Going to keep the theme going, with mainly trail runs done on hilly, technical terrain. I've been able to rack up some decent vertical, and get some spectacular views in the process, and have fun doing it! I also, oddly enough, have another road race scheduled for the coming weekend, the Bolton Road Race 5-miler, which is where my friends Faith and Joe are tying the knot. Should be a good time! Meantime, looks like a slow work week for me, as our Meriden jobs are done, and the new gigs haven't started yet. So that means...more running! And all the stuff at the house that's backlogged, of course...
Monday - 5 Miles - Castle Craig ascent on the Mattabesett, descent on the White trail. My legs were tired after the Pachaug run, but my new Fellraiser shoes came in, and I got done with work early. What would you do? I cruised an easy pace on the paved path along the reservoir to where it meets the blue trail. Very windy! Even the reservoir had whitecaps. Once I hit the trail, I kept it pretty mellow, but steady, and got to the top where I was all by myself at the castle. I briefly ventured toward the North peak, but did the math and realized it'd take too much time. I also toyed with trying the "Kamikaze Trail Descent" again, but I'll save that for another day. Descended on White, which starts out sketchy but mellows out near the highway. Good "recovery" run with 800'+ of vert.
Tuesday - 4+ Miles - Devil's Hopyard, Haddam. Had the day off, and was in Waterford running errands, so a quick shot up 85 to Haddam was the call. 60 degrees and sunny? Shorts and a t-shirt weather, and I could have skipped the shirt. Started the mile long, rolling ascent to the vista, and was halfway there when I realized my watch was frozen, so I rebooted and carried on. Steady climbs (800'+ of vert), and I blasted the descents. Bettered my Strava CR's on two segments, including the short and brutal "Devil's Oven" segment. What a bitch, 140' scramble at 33% grade. Awesome. Great fun, and lots of people out on the trails today!
Wednesday - 5 Miles - Devil's Hopyard, Haddam. Went back for more, and chose a completely different route. Was so warm I got to rip off the shirt and try to get some Sun on my pasty white skin, much to the delight of all the hikers, I'm sure...also decided to get to 1000' and exactly 5 miles, and was dragging ass at the end of the run. This is turning out to be an interesting week!
Thursday - 3+ Miles - Lantern Hill. Ran down to Kelley's Pace to pick up more Tailwind (that shit is expensive, but awesome), and was going to run some mellow, flatter trails near there, but I somehow ended up at Lantern Hill. Swore to myself I'd take it easy? Cruised up to the top and felt pretty good, and decided to give the "Top to Bottom" segment a go. I know I beat it the first time, but I had paused my watch at the top and forgot to hit start, so I had to do it again. 3:31. That's about as fast as I can go on this section! Warm day, and great short run with another 700'+ of vert.
Friday - 0
Saturday - 12 Miles. Dog Jog, and Lantern Hill Beatdown. Faith was under the weather, so I decided to take the dog for a quick 2 mile trail run, then hit Lantern. I had never done more than 6 miles here, so I decided to hit 10. 5 times up and over the top should do it! The rock climbers there were actually keeping count, and cheering me on. Saw my first snake of the season (garter), which crossed my path on a rather narrow stretch of trail, and I startled a herd of huge turkeys on the lower trail. Caught a glimpse of a pileated woodpecker as well. 2000' of vert in 10 miles on technical trails. Sweet!
Sunday - 9 Miles? Dog Jog and Warmup/Bolton 5-Mile Road Race. I signed up for this as soon as I found out that Faith and Joe were getting married right before the race. How cool is that? I'd heard that this was a very hilly 5-miler, and I had no expectations, as my legs were tired from the week's runs. Met up with a number of friends and in no time, the wedding was on! Pretty awesome that friends and total strangers all came together to watch these two get married. Great turnout, too! I decided to do a warmup and just let my watch run when the race started. Saw Don and Beth lining up, and Don said he was running with Beth this race, and I joined them! What a fun, hilly race to do with friends. Loved the signs written on the first two hills, "This isn't the Hill," and "This isn't the Hill either." When you get to "The Hill" in the last mile, you know it's the one. Steep climb! Had lots of fun during the race with Beth and Don, and at the afterparty Faith had put together a really cool slide show of her and Joe. After that, I had to jet home, run the dog, and get the house ready to host a family dinner. Great day.
Mileage is coming up, as is the elevation gain. This week? 37 miles, and 6000' of vertical. Getting there!
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