Elevation: Week of 10-28 to 11-3

I joined an elevation challenge on Strava, so I'm going for hills this week, mostly on trails, I hope!  Monday marks day 3 of the 10 day challenge, and my goal is to get at least 1,000 meters for the week.  Should be able to pull it off,  and still have something in the legs for the Tarzan Brown race next weekend.  My second time running it, and I'm hoping to go sub-40 minutes for the 5.5 mile race.  Elevation also means helping to elevate my friends, and we'll be helping Nicole on Tuesday in her quest for her first marathon finish!

Monday, 10-28 - 2 Miles (Trails) - Lisbon cross country trails before Sophia's game.  The trails they use at their rec. area for XC are outstanding.  Unmarked, but clear, rolling singletrack, and just technical enough to make it interesting.  Good stuff!  Short on time, but worthwhile.

Tuesday, 10-29 - 20+ Miles (Road) - Pacing Nicole http://runningwhilemommy.blogspot.com/ for her last long run before the Philly Marathon.  Met at Nicole's place, along with Stephanie, who ran the first 4+ miles with us.  Rhode Island moment?  Stephanie just moved back to Rhody, and was a Chariho graduate, and went to school with a few of my WTAC brethren!  Small world, small state!  Nicole wanted to keep an 11 minute pace, so we went out a bit faster than that, even sub-10 for a while.  We chatted, hit our first water stop at mile 4 (Thanks Lori!), and met up with Jenn at mile 6-ish. Jenn was going to do 6, but ended up staying with us for the rest of the run.  Very impressive!

We ran all the way to the Point Judith lighthouse, paused for a photo op...

Trying to take a picture with my dumb phone...

...then turned around and headed back, straight into a brisk breeze for the next 7+ miles.  Nicole hung in there, and scored her longest run ever!  We were also able to finish the 20 in under 4 hours, giving Nicole a big confidence boost and a legit shot at finishing Philly in under 5...a good day!!!



Wednesday, 10-30 - 0 Miles - Planned zero after yesterday's 20-miler.  1 hour karate class with some kumite (sparring), self-defense and conditioning.  Good stuff.

Thursday, 10-31 - 3+ Miles (Trail/Road) - Lantern Hill short run.  I'd really like to get that 1K meter badge, and Lantern Hill is my best option for short, steep trail runs.  Bottom to top, it's about 300 feet of rocky, technical vertical gain.  Love it there:

Past the uprights, it's quite a long way down :)

Friday, 11-1 - 0 Miles.

Saturday, 11-2 - 5 Miles (Trail) - High Ledges section of Narragansett Trail with Jim.  Out and back from the Wyassup Lake boat launch, including a second for me run up the High Ledges segment.  Strava gipped me, though, as I was clearly faster on the second run, and had the same pace as the CR holder (Jonny), but 30 seconds slower?  And only 5 seconds faster than my first run?  I know the effort was definitely there, though.  Great scenery out there, just incredible, and some really good climbs/descents...

Wyassup Lake

High Ledges

Jim at High Ledges

Sunday, 11-3 - 7+ Miles (Road) - 38th Annual Tarzan Brown 5.5 Mile Road Race (and warmup/cooldown), Mystic, CT.  One of the bigger, more historic road races in the area...my result last year vs. this year:

2012 - 192nd Place (of 641), 42:32 @ 7:44 pace

2013 - 115th Place (of 715), 39:30 @ 7:10 pace

Couldn't be more happy with the results!  3 full minutes off last year...

Showed up to a chilly race day, and opted for a long sleeve shirt, hat and gloves.  Overdressed by mile 2!  Got to the race registration, and as I had to park 1/2 mile away, used the distance as a good excuse for a warmup.  Ran into a bunch of people before the race - WTAC'ers Paul G., Steve S., Jeff V., Way, BLS and more!  Glad to see Beth there, I knew she had a mental score to settle after last week...

Race starts, after some confusion about where to line up, and we're off!  I get boxed in and run my slowest mile before the crowd starts to thin.  Great support from the spectators at this race - especially the guy with the old-timey car horn at mile 1.5, and the people at mile 2.5 with the beers, who thought I was swooping in for a high five then realized I was trying to swipe a beer!  Laughs all around :)

I knew there'd be a tailwind after the turn, so my goal was to run smartly, negative-split the back end, and try to go sub-40 minutes.  Mission accomplished!  Came across at 39:30, exactly where I'd wanted to.  Getting pretty good at pacing correctly for goal times, and relying less on the running app and more on how I feel.  Cool stuff.  Was chatting with a number of people after the race, and realized Beth was due to cross the line.  Got there just in time, too!  Snagged two shots of Beth, pulling off a 49:52 @ 9:04, and looking strong at the line:

BLS, ya'll!!!

I was feeling blah about going out in chilly, cloudy and windy-ish conditions until I got there.  Had low expectations after a higher than average mileage week, and surpassed my goal!  Have one more little challenge to take care of tomorrow (elevation), and then chill until next weekend's 6 Hour Ultra!

Week of 10-21 to 10-27...Halloween Hot pursuit week!

From out of the Pumpkins run, in all its hilly 5K glory, to the HHP 5K and its utter flatness, this will be quite the running week.  I'm also slated to run some, most or all of my friend Nicole's last long run (20 miles) this Thursday, before she starts to taper before her first marathon next month.  Good times...the weather's also supposed to cool dramatically, which Mike B. should be thrilled about...

My previous times for this race are as follows:

2012:  25th of 98,   22:52 @ 7:52 pace
2010:  65th of 152, 25:28 @ 8:12 pace

Should be fun!

Monday, 10-21 - 3 Miles (Trails/Roads) - Beebe Pond Preserve trails and neighboring roads, Noank, CT.  My daughter's game was at a school bordering this preserve, which I've run once and had forgotten how technical parts of it were.  Gorgeous scenery around the pond, which is a saltwater pond bordering Beebe Cove, and I was able to make it to the trailhead, loop the pond and make it back just in time for the game...

Nice time to run the pond...

Scene from the trail...

Tuesday, 10-22 - 6 Miles (Roads) - Westerly/Pawcatuck roads, killin' time.  Dropped the wife's car off for an oil change, and got to it.  Easy, steady pace with a couple good hills tossed in, and the fast finish from the fishmonger on the hill to the service station...yeah, I said fishmonger!  Been waiting to drop that gem since our trip to England years ago.  Fishmongers rule.

Scenic fountain in Wilcox Park, Westerly...

Wednesday/Thursday, 10-23 and 10-24 - 0 Miles.  1 hour bruising karate class, and purposely took a zero today, in anticipation of running Nicole's 20 mile last long run on Thursday before her marathon taper.  Unfortunately, she has to take a few days off so the long run plans got scrapped for Thursday, so get well Nicole!

Friday, 10-25 - 6+ Miles (Trails) - Mt. Misery and more, Pachaug State Forest, with Jim H.  Temp read 34 degrees when we set out this morning, so out came the hat and gloves.  Nice brisk run in the woods on a bright, sunny day!

We're parked down there somewhere...

Saturday, 10-26 - 5 Miles - (Trails/Some Road) - Lantern Hill double up and back.  Started the elevation challenge with some good stuff.  Muddy did 14 on the Nehantic today, I feel stood up!  That's my turf...but I'm getting mine, so to speak.  Good elevation, then a super flat 5K tomorrow, should equal a PR?  It's on my mind, for sure...




Sunday, 10-27 - 7+ Miles (Roads/some Trail) - Warmup, Cooldown, and Charlestown FOP 5K "Halloween Hot Pursuit", RI. 

15th of 92, 21:02 officially, results here:

 http://www.coolrunning.com/results/13/ri/Oct27_Charle_set1.shtml

That's a PR!  It's also 1:50 faster than last year's result, and getting me dangerously close to the sub-21 minute 5K mark.  Pretty stoked, and have to say it was a great day all around for the WTAC, who had 9 of the top 15 spots?  Awesome.  Got to Ninigret Park plenty early, and ran most of the course with the crew as a warmup.  There was a brisk breeze blowing, but the Sun was out and 2 miles into the warmup I got a text that Beth was past the 20K mark at the Marine Corps Marathon...awesome!

The race started and I went out at a good pace - mile one was my fastest, but my splits were pretty even throughout.  The only blip on the radar was a dude wearing headphones who cut me off twice at the first "lollipop" loop right at the beginning of the race, another reason I'm against headphones...I finished well, although I could have started my kick sooner!  Good cooldown with the crew on trails at Ninigret, and good food served up after the race.  9th year of this race, and they said there will be a 10th year, so I'll definitely be there!  Great day :)

11th Annual Run For the Pumpkins 5K

10-20 - 6+ Miles (Road) - Warmup, race and cooldown, Pumpkins 5K!

I was slated to help with the setup/breakdown of this race, and as I could hear wind and rain late Saturday night, I was a bit worried about how things would be in the morning.  Woke up to bright sunshine, and a brisk breeze, and things looked perfect weather-wise.

Got to the sports complex and helped unload the cars, and still felt a bit chilly, but the Sun was out and I knew I'd warm up quickly during the race.

I'd decided that one of two things were going to happen:  I'd told Nicole that if she came down for the race, I'd try to pace her for a sub-30 minute 5K, which would be a huge PR for her, and a challenge for me to time it right.  Plan B, if she decided not to race, was to run a solid race and try to PR.  Nicole arrived and the plan was set, but after running most of the course as a warmup, I realized it was pretty hilly and the PR probably wouldn't happen.  I'd done the math, and knew what our numbers needed to be, and set my phone to call out every 1/2 kilometer.  I'm happy to say, everything went according to plan!

We went out faster than the pace we needed, hit the bigger hills in the middle and slowed, and coming in I knew it would be close, but would be a PR either way.  We came into the ball field complex with a little over a minute to go, and had to loop around the field to the finish line...Nicole came across at 29:53, a huge PR and under the 30 minute mark!  With lots of my WTAC friends waiting at the finish to cheer her on, it was a great finish.

So now she's beyond happy and a short time later, during the awards, Jeff calls out the 1st place finisher for her age group, and it's Nicole!  What?  So a PR, and a medal!!!  Great job, congratulations!!!

Bling!  Great race!

Pumpkins Run Week! Week of 10-14 to 10-20

5K race week, and race #24 for the year?  Looks like a perfect Autumn week ahead, foliage is almost peaking, the air is crisp and cool and feeling good...this weekend is the Run for the Pumpkins 5K, co-sponsored by the WTAC and the Town of Westerly.  Last year I missed this race because I was slogging my way through the Bimbler's race...so this will be an easier weekend, race-wise!

Monday, 10-14 - 9.5 Miles (Roads) - Local roads from the house.  Easy pace, cruising through the 'hood and checking out the Fall scenery.  Love living out here!

Spaulding Pond in Autumn

Tuesday, 10-15 - 5 Miles (Roads) - Westerly/Pawcatuck run.  Dropped off the car for an oil change, and did an easy run, with a fast-ish last 1/2 mile...picture perfect day.  And productive!

Wednesday, 10-16 - 1 Mile Trail Maintenance, 1 hour karate.  I had a good bruising karate class this morning, and before my daughter's soccer game I did a quick trail maintenance sesh on my part of the Narragansett Trail, which I'd run the week before and noticed some minor overgrowths and one small downed tree.  Hikers, no problem, but a trail runner could run into it...

Thursday, 10-17 - 14 Miles (Road) - Marathon training pacing run with Nicole Z., 'Gansett.  Well!  My friend and super-blogger Nicole, who writes the "Running While Mommy" blog  (http://runningwhilemommy.blogspot.com/), is training for her first marathon, and gave a shout out to anyone who'd like to join her for part of her 14-miler today.  I said sure!  Offered to do the whole 14 with her.  So I met her down in Narragansett, and we started at her place (way past NBX bikes), and hoofed it all the way past Monahan's Dock.  Nicole, apparently, is a rock star, as her friends provided a mobile aid station and met us with hydration at miles 7 and 10.  Awesome!  We kept a pace that was slightly faster than she was looking for, and hit 13.1 miles at 10 minutes faster than her Half Marathon PR?  We were able to talk running, motivation, race strategy, etc. and the miles went by quickly.  Great day!

Marathon Prep!  All smiles at halfway, me trying not to drop my drinks :)

Friday and Saturday, 10-18 and 10-19 - 0 Miles - Had a couple great days off hanging with the family, watching my daughter's soccer game, and taking a day trip to Salem, Mass., where the Halloween celebration is in full swing!  Great couple of days, and good weather...

Sunday, 10-20 - 6+ Miles (Roads) - The 11th Annual Run for the Pumpkins 5K, Westerly, RI.  - See separate writeup!

Week of 9-7 to 9-13 (Post Nipmuck Relaxation Week)

Ahhhh...the weight of Marathon Week and the weeks leading up to it has been lifted, the weather is becoming more Fall-like, and it's time to really enjoy the foliage, and running in New England in what I'd consider to be the best season of the year.  Cool, crisp and colorful runs, a distinct lack of bugginess in the woods, and generally easier conditions to run in.  I'm looking forward to some long trail runs and group runs, as well as some shorter races!  I survived another Nipmuck Marathon, so I'm good.  The recovery time was way less than last year's, too!  So let's take a zero on Monday and get some good times rolling...

Monday, 10-7 - 0 Miles (Obviously) - Slowly wandered around town, taking care of shit I'd blown off all last week...

Tuesday, 10-8 - 3 Miles (Trails/Roads) - Lantern Hill.  Cool day, and I went to drop off some junk at the transfer station but it was closed, soooo...Lantern Hill it is!  Three miles, gorgeous view, and I'd paused Strava at the transfer station for a second to check a message but forgot to turn it back on...whatever, it was a good run!

View from the bottom today...

...and from the top!

Wednesday, 10-9 - 3 Miles (Trail/Road) - Lantern Hill part 2.  I got gipped on the last stretch on the road the day before, and had to make a run to the transfer station anyway to get rid of some junk...so I did the Lantern run again.  Some kids up there rock climbing today with all their gear, and a couple of hikers to sneak up on...solid effort, I beat my CR for the big climb segment, and hammered the road section back to the truck.  Then hauled ass to the soccer field for Soph's game, which they won 4-1!  Good times :)



(Somebody just hit exactly 666 feet of honest, technical elevation for the week...cue the Iron Maiden reference in 3, 2, 1...)



Thursday, 10-10 - 4+ Miles (Trails) - Hell Hollow portions of Pachaug/Quinebaug trails, Sterling, CT.  Headed up to Sterling with Jim and did this loop, which was quite overgrown and narrow in a few places (see below) but very runnable in others.  Good trails, cool morning.  Lots of hunters' trucks parked in various places along the road, but after talking to a couple of them, turns out they're duck hunting, so their guns are pointed at the lake and not the trails.  We wore orange anyway and tried not to quack too loudly...

Narrow, but still runnable...

Now that's narrow...

Descent into Hell (Hollow)

Phillips Pond foliage

Friday-Sunday - 0 Miles - Decided to take a much-needed 3 days off!  Watched some baseball, some football, cooked a lot of food and ate it :)

30th Annual Nipmuck Trail Marathon

I had a couple of ambitious goals in mind for this year's race, as it was my first marathon ever last year at 6 hours 15 minutes.  I was shooting for 5:15 this year, or an hour faster, with a crazy target of 5:00 or better.  Mother Nature then proceeded to lay the smackdown on my targets, with a steady rain Saturday night into Sunday morning.  I got up at 5, everything already packed, and was out the door at 6.  It poured all the way to the race site, and I was getting really antsy about the weather.

Got to the race site, and met up with Seth and Jonny, and got my gear ready.  Stowed my drop bag along the trail under a branch, and lined up with the other lunatics.  When the race started, I was middle of the pack, and with any single-track trail race, it's tough passing anyone, so I just enjoyed the fact that the rain had let up, and got through most of the first 12 mile out/back with a pretty good time, and just after I crossed over to the second out/back, the sky opened up.  Like torrential.  This course has almost 2500' of elevation gain and it's technical, so it's no bargain on a bright sunny day, let alone this.  Total mudbath, and very slick with all the freshly fallen leaves.  I don't know how many people ended up dropping, but I can honestly say I considered it.  For a while, too.  A couple of dejected looking dudes passed me on their way to withdraw from the race, and it looked so easy...drop out, nice warm car, home early...but I kept fighting it off.  After my DNF at 20 miles at the TARC 50K, I needed to finish this.  It was raining, muddy, slippery and I was freezing, and I kept going.  Pretty damn happy about that, the conditions out there were as difficult as could be, and I was able to keep my head in the game.

Ran for a time with several different people, but finished the last 4 miles with this cool dude named Etienne, and we kept each other going.  No idea yet where I'd place, but I didn't care, because I beat the voices in my head, so to speak.  I shaved 30 minutes off last year's time, coming in 90th at 5:45 out of 136 finishers (188 registered), and in challenging weather/conditions.  Stoked!  Results here:

http://www.shenipsitstriders.org/RaceResults/Nipmuck/2013.pdf

Huge kudos to the many volunteers who braved the elements at the start/finish, and all the aid stations along the course.  You smiles and encouragement made it easier to get to the finish line!

I'm also blown away by the WTAC showing in New England this weekend.  Our team placed very high at Nipmuck, the Smuttynose Marathon, and the Ocean's Road 10K!  Great job, everyone!!!

Huddled under the tent for pre-race briefing...

I really needed one of those umbrella hats for the race...

Lining up, and checking laces!

Your #2 and #3 runners!  Jonny Miles and Rhody Seth!

Last, but not least, as I was about to leave, the RD's shouted "Hey!  Don't forget your finisher's award!"  The Shenipsit Striders had cut sections of log, painted a blue blaze on them to represent the blue-blazed trail system, of which Nipmuck is one, and attached a commemorative sign to denote the 30th running of the race.  Awesome, and heavy!!!

The award, and my filthy shoes...great day!