More on the Jones-Town and Country

Here are some funny observations on yesterday's 10 miler. The race was won by local speed god Paul Low. He won the race easilly in 53:30. Under the heading of speed is in the eye of the beholder, Paul Low said, "It was so slow at the beginning." He lead the pack through the first mile in 5:27.

There were 361 finishers, first male was Paul Low, first female his wife Kelli Lusk in 1:03.09.

The turn out was low. It was clear, cold and windy day. The course is all about hills with three steep climbs in the last mile. This race is a must do for me. I love the course because you can not just run it. The course begins fast with a mostly down hill run over two miles, then a very steep mile up hill followed by two more miles of mostly up hill running. Miles six and seven are fast mostly down hill. Mile 8 is an up and down stretch. Mile 9 has a good long up hill in the last third. Then the final mile has three short steep hills, with a down hill finish in to the Wildwood School parking lot.

Post race is always the best part of a race, especially if the race went well. A piece of pizza, a yogurt, a powerade, and a small bowl of soup waited for the finishers. Then came shared race moments with friends and strangers.

Jones-Town & Country 10 Miler

It is an amazing gift that you have if you can line up on a starting line in February for a ten mile road race with the assumption that you will finish. Most people can not do this. So if you can, you really have no reason to get all wigged out because you did not finish as fast as you wanted to. We are all guilty of this. Once you can run a 10 mile race, you want to run it faster. And once you have run 10 miles fast, it seems to be the end of the world if you do not match or exceed your performance next time.

Fast is relative of course. I heard too many people say today, "I ran really fast, for me." For me. There should be no need for the apologetic acknowledgement of one's own accomplishments. You know if you ran fast, it should not matter that your definition of fast and another's definition are so far apart. I have run the Jones-Town & Country 10 Miler six times in the last seven years. It is one of my favorite races, and I have many times run great races there . Great is not what it used to be. Today I ran a good race. I have gotten faster over the last two years, so that a fast run today could not hav been imaged two years ago.

Right now I am sore, and exhausted. In seven weeks, bring on Boston.

Ben at Bushnell Park playing with Lisa while I ran the Hartford Marathon. 

Thoughts Before A Long Morning on the Road

Sunday morning 5:20A.M. (yesterday)

Do I really want to do this? It's cold out. It is warm in bed. I should go out. Yhea, right. Must do long run. Ben will be up soon. Can not wake up Ben.

It is dark out. Coffee. Coffee. Coffee. Press red button on Braun coffee maker. Italian Roast from Trader Joes. Brain beginning to function. Coffee good. Oatmeal in crock pot since last night, perfect after seven hours.

Okay, I am up. Am I really going to do this? 8 degrees outside, 65 inside. Time for breakfast.
Oatmeal with bannana, and brown sugar. Gatorade. Pack up a Power Bar and more Gatorade for the run. More coffee. Good thing I laid my clothes out last night, and ground the coffee. The weather guys said 10 dgrees. It is ten outside. I have synthetic every thing on today (except for the Smart Wool socks). Two pairs of tights, cool max shirt, Bergeline long sleeve, Hind long sleeve, wind proof top, and another pull over. Gloves, synthetic balaklava, wool hat and scarf.

This will be worth it. I hope it is worth it. Yhea, it's worth it.

Open the front door, step out side and turn on the Garmin. 6:40 A.M. It's cold, but here I go....

This is me

Hartford Marathon, October 2004
I am trying to get this picture in my profile. Until I do, this is me.

Nine Weeks to Boston

Yesterday I got off my second 20 miler in two weeks with a solo run to Amherst and back. I headed off just after dawn and ran on slippery roads through a thick snow squall. This is a flat course that ran one morning last summer. It is a good run when you want to check away from all that country road solitude that I usually run with.

I do most of my runs solo, including the long runs. I could not have made these runs a few years ago, simply because I used to get wigged out running alone for so long. The Amherst - Northampton railtrail was my running course of choice for long runs, I like to see that there other humans out there. I must be gettings older or something, but I no longer mind the three plus hours of solitude that my long runs provide.

I just got in from a 4.5 mile run around town. I headed out a little after 10:00 PM, and ran out to North Main Street to Routes 5&10, and back. There was a fresh layer of snow on the ground and a freezing ran was coming down. By the time I got home the rain had become heavy. Slippery cold and wet, it does not get any better. My late night roads are slow. I can deal with this.

Wednesday night I have board meeting with my running club, the Sugarloaf Mountain Athletic Club. Pizza, upcoming races and awards for the most improved runners come out. The web link to SMAC is http://www.sugarloafmac.org/ .

First 20 down, and 10 Weeks to Go

Running brings to mind the gifts we are given in life. For me running keeps me balanced in the rest of my life. Three hours out or even 35 minutes around town and my crazy existence becomes makes sense. Work creates stress, and running releaves it.

I ran my first 20 miler of the year yesterday with my friend Donna. We ran a hilly route through Deerfield in excelent weather. The temperature was about 25 at the beginning of the run , and pushing 40 by the end. No frozen Gatorade at the end of this run. Our pace was fast, steady and felt good for the whole run. More than logging time and distance it was great to share perspectives on running and training with another runner who is as serious about her running as I am with my own.

It is ten weeks from the Boston Marathon, and I will try to pack in 5 more twenty milers in the next 7 weeks. Six 20's have been the core of my marathon prep for my last two marathons. The plan is simple. Train the distance, run at least half of the long runs fast. I am not a person to plan out intervals, tempo runs and long slow runs in advance. A typical training week for me is this:
Monday - Think about running.
Tuesday - 5 to 6 miles around either before work and late night. Run slow because I am usually tired at night. Pace likely to be 6:35 to 9:35 miles.
Wednesday-See Tuesday.
Thursday - Speed work- This my tread mill time at the Greenfield Y. I will run 7 to 11 miles on the treadmills in 50 to 75 minutes. I also do a around on the nautilus loop. Once a week I do not mind running on a treadmill. The secret for me to enjoy the treadmill is to go fast enough that if I slip I'll be tossed into brick wall and killed instantly.
Friday - See Monday or Tuesday.
Saturday - 4 to 10 miles, slow because I am running long the next day.
Sunday - 16 to 24 miles. These are often the fastest runs that I will do all week (except for Thursday). I do about half my long runs under an 8:00 pace.

This is basically my running program. In the summer instead of the Y I run in a weekly 5K training race (then I will run the course one or two more times). My weekly summer mileage is higher than my winter running goals. Last summer I topped out my weekly mileage at 62 miles, in the winter I will not likely get about 55 miles. Most weeks will be bellow 50 miles.

Here I am about to head out for a 16 run on an 8 degree morning two weeks ago. 

Baby It's Cold Outside

This is how I dress when the temperature drops to 10 or less.

Running On

I had a long day of gettting little done at work today after I offered to bring the company truck to the dealer's service center in Westminster, VT (an hour's drive). The plan was simple:
1. Drive truck to shop for service.
2.Bring about 2 to 3 hours of work with me so that I could waite for the truck to be finished.
3.Be back by noon.
I should have just bagged it all early and called for a ride. At 5:30PM my boss picked me up because the truck had to stay for a computer issue. Oh well. Let's talk about running.

It should be a four day running week this week. I managed about 5.5 miles late night on Tuesday.

Tonight after work and a quick bite to eat with the family I headed to the Y for my Thursday night work out. I ran 10.9 miles in 75 minutes. For me this was a really great run. I imagined running the Boston Marathon, which I will do this April (ran it last year for the first time). My imagined run was absolutely wonderful with none of the pain and fatigue of the real thing.

Training is going well. My Thursday night tread mill runs have been fast, solid workouts. My Sunday runs have been done diligently, and this past Sunday's 18 miler had some moments of speed, I have not been in my groove for a long run in this training cycle. Maybe tonight is sign that things are about to turn around.

I am slowing learning how to post pictures to the web, and to this Blog. I still do not understand the process well enough. The picture of me in Holland was supposed to be in my profile. It is close.

I signed up for the Jones Town and Country 10 miler in Amherst. This is a great race that comes on the final Sunday of February. My goal is to finish in 66 minutes. The course is very hilly, and ends with a final two miles of mostly up hill running. Before the Boston Marathon I will run the 10 miler, the New Bedford Half-Marathon, and the Ron Herbert 8 miler. Should be fun.

18 Down and Running Economy

Sunday's 18 mile run was indeed 18. No bad weather, bad kharma or lost inspiration for this run. I did hilly loop in Deerfield starting out the door at about 7:30 A.M. It was 12 degrees F when I headed out the door and 25 when I returned. A stop at Jerry's place for a bagel and coffee after the first 2 miles helped to keep me on track. I have about 8 weeks of serious running ahead of me to get ready for Boston. The last three before the marathon are tapering weeks meant more for recovery from training than any further conditioning.

Next Sunday I will make another loop on most of the same roads for 20 miles. River Road, Hillside, North Hillside, Upper Road, Lower Road., hills. Up hills, down hills. Donna and I will try again to meet at Sugarloaf at 7:00A.M..

Donna is running a 100 miler in May down in Virginia. She thinks that it will take her between 25 and 30 hours to finish this thing. I have signed on as her pacer for the last 30 miles. My job will be to run alongside her and keep her going when her body and mind say enough is enough. Donna did say that I could jump in around mile 50 for the last 50, but then I would need a pacer. This will be an adventure.

So it's freaking cold and you hate to be cold, but you gotta run, but it's freaking cold so whatta you gonna do? You have to dress for the elements. Here is observation on wardrobe that I had a while back on a long cold run. Thoreau's Economy, not in long shot. This is what it takes for me to stay warm when I run.

1. Two pairs of running tights, $40.00 * 2 = $80.00
2. Running socks (double layer), $6.50
3. New Balance 856 ( favorite running shoe in years), $75.00
4. Super Feet inserts (I have very flat feet), $30.00
5. Poly Glove liners, and heavy gloves, $15.00 + $30.00=$45.00
6. Polypro underwear, $6.50
7. Bergeline top, New Balance heavy top, and Hind Hydrator top. $30.00+$30.00+$45.00=$105
8. Poly baliclava, and wool hat, $15.00+$25.00=$40.00
9. Luminite Wool Blend Pullover Jacket, $65.00

Total so far: $453.00

Add on my Garmin Forerunner GPS, $150.00,

Grand Total: $603.00

Running suddenly does not sound so cheap after all. The one good thing about this list is that I have aquired all this stuff over the last five or six years. I couldn't cough up this much for running in one dose without feeling ill. Also you can get by with many layers of old clothing to simply avoid freezing.

Making this Short

Running update.

Boston is little more than 11 weeks away. I have serious training ahead of me. I am running well at the Y on a treadmill. I have not been on the road since Sunday, and tomorrow I am out for 18 miles.

Thurday I ran 7.25 miles at in 50 minutes on a treadmill. I started out slow, but finished the last mile and half at better than a 6 1/2 minute pace.

Donna has asked me to pace her over the last 30 miles of a Virginia 100 mile run in May. This could be fun. I have cleared this with Lisa. It will be an interesting adventure.

Keep on running,

Running Guy

Here I am in Netherlands this Fall 

Post Blizzard of 2005

I went out for a seven mile run around town Sunday morning. The wind was gusting at 25 to 35 mph, and it was about 8 degrees. I had so many layers on I could have withstood a direct hit from a snow plow and not known it. The weather was not a problem, but a longer run could have been a bad idea.

There were no cars on the road at 9:00 A. M. Sunday morning. The snow really shut things down, but there were a few people at the Deerfield Market, and a niehbor at Jerry's Place.

I went out mainly to prove that I could. Also, I needed to have some mileage to record. I am training to for the Boston Marathon, so skipping a long run on the weekend is a problem. Mostly mileage is a mental problem. I need to run to prepare for the marathon, but I need to run to simply convince myself that I can. You have to run to prepare. What ever you do, you have believe that you have prepared for this.

When I got home Ben wanted to play with me in his room with his trains. Kids are a handful, sometimes it seems that it is too much keep your cool when they are driving you nutz. Then there are times where Ben looks at me with total trust, and gives me a piece of his cookie, or toy, and I can only wonder how anyone with children could be an asshole.

Children are so precious, how can any one who has one not want to be the best person they can be? Ben is four. Ben inspires my wife and I to be better people, then there are those days where Ben is really four and we look at each other and think, "Ebay, we can sell him on Ebay."

Keep on running. I have to find out what Donna did for a run yesterday.

Maybe a long run isn't such a great idea.

Tonight I got back from the Y and my wife told me that I had a message from my friend Donna on the answering machine. It has been brutally cold here in New England, and now we have a blizzard bearing down on us.

Donna is an ultra marathoner. She runs 100 mile races and finishes in top 25% or better. The great thing about having a friend who is an ultramarathoner is that her workouts make mine look pretty reasonable. I am running two marathons a year, she runs neary four marathons in 21 hours. When I need make my training look reasonableI to my wife, I just have to point to Donna and I am off the hook.

So, Donna is tough. She is as dedicated a runner as I know and I like training with her. I have run many winter long runs with her over the last two years. The weather has never been an issue worth cancelling a run in the past. We have run in rain, snow and sub zerotemps with strong winds on top of that. She called tonight to cancell tomorow's 18 miler. She was so appolegetic for wimping out on a run in 24 inches of snow, with temperatures around 9 F, wind chills in the -20's. I was not planning on going out for 18 miles in those conditions to save my soul. I will try for 4 to 6 miles in the morning.

My last two Marathons have have included only two long runs with other people. Last February I went out with Donna and five of her running buddies for a 20 mile run throught the Pelham Hills and Mount Licoln in Pelham, MA. It was cold but the run was great. Every one on that run was planning to do the Boston Marathon in April; I knew that I was in great company.

You can run for many different reasons, but if you do you will find a community that accepts you not because your a great runner, but because you are a runner. Show up often enough, and you are in.

Getting on track.

Tonight I headed out for a Weight Watchers meeting and my Thursday night at the Y. Tonight's meeting was not too interesting, but I find that it is easier to avoid the 6 lbs. Of M & Ms under the secretary's desk at work if I go. If I don't run for several days I am not a happy person, and I begin to think that my running days are over. It's nutz, but I get over it pretty easy.

I headed into the Greenfield Y around 6:30P.M., I thought about bagging the whole thing. There were the familiar Thursday night faces in the Nautilus room, and cardio room. This was good sign. I headed down to the locker room to change.

This was a good night. I started on an elliptical trainer for 25 minutes. Did a long circuit on the nautilus equipment. Then back to the cardio room for 8 miles on a tread mill. The tread mill can be a real challenge because it is so freaking boring. The cure, run really fast. Fear of being tossed off the machine into a concrete wall does keep it interesting. I also try to visualize running my next marathon.

Tom G. (a local community theater guy) came in tonight. Except for a hello we really did not say anything to each other. Years ago I was in a production of a Christmas Carol with Tom and he totally terrorized me. Not intentionally, well maybe intentionally. I was Bob Crachit, and he was Ebeneza Scrooge. He was a very a serious local actor and singer in the regional Opera company. Every one was intimidated by him. He always sat alone during rehearsal and just scowled at the rest of the cast. I had never done any acting before in my life, and at 35 I was about to step on stage as Bob Cratchit in front of hundreds of people. The director told me that I was cast as Cratchit not because I was a great actor, but because I was Bob Cratchit. Tom was Scrooge, so he really did scare me. I acted in three more plays before my son Ben was born. When he is older I hope that we can get back to community theater as a family.

Running on the tread mill tonight was the easiest it has been in months. After I ran the Hartford Marathon in October I had a hard time getting the joy back in to my running. Since Christmas things seemed to have turned around, just as I was beginning to train for the Boston Marathon this April. I should not be too surprised, as it took me two months last spring to recover from the 2004 Boston Marathon.

The tread mills at the Y have a 25 minute limit on all of their programs including the manual setting. I cranked up the pace gradually over the first 5 minutes to a 7:13 per mile pace. Then every minute I increased the pace by a tenth of a mile. I finished the run with the last minute at a six minute pace, 3.55 miles. Then I got some water, and did another 25 minutes. I ran the most of the second 25 minutes at a steady 6:58 pace. Then I increased the speed on the machine over the last 12 minutes. I did a final mile to cool down. End of work out. High on endorphins I headed out home.

Tales of a Running Guy

This is my first blog, and it is about what I do when I am not being a dad, a husband, or a working guy. I run.

I am 42 years old, a happy father of a four year boy, well married for the last 14 years, and the greenhouse manager for a perennial farm. I can claim to have been a runner for the last 27 years, but I have really only been running seriously for the last seven years.

Being a runner clears my head, and gives me something focus on that does not involve any responsibilities to anyone else but myself. I have been running road races since 1996, and ran my first marathon in 1999. One marathon a year was my original goal, but marathon #2 did not happen until October 2003 at the Hartford Marathon. I qualified for Boston at Hartford and ran Boston this past April. The temperature soared to 86 F that day, but I ran well any way finishing in 3:20 (chip time).

Now I am in a routine that has me running two marathons a year. This past October I returned to Hartford and made attempt at a 3:00 marathon. I was on track until mile 18, then things got ugly. My legs abandoned me at the end, but I managed to stay in the race and finished in 3:09:01. This was a few seconds faster than the previous years run, and is now my new PR.

I am presently training for my fifth marathon, and my second Boston . I plan on using this Blog to record my thoughts on running, and some account of the runs themselves. I can report that this week is not looking too promising from a training perspective. It is Wednesday night and I have not run since Sunday morning. Tomorow I will be at the Y running no where fast on a tread mill.


Life is fun. We will see if reading and writing about life is fun also.