goog_501772412"></span><a href="http://www.cranmorefitness.com/">Cranmore Family Fitness Cente<span id="goog_501772413"></span>r</a>, where I have been running on my lunch breaks. I am limited to about an hour of running in order to get there, change, run, shower, and get back to the office. I've been doing a ton of climbing each day, alternating between some tempo climbing workouts and easy climbing days. When I have time to get outside, I've been doing some snowshoe running, with a lot of trail breaking so far this winter. I have upped the tempo on my easy runs a bit without going too fast.<br />
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Treadmill running isn't terribly exciting, but right now I'm more interested in getting some quality training in than having an adventure and exploring on each run. It has been nice getting my run in at lunch and breaking up my work day, then being able to go right home after work and hang out with Jess and Colin.<br />
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I'm hoping to do some snowshoe racing as time and energy permits, with a focus towards Snowshoe Nationals in Vermont on March 1. After that I'm looking forward to some mountain races, especially Mt. Washington (as usual) and the Loon Mountain Race, which is this year's USATF National Mountain Running Championships and the sole qualifier for the US Mountain Running Team.<br />
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I may be old and washed up. Maybe my best times are behind me. I weigh 147 lbs right now and my best race weight is around 130. These are all good reasons to give up serious training and start backcountry skiing as my exercise. I think it's too early for that though. I want to push myself to my limits, run some fast times, hopefully win some races and take some scalps in the process.<br />
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Honey badger (#6) didn't give a shit.</div>
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You can follow my training here: <a href="http://www.strava.com/athletes/951987">http://www.strava.com/athletes/951987</a><br />
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<br />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-27255259255272265222013-12-25T09:34:00.002-08:002013-12-25T10:11:42.046-08:002013 Year In Photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
When I first put this post together, I was going to lament about crappy racing, the flu, DNF's and some broken win streaks. Instead, I had a great year filled with some great snowshoeing, fun races, mountain runs, a great Colorado vacation, car racing, and a new baby. My racing wasn't where I wanted it to be, but much like the Red Sox, there's always next year.</div>
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Snowshoe run up Mt. Potash with Jim Johnson on New Year's Day</div>
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Awesome winter Presi Traverse with Coby Jacobus in January</div>
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2nd place and a broken winning streak at the Sandwich Sidehiller snowshoe race</div>
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photo by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/SNAPacidotic/503426696349584">SnapAcidotic</a></div>
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Nice sunset from Mt. Kearsarge after work one night</div>
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GV Snowshoes Challenge 10k in downtown Quebec City during Winter Carnival</div>
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Jess freezing her butt of in Quebec City</div>
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Great snowshoe run in the Carters with Double J</div>
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Cross country skiing on Bear Notch Rd. with Jess</div>
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My Lemmystache</div>
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2nd place to Dave Dunham at Snowshoe to the Clouds with the Lemmystache</div>
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Post-race interview with my Lemmystache after the Snowshoe to the Clouds</div>
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Surprise 2nd place finish at the Granite State Snowshoe Championships</div>
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Josh and Kat's wedding</div>
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Another Mt. Washington Road Race in the books</div>
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photo by <a href="http://www.farnorthendurance.com/">Far North Endurance</a></div>
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Upper Walking Boss at the Loon Mtn. Race. Arguably my best race of the year (5th place)</div>
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Run up Mt. Carrigain with Double J on the 4th of July</div>
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Hike on the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail with my pregnant wife! </div>
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Another pregnancy hike to Bridal Veil Falls with Jess</div>
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Some great running and sight-seeing in Pittsburg, NH</div>
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Garfield Falls in Pittsburg, NH</div>
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Sunset over the 3rd Connecticut Lake, Pittsburg</div>
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Ryan and Kristina's wedding on Mt. Willard</div>
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Nice long run in the Sandwich Range Wilderness</div>
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View through the Keyhole, Long's Peak, CO</div>
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Backside of Buchanan Pass, Indian Peaks Wilderness, CO</div>
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I think I had a boner when I took this.</div>
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Backside of Pawnee Pass, Indian Peaks Wilderness, CO</div>
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Awesome cross country run on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park</div>
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Lots of wildlife on the North Inlet - Tonahutu Loop in RMNP</div>
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Longhorn sheep on Trail Ridge Rd., RMNP</div>
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Lawn Lake, RMNP</div>
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Nice foliage during a weekend away in Rangeley, ME </div>
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Hike to Flagstaff Lake, ME with Jess</div>
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Brian and Laura's wedding at Castle in the Clouds</div>
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DNF at the Vermont 50 the day after Brian and Laura's wedding</div>
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Great fall run on the Franconia Ridge</div>
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Finally did my first autocross at New Hampshire Motor Speedway </div>
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Bonking hardcore at the Wapack Trail Race</div>
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photo by Emily Trespas</div>
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2nd place to Brandon Newbould at Vulcan's Fury</div>
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photo by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/SNAPacidotic/503426696349584">SnapAcidotic</a></div>
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Induction into the Kennett High School Sports Hall of Fame</div>
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photo by Josh Spaulding, <a href="http://www.newhampshirelakesandmountains.com/1sectionbody.lasso?-token.folder=activefiles&-token.section=13357.113119&-token.esecsource=13357.113119">Carroll County Independent</a></div>
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Some town and peak bagging with Dave Dunham</div>
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Nice "fall" hike up Mt. Washington</div>
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A nice present to end the year, Colin Tilton</div>
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<br />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-60235330025815042502013-09-14T08:41:00.002-07:002013-09-14T08:41:22.541-07:00Wapack 18 Mile Trail Race<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Bonking hardcore by Emily Trespas</div>
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GPS track: <a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/79343872/overview">http://www.strava.com/activities/79343872/overview</a></div>
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The Wapack 18 Mile Trail race is a classic New England trail race in Southern New Hampshire that I had not had the chance to partake in until this year. The race starts at Windblown Ski Area in New Ipswich, NH and traverses the ridge all the way to Mt. Watatic, just over the MA/NH border, then you turn around and retrace your steps. There are many ups and downs and plenty of technical running over rocky trails and open ledges with pleasant views of the surrounding area.<br />
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This year's race also offered a bonus of high humidity. It wasn't the hottest day of the year, but the humidity was stifling. The moist air made the rocky course slippery and caused sweat to pour off of my forehead and into my eyes.<br />
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The course starts off on fairly wide cross country ski trails through Windblown. Inov-8 teammate Ben Nephew shot out to the front with Scott Traer and one other guy. I hadn't raced in a while and and knowing that this race would take over 2 hours I held back and didn't catch up with the leaders until the first climb.<br />
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I took the lead from Ben on the climb up Barrett Mtn. We weren't moving slow, but my climbing ability allows me to keep up a pretty good pace without expending a lot of energy. I just kept a steady effort with Scott Traer clipping my heels.<br />
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The downhills were pretty slick from the previous night's rain, but mt Inov-8 X-Talon 190's did a pretty good job of grabbing the slick rock. I did not fall once in the whole race. I did elect to step off the trail and let Scott, Ben and David Herr, the course record holder, by on one of the downs as sweat was getting in my eyes and I was having a hard time seeing.<br />
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Scott and David opened a bit of a gap on Ben and I as we passed Binney Pond. I decided to try to reel them in before I lost contact. I was a little worried about trying to race this early in such a long race, but I made the decision that I wanted to race and not worry too much about a potential bonk later on.<br />
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After passing through the first aid station at 5.6 miles in 49:13, I could still see David and Scott ahead on the logging roads. There was some pretty fast running for a mile or two in this stretch. I was slowly able to close the gap on the small uphills and on the climb up to Watatic. On the downhill to the turnaround Scott took a pretty good spill and I was able to get by him and stay on David's tail until the aid station at the halfway point.<br />
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Fueling and patience are not my strong suit in longer races. Fueling is not an issue in the shorter trail and mountain races that I usually do. I am also pretty patient in mountain and snowshoe races. I haven't learned to be patient enough in these longer races yet. I made the mistake of blasting through the halfway aid station (1:16:08), only grabbing water. I have had a hard time in the past making myself stop and take in calories, and this race was no different. I did take in calories by emptying two gels into my handheld before the start. This ensures that I get calories every time I take a drink. It works well until I empty the 22 oz bottle. Then I need to start taking gels or solid food, which I never do until it's too late.<br />
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With my quick turnaround, I took the lead form David and Scott and started the steep ascent back up Watatic. I was able to see that I had at least a 30 second lead on Ben too. I was feeling pretty good and knew there was a fair amount of climbing left, so I was cautiously optimistic about my chances of winning this thing.<br />
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Scott managed to catch me on the first steep part of the climb up Watatic. I wasn't too concerned as I had been climbing well all day. He was staying right on me though, and we ended up getting into a bit of a pissing match as we kept climbing. I expected him to eventually crack, but the opposite happened. I wilted and he powered over the summit. I was a little surprised, but I knew there was a lot of racing left and anything could happen.<br />
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I tried to keep my cool and keep moving forward as I was passing runners going in the other direction near the summit of Watatic. Luckily Inov-8 teammate Alex Jospe kept me from taking a wrong turn and going off course! Thanks Alex! I kept moving along at a good clip, but couldn't see Scott at all. I figured he was really flying and I could tell that I was moving a bit slower than when I had run through the same section earlier.<br />
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I came into the last aid station, 5.6 miles from the finish (1:45:30), feeling tired, but still moving ok. I hadn't seen Scott ahead of me on the logging roads, but I didn't hear or see David or Ben behind me, so I just kept plugging away.<br />
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As I started to traverse the bog bridges around Binney Pond, David caught up to me. He didn't seem to be in a hurry to go around me, so I just kept my pace where it was as we started to ascend Pratt Mtn. I was climbing ok, but feeling the humidity, and about halfway up I was reduced to a hike with David hiking behind me. As we got closer to the summit I could tell I was holding him up and I was pretty close to full-on bonk mode. I stepped off the trail and let him pass and much to my surprise Ben was right there too. I went from 2nd to 4th just like that.<br />
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I knew at this point around 2 hours into the race that it would be about just putting one foot in front of the other to get to the finish. It wouldn't be pretty, but I was going to make it. As much as it sucked to be bonking and walking a lot, I knew it would teach me something for the Vermont 50, namely to EAT SOME DAMN CALORIES.<br />
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I managed to make my way over the remaining peaks, hiking most of the ups and running all of the downs and flats. Emily Trespas gave me bit of good news when she told me that I was in 3rd and not 4th, as only Ben and David had come through. Apparently Scott got off course somewhere near the top of Watatic.<br />
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I was able to run the last mile plus on ski trails at a reasonable pace and crossed the finish line in 2:52:32. Ben took the win over David in a pretty exciting race. Times were slow due to the humidity, but I didn't do myself any favors in the nutrition department. I don't have any regrets about my racing though. It felt good to mix it up with some good trail racers and have a decent showing. Hopefully it's a good building block for the 50 miler at the end of September.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-33181701440947013972013-08-31T10:12:00.001-07:002013-08-31T10:12:50.825-07:00Colorado Vacation 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've visited Colorado four times previously, but each time was centered around a race or a vacation where I did a lot of hiking with Jess. I've always wanted to take a week and just explore the mountains while running. This summer I had the opportunity to take five days and run my brains out around Rocky Mountain National Park. Each day my itinerary consisted of eating, running most of the day, eating some more, then going to sleep. That sounds like a great trail running vacation to me.</div>
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<b>Day 1: East Longs Peak Trailhead to The Keyhole 12.5 miles</b></div>
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3:01:04, 9,400 to 13,200 ft.</div>
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Rangers' Cabin at the East Longs Peak Trailhead</div>
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On day 1 I flew into Denver around 11:30. After grabbing my baggage and my Hyundai Elantra rental car, I headed north and decided to start big right away. Each time I've been to RMNP I've had plans of trying to summit Longs Peak, but I always felt pretty run down at the end of the trip when I was planning on running up. This time I decided to just go for it right off the plane. I started my run at 3:30 in the afternoon, not ideal knowing that thunderstorms pop up around that time every day. I decided I would go up and see how the altitude treated me and what the weather looked like. </div>
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The first half mile I felt awful. My heart was in my throat and I was barely running. After 5 minutes or so I felt better and got in a good groove. I felt fine the higher I went and just kept up a good rhythm. I took a few photo breaks above treeline, shooting marmots and the beautiful views. I was keeping my eyes on some stray storm clouds, but there didn't seem to be any major thunderclouds around.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvo99e8KhX7Koq7iXKnLNW1PrpaPnd1CHs4yR4BZNUDTBlWX4LpZG4W8bk88RhnKKVhEgQjM5vWQgbJBueLDBjodaUryqDBpSQZkhDJ-FnxGJMzJo2OwRzaD0WH3R8NqR9P8_68zFxGg/s1600/IMG_3232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvo99e8KhX7Koq7iXKnLNW1PrpaPnd1CHs4yR4BZNUDTBlWX4LpZG4W8bk88RhnKKVhEgQjM5vWQgbJBueLDBjodaUryqDBpSQZkhDJ-FnxGJMzJo2OwRzaD0WH3R8NqR9P8_68zFxGg/s640/IMG_3232.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Entering the Boulderfield AKA every White Mountain trail</div>
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Once I reached the Boulderfield campsite I ran into a few people, including one guy who was trying to dissuade me from going any further late in the day. He also told me the trail was closed past The Keyhole due to a death earlier in the day. Yikes. I was already a little apprehensive about the trail past that point after reading trip reports, but I figured I would go up to The Keyhole and get some photos, then head back down.</div>
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View through The Keyhole</div>
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Stone shelter below The Keyhole</div>
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View from inside the shelter</div>
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Freshies. First tracks anyone?</div>
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Looking at the route past The Keyhole. No thanks.</div>
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The run down was pretty uneventful. There were a few claps of thunder, so I did my best to get back to treeline a quick as I could. Overall, it was a pretty successful run. I felt completely fine above 13,000 ft. I could feel I was at high altitude, but I felt a lot better than when I've been that high in the past.</div>
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After finishing the run I headed to <a href="http://www.grubsteakestespark.com/">The Grubsteak</a> in Estes Park, and had the elk sheppard's pie and maple nut brown. Mmm.</div>
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<b>Day 2: Pawnee - Buchanan Pass Loop</b> </div>
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26.2 miles, 7:11:49, 6700 ft. of climbing</div>
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Sunrise near the Beaver Meadows entrance of RMNP</div>
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This loop wasn't really on my radar until a few days before I left home, but I stumbled across some trip reports for it and decided I needed to fit it in. A 26 mile day in the mountains is always ambitious, but I had all day and nothing else to do, so I figured if I bonked I could always hike it in.</div>
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I started my loop at the Mitchell Lake trailhead as the Long Lake parking lot was full. Like yesterday, my heart was in my throat at the start, but everything got better after a few minutes of running. The first few miles of trail were rockier than most Colorado trails that I have run, but they were still pretty nice.</div>
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First view about a mile in</div>
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Beaver Creek Trailhead</div>
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I made sure to stop and take in plenty of calories via gels, fig newtons and <a href="http://www.smuckers.com/products/group.aspx?groupId=3">Uncrustables</a>. This was the view from my first fuel stop. The wildflowers seemed to be in full bloom and just added to the magnificent scenery. At about this time another trail runner passed me in the other direction.</div>
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Climbing up Buchanan Pass (11,837')</div>
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The climb up Buchanan Pass was pretty uneventful. Just as the trail would get steep it would switchback and become totally runnable. This was much appreciated once I got above 11,000 ft. I only had to walk a few short sections on this climb before topping out on the broad pass.</div>
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Trail over Buchanan Pass</div>
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This was on the other side</div>
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Once I started to descend from the pass, the scenery looked like something out of a granola bar commercial. Lush green grass with wildflowers everywhere and a sprinkling of conifers. And the trail was pretty smooth and great for running. I pretty much was dropping f-bombs every time I came around a corner and saw a view that was better than the last. I kept thinking this is the best run I have ever done.</div>
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At 13 miles you hit the low point of the loop, around 8,900 ft. I had drained my 1.5L of water at this point, so I filled my bladder in the nearby stream, and started the long climb to Pawnee Pass. This is when I realized that the miles of downhill and altitude were starting to take a bit of a toll. I was struggling to run some of the steeper ups, so I decided to walk anything that was too steep or rocky. I was able to run mostly everything though, so I was still making good time.</div>
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Approaching the west side of Pawnee Pass</div>
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Holy shit.</div>
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The last few miles on the way to Pawnee Pass were getting tougher, and I was running out of steam. The climb up the pass was pretty rocky and steep, even with the switchbacks. I just tried to keep moving forward, mostly hiking, knowing that I would feel better on the 5 miles of downhill on the east side of the pass.</div>
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Looking back down after topping out</div>
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Tons of marmots on Pawnee Pass</div>
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Continental divide sign at 12,500 ft.</div>
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Once again, the run down was pretty uneventful. I was in full-on bonk mode though and ended up walking two slight rises near the parking lot. This was an amazing loop though and worth the effort.</div>
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<b>Day 3: Cache le Poudre - Chapin Pass - Ute Trail Loop</b></div>
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15.7 miles, 3:20:37, 1900 ft. of climbing</div>
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<a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/76548571">http://www.strava.com/activities/76548571</a></div>
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I knew I would need a flatter day, and after looking at the maps of the park and looking at some of the cool valleys between the huge mountains, I decided a little "off-trail" exploration was in order. I devised a loop that would start at Milner Pass (10,760 ft.) on the continental divide on Trail Ridge Rd., go down the Cache le Pudre valley, where ther eis no defined trail for most of it, back up another cross country area to Chapin Pass, up part of Old Fall River Rd. to the Alpine Visitors Center, (11,796 ft.), and down the Ute Trail back to the start.<br />
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Heading down the Cache le Poudre valley</div>
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Intersection of Cache le Poudre "Trail" and Chapin Pass "Trail" around 10,100 ft.</div>
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The cross country travel was actually pretty good going. There were plenty of game trails to follow and the grass wasn't too high. You didn't have to worry about getting lost as the valley was so open you could always see where you were headed. I did have a little trouble when I first hit the valley to head up to Chapin Pass. I stayed too far to the right and ended in a really wet meadow. Once I got back on track it was pretty good going again.<br />
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Heading up a valley</div>
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Sweet camping spot</div>
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The trail up to Chapin Pass was pretty uneventful, but a nice run nonetheless. It was smooth going headed down to Fall River Rd. and the road wasn't too busy with traffic, so i was able to enjoy the views during the nice leisurely climb to the Alpine Visitors Center.<br />
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Looking down the Fall River Valley</div>
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High point</div>
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After reaching the high point at the Alpine Visitors Center, I decided that I didn't need any food, water, bathrooms or overpriced souvenirs, so I crossed the road for the final leg of the run on the Ute Trail. Jess and I hiked a small part of this last summer, but it was a cold, windy day, so we turned around pretty quick.</div>
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This section of trail was part of the original Fall River Rd. that connected Estes Park to Grand Lake. You could tell from the gentle grades that it was an old road;. It was still a great trail though.<br />
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Going down.</div>
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After this run I headed to <a href="http://www.sagebrushbbq.com/">The Sagebrush BBQ & Grill</a> for dinner. Pulled pork, beans, mashed potatoes, corn bread and cheesy garlic bread as an app. Great meal with a Red Ale from <a href="http://grandlakebrewing.com/">Grand Lake Brewing Company</a>.</div>
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<b>Day 4: North Inlet - Tonahutu Loop</b> </div>
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26.3 miles, 5:59:46, 4300 ft of climbing</div>
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<a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/76548573">http://www.strava.com/activities/76548573</a></div>
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This run was on Sunday, the same day as the Pikes Peak Marathon, which I was signed up for and only 3 hours away from, but I was more interested in some sight seeing than running a race. Pikes Peak is one of my favorite races, so it felt weird to be in Colorado and not be on the starting line, but I did not regret it one bit.<br />
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My goal for the day and what I figured would be the highlight of my trip would be the 26 mile North Inlet - Tonahutu Loop on the west side of RMNP. I had been eyeing this loop for a while as it spends a lot of time above treeline on the continental divide.<br />
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I awoke from my campsite around 6Am and saw the temperature was 37 degrees. Not exactly great temps for cooking instant oatmeal and sitting in my sleeping bag while eating it. I decided to head into town and hit the breakfast buffet at the<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/fat-cat-cafe-grand-lake"> Fat Cat Cafe</a>. All of the food was homemade and all you can eat. I stopped myself after two plates knowing that I would be running up a mountain soon. The owner, Sally, was worried that I did not get enough to eat and sent me on my way with a cinnamon bun in a sandwich bag when I told her I would be up in the mountains for the day! Thanks Sally! I started my run around 8:30 from the North Inlet Trailhead. With a full pack and a full stomach I was ready for another long day.<br />
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I saw 4 deer in the first 1.5 miles</div>
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Where are the smurfs?</div>
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Climbing to the divide</div>
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On the climb up to the divide, I was surprised by the number of people I ran into that were hiking down. I'm guessing many of them had camped out overnight. I slowly made my way up the switchbacks taking in the mountain views and watching for animals. I could hear marmots and pikas squeaking all over the place.<br />
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Pika!</div>
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Once above treeline there were views as far as you could see. The air was cooler, but it was pretty nice in just a t-shirt. I spotted a lone elk not long after I hit the ridge and was able to snap a few pictures.<br />
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The running above 12,000 feet was amazing. Most of the trail was nice singletrack with a few well placed rocks in sections.<br />
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After spending some amazing time above treeline, it was time to descend into the Tonahutu Valley, where the Big Meadows forest fire had just been recently contained. The trail just reopened days before I headed west.<br />
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The run down was pretty awesome. Nice smooth trails with views into the area where the fire was.</div>
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Mike Beeman's old place. They fixed it up a little.</div>
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With about 4 miles left I was passing Big Meadows when I ran into two bull moose that were VERY close to the trail. The one above wasn't budging as I tried to walk down the trail near him. I had to wait about 10 minutes before he moved away so I could pass. I took the opportunity to gets some more photos.<br />
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This was the bigger one. He had zero interest in me.</div>
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About a mile from the finish I ran into a family who was doing the loop as a 3 day camping trip. They asked what I was doing and told them the same loop. They exclaimed "In one day?" I explained that I do mountain races like Pikes Peak and Mt. Washington back east and they said they were from Brusnwick, ME. Small world.<br />
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This was another amazing loop. Great mountain and valley scenery and plenty of wildlife. I highly suggest it if you ever find yourself on the west side of RMNP.<br />
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Rainbow over my campsite at Stillwater Campground on Granby Lake</div>
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My trusty rental</div>
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Sunset over the continental divide and Granby Lake</div>
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<b>Day 5: Lawn Lake Trail</b></div>
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14.1 miles, 2:41:37, 2800 ft. of climbing</div>
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<a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/76548557">http://www.strava.com/activities/76548557</a></div>
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Some longhorn sheep I saw on Trail Ridge Rd. on my way back to Estes Park</div>
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My last run in Colorado was supposed to be a flatter run on the west side of RMNP, but I had a full stomach, once again from a good breakfast at the Fat Cat Cafe, when I got to the trailhead, so I decided to keep driving towards Estes Park and let my stomach settle. I decided to run up to Lawn Lake, which climbs 2800 ft. in 6+ miles. So much for flat. Surprisingly, I actually felt pretty good on the climb and was actually pushing the upper stretches, something I had held back from doing all weekend.</div>
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Looking down on Lawn Lake</div>
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Looking up the valley</div>
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Shots of the dam that blew out in a flood in 1982</div>
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Erosion</div>
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That was an amazing vacation. I managed 94 miles in 5 days over 22 hours with nearly 20,000 ft. of climbing. (Avg. 18.8 miles/4.45 hours/3900 ft. per day.) I did all of those miles in my X-Talon 190s, which had plenty of grip and good support on the smooth trails. I was not really expecting to get all of those runs in. I figured I would go long one day and have to do a 5-10 mile easy run the next day to recover. I think the high altitude kept the pace slow which made it a lot easier to handle the miles. I definitely felt tired once I got home, but still managed 62 and 70 miles the last 2 weeks. </div>
Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-44672711210171912602013-07-07T15:46:00.000-07:002013-07-07T15:46:25.472-07:002013 Loon Mountain Race"It's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll." -AC/DC<br />
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That's a cheesy song lyric to start a mountain race report with, but it's so true. Today's Loon Mountain Race was as tough as ever, but it was a good indicator of the progress I have made in my training in the last 6 weeks.<br />
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This winter and spring I suffered from ailments known as sloth and work overload which include side effects of weight gain and general lack of fitness. I was able to right the ship on Memorial Day weekend after I forced myself to race the Wachusett Mountain Race. A good butt kicking is usually a good motivator, and Wachusett turned out just that way.<br />
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I have managed to string together 6 weeks of solid training (five 70 mile weeks and one at 60) with races at Bretton Woods (DNF in the heat), a 34:04 10k at Market Square Day and a 14th place at the Mt. Washington Road Race. None of these results really inspired confidence, as all of my times were way slower than my bests, but I'm trying to focus on making incremental gains and being consistent every week.<br />
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The last 2 weekends have not included a race, so I was itching to run Loon, which is one of the coolest courses on the USATF New England Mountain Running Circuit. It's about as hard as they come with long, super-steep ascents on black diamond ski trails, including the infamous Upper Walking Boss, which has a 30% sustained grade for a full kilometer.<br />
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My legs felt like complete junk Monday and Tuesday this week, but turned a corner Wednesday and finally felt decent the rest of the week, despite the heat and humidity. Yesterday's run felt pretty good, so I was optimistic about today's race. Sunday morning dawned at 5AM, despite setting my alarm for 6. My head was awake, but my legs weren't. I figured a bowl of cereal and a good long warm-up would fix that.<br />
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My legs loosened up after 4 miles of flat running, but my calves still felt tight, which is not good if you're planning on racing up ski slopes for 5+ miles. I decided to go with my trusty Inov-8 X-Talon 212's knowing that there would be a lot of loose gravel on the course. I lined up on the front line after dipping my singlet in the cold Pemigewasset River. Race Director Chris Dunn of acidotic Racing gave the command and we were off like a heard of turtles. Well, at least I was. The lead pack of about 8-10 guys took off a lot faster than I wanted or was able to run. Having run this race 4 times previously I knew there would be plenty of time for racing.<br />
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The first climb switchbacks on a service road, drops a bit, then climbs up to the mile mark. I still wasn't feeling super loose and the leaders, including Eric Blake, this year's Mt. Washington winner, and Brandon Newbould, who I was 2 spots ahead of at Mt. Washington, were pulling away. I had passed a few guys on the initial climb, and a few more were starting to come back, so I just kept my head down and remembered to keep putting one foot in front of the other. That's half the battle at Loon.<br />
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After traversing the mountain on some western technical, we took the hard left turn onto a long, grassy ski slope that is the first really tough climb on the course. I was able to reel in Tristan Williams on this section and even opened a bit of a gap. I still didn't feel great, but who does running up a 20% grade!<br />
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The next big climb is more gravel access road on the way to the summit of the north peak, which is about 4 miles into the race. As soon as we turned onto this section I knew I might have pushed the last climb too hard. I still managed to catch Drew Best and Eric MacKnight, and opened a gap before we hit the summit.<br />
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From the summit to the start of Upper Walking Boss, it's pretty fast downhill running. I knew I wanted to hold onto the lead I had on Eric, as he's a really good descender, so I pushed the downhill for about half a mile before we turned onto The Boss.<br />
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There really is no way to describe Upper Walking Boss. You just have to try to run it yourself. Imagine the steepest hill you've ever run, then add 5-10% grade. And it's in the middle of a race. And it's a kilometer long. I pride myself on running every step of this climb every year, no matter how bad I feel. Unfortunately this year MacKnight decided he would run faster than me at the bottom! Eric opened a gap which I was able to keep close, and we even closed a gap on third place Newbould. I had hopes of catching both guys at the top, but as we crested the south summit (9:43 for The Boss, finishing at the chairlift) those guys took off. I did my best to chase them on the loose downhill, dodging water bars along the way. It took me 2:48 to get from the chairlift to the finish line (about 500m), which includes a quick 100 meter incline at the finish to add insult to injury. I crossed the line in 49:27 in 5th place, which is actually my second fastest time on the course. The heat held off and a nice cool breeze appeared every once in a while, so that helped.<br />
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I'm pretty happy with the progression I have made since Wachusett, but I'd be lying if I said I am happy with my overall results. I ran this race in 49:36 in 2006 when I finished 2nd in the US team qualifier and the course was 10k. I have a lot of work to do, but I think I'm on the right track.<br />
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Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-232986904074131682013-04-09T06:23:00.000-07:002013-04-09T06:23:56.646-07:00Training Week 4/1-4/7M- AM: 3.2 miles in 26:27 on Stritch Rd.<br />
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.<br />
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Tu- AM: 3.2 miles in 26:47 on Stritch Rd.<br />
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.<br />
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W- AM: 4.0 miles in 39:23 on the Sidehill Trail. Nice easy lunch run. Felt good to be on singletrack.<br />
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 <a href="http://enterthehaggis.bandcamp.com/album/northampton-live">Enter the Haggis Live at Northampton</a>. 8 strides in the last 2 miles.<br />
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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.<br />
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F- 8.0 miles in 57:23 on Potter Rd. with Double J. Another solid easy run on hilly dirt roads.<br />
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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.<br />
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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. <a href="http://app.strava.com/activities/47746367">http://app.strava.com/activities/47746367</a> 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.<br />
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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.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-15570704288583062013-03-31T15:32:00.002-07:002013-03-31T15:32:15.711-07:00Training Week 3/25-3/31M- AM: 3.2 miles in 26:06 on Stritch Rd.<br />
PM: 8.0 miles in 58:09 on Potter Rd. w/ Double J. Solid run.<br />
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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.<br />
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.<br />
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W- AM: 3.2 miles in 26:28 on Stritch Rd.<br />
PM: 0 Left work around 11:30 with a bad headache.<br />
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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.<br />
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.<br />
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F- AM: 3.2 miles in 26:55 on Stritch Rd. Nice and easy.<br />
PM: 8.7 miles in 59:18 on the Stark Rd. Loop w/ Double J. Just cruising along. 5 strides after.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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<br />
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Spring time in Crawford Notch</div>
<br />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-18117156185297477762013-03-24T13:03:00.000-07:002013-03-24T13:03:15.247-07:00Training Week 3/18-3/24M- 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.<br />
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.<br />
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Tu- AM: 3.1 miles in 29:35 in Saco Woods and Stritch Rd. Trails were pretty slick with new snow over ice.<br />
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.<br />
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W- AM: 3.2 miles in 26:44 on Stritch Rd.<br />
PM: 8.6 miles in 1:04:15 on the Chocorua roads and snowmobile trails. Great run for the <a href="http://www.inov-8.com/New/Global/Product-View-Oroc-280.html?L=27">Oroc 280's</a>. 5 strides after.<br />
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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.<br />
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.<br />
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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.<br />
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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-49239665633260343462013-03-17T15:42:00.002-07:002013-03-17T15:42:53.870-07:00Training Week 3/11-3/17: Gotta Start Somewhere<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Finishing up at the Granite State Snowshoe Championships last Saturday, photo by <a href="http://www.joeviger.com/">Joe Viger</a></div>
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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Tu- 0 I got as far as changing into my running clothes at work, but couldn't make myself go out the door. Lame.<br />
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W- 0 10+ hours of field work. Exhausted.<br />
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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.<br />
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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<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-40785640817196745132013-02-19T15:54:00.002-08:002013-02-19T15:54:35.101-08:002/19/13"Easy" 8 with Double J. 10 lbs. of poop in a 5lb. bag. 2 days of running in a row though!<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="405" scrolling="no" src="http://app.strava.com/activities/41573726/embed/6b8bdef153b60c571de22d613084c6ea72a8c9e7" width="590"></iframe>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-68773941426004923972013-02-19T07:47:00.000-08:002013-02-19T07:47:01.757-08:002/18/13Easy 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.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="405" scrolling="no" src="http://app.strava.com/activities/41458064/embed/6e9c852ce1310f0f351220aef54d77c5d6c88264" width="590"></iframe>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-355112306960171352013-01-27T07:04:00.004-08:002013-01-27T07:04:39.036-08:00Sandwich Sidehiller<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Great photo of the start by <a href="http://www.joeviger.com/">Joe Viger</a> </div>
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Well, it's the end of an era. <a href="http://doublejrunning.blogspot.com/">Double J</a> 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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!<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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GPS data: <a href="http://app.strava.com/activities/38735850">http://app.strava.com/activities/38735850</a><br />
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Finishing up by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/SNAPacidotic/503426696349584">Gianina Lindsey</a></div>
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<br />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-74829542745026575422013-01-26T15:03:00.000-08:002013-01-26T15:05:32.491-08:00Winter Presidential Traverse 01-13-13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Awesome day in the mountains with Coby Jacobus.</div>
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GPS data: <a href="http://app.strava.com/activities/37483546">http://app.strava.com/activities/37483546</a><br />
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Facebook video: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200329595145242">http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200329595145242</a><br />
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<br />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-62450596124222313822012-12-24T05:15:00.001-08:002012-12-24T05:15:04.991-08:002012 in Photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Spectated at US Cross Country Nationals in Rumford, ME on my birthday weekend</div>
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Hike up Rumford Whitecap on my birthday. Thanks Jess!</div>
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The awesome wrestling belts Jess and I made for trophies for the Whitaker Woods Snowshoe Scramble</div>
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Awesome day for a run up Mt. Washington via Lion Head, mid February, courtesy <a href="http://blog.nhstateparks.org/">Mike Pelchat, Mt. Washington State Park</a> </div>
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The run we almost died on, with <a href="http://doublejrunning.blogspot.com/">Double J</a>, on Pierce and Eisenhower</div>
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Flogging Molly and The Devil Makes Three for Jess's birthday in Boston</div>
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Tim Livingston and I skiing the Sherburne Trail, Mt. Washington</div>
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Great weekend in and around Quebec City for Snowshoe Worlds</div>
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Greg Hexum and I around 6k at Snowshoe Worlds, finished 7th</div>
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Double J and I running up and down Chocorua in March</div>
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Lincoln Brook "Trail" on our loop up and around Owls Head with Double J and <a href="http://troyshellhamer.blogspot.com/">Troy Shellhamer</a></div>
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Great 16 mile hike with Jess through the Pemi Wilderness on Memorial Day weekend</div>
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Run up Jefferson and Washington via Huntington Ravine with Pete Mallett and Coby Jacobus. It was steep.</div>
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Pemi Loop with Double J the NEXT DAY.</div>
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Finishing up a PR run at the Pikes Peak Ascent</div>
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Cool run with Peter Maksimow up the Manitou Incline the next day.</div>
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Great hike in RMNP up Deer Mountain w/ Jess.</div>
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Nice run up Fall River Rd. in RMNP.</div>
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Lots of elk in RMNP.</div>
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One of my favorite photos of all time. Bear Lake with Long's Peak in the background.</div>
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Full moon/sunrise run up the auto road with <a href="http://ddmountainrunr.blogspot.com/">Double D</a>.</div>
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Millen Mile</div>
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A few sunset shots from Mt. Jefferson after work one night.</div>
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Zealand River during foliage.</div>
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Pondicherry National Wildlife Refuge</div>
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Heron (?) at Echo Lake</div>
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Foliage at Echo Lake & Cathedral Ledge on a foggy day</div>
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Foliage from Deer Hill</div>
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Snow and foliage from Lowe's Bald Spot, near Mt. Washington</div>
<br />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-78394884117983944842012-12-22T16:44:00.001-08:002012-12-22T16:45:00.630-08:00Where to Begin...It's been a while since my last blog post. Nothing too exciting. I won a couple of races, the <a href="http://trailmonsterrunning.com/bradburydirt">Bradbury Bruiser 12 miler</a> for the 3rd time in a row, and the <a href="http://www.kismetcliffrun.org/">Kismet Cliff Run "Beast of the East"</a>, a couple of weeks later. I rounded out my fall season with an ill-advised run at the Cape Cod Marathon, which pretty much ended any momentum I had going this fall.<br />
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Since then, I've struggled to get any type of training going since the couple of weeks I took off after Cape Cod. I've been dealing with a lingering plantar fascia issue that has subsided in the last week, and my overall energy has been pretty low. I've had multiple nights of 10-11 hours of sleep, even on days where I didn't do anything physical, which is usually a sign that something is up. I've been pretty wiped from all of the field work I've been doing the last few months, trying to finish up projects before we got any significant snow. This time of year is always busy at work, and I've never been a fan of trail running in the dark, so it's usually a good time to lay low and re-cooperate, but something has been off the last few months. I finally went in for a physical last week, something I haven't done in 12 years, and had some blood work done to check my iron levels and to check for Lyme Disease. I have a follow-up appointment on the 15th, so hopefully I'll have some answers then. Until, then, I'm going to just try to take it one day at a time and try to get outside when I don't feel completely run down. We have some snow here in the north country now, so I'm looking forward to some snowshoeing, XC skiing and some winter hiking. T'is the season.<br />
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Hopefully some terrain I will see soon.</div>
<br />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-74285560995059135782012-09-08T05:03:00.000-07:002012-09-08T06:51:45.675-07:00Millen Mile<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Coming through the quarter. Photo by Jess Tilton</div>
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The mile is not my specialty, but this race is too cool to pass up. Last year was the inaugural Millen Mile, a one-mile track race held at half time of the Kennett High School football home opener, under the lights. It is held in memory of former Kennett High football coach, social studies teacher, and all-around good guy Gary Millen. I only had Mr. Millen for 9th grade Civics, but he was a good teacher and he took an interest in all sports, and you would routinely see him at many sporting events. Gary died of a heart attack in 2006; way too early, especially for someone who meant so much to the community.<br />
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Last year I won the race in 4:38, about 3 seconds slower than my PR, but I was pretty happy with it as I pretty much ran alone and hadn't really done much track work to prepare for it. This year I knew I would have my hands full as Tim Livingston has been running well and Fryeburg Academy and University of Southern Maine alum Tim Even would be toeing the line. Adding to difficulty of this race would be the fact that I have felt like garbage all week. I wasn't sick, but I felt run down everyday and each run was not pretty until Thursday, where I managed 3 miles and some drills and strides and I didn't feel like I was going to fall over from dead legs.<br />
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All that aside, I got in a good warm-up with plenty of drills and strides and just tried to stay loose. The timing of the start of this race is interesting as you need to keep an eye on the game clock, but you never really know when you'll start because of all the timeouts and such. After each runner was introduced we got on the line and got ready to burn our lungs for four and a half minutes.<br />
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Tim Even took the lead early, as expected and Tim L. and I filed in behind him. The pace was a bit quick for me, but then again, any pace on the track is probably too quick for me. I came through the first quarter in 67 just behind Tim E. with Tim L. on my tail. I knew it was a bit quick, but I wanted to take advantage of having both Tims to run with and maybe run a PR, so I went with it. I tried to stay close, but Tim E. accelerated onto the back stretch on the second lap and Tim L. went by me at the 600m mark. My goal was to stay smooth on this lap and see what happens. I stayed on Tim L. to the 1/2 mile mark (2:17) and went around him going into the turn. At this point Tim E. had a pretty good gap on us, but I didn't know what his fitness was like, so I just tried to keep running hard and see how things would shake out.<br />
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I was tying up a bit on the third lap, but sub 4:40 mile pace will do that to you. Tim. L passed me backsoon after, and I stayed as close to him as I could and banged out another 70 (3:27). The bell lap hurt like hell, but I felt like I was speeding up. I tried to closer the gap on Tim L. (Tim E. was long gone at this point), and I was hoping to make a move on the home stretch. Fat chance of that. Despite the cheers of the crowd, I couldn't close on Tim and ran a 71 for the last lap. Ugh.<br />
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Overall, I am happy with the race as I did zero prep for it and ran as fast as last year. One of these days I really should run an indoor season and try to break 4:30 for the mile and 15:00 for 5k. I don't have the wheels to do that without any track training. Congrats to Tim Even on his 4:29 and the win, Tim Livingston on his fast race, Darin Brown for nearly cracking 5, Gabe Flanders for jumping in at the last minute and running a 5:22 (a PR!), Steve Piotrow and Allen Whitley for pushing themselves on the track, Leslie Beckwith on her win in the women's race running a 5:44, and to Cathy Livingston and Meredith Piotrow for going out and racing hard! Also, thanks to Bernie Livingston and the Millen Foundation for organizing such a cool race and to the spectators for cheering us on. It's a really unique experience to run in front of a crowd like that under the lights.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-27652301127762449512012-09-02T10:29:00.001-07:002012-09-04T06:58:41.109-07:002012 Pikes Peak Ascent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Getting chased by Gerald Romero near the finish</div>
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Well, that was fun. A week away from the heat, humidity and bugs of New England was just what I needed. Summer is my least favorite season and the crash that I usually experience after Mt. Washington, good race or not, leaves me longing for the cooler air and changing foliage of fall. I wasn't planning on going anywhere for vacation this summer, but early in July Jess and I decided we might want to head out west somewhere for a week. We have both wanted to go back to Rocky Mountain National Park since our trip in 2008, so Colorado it was! No trip to the Rocky Mountain state in August would be complete without racing up Pikes Peak though, so Jess was gracious enough to give up a few days in RMNP to stay in Manitou Springs with our friends Peter Maksimow and Nora Duane.</div>
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It was good catching up with Peter and Nora after not having a chance to see them after Mt. Washington. Peter took me on a nice 7 mile run on the Intemann Trail on Friday morning. The legs felt good, but my lungs and head were definitely feeling the altitude a little. I knew I hadn't hydrated on the plane as well as I normally do, but I figured I would just try to catch up before the race. I also caught up on the awesome beer selection of Colorado in Peter and Nora's fridge!</div>
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Race day dawned a little warm and humid, but nowhere as near as humid as the weather we've dealt with in New England this summer. Peter, Rickey Gates and I warmed-up by heading to the start from Peter's place, about 1.5 miles away. There are a lot fewer butterflies for me at this race than Mt. Washington, despite the looming task of running uphill for two and a half hours. Lowered expectations will do wonders for your intestinal systems. I got a few last minute pointers from Pikes Peak legend Scott Elliot, then we were off.</div>
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Making my way to the finish</div>
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My goal anytime I race at altitude is to find my red line, but DO NOT GO OVER IT. Especially in a race that's two plus hours long. Some people may look at it as a wimpy way of racing, but you have to know your limits. Blowing up 4 miles in isn't going to do me any good running up a 14,000 ft. mountain. One thing I wasn't expecting 4 miles into the race was to get passed by Kim Dobson. Or maybe it was earlier, my brain was already a little fuzzy. The hard part about running by feel and ignoring mile splits is that you never really know how you're running time-wise. I knew Kim was either flying or I was really dogging it. I felt like I might be going a touch fast, which made me think Kim was REALLY moving. After she passed me in the W's I just tried to run smart knowing that I still had 2 hours of mountain running ahead of me.</div>
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I was pretty much in no-man's (or no-woman's) land until Barr Camp. Just before we reached the aid station I actually caught Kim and the guy from Arizona with the pink socks. At this point I still had a low grade headache, but I felt like I was getting into a good rhythm. I came through Barr Camp around 73 minutes, about two minutes slower than 2009. Scott Elliot reminded me at the start that Barr Canp is about half way time wise. Just after the aid station I passed Kim and the pink socks guy (Brian Folts). I was able to open a bit of a gap on them as the trail started to get more technical. I also spotted Peter up ahead a little ways and I made a move to catch him.</div>
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Peter has done a ton of running on this mountain and I knew I was in good company to be running with him at this stage in the race. We worked together to keep moving up the hill and hopefully catch some stragglers past the A-Frame. As we approached the A-Frame aid station Kim and Brian caught Peter and I and Peter went around me. I guess I was slowing us down and holding us up, but it was imperceptible as we climbed the rugged switchbacks. My fingers were starting to swell and my hands were tingling. The pressure in my skull was getting greater, but it was nothing to be alarmed about. I came through the A-Frame checkpoint in 1:43:26, about a minute and a half behind my PR from 2009 and 14 seconds behind Kim and Peter. I was a little worried that I was slower than PR pace, but I remembered that I did a lot of walking above treeline in 2009, and I was determined not to do that this year.</div>
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Running above treeline at Pikes Peak looks a lot like the terrain above treeline on Mt. Washington, but there is actually a trail on Pikes. There are a few rocks to hop over, but it's not constant scrambling like running up the summit cone on Big George. That being said, running above 11,000 ft. is pretty damn tough. At this point my quads were starting to feel the cumulative fatigue of 1:40 of running uphill, and I was getting twinges in my calves from dehydration. I just tried to keep my head on my shoulders and put one foot in front of the other.</div>
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At this point I wasn't thinking about racing, just getting to the top as fast as possible. I could see Peter and Kim ahead of me every once in a while, but the trail switchbacks so much you never really know how far anyone is ahead of you. You can also look up 1000 vertical feet and see people near the summit, but you're still a couple of miles away via trail.</div>
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Speaking of seeing people above you, I spotted mountain running god Killian Jornet coming down the mountain when I hit the 2 miles to go sign. He was bounding from rock to rock on his way down. He offered some encouragement as I trudged up the mountain. Not long after that he decided to turn around and pass me on the way up. I used him as a carrot and stayed with him until just before the 16 Golden Stairs. There was a search and rescue crew hanging out here and they were playing "America the Beautiful" on kazoos. I kid you not. I asked them if they knew "Another One Bites the Dust". They got a kick out of that.</div>
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I got a kick out of knowing that I was almost finished. The 16 Golden Stairs look a lot like New England mountain running terrain, and I take pride in running everything in front of me, but I put my hands to my knees and did the Euro-hike on most of this stretch. Lack of oxygen and fatigue weren't going to allow for any explosive movements from my body, unless they were coming from my bowels or esophagus.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCrG_-4VY0MK6J2i0w66ZgRJEGwzLsK71xIZDo2PZ11k-_zwLPwPtz-NP8lixsjsdmbNOf-9qSUJGFmXCaoRrY3d8o7Hf44I1RE3qsZUs7f_KqFAc-OkIejkdh0pvno1bEQl84jxJd5k/s1600/Colorado+074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCrG_-4VY0MK6J2i0w66ZgRJEGwzLsK71xIZDo2PZ11k-_zwLPwPtz-NP8lixsjsdmbNOf-9qSUJGFmXCaoRrY3d8o7Hf44I1RE3qsZUs7f_KqFAc-OkIejkdh0pvno1bEQl84jxJd5k/s320/Colorado+074.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Peter Maksimow, myself and Gerald after the finish</div>
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Despite being thoroughly exhausted and having a pounding headache, I was determined to finish strong and run as much as possible. I was even more determined when I spotted Gerald Romero behind me with less than half a mile to go. I was one spot ahead of Gerald in 2009. He was a lot closer this time and I knew I was close to a top 10 spot and didn't want to lose it. I managed to find another gear, the one past the red line, and kicked it in to stay ahead of Gerald and squeak under 2:30 in 2:29:48, a 2 minute PR. My lovely wife was there to catch me and make sure I wasn't drooling all over myself. I was definitely feeling the effort and the altitude after I finished, but I was able to choke down some water, Gatorade and some food before heading back down the mountain. I ended up wearing the new <a href="http://www.inov-8.com/New/Global/Product-View-Trailroc-235.html?L=27">Inov8 TrailRoc 235s</a> which worked great on the hardpacked Colorado trails.</div>
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A big thank you to Peter and Nora for allowing us to stay with them in there awesome cabin, and a big thank you to Peter for pulling me along in the race and reminding me how much fun it is hanging out with so many cool runners, even on the weekend of your biggest race of the year. And a big thank you to the organizers of the Pikes Peak races for putting on a great race and event. Also, congrats to Kim Dobson on an amazing run. Each time she went by me she looked so strong. You could tell she trained hard for this race and was a woman on a mission. She had the 3rd fastest split from A-Frame to the summit! </div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As painful as it sounds, I
thoroughly enjoyed the race itself and the atmosphere around it. It was nice
going into the race with not a lot of pressure to run a certain time or place.
I still had goals, but they weren't all consuming. Running is funny. Sometimes
the harder you try the further you'll find yourself from what you're trying to
attain.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqopi1QlDwT-7z4Ck6SZSrKRUJUeZ1EBD8ilj_eS42fgZ1Q5wirLSt8WLHCaLbwEYSX-dfYvJm9XNN5_12945fDyl5X_LZ5xpG9prgVJJL47Cs7BGkRGPB9BOFgZ3uaNp9s9UES2HzSE/s1600/Colorado+075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqopi1QlDwT-7z4Ck6SZSrKRUJUeZ1EBD8ilj_eS42fgZ1Q5wirLSt8WLHCaLbwEYSX-dfYvJm9XNN5_12945fDyl5X_LZ5xpG9prgVJJL47Cs7BGkRGPB9BOFgZ3uaNp9s9UES2HzSE/s320/Colorado+075.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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This one says it all</div>
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<a href="http://www.pikespeakmarathon.org/race_results/2012_pikes_peak_ascent.htm">http://www.pikespeakmarathon.org/race_results/2012_pikes_peak_ascent.htm</a>
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Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-21350622016367798602012-07-09T19:11:00.000-07:002012-07-09T19:11:07.868-07:007/9/2012AM: 4.0 miles in 33:57 on the Conway Rec Trail. Nice and easy.<br />
PM: 10.0 miles in 1:13:14 with <a href="http://doublejrunning.blogspot.com/">Double J</a> and <a href="http://goindownswinging.tumblr.com/">Joe Shairs</a> on Town Hall Rd. About 40 minutes up and 33 minutes back.<br />
<br />
Time to get serious for UROC and Pikes Peak.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-62088994944150045772012-06-03T13:03:00.001-07:002012-06-03T13:03:26.667-07:00Training 5/14-6/3<u><b>5/14-5/20</b></u><br />
M- 12.1 miles in 1:29:18 with Jim on Corridor 19. Felt ok.<br />
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Tu- 8.9 miles in 1:09:05 with Jim on the Lower Moat Brook singletrack. Stomach felt awful. Need to eat better.<br />
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W- 1:08:36 on the auto road. Pretty psyched. Did this one after work. Ran in control. A little windy above treeline, pushed it a little the last 1/2 mile.<br />
Splits: 8:01 8:43 8:46 8:47 9:24 9:20 15:32 (last 1.7), 1:15:47 down!<br />
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Th- 8.2 miles in 1:00:44 w/ Jim on the back roads of Eaton and South Conway. Lunge routine after.<br />
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F- 9.4 miles in 1:22:04 w/ Jim on the roads and trails around Whitton Pond and Whitton Ledge. Pretty nice loop. Quads stiff.<br />
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Running along the top of Whitton Ledge. Photo by Double J</div>
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Sa- Bedford 12k 39:32, 11th place. Best NEGP race in a LONG time. 3.5 wu, drills and strides, 3.0 cd<br />
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Su- 5.0 miles in 40:43 with Peter on the Mineral Mine Loop. Felt ok, just tried to run easy.<br />
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Totals: 72.0 miles, 9.55 hours<br />
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<u><b>5/21-5/27</b></u><br />
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M- 0 half day at work, then travel to Ashland, MA for the Inov8 brand conference.<br />
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Tu- 5.0 miles in 32:57 around Ashland Pond with Dwight & Chris (Inov8 sales reps). Felt ok. Spent the rest of the day checking out the new models and presenting my feedback on some models I've been testing. There is some great new stuff in the pipeline!<br />
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W- 4 x Cathedral Ledge Circuit. Felt like junk. Travel and bad eating caught up to me. 2.0 wu.<br />
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Th- 0 Long day at work.<br />
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F- 6.2 miles in 1:01:17 with Jim on some random trails in Albany. Fun run, felt good.<br />
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Sa- 1:00 on, 1:00 off fartlek up the auto road. 33:15 to 4 miles. Much better than last time.<br />
Splits: 7:00 8:33 8:52 8:50, 36:57 down., 2.0 wu, drills and strides.<br />
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Su- 0 running. 16 mile hike with Jess through the Pemi Wilderness though, which was a lot of fun!<br />
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Totals: 27.3 miles, 4.13 hours<br />
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<u><b>5/28-6/3</b></u><br />
M- Mt. Washington training run w/ Jim, <a href="http://wpblogs.runningtimes.com/blogs/natejenkins/feed/">Nate Jenkins</a>, and Melissa Donais. 1:08:02. Pretty psyched with this one. No real plan time-wise as Jim, Nate and I were planning on something at tempo effort. I felt pretty smooth the whole way and my breathing barely ever felt labored. My hamstrings were super tight on the warm-up and I noticed them while running, but they didn't seem to slow me down! This run was a huge confidence booster. A big thank you to Jess for driving us down so our quads wouldn't be sore for the next week! 2.0 wu<br />
Splits: 7:28 8:44 9:00 8:53 9:30 9:16 9:09 5:57<br />
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Tu- 1.0 One stinking mile with Jim at Whitaker Woods. I hate lightning.<br />
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W- 0 Stomach bug. Called in sick to work. Felt better near the end of the day, but still low on energy.<br />
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Th- 4 x Cathedral Ledge Rd. 6:52 6:59 7:09 7:16 (7:04 avg., 7:51 pace) Slower and harder than I hoped, but a solid workout either way. Might still be feeling the effects of yesterday's stomach bug. (1:01:56), 2.0 wu<br />
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F- 8.4 miles on Peaked Hill Rd. (gravel) and Province Pond Trail with Jim in 1:02:30. Gradual climb on the way out and gradual down on the way back. Felt ok. Body feels fresh but legs feel a little weird. Apparently my body doesn't know how to react to not being sore all of the time. 3 strides after while Jim pooped in the woods.<br />
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Sa- 6.5 miles in 52:30 with Jim and MIT-bound Peter Haine on the Jackson XC Hall Trail and Maple Mtn. Loop. Wet, overgrown and muddy, but fun! I was hoping to go up Washington this morning, but the conditions above treeline were unfavorable.<br />
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Su- Pack Monadnock 10 Mile Road Race, 3rd, 1:02:45, :42 behind Brandon Newbould and :15 behind Justin Freeman. I knew this was going to be a tough race as I haven't been working on my road speed at all this spring, but I knew I needed to work on some race tactics, such as reeling people in, and I figured this would be a prime opportunity.<br />
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Brandon and Justin went out front right from the start, but the pace seemed manageable, so I latched on until we crested the hill just shy of the mile mark. From here they slowly opened a gap on every down and flat. Tim Van Orden caught me not long after this, but I was able to pass him back just past the reservoir.<br />
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I was working pretty hard, but was seeing that my splits were slower than when I did this race back in 2010. I had the luxury of running with Eric Blake that year, and I was in really good road shape at that time too. I knew I would be slower this year when I hit 5 miles in 28:47. I was 27:40 in 2010. I just kept telling myself that Washington could feel like this and that I needed to keep pushing and try to reel Brandon and Justin in on the 2 mile climb at the end.<br />
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Unfortunately, my legs were spent at 7 miles, but I kept plugging away. I was relieved to see Route 101 (for the first and only time in my life) as I knew the climb would start once I got on it. My legs were still tired, but I was looking forward to the climb, knowing that I could have a chance of getting back in the race if I ran this section well. I know, I'm a sick f*ck.<br />
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I was able to keep my eye on the leaders as I saw Brandon open a small gap on Justin. I could sense that I was slowly closing the gap, despite the fact that my stride felt choppy. I lost sight of both of them just before we entered Miller State Park. The steep climb starts not long after entering the park. I downshifted and tried to stay smooth. I covered the 9th mile in 6:32. I knew I was just under 9 minutes for the last mile in 2010, so I told myself I had 9 minutes to go. On the next steep section I was able to see Justin, and saw that he wasn't that far ahead. I tried to open my stride on the few flat stretches, but lost sight of Justin as the road curved back and forth. I kept plugging away and was rewarded with the view of Justin's and Brandon's backsides on the last steep climb. I hammered it with everything I had. I knew I probably wouldn't catch them, but I figured I would give it a shot anyways. I covered the last mile in 9:04, 10 seconds slower than 2010, but about 30 seconds faster that Justin and about 20 seconds faster than Brandon. I would have loved to had been closer, but I was happy that I still had my climbing legs under me despite my legs being dead at 7 miles.<br />
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Splits: 6:08 5:42 5:22 5:55 5:39 (28:47) 6:02 5:47 6:30 6:32 9:04 (33:58)<br />
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4.0 wu, drills and strides, 0.5 cd<br />
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Totals: 49.2 miles, 6.36 hours<br />
<br />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-43863811244799159152012-05-13T14:43:00.001-07:002012-05-13T14:43:31.031-07:00Training Week 5/7-5/13M- 9.7 miles in 2:17:01 in the Moat Mtn. Range w/ Jim. Went north to south on this one. The climb up North Moat is brutal, but I felt pretty good on it.<br />
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Tu- 12.1 mile <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/176292032">Glines Hill loop</a> with Jim in 1:24:44 (6:59 pace). Hilly loop. 1500 ft of elevation gain. Solid run. We didn't kill it, just rolled along. 9:00 for the full mile up Glines Hill Rd. 7 strides in the last mile.<br />
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W- 4 x Cathedral Ledge Rd. hill circuit. This workout is brutal, but makes you strong as hell. 8 minute pace at 12% grade feels easier after this one. 3.5 mi wu, 8.7 miles total.<br />
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Th- 11.7 miles in 1:31:16 on the snowmobile trails near Chocorua Lake and the Hemenway State Forest. I was pretty tired, and Jim was more than happy to run easy with me. Soaked in the lake 10 minutes after.<br />
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F- 3 mile uphill fartlek (1:00 on, 1:00 off) on the auto road. Quads were a little stiff going into this, but nothing major. Mile splits of 6:52, 8:22, 8:49. It was spitting snow at 3 miles. That last mile was pretty tough. 2.0 mi wu.<br />
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Sa- 10.8 miles up Rattlesnake, Middle and Peaked with Paul in 2:17:44. A little tired and I probably overdid it with this one, especially with a race the next day, but with 5 weeks until Washington I still have some time for some solid training before worrying about freshening up.<br />
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Su- <a href="http://sleepyhollowmtnrace.wordpress.com/">Sleepy Hollow Mountain Race</a>, 2nd place, ~1 minute behind <a href="http://wildneoteny.blogspot.com/">Josh Ferenc</a>. Fun course and a good race against Josh. I knew it would be an interesting race with Jim, Josh, Todd Callaghan, TiVo, Ross Krause, Double D and Mike Quintal, but I had no idea how it would shake out. Reading the course description it sounded like a lot of fast downhill, which is not my strong suit, but I knew I was probably the strongest climber in the field, so I made it my mission to do as much as I could on the climbs.<br />
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Unfortunately, after the start I found that my legs could not get moving despite a 2.5 warm-up. Josh took it out with Mike and another guy and I tucked in hoping that my legs would wake up. After about half a mile and swallowing a couple of black flies, I moved up behind Josh and gave chase on the way to the high point of loop 1, the king of the mountain preme point. I covered the first mile in 6:47, but Josh got to the top about 5 seconds ahead of me. From there Josh opened up a good gap on the muddy downhill. I moved as fast as I could, but was feeling the effects of the cumulative fatigue of the training week and the fact that I got 2.5 hours of sleep last night after seeing Flogging Molly and The Devil Makes Three in Portland. Oops.<br />
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On the second lap I just focused on working the uphill hard and making it the best workout I could. I could see Josh up ahead of me, but he wasn't out of reach. I slowly made my way up the hill and managed to take the lead about 2/3rds of the way up the climb. Josh hung tough though and we were even at the 3 mile mark. From here, he took of like a bat out of hell while I just tried to keep him in sight. I was barely able to do that on the way through the loop 2-3 transition. I hoped I could pull another rabbit out of my hat on the last climb, but I only saw Josh one on the singletrack climb from 4-5 miles. I did see a porcupine climbing a tree though.<br />
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From 5-6 miles I just tried to run the smooth downhill as fast as possible and hope that Josh was just around the corner where I couldn't see him. He was around the corner, about 1 minute around it at the finish line.<br />
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Overall, I was pretty happy that I raced hard despite being tired, and Josh is a hell of a downhiller, so to be even that close to him in an up/down race makes me happy. It was good to see that Jim pulled out a good race. I know he's making me a better runner, and I hope I'm helping him.<br />
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A big thank you to Paul Kirsch for driving my sleep-deprived ass to VT after my late-night hi jinx. Paul is a glutton for punishment though since he's headed to a concert in Boston tonight.<br />
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Also a big thank you to Kasie Enman for putting on a great race and sharing all the trails in her backyard with the New England mountain running community. The 1/2 gallon of maple syrup was a nice touch too!<br />
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Splits: <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">6:47 5:37 8:28 6:02 7:53 5:34</span><br />
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Totals: 69.5 miles, 11.0 hours, butt-load of vertical. Another solid week. I was pretty tired all week, but that's a sign of good training. I need to be careful this week about getting plenty of sleep, eating right and staying hydrated so I don't put myself into a hole after the late night Saturday. 5 more weeks.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-39064869002749721832012-05-06T14:45:00.002-07:002012-05-06T14:49:56.332-07:00Training Week 4/30-5/6M- 5.2 miles in 43:42 on the Lower Nanamacomuck with Double J. Legs were pretty beat. We took it easy, then iced our legs in the Swift River. I made it about 2 minutes, took a break, then went in for another 2 minutes.<br />
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Tu- 10.9 miles in 1:23:09 around the Trout Pond area and Pine Barrens with Jim. Felt much better today. Ice bath helped, I think.<br />
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W- 4 x Cathedral Ledge Rd. repeats (0.9 miles) 6:52 7:00 7:04 7:08. Pretty psyched with this workout. Two weeks ago I went out way too hard on the first one in 7:16 and had to dial back to 7:40's for the last two. These all felt way better this time. 7:12 = 8:00 pace, so they were still pretty quick, but in control. They were still a little harder than tempo effort, but I wasn't dying at the end of each one. 2.0 wu, drills and strides.<br />
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Th- AM: 8.8 miles in 1:00:49 from Jim's house over <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/174988835">Eidelweiss, Modock Hill and Pound Rds</a>. Hilly-ass loop and managed to average 6:56 pace for the whole thing. 1000 ft. of elevation gain.<br />
PM: 4.0 miles in 37:41 with Roger and Jim after the KHS track meet. 5 barefoot strides after felt much better than the run itself.<br />
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F- 0 Bruised my right foot pretty good while trying to set a metal fence post at a volunteer function at work. I don't think I did any damage, but I decided to be smart and let it heal for the night. Plus, we had pizza and beer at Brennan's after, so I couldn't pass that up.<br />
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Sa- 7.0 miles up and down Black Cap in 59:51, 28:53 to the summit (2:02 PR, 8:15 pace).1.0 wu on flats. Hard effort. I was hoping to do a run this morning on the auto road with Paul, Leslie and Frank, but I didn't know how my foot would react to 4 miles of downhill running on pavement, so I headed to the Red Tail Trail. I am really pleased with this effort. I have only run this trail hard a handful of times, but when I have I was in pretty good shape. Also, the foot was completely fine, so I don't have to worry about that.<br />
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Su- 12.5 miles in 2:10:58 on the Flat Mtn. Pond Trail, bennett St. and Whiteface Intervale Rd. Nice run with Jim and <a href="http://runningwithwood.blogspot.com/">Sam Wood</a>. Quads were a little tired, but it was a quality run.<br />
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Totals: 58.6 miles, 8.30 hours. Not as much volume as the past two weeks, but I needed the easy day on Monday and the day off on Friday I had no control over. Body feels good though and got in some good workouts. I'm having fun with the mountain specific workouts and feel myself getting stronger with each one.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-75373891897632333582012-05-03T11:15:00.001-07:002012-05-03T11:17:43.243-07:00Bucket ListI've had this list floating in my head for a while. I thought I'd put it down on <strike>paper</strike> the web.<br />
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Running Races:<br />
Boston Marathon - A must do for every runner, especially if you're from New England.<br />
New York City Marathon - I'm not much of a city person, but big city marathons are pretty cool (other than the logistics).<br />
Pikes Peak Marathon - I have always said I would never run this, but after having to turn around at mile 10 of the 2008 Ascent and run back down I decided that racing down the Barr Trail might be fun.<br />
Western States 100 - The most prestigious ultra in the country and it covers some awesome terrain.<br />
Leadville 100 - I've been through Leadville once and wasn't too impressed, but the race course looks beautiful.<br />
White River 50 Miler - awesome course, great scenery and usually pretty competitive.<br />
Dipsea Trail Race - A classic trail race in California with a unique age/gender handicapped start.<br />
La Ciaspolada - The biggest snowshoe race in the world, in Italy (6,000+ finishers!)<br />
Sierra Zinal - one of the European mountain classics<br />
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Other:<br />
AMC Hut Traverse record attempt<br />
Ski the American Birkbeiner XC ski race in Wisconsin<br />
Ski the Tuckerman Ravine headwall - will probably never happen unless I work on my downhill ski skills and grow some gonads<br />
Ski from the Mt. Washington summit to Pinkham Notch Visitor Center<br />
Hike the length of the Appalachian Trail in NH as a thru-hike<br />
Ski from my house to Canadian border on snowmobile trails (~200 miles?)<br />
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I am sure I should have something related to road or mountain biking, but I can't think of anything yet. Feel free to add any suggestions or post your list on your blog!<br />
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<br />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172185639653863338.post-22959658105421347002012-04-29T16:02:00.002-07:002012-04-29T18:24:22.426-07:00Training Week 4/23-4/29 & Muddy MooseM- AM: 6.0 miles in 51:14 with Jim at Purity Springs. Cold and wet and no dead moose.<br />
PM: Black Cap fartlek (1:00 on, 1:00 off, all uphill) 3 miles, 25:31. 6 seconds slower than when I did it a couple of weeks ago, but considering I ran 22 miles a few days ago, I'll take it. Cold and wet. Horrible weather for training, but I wouldn't complain if it's like that on June 16. 1.0 wu, 3.0 cd.<br />
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Tu- 10.5 miles in 1:07:06 (6:23 pace) from Jim's house on the Silver Lake Loop. Way quicker than I would have run on my own, but I think I need some runs like that. He was dropping me like a bad habit on the climbs which were plentiful in the second half.<br />
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W- 7.5 miles in 1:11:29 up Kettle Ridge and down Red Tail on Black Cap with Jim. 41:46 to the summit. Second fastest time I've ever run up that trail. We weren't pushing just running a consistent pace. 1st time I've ever been sub-30 down the Red Tail on the way down too. 5 strides after.<br />
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Th- 7.4 miles in 1:11:14 on the Bloody Arm Loop with Jim. Felt good to go easy on the singletrack. Lunge routine after.<br />
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F- AM: 3 x hill circuit on Cathedral Ledge Rd. 3 x (:30 high knees, 1:00 tempo, :30 butt kicks, 1:00 tempo, :30 A skip, 1:00 tempo, :30 bounding, 1:00 hard, 10 squat jumps, all up a 10+% grade, jog down recovery). Quads were smoked after this. Great workout to work on leg strength though. 2.0 wu, 3.9 miles for workout.<br />
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PM: 6.8 miles in 58:21 at the Bolles Preserve in Chocorua with Jim. I felt like junk on this one and thankfully Jim took it easy on me.<br />
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Sa- AM: 8.0 miles in 1:07:53 on the Lower Moat Brook Loop w/ Jim. Nice and easy was the name of the game. Quads felt better.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4e8FCdiRN-jDtfGvf3NAK1WGN1psLSZhAMrh7zqVfLuAHar9KyWw3jyqq_MTpMruppcg4eshye72bZcMDNSa881998zUTaFf3GhYpKP1rxhqP4OMmt1jW7TG1sfLoJ7Sb9E9zOqWr-Hg/s1600/Zealand+Hut+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4e8FCdiRN-jDtfGvf3NAK1WGN1psLSZhAMrh7zqVfLuAHar9KyWw3jyqq_MTpMruppcg4eshye72bZcMDNSa881998zUTaFf3GhYpKP1rxhqP4OMmt1jW7TG1sfLoJ7Sb9E9zOqWr-Hg/s320/Zealand+Hut+003.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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PM: nice easy 5.6 mile hike into Zealand Falls Hut with Jess. I love that place and it was nice to get out for a hike with my lovely wife.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUujFCZO7qvfLgFS4Jb-TaDaDdlsmjAQu0QYizWvggBri8HdzjlWYoH1V30cS8VR2z1XS0zD813O2QNm55lfr-mXyK8bulXz57GV75kFr2cdM400AcdpkJpCRx7gZnafz4Eq4535nPa-A/s1600/muddy+moose+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUujFCZO7qvfLgFS4Jb-TaDaDdlsmjAQu0QYizWvggBri8HdzjlWYoH1V30cS8VR2z1XS0zD813O2QNm55lfr-mXyK8bulXz57GV75kFr2cdM400AcdpkJpCRx7gZnafz4Eq4535nPa-A/s320/muddy+moose+2012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Photo by Josh Spaulding, Granite State News</div>
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Su- Muddy Moose 14 Mile Trail Race 1:25:06 (CR), 1st place, almost 3 minutes up on <a href="http://blogs.fasterskier.com/justinfreeman/">Justin Freeman</a> and 3:45 faster than my course record from last year. I am super pumped with this race. I was psyched with my time last year, and honestly wasn't sure if I could run faster this year despite better training all of this winter and spring. I did know I was fit though and was looking for a good race with <a href="http://doublejrunning.blogspot.com/">Double J</a> and Justin. RD Fergus Cullen told us that the course was pretty dry, which wasn't surprising since we had a lack of winter or any rain this spring. I figured my trusty <a href="http://www.inov-8.com/New/Global/Product-View-XTalon-212.html?L=27">Inov8 X-Talon 212</a>'s would be perfect for the conditions though.<br />
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The three of us took it out at a pretty quick pace, but in control for the first mile or so, with Justin inching ahead before we hit the first mud pit. This first muddy section had been logged recently and was still covered in logging slash. I was able to tip toe may way through it and take the lead as we hit some drier ground. I stayed out front with Justin right on my heals as we hit the junction for the 4 and 14 mile races at around the 2 mile mark. We came through here in 11:36, about 45 seconds faster than I did last year. The pace still felt manageable though, so I stuck with it.<br />
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From here, the course dumps out on a gravel road for about a mile, and my worst fear came true when Justin went by me and upped the tempo on the fastest part of the course. I am nowhere near Justin on the flat stuff in road races, and he ran away from me on the few flats at Mt. Washington last year. I was having a hard time staying with him on the road, but I just tried to stay close and run as smooth as possible.<br />
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Right before the infamous escarpment I was able to pull ahead and take the lead as we made the hard left hand turn up the steep bank. I opened a little gap on Justin on the nasty climb, but worried that I may have worked myself a little too much on the 1/4 mile climb. Luckily when I reached the top I was able to recover a little as I shifted gears on the singletrack, which, little did I know, would be the theme of the day.<br />
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While bombing down the backside of the escarpment, I could hear Justin's footsteps as we worked our way down the smoothed out snowmobile trail. I just kept hammering along at a good clip, knowing that if I backed off Justin might go by and I might not be able to answer. We made the turn onto the Jeep roads at the bottom of the hill, which were dry and there were no puddles in sight.<br />
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Coming through the 5 mile aid station I checked my watch and saw a split of 29:16. Last year I was 31:00, so I knew our pace was still pretty quick, and well under the course record. I opened up a little more of a gap as Justin stopped for water and a gel, as my tiring legs kept motoring along. At this point I could tell I was slowing a little, but I just kept telling myself to stay smooth and let the fitness do its work. Easier said than done as Justin kept closing the gap on me on the way to the beaver dam loop.<br />
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Every year I take the left hand turn on this loop as I like to run the technical section uphill rather than downhill. The downside to this is that you have to get wet at the beaver dam crossing and your feet and legs might be numb on the climb from the cold water. Today was no exception. The water was about mid-thigh deep this year, but I managed to splash my whole body with frigid water as I tried to keep my momentum going forward. It took a little while to get warmed up again, but my legs were on fire once again when I reached the top of the hill. I still had Justin in tow though and couldn't afford to let up. Soon after, I passed Double J going in the other direction and he warned me of the rough footing ahead, but I couldn't manage to squeeze out a warning about the beaver dam.<br />
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After exiting the loop, I was able to open up my stride a little as the trail turns into a smoother Jeep road and has a slight downhill. I didn't dare look back to check on the gap, and kept my head down and watched out for rocks, roots and washouts. I came into the 9 mile aid station to the encouragement of Tad and Sheri Thomas in 54:06, compared to 58:00 last year! I had to double check my watch as I didn't believe that I had actually cut more time from last year's pace. At this point I couldn't hear Justin, but I still didn't dare to look back.<br />
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The last 5 miles I had to constantly switch gears as the course changed from Jeep road, to brutal climbs, to singletrack. Each time I changed my stride though, I would recover a little and use a different set of muscles to keep barreling along. The mile long gravel stretch was tough, especially with the head wind, but I was determined to keep hammering. I was slipping all over the place on the last muddy sections, but that was not surprising as my legs were tired and the trail was pretty rutted from 200 runners passing through it earlier.<br />
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I crossed the line in 1:25:06, 3:45 ahead of last year. I had no idea I would run that fast, especially after a less than stellar time at The Rivah. This raced showed that the work I have put in this winter and spring has really paid off. I probably wouldn't have run that fast without Justin and Jim pushing me though. I would rather run a fast time against competition and risk not winning, than win easy in a slower time with no competition. Also a big thank you to Fergus Cullen for putting on another great race.<br />
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2.0 w/ Jim, 3.0 cd w/ Jim and Justin (bonk fest).<br />
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Totals: 78.10 miles, 10.47 hours A pretty good week. Two solid workouts and an awesome race. Some of the "easy" days with Jim are a little quicker than I am used too, but I need that little kick in the butt, and I think we're both going to run better as a result.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600202524624170293noreply@blogger.com0