September update!

September...ah, Sweet September.  I'm usually in the midst of hurricane surf season, Fall running season, and enjoying the cooler weather.  No on all accounts!  No surf, my running has been cut down, and it's fuckin' hot out!  What the Hell is going on???

I'm gonna recap the last couple weeks, say a prayer to the running Gods and move on...

9/1-9/3 - 0

9/4 - Devil's Hopyard.  2+ miles on the drive home from the jobsite.  Reclaimed my "Devil's Oven" segment (sorry Duke!), and got some mental health time in the woods :)

9/5 - 0

9/6 - Taylor Swift run, 10 miles.  I set out from Weekapaug to meet Jim at the Westerly Beach, and we cruised out to Tay's place, choked down a stinger gel, and cruised back to WTB, where I dropped Jim and ran to Weekapaug.  Easy pace but painful.  (See forthcoming post).

9/7 - 9/8 - 0. Tuesday I woke up with a splitting headache, and as I've felt run down, sleepless, and had headaches for over a week, I finally went to my doctor.  She sent me right over to Westerly Hospital to get bloodwork done to test for Lyme disease.  Perfect.  Results in one week.

9/9 - Devil's Hopyard - 2+ miles again, I went a different route and it totally worked.  Great hills there!

9/10-9/12 - 0.  Work, travel and laying low before the Kismet race.  4 hour drive to North Conway.

9/13 - Kismet Cliff "Beast of the East" half marathon.

           So here it is:  I picked the perfect place to stay!  The Colonial Motel in North Conway.  Clean, helpful and friendly, and three minutes from the race start.  Room was super clean, the staff helpful, and I was totally set.

I awoke to fog, 55 degrees, rain, and no sight whatsoever of the mountains I'd be running...

Arrived early to find a hardcore crew already set up.  I grabbed my bib, saw Ryan and chatted with him for a bit, then spent time talking with Kristina, Tony, Lise, and some other awesome runners before the race began.

After the race start and a short run around Echo Lake, we all turn onto the Cathedral Ledge ascent, which is 400'-1500' and a flipping tease.  After that?  A short descent, then the nightmare ascent up North Moat.  It was raining, it was foggy, it was slippery as Hell.  I was alone for a long time (I can deal with being alone, but this wasn't fun!), and also wasn't aware that there are about a thousand false summits going up to the top.  It just kept going up!

I was nearing one of those false summits, questioning my sanity and qualifications for even being there, when I heard a runner behind me, approaching fast.  I shouted "Please tell me I'm not getting lapped!"  He replied "If it helps, I was in second place and took a wrong turn..."

He scampered up the hill and out of sight, and I continued on, alone and in the rain.  I was looking for a bright side at this point.  I was pretty sure I was in last place, pre-hypothermic (it felt like it), and looking at a 4-hour half marathon time.  What the Hell...

When I finally crested the actual summit of North Moat and began the descent, things got even more sketchy!  Ryan had mentioned that that side of Moat never gets Sun, and was always "greasy," in his words, and it had rained all night.  Imagine a slick granite slip n' slide that goes down for two miles, and you get the idea.  I slid on my ass, bushwhacked alongside the trail, and moved as well as I could...until I rounded a curve and saw fast runner dude (Ryan K.) helping a girl down the mountain.  Her name was Amber, and she'd rolled her ankle pretty bad.  I did the right thing and stopped, and helped with getting her down the slippery descent.  I'd thrown my cell phone into my CamelBak as an afterthought, and we pulled up the Race Director's number and called him to explain our situation.  We arranged to have transportation meet us at the Diana's Baths area.

The next couple hours were us getting down to level ground, walking Amber to the bailout near the stream, and getting out. Friends Ryan and Kristina and a couple other runners met us and we hitched rides back to the start/finish, where I DNF'd, but for good reason.  I'll be back next year, this race is badass and had far too few runners for what it was, which was, in the words of runner Tony, who I met at the start, "Everything the White Mountains has to offer in a race."  7 Sisters was a breeze compared to this race.  Yes, I said it.

No soapbox moment here, but hey:  people passed this runner, who was obviously in distress, and she was too polite to stop them during the race.  If you see a runner who's slowed to a crawl, just a quick "How's it going?" may be enough for them to say "Not so hot."  Then you stop and see if maybe they need help.  All I'm saying...

9/14 - 9/17 - 0 Miles.  Found out I tested positive for Lyme Disease.  Started at a new jobsite in East Granby, CT, and started a round of Doxycycline.  Job is right up the street from the Metacomet Trail, across the street from the "Rails to Trails" paths, and unless I can stay out of the Sun, I ain't checking out shit.  The Sun, it's not my friend:

No Girl Scouts were harmed during the making of this blog...

9/18 - 5 Miles.  Oil Change special, Westerly.  A rare (these days!) day off meant testing a few things.  Dropped off my truck for service, then ran to Wilcox Park in Westerly, a scenic downtown park with tons of shade where I could get some "time on feet" and assess my current fitness, based on my lack of miles lately and 4 days into Doxycycline meds.  I took it easy and ran until my truck was ready, 5 miles.  Slow but faster by the mile.  Good sign, longer run tomorrow.

9/19 - 12 Miles.  Run from the house to Green Falls, running the Narragansett, then run home!  I was able to stay in the shade for almost the whole run, and had an entirely enjoyable trail run around the Green Falls area.  and did the entire portion from the state line to the Groton Sportsmen's Club, and some extra.  Took Tom Wheeler toward home, until I saw my wife's car at my sister-in-law's place and called it a day.  My wife made me sit on the dog's tarp in her car for the ride home, like a sweaty dog...

9/23 - 5 Miles.  Lantern Hill Double.  Good effort, great weather!

9/27 - 5 Miles.  White Rock Cruisin' with Jim.  Jim's daughter was at the local skate park, We set out on roads, and discovered some unmarked trails nearby to explore!  Warm day, too!

9/30 - 3.5 Miles.  Day Pond State Park.  Misty, humid, and slick trails, but damn did it feel good to break up the drive home, and it's right off the highway...I'll be back for some more!

So that's September.  I'm gonna forget about it and move on.  Lowest miles in years, got Lyme Disease (goddam tick bastards!), DNF'd a mountain race, and all work and very little play made me a dull boy.  Hoping to get back on track in October!