Familiar Territory

Despite the lack of posting, I have been running this week. I did not actually crumble into pieces after the Wolfe's Neck Trek 5k. I've been feeling pretty good, and have enjoyed the locations of my runs. Two out of the three runs this week, I got back to places I haven't run in a while. Not quite the walk down memory lane that Wolfe's Neck was, but it was nice to get back to some familiar ground. Let's go for a stroll, shall we?

On Tuesday, I was able to get back to the carriage roads at Great Glen Trails. I hadn't been out on the trail system in a while, and while I wanted to run longer—I was feeling good—I really only had time for 3 miles. I can for certain report that I saw more than a handful of moose tracks and one big ol' pile of moose poop. I can with much less certainly report that I may have seen an owl. At one point, a very large bird took off to my right. I could only see it as it flew away, and it was only briefly, but I'm not sure what else it could have been. I felt good and finished comfortably in 26:43, which is quite a bit faster than I normally run the same loop. I closed the run out with strides as the sun was setting behind the Presidentials. Not bad.

Thursday I had to hit the road to Boston for work, but I did squeeze in a 3 miler on the powerlines from home. It was icy! Quite a bit of hoar frost—my personal favorite ground condition. I was a bit sluggish and tight out of the gate but felt fine by the time I finished.

After driving to Boston and back yesterday, I was a bit tight today. Really tight: calves, hamstrings and most troublesome, my left knee—just below and to the inside of the kneecap. It just kind of appeared after driving and then standing around yesterday. It didn't bother me on my run, so other than extra stretching, I'm not going to worry about it. I wanted to get in 5 miles today, but I needed a break from the powerlines. Plus, the powerlines are a bit rugged in places, and I was hoping for a more mellow route. I hadn't run in the Commons at all since D and I ran together shortly before the Little Lady arrived, and I hadn't run the full 5-mile loop since the end of August. Between working, watching the Little Lady while D was at a doctor's appointment and being completely covered in spit up (not mine), I didn't get out until late. It was getting dark as I started, and it was really dark by the end. Normally, I'd begin the run with a loop on the trails that surround the Bowdoin fields, but I wanted to make sure I could see while out on the rest of the trails so I opted to save it for the end. This was a wise decision because I could barely see by the end and actually had to walk some of the rootier, tricky sections. Upon returning to the fields, I ran around the perimeter of the fields on the grass. It was dark, but at least I didn't have to worry about roots. The quarter moon, while beautiful over the fields, wasn't quite throwing enough light. And, even though I've done about eleventy billion runs through the Commons, it's always enjoyable.

Looking ahead, I might do another 5k on Sunday...this one all on the road...cue evil music.

Wolfe's Neck Trek 5k - Race Report

Headed to Wolfe's Neck Farm in Freeport yesterday for the Wolfe's Neck Trek 5k to test the waters, so to speak. And, while it went well, I'm not really sure I learned what I wanted. I was hoping to use this race as a measuring stick to see just exactly where I am. Unfortunately, the course had other ideas. I knew from running at Wolfe's Neck a lot in college, that the terrain was going to be primarily dirt road, but we ran on more of the campground roads than I expected and the singletrack was much more rugged than I remembered. I was really looking forward to racing here, 1.) because I was actually able to get my sleep deprived butt to the starting line and 2.) Wolfe's Neck is the site of my "8k" PR. 8k is in quotes because the course we ran that day was definitely short, and it was the first race of my junior year in a dual meet. That should give you an idea of the success I had during my college career...but I digress.

Once I realized that the course was two loops, not one (Thanks, Val!), I went out for my warm up on the course. Pre-race I was debating road shoes vs. trail shoes. I went with my trail shoes, and that was definitely the right call. The main dirt road in front of the farm was plenty firm enough and close to pavement, but the roads through the campground were a lot softer. The singletrack section, while short—quarter of a mile maybe, was rugged: lots of roots, steep up and downs and two slippery bridges. Additionally, the campground roads are very twisty and had quite a lot of leaf cover. In short, that all added up to a lot of fun, but not particularly fast, even though it's fairly flat. Subconsciously, I realized this on my warm up, but didn't think much of it on my easy one lap tour.

As the race started, I settled into a comfortable pace after weaving through the usual cast of characters that sprint for the first 50 yards. I was in about 12th, and feeling very relaxed. I tucked in behind a couple guys through on windy spot, and stayed behind them as we reached the singletrack. Even though there were only a handful of people in front of me, we still bottlenecked. I was clearly more comfortable on this section than everyone around me, but I had no reason to not play nice. Plus, it was such a short section I just hung tight and stayed relaxed. Once back on the campground road, it started to feel like a race, but I was still focused on staying relaxed. I went through the first lap, 2.5k, in 11:04. This split was a shock. I was running way too hard for it to be that slow.

The second lap hurt. Shortly into the lap, one guy passed me, but I was able to stick with him into the singletrack. I closed the gap in the singletrack, but once back on the road he started to pull away. My upper body was starting to tighten up: back, shoulders, arms. Not good times. As the road through the campground makes it way back up to the farm, there is a slight uphill. It was slight, but it hurt. At one point the road takes a sharp left, then right. I ran hard through these corners in the hopes of putting some distance between me and my closest pursuer, even just for a psychological edge. It didn't work. In the last 400 meters, a small child blew past me. OK, he was fourteen, and I tried hard not to laugh. I definitely laughed on the inside. His head was titled way back, and it was clear he had spent all fall running high school cross country. The last time I ran 400-meter repeats he was probably just learning to walk, so I knew I couldn't hang with him. I heard a loud, "Go Snowman!!!" (Thanks again, Val!) and tried to stay strong through the finish.

I finished in 11th place out of 106, 3rd in my age group, in 22:47—results here. (That's an impressive positive split.) Post-race, everyone was astonished at their times. No one could believe how slow they were. One guy I spoke with after the race had raced the 10k in Freeport last weekend, and he noted that his 5k split from the 10k was faster. So, I wasn't alone. Looking at the results, my per mile pace is listed as 6:54. A 22:47 5k works out to 7:20 per mile, but 6:54 pace is correct if the race is 3.3 miles. So, my guess is that the course was not only slow, but also long. Either way, the course was fun and the race was well organized. And, the setting us beautiful—you run right along the ocean. I hope it fits into my schedule next year.

It was also great to see Trail Monster Linda as well. She ran great and had a really strong finish. And, once again, thanks to Val for cheering.

As far as using this race at a litmus test, I'm not sure I got what I wanted. The vagaries of the course make it tough to have any definitive conclusions. That being said, overall, I'm pleased. Aside from strides following 2 of my last 3 runs, I've done nothing to help myself run fast. (No surprise I got outkicked.) With some creative math, I can probably come up with some numbers for workouts and goals, etc. But, not quite yet. I should have a better idea after the Feaster Five. I'm just not sure if I'm going to run the 5-mile or the 5k. We'll see.

Today, I did an easy 3-mile recovery run. Aside from a little extra tightness in my hamstrings, no complaints. I felt better with each step. Onward.

The Plan

I've alluded to it here, but I've come up with a rough plan for my running. I'm in the getting my feet wet stage of that plan, and I'm already psyched about it. Hopefully, it will lead to good things.

Here are the basics:
1. Taking a break from marathons/ultras
2. Race more
3. Have fun

Let's look at each of those separately, even though they're intertwined:
#1: Through extensive scientific analysis, I've determined that my strength may lie in the shorter races. Additionally, in my return to running, I think I did it backwards: dove right into the longer races skipping right over the shorter ones. More importantly, I really dove in and tried to just run too much, too long, too soon. So, I'm going to break from those for a bit. It's not a divorce. We're just going to spend a little time apart. Once I feel like I've finished what I need to in the shorter races, I'll let the marathon move back in. In fact, the last run I've done of double digit mileage was the Bruiser, and in my recent runs, I'm already feeling much snappier. It's a good feeling.

#2: With that snappiness in mind, I'm going to try to convert that snappiness into racing more. Now, there's a difference between snappy and fast. I'm not fast. I don't expect to get to fast. I would like to get to kinda quick, though. But, the real reason to race more is simple: I like racing. I love atmosphere. I love the energy. I love competing. When I'm training for a marathon, I can't race too much. It's a long training cycle that builds up to the "big day." I feel like I've been missing out on what I love most about running. So, my focus will be on getting faster, but really...

#3. ...my focus will be on having fun. Now, I definitely not saying that I haven't been having fun. But, I was crushed this summer, and racing wasn't fun. (Do I really need to link to my Bruiser race report again?) Also, I don't want to imply that marathons/ultras aren't fun. No way. They can be super awesome. And, when I think they'll be fun, I'll be right back to them. Just not right now. So, here's what I'm thinking will be fun: snowshoe racing.

This winter, I'm going to give snowshoe racing a try. Never done it, but I'm looking forward to it. If I'm going to race more, I see no reason to do a bunch of "Frigid Fivers" on the roads all winter. Sounds like shin splints to me! No thanks. If anyone has snowshoe advice, I'll take it. It's going to involve a fair amount of driving, but I think it will be worth it. I'll no doubt do a couple road races here and there, too, including the most hated race on earth.

In the short term, I'm racing this weekend! On Saturday, I'm heading to the Wolfe's Neck Trek 5k. Wolfe's Neck is beautiful, and we used to run there once a week or so in college—I'll be fueled by nostalgia. My only goal for this race is to establish a baseline. I haven't been doing any real speed work, so I really need to find out where I am. Once I know what my current 5k race pace is, I'll now how to structure future workouts. And, I'll know just how far I have to go. I'm, most likely, also going to run the Feaster Five again this year (FREE PIE!), so that will also give me more data.

So that's the plan for this fall and winter. Looking way ahead, I think I'm going to give the New England Mountain Running Series a try. I guess I have a really twisted sense of fun.

Not Fast

Couple good runs the last few days.

Felt quite good on Friday on my Tour de Mt. Ararat. I have a "loop" I've created that includes a bit of pavement, some dirt road, some single track, some soft sand and some steep ups and downs. It's a lot to cram into a loop that's only 3.25 miles long. And, really, it's not even a loop. Loop implies a circle. This route looks more like a crazy straw. I like it. I call it my "Half Hour Loop." On Friday, it took me just a touch over 28 minutes. Not bad.

I had a really busy weekend, so I wasn't able to run. But yesterday I did the more than 5 mile out and back on the powerlines. I was tight, but it was a great day to be out and a good run overall. One of the houses that backs up to the powerlines is home to a cadre of pugs and bulldogs. They're behind a fence and never pleased to see me run past. However, watching bulldogs run is hilarious.

Today, as part of the plan I've yet to announce, I wanted to pick up the pace a little bit. The Suck Loop has been my drug of choice for these runs. No warm up, just go. I did best my time from the other day, but it wasn't what I was looking for. My plan was to run the first two miles comfortably quick, then let it all hang out on the final mile. Mission accomplished in the first two miles: 14:38, but the final mile was a disappointment: 6:49. Total time: 21:27. That's not really gonna get it done. Not terrible, but I was hoping for a little more. Granted, I haven't been doing any speed work at all, but I was hoping to go a little lower. Oh well. I will say, I was quite stiff in my upper body. I felt positively robotic.

Three in a Row

That's three runs, three days in a row. But, more about that in a second. Allow me to wax political for a moment.

So, Maine got it wrong. I'm embarrassed and angry that Maine chose ignorance and intolerance over...well...over people. For me, it's not about rights or equality, it's about people. Real people are affected by this. Real people who love each other. It's sad that Maine said, "No," to love.

And for that they cheered...


To me, that looks like a cheer for hatred.

Now that I'm a parent I have a different perspective on this. Would these people feel the same way if their son, daughter or grandchild was gay? My daughter is only 4 weeks old, and I have no idea what she is going to become. All I know is that I'm going to love her no matter what. I hope I can teach her the same. I hope she can grow up in world with more love.

I know I don't normally touch on such serious topics here, but this has been troubling me all day. Let's move on.

I meant to mention this the other day, but I sincerely hope everyone had a chance to watch the New York City Marathon on Sunday. Meb's performance was amazing and inspiring. Hopefully, Universal Sports will have a replay. One of the most exciting races I've ever watched. It's even more amazing when you read this terrific recap from LetsRun.com. All this crap about him no being American is ridiculous. I've already been serious enough in this post, so I'll just say this: Meb is more American than many of us born into our citizenship who, myself included, take it for granted all too often.

With all this on my mind, I did a run along the powerlines today—the three-mile out and back. It was a milestone run in that it was the first time since the Little Lady arrived that I've run three days in a row. It was a cool, but beautiful, afternoon, and I just took it easy. Aside from some tightness in my right calf, which I iced afterward, I'd say it went pretty well: 24:57. I'll take it. And, those winter berries sure are pretty.

Not Quite Five

After much internal debate, I headed out for a run this afternoon while D was taking the Little Lady for a walk. When you have a newborn, stuff gets missed, forgotten, lost. Today, we forgot to make coffee. Not sure how it happened. It just did. And, we both were feeling the effects. I was tired this afternoon, and not really feeling like running. In fact, I was downright ornery. But, as it so often is once you get moving the run heals all. And, such was the case today.

It was surprisingly cool as I headed out. The breeze was downright cold. I warmed up eventually, but it took a while. It was appropriate that I finally noticed the winter berries D wrote about. Very pretty. And, in order to see those, I was out along the powerlines, but just on a short stretch as I decided to do a slightly longer loop through Highland Green. I figured I was less likely to get shot by a hunter in a 55-plus housing community vs. the more remote sections of the powerlines. I was definitely tight from yesterday's effort, but things soon worked themselves out. Overall, an uneventful run, but a good one. The best part was the view of the sunset on my way towards home. Beautiful reds, oranges and pinks.

I thought the loop was 5, but when I finished, I was stunned. My watch read 39:20. Hmmm...I felt good, but no that good. (It's not uncommon for me to not look at my watch at all on my runs, and today was no different.) D confirmed that the loop is closer to 4.75, so that makes more sense...sort of. That works out to 8:17 per mile. So, that's about 45 seconds per mile slower than yesterday's run over an additional 1.75 miles. It doesn't seem like that equates to how much easier today felt. I know a lot of factors go into "feel," but this seems odd. Could it be that I have a very specific pace threshold? Interesting.

Planning another run tomorrow. That will be three days in a row, which will be a first since the new sleep schedule. Hopefully, we have another good night. And, if you're curious about how we're feeling about all this, D summed it up beautifully.

Blog Guilt?

It's taken me a while to notice that my blog is all about runs without any real details. By contrast, in her blog, D does a great job of painting a picture. She writes about the weather, the colors, the flora, the fauna, and the smells if she's with me. First of all, I probably only notice about half of the sights and sounds she does. But, secondly, I'm more focused on the task at hand. Even though I'm old, slow and fat, I'm still focused on the numbers and the end result. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but then in my posts, I'm leaving out a lot of details. No real numbers and no real descriptions. And, on my run today, I figured out why.

Taking the narcissism of a blog a step further, I realized I've left out the details because I subconsciously want to keep them a secret. I'm worried that someone I know from olden days will realize just how old, slow and fat, I've really become. I don't want to be embarrassed for being so relatively slow. Then, in a really strange twist of psychology, I want to keep the numbers a secret so if, by chance, a potential "opponent" is reading this blog, they won't know the details of my workouts. This way, I maintain an advantage over them in an upcoming race. Damn, I'm messed up. Well, I'm going to put an end to that. Because, really, who cares?

With that in mind, today I ran the 3-mile Suck Loop in 22:33. Until today, the fastest I'd run this loop was 24:01. So, today was a big step up. In my plan that I've yet to fully lay out here, I've decided that I need to pick up the pace from time to time, and today was definitely one of those days. (It helps that I got a pretty decent night of sleep last night. Not uninterrupted, but I'll take it.) That being said, today's run wasn't easy. It wasn't hard, but I was working. I'm also working on lifting my legs. Sounds simple, but I really need to stretch it out. I've developed a pretty solid marathon shuffle, but I need to find some speed of days gone by. The 7:30 per mile pace was a good test, and I think I passed. Most of the time I'm running 8:30-9:00 per mile, which is great for my easy runs, but from time to time, I need to add a little zip.

Oh yeah, there were a bunch of different colored leaves on the ground at one point. And, I saw a squirrel.

In other news, we've moved into cloth diapers for the Little Lady. Thank God we just bought a new washer and dryer.