Full Circle

Big Head Todd and the Monsters, one of the greatest rock bands of all time, has a song called "Circle" with a refrain that goes, "Rise and fall, turn the wheel, 'cause all life is really just circle."

It may be obvious, but it causes me to reflect nonetheless.

As the saying goes, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." For me, that "sameness" includes running. To some that may sound boring, but I take a certain comfort in it. It provides the consistency that I need in a world of turmoil. It's also the dynamic changes around this "sameness" that provides some excitement.

This week, I started to throw down some miles again. I logged a couple 6 mile tempo runs on Monday and Tuesday and then met the Goat for a Wednesday night run at the reservoir. The Goat is training for his first 50 mile ultra (The Stonecat Ale 50 miler). He was disappointed in his long run last weekend, so I wanted to run with him to assess his progress. Well, we ran at a fairly quick pace for awhile and the Goat was stride for stride with me the whole way. Usually, he will start to slow after the first few miles, but he was really hanging strong. Wow! We ran about 10 miles and he pushed me for the first 9 or so. Awesome! I'm psyched for him and can't wait to see how he does at StoneCat.

Dawn is training for the Hartford Marathon and has been getting in great shape as well. She put in about 17-18 miles on Saturday in the rain, and then was 3rd woman in a 5K today. Nice! Congrats to Dawn for getting her first piece of hardware! Imagine how fast she would have run if she didn't have tired legs!

It's so nice to see others excelling and enjoying the benefits of this great lifestyle. Goat and I were doing a 5 hour run in the rain on Saturday, and I asked after 4 hours, "Goat, is there anyplace else you would rather be right now?" Goat muttered something about traveling to a foreign country or something, ...but he understood my point. I said that there was nowhere else that I wanted to be... He asked if this was where I NEEDED to be... I thought about it for a moment and said, "Yes, this is where I NEED to be right now!"

Jobs change, people in our lives change, we get older, people are born and die. We think about our own mortality when we hear that Paul Newman died, etc. The economy is struggling, the country needs a leader, etc., etc., etc.

"It's all good" as the saying goes. WE RUN! We run with our friends. We talk, we share, we celebrate, and "it's all good" until we do it all over again.

I hope you are all enjoying this great Fall weather with every footstep.

Weekly Mileage:

Monday - 6 tempo
Tuesday - 6 tempo
Wed - 10 moderate
Th - rest
Fr - rest
Sat - 24.5, 4:45, 3 Heublein tower trips and one res. hill loop
Total: 46.5

It's nice to have some mileage to log again!

Reach the Beach

The Red Eye Runners successfully completed our 4th Reach the Beach Relay covering over 200 miles in the beautiful state of New Hampshire. This was the 10th Anniversary of Reach the Beach, and the race staff deserve a lot of credit. I am always amazed at the logistics involved with safely moving 350 teams from the start in New Hampshire's White Mountains to the coast at Hampton Beach. The conventional RTB team has 12 members to cover 36 relay legs with each leg covering 2.5 to 9.5 miles in length. Most teams have 2 large 12 passenger vans to transport team members with Van 1 covering legs 1-6, 13-18, and 25-30. Van 2 covers the other 18 legs. The teams are responsible for meeting all safety requirements - headlamps, safety vests, etc. as well as crew support (food, fluids, etc.). It truly is a team effort.

Our team is led by Captain Bill Gaghan who puts countless hours into preparing the team for the race. He's thought of everything from excel spreadsheets with our predicted times to inspirational soundtracks for our vans. The van assignments are critical for our team as each van has developed it's own personality: The F'em van is as you might imagine is comprised of a bunch of professional, married guys that have the weekend away to play. They can be a bit crude and badger the heck out of eachother along the way, but they are really great friends just blowing off some steam. The Serenity Van is made up of the other folks - generally folks that are not associated with the core group of runners. Since they don't know eachother as well, they are generally very polite and enjoy eachothers company for the weekend. I, somehow, have ended up in the Serenity Van. It's fine with me because I get to chat with folks that I don't know or don't see very often.

Our team is not fast in terms of being able to win, but it doesn't really matter. We do it for fun and to see how we can do both individually and as a group. Even if we don't win, it's always fun to see how we place in our group and to try to break our personal records. This year, we were 131 out of about 350 teams overall and we were 5th out of 6 teams on the Male Masters. It's not really fair as we have 4 lovely ladies on our team (you need 6 women for a mixed team), but we don't really run it for competitive reasons. At least I don't anyway...

I think we run for the memories and friendship. The true commraderie that I see is unmatched. It was great fun to have Dawn and The Goat on the team this year. The team welcomed them with open arms. I enjoy running this race because it allows me to stay connected with some good friends...people that I don't get to see on a regular basis. If it wasn't for this race, I fear that I would lose contact with most of them.

The routine has become "old hat" at this point. We meet near work to load the vans, drive halfway to Paul and Flo's place on the lake, and stop for dinner. We arrive near midnight and scramble for a place to sleep. I usually sleep on the porch to enjoy the cool September air. Bill gives his pre-race speech and introduces all the team members, and we talk about the game plan for the next 48 hours.

The next morning we pack up and head for the start. This year, I heard Stan and Pete swimming when I awoke at 6:30AM. I was impressed. Pete said the water was great, so I had to jump in. Yee haa!

The start of the race is always a big party. You see teams clad in all kinds of costumes - the Cavemen/women, the Tutu girls, the Dyno-mite team, the A-team (fashioned after the old TV show with Mr. T), etc. After check-in, we decorate our van with markers, lights, etc. Some teams get very creative. It's so much fun!

Dawn started us off this year. Teams start in groups of 15 every 30 minutes. The start time is based on your expected finish time. Our start was 11AM which put us in the middle of the pack. We were happy to be in the thick of things as last year we were bringing up the rear.

Dawn ran a great leg finishing within 30 seconds of her predicted time and the Goat ran a spectacular leg 2 putting us ahead of our predicted finish time by about 20 minutes. I ran a slower than predicted leg 3 as I had a terrible headwind the whole way. Besides, it was 3.8 miles and I'm no sprinter. Anyway, I won't go through all 36 legs...but suffice it to say we ran according to plan and never missed a hand-off. We had a great time, and I was pleased with my 3 legs. I was able to run a faster pace on my last 2 legs even though they were double the mileage and more hilly - go figure! I guess it takes me awhile to warm up.

At the end, Paul ran us across the finish line and Bill gave us our finisher medals and shirts on the beach as we do every year. Mission accomplished one more time.

Were we uncomfortable at times? yes, did we get on eachother's nerves at times? sure, was there a lot of waiting? of course... Would I trade it for anything else? No Way!

I slept in the van, I slept on the ground...I ate, I swam, I ran, I talked and laughed with new and old friends. Friends...we are all very different and some didn't know eachother at all prior to the race, but one thing brought us all together: running. Running was our common denominator. In fact, it was THE common denominator for everyone in the race. It enabled us to make instantaneous friendships with anyone we cared to chat with during the race. Running is a means to connect despite being a very individual sport. Even the folks that do not run rally around those of us that do. Why is that? I think the effort of running evokes a respect and admiration from others...a respect based on wanting to enjoy life, adventure, and maintain a level of fitness. I always try to encourage the other runners that I pass or that pass me. I think it bonds us momentarily and may give us a needed lift. I made sure to do it with everyone I encountered this year.

Reach the Beach 2008 was a great success. We interview each team member on video after they finish their leg, and Flo and Paul make a DVD for later viewing. After my last leg this year, I was so happy. I looked in the camera and said something to the effect of "Red Eye Runners forever...RTB every year until we die..."

Wouldn't that be something?!!

Happy trails!

The Wake Up Call (a.k.a. - A serving of Humble Pie)

"The Legend", a.k.a. Rich Fargo, had asked me a few weeks ago if I was interested in doing a weekend run with him as he is training for the Hartford Marathon and wanted to get a few 20 milers in on the roads. I said, yes, as I always enjoy running with people, and he's a really strong runner. In fact, he's more than strong - he's "The Legend". I affectionately call him the Legend because he is truly a legend in the community of trail running. He's won the famed Escarpment Trail race 8 times (recently equalled by Ben Nephew), and has more wins on the trail running circuit than most people have run races. Rich has also been running to and from work everyday for the past 20 years. He carries his clothes, shoes, and 2 cans of Coke in his L.L. Bean backpack, and flies like the wind. I've tried this a few times (minus the cans of Coke), and it's not as crazy as it sounds. In fact, it feels great to walk into work having just put in 5 miles or so. The run home is a challenge sometimes, but always feels good nontheless.

Anyway, Rich and I both ran the Northern Nipmuck trail race in April and I ran with him for a good portion of the race. I managed to finish a couple minutes ahead of him and really felt good about my fitness level. I think I woke a sleeping tiger though as Rich has been on a tear ever since...

Anyway, I was a bit apprehensive about today's run since I haven't done much since the Vermont 100. The handful of runs I have done have been at a slow pace. In fact, I haven't done a fast training run since early July. "It's OK", I thought, "He's going to do 20 miles and I'm along for 13 or so. No problem. We'll probably be doing 7:45-8:00 pace, and I can do that for 13 on the roads." Famous last words...

I arrived at Rich's house with my bottle of Heed and was ready to roll. Rich was not running with any fluids. Gulp! I took a few swallows and left my bottle. I was running on his terms. How could I carry a bottle for 13 if he was running 20 without anything? Damn, this guy is hardcore.

I asked about pace and he said 7:30-8:00. Then, he took off like a bat out of hell. Yikes!
I hung on for the first 3 miles thinking this pace is insane. My Garmin said we were running around 7:25 miles. We chatted and I started feeling more comfortable. The route was hilly, but the uphills were quite runnable compared to the trails I had run all year. We pushed eachother and I noted that we were doing about 7:15 pace at one point. Damn!

At appr0x. 6 miles we started looping back and Rich said we would split a little before the 9 mile mark. We ran a long gradual uphill which are usually my favorites. I ran it well, but the lack of training and water started catching up to me. I knew I didn't have much left in the tank. Rich, on the other hand, started to put the hammer down. I hung on for dear life, and began to understood how some others may feel running with me at times. I told him to go on ahead if he wanted. It was my way of saying, "Uncle". He eased up slightly, so we could stay together. He was talking about the apple pie his father-in-law was planning to make, and I thought, "I just got served some humble pie".

On the last downhill together Rich asked our pace. The Garmin said 7:17...not bad, but we were flying. I kept re-checking every 100 feet or so and it didn't change. I finally realized that I was looking at "Average pace". Holy shniikees, Batman! We ran 9 hilly miles at 7:17 pace! No wonder I feel like death. I haven't run more than 10 times in the past 7 weeks, and now this! OK, I don't feel so bad now.

We parted ways at the next turn and I slowed the pace quite a bit. I chugged up the hills slowly, but still manged to finish the 13.6 miles at 7:25 pace. Not great, but not bad for not having done much in the past 7 weeks.

As for the Legend, he's primed and ready for Hartford. I think he has a chance to break 3 hours if the weather cooperates. At age 50, he's an inspiration.

It was another great adventure today...running provides so many. I guess it's high time that I get my butt back in gear, and maybe start running to work again.

This Friday the Red Eye Runners will participate in our 4th Reach the Beach Relay in NH. Dawn and the Goat will join the team this year, so I'm excited to see how they enjoy it. It's a great time...stay tuned next week for the race report.

Happy trails!

Summer Musings!

It's been awhile since I last posted as I haven't been running a lot. I have run a total of 5 times since the race due to other priorities. The runs have felt fine and my conditioning is great. I've just been trying to catch up on items that were put "on hold" for the past 8 months, and frankly I was a bit burned out. It was hard to even think about putting on my running gear, but I'm getting the bug again.

It's been nice to catch up on homeowner tasks such as landscaping and home repairs. While things are probably never where we want them, I'm pretty happy with the situation now. During the training, I stressed about certain repairs that were needed, but had no time to address them.

On the fun side, I've been able to get in some rock climbing recently. At first, it felt like I was starting over, but the rust has come off reasonably fast. My strength is coming back faster than I imagined, and the technique is coming along. Dawn and I managed to get a couple trips in to the Gunks and do some local climbing here in CT. She's climbing much better than me right now, so it's giving me motivation to get back in climbing shape.

Yesterday, Tara and I spent a little time in the Gunks. She's a natural climber, but doesn't climb very often. She loves it, but has so many other priorities (a.k.a. boyfriend) that she doesn't get on the rock very often. Anywhoooo, we had a great day. Tara climbed very well considering she hasn't done multipitch climbing in ages. The day was hot, so we cut it short and capped it off with an invigorating swim. I love the Coxing swimming hole as it's a natural wonder. The water flows in via a small waterfall and you swim up a narrow channel to get to it. The water temp is wicked cold, but it feels great on a hot day. Standing under the waterfall feels like you are getting a wonderful back massage. The whole place is such a treat, and it was a pleasure to share it with my daughter for the first time.

It's also been nice to spend some quality time with Dawn. She was so supportive of me in my training, and it's been nice to dedicate some time to her and "us" lately. I think the race pulled us together in many ways, but the training put a strain on everything for awhile. It's been nice to get some balance back in life and make our relationship a priority. Life is good!

As far as the running, it's been fun to watch others get the bug. My hat is off to all my friends and family that are getting into it. My brother is training for the Marine Corp marathon (his first), the Goat has registered for the Stone Cat 50 miler, Sean is running a half marathon in the Fall, Matt Estes running again and his wife, Aimee, is running faster than ever, and Dawn is putting in more mileage than me these days. There are many other folks that are putting in the mileage as well - it's great to see so many people enjoying the roads and trails.

As for me, I'll be doing the Reach the Beach relay with the Red Eye Runners in a few short weeks, and then I'll probably do Marine Corps with my brother or Stone Cat with the Goat (or both depending on scheduling). As for now, I need to get my syllabus ready for next week and help Tara get packed for the ride back to UCONN today.

I've been running for over 30 years now, and it's interesting to see how it has become such an integral part of life.

All the best and happy trails!

Steve

2008 Vermont 100 Race Report - We did it!

Where to begin! I suppose at the beginning...I had told anyone that would listen over the past 6 months that Vermont 100 would be hot and humid this year because "hot and humid" seem to follow me to every race. Well, darned if I wasn't right again! Weather predictions were anywhere from upper 80's to 100 degrees with high humidity and possible thunderstorms. Oh goodie, here we go again! Well, here we all are waiting for the race to begin while trying to wait out a storm under the tent. This is the best I will look for the next 24 hours. The first pick is me getting prepped by Dawn with my Mom looking on. Below is a shot of me and my daughter, Tara. My younger daughter, Jamie, decided to sleep in, but would show up later in the race.

I was feeling pretty good about my chances for a better finish than 2 years ago. My strategy is to first set several progressive goals, so this is what I chose for this race: 1. Get family and friends together and attempt to re-create the magical experience from 2 years ago...basically share it with more people. This was a tall enough task. 2. Finish the race. 3. Break 24 hours. 4. Get a PR - sub 19 hours 5. Another Top 10 finish 6. Sub 17:30 and possibly Top 5.

I knew the last one was a stretch for 2 reasons: 1. The weather would slow all times, so sub 17:30 was a challenge 2. The Western States runners definitely made this a tougher field.

At the pre-race check in, my weight was a hair under 136, so I rounded down to 135.5. I had been training at about 132.5 and figured I gained 2 lbs. during tapering. 135.5 or 136 was about right with my shoes on.

The race started and people raced off like it was a 10K once again. I just don't understand it. I settled in at a pace that felt a bit fast - probably around 8:30-8:45 by my guess. My goal was to run around 3:25-3:30 for the first 21 miles. I knew the big dogs would be cruising it at around 3:00, and just wanted to stay within range without blowing up early. I ran with the Fitzpatrick's (Diana would finish 3rd Woman overall) from Northern Cal. for awhile. They are veteran WS100 runners and were a bit concerned about the humidity and gravel roads. One of the great things about these races is meeting good people, and they were no exception.

I used Perpetuem for my first 2 bottles and switched to Heed for No. 3. My goal was 1 bottle per hour and supplement with Hammergel and Endurolytes as needed.

I saw my crew for the first time at mile 21, and got very emotional (as I did last time) running into that Aid Station. I guess the magic was being re-created. My daughter, Tara, screamed when she saw me, and I saw my Dad shooting video.








Dawn had given everyone a task, and they were operating like a well-oiled machine. I think I had cracked the top 20 at this point, and came in right around 3:25. Everything was going according to plan.










I kept a good pace and passed a few more runners, and then the wheels started coming off the bus. Just after passing 2 guys on a long downhill, I got sick and projectile vomited large quantities of liquid. It was nasty. Never having vomited in a race, I wasn't sure what to do. I knew the guys behind me witnessed it, so I decided to act like nothing was wrong. I cruised into the next aid station - dumped the Perpetuem and switched to Heed (hoping it would help). I moved out of the aid station quickly, and those guys never caught up with me.

While I was feeling weak and concerned about the up-coming weigh-in, it was really nice to be running alone for the first time in the race. The views were amazing, and I was just happy to be taking it all in (despite my stomach woes).

At Camp 10 Bear (mile 47ish), I saw my crew and was summoned to the weigh-in before I could eat or hydrate. The scale said, "129 lbs.", and I almost passed out. I didn't say a word. They told me to look at it like a Mom chastising a child for using crayon on the wall. I acted like you do when you are pulled over by a State Trooper, "Who me, ..., speeding?" They asked if I had a crew, etc. The Doctor said I was OK to go on, but to put on sunscreen or a shirt. I had two thoughts: 1. Why aren't you pulling me from the race? 2. Thank God you're not pulling me from the race.

Sean (my cousin) forced grapes and oranges on me, and I reluctantly ate some. The grapes were tasty... Thanks Sean! I whispered to Dawn my concerns about my puking, and she told me to slow down, but don't stop. My crew was really excited, and I didn't want to disappoint them.

I decided that I would go easy the rest of the way and hoped to finish in under 24 hours. I wanted Jamie to see me run, and wanted both girls to see me finish. All hopes of a Top 10 were gone at that point, and I settled in for the long haul.

At the next aid station (Pinky's - mile 51), a young guy caught up to me, and I tried to chat with him. He didn't say much, so I shuffled on down the road. He caught up again and this time we talked more. His name was Brian, and he was a runner from Ca. This was his first 100, and he was looking really strong. I decided to try to hang with him as long as possible. We got into a rythym and worked well together. I knew the course, and offered some info. Our crews got to know each other, and Tara got a good picture of us at the Tracer Brook (57 mile) aid station.

I told Brian I was changing shoes at Margaritaville (mile 62.1), so he should go ahead without me. My crew tried to feed me a lot knowing I had to weigh-in at Camp 10 Bear (70 miles).

After leaving the aid station with Brian and one other guy, Ryan, I quickly proceeded to do the technicolor yawn once again. I told them to go on without me in between bouts of heaving. It was not pretty!

I thought that would be it for me. I drank some water and shuffled along just hoping to keep them in sight. Ryan looked like he was hurting, and I started catching up to him. I passed without saying much and set my eyes on Brian. We worked well together, and I hoped I could still hang with him. Once we got back together, it started pouring rain right at the mile 65 aid station. Brian needed electrolyte pills and I gave him some of mine as they had none at the aid station. I figured they weren't doing me any good at this point. We ran like we were being chased by the giant ball in the first Indiana Jones movie to get through the rain. We were in a wide trail, but the puddles were turning into Lakes. At one point, we had no choice, but to go through the middle. Brian was lucky and found a high spot while I went in up to my knees. Yuck!

We finally made it to a road, and I knew we were within 1-1.5 miles on Ten Bear. It was a long down hill and then short up to hit the aid station. I weighed-in at 135 due to some extra water and mud and other assistance, and all seemed well. Dawn said we were running 10 and 11 at that point, but we passed a couple people at the aid station. I picked up my pacer, Kevin (the Goat), and I explained to him and Dawn that I had another puking fit. By this point, I was operating solely on water, hammergel, and watermelon. I wouldn't touch anything else.

Goat was a welcome companion, and we quickly settled into a nice pace. Brian stayed with us as his pacer was waiting until mile 77 to meet him. The section from 70 to 77 is one of the toughest on the course, and Kevin's experience with it from the last race really helped us. He did such a great job pacing me through the last 30 miles.

We hammered the very technical downhill into mile 75 and I was feeling good. Brian, on the other hand, was at his limit. His quads were shot, and I knew he would be slowing down. I gave him a few words of encouragement and off we went.

At mile 77, we saw our crew again. Brian's folks had donated a watermelon to my cause since it was all I would eat. Thank you! As we left the aid station, we passed John Geesler, the former 24 hour national champ, and I couldn't believe my eyes. Wow! I thought, "We are doing good now!"

At this point, I was running 9th and knew we had a couple folks in striking distance.

We caught up to the first place woman (Devon) as she had made a slight detour. We came into Bill's (mile 88.6) in 8th place and the crew was going nuts. The weigh-in was fine, and off we went with watermelon (I learned later it was from Charlotte's fruit salad) of course.

It was getting dark, so I started using the headlamp. Devon passed us in one of the fields (I hate running through wet fields), and on we rolled.

At mile 95, there was NO WATERMELON! :-) Oh well! Everyone laughed when I asked for it, and I was ready to just take care of business. Goat and I were on a mission and he was the lead dog. I tucked in behind him like a Tour de France racer behind the lead climber. We made sure to avoid the wrong turn we made 2 years earlier and passed Devon again. The fog was so bad that you could only see about 5 feet in front of you, and the trail was very technical. We had to walk most of this section. It was very muddy, and I did not want to chance twisting an ankle.

We hit the last major climb and knew we were almost home. Goat powered up the nasty, muddy slope and saw a headlamp in the distance. We didn't even have to say a word. He put the hammer down and I just hung on. We passed the number 8 man and he looked like he was done. Goat left no question and kept pounding the slope to the top of the ridge. We hit the road and went 200 yards or so with no one in sight behind us. How sweet it is to be in 7th place.

Torches marked the 99.5 mile mark and we followed the glowing gallon markers into the finish. My crew did not react because they did not expect me in 7th place. The fog didn't allow anyone to figure out who I was until I hit the finish line. Dawn yelled out, "Oh my God, it's him!", then grabbed me yelling, "They did it, they did it". My girls quickly joined the hug, and I was smiling once again. My time was 18:29:20, and life was good. Devon finished about 1 minute behind me.

At the medical tent, my blood pressure was fine. I chatted with Joe Kulak (6th place finisher who just completed his 30th 100 miler). The guy is a legend, but was so nice. I couldn't believe he asked me how I did, etc. Really nice guy! Jack Pilla (3rd place) was there and gave me some advice on electrolytes. We chatted a bit and then he recommended I get some mud off of me. Hint, hint! :-)

I started to clean up and then got the shakes really bad. The EMT covered me in blankets and I warmed up quickly. We got the car nice and warm and I jumped in while my brother, Robert, drove back to the hotel.

After a rough nights sleep, we rolled over to our cousins, Charlotte and Steve's, house for breakfast. They were great hosts for the weekend, and I'm so happy we were able to spend some time with them.

At the award ceremony, I looked for Mark and Scott (2 other UTC runners), but could not find them. When I was called up for my Top 10 finish award, I saw both of them wave at me, and it felt great to see them.
After the photos, they told me they had both finished - Mark was around 22.5 hours and Scott was 25.5 hours. Nice work guys!!! I chatted a bit with Mark's pacer, Bruce, and also found Brian. Brian finished under 20 hours and seemed a bit wiped out. He has a great future in ultra running if he hangs with it, and his parents should be proud. He's a great guy!

Many thanks to my family and friends for being there. My cousin, Sean, was a huge help, and it's always fun to spend time with him. My parents have been great supporters and this race was no exception. I was proud to finish strong in front of my girls and glad they could share the experience. As I mentioned, Steve and Charlotte hosted us, and I'm glad they could share in the experience. My brother, Robert, is one of the nicest people in the world and I was lucky to have him there.



The Goat was the man once again, and he is like a second brother to me.








Dawn pulled everything and everyone together as she has for me over the past 6 months, and I am so grateful to her. It was a joy to share the experience with her.






When it comes right down to it, my crew and pacer made the difference between 7th and 9th place. They were amazing and deserve so much credit. Thank you all!

Vermont 100: It's show time!

This will likely be my last post before the race. I've got lots to do to get ready for this weekend. I feel really good other than a slightly tweaked left calf. I should be well rested and ready for this Saturday.

For the folks that are not familiar with the Vermont 100 or haven't seen my pics from 2 years ago, I've decided to throw some in here. I was looking at them earlier today and it brought back some great memories.


Here's the start with me and Ultra-mentor Jim Campiformio. Notice the UTC endorsement.Shuffling along the country roads.

This is me and the Goat at Camp 10 Bear (around Mile 68). Mom, Amy, and Pam are in upper left corner.
I was very happy to cross the finish line. Celebrating with the Goat! CCM is our climbing group (The CT Climbers and Mountaineers).

This past week was a bit strange. Work and home life were very busy. I took two rest days after last Sunday's hill work as I wanted to be fresh. On Wednesday, I went fairly hard on a 10.5 mile run, then did about 6.3 miles at work on Friday. The weather is getting warm! Saturday, I surprised the gang by showing up for a Red Eye Runners run in the Colchester area. It's my first run there since Tim has been inviting me for more than 10 years. I'm glad he didn't give up on me. It was a real pleasure to chat with the guys while doing a nice 10 on the very scenic Airline Trail.

I only planned to do 6-8 today, but stretched it into another 10 just because I felt like doing a little more. It was such a beautiful day, and it was good to get some heat training at mid-day.

I know I should not be doing too much, but I couldn't resist catching up on a lot of chores this weekend. It's amazing what you can get done when you are not running all day or recovering from a run. Mentally, I needed to get caught up on some things.

It's been a great 7 months of training. A few weeks ago, I was mentally drained from it all, but now I reflect in a positive way. I've met some new friends, completed runs that I never knew I could do, blew away my previous weekly mileage totals, and am probably in the best shape of my life. Andy Jones-Wilkins recently put up a post that indicated that the race is the dessert. I think he is right. The dessert will be sweet, but the main course was most excellent.

Many thanks to all my friends and family for being supportive and tolerant over these past months. I certainly appreciate it. This weekend, I'll have lots of family and friends at the race. The support is so appreciated. We will have a great time!

Let's go!!!!!!!

Weekly Summary -
Wed - 10.5 hard
Friday - 6.3 moderate
Saturday - 10 moderate
Sunday - 9.7 moderate
Total - 36.5 miles

The Tower Re-visited

Isn't it strange how some of your best runs come on days when you are least motivated? Afterwards, you say to yourself, "I'm glad I got out there, ...that was great!" Well, today was one of those days.

It's been really humid and wet here lately, and I was not into running today. I wanted to get at least 16 miles and 2+ hours on my feet, but was a bit tired of my usually reservoir runs. I needed to get creative and a little adventurous to keep myself motivated. I decided to head up to Heublein Tower to see if I could catch any views today. I felt like 2 trips up to the tower and some loops in the surrounding area would be good. Little did I know that I would end up doing 5 laps up to the Tower. Sure, it was a bit more than I planned, but what a huge boost to my confidence going into this race. My quads feel ready!

I finally made it up the 120 steps to the top of the Tower. The door has only been open one other time while I was up there. The views were good, but a bit hazy. The Tower is quite an architectural marvel. I highly recommend a trip.

On my second trip down on the north side, I came across a woman from work and her family. She just moved here from Egypt, and the hike up was a little more than they had anticipated. I think they thought I was crazy. In fact, I passed many people that were thinking it. I joked with some of them. Others took an interest in it and asked how many times I planned to go up. It was a lot of fun!

I thought I was finished at 4 laps, but then decided to go back up on the east side one more time before heading back. This time it was solo (no spectators), but still very satisfying.

I feel ready. I've done everything I can possibly do to prepare for this race. I'm psyched to be in real taper mode at this point. My body is starting to feel strong again.

I still have lots to do to get ready, but it feels good to be less than 2 weeks away!

Weekly summary:

Monday - rest
Tuesday - 9 easy
Wednesday - 16 moderate (first 8 with Goat)
Thursday - rest
Friday - 19.5 tempo (approx. 2.5 hours)
Saturday - spinning, 4.5 easy on treadmill, weights
Sunday - 18.25 hill training (approx. 3 hours and 7,000 ft elevation)
Total - 77.25 miles