Then we came home and made this:
So delicious!
But I think I'm still hungry.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
This Is Why I Run
D and I met Ian and Chuck at Bradbury this morning and ran about 11. Frozen mud and moosh were the primary trail conditions. I was dragging at the start, but felt better after about 30 minutes. Nice morning on the trails and great company.
Then we came home and made this:
So delicious!
But I think I'm still hungry.
Then we came home and made this:
So delicious!
But I think I'm still hungry.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
I'm That Guy
I don't know how this happened. I cross country skied this morning, and then ran in the dark this evening—to make sure "I got my miles in." I've turned into that guy. Crap.
I received an unexpected call from my boss yesterday afternoon informing me that we had enough snow to open the trails. I didn't think there would be enough snow, but a couple more inches fell. He spent most of yesterday out grooming, and it was all systems go. So, I headed up this morning to take care of the official opening day marketing duties. Among them, was photo taking:
Even though, it's still November, the skiing was quite good. I was out on the trails for about an hour and half, shooting around getting pics and talking to people. Maybe half that time I was actually skiing, and when I was, I was taking it very easy.
I have to admit that racing on Thursday, then skiing on Saturday probably wasn't the best idea. My calves and shins were pretty tight after the race, and the first day of skiing always causes more tightness in the shins...the whole balancing thing. I could really feel them by the end, and was happy to head back in.
By the time I left work, I knew that if I were to get a run in, it would be in the dark. So, I headed for the Brunswick/Topsham bike path. And, by headed for, I mean drove 2 hours. I've been avoiding the bike path for as long as possible, but it is winter, so I guess it's bike path time. It's a great option in the winter because it's plowed and there's no cars (obviously), but it's pretty blah. Anyway, it was indeed dark when I started my run, and I was glad for the lights along the path. Well, for the lights that I thought were along the path. As it turns out, it's not as well lit as I thought/remembered. In a few spots, it was completely black, and all I could do was follow the white line. Kinda funky. In other places, I was completely blinded by the lights from the cars along Route 1. In other words, I'm dumb. I felt decent during the run. Tight, but decent.
Side note: On the way to my run, I stopped to pick up a snack. I was intrigued by the Met Rx Big 100 Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Meal Replacement bar. I implore you: do not be intrigued by these. They're gross. The first bite was OK, but by the time I tried to swallow, I knew I was in trouble. Stay away. Stay far away.
I received an unexpected call from my boss yesterday afternoon informing me that we had enough snow to open the trails. I didn't think there would be enough snow, but a couple more inches fell. He spent most of yesterday out grooming, and it was all systems go. So, I headed up this morning to take care of the official opening day marketing duties. Among them, was photo taking:
Even though, it's still November, the skiing was quite good. I was out on the trails for about an hour and half, shooting around getting pics and talking to people. Maybe half that time I was actually skiing, and when I was, I was taking it very easy.
I have to admit that racing on Thursday, then skiing on Saturday probably wasn't the best idea. My calves and shins were pretty tight after the race, and the first day of skiing always causes more tightness in the shins...the whole balancing thing. I could really feel them by the end, and was happy to head back in.
By the time I left work, I knew that if I were to get a run in, it would be in the dark. So, I headed for the Brunswick/Topsham bike path. And, by headed for, I mean drove 2 hours. I've been avoiding the bike path for as long as possible, but it is winter, so I guess it's bike path time. It's a great option in the winter because it's plowed and there's no cars (obviously), but it's pretty blah. Anyway, it was indeed dark when I started my run, and I was glad for the lights along the path. Well, for the lights that I thought were along the path. As it turns out, it's not as well lit as I thought/remembered. In a few spots, it was completely black, and all I could do was follow the white line. Kinda funky. In other places, I was completely blinded by the lights from the cars along Route 1. In other words, I'm dumb. I felt decent during the run. Tight, but decent.
Side note: On the way to my run, I stopped to pick up a snack. I was intrigued by the Met Rx Big 100 Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Meal Replacement bar. I implore you: do not be intrigued by these. They're gross. The first bite was OK, but by the time I tried to swallow, I knew I was in trouble. Stay away. Stay far away.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Feaster Five Race Report
I attempted to write this race report earlier today, but couldn't get past the title. Just wasn't feeling too enthused. Which is strange because the entire crew had a really good day. Plus, we got free pie!
The day started like any other race day, except for the fact that we had someone with us who had never run a race before. Ever. This was my sister's first foray into racing after she started running about 4 months ago. Her original plan was to run a bit to get in shape for ski season, but when I mentioned that D and I were planning on running this race, she signed right up. Not only did she sign right up, but she bypassed the 5k option and went right for the 5-miler. So, we helped her through the finding your name and number at registration, explained the self-seeded signs, and generally just made sure she made it to the start line. It was actually really cool, and definitely helped me keep my mind off my own nerves. Meg had enough for all of us.
D and I did leave her alone for a bit as we went for a 2-mile warm up. I felt really good warming up, but it was pretty comical every time someone blew by us. As I said to D, "Just the reminder we needed of how much were going to get smoked."
I have to say that the race is extremely well organized. It's impressive how smoothly things roll with a race with 2 separate distances and 7200 finishers. But, as my grandmother says, "You're always griping about something on your blog," so here I go...
Actually, my gripes are not with the race organizers. My main gripe is with the port-a-potty company. Without going into too much detail, I just have to say that the toilet paper was so thin, you could barely get it out of the dispenser. And, as is pre-race custom...I needed quite a bit. My second gripe is with the lack of attention people pay to the pace seeding. Put it this way, I saw a woman cross the finish line a good 20 minutes after I did, and she was standing right in front of me at the start. WTF? I did so much dodging and weaving in the first mile I must have run an extra quarter mile.
OK, on to the race...
At the start I couldn't get any closer to the front than a little ways behind the 7:00 minute per mile sign. From here, it took me about 30 seconds to get to the start line after the gun went off. Not a huge deal, but like I said, there were a number of shufflers in front of me. I tried to find my pace, but it was tough with all the people. I guess this is what you get when you enter such a huge race.
The first mile is a gradual uphill. I hit the first mile in 6:58...oh crap. About 20 seconds slower than I wanted, and I already felt like I was working hard. Not good times. Shortly after the mile mark, the 5k runners take a left, and the 5 milers stay straight. Things thinned out a bit after the break, and I tried to keep picking it up. It was mentally easy to do this because I'd been passing people the entire way. I hit two miles in 13:38, a 6:40 mile. Faster, which is good, but I was still behind my goal, and I wasn't sure I could keep it up. Mile 3 was another 6:40, and I was getting worried. I wasn't hurting, but I was uncomfortable. Then again, I was still passing people. Fewer of them, but still passing.
At around 3.5, the course heads down a hill and rejoins the 5k course. I could see a wall of people moving past. The race directors put cones up along the center line: 5k to the left, 5 mile to the right. But as soon as I turned the corner and was alongside the 5k runners, I knew that the division wouldn't stay so clean. Every so often, a 5k-er would move to the right into the path of us 5-milers, who were moving much faster. A couple times I almost took someone out/got taken out, but nothing catastrophic happened. At about 3.75, two guys passed me. They were moving well, and moving faster than I was. This was a huge stroke of luck for me. For the rest of race, I did everything I could to stay with these two. Mile 4 was a 6:37, and I had to chuckle because my 4-mile time today was only about 30 seconds slower than my finishing time 12 years ago. Oh well.
The last mile was tricky. My entire focus was on those two guys. Every so often, we'd need to get a round a 5k-er. Sometimes it was smooth. Other times, I'd have to take a different path than my buddies, and I'd lose them. A couple times, I had to snap myself back and refocus on them. I managed to stay with them for the most part. I at least kept them in my sights. In the last 200 meters, the course turns tight up a hill that is just mean. Two guys blew by me going up the hill, but I was already all out. Think exploding hamstrings and calves. I crossed the line in 32:52 for a final mile of 5:56.
I'm really pleased with my race. I never backed off, and was very close to my "pie-in-the-sky goal of 32:30, and I would have been thrilled with anything under 33:00. My safe goal was 34:00, so I'm psyched. Plus, I was wearing my snazzy new Trail Monster shirt, so I had to look good. I ended up 96th out of 2575 finishers, 26th out of 344 in my age group.
D had an awesome race. Her goal was 37:30, and she crushed it. She ran 36:18! 259th overall, and 8th in her age group. Damn. (If you read here blog, you'll see she has slightly different numbers, as they've made a number of edits to the results. I assume this is due to 5k runners going over the 5 mile finish. For instance, in the original results, I was just 2 seconds ahead of a 12 year-old girl...I'm not that slow.)
And, in her debut, Meg ran 49:25, and was all smiles at the finish. D and I waited for her, and I'm glad she ran so well because we were getting cold! I have to say I'm very proud of my little sister. Now onto the half marathon, right, Meg!
The three of us made our way through the parking garage, dropped our timing chips, picked up our potato chips and met our family. Oh, and we picked up our pies! The best part of the race.
Huge thanks my parents and grandparents for cheering us on and delaying their turkey. The biggest thanks goes to Meg's husband, Chris, for getting up extra early and chauffeuring us to and from the race.
It was a great race and a great day! Maybe a new Thanksgiving tradition?
Official Results
The day started like any other race day, except for the fact that we had someone with us who had never run a race before. Ever. This was my sister's first foray into racing after she started running about 4 months ago. Her original plan was to run a bit to get in shape for ski season, but when I mentioned that D and I were planning on running this race, she signed right up. Not only did she sign right up, but she bypassed the 5k option and went right for the 5-miler. So, we helped her through the finding your name and number at registration, explained the self-seeded signs, and generally just made sure she made it to the start line. It was actually really cool, and definitely helped me keep my mind off my own nerves. Meg had enough for all of us.
D and I did leave her alone for a bit as we went for a 2-mile warm up. I felt really good warming up, but it was pretty comical every time someone blew by us. As I said to D, "Just the reminder we needed of how much were going to get smoked."
I have to say that the race is extremely well organized. It's impressive how smoothly things roll with a race with 2 separate distances and 7200 finishers. But, as my grandmother says, "You're always griping about something on your blog," so here I go...
Actually, my gripes are not with the race organizers. My main gripe is with the port-a-potty company. Without going into too much detail, I just have to say that the toilet paper was so thin, you could barely get it out of the dispenser. And, as is pre-race custom...I needed quite a bit. My second gripe is with the lack of attention people pay to the pace seeding. Put it this way, I saw a woman cross the finish line a good 20 minutes after I did, and she was standing right in front of me at the start. WTF? I did so much dodging and weaving in the first mile I must have run an extra quarter mile.
OK, on to the race...
At the start I couldn't get any closer to the front than a little ways behind the 7:00 minute per mile sign. From here, it took me about 30 seconds to get to the start line after the gun went off. Not a huge deal, but like I said, there were a number of shufflers in front of me. I tried to find my pace, but it was tough with all the people. I guess this is what you get when you enter such a huge race.
The first mile is a gradual uphill. I hit the first mile in 6:58...oh crap. About 20 seconds slower than I wanted, and I already felt like I was working hard. Not good times. Shortly after the mile mark, the 5k runners take a left, and the 5 milers stay straight. Things thinned out a bit after the break, and I tried to keep picking it up. It was mentally easy to do this because I'd been passing people the entire way. I hit two miles in 13:38, a 6:40 mile. Faster, which is good, but I was still behind my goal, and I wasn't sure I could keep it up. Mile 3 was another 6:40, and I was getting worried. I wasn't hurting, but I was uncomfortable. Then again, I was still passing people. Fewer of them, but still passing.
At around 3.5, the course heads down a hill and rejoins the 5k course. I could see a wall of people moving past. The race directors put cones up along the center line: 5k to the left, 5 mile to the right. But as soon as I turned the corner and was alongside the 5k runners, I knew that the division wouldn't stay so clean. Every so often, a 5k-er would move to the right into the path of us 5-milers, who were moving much faster. A couple times I almost took someone out/got taken out, but nothing catastrophic happened. At about 3.75, two guys passed me. They were moving well, and moving faster than I was. This was a huge stroke of luck for me. For the rest of race, I did everything I could to stay with these two. Mile 4 was a 6:37, and I had to chuckle because my 4-mile time today was only about 30 seconds slower than my finishing time 12 years ago. Oh well.
The last mile was tricky. My entire focus was on those two guys. Every so often, we'd need to get a round a 5k-er. Sometimes it was smooth. Other times, I'd have to take a different path than my buddies, and I'd lose them. A couple times, I had to snap myself back and refocus on them. I managed to stay with them for the most part. I at least kept them in my sights. In the last 200 meters, the course turns tight up a hill that is just mean. Two guys blew by me going up the hill, but I was already all out. Think exploding hamstrings and calves. I crossed the line in 32:52 for a final mile of 5:56.
I'm really pleased with my race. I never backed off, and was very close to my "pie-in-the-sky goal of 32:30, and I would have been thrilled with anything under 33:00. My safe goal was 34:00, so I'm psyched. Plus, I was wearing my snazzy new Trail Monster shirt, so I had to look good. I ended up 96th out of 2575 finishers, 26th out of 344 in my age group.
D had an awesome race. Her goal was 37:30, and she crushed it. She ran 36:18! 259th overall, and 8th in her age group. Damn. (If you read here blog, you'll see she has slightly different numbers, as they've made a number of edits to the results. I assume this is due to 5k runners going over the 5 mile finish. For instance, in the original results, I was just 2 seconds ahead of a 12 year-old girl...I'm not that slow.)
And, in her debut, Meg ran 49:25, and was all smiles at the finish. D and I waited for her, and I'm glad she ran so well because we were getting cold! I have to say I'm very proud of my little sister. Now onto the half marathon, right, Meg!
The three of us made our way through the parking garage, dropped our timing chips, picked up our potato chips and met our family. Oh, and we picked up our pies! The best part of the race.
Huge thanks my parents and grandparents for cheering us on and delaying their turkey. The biggest thanks goes to Meg's husband, Chris, for getting up extra early and chauffeuring us to and from the race.
It was a great race and a great day! Maybe a new Thanksgiving tradition?
Official Results
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
I'm so Hardcore
I ran 5 miles this afternoon in the worst weather ever: pouring rain, temp of 43, winds gusting to 20mph. It was ridiculous, and really, although I'm hardcore, it basically sucked. I was saturated in about 2 minutes. Add the wind on top of that, and I was cold. Perhaps I should have worn something waterproof. Anywho, even when the wind was at my back, it was still chilling. Anywho, I survived. And, oh yes, I'm so hardcore.
This morning, I wasn't even sure I was going to get out for a run. When I first woke up, I had some pain in my left knee: in the front, below the kneecap, just left of center. Strange. It hurt quite a bit, and just magically appeared. By the afternoon, I stretched a fair amount, and it was feeling better. I'm 90% sure it's based on tightness. Yesterday, I wasn't so good to myself. I got up, drove 125 miles, sat at desk, drove 125 miles, went to bed. Not really the healthiest day. It felt fine while I was running, but it's a touch squacky this evening. Should be OK, though.
Today also marked the maiden voyage for my new watch. I have a pretty kick ass watch already, and it hasn't failed me yet. It has way more features than I use, but the altimeter is great for hiking, and the barometer is pretty useful. But, the stopwatch function is very limited. It only has one lap split, and you can't go back and review it. So, not great for running. I went all out on my new watch: $25 Timex Ironman. Yup, the classic. The good news is that it only has a 30-lap memory, so I can't run anything longer than 30 miles.
On tap this week, besides gorging myself on turkey, is the Feaster Five. I guess I'm ready. I haven't really done any speedwork, so I'm not sure how I can think that I'm ready. Either way, it will give me a good baseline for where I am speed-wise. Although, I'm not really sure I want to know. Should be a fun race, nonetheless. Everyone gets a free pie...how can that not be fun? Anyway, my goal is to come within 5 minutes of the time I ran here the last time I ran this race. Not sure I can pull it off. I last ran this race in 1996. I was a senior in college, and I was coming off a cross country season in which I was, surprise, injured for most of it. I'd healed up in the last couple weeks of the season, so by Thanksgiving, I was in pretty good shape. I ran 27:26 to finish 17th overall. Like I said, it will be tough to get within 5 minutes of that. Something tells me my race report will include the phrase: "my hamstrings felt like they were going to explode."
This morning, I wasn't even sure I was going to get out for a run. When I first woke up, I had some pain in my left knee: in the front, below the kneecap, just left of center. Strange. It hurt quite a bit, and just magically appeared. By the afternoon, I stretched a fair amount, and it was feeling better. I'm 90% sure it's based on tightness. Yesterday, I wasn't so good to myself. I got up, drove 125 miles, sat at desk, drove 125 miles, went to bed. Not really the healthiest day. It felt fine while I was running, but it's a touch squacky this evening. Should be OK, though.
Today also marked the maiden voyage for my new watch. I have a pretty kick ass watch already, and it hasn't failed me yet. It has way more features than I use, but the altimeter is great for hiking, and the barometer is pretty useful. But, the stopwatch function is very limited. It only has one lap split, and you can't go back and review it. So, not great for running. I went all out on my new watch: $25 Timex Ironman. Yup, the classic. The good news is that it only has a 30-lap memory, so I can't run anything longer than 30 miles.
On tap this week, besides gorging myself on turkey, is the Feaster Five. I guess I'm ready. I haven't really done any speedwork, so I'm not sure how I can think that I'm ready. Either way, it will give me a good baseline for where I am speed-wise. Although, I'm not really sure I want to know. Should be a fun race, nonetheless. Everyone gets a free pie...how can that not be fun? Anyway, my goal is to come within 5 minutes of the time I ran here the last time I ran this race. Not sure I can pull it off. I last ran this race in 1996. I was a senior in college, and I was coming off a cross country season in which I was, surprise, injured for most of it. I'd healed up in the last couple weeks of the season, so by Thanksgiving, I was in pretty good shape. I ran 27:26 to finish 17th overall. Like I said, it will be tough to get within 5 minutes of that. Something tells me my race report will include the phrase: "my hamstrings felt like they were going to explode."
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Quantum of Bradbury
OK, it's official: these post titles are getting ridiculous.
D and I headed to Bradbury late this morning. Damn, it was cold. The thermometer reading was warmer than yesterday's, but it felt colder. Perhaps, I'm just getting soft in my old age. In any event, we wandered around the east side trails for just over an hour. Plenty of frozen mud and ice to go around. Plenty of mountain bike tire ruts were frozen into the singletrack. I eventually warmed up, but trailed D for most of the run. I didn't feel all that great today...just a bit sluggish. I was also pretty tight, so I'm going to blame that. Nice run, though.
We came home, and I made delicious turkey bombs...one of my many specialties. Trust me, they're awesome. Then we went to see Quantum of Solace. Although this isn't a movie review website, here's my 2 cents. If you like the Roger Moore brand of James Bond, you won't recognize this Bond. The camp and the kitsch are gone. It much more serious, much darker and more violent. It's also much more sophisticated and much slicker. I actually think Daniel Craig's version of Bond is much closer to Sean Connery's version...just updated by 40 years. I like the update, and I liked the movie. It's different, but it's still Bond. And, there are a number of reminders of that, including a very cool homage to Goldfinger. But, if you're planning on a relaxing evening at the movies, don't choose this one. The action and the way the action is presented are nonstop, furious and jarring. You barely have time to rest in your seat, and there are only brief moments of levity. In other words, this is not Octopussy. The real unfortunate part of this film is the new Bond song...it's brutal. I couldn't wait for the opening credits to end. They should have gone with this:
I love that. D doesn't like it as much...because I sing it a lot.
D and I headed to Bradbury late this morning. Damn, it was cold. The thermometer reading was warmer than yesterday's, but it felt colder. Perhaps, I'm just getting soft in my old age. In any event, we wandered around the east side trails for just over an hour. Plenty of frozen mud and ice to go around. Plenty of mountain bike tire ruts were frozen into the singletrack. I eventually warmed up, but trailed D for most of the run. I didn't feel all that great today...just a bit sluggish. I was also pretty tight, so I'm going to blame that. Nice run, though.
We came home, and I made delicious turkey bombs...one of my many specialties. Trust me, they're awesome. Then we went to see Quantum of Solace. Although this isn't a movie review website, here's my 2 cents. If you like the Roger Moore brand of James Bond, you won't recognize this Bond. The camp and the kitsch are gone. It much more serious, much darker and more violent. It's also much more sophisticated and much slicker. I actually think Daniel Craig's version of Bond is much closer to Sean Connery's version...just updated by 40 years. I like the update, and I liked the movie. It's different, but it's still Bond. And, there are a number of reminders of that, including a very cool homage to Goldfinger. But, if you're planning on a relaxing evening at the movies, don't choose this one. The action and the way the action is presented are nonstop, furious and jarring. You barely have time to rest in your seat, and there are only brief moments of levity. In other words, this is not Octopussy. The real unfortunate part of this film is the new Bond song...it's brutal. I couldn't wait for the opening credits to end. They should have gone with this:
I love that. D doesn't like it as much...because I sing it a lot.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Cathance River Attacked by Trail Monsters
Perhaps it wasn't that dramatic, but it was a nice group run at the Cathance River Nature Preserve with a band of Trail Monsters. A good sized group came up to our neck of the woods at the suggestion of Scott, whom we'd never met, and he led us on a winding route through the Mt. Ararat trails to the Cathance River trails. I've run out there a number of times, but he added a couple pieces I wasn't as familiar with. It was good to see things from a different perspective. All in all, it was a great run on a cold morning. D and I ran home after the run, and with our sweaty hats we both had ice cream headaches due to the wind. Luckily that was brief, and I made a tasty breakfast, which made everything better.
Solid week for me, about 32 miles. I have to admit, I only had 3 weeks with more mileage than that during my marathon training, so I'm feeling pretty good about where I am right now. I'm good at running slow, a point which will no doubt be proven next week at the Feaster Five. Looking forward to it anyway.
I keep forgetting to mention that after the Blackstrap Adventure, I lost the toenail on the toe. So, now, instead of a black toenail, I have black quasi-skin where the toenail used to be. So, I still have 5 black toes, but only 4 black toenails. I know how interested you all are in my toes, so I wanted to keep you abreast of the situation.
Solid week for me, about 32 miles. I have to admit, I only had 3 weeks with more mileage than that during my marathon training, so I'm feeling pretty good about where I am right now. I'm good at running slow, a point which will no doubt be proven next week at the Feaster Five. Looking forward to it anyway.
I keep forgetting to mention that after the Blackstrap Adventure, I lost the toenail on the toe. So, now, instead of a black toenail, I have black quasi-skin where the toenail used to be. So, I still have 5 black toes, but only 4 black toenails. I know how interested you all are in my toes, so I wanted to keep you abreast of the situation.
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