So that's a wrap for 2016's running, and while I didn't run nearly as much as I'd hoped for, I feel like my runs were quality over quantity. I've been switching over to almost all trail running from roads, and unless it's a run with friends or for some special reason, I really just prefer trails! In fact, I closed out the year with back-to-back 10-milers on wet, icy trails with friends on this holiday weekend.
I was fortunate enough to be able to do some minor traveling for races, and the plan is for that to continue into the New Year! I've already entered (and booked lodging for) every big race I'm planning for? Already??? Yup, all the way through late September, my dance card is full, including a Skyrace and a 100-miler :)
So...here's some quick stats to sum up 2016:
Miles: 1197 vs. 1022 last year (Way low, hoping to fix that)
Runs: 233
Hours run: 236
Elevation gain: 126,299' vs. 68,402 last year (Very proud of this number! When you consider that almost all my running is on hilly, technical trails, getting this amount of vertical gain on such a low number of miles is pretty cool. It's also way higher than any other year by a longshot!)
Races: 18 (6 road, 12 trail) - 8 less than 2015. Every road race I did was for a specific reason (RD is a friend, great cause, etc), and I'll continue that trend for the coming year. Otherwise, it's all trails!
Longest race: 50 miles. The Cayuga Trails 50 was my first 50-mile attempt, and I did it! It was very warm, and a long day with many DNFs, but once I got through the mile 37.5 aid station, I knew I had it locked in. Awesome day on a beautiful course, made new friends, drank from a waterfall mid-race, and the volunteers were incredible! Already signed up again, and now I know what to expect...
Toughest race: Kismet Cliff "Beast of the East" 1/2 Marathon. Almost 5,000' of technical climbing, it kicked my ass, and caused me to withdraw from my next two races. Brutal!
Best performance: Breakneck Point? Another tough race, I managed 3:37 for the 1/2 Marathon, with 4500'+ feet of climbing. Felt really good at this race, and comfortable with the terrain...
Worst performance: Ghost Train 100. I went in undertrained, didn't judge the conditions right, and it all fell to shit after mile 20. I made it to 45 miles and pulled the plug. Not a good day, although I did meet some really cool people and got to see my friend Claire destroy the course!
Sooo....
Predictions for 2017:
1500+ miles. Needs to happen.
Sub 6:00 mile. Maybe? I've been close, but not in a while.
Sub 20:00 5k. Have to check this box, I've been close enough that it has to happen.
7 Sisters sub 3:00. Yes.
CT50 Course PR. It's a go!
Complete first 100 mile race...not giving up on this, I know I can do it...
I've also spaced out my races enough to allow for recovery, and scheduled everything accordingly. Gonna be smarter about training! (Beth rolls eyes, says "yeah, right!")
Race tomorrow!
---Crutch
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Monday, December 12, 2016
Coolin' Things Down: Week of 12-5 to 12-11
We're about to get a nice swift blast of cold air this weekend, to wake us from the sweet slumber of a mild season thus far. I'm hoping that my workload drops off soon (sometime before Christmas would be nice)! Right now we have three separate jobs going in three different towns, and I never know where we're going until that morning...and we finish up late enough that I'll either have to start running with a headlamp, or force myself to use the treadmi...never mind, that ain't happening...
Monday - 0.
Tuesday - 9 Miles. Run from the Jealous Monk to Enders Island (where there's actual monks?) and back, Mystic. Monk2Monk2Monk run! Our job materials came in damaged, so an impromptu shortened day called for making the most of the time I had! Kind of a novelty run, but fun nonetheless, and included a trail section at the beginning and end of the run. Great day for it as well :)
Wednesday - 0.
Thursday - 6+ Miles. Westerly run with Paul G. Met up at the Y and ran with Paul, and even persuaded him to hit a short section of trail midway! Awesome day, and as we were both lacking motivation, I'm glad we got out there!
Friday - 0.
Saturday - 11 Miles. Cockaponsett trails with Eric and Faith. Cold, but great run with these guys! Eric and I are partners in crime for the Yeti race in September, and I may be pacing Faith at the Vermont 100...
Sunday - 0.
Monday - 0.
Tuesday - 9 Miles. Run from the Jealous Monk to Enders Island (where there's actual monks?) and back, Mystic. Monk2Monk2Monk run! Our job materials came in damaged, so an impromptu shortened day called for making the most of the time I had! Kind of a novelty run, but fun nonetheless, and included a trail section at the beginning and end of the run. Great day for it as well :)
Wednesday - 0.
Thursday - 6+ Miles. Westerly run with Paul G. Met up at the Y and ran with Paul, and even persuaded him to hit a short section of trail midway! Awesome day, and as we were both lacking motivation, I'm glad we got out there!
Friday - 0.
Saturday - 11 Miles. Cockaponsett trails with Eric and Faith. Cold, but great run with these guys! Eric and I are partners in crime for the Yeti race in September, and I may be pacing Faith at the Vermont 100...
Sunday - 0.
Monday, December 5, 2016
RI 6hr Ultramarathon, Li'l Rhody Runaround, and other Odds and Ends
Behind on the blog? I know I'm not the only one! This is quick, somewhat disjointed recap of the last month or so, and my work schedule is really wrecking my game at the moment, lots of demolitions and long days. Too busy right now...not liking it at all, the jobs are stacking up (3 active jobsites right now), and something's gotta give.
RI 6hr: I'm pretty sure this was the most fun I've had at this race, and I always have fun at this race! The forecast was good, but ended up perfect. My fitness level is in a plateau right now, but who really cares? I'm not injured, just busy. I'm doing these races for fun, with friends, and I still managed to bang out almost 30 miles under the cutoff. I also brought my stash of fancy beers to swap and give away to people, which always adds extra fun to the event!
I arrived early and got checked in, and chatted with a bunch of friends (and swapped beers) before realizing I needed to suit up and get my gear stowed along the race path. I had a bag with extra changes of shirts, hats, and gloves (I used them all this time!), as well as a cooler packed with Tailwind-mixed water bottles (used them all as well).
My friends Nicole and Adam were doing the race as their first Ultramarathon attempt, and I was happy that they were giving it a go, and slightly stressed that I may have talked them into it...but I was excited for them! It's kind of a big deal to do something like this. Saw Nicole, checked in with her and she was pumped up for the race. Looked for Adam, and found him right before the horn sounded. He was excited and said he was totally undertrained for the race, as was I, but what the Hell, why not give it a go, right?
Leslie brought a crew from 603 Racing to compete in the relay, and Steve B. rounded up a group from Rhode Runner, which meant there were gonna be lots of fast people flying by the solo runners. Awesome!
After race director Bob Jackman addressed the crowd, the solo runners and first wave of relay runners were off! I started toward the back, and found myself anxious to get moving, so I sped up and around bunches of people, and fell in quickly with TNT friend Jake, who was the only runner in the field who'd done all eight years of the race! We chatted, and although we were moving much faster than my target pace (or his, he had a spreadsheet with target times), I felt good and we stayed together for the first three loops, about 8 miles.
After that? I peeled off, as Jake was on a mission, and cruised loops 4-5. Friend and TNT runner Rachel had texted me about pacing, and was able to join me for loops 6 through 9, which was a huge lifesaver, as my legs were not at all happy with my starting pace. She was very patient, and after running 4 loops with me, I was on my own to close it out. Got through lap 10, and going out for lap 11 I knew I was gonna be done, and probably wouldn't have time anyway for #12. So I got 29.7-ish miles in 5:44, pretty respectable!
Adam did awesome, and finished his first Ultra well, as did Nicole, who I got to see right after she crossed the finish line, realized she was at 29.7 miles, and did another .3 to get an even 30. Nice work, so proud of how far she's come!
Rhode Runner won the relay, with the 603 finishing second. Fast runners on both teams!
And that's it! The last 6hr, but I'm sure there's something in the works to take its place...
The following week, I did some short runs at Yawgoog and Lantern Hill, leading up to the Li'l Rhody race. I'd decided to not "race" the race, but rather run it with friends and enjoy the time at the event...
25th Annual Li'l Rhody Runaround: I showed up to a chilly, windy morning, and quickly chatted with a number of friends, exchanged some beer, and meandered about. Got changed up right before the race, and lined up in a sea of blaze orange! Cruised the course with friends instead of racing, had a great time, and helped out with cleanup afterward. 8 Miles in 1:23, or something like that? Totally enjoyable run, and fun afterparty at Jonny's house! O'Dell even brought growlers of fancy beer from the 603!
Friday, 11-25 - 2.5 Miles. Yawgoog out/back. My #OptOutside run. Having worked retail and customer service industry jobs for years, I have no intention of ever going near a mall on the weekend after Thanksgiving. 'Nuff said.
Saturday, 11-26 - 11+ Miles. Metacomet Madness run with Russ and Niki, Simsbury. Russ and Niki invited me to run with them, and as I'd never run with them before, I made sure I was there! A great 11+ miles in the misty, cool air, very hilly and technical, sometimes rainy and lots of fun. Totally worth the trip, can't wait for the next one!
Sunday, 11-27 - 9 Miles. Yawgoog/Green Falls Birthday run with Joe, Faith and Jim H. Gorgeous, chilly morning for a birthday run, and we had a muddy blast on the trails out there!
Planning on getting out for a run on 12/6, as I'm currently on one of the longest forced breaks I've had since I started running! Even the weekends have been jammed with family obligations, holiday stuff, etc...This is bullshit, I'm not even injured! I'll see you cats out on the trails :)
RI 6hr: I'm pretty sure this was the most fun I've had at this race, and I always have fun at this race! The forecast was good, but ended up perfect. My fitness level is in a plateau right now, but who really cares? I'm not injured, just busy. I'm doing these races for fun, with friends, and I still managed to bang out almost 30 miles under the cutoff. I also brought my stash of fancy beers to swap and give away to people, which always adds extra fun to the event!
I arrived early and got checked in, and chatted with a bunch of friends (and swapped beers) before realizing I needed to suit up and get my gear stowed along the race path. I had a bag with extra changes of shirts, hats, and gloves (I used them all this time!), as well as a cooler packed with Tailwind-mixed water bottles (used them all as well).
My friends Nicole and Adam were doing the race as their first Ultramarathon attempt, and I was happy that they were giving it a go, and slightly stressed that I may have talked them into it...but I was excited for them! It's kind of a big deal to do something like this. Saw Nicole, checked in with her and she was pumped up for the race. Looked for Adam, and found him right before the horn sounded. He was excited and said he was totally undertrained for the race, as was I, but what the Hell, why not give it a go, right?
Leslie brought a crew from 603 Racing to compete in the relay, and Steve B. rounded up a group from Rhode Runner, which meant there were gonna be lots of fast people flying by the solo runners. Awesome!
After race director Bob Jackman addressed the crowd, the solo runners and first wave of relay runners were off! I started toward the back, and found myself anxious to get moving, so I sped up and around bunches of people, and fell in quickly with TNT friend Jake, who was the only runner in the field who'd done all eight years of the race! We chatted, and although we were moving much faster than my target pace (or his, he had a spreadsheet with target times), I felt good and we stayed together for the first three loops, about 8 miles.
After that? I peeled off, as Jake was on a mission, and cruised loops 4-5. Friend and TNT runner Rachel had texted me about pacing, and was able to join me for loops 6 through 9, which was a huge lifesaver, as my legs were not at all happy with my starting pace. She was very patient, and after running 4 loops with me, I was on my own to close it out. Got through lap 10, and going out for lap 11 I knew I was gonna be done, and probably wouldn't have time anyway for #12. So I got 29.7-ish miles in 5:44, pretty respectable!
Adam did awesome, and finished his first Ultra well, as did Nicole, who I got to see right after she crossed the finish line, realized she was at 29.7 miles, and did another .3 to get an even 30. Nice work, so proud of how far she's come!
Rhode Runner won the relay, with the 603 finishing second. Fast runners on both teams!
And that's it! The last 6hr, but I'm sure there's something in the works to take its place...
The following week, I did some short runs at Yawgoog and Lantern Hill, leading up to the Li'l Rhody race. I'd decided to not "race" the race, but rather run it with friends and enjoy the time at the event...
25th Annual Li'l Rhody Runaround: I showed up to a chilly, windy morning, and quickly chatted with a number of friends, exchanged some beer, and meandered about. Got changed up right before the race, and lined up in a sea of blaze orange! Cruised the course with friends instead of racing, had a great time, and helped out with cleanup afterward. 8 Miles in 1:23, or something like that? Totally enjoyable run, and fun afterparty at Jonny's house! O'Dell even brought growlers of fancy beer from the 603!
Friday, 11-25 - 2.5 Miles. Yawgoog out/back. My #OptOutside run. Having worked retail and customer service industry jobs for years, I have no intention of ever going near a mall on the weekend after Thanksgiving. 'Nuff said.
Saturday, 11-26 - 11+ Miles. Metacomet Madness run with Russ and Niki, Simsbury. Russ and Niki invited me to run with them, and as I'd never run with them before, I made sure I was there! A great 11+ miles in the misty, cool air, very hilly and technical, sometimes rainy and lots of fun. Totally worth the trip, can't wait for the next one!
Sunday, 11-27 - 9 Miles. Yawgoog/Green Falls Birthday run with Joe, Faith and Jim H. Gorgeous, chilly morning for a birthday run, and we had a muddy blast on the trails out there!
Planning on getting out for a run on 12/6, as I'm currently on one of the longest forced breaks I've had since I started running! Even the weekends have been jammed with family obligations, holiday stuff, etc...This is bullshit, I'm not even injured! I'll see you cats out on the trails :)
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