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.

A Sort of a Homecoming

14 years ago this week I started this crazy adventure called running. When I began, I had no idea where it would take me. All I knew was that I needed to get out, get away and do something. Because, when you feel like you’ve lost all control, “something” is a heck of a lot better than nothing! At the time, there were troubles on the homefront and it seemed like the world was crashing all around me. I needed a way to release the stress and tension of the day, to have some time and space to myself, to clear my head and refresh my spirit. So, I went for a walk.

No Shoe-In

This winter, I made a few New Years running resolutions. You know, the usual: “Lose Weight, Get Stronger & Get Faster”. I also made another resolution: “Do more snowshoe racing”. Fortunately, the decision to do the last thing, made accomplishing the first three things so much easier. Although, when I first started out, it sure didn’t feel that way!

Feeling Good & Frozen

It’s been about a month since I finished getting over my latest cold. So, as a result, I’ve gotten about 4 weeks of solid (un-interrupted) training under my belt since then. My weekly training regimen during that 4-week span has typically included: one long run of 16-18 miles, one hill repeat session, one snowshoe run, one cross train (gym) day, two recovery road runs in between and a race of some sort.

Last weekend, my race day took me to Lyndeborough, NH and the Feel Good Farms 5m snowshoe race. FGF was quite an event. Racers are sent up and over Moose Mountain twice, with a total elevation gain of about 1500+ feet. Then, if that were not enough, they are asked to do the same loop again, just to be mean. Adding insult to injury was the 2 feet of fresh powder they (we) would have to trudge through on each loop.

Olde Salem Greens 5k

This past Saturday I headed down to Salem Massachusetts for the Olde Salem Greens 5k snowshoe race. This would be my second snowshoe race ever and first in almost two years. Weather prognosticators had been telling us all week that a snowstorm arriving on Friday and lasting into Saturday would leave 6+ inches on the ground making for some ideal racing conditions. Unfortunately, they were completely wrong and the first (and only) snowflakes that fell occurred during the last mile of the race.

Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground

Even though November contains both my birthday (the 17^th) and one of the year’s best holidays (Thanksgiving) I still think it has to be just about the dreariest month on our calendar. The fun and frolic of Halloween has given way to the somberness of All Souls Day. The October explosion of leafy color has long since passed and all that remains is the gathering of their decaying carcasses. A return to standard time leaves us wandering around in the dark and the cold. But, the snow has not yet come to brighten our spirits and start us thinking about fun winter-time activities. 

A Slight Tactical Error

This past Sunday I headed up north for the 25th Annual White Mountain Milers Half Marathon. Despite the word mountain in its name, it’s actually a pretty flat race. In fact, the state record for the fastest NH half marathon (1:05:42) was run on this course by Dave Dunham back in 1989 when it was called the Joe Jones Half Marathon. I personally hadn’t a run a half marathon in nearly a year and a half. So, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. But, I did know that this race might be the perfect opportunity to lay down a fast time.

Despite my still being in marathon recovery mode since Clarence, I’d run a couple good workouts recently. I’d done a speedy 10 mile progression run (started in 7:15 & finished in 6:00) in 1:07 flat (6:42 pace) and a 4 mile trail run (in XC spikes) in 25:08 (6:17 pace). So, I knew there was some speed to be had now that my overall mileage was down. The question was, would my sore knee & tight hamstring hold up for the full 13.1 miles.

A Walk in the Park

Warning: This post is not for the faint of heart. :)

Despite what you may think, the title of this blog entry does not mean that my recent 26.2 mile “adventure” was easy. In fact, what the title refers to is what I was doing during mile 20 of the Clarence Demar Marathon – which just happens to occur in Wheelock Park.

The day started off well enough. My son Casey & I headed out the door super early (5:30am) for the ride over to Keene. A scant 1 hour later we were at the Keene State gym picking up my bib number and a few moments after that I was on a school bus riding up to the 8:00am start in Gilsum. Gotta’ love those low key marathons. No expo, no pasta dinner, no long porta-potty lines, no waiting at the start for hours, and no ridiculous entry fees! Just get off the bus and run.

Pre-Race Psych(e)

The hard work has been done. All the miles, all the hills, all the repeats, all the tempos – they are over now. All that’s left to do at this point is stay loose, stay patient and wait for race day. It’s taper time. I’ve run 18 marathons and it just doesn’t seem to get any easier. The only thing that’s changed over the years has been my expectations.

Boston Marathon

When I first started running marathons it was just about completing them. Then once I did that, it was about breaking 4 hours, then 3:30, then 3:15 and then finally 3:10 (to qualify for Boston). Now it’s all about that elusive (and hallowed) 3 hour mark. To me, a sub 3 hour marathon on your resume means you’re serious about running and you know what the heck you are doing. I know it’s not going to get me a shot at the Olympics, or even any prize money, but running a 2:xx marathon would mean for me that (after all these years) I’m a real, good, long-distance runner.

Baystate Marathon

The last time I ran a marathon I came so very close to breaking 3 hours. If it weren’t for an insanely strong head wind in the last 4 miles of the 2008 Baystate Marathon my 3:00:22 might well have been a 2:59:xx and who knows what I’d be doing with myself this coming weekend. But, as it is, I’m preparing for the 33rd Annual Clarence Demar Marathon in Keene, NH with the hopes of having another shot at sub-3.

Clarence Demar

Regardless of what happens on Sunday, I know that I’ve worked really hard this year to get myself back into racing form and that form won’t be disappearing anytime soon. It seems like it's been a very quick 8 months since I started running again - after that 16 week layoff due to my knee injury. The fitness (and confidence) that I’ve gained in that recovery time has been worth every step – sub 3 or no sub 3. And, the new-found appreciation that I now have for running (and the fortunate ability to do so) will stay with me for a long time to come.

My Biggest Fans

So now I sit here (munching on my celery sticks) thinking about what race day will bring and what life will be like after Sunday. And, while there is much that I don’t know, I do know this: When I get home from the race I’ll have a wife that will want to hear all about it, an older son who will text me (from college) that he loves me, an older daughter that will give me a great big hug, a younger daughter that will want to wear my finishers medal and a younger son that will smile and probably poop himself. In other words, life will be pretty good!

Oh, and here’s a fun video clip I ran across recently during all my free time from training. Enjoy!

 

40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes