A Glimpse Inside the Head of a Mountain Man

Training Week 12/26-1/1

2012-01-02T10:26:00.000-08:00

M- 7.0 miles up and down Black Cap via Red Tail Trail, +/-1:20:00. 43:45 to the summit. 8 uphill strides after. Made this video:

Tu- AM: 7.2 miles in 1:38:27 from Wal-Mart to Peaked and back with Tim and Peter, summit in 49:41
PM: 4.0 miles in 38:45 on a snow-covered Town Hall Rd. with Mike Lansing

W- AM: 3.2 miles in Whitaker Woods in 27:58. Slushy.
PM: 3.6 miles in 36:34 with Roger around North Conway. Roads were a little icy. May be the world's shortest double.

Th- AM: 5.1 miles on Wal-Mart singletrack with Tim, Peter and Nick Jenis in 57:23. Trails covered in crunchy snow, but still runnable.
PM: Kanc Hillclimb 4.55 miles, 33:19 up (7:19 pace). Not a great workout, but the road was slick and it was super windy. effort was there. Jogged down to start. 9 total in 1:10:08
PM PM: Pulled a Dave Dunham and got in my first-ever triple (excluding track meets) with 4 miles with Roger in 39:10. Borderline bonking the last 2 miles.

F- Only one run today. 6.7 miles in 1:39:51 over Rattlesnake and Middle Mountains with Tim. I wish I brought my camera. We caught an awesome sunrise just as we summited Middle. We came down the regular trail on Middle for a while until it got really icy, then jumped the stream bank and found the old bridal path and ran that down. The old bridal path is better than the hiking trail! Squat routine after.

Sa- 4.25 mile tempo on the Norwood, MA high school track in 24:04 (5:40 pace). I was hoping for something a little quicker, but never really loosened up until the last mile and a half. 2.0 wu, no cd. Dills and strides before workout.

Su- Boston Marathon New Year's Run 26.2 miles in 3:16:44 (7:30 pace). The run started in Hopkinton at 6AM and followed the course to the finish line on Boylston St. It was a lot of fun running with new people and getting to run such an historic course on a quiet morning. The roads were a little icy in spots, but no one wiped out, so it wasn't bad. I ran with Reno Stirrat for the first 10 miles or so and it was cool talking with him about his great races and training over the years. I was able to run with Blaine Moore for a couple of miles and catch up on his year since I last saw him at Bradbury. It was a lot of fun running the later miles with Jason Bui, Jim Garcia, Jesse Hugo and the initiator of the lunacy Gary Allen. Gary picked up the pace in the last couple of miles and made cruising into the finish a little more interesting. I wouldn't recommend running a marathon on 4 hours of sleep, but it was a fun experience nonetheless.

Totals: 82.25 miles, 13.10 hours, +/-4500 ft gain. Pretty awesome week. I had a pretty flexible schedule at work, and had Monday and Thursday off. It was still good to get up early and get some runs in with Tim though. It made getting up at 5AM on Sunday a lot easier. I would have liked to have done one more workout(45 min fartlek), but it was nice to get in some runs with a lot of different people. Training doesn't seem like work when you're having that much fun with so many different people.

Training Week 12/19-12/25

2011-12-26T02:58:00.000-08:00

M- 7.0 miles up and down Black Cap in 1:12:42, 40:19 to summit, felt a little quicker, but nice run

Tu- 0 pretty dehydrated from the last two days at work. I know I should have done something minimal, but I was pretty drained and figured I would be putting myself into a hole.

W- 2.5 mi wu in 20:41, then 6 x 5 min, 3:00 recovery in Whitaker Woods. Covered 6.8 miles in 45:00 (6:37 pace). Solid workout. 1 mile (8:43) cd. 10.3 total

Th- AM: 6 miles in 57:58 on the streets of Conway Village and the trails behind Kennett Middle School in the dark with Tim Livingston. Roads were pretty slick from all the freezing rain yesterday.

PM: 3.4 miles in 35:14 with Roger around NoCo. Felt like I was bonking! Lunge routine after.

F- AM: 6.0 miles in 59:02 on Corridor 19 snowmobile trail with Tim. 6" of fresh snow!

PM: 4.0 miles in 41:33 w/ Roger around the KHS parking lots. More miles for the bank. Drills and strides after.

Sa- AM:6.4 miles in 1:00:11 for the annual Thanksgiving/Christmas run with Mike Lansing on the Corridor 19 trails. Fun running through the unpacked snow.

PM: 3.0 mi wu in 22:30, then 4 mile tempo in 23:02 (5:45 pace), 2:17 rec, then 8x1:00 hills. Solid workout, nothing to brag about, but just putting the work in. 1.2 mi cd, 11.4 total

Su- 0 was planning on a short morning run, but if Haile Gebrselassie can take Christmas off, then so can I.

Totals: 54.5 miles, 7.97 hours. Nothing spectacular, especially with the two days off, but got in a couple of good workouts and got into a good morning routine. It was good running a couple of mornings with Tim, which we are going to try to make a regular occurrence. It was nice to get some snow too. Not enough for snowshoeing, but the ground is frozen, so hopefully this stuff stays for the winter.

Training Weeks 12/5-12/18

2011-12-18T08:21:00.000-08:00

12/5-12/11

M- 6.0 miles on Hurricane Mt. Rd., 54:55, 1600 ft. gain, nothing special, just wanted to get some climbing in.

Tu- 3.8 mi warm-up w/ Roger, then the plan was to do 5x5:00 on, 3:00 off. I did one in the dark and the rain and called it quits. 5.8 miles total.

W- 0 Chickened out. Was planning on trying the workout again, but still cold rain.

Th- 0 In a pissy mood after a long week at work. Poor me.

F- 0

Sa- 0 Spent the day doing field work, which is a first in my 6+ year career, so I shouldn't complain too much.

Su- 7.3 miles on the Nanamacomuck with Double J in 1:08:38. Felt good to run in the sun!

Totals: 19.1 miles, 2.91 hours, 1600 ft gain. I was pretty much in a foul mood all week and my training shows it. I was struggling with trying to balance work and personal life demands and my running suffered. Ultimately I have to pay the bills, but it doesn't make taking zeroes any easier. The good news is that my crappy week really lit a fire under my ass and set me up for a good comeback this week.

12/12-12/18

M-AM: Black Cap via Red Tail Trail, 1:14:00, 40:29 to the summit. Started this run in the dark, but it was pretty light by about 10 minutes in. 1700 ft gain.

PM: 3.4 miles on the Kennett track. Holy shit! A double! Just cruised around the track in the dark with the iPod and did 8 strides in the last 1.5 miles.

Tu- 2.2 mi warm-up from home to the Kennett fields on the Rec Trail, then 41:09 (6 miles) of 3:00 on, 3:00 moderate. The pace of the fartlek was nothing spectacular (6:52 pace), but I was happy to get a workout in at 6:30 in the morning.

W- Black Cap via the Red Tail, 1:15:49, 41:24 to the summit. Wow, that was slow. I may have had one too many Shipyard Preludes last night. 1700 ft gain.

Th- 3.9 mi warm-up with Roger, then 8x1:00 Mechanic St. hills with jog down recovery, then 5k tempo in 18:32. Wow, the hill repeats definitely blasted my legs. The tempo was hard as hell. I was only planning on running with Roger, then doing some drills and strides after a long day of field work, but the weather was nice and I felt good doing the drills so I went for it. 400 ft gain.

F- Black Cap via Red Tail, 1:12:38, 39:40 to the summit. Do you see a theme here? I really like this trail, and it's motivating me to get out of bed and get on the trail by 6:30AM, so it will probably be a staple until the snow finally falls. Lunge routine after. 1700 ft gain.

Sa- 3.0 mi warm-up, then 9 mile tempo on the Corridor 19 snowmobile trail sans snow in 58:16 (6:28 pace). Nothing mind boggling, but this 12 mile out and back has 900 ft. of elevation gain. I think I've gone as fast as 6:20's on this, so I am pleasantly surprised how it went considering I felt like poop on the warm-up and the temperature dropped and the wind picked up with every mile. Not to mention that my ass and hamstrings were pretty sore from the lunge routine yesterday.

Su- 9.3 miles in 1:51:29 with Paul Kirsch and Leslie Beckwith on the Trout Pond and Purity Springs trails. My butt was still pretty sore from the lunges. A surprising 1700 ft of elevation gain. Drills and strides after.

Totals: 63.4 miles, 9.63 hours, 8100 ft gain. That was a pretty damn good week. The workouts weren't spectacular, and the mileage is modest by a lot of people's standards, but if I do that every week until June, I will be a monster. The best part about it was that it wasn't that taxing mentally. During the last few years running has seemed like a second job. I have enjoyed a lot of what I do for runs, but it has always been an internal struggle of how much effort do I want to put into this? I know I still have the physical tools and the ambition to still have lofty goals, but the whole hard and consistent work part has eluded me recently. My crappy last week made me realize that if I want to even think about any of my goals, I need to get my act together and make running a real priority. It does not mean that I am going to quit my job or leave my wife in pursuit of PR's, but to make my run the first thing I do every day. It was a great feeling each day this week when I had summited a mountain by the time most people had breakfast. I felt so much better about my training, really enjoyed my run, and it allowed me to enjoy my work and not have to worry about cramming in a workout in the cold and the dark after being physically and mentally drained from a day of field work. It was only one week, but I really think this was the start of something good.

Rainbow from clearcut on Red Tail Trail Friday morning

Training Week 11/28-12/4

2011-11-30T16:53:00.000-08:00

Holy shit, it's a blog post!

M- 0 sick day

Tu- 3.6 mi w/ Roger, 5 strides after

W- 3.6 mi up & down Hurricane Mtn. Rd., 17:00 up, 9:27 pace, drills after

Th- 4.0 wu w/ Roger, then 36 mins (5.6 miles) of 3:00 on, 3:00 off. Averaged 6:27 pace. Nothing spectacular, just busting the rust.

F- 2.0 miles, Lunge Matrix Routine minus the front lunge with a twist. Only had time for this before heading to a work conference in Concord all day.

Sa- Big fat 0. Walked 4 miles with Jess in the woods in the afternoon.

Su- 8 mile tempo on Cherry Mtn. Rd. in Crawford Notch in 53:00 (6:38 pace), doesn't sound that impressive, but it had 800' of elevation gain and 800' of descent. 1.7 mi wu / 1.7 mi cd

Totals: 30.2 miles, 4.03 hours. Nothing spectacular, but it's a start. In the coming weeks and months there will be more of an emphasis on workouts, drills, and strides, and less on long runs and overall mileage. My goal is to get into a good routine of doing the "extras" and slowly adding miles to my easy runs, and possibly some doubles as the winter goes on. I'm really looking forward to some snow.

I'm An Idiot: Pisgah 50k Race Report

2011-09-18T17:53:00.000-07:00

Finishing Up by Jess Tilton

Would you jump into a 100m race against Usain Bolt without doing any sprint drills or lifting in the gym? How about racing the Boston Marathon with no marathon pace workouts? No? How about running an ultra against the best trails runners in New England with no real ultra prep? I did, for the second time this year.

After my debacle at Pineland, I knew I wanted to do another ultra, I was just unsure when. My summer schedule had me prepping for fall cross country, and I was enjoying my long tempo runs and track work, but I was still feeling the itch for a long race. The Pisgah Mountain 50k had always interested me as it is hilly and pretty technical, but I had never made it to southwest New Hampshire to test myself on the course. I had an opening in my race schedule and thought this would be the perfect year to try it, as my goal XC race, the New England Championships, was still 7 weeks away. I got in some nice long mountain runs this summer, both solo and a few with Jim Johnson, so I knew I wouldn’t be going into the race totally blind. The one thing I hadn’t done was many long runs on the trails at 7 minute pace, about the pace of the course record at Pisgah (3:42:26), held by David Herr.

Race day dawned nice and cool, but my legs weren’t feeling too fresh. I had no intention of tapering for this race, so I did a mountain run each of the last 2 days and a track workout on Thursday; all of this after a demanding win at the Bradbury Bruiser last weekend. The field was pretty deep and the pack, led by Greg Hammett, went out pretty quick right from the gun. I just tried to settle in and tuck in behind everyone while keeping the leaders in sight. Ben Nephew and I watched as Greg, Dave and Jim pulled away on the first downhills. We came through the first self-serve aid station in 33:08. My legs were starting to wake up as we started climbing some hills. After coming through the first manned aid station (58:05), we climbed a semi-paved road that was reminiscent of Mt. Washington. I was able to close the 20 second gap to the lead group pretty quickly without expending too much energy. I latched on the back of the leaders and just tried to cruise the ups and not turn my quads into hamburger on the descents. We came through the second manned aid station in 1:24:31, where I fumbled with cups of water; my inexperience was showing as the other three guys dusted me up the next climb. I eventually made my way back up to them on the wide snowmobile trail and settled in the back again. We turned onto the Reservoir Trail which was the start of a long climb. I felt pretty good hanging in the back and just tried to conserve energy and stay patient. On the way down we started to spread out a little as Greg and Dave were moving on the downhills and Jim and I hung back. I was still trying to save my quads and Jim’s left hamstring and calf were bothering him. We were content to hang back and run together, for a little while anyways.

After running for nearly two hours I was starting to get the itch to race. Jim was struggling on the ups, so he encouraged me to go after Dave and Greg. I started my pursuit and heard Jim go down hard on one of the snowmobile bridges. I held back a little and we came through the 17 mile aid station together in 2:00:28 (7:05 pace), which I knew was a pretty good clip. Jim and I agreed that we should go after Greg and Dave, so we worked together and tried to close the gap. I was climbing better so I went ahead and closed the gap near the top of Pisgah Ridge. I kind of figured that I wouldn’t see Jim again knowing how he was feeling, but was I wrong!

I ran in the shadow of Greg and Dave in a racing mindset. I was just waiting for the right moment to make a move. As we came through the first Kilburn Loop aid station (2:25:51, 19.9 miles, 7:19 pace), Greg and Dave stopped and I decided to make my move and not stop. Jim had warned me about this loop, as the first half is downhill, but you have to climb back up the other side to get back to the aid station. I opened up a gap on Greg, but Dave stuck with me, pushing the pace on the way down to the low point. I was intent on racing, so I kept the pace up, using a little more energy on the downs than I wanted, but I was committed to racing. I let Dave go by near the bottom of the loop, where I planned to catch back up on the climb like I had been doing all day. After crossing the bridge at the low point, I set to work to catch Dave on the ensuing climb. I steadily closed the gap, but was starting to feel the effort. Next thing I knew I was seeing spots, a sure sign of being in full-on bonk mode.

I was able to keep running, albeit at a slower pace, and kept putting one foot in front of the other as I watched Dave pull away. I know Dave is a pretty strong runner, but I kept playing mind games with myself thinking that if I was bonking he could bonk at any point too. At this point I probably should have taken a gel, but I was getting sick of the sweetness and couldn’t fathom trying to chew my Larabar. I just gutted it out until I got to the aid station.

Jim passed me on the Kilburn Loop, and Greg passed me about a quarter of a mile before the aid station. I stopped to refill my bottle with water and eat my apple pie Larabar. Ben caught me here and refilled his bottle with Coke. Before I knew it he was gone and up the next hill. I hit the aid station in 3:06:31 (25.4 miles), covering the last 5.5 miles at 7:23 pace; quick, but skewed by the early downhill. There would be no more 7 minute miles in my future.

When Greg passed me, he told me there were only 3 more climbs left. I tried to pick them off one by one. I managed to run the first two, but had to walk at the top of the second one. I kept sucking down water and started to regain a little energy. I got passed by Dane Mitchell, Brian Rusiecki and Chris Hayhurst, but I was confident I could get to the finish line. It is not a great way to finish a race, but I felt a lot better than I did at the 47 mile mark at Pineland, so I just kept moving forward.
I hit the state park gate in around 3:49, which is about 1.3 miles from the finish. I knew the rest of the course was on road, so I just tried to stay smooth. I was a little surprised at how well I was moving, so I tried to keep the effort up to the line. I rounded the last corner knowing that a sub 4:00 clocking was going to happen, but I kept the tempo up and crossed the line in 4:00:25 in 8th place. I was disappointed to lose 18+ minutes to Dave in the last 10 miles (last 5.4 miles at 9:37 pace!), but I ran hard and smart most of the time and learned more about how my body handles ultra distances.

Lessons learned: Don’t race, just survive. I think I still would have bonked, but I should not have made a move at 20 miles. I should have just tried to outlast the guys I was racing. I was probably the best climber of the group, and there was a lot of climbing in the last 11 miles. I should have played to my strengths. I also need to figure out nutrition and hydration. I don’t even take water in road half marathons, so I’m pretty clueless in these longer races. Practice makes perfect. I also need to respect how hard these races are when you have good ultra training under your belt. They’re even harder when you’ve been training for races that you hope to be running at low five minute pace. The guys that do this stuff on a regular basis are tough dudes, as shown by some great performances out there today. 5:00 mile repeats don’t do shit for you when you’re weaving all over the place at 9 minute pace due to a lack of fuel in your system. I’m looking forward to doing another ultra, but plan on training for it next time.

2011 Mt. Washington Road Race

2011-09-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

Me, Dan Princic and Justin Freeman around 4.5 miles. Photo from the Manchester Union Leader

This race report (among others) is long overdue, but I am on vacation and finally have the time and ambition to write them. Plus Double J has been the only one hounding me for them, so I thought I would make him wait.

After the interesting experience that was Pineland, I tried to rest my body up for the coming mountain races. I recovered surprisingly well, but still managed to record a DNF in the USATF-NE Track Championships 10,000m after 5k. I was starting to worry about Washington after recording two DNFs in a row. I knew I was in good climbing shape though, and had a plan to go out super conservative and see how many people I could pick off. In previous years I had planned on going out easy, but still managed to come through the mile in 6:20 and blowing up a mile later. After talking to Dave Dunham, I decided I would hang back with him through the mile as he was shooting for something in the 6:50-7:00 range. That sounds slow for someone trying to run in the 1:05-1:07 range, but I’ve actually run a 1:04:41 off a 7:00 in training WAY back in 2006. Dave brought me and Double J through in 6:55, right on target.

Going into the race, I wasn’t really sure what I was capable of, but thought 1:07 would be a reasonable goal and would put me in the running for the Crossan Cup, which is awarded to the top runner from NH each year. With the likes of Kris Freeman, last year’s Crossan Cup winner and multi-time Olympic cross country skier; Justin Freeman, Kris’ older brother who also skied in the Torino Olympics and who has been setting the roads on fire this year; and Double J, who has been steadily improving his Mt. Washington finishes every year, it would be a tough task, but a solid race.

After that first mile Double J and I started squeezing down on the throttle and caught quite a few guys who went out too fast. We caught up to the Freemans around 2.5 miles, who were running stride for stride. I tucked in behind Justin for a little bit and realized we were at the top of the heap for NH runners, while running close to the top 10. I took the lead from Justin right before halfway and just tried to run smooth. I knew Justin’s not the type of guy you’re going to run away from. He’s a strong runner physically, and mentally tough as shown by the fact that he made an Olympic team. I slowly just tried to turn the wick up as we climbed above tree line on the 4-5 mile grade. This is my least favorite part of the course and my splits were a little slow, but for once I didn’t care as I was more concerned about RACING. Justin passed me back just after the 5 mile mark on the flat section before Cragway. He opened up about a 10-meter gap pretty quickly. I did my best to just hang on until we started climbing again. On the way to the 6-mile mark I didn’t lose any ground, but I wasn’t closing the gap either. Something changed though when we approached the sharp hairpin before the cow pasture. I closed on Justin pretty quick as we climbed one of the most heinous pieces of road you’ll ever see. I pulled up alongside Justin, offered some encouragement and took off towards the cow pasture. I thought I might have the lead I would need to the finish, but I made a mistake passing Justin too fast, too soon. As soon as we hit the flat on the cow pasture, Justin powered back and dropped me like a bad habit. I tried to go with him, but once again the extended flat section was my downfall. As all of this unfolded, we caught Eric Blake, who was having a tough day with some hamstring troubles. I tucked in with Eric trying to regain my composure. Eric said “I think we’re 9th and 10th” and immediately I settled. Looking back I’m disappointed I didn’t really try to go after Justin in the last mile, but knowing that I was in the top 10 for the first time since 2007 I just wanted to make it to the finish. Eric and I still worked together and pushed to the finish. Eric managed to outkick me going up the wall, and I crossed the line in 1:06:59 in 10th place while holding off a hard charging Francis Burdett. The time was my fastest since 2008 (1:06:30), so despite a not-so-perfect prep, I managed to pull off a decent race. Certainly much better than a DNF. It was good to mingle with friends and competitors at the finish. I felt a huge relief after the race. It was like a year of bad feelings about the race had finally been cleared up. All the training I put in and the DNF that resulted really made me wonder if I wanted to train anymore. I was wondering if I really had any of the skill and drive that I had 5 or 6 years ago that got me onto two US teams and helped me run some fast times in the mountains and on the roads. A sub 1:07 is nothing for me to quit my job over and become a full time athlete, but it gave me a glimmer of hope that I still have some physical ability left, even when I half ass my training.

Me and Eric dueling to the finish. Photo by Roger Morse

Pineland Farms 47 Miler

2011-05-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

47 miles is a long way to run. Too bad the race was 50 miles. That's 47 more miles than I was planning on this weekend though.

Saturday I woke up and surfed the internet as I usually do before my lovely wife wakes up. This also gives me a chance to hatch hair-brained schemes before she can talk me out of them. I was quite jealous reading various blog posts about people who would be racing at the Pineland Farms Trail Running Festival, a race that I have wanted to do, but was always too long and too close to Mt. Washington. What changed this year? Nothing, other than the fact that I've been thinking a lot about ultras for the last year and that my love affair with Mt. Washington has slowly started to wain after years of disappointing results. What better way to mix things up and try and run a 50 miler 3 weeks before my big goal race for the year?!

I packed all my stuff the night before and set my alarm for 3:30AM to allow for the 90 minute drive and ridiculously early 6:00AM start. Later in the day I was grateful for the early start. Arriving at Pineland, the clouds/fog were still blocking out the sun and were keeping things on the cool side. The air was humid, but manageable. After exchanging the usually pre-race pleasantries with racers and race crew, we were off. A group of 5 of us including Ben Nephew, Brian Rusiecki and myself ran easy and relaxed the first 3+ mile loop (23:44). My initial goal was to run 8:00 pace (6:40), but I had no idea what that should feel like and with the undulating terrain, I figured I would run easy with the pack and figure it out as I went. Luckily the pace was manageable and we just clipped along ticking the kilometers away. Brian, Ben and I took turns at the front chatting along, while another guy, Martin, ran with us, often leading, but he seemed to be laboring on the hills. After finishing the campus loop on out first 25k lap, Ben, Brian and I opened up a little of a gap on Martin. At this point I was getting tired of running with my handheld water bottle, so I ditched it at my drop bag and kept running. Pineland is a great race to do this as there are so many aid stations you are never far from food or water. Doing this allowed me to run a more efficient, natural stride. The downside is that I would need to slow down or stop at almost every aid station.

On the Oak Hill side of the 25k loop Ben and I started to open a bit of a gap on Brian on the hills, and just kept running a smart pace. Near the 24k mark Ben was nearly taken about by a flying turkey that took off from the tall grass next to the course! After our adrenaline returned to normal we passed through the start/finish of the first loop in 1:50:51 (7:09 pace). 8:00 pace would have been 2:04. "Looks like I'm all in now" I thought.

Lap 2 Ben and I worked together doing some drafting and taking turns at the front to try to open the gap on Brian. Neither on of us felt like we were killing ourselves, but thought it would be good to put some time on Brian, as he smoked a 6:02 here a few years ago. I was feeling pretty good on the climbs when leading, but lagging when Ben was in front. I have problems with this even in 5k races though. I have a mental problem when it comes to conserving energy. It came back to bite me today.

After entering the Oak Hill side for a second time I was starting to know what an ultra feels like. Ben and I were still running at a good clip, but the legs were tiring. They should have been though, we had been running for over 30 miles. The rolling hills on the Oak Hill side are a bit longer than the ones on the campus loop, and are more my style as I just get in my low gear and go. On the way up the big climb I started to open a gap on Ben and decided it was time to make a move. 32 miles into a 50 miler seemed early, but I was feeling good and the change of pace felt good as I put in a good surge to try and drop Ben. My biggest fear was to be running with Ben at mile 45 then get dropped and have no response.

I kept the pace steady and finished the second loop in 1:54:24, about 3 minutes slower than the first loop, but still a pretty decent pace. 4:09 total (7:13 pace) had elapsed, and I knew if I could scruff out a 2:00 for the last lap I would run a 6:09. Pretty damn fast for a 50 miler, and especially my first one. Unfortunately I still had 15 miles to go.

I knew the last lap would be more of a mental test than anything. I hadn't seen Ben for over 3 miles, hadn't seen Brian for over an hour and just planned on running one kilometer at a time. The k's are marked at Pineland and can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. One foot in front of the other is what I thought. My spirits were still up and I was tired, but still moving at a respectable pace. I just thought "stay ahead of Ben". I took my time at each aid station, knowing that the gap might shrink, but I knew hydration and calories were important at this point. One thing I did not do a good job of was getting sodium into my system. The sun had broke through on the last lap and I was crusted in salt.

I used the runners that I was lapping from the 25k, 50k and 50 miler to keep me moving forward and was pretty confident of holding on and winning the whole thing in my first ultra. The aid station at mile 45 is where things started to unravel though. I stopped for a couple cups of water and a fig newton. I took my time and stretched my quads, which were fatigued, but holding up ok. Local trail racer Paul Young said "Nice job! How long were you leading?" I exclaimed "I'm leading right now!" He informed me that Brian had just blown by the aid station. I looked down the trail and there he was, blasting down the doubletrack ski trail. Talk about taking the wind out of your sails. I knew with the way I was feeling and the pace he was moving at that I wasn't going to catch him, but I wanted to finish this thing and try to get a second place finish. I went at it, but my pace wasn't much faster than the runners that I had been lapping before. Before I knew it my stride had shortened and I had to walk for the first time during the whole race. I just tried to keep moving forward to keep my quads from locking up. My breathing was fine, I wasn't lightheaded and my energy levels were up, but my legs were not responding. After a little walking I was able to run again, but after pounding down the steep switchback on Gloucester Hill, my quads reached their limits. I continued to walk until I couldn't stay in a straight line. I sat on the side of the trail and stopped my watch, about 3 miles shy of the finish line in 6:09:25. 47 miles in the book, but no ambition to finish. I could have walked/crawled the last 3 miles, but I wasn't interested in prolonging the recovery that I would have to undertake after this silly idea. I awaited a ride in the sagwagon back to the start area. Many runners kindly offered me assistance while I waited, but I felt fine other than not being able to move my legs.

As I type this I am excited about running another ultra later this year; now prepared with some good and not-so-good experiences. Salt is your friend, especially on a hot day. Don't run away from the lead pack at 32 miles, especially when it is your friend and teammate. The Inov8 X-Talon 212's may seem like a light shoe, but they worked great for me on the mix of packed gravel ski trails and high-mowed grass.

A special thanks to Ian and Erik for putting on a great race. And thanks to all the Trail Monsters, acidotic Racing crew and White Mountain Milers for cheering me on from the sidelines and on the course.

Training Week 5/9-5/15

2011-05-16T04:47:00.000-07:00

M- 10.9 miles in Effingham up and over and around Green Mountain with Jim Johnson in 1:27:07. The climb up Green Mt. is only 1.3 miles, but gains 1100 ft. It took us 16:06 to hit the summit. The rest of the run was down the old warden's trail on the back and looping around the mountain on the hilly roads. Solid run. 1600 ft gain. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/84657918

Tu- 5.0 miles in Whitaker Woods in 46:00. Was planning on doing a 5k tempo then 5x2 min hills. Was not feeling it after the first mile so I decided to save the effort for tomorrow.

W- 11.0 miles on Mt. Washington in 1:50:36. Ended up doing a progression type run up to the 6 mile mark. I tried to slowly pick up the effort each mile. I was planning on going to 5, but I was feeling strong and the weather was nice so I went to 6 to see what I had left in the tank. Pretty happy with this one. Splits: 1= 8:43 2= 8:58 3= 8:56 4 8:46 5= 9:08 6= 9:01. I also wore the heart rate monitor on this one. I noticed that my heart rate peaked (183 just after the 4 mile mark, right as my legs started to feel the effort. After that I was working hard, but the heart rate never go up that high again. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/86031755

Th- AM: 5.2 miles in 54:24 with Paul behind Wal-mart. We were both pretty dead from Washington so we ran super easy.

PM: 4.5 miles on Downes Brook Trail in 1:01:27. Nice trail that I've driven by a bunch of times but have never run. Saw a pine marten on my way out. 600 ft. gain

F- Aussie Quarters (200m in 50-55 sec, then 400m in 70-71 sec. x8) 16:36 for 4800m (5:32 pace) 45 73 51 73 52 73 50 74 51 74 49 74 53 74 47 72. Pretty good workout. I would have liked the 400s to be a little quicker, but I haven't done a lot of fast stuff yet and I could still feel the downhill from Washington in my legs. 2.0 wu, 1.0 cd.

Sa- 5.2 miles on Carter Ledge Trail in 1:13:28. 38:49 to Carter Ledge. Another cool trail that I have ever run. No view today, but I will definitely go back on a clear day. 1600 ft gain.

Su- 19.6 miles 2:04:50 (6:22 pace) 5 miles down from the top of the Kanc, then 9.6 mile tempo at 6:01 pace, then 5 mile climb to top of Kanc at 7:02 pace. The climb was a 9 sec PR. 1600 ft gain. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/86031729

Totals: 67.4 miles, 10.0 hours, 9200 ft gain. That is a pretty solid week. 3 good workouts, some good climbing and some good mileage. Not much more to say about that!

Training Week 5/2-5/8

2011-05-12T06:50:00.000-07:00

M- 4.0 miles in 39:08. I was running out at Rob Brook and came about 75 ft. from two moose in the swamp. I stood there and watched them for a few minutes. I farted (as I have been known to do on occasion) and two seconds later the bull moose was looking at me with his snout up in the air. I stood still for a few minutes until I was sure he wasn't going to charge me.

Tu- 0 Felt aweful.

W- 7.4 miles in 1:19:04. Black Cap via Kettle Ridge, down Red Tail. Ran easy with Ryan Triffitt. 46:10 to the summit. Felt much better. Neither one of us was in the mood to run when we started, but it turned into a pretty nice run in the rain. 1700 ft. elevation gain.

Th- Spent the day helping my mom move, then officiating my specialty, the triple jump, at the KHS track meet. I didn't start my workout until 6:30. The plan was 6 x 1 mile @ 10k pace, 3:00/0.25 mi rec. 5:09 5:08 5:09 5:10 5:12 5:06 (5:09 avg.) Finally a track workout I'm happy with. The speed still isn't coming very easy, but I'm getting stronger on these. I was really happy to dig in and finish with a 5:06. 2.0 wu, 0.5 cd (9.5 total)

F- 5.4 miles in 1:07:21! on the Great Gulf Trail. This was one of those days where I wanted to run, but needed to do something different. I wasn't up for a ton of climbing, but wanted some views. The GGT is rocky and not the best trail to run on, but I always enjoy my time on it. I love the view from the Bluff looking up towards the Northern Presidentials. 1000 ft. elevation gain.

Sa- 0 More moving.

Su- 0 Hiked 4+ miles with Jess up Mt. Potash and planned on running the Kanc home (18+ miles), but I was pretty wiped by the time we got back to the car.

Totals: 26.3 miles, 4.20 hours, 2700 ft. gain. I needed a down week after Muddy Moose. I wasn't particularly sore, but pretty tired. With all the moving I needed to do, I knew if would be a good week to take it easy. It was good to get a good climb in with Ryan and get in a good track workout.

Training Week 4/25-5/1 & Muddy Moose

2011-05-01T14:45:00.001-07:00

M- 6.0 miles up Rattlesnake, Middle and Peaked Mts. 1:13:57. 1800 ft gain. Still feeling a little sluggish, but climbs got better the longer I went.

Tu- 8.0 miles up and down Mt. Washington Auto Road in 1:15:55. Ran first mile (0.9) with Paul in 9:00, then tried to pick up the effort every mile after. Ran 9:31 9:30 9:24. Still some snow on the road after 2.5 miles. It was actually warmer at 4 miles than it was at the base due to a nice temperature inversion. 2300 ft gain.

W- 0 Visited my grandmother in the hospital. She had a heart attack Tuesday night, but it doing much better. She's a pretty amazing woman. Has a heart attack at 90 years old and you would barely know it talking to her.

Th- 6 x 1 mile at 10k pace, 3:00/400m recovery. 5:02 5:06 5:07 5:09 5:11 5:11 (5:08 average). Much better workout than last week, but still concerned that I'm tailing off at the end of the workout. My legs finally feel like they're getting back under me. 3.0 wu, 0.75 cd.

F- 7.4 miles up Black Cap via Kettle Ridge, down Red Tail, 1:24:21. 50:00 to summit. Wow that was slow. I just tried to run easy, and the time showed it. I've never run it that slow even with snow on the ground. It goes to show that I'm not recovering as quick as I was last spring, but I'm putting miles and workouts in the bank and will get there. 1700 ft gain.

Sa- 7.9 miles in 1:12:58 on the Lower Nanamacomuck Ski Trail (one of the top 25 trails in America in the recent Runner's World Trail Guide!) with the Wenunchus, Wenonah and Falls Pond Loops. Great view across Falls Pond that I've never seen. Need to go back with a camera. 6 strides near end. 600 ft of gain surprisingly.

PM: Nice 4 plus mile hike with Jess in the Dry River Valley.

Su - Muddy Moose 14 Mile Trail Race. 1st place, 1:28:51, 29 sec course record, 1:29 PR. I am pretty happy with this one. This was the first trail race I ever did way back in 2004. I didn't believe in trail shoes back then because they were all too bulky at that time, so I went with marathon racing flats. That didn't slow me down at all. I ended up running 1:30:20 though. Flash forward to 2011. My spring racing has been less than stellar, but I knew I wanted to try to crank out a good one at Seven Sisters, so I finally got my ass in gear and got some decent training in. Unfortunately I would not have the time to travel to Western Mass. this weekend, so I opted to head back to Muddy Moose, where I hadn't raced since 2005. I had scanned the results from the last few years and noticed that Olympic nordic skiers Justin and Kris Freeman had run the race. I knew Justin was planning on running the James Joyce 10k after reading his blog, but I hoped maybe Kris would be racing to get in a good workout. I also knew after looking at the old results that Dmitry Drozdov had set a blistering course record of 1:29:20 in 2006, 1 minute faster than my best time. His time was in the back of my mind all week, but I wasn't sure if I would be that fit. I figured I might be able to run in the 1:32-1:33 range right now.

After arriving at the race, RD Fergus Cullen informed us that the course was "relatively dry". Relative being the key term. This race is usually a slop fest, but still very runnable in many spots. I've average 6:30's on a fast day, but the pace probably ranges from low 5's on the gravel road to 10+ on the escarpment.

From the gun I took an early lead and just tried to run smooth. The first 3/4 mile is on road and xc trail, so it's easy to run too fast at the start, but I knew I didn't want to have a repeat of The Rivah by blowing up on the way in, so I just tried to run smart. I came through the 2 mile mark in 12:20 (12:09 in 2005), so I knew I was running a good pace without going out recklessly. I just tried to open it up on the gravel road knowing it is the best opportunity to get some decent running in before hitting the escarpment and the muddy snowmobile trails. I turned onto the escarpment at 20:00, checking my split knowing this would help me on my way back.

Smooth was the name of the game today as I just tried to run hard but smart the whole time. The snowmobile trails were muddy, but it was easy to pick a line that would keep your momentum up. I went through one waist deep puddle a little before the 5 mile water stop, but that was the wettest part of the race. I came through the water stop in 31:00, which gave me another marker for the way back.

The middle third of the race was a lot hillier than I remembered. Luckily I am a mountain runner and I just put it in low gear and tried to be as efficient as possible. Today I was happy with my climbing and my body awareness. I knew exactly where to push and where not to. The beaver dam loop wasn't as flooded as bad and the rocky climb after it wasn't too muddy.

When I came back through the 5 mile water stop again in 58:00 I knew I had 31:20 to equal Dmitry's course record. I knew that would be tough as I ran the first 5 in 31:00 and that would be a near even split on tired legs, returning mostly uphill and running through muddy trails that had already been trampled by nearly 200 people. I had never even or negative split in the past, but I thought I'd try like hell anyways.

I was definitely getting tired, but I still tried to run smooth and my legs were holding up ok. I knew the mile plus gravel road section would be key. As I entered the road from the escarpment I knew I would have to bank some time, as the last two muddy miles are usually trashed. I opened up the stride again just wanting to get to that snowmobile trail. When I finally got to it I looked at my watch and did some mental math and knew I had about 13 minutes to break the record. The 12:20 on the way out was controlled, but I knew this would still be a tall order. I came back form my 12:09 in 2005 with a 14:30! I put my head down anyway.

I was definitely having a hard time staying upright on the muddy stuff, but I knew it would be over soon. I have never been so happy to see a road when I turned onto the gravel near the gold course. When I hit the pavement with a 1/4 mile to go I actually put in a decent kick to cross the line in 1:28:51. I was completely exhausted at the finish, but completely satisfied.

3.0 wu, 2.0 cd.

Totals: 59.3 miles, 8.64 miles, 6400 ft gain. Pretty solid week. Nothing spectacular, but more to put in the log book. As you can tell I am very happy with Sunday's race. I still have some work to do, but now there is at least a glimmer of hope that I am getting fit again.

Training Week 4/18-4/24

2011-04-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

M- 3.4 mile tempo in 21:13 (6:14 pace, 19:13 for fun run course), then 8x1 min hill repeats (~0.15 miles=2.4 miles) in 16:43 (6:58 pace). Pretty good workout. The tempo looks slow, but that's the same fun run course that I run 16:40 for 5k all out. I tried to keep the pace quick on the downs to simulate what Cranmore is going to be like. I was running about 58-60 seconds on the downs.

Tu- AM: 3.2 miles in 52:38 on Whitton Ledge trails, some bushwhacking
PM: 5.0 miles on snow-covered Sawyer River Rd. with Roger in 1:02:15

W- 10.3 miles at White Lake State park with DoubleJ. Easy run for him, felt like a tempo effort for me. 1:21:45

Th- 0 Went to my aunt's funeral in Lebanon.

F- 1:05:26 up and down Tuckerman Ravine Trail, 6.0 miles. 39:31 to Left Gully. Felt like garbage from my bad nutrition choices all day.

Sa- 6 x 1 mile at 10k pace, 3:00/0.25 mile recovery. 5:18 5:18 5:19 5:24 5:24 5:25 (5:21 avg.) That would be a pretty bad 10k for me. It was snowing and cold the whole time, but I should be able to run faster than that.

Su- 13.0 miles on the Moat Brook singletrack in 2:08:05. Pretty tired on the run, but felt good to get out on some of my favorite trails FINALLY. Still some snow left over from yesterday's snowstorm. 4 mile hike up and down Peaked Mt. with Jess in the afternoon.

My beautiful bride and I on Peaked Mt. Photo by Steve Smith

Totals: 56.5 miles, 8.8 hours. Not a bad week, but nothing spectacular. I've averaged 57 miles the last 4 weeks, and I think I'm feeling the cumulative effects of finally getting back into some consistent training. The workouts have been pretty ugly though. Saturday was pretty tough conditions, but I thought I could average 5:15's. I'm just glad I finished all 6. My legs had no pop. I was probably pretty dehydrated from work on Friday too. I have a hard time believing I'm in that bad of shape after a solid winter of snowshoe racing, but maybe I need a reality check.

Speaking of reality checks, it looks like I will be running the Muddy Moose 14 Mile Trail Race on Sunday instead of 7 Sisters. I really wanted to run 7 Sisters, but I've got a lot going on right now with family stuff and can't spend a day and half out in Western Mass. Maybe next year.

Training Week 4/11-4/17

2011-04-17T17:03:00.000-07:00

I have nothing else to post, so I thought I'd throw this up.

M- 8.0 miles in 1:20:04. Up and down Black Cap, then added on 2 miles on the flats to get 5 strides in. 1700 ft gain

Tu- 4.0 miles in 33:57 before work. Planned on getting in the 6 x 1 mile after work but officiated a track meet until 8PM.

W- 5 x 1 mile (+/-HMP), 3:00 rec. 5:32 5:28 5:32 5:37 5:45 (5:35 avg.) Not a very good workout. Cold and rainy and in the dark. Didn't start warm-up until 7:30 PM. Just tried to run relaxed and the times showed it. Didn't bother with a 6th one. 1.25 wu, 0.25 cd.

Th- AM: 6.4 miles with Paul in 1:01:49 on Redstone Quarry singletrack FINALLY.
PM: 4.75 miles in 54:51 with Roger on Bear Notch Rd., 650 ft. gain

F- 5.5 miles 56:54 at Bradbury State Park in Pownal, ME. I had a surveying conference in Freeport and met up with Ian Parlin and Jeff Walker. Pretty hilly.

Sa- Had all day to run, but didn't get out. Got a 2 mile walk in the woods on the Wilderness Trail with Jess.

Su- 22.4 miles in 3:50:55 in the Green Hills. 3000 ft of elevation gain. Nice run, but tired from the get-go. Just tried to stay smooth on the way back. Last 8+ miles were mostly flat (thank god).

Totals: 58.8 miles, 9.55 hours, 5350 ft gain.

Good to get some volume in, especially where I was pretty busy with a lot of work and after-hours stuff this week too and after weeks of 53 and 61 miles. I should have got some type of workout in yesterday, but after my crappy workout Wednesday, I wasn't too motivated. I'm a little concerned with the mile repeats. The last 3 weeks of them have been less than stellar. I have been trying to go by effort, which has been fine, but they haven't been that fast or very consistent. I've been trying to ignore looking at splits while I do them.

This week's schedule has me switching the mile repeats to 10k pace, which I had penciled in as 4:55-5:00. I think that is a bit optimistic right now. I think there is some fitness there, but am wondering if I should start with 5:10s this week. I think with some good, consistent work in the next few months I can do some good things, but I'm definitely cutting it close.

Snowshoe Nationals + Road Trip + New Bedford = Feeling Like Dog $hit

2011-04-01T06:50:00.001-07:00

Well, March was an interesting month. After a solid winter of snowshoe racing I headed out to Wisconsin for the National Snowshoe Championships. I was shooting for a top 5. Jim Johnson and Tim Van Orden were my travelling companions for this race. Without getting into too many details, Jim got 8th, I got 9th and Tim got 13th. I had a pretty good race, but it wasn't what I was hoping for. The race went out pretty hard, and my heart rate was through the roof for the first two miles. Not my style of racing. I was able to recover after that, but could never real Jim in. No replay of Sidehiller or Northfield here. The course had a lot of rolling hills, but no big climbs and no singletrack. Not my type of course, but fair and fun nonetheless. After the race I enjoyed some good brews from the Angry Minnow Brewery at the bar of the Lakewoods Resort where the race was held. They had a pretty good oatmeal stout and a honey wheat.

The bar at Lakewoods

After a leisurely run Sunday morning, TiVo, Double J and I started the 3 hour drive back to Minneapolis to catch our flights. Due to a few too many stops, Jim and I missed our boarding by 7 MINUTES. Delta wasn't able to get us on another flight, so we opted to do what any other sane people would do: we rented a car to Boston.

Up to this point, my longest road trip ever had been the 7 hour slog from NoCo to Syracuse for last year's Snowshoe Nationals. That would be about the length of our first stint on this trip. Jim took the first leg after we loaded up on Taco Bell and made a provisions shop at a Wal-Mart somewhere in Wisconsin. We loaded up on gas, coffee and beef jerky and changed drivers just before we hit Chicago just after 11PM. I usually don't like driving at night, but I had the next 6 hours of Midwest interstate to get me accustomed to it. The roads were pretty clear, the weather was good, and Jim stayed awake and kept spinning the tunes like he was at The Red Door circa 2005. I made it to just before Cleveland before handy over the reins of our trusty Focus to JJ.

The scenic Midwest at 2AM

The only thing I didn't eat

We had planned on doing 6 hours/full gas tank shifts the whole way, but after we hit some ice east of Cleveland and Jim started telling incoherent jokes, we decided to switch it up when we got tired, which only took about an hour and a half. We grabbed some breakfast at a Mickey D's and headed for New York.

I managed one more shift across NY just west of Syracuse, where we stopped for gas and a second breakfast of Arby's. I am such a bad eater on the road. This is when Jim realized we were bhind our rental car return time by about 7 minutes according to our GPS. Not again! Here is where Jim took off like a man possessed. We knew driving 85 all the way to Boston would not be a good idea, but 5 or 10 over the speed limit should get us there on time. Jim drove the last 270 miles with no stops while I watched out for cops and played navigator.

Buffalo? WTF?

We arrived at Logan at 3:36 PM, 4 minutes before our return time! All that was left was a 30 minutes train ride to Norwood to pick up my car, then 3+ hours back to drop Jim off in Salem and make it home. We stopped for an awesome dinner at Brothers Deli in Wakefield, MA then I dropped Jim in Salem. I felt ok before heading out, but definitely hit the wall north of Concord. I took a half hour nap at the Meredith McDonald's before finishing the trip to North Conway. I was on the move for about 35 hours. Not cool.

DoubleJ at "touchdown" at Logan

I couldn't waste a perfectly good beard

The only way to follow that up was to barely run the next week, then run ther New Bedford Half Marathon on Sunday! I threw down a stinker running a 1:14:42 for 70th place. I have run 1:10:00 for 9th place there in the past. My greatest accomplishment of the weekend was sporting a sweet handlebar mustache.

I'm finally starting to feel like a human being again. I'm starting to get my mileage up and getting some workouts again. I know I'm in decent shape after this winter. I just need to get back on track.

Northeast Snowshoe Federation Championships 02/26/11

2011-02-27T03:59:00.000-08:00

3/4 mile in thinking "Will I ever catch them?"
Photo by Scott Mason

"Russians don't take a dump, son, without a plan." Admiral Painter, "Hunt for Red October"

I'm not Russian, but I did have a plan for Saturday's race. After running the course with DD on Friday, I knew that the course was killer and patience was going to be key. The course featured two big climbs totaling 1500' of ascent and 1500' of descent in 5.4 miles of mostly singletrack. This would be a mountain race on snowshoes.

I knew with this race being the first Northeast Snowshoe Federation Championship it would draw a stout field, and it did not disappoint. CMS/Dion/Inov8 teammate Jim Johnson was there as usual, along with DD, Tim Van Orden, Judson Cake, Ryan Kelly and the numerous runners of Acidotic Racing. This would be a pretty deep field, then you add in the likes of new snowshoer and 1:07 half marathoner Nick Wheeler to the mix, and it just gets deeper.

My plan for the beginning of the race was to hang back knowing that a few people would be more than willing to take the lead on the groomed first 800m of the race. Not long after the gun went off I found myself in 4th place behind JJ, Nick and Judson. JJ and Nick were probably 10 seconds ahead of me as we rounded the pond near the finish line. I was already ceding a sizable lead in the first half mile of the race, but I knew were weren't even close to being done.

I stayed behind Judson as we entered the singletrack and slowly started to climb. I was content to stay behind him for a little bit as we were running a decent pace and I could still see the leaders not too far ahead. When we crossed the first groomed trail Judson let me by and I started my pursuit of the leaders. The first climb was close to 1.5 miles long, so I knew I could take my time and still cut into their lead, assuming that I was climbing any faster. I was struggling to climb a little at first, wondering if the 10,000 ft of climbing I had accumulated during the week were catching up to me. I kept taking small steps and before I knew it I was right on the back of Nick. I was able to pass him part way up the Pipeline Trail, and I set my sights on Double J.

Jim was just a few seconds up on me as we started the day's first descent. Jim usually blows my doors off on this stuff, and today was no exception. I lost sight of him fairly early and about half way down Nick rolled up on me and now I was fighting for second. Luckily the trail flattened out a little before big climb #2. Nick was doing a good job of dogging me and I thought he was ready to pass me as we started the climb. I asked him if he wanted to go by and he emphatically said "No!" I put my head down and kept grinding.

The second climb consisted of two parts: the first part was pretty long and made you think that you had finished the climb when you finished the first part, but in reality you were only about halfway done. The second part almost took you to the same elevation as the first big climb. About 2/3rds of the way up the 2nd big climb I was able to reel Jim in. He graciously let me go by and tucked in behind me after I gave him some "encouragement". I didn't want to see his race fold here, even if it meant him recovering and blowing my doors off on the last descent.

After finishing the climb we started the descent from Rose Ledge at the 4 mile mark. I did my best to bomb down the twisty, crunchy singletrack, especially when Jim told me that Nick was gaining on us. I thought about letting Jim by to lead us down, but there was no place to do so without losing a ton of time, plus I didn't want to give up the lead. No too long after that Jim took a digger reminiscent of last weekend's race at Kingman Farm, but he popped back up and got right on my heels. At this point Nick was running in our back pocket and we had a 3-person freight train bombing down the trail.

1/4 mile from finish thinking "When are they going to catch me?!"
Photo by Scott Mason

Luckily for me there was one more speed bump on the way to the finish. A cruel, short little climb reared it's ugly head right before the powerline section. Knowing this was my last chance to open a gap, I hammered it with everything I had. I opened up 4 seconds on Jim and ran for dear life after that. The last little climb was after the bridge at 5 miles. I passed Scott Mason wanting to look back, but I didn't dare. I burst out of the singletrack and did my best Carl Lewis impression. I was able to glance over my shoulder as I rounded the pond. I maintained my 4 second gap to the finish. I gave an uncharacteristic fist pump as I crossed the line. I was pretty psyched to run a smart race and win in a really solid field.

Post race I bonked pretty hard after doing a road cool down with the Turtles, JJ and Nick. It's kind of ironic that I get all of my road miles while warming up and cooling down at snowshoe races.

My next race will be the National Snowshoe Championships in Cable, WI on March 12. The course is going to be flat and fast. Not my strong suit, but I have two weeks to prepare and I have a hell of a base to start with.

Splits:

1 7:54

2 10:16

3 7:08

4 10:15

5 7:49

0.4 2:24 (6:00 pace)

45:49 (8:29 pace)

Snowshoe Run Up Mt. Washington 02/23/11

2011-02-24T10:36:00.000-08:00

WARNING: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. SOME OF THE WORLD'S WORST WEATHER HAS BEEN RECORDED ABOVE TREELINE ON MT. WASHINGTON. UNPREPARED TRAVEL ABOVE TREELINE CAN HAVE LETHAL CONSEQUENCES.

Now that I have that out of the way, on to the story. I wouldn't call this a race effort, but it was one hell of a workout. Every winter I look forward to trying to get up Washington, but only if the weather cooperates. One of the advantages of living up here is that if we get a nice day, whether it's a Tuesday or a Sunday, I can usually get up the mountain. This week is my annual winter vacation with Jess, which really means I run as much as my body can take and try to ski or snowshoe with her in between the madness. I love you!

The weather on Wednesday dawned cold, but clear. Wind speeds on the summit were in excess of 40 MPH in the morning. With the sub-zero temps, I decided to wait until later in the day to attempt to tackle the mountain. Around noon time I noticed the summit temps had gotten up to around 10 degrees, but the winds hadn't really died down. I figured I would make my way up to treeline and turn around if the weather was too nasty.

After purchasing a trail ticket at the Great Glen Trails office, I headed up from the traditional road race start. I was geared up with a "heavy" pack which included 20 oz. of water with Nuun tabs, 2 mini Larabars, digital camera, Epic Wide head-mounted video camera and a cell phone all stuffed in my Mini-Mule CamelBak. I was wearing running tights, running pants, poly pro short sleeve and long sleeve shirts, wind jacket, thick running socks, Inov8 RocLite 295 trails shoes, Dion 121 running snowshoes and hat and gloves. The clothing wasn't anymore that I wear on a normal winter run.

My goal for this run was to try to stay comfortable for the first few miles, then pick up the effort as I climbed higher. I didn't want to dig myself into a hole early, then bonk above treeline. I was able to stash my hat and gloves and unzip my jacket while I was running below treeline and out of the wind. As soon as I hit the halfway point I bundled back up.

After rounding the Horn (4 mile mark) the winds picked up, but I didn't find them to be too bad. It was actually a tailwind, which helped my progress up my least favorite part of the road, the dirt grade from 4.5-5 miles. The road at Cragway was mostly exposed. I tried to stay on snow and ice as much as possible so I wouldn't break a cleat on the side of the mountain.

As I rounded Cragway I was greeted by the Mt. Washington Observatory's Sno-Cat on it's way down on shift-change day. They seemed to be having a good time, and so was I as I ascended on the packed snow. Not long after passing to outbound Obs crew I ran into a tough headwind. It almost stopped me in my tracks a few times. I was starting to debate turning around, but the wind eased up as I passed the 6 mile mark.

The nice tailwind reappeared as I made my way up the hairpin before the Cow Pasture. My jacket acted as a sail as I started crunching along on the icy road. The Cow Pasture was a skating rink that had partially been broken up by the Obs tractor. At this point the wind was coming across the road and blowing me from one side to the other. This was one of those "What the hell am I doing here?!" moments. The wind subsided as I got some shelter as I started climbing again.

As I looked at my watch near the 7 mile mark I knew I would have a chance to break 90 minutes if I started to boogie. Boogie above treeline in 40 MPH winds means 10 minute pace. I put my head down and crossed the icy expanses that are the upper parking lots in winter. The wall was almost unrunnable, but the cleats on my Dions grabbed enough to get me up. I crossed the road race finish line in 1:31:13, 8 minutes and 41 seconds faster than my time from the winter of 2007. I think it was a little windier today as the Mt. Washington Observatory's records for yesterday showed an air temperature of 9 degrees and wind speeds between 35-50 MPH while I was on the summit. Brrr.

After crossing the finish line I pulled a Dunham and hit the summit in 1:32. I took a few photos with not another soul in site. After snapping a few more photos I took shelter in the entrance way of the Sherman Adams Building. I wasn't too hungry, so I had 1 Larabar and about 10 oz. of water. It was nice to get out of the wind for a few minutes. As I refueled, a worker for the State Park and/or Obs was finishing some maintenance work and asked me if I had a light for the way down. I'm guessing he was wondering how I was going to make it down before nightfall if I was just reaching the summit at 3:15 PM.

The trip down was interesting as the winds started to pick up and I knew I had a good 3.5 miles of running before I hit treeline. The first 0.6 miles down was pretty brutal (see video Part 1). I had to ball up my hands inside of my gloves to keep my fingers warm. That was the only time my fingers got cold though as my EMS Powerstretch Gloves kept my hands warm during the majority of my run. Running across the Cow Pasture was a treat again, and mysteriously the tailwind I had on the way up the hairpin was now a headwind. Go figure. The wind subsided for the rest of the run and I was somewhat sheltered by the mountain in some spots. I snapped some photos at Cragway and got a nice panorama of Great Gulf from just above the 4000 ft. mark.

The run down below treeline was pretty mind-numbing as usual, but I knew I was safe from the wind at this point. I was dropping sub-8 minute miles at this point just to get to the bottom.

The numbers:
Road Race Time: 1:31:13 (12:00 pace)
Splits 1 (0.9 miles): 10:23 (11:32 pace)
2: 11:40
3: 11:44
4: 11:46
5: 12:20
6: 13:19
7: 12:39
0.7: 7:24 (10:34 pace)
To Summit: :47
Down: 1:04:06 (8:26 pace)

Kingman Farm Snowshoe Race

2011-02-20T04:35:00.000-08:00

Despite Mr. Wiles suggestion to become a pen pal with an 11 year old Amish boy, I'll post a report of my race at Kingman Farm. I have been looking forward to this race for a couple of years when I first heard about a nighttime snowshoe race and the fact that it was being held at UNH's Kingman Farm. I spent a lot of time running there in my college days.

Last year's race was turned into a trail race due to lack of snow, but that wasn't a problem with this year's edition. The snow was "transformed" as nordic skiers would say. What was mashed potatoes two days earlier was bullet proof hardpack for the race. There would be no floundering in knee deep powder on this night.

After talking with Double J this week it sounded like he wouldn't be at Kingman due to doubling at Beaver Brook and Hallockville. I shouldn't have been surprised to see him as I came out of Best Buy in Newington. I think he was headed to the Taco Bell at the Fox Run food court for a little pre-race meal. Jim, DD and I headed out on the course for a warm-up. I'm glad I had a chance to see the whole course, because I would need every advantage I could get for this one.

The start area was a little narrow, and from our warm-up I knew the entire course, including the finish area would be this way. I'd much rather have tight singletrack than wide groomed trail. This was the best of both worlds though as the course was winding, but the snow was hard and fast. Knowing that Jim had raced in the morning, I decided to put the hammer down right from the gun to try to wear out his legs. After a mile I still hadn't lost him, but I kept the pressure on. As we hit the fields I still wasn't opening the gap and couldn't run all out as the course snaked back and forth. I decided to conserve a little energy here knowing that the big climb up Hicks Hill was still ahead.

As we left the field I started to push the pace a little. I opened the tiniest gap on the first small incline, but Jim was still just a few seconds back. I tried to push hard going up Hicks Hill but still wasn't opening a gap with all the switchbacks. I was pretty much gassed as we hit the summit, but I had to keep pushing knowing that this was one of the few good passing zones.

I was a little worried about the downhill on the warm-up, knowing how good Jim is on the descents. There were quite a few switchbacks here, but it was still pretty fast. I was grabbing trees on a few of the sharper ones, and I took a sapling like an alpine race gate on one corner. Through all of this Jim was still right on my heels. It was a flashback of the downhill at Great Glen last year, including Jim taking a digger. On the second minor ascent of Hicks Hill I heard him go down hard. I yelled back to make sure he was OK, then put the hammer down :-). Unfortunately for me, Jim was back on my heals instantly.

After the last downhill switchback the course flattened out and I could start to see the headlamps of volunteers at the last 90 degree left hand corner. I knew I had to start sprinting and make myself as wide as possible. If I got passed here, there would be no passing back. I managed to stay in front of Jim through the last corner, then was able to "power away" to a two second win. I was tasting pennies at the finish line. Both Jim and I were working pretty hard, but I think Jim still had another gear. I was holding him up, but he had no way to get around. It looks my strategy got me a win instead of my fitness.

After the race I got in a nice bonk-inducing cool down with Jim, Ryan Welts, Bob Jackman and Dave Principe. DD was doing a warm down with us. It was cool to run the roads that I used to run so often back in my college days. At the post-race awards I picked up some homemade goodies and a 6-pack of Red Hook Mud Slinger Nut Brown Ale. Chris Dunn put on another great, unique race. I believe this was the first time I've ever raced with a headlamp, despite the fact that most of my winter training is of the nighttime variety.

Jess and I topped off a great day by getting some slices at DHOP in Durham. Buffalo chicken + bacon = best combo ever.

Neat video of the start by Gianina Lindsey:

Also, check out the video from Thursday's NH Chronicle feature about snowshoe racing in NH: http://www.wmur.com/chronicle/26819417/detail.html

Simplification

2011-02-13T18:17:00.000-08:00

This will be a short post, but the point of it is that this blog is going to change a little. I have come to the realization that my online habits are becoming a huge time suck. I have always spent a lot of time on the internet, but my lack of motivation to do any thing worth wile lately has been in part related to the amount of time I spend reading and posting about the things I want to do instead of doing them. I'm closing my Facebook account and hoping to post to this blog a little less, but have more interesting posts. I don't know if my 30 mile a week exploits are very interesting to anyone, and they certainly take up way too much time. I'm hoping to still post about cool runs, workouts and races, but also include my thoughts about various subjects about running and the outdoors as they come to me.

Training Week 2/7-2/13

2011-02-10T07:31:00.000-08:00

M- 0 At least I'm consistent.

Tu- 5.1 with Roger in 1:01:51 on Bear Notch Rd. Good to get back out. 630 ft. gain.

W- 15.0 in 2:08:26 from Jericho Lake in Berlin on snowmobile trails. 3.0 warm-up in 29:36, then 12.0 tempo in 1:38:49 (8:14 pace). The goal for this run was to run about marathon pace effort, which usually translates to 6:00-6:30 pace on packed snowmobile trails, but I was sinking about an inch or two on every step. I thought about bagging the workout after the warm-up, but I figured it was effort based, so I would give it a try. I was a little worried that I didn't run hard enough based on pace, until I tried to get out of bed this morning. I'm hoping a run like this will make me tough as nails, even if it doesn't translate to a fast time at something like New Bedford. 1200 ft. gain.

Th- 5.2 with Roger in Bartlett Village in 1:13:17. We started going up the Mt. Langdon Trail which was packed by snowshoers, but after a mile it was less consolidated, so we hits the roads and snowmobile trails. 450 ft gain.

F- Treadmill Hillclimb Progression Run. 2 mi wu, then 5.5 miles @ 11.5% grade in 50 minutes, starting 1st mile at 10:00 pace, then 9:30, 9:05, 8:40, 8:30, then last 0.5 mile @ 8:00 pace. The last 0.5 mile was tough, but as long as I stayed focused it was manageable. 1.0 cd. I averaged 9:00 pace for the 5.5 miles which works out to a sub 1:09 up Washington. Maybe I'm finally getting my climbing legs back. It was also 69 degrees in the gym, but I handled the heat pretty well. 3300 ft of gain.

Sa- 1:25 classic skiing w/ Jess in Prospect Farm in Jackson. Nice easy ski to loosen things up. Was planning on a run too, but a true easy day isn't all bad.

Training Week 1/31-2/6

2011-02-02T05:49:00.000-08:00

M- 5.0 easy on treadmill in 46:00. Right hip a little sore from running on snowmobile trails. Didn't feel like running outside after working outside all day.

Tu- 4.3 miles on the snowy roads with Roger in 47:27, then 5 x 1 mile on snowshoes in Whitaker Woods with 3:00 rest. 7:26 7:26 7:29 7:29 7:32. This workout is supposed to serve the same purpose as the 6 x 1 mile I was doing last winter. Not all out, but around half marathon effort. On groomed terrain I ran 7:00 average for the Whitaker Woods race, so 7:30 seemed reasonable. I was definietly getting a little tired/sloppy by the end. 0.25 mile cool down. I hate cool downs.

W- Got out of work early and headed up to Pinkham Notch. Did two laps of Tucks/Sherbie. 1st lap on skis: 62 minutes up, 19 minutes down (a lot of it on my ass). 2nd lap on snowshoes: 44 minutes up, 21 minutes down (Tucks Trail). The whole thing was a lot of fun. I was definitely tired the 2nd time up, and borderline bonking on the way down, but great fun to plow through a foot of fresh powder. I took video with my head cam, but something didn't work right and I only got sound.

2:26:45 total, 9 miles, 3800 ft gain (4.8 running, 1900 ft gain)

Th- 4.3 in 45:50 with Roger on snowy roads. Ran easy.

F- 6.0 up and down Black Cap in 1:07:52. The plan was to get in a hard hillclimb workout on the snowmobile trails. Unfortunately the trails were a little softer than I hoped and I wasn't wearing snowshoes. I was hoping for something in the 9-10 minute pace range, but it took me 39:06 (13:03 pace) to cover the 3 mile, 1700 ft climb. I realized that pace would be out the window early, so I made it my goal to make my quads hurt the whole time. I did just that.

Panorama from Whitton Ledge at work on Friday

Sa- 0 DOWNHILL skied with Jess at Sunday River. I had plenty if time for a run, but didn't make it happen.

Jess at the top of North Peak at Sunday River

Su- 0 Downhill skied for a couple hours solo in the morning and planned to run long in the afternoon. Got dressed, but couldn't get myself out the door. Downhill skiing takes more out of me than xc skiing.

Totals: 30.7 miles, 6.78 hours, 3600 ft gain. No comment.

Training Week 1/24-1/30

2011-01-24T15:41:00.000-08:00

M- 7.0 miles on the treadmill in 1:17. 1st mile flat in 10:00, then 5.6 miles @ 10% grade @11:06 pace, then 0.4 miles at 10:00 pace. Quads felt like tree trunks after yesterday's run. 3000 ft gain.

Tu- AM: 3.2 miles in 30:00. Aborted workout. Was planning on 1 mi wu in 10:00, then 9:30 pace at 12% grade, cutting the pace down :30 per mile every half mile. Made it a mile before my quads quit on me. Jogged a cd after. I'll try this later in the week. Quads are still shot from all the downhill on Sunday. 630 ft gain.

PM: 5.3 miles in 43:39 on the roads from home. 10 strides in the last 1.5 miles. Quads still sore, but better than this morning. Worked outside for about 4 hours today and it was COLD. 3*F when I left the office.

W- 8.2 miles in 1:14:26 on snowmobile trails, first 4.4 w/ Paul. Legs feel better than yesterday, but I think I dug myself into a little bit of a hole on that long run on Sunday. If you play with fire you're bound to get burned once in a while.

Th- 4.5 miles on treadmill in 45:00. Aborted workout AGAIN. Legs felt much better at start, but as I picked up the grade, I couldn't maintain pace. Ran 2 miles at 8:30 pace for a warm-up, then 11.5% @ 9:30 pace for 1 mile, then 9:00 pace for 0.5 miles. Felt like poop at 9:00 pace so took a 0.5 mi jog at 0% grade, then back up to 11.5% grade, but couldn't hold on. Planned on putting in some easy miles after, but the treadmill started acting up and I was in too pissy of a mood to move to another one. 1250 ft. gain.

F- 4.6 miles on the Corridor 19 snowmobile trail in 38:26. Felt a lot better and wanted to go longer, but thought I should play it safe with how I have been feeling and a big race coming up the next day. 5 strides near end.

Crossing the bridge with 1/2 mile to go, Photo by Krissy Kozlosky

Sa- Sandwich Sidehiller 4 Mile Snowshoe Race, 1st 31:48, 5th straight win here. I am pretty happy with how the race went. I knew the snow was a little choppy and would be tough going which plays to my strengths, but this was a tough race right from the start. I am pretty sure I punched through the snow on every step. Double J got out to an early lead on the groomed ski trails and I just tried to keep him in sight. I was already working hard early in the race just to maintain distance, let alone make up ground. As we crossed Bean Rd. I was in 3rd place behind Wes Dinnan.

Crossing Bean Rd. on the way out, Photo by Joe Viger

As I slowly worked my way up to him he allowed me to pass and told me to "go get him." The singletrack in the woods was a little more consolidated and the hills were helping me close the gap on Jim. The upper fields were a mess, as much of the snowmobile track had been postholed. I just kept thinking "keep putting one foot in front of the other. Don't let him get away." This seemed to work as I really started closing the gap on the lower fields on the way back. As we entered the woods again I was right on Jim's tail on the downhill, and knew he was having a rough time if I could hang with him on the downhill. As we made the left-hand turn to go up the sidehill, Jim let me by and gave me some encouragement. This was the same place I passed him two years ago in our epic battle.

Flailing down the hill with Double J in tow, Photo by Joe Viger

I tried to open up as a big of a gap as I could, because I knew there was still some downhill left and the last 1/4 mile plus is on groomed ski trail. I hammered with everything I had and tried not to wipe out coming down the last hill and crossing back over Bean Rd. As I made the final turn onto the ski trails I gave it all I had as I could hear the road crossing workers cheer for Jim not too far behind me. I probably looked like a fish gasping for air, floundering in the sugary snow as I neared the finish line. I crossed the line in 31:48, about 8 seconds slower than 2008 and 6 seconds up on Jim. I was completely spent at the finish. After catching my wind, Jim and I did interviews for Channel 9's NH Chronicle, which is suppose to air in a couple of weeks.

Caught by the camera crew, Photo by Krissy Kozlosky

Great job by Paul Kirsch and the Sandwich Sidehillers for putting on a great race. This race had 16 finishers a few years ago and had 108 yesterday. There were a lot of spectators out and the course was great as usual. I love the road crossing and all the spectators and volunteers cheering you on.

3.0 wu, no cd

Krissy Kozlosky's Photos
Joe Viger's Photos
Animoto video by Joe Viger

Su 18.4 miles in 2:59:39 from Paul's house. Ran the first 7 with him in 1:14 (10:34 pace), then went back out and ran another 11.4 miles in 1:45:21 (9:14 pace). Pretty tired, but a solid way to end the week. 2500 ft. of gain.

Totals: 58.2 miles, 9.00 hours, 7380 ft gain. Decent week. A little pissed that I wore myself out with last week's long run, which killed my workouts, but I recovered and got in some climbing and some volume. I'm really happy with the race. This race is usually one of the highlights of my year, and this year was no exception. I hoping it's a sign of things to come. I'm planning on running at Snowshoe Nationals in Wisconsin in March. I'm hoping to move up into the top 5 this year.

Training Week 1/17-1/23

2011-01-20T07:49:00.000-08:00

M- 6.0 up and down Black Cap via Hurricane Mt. Rd. on snowshoes 1:02:23, 36:47 to the summit, nice run under a close to full moon. 5x80m strides after, 1700 ft gain.

Tu- 4.1 miles at Settlers Green with Roger in the snow. No motivation to go any further or do a workout.

W- 9.8 miles of skiing on the Pemi East Side Trail in the Pemi Wilderness in 3:44:38. Broke a lot of trail (10 inches of fresh snow) and made it to the Cedar Brook Trail junction. Was originally planning on skiing for two hours and snowshoe running for two hours, but I was having fun skiing.

Th- 0 This means I'll have a sub 1:10 at New Bedford for sure.

F- AM: 4.6 in 51:41 on the snowmobile trails with Paul, Dave and Laura

PM: 2 hours (hiking) marking the WW course

Sa- Whitaker Woods Snowshoe Scramble 3rd place 28:08, 1:15 behind Double J. Directing a race and running it at the same time is not an easy thing to do. But I couldn't pass up the opportunity to race a fun course. The lack of a warm-up definitely hurt me, but Jim was gone on the fast groomed trails. There were some issues with the course markings, which I will address next year. Overall, I think everyone had a good time, especially the TNT crew at the Moat after! Thanks to everyone who raced and volunteered. looking forward to doing it again next year.

Panorama from Mt. Shaw

Su- 28.2 miles in 4:38:32 (9:53 pace) on the Corridor 15 snowmobile trail in the Ossipee Mountains. Somewhere between 4600-6000 ft of elevation gain (see profile of second half of out and back). This was a pretty cool run that I've thought about doing for a while. It's the long way up 2,990' Mt. Shaw. I was hoping to make it to the Castle in the Clouds, but I hit my turnround time about 2 miles early. Hopefully I can try it again another day.

Totals: 46.9 miles, 11.5 hours, 6700 feet gain

Training Week 1/10-1/16

2011-01-10T18:14:00.000-08:00

M- 15 minutes on the stationary bike. Lungs and throat still not feeling up to running outside, so I thought I'd try the bike. What a mind numbing piece of equipment that is.

Tu- 3.3 miles with Roger at Settlers Green. Must have walked 3 miles up and down a small mountain at work today.

W- 3.9 miles in 58:27 on snowshoes going up Rattlesnake Mt. in 8-10" of fresh powder. I love snowshoe running. Lungs feeling a little better. 400 ft gain

Th- AM: 4.0 miles up Rattlesnake again in 54:40. Made it 0.2 miles farther up, but the run took 4 minutes less after packing down the deep snow. 600 ft gain

PM: 2.0 in 28:24 with Roger at Whitaker Woods. This was Roger's first snowshoe run!

F- 5.4 miles up and down Rattlesnake in 1:18:04. I made it to the summit this time! (45:13). Thanks to Tim Livingston who packed out the rest of it on a hike yesterday. 3 strides on groomed trails near end. 1200 ft gain

Sa- Feel Good Farm Snowshoe Race, 2nd by 9 seconds (38:04) to Josh Ferenc. We battled back and forth with me leading the ups and him the downs. He caught me with about 1/4 mile to go and I had no response. I am in good climbing shape, but need to get stronger. Only 45 seconds slower than last year on a slightly longer course in much slower conditions. 2.0 wu, 2.3 cd, 1200 ft gain

Su AM: 12.1 miles on the snowmobile trails around Silver Lake in 2:12 with Paul. It felt good to get out on the groomed trails again. We were planning on a 6 mile / 60 min out and back, but were having too much fun to turn around. I was planning on 3 hours, but knew I still had skiing ahead of me.

PM: 1:51 of classic skiing at Jackson w/ Jess. Nice and easy.

Totals: 39.0 miles, 9.8 hours, 3400 ft gain. Glad to finally get the volume up. Not a lot of miles, but snowshoeing is slow and takes some time to cover the distance. It was a little risky racing on Saturday after fighting the head cold and not doing any workouts in over a week, but glad I did it. This week I need to concentrate on getting out every day and getting the workouts in. I'm looking forward to hotsing (and hopefully racing) the snowshoe race at Whitaker Woods this coming Saturday.

Moving Forward

2011-01-09T08:20:00.000-08:00

Below is an example of how NOT to spend two weeks training if you have any type of goals. My training log looks like a yo-yo right now.

12/27-1/2

M-AM: 3.5 snow roads with Matt Lunt and Mike Lansing 32:45, nice to finally have some snow!

PM: 4.8 on snowshoes in the backyard (160 acres of condo common land and neighbors' woods lots) 53:40

most of the trails had been tracked out. I don't run out here enough. I need to work on some making loops though as most of the trails dead end at neighbors houses. I tried out the new heart rate monitor that Jess got me for Christmas. Interesting watching the heart rate spike on the 3 strides I did near the end!

Tu-AM: 11.4 miles on snowshoes, 3.6 wu then 1:02:50 for a 7.8 mile tempo on the Whitaker Woods snowshoe course. HR between 160 and 180 for the whole tempo while running 8:03 pace!

PM: 5.0 easy at Settlers Green with Roger, 54:02

W- 3.9 on snowshoes in 45:00 with Jim Mitchell, including some running on the Cathedral Ledge Rd.

Th- 3.2 at Settlers Green with Roger, felt like JUNK, cut it short

F- 0 long day of field work on Foss Mt., then headed to Portland for New Years Eve with Jess.

Sa- 0 stayed out late, but didn't drink and felt like death all day

Su- 0 spent the day on the couch, not sick but not feeling up for anything

Totals: 31.8 miles, 5.24 hours

1/3-1/9

M- 10.0 on Bretton Woods snowmobile trails in 1:23:50 using the Inov8 Oroc 280s, hamstrings a little tight, 10x80m strides on pavement after, 1000 ft gain

Tu-AM: 10.6 miles in 1:14:04, first 2.4 miles wu, then fartlek for 8.2 miles at 6:36 pace. Doesn't sound impressive, but this was at 6AM over a course that included 660 feet of elevation gain!

PM: 3.6 miles easy with Roger in North Conway

W- 0 felt a head cold coming on, decided to play is safe and take a 0

Th- 5.0 easy with Roger at Settlers Green in 50:32, throat felt better, for a day.

F- 0 another cruddy day in the cold department

Sa- 0 pissy mood with this head cold

Su- AM: 6.1 with Paul from his house. I love running on crusty/icy/snow/leafy mixed trails

PM: 1:48 classic skiing with Jess at Bretton Woods

Totals: 35.3 miles, 7.0 hours

Now that I have that out of my system, goals for 2011: have fun, run well in some mountain races (i.e. finish Mt. Washington, top 10 at Cranmore), run first ultra at White River 50 miler in July and try to have a more positive outlook about running. Right now I'm not setting any time or place goals for my big races. I've done a great job the last couple of years of getting in good shape before my races and tanking once they come, leaving me disappointed and unsatisfied with my running and life afterward. My running and my life are a little different than they were 5+ years ago when I graduated from college. I have already accomplished a lot of things that I never would have dreamed of by my 29th birthday (Jan 7th). I'm married to a beautiful, smart woman who also has the patience to put up with me, a pretty good career that challenges me intellectually and physically and gives me the financial freedom to do all the fun things in life without worrying where my next meal is coming from. I also have a great family that has supported me in whatever I have done. There is definitely a hole there since my Dad passed away this summer, but I was lucky to spend 28+ years of my life with him, even if we didn't always get along. My Dad always supported me in my running or skiing, or any other endeavor I decided to pursue. He was always there when I needed a little encouragement to get me through the tough times.

I hope to remember him by raising money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association by trying to run 3000 miles this year. If anyone is interested in pledging a penny a mile, that's a $30 donation. I know some of my friends have already pledged and I greatly appreciate it. I'm already behind on my goal a week into the year, but I'm dedicated to doing this.

2010 totals: 2337.50 miles, 374.77 hours (6.4 miles per day, 62 minutes per day)

Back From the Dead

2010-11-16T03:40:00.000-08:00

Running is supposed to be fun. I have to remind myself of that sometimes. I love running all types of races. Track, cross country, trail, mountain, road, relay, snowshoe. I enjoy running different types of races at different times. Unfortunately, when I schedule some of these races I don't quite have the motivation for them that I need to do well. Case in point: this year's cross country season. I decided after Washington that I needed to switch gears a little and work on some speed and racing tactics, especially after running a couple of 10k PR's during my mountain training in the spring. I have always loved cross country, but it has always conflicted with a fall marathon or half marathon.

My summer slowly dragged along as I couldn't get motivated to get any consistent training in. I put in a few good workouts and a few good weeks of training here and there, but I just couldn't string them together. I ran the Topsfield XC race slower than last year (it was pretty windy), and dropped a stink bomb at Mayor's Cup, basically jogging in the last half mile. I knew NE's wouldn't be any better, so I decided to pull the plug.

After wallowing in self pity for a day, I started getting in some good mountain runs, because I wanted to run, not train. By the end of that week I had run 66 miles in 6 days, and climbed 12,000 ft. in 11.5 hours. The next week saw me cover 61 miles in 11.9 hours, climbing 12,250 ft. This last week I only ran 5 days but got in 50 mile s in 10.5 hours with 7900 ft. of climbing. I have really been enjoying my runs. I haven't done a workout since Mayor's Cup, but my 3 long runs have been 18.6 miles/3h 40m/3100 ft, 23.2 miles/5h 18m/5350 ft, and 19.5 miles/5h 04m /4400 ft of gain. And they have genuinely been fun.

As for the upcoming year, I have a few things planned. I don't know what exactly I'm going to put my focus into yet, but I know I want to try few new races. I may also race a little less too and focus on getting in some good quality running and not travelling so much. I made some gains in the last year and I hope to build on them. Whatever I do, it will be fun.

View of Crawford Notch from Mt. Willey

Venting

2010-10-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

It's 7:30PM. I'm sitting on my couch eating dinner. I haven't run yet. I have accomplished pretty much nothing today. My motivation to train has pretty much been in the shitter. I have been racing ok, but I could be racing a little better if I actually got in some solid training. I'm not in the worst shape of my life, but I know I am not anywhere near where I was this spring. I know the solution is as simple as getting out and running more and stop being such a whiny little bitch, but the day to day grind of life seems to have caught up to me. I'd like to know what happen to the days where I was willing to run up mountains at 5:30AM or do speed work around snowy parking lots in the dark. I'll stop my ranting and get some sleep so that hopefully I don't embarass myself at Mayor's Cup on Sunday.

Running with a Purpose

2010-09-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the year I said one of my goals is to do something positive with my running that would help other people. I’ve been running for 13+ years now and have got so much out of the sport. I’ve tried to give back whenever I could, whether it being volunteering at races or helping out with youth track.

My Dad passed away on July 30th of this year. He was the type of guy who would do anything for anyone. He spent much of his time volunteering at events throughout the Valley, whether it was running events, car shows, umpiring little league games or raising money for the DARE program. My Dad had a lot of energy to help people despite the fact that he had many health problems that most people didn’t know about. When my Dad was in his late 30’s he was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy, the same disease that you see Jerry Lewis raising money for every Labor Day weekend.

My Dad was never afraid of physical labor, and he wouldn’t let the disease slow him down. Doctors told him he would be in a wheel chair in 10 years, but that didn’t happen. My Dad may have not been the most physically fit person, but he would mow lawns or shovel driveways or move furniture if it meant feeding his family and keeping a roof over their heads.

Running is something that has given me a lot of enjoyment throughout my life, but it can be a selfish act. I often complain when my training isn’t going well or when I have a bad race. These are minor problems when you consider the fact the thousands of kids are born every year with a disease that doesn’t allow them to walk or run, let alone play sports or be a normal kid. I feel very privileged to wake up every day and go for a run or ski or hike. I was blessed to be born healthy and have the ability to see places that most people can only dream of.

Muscular Dystrophy is a disease that doctors and researchers have been trying to cure for years. They’re getting closer, but more still needs to be done. My Dad benefitted greatly over the last 20+ years from the research done by the Muscular Dystrophy Association. His quality of life would not have been the same without their research and support.

My goal for the coming year is to raise awareness of this dreaded disease and help raise money for the cause. I am planning on trying to run 3,000 miles throughout the year. I ask that if you can afford to pledge a penny per mile, it will add up to a $30 donation. That’s a little over 8 miles a day. I will keep a tally of where I’m at on the side of my blog. I’m hoping that every mile that I run will help, even if it’s small.

My Dad helped a lot of people in his short life. He set a good example that I hope I can fulfill.

If you would like to make a donation follow this link to the MDA website: http://www.mda.org/home.htm

If you make a donation feel free to send me an e-mail at kltilton1@gmail.com. I’d like to keep a tally of how much we can all raise together.

Days Gone By

2010-09-04T13:06:00.001-07:00

Just reminiscing. I've been lucky to run and race in some pretty cool places.

2004 Snowshoe Nationals in Tahoe

Leading the Open Race at the 2004 World Mountain Trophy in Italy

1:03:42

Finishing at the 2005 World Trophy in Wellington, New Zealand

2006 Vail Mountain Qualifier. Sucking wind at the start leading the women, but finished 2nd.

Photo from Running Times Article on 2006 World Trophy

Flattop Mt., Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

2009 Pikes Peak Ascent

Catching Up

2010-08-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

8/23-8/29

M- 6.9 miles Black Cap via Kettle Ridge, down Red Tail 1:18:04, 45:57 to summit, quads and calves stiff, light rain and fog, 10x80m strides after

Tu- 4 miles in about 40 minutes at Whitaker Woods with the local crew. A little stiff from the mountain running this weekend.

W- 5.5 miles Black Cap via Kettle Ridge, down Hurricane Mt. Rd. 1:03:15, felt good, 43:35 to summit, rolled ankle pretty hard about a 1/4 mile down from summit. Walked it out to Hurricane Mt. Rd. and ran the last 1.8 down on the roads

Th- Tonight I jumped in to the "Kennett Challenge", a 2 mile xc race against Kennett High School, Fryeburg Academy and the local White Mountain Milers running club. Ran the 2 miles on grass xc course in 10:26 (5:06, 5:20), got smoked by Silas Eastman, a sophomore from Chatham, NH. He ran 10:07 going away. Remember that name. I raced pretty hard, but never could catch Silas. I ran 4 sec slower than last year when I had just come back from Pikes Peak and was in pretty good shape. It was a fun event (potluck dinner and dessert after!) and a hell of a workout on xc terrain. 2.5 wu, 2.0 cd. I wore my ankle brace and it seemed fine.

F- 0 long day at work

Sa- 0 didn't make it happen

Su- Got out today for a fartlek on Rob Brook Rd., a gated, gravel forest service road. Ran a 1.6 mile warm-up, then ran 33:47 of random fartlek over rolling terrain (5.4 miles), then 1.6 cd. Felt ok, certainly nothing special, but it was pretty hot.

Total: 31.5 miles I really need to work on the consistency, even if it's a mile a day. 5 days this week is better than none though. 31.5 miles on the week.

8/16-8/22

M- 0

T- 0

W- 0

Th- 0 spent last 4 days installing flooring in our condo

F- 5.0 Wal-Mart Singletrack w/ Paul and Frank 52:00 felt good, ran easy, amazed I could even walk after putting the flooring in

Sa- 27 miles Hut Traverse Attempt +/-10:30 After not running all week I decided attempting a hut traverse would be a great idea! Jim Johnson thought it was a good idea too, so we left the 19 Mile Brook Trailhead at 5:10AM and headed to Carter Notch Hut. After 50+ minutes on running over rocks in the dark and nearly breaking our ankles, we tagged the hut.

Our trip through Madison Gulf was pretty uneventful, but we were catching glimpses of the northern Presis as we climbed. We refilled our camelbaks at Madison Springs Hut and scored some free chocolate chip blondies from the hut croo (Thanks!). From there we started some running again along the Gulfside Trail. Jim's hammy was starting to bother him a little, but kept moving forward on a beautiful day.

We refueled at Lakes in the Clouds. At this point we were both a little tired, but running down the Crawford Path will rejuvenate you. We were making pretty good time until Jim took a pretty good header, skinning both knees and his hands in the process. I was seriously worried that he had broken something. After Jim dusted himself off we headed towards Mt. Pierce, the only 4,000 foot peak we would summit during the day. I was starting to bonk a little, but we took a quick break at Mizpah Springs Hut and our energy came back; for half a mile.

Once we started descending the Crawford Path, both of our quads we starting to feel the last 8 miles of downhill running. We reached Crawford Depot about 10 and a half hours after we left the 19 Mile Brook Trailhead. It was 3:30PM and we knew we still had a long day ahead of us. My lovely wife Jess met us at Crawford with food and water and was able to give us a ride back to the start once good sense came over us. Pretty fun day.

Su-

Total: 32.0 miles

8/9-8/15

M- 7.5 Bolles Preserve w/ Brown University Coach Al Bernier, 57:31 felt ok, stiff

Tu- Jim Wellinghurst Memorial "5k" 15:50 3.0 miles. 1st. Good racing, but the time was not pretty. The first mile is downhill (5:07) then turns onto a dirt road that has a slight incline. Tim Livingston and I battled up the hill. I was able to open a slight gap before the logging road section. I did have to avoid a skunk in the last mile. I wasn't the only thing that stunk that night. 2.5 wu, 2.0 cd

W- 0

Th- 0

F- 10.5 Merrimack Rivah and Andover Trails 1:14 w/ Double J, nice run, felt good, ran easy

Sa- Bridge of Flowers 10k 35:05 40th place. Not pretty. I was able to race until 4 miles, but fell apart after that. The lack of training, motivation, and lack of focus the last few weeks added up to a shit show. Not terribly surprising though after the Wellinghurst race on Tuesday. 2.5 wu, 2.5 cd

Su- 0, 2 hours of mountain biking w/ Jess on the Guinea Pond Trail

Total: 36.7 miles

Training 7/26-8/8

2010-08-08T17:34:00.000-07:00

7/26-8/1
M- 11.0 Sawyer River to Birch Hill to Sawyer Pond 1:43:00 felt good, nice loop, first time looping those trails together, 5x80m strides after

Tu- Whitaker Woods Fun Run 3.1 miles 17:53, felt ok, legs heavy, ran in control w/ Tim, 5:45 6:03 6:04(1.1), 1.5 wu, 2.0 cd

W- 8.0 Nanamacomuck to Rocky Gorge, dead legs 1st mile, better after, ballistic exercises after

Th- 6x1600m, 400m recovery (2:30-2:40) 5:38 5:34 5:32 5:33 5:34 5:29 felt ok, hard to find pace, little windy, not hot! 2.75 wu, 1.0 cd barefoot

F- 6.5 Rec Trail 50:19 felt ok, ran easy, 10x100m at track after (15.3-15.9, 14.6 on last one)

Sa- 3m on 3m off fartlek on Kennett XC course (flat, grass), 1.1 mile loop, 5 laps, 32:05 5.5 miles (5:50 pace) solid workout, 2.0 wu, 1.0 cd

Su- 6.0 Wal-Mart singletrack 56:10 ran easy w/ Tim and Kennett XC crew, hamstrings tight from 100s on track

Total: 59.9 miles. Pretty good week running wise, back on track and in a routine. My dad passing away definitely sent me through a loop though.

8/2-8/8
M- 0

Tu- Whitaker Woods Fun Run 3.1 miles 17:23, felt good, ran w/ Tim, 5:26 5:59 5:57(1.1), 3.0 wu, 2.0 cd

W- 2.9 Alpine Garden & Lion Head Trails, 44:56 nice run above tree line, bad planning so limited on time

Th- 0 Dad's funeral

F- 0

Sa- 12.0 Wal-Mart to E. Conway Powerline Junction (hilly snowmobile trail) 1:20:21 (6:41 pace), 9.0 tempo in 56:12 (6:14 pace), pretty good workout, struggled but gutted it out, 3.0 wu. Ran this same route this winter and spring and was slightly faster today.

Su- 19.6 Owl's Head Loop, 3:30:09, good run, quads tired last 3 miles. This run made me realize how much I love trails. Most of it was old logging railroad bed and pretty dry. Quite a wild area. Photos on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=71924&id=1315312930&l=14aa4ccdf3

Total: 42.60 miles. Not a great week all around, but really felt good to get back to running.

Bridge of Flowers should be interesting this weekend. Could be good or bad, but I'm willing to run it as a fitness check / rust buster.

Back to Blogging

2010-07-28T18:23:00.000-07:00

This was week 1 of 16 of my training schedule for XC season. I figured I should start blogging again as it's a good way of holding me accountable. I know it will turn all of your worlds' upside down if I start missing a bunch of days or stop blogging about it :-P.

M- 0 12 hour day at work, early and late

Tu- 3.1 mile “tempo” at Whitaker Woods, 17:30, went out a little hard in the first mile. Should have gone 4 miles, but I didn’t have it in me. No wu (back late from work), 2.0 cd

W- 3 easy on Kennett Track between lightning storms. Did ballistic exercises after

Th- 7.2 total, 21:57 for 3.65 miles (6:00 pace), fartlek on field and dirt road loop at high school, XC terrain, felt pretty good, 2.5 wu, 1.0 cd barefoot

F- 8.0 Lower Moat Brook singletrack and dirt road, felt like poop for second half, a bit warm and humid

Sa- 0 hiked up Mt. Washington w/ Jess and Laura Pelletier

Running on the Shoal Pond Trail, Pemi Wilderness

Su- 18.6 Pemi Wilderness “Rail Trail” 3:50:31, great run with Jim Johnson, Dan Verrington and Al Bernier, a little wet in spots, but a fun run. Took a pretty good digger about half way in.

Totals: 41.8 miles, 7.0 hours. Not a pretty week, but I have to start somewhere. I was happy with the fartlek. Kicking myself for not getting Saturday’s long tempo in, but I’ll be more consistent this week. I’m definitely having motivational issues, but the urge to train slowly come back with each workout.

Summer/Fall Schedule

2010-07-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

This fall looks to be a good old fashioned cross country season. A couple of things I want to work on this fall are my speed and my race tactics. I'm shooting for a good race at New Englands. I was thinking of doing the Pikes Peak Ascent again in August, but I can't justify spending the money on that right now. I think it will be a good thing to focus on cross, as it was the part of running that I enjoyed the most in high school and college.

8/14 Bridge of Flowers 10k
9/12 Bradbury Brusier 12 Mile Trail Race
9/17&18 Reach the Beach Relay
10/1 Gary Millen 5K
10/10 Mtn. Epic 12 Mile Mountain/Trail Race
10/16 Topsfield XC Festival 8k
10/24 Mayor's Cup 8k
11/7 USATF-NE 10k

MWRR 2010: The Race That Never Was

2010-06-25T16:47:00.001-07:00

DNF. Those are three letters that I never thought I would be associated with at Mt. Washington. The forecast all week called for highs in the 80's at the start and high 50's at the summit. I knew that I normally would wilt under those conditions, but I was confident in my fitness, especially after running a 10k PR the week before at Market Square Day. I tried to stay relaxed all week and not stress about the race too much. I think I did a pretty good job and slept pretty well most of the week and didn't get to pre-occupied with the concept of racing up a 6,200 foot mountain.

Race day dawned with warm, but not too humid air. I have found I can handle heat or humidity, but not both at the same time. The drier air was buoying my confidence of having a good race after 4 lackluster finishes in the last 4 years. I tried to stay hydrated before the start and stayed in the shade under the tent. The butterflies started to kick in a few minutes before the start, but not any worse than any other race. I knew I was geared up to run hard.

The start was packed as usual with an interesting mix of mountain running veterans and newbies who had never even seen the road. I lined up right behind the eventual women's winner, not overly concerned with getting out too hard, especially on a warm day. Before I knew it the canon had been fired and I was mired in a quagmire of runners who were hell bent on spriniting the first part of the race. Did I mention there were a lot of newbies? I finally worked my way up to the back of the lead pack a few hundred yards into the climb. I just tried to latch on and do as little work as possible. I noticed my heartrate was high and I was breathing pretty heavy, but I figured it was just because of the fast start.

As we ascended the moutain on the hot black top, things weren't getting any easier. The grade steepened and a few people dropped back, but I was intent of gutting it out no matter how bad I felt the first 2 miles. I knew from my spring races and workouts that it took me a good 2 miles to get into a good rythmn. A few guys started to string the pack out and passed the mile in around 6:12, with me and a few others passing the mark in 6:20. I was thinkning the split was a little quick, but not insane and I was where I needed to be to race for one of the top 6 spots.

Mile 2 is a gut wrenching mile (as if they all aren't) where you really need to bear down and just grind, especially if you plan on racing and not just finishing. I was losing a few spots in this mile, but felt the effort was where it needed to be, and I was keeping people in sight and not losing time to them as they passed me. I battled back and forth with Justin Freeman to the 2 mile mark (8:38). Seing the split got me a little worried, as I was hoping to come through about a minute faster, but I knew the heat was going to slow me down, and hopefully everyone else.

I made it to the infamous 2 mile mark, but I could tell I was starting to crack. I started losing ground to Justin as we commenced the grindind after we crossed the Appalchain Trail. My shoulders were hunching up, my stride shortened, and I started running on my toes. I really worked on using my quads more in training this year, but the heat was causing me to lose my focus. As I rolled into the 2.5 mile water stop I knew it was going to be a long day. Numerous thoughts crosseed my mind. Do I want to finish? Can I still manage a 1:05 or will I crawl across the line in a 1:09 and embarass myself once again? I took a cup of water and dumped it over my head, but I felt no relief; from the heat or the anguish of knowing that I was going to have another shitty race. I say shitty in English because it sounds more convincing than in French. At that point I spiked my water cup into the road, grumbled an expletive or two, and tried to avoid being run over by people who were mentally stronger than me on this day. I sat on the concrete headwall that overlooked a small stream which was washing away the mountain water as quickly as the heat had dried up my dreams of gaining a spot on the US mountain running team.

After a few minutes of wallowing in self-pity on the side of the road, I headed down as the masses headed up. I knew how mind-numbing it can be to run down the road in training, but it did nothing to prepare me for the mental beating I took as I walked along the edge of the travelled way with my head down and my singlet in hand, trying to hide the fact that I was potentially the first person to drop out of the race. The good intentioned questions from friends who were still pushing up the hill were appreciated, but each one hurt a little as I acknowledged there concerns.

After nearly an hour of walking and jogging, I finally made it to the base. I gathered my warm-up gear and soaked in the Peabody River before finding a spot in the shade to lay down and sulk, far away from anyone who knew me.

Nearly a week has passed since the disatser that was my race, but I'm over it, mostly. I've moved onto thinking about new challenges and focusing on the future of my running. Cross country is going to be my main focus this fall. I learned a lot about myself this spring in training and in racing. I'm convinced that Washington was an anomally. I was well prepared, in great shape, and mentally ready to run well. It just wasn't my day. This has also made me realize though how hard I need to work in order to achieve my goals. I'm not going to make the US mounain running team on a bad day. I have to have EVERYTHING come together at the right time. I don't have a 1:06 half marathon or 14:xx 5k to fall back on. My genetics and home climate don't seem to allow me to run well in the oppressive heat that others thrive in. To some this might be discouraging to have the odds stacked against them all the time. To me int's nothing new. It's all about putting one foot in front of the other, then repeat.

Market Square Day 10k

2010-06-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

Me riding shotgun just before the mile mark. Photo by Krissy Kozlosky
That went pretty well. I was hoping to break 32 coming into this race, knowing that I was rested and had been racing pretty well recently. I had run this race one other time in 2006, but managed to get of course at the 6 mile mark (in 31 flat) and recorded a DNF. At least I knew that the course was fair and had something to go off of for a race plan.

I knew that I hadn't touched on anything faster than 5 minute pace most of the spring, so I was planning on going out as hard as I could without getting into too deep of a hole. The lead pack went out at 4:50-4:52 pace and I was off the back immediately in around 8th place. I was a little worried as we came through the mile, especially knowing the caliber of guys ahead of me. I missed my split at the mile mark (did the same thing in 2006), but was happy with the effort that I was running. Just before 2 miles I caught Double J and passed him, hoping that he would latch on and help me chase down the lead pack. He wasn't feeling it though and I kept working my way up. I caught Bob Wiles a little after 2 miles (10:01) and hoped the same, but the fast early pace and the long week he had with the birth of his second child was catching up to him.

The pack started to fall apart at the top of the hill after the 2 mile mark when Pat Moulton threw in a surge that no one was able to cover. I was already starting to gain ground on those guys, but that only helped my cause. I held 5 minute pace through 3 miles (15:02). I was able to pass Wes Dinnan and Matt O'Connor (UNH guys) before I hit 4 miles in 20:19 (PR). I was feeling good and just working and trying to gain ground on the guys in front of me. I passed Eric Jenkins around 5 miles (25:24, PR) as we made out way closer to Strawberry Banke. I could see John Mentzer not too far ahead, and could even see Pat on the longer straights. I really worked the the sixth mile (30:36) knowing that a sub 32 and a PR were within reach. The last 0.2 were the only part of the course I had never been on, and I found the hill in this section to be a real kick in the balls, but I knew it was near the finish, so I just ran it hard. I crossed the line in 3rd place in 31:42, good enough for a 16 second PR. Conditions were pretty good, other than the high humidity, but it wasn't hot. I am really psyched with how well I have been racing recently, especially with Washington right around the corner. At 5 miles I was working hard, but I had to remind myself that the race was almost over after I've been in the mindset to be racing for an hour.

Me grinding to the finish. Photo by Krissy Kozlosky

It was good racing with a good sized CMS contingent. Market Square Day has a great atmosphere and the race is pretty good too. Video of the race here: http://fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100613/GJSPORTS_01/706139811/-1/FOSSPORTS

I'm really looking forward to Mt. Washington on Saturday. This spring is by far the best training I've ever put in for Washington. I had 9 weeks where I averaged 1000 ft of vertical gain per day, great track workouts, great hillclimb workouts, hill repeats, and some pretty good races. I am more prepared for a good run than I have ever been. Saturday's race is going to be competitive, it's going to hurt, and only 6 guys are going to Slovenia. I truly think I'm going to be one of them if I can put everything together.

Coming Down the Mountain...

2010-05-31T06:19:00.001-07:00

Paul running the Moat Brook singletrack

M- 5.2 mile tempo into 3.0 mile hillclimb (1700 ft) up Black Cap via Hurricane Mt. Rd. 55:23, 50 sec faster than February, 5:33 pace for tempo, 8:49 pace on the climb, hot day. 11.2 total

Tu- 6.0 Whitaker Woods 60:00, ran easy, left hip/back a little stiff, last mile barefoot, 5x100m barefoot strides

W- 6.9 Black Cap via Kettle Ridge, down Red Tail 1:13:40, 42:50 to summit, felt good, ran easy, HOT

Th- 6 laps sprint/float/sprint 8:07 (5:25 pace), 34 sec faster than when I did the same workout last year, 2.5 wu/cd, did this at 8:30PM.

F- 4.5 Maudsley State Park 35:00 ran easy w/ Paul, 3x80m strides barefoot

Me hanging w/ Eric at Wachusett, Photo by Krissy Kozlosky

Sa- Wachusett Mt. Race 30:21 2nd place 5.1 miles, 37 seconds behind Eric Blake, went out hard chasing Eric and Ryan Carrara. I couldn't hang with them the first mile, but was pushing hard and they weren't able to put any additional time on me by the time we turned onto the park road. I caught both of them on the downhill singletrack and passed them in the bushes to open a gap before the gravel fire road. Eric finally caught me before we turned onto the uphill singletrack section. I stayed with him on the lower section, but he pulled away the higher up we went. I may have lost a few seconds to him on the 1.5 mile gravel downhill, but not much. I'm pretty happy with the race. wu/cd 6

Su- 13.0 Moat Brook singletrack 2:21:28 with Paul, was planning on doing 10 with Paul first then adding a long climb up North Moat, but we went a little long on the single track and figured 2:20 would be a good long run. Really nice run.

Totals: 56.6 miles, 8.3 hours, 4400 ft gain. Solid week. Not huge volume or climbing, but some good workouts and a good race. I had a little twinge in my left lower back/hip area, but it seems to have worked itself out and I'll probably get a massage this week. The barefoot strides seem to help.

Cheeseburger in Paradise

2010-05-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hocking looking stylish on the summit

M- 5.6 miles Hurricane Mt. Rd. & trail 1:02:27, felt ok, ran easy w/ Roger, found another mountain bike trail! 1500 ft gain

Tu- 0 Felt like death warmed over

W- Mt. Washington Auto Road, good workout, was planning on running easy, but it was nice weather (cool, rainy) for running hard so I upped the effort each mile. 7:37 8:24 8:25 8:21. The fourth mile split was about as fast as I've ever run that mile, including race day. 4.0 down, 2300 ft gain

Th- 3 x 1 Mile, 3:00/400m rest, not a good workout, supposed to do 6, but still beat from the 10k and the unplanned hard run yesterday, 5:04 5:06 5:15, 3.5 wu, 1.0 cd barefoot w/ Roger

F- 7.0 Upper Moat Brook singletrack, 1:04:45, tried to run easy as possible, I love those trails

Sa- 0 Jess's sister's graduation + cheeseburger & beer = no workout

Su- Mt. Washington Auto Road with Dan Hocking and Coby Jacobus 7.6 miles 1:16:24. Dan wanted to see the course and try to run it easy to get an idea what to expect race day. Coby wanted to come along and maybe run the trails down to get a long run in. I brought along my Camelback with clothes and food and wore trail shoes for the trip down. We ended up not running the trails down, so we didn't need half of the stuff I brought. I'm glad we didn't take the trails down though, Dan and I were both a little wiped when we hit the top. Oh well, good weight training. 2 mi wu at Great Glen Trails. 4650 gain

Totals: 38.2 miles, 5.75 hours, 8500 ft gain. Not a great week, but I've had much worse. I think racing a 10k at 9PM and getting home at 3AM did not help this week. Very happy with the way I felt on the Auto Road Wednesday. I should have skipped Thursday's workout after running hard the day before, but I'm dumb. Saturday I was supposed to do a 5.2 mile tempo on the roads, then head straight up Hurricane Mt. Rd. to Black Cap, but that didn't happen. I was able to do this workout yesterday (Monday) though, and ran it 50 sec faster than I did in February. I ran 5:33 pace for the tempo, then averaged 8:49 pace for the 3 mile climb to the summit of Black Cap. Even more encouraging is the fact that I averaged 8:22 pace on Hurricane Mt. Rd. (1.8 miles, 1000 ft gain, 10% grade) on a hot day. If that's my settle in / blow-up in the heat pace, I'll be psyched.

7300 ft of Climbing = 10k PR

2010-05-16T17:40:00.000-07:00

Crusing along in the 10k, Photo by Mark LaRosa

M- 8.2 Rattlesnake & Middle Mountains 1:28:20, felt good, left hamstring a little tight, 8x80m strides after, 1400 ft gain

Tu- Cathedral Ledge Rd. hill repeats, 3.1 wu at WW, then 3:00 up 4:00 up 5:00 up, then 6:52 to the top (0.9 miles, 7:38 pace, ~11% grade), kept the rest intervals on the downhill the same as the repeat times. Really good workout. 1200 ft gain, 7.9 total

W- 6.9 Black Cap via Kettle Ridge, down Red Tail 1:13:31, 42:11 to summit, felt good, ran easy

Th- 2x(5x400m), 100m/40sec recovery, 400m/2:40 between sets. 72 71 72 74 72 72 71 65. Solid workout. Was originally going to do the mile repeats, but switched it up when I decided I was going to do the 10,000 at the New Balance Boston Twilight Meet on Saturday. 2.0 wu, 1.0 cd

F- 5.0 Puddin Pond Singletrack 46:23, ran easy w/ Paul, felt pretty good, 5x80m strides after

Nate yelling at me to get my ass in gear, Photo by Mark LaRosa

Sa- New Balance Boston Twilight 10,000m 31:58, 4th place, 8 sec PR. Pretty good race. Went in hoping to run 75 sec laps until I couldn't handle it anymore. Found 75's weren't comfortable from the start, but just tried to gut it out. I never really felt good or confident of even finishing most of the race. I seriously considered dropping out before 5k. Felt like I got into a little bit of a groove after 4 miles, and after 8k I knew I could finish. The second half wasn't pretty, but 5:10s is a lot better than 5:20's like I would usually blow up to. Big thanks to Nate Jenkins for pulling me along and encouraging me. Middle of the packers like me don't get that on the track very often. Also a big congrats to Dan Hocking on the W and a sub 30 in his track 10k debut. Dan wasn't able to run for 6 years as a result of a knee injury, but was able to start training last year and has been on fire ever since.

Su- 14.0 Green Hills from home 2:25:46, felt pretty good. Just got in a rhythm and went. 3000 ft gain

Totals: 59 miles, 8.9 hours, 7300 ft gain. Pretty solid week again. Good amount of climbing, faster track work, and a PR to boot. I would have liked to have run faster on the track, but I just never felt in a rhythm all race. The time is slightly faster than what I ran at Market Square Day in '06 (before I went off course at the 6 mile mark) and I was in really good shape for Mt. Washington that year. I feel like the specific climbing fitness is there or can be tweaked slightly and I should have the tools when I have to reach deep.

Much Needed Down Week

2010-05-10T18:13:00.000-07:00

Looking out over the Sandwich Range Wilderness

M- 3.0 Elm Brook & Echo Lake 23:43, super easy, soaked in the lake for 10 minutes after

Tu- 0 felt awful, needed the rest day.

W- 5.5 Puddin Pond singletrack w/ Paul, 49:38, felt better, 8x80m strides after

Th- 6x1 Mile 3:00/400m recovery 5:01 5:00 5:01 5:02 5:06 4:59 Windy! Especially the last 2. Really happy that I was able to break 5 on the last one. 2.5 wu, 0.5cd

F- 6.2 Mt. Kearsarge North 1:12:35, 2600 ft gain, 37:41 to summit, ran easy and was only 1 sec slower than my summer PR. Ran right after getting a massage form Jean Brauel.

Sa- 12.0 Trout Pond Trails w/ Paul, 2:09:42, ran easy, pretty tired, we had planned on an easier long run this weekend, but still accumulated 2000 ft of elevation gain over the run!

Su- 3.0 Mile Cranmore Retro Hillclimb 22:06, 6 sec faster than a few weeks ago, pretty sore from the massage and the long run, and the fact that I ran this at 7AM. Good effort though. 2.0 wu, 3.0 cd

PM: 9.5 mile hike with Jess into Black Mt. Pond, then up to the shoulder of Sandwich Dome. Ran into light snow and heavy wind up high. Luckily, Jess is still speaking to me.

Totals: 45 miles, 6.7 hours, 5700 ft gain. Pretty good down week. My body needed the rest early in the week. Still a little tired near the end of the week, but much more manageable. Very happy with the easy effort up Kearsarge. It’s a ball buster of a climb (16% grade, VERY technical). Happy with the mile repeats. Would have liked to have been a little faster, but the wind was definitely a factor. I expected to easily break 22 minutes up Cranmore on Sunday, but the odds were stacked against me a little. Still faster than the last time, despite the lingering fatigue.

My lovely wife taking in the view

10lbs of poop in a 5lb bag

2010-05-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

Panorama from Peaked

M- 6.9 miles Black Cap via Kettle Ridge, down Red Tail, 1:15:25, 42:58 to summit, felt good, ran easy, no shirt

Tu- Long tempo run in Whitaker Woods. Averaged 6:01 pace for 12.4 miles. May not sound all that impressive, but the course was pretty tough. I used our weekly 5k cross country course in North Conway (1st mile flat, 2nd mile has 200+ ft of climbing, 3rd mile down then last ½ mile flat) and rooted. Ran 18:48 18:34 18:39 18:40. I didn’t kill it, I just cruised. My fastest time all out on the course is 16:41. It’s pretty tough. I’m pretty happy with it. Longest and fastest long tempo of the year so far.

W- 6.9 miles Black Cap via Kettle Ridge, down Red Tail, 1:19:57, 47:26 to summit, felt good, fresh snow the whole way, 5” at summit!

Th- 6.9 miles Black Cap via Kettle Ridge, down Red Tail w/ Paul, 1:21:20, +/-48:00 to summit, felt good, ran easy, added on 3x4:00 repeats on Hurricane Mt. Rd. (0.57 miles, 10% grade). Felt like poop doing these, but I found out when I got home that I ran 7:11 pace for each repeat based on an accurate survey we have done on that part of Hurricane Mt. Rd.

F- 7.0 Upper Moat Brook singletrack, 1:01:31, pretty tired, ran as easy as possible, still the second fastest time I’ve ever run on that loop, almost got hit by a falling tree

Sa- 6x1 Mile, aborted after first repeat. 5:06 for the 1st one, but ran 75,76,77,78 for each lap. Calves were pretty dead and I was putting in a lot of effort to run that 78. Didn’t bother cooling down. 2.25 mi wu

Paul running up Middle

Su- 14.4 miles in the Green Hills, 3:14:00, 3000+ ft gain. Good run. Both Paul and I were pretty tired, but got in a solid long run anyway. Found more trails that I didn’t even know about.

Totals: 63 miles, 10.5 hours, 9600 ft gain. Pretty good week other than the aborted workout on Saturday. I think I was just dead tired and didn’t know it until I started the workout. I don’t know if I should have gutted it out, but it was quite an effort for the first one. I was thinking of taking a “down” week this week, cutting out any climbing M and W.

Another Week of White Mountain Running

2010-04-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

Paul near the summit of Table Mt.

M- 3.8 Peaked Mt. 49:45 with Paul and Frank, ran pretty easy, 27:06 to summit, 1200 ft gain

Tu- 3.1 wu at Whitaker Woods, 3.0 mile Cranmore Hillclimb Retro course 22:12, supposed to be a hard threshold run. I’m not sure if I ran too hard but it was a good workout. 2.0 cd Ran the course 5 sec slower than when I used it for a training tune-up in 2006 before the World Trophy. 1100 ft gain. I’ve run 21:05 and Dave Dunham has the course record at around 20 flat.

W- 6.9 Black Cap via Kettle Ridge, down Red Tail 1:12:55, 41:57 to summit, ran super easy and still managed to run 2m 30sec faster than last week to the summit, 1700 ft gain

Th- 2.5 wu w/ Roger, 6x1Mile 3:00/400m rest 5:01 5:03 5:01 5:01 5:03 4:59, 0.5 cd Great workout. Felt like garbage on the wu, but found pace pretty easy once I got started. Last 2 were pretty tough, but good effort.

F- 5.7 Green Hills single track with Paul 58:06, dog tired. Easiest run I did all week in terms of terrain, but stumbled through the whole thing. Marked the Mud Muck Moose course after work with Paul and Roger.

Sa- 2.0 wu, 10x300m hard, 45 sec/100m recovery w/ Tim Livingston. 49-51 sec for repeats. We ended up taking about 53 secs for recovery on each one. Tim was a big help on this workout as he has a little more speed and switched the lead with me on every other one. Quads were pretty dead on this one. 0.5 cd. Timed the Kennett track meet after

View from Table Mt.

Su- 13.6 Bear Notch Ski Touring to Diana’s Baths via Attitash Trail 3:50:24 nice easy long mountain run with Paul. Ran into some snow on the last 1.5 miles on the Big Attitash ridge which slowed us down, but all of the climbing was runnable. Started at the ski touring center where I directed the Mud Muck Moose trail race in the morning and ran to the trail head in North Conway. 2800 ft gain. Photos are here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=60117&id=1315312930&l=8d189a62b7

Totals: 53.3 miles, 9.5 hours, 6825 ft gain. Really happy with the week. That’s 3 really good weeks in a row. Once again the strides and drills took a back seat, but I was tired as hell all week. I’m especially pleased that I got in all my runs and workouts despite a busy week at work and a demanding weekend of volunteering. Things are really clicking. I’m pretty tired, but I’ve been staying on top of the sleep and eating right and hydrating and that seems to be making the difference. I’m really pleased with that mile workout as I would have had a hard time doing that in college with all the speed work I was doing, not to mention all the climbing and hard work that I had done leading up to it now. Sunday’s run wasn’t very hard, but it was time on my feet and I didn’t bonk at all before the end of it. I’m going to skip 7 Sisters this weekend as I don’t want to chance messing up my ankle, plus 8 hours of driving doesn’t sound appealing after a long weekend. I’ll get a long tempo in Saturday and a long mountain run on Sunday.

Paul Postholing near Big Attitash

Burn Baby Burn, Tuckerman Inferno

2010-04-19T04:01:00.000-07:00

Me running up the Tucks Trail. All photos taken by my beautiful wife.

M- 6.9 miles 1:17:35 Black Cap via Kettle Ridge, down Red Tail, 45:14 to summit, ran easy, 1700 ft gain

Tu- 5x1600m, 3:00/400m rest 5:11 5:09 5:10 5:09 5:05 good workout, felt yesterday's climb. 2 wu, 0.5 cd

W- 6.9 miles 1:16:46 Black Cap via Kettle Ridge, down Red Tail, 44:31 to summit, ran easy, pretty tired, 1700 ft gain

Th- Cathedral Ledge Rd. 1.5 wu w/ Roger, 3x3:00 repeats (0.25 miles) using the "Equalizer", a chord attached to my waste that allows me to pull Roger up the hill. It slows me down but work my quads more while he has to run like hell to try to keep up!, 4:00 repeat (0.5 miles, solo), then 6:57 to the top of the road (0.85 miles, 8:11 pace, ~11% grade). Pretty good workout. 1100 ft gain

F- 9.2 Upper Moat Brook singletrack w/ gate add-on, 1:20:24, couple inches of fresh snow! 3x80m strides at end

Sa- 14.6 miles 1:42:39 (7:02 pace) Stark Rd. Eidelweiss Loop. Ran easy w/ Pete Mallett. Was supposed to run the Tuckerman Inferno today, but the race was postponed to Sunday due to safety concerns for the bikers in the notch and the skiers in the ravine. Both Pete and I wanted to keep the long run in the schedule for the week so away we went.

Laura ripping it up on the Sherbie
Su- Tuckerman Inferno 1st place team! Congrats to Al on the run, Sean in the kayak, Pete on the bike, and Laura on the ski! For me, 25:33, 2.4 mile hillclimb on snow, 1850 gain. My PR to Hermit Lake shelter is 25:07 in the 2006 Inferno, but with a course change this year's race was about 0.1 miles longer. Doesn't sound like much, but when you're running 11 minute miles that adds up. I definitely felt Saturday's long run, but gutted it out. Fun event as usual. wu/cd 2.5

Totals: 57 miles, 8.37 hours, 6350 ft gain

Pretty happy with the week. Doing the easy climbs the day after hard workouts was tough, but I think I'm adapting to it. The workouts still went well too. I would have liked to have been faster on the mile repeats, but I wasn't any slower than last week and still closed in a 5:05. I simply forgot to do strides on Monday and drills on Wednesday (maybe a little tired?!). Really happy with the week as a whole though.

As far as the Inferno, it's tough to compare to previous years, but I'm pretty pumped with the results. It's only a 2.4 mile climb, but I was tired from the long run and the rest of the week, I wasn't 100% into it mentally due to the date change, it was slicker that the year I ran my PR, and I still ran a PR type time. I think it shows that my climbing fitness is there. In previous years I've run some fast times in the spring because I've been in good shape and I was racing well. This spring I don't feel I have been racing all that well, but I'm still running comparable times. Hopefully that means I will have some sharpening to do for the big one.

Keeping it classy

Rollin' on The Rivah

2010-04-11T15:58:00.000-07:00

M- 8.0 Hurricane Mt. Rd. 1:09:13 felt good, tried to run easy, 9:08 pace up N. Conway side 9:08 pace up Chatham side, 2200 ft gain, 5x80m strides after

Tu- 5x1600m, 3:00/400m rest 5:18 5:09 5:10 5:06 5:05. Good workout. No sense of pace on the first lap of the first repeat, but found it after that. 2.5 wu w/ Roger, no cd, 8.5 total

W- 5.0 Cranmore Access Road, 58:01, easy run w/ Seth, 1200 ft gain

Th- 0 long day of surveying in Rye, NH at Odiorne Point State Park

F- 6.5 Merrimack River Trail 52:27, wet, ran with ankle brace for first time, felt good, ran back with the Brothers Quintal, was going to do strides, but was pretty cold from the rain

Sa- Merrimack River Trail Race 1st 59:05. Good race against Ben Nephew (11 sec back). Felt good on the fast stuff and climbs, but really favored the ankle on the downhills and really technical stuff. Headwind in both directions. 4.5 wu/cd

Su- 16.0 Hurricane Mt. Rd. 2:23:40 This may have been one of the dumbest ideas I've ever had, but it was a hell of a workout. 4400 ft of gain. Ran the first over and back with Paul Kirsch in 1:16:25 (9:33 pace), then went out and did it again. I felt pretty good on the climb on the N. Conway side (8:30 pace), but it was tough coming back up from Chatham the last time. I managed 8:41 pace for the last climb. It felt a lot like the last few miles of the race at Mt. Washington. I stopped at the top to regain my composure before the last descent to the car. It was not the most interesting run, but it was probably one of the toughest runs I've ever done from a mental perspective.

Totals: 58.5 miles, 7.89 hours, 7800 ft elevation gain. Solid week. Would have liked to have run Th, but didn't make it happen. I also need to get back to the ballistic exercises and strides this week. I'm beat.

Mixed Bag

2010-03-30T15:56:00.000-07:00

The weeks since Snowshoe Nationals have been a mixed bag, much like the weather. I had a great race with Jim Johnson at the Granite State Snowshoe Championships, where we finished in a dead heat in some of the best conditions of the snowshoe season, and ran a stinker at New Bedford, tying up pretty badly in the last 5k. This past week wasn't much better.

M- 6 on Saco River Trail w/ Paul, 49:26, pretty stiff after New Bedford

Tu- 2.2 roads w/ Roger, 22:15, his knee was bothering him and I was in no mood to run solo in the cold rain

W- 6.5 Town Hall Rd. (dirt) with Jim Graham & Roger Sayre, 51:59, felt much better, moved washer/dryer in the morning and my back stiffened up after dinner

Th- 7.9 Office to quarry via singletrack, 1:03:43, 4.5 mile fartlek (36:35) in middle on singletrack, back started spasming after run. Back and lower front rib cage really tight, had to get a prescription for muscle relaxants to fix it.

F- massage from Jean Brauel in AM, really loosened back up

Sa- 12.0 1:20:12 on Corridor 19 snowmobile trail, 2.3 wu then 9.7 mile tempo in 1:01:54 (6:22 pace). Good workout. Trail muddy and hilly. A little slower than when I did the same workout on snow a month ago, but I was holding back a little to keep the back in check

Su- 5.8 miles, 55 mins trails. Started a long run from my house to Peaked Mt. and back (15 miles), but rolled my right ankle really badly 5.8 miles in on a pretty easy piece of trail. Had to limp a mile out of the woods to the nearest trailhead. Caught a cold in the process.

Totals: 40 miles. Happy with the workouts, but not happy with all the other stuff that happened. Was not in the mood to run at all yesterday. Ankle is pretty stiff this morning. I’m going to try to go easy tonight, then get back on schedule depending on how it feels. I’m going to stay away from the trails until this thing heals for good. I have plenty of really hilly roads in the area, so I think I can still get in some good climbs despite no running on mountain trails for a little while. I hope your week was better than mine.

Looking ahead, the results of the Mt. Washington lottery were put up today. It is going to be deep. I know I'm on track for a good race, but I still need to put the nose to the grindstone to run my best. Keys to running well this year:
-Lots of easy mountain running. Many easy days are going to be easy climbs.
-Lots of hill repeats and mile repeats on the track at 10k pace or faster. Need to work on getting that heartrate up and feeling the burn.
-Long hard climbs. Need to simulate the mental ups and downs of the first few miles on the road.
-Long run in the mountains. I'm really happy with the long runs I did on snowshoes in the mountains this winter and want to keep that going. For the meantime, I'm going to be doing long, really hilly road runs in Jackson like this one until the ankle is better.

I'm also going to focus on the little things. I've been eating much better and practically haven't drank at all since Christmas. I also cut out almost all caffeine. I need to keep getting a proper amount of sleep. Without sounding like I have an eating disorder, I'd also like to drop a few pounds. I've been hovering around 133-135 for a while, but I race best under 130.

This spring is going to be fun.

Snowshoe Nationals and the Lead Up to It

2010-03-10T10:40:00.000-08:00

Photos by Dave Dunham, courtesy of Jim Johnson

At the beginning of the winter my number one goal was a top 5 finish at the National Snowshoe Championships. I finished 7th, but I'll take it. Snowshoe running has always been a form of training that I have thoroughly enjoyed ever since I started doing it in the winter of '03-'04. Dave Dunham and Rich Bolt brainwashed me that winter, and I haven't looked back. As much as I have enjoyed training on snowshoes, I really hadn't raced that much, but with Nationals being in the east this year, I decided I would step up and race a little more. With the advent of the Granite State Snowshoe Series, it was a lot easier to get to more races and not have to travel 5+ hours every weekend.

My racing had been going well all winter (with the exception of Pooh Hill) and things looked to be shaping up for Nationals. After my win at Sidehiller, I felt pretty fit, and was looking forward to more races, but the lack of snow from mid-January on hindered those ambitions.

The lack of snow altered my race schedule more than my training, as the higher elevations around Conway had more than enough white stuff. I was able to continue my practice of getting a 2-3 hour long run in the mountains on snowshoes every weekend. I implemented these thinking that they would give me a big boost for Mt. Washington. Little did I know that I would need every bit of that strength to tackle the Nationals’ course.

The altered race schedule also got me into a little bit of a pickle injury wise. With the lack of snow at the Kingman Farm race, I opted to do the USATF-NE Indoor 5000m race the same weekend instead, to avoid hurting myself by running on icy trails in the dark. Unfortunately, I managed to wrench my ankle on the indoor track on the first lap! I tried to shake it off the best I could and managed to run another 25 laps on it, and ran a 15:50 5k. The minute I stopped though it swelled up. My cool down consisted of 10 minutes of walking as I couldn't put much weight on the swollen joint.

The next week saw me just try to run easy to get the swelling down and make sure that I didn't hurt myself any more. I stayed off the snow and stuck to the roads to avoid wrenching it any further. The one exception was the nice hour plus run I did up and down the Tuckerman Ravine Trail to check out the fresh snow in Pinkham Notch.

Sunday, February 28th brought the DH Jones 10 Miler in Amherst, MA, the first race in the USATF-NE GP. I had been looking forward to this racer all winter, as it would be my first real fitness test after a solid start to the winter. I was hoping for an optimistic sub 53 minute run. I went out conservative in the first few miles, then picked up the effort as I ran with Ryan Carrara for a little while and really worked the hills in the middle of the race. My 5 mile split was a little slower than I would have liked (27:16), but I was feeling strong running in around 15th place. I was hoping to do some damage in the second half. Right after the 6 mile mark I must have done some damage to my stomach, as I got the worst side-stitch of my life. I tried jogging it off, then walking it off, but the sharp pain wouldn't relent. I was forced to the roadside, bent over, clutching my mid-section. I was finally able to start walking again, and then jogged. I considered jogging to the finish, as my race was shot, but I started to feel better just before the 7 mile mark. I figured I could run hard until the stitch came back. Luckily it didn't. I was able to run the last three miles in 5:30, 5:20, 5:24. The last 2 miles are significantly uphill, and I managed to pass about 30 people from the time I was clutching my side to the finish. I was especially pleased with the last mile, as last year I ran 5:36 for the same mile while racing someone. The final result wasn't what I was looking for, but I got something out of it.

The ankle didn't seem to flare up during the race, but it certainly wasn't any better after. I called Jean Brauel, massage therapist, to see if there was anything she could do to help speed up the recovery. Luckily she was able to fit me in on Tuesday and work on a bunch of tendons and ligaments that I didn't even know I had. She also worked on my core muscles to try to fix any lingering tightness that I had left from Sunday's race. My ankle had much more range of motion, but my core was really sore on Wednesday. Luckily that went away before the 7+ hour drive to Syracuse on Friday.

Friday's drive marked my longest road trip ever, but luckily the Focus SVT and the Recaro seats were up to the challenge. I picked up Pete Mallett, who was running in his first Snowshoe Nationals and second snowshoe race ever, in Manchester and we headed west. Upon arriving in East Syracuse, we met up with Jim Johnson and did a quick 40 minute run to shake the cobwebs loose. The ankle was still stiff, but it could have been worse.

We awoke Saturday morning to 20 degree temps, which are usually good for a snowshoe race. We assumed the course would be frozen solid and would lead to fast times. We forgot about the fact that it was supposed to warm into the 40’s by the 11:30 start. The junior 5k and women’s 10k race were also before the men’s 10k, which chewed up the course before we stepped foot on it.

Lining up at the start it was pretty obvious that this course wasn’t going to be easy, even if it were pancake flat, which it wasn’t. The snow had been churned up during the previous races, and it was warming up by the minute. During my last minute strides I thought about gutting it out the best I could and used the strength I had amassed throughout the winter and last fall while training for Bay State.

After the horn went off to start the race, the snow started flying and I found myself blinded by the spray of the guys in front of me. I started on the front row, but did not get a good start. I weaved my way through the crowd as we headed into the woods where I was hoping to find some firmer footing. Fat chance of that.

The course started out wide, with plenty of room for passing, that was assuming that you could stay upright long enough to keep moving forward. I picked my way through the pack in the first mile to the point where I was almost on the back of the lead pack, but I couldn’t quite close the gap. I kept the hammer down despite the fact that my heart was in my throat and we hadn’t even hit the hardest parts of the course yet. I tried to run hard and relaxed as we made our way downhill towards the second mile. At this point I was starting to lose sight of the leaders and I was passes by Fred Joslyn, a 2:23 marathoner. Snowshoes are the great equalizer! I tried to hang on to him as long as possible, but he was pulling away on the wide “groomed” trail. As we approached the second road crossing I caught one guy who was starting to fall off the leaders and passed him before we got into the single track. At this point Dave Dunham told me I was in 7th, about a minute back of the leaders. I knew I wasn’t going to make up that time instantly, but I knew the big climbs and the single-track were coming up, two disciplines I excel at.

As I entered the single-track, the pace slowed, but the effort level was still there. I kept the hammer down knowing that I would have a chance to make up some time on the guys in front of me in the twisty stuff. Sure enough, I spotted Fred and Jarod Scott just ahead of me on one of the switchbacks. That motivated me to keep pressing on to get onto their coattails.

After the first section of twisty bits we were dumped out onto another wide, chewed up ski trail. Fred and Jarod took off again and I just kept moving at a steady clip. The first single-track section climbed for quite a while, but I knew there was more ahead. We kept climbing and descending numerous hills on the ski trails, all the while I was inching up on Jarod, who had fallen behind Fred a little ways. When we hit the big climb, I wasn’t too far behind Jarod, Fred or Greg Hexum in 4th place for that matter. I kept the hammer down on the climb trying to make up as much time on those guys as possible. This is where those long snowshoe mountain runs were starting to pay off. I closed the gap to Jarod by half, but he started to pull away again on the down side. My ankle was in the back of my mind on every downhill, but I still ran pretty hard anyway.

Entering the last single-track section I made a last ditch effort to try and close on Jarod. I knew the final climb was going to be brutal, but I figured I needed to be really close to pull off any type of pass there. I got the gap to Jarod down to about 20m before we came out in the field, about ½ mile from the finish.

The final downhill was loose snow that had been postholed by 100+ snowshoes that morning, and it was interesting picking a fast line that wouldn’t lead you to falling or ending up in the neighboring woods. At this point I said screw the ankle and flew down with reckless abandon. Jarod managed to open enough of a gap that I could almost touch him on the final climb, but it was too little too late. The final hill was as steep as Upper Walking Boss at Loon, but I managed to run every step of it. I crossed the line in 46:42, about 4 minutes behind winner Josiah Middaugh of Vail, CO, and only a minute and a half out of 3rd place.

I did not make my goal of top 5, but this was a very strong field and I think I raced as well as I could of considering the problems I’ve had with the ankle over the last couple of weeks. This was the kind of race where shear strength and guts ruled over raw speed. That is what I need to do well at Mt. Washington. Certainly a step in the right direction.

If you thought the weekend’s fun ended there, you were wrong! I was able to talk a group into running the 4x2.5k relay on Sunday morning, despite the fact that most of us were toast or a little hung over. Jim Johnson (14th on Saturday), Matt Russell (10th) and I were game to run as the CMS-Dion team. We were hoping to have Rich Bolt (15th) or Pete Mallett (35th) run for us, but Rich was committed to the Atlas mixed masters team, and Pete had enough snowshoe racing for the rest of his life after a rough race on Saturday. We were able to pick up Kelly Mortensen (9th) who is a sub 2:20 marathoner for our 4th guy.

Jim elected to run the first leg for our rag-tag bunch. The loop turned out to be around 1800m, with the first leg and the fourth leg being slightly longer to accommodate a separate start/finish area from the exchange zone. Jim got out pretty well from the start, running with a guy from Ithaca college until they disappeared into the woods. We couldn’t see most of the loop, but saw Jim emerge with about a 5 second lead over the Ithaca guy. Jim tagged off to Matt, 7:30 into the race, and Matt took off like a bolt. Once again while he was in the woods we had no idea how big our lead was, or if we had one at all, but Matt came out of the woods WAY ahead of the second place guy. Kelly ran third for us without anyone really pushing him. It seemed like a long time before he came out of the woods, but I think we were just nervous more than anything. Kelly didn’t seem to lose anything to the second place team. I ran the final leg, hoping to get in a hard effort. I knew we had a huge lead, but I never jog once I have a number on. I hammered the course as hard as I could. I felt like I was running the 400m on the track. I knew the race was short, so I figured even if I died it wouldn’t be a horrible death. Running the last leg gave me the distinction of running the second half of the finishing hill that we ran yesterday. Jim tried to “encourage” me by telling me that the other team was right behind me. I kicked it into high gear up the last pitch to grab a gold medal for our team. We beat the second place Ithaca Bombers by 53 seconds. I was also pretty happy with my 7:32 split, especially with the additional big hill.

It was a good weekend of racing against some national-class competition. I had a pretty good race, but I know what I need to do to get to the next level to compete for a US team spot at Mt. Washington. Things seem to be on the right track.

Better Late Than Never

2010-02-19T10:42:00.000-08:00

M- 5.0 38:15 Benlor & Back felt ok, a little stiff, 10x80m strides after
Tu- 6 x 0.8 miles @ Settlers Green, 5.0 wu, 4:31 4:25 4:22 4:20 4:23 4:18, 0.8 cd, really good workout, felt good
W- 0 left work early, head cold
Th- 0 worked all day but didn't feel any better
F- 6.0 51:21 Corridor 19 from Wal-Mart, felt ok, ran easy w/ Paul, felt much better than last 2 days
Sa- 9.7 miles tempo 1:01:20 (6:19 pace) on Corridor 19 from Wal-Mart, hilly, slushy and icy, used screw shoes, shooting for 6:00 pace effort, solid workout
Su- AM: 2:15 classic ski w/ Jess PM: 14.6 miles 1:42:57 (7:03 pace) Stark Rd. Eidelweiss Loop, hilly, started about 1 hour after skiing

Totals: 49 miles, 8.4 hours. Pretty good week considering I took two days off. It think it was good to kick the cold though. No remnants of it left.

A Glimpse of Things to Come?

2010-02-08T09:55:00.000-08:00

M- 6.0 miles 48:37 snowmobile trails/RR Tracks w/ Paul, felt good, 10x60m strides after
Tu- 4.0 mi wu w/ Roger on roads, then 7x2:15 hill repeats on snowshoes in Whitaker Woods, did not feel good, but gutted it out, 8 total
W- 6.0 miles behind Wal-Mart w/ Paul 49:37, felt good, surprisingly quick, ballistic exercises after
Th- 4.5 wu w/ Roger, 6x0.8 miles @ Settlers Green, 4:32 4:32 4:26 4:26 4:23 4:26, 0.8 cd Very good workout, this workout seems to be getting quicker without any extra effort
F- 6.0 miles behind Wal-Mart w/ Paul 48:06, a little faster than easy, but not bad
Sa- 5.2 miles @ 5:41 pace (29:31), then up Hurricane Mt. Rd. to the summit of Black Cap (3.0 mi) in 26:41 (8:53 pace, 10% grade). Very happy with this workout. Was hoping for 6's on the roads and 10's on the climb. 3.0 down Black Cap for cooldown
Su- Hurricane Mt. Rd. to Black Cap to Peaked to Cranmore 14.8 miles 2:42:14, 3,000+ ft of elevation gain, tired but good tired.

Totals: 63.5 miles, 9.0 hours. Around 5,000 ft of climbing. That is probably what I would call a perfect week for me. Good amount of quality, decent volume, and all of the little things. I plan on going super easy today, as I'm a little tired form Sa & Su. I'm doing an interview w/ Channel 5 out of Boston tommorow about snowshoe and mountain racing. Should be fun.

Training Week 1/25-1/31

2010-02-03T16:59:00.000-08:00

M- 0 pretty tired, right quad has a good knot in it

Tu- 0 massage in the AM and left work early, pretty tired again

W- 7.0 miles roads w/ Paul 56:17, felt ok, still pretty flat

Th- 4.5 mile wu w/ Roger 45:11, then 29:31 4.8 mile fartlek (6:09 pace) around Settlers Green. Felt much better on this workout. Light coating of snow on the roads.

F- 4.6 mi 38:48 w/ Paul on snowmobile trails, felt good, really cold and windy

Sa- Sandwich Sidehiller Snowshoe Race 5.2 miles 31:08, 1st place. Really good race. Lead from the gun. Had Josh Ferenc on my shoulder for the first two laps, then I was able to open a little gap at the beginning of the 3rd lap, and I held on to the end. Felt really strong and fast. I did not know you could run 6 min pace on snowshoes. Wu/cd 3.4 mi Lap Splits: 10:10 10:20 10:38

Su- 16 easy on snowmobile trails, did first 10 miles with Paul then tacked on another 6 behind Wal-Mart. Tired, but a good run.

Totals: 45.5 miles, 6.16 hours. I am pretty psyched with how the race went. I set the pace and had some fast guys with me, and I just ran away from them. The course was really flat and fast (not my strong suits) and I ran away from Josh and Jim Johnson (who had 4 infected wisdom teeth) who are very good on that type of terrain. It is only one race, but I think it is a sign of things to come. The week wasn’t very impressive, but I think I needed a little rest after 4 very good weeks of training. Last year a 45 mile week with a fartlek, a good race and a long run would have been a good week. Looking forward to getting back at it this week.

Feeling Like Pooh

2010-01-25T04:09:00.000-08:00

M- 2.0 Stark Rd. (10:00PM) 14:34, 5x100m strides in 2nd mile, not pretty, but better than no run at all.
Tu- AM: 6x 3:00 up Cathedral Legde Rd. (+/-9%), jog down rest, all on snowshoes, covered about a 1/4 mile on ups, tough workout but solid. 4.4 wu/cd on SS
PM: 3.6 miles roads 36:32 easy w/ Roger
W-Black Cap via Hurricane Mt. Rd. and trail 6.0 miles 1:05:01, 37:15 to summit, ran easy
Th- 6 x 0.8 miles (3:00 rest) at Settlers Green, 5.0 mi wu w/ Roger 47:56, Splits: 4:45 (watch issue? felt same effort as 2nd one) 4:33 4:30 4:28 4:30 4:28 much better than last week, 0.8 cd
F- Black Cap via Hurricane again 6.4 miles 1:14:13, 36:17 to summit, ran easy, beautiful view (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=968823&l=7f39db577e&id=1315312930)
Sa-Pooh Hill(less) Snowshoe 8k, 4th place 36:57. Felt flat. Yesterday's mountain run didn't help, but I needed to blow off some steam. Out of the race right from the start. I had nothing. Double J beat me by 3 minutes, I was hoping to be running with him for the win. He had a great race though. So did Ben Nephew, Bob Jackman and Jim Pawlicki. It was tough gutting it out knowing I had no chance at catching anyone. Great workout either way. Pretty flat course. wu/cd 3.5
Su- 14.6 miles Stark Rd. & Eidelweiss, 1:43:54 (7:07 pace), hilly run, tried to run easy, right quad has a good knot in it, but it's only noticeable on the downhills.

Totals (through Sat.): 61 miles, 8.9 hours

I'm feeling pretty tired right now. Didn't feel bad all week, just showed up this morning. I should be tired from all the work I've put in the last 4 weeks. Just had a bad race. Nothing hurts, just tired. I can live with tired, especially if it means good things in the long run. Looking forward to the Sandwich Sidehiller 4 Miler this weekend. The course is more technical than Pooh Hill, but still has a lot of wide groomed trail. Should be a good race.

Feeling Good

2010-01-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

Riding shotgun after the start. Photo by Kristin Kozlosky

M- Wal-Mart Singletrack to Peaked Mt. 7.8 miles, 1:34:21. Good snowshoe run. Felt like crap at the start, but felt better after 3 miles, so I tacked on the summit of Peaked (49:52).
Tu- 6x0.8 mi around Settlers Green Outlets 3.7 mi wu 33:43 w/ Roger, 4:39 4:36 4:34 4:34 4:38 4:27, shooting for 4:24-4:32, felt ok, windy, slower than last week, but tougher conditions, 0.8 cd, 10.6 total
W-Conway snowmobile trails 7.3 miles 1:05:35, felt good, ran w/ Paul
Th- 5k fartlek in Whitaker Woods, 22:37 (7:18 pace) on snowshoes, good workout, 5.1 mile 48:23 wu w/ Roger
F- 0 Got up before work, but I was a pansy and didn't want to run in the cold. Hiked up and down Thorn Mt. at work all day, then drove to Norwood, MA
Sa- Feel Good Farm Snowshoe Race, 4 miles 37:18 1st place, pretty good race. good to bust the rust. Felt good on the climbs, but still some work to do. Course was pretty boney. Lost both rear cleats on my well used snowshoes.
wu/cd 4.0 mi
Su- Long run in the Blue Hills Reservation w/ Ben Nephew 9.4 miles 1:58:27. Cool run. Lots of gain and descent on the Skyline Trail. Got to try the Khatoola Microspikes for the first time.

Totals: 52.6 miles 8.50 hours. Decent week. Not happy about the goose egg on Friday, or the lack of hill sprints or ballistic exercises on Wednesday. Off to a better start this week though. I'll be racing the Pooh Hill(less) Snowshoe Race this weekend. Should be a fast course and a fast crowd with the likes of Double J, Ben , Jim P and Geoff in the mix.

More hay in the barn

2010-01-12T17:22:00.000-08:00

M- Wal-Mart Corridor 19 6.0 mi 54:45, felt ok, pretty tired, ran w/ Paul, 10x80m strides after
Tu- 6x0.8 mi around Settlers Green Outlets 4.0 mi wu 37:34 w/ Roger, 4:38 4:28 4:33 4:33 4:30 4:28, shooting for 4:24-4:32, felt good, legs stiff during wu, 0.8 cd, 11.1 total
W- 7.5 roads N. Conway 58:03, felt ok, quads tired, ballisatic exercises after
Th- AM: Wal-Mart Corridor 19 6.0 mi 51:36, felt ok, felt good, ran easy w/ Paul
PM: 5k snowshoe hard run, 4.0 mi wu w/ Roger on roads 36:41, hard 5k on Whitaker Woods Fun Run course in 21:46 (7:01 pace), I run this course hard in the summer in around 17:00, about 2/3 groomed, felt good
F- Wal-Mart Corridor 19 6.0 mi 53:32, felt ok, quads dead, ran w/ Paul, skipped hill sprints
Sa- Switchback Way (Jackson) Hill Workout (avg 9% grade, parts much steeper), 3.0 mi wu 22:28, 2 min up, 1:30 down, 3 min up, 1:45 down, 4 min up, 3 min down, 5 min up, 1.7 mi cd, ok workout, legs felt like wooden posts on wu, made it to last utility pole before Juniper Way in 21:00, would like to use this road again.
Su- 3 hour classical ski on Hall Trail (+/-1000 ft elevation gain) w/ Jess, no run

Totals: 51 miles, 10.0 hours. Pretty good week. Didn't get the long run in on Sunday, but I wasn't sitting on my butt eating potato chips either. Quads have been heavy all week, but I've been snowshoeing a lot and been doing a good amount of quality too. Nothing hurts though so that is good. Might race the Feel Good Farm snowshoe race this weekend. Not sure yet.

Go Big or Go Home

2010-01-03T15:46:00.000-08:00

M- Old Westside & Moat Lane 9.3 mi 1:04:13 (6:54 pace), felt good, easy run, 10x50m strides after
Tu-AM: Old Bartlett Crown Ridge 5.6 mi 42:53 (7:39 pace), felt ok, very windy, ran w/ Joe Shairs
PM: Settlers Green 3.0 mi 28:27 (9:29 pace), still cold and windy, ran w/ Roger
W-AM: Office to Falcon Way & Back 6.5 mi 50:17 (7:44 pace), felt good, not as windy as yesterday, ran w/ Joe Shairs, drills and exercises after
PM: classical skiing on the Ellis River Trail w/ Jess, 1:20:00 skied easy, quads and abs sore from exercises!
Th-AM: Wal-Mart Corridor 19 Trail 6.0 mi 46:46 (7:48 pace), felt good, still sore from exercises, ran 3.0 mi out w/ Paul for warm-up then did a fartlek on the way back in 19:31 (6:30 pace). Trail was well packed snow/ice. Made for fast running. Used MudClaw O+ spiked shoes.
PM: North Conway Short Loop 3.6 mi 36:23 (10:06 pace), slushy, ran easy with Roger
F-Corridor 19-->Hurricane & Back 10.4 mi 1:40:55 (9:42 pace), felt ok, a little tired, packed snowmobile trail with loose stuff on top, left hip a little sore, 10x20 hills near end, ran w/ Paul
Sa-Wal-Mart to E. Conway Powerline Jct. 12.0 mi 1:40:16 (8:21 pace), felt good, used snowshoes on the snowmobile trails, 2.3 mi w/u in 20:49, then did a 9.7 mile tempo in 1:19:27 (8:11 pace)
Su-Hurricane Mt. Rd.-->Black Cap-->Peaked Mt. 12.0 mi 2:48:35 ( 14:03 pace) 3000+' of elevation gain, felt good until second climb up Black Cap, bonked big time, snow was loose on this climb, but good run overall.

Totals: 68.4 miles, 12.0 hours. Pretty happy with the week considering its the best I've had in a long while in terms of volume and quality. Left hip was a little sore near the end of the week, but it's probably from the addition of running in the snow. It felt better today though. The paces on the snowshoe / snowmobile trail runs probably don't mean much because of varying conditions, but I was very happy with the fartlek, especially considering it's the first hard effort I've had since Bay State. I fell off near the end of the tempo, but not too bad. 8:11 pace is not too bad though for an effort that long on snowshoes, even if it is groomed. I used the same trail for both of those. It's a rolling hilly trail that I've always wanted to run hard but have usually just used for easy miles. I think I'd like to keep using this trail as a benchmark for these workouts. This week I had the luxury of some reduced hours at work, so the volume won't be as high next week, but I will make sure I get all of the quality in. Also, I may cut the long run down to the 2:00-2:15 range until I get used to the volume and intensity, but I want to keep the climbs in it.

Looking Back and Looking Ahead

2010-01-02T12:53:00.000-08:00

2009 wasn't too bad of a year. There are some things I wish had gone better, but on the whole, I was more consistent than years past.

The numbers:
2197.9 miles
42.27 miles/week
6.0 miles/day

352.5 hours
6.78 hours/week
58 minutes/day.

The numbers aren't staggering, as my career best mileage was around 2700 miles, but I didn't really have any long layoffs as a result of injuries or burnout. I took a good amount of time away from serious training after Bay State, but I needed it and I think it will pay off in the long run.

I got to run in some great races thorughout the year. Some highlights:
-3k PR (9:03) by 1 sec at Dartmouth Relays. Nothing special, but good to blow out the pipes in the middle of the winter.
-win at Sandwich Sidehiller snowshoe race. Great course with a lot of snow. Great battle with Double J right to the finish. Felt good to get a win after getting my butt handed to me in the indoor track races.
-7 Sisters was an interesting race that I hope to go back and do again. Very technical with a lot of up and down. Lesson learned: it' s not easy to run away from three ultras guys on a course like that.
-great battle with Ryan Carrara at Wachusett. The new up/down course was fun. Especially running all out on the downhill fireroads trying to make up the gap on Ryan.
-Mt. Washington didn't go the way I had hoped, but the atmosphere around the race is always great. It's great to get to run with my friends and the best mountain runners in the country in my backyard.
-Had a redeeming race at Cranmore. Didn't climb well, but held my own and then some on the downs on the home course. My first top 10 at the USATF Championships in a long time in a loaded field.
-Pikes Peak was a great experience. Was hoping for a faster time, but 8th place in a solid field for a flatlander ain't bad.
-The Pemi Loop 31.5 mile run wasn't an official race, but was one hell of a hard effort. I'll never forget running 6:20's on the Wilderness Trail with Ben Nephew to break the record by seconds.
-The Ollie 4.91 miler is not my favorite race, but was pretty close to a PR. One of the best efforts I had all year.
-Topsfield XC. Good, old fashioned cross country.
-Bay State Marathon. Jogging in the last 7 miles at 7:30 pace wasn't fun, but a PR was good. 2:41 is nothing to write home about, but it beats a 2:53. It will be a long time before I run another road marathon though.

My main goal for 2010 is to have fun with running. In the past I've gotten so caught up in results and expectations that I lost site of the parts of running that I love. I know not every workout or run is going to be fun, but most of the time it should be.

A new goal for me for the coming year is to make my running have a positive impact on other people. I've always tried to help out at races, mentor, and answer running questions to help give back to the sport that has given me so much, but I would like to use my running to raise money for charity or bring attention to a good cause.

I'm not going to get to specific with race goals yet, as I don't know what they are. I'd obviously like to finish in the top 6 at Washington, but I'm going to assess my fitness as the winter and spring goes along to see what is realistic. You've got to set you goals high, but not so high that you can't reach them.

Building a foundation in the mountains

2009-12-06T14:29:00.000-08:00

Me on the summit of Mt. Jackson

A busy week of work and running, more work than running, but not bad. I managed a whole 29 miles this week, but the motivation to want to train is starting to come back. Maybe the post by DoubleJ about Mt. Washington being the lone mountain qualifier had something to do with it.

Yesterday I had an intersting run in the Southern Presidentials. I was hoping that there would be enough snow above treeline to get in some good snowshoeing, but it was a mixed bag. The weather was great, but the trails changed from rock, to streams, to snow, to ice and back to rock. I went prepared with my Dion snowshoes and Khatoolas. I ended up using both. I was able to make it to the summit of Jackson, the 46th of 48 Four Thousand Footers I've run up, in 54:57. I put on the snowshoes for the section between Jackson and Pierce and hit the summit in 1:52:14. Next I headed to Eisenhower where I used the Khatoolas above treeline along the Crawford Path. A lot of people were out taking advantage of the nice weather. I summited Eisenhower in 2:33:52. The trip down the Crawford Path back to the Highland Center was pretty uneventful, except for catching a spike a few times on bare rocks as I was getting tired on the downhill. I covered the +/-11 miles in 3:51:08. Not an impressive pace, but I felt like I was working the whole time.

Today I got out for a nice 6.2 mile, 65 minute run in the singletrack along the base of the Green Hills. There was a couple of inches of snow, but nothing to make the going too slick. During this run I thought a lot about what I'll need to do this winter to be ready for Snowshoe Nationals, and ultimately Mt. Washington. This week my main goal is to get a run in everyday and get in another long mountain run next weekend. I need a place to start and then I need to build from there.

View of Eisenhower, Monroe and Washington from Pierce

Weekend Warrior

2009-11-29T15:56:00.000-08:00

Once again another week has gone by, and the totals aren't pretty, but I had a great weekend. Saturday I headed up to Crawford Notch to check out the 6-10 inches of new snow that they got Friday night. I couldn't find a plowed out trailhead anywhere so I parked at the AMC Highland Center and broke trail on the 0.7 mile Around the Lake Loop. It was fun to get on the snowshoes again. I looped the lake 3-4 times (lost count) plus added on the Red Bench Trail for a 40 minute +/-4 mile run. On the ride home I found muscles that I haven't used in a while!

Jess braving the elements at Bretton Woods on Saturday

In the afternoon Jess and I headed up to ski the Bretton Woods golf course. They had 4k of groomed terrain that we were more than happy to sample. We spent about an hour classic skiing, then I helped Jess on some technique on her new skate skis. I'm looking forward to winter. Jess seems to like skate skiing so far, and I bought our seasons passes to Jackson XC, so it better be a good snow year.

View of Mt. Washington from Black Cap

Today I headed up to the Green Hills Preserve right here in North Conway. Part of my training plan is to get in a long mountain run every week, so I started my run by heading up the Red Tail Trail to the summit of 2,369ft. Black Cap. The trail climbs about 1,700 ft. in 3.4 miles. It's great windy singletrack most of the way to the summit. It is the hidden gem of the valley. From there I headed down the Mason Brook snowmobile trail towards the summit of Peaked Mt (1,793 ft.). I hadn't been on this mountain since 2004 or 2005. Wow, I forgot how great the views are from there. After heading down Peaked I made my way over to Middle Mountain (1,857 ft.), the last summit on my journey. I've been on Middle once, many moons ago. I found another great view with some more great trails. This was the halfway point. From here I headed back across the ridge skipping the summits and headed back down the Red Tail. The whole trip was around 15 miles in 3:04:36. The elevation gain was around 4,500 ft despite the fact that I never topped out over 2,400 feet. Kind of like 7Sisters!

Nice rockwork on the Red Tail Trail

Weeekly totals: 27 miles, 6.5 hours

Giving Thanks

2009-11-26T04:51:00.000-08:00

View of Franconia Ridge from North Kinsman

I've had a lot of time in the last couple of weeks to think about my life and running and how they're intertwined. I've spent the last 12+ years as a runner, and it has consumed a good amount of my effort and time. Running has given me so much over the years and made me a better person. It has had it's ups and downs, but its always been something I've come back to as it is something that I truly enjoy doing. At times I have taken my running too seriously, to the point that when races haven't gone the way I had hoped, I completely shut down. My motivation to train goes into the toilet and so does my motivation to do just about anything else. When you expend so much time and effort on a goal and you don't meet it, it can really drag you down.

I've had a hard time getting the motivation back since running the Bay State Marathon, but it hasn't been all bad. I've been able to focus on all the other great things I have in my life like my wife, my family, working on our condo and moving along with a career that I really enjoy. I live and work in a beautiful area and get to experience it on a daily basis. I'm a pretty lucky dude.

The motivation will come back. I'm not going to force it. Running and competing are not always easy, but when you're having fun it makes running in the dark before work or snowshoeing through four foot snow drifts on the side of a mountain a lot easier. It will come back, it always does.

Head in the Clouds

2009-11-17T17:12:00.000-08:00

Me doing my best sketchball impression on Mt. Cabot

M- 0 adjusting to working outside again

Tu- 0

W- 0

Th- AM: 6.0 Wal-Mart / Corridor 19 50:49, felt ok, ran easy w/ Paul

PM: 4.0 Settlers Green 39:09 ran easy w/ Roger, 5x80m easy strides after

F- 6.0 Wal-Mart / Corridor 19 49:11, felt better than yesterday, ran easy w/ Paul

Sa- Mt. Cabot, the Bulge and the Horn, 12.0 miles 2650 ft gain, 2:33:14. Nice run, got out before the heavy rain. No views but nice trails.

Su- Bloody Arm Loop +/-7 1:02:14 Muddy, ran easy

Total: 35.0 miles. Another not-so-spectacular week, but at this time of the year my goal is just to get some runs in and not get fat.

Wake Me Up When November Ends

2009-11-10T15:41:00.000-08:00

M- 8.75 Stark Rd. Loop, 1:00:16 (6:53 pace), felt good, ran easy, 28 degrees out in the AM

Tu- 8.0 easy on Hurricane Mt. Rd., 1:11:14, 1.8 mile climb, then down 2.2 miles down to Chatham, then turn around and go back over the pass. 1,000 ft of gain up each side. I usually run this workout harder the closer I get to Mt. Washington. Ran easy this week and averaged 9:07 pace on the ups.

W- 0 left knee sore, may have whacked it with a brush ax handle last week and aggravated it with the downhill last night.

Th- 3.6 on the roads w/ Roger 35:44. Ran easy, still feel knee but it doesn't hurt.

F- 0 didn't get out of bed before work and spent the afternoon driving to Norwood,MA.

Sa- +/-4.0 on the roads of Norwood 29:59, felt good, but ate too much before the run.

Su- New England Cross Country Championships, Franklin Park. 34:41, 65th/103. Doesn't get more pathetic than that. This was a race I should have never done, considering I ran a marathon 3 weeks ago. I was hoping to help the team and have some fun, but I managed to do neither. CMS had a strong contingent and placed 4th out of the New England teams. I came through the mile in 5:08 then settled into marathon pace. Now only if I could trade that 10k time with the last 10k at Bay State...

Totals: 33.0 miles Not a great week, but not too bad. Just trying to come back after the marathon. November is my least favorite month of the year. No daylight after work, trails covered in leaves, no snow to ski on. I could do without this wretched time of year. I'm not going to worry too much about hitting workouts and getting the mileage high right now. Just get in some nice easy climbs, get used to running before work, and wait for snow. This time of year is usually busy for me at work too, so I'll need to focus on that until the snow flies.

Moving Forward and Looking Ahead

2009-11-01T16:34:00.000-08:00

Me leading the 2006 MWRR. I might have gone out a little too hard.

I was planning on sitting down and writing a blog on my Bay State Marathon experience, but I just don't have the motivation to do so. It's not that it's not worth writing about, more that I'm looking forward to the upcoming months of training. My 2:41:32 at Bay State was a 10+ minute PR, but still 11+ minutes short of what I was shooting for. I felt great up until 15 miles, and still thought I could salvage a decent time up through 19 miles, but the wheels fell off there. Not enough pavement running in training for me.

I took the last 2 weeks easy, just doing some easy running 3 days each week. Time to start building towards Mt. Washington though. I spent the last year working on my general fitness, trying to get back to where I was 3-4 years ago on the roads and trails. I think I'm getting there, just not 100% yet. The next 7 months will be spent working on what it's going to take to run fast at Mt. Washington, lots of mountain running. When I ran my best times at Mt. W in 05 and 06 I was training in the mountains a ton. I kind of got away from that, thinking that I needed to be able to run a fast 10k to stay with the competition. I'm not going to be running 30 flat 10k's or 14 low 5k's any time soon. Mountain running is my strength. How the hell else was I able to run a sub 1:04 at Washington? I know some think that was a fluke, a time from long ago on a perfect day. My next fastest time in the race is 1:06:31. Good point, but I know it wasn't a fluke. There's more there. I managed a 1:04:41 in training solo back in 06 after coming back from the Colorado qualifier.

I'm planning on doing some snowshoe racing this winter with a goal of top 5 at the National Snowshoe Championships in Syracuse, NY in early March. I'll be doing a handful of races in NH and MA to get ready for it. Looking forward to some good competition.

My plan for the winter is as follows:

-Long run of 3-4 hours on snowshoes in the mountains. Sounds ambitious, but I've done it before off of less base.

-Short hills sprints. Works on power and efficiency. Easy workout that can be done just about anywhere.

-Some ballistic exercises. I need some pep in my step. This is one way to do it.

-Threshold run or fartlek on snowshoes. Not a ball buster run, just something to get me working up a good sweat.

-Long hill repeat workout. More than enough long groomed or plowed hills around here. 400m to 2 miles in length.

-Long hard hill climb. Run up Hurricane Mt. Rd. to Black Cap summit and Kearsarge are my favorites.

If I can do this schedule all winter I will be a beast come spring.

Almost There

2009-10-11T19:22:00.001-07:00

On Saturday I did my next to last marathon pace workout. Originally I was supposed to do 2x4 miles @ MP with a mile in between in around 6:05. I decided to do 5 miles @ MP on the track, mile @ 6:05, then the Gary Millen 5k at Kennett instead. I ended up running 28:11 for the 8k (5:40 pace), 6:00 for the mile, 5 min break waiting for the start, then the 5k in 17:01 (5:29 pace). I was shooting for 5:45 pace for all the MP stuff, and was very suprised how easy the whole workout felt. The taper must be working. One more workout Wednesday (5k @MP), then off to the marathon.

Moving In

2009-10-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

I finally moved my blog over to Blogger after a few years at livejournal (which pretty much sucks). I hope the new look and better graphics capabilities are more enjoyable for everyone.