No Escape

So, I guess I was built for long distance running after all …

I am what I am

If you’ve been following along at home (and that’s a huge assumption on my part) then you’ll be familiar with the troubles I’ve been having recently with my running. Since the latest comeback attempt began, my runs have been in the order of 4 to 8 miles long with most being right around 6 miles. And, the vast majority of them have been awful. When I say “awful” I mostly mean they were awkward, slow and not at all enjoyable. In fact, they were so bad that I recently considered a change of hobby - as seen here.

Biddeford Pool

Anyway, last week (while away on vacation) I attempted my first "long" run since early April. Of course, heading into it I was expecting much more of the same – except that the suffering would last twice as long! However, once I got going (much to my surprise) it was great! And, I’ll give you three guesses (and the first 2 don’t count) as to when it started feeling great. Yup, you’re right! Just past mile 6!

Fortunes Rocks Beach

I don’t know what happened, but after about 45 minutes of bumbling along the winding beach roads of Biddeford Maine, my body loosened up and everything just felt better. My stride lengthened, my turnover increased and my pace quickened. In short, I got into a regular running rhythm for the first time since the accident. Of course, with the lack of any real distance training, by mile 12 I was toast, but at least I know I can work on that.

And, now that I know what I am, it’s time for me to get back to the track and work on improving those first 6 miles!

Time Trials

So, it seems I’ve become a bike racer …

After 12 weeks of “serious” bike training (and almost no running) I decided to enter the Charlie Baker Time Trial. It’s a 9.75 mile bike race series that takes place in Concord, MA every Wednesday night in the summer and is put on by the Northeast Bicycle Club. And, conveniently, takes place on the very same roads that I bike on during my lunchtime rides from work.

Not me

Now, I have no misunderstanding about where I stand as a bike rider. I’m a novice with a capital “N”. I’ve been riding off and on for a little over 2 years - mostly when I’ve been injured from running. And, lately, that's been quite a lot! I love watching the Tour De France and the amazing riders that survive it. But, I have no idea how to maintain my bike and can barely name its various moving parts.

Nevertheless, I’ve been considering jumping into bike racing for a some time now. It’s been 4 months since my last running race and the competitive juices from doing road races still course through my body - even though my running fitness does not. And, the idea of doing a time trial (as opposed to an actual circuit race) appealed to me mostly because I wouldn’t have to worry about crashing into other riders around me. It’s just me, the road and the clock – What could go wrong?

A Crisis of Identical Proportions

Dear Abby,

I’m writing to you today because I fear that I’ve recently fallen out of love – with running. Yes, we’ve had some good times in the past - a nice race up Pack Monadnock, leisurely runs in the woods, one or two fast 5k’s, and a few good marathons. But, a recent string of physical setbacks has left me feeling defeated and uninspired. What once was great is now painful & joyless. And, I find myself asking the same nagging question: Is this relationship worth saving?

Walk With Me

Come walk with me and be my friend
We’ll hike the path until its end
The primal feat of strolling the wood
Our kindred exchange is pure and good

Who will guide and who will show
We each know much but much to know
Birch from maple, fir from hemlock
Worlds discovered along our walk

Exploring fields to expand our horizon
Seeking the truth and where it lies in
In nature the world diverges from the real
Perhaps in here we can start to feel

The sun is racing our time is at hand
We must share the load to cross the land
Treasures we'll find along our way
To take and pass to others someday

The journey begins as a simple act
We join together and make this pact
Though the road is long and the peak is high
Let us promise now to attempt to try


- I wrote this poem for my Dad a few years back and decided to unearth it again in time for Fathers Day. I think the Father/Son relationship is sometimes complicated by what we've been taught about what it means to be a "man" - because it gets in the way of what it means to be "human"! 

In any case, this poem was intended to break down some of those barriers. 
I love you Dad!

If you liked this poem, I have a few more here.

Unhappy Habits

Now that I’ve been spending more time on my road bike (and less time running), I’ve noticed a few annoying (and quite dangerous) habits exhibited by some local drivers. If you bike, feel free to nod your head and smile knowingly. If you drive, please don’t be one of these people.

An Opus for Opie

Before I met Matt Baldi, I met his sneakers - red, Converse “Chuck Taylors”, size 14. I had forgotten mine at home and desperately needed a pair for my freshman high school gym class. Another friend of mine had recommended that I borrow Matt’s since our feet were similar in size, or so he thought. I grabbed them from his open locker and quickly put them on only to discover they were about four sizes too big! Needless to say, gym class that day was a bit more interesting while wearing Matt’s “clown” shoes.

Status Report

Not a whole lot of running going on at the moment. It's been a little over a month since the hamstring incident and the only thing that's kept me from completely losing it is that I've been able to ride my bike. First with my mountain bike and now with my road bike I've been doing about 20 miles per day (in the rain) with a longer ride to come this weekend. It's not the same as running, but at least it gives me something to do (besides PT) while I wait for my injury to heal. Unfortunately, in the meantime, I am missing out on some of my favorite summertime running events: GCS Outdoor Track, The Pineland Farms 25k, and The Mount Greylock Half Marathon. Plus, I was hoping to finally have a go at the Hollis Fast 5k. Alas, twas not meant to be ...

Hopefully I'll be able to get back to running regularly sometime in June and maybe try a race in July or August. I really miss being part of the TEAM. Right now,  I just feel like one of the "invisible" injured.

Krummholz

Up in the mountains above the great north wood
There grows a tree where nothing else could
In a place where only the strong survive
This twisted wood has learned to thrive

Growing up close in groups of kin
They protect each other from the wind
Working as one against the cold
These trees can live to centuries old

Molded and shaped by ice and snow
That controls the pace they’re allowed to grow
Rebellious branches that go too high
Are quickly frozen and exposed to die

The bitter wind it is forced to fight
Is the cause of its irksome plight
Their seed is brought by the breeze below
Where its larger cousins are free to grow

From along the trail their look is rough
But a hikers friend when things get tough
They form a shelter in the wind
A place to rest and begin again

God bless the krummolz this alpine tree
A model of living for all to see
Its life may be hard from death to birth
But its view is unlike any other on earth

- Dedicated to my Mom who has been my shelter in the wind on more than a few occasions. Love ya' Mom!

If you liked this poem, I have a few more here.

Trail Maintenance

Here are some of the trails that I run on at lunch time ...

Trail Entrance

The Cathedral

The Farm

The Culprit

Sizing it up

The Bitter End

 Revenge is sweet. Petty, but sweet!

God's Country and the Devil's Thumb

Life is funny. There are moments when you feel so completely happy and at peace with the world. Then there are moments when you feel so unbelievably upset and angry at everything and everyone. The funny part is that often times, these two very opposite kind of moments occur in very close proximity to one another.

On Saturday, I went out for a long trail run with my friend Steve Wolfe. We headed over to the Wapack Trail in the Mondanock region of New Hampshire for a moderately challenging 16 mile round-trip jaunt from Temple Mountain over to the Windblown XC area and back. Steve’s getting ready for some serious trail races and I was just interested in having some serious fun. And, the Wapack Trail seemed like the best (and most convenient) venue for our exploits.

Better Off Red's

This past Sunday was the 30^th running of the Red’s Shoe Barn 5m. It’s now officially called the Red’s 5 Mile Road Race and 3 Mile Walk for a Better & Brighter Community, or something like that. But, I’m going to continue to call it Red’s Shoe Barn because the new name is just too lame. It’s sort of like calling the Boston Garden the TD North Center for the Indoor Sporting Arts or calling Fenway Park the Bank of America Stadium for Grassy Outdoor Events - it just doesn’t quite roll off the tongue.

Anyway, this was my 4^th time running Red’s and, like each of my 3 previous excursions to the mean streets of Dover, this race was expected to be a knock down, drag out, turf war that only the New Hampshire Grand Prix can provide. As the second race of the 2011 NHGP Series (and first scoring one) this race could very well set the tone for the rest of the season.

The Long and The Short of It

Recently I ran the longest and shortest road races I’ll be doing this year. And, just to make things interesting, I decided to run them on back-to-back weekends. The New Bedford Half Marathon was an early season goal race for me and much of my off-season training went into trying to uncork a good one. The Shamrock Shuffle 2m that followed, was entered as much for the parade (immediately afterwards) as it was for the race itself. Now, based upon that set-up, see if you can guess which of the two races went better. I’ll give you a hint...    ... neither.