Moving Forward

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.