MHM -103/Enfieldish -- Tue. June 29

Hot and sunny, but a nice dry breeze. Head out just after 8, down to the water plant to stretch, then up into trails, part Underwood, then up to Wallace pond, round through trail to police station, then along road to DnD and behind through to BHS; out to OldSPfld and up to town center, then down Jabish and up Enfield. Take it steady up there, to Allen and down to 202, heading homewards via VFW. Stop clock just past supermarket:

Time: 1:09:27
Distance: 9.06 miles
Pace: 7:40s

Comment: started a bit creaky, but a good stretch session, and work a bit on the trails, then keep it steady; feeling tired for first five miles--must get more sleep! Much quicker near the end, but happy to leave the pace in 7:40s.

On getting home, out for two more gentle miles with F, jogging, but a good cool-down. Call it 11 miles for the day.

MHM -105/SRRC new one -- Sun. June 27

First SRRC run in a month: showed up on bike, as car needed oil, and found Bill, Jay, Nick, Ken and Andy were all there - -amazing! But Andy was not running: just sharing plants with Jay and then heading to watch the world cup. Hmm. I suggested double digits, and Bill and Jay were keen; Nick and Ken not so much. Suggested my new route, with Ken and Nick looping at Eskett. All agreed. It was hot, not *too* muggy, and we started out nicely, slowly: through state school down Jackson, then GeoHannum and Boardman, with miles 3-4 a bit faster. Nick a bit out of practice, clearly; he and Ken headed left at 202, and we three went on to Chicopee, then at Baggs Hill turned in and reached the trail: chatting plenty en route, but then the horseflies got us a bit, arg--tracked us through the trail and out as we headed up Rockrimmon. Bill leading the way, natch, and Jay only just getting back into longer runs, so I came next. The hills were good, the last one the toughest, then down and recover, heading out to 21 then right to OldSpfld and back via high school. Jay trails a bit over last coupe of miles, but we didn't put any pacey miles in--just steady, very nice:

Time: 1:35:00
Distance: 12.01
Pace: 7:55s

Comment: hooray for Swifties! This was positively therapeutic, and Jay gave me all sorts of tips for training (including quad exercise: chair sits, 50 x 2-3 times a day, and biking, especially uphill) PLUS his big news: excellent new coaching job, full time/head at a famous college. Two thumbs up!

MHM -106/quick eight -- Sat. June 26

Schedule for driving to NY meant not time before it for a planned Quabbin run. Actually set off by car, but realised I had no water -- too hot to try that. So back home and decided for a local figure of eight. Down to water plant, but too buggy to stretch for long; in trail shoes, and head up on trails to Wallace pond, then out at police station, round state school and cross to rail trail; out to OldSpfld and up to the middle school, which I loop around for a variation (on fields); then back round to reenter trails at back end of Piper Farm trail--that's *way* overgrown now, alas, and I was afraid I'd have poison ivy everywhere. . . Out opposite chez Heyes, and up to town center, then down Jabish, out to 9 and head home from there. Stop clock just after supermarket:

Time: 1:02:49
Distance: 8.27 miles
Pace: 7:36s

Comment: hot, and a varied tricky run in its way--fortunately, no poison ivy.

MHM -107/Tempo Ten - Fri. June 25

Yesterday became a rest day, after a refusal to start in the morning. So, today, out for the double digit run I had planned. Hot, as I started a bit late (still working on the getting up early!), but definitely drier, not too bad. Left at 8:15 w/ F who accompanied me for the first mile, down to the water plant at a 10 min. pace. Stretched and reset clock there; she headed back and I went for a variation on the ten I used last week: Geohannum--Boardman--Rural--Geohannum-Stebbins/School to 202, cross and stay on school to junction w/ Chicopee. Then, back on Chicopee, but stop at Baggs hill and go along that to the trail entrance, and enter trail just for 100 yards or so [turns out it will be a bit rough underfoot, as it's littered with rolling rocks etc., but I still want to run it with folk]. Then back to Chicopee and clock registered 6 miles, so went for tempo from there: to 202, head right, up to Eskett, back to Boardman, up to Geohannum and homewards. Pace had been 7:20s, so aimed for sub-7:15s. And for miles 7, 8, 9, 10 I got: 6:57, 6:58, 7:00 and 6:54. Score! Then I stopped the clock, just past Hamilton, and ran the rest (about .75 mile) at 9 minute pace:

Time: 1:12:11
Distance: 10:04 (plus 1.75 not timed)
Pace: 7:11s

Comment: This felt pretty good (satisfying) to move tempo distance up from 2 to 4 miles. I'll feel it tomorrow, I think, but since this was road only, with just basic hills (including plenty in the final four miles), it's not such a strain. I really didn't push anywhere, just aimed to maintain good pace (with some focus on higher turnover).

MHM -109/morning seven - -Wed. June 23

Rain in the night, and getting pretty warm by the time I head out at 7:30 (must make it earlier if this is going to work for longer runs). Aimed for the same figure of eight course as yesterday, but reversed: GeoHannum, Rural, Eskett, 202, Boardman and Geohannum. Also, stopped at the one mile point and stretched this time. Very muggy, ended up shirtless on last few miles. Stopped clock just past AustinG field, then jogged home from there:

Time: 52:28
Distance: 7.11 miles
Pace: 7:23s

Comment: the day after a run (as opposed to after a rest day) I seem to start at a quicker pace; this was on track for sub-7:20s, but I slowed down consciously in last two miles. Felt okay, if a bit low energy, but nice flow in miles 6 and 7.

MHM -110/Steady eight -- Tue. June 22

Goal this week is to stay at 45, before moving up the mileage starting next week. Greylock was the last big race until August (though I've got a few 5Ks planned for fun). Also part of the plan is a move to early morning runs on weekdays so I can get back to a better work/sleep schedule. I was out running at 7 am, nice and cool still, and I chose the Boardman/Eskett/Rural figure of eight route. Hadn't planned to stop, but after a mile my left laces seemed too tight, so at two miles I stopped, adjusted, and did some stretching. Then on, keeping a basic "running not jogging" pace, but no pushing. I figured it would be 7:40s, but evidently it was a bit quicker overall. Noted mile marks on this one, for ref, and found that AustinG field is 7, so continued with the long way home through the development to get the last mile:

Time: 1:00:27
Distance: 8.01 miles
Pace: 7:33s

Comment: despite the early hour this was okay. Start earlier and I'll be able to work in 10~12 milers no problem and still be at work before 10. This should work right into the fall semester, inshallah.

MHM -111/Bike ride -- Mon. June 21

Mainly a rest day, but wanted to stretch a bit and it being solstice day the evening was as long as we were going to get -- did 11 miles, some trail, lots of hills, easy pace, with F for company. The route (Bagg End, finally) promises to be a good run, too!

MHM -112/Mt Greylock Half -- Sun. June 20

Father's day treat, sort of, though it was too bad noone was able to join me on the trip. Set out at 7 am and drove the hour and a quarter to Adams, where I found the DnD for a coffee and pitstop, then headed up to the starting point at Greylock Glen. Already at 8:40 there were tons of cars, so it looks as though turnout might have been higher this year (*STILL* no results posted, so I don't have details--WMAC are always v. slow and idiosyncratic with their posting of results, it seems). It was muggy and set to get pretty hot, so I was drinking gatorade and water to get fueled up. Registered, paid my $20 and got a T-shirt (think I missed that last year), then changed into trail shoes and headed out for a warmup. Stayed mainly on road, not wanting to get the pre-race injury I did last year. Left ankle/shin sore, but not too bad. Got warm very quickly, and after a mile and a bit I headed back to the car to stretch. Both races were set to start at 10, but they sent off the half-marathoners first, thank goodness.

I had a good spot on the line, and went out fast, recalling the bunching last year, but made sure there were about 20 people ahead of me (not wanting to get in the way myself). Once on the hill started out okay, and first mile was 11:25, then the second seemed tougher -- I was still making places, slowly, but I had to walk a bit periodically. Slippery and muddy in places, which hits energy usage. 12:47, and then mile three was as I remember and more so: like climbing stairs. Arg. That was 17:17, and I was gasping as I hit the top. Over the crest and I had my first missed direction, wasting time, then finding the start of the descent and enjoying the crazy part of the race. Thought I was doing okay, then I missed a turn, came back and heard a guy behind: yappari I'm just not very fast on the descents, even when I'm enjoying it and feeling good! I let him pass and tried to follow, as he clearly knew the route, but he got away. That was pretty much the story throughout: I made the wrong choice at just about every unmarked junction--the marking was better this year, as were the water stops and road crossings, but I made at least half a dozen false turns, including two in the last mile that really hurt. Probably 30 seconds of time wasted? To say nothing of the psychological effect...
[Actually that's something I need to work on, mental toughness: I think I'm getting frustrated at doing so much of this solo, maybe? Or it could just be a mix of elevated expectations and burnout: I've gone from zero to two marathons a year, and that takes a lot of training for a complete amateur. Hmm. Cultivating a positive attitude is all part of the training, at this level, I think]

The first two downhill miles are hard work, and I wasn't even going very fast, I discovered: 8:12 and 10:28, and my feet and ankles were feeling the pounding. Mile six was better at 8:46, but then I took a tumble, spilled off the course onto my right shoulder, and dropped the gatorade bottle and food bar. Scrambling back up I completely forgot about the foodbar, which must have gone flying out of sight -- about a mile later I realised something was different, and by then I wasn't going back!

I got water at two of the aid stations, including to rinse the muddied drinker on my bottle. It was very hot when we came out onto the grassy section at the back end of the mountain, and I was feeling just plain TIRED at that point, frustratedly so. A couple of people passed me there, and I figured I'd probably dropped out of the top 20, so I pushed on as best I could for the second half: 9:32, 8:54, 8:30, 9:26 -- that made ten miles, and I had a stone in my left shoe and I'd jammed my right ankle pretty hard. Somehow got into the flow a bit again, for a 7:57, but then missed a turn and was caught by two guys, one of whom had his dad -- who'd done the 5K -- coaching him on, and I just stood aside to let them go by: all out of fight, or rather, full of frustration at my tiredness. Miles 12 and 13 to the end were at 8:14 and 8:18 pace, with one more missed turn on my part -- managed to finish strong with the goal of beating 2:10 again, which I did.

Thirsty, and eating as much for comfort as from real hunger (unlike last year) -- realised I was just not up for a cool down run, so I sat in the stream for a bit cooling off instead. The waterfall I enjoyed last year is gone, it's all tweely riverscaped now, but it was still pleasant to feel the coolth. I went back up to look at the board and was surprised to see I'd placed 16th, and with a time I think was identical to last year. . . Provisionally, here's what I got:

Time: 2:09:28 (GPS)
Distance: 12.98 miles (GPS -- which held signal pretty well, except for miles 4~6, when it wonked out pretty hard)

Pace: 9:59s (or 9:53s for 13.1 miles, or 9:35s for the 13.5 miles WMAC claims for the course. . .)

Comment: add the warmup run and this was a 15 mile day, but it felt like 20. I've got to work on all round strength if I want to improve in this trail running biz -- which I do, if I can persuade myself my ankles will survive! Meanwhile, re-practice turning frustration into drive.

MHM -113/quick five -- Sat. June 19

Muggy and getting hot--headed out 10:30 ish for the same route as Thursday, still not much improvement with the calf/shin. Okay on the uphill, but not on the down. I'll probably have to rest it after tomorrow's race. Slight variation from Thursday: after GeoHannum to 9, round DB mart to 202 and up to Allen, I went up to the water tower and stopped the clock (just over two miles) to stretch a bit. Then gingerly down the hill, along Allen to 9, up to Bay, down to Hamilton and homewards -- at the end, run past the development towards supermarket to get the five miles, thus:

Time: 39:24
Distance: 5.1 miles
Pace: 7:44s

Comment: tomorrow's Mt Greylock half will be a test, for sure. Pretty nervous about it, and with the shin problem I should be happy to get the same time as last year--which at over two hours will be a real workout. Yo~sh!

MHM -115/quick five -- Thu. June 17

Slightly nervous about the sore left shin/ankle still, and not needing many miles for this week, made the day's run a brief one. Measured out exactly five miles, and stuck to it: out to 9, down to DBMart, then up 202 to Allen, back over to 9, up to Bay, down to Hamilton, then home but run right through the development to get the distance.

Time: 36:54
Distance: 5.04 miles
Pace: 7:19s

Comment: felt fine at first, as it was all inclined up, but then down Allen I could feel the soreness; felt *great* running up 9 that brief stretch, then down to Hamilton was very sore. Can't really tell what it is: not a sprain, or tear, it's more spread out/generalised. I'll rest tomorrow, and give it another 5-6 on Sat., and then Sunday will be the real test. It was definitely the race downhill last Sun. that caused it, so Mt Greylock probably won't help it much. . . But after that, no races for a while.

MHM -116/tempo ten -- Wed. June 16

Slept late, having failed to take a nap yesterday. Headed out on a much warmer, muggier day, though enough dryth in the breeze to keep it pleasant. Gently down to water plant to stretch, then off aiming for 9 miles on road: GeoHannum, Boardman, Rural, to Stebbins/School and to 202, which is almost 5 miles--feeling a bit looser, but low on energy. Cross 202 and up to junction w/ Chicopee, then double back, keeping steady pace, as the first 5 were apparently sub-7:30s (helped by a quick fourth mile, 6:49); back to 202 and cross again, up Boardman and push to tempo for miles 8 and 9 (6:49 and 6:44, even with some light hills), then slow down but keep running up GeoHannum as far as the rail line, stopping thus:

Time: 1:11:50
Distance: 10.04 miles
Pace: 7:09s

Comment: happy with this for a tempo run, and I did some barefoot jogging on the stretch from rail to home. This puts me just over 1000 miles for the year, and almost 32 this week. Sore left lower shin muscles and ankle later in the day, so tomorrow is up in the air--might be a good idea to rest and do the last 7-8 miler on Friday? We'll see.

MHM -117/easy eleven -- Tue. June 15

Rest day yesterday, and an outing in the evening included a mint julep, so I felt kind of heavy this morning. But a lovely day, cool in the shade, but on the way to 80 deg. apparently, so I'm glad I got out earlyish (8:30)--aiming for double digits gently. By GeoHannum and Jackson to state school; stretch (very sore in places from Sunday's race and followup) and then on to Checkers and to rail trail; a bit buggy, so head off on canal connector up to 181, then back up to Jensen, out at the bottom of Jabish hill and then up Enfield to Allen, diverting to do the Sheffield loop, and back via Allen to 202, then homewards past VFW. Stop clock just after the supermarket:

Time: 1:24:40
Distance: 11.14 miles
Pace: 7:36s

Comment: no fast stuff, though downhills naturally a bit faster; aimed for 7:40s, but came in slightly inside after getting comfortable and opening stride a bit for the last 2-3 miles. Partly a recovery run, this.

MHM -119 -- fall marathon prep starts today!

Planning to do the Mohawk-Hudson marathon in October, and I miscounted the prep time: already there are only 17 weeks left, not the 18 I'd thought. Arg! But it's enough -- I'm already at 40 miles per week, so I'll take the first week as done. Time to draw up a weekly mileage chart and plan, too. Hope I can do a better job sticking to it than I did with the Boston prep.

Lake Wyola race -- Sun. June 13

First time for this race for me, so taking it carefully--decided to take two days off (Fri. and Sat.) as I'd hit my 40 mile minimum for last week, and to try this course fresh. As it happens, I felt that two days off in a row is not necessarily good: my body gets the "relax" response and feels ready to catch a cold or similar. Noted for future ref.

Rain yesterday, and damp/muggy and cool today, but fortunately no rain as during the race. Headed out right after lectoring, solo, and arrived in time to register okay ($20, w/ T-shirt), but then the usual queue for a loo (body not quite adjusted to lower temps? or perhaps it's 風邪気味, or the coffee I had on the way up? Hm) and only just time to get back to the car, change shoes and head out briefly. Tracked back up the course, but only 0.8 miles before time to line up. Bruce B was there--apparently Jeane ran it, though I couldn't see her; also a few other familiar faces, but no potential running targets I knew.

Course was simple: uphill for two miles (road), downhill for two (dirt road), plus some flat at the start. Went out quite fast, sub-6:00, but from the get-go there were two good-sized groups and some singles ahead, so (a) a faster set than last years times suggested and (b) placing even top 20 would be tough. As we started up the hill I was relieved I had taken mental notes when driving down -- there's a serious but short steep bit just past the two mile mark, and then it's flat and downhill. I started to make a few places as we went into mile 2; didn't stop for water (needed pitstop again, in fact) and by the top of the hill I was feeling okay and wondering if any of those I'd passed would catch up on the downhill. I could imagine Bill muttering about how downhill is more painful than up, and for once I really agreed. I wanted to go fast, but it was just sore-making and pounding. Ouf. Managed to close on one guy, but Greenshorts in front of me was matching everything I tried; after more than a mile down steeply, there were some blessedly flat and uphill bits. I couldn't tell if anyone was closing on me, so I just kept pushing on; GPS conked out so I didn't know how far there was, apart from the stopwatch function; finally the last curve appeared, and I pushed one more bit to get in under 31 minutes, thus:

Time: 30:50
Distance: 4.8 miles
Pace: 6:25s

Comment: sore ankles and lower calf/shin area from the downhill; after a pitstop, grabbed a banana and headed out, aiming for another several miles (wanted double digits. . .). Managed 4.98 miles @ 7:26s in 37:03. This was probably a bit hard for a cooldown, but meh, serves me right for taking two days off. It was part trail loops and part road, and I ended up back at the start for some eats and a chat with a colleague I introduced myself to (he invited me to join a campus "noontime runners" group--very sociable). Turns out I came in 14th, and earned a prize as third in class. Grabbed book on running in NE and headed home for a nap. Definitely try again next year.

Steady & flat -- Thu. June 10

After two hill days a road day on a flatter course (though for variety I'm wearing my trail shoes today!): aim for 7-8, but end up gong further. Start as usual, decide not to stop to stretch, as I'm on for a gentle pace today. Head down GeoHannum to Boardman, then take Rural round to geoHannum again, and on to Stebbins, then left to School and out to 202; dither briefly, but at just about 5 miles thus far decide to go on, crossing 202 and out as far as the Chicopee intersection, then head back past Bagg Hill and to 202 again; 7.5 miles at that point, so skip the Eskett extra and go straight across, with pace clearly under 7:30 average. Keep it steady up towards the junction w/ GeoHannum (where I pick up a stray kids shoe, but that's another story) then straight back homewards, hitting ten miles before the railway and keeping running up as far as AustinG (for the uphill finish!):

Time: 1:13:40
Distance: 10.11 miles
Pace: 7:17s

Comment: damp and cool (wore undershirt and long sleeved shirt), but nice miles. Thinking about Lake Wyola and the Greylock half. . .

Accidental trail -- Wed. June 9

Aiming for a road route with the Allen hills, but I wanted to get my stretch in, so started there (again buggy, despite cooler weather and recent rains) after a slow first mile; to wake up I figured I'd do a minimal trail loop before going back to Hamilton, but lost the route, and ended up coming out at Wallace pond. Dithered a bit running back through state school (past a troupe of kindergartners being led on an adventure by several teachers) and decided to stick with the Allen hills idea. Exit state school on Jackson, double back onto rail trail and follow to geohannum, then cross through baseball field and continue on trail to come out at end of Hamilton. Then up to Allen as usual, now with some good trails miles under my feet (shod in road shoes, ironically). The hills are as tough as ever; go the whole hog, over 202 and through to Enfield, then enjoy the gentle descent back to 9, and thus back towards home, running past super market all the way to Greenwich, thus:

Time: 1:11:51
Distance: 9.65 miles
Pace: 7:27s

Comment: after stopping clock took shoes off and jogged on grass and then road back to house. Quite a pleasant change, like the cooler weather (wore Boston shirt, long sleeves, and did *not* get hot). The timing includes a pitstop where I let the clock run, so pace was maybe a second or two higher. Bug bite on right ankle not helping achilles at this point. . .

Hills -- Tue. June 8

Out at 9:30 on a pleasant sunny morning, aiming to get some more hills in after my day off, but at an easy pace. Stretch at usual spot past water plant (getting too buggy for that though) and into trails, taking Underwood to come out on 202 and head down past Summit to Barton. Up the hill all the way, and down the other side to Rockrimmon, then back towards 21 eventually and follow that up to 202, then up to police station, where I enter "trail walk" and follow past Wallace pond over the hill and down to GeoHannum again, then up the hill as far as AustinG, stopping the clock there:

Time: 1:19:15
Distance: 10.59
Pace: 7:29

Comment: pace was comfortable, evenly spaced over the miles, so I felt quite refreshed at the end. The short trail sections at start and end were both hilly and good workouts. Total climb over 450', and similar descent: nice route, enfin.

Pack Monadnock -- Sun. June 6

Up at 5 a.m. and away by 5:45, heading to Wilton, New Hampshire. Rains on and off as I go; stop for coffee in Orange, then plug on, route pretty straightforward fortunately. Arrive in town before 8, go to high school and register (still Tshirts left, so I now have a "Got Hills?" shirt). Then drive (following several others) up the 9 miles or so to the ski parking lot near the top and park. Change somewhat in car, then pack bag and wait in rain for shuttle back to start. Ride with 3-4 other guys in a nice (leather-seated, GMC?) SUV quite fast (!) down hill back to school and do final prep--eat a banana, queue for loo (always too few!!!), run a bit and stretch a bit, then stow bag in UHaul truck and jog off to start with everyone else. Rain seems to intensify, and several early arrivers shelter in barn/garage or under tree. Fortunately, the start is not delayed, and we're off!

First mile had seemed pretty steep when I drove up it earlier, but not so bad to run. Game plan was to be cautious to the end of mile 6, as there's a bad climb at 5.5 according to route map. The hill is quarter over at 4 miles, half over at 8, and then the second half (900 feet) is concentrated in the last mile, so need energy at end just to finish, I figure.

In fact the first several miles were almost pleasant--somehow there were decent interludes of downhill or easy, so the ups didn't feel bad. It really is rolling despite the overall climb. My splits kind of show the variety:

7:48, 6:52, 6:56, 7:39;
6:51, 7:28, 6:55, 7:53;

This is all on minor roads or dirt roads, very pleasant, especially as the rain started to fade. Bad attack of nipple soreness, and eventually took shirt off as it was just getting heavier. Had to carry it with me (some people at water stops offered to bring it to end for me) as it had my number on it. Next time I run in rain, must put number on shorts! Water and gatorade stops were, btw, very good, and I carried a goo-pack with me just in case too (didn't end up eating it till after enfin).

Then with eight miles almost done the trail comes out onto the main road, up past where we'd parked cars; this seemed steeper, but I was getting a second wind and started to knock people off one by one, then turned in to the final auto road and braced for the last mile, which turned out to be just impossible:

7:32, 12:34 (sic. And sick).

I power-walked twice, maybe three times, during that ascent, all the while trying to keep specific people targets in reach. I did manage to knock off several more, even one or two who didn't walk (so: it *does* help, in limited doses). in the last half mile we were being cheered on by chaps who'd already finished, and they pointed out the last stretch ahead in the mist. I managed a final burst when I saw the end and got two more places, but an old guy who was helping officiate told me I'd jumped a place in the chute. Meh. I think he wasn't watching, 'cos most people were staggering not sprinting at the point, but one place won't make any difference. I was pretty sure I'd made it into the top 100, which would be top third for a 300 entry race -- given the clientele (dedicated hill-climbers) and the weather (only the very dedicated show up on days with 90% rain forecast for the duration of the race), that would have been plenty fine.

In the end I did considerably better: placed 43 out of 350+, so almost into the top 10%. Official stats (which list me as 26!!):

Time: 1:18:32
Distance: 10 miles
Pace: 7:52s

Comment: this was an AWESOME race, and I'm very glad I was able to get to it. To train for it I need to run up Jabish *towing weights,* but it's worth it. After the race I jogged down to the bag van, about a mile, and felt great -- then back to car, which was handily right next to the food tent. Changed shirt and went to sample eats -- found out I was the fIrSt person there (haha. ..oops). Lasagna, pudding, just good -- then I was off. The only person I knew even vaguely at the race was Rich C., and he was nowhere in sight, so no desire to hang about. Long drive home and then sleep and a shower.

Five for forty -- Sat. June 5

Wanting to round out the week at 40 miles, but with a race tomorrow, nothing too tough, so out at about 10 a.m. down GeoHannum to stretch at the water plant. Getting hot, and muggy, but rained last night, so still nice in stretches. Do a basic Rural route, gently, down GeoHannum and up Boardman, trying to feel out how my condition is. Open up a little near the end, and run as far as AustinG field, thus:

Time: 39:21
Distance: 5.25 miles
Pace: 7:30s

Comment: took great care not to push up the hill at the end. Back still not quite right, so risk of numbleg tomorrow, but hopefully I'll avoid it--it won't be a fast race.

Muggy 7 -- Fri. June 4

Switching to morning outing just in time for the race on Sunday (I hope), I headed out feeling creaky and sore at about 10 a.m., having slept in a bit (maybe not the best idea). Carrying water, in road shoes, head down GeoHannum and at Pheasant corner there's a traffic confusion going on--run round it, then hailed by one driver, evidently lost, who turns out to be Bruce! Try and give directions (he's aiming to take his young'n to the Ludlow zoo), but in the end hop in and drive w/ him to School St before sending him on his way. Follow on, stopping in front of the old seminary/school to do stretches, then continue. Ride in car loosened me up a bit (let warm-up percolate?) so felt a bit better, moving along to 202, straight across and on to Chicopee St, then back to 202 and go right up to Eskett, then in and back to Boardman, up to GeoHannum and homeward. Run to 7 miles, then push up to AustinG field before stopping clock:

Time: 52:34
Distance: 7.27 miles
Pace: 7:14s

Comment: a touch of numbleg coming on in last uphill, alas. Not sure why, but stretch some more at home after run. Pretty heated up, and feeling generally lethargic, but hopefully just a transient phase. Pace was comfortable, with on 6:59 and one 7:01.

Ten by Firefly -- Wed. June 2

Leave work at 8 to get home in time for a little light as I leave on a mixed run: very muggy, and fireflies all around (fortunately not too many cars). Out to 9, then along and down to Federal behind Tilton's, aiming for a road ten-miler. Feel okay, if slow; gently for first couple of miles, and figure 7:30s will be the target for first hour. Along Federal all the way to Goodell, trying not to swallow too many bugs -- carrying water, but not too hot, fortunately. At Warren Wright head left along to Orchard, finally feeling warmed up and loose--drift up the hill without really noticing it, back on to Federal, and along to Metacomet, picking up pace to get the eight miles as one hour comes up -- in fact get 8.2 miles. Then along to Bay, left and up the big hill (feel that one!) and on to 9 to finish back to GeoHannum and stop clock at 10 miles, thus:

Time: 1:13:42
Distance: 10.01 miles
Pace: 7:22s

Comment: didn't stop to stretch (too buggy) but must do next time--legs a bit tight, and Achilles sore on both sides. Still, satisfying run, all in all, leaving me 12 for the week and ready (I hope) to do Monadnock. Total climb on this run = 330 ft (descent too), and just the one sub-7 mile, I think.

Misty hills -- Tue. June 1

A new month, and ready to run; time limited, however, by chauffeur duty. Drop Ninja girl at jiu jitsu, return home to change, then back and park at dôjô and head out onto 202. Down all the way to Barton (feeling bloated, not good digestively), then start up the hill--damp (after thunderstormy afternoon) and misty, especially on the hill. Breathing muggy air and water vapor, so it all feels a bit hard. Keep plodding all the way up, then on to Oak Ridge and to Summit, on down to Turkey Hill and out on to 21, then change mind and head back towards OldSprfld. Feeling a bit better, and hill climb miles were both sub-8:00s, followed by a sub-7:00. Then through high school and back to start:

Time: 1:02:28
Distance: 8.61 miles
Pace: 7:15s

Comment: that ended up much quicker than I planned: wasn't sure I'd even hold 7:30. Still, a useful bit of training for the upcoming Monadnock, I hope. . .

Bike Ride -- Sun. May 30

Wanting to stretch legs after two long runs and to get in something in lieu of a Monday off, so an evening bike ride: headed out at about 6:30 through state school to rail trail and all the way down to 181, then down to Bondsville and on to the old rail trail in Palmer. Takes about 30 mins to get there. Go straight up onto trail and follow high route a while then low route and reach river v. soon. Explore river left (south) a way, but it's wide, deep-ish and soft bottomed; also there appeared to be a house with people on river bank, so turned back and headed along back to other side of the trail. Find a spot that's wide but not *too* deep looking, and with a mainly stony bottom. Shoes off, tie round neck, bike overhead; gloves and phone in pockets -- that turned out to be a BAD idea, as water was deeper than I thought: up to mid-thigh, flooding all my shorts pockets...

Over barbed wire on other bank, reassemble self and follow tiny trail towards target rail trail. Several obstacles, and try several routes, but eventually come out opposite rail trail where I started (avoiding a strange bunker hole, 8 feet deep) cross live railway and back on rail trail. By then much time has ticked by, and I'm bug bitten and worried about drying out phone, so shortly take to the road again, after just a bit of exploration of this newer (to me) rail trail section. Bike back hard and fast via SoLib, NoLib, then rail trail and Jackson; feel loose and pleasantly tired. Home at 8:30 or so.

Total: 19.25 miles, of which 2.5 were hard trail. Total 400' ascent and similar descent.