Millen Mile

Coming through the quarter. Photo by Jess Tilton

The mile is not my specialty, but this race is too cool to pass up. Last year was the inaugural Millen Mile, a one-mile track race held at half time of the Kennett High School football home opener, under the lights. It is held in memory of former Kennett High football coach, social studies teacher, and all-around good guy Gary Millen. I only had Mr. Millen for 9th grade Civics, but he was a good teacher and he took an interest in all sports, and you would routinely see him at many sporting events. Gary died of a heart attack in 2006; way too early, especially for someone who meant so much to the community.

Last year I won the race in 4:38, about 3 seconds slower than my PR, but I was pretty happy with it as I pretty much ran alone and hadn't really done much track work to prepare for it. This year I knew I would have my hands full as Tim Livingston has been running well and Fryeburg Academy and University of Southern Maine alum Tim Even would be toeing the line. Adding to difficulty of this race would be the fact that I have felt like garbage all week. I wasn't sick, but I felt run down everyday and each run was not pretty until Thursday, where I managed 3 miles and some drills and strides and I didn't feel like I was going to fall over from dead legs.

All that aside, I got in a good warm-up with plenty of drills and strides and just tried to stay loose. The timing of the start of this race is interesting as you need to keep an eye on the game clock, but you never really know when you'll start because of all the timeouts and such. After each runner was introduced we got on the line and got ready to burn our lungs for four and a half minutes.

Tim Even took the lead early, as expected and Tim L. and I filed in behind him. The pace was a bit quick for me, but then again, any pace on the track is probably too quick for me. I came through the first quarter in 67 just behind Tim E. with Tim L. on my tail. I knew it was a bit quick, but I wanted to take advantage of having both Tims to run with and maybe run a PR, so I went with it. I tried to stay close, but Tim E. accelerated onto the back stretch on the second lap and Tim L. went by me at the 600m mark. My goal was to stay smooth on this lap and see what happens. I stayed on Tim L. to the 1/2 mile mark (2:17) and went around him going into the turn. At this point Tim E. had a pretty good gap on us, but I didn't know what his fitness was like, so I just tried to keep running hard and see how things would shake out.

I was tying up a bit on the third lap, but sub 4:40 mile pace will do that to you. Tim. L passed me backsoon after, and I stayed as close to him as I could and banged out another 70 (3:27). The bell lap hurt like hell, but I felt like I was speeding up. I tried to closer the gap on Tim L. (Tim E. was long gone at this point), and I was hoping to make a move on the home stretch. Fat chance of that. Despite the cheers of the crowd, I couldn't close on Tim and ran a 71 for the last lap. Ugh.

Overall, I am happy with the race as I did zero prep for it and ran as fast as last year. One of these days I really should run an indoor season and try to break 4:30 for the mile and 15:00 for 5k. I don't have the wheels to do that without any track training. Congrats to Tim Even on his 4:29 and the win, Tim Livingston on his fast race, Darin Brown for nearly cracking 5, Gabe Flanders for jumping in at the last minute and running a 5:22 (a PR!), Steve Piotrow and Allen Whitley for pushing themselves on the track, Leslie Beckwith on her win in the women's race running a 5:44, and to Cathy Livingston and Meredith Piotrow for going out and racing hard! Also, thanks to Bernie Livingston and the Millen Foundation for organizing such a cool race and to the spectators for cheering us on. It's a really unique experience to run in front of a crowd like that under the lights.

2012 Pikes Peak Ascent

Getting chased by Gerald Romero near the finish

Well, that was fun. A week away from the heat, humidity and bugs of New England was just what I needed. Summer is my least favorite season and the crash that I usually experience after Mt. Washington, good race or not, leaves me longing for the cooler air and changing foliage of fall. I wasn't planning on going anywhere for vacation this summer, but early in July Jess and I decided we might want to head out west somewhere for a week. We have both wanted to go back to Rocky Mountain National Park since our trip in 2008, so Colorado it was! No trip to the Rocky Mountain state in August would be complete without racing up Pikes Peak though, so Jess was gracious enough to give up a few days in RMNP to stay in Manitou Springs with our friends Peter Maksimow and Nora Duane.

It was good catching up with Peter and Nora after not having a chance to see them after Mt. Washington. Peter took me on a nice 7 mile run on the Intemann Trail on Friday morning. The legs felt good, but my lungs and head were definitely feeling the altitude a little. I knew I hadn't hydrated on the plane as well as I normally do, but I figured I would just try to catch up before the race. I also caught up on the awesome beer selection of Colorado in Peter and Nora's fridge!

Race day dawned a little warm and humid, but nowhere as near as humid as the weather we've dealt with in New England this summer. Peter, Rickey Gates and I warmed-up by heading to the start from Peter's place, about 1.5 miles away. There are a lot fewer butterflies for me at this race than Mt. Washington, despite the looming task of running uphill for two and a half hours. Lowered expectations will do wonders for your intestinal systems. I got a few last minute pointers from Pikes Peak legend Scott Elliot, then we were off.

Making my way to the finish

My goal anytime I race at altitude is to find my red line, but DO NOT GO OVER IT. Especially in a race that's two plus hours long. Some people may look at it as a wimpy way of racing, but you have to know your limits. Blowing up 4 miles in isn't going to do me any good running up a 14,000 ft. mountain. One thing I wasn't expecting 4 miles into the race was to get passed by Kim Dobson. Or maybe it was earlier, my brain was already a little fuzzy. The hard part about running by feel and ignoring mile splits is that you never really know how you're running time-wise. I knew Kim was either flying or I was really dogging it. I felt like I might be going a touch fast, which made me think Kim was REALLY moving. After she passed me in the W's I just tried to run smart knowing that I still had 2 hours of mountain running ahead of me.

I was pretty much in no-man's (or no-woman's) land until Barr Camp. Just before we reached the aid station I actually caught Kim and the guy from Arizona with the pink socks. At this point I still had a low grade headache, but I felt like I was getting into a good rhythm. I came through Barr Camp around 73 minutes, about two minutes slower than 2009. Scott Elliot reminded me at the start that Barr Canp is about half way time wise. Just after the aid station I passed Kim and the pink socks guy (Brian Folts). I was able to open a bit of a gap on them as the trail started to get more technical. I also spotted Peter up ahead a little ways and I made a move to catch him.

Peter has done a ton of running on this mountain and I knew I was in good company to be running with him at this stage in the race. We worked together to keep moving up the hill and hopefully catch some stragglers past the A-Frame. As we approached the A-Frame aid station Kim and Brian caught Peter and I and Peter went around me. I guess I was slowing us down and holding us up, but it was imperceptible as we climbed the rugged switchbacks. My fingers were starting to swell and my hands were tingling. The pressure in my skull was getting greater, but it was nothing to be alarmed about. I came through the A-Frame checkpoint in 1:43:26, about a minute and a half behind my PR from 2009 and 14 seconds behind Kim and Peter. I was a little worried that I was slower than PR pace, but I remembered that I did a lot of walking above treeline in 2009, and I was determined not to do that this year.

Running above treeline at Pikes Peak looks a lot like the terrain above treeline on Mt. Washington, but there is actually a trail on Pikes. There are a few rocks to hop over, but it's not constant scrambling like running up the summit cone on Big George. That being said, running above 11,000 ft. is pretty damn tough. At this point my quads were starting to feel the cumulative fatigue of 1:40 of running uphill, and I was getting twinges in my calves from dehydration. I just tried to keep my head on my shoulders and put one foot in front of the other.

At this point I wasn't thinking about racing, just getting to the top as fast as possible. I could see Peter and Kim ahead of me every once in a while, but the trail switchbacks so much you never really know how far anyone is ahead of you. You can also look up 1000 vertical feet and see people near the summit, but you're still a couple of miles away via trail.

Speaking of seeing people above you, I spotted mountain running god Killian Jornet coming down the mountain when I hit the 2 miles to go sign. He was bounding from rock to rock on his way down. He offered some encouragement as I trudged up the mountain. Not long after that he decided to turn around and pass me on the way up. I used him as a carrot and stayed with him until just before the 16 Golden Stairs. There was a search and rescue crew hanging out here and they were playing "America the Beautiful" on kazoos. I kid you not. I asked them if they knew "Another One Bites the Dust". They got a kick out of that.

I got a kick out of knowing that I was almost finished. The 16 Golden Stairs look a lot like New England mountain running terrain, and I take pride in running everything in front of me, but I put my hands to my knees and did the Euro-hike on most of this stretch. Lack of oxygen and fatigue weren't going to allow for any explosive movements from my body, unless they were coming from my bowels or esophagus.

Peter Maksimow, myself and Gerald after the finish

Despite being thoroughly exhausted and having a pounding headache, I was determined to finish strong and run as much as possible. I was even more determined when I spotted Gerald Romero behind me with less than half a mile to go. I was one spot ahead of Gerald in 2009. He was a lot closer this time and I knew I was close to a top 10 spot and didn't want to lose it. I managed to find another gear, the one past the red line, and kicked it in to stay ahead of Gerald and squeak under 2:30 in 2:29:48, a 2 minute PR. My lovely wife was there to catch me and make sure I wasn't drooling all over myself. I was definitely feeling the effort and the altitude after I finished, but I was able to choke down some water, Gatorade and some food before heading back down the mountain. I ended up wearing the new Inov8 TrailRoc 235s which worked great on the hardpacked Colorado trails.

A big thank you to Peter and Nora for allowing us to stay with them in there awesome cabin, and a big thank you to Peter for pulling me along in the race and reminding me how much fun it is hanging out with so many cool runners, even on the weekend of your biggest race of the year.  And a big thank you to the organizers of the Pikes Peak races for putting on a great race and event. Also, congrats to Kim Dobson on an amazing run. Each time she went by me she looked so strong. You could tell she trained hard for this race and was a woman on a mission. She had the 3rd fastest split from A-Frame to the summit! 

As painful as it sounds, I thoroughly enjoyed the race itself and the atmosphere around it. It was nice going into the race with not a lot of pressure to run a certain time or place. I still had goals, but they weren't all consuming. Running is funny. Sometimes the harder you try the further you'll find yourself from what you're trying to attain.

This one says it all

http://www.pikespeakmarathon.org/race_results/2012_pikes_peak_ascent.htm

7/9/2012

AM: 4.0 miles in 33:57 on the Conway Rec Trail. Nice and easy.
PM: 10.0 miles in 1:13:14 with Double J and Joe Shairs on Town Hall Rd. About 40 minutes up and 33 minutes back.

Time to get serious for UROC and Pikes Peak.

Training 5/14-6/3

5/14-5/20
M- 12.1 miles in 1:29:18 with Jim on Corridor 19. Felt ok.

Tu- 8.9 miles in 1:09:05 with Jim on the Lower Moat Brook singletrack. Stomach felt awful. Need to eat better.

W- 1:08:36 on the auto road. Pretty psyched. Did this one after work. Ran in control. A little windy above treeline, pushed it a little the last 1/2 mile.
Splits: 8:01 8:43 8:46 8:47 9:24 9:20 15:32 (last 1.7), 1:15:47 down!

Th- 8.2 miles in 1:00:44 w/ Jim on the back roads of Eaton and South Conway. Lunge routine after.

F- 9.4 miles in 1:22:04 w/ Jim on the roads and trails around Whitton Pond and Whitton Ledge. Pretty nice loop. Quads stiff.

Running along the top of Whitton Ledge. Photo by Double J

Sa- Bedford 12k 39:32, 11th place. Best NEGP race in a LONG time. 3.5 wu, drills and strides, 3.0 cd

Su- 5.0 miles in 40:43 with Peter on the Mineral Mine Loop. Felt ok, just tried to run easy.

Totals: 72.0 miles, 9.55 hours

5/21-5/27

M- 0 half day at work, then travel to Ashland, MA for the Inov8 brand conference.

Tu- 5.0 miles in 32:57 around Ashland Pond with Dwight & Chris (Inov8 sales reps). Felt ok. Spent the rest of the day checking out the new models and presenting my feedback on some models I've been testing. There is some great new stuff in the pipeline!

W- 4 x Cathedral Ledge Circuit. Felt like junk. Travel and bad eating caught up to me. 2.0 wu.

Th- 0 Long day at work.

F- 6.2 miles in 1:01:17 with Jim on some random trails in Albany. Fun run, felt good.

Sa- 1:00 on, 1:00 off fartlek up the auto road. 33:15 to 4 miles. Much better than last time.
Splits: 7:00 8:33 8:52 8:50, 36:57 down., 2.0 wu, drills and strides.

Su- 0 running. 16 mile hike with Jess through the Pemi Wilderness though, which was a lot of fun!

Totals: 27.3 miles, 4.13 hours


5/28-6/3
M- Mt. Washington training run w/ Jim, Nate Jenkins, and Melissa Donais. 1:08:02. Pretty psyched with this one. No real plan time-wise as Jim, Nate and I were planning on something at tempo effort. I felt pretty smooth the whole way and my breathing barely ever felt labored. My hamstrings were super tight on the warm-up and I noticed them while running, but they didn't seem to slow me down! This run was a huge confidence booster. A big thank you to Jess for driving us down so our quads wouldn't be sore for the next week! 2.0 wu
Splits: 7:28 8:44 9:00 8:53 9:30 9:16 9:09 5:57

Tu- 1.0 One stinking mile with Jim at Whitaker Woods. I hate lightning.

W- 0 Stomach bug. Called in sick to work. Felt better near the end of the day, but still low on energy.

Th- 4 x Cathedral Ledge Rd. 6:52 6:59 7:09 7:16 (7:04 avg., 7:51 pace) Slower and harder than I hoped, but a solid workout either way. Might still be feeling the effects of yesterday's stomach bug. (1:01:56), 2.0 wu

F- 8.4 miles on Peaked Hill Rd. (gravel) and Province Pond Trail with Jim in 1:02:30. Gradual climb on the way out and gradual down on the way back. Felt ok. Body feels fresh but legs feel a little weird. Apparently my body doesn't know how to react to not being sore all of the time. 3 strides after while Jim pooped in the woods.

Sa- 6.5 miles in 52:30 with Jim and MIT-bound Peter Haine on the Jackson XC Hall Trail and Maple Mtn. Loop. Wet, overgrown and muddy, but fun! I was hoping to go up Washington this morning, but the conditions above treeline were unfavorable.

Su- Pack Monadnock 10 Mile Road Race, 3rd, 1:02:45, :42 behind Brandon Newbould and :15 behind Justin Freeman. I knew this was going to be a tough race as I haven't been working on my road speed at all this spring, but I knew I needed to work on some race tactics, such as reeling people in, and I figured this would be a prime opportunity.

Brandon and Justin went out front right from the start, but the pace seemed manageable, so I latched on until we crested the hill just shy of the mile mark. From here they slowly opened a gap on every down and flat. Tim Van Orden caught me not long after this, but I was able to pass him back just past the reservoir.

I was working pretty hard, but was seeing that my splits were slower than when I did this race back in 2010. I had the luxury of running with Eric Blake that year, and I was in really good road shape at that time too. I knew I would be slower this year when I hit 5 miles in 28:47. I was 27:40 in 2010. I just kept telling myself that Washington could feel like this and that I needed to keep pushing and try to reel Brandon and Justin in on the 2 mile climb at the end.

Unfortunately, my legs were spent at 7 miles, but I kept plugging away. I was relieved to see Route 101 (for the first and only time in my life) as I knew the climb would start once I got on it. My legs were still tired, but I was looking forward to the climb, knowing that I could have a chance of getting back in the race if I ran this section well. I know, I'm a sick f*ck.

I was able to keep my eye on the leaders as I saw Brandon open a small gap on Justin. I could sense that I was slowly closing the gap, despite the fact that my stride felt choppy. I lost sight of both of them just before we entered Miller State Park. The steep climb starts not long after entering the park. I downshifted and tried to stay smooth. I covered the 9th mile in 6:32. I knew I was just under 9 minutes for the last mile in 2010, so I told myself I had 9 minutes to go. On the next steep section I was able to see Justin, and saw that he wasn't that far ahead. I tried to open my stride on the few flat stretches, but lost sight of Justin as the road curved back and forth. I kept plugging away and was rewarded with the view of Justin's and Brandon's backsides on the last steep climb. I hammered it with everything I had. I knew I probably wouldn't catch them, but I figured I would give it a shot anyways. I covered the last mile in 9:04, 10 seconds slower than 2010, but about 30 seconds faster that Justin and about 20 seconds faster than Brandon. I would have loved to had been closer, but I was happy that I still had my climbing legs under me despite my legs being dead at 7 miles.

Splits: 6:08 5:42 5:22 5:55 5:39 (28:47) 6:02 5:47 6:30 6:32 9:04 (33:58)

4.0 wu, drills and strides, 0.5 cd

Totals: 49.2 miles, 6.36 hours

Training Week 5/7-5/13

M- 9.7 miles in 2:17:01 in the Moat Mtn. Range w/ Jim. Went north to south on this one. The climb up North Moat is brutal, but I felt pretty good on it.

Tu- 12.1 mile Glines Hill loop with Jim in 1:24:44 (6:59 pace). Hilly loop. 1500 ft of elevation gain. Solid run. We didn't kill it, just rolled along. 9:00 for the full mile up Glines Hill Rd. 7 strides in the last mile.

W- 4 x Cathedral Ledge Rd. hill circuit. This workout is brutal, but makes you strong as hell. 8 minute pace at 12% grade feels easier after this one. 3.5 mi wu, 8.7 miles total.

Th- 11.7 miles in 1:31:16 on the snowmobile trails near Chocorua Lake and the Hemenway State Forest. I was pretty tired, and Jim was more than happy to run easy with me. Soaked in the lake 10 minutes after.

F- 3 mile uphill fartlek (1:00 on, 1:00 off) on the auto road. Quads were a little stiff going into this, but nothing major. Mile splits of 6:52, 8:22, 8:49. It was spitting snow at 3 miles. That last mile was pretty tough. 2.0 mi wu.

Sa- 10.8 miles up Rattlesnake, Middle and Peaked with Paul in 2:17:44. A little tired and I probably overdid it with this one, especially with a race the next day, but with 5 weeks until Washington I still have some time for some solid training before worrying about freshening up.

Su- Sleepy Hollow Mountain Race, 2nd place, ~1 minute behind Josh Ferenc. Fun course and a good race against Josh. I knew it would be an interesting race with Jim, Josh, Todd Callaghan, TiVo, Ross Krause, Double D and Mike Quintal, but I had no idea how it would shake out. Reading the course description it sounded like a lot of fast downhill, which is not my strong suit, but I knew I was probably the strongest climber in the field, so I made it my mission to do as much as I could on the climbs.

Unfortunately, after the start I found that my legs could not get moving despite a 2.5 warm-up. Josh took it out with Mike and another guy and I tucked in hoping that my legs would wake up. After about half a mile and swallowing a couple of black flies, I moved up behind Josh and gave chase on the way to the high point of loop 1, the king of the mountain preme point. I covered the first mile in 6:47, but Josh got to the top about 5 seconds ahead of me. From there Josh opened up a good gap on the muddy downhill. I moved as fast as I could, but was feeling the effects of the cumulative fatigue of the training week and the fact that I got 2.5 hours of sleep last night after seeing Flogging Molly and The Devil Makes Three in Portland. Oops.

On the second lap I just focused on working the uphill hard and making it the best workout I could. I could see Josh up ahead of me, but he wasn't out of reach. I slowly made my way up the hill and managed to take the lead about 2/3rds of the way up the climb. Josh hung tough though and we were even at the 3 mile mark. From here, he took of like a bat out of hell while I just tried to keep him in sight. I was barely able to do that on the way through the loop 2-3 transition. I hoped I could pull another rabbit out of my hat on the last climb, but I only saw Josh one on the singletrack climb from 4-5 miles. I did see a porcupine climbing a tree though.

From 5-6 miles I just tried to run the smooth downhill as fast as possible and hope that Josh was just around the corner where I couldn't see him. He was around the corner, about 1 minute around it at the finish line.

Overall, I was pretty happy that I raced hard despite being tired, and Josh is a hell of a downhiller, so to be even that close to him in an up/down race makes me happy. It was good to see that Jim pulled out a good race. I know he's making me a better runner, and I hope I'm helping him.

A big thank you to Paul Kirsch for driving my sleep-deprived ass to VT after my late-night hi jinx. Paul is a glutton for punishment though since he's headed to a concert in Boston tonight.

Also a big thank you to Kasie Enman for putting on a great race and sharing all the trails in her backyard with the New England mountain running community. The 1/2 gallon of maple syrup was a nice touch too!

Splits: 6:47 5:37 8:28 6:02 7:53 5:34

Totals: 69.5 miles, 11.0 hours, butt-load of vertical. Another solid week. I was pretty tired all week, but that's a sign of good training. I need to be careful this week about getting plenty of sleep, eating right and staying hydrated so I don't put myself into a hole after the late night Saturday. 5 more weeks.

Training Week 4/30-5/6

M- 5.2 miles in 43:42 on the Lower Nanamacomuck with Double J. Legs were pretty beat. We took it easy, then iced our legs in the Swift River. I made it about 2 minutes, took a break, then went in for another 2 minutes.

Tu- 10.9 miles in 1:23:09 around the Trout Pond area and Pine Barrens with Jim. Felt much better today. Ice bath helped, I think.

W- 4 x Cathedral Ledge Rd. repeats (0.9 miles) 6:52 7:00 7:04 7:08. Pretty psyched with this workout. Two weeks ago I went out way too hard on the first one in 7:16 and had to dial back to 7:40's for the last two. These all felt way better this time. 7:12 = 8:00 pace, so they were still pretty quick, but in control. They were still a little harder than tempo effort, but I wasn't dying at the end of each one. 2.0 wu, drills and strides.

Th- AM: 8.8 miles in 1:00:49 from Jim's house over Eidelweiss, Modock Hill and Pound Rds. Hilly-ass loop and managed to average 6:56 pace for the whole thing. 1000 ft. of elevation gain.
PM: 4.0 miles in 37:41 with Roger and Jim after the KHS track meet. 5 barefoot strides after felt much better than the run itself.

F- 0 Bruised my right foot pretty good while trying to set a metal fence post at a volunteer function at work. I don't think I did any damage, but I decided to be smart and let it heal for the night. Plus, we had pizza and beer at Brennan's after, so I couldn't pass that up.

Sa- 7.0 miles up and down Black Cap in 59:51, 28:53 to the summit (2:02 PR, 8:15 pace).1.0 wu on flats. Hard effort. I was hoping to do a run this morning on the auto road with Paul, Leslie and Frank, but I didn't know how my foot would react to 4 miles of downhill running on pavement, so I headed to the Red Tail Trail. I am really pleased with this effort. I have only run this trail hard a handful of times, but when I have I was in pretty good shape. Also, the foot was completely fine, so I don't have to worry about that.

Su- 12.5 miles in 2:10:58 on the Flat Mtn. Pond Trail, bennett St. and Whiteface Intervale Rd. Nice run with Jim and Sam Wood. Quads were a little tired, but it was a quality run.

Totals: 58.6 miles, 8.30 hours. Not as much volume as the past two weeks, but I needed the easy day on Monday and the day off on Friday I had no control over. Body feels good though and got in some good workouts. I'm having fun with the mountain specific workouts and feel myself getting stronger with each one.

Bucket List

I've had this list floating in my head for a while. I thought I'd put it down on paper the web.

Running Races:
Boston Marathon - A must do for every runner, especially if you're from New England.
New York City Marathon - I'm not much of a city person, but big city marathons are pretty cool (other than the logistics).
Pikes Peak Marathon - I have always said I would never run this, but after having to turn around at mile 10 of the 2008 Ascent and run back down I decided that racing down the Barr Trail might be fun.
Western States 100 - The most prestigious ultra in the country and it covers some awesome terrain.
Leadville 100 - I've been through Leadville once and wasn't too impressed, but the race course looks beautiful.
White River 50 Miler - awesome course, great scenery and usually pretty competitive.
Dipsea Trail Race - A classic trail race in California with a unique age/gender handicapped start.
La Ciaspolada - The biggest snowshoe race in the world, in Italy (6,000+ finishers!)
Sierra Zinal - one of the European mountain classics

Other:
AMC Hut Traverse record attempt
Ski the American Birkbeiner XC ski race in Wisconsin
Ski the Tuckerman Ravine headwall - will probably never happen unless I work on my downhill ski skills and grow some gonads
Ski from the Mt. Washington summit to Pinkham Notch Visitor Center
Hike the length of the Appalachian Trail in NH as a thru-hike
Ski from my house to Canadian border on snowmobile trails (~200 miles?)

I am sure I should have something related to road or mountain biking, but I can't think of anything yet. Feel free to add any suggestions or post your list on your blog!