TARC Places

I should have known better …

After almost 18 years of running and racing experience, I know damn well that I have

trouble running in the heat. Throw in some hills (and some stupid decisions) and it’s a down home recipe for disaster. As evidenced two years ago at Boston, last year at Bear Brook and every year at Yankee Homecoming. The TARC 50 was going to be different, however. Why? Because I was approaching this race as a structured training run with friends as I prepared for my first 100 Miler in October. Unfortunately, my competitiveness (and my stupidity) got the better of me and my structured training run turned into a steaming hot mess.

I suspect (and hope) that this story will be amusing to everyone who is not named me…

I Heart Biking

Yup! Believe it or not, I was a biker WAY before I was a runner…

My love affair with biking started 40 years ago when my family moved from a very bike-unfriendly Lawrence, MA and settled in suburban Salem, NH. Back then, I would take my Huffy 3-speed up the street to my friend’s house, or through the woods to an adjoining neighborhood. I beat the crap out of that thing. Doing jumps on built-up plywood ramps and throwing it up (and down) the bulkhead stairs of my cellar.

Redemption Run

I signed up to run the 2014 Pineland Farms 25k Trail Race for one reason. I wanted a shot at redemption.

I first started coming up to New Gloucester, Maine for this trail running festival back in 2010 and have loved it ever since. Unfortunately, the last couple trips to the Pine Tree State have been less than kind to me. Two years ago, this roller-coaster of a course did a number on my knee. Last year it was the mud (and my calf) that did me in. This year, I was determined to avenge my recent losses, conquer the course and once again get back down under that elusive 2-hour barrier.

Give A Little Bit

This past weekend I had the great pleasure of seeing my son Casey graduate from College. It was a bitter sweet moment for me as I am so very proud of the man that he has become. But, at the same time, I know that his path of life will soon be leading him elsewhere.

He and I have been through an awful lot together. So many ups and downs over the years. But we made it through in one piece. I was barely 23 when he was born and most of what I learned about being a Father I learned first with him. He was the trailblazer. And still is.

Congrats Casey!

I love you.

And always will.

Back to Pack

This past weekend I ran a 1:24:08 at the Pack Monadnock 10m. That time was good enough for

51st place overall and 11th in my age group. And, beyond that, there really isn’t a whole lot more to say about my race. I never really felt all that great and I never really felt awful. I was just sort of …meh.  I was definitely at my limit in terms of overall effort, but never felt comfortable during any of the climbs and never really managed to clock any fast miles, or gain any significant ground.

Going in, I had hoped to get a bit closer to (or even dip under) 1:20, but since I’ve done no speed or hill-specific workouts all year, it’s not terribly surprising that I didn’t meet that goal. I did this race partly because it was in the NH Grand Prix, but mostly because I deferred last years refunded entry fee to this year. So basically, I ran because I paid for it and not because I trained for it. And it showed in the results.

Classic Rocked

I went into this year’s TARC Spring Classic 50k trail race with fairly low expectations.

All I hoped to do was run the 31 mile course in 4 ½ hours, or less. That’s it! And, to do that, all I needed to do was to average 8:42/mile (nearly 2 minutes per mile slower than my road marathon PR), or 54 minutes for each of the five 10k loops.  Easy, Right? I'd run the course twice previously during training. The first time, I ran it in 55 minutes, while navigating and pausing at nearly every turn to look at my map. The second time, I ran it comfortably in 52 minutes. So, 54 minutes per lap seemed more than reasonable. Of course, that was before the rain made a mess of everything!

12 Thangs

12 things I learned while running and vacationing in Florida, at Disney World, in late April.

1. It's pretty much hot and muggy down here all the time. Even in the middle of the night. If I lived in Florida, I would not be a runner. I'd be a diver.

2. For the most part, there are two choices for running surfaces. Concrete (filled with cars) and thick, wet, grass.

3. If you're lucky, you can find an area of well-manicured grass. As long as you don't mind dodging hail the size of ...well ...golf balls.

4. If you're not lucky, the thick, wet grass will also contain snakes.

5. The best place to run, if you like trails, is directly below the monorail. Flat, smooth and well draining. Just make sure to stop when the monorail crosses a Lagoon.

6. People in Florida don't seem to mind guys with beer bellies and wearing stretched out (and stained) wife-beater t-shirts.

7. They do however, mind sweaty, shirtless, delirious but fit guys wandering around their hotel lobby muttering "I need electrolytes".

8. Be prepared for the "normal" tourists to look at you (while you are running outside) like you have two heads. Also, smiling doesn't help.

9. Even if you are really, really, thirsty, don't drink the pale yellow Gatorade from the Pepsi bottle that you find on the side of the road.

10. Palm fronds make for poor toilet paper.

11. Thunder / Lightning storms are excellent motivators for running quickly.

12. Walt Disney lied. It's NOT a small world, after all. Disney is freaking massive!

Borrowed Time

When I was 17 years old I had a life-changing experience. And, if it wasn’t for a bit of dumb luck, or divine intervention, it very well could have been a life-ending experience. Since then, and for the last 28 ½ years, I’ve always felt a little like I’m living on borrowed time.

This story begins, as many great ones do, with a journey…

In the fall of my senior year in high school I took a trip to Upstate New York with my friends – Steve & Matt. And even though it happened almost three decades ago, I remember the details like it was yesterday. It wasn’t just memorable because these were my two best friends in the whole world. Or, because I was just one week removed from my first real kiss. Or, because this was the first time in my life that I'd be on my own, away from home. This trip was memorable because… we ALMOST didn’t make it back!

Doin' Work

Since we’re just past the quarter pole for the year (and for the 100 Mile Training Plan) I thought I’d post a quick progress report this week…

So far in 2014, I have run 1025 miles (in 15 weeks) which works out to be just over 68 miles a week. I have been building miles slowly – both in terms of weekly mileage as well as mileage in my back-to-back weekend long runs. This week I got up to 80 miles total, with 40 of those on the weekend - Saturday (20.5) and Sunday (19.5).

This 40-mile weekend represents my biggest 2-day training session since I did 64 miles last June during my Summer of 48. The biggest difference, however, is that these miles were done at a MUCH faster pace than last years “hiking” miles.  The 64 miles I did last year were covered in just over 20 hours – or 18:45 min/mile. The 40 miles I did this weekend were run in 5 hours and 17 minutes – or 7:55 min/mile. Of course, there was just one mountain this weekend, not eleven like last year!

Cape or Apron?

As a father of a 4-year old boy, I live in a world filled with Cars, Legos and Superheroes.  That’s just the way it is in our house.  If he’s not loudly playing with one, he’s crashing together the other.  Sometimes, when he’s in a particularly boisterous mood, it’s all three going at once!  He’s been both Batman AND Superman for Halloween.  And, his last two birthday party themes have been Spiderman and Ninja Turtles.  So, it’s safe to say that, as a Dad, I have some pretty big (super?) shoes to fill!

Anyway, there is also another side to my son - a softer side.  It’s not always apparent, but in his quieter moments he can be quite caring to his stuffed animals. He cradles, feeds and changes his baby dolls.  And, he absolutely loves playing house.  One day, when he thought I wasn’t looking, he turned his superman cape around and was wearing it like an apron while working away at the play kitchen.   And it struck me, just how deeply symbolic that little gesture was.

Anyone can play superman - flying around town wearing figurative tights and a cape.  Leaping over tall problems in a single bound, defeating evildoers everywhere, righting wrongs, while saving the day (and presumably mankind) from chaos and destruction.  But, it takes a real man to turn that cape around and get down to the true superhero business - caring for your children.  Feeding them, dressing them and tending to their needs.  Listening to them, loving them and making sure that they understand you are there …just for them.

Pretty big lesson to be taught by a pretty small kid. Don’t you think?

Mile One

I have run nearly 300 miles this month and I can say, without a doubt, that the hardest of them all is ALWAYS the first one.

During the week, I typically run at lunchtime and you’d think that would make starting easier. Give the body some time to wake up, have breakfast, coffee, mid-morning snack, more coffee, bathroom break, hydrate and go. Easy. Right? Well, not so much. You see, I have a desk job. So, I’m pretty much going from stationary to 7 min miles in the time it takes for me to get dressed. And during that first mile, my legs let me know, quite loudly in fact, that they don’t appreciate the sudden change of pace. Easy does it, desk jockey!

Grinding Away

I signed up for the TARC Spring Thaw in early January with the hopes that, come mid-March, the weather would be warmer, the snow would be melted and there would be plenty of lovely dirt trails to run on. Wrong. Wrong. And WRONG! The stark race-day reality was a cold slap in the face courtesy of a brisk 20 degree day (with 15 mile per hour winds) deep snow pack and almost no dirt to speak of. Oh, well. I suppose 6 hours of slipping around on snow and ice must be worth something!