about campus -- Thu. September 18

Met Mark at 7 for a repeat of our run of a couple weeks ago. Getting much darker now and so when we found the connection road through from NoPleasant to EPleasant it was getting pretty dark, even a bit hazardous as we had no torch. Still, we plugged on as far as the fire-station, then down the hill past Hamlin and back to the start:

Time: 39:40
Distance: 4.95 miles
Speed: 7.5 mph

Comments: pleasant run on a lovely evening.

Midnight shortie -- Tue. September 16

Home late after work again, but determined to get an outing, so a Hamilton 5K with extension, heading up Allen and through to 202 and then back round the DB mart to home, getting the 4 miles just nicely.

Time: 28:55
Distance: 4.08 miles
Speed: 8.5 mph

Comments: better than nothing, and very pleasant to get out in the dark.

SRRC, sort of -- Sun. September 14

Rainy night and drizzly morning, but wanted to get some sort of run in so drove over just in time for 10 am--to find nobody else there. Ouf. Waited a bit, then figured I'd go anyway. Headed out through the high school and along Wash. to 21, then left, down to the Jabish canal and follow that back to the rail trail and back up there to starting point:

Time: 53:47
Distance: 7.52 miles
Speed: 8.4 mph

Comment: rain was only very light and intermittent, so feet stayed pretty dry though still ended with sore nipple. Too bad there was no company -- it was a lovely day to run, and I saw the heron again by the canal. . .

Long hilly -- Sat. September 13

Pleasant early fall day, and time for a good long run, so headed up 202 (via VFW, rather than Allen) all the way to Munsell; turned in there and then up past Knight's Pond, where a woman cyclist nearly ran into me from behind--no lane discipline or manners, grr, and where another woman walking called out cheerfully she'd seen a bear crossing the road there the day before. Then right onto Packardville and across 202, on down towards the Quabbin, but then into the trail, on up the hill and all the way to Juckett; down to Allen, left and then right on Enfield, still feeling pretty good; take 9 back home and stop the clock just past 12 miles, by the supermarket:

Time: 1:28:53
Distance: 12.05 miles
Speed: 8.1 mph

Comment: almost HM distance, and considering the amount of trail it was between endurance and stamina pace. Took a big water bottle and drank most of it; must remember to do that in the next race.

Evening Enfield -- Thu. September 11

Missed SRRC on Sunday, and then too busy to get out before Thu. Late, probably 9:30, but determined to get a run in so I went out on a cool cloudy night, quite pleasant. 9 to Allen then up and over all the way to Enfield, and then back along 9; continued running the long way into the development to get up to 6 miles:

Time: 42:56
Distance: 6.01 miles
Speed: 8.4 mph

Comment: this ended up being a pretty brisk pace, and I got a bit more distance than I expected (didn't want to get too tired, with teaching in the morning. . .) Useful, enfin.

CHaD Half Marathon -- Sat. September 6

This ended up being a pretty tough one, not just because I'd not had enough recent miles. The afternoon start was nice because no early start, but it meant eating etc. was a bit hard to plan. I drove, picking Mark up at 1:15, and we need every minute of the two hours Google told us it would take. We unwound from the car with just time to register and then do a half mile stretch out. The rain had just started, and it was still pretty muggy. Set off already chilling, but felt comfortable and rolled along, only to discover the first mile was very fast.

Not my intended tactics, so I tried to back off a bit, but then the hills and the heavy rain started. I managed to keep my feet dry until about the half way point, but then the down pour just filled all shoes with water. I took my shirt off (prompting more than one of the many spectators to wonder if I was carrying weights as I ran!) and plugged on. Feeling more or less okay at 8 miles, and I was thinking even at the hour point (almost 9 miles done) that I could get a sub-1:30, but then I guess I faded even more. At about 10 miles someone announced numbers, and I was I think 26; after that I know a couple of people got past me in the last two miles, but I must have managed to take a few back in return. I came in #26, after almost re-catching a woman who came past me in the last half mile:

Time: 1:31:51
Distance: 13. 1 miles
Speed: 8.56 mph
Pace: 7.01

Comment: my digivice read this as 13.5 miles and a speed of 8.8 mph, so my feelings about pace near the end were cruelly betrayed as the finish line didn't show up :p
However, I recall a section where the signal went, so it must have guessed wrong a bit then. The weather and the unexpected hills were a real trial. Here's what I commented elsewhere--

Oy the storms. I did a half-marathon in NH on Saturday: it started to rain just as we (Mark S came along too) got out of the car after a two+ hour drive. The rain only got heavier, going on for the whole hour and a half we were running (on hills! that were not in the brochure!) and then when we got back into the car the day was getting dark (it was an afternoon race). For the 2+ hour drive home we were speeding into dark and rain with the heat blasting away to try and keep the windscreen clear (we were of course very HOT all the while). Most of the time I was sort of wondering where the road went, as the headlights project light only about ten feet in front of the car, and Mark was probably wondering if he'd survive the trip. Oh, and we paid $50 each for the pleasure, not including gas. Gotta love hurricane season, even here in the Northeast!

The crowds were impressive, and they were very cheery and encouraging, miserable weather notwithstanding. Turnout of runners was, I think, well down on what they expected. All in all a tough start to the HM series Mark and I have planned, but maybe a good wake up call?

Campus runabout -- Thu. September 4

After a long office day met Mark at 7 and we set off around campus. Slightly variant route: on coming up towards Hamlin from the bus depot, headed left on NoPleasant and then took the cut through and up to come out on EPleasant, then back as far as the gas tanks, and down Infirmary Way. Gentle pace on a *very* muggy and warm evening.

Time: 40:44
Distance: 4.8 miles
Speed: 7.1 mph

Comment: one last run before Saturday's half, just enough to keep the body flexible, as it were. Unfortunately, uppe back spasm later that evening, but mild, and hopefully not recurring.

SRRC long one -- Sun. August 31

Perfect early autumn day: hot sun, lovely tree shade, cool breeze occasionally, and dry. The three wakamon (Bill, Jay and Andy) were there at D&D at 10, as were Rob and Taylor. Kathy had run early but stopped by to say hello. Rob and Taylor did a cross country loop, and Bill ("Wheels") had a 16 miler planned in two loops. First was through BHS to road out to 21, up to Turkey Hill, over Summit across 202, Eskett to Boardman to Rural to GeoHannum and back to the development to Bill's place for water; second loop was basically an Enfield with a finish back at D&D.

Given how busy I was I figured I didn't want to get too tired, so said I'd do loop one and then head back. Pace was 7:40s, and I was feeling good, despite the run yesterday, so I said at about mile 6 I'd try for the whole thing, which would be a new distance PB for me (previous was 15.29 in late June). Felt okay to the stop point, where I finished my breakfast banana and ditched my shirt (sore nipple from wet run yesterday!). As we headed out again, Andy was not feeling so good, and he and Jay slowed; I figured they'd make up ground on the hills, so I was happy to drift ahead, but by the time we started up Allen it looked as though we were going to run 2 + 2. Bill was being fairly easy on the hills, and I was feeling okay, if a bit worried about the last pull up (and then Jabish even later). Chugged up at a good pace, and kept going quite briskly even as we headed along the flat; pulled a sub-7 going down Enfield, and then across 9 Bill mentioned he wanted to do a negative second split (or similar term, meaning second half of run faster than first). So he took off up Jabish and I followed at my pace, amazed that we were near 15 miles and I was feeling good. Across the top of town and pounded down 202 to Checkers, for the last loop round to the police station. Stopped the clock just after the distance, still a bit short of getting back to D&D:

Time: 2:02:44
Distance: 16.05 miles
Speed: 7.8 mph

Comment: Andy and Jay then appeared and we jogged the last lap around the state school with them. My time had been just 35 seconds over the even split, so pretty satisfying. Home for a cold bath and hoping for a good time at ChaD next Sat.